Prelude (Mariko & ????)

The Park was a great place to relax in the central area, At the moment travel to Central was allowed due to the Coming Festival this would allow other people to come look around get used to navigating the area, and allow those that wished to set up shops, to get the paperwork squared away and approved and gave them time to set up and prepare for the festival.

One thing that was quite the common sight in central, the Presence of a Waddle-dee, these little Creatures seemed to be absolutely everywhere, running little errands and cleaning and preparing the place for the Festival along with people who where doing the same. In the Park however The Waddle-dee's seemed to be taking their time off, likely being told to go rest or go play as normally the little spirits would work till they were quite tired and told to rest by a Waddle-doo. But in the Park groups of them  could be seen sitting in the grass with others, napping under trees and tending to flowers or simply running around playing with other Waddle-dee's.

And among the Multitudes of Waddle-dee's wandering about, there were a few Waddle-doo's keeping a protective eye over them, to make sure the people that showed up to play with the Waddle-dee's were not being mean to them.


It would be in the middle of the park that an old man was sitting petting a Waddle-dee and giving food to a few others and gently humming a tune to them.

Mariko Masuda lightly jogged through the park, one of the few places she could get some exercise, especially considering the business of the festival’s preparations.  Never before had she seen so many Spirits gathered in one place; it was awe-inspiring.  To think, in the near future, she could be handling a Spirit much like these.

That only pushed her to pick up the pace in her jog, turning it into a run.

Harder her footsteps fell, almost rhythmically pounding in step to the quick beats playing in her earbuds.  The world around her blurred on by, as Mariko had only one goal now.  To nail her upcoming audition, to become a Pacemaker.  She hadn’t trained these past couple of years for nothing.  

Eventually her run took her to the depths of the park, through a trail less traveled.  Wanting to take a short break and drink of water, she came to a clearing where a lone old man was surrounded by Waddle-dees and Doos, feeding them.  That was a sight in itself, an inspiration to Mariko.  Could he have possibly owned these Spirits?  Maybe some, but definitely not all.  Demon Trainers never took command of that many Spirits.

Curiosity piqued, she removed her earbuds and took a drink from her sports bottle.  Wiping the beads of sweat from her brow with a towel, she then placed her belongings back into the small sports bag on her back.  That was when she heard the elderly fellow’s humming.

“Never heard that song before, but it’s nice~” Mariko broke the ice with her usual manner of speaking, enunciating and elongating the last syllable of her sentences to almost make it sound as if she were singing.  With a bright smile she waved, then pointed to the multitude of Spirits surrounding the man.

“All of those Spirits couldn’t possibly be yours, could they~?”

The old man was chuckling as he placed one Waddle-dee down and was trailing a little string along humming once more, the little Waddle-dee's chasing after the string trying to catch it, and just as they did catch it was when Mariko spoke up and the man let the Waddle-dee's have the string, which they each where taking turns playing with now, as he looked up at her and smiled "Ah.. it's a song from my youth... many these days don't know it sadly... and I can only humm a fraction of it.. as the rest is meant to be played in melody to it.. .the whole thing is a beautiful melody however, Though I fear there is a chance we will never hear it's like again..." he said the last part with a sad smile, but seemed to shake his head to banish the thought.

"But enough of that sad note... there is so much life to be had and so much happiness as well.. Oh as to your question... No they do not belong to me, They are free creatures of the city, but I do like their company, they are quite cute innocent creatures.. even these little ones that have taken the post as their protectors" he chuckled as he picked up a Waddle-doo who seemed a bit confused as to why it was picked up but as soon as it was petted it relaxed in the old mans hands.

"Tell me young one, are you enjoying the festival? What do you think of our Fair Central district Hmm?" he asked smiling "If you have time to spend talking with an old man I mean.. I do not wish to keep you if you are on a hurry somewhere after all" he added

“As long as someone’s there to share music, it can’t really fade away.  I’d like to know the name of that song~” Mariko said with her own smile, both curious and eager to cheer up the stranger.  Like any lonesome person he was here feeding the Spirits, which made sense.  All the more reason for him to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

“It’s been kind of busy, but yeah~!  I always love these festivals,” answered Mariko.  It wasn’t her first time, let alone the performances she gave from previous festivals.  This time she was promoting her duet album she recently released with the pop diva, Rhapsody.  They were slated to have their own show, along with more promotions and signings.  

Most important was her audition.

“I’m not in a hurry at the moment, no worries!  So what do you think of these festivals~?”

