The Black Rose Festival (Open)

[Reberu Shi]

"Nothing like a place like the land of death to warm up an assassins heart" Reberu muttered as he moved through the crowds at the festival making sure that none of them got their grubby hands near any of his weaponry or equipment, although in Guasto they were more likely to but a blade between his ribs than take his own weapon. A number of what Reberu would call 'Colourful' characters were drifting through the crowds also but none of them interested him, it was the man he was tailing.

The man was relativley portly and seemed to have let himself go over the years, he could possibly have been in good shape once but that will have been many a moons ago. Stalking the man as he moved through the festival he waited until he turned into a shadowed area "Just like Faisal promised" he muttered following the man to observe his shady dealings.

The man was obsessed with antiques, so far to the extent that he was willing to buy them off of theives on the black markets, but Reberu didn't care about this he simply wanted his own money. He picked up speed and approached the man head on "Excuse me sir..." he muttered pulling his Ninjato from his back, they were fairly secluded in shadow but if anyone noticed him Reberu would have to flee as soon as his job was done.

[Andy Jammer]

"Hey Jas why are you so..." he stopped mid-sentence and traced her line of vision, narrowing it down on a blue haired individual that was making his way here. In which he clenched his fists and yelled. "Why are YOU here?!"

[Grim Dagger]

Grim looked back at Andy and smiled, "I should be asking you the same thing, that's my girlfriend over there." Grim said motioning over to Jasmine, "So you may want to back off before my friend and I here get angry."

[glitters]

Okay, so apparently he hadn't forgotten. This could get bad, and quick. What was she going to do, she'd openly said no only...well, always. Aside from when she hit him in the head, it was like he was living in some fantasy of his own.

Hmm...it could be horrible to do, but...

"Hmph. Not anymore, I'm not," Jasmine spat at Grim, crossing her arms, "so maybe it's you who should back away from him."

[Kaku Rokkakyu]

Caramel had a rather short attention, and although she was enjoying her visit with Anabelle, she looked around and spotted Aya by his lonesone. "Please excuse me a moment." She said. "I'd like to say hello to a friend of mine." She would be back, she simply wanted to say hello first. In the same manner she snuck up behind Jasmine, Caramel Leapt onto Aya's back from behind, grinning. "AYALAN~" She said in a rather sing-song tone. "Don't look so glum~ It's a festival~"

Gouji jumped at this spectacle between Jasmine and these two humans. He began to back away, when suddenly he cringed, and held his chest with a grunt. Oh no... Not now! Always at the worst of times! Swirls of reddish grey smoke swirled around him. His hair and fur became black, sharp pointy fangs and long black claws sprouted from nowhere, and two large black feathery wings with crimson tips sprouted from his back and ripped through his shirt. Once the transformation was complete, this new being grinned, his red eyes only spelled trouble. He walked over and put an arm around Jasmine. "So, tell me what have I missed?" He grinned.

Kaku laughed a little, mostly just to be polite. "I'm afraid I'm not hungry as it is regardless." He was highly suspicious of new people, but he was more than willing to make conversation.
He normally wasn't a drinker, but this was a new acquaintance, and he was a visitor to this land. He decided to play it safe as though not to be rude on such a friendly gesture. He ordered a drink, and stroked his chin in an inquisitive manner as he listened to Siegmand speak. "The name Profeta has crossed my ears, but I'm afraid I know not much else about her... Do tell me more about such chosen beings." He said. "As for the Sumata, I know but a breif description, and that last name you've mentioned...This is the first I've heard of it." He answered. "I'm afraid I'm not at all educated on the kingdom of Allorum, however I am curious to know what this is about."This conversation was only beginning to get interesting.

[alexanderthegreat]

And then once Jess laid off the crack, she became too lazy to go back and edit her post so that it actually made sense.

So instead she's just going to pretend it worked, Alexander dug the staff into the ground, "hmphed" at Zeke and then kicked epic ass at the booth game, scoring himself a painting.

Except for when he was rewarded with it, he took a good look at it and raised an eyebrow. It was a beautiful scene, the colours were blended in expertly; it was almost a shame that it had to be one in a simple game like this.

He glanced at Zeke then as he said in the most over-the-top arrogant voice he could muster, "Ugh, this thing is so ugly, it looked better from afar. I could pay to have someone do a real job...what are you looking at, man? You want it? You and it certainly share the same value, it's like you were made for each other."

He hoped his insults weren't sounding too real, he didn't actually want to upset the guy.

