Fantasy CrazyNine

[Aukanai]

CrazyNine​

In the spotlight of nine superhumans, is life one of bliss naivety in Svel, or of overwhelming fear in Mear? Will the continue to live as they are, or will they find a way to take a stand? By a word, a gift or a meeting, they're world might just change.
For better of for worse, who knows?

 

[Aukanai]

01: Day of the flower​

Come the first peak of the sunrise, and the entire kingdom of Svel seemed to burst into a celebratory boom.

It was finally here, and townspeople could hardly seem to contain their excitement. For it was just the beginning of the long awaited Dranair Week. From the young to the old, it was all a chance to have fun, regardless of the many different meanings thought. To some, it was very important week to pay respects to Svel’s first king. While, to some it could just be a week of devoting time to the gods. And for the rest, it was just time to get drunk, cause some mischief, or to make some money.

During this week long festival, there always seemed to be a large group of travellers from the neighbouring kingdoms. If all only to check out what the fuss of Draniar Week was all about. Or to see old friends and join the celebration that they perhaps had been apart of once before.

But, it was the capitol of Svel where the festivities were bigger and better, where all newcomers to Svel seemed to be heading. Why come to Svel and not go to where all the action was happening? It would seem pointless otherwise. The ghettos still seemed to celebrate the week, however, though with little resources and funds, it was not the ideal place to be.

Should one just recently arrive in the capitol, it seemed stalls were just about completely set up, and families were watching the sun creep over the horizon. A few of the early birds were wandering around and making small talk before the crowds would grow, knights were out and about and the florists were skilfully arranging their flowers to sell.

Let the first day begin, with all the vibrant flowers around. The day of Jul.

 

[Rustic]

Khalida Daher
The Mercenary


For the first time in awhile, Khal felt light.

Like usual, she was up and about at dawn. Her eyes were lost in the always beautiful signs of daybreak, a breathtakingly orange sky, and the vibrantly decorated capitol of Svel as it's many sights passed through her view. That last point of order was what made this day so thankfully different from the others; that made this view enlivening rather than droll. She was actually going into the capital for once, where other people actually were. In other words: she was finally on vacation, baby! She had to resist the urge to pump her fist into the sky just at the triumphance of that thought. It had truly been forever since she'd had her last, so just the fact she didn't have to sit at the border was a blessing in of itself, but then her plans for was going to do was even better. Today was the first day of Dranair Week! The best reason there was for time off, in her book. And gods, she could not be more excited. She had such a casual stride as she mosied her way into town, but on the inside, she was brimming with a childish delight. Dranair Week brought back a lot of nostalgic memories for her, and that was what she felt she really needed right now. The company of similarly festive people... and a drink. Or two.

Unfortunately, that kind of merrymaking wouldn't be until later today. Nobody else was probably so ready to get going, with most probably having woken up this early solely in name of reverence. Watching and appreciating Jul's light peaking up over the horizon and all. But that suited her fine, too. Once she'd found a part of town that looked like it'd be bustling soon enough, she stopped, too, to bow her head in the same. Maybe her prayers were... a little less traditional than the others, but she did genuinely feel overwhelmingly blessed and gracious to have a day like today, and she wanted to make it known. Granted, she probably shouldn't do it while calling the God of Light himself 'buddy', but hey, her business with the gods was her own. Once that was done, though, and the sun was starting to look a little higher in the sky, she snagged something from her pocket and threw it in the air to admire.

A gold flower. As small - and as obviously fake - as it was, it wasn't because she was being cheap. By all means, though she never planned to, she usually ended up spending money on flowers for whoever looked like they were in want of one, so she wasn't just avoiding some hardworking florists. No, this particular accessory was one she'd kept on her for quite awhile. It was one she'd made an effort to wear every first day of Dranair Week. It was something special to her, something her family had given. And though she would invariably not be spending today with them, as much as she wanted to, she hoped that possibly, by the end of this week, she'd have plenty of time to pay them a visit. To make amends. Today was just the day she'd set aside to work up to it, though, and from this moment onward, as she slipped the small flower onto her ear, it was time to get that train rolling.

She gave one last glance up to the sunrise before leaning back and setting up shop. She leaned an arm up against the front of a building and watched alertly. For someone looking for - or perhaps in need of - a good time. Or whatever other rowdiness there was to join into, really.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Among the festival grounds on the first day of Dranair week, on the outskirts at first, was a young man with long, black hair, always-inquisitive green eyes and a cloak that seemed a little large for him. On his shoulder, he toted a bag that seemed excessively full and heavy to most that would take much notice of it. To him, however it simply contained the things he could not do without anywhere he went, including his favorite books, his journal and quill, soem essential supplies should anyone he come across need healing, and some everyday tools for other important uses, as well as as snack or two, shouldh e find his stomach getting in the way of experiencing the world and its people, and doing what he loves.

To the average eye observing his current behavior, Virgil would seem lost among the steadily livening crowd his morning. After all, he had been meandering about the Dranair week grounds since the very moment Jul had risen taking in the sights with wide eyes and often gaping mouth, constantly fidgeting with the pendant around his neck, as he often did, whever his hands were notoccupied with anything from plucking medicinal flowers, to writing his medical findings, to . All the people, noise, colors and other distractions abound at the moment might’ve not been so welcome earlier in his life; Today, however, he was following up on the suggestion of a recent patient that he might very much enjoy an occasion such as this one. So far, he certainly was, realising that he’d craved to see more of the culture of Svel and, well, this was certainly the place for it. The joviality in the air was near-intoxicating,and each person passing by

However, to Virgil, this felt like a good kind of overwhelm. The man was grateful that there was so much merriment being spread, and could positively feel the joy in the air as various souls enjoyed the festivities as they began to truly unfold an hour or two in. He had not yet spoken with anyone nor engaged in the festivities: he was simply soaking in the atmosphere, savoring it, one could say. Such had always been a favorite pastime of his, as seeing the joy in others had always brought him great joy himself. It was what drove
him to do ihs job, aside from the prospect of saving the valuable lives of good, honest folk.

Meandering closer to where the crowds were gathering most thickly now that he’d become more accustomed to the festival’s energetic atmosphere, he then found himself observing the people, smiling at each pair of eyes that met his own green soul-windows, no matter what sort of look they were giving him back. This place was so infectious in its positive energy this morning, only building as more and more people gathered, that it seemed nothing could get him down.

Soon, he found himself taking particular notice of a woman leaning against a nearby wall, seeming to be on the lookout for something or someone. She had short brown hair and was clearly, at first glance, exceptionally healthy, hardy and strong. Virgil, made curious by the sight of her, found himself walking up to her, meeting her eyes with an inquisitive look.

“Quite the festivities occuring here, am I right? Ah, Pardon the Manners. My name is Virgil, Miss, ahh…” Virgil tilted his head, to an almost comical angle, as he then began to wait for the woman to mention her name. He seemed, and indeed was, entirely unaware that his mannerisms could certainly seem odd to one such as her, dpeneding on her outlook reagarding other people.
Rustic

 

[Vesuvius]

[div class=meredith]meredith locke

The wee hours before dawn were a lovely time to be up at, they really were, although it was a shame that it was too early for the bulk of the population to be out and about yet, apparently.

Oh, of course, many folk who had to do honest work for a living - even on holidays, for someone had to keep the country running - were up well before then, and unlike her, it was not because they couldn't sleep. Though while there was nothing wrong with honest working folk, they had to continue with their tasks, made silent by fatigue. They would not welcome her and her chatter, so she continued alone.

She had been up since that brief period of the night where it was both accurate to say she was wandering rather late at night and that she was up early in the day. It had been hard to get to sleep last night, so she decided to put the small lamp burning brightly at the side of her bed to good use.

Now, of course, the sun's rays made the lamp's dim but serviceable light obsolete, and she was getting a few glances from the rapidly growing crowd for carrying the flickering light, but she did not mind. She did not, unfortunately, have anything to place the lamp in, and she couldn't just abandon her lamp, although it was tempting. After all, it was the only day of the festival when she would not be busy. Most celebrations only truly began at night, giving her a brief period of time to enjoy the festivities.

And of course, to pay her respects to Jul, properly, rather than her usual infrequent and frankly harried prayers. She had limited belief in the gods, but it didn't pay to upset them on the day sacred to them. She would rather not do so, for obvious reasons.

But she would take full advantage of her time. Svel was known for its culture, its capital city a veritable haven for performers such as she. Of course, she had visited many times before, because it was a wonderful place to earn money and because she couldn't resist admiring the city, even though she didn't have much of an eye for beauty.

She didn't quite witness the moment when the sun finally made its appearance, unfortunately too engrossed in the wares of a vendor - a particular species of flower that she did not recognize - to perceive the subtle shift of light that would have alerted her. The moment had gone when she turned her head again. The sun was now up, as radiant as always, but she had missed it.

But of course there would be other sunrises.

She stretched, turning away from the storefront to blink lazily at the crowd that was gathering in earnest. Couldn't even see over their heads, now, although she was never particularly tall in the first place. Before she left, she left a coin for the store owner, to thank them for their time, if not to pay for items. She was feeling generous, on this day of the gods, and she would earn it all back, and more, tonight. Today, though, she was going to enjoy herself.

And, she thought wickedly, she didn't believe she needed to go back to fetch her companions. They would love a day of festivities to themselves, judging by the not-so-discreet sheep eyes they'd been making at each other. She'd have scolded them for being so blatant about it, except she was probably the only one who'd noticed, and she wouldn't have been looking out for them if it wasn't for their slightly different word choices. As long as they were back before dark.

Of course, that meant she had to entertain herself. What a distressingly difficult task for a girl such as her to accomplish in the capital of Svel during a holiday. If only she could dump her lamp.

app • @open

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[div class=siaheadertitle]Leticia Rozenberg[/div]
[div class=siaheadercaption]—no one saves us but ourselves[/div]
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“Whew,” Setz exhaled deeply as soon as he turned into the next hallway, “the Duke of Kalcas sure has an overbearing presence as usual, does he not, Sis?”

“...Sia?” Upon receiving no answer, the Crown Prince sharply spun to his side. And with this confirmation, he could tell that his ever-so-carefree sister had abandoned her duties midway once again. To say that he was exasperated was an understatement. As much as he admired this free-spirited side of his sister, it was during times like these that he wished she’d just settle down for once. Unfortunately, searching for her was like finding a needle in a haystack, so any lectures would have to be saved for whenever she decided to crawl back into the castle grounds.

Just as Setz had figured, Sia was already well on her way to the heart of the capital. But how was it that no one took notice of a member of the royal family wandering the streets? A disguise, of course. It wasn’t like most commonfolk were particularly familiar with her face, and as long as she was dressed like a typical traveler, mixing in with the crowd was a simple task.

Sia flit from stall to stall with her face lighting up at every new sight. While strolling around the capital wasn’t a particular novelty for the youngest princess, large festivals weren’t everyday occurrences and there weren’t quite as many opportunities for her to walk around so freely. Besides, there was no other way for her to enjoy the food while it was still hot. Not with pesky, neurotic guards by her side. It wasn’t that she was ignorant of the dangers of the streets, but what was the likelihood that a stall owner would deliberately poison his or her goods? That was just a poor business tactic.

