Boom-Boom Festival

The story so far: Uta has recently acquired an Exploding Slime in the Palace Lands, and last people heard of her, she was going to travel back to Yamato to store the monster safely somewhere.

Then Uta hasn't been heard of for a bit. Or seen, for that matter.

Today, this elusive creature can be seen again amid the pastel-colored decorations of Carmina Gadelica Marina, as it is typical for the Bun-Bun festival: she's got bags under her eyes, she teeters around unsteadily, and is obsessively scribbling something on some sort of leather book, clipboard-sized yet rather thin, as far as books go.

As she comes closer, two things become obvious: the pages are covered in pre-drawn blank fivel-line staves, which she's filling in. The other obvious thing is why the Landers, carrying their eggs and bun-bun puppets, are parting as she approaches: anyone with a nose will not need to inspect her to notice the << Filth >> status effect.

Goldenblade made that trip with Uta, and was on the same boat back, though she never saw much of Uta. Her own attempts at deep-sea fishing went poorly. Oh well. Now back in her adopted hometown, she's catching up on some maintenance for her Academy, which is closeby, and is out looking for a hardware store when she smells Uta. Which happens several moments before she sees Uta. "Ugh," she remarks, then, looking around, "Uta?"

    Likewise, Fuka was involved in the search for slimes. Likewise returning with her friend, though Fuka didn't go to the Spriggan girl's labs with her. She had her own things to do, matters to research, and matters to consider. And festivals to attend, of course! Unlikely Fuka'd miss such a thing, especially when there is fun and food to have and share!

    Still, she didn't expect to see Uta here. When she hears the name drifting on the air she looks around, finally spotting the Kung Fool Nurse (and of course Goldenblade). "Oh hey funny meeting you here!" she exclaims, then wrinkles her nose. "You look like you've been studying for finals for a week without sleeping!" she laughs. Not exactly Fuka's style, but a phenomenon she's familiar enough with. And not something she necessarily has a problem with. Uta is Uta after all, and obsession seems to be part and parcel here.

"We can use it! We can make it!", Uta blurts out, lifting her eyes from the book. "The First Song, yes, yes, we will add Exploding Slimes... yes, it will be great!"

There is something odd in her speech patterns. It's... sing-song? Kind of? As if each word, each syllable had to hit the exact pitch on either the chromatic scale. "We start as usual, with the typical

o/~ Rrha ki ra tie yor ini en nha o/~"

Still holding the book up with one hand, she mimes one slime exploding with the other, while uttering an exploding sound with her mouth.

"And then it's

o/~ Wee ki ra parge yor ar ciel o/~"

Somehow she manages to add a low, rumbling sound to the last syllables, while still -singing- them?!

It soon becomes pretty obvious that it's actuallyher stomach that's complaining about having been ignored for too long. Still, the effect is remarkable.

Goldenblade smiles, waves to Fuka, calling, "Hello!" She looks to Uta, then asides to Fuka, "One of the weird things here in-game, is that people who work on projects somehow lose track of things like washing and eating. We'll probably need to help feed and was her, or she'll starve in her own filth." If she understood computers at all, she'd surmise it's a function of limited list-size of some priorities variable in the code, and when the project is big, it pushes food and washing, normally not people's highest priority in life at any time, off the list. If she actually knew what was going on ... but who actually knows what's going on?

She watches as Uta re-scores the 1812 Overture for Exploding Slimes, then will take her by shoulder and elbow and attempt to steer her back to Crescent Burger, telling Fuka, "I don't know if you can menu-wash others, or just yourself, but there might be a way? Just hosing her down will get her papers all wet, and she'll lose progress on whatever it is she's doing."

    This isn't the first time Fuka's seen someone in a Strange Mood, but it's the first time the situation's been made explicit to her. "I see I see!" she says in earnest thanks to Goldenblade for explaining the situation. She's also stroking a nonexistent chin beard like some ancient philosopher from a bad story.

