The Kambutsu Festival [Social/Event/Kina]

“Welcome one, welcome all to the Kambutsu Festival!”

This is a Kina-wide social thread, open to any and every player regardless of their Clan affiliation. Feel free to wander around the stalls, tasting the local foods or competing at the many games, or just engage in some small talk. But be assured that, while friendly contests are encouraged, the Festival does not condone violence.

That said, enjoy the festivities!

Just like a little kid, Noir's golden eyes sparkled as she looked around to her surroundings. She really loved festival, there was a lot of fun and new things she could find there, although she had to admit that sometimes the crowd was too much and it made her dizzy or even hard to walk. The moment she entered the festival venue, a local Kina lady spotted her and asked her if she wanted to wear Kina people's traditional clothing to enjoy the festival. Curious on how it would look like, the magician nodded to the lady and she was brought into the lady's shop, which would be the free clothing rental for the foreigners visiting the country's festival. The lady helped Noir to wear the yukata though, picking the color that matches with her hair, along with red obi tied around her waist."Well, it looks really good on you! You look cute, young missy!" She also gave Noir a mask that was painted to look like a fox and said, "Alright, all done. You can wear the fox mask if you want and there you go! Enjoy the festivals."


Noir nodded towards the lady before bowing to her and thanking her, happy that she got to wear this clothing. The girl would look around and she would spot a candied apple stall, it looked similar to what they have in Kou's festival and Noir loved the taste. Oh well she shouldnt forget about her companion though, so she bought 2 candied apples and gave Haku one of them. "Isnt this fun?" Noir said to her Liger before she tasted the candied apple.

As she tried to find something to do or to enjoy, the girl spotted this fish aquarium...? The magician would approach the stall and the man sitting behind the aquarium will greet her happily, "Do you want to bring one of this fishes home, cute missy?" Interested in trying the new thing, Noir would kneel and Haku would be sitting beside her, curious about how to catch the fish. But oh well, after a few tries, she wasnt really able to catch any fishes, the paper scoop always broke when she put it in the water. She wondered if she should keep trying though...

When was the last time that he had fun at a festival? This was something that seemed beyond Lagi's reach, simple enjoyments that life had to offer. Everything he did so far was mostly a serious business. He might take enjoyments in his victory, but there was never a lack of tension, there was never a moment that was devoid of all risks. However, this allowed Lagi to take a little bit of a break, along with walking without his mask in order to seem like a normal person. He always had Orie with him, so there was no need to think that he was without protection. On top of that, he knew that Longzufu was left sleeping underground somewhere, so he only had to go and pick him up after he was done.

But with his danger sense, Lagi was starting to pick up a familiar scent.

"Hmm? I smelled it in the Tenza encounter as well, but I wasn't entirely sure if it could be her."

Lagi tracked the smell and found a woman in a kimono, as well as her mighty beast, staying beside her.



"Are you having trouble playing this game? I can help you."

Lagi said nothing more and offered some money to the man at the stall in order to try to catch the fish.

"Ok, you got this, like...cracking an...egg...."

Lagi needed a soft touch with the net, but with his A tier speed, he only ended up missing the fish and splashing fishy water on his face.

"On second thought, maybe this isn't as easy as I thought, right Noir? Haku?"

He did know their names, but maybe they didn't know or remember ho he was. But at the very least, he wanted to see them again, he wanted to see the reflection of what his old life used to be.

"Oh no, I--" The raven haired girl was startled a little bit as a man suddenly appeared beside her, offering to help her winning the game. Noir thought this man looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she met him even though she had an eidetic memory... the irony... Haku seemed confused as well, meaning that she and Haku both had met this man together. His voice sounded a little bit different from the voices she heard before, but somehow it did bring back memories though... where did she heard this voice before...?

