GHOST TRICK PART ONE: Festival Log!

[indigo_league]

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!

Comments

[abstounding]

[He blinks a couple of times, not quite prepared for that level of kindness. Even if this place is a lot friendlier than Pandora, Vaughn has never exactly drawn good favor from strangers.]

Oh, that's... really nice of you to offer. Are you sure? I don't want to take advantage of you. I mean, I have money. [Not a lot.] I can pull something together, I think. [Maybe.]

[bent_the_world]

If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have offered. That's...kind of how it goes, here. Us veterans help out the newcomers! I had someone I didn't even know send me a Pokemon egg, when I was new. Just because they're kind of expensive and no one can afford them when they first show up.

[The least Korra can do is buy someone else lunch, now that she's been here almost a year. She makes plenty with battling, at this point. And it's not like she has that many expenses - she still camps over getting a hotel room.]

Besides, helping people out's kinda my thing. Come on! And if there's anything you want to know about Ecruteak, just ask. I lived here for months.

[abstounding]

Jeez, well, I really appreciate it. I've been trying to stretch my money as far as supplies go, but... Getting here alone cost an arm and a leg.

Honestly, I'm a little more concerned for my Pokemons' stomachs than mine.

[He's gone for longer with less food plenty of times, after all, and these little gals need to keep up their strength, what with all the trainers raring for a battle and the wild encounters...]

Oh, uh, actually, if you know anyone in town who could repair damaged PokeGear, that would be... super awesome.

[bent_the_world]

Hey, it's okay. I'm still working out how much some of the money here is worth. I got pretty lucky, when I first showed up, I had someone from back home who'd been here a while. She's gone, now, but...splitting expenses with someone else helped a lot.

[Korra starts heading off in the direction of the food stalls and eating area. She'll find people later - there's food to be eaten and a new friend to chat with. She's good.]

Oh! You'll want the Pokecenter. They'll take care of that for you. And if you find yourself broke in town, you can sleep there and get a hot meal - for you and your whole team. It's pretty great!

[abstounding]

[Vaughn and Skagbait will happily follow her, at least his worries assuaged for the time being. His friends can get by without him; for now his most pressing concern is getting more than trail mix and berries for his Pokemon.]

Really? That's a relief. Thanks!

Uh... If it's okay, can I ask how long you've been here?

[bent_the_world]

Yeah! The Pokemon Centers are pretty much just places to help you out while you're on the road training. I've slept in a bunch of them. And if you battle other trainers, and not just wild Pokemon, you make money when you win!

[Plus, Korra finds it more satisfying to beat a team of trained Pokemon being directed by a trainer. It feels a lot more fair.]

Oh geeze...uh...Almost a year. It sounds a lot longer than it seems....

[abstounding]

Yeah? I ran into a few people, but most of them were pretty good about not forcing me into a fight when I didn't want one. I thought the only one who was pushy about it was just trying to apologize with the cash.

[Not that he's super comfortable with the idea of battling often just yet. It hasn't quite occurred to him just how good of a bonding experience it can be.]

Oh. Oh, wow, that's... Jeez, I'm sorry.

What happened to your friend..?

[bent_the_world]

Nah, only assholes will make you fight them. But it's kind of what the whole world revolves around. Your Pokemon get stronger, and it's a really easy way to make cash. It's pretty much what I live on.

[Aha, here are the food stalls! It's a little overwhelming, there's so much to choose from. And so much of it completely unhealthy. Which was exactly what you were supposed to eat, at a festival.]

Oh...she went home. It happens pretty random. It's okay, everything's fine at home. I just miss having her here, you know?

[And one of these days she'd wake up back on Air Temple Island or maybe the Spirit World, and Asami would be right there, waiting for her.]

[And maybe they could start over again.]

[abstounding]

That's... interesting. I don't know how I feel about it just yet. It seems... [He shrugs after a moment.] I don't know. I don't wanna make them fight, y'know? It feels wrong.

[Vaughn's a bit preoccupied for a moment, a bit awestruck with the choices, most of which he's never even seen before. Probably appropriate, given that he has no experience with this culture, but he's left with practically no idea about what would be good. Then again, anything would probably sound good after living off of Pandoran fauna.]

Huh... Yeah, I... don't know how I'd deal if once I met up with my friends, they got sent back. I've already lost them once back home.

[bent_the_world]

I was the same way. But it's what they do naturally. It's how they learn new things and get bigger and grow up. It's like a sport, not...fighting.

[Big, big difference, in Korra's opinion.]

It...it sucks. I mean, I know she's at home, I know she's okay, I just...really miss being around her. Having her around. Not sharing this adventure with her. Hey, have you had fried meat buns yet? If not, we're getting fried meat buns.

[Because food is a much more comfortable topic than how badly she misses Asami. She tries not to dwell on it, but there are times when it just hurts. It's dumb, they were apart for three years! But it's different now.]

[abstounding]

[He still looks concerned about the matter, but he does his best to shrug it off.]

I guess they're... really different from us. I mean, this is a new world as far as I can tell. Just gotta... get used to different logic, I guess. [Easier said than done, but...]

I hope you get to see her again soon.

Fried meat buns? [That sounds delicious.] Sounds like a plan to me!

[bent_the_world]

They really are. They remind me a lot of spirits, where I come from. They might not be able to talk in human languages, and they may seem strange and like animals, but they're just...different. [Korra laughs a little, and steps up to the counter to order a box of six fried meat buns, half meat and half veggies. And some Poke-buns for their little friends.]

I'm kind of lucky, there. I've been to the Spirit World and through way crazier stuff than this. I'm the Avatar, I know that means nothing to you, but it means...uh...super short explanation, I'm half spirit. And just the latest reincarnation of the same person. But...yeah. I've seen some really weird stuff. And one time I was a giant blue glowing soul monster.

[Korra sounds entirely too cheerful about all that.]

Meat bun?

[abstounding]

[That sure is a lot to take in.

Can he really say he's surprised, though? Really? Not much is after fighting an Actual Vault Monster and getting spirited (ha) away from his home only to be planted on this plane full of cute little battle monsters.

Having skipped a beat, he accepts the food and moves away from the line with her.]

Thanks.

Well... I gotta say. You are a lot nicer than all the giant monsters I've met.

[bent_the_world]

Yeah the other one wasn't nice.

[Ugh, what an asshole her uncle had turned out to be. But that? That was her life. Honestly, this extended vacation to Pokemon world was kind of welcome. She hates not having her bending, but it's nice to just...not worry about so many things all the time. To relax. She knows it's temporary, she knows no one's actively missing her back home and nothing's going to hell.]

[She just...wishes Asami were here.]

That's something this place does, though. If you have special abilities or aren't human or whatever, you'll be a normal human here. No matter what.