    "Well, I have nothing against making sure my friends have good food and we're at a festival. So that's easy enough!" Fuka notes, dropping the beard-stroking mummery. As for the bathing, she'd already realized the problem of the notes. She wouldn't want to ruin them, especially if they're so important to Uta. So there has to be some measures taken for that, right?

    "Oooooiiiii Uta!" Fuka calls out to the distracted Spriggan, who hasn't actually acknowledged them. Well okay, that's easy enough to manage. Fuka is nothing if not used to demanding attention! "Yamato to Uta! Hey Uta! Give me those papers for a moment would you? I want to draw you a really cute slime!" she suggests. And if that fails, she has the Shiny Swarm in reserve.

"So she's finally got her brain all wound up again I see." A moment ago there was no Nightmare here. Now there is, standing just behind the group like Kauchemar had always been present. She's gotten really good at that moving through shadows, even doing so during the brighter daytime hours. "Somehow I'm not surprised, really."

Kauchemar's feat of Sneaking is certainly a feat, but not as far as Uta is concerned -- at the moment she'd miss a giant Bun-Bun in armor plate stomping around the plaza, if there was such a thing.

Goldenblade's simple "Hello!" does not seem enouth to snap her out of her focus. "Hm. Hm. But here is the problem. Just -what- is the musical notation for an exploding slime? Hm? How do I represent it appropriately on the- OH! Fuka! Hi!", Uta finally looks up. Those bags are even worse than they looked when the Spriggan had her head facing down. "YES! That's exactly what I need!", Uta explains, still in that sing-song-ish tone, in her sudden attempt at shoving the music notebook into Fuka's hands. "Here, please, draw me an exploding slime here. It needs to have the whole >_< face thing going on, and the little question mark on top."

There's the group's opening!

"Oh, hi, Paula. Are you here too?"

Goldenblade nods as Fuka helps with the Uta management efforts, and if she can get the notebook away, she will try to guide Uta towards the nearest peko-trough, the big tubs of water placed outside where people tie up their pekos to go inside. She jumps as Kauchemar appears out of noplace to greet everyone, because nightmare out of nowhere? Aiyeee! She may also body-check Uta into the water trough. She, herself, winds up there, and comes up sputtering water, fumbling for a sword before she realizes what's going on. "Ah," she says to Kauchemar, catching her breath. "You really got me, there."

As far as exploding slime notation, as she picks herself up out of the water, she says, "I think it's extremely unlikely that there already -is- notation for that, so jusr make something up and then that will be it." She drips as she steps out onto street.

    Fukaziroh spins around and points in seeming outrage at Kauchemar sneaking up on them, calling out the stealth in overly dramatic fashion, but she doesn't seem to be actually bothered by it. There's people all around them, weaving in and out of personal space. She'd probably be a lot more upset by the sneakiness if this wasn't in a festival.

    She visibly relaxes though. "Oh hi Kaumare~" she chants pleasantly. "Yeah we were overseas and helped Uta capture an explosive slime. And now she's getting musical on us. These are related things, but I'm not sure how exactly." She pauses, then mimes putting on a hat and smoking on a pipe. "When you have eliminated the impossible, what remains is the truth!" she declares dramatically. "And the truth is, Uta hasn't been eating or bathing!"

    What this has to do with anything, perhaps not even Fuka knows. But she accepts the notebook cheerfully nonetheless, then holds it out meaningfully to either Kauchemar or Goldenblade. Waggling it in an unspoken demand for them to take it.

    Once someone does, Fuka will be free to act. She's figured out what to do after all. She can't launch a water spell at Uta, since they're in the middle of a protected newbie zone with serious consequences (TM) for PVP. Likewise she can't use magic to catapult Uta, or for that matter she can't even pick Uta up and body her into the nearby trough. Any of these would flag PVP activity, no doubt, so instead she gets creative. Having handed off the notebook, she puts an arm around Uta, ignoring the filth as only a true friend might. "But before I draw you a slime, we need to go right over here..." she says, guiding Uta with the perhaps-suprising body strength of a mighty battle fairy. And then she proceeds to trip and fall into the water, while clinging to Uta with all her might. The intent should be obvious, and yet... no PVP. Right?

