A Festival In Rikuzen! Hooray for Masamune!

[Date Masamune]

"Heeeeeeeeeave...HO!"

A large crowd of humans gathered around, somewhat perplexed by what the scene playing out before them. Large groups of tanuki were running around the middle of town, working together to erect a large platform and raise poles. Others were hard at work building what appeared to be vendor stalls, while some sat off to the side, happily painting colorful banners to be hung on the currently empty poles. A few of them, seemingly in charge of the operations, beat their belly drums at a brisk pace while all of them sang happy songs.

The humans knew their lord had been defeated and his lands had been taken, and they knew yōkai had been behind it. In those first few days there had been fear. Some thought the yōkai might eat then, and others believed they would be driven from their homes, but it seemed neither of those would be the case. For now. The yōkai seemed more interested in putting together their festival than anything else.

From the balcony of his new keep, Masamune watched the construction from afar, standing on a platform so he could see over the side. The three oni stood behind him, clubs slung over their shoulders. Inside the keep were more tanuki, outfitted with ashigaru armor and spears which were much too large for them. "Let's go down there. It's my duty as daimyo to make sure this festival is perfect. Time to go out on patrol!" Masamune hopped off of his platform and headed back into the keep, the three oni following behind him. A band of tanuki fell in line and they marched toward the middle of town together.

"Heeeeeeeeeave...HO! Oh no!!!" The tanuki had tried to raise another pole but one of the ropes snapped and it was falling rapidly toward the platform, which it would crush along with the tanuki working on it. Some peasants saw this and ran forward, grabbing the ropes and helping the tanuki pull it, stopping it just short of hitting the platform. Together they set it in place safely and the tanuki began to clap and cheer. At this gesture the rest of the humans stepped forward one by one to help put the festival together, somewhat uneasy but joyful that everyone seemed to be getting along for the time being.

While construction carried on Masamune's patrol marched, the tanuki fussing with their hats and trying to keep their chest pieces on. If not for the three oni it may have been the least intimidating patrol group ever assembled. "Here we are! Aha! And look! The humans are so scared of us yōkai that they're helping. They already know their place in Masamune's Japan. Ho ho ho!" The three oni joined in his laughter, followed by the tanuki soldiers. The group marched closer to the festival grounds, just in time for a large, colorful banner to be strung up along the platform. It read "First Annual Rikuzen Festival."

Masamune spent most of the day napping under a tree. The tanuki who were supposed to be guarding him had fallen asleep as well and were using their daimyo for a pillow, the whole group of them snoring in unison. By that evening everything was ready. Paper lanterns had been strung all around to provide light and tanuki stood behind every vendor stall dressed in over sized kimonos, trying to sell food, drink and various other goods. While the festival was clearly intended for the yōkai, several humans milled about, left alone by the tanuki, many of whom were drunk or well on their way.

The sound of a gong caused the pile of sleeping yōkai to spring awake, each of them letting out a fearful yelp. The oni stood over Masamune as he rubbed sleep dust out of his eye. The red one held a gong and the blue one a mallet, with the black one standing behind them with his back turned. "We're so sorry to rouse you with such a shake up!" The red oni bowed, as did the blue one. "The festival is starting. It's time to wake up!" The black oni's eyes shimmered as he stared up at the moon, hands clasped as sakura petals fell around him. "Lord Masamune is so handsome when he sleeps. Ooooh~"

The armored eyeball sat up and looked around, nodding his whole body. "Mhm mhm. Well, it certainly looks nice doesn't it?" He wiggled in a futile attempt to stand up before extending his tiny arms. A tanuki grabbed each and helped him stand up, dutifully dusting him off. "Alright! Let's go enjoy the festival!"

