Hikari no Matsuri - Shiawasena Basho: Lobby
The main foyer is relatively nondescript and simple, with a
sparsely-adorned room that has several doors leading to different parts of
the bathing areas. A few large potted plants sit in corners and there is a
counter behind which the proprietor resides, and a set of double-doors leads
south back into the festival grounds. Three curtain-framed doorways lead
further into the bath house, each one denoting their intended gender.
Notably, the ceiling is very high up, the rafters of which must be at least
a good thirty feet or so above the floor.


look mol
Like many siren seen in Fa'Diel, Mollianne bears the unmistakable traits
that define her avian heritage. Strong, deep-plumed legs of white feathers
transition into formidable talons that possess their own brand of
captivating deadliness. From her back sprout two majestic wings, expansive
and of pristine white feathers, which easily dwarf her small frame in a
display of ethereal beauty all their own. Her eyes mirror the serene
surface of the ocean on a tranquil evening, which peer through tousled
auburn bangs that frame her youthful features in a perpetually-disheveled
yet endearing bob of short hair. Around her neck is a pendant in the shape
of a small egg or teardrop, which often seems to find itself concealed
within the embrace of her ample chest. All of this is wrapped up in a
petite package, as she stands scarcely taller than five feet in height,
although her wings would bestow upon her a couple of additional inches if
they were included in the measurement. Within her smile seems to reside a
unique brand of her own personal charisma, a perpetual aura of ease and
warmth that exudes friendliness and approachability.

Mollianne is using:
a translucent Soul Gem
a blue-striped yukata, arguably one size too big
a black silk obi, very-loosely tied


The doors to the foyer pop open briefly, admitting a Sunflash buried under a
dull teal cloak dusted with a chunk of snow. Mutterings about the weather can be
heard as he makes his way inside with a curious glance about. Surely there was a
coat hook of some sort for this blasted cloak...

Having located one such free hook, the Sorcerer undoes the clasp and releases
the cloak from about his neck, revealing Sunflash in his fairly standard dress.
Dull blue no-sleeve tunic, green trousers, and the ever-present right-arm-
covering chunk of red and black plate-armor.

Mollianne looks up as a new face enters the Bath House, pivoting slightly on one
taloned foot. "There you are." Her voice is neutral and even, without any real
implication as to what her mood or tone would or should be, one way or another.
Her hair is pretty frazzled from being dried, and she could definitely use a
hairbrush..

Sunflash finally draws his focus to the other patron. He seems to freeze for a
very short moment before letting a small smirk appear. "Indeed, here I am. I'm
not the best with names these days, but you're Mollianne, correct?" The hylian
gives the shortest of upper bows. "I doubt you know of me, I'm simply called
Sunflash these days."

Mollianne nods. "It took me a few days to think about it, but I recognized your
face." She twirls a key around one of her fingers, an idle gesture. "I am
actually glad you are here, I have not seen.. anyone, since that day. It has
been a rough few years, but I am sure I am not the only one to feel that way."
Her tone seems to at least lack animosity. "Here, follow me, if you would."

With an inclination of his head, Sunflash would follow. "I must confess to being
impressed with your memory. I don't recall us having much conversation
ourselves." He pauses in his talk, tho his feet would continue to follow. "Then
again, I'm not quite sure I could claim to trust my memory much recently."

Mollianne smirks faintly, leading Sunflash down a nearby hallway.


Hikari no Matsuri - Shiawasena Basho: Guest Room #1
The guest room has limited decor to promote itself, but at the same
time, this also seems to provide a unique charm of its own. A pair of
tatami mats sit near one of the room's corners, padded with bedding and
pillows, and a basic table sits in the room's center, graced with the
presence of already-prepared tea for visitors. On one of the walls, a
tokonoma is embedded into the wooden surface, holding a small flowering
plant that seems to be doing well despite the season.

Mollianne enters the room with the same sort of air as if she owned the place,
but maybe that just comes from being a celebrity in general. She drops the
towel from her shoulder onto a bar in the closet nearby, and idle runs a hand
through her hair as she seats herself on a padded cushion in front of the table,
gesturing to Sunflash. "More comfortable here than in a lobby, I would think."
Her tone has an ounce of amusement, at least.

Mollianne seems to realize she never actually responded to Sunflash's earlier
comment. "Memory is, fortunately, something that I handle well. Also... some
things you do not forget very easily."

With another faint smirk of his own, Sunflash composes himself onto an opposite
cushion. "Far more comfortable than I'm used to, for sure." He carefully places
his arms on the tabletop, interlacing his fingers with each other as he assumes
something of a student's air. "Yes, that is true. Some of us are less fortunate
in what we can recall..." He pauses, a brief darkness crosses his face before he
shakes his head. "You said you haven't heard from anyone since that day at the
Fortress?"

