open || ain't no party like a birthday party

[complementing]

WHO: Minako, Sakura, Ragna, and you!
WHERE: One of the arcade bars in the city.
WHEN: March 10th
WHAT: BIRTHDAY PARTY!
WARNINGS: None foreseen! Feel free to threadjack for Minako's Hot Potato Categories game.



[Welcome to the Emporium, an arcade bar that Minako and Sakura have decided to host their joint birthday party at! Come on in and have some fun playing games, eating junk food, and just hanging out with the birthday girls (and guy, if he decides to come).

There are, of course, the numerous arcade games that the place is known for, ranging from the old school 2v2 fighters to the shooting gallery kinds. But there are a smattering of other games as well, like DDR, darts, mini hoops, skeeball, and the pool table, too. There's also a wall of crane games in the back, with plenty of random and mostly cute prizes to win.

Make a stop by the purikura booth if you have time. Make some duck lips at the camera and then take the snaps home! (Or give them to the birthday girls for the memories.)

Oh, and be sure to exchange your money for tokens before you play all these games. The token machine seems kind of finicky, though. Maybe a strong (and hopefully discrete?) kick will help jumpstart it.

Walk to the dining area, and there'll be a feast waiting you! The arcade is providing a ton of pizza and wings, as well as alcohol, if you can show your ID. For dessert, there's the cake that Shuji made for the girls, as well as Minako's lemon tea cakes. Those are limited supply, though, so snag one before everyone eats it up.

Next to the dining area, there's a big sign that says "DUNK TANK OUTSIDE". Maybe take a look? Just be reaaaally sure you want to climb in before you do it, though. The towels provided by the arcade are pretty small.

And finally, if you need a break from the chaos, there's a couple of couches on the second floor. Take a load off and watch from above.]

Comments

[imaginex]

I can sort of talk to spirits and ghosts? And see them, too.

[What a convenient power given her interests, honestly]

I'm not sure why or how, just that I can. So if I find a doll and pick up a spirit's presence, it must mean it's possessed!

[ohrlyeh]

Really?

[That's certainly a gift. Though, with her predilection for the subjects she draws, it's somehow not surprising.]

What do spirits and ghosts look like?

[imaginex]

[...]

Well... [Her pause draws out as she glances left to right, checking to see if they have some privacy (they do).]

I could show you, but please... just don't tell anyone?

[ohrlyeh]

[Show? Howard gapes at her - he realizes how rude that might look and shuts his jaw, giving her a nod. He's told her things he hasn't told anyone else. He would certainly do the same for her like she did for him.]

O-of course. Yes. I won't say a word.

[imaginex]

[If they're not sitting next to each other, Sakura will rectify that issue first. Only then does she breathe out slowly and then something... happens.

With her finger, she draws a line down in front of her as if caressing the air, and a silver of shadow suddenly opens in front of her, black as the void. From it comes a tiny creature, small enough that it will fit on Sakura's shoulder once she pulls it close. It peeks at Howard with its glowing orbs.]

Can you see it? [He should be able to!]

[ooc: Also for a less messier picture, imagine this except tiny instead of big and menacing]

[ohrlyeh]

Yes, yes, yes...I can.

[It's all incredibly surreal. She just pulled a - what is it? a spirit? a ghost? - out of thin air, like some kind of magician. He stares at the little creature, before reaching out a finger, as if considering whether to poke it or not?]

[His voice comes out in a quiet, awed tone.]

Can it be touched...?

[imaginex]

I'm not sure, actually...

[Though it might not matter, as when Howard lifts a finger, the creature pulls back and hides in the river of Sakura's hair. It's not really sentient so much as possessing very basic self-preservation. Howard is big, it is small, so away it hides.

Sakura can't help but giggle at that]

Oh no, I didn't expect it to be shy.

[ohrlyeh]

Oh...

[He draws his finger back. It's certainly very, very cute, for being an undead abomination.]

I suppose it's not used to people...is it, uh, a dead spirit? As in, is this what we become? When we die...

[imaginex]

... I'm not sure.

[Spoken slowly as Sakura glances down at the creature, or what she can see of it still hiding in her hair. In hindsight, she realizes the shadow's presence is probably misleading, and after a pause, she shakes her head]

No, I don't think this is what we become. I've seen spirits that looked human in the subways.

[ohrlyeh]

So...are these like lesser spirits? Or spirits of animals? Maybe...?

[He may write ghost stories, but there are so many rules about what they are and how they work - but still, this is fascinating. He appreciates Sakura showing him the little creature.]

And...wait, you saw ghosts in the subway?

[imaginex]

I think "lesser spirits" is a good way to refer to them.

[She doesn't know why, either, except the words seem to resonate with her, the idea there is a hierarchy that must be maintained. The creature flutters in her hair again before she gently pulls it free, looking at it more closely.

-- Though she'll keep speaking, and her voice abruptly lacks the warmth it did before]

I did. Down in the underground station, and through a white door when people were rescuing the mayor.