(open) celebrating everything it took to free us from the land of the broken and betrayed

[whatsupcroc]

Date & Time: February 12th - February 14th
Location: Throughout Exsilium
Characters: ANY & ALL
Summary: Separation Awareness Day is a festival and time of celebration for the hard won and retained freedoms of those who live on the island of Exsilium. Separate from the United Earth, they continue to exist, and thrive in their own way. As those identified as teenagers and children are showered with gifts of sweets, foods, and toys from the adult population, merchants are selling on the streets and color had invaded the often grey atmosphere. Feasting is practically a law, singing can be heard in the streets, and instruments that may stay safely indoors most the year are brought out to encourage dancing and such other frivolities as are rarely seen.

The night of the 14th there are fireworks shows throughout the city, with the most impressive display being launched from the remains of Buckingham Palace.

Warnings: Festivities!

Date your threads as you will, and feel free to use this as a Valentine's exploration as well for those more inclined to appreciate a holiday from home amidst the celebrations of a whole different sort of world!

Comments

Feb 12-14, open as the sea

[idealord]

Daytime

[A Hilbert is bombarded by getting candy from the locals (and enjoying it), handing a bag off to any lonely-looking person who doesn't seem to have one. Including adults.

B He's also flirting with the native girls and explaining his home's customs of Valentine's Day. Hell, he'll even flirt with the other Transports! Expect pickup lines like "Your mother must've been a baker, because you have nice buns" and the like.]

Nights 12 & 13

[This is Hilbert's unwind time. He loves crowds but feels drained every time, and as a result he's spending time with his Rotom Eeks. The Pokémon bounces cheerfully around in the festive air, swooping back down to the sitting Trainer as he feeds it the sweets leftover from the day's collection.]

Night 14

[He's climbed onto one of the lower rooftops, watching the fireworks. They remind him sorely of home. Nimbasa City's were something to see, and Castelia's had been nothing to laugh about either. Those were the big giants, but during festive times all of Unova got together for one big firework band.

These aren't as spectacular, but they're something. He'll hold out a hand to anyone interested in watching them with him too, even if it's just for a short while, and help them up. Hope they don't mind him crying from homesickness.]

night 14

[realady]

[Hilda'll accept his help and settle carefully beside him. She's muted, in body language and in spirit. As much as she adores fireworks - as much as she had talked about them with a few other spectators, as much as she had planned on finding a nice, quiet spot of her own to watch them from - they just remind her of home.

And she's betting Hilbert feels the same way; it's a relief, almost.

She'll still be the one to initiate the talking, first signalling it with nudging his arm with hers and then a tilt of the head in his direction.]

It's nice, isn't it?

[The fireworks. The view. Having company that knows the ache you feel.]

[idealord]

Yeah. Who knew that such a grey place could light up the sky so well?

[Even if he feels the pain of homesickness, he's not one to try and dwell on it. It's easier to make light of things with a joke or tease too - and ultimately that's what Hilbert falls back to.]

[realady]

Who knew they had the time and resources to use it like this?

[It's a vaguely biting remark, half in fun and half out of it. She hasn't mentioned this quandary to anyone else; just him. Their secret.]

[idealord]

[He chuckles and nods.]

Maybe they save up all year for this sort of celebration. My mom and I used to do that, whatever spare cash we had went to celebrating the reunification of Unova and all. It got easier when I started sending back cash from winning battles, but... I wasn't there to celebrate it with her that year either.

[realady]

They could still use it for war. Distractions. I don't know.

[She's hesitant to lean against him, with the weird idea of I really like you too stuck in her head from the dating scheme Tony put before the network, but she does it anyway. It's been a tiring day.]

Did you spend today with anyone, you know. Special?

[idealord]

[The thought of someone special gets him smiling right off, a true one, and he nods. He's thankful the topic is off of The Initiative and all.]

I saw a lot of people today and yesterday and all but I spent dinner with Kooky. Uh, Kou... Kougyoku. [He said her name!! How did he mess it up or anything? He doesn't think so. Cool.] Do you know her? She's a great girl who's keeping Eeks on the weekend because she's interested in Trainers and all. She picks up on things pretty quickly. And she's teaching me how to handle a sword for the shield I've got.

[He knows he's told Hilda about the "keeping Eeks" thing before, but it might be the way he says it that sounds a little fond.]

What about you?

[realady]

Yeah, she's teaching me how to use a short sword since halberds are terrible in close combat.

[That's cute though. She had been working against with Kougyoku to get her to go out with Hilbert for a nice date.]

I just talked with a lot of people. I've made a lot of new friends, I guess?

[idealord]

[Oh, cool, two of his favorite girls hanging out. Kougyoku needs more friends! That's what he thinks. Hilda will be good for her.]

I see, I see. I've made quite a few friends myself! And met up with someone I was challenged to find. Kind of. It wasn't really them, persay, but it was their partner.

[realady]

When don't you make friends? [It's just a tease.] It sounds exciting, though. I got invited to a party after the festival's over.