It was also a point to mention that she wished to pay her respects to Jul in peace—without anyone looming over her shoulder to check on whether or not she was doing so “properly.” Yes, that was certainly the main reason...not.

However, any remorse that she felt towards prioritizing her entertainment over her duties was promptly discarded upon laying her eyes on a particular individual. It was...Maria? Marie? Mary? That’s right. Her name was Meredith. If she recalled correctly, the petite girl was the traveling bard that had a lot of intriguing stories to tell. She also happened to be one of the many people that Sia had introduced herself to as “Alicia,” an alleged run-of-the-mill noble, though something told her that this particular bard hadn’t quite bought into that story.

Regardless, walking around the festival grounds alone could only provide a modicum of entertainment, so it couldn’t hurt to approach her. Perhaps she might even be able to hear more of her travels, things that she didn’t get to discuss much with those back at the castle.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. Have you come to pay your respects to Jul as well?” Like the completely unsuspicious character she was, the disguised princess casually strolled up to the brunette with her poor-excuse of a greeting. However—without missing a beat—Sia tacked on yet another question despite not even having had her first answered. “Will you be working your magic tonight?”

Luckily, she also happened to have some food carried in a peace offering-like gesture. Hopefully things would turn out alright?
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# Vesuvius

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[Vesuvius]

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[div class="textHere"]Her eyes flitted from curiosity to curiosity as she strolled nonchalantly through the streets. It was a day of festivities, but that did not stop some from working. There were the vendors hawking their wares, of course, and the con-artists, who were selling performances rather than wares, unwary that her eyes picked out the false goods they attempted to pass off to unsuspecting tourists who thought they were getting the deal of a lifetime.

She had decided it would be useless for her to interfere. She appreciated a good performance, and they did not need a girl with knowledge of their tricks throwing their carefully constructed illusions into disarray. She had more interesting puzzles to sharpen her mind on, the oddities that piqued her curiosity more than a simple liar, such as a snuffbox made of true silver being advertised for far less than it should, doubtlessly the result of a less than perfectly competent appraiser.

"I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. Have you come to pay your respects to Jul as well?"

She located the speaker immediately. The arrival of another was not entirely unforeseen by her. She had been paying attention to the movement of individuals around her, and therefore was aware of the girl's movement in her general direction, but hadn't expected that any would seek her company. A well-practised expression of pleasant surprise was on her face to buy her thinking time, the unexpected situation causing momentary hesitation. The girl addressed her as if she expected Meredith to know her, but her memory was slow.

Another glance told her that the girl was of bluer blood than the average affluent merchant who bought their way into nobility but managed to leave their manners behind, and was also fairly wealthy, rather than coming from old dwindling bloodlines whose last names were the only item of particular significance they possessed. That was enough for her to remember the girl's name.

"M'lady Alicia!" She exclaimed with significantly more surprise than she felt, and briefly considered dropping into a curtsy. Alas, she was not an individual that curtsied gracefully, and if Alicia walked the streets without guards as befit her station, she may not appreciate the display of deference. She recalled appreciating the girl's company, last time they had met. There was something the girl was hiding, but then again, noble. They were always unnecessarily secretive, and Meredith was practised at the art of discretion.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

And that was the truth, to a certain extent. The celebration of the gods in Svel's capital drew in a diverse variety of people, and certainly, she had expected that most people would be present, if not Alicia specifically. It was twisting the words, but Meredith was a bard, and words mattered.

"I'm here to worship the gods, of course, but I'm mostly here to take advantage of opportunities to earn money." She admitted freely, carefully moving out of the steady stream of people advancing in the same overall direction so she would not earn the ire of a stranger for not watching where she stood. Draniar week was an opportunity for all performers, and many like her flocked to what was considered the center of culture to earn their fortunes. “I will be playing at Lady Iviane’s tonight, but you flatter me, truly. I'm merely an average performer.”

With her varied talents, admittedly, which did not factor into most people's considerations, and certainly not now, while she was being the companionable traveler who was replying to small talk with small talk. She was, at least, interested in the noble girl's company, and not only because the wealthy were particularly generous patrons.

[div class=footerContent]meredith locke • app • Nano [/div][/div][/div]

 

[Epiphany]

The Kingdom of Svel. Brianna had never expected to see it. Never wanted to. But her wants, from staying with her family to staying with the Lightbringers, had rarely been met. So here she was, in this foreign land, walking among foreign people who laughed too hard, spoke with too little reverence and showed a remarkable lack of interest in living an ordered life.

Yet even her bad mood slowly evaporated in the dawning light of Jul's Day.

Dranair Week began with honoring Jul, as was only right and proper. And the sight of merchants preparing their best, of the young already up and eager to be about this holy day, eased some of the bitter tension wrapped around Brianna's heart. These people were foreign to her but perhaps not so different after all. And she needed to see past what differences remained. This was their land and she could no longer stay in hers.

As the sun rose higher, filling Brianna with Jul's light and heat, her heart thawed further. And unbeknownst to her, flowers bloomed in her wake. The grass grew greener, straighter, taller. To florists and those that patronized them, it must seem as if Jul Himself blessed their offerings.

Brianna paused next to a warrior and an overly-burdened young academic and opted to lean against the same building Khal found comfortable. Rather than immediately join the conversation, she instead watched the crowd, acutely aware she knew no one in this city. The woman beside her seemed to have a knowing look, though, and her golden flower looked inviting. Enough to encourage the young man to speak up, introducing himself as well.

"Are you a local, Virgil?" she asked, speaking up as the other warrior made her own assessment of this visitor. "I'd like to know more of the festivities planned today. Is there a place or person who provides such guidance here?"

The accent was distinctly Mearian, though reasonably educated by the sounds of it. And to a keen enough observer, one might notice the flowers in a flowerbox inches away from the warrior's elbow. Notice their growth, slow but just appreciably within the perceptive range of the human eye.

DergTheDergon Rustic

 

[Rustic]

Khalida Daher
The Mercenary



Khal couldn't say she had expected anyone in particular to chat her up because... well, she had been the one expecting to have to make a move on someone. Even in light of that fact, she can still say she's somehow surprised by the man who did end up taking another look her way. Not just in his decision to approach, but because of his general... everything. His bag looked at capacity for whatever it was he toting, and his cloak suggested he might be discreetly passing through, but his demeanor said this was exactly where he wanted to be. It was a little strange. Glimpsing his kindly smile as he spoke, though, she figured she'd consider it quaint. Going off his looks, too, he probably younger than she was, but potentially old enough for some good conversation and some rousing around down the line. Abnormal as he might've been, that meant he was still potentially what she was looking for! Her eyes lit up in warm acknowledgement of his presence, then, and to his introduction, she gave a cool nod, bearing in mind his apprehension. After that, she'd found herself ready to meet his cheery introduction with just the same enthusiam, but before she can, the woman beside her catches her a little off-guard.

Not by her presence. Oh no. Though Khal hadn't taken a conscious notice of it, she had been aware of someone else pulling up beside her when it'd happened. No, it's the woman's voice that gave her pause. The fact that even a third person would decide to kick back like this with her, and what all this woman was packing with her, too. She'd attracted the attention of two oddballs it seemed - though, this one, Khal wasn't as sure what to believe of. This was a woman floating somewhere around her age and was more recognizably a traveler than she was simply guessing this Virgil was; Khal could hear distinctly hear Mear in her accent, after all. That fact gave her some pause, even if she made every effort not to visibly show it.

People from Mear, in her experience, were... unique. Tassara was familiar enough to her, but heading in and out of Mear felt like visiting some entitely different world to her. The people there tended to be stuffy at best, and holier-than-thou at worst, with few exceptions. This woman's posturing and demeanor didn't do much to suggest she'd be much different, either. Only the Gods, then, knew why she'd choose to be present here on this particular day, considering this festival's reputation in this part of the world. That was probably beside the point, however, and maybe none of her business. Her trepidation for the Mearian interloper was destined to be short-lived anyway, once Brianna mentioned her interest in the town around. Regardless of her real intent in asking, Khal's polite grin turned into something far more eager at that. A chance to connect. First, though, she gave a nod to Virgil, who she'd still yet to answer.

"Don't worry about it," she said lightly, regarding his concern about his manners. He was quite a guy, even thinking to care about something like that with someone as rough looking as her. She appreciated that. Her eyes lidded a little fondly, feeling a little endeared to him already. "The name's Khal. Nice to meet ya." She extended a firm hand out for him to shake. Though, if he found himself taking her up on that offer, he might find himself more than he'd bargained for, the woman's grip unyielding in it's force. She'd have simply set him back down gently, though, and if even if he were to decline, she'd pay it no mind otherwise, turning her head back toward Brianna with an oblivious and similarly welcoming look.

"I don't know about him," she announced in her more usual, generally rough and slightly loud voice. "But if you're looking for a good time in Svel..." She put a hand over her chest pridefully and tapped it rapidly a few times to gesture toward herself, looking excited once again. "I'd say I'm one of the people to know!"

She lets that thought linger for only a moment before returning to a little more modesty. "Admittedly," she concedes in that vein, deflating a little and dropping her hand back to her side, "it's been awhile since I've gotten around, but I still know where's everything good's at, I'd say. Especially during festival season." Things always changed during festival season - such came with the capitol being a big and diverse place - but the good vendors stuck around. She knew that for sure. The places worth being generally stayed the same too, when you weren't looking for, eh, too much trouble. And surely these two well-behaved, modest-looking folk weren't looking for trouble either, so...

"I'd be more than happy to show either of you around, if you're getting ready to start your day right?" she offered, looking between the two of them with a quizzical and playful stare. What did she mean to do, necessarily? Well! That was for her to know and for them to find out, if they so dared.

DergTheDergon Epiphany

 

[DergTheDergon]

As Khal seemed to scan him over with her eyes , Virgil tilted his head, hand on his chin as he studied her own form in kind. He wasn’t “checking her out” or anything like that, But simply admiring her lean muscle, glowing skin, and other clear signs of being more or less the picture of health. Everything else about her went right past his observatons. As a doctor, and with a rather different veiw of the human body than a man his age might usually exhibit, he felt happy to be looking upon someone who clearly took very good care of themselves.

His mental notes on Khal’s form were then halted by the voice of the woman herself as she spoke, instanteaneously drawing his focus back to her eyes. Visible relief washed over him as she told him it was no bother to her. He just wanted to make sure, as from his experience, approaching someone with similar mannerisms and dress to Khal had normally not gone too well for him. Her sentiment made him very glad that he’d approached her, along with the kind look he observed on her face that reminded him of some looks his mother, some past patients of his and other nice folk had given him from time to time. He called it the “nice look”. The people that looked at hm that way tended to be very nice to him,hence the very apt name. So, unbeknownst to Khal, she’d already earned a loyal friend in the oddly-dressed young man before her. It never took too much for Virgil to trust a person at first sight; or to be very wary on them, either. It depended on the person themselves more than anything.

Taking the woman’s hand once she offered it, he found himself shaken- both literally and figuratively- by the sheer armstrength she possessed. A couple of moments after she’d gently set him down, he began to recover from the odreal whilst grinning widely. Hedefinitely knew that he liked Khal now, even if she did seem to periodically become a little… overzealous, for lack of a better word.

