genessia | Festival of Amore

Festival of Amore - Dated 2/14

Welcome to the Festival of Amore!
A wonderful festival dedicated to celebrating love of the romantic nature.

The whole park is decorated in the traditional colors of Valentine's Day, red, white, and various shades of pink. Hearts are the theme and though you won't be turned away, those without a partner to spend the evening with may get a few strange looks or start to feel rather lonely.

Festival Games
There are a number of activities to partake in, including festival games, the most popular of which seems to be the Super Ball Scooping, in which hundreds of balls float around in a pool of water, secretly marked with prizes- mostly goldfish, though there is one hidden that has a special romantic getaway to win! The challenge is that you must use a paper net, so the balls will often break as you try to get them into your bowl. Additionally, the balls are stirred up after each play of three scoops. Other traditional festival games like dart tossing, wack-a-mole, ring toss, and more. However, there is one challenge that you should be aware of for all games. You and your partner must do them together! This means two hands on the ring when you toss it! Hold the paper net steadily together! Good luck!

Food Stalls and the Chocolate Fondue Stream
There are a variety of foods from around the world available at the festival, most of which seem to have some kind of love-related theme to them. Spaghetti for two a la Lady and the Tramp, heart-shaped pizzas, pink french macarons, hearty waffles on a stick, romantic eggs in a basket, Shrimp skewers, and more.

Running through the inner circle of the food stall areas is a small stream raised above the ground with candy and fruit decorations lining it to hide the metal fondue heater that keeps the chocolate within the body of the stream warm and flowing. There are large bins of fruits like strawberries, bananas, rice krispy treat bites, and other fun things to dip in the chocolate river. It's very cute, and very chocolatey.

Paddle Boats
The large pond in the middle of the park has a number of paddle boat swans available for you and your partner to go through a tunnel of love, or simply enjoy the water and get some alone time away from the rest of the party for a good cuddle.

Live Entertainment: Eli Ayase and Nico Yazawa!
The live entertainment will be provided by celebrity idol Nico Yazawa and Eli Ayase tonight! Put your hands together for a special performance filled with their L-O-V-E for everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥ They've got a wonderful set prepared!

Feel free to enjoy the concert either by standing up close or putting down a blanket for you and your bae. Blankets are available for purchase if you forgot yours!

Fortune Telling
Love fortune telling, of course! Find out your romance's future from famed fortune teller Geneva Godiva! She won't give any truly negative fortunes of course, it's a positive occasion, so if your outlook is bleak she might try to phrase it more positively or offer advice to turn things toward the positive. Feel free to pick your own fortune- be it anything from "You might want to see a couples counselor to make it through a rough patch, darlings" or "I see triplets!" or just "Wowie, I can see clearly now- your rain is gone! Looking good for this next year, sweetie pies!" Enjoy and have fun, the accuracy of the reading is up to you, but she won't tell you that a relationship is going to sink at any point. She'll use crystal ball, tarot, whichever- but not seance or anything. It's happy lovey-dovey fortune telling!

End of the Night
The festival itself was timed with the arrival of Genessia's firefly season. The first night of fireflies rising coincides with Valentine's Day this year, so if you stay until the end of the festival, you'll be able to see the fields light up with little glowing bugs. It's a romantic sight, best seen with your partner.

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[He had gone silent for the moment, moving his arm when he felt her move away slightly, looking at her, seeing how she would react. As much as he wasn't a huge fan of the ever-changing eyes he also couldn't help but focus on them when they kept changing. Confused, ashamed ... he wasn't sure of that one... miserable. That one was a little more obvious and made him wonder if he perhaps had upset her in some way, at least until he noticed the last two.

Bright orange and... he was pretty sure that was red. That was no question, but there were three reds that he knew of... two of which weren't exactly the most pleasant. But since it had been after happy, he could take a stab at what that last part was for.

At the thought, he glanced away and for the briefest of moments the teal and orange graced his eyes a moment of confusion as to all of this, but he nodded for a moment.]

Yeah. As I say I do things with a purpose behind them. [Teal and orange went to pale pink before landing on magenta once again. He knew he shouldn't bring up the eyes, because of the conversation from before, but at the same time he couldn't help but be a tiny bit curious. Shaking the thought off he decided instead to just add to the one they were currently having, keeping his head turned and eyes looking away, but he was pretty sure she might have seen them before he managed to look away.]

I just... Don't like seeing you upset. I prefer to see you smile and be happy.

Edited 2018-02-22 08:06 (UTC)

[He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. To a degree.]

[And yet...it somehow felt different when he spoke the words aloud.]

[If Takeru were to look at her in that moment—something he seemed less and less inclined to do—he would see her eyes awash with colorful displays of confusion. Uncertainty. Hesitation. Gratitude, yes, and even a deep....fondness of his admission. But also very much confusion. Not of his feelings. Of her own. Feeling almost like a character in that first movie they’d watched that afternoon...except, even then, she wasn’t sure which role to parallel herself to.]

