Natalie/Stories

General Stories Misc

Quotes

On Sortied

Ha haa! Let the festivities begin!

On Entering a Room

I'll show you what I can do!

When Quest Begins

We're off! Follow me!

The festival begins! Didn't forget anything, did ya?

Response to Beginning of a Quest

Oh yeah! No hesitation!

Of course!

When Controlling Character in Quest

Girl with an appetite comin' through!

When Receiving a Heal

Thanks. I owe ya.

Thanks for coverin' for me!

When Entering a Boss' Room

Here comes the big kahuna!

This fight's in the bag!

Response to Entering a Boss' Room

Hear that, everybody? Stay on your toes!

Ain't no runnin' now!

Upon Getting to Low Health

I'm gettin' worked here...

I'm still kickin'!

Upon Opening a Chest

Aaaand yoink!

Don't forget the swag!

Boss on Low Health

Whoa, that one's not lookin' so hot!

We can do this! Keep pressin'!

Boss Enters Break State

Come on, cut 'em off!

Now! Crush 'em!

Rare Enemy Spawns

Now THIS is a lucky day!

Don't let it get away!

Upon Death

Well, THIS sucks.

I have...to guide 'em...

When Using Shared Skills

'Scuse me while I show off!

Gettin' pumped!

Get on MY level!

Slowin' down already?

This'll keep you going.

Tch... need to get back in the fight.

Player Uses Damaging Skill

Stylish!

Hey, nice.

When Shape Shifting is Ready

The dragon's hyped and ready!

Looks like the dragon's ready to party!

Shape Shifting into Dragon

Make way for dragon!

Idle During Quest

Wish I brought some festival chow...

Time to roll!

Quest Clear

Ain't nobody gonna mess with the festival on MY watch!

Quest Failure

So this is how I go out?

Home Screen Walking

Can't wait to get my festival on!

I better make sure we got what we need to set up...

That was a great festival!

Festival work has given me a mean set of guns.

That lazy slacker...

I'm gonna go wander the food stalls. You comin'?

Home Screen Inside

A gal's gotta talk the talk AND walk the walk.

You never know when ya might meet someone who'll totally change ya as a person.

If ya wanna help out, I can show you the ropes!

If we're launching an attack, I'm your gal! I LOVE punchin' stuff!

No one can beat me at festival games. NO ONE.

If you don't give your all at one'a MY festivals you're gonna regret it!

Home Screen Portrait

Yaten may be a hopeless slacker, but man can he put together a festival.

These Hinomotoan clothes are so damn cool.

This pinwheel in my hair really ties the whole look together, don'tcha think

When it comes to festival foods, I'm aaall about my candy apples.

No one brings the hype to a festival quite like yours truly.

Collection Portrait

Puttin' together festivals is tough work. You gotta learn to pace yourself and know your limits.

Oh I can hold my own in a brawl, 'cuz without strength, I wouldn't have been able to protect him.

If you don't know how to loosen up, the fun'll bounce right off of ya!

Never thought another country's culture could affect me so much.

Curious about the masks behind me? Here, take one!

At The Halidom

Is Yaten slacking off again?!

Any festival requests? Or are you lookin' to spar?

I'd sure like to see Hinomoto...

New Mana Circle Unlocked

The party is just getting started!