Virgil had taken notice of the woman now standing near them, but had thought she hadn’t been listening to them speak until she herself spoke. Her accent surprised hm a little, as it might to mant. Mearian, clearly. Among the other Mearians he’d met before, she was quite a different specimen. His own Mearian accent had been trained out of him from years here in Svel, so suffice it to say he hadn’t heard a Mear accent in quite a while now.

Before he could respond to her sudden words, he also noticed the odd movement out of the corner of his eye, a just noticable shift in the height of a nearby flower. He was unsure if this phenomenon was being caused by her, yet it was certainly fascinating.

Once he’d finally refocused on answering her question, he opened his mouth to speak with treipidation, only to be beat to it by Khal, his mouth closing as soon as it opened in a way that may have seemed comical to both or either of the women, should they notice. Once Khalida was done explaining, and offering her pair of conversation partners a tour more or less, Virgil promptly attempted to reconcile his not having addressed the new woman insofar.

“W-well, Madam, I am not a local, no. Khal’s offer,” he said, gesturing towards her jovially with both palms outstretched as if presenting her, “might be good for the both of us to take up. I have a feeling the three of us might get along rather well. What’s your name?” He tilted his head once more, a clear gesture of curiosity he seemed rather inclined towards, as he waited for the woman’s answer to both questions. He, for one, would certainly like to be shown around by Kha;. Her enthusiasm was quite infectious to the young man. There were many questions he was exctied to ask the both of them, yet he decided that it might be better to wait a short while instead of bombard them with questions right off the bat. By past experience of his, others tended to not enjoy that, for some reason. He loved to answer questions,himself.
Epiphany Rustic

 

[Epiphany]

Brianna lifted an eyebrow at the warrior woman's offer for a good time. Mear was rather conservative compared to Svel (or anywhere), so such open friendliness was...not what she was used to. The former Lightbringer adjusted a plate of her armor and returned the smile, warming to such hospitable enthusiasm. Then she stepped forward and offered her own hand to shake, her grip firm and strong.

"Brianna. Brianna Beckett. So, what is good to do in Svel? Anything that's a must-see for someone who's never been here before?"

Such a confession could invite the criminal element to try taking advantage of a tourist. But the risk seemed low. This festival brought in many tourists. And Brianna was far better armed than most visitors to the capital. Even with the peace bond binding her blade to its scabbard, she was more than a match for most louts. Not that this woman looked much like a lout. Or at all. If anything, Khal seemed a strong, powerful fighter. And in Brianna's experience, such fighters were direct. If this local meant her harm, it would come face to face.

Besides, the taller woman was cute.

"May I know your names?" she asked, shifting her hand to shake the man's as well. Up closer, he seemed very much the academic after all. And younger than she'd expected. For those studying to be sages, most were little more than aides, assistants and errand boys at that age. Yet she judged him independent. Interesting, if it were true. Might he be a healer? There was something of a physician about him, now that she thought about it. But such men were usually bound to a hospital or church and rarely left the cloisters. Perhaps another difference outside of Mear.

Rustic DergTheDergon

 

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[div class=siaheadertitle]Leticia Rozenberg[/div]
[div class=siaheadercaption]—no one saves us but ourselves[/div]
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At the mention of “m’lady” before her “name,” Sia fought back the urge to cringe. Fortunately, the bard had chosen to skip any further formalities, perhaps in recognition of the noble’s current incognito status. Just in case, she gave the vicinity a once over before feeling satisfied. It seemed that no one had taken note of the exchange. The mere thought of a stray guard identifying her was enough to disturb the normally calm waters of her mind. If the king and queen found that she had been traveling while throwing around a false identity, who knows how long it would be until they allowed her to step off the castle’s west wing.

“Well, even fugitives would fancy such a grand festival,” Sia responded to Meredith’s question of her presence with a light chuckle. Likely, the petite brunette had said so out of formality in the place of the standard “it’s been a while,” prompting her to reply with a joke of sorts. Hopefully none would read too deeply into her words, as it was, in the end, a half-truth. Not quite a runaway from some dangerous establishment, but it was a fact that she’d be rather troubled if her location were to be found out. Most wouldn’t even imagine that a princess—though rumored to be an eccentric—would patrol the streets so casually, however, so she supposed her secret would forever remain safe.

Meredith’s honest report of her motives, on the other hand, elicited a smile that verged on a laugh. “As dutiful as ever, I see!” While Sia was notorious amongst the nobles for her disdain towards those aristocrats who extorted money for their selfish reasons, she didn’t mind those who worked hard and earnestly. With this said, the blonde followed suit when the smaller girl began to weave through the traffic of the oncoming crowd while listening attentively to her next words.

“Oh, but I do mean it! It takes talent to capture the eyes and ears of so many with words, and it isn’t often that I get the chance to stand beside someone who’s walked so many miles upon this earth.”

A lady musn’t dream of adventure, after all.

Her unsaid words were accompanied by a wispy sigh. It was during times like these that she wished that she had been a child of common birth. Her twin had advised her to lead her life down a path where she could be true to herself, yet it seemed like a dream so far away due to her status as royalty. However, her expression brightened. It was never in her nature to ruin the mood with such trivial moping. “Well! Since you’re being so kind as to accompany the bundle of trouble that I am, would you care to leave your expenses for today to me? I’d feel indebted otherwise, and you can think of it as helping the market.”

But before she could receive an answer, a stall to their left caught her eye. Upon the table lay a neatly lined assortment of glass bottles filled with colorful pieces. Some featured pastels while others brimmed with bright colors that shone like jewels.

“This is...candy?” Sia murmured as she gently rolled a bottle in her hand. Each shift of the bead-like pieces inside sounded the tinkling of a bell. As if used to the surprise that her goods received, the stall owner graciously greeted her with a kind smile while explaining that it was indeed a type of sweet, though foreign in kind. After a brief period of haggling—even the wealthy didn’t squander money meaninglessly—and three small bottles in hand, Sia quickly turned her attention back to her companion for the day sheepishly.

“Oh, my apologies! My younger brother often scolds me that I get distracted much too easily. Where were we again?” She hoped that she hadn’t ruined the image of nobles in this way, though, at the same time, she was sure that the bard had long figured that she didn’t follow the typical thought flow of the upper class. At least, her previous offer was still in air.
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# Vesuvius

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[Rustic]

Khalida Daher
The Mercenary



Really, Khal didn't notice Virgil's attempt at speaking, or his backtracking attempt to properly address their other conversation participant. What she did notice was his comment about the three of them getting along, to which her smile turned delightedly impish, more or less in optimistic agreement with it. He really did seem to have the spirit, and their new Mearian friend was likely the same, as Khal could see as she looked over to check the woman returning her smile just the same. Which meant Khal was more than happy to step forward to greet the woman with a handshake, and even happier still to find feel it's strength. Not that she would've expected anything less from a woman dressed for a fight, but still, it was always nice to see. Her father had always believed it to be a mark of integrity, of someone who'd worked hard for what they'd gotten. And, if that was the case, Khal felt sure the two of them would get along fine.

However, maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Brianna, her name was. After Brianna's rather exciting question, she asked for the same information from the two of them. While Khal wouldn't have ever considered giving a full name to that question before, but since Brianna had offered her own in kind, it only seemed appropriate.

"Khalida Daher," she offered back with a nod. Though, it did feel weird on her lips. Had it really been that long since she'd formally introduced herself? Or, even just as all really? Jeez, she needed to get out more. "Khal, really," she quickly appended. There wasn't a soul in the world that actually called her 'Khalida' beside her father and her boss, and frankly, she'd like to keep it that way. That done, though, she stepped back tilted her head back toward the young man currently behind her, to give him space to make his own introduction, if this was where he wanted to. After his opportunity, there was still the lingering question yet left for her, so she decided to make good on an answer.

"Trust me, there's plenty of places to be. Though at this time in the morning..." She trailed off, realizing how high the sun still was in the sky above them. Again, maybe it spoke to her hastiness. There were still things to do, granted - there was always something to be doing in the capitol - but more active places were probably getting busy set up still. Still, recognizing that did not intimidate her. She placed a hand thoughtfully on her cheek and drummed her fingers for a few moments in thought before something seemed to come to her.

"Ah!" she said, snapping them suddenly. "Just the thing!"

And, with that, it seemed she was utterly taken with what she'd thought of, as almost immediately she started to set off. She kept a slow pace at first, though, and waited until she saw the two of them trailing behind before she went any quicker. After that, though, she walked a bit brisker, knowing there was not too far a walk ahead to get to their destination. It was one of the reasons she'd thought of it, after all. It was hard to say, just by the changing scenery, where the three of them might have been headed, but at some indistinct point, on a road a small ways apart from the main road but not too far into the side streets, Khal suddenly stopped, and to a small but humble tea stall, she made a sweeping gesture with one of her hands.

"Not what you two were expecting, eh?" she asked. "But who can resist some good tea?" That particular question was rhetorical mostly, but she'd generally love to know if the two of them could, because she'd certainly never been able to. It was such a treat! She'd drink it everyday, if she wasn't the unfortunate type who loved saving up most of the time. Either way, her delight at being back here was clear, as this place was something of a fond memory for her. She loved coming here for Svel Week as a kid, smelling all the fresh tea. It was almost a good a scent as all the flowers around, and it never got tiring. She raised her arms behind her head for a moment casually.

"Besides," she pointed out, preemptively looking to quell any misgivings they might be having. "We have some time to pass, and they have a specialty on special teas today." She looked between the two of them quickly with a wink at that little joke. As they could see for themselves on the board in front of the stall, that specialty was on flower-based teas, as befitting the holiday. It was a small stall, certainly, but all the teas listed seemed to be of a rather reasonable price. Except, maybe, for a delicacy being offered today, blooming tea. If what that was wasn't too clear, the pot on display behind the merchants made it crystal. In a glass pot sat a practical but pretty floral arrangement flooded over with an orange-looking tea. It was hard to say by looking it over if such a thing might be palatable, but since Khal could swear by it, she made a point of pointing it out for the both of them.

"Have at that, if you're eyeballing it. It's worth trying. But, either way, since were you both kind enough to indulge me, it's only fair that I pay whatever the first drink is, hmm?" She nodded her head in the direction of the stall, as if the goad them over toward it. Regardless of their response, however, she did make a point of moseying along herself. Both to get herself something, because she loved this place, and to make good on the offer she'd made, if either of them were actually taking her up on it. To her immediate right were some benches to sit on, too, if they weren't, or for when they finished up getting their order.

DergTheDergon Epiphany

 

[Vesuvius]

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[div class="textHere"]Merry's eyes picked out the hesitiation of the noble after the bard deliberately threw a title before her adress, and was satisfied. Evidently the noble girl did not have permission to wander so, and had been startled at the mention of her identity. Feigning idleness, she scratched her neck while turning to one side, then turned a little too much to return to her original position, eyes drifting over the faces of most in the crowd with deliberate dullness. None were watching specifically, or with an inordinate amount of interest, fortunately, for the noble's brief escapade.

Alicia's little joke elicited a snort of genuine laughter from Meredith - hardly dignified, but the girl could hardly complain when she was consorting with the commoners without the knowledge of her parents - even as her mind turned the information Alicia had given her unknowingly. Her word choice was interesting, and gave Meredith a temporary pause. Fugitive - did she have something to hide? No, Alicia's current carefree behavior would not support the theory of her being involved in a serious incident. Could it have been an unconscious slip of the tongue, a suggestion of something odd? She ought to to take note of it for further perusal in the future, certainly, before her suspicions ran away with her and she failed to respond in time. Which would be a disaster, she was sure.

