+ Somewhere a Grandiose Carnival Was Going on in the Sky +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The grounds of the Mansion
When: March 9-16
Rating: PG-13 (warn if you go higher)
Summary: The Red Queen has thrown a carnival for everyone!
The Story:


From Friday, March 9, through Friday, March 16, the gardens and grounds of the Mansion will be a sprawling a carnival. The masked, unspeaking vendors will be selling trinkets and running free game booths. Carnival rides, exhibits, and foods represent all of the various cultures of those currently residing in the Mansion.


Of particular note, and perhaps incongruously, everything is decorated with red hearts.

Use this log for any and all of your carnival needs!

Comments

[eatsyourscience]

[He takes a seat, but doesn't touch the food yet.]

Thank you. And I wanted to thank you for the poem, too.

[It. It sure was something.]

[255000255000255]

[ There are practically stars in her eyes. ] I'm so glad you liked it!! I know on the surface it seemed a little, um, well. Ahaha! But really, it's more about, y'know, two people playing and dancing to a song together that other people may not like!

[ Mostly. ]

I really focused on the atmosphere the most, of like, a sultry summer night in a candlelit room, with soft jazz playing in the background and a gentle breeze coming through the windows... [ Monika sighs happily, crunching into a candied apple. ] Really romantic stuff.

[ Also sex. ]

[eatsyourscience]

[Yeah, soft jazz and a gentle breeze were definitely not the main images he got from that poem.

He finds some takoyaki among the food she's amassed and eats a piece of that. Not very hot anymore, but that's fine with him.]

Well, it was thoughtful of you to write it for me.

[He pauses, wondering how to follow that up. "My boyfriend really liked it, too" seems a little too direct.]

[255000255000255]

[ She smiles brightly, immediately grabbing a piece of takoyaki so she can feel like they're sharing food. It tastes a little weird, but. So romantic. ♥ ]

I wanted to express my feelings in the best way I know how! Not many people get poems from me, you know~

[eatsyourscience]

I'm honored then.

[He holds the takoyaki closer to her so she can have as much as she wants.]

I just hope I'm not leading you on...

[255000255000255]

[ Hahaha leading her on. In her mind, he's just not brave enough to share his feelings yet, or hasn't fully realized them. So how could he? Besides, she's sure he's juggled a few partners in his time! Depending on the save file, anyway.

So, she picks up another piece of takoyaki, daintily holding it out for him to eat from her hand. Sometimes people need a gentle hint. ]

Why would you ever think that? [ She wiggles the takoyaki a bit, encouraging him to take a bite. ] I never got that impression!

[eatsyourscience]

[Wow, this is awkward. He hesitates, then reaches and plucks the takoyaki out of her hand and pops it in his mouth. That seems like a good compromise him.

He swallows and smiles at her.]

Thank you.

[He glances around at the remaining food. It's still a lot.]

You've definitely given yourself a challenge here.

[Though she seems to be doing just fine swallowing everything put in front of her.]

[255000255000255]

[ Her brow furrows for just a second, but she'll choose to believe he just had some momentary back pain that kept him from leaning forward to brush against her fingertips with his lips.

So, she smiles back, unceremoniously dropping the takoyaki she was about to feed him. Maybe he's bored of them! ]

You're welcome!

[ She studies her pile of food, wondering what else might be Japanese enough. God, she wishes she had something easy like ramen or sushi. ]

Oh, uh, I just wanted to try lots of new things! Anyway, what's your favorite food? [ Then maybe she can go searching for it. Or maybe it's on the table already? She watches him closely. ]

[eatsyourscience]

My favorite food in general? Or my favorite food on the table?

[He smiles, looking over the table.]

I'm not really picky--I like most foods.

[Super specific!]

But I especially like beef bowls.

[255000255000255]

[ She narrows her eyes, smirking. He's good. Almost too good.

Then her face falls. ]

Oh...I don't think I saw any of those around.

[ A pause. ]

Are those, uh, just big bowls of meat and nothing else? Wouldn't that get boring after a while?

[eatsyourscience]

It's marinated meat over rice. It's simple, but it's really good.

[He smiles at her.]

But it's not all I eat. Like I said, I like most things.

[He really hopes she's not going to offer to cook for him. All of his experiences with girls cooking for him have been awful.]

[255000255000255]

[ Thankfully for him, the thought of cooking never crosses her mind. Instead, she's thinking of all the things she figures she should know, but doesn't. Monika stares down at the table, pensive.

She fidgets with a french fry, swallowing hard. ]

What's...what's Japan like? Um, for you.

