Chairwoman Oomiya's Birthday Gala [Closed RP]

by **Sanghyeok** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 5:28 pm

Yamamoto Ren was happy. On official tour of Chu'o Tokai for field studies in the Ministry of Research, he was just back from the delicious breakfast buffet filled with strawberry pancakes and was about to enter his room when he saw someone looking lost. She was sitting in front of the door across from his, and had a somewhat odd expression on her face- as if she was waiting for someone. What was more, even though there was nothing wrong with her clothes- sailor outfit, pink-coloured tie and stockings- the way she had placed them on seemed a bit different from how most girls in the Federation wore them.

A look at her face, and he knew that she was probably a foreigner. From another universe that we trade with? By any means, it would not hurt to talk to her.

"I'm Yamamoto Ren" he offered.

"Vhiari", the woman in front of him replied.

"So...want to eat crepes and ride a roller coaster?"

Vhiari didn't have an opinion on roller coasters or crepes, but it was certainly better than waiting out here forever. She was hungry, after all.

Two hours later, Vhiari decided her opinion on roller coasters was decidedly positive.

Three hours later, Vhiari decided that crepes were delicious.

Four hours later, Vhiari learned what a "love hotel" was.

Five hours later, Vhiari realised she was a sadist.

Five hours later, Ren realised he was a masochist.

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 5:52 pm

Vhiari was... decidedly feeling positive about life, all things considered. Her day hadn't begun well, not at all- first, she'd woken up to find the shirt with the cute little heart on it gone and replaced by this... thing, this weird little dress, with a note she couldn't read but which likely said "thieves get punished with this, muahaha!" on it or something of the like, and so she'd had to put t h a t on because of course they'd taken her actual clothes for dry cleaning, and now here she was sitting on the steps of the hotel, because Ari was nowhere to be found, and look at that! The bus had left without her- probably that Ross' fault, the bugger- and well, things were looking down, all summed. But maybe the dress wasn't all bad- well, she hadn't been sure what to do with those fake pink pants, but hey, it was all fine, because this fellow named Yamamoto- common name, damn- had stopped by and he'd offered her food and well if that wasn't the quickest way to her heart she didn't know what was. And then he'd shown her these things called roller coasters and every time she rode one she felt like she was riding to war and she never got to do that, she'd heard it was fun- and then she'd ridden every last one they could find and maybe gotten a little too into it because she'd ridden the one with the steepest drop eight times and maybe he was getting sick? He looked like a twig, it made sense, he was all red- and then, well, something was in that crepe because he was looking really quite flustered and wow he needed to cool off, maybe back off some, woah there, buddy and well, maybe he wasn't too bad after all, maybe it would be a change of pace? and huh would you look at that he's happy to get all touchy-feely and maybe, just maybe, Vhiari was feeling it was time for a fade to black and-

-indeed she was. They walked out of that sweet-smelling place eight hours after, all things considered, and then Vhi realized that it was getting quite late, and the tour would be back soon, wouldn't it? And so hastily-exchanged addresses were given and half-understood vows made and thirty minutes later Vhi was back in her hotel room with a bowl of ramen, another one of those comfortable shirts, legally acquired, and a very satisfied feeling that she never intended for Ari to be made any wiser about.

by **Socialist Macronesia** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:23 pm

Nate was glancing out the window as they pulled up to the hotel. Glancing up at the window of his suite, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Oh.

Ross, Ari, and a couple people he didn't recognize were standing outside by the entrance.

Ross was wobbly. He also wasn't wearing his trademark suit and tie, instead opting for a white shirt, khakis, and a black jacket. That was his party jacket.

Nate muttered. "Great. He's tipsy. And something's going on."

Alastair seemed interested. "What are they doing out there?"

"Just... standing?"

Ross gave a little wave to the car. Nate got out and ran to Ross.

"Idi nahuy! Why didn't you come?"

"Sorry, I was tied up."

"Anyway, where's the girl? Kobayashi? Did she keep you out of trouble?"

"Nah, she was a real pain in the ass."

"Ross!"

"Just saying. Anyway, we're going out clubbing tonight. Right now. Get back in the car."

He called out to Ari and her posse.

"Get in the car! It's time!"

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:51 pm

Patyughin had come down to send Ari, dressed in that trashy-looking outfit she'd shown off to him earlier with the menacing-looking flashlight knife-stand-in, and Vhiari who was eating ramen out of a paper bowl and wearing that shirt with the heart on it and- pink tights, what the hell?- off on their merry way to... whatever bad idea they'd concocted with the other dignitaries. At least, he was certain that whatever they were planning was a bad idea. They'd made a big deal about being "respected" and "admired", and now they were planning a party? Oh, great, because nothing can go wrong with that!

