route_1065 | so take hold of the flame, don't you see life's a game; (OPEN)

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so take hold of the flame, don't you see life's a game; (OPEN)

WHO: All interested parties
WHERE: Beltane/Mayday Festival
WHEN: Afternoon of April 30th ~ Afternoon of May 1st
SUMMARY: Saber and others have prepared for a festival for a certain holiday
RATING: PG-13 at the most

Goldenrod City has always been a fairly busy place, so the bustling to prepare for a festival doesn't necessarily go unnoticed, but it's not so out of the ordinary that the NPC's will stop to question it. Just another day in paradise. With the clouds in the sky and the swarm of firey Pokemon to a minimum, the temperature has sunk to a respectable level for a celebration. Throughout the day the festival and the people involved start to spark to life, the activity levels increasing. There are two large piles of wood waiting to be lit up, as well as various other decorations. Most of the colors of the area are a variety of red, orange, and yellow with sparse amounts of blue tossed throughout. While most of the decorations are made out of wood as well, there's a few water Pokemon on duty to keep things from getting out of trouble.

As well as a couple of other guardians. It would be difficult to sabotage such an event, but those who are brave enough to try will be met with chivalric ferocity.

Beltane is advertise as a festival to celebrate many things in different cultures. Don't worry, there's a handful of individuals around who are all too eager to explain what it means back home for them. Walpurgisnight for some, a festival for fertility for others, Mayday even. The date is significant enough to have many different meanings, so naturally a celebration must occur.

This is a festival that will last from the afternoon of April 30th to the afternoon of May 1st. There is a section set aside for tents and camping should people feel they want to stay overnight. Feel free to set up your own threads or post under the ones already set up. The tournament is going to be 'Round Robin' style. Fights can be hand-waved and feel free to use a RNG to determine the winner if there are any conflicts. The beauty contest will also be determined by RNG once all the participants have joined in. More details about both of those threads can be found in the linked sections. There is also a ribbon pole to dance around, various games like torch throwing, and other miscellaneous activities like face painting.

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[It's always harder to read someone illuminated by the flicker of firelight than it is in, say, broad daylight; there's always the interplay of shadows to trick the eye and the surrounding darkness to mask the nuances. Still, it's not hard to spot him looking her over; he's good about not being obvious about it, but Carmen is equally good at knowing what to look for, and more importantly, at knowing when someone is trying to read her. You don't get far in a detective agency without picking up that particular skill, and she's had plenty of years of practice.

But of course, she's confident in her disguise, and even if she weren't, if this man had any idea of who she really was — something she's still adjusting to, frankly, that there are actually people here who don't know her at a glance — he would've given some sign of recognition by now. So really, the appraisal here is nothing more than attention, and she's always liked attention. It's almost a disappointment, really, when she loses it again to the fire.]

It was impressive. I'm sure he'd be proud of that performance, though I assume he was teaching you with something other than sticks and a fire at the time.

Well, traditionally, it's a gathering of witches to welcome summer and the growing season. We celebrate the solstices and equinoxes, as well as the Winter Nights festival, or Halloween, and this one, Walpurgis night--or May day.

[Welp sorry for that tl;dr there, Shirou.]

Knives, mostly.

_{[He says it as a confirmation to that guess and doesn't expand further on it, but not because he doesn't want to talk. He maintains an open stance, angled towards her in a subtle invitation for discussion and company on the whole.]

[There's something in the back of his mind that pipes up when she speaks, but he can't quite place it. Unknown to him, the accent and the subtly changed tone of her voice has him thrown - perhaps more than he'd usually be, but he hasn't yet entertained the idea that he might run into one Carmen Sandiego yet.]

[Last he heard, she was still in Violet.]}

[Being that they communicated in text, last time, Kiki's not sure exactly who just accosted her; in this environment though, she feels safe and secure and perfectly happy to chat up anyone. She'll make the connection in a little bit--for now, she offers Carmen a smile.]

Thank you, and to you as well. Have you made any wishes or prayers?

