open Cultures Unite (1x1 with GeneralDirection)

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

His friends lead him to the clothing store, where Silver tries on all sorts of different things he had never seen before. Eventually, they find a jacket, hat, and sandals that they can all agree suit him well.

“These all look great, guys!” He exclaims after trying them on. “I can see each of these items coming in handy during my travels, depending on where I’m going, of course.”

He gathers all the articles together that they’ve chosen and brings them to a worker at a cash register to pay for them.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

"Not a problem! Happy to share our culture with others. That particular jacket should be just light enough to use in most kinds of weather." Gotaro says. "And because we helped you pick out those clothes, they are more authentic. Many tourists often buy gimmicky versions of these clothes; the kind that we wouldn't normally wear every day." Samurai explains.

The next stop they go to is at the top floor. It's a place where all kinds of outdoors equipment can be bought. Anything from camping and sports, to adventuring and archeology, and everything else in between. Gotaro examines an archeology set while Samurai looks at some camping tents. "Is there anything specific you've ever wanted?"

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

“Well, I definitely appreciate it.” He says as they make their way up to the second story. Here, the focus is not on clothing, but equipment and supplies for being outdoors.

“I’m… honestly not sure.” Silver replies as he looks around at the various wares. “The idea of a tent sounds nice, but I travel pretty lightly, and I feel like I tent would end up getting in the way. Hmm… maybe a new saddlebag would be nice? Do they have any of those here?” He asks, continuing to look around.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai nods. "Good thinking. Being practical is the best way to travel. I don't like to travel with anything other than essentials. And they sell saddlebags of all sizes here." Samurai says.
Gotaro runs up to them. "Oh! Oh! Silver-san! You must check this out. They are selling multiuse tools today! Like this~!" He holds up when looks like a metal coffee mug of some kind. "The base is electronic. Pull the cord, and it will heat up any drink you have. Or! Pull out the inner lining, pull the cord again, and it becomes a lamp instead. Low light, but effective. Or! Take the base, flip it, and pull the cord again; and you get a heating pad! So many uses." Gotaro explains with stars in his eyes, showing off each function of the simple device.

"I didn't realize you were into such things, Gotaro-san." Samurai says with a bit of a smile. "I don't use such tools regularly, but I sure do love the innovation!" Gotaro says.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

As Silver continues to look for saddlebags, Gotaro comes up to him and shows him a rather interesting device. It’s a metal cup that apparently can heat its contents and turn into a light or a heating pad.

“Huh. That looks very interesting, Gotaro. I agree, that looks like it would be a useful thing to have. I shall add it to my collection of things to buy.” Silver replies as he continues his search.

He does eventually find the section with the saddlebags and selects a black bag that has a gold-coloured clip. It might be a bit simple, but he feels like the colours compliment him well, and more importantly, it has plenty of space for his things.

“Alright, well I think this will do, unless there was something else you wished to show me?” Silver asks as he places all the items in his new saddlebag to make it easier to carry them around.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai nods in approval when he sees the bag Silver has picked out. "BUT OF COURSE! So many multiuse tools! I am pretty sure I saw a pocket knife that also doubles as a metal detector and a divining rod! Oh, and--" Gotaro begins to talk about all the different tools he saw, listing them off while walking back in the direction he saw them. "Be careful, Silver-san. I get the feeling he'll overload you with tools and supplies you might not want." Samurai says, amused yet cautious around Gotaro's sudden love for all these items.

"...And then there is this compass that has a lev--Oh, wait, that reminds me. Samurai-san, didn't you use to make compasses?" Gotaro stops listing random items he saw to ask a question. Samurai peeks his head up. "Hmm? Well, yes... Sometime ago, I use to make simple travel compasses. It was a little skill I picked up while I was in school. Somewhere between learning about arts, magic, combat, and many other things; I randomly found a book that taught me how to do it." Samurai says.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver can’t help but laugh as Gotaro goes rambling off about all these different gadgets and the various things they can do. He nods in agreement with Samurai.

