smash_logs | [Open Log] Spring is floating in the air

[Open Log] Spring is floating in the air

Who: You!
What: Cherry Blossom Festival
When: April 4th - 11th
Where: All over town & campus. Wherever you find a cherry tree.
Rating: Who knows how across the board this'll be <8|

Pink is everywhere. No matter where you look, you're sure to see the signs of soft pink and white blossoms. There's a fresh spark of life filling the air and just beckoning for everyone to come outside and enjoy the sweet scents of spring. Well, except for you, people with springtime allergies. They just want to make you miserable. But for everyone else, it was a wonderful amazing time to be had.

There are wonderful spots for picnicking! Frolic inducing atmosphere and the space to do it! Every so often you will see vendors selling treats for the event! Cosplayers taking advantage of their natural environments for photo ops! Hot date spots! Blossoms! Sparkles! Everywhere! Even when it rains. Even when things might not be as sweet as they might appear. . .

This log is completely open! You can do whatever you'd like with whomever you'd like whenever you'd like. Just start up a thread and go!

Have fun! Don't forget to add your character to the tags! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not being one for social gatherings and the like, Chiyo was content with watching the events from a distance. In order to avoid standing out from other people, she chose to be in human form instead of being in Pokemon form.

Her purpose for being out was to simply enjoy the scenery of blossoming cherry trees in peace, as she has never had the pleasure of seeing them before. Thus, she took her time to really enjoy the sights. However, she would occasionally wonder what it would be like to play at the booths and eat some of the food at the festival. Even the yukata some girls were wearing looked awfully pretty....

But alas, Chiyo could only look on with envy from time to time. She could never work up the nerve to join in on her own....

A little persuasion or company wouldn't hurt, though (as long as it doesn't scare her).

Taking a break from the festivities, Cress wandered over to the fringe of the bustling locale, finding appeal in the solace of tempered voices, birdsong and a flurry of petals sweeping through. There were fewer people here, and one of them happened to be Chiyo.

He spent some time by himself for a while, observing the happenings with an appreciative tranquility. The girl with blue hair and finlike... hair accessories? or perhaps real fins- had been standing there for some time, and he noticed that she seemed to be longing for something. Her eyes frequently searched the festival but she never made a move to go toward it. Growing increasingly intrigued by this behavior, Cress made up his mind to approach her, quietly sidling in from behind to be at her side.

"It seems very lively today, doesn't it?" he started, gazing out at the sights before them.

Completely caught off guard, Chiyo stifled a cry and nearly jumped away from Cress.

Wha... talk about surprises. Her heart was thumping at high-speed as she stiffly turned towards him, alarm clear in her eyes. She stared at his face for a few moments, her tail and ears twitching nervously, before realizing what he had just asked and that she was, in fact, quite rudely and blatantly staring at a stranger.

"Ah..." An apologetic look crossed her face in response to her reaction and behavior, and her cheeks reddened bashfully. "Yes. It is very lively. Wonderfully so...."

She took brief, timid glances at him, before averting her eyes away. Though she wanted to be as polite as she could with good posture, she couldn't help but to fidget and feel the need to shrink away. She didn't have many physical interactions as a human yet, or well, at all.

My... how shy she was! Cress felt bad for startling her into jumping and fidgeting like that. He hadn't meant it and couldn't predict such a reaction, so her shock in turn roped him to feel a twinge of fright as well, the kind you feel when a balloon pops unexpectedly next to you.

"I beg your pardon for sneaking up on you like that," he apologized, folding his hands together and bringing them close to his body. "I should have made myself known before I spoke." Although part of him had done it on purpose for effect...

Chiyo shook her head quickly at his apology, assuring him that it wasn't his fault. Frankly, she was more used to being the one to apologize, not being apologized to, so she felt strange listening to Cress.

"N-No... it's okay. I'm sorry for reacting as strongly as I did...." she glanced away worriedly. "I'm just... easily startled by nature...."

She paused, sneaking a peek at his features, and found herself drawn to his blue hair. Vaguely, she wondered if he would be similar to her and Kyogre in that he was some humanization of a water Pokemon, or at least someone with water attributes. But before pondering on that further, she felt the need to introduce herself. Introductions are very important when meeting someone, right?

"Um... My name is Chiyo. May I ask you for yours...?"

"Of course you may! My name is Cress. It's a pleasure meeting you here, Chiyo," he replied with a quaint little gentleman's bow. When he rose again, he was smiling at her more assuredly, pleased that they had retained foothold on the shaky social ground they'd started on.