Kauchemar smirks a bit as she at least gets some reactions... she doesn't seem all that bothered that Uta failed to notice. "Yes, I can see..." She pinches a hand over her nostrils. "Or should I say, smell. Accursed monster senses." She releases, and snorts. "That is what happens in these situations, they become so focused on one thi--" She stops, then backs up a bit, a brow raising. "--You actually found explosive slimes?", as she watches the attempts to get Uta into the fountain for an impropmtu bath.

"I did, Kauch!", Uta beams. "If you come by at some point, I can show you. You can even pet them, if you want."

"There is no such notation as far as I am aware of," Uta replies to Fuka. "That is why I am deciding that we're drawing a slime with the >_< face and a little exclamation mark-"

* SPLASH *

Gurgle! Sputter!

"WATER!", Uta exclaims, as she pokes her head out of the water and gasps for air. "Why does it always have to be water?!"

She looks around, and notices how Goldenblade, Fuka and herself seem to all be in the fountain.

"...Don't tell me, I thought it was the bun-bun festival, but, actually, it's the Hot Springs festival."

She slaps the water. "Dangit! I've done it -again-!" She begins to mumble and mutter, "Now, uhm, how to incorporate hot springs into one of Yamato's songs..."

Hot Springs Festival? Goldenblade rolls with this. "Sure, Uta, it's Hot Springs Festival," she says, and will use FIRE to /gently/ heat the water up to a more bathlike temperature. Now, seated in hot water, the cleaning commands become available, nevermind that we're in a water trough with our clothes on, and she will urge Uta, "Yes, time to wash up..." She will even pull some soap from her inventory to help goad her. She smirks to Fuka and shrugs. "Mission half-done," she allows, and nods to Kauchemar about the smell. Clearly, they had noticed the problem also. "And yeah, we did find the explosive slimes. They were pretty dangerous. They live in a toxic chemical environment."

    Fuka rubs Uta's head affectionately and vigorously, not uncoincidentally scrubbing water through her hair. It's not soapy, but it's a start. With Goldenblade's help though, this might actually turn into an actual proper intervention! "Now, a hot springs festival, THAT would be amazing!" she muses happily, seemingly not at all bothered that she's every bit as wet as the others. All according to plan!

    It's a start at least... but there's more to do. "Hey Uta, sorry for making you wet." Fuka says, clearly not at all sorry. "As an apology, I'll buy you festival food!" she exclaims happily. "You ARE hungry, right? Maybe forgot to eat? Come on, let's get food! You can tell us all about your discoveries along the way!" she encourages.

Kauchemar emits a wickering laugh as the trio manage to dunk the Spriggan and turn the spring into an impromptu hot tub. "Most notes are already circles with some manner of flag or marker, just draw the slime face in the circle and turn the flag into the exclamation. Using a note-like symbol will make it easier to compose with." Such is the advice from the experienced Bard. "As for the fountain, water already makes soft and soothing sounds, to match it with something calm and relaxing."

She shrugs a little to Goldenblade and Fukaziroh. "It's easier to just point and let the obsession carry them than try to stir someone in this state."

Uta seems to be in a sort of trance, and her motions proceed pretty much on autopilot. "...Funny, I could have sworn... dang, I feel like my internal calendar is six months off with the outside world," she mumbles. On the plus side, she -does- select the correct options for menu-bathing. "Time is ticking, gotta preserve the songs of Yamato. Must make sure they survive the Adventurer Revolution!"

"...Eating? Uh... I think I might have done something like that. Perhaps. Is it the thing with the glasses? Or the thing with the pillow?"

