Yukimatsuri (Yuuyake Koyake)

[Kuma Da]

Kuma Da productions, in partnership with an all-star cast of GitP forum-ites, presents...

Yukimatsuri, Act 1 Scene 1

Dusk falls soft as a blanket at exactly five PM. It settles over the mountains first, wrapping their peaks in the last of the sunlight. Then it sweeps down across the rest of the countryside, taking a charcoal pencil to every shadow in every pine forest. Dusk reaches the human settlements last, perhaps to give them time to wrap up their daily affairs. She means well, but they've always been the most rebellious of her children. No sooner has she covered them over in blueish dark then, one by one, little lights begin to wink on. Dusk doesn't think this is particularly fair--keeping pet stars anchored to the ground--but she has a job to do, and so she sweeps on.

On this night, the fifth of February, the lights of one town are brighter than most. Samuyama, in northern Hokkaido, is celebrating its annual yukimatsuri, or snow festival. The cold is almost a palpable force outside--fierce enough to rip puffs of steam from every exhaled breath--but that hasn't stopped a dogged handful of tourists from trudging through the mostly-plowed streets and blinking frosty eyelashes at the sights. Some of them clutch steaming cups of amazake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazake) bought from a street vendor. Others simply shuffle their feet and breathe into their hands and stick as close to their friends as their coats will allow.

Into this scene slips a pack of local hengeyokai, disguised to the best of their ability and determined to see what all the fuss is about this year.

The Cast:

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Yuki Akuma as Kawa Hikari, ubiquitous white rabbit with a schoolgirl crush on the world.

Mistformsquirrl as Yumii Agoshi, eying Ryuuta with interest.

UglyPanda as Ryuuta, currently keeping a safe distance between himself and Yumii.

Dorizzit as Zounan Zaraki, cultured kistune martial artist and patron spirit of Samuyama.

Tichrondrius as Shuichi Yagami, red-headed avatar of well-meaning chaos.

Sicarius as Mizuki Tendo, who has cautionary stories written about her. She also might be on the verge of inventing DnD.

To do list for the players:

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Make sure you mention which form you're starting in (animal, human, or mixed,) and where you are at the snow festival. Feel free to create any props you think would be lying around (discarded paper cups, snowballs, etc.)

Most of the town's shops are open, since this is prime tourist season. The restaurants are open as well, plus there's a handful of little outdoor stalls braving the bone-searingly chilly Hokkaidan winter. The main event, in the center of town, is a local snow-sculpting contest. It's in an area ringed with rows of warm white rope-lights and thronging with tourists.

A little music to set the tone:

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http://www.last.fm/music/Vienna+Teng/_/Feather+Moon

Some background information about Samuyama:

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-It’s pretty isolated, with a handful of vending machines, one combini, and a bunch of gift shops and restaurants that are only open during tourist season.

-It does have an onsen, and it's pretty popular with tourists during either the local yukimatsuri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuki_matsuri) or Obon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obon_Festival). During the rest of the year it’s empty save for the villagers. There are a handful of local children, although most families are composed of old couples and sometimes their middle-aged sons. Most of the infrastructure is pretty run-down, and there’s a poorly maintained tomb on one of the nearby peaks.

-There is a well-maintained shrine on the mountainside called Zaraki Jinjya. It’s dedicated to a kitsune and it tends to get a lot more attention than the tomb, which is in an out-of-the-way grove.

-Roasted sweet potatoes and zaraki-don (made with fried vegetables and tofu over rice,) are local specialties.

-There are a number of local legends and cautionary stories about a tanuki that haunts the area, and Samuyama holds a festival in the late summer where all the young village men (i.e. not many. It’s been bolstered by tourists lately,) play on the drums and gamble in the village while the women bring in the first crop of potatoes. This is meant as a diversionary tactic, to draw off the tanuki and keep it from sneaking away with part of the harvest. It is called, somewhat unoriginally, tanuki no hi.

[Yuki Akuma]

(OOC: Hengeyokai, surely?)

This human mask is not fit for cold! In her proper body, Kawa Hikari has nice, lush fur around this time of year, but humans don't get winter fur... The poor girl is huddled up in a rather overlarge coat - around two sizes too big for her and overstuffed with whatever insulating material it uses, it makes her look somewhat like a marshmallow. Especially considering the coat is pure white.

