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

Uzumaki Naruto

[kuramaless]

Naruto was perhaps a little naive at times, and maybe far too trusting of people - but he wasn't stupid. It had taken a fair few hours to get over what he'd been told. To understand that this world wasn't his own, but he felt just as real here as he had ever done - except with the huge loss of Kurama. Perhaps it was a way of knowing he was safe - that all the chakra was gone, and yet here he stood, the crystal in hand and the bobble thing telling him all about it.

Something like a festival was a great way to distract him, and although his thoughts wandered back to the war happening back home right this minute - seeing that there were other people in the same situation was a comfort. He'd spoken to a few, some at length, some for brief enough to simply exchange the question 'are you new too?' before he decided that whatever this was couldn't be changed.

Maybe he'd work it out later.

Culinary Attractions

With his Moogle, Mogsuke in tow, Naruto had managed to locate something that was incredibly close to his heart. Food was the very thing that gave him life, and... well, it would be stupid not to eat, right?

In only a few minutes he's packed himself up with different sweets, foods, drinks and most importantly - a box of pork ramen noodles. His pockets are full to bursting with anything he could fit in them to have later, because for now he was happily enjoying the taste of something he'd missed dearly back home.

So enamored with the taste, it isn't long before he's walking along with a huge grin on his face... and his eyes closed.

Blitzball

Naruto hadn't been so sure about what was going on, but he was swept up with the hundreds of other people heading into the huge building that it would just be rude not to find out. Much to his delight, the game is interesting enough to him as the ramen had been. It's fascinating. He'd seen sparring matches, and the occasional football game back home - but this was...

"Amazing." It's spoken with the tone of someone truly in awe of what he's seeing - eyes following the ball, and by the time the first goal has been scored he's cheering loud enough for a few nearby spectators to turn and look at him.

"... Er. That was a pretty good one though, right?"

Outside the Fortune Telling Moogle Stand

Lips pressed into a pout. Arms folded. Eyes narrowed. It's a look many of his friends back home are familiar with, and already whatever relationship he'd formed with Mogsuke has grown strong enough that the little Moogle is stood on top of Naruto's head, mimicing the stance and the expression.

"So-- you're sayin' I die?"

FIREWORKS OMG

The Blitzball had been his favourite part of the day. He'd learnt so much, and found himself desperately hunting for information that would help him locate the next match - even hoping that he might be able to try it himself some time.

The food had been delicious, the attractions a lot of fun - but now the end of the day was close by, he was realising just how tired he was. Without Kurama's chakra pushing him through all the stages of exhaustion, he was left sat up on top of a roof he'd had to climb to get to. Feet hanging over the edge of the building, hands back to lean against them as he cast his eyes to the sky.

It really was beautiful, and yet-- suddenly he found himself thinking very intently about home. Was he really stuck here? What would happen back home whilst he was here? Would time stop, or had he died? Would they think he'd abandoned them? After the fireworks - he'd just have to find out for himself.

Blitzball

[sunny_soda_breeze]

"Are you kidding? It was awesome!"

Apparently, he isn't the only one who is super into this. This has to be the coolest sport Nagisa has ever seen. It sort of makes him wish Haru-chan was here. He'd love to swim in something like that. It was like a giant pool with no walls.

"Hey, hey, do you think they'd let us try? After the match is over?"

[kuramaless]

It's probably just the locals that have an issue with their enthusiasm. Little does Naruto know they're not used to complete outsiders - but he's used to that kind of response, so he just doesn't let it phase him, attention turning to Nagisa instead.

"Yeah, it is!"

It's nice actually... to meet someone just as excited about it as he is.

"We gotta ask, right?"

[sunny_soda_breeze]

"We should, we should! I wanna try it!"

Just so excited over here. Maybe they can eventually make amateur teams and play a real game! He starts scanning around for an official looking person. No sense waiting around, he tugs excitedly on Naruto's sleeve.

"C'mon! Let's go ask!"

[kuramaless]

The excitement was running pretty high in him anyway, so to have someone else be just as hyped up about something was probably not a good thing. Coupled with the fact that -- this wasn't some weirdo wearing a green jumpsuit. Not that he had a problem with Lee, just that Lee had a problem. Probably.

The tug makes him glance, but that's all it takes to get a reaction.

"Which way?" Already he was leaping, one handed over the bars that split this section of seating from the next, stepping over a few seats that were empty towards a set of stairs.

Culinary Attractions

[gomu_ningen]

The young pirate had been groggily walking about, as if in some sort of strange haze that addled his senses. He hadn't noticed the other boy at first, considering how unfocused his vision had been. It wasn't even the sight of the bowl that captured his attention, but the sound of slurping and the smell of fresh ramen that instantly had Luffy transfixed on the blonde.

Rushing over with a sudden burst of speed, the pirate Captain begins to frantically flail his arms over his head, sharp teeth showing themselves as his voice calls out in desperation.

"HEY! SPIKY-HAIR! WHERE'D YOU GET THAT RAMEN?! I NEED MEAT, NOW!!"

