Skylar Jones stood on the side walk, leaning on a fence. She wore a red kimono, probably the most feminine outfit she owned. She was waiting for a friend of hers, Reiko Maizono. She'd heard of a festival in this area, and wanted to attend. Thing was, Skylar was very much a foreigner. She was a stranger to most of Japanese culture, and would certainly get lost in a place like that.
Reiko, on the other hand, was a native, and definitely seemed like she'd be able to show Sky around. The brunette leaned on a wooden fence near where the festival was being held, fidgeting with her pocket knife. Many passersby kept their distance, thinking her to be a dangerous criminal, not that she minded all that much. Skylar
Last edited by Deskfan45 on Sun Sep 19, 2021 10:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
One of the nicer points of Reiko's family business was that putting on traditional clothes was rather easy for her. Granted, she was just in a basic yukata, and it was attire she wore almost every day given her own pension for only wearing traditional attire, but this was one of those few days it was appropriate. A festival was going on today, a fair to squeeze out the last bits of summer before autumn set in. And while usual Reiko would likely be tending to a shop or stand for the family today she was free to enjoy the fair for a bit. And she even got to spend it with a friend.
Despite her hesitation, when Skylar offered to join her she decided to accept. Their match was over, and for as mixed as Reiko felt about she couldn't call herself much of a competitive martial artist if she held grudges past the arena. No, that conversation could happen with someone else. For now, all Reiko had to focus on was a fun time out, eat a bunch sweets, and enjoy the day with Skylar who was-
Holding with a knife.
... ... ...
Right outside the fair grounds.
... ... ...
And several people steering clear of her as a result.
"... ..." Reiko's face maintain a neutral expression, take a breath. "Put that away." She called out, her hand quickly grabbing Skylar's wrist. "You'll get in trouble if security sees you with that."
Skylar looked up at the sky, flipping her knife opened and closed. The evening sky presented a beautiful orange sunset, the area around slowly growing darker. She heard Reiko's voice, and felt her arm grabbed. "Alright, alright." Sky chuckled, stuffing her knife into her sleeve. She smiled at Reiko. "How've you been?" She asked. The two hadn't seen each other since they'd faced off in the ring, which... seemed like a topic best avoided for now. "I've been makin' a come back at LAW. Got like seven wins in a row!" She bragged.
After talking to Reiko a little bit, the brunette started walking toward the fair grounds. People dressed in traditional Japanese garb were scattered across the fair grounds, carnival games and places to buy food lined up in the streets. "Never been to one of these things before. Sounded fun."
Reiko let out a sigh. Honestly... are all Americans like this? A lecture on the tip of her tongue, but she resisted. Skylar at least put away the knife like she asked, there was no point in trying to explain things further. She already knew how stubborn this woman could be about things. Though as for her question...
"I've been fine." She said. "Finally finished my new outfit for the next few matches." Unlike Skylar, her recent record wasn't as impressive. The opponents she fought were decent, but... well, punching past that experience gap was a tough thing, and discussing it on her end would only discourage her and bring down the mood. And thankfully Skylar moved topics.
"Oh? Well, a Matsuri's a pretty fun time. A buncha' games, a lotta' food, stuff like that. Uh... I think the American version would be a... [Coun-ty Fair]? Is that how you say it?" Reiko said. "Anyway, wait here a sec." She made her way to a cotton candy stall. "Mako-chan, two cotton candies!"
"Oh, here you go Rei-chan," The young attendant handed Reiko to sticks of the fluffy treat, and Reiko gave her a few coins in turn. One of the nicer things about this festival is that Reiko had plenty of connections within it. Maizono Textiles had been rather busy with filling yukata commissions for the festival, which meant Reiko had quite a bit of spending money for it, plus an unspoken discount thanks to her family helping out quite a few of the stall owners with their outfits.
"Here," She handed Skylar a stick, a cheeky smile on her face. "I'll be your guide of all things cool and Japanese! Lemme' show you all the best games and trinkets."
"Yeah, you're pronouncing it right." Sky confirmed. It was certainly an apt comparison, though state fairs had a lot more rides, while Sky couldn't quite spot any here. "Oh, thanks!" She smiled, being given a stick of cotton candy, which she quickly took a bite out of. It was always so strange how cotton candy didn't look edible, but once it was in someone's mouth, it tasted like any other candy.
The brawler swallowed, hearing Reiko offer to be her guide. "Heh, lead the way!" She grinned.
"Right!" Reiko grinned, puffing out her chest as her friend ate her treat. This was going to be a breeze. Reiko was already use to doing basic tourism thanks to her work at the shop, guiding her friend around and showing her the best stalls and booths would be little issue.