[idealord]

[He grins at the tease, acknowledging the (sad) truth, and leans against her slightly.] A party, huh? Who invited you, a cute guy?

b

[gentle]

So this is the first step in obtaining a girlfriend...?

[of all the people to be lurking in the crowd and watching touya like a creep-- and of course he had to be eavesdropping on the particular moment hilbert decided to bust out something about buns and baking! N just nods along in vague understanding from his spot behind hilbert where he magically appeared...]

[idealord]

[Hilbert wishes he wasn't so surprised that N had more or less appeared out of thin air behind him given their previous record back in Unova, but he's completely startled and that makes the girl laugh. She's got better things to do than to listen to a flirt. Like hand out candies, which she'll start by giving N one bag and taking her leave.

Hilbert sighs dejectedly and turns around, shrugging his shoulders.]

Something like that. Usually it starts out like that, then the conversation gets rolling and you ask them out to dinner or lunch or whatever... Are you interested in trying, N?

[Because Hilbert is going to do two things:

1. Teach N to flirt.

2. Teach N to be a better wingman.

These go together perfectly.]

[gentle]

[--oh, bless this strange girl who appears to be leaving now. N waves goodbye to her (with a bit of a disinterested expression because wtf he wasn't talking to you, female!!) before regarding hilbert once again. he seems oblivious to what he just did.]

Hm...a hands-on lesson in socializing with other humans...

[on one hand, humans are kinda weird, but on the other... ... ... ...well, no, that's it, humans are weird but what the hoppip! he'll be stuck with them for awhile so he might as well.

he gives hilbert a determined nod. this is totally a great idea!!]

Yes, I believe I could stand to benefit from this lesson. I am sorely lacking in human friends, after all.

[idealord]

Speaking of, I've got tons I want you to meet sometime. You really should get out more! They're all nice people, I promise. There's a sweet girl who takes care of Eeks on the weekend because she wants to know more about Pokémon and our world, so I've been teaching her to be a Trainer part-time when she's teaching me how to defend myself. She's really great. They get along really good too!

[Since he just has a shield as a sentient weapon, she bought him a small sword. It was very nice. Hilbert seems particularly fond of the person he's talking about too.]

But yeah, let's socialize! Kids are easiest to talk to so we'll start with them...

[reshiram]

I see...

[how hilbert can be so friendly with all these people without getting tired will forever be a mystery to him. N can't even go to the grocery store without it being an ordeal!

but right-- socializing! he can do this! N nods with determination!]

I'm certain I can talk to children successfully, but I wouldn't mind the practice. Please watch my technique and tell me what you think!

[there's a conveniently placed little girl with a huge handful of balloons standing a ways away, so N decides to sneak up on her after deciding to make her his guinea pig. unfortunately, sneaking up on little girls is a bad idea so he ends up freaking her out, making her scream, and getting punched in the stomach.

well...he tried...kind of... it didn't really hurt since she was a tiny thing but he's still clutching the spot and looking at hilbert like WHY???? WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?????]

Daytime, B

[invocation]

[The pick-up line is so absurd that she isn't even sure that she's heard it. She was midway in the process of getting yet another bag of sweets from a cheery marketplace vendor when she hears it, and turns around, too baffled to be angry (yet).]

What the hell did you just say? [...] Hey, I remember you. That kid with the weird animal.

[idealord]

[Oh, it's the girl who threatened his weird animal.]

Yeah, you're the one who threatened Eeks! Nice to see you. Having fun? [No comment about the pickup line.]

[invocation]

Yeah, that's me. [No apology for the threat, it seems. Kyouko stuffs a piece of chocolate into her mouth and talks inbetween chews.] It's alright. Where's that weird pet of yours?

[idealord]

There's too many people around for him to come out, and I really don't want to spend half my day searching for him if we get split up. So he's right here. [He pats his jacket pocket affectionately where Eek's ball is. The Rotom doesn't mind it too much.]

[invocation]

Inside your pocket? What? [An unamused scoff. She eyes him suspiciously and leans in. It's probably way too far into his personal bubble, truth be told.] How?

[idealord]

[Certainly too far, and he steps back.] He's inside his Poké Ball.

[Look, he'll take out the red and white ball and show her. It's no bigger than a golf ball at first, but with a click of the button in the middle it becomes more like a baseball.]

All I'd have to do is press this button again and he'd come out.

[invocation]

[She doesn't seem to notice. She's more focused on the red and white ball he's holding, and curiosity gives way to incredulity.

There was no way that big dopey looking animal was hiding in something that small.] Huh? Show me. Unless it's magic, there's no way that works.

[idealord]

[Hahaha.

He'll just let Eeks out of the ball then, the Pokémon coming out in a shine of white light. The Rotom trills happily, bouncing around Hilbert. It stops short in fear when it sees her though!]

I don't entirely understand it myself, since it's been around for a really long time, but it works. Even things as big as a house can fit into these little things.

[invocation]

[Even Kyouko is impressed by this. She blinks, wide-eyed, and for the hell of it, goes to give the Rotom a rough poke.]

Whoa...how many of these animals d'you have, anyway?

[She adds, begrudgingly:] Sorry for trying to fight it that first time. I thought it was something else.