That Time the Bun-Bun Festival Doubled as a Medical Symposium

    Festoons! Confetti! Sreamers! It's an explosion of colors and celebrations in Alne, a hymn to such loathed creatures as bun-buns!

    Wait, what? There's a festival about something people can't stand? How. That makes no sense. It'd be like a festival celebrating... I don't know, ghosts and skeletons and monsters?

    It is, however, no time to question the game's lore. It is time to enjoy the local color, and Uta went out of the way to drag her friend Jazuhanzu all the way to Alne, where they are now walking in a busy street filled with merchandise and game stands on each side. "Jazz, the real journey is the friends you've made along the w- wait, no. I... the real treasure takes you back home... uh... the only thing we have to fear is to not have loved at all... wait, no, that's not the right quote... that's kinda cool though, I'm writing it down for later..."

    The spriggan frowns, and finally gives up. "Bun-buns! Look, Jazz, bun-buns everywhere!"

"Uta, I told you, I already... never mind," the restless, deeply restless, Undine gives up the fight. She's along for the ride here with Uta for the moment, yes, looking tired and gaunt. Her status bar is indicating she hadn't slept in a while and the durability of her be-bowed boots is definitely on the lower end. "Yay," she says of the buns. She can not muster much joy.

Shiruba dragged Gwen out once for the festivities and darn it all she will do so again. That's how much she cares!

"Com'n Gwen!" This again includes physically if necessary. "You need to eat, and the festival will have all kinds of food to try so you can make non-menu versions later! Besides, if you don't rest your fingers a chance to recover you might seriously hurt yourself, and then it will take even longer to finish the masterpiece."

It was that last bit of logic that got Gwen to stop fighitng. She was in of all things a Casino Bun Bun (Bunny) outfit. When did she make it who knows but she's out having fun with it and doesn't need to be dragged as hard. "Fine, you made a few good points I'm just ... almost done..."

    "Oh, look at that ridiculously tall rabbit mascot over there!", Uta continues, cheerful. "It must be at least two people on top of each other in a bunny-shaped trenchcoat, but it's probably closer to three- wait, no, it's Gwen!", Uta exclaims, rather than call out, the name uttered as she slaps her forehead. "/That's/ why I had come to look for you, Jazz!" Without warning, Uta spins on one foot, and turns to face the undine. "Now, stand perfectly still while I run a complete physical on you..."

    What Uta suggested may sond utterly inappropriate to do in the middle of a crowded street, but luckily, in this world, it is just as simple as Uta flicking a finger and running a medical-grade inspect on Jazz...

A soft sigh escapes the wolfgirl as she once again is glad she's not a crafter profession. "I promise I won't make you stay too long." She's looking for one of the vendors, but her ears twitch as she hears familiar voices in the gathering as well. "Uta... Jazu! Oh, perfect!"

Shiruba goes from pulling, to darting behind Gwen and pushing her in the direction of the other two. "Gwen, look who's here!" Hopefully Gwen will remember she had something to do for one of them and focus on that for a bit instead.

Gwen looks to Shiruba for a moment. "I guess some fu..." A distraction two of them both Jaz and Uta! Gwen is clad in what both would likely call a Cansio bunny outfit and she's bouncing towards them cheering up rapidly. "Uta hello and Jazz! I have a present for you! Also some food!" Wait what is Gwen up to now...?

"Uta, I told you, I'm fine! I just have a lot to -- aaaaand you're scanning me." Jazz makes a frustrated sigh. We're this an anime, she's sound adorable. Actually, she DOES sound adorable. Shiruba and Gwen's arrival are noted, however, and she distractedly lifts a hand in their direction. There is a long stare at Gwen, as if to ask 'really?'

    Uta bites her lower lip in anticipation of the result, a result she fears she knows...

    ...and frowns in confusion at what comes up. The kind of face of someone who was expecting the unexpected but got a weasel instead.

    "...Jazz, uh, does the word 'Yuugen' ring any bell?", she asks.

    Her head turns all of a sudden as she catches sight of some unusual movement in the background. She notices Shiruba first, and raises her hand as if for waving, but immediately after, the approaching of Gwen plants itself firmly into at center of her undivide attention. "...Oh, look! Not only she's cosplaying a bun-bun, she's also hopping! I guess- wait, did she say 'food'?" Gwen uttering the word 'food' has pretty much the effect of Pavlov's bell by now, and Uta starts salivating as an automatic reflex.