And so, she walked through the street with onfidence and pride, several attendants and stall owners greeting Reiko by name and even making idle chatter with her as the two passed the stalls. Let's see... Best to start with one of the games first. Stuffing themselves silly with food so soon might kill the later festivities. So...
"Alright!" She stopped at a stand, one that had a wide tank full of goldfish and thin paper nets. "So, this is a goldfish catching game." She explained, gesturing to the stall and nets. "All you have to do is catch the goldfish with the paper net. It's kinda' hard, but it's fun." She gave the attendant a few coins, handing a net to Skylar. "Wanna' try?"
Skylar ate her treat and followed Reiko, who was greeted friendlily by many passersby. She seemed to be friends with just about everyone around. Skylar, on the other hand, got dirty looks from a good half of the people she passed by. One woman even flipped her off. Whatever their gesture, the only reaction they got out of Skylar was a smug smirk. A lot of people hated her, and Sky'd given good reason. Many of them were the girlfriends of Skylar's friends with benefits. Others were people who's tires were slashed for being dicks. She passed by a couple. Upon making eye contact, the man flushed red, looking away, while the woman shot a look that could kill. Sky stuck her tongue out.
Sky finished her cotton candy, tossing it into a trash can as Reiko explained the Goldfish catching game. Sounded simple enough, couldn't be too hard. "Eh, why not." She smiled. A pet goldfish did sound fun. She got on her knees, taking a net, with which she dove into the tank.
5 MINUTES LATER...
"FUCKIN' HORSE SHIT!" Skylar cursed. The game had been a lot harder than it looked, but for the sake of her pride, she was determined not to leave empty-handed. She'd likely made about one-hundred attempts by now. "STUPID FUCKING FISH! GET IN GOD DAMMIT!" She grumbled.
ANOTHER 5 MINUTES LATER...
"Ah, fuckin' finally!" Sky cheered, finally managing to catch a fish. She poured it into a plastic bag, and watched it swim around with a smile, before reality set in. She couldn't take care of a fish. Hell, she could barely take care of herself. She thought of her cheap Shibuya apartment, infested with roaches, smelling of cigarettes, dirty laundry covering the floor. She was no where near responsible enough to take care of something so delicate! Right as the brawler was about to pour the fish back into the tank, she saw a little girl, struggling to catch a fish. The poor nine-year old swished her net around the tank, but couldn't pick up a single thing. It seemed the poor little girl was about to cry. Sky looked at her fish, then back at the girl. "Ey, kiddo." She asked. "Wanna take mine? I'm too dumb to take care of him." She joked, offering the girl her fish. The girl's eyes lit up, and she hugged Skylar tightly, before taking the bag and going back to her mother. With that, Sky rose back to her feet, and faced Reiko. "Well, that was somethin'..."
Last edited by Deskfan45 on Fri Sep 24, 2021 9:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Well... Reiko couldn't say she was surprised at Skylar's outburst, but it definitely didn't mean the effect of it wasn't drawing eyes. And all things considered it was quite the sight, seeing the woman lose it while playing such a childish game. It felt very... Skylar. Even if it drew every damn eye on the two. Still, after nearly ten minutes of failed attempts and long string of curses, Skylar accomplished her goal and got a goldfish for her trouble... which she gave away to another struggling festival-goer. The sight had Reiko relieve.
"Wow, I'm surprised you have a heart." As sarcastic as her words were, the smile Reiko had was genuine. "Also surprised you kept at it." Or more accurately surprised Skylar didn't punch the stall attendant after a while. Still, best not to bring that up and give the woman ideas.
Skylar snickered at her friend's joke, giving Reiko a playful nudge. "Ay, just cause I've broken more than a few bones doesn't make me a monster!" She joked, before placing her hands behind her head, and walking, letting Reiko lead the way. The sky grew darker, the beautiful orange sunset fading into the darkness of night, the festival soon only being illuminated by lanterns. The chatter of passersby was accompanied by crickets chirping as the two girls made their way through the crowd.
Reiko forced a smile, rolling her eyes. Yeah, not gonna' comment on that one. Admittedly a snider thought than needed, but she felt it was apt given everything before this night. Now... what to do? Reiko's eyes looked over the festival stands. There were plenty of places to get food, but Reiko didn't want to stuff herself silly. She was tempted to play another game, but she also didn't want another series of yelling fits from her friend. Plus, festivals like these were more popular for the souvenirs and food than the games. Aside from being with friends and socializing, not much to enjoy about a festival when you break it down like Reiko usually did. Ugh... this'll be tough.
"Hm?" Amano's eyes flicked over to a stage to the side, a bunch of girls in dolled up kimono gathering on it. It was... interesting, to say the least. Reiko even recognized the designs a little. Wait... I think we actually did a few of those kimono. Color Reiko interested. She tugged at Skylar's sleeve, point to the stage.
