DAY #1


Led in from a set of double doors to the south, the mainstay lobby of the Rabite's Promise Caf�, the diner-esque design is both welcoming and charming in its presentation, a combination of polished wood and varying shades of purple. A long bar splits back third of the room off into an employee-only designation for the preparation of food and drinks, where a couple of girls can be seen working in, unsurprisingly, black-rabite-themed waitstaff apparel, up to and including slightly floppy purple ears, puffed tails, and dark dresses with matching petticoats and white aprons. Glasses of numerous sizes and shapes are seen on an expansive shelving unit behind the bar, with multiple drink taps and mixing apparatuses directly beneath.

On the other side of a wide aisle and set specifically against the south wall of the parlor, various booths and tables are arranged in an orderly fashion, seating anywhere from two to six people at once, with padded seats and cushioning for the comfort of all patrons. In one corner rests an old-timey jukebox that appears to be out of service at the moment, and directly above it is a wide, corner-hugging mirror that reflects the majority of the parlor back upon those to gaze upon it. At the west end of the aisle lies one of several exits, though this particular one holds a large posterboard sign that specifically declares it to be "EMPLOYEES ONLY". Off to one side of the bar, a wide archway beset with swinging double-doors appears to lead northward into an unlit room, although this, too, hosts a large white sign that declares it to be "TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC".

At the east end of the aisle lies yet another door, this one holding double glass windows that allows one to see a very spacious, if also very empty room beyond; like the others before it, a big one sheet of posterboard is taped over the door, though this one interestingly provides the public the following information: "COSTUME CONTEST PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY, THANKS FOR YORU PATIENCE!". Confusingly, that word appears to be misspelled despite being handwritten, almost as though someone was intentionally trying to be funny.

Finally, a set of twin staircases lead up to a second-floor landing that looks very new and even still holds the faint scent of paint; from there, a single corridor extends northwest and northeast, leading to individual other sections of the caf� where the convention is taking place; a thick metal railguard is in place and extends all along the edge of the landing so that there is minimal risk of falling or injury.

With the first official Cosplay Convention of Truce now underway, a modest-but-respectable-sized group descends upon the Rabite's Promise Caf�, some in various states of costumed attire and some simply there for the experience without the need for such things. All are welcome in the same way, however, and the staff of the caf� are there to greet, hand out pamphlets, and guide them as necessary with any questions and information they may seem in need of.

And speaking of people who opted not to get into the spirit of things, Persephone seems to have jumped on that bandwagon for this particular day, as well. No more or less dressed than she typically is, the half-saiyan redhead carries herself with at least a little less awkwardness than she normally would in social settings such as these, but then again, it could also be the company she keeps. Rest assured that she's not exactly reaching out to anyone that she doesn't need to at this time, anyway.

On the other hand, Hikari is one-hundred-percent keeping her promise that was made at the conclusion of she and Persephone's visit to Chiisai Tori some several weeks prior, and is dolled up quite nicely in a bright blue maid's outfit specific to that establishment, being a caf� in and of itself. Her face is positively glowing as her already-wide green eyes seem to grow even larger with every new costumed person that passes by, no less so when she catches sight of the rabite-themed waitstaff busily tending to people from behind the corner of the parlor. "Oh my gosh, this is waaaaay better than I thought it would be!" she gushes, holding tightly onto a schedule and map of the building that had been handed out upon their arrival. "I can't believe they never had anything like this until now!"

Persephone sidesteps so that she isn't in the doorway and blocking other people coming and going. There weren't a lot, really, but it would still have been annoying all the same, and she could be annoying on her own time. "It's possible that other places have," she said, "but if you live out in the woods, it might not've been too obvious." She didn't actually know, but it made sense.

Hikari simply grins, looking up at Persephone. "Maybe," she said, "but we were in Viorar often enough that I'm sure we would have known if they had. It's a big enough city that news eventually makes its way to everyone, at some point, even us. And you know how big my dad's company is, too."

"Yeah, that's fair," Persephone admitted, allowing herself a moment to glance around the room. It was definitely more spacious than the little dessert parlor she spent a bit of her time at back in Shrike, but if it was hosting a full-sized convention, it made sense. Her eyes eventually returned to her blonde friend. "You remember what they said they were doing both days, too, right? I'm kind of surprised you're even still right here instead of behind that counter already."

