Festival Feast [Private]

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Fri Aug 07, 2020 8:10 pm

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

The sounds of sizzling grill tops with various meats being simmered rang out at either end of the street today. It seemed there was something big going on here in The Starlight Parade. With vendors trying to attract people with food, they'd direct them further in to the main festivities!

For the amnesiac maid, Lorelei was more than eager to see what was going on. The scent of grilled food was great and all, but the promise of various bean paste buns? Bread? Her eyes were alight with sparkles, clutching onto her little 'bread journal' with the hopes of sampling bread designed specifically for dessert snacking? Hell yeah.

People were playing shamisens, sitars, zithers, other various string instruments and wooden percussion rather than stretched skin. It lead to a very unique atmosphere, something that just made her get a little pep in her step. Of course, people knew who she was judging by her looks alone.

Lorelei had made a bit of a name for herself since she had made Hosenka the very first place she visited since she woke up, and she had encountered people who said they were from some large family, even though they had no similar looks, a yakuza family.

Being a mage, and one with amnesia, she was someone that just kind of stood out. But she was more than welcome to spend her hard earned jewels and participate in the festivities. In fact, she was looking to join in one of the dances here and try to compete for a prize.

She'd have to get herself a yukata, do her hair up properly, and dance on a little stage with fans. Oh, this was becoming more exciting by the moment.

"If you are looking forward to competing against Joyan natives, you are certainly a brave girl." Said the woman who handed over the white blue and white bundle of cloth to Lorelei to get changed in to in one of the stalls off behind the stage.

**Masami** · Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:30 pm

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

This was normal – at least, for Masami. Every day in Hosenka City feels like any day, living in Joya his whole life, and finally living in a Joyan-inspired place outside Joya itself. He was well-aware that Hosenka is different my means of solely pleasing foreigners and visitors, which was why parades and festivals often occur exactly where he was at – it would've been considered rude to gather people in unofficial festivals by date, and Masami's Joyan descent is also quite displeased with this—he had a candy apple on one hand, something he has been munching on for a while now. It's just an apple coated with glossy caramelized sugar, but it has still been a famous treat until now.

It was getting noisier at the stall Masami is at, let's move to another place.

The townsmen were getting used to Masami's presence, having a reputation shared all around Fiore. He has already been known in Joya, so being famous (or known, at least) isn't such a problem; he can handle having a preserve image. Being so familiar with the feeling of being watched (imperturbably) had allowed him to freely walk in the busy street of Starlight Parade without bothering or being afraid. He had quite the formal Joyan attire for whatever event today has, too, not that he hadn't always been in one.

Let's see... a fishing contest, looks pretty aspiring and thematic for a Joyan activity, good job. Masami's theater was getting busy as well, but he isn't the one to manage that one for today. There's also costume contest, for children, a magic trick show...? All of these seem to interest Masami, enlightening his childish self, but he didn't want to get into those clumpy small stalls either. Supposedly at the center of Starlight Parade is some sort of contest, bigger and more eventful. Masami stood not so far away from that event, spotting foreigners change into Joyan clothing—one of the people he spot was a man enjoying his clothing while taking photos with his friends, and his yukata wasn't even worn properly... hopefully, the overly-traditional Joyan men wouldn't mind—oh, an old Joyan man just hit that Fiorian with a rolled newspaper. Whatever he's saying, muffled as it is, caused the Fiorian to walk away and forced to change. Masami laughed at the scenario.

Now that Masami was closer and getting into the scene, people couldn't help but get anxious. He owned the theater here in Hosenka, and he's known in Joya for his performances, of course they would get somehow intimidated. "Sir, would you be joining the event?" asked a woman who had tugged Masami's sleeve, she was genuine enough not to show her slightly anxious thoughts. Masami replied with a small wave of a hand, replying: "No, ma'am. I will be watching instead."

Masami was led at the front row for him to sit on, not that it was a VIP seat, everyone seemed to sit anywhere they'd like. In a few minutes, the contest would start, and Masami would proudly greet whoever catches his eye. His teeth dug on the candied apple, munching on the fruit itself this time. 'Dancing, huh...' he thought, the same guide woman drawing closer to him with a whisper. She spoke in a calm tone, but also showing some sort of unease about what was about to happen next. Masami was told the appearance of a young girl, light-colored hair, a foreigner. Although Masami wasn't able to exactly envision what the girl looked like, whoever that was, somehow Masami had started to look forward on meeting that person.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:07 am

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

When she looked through the outfit in her little booth, she rubbed the back of her neck. No hood, no feeling of safety. She was self-conscious about her hair color making her stand out, though she wasn't really sure why. then again, she wasn't aware of the marking on the back of her neck, having forgotten about it during her fall.

