The Day of Thunder

When you arrive in the markets of the village, there's already a huge hubbub. The stalls are all lit with lanterns, and the villagers are happily walking through the streets, chattering with one another. A few people are carrying around wagashi or grilled meat skewers that are being prepared at stalls the shops set up outside for the event. It has a an air of excitement and fun that the fog had muted. Some of the villagers have kids and toddlers on their shoulders and walking alongside them.

It really is as if all of the concerns of the outside world are gone for now.

Toward the center of the village, there's an open square, where several games are set up, including an archery game with blunt arrows and straw targets. Chouri can be spotted sitting on the porch of one of the buildings surrounding the festivities, chatting amiably with the other villagers. Enrou isn't far away, pipe firmly in hand.

Not far away from there, several of the villagers have set up instruments - flutes, shamisen, erhu, and various sizes of drums. For now, they just seem to be casually playing together, improvising based on what the others do for fun.

Standing imposing, amidst the chaos, was a lone Lioness. Her brown eyes took in the festival with an impassive stare. Makime had decided against wearing her armor, a decision she still regretted...something wasn't right with this place. Festival or not. The twin swords at her side were probably drawing a few glances, but she was not leaving her camp unarmed.

She clenched and unclenched her hand, unease growing even as laughter and music filled there air. Overall Makime was a gloomy figure in amongst the pageantry. Which at least keep every random shop owner from trying to sell her trinkets.

Han-Hei found a place near Yoshie and Daisuke in the festivities. They had told her that she would need to participate with them… and she was more than willing to do so. Even joining in on some of the singing as it developed naturally from the crowd.

Nao walked around, nibbling at the meat on the skewer she held. There was far more going on than she had expected. This was fun.

Joining the musicians was a young Crab woman with a biwa. Yoshitsune Ayako had unbent enough to arrive in "casual" clothing - that is, in a simple kimono without armor. She plucked at her biwa experimentally, looking at the other musicians as she tried to tune her lute strings to be harmonious the other players' instruments.

Yukara wasn't great with crowds, or loud noises.

So she slunk into the party via a side lane, browsing the food offerings and absconding with fish... to perch on a porch trying not to look too conspicuous.

Soju drifted over to the musicians, preparing for her second performance of the day. Someone had pressed a cup of something warm into her hands, and since they didn't look like her daughter, she assumed it was safe to drink. A bit bitter, perhaps, but it would keep her warm until it was her time to sing.

Yoshitsune Ayako wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 23, 2023 3:55 pm

Joining the musicians was a young Crab woman with a biwa. Yoshitsune Ayako had unbent enough to arrive in "casual" clothing - that is, in a simple kimono without armor. She plucked at her biwa experimentally, looking at the other musicians as she tried to tune her lute strings to be harmonious the other players' instruments.

The musicians cheer as another joins the group, and they help any way they can to get her into harmony with them.

The young woman with the shamisen smiled. "We're going to perform a set song for the festival later. Do you want to join in? We could do with practicing it a bit anyway."

Reo is looking through the stalls. There are many things that could be of interest: herbs and concoctions he doesn't know about. Local crafts. Scrolls on local lore. He's seen plenty of markets like this in his life, the challenge of finding something new always a beckoning option.

Well, Makime-sama had managed to arrive to this festival without any armor, so Kenji decided to follow her lead. Despite the fact there were likely trickster spirits in attendance, and the possibility of some sort of faceless woman. He was armed though much like the other Lion having been unable to convince himself to leave his daisho behind in this place.

He wandered through the village, eyes scanning the crowds and if he had to be honest the food stalls. This festival didn't seem too out of place and the village was fairly normal in a lot of ways. So, the festival food was most likely safe.

Ai arrived with her shamisen, in a beautiful ensemble she kept for traveling with in case she needed to look stunning. She settled herself and quietly tuned her instrument alongside the other players.

Sora was present, although he'd never been one for festivals- or really any sort of ceremony. He'd considered his own wedding a formality, the issuing of his daisho a point of mild interest, and the whole matter of his daughter Shirayuki's engagement had been a downright baffling affair that he'd left almost entirely to his wife and daughters.

But it seemed to be what they were all here for, so there he was, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Canary wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 23, 2023 4:00 pm

The musicians cheer as another joins the group, and they help any way they can to get her into harmony with them.

The young woman with the shamisen smiled. "We're going to perform a set song for the festival later. Do you want to join in? We could do with practicing it a bit anyway."

Ayako beamed at the warm welcome from the other musicians, and scooted over to sit closer to them.

“I’d love to join!” she enthused. “I’m Yoshitsune Ayako. What are we playing? I’ll try to follow along!”

Kai had come to the sweet distribution and was awaiting the sweets.

Yoshitsune Ayako wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 23, 2023 4:20 pm

Ayako beamed at the warm welcome from the other musicians, and scooted over to sit closer to them.

“I’d love to join!” she enthused. “I’m Yoshitsune Ayako. What are we playing? I’ll try to follow along!”

"I would be honored to play alongside such esteemed company," she offered as well to the players and the Crab and other musicians.

Nanzi Ai wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 23, 2023 4:22 pm

"I would be honored to play alongside such esteemed company," she offered as well to the players and the Crab and other musicians.

Yoshitsune Ayako wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 23, 2023 4:20 pm

Ayako beamed at the warm welcome from the other musicians, and scooted over to sit closer to them.

“I’d love to join!” she enthused. “I’m Yoshitsune Ayako. What are we playing? I’ll try to follow along!”

"That's wonderful! I'm so happy you want to participate. It's an honor," the girl says to Ai and ayako, picking up her shamisen. "It's called 'Shin Jidai*', and I can play you the melody. You can play that alongside me, or you're welcome to improvise a harmony."

She begins playing a fast, cheerful tune, the other musicians staying quiet for the moment as she demonstrates.

[*"New Era"]

Hikaru was also there!

He did stop by the musicians' area, giving Ai a bow of acknowledgement. He did have his flute with him, but perhaps there were musicians enough as it was.

Akutou can't help but attend. A chance for decent food for cheap's not to be wasted, after all.

Still a lot of commotion, here, he thinks. Gonna need some quiet time once this's all said and done.

There were few things that ranked as high in Naraku's scale of things to dislike as musical performances; he thought of them vapid, borderline useless in most contexts and in the current situation, an absolute and complete travesty. Monsters and corruption were spreading, lurking everywhere, reaching their twisting tentacles hoping to defile everything that was held dearly and if reports were to be believed, such performances certainly aided in spreading the insidious poison. Perhaps that was why he was there, watching and observing, ready to act if the situation demanded for swift and decisive action.

This was what Naraku truly believed. It was certainly not because snacking was a guilty pleasure of his perhaps because he actually enjoyed music. No, sir, no, only brooding and hunting for the corrupted here. Brooding with a wagashi.

(Quote me if you approach Naraku!)

Having snagged a roasted sweet potato from one of the food stalls, Kenji made is way slowly towards the festival games, it had been a while since he had played any after all, and it might not be a bad way to spend some time. Eventually making his way towards the archery stand. He wasn't an amazing shot by any standards, but he was at least good, and it seemed a nice way to pass the time.