Private Pormont Festivals and Prayers

[Chako]

In a weird turn of events, the last few days had been busy for Chako, not for Lisa.

The first church of lady Uene was organizing a big festival in Pormont, and Chako had volunteered to help out in it.

It was something she had been wanting to do for a while now, to dedicate a special song for lady Uene, and now was her chance to make that wish a reality.

So, her days were quite busy. Learning the songs, practice sessions, reviewing the appropriate posture for a ceremonial song... She was so into it that she even practiced the songs as Lisa to make sure she'd get them right for the festival.

Chako had also participated in dance practices... She went into those without any expectation of being allowed to perform on the day of the festival, but... Practicing alone was enough for her. She could see her own progress, and also see what she was still lacking... It was the kind of thing that truly brought a smile to her face, as she thought about the kinds of things she'd be able to do in the future once she became good enough... She felt like she'd really love to dedicate a dance to lady Uene one day for sure.

And maybe try dancing to earn her pay too! Not like Chako didn't love earning money through playing the harp, but there was a special charm in the idea of being able to dance for it too... Perhaps she could even perform with Ruby at one point if she was up for it!

... Not like Chako knew if Ruby did any kind of formal performance in Arcia though, but she could always ask later when she felt more confident in herself.

Either way, the festival night came, and Chako sat down to play the harp. One of the church's priests dedicated some words to lady Uene, before they all started playing as the priests made a danced ceremony. I pray you enjoy tonight's performance, lady Uene. Chako thought as she played.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby wasn't particularly religious in Terrasphere, but she that didn't stop her from appreciating the cultural aspect that every religion had to offer. That was both offline or online, and regarding music in specific, the gospels had particularities depending on each religion, and in many cases they were the origin of some musical branch. With that in mind, Ruby couldn't simply ignore the incoming festival.

Her jian carefreely hanging on her waist by its sheath, it clanked softly along with the many golden bells her dress had. Her eyes trailed around, enjoying the sight of every decoration, until she allowed her ears to guide her to the 'stage' where a performance unfolded.

The pretty harp notes made her ears twitch in enjoyment, with a rhythm and a style that struck familiar to her at first, but she couldn't pinpoint right away.

Until...

"Hm..?" Her eyes shimmered spotting @Chako, in all her initiative to play for the ceremony. Crossing her arms, Ruby listened attentively. Her eyes were locked on the dance, but not of the priests. Instead, she focused on the delicate fingers dancing on the harp strings, with a small smile as her pair of tails swayed along with the music.

 

[Chako]

Chako continued to play the harp as the performance went on. She'd like to say that she was also praying for something, but truthfully, there was nothing she actually wished to pray for right now.

She was told that this was the best time to pray to lady Uene though, so it really felt like a waste... But what couldn't be helped couldn't be helped... If anything... I pray you may enjoy many future performances not just from me, but from all those that worship you. Was what came to her mind? It felt a bit silly, but what else was she even supposed to pray for at this point? Most of the prayers she could think of had to do with Earth, and she didn't feel like that was within lady Uene's jurisdiction, so this would have to do.

Eventually the song ended as the priests ended their ceremony. The next one was to start soon, but Chako wasn't scheduled to perform on that one, so she had some free time before her next song.

Therefore, she carefully put her harp in the appropriate place for instruments that was prepared beforehand, and decided to take a look at the festival next... Except something much better than a festival caught her attention... Or rather, someone!

"Miss Ruby!" Chako happily said as she skipped towards her... Is she going to find the sudden politeness weird? I didn't really tell her that I was pretending to be a Lander here... She was a bit worried about simply whispering it to her though, since she wasn't the only person with good ears here... "It's good to see you again! Have you come to enjoy the festivities we have prepared for lady Uene?"

Gah! She's totally gonna be weirded out! I never talked to her like that! I should have told her about it in advance in case we met by chance! Well, too late to regret it now...

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

When the performance was done, Ruby applauded happily to it, with her joy only growing when @Chako seemed to notice her, and skipped toward her, and—

"Miss Ruby?" Ruby leaned in with a ferocious smirk. What was Chako doing? Well, she was a young teenager, so it was only natural she would be playing around. But was she really getting into roleplaying? Even adults were into this stuff, but she didn't expect Chako to have that mindset.

