Rainblade-Ryalors Open Vulpinsula & Surroundings Westisle Cultural Appreciation Day

[Talinn Ryalor]

(This will be an open thread set after the Urk Expedition so that everyone can join and mingle. Appreciate the festivities, spend time with loved ones, or get into darker pursuits, but whatever you do, try a cupcake from the Imperium’s newest province. For more information on Westisle, see here.)

The Duke of Westisle and Minister of Innovation sat in his wheelchair at the dark oak desk, glancing out at the Harbor and the hundreds of thousands of beasts who resided in it from his fortress before turning his attention back to the mountain of paperwork on his desk. It was neverending, and had piled up to a ludicrous degree while he was leading the expedition to Urk, and he spent most of his time either reading reports or responding to them. Today, however, his efforts were related to his first title, and he was signing off on the last of the large expenditures to the city’s bakeries and to the Ministry of Niceties in that capacity, which was exceptionally painful to the otherwise thrifty fox, but necessary. After all, integrating Westisle into the Imperium was a critical part of his long-term plans, and bread and circuses were a critical part of that. It would help, too, towards a slow improvement of his reputation. Finally finishing his review of the last order, he smiled softly and signed his signature, then affixed the blue ducal seal of his house to it. Collecting the necessary paperwork, he rang the chime, and his personal assistant, the young vixen Arta, who was almost certainly a spy for Dusk, arrived in an instant.

“Send these out immediately, would you? And fetch the first sample for me.”

Nodding, she rushed out, almost sprinting, and Talinn leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. Westisle Cultural Appreciation Day was quite the yearly expense, but one that he enjoyed. Fireworks, kimonos and yukatas, festivals, parades, discounted goods including quality weapons and armor, kabuki theatre, delicacies from the sea, sake and other alcoholic beverages, and even makeshift spas reminiscent of those found in the province would be found all across the Harbor today, the events either being free in the poorer districts or at a significant bargain. Of course there was one thing that Talinn, and most Westislers looked forward to the most, as he heard Arta, panting, enter the room with the first sample of it. A rare, genuine smile crossed the old fox’s face as he carefully took the culinary creation with both hands, and bit into it, savoring the frosting and delicate bread beneath it, looking like a kit again as he munched down and devoured it. Giving her an approving nod, he raised his out right paw authoritatively.

“I approve! Arta, deploy the frosted cupcakes to the city immediately!”

“Yes sir!”

 

[Dusk Rainblade]

Dusk had to admit, of all her husband's ideas, Westisle Appreciation Day was one that she rather enjoyed. She'd never have said it to his face, but she missed her time as a duchess living in Westisle; the luxuries of the role, and even the formalities of Fyadorian court culture, had fit her as well as the purple kimono she now wore as she walked through the streets of Bully Harbor, across her shoulder resting a yellow paper parasol painted with delicate pink flowers over sharp black branches. As she walked through the streets, she glanced up at the clock tower across town to check the time. As much as she appreciated the still-technically-under-construction edifice for its chronological convenience, the choice of name had left her somewhat exasperated. It was inevitable, in naming it "The Princess Vaelora Ryalor Memorial Clock Tower", that the nickname "Big Val" would propagate - a sentiment that Dusk was sure her niece would not appreciate.

"Ohayōgozaimasu!" she called cheerfully to a dumbfounded worker in overalls as she passed, causing him to shake his head and move on. Ah well. It would be a long road to full integration between the two cultures, and she couldn't expect most Vulpinsulans to take too well to it.

~~~

Pomodu didn't know what was happening exactly, only that there were a number of people dressed quite differently from normal Vulpinsulan attire. She'd been quite confused at first, but eventually it had been explained to her that it was a day for appreciating the culture of someplace called "Westisle". Pomodu had no idea where that was; she knew that there was an Eastisle that was mentioned as home to the Ryalors in some of the legends, so maybe this Westisle was near there?

Not wanting to be left out, she'd gone to a Fyadorian tailor shop in Zann's Backyard. The proprietor's accent had been difficult for her to follow, but he'd seemed very excited when she said she wanted traditional clothes from Fyador. The little bit she'd caught had indicated that she was perfect for whatever outfit he had in mind, and so she simply went along with it. It was a full hour before she finally saw herself in a mirror. She'd promptly paid the proprietor for his time and expense and, wearing the costume, went out onto the street.

She was wearing a massive black and gold kosode over a white kimono and red hakama, cinched at the waist in a way that made her padded shoulders look even more massive by comparison. The proprietor's wife, using cans of red and white paint, had taken advantage of Pomodu's natural coloration to paint her face with curving red lines arching out from her eyes and mouth over a white backdrop, her eyebrows and eyelids inked in with thick black mascara. Atop her head a massive black wig seemingly made of three distinct curled cylinders of headfur rested, twin golden needles crossed through the bun in the back. Bizarrely, twin diamond squares of red fabric with a tight, angular spiral in white had been sewn to her waist and linked to her sleeves, making them flare out when Pomodu spread her arms.

It was, strangely enough, less disconcerting than Pomodu's normal outfit.

The red panda, thoroughly out of her depth, waddled awkwardly down the street, having to lift and swing her feet to keep from tripping over the many layers of fabric, her prize possession - an ornate Vulpinsulan dueling sword - strapped to her side in lieu of a katana.

