[Hong Kong Sanctum] Mooncakes and Fireworks (Open)

"Impressive, but a little on the nose?"

The voice belonged to a young Chinese teenager walking across the roof of the sanctum, getting a few nods from the gathered sorcerers who recognized him, both those who knew him as the apprentice of the sorcerer supreme and those who could sense his divine lineage. Or, he just generally liked him; he had spent much time in the Chinese sanctum, and it felt more at home, even if he was in New York a lot, too.

Sun Nao was dressed in a modern take on traditional Hanfu Attire, with a silk Paofu robe, a few accessories, a belt, jewellery, and a colourful paper fan hanging from a string. He might look like any party-dressed festivalgoer if not for the claws, fangs, and impressive monkey tail, which was decorated with jade. He snatched up a few mooncakes from the table as he passed it, eating one of them in a single bite. "I think our emperors have a swollen ego as is," he continued with a grin, not meaning it as an insult to the caster but as a bard to the celestial heavens.

Sun Nao curiously looked at the collection of books at the nearby table. "Book of the Dead?" He was curious how to use that for a festival like this.

Sun Nao listened to Bai as the man talked, absentmindedly downing another mooncake.

"Yeah, that makes sense," he said with a sagely nod. "I'm not much into fortune-telling either. I like to make my own if I can, and I can't... I kick something, just like dad would do." The Monkey King did have a history of kicking things when he did not get his way; he had grown less likely to do so these days since his enlightenment into a Buddha, but... a kick now and then was never amiss.

"Uhm... thanks?" He was not used to being referred to as that, but it had happened more often than not while he was in this Sanctum. These sorcerers seemed to be able to glance at him and know his whole history, or that was the feeling he got. "Just Sun Nao is fine; not even the monkeys call me Highness." He took a moment to take in the offer. "You got any Osmanthus?" He liked the apricot and peachy flavour.

Sun Nao examined Bai briefly; he had seen the guy before but could not say they spoke. The last time he passed here, he did so in the company of Wong, so there was not much time for a conversation. "I don't think we talked before. You know who I am, but I don't think we've been introduced."

Above the warm glow of paper lanterns and the din of festivities, at the faintest reaches of live music below, a glimmer of white softer than the dimmest star hung in the night sky. Upon this glimmer sat a young woman, legs crossed one knee over the other, arms folded upon an ethereal ledge of faint light so she may watch the city below in comfort. She wore a simple blouse, long sleeve and pink as cherry blossoms, a pair of form fitting white canvas pants, and a pair of pink and white sneakers to match. A visitor, observing the beauty of the cityscape during festival from on high, careful to seat herself away from major parks and waterways to avoid too intimate a view of the fireworks that occasionally lit the sky.

It was her first time seeing the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, and Hong Kong did not disappoint. Perhaps she’d join... huh? A violet glow from above drew the girl’s attention, mystical energy tracing a massive shape in the clouds overhead, an eye? Did it just blink? Though it dissipated quickly into mist, confusion would linger. That was definitely not a firework, but, music still carried from below. Was this normal? Bright light from the east, a gout of swirling fire, building into the form of a man more than twice the height of most buildings below. He raised his arm, sweeping it across the skyline, then dissipated.

Also, not a firework. A display for the festivities? Was it magic? She had not seen a machine capable of such intricacy. Regardless, curiosity drew her like a moth towards the source of the flame, carried forth on ethereal light underfoot. Drifting low, skirting over dark rooftops, she was met with yet another display. Several bolts of lightning, violet like the eye, spiraling high into the sky before colliding in a shower of sparks. More? Something remained as the sparks faded, a symbol she was unfamiliar with. It was quite a sight. She was close, a block away by her estimate.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, knowingly at least, she set down atop a fairly tall building across from where she had seen the lightning rise from and slowly peered over the edge. A celebration on the rooftop below. Food, drink, dance, games, and festive garb. ”魔術師?” (Mahōtsukai - magic users) She mused to herself, before noticing something rather odd. A young man, in a variant of traditional robe engaged in conversation, he had... a tail? Yes, that was certainly a tail, like a monkeys no less. And, his hands, were they clawed? Fascinating.

Bai listened intently, fascinated by the demigod's perspective of another realm. How Sun Nao spoke about his father was particularly interesting, as though there were some distance to cause lukewarm feelings of his father's home. Bai sympathized, but couldn't imagine what could cause such a distance. "Parents can be...difficult. Well, we're honored you'd choose to spend your night with us than at your Father's party."