When she went to get undressed and redressed, she folded her clothing professionally, something she just knew to do on instinct, making a quick little squared off pile and setting it to the side.

"Excuse me miss, are you having trouble in there with the outfit?" Lorelei jumped and moved to cover herself, it was a female attendant. "Oh no need to fret, I am just checking as you're foreign and might not understand the outfit!"

"I am fine thank you very much! Th-thank you! Thank you!" She babbled out while coughing and trying to clear her throat. The moment she was finished with that, and the attendant walked away, she sighed. Getting the socks on and into the geta, that was easy. Slipping into the yukata entirely was also quite easy, for some reason or another, she was just accustomed to wearing the clothing of any of the Earthland countries? She had a little flash of a memory of her wearing different outfits in the past. But it was fleeting, and it only caused frustration.

She let her hair down entirely, hanging down between her shoulder blades, she grabbed lock after lock and started to lift it up. Chopstick style hairpins between her mouth, she did her hair up with an adorable bun, sticking her little sticks in through the bun in a cross shape! Followed up by a cloth covering to make it a perfect little dim-sum on the top of her noggin? She looked perfect.

Grasping a paper parasol, she folded it up and started to walk out of the booth, and up to the stage.

While the music played and the food sizzled, she would be coming out on stage next, hidden behind her parasol as it unfurled, it was time to wait for her cue and dance in front of everyone, Masami included. Though in the back of her mind, she was just having little flashbacks of how to perform the dances of Joyan people.

**Masami** · Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:51 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

There were sounds that came from a nearby stall – although it didn't exactly catch Masami's attention, the attention of others' did, which eventually forced Masami to glance at the direction of the muffled noise. A girl walked out of that booth then walked up the stage—well, that solved it. She seemed to fit the subtle description given to Masami a while ago, so he whispered to the lady, saying: "Is that the young girl that you talked about?" with a hand that covered the side of his mouth.

The woman only replied with a nod, then she opened a fan to ease herself. She didn't say anything else, neither did Masami, so he directed his attention in the front stage instead. There were already people of different ages on the stage before the mentioned girl, and the others caught up. To Masami, all of the participants were of equal in the attention they were getting. Based on the whispers from behind, a young girl, whose age would have been younger than ten-years, would be performing as well. It was usually the youngest or the most foreign-looking who had caught the most attention, and Masami understood exactly that.

How would the performance turn out, even? Would it be in traditional Joyan, or would they try making something that suited different tastes? Before Masami could even answer his own question, the Joyan drums started to beat, and few of the contestants started to do their thing. This wasn't familiar to Masami, as he was a traditional performer, but not traditional enough to dislike anything that was intuitive. Thus, he exhaled, trying not to judge whatever he will see.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Sun Aug 09, 2020 2:03 pm

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

When the music started up, she started t twirl the parasol between her palm and fingers. Shifting her grip between both hands to ever so slowly begin to rotate it from up above her shoulder and down toward the ground. Folding it in to sweep lower to the ground as she swiveled around and unfurled the parasol back over her shoulder.

She was doing a traditional dance of the Joyan people, quite a feat for a foreigner with amnesia, all things considered.

With one foot up off of the ground, she began to pivot about on the stage, as if striding through the gentle tides of the beach, never dragging her yukata along the wooden stage, and making sure to lead with the parasol like it was an extension of her very own body.

Her focus wasn't on the crowd, she wasn't focused on anyone or anything, not even her dance she was going on instinct with, instead, she was focusing on flashes of memory glimmering through her mind.

Preparing tea, serving it in a traditional style and pouring with the right hand, serving the cup with no handle with the right hand, never using her left hand. Her eyelids wavered a bit as she tried to focus more on the memories that were flashing back, only to grasp at straws.

It was like looking at the floating lines in ones eyes, every time you focus your attention on them, they drift away, but bring your attention to something else and they hover back, garnering your watchful eye. Beckoning it on yet another coy chase.

She recalled dancing for groups of people before, was she an entertainer? No, she was forgetting the memories just as quickly as she was performing the dance!

By the time the song ended and she folded the parasol up neatly, she placed the tip to the ground, both hands resting atop the pommel like it was a samurai's blade. Her gaze out at the crowd as she flashed back to the present and what was going on. The song was over already?

**Masami** · Mon Aug 10, 2020 4:13 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

Ah, it was over.

