melodiesoflife | Prelude || The Festival Of Light

Prelude || The Festival Of Light

Characters: All the "Heroes of Light."
Where: Aqures Ixen.
When: The 3rd of August, final day of the Festival of Light. The Heroes of Light will awaken early in the morning.
Summary: The Heroes of Light awaken in Aqures Ixen and are informed by their assigned Moogles of what the situation and what their destinies are. This a log for them to react to the situation, meet each other and optionally participate in activities provided by the Festival of Light.
Warning: N/A

Where you were or what you were doing— It does not really matter. Not any more. Within an instant, the world around you collapses. Reality twists and shatters... Or maybe you are the one who is collapsing and shattering away from reality as you knew it. No matter what the answer is, it will only take a few seconds for you to find yourself sinking into a void, your world vanishing into the distance. There is nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see. Even you feel different: all the powers you might once have had, are now gone. It is silent, cold and it feels as though life itself is slipping out of you.

At this moment, when it looks as though nothing but a never-ending void awaits you, a red Crystal forms before you. In this void, its warmth compels you to grab it. Upon doing so, you can hear a soft, soothing voice speaking:

"Wake up."

Soon, the void itself vanishes and is replaced by distant noises of engines. Had it all been nothing more than a dream? The soothing voice repeats its call one more time, but is soon replaced with a much less graceful "Wake up, Kupo!" Hand clutched on your Crystal, the call of the Moogle may finally wake you up. But you are no longer in your world, nor in the void. You are before the Crystal of Fire, in the third district of a city called Aqures Ixen. At this point, you may realize the engine noise actually originates from an Airship flying low over the city and headed to dock beneath the castle. As if it wasn't strange enough, your clothes have changed as well. They are now a reflection of the Jobs you are wielding. Last but not least, you are surrounded by Moogles, small and fluffy creatures who are more than happy to tell you about everything you want to know, about your 'destiny' as a Hero of Light, about what awaits you.

Or at least, they will tell you everything they do know, which isn't much in the end.

Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any citizens aside from Moogles in the vicinity. Indeed, the population of Aqures Ixen seems to be busy elsewhere in the city-- The Moogle will tell you there currently an event named the Festival of Light, which most people are attending. But you are not alone! It probably will not be long before you realize there are plenty of people like you all around, and if somehow you do not realize it, the Moogle who woke you up will be more than happy to inform you there are others like you around. Maybe with their help, you will be able to find out what is happening to you.

— Final Day —
The Festival of Light is a yearly event held at Aqures Ixen to celebrate the victory of the "Heroes of Light" over the "Calamity from the Skies" two thousands years ago, or so do the legends say. Whether people believe in the legends or not, this is an occasion for them to have fun and spend time with family and friends. The Festival is held from the 28th of July to the 3rd of August.

Unfortunately, most attractions and events are over by the third of August. Yet, there is enough to do, should the newly arrived Heroes of Light favor spending time looking at the attractions rather than panicking about their situation. The festival ends at midnight.

Theater Play
— Ninth District || 14:00 —

There is a large theater stage installed in the 9th district-- It is probably only temporary by the look of it. There is quite a crowd seated to watch the play about to unfold, as well as numerous people standing beneath the seats or sitting on the ceilings because they couldn't get a seat. After the audience grows quiet, a woman with long silver hair and green-ish skin steps onto the stage to address the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago! At the time when the Ancients reigned over the planet, when the Calamities from the Skies landed on this world and waged war against all forms of life. When our story begins, the Ancients are on the brink of extinction and gathering the last of their forces to fight. And now people of Aqures Ixen and visitors from distant lands, we proudly present 'The 4 Heroes of Light'!"

After this, the play starts and will last for roughly one hour and a half. The main characters appear to be four Heroes of Light, respectively dressed as a Warrior, Monk, Black Mage and White Mage. Other characters include the Calamity from the Skies played by the silver-haired woman, an Ancient scientist and the Princess of Crystallis. The story appears to be a highly romanticized version of the tale the Moogles told the characters earlier. As the play unfolds, there is a love story between one of the Heroes of Light, the Warrior, and the Princess of Crystallis. At the end of the play, the Heroes of Light successfully defeat the Calamity from the Skies, but the Warrior has to sacrifice himself and die in order to protect the Princess of Crystallis.