"Oh! Uh, hang on..." Hikari mumbled out, unfolding her pamphlet so she can be reminded of all the goings-on taking place for the weekend. "Mm mm mm... oh. Right!" She looks up, around the room, then at Persephone again. "We got all weekend for that, which means there's plenty of time to spend doting on other people. But we just got here, and I wanna see what else they have before I get to that." She folded the paper in half and stowed it in one of the pockets on her dress. "And besides, where would that leave you? I can't imagine you enjoying this place without me around."

"Pfft, excuse you," Persephone said, despite her friend not exactly being incorrect in her assessment. "I'm well enough in not having to wear that outfit by myself, and that was a good enough compromise for me. You're free to do what-the-heck-ever you want while we're here, and I'll either just tag along or.. find.. something to do, I guess." She paused for a second, eyes elsewhere before falling on the old jukebox in the corner. "I mean I'm sure there's something that could keep me occupied if you found something that grabbed your attention, and I don't need to be your shadow the whole time, anyway."

"Peh," Hikari huffed. "You're not a shadow. Don't worry about that so much." She brightened, unwilling to let her friend's awkwardness even get close to dampening her mood. "But hey, let's go see what else is going on. We'll circle back around at some point and maybe I'll see if they still have room for me down here." She grinned. "You could even be the first princess I get to serve!"

Persephone internally rolled her eyes. "That's far from the most-appropriate term," she said, "but sure, that's fine. Let's go see what's going on.

With a cheerful smile, Hikari unhesitatingly grabbed Persephone by the arm and carefully click-clacked her heeled self around one side of the counter toward the stairs leading up to the second floor, ascending the stairs slowly because there were still other people to be mindful of, and even though she was more used to it than Persephone, heeled shoes weren't something she was super familiar or comfortable with compared to her normal boots. There was a bit more finesse involved than just running rampant around a store while window shopping.

A strange, oppressive feeling suddenly begins to encroach upon the Rabite's Promise Cafe, and as this feeling spreads, the sun outside the establishment begins to darken, casting an ephemeral shadow across the northern suburbs of Truce; slivers of darkness spread across the great star's face, slowly blotting it out in the form of a gradual but spontaneous eclipse!

Coming back inside after her successful duel with the Dark One, the apparent battlemaid known as Hikari took a moment to assess the interior of the parlor to see what things looked like, brushing off the apron of her dress from the scuffle from earlier. It seemed like the general population of the convention had fanned out considerably since the opening hours, and that was just fine with her; given her reading on the restrictions in place, she noted that the only waitstaff currently on the floor seemed to bear the normal attire of the Black Rabite, which meant that there weren't any other attendees to contend with at the moment. Great!
Persephone Simmons

Persephone follows in close behind, a small bit of thought still parading around over her face but nothing that was spoken of. Overall, she seemed more relaxed now than she had been earlier. "Since I don't know how this whole thing works," she said after a few moments, "and you're the one with the dress, why don't you go do your thing, and I'll grab a seat." She paused briefly, then added, "But I'm gonna be frank, if you pull that 'Kuroi ojou-sama' nonsense that I finally got Maru and Eri to knock off, I'm probably gonna walk out on the spot. 'Kay?" The tone she took made it clear that she was probably not expecting it to be a problem, and was possibly even being spoken in semi-joking fashion, but a point was still a point.

Hikari grinned in a way that, if it was anyone else, probably meant that Persephone wasn't being taken seriously. "Is that the only thing that's not allowed?" she questioned.

"I mean," Persephone said, with a small sigh, "I know you've got your thing. Like, I'm not being... like that. You know what I'm talking about, but however else this whole thing works, just do what makes you comfortable." She cast a glance aside. "Also, don't worry so much about me. I'm just going to hang out for a bit, and if there's other people here specifically for this sort of thing, make sure they get what they came for. That's right up your alley, anyway."

Hikari nodded easily. "Wakarimashita! (Understood!)" she said, giggling softly as she turn and skipped (as best she could with the footwear currently present) off toward the counter to go and get herself registered to serve.

Persephone watched the bouncy little blonde go, giving her head a small shake. A thought occurred for her to say something, but she opted to keep silent instead, and found an empty booth to tuck herself away into. It didn't take long for her phone to find itself out of the pack of her and Hikari's things and into her hands, and she busied herself with unimportant things for the time being with an occasional glance in Hikari's direction to make sure she didn't go too far out of sight.

