Prelude || The Festival Of Light

[melodiesmods]

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.

Comments

Ib

[her_rose_is_red]

[Ib isn't too happy to be once again pulled away from her parents and her home, but at least this place doesn't have murderous works of art around every turn. And the people here seem nice. And her moogle, Rose, was very helpful I explaining things. But this has to be mistake, right? She can't be a hero of light, she's just a kid! She spends the first hour or so wandering around the festival, wondering when and how she was going to make it home. Would she ever see her parents again? What about Garry? They'd be so worried...


Shooting Gallery-

[Eventually, Rose has convinced Ib to try to relax and enjoy the festival a little. Her problems can wait until later. So she goes to wander the midway, sampling some of the tasty treats on offer. Eventually she decides to try the shooting gallery. They even have a small block for her to stand on so she can shoot over the counter. It doesn't help much.]

Oh, I missed....

That was close, kupo! You should try again!

[She nods, finally starting to enjoy herself a tiny bit. She aims the gun again.]

Okay, one more...


Fireworks-

[Later on she can be found watching the fireworks. The pretty bursts of color in the sky leave her in awe. This is probably the best fireworks show she's ever seen.]

It's so pretty.....


For Kaji-

[And after the fireworks have ended, a very sleepy Ib is following her moogle to the housing district.]

This is it, kupo! A-14!

It looks... nice.

[The moogle has been so nice, she's trying to stay upbeat for her. She walks up to the door and carefully opens it.]

For Kaji

[iknowtheconsequences]

Kaji has his moogle, Shinji, riding on his shoulder, at this point. Kaji refuses to wear the Scholar mortarboard hat, so Shinji has it perched halfway on his head over one ear, around his pom-pom.

"Kupo! Here we are!"

Kaji starts towards the door, but notices that someone else has beaten him there. "Uh, hello?" Oh, it's a kid. And she has another moogle. He looks up and down the street, as if hoping for some parent to materialize out of nowhere.

[her_rose_is_red]

She lets out a small gasp in surprise and drops her hand away from the door. When she turns to see a man with a moogle of his own, she has to wonder. Could they have gotten the wrong house somehow? Rose had seemed so sure.

"Um.... hello..."

Ib follows his gaze up and down the street, wondering what he's looking for. It's late, so no one else is around.

"Um, are you... like me? I mean, they want you to be a hero too?"

[iknowtheconsequences]

"I..." Kaji can't immediately figure out what to say in response to that. He scratches the back of his head, and picks up Shinji to take him off his shoulder. He crouches down a little bit to get closer to the kid's level.

"Yeah, I guess I am. My name's Kaji." He nods towards the house. "This is where you're staying? I think this is me, too."

Shinji nods and gives a "kupo!" of acknowledgement.

"I mean, if that's all right?" He'll put the option out there, he could go somewhere else. But he really wasn't expecting to see any children brought here. She shouldn't be left alone.

[her_rose_is_red]

Oh! Rose hadn't mentioned someone else living here. She nods and gives him a hesitant smile.

"I'm Ib. And this is Rose."

Indicating the moogle next to her, who nods and waves. She's very quick to answer when he asks if it's alright to stay.

"No, it's fine! Um, I mean it's your house too. And I don't want.... I mean I don't know anyone here....."

She fiddles with the hem of the cloak she's wearing awkwardly. She's scared to stay by herself, but she doesn't want to cause him problems either. Maybe he'd rather not stay with a little kid and was just trying to be polite.

[iknowtheconsequences]

Kaji smiles patiently. "It's all right. It's very nice to meet you, Ib. And you, too, Rose. This is Shinji." The moogle who looks a little put-out that he didn't get introduced earlier.

"Well, now you know someone here, and now I do, too." Try to put the kid at ease. She's got to be scared. Kaji is probably the absolute worst choice out of anybody they could have pulled from anywhere to keep an eye on a kid, but he is telling himself not to freak out in front of the kid, Kaji, or he'll scare her worse.

He gestures to the door, since Ib was about to open it. "Shall we go on inside, then?"

[her_rose_is_red]

“Right!”

Her smile this time is a lot more genuine and she finally relaxes a little. He's right. Now they both know someone. And that makes it easier. Not being alone makes it much easier to be brave. Just like when he was stuck in the art gallery. Having Garry there made a huge difference. And here she has Rose, and now Kaji and Shinji. It makes her believe they'll be okay.

“Okay, let's go in.”

She turns back to the door and pushes it open. It's a small house, no frills. But more than enough space for two people.

[gomu_ningen]

Luffy had been watching with great curiosity as the girl took her aim and shot towards the targets from afar. It'd been a while since he'd seen someone handle a gun, given that most of his crew used non-lethal weapons.. save for Zoro, of course.

Leaning over her shoulder without really knowing what a personal bubble might be, the pirate watches and whistles at her impressive shot.

