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"It's just so crowded here, isn't it? Maybe someday you'll have a shop in this city!"

He was finally here in the beautiful big city of NHC! Amonee had spent the last week preparing for a big trip into the city to do some shopping and wow- it was even more incredibly in person than it was on TV. Coming from a quiet and low tech place like the caves of Busthind... this was like a whole different world to the young jadeblood. Of course his travel companion, Nucleo Glatte, seemed to be a seasoned wanderer but the fact that the greenblood had been here several times didn't dampen the duo's excitement. It was nice to have a knowledgeable guy around and Amonee had found himself surprised at how smart Nucleo was. Not that he had judged the greenblood as dumb but, well, the painter had expected the barista to be more of a country bumpkin. He was more reliable than Amonee had thought.

"I wonder what all the noise is? Do you think there's a party?" Down the street a group of trolls was gathering and Amonee squinted around the trolls passing by to get a look at things. Amazingly enough, he actually recognized a few of the trolls and let out a gasp of surprise. It was the beautiful yellowblood from the harvest festival and wasn't she just darling in that cheerful outfit she was wearing? And the ever glamorous Frossa with her perfect curls and dutiful butler Alifax carrying the weight of the night's work in his arms. Caiden the cute but loud troublemaker talked with a moody looking boy Amonee had never seen before. A few more classy looking highbloods poked at the booth as well and Amonee brightened at the sight of a particular blueblood with flushed cheeks. His pump biscuit tightened but in a nice sort of way. Azrael was even here, it was sure to be a great time!

"Excuse me, we'd like to join too!" Nucleo didn't even get a choice as the painter dragged his friend to the booth and grabbed at the signup forms. "Azrael, you look well! Good to see you, Caiden. And oh, Frossa, you look- oh I can't even speak- you're just so chic." He gushed at the sight of one of his favorite muses while giving her escort Alifax a polite nod. The redblood was still kind of intimidating to him because he had a quiet mysterious vibe going on. Amonee kind of wanted to see what Azrael was doing with that strange box but it felt rude to pry so he turned away to let the two have some privacy while they looked it over. There would hopefully be time to chat properly with him later.

maybe i'll fill this in. fun times with kids

"Ahh! Hehe, I was right!" Elidae responded, wiggling in her seat while shimmying her shoulders. Placing her chin in her hand once again, she looked up at the blueblood with invested interest, blinking expectantly. While listening to him speak, she nodded her head. "Homemade gifts are definitely the best! That is very thoughtful of you!" She agreed, bubbling with curiosity when Azrael began to reveal something secretive. Something only she and him would know. How exciting! Scooting in closer to get a better look, her grin widened in response to the suspense. However, it soon faltered when she saw what was in the box.

Immediately, her eyebrows raised in utter surprise. "Ah-! Wh-... ohh." Gingerly, she took the box he had offered to get a better look at the gold piece, though she gave him a questioning glance. Elidae knew that symbol anywhere. She listened to him, though strangely there was... very little explanation. A rapid beat grew in her chest cavity, a sudden emotion that she couldn't quite pinpoint welled up straight to her head, flushing her cheeks. She knew this was not out of embarrassment or elation, but... from what? Oblivious, Elidae was feeling the sharp pang of jealousy. Again. Not because Azrael was giving Kursha a gift, but because she felt threatened by it. In the midst of her suddenly awakened apprehension, a million thoughts cluttered her think pan. What were his intentions? Even with the last time they spoke about him, Elidae wasn't sure where the blueblood was going with his questions about Kursha. Of course, the yellowblood silently remained ignorant of all of this as she stared at the well-crafted good. After a moment, she placed it down on the table and carefully slid it back to Azrael.

"It's very nice! You did a great job. I'm sure he'll love it." Elidae finally said, giving him a reassuring smile. At least, she hoped he would like it. The friendship she shared with him was still fresh; she was still in the beginnings of getting to know him. With a whole lot of hope, she attempted to believe he would be kind to Azrael's offering. It was a very nice thought, after all.

To distract herself from her personal dilemmas, Elidae turned her attention to all the sudden trolls surrounding the table. All of which she could definitely recognize! Sitting atop of Alifax was none other than Frossa and her gorgeous drill curls. Once again she grew interested in the nature of their relationship; blooming moirallegiance, perhaps? Regardless, they were both certainly adorable together! Elidae gave them both a wave, reminding herself to try to catch up with them later if she could. A familiar voice rang out, causing Elidae to startle a bit but in a positively enthusiastic manner. However, the words that came out of Nucleo's mouth warranted immediate disappointment. "It's-It's not..." She tried to correct him, but the greenblood scampered off with another greenblood, one with absolutely beautiful hair. If she wasn't so distracted in the moment, she would have approached them about what on Alternia they were doing to get such a luxurious shine.

"It's not Emi..." She finally said, scrunching up her face in frustration. Completely ignoring her agitations once again, she produced a new, glowing smile. Time to think positive, Bonbon. So many people were joining her little event! So many of her friends! "Thank you for signing up!" She announced to anyone in the vicinity, then brought forward the large jar of colorful candy. "Make sure you take a candycane!"