Uta launches into a colossal yawn, which is cut short by her sputtering out (possibly soapy) water that trickles down from her hair. "Ptoo! Ptoo! Gack!"

Once she manages to clear her voice, and part her soggy hair away from her eyes, she resumes, "I -need- to tell you guys all about it! We must start a Conservatory! Preserve, Understand, Celebrate, and Advance the music in Yamato! Document the existing culture! Develop better instruments!" She turnst to Kauchemar and Fuka in particular, "and recruit a bunch of Song Hunters to go capture the Songs of Yamato on Shellac! You two are trained in Song, right? You're getting a loaner Phonograph from the institute once it's ready. I can't capture all the songs of Yamto alone!"

Belatedly, as if the Nightmare's words had clicked just now, "YES! Where is my songbook?", Uta asks, looking left and right. The water makes a sloshing sound as the Spriggan turns. "I must write down this notation -right now-!"

Goldenblade works with Fuka to try and get Uta slightly clean, and nods agreement with Kauchemar about how to deal with strange moods. But Uta has ticked the right menu options, so she will help a clean Uta out of the water, climbing out herself with a sigh. "This place is so strange," she mutters wearily. She will watch Uta spaz for her notebook, and she will shrug to Fuka, who had it last, she thinks? That songs are powerful, she understands intellectually, but it's necer made sense to her.

    There seems to be more to it than just songs are powerful. While true, it seems to miss how foundational songs are to the world's magic. Not the artes that Adventurers use, but the true fundamental powers of this game world. Who knows if music might be the secret to relics and such!

    "Now where did that notebook go?" muses Fukaziroh, grinning mischeviously. She's teasing of course. "Let's get you out of this bath and dried off. You wouldn't want to get water in your notes right?" she offers to Uta. Taking Kauchemar's advice, she's not trying to go head-on against her friend's obsession. Not that she's ever done such things, but it's still good advice! Point Uta in a given productive direction, make it match her obsessions, and then get out of the way, yep that seems like a plan!

    Fuka makes an effort to get out of the water then tries to help Uta do the same. Hopefully they can get moving. Food may not be important to Uta right now but it's important to Fuka that they both get fed! And if it's delicious festival foods so much the better!

Kauchemar snaps her fingers and summons her Tabby Slime to help search. "You girls get her to eat something, we will find the notebook. She probably dropped it in all the fracas of getting her into the fountain. Which is probably a good thing."

Goldenblade nods approvingly as Fuka now works on getting Uta fed. "You know, an empty stomach changes your pitch slightly," she makes up. "So you've got to stay fed to get the notes right." She will pull a towel from her inventory, because she always knows where her towel is, that's been a thing since long before some Brits made a big deal about it, and will vigorously towel Uta's head. She's raised two kids, Uta's no worse than any three-year-old. She'll let Fuka lead Uta to food, and follow along, spotting the notebook on the ground at about the same time as Kauchemar's Tabby Slime locates it. "Yes, yes," she says to Uta. "We're bringing it to you over at the table here with the food ..."

It doesn't take long for the Tabby Slime to find something, and bump itself into a barrel a few times. "Huh?" Kauchemar walks over and catchs the notebook just as it's about to fall off the barrel from the slime bumping into it. "Here we go. Good boy." When it got handed off it landed on the barrels because there really wasn't time to look at where it was being passed before Fuka took a bath inducing tackle with Uta. "Let's get this back to the others."

Gwen has been caleld Uta's in a strange mood?! Oh for the love of the goddesses. She set out not even changing out of her Burger Waitress uniform as she comes changing from another part of town. She's like a fright train given her size and mass. So she has to skid to a halt as she arrives. "Uta's in a mood again? Where is she?"

Goldenblade is glad Kauchemar seems to have found the notebook, and when she hears Gwen thundering in, she calls out, "Over here!" raising an arm over head and waving frantically. She and Fuka have been steering Uta to a food stall where she can get something to eat. Festival food, but better than nothing.