[Suzumu]

What had he ended up stumbling into now? He stared at the bright lanterns gathered in the middle of the large street, stalls and banners set up and cluttering the street. One of those human gatherings? Suzumu stood at the edge of the festival’s reach, both hands settled on the handle of his walking stick, leaning forward as he watched curiously. No, not a human festival. There were yōkai everywhere! He had never heard of yōkai celebrating anything before.

He probably should avoid it anyhow, he was on a mission, right? However, his curiosity had him at the throat, white eye wide with intrigue. He hobbled forward on the street, long twisted hair swaying back and forth against the back of his leg as he looked up at the strings of paper lanterns. There were so many of them! He sincerely could not count them all, even as he tried, getting stuck at the number eighteen before he had given up on attempting such a count.

He turned to look at all the stalls, filled with strange items and foods that smelt utterly delicious. But as he saw the exchange of items or money for them, he realized that poking around the venders would probably get him in trouble. Something he had learned quite recently. Suzumu turned his head left and right, watching all sorts of yōkai run around, taking up the large space that had been decorated for some strange occasion. As he stood before the large banner he stared at it for some time, deciphering the lettering on it.

“First…?” he said to himself. The banner still gave him no hints to as to what the festival was. He swiveled around to turn and maybe have a look at the nearby stall, as his curiosity was much too overwhelming not to- whether or not he had learned a lesson or not. However, his fortune and clumsiness was still all too there as he ran into a man of slightly shorter stature. The brief and hard connection of their bodies resulted in both of them hitting the ground. Suzumu’s hands instinctively grasping at the umbrella cap upon his head instead of trying to save either one of them from the fall.

“Whatch where ya goin!” the man slurred, trying to get up. Suzumu twisted the cap a little so the hole was in front of his eye to see what was going on. The display was humorous to say in the least, but it only turned into more of a spectacle when the one legged man scrambled up to help him. The both of them were unbalanced and wobbly and practically clinging to each other as the drunken man tried to fight Suzumu off.

“I can get up on mah own you no good clums ass! Lego of me!” the man shouted to his face, shoving and gripping when he slipped. Suzumu ended up falling backwards on his butt, and the man finally got up to his feet, swaying a little before huffing at Suzumu, fixing his robe, and stomping off. Suzumu sat there, stunned and unsure of what just happened. But it seemed that a few yōkai had taken it upon themselves to watch- and snatch the one-legged man’s stick.

Suzumu’s tried to search for it, but had little luck. Where it had fallen, it was no longer. He got up to his knee, wobbling before he managed to hop up on his foot and standing, searching the crowd. He caught the sight of the top of his walking stick wandering far off.

“Ah! Wait! I need that!” He hopped clumsily through the crowd, wobbling and swaying as he tried to follow the mischievously bobbing stick, leading him on deeper into the crowd.

[Date Masamune]

Masamune and the oni had relocated to the platform, surrounded with emptied sake saucers. The daimyo's eye was half shut and his round body seemed to spin slowly, the saucer in his hand half drained. "We need a plan," Masamune slurred, accidently spilling the remnants of the saucer onto the platform. He didn't notice. We can't jus' conquer Japan sittin' here drinkin' like we're ssshtil banditsh! The oni nodded, their bodies spinning as well. Masamune turned and squinted even more when he saw something moving among the crowd. "Heeeey...wushthat?"

He stood up on in tiny legs, spherical body wobbling for a moment before he balanced himself. It looked like a walking stick was being paraded around the festival grounds. If he had to guess, he'd say some tanuki were behind it. "Hee hee hee...eee hee hee..." He waved his stubbly little arms in the air and began shouting at them, his voice lost in the crowd. "Heeeey! Tanuki! Tanuuuuuki! With tha' schtick!" He began to wave his arms harder than he should have and fell down with a loud thump, his eye closing on impact. "Yeooow...my butt... He stayed there for a moment, both debating whether or not to stand up again and wondering why he'd even been standing in the first place.