Shiruba gives Gwen an extra bit of a nudge towards Jazu to ensure that matter gets her focus. Then nods to Uta. "Yeah. I managed to get her to come out so we could get something to eat from the festival."

"No, Uta, I am not." She sighs, her attention now taken up by Shiruba's nudge of Gwen towards her. "Hey," she offers after a moment. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Gwen looks over to Uta and Jazz and she will grin more. "Yes I said food." She lkooks to Shiruba and then to Jazz for a moment smiling as she'll attempt to open a trade window with Jazz. Good news for Jasz it looks like food that will keep that isn't horrible the last item on the list is marked Desert Gear...

    Uta thumbs at the Undine while addressing Shiruba, "Same with Jazz. She was in bad need of healing, and so is her footwear. Unfortunately, it seems like my healing spells are powerless there. I wanted to try dousing them with healing potions, but..." She casts Jazz a worried glance like that of a scolded puppy. It could mean many things, but the idea that the average person will get is that the plan had not encountered approval when originally proposed, quite the opposite.

    "Gwen..." she says, suddenly going unusually serious. Even her posture, just by straightening up the proper way, becomes scarily proper compared to Uta's usual carefree demeanour. "Sorry for fleeing last time. There's... hm. There's a thing I should tell you." Over the noise of a street vendor peddling bun-bun slippers, she glances to Shiruba, and Jazz. "...all of you, I guess."

Yay, friend stuff! Of course Shiruba knows what the package is, she already got hers.

The change in Uta's demeanor doesn't escape her, tilting her head a bit to one side. "Yes?"

"Uta...?" says Jazz, the change in demeanor and tone, yes, being a notable one that penetrates even the Undine's distracted self. She's barely paying attention to the things she's accepting from Gwen. This will no doubt lead to disaster later, somehow!

Gwen looks to Uta as the trade finishes. "Wait what are you talking about? I thought you were busy the last time you ran off. What's going on if I might ask?"

    Uta begins, "I've been diagnosing people in the last days..." in a surprising professional, yet approchable and affable tone. Seems like all that apprenticeship and volunteering with in-world doctors rubbed off on her. "...and many of them... many of /you/", she corrects herself, looking between Gwen and Jazz alternately, "have developed previously unseen status effects." She sighs and shakes her head. "No, Gwen. I kind of panicked, and I apologize. You have a status effect I had never seen before, but since then I have seen on Kita as well."

    "Fey Mood," she states, looking at the bun-bun-Sylph, "whose readout explains as you Resonating with this world's Primordial Song." Her pronunciation and intonation makes it obvious that some words are supposed to be capitalized.

    "As for /you/ Jazz... you are the first person I see with the Yuugen status effect, instead. Sadly, I seem not to be skilled enough to obtain its readout..."

    "...I mean, it could be that you've always had it, given its aesthetic meaning in regular Japanese, but... I somehow doubt so."

    "...I did not inspect you, Shiruba, because I had no reason to. You seem to be the only one of the bunch behaving normally, but if you want..."

Shiruba turns her head to look towards Gwen as Uta explains. 'Fey Mood'. "Oh, is that what it's called?", she murmurs, recalling how a few other people have been in the same sort of condition the last few weeks. Well at least now she has something to describe it with when trying to explain it to other people.

When she's called 'normal' she pauses, then shrugs a little. "I guess so, in comparison to all the other things going on as of late."

Gwen pauses for a moment at the mention of this discovery. She stare for a moment at Uta and pauses. "Don't know Yuugen at all I'm afraid and your saying I'm under the effect of a status effect?" She looks a bit chilled at this. If it was effecting her that much? What was going on...

"...a status effect. IS thatr right. "
dr Jazz's eyes narrow and she does not look thrilled about this. In fact, her tentacle twitches are displaying her agitation quite well. "I'm not sure what 'Yuugen' is but..." She glances towards Shiruba. "ANyway, I'm *fine*." She turns on a heel and goes to march off, apparently to dwell on what she's just been told, like a proper dweller. Because she's an Undine. They dwell. "I've got a lot of time to kill before Mifa's ship is ready again and the festival gives me hives." She notably does *not* have the Hives status condition. She's on her way, though, definitely not able to stand still for long.