Her golden eyes would quickly shifted to the man's hand as he explained how to play the fish catching game, interested to know how to do it properly. With a quick move, the man managed to catch the fish and Noir was like... awed. Her eyes widened and she would gasp, "You caught one!" She said excitedly. But then the man mentioned her name... and Haku's name... "You..." Noir tilted her head as she gazed towards the man, did they meet before...? How did he know their name... But... could he be... "...are you..." The magician gulped nervously, a certain name popped up in her mind as if telling her that this was the man who helped her a lot before. If it were not for him teaching her how to be a beast tamer, she wouldnt be able to be friends with Haku right now, or even Kuzunoha and Vritra. This man was her inspiration, her idol... someone who she respected alot. "... King Lagi?"

Lagi cut her off before she said his name by showing her a steamed dumpling that he picked up earlier.   With danger sense, his hearing was really good. He knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn't say it out in public.

"Let's walk and talk and eat. It's best to do that with one of my favorite foods, sometimes I like the chicken one or the beef one. It's really good. "

Lagi said this as he took a bite and offered Haku the rest.

"A little junk food and it's completely against my rule feeding animals anything but their required diet, but just for today, I'll indulge and break this rule. "


Regardless of Whether Haku ate one or not, he offered Noir a dumpling as well. Hopefully, she decided to walk with him as well.

---

"I know what you want to say. Technically, the person who you think i am, that is correct. However,  in the eyes of many others, that person and their dragon was murdered. One was brought back, but no longer human. Now that he took hi revenge essentially, this face means something completely different to a different group of people.  Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

It might have not been said outright, but Lagi wasn't human anymore.

"You seem different as well, the conundrum of strength is that when you reach the peak of your limitations, you look so much different than everyone else. You did it, right?  You achieved OMEGA.  When O precedes mega (Ωμέγα), it virtually means “Great End”, the end result of your growth.  It's quite possible that I'm talking to one of the greatest magicians that ever lived. "

The elderly man was put and about while enjoying the festival. Once again he was alone as Shou the sumo was busy training. So he was just out there taking part in some of the games. He would spot one of those games where you hit a button with a hammer and try to hit the bell. He would smile and walk up to play it offering some money. The man, seeing an easy mark was more than eager to give him a chance. After a few seconds the old man's body would ripple as he grows in height, his muscles grew to a massive size as he picks up the hammer in one hand, bringing it down. With the shear amount of force the block would cause the bell to fly off breaking the game. He would laugh as he picks up the puppet as his prize.

A few days ago while the young magician was heading to the heart of Kou he heard some travelers talking about this place called Kina, how they were throwing a festival soon, and opening themselves up. What an excellent time to entire into a new fold. It seemed the traveling healer would soon find himself some more faces to know.  He would enjoy the little game he played, being this nice and caring man just to get information out of others.  Perhaps Kina would be his next place to attack as he had done within Reim.  After all, the attack on the Council chambers was nice, but the two attacks to Reim's crops would just further raise the discontent with their citizens. While they busy dealing with them Julius could do more harm in other areas of different countries.  After his last attack, however, he knew he needed to skip the town for a bit, and returning home would be good.

After all, it was some time since he visited her, rekindled his distrust in humans, and their intelligent counterparts.  Perhaps some good R and R would do him well before finishing his travels. After arriving through the main entrance the young man would head into town to get himself a Tavern room.  After paying for hi stay he would ensure his suit was well pressed and free of wrinkles.

After making sure he was well dressed he'd head out for the night and see just who would be here. Perhaps find his next target once he was done back here in Kou, or even learn how life was here versus the rest of Kou.

Appearance:

Noir was surprised when Lagi cut her off when she was trying to say his name by showing her this steamed dumpling, it did caught her off guard. The girl thought maybe it was not the name she should mention anymore, but she was so happy, she was finally meeting Lagi again. After all this time... although he had a different appearance now, but Noir was still able to recognize his kindness. She wondered what happened though... she only knew that a lot of things had been happened in Reim but she wasn't aware of what was really happening in details. She only knew that the King of Reim went missing and that was all.