~~~

"You don't have to wear this," was Daniil's preface to handing Caden the nicely wrapped box. "I like your clothes a lot, actually. You also don't have to go out with me if you don't want to. I just..." He blushed, glancing down to where they sat on the couch of their living room, "I'd like you to be there. I'm going to feel enough like an outsider around my family without being there alone."

He'd gone out and purchased outfits for Caden and Asta both. For Asta, he'd found a springtime outfit, a delicate silk kimono of a fresh, light spring decorated with patterns of pink orchids and trimmed with a matching pink, and a parsol of white to match, a famous Fyadorian poem praising a renowned courtesan's beauty replicated across its folds. For Caden, he'd gone with a sturdy yukata with a plaid of dark blue and black squares, tied with a black sash at the waist.

 

[Mariel Rustyfangs]

Mariel was happily munching on the cupcake she took from one of the stalls. The whole festival was great! Except for the fact this kitten already knew a good bit about the foreign cultures. She read a lot and was pretty sure all of those kimonos, little trinkets and baubles, they didn't even sold half of the truth. All the cool stuff was missing. Massive monsters invading the land called Kaiju! Masters of sword great enough to cut a flying arrow in half! Of course... DRAGONS!

The kitten wasn't that upset about lack of all the really interesting stuff only because she was getting cupcakes... In fact, she had a plan to get a loooot of cupcakes. Following her mom's advice, she knew that if there was a lot of something, they must've stored it somewhere in even greater amounts. To Mariel that translated to: There is a place with all the cupcakes Mariel would ever want.

Sadly, she was but a one kitten. No matter how much pickpocketing and little acts of sabotage she did, she in no way would be able to pull a heist properly... at least, not alone.

That is why she still bothered to follow one of the bearers to the warehouse that for sure held many cupcakes. Easy. Now, she just needed someone to help... and sadly most of the other younglings around were kits. She didn't want to entrust anything to a fox, there was too much distrust for those, but admittedly, one could be of much use in her little scheme.

And fortunately, she just spotted one, more importantly, one that was padding along a hatchling! Lizards were trustworthy in her eyes, so she confidently walked over closer to them. Trying to at first sneakily gauge if they were kids of the street. Knowing how to have fun unlike some of those posh little ones she knew from school. She wasn't standing too far away though, and should they just turn to her side, they would for sure see she was looking at them. And as soon as they did, she spoke before they could even utter a single word, her voice high, excited, but also very assertive. "Heyyyy, didja get your cupcakes already?"

@FinnianBrightfur
@Cricket

 

[Kerney Erdősi]

There might have been something different about today, in the Trenches.

Beasts, beasts everywhere; and not in normal Trenches fashion. Everyone was outside. The streets were packed with every age and creed, a mosaic of music, commotion, smells and colours... The colours! The bright reds, yellows, and blues of the strange outfits beasts wore jumped out of the crowd in an explosion. Fabrics danced in the wind bearing strange creatures and symbols.

What was Westisle? Kerney didn't know. He was sat on an much-too-busy-to-care street vendor's empty crate stack with his feet kicked up as if on an ottoman, sucking on a star-shaped hard candy he had bought earlier (in a previous life, he would have simply nicked it) as he contemplated this very topic. It tasted floral, like rose water. Not what he was expecting from a candy, but not altogether unpleasant.

Every year this happened, some kind of concerted effort by some higher power to bring Westisle's culture to Vulpinsula for a day. Counterintuitively, he felt like he understood less and less every time. Strange accents, stranger customs. Not unlike what he remembered his parents to be.