The process really doesn't take long at all, mostly just a brushup on the etiquette guide and rules to follow, which Hikari was clearly already well-versed in for both, given the upbringing she had. If anything, there was a small measure of surprise when Raynie, the proprietress of the establishment, was informed herself of a few things that she wasn't already aware of. All the same, it isn't hardly any time at all before Hikari is given her own pad, pen, and almost a nametag before the girl indicated the embossed picture of herself right there on the front of her dress, with her own name already on it. Raynie laughed in a way that indicated that she wasn't surprised at all, and finalized things by telling the blonde to make sure and ask if she wasn't sure, rather than assume anything.

As indicated by her redheaded friend, Hikari did not specifically ignore Persephone, but opted to prioritize those who were actually there and awaiting orders, getting a layout and idea of the premise from another staff member on her way over to a table. There's a few glances over in Persephone's glances from time to time to ensure that everything is still okay and she's not getting bored, but for the most part, she does indeed keep to the business sense as part of the job.

Hikari seems to get the hang of things pretty quick, and it helps that her first patron is also a cosplayer who happens to be taking a load off from the festivities elsewhere. At least half of the table he sits at is taken up by all the stuff he's not only brought with him but also obtained from the convention itself, and Hikari actually spends a moment or three talking to him about unrelated things before jotting down a requested snack and giving him a professional-as-you-please bow, turning to head back behind the counter and relay the order to those actually in charge.

Kane has arrived from the south.

Kane says ' Right, now this is lookin' like where we're meant to be!'

Kane spends more than a few moments simply vibing, attempting to get the general groove of the area in general down. Judging from the voices he can hear further in, this isn't the final stop of the partygrounds. But, before storming the front there were things that just had to get taken care of. Namely:

Kane says ' Sorry to bug you, but are we expecting this to be the drinking kind of party, or the all ages kind?'

Persephone looks up from her phone at the question, craning her neck back slightly to check out the newcomer.

Hikari looks up from a place behind the counter, currently in the midst of placing something that looks decidedly-dessert-based on a tray when Kane makes their announcement. "Irasshaimase! (Welcome!)" she exclaims gleefully, offering a broad wave before going back to her task.

Raynie, the proprietress, offers the newcomer a short bow. "We don't serve alcohol here, if that's what you're asking," she said. "We have drinks, snacks, and small meals. We are more in line with a traditional deli, in that sort of sense."

Hikari brings the round of desserts she has to one of the tables with two patrons, who thank her pleasantly. She offers a short curtsey in return, a prominent smile plastered on her face to be doing what she is, as she heads back toward the front counter.

"If you would like to have a seat, I can be with you in just one moment!" Hikari calls out, glancing aside at Kane so that he knew he was being spoken to.

Seemingly either unimpressed, uninterested, or perhaps a likely combination of both, Persephone goes back to her phone.

Kane offers the excited woman a wave in return, looking more than a little out of character for the strange undead rockstar he's made up to be. "No booze, got it! Just had to double check what kind of crowd to expect." With a couple of fingerguns, Kane grins. At the invitation to seat himself, Kane will actually. With guitar slung over one chair he'll settle into one of the seats.

It isn't actually that long, really, before Hikari does get around to the newcomer. There's not exactly a large volume of people in the parlor at the moment, and there's two others besides her that are helping tend to the existing patrons besides.

In a matter of moments, the blue-clad maid that -isn't- wearing the purple rabite ears or tail clacks on over to where Kane has seated himself, and offers a very formal bow. "Okaerinasai, goshujin-sama! (Welcome home, master!)" she offered, straightening with a bright smile. "What can I get for you this afternoon?"

Kane grins at the quick service, if not the over-the-top nature. He's not exactly used to being called 'master' after all. "Any chance you've got some oil and a straw? The trip over from Viorar's got me a little stiff." Normally he'd just throw it back, but he didn't want to have to redo his teeth.

"Of course!" Hikari said with open exuberance. Something that simple didn't even need to be written down, but there was a -very- brief moment of confusion until it occurred to her that reploids did go places like this, the same as other races.

Hikari offered another gracious bow. "Arigato gozaimasu! (Thank you very much!)" And with that, she turns around and heads back to the counter to fulfill such an order.

Kane just chalks up that moment of confusion up to his costume being extra good, and then settles in to wait while he tries to place the familiar face. It doesn't really hit him until she's already away that he's met the woman before, acutally.