Kauchemar nimbly sidesteps the charging Gwen. "Oh good, someone took care of the matter of clothing." She stands off too the side, holding up the notebook so everyone, and Uta in particular, can see that it's found. "I'll keep this safe, you can have it back once you've finished eating."

Dripping, coughing, sneezing, but at least bathed, Uta shuffles over to Kauchemar. "My songbook! You've found it! Quick! The exploding slime notation!", she urges. Gwen will notice that, at least, her outfit, even though neglected, is not in as bad a state as during Uta's last Strange Mood -- which makes sense. Last time she was obsessed with slimes, which would smear acidic substances all over her; this time, she seems more musically inclined. "I have to have something to show for myself before I go meet all those nobles to ask for funding!"

Gwen says "Got a bunch of things produced in the menus. Given how someone when they are like this. I'm not doing anything handmade and they won't notice any of the issues when they are like this." She sighs and will open her inventory pulling out a simple outfit akin to Uta's normal music. She notices Uta's outfit can be saved this time and she will fix it and give it back to Uta ... later. "You need to be clean, having eaten and rested if you're going to go before nobles for funding and you're a mess they will rightly laugh you out of their court."

Goldenblade smiles as Uta rushes to retrieve her notebook and works out her slime notation. "Yes, yes," she agrees. "And if you come over here," she steers Uta by elbow and shoulder over to a food stall. "If you sit here, it will be easier to write," she points out. Meanwhile, calling on the proprietor for some food. Doesn't matter what, and it's not like Uta will notice. But hopefully something she'd be happy with. Maybe some ramenny goodness.

She nods approvingly as Gwen covers the wardrobe issues. "We may have this under control," she muses.

    Fuka, currently still all wet from the impromptu bath she forced Uta into (don't ask), waves to Gwen. "Fashion isn't important right now. Clean and non-smelly is." she claims. The sacrilege! "We can be fashionable later I'm sure~"

Kauchemar opens the notebook so it's spread in one palm, and produces a quill in the other. She's a Bard and a Messenger, of course she has writing tools handy at a whim. "While I do that you finish eating and get cleaned up. Gwen is entirely right. Wake may entertain your ragamuffin appearances because she knows you well, but the Lander nobility will be far more harsh in judgement. You must be presentable."

Uta shakes her head at Fukaziroh. "No, no, Gwen has a point there, actually. I know Etiquette, I know how these things go." Uta snap-points at her gigantic Sylph friend. "Gwen, you're now officially in charge of making me presentable to the nobles. Gotta go in there and -land- those grants."

If one needed any proof that Uta has lost it, there you have it.

"Baroness Wake too." Then, to Kauchemar, "Thanks, Kauchemar. As Gwen said, I must go eat now." Another massive growl underlines Uta's statement. After sitting where Goldenblade showed her, she hands the songbook at the Were Fang. "While I eat, can you pleas help me with rewriting the First Song to incorporate Exploding Slimes? Gotta show that it -is- possible to innovate over the classics while keeping their fundamental essence. In fact..." She begins tapping her lips. "I wonder if I could design a Slimophone, an instrument composed of many slimes of different sizes, meant to be played by Monster Handlers..."

Despite her statement that she needed to eat right now, she doesn't appear to be moving at all, with all that rambling going on.

    "Would you bonk the slimes with a tiny mallet to make the music, or would you blow into them?" Fuka asks, as helpful as always. Always look to Fuka for encouragement with your obsessions... she might well help you do what you need to do instead, but she'll always be right there beside a friend going 'that was fun' afterwards!

Goldenblade corrects Fuka, "You /do/ have to dress appropriately, for Landers, the nobility are always stuck up, wherever you go." She nods gravely as Kauchemar explains and holds out the notebook. She was pleased at getting Uta seated, but sighs as getting her to eat will be aother task. As the ramen that was set before her is ignored, she remembers her three-year olds and will feed Uta herself. "All right, open wide," she mumbles and will stuff Uta's face however she can. Hopefully once its in her mouth, chewing and swallowing will be how she gets herself clear to speak again.