[vincent]

Vincent wandered around the festival, taking in not a whole ton of anything aside from some of the local drinks the place produced. He was in the middle of finishing his third when he spotted Annabelle and a talking cat...weird. He smiled as he approached both of them.

"Hey, Mom, how are you enjoying the festival?" he spoke to Annabelle, as he did so he started digging in his pocket. He nearly forgot he had something for her.

[lana]

After returning from disappearing off of the face of the planet for however many months, Lana finally showed her face. In her hand, very much like Vincent, was a drink that she gulped back despite its high alcohol content. She shook pleasantly as the drink made its way into her system and she began to prance around the fair grounds in search of some hell to raise.

So far, she'd found a game booth that required you to throw a couple of heavy balls into a stack of glass bottles. Lana grinned maliciously as she approached the booth and threw down some coinage, taking the balls into her hands. Winding up and throwing the first as hard as she could, it ricocheted off of the wall and hit the booth's owner in the cheek. The second she threw at the glass bottles, hitting them but for some reason they never toppled.

Now assuming the game was officially rigged Lana got angry. Luckily the tables holding the bottles up were only three-legged. Grinning wider Lana wound up her very last throw and smashed her final ball into one of the three legs, taking the entire display down. She held out her hand proudly.

"I believe I win a prize," she announced. The game booth owner glared at her.

"You cheated!"

"I did not! You cheated! Don't make me climb over there!" Lana yelled, both people starting a heated argument over the matter.

[annabelle]

Annabelle smiled at Caramel, speaking again just before she ran off to attack Aya.

"For a strange creature such as yourself, I can say I already like you. So curious, so open-minded. Too bad our families aren't anything like that."

She whirled around as Vincent addressed her. Smiling, she gave a polite nod to him as she then said, "the festival does me very good, as it does your daughter. By the way, have you seen cultures like these? They appear to be very friendly."

Annabelle motioned to Caramel.

[Aya Dauzi Invargas]

Ayalan sighed at Mark. "I hate these times. Festivals are just areas to show who is stronger and who is weaker. It's no better than a popularity cont-"

His deep insight on the meaning of festivals, broken by Caramel's pounce as he almost fell forward, looking up with a half grimace..."Oh...why.." His teeth were clenched..holding back any sort of malice that anyone else who did this action this may have appropriated.."Hello. Caramel." He sighed and carried her, only because if he didn't, he may get a claw in his shoulder for letting her go.

He sighed and turned around, looking at Mark. Clearly, Aya didn't want to be here.

[Yeligar Maelstrom]

"Yes!" Yeligar said as he won a rose. He was the first person to beat the muscular guy in arm wrestling, and he of course won the rose. He looked at it as he walked as he looked at the rose. "Finally, I will a-OOF!" He then ran into Vincent. "Oh, Hey Vincent." He said to him.

[vincent]

"I...no, no I haven't seen any of their kind before," Vincent answered Annabelle, staring at Caramel from afar. While he was lost watching her Yeligar had bumped into him. Glancing over he smiled and gave Yeligar a nod.

"A little distracted, sir? It's good to see you," Vincent greeted Yeligar.

[Yeligar Maelstrom]

"Yea, I won a rose!" He said as he showed it to Vincent, "Took me a while but I finally did it."

[vincent]

Vincent looked at the rose, his eyes widening a little as he examined it.

"Oh yeah, that's right. This festival...this is that one where you can win the flowers that let you speak to the dead, right?" as he spoke his voice almost rose in enthusiasm. He was fortunate enough of a man to never have had to deal with too much personal death in his life. His brother-in-law was dead, however his immediate family in Ignis was all still alive. The only person close to him he'd ever lost was his wife.

What was the last thing she'd even said to him? "Don't die again" he was sure. He told her he loved her and away he left, only to be found by Jasmine nearly a month later to be told Hala was murdered.

Some days it was still hard to get over the fact that she was never going to be there again. However, lucky to be at this festival today and reminded of the roses gave him a newfound determination as he smiled at Yeligar.

"I gotta go get me one of those as well," he said, "if it means I can talk to my wife again, I'd love to. Where do they have the contests set up?"

[Mark Angelus Fri]

Mark: I too hate this place, well mostly the idea of this party. *Mark said slipping the rose safely into the small pack on his side.* Our enemies gather around us, laughing, dancing, and by the end of the day we'll be back to fighting again. I'm a soldier so I don't want to have a social gathering with my enemy for it develops sympathy for them and that's the last thing you want on a battlefield. *He paused a moment and decided he would hold back his own ideals for later.* Of course we all have our own views of this place, I'm just here to make sure the Sumata don't try anything.