The Day of Thunder

[Wu Dai Lu]

...but the smell...

He will ask later, probably some kind of incense. Years of field and administrative work for an agricultural reform that ended up being akin to a fledgeling bulwark against famine had left him far more drained then he had realised.

She was beautiful, true enough, but it was the light in her eyes that was irresistible

''I am not the best of dancers, lady Chouri, you might want to watch your feet'' he said with an awkward yet joyful smile

She laughs and twirls around with him. "It's worth it to dance with you!"

[Canary]

"There's something in the air," the Crab samurai insisted. "Something.... foul."

Ayako sounded a little shrill, even to herself. Was she... overreacting? No, it must be the others that are wrong!

The villagers sniffs the air, concentrating. "Um... it smells like someone might be using kava somewhere? It uh..." They glanced over to the porch where Enrou was now sitting alone with a smoking pipe. "It might be Enrou-san."

[Otomo Akutou]

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"I can't place the smell," Akutou says, being seemingly unfamiliar with it, and he starts to dance, beginning to drift away from the Daruma into the general throng.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

The villagers sniffs the air, concentrating. "Um... it smells like someone might be using kava somewhere? It uh..." They glanced over to the porch where Enrou was now sitting alone with a smoking pipe. "It might be Enrou-san."

"Oh~~!" Ayako looked chagrined, but turned to Enrou. Was his pipe smoke, in fact, the actual source of this terrible stench?

"I'm so sorry," she said at last. "It must be my mistake. What is 'kava'?"

[Canary]

"Oh~~!" Ayako looked chagrined, but turned to Enrou. Was his pipe smoke, in fact, the actual source of this terrible stench?

"I'm so sorry," she said at last. "It must be my mistake. What is 'kava'?"

The peasant woman smiled. "It's okay. It's a plant he grows - a mild stimulant, he called it. I think he uses it to help get along with people." She giggled a little, then looks thoughtfully at Ayako before holding out her hand. "You look a little stressed out. Do you want to dance?"

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

The peasant woman smiled. "It's okay. It's a plant he grows - a mild stimulant, he called it. I think he uses it to help get along with people." She giggled a little, then looks thoughtfully at Ayako before holding out her hand. "You look a little stressed out. Do you want to dance?"

Ayako blushed furiously at having made a scene, and gratefully accepted this lifeline.

"Yes, I'd like that," Ayako said with as much grace as she could muster. Taking the other woman's hand, she stepped onto the dance floor.

[Bayushi Norikage]

“You go ahead and enjoy your meat…” She said in a distracted tone as she watched the Doji princess fully commit to the merrymaking.

"Yes ma'am", he said and took a bite of hers.

[Canary]

Ayako blushed furiously at having made a scene, and gratefully accepted this lifeline.

"Yes, I'd like that," Ayako said with as much grace as she could muster. Taking the other woman's hand, she stepped onto the dance floor.

She laughed a little at the blush as they began to dance. "Are all Crab women as cute as you?"

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

She laughed a little at the blush as they began to dance. "Are all Crab women as cute as you?"

"Oh! I-I'm nothing special," Ayako demurred, but she smiled as she did so. The Crab was an adequate, but enthusiastic dancer.

"My name's Ayako," she said. "What's yours?"

[Canary]

"Oh! I-I'm nothing special," Ayako demurred, but she smiled as she did so. The Crab was an adequate, but enthusiastic dancer.

"My name's Ayako," she said. "What's yours?"

She grinned. "Silliness. Everyone's got their own specialness. And yours is cute." She made the declaration with the conviction of someone stating inalienable fact.

"I'm Shizuku! I'm from one of the farms around here, though I'm trying to get Enrou to take me on as an apprentice." She stage whispers. "It's not going great. He's grumpy."

[Wu Zhe]

She laughs and twirls around with him. "It's worth it to dance with you!"

In the back of Zhe's mind, he had begun considering that lady Chouri might like him too

''If I cause you harm then I will take full responsibility'' he replied, letting himself go along merrily with the dance

[Wu Dai Lu]

In the back of Zhe's mind, he had begun considering that lady Chouri might like him too

''If I cause you harm then I will take full responsibility'' he replied, letting himself go along merrily with the dance

"Oh my... I'll have to hold you to that," she teases with a gentle smile.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

She grinned. "Silliness. Everyone's got their own specialness. And yours is cute." She made the declaration with the conviction of someone stating inalienable fact.

At these words, Ayako's smile lit up her face.

"I'm Shizuku! I'm from one of the farms around here, though I'm trying to get Enrou to take me on as an apprentice." She stage whispers. "It's not going great. He's grumpy."

"Does he have an old wound or something?" Ayako whispered back. "Is that why he smokes those stinky leaves? Does... does it help?"

[Reiko Ohta]

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"No, nothing usual like that. Just smells like a festival to me. I like it."

Ohta smiled widely. Which... was actually very unusual for her.

"But yeah, come on come on! One of you two lovely Kirin ladies give it a try. I bet you'll do better than me, neh?"

[Hisomu Tadaka]

Now this was a party worthy of a party girl, call her a stick in the mud… Ai could be completely fun and decided to find a barrel and sit and begin playing something completely experimental and off the wall but somehow it worked…

Somehow.

"All this runnin' around,
I can't fight it much longer,
Something's trying to get out,
And it's never been closer,
If my Destiny fails,
Make up some other story,
But if I never come back,
Then tell Father I'm sorry!"

Killer bridge as she started going hard on the shamisen.