"Well, let us hope we do not run into any fugitives. It would put a damper on my day."

And she was having a wonderful time, provided, of course, the aforementioned fugitives did not present themselves - unlikely, in broad daylight. There would be more of such throughout the week,

She smiled wistfully at the enthusiasm of the noble as she chattered about Meredith's profession, a hobby as much as a job, now. She did not enjoy her travels, although she had to admit she had seen her share of wonders as she traversed the land, even if it was hard to recall most of them - she had never gotten the hang of writing, and her memory was poor. Most of what she remembered went straight into her stories - with more than a few embellishments in order to captivate the nobility, who always preferred the unconventional tales of foreign lives. They desired excitement so much that they would believe in the most unlikely fibs in order to fill up their leisurely lives, she supposed.

The novelty wore off with time, she found.

"You don't need to bribe me to accompany you! It would be my pleasure to do so."

She ws reluctant to spend another's money - too easy to spend it carelessly when you would not be harmed - and besides, common courtesy had to be fufilled. Accepting such an offer would be crass, even from a noble.

The noble's attention was somwhere else for now, however. Some sort of exotic candy? She contented herself with being in the background as the noble examined the curiosity, personally uninterested in confectionary, even of a sort she had not yet seen. Rather, she waited for Alicia while examining a table of grimy trinkets - artificially stained to look like antiques, she noted - stepping back with an innocent expression when she noticed the apprehensive look of the storeowner. Looks were everything, and she supposed her clothes and general - slightly foreign - demeanor did nothing to assure the storeowner, who at least seemed placated by her behavior. She observed the others who came to the imitation antique hawker, however, just as Alicia completed her purchase.

"Oh, it's perfectly fine." Meredith assured the noble, turning smooth on her heels away from the neighboring store and the customer she suspected was a hired shill, back to the confectionary store. "You're here to enjoy yourself, and I'm afraid I am just as bad."

She, personally, could hardly bring to mind what they were talking about. Something about the festival, doubtlessly.

"Well, last I remembered, you wanted to enjoy the festivities." She suggested. "I suppose I'm a foreigner to these streets, but I do know where most important things are."

'Most important things' were nothing more than the entertainment district and the closest high-class dinings. Her boarding house provided plain fares - thankfully, given her inconsistent culinary skills, but she liked splurging once in a while on food that tasted nice, somewhere her common acquaintances would not be shocked to find her at. Unfortunately, her knowledge of the pronouciations of overpriced food would not help her here.

She was confident she could find some source of amusement, at least, in the city during a festival. She supposed even the upper echelons of society enjoyed street shows?

[div class=footerContent]meredith locke • app • Nano [/div][/div][/div]

 

[Epiphany]

"Khalida," Brianna said, repeating the name as if tasting a new flavor. "It's nice, though as a warrior I can always appreciate the need to shorten it. The difference of a few syllables can be the difference between a split head." Chuckling, the Mearian knight added "In the same spirit, please call me Bri."

At Khal's sudden inspiration to set out, Brianna stared at the departing warrior before shrugging and pushing off the wall to follow her. Why not? As they walked, she glanced at the scholar following along and said "You said you weren't a local either. Would you mind if I asked your business here? A pilgrimage?"

Upon arrival at the tea stall, Brianna looked at the scene with a bit of bemusement, a good natured reaction that grew when Khal admitted it wasn't a typical tourist stop. She hadn't grown up with tea but, in her service to the Lightbringers, she'd acquired something of a taste for it. So she stepped up and said "Not me," to Khal's rhetorical question before sliding a coin across for a cup. Brianna then inspected the tea stall's little baskets and bins to what she could recognize. If anything was especially flavorful, perhaps it might be worth buying a small bag for traveling.

At Khal's offer to pay for the first cup, Brianna dipped her head in respectful acknowledgement before saying "Thank you, Khal. If it's worth indulging, I'll pay for the second then."

DergTheDergon Rustic

 

[Aukanai]

Jacek Wolanski & Verona Clio

The sun had made itself fully visible in the late morning sky by the time two more new arrivals entered the capitol with lazy steps. If all at evident on their faces or the way they seemed to move, the journey here had been an exhausting one – perhaps not only in a physical sense, but an emotional and mental struggle too. For one of them, at least. But, the new sights and the festive atmosphere of the capitol was to be a refreshing start, a fresh restart to their tired demeanours.

In fact, as the vibrant colours reflected in her eyes, Verona’s face seemed to bloom in the presence of the flowers. She always loved flowers, and so it was predictable of her to be this excited about the mass of them within the general area. It wasn't her first time joining the festivities of Dranair Week, however, but her excitement was still justified. She had only been involved once with the week long festival when she was still a kid, but such memories were almost nostalgic, and that was quick to set Verona off in a good mood.

Jacek, the young man trudging alongside her, on the other hand, was not feeling as light. While he wanted to revel in the same way at this inspiring, picturesque scene they'd found wandering into the capitol, right now was experiencing a bit of a... block. Fitting, considering that was what it felt like he was carrying around. Everything he was toting had become so heavy on his back that it was hard to focus on anything but the sheer weight, especially as it forced his gaze toward the ground. What he was actually holding were both of their possessions. While Jacek admittedly didn’t travel as modestly as he should, what all Verona had with her today was enough to make him look destitute.

The truth was, the two of them had been traveling together for awhile. Ever since Jacek had left home, actually. Which was good, since Verona was someone preternaturally sweet, and invaluably good company. Especially for someone like Jacek, who didn't enjoy being alone most of the time. That being said... she was also very much her own, special person. The two of them on a whole managed to look after each other mutually, but today was one of those days he was having to carry most of the weight. Literally. He’d learned how to deal with days like this as they came, sure, but today by far felt like the one of the worst yet, because he was supposed to be on holiday for once and he felt like he was about to die. That's what he kept loudly whining in his thoughts, anyway, as the two of them passed by the many gorgeous stalls littering the streets. Their beauty the only thing keeping him from dropping his reluctant grimace of a smile and collapsing in a sobbing heap in the middle of the street.

Almost forgetting of the struggling young man behind her, Verona voiced her awe and appreciation for beautiful flowers all around. In a giddy bop, she seemed to prance forward and then she was set running off.

“I’m just going for a look - over there!” It was almost all a blur as Verona was off and gone, wandering up and down the aisles of stalls; looking at anything and everything with that beaming smile of hers.. She was as excitable and distracted as ever.

So distracted with his self-pitying thoughts, it took Jacek a moment to process everything that was going on, including what Verona is saying. Just doing his best to keep pace, he absentmindedly nodded to hearing her announcement... until she shot off up the street. It was fortunate his eyes had been looking in her direction when she did, too, because he might've otherwise lost sight of her. Not that seeing where she was too much help. He had immediately had to throw himself into a sprint to keep up, which immediately went south, because of the bags. Oh gods, the bags. He'd thought going slow with them was hard enough, but trying to balance some of them on his back while he attempted a run was a special hell. His mind was racing almost as fast as his heart was, though his thoughts came mostly in a string of prosey expletives.

"V-Veevee!!" he yelled out amidst it all, nearly choking as he felt his legs nearly give away and lurch him toward the ground. He pulled himself up just in time though, and managed to keep pacing forward, holding on to all their possessions for dear life. "Waaaaaait..." he added in a quiet, pathetic whine, mostly to himself.

Fortunately for the young boy, he had successfully captured Verona’s attention. She had turned and smiled sheepishly at his seeing his predicament. But, of course, she always did that, and perhaps she always felt bad about it letting herself run a bit wild.

“A-ah, I’m sorry, Jace!” It was in a fluster but she moved forward and tried to take some of the bags off Jacek’s hands, to at least lighten the load the poor boy was having to caring - but it wasn’t as if she was exactly easy to trust with carrying anything these day. Not after last time, where she was ‘misplaced’ them and could not remember where for the life of her. But nonetheless, she was always trying to be helpful at least.

Jacek could feel his heart come to an almost blissful halt when he saw Verona turn around. Thank the gods. He immediately stopped trying to chase her then, and just let himself bend back over a bit and breathe heavily right where he was standing, passersby be damned. Again, just staring down at the ground and trying to breathe easily again, he got a little preoccupied - so much so that he found himself tense up a little again as he felt some of the weight of the bags disappear. Surely enough though, when he looked back up to check, there was Verona, trying to help him out a little. He gave a conflicted smile at that, and a small, huffy laugh. Partly from the breathlessness, and partly from the double-edged sword this was. He was in no position to refuse her help by any stretch, being nearly dead where he stood, but he knew the danger that was coming with it. He'd be trading a physical effort for a mental one, making sure Verona actually managed to keep a hold of them.

Still, he lifted a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose and sighed with relief. He'd take what he could get. "Thanks," he said back to her softly, trying to convey his honest appreciation through his exhaustion. As he finally tried to lift himself back up from where he was hunched. It took a bit of effort - and one of his eyes twitched a little when he heard something in his back disgustingly crack - but he did manage to get himself upright, for the first time in maybe a few hours. His mood straightened out with his spine too, since, the instant he could finally stand, a small smile appeared on his face for the first time today. A literal and physical weight lifted from his shoulders. Almost poetic.

Shifting the bags in her hands slightly, Verona glanced around briefly. It was nearly the noon at this point, and she was hungry (again, of course, this girl has a weird appetite). That was just made all the much clearer in the way her stomach seemed to confirm that fact with a loud growl that she couldn’t help but giggle at, “I suppose, could we go find something to eat for now?”

Jacek had done a little looking around himself, finally able to take in the view around him, but he stopped once he heard a loud growl, and blinked a little when Verona spoke up about it. That had been her, then. He hadn't even considered it until she said it outright, probably because he himself had ended up working past the point of hunger. He pouted a bit, swishing it to each side while he thought it over, but it only took him a moment or two to ultimately decide.

"Yeah, that'd be good," he conceded cooly, his gaze softening on her. Whether he was hungry or not, she clearly was. Beyond that, he could probably use something to drink, anyway. That exercise of carrying the bags had really tired him out. Before she could take that thought and run with it, however, he quickly lifted up one of his gloved palms to signal he wasn't quite done.

"Let's just be..." he started to ask, before faltering for a moment, searching for a simple but descriptive word, to be abundantly clear what he was looking for. "Picky, about where?" He loved some good food, but... he had no idea what the rest of this day would bring, never mind this week, or this month, or this... he stopped his thoughts there, before he he had a chance to work his mind into a frenzy. It was important to be really careful about it, was the point.

She knew just as much that Jacek was a little bit reluctant to spend much money - he always was. But, even more so on just the first day of this festival, they’d be here for a whole week! They’d have to be careful with what they spent. At least, Verona tended to try, though she never really gave much attention to their finances until Jacek would point it out.

And, even now, she didn’t give much thought about. But, nonetheless she returned a nod in agreement to Jacek’s suggestion of sorts. She’d at least try not to get sidetracked as they began to wander.