The memory returned and he stood up again, watching as the stick bobbed up and down. With the snap of his fingers a simple megaphone appeared in his hand, nothing more than a rudimentary conic item to help carry his voice. And carry his voice it did. "Heeeeeeeeeee-eeeeeeeeeey! You there! With the stick!"

Everyone stopped and looked up at the inebriated daimyo. Especially the group of tanuki who had made off with the stick. "Bring that stick up here!" The tanuki complied and began to walk to the platform to the crowd, who parted the way for them, confused and wanting to figure out what was going on. They climbed up to the platform and presented the stick to Masamune, who's half closed and bloodshot eye scanned it. "Mhm mhm." He seemed to nod as he looked it over, then raised the megaphone again. "Who's walking schtick is this? Issit yers, old man?" He looked down at, well, an old man, who slowly shook his head. "If someone doesn't come claim this schtick I'll...I'll...I'mgonna' do somethin'...somethin'...well, I'm gonna' do somethin'!"

[Suzumu]

The chase was becoming increasingly difficult, having lost sight of where the stick went for a few long moments before finding it had started moving in another direction. Suzumu huffed, trying to pass by people, but only mostly running into them. Where did it go this time? He looked around hopelessly, hand reaching out when he lost his balance and smacking someone in the back, but did little to catch his balance.

“T-terribly sorry!” he tried to say as he wobbled to and fro. When the man turned, however, he got a fright when he saw there was no face on the male. He hopped back, uttering another apology before passing the blank-faced Yokai and locating the stick parading off in the distance. It was then when he heard a loud voice call over to the band of Yokai, and the crowd parted, squishing him back. He wasn’t quite sure what to do when he saw his stick handed over to someone else.

When it came to questioning, Suzumu pushed through the crowd, trying to get through without stomping on toes- but sadly that was a fruitless effort. There were hisses and recoils and shoves with each step closer until he fell out of the crowd and into the empty part between them. He held a hand on his cap, using the other hand to get up before waving at the one standing upon the platform with the large span of wood on his hands.

Suzumu hoped fiercely towards the platform, “I-it is mine!” he huffed, stumbling and tripping up to the platform before unceremoniously falling forward, hands grabbing the platform and keeping from hitting the ground, staring at the eyeball before him, out of breath. “I would… be… very…” he paused, taking a moment to catch his breath before continuing. “Very grateful if you could return it to me, little adorable eyeball Yokai.” He said to him, stretching out his hand to take the stick from him.

[Date Masamune]

It was a pathetic sight, to be sure. Masamune's eye opened and shut drunkenly as he watched the one legged yōkai struggle to make his way up to the platform, huffing and wheezing all the while. Masamune was prepared to chide him for his carelessness around tanuki, but then he heard the word “adorable.” He was sober again in a matter of seconds. A puff of steam jetted out from the spaces in his armor with a loud hiss as his once bloodshot eye cleared up and closed into a narrow, angry glare. The three oni had heard it too and let out a fearful shriek in unison, instantly grabbing onto one another and trembling fearfully as they watched the scene unfold.

”D-did he just say what I think he said?”

”T-that poor guy will end up dead!”

”Please go easy on him, oh dashing Lord Masamune!”

The tanuki had stopped their playful dancing and retreated, some to higher ground, others under the platform, and still others simply ran away, hiding behind whatever cover they could find. The humans and the yōkai who weren't familiar with Masamune weren't sure what was going on, but an uneasy feeling began to spread until everyone fell into a dead silence. There was a slight breeze, and a single leaf fluttered by in the distance.

”Y...y...you...AHHH!” Masamune swung the stick with all the might his tiny body could muster, right for the outstretched hand. He took one swipe at it before refocusing his aim, beating the other yōkai about the head with his own walking stick. ”NEVEREVEREVEREVEREVEREVEREVER CALL ME ADORABLE!!!!” Angry steam continued to explode from his armor as the white space of his eye turned a deep, angry red, his swings with the walking stick becoming more ferocious by the second.