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(( A lone tree upon a hill ))

Smoke curled out from the tip of a long pipe held between pale, delicate fingers tipped with a vibrant red polish. Pursed lips glistened in the early morning light with a glossy sheen as the proprietor of the Bathhouse of the Gods, the kami Mirei, rested herself upon an elegant crimson rug embossed with intricate golden patterns large enough for an emperor beneath an equally gigantic sakura tree. It was the only tree on this particular hill and its branches reached so far skyward that if one were to compare it to the colossal bathhouse it would nearly reach the roof.

From here, her golden eyes could spy everything; all of the customers entering the grounds, all of her workers scurrying like ants to their aid. This remote location offered her everything she needed -- the perfect view and relative silence. Blossoms danced around her on the breeze, quite a few kissing her cheek as a parting gift before nestling upon the lush grass below. One or two petals called her tea cup home, swimming pleasantly in the warm green liquid. Her long white hair pooled around her, contrasting sharply with the vibrant scarlet of her kimono. Patterns of white branches and subtle pink petals snaked across her sleeves, matching the theme of this celebration. All around her were small, waist high tables, filled to the brim with all sorts of food and drink, each one with its own organized section and presented so skillfully one almost did not want to eat it and ruin the beauty of the dish.

With a plume of smoke gently blowing from her lips, Mirei smiled and spoke. Her voice, so calm and refined, carried over across the grounds to all of the spirits present as if she were right beside them. "Let the festivities begin."

((Tables set out, far enough apart to walk in between. Near the food stalls.))

A pretty young girl wearing a red uniform balanced a tray in her hand as she set delicious looking bowls of food in front of hungry attendees. The only thing that set her apart from a 'human-like appearance' were the nine fluffy tails that she had brushed out to look especially nice for this fine occasion, and the two fox ears that rested on her head, which flicked back and forth as she listened to the orders she was given. Rin was very careful not to knock anything over with those fluffy tails of hers. She kept them folded under and layered very neatly covering her rear. Though that didn't stop a hand or two from customers from grabbing it, and chuckling when she turned red. Though honestly she'd rather them grab that then her precious tails. She said nothing though, just offered a smile. And to her surprise one of them flicked her a chip of gold. She caught it one hand, "Oh sir, I couldn't take this. The event is free-" "Be polite," she thought. This was her first big event working at the Bathhouse, and she wanted to be on her best behavior.

"Nonsense girlie. You deserve it," he laughed.

She bowed politely. "Thank you very much." And with that she returned to her work. Maybe silence really was golden. Oh well. She wasn't going to let a few drunks ruin the mood. She didn't feel it necessary to run and tell Mirei.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a fellow employee, she waved and grinned. Bunbuku was not a familiar face to her yet. Perhaps today they would get further acquainted.

She recognized the other employee as Rin. Right now, she honestly didn't know anything about her besides her name and appearance. She had noticed how she handled the drunken uncouth customers - She, herself, probably would've played a trick on them. Nothing bad. Just a little one. - and how she initially refused a customer's tip. She thought those were both admirable actions. Then, she made a mental note of Rin being on her "foxes that are perfectly alright with me" list.

After that, she looked to her left and then to her right. She wasn't attending to any customers right now and she didn't see any coming to her stall at this very moment, so she thought it would be fine for her to greet her fellow employee. She waved back and said, "Good morning, ma'am. I saw what you did there. You're definitely a bigger woman than I am." Then, she laughed mirthfully.

(( Food Carts ))

Tiny patters of small claws against the soft grass and patted dirt paths were overtaken by the boisterous clamor of the various guests and shouts from workers. A small, blue uniformed grey fox strode upright, an empty plate clutched in his dark paws with his blue uniform's sleeves rolled up and out of the way. The single-tailed kitsune's small stature made bobbing and weaving much easier, as he ducked between walking spirits' legs or beneath those whom merely floated.

Tetsushin's tall ears twitched and shivered, sensitive to the shouts all around him but he endured despite the headaches he always seemed to get during big celebrations like these. It was very important to work through the pain... At this moment, he was acting as a server and bringing samples of various foods to the customers laid out upon their picnic blankets. It was good to cycle through the various options, the last thing he had been carting around being sushi from one of the stationary stands. Anything portable or skewered was best -- if the customers wanted big helpings they were better off going to the stalls than waiting for carts or servers to pass them by.

"Candied fruits! Sweet jams! Rock candy!"

Without skipping a beat, the fox diverted his attention to the lumbering moon bear and hurried in Haruo's direction. The juggling was certainly an eye catching display and one or two smaller spirits approached him for some snacks because of it. Once caught up with the rolling cart, Tetsushin kept a steady pace and held the large serving plate before him, limber fox legs giving him a bit of a graceful bounce to his step as he jogged alongside it.

"Pardon," he slipped casually, though his calm, sly eyes were kept on the road before them, "Have any extras I can restock with?" His small paws lifted up the plate to show Haruo; it was a white dish, clean despite what had been on it previously thanks to a large leaf that had acted as a covering but had been swapped out for a new one. All of the bear's wares were certainly eye catching, Tetsushin was sure he would make a lot of sitting customers happy with these treats.