Clearly, they weren't thinking about such things, though. Ari seemed, well, red, and she was... leaning on Ross for support, like she couldn't stand up on her own. Weird. She hated him, didn't she? Odd for her to be all over him, then. And Vhiari seemed oddly happy. That wasn't her. She wasn't a happy person, she was a grumpy, sleazy person. And yet she seemed to be staring off into space, a blissful smile fixed on her face. Maybe she was just happy that Ari had managed to skip the tour, something the drunkard and Ross' scary-looking attendant hadn't managed to do. Yeah, that was it. There was nothing here to be happy about besides that, wasn't there? Of course not.

Oh, well. He reached out and grabbed at Ari's shoulder, pulling her off that bloody devil. "Ari, are you sure about this? And... are you feeling alright? You don't look well."

"No, I'm fine, Patyu, go on, go home, go, um, back to your room, yeah?" Ari flashed him a massive grin. He couldn't see her eyes behind those cheap aviators, but he was sure she had that tired squint she always gave him when she wasn't in a good state and didn't want to admit it underneath them.

"Uh, you sure? I mean, you wanted Vhi to be your, y'know, wingman- wing-woman, I guess, and I don't think, well, she's in any state to do so. Have you seen her, Ari?"

"Yeeeah! She's got a good fashion sense! Look at those pants!"

Patyu sighed. "That's my point, she's not wearing pants. I don't think she's in a, uh, sound state of mind."

Ari leaned back and pouted for a moment, then smiled again. "Naaaaaaah. She's just espressin' herself, yeah?" She leaned in, planted a wet, ugly kiss on her friend's lips, let go, and staggered backwards, her arms raised in a confident swagger. "My man! We're just gonna have some fun! It's Oomie's birthday night, we've gotta get up to some shit before tomorrow!"

"Oomie?" Patyu shook his head in disbelief and, honestly, pain as he wiped his mouth with one sleeve. If this was another punch scenario, he swore, Ross would be dead within the end of the week. He watched as Vhi and Ari followed the others off to the bus, Ari trailing off Ross' elbow, and groaned. Turning, he walked back into the hotel, grabbed a chocolate bar from the vending machine- what a convenient invention that was!- and headed over to the elevator to go back to his room. However, he wasn't the best at remembering his numbers, and "5" looked an awful lot like "6", and when the door to the hall opened he found himself face-to-face with a very angry maternal-looking Federation woman in a ruffled secretary's uniform with a nametag he thought read "Kobayashi".

"Um... I'm going to be, uh, going down now..."

27 November 2022

Alastair stumbled off the bus, his mind whirling from an inundation of visual art. He had very much enjoyed the tour, but he was peckish and tremulous now and very much in need of a drink. Yet he could not seem to collect his bearings, even on solid ground, and his guards were escorting him to the hotel entrance when they were interrupted by Ross.

"Anyway, we're going out clubbing tonight. Right now. Get back in the car." Ross was addressing Nate with an impish gleam in his eye. Then, "Get in the car! It's time!"

Alastair knew what clubbing was, of course. He was not that much of an ignoramus. He smiled at his guards and briefly explained to them he was embarking on a diplomatic dinner, and yes, they could follow him from a safe distance as long as they did not interfere. While his manner was light, the gravity of his order was clear, and he wove in a bit of passive aggression to assert his point.

Not far from Ross, a younger woman in a rather eclectic ensemble (was that a flashlight) who appeared to be more than tipsy was conversing with her attendants. Well, "not far from" was a bit of a euphemism; she was literally hanging off Ross like her life and balance depended upon him. Her pastel novelty shirt had stains down the front of it, and her...fur pants did not seem to be of the modern era. They, too, looked worse for the wear.

If he remembered correctly, which he sometimes didn't, the tipsy woman was Ari, the daughter of...Oloughin. That was it. The man who had suffered a blow to his jewels. He'd heard from some diplomat or another that, while she rarely drank, she tended to get wasted every time she did so.

Alastair wondered how she would take to alcoholic diplomacy.

by **Socialist Macronesia** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 7:43 pm

They had decided on a club to go to. Of course, Kobayashi wasn't there, and in fact none of the people supposed to help lead the way were there. So a group of world leaders, none of whom speak the main language of the country they are in, go to a club.

"Alright, this is it! Let's check it out."

"Better not be like that gay bar we almost went to last stop."

"Shut up. I think this is gonna be a bit of a dive, so everyone behave."

The bouncer.

"I think we're gonna need to find a way to get in."

Ross removed something from his pocket. "Two steps ahead."

Ross casually strolled up to the door.

And threw a brick of a couple hundred thousand at the bouncer.

He said something in Japanese.

Ross just threw the doors open. "Muchas gracias, tovarish!"

Inside, everyone was staring. Somebody was mid-kareoke. The music stopped.

"Let them stare. For I am King Mansa Musa of Mali, and I am here to spread my wealth throughout the world."

Everyone was silent.

"FREE DRINKS!"