- collaboration with Rustic ​

 

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[div class=siaheadertitle]Leticia Rozenberg[/div]
[div class=siaheadercaption]—no one saves us but ourselves[/div]
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Subtly studying the brunette’s face for a fleeting second, the princess quickly determined that perhaps she truly hadn’t offended the girl. Nevertheless, she lightly reprimanded herself. She always seemed to find ways to potentially out herself as someone who needed to slip out from the watchful eyes of her household to in order to simply walk the streets. If this were some haughty noble she’d just up and left on the streets, they’d no doubt be red-faced by now.

“Then I graciously thank you for your patience,” she said with a, still, apologetic smile, meant for more purposes than just one. Though Sia recalled that she had never heard Meredith’s reply to her offer, she could tell from the bard’s expression and lack of a follow-up that she had no intentions to accept. It disappointed her that she was leaving a debt in this girl’s hands, but she didn’t dislike honest people. After all, the nobles surrounding her were always in pursuit of money and status to the point where they’d take even the dirtiest methods at their disposal to stay put in their ranks.

She, however, did not need to continue to remind herself of the gritty matters of her “home” life.

“Ah, that’s right,” Sia hummed in agreement to Meredith’s mention of the festivities, “in that case, I’ll be burdening you with leading the way, if you don’t mind.” If she had to say herself, the streets weren’t completely unfamiliar to her, and she did know a few places or two that she liked to visit. However, her favorite coffeehouse was run by a friend who happened to know her identity—and she very much wanted her privacy for the first few hours of her excursion—not to mention the fact that the city during festival days were completely different from other dates. These days were much more diverse and thrilling, naturally.

Mentally tapping her chin in deep thought, the blonde found that she didn’t really have a particular desire to witness a certain thing. As meticulous as she was in her duties, her vacation plans were always left barren, following only her whimsical on-the-spot choices that she happened to make. She supposed that she didn’t mind walking about randomly, but the brunette seemed to be the sort who preferred to set sightseeing goals.

“I don’t suppose that I have anything in mind for the time being.” She finally said. “Would you mind if we were to go wherever you’d normally go to enjoy yourself? I’m not awfully picky, if that means much.”

Looking out at the stalls around them, there was nothing much to do in this district other than to purchase festival wares, it seemed. The expectant stares of the various merchants made her feel uncomfortable, if not slightly guilty, of merely glancing through their goods, and it wasn’t like she could splurge, either. Money wasn’t much of a problem, but coming back with an armful of strange trinkets was sure to raise eyebrows.

Perhaps it would have been better to go with her inconspicuous traveler’s cloak, no matter how unsuitable the weather had been for such attire...
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# Vesuvius

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[div class=siaheadertitle]Einsel Eraclerius[/div]
[div class=siaheadercaption]—the lie is the condition of life[/div]
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Damn mentor. Damn Mihalis. Damn festival.

Having been “coincidentally” assigned a job in the outskirts of Svel’s capital was excusable. Beckford’s insistent whining on his bringing back the city’s specialties while he was in the area was not. Naturally, he should have known something was up, especially when Mihalis begged to accompany him, but what could he do? As a wholly faithless individual from Tassara, a festival of Svel held in honor of some god was of little concern to him, nor was he so keen on keeping track of such dates. However, his lack of attention to such “trivial” holidays was precisely what had landed him in such a predicament.

In truth, Eins had heard the roar of a crowd while they had still been some distance away. It was only his so-called self-proclaimed “friend’s” insistence that it was merely the usual bustle of the city that brought him all the way to the city gates. Not soon after, the skirt-chasing halfwit abandoned him on the streets in pursuit of some “pretty ladies,” undoubtedly triggering Eins to quiver ever so slightly in anger. Ever since the brat had managed to learn a modicum of self-defense, he’d gotten bolder, or rather, cheekier. If they hadn’t been in such a rotten relationship for so long, then Eins wouldn’t have hesitated to shove a vial of laxatives down his throat.

“There’s no need to be so irritated. It’s just a simple errand of buying things, right?” had been Mihalis’ parting words.

Simple? If it had been as “simple” as the blonde had suggested, then he should have just gotten the job done himself. Eins supposed that this was the two indirectly pushing him to enjoy Dranair Week’s festivities, but it was a rather poor attempt of doing so. Haggling with witless merchants was far from his definition of enjoyment.

Eins scowled from under the hood of his cloak. Fortunately, his first transaction had gone rather smoothly, as it seemed that the vendor hadn’t been so keen on prolonging their exchange due to his suspicious appearance. It was precisely this, admittedly, that had convinced him to keep his cloak on in spite of it being stifling while wrapped up in the drapery due to the warmer weather. However, his mood quickly took another nosedive upon turning to look back at the streets.

Where was he supposed to find liquor specially produced for the Dranair Festival, if it even existed?

Right as he was weighing his options on who’d be the most convenient source to ask, Eins swerved to the side to avoid a frilly girl who had excitedly brushed past the crowd to get a better view of the stalls. He would have left it at that, if only he hadn’t caught a whiff of the strange mix of medicinal herbs that his missing companion often carried. Thus, from the few paces that he had stepped back, he quietly observed the lass.

The blonde was a fragile little thing that could possibly be tagged with the adjective “cute” when it came to normal standards and the sort that such people would wish to coddle. Without a doubt...she was Mihalis’ type. Heaving a barely audible sigh, Eins made up his mind to very reluctantly (with an emphasis on “very”) inquire about the whereabouts of that idiot before the blonde and the man who had appeared by her side disappeared into the crowd.

“You two, the one with the scruffy hair and girl with the white dress,” he called out, “have you seen a br- a man around my height with short, blonde hair and a heavy medicinal scent?” From under the recesses of his dark hood, his hidden eyes carefully observed the pair. Thinking back on it, Mihalis’ at least had the sense to keep from randomly approaching people on the streets, especially if they already had a companion. If anything, the three had likely merely passed each other by on the streets, a rather unmemorable event.

“No...nevermind.” Eins tightly gripped his left hand. But since he had already gone out of his way to approach the pair, he might as well get his other mission of asking for directions over with. “Would you happen to know where ‘liquor special to Dranair Week’ might be sold?”

He contemplated the removal of the hood obstructing the view of his face but ultimately decided against it. He’d bother if they showed signs of being wary. From the start, he’d never been one to pay any mind to customs and courtesy unless it came to business deals. Best get this over with as painlessly as possible.

And once he got his hands on Mihalis, the brat was going to pay dearly.
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#Verona Clio #Jacek Wolanski

Aukanai Rustic

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[Aukanai]

Jul's Day Doomsday?​

Settling smoothly into the afternoon, the crowds has grown significantly and business for the numerous florists and merchants was going over greatly, as it often did every year for this festive Dranair Week. The people of Svel were all about enjoying the first day, as travelers slowly began to mingle with the residents and join in the celebration of Jul’s day. By now, there were many people walking about with vibrant flowers in their hands, or tucked into their hair, and families making flower wreaths together.

As the day settled into the afternoon, the crowds seemed to move away. As with tradition of this day, many people would be heading towards the shrine dedicated to Jul, where the shrine grounds extended from the border into the dense forest behind the castle. Plenty of blooming flora around to accommodate the fauna that lived within the shrine grounds. And, among the beauty of the area around it, in the heart of the shrine, Jul’s Tree of Life stood tall and proud.

It was an ancient tree, as tales had spun it, having been there even before human life. Throughout generations, there have been many tales told about it, and each selective group believing in something different but overall the same.

With Dranair Week, it was a tradition to tie pieces of paper with a wish written on it to the branches of the ancient tree. Making it to be some wishing tree on this particular day. Many might have believed that Jul himself would by chance grant their wish. While most wishes were not granted, people still continued to hold onto a hope it would, just like some wishes had been. Whether such wishes were fulfilled by the god, or if they were just purely good luck, it wasn’t known.
-----
This year’s Dranair Week was going just as smoothly as the previous festivals. Business was great, the sun was high in a cloudless sky and people were enjoying themselves - aside from a minor altercation or two. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Right up until…

Both travellers and the townspeople had been visiting the Tree of Life to pay their respects to Jul and to join in asking their wishes. But something was wrong.

It began with one woman having to look down, as if she could feel it, hear it, and surely she saw it. It was quick and spread like fire; the grass, plants and flowers all surrounding the ancient tree seemed to shrivel up and lose its vibrant colors. But it didn’t last long, at least only leaving a wide ring around the tree of wilted flowers.

The phenomenon was a very cause for the people around to be scared. Yet, this was a particularly bad omen. Where many people believed that should Jul’s Tree of Life wilter and die, a doomsday was due to come in one way or another.
-----
If for a pair standing off to the side, a bard and a disguised princess having been just as startled and shocked as the people around them at witnessing such a thing. And yet, that was even more cause for alarm.

As the bard seems to stand and stare off into some sort of daze, and should the princess turn to tap the bard’s shoulder, there was a reason why. Like some sort of shared internal communication. A voice might have seemed to echo around, yet it was only audible to the two of them.

Perhaps the voice of Jul himself?

That was to be confirmed or if the two were just hearing things. Regardless, such voice seemed to bring news, or a request of sorts. However, the words were not as clear as they should have been, for the communication seemed to be broken.

Traitor god….stole...escaped to Tassara...danger to humanity...nine superhumans here...find..

And then the voice was gone, leaving the pair at a silent standstill. Maybe they might have given each other a surprised look. Yet, with a voice having just invaded their mind with the warning of a threat to the human race, things were more than strange and concerning. Still, the difficult task to think about was even beginning to find the superhumans. It would be one feat to find them and whole other thing to get them all to band together and go on some dangerous mission to hunt down a god who might be threatening to destroy all living things. Or maybe such superhumans might go along out of the goodness of their heart, or might need some persuasion via the form of bribery or order of authority.

Still, finding them was the main concern. But that concern was easy to whisk away. They all would all have to be within the shrine grounds. And, really, they weren’t that spread out, seeming to be all within the crowd.

One might have thought to stop the people around and make some sort of announcement. But that both seemed like a bad idea and unnecessary. For the pair shortly seemed to find themselves looking at particular individuals, as if there was some inner compass guiding them to the other superhumans.

Another act of Jul? That was still to be answered.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Brianna’s friendly recital of her given name was met, in Virgil’s case, with a curt nod and a smile, as if silently stating ‘I’ll remember that.” As this other healthy and exceptionally fit woman (there seemed to be quite a few loitering about this festival, along with the male variety; likely fighter or adventurer types, he gathered) looked the young doctor over, he saw a familiar analytical quality in the look in her eyes. Reminded him quite a bit of himself; he tended to look everyone he met over like that. Not to judge them, simply to observe curiously. It was the same as each
new place he came to in his travels.

Khalida’s answer to her half of her fellow warrior woman’s question was quite curious to him. Hearing her full name was odd to him, as she really did look like a “Khal” to him. The abbreviation suited her oh so succinctly in his eyes. That aside, the boy found himself amused at just how well the warrior women seemed to be getting along here. He felt happy for them, and entertained as he watched their exchange with earnest curiosity. One of his favorite things to do was simply observe fellow beings interacting like this, and often went rather long length of time blending into crowds simply to indulge this interest-cum-hobby of his.

As Brianna asked her next question, assumedly aimed at Khalida, his gaze naturally shifted toward the muscle-bound woman herself.

