The Festival of Wishes!

[indigo_league]

Who: Everyone!
Where: Pewter City!
When: June 24th
Summary: It's time to celebrate the Festival of Wishes!


Pewter City is one of those towns that doesn't draw a lot of attention. It's nice and has that museum, but it never seems to be the scene of much excitement.

But today, that's different. Because today, Pewter City has been doffed up to the nines, with visitors arriving from everywhere to celebrate the Festival of Wishes. The skies are crowded with uBIRDs flying in people from all over Johto and Kanto. The streets are filled with cheerful noises and many in the crowd have come in their finest yukata and kimono, adding splashes of colour to what might otherwise be a drab crowd. And if you'd like to try out one of these beautiful garments yourself, there are plenty of nearby shops offering rentals for the visiting crowds.

Stalls have gone up all over town, most hawking various forms of street food: Takoyaki, Yakisoba, Kaarage and many others! And for those looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, there's plenty of shaved ice, chocolate-covered bananas and Taiyaki to go around. Hopefully, you brought an empty stomach, because it would be a shame to miss out on all these yummy goodies.

But it isn't just food stalls that dot the streets. A wide variety of festival games are also available. From shooting galleries to ring toss to small lottery games -- whatever you might be in the mood for can be found here. Stuffed animals and sweets are the most common prizes to be won, but who knows, perhaps if you get very lucky, you might even win an Evolution Stone.

And, of course, no festival would be complete without a Test of Courage. Are you brave? Is fear something you only know from the dictionary? Then why not prove it? Why not enter Pewter City most haunted dwelling (usually just an office building) and show your mettle to your friends or even that special someone? Who knows, you might even earn a kiss if you protect them from the many horrors that dwell within (AKA, volunteers in costumes, a few ghost pokemon, and so many 'creepy' paper mache props)

There are also various stalls dedicated to traditional arts and crafts. From Calligraphy to Origami, if you have an interest in these matters, you'd do well to check them out. And you can do more than just buy some nice decorative pieces for your home, or a cute little origami figure of your favourite pokemon partner; many of the stalls also offer visitors the chance to try their own hand at these traditional skills. Are you the type of person who is always looking to learn a new skill? Or have you perhaps mastered these skills already and do you want to show off? Why not come over here and spend some time?

(Who knows, you might even impress someone special!)

And once night has fully fallen, the skies will light up, not just with the light of the stars and the moon, but with the many bright colours of fireworks! If you aren't completely tired out yet from all the festival games, why not sit down, relax, (maybe drink a beer if you are old enough) and enjoy the beautiful spectacle happening above you.


---


But all of that cheer doesn't really answer the big question -- what is the Festival of Wishes?

Keen eyes (and not so keen eyes, really, they are everywhere) will be able to spot various decorations shaped like the pokemon Jirachi dotting the stalls everywhere. From small plush toys to folded origami figures, Jirachi's cheerful face can be found everywhere. There even is a theatre performance explaining the whole tale, but for those too busy stuffing their faces to partake in (ugh) culture, it all comes down to this: Jirachi is the Wish Pokemon. During the festival, people write down their wishes, hoping that Jirachi might fulfil them.

Of course, there is never a guarantee Jirachi will be around. It's been known to sleep a lot. But why not give it a try? It can't hurt, right?

Comments

Claude von Riegan | OTA (unless specified)

[vrdantwind]

Claude hasn't seen a festival like this before, but he's instantly enamored with it when he does. He supposes that around this time last year, things were...going pretty miserably for all of them. Sylvain's disappearance, that whole incident with Jaskier...those things had happened only a month or two before this festival would have happened, so perhaps that's why he doesn't remember it happening last year. None of them were in any kind of celebratory mood.

Fortunately, things are much improved this year, and it's good that they are, because Claude instantly falls in love with everything about this festival as he's introduced to it. It's all pretty foreign to him, but that's exactly what he loves about it. He wants to see and do and learn everything. And the fact that they're encouraged to wear what's clearly some kind of traditional clothing for this...well, naturally he immediately buys himself a yukata that matches him. (He'd been worried he wouldn't be able to find something in his colors, but the selection on offer is so large that it's actually a lot easier than he expected.)

He has a number of boyfriends to enjoy the festival with, to say nothing of friends and informally adopted children. He can be found both with and without their company at the festival, but either way, he's definitely having the time of his life. Getting to experience and enjoy other cultures...this is exactly the kind of thing his dream is made of!

