Private Pormont Smiling Autumn

[Hanno Futaba]

Pormont
Early Afternoon
Windy and Festive

Hanno patiently waited, resting his back against a tree as he hummed along with the music that played through the festival. The chattering between the people that decided to enjoy their times in it helped to make the ambient lively, along with some rowdy guests, and of course the stalls that were filled with wonderful food and games that brought laughter out of lips and excited conversations between friends, families and lovers.

Next to the faerin, Ghast was disguised this time, making sure to keep her faerin appearance that looked nearly identical Hanno, except smaller and with a tentacle tail swaying back and forth behind her, with eerie eyes and a necklace that was a Gargantia Gazer.

"Gaah! I want to go already, F̷͍̒u̸̺̞̓ṯ̵̾̕a̶̛͓̩b̶̙̉ȧ̷̯, do you think she will take too long?!"

No matter how much time passed, seeing that eldritch shield taking the shape of a little girl that somehow acted and sounded just like an innocent youngster.

"She will be here soon, I'm sure. Are you missing her that much?" He teased a bit.

The shield girl huffed, shaking her head.

"No. You are the one missing her, inviting her to go to a festival and everything!"

She retorted, and Hanno chuckled with a faint shrug. He had indeed invited @Kat Otsu through an in-game message, to accompany him to this festival... And for many reasons, one that they had gone through a lot together, and yet he barely knew her, the other... Was that her saddened face and behavior back when they met was framed in his memory, and he had to make sure she had a reason to smile more.

"I guess so. But hey, don't hurry things up, it is much more fun when there are more people." He grinned, and his gaze wandered across the crowd, wondering if she was about to come soon...

 

[Kat Otsu]

Kat certainly hadn't expected to be invited to anything in the game, seeing as she knew so few people upon her return. But sitting in front of her was a message from @Hanno Futaba, reading that there was a festival in town and that Kat should join him. Though they had only met one time, Kat wouldn't deny that the adventure they had gone on had given her fond memories.

Figuring out what to wear to the event was easy enough. She already wore a kimono everywhere, but seeing as this was a social event, she figured the fancy kimono she had gotten while shopping with Rina would be just the thing. If nothing else, it made Kat feel beautiful and happy knowing that she had picked it out with her other recent friend. Despite her reservations after Ryou, it did Kat's heart good to know that she was still making friends in this world, especially when she had wondered if she would ever make friends again.

The kimono was very silky to the touch, and a flower pattern was adorned across the fabric, that of Rina's favorite flower. Kat spun around in front of the mirror to her little inn room, admiring herself in it, given that this was the first time she had worn it out since buying it. She admired her face, and considered doing her makeup in the traditional geisha style, but thought better of it given that this game seemed to be more of a Western fantasy, and that might only serve to confuse people. She opted instead for the simplest option, ruby red lipstick, and blush, with some basic eyeliner as a final touch. Not that this avatar, much younger than her out-of-game self, really needed the help from makeup, but she still thought it made her prettier and that made it worth it.

As she left the inn and made her way to the festival, she had to adjust the kimono, forgetting how much more restrictive the more formal variants were. She tugged a bit at the sash and top, but it didn't give much and Kat figured she'd just have to live with being restricted. It's not like there would be any danger that she would need to worry about it, right? She was being paranoid, though TerraSphere had a way of instilling that in anyone, from what she seemed to understand of the game.

As she walked she looked again at the message, checking for any instructions on where to go to in the festival, and after following them as best as she could, she stumbled upon the familiar blue-haired man... and a blue-haired girl? She smiled politely as she walked up to them, folding her arms together in the large sleeves of her kimono so that they seemed to disappear entirely. She gave them a polite Japanese bow, not able to break the habits of her home, even in a game that very much did not cater to them. She wondered if that would ever give her away to other players, seeing as she never actually saw many others do the same. She could only imagine that she was only one of not many Japanese players in that case.