The old man smiled "That is true.. but the song may continue but the meaning of it may be lost to the ages even as the song persists, or it may get twisted..." he said as he continued to gently pet the Waddle-doo who let out a happy little sound "But.. I suppose the Melody surviving is good in and of itself" he said thought fully "The Name of the Song is, The Good Ruler... it was designed to be preformed by three people.. two singing changing vocals.. and one keeping a good constant Rhythm and providing backup for whichever main singers turn it was" he said with a smile as if remembering it being played "It was a beautiful melody...."  he said as he looked off into the distance a bit.

But as he pet the Waddle-doo and His guest started to speak he looked to her once more, a gentle smile on his aged face, "I am glad to hear your enjoying yourself Young one, Memories made are wonderful things.. treasure them.. when you get aged like me.. sometimes they are all you have left, but with them you never feel like you took like for granted.. you have proof that you have lived" he chuckled as he pets the Waddle-doo who had fallen asleep, and even as it did so, another Waddle-doo walked over to supervise the Waddle-dee's.

"I think they are a great way for people to come together, to learn from each other, to grow from that experience, and to perhaps learn to appreciate things that are not the norm, the young can decide if they wish to change districts.. the older get to freely see family that has moved to other districts without needing to go through the paperwork of going District to district other then for other holidays of course" he smiled "and an old man like me gets to meet people from other Districts and hear what they have to say about things... after all more views on a thing give more information... don't you agree?" he said as he gently placed the sleeping Waddle-doo into the arms of a few Waddle-dee who carefully carried it away to let it sleep with a group of sleeping Waddle-dee where it would be warm and safe.

“I’ll look up that song later, thanks.”  Mariko mentally noted the title of the song and the old man’s mention of how its meaning could be twisted.  However, like any form of art, its interpretation was entirely up to the person perceiving it, even if the artist clearly stated the meaning.  That was something she could appreciate about music and the arts; it evoked different emotions and thoughts not originally intended by the artist.

She then soaked in the bit of wisdom from her elder- although she had already taken his advice before suggested.  Every moment was important to Mariko, which is why she strived so hard to be the idol she wanted to be.  “Yeah, I’ve made some great memories, for sure.  I bet you’ve made a ton too~”

As for the old man’s thoughts on the festivals, it made sense to Mariko.  People had little reason to move around the Districts, considering each was a self-sufficient city in themself.  So finding different perspectives from the other Districts were probably fresh breaths of air to him.  Nodding in affirmation Mariko replied, “You’re not wrong~ While it might be hard to go outside one’s comfort zone, I think it’s important for people to share their ideas, no matter where they’re from.”

The old man smiled as he started to dig through the bag next to him and took out a rather large Sandwich and he started to gently break pieces of it off and passing them to the Waddle-dee a kind smile on his face as he made sure the little creatures where fed, though as he passed out the pieces of Sandwich the Waddle-dee's where measuring them to each others and when they found one that was a little smaller they would break off a bit of their own and hand it over, in this way they were all making sure that they each had the same amount. The old man was doing his best to make sure they were even however.

The old man chuckled "Oh indeed I have Young one, indeed I have, you don't live as long as I have without making some, and I treasure all of them... the good and the bad, though I would by lying if I said I treasured them all equally. but even the Bad ones have their merits, that is something one cannot forget" he said nodding.

The man looked over at her and smiled "I believe the same That is why I like to ask other people of the news, of the happenings, and of their views on things, especially if they are people I have never met, if they are kind enough to share that is.. So are you willing to share your thoughts with this old man on your views? on the News of the district you call home? Maybe you have a story you wish to share?" he asked with a kind smile.

A soft smile graced Mariko’s visage in response to the elderly man’s admittance to his memories.  That was how things should be- forgetting memories was a lesson in futility- people needed to improve and better themselves from the painful ones.  

“My views?  Or news from my District?  Sorry, I’m not that interesting~” Sheepishly Mariko snickered at her own place in the grand scheme of things, embarrassingly  and humbly admitting, “I’ve been too caught up in my own work and goals to pay much attention to the Pop District as a whole.”

Following the stranger’s lead, she brought out a bag of trail mix from her backpack, popped a handful in her mouth, then held out another for the Spirits to feed upon.  Several immediately swarmed her and began to quickly snatch their favored pieces of dried fruit and assorted nuts.