Apparently alcohol surpassed all languages, because a cheer erupted from the inside.

by **Sanghyeok** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:42 pm

By the fact that 'karaoke' was one of the few Japanese cognates found in English, the bartender was also able to understand that request.

And so Kehrer, Ross, and Ari were led to a private karaoke booth- complete with food delivery, endless alcohol, and a rather advanced sound system that even Ross could appreciate.

by **Greatdux** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:43 pm

Sanghyeok wrote:"Oh yeah! I lovin’ thi- oops, sorry, just displaying my Texan heritage."
Katár said.
"... this is... this is like... this is like... this is like TOO GOOD FOR MY KOREAN HERITAGE! Anywho, please get us into the maglev."
Kúrfermann said.

The scenery passing by the windows was almost hypnotising for Kúrfermann. From Shinkai City to now almost thirty minutes had passed, and it had been buildings after buildings, a sea of civilisation the whole way. He wondered if there was even such a thing as forests here- there had to be, of course, since he had seen great expanses of blue and green before his spacecraft had crashed. Looking more closely, he saw that there was indeed quite a bit of greenery in the landscape- trees as those in the roads parallel to the maglev and in plenty of bushes and flowers in the city streets that they were passing.

Some time later, the maglev finally entered New Chu'o Tokai Station, and finally stopped. The doors opened, and the fresh air of the Sanghyeokian capital reached Kúrfermann's nose. Refreshing, he thought. Almost sweet and pure in a way- unusual for such an industrialised country.

"Oh so fresh.. yes..."
said Kúrfermann while leaving the maglev.
"It’s.. it’s.. fresh..."
said Katár.
"Anyways, please let us have a tour! Because we yet have to discover the wonders of this literally magical country!"

27 November 2022

The pulsing lights, combined with the simultaneous thrumming and shrieking of the music, gave Alastair the impression he was under the influence of a psychoactive drug. Illuminating the darkness were flashes of magenta, lime, cyan, tangerine, a myriad of neon colors and some darker shades that held the same intensity as their lighter counterparts. Under the lights were the briefly revealed forms of the patrons, as well as some workers.

Their gyrating bodies reminded Alastair of the raves from his university days, which more often than not ended with him being hopelessly drunk. Even then, he had sought alcohol for its alleviating effects, for the pleasure it brought him. But he had been young. Unfettered. Today, he used it as his lifeline and escape. It was the only thing that got him out of bed each day. It made him forget, for a few hours, how worthless he was.

He hung back as their group was led to a private booth with unlimited booze, though he was itching at the prospect of getting his hands on some liquid. He had not had a sip since this morning when they left for the tour. As a result, he was quite irritable and more than a little jittery, but it was nothing that could not easily be justified. He was fine.

Alastair found himself sitting next to Ari. He heard his own voice calmly order a dry martini, shaken, not stirred. And he studied the karaoke machine intently as he formed a mental list of songs he would consider singing.

by **Libertalonia** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:16 pm

Sanghyeok wrote:
Libertalonia wrote:As Lilith sat in the car, she wonders if she'll be ready to meet the chairwoman. After all, She can't meet Oomiya as a PTSD riddled woman, she needs to look the best and act the best.
Lisa on the other hand is writing down notes that taichiro is telling her about. Chuck decides he's going to be straight forward.

"Listen commies, It's great and all buut... How in the loving hell did you manage to have this prosperity? if this is the standard across this world.. How did your people manage with a corrupt system?!" Chuck asked in a loudmouth manner, He was the loudest senator in the government, Karen had a look of disappointment on her face as she quickly apologizes.

"what my republican megaphone is saying is that, how did such a federation create all this? will we find out in the museum?" Karen asked politely with a grin.

Lilith sighed as she wrote down things.

If Taichiro was off-put by the senator's rude phrasing, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he quickly started an explanation of the economy and political systems. It was a democratic system, he noted, with the citizens having the right to elect officials. Private enterprise was banned under the economic system, but there was a balancing the various industries under the distribution model. He also brought up how there was still a degree of choice under the economic system. Essentials as healthcare, housing and food were guaranteed, but people still received a salary, and could use it to buy consumer goods such as electronics or delicacy foods, if they wished. This and many other details were shared by Taichiro as they continued their tour of the capital's many districts.

Lilith continued to write down notes on the structure of the Sanghyeokian system, though she didn't speak again. Seeing Lilith was absorbed in her thoughts, her bodyguards came up to Taichiro and pulled him aside again to ask the question about mental health treatments.

Taichiro, in a hushed voice, answered their question. "While we do not yet have a cure for PTSD, we have found several effective treatments both magical and chemical for it and depression, and would be willing to share that technology with your country."

Upon hearing this, Lilith quickly asked "Really? Because I really need that... It's been wrecking me for a while and.. that's honestly one of the best pieces of news I've heard!"

