The Restoration Protocol

29 || festival of rebirth

If there's one thing Prince Lotus is good at, it's talking. And Mariko means this in the best way. He really is such a joy to be around, even if he is just rambling on and on and jumping from topic to topic like an auctioneer — Mariko keeps up. She's used to this from Boey, after all. It's something she likes about him. She's a quiet person by nature. She likes people who do most of the talking for her. And the prince sure is talkative when he's comfortable around someone.

That said, she learns many things from Lotus in such a short time. For example, that 'ham and cheese pajamas' is apparently a colloquial phrase here that refers to, in simplest terms, casual clothing that one wouldn't want to be found wearing in the presence of an esteemed guest. Mariko asks him where the 'ham and cheese' part comes in. Prince Lotus admits he can't remember. Something lost to time, perhaps, but he quite likes the phrase so he continues to use it to this day.

Lotus ends up having to leave the Greenhouse Manor some time that night. There's a huge festival occurring throughout New Floravale, as he explains to her, and if it weren't for Elise coming to the garden to remind him of this, the prince admits he may have forgotten that he's meant to be attending it in person. And of course, he invites Mariko to come along as well.

"Really! I wouldn't want you to miss it," he told her not long ago. "Especially now that you've got some time to spare until Alias returns, I'd love to show you more of what we have to offer here. But, if you so wish to enjoy the rest of your night in a quiet space, my gardens are always open for you."

Mariko is very much interested in going. It wasn't easy making the choice to stay behind, but as she told Lotus in response to his invitation, she wouldn't feel right leaving until Sebastian comes back. At the same time, she considers the possibility that perhaps Sebastian's walk ended up leading him through the festivities anyway.

Twenty minutes. She'll give him twenty more minutes, and if he isn't back by then, she's dragging Mono there with her instead.

As it turns out, twenty minutes are all that's neccessary. Sebastian comes back — and through the rear garden, too, so there was no chance of Mariko missing him.

"There ya are."

"There I am? There you are," Mariko counters, crossing her arms the moment Sebastian's pudding-haired head rounds the corner into the garden. It's pretend annoyance, of course. She's just glad he bothered to come back at all. "How was your walk?"

" 'S fine." He raises his eyebrows. "Passed by pretty boy Prince Petunia on my way here — 'pparently there's some kinda festival going on?"

Mariko nods her head, trying not to show her enthusiasm. "Mhm, all over New Floravale."

"So I heard."

"You wanna go?"

"Eh, I dunno if it's for me. They'll probably have cute little flower-themed desserts everywhere and places you can make flower crowns and stuff — can you imagine a 6'3" mass o' muscle like myself eatin' cute desserts and makin' a little flower crown??"

"Yeah."

"...yeah, me too. Let's go."

The walk must have done him good. He still looks a little tired, but at the very least, Sebastian seems his usual self. He probably just misses Julian, Mariko convinces herself. After all, if Julian's dramatic reactions are as much of a drug to Sebastian as he once claimed, it's only natural he would be suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Going to a festival would probably do them both good in that regard.

In the wide city streets not far from the Greenhouse Manor, hand-painted signs can be found on every corner advertising the festival and pointing interested parties in the right direction — that is to say, in the direction of businesses and other small groups organizing events. The most popular of these events is being held at the city's largest outdoor market, for obvious reasons. And seeing as it's rather close to the manor, this is precisely where Mariko and Sebastian decide to set their course as well. To the royally embellished city square during this joyfully celebrated Festival of Rebirth.