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"It's okay," Shakuntala assured Axel again. "A-And... That's a possibility. I guess..."

The girl hadn't considered the idea until the male brought it up. I could buy my own horse, she thought to herself. But I'll probably never make the money... The girl frowned sadly at her own internal thought, but outwardly, it looked at though she was upset with Axel's reply of not being fond of animals. The girl quickly shook her head a little and pursed her lips in a small chagrin.

"H-He did sort of... But-" The girl would've continued with her thought had Axel not pointed out the male offering himself to Preacher -- the boy she recognized before from her mum's booth. "I-I don't know..." she responded curiously, though she tried not to look too interested. "But I wouldn't know. I heard... people from the inner walls were, erm, different... So I'm not very surprised..."

Flashing Shun an almost feral grin, Preacher laughhed. "I'da take you on any day. You may be a big b*****d, but you ain't as quick as me!" Well, most people were bigger than Preacher. She was little and lithe and that worked in her favor during fights. No one expected the kid to dodge as quickly as she did. "N' yeah, I'd love to do something about him. I hate that blackguard, ********' arse-"

At that moment, Sage has walked over and, among other irritable things, nonchalantly exposed Preacher's gender. What the ******** was he thinking? It was hard on the streets for a boy, harder for a girl, so Pastor Hoen had suggested she adopt this guise. And it had worked. She'd seen girls younger than her sold to who're houses or standing on street corners, when she, dressed a boy, could get by on violence and thievery. The Eastern Alleyway was not a place meant for girls. Her face twisted into an ugly expression and, haltingly, she calmed herself.

"Miss? I'm a boy, ya blind slugrat. I knew he were daft, but..." She looked at Shun and trailed off, as if to say Saga was hopeless. Preacher made a rude gesture, hoping to drive him away. But an inspiration struck her, and, really, the dance floor called to her. "Though I guess, iffin you're into that... any port inna storm. Too bad for you I ain't swung that way. What, though? You wanna dance? Ya wanna dance the women bit? Alrigh', gov, but damn, didn't know you was like that. I got men after me left 'n' right, ********. Ya gonna pay me for my time?"

Abuse had streamed from her lips, a hasty attempt to discredit Saga's words. Nevertheless, she put her hand in his. He had held in out in the manner of a woman accepting a man's proposal. It was... weird. But Saga was weird. And maybe she could somehow get cash out of him.

"Not very far, yet," Zin admitted. "I haven't had much time. I'm at the start of chapter two; she just found the stone." Her eyes twinkled. "Maybe when I finish it, we can talk about it more! I'll work hard and read it as fast as I can, once the parade is over. Did you like it? Is it a good book?"

Zin was glad that she had found a common interest with Lenore. She'd thought that they were very different, but now she was beginning to wonder if they had a lot more in common after all.

((Woo improv! xD))

Lenore nodded happily. "Yeah. You won't believe what the secret is! It's a really cool idea!"

As she moved in time with the other girl, Lenore wondered why talking with Zinnia about the book was more fun than talking with the customers at the bookstore about books. Was this another 'friendship' thing?

As usual, Saga was entirely unawares of most of what risks and problems are posed to a girl growing up on the streets. Seeing Preacher's face twist in anger, he braced himself for another slap- but she calmed down and what she said next brought an enthused look to his face. Few and far between were the people willing to play roles with him, even though he never did outgrow games of make-believe.

He answered, laughing. "Alas, slugs are slow and rats are cunning, I suppose I am neither. Forgive my mistake!" He could hardly understand what she spoke of next, but caught enough to make reply as he let her drag him into the dance, shooting a disappointed look at Shun as they stepped away.

"I shall swing any way that does you service! I could see the music lift your feet." He wouldn't mention Shun, for it would cause her embarrassment. If this had, in fact, been a courtesan at a social party, which it wasn't. "And to be bought and sold would not befit your good looks." He said it with a good-natured formality, but looked right at her with that childlike joy in his eyes.

He moved smoothly, catching on to the moves with ease; it was a perky dance, more coy and upbeat than the social dances he was accustomed to, but he liked it. The tune was simple, but lively.

"Heh. Is that what you think?" Shun shot towards the younger boy. He was pretty quick, himself, and often relied on his agility and well aimed attacks when in a fight moreso than brute strength. That said, given their differences in size, Preacher could very well be quicker. As far as Axel went, he eyed the boy from afar. There was a small surge of curiosity regarding the history between the two. It wasn't really his business, however.

He crossed his arms once more while watching the exchange between Preacher and the field marshal. Somehow, he had the feeling that the guy didn't quite get what Preacher was getting at. Or maybe he did. The man seemed a little...strange to him so it was hard for him to say for certain. It probably also didn't really matter a great deal.

While those two went off to dance, he just took a step back and watched the crowd as a whole.

This time, Danny twirled Rikki, having fun switching between leading and following. It was all in good fun after all.

"Think Shun will do the costume part? I'd love to see him in a flowery get up," she teased, only half-heartedly meaning it. "I want a knight costume! With a sword!"

It was probably in everyone's best interest to not give Danny a sword.

"Ah-" Shakuntala made a small, embarrassed squeak and dipped her chin to her bosom.

Being known by another she wasn't personally aware of brought about an odd feeling in her. Was her mum's curry that popular? Or did she stand out? The ambiguity toward the answer made her fidget a bit and she accidentally stepped on the male's toe.

"S-Sorry!" she yipped. "A-And yes... I... I do. B-But I only help out... Mum can't do everything on her own." Desiring to turn the tides of the conversation (mentioning that she was fond of horses and a waitress at her parent's booth were both too embarrassing), she added, "Your work... What do you do?"