What little understanding he *did* have came from - of course - the drinks. Sake was perhaps the most exotic drink he had the pleasure of drinking, although he had to admit he only knew the cheaper brews. Last year, he had sacrificed a decent cut of his earnings to try junmai daiginjo, as opposed to... well, actually, he didn't know what he had been drinking earlier. It was surprisingly sweet -- not the same kind of sweetness that the tooth-rotting champagnes that he found in the aftermath of aristocratic functions had. Good stuff, but he couldn't see himself shelling over that many gliders again.

The last of the candy dissolved into a thick sugar-sludge on his tongue. He found himself disappointed and wanting more.

Pulling himself up, he began to wander the bustling streets at a leisurely pace with his hands in his pockets. For once, he felt a bit out of place in the Harbour, wearing his old poet shirt in this sea of kimonos and yukatas.

One figure stood out from the rest: much larger and dressed in quite an outfit indeed. She wore the same kind of makeup he'd seen other beasts wear today, but the black, white and red looked particularly striking on her; natural. Kerney cocked his head as he approached, trying to place it... Not a kind of beast he'd seen before. Surely she was from Westisle then, right? Too large for most beasts he'd seen before. Do they have wolverines in Westisle? No-no, her ears were too close together... The outfit and mascara made awfully difficult to tell. He'd have to get closer.

"Quite the getup, lass," he said, leaning in so that his voice could carry through the noise of the street. "What're they called, those things yah wearing? The... Westisle... things?" Kerney gestured vaguely to his own garb, though his eyes drift down to the sword she had with her with a new curiosity.

@Dusk Rainblade

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

@Daniil Ryalor

Caden took the box from his partner with a smile and lifted brow. "Daniil, I am sure whatever you've picked out for me is lovely. You do have excellent taste."

As he opened the box, he tried to hide his trepidation at the prospect of meeting more of the todd's family. Alwyn had been honest with him from the beginning, and he found he was beginning to like the younger todd. Dusk was, of course, unnerving, and the marten hope to avoid her as much as possible. But Caden knew there were many, many more Ryalors he would become acquainted with given his proximity to Daniil, and it was one particular Ryalor who he was very uncertain about eventually speaking with: Talinn, a name he knew from his kithood, frequently preceded by colorful language when uttered by his mother. He had learned more of the complicated relationship between the todd and his mother when he was older from the various guardians who raised him, and given his own history with one particular Mayor and princess, he knew his own relationship with the now-Minister of Innovation would most likely be complicated as well. There was nothing for it, though. He had chosen to stay by Daniil, or perhaps his heart had chosen and he was simply along for the ride, but nonetheless, at some point he would need to prepare himself for whatever conversation there was to have between himself and the old todd.

Instead of delving too deeply into all that, however, Caden marveled at the garment Daniil had purchased for him. "Oh! It's quite handsome, isn't it? I'll gladly wear this. As for meeting more of your family..." He trailed off, trying to find the words. "I'll be honest, it's a bit intimidating. There are so many of them, after all, but Daniil," Caden took the todd's paw, "I want to be there for you, so of course I'll go."

 

[Pomodu lu Modokunomulo]

Pomodu started as a squirrel approached her, looking over her strange outfit and inquiring about the style. Pomodu struggled to recall exactly what the tailor had called the components of her fashion. "Di'su," she recalled, gesturing to the outfit itself, "i'su aragato kabuki samurai. Ha'su kosode, hakama, kimono." She pointed to the components of the outfit in turn, then remembered. "A'n'du kumadori." She pointed to her face paint, hoping that the squirrel wouldn't ask what any of that meant, because while all of those were words in her native language, more or less, they had completely different meanings.