“Yes, I definitely don’t want to have tons of gear to lug around with me everywhere. What’s this about you making compasses? Is it something you still do?” He asks, curious.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

Since Silver is interested, Samurai thinks about it. "...It's been a while since I made a compass. However, if that's something you want, I suppose I could make one for you." Samurai says.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

“Well, I don’t wish to pressure you, Samurai. Only if you feel comfortable with it. It would, however, be a very nice memento for me to have with me at all times. Something that would serve as a reminder of the great times I’ve had and the amazing ponies I’ve met here. It would definitely be used; I can guarantee you that much.” Silver says with a smile.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

Well, that's all that needs to be said. With a smile and a nod, Samurai claps his hooves. A pair of kurokos come out of the isles like ninjas and give Samurai a box of supplies. Gotaro watches with excitement. Using the supplies, Samurai begins to assemble a plastic, transparent compass; taking time to make sure it is correctly calibrated to point in the right directions. When it is done, Samurai attaches a tassel and gives it to Silver. "Here you go, my friend. I hope it guides you well."

Spoiler

For reference, it would look something like this:

You can pretend the tassel color is whatever you want.

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Samurai Equine

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver is surprised when not only do Samurai’s kurokos appear from seemingly out of nowhere and hand him supplies, but he also starts making a new compass right there in the middle of the store. The kirin watches closely as his friend puts all the components together and checks that it’s working properly before giving him the finished compass.

“Wow, Samurai.” He says, still a bit surprised. “I wasn’t expecting you to make one so quickly… thank you.” He smiles. “Things that are made by a friend using their own talents and skills are really important to me.”

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

"It's no big deal. I'm glad you like it." Samurai nods and then claps again; the kurokos take the supplies and disappear just as fast as they appeared.

"Samurai-san here is just being modest. In Japone, there tends to be a culture around gift giving. There is a proper time, place, and procedure for each event. Not to mention, getting a gift from a pony of the samurai class is usually seen as a very prestigious gift." Gotaro says, but Samurai holds up a hoof and cuts him off. "Let's not make this complicated, Gotaro-san. Silver-san isn't Japonies, and besides, it's fine. As samurai, we have the freedom to decide how formal or how informal we want things to be." Samurai says. "Ah, hai hai, you're right." Gotaro nods in agreement.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Samurai Equine

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver watches the kurokos as they vanish with the supplies. “Big deal or not, it’s special to me either way. You spent your time and effort making something for me. You created a memory that I can look back on any time I use this compass.” He comments as he places the compass into his saddlebag. “That’s what’s important to me.” He smiles. “I also find it interesting learning more about your culture. I like that gift-giving is seen as something valuable. I wish more ponies thought this way.”

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai is happy to hear that Silver likes his gift. "Well then, let's leave it at that." Samurai says with a nod.

After a little more browsing, Samurai actually picks out a novelty tool for himself. Gotaro doesn't get anything, but he offers to give the store free publicity. After they check out, they begin to leave. On their way back to the ground floor, Samurai looks around. "Anything else you want to do before we leave here, Silver-san? You're probably still full from the restaurant, but there is games, souvenirs, or maybe a music concert?" Samurai asks. "If you're interested, speak up now, because we're going straight to the Snow prefecture after this." Gotaro explains.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

“Games?” Silver asks as they walk out of the store. “What sort of games? You’re right, I’m good for food, and I think I have enough souvenirs now. But depending on what they are, games could be fun.”

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai and Gotaro smirk before taking Silver to the Lucky Draw booth. "Hai! Hai! Domo, domo!" There's a pair of ponies welcoming anyone to their booth, and they are dressed in festive white jackets and waving fans. At their booth is some kind of rotating octagon drum and it spits out little beads. "This is the Lucky Draw Garapon. It's a seasonal game. Everypony gets one roll. White beads will only get you a consolation prize, but everypony wants the gold bead. If you draw the gold bead, you get the grand prize. There's only one gold bead amongst tons of white beads, so good luck." Samurai explains.

Gotaro goes first. His spin gives him a white bead. He gets a small case of regional candy as his prize. Samurai tries his luck as well, but he also gets a white bead. Which means he also gets the same prize.

Spoiler

Here's an example of what a Garapon wheel looks like:

 

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver watches as both Samurai and Gotaro partake, a white bead falling from the machine for each of them.