There is a quiet moment of heavy contemplation on her part, as if she were
considering the best way to answer that question. "That was... a very difficult
time for me." Mollianne's words are slow and calculated, and it is apparent
that she's specifically trying to avoid a pity party. "But no, to answer your
question, I have not. I only recognize you from the group.. he came with, that
day. I know we do not know each other formally."

"I suppose, in such a way, it was kind of rude of me to call you out here in the
way that I did, and for that, I apologize." Mollianne lowers her eyes,
uncomfortably.


An eyebrow of confusion gets to display Sunflash's thought process for a moment
before he collects his composure again. "You have nothing to apologize for, I
assure you." His head drops to consider his hands for a moment or two before
taking a deep breath. "I do not know what has happened to Ambience, or the other
two for that matter. Until recently I wasn't....able, to recall most of the
trip." A frown crosses his face as he raises his head back up.

Mollianne jerks visibly when Ambience's name is mentioned, as though the name
caused her actual physical pain to hear it. "I believe you. A lot was happening
elsewhere, as well." Almost as if it were a cue, the Soul Gem attached to the
cord around her neck glints ominously, draped over the exterior neckline of her
yukata. "I was busy fighting other battles in the meantime, and I lost people
close to me there, as well." She really is NOT doing a good job at not making
this about her.

Mollianne looks up, and sits up straight. "When I saw you at the tavern the
other day, I felt encouraged... briefly." She glances off to one side, then
back at Sunflash. "I thought... maybe if you were actually alive... he would be,
too. But..." She lets the thought hang there for a moment.

"For the longest time, I believed all of you died in the explosion." Mollianne
shakes her head.

With a bending of his elbows, Sunflash brings his hands to his chin as he leans
forward while taking in Mollianne's words. "To be honest, some days I'm not
convinced I at least didn't." His gaze seems to be almost looking through the
siren. "I mentioned I've had memory problems...I DO have a memory that must have
come AFTER the explosion."

As he continues to speak, a very faint white spark or two seems to trace the
path of some veins across Sunflash's forehead.

Mollianne tilts her head slightly to one side. "Did something happen to you
after that floating... thing blew up, then? I heard what you said, but simply
not remembering such a large span of time is not a common issue."

"At the very least, I can assure you that you are very much as alive as I am. As
much as, on some days, I wish this were a dream, I doubt very much that it is."
Mollianne offers a wry smirk.

"It...doesn't seem to include me being, I don't know, conscious? Present? It's
hard to say." Another frown. Sunflash's face might freeze that way by the end of
the night. "But it does involve...Haunt? speaking with....someone else I don't
recognize." His eyes narrow, as if he's trying to see through a dense fog.
"Someone with a..spiked tail, maybe? They were convsersing about.....Ambience
being the safest one...to tackle the Mana Best?"

Sunflash takes in a sudden breath as if under exertion, which seems to also kick
him out of whatever reverie he had lost himself in. "......Sorry, getting any
kind of detail of my Fortress memories has proven...difficult, to say the
least." He shakes his head briefly as if to clear it again. "...And to answer
your question, I do not know what has happened to me personally. Events keep
getting mixed with ones that I know are in the distant past."

Mollianne winces again at Ambience's name, and lets this sink in as best it can,
though a lot of Sunflash's explanation is lost on her, not being familiar with a
majority of those terms. "He did not describe to me many of the nuances
involved." The flatness of her tone also seems to further indicate that she is
avoiding Ambience's name, specifically.

"The only thing I could do was sit by and wait for whatever was to come. I was
asked not to get involved, and, dutifully, I obeyed." Mollianne goes silent at
that time, lowering her eyes again and looking at some undisclosed spot on the
floor.

"I am... however, sympathetic that you have suffered, as well. I can only guess
that the implications of your excursion had further-reaching consequences than
were likely realized at the time." Mollianne shifts idly, more a fidget than
anything else.

Sunflash straightens a bit and lets his arms relax back towards the table. "I
appreciate the sympathy, and you have my apology for not having better news." A
sigh escapes. "For what little it may be worth, I still have gut feeling that
tells me Am-" Here the Sorcerer audibly clacks his teeth shut before continuing.
"-the others all managed to survive in some manner."


You say 'I have no real evidence to back this up, aside from an understanding
that with how the last part of the trip went, /I/ was probably...at the most
risk, I guess is a way to phrase it?'


The suddenly change in expression, accompanied with the rapid upright jolt of
Mollianne's head, but then immediately followed by a bout of silence seems to
indicate that she wanted to say something retaliatory, but then realized just
how unprofessional that would've been, and abstained. That silence continues for
a good several seconds, verging into 'uncomfortable' territory.

