victory_road | GHOST TRICK PART ONE: Festival Log!

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GHOST TRICK PART ONE: Festival Log!

Who: Everyone!
Where: Either Ecruteak City or Lavender Town; please mark your toplevel comments accordingly!
When: August 13th-15th
Summary: Celebrate O-bon at a festival near you! For details, see the infopost.
Rating: Will vary from thread to thread. Warn for common triggers if something comes up.
Log:

The streets are lined with NPC-run stalls for food, games, and the assorted tchotchkes of every summer festival you’ve ever seen in your animes! There’s Goldeen Scoop, heaping cones of Swirlix Candy, Test Your STRENGTH (there are two different machines for people and Pokémon; HM04 not required); basically, if you can think of it, it’s there. There will also be a yukata rental stall if you want to go full hog on the cultural side of things. Ecruteak boasts a small stage where the Kimono Girls give a short performance once every two hours; the festivities in Lavender Town are a little quieter, but they also have Haunter-shaped ice cream treats. When you lick them, they Lick you!

On the last evening (August 15th) of the festival in either location, there will be a large bonfire and traditional bon-odori dance in which everyone is welcome to participate. In Lavender Town only, they also set paper lamps afloat in the water past the cliffs.

The closer you get to midnight on the last night of the festival, the more ghosts pop up.

Again, please say which city your character's in and note what dates/times they're there in the header of or within your top--level comment to avoid confusion. Play nice and have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tim really, really shouldn't just be staring at this thing like an idiot, but hey, being an idiot seems to be what he's good at. Something he's about to prove. He thinks he's fine when he recognizes the voice of the one talking to him, but uh...]

Ha, yeah, that'd be a hell--

[And then he actually turns and looks at her and... Oh. Oh, wow.]

H-Hello...

[Okay, yeah, turns out just seeing someone on a screen is no match for the real thing and oh god, she's all dressed up, she looks super good in these clothes, what the hell.]

Uh. Hi. [Goddammit Timothy, no, don't start this again. Words, damn it. Words.] I mean, uh, hah, yeah, that-- that'd be way easier, huh?

Yes, it would. Assuming one's mental strength was up to task. Hello, Mr. Jack.

[He never gave a family name, so Lust simply defaults to titling his given name, as she does. She offers him a smile, unbothered by the way he stumbles over his words. It's nothing she isn't used to, though it's been a while since she found herself the direct attention of male fluster.]

[At least until this month, now it seems she can't turn around without encountering it. Can they somehow smell it? 'Recovering widow here!'? But those like Jack here, and Hanna...they're not unpleasant about it. It's almost sweet, in a way.]

Are you enjoying your first festival here?

[There's a brief moment, just a second maybe, where Tim looks just a little... off. Like a mix between confusion and disappointment. It's gone practically right away, though, and it's back to awkward smiling.

Right. Jack. That's him...]

Ha, right. Actually, when you put it that way, I'd probably be even worse at the game like that.

[No, he hasn't tried it, he's just assuming he's bad at it. And ha, mental strength. Yeah, we all know he's got plenty of that, right?]

Oh, yeah. It's pretty fun! It's nice here, kinda... relaxed, in a way?

Been a while since I've gotten to be anyplace like this.

[Whatever was that about? Maybe nothing. Probably nothing, Lust isn't going to ask.]

I'm sure you sell yourself short. In both departments.

[She already knows he possesses a degree from some institute of higher learning, and he looks like a man who has some strength to him. She idly scratches Virago's chin, the lavender cat Pokemon blinking lazily at 'Jack' and his Ditto.]

The festivals here are fun. And I do particularly enjoy the ones I'm not working at myself - the circus often participates in this sort of thing.

You allude to quite a hectic and interesting life, you know. Gunfights on the moon. A career in the theater. No time for relaxing...you're an intriguing man, Mr. Jack.

Oh no, trust me, I'm really not.

[Pshhh, low self esteem, him? Nah, clearly not. His esteem is exactly where it should be. Riiiight at rock bottom.]

Oh, right, bet it would be pretty different when you've gotta work. Uh, what kinda stuff do you do exactly? At the circus? I don't think I actually asked last time we talked.

Eh, I'd say not so much intriguing as super in over my head. I mean, not the theater part, sure, but the rest I just sorta... stumbled into.

You do realize I'm going to make you prove it now.

[There's something about him that puts her in a mind of a more chatty Henry. A certain nervousness, almost. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say nerves.]

I'm an acrobat, actually. My brother and I are the trapeze artists. I do other things, too. Guttle and I have an act for the children, to keep them entertained waiting in line. He rolls and I balance on top of him. And come October, there's a great to-do every weekend for Halloween. Booths and games and...well, it's a great deal like this.