Especially since she was in a age that was old enough to feel cringe by playing pretend, but also too young to understand that there was nothing wrong about 'playing pretend', no matter your age.

"Of course I arriveth to enjoyeth the festivities, fair priestess of the most holy Uene" Ruby responded. "I see thou were not bearing back. Thou played thy part masterfully" She bowed respectfully.

 

[Chako]

Chako started blushing as soon as Ruby emphasized the 'miss' out of her greeting, Aaaah! I knew this wasn't going to end well!

It only got worse as Ruby suddenly started speaking in ancient common, which made Chako go beet red... Though she was impressed that Ruby's intent to speak in old English was faithfully translated and that Chako could still somehow understand it... It truly made Chako wonder how much work was put into the blessings that each Starcalled received.

... And she was fleeing from reality again. Bad idea. Chako forced herself to stop daydreaming and respond, "I-I-I'm not great enough to actually hold the post of priestess of lady Uene. I-I only volunteered to help out today b-because I wished to offer my song to her ladyship..." Actually all true, but she didn't think Ruby would actually get that without a proper explanation.

Someone might suspect something if she suddenly started moving her fingers around to bring up the UI though, so Chako chose to refrain from sending a PM, and decided to wing it and hope for the best.

Besides, today was a wonderful day! Not a day to be overworrying about everything! Not just because it was a festival day, but because Ruby had praised her! She praised her! "A-and thank you! I hadn't really played in a big group before today, you know!? It felt amazing! Or well, more like never played like that before we started practicing the songs for today's ceremonies, but it's the first time I'm playing like this in front of a big public! And it was to lady Uene to boot! And then you were there too and and and... And it was awesome!" Chako bombarded Ruby with her feelings, before taking a deep breath, "S-so like... I have some time before it's my time to play again... Wanna go see the rest of the festival together?" Chako offered her a hand.

Then, with the excitement about the idea of going to see the festival with Ruby flooding her... Chako finally thought of a prayer she actually wanted to make, "I wish I can show something like this to mom one day too..." She muttered... Probably a terrible idea, since Chako definitely did not want her mom to come to Arcia... Or rather, she wanted to, but she didn't want her to find out that Lisa herself was coming to Arcia... It was a real shame that coming here was illegal...

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby looked at @Chako as she tried to explain herself, even if Ruby didn't really think she needed to. Even if she was direly embarrassed, she didn't let go of the roleplaying at all, making Ruby hum as she watched the little girl squirm against the embarrassment and become a bit more excited and cheerful right away.

Nodding along Chako's words, Ruby cheered Chako on even more. "Everyone has their first step into the big stage when it comes to music, and you are taking your steps now!" She said, and it wasn't just talk, Chako indeed manage to put up a good performance, and that was a wonderful start.

Taking the little girl's hand, Ruby tugged her with a mischievous smile.

"Why, let's see the rest of the festival then. It was starting to get a little to boring to be by myself anyway." Ruby chuckled, hooking Chako to swiftly go through the festival, avoiding the crowd smoothly while aiming for the nearest stall.

"Show this to mom, huh..." She hummed, glancing back at Chako. "For now, it may not be the best idea. I think if she found it out, you wouldn't be able to log in again."

And for a good reason.

 

[Chako]

Chako wasn't sure of what led Ruby to hum there... Was she just happy about Chako's happiness? Well, it would be nice if it was that, alright!

"Yes! It's already a wonderful blessing that I am able to move around with my own two legs and make a living with my songs! To have the chance of doing even more is truly a divine miracle! I'm very thankful to lady Uene for this opportunity!"

After saying this much though, Chako started panicking internally, Oh dearest lady Uene, Ruby is gonna think I went crazy! How am I even supposed to explain all that to her!? She won't think I got brainwashed into a cult will she!?

Chako figured she should at least try saying something to stop Ruby from thinking she went mad, so she added, "W-what I mean to say is... I-I am very very happy to be able t-t-to play more music in all sorts of different places and with different people! A-a-and I am very much looking forward to what other opportunities I might have!" She hoped that that would be enough.