Haku growled happily as he received the meat dumplings, it was a rare moment for him to be able to eat such things anyways, since Noir always put him on a strict diet. The moment he tasted the dumplings, he was wagging his tails happily, before letting out more happy growls. Seeing Haku gotten so happy just because of eating a dumpling made Noir giggled, especially when Lagi broke his own strict rule to not feed beasts any junk food. "Thank you." The magician said to the man as she took the dumplings, blowing off the steam first before she took a bit, enjoying the flavor.

---

After Noir listened to what Lagi explained about his current... 'condition', the golden eyed girl could only frown a little bit as she looked down. She thought that he had been through a lot... and El Drago was gone as well... she still remembered how the wind felt as she sit on the dragon as they flew on the sky. "I understand..." She said softly, there was a hint of sadness within her tone.

"Great end..." She repeated what Lagi said, "I am still not the greatest magician that ever lived, not yet..." The girl would paused herself for a bit before she shifted her gaze towards the man, "But you, despite of what you are... you are still someone who I look up to. If it is not because of your guidance, it would be impossible for me to be the current me. Even now, I still respect you a lot." The girl would halt herself though before she took a step to stand in front of Lagi, reaching out her hand to him. "Then tell me now, since the you that I knew before has already gone. Tell me how I should call you."

"I'm glad you understand. You know, it's been a while since I was able to talk to someone about who I truly was, or what I am today. Today, I am known as Requiem Jynx. Vampire...monster...murderer...tyrant. I've done so many things in order to exact revenge, everything I sacrificed, even my own humanity, was just me grieving the death of my dear friend and the dishonor of my clans legacy that resulted in his passing under my watch. When you really think of it Noir, it's dangerous to live in such a way, living for revenge. It's like you are digging a hole to reach the bottom, and once you find your goals, it's so deep and it looks impossible to climb up. My penance is immortality, my dear friend, and I have to live with the sins of my decisions for the rest of my days. The rest of the acts and decisions I make are only to bring purpose to my new condition, and a place for people that are just like me. There are not many of them, or better yet, not many of them are as passable. The new meaning of this life is to maybe give a chance to those who experience such changes. But the path of good intentions is always paved in blood, a greater evil for the many, if only for the good of a few. "

He laid it bare, everything that led to this day, this very moment.

"The air around you is different from other people I met in person. You might not want to give yourself the credit, but I know better. I know you have that strength, and I know that you'll continue to stand for what you believe in. If i need to live as a villain, then you as a hero makes more sense. I wanted it to be my son, you know? Should I take things too far and needed to be stopped, I thought about my only son. But I do take comfort that the loving girl that I met in the woods turned out to be a fine tamer and a powerful magician, along with an impeccable moral compass that allows you to show compassion for others. Above all else, I finally met another whose powerful enough to grasp the concept of "OMEGA", someone whose powerful enough to stop me. In that regard, you don't need to change Noir, continue to be yourself and know that I am proud of you coming this far."

He didn't want to ruin their reunion with lies, he wanted Noir to see him for what he truly was. He was Tenza, but potentially far worse.

"Alright, I'm sure you have more questions for me. But we can enjoy the festival as well. This might be one of the few nights where we can enjoy each other's company without scrutiny from prying eyes."

"Requiem Jynx..." Noir repeated Lagi's new name, it was a little bit sad to call him with different name now that she was finally able to see him again. But it couldn't be helped, she had to respect the man's wish, however Noir would remember his true name, holding it close to her heart as he was one of her most important friends. So in the future, when he decided to use his old name back, Noir would be the among the first people who will be calling him by his original name, she would be waiting no matter how long it would take. The female magician felt a little bit ironic actually, most of closest friends... all of those important person in her life... was either went missing... meeeting their own death... and went through a dark path... alone, refusing any helps... But there was nothing she could do.

As Lagi talk to her, Noir would look towards his face, peering into his eyes, trying to understand what he felt at the moment. It pained her, the same as when Lance had the same pain in his eyes because of what his father did... the same pain, that man had when Noir helped him to kill the father... Her heart ached a little, wondering why people...had to live like this... Why people should feel pain... some chose to embrace the pain and perhaps Noir was one among the other to do it... but some other, chose to kill the pain, killing themselves... losing their own identity... until they couldn't tell the purpose of their life anymore as their mind became distorted. Wasn't that scary... to live like that...?