Everyone gave the contestants a round of applause while Masami was still trying to process what just happened. It was too quick, but Masami couldn't blame them. Looks like the contest really was made for foreigners, as it usually took more than ten minutes for a dance, especially with the use of parasols or any other prop available. Masami was waiting for the climax part of the performance, but it looks like it was already finished before he could even notice.

The judges that sat near Masami, there were about four of them, one who was definitely not a Joyan. They wrote on their papers while whispering to one another. They were definitely stuck on some cliffhanger, too—Masami clapped along with the crowd, but still surprised as to how short that performance was. From afar, someone shouted: "Go, pink-haired girl!" and the rest started to shout the same. Masami's eyes immediately darted to look for whoever that pink-haired girl was, but apparently there was only one girl who had that said hair color.

Not Joyan, too, Masami was unable to recall how she was at her performance, but she definitely looked surprised at herself. Anyone would be, however, if they managed to complete a dance that was less than five minutes of play. All of the contestants were told to walk out of the stage while the judges are still writing their opinions. The woman who sat beside Masami stood up as well, then looked at him, saying: "Would you like to come meet the contestants?" while holding a hand out.

Masami just had to chuckle—there was no way he could not, thus he accepted the woman's hand and followed her to the back of the stage, where a room with seats is provided for the contestants to rest on. The woman was the first one who entered the room, then followed Masami. When he entered the room, some of the participants gasped and shied away. It was suddenly quiet, as if Masami had something to say.

"Ah... that was sudden." laughed Masami, making the others (mainly the Joyan contestants) laugh as well. He then realized that it would be quite rude to speak in a language not everyone is familiar of, considering that most of the participants are foreigners, Masami intentionally coughed on a knuckle before speaking again. "Anyway," he spoke in Fiorian this time, "that was a nice performance. Everyone did well, congratulations!" he clapped when he uttered this, and the participants clapped as well. To be honest, the performance wasn't enough to celebrate with, but it looked like the participants were happy and satisfied, so Masami had to let this pass. "Then... the participants are to be be called after the judges are done judging, so you may enjoy the festival while waiting." uttered Masami... wait a minute, you're not supposed to be the one announcing that, boy!

The contestants started to stand up one-by-one for their leave. "For any questions, you may ask me or..." he leaned closer to listen to the woman beside him, "Madame Kurokawa here. Please enjoy the festival." then, a bow ended his short speech, but it looked like Masami will be staying in this building for a moment.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Wed Aug 12, 2020 4:51 am

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

While enraptured in her own performance, she hadn't noticed others coming along the stage, gracing her performing arts with their own accents to make hers pop. The tradition of lending a hand, but not guiding.

Lorelei was so enthralled with her memories firing off like the jubilation of airborne pyrotechnics that she hadn't noticed at all when the music stopped, her body naturally had come to a halt and she had planted herself firmly, awaiting the scores.

Just as quickly as the firework show in her mind had started, it had come to an end, the glimmer in her eyes fading away as she realized she was already forgetting whatever it was she had remembered. This was no ordinary case of amnesia (what case was though)?

When it was all said and done, the songs, the dance, every performance, Lorelei looked up at the sky to see the fluttering sakura petals dance along in the breeze, the clouds framing around the sun just perfectly. You could see the outline of the sun, yet not find yourself squinting to focus. It was the chef's kiss as the shade was cast on the people, helping them to remain cool.

Back behind the stage, Lorelei was busy getting changed, and she heard a number of voices murmuring, a language in which she had no practice in. Followed by another voice that got a collection of chuckles out of the chortling crowd. Apparently they were bilingual.

As she walked out from her changing booth, she had on her black leggings, a halted top with long sleeves, and the tight undershirt that clung to her midriff and torso. In the middle of pulling that blue hoodie on over herself, she tugged the frog themed hood up over her cranium.

"Hello there," she spoke to Masami, waving gently, "It's nice to meet you, unless we've met before." Strange greeting for anyone to give no?

"I was wondering, could you tell me what the instruments used in that song are called? I'm trying to jog my memory on them and the sounds they make."

**Masami** · Wed Aug 12, 2020 11:05 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

"They were talented contestants, weren't they?" said the woman, whom Masami recognized as Madame Kurokawa, trying to idle for a chatter. Masami laughed in response, "They were, however the performance was a little too sudden for me." said he, the blond Joyan boy who had a reputation of having great experience in these sorts of things. Since it wasn't a completely traditional dance, Masami had no judge nor say in this. Eventually, he was approached by a contestant, who was surprisingly the girl with the pink hair, the one people mentioned a while ago.

