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Every year as the seasons change, islanders gather all around to give thanks to their almighty Goddesses for the season, good or bad, they deserve satisfaction and appeasement. Well this year for the most part, there was certainly plenty to be thankful for, harvests for fishing and land based agriculture were really showing a bumper crop. The weather had really been cooperative this year too, with no major hurricanes made landfall in any capacity. Some had a few close brushes but only enough to give a few heavy downpours here and there.
Despite a rather unpleasant diplomatic incident eh mostly caused by Marcella's foolishness and stubbornness, well it was slowly on the mend, though this year probably wouldn't see many visitors from the Sultanate as a result, though no travel bans were in place, tourists were certainly welcome to come and go as they please. Unlikely it would be Aurelia or anyone of their royal family would come down this year either, maybe for the best, Marcella still wasn't in much of a mood for visitors. Well tradition dictated the Duchess give a speech and give a speech she shall. This festival was about the faith, state of the people, all that, not about politics.
"My citizens, this is yet another festival upon us, a time of great thanks as we've been blessed. Of course we faced some trials of another kind but those trials are now behind us. What the year ahead will bring us will be seen but for now we join together as a people to remember the powers greater than us all, the Divine rights given to us that lead us from survival to thriving today. May our United Island States thrive for decades to come and may we all be blessed."
Short and simple, they usually were, it was like an opening ceremony to an event more than a big rallying speech or anything to that effect. Closing the glass window of her balcony she again retreated inside. This festival she was going to spend quietly, she wasn't that depressed over having to end her relationship with Aurelia, well not to say it didn't hurt but more by everything that came in the wake of it, so maybe this was a good time for a little self reflection away from everyone else. But she wasn't alone, her trusty guard, Asuna was with her, also dressed up for the festival and looking cute and off duty. Sitting down, Marcella again had to stress, "You really don't have to spend the festival with me. I'm not going to do anything crazy like kill myself."
"Hehehe of course not, Milady but still I figured you don't want to be alone no matter what you say. A festival is no fun when you're all alone."
"Still, you probably want to see your family don't you? Friends?"
"Sure but I'm still worried about you either way."
"You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine. Not to say I'm not still a little upset but time moves on, I'll move on, I just need...."
"Well here's a crazy idea, you can always come with me to Shimokeda."
"I'd stand out I'd think..."
"Well...." Asuna stood up walking behind Marcella lifting up her long hair "Mmmm if I trim it up, part it this way, put on a cute pair of spectacles on you, maybe paint a few sun spots on your face...I could see you passing as a colleague."
"Funny...Wait...You're serious aren't you?"
"It is a whole week after all, not that difficult for me to get this done in a day and set out to be there by tomorrow. Trust me most Northerners have only the vaguest implication of you from pictures, only so much you can get from a photo after all. Keep the press away from you and you don't have to spend it all by yourself. I do care about you, you know. It's more than just I'm in charge of guarding your life. In an odd way you're as close as family to me as the ones I have back home. Your sister is away and I know your mother is more meditative. I don't want you to wallow here. Join me."
"I'm not wallowing, I just --" Marcella sighed "You know, all right. Let's do it. But you really know how to cut hair?"
"Trust me, I know."
Marcella should have more confidence but somehow it was lacking until a short time later "Viola!" Asuna yanked the improptu apron away showing Marcella with a new stylish bob cut "And just remember if you don't like it, it will grow back."
"Actually, it's pretty cute! You do know how."
"Milady a family as big as mine, with boys and girls to care for, let's say my mama taught us all well. But wait, there's more."
Up next was to give her a pair of colored contacts then a pair of glasses.
"This is a bit much isn't it?" Marcella had to question
"Well one can't be too careful. That's something I certainly learned from our time in The Imperium."
"I keep telling you, you both did great in that exercise."
"I know, I believe we did good, but we can always do better. Well, Milady, if I didn't know you, I wouldn't recognize you, you're practically a new woman!"
"I guess I do look unrecognizable. Asuna, you're a master of disguise."
"I can only hope. Well then, Milady, safe to say you've committed to coming home with me?"
"Yeah, you know what, it will be fun."
"See, that's the spirit. You never know who we'll run into, after all"
"You think tourists would make their way to your home village?"
"Well you never know, we've gotten the odd duck out there before."
With that these two women set out on their journey up north.