She couldn't really say anything, Noir knew it was not her place to say anything. She, didn't experience what the man experienced, she didn't know how the man felt before he decided to take a new identity, she knew nothing... and that was why, she would listen to Lagi quietly. She wanted to stay quiet as she listened more to what Lagi had to say, but she....couldn't. There was a little bit sadness she was feeling within her when Lagi said all of those good things to her, it should have been his place, his role... but it wasn't... not anymore according to him. "But I--" Noir paused, choked on her voice. It really felt like this was going to be the last time they would meet as a friend, he made it sound like... they were going to be enemy the next time they met... "I dont know how I should....feel." Noir stared at Lagi as she began to let the tears dropped from her eyes.


"I... I feel sad. I can feel... your pain, you sounded so painful..." She was confused with her own crying, she couldnt control her emotion and tears kept coming out. "I dont want to stop you... Dont be proud of me... please..." She said as she covered her eyes, hated to show that she was crying, but she couldnt stop it. "You are still him for me, Jynx... you will always be him in my eyes. So please, don't say it like you want someone to end your life. I dont want to lose anymore friends... you are one of my dearest friends... the remaining one..."  Noir knew it would be pointless to say that, deep inside she knew that eventually she had to bid her farewell to this man, to her mentor... her inspiration... the man who said he was proud of her for coming this far...

Hearing her say his name made him tense up a bit. Not his real name, but the name that he now went by. It had a lot of weight to it, the lives that he's changed or taken was connected to such a name. For a man who had fallen so far behind in the concepts of morality, it still gave him goosebumps to come face to face with even hearing that name spoken from a friend that he cared about. However, Lagi struggled with this before in the past, it was around the same time that the contractor took his DMV away from him. He wanted to change,  and with that, his power was stripped from him, the power of kings.

"How you should feel? Ah.................... right..................... I do have to apologize for that. I..... put a lot of stress on you with what I said. But really, I am overjoyed. I'm happy to see that you are alive and living well, I almost expected you to be married with children. However, stay away from those leeches,  you can't be naive all of your life. Make sure it's someone who loves you, and... no more tears. This is a joyous occasion, I will not permit crying during it.  Only tears of joy, and even then, to a minimum.   Shouldn't ruin your beautiful face, got to make a good impression at all times " miss master magician". The world is watching, right? "

Lagi took out a small handkerchief that he bought a while back in Kina and wiped the side of her eyes on it. The texture of the cloth was especially soft and had a bit of a sweet scent to it.

"Feel free to blow your nose in it as well, it kind of tickles the nose. The scent itself comes from a medicinal treatment that i soak the cloth in. Before you get mad, the only thing that it does is soften the skin and clears up blemishes, quite popular among women, you get to have that for free. It also softens the fabric that you use it on, so snuggle in it if you want haha."

At the very least, Lagi was trying in his own way. He tried to make up for it.

"I'm happy that in this world, I still do have friends. You are free to accept me, but never accept my sins as your own. Associations with me shouldn't condemn you, and if it is a danger of it doing so, I'd rather you feign the existence of our friendship if it causes you less trouble.  Hey, if I live long enough, I'll be able to watch over your descendants as well."

They did have a lot to talk about.

"It really did take me losing my humanity to question it, what it means to be human. People like you give me hope, but I am my worst example of what was to come. You know, I sacrificed a lot for reim.  I even enacted the council and gave up my rule, but that was only because it was going to cause internal strife if I didn't. I fought in the war, gave up a tool of incredible sin and strife, or.... it was destroyed because I no longer wanted to abide by such rules of destruction.  I even did some spy work and helped uncover a plot to help Yoshi boy when he was going through his own war in Kou.  With everything that I've done, I never felt that I belonged anywhere, no amount of power was ever going to change that.  That was a hole in my heart, a feeling of loneliness I filled with beasts.  When El Drago died, I really lost myself, I didn't know what to do anymore. "

Going to a nearby stall, Lagi went ahead and bought two tanghulu sticks, one for him and one for Noir.