She was polite enough to greet Masami back. "Ah, no, we haven't." he replied, immediately noticing that she was no longer in the costume provided a while ago. Masami also showed two palms in front of him, just to express a gentle surprise. "Ah, eh? The instruments...?" Masami ventured into thought, not knowing whether to look up or down—everything was so sudden that he didn't even notice! Apparently, his ears aren't good enough to discern the differences of a hundred instruments, per category, so he wasn't entirely sure. Luckily, Madame Kurokawa replied in Masami's stead. "No real instruments are conducted in the show. We conjured the sounds of the shamisen, the koto, the shakuhachi and the drums through magic." she spoke this in Joyan, but she did understand what the girl said, though?

Masami willingly translated her statement, whether the pink-haired girl understood Joyan or not. "She meant to say that the sounds were produced through magic; shamisen, koto, shakuhachi and drums were used." he replied with a chuckle after, these were instruments he was fond of (but never used). He couldn't understand why exactly she spoke in Joyan despite understanding Fiorian just now, could it be that she can't form her Fiorian words properly? Immediately after, the name of the same Madame was called, thus she bowed without saying anything then rushed off.

"Ah, there goes my guide." uttered Masami when he watched Madame Kurokawa rush off, leaving only Masami and the pink-haired girl at the spot, along with few of the contestants who haven't yet left the hall. He turned to the girl, "What could your name be? People seemed to know you." people seemed to know her but not Masami? He should start listening to rumors and read bounty boards sometimes, if only he can read and understand Fiorian that fast. Because of previous lessons, he had learned to ask for people's names before revealing his'. Never again he'd introduce himself to someone who would never introduce themselves back.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Wed Aug 12, 2020 3:02 pm

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

She just tilted her head at Lady Kurokawa as she spoke in Joyan. Lorelei's expression clearly stated everything she needed to understand this woman, which was less than zero. She was more confused than she was to begin with. Lorelei didn't recall being able to speak Joyan, but, she recognized the dialect.

Why couldn't she remember? Shouldn't her memory be jogged? She was kicking herself mentally, trying to figure things out that would not come easily to her. Thankfully the guy that was bilingual was able to clarify. She recognized the instrument names, she could picture their general shape in her mind. Why did she know all of those instruments?

She sighed for a moment, lowering her shoulders while a look of consternation splayed across her visage. Anyone looking at her could tell she was troubled. But she brushed that mask right off and put on a smile. "Thank you, they all sounded wonderful to the ears." She gave a little bow, placing her hands at her thighs and angling herself down without bowing too deep, too deep of a bow was a sign of indignation, disrespect, or trying to glorify someone in a mocking gesture.

When Masami came to speak to Lorelei personally, she looked away with a pink face to match her hair, she knew people knew about her. There was quite a story about that.

"Lorelei, Lorelei Laguna Lakefield. A lot of people just call me TRIP-L, triple L?" She started before continuing, "And when I first got here in Hosenka, I got involved with a little group of people calling themselves yakuza. Ever since that day, they've been hounding me regularly for money and 'medical fees' because I didn't want them to take my money just for entering the city."

"Put simply: I have a reputation of fighting first before getting the down-low." As she said this, lady Kurokawa would whisper into Masami's ear, she also had a rather pleased look on her face whenever she got into a fight, some people were under the assumption she 'got her jolly' off of punishing the local ruffians.

How could this girl, who was apparently a mage, get involved in fighting against an entire organized crime ring? Well she was an amnesiac and tended to over react to a lot of things!

**Masami** · Thu Aug 13, 2020 7:38 pm

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

"Ah." apparently, Masami wasn't so surprised. It's not rare for people, no matter the ethnicity, to get into yakuza business. Masami's expression was out-of-place, and that he, himself, isn't even sure if he's being rude by lowkey smiling or if his "smile" was actually a smug frown. 'Triple-L' was an easy-to-remember name, and Masami definitely won't forget it.

Now that he has already gotten the girl to introduce herself, it was time for Masami's turn. Instead of being overly formal and bowing, he simply nodded his head real quickly, then casually smiling at Lorelei and then waving a hand at her. "I'm Kita Masami," he said with energy, as if it was something to be proud of, "long-story-short, I work at the theater here, so people kind of know me by casualty." once again, the context was about reputation and how much is known by who. He owned the theater, but he felt that people had no need of knowing everything about a person, thus Masami reduced it down via wordplay. Immediately afterwards, Masami decided that the topic about who-knows-who is getting tiring, thus his sight shifted towards the exit of the back hall, and then he'd scratch the back of his nape. "You won't get any gangster brushing you off here," apparently, he assured her, simply because there were too many people at the current festival that any sort of gang groups wouldn't so afford to cause such a big havoc, "so, wanna stroll around and have some fun?"