Instead, however, Mollianne brings something else up, apparently having picked
through something Sunflash mentioned earlier. "Did you say 'spiked tail'? Was
it a spade-shape?"

~Good wording there /student/, that clearly didn't get across what you intended~
Sunflash tilts his head to the side for a moment before giving a slow nod in
return. "That...seems to match better with what I saw, yes. Does that mean
something?" He pauses. "Well, aside from having a spaded tail, I guess."

Mollianne nods. "I forgot that you, too, were probably left out of the loop.
Possibly more than I was." She smiles faintly, but it's genuine. "Here I am,
claiming to have a fantastic memory, but then forgot something until you jarred
it for me."

"If that tail matches where I think it does, and the names mentioned in such a
way, it sounds like you might be referencing Miss Lillian." Mollianne watches
Sunflash's face to see if there's any recognition at all.

Sunflash looks down at the table with a frown, clearly focusing on recalling
through his troubled memory. "....Towards the end, when I don't seem to have
been present but still have memories of? I want to say there was a conversation
about a -lian of some sort." He brings a hand to his forehead with a grimace. "I
want to say the other person used a J in there but it's so damned jumbled still,
even after the other night's clarity." He shakes his head in defeat.

Mollianne thinks on it for a moment, trying to remember anyone with a J-name,
and then snaps up when she does. "Oh, do you mean Miss Jillian? That is the
other half of Miss Lillian. Literally and physically. And that actually does
sound odd, since you were not there with us at the time. Are you, perhaps,
unintentionally invoking the memories of someone else?"

Mollianne's tone seems to take on a 'Hell, anything feels possible at this
point' direction. "I know there was another guy there, too. I do not remember
much about him, just that he was mean and I did not like him much. He was
extremely rude. To everyone."

A quiet noise escapes Sunflash that sounded somewhat similar to an angry freight
train as he closes his eyes. "The...another person, yes. A spear and a fancy
sword?" More sparks suddenly blipped into existence, traveling the side of his
forehead and back behind his ears. "They...there was confusion? Something...a
split? A deal? Beuki fo-" There is a sudden very bright sparkle of light that
flicks out from behind an ear as the sorcerer almost snaps a reply to himself.

"NO ya fool, she's been dead fer years." Still Sunflash's voice, but a much
angrier tone. A shuddering but deep breath is taken before Sunflash continues.
"They did talk about a deal. Something about...fulfilling a wish. To help?"
Another shake of head as Molliane's voice seems to break his focus enough to
come back to reality.

Mollianne watches these lights play around Sunflash's face with only the mildest
concern, and even then, that concern is probably for him rather than herself. "I
remember the spear. I do not remember any specifics about any sword except the
one.." She trails off, as what she was about to say seems to have triggered
unintentional pain, and changes her direction.

"You do not forget a sword like that. The Sword of Mana is something only a
handful of people in the world will ever see, much less be in the presence of."
Mollianne's voice was a bit tense but also distant, recalling the memory.

"I do not remember any deals being made..." Mollianne's concern does actually
increase a notch at the sudden 'outburst', but she at least still seems
outwardly unperturbed. Mostly. "That man was angry about something and
everything he said was selfish and centered only on what he wanted." Mollianne
is growing noticeably angry as she talks, remembering.

"I would almost put money on him being the reason Am..." She stops, and the
transition from anger to sorrow is a physical one that is clearly visible,
looking like she's about to cry.

Sunflash has taken a moment to metaphorically catch his breath, just in time to
catch the transition. "....Hmm. I remember that feeling. Hard to process, isn't
it?" An equally sad look crosses into his features.

Mollianne takes a second to respond, collecting herself. "I do not handle
selfish people well. There is.. so much pain in the world. There is no room for
people with that kind of attitude. They do not belong here." There is kind of a
menacing edge to Mollianne's voice, but only subtly, implying that she -might-
be inclined to actually do something about it if she could or, maybe, was in a
better position for it.

At that exact moment, someone knocks on the door, and a familiar voice speaks
up. "Molly? Is this your room?"

"I can understand the feeling. Hard enough to live without assuming everything's
going to end poorly." Sunflash seemed about to say something else before the
interruption happens, so he simply pauses politely.

Mollianne looks up, breaking out of her pissy mentality at the sudden visitor.
"Hikari? You can come in." She doesn't get up, though.

The door opens, and Hikari does indeed stand on the other side, dressed
similarly to Mollianne in color and style (though her yukata seems much less
likely to fall off or come undone at any moment), giving the impression that it
is likely a bathhouse accommodation than a personal attire choice.

