Sake Saturnalia Stall [Festival Side Thread, Open]

[Yamato TanakaCitizen Survived 2021 You've completed the Christmas Event of 2021 and qualified for the last reward, by partisan you are awarded this fancy badge!]

A man sat in front of the tea shop. He was dressed in clothing fitting the Sake Saturnalia Event, with a loose white kimono with a long tail, and a white oni mask with red accents. He was supposedly anonymous, although people who knew him well might have recognized him from his personal style, or his lordly posture. The biggest hint of his identity, however, was the go board sitting in front of him. He was sat on a chair, facing the crowd, with an empty chair on the other end inviting the people of Tanbo to face him in a bit of casual go. He had a second board that sat on the table next to the first board, just in case more than one person was interested in playing the game.

This was his way of opening up to the people of the village. The mask had granted him a layer of ‘protection’ that was allowing him to appear in front of a crowd in a more comfortable way. It was a nice change of pace. He was actually feeling confident in engaging others. Once in a while, somebody would join him in go and he would chatter with them as they played go. So far it had mostly been old people. Maybe that had to do with Yamato’s game of choice. He hoped some of his peers would be interested enough to give it a try, or be open to using it as an excuse to socialize.

He kept sitting and waiting for his next challenger.

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His Attire:

Post WC: 259
Total WC: 259

[Yasahiro YagamiCitizen]

"Hello there, friend."

The union of hot breath and cold air, a cloud of wispy vapor leaked out from behind the Komekage's blue-green oni mask as he took a seat across from the horned devil. Games and Yasahiro had a long history that went all the way back to the Land of Iron, and well before even the vaguest conception of Tanbogakure. Go, chess, shogi, and so much more occupied the samurai's younger years, how could he turn down the chance to relive the time that brought him so much joy?

"Care for a match?"

Eyes of amber peered out from behind the leader's mask, exploring his soon-to-be opponent. The white kimono contrasted starkly with Yasahiro's own shadowy attire, but it did carry something of a noble air to it that the leader could appreciate. Unfortunately, the horned devil's understanding of the garment he wore was, well, lacking, to say the least. Asahi, were he here, would surely have a stroke at the sight of the messy wardrobe.

Go, however, had little to do with how one dressed. In fact, it had little to do with much else other than what it was. For the mind of the busy village leader, this was another draw to the game as an escape from the shinobi world where appearances meant everything. For all its supposed power and prestige, the mantle of kage was little more than a ball and chain bore for—in the dark-haired leader's case—the greater good.

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WC: 248
TWC: 248

[Yamato TanakaCitizen Survived 2021 You've completed the Christmas Event of 2021 and qualified for the last reward, by partisan you are awarded this fancy badge!]

Finally, someone else was taking the bait. The man didn’t appear or sound familiar to Yamato. He was swift and excited to answer, with his hand leading the man to the empty chair, “Please, take a seat.”. This was similar to some of Yamato’s dreams. Two oni’s playing go, five feet apart because they were respectful of each other’s personal space. Assuming the man took the seat and started playing go with him, Yamato engaged in small conversation. He pointed to the two miniature bowls, one full of small black stones, and the other one white. “You may choose first, since you’re on the guest seat. Also, I hope you're enjoying the festival, whether you're passing by or a local.”. Once the man decided, Yamato grabbed the other bowl.

Within the first few moves, when it was still too early to tell who was ahead, Yamato started subtly questioning the man. “You know the rules? Is it safe to assume this is not your first time?”. Seeing that Yamato had a guest again, the Kitsune positioned in the tea shop walked around to the table where a go battle was about to start. “I’ll have a refill of my tea, if you don’t mind.” Yamato said, turning his gaze to the Oni in front of him after his order, “And whatever my guest is having. Please, order what you most enjoy while playing.”. With the order, whether it was just Yamato’s or both Oni’s, the Kitsune then return into the shop. Yamato watched the Oni in front of him carefully, wondering if they were going to turn out to be a mastermind at go or not. “As anonymity seems to be an important part of the event, I hesitate to ask for your name, but would you wish to share information that will keep our identities secret? I’ll start with an example. I love tea.”.