And with this, Chako happily let Ruby drag her around to see more of the festival, "I wish I could guide you around, but I was way too busy with practice, so I actually have no idea of what everyone prepared for today!" She happily told Ruby with a big smile on her face. Finding out what the festival had to offer together would certainly be quite fun, after all!

"Ah, yeah, it probably is no good here-" Chako froze as Ruby finished her sentence.

Her internal panic reached peak levels as she perked up her ears and started trying to pay attention to any and every word being said in the surroundings to see if anyone was commenting on what Ruby said... Which luckily, seemed to have been missed by the people nearby, but Chako did not feel herself relaxing in the slightest.

I-I really can't leave having this conversation for later... Chako hastily tried to think of something to say that would hint Ruby of what she was doing... But honestly, the thing that mostly jumped to her mind was... Lying sucks. It was annoying, it was frustrating, it made her act all weird near Ruby, it made her create a bunch of different lies to pile on top of the other ones and then she needed to remember all the lies she had told... It just sucked.

... But she also really didn't want to give up on this lie. Not when it allowed her to perform like this today, or made it much easier to make the bard life actually work out...

So, she tried blurting out whatever words came to her head, "Y-yeah, i-it would be hard to bring mom all the way from Honeyhome to Pormont. You know how she is, after all, she doesn't feel safe away from Starcalled..." Chako gave out a forced awkward laugh, "She'd also feel really out of place here, yanno!? The priests from the church already seemed to be bothered just from hearing that I'm from Honeyhome, you know!?

"L-like, I can kinda get it with all that the Starcalled did, but I dunno..." Chako held onto Ruby's hand tightly with both hands, hoping that both the message and her feelings would get across, "I could never feel anything bad towards you, miss Ruby... Y-you're like... Super duper important to me!

"... And I wish that the priests would be a bit more open-minded. They would be surprised by what amazing songs Starcalled could play! I'm sure they wouldn't regret it if they invited you to play in a festival like this one!"

Chako forced a sigh... "But I guess it's a bit too much to expect the priests to accept performing together with a Starcalled right now..."

Was her act good? Convincing? Did it pass the message? Chako felt like she was about as obvious as she could get with that last one... She was honestly impressed at herself to improvise all that spiel.

... And now she had another lie to remember, this time related to her mom... It really wasn't going to stop any time soon, was it?

Not to mention she was selfishly trying to force Ruby to go along with her lie just to let her keep performing more easily... Chako started looking down... "Sorry..." She muttered as quietly as she could, figuring that Ruby would hear it anyways... Not like saying sorry made it any better though.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Some of @Chako's words passed through Ruby's mind without being noticed, the mix of 'roleplaying' and who Chako truly was made Ruby increasingly more confused as she spoke in a way that felt way, way too much into character.

And then, the mention of her mom being in Honeyhome almost made Ruby snap her neck, turning her head to look at the fellow cat girl with eyes so wide open that they looked like they would jump out of their sockets. Her face turned pale, and she looked at Chako intently, her pupils sharp like a skittish feline.

But what followed up gave her clues enough of what was happening, and her eyes flickered back to normal, with a sigh escaping her lips as she looked over Chako, letting her hand go.

"Oops, you are right. I guess it is still far fetched for the priests to think that a Starcalled like me could come and dance around." She said. "Lady Uene is the goddess of beauty though, right? So they won't mind if a gorgeous beauty like me steal the attention of some of the stall keepers, I am very sure."

Ruby chuckled, then smirked. "Nor from little priestesses that I'd love to pamper like a sister of my own blood." She winked, resting a hand on her own chest.

"Say, why don't we show them a bit of sisterly bond. So they can see that Landers and Starcalled are only different in origin?"

 

[Chako]

Chako paid attention to Ruby's reactions as she talked... Trying to see if she wasn't too weirded out... And she definitely seemed to be confused, which made Chako more and more worried, I should have just called her and told her about this whole fake Lander thingy! And told her what I feel about gods and Arcia too... I'm so stupid!

Berating herself wasn't going to solve the problem though... Especially as Ruby suddenly seemed to be panicking over something Chako had just said... Though Chako was a bit too lost in trying to come up with a way to explain things to Ruby. that wouldn't straight up out her as a Starcalled to anyone who might overhear it, that she wasn't able to make the connection of what was the lie that caused this reaction to Ruby... She just thought, I'll definitely have to apologize to her properly for worrying her like that...

