Tanabata in Kabuki Street July 10

[Reira Tanaka]

Yes. She, Reira, would be wearing red. This was decided well in advance and she made sure to, repeatedly, tell Tomo this. She may or may not have hinted that Tomo should choose blue or green, while at the same time exclaiming: "Oh this blue one looks so nice.."

The red obi of Tomo's choosing, and the reason for it, had caught her off guard though and perhaps is why she had chosen a blue one for herself.

[Hana Sasaki]

Visit the Zama Shrine for Fun and Fortune!

Offer a prayer to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, donate to the shrine, and wave a `Hello!` to Shi-chan and Ma-chan* as they hop about in their enclosure!


Special Tanabata Rabbit Pin will be available throughout the festival!

Donate to the Zama Shrine to receive one!

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Attire of the Priestess of the Zama Shrine, Hana.

(( *The Zama Shrine is a Shinto Shrine located within the boundaries of Kabuki Street in Dockside. Shi-chan and Ma-chan (Short for Shingetsu and Mangetsu) are the black and white rabbit mascots of the re-branding efforts of the shrine. The two rabbits can be viewed hopping around their small home within the grounds of the shrine and are kept separate from viewers within their own little rabbit-shrine. At set times during the festival Hana Sasaki will allow children to come and pet the two rabbits. Please feel free to take pictures, but try not to use flash too much! ))

[Partly Cloudy]

This year would be gatito’s second Tanabata appearance, but his first on two legs. As such, he decided he needed an extra-special haori to mark the occasion. The one he chose featured on its back a white tiger dancing amongst the clouds. Said tiger was a sky god and protector, according to the shop clerk who had sold it to him, and the symbolism called to him despite the differences from his own breed. He paired the lightweight jacket with simple jeans and a black tank top.

Over the course of the day, he drifted in and out of the festivities, leaving and returning several times. During the afternoon, he was accompanied by his good friend, Rekah Illyriana. Together, they watched the parade and played some of the games, and when it came time to catch goldfish, it took most of his self-control to use the little nets instead of his hands. He and Rekah also did a bit of shopping together, and he braided into her hair some of the charms and coins they’d managed to find in Kabuki Street’s trinket bins.

Once the wildling had moved on to another adventure, gatito wandered the festival by himself and mingled with the crowds. There were plenty of familiar faces—Yuzuki, Izumi, Haru, Caleb and Karma, Dris and Rhys, and so many more—and he made sure to spend some time chatting with each of them.

After darkness had fallen, the young man met up with his constant companion, Salvador, to enjoy the final hours of the festival before the fireworks display. And since the man had not come dressed for the occasion, gatito had the pleasure of choosing a haori for him to wear with his jeans and tee. Then the two of them caught up with Maggie, Ebon and Phen for a bit of conversation, with gatito calling out to other friends and waving to them as he saw them in the crowd.

The evening ended with races—both to the top of a building to watch the fireworks, and then away into the city and beyond once the display was finished. But in between those mad dashes, there were moments of quiet awe and quieter murmurs while blooms of fire fractured the night sky.

[Delahada]

Salvador had not at all planned on actually attending the Tanabata festival. Truth be told, had his friend and team mate not mentioned it to him a couple of days prior, he wouldn’t have even been aware of it happening. Keeping up on social functions was not one of his strengths.

The Spaniard did not show up to Kabuki Street until much later in the evening, however. Mostly he was avoiding the crowds, but a few work related projects had kept him occupied for the majority of the day and evening as well. Suffice it to say, he had missed the parade.

As he made his way through the streets, he stumbled upon Yuzuki among her Rappapa friends, and stopped for a minute to say hello. Unfamiliar with the majority of her gang, he quietly excused himself after with the faintest smile, a v for victory, and possibly a fist bump for Yuzu, then merged back into the crowds. Somehow he managed not to physically touch anyone else otherwise.

That changed when he finally found Rekah. She barreled into him, winning a rare and reserved solely for her hug and twirl. The Spaniard complimented her on the trinkets woven into her hair, smiling when she told him who was responsible. They walked hand in hand for a time, sharing stories, until she was ready to be released back into the wild and her next awaiting adventure.

Not long after, he finally caught up with the gatito. Seeing his state of dress, the young man insisted on helping him pick out a haori to wear. Salvador sent his coat home with an ever faithful Hound and allowed himself to be more festively dressed. Together they emerged onto the street.



Though the Spaniard did not partake of the food and games, he did watch the festivities with curious interest. By the time he made it onto the scene there was little to spare before the fireworks started anyway. He had just enough time to meet up with Maggie, Ebon, and Phen, say hello and make with some unexpected small talk. He and the gatito raced each other to the nearest roof, where they sprawled out to watch the show. When it was over, the pair of them could be seen racing across the roofs of Kabuki Street together, until not at all.