The Kitan
Aurora's premier resort, probably the closest you'd find to a high class 5-star resort in other countries, but still considerably humble by the standards of that, the Kitan certainly couldn't say they were seeing a dip in business because of the events of the past two months. Especially true for Satou Fujimiya-Dileva, given she was married to the daughter of one Mervay's most important families. This year was a little different compared to past, including the fateful festival where she met her wife, this year she was tasked with training an apprentice. Chitose Takeda, turning 13 today actually, the first day of this festival, and working her first job, part time. So exciting for her, a first job at such a classy resort and a resort that helped so many girls before her when things were down or just those who needed income of their own in the new post-war society that the islands are. Chi wasn't down on her luck or anything but still, it was good to think about the future. Certainly her marks in school weren't good enough that she'd pursue higher education beyond the minimum, dating, marriage? Eeeeh well she was kind of shy to be honest. This was her first week, starting in the restaurant then moving over to the bath services and eventually inn keeping positions when it'd come time to shuffle the duty roster. Cleaning up from a morning group that got their start early, Satou placed her hand on Chi's shoulder. Chi really did like Satou as her mentor, honestly if she wasn't much older and already married, she may have a crush!
Describing Satou, Chi puts as, Patient, kind and always understanding. Being a newbie, she was prone to a lot of mistake certainly. "Good morning, Chi." Satou wished
"Oh good morning!"
"Did you handle a morning service?"
"Oh no, they just had me clean up until you arrived. Manager says I should shadow you some more before I really get confident and knowledgeable of the floor."
"Of course, no problem. It'll be busy today but just watch and observe and I'll also help you with ordering. Good to get much practice in." Satou's first week wasn't quite as chaotic, the Inn was popular but not like it is today, but it was easy to remember being the young rookie relying on a mentor to help her through it all. In the case of Satou's mentor, she left a few years later to pursue a chef position overseas. "Oh that reminds me," Satou had the look of suddenly recalling. "Manager wanted to speak with you a moment in the Staff Lounge."
"Oh no, what did I do this time?"
"Don't be silly, I'm sure it's nothing. Come on, I'll go with you." They walked across the mostly vacant restaurant floor to where the staff lounge was, opening the door there were already a bunch of their co-workers along with the Manager all wishing Chitose, "Happy birthday!"
"W-wha?"
A member of the kitchen staff presented a cupcake with a lone candle burning atop "Chitose," the manger spoke up "We're delighted to have you apart of our team, and now another year has passed that you've been blessed with life."
"Manager manager" A girl spoke up with a giggle "No need to get all philosophical. Gee let me do this. Chi, if I can call you Chi...Happy birthday, welcome aboard. Everyone deserves a little party on their special day, especially when it falls on our Holy Week. Congrats"
The girls all replied with a "Here here"
"Well come on, don't let the wax melt onto your desert."
Chitose blew out the little candle "Hehe thank you so much, everyone." Chitose thanked
"It's about time for your first break isn't it?" Satou asked "Take a few moments to enjoy it, we're not busy yet."
"Oh well, sure!"
"Very good." The manager nodded with a smile "All right ladies, I trust we're all ready for the first day, we expect it to be busy as usual but remember to take a moment for yourselves. Any issues, you know where to find me."
"Yes ma'am."
Hoshino Island
Neighboring Aurora, Hoshino a bit smaller but no less excited, plenty of people were super excited for the festival, no fewer than one little Kaori and her rabbit themed hand puppet, Georgie, both already dressed up in yukata. The thing to know about little Kaori is, she's considered on the "slow side" Some would say not too bright, defective but well she was who she was. A bit smarter than most would give her credit for. Again like last year, she was watching the boats come in, watching people from all over come in, wondering if the friends she made last year would also be around. Her mother again was giving her own time to the local temple, always giving thanks to the Goddesses. It probably wouldn't be long before Kaori was expected to do so as well but for now she was allowed to move around freely. "Georgie?" She asked her puppet
"Mmm what is it Kaori?" She replied to herself in a slightly deeper voice,
"Last year, I was able to talk to more people than I could have thought."
"Mmmhm, you did very good." She conversed with herself, changing her voice to mimic Georgie's presumed male voice. "Mama was proud of you, so was Matron."
"I wonder if mama and the Matron will finally get married? they really like each other, I like her. So what's keeping them?"