[She felt...tense. No, the air felt tense. Like some invisible rift was threatening to separate them. It scared her. A little. The idea of things being tense bewteeen them. Because they weren’t supposed to be. They were supposed to be light-hearted and fun and completely at ease. Comfortable. Content. Safe.]

[I prefer to see you smile and happy.]

[That was all she wanted for him too.]

... as much fun as I know it is for you to tease your brother, there are better ways.

[Leaning back against the couch cushion, she too averted her eyes as she forced a weak smile. Attempting to regain some of her usual teasing tone and only partially succeeding.]

Preferably ones that don’t risk giving me a small heart attack before I finish middle school.

Had to work with what was around.

[Which when they were at school not a heck of a lot that wasn't school related. It was a good thing to do when all you really had was simply one's imagination. Relaxing a little bit, his eyes showing as such he was looking back over.]

But I'll try next time how about that. Maybe give me a hint of what you'd want. [He was teasing because he was honestly never sure himself of what he might do until the time he needs to do it. Even now he was trying to think of what to do to make things feel less tense. Maybe pushing ones thought's away for a moment? Focus on the movie perhaps? It was one of those times where he honestly wasn't sure what to do.

As he looked back at the screen it as clear it was reaching its end. The survivors were finding out how to escape and potentially how to destroy the building along the way and the monster with it. As he glanced over once again he figured he should at least try and ease the tension.]

At least the movie will be over soon.

Ice Cream is always a good place to start.

[The corners of her lips twitched at her own comment, but she couldn't fully bring herself to maintain the smile. Self-aware humor...didn't seem to be enough this time.]

[At least the movie will be over soon.]

[She risked a glance at the screen. Things did seem to be approaching a final confrontation. Focus was on the main core of characters now. Smaller in number, but somehow even stronger in spirit and presence. There was a self-appointed leader in the middle of the group giving everyone a speech just before one of the "smarter" characters stepped forward to suggest an idea that, Hikari suspected, might previously otherwise have gone unheard.]

...we were wrong. [She spoke up again, waiting until a particular scene flashed on the screen before holding up a finger to indicate, elaborating:] The jock is still alive.

Got it. If anything happens while here we get ice cream.

[They'll end up going there at least monthly he knows it. He frowns slightly, mostly because he had noticed the near smile didn't quite stick around. Was there still problems and they just weren't getting around it? Now though he could look at the screen and use that as the reason at least. He had been wrong for once, usually, they were one of the first to go.]

Well, I'll be surprised, he did survive. I'm glad I didn't bet on it then. [He tried to laugh slightly, but it felt a little forced to say the least. As it was slowly gearing up for the final confrontation, with the group getting ready he found himself once again grabbing a couple of pieces of popcorn, popping them into his mouth.]

I'm sorry if I made things weird by the way. My bad. [He looked at the one piece he still had in his hand before popping it in.]

[Guilt. For half a seccond, her eyes flashed a grayish-purple indicating a brief sense of guilt...but it quickly settled into a much calmer green, and she shook her head.]

You shouldn’t have to apologize, Takeru. You haven’t done anything wrong.

[A sigh escaped her. Long, soft, and slow. Preceded by a deep inhale, and somewhat successful in dispelling some of the residual tension. She closed her eyes for a moment, head tilted up slightly so it was clear she was still listening. To the movie, but more so him.]

It doesn’t feel weird. Knowing...you want me to be happy. [She did smile this time. Weak, but no longer quite so forced.] I was just...surprised that it was your main motivation. That’s all.

[He glanced over for a brief moment before his focus was back on the screen, it felt a little better to at least say that.]

How were you surprised? [That caused him to be confused, at least it was shown in his eyes for the moment. Though he never made his intentions quite clear, he guessed that would be the reason and that thought was enough to cause his eyes to go to the green.]

Whenever you are sad, it's always my main motivation to be there and try and make you smile. Even here as well... After all, seeing you happy makes me happy. [He smiled slightly at the end of the sentence.]

[Takeru...]

[When she’d spoke about being surprised, Hikari had initially been referring to that moment specifically. She hadn’t been paying as close attention to Takeru as he’d been to her, and knew his mind could have been any number of places when he’d turned the lights off. She hadn’t been the only one feeling down, after all, and even Meiko has momentarily benefited from a (somewhat) positive moment in the spotlight.]

[But it hadn’t come out that way, and when he replied back, she realized her comment really did extend to their everyday life. Because, in carefully contemplated reflection...it really was true. How often he seemed to speak and act based on her mood. How often he took her thoughts and opinions before making a decision.]

[There was a question practically burning the tip of her tongue. One word. One syllable. Twice, she thought about asking it. Twice, she held back. Before swallowing it completely. Because...she suspected she already knew, and wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear him say it aloud.]

You too, Takeru. [A pause, and she risked opening her eyes. A gamble that would pay off in the color orange.] I like seeing you happy. Being around you when you’re happy...makes me happy.

[Takeru couldn't help but smile slightly. He was happy to hear her say that. Even though the day had it's ups and downs the whole time, he liked to think things were still perfectly okay. Things hadn't needed to be as awkward as he had made them out to be. If he had just kept the way he always did... Maybe they both would have just been happy the whole time.