On Mana Circle Fully Unbound

Adventurer Story Episodes

Episode 1

The Power of Festivals

...Nope. Not here. ...Ain't here, neither. ...Aaaand nothin'. Ugh! Did you want these sunflowers placed in front of the store, ma'am? Yes, that will be perfect. Thank you again for helping me tidy everything up. It finally looks fit to open up shop. Should be able to do business as usual tomorrow! I cannot thank you all enough. But... Is something wrong? You don't look happy. Well, my shop may be back to normal, but I don't know how many people will want to come here regardless. Ever since the fiends attacked, more and more people have been leaving town. That is unfortunate. Yeah, but I can't really blame 'em. Fiends are enough to make most folks turn tail and never look back. I suppose it is normal in such situations to want to go somewhere one can feel safe. I have no intention of leaving this town, but it saddens me to see everyone do so. Also, I'm not sure the ones who remain are in the mood for appreciating flowers. There must be something we can— FESTIVAAAAAL! Egads! Who is that?! Hey, sorry for buttin' in all unannounced and junk. I'm Natalie—a festival planner. The hell is a festival planner? We organize festivals, duh-doy! Basically we plan 'em all out, decide what's gonna happen when, and then make sure it does. Okay. But how's a festival gonna help this here lady with her broke flower shop? If we liven up the town with a festival, everyone in it will cheer up, too! Can something so simple truly work? I've seen this happen in more towns than you can count, lady. It'll work. Trust me. And wow, I gotta say, the flowers in this shop are great! I bet we could use 'em to make a big fancy decoration for the festival. Are ya really gonna stand here and organize a festival all on yer own? Of course not—I'll need all of the townspeople to chip in. But if I can show 'em MY enthusiasm, that'll make 'em more likely to help. I gotta make 'em WANT a festival! Heh. I like the way ya think, kid. Taking action is always commendable, so long as the plan is sound. Aw, I'm gonna start blushin' over here. Listen up, flower lady: I'm gonna bring life back to this town. You can count on it! So just hang in there, yeah? Well, this sounds like a wonderful plan! And please feel free to use my flowers in any ways that you might need. Right then! Time to track down the mayor of this joint and get him to sign the permission forms or whatever. ...Hey, so why're you guys still followin' me around? You ain't been in town more than a hot second, yeah? Figured we'd show ya where the mayor's place was. Hey, that'd be swell! Thanks! Eh, don't mention it. You seem like a good kid, and this festival thingie kinda has me excited. Still, if we might ask, why did you come to this town in the first place? Oh, yeah. So, my partner and I got separated during our travels. I got wind he's in this town, but I just can't find the guy. Then should you not be searching for him instead of planning an event? Nah. Soon as I start preppin' for a festival, he'll pop his ugly mug outta the ground. How can you be so certain? 'Cause he's a festival planner like me. And once he sees this sad sack town, he's gonna want to throw one here. Hell, he's probably plannin' it already. He sounds like an interesting fellow. You must really trust him. I trust that his head is empty of anythin' 'cept festivals. Erm...okay. Not that I'm a whole lot different. We both believe in the power of festivals! Don't matter HOW gloomy a town is— a festival will set it on its feet again. If we can't even do that, we oughta quit our jobs and go farm potatoes! I'm likin' ya more by the minute, kid! Think it's time what ya meet the prince. ...Well, speak of the man himself! Great timin', Euden! Wait. Who's that with...? There he is! Where the hell have you BEEN, Yaten?! You're here just in time, Natalie. Because guess what... Natalie's Partner Yaten IT'S FESTIVAL TIIIME! Huh? Huh? Why'd you say the same thing as me? Guess we're just on the same wavelength. Well, you're right—the boss man here asked me to throw together a festival. Then let's make it a festival these folks ain't never gonna forget! Hello there. I take it you are a festival planner like Yaten? If so, we'd really appreciate your help in restoring some life to this town. You got it, Princey. Oh, and the name's Natalie—it's great to meet ya!

