October 2022 Gremcorps Gift Event Prompt

A soft smile tugged at the corner of the lips of the intimidating grizzled-looking grem as he made his way down through a barren path within the seemingly empty, yet, spooky forest. A metallic robotic arm engraved with the shape of a dragon which matched the tattoo of the rest of his body cured around it; the ghostly glow of the blue led made him stand out within the darkness. White, blue and black fur ruffled alongside a long, red scarf that was wrapped around his neck protecting him from the chilly autumn evening wind. His eyes were dangerous amidst the darkness; however, he was not afraid of the various beasts that wander the forest, having been a former bounty hunter. Yet, the darkness of the forest and the ever-cooler weather brought him more peace than he'd ever anticipated. He'd revel in the change of seasons and the free time he was granted from working his shop. Yet, his destination was the festival this time around to share his wares with the grems around the world.

A piece of wheat sat at the base of his lips, his tongue gingerly moving it about his mouth; however, his eyes occasionally gazed off towards the distance. The growing sound of music started to approach as he made his way down the path. His ears soon flickered upon hearing the sound of music in the distance. A smile graced the corner of his lips and his tongue slowly moved the wheat in his mouth; however, he soon continued his pace to the festival grounds carrying his belongings along with him. He was going to make his way to the fair for several reasons: giving his offerings to Vell, the demi-god, demonstrate his wondrous martial arts moves and sell and gift away some of the belongings from his antique shop that he hoped some others would enjoy. Yet, above all he was going to ensure that he would get some baked goodies for himself and his friends back home.

Tatsuo stepped into the fairgrounds glancing about, exchanging glances and offering a goofy grin to some of the kids who looked upon his mechanical arm in awe. The kid giggled and waved before running off to enjoy the festivities. He grinned to place his tent down starting with the table and whistling an old tune while he started to hammer down the stakes. He unfolded his table and started to place it down, tossing a nice leaf themed cloth over it and slowly laying out the number of goodies to be sold during the event from his shop later that day. He cautiously started to place down the various antique items specially tailored to a fall theme and a mixture of some scrap metal art pieces he's created in some of his free time. Each piece was laid out with precision and care. Each item was a beautifully crafted or almost ancient item restored to its prime for someone else to have. Upon finishing up his stand a broad smile crossed his face and he nodded. Yet, his show and item sales were not something he'd have to worry about until the morning. Tonight was his time to enjoy the fair.

Tatsuo also really needs to satiate his sweet tooth.

He covered his tent for the time being and glanced out towards the multitude of stands set up with various baked goodies and candies. He grinned softly soon enough and started his journey down the fairgrounds to seek out the perfect treat for his cravings when he came across a stall for a contest. Yet, it was no ordinary contest or a display of his feats of strength. No, it was one for determination and will. A smile crossed his features seeing the sign staring back at him labelled, "Pie Eating Contest." How could Tatsuo possibly pass that up? A few grems gathered in line waiting their chance to sign up, when they reached Tatsuo he took no time picking up his pen and scribbling down his name on the line before taking his seat over on the chair waiting with his competitors. Tatsuo was grinning to himself tapping his fingers against the table waiting for the contest to start as members of the crowd started to gather before them.

Challengers kept gathering at the stands glancing at the various others who lined up; however, once sat down next to Tatsuo looking determined and quite pleased with himself. A blue-grey grem with yellow and pink markings sat amongst them; however, spared a glance beside him looking Tatsuo and his form over. He snorted a moment before shaking his head, some looking over Tatsuo's form. Tatsuo, however, raised a brow looking him over slightly bothered by the judgmental stare, "May I help you...?" He asked slightly before looking him over. The blue-green grem simply smiled looking him over and patting his own stomach, "Just noting how puny you look. I've been practicing for this competition for quite some time now." He muttered soon enough. Tatsuo simply smirked at this and shook his head, "Ah, it seems you may be underestimating your challengers so easily aren't you?" He muttered, "What's your name?" He'd ask to look him over. "Val," he immediately shot back, crossing his arms over his chest, "Yours?" The old grizzled former assassin gave a dangerous grin to Val, "My name is Tatsuo. I'll make sure I'll remember your name when I defeat you." He said simply. Val looked shocked at this; however, huffed and released a grin. He'd no further words to say to him.

The remaining challenges and a crowd piled in to enjoy those that would be partaking in the competition and during this time Tatsuo only grew far hungrier and far more determined to beat the one sitting beside him. His head craned over to look toward his opponent for a moment who stared right back out at him. He smirked to himself and closed his eyes, settling before he was startled awake by the sound of a bell. A set of pumpkin pies were laid out amongst the contestants and Tatsuo was feeling his mouth water before looking up at the stack of pies. Tatsuo placed both of his hands on the table soon enough before picking up the knife and fork and licking his lips. The announcer walked between the stands before picking the mic onto his mouth, "Contestants. On your mark, get set, go!"

The bell rang.

Tatsuo quickly picked up the first pie and started digging into it with the fork and knife; however, Val next to him started to devour the pie down just with his mouth. Tatsuo frowned to himself and before long he picked up two pumpkin pies with either of his hands and started to shove them at his mouth, dumping the contents of the pie one by one into his mouth. Tatsuo hummed delighted that he was finally being able satiate both his hunger and sweet tooth at the expense of testing his might. He started to stack the empty trays one by one while licking the orange goop and whip cream from his lips. He'd grasp for several others before him and start to eat more the pies, sparing a glance at Val besides him.

His opponent was behind.

Tatsuo grinned and continued to shovel pie into his mouth with glee, stacking the empty trays beside him and giving a wide grin over towards Val who was starting to grow full. Tatsuo continued to eat and eat, ensuring he kept his steady lead ahead of Val and the remaining opponents of his within the competition. Yet, the bell rang soon enough indicating the end of the contest and the end of the pumpkin pies allotted. Tatsuo's stack of an impressive twenty two tins stood beside him; however, he had a full belly and he was sitting back with both his hand and his mechanical hand sitting on his stomach. "Ohhh, that was so much." He muttered soon enough before glancing over towards Val who was face down on the table. The announcer came around counting the empty trays of each of the contestants before coming to Tatsuo and Val's stacks last. A smile crossed his lips soon enough before looking toward Tatsuo. "And our winner of the Fall Festival pie eating contest is Tatsuo with an impressive 22 pies!" The announcer called before humming softly.

Cheers echoed, chanting Tatsuo's name.

The grizzled looking male stood up soon enough and gazed a broad grin before bowing before everyone and he glanced at Val giving a bit of a wink to his challenger who put up a great fight. The announcement soon came by holding out a pie shaped trophy to Tatsuo and handing it to him. Tatsuo lifted the trophy above his head to the crowd and grinned broadly as the cheers came in. This had marked probably one of the best festivals he could have ever asked for.