Light up the Night - [BACKDATED to 2/5]

[mamaterasu]

Who: Ammy + Anyone interested
What: Fireworks show for the Lunar New Year!
When: Evening of 2/5/19
Where: Monkey Compound
Warnings: None so far, tag as needed!



[It's about noon when a message is posted to the Message Rock, as well as over the Stones of Farspeech - an elegant writing in kanji with a translation below. The voice is foreign, not often heard and possibly lost from most peoples' memories, but it sounds...excited? There's definitely a chime-like laughter hidden in the depths of it.]

All interested in a beautiful sight, please show up at dusk at the Hana--eh...the Monkey Compound. Drinks - for the elders among you - and some snacks will be provided, but I encourage you all to pack a box lunch.

Those unable to attend...I'll try to make sure you see it. Thank you.

[How very enigmatic indeed.

Still, those that do show up as the sky begins to change into a purple-blue color, dotted with small, glittering stars, will see that the Monkey Compound has been done up a bit. There's a line of small, flowering cherry blossom trees creating a lovely arch by the entrance, and little paper tags have been hung from a few of the branches, holding pictures of a tiny boar, or piglet, and a prayer written on the opposite side in kanji.

Inside has a very, very pleasant air to it. Much different than what this place used to be. It's laid with fresh, clean, springy grass and flowers, and a bountiful garden off to one side, which looks a little barren...probably because most of the foods have been harvested and laid out neatly on a bushels of palm fronds. Fresh vegetables and fruits from Ammy's garden, ripe for the taking and eating, if you're more the rustic type. There's also fire-roasted fish, skewered on a stick and cooking nicely by a crackling bonfire. Eat, enjoy, converse with neighbors and friends alike! Drinks have indeed been provided for the adults, a large barrel of sake with a ladle to pour it into one of twelve dishes. And yes, a bowl of water has been added to the side to rinse them off.

The centerpiece is a very basic shrine put up with a folding wall, once white in color but painted over with a beautiful portrait of a boar rolling a round firework, and a tiny, ceramic figure on a boar topping a little rock pile. Below the statue is an offering of sake, a single sakura mochi, a grilled fish, and some flowers. That is where the wolf will be when you first spot her.

For...a moment, at least. Because once the sky grows truly dark, and the embers from the bonfire has crept to soft, orange glow, a whistle will wheeze its way through the sky as a streak of light soars up, and up...before it explodes in a puff of white sparks. Nothing exciting, more a call to attention.

A minute passes, then another, and the're movement by the far end of the compound as the wolf readies everything she needs. A few final touches--...there! All ready for the show to begin.

And what a show it is.

The fireworks are beautiful and vibrant, coloring the skies in a vast array of rainbow hues, dancing like they're actually alive. True artistry, and a blessing from the God of Explosions, Bakugami (and the local rabbit god, who provided a number to help make this work). An explosive force meant to open the gate for a blissful new year - full of color, full of life, and bountiful in all things that bring happiness and joy to those with good in their hearts.

Happy Lunar New Year. ♥]

Comments

[barberian]

(Yasha is on her way back to her own home when she stops to have a look at the little shrine in the center of it all, running her fingertips gently over its surface. It's a very humble gesture, to erect something handmade. Beautiful, even. Yasha's thoughts turn to something sadder; she looks away, and that's when she notices the white wolf, half-asleep in the grass nearby.

She looks tired. Hopefully they haven't been keeping her up with the fireworks.

Yasha stoops, and runs her knuckles gently over Ammy's head.)

Hello. Did you enjoy the show too?

[mamaterasu]

[There wasn't much she could work with, and perhaps at one point, she may ask for a proper, if simple, shrine to be placed here for her future celebrations, but for now...this is fine. She's sure Bakugami would love it no more or no less if it were made of mud and clay. A kind gesture is still just that, regardless of how much skill goes into it. It's all about spirit.