A pair of pinkish-red eyes peer out from under the hood as she looks around in curiosity, quiet munching sounds coming from somewhere inside... possibly where her mouth is, but it's impossible to tell! Slung over her back is a sack made by tying a large cloth into a sort of parachute shape, which is currently filled with daifuku she made especially for the festival... one of which she's currently munching on.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

Ryuta is a dark-haired teenage boy in a thick blue komodo, thick black hakama, and a twist headband. Currently he is very, very cold. "Cold, cold cold, cold, cold, cold, Achoo! Why did I even - Achoo! - that's two sneezes so far. One is someone likes me, two is someone hates me, - Achoo! - three is a cold. THREE IS A COLD! I need to get warm." The little crow-man is running around the festival, looking for a ramen shop.

[Dorizzit]

Zounan strides through the snow, moving with almost supernatural grace despite the unpleasant and averse conditions. Even with the biting cold, he appears to the rest of the small group unperturbed, and he has not deviated from his normal outfit at all. He glances quickly at his wristwatch. One of these days, he'd have to figure out what the numbers meant. Zounan gazes at the city, drawing in the unfamiliar sights and sounds. He sees a small statuette of himself in a local gift shop, and smirks. Zounan glances around at the group.

"Well, this should be entertaining, at least. A few ground rules: don't tell them what you are, don't buy more than you can afford, and let's avoid pranking anyone just yet. And Kawa-chan? I'd rather avoid a repeat of the Urashima incident. Alright, everyone have fun!"

The last is said with a superior smirk, and Zounan quickly legs through the crowd for a heated building. The illusion of immunity to the elements is entertaining, but COLD.

[Sicarius]

Mizuki Tendo

Drinking sake in this weather was dangerous, so Mizuki had settled for a cup of amazaki and was enjoying herself as best she could. Decked out in a winter coat, white scarf, warm hat, and leather gloves that she had likely paid for illicitly, Mizuki was wondering whether she should be a yuki-onna this year and lure some cute tourist to fall flat on his face in a snowbank.

That sounded like fun.

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi Yagami

A fairly large reddish and dark dog runs around with this group. He barked loudly and nuzzled against everyones leg at least once before running around the group again, obviously an unspoiled well of energy. He shook his coat hard and settled into a slow pace beside Kawa Hikari and looks up at the daifuku she munching on and whines a little, his tongue lolling out.

[Kuma Da]

Hikari and Shuichi

Two pairs of legs stop in front of you. One of them is clad in dark jeans, the other in thick black boots, knee-length stockings, and against all reason a mid-length skirt. Knees bend and a girl crouches down into view. She looks to be about seventeen, with short black hair and a warm expression.

"Hiya." She points to Yuichi and asks "is he yours? He's really cute."

The owner of the dark jeans lets off a slightly put-upon sigh. If you crane your neck up to look, you can see that they belong to a boy of about the same age as the girl. He's wrapped up in a puffy, black jacket, but he's obviously still cold. His ears have turned bright pink.

Hikari, he's kinda cute. In a serious, diligent sort of way. He's probably not aware of it.

Ryuuta

There it is. Like a lighthouse beacon on the storm-tossed seas. Like an oasis of warmth in this freezing sahara. A ramen-ya.



Heat issues out of the front door invitingly.

Of course, you don't actually have any money on you. That might be a problem.

Zounan

As you dash with dignity through the wintry streets, you hear the insistent cry of one of the street vendors.

"Irashaimaseeeeee!"

You turn your head for a half second and notice that the voice belongs to a rather pretty young woman behind a covered stand. Steam is rising off of its glass panels and from it you catch a whiff of...

No. Couldn't be...

Fried tofu?

Mizuki

There's actually a handful of local stories about yuki-onna. They're not something the gift shops capitalize on, but then they don't exactly sell Tendo-the-tanuki keitai straps, either (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_strap).

Hmmmm.

You could probably rekindle some of those stories with a sufficiently elaborate prank. It'd be good for merchandising. Really.

OOC:

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Oh god. Total slysdexic moment with the hengeyokai thing in the first post. I'd figured something like that might happen. Thanks for helping me correct it, though.

Also, I'm not really going to spoilerize everyone's individual sections, since I kinda want everyone to read everything. Let me know if this bothers anyone.

