As agreed, the group meets at the Kaze Dojo the following morning... and subsequently get a front-row seat to the Laurenstown United Prefectures Day parade. It was an interesting diversion which marked the beginning of the festivities that were to take place on this day, the 4th of Shichigatsu, in the 326th Year of Nengo.
The parade ended in the town square, which was set up with vendors, carnival rides, and all other kinds of stuff. It kinda resembled the Green Corn Festival in Bixby, or Rooster Days in Broken Arrow. It was definitely much better than Black Gold Days in Glenpool. The group spots a booth sporting Chinese gourmet food. THRAX and TRITHAL decide to walk over and partake. The Saibot Clan finds another vending booth as does CHRIS. At the Chinese gourmet vendor, there are a couple of hot young Asian women taking orders. This has TRITHAL extremely intrigued and THRAX mildly intrigued.
Asian chick: "Hi! Can I help you?"
THRAX: "Uh, let me have a 3 eggrolls."
Asian chick: "Ok. 5 GP."
TRITHAL: "Uuuuuuh, lemme just have the bourbon chicken platter."
Asian chick: "Ok. 6 GP."
They pay for their food and start scarfing. TRITHAL honors the culture by attempting eat his bourbon chicken with chopsticks. THRAX stands at the booth for a second looking like he wants to say something.
THRAX: "So what's up? How are you doing today? You working hard? You don't want to overwork yourself in this weather. That sun is killer, you know?"
The Asian chick smiles, responds with a partially-intelligable sentece, then turns around in the small little mobile kitchen.
TRITHAL slowly begins to bellow out a boisterous laughter that no one can ignore.
THRAX: "Pssh. What?"
TRITHAL: "Dude, she didn't understand a word you just said! She only knows just enough English to understand what we ordered!! BW-A-HUH-HUH-HUH-HUH-HA-HA!!!!!!"
THRAX (dejected): "Sorry for thinking that somebody serving English-speaking customers should speak English fluently."
TRITHAL, who for some weird reason also speaks the language of the Asian chick, tells her 'Thank you' in her native tongue, then the two of them move on and rejoin the others.
At the south end of the square was a stage... and on it stood the female mayor of Laurenstown with a microphone.
Mayor: "Welcome one and all to Laurenstown's 31st Annual United Prefectures Day celebration!"
The crowd cheers.
Mayor: "Today we mark the anniversary of when the prefectures of Morgura, Sabretooth, Muriad, Tanchi and Kureganu came together to form a commonwealth, where independent governments agree to share their common interests and bring the Land of Fantasy to great prosperity!"
The crowd cheers again.
Mayor: "Now I want to take an opportunity to thank the organizers and coordinators of this festival, who've worked long and hard to make this year's the best one yet! So without further ado... LET'S PARTY!!!"
All around the square was music playing, people buying food and stuff, and just a general good time. The party decides to indulge a little and spend some more of the money King Midus sent them. TRITHAL warns them not to spend too much because they're still on a mission.
Danika: "Yes, Lord Thrax!" (jokingly): "Maybe we should start calling you 'the wet blanket'!"
THRAX: "Hey, remember earlier? Trithal is the new Chris!!!"
CHRIS (to TRITHAL): "Yeah, you're the new me!"
Rest of party: "SHUT UP, CHRIS!"
A while later, an announcement came over the PA system that they're still looking for participants in the talent show... of which the first prize is 1000 GP, the second is 750 GP, and the third is 500 GP.
THRAX: "Hey Trithal! That sounds like an easy way to score some GP. How about we enter? I can play guitar in Axem's absence, and you can play bass!"
TRITHAL: "Hmm, that sounds like fun! But, we need a drummer and a vocalist...."
Jeff: "I can kinda play drums!"
Steve: "And I can sing... somewhat."
TRITHAL: "Ok then. What kind of songs do we know?"
Jeff: "Well, nothing too heavy. I'm not that good at drums."