Her bodyguards also want to listen. As they await the response, Lisa is taking notes using her device.

by **Rhim Flavezztowland** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 7:44 am

October 8 - 10:00 Chu'o Tokai time
While I (Jonathan Skyes) was sitting at a table in the outer gardens of Chairwoman Oomiya's residence in the morning of her 861st birthday (having entered it through the Gate of Daybreak as I was told to), a waiter approached me to ask if I wanted some tea and macarons for my morning snack time. I replied to him by saying, "yes," and he offered me a cup of Darjeeling tea and macarons of different flavors - strawberry, orange, mint, and espresso.

A couple of minutes later, once I'd finished my cup of Darjeeling tea and macarons, I decided to take a walk in the outer gardens of this Japanese-style residence that belonged to the Sanghyeokian chairwoman, not knowing whether or not my entry into the parfait-and-pudding contest that was to be held tonight - orange caramel pudding (just for your information, orange caramel pudding's a Flavezztowlander favorite when it comes to desserts) - would win...

by **Feyrisshire** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:53 am

To: Chairwoman Oomiya Sakura

Very sadly and unfortunately, we catgirls were not able to participate and send delegates to your happy birthday gala because we all have a simultaneous stomachache all at the same time! We were very sick.

We wish you a happy 861st happy birthday especially for your 861st.

We send you a cute and tasty caramel creme parfait with a cute froggy drawing on it and our specialty chocolate strawberry parfait with a cute candy frog on it!~ OwO

Cocoa Shane Ryeifin
Feyrisshire Ambassadress to Sanghyeok

by **Sanghyeok** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:18 pm

Libertalonia wrote:
Upon hearing this, Lilith quickly asked "Really? Because I really need that... It's been wrecking me for a while and.. that's honestly one of the best pieces of news I've heard!"

Her bodyguards also want to listen. As they await the response, Lisa is taking notes using her device.

Taichiro nodded, before speaking. "Although magical treatments are much harder to replicate, we have been developing a chemical treatment which stimulates or oppresses brain activity in certain parts of the cortex. By doing so, we can elevate or lower the level of activity leading to depression. Combined with the intake of SSRI drugs, this course of treatment is almost 90% effective in reducing rates of depression and trauma in patients. We are confident that it will help with anyone in your nation with those disorders as well."

by **Sanghyeok** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:22 pm

Greatdux wrote:"Oh so fresh.. yes..."
said Kúrfermann while leaving the maglev.
"It’s.. it’s.. fresh..."
said Katár.
"Anyways, please let us have a tour! Because we yet have to discover the wonders of this literally magical country!"

Ichinose, hearing their request to go on tour, soon arranged them a small journey by private car around Chu'o Tokai's various districts, including Red Square and Northern. Katár in particular was rather impressed with the both the cleanliness and the amount of greenery that coexisted alongside the crowded and bustling streets.

By his side, Kúrfermann was staring out the window while thinking if they could use this as an example of city planning back home in Greatdux.

by **New Goldman** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:24 pm

October 8, 10:30 AM

"Alright boys, today's the day. We better prepare ourselves to meet the Chairwoman later on." Norton said to everyone in the room with him. They were prepared to head to the Residence by 11AM. Everyone was frantically preparing for the trip.

"Man, I'm excited." One of the aides said to the other.

"I know." Replied the other aide. Everyone was pumped up and down to business at this very moment.

"Hope it all goes well." Norton said as he prepared his final belongings.

OOC: Sorry guys I didn't posted much! I was busy.

by **Sanghyeok** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:27 pm

Feyrisshire wrote:
To: Chairwoman Oomiya Sakura

Very sadly and unfortunately, we catgirls were not able to participate and send delegates to your happy birthday gala because we all have a simultaneous stomachache all at the same time! We were very sick.

We wish you a happy 861st happy birthday especially for your 861st.

We send you a cute and tasty caramel creme parfait with a cute froggy drawing on it and our specialty chocolate strawberry parfait with a cute candy frog on it!~ OwO

Cocoa Shane Ryeifin
Feyrisshire Ambassadress to Sanghyeok

“To Ambassadress Cocoa Shane Ryeifin,

I am most appreciative of your blessings for my 861st Birthday Gala. Although I would gladly welcomed your personal attendance, I understand your circumstance- and wish for the quickest recovery of you and your fellow colleagues from Feyrisshire. Your drawing, chocolate strawberry parfait, and caramel creme parfait were most delightful, and I will be eating the parfaits on the night of the 8th of October. Thank you again for the kind message and the presents."

-Chairwoman of the Federation, Secretary General of the United Front, Supreme Leader of the People's Armed Forces Oomiya Sakura
-社会主義連邦政府主席、統一戦線総書記、人民軍隊最高指導者大宮咲来

by **Socialist Macronesia** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:51 pm

The door to the booth opened and someone walked in.

A girl. Younger than Kobayashi, she pointed at Ross. "Come."

Nate was confused. Ross was excited.

"Sweet, it's my lucky day!"

He smiled at Ari. "I'll be back."