[And takes over Goldenrod, between the circus and the Haunted House.]

[She regards him carefully at that, and gives a small nod.]

Mmm. Stumbling into that sort of excitement can be...less than pleasant.

Uh... Wait, seriously? I mean, if you wanna be disappointed that badly...

[Oh gosh, she's an acrobat? Oh god, that's-- No, no, keep it together, Tim. Let's try not to just... swoon constantly.]

Wow, that... yeah, that sounds really cool. Man, I'll definitely have to check that out at some point. October at least. Still a little ways away, that, uh... should be doable.

Just, y'know, it'd be cool to see you perform.

[By then he'll have figured out how to deal with the Jack situation, right? Yeah. Probably.

Future!Tim will have it all sorted out, for sure.]

Kinda. Just kinda have to learn to go with it, which is... not easy. But hey, sometimes you just literally don't have a choice, am I right?

Makes me appreciate being here a lot more too.

Yes, seriously. Go on.

[She gestures toward the game, an amused look in her eyes.]

[But when he continues, her expression softens. There's more behind the words, she can tell. And understands, at least in the broad and general sense.]

It's a much different life than I ever imagined I'd have. There's one thing that this place offers, above all things. And that is freedom. Our own freedom. We can make our own choices, live our own lives...however we want to. As whatever we want. There's no greater thing, I think, in all existence.

[She turns a tired smile to him, absentmindedly toying with Virago's tail.]

I understand not having choices.

Freedom, huh? [Right. He wishes...] You do know how to make it sound pretty great here, I'll give you that.

[He's... not entirely there yet.]

...You do, huh? Seems a bunch of people here can relate to that. Kinda happy about that, kinda wish no one knew how it felt at the same time. Funny how that works.

[Because no one should be able to relate to that. It sucks. A lot.

And man, he's seriously bringing the mood down here, isn't he? Or maybe it's not entirely him, but... Ugh, still, that won't do.]

...Well. If you wanna see me fail at this so badly, let's give this test a try, huh? [He walks up to it, stopping right in front of it.] Uh, right. Okay...

[Just gotta psyche himself up now that he's actually decided to go for it...]

It is. Maybe I'm biased, I came from a war-torn world where I was nothing but a pawn in some megalomaniac's grand delusional scheme. But this place is practically a paradise. Oh, it has its drawbacks. But they're no different than the drawbacks of any life, I think. There's loss in this place, swift and unexpected, but isn't that how life is?

[She's asking herself as much as she's asking 'Jack'. That's just life. There are losses. They aren't fair, but there's nothing that can be done.]

[And tonight has helped her put some things to rest, which seems to be a part of the festival's intent. She came out to have a good time, she's going to. And so is Nervous Jack.]

Oh come now. If you go at it determined to fail, you're going to. You're an actor. Act like a big strong brute and give it a good whack.

[He actually has to pause again, not because he's trying to stall, but because uh. Okay, did he just hear all that right?]

Uh... Wow. That's... damn, that's a lot. [And of course one thing in particular would stand out to him.] Delusional megalomaniac, huh? Sounds... fun.

[Right, he's an actor. That... Does that help? Well, she seems to think so.]

I, ah, I don't think that's exactly how it works - I mean, positive, actually, pretty positive that's not how it works - but... Sure, right. Just give it a whack.

[Screw it, let's just do it. Timothy gives the thing a good, solid whack and-- Oh damn, look at that, up goes the weight and DING goes the bell. Looks like there's some strength there after all!

Tim actually looks surprised at the result. And maybe he shouldn't be, but at the end of the day, it's hard not to still think of himself as the physically unimpressive nerd he used to be.]

...Oh.

Honestly? That's nothing. She was a miserable bitch with more power than sense, and I assume she's gotten what was owed to her.

[Everyone does, one way or another.]

I didn't have a very nice life, before this world. But that was a long time ago, now.

[It was all in the past. She has a family. She has a home. And she's lost loved ones, but at least they had the time here that they did. None of them ought to have had it at all. It's just pure luck that she remains.]

[She smooths her yukata and turns her attention to 'Jack' as he readies himself to take a swing. She claps when the weight hits the top, unsurprised. This place seems to gather those who needed to find themselves properly.]

[She quite suspects this Jack is in need of that.]

What was that about failing, Mr. Jack? I do believe you've won a prize. I can already predict it will be a stuffed Pokemon.

...Yeah, somehow power always seems to go to those types, doesn't it? Makes you wonder what the heck the universe is thinking sometimes.

[...]