She looked over the squirrel in turn, noting that he, at least, seemed to be dressed normal. She glanced about before leaning in and whispering, "Wha'tu i'su Wesutai'uh? I'su lai'ke Easutai'uh?" She'd been too afraid to ask in the shop, lest she seem completely ignorant.

~~~

Daniil sighed in relief as Caden first accepted the gift, then agreed to go with Daniil to the festival. "Oh good," he sighed in relief. "I purchased an outfit for Asta too, in case she wants to go. The good news is my family will probably be too involved in their own festivities to even look for me, or notice I'm not there."

He hesitated before slowly adding, "There is one beast I might actually like for you to meet. I got a Missertross from my sister yesterday, saying that she might come down for the festival. If she does, I'd love to introduce her to you and Asta. She's always been so supportive of me, trying to get me to meet somebeast, so I think she'll be thrilled."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

It was the first time Kaii took part in Westisle Cultural Festival. And while he had a lot of other things to do, it felt nice to be somewhat engulfed in what was closer to the traditions of his house. Knowing his lineage traces hundreds of years back to Fyador, Kaii was still surprised how many things were at least similar.

Walking around in his Mofuku, one in colour of his normal waistcoat and suit, Kaii was simply taking in the local atmosphere while processing every detail about Westisle culture, comparing it to one his family had brought ages ago. Sure, there were some differences in clothing, some foodstuffs he couldn't recognise, but overall? Most things were familiar enough. The marble fox was actually smiling as he padded along with small wag of his tail. An uncanny sight to those that knew him well.

Savoring some sashimi pieces he had bought, he stumbled across one of the more sizable beast he had seen in his life. Encyclopedic knowledge told him it was a red panda. Hearing words he was familar with, he decided to step closer and speak with them.

"Sorry for barging in. I wished to ask, where are you from miss? I hear you quite familiar with the naming conventions."

 

[Kerney Erdősi]

Kerney squinted as he listened to the strange beast talk. Obviously there would have have been an accent. It took effort to listen.

He nodded along to the explanation he was given, pretending to understand what any of these words meant. He could only pick out a few that he'd heard before - kimono, samurai. The squirrel could recall overhearing once while at a pub that samurai were like knights, and they carried those swords... Curved - like cutlasses - but long and thin. He'd seen a few beasts carrying them around today, mostly foxes.

The one she had with her didn't seem to fit the bill. Curious.

"Eastisle?" he echoed, blinking himself out of his own thoughts. Oh. She wasn't even from Westisle. Then what was with the accent?

If there was a Westisle, it would surely come to reason that there would be an Eastisle. And a Southisle, and a Northisle. Kerney had heard of the latter two, but everything about Eastisle was always spoken in the past tense or part of some legend. Honestly, folks made it seem made-up.

"Err, I'm the wrong mate to ask about Eastie..." he admitted, scratching his scruffy cheek. "But Westisle's a new province o' the Imperium. Part o' the Western Island Chain -- I think. Folks speak those odd Fyadorian lingues an' I have no idea what they say. Fyadorian..."

Kerney's mind began to wander back to the subject at hand earlier: what was she?

"Listen, lass, I hope this ain't a rude question, but... well, what--"

And then, abruptly, another party entered the conversation: a marble fox, white and gray, dressed all proper in another garb that Kerney had no name for. Seemed happy, too. Kerney shut up and let him speak; he was curious about the large beast's accent as well, if she wasn't from Westisle as she said.

 

[Cricket]

Public holidays were rarely of interest to Cricket in the context for which they were held. As far as she was concerned such celebrations meant but a few things: free food, a chance for fun, and plenty of pockets to pick. Westisle meant nothing to a kit with no education save foggy memories of maps in the Newhaven's main cabin.

Still, she was as ever willing to indulge in whatever got her the free things and who better than in the company of Finnian? She had grown to enjoy the todd's company more than she would admit, and was already engaged in conversation with the other youngster when they were called across to.

Eyeing the wildcat, Cricket stared for a long second as she tried to decide whether or not she liked the kitten's assertive demeanour, finding it too close to her own. Being a few seasons older, she could already feel herself wanting to ask the beast what business it was of hers if they had. Still, the way they spoke suggested there was opportunity, and the little gecko was nothing if not an opportunist.

"I was goin' to go get one now," she replied, tilting her head to the vulpine with her. "Weren't we, Finn?"

 

[Kal Goldtail]

Kal mingled with the crowd, filling herself up on cupcakes and free samples of foreign delicacies. She never took keenly to stealing, but she acknowledged that those with a knack for this craft will have a field day today. Not that the had a lot, but nevertheless she only took minimal coin with herself.

A stall with clothing from Westisle caught her attention for a longer while. She touched some of the materials with her paw and imagined, how nice would it be to put it on, spread a decorative fan and be someone else for a few hours. Someone else, or rather, her old self.

Those feelings intensified, as she heard some rather loud... words. This was not a language she studied a lot, and whatever knowledge she had has eroded over the last few years, but she was positive that the exotic-looking beast was not making a lot of sense. Kal smiled, and turned away, deciding to enjoy examining well-made clothing as long as she wouldn't be shoo'ed away, while listening to the conversation of beasts currently of way higher status than her.