THE TANABATA FESTIVAL

[goldless]

[ It's a breezy summer day on Isle Bermuda. There are gulls crying, a few lazy clouds, and plenty of sunshine with a cooling wind.

Today also happens to be a special event! It's time for Tanabata, and seemingly out of nowhere, a thicket of bamboo has sprung up in the trees near the shoreline. Speaking of the beach, a festival seems to be underway; there are lanterns strung up, fresh food, and plenty of goat-people selling fresh food and games.

The festival goes long into the evening, so don't miss it!

The tradition of Tanabata, as you will notice, is to write a wish on a tag and hang it from a bamboo tree. So make a wish and hope for the best! ♥ And what's this? A mysterious, female voice is drifting along, carried by the wind; ]

The bamboo leaves rustle,
shaking away in the eaves.
The stars twinkle
on the gold and silver grains of sand.
The five-colour paper strips
I have already written.
The stars twinkle,
they watch us from heaven.

Comments

[a_smile]

[Tanabata, hun? it would be nice if a place like this showed up in his dream. he'd even take his sister at some point.

but for now Smile is wandering around with a blank wish tag in his hand. what to wish for...? there was a lot of things, after all.]

[chainsomnia]

[We're a bit distracted with the festival, so Urotsuki almost doesn't notice when she's heading straight towards you until you're practically less than a foot in front of her. She stops just short a foot away, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. Oops...]

[a_smile]

[oh...it's Urotsuki. he'll reach out to try and steady her. silly girl...you should watch where you're going.]

[chainsomnia]

[Hello again, Smile. She's actually a little surprised when he tries to reach out and steady her, but at least it keeps her from falling down.]

Um, thanks...

[a_smile]

[he lets go the minute that she's steady.]

Should be careful. Might fall into the wrong thing.

[was that a warning? maybe, maybe not.]

[chainsomnia]

... [She doesn't say anything to that at first. She wouldn't have been surprised if it was a warning or not--we're pretty sure you're the one who got our friend Madotsuki upset the last time you spoke to people, and she's seriously considering calling you out on it...until she notices the wish tag in his hand. Huh...do dreams even have wishes they want fulfilled too? After a moment, she points to it, curious.]

[a_smile]

[he chuckles and holds up the tag. it's completely blank.]

Wonder what I should wish for. Maybe a dream. Wonder if it would work too...

[chainsomnia]

[She frowns slightly at that before she looks down at her own wish tag that she had--it's also completely blank, as she hasn't figured out yet what to wish for either.]

Don't know if it would or not... [She's not even sure if wishes will even come true just by writing them down, but then again, this island is apparently magical, so who knows.]

[a_smile]

[Smile seems to miss the frown.]

Can't hurt to try. [then something strikes him.] Oh...I know.

[he pulls a pen out of his pocket - where his hammer also is - and writes down something on the tag. Smile doesn't really plan on letting Urotsuki see what he's writing but it might be possible.

"A dream of the past." it says.]

[chainsomnia]

[Oh? What's that he's writing now? Curiosity getting the better of her, Urotsuki moves slightly closer, trying to sneak a peak at what it says. "A dream of the..."?]

[a_smile]

[Smile looks up but otherwise doesn't move to stop her from reading it. he didn't plan on showing it to her but it was fine if she went to look herself.]

Past. Just one, maybe.

[chainsomnia]

The past, huh... [Judging by her tone, she almost sounds disinterested...or even sad, perhaps. As if the past isn't really something worth remembering too much, in her opinion.]

[a_smile]

Yes. The past. [though it's not clear if he means his own past or something else. but he does note that tone of voice.

finished writing, Smile jams the pen back in his pocket and turns around to hang the wish tag up on the tree. the figment seems pretty amused by all of this for some reason.]

[chainsomnia]

...You seem happy. [She can't help but notice that too. Was the past considered a happier time to the figment or something?]

[a_smile]

I am happy. Look once to move on. But it seems dreams are better at that. [was that a jab at someone? maybe. Smile was in too good of a mood to care if it was.]

[chainsomnia]

[Whether it was intentional or not, it certainly felt like a jab, since Urotsuki seems pretty displeased by it. She takes a slight step back away from the other.]

Moving on...it isn't that simple...

[a_smile]

Easy to move on but easier to hide. Most choose the second one.

[he finishes putting the tag up in the tree and then, quite suddenly, turns around and walks off towards the food stands. he's hungry again and he has a feeling he knows where the conversation is going. you're free to follow him, but nothing might come of it.]

[chainsomnia]

[Urotsuki watches as he turns and suddenly walks away. After maybe a minute, she ends up following after him--she doesn't really have anything else to do yet other than wandering around and following dream figments.]

[a_smile]

[he gets some food and once he gets it, finds a spot to sit down.]

There's a song here. Less like that world but it's still a song with words instead of beeping noises.

[way to make sense Smile. but it's true. the only 'music' the figment knows is from that part of her mind.]

[chainsomnia]

... [She's not sure what exactly you mean by that, but she does at least seem to be listening, half-interested. Though she remains standing by rather than sitting down with him.]

[a_smile]

And watching things from a school roof. A sky that has eyes...

[Smile looks up, eyeing the sky for a moment before returning to his food. no eyes.]

[chainsomnia]

[Urotsuki finds herself looking up for a moment too, but sees no eyes either. But it has her reminiscing and thinking about things a little.]

The skies are always strange in dreams...but more interesting to look at, sometimes.

[a_smile]

Strange for you but normal for me. Four places for me but just the one sky there.

[chainsomnia]

Four places? [headtilts slightly at that, a little confused]

[a_smile]

The school, my house, the roof and...

[Smile suddenly laughs.]...the other school.