The woman led him to the end of the hall, and opened a door. A Japanese man stood behind a desk."

He said something Ross couldn't understand.

"What?"

He frowned. Under the table, he drew a bottle of something Ross couldn't read the label of. He poured a glass. Ross took a swig. It tasted like dirt, motor oil, and cheap vodka.

By drink two they were both uncontrollably laughing. Eventually they calmed down. The man smirked and said something Ross couldn't understand, while rubbing his fingers.

"Oh, right."

Ross slapped a quarter million on the table. The man bowed, grinned and handed him some car keys.

Ross was too drunk to do the smart thing, while too sober to pass out then and there.

What did I just buy? Ehh, doesn't matter.

Within a minute he was back to singing Workin' For A Living like nothing had happened.

But something had CERTAINLY happened.

by **Sanghyeok** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:03 pm

Kiu Ghesik wrote:Patyughin had come down to send Ari, dressed in that trashy-looking outfit she'd shown off to him earlier with the menacing-looking flashlight knife-stand-in, and Vhiari who was eating ramen out of a paper bowl and wearing that shirt with the heart on it and- pink tights, what the hell?- off on their merry way to... whatever bad idea they'd concocted with the other dignitaries. At least, he was certain that whatever they were planning was a bad idea. They'd made a big deal about being "respected" and "admired", and now they were planning a party? Oh, great, because nothing can go wrong with that!

Clearly, they weren't thinking about such things, though. Ari seemed, well, red, and she was... leaning on Ross for support, like she couldn't stand up on her own. Weird. She hated him, didn't she? Odd for her to be all over him, then. And Vhiari seemed oddly happy. That wasn't her. She wasn't a happy person, she was a grumpy, sleazy person. And yet she seemed to be staring off into space, a blissful smile fixed on her face. Maybe she was just happy that Ari had managed to skip the tour, something the drunkard and Ross' scary-looking attendant hadn't managed to do. Yeah, that was it. There was nothing here to be happy about besides that, wasn't there? Of course not.

Oh, well. He reached out and grabbed at Ari's shoulder, pulling her off that bloody devil. "Ari, are you sure about this? And... are you feeling alright? You don't look well."

"No, I'm fine, Patyu, go on, go home, go, um, back to your room, yeah?" Ari flashed him a massive grin. He couldn't see her eyes behind those cheap aviators, but he was sure she had that tired squint she always gave him when she wasn't in a good state and didn't want to admit it underneath them.

"Uh, you sure? I mean, you wanted Vhi to be your, y'know, wingman- wing-woman, I guess, and I don't think, well, she's in any state to do so. Have you seen her, Ari?"

"Yeeeah! She's got a good fashion sense! Look at those pants!"

Patyu sighed. "That's my point, she's not wearing pants. I don't think she's in a, uh, sound state of mind."

Ari leaned back and pouted for a moment, then smiled again. "Naaaaaaah. She's just espressin' herself, yeah?" She leaned in, planted a wet, ugly kiss on her friend's lips, let go, and staggered backwards, her arms raised in a confident swagger. "My man! We're just gonna have some fun! It's Oomie's birthday night, we've gotta get up to some shit before tomorrow!"

"Oomie?" Patyu shook his head in disbelief and, honestly, pain as he wiped his mouth with one sleeve. If this was another punch scenario, he swore, Ross would be dead within the end of the week. He watched as Vhi and Ari followed the others off to the bus, Ari trailing off Ross' elbow, and groaned. Turning, he walked back into the hotel, grabbed a chocolate bar from the vending machine- what a convenient invention that was!- and headed over to the elevator to go back to his room. However, he wasn't the best at remembering his numbers, and "5" looked an awful lot like "6", and when the door to the hall opened he found himself face-to-face with a very angry maternal-looking Federation woman in a ruffled secretary's uniform with a nametag he thought read "Kobayashi".

"Um... I'm going to be, uh, going down now..."

Being a sadist, Kobayashi did not enjoy pain. In fact, she much preferred making others feel pain. But for the better part of an hour, she had been tied up and forced to listen to some disgusting soundtrack from the last century- and that was more than enough pain for her to experience in an entire day, if not entire lifetime.

She shook her head, enjoying the feeling of breathing in some air that didn't smell of tape or rope, and smoothed out the creases in her clothes. Now, she was ready to head out and return home.

The door to Ross's door opened, revealing a very shocked human on the other side- it was one of the assistants brought by one of the other delegates, the Caller named Ari. Kobayashi frowned slightly, before asking him "What are you doing here."

"I...." As it turns out, claiming that you misread the room number is not exactly a good excuse for trying to enter the wrong door. Fortunately for Patyu, he realised this and kept his mouth shut. Unfortunately for Patyu, he couldn't respond to a rather angry Kobayashi.

"I asked what are you doing here" Kobayashi said again, her voice rising.

".....". More silence.

Kobayashi sighed, lamenting that her position prevented her from using any violence that would leave permanent harm on this delegate before her.