"Baby, now I'm ready, moving on
Oh but maybe I was ready all along
Oh I'm ready for the moment and the sound
Oh but maybe I was ready all along
Baby, now I'm ready, moving on
Oh but maybe I was ready all along
Oh I'm ready for the moment and the sound
Oh but maybe I was ready all along..."

OOC: Shamisen power! | 5k3 ⇒ 23 (TN: 15)

Watching the others, Goju wondered if this is what his parents felt like when they watched him.

[Kaiu Tai]

"The Bat, part of our duty is to tend to spirits and see them to their proper place. I'm not a spirit guide, like my sister, but I do have a different way of interacting with spirits and learning what's happening in the other realms. For the most part, I've just been trying to gather information. Trying to better understand the whole story." she explained. "That's why I came when I heard of so many others traveling this way. The story of what happens here, whatever that may be, needs to be remembered and told to others."

"Huh. Worth havin' someone with a bit of knowledge of the realms around for all this. But.." she nods toward Satsuki. "Like she says, take care of yourself so you'll be able to carry the tale.."

Head lifting, she breathes deeper to try analyzing the scent. "Anyone else smell that?"

Satsuki didn't notice anything wrong. Sure there were lots of unfamiliar scents in the village - some nice some not - but nothing stood out to her. The increased music was pounding in her head like an impending migraine.

"No... I don't think I do? What is it?" Her nerves felt on edge now.

Tai takes a bit longer, trying to place the scent, then digs into her pouch to pull out a much older little bag of some thin leather to sniff. She'd have tried to stop the panicked younger Crab but...more important to be sure she doesn't have a real reason to panic first. After a sniff, she nods to herself. "kava. Harvested it myself it in the south when I was younger. Usually rather make tea, but I think it's in the smoke here." She frowns a bit. "I wouldn't usually dose a whole crowd with it though. Good for boostin' energy, which I guess is good for a celebration. At least it's certainly not dampenin' the dancin'"

(ooc, and then back to work)

[Nanzi Ai]

Nanzi Ai gestured to the village band and said, “Alright follow my lead… people need someone they can dance to and feel some romance… can you taste the love in the air… now follow me.”

She played the chords a few times before she went into the song…

“Baby… ohhhh, if I had the honey love, would that make you love me? Baby… ooooooh, if I had the honey love… would that make you love me? OoooooooOOOOhhhh!”

The beat was slow and sultry as she worked it on her shamisen, the strings plucked carefully and with care.

“Again… Love… Again Love… Again Love… Again Love,” she continued singing.

In her normal voice she added, “I see you out there, stop making googly eyes and find someone to dance with, friends… would be friends… possible lovers… ex-lovers… find them… show them the honey…”

She continued singing, “Baby… oooohhh, if I had the honey…” she continued enjoying the music.

OOC: Shamisen power! | 5k3 ⇒ 23 (TN: 15)

[Haka Soju]

Something about the fireworks and music and general atmosphere of the festival takes hold of Soju, and she begins to sway and dance as an impromptu song rises to her lips.

"She says, she's no good
With words but I'm worse
Barely stuttered out a joke
Of a romantic stuck to my tongue

Weighed down with words too overdramatic
Tonight it's "It can't get much worse"
Versus "No one should ever feel like..."

I'm two quarters and a heart down
And I don't wanna forget how your voice sounds
These words are all I have so I'll sing them
So you need them just to get by

Dance, dance
We're falling apart to half time
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me

You always fold just before you're found out
Drink up it's last call
Last resort, but only the first mistake, and I
I'm two quarters and a heart down
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds
These words are all I have so I'll sing them
So you need them just to get by

Dance, dance
We're falling apart to half time
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me

Why don't you show me a little bit of spine
You've been saving for his bed?
I only want sympathy in the form of you
Crawling into bed with me.

Dance, dance
We're falling apart to half time
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance, this is the way they'd love
Dance, this is the way they'd love
Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me

Dance, dance...
Dance, dance...
Dance, dance...
Dance, dance..."

(Perform:Song/Awareness TN 20, 3 Raises for Quality = TN 35, 63 = success.)

The song faded away into a breathless repetition of "Dance, Dance" as she swirled and danced with the crowd, utterly lost to the music.

[Canary]

At these words, Ayako's smile lit up her face.

"Does he have an old wound or something?" Ayako whispered back. "Is that why he smokes those stinky leaves? Does... does it help?"

"Maybe... I try not to pry too much. It makes him even grumpier," she sighs. "I think it must."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Tai takes a bit longer, trying to place the scent, then digs into her pouch to pull out a much older little bag of some thin leather to sniff. She'd have tried to stop the panicked younger Crab but...more important to be sure she doesn't have a real reason to panic first. After a sniff, she nods to herself. "kava. Harvested it myself it in the south when I was younger. Usually rather make tea, but I think it's in the smoke here." She frowns a bit. "I wouldn't usually dose a whole crowd with it though. Good for boostin' energy, which I guess is good for a celebration. At least it's certainly not dampenin' the dancin'"

(ooc, and then back to work)

Satsuki watched her cousin join the crowd in merriment, and couldn't help but to laugh at it even if she didn't join in herself. Though she felt jittery and restless, like she'd been sitting still for too long, which was strange.

Remaining by Tai, she observes the older woman's analysis of the situation. "Kava? I don't think I've heard of that before... so it's like... a," she found the words a bit hard to come by, as her mind was feeling weirder, "happy drug of sorts? Is it harmful?"