Chako further looked downwards as Ruby sighed and let go of her hand... I really messed up this time... "Sorry..." She muttered again before hearing what Ruby had to say... She was expecting a scolding, so she was surprised when she realized that Ruby really was going along with her.

It was a bit of a relief... It made Chako look Ruby in the eyes again, and helped her brighten up a bit, even if she was still feeling pretty guilty.

Then, when Ruby talked about being a beauty, Chako blinked a few times... I guess she really is one, isn't she? Both in Arcia and on Earth... Chako hadn't really given it any thought before due to hyperfocusing on her own girlfriend for this kind of thing, but Ruby was definitely a beauty, so... "Yeah! I'm sure lady Uene would be happy to have you participate! She wouldn't let Starcalled come to Arcia if she didn't want them to mingle in festivals, after all!" Chako finally started smiling again.

Then she blushed a bit, "I-I really can't be considered a priestess..." She then took a small pause to process the next words, before blushing more and giving out a wider smile, "T-t-thank you..." Was it okay to say those thoughts? Chako felt like it might be too much... But she also really wanted to say what she actually thought, especially as Ruby was already going along with her lies, it felt just that more important to say the truth when it really mattered, "Y-y-you feel, you feel like... L-l-like a big sister that I never had! Y-you really mean that much to me!"

Chako then nodded to Ruby's next words, "L-let's!" Chako then heard her stomach rumble, "H-h-how about we go to the food stalls first?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Did lady Uene even had that much power inside of Terrasphere's world? Ruby gave it a long thought before snapping back to reality. What was she thinking about? It was a goddess in a game, she was probably very powerful, but anything game breaking such as not letting all players, or even a single player, log in would be completely silly.

Granted, there was so many weird things that could happen in that world, that Ruby couldn't put that entirely past the possibilities.

Ruby's ears twitched at @Chako's response, with her eyes widening momentarily before she sntached her off the ground in a tight hug. "Aww, aren't you the cutest little thing!" She said, giving a quick squeeze before letting her go with a thumb up.

"I will make sure to be a good big sister. I'm quite experienced on being one, after all." Ruby huffed proudly, happy for her very good relationship with her actual little sister, Bao.

"Food stalls it is then, there should have some Hylands cuisine going on around here, considering the typical followers of Uene." She smirked a little. "One would think that I'd be against trying some Caenis food, but I hold no rivalry with them, not when Doggo is one herself." Ruby chuckled, following up to a food stall that was selling a bunch of sticks that had a dangerous red brim on whatever was the food that was pierced in them.

Ruby sniffed the air for a moment, and her cheeks flushed while her nose twitched. "That smells very spicy. Can you handle this stuff?" She gestured.

 

[Chako]

Chako waited while Ruby pondered about... Something. Was it something I said? I said too much though, so I dunno what it could be... Chako mostly hoped it wasn't something that was troubling Ruby.

Well, either way, whatever it was ended up being pushed away as Chako was lifted off the ground by Ruby... Chako didn't know how to react to that, but... She was happy that Ruby gave her a positive reaction, Maybe I really am overthinking things a bit too much. It was similar to how things went in the US. With Lisa constantly being worried about overstepping boundaries and becoming a bother, and miss Yuhan just accepting her anyways.

Then, after being put back down, Chako replied, "Right! I may be inexperienced, but please take care of me!" ... Wait, that came out wrongly! Chako blushed hard, "I-I-I mean like, like I dunno what being a little sister is like, s-s-s-since I d-d-d-don't have an older sister, I m-mean, there is you, b-b-but not exactly..." Chako felt like she wasn't making it any better here, "W-w-what I mean to say i-i-is that I'll do my best to be a good little sister too! Sort of!"

Chako heaved a sigh... Goodness, that was terrible, she tried her best to just not overthink it and focus on the more important matters at hand... As in, food! "Oh, right, that would make sense... I didn't try out much here in Pormont other than the cheapest meals available, so I might have missed out on some traditional food offered to lady Uene!" That lifted Chako's spirits... Okay, today I'm trying some traditional Caenis food out!