Looking on curiously, head tilted to the side as she carefully considered just what all there was to do this early in the morning despite her earlier boast that normally there were loads around here. At her excited “Aha!” His eyes began to sparkle with an innocent, youthful anticipation, that stayed as Khalida then led her pair of impromptu tour guests to a stall that smelled heavenly to him a good few feet before it was even in sight through the bustling crowd.

Once there, Khalida’s next words only added to the giddiness he felt, and clearly displayed. She’d be giving him a cup of this wonderful-smelling tea for free?! His only response for a good few moments, even as Brianna bowed in deep gratitude, has a nearly overwhelmed, giddy smile as he stared at the rising steam and took in the magnificent aroma. Expertly brewed fine teas like these were certainly among Virgil’s favorite things, the things that fascinated him and lit him up. As such, when Khalida approached the stall fully to make good on her offer, he bounced up and down excitedly, looking through the menu, his eyes widening again once he’d come upon the name of the beautiful blooming teas still being visibly brewed in the background. He pointed to that and said “I’ll certainly have at it, then

Finally, only when he was handed his own free cup and he took a long sip after blowing on it did he remember to look Khalida gratefully in the eyes, like a young boy who’d just gotten everything he’d ever wanted on all birthdays and christmases he could ever remember all at once. Clearly, it did not take much to put Virgil right over the moon and beyond.

“This is lovely… I’ll be purchasing another cup, for certain. In fact… hmmm…” looking over the menu again, he then ended up making a transaction at this stall himself: a small tin of Earl Grey, a nostalgic brew for him, ripe for brewing. Once he’d dug around enough in his already overstuffed bag, he then found a good spot to stuff it in there miraculously enough, before letting the two women accompanying him know he was finished.

“So, Khal, where next?” He asked with deep enthusiasm. “While we roam about,” he continued, “mind telling me a little about yourselves? Only in kind, of course. For starters, I am a… travelling physician, you could say. I’m on a mission to heal all in dire need of medical care that cannot find or afford another. Thankfully, at a glance I can tell I likely won’t have to worry about the health of either of you good ladies.” He then smiled again, his expression akin to a giddy child’s as he followed Khal and Brianna along, content to go wherever they were going for a good while.

As he enjoyed the festivities, he couldn't shake this growing feeling that there was something special about today- like everything was going to change for him very soon. He knew the meaning of this building, anxious feeling as, the last time he’d experienced it, exactly that had happened. He let it flow and enjoyed the day as best he could though, as he knew that was all he could do until the massive change occured, if indeed one did.
Rustic Epiphany Aukanai

 

[Rustic]

Khalida Daher
The Mercenary


Khal simply gave a wide, self-satisfied grin as her two new companions took to her offer in stride. It hadn’t taken her long to find some good company, had it? And good company they were. In their own rather unique ways. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of quiet appreciation as she observed Bri’s own polite but subtle manner as the first to take her up on the offer. She was reserved, but, there was clearly a depth to it, too. Like she was someone keen, waiting for signs of promise. ...Way different from Khal, then, but then, that would be fine. It would be real interesting, though, then, to see what she’d be like later on. Maybe they were more alike than first impressions would have them believe? Wouldn’t that be something to see?

Of even more interest, however, seemed to be her male companion, Virgil. Not something she’d ever thought she’d think to herself, but it did seem as though she wouldn’t be forgetting his name anytime soon, because boy, he was a card. In the moments of this short trip Khal hadn’t already spent observing Bri’s quiet elegance, her eyes had wandered back over to Virgil. He wasn’t so off kilter as to be outright distracting, but his jubilance was charming. And pretty contagious, honestly. He was most of the reason she was smiling so wide, since, it was pretty clear he was enjoying himself just as much, and that was exactly the sort of attitude she loved. She stood back for a moment, just watching them both enjoying themselves in such wildly different ways, before she stepped up to get a cup for herself, and to pay for the lot, like she’d promised.

Once she had her own, she continued to watch the two of them contentedly, and fell in beside Brianna as they sipped and waited for a moment to Virgil to get things together. And, within a minute or so of that, their little group was off once again. She had to put her mind to where for a few seconds, but she thought of something pretty quickly, and since it aligned with the direction she’d already chosen, she simply walked a little taller, as if she’d had it in mind all along. She was glad too, since, in the same breath, she heard Virgil start to ask about it.

“A place not too far off!” she said casually, playfully feigning a confidence in her tone of what she’d been meaning to do. “Might take us a second though - there’ll probably be a bit of crowd.” In fact, Khal could see just from where they were now, still mulling back in the side streets, that the main streets had filled up quite a bit more. That meant a lot of people were here this year. That made her pretty happy for how Svel was doing, but… something about it right now kinda gave her a weird pit in her stomach. But… eh. It was probably just the excitement heightening all her other emotions up. Either way, she brushed it off with another sip into her cup. The very warm tea was a complicated taste, but certainly for the better. Probably wasn’t everyone’s favorite, but it was certainly her own. Oh, she loved spending money on stuff like this. She was getting so pumped.

In light of that, she listened pretty keenly to Virgil’s quick blurb as she walked on a slight bit ahead of him. A physician, then? He seemed young for something like that, but then, everything else about him fit. The very… bookworm feel he gave off, combined with the overstuffed bag. He was upstanding, too, from the sound of it, but that didn’t really didn’t surprise her. He just had that… twinkle in his eye, of an idealist. It was admirable! She had some other thoughts about it, but to his comment about her health, she couldn’t help but give a hearty laugh.

“Gods, I hope so! Otherwise they wouldn’t keep me on.” On that note, though, it did seem fitting to go ahead and talk about what kind of work she did, so, she took a moment to go next. “I’m a… merc, I guess,” she said. “Not something I’m usually announcing, but, eh. Border work...” She looked back at them both a bit nonchalantly. It didn’t hurt anything to say as much. It wasn’t like it was any kind of secret. Nor was it particularly polarizing, to her knowledge. Her family wasn’t a big fan, but then, she had a unique family. Maybe these two wouldn’t take kindly to hearing it, but then, she wouldn’t blame them. She didn’t like it much either. In fact...

“It’s… boring stuff, most of the time,” she admitted, one of her hands reaching absentmindedly to stroke her short hair. “Not really a big fan of the… direness of it, either. At least, not anymore.” Time flew by, things changed. Man, thinking that made her feel like she was getting old. She pursed her lips, for a moment, before unceremoniously putting her hands to her hips and putting it out of her mind.

“But y’know, it’s work,” she finished strongly, swallowing what she felt could devolve in a pointless meandering wallowing. The point was, and it was a point she’d already reached many times, was that she didn’t have so much room to be picky. She could probably rejoin her father at some point but… ugh, that wasn’t the sort of thing she was looking to rehash the specifics of right now. It was what she was doing now, regardless of anything else. She looked back for a second, then, thinking it was about time she passed the topic along, but once she did, she blinked a couple of times, realizing Brianna had already slipped off.

“Huh…” Khal honestly looked around, a little dumbfounded. Sometimes she wasn’t sure, but she really hadn’t been talking for very long. But then, it was probably understandable? She’d probably gotten a bit lost in the crowd somewhere. It was starting to get a bit thick with people around here. Khal took a few more seconds, to see if she couldn’t spot Brianna somewhere around, but when she ultimately failed, she looked to Virgil with a shrug. There probably wasn’t anything to be done about it. He still seemed up for it, at least, though, so she returned to a smile, and adjusted her stare to something encouraging.

“But hey, you sound downright decent!” she praised, finally returning to the thought she’d been meaning to have earlier. “Good for you!” She earnestly meant it, too. He seemed like quite the idealist. There weren’t nearly enough of those in the world for her tastes. She gave him a nice firm pat on the shoulder and a big, approving nod.

“You’re traveling, too?” she added, her hand, in the end, falling back to her side. “How’s that working out for you?” She eager to find out, as she loved a good traveler’s story. On the flip side of things, she was interested in hearing a more personal part of his answer, too. She was glad he had such good intentions, but those didn’t tend line the pockets, so the speak. And while it seemed he had a lot with him, she could imagine that bag he was carrying to be a bit deceptive, especially considering what she imagined a physician probably needed to be carrying with him. It was his business how much he was going to share with a stranger, but it did help to know what he could afford. Definitely not because Khal wanted to help him out or anything. ...Okay, that was probably what it was. And now she was reminded why this week was why she went broke this time of year.

DergTheDergon

 

[Aukanai]

VERONA CLIO

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THE PRETTY IDIOT

The day was going by so fast, so much so that Verona felt she had hardly done anything today and soon it’d be completely over. It was certainly not the way she wanted the first day of Draniar Week to be like. Yet, she was still enjoying it much the same, she just didn’t wish for today to end. With all the pretty flowers around to look at, she might have wanted - and even attempted to buy several bunches, all attempts seemingly stop by Jacek. The need to be wise on what they purchased was a little desperate for now, it was only the first day, and there was another six days ahead with all sorts of other things they could buy. But, perhaps Verona was just stuck in the here and now, without any consideration for their stay here. Or rather, Jacek was the only one who knew how much money they had, and she might have simply assumed they were set for a fantasy paradise that continued to vividly play itself in her mind.

A fantasy that seemed to be forgotten all to soon. The scent of fresh food and cooked meat was enough to bring Verona’s head back to reality. Finally, the two of them have found where all the street food was being served up. Choices were broad, but that didn’t mean Verona could make only one. That was obvious enough in the way she seemed to look from one side to the other. It took just a moment before her eyes moved back to glance at Jacek, an unsure frown creasing her lips. Her thoughts were too lost and too rambled to make a decision. So, as always, she’d leave it up to Jacek.

“There’s so much,” she breath out in a deep sigh and an exaggerated shrug, “I can’t choose, you decide.”

It was cheery enough that it came to sound like a soft request more than a statement. In second thoughts, perhaps she was at least trying not to go over budget. She might be the older one, but Jacek was certainly wiser when it came to money. Verona was an impulsive buyer, and she very much knew this fact, yet it had never once stopped her when she hand her hands on what she wanted. So, here she was, keeping her hands off the prize.

There was an agreement somewhere, and after a small tour around the stalls the two would have finally gotten a bite of some tasty food. A quick solution to make Verona content as she hum a consistent tune between small bites.

“Thaaaanks Jace!” With a cheery nod and a wide smile, Verona glanced at him briefly as the two wandered side by side at they ate, “another great choice.”

Verona enjoyed food, and Jacek always seemed to make choices that she would like. But, knowing her, there is never a time where she can completely finish a meal, and it was these times she relied on having someone around to finish it for her. She never liked wasting food would often make herself sick by force feeding, if there were no one else with her. And just like every other time, she would offer up whatever she had left to Jacek.

“Here you go,” there was a pause as she looked up at him, “you’re still growing, after all,” there was a soft, slight giggle as she reached her arm up to pat him on the head. Jacek was already quite a bit taller than her, and still young. Surely, he would grow even taller, at least that’s what she thought.

As she moved her hand away and looked around again, she might have suggest something else for them to do. There was still so many things to see and do for the first day of the festival. But her planning thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a stranger’s voice approaching. Her eyes leveled towards a man drawing near. There was a minute or two where a dumb look was slapped so plainly on her pretty face. It seemed somewhat fitting.

Nonetheless, her lips moved to make out words without sound. She would have tried to answer the initial question, with lot of confusion along with it, only for such question to be disregarded just as quickly. The second question was no less confusing, however. Verona could only wish to know, especially due to her natural wish to want to help this stranger. She was no more familiar to Svel than he was, despite that though she was determined to help.