Arts and Crafts

Origami interested Claude from the first glance. He's currently seated, carefully folding paper; it looks like he's going for the traditional paper crane right now, although he has a couple tiny paper stars already done and scattered around his little workspace. But the attendant running the stall suddenly has to leave to help someone else, leaving Claude looking a bit lost; he doesn't know the next step, and this is definitely not an art form that lends itself well to charting one's own course. Maybe you can help him instead?

Wildcard

Have a specific scenario in mind? Feel free to toss it out here!

Festival Date - Closed to Sylvain

Claude's already in a good mood from the festival; between that, the festival itself, and having spent some months getting to know this Sylvain, making sure he's seeing the man as he is now without any ghosts of the previous Sylvain lingering, it prompts him to do something he should have done awhile ago. He slips up behind the redhead while Sylvain is minding his own business, then slips his arm through Sylvain's before the other man knows what's happening.

"Hey, handsome," he says, grinning up at him. "Don't tell me a stud like yourself doesn't have a date to the festival...and yet here I find you, without a gorgeous guy on your arm. I can't possibly let that stand."

Wildcard

[pegasinister]

It's not surprising that Hubert would run into one or more of his former classmates here. What perhaps IS surprising is that Hubert doesn't notice Claude at first. Likely because he is currently talking to a group of children. Or, well, some children are talking at him, and he's scowling. Each one has a stuffed Pokemon of some sort, some of them almost as big as the kid themself, and Hubert seems to finally lose patience, sending them scattering with a wave of his gloved hand and his Murkrow's cawing at them.

It's then that he turns to see Claude, eye slightly wide as he takes in the outfit. Unlike the other man, Hubert has not dressed for the occasion, but at least it seems he's taken some concessions to the heat. His uniform has been changed out for slacks and a dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Still all in black, of course.

"Should I bother asking if the Tempest is around the corner waiting to attack?" The slight quirk of his lip makes it clear he's joking. Mostly. He would rather not run into Dimitri unprepared.

[vrdantwind]

Oh, Hubert swarmed by kids is cute. Claude grins to himself as he watches this flustered goth shoo them away, and hopes Hubert doesn't think he's legitimately scared them off. He's pretty sure they're treating this like a fun game, and he half expects them to come creeping back, eager to get chased off again.

He's not sure if this means Hubert is good with kids or that Hubert is just an excellent target for teasing from kids. He supposes it could be both. Either way, though, it's delightful.

"The Tempest?" he says, strolling up to Hubert with a grin. "Don't tell me Dimitri's acquired another title while I wasn't looking. I can't keep up with them all. But no, the others aren't around right now...or at least, not around me. I'm sure they're here somewhere. I did warn him you're here, though! And I think I at least talked him down from the point of violence on sight."

[pegasinister]

"That was what he was known as among the Imperial army, yes. Madman he may have been, he was certainly a sight to see in battle." That's almost a compliment, coming from Hubert.

"I won't thank you for it, but knowing I won't be attacked unprompted is... assuring."

[vrdantwind]

"I have to admit, for somebody who'd basically lost his reason, his skills never suffered at all, did they?" Claude shakes his head. "I mean, I faced him myself at Gronder. We shouldn't have been enemies, but...well, again, he was beyond reason. He sure knocked me out of the fight pretty handily. And it wasn't just combat skill, was it? To be striking from the shadows at the Empire for so long without getting caught...I'll be honest, I wouldn't have pegged him as having the stealth and strategic sense to pull that off even while he was thinking clearly. He's a real force to be reckoned with."

It's hard to define the emotions in Claude when he says this. Pride? Ruefulness? Admiration? Shame? There's certainly some mixed feelings there. But Claude's wearing a slight smile still, so ultimately one assumes his feelings are positive.

"And I don't need thanks. I wasn't doing it for gratitude or favors from you, after all." Claude rests a hand on his hip. "This is what's best for everyone, really. Be honest - for as creepy as you try to be, I bet even you're sick of war, aren't you? And in a place like this, where none of us can do any good or pursue our ultimate goals by fighting, where everything's peaceful...if nothing else, we can take a long-overdue break from the fighting without having anything to feel guilty about. Why waste that chance, after everything we've gone through for the past five years?"

He waves a hand dismissively, with a smile. "But I'm preaching to the choir, right? If you weren't willing to relax and enjoy yourself a little, you wouldn't be here right now."

