SCHOOL FESTIVAL

[afterlifer]

WHO: Everyone!
WHAT: School Festival / Arriving in the Afterlife!
WHEN: 9/30/2012. Morning through evening.
WHERE: All around! Mostly at the school, since it is a school festival!
WARNINGS: Potential violence, but since everyone's already dead it's not like it matters, BUT FOR THE MOST PART HUNKY DORY PG! So PG+V? That works.
SUMMARY: A school festival! Details here!

No matter where it is you woke up, if it's near buildings the sounds of merriment are all around. The shouts of people rooting for the winner of a game, students trying to pull in attention for their booths, adults laughing as they trip over themselves during a sport or someone screaming at the haunted house...

It's then that you realize you're at some kind of festival, everyone's invited, and no one seems to be bothering with money.

Then the realization that you're not even in your clothes. What the hell is this outfit? A school uniform? A janitor? A store clerk? Waitress?

No, no, the bigger question is deinitely "What the hell is going on and where am I?" With nothing but forest and mountains visible in the distance, it's kind of--

POP POP!

..Are those fireworks?

If your character isn't at one of the events and are elsewhere in the town/forest/school/dorms/exploring the buildings/wherever, feel free to just comment with their own thread at the bottom.

Comments

[miiracles]

...

[ A small frown that pretty much says Rika's already convinced that there will be no answer, especially after she had spent her time earlier screaming Hanyuu's name. She never really needed to request for Hanyuu or "Oyashiro-sama's" appearance though. Her presence was always there, since the day she was born.

But now that familiar presence is gone, for some reason... and it couldn't have been because the guardian deity flew off to stalk someone interesting. ]

"Them"? If your prayers have always been answered, then why isn't Inari-sama answering them now?

[marumayu]

Probably because-- [ She was weak. She was hesitant. The power she held disappeared once she died.

No, the last one doesn't make sense. Her spiritual energy should still be... ]

I don't need to tell you that. But as a shrine maiden, I make it a point not to lose faith. Especially at the worst of times.

[miiracles]

[ A fellow shrine maiden. That kind of makes sense. Hearing that this girl won't lose faith though, reminds Rika of when she used to fight and hope with all her strength. ]

...Let's find another way to call them out.

[ Call out Inari-sama, "them", "Oyashiro-sama"... ]

[marumayu]

[ Regardless of how odd that sounds, Izumo tries to think of a way to help herself, and maybe even Rika. ]

Right, I checked the calendar earlier today. It's the month of October. So, it would be strange to see gods in the immediate area around us.

[ In Japan, October was called "the month without gods". But in a certain place, the people there called it... ]

Have you ever heard of October referred to as "the month with gods"?

[miiracles]

[ There's a small delay in her response. She's already taken aback by hearing the fact that it's currently October. If it's October, then she shouldn't be alive. It has always been June, for Rika. She wants to ask "When did it become October?" But she won't bring it up for the moment, in fear of being looked at strangely. ]

In the Izumo region. I've heard of it. [ But only that much. Hanyuu might know more, if she were here... ]

[marumayu]

[ She feels bad about tricking the gods with this, but she wants to know. Do gods exist in this place? Can the gods reach them?

No, in this case, it should be the other way around.

Can they reach the gods? ]

My name is Izumo Kamiki. My "Izumo" is written like the "shu" in shusseki and the "kumo" in amagumo. [ In other words, the same kanji as the region. ] If we can draw them to this place by holding a festival similar to the one in Izumo, we might be able to call them out. It's not exactly a lie, anyway.

But, the odd of the gods actually falling for this trick is by a long shot.

[miiracles]

...Izumo. My name is Rika. Furude Rika.

[ That would be Izumo-san if she knew how to address people more politely. No one in Hinamizawa really called her out on it. She's skeptical of the festival idea, but she'll go along with it. It's better than her screaming at the sky for Hanyuu. ]

Even if the chance is only one percent, I believe it's still worth trying.

[marumayu]

[ That's fine - Izumo just thinks she's repeating it to remember it well. What relieves her is that someone who thinks her idea is worth it, and that's worth her attention more than anything else right now. ]

Furude-san...

Ah, but it's a really complicated plan! I don't know how to talk to people, and we don't have many students who can help--

[miiracles]

[ Rika herself has a difficult time talking to people herself. It was usually Keiichi's words that helped her move the hearts of people and get them to do something. Though, she doesn't believe they need to be good speakers. Rika is already finding potential allies through minor observations. ]

...mii. We should seek out those that possibly can. Have you come across any students that act differently from the rest?

[marumayu]

There's that boy from my class, that redhead gorilla and this guy who thinks he's a knight.

[ so she didn't get their names...

WAIT, SO KYON WAS NORMAL!? ]

That gorilla can't talk to anyone properly, so he's out.

[miiracles]

[ She doubts Izumo means a literal gorilla, so... ]

Mii? What happened when you tried to speak to him?

[marumayu]

That monkey... he teased me about my eyebrows and pushed me to the ground! [ Shaking her fists!!! Oh Rika, it was terrible! ]

[miiracles]

...

[ Wow, you're an amusing person. Rika reaches out and stands on her tiptoes to give Izumo a gentle pat on the head. Comfort? It's her headpats of pity~. ]

There, there. Maybe I could try speaking with gorilla-san.

[marumayu]

[ What is this? Izumo's speechless. She never expected this sort of treatment from Rika, so she just stands there with her mouth ajar. ]

Don't get hurt...

[miiracles]

[ Have a few more head rubs before she pulls her hand back. ]

I'll be careful. I'm a cat... I'm far more smarter than a gorilla. Meow, meow.

[ ...Balling up her hands into paws and moving them up and down. ]

[marumayu]

[ What's with this girl? She's strangely cute. ]

They are better than gorillas in all sorts of ways... Um, right! [ She shakes her head to snap out of her trance. ] I'll leave him to you, meow. [ MEOW!? ]