Sorry to hear it. But... glad you've got this place. Must be nice for all that to be so far away.

[That's how he'd see it, anyway. Man, does this place just attract a certain type of people? Because it sure seems to want people with problems. Or... maybe that's just the people he's met so far. Who knows.]

Ha, well, guess I just don't know my own strength? Man, when'd that happen...?

[A part of him immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion, wants to put it all on one thing, but no. No, the reasonable part of him knows surgery can't make him stronger like that. S'gotta be from all the stuff he had to do on Elpis. So that win is his. Not... someone else's.]

Pfff, what? Maybe they'll actually surprise us and-- [Annnnnnd it's a stuffed Eevee.] --nope, no they did not, there it is.

Because those types, no matter how brilliant they think they are, no matter how much they scream and crow about knowing what's best...they're ultimately fools and idiots, the lot of them. And only idiots and fools seek that sort of power in the first place.

I'll keep my dreams simple, thank you.

[She just wants to be herself, that's as simple as one can manage. And maybe she is, now. How the hell would she even know? She knows she's not the woman who first awoke in this world. Not by far.]

Now you do. I have to admit, I didn't think it would go all the way up!

Oh, it's an Eevee! I have about a dozen of those. Well, evolved forms - actual Pokemon, I mean. They're darling creatures. Though not as darling as you, of course.

[That last she directs to the Spheal at her feet, crouching to scratch the top of...well, his top.]

Well, that... accurately describes many people back home. And everywhere, I imagine.

But gotta agree there, I'm all for simple. Never really got the appeal of the whole... power thing.

[Yeah, nothing but big dreams for... too many people to begin listing, Jack just took it a little further than others.]

Pretty sure it wouldn't have even made it a third of the way up just a few years ago. But that was before... a whole lot of stuff.

Ha, it is pretty cute. Both yours and the, uh... Eevee, did you say? Yeah. [Tim glances down at his own critter. His Ditto's eying that stuffed toy, so Tim kneels down to show it off for a moment.] Ha, what, you think so t-- [Annnnd there's the bright light as it already begins to transform, but Tim quickly places his hand on his Ditto, causing it to stop its transformation.] Whoa, whoa, you don't have to turn into literally everything you see, you know...

Power brings nothing good. My former master, she was mad. I mean that quite literally, she had such a tenuous grasp on reality I honestly look back and wonder how she even functioned.

[while the conversation's veered into some serious topics, Lust's voice is actually on the amused side when she talks about Dante. The woman has no power over her anymore. And since Wrath's around the house so much, she's curbed a great deal of her vitriol toward the bitch. But Wrath isn't at her heels at the moment - though she ought to check in on him before the night's over - and it feels good to speak harshly.]

I only ever wanted one thing, and this place gave it to me. I don't know what my dreams are now. And you're bound to keep up your strength, here. All the walking and hiking and everything else.

[Or biking, if one went that route. She doesn't travel much, content to stay in Goldenrod and Violet, but her job keeps her as fit as she can be.]

This is Guttle, he's my starter. And you, I see, have a Ditto! They're fascinating creatures. They can be anything. Look however they'd like. Lucky little fellows. What's yours' name?

Oh, she sounds like a real fun person. Power and crazy, that just... always seems to go together. Like gasoline and fire.

[In some ways, it's almost nice, talking like this. Tim's not directly talking about his own stuff, not really, but even indirectly is at least... something. It'd be even nicer to do it directly, but... Well, the only person he really trusts enough to do that with right now is Athena.]

Well... That's good. I mean, you get to pick out a new dream and all. And... yeah, ha, guess I will be. Hell, I'll probably be doing more walking than ever. Even Elpis had more transportation than this place.

[Not that he's complaining. Because you know what he can do without in his life? Those freaking Stingrays and all the jumping. Ugh...]

Ah, I haven't actually named the little guy yet. [He holds his arm out for the Ditto, who happily takes a seat back on Tim's shoulder.] Guess I've been so preoccupied with uh... settling in... that it just sorta slipped my mind. Prooobably should actually pick something out, though...

One breeds the other, precisely. Or exacerbates what's already there. Sometimes I wonder why it took so long for me to realize quite what she was. I feel like an utter idiot, looking back now.

[Really, it's easy for her to talk about these things. She's made peace with her former life, as much as can be made. She'd waited too long to act, but there's nothing she can do about it.]

Is Elpis the place you came from? That's a lovely name - did you know it means 'hope'? Speaking of names, you really ought to. They're more than pets, you know, they're our companions. They deserve as much sense of self as we do. Names...can be important things.

[Says the woman who won't even use her own birth name. But that's what she means. She doesn't feel she has a right to that name, now.]