"Just go back to the room you're from." Kobayashi finally said.

Patyu was clearly happy to oblige, and his facial expression cleared up immediately. He had to resist the urge to run back to the fifth floor, and upon reaching the stairs no longer resisted, as he praised the Sky-Mother's blessing for letting him get away from the scary woman named Kobayashi unharmed and in one piece.

Kobayashi, meanwhile, had just gotten home to her living complex. She started up the holo video, and began to sing:

悪女になるなら　月夜はお止しよ
If I'm going to be an evil woman, don't let it be on an moonlight night
素直になりすぎる
For I might become too straightforward
隠しておいた言葉　ホロリこぼれてしまう
Those words I tried to hide from you might come spilling out as I say
(行かないで）
(Please don't go)

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:22 pm

Ari was sitting at the karaoke booth she'd been guided to, absentmindedly looking at her empty palms, when someone she didn't know sat next to her. Curiously, she turned to look at him as he ordered a drink, giving him a drunken once-over. He looked... in poor shape, really. His skin had a sickly pale tone to it, his shirt was ruffled, and he looked about... thirty kilos overweight. But at the same time, he looked like an kind old grandpa, albeit thirty or forty years too long, someone that her drunk mind felt an irresistible urge to give a great big hug. But, at the same time, she was alert enough to realize that just glomping some random stranger might be considered in poor taste among civilised company, and, well, it was always fun making new friends, wasn't it? Well, while drunk. Such a caveat had to be made. Under normal conditions, well, such a thing would be right out, but these were hardly normal conditions.

They were fun conditions!

And so, quite awkwardly, Alastair turned to see Ari staring intently at him with a lazy half-smile firmly planted on her face. About a second and a half after the man she'd mentally dubbed "Grandpa Teddy" noticed her attentions, she spoke, or rather half-purred, half-slurred, a greeting very clearly attempting and failing to be sugary.

"Heeeeey, there, you! You, uh, you! You lost? You, uh, you have any friends here?" She leaned in close, wrapping one arm around his neck. "'Cuz I have friends!" With the other, she pointed at Vhiari, who was at this point half-lost in the throbbing crowd, and who would've been fully lost if it hadn't turned out that those tights glowed under the fluorescent lighting. "Thass' my friend! She's... she's goin' through an espresso phase! Er, uh, expressive." She shook her head. He didn't look enthused. He wasn't smiling. Rather, he wore the opposite of a smile on his face? What was the word, a frown? Yeah, that was it! A frown!

Well, best reassure him he was safe here. "Hey, you wanna be friends with us? I've got.. I've got other friends, too! Like... you know Ross, right? He's my... he's my, uh, my really good friend! Like, what's more than friends? The people you like like? He's one of those! He's greeeaat! Excitin'! An', you know, he kept me up las' night, you know? He had, like, someone in his room, yeah?" She shook her head, confused at what she was feeling- wow, was that anger? What was up with thaaaat? It was wild, yeah? Made the heart beat! Ah, well, it didn't matter, not while Mr. Teddy was right there! "You... you can be my friend, too!" She leaned in even closer, wrapping Alastair in a rather tight and rather drunken hug. "Nobody's gon', uh, miiiind, you know?"

Ugh, no, that didn't work, either. Maybe it was Ross? He, like, he made people irritated all the time, the crazy lovable bastard. Well, there was always one last recourse to secure Teddy-Man's allegiance.

"Hey, uh, you wan' do the music in the, uh, the music box together? Like, those modern songs, the ones with the beats, and the, uh, the music? An' the drums, those are cool!"

By the look on the drunk fat young grandpa's face, that last one did the job just fine.

by **Socialist Macronesia** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 7:06 pm

It was now Ross's turn for karaoke. And he made sure to pick one of his favorite songs.

Nate was standing a distance away from Ross, listening to what he was about to do.

The music started. Nate recognized the beat, but couldn't put his finger to it.

Yeah, there was a funky singer
Playin' in a rock and roll band
And never had no problems yeah
Burnin' down one night stands
And everything around me, yeah
Got to stop to feelin' so low
And I decided quickly, yes I did
To disco down and check out the show

"DON'T LET HIM START THE NEXT VERSE!" Nate sprinted through the crowd, pushing to get to the kareoke stand before Ross did what he was about to do.

"Yeah they was
Dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted:
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC, WHITE B

There was a thud as Nate tackled Ross away from the kareoke machine.

27 November 2022

Alastair could feel the lean yet muscled arm of Ari...yes, Ari, that was her name, flung across his shoulders. She rambled drunkenly in his ear about him being lost and having friends, which of course he had friends, but none of them were here. None of them would comment on how he was falling other than jokingly asking if he was sneaking extra portions of dessert and patting his stomach. He dwelled on his friends now as he finished off his second parfait and took a swill of his martini. Was it his third, fourth?