[pegasinister]

"As loath as I am to admit it, you are not wrong. Both about Dimitri's skills and my own desire for the end of the war. If just for Her Majesty's sake." He shakes his head, looking a tiny bit... embarrassed? It's hard to say, but his already thin lips purse and he looks away.

"As for myself, there is a distinct lack of productive things to do here, so I found myself coming regardless. Loki also wanted to go, so I saw no harm in it."

[vrdantwind]

"Oh, c'mon. If you admit you'd like an end to the fighting for yourself, it's not like I'm gonna tell anyone." Claude chuckles. "More to the point, who would actually believe me? Not everyone's as canny as I am, you know."

He steps closer. "Same with coming here. Lighthearted fun with low stakes might not be your bread and butter, but after five years without any of it, I bet even you could use some variety. So how about I show you a good time? That way, if anyone catches you looking like you might be enjoying yourself, you can just say I dragged you into it." He winks. "There's a haunted house here full of ghost pokémon looking to spook people..."

Claude's not even trying to hide the hook under that bait.

Festival Date

[sonofagautier]

Sylvain's looking over a stall lined with dozens of folded paper figures. Most of them are in a star shape, likened to a Pokémon Sylvain's never seen before, but he's heard about thanks to all the gossip around the festival. A wishing Pokémon, huh? Sounds pretty fairytale to him, but the idea is cute.

The thought has him distracted enough not to notice Claude coming up behind him until warm hands settle on his arm. Sylvain makes a soft sound of surprise, a confused look on his visage for a just a moment. It quickly morphs into a beaming smile, and he leans a little onto the other.

"Heyyy," he drawls with a playful lilt. "I was just thinking how much of a crime that very scenario was. Thanks for sparing me the law on that one. Heh, what do I owe you for bailing me out of such a horrible situation?"

[vrdantwind]

"A date, I think," Claude says, winking up at him. "I'm sure a guy like you has a pretty full dance card, but you can make room for me, can't you? Especially since Felix seems to be busy right now." He squeezes Sylvain's arm. "And let's be real - I think we can both agree that, as much as we love the others, when it comes to having fun? The two of us are the most well-equipped by far."

[sonofagautier]

"I'd say I'm up for the challenge of having more fun than the others, but is it really one at all given our competition?" Sylvain gives a hearty laugh, knowing full well it's not even going to be hard. He and Claude are more the life-of-the-party types.

"Not even factoring in our unique talents." Like making controlled chaos a skill.

"So what I'm saying is, I'll happily pay that debt, stud. I haven't gotten to see much of the festival past these booths. Got distracted by these cute little paper figures."

[vrdantwind]

"They are cute, aren't they?" Claude grins at them. "I think I've seen stalls where people can make their own folded paper shapes. I definitely wanna check those out at some point...but maybe you'd find that boring. And there's plenty of other things to do in the meantime. We could grab some food, play some games, you could show off how brave you are in the haunted house...the possibilities are endless."

[sonofagautier]

"I don't know if I'd be any good at it, but hey, maybe I'm good with my hands in more ways than even I imagined." Sylvain throws him a coy wink, wiggling his fingers for good measure. No, he doesn't seem to care that the stall attendent is giving him quite the look about it either. Shameless as always.

"Haunted house?" Sylvain tips his head, not sure he immediately understands the concept though he can guess about the nature of it. "Can't say I've heard of people willingly looking for ghosts in their house, but if you need a big strong guy to fend them off for you? " Sylvain sets a hand over his heart like he could ever pretend to be a proper gentleman. "Well then lead the way."

[vrdantwind]

"Maybe you can show me the other things your hands are good for later," Claude says cheekily, more than happy to serve that one back to Sylvain. The stall attendant is going to end up throwing water on them at this rate, so it's just as well Claude tugs Sylvain into moving away.

"It seems way too convenient to have an actual haunted house right here at the festival," he says with a chuckle as they walk. "So my guess is some kind of facsimile. I took a look at it earlier, and they're sure treating it like just another attraction." He smirks, then, pressing himself up against Sylvain's side. "But without knowing what we might expect...maybe I'd better stay nice and close to my knight in shining armor."

