Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Mooncake Festival [All Welcome!]

You look outside and notice a gorgeous full moon. The autumn breeze brushes through the nearby trees, and you pick up the scent of something delicious.

Curiosity brought you to the Mooncake Festival.

This open-air market came from nowhere—it certainly wasn’t here earlier. However, everything was bright, lively, and festive. The smell of delicious desserts were everywhere. Fireworks lit up the night sky. Red lanterns were strung between buildings. Dragon dances could be seen through the streets.

The streets themselves seemed to go on for an eternity, and as you took a closer look, you could see that many of the festival’s attendees wore masks—were they hiding something?

Welcome to the Mooncake Festival!

The Lord of Ghost City has opened the realm of the dead to living visitors! For one night, he has banned darker dealings, and wishes to mimic the merriment of the living by providing sweet treats and wholesome entertainment! Ghosts and monsters are encouraged to wear masks to not scare the living guests, but all are welcome!

If you enjoy your stay, please consider joining us in Ghost Market [16+]!

He felt he really outdid himself this time. The streets were cleaned up for the first time in an eternity. Though many of the ghosts wondered why they needed to cater to the living, he explained that it was to show Heaven that the Ghost Realm could hold influence of their matters of man, too. Of course, this was a good enough reason for them to cooperate, so they did—gladly.

Still, the truth of the matter was simply that he wanted to show everyone the glory and splendor of his realm. That you don’t need to be in Heaven to experience nice things. And he simply enjoyed the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The tall red-clad man walked through the streets and sampled the various pastries and sweets—and all of them met or exceeded his expectations!

Though his appearance consistently changed, his aura, as it were, remained. It was how the denizens could tell it was him even without recognizing his appearance. Either way, he wasn’t flaunting his status, instead he wanted to make sure everyone was enjoying the festival.

Izelia wandered the stalls eyeing all the pretty items on display and carefully calculating how to get her hands on some of the delicious treats that made her mouth water with their aromatic scents. The lively thrum of mingling people kept her on her toes as Izelia wove in and out of the crowd. The masks of all the attendees made her wary and unsure of herself, though she stuffed those feelings deep down. Lifting a mask from one of the stalls she donned it casually and slowly made her way to the heart of the festival. A tall stranger clad in red caught her eye and Izelia made a mental note of his location while she rummaged around picking small treats from the surround tables.

The man in red approached one of the attendees who seemed to have her eye on treats, moving to place a silver tael on the table as payment.

“Get whatever you’d like~” he said in a soothing baritone.

His current appearance was that of a tall young man. Handsome, and had the look of either a mercenary, or perhaps a pirate. Though the quality of his red robes were exquisite.

Picking out a mooncake, he took a bite. “Might I ask where you’re from?”

*Izelia grimaces at the payment and sneers, plucking the money from the table and putting it into his hand* I don't need anyone paying for me. My treats have been paid for already. *Izelia motions towards their register to the small wad of cash beside it* Rather rude to assume I'd take without purchasing sir.. *her eyes roam over his coat and a prickling sensation of unease rolls over her body making her internal hackles raise. Whispers of the void caress her mental state and she shakes her head to clear them. Odd considering she has more control of her impulses and temper, but something about the tall gentleman in front of her coaxes out her feral nature. She plasters on a smile and smooths out her corduroy joggers* I do appreciate the thought Mr....? *her sentence trails off deliberately ignoring the question of her origins. Setting up shop in new territory means being discreet she calmed herself though she itched to do nothing more, but play nice with the man*

“That’s all you want, then?” he asked, casually taking back the tael from her, and once again placing it on the counter. He did take a treat for himself.

Looking over the stall, he let out a soft chuckle, “I wasn’t accusing you of stealing, mind you. Besides, I have to pay for my own treat, mmm?”

Her instincts, however, weren’t misplaced. There was something off about the young man. While he had no murderous aura about him, he wasn’t without the mark of death.

“Hua Cheng,” he responded with a smile. “Mr. Hua, if you’d like~”

It was obvious that she was avoiding his own inquiries, and he wasn’t about to make her on such an auspicious evening. So, he let it go. Instead, he’d call her little sister in his native tongue. “Xiao Meimei,” he began, “How is your luck?”

*she flashed a wicked grin, eyes flashing in the excitement of a challenge* Shit actually, but I'm always down for a chance. *She said coolly. The whispers in her mind once again wash over and she shakes her head roughly, smacking her forehead rather forcefully. The void activity inside was high and that alone set her on edge. "Why the **** is this happening now? Is it him? But why would he be setting them off?" *She thought frustrated by the intrusion and her slipping sanity. "Gotta keep it cool. No eating people guys we talked about this" *she scolds internally* So... Hua Was it? What exactly are we betting? *Izelia purposely dropping the title to gauge whether or not the mysterious stranger landed high on the food chain or not. Granted she did have awful luck, there was never going to be a day she didn't try it to possibly gain selling rights to the foreign sweets she had stashed in a warehouse on the other side of the city*

He couldn’t help but laugh as she called him Hua. At the moment, he was simply a passerby on the streets, there was no need for formalities. However, the nearby shopkeep cringed and looked ready to accept death.

When she eagerly accepted his challenge, he pulled out two six-sided dice. “There’s a few games we could play, but odd or even is likely the simplest. Once you roll the dice, you’ll add the two rolls together to see if it’s odd or even.”

At the question, he waved a hand, “That’s entirely up to you. Though since it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival… I won’t accept any unsavory terms out of respect.” Not to mention, he didn’t do that sort of business with children. He simply didn’t know whether or not she was a child.

