Celebrator

By: Aviantei

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Another D8 3/12]

[Parameters: "Frenemies" + "Jealousy"]

For LyriaHart, and all the support you've given over the years. No, I didn't forget that one time you asked if I would ever consider writing a Halloween episode.

Japan, October, 1999

"Principessa, Principessa! Will you—"

"No."

Issebella Vargas pouted at Ivy, who was merciless enough to deny her request without even hearing out the full question. It was disappointing, yes, but it was also the norm, so Issebella didn't waste much time on changing tactics. "Come on, come on, come on," she said, grabbing Ivy's arm and shaking it. "We should do something fun together! It's almost Halloween, after all!"

The grimace on Ivy's face couldn't have been any clearer of an answer. "If you want to go out and do something yourself, that's your business. Leave me out of this." She yanked her arm out of Issebella's hold and tried to resettle herself into meditating, but Issebella wasn't about to let it go. It had been just long enough since she'd roped Ivy into something fun that she was confident she could pull it off with enough tenacity.

"Stuff like this is no fun on your own, though! I don't understand why you all don't let yourselves have more fun!" Hao's followers were from so many different cultures that there was very little they all celebrated together. It was a wasted opportunity! And if Issebella couldn't convince everyone to party, she could at least bring the principessa into it.

"I don't know if you've forgotten, but the beginning of the Shaman Fight is just a few months away. We all have more important things to be worrying about than messing around with parties or whatever." There was just enough of a harsh edge to her voice that Issebella considered backing off; you didn't want to mess with Ivy when she was more angry than agitated. Out of all of them, she was the most serious about supporting Hao in the Shaman Fight, and she didn't have much patience for anything else. "Besides, you're a shaman. What's the point in getting all worked up about Halloween whenever you deal with ghosts and spirits every day?"

You don't get it at all, Principessa! An opportunity to celebrate is all that matters! Issebella had just opened her mouth to retort whenever the all-too familiar figure of Hao arrived on the scene. "Now what are we chatting about over here?" he asked, Opacho almost tripping over herself to keep up with his strides.

If anyone were to just look at him, not many people would suspect that Asakura Hao was not a teenager, but instead a thousand-year soul reincarnated. Issebella had long acclimated to this fact, and she greeted him with a smile and a wave. "Dio! I was just saying to the principessa that she and I should go celebrate Halloween!"

Opacho, small and still only half able to speak in coherent sentences, tilted her head. "Ha'ween?"

"Ah, one of the western holidays, yes? I believe some people compare it to Obon," Hao said, though that explanation didn't do much for the young girl.

Issebella grinned, crouching down to be closer to Opacho's eye level. "Well, the way we celebrate it is way different than we used to, but! A lot of people will dress up and get a bunch of candy!" Not that Issebella was sure if they celebrated the same in Japan or not, but the details didn't matter as much whenever Opacho's expression lit up—which gave Issebella the best possible idea. "Hey, Opacho, you wanna try Halloween this year?"

"Yeah! Hao-dono, can we?"

Hao's smile grew a bit more amused than usual, and Issebella was willing to bet that he knew what Issebella was up to. "I suppose I don't see anything wrong with that."

Opacho bounced in excitement, and she rushed over to Ivy's side, pulling on the older girl's arm. "Aviantei-onee-chan, too!" and Issebella had to stop herself from grinning too much. Ivy had been much easier to win over after Opacho had gotten old enough to treat her like an older sister. As sure evidence enough, Ivy's expression softened.

"…If you want, Opacho."

And whenever Opacho cheered, Issebella cheered with her.

While Issebella would have preferred to have a large party with everyone involved, there was very little chance of that happening. Though they were united under a common cause of supporting Hao, there wasn't much to connect them all outside of their individual cliques. Issebella did her best to get along with everyone (though Marie still didn't like her, even after all these years), but even that wasn't enough to get everyone into a collective party, not over such a small holiday. Only Hao would be able to pull something like that off, and he didn't seem to have much interest in doing such a thing.

"You wanted to give Aviantei something enjoyable to do, yes?" he said, whenever Ivy was out of earshot. "You know just as well as I do that she won't appreciate being pushed into a large group. This is already pushing it as it is."

Though Hao hadn't, Issebella noticed, stopped her from roping Ivy into things through the use of Opacho.

He hadn't seemed interested in wearing any elaborate costumes, either, and not even Issebella had enough guts to press the issue. Opacho had managed to find a sheep costume, replicating her Over Soul with a silly level of accuracy. While Issebella hadn't found an easy substitute for knight armor on short notice, she pulled together enough bits and bobs to have a medieval costume pulled together, fake sword prop and all. And as for Ivy—

"I hate you," she said, voice bordering on a hiss as she glared up at Issebella in a princess costume that was too good to pass up. "I hope you're ready to get a mana boost, because the next time we spar together, I'm going to slaughter you."