[sonofagautier]

"We might get more than a few dirty looks if I showed you here. Not that I mind but, y'know, I'm trying to be on my... Not best, but decent behavior." He promised Felix and Dimitri he wouldn't cause too much trouble while left unattended. He didn't promise he wouldn't let Claude lead him astray though, so-

"I'll take you up on later somewhere less judgemental. Heh, alright alright, you're gonna get my ego too big to fit through the door. And then how would I protect you?" Sylvain follows along willingly, keep Claude on his arm like a proper suitor as they leave behind the paper figure stall (much to the relief of the attendent, he's sure), and head towards the building advertised as the haunted house.

"Think you'll need me to carry you through like a princess?"

[vrdantwind]

"Oh, of course." Claude winks at Sylvain. "That's more of an end of the night activity. The whipped cream on the dessert, y'know?" Feel free to read into that, Sylvain, Claude's suggestive tone is certainly inviting you to.

At Sylvain's question, Claude laughs out loud. "Would you if I asked?" he says, batting his eyelashes at Sylvain. "But no, I think I can manage. I reserve the right to leap into your arms at any time for any reason, though~."

[sonofagautier]

It's probably wise that Claude makes that ammendment because Sylvain was already moving to sweep Claude into his arms in a bridal carry. He hesitates briefly, flashes a wicked grin, and pretends like he's been thwarted of some grand plan.

"Alright, deny me my fun why don't you," he teases, scuffing the toe of his shoes against the ground.

As they walk though, the signs pointing towards the supposed haunted house become more and more frequent. Eventually they lead to... An office building? Sylvain tilts his head as they draw near.

"Huh, really stretching the definition of 'house' aren't they? Well, last chance to turn tail... Or cling to me. Whichever."

Arts & crafts

[silky_bearing]

He'd wandered off while Claude was fussing with this origami... art? folding paper doesn't seem like it should be that difficult but then seeing the little animals produced it's actually quite stunning. Even so while Claude started fiddling with paper he drifted off to look at the calligraphy station. Hardly something surprising, really. What might, perhaps, be surprising is how quickly he returns to Claude's side, leaning over him to look at the placement of his folds as though he stands any chance of interpreting the directions any better than Claude himself.

"Ah... have you run into a dead end, delbar?" Lorenz frowns ever so slightly, looking over the folds, glancing over at others around them. No, nope. How in the heavens??

It may not be the helpful thing he was looking for but Lorenz can at least distract him until he can get that assistance. So he slides his only just barely dried paperonto the table beside Claude's folding, ducking down to press a kiss to his temple as he does. It's such a simple word, three smooth strokes, but that's the beauty of this style of calligraphy, really, the precise control, the line weight, the simple beauty of clean brushstrokes. Though Lorenz had clearly used his own dip pen to do the delicate addition of sprawling boughs and thin branches.

[vrdantwind]

And it's an effective distraction, indeed. That sweet little endearment always makes Claude smile, but then the beautiful little piece of calligraphy...Claude sets his half-formed crane aside to pick up the scrap of paper, not wanting to risk its being blown away. He handles it carefully, just in case any of the ink is still wet; he doesn't want to smear it.

"You're a little too good for me, Lorenz, you know that?" he says, giving his boyfriend a sidelong smile. "I'm starting to think you're in competition with Dimitri to give me more romance than I know what to do with."

[silky_bearing]

"Nonsense." Lorenz hums, sliding an arm around Claude's shoulders and squeezing him lightly. Observant as he is Claude might notice that Lorenz' elegant hands, usually so pristine are stained with ink here and there, though he's managed to keep his manicureneat, at least. The little yellow flowers matching the gold scattered amongst the deeper purples and pinks of his yukata.

"Though if you're only just starting to think that I could challenge His Highness for romance I clearly have not been living up to my potential~" Oh dear, Claude. Are you sure you want to go and give this man ideas about being even more insufferably romantic at you?

[vrdantwind]

Claude laughs, leaning against Lorenz as he's pulled close. Even as he does, he steps a little outside himself, simply to marvel at where he is right now - dating Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, a man who used to loathe him, and being absolutely spoiled because Lorenz is utterly besotted with him. It's hard to believe how much things have changed - not just from their school days, but even from the time during the war when he'd felt so hurt and abandoned by a man who, apparently, had never once stopped thinking of him.

He also marvels at how good it feels. Just an intensely warm feeling of things being right.