With the two dice in hand, he shook it to demonstrate. “This doesn’t count, it’s simply a demonstration. I bet even this round~”

Seeing the ten, he beams. “Wonderful! A ten—it looks like I win this round.”

(just realized i wasn't responding in character sorry!)

*She eyes the die suspiciously* How do I know they aren't loaded? *cocking an eyebrow she first stared at the die and then took a mental note at the shopkeepers reaction. "So pretending to be not high up... but the shopkeeper acted like a death warrant had been signed.. interesting.." *Izelia thought and cautiously answered Mr. Hua* I wager territory. Allow me to set up a small shop undisturbed if I win. You can decide what you win if i can't beat you. *Izelia leans against the show table and pulls out a crueller from her pocket, munching on it happily*

“You’re free to roll them a few times if you’re not confident,” he responded calmly. “Simply tell me before it counts.”

At her accusation, he let out a soft chuckle, “I wasn’t pretending. Today is a holiday, it would be inauspicious to pull rank, mmm? Anyway, you have a deal. Though it’s unwise to exchange anything without knowing just what I can take.”

The vendor owner was still trembling at this point, now trying to hide by making himself small.

After a moment, he considered, “How about this. If you lose, I want all the snacks on your person.”

*Izelia chews on her bottom lip thoughtfully* All of them..? *weighing her options she grins* Fine deal. I'll give you all of my snacks. Your on big guy. *She excitedly takes the dice and takes a few practice rolls. Once she feels confident she nods catching Mr. Hua's eyes* Alright i'm ready. You go first! *a mischievous glint shines in her eyes, shifting into the cat eyes for a split second and shifting back* If i win i get selling rights don't forget. *Izelia finishes her crueller and licks her lips expectantly, savoring the left over bits on her tongue*

“Me first? Oh no, I won’t be rolling,” he said with a chuckle. After all, the dice were only loaded if he were the one rolling them. He was actually giving the woman a fair shot.

“Take the dice, tell me if you’re guessing odd or even, then roll~ If you’re right, you’ll have the rights to sell as you wish,” he explained.

“Though—I really do mean all your snacks.”

((When you reply, there’s a link under the subscription options that says ‘Add dice roll’ — do 2 dice with 6 sides, no modifiers. In the optional note write odd or even. Once it’s posted, the roll sticks even if you want to edit your post. You can then edit the post to add her reaction to her result.))

*she cocks an eyebrow and gingerly takes the dice. She closes her eyes and whispers a quiet prayer, and softly kisses the dice unable to break her rituals. She rolls and frowns as the 12 stares back at her. With a massive sigh, Izelia begins to empty her pockets when a twinkle dances in her eyes. She shifts into her owl form and takes off, flying as quickly as her wings can carry her. They're her treats and she'll be dam"" if anyone will take them. Izelia doesn't realize as she takes off her small satchel of money containing the equivalent to that of $30 falls and lands at the man's feet. A strong wave of fear cloaks her suddenly as she begins her escape, enticing her to land not to far away. She fluffs her feathers and preens attempting to soothe her amped up nerves* I think it **** up.. mannn he's gong to be so piiisssed. maybe? Maybe i lost him! *she chants to herself, void miasma swirling at the close proximity of the man and the anxiety coming off her in waves*

Hua Cheng laughs as she goes back on their deal, pocketing both his dice and her satchel.

He might have let her go, and he likely would still let her go, but perhaps scaring her would be an equivalent of her sweets.

A silver scimitar shakes free from its hilt, and takes to the skies after the owl—if anything, it would keep an eye on her, and inform its master of her whereabouts.

It didn’t take long to find her as she landed close by. Before the owl materialized the red-clad man, a smirk crossing his lips, “Courting death already, at your age?” He let out a soft tsk. “Are those treats of yours really worth the effort?” he asked, now playing with her satchel in one hand.

*Izelia's eyes widen but narrow curling her lips back into a snarl, miasma trendils snaking over her arms* Don't touch me. They're mine. *her voice is shaky, as she responds. She glances at her satchel and pales, all defensiveness gone. She pats herself searching for her satchel and whips her head back to the man when she realizes he does in fact have her prize* Wait look we can talk about this... I'll give you my treats and let you keep my money for making you chase me, just give my bag back please... *she reaches for it, now suddenly more in control of herself now that she has a tangible reason to be afraid* I'm sorry I took off, just give me my bag back. I won't run off again

Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow as he looked over the woman—it seemed her base impulses were amplified by darkness. It would explain in part why she wouldn’t part with her treats.

When she reached for the bag, the silver scimitar would dart in front of her, and stop just short of her neck.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he cautioned. “Place your treats into this cloth and back away. I’ll give you your bag once I have what’s rightfully mine.” With that, he gestured with a right hand, making a red cloth appear floating in mid air.

*defeated izelia emptied her treats into the bag. She placed: 2 doughnuts, 5 twizzlers, 3 pieces of beef jerky, a small bag of sweets, a cupcake, a chocolate bar, and 3 biscuits* there.. now please give my bag back. It’s very important to me *she eyes the scimitar unafraid, eyes hardening with a challenge, one hand resting on her waistband,thumb cradled between her stomach and cloth in what seems a casual manner. “If he’s looking for a fight, I’ll give him one..” she thought to herself and grit her teeth. A voice in her head whispered back to her,” you will lose and we will win. We will be we will be” it chanted to her forcing her to mentally shut down any thoughts but her focus of retrieving her bag*