[OPEN] FLOWER FESTIVAL

[cordibus]

Who: Open Log (All)
Where: Point-à-Tarte
Summary: A festival of flowers.
Warnings: N/A

" Ah... the Festival of Flowers while a dreadful deadline looms! Enjoy what normal life you may have left...soon you may long for the return of these simpler times..."

A week of celebration (General Prompt)

At Point-à-Tarte, at the edge of the largest park in Eddan, booths that have been worked on for the past week are finally being opened to the public. Colorful banners decorate every single tree and and even the dullest of areas are covered up in the most creative of ways.

The booths themselves have everything one could hope in a flower festival, from mountains of flower crowns and necklaces being given to every resident of Eddan for free to the flower-shaped candy to the city-approved businesses touting the latest and greatest of the upcoming flower technology. New flowers, some supposedly glowing under UV light and others made to look like galaxies, are being sold at eye-popping prices.

The food, as always, is delicious and fresh, with early spring greens and even flowers themselves being added to salads. The only negative to the entire festival (if one can call it that) are the giant counters displaying the remaining time before sunset that serve as a reminder of Eddan's strange nature.

Opening Ceremonies (Special Prompt)

Sunday's opening sees the release of over ten thousand 'floating' seeds into the wind, a promise from the city to continue to make Eddan the greenest city in the entire world. Each person coming to the festival is given tulip bulbs in a variety of colors to be taken home.

The mayor takes time to speak about the recent string of murders and assures the people that they city shall continue to be vigilant to make sure that its citizens are kept safe. This is greeted with cheers from most of the population. Even the rainy weather doesn't keep such a happy day down!

An hour before sunset, the opening ceremonies close with a fireworks show. Due to the fact that they must be released only during the day, the explosive components have been changed as to give the night varieties a run for their money.

As the bright lights fill the sky, those soon-to-be-Awakened may have a flash of a memory from their past lives, such as a happy moment they spent with someone close to them or a moment of glory. This will soon be drowned out by ringing in their ears. For a few, brief seconds, they may notice figures close by glow oddly, their forms becoming distorted, but before they realize what has happened, blinking returns their vision to normal.

The headache, however, lingers until bedtime.

Weekly contest (week prompts)

Royal Mount opens its WonderWorld Park to the public on Monday. For its opening week during the festival, the rides are all free.

Green Valley Organizes a flower judging contest for the various schools on Wednesday. Students are asked to present their most beautiful and unique flowers. Flower arrangements are also judged and with prizes evaluated at over 20 000 Macca, the stakes are high!

Eastmount offers rides in flower-shaped carriages driven by mechanical horses that could almost pass off as the real thing. (Though it is only the latest technology, thus keeping the entire thing animal cruelty free!)

The Giant Float Parade on Friday afternoon travels around the vast forest of Point-à-Tarte. Each school has been encouraged to enter its cheerleaders and theater productions into the parade. The Flower King and Queen greet visitors at the very end, throwing little presents for the children.

The festival continues until Saturday Nightfall. The schools visit the festival in turn, sometimes for education courses about the various flowers and trees that dot Eddan's landscape, sometimes to show off flower and plant-based sculptures that the various clubs have worked hard on.

Comments

Adrian Fairheights (Alucard) | OTA

[draculabackwards]

I. Sunday

[He'd been hammering at his thesis again, only taking a little time away to catch some of the opening of the grand flower festival. He needs something to distract him from the nonsense of the application and what better way than by hard work? However, even Adrian couldn't ignore the festivities filling the town. Especially the fireworks!

They're quite lovely.]

They did it! All the sacrifice had been worth it. It was that group again, all four of them together. The man with a whip leads them and he reaches up to clasp him on the shoulder. "I know this might be hard for you, Alucard, but we did everything we set out to do."

"It is, but we have done something unheard of. Stories of this will echo through the ages."

[Adrian rubs the bridge of his nose at the onrush of a headache. That voice again. The one calling him Alucard.]

Why can't I remember his name?


II. During the week

[Trying his hardest to ignore the lingering dread over the application, when Alucard isn't going to class or working on papers, he can be found at the Wonderland Park because it's free for a whole week and why not?

He will also be working on preparing the float for the Advanced Cycle history section because he got unfortunately roped into doing that! He's trying to not get roped to being on the actual float but that might be a losing battle.]

III. Wildcard!

((OOC: Want to do something not here? PM me or harass me on plurk at draculabackwards and we'll figure out stuff!))

II

[seasonsofdeath]

[He's clearly too busy to tutor his student during all that's going on, right? Right???

Unfortunately for Akira, no one else seems to know/think that, so at his usual time he shows up in the meeting place he and Adrian always settling in that, pointedly not reading his textbook and swinging his legs as he waits for his tutor to show.]

Nope, not skipping that

[draculabackwards]

[There are festivities ongoing, but Adrian isn't about to skip on his usual duties. So sadly, Akira, he is there with all of his books about one of your least favorite subjects.]

Hello, Akira. I imagine you'd rather be out at the festival about now.

but why

[seasonsofdeath]

Yeah. [He looks down for a moment before perking up, suddenly hopeful.] Can we go do that instead?

[pleeeeeeease]

[draculabackwards]

You are still obligated to have a math lesson...but. I suppose that you might like math more if you encountered it in real life. I am certain a festival will have ample examples for math. That way if your parents ask you, you can honestly say you did have a tutoring lesson.

[seasonsofdeath]

[ooooh-- wait this feels like a trick.]

Math in real life? [that doesn't sound right.]

[draculabackwards]

Of course. Math is everywhere if you know where to look. I will ask you to take a notebook and a pencil so you can write the problems down as we see them, but that's all you'll need.

