open | a respite among so many troubles

[complementing]

WHO: You!
WHERE: A Japanese restaurant in town.
WHEN: Forward dated to April 15th
WHAT: Cherry blossom viewing, as well as a belated Lunar New Year party, organized by Minako and Mako! Come relax before (or after) all of your questing.
WARNINGS: None foreseen!



You might have gotten a quick text about a belated Lunar New Year celebration. Maybe there was even a cute emoji attached to it, depending on how close Mako felt to you. But in general, it's time to celebrate the Year of the Dog. He's brought some basic things like dumplings, and baos. But he would've asked for participants to bring more food.

Because what good is a Lunar New Years without lots and lots of food?

He also chipped in a few bucks to help with the drinking situation. Because what's Hanami without... well. Getting drunk.

---

Speaking of getting drunk, what you can look forward to from the Japanese side of the celebration is plenty of beer, sake, and highballs to go around. Drink, be merry, drink some more, and enjoy the sight of sakura petals falling from the trees right above and beyond the back patio. Inspired by their fleeting beauty? There's a little poster explaining what haiku is and inviting you to compose one, with the example haiku the most famous one by Matsuo Bashou: furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto.

Or if you don't get full from Mako's food, why not try the restaurant's yakitori too? Or all of their sakura flavored foods. Literally anything under the sun you can think of, they'll have added sakura to it.

Finally, to celebrate the Year of the Dog, Minako has brought Koromaru to the party. Please enjoy cuddles from this good, smart, and energetic pupper?! He will be passing around wrapped packages with some dog themed cookies in them.

Comments

[long_live_the_queen]

I...don't remember.

[Nyu didn't know about it, so it probably should be scary. But...was it? Maybe she was mistaken.]

I was a shadow...thing there, I think. But I didn't see anyone scary...

[belligerentwarrior]

A shadow-thing?

[She had turned into a shadow-thing, or... had this not-Lucy come from the shadow-thing? That's a start, at least, even if Freya didn't want to point that out to Nyu.]

You only kinda remember it?

[long_live_the_queen]

[#Shadows]

Yes. I...looked down at my hands, and just saw black. Something shapeless that looked like hands if I thought about it.

[belligerentwarrior]

Huh. Shadow-thing in the first place you can remember. Sounds like a lead, to me.

[Another shrug, and Freya nudges the dumpling tray closer to Nyu as a reminder.]

It's on you to decide whether it bein' scary or a clue is more important. [More like determining whether Freya goes with or without Nyu.]

[long_live_the_queen]

I saw another shadow. [Nyu protested, or...just continued the memory. It seemed so clear in her head still, but she hadn't had a reason to talk about it before.] She ate my flowers. But I don't think she was very scary.

[And now Nyu fell quiet again.]

...I don't know if that helps, though.

[belligerentwarrior]

A shadow ate your flowers. [Freya repeated dryly.] Can't say it does.

[Why would... you know what, nevermind.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[look it was a legitimate problem??

...do you still want to go there?

[belligerentwarrior]

[A curious look in return.]

Not like we've got any better leads.

Don't have to tag along if you're scared, you know.

[long_live_the_queen]

I'm not scared!

[She blurted out, before she had much else to say. Nyu mumbled for some time afterwards.]

I'm just...worried. [That it could be scary, that she'd see things she didn't want to see.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Freya waited, letting that hang for a bit.]

About you? [She asked in a slightly gentler tone. It wasn't easy, wondering if you were really someone else. Kind of like with Retrospec, she guessed, only this time everyone Nyu met was asking for the other girl.]

[long_live_the_queen]

You, too! [Now Nyu didprotest, instead of ambiguously muddling her words.]

...and a little, about me.

[Nyu shifted and wiggled a bit in her chair, and for the first time deliberately glanced away from Freya.]

[belligerentwarrior]

You don't need to worry about me. I've got enough people doin' that.

[Freya nudged the tray closer to the other girl again, and this time stretches a little in her chair.] Why don't you sit on it a while and think it over? Enjoy this nice little thing Minako's got set up for all of us, and you let me know what you decide.

[She was concerned about Lucy, about what happened to her or where the real one might be, but... like she told Nyu, there was only so much they could do right this moment.]

[long_live_the_queen]

Nyu.

[The girl straightened a little, noticing the tray of food again and remembering where she was. She wasn't in a forest where she forgot things, she was here--where there were flowers and smiles and Minako and Freya. And nice things to eat, too.

Nyu dismissed those worried thoughts to a distant corner of her mind, and started on another dumpling. They were nice.]