"Tap them with a mallet and they'd make their 'plot' sounds at different notes, I'd guess." Kauchemar hmmms. "But creatures don't necessarily adjust their sound to their size like the bars on a xylophone do."

    Fuka handwaves the corrections. "Oh sure sure, if you care about impressing nobles you do. But who has time for that? That's what friends are for! A true friend will dress up fancy and hobgoblin with the nobles to get money so you can continue working on your projects, right?"

    Yes she did say hobgoblin. No it wasn't autocorrect.

Gwen looks to Uta for a moment and she nods. "IO will make sure we get that done and I really should push my own business interests. I should also talk to the Baroness. I don't keep in touch with her enough." She frowns about this for a moment. Wait why do you want to put bomb slimes into the First Song?"

Gwen looks very complex for a moment. "...you really like this slime thing what is next slime clothing?"

"I haven't figured out the details, yet," Uta admits to Fukaziroh. "In fact, they mostly go 'gurgle'. I need to figure out some way to make them produce a sound that is neither 'gurgle' nor 'boom'." and then, to Kauchemar, "...or at different pitches, mind you."

Like a three-year-old, Uta chews when spoon-fed, usually without thinking. "Paula is right, you know? The Nobles- Oh, Fuka, would you do that for me? I'm sure Gwen would be more than glad to assist there!"

Uta gives Gwen a puzzled look. "Uh... er..." She tries to focus. Hard. "...can't think about clothing slimes right now. Must focus on Songs. Get back to me on that once the Conservatory is done."

At that point, after chewing and swallowing another mouthful of ramen, she turns to Goldenblade again, "Oh, we must build a habitat for the Exploding Slime. It must be in top shape for the performance. I think I have what it takes to make a geyser, if necessary. But maybe we should wait for Doctor Prophylaxis' results for the chemical analysis of that sulphurous water..."

    "If you want them to produce a sound that isn't 'boom', I don't recommend hitting them with mallets." Fuka notes sagely. Then she grins. "Of course I'll chat up some nobles for you! Only first you'd better tell me what you're trying to do, so I can explain it to them and get them to fund you juuuuust right!" she says.

    Fuka's even totally serious. Like, there's no way she'd say that a friend would hobgoblin with the nobles for you and then NOT do it when asked!

"I was going to ask if you figured out how to 'prime' a slime to be Explosive, but I think that was my answer already." Kauchemar claims a seat for herself, notebook still in hand just so Uta doesn't get it smeared with food and crumbs or anything. "Yes, tell us about this 'conservatory'... after you chew your food. No one likes a sloppy eater."

Gwen looks to Uta for a moment, she seems okay with this response, hopefully, Uta will not try for slime clothing later. Oh, who is she kidding it's going to happen somehow given Uta. She will make sure to get the clothing set up. "You'll need to swap clothes to the disposable ones I have made. Your good outfits will be fixed up and given back to you when this is over."

"Thanks, Fuka! I owe you one."

Uta has been asked to explain The Conservatory?

* Big inhale *

"Glad you've asked. I am working on a Conservatory. Well, /The/ Conservatory, technically, since I am not aware of one existing. You know how Adventurer Bards are flooding Yamato with Earth music? Well, I want to make sure that this doesn't drown out the local music culture. The increasingly inaccurately named 'Forty-Two Songs' might be at risk, and I want to make sure they don't disappear. So, here's the deal: we build a-slash-The Conservatory. One part school, one part performance center, one part workshop, we preserve and spread the local musical culture. But not only that, we build on it, train the best musician, craf the finest instruments, and advance the music scene in Yamato while making sure that, as we do so, we remain faithful to its roots. It is a place where the music of the world can be celebrated!"