Masami didn't know what kind of mold he should place himself in. He was usually aloof and lagged behind people, but simply because they were adults. Lorelei seemed like someone near Masami's age, thus he didn't mind to speak and to move more than he usually does. He had already been this diversely fluid when it comes to social interactions, that was natural—and seemingly uncontrollable, for being an actor his whole life. "I won't deny that I wanted a companion to stroll around the festival. I'm just a kid, after all." admitted Masami, shrugging a little. He hasn't been entirely pumped ever since the start of today's morning, up until the evening. It would be a waste if he didn't enjoy it, at least up until the second announcement about which contestant/s won the contest.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Sat Aug 15, 2020 11:45 pm

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

While listening to everything that Masami said, she had to stop for a moment, pressing a finger to her forehead. She twisted it back and forth as if trying to plumb her brain for knowledge. Was his first name Masami or Kita? Well, Joyans preferred to go by their family name, especially when talking to others. But he introduced himself in Joyan. So he was Kita, as a given name. And then Masami as a family name? Why did she know this? "Alright, Masami-san."

"Yeah, walking around a bit seems like it'd be fine." SHe said while the sounds of music still playing were picking back up, it seemed they were not going to announce the winner until the end of the night. That was fine. And Masami-san did say she had nothing to worry about here. But there was one thing he said to her that made her worry about the validity of it.

"You're lying about that though." She commented as they walked out of the theater. Her eyes just looking up at the clouds. Lifting her lips to speak, she spoke without parting her teeth, as if trying to keep it on the down-low so only he would hear. "You definitely smell older than you look."

She did have keen senses as part of her magic. And if he looked close enough, he'd see her fang style teeth, and those narrow slits of her pupils. She certainly wasn't an average human either.

**Masami** · Sun Aug 16, 2020 4:12 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

This time, Masami was referred as Masami-san, or Sir. Masami in other words. The thought of having an honorific title used upon him made him slightly grimace. "Just Masami, please." he lightly chuckled after uttering the awkward request – so far, he has been respecting people without using traditional Joyan honorific titles, and he had used them once on a certain Joyan person, and they didn't like it. Masami could finally understand now, unto why exactly they didn't like to be respecting through using honorific titles. Masami would've walked in front of this Triple-L girl, but then he stopped himself when she suddenly leaned closer, telling him that he "smelled" older than he looks.

With awkwardness, he asked another question to himself—could it be that this girl is nothing more than his age? He wouldn't want to test that out by asking her where her parents are in the middle of festivities, so Masami ended up blurting his age out. "S-Sixteen...?" he even stuttered in the middle of him speaking, how awkward. He had to palms open in front of him, trying not to get too close to the stranger (especially if it's a younger female stranger), and suddenly a thought convicted him. This girl had almost the same aura as Masami's fellow guild mate... could it be that she was a dragon slayer, too? Masami wouldn't be so surprised. After being in that event, suddenly everything feels draconic and dangerous. What exactly is this girl trying to put out?

Actually, let's think of this in a different way... could it be that Masami has started to 'look' older because of stress? His surprised face turned into a dramatic frown, quite smug-ish. Back then in Joya, people took care of his appearance that he didn't have to bother about looking strange, but now that he is in Fiore with nobody but himself to take care of, certain schedules and cycles have completely changed. Masami didn't want to think that this girl was messing with his mind by insulting him, but thoughts continue to circulate his mind until now. Previously, the guild mate he fought and trained with, told him that she had "smelled" Masami from afar, ate his flames and said that those tasted "good". Now, if Masami was correct that this Triple-L girl is a dragon slayer too, then he would continue viewing them as odd and eccentric. More odd than Masami has ever been, in fact.

"What... exactly do I smell like?" he just had to honestly ask directly, instead of dwelling in uncertainties. He knew forever that he doesn't smell, or at least he made sure that he doesn't smell bad and—oh God, is he starting to smell because of hormonal growth, and that this girl was comparing him to those common drunken fellows?! His surprised expression, which switched to a grimacing frown, suddenly switched back to a surprised face. Of course, he won't be as so rude to casually sniff his arm pits right in front of her, so he instead stepped away, but not so far away, of course.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Sun Aug 16, 2020 4:24 am

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

She quirked an eyebrow at how weird he was behaving, sputtering out a number, putting his hands up, she just smiled a little and threw her hair back. "Sorry, I'm into girls if that's what you're after." She commented, walking off with Masami into the little festival, eager to see the food stands and the games being played.