2nd OOC:

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Man, you guys are awesome. I am ridiculously glad that I decided to run this as my first game. Major props to you all.

Also, don't be shy about giving dream points to other players.

[Yuki Akuma]

Hikari pouts a bit at Zounan. "Zounan-samaaaaa! You said you forgot about the Urashima thing!" The poor girl pouts, unconsciously reaching into her pack to offer Shuichi an ichigo daifuku - more-or-less a whole strawberry wrapped in mochi. The two pairs of legs give her pause for a moment.

The question makes her giggle and pat Shuichi on the head! "Shuichan isn't mine! Shuichan belongs to the village." She nods her head firmly, looking up at the girl and boy with a happy smile - and a blush, although as it's so cold she might just be flushed from the temperature.

"...Aren't you cold? Shouldn't we go inside?"

[Dorizzit]

Oh no.

Zounan twitches, trying to maintain human form for as long as possible. Dodging through the thick crowd, he slams against a wall and allows the transformation to occur. He shivers as the six tails emerges up, giving a contented sigh when the transformation is complete. He realizes a fair number of people are staring at him in curiosity about his strange behavior. Pressing his tails tightly against the wall, he flashes a faintly sheepish smile at them.

"Gas attack. Sorry. Nothing to see, here."

The attention off him for the moment, Zounan quickly snakes the tails under his clothes, tucking his shirt back in over them. Shaking his head in concern, he gets as far away from the fried tofu vendor. This might be more difficult than anticipated.

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi Yagami

Shuichi rubs his head against Hikari's hand and nuzzles it. Then he tries to focus on eating his ichigo daifuku, and then runs around the group happily.

"Hikari-chaan, lets go to the middle. I wanna watch the contest!" He said cheerfully, his tongue lolling out as he takes a moment to roll around in the snow. Realizing something, he looks down at his paws and seems to whine a little. "Awe, but humans are so cold in cold..." Shuichi mumbles, looking around and considering the potentional fun of the snow sculpting contest versus being warm.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

The bird man walks into the ramen shop, and with a few short hops, is crouching on top of a stool by the service bar. He looks in his pockets, and sees that he has no money in them. "Ramenmaker-sama, I'm very cold and I have no money. Could I have a bowl of broth or cup of tea? I'm scared of being sick, I haven't been sick before. Please, pretty pretty please?"

[Kuma Da]

Hikari and Shuichi

The girl giggles as Shuichi scarfs the ichigo daifuku. She half-reaches out to pet him, but startles a little when he starts running around in circles. Recovering her composure, she focuses her attention on Hikari.

"You said he belongs to the village. Then you live around here, right? He's waaay too cute to be a stray." She giggles again as Shuichi plunges into the side of a snowbank and starts to roll around in the powder. "I'm Watanabe Yukiko," she stands back up and bows before quickly crouching back down to your level "I go to school with Kei-chan here." She waves at the boy in the puffy jacket. He exhales steam and shuffles his feet. It looks like he would much rather be somewhere else. Preferably somewhere tropical. Or volcanic. "We're both doing the snow-sculpting contest this year. You should come watch. If your parents don't mind, of course."

Zounan Zaraki

You find yourself standing outside a little souvenir shop, just a short distance from the local train station. It's not like the Sapporo eki, which comes with its very own sprawling under-mall. The Samuyama railway stop is just a platform and a schedule, but it has a number of little touristy stores nearby, capitalizing on the yearly trickle of travelers passing through.

In the window of the shop, you can see a neat display of carved wooden kitsune. There's also kitsune lighters, kitsune postcards, kitsune stationary, kitsune soda, and a lonely looking tanuki dice cup sitting behind the glass.

Sapporo eki:

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Ryuuta

The man behind the counter looks you over critically, then sighs. "Yeah. Alright. I'll fix up something for you, on the house. You're just lucky I have kids. Can't stand the thought of one of them in your situation."

He looks like he's somewhere in his forties, and he's wearing a black apron with the ramen-ya's name on it. His face is a map of wrinkles, with wide smile-lines at the corners of his eyes. You notice that there aren't a lot of other customers in the shop. Just a couple of old men sitting at the other end of the counter. They look like they're local.