Episode 2

Rallying the Town

...... You look upset, Cleo. What is it? I have...nothing to do. When I awoke this morning, the cleaning, washing, and cooking were already done. What? How? Natalie did it. She did? Oh yes. In fact, I believe she's finishing the dishes as we speak. Cleoooo! The dishes are clean as a bean! Whaddya want me to do now? Er, I think that's everything that needs— Oh man, these windows are FILTHY! Lemme just clean 'em here. N-no! I can do that! Hell, it's the least I can do what with ya givin' me a place to crash and all. *sigh* You really are a hard worker. Yeah, I'm always doin' something when we're plannin' a festival—so if I ain't busy, I tend to get all jittery. Festival planning sounds exhausting. Yeah, but not in a bad way. I love it. Hey, Princey! Lemme grab a bit'a yer mug for a second, yeah? Sorry, WHAT are you doing? Aaaah ha ha ha! Guess a fancy napkin- user like you ain't heard that one before. "Lemme talk to ya a sec", is what it means. I need your help with the festival... Sounds great! Can't wait to see what ya come up with for your stall! You won't be disappointed—I will have only my finest breads on display! Boy, gettin' people to agree to set up stalls is WAY easier with you around. Hell, I shoulda thought to drag royalty around with me years ago. Er, thanks, I guess? Although I'm not really DOING anything here... You're the one explaining everything. All I'm contributing is my support. Trust me, you're a huge help. I am? Festivals belong to the place they're held. No matter how hard we try, they ain't gonna be a success without local help. So that's why we're going around negotiating with the people here? Yep. Honestly, folks are usually kinda wary 'bout the idea of a festival at first. But the people here LOVE ya! Hell, they'd probably do cartwheels over hot coals if ya asked 'em to. I'll probably not ask them to do that. Still, I guess I see my purpose now. Glad to hear it! Now if you're done, we got a lot more stops to make. ...C'mon. Ain't there SOME way I can change your mind? I'm sorry, but we really can't afford to spend time on something like this. I explained how much coin you're likely to make by puttin' out a stall, yeah? Plus, if this festival is a big success, it'll help your sales in the future! Won't you please reconsider? I would love to help, Your Highness, but I'm afraid I truly cannot. I cannot run my shop and prepare for a festival at the same time—and if I shut down, how will I recover those lost sales? It might be hard for a prince to imagine, but a day of work is a day that we eat. We don't have the time to help with a festival that might end up as a total bust. All right, I get ya. Sorry for the headache. Are you really giving up, Natalie? Hey, we can't force folks to help. And even if we tried... Huh? Terrible news, husband! Our boat was just taken away by the river's current! What?! We need to get it back right now! It's too late. It's already floated a good distance downstream. But...but how are we going to catch our fish without a boat? Ah, nuts to this! Where are you going, Natalie?! To get their damn boat back! She just jumped into the river! I can't believe you returned our boat... I suppose all is well that ends well, but that was dangerous, Natalie. What if the current had taken YOU? Yeah, well, a gal never knows if she can do somethin' until she tries. But why did you help me when I just turned you down? Your boat ain't got nothin' to do with the festival. I was just bein' neighborly. I mean, what kinda jerk would I be if I got a kick outta watchin' folks suffer after they turned me down? Dear... ...I know. You're right. Er, miss? Perhaps I may have been a bit hasty with my original answer of "no." Is it too late to help with your festival? 'Course not! ...Er, but why? I am taking a page from your book. How's that? One never knows if they can do something until they try, yes? We'd be thrilled for the help. Thank you. We're going to treat this town to the finest fish dishes they've ever had! Now THAT'S what I wanna hear! I'm glad that all worked out. (Natalie said people were only helping because I was there asking them...) (But I think her energy and enthusiasm have much more to do with it.) Let's keep it up! We're gonna need more helpers to make this festival world-class!