[eatsyourscience]

[He takes a moment to consider how to answer. He doesn't want to give a copout or be too vague.]

It depends on where you are. Where I've been living, it's quiet and it seems like there's a lot of time. I was able to do after school activities and my friends and I did all kinds of things together. We went to a festival, we stayed at a hot springs inn, we went skiing...


It's different in the city, but not in a bad way. There are other kinds of things to do there and a lot more people.

[255000255000255]

That sounds nice.

[ She'd been smiling, but it fades as she lowers her head once more. She feels like she's reaching out for something that's always just barely out of her reach. All of what he's said sounds so familiar, but...so not.

The hazy forms in her mind laugh quietly, knowing they'll never be clear or tangible. ]

I formed a club.

[ Monika blinks, not meaning to say anything, but it's out there. Probably because she wanted to feel connected to him somehow, feel more like she's real. So she continues. ]

A--A literature club. I was the president and everything. Have you met Sayori? She was vice president! We were about to have our festival, before we left.

[eatsyourscience]

[He shook his head.]

I haven't met her. But it sounds like you worked hard. My clubs didn't do anything specific for our festival. It was each class that organized stuff instead.

[He makes a face.]

We ran an unsuccessful date cafe.

[He's a little embarrassed that it was his friend who suggested it.]

[255000255000255]

[ There's quite the pause as Monika tries to wrap her head around that. ]

So people...came in and would go on dates with your class? And would drink coffee?

[ Another long pause. ]

Well, um. It definitely sounds...unique? Ahaha.

[eatsyourscience]

Unique is a kind way to put it.

[Seriously, Yousuke has the worst ideas when left unsupervised.]

What was your club going to do for the festival?

[255000255000255]

[ She blinks. She wasn't expecting him to want to know! ] O-Oh, um.

[ Pressing her lips together, she glances away, thinking. It's getting a bit hard to keep all the details together, since they kept changing so often... ]

We kinda did things a little last minute, but we wanted to have a cozy place for people to come in and appreciate literature. Or mostly poetry, I guess, ahaha. All five--four?--five of us were going to perform a poem for anyone that came. And one of my members made cupcakes, since she's really good at baking and...

[ She trails off. Is she actually remembering this fondly? ]

Um, like I said, though. It never happened. I wish it could've, since we worked so hard on it. Guess it wasn't in the cards.

[ And that's surely not her fault. ]

[eatsyourscience]

[Four or five? The fact that she's not sure--of that or the rest--makes him wonder...]

Maybe when you get back home?

[255000255000255]

[ Monika laughs quietly, shaking her head. ] No, I don't think so. Things were just a bit past the point of no return before I left!

[ Also something that is surely not her fault. ]

But it's okay. At least I still have the good memories. Those actually feel real sometimes, which is nice.

[eatsyourscience]

[He considers her response.]

I feel like I don't know that much about you.

[He's curious, but he also thinks maybe she needs someone to talk to about things in general.]

What was home like for you? What was your school like?

[255000255000255]

[ Monika licks her lips. They feel dry all of a sudden.

She looks around at their surroundings. She completely trusts Souji, but others...not so much. When she feels like it's safe to talk, she takes a deep breath and returns her gaze to him. ]

Have you ever had a dream where you feel this insane desire to get somewhere, or maybe save someone, I don't know. You just have this strong need to want to move. But no matter what you do, your body feels like it's made of lead. If you move, it's not far. And you feel like you'll never get to where you want to be. Still, though, you keep trying and hoping.

[ Her voice lowers further. ] That's...that's what my memories are like. Sometimes I reach one, but most of the time I don't. The only things truly clear to me are the last few days before I came here. Everything else... [ She sighs. ] It's either insanely vague or out of reach. I know who I am, and I know parts of who I used to be, but...

[ She forces a smile onto her face. ] It is what it is, I suppose. I try not to think about it too much. Oh and, I'd really appreciate it if you kept this only between us~

[eatsyourscience]

[He takes in what she's saying, comparing it to things she's said before. It seems consistent and he has no reason not to believe her.]

Is it enough for you?

[She says "it is what it is," but that doesn't mean she has to be okay with it. He would understand if she weren't.]

[255000255000255]

[ She's quiet for a long time. It seems like she's not going to answer at first. ]

I...don't know.

I just... [ She lets out a sad laugh. ] I just want to find the things that make me feel whole. It's hard to do when it feels like a piece of me is always missing, but...I'm going to keep trying.

[eatsyourscience]

I believe in you. [He offers a small smile.] I know that's not a lot, but I'll do what I can to support you.