It’s a special time of year and the sword army is invited to come down from their citadels and celebrate. What? A summer festival, an offering to the gods, or perhaps a special ceremony of sorts. A normally quiet, rural village at the foot of the mountains will transform for the night with lanterns, fireworks, and music all around but first! Some preparations need to be done. Did you really think you would be invited down here without having to do some work? Prepare to dance, prepare to sing, prepare for a night of fun.
1. CEREMONY PRACTICE
At the citadel, a new chore has been added to the list: ceremonial practice! The swords selected to perform at the festival will have to practice their song and dance or else they'll risk embarrassment in front of the crowds. Or maybe this entire thing is embarrassing... either way, this is your duty! Saniwa's orders! Where and when is up to you but you better be ready.
2. SPECIAL CLOTHES
You can’t wear those same old clothes. They’re all torn and worn or just not appropriate at all for the type of festival you’re going to. The government has all of your measurements and has sent special robes for the spirits and saniwa to wear. It even comes complete with accessories! What’s taking you so long? We should have left twenty minutes ago. Do you need help? Or are you trying to perfect your appearances for your big debut?
3. PERFORMANCE
Everyone is dancing and everyone is singing. Are you one of the performers? Or are they dancing to you? What kind of songs are you hearing? What dances are you watching? Did you see the ceremonial sword dance? Or maybe you were invited to dance in a special performance with your saniwa! When the performance is over, make sure to congratulate the performers on a job well done… or tease your friend.
4. OFFERINGS AND PRAYER
After the festive ceremonies, there are more serious things to do. There is a sacred fire and you can take a moment to pray to the gods. Remember, we are fighting a war and it’s important to remember those that have fallen. The swords that were broken and damaged beyond repair are gathered up and taken to a sacred fire so that their spirits can be purified and reborn. Later, all of those offerings you have been saving are offered up to the gods for their blessings. It's also a chance to hopefully pray for a turn in luck. Maybe you'll pray for an old friend to return to the citadel. It's been a long time since you saw them, right? They'll come home eventually.
5. FESTIVITIES
The ceremonies are finally over! Wow, that sure took up a lot of time, huh? There are still a couple of more hours left in the night so enjoy the festivities. Try the food, play the shooting games, win a couple of prizes. How many goldfish can you catch? Or maybe the important question is: How are you going to take care of this goldfish? At the end of the night, you can catch the fireworks before the night ends.
6. SURPRISE ATTACK
With so many saniwa and sword spirits gathered in one place, it's the perfect time for the enemy to make a major blow against the Time Government. In what should have been the fireworks finale, there's a loud explosion and lightning strikes. The Time Retrograde Army strikes without warning. It's nothing the Touken Danshi haven't taken care of before but this time, they'll have to protect their saniwa too.
7. WILDCARD
Pick your own adventure. Maybe you have to help make offerings or tonight is a special night for a special summoning.
What if the saniwa had to perform other duties besides just summoning swords to fight? What if they had to take part in special ceremonies? What if they had to invite their swords to perform with them? Feel free to get as creative as you want with this prompt as far as things like: Why are they celebrating? How often do they get to leave the citadel? Etc
[And the somewhere ends up being... a bench where some sword tsukumogami were assembled - not Satori's, and not Hana's, but they of course vacate the space when two Saniwa look like they might want to sit down. Satori does thank them warmly, but she also has no qualms about taking the offer and stealing the spot once it's free.
She puts the bottles down and opens one, then points at the skewers Hana is carrying.]
( Hana also thanks them, apologizing for the trouble and thanking them again before having a seat. She starts to hand back the skewers to Satori when she says she can have them. )
Oh wow. A full bento. That's, like, absolutely an appropriate 'reward' for how well you danced. How super nice and not at all condescending of them.
[Seriously? A bento? Could they sink any lower to at the same time rub it in non-government raised saniwa's face that they are lower on the totem pole while being douchebags at their own favorites? That's hard to do and yet they manage it every single time, somehow.
But fine, she'll take a skewer if you promise to eat the other.]
I'm not worried about you not getting enough food Hana-chan. Festivals are for stuffing your face though!
( She's used to Satori's sarcasm and her bite doesn't make Hana any less grateful. It was a good bento! And surely there must have been other greater expenses for them to take care of. After all, these stalls and all of hese wonderful kimono don't pay for themselves. Sure, she's now wearing a kimono Satori had helped her get instead of the one the government usually sent her each year. But the special one she had to wear for her dance wasn't cheap either. )
It was really nice.