She broke herself from these thoughts to give Hanno an amused smile, as he looked between him and the girl next to him. With Faerin, it was hard to determine age, so it wouldn't do for Kat to assume much about her. Though she couldn't help the thoughts all the same. The only link between them was the blue hair, so Kat finally let out, "Did you bring your sister along, Hanno? Not that it's an issue or anything." Kat added the last bit quickly, not wanting to give Hanno the wrong idea about her intent. He was nice, but as it always was, men held no real interest for her, despite her parents' better attempts to push her otherwise. The girl though, was cute. Kat's eyes couldn't help but linger on her for a moment. She was a bit eerie with her big eyeball necklace, but nothing that was immediately any sort of an issue, especially not in TerraSphere.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno perked up when @Kat Otsu showed up, with a grin widening on his lips just as he heard the familiar voice. He bowed back to the girl just as politely. It was interesting how traditional she was, in a lot of ways. Hanno wondered if she was just roleplaying or if that was the way she acted in real life.

Regardless of the case, he respected it. After all, this whole game was a life on its own, and he couldn't blame anyone for trying to have some fun in this place, as wicked as it could be at times.

When Ghast was called a 'sister', the shield girl huffed and puffed her chest.

"Yes, I am his sist-"

Hanno gently booped her shoulder, making her frown and shake her tentacle-tail rapidly.

"She is Ghast. I was sure she would want to enjoy her time in the festival too, so I recommended her to stay on her more humanoid shape." He explained, letting out a chuckle and handwaving at Kat's mention of it not being an issue. He also didn't want to make the girl think he was trying to bring her to some date with ulterior motives- Even if he had any feelings for her, all of his intention for this particular invitation was to have fun, to check her up, and perhaps to learn a bit more about her.

He did glance over her, however, and a pleased smile covered his lips. "This outfit looks amazing on you though. I have to make sure we will have a lot of fun, to be worth of how much care you gave to be dressed for our meeting." Hanno said, resolute to have a fun time. He couldn't lie, she did look gorgeous and cute too, which were contrasting adjectives to give to someone.

Then, he gestured with his thumb to the stalls. "Are you ready?"

 

[Kat Otsu]

Kat couldn't help but giggle at the interaction between the two. Despite Kat being a bit surprised (and a bit unsurprised, given the nature of the girl's necklace, once Hanno confirmed it) that it was Ghast, their interaction still made the two seem as if they were some sort of siblings.

That did make Kat wonder a bit, as she let her thoughts drift back to the time when she was first told that death can cause permanent residence in the game. It was entirely possible that Ghast had been Hanno's sister in real life, but had died in the game and was stuck here. A truly chilling thought, one that Kat quickly pushed out of her mind. Kat didn't want to believe that the game could even do that, let alone that it would happen to someone like Ghast.

Though she knew little about the girl, shield.... creature. Kat didn't want to think that she was anything less than wonderful given their current adventures. But with that in mind, Kat smiled to Hanno, and bowed her head lightly at his compliment, blushing slightly. It wasn't often that men could make Kat feel anything from their compliments. Kat was so used to the repulsive men who came into her bar and thought that money made their compliments actually mean something. It was the genuine nature of it that made it special.

Kat nodded to his question, and despite not really wanting to give the wrong impression, Kat wedged herself between the two individuals that were to be her companions for the day, and looped an arm around each of theirs. "Yes, let's get going. I don't want to lose either of you in the crowd though, so we'll stick together like this," Kat said, the smile never leaving her face. Truth is, she did rather want to be close to them. Close to someone. It had been so long since she had been anything but a cold bartender serving people's drinks with a fake smile.

Whatever the three were to each other, the warmth of even a new friendship was enough to make the closeness more special for this event, and she gave Hanno the go ahead to lead the way, with her and Ghast in tow. "Any ideas on what to do first? We can check the food stalls for anything, or maybe they have games to play," Kat started, as they presumably made their way to whatever activity the group decided on. "Admittedly, I'm not as familiar with Western culture and festivals, so I'll have to rely on you to get to the good stuff," Kat finished, with a giggle.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno wasn't someone that had a lot of personal space himself, and physical contact didn't trouble him, so he accepted @Kat Otsu's approach, keeping their arms locked gently, but firm enough to not let it go so easily, after all like Kat herself said, it was very crowded and they could miss each other easily. Ghast seemed excited about it, but maybe she had her arm hooked around Kat's a bit tighter than necessary, not being used to control her strength on someone that wasn't Hanno.