"Here's some tea to start off with." He places a cup and a warm towel in front of you. Steam rises invitingly off of the both of them. "Now," he folds his arms, "would you care to tell me what you're doing out here dressed like that? If you're looking for Akihabara, you're on the wrong island."

Akihabara:

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara

Everyone:

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You can shift between forms at any time you'd like. To do so, all you have to do is spend Thought or Mystery points equal to the difficulty of the shifting minus your Shifter ability score.

Things that effect the difficulty of shape-shifting: +4 difficulty if it's morning or noon, +2 if it's night, +0 if it's evening (which it is), +4 if you're shifting to fully human, +2 if you're shifting to human plus ears or tail or small wings, and +0 for human plus ears and tail or large wings.

So, suppose Zounan wanted to shift his tails back into his body. He'd be facing a difficulty of 4 (+4 for fully human and +0 since it's evening.) If his shifter score is 4 or over, then he passes automatically. If not, then he can spend mystery or thought points equal to the difference between it and the difficulty of the shift.

Shifting back towards animal form costs nothing.

[Yuki Akuma]

Hikari hmmmms, putting one finger to her chin as she thinks! "....Okay!" She nods her head. "Shuichan wants to see the contest anyway." She nods her head, then giggles, bowing towards the girl. "Pleased to meet you, Yukiko-san! My name's Kawa Hikari."

Hikari pauses for a few moments, then giggles. "Hikari isn't a stray. He's wild... strays are escaped pets, and Shuichan isn't a pet!" She kneels down, and cuddles Shuichi around the head/neck area. "Right Shuichan?"

[Dorizzit]

Zounan, attracted by his likeness, enters the shop quickly. He rubs his arms to warm up, then takes a look around at the various merchandise. He picks up a lighter, rolling it around in his hands. I wonder what this does... setting it down, before examining some of the other fox-based merchandise. He picks up a dice cup, and chuckles before setting it down. Finally, he selects a carved fox statuette. He takes it up to the counter. "Hello. How much is this, please?"

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

"Yay, thank you Ramenmaker-dono!" Ryuta picks up the tea in both hands, hunches over, and takes a few sips. He sets down the tea and scratches his forearm with his nose. "I haven't been to Akihibara since they stopped printing Fist of the North Star 'You are already dead' 'ATATATATATATATATATATA"" While he is saying this, Ryuta is staring at the stool next to him and performing the Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken on a nonexistent patron. "And before that I only really went there for volumes of Black Jack." He pauses for a good minute before saying "I can't think of any quotes. It was too long ago."

OOC: My character is dressed for cold weather, it's just that migratory birds aren't used to cold weather and my character isn't a local.

[Sicarius]

Mizuki Tendo

Yuki-onna would be fun, but right now, she wanted to see something else. Mizuki wanted to throw some dice, but right now, she had a better idea. Snickering to herself, she watched for a boy who was particularly cute and about her age. Once she did, she made up a little snowball, evil smirk on her red, red cheeks, and tossed it at the back of his head.

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi Yagami

"Wild!" Shuichi agrees, enjoying the petting and nuzzling up against Hikari, then walks over to Yukiko and Kei to allow them to pet him too. "Wild, but oh so domestic..." He sighs contentedly.

[Kuma Da]

Hikari, Shuichi, and Mizuki

Yukiko's friend looks a little worried when Hikari mentions that they're all in the company of a wild dog. "He's a stray? Isn't that a little dange--"

There's a muffled thump as a snowball hurtles out of the evening dark and collides with the back of Kei-chan's head. He's leaning forward at the time of impact, sticking his hands under his armpits in the hope that maybe they'll get warm, and his balance isn't quite what it should be. Arms pinwheeling and cheeks blazing with embarrassment, he topples forward into the snow.

Zounan

The old woman running the shop gingerly takes the kitsune statuette from your hands and flips it over, examining the price tag on the base. "2,000 yen, please. They're all hand carved. There's a local girl who does them." As she talks she punches the price into the register and pulls a little paper bag out from underneath the counter. "Thank you for your business. Most people take them over to Zaraki Jinjya to leave for the kitsune. It's supposed to bring good luck. They also make nice gifts for friends and family."

She prattles on about the weather, local affairs, and the snow festival as she waits for you to buy the statuette.

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Since your money comes entirely from donations to your shrine, it's almost entirely in coins. Most of the coins are goen dama. Five yen coins.