( Really.
But she'll help herself to the skewer. See? She's eating. )
I know. It's just that I am having fun, Satori-san, so you don't have to worry about me, really.
I tried to get some gold fish but I wasn't very good at it. Imanotsurugi-san did all of the work.
( And he's probably running around with the fish somewhere. )
Ookurikara-san helped me win this earlier today, though. ( And she holds up a water balloon yo-yo. ) ... I don't think I'm very good at many of these games.
( It's almost like she doesn't know most of these games are rigged......... )
It's just luck and a bit of practice. Mutsu can pretty much compensate for the fact that the guns are miscalibrated, and Ima is just too fast for the fish, to be honest.
[Thank you kindly, let her chug some of that.... ah, that's better.]
( Hm. She frowns. It makes sense that Mutsunokami would be able to figure out a shooting game, even if it was rigged against him. He and Hakata were always talking about merchant wiles so he's probably used to these sort of tricks too.
She's quiet for a moment, finishing her skewer as she turns a thought in her head, )
... It's not a game but there is something...
( That she wants to do but she's a little embarrassed to ask. )
( And Hana can't help but smile. It's very like Yamatonokami to try to fight the volunteers. She understands exactly why Satori is laughing and she covers her mouth to giggle quietly. She's much calmer about it than Satori , but still! )
Will you?
( She sits up straighter, clapping her hands together excitedly, )
Thank you, Satori-san! I promise I won't get too scared...!
I know that, but I don't want to be too scared either!
( It would be embarrassing for her! She knows she has an image, you know? She has to protect that. But with the promise to go to a haunted house together, she's quick to finish her snacks and help clean up what she can so they can drop everything off with one of Satori's swords. )
[Hasebe being the responsible sword, he's the one tasked with keeping watch ont he rest of the alcohol, and then the two Saniwa make their way to the haunted house.
Satori insists on paying for entrance even though it looks like they just want to shoo them in - that would just be another thing added to the expenses. And then they get inside.]
( Inside, close to the entrance, it doesn't seem so scary. It's a little underwhelming at first but she's excited and starts to go ahead, walking a little faster due to her excitement, )
I remember this!
( Even if it's been a long time. She remembers the opening and then... they have to go through a door here. She remembers this much and she starts to lead the way. It's a long, narrow hallway with smoke and streamers and fake webs hanging from the ceiling, across the walkway. Creepy sound effects play and as they walk ahead...there are hands sticking out of holes in the wall to just brush up against people and one touches Hana's arm, )
[Satori isn't really scared, but Hana's enthusiasm is rather infectious, and in the ends she finds herself squealing at times more from Hana's jumps and scares than from any actal fright from the place.
But really the company makes it ten times better. And next year she'll probably bring Yams just to have him try and fight everything in here.]
(Please spare Yamatonokami Yasusada from these poor workers.
Not everything scares Hana but enough of it does. It's not scary in a way that is actually horrifying to her, though. It's a fun type of scared and she spends the whole time jumping and grabbing onto Satori excitably. More often than not, her screams gives way to laughter and by the time they make it out, she lets out a sigh of relief and hugs Satori.)
That was so much fun! Thank you so much, Satori-san.
[Oh, are those TG officials giving Satori the stink eyes for being too close to one of their precious homegrown saniwas? Yes, Yes, they are. Satori gives them a wink and a wiggle of her fingers. Hi, boys.]
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[And the somewhere ends up being... a bench where some sword tsukumogami were assembled - not Satori's, and not Hana's, but they of course vacate the space when two Saniwa look like they might want to sit down. Satori does thank them warmly, but she also has no qualms about taking the offer and stealing the spot once it's free.
She puts the bottles down and opens one, then points at the skewers Hana is carrying.]
You can eat those, by the way.
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But you waited in line, didn't you?
( So she should eat what she waited for!!! )
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[That's why her swords are nowhere to be seen. She sent them on errands.]
Anyway, you must be hungry after that show you put on. So go on and eat! You're a growing girl, you need food!
[She'll open another box to reveal takoyaki.]
Or maybe you want some of those.
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But Hana shakes her head. She can't take too much (if she ends up taking any at all). )
At least have one.
( She'll keep one of the skewers for herself if Satori takes the other. )
And you don't have to worry... they gave me a bento for performing.