"Grownups are sure strange."
"They sure are. Georgie, I wonder if we'll have rain later?"
"I don't know, maybe we will."
"People will want a place to get away from the rain if it does. That's a good time to practice talking."
"It sure is. Pray for rain?"
"Well but people like going to the beach, and that would make it not fun for them. I don't want to be someone who doesn't make it fun."
"True true. I guess we let things go where they go. Only the Goddesses can make that."
"Mhm mhm. So I guess I'll pray everyone has a good festival."
"That's a good idea."
"Heeeeeey" another voice called out to get Kaori's attention, it was the voice of someone older, teens. A friend of Kaori now from school, her "special class" also like Kaori one would say not all there upstairs either. On top of that, her mother was pretty odd, running a sort of pleasure service that wasn't your ordinary kind, it specialized in well alternatives for those who were into that kind of thing. They only recently moved to Hoshino from Corona, though not malhela (dark) like most Coronan people so I guess it was odd but Coronans had hela (fair) people too, so there's that.
"Kaaaori." she came and sat next to her. She wasn't in a traditional kimono like Kaori was just a normal sundress
"Watching the boats? There are sooo many boaats."
"Plutona, hi!" Kaori waved. Even though Kaori was a young kid and Plutona a teenager, just being peas in the pod of kids who were "special" just made them bond easier than they could with most.
"I am. There's a lot. I wonder what their voyages were like to get here. Maybe they were fun?"
"You want to go to sea some time? Like a sailor?"
"I don't know, it could be fun. Mama tried to get us aboard the Gisella that one boat that's going all around the world, but it was way more than we could afford."
"Yeah us too. But maaama wanted to set up her new service here on Hoshino. So she decided to stay put. But our trip from Corona to Hoshino was fun, but not as long."
"Island hopping sounds fun. Mmmm maybe we could do that this festival? Or do you have something you're gonna do?"
"I don't. It could be fuuuun. What does Georgie think?"
"Georgie?" Kaori asked then switched voice "I think it might be fun but tell your mama because she'd worry if you don't."
"Hehehe that's a gooood ideaaaa. Georgie is sooooo smaaaart." Plutona giggled putting her hands together in joy and offering a hand to Kaori whether they'd go now or later would remain to be seen after all, tourists were arriving and they can always be friendly with people.
Corona Island
Most of the islands right now had good weather but Corona was having some rather rough weather today, off and on thunderstorms since last night but it rarely meant trouble for the residents who were used to it. Two of the residents, Sunplena and her daughter Gracia. Special for them because someone special was coming to this festival. Someone they met last year's festival and both grown fond of. Since then Sunplena left the family business of the shop to her parents and started making fish nets for 10 credits a piece. Only calling on her parents if she really needed something. No real reason but she felt healed from the loss of her husband, a fisherman lost to sea a few years ago. Now it was time to move on, take care of her daughter on her own steam and one day maybe marry the man she's now fallen for. Gracia helped with the nets too, good to learn to sew at her young age too. Gracia looked at the gloomy sky with concern but she was assured by her mom "Just a passing storm, he'll make it, baby."
"I hope so."
Seemed Gracia taken a shine to him just as much as her mother. But she was pretty young still, just turning 6, she was too young to remember her birth father but old enough to sail down to the Maltidas islands with her mom. Island life is strange. Another woman was working with Sunplena, named Nigeria (a hard G in her name) and her own daughter, Filipinia, not really working given she's blind but enjoying the company while buried in a custom braille book also awaiting her own special someone for the festival, though coming from a far less far away place, just a village over. Nigeria was odd, her name was odd, kind of more foreign, not native Esperanto but she'd say she was always born and raised here, so more likely her parents were migrants to the island in the pre-war days. Considered "orthodox" practitioner of Madokamisim thus meant she held to compulsory nudity. "Aaha you're so lucky, Sunny" Her own nickname for her friend. "I truly envy you."
"Aw come on, surely a bunch of people must be eager to date a lovely lady like you."
Leaning in she whispered "Well some are, but I have a big of baggage." She motioned to her daughter, not that she'd consider her teenage daughter "baggage or a burden" but a blind daughter and a barley literate woman, meant options were limited. "Ah you know how it is, I'm just uuh not ready."
"Mama," Filipinia knew and wasn't buying it "I know."