Then, she nodded to Ruby's next words, "There's no need to have any rivalries between fellow worshipers of the same goddess!" Not like Ruby worshiped lady Uene, but that was besides the point, "We can just eat the same food together and enjoy each other's company no matter what!" Besides... The concept of having a rivalry against a whole group of people didn't really make any sense to Chako anyways... She wondered if it would make sense to her if she had been born in Arcia, but as far as she knew, people were just people and there was no point to disliking a whole group of them.

Though as they walked, Chako wondered out loud... "Does Doggo even eat traditional Caenis food?" She had a feeling Doggo wouldn't even know what are traditional meals... Not like Chako had any idea either though. She just ate what seemed to be cheap enough to let her save up some money, and then some desserts as treats from time to time.

But when they arrived at the first stall... Chako gulped from the smell alone, "Uhn..." I can't! There's no way I can eat that! I wouldn't even be able to handle this as Lisa, never mind as Chako! "Well..." But traditional food... Wouldn't lady Uene want her followers to be able to eat together...?

Chako slowly moved her hand forward to grab a stick, but she stopped herself and lowered her hand, "I think I might faint if I put this in my mouth... Sorry, granny Leda, I'll have to pass on this one." She slightly bowed to the old Caenis lady handling the stall, then she turned to Ruby, "Are you okay with it though?" Chako didn't know if Ruby's taste was enhanced here in Arcia, so... Well, if she could handle it as miss Yuhan, she might be fine as Ruby too... Probably.

That said, Chako still needed to find something for herself... She couldn't go too deep into the stalls or the smells might overwhelm her though, so she needed something nearby that could work... She sniffed around a bit, then detected something which made her smile, so she quickly skipped to a nearby stall, "Mr. Hanson! I'd like one of those, please!" She spoke to a Caenis man who seemed to be in his 30s... Chako wasn't sure what it was that he was selling, but its smelled very oily... Like, something she'd never eat as Lisa, but that Chako would be okay with eating! Now was the perfect time to splurge on it and figure out what that tastes like!

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"I'm sure you will, I'm sure!" Ruby said, showering @Chako with affection in the form of a lot of hair ruffling and patting before they returned their attention to the matter at hand: Food.

Ruby certainly didn't mind some good old spicy food, though that one in particular looked very intense. Still, she didn't mind it, raising a finger.

"Of course I'm okay with that. Granny, have me one of these sticks, please!" She asked, and with the stick on hand, she sniffed it a little, waiting for Chako to do her own order.

"I'm sure Doggo eats anything in this game. She is a good girl that don't waste food." Ruby smiled. Of course, any child has their own preferences and can get quite picky at times, but since there was only her and Bao at home, Yuhan could adjust the menu to fit her little sister's tastes.

But no dessert before the actual meal.

No excess of dessert either.

Ruby's eyes peered over the oily meal while she chomped one of the spicy and juicy pieces of her stick. Her face flushed at both the heat and spiciness. "Mm... How is yours?" She asked.

 

[Chako]

Chako was glad that Ruby didn't really sweat the small details... Though she would prefer if she didn't trigger her conditioned reaction like that... The relaxing feeling was nice, but the purring never stopped being embarrassing.

She took a deep breath once she was put back on the ground, to put her head back in functioning mode.

Then... "Of course...?" Chako asked as Ruby got one of the spicy sticks... Was it a given that Felis ate spicy food? Should Chako put a bigger effort in trying to learn how to eat it...?

No... Some things we just can't do. She reminded herself. It was important to know one's own limits.

As for Chako... She wasn't sure what exactly she was ordering, but she wasn't expecting some weird rectangular dough thingy... There was the smell of meat inside it though, so it was probably tasty?

Chako took a bite of it to try it out, and a shiver went down her spine... It was hot. And the taste of the oil was really pronounced... Perhaps it was a bad idea to try it out on Arcia when she never ate oily food as Lisa. It was kinda overwhelming.

... Though behind the heat and the oily taste... "It's yummy..." She muttered. A bit sickening, sure, but also yummy... And easy to eat as they walked too, so it was convenient, "Thank you, Mr. Hanson!"