Episode 3

Abandoned by the Goddess

What're ya doin' here, outsider? Well, this village certainly is...sad. Ya got a real knack for statin' the obvious. Folks call this "the village the goddess abandoned." Nothin' but despair out here. Well, that all ends today. Say that again? I'm going to change this village for the better... Get UP, ya lazy jerk! Urgh... Gimme five more minutes... And stop pulling the covers off... Why, so ya can sleep in past noon? Get up and eat breakfast already! You need to lay off the caffeine. Just get your damn butt in gear! All right, all right. I'm up. *sigh* You sounded so full of yourself in my dream, but this is the reality. Urgh... I wanna go back to bed... Good morning, Yaten. I see you got a rather rude awakening today, too. I hate mornings... Anything I can do to help, Cleo? I appreciate the thought, but I'm fine. You should get some rest. Meanwhile, Natalie is very much a morning type. Which is good for us, but... Yeah, I'm amazed these two can work together, what with bein' total opposites. Same here... *yawn* Get it together already—you have to get that entire float finished today! Oh, crap. You're right! Well, he perked up fast. I gotta eat, then get over there and put the finishing touches on everything! He clearly does nothing in half-measures. Indeed. Festivals turn him into a different person entirely. I've sworn to never lift a finger unless a festival's involved. That's nothing to boast about, ya dope! Now if you're done stuffin' your face, we're gettin' outta here! I brought you something to eat, Natalie. Thanks. Hmm? Is Yaten not with you? He's probably off seein' how all the stalls are comin' along. He knows I can handle this. You aren't even considering the possibility that he might be slacking off? Heh. Not when it comes to a festival. If he was that kinda guy, I wouldn't be here now. What do you mean? See, I was born in a charming place known as "the village the goddess abandoned." It was so poor, we didn't even have a church. Oh, and my mother eventually ran out and left me on my own. Then you were raised in an orphanage? Orphanage? Hah! We didn't have one of those either. Everyone looked out for themselves. That's just how it was. Wasn't time to be looking after others. I was just a kid, but I still did things in order to live. ...BAD things. But just as I was gettin' sick of the life, my pal Yaten showed up. I'm going to change this village for the better... What this place needs is a festival! Well, THAT caught me off guard. And did his plan actually work? Was it truly so simple? Oh, it was anything BUT simple. No one would give the guy the time'a day at first—yours truly included. But then he said somethin' that just sorta...stuck with me. He said that if our village was abandoned by the goddess, that meant we could hold the craziest festival ever because she wouldn't be watchin'! ...Such talk borders on blasphemy. Aaah ha ha! Guess I shouldn't have said that in front of a Paladyn, yeah? Anyway, at the time it sounded like a total hoot. Pretty soon, the whole village turned out to help throw the festival together. And people were... They were SMILING. I ain't never seen that before! So what happened? Yaten's festival drew a huge crowd, and our little village grew into a town. We were abandoned no more. I had no idea festivals could have quite so profound an effect. That makes two of us. Ya coulda knocked me over with a feather when I saw it. Found myself thinkin' that maybe this festival gig was the kinda life I wanted. So when Yaten left town, I followed. He tried to shoo me away at first, but eventually he took me on as a kind of assistant-slash-apprentice. He must have been a challenging master. Ha! Was and is still! But that's just the price ya pay what for fallin' in love. You LOVE him?! What? No! Gross! I love his FESTIVALS. I mean, look at this float decoration. Yaten spent DAYS on it. It is stunning—and so delicately finished! But the design looks somehow familiar... He based it on one of this town's traditional designs. He's always saying how festivals belong to the town they're held in, which is why ya gotta work local stuff in. His passion really is second to none. For festivals, at least. Rest of the time, he's just a hopeless slob. But I love what he creates, and I'm happy to give my all to see it happen. Just hearing you speak so makes me anticipate this festival all the more. You ain't gonna be disappointed!

Episode 4

The Star of the Show

We did it! The festival is on! Everyone's having a blast! Thanks for all your hard work, everyone. This festival has been a huge success. It's way too early to be calling this thing done, Princey. The work of a festival planner has only just begun at this point. It has? Festivals are meant to be fun—and fun attracts lots of people. But what happens when lots of people are together? Trouble, that's what! Kids gettin' lost, pockets bein' picked, all that crap. It falls to us to sort all that out. Heeeeelp! See what I mean? Help! Someone stole the float decoration! What?! The golden one Yaten made?! That's the one. Oh, and everyone just loved it, too! There's still time before we need to bring the float out—let's go get it back! You ain't going anywhere, pal. You gotta stay here and supervise. Don't worry—I got this. You sure? Hell, I at least gotta TRY, right? I don't wanna hear you say "I gave it my best, but it wasn't enough." Heh. You won't have to. I'll help. Oh, and me! I can fly around and look for it from the skies or whatever! Then let's do this! ...This way. You seem very sure about the path you're leading us down. Why is that? I'm from a rundown little village— I know how a lowlife thinks. This area is full of kids' stuff—so while the whole town's loaded with people, this section is just a buncha kids. To a bandit, kids are dumb as hell— which makes this a perfect escape route. Huh. Clever. ...Hey there, little lady. Me? Say, ya didn't see someone carryin' a bag about yay big come through here, didja? Yeah! They went...uh...that way! Thanks, kid. That's a big help. You're one of the festival people! Did something happen? Just gettin' stuff ready is all. I'm gonna look over that way. Princey, you check over there. All right. See you in a bit. Bwaaa ha ha! Who knew we'd get this rich from a freakin' FESTIVAL?! Right?! This thing's pure gold! Everyone's so focused on havin' fun, we can rob 'em blind and no one'll ever be the wiser! Bwaaa ha ha ha! So YOU'RE our thieves, huh? Huh?! Who's there?! Look, pal, just hand over the float decoration and we can all walk away. Fat chance! I'm outta here! Hey, wait! Bwaa ha ha! Those losers are too slow! TAAAAKE THIS! What in the...?! Aw, crap! Don't drop the decoration, ya idiot! That's worth a boatload'a money! I know, but this damn kid— Give that back, you meanie! That's for the festival! Kid? You're about to learn one hell of a lesson in manne— Hands off, creep! I'll be taking that decoration back. Yoink! Aw, damn it all! Nice work, kid. Now get over here! She ain't goin' nowheres! Eeek! Don't be stupid, pal! If you want this girl back with all her bits'n pieces, you'll give us that decoration. I'm scaaared! Coward! I'm just doin' what I gotta do, lady. ...Huh. I guess I can't really talk. Hell, I used to be the same way. All right, fine. You can have it. Make with handin' it over already! ...CATCH! Whoa! She threw it! Catch the damn thing already! Gotcha! Aaargh! What was that scream... Hey, that's the decoration, falling from the sky! Nice catch, Euden! Don't worry, kid. It's over now. Yaaay! Thank you! What happened, Natalie? ...I see. Well, I'm glad you're both okay. But I'm sorry I couldn't make it sooner. Hey, you saved the decoration! That makes ya a big hero. I just got lucky. It never occurred to me that you'd actually THROW it. It's really important for the float, right? Well, sure—and the float is the star of the festival. But... The star is there for people to enjoy it. Can't go forward with a festival while someone's cryin'! Does that go on the float? It sure does, kid. It goes right on the... Oh, crap! We gotta get this to the float! Can I leave the kid with you, Princey? Of course. Good luck! I can't wait to see the float! You're gonna love it. Well, that was a close thing. Told ya I'd get it done. Well, now that we're all ready, let's get this thing movin'! After me! Wooo! Wooo!