Uta doesn't seem to pay much attention to Gwen, at the moment, but she does extend one hand distractedly. She is at least aware that she must accept something from Gwen? Guiding her towards menu-equipping the items should not be too difficult after that.

    Fuka takes in Uta's stream of explanation with a smile and steady gaze. That is to say, her smile is slightly cracked, growing more so as Uta continues exhaling words without pause... and her eyes begin to glaze over.

    Still when Uta finishes, Fuka nods. "Got it! Yeah I can work with that!" she says cheerfully.

Kauchemar gives Uta a bemused half-lidded look at the 'Adventurer Bards flooding Yamato with Earth music' remark. "Tsk, why do I feel called out..." Though she does as much her own thing as she does reuse the resources of the past life. She's a DJ. That's what they do. They remix things.

Though something else in that long breathless ramble catchs her her attention. Well other than the providing means to better construct instruments. She leans forward, folding her hands together and resting her chin atop them. "Now what's this about the Fourty-Two Songs being... inaccurate?" It's along Uta's Strange Mood on preserving music, she figures she can coax a little more context out of the Spriggan if she stays on a similar topic.

Gwen will trade the clothing to Uta and then make sure Uta changes clothing to her other friend she'll hand out two of the quickly menu made outfits.

"Not 'inaccurate'. 'Inaccurately named'," Uta corrects Kauchemar. "There are more than Forty-Two songs. Forty-two is, the way I understand it, the number of songs that were known from ETO the videogame before the Apocalypse, and the number of songs Landers know. But there are more songs than that. One of them we heard when we went to find the Chim Chims in Ezzo. Ask Proteus about it, she was there. Or, hm. Actually, wait a moment..."

Uta flicks through her menu, and materializes a couple of sheets of paper with pre-written staves, and a second nib and inkwell. At a dazzling speed, she fills the sheets with a melody. Just the melody, no words, no harmony. "This is all I remember from that time. Sadly the harmony would have required more rounds of listening to complete, and we had only one chance. This is the Fourty-Third song. And the Fourty-Forth-" Uta shudders. "I don't do the Fourty-Forth in mixed company. See me in private."

It seems like the need not to think about the 44th song is enough to nudge her towards menu-equipping one of Gwen's menu-clothes. She flicks her menu, and returns her good outfit to her fiend.

Kauchemar takes the sheets, though a brow still raises a bit at the insistance one song shouldn't be performed in public. "What, is it the Macarena?" She holds up one hand afterwards. "I jest, I jest. Let's not ruin the good mood." She sits back to examine the sheets Uta hastily produced. "Okay, that makes sense. I never played the 'offline' version so I would not of known that. So Fourty-Two is... outdated. But it'd arguably be more confusing to try and change it, especially if that's how the Landers refer to it." She pauses. "... Have you tried performing any of the songs past 42 around Landers? See if they acknowledge it or do their 'no meta' spacing out..."

"Not the Forty-Third, no...", Uta mentions, tapping her chin. "I know I've tried reaching Church officials high enough in the ranking to have explanations about the high-numbered songs, but they kept being too busy. I'm sure they were trying to politely avoid m- Oh, were you there for New Year's in Alne? When they sang that song? And all the people, like me, who had some training in Song somehow seemed to know the lyrics, despite never having heard them? And then the Big Hologram Man delivered the second message?"

Kauchemar nods her head. "I was, yes. I remember that quite vividly." She absently gestures a hand off to the side. "Granted it's hard to forget the whole glowing man in the sky being cryptic part."

"Well, you may know that one as the Forty-Second song. It isn't. Its real name is the Eternity Song. And according to my research, it's associated with the Yuugen strange mood. People in a Yuugen will resonate with the Eternity Song," Uta rattles out, as if it was no big deal. "Oh, also, that's another misunderstanding among Adventurers. The 42nd song is not really the 42nd. It's actually the /third/ song that was sung."

