genessia | Cherry Blossom Viewing Party

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Cherry Blossom Viewing Party

WHO: Raye Hino, OPEN
WHAT: The cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, so this calls for a ~~weeaboo picnic party~~ traditional social gathering to relax, eat food, and admire the view. And maybe shenanigans.
WHEN: April 27, 2014 - All Day
WHERE: Genessia City - Shrine
NOTES: Feel free to make your own threads! Just indicate if the thread is open, or locked to just a few. HAVE FUN OR ELSE!

Raye had indicated that the weather would be favorable on Sunday, so when the rain started coming down over the weekend, she got angry. And she ranted at the spirits, who didn't bother responding to her demands for pleasant weather to encourage attendance at the shrine. But to her relief, Sunday morning brought blue skies after all. Whether that was the spirit's doing, or if the skies were going to clear up on their own, who could say? Raye didn't care so long as she got results.

She rushed to the temple as soon as she was dressed in order to put up the paper lanterns once more...and to throw out her blanket on the spot she thought was the best for watching cherry blossoms. If no one else had claimed it first, then she was within her rights to aggressively stake her territory, especially if she was going to spend the day with Jaune and Minako, possibly some of her other friends as well. She hoped Harry would show up, but Everglade had a lot going on, so it wouldn't surprise her if he couldn't. She'd lecture him about it later.

Hastily she swept up the courtyard and tossed feed at the chickens, trying to take care of her daily chores before the first of the party-goers arrived. She'd worked hard to make this tradition a success, and no one...no one...was going to ruin it. Or they would face her wrath.

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Adam took the plate that she offered, just waiting for her to get out... whatever it was that she was grabbing. He nodded at her words, feeling just as hungry.

...but as he waited he turned to look around, seeing all the people. All the humans. And how they were off having their own fun and looking at the cherry blossoms. Adam was a little distracted right now, sorry Orihime. He's still kind of listening though.

Orihime picked up a sandwich for her plate, but didn't put it down until she'd taken a healthy bite. Just as she was reaching for a triangle of watermelon, she paused, seeing Adam assessing his surroundings. Was he still on high alert? Or was he just...viewing?

Glancing at the sword he'd placed beside him, and noting that his hand wasn't twitching in the direction of the blade, she figured he was just getting used to the setting. If she had to guess, he probably hadn't gone on too many picnics.

"Is there anyone here you recognize?" she asked, before biting into her sandwich again.

Oh, right.

Adam glanced back at her, blinking from behind his mask. He shrugged a little, going to pick up his own sandwich and take a bite before answering her.

"Some. I spotted a few here and there, another Faunus..." he swallowed, noting that this sandwich tasted good as well. So far, he's enjoyed everything she's given him, "...but I haven't interacted much with any of them. Perhaps just Lucy, but that was from a forced match-up."

And that had been annoying as well. No, he wasn't about to attack anyone, he didn't feel the need to even glance at his weapon. While he was slightly tense from how many humans were around, he was feeling fine right now.

"There are more Faunuses here?" Orihime perked up, before she swung her head around to sweep her gaze over the other picnic-goers. She knew of Blake only through Adam, but he was the only one she'd ever had the opportunity to meet. It would be great to see what the others were like!

Then again, Adam kind of talked about killing humans a lot, so maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to go rushing up to another Faunus as if he or she were her new best friend. She settled back down, though she kept looking for signs of anyone who might be like Adam.

"Oh, so you guys climbed the mountain together?" she asked, curious. "Did you manage to get to the top?"

Adam nodded at that, just going to grab one of the sushi rolls now. He nibbled on it at first, then noted that they were spicy. Oh, he approved of this. It was clear he enjoyed it now by the way he simply chowed down on it instead of simply inspecting it.

"Yeah, I've only talked to him briefly. I think there are only the three of us here," which was disappointing, honestly. However, he did run into other beings that weren't human or Faunus which was... interesting, to say the least.