"Look it's not you baby...it's how, how did you put it to your little one, Sunny?"
"I told Gracia, if he wants to marry me at some point, I know that's an if, but if he does, well we're a package deal. He doesn't get me without getting Gracia too."
"Aww that's so sweet!" Filipina looked up aiming her face in the direction of their voices
"Gracia, I hope you know you've got a great mama. Well, of course I do too."
"Aren't we just the luckiest women alive? Though Sunny, I guess is a bit luckier than us."
"Well you'll find someone. Fili found someone she could love couldn't she?"
"Yes she did and someone who is Conservative too? There is a Goddess indeed." Nigeria joked.
Madokamisim has a few small sects, modern, those who believe like any other, Conservative, those who are more adherent to literal ideas but not as much, and Orthodox the ultra practitioners who really really uphold all the teachings of the faith, that is why entire villages are dedicated purely to being "naturalist." Sunplena was on the modern-semi-conservative side but it really didn't matter a lot of the time unless you were foreign then maybe it would but people are adaptable.
"Filipinia, when are you expecting Amika?" Her mother asked her
"She said she'd be down as soon as she could but I have to imagine the rain is making things tough on her now. You'll know her when you see her, she's got long pink hair, really long pink hair, turquoise eyes, the cutest face ever."
"That is the sound of a girl in love. I certainly can relate." Sunplena agreed. "So she's Hela then?"
"She is but that's fine. We're a United Island States now, race should have no boundaries after all."
Animalpolis Island
The large sprawling island with the biggest "city" in it, Tsubaki. Almost as urban and metropolis as you can get but it still looked like a Japanese city from two centuries ago. The people down in the largest port city were already crowding the streets, least not of all another pair of lovers, Ryoka Honda and Amiru Ishigami togehter walked the streets. Amiru in paticular munching on just whatever she could buy "Ami....Take it easy ,we have a week ahead of us. Not to mention the day." Ryoka chuckled. Ryoka in paticular was neko, cat person, Amiru was inu, dog person.
"Mmmm I love festival time" Amiru said between bites "So much good food"
"Always thinking with your stomach. I guess all dog are like that."
"Hey what's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean I've seen how inferior canine kind act whenever food is around." By inferior canine kind, she means your domesticated house pet dog as opposed to the strange evolutionary hoodoo voodoo that made the people of Animalpolis their way. Uuh a wizard did it? Or rather a Maho shojo....Anyway.
"Ryo-chan, you're soooooooo uuuuh well you!" Her tail waved around through the back of her yukata.
"Hehhee since when do you use keigo?" Keigo, seen in other Asian nations, not caught on in the UIS despite some similarities in the culture. Same case with the practice of addressing by family name over given name, just not done here.
"I think it makes it kind of cute! Chan, san, kun, sama...."
"They sound cute because they're foreign. It's rarely done here." Ryo opened up a parasol to keep the sun off, so far it was a nice day but storms were nearby on Corona, chances are they'd drift over here as well. Taking Amiru by the hand "If you can put down the kabobs a bit, maybe we can go listen to the music for a bit?"
"Yeah sure!"
Elsewhere in Tsubaki another fox woman, Roshin Tendo, AHSCA's Deputy Foreign Officer but today she was just Roshin, big sister to her youngest siblings. A family of six children, including herself, Roshin being the second oldest. The youngest two, the aforementioned twins had just turned 10, a boy, Aoi, and a girl Hikari, or just Hika in her case as she liked to shorten it to. A group of happy siblings, one happy fox family. "Aoi, Hika" Roshin presented them with a couple of charms with their names "Aww so cute!" Hikari had one of the Goddess Madokami for Aoi it was a sword and shield "wow so cool!" Each put them around their wrists to wear.
"Sis, sis!" Hikari asked "Think we'll meet some people from overseas?"
"Oh I don't know, it's a big city here, we could very well meet anyone around."
"But you're in charge of all the nation's relations with other nations! I bet lots would come see you because they see you all the time"
"Ahaha i'm only a deputy, I just help out with Miss Noir. You know Miss Noir."
"Oooh yeah" Hikari nodded
"So not many know who I am, not many see me when they meet with Noir." That'd ideally be for the best, after the last two months, last thing she wanted was to worry about business right now, now was the time to be with her family. But meeting new people can always be fun.