With as simple a request as it was, and with how the establishment had all manner of beverages (including those not intentionally consumable by organic races), it doesn't take more than a small handful of minutes for Hikari to place -and- return with the order to Kane's table.
When Hikari arrives, she carries the drink on a slim metal tray held in both hands, and despite being oil, it arrives in the same sort of tall beverage glass that any other drink, sundae, or parfait might come in. The straw in question has a small red heart clipped to the upper third of it, but is loose enough not to pinch the straw itself. "Here you go!" she chirps, setting it down from the tray to the table in front of Kane.

Kane claps softly. "Nice! Thanks a lot." A lot of places only ever served in metal or the like, since Oil wasn't exactly something some customers wanted to see sipped. So, that was nice. Before he gets drinking and she has a chance to leave though, Kane fixes the waitress with a slightly skull-y grin. "Hey, sorry if this is a bother to you, but are you often around Viorar?"

It's at this time that Persephone raises her arms in a languid stretch, her extra-long braid shifting such that it accidentally falls over the back of the booth she's seated in and trails down the seat therein. She either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
What Persephone does know, however, is what time it is, once she looks back at her phone. "Oh, shoot," she mumbles to herself, glancing over at Hikari and Kane but holding further speaking so as not to interrupt their exchange.

Hikari grins. "I'm not bothered at all," she said. "Conversation is part of the service!" The question in particular is intriguing, though, given how random it is. "I'm in Viorar frequently, actually. I live a little ways north of the city, so most of my family's shopping is done there." She doesn't even ask why, because socializing is socializing.

Kane nods. "Right, so you're probably the right lady then. Remember Maverick? Guy who crashed his bike into a tree a while back?" They never actually got to the point of trading names, but he didn't really want to label her as 'the fifty gold girl' since that would have. Implications.

The widening of Hikari's eyes reflect the recognition suddenly attained. "Oh, yeah!" she blurted out, dropping all in-character pretense in just such a moment. "I remember him! I actually haven't heard from or seen him since then. I hope he's going well! You were, uh..." She pauses for a thought, but doesn't have it. "..The other guy. Sorry, I never got your name!"

Kane laughs a little, shaking his head. "I didn't really go asking either, sorry Miss. Last I saw he was doing well though, you know how people just kinda fall into things. This place included." The reunion of the fifty gold girl and mr the other guy was nice and all, but he does raise a hand in greeting. "ane, by the way. Miss... Hikari?" It turns out being able to read is a good skill to have.

Persephone squirms loosely in her seat. She really doesn't want to interrupt Hikari while she's being social because that was literally the whole reason she's here in the first place, but...

Oh. Actually, wait a second. Duh. Like, this idea wasn't really her style, but it was probably something she could handle. There's a brief moment where she looks proud of herself before stowing away her phone in the backpack she's carrying. She pulls herself free of the booth and casts a glance at Hikari and Kane for a second, before making her exit southward through the main entrance.

There's a flickering trace of some ulterior expression on her face as she side-eye catches sight of Persephone leaving, but she's not so rude as to ignore patrons while she's 'on the clock,' actively or figuratively, either. It doesn't last, though. "Oh, right!" she said, with no less energy. "Yes, I am 'Hikari'. Hikari Fukawa, as it pleases you." Again with the formal curtsey, too, no less. The girl occasionally didn't seem to know whether she was coming or going.

"It's nice to have a name to put to the face," she adds, actively getting a load of the cosplay at that particular moment, but the look on her face clearly indicates that it doesn't ring a bell. Still, she seems pleased enough that Kane was engaging in dressing up, which is what this whole thing was all about!

Kane catches the other woman shifting around and leaving, but given his lack of critical information as to who is associated with who it means little to him. The curtsey makes him grin again, the fact that it's some cute rich lady doing so adding more meaning to it. "Well, nice to meet without a crashed bike being involved. Though this still isn't exactly 'normal' circumstances." Said the undead to the maid.

"Ah, yes," Hikari said, tucking a curl behind one ear. "I'm just glad there were no injuries at the same. Except for the bike, I mean." Her thoughts temporarily drifted back to that night, but it was extremely short-lived. She does catch sight of the guitar, though, in that moment. "Are you a musician? Or is that just a character prop?"

Kane is a little amused at the question, given it brings up similar ones for her own costume. "Both, actually. Used to play a lot more, but me and the boys are..." He falters for a moment, still not really fully ready to use the word 'disbanded'. "On a break. Still, I pick up small gigs here and there." His grin returns, proud of where he is at in life at the least. "Find yourself serving oil while in frills often?"