Culinary Attractions
— Fourteenth District || Anytime —
What would a festival be without free food and banquets? Not really a festival. In the fourteenth district, there is a banquet and many stands held by people from all over the world-- People from Balicea, Aerilon, Esdham, Flence, etc. There is even a stand held by former inhabitants of the Empire. All kind of food from all over the world can be found here-- Refined food, pastries, cakes, cooked meals, etc. It's virtually impossible not to find something to like in all of this, and it's all free until midnight!

Competitions
— Tenth & Eight District || 18:00 —

At 18:00, there will be a Blitzball match opposing the teams of Aqures Ixen and Balicea in the Blitzball Stadium. It is more of an exposition match, with nothing to be won aside from glory. Anyone is free to enter the stadium to watch the match. Following this, people - playable characters included - will be allowed to play some Blitzball Match on their own, if they want to try.

At the same time, a Triple Triad competition will be taking place in the eight district, in the campus of the university. Characters are free to enter the Triple Triad tournament, and if they do so they will be given very basic cards and explained the rules. With low level cards and whatsoever no experience, odds are that they may lose to much more experienced and competitive players, but what matters is trying, right? Whilst no characters may recognize him yet, it is notable that one of the NPCs, Wedge, is taking part in the competition. It's just a shame knowing he will lose in the semi-finals.

Trano Golsaucia's Stands
— Eleventh District || Anytime —
Specially for the occasions, stallholders from Trano Golsaucia traveled to Aqures Ixen and brought a few attractions to display what they can do. Noticeably, they brought Chocobos and will organize numerous races throughout the day, on an improvised tracks running around the houses. The Heroes of Light are more than welcome to try and bet, should they want to lose (or multiply) what few Gils they have. If they feel adventurous, they may even try to enter one of the races and ride a Chocobo-- At their own risks.

Aside from this, there are some more attractions worthy of attention. There is a shooting stand-- Coincidentally, all the targets are vaguely similar to the main antagonists of numbered Final Fantasy games. There is a treasure chest game, where characters are presented with ten chests and can open only one-- Prizes range from one Gils to gigantic plushie. There is also a fortune teller Moogle, it is notable that his predictions will always include either the character suffering hell or dying soon, in one form or another. Hopefully this moogle is just a scam.

Fireworks
— First District || 23:00 —

What better way to conclude a festival than fireworks? Fireworks will be launched from the Castle of Aqures Ixen starting 23:00, and will end at midnight, at the same time than the festival. No matter where you are in the city, anyone should be able to watch them easilly if they so wish. Unfortunately, it means falling asleep before midnight may be a bit hard with all the noise.

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With people clearing out, it gives Kaji room to approach the woman. He is dressed (mostly) in the outfit of a Scholar, but he has already loosened up the cravat, unbuttoned the top button of the shirt, and his moogle is wearing his mortarboard hat instead.

"The Four Heroes of Light," he comments wryly to announce himself as he leans against the edge of the table. "Only, there seem to be a lot more than four of us running around here." He is looking at the woman, not her notes, even though he is very interested to know what details she thought were important.

Charlotte looks up at the sound of a new voice cutting in. She frowns a little when she sees the stranger leaning against the edge of the table, but doesn't comment on it; as long as he doesn't accidentally tip her table or mess up her papers like some people she knows back home, she doesn't mind much. Mogsy just sighs.

"I agree," Charlotte says, acknowledging the stranger's input. She idly drums her fingers on the table, her brow pinched in thought. "And it doesn't sound like they took the Four Heroes from other lands either. For supposedly being named after the heroes of legend, our story is already quite different."

Her notes cover the play's plot, but there's particular attention is paid to the Calamity of the Skies and the Warrior's sacrifice. Questions like, What was the source of the Calamity of the Skies? and Why was it necessary for the Warrior to sacrifice himself? and Does this mean the Calamity of the Skies will return like Dracula does? are scrawled alongside her plot notes.