"I'm starting to think it's only because he got a head start." Claude nudges Lorenz with his elbow, grinning. "You'll have to blame Arceus for that one. If you'd shown up here before Dimitri did, you'd be the one with the long history of romantic earnestness I'd be comparing him to. But the both of you seem to have the same style...and it's one I can't even compete with. I'm just not a straightforward guy like you two...and I don't know how to wear my heart on my sleeve like that."

[silky_bearing]

"Hmmm" Lorenz makes a show of thinking on Claude's words, one elegant finger tapping lightly against his lips. "Perhaps, then..." His tone almost dangerously serious as he considers his options.

A tone he manages to maintain for only a little bit longer. "I should speak to His Highness about it." As he speaks he leans down closer to Claude's face, reaching out to brace himself against the table in front of him. "To see if we can't, between the two of us, throw you completely off your guard for once."

The faux seriousness breaks in favor of a smug little smirk that he doesn't quite allow to become a grin, one brow quirking up in a challenge before he drops a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek and finally steps back looking far too pleased with himself. A kiss? In public?? Even if only a small gesture of affection it's enough to have his insides fluttering about in a way that tempers his cockiness before he goes off getting too many ideas.

[vrdantwind]

And here Claude was thinking things were going so well they couldn't get better. But Lorenz feeling bold enough to tease? No, even bolder with dropping a kiss (even the most chaste of kisses) on him in public? Okay, surely the night has peaked. Claude's not sure what greater heights it could aspire to.

When he thinks of how miserable Lorenz had been, not so many months ago, how badly he'd just wanted to see the man smile without anything bittersweet behind it...then and now are like night and day.

Claude wonders if he's ever known anyone in his entire life - even Dimitri, and his swings are pretty extreme - who can undergo such dramatic personal change in such a short time as Lorenz can, and has. He really doubts it.

He grins up at Lorenz, eyes bright. "Dimitri's managed it once or twice, but not consistently. I don't think the times he has were even planned." He carefully tucks away that calligraphy somewhere safe before turning back to his origami. "Why don't you sit down with me, though? I want to finish this, but I don't want you running off before I've got a chance to retaliate." He shoots Lorenz a wicked little sidelong look. "Running off after a sneak attack like that wouldn't be very noble of you."

[silky_bearing]

Likely, Claude means for him to have a seat at the station next to him. Or at the very least assumes that is what Lorenz will do. It is after all, a small bench seat. Certainly two children could sit side by side but not two grown men, slight though Lorenz is. But then... the craft is very neatly set up in separate stations and sitting at the next one over would only tempt Lorenz to try as well or deprive someone else of the opportunity.

And so... Lorenz perches daintily on the little bench seat beside Claude, leaning into him a little, arm sliding around his waist to help the taller man balance himself. His face steadily flushes brighter the longer the contact maintains but... is it really so scandalous? an arm around the love of his life?

This place is clearly getting to him.

"If that is what you qualify as a sneak attack then I really must... up my game, I believe is how Stephanie -and Chip- would put it?"

[vrdantwind]

"Oh boy, I don't know if I can handle you borrowing the kinds of phrases Sylvain would use," Claude laughs, even as he leans into Lorenz in return. Really, who ever would have believed they'd have come so far...it's hard to stop wondering over it, especially with the way it warms his heart whenever he thinks about it. Not even just because of how happy he is with Lorenz - though that's a big part of it - but for the greater implications.

If Lorenz can change so completely as this, and particularly if Claude is able to play a big hand in that change...then other people can, too. And that really does make it feel as though his dream can be turned into a reality, sooner or later.

He turns his head, pressing a light kiss to Lorenz's jaw. "But you know...I've been making something for you, too." Which, indeed, he's just finished. He takes Lorenz's hand, placing the little paper crane on his palm. "It's not too close a match to you, but it's the best I could do with the paper they had to work with."

[silky_bearing]

The fact that the crane, that he'd only glanced at briefly, more occupied with teasing Claude than what he was actually doing, was so closely a match to his own yukata makes Lorenz brighten and melt simultaneously. He makes a high-pitched little noise in his throat as he looks down at the cute little thing then back up at Claude.

Then he's abruptly standing, leaning over the table to snatch a strand of fishing line out of the basket of craft supplies so he can thread a strand through the crane, tying one end off in a knot and the other in a tiny loop. Lorenz gestures for Claude to stand, handing the crane back and whirling around. He's practically vibrating with excitement as he leans back a little to make it easier for Claude. "Hang it off my hair pin, دِلبَر "