“Ah, I understand the premise of this game.” Silver remarks as he observes. “I think I’ve encountered similar things like this before, but not quite the same.”

He decided to play as well, spinning the drum for a while until he decides to stop, and waits expectantly to see which colour bead he might get.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

The drum spins. Gotaro and Samurai gasp, probably reacting before Silver has a chance to. "YATTA!!! OMEDETOU GOZAIMASU!!", "YATTA!! DAISHOURI DESU!!" the two booth owners yell out as confetti poppers go off and a victorious fanfare is played. Why? Because Silver got the golden bead!

Naturally, many of the shoppers stop what they are doing and applaud for Silver's win. Anypony that was standing in line to play the game leaves to do other things. One of the ponies at the booth puts up a sign saying that the contest is over, and the other pony gives Silver his prize. "Hai, douzo, douzo kudasai." It seems to be a rather large toy of some kind, still in it's square box. Samurai and Gotaro look at it with Silver. "...Hyper Agent Gridmane? Lucky Draw Variant. Black and 24K Gold Edition. Sounds like it must be from a very popular anime or something." Samurai translates the Japonies written on the box. "Indeed! And while I am no expert in such matters, if this is a Lucky Draw Variant, then that means it's a rare version that can ONLY be obtained in these seasonal Lucky Draw games. Which means that it has an incredibly high collector's value; much greater than the regular, mass-produced version of the toy." Gotaro explains.

Samurai offers Silver a smile and a hoof on his shoulder. "I hope you're not disappointed. These Lucky Draw games happen more often than you think, but you never know when one of them will be sponsored by a toy company or something."

Edited May 14, 2023 by Samurai Equine

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looks down and sees that he has indeed gotten the golden bead. He can’t help but feel excited that he had won something, even though he has no idea what that something was. One of ponies working at the booth would give Silver his prize; it appeared to be a figure of some sort. It was nothing that he recognized, clearly from a regional show or at least unique to Japone. Silver smiled as Gotaro explained the rarity of the toy, and while he may not have a use for it himself, he had an idea of what he could do.

“I’m not disappointed, Samurai.” He says to his friend. “I still won something, even if I’m not familiar with it. Tell me, might there be somepony you know who would appreciate this? Maybe a friend or a family member? If so, I’d like them to have it.”

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

"You wish to give it away instead of selling it?" Gotaro asks.
Samurai scratches his chin and looks around, pondering. As he does, he raises an eyebrow then smirks. "Well I don't know anypony personally, but..." Samurai lightly points to a foal in the crowd. The young colt is walking away, looking disappointed. And he's wearing a Gridmane shirt.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

“Yes, I do.” Silver nods his head slightly in response. “I don’t need bits. I find far more happiness in helping other ponies who need it.”

Silver takes note of the colt Samurai points out and trots up to him before he gets too far. “Hey there! You look like you would enjoy this way more than I ever could, would you like it?” He sets the box down in front of the colt with his magic.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

The little colt is surprised, but his eyes light up. "Really? For me? I don't know if I can accept this..." His words say no, but the look in his eyes show that he really wants the toy Silver is offering. Gotaro leans in and whispers to Silver. "You have to offer it two more times. It's part of the gift-giving culture I told you about. A gift has to be offered three times before it can be accepted."

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver nods slightly after hearing the information Gotaro gave him. “Yes, little one, this gift is for you. I insist.” He replies to the colt gently, pushing the box slightly closer to him, fully aware that he would have to ask again before the gift would be received.

[Samurai Equine 46,850]

@GeneralDirection

By this point, the foal's mother steps closer, putting a hoof on her child's shoulder and trying to wave the gift away. "Oh no, we couldn't~! It's far too generous, and we could never repay you." The mother says, and the little one nods. But it's clear the mother is very charmed by the look on her face, and the little colt hasn't stopped staring at the toy either.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looks to the mother and then back to the colt. He gives them a kind smile and takes a step back from the toy. “I don’t require any payment. I don’t need bits. I am simply wishing to give you this gift because I can see how much it would mean to you. Please, go ahead, it’s all yours.”