“I’m more interested in what you have to say, sir.  All these years on you, you must have a lot to say about your views and comings and goings~”

After distributing the food he looked over to Mariko as she spoke, and as she said she wasn't interesting the old man gave a chuckle, even as she proved herself wrong by saying she was caught up in work and her own goals to pay attention to her home district as a whole "Well you say your not interesting.. but you have your work and goals... those are things I do not know... you also have your own view on things... that is something else I don't know..." he said with a wise nod of his head as he broke a piece of the sandwich off for the Waddle-doo and handed it to the spirit who happily accepted it, but it started to make sure it didn't get more then the Waddle-dee's.

The waddle-dee's around Mariko were indeed taking what they wanted, but if another wanted the same piece it would be shared, and the little spirits seemed to have no problem with doing so, and some were even breaking off little pieces to give to the Waddle-doo who seemed touched by the gesture and nodded happily as they gave them the small pieces.

"Oh that may be true... I may have much to say, but I wouldn't have so much to talk about if I didn't ask others of their views and lives, I haven't been able to travel much out of the district after all, with age comes restrictions one wouldn't consider when they are younger, I have seen a many things, seen many pass through, and no matter how uninteresting they think their lives are, I have been able to find something interesting in the words or views they bring... so I wonder what you will add to that pool of knowledge?" he chuckled "How about this... you tell me your views and thoughts of this district and I will answer a question for you... how does that sound hmm?" he offered.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, mister, but if that’s how you want to deal, I’m game~” Mariko playfully winked at the senior and held out another palm full of trail mix for the Spirits to distribute amongst themselves.  While watching the Spirits ration out their food, she tried to collect her thoughts about this District in particular.

“I’ve been here several times for this festival.  I was scheduled to perform as a representative of my District each time and  this one’s no different.  I mean, every time I’ve come here I’ve been pretty busy in preparation- this moment here is one of the few times I’ve had to myself- and as you can see- I’m just here for a jog.”  Her hand reached out to scritch one of the Spirits lightly; it thumped its teeny foot rather quickly and chirped in pleasure.

“But from what I’ve experienced, I totally love the atmosphere of this District during these Festivals.  I’ve always loved and appreciated music.  One of the best things about it is how it moves and inspires people.  Celebrations like these are really important to bring people together, in remembrance and joy.” A wistful smile split her features without her even trying to.  Immediately she narrowed her starry blue eyes and pointed a finger at the elderly fellow.

“All right, I’ve spilled my thoughts, now tell me yours~!”

The old man smiled as Mariko gave her little warning, and then chuckled a bit as he waited for her to start, watching her feeding the Waddle-dee who seemed all to happy to enjoy the offered food, making sure it was properly and evenly split among them and that they seemed to get the piece they preferred from the mix, maybe the Idea of it being a mix was lost on them? or maybe they just had a preference? ether way the small creatures seemed to be waiting for everyone to have some before enjoying what they had.

The old man listened to her talk about herself, nodding slowly as he took a bite of his portion of sandwich and listened politely to the girls words chuckling when he seen the Waddle-dee chirp and gently thump it's foot from the gentle scratching it was given, but still the man simply listened to what she had to safe for now.

As she finished he nodded "Yes.. Music is a wonderful means to inspire people.. To move them. To give them courage and to make them feel more energetic, to reflect on things that have happened, and to think about things in the future, or to imagine things that could happen in the future if they work for it.. And this Festival also helps to bring people together... it is quite the thing to see" the old man said with a chuckle.

As the girl then told him to giver her his thoughts he smiled "Well then ask me a question and I shall answer it with all the knowledge I am able to provide young one. After all I did say I would answer a question" he gave a sly smile he had indeed said if she told him her thoughts he would answer a question in return and he was clearly holding to it.

“Right.  Anyway, what’s this District like outside of the Festival~?  I doubt it’d keep the same mood all year long.  How do you view this place,” asked Mariko.  She then began to pat the round Spirit’s belly, which caused it to flop on its back and wriggle in glee.  Yet her gaze remained fixed on the old man, who had tenderly kept to the Spirits.  Clearly there was a deep amount of affection he had for them.

“And if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your connection to these Spirits~?”

"The district tends to be fairly busy, just more so during the festival, usually people going through to make deliveries to other Districts when such things are needed.. a busy place where most of the things are taken care of and organized, as you would expect of the First and Central of all the Districts. And while all the other Districts could stand on their own, that doesn't mean they should have to, as for the mood, it's fairly easy living here, long as your helping out in some way, or have before long enough to get a good retirement" he answered with a smile.