Gwen takes the good outfit and will put it in her inventory she'll fix it up later. She seems concerned as the talk of songs goes on for the moment. "Wait which song did I tap into then when I did the tapestry?"

Kauchemar aaaahs, nodding her head. "Well that's good to have on hand when people... are in those moods, yes." Music is woound into so many things in this world and it quite amuses her.

Uta flicks a hand, "No, no, that one is the Primordial Song, remember? The 40th Song. As the name says, that's the /first/ song to have been sung." Uta props her face up with her hands and, looking up, gives a dreamy sigh. "Ah, that takes me back. It's what started it all- I performed a Pharmacy check-up on Gwen, to figure out why she was acting all weird and obsessed, and saw the status effect << Fey Mood >>, and that she was 'resonating with the Primordial Song'." The translation effect, here, will point out that 'Song', when said in Japanese, is 'Uta'.

"Seeing my own name in there kind of hit me hard. I had to go down this Bun-Bun hole..."

"Well." Kauchemar gestures a hand towards Uta. "Names tend to have considerable meaning around here... You're just lucky a randomizer somehow hit that one on the head for you." Then reachs over to ruffle Uta's hair. "Though I am sure the slimes appreciate having your affections as well."

Uta blinks. "What? No. I entered my Adventurer's first name before discovering the randomizer button. 'Uta' is my pre-apocalypse, real life nickname."

Uta flicks her inventory open, and after materializing it in a shimmer of colors, she slides Kauchemar yet a -third- song book. This one very thin, yet completely filled with notes and words. "Look, let's make this short and sweet. I have found and transcribed all the songs associated with Strange Moods: the Primordial Song, the first song to be sung, for Fey Mood, the Earth Song, the second song to be sung, for Mujou, the Eternity Song, the third song to be sung, for Yuugen. They're all transcribed here. Full score for choir, with melody and harmony. The Earth and Eternity song even have a phonetic transcription of the lyrics, because I don't know Alv script. I am still missing the lyrics for the Primordial song, but working on that. Hopefully you folks will be able to help there."

"That makes more sense. Didn't think the randomizer coould be -that- effective. Odd enough it gives people suitable appearances to their desires it seems... And I did not realize some of these have actual titles." Kauchemar takes the newest addition to the song books and flips it open. "Makes one wonder why the Landers number them... and in a different order at that. Hmmm... Though now I see why you want more people out investigating and recording these."

"I've discovered these a while ago," Uta admits. "I just... wasn't sure it was safe to share them. I mean, consider what they -do-. But then-" Uta pauses for a moment, thinking. "...well, many things happened that nudged me towards thinking they were safe to share. The last and most important one was, well, a priestess not having any qualms singing it in public and somehow eliciting the lyrics from people. So..." She gestures vaguely towards the songbook.

"But please don't be -careless- with them. I am sharing them only with very trusted people. Fellow bards, mostly, with very few exceptions. Caution is still in order."

Uta leans over, some sort of frenzy taking hold of her again. "And now you understand why we need a Conservatory. The songs need to be -protected-! There's something -big- here! Landers are very receptive to Song, and we Adventurers have a virtually endless offer. Before the Apocalypse, all their Songspace was filled by the Forty-Two songs, but if we start introducing our massive selection in there... do we risk reducing the 'habitat', so to speak, of those songs? Could it end up that one or more of them go 'extinct'? I need to make sure this doesn't happen, and that the music of our world is carried over, yes, but -safely-!"

Gwen is learning quite a bit about the songs at the moment she's a bit overwhelemd for once...

Kauchemar snaps the book shut with her hand. "The same as others have expressed concern over us possibly overwhelming their culture. We must needs be careful just what we expose them to, so we do not overpower what it closest to them already." She hands the book back to Uta, more solemn than usual for one of her serious moments. "And thus why I am... in pursuit of means to better prepare for the future challenges ahead of us, as well."