Easy to miss red flags when you don't think to look for them. They're more obvious in hindsight. In, uh... my experience, anyway.

[That's what makes him feel less stupid, anyway.]

Does it? Not the most fitting of names for that place. But it's uh... sorta? I mean, it's where I'd been spending a lot of time, for... work stuff. It's the moon to this planet called Pandora. The place I was at last was a space station right by it, though.

[His feelings on all those places aren't the most positive, so he's... maybe not the best person to talk about it. But why not, right?]

...Yeah, they sure can be. [Names are a big deal. He knows that very well. But let's not think about that too much, it'll just bum him out.] But you're right, I need to give it a proper name. Just need to think of something good.

Or don't know to look for them. And there you go again...alluding to a far more interesting story than the one you're giving. No, it's fine.

[She holds up a hand, before he takes it as something meant seriously.]

We all have things we don't like to discuss directly, I'm only teasing. I'm still rather new to...conventional social interactions. I didn't have much opportunity, before coming here. But it does all sound exciting - moons and space stations. Though I went to the moon last month! I punched it.

[And it had been very satisfying. But then the world had broken a bit, and she still wonders if she and Ralph had had anything to do with that. They had broken quite a bit of the moon....]

Well, let's think of something. I suppose gender doesn't matter, it's a Ditto. It can be whatever it wants....

Ha, well, exciting is one word for it. I mean, not... wrong, probably, but when you're living it it's more terrifying than anything. Well, for me. Don't think I can say the same for the other people involved.

[Actually, the only other person on his team who would describe the whole adventure as terrifying is... probably... Claptrap.

...Well, that's depressing.]

Wh-- Sorry, ah... You punched the moon?

[Okay, he's both amused and intrigued now, because... wow.]

Right, yeah. Just gotta think of... whatever works. Uh... [...Wait. Oh. Oh, this is uh...] Um...

So this is super awkward, but uh, speaking of names, I... just realized I don't think I actually caught... yours.

[He's been so flustered both times talking to her, he just kinda... didn't realize. Wow. Way to go, Timothy.]

Well, to be fair, I did a great deal more than punch it. I was...how does that phrase go? 'Going through some things'.

[And she'd had her homunculus abilities returned, as they always are on those weekends. It's actually quite jarring, to wake up two or three times a year as a dead thing.]

Oh...yes. [She's been hoping he'd just assume she was actually called 'Miss Fitz'. There are certainly those that call her that, it's a perfectly fine pseudonym. Well, here goes. She smooths her skirt again, a nervous habit.]

I'm called Lust. It doesn't mean anything, it's the name my master gave me. Her name was Dante, she thought it was funny and clever. My brother's called Envy, the brother we lost from this place was called Greed. She didn't have near the sense of humor she thought that she did.

Ha, well. If it helps, it helps, I guess.

[...Wait, is she feeling awkward? She kinda seems to be acting like it, anyway. Honestly, if she hadn't brought it up, he wouldn't have even given the name a second thought.]

I see. Well, I guess uh... technically speaking, it's nice to officially meet you, Lust.

[Since it's only now that the introductions are actually complete. God, he hopes that didn't sound really dumb, though...]

And, uh, don't worry about it? It's just a name and far from the weirdest one I've ever heard. Heck, I'd say it'd fit right in on Elpis.

[Oh thank god, there was no awkwardness or questions or anything else. Lust lets out a visible (and audible) sigh of relief.]

And it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry if I seem needlessly defensive, but...I've gotten used to varied reactions to my name. Including the outright refusal to use it, and...assumptions about my profession. Which is a perfectly fine profession, just not currently mine. Goodness sakes, I knew it as the word that meant 'me' before I knew it as anything else.

Though now I have to wonder what the strangest name you've heard is.

[Because, really. What's stranger than being named for a sin from a dead religion?]

Ah, no worries, I getcha. That'd probably get a little obnoxious, huh? But yeah, no assumptions here.

[Some names are fitting and tell you a lot about the person, but some don't say much at all. Can't just go making those type of assumptions about anyone, obviously.]

Well, there was this colonel called Tungsteena Zarpedon. That, uh... That was pretty weird, I'd say. [And really difficult to take seriously, even if she was a serious threat.] Oh, and then there's... well, this one's not so much a name as a title, but that kinda makes it worse since it means he willingly chose it... guy on Elpis who called himself, I shit you not, the Meriff.

Like... Like mayor and sheriff, just mashed together. I mean... seriously.

[And yeah, okay, that had ended... not so great. But that title is still stupid, okay.]

GHOST TRICK PART ONE: Festival Log!

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