"My view is that it is needed, but sometimes it also complicates things, but that's to be expected really.. as for my name.. I have had many names, I collected quite a few in my long life, if you wish to add to that list I wouldn't mind in the least, in fact I would welcome a new name" he said with a chuckle

While the answer was somewhat vague, so was Mariko’s to the stranger’s question.  That didn’t bother her all too much and she was satisfied.  He did leave out the question about his relationship with Spirits, but it was pretty apparent how close they were.  Even more vague was the acceptance of a new name while not revealing his own.

“I’m Mariko~” a winsome smile accompanied her facade as she played along with the stranger’s wishes, twirling her finger along before enthusiastically pointing out in that sing-song voice of hers, “Aaaaanndd you’re Mister Cloudy!  Nice to meet~”

[/color]"It is nice to meet you Mariko.. and interesting name, but I will accept it, thank you"[/color] he said with a chuckle, like a grandparent enjoying his time with his grandchildren, a kind smile on his face "But as for my relationship with these spirits, you see when I was a young man, I did something very foolish.. I wanted to protect everyone from the Demons and the Shadows, Even if I didn't have the power of Mugic, I figured that if I tried hard enough, tried everything, I could find the one thing that could harm them that a normal person could do... sadly I was to foolish to realize that if such a thing was possible it would have been found quite a long long time ago, long before my time... but I was, as I said, young and foolish" he picked up a Waddle-dee and gently pets it as he continues.

"This of course led me to look for danger so that I could test my foolish theories, I tried to save people by being a distraction, by drawing the demons and shadows to me... of course nothing worked, if anything a young man could do in a rebuilt city had worked it would have been found long ago as I said. What it did do was get me trapped.. unable to flee with Demons coming towards me ready to rend my body and end my life.. and that's when these little ones saved me" he said looking to the waddle-dee wriggling in his grasp letting him know he had been petting it long enough and to let another enjoy the petting, so he placed it down and picked up another.

"From every ruined building, from the lines of Mugicians, from every nook and cranny that there was to be found in the area, these little spirits swarmed forth, they attacked the demons, though they were obviously not strong on their own, they put themselves between me and the things that wished to do me harm.. all my life till that point I had seen them as unremarkable.. simply small creatures that lived along side us and did the menial tasks given to them by people without complaint.. I never considered them strong, and in this moment I thought they were proving me right, as their blows seemed to do little to nothing to the demons... I thought I was doomed for sure and that my foolishness was only dooming many of these small creatures with me.." he sighed moment as she put down the Waddle-dee and picked up another to continue petting them.

"I would see the demons lashing out at them trying to get to me.. each swing or strike sending many of them flying, others seeming to simply disappear from existence in puffs of smoke... I yelled at them to run.. they never did.. the wounded got up and threw themselves again at the demons, as more and more of their kind poured in.. and in my fear I didn't move... I didn't get up and run... I just stared in horror as more of these little creatures went to what I thought was their death, without being asked, without even a second thought to the danger to themselves, and without even any notable effect on the demons, but still more and more of them swarmed the demons, and soon Waddle-doo's started to show up, and what I thought was a slaughter changed to them slowly pushing the Demons back." He looked at Mariko a smile on his face.

"I was saved that day by many of these little creatures, some of them finally able to spend some time to pick me up and carry me out, but... at the time I didn't think I deserved to be saved, my foolishness had killed so many of them... or so I thought.. but only a few days later I would be looking at a pot in my recovery room, and out of it would pop a Waddle-dee... and let me tell you it confused me to no end" he chuckled as he placed the Waddle-dee down and picked up another before continuing.

"It was after that, that I learned a most amazing fact... the Waddle-dee's and their self appointed Guardians, the Waddle-doo's, where basically immortal.. now that didn't mean they didn't feel the pain.. but they could never be truly killed, and as I recover I was visited daily by groups of the little creatures, each time it would be a large group of Waddle-dee with a single Waddle-doo with them, and he would explain they wanted to make sure I had gotten out alright, and if I was safe.." he chuckled a bit.

"even after all the trouble I caused them, they still worried for me... that's when I decided I needed to grow up... and that I was just justifying my own selfishness to fight the demons and be some hero as me trying to help others.. if I really wanted to help others I should have done other things, not tried to simply throw myself into danger like that, I should have taken the time to think.. but I grew, and let me tell you I have never forgotten these little ones, and I don't think I could ever thank them enough ether" he said to Mariko with a kind hearted smile.