"Shitsurei shimasu." Hikari gives a half bow, and allows herself inside, closing
the door. "I was worried and wanted to check on you." Hikari casts a glance at
Sunflash. "Is he the one?"

Mollianne nods. "Yeah."

An eyebrow had been raised at learning the visitor's name, but only slightly. He
inclines his head in response before actually squirming a bit under the
conversation. "Here I am managing to not stay under anyone's radar even when on
vacation." He gives a faint smile at Hikari. "Please, call me Sunflash. A
pleasure to meet you."

Hikari smiles openly and broadly. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sunflash. I am
Hikari, and I only know you through Mollianne. Rest assured that there is
nothing to be concerned about, our conversations have only gone as far as her
recognizing you from a awhile ago. Mostly stemming from surprise that you'd show
up here after all that time."

Hikari looks to Mollianne as she seats herself, as if checking (after the fact)
that it was okay to say as much as she did.

Mollianne nods in agreement. "As she says. I suppose it would help if I didn't
send out red flags like I keep doing, either."

Mollianne gestures loosely, picking back up in some degree where she left off,
heedless of Hikari now being present. "I do not have a real right to complain
about what I have gone through, I suppose. It sounds like you have not fared
much better, even if the circumstances are different."

Looking between the two for a moment, Sunflash can't help the gentle smile at
Mollianne. He'd been on the other end of this thought process before. "Just
because someone may have it worse doesn't invalidate your own problems. I at
least have some of my own answers, even if they're unclear." A nod is given
towards Hikari's comments. "To be honest, I've suffered from severe memory
problems...I want to say my presence here was pure happenstance, but after the
last few years, who knows."

Sunflash shrugs and motions with a hand towards towards the ceiling with a smirk
upwards before bringing his attention back to the two ladies. "In addition,
Molliane's perfoArmance here the other night helped cram some of my memory back
into focus, so I have her to thank for that more than anything."


Hikari still smiles, her presence in the room literally following her namesake.
"Even if it is happenstance, the effect means no less. I won't claim to
understand the magnitude of anyone else's trauma, but I will claim to understand
the importance of having a shoulder to cry on when there's nobody else left."

Mollianne's face turns a little red, but only a little bit. "I.. appreciate
that." Mollianne gets to her feet a bit hurriedly. "I also remembered something
I need to do, and the Festival grounds are closing up soon. We will have more
time to talk later, I hope." She looks between Sunflash and Hikari, then at
Sunflash again, and gives a short bow. "Please stay safe, in the meantime,
Sunflash."

And without waiting for a response, Mollianne opens the door and allows herself
outside, disappearing down the hall and leaving the door ajar.

Hikari watches her go, then looks back at Sunflash, her expression not wavering.
"Not unexpected."

Sunflash watches Mollianne leave in silence, before letting a sigh escape. "So
I've gathered. I...was not able to give her the answers she really wanted, and I
am not one gifted with good comfort skills." He goes quiet for a moment before
turning back to face Hikari fully. He seems to start to say something, tilts his
head to one side, then blinks and clears his face.

"You...know her far better than I, as we only had a...passing knowledge of each
other, previously. What is your thoughts on my presence being, visible I guess
is a good word, through the rest of the Festival?" Sunflash pauses. "I do not
wish to bring more distress to the siren, but I can't tell if vanishing from the
Festival would be better or worse for her."


"I would ask that you do not." Hikari's tone is suddenly firm, but she doesn't
smile any less, nor is the smile's intent any different. "Please. I won't ask
what 'adventures' the two of you are acquainted with, and how much that 'passing
knowledge' does or doesn't mean, but you've given her hope."

"I don't know how much hope because she doesn't open up easily to anyone. But
seeing you here, in the tavern on that day, brought around something that she
was desperately missing." Hikari nods, getting to her feet. "I won't demand
that you be at the reset of the performances this year, but I will ask that you
strongly entertain the idea, at the very least. It would mean a lot to her,
even if she won't come out and say it."

Hikari says 'You are.. a ledge that she has grasped onto, if I can put it
that way. Please don't slip out from beneath her fingertips just yet.'

Sunflash takes his cue with a return nod, also standing. "I've dealt with worse
than crowds for the sake of helping others. I'll be there, certainly." He gives
a short bow and a grin as he comes up. "Its been some time since I've had any
kind of...observable objective. If seeing myself continue to live will assist
another find the same will, it will be my honor." He moves to leave the room,
pausing only to look over his shoulder with a small grin. "My thanks."

Hikari's smile changes into a matching grin, and she lowers her head in a slow
nod. "Oyasumi nasai, Sunflash. And thank you for being here. We all appreciate
it."

Sunflash inclines his turned head before stepping outside and moving on,
otherwise wordless besides his grin. Almost felt weird having it on his face
after the last several years.