"Usually these types of stories are more allegory than truth, clearly. Except there actually are heroes now. Are there actually monsters now, too, like the people in the costumes? Does that mean they expect us to sacrifice ourselves for some calamity?" He laughs and puts a hand behind his head. "No, thank you, already seen people go down that road once."

Kaji glances down at her notes, but then offers over his hand, instead. "Ryoji Kaji. Just Kaji is fine."

Charlotte sets aside her quill and grasps his hand firmly. "A pleasure to meet you, Kaji. I'm Charlotte Aulin." She lets go of his hand, glancing over at her moogle. "The grumpy moogle is Mogsy."

Right on cue, Mogsy folds his arms and grumbles under his breath, looking pointedly away.

"Don't mind him." She gestures to an unoccupied chair by the table. "Please, take a seat. If you don't mind my asking, I'd like to hear more about the calamity you experienced in your world."

"Welllll..." Kaji looks up, and is very visibly organizing his thoughts as he plunks down into the chair. Okay, what is the short way that Kaji can explain Second Impact, Tokyo-3, the Angels, and the Evangelions?

"The world I come from is very different than this one. No magic, monsters aren't supposed to be real, and the only people around are humans." A glance back at the moogle. "No offense, Shinji."

"Fifteen years ago, there was an incident called Second Impact. Giant meteor came down to Earth, melted the polar ice caps, lots of flooding, death, and destruction, and that was where the trouble started."

"Giant monsters began appearing, and I don't mean stuff like what we saw on that stage," he points towards the stage. "I mean," he turns in his seat, and gestures towards the skyline, at the castle. "Taller than that. Giant." He is waving his hands for emphasis. "So, one guy had figured out a counter-weapon, uh, giant," she might not understand the term robots, "giant suits of armor. Ones that would make people as big as the monsters."

"Only," Kaji holds up a single finger for emphasis, and his rate of speech slows down. This is clearly the important part. "Certain very specific people were the only ones who could use the Evangelions. People who had to be chosen."

He holds his hands out to the sides. "A select few with the power to save our world, expected to just blindly do whatever it took to get the job done. Sound familiar?" He lets his hands drop, and shakes his head. "I wasn't one of them. But I could never do enough to help them. Or even figure out the truth behind what they were actually fighting for."

While Kaji was talking, Charlotte's pen flew across the scroll, recording this new information. While she wasn't a fast enough writer to transcribe everything he was saying as he was saying it, she captured the essence of his recount in shorthand, intending to clean up her notes later; she intended this scroll to be something of a scratchpad of information before transferring information. She listened closely without interruption, wanting to hear what he had to say before she made any comments.

She found the name, Evangelion, of note. It sounded remarkably similar to evangelic. Maybe that was of some significance? One of many questions for later; that kind of large scale hugeness that warped nature itself... there would be many who would call that acts of God. Scary.

Once he had finished explaining, Charlotte kept the quill in her hand. "That does have some parallels with what we've been told about our roles." She idly tapped her cheek with her free hand. "Did your chosen manage to save the world in the end? Or is that something you were all in the middle of before being brought here?"

Edited 2014-08-06 14:32 (UTC)

Kaji counts them out on his fingers, but for some reason he starts with zero, "Rei," one, "Shinji," two, "Asuka."

"K-kupo!?" The moogle behind Kaji pipes up in a tone of surprise, but claps his hands over his mouth.

Kaji gestures to the moogle. "Shinji. Also the name of one of the chosen," he likes that word better than hero, it fits the Eva pilots better.

"They had defeated all challenges in their way, but it almost all feels like..." He looks back to the stage, his gaze fades into the distance, thoughtful. "Like a play. Like things had to play out a certain way. And they were just being manipulated. Like no matter how hard they fought, it was all just a setup for the final act."

He turns back to look at Charlotte. "Back in my world, my job was to look for the truth. Of what they were fighting for, if the fate of the world even was at stake at all." He gestures to the notes. "I assume you have the same goal in mind here?"

Charlotte shoots him a quizzical look at the strange counting method, but it doesn't seem all that important. Either way, she records these chosen people the same way he introduces them, though she's uncertain of how to spell their names. A clarifying question for later.