"What I meant is that you smell like something different than human. Don't know how else to put it. You just smell different. And it smells like some sort of ancient magic. Can't really put it to any other words than that." She said while rubbing the back of her neck, unaware of the strange marking on it.

it looked like seven hexagons interlocked, all of them black. ANd all of them had a perfect cyan colored outline, giving it a honeycomb appearance. It certainly was not a guild tattoo. Just what was that marking on her neck?

"So you're Joyan naturally, you can tell I'm not, do you think you might be able to help me figure out that part?" She asked while looking over her shoulder at him, interlacing her fingers behind the small of her back. "I can't even remember my parents, I can't remember anything, other than those little glimpses I get. Figured that from your theater living and working, you might have seen some people from all over."

About-facing, she looked at him while taking steps backwards, bent at the waist while those pigtails of hers framed her face, "How do I look and sound to you mister wise beyond your years ancient smelling magician?" She asked with a little smug grin, and a hopeful glimmer in her eye.

**Masami** · Sun Aug 16, 2020 4:53 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

Oh, thank the kami-sama from above. Looks like Masami doesn't look old or smell like a "man" after all, he expressively sighed after Lorelei's response, completely ignoring her statement about being into girls, as if she didn't hear her mention it. Whatever, Fiore has been all weird with their magics and mana, things Joya didn't commonly have. Not like it even matters, anyway, who would be into a boy who's prettier than a girl? Maybe some would, but Masami had never focused on anything but working... and her mother's cure—

Huh? Where did that come from? Masami only had Kurisa as his mother, what cure was his memory trying to imply? He shook his mind and followed to where Lorelei was going, eventually showing him some sort of symbol. Masami had to shake his head once more and give an honest response, "Sorry, it's not familiar to me." sucks being a useless bunch, but it's better than getting into a mess for acting like you know something you don't actually know. Now that this Triple-L girl explained something related to memories, Masami had to dwell in the same.

What exactly was that flash of memory trying to tell him? A woman who coughed while giving a gentle smile, looking as pitiful as ever, smiling at the Masami whose flash of memory felt like a hazy, realistic sight, like watching an old TV. "I have seen many people, with such different, unique marks but... yours' seems to belong to something that's hidden from the common society;" Masami uttered, then pointed above, "meaning that they must be aware of who they are, thus keeping an anonymous reputation." it was just an idea, but doesn't mean that it isn't possible. In this statement, Masami spoke from experience, when he was still in Joya.

Then, she asked him about his opinion, and Masami didn't know what to say. 'She looks like a kid, what'm I supposed to do...? he thought, gulping, thinking of a way to bend a certain truth. Masami doesn't remember working or communicating with girls... unless maybe if they were older women who were already working, because Masami can easily place himself under and become submissive due to age differences but... girls? He remembered his older sister, who acted like a man, and a younger sister who is too young to define how she acts like. "You..." finally, he was going to speak, "remind me of my strange friend."

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Fri Aug 21, 2020 3:15 am

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

She blinked a few times when he mentioned the mark on her neck. There was no mark on her neck! Not to her knowledge. "What are you talking about? I'd say you're the strange one, talking about people's bodies." Of course if he pointed it out, she'd just stop and turn her back to him, lifting her hair to show him she had no mark.

She believed she didn't have it herself. And if he did start to talk about it, she'd just go on to deny it, stating about how it was just not possible for her to not notice something like that on her own body!

"Look, let's just enjoy some festival games and food, alright? Show me around a bit." She was rubbing the back of her neck, as if trying to feel a tattoo, nervous about it now. She was self conscious, and very aware of her body now. It felt like she was being pin pricked whenever someone so much as glanced at her.

Was there something deeper behind all of this or was she just having a little freak out of her own over this? Hard to say, but maybe now wasn't the time to press down on the matter like an angry child hitting the punch button on Mortal Kombat.

**Masami** · Sat Aug 22, 2020 1:47 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

'What the heck...?'

Masami hated the perverted men the most... but what if he has grown to be one of them? He looked at this Triple-L girl with widened eyes, trying to exaggerate an expression to tell her: 'Do you know what you're talking about?' but in a span of seconds, she already had turned her head away to focus on the festival, looking for some enjoyment while waiting for the contest's results. Though, now that she talked about it, she wasn't entirely wrong – Masami talks about bodies as if they weren't humans, at least, that's how you perceive it when you've grown accustomed to performing and its' materials. Looks like she wasn't all wrong, after all.