Chako then skipped back to Ruby's side after paying for her meal, if it could be called that, "Yeah, I figured that Doggo wouldn't be very picky! And definitely not one to waste food either!" Though that conversation did make Chako wonder if Doggo too could handle spicy food like Ruby did... Well, if miss Yuhan ate spicy stuff often, then Bao probably grew used to it, Chako figured.

Also, Chako wondered how actual Landers reacted to Starcalled speaking about game stuff openly... Before, she was bothered by it herself due to wanting to preserve her immersion, so she never really said it herself... And at the same time, she didn't pay attention to how actual Landers reacted to those words when other people said it.

Though at the same time, Chako spent most of her time in Honeyhome, and the Landers there were probably very used to Starcalled saying this kind of thing, so they probably wouldn't be a good reference... Guess I should try paying more attention if I see a Starcalled say this in front of actual Landers here in Pormont, then I could mimic their reactions... Wait, I'm supposed to be from Honeyhome! This kind of thing shouldn't faze me!

Chako was suddenly relieved as she realized that this was one thing she didn't need to fake. The less she had to add to the pile of lies the better.

With her mind free of worries that she now considered pointless, Chako paid attention to Ruby's reaction to eating the stick... "Are you sure you're alright...?" Though Chako was asking, she doubted Ruby would say anything after just saying that Doggo was a good girl due to not wasting food... Still, she thought she would ask, "Mine is fine. Though the taste is definitely very different from anything I ate in Honeyhome." or well, on Earth... Would Ruby even get that though? Comparing it to Honeyhome's food would be a reasonable comparison, after all.

... Maybe I should try clarifying, "You know how I didn't eat this kind of obviously unhealthy stuff back home... Had to take very good care of my health before I was blessed with the miracle of moving legs and all that..." That should be clear enough, alright... Perhaps it was a bad idea to say that she was the subject of a divine blessing, but too late to take it back. That's just another lie to the pile... Or well, sort of, being able to travel to Arcia was a divine blessing, after all... Or at least, that's what Chako believed now, "It was probably a bad idea to start out with something this strong though!" Chako grinned, not showing any signs of regretting her choice.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby looked at the unique looking food with curiosity. It almost looked like a giant deep-fried gyoza, except it was a bit more retangle-shaped. Certainly it wasn't the type of food @Chako could afford to eat in real life, so Ruby watched the scene with joy for her little friend's happiness.

"Mm, I couldn't be more alright than now, having fun with you!" She smiled, chomping down another large chunk of her food. The spiceness made her cheeks flush even more, and she couldn't get enough of that strong flavor!

Swallowing it down, she chuckled and nodded. "You are right. Honeyhome's food is usually more to the sweet side, especially with the honey specialties." Ruby said, with her mouth watering slightly. "Their vegetables are also so plumpy, their food in general is like that, you don't even need to worry about drinking anything, because the food is all juicy and tender. Ah~" She giggled, looking at Chako and pondering about her health.

"You could say you are very blessed, yeah." Ruby smirked, finishing off her stick with another big chomp, licking her lips and twirling the stick on her fingers before tossing it at the nearest bin.

"So let's make sure we show our gratitude for the blessing by having a lot of fun in the festival the Goddess prepared, right?"

 

[Chako]

On one hand, Chako felt like Ruby's words weren't really matching her body's reactions... On the other hand, Ruby was still smiling, so maybe she just liked that feeling of eating spicy food... Chako figured she really should stop overthinking this one and just let Ruby enjoy what she does.

Then, Ruby seemed to indeed take the stuff about Honeyhome at face value... It was pretty frustrating. Chako really disliked having to talk to Ruby, of all people, like that. It just felt wrong... Which just made her more appreciative of Ruby's willingness to go along with her.

That said, there was nothing Chako could do about it without actually risking letting herself be known as a Starcalled, so she decided to stop worrying about it for now and focus on actually having a good time with Ruby, "Yeah... It really has that special sweet homely feeling... It hasn't been that long since I came to Pormont, but I already miss everyone, even the kids who loved to bet on how often I'd fall on my dance practice sessions." Actually truthful words too... Chako had really grown fond of everyone in Honeyhome.