Ryuuta

The man behind the counter gives you a weathered grin. "Black Jack, eh? I used to read that...back when I was your age, I think. I wanted to be a doctor. These days I suppose everyone wants to grow up and be a pirate or a ninja." Snagging a bowl off a nearby shelf, he dumps some ramen base into it. "How'd you get interested in Black Jack, anyways?"

OOC:

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The man behind the counter wasn't implying that a kimono+hakama+hachimaki wasn't warm. He was implying that it's a pretty bizarre thing to see a kid wearing out in the countryside on a day that isn't a holiday. Kimono are expensive. They tend to be formal wear, or part of cosplay, or sometimes an expensive fashion statement.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

"A friend of mine gave me the first volume because he was too freaked out. He really likes Tezuka-dono, but he couldn't stand the blood." Ryuta tilts his head at a strange angle while looking at the ramen shop owner. "How come you didn't become a doctor, Ramenmaker-dono?"

OOC:
Let's break the ice, shall we. I award three XP to both Hikari and Shuichi for huggling.

I award Zounan three XP for being vain enough to buy an inaccurate statue of himself.

I award Mizuki three XP for starting a snowball fight.

[Dorizzit]

Zounan focuses for a second, drawing upon his connection to his shrine. He quickly searches the offerings left to him there, trying to find enough to pay the cashier in as little time as possible. He finds three 100 yen pieces and a 500 yen piece. Producing those, he then conjures 2400 five yen pieces, pulling a small sack of them from behind him.

"I'm sorry, I don't get much in large denominations. This should cover it. If I got it wrong, just visit the shrine. I live...near there and visit it frequently. Ciao!"

Zounan takes the statuette and exits the store, quickly withdrawing one of his tails as it slips from his shirt as he opens the door to leave. Hoping no one noticed, he quickly walks away, heading for the middle of town. The ice sculpting competition would probably be interesting. He tosses the statuette up in the air for a second. Hand carved, eh? Interesting... Zounan thinks for a second, and then ducks into a dark alley, and, making sure no one is watching, he transforms back into his full fox form, complete with all his tails. He slinks back to the main street, keeping to the shadows and moving quickly but otherwise taking no pains to remain unnoticed, heading for the city center.

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Question: Does Zaraki need to spend any points for getting the money?

Also, I guess I'll hand out some dream points, too. Hikari and Shuichi get two points each for being adorable, Ryuta gets two for interesting characterization and amusing interactions with the ramen maker, and Mizuki get two for chucking snowballs without provocation.

[Kuma Da]

Ryuta

The man behind the counter quirks an eyebrow at you. "Exams and money. They're what separate the chefs from the doctors. I think Tezuka might've left that part out." He ladles broth into the ramen bowl and stirs it vigorously. "I'm afraid I haven't read much manga since Black Jack. Who're you dressed as?"

Zounan Zaraki

The large sack of five yen pieces lands on the counter with a mighty clank, but you don't stick around long enough to see the saleslady's expression.

Outside the store, in a little alleyway, you toss the statuette up in the air and shift back into your fox form. It drops to the snow beside you with a soft whumph.

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You don't need to spend points to get money from your shrine. I was kinda going to assume you had it on you, but I suppose that would've been silly with five yen coins.

Any money you spend does count against the 10,000 yen limit mentioned in the shrine ability. Right now you're down to 8,000 yen in funds.

Also, getting to the center of town without being seen in fox form is going to be a little difficult on account of the tourists. It's a skill difficulty 5, against your Beast score and however many Thought Points you want to spend.

Everyone

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Okay. You've got the right idea with handing out Dream Points a little more freely. Try not to award them in bunches of two or three except for stuff that's super-super cute, but it's totally okay to give everyone one Dream Point at once.

As the Teller, I also get to hand out Dream Points.

1 DP to Ryuta for the whole scratching-his-forearm-with-his-nose thing, which made me laugh out loud. Also for his sneezing intro, which produced the same effect.

1 DP to Shuichi Yagami for the "Wild but oh so domestic..." line.

I realize that I shouldn't have waited this long to award Dream Points, but I kinda figured you guys would be slinging them around like snowballs by now.

[Yuki Akuma]

"Eek!" The young girl dodges to the side as Kei-chan falls flat on his face! "Kei-chan! Are you okay?" She bends down to look at him... but doesn't actually try to help him up. "...Snowball? Who would..."