One of Ari's friends was among the cavorting figures dancing over on the main floor. That was where there would be trouble, where he could get lost, but there was not as easy an access to cheese and alcohol, was there?

Now her words were a faint buzz. He couldn't distinguish them. He just stared into his empty glass and wondered where the alcohol had gone. He was certain he had not had all of it so quickly! It was too delicious, and strong, and he did not want to overdo it. The ethanol still burned in his mouth and esophagus and all the way down to the frothing gastric pit that sat to the left of and beneath his liver.

The martinis were supposed to help him not feel overwhelmingly morose. They were alcoholic and thus a twisted form of comfort no one else could see. He was careful, oh so careful, not to let anyone know, because they would not understand that it was therapeutic and would instead say he was hurting himself. Wait, yes, they'd been saying that for years. Decades.

Though she was wrapping herself around his elephantine midsection in a rather constricting hug, he still did not move. He wanted more alcohol. He needed more alcohol. But he had definitely had too much, but more would make him feel better, oh so much better. He'd lose sight of how much he needed it and be lost in the primal haze that overtook his mind. He would have no notions of failure or sense of dread that he was initiating his own destruction. He would feel numb, more numb than he was now, but woozier and with less coherent thinking.

He took a glass of Scotch that probably belonged to someone else and drained the whole thing in one sip. Other than that, he was empty. He did not feel or hear anything outside of his own mind.

"Hey, uh, you wan' do the music in the, uh, the music box together? Like, those modern songs, the ones with the beats, and the, uh, the music? An' the drums, those are cool!"

Drums? Drums rhymed with rum. And the music box, yes, the music box was very good. He loved music. He did. There were several songs that he like, but there was a war criminal singing now and he was not sure if he knew all of the song's words. Did he recognize it, yeah, it was about funky music playing white boys--no, that was not right. Playing funky music boys? White funky music playing boys?

He liked the idea of the music playing the boys, for once.

"Yeah they was
Dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted:
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC, WHITE B--"

THONK.

Alastair was standing up now. Glass of scotch and dragging Ari, yes, he was dragging Ari very much. The girl was always sticking out her tongue. He'd have to have a sticking-out-tongue contest at some point with her to make her feel better. She was an alcoholic with a failing career and family who hated her. No, no, no, no, not she. Someone else. He. Him. Alastair. Was he an alcoholic because he liked it so much and used it as an escape, no, a dream? Was being drunk not the same as dreaming? If so, that meant he was sleeping, and he was alright if he was asleep. No, nothing hurt him in his sleep. Alcohol was sleep, sleeping was alcoholic. Normal, fine, it was fine! He was just doing things humans did, which was drinking, and he needed drink to live.

No one was singing except the machine now. And there was a human lump, two humans lumps on the ground like putty. Ari was putty and he was asleep. Scotch kicking in now. Or martinis? End song. End song. "EEEN SOONG!" he proclaimed. He lugged Ari who was hugging him toward the machine it was called Mele Kalikimaka or something like that and punched in yes scrolled yes screen screening screen. His finger moved. Weird! His finger was moving! And the screen moved, too! And the letters swam but he could read them! Pictures that made sense in his brain and became things he got. This was an incredible invention on his part and surely a sign of sleep genius. Anyway, he picked a song, this one, it needed a recorder that he did not have. Hamlet had one, but he was a book, wasn't he? A book.

He still had bad thoughts. He was not numb enough. He was helding up Ari under his arms or shoulders and he was belting out lines like he was an archangel. Because he still knew through his raucous singing that his father had died and was not coming back. A large, magnanimous man grown bald and emaciated with tubes and pills and unable to move or speak and he only stared. Did he recognize Alastair anymore or was he just a set of bones held together by cancer? Cold, so cold, his father had been so cold and now he was even colder and dead.

Desperate desperate for alcohol...and then....

He was infinitely, infinitely better, and he was better than the original woman, definitely. His own voice in his ears drowning out his breath. Floppy Ari. Oh, right! Ari! He looked at her. She had no glass. He needed a drink like now. Could she be sweaty? Was she a tasty thing of rummy rum? Yes, there was nothing he feared, his heart would go on, and he had to try. Maybe her culture was of alcoholians. Alcohol people. Excellent. He then seized the opportunity to lick her on the face, her left cheek, not smexily but because he needed a drink, and she was not rum enough. She was not. Was Ross still on the--no, never, never lick Ross. Never.

The machine! Of course the machine was it! Hence its greatness! So he was hauling Ari again and he studied the machine for a long, long time. And then he ran his tongue along the edge of the Karen to taste it.

by **Socialist Macronesia** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 8:58 pm

Ross went outside for a breath of fresh air. Twirling-- hey, whose keys were these?

He clicked the unlock button. He heard a beep from the alley.

He went over to check it out. A white van.

He slid open the back door to see what was inside.