"We did... before her friend Natsu arrived and started to wreck everything," Adam shook his head, "that was when I chose to leave."

"Oh? That's a shame," Orihime sighed. "My partner and I couldn't get to the top either. There were monsters everywhere!" She kind of felt bad for Gabriel. He was a far more competent opponent against the creatures than she was. At least one thing was clear: she and Gabriel were not destined to be.

But she kind of doubted any of the fortune teller's predictions were true. And who was to say a person could only have one true love? Sometimes things just didn't work that way.

She realized he seemed to be enjoying the sushi, and she beamed. Orihime couldn't take credit for making it, but at least she'd chosen food that he preferred, and that made her feel pretty good.

"The monsters weren't really a challenge for me, so it was fine either way," he just didn't like that Lucy had been his supposed love as well. He had hated the idea of being with a human like that, especially one he didn't even know... it was ridiculous.

Adam took another bite of the sushi, now glancing up at the trees that surrounded them. Well... he was sort of glad he came now, it was a beautiful sight to see. He liked seeing the cherry blossoms fall and dance through the air, it almost reminded him of what his aura could do when used right. He just didn't think now was a good time to talk about him slicing up giant robots and turning them into petals, is all.

Actually, he was curious about something that he hadn't asked anyone here really. He glanced over at Orihime to ask his question, "...what is your world like?"

Since she had a general idea of his, thanks to his vague answers about human and Faunus, he wanted to know if there was anything like that in her world too.

"Mm?" Orihime looked up from her watermelon, then lowered the fruit. It was actually kind of rare for people to ask her about herself, she was ordinarily the one who did all the asking. This was kind of nice!

"It's not too different from this city, really! It's a small town. We don't have any Faunuses as far as I know, but we had spirits and ghosts. But most people aren't aware of their presence." She smiled, leaning back on one hand.

"I lived in a small apartment, and walked to school with my best friend all the time. Sometimes we'd go to the river and just talk about things. We had all kinds of stores! But the world itself is really huge, and there are all kinds of different countries and cultures. There are deserts, oceans, and a big continent of ice in the south!"

As she spoke, Adam listened. Somewhere during her story he had gotten up and went towards the cooler, opening it to find a can of lemonade. He grabbed one, going right back to his spot, his gaze focused on her from behind his mask once more.

Her life sounded... simple enough. The mention of spirits and ghosts sounded abnormal to him, but other than that it sounded like a typical human life. Same with her world, it sounded similar to Remnant, with just how vast it all is too.

"I see. It almost sounds boring," he opened his lemonade, taking a sip of it now, "....where do your powers come in? They're nothing like aura, I imagine. Does everyone have powers like you?"

Orihime smiled and shook her head. "Nope. They're unique! Sado-kun comes the closest, since he was ordinary like me up until things suddenly changed. Kurosaki-kun has the powers of a shinigami, and Ishida-kun is a Quincy..."

She stopped, realizing Adam probably had no idea what to make of any of those terms. Smiling apologetically, she added, "Sorry. I guess it's a bit of a long story. Very few humans have spiritual powers. That was probably the answer you were looking for."

But he was trying to get to know her. He had no idea how happy that made her, nor how proud she was of him making the attempt to overcome his prejudice, at least for her sake.

...No, he didn't know what any of those were. But he tried to understand, regardless. So, her and her friends were special by the standards of her world. That was what he understood, at least.

"Mm... the differences in powers here is... interesting," since he's met people like Orihime that can heal, and others that can even summon spirits. He almost feels threatened by all that, but he also knows that he could fight them if he had to. His semblance was to redirect their strength back at them, after all.

"But this cherry blossom viewing, it's a tradition in your world?" Since she seemed to know more about it than him. They were just simple questions, but they were more than he ever dared to ask a human before. He usually didn't care about a human's life like this, but small talk in fine... right?

Orihime inclined her head, her smile brightening. "It is! I went with my brother when I was little, and Tatsuki-chan's family welcomed me to join theirs when I was older."