"So long as you bring me back, Principessa," Issebella said. Though it was more to make things later down the line less of a hassle, Hao wanted to keep his followers' numbers as high as possible. Ivy would revive Issebella for that reasoning alone. "Besides, isn't it worth it to see Opacho so happy?"

Because Opacho was excited, running between the different followers at their camp and requesting the candy Hao and the others had procured earlier. Japan didn't have as much of a trick or treat tradition to go to a neighborhood, so they were improvising upon Hao's request, and Opacho was enjoying collecting treats. Watching, Ivy's expression softened, like that of an older sister or a mother.

You've changed a lot, Principessa. And I bet you don't even realize.

It didn't take long for Opacho to pull Ivy into sorting out her candy, and Issebella decided not to interrupt, even if it would have been enjoyable. While she may have started out the day of wanting to have a good time, getting Ivy to enjoy herself was a good enough victory on its own. Issebella stood up from the ground, dusting grass off her clothes, and was on the way to see if she could con some candy out of the others whenever Hao said, "Issebella."

His voice was as quiet and calm as ever, but Issebella changed course right away, understanding it wasn't a request. She didn't mind, though, flashing Hao a smile as she approached. "What can I do for you, Dio?"

"I have a mission for you," he said, and Issebella nodded. For the past half a decade and some change, being among Hao's followers had required little more than travel and training, everyone preparing for the Shaman Fight but getting to live their nomadic lives otherwise. "Opacho had another vision earlier today. One that involved you recruiting someone else to join our ranks."

At a glance, no one would have guessed that the small girl now sorting out candy types by wrapper color would have prophetic visions, but it was one of her very strong shamanic abilities. And if Hao had determined that Issebella needed to play an active role in making sure this vision came true, then it had to be with good reason. "Haha, sounds like we're cutting it close, but alright. I'm guessing we're all heading out tomorrow, then?"

"You'll be heading out tomorrow," Hao said, and Issebella paused, but didn't argue. "The details weren't very clear, but Opacho said it was just you. And while I'm sure that we wouldn't change things all that much, I'd rather not take our chances whenever we should be focusing on setting up camp in Tokyo. I trust that you can handle things on your own, though."

"Well, if Dio says so, that's how it is, huh?" Well, with Militaresco's help, she'd be fine. Just because she'd gotten used to the group life didn't mean she'd forgotten how to handle herself. "I guess I'll get ready, then. Oh, where did you say I needed to go aga—Dio?"

As long as Issebella had known him, Hao was not the type to space out or become distracted. He was always vigilant, and, whenever he wasn't, it was often because he was asleep and the Spirit of Fire or even Principessa was alert for him. But in that moment, Issebella noticed that he wasn't looking at her, but rather Opacho and Ivy still a ways off, though it wasn't long before he caught himself.

"Apologies," Hao said, just a split second after Issebella had noticed. "I got lost in thought for a moment."

"I'm sure Principessa would be honored to hear that you were distracted by her," Issebella said before she could even consider that teasing her ancient and super powerful leader may not be the best idea.

Hao hummed, not looking bothered in the slightest. Even so, just because he was still smiling didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous; Issebella had seen enough people burned to ash to know that much. "Be that as it may, I think I'll keep that to myself. There's no reason to interrupt her now." Issebella nodded, agreeing. Things would change in a few months' time, whenever the Shaman Fight began, but, for a moment, Ivy and Opacho both deserved to be young, carefree, and happy. "As for you, Issebella, Opacho seemed to think that heading north was best for you. As for the shaman you'll find there—"

And after sitting through a physical description of who she was to look for, Issebella slipped away and into the dark as Halloween night came to an end.

[Author's Notes]

This time, I finally got around to writing that long-requested Halloween episode. LyriaHart, I'll miss seeing your regular comments on Aviantei, and I hope you enjoyed this, even if it was a little weird.

Thanks to Chronic Guardian for the reviews, as well as for the IRL company this past week! Stay saucey, friend.

I decided to take this prompt and poke at the moment whenever Issebella gets sent out to look at Kaede, with a little bit of Halloween nonsense. Thinking about all the cross-cultural implications is a mess, but don't think too hard about it. While "Frenemies" is rather obvious with Ivy and Issebella (from Ivy's POV anyways; Issebella still thinks they're friends), "Jealousy" influenced way more background things that aren't privy to Issebella's POV. But it still influenced how I approached this one shot, so Imma count it.

Next week's prompts are "Actualization" and "Inserted into the Narrative," but I had a hard time figuring out how to put them in this collection, so I ended up writing for a different fandom instead (whoops). So I'll see you in this collection in two weeks for the prompts "From the Sidelines" and "Acclimation" (for which I already have an idea for, so I promise it'll be a Saplings piece)!

-Avi

[06.19.2021]