"Not bad! That was pretty good! You're a sharpshooter, aren't you?"

[her_rose_is_red]

The sudden closeness has her shrinking back nervously.

“I.... no.... um....”

A sharpshooter? Really? She only managed to hit the target on her last try. She has to wonder what he's comparing it too.

“I just got lucky that time. I've never even even held a gun before...”

[gomu_ningen]

"Could'ah' fooled me! It was a real good shot! Maybe you're just a dead-eye and you don't even know it."

He hops up onto the counter, sitting down and swinging his legs over the edge as he grins with a laugh.

"I'm Luffy. You're not from here either, are you?"

[her_rose_is_red]

She relaxes a little. This guy is loud, but he doesn't seem like a bad person.

"I'm Ib. I just got here today. Did they ask you to be a hero too?"

[gomu_ningen]

Luffy crosses his arms over his chest, snorting a bit of steam from his nose as he grumbles at the dreaded "h-word".

"Yeah. Being a hero isn't for me. No one ever heard of a pirate being a hero."

His face lightens up as he pushes the worry of labels and duties out of his mind, replacing his grimace with a bright smile as he turns back to look at Ib.

"You just got here, too, huh? Pretty weird stuff, but I bet there's lots of adventures to have here. I wonder what kinda' meat they have to eat."

[her_rose_is_red]

"Pirate?"


She echoes that back uncertainly. Did he actually just say he was a pirate? But maybe that's why he seems so.... okay with everything. Pirates probably go on all kinds of adventures, so this might not even seem weird.


"Maybe they eat those big birds..."


She's seen the chocobos around, and they sort of look like giant chickens.

shooting gallery

[red_planet_blues]

[Ib can't be doing worse than the guy next to her - seems like he's having some trouble too. Turns out that having a paladin/warrior job class means Sparks has lost his sharpshooting skills, but it's not stopping him from trying. Gritting his teeth, he takes fire and misses all the targets completely. The person working the booth is getting exasperated with him.]

No, look-- Let me try one more time. I can do this. I swear.

[her_rose_is_red]

[It looks like he's having a really hard time. She's gonna watch him for a while.]

That last one was sort of close... I bet if you keep trying you'll get it.

[She's trying to be nice, but unfortunately assuming that he has no more experience than she does. It took her a lot of tries too.]

[red_planet_blues]

[Oh great, now he's embarrassing himself in front of a kid. He huffs and scratches the back of his head.]

I think these guns'r fixed. I think this guy's tryin' to pull a fast one on me. I'm one of the best shots on Mars, and I ain't about to let some game get the best of me.

[He tries again, and misses, but he was at least closer this time.]

See? Darn thing's rigged. Here, kid. Maybe you got better luck than me. [He slides his gun and what's left of its ammo over to her.]

[her_rose_is_red]

Maybe the guns are different here...

[Did he just say he was from mars? She's wondering if it would be rude to ask about that when he shoves the gun at her.]

Huh? Um...

[She glances to her moogle, who shrugs.]

Okay...

[She'll try a couple more times. No solid hits, but her last shot grazes the target.]

Aw, so close kupo! A little to the left...

[red_planet_blues]

Hey, ya did way better than me. [Sparks looks at the game attendant very flatly.] So the kid wins somethin', right.

[The attendant is done dealing with this guy, so he hands over a small stuffed blue chocobo to Ib. That works for Spark.]

Alright. Good job, kid.

[her_rose_is_red]

I think I just got lucky....

[Stuffed chocobo? Yay! Ib wasn't expecting a prize. She takes it with a bright smile.]

Really? Thank you!

Fireworks

[goddessofthesky]

They are pretty.

[Zelda is standing nearby when she heard the young girl speak. Her moogle had just fallen asleep so she carried the little guy in her arms. His green hat covering most of his face. She smiles at down at the girl before her eyes went back to the bursting lights.]

[her_rose_is_red]

[she returns the smile.]

My parents took me to a fireworks show once, back home, but this one is a lot bigger....

[Still, she'd rather be back home, watching a less elaborate show with her parents. Or Garry...]

[goddessofthesky]

We don't have fireworks like this at my home. It's nice to be able to see them.

[Though she wishes that he was here with her.

Her eyes look down at the girl with a smile, she looks so young but judging by the moogle nearby she is also a chosen hero.]

Can I watch with you? Kupola here fell asleep shortly after the fireworks started.

[her_rose_is_red]

Sure....

[It'll be nice to have someone to watch with. She gives the sleeping moogle a glance.]

So... are you one of the .... heroes too?

[Referring to herself as a hero is still sort of weird. But Rose had been very insistent about it.]

[goddessofthesky]

It seems so.

[She gives the young girl a smile. She looks so young.]

I don't feel like a hero. [It is a word that Zelda enjoys calling herself.]

[her_rose_is_red]

I don't either...

[It's nice to know she's not the only one with doubts.]

Why do you think they picked us?