"I couldn't help but notice you've been standing here for a while," he added. "Are you waiting for someone, by any chance?"

To match his gentleman's bow, Chiyo curtsied and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, too. I'm really sorry again for earlier."

She gave him a small smile and was surprised to hear that he had taken notice of her for a while now. Did it seem like she was waiting for someone? Maybe. She didn't really know herself whether or not she was hoping for someone to approach her, but apparently someone did. And he didn't seem to be a bad person so far. He did introduce himself like a gentlemen after all!

"Ah, no... I'm not waiting for anyone in particular," she said softly, but seeing some people she knew would've been nice. She didn't know where they were at the moment, though. "Are you meeting someone out here soon?"

"No, not at this moment," he replied. Then, an idea struck him, and he snapped his fingers. "How about this? If it would appeal to you, why don't we enjoy the festivities together? That way, neither of us will have to spend time alone."

"R-Really?" The invitation caught her by surprise, but in a good way, and she couldn't stop the small smile that worked its way to her features. The festival looked like so much fun, but she didn't have the courage to join it alone. And Cress seemed like a genuinely nice person, so why not? Excitement began to bubble up within her. "I'd really love to. It's okay, right? For me to accompany you?"

She really hoped so as she knew she'd regret missing this chance to join the festival.

"Of course!" he replied with verve. "There's no time to waste. Let's go!"

And with that, he began to leave, making sure she was on the same page as well. He was sure he knew what she must be by now, and the thought thrilled him, as did the notion that he could accompany her. He was determined to ensure that she had a good time, and her excitement was refreshing.

"Have you been to it yet?" he asked as they headed toward the crowd of kiosks and people.

"No. This will be my first time," she replied with a shake of her head. As they neared the festival grounds, Chiyo grew both excited and nervous. The amount of people present had her feeling uneasy, but she tried to swallow her anxiety and not let it bother her. Normally, she wouldn't get too close to people, but seeing as it was unavoidable, she edged closer to Cress. In her mind, if she had to be close to someone, she'd rather be close to someone she knew. It also gave her some comfort in this situation and she hope she wouldn't get separated from him. She'd break down if she suddenly got lost alone.

"Um, h-have you been to these kinds of festivals before?" she asked as she followed closely behind him.

"Yes. In fact, I have just been," he said. Swarms of people must put her on needles, he induced as he noticed her change in behavior yet again out the corner of his eye as they neared the bustle. He would need to be highly conscientious of how she was faring out here. "I was only passing today, so I did not get the opportunity to do much beyond sightseeing."

Passing through a gap between booths, they were officially in festival territory. Colorful signs and lanterns advertised all varieties of games, activities, and food typical to that of a Japanese festival, and the mixture of smells and sounds were equally diverse. Cress stopped before they ventured into the thoroughfare so they could gather their thoughts. With that, he faced her and smiled. "There is much to do, so please feel free to speak up if something catches your eye."

"O-Okay...." Chiyo murmured, already mesmerized by the sights surrounding her. The festival looked so great from afar, but up-close it was even greater than she had imagined. There were so many things, so many options, that she didn't know where to start from. She was still fidgety when people passed by her, which made her instinctively move out of their way as best she could, but as it seemed that they weren't particularly paying any attention to her, she felt that she may just be able to survive this escapade through the stalls.

"Um... is there anything you..." Chiyo began, but trailed off as the sight of someone holding up the most peculiar fluff of pink passed by her. What was that? It smelled... it smelled really sweet. Her eyes widened when the stranger took a bite out of the pinkish cloud and her heart hastened with excitement.

"That," she said in awe and curiosity while pointing a finger at it, "Is that a treat? What is that?"

"That would be cotton candy!" he informed. "It's a remarkably sweet and airy snack, and you'll find that popular at festivals like these." Glancing around, he made a prompt search for pastel-colored fluffballs hanging around at a stand and, to his pleasure, located one a short jaunt away. Perfect!

"I think it would be best if you tried it for yourself. What do you say?" He beckoned her to follow him in the direction he began drifting toward: the cotton candy promised land.

Eyes bright, mouth in an ever growing smile, Chiyo nodded vigorously at the prospect of being able to eat one of those delightful little pink clouds. A lot of restraint had to be taken on her part to avoid running ahead of Cress to the promised land. She didn't want to leave him behind so she quickly walked alongside him, giddy and enthusiastic as a small child.

Just to satisfy her eagerness to reach their destination, Cress kept his pace brisk as they made their quick journey. In no time, they arrived, and luckily for them, there wasn't much of a line. While they were waiting for that one customer to finish up, Cress asked, "Do you like blue or pink?"