That situation with Mimi the day before had really put him in a position he had really not wanted to be in and made him question a lot that honestly...he really didn't want to be answered. He liked it this way and it was something he honestly didn't want to ruin because of the thoughts and feelings behind it.

So he was glad that when the movie seemed to be over, Takeru moved to get up.]

That's that over, you did much better than expected. [A pause.] I had fun... Even when the whole eye thing was our enemy today and brought a lot of questions. [And he was very quickly going to move on.]

But enough about that, I'm going to tidy up.

[You did much better than expected.]

[If there would be any indication of things (mostly) returning to normal between them...it would be the unrestrained deadpan look she sent him for that comment.]

You really do have an evil steak in you.

[She was also just as willing to gloss over any further discussion of their eye color, even as hers flashed a more “inoffensive” shade of mild annoyance before shifting back to green. Things were okay. They would continue to be okay. Which was really what she wanted most of all.]

I’ll help. [She moved to stand, only then realizing how stiff her legs had gotten from sitting on the couch for several hours. Her arms too, which was why she stretched them out in front of her a little before reaching for a couple of half-empty bowls.] Mimi could come back at any time now, and the less mess we leave for her to see, the safer we’ll both be.

[He grins slightly, going to pick up a couple of bowls before taking them to the kitchen. he was going to let it slide, mostly because really... it was kind of true. He couldn't exactly deny it this time.]

I don't think she'd do anything if we left a little mess. Unless she is planning on a make-out session on the sofa when she gets home. [The grin turned into that mischievous smile of his as he put the bowls down, going back to deal with the ones that were left.]

We should make it comfortable for her at least.

...Takeru!

[She tried so hard to look offended on Mimi’s behalf. Maybe with a hint of scandalized. But...the facade fumbled a little too quickly to be genuine, and soon enough, she was stiffening a giggle behind her hand.]

I hope she doesn’t hear you saying that.

You should probably hope so too.

She isn't home, so unless I accidentally left my device on, which is in my bedroom she can't have heard me.

[And he was safe in that knowledge right now. Once he was sure the bowls were all in the kitchen he looked over.]

Unless you tell her, then I will feel awfully betrayed.

I won’t tell. No way I’m carrying that on my conscience.

[She places the last of the items on the counter. Eyeing the portions for a long moment before deciding...yeah she was definitely adding the chocolate to the peanut butter. Consolidating two half portions into a whole. Because it would save space and was also more delicious....as evident by the fact that she grabbed one more piece of each and popped them into her mouth before going into the cabinet for a lid.]

Why because she would kill me?

[He had decided to watch what she did with the popcorn before taking the bowl that was the plain sweet one, he figured she was going to enjoy the one she had.]

Going to eat them in bed, hm?"

She would never do something like that. [Pause.] ...maim, at the absolute worst.

[He seemed to be claiming the plain sweet popcorn, which was fine with her.]

No, I'm done. [She shook her head, further proving her point when she found a matching lid and secured it atop the bowl.] I just wanted to save these for later. They're probably my favorite of everything we got.

That sounds about right.

[He had eaten a couple more before putting the kid on them, going to put them all away.] Glad to know you found a favorite. We also found my least favorite.

[And that memory was quick to come back as he looked away disgusted for a moment.] Never again. [He moved away heading toward the door of the living room.]

Want me to walk you to your room door? At least end it like a gentleman. [It was hard to tell if he was teasing or not as when he smiled his eyes had been closed at that exact time. Once they were open they were orange.]

[Rest in pieces, Jalepeno popcorn. Many, many pieces. Preferably in the trash, where you will never hurt poor Takeru's taste buds ever again.]

[Considering the idea of walking her to her room consisted of maybe two dozen steps at most, it seemed a little too silly to be taken that seriously. Combined with the very orange shade of his eyes, and Hikari gave an enthusiastic nod as she held back more laughter.]

That's very kind of you, good sir. I'd love that.

Even if it's not that far, but it's still closer than mine.

[He still had a few steps after her and Mimi's room. He stood just outside the door, waiting for the other.]

I hope though Mimi won't wake you if she comes home late. Must be a downside to sharing a room right?

[She came up beside him, shaking her head.]

I don't mind. Oniichan was pretty loud coming home, especially when we were younger and used to share a room.

[Her voice remained steady. Her expression didn't falter. But her eyes noticeably darkened when she mentioned Taichi.]

That's why it was always so easy for me to fall asleep when we were camping in the Digital World. I was used to it.

[He tensed every so slightly at the mention of her brother again. Very much aware of what happened last time, but he soon relaxed when he noticed it wasn't as bad darker eyes but that was honestly to be expected really.]

Ah, that makes sense. [He grinned slightly standing by her door.]

Good night, Hikari. [He waved slightly before going to the door of his room, waving back slightly before finally entering his own room, a lot of thoughts and feelings rushing through his head as he couldn't help but sigh. He was at least glad it didn't go too awfully wrong as it could have been so many times.]

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Festival of Amore - Dated 2/14

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