soniaroadsqueen | Tokyo, Japan, Monday

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Tokyo, Japan, Monday

Portalocity was weird. Ringo hadn't really traveled with them much, so this was something of a revelation for her. Somehow booking a reasonable late-morning departure from Fandom resulted in a just-after-dawn arrival in a small park a couple of miles from the apartment she shared with her sisters. Of course, despite that, all three of them were waiting.

Rika, with her knowing, motherly smile, managing to look like a carefully-styled model even this early. Mikan, tomboyish hair cropped short and sticking out every which way, smirking mischievously and tapping her foot with nervous energy. Ume, seated on a bench playing with her dolls, but glancing up and meeting Ringo's eyes when she arrived.

With a grin, Ringo dropped her bags and rushed forward into a big group hug, melting into the group for a moment. All worry and stress disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Now then," Rika said as they eventually disentangled themselves, "why don't you introduce everyone, and then we can go get some breakfast?"

[ooc: For those along for the ride. NFB for distance.]

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Rika thoughtfully looked over the people Ringo had brought along with her, smiling slightly. It was something of a surprise, but a good one, that her sister had made good enough friends to want to show them around Tokyo during the holiday.

"Ohmygosh!" Ringo declared, practically bouncing. "This is awesome!" She'd been hearing about these AirTrek pickup sessions, but now she was back in Tokyo and could actually go to one!

The AT community had apparently laid informal claim to an entire industrial complex, bringing in portable flood lights to turn the entire thing into the stark contrast of concrete, steel, and shadows.

There were at least two marked Dash courses around the area that took advantage of the tall, machinery-cluttered areas to be more like obstacle courses than race tracks. A handful of areas had been completely cleared to open up pitches for Disc, with teams identified by brightly-colored strips of cloth tied somewhere on the players' bodies. There was also a cluster of massive plexiglass cubes, ten meters on a side, and about half of them were occupied by pairs of riders locked in combat.

"No Balloon?" Ringo asked, pouting, only to get laughed at by her sisters.

"You know how hard it is to get the right field for Balloon," Rika said with a grin. "And as awesome as this space is, it's not nearly tall enough."

"Awww." But even Ringo couldn't be too disappointed. Because this was awesome! Now she just needed to decide what to do! Maybe she could convince Kathy and Dante to team up with her for one of the smaller three-on-three Disc matches?

"Okay," Kathy said, her ATs slung over her shoulder. "So, umm...what do I do? Or what will you do? What's going to happen is probably the best way to ask this?"

"Stop squirming." MIkan sounded playfully frustrated as she scolded Ringo, who was sitting in a lone chair in the middle of the main room.

"But you're pulling too hard," Ringo complained.

Mikan rolled her eyes. "Come on. You're supposed to be tough! Brushing your hair shouldn't be a big deal."

"I can brush my own hair, you know," Ringo pouted.

"Yeah, but I like to, and I'm your big sister, so you haveta let me."

Ringo sighed dramatically, but leaned back slightly and grinned. After this, Ume was probably going to insist on helping with her yukata, and then Rika would "offer to help" with her makeup. She'd missed her sisters.

Ringo was practically skipping with excitement as they finished climbing the stairs to the little maze of streets the festival was spread out over. Stalls, lit with bright lanterns, crowded up against each other as far as they could see.

Her wooden geta sandals clopping on the stone pavement as she dashed ahead, then slowed down so everyone could catch up. "This is going to be so much fun!" She looked over at Kathy and Dante. "It's like the Homecoming carnival thing, but with way better snacks!"

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Monday Morning

Wednesday Evening

Early Wednesday-Tune Up Time

Thursday Morning - Festival prep