[kuramaless]

He was content. With how much he'd had, the taste, the smell, this world might not be as bad as it seemed, and he'd been assured several times over that he would be taken back home eventually... and that time will have stuck. As if he'd never left.

So, ramen was satisfying.

What wasn't quite so easy to deal with was the sight of someone hurtling toward him, all arms and flailing and teeth.

"IT'S NARUTO!" He yelled back quickly, poising himself ready to turn to the side to dodge what looked like some kind of attack. Oh. Right. Food.

A quick glance at his bowl, and he reached out - holding it out to the other. "You like ramen too?"

[gomu_ningen]

He gives the other boy a rather hard stare. Was there anyone in the world that DIDN'T like ramen? Luffy doesn't even want to think of such a dreadful thing. He didn't need that kind of terrible fantasy in his life, so he discards the negativity and continues to look at Naruto with blinking eyes.

"Of course I like ramen. I'm not stupid. So, where'd you get it? I'm starving already! It's got meat in it, right?"

Impatience grows while anger subsides. The pirate doesn't appear as violent as before, but still looking rather grave and serious as the matter of delicious noodles needed discussion.

[kuramaless]

Unfortunately, Naruto could reel off a list of people he knew that would much rather opt for something else.

"S'pork." He announced quietly, wiggling to bowl slightly toward the other. "Have 'em. S'my third bowl." He explained, patting his stomach once and offering a huge grin.

"Don't need so much here, I guess..."

Culinary Attractions

[shinrasfinest]

"Hum--uf"

Walk straight into the back of someone while they're trying to decide if they like the idea of eating something they don't understand, why don't you Naruto?

Sephiroth was stood just outside the back of the queue for Balican-sushi, arms folded pondering if it might be a smart idea to opt for the cold rather than hot food variety. He was warm enough already, despite folded arms around his middle that were holding something of a rumbling stomach he was successfully hiding behind his pride. It was tempting to just glut oneself, at that level of hunger, but Sephiroth knew better than that.

Naruto's collision pushed him forwards only a slip of a step and the purple-with-silver trimmed, light armored warrior with long flowing silver hair turned enough to see who it was who had been so rude. If Sephiroth hadn't been so straight with his posture, he may well have stumbled forwards into the queue itself.

"Hey, watch it."

[kuramaless]

"Crap!"

His biggest priority of course was the bowl of ramen he'd been so lovingly clinging to since his departure from the stand. Thankfully his hold hadn't been so loose that it would slip, but he did stagger back a few steps, eyes following the long shadow that was topped with silver.

Once wide eyes narrowed when he was warned, and almost instantly his back straightened and he offered the guy a frown.

"Well maybe if you weren't just stood right in the middle of the road'ttebayo!"

[shinrasfinest]

He kept his well practiced, tempered neutral expression even as the other guy first narrowed eyes and then frowned at him. No matter how much his first reaction was to retort how he wasn't exactly hard to spot, even if he had been -and a glance around confirmed it- pretty much in the middle of the general thoroughfare that other people seemed to be adhering to.

Still, it's not as if anyone else had managed to bump into him. Rather than saying so, though, and thus confirming he had been in any way wrong Sephiroth lightly shook his head dismissively.

"You should still watch where you are walking. You might have lost your-" He let his lightly gleaming eyes rest on the bowl of ramen Naurto was clutching. "-ramen?"

It was part statement, part question as Sephiroth hadn't yet found that particular stand.

[kuramaless]

Naruto had expected abuse, physical or verbal - it made no difference really he was used to both kinds, but nothing came, and he was left staring up at Sephiroth with an arched, surprised expression.

"Huh? Oh!"

Suddenly everything else was forgotten, and he would be glad for it in reflection. For now his focus was on the bowl, and he grabbed some of the noodles, nodding as he shoved some in his mouth.

"Nah."

and swallow.

"S'from that place over there." He explained, turning on his heel and pointing with his chopsticks in the direction he'd just walked in.

Culinary Attractions

[desertbloomed]

"Excuse me!" Ashelia called out as the young man bumped past her, dropping the wrap that she had been munching on as she searched for a more private seating area. There was a certain amount of jostling that could be expected in such a crowd, but that young man was downright rude.

[kuramaless]

"Ah!"

He'd only shut his eyes for a moment, and maybe he could blame it on the sun, but he certainly didn't mean to have knocked someone's food out of their hand.

His jaw dropped as he came to a stop beside Ashelia, looking down at the wrap, and then up at her face.

"... Oops."

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia muttered under her breath, barely audible under the din of the crowd. At least it was free. She didn't like having to pinch pennies at all - it reminded her too much of her days on the run, not to mention how accustomed she had become to being waited on hand and foot - but there was no point in acting like her position should net her anything. Not in front of some kid, anyway; there was nothing to be gained from it.

Still, that was surprisingly rude. She sighed, shaking her head. "I urge you to be more careful in future; not everyone will be as forgiving as I in the face of such..."