"Oh, F*CK. WE'RE F*CKED!"

by **Libertalonia** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:56 pm

Lilith wondered if when they'll visit the museum, She's heavily interested in the history of this federation. as she looked at the map, she could only wonder out loud.

"Has, Oomiya or any other leader at this party actually been through such a trial of fire like me?.. not saying that I've been through the worst but, I've been in the army... and fought... again... and again... Gained and lost friends, Seen the best and worst.. lived and.. regrettably did some things, still haunts me to this day, that's why lisa asked for a medicene to PTSD, The faces.. faces of the dead and living"

The bodyguards silently patted Lilith on the back as she went back to taking notes. She wasn't thinking right, maybe a visit to the museum might clear her mind.

As the car continued on it's way, Wallace noted that Bonnie was busy covering her face for some reason.

by **Shtet** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:23 pm

Sanghyeok wrote:Takashi listened to the light rhythms of the Yiddish language as they waited for their car. It was a language that even as someone who didn't speak the language at all, she could tell it was radically different the from Japanese or English she knew. There were intonations here and there, and some almost-cognates she thought she realised, but nothing really concrete until the first time "Kotera" was brought up. She rose her eyebrows and paid more attention afterwards, but they didn't repeat his name until the car pulled up to them and they got in.

The drive to the hotel itself was short enough- again, almost free of any traffic on the roads- and soon the car arrived at the Hotel Rakuen. To describe the hotel would be a challenge, but it was a hotel that did everything it could to present an image fitting of it's name as Rakuen- paradise- starting from the exterior. A sleek and modern yet welcoming entrance gave way to a lobby filled with golden-coloured chandeliers and elevator banks trimmed in silver, marble check-in desks and a lobby that seemed to have been designed by a luxury hotel architect with a fetish for minimalism and the latest technological advancements. At the same time, there were also a few oil paintings of strawberries on the wall, along with a sample of the Chairwoman's calligraphy reading " An overflowing harmonious atmosphere" hanging just behind the check in desk.

It was in every sense quintessentially Chu'o Tokai- champagne socialism realised, but this time the liberals were gone, and the result was socialism where everyone could afford high-quality wines.

"Your room is on the seventeenth floor, overlooking the River Central" Takashi explained as she took Weil and her wife up to the room. "The view here from night is beautiful, as you can see both sides of the bank from here. Oh, and as for your nighttime meal- please feel free to call the room service or enter the dining halls at any time. They've already been instructed to use kosher ingredients, so please eat without worry."

Hannah and Esther nodded in thanks, and waved their individual 'goodnights'.

They walked into the room, and Esther gasped in amazement. The room was luxurious - of course - but it was so much more than that. It seemed less like a room and more akin to an artwork. Practically every corner, every nook and cranny, every edge and every dent was decorated with elaborate gold patterns, woven blossom petals, pink detail and socialist realist works praising the Federation.

Hannah was less impressed. Although the room was stunning, her mind was still on that train platform, worried. It was getting very dark, and although she knew the city was as safe as one could be, she nonetheless feared what antics her adopted grandson would get up to. She tried to put the thoughts in the back of her head, yet still, they persisted - flashbacks of Kotera's other adventures, and the many times Hannah had to bail him out (sometimes, quite literally).

She trusted him, of course, yet still, she couldn't help but feel concerned - and, in her defence, Kotera did have a tendency to go where he shouldn't.

Esther ran into the bathroom, her mouth still agape and she played around with all of the bathtub's knobs and settings.

Hannah sank heavily into the soft bedsheets, and began to slowly change into the complimentary nightgown which came with the room.

"There's rosé in the bathroom!" Esther's voice echoed from the adjacent room.

Hannah chuckled. "Is it on ice?" she asked loudly.

The sound of a bucket filled with ice filled the hotel room. Once again, a soft chuckle.

The rest of the night was pleasant, and was spent relaxing in a warm jacuzzi bath, drinking chilled wine and snacking on some vegetarian sushi while watching some form of animated cartoon in Japanese on the bathroom's plasma TV. Around midnight, the walls shook, just a bit, for reasons unknown to the Shtetan Ladies, though they made no fuss of it.

by **Wuchu** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:43 pm

I stopped in my tracks, a few steps between myself and Yamada. The sun was now high in the sky, and as the clouds parted, the park was engulfed in a gentle warm blanket of bright light. In the distance, the sounds of the road could be heard - a growing crowd of workers, commissars, and tourists visiting the city for the big gala.

I stammered out a response. "Well, where are you off to?"

She sighed once more, shoulder slacking, perhaps out of exhaustion or perhaps because the statue she was still carrying was probably around 20 kilograms. "I am 'off to' put back Lady Uehara Michiko," she put emphasising on 'off to' in a mocking fashion. She continued, "because you decided it was a good idea to steal her from her spot."

There was a hint of genuine anger in her voice.

"Can I come?" I asked plainly.

Chairwoman Oomiya's Birthday Gala [Closed RP]

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