( Because of course the time government would spoil one of their own saniwa more than the regular folk. A small dinner is a nothing expense. )
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Oh wow. A full bento. That's, like, absolutely an appropriate 'reward' for how well you danced. How super nice and not at all condescending of them.
[Seriously? A bento? Could they sink any lower to at the same time rub it in non-government raised saniwa's face that they are lower on the totem pole while being douchebags at their own favorites? That's hard to do and yet they manage it every single time, somehow.
But fine, she'll take a skewer if you promise to eat the other.]
I'm not worried about you not getting enough food Hana-chan. Festivals are for stuffing your face though!
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It was really nice.
( Really.
But she'll help herself to the skewer. See? She's eating. )
I know. It's just that I am having fun, Satori-san, so you don't have to worry about me, really.
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[She actually trusts you to take care of yourself, unlike ceratin people that she shall not name.]
Have you tried any of the games yet?
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( And he's probably running around with the fish somewhere. )
Ookurikara-san helped me win this earlier today, though. ( And she holds up a water balloon yo-yo. ) ... I don't think I'm very good at many of these games.
( It's almost like she doesn't know most of these games are rigged......... )
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The games are rigged, Hana-chan. They don't actually want you to win those. They wouldn't make money otherwise. But that's pretty!
[Please forgive her for stuffing her face with takoyaki... and yelping because hot.]
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( She's convinced there must be a level of skill. )
Mutsunokami-san won so many prizes at the rifle game! And Imanotsurugi-san got so many fish!
( And oh no. She holds out one of Satori's beers. Please, it's hot. Don't burn yourself, Satori. )
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[Thank you kindly, let her chug some of that.... ah, that's better.]
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She's quiet for a moment, finishing her skewer as she turns a thought in her head, )
... It's not a game but there is something...
( That she wants to do but she's a little embarrassed to ask. )
I want to go to the haunted house.
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[she can, of course, but wouldn't one of her swords be more appropriate as an escort?]
Can't Jii-chan come with you? I mean, I'll come if you want me to, but I thought...
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(So you would think she would have learned her lesson and just... not take Hasebe with her, right?)
And when I tried again, Yamatonokami-san tried to fight the workers.
(Basically. You never know how swords are going to react and she hasn't had the best luck so far.)
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Oh my god.... ! That is so Yams, though!
[It takes her a little while to calm down because every time she does, she imagines the scenes and it makes her laugh all over again.]
Alright, alright, I'll come with you! It's been a while since I've been to one of those anyway!
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, but still! )
Will you?
( She sits up straighter, clapping her hands together excitedly, )
Thank you, Satori-san! I promise I won't get too scared...!
( Maybe. )
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Let's finish the food and go.
[She can leave the rest of her alcohol with one of her swords.]
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( It would be embarrassing for her! She knows she has an image, you know? She has to protect that. But with the promise to go to a haunted house together, she's quick to finish her snacks and help clean up what she can so they can drop everything off with one of Satori's swords. )
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Satori insists on paying for entrance even though it looks like they just want to shoo them in - that would just be another thing added to the expenses. And then they get inside.]
Just stay close to me, Hana-chan.
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I remember this!
( Even if it's been a long time. She remembers the opening and then... they have to go through a door here. She remembers this much and she starts to lead the way. It's a long, narrow hallway with smoke and streamers and fake webs hanging from the ceiling, across the walkway. Creepy sound effects play and as they walk ahead...there are hands sticking out of holes in the wall to just brush up against people and one touches Hana's arm, )
Eek!
( She jumps, reaching back to grab Satori. )
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But really the company makes it ten times better. And next year she'll probably bring Yams just to have him try and fight everything in here.]
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Not everything scares Hana but enough of it does. It's not scary in a way that is actually horrifying to her, though. It's a fun type of scared and she spends the whole time jumping and grabbing onto Satori excitably. More often than not, her screams gives way to laughter and by the time they make it out, she lets out a sigh of relief and hugs Satori.)
That was so much fun! Thank you so much, Satori-san.
(Really! Thank you! She's so grateful. )
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[She is too cute, really.]
How about something else to eat?
[Oh, are those TG officials giving Satori the stink eyes for being too close to one of their precious homegrown saniwas? Yes, Yes, they are. Satori gives them a wink and a wiggle of her fingers. Hi, boys.]