victory_road | (no subject)

Who: Everybody!
Where: Riegfried and Soy's mansion
When: Saturday, 26th of February
Summary: Once upon a time, in a little online roleplaying game, there was a contest.

Riegfried and Soy's mansion is never not extravagantly decorated, but for one of their beloved contests, they've of course gone all out.

The Ballroom is the focal point of the day. Not only has a stage been built upon which the contests can impress everyone with their performances, the entire room has been given a bit of a Fairy Tale make-over.

A large, long table, practically groaning under the weight of little cakes and pastries, coffee and tea, and everything to fill a rumbling stomach stands at one end of the room, a merry sign proclaiming 'Happy unbirthday!!' planted in the largest cake in the centre. Spindly-legged tables with tall chairs surround the banquet table, giving everybody the chance to have their private little tea party (mad or otherwise), though do be careful before you pour some tea in your cup -- there might be a sugared little Dedenne 'sleeping' in your cup.

A string quartet sits at the ready to fill the room with light, dreamy music, and once the contest is over, expect the tables and stage to be swiftly cleared away so the ballroom can be used to dance in. Perhaps you can celebrate your victory on the dance floor, or drown your defeat in one of the many glasses of champagne that'll be whisked in by the waitstaff.

Unless you are underaged, of course, in which case you can enjoy a nice, sparkling glass of apple juice (non-poisonous).

Behind the scenes, Riegfried and Soy have made their own Sewing Atelier available for contestants to get dressed in, to wait for their turn on the stage, and of course, to do those highly necessary last minute repairs, because there is always something small that has to go wrong with these events, right?

And if that wasn't enough, for those who'd like to stretch their legs and get some fresh air, access to the Garden has been made available as well. The path has been cleared of snow, little twinkling lights decorating the trees and plants along it, and the entire walk has been decorated with many impressive ice sculptures -- a beautiful prince and princess dancing in the snow, a hooded girl taking a basket to grandma's place, a delicate little fairy granting a wish and many other beloved moments from fairy tales have been eternalised (well, as long as the weather is cold, at least) in ice.

Oh, and for those that have entered in these contests before, they might spot some familiar faces among the sculptures: A Bewear in a beautiful rose-adorned dress, an Umbreon and Milotic curled together at rest, a lovely little Ducklett surrounded by icy cocktails. Yes, that's right! If your Pokemon has ever won a medal from one of Riegfried and Soy's contests before, they'll be able to find themselves sculpted from ice.

Heck, Riegfried and Soy will even let you take the ice sculpture home with you if you want.

If you can... somehow carry it, that is.

Oh, and should you worry about things getting late and flying home in the dark, Riegfried and Soy are more than happy to open one of their many bedrooms to you! They are just a little... unique looking, is all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yuya has a pastry in each hand as he strolls through the garden, having been spending the party taking full advantage of the unless buffet of free food. He'd missed his own chance to sign up to actually perform, after all, so there wasn't much else to do when nobody was on the stage.]

Yuzu! [He barely swallows his bite before speaking, which is as polite as he's going to get.] Are you looking at the sculptures?

Ah, Yuya!

[ They'd both missed out... with funnily, Gongenzaka still managing to make it in. Strange how these things turn out sometimes, huh? ]

Yeah, pretty much...

[ Mostly complaining out loud to herself, actually, but sure... the ice sculptures are nice too. ]

[Yuya's... trying not to be too disappointed. Who knew training pokemon would be so hard? Couldn't possibly be because he hasn't bothered until just now.]

They're pretty cool. [He grins, then takes another bite of cake.] I wonder how they keep them from melting all night.

[ Yuzu giggles at the pun, but elbows him lightly regardless. The price for dumb puns that are definitely intentional, Yuya. ]

Maybe they put something in it? To make them last longer or something.

[ She can't say she knows any more than Yuya here. ]

Like what? [He looks at Yuzu, shoving more cake in his, expectantly. Like he thinks she definitely knows that.]

H-How should I know!? Something cold, probably!

[ Except she'll probably look it up later out of curiosity now. In any case, she lets out a sigh... ]

Hah... if I won the last contest, maybe there would be a statue of me up here...

Oh, yeah. [She's been here q lot longer, of course she'd have participated in other contests. Shame about not winning... but he's still curious.] What was that one like?

Oh, the theme was Love and Romance... which I thought I had in the bag, but apparently not.

[ She sighs. ]

Performing in Pokemon Contests is somehow harder than in an Action Duel...

Yeah... [It's way harder to get the Pokemon to cooperate, as Yuya learned the nard way.] So what was your performance?

Nn... it was forever ago, I don't remember everything, but I had Aria use her moves to create the romantic atmosphere, and then I danced with Mozart.

[ He was a Gallade, he exuded knightly vibes, after all. At the time, though, she didn't have anyone else on her team who could properly dance with him, and in the first place, she needed Aria in order to provide all of the effects and flashiness, and they could only use 2 Pokemon during that contest. ]

He's pretty knightly after all, don't you think?

[ She plops a hand down on his head, which he tries to brush off. Shy. ]

[Yuya laughs.] Yeah, he is. So that was the theme? Romance?

Yep! Figured I'd do a romantic dance with Aria filling the place with romantic lights and effects. I think we danced really well, too!

Still, no luck... not that I mind. I had fun, and I know people still enjoyed it.

[Yuya nods. As long as people enjoyed it, that is the most important thing. Even if winning is nice.]

We should practice together next time. [Maybe his own Pokemon will be easier to corral if they see a group that's properly trained.]

Mm, of course! I'll even help you train yours!

[ Since they're all very clearly in need of that. Whether it's just getting them to behave or making sure he can defend himself if Yuzu isn't around. ]

I need all the help I can get. [He couldn't even bring Pari because undoubtedly he would have been under every foot trying to get food.] How do you make them listen?

Hm... I guess first it's a matter of bonding with them, right? Ideally, you'd be good friends with all of your Pokemon, and they'll want to listen to you.

[ Though, in the case of Pari... ]

Knowing when to be tough with them is another thing... but just remember, they're a lot smarter than you think. Sure, they may do their own thing sometimes, but if you can both trust each other, they'll do their best for you.

[Yuya scratches his cheek.] Yeah, I kind of learned that when people were getting swapped with them. I didn't know they understood that much of what we say.

Gah, don't remind me...

[ That was an experience... she had to try so hard just to make sure Aria didn't do anything disastrous while in her body. ]

Still, you've got it right. Your Yamper is pretty hyper, but give it some time. I bet he'll already listen to you in battle.