(( Near a small koi pond in the tree fields ))

Through the fresh Spring winds and the rain of blossoms, one particular area of the sprawling hills was sparsely inhabited compared to the rest of the crowd. Near the edge of a medium sized koi pond, frost creeped upon the water, which the fish rightfully avoided. A pale, white hand was cupped towards the air, small pink petals nesting in the palm of a ghostly woman with short blue hair and a white kimono with subtle dot patterns. A dark teal sash was draped around her arms and as she sat upon her side with her legs curled slightly, the end of her kimono tapered off into ghostly nothingness so that no feet were seen.

There was another upon the blanket with her, similar in appearance and certainly of the same type of spirit but decidedly younger looking. Turning to glance at her companion, the elder Yuki-onna who had long forgotten her true name turned her hand and allowed the wind to carry the blossoms away with the rest. "Yukiko-chan, do you see any cold food vendors?" her sultry voice let out with a sigh as she waved her hand near her face, "It's so humid today, I was hoping for some kakigori..."

Nearby, a few musicians wandered and slowly waltzed, playing a somber but beautiful piece that added to the chilling atmosphere around the two frosty spirits. There were some vendors not too far off, one pushing an extremely colorful cart and another at a small tanuki accompanied by a kyubi fox at another -- though they were much farther away. None of them, unfortunately, seemed to carry the types of dishes she was hoping for.

((food carts))

"I think that is a great idea! Especially since you're new here." Haruo's ears directed him towards a new member of his small audience, a raccoon-looking spirit, a tanuki wearing a similar worker's uniform as him. She was applauding the bear's abrupt performance and the bear couldn't help but blush a little. " Amazing! Just amazing. You're a great performer."

"Thank you, thank you, miss, but it's really nothing to marvel at. It's easy with small fruits like these," Haruo explained when suddenly another spirit called out to him.

"Pardon,have any extras I can restock with?" came a small but confident voice and Haruo's dark eyes turned and spotted a silver fox generously holding up an empty plate. The spirit was one of few who met Haruo's cub height, but the fox's ink-dipped ears made the unfamiliar worker seem so much taller than the moon bear that perhaps, Haruo thought, the kitsune was a higher ranking worker? He had never seen the other before and, also never having seen the uniform of most of the higher ups, it couldn't have been a poor assumption...right? Without another moment's hesitation, Haruo bustled around his cart looking for the freshest fruit kabobs and the most exotic jams.

"O-of course, sir! I've got some really tasty fruit kabobs I just made a little while ago with persimmons and strawberries and grapes. Oh oh and these super delicious durian jams. I promise, the jams don't even smell that much," Haruo explained as he rustled his goods together. Perhaps it was best not to give the entire jam to the squinting fox, if they were samples. "Uhh... allow me, one moment sir, to put some of these jams in some bowls with some biscuits for you to offer to the customers. Here, take these skewers realllll quick."

Haruo placed about six colorful, candied sticks of rare and delicious fruit on Testsushin's platter as he turned back around and looked for some honey crackers and butterknives to spread the jam with. While looking for the alluring wafers, Haruo called out to the fox, "How is your night going, sir? Well so far? The customers seem very excited with the event, I believe you and the other higher ups have done really well." Though addressing the kitsune spirit based off an unsupported belief, Haruo couldn't get the feeling that showing the stranger too much respect was nowhere near as bad as showing the stranger not enough respect...

((Sakura Tree))

Raia glided slowly across the grass towards the small customer. Somewhere along the way a cheery spirit had passed off a rather large list of customers orders to her and unable to say anything all the dragon spirit could do was quietly oblige the older worker. Licking her lips cautiously as she approached the small girl with a try laden down with drinks, she bowed low before placing the drinks on the table. Bowing once again as she took a step back away from the table and straitening up once again. An apologetic smile played across her lips. Hoping against all odds that the spirit before her wasn't too angry. After all there would be little she could motion if she expected her to talk with the female.

Glancing up at the bright lights before looking back down at the young customer before her she paused waiting to hear a lashing. Perhaps a scolding for her being late. Or possibly an order for more drinks. Then again if she was whisked quickly away she would be able to attend to the other customers roaming the field and festivities as well.

{under the Sakura tree}

Finally! Someone with her drinks! Rei craned her neck to glare at the worker. "Well it certiantly took you long enough!" she grumbled, snatching the bottle off of the table. In one fluid motion she took the stopper off of the bottle and poured the contents of it into several cups. "And where are my canied fruit cabobs?? Can't anyone get an order right?" she stormed, draining one of the cups. "Get me my fruit cabobs before i make someone else do it for me! Got it?" she growled, narrowing her purple eyes. Rei was not one for waiting, and was in a dark mood from having to wait so long. The sake swirling around in her stomach was slowly calming her, though, as she downed another cup.