"Even if one of us get lost, I will find us with my big eye!"

Her two eyes opened widely... Way too widely.

Hanno chuckled, shaking his head and looking at Ghast with a small smirk. "Yeah, I'm counting on you, buddy." He 'entrusted' the task of keeping them within sight to the shield girl, that wagged her tentacle-tail back and forth.

As they walked through the festival, Hanno casted a glance to Kat, pondering. "Let's go for the game and activities first. This way we can give our best without worrying about a filled stomach... And it will make our appetite bigger for when we decide to eat something." Hanno grinned.

It also gave them more stuff to talk about while eating.

The mention of 'western culture and festivities' brought a curious gaze from Hanno. "I see, so this kimono isn't just a dress preference, but it is more of what you are used to wear?" He guessed, pointing at himself. "I am half-Japanese myself... My father is, that is." He admitted, then looking around. "But I've always lived in United States." Hanno had no problems to talk about his real life self. He didn't gave many details until asked, but for more general stuff, he was always open about it.

"These festivals generally have a lot of tests of courage, haunted houses... But there are easier stuff too. Like pumpkin carving." He suggested.

 

[Kat Otsu]

As they walked, Kat allowed Hanno to take the lead, while still keeping her arm around his. They were a bit like a small chain as Ghast clung tightly to Kat's arm. It was a warm feeling, even if it did seem like Ghast was squeezing a bit too tight. Kat didn't mind so much, though she did wonder if she could lose feeling in her arm similar to how she would in the real world from such a tight grip. All was forgiven though, as Kat couldn't help but chuckle at Ghast's declarations and expressions. She was an adorable thing, though Kat still had no idea what to make of her as a whole.

Kat had no objections to the idea of fun and games, nodding along with Hanno's suggestion and following him through the crowd closely. When asked about her dress, Kat smiled, "Yes, I wear a kimono in daily activity as well as work, though it's usually far less formal. More like what you saw me wearing when we met. A bit more basic and easier to move in." She lightly adjusted her sash with the more free arm that was wrapped around Hanno's to try to give a bit more wiggle room, but the thing was definitely a formal kimono as it barely moved, even after all the walking and moving she had already been doing.

Kat pondered the activities mentioned by Hanno, and pumpkin carving stuck out to her a bit. Halloween had become a bit more popular in Japan over the past few years, but nothing like what it was in the West. She had never actually carved a pumpkin before, and wondered what it really entailed, and why it was so popular. So that was what she went with, "I've never carved a pumpkin before. I don't know if it would be fun or not, but it sounds like it would be if people do it. We should try that."

Kat smiled at the two, looking for confirmation on her choice. She started trying to consider things she would carve into the pumpkin. She had seen cartoons with faces in them, but that was the closest to reference she had. She wondered if the face was difficult to carve out, as they made their way. She hoped she'd be able to do a good job for her new friends.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno hummed about @Kat Otsu's answer.

"So I am talking to a traditional lady, huh?" Hanno couldn't hide his smile. He couldn't help but wonder a bit more about her, but he wasn't going to pry, knowing that it would all come naturally at some point. His gaze went down to her sash, and he muttered in mild concern. "Do you need us to take a moment for you to adjust it? It wouldn't be good if you stayed uncomfortable through all our fun." Even though she seemed used to it, it was a time he wanted them to be relaxed.

As they were moving closer to the pumpkin carving, there was a line that was considerably short. The pumpkin carving happened for every eight people, regardless if they were paired or alone. An elf woman gave basic instructions on how to carve it to the eight participants, who were allowed to start their carving afterwards, freely. There were some references scattered near the stall, but it was entirely up to the participant.

"You can't eat the pumpkin until you have finished carving it." Hanno warned to Ghast.

"I am not going to eat it!"

She protested with a watery mouth.

Hanno returned his attention to Kat soon. "You looked skilled with daggers, if anything, you will have an upper hand." But then, he showed a confident grin. "I am a chef though, so carving pumpkins is in my yearly halloween activity. If you need help, let me know."