Or rather, she could have sworn she had walked by a stall selling some liquor for Draniar Week - another thing Jacek had to convince her not to impulsively buy. However, she couldn’t recall exactly where.

“Ah..actually, I’m sure there’s a stall nearby,” she pointed behind her, the way her and Jacek had just came from, “I’d love to help you find it.” Her smile was more polite than friendly at the current time while she glanced toward the stranger, “it’ll be fun to have another person join us.”

It was all perhaps against Jacek’s say at this point, and Verona was already walking in the direction she had seen the stall, eagerly gesturing the two men to follow her.
--
And, in the travels, it didn’t take much time for the three to find it. As per usual, Verona would have almost walk right by it until Jacek had to point it out. She was giggling again, her hand rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

“Who was the guy you spoke of earlier, by the way?” Verona’s curiosity might have gotten the better of her, but she perhaps backed off, quickly remembering that she might be overstepping her boundaries.

“I-I mean, how about you join us for a little while until you find your friend?” Again, Jacek didn’t seem to have a part in this decision. Verona did give him a glance before figuring out where she wanted to go.

“Hey! How about we go to that big, old wishing tree, was it? I want to go there,” it wasn’t a question, she was moving again. Far too excited to see Jul’s Sacred Tree of Life. She’d only been here for Draniar Week, after all, and that was years ago. She wanted to relive it all and even more.

They would have had to squeeze through crowd on the way there, and finally they were there after the somewhat long travel. Verona was all smiles and cheers once they were there, as she always was. Unfortunately, that thrill was short lived, quickly turned into screams and warning of danger. Verona could see it for herself, the sudden wilting of the flowers around. She stumbled backwards to ultimately falling down onto her butt with a slight ‘oof’. She understood the situation of what just happened before her eyes to know that it was a bringer of some very bad news.

Was it a warning of the god’s? Or was it a witch’s work? The thoughts crossed her mind for a moment before her eyes wandered. She had been staring blankly as she internally debated the meaning of this bad sign. When she had finally snapped out of her daze, her sight seemed to refocus and she found herself glancing towards another trio some distance away just arriving at the scene to check it out. There was something in her that made her gaze linger and unable to pull away.

Rustic Nano​

Spoiler: mobile

The day was going by so fast, so much so that Verona felt she had hardly done anything today and soon it’d be completely over. It was certainly not the way she wanted the first day of Draniar Week to be like. Yet, she was still enjoying it much the same, she just didn’t wish for today to end. With all the pretty flowers around to look at, she might have wanted - and even attempted to buy several bunches, all attempts seemingly stop by Jacek. The need to be wise on what they purchased was a little desperate for now, it was only the first day, and there was another six days ahead with all sorts of other things they could buy. But, perhaps Verona was just stuck in the here and now, without any consideration for their stay here. Or rather, Jacek was the only one who knew how much money they had, and she might have simply assumed they were set for a fantasy paradise that continued to vividly play itself in her mind.

A fantasy that seemed to be forgotten all to soon. The scent of fresh food and cooked meat was enough to bring Verona’s head back to reality. Finally, the two of them have found where all the street food was being served up. Choices were broad, but that didn’t mean Verona could make only one. That was obvious enough in the way she seemed to look from one side to the other. It took just a moment before her eyes moved back to glance at Jacek, an unsure frown creasing her lips. Her thoughts were too lost and too rambled to make a decision. So, as always, she’d leave it up to Jacek.

“There’s so much,” she breath out in a deep sigh and an exaggerated shrug, “I can’t choose, you decide.”

It was cheery enough that it came to sound like a soft request more than a statement. In second thoughts, perhaps she was at least trying not to go over budget. She might be the older one, but Jacek was certainly wiser when it came to money. Verona was an impulsive buyer, and she very much knew this fact, yet it had never once stopped her when she hand her hands on what she wanted. So, here she was, keeping her hands off the prize.

There was an agreement somewhere, and after a small tour around the stalls the two would have finally gotten a bite of some tasty food. A quick solution to make Verona content as she hum a consistent tune between small bites.

“Thaaaanks Jace!” With a cheery nod and a wide smile, Verona glanced at him briefly as the two wandered side by side at they ate, “another great choice.”

Verona enjoyed food, and Jacek always seemed to make choices that she would like. But, knowing her, there is never a time where she can completely finish a meal, and it was these times she relied on having someone around to finish it for her. She never liked wasting food would often make herself sick by force feeding, if there were no one else with her. And just like every other time, she would offer up whatever she had left to Jacek.

“Here you go,” there was a pause as she looked up at him, “you’re still growing, after all,” there was a soft, slight giggle as she reached her arm up to pat him on the head. Jacek was already quite a bit taller than her, and still young. Surely, he would grow even taller, at least that’s what she thought.

As she moved her hand away and looked around again, she might have suggest something else for them to do. There was still so many things to see and do for the first day of the festival. But her planning thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a stranger’s voice approaching. Her eyes leveled towards a man drawing near. There was a minute or two where a dumb look was slapped so plainly on her pretty face. It seemed somewhat fitting.

Nonetheless, her lips moved to make out words without sound. She would have tried to answer the initial question, with lot of confusion along with it, only for such question to be disregarded just as quickly. The second question was no less confusing, however. Verona could only wish to know, especially due to her natural wish to want to help this stranger. She was no more familiar to Svel than he was, despite that though she was determined to help.

Or rather, she could have sworn she had walked by a stall selling some liquor for Draniar Week - another thing Jacek had to convince her not to impulsively buy. However, she couldn’t recall exactly where.

“Ah..actually, I’m sure there’s a stall nearby,” she pointed behind her, the way her and Jacek had just came from, “I’d love to help you find it.” Her smile was more polite than friendly at the current time while she glanced toward the stranger, “it’ll be fun to have another person join us.”

It was all perhaps against Jacek’s say at this point, and Verona was already walking in the direction she had seen the stall, eagerly gesturing the two men to follow her.
--
And, in the travels, it didn’t take much time for the three to find it. As per usual, Verona would have almost walk right by it until Jacek had to point it out. She was giggling again, her hand rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

“Who was the guy you spoke of earlier, by the way?” Verona’s curiosity might have gotten the better of her, but she perhaps backed off, quickly remembering that she might be overstepping her boundaries.

“I-I mean, how about you join us for a little while until you find your friend?” Again, Jacek didn’t seem to have a part in this decision. Verona did give him a glance before figuring out where she wanted to go.

“Hey! How about we go to that big, old wishing tree, was it? I want to go there,” it wasn’t a question, she was moving again. Far too excited to see Jul’s Sacred Tree of Life. She’d only been here for Draniar Week, after all, and that was years ago. She wanted to relive it all and even more.

They would have had to squeeze through crowd on the way there, and finally they were there after the somewhat long travel. Verona was all smiles and cheers once they were there, as she always was. Unfortunately, that thrill was short lived, quickly turned into screams and warning of danger. Verona could see it for herself, the sudden wilting of the flowers around. She stumbled backwards to ultimately falling down onto her butt with a slight ‘oof’. She understood the situation of what just happened before her eyes to know that it was a bringer of some very bad news.

Was it a warning of the god’s? Or was it a witch’s work? The thoughts crossed her mind for a moment before her eyes wandered. She had been staring blankly as she internally debated the meaning of this bad sign. When she had finally snapped out of her daze, her sight seemed to refocus and she found herself glancing towards another trio some distance away just arriving at the scene to check it out. There was something in her that made her gaze linger and unable to pull away.

 

[Aukanai]

AMEL GRAND

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE STOIC SWORDSMAN

It wasn’t particularly ideal, but he couldn’t just fool around all day, no matter how much he wanted to. There was things to do...like find his sister. Whenever she was, he didn’t really know where to begin looking, she was all over the place today. She was always like this for Draniar Week, too busy practically running around to see everything she could for the day. But, with a simple shrug to himself, Amel adjusted his crinkled shirt, fingers fiddling to button it up. It was about noon now, and the first thing he knew to do was to get something to eat, especially since he hadn’t eaten anything yet for the day.

So, with a quick look over his attire to straighten out his clothes, and a sweet farewell to his fiance, he was on his way. Through the growing crowd with stiff movements in the direction of the food court. The aroma of roasted meat rising through the air with the mingled delicacy of freshly brewed tea. And, with a brief glance around, Amel saw no sight of his sister.

It might just take all day to find her. Yet, it wasn’t as if he really needed her for anything.

If anything, actually getting food for what might have been a day or two was more on his mind than Annarei was. But, in his wandering, he was surprised to find the one other person he ever bothered to remember.

It’d been a long time since they’d last seen each other, and Amel didn’t really think she would actually get here for the festival. Nonetheless, she was here, and there was no reason for him to avoid her, nor was there much of a chance to even sneak away.

Khal was with some company, but he knew that she had seen him already. Without the needed beckon, Amel began heading towards two without so much as a greeting. At the least, he might have looked at Khal with a shrug and a somewhat amused look on his face.

“Wouldn’t have thought you’d make it this year, as usual. What, did you sneak away from your post?” There was a brief pause as Amel glanced towards the other man standing beside Khal. He might have raised a brow but didn’t bother with the usual introductions, rather he turned his attention back to Khal. “You’re hardly here. Did Anna make you come?”

If there was much interest in this small talk, maybe Amel would have continued, but he still had to find his sister. “Oh-” he might have mumbled in a whisper as if he had caught a clue of where Anna might be. Still...there was something he had forgotten, “oh yeah, who are you?” Amel properly turned towards the other man, practically looking down at Virgil from his towering height.

Though he might have asked, he was still just as disinterested, a name was all he wanted to know, and well...he’ll leave it to Khal to fill the smaller man in on who Amel was. As such might have happened, Amel had turned his back, glancing around and trying to figure out which way to take. The crowd was growing so much so that Amel didn’t know. He’d just have to guess which way he thought was right.

“Khal-” shoving his hands into his pockets and sighing lightly, “how about we go to that big old tree? I need to find Anna, and I’m sure she’d be there..”

After a few moments as an agreement was responded, the three of them started walking through the crowd toward the Sacred Tree. Of course, there had been a crowd there too.

Only…

Things were wrong...terribly wrong. As they neared, Amel could see the damage that was the ring of withered flowers. It was, to say in the least, an unnatural thing. Amel wasn’t so uneducated nor naive to not understand that. He wasn’t a superstitious person in the least, but there was no natural source that could cause such. And while he might have been staring at the scene ahead, he found his gaze moving and soon found that he was making held eye contact with a young woman beside two others.

“Might be a crazy shot..” Amel began slowly, unable to tear his gaze away from the stranger, “but I have a gut feeling that those three over there might know something..”

There may have been an answer of some kind, but Amel could only register Khal’s as she seemed to shove a hand in his face and jerk his head to the side.

Well...maybe staring at the young lady was a bit rude. So, ultimately he probably deserved the sore neck.

Rustic DergTheDergon​

Spoiler: mobile

It wasn’t particularly ideal, but he couldn’t just fool around all day, no matter how much he wanted to. There was things to do...like find his sister. Whenever she was, he didn’t really know where to begin looking, she was all over the place today. She was always like this for Draniar Week, too busy practically running around to see everything she could for the day. But, with a simple shrug to himself, Amel adjusted his crinkled shirt, fingers fiddling to button it up. It was about noon now, and the first thing he knew to do was to get something to eat, especially since he hadn’t eaten anything yet for the day.