"I don't know what to show you." said Masami with a shrug, all the stalls are around in wide view and Starlight Parade's a square that allowed people to see everything simply by looking around. In Masami and Lorelei's position, too, they would be able to see all the stalls in a certain limit of distance. "What are you even into, food or sweets? The festival's got a bunch of fortune telling stalls, too. People still try to get their fortunes told even if they don't believe in them." Masami spoke in experience in the latter, as he wasn't much of a fortune-loving individual even if he was a teen. People are usually very gullible at a young age, but Masami had only been fond of such due to culture. "If you'd like, we can get some talismans. In Joya, we write our wishes and then hang them in the trees, but they'd probably remove them by tomorrow." it was just a festival meant to entertain mainly guests, after all.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Sat Aug 29, 2020 12:38 am

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

She did not have the faintest of clues that there was something on her neck, hell, even when looking at a reflection of it her eyes could not perceive it. There was definitely something amiss about that marking, something that was magical but quite unnatural even from regular magic.

"Bread." SHe said plainly and to the point when Masami asked her what she liked in terms of food. Just bread. One word given and nothing else.

If she was pressed on the matter she would explain further, "All kinds of bread really. I keep a little journal. It uh...here." Fishing it out of her inner pocket from her jacket, she held up the little leather bound journal. Pulling the hide drawstring out of it, she opened it up to show him the various drawings of bread in boxes on each page, along with notes about the freshness, saltiness, sweetness, all sorts of things.

Twiddling her hair with her other hand, she looked a bit flushed, "COuld you tell me a bit more about Joya? And not ask me about the dorky book?" She was embarrassed by her own little hobby? Well, not many people collected journal entries, and on bread from different areas no less.

"I can't say I remember that little tradition of talismans from Joya, but I don't remember much of anything at all. I'd love to hear more about it. But I thought Joya was mostly Nekomata? Did that...Did that change or did something happen? Sorry I must sound like a nutcase."

**Masami** · Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:39 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

Fascinated by the "dorky" book, Masami leaned in closer, trying to distinguish every sketch from one another. "Wow, that's nice," Masami uttered, even clapping once in delight. It was as if he was mocking Lorelei for having a hobby, and not just being some weird kid. He wasn't into bread, unfortunately, at least not to the point that it's the same as Lorelei's. Thus, he listened to her and asked her not about that "dorky" book of hers.

He'd approach the stall while they talk, bringing Lorelei to choose all of the different kinds of bread served in that small shop. It had variety of sweet and meaty breads – different colors, too. Luckily, the festival's events made the shop sell their goods for cheap, serving them for a maximum of five-hundred Jewels only. "Pork katsu, please." Masami pointed at the one that caught his eye, he wasn't in the mood for any sweets at the moment; with only a hundred Jewels in exchange, the pork katsu-filled bread is finally in-between his palms. He turned to Lorelei and took a bite when he listened to her, processing the information such as the... Nekomata?

He spoke clearly, "We didn't have much magic in my hometown in Joya," he told her before coming back to a tiny nibble, and what he said was a fact. He knew not of whether they existed or not, but now that he was in Fiore, there was no doubt that they exited, even if he hasn't seen or met one himself. "We aren't all nekomatas," he assured her, chuckling at the silly idea, "if ever, I believe Joyans are strict and hard-working, culture-loving people. I have never met a single Joyan who isn't fond of culture, even if they aren't raised in Joya," recalling the Joyans he had met along the way: his own guild master, the people he'd met in Hosenka, even the kitsune all throughout Fiore, they seem to love Joya, "I have never seen a nekomata myself." Masami was also one who loved the place he grew up on.

In where Masami lived, there were mostly farmers or fishermen, but Masami would sometimes visit the city and meet the samurai that were being trained, perhaps even interact with some shinobi in the night. "Mind asking me a more narrow question?" There were too many things to tell about Joya, what is it that this Lorelei needed? She didn't seem Joyan, so what was it about that memory issue? Masami had other things he took interest on, and Lorelei's problem wasn't so rare. Apparently, he had met lots of people who had problems recalling their memories, unfortunately he was one of them, but it wasn't so big of an issue.

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:23 am

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

Between what Masami was saying about her book and that clapping, she felt herself go as pink in the face as the hue of her hair was. She looked mortified and embarrassed, well, not offended, just more like a kid that realized how cringe-worthy something they were doing was.

Quickly tucking the journal away while Masami led her off to one of the stands, she smelled the bread already. SHe was used to sniffing out water sources, but her nose was finely tuned to getting a good whiff of bread. She adored it so for its many different ways of being shaped, baked, flavored, spiced, everything.