 

[Kat Otsu]

As they walked, and Hanno offered to let Kat adjust, she waved a hand at him softly. "I'm used to the more formal kimonos. Just not in TerraSphere. There's a part of me that is expecting for everything to go terribly wrong at any given moment, and I feel like I'm just not ready for that in this formal attire."

Kat nodded softly in response to the comment about being traditional, though it came with a light blush adorning her cheeks. "I'm certainly preferential to traditional kimonos, but I would say I'm anything but traditional in any other respect," she admitted with a light giggle. If only Hanno knew just how much she really didn't fit in in Japan. The cuteness of the kimonos was about all she could really claim.

But, before Kat knew it, they had arrived at the carving station. Kat sat down and couldn't help but chuckle at Ghast and Hanno's back and forth. "Perhaps if she's that hungry, we should have stopped to eat after all," Kat teased, but nobody actually seemed worried in her little group. Kat couldn't help but muse at Hanno mentioning her skill with daggers. She wasn't actually all that skilled at carving in real life, but she did wonder if she could use the game's assistance to help her in this case.

As they sat there, Kat looked at the references and considered what she wanted from her pumpkin. Without picking up the knife they had provided her, Kat, carefully slid the hidden blade out of her sleeve, and with a very concentrated and determined face started to carve into her pumpkin using the blade, which seemed to be much sharper and easier to use than the dull knife that sat on the table.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

When @Kat Otsu made it clear of why she was adjusting herself slightly moments ago, Hanno felt a faint prick of sadness for her. He wished she could be having full fun in the festival.

"Don't worry. If something goes wrong, I'm ready to buy you plenty of time to prepare yourself." Hanno grinned. He knew he didn't need to fully defend her, as she wasn't helpless. But she probably would need a few seconds at least to free herself enough to turn enemies into minced meat.

"Traditional kimonos, but not really traditional yourself. It is gap moe all over again." He chuckled at the mild joke, and when Kat seemed to pity Ghast's situation, Hanno shook his head.

"If we stop to eat every time she is hungry, we will only visit food stalls. Ghast has a bigger stomach than me, and that's a very high bar to meet." Hanno was always impressed about how much food got to fit into Ghast. But it was mostly because he constantly forgot that his beloved shield was an eldritch entity stuck into a weakened form.

"Big stomach... Are you calling me fat?"

Hanno never responded that question.

...

Sitting next to Kat, and with Ghast right next to her too, Hanno watched his pumpkin and muttered for a moment, casting a glance to the side and rotating his knife on his hand, carefully starting to trace a 'sketch' on it, by marking lines. The shape of a head was possible to be noticed, and then he began outlining the background, that was just a simple circle to highlight the head shape.

 

[Kat Otsu]

As Kat worked on her pumpkin, she couldn't help but giggle at the two companions she was sitting between. They were clearly close, and Kat still felt that their relationship was described as that of siblings, even if they weren't. With her free hand, Kat put hers on Ghast's and said, "Don't worry, you're not fat." She smiled at her, and put her focus back on her pumpkin.

The pumpkin she was carving was about as simple as it could be. Triangle eyes, a big toothy mouth, and a triangle nose, much like the simpler offerings in the background references. She didn't want it to be complicated, but she couldn't help but sneak a glance at Hanno, who appeared to be working on actual art, at least compared to Kat's pumpkin. There was actual thought being put into his, and Kat supposed that probably came with this being more of a yearly tradition for him in real life.

Idly, Kat wondered if she should try to carve a pumpkin IRL. Perhaps she could put it in the bar as decoration, and she wondered if people would like that. She was never taken super seriously, as more of a small, cute girl that the men liked to lavish about how adorable she was, and she supposed her carving a pumpkin in real life would just add to the childlike nature people viewed her as having. It certainly wasn't what Kat really wanted, but it was what tended to make her money so she accepted this fact.

