soul_logs | A Parade of MEN!

Characters: OPEN to All (don't forget all you Contestants and Judges!!)
Location: Nocturne Bazaar, main stage.
Rating: G (maybe PG-13 for language of some characters?)
Time: April 3rd, evening; after the Beauty Contest
Description: I told you I'd do it! But you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME??

With the Beauty Contest finished, Lee has made quick work of clearing the stage and pulling up a small table at the end. Three chairs have been placed for the judges and now the time has come...

Men of all ages and walks of life have been invited to strut their stuff on the stage, in front of all Death City, and prove why they should be crowned The Most Manliest of Men in Death City!

This is no joke.

Everyone, are you ready for this overload of Manliness? Or are you just here to laugh? Maybe you'll come away with a new-found respect for some of the contestants. After all, what's not to love about a Truly Manly Man?

((ooc; All contestants that were either signed up in the previous ooc planning post or were brought to me or Rock Lee (that is, icly) have been considered for prize spots. HOWEVER, since this competition is being judges by judges and not by popular vote, the winners have all been randomized using RANDOM.org/lists. All the prize spots have already been randomized by an uninvolved party and can be seen HERE.

Anyone in the audience is free to come up and talk to the contestants and judges, cheer people on, or catcall. This is a very serious free-for-all! Just no storming the stage to disrupt someone's performance, or else you might find yourself on the wrong side of a Very Manly Fist!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Because sometimes, its too fine... and perhaps too unhygienic. He should still have her handkerchief unless it was too spotted with sweat an make-up from the last competition.

Naoto nodded, fiddling with the brim of her hat. What is it about a relationship that makes interactions so difficult?

"Huh? Oh, yes. We can." The Ferris wheel seemed to be the tallest attraction. She didn't show it, but she was excited.

Kanji had to wonder that as well. He figured he'd be over the stomach-jumping and blushing by now, but really he never wanted to be over it at all.

"Awesome! I-it's a date." You know, a normal one that didn't involve putting the smack down on a kishin egg. Maybe after what they'd been up to lately, they'll stop getting the flat looks from those that were in the know.

But he was pumped all over again. He'd never have been able to do anything like this back home.

"How often's this thing come around? I overheard people talkin' about what they'd hit once they got off the gondola like they'd hit it before."

"I don't believe very often..." Naoto had to think, but then, it came back to her.

"Ah, I remember seeing a photograph of this carnival actually. It was during a mission with Minato-san. It was here in October..." Most likely before everything happened, or had he meant the year before? She didn't know for certain.

"... I wonder why it's back. The way he spoke about it..."

"Little early to be here if it's a yearly thing," he noted. But maybe they were just in the neighborhood and decided to come by early. Fall did sound like a time to have a carnival, definitely... not spring. But something stuck out with him.

"The way he spoke about it?"

"It seemed like it shouldn't even be a yearly occurrence."

Naoto tapped her chin, but then sighed. "Perhaps I'm being too suspicious."

"'s been a rough time with everything that's hit Death City so far. Maybe whoever flies this thing decided we could use some kinda break and had a lotta money to blow to take the mind off of everything." He shrugged. Maybe she was being too suspicious, but with a killer on the loose, witches that could be anywhere and god knows what else, a healthy suspicion was valuable.

"Wouldn't blame anybody from the outside feelin' a little sorry for us. The year's been pretty damn rough so far."

"It has... but isn't it an expected common in this world? Though, I suppose word could've gotten out about the Guests... I don't know."

She sighed, shaking her head. "I'll refrain from being overly suspicious and ruining everyone's fun."

"C'mon, Naoto."

Kanji spoke quietly as he shook his head, laying a hand on her shoulder. "In a place like this, nobody's gonna blame ya for takin' the occasional peek behind the shoulder. And yer not ruining anybody's fun, neither. I mean..."

"Y-y'know, even if it's puttin' make-up on me earlier, I-I have a lotta fun with ya. So don't sweat it!"

Naoto stared at him, confused, but listened without interruption. She wasn't bothering anyone then? But, there was the moment with the camera... no, that was spoiling one person's fun. "If you're enjoying this evening... then I'll try not to."

No, that was more like spoiling one person's plot to ruin everyone else's fun. There's a difference!

He nodded, but as he did, he realized something: She'd been standing in the audience for far too long now as he popped into both competitions on the main stage. They were both here at the Bazaar, and it looked like there were still a few contestants left to go up on stage. Time to get while the getting's good!

"Th-they won't miss me if I pop out for a bit. Y'wanna hit up a game, grab somethin' to eat?"

Well, someone had to take care of him from behind the scenes literally.

She glanced back at the stage. "... Well, there are a few booths nearby. We can grab something to snack on for now."

They could properly eat following the competition.

"Sure. One sec..." There was still something he was missing. And there it was, still where he discarded it for his performance. Kanji managed to lean on the stage edge, reaching as far as he could to grab his shirt while doing nothing to disturb the performance currently going on.

"Think they had a shooting game a little further out, for starters," he noted when he returned, giving the shirt a little shake to knock a bit of debris from the stage off the fabric.

"But I'll leave what we do up to you! We've done enough'a my crap today."

She took the opportunity to look around again, still feeling somewhat at ease after their conversation. Once he returned, she was back to paying attention.

"A shooting game? I could win you a prize..." He deserved as much from her after his performance in the cross-dressing pageant.

"Huh? M-me?" Heaven help him, he was pink. While he didn't doubt that Naoto's skill with a pistol was right up there with the greats, there was something about her winning him a prize that--

To hell with it! He took a moment to pull the shirt back on- being so high up made the Bazaar get chilly awfully quick as the sun went down.

"I-I'll give it a shot, too!"

"You can try if you want. I will not stop you."

She gave him a smile again, but then turned. They should get going if they wanted to be back before the judges noticed him missing.

Oh, Kanji will probably be crap at it. Resonating with a girl who knew how to shoot was completely different from having this Meister wield a gun. Still, all he could do was his best, and maybe he could win a prize for her, too.

His stomach doing a little somersault at that smile, Kanji followed after her, keeping himself a bit low so as to avoid notice. He wasn't disqualifying himself, guys; a man doesn't leave his prince waiting.

A mutual exchange between prizes. That would be acceptable.

As they walked, Naoto stepped a little closer and slipped her hand into his. This would be fine, right?

Fair's fair! ...And he didn't want to leave her empty-handed, either. If there was some kind of strength game, he was so there, and was bound for the top prize.

The blush crept down his neck when he felt her hand. His reply was the intertwining of his fingers with hers, and a light squeeze, and a little glance her way. Y-yeah. This was totally fine. It was so fine, that he for a moment forgot where they were, passing a stand or two that might have had his interest were he not incredibly distracted right now...

A Parade of MEN!

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