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Post WC: 315
Total WC: 574

[Yasahiro YagamiCitizen]

"I'm enjoying it quite a bit," Yasahiro placed a single black stone in the center of the upper right quadrant of the board. "It's always quite the experience to see the terraces illuminated by lanterns."

The 4-4 point joseki always offered up a dynamic game. One could take the corners, fight for the center, or play a positionally agnostic set of moves without fear of coming out horribly behind. The Komekage, for his part, preferred to take the corners when starting out before moving the sides and, eventually, fighting for the middle. This type of play, while not particularly exciting or revolutionary, made for a solid game state throughout and allowed the man to hide his more interesting moves, moves he reserved for drunken nights with Asahi when neither would remember the next morning nor how many drinks they may have had.

"It is safe to assume that, yes," unseen behind his mask, a thin smile spread across the leader's face as he recalled the many thousands of games he'd played before. "I dabble from time to time, but work so often gets in the way—you know how it is, I'm sure."

Hidden beneath the guise of a dour Kitsune, one of the two waitresses on duty sidled up to the players with a lilt in her step that told the tale of more than a few sake shots. Typically such service might be a bad sign, but tonight such things mattered little. In fact, it might be a bit strange were someone entirely sober on the night of the saturnalia.

"Ah," his attention remained on the board as he ordered. "Just water for me, thank you."

Sake had its charms, and Yasahiro was far from a teetotaller, but he did not need his head swimming with drink any more than it already was. After all, the night was yet young, and it wouldn't do to lose the rest of it to overindulgence. Water would suffice for now; it wouldn't be a good show for someone to find their village's leader trashed on the streets come morning.

"It seems that way at first, but the masks are mostly about tradition, and the anonymity a welcome side-effect for some," he paused and placed a stone near the edge before continuing. "That said, I do enjoy a bit of mystery, let's see..."

His intense amber gaze shifted up to appraise the blonde across from him.

"...I am originally from the Land of Iron."

It was the horned devil's turn.

---

WC: 418
TWC: 666

[Kunika AkariCitizen]

outfit:

Mask:

The festival itself was well funded and was clearly entertaining a wide variety of guests, but even under the influence of alcohol - crowds got to Kunika like no other - and soon she found herself wandering into the less populated areas of the festival. She had been gifted a mask as she had come unadorned with one, or had she simply taken it? Either way it gave a new reason for the gazes she was getting - hers was one of deep orange gold with multiple painted eyes and bared teeth over slitted eyes.  Hoping to get away from prying eyes or to just get a sense of peace in the chaos of it all, but she would be hard pressed to come up with the scene she saw in front of her now. In front of the now familiar tea shop sat two men - one was sat facing her behind two game boards she was unfamiliar with, wearing a white kimono and an oni mask trimmed with red; the other dressed in a darker kimono of higher quality, he too wore a mask she could not see as of yet. 


Eyeing the two from a distance for a moment longer she narrowed her gaze and approached with her usual confident stride, sliding in beside the shadow dressed man and placing her hands in her lap as she settled into her spot, without need or desire for invitation. Head forward to the white masked man she would tilt her head slightly, her expression impassive as she gauged the man - familiar but not enough to note who he was. She had come to a lull in their game, watching through the slits in her mask as the man in the blue green horned mask refused whatever drink was being offered, opting for water instead. His words about the masks were also interesting, the thrum of his tone accompanied with his mannerisms were even more interesting - people watching as always Kunika, give it a rest for one single night. Land of Iron however did cause her eyebrow to raise in earnest interest, a well known country with no known shinobi and yet here he was amidst a budding shinobi village… curiouser and curiouser. 

“Room for another?” Her voice was light, though at this point she knew she had been noted by the two men, her restraint on interrupting conversation would only do so much to quell her actual interrupting by her presence. Before the attendant could skitter back into the tea house she would raise two fingers politely, “If possible, bottom shelf gin?” She was on a budget, and seeing as she wasn't sure how this game worked exactly she didn’t know if she needed to bet. As the attendant went to fetch her request she took in the men's’ game board with interest, leaning closer to man at her side to give a small comment, “I do hope you are winning.”


wc 488

[Yamato TanakaCitizen Survived 2021 You've completed the Christmas Event of 2021 and qualified for the last reward, by partisan you are awarded this fancy badge!]