Hikari looks interested at the faltering, like she enjoys being the nosey sort (and she does), but when he picks up and leads the conversation elsewhere, she doesn't opt to derail it for her own selfishness. "I don't, actually!" she said, smiling happily. "It's my first time! But the outfit was so cute that I had to try it out, and this was the perfect chance! My best friend got it for me!"

Kane can't help but find that smile infectious. "I mean, yeah I'd agree. Your friend has good taste!" Half a second after he says that, the immediate worry that he's coming off as saying she was cute in a flirtatous manner makes some of his internal systems start to grind to a halt. But he was here to have fun and relax, not try to pick anyone up. Very company appropriate, totally. "You've got the curtsey down pat."

Infectious or not, the smile is literally part of her character and, arguably, namesake. "I know!" she said. "She's super great, and I'm already thinking about where to wear it next. And, uhm... yeah! My family is big on formalities. I learned it pretty well growing up, so it's kind of ingrained in my head at this point."
"People are likely to be more nice to you if you have good manners," she added. "At least that's what my dad always said. And it seems to work most of the time!"

Kane allows his mind to churn for a few moments, working through the corporate backlash of upholding images. Particularly, dwelling on the glance at the departing woman from earlier. "So was that other girl your friend? Tell me I'm not monopolizing you from something important." Getting a chance to actually enjoy his drink at some point would be nice, too. Talking with a black tongue always gave people a moment's pause, and he didn't really want to do that to Hikari.

Hikari only seems to just remember that Persephone had actually left. Her face lifts, peering briefly around the room to see if maybe she'd come back in at some point since earlier, but obviously hadn't. "Yeah, that was Seph--er, Persephone," she said, returning her attention to Kane. "She has a costume, too, but that's not until tomorrow. We have matching ones!"

"Sounds like I'm going to have to show up tomorrow as well then!" Kane does at this point reach forward to collect his glass, if only to hold it and feel the general coolness. "It is nice meeting up again though, Hikari. Even in an unlikely place."

The blonde gives a broad nod. "Sure!" she said. "Though I don't know how 'unlikely' any one place is than any other. Nothing is really consistent about the world, I've learned that much pretty well by now. If you see Maverick again, will you tell him that I hope he's going okay and said 'hi,' possibly not in that order?"

Kane nods. "Of course, I was planning on letting him know as soon as I saw him anyways." It wasn't the kind of encounter he'd just let pass unspoken of anyways. "Bit of a pity he didn't show up too, but chances are he's busy getting settled in to places. Dude loves an odd job."

Hikari, actually, didn't stop to think about the prospect that Kane, himself had interacted with Maverick beyond just that same initial meeting that she had. Even though she had initially asked if he was okay or not; apparently Kane's response didn't retain itself in her blonde head. "Is he still in Viorar, then? If he came in as an outsider, I can't imagine he'd be moving outside of Fa'diel anytime soon."

"I'd assume so, though things might have changed since I last saw him. He's not the only one out here picking up odd jobs at times, and I went from one of those to travelling over here. But if I were in his shoes I'd probably stick around. The club is fun to hang out around, at the bare minimum." Kane does manage to sneak some of his oil after that, drinking with the straw far back to avoid any visible black tongue. The smooth feel was heavenly for his throat though.

Hikari, of course, brightens at the mention of 'club', recognizing (or at least assuming) based on the location being discussed. Kane drinking while she was standing there in full serving attire, and still technically 'on the clock' didn't seem to bother her one whit. "The nightclub?" she asked.

"One of my other friends is a performer there! She's going to be here tomorrow, too! I think she wanted to come today, but had other obligations. I can see that, given everything she has her hands in."

Kane remembers the last time he was at the club, and the preformance that it entailed. Luckily, his skim was painted so the blush wasn't really visible. "Well, hopefully she manages tomorrow then! I'll be looking forward to seeing more costumes too." He does pause for a moment, a slight furrowing of his brows occuring as something from earlier in the conversation strikes him.

Kane says ' Wait are we supposed to have more than one costume for this?'

Hikari laughs, a happy little sound that isn't at all condescending. Or, at least it isn't intended to be. "No no, of course not," she said quickly, so that any rising anxiety could be stymied quickly-enough.

