A Dance with Dragons

[strongworld]

Who: You!
Where: Li Yu Tiao
When: May 24th - 31st
What: The Festival of Dragons!
Status: Open!

That special time of year has arrived when the Typhoon Grips allow safe passage to the Sky Islands. Here on Li Yu Tiao, the Festival of Dragons is about to begin. During this time, the villagers celebrate the koi that pass through their island to spawn and the great dragon that guards their land with its powerful magic.

From the opening, the streets will be filled with music, dancing, and indulgence. Grab some incredible local food and sample the fine alcohol brewed on the island. The hot springs are open to adults in the evenings and offer both separate and communal baths.

From May 25th until the 27th, the Dragon's Judgement Tournament will take place. The tournament is single-elimination, in which combatants can win either by amassing points by connecting with their hits, or by submission. Only nonfatal weapons are allowed and killing is strictly forbidden. The winner of the tournament will gain the title of the "Dragon's Hand" for the next year, and will be gifted with a crimson robe and a golden dragon statue.

On the 30th, a large stage is erected in front of the Dragon Gate. At sundown, the woman decided to be the most beautiful on the island will perform a dance on the stage. She will be dressed in a robe of glittering gold and a headpiece resembling a koi's whiskers. The dance is said to entice the koi into the next stage of their lives. During the dance, a single koi will leap through the gate and be transformed into a great dragon with impressive rainbow-colored scales. It is said this dragon's magic keeps the island tethered to the Dragon Gate and is the source of its wonderful weather. As the dance completes, the dancer's dress transforms into a pair of brilliant wings, and she takes into the air to live as the dragon's bride and protector. The two will then depart together for the mountain's summit. While the dancer is almost exclusively a local villager, it is not unheard of for an outsider to be selected for the role.

Comments

[judgementscythe]

I hope so. I'm really hungry.

[she dries off quick and puts back on her clothes and starts walking next to Kiemi towards the town]

[seakingbait]

[Keimi quickly pats herself down with a towel and puts her top back on. Once back in town, she orders two orders of takoyaki from the stand and offers one basket to Lorelai.]

It smells really yummy, I'm excited.

[judgementscythe]

[she grabs the basket as they make their way to sit down.]

It really does. I hope it tastes as good as it smells.

[seakingbait]

[She gives her meal some time to cool before popping one into her mouth.]

Oh wow...

[judgementscythe]

That good?

[she pops one into her mouth and chews it down.]

Oh wow, that is good.

[seakingbait]

[She touches her cheek.]

It's like little balls of heaven. [Quick! She needs to eat more!]

[judgementscythe]

[they really were good. Leaving the bath was definitely the right idea.]

They are incredible.

[she smiles across at Kiemi scarfing them down and giggles a little.]

[seakingbait]

[She lifts her head up from her basket.]

What's so funny?

[judgementscythe]

You are so adorable right now K.

[seakingbait]

[!! She blushes, turning away.]

I don't know what you're talking about, L-Lori-chin is cuter...

[judgementscythe]

You know that's not true.

[seakingbait]

Lori-chin is always so pretty. I'm a little jealous sometimes.

[She pops another takoyaki in her mouth. These are just too damn good.]

[judgementscythe]

[she blushes and pops a takoyaki into her mouth. She really has nothing to say. She can't think back to a day she's had where she's ended up this content with her situation]

[seakingbait]

[It wasn't long after that Keimi finished her meal. She tosses her basket in the trash and returns to her friend.]

Should we... grab some drinks and go home?

[judgementscythe]

[She pops her last takoyaki into her mouth and stands up]

That sounds like a good plan. Lead the way.

[seakingbait]

[And lead she does, down to a nearby liquor stand and picking up a couple sealed bottles before making it back to the ladies dorm. The ship appeared to still be empty, the rest of the crew off enjoying the festival.]

The ship is really quiet, huh?

[judgementscythe]

[she takes a couple of glasses from the bar and fills them from her bottle and hands one off to Kiemi with a big shit eating grin on her face]

It's a nice change of pace without those idiots isn't it.

[seakingbait]

Yeah, but they're the ones that make the trip so much fun.

[She giggles. It was true, she loved everyone on this ship.]

But... I like the quiet, too. It's nice. [She sips at her drink.]

Ng. This is really strong! [And it's not even mixed with anything! How do you people drink this?]

[judgementscythe]

[Lorelai Smiles at that]

HA! slow down, take a smaller sip next time. Hard liquor should take a long time to finish.

[She sips at her drink a couple of times]

It's definitely a different taste when it's not one of those fruity things Sanji throws together.

[seakingbait]

Those drinks are my favorite. [She mumbles into her glass, the warm liquor already rushing to her head. Still, she'll listen to Lorelai and take smaller sips.]

[judgementscythe]

[they are good. Maybe she should ask for some recipes to take home rather than just drinking them.]

They are good, but sometimes I enjoy something a little stronger. Plus with this I tend to get a little less drunk.

[seakingbait]

[While most people would agree that sipping on straight liquor would get you less drunk than chugging fruity mixes, the almost undetectably little booze in Keimi's normal drinks means that she is taking in a lot more than she would had Sanji mixed her something.]

My cheeks are really warm, now. [She giggles between sips.]

[judgementscythe]

[Lorelai giggles a little and then takes the glass from Kiemi's hand and puts it back on the counter]

That's a sign that it's time to stop drinking. I'm glad we got to really spend time together today.

[seakingbait]

[Keimi lets out a small whine as Lorelai takes her drink just as she was starting to enjoy it.]

I just can't believe we cuddled without any clothes on.

[Sharing a dorm, it was far from the first time they had seen each other naked, but to hold each other without a shred of clothing between them took a boldness that Keimi didn't know she had.]

[judgementscythe]

Do people here bathe with clothes on?

[She thinks back and tries to imaging how Tetsu would have reacted to someone wearing clothes in one of his baths. It wasn't a pretty thought.]

I think that's a capitol offense with any of the public baths I've been to