Shining In The Sky ★

[starfishlovesyou]

Who: You! Everyone!
What: The Starfish Festival
When: April 14th, all day
Where: All around the plaza
Summary: It's finally here, an entire day dedicated to celebrating the starfish and spending time with friends. Have fun!
Rating: ★ Please accept this!
After months of planning and roping in poor, innocent people to help out with some of the work it's finally done. An actual festival, all for the starfish.

The morning of the 14th mostly consists of people arriving, the stalls being brought in and decorations being put up. It's all about the preparation! Most of the decorating consists of banners and streamers you might find at a school festival, all hung around doors and windows and between the buildings in the plaza. And star shaped pieces of card being stuck up here and there in places too. If the decorations don't tell you what's going on then the banners saying 'STARFISH FESTIVAL' certainly will.

Come midday the festival is in full swing. There's plenty of food at many of the stalls (either prepared by Fuuko and the other girls or brought in by other villagers) ranging from cake, ice cream and different kinds of sweet things, to starfish tea, sandwiches, all sorts of festival fare. There are a few games set up too where it's possible to win starfish related prizes like pins, badges and even plush toys and some stalls are even giving out wind chimes. Finally there's also a little entertainment provided with music being played in the background throughout most of the festival. (You should totally go listen to Kotomi giving her very own violin recital.)

By night time when most of the food is gone there will be a fireworks display to bring an end to the festival. Hopefully the Starfish Festival would be a day to remember!

(You didn't need to receive an invite in order to come, that was just the girl's attempt at getting word of the festival out there. The festival is open to anyone and everyone to come along and have a good time.)

Comments

[emp3thy]

[As he promised Fuuko, Minato spends the festival with his camera out, snapping pictures of the festivities. He's mostly trying for good candid shots, so for most of the day he will wander around, looking for good subject matter. If something is too good to risk missing, he may even stop to ask for a posed shot. He'll take pictures of nearly everyone, but people he knows well may end up shadowed for a while.

While roaming, he'll also try out the festival games, and of course, listen to the musicians (and probably wish that he hadn't.)]

[starfishlovesyou]

[Sup Minato, have an extremely happy and bouncy girl running towards you holding all sorts of starfish related things. She's been to every stall and picked up one of everything there is on offer so her hands are a little full.]

Photographer-saaan! [She'll attempt to flash him a thumbs up, only to drop a few things in process.]

[emp3thy]

[...oh Fuuko. It's your festival, shouldn't you have stockpiled things for yourself before it started? Minato puts his camera back in his bag and kneels to help her pick things up again.] Hey, Fuuko-san.

[starfishlovesyou]

[But then that wouldn't be fair on the other avid starfish collectors out there would it? Fuuko bends over to try and pick a few things up herself but ends up just standing there as Minato piles her collection back into her arms.]

Have you taken lots of great pictures? Fuuko is expecting only the best from the Starfish Festival's official photographer.

[emp3thy]

So far, yeah. [he finishes putting the last piece of starfish memorabilia on the top of the pile.] Do you want a bag...?

[starfishlovesyou]

Fuuko can manage like this! How could Fuuko leave any of these little guys in a bag when Fuuko is more than capable of holding them all close to Fuuko's heart like this?

[Just going to rub her cheek over her pile of starfish things. Today is the best day ever and everything is wonderful.]

Fuuko hopes you're having as much fun as Fuuko is today!

[emp3thy]

Definitely. [even if he wasn't he wouldn't tell Fuuko.]

.... But they probably don't want to be dropped.

[divinacommedia]

[Battler comes walking up to Minato, and he gives the guy a pat on the back, indicating he's just behind him.]

Yo! Minato-kun! I didn't know you were into photography.

[emp3thy]

[Minato turns, not looking very surprised at being greeted like that.]

It's a hobby... I told Fuuko-san I'd photograph the festival.

[divinacommedia]

A hobby huh? I've never been into anything like that... books are more my thing. Or mysteries I guess.

[OH FUUKO YOU SLY DOG.] And? Is it exciting to take some pics of starfish things? Ihihi!

[emp3thy]

[Battler liking to read is... both surprising, and not.]

It's more the people than the starfish.

[divinacommedia]

[He's a speed reader as well, surprisingly enough.]

Whoa! People...? Any good shots of girls~?

[emp3thy]

A few. [Battler you definitely have completely innocent intentions in asking that question, right? Minato knows these things.]

[etudes]

[ Hey, Minato, you sure heard her recital, right..? Because later during the afternoon Kotomi manages to spot him, looking quite happy about that fact, and then she patters over to him, still holding her violin. ]

Minato-kun, good day. [ a polite bow. ] Did you hear my violin playing earlier..?

[emp3thy]

Hey. [.......why is she still holding the violin...............]

...I did.

[etudes]

[ you know, just in case.. he wants to hear some more.. n_n ]

Did you enjoy it? [ she smiles. ] I made sure to try my very best..

[emp3thy]

Ah...

[> Lie.
> Tell the truth.
> Back away slowly....]

How long have you been learning to play?

[etudes]

Ever since I was a little kid. So.. it's been a while, hasn't it..

[emp3thy]

[.....it's been a while and she sounds like that.......]

Did you have a teacher?

[blessingone]

[So, does someone stumbling about with a little girl on her shoulders count as photogenic?

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Self-defence training and, well, just the rigours of childcare had strengthened her notably. She had learned she could pick up Sophie pretty handily when needs be. Surely she could handle a piggyback ride.

That was a mistake, she decides, as she wobbles through the crowd. It's not that she lacks the strength. But Sophie is too excited to respond to any suggestion to not rock the boat, or rather, not rock the her. She keeps pointing out directions and leaning towards things that look interesting, causing Fenimore's balance to upset. It isn't enough to threaten to knock her over, but it is enoughto make her look terribly undignified. She begins to fantasize about this being Sophie's first and last piggyback in public.

Sokka had made it look so easy.]

[emp3thy]

[It does. Don't worry though - he's definitely trying to catch a side of her that's less awkward and more cute.]

[blessingone]

[Well, she temporarily regains her balance and manages to just barely maintain it as Sophie points determinedly in yet another direction -- "Wanna eat that." -- and Fenimore laughs as she mock-protests:] We can't go everywhere at the same time.

[That might be about as un-awkward as it is liable to get.]

[emp3thy]

[Minato seems to be having a similar thought, and so at that moment he snaps two pictures in quick succession. Hopefully one will turn out well.]

[blessingone]

[It takes her a moment to notice the sound of the camera, but after the pictures are taken, she does turn and...oh gosh, that's a camera, isn't it? Did he take a picture while she was stumbling about? Slightly red-cheeked, she starts to march towards Minato, sticking up a finger in a lecturing position.]

What are you -- ow, ow, ow.... [She is derailed when Sophie, who wasn't expecting the sudden movement, grabs onto her twintails for balance.] Not the hair, Sophie....

[emp3thy]

[but that looks even cuter.]

I'm the festival photographer.