"There's just plenty of people who really get into the fashion thing that makes them want to show off more, and it's not really easy to just carry around a second or third or however-many costumes with you to change into when you've had enough of the first one, you know?"
"Something that happens only once, which you might not get another shot at, you have to put your all into it. This costume wasn't expected when I heard about this convention, but I couldn't not wear it, so I split it up into two days. My mom made my other one!"

Kane is more than a bit relieved he hadn't missed out on some hidden requirement for the events, his shoulders slumping a little to show the relief. "Oh good. It took me like an hour to get all this paint set and sealed, if I had to come up with something different for tomorrow I was just going to go home now and start planning." He pauses for a second, checking his phone. "Reminds me though, I wanted to see if I could get some pictures of other folks attending. Would you mind?"

For all that she's a happy little thing, Hikari is still blonde. Some things that should make sense generally just don't, for her, at least not right out the gate. "You want me to take some pictures of others for you?" she asked curiously. "I don't mind, but I'd probably need their permission, first."

An intercom system suddenly issues an announcement, its sweeping voice loud enough to reach all areas of the Rabite's Promise Cafe both inside and out. "Registration for the Costume Contest is currently underway in the East Wing! If you wish to take part, please be sure to head that way and sign up before 8:00pm!"

"Uh no, I mean like-" The missing of his point sends Kane stammering for a few moments before he recovers with a little programming based assistance. It didn't do to have the product seeming overly unable to speak. "I meant me taking one with you. As like, a reunion thing. If you were interested."

The blaring announcement causes her to jump slightly, and she looks up toward the ceiling at wherever it was coming from. There's a small frown that shows up on her face, but it is brief and doesn't look unhappy, just thoughtful.

She returns her gaze to Kane in short order, though. "Of course!" she said. "What good is a costume if nobody is taking pictures of it? That's almost as much of a point as wearing it in the first place!"

"I'm a little scatterbrained sometimes," she said, offering a grin. "I think I get it from my mom."

Kane looks up in consideration of the announcement as he actually processes the words. "Oh man, I was meaning to get in on that too. Right, let's do this!" Standing, Kane pulls his phone out in traditional selfie pose. He also maneuvers to Hikari's side, giving her a chance to pose before starting a little countdown on the phone.

Kane assumes a classic stance for the picture of course. Devil horns brough up under his chin, mouth wide upen and tongue out, eyes wild. If there was the very image of two styles clashing it was that of a zombie metal head and a well dressed maid lady.

Hikari knows exactly what to do; zombie rocker or not, for someone doing a maid cosplay at a convention like this, only one pose will do. And she doesn't hesitate to get in close to do it, 'cause that's part of the fun!

Hikari puts both her hands together, bending her fingers in just the appropriate shape to make a well-defined heart shape within the center of her connected digits. She holds this at about chest-level, so that it isn't blocking either of their faces, and smiles the happiest, brightest smile anyone could ask for!

Kane snaps the shot at the end of the countdown and then straightens back up, having bent a little to be on equal standing as Hikari. "Awesome, thanks a lot!" Stashing his phone away again, he reaches over instead to collect his guitar. "Thinking of joining in on the contest?"

Hikari beams, stepping back a little, herself. "Not this time," she said. "If they were having it tomorrow, I might have, since me, Persephone and Molly all have matching costumes and we could've gone up there as a trio. But if they have something similar next year, I might give it a try then. I'll just be in the audience, this time."

Kane nods. "In that case, I'll see you from up there!" The concept of being on a stage wasn't exactly foreign to him at all, so there was no sense of worry in the moment. With a little wave, and a moment to get a long sip of his oil, Kane scoots away to find the sign up.
Kane pauses. "Wait which way is the east wing again?"

Kane snaps his fingers as he operates off zen navigation.

Hikari giggles gently. "Up the stairs," she said, pointing northeast. "It's up that way."

Kane leaves ne.

DanOlivaw has arrived from the south.

DanOlivaw says '"Wow, look at that awesome Alien Warrior costume over there! We should totally ask them for a battle pose!"'

DanOlivaw says '"C'mon, let's go ask them for a picture! It'll be epic! We might even get featured in the convention highlights!"'

DanOlivaw strikes a heroic pose with his laser cannon arm raised high, smiling brightly at the crowd. "Join the trivia contest, folks! It'll be legendary!"

DanOlivaw leaves east.

DanOlivaw has arrived from the east.

DanOlivaw takes a deep breath, feeling the excitement bubbling up, then announces, "Alright! I'm back and ready to kick off some trivia! Whos got a question?"