That's a moogle. This child is...oh, Father above.

"...carelessness." She took a step toward the boy, her voice shifting to an almost conspiratorial volume. "You will come with me; we must speak privately." She turned around without waiting for an answer, her blood already starting to boil. He's just a young man, an innocent. How dare they!

[kuramaless]

Actually... he'd just been about to offer his noodles. It only seemed fair right? He was the one who had made her lose her lunch, and he had plenty--

Just as he was about to offer her the noodles, she had to go off on a rant though, and then suddenly everything changed.

"Huh?"

Her step forward made him take another back, eyes on her, wide - unsure. "Uh--"

She was gone before he knew what was happening, but rather than follow her lead, he just stood - ramen in one hand, chopsticks in the other.

"... Weirdo."

FIREWORKS OMG

[no_dreams_for_you]

Despite being stripped of his ninja abilities, it didn’t stop Gaara from behaving like one. He still mostly kept to the shadows and avoided the general crowd – though that might have had something to do with his anti-social qualities. After he and Luke decided to part ways, he resumed his exploration, his Moogle following him as guidance.

Of course, Gaara chose to travel through the less-convoluted areas, and found himself mostly alone, when he finally stopped. He was already feeling quite fatigued, with his body absent of the overabundance of chakra from Shukaku. At that vague reminder, he glanced up in search of the moon, and instead, caught a glimpse of someone familiar.

“......”

Naruto was sitting on the rooftop… Gaara felt a slight tug at the corner of his lips, as if he wanted to smile. He wasn’t surprised to learn that Naruto still had his physical prowess, and could climb onto a rooftop without using chakra. After contemplating for a moment, Gaara walked toward him, steadily closing the distance between them. He remained on the ground, simply because he wasn’t certain he had the physical strength to elevate to that same level.

“Don’t be careless, Naruto,” he sent up in warning, as his way of greeting the blond, “Gravity is the only source that will draw you to the earth.”

[kuramaless]

The first Naruto knew of Gaara's presence was his voice, and even that was an unfamiliar sensation. From an early age he'd been able to sense the other ninja, and he presumed not solely because of their bond as friends... but that it might have something to do with the bijuu too.

Not that it mattered.

The voice was enough to bring a smile to his lips, and he made no quibble about leaning forward over the edge of the roof, heels pressed against the wall and a hand between his legs to steady himself. That grin widened and he took a moment to survey the fall before swinging himself off the edge - gripping the roof and finally dropping from a hanging position.

"See? No problem!"

Seeing him again was good, even though they'd already gone through the motions of greeting one another and catching up - albeit briefly. "You sound like Iruka-sensei'ttebayo."

[no_dreams_for_you]

It was indeed uncomfortable, losing that ability to sense other shinobi, and recognize them due to chakra signature. Though, for anyone that got to know Naruto, his voice would be the first attribute that they remembered, about him. He was certainly loud enough to be heard by many people, in a rather wide radius.

His body tensed as he watched Naruto jumping off the roof, then relaxed when he landed safely. From what Gaara remembered, the blond was often reckless, even at the facility. Speaking of which… he would need to ask Naruto about the time point he had been derived from. What he last remembered of their world, and then explain that their memories might not coincide…

Gaara quirked a brow, feeling a little amused by that final remark. “So you consider me to be your sensei, then?” And then, with a bit of a smirk, “You are older than me, Naruto. I should seek lessons from you, rather than the reverse.”

Letting out an excited squeak, his Moogle tapped him on the shoulder and cheerfully announced, “The fireworks are going to start soon, kupo! You should watch them from some place higher! That way, you can see them better, kupo!”

[kuramaless]

Naruto would get used to it. Like he got used to most things.

He was just dusting himself off when Gaara spoke up about being his sensei, and although there was a hint of pink to his cheeks, he was defiant when he spoke up. "Oi, I just mean you're tryin' to tell me to watch out. 'Course I'm watchin'." The grumble didn't last long. How could it when there was news of the fireworks starting soon.

"Yeah, right when you dragged me off the roof. Where're we goin'?"

Fortune Telling

[neverfirstclass]

Cloud wasn't doing much better with his own fortune. He had stepped aside after getting it to let Naruto take his turn, but now he was just standing there and staring at his own slip of paper.

"'All your friends are going to die. It might be your fault'....What."

[kuramaless]

The moment that Cloud read out his fortune, Naruto burst into laughter, going as far as to grip his shirt around his stomach as he did - letting the amusement flood through his body.

"Oh man, that's ridiculous. What kind of fortunes are these supposed to be? You crazy?"

[neverfirstclass]

It should have been ridiculous, but Cloud couldn't help but feel a sense of dread about it. Like a reverse deja vu feeling. He just hoped it wasn't a bad omen about their fates in this new world.

"I don't even know. Do the moogles here have something against us or something?"

[kuramaless]

The moment Cloud had inferred that the moogles might have had something against them he turned his head to look at the one that had been following him around, Mogsuke was quick to shake his head.

"You think? I don't think it means anything."