So, with a quick look over his attire to straighten out his clothes, and a sweet farewell to his fiance, he was on his way. Through the growing crowd with stiff movements in the direction of the food court. The aroma of roasted meat rising through the air with the mingled delicacy of freshly brewed tea. And, with a brief glance around, Amel saw no sight of his sister.

It might just take all day to find her. Yet, it wasn’t as if he really needed her for anything.

If anything, actually getting food for what might have been a day or two was more on his mind than Annarei was. But, in his wandering, he was surprised to find the one other person he ever bothered to remember.

It’d been a long time since they’d last seen each other, and Amel didn’t really think she would actually get here for the festival. Nonetheless, she was here, and there was no reason for him to avoid her, nor was there much of a chance to even sneak away.

Khal was with some company, but he knew that she had seen him already. Without the needed beckon, Amel began heading towards two without so much as a greeting. At the least, he might have looked at Khal with a shrug and a somewhat amused look on his face.

“Wouldn’t have thought you’d make it this year, as usual. What, did you sneak away from your post?” There was a brief pause as Amel glanced towards the other man standing beside Khal. He might have raised a brow but didn’t bother with the usual introductions, rather he turned his attention back to Khal. “You’re hardly here. Did Anna make you come?”

If there was much interest in this small talk, maybe Amel would have continued, but he still had to find his sister. “Oh-” he might have mumbled in a whisper as if he had caught a clue of where Anna might be. Still...there was something he had forgotten, “oh yeah, who are you?” Amel properly turned towards the other man, practically looking down at Virgil from his towering height.

Though he might have asked, he was still just as disinterested, a name was all he wanted to know, and well...he’ll leave it to Khal to fill the smaller man in on who Amel was. As such might have happened, Amel had turned his back, glancing around and trying to figure out which way to take. The crowd was growing so much so that Amel didn’t know. He’d just have to guess which way he thought was right.

“Khal-” shoving his hands into his pockets and sighing lightly, “how about we go to that big old tree? I need to find Anna, and I’m sure she’d be there..”

After a few moments as an agreement was responded, the three of them started walking through the crowd toward the Sacred Tree. Of course, there had been a crowd there too.

Only…

Things were wrong...terribly wrong. As they neared, Amel could see the damage that was the ring of withered flowers. It was, to say in the least, an unnatural thing. Amel wasn’t so uneducated nor naive to not understand that. He wasn’t a superstitious person in the least, but there was no natural source that could cause such. And while he might have been staring at the scene ahead, he found his gaze moving and soon found that he was making held eye contact with a young woman beside two others.

“Might be a crazy shot..” Amel began slowly, unable to tear his gaze away from the stranger, “but I have a gut feeling that those three over there might know something..”

There may have been an answer of some kind, but Amel could only register Khal’s as she seemed to shove a hand in his face and jerk his head to the side.

Well...maybe staring at the young lady was a bit rude. So, ultimately he probably deserved the sore neck.

 

[Rustic]

Jacek Wolanski
The Scriptwriter


After the two of them set off, Jacek's erratic mood cooled significantly. It wasn't like there had been an end to the trouble they could get into now - he was still rather alert as he watched Verona peruse through the stalls - but at least now things felt manageable again. Their dynamic had stabilized back into what it usually was: him occasionally having to keep them on track from too much frivolity. In a way, he almost felt like doing this together helped keep him on track, too. He was probably the most responsible when it didn't just concern himself, he supposed. And so, he didn't really mind. And, in spite of the hot day waxing and waning overhead, he could honestly say he was enjoying himself, too. Even if they weren't buying much, the sights and the banter between them was enough.

He was a little surprised when, sometime in the middle of it, the topic of food came up again, it being time to make a decision. More so concerning the fact that he was the one choosing where they'd go. However, he only nodded and accepted the task without any commentary. They generally came to quick agreements either way, so, having the first say about it really was just taking out some of the work. Sure enough, they come to a mutual agreement after one or two suggestions, and in no time at all they're back walking again with something delicious in hand. Jacek could only sigh contentedly as he breathed in the smell for himself. A fruit and vegetable kebab. Exactly the light departure from the travel-friendly foods they tended towards that he needed.

At first opportunity he dug in happily, an honestly untroubled looking smile crossing his lips for what might’ve been the first time today. He had finally had everything he needed. Despite not initially not having much of an appetite, he happily went to town on his small serving, managing to make quick work of it, too. As he might’ve suspected, the heat was mostly what had been suppressing his appetite. Just as he was finishing up his small serving, Vee happened to be as well, though not in the same way. He blinked curiously as she handed over her share, not really hesitating in knowing this to be routine, but in the space that she paused, he had only barely considered eating a little more before she hit him with her reasoning.

"Vee..." Once he’d parsed it, he whined his nickname for her quietly, tears already welling up again in his eyes. Either he looked young enough that she'd really forgotten what age he was, or she was simply unaware that what’d she’d said just wasn't true. At nineteen, he certainly wasn’t getting any taller. No matter which scenario was true, in his mind, this was a deep wound she'd accidentally opened. As she found herself distracted by something else, he quickly made a pronounced attempt at wiping his eyes. A bit uselessly, as small droplets just continued to form as his thoughts began to actually creep onto the fact that he was stuck at this height forever. He was doomed to look like a fourteen year old forever, nobody would ever take him seriously... his mind found itself so consumed with that sort of pity, and he was so busy wiping his eyes, too, that he didn't register the stranger approaching until the man was upon them. Where it was too late.

He made a small, alarmed noise akin to a yelp as he realized they were being talked to, and rather pathetically, he far more furiously wiped at his eyes as Verona attempted to form a response. The questions he'd asked didn't even make it to his ears in the meantime, so it was only really by the grace of the gods that either of them got a response. Or, rather, by Verona's own grace, as she was just naturally good with people. By the time she had turned to show the man the right way, however, Jacek had finally straightened himself out a bit, determined not to make himself look anymore like some crying kid following Verona around and oh gods why did he have to remind himself of that again. There's one more pathetically loud sniffle as he tries to reconcile the new onslaught of emotions he'd just encouraged before he just gave up and emphatically nodded, determined to just agree to whatever Verona had if only to get things over with.

"Y-yeah," he added meekly to Verona's response, finally turning his head away from Eins' direction to try and calm down a bit. "We'll help." He didn't actually know what he was agreeing to, but being used to regularly throwing himself into things he didn't really understand, it didn't occur to him what might be happening. He simply moved forward when Verona beckoned him on, one of his palms lightly cupping his face. In fact… what was happening really didn’t dawn on him until he finally noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the man they were helping also following along. To only make matters worse, it also only occurred to him then how dubious the circumstances were as he finally took a look at the man as covertly as he could.

Jacek didn’t know right away if the guy noticed him staring, really, but he shivered a little for the few stolen moments he looked the man over. There were plenty of reasons one might choose to cover their face, granted - many of them, in his mind, really cool - but despite them, Jacek couldn’t help but be somewhat nervous. He was kinda super shady, and neither he or Verona were very strong, and their powers would be so much trouble… it was just, like, not ideal at all to be running off with some stranger right now with all their stuff on them. He wanted to say something to Verona, to call this off before it potentially got out of hand, but… no, it was already too late for that. The best thing they could do was to do what they’d been asked, and to hope this guy was really generous or something. Yeah. He flashed a highly unnecessary and likely suspicious smile to Eins before speeding up his pace just enough to catch up shamefully to Verona, with whom he then walked practically in lockstep to their destination.

Fortunately, he at least thought to get caught up with Verona quietly in the meantime, and when the three of them were nearly about to pass up the stall, he gently gripped onto her arm purposefully. The gesture came complete with a small, barely audible sigh of relief as the man got what he came for. Or, a sigh that should’ve been barely audible, anyway. That might’ve not been the case for their companion, unbeknownst to Jacek. Regardless of that fact, Verona quickly piped up again with a question which made Jacek’s face twitch harshly in obvious shock. She decidedly amended it with something a little more appropriate; however, unfortunately, it really wasn’t much better. At least, for him. When Verona looked his way, his glance definitely was something akin to a deer in headlights, but her mind already set to it, she probably hardly noticed as she went ahead in her plans.

From there, it was like a whirlwind of motion forward. Usually he had somewhat of a grip on determining where they went, but sometimes it happened that he ended up strung along, and that was definitely what happened at that moment. Jacek struggled to keep a light grip onto Verona’s shoulder as the crowd around them picked up and she struggled on through. It might’ve been a significantly easier task for their follow-along, but between his diminutive height and size, trying to throw any weight around to get was certainly harder, and somewhat of a pain to get all the way there. He really had no idea how Verona did it so effortlessly; but then, that was the difference with them concerning most things.

When they did finally make it, he was a bit out of breath - the trip, combined with all the other walking they’d done, having left him a little worse for wear. But that feeling proved to be nothing compared to what the scenery had in store for them. It seemed they had all arrived just in time to together watch something truly terrifying unfold. He barely had time to take in the dreamy view of all the petals gently floating down around them before it morphed into a nightmare. The colors lost their beautiful vibrancy in almost a wave, alongside the ones all over the ground. Soon enough the peaceful air was alive with fear, and even a few screams. A small one courtesy of his easily startled self. After a second or so, it was over, only to be replaced by a small stumble back.

“A-hh, no no no. Oh gods no.” He really had no idea what this was supposed to mean, but if he had to guess? Nothing good! All it really signalled to him was that the three of them really shouldn’t be here. Probably nobody should. Whatever could do something like this had to be some big bad force and he wasn’t about to stick around to figure out what or who it was. He was curious, sure, but certainly not stupid. Once he finally got a handle on his stunned facilities, his immediate thought was to Verona, but as soon as he looked toward her, he could tell something was up. Her eyes weren’t on the frankly batshit weirdness going on all around, but at some point fixed in the distance. He thought to look up to the guy they were with to get a gauge on what might be going on or even for some help, but not immediately finding either, he bent down over to try and get Verona up anyway.

“Veevee, we gotta go,” he pleaded quietly, lightly shaking her on the shoulder a time or two before finally thinking to look up to see what she was so intent on. Which, of course, also captured his attention, for some reason he couldn’t fathom. He could, though, hazard a guess. Just across from them was another group of three, two of them looking at them just as intently. But like, the guy who wasn’t? Wow. Just… what a sight. Sorta long sandy hair and those sea blue eyes and that some other adjective body. Jacek was so overwhelmed for once he couldn’t even think of something to compare his looks too - they were that good. But um… right! Now wasn’t the time! Someone had to be responsible! He had given what was probably a rather embarrassed look as his face turned a wild red in staring at the other group, but after a moment, he immediately seemed to recognize himself and returned to what he’d been doing - trying to get Verona out of here. Something in him was telling him he should probably be sticking around, but screw that. He couldn’t go anywhere near that dreamboat. Oh, and uh… getting out of here, too, also seemed important. Yeah.

“Vee? Vee. I know he’s hot, I get it - we gotta go,” he freshly insisted, continuing to gently shake her in his now fervent attempts at moving her to action.

Aukanai Nano