She held out a piece of watermelon to him. She'd picked a good, sweet one, with lots of bee stings on the rind. It was a melon to be proud of!

"What about you? Did you have any traditions or festivals like this in your world?" It only seemed fair to ask him some questions as well, she'd feel bad if all she did was talk about herself.

Adam reached out to her when she offered the watermelon, not even hesitating to take food from her. He warmed up to the idea of eating whatever she gave to him, so he wasn't suspicious anymore.

"We do, but it's something that mostly humans go to," Faunus can go, but it's pretty rare for them to attend. It all depends on who is running it, if they allow his kind or not.

"For example in Vale, there's the Vytal festival. I've only seen some glances of it over the years, but it's a celebration of different cultures all over the world. It's mostly for fighters, however, and they take part in a tournament as well."

Aaand now Adam was biting into his watermelon slice. Just as he figured, this tasted good as well.

~~SUCKER! ENJOY YOUR CYANIDE-LACED WATERMELON BWAH HA HA HA HA!~~

"I bet you would do well in a tournament like that," Orihime noted, shifting on the blanket so her legs were folded comfortably to the side. Of course he wouldn't have been able to go to many festivals. That was kind of sad, really. Was that why he wanted to come with her to this one?

"What about Faunus festivals?" she perked. "Did you have any of those?"

Surely this wasn't the first festival he'd EVER attended...right?

~~WHY WOULD YOU EVER~~

...What.

Adam stopped his eating and just stared at her like she was crazy. The very thought of something like that in Remnant... well, it was ridiculous. They were treated just like animals, there wouldn't be many festivals for them. If any at all.

"We don't have anything like that... we've had to protest just to get humans to serve us," there were only a few places that accepted them, and even then there was prejudices within them.

"I only know of a handful of places that let Faunus in without a second thought."

"Well sure, I wouldn't expect the humans in your world to do that, they sound pretty closed-minded. But couldn't you have a festival of your own?" Even if it was just a small one, they deserved to have a little fun.

Then Orihime had a sick feeling in her stomach as she realized that a festival celebrated by a group of Faunus might do nothing more than concentrate several unarmed Faunus into one convenient location for extremists to target.

The watermelon almost stuck in her throat as the thought flitted into her mind.

"Ne...the gate to your world is open, isn't it...?" Maybe Orihime should go see this world for herself to find out just how bad it really is with her own eyes.

Adam wouldn't be up for a festival like that either way. Just like she figured, it was exactly why he wouldn't want to go. Too many chances for them to be all together and for humans to attack.

But her question catches him off guard, he hadn't been expecting that kind of response at all.

"...It is, yeah," there's a pause before he continues on, "what are you planning, exactly?"

If she were to go there, she would be perfectly fine. It wasn't like humans were being killed off all that quickly, it was more certain organization and companies that were targeted by the White Fang.

Orihime looked down at the blanket quietly for a moment before she lifted her head to lock her gaze on Adam's mask. "You've been trying really hard to adjust to being around other humans, Adam-san. And when you asked me those questions, trying to get to know me better, it made me really happy." The corners of her mouth twitched a little into a subdued but genuine smile.

"But it's not fair if you're doing all of the work, trying to understand me. I want to understand you a little better too. If it's all right with you, I'd like to visit your world, and see what it's like, and how the other humans there behave." She took a breath, then set down her paper plate. "If I expect you to interact with people without knowing the way your people behaved, it's an unfair expectation to put on you. And there might be habits that hateful people do that I might be accidentally displaying that would make you uneasy or uncomfortable!" Orihime frowned, her brow furrowing seriously.

"I like you a lot, and I definitely wouldn't want to offend you, Adam-san. So I need to educate myself and see firsthand where you're coming from."

...? Okay, he was feeling confused before, but now he definitely didn't know what was going on.

A human has... never shown interest like this in not just him, but any Faunus that he knows of. He's heard of them making friends, something he wouldn't want to do exactly, but to actually go so far as to see what could possibly offend him. It was.... endearing, honestly, and he couldn't deny that no matter how much he wanted to.