One ear flicks to the sound of someone approaching, and Ammy peeks her eyes open just in time to see a warm hand flutter its knuckles across her head. She squints her eyes shut happily, stretching her back and rolling over slightly with a yawn and a few happy wags of her tail. By the way she's even grinning in her restful and relaxed state, she looks plenty pleased with everything that went into tonight. Tired, and without the usual glow to her fur that she normally has, but...happy. It went far better than even she could have hoped for. So many people came and enjoyed it! That's really all she wanted - people to celebrate and be happy. Sometimes they just need to be reminded that there's still something to be jovial about, especially in a place like this, where faith and hope is often tested.

So, yes. She enjoyed it all greatly. The fireworks, yes, but the smiling faces of the onlookers was her real reward.]

[barberian]

(She does have a big, wolfy grin on her doesn't she? Yasha can't help smiling too; the cheer is infectious, mixed with her wonder and awe over the fireworks. Imagine if she knew this wolf were responsible for them! She remains crouched down, and moves her large hand slowly across Ammy's back and haunch, coming in for a good belly rub when she rolls over slightly.

Ammy's done her job very well. Yasha was already having a good night, and now getting to give a dog a good pat is topping it all off very nicely.)

You don't mind sleeping outside?

[mamaterasu]

[Oh, that's nice... Shifting her body posture, Ammy gives Yasha more room to work with when her hand reaches down to her tummy, and her eyes squint shut as that big mitt reaches all the right spots. She pants hard, tail hitting the ground with more force and energy than before - Yasha really knows how to Ammy's buttons, in the best way possible. Eventually, she turns to lick and playfully mouth on the giant woman's hand, laying her head down and flicking her ears to the question.]

Wwrrrn...a-aaouuuuww!

[Is her response, a whiny half-hearted howl, before her tongue flicks over her nose and she yawns. Mind? No, not at all. She is a wild animal, after all, and feeling the earth, wind, and sun all around her when she sleeps is refreshing. Of course, in the colder places, she enjoys soft, warm blankets and cozy fires, and those that let her inside their homes to curl up and stay the night once or twice is lovely, but it's never a full time thing. She's simply too restless, and enjoys her freedom.]

[barberian]

(Yasha chuckles at the teeth and mouth on her hand; she's fine with the playing, even prefers it. As much as she loves to sit idly with Frumpkin, he does not like to play as much, he is more often sleepy and quiet. She prods Ammy in the belly a few times, tickling her gently.

The yawn is what gets her to stop. She's probably tired, Yasha should let her alone. As much as she'd like to sit and look at the stars with her, she's probably been around people all evening, and is most likely sick of them. Yasha gives her head a gentle scritch with two knuckles, and then relents. This wolf might not be a pet, but she's certainly something kinder than wild.)

Okay, okay. (She should be thinking about bed, too.) I'll leave you to it.

[mamaterasu]

[Ammy doesn't have all that much energy right now, but she has enough for a little roughhousing. The pokes and tickles to her tummy get her panting and twisting to try and catch Yasha's hand in her mouth, back legs kicking out gently. Her tail slaps against the grass and she looks at Yasha with happiness and excitement, tongue hanging from the side of her mouth as a very canine sort of smile spreads on her lips.

Only when playtime is over does she lick over her nose and whiskers and stand up to stretch....then circle a few times and curl right back down in a new position to rest again. Gotta find that perfect, comfy spot, yo. It's not always the same. Her head tilts to one side though and she flicks one ear, looking a bit dejected. Oh...she's not so tired that she can't enjoy some company, but a quick snooze would be nice. Hm, if she only knew where this giant woman lived, Ammy could visit her there and sleep over a night or two (she's often crashed other peoples' homes to snuggle up with them from time to time), but it shouldn't be hard to track her. Yasha has a very unique scent - like rain almost, or a damp sort of earthiness. It's nice.]

[barberian]

(She would happily invite the wolf to follow her back home if she knew what she were thinking, but as it is, she looks so content where she is in the grass. Comfortable. At home. As much as Yasha likes the company of animals she isn't about to force it, and especially not from an animal that could easily tear into her if she wanted to. Yasha saw the size of those teeth when they were mucking around before, she's no idiot.)

I will come and find you again another time, (she tells Ammy, and taps her very gently on the bridge of her snout. Then, she brushes off the legs of her pants as she stands, and makes her way slowly back down the hill.)