Spoiler:

"I always thought that animals were innocent, they were honest, the only beings that never lied about their true nature.  That's why when you make bonds with them, especially creatures of incredible power, those who value those bonds must have a full understanding of having a companion who you could trust 100% of the time. No sort of ill will, secret agenda, or anything of the sort. If there was only one person you can trust in this entire world, it would be Haku.   Those who have the potential of forming bonds with such innocent creatures, I always considered them as good people.   But people are the topic of my own dilemma. What do you think noir? Do you think that people who changed in such a way like me should still be allowed to live?   If someone as powerful as me was brought to heel, would mercy exist? "

The sound of a bell being rung and the gasp of on goers watching would catch Julius' attention. There was an older man around with rippling muscles throughout his body. It was something odd and interesting in all the same. Walking over with his stave as a cane the young man would clap for the old man. Parting his lips his soft and gentle voice would reach out.

"Very impressive sir, a man at your age with such a respectful amount of power. By the looks of it, you must still have a pretty impressive work out routine. I'm sure I would never be able to handle such things.

After speaking to the man he would let out a soft chuckle as he looked at the game he was playing, the idea was to transfer enough kinetic energy from yourself to the hammer into the button that one would smash lifting a ball up. It would have been impressive enough for the man to hit it and simply get near the top, more so if he had managed to ring the bell, but he had even outdone that sending the ball up so hard with such force it had broken it. This would be something he thought not possible by a normal human. Julius could see how the white ruhk fluttered about him. Sometimes being a magician would be very helpful in judging a person.

"My name is Julius, I'm from this country just not this area. I was actually returning home for a visit with my late wife. It is near the date when she had passed Then I heard about this festival from some travelers ad had to see it for myself. She and I used to go out all the time to events such as these and dive into the culture. If I'm being honest, I have not done much of it since she passed.

Julius found himself going off-topic from what he wanted to discuss.

"Sorry, I went off there a bit on a little story haha. So tell me good sir, is all this brawn you have natural or have you done some enhancements with magic, I can see that the ruhk seem to favor you.

OOC: DELETED DUE TO FALSE CLAIMS OF METAGAMING, REPOSTING NOW






 

The Shadow King

 
Adrastos didn’t care about festivals or public affairs. They seemed so busy and yet still held nothing of substance. What was there to do? Idle chit chat of the past? Drink and have fun? Regardless of the magician’s strong distaste, Adrastos attended this particular celebration mainly to observe. He hoped to get an idea of the people in the area, his opponents, and the potential obstacles that would no doubt block his path down the line.

So far, there were two people Adrastos didn’t know: a rather muscular old man and an interesting fellow in peculiar clothing. The man in strange garb was of special interest to Adrastos merely because of reports he’d heard from sources in Reim. There was supposedly someone causing trouble in the republic, spreading illnesses and fear. This man matched the description the dark king had been given, and now Adrastos could see how he operated for himself. Perhaps he’d introduce himself after the festival was over. Instead, Adrastos caught a glimpse of Noir walking away with… Requiem Jynx? As if that was really his name… Adrastos knew the truth. The pieces fit together too perfectly to be ignored. The dark king pressed his lips firmly together. The aura of that man was unmistakable, the way he moved was familiar, but why was he here? With Noir of all people? Shouldn’t he had been in Heliphapt, bathing in his sickly atmosphere that destroyed a good chunk of Heliohapt’s capital?  Why were Kinan officials letting that man in their borders? Did they not hear about the calamity in the desert country? Now that the lunatic summoned his ‘god’, what did he plan to do in Kina? Lay it to waste before Adrastos could reap the rewards?