She wondered if she should tell them that she was lying to others across Falderen to make the bard work easier... On one hand it would be nice to be honest about it for a change, on the other hand, it's not like I want to make people feel like they have to lie for me in case someone asks... Chako sighed and decided to leave that for later. She was not going to enjoy the day if she kept thinking about all that stuff.

So, Chako just smiled at Ruby's comment, "Yeah, I definitely can't view it in any other way any more." A blessing... Being able to come to Arcia really was a blessing without a doubt.

"Wait, no, we prepared the festival in lady Uene's homage! It's different, miss Ruby! We aren't worthy of having lady Uene herself prepare a festival for us!

"Honestly, just seeing lady Uene would be the biggest blessing I could possibly imagine. Having her prepare a party for us... That would be absolutely unthinkable!" Chako really couldn't imagine it happening... And well, although she thought it was very unlikely to happen, Chako did think it would be truly wonderful if she could meet lady Uene one day... At least there is a chance, differently from how it is with Earth's god.

Either way, having finished her meal, Chako perked up her ears and looked to the sides to see what else they could do, "But yeah, we should totally enjoy the festival, so how about... Oh! How about we go over there!?" Chako held onto Ruby's hand and skipped towards a place that had multiple blank parchments and some painting supplies, with a middle-aged woman being clearly in charge of distributing them, "I just heard miss Celes say that we could try painting something for a small fee... Wanna give it a shot!?" Was Chako any good at painting? Definitely not! She knew that she would never be able to dedicate a painting to lady Uene, for one.

... That didn't mean she couldn't try making something nice to celebrate a happy occasion though!

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby looked at @Chako with a warm smile, giving it a thought. "Well, I can't really argue with a lovely priestess of Uene about Uene herself. But from the perspective of an outsider, it looks to me that Uene is using her most endearing and holy charm, and the devotion of her dear followers to encourage them to make this wonderful festival." She explained, with a chuckle.

"After all, without her, we wouldn't have all of this. Right?"

It was a way to think about it, but Ruby certainly wasn't going to keep poking religion. That was already something that could get quite heated in the modern world of Earth, imagine in a world that is supposed to be more archaic. Tradition had a much stronger weight in here.

When Chako started guiding Ruby elsewhere, she took a gentle hold to the little girl's hand and followed her pace, with her ears perking up at the parchment and paint supplies.

"Oh? I'm not exactly good at drawing or painting, but why not? It sounds fun." Ruby hoped that the few times she watched the artists from her indie team do their job would help her to not get into an extremely embarrassing situation.

 

[Chako]

Chako was confused by how Ruby kept insisting that she was a priestess of Uene... It was definitely on purpose by now, since Chako kept denying it and Ruby kept saying it... Of course, Chako knew that Ruby had no ill intent with it, but she still felt confused about the whole ordeal.

Maybe she just doesn't get why the distinction is important to me...? Because... Because receiving the title of priestess of lady Uene would actually feel amazing? It was very strange for Chako to think this far... Sure, she had always been religious, even with Earth's god never listening to her prayers, but she had never thought of herself as a priestess... Not to mention that she wanted to be a bard, not a priestess, so it was weird that she had even had those thoughts... But she also couldn't really deny her own feelings... It would feel nice to receive the title of priestess of Uene... Maybe a traveling bard-priestess could be a thing? Chako pondered... More stuff for future Chako to deal with, and probably another thing to talk to Ruby privately about later.

For now though, Chako just focused on her current conversation with Ruby, and not on the future one, "I think I'd be able to answer better if I was an actual priestess, but..." Was there a point in denying it again? She wasn't sure, but it would be weird to say nothing and go along with it, "Well, this festival wouldn't exist without lady Uene, that much is certain! If it's her charm compelling us to make this festival or not, that is something I cannot answer!" Chako replied with a smile. It was certainly a nice interpretation of things that Ruby had come up with, after all... Maybe it was kinda blasphemous, maybe it wasn't, Chako didn't know, but she definitely knew that she did not feel like arguing against it!