She does notice how he doesn't answer her question, leaving it rather open ended. Defeating all the challenges implies they succeeded in saving the world, but the rest of Kaji's response makes it seem like the story isn't yet over. At least, not in his view.

At Kaji's question, Charlotte nods. "That's correct." Her free hand idly smoothes out a fold in the scroll, fixing Kaji with a serious stare. "I don't know if what we've been told is as innocent as it sounds. It might be. It might not. But one thing is certain: we don't know much. The more we know, the better we can prepare."

That's why she often had her nose buried deep in books back in her world. Magical genius that she is, Charlotte also knows not to get too cocky. She knows that going into danger unprepared is a great way to get Jonathan and/or herself killed. She might be in a different world, but the process is still relevant.

"By the way, how do you spell the names of your chosen and yourself? They're very different from what I'm used to."

Kaji smiles, he seems to appreciate Charlote's answer. "Couldn't have put it better, myself. The weight of information is tilted against us, at the moment. One of the areas that is closed up for the festival, but I definitely intend to take advantage of it as soon as I can, is what Shinji was calling the University sector, and the libraries there."

Kaji chuckles at her last question. "Oh, sorry, English spelling for Japanese names..." Kaji pauses and looks startled. "Wait. Am I speaking English!?" Kaji can speak English, but he wasn't thinking about it. He gestures between himself and Charlotte. "We can understand each other. That's-" That's something.

It strikes Kaji into silence for a moment, but he gestures for Charlotte's quill. He spells out the names 'Ryoji Kaji,' 'Rei Ayanami,' 'Shinji Ikari,' and 'Asuka Langley Soryu' on the corner of one of her scrolls, intentionally writing the letters in English.

Japanese!? Charlotte is noticeably surprised, eyes widening. In her world, they are in the middle of a war involving Japan as one of their opponents. She quickly collects herself; Kaji is from a different world and he'd been roped into this Hero of Light business as well, after all. And, well, in the end, she serves a more... global organisation than merely her country. World War 2 isn't her concern; vanquishing creatures of the night is.

She willingly hands over her quill. As Kaji writes, she comments, "That's convenient. You can also read what I've written, I take it?"

Once Kaji finishes writing, Charlotte looks over the names, silently mouthing the words as she commits their pronounciation to their spelling to memory. Attention returning to Kaji, she fiddles with a strand of hair as she says, "Since we're just as stuck as everyone else, would you like to collate information you learn with mine in the future? Two people can cover more ground."

Hmm. He notices her discomfort, but has to take it in stride. Maybe he should be thanking his luck that she comes from any world that resembles Earth, at all. Many of the things here don't seem anything like what he's seen before.

"I can read it, yes. So, what are we looking at, here, then?" He hesitates, and pulls a wry face before he says the M-word. "Magic? They certainly claim that it's in existence here, but that's something unknown to my world."

He nods firmly at Charlotte's offer, though. "I fully intend to share any findings with the other heroes, and having other people directly investigating matters would help." See? He can re-make an information network very quickly here, probably. "I'd be- very glad to work with you."

Maybe a little bit of an extra smile and a flirt on that last statement.

Charlotte lets out an amused laugh at the flirtatious tone and returns the smile with one of her own.

"Likewise, Kaji. If you need help with anything magic related, let me know." With a proud toss of her hair, Charlotte adds, "Magic is my specialty, though what I can do here is a bit limited compared to my home world."

Mogsy, on the other hand, really couldn't care less about their conversation, and had settled down on a chair for a nap long ago.

"Hmm. I guess I'll have to defer to your expertise, then." Definitely comes from a different world than Kaji does, and yet, still Earth, in some sense? His brow wrinkles when he realizes that, and he decides to just directly ask the question, then.

"But you come from Earth, don't you? That's the name of the same world I come from, but, like I said, no magic back home. This is all- normal to you, then?"

A quick nod and a smile. "That's correct. I come from Earth, in the year 1944. Most people are like you and haven't encountered magic before."

Charlotte sighs, resting her hand on her tome. "But there's something about this world... I can't use any of the spells I know from home."

Otherwise, it'd be much easier for her to find a way back home.

"Another hero told me he had the same problem."

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Prelude || The Festival Of Light

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