DAY #2

The opening fare for the second day of Truce's Cosplay Convention feels a little sleepier than the previous, but not at all due to disinterest; there's no shortage of familiar faces that have returned for a second helping of all the costumes and wonderment involved, as well as many new ones. No, it was likely due to the garnered excitement from that first day with all of those new experiences; it's a different sort of energy level today, one that begets a calmer approach to things, with many friends and newly-made acquaintances idling about and discussing events from the previous day, up to and including the rather-explosive Costume Contest that took place. Voting was as-yet still underway, with people still arriving to have their say-so up until the early evening hours, when the results would be announced prior to the Ballroom's re-opening for the night's musical events.

In the meantime, though, there was still plenty to do, plenty to see, and plenty to engage in.

And speaking of there being plenty to see, three rabbits decide to walk into a caf� in the later hours of the morning. With nearly-identical costumes save for some anatomically-necessary modifications and coloration, Hikari Fukawa and Persephone Simmons make their second-day debut to the Rabite's Promise Caf�, dressed in the definitive 'bunny girl' style ensemble with everything that goes with it, including ears, tails, and of course all of the less lagomorphic visuals that are costume hallmarks. White, black and blue are the colors of the day, with none other than Mollianne joining the two aforementioned ladies. Unsurprisingly, there's a couple of turned heads upon their arrival, and while the three of them each pull the outfit off differently, there's no denying that they all manage to make it work in their own ways. There even seems to be enough bubbliness between Mollianne and Hikari to make up for the fact that Persephone definitely looks like she'd rather be somewhere else at the moment, but is actively trying to force it down.

Hikari seems pretty well-conscious of her redheaded friend's discomfort, but plays it off as best she can so that it doesn't seem like there's attention being drawn to it. "We'll take it slow today, Sephie," she said. "A few days in heels for a few hours at a time isn't exactly the best practice for spending a whole day in them, but at least you didn't have to do it for the entire weekend, right?"

Mollianne grins with slight obnoxiousness. "Kind of reminds me of when I was first learning to walk, when I was real little," she remarked. "There was definitely quite a bit of stumbling, and running anywhere was right out. I do not think I fully got the hang of it until I was nine or ten, just because I was so used to just flying anywhere I needed to go."

"It's fine," Persephone said, shrugging it off. She didn't seem at all unbalanced, and really, it was more the costume than the heels. She wasn't really a skin-shower, and only part of it was really due to not feeling like she had the figure that anyone even wanted to see in an outfit like this, anyway. "I'll manage. Maybe just avoid too many trips up and down the stairs for the day, if we can help it."

"We should get that out of the way first, then!" Mollianne announced. "Since I missed yesterday, I need to see about some souvenirs before everything gets picked through. I might even have already missed out on some of the good stuff!" She looks up at Hikari. "Did you get a good enough run of the place yesterday to know where everything is? You guys might have to be my guide for the day."

"Mmm..." Hikari thinks for a second. "Not all of it. We saw a lot, but then I spent too much time playing maid in here, yesterday." She grins at the memory, looking up toward the existing waitstaff going about their business for the day. "I get the feeling they'd turn me down if I asked for another go at it, though. I get the feeling I'm not maid-appropriate in this costume."

Persephone gives Hikari a glance, and then Mollianne, then Hikari again. "I'd definitely try to minimize the bowing," she said, a bit offhandedly.

Persephone's comment earns a grin from Mollianne, but it's a grin that very much says something that is probably best left unspoken.

"Okay!" Hikari states, with a nod. "So I missed my chance for pictures yesterday, but I'm definitely not going to miss it again. That's in about twenty minutes, so let's head upstairs for a bit, in the meantime. We'll see about some shopping or something, then get some pictures taken, and go from there." She gives a shorthand glance at Persephone. "That okay?"

Persephone gives Hikari a semi-bland look. "So we're going upstairs for twenty minutes, then back downstairs, and then possibly back upstairs again?" she asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

It's pretty rude, really, but Mollianne giggles anyway.

Hikari smiles anyway, but it's a little strained when she makes the realization. "I guess that's true," she said. "Since it's not a lot of time, we can just hang out for a few minutes until the photographer gets here, then go upstairs afterward. There's no reason to hurry, of course."

Persephone shakes her head, her downcast demeanor dispersing easily enough. "Don't worry about me so much," she said. "I'm just whiny, you know how it is." She spares a brief glance at the few others still in the parlor. "As I found out yesterday, though, time does go a lot faster than we realize. It would probably be a little silly to go upstairs, get invested in window shopping, and then have to turn around in the middle of it. Didn't that technically happen yesterday, anyway?"