Yamato stared deeply into the board. At first it seemed like he had many good plays to choose from. But paying close attention and thinking a few steps ahead, Yamato could tell that a lot of these enticing plays were actually traps set up by Yasahiro. "I wonder, dear Oni, if you’re being far too humble or if I had overestimated my own capabilities. You are really forcing me to play my best game here.". The oni could not tell of course, but Yamato had a wide smile on his face under his own mask. The Yamanaka acted carefully, and put a stone down, choosing one of the safer options he deemed to be actually advantageous for him. "As for work getting in the way… It’s the same way for me. I usually manage to make time to play once a while but worthy opponents are not that easy to come by either. I am not sure if you’re aware of this, but I’ll let you know that there are a few amazing players among the older folk here in the village. If you’re only here for the festival I would suggest getting a game in with them if you can find them.".

Yamato took his time when it was his turn to share something about himself. He chose to converse about the rest of the Oni’s sentence, to save himself a little bit of time. "Oh. I thought anonymity was an important part of it. You must excuse my knowledge lacking in the traditions of this town still. I assume then, that you’ve been here for a while? That you know these traditions well?". Yamato gave the Oni the time to answer, while he thought of a fact to share with him about himself. The oni had unknowingly blindsided him by pulling the game towards geographical origins, a box Yamato did not want to open up. It might have seemed suspicious not replying with the birthplace of his own, so Yamato felt he should share what would appear as a bigger confession. Maybe then the Oni would let it slide. "I believe that I’m the smartest man in the village and that my underutilization will lead to its downfall. Oh well.".

Before the ‘confession’, however, a third person had joined them. Yamato respected the aesthetic choice in her attire, and was comforted that he wasn’t the only person who wasn’t dressed exactly according to the code. He nodded at her, greeting her as she sat down at their table. "Of course." Yamato answered her question, "The more, the merrier. As you can see, I do have a second board here if you want to play me as well. I’ve done two at a time before.". Yamato took a sip from his drink. "If you’re not interested in go, however, you are welcome to join our other game.".

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Post WC: 478
Total WC: 1052

[Yasahiro YagamiCitizen]

The shuffle of feet over stone, the scrape of the chair shifting under a newfound weight, and the strange sensation on the back of his neck of being watched; though he registered all the telltale signs of the table's newest arrival, Yasahiro's attention remained on the board. His oni mask, frozen in perpetual surprise, offered little in the way of peripheral vision and acted as blinders to all but what sat directly before him. The newcomer's voice, however, did not sound familiar nor did her order—gin on a night devoted to sake?

Mmm.

Something between an affirmative grunt and a hum came from behind the blue-green countenance of Yasahiro's mask as a response to the horned devil's assumptions about tradition and residency. His opponent, for all his wiles on the go board, made more assumptions than seemed prudent. The Komekage placed one of his black stones closer to the middle of the board, making an early gambit for the center before turning his attention to the newcomer's question about the state of the game.

"That remains to be seen, I'm afraid," he murmured conspiratorially and tilted his head to catch a glimpse of the woman by his side. "Though my friend here flatters me, he is no slouch himself."

Hidden by his mask, amusement played at the edges of a wry smile. The woman's attire, while certainly provocative and not unappealing to the eye, wanted for something in practicality. Though, then again, perhaps on this particular evening practicality meant very little. After all, who was a man wearing the face of a demon to judge? His gaze lingered on the woman for a few heartbeats longer until the claims of the horned devil brought him back to the game at hand.

"I suppose you must have quite the inept leader for your intelligence to go unrecognized," Yasahiro maintained an even tone and resisted the urge to inject some malice into his words.  "Or, perhaps, it's a simple lack of self-promotion on your part?"

He placed another stone near the center, threatening to hem in the horned devil's position.

"Pardon my reach," the kitsune-masked waitress cut in and distributed the drinks. "Let me know if you need anything else!"

In a single, smooth movement, Yasahiro removed his mask and ran an exploratory hand across his grizzled chin before placing the mask face down on the table. He took a sip of water and looked up from the board to his opponent. Once again, the momentum of the game swung back in the favor of the white pieces.