The dark king adjusted his glasses and dusted off his white kimono of falling petals that landed on his shoulders. He let one arm fall to his side where he felt his crown hidden under his garments. Adrastos didn’t know why he was still putting up a farce of a doctor, hiding his true capabilities, but perhaps it was just habit. His best work was in the shadows, especially when you had someone like Requiem Jynx to hog the spotlight. That just meant Adrastos was free to do what he wanted without scrutiny.

The dark king shook his head and sat down, bringing a book up to his face. Adrastos would sit under the shade, reading his novel while keeping an eye on the people and the festivities.

WORD COUNT: 3,473/3,000
MAGOI: 480/480
STAMINA: 200/200

Noir could only nod as she processed what Lagi apologized to her, sharing his own expectation about the girl's current life. That he thought she would be married, with children, that he advised her to stay away from those 'leeches', something that Noir didn't really understand, that he said the girl can't be naive all of her life and to find someone who loved her. "Okay." She would speak with a shaking tone as she tried to stop crying after Lagi asked her to.

The handkerchief Lagi used to wipe the side of her eyes felt very soft and she would take the handkerchief to wipe the tears on her other eyes as well as her runny nose. It did smells good actually when she brought it into her nose, feeling a little bit ticklish because of the softness of the fabric. He was trying to make her laugh with his words... maybe, but it was working. Noir let out a soft giggle, thinking that this man still had his old silly self.

"No." Noir shook her head, "Being a friend means that I should stay by your side even at your worst. Instead of feigning the existence of our friendship, I would rather... stop you and take you to the right path." She smiled sadly though as she looked down, "Although I also have no idea about which way is the right path... But we will work on this together."

Lagi had been through a lot... and perhaps this was his own way to move on... to not being bound by his own past. So as the man continued to tell her about a lot of things, the girl would listen quietly, giving him all the time he needed to share about what he felt. There was no judgement, no comforting pat on the back, not even kind words coming from Noir, it was just... a warm silence, so Lagi could just pour everything he wanted to the girl without interruption. Losing one-selves... it was scary, Noir understood that very well. She lost her self ever since she lost the memories of her own past too. But for Lagi, it happened continuously, perhaps in a short time. He had no chance to recover from one of his problems and other problems rised before he could move on, stressing him out, depressing him out, shutting himself off... from the others.

The man would go to the nearby stall for a second just to buy this candied fruit before giving one to Noir and one for himself. She would try a bite as she listened to what Lagi wanted to say, but she couldn't really enjoy the taste. It was tasty, but her entire senses was not focused on the food at the moment as she focused herself to listen to the man beside her.

"I understand." Noir would answer Lagi, wondering how many times this man had been stabbed on his back by his trusted peers, to the point he couldn't trust anyone else but beasts. "I can trust you, though, and I will always trust you. As for your question..." The magician would pause for a second before continuing, "No one is allowed to decide for someone else whether or not they are allowed to live... or even die. However, that would be impossible in this kind of world, dont you think? Although... everyone should be allowed to live, especially people who changed because of their own pains." She would lift up her tanghulu above her eyes level, as if putting it side by side with the moon only to see the sugar slightly reflecting the image of the moon. "Mercy does exist, although it depends on each individuals. However for me, you deserved the mercy, but it wouldn't be that easy. You will receive mercy, although you have to pay for what you've done. A fair trade, dont you think?"

Noir would then bring the tanghulu to her lips, taking another bite as she cracked the sugar with her teeth.

"Noir, I am no stranger to trying the "right path", I also tried to put people on it as well. I won't hold anything against them for never being appreciative or forgetting about me in the end. I don't dislike those who I've trained for no material gain or even so much as a thank you. It's the idea of fate that I dislike, everything is preordained, so we have no ability or no right to change things. What if something really bad was going to happen and it was solomon's will, must it be followed? Such heinous evils are allowed because they are supposed to happen, people being manipulated from birth. The idea of it sickens me, do our choices really matter in the end?"