"So you're in the New York Sanctum nowadays? Very cool. I've never been. I've never met Doctor Strange before either, but I've heard stories. How is he like as a teacher? Is it true he has conversations with his cape?" he asked, gesturing to Sun Nao to simply take the whole bottle of wine. "Don't worry about it, we've got much more."

As they spoke, Bai had noticed, through the Gaze of Agamotto, something small, about the size of a person, drift swiftly and gracefully down through the night sky, heading towards the Sanctum like a snowdrift. It gave off a barely perceptible light, and would have been lost among the fireworks, if it were not for the mystic aura of the anomaly. Once the figure touched down on a nearby rooftop, Bai quietly murmured "玉兔的留言." An ethereal vapor formed around his feet, coalescing into the translucent image of a jade rabbit, before the rabbit suddenly raced off, launching itself off the Sanctum rooftop and running up the side of a nearby building. "We have more guests."

Once the rabbit reached the rooftop, it spotted the young woman on her perch and slowly approached. "Are you Chang'e or do you just share her beauty?" said the rabbit in Bai's voice with a shadow of a wink, speaking in English, saying his thoughts aloud. "Would you like a drink? Anyone from the magical community is welcome to attend our party."

Sun Nao smiled; he said nothing, but it had not been that hard of a choice.

"Doc's pretty cool," he said, accepting the offer to take the whole bottle; he was not going to say no to a complimentary drink and food. " And yeah, but it is a magical artefact; I think it has a mind of its own."

It took Sun Nao a little longer to notice what Bai saw, but in his case, it was mainly due to distance and an evident lack of hostility. He noticed Bai casting magic, watching the small jade rabbit that leapt into the air. At the mention of more guests, he did look up, and it did not take much effort for him to notice the woman. Sun Nao was curious and watched but could not hear the rabbit's and the woman's interaction. When she came down, he took it as a good sign, putting his mind to a graceful leaf on the wind.

"Nǐ hǎo," Sun Nao greeted with a respectful bow; there was something about her; he could see she was linked to a great power of some kind. So, it seemed proper to have a proper introduction. "Not more than I did, I imagine. Greetings, Jun, I'm Sun Nao, son of Sun Wukong."

- ”Nǐ hǎo. Not more than I did, I imagine. Greetings, Jun, I’m Sun Nao, son of Sun Wukong.” - The young man with simian attributes was the first to introduce himself with a respectful bow. Did he say son? Jun’s eyes lit up, she had the chance to talk to the child of a... POP. A noise above caught her attention. The rabbit that had flown off earlier didn’t simply disappear in the night sky, it was part of yet another beautiful display, having burst into the jade image of a rabbit with the moon as a backdrop.

- ”And I’m Bai Si,” - A familiar voice greeted her, as Sun Nao’s companion spoke with a bow and a radiant smile. The same voice as the rabbit that had invited her down, with an outline of an eye on his forehead like the one she had seen in the sky. Was that his doing too? - ”You didn’t interrupt anything at all. Actually, you two are free to join whatever we already have going on. Do you like dancing?” - Jun smiled warmly, it was nice to be welcome despite the lack of formal invitation, and Bai’s energy was infectious. - ”Or maybe you prefer table games? We’re playing for money tonight, but we’re poor sorcerers, so you won’t win very much.” -

”You’d probably have to teach me, and cover my debts.” She’d reply with a light giggle, swaying along ever so slightly with the beat of the music. Money was not something she had a lot of, nor was experience with a variety of games for that matter. ”What is this place?” Jun asked, with a genuine sense of wonder, before being hit with a full whiff of the food on display. Sparking a faint grumble from her stomach and a light blush. ”And, would you happen to have any nut filled cakes?” She followed up with a shy smile, bringing her right hand up roughly five inches from her bosom and pointing at the array of mooncakes available.

Bai let out an impressed whistle at Sun Nao's graceful somersault, the move even earning a few cheers from nearby dancers. He nodded along at Sun Nao's explanation of the Sanctums, chuckling at his accurate description of the residents. "The Sanctums also protect the world from mystic threats, alongside the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj. The Sanctums protect the world, and we sorcerers protect the Sanctums," said Bai, echoing something Wong once said. "And yeah, a fair amount of stuffy old people."

Another sorcerer waved over at Bai from the playing table, gesturing to him to come over and play a new hand. Bai waved his hand in decline, but instead snapped his fingers, the drinks on the playing table suddenly refilling as though being poured into by unseen sources. "I agree, the salted egg yolk is a strong choice," commented Bai, taking one himself. "And it wouldn't be the first time someone's asked me to cover their gambling debts, Jun. For you, I might just do it, but only for tonight," he said with a smile, only partially joking. He was finding it tricky to not get distracted by the pretty woman before him.