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

[myfayevalentine]

That made Faye panic slightly, so she started kicking her feet hard beneath the water in the hopes that she'd find him and keep him away.

[alwaysgrumpy]

And just when a minute had passed, Akira exploded up behind her, using both arms together to scoop up water and cascade her with it.

"Ambuuuuuuuuush!"

[myfayevalentine]

"Fuck -" She squealed at the water dumped on her from behind, her hair plastering over her face. She swiped at her hair with one hand, and twirled to grab at Akira at random.

[alwaysgrumpy]

Akira planted his feet when she grabbed him, shifting his center of gravity in case she tried to throw him.

"Whatcha' got, Faye? WHATCHA' GOT?"

[myfayevalentine]

Faye narrowed her eyes at him, and pushed her hands down on his shoulders as though trying to push him down. Instead, though, she pushed herself beneath the water. Faye emerged behind him, jumping up onto his back and trying to force him under.

[alwaysgrumpy]

Akira probably would have laughed her attempt off, if not for the fact that she suddenly had her chest against his back. It shocked him just enough to lose his footing, bringing him down with her on his back.

[myfayevalentine]

With her arms around Akira's neck, Faye's plan was to dunk him under without going beneath the water himself. But he slipped or something, and she found herself tightening her hold on him while pushing herself to the surface of the water again, "You weren't supposed to bring me down with you!"

[alwaysgrumpy]

Akira thrashed to the surface, sputtering for air, tossing her off his back and down into the water. He hacked a few times before gulping in a quick breath of air.

"Guh..."

[myfayevalentine]

After being pushed off his back like that, Faye took a moment to stand up in the pool, carefully readjusting her bikini top. "So, does that mean that I won?"

[alwaysgrumpy]

Akira wheeled around on her, only to immediately turn back around as she re-adjusted her wardrobe.

"Oh, I...didn't really consider a criteria of victory."

[myfayevalentine]

"Well, surely slipping and falling over doesn't count as much of a victory, hmm?" Faye finished making sure her breasts were safe in their bikini, then she tilted her head at him with a smirk. "You can turn around now..."

[alwaysgrumpy]

"Anyway," he said, turning back to face her, "I didn't really consider it much of a competition. I was just tryin' to play around for once."

[myfayevalentine]

Faye smiled at him sweetly and lazily flicked some water over at him, "I know. But you got quiet all of a sudden."

[alwaysgrumpy]

"Oh, I just wanted to give you some time to fix yourself," he said, "I ain't polite to stare."

[myfayevalentine]

"Are you trying to say that you've never stared?" And apparently she doesn't just mean in general, judging by the way she wraps her arms beneath her chest.

[alwaysgrumpy]

"Never," he said, crossing his arms resolutely, "Not after my brain registered what it was seein', at least. I've had a lot of girls try to throw themselves at me, growin' up."

[myfayevalentine]

"Hmm, I don't know if I should be impressed by that, or insulted..." She raised a brow, tease clear in her voice as she lay back against the edge of the pool. "You don't like girls?"

[alwaysgrumpy]

"I like 'em more than guys, in any case. Girls generally don't seem driven to fight me."

[myfayevalentine]

"You know, the more you talk, the more you're making this sound like some kind of challenge..." Either to fight him or seduce him, or both.

[alwaysgrumpy]

"It might be force of habit. I'm pretty used to most human interaction ending in some kinda' confrontation, back home. I still tend to slip into that mindset, even I don't mean to."

He smiled as he waded through the water again.

"You, Thash, and Leanne are probably the people I've talked to the most in this place, regardless of what crew I'm on."

[myfayevalentine]

"Human interaction?" Faye laughed at the thought, especially when she considered the list of people that he'd mentioned. "Human interaction with Thash, the shark guy and Leanne, she's that pretty blonde bird girl, right? Looks like I'm as human as you're gonna get."

[alwaysgrumpy]

"Which ain't to say I don't know a lotta' good people here, just that I don't socialize much," he said, almost apologetically, "But yeah, I kinda' get what you mean."

[myfayevalentine]

"But you're getting on okay with your crew, right? There's a bunch of nice guys in the Spades. Marco and Thatch seem trustworthy enough. I know I trust Namur. Though, if it's girls that you want... you don't have a lot of choice. That pretty blonde, or that crazy brunette." Faye smirked and closed her eyes, stretching her legs out in front of her.

[alwaysgrumpy]

"Yeah, I'll pass on those, thanks."

[myfayevalentine]

"Then I suppose you'll have to hope that we don't all get stuck here. There's not a lot of choice if you have to repopulate the planet..." Faye is apparently very amused by this thought, judging from the raise of her brows and the smirk on her lips.