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WC: 427
TWC: 1093

[Kunika AkariCitizen]

The white oni spoke directly this time, welcoming her to the table as well as offering her a choice between the game in front of her she wasn’t familiar with - and the ‘other’ game. Averting her eyes quickly to the board in front of her she examined the blank spaces, then to the game in progress - in all her life she had never seen a game like this, possibly due to being raised in poorly funded orphanages or her general lack of interest in such games, it would be wise to opt out of that particular gamble.  With an unseen smile she would gently shake her head, “I will have to pass on the game in front of me, it’s something I have no experience with and I am not a fan of public embarrassment. Though I will accept this… other game.” The pause in her words would be punctuated with a sharp glance to the side, taking in the words of the man at her side. 

If someone familiar with the game was actively admitting that it wasn’t an easy win then perhaps it was best she had opted out. She watched with growing interest as the man seemed to answer to an unheard comment - while at first it rang as though he was agreeing with the idea that Tanbogakure was lead by an inept leader the retort at the end turned the previous comment on it’s head with grace; all while avoiding the bite of an insult. Narrowing her eyes a little she felt the familiar pull of curiosity, even behind an actual mask he managed to mask his voice too - that was a skill few were able to pull off with as much ease as he did. 

As the stone was placed mid board the attendant rejoined them, distributing their drinks - to which she took with a gentle bow of her head. The cold glass in her hand was not cool enough to quell the flush of red to her face as the man at her side slid his mask off. Was every dark haired man grizzled in this village or was it just a coincidence she frequently ran into them. Taking a deep breath she too removed her fox mask, the face underneath not unlike the mask in it’s intensity - the red hair blazed like fire under the light while her smile was perfectly smirked to give her expression one of slyness as she brought the glass up to her lips. The flush fully subsided as the drink went down and she leaned forward on the table toward the white oni. 

For the man at her side she would be an unfamiliar face, but for the man in front of her she would be a familiar sight - the gold eyes blazing with an inner Akari glow - though instead of facing the still masked man she turned her face to address the now unmasked man who had drawn her curiosity. “It makes one wonder how to go about self promotion without coming off as a self-important entitled ass, who’s to say anyone deserves promotion without someone with an ounce of wisdom reviewing those proposed promotions.” Her face was several inches lower, making her look up slightly as she addressed him, her tone was gentle and imploring - while her eyes studied every inch of his response and reaction before the gaze slid over to the white oni. 

“Does this other game have any rules I should know about?” her eyes would widen in innocence as she would straighten up and take another deep drink from her glass - settling back into a comfortable sitting position.

wc 606

[TakeshiyamaVagabond (B-Rank) Survived 2021 You've completed the Christmas Event of 2021 and qualified for the last reward, by partisan you are awarded this fancy badge!]

“Yes yes yes…..the teas are sorted and ready to go, I picked up the breads earlier and finished the packaging, and I even polished the good silver….Tanjiro can cover the rest.”  Asahi’s voice would be crisp but respectful as he shouted over the partition.  The elderly owner of the tea shop was taking notes and counting coins.  The day was set to be one of the businesses most profitable yet, and Asahi had had no small part in its play through thus far.  Still, he’d negotiated the prep work so that he could have the evening off.  “If you need anything I’m free until after ten then I have that duel with Yas, then I’m getting drinks.”  The old lady would quip off some lines that Asahi didn’t hear moved out of the room.  

He’d change his clothes from his tea shop uniform to his outfit for the evening.  White pants with floral patterns moving over the bottom.  Sliding on his wooden clogs and tying back his hair with a white and black headband.  He slid his arms through a teal blue kimono top but had forgone the inner wear.  Making a makeshift oversized jacket with his bare torso visible beneath.  To compensate as to not flash every individual on the street he tied a sash around his waist keeping it from constantly fluttering open.  Reaching down he’d pull up a kitsune mask, admiring the craftsmanship, just before catching a flash of himself in the mirror.  Holding the mask up as a makeshift puppy “What do you think?  Is a face like this worth hiding?”  He’d turn the mask and have it give himself a one’s over.  Turning the kitsune mask would shake its head.  “That’s what I thought.”