"Oh, yeah!" Hikari said, remembering. "I totally kicked that Demon Lord's butt! That was pretty great!"

Mollianne blinks, looking between the two of them. "Wait, there's a Demon Lord?" she asked. "Here? Did I miss something?"

"Yeah!" Hikari chirps, suddenly excited for it all over again. "According to the schedule, she's supposed to come back again today, too! It's like an event thing, I guess. I kinda got caught up in it, though. It's probably a good thing I didn't get kicked out."

Persephone smirks. "The way you phrased that couldn't possibly have been any better," she remarked.

"Oh, yeah," Hikari said, a little sheepishly. "I got her pretty good." She seems to realize something, and drops it for now. "We'll have to keep an eye on the itinerary and see where were at when that time comes."

"Speaking of," Persephone said, glancing up toward a clock high on the wall. "We should probably head outside. Guy's gonna be here in a few minutes."

"Outside?" Hikari repeated. "Hold on a sec, I might be misremembering." Hikari promptly reaches down the front of her corset and withdraws the crumpled, folded-up schedule and floor plan, opening it up to recall what was or wasn't going on this day, and where. "..Oh, nope. He's upstairs this time. He won't be outside until later tonight." She looks up. "So that means we should've gone upstairs first, after all!"

Mollianne just watches and listens the goings-on, but is uniquely aware of where Hikari pulled her map from. "Girl after my own heart, for real," she commented.

Persephone deflates, but just slightly. "Oh," she manages. "Huh. Alright."

"But this is fine, right?" Hikari asked, looking at the other two girls. "This just means we can go upstairs and spend some time up there without worrying about having to come back down here for awhile. It's kind of unavoidable, really."

Mollianne seems to consider something. "Tell you what," she said. "You guys decided what you are or are not doing, and I will meet you up there, okay? If they are doing pictures, I wanna make sure I get some ones for me done, too. And I have some friends that will probably want to see this outfit, too, I bet. Your mom did a really good job, especially since she did not even take my measurements for it."

Persephone gives Mollianne a glance at the latter portion of her statement, but says nothing.

Hikari, too, looks over at Mollianne in an overt way, but also decides not to comment.

If she notices the looks, she doesn't say anything of it. Any attention is good attention, usually! "Anyway," she said, "I will catch up with you guys in a few minutes!" She gives them both a wave, then hurries her little self up the staircase to the upper landing.

Persephone looks on after her, and can't help but give a small and bemused laugh in spite of herself. "Is she going to last the whole day?" she asked openly.

Keenly aware of what Persephone was talking about, she jabbed her friend in the ribs lightly. "Hey, that's mean," she said. "But really, are you okay with all of this? Convincing you to come is one thing, and I know you're not big on the costume, but actually being here isn't the same as posing in my bedroom in front of a mirror. We don't have to stay any longer than you want to, Sephie."

"You say that," Persephone retorts, "but you were looking, too. But, uh..." Persephone glances up at the clock again, then at Hikari. "I'm fine. Really. I had some time to think about it last night, too, after we left. It's... not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn, but when I put things in perspective, I've been through a lot worse shit than this before." The curses feel a little more natural around Hikari lately, but given their location, she at least keeps her voice low so that more-sensitive ears in their midst don't have to be privy to her choice of language. "It's... I dunno, probably good for me. I guess."

This seems good enough for Hikari, eliciting a beaming smile from her. "Okay," she said. "We should head upstairs before we miss out on the photo-guy again."

"Yeah," Persephone said, raising her eyes in that direction. "If we gotta, I guess we gotta, huh?"

"Pfft," Hikari pfft'd. "C'mon!" Hikari departs, then, heading for the stairs and offering a wave to Raynie, who waves in return from the recognition of her time spent on the floor yesterday.

Persephone exhales through her nose but follows as well, glancing down at herself along the way. 'Photogenic' was not her word of choice, but anyway...

For the second time in just as many days, a oddly-oppressive feeling suddenly begins to spread over the Rabite's Promise Cafe, and as this feeling spreads, the sun outside the establishment begins to darken, casting an ephemeral shadow across the northern suburbs of Truce; slivers of darkness spread across the great star's face, slowly blotting it out in the form of a gradual but spontaneous eclipse!