She then looks up sharply, spotting a familiar face. She grins a little bit under her coat, and then points dramatically. "Mizuki-neechan! I challenge you!!" You can almost imagine a little fiery aura around the girl, melting the snow...

And then she quickly ducks down and begins packing a snowball!

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"Wild! But oh so domestic..." definitely deserves at least one DP to Shuichi.

And Mizuki requires 1 DP for the unprovoked snowball to the back of Kei-chan's head!

Poor Kei-chan.

[Dorizzit]

((Well, what Zounan is trying to do is remain elusive, but still get seen occasionally. I'll pay three dream points to pass the check, but Zounan is still going to let people get glimpses of him.))

Zounan picks up the statuette in his teeth, careful that he doesn't make bite marks in the wood. Racing out of the alleyway, he dodges from shadow to shadow, careful to remain unseen...for the most part. Occasionally, he deliberately reveals himself, enough that people might convince themselves that they had only imagined a six tailed fox moving through the streets. When he gets nearer to the city center, he finds another dark alley and darts into it, reverting to human form. Picking up the statuette, he chuckles and drops it in his pocket.

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And Kawa gets another dream point from me.

[mistformsquirrl]

Yumii, having been napping in an alley until this point, finally wakes up. The tiny white cat slips down the streets of Samuyama, seeking firstly, some food!

Coming upon the ramen stand where Ryuuta stands waiting for his bowl, Yumii slinks up to him and begins rubbing against his leg, purring softly.

Prrrrr~

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi Yagami

"Kei-Chan!" Shuichi says dramaticly, racing forward to lick at his face a little and make sure hes okay, nearly making the exchange between Hikari and Mizuki. With a quick glance between them, Shuichi makes a snap decision, and runs away to the nearest bank concealment.

A second later, a snowball comes sailing out from the cover towards Mizuki. "Free for all, nee-chan!" A tuft of red says, poking slightly over the encampment, followed by several more snow balls aimed at Yukiko and Hikari, followed by a torrent of laughter.

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Hey, I was going to call Mizuki nee-chan. :P Anyway, I spend two Thought Points to turn into my cute little human self and show people how snowball is done. ^^

And I guess i'll break the ice a different way, by spending six thought points to use "Its Okay" on Kei-Chan and get him back in the fight. XD

Awe, thanks guys. I'm going to end up with the most points ever. o-o I'm only giving out one a piece, though, so, lets see.

Zounan gets a point for buying a statue of himself. Awesome.
Ryuta gets a point for bumming food and being a strange little character.
Mizuki gets a point for starting the snowball fight of the century.
Hikari gets a point for being in general amazingly cute, but mostly for the 'I challenge you' line.

So, can I spend Dream Points to increase relationship whenever I want?

[Sicarius]

Mizuki!

Mizuki silently giggled, putting her snowy gloved hand over her mouth in a perfectly cute fashion. It was perfect, almost. It only would've been more perfect if he was moving at speed, so that when he fell, a big cloud of white would puff up.

When the little Hikari said that it was a challenge, Mizuki was there to use her greater size to pull the hood down on Hikari's face while grabbing her in a big bear hug.

"Hee...I thought you said you were going to tell me when you knew somebody cute."

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Anyone who believes that snowball was unprovoked clearly has not flirted in winter.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

"I'm dressed as myself. Who else would I be?" Noticing the kitten at the foot of the stool he is crouched on top of, Ryuta panics. "CAT!" Ryuta jumps several feet into the air, and with a poof, reverts to his crow form. Flying, he heads to the ramen-maker's shoulder and perches there.

[Yuki Akuma]

Hikari lets out a shriek as she's bearhugged, kicking and struggling as she's easily lifted up off the floor! "B-but I didn't know where you were, neechan! Not fair!" She kicks and struggles, still clutching that snowball. She sniffles and whimpers, looking up into the tanuki's eyes. "Please forgive me...?"

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So, is this the sort of situation where I make a skill check? >.>

[mistformsquirrl]

Yumii

*slinks off around the corner, giggling to herself* <-_->

Once out of sight of others, reverting to her human form <. .>

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Gotta give Ryuta a 1 up for that >.>b Err, 1 dream point I mean, if thats ok <.< I'm doing it right, right?