He really wanted to know what she thought about that, this was a dilemma that Lagi had with the idea of following the path of fate. Fate was not kind, everyone was used and thrown away. Their fate might even be as insignificant as being murdered in order to be used as a tool to manipulate someone else. The idea of choice or individuality did not exist for people who relied on fate.

"Pay for it in what way? What would you have me do if I needed to pay for it? What of all the good I've done that goes with the bad. Everything bad is good for someone and as a leader of a race of an entire species, should someone pay for doing things to make their people prosper? That means every king, leader, ruler, would face the same kind of punishment. There is no such thing as absolute justice, because the same methods are used in both sides. Righteousness is used as a justification for murder, which brings me to another point. When it comes to taking a life, you either want a reason to do so, or you never needed one in the first place. Those who kill in the name of heroic hierarchies and platitudes that society seems to accept, what is their punishment and how will it differ to mine?"

But maybe he already knew the answer. Those who acted in a way that declares it to be their own justice, the world does it seem to want to punish them for the bad they have done to achieve the good.

Giving the old man a few moments to reply and getting known Julius turn away and walks off, he had no time to waste with old men who were too rude to reply back to a simple friendly conversation. There was nothing much for him to do besides walk around the festival ground. He did just that, walked about trying different foods, browsing at different robes, and garments to wear. Even bought some cloth for his next suit. After enjoying the basics of the festival ground it was time to do some research, see what lied behind the festival and what the people of Kina were really like.

-exit-

‘Fate…’ Noir thought inside her head, wondering why people were so… infatuated with their own fate. One moment some people would worship fate, other moments they would curse their fate, hating it so much to the point they cursed themselves… turning their rukh into black. She would never judge those who had black rukh swarming around them though, because she knew it was not her place to judge. But she was just worried… she was feeling some kind of empathy to those black rukh people… those poor souls… who thought that the world had betrayed them and abandoned them. “We… don't know how Solomon’s Will work, don’t we? Whether or not Fate really exists, don't you think the best we can do in our life is to do our best? However, our choices matter, it’s just… the way people accept the outcome of their choices might be different.” Noir would sigh softly, “If that makes sense.”

The girl would lift her Tanghulu before shoving it into Lagi's mouth, who knew that their reunion in this kind of festive moment became so serious. But Noir didn’t mind, it had been so long since the last time they talked. She wanted to at least understand why the man changed...why the man chose to ‘curse’ himself like this. “Pay for it in a good way, by doing your best… by finding happiness or a lot of things. True, there is no such thing as absolute justice, everyone makes mistakes, either on purpose or not. But we are just ordinary people, who are just trying to be the best version of ourselves. Those who kill in the name of justice… are also ordinary people, trying to justify something they wanted to do in a wrong way.” The magician would let out a soft giggle before she continued, “People are difficult… there will be no end to what people are capable of and why they do it. However the best I can do is to help a friend in need, either supporting them or stopping them. I wouldn't know the outcome after I offer my help, however it would be too easy for us if we already know what will happen, don't you think so?”

Noir would grab Lagi’s hand before saying, “So Jynx, just today, just tonight, go have fun, enjoy your time. Dont think, Feel!. Okay?” She would drag Lagi into a ball throwing stall that had a lot of dolls piled up as the prize of the game, asking him to play.

"Not for nothing, you did come off as a naive girl from the time that I remembered you. Maybe it wasn't known to me at that moment, but you contain even more wisdom than I gave you credit for. Due to how you came about, you seemed worth protecting because I wouldn't want people to take advantage of you, neither your goodwill nor flexibility. As for any criticism of me doing that, maybe I'm doing it right now. Choosing to ask you for forgiveness for all that I have done because I know you would forgive me, I'm taking advantage of your kindness and fooling myself at the same time. I never ask for much, and yet, a simple gesture such as this does so much more for my life than I'll ever let someone realize."

He was always appreciative of Noir, but that was enough of this kind of talk for the time being. Maybe they should have a little fun and play some games? He wondered how the people of Kina blew some steam and the fact that they were inviting outsiders into the fold.

"So how do you play this game anyway?"