"T-They have different colors?" she asked animated and surprised. She looked at the booth and, indeed, there were two different colors of the cotton candy goodness. Oh, but, she really loved both colors, so it was a difficult decision to make. As she racked her brain over a color to choose, her eyes wandered over to the cherry blossoms aligning the festival. Its delicate pink hue made the decision for her, and to commemorate their blooming blossoms, she felt it was appropriate to choose their color.

"I'd like to have pink, please," she said politely and cheerfully. Her prior anxiety disappeared, easily chased away from thoughts of candy. She hadn't had any sweets since Valentine's Day, so she was eagerly looking forward to this treat.

"Pink it is!" And with that, Cress turned to the counter and asked for cotton candy, and to make it pink, if they would please. He paid for the treat and thanked the vendor.

The Pokemon trainer turned back around to present Chiyo with the puffy sugar cloud she had been eyeing previously. He watched her face with anticipation because the extra shine in her eyes was something he was looking forward to seeing.

And shine they did.

"Wah! T-Thank you!" She hadn't expected him to pay for it (having forgotten that such things required money) and was deeply touched by his generosity. With care, she took the treat from him, being so gentle in handling it as if she feared it might disappear if jostled wrongly. Her eyes sparkled in admiration of the spun sugar, as it looked grander and more fantastic than it did from afar. Happily, but shyly, she looked Cress in the eyes.

"Truly, thank you! I'll be sure to pay you back one day," she said with a chime. Then, slowly, she took a bite, allowed the flavors to sink in... and squealed in delight. "Oh! How delicious!"

She marveled at how the airy candy floss melted so sweetly in her mouth and held it out to Cress for him to try.

"Would you like to try some? It's really wonderful." She would be sure to enjoy it slowly so that it would last for as long as possible.

Edited 2013-04-26 16:40 (UTC)

Everything panned out far better than he expected. Watching her burst of pure joy at such a small favor set his heart on high and melted it into a puddle. To be responsible for making her feel this way... There was no way he could not smile back at her.

"You're giving it such a good review, I'm afraid Cress would be foolish to pass up your offer." He pinched a smidgen of the candy floss off with a sweep of his finger and pressed it into his mouth, where he nodded in agreement and said, "Oh, it really is splendid. No wonder you look so happy."

Delighted to have been able to share her little fluff of happiness, Chiyo smiled and nodded. It truly was one of the most splendid things she had ever tasted. Merrily, she took another bite and nearly giggled out of glee.

"Is there anything you would like to do next?" she asked, fully ready indulge in any activities he may choose to do.

Cress rose a finger to his lips, taking a pondering stance. "Well... since we just got a bite to eat, I suppose the next thing we should try is a game or two." He thought back on some of the ones that caught his eye as he drifted through earlier. "Hmm... What do you think of goldfish scooping? It's a game where you're given a delicate net to try and catch a fish with, and if you're successful, you get to keep the fish as a pet."

"Goldfish scooping?" Chiyo found the name strange and the game a curious thing to do. And being unable to picture what the game would be like, she found herself more drawn to the idea of playing it.

"Okay," she agreed with a smile, "I've never heard of it before, but I'd like to try."

She moved to stand beside Cress, ready to follow his lead.

"Have you ever played it before?"

"Yes, I have. It's more difficult than it seems at first, because the net is paper thin and will dissolve if you keep it submerged in the water for too long," he replied as they walked toward where he remembered the stand to be. "That, and fish are quick swimmers, as I'm sure you know."

Chiyo smiled and nodded. "Yes, they certainly are." And if she wasn't of a modest type, she would've commented that she was quicker than most fish, too. In Pokemon form, of course.

Spotting the stand, she curiously approached it and knelt down by the little pool hosting the fish.

"Hello, everyone," she greeted the fish cheerfully and her ears twitched, signifying that she could hear something that others normally could not. "I hope you're having a nice day."

We are. The cherry blossoms are really pretty, aren't they?

"They truly are," she said to the small fish swimming around in front of her. They seemed to linger towards her and she glanced at them lovingly as she continued conversing with them briefly. She then turned to Cress and looked at him sheepishly. "They say that though it's a bit scary getting scooped up, they're excited to see their new homes and meet their new owners."

She briefly wondered if they could tolerate the water of Kraken Lake. That way, she could swim alongside with them if she brought them back with her.

[Open Log] Spring is floating in the air

Chiyo - Any Day, Any Time

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