He’d replace the mask on the desk and exit the back room, moving out and through the tea shop.  He’d wave at Tanjiro, ignoring the boys sour look as he paced his own mask on getting ready for the shift.  “Later Orihime!”  He’d shout to the girl that had just returned from serving a table, and he’d make his way to exit.  As he did however he was stopped by a scene in front of the tea shop.  He’d known about the game boards, it was rather a face of stubble and brooding that made his own light up.  Beelining over he’d wave towards his cousin.

Due to his late entry he would miss out on all the conversation, instead only hearing Kunika ask about rules.  She had a face full of fire per her usual.  A fitting metaphor given their closest interactions had involved that very thing.  Moving closer Yasahiro would likely be the first one to see him coming given the angle.  He’d clasp his cousin on the shoulder before sitting opposite from Kunika.  “A game and you didn’t invite me?”  He’d adopt a wounded look for a brief moment before his grin cracked the facade.  “Ah well…”. His blue eyes studied the board, quick flashes that he tried to hide.  He couldn’t resist however, there was nothing like a good game.  His cousin was having, a good game.  

“Hello Kunika, it’s a pleasure to see you again m’lady,” he’d minimally bow his head, before adding, “aren’t you cold?  Don’t get me wrong it looks fabulous but still.”  Hed then lean over whispering in the still masked man’s ear.  Though he was masked Asahi could tell it was his friend Yamato.  Call it a side affect of his natural perception, or he might call it his spiritual awareness rather, he could sense it was his friend.  His spiritual energy well known to him.  He’d offer up three suggested moves to be played in order no matter what Yasahiro did.  Would it work?  Would Yamato trust him?  It was hard to say.  Still that was the gamble of a good game.  “So are we enjoying the festival Kuni? My beloved Yas?”  He’d use made up nicknames and smile.  He hadn’t had a drop to drink yet, but he could feel the intoxication of a festival all the same. 

Asahi’s look :

TWC - 678

[Yamato TanakaCitizen Survived 2021 You've completed the Christmas Event of 2021 and qualified for the last reward, by partisan you are awarded this fancy badge!]

Yamato realized that the woman that had joined them had not been here for the beginning of their other game, and so she might not have known. "Well we were just sharing facts about each other seeing as how we’re mostly anonymous.". He felt a bit unsure of himself as he explained the game out loud. "I guess it’s not… Much of a game as much as an excuse to converse… I’m not at great at it as I’m in go, unfortunately, so I’m trying to make it easier for myself...". He took a breath, trying to slow down his heart he only then realized was beating fast. He had somehow put himself on the spot to talk about his feelings. "I guess… That’s my next fact. Your turns.".

An inept leader, huh? Yamato took a second to answer this man. Any insult directed at the kage was an insult directed at the government, and therefore Yamato himself. Yamato also had not met the man called Yasahiro personally, so it might have been unfair to say that yet. There were a lot of bureaucratic cogs in the machine of Tanbo between Yamato and Yasahiro; and that’s what Yamato had been having trouble with. For all of his work around the man’s office, he had never tried to go over his superiors and meet Yasahiro Yagami directly for his ideas and problems.

Gathering all of his thoughts, Yamato finally opened his mouth to talk, "Well… About the leadership...". He was cut shortly afterwards by the beautiful man he had been running into on every street corner. Asahi Yagami. In all of his majesty. It was no shock of course, seeing him in Taika’s teashop. This was not exactly the place to hide from the shaman of spirits. Yamato was happy to have some familiar souls around him, and was about to cherish Asahi joining them when he decided to drop the bombshells.

He had recognized Yamato just as he had recognized his, but that was not all. He had also recognized the other people sitting in front of him. Beloved Yas? As in his cousin, Yasahiro? Yamato could not be sure, having never met the man. There could be tons of names starting with ‘Yas’, right? And even then Asahi could have simply been mistaken, maybe the masks were doing a good enough job keeping people anonymous. Yamato focused on the go board, clearly sweating through his oni mask. "Those are… Only… The 4th, 7th and 11th best moves respectively, dear Asahi… N-not bad ones, you know, but...". He looked up at Asahi, then snapped his eyes back to the board. "So yes management is great.".

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Post WC: 445
Total WC: 1497