Episode 5

The Peak of Leadership

Aaah... Lanterns and music really make ya feel like you're at a festival. There you are. Heya, Princey! What's up? I just came to bring you some food from the stalls. You've been busy monitoring everything and I know you haven't eaten. Well, thanks a million! Oh hey, is this from the fishmonger's stall? *chomp* Oh man, this is GREAT. Everyone seems to agree with you— they've been doing a lot of business. Glad to hear it! I was only able to stop by for a brief "hi," so I didn't know how things were going. So...ya been enjoyin' the festival? It's amazing. The food is incredible, and that art piece at the florist was simply stunning. Yeah, the owner was pretty proud of that. I'm glad folks got to see it. This festival is making everyone happy. I've never seen so many smiling faces. Yeah, they're somethin' all right. So which part didja like best? Hmm... Probably the float. It was really something! That's a good eye ya got, Princey. The float was what caught my eye at MY first festival, too. Really? Yeah. It was love at first sight. The folks liftin' it... Everyone watchin'... They were all so full of life, and it was like they were united as one! Somethin' about a float just reaches out and grabs your heart, ya know? It really was the star of the festival. Ha ha! No doubt. You really do love floats, don't you? Ya better believe it! Hell, leadin' the float in the parade is my favorite part'a the job. It's like I'm spreadin' cheer everywhere I go. Ya can't beat that with a stick. I'm glad we were able to bring it out, despite the difficulties. I guess when you think about it, I'm kind of like a float myself. I ain't followin' ya. Well, both countries and royalty are "carried" by the general population. Yeaaaah, that ain't the same. I mean, sure, we all shoulder our countries like a float to some extent, but you ain't exactly bein' carried. You don't think? Hell no! You're out in the front lines helpin' folks or whatever. In truth, you're more like the guy what CARRIES the float than somebody ridin' on it. Huh. I didn't think of it like that. Still, I think I have a long way to go. I'd give anything to have your confidence. Me? I doubt myself all the damn time! I'm shocked to hear that. 'Course I do—I just can't SAY nothin' about it once the festival gets goin'. Instead, I just charge ahead and hope it all comes out clean in the wash. Once everything's over, then I can go back, figure out what I did wrong, and make it better the next time. I love what I do, so I wanna keep gettin' better at it. What about you? I suppose I'm the same way. I love this country and its people, so as flawed as I am, I'm going to charge in and help however I can. Hey, that gives me an idea! Let's both swear to become the best leaders we can be! Er...okay? C'mon! Nothin' motivates a person like havin' someone else with the same goal! So let's both swear to become the best leaders we can. That's a fine idea. One day, I WILL become a man fit to lead this country. And I'll become somebody whose float can liven up ANY town! You can count on it! Right then! Three cheers to the future! Hip-hip... HUZZAH!