He got some sort of 'katsu', whatever that was. But she pointed out to a pale-green-hued little loaf, the size of a hand bun. It had a criss-cross pattern grilled onto its top, it looked like a melon garnished with the dark green emblazoned four point star. Toasted Melon Bread!

Her eyes sparkled with stars as she ordered it and clutched it in her hands. Meandering off to find a place to sit down and start sketching it out with her magic pencil that changed colors, and her little journal. She was already jotting down notes about its shape, size, the color, and the smell she got from it. How sturdy it was. This was something she hadn't had before judging by the new entry in her booklet.

When Masami came to her to tell her about Joya like she asked, she was already taking a bite out of the bread, her eyes alight with joy as she held a hand to her cheek while savoring the texture and flavor of bread. Why was she so keen on enjoying bread? SHe herself didn't remember at all.

"Well, I don't know much about Joya, or what I could ask. It's really frustrating, you know? When you can't recall anything from your past, but you get these little flickers, inklings of what might be, but you can't be certain? And it just makes me so frustrated." She sighed while looking down and went back to eating her bread.

**Masami** · Mon Sep 07, 2020 2:51 am

Jewels :

6,631,800

Rank :

X-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

1,039,500

Reputation :

24,700

Class :

Spellsinger

Aura :

Emperor

Strength :

1

Speed :

121

Constitution :

96

Endurance :

255

Intelligence :

501

Mana :

7,425

Head :

Momijigari

Companion :

Winged Lemur

Pouch :

1x Scroll of Captum (C-Rank), 1x Scroll of Captum (B-Rank), 1x Legendary Lvl. 5 Custom, Death's Coin x1

When Masami understood that this Triple-L girl's "memory problems" is something he cannot comprehend, he had decided to give into the urge of going back to his workaholic self; he wasn't meant to enjoy the festival—at least, not this one. He cleanly gave the paper wrapper back to the shop keeper after he was done eating the palm-sized katsu bread, in which didn't take him too long to consume everything. Then, he'd pull an item from the inside pocket of his outer coat, willingly giving it to Lorelei.

"Does this seem familiar to you?" It was an omamori, charms that were sold cheaply in shrines in Joya. Some would take advantage of the income and sell it for overly costly prices, but Hosenka City seems to sell it for the purpose of souvenirs. "Shrine charms," he said, "I don't believe in them, but it holds a great deal of Joyan ethnic. Hopefully, it helps you, just like how it's supposed to." From that, he forced a smile, a very genuine one. It was convincing to the point that Masami wasn't able to make sure if he truly was being genuine, but it doesn't matter as much, anyway. "I manage the theater here in Hosenka, the big one near Sakura Roji (Sakura Alley) and the city square," he didn't wanna straightforwardly admit that he technically owned it, but that's a story to tell some other time. "If you needed somewhere to perform and earn a bit of cash in return, you can find me there. If not, Manager Yua will inform me." He'd turn away after speaking; that was all he had to say after taking a last glance over the girl's oddly-colored hair. Should she accept the small proposal, then it will benefit both her and the theater funds. If not: perhaps the others would recruit her for the petite figure and charming colors, but Hinoki Theater definitely won't recruit mainly because of the looks.

"If you can't remember," he added, "then maybe Joya just isn't for you." In that last part, his lip corners couldn't help but fold into a small frown: Masami believed that these didn't matter as he'd leave, and then his figure will shrink into the distance. He couldn't even manage to greet the girl a "good luck" but he had guessed that the charm was enough, anyway? Hosenka City didn't help the traditional Joyan men and their issue with cultural changes—truly, their imitations did not help Masami, who was raised in Joya and had grown possessive of how traditions are supposed to be like. He slid his mask in front of his face, covering the now-scowling face. In that end, he had blended into the crowd.

[exit]

北正美

**Lorelei L Lakefield** · Tue Sep 15, 2020 12:16 am

Jewels :

1,275,000

Rank :

D-Rank

Experience :

12,500

Reputation :

600

Class :

Spellhowler

Strength :

1

Speed :

11

Constitution :

7

Endurance :

1

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

600

She was now in possession of a charm, with someone fresh to know, and with no memories to recall. Turning the charm over in her finger multiple times, she looked at it, getting a fondness for it, a feint glimmer of something in her eyes as if she was remembering something.

She had some sort of a history with these, but even she could not remember what she had forgotten, the girl was struggling with that logic. Imagine being unable to recall something you were remembering, but it was so vague that it didn't bother to stick?

At least she could use the good luck charm!
-exit-

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