_{[Cooper comes across her just as darkness really starts falling, when the fires are really starting to look impressive since they're not paling in the remnants of sunlight.]

[He doesn't recognise her right away, doesn't, in fact, pay too much attention, but when his Vulpix is intrigued by the pair on account of the Minccino Cooper looks again and finds a smile in doing so.]

[He stands a short distance away from her, politely announces his presence by softly calling for her attention.]}

Kiki?

[A knife-thrower. While it doesn't hold the distinction of being her favorite act at a circus, it still calls to mind the associations and brings a smile to her face. There's always something fascinating about that act in particular — the skill, the precision, and yes, the danger. Suhara once said she was drawn to it like a moth to a flame; appropriate, considering where she's standing right now.]

Not an act you'd easily get away with in Johto. It's surprising how few weapons there are to be found around here — not that I can honestly say I mind the lack.

[No, here the battles are conducted with Pokemon, and that thought is what draws her attention to the one perched next to him. She's got her own roster on her belt beneath her coat as a standard precaution — never leave home without a few tricks up your sleeve, since you'll never know when you might need them — but none of them are currently out of their balls. It's for the best, really; poor Agent Cooper the Spinarak probably wouldn't take well to being surrounded by all this fire, even if it means missing out on the chance to sit on her shoulder in the process.]

Your Vulpix is beautiful.

...Did you say witches?

[Yes, that was the word that caught the most attention from him in there.

Yes! I'm a witch, and so was my mother, and her mother, and so on through my family. There aren't that many of us any more, though.

[Her face sharply cast in the firelight, Kiki turns to his call, perking up.]

Mister Cooper! Come sit.

[She pats the spot next to her with enthusiasm. Sweep is less than pleased at having his private time with Kiki disturbed, but sniffs curiously in the direction of Cooper's Vulpix. Kiki pets his head soothingly.]

How are you?

Huh. It's not every day that I hear someone straight up admit that they're a witch. The word still carries a negative stigma in a lot of parts of the world.

It is a nice change to an unfortunate norm.

_{[He agrees easily, because while there have been times he admittedly missed his service weapon those have mostly been out of reflex - when threatened, draw the gun. All in all it's a nice change because while pokémon themselves can certainly be used towards destructive means as well, people seem much less inclined, likely for that very reason: they're pokémon, beings, not objects you use and throw away.]

[So with the topic directed towards his Vulpix, Cooper smiles a bit more fully, fondly as he drops his gaze momentarily towards the fire-type who is watching this woman with great attention. The tails all moving simultaneously in reaction to the praise, curling around a paw or two, is what acts as a tell of how he pleased he is to hear it.]}

You hear that, Aidan?

_{[It's soft, the way pet owners usually adress their pets, and Aidan simply turns an ear back to listen to his owner, still watching Carmen. Coop makes a short, amused sound, not quite unlike a laugh as he looks back to her, following the Vulpix's example.]}

Thank you. At the risk of sounding biased, I'm inclined to agree.

Really? Where I'm from, it's definitely not a bad thing. I mean, maybe some people might not know what a witch is, since we're so rare, but no one would harm a witch, either.

[That'd be asking for trouble...]

Huh. In my world, they were viewed pretty suspiciously. During the Middle Ages, Europeans would even hunt for witches and burn them at the stake.

[GHJFDHK WOW SHIROU THANKS FOR THAT MENTAL IMAGE]

B-burn them?!

[She's about to remark on the appropriateness of that name — Aidan, little fire, not a bad choice for a Vulpix — when it abruptly occurs to her where she's heard that name before. Emily, Tricia, and Aidan, she remembers them in a set of three, the recognition stemming from the sequence. An Espeon, a Manectric, and a Vulpix. Emily, Tricia, and Aidan.

And if this Aidan and that one are one and the same, then she's looking into the face of her detective, Agent Cooper.