The Faunus put down his own plate now, staring back at her. He cleared his throat, adjusting his mask briefly before speaking up, "the prejudices are everywhere, I imagine you could see it just by walking down the streets for a bit. The group that I'm associated with... they'll kill you if you attempt to interact with them," was that his way of a warning? Maybe, in a very vague way.

"And are you saying you want me to come with?" he could very well get arrested for walking around with her, being a White Fang member and all. Well, he could at least ditch the mask and trade them for sunglasses if he had to...

"Not if it will put you at risk," Orihime shook her head. She didn't think she'd be in any great danger paying a visit to Vale, on account that she was human. Even with her unusual powers, her concerns over her mortality had been put to rest a long time ago. "I won't be staying overnight, unless you think I should explore a lot longer."

He seemed to imply that she'd be able to understand his situation pretty quickly once she had a look around for herself, so she didn't intend to linger long. But she was willing to stay as long as it took for her to get a glimpse into what life was like for a Faunus like Adam.

It would be nice to spend time walking around with him, but hopefully somewhere that he wouldn't be treated badly. Otherwise it wouldn't be much fun at all, and in her opinion, he deserved to have a little fun and happiness.

Hm- Adam lets out a laugh at that. The very thought of someone being able to beat him, especially any of those cowardly humans, was amusing at best.

"I won't be at risk. Mind you, I don't actively go out of my way to interact with anyone in Vale, I mostly stay around the Faunus I know. But they would know better than to pick a fight with me."

They might give him some glares and a few hurtful remarks, but he knew that they wouldn't mess with someone his size, carrying around a sword as well.

"You should explore until you get your fill. Who knows, you might even run into a Faunus group protesting," he paused, taking a sip of his lemonade before continuing, "I suppose, that's the closest I've seen to a festival. Groups of Faunus with signs standing outside shops that won't serve them."

But he was still considering going with her, "I haven't been there for a while, I could pay a visit as well."

Edited (no i wasnt done, enter button ) 2014-04-29 19:46 (UTC)

Orihime nodded slowly. She might even join in a protest if she happened to find one, since that seemed wildly unfair and belittling. And it didn't make any sense! A store reaped much greater profits if it welcomed in lots of customers!

"If you're sure...then yes, I'd like that very much!" she beamed. It was his home, after all, he could show her around and help her learn far more than if she went exploring solo.

The two of them would almost certainly draw some odd looks, she figured. But even if this version of Vale wasn't the one he came from, it was the only one he had access to, so it would be nice if she could bring a positive impact, even if it was just a small one.

"When would you like to go?"

Adam wasn't too concerned about when they should go back to Vale. He had been in a hurry trying to find answers when he first arrived here, but now he was back to taking it slow and merely observing. Another shrug came from him, he honestly didn't care.

"It's more your errand than mine right now, so whenever you feel ready," he almost wanted to ask her if she really was human, since she seemed so... invested in Faunus problems.

Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. She had useful healing abilities and he didn't feel overly irritated talking to her, it was a first.

Orihime brightened. The prospect of spending a day getting to know his world and his life sounded good to her! Especially if he was there to narrate and make sure she didn't make any weird leaps of logic.

It happened sometimes, okay?

"I'll check the weather forecast when I get home to see what day is best," she suggested. "Which city is your Archway in?" Now that the serious matter was mostly resolved, she could start eating again. She'd already managed to put away quite a bit so far. Where did it all go?

Let's just hope she doesn't get into too much trouble!!

"Does the weather really matter?" he sounded harsh, but he was honestly curious. He didn't really care what the weather was... as long as it wasn't freezing cold, he was fine with it.

"And it's in Fayren, I believe..." well, at least now he had some time to prepare himself to go back there with her. Not because he felt like it would be risky, but because he might have to deal with certain things he would rather not see. If he saw a Faunus getting harassed, he had a feeling he would just step in.

Cherry Blossom Viewing Party

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