Steve: "And I can sing harmony better than death metal."
THRAX: "Ok. I guess that leaves maybe some classic rock and some heavier stuff... Oh yeah! And maybe that song of Trithal's that got a big response in Yokka.
TRITHAL: "Great! So, do we have any instruments?"
Jeff: "I can get my drums... and I think I know where to get a bass and electric guitar."
TRITHAL: "Well then, let's go enter!"
CHRIS: "Hey dudes! I'm think I'm gonna enter, too!"
TRITHAL: "Chris, do us all a favor and DON'T!"
CHRIS: "Uuuuuuh...Why not?"
TRITHAL, THRAX & the Saibot chicks: (in unison) "BECAUSE YOU SUCK!"
CHRIS: "Eh, don't think so, dudes. You have to have certain level of brain power to get my sense of humor."
Rishna (aside to the rest of the party): "Yeah, we know what level of brain power is required to get your brand of humor. (immaturly): The level we pass-ed when we left kindy-garden."
In no time at all, the group was set up and ready for the talent show. When it was their turn to take the stage, it was almost immediately obvious that this group wasn't as good as the one in Yokka turned out to be. This group's sound resembled a more bluesy-sound... kinda like Led Zeppelin's earlier years. Nonetheless, with THRAX at guitar and TRITHAL at bass, it turned out OK.
The group performed 4 songs, one of which was, of course, Macha-Rei's song... which sounded toned-down somewhat from when it was performed in Yokka... almost acoustic. Surprising to TRITHAL, when they played it the crowd erupted into a fury... kinda like toward the ending of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou when George Clooney's character began singing "Man of Constant Sorrow" at the campaign rally.
Since none of the other performances got that big of a reaction from the crowd, our group naturally won the first prize of 1000 GP. TRITHAL, being a fair person, gave half of it to Jeff and Steve since they've earned it. Now our party has an additional 500 GP in their travel funds.
After all that was over with, TRITHAL asked, "Hey! Weren't we supposed to be going to this rally Adam and the freaks were putting on?"
Jeff: "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about it! Now, where is it happening at?"
Steve: "I think it's over at the west end of the square. Let's head that way."
With that, the party makes their way toward the west end of the town square, and soon found a podium with a row of 10 martial arts students dressed in black and red uniforms standing behind it... and at the podium is TRITHAL, Jeff, and Steve's friend Adam. There's only about a handful of spectators listening to what they have to say...
Adam: "My fellow citizens... Take a look around you! Over the past 30 years this prefecture has gone nowhere. I believe if we all work together we can transform the Valleys of Morgura into something even greater than Mount Sabretooth!"
TRITHAL: "And how, exactly, do you propose we do that?"
Adam: "Me and the Chancell Faction here will go to Sharon City and work with Lord Nami and the High Counsel to re-align it's views to a positive direction."
TRITHAL: "You mean you plan to overthrow our government?"
The surrounding crowd reacted to what TRITHAL just said.
Adam (defensively): "Why would anyone suggest such a notion? Especially you, Trithal Tsutaru... the one who abandoned this place four years ago! You have no right to even make that kind of accusation!"
TRITHAL: "Adam, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the government we have here in Morgura. The reason why we haven't taken a forceful position on anything is because we have no need to. We already have everything we need for now and for the future. As for me, I left for my own reasons. YOU, who have abandoned the teachings of our master Hitukiri, have no place trying to fix what ain't broke."
Adam: (scoffs) "Hitukiri's teachings were worthless! Our new master is teaching us to become greater than we are so we can serve a higher cause! Soon, the entire Land of Fantasy will see a new reign... one of prosperity and power!"
TRITHAL: "That already happened... 326 years ago after the Nengo revolution. It sounds to me like all you're learning to do is cause trouble. If you're really wanting to make that big of a difference in this world, you'd better be willing to use some force because there are those who will not agree with you and make every effort to stop you."
Adam: "Like... You? Well then, let's have at it!"
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