Blinking back to reality, Kat looked over at Ghast, wondering if the girl would be having similar trouble to Kat, provided she seemed to be an entity who lived in this game, not one who lived in the real world like Hanno. Though if Kat was being honest, she partially expected to turn around and find that the girl had just consumed her pumpkin despite what Hanno had said about not doing so.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"I know I'm not. Thank you! Futaba is just dumb and mean."

Ghast hissed, but accepted @Kat Otsu's gentle touch, while Hanno chuckled at the shield, shrugging slightly at it. "I guess I'm the worst then." Hanno retorted, continuing to work on his pumpkin. Slowly a head started to take shape, and the faerin started working on the details.

His gaze shifted to Kat, perhaps not meeting her sneaky glance, but he still casted a few glances sometimes, with a small smile on his lips.

The shield girl, on another hand, was carving in a very unique way. She wasn't eating the pumpkin as one would expect, but... She was trying to get the most out of it, using her sharp teeth to try to carve whatever she was intending to do, which wasn't quite understandable at first.

Time passed, and one or another participant was already done with their work, and Hanno was slowly approaching to the end of his work, only doing the finishings.

"Well. My skills are more limited than I expected, but... Hey. How do you think it is?" Hanno showed his pumpkin, and on it, the carving was the upper half of Kat, with a big smile on her face, a mini Ghast and a mini Hanno on each of her shoulders.

"Hehe! I'm done with mine too!"

Ghast declared, showing the carving of... Just a big creepy open jaws that were typical of pumpkins, except this one covered most of the pumpkin's "face".

 

[Kat Otsu]

Kat looked at her companions, and at their pumpkins, and she couldn't help the laughter that burst out of her from Ghast's pumpkin. It wasn't mocking laughter, it was genuine unexpected joy from just how silly it was. The pumpkin looked to Kat like a shark coming to eat her, and it was the best. Kat gave Ghast a pat on the head, "This looks wonderful. I love how unique it is. You definitely seem to have a thing for eating, and it shows."

After, Kat swiveled in her seat on the bench to look at Hanno's creation. It was honestly, really wholesome and adorable, and not something Kat would have ever expected to see on a pumpkin. It was a rough outline, but you could still tell that Hanno had meant to represent Kat in her kimono and the adorable duo on her shoulders was a very cute touch.

Kat couldn't help but blush at the rendition and she put a hand to her face to hide this fact. "Hanno, this is lovely, honestly. Far better than anything I could have ever dreamed of doing with my pumpkin," she said, not able to help the childlike grin that spread across her face. She was truly happy in this moment. Not because someone had decided to immortalize her on a pumpkin that would rot away in a few days. But because she was with people who cared, and she could relax and have fun with.

She wanted to hug both of them and cry happy tears. She couldn't really express how much it meant to her. But she managed to keep herself composed, especially because it would mess up her makeup. She could cry later when they were done and she could deal with the makeup running. She chuckled a bit at that thought, before looking back to Hanno.

"So now what? Do we get them judged? I think yours would win, hands down," Kat admitted, another slight blush covering her cheeks.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno watched @Kat Otsu's reaction to his carving with a small smile. It was heartwarming that she had liked it that much, but the way she spoke of it made the faerin knight have a blush on his face just like her. He scratched his nape and looked away.

"Hah. I mean, everyone's idea was pretty cool. I just wanted to make something that would well... Have all of us in there. You know..." Hanno then looked back at Kat, nodding. "Like we are having fun, right?" He smiled.

Her confidence that his pumpkin would win flustered him again, but it also boosted his confidence, and he puffed his chest with a nod. "Yeah! Now we wait everyone else to finish it, and the judges are going to look one per one."

"Whaaat, Futaba's will win for sure?! And mine won't win?!"

Hanno chuckled at Ghast's reaction, turning to the tentacle girl and shrugging slightly. "Guess that's how it is, Ghast. But I will win because I'm using you and Kat in my carving, so it looks very cute." He grinned.

Ghast opened her mouth to retort, but closed, and pondered for a moment before nodding with a grin.

"Hehe, that makes sense!"

She fidgeted, and then rested her hands behind her back, swaying her tentacle tail before frowning.

"But don't say it like that again, you sound creepy and cheesy."

"Oi."