[Kuma Da]

Hikari, Shuichi, and Mizuki

"Are you okay?" Yukiko leans in over her fallen friend.

"Yeah. I'm good. I landed on my dignity, and that was pretty sof--AUGH! Dog slobber! Dog slobber!" Kei-chan brings his hands up protectively, but by that time Shuichi's already bounded off behind the snowbank. He scowls and clambers back to his feet. Meanwhile Yukiko has very nearly eaten one of her mittens trying to force a fit of giggles back into her mouth.

Shuichi's snowballs hurtle over the side of the snowbank, impacting on both Mizuki and the side of Yukiko's jacket. "Hey! He's on my left!" She points emphatically at Kei-chan, who ducks down, scoops up a handful of powder, and overhands it at her. His aim's a little shaky and he misses, catching a hapless pedestrian in the back.

The man turns around slowly. Both Kei-chan and Yukiko blanch. "Naka...mura...sensei?"

He wipes a streak of snow off of his glasses. "And you would be...?"

"Ohmigodrun!"

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Tichondrius, spending only two points on the shapeshift means that you still have your tail. Also, thanks for being the first to spend MP on an ability.

Yuki Akuma, you don't really have to make skill checks against other players. Since there's a fairly limited amount of Thought points per scene, they're mostly used on checks to further the plot. I haven't really thrown a lot of skill-check-worthy situations at you guys, so don't worry about still having a lot of Thought points. You'll probably want them later.

Hikari, Shuichi, and Mizuki, it's a difficulty 4 skill check using your Beast stat to outrun Nakamura-sensei. He's not in incredibly good shape.

Also, feel free to intentionally fail this check. You'll be conserving those Thought points for later, and it might produce some interesting results.

Zounan Zaraki

You make it to the center of town largely unnoticed, save for a handful of elementary school kids who stared wide-eyed at you as you passed. As you return to human form in the safe shadows of yet another alleyway, you notice that there are kanji carved in the side of the statuette.

There are two sets. The first seems to be the title of the piece: Zaraki Sama. The second is much smaller and hidden in a corner. It simply reads Watanabe.

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"I'll pay three dream points to pass the check, but Zounan is still going to let people get glimpses of him."

That works for me. However, you don't spend Dream points to pass skill checks. Those are Thought points. Also, it costs 4 Thought or Mystery points to shift to human again.

Ryuta and Yumii

The ramen chef goes very, very still. He looks straight ahead, like a man frantically trying to pretend that there is not a bird perched on his shoulder. And that that bird did not walk into his shop a few minutes ago and order a bowl of ramen. Because that would be silly. And impossible.

He looks over to the local customers, hoping to see calm, reassuring faces. Proof that a kid did not just transform into a bird. Proof that the world is still working the way that it's supposed to.

One of the customers is frozen mid-noodle-slurp. Broth is dripping back into the bowl with an even plink plink plink. Another man is holding his chopsticks out like a spear, or maybe a talisman. The third man was in the middle of sipping from a glass of water. The glass is currently empty and his shirt is a good deal damper than usual.

The ramen chef sucks in a deep breath and starts to turn his head. Then he remembers that if there is for some reason a bird sitting on your shoulder and you turn to look at it, it might go for the eyes.

Very, very carefully, he sends his right hand to go see if there's anything currently using him as a perch. It moves tremblingly at sub-glacial speeds.

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Mistformsquirrl, you've got the Dream point thing right. However, it costs either Thought or Mystery points (your choice) to shapeshift into human. You can shift for free in the evening if you keep your ears and tail in human form, or you can shift with just the tail for 2 points, or you can shift into full human for 4.

Everyone

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Go ahead and spend your Dream points to increase relationships whenever you want.

Speaking of which...

1 point to Ryuuta for freaking the everloving crap out of the man running the ramen shop.

1 point to Yumii for innocently breeding chaos wherever she goes.

2 points to Hikari for consistent, fantastic RP and for the massive list of honorifics in the OOC thread. That was a blessing unto the Teller. i.e. me.

1 point to Mizuki for this line, even if her character didn't actually say it: "Anyone who believes that snowball was unprovoked clearly has not flirted in winter." Very true. By being cute, Kei-chan was simply asking to be pelted with freezing wintry death.