She's smooth but swift as she crouches down to extend a hand toward the Vulpix, using the movement to keep her face concealed in the shadows that the firelight is casting, because as good as she is at maintaining a straight face, she knows it'll take her more than a moment's notice to keep the delight off her features. She is, after all, still not certain she's right, and she wants to give herself ample time to find out for sure, before she's willing to show her own hand herself. She's long been curious about the sort of man he is, her detective, and the game is much too entertaining to bring it to a close now, before she's had a chance to properly find out.]

Hello, Aidan. You're a lovely boy.

[Hide the mirth, hide the smile. Composure. She can't get back up again without it.]

Have you had him long?

_{[Aidan sniffs back, also at a polite distance, sensing that there's some interruption and apologising for it in advance by angling his ears back slightly, but his eyes are still perked with curiosity for this new pokémon.]

[And Cooper obeys easily, sits down crosslegged and gives Kiki a very sincere smile, happy to finally meet her. He hadn't heard from her for a while but he still feels a fondness for her. Put simply, there's just something charming about her.]}

I'm doing just fine. How about you?

E-er.

[Whoops. Where in the world did his tact disappear to?]

Um. I...

...Damn.

[And he has no clue what to say now.]

I don't have many wishes, and the ones I do make tend to come true on their own.

[In another time and place, she might've answered that question by saying that she doesn't believe in superstition, but of course, if there's one thing she's been forced to get used to in Johto, it's that the truths and beliefs of her world aren't necessarily the same truths and beliefs of everyone else's.]

But I'm open to suggestions.

[ Kiki's voice makes her snap out of her reverie and jerk her head towards the other girl. She blinks. Ack, she should stop dazing off into other places like that. ]

--ah! Huh? Oh, uh... Yeah! I am, just... thinking. [ Smooth, Xion. Smooth. ]

_{[Cooper watches the action with a renewed curiosity, finding it a touch too quick to be entirely natural, but not seeing why it would be suspicious, either. He tilts his head slightly, looking at Aidan as he accepts this new person by sniffing at her fingers and then moving a little closer to turn rub his head against them, indicating scratches would be nice.]}

I bought him from a friend just over a year ago. He's one of my first.

_{[His fourth, in fact, and considering he now has over a dozen pokémon ... yeah, he's a bit special.]}

[WOW RUDE.

Give Kiki a moment to get over that.]

Well, I--I hope they don't do anything like that anymore! That's horrible! How could anyone think of doing something like that?!

[Scratches sound like an excellent idea, and she's happy to deliver — both because she's always fond of animals, and because it gives her an excuse to stay down near him longer. The initial delight of a mystery solved (and a new game afoot) is gradually settling back into the satisfying, mellow feeling she tends to associate most often with chess games; watching her own moves, considering his, and gradually advancing her way toward victory.

The real trick will be never letting on that she knows too much.]

You've been here a long time.

[And she's curious to see how he'll interpret that observation. Will he assume it means she hasn't? Or perhaps he'll think he's found a kindred spirit. Either way, it's his move.]

[And yet he's had worse foot-in-mouth moments.]

No, no, they stopped that about four centuries or so ago! And they did it because, well...they were scared.

Well...May day's a time for fertility, not just for the fields, but for our minds, too. [And bodies, but Kiki's thirteen and let's not. She reaches into the pile of dry woods and sticks and tugs out a branch for Carmen to use, but won't hand it over until Carmen expresses interest in using it.]

If you have any projects or ideas you'd like to see come to fruition, a painting or something you're building, that kind of thing...now's the time to ask for it. Imagine the branch as carrying those ideas, and toss it in. The smoke carries that wish out into the universe.

[A small pause, as Kiki realizes how silly that sounds. She giggles.] Or so they say. Want to try?

[Sweep's ears twitch in response, before he finally wriggles out of Kiki's lap and uses his big tail to sweep away the dust on the ground for Aidan to sit.]

[Kiki returns Cooper's smile, reclining on the palms of her hands now that her lap isn't occupied. She's also cross-legged, letting the warmth of the fire wash over her.]

I'm happy to be here. This kind of thing...man, it really feels like home.

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so take hold of the flame, don't you see life's a game; (OPEN)

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