Either way, after arriving at the painting area, Chako replied to Ruby, "Well, I'm no good at it either, so we should be fine!" She grinned, then turned to the middle-aged woman working there, while also taking some coins out of her pocket, "Two parchments and ink for two, please, miss Celes!" It probably wasn't Chako's best idea to be splurging today after all that time practicing for a festival that wasn't paying her a single coin, but she didn't care! She could always earn more money performing on the streets later! It's not like there was another festival coming soon anyways, so there was plenty of time available for bard performances!

Today was a day to celebrate, and Chako was going to make the most of it!

So, she picked her parchment and started painting on it while humming the song she had performed earlier in the night, with a big grin plastered on her face as she worked on her painting.

It didn't take too long for her to finish, and as soon as she did, she rushed to Ruby's side and showed it to her, "Tadaaaa! What do you think!? What do you think!?" She was grinning widely, but her tails were fidgeting a fair bit... She hoped it wasn't too pushy, or cheesy.

It was a fairly simple painting. Amidst the starry night sky, a red jeweled sun shone its light on a smiley cat-eared moon.

Chako knew it wasn't a very logical composition in principle, but it was the first thing that came to mind on the moment she heard about them being able to paint something, so she decided to not worry about the details and go for it, hoping that the message got across... And most importantly, that Ruby liked it!

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby could only shrug with a smile. Whoever was the main initiator of the festival, was an answer that would remain a mystery. Unless Uene herself decided to come at them to give a straight answer.

But it wasn't like it was a problem to begin with.

"Then this means I won't be alone on feeling a little of embarrassment of my amazing artistic skills." Ruby chuckled. If only all her ability on music tied into drawing and painting. She would do her best though. "Thank you." She said, taking the handed supplies, looking at the parchment for a moment, thinking on what she would do before her ears perked up.

She started brushing the parchment, hoping to make a shape that was close enough to what she wanted.

Her eyes shifted to @Chako's painting after she was done, and Ruby smiled. "Oh, that's very pretty!" Ruby paid no mind about whether the composition was logical or not. "You should keep it to hang it somewhere."

Then, Ruby finished another brush stroke, nodding satisfied before showing her parchment to Chako. "Here is mine."

It was the drawing of a tabby cat with a bluebird on the top of its head. By the side, there was a small brown cat that looked embarrassed. The drawing was more of a silhouette than anything, mostly to avoid having to draw details Ruby knew she wouldn't be able to accomplish.

 

[Chako]

"Sorry, but you'll be alone in that today, miss Ruby! I have nothing to be embarrassed about here! I'm a bard, not a painter, and I'm fine with not being good at it!" Chako cheerfully replied.

Then, once they were done with their paintings... Chako was a bit disappointed at the lack of reaction from Ruby... Did she not get it? Maybe things weren't as clear as she thought they were.

Well, one thing at a time. For now, Chako decided to take a good look at Ruby's painting... "Oooh! It's like the three of us! Me, you and miss Bluebird!" Chako smiled as she remembered their time at a cafe where she kept feeling like a third wheel... This felt like a pretty good representation of it.

Then, she giggled a bit, "I think miss Bluebird is a bit too big to be able to balance herself on top of your head, miss Ruby! You'd both fall if that happened!"

With that said, Chako tried showing her painting to Ruby again, "Your turn now! What do you think this one is!?" Is that too pushy? I hope it's not...

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Oh, you!" Ruby hissed playfully at the little girl, chuckling to handwave before listening to her opinion regarding the drawing.

Ruby laughed at @Chako's response, leaning in to whisper. "Just don't tell Birdie that she is too big, or we may end up seeing a furious cockatrice instead of a bluebird." She wasn't sure if Bluebird had any complexity regarding her body, but not every woman liked the idea to be called 'big' just like that, even if the context was a comical situation.

When questioned about Chako's drawing, Ruby watched it intently.

She looked at it for full five seconds, tilting her head in what it seemed to be a confusion. She tilted the head to the other side, tapping her foot and scratching her head, narrowing her eyes, leaning in and out. "Mmmm, I don't knoooow..." She said, soon smirking and snatching Chako off the ground, hugging her and swirling with her around, chuckling.

"That is very cute. Much better than any portrait any other artist could make for me." Ruby said, revealing she knew it all along before letting Chako be on her own feet again while smiling.

"Can I keep it?"