[seasonsofdeath]

[That seems suspicious, but if it means not sitting here and doing math he'll take it. Akira grabs his notebook and one of his pencils, standing up from his chair with a smile.] Ok, I'm ready.

[draculabackwards]

[He wouldn't tax Akira too much, but they could figure out a few simple problems. Like the flat of flowers, for example.]

Here's your first example. Draw a little picture if it helps you. If this flat of flowers has five plants going lengthwise and four going width wise, how many plants are there?

[seasonsofdeath]

[Oh geez, this is like a word problem. Those are the worst...

Akira frowns, making a somewhat sloppy sketch of a box and drawing little flowers in the rows. ...This isn't a math problem so much as counting, the way he does it.]

[draculabackwards]

[Multiplication always gives Akira the biggest problems so instead of forcing him to memorize a table, it might be better to do it this way. Then they can add more practical applications later. He'll just wait until he's done.]

[seasonsofdeath]

Um... [hang on this takes a minute.] Is it 20?

[draculabackwards]

Yes, that's exactly what it is. Now here's something interesting. So you know that four times five is 20. If you're multiplying other things, it's basically adding that number to this total.

So if this where five times five, it becomes easier. All you do is add five to twenty. Or if you wanted to know what three times five was, you'd take away five from twenty.

[seasonsofdeath]

[Akira nods, slowly, trying to take it in.] Ok... I think I get it... [Well, he gets 3x5 and 5x5. It might get harder when it gets higher.]

[draculabackwards]

So you can try that example for lots of multiplication and you might have an easier time of it.

Now then. I do believe you enjoy ice cream.

[seasonsofdeath]

[ooooh yes this is good. Akira immediately perks up.]

Is there ice cream?

[draculabackwards]

There certainly can be. It is a festival, after all. What is your favorite flavor?

wildcard!

[sunderings]

[ Well, he'd certainly started out with every intention of putting together a traditional flower arrangement for the contest, his selection of blooms (large, fragrant blossoms of dahlia and peony in shades of peach interspersed with the more delicate shape of lily of the valley) an homage to vast gardens which had banked his childhood home: a chateau—his father's private estate—where he'd enjoyed every luxury save for ...family.

Surrounded by beautiful things, he'd been alone.

But oh, such is not the case in the here and now where he'd caught sight of a friend; of Adrian, who so happened to be perusing the work of other students and contestants both. How could Solange have possibly resisted beckoning his upperclassmen first with a smile, then with an excited tug upon the hand? And shortly thereafter, with Adrian at his side, Sol's work had changed, his arrangement of flowers manifest as--...

A crown of flowers.

With all the grace he uses to play the violin, his fingers dancing upon the strings, he weaves the stems of the blossoms into place, completing its circlet shape, and so too the headpiece. But... there's still one problem, isn't there? ]

Adrian? [ Blinking up at his friend, Sol's smile becomes a bewitching, mischievous thing. ] May I ask you to bend down, upon one knee?

[draculabackwards]

What mischief are you about, Sol? [He's carrying a bunch of flowers. Rather lovely ones, even if Adrian cannot tell what types they are.]

You don't have a pretty lady friend to give those to?

[sunderings]

You'll not humor me, just this once? [ —Sol's voice is a fluting, merry thing, light of heart in a way which is only accentuated by the brightness of the day, the whisper of the breeze as it passes through the competitor's stalls, and the heady fragrance of flowers. Altogether, Solange's exuberance is nothing if not contagious! ] The preliminary judges will not be far behind you, I'm certain, and if my arrangement is to be appraised correctly...

[ Blinking up at his friend, Sol's eyes catch with Adrain's own as he shifts his weight back and forth, from toebox to heel, rocking in a playful motion. ]

...I'll need a model with very pretty hair.

[draculabackwards]

Ah, so the truth comes out. You're only using me for my hair. [He gives a short amused chuckle before kneeling down.] Clearly the answer is for you to get taller.

[sunderings]

Aa, so you've found me out! [ —Sol declares, equal parts amused and delighted in the moment when Adrian consents to being his 'model', kneeling so that he'll not have to stand upon tiptoe to place the crown of flowers atop that (truth be told, quite lovely) mass of curls, flaxen in color and catching in the light of the day. ] And now that I have you within my grasp...

[ With a distinct measure of care, Solange fusses with the placement of the crown, ensuring that all blossoms are showcased properly before... gently, he twines one of the curls which frames Adrian's face about a willowed forefinger in order to give the hair more volume once his touch falls away.

(Altogether, the gesture is fond, if not appreciative of his friend.) ]

..how am I to let you go?

[ A laugh, a shake of his head! ]

But please, rise, Sir Knight. You now bear the name 'Adrian of the Flowers'.

[draculabackwards]

[Sometimes he just cannot figure out Sol. Especially with how he so casually plays with his hair. Adrian might just be blushing. A tiny bit.]

Indeed? I am a knight of flowers, it seems. If you win anything, you have to split it with me evenly.

[sunderings]

Of course. Though...

[ As he draws back and away, Sol's smile becomes a perfectly impish thing, for—as always!—Adrian's blush remains rather fetching; a 'prize' which is by far more attractive than any that might be won for flower arranging.

However...! ]

...I imagine we could also use any potential winnings to further promote our band. [ A pause, a considering hum: ] Or perhaps we could also go out for dinner? Somewhere nice, befitting of a Knight of such noble stature.

[ Teeeeaaasing: ]

But then, I suppose we could just do that anyway, regardless of whether or not we win.

[draculabackwards]

That is certainly something we could do, regardless. [No, he certainly would never figure out Sol, not as long as he lived. He sighs and tries to keep his composure.]

But I do like the idea of promoting the small band we have. We'd need to get more instruments for future members, after all.