Whipping back to Azrael, the bells on her festive hat jingled merrily. "It'll be going on tomorrow night, right here!" She replied, clapping her hands eagerly. "Aren't you excited?"


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saihen
asking questions that i didn't really know how to answer icly, azrael lol


melona-pan
mention


thyPOPE
mention


Doutei
mention


Yamashii
mention

Green Minuet

'-' -nervous shifting-

blackbird cake

surprised

Azrael gave a friendly wave in response, “And you look pretty active this evening, good to see you again!”Azrael replied with a chuckle. He gave Nucleo a glance, appearing rather bored. He recognized the troll from the jubilee for sure, but they hadn’t gotten to know each other at all. Azrael would probably greet him later, He was a companion of Amonee after all, how could he not greet him. When Elidae had finally finished examining the trinket and gave her response he snapped his attention back to her, not even noticing the falter in her cheer. In response he smiled back, opened his mouth and-- didn’t say a word. Aas he was about to speak the greenblood who’s symbol Azrael had sitting in the box came up to the table. It was as though he’d materialized out of thin air.

In his shock, Azrael clamped his mouth shut and tried his best to cover the box so that Kursha wouldn’t see while trying to be as casual about it as possible. He really didn’t want to attract Kursha’s attention yet. It was too soon for any kind of sneak peak if anything at all. What was with this guy? What was with his timing? Azrael briefly wondered if he was actually hanging around somewhere and he just hadn’t seen him. This guy was good, for sure, hopefully he was too focused on Elidae to see what was in the box. Azrael shoved the box in his pocket and pursed his lips before finally looking Kursha’s direction briefly. The young blueblood shoved the box in his pocket and pursed his lips..

In his panic he had forgotten to reply to Elidae, actually, what was the question again? He snapped his attention back to Elidae, “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that Elidae, could you repeat it?” he said trying to sound as naturally as possible and even adding a very light friendly smile, totally not like someone who had something to hide. Hopefully Kursha hadn’t noticed and wasn’t going to ask. Was it hot or was that just him?

Apparently making the trip to New Hemisect tonight had been a very good idea, because it was immediately very obvious that something interesting was happening over there in the shopping district, in front of a...ooh, a salon? The closer she got, the more familiar faces Lorata saw, and the more convinced she was that she was going to sign up for whatever this little booth wanted her to and- Oh, this was Elidae's booth even, and her hat was so cute and- She'd gotten a lot taller since last time, hadn't she?

The seadweller nudged through the crowd to get at a sign up sheet, quickly glancing around to remind herself what she was signing up for, and then scooped up a candy cane while she was at it. Once she was done, she lifted her head to smile at the yellowblood and, now that she'd noticed him, Kursha. "This was a really great idea, Elidae! I bet it'll be lots of fun!" She gave an enthusiastic little wave to Kursha, glanced at Azrael, dismissed him as a somewhat familiar face but a blueblood anyway, and then moved out of the way in case someone else needed to sign up.

Who else had she seen about that she knew? She turned, looking, and then nodded to herself. Alifax, of course! She moved over towards the redblood, throwing another wave and a cheery "Hello!" Settling into a clear spot in the group, she glanced over everyone else and brightened at how interesting they all looked. "Happy almost twelfth! Are you guys excited for the game?"

Leaving Salamire Outpost wasn't exactly the first thing on Stryke's mind, even with the festival seasons hanging in the air. He'd been resigned to say there, alone rather than donning his carefully crafted disguise to brave going out into public. He'd been meticulous, making sure to remove any trace of his given yellowblood in favor of the dark red he'd selected. The outer coat was layered, a red jacket, vest, button down..dark slacks and a pair of dark boots over the top of his pants. His outfit was convincing enough to pass for a lowblood, with a cogwheel for a symbol painted in red. The fact he would be accompanying another would make it easier to blend into normal Alternian society.

The only reason he'd come was the innocent suggestion (and demands) to come check out the celebration. Stryke had found it rather difficult to turn down the younger troll when she'd bluntly asked him to come with her. With the help of Autumn, he'd also managed to tame his long mane of hair into a braided pony tail that now sat draped over his left shoulder. Even with a completely different symbol, appearance, and a slight variation on his horns at the tips due to caps he'd placed on them, Stryke still was worried someone would recognize him. Over the last few weeks he'd been practicing with not using the stressed S syllables he was known for. No matter what disguise he donned, he knew that would always be a private hellish concern of his.

Whatever reservations he had were pushed aside, with a fake name and symbol there was comfort in knowing he was anonymous even in plain sight. Not only that, but on the off chance the winged troll ran into any trouble, Stryke felt an obligation to protect her. It was the same one he felt towards Maneki, Byakko and all the other trolls of the rebellion. It was becoming ingrained in him as a normal part of life.

With the12th Perigee Eve right around the corner, Stryke couldn't help the smile plastered on his face. No matter how much he watched to scowl and drag his feet, a little change to get out of the Outpost was a change of pace at the very least. Little adventures like this gave him something else to focus on besides impending doom and danger.

It almost made things feel like normal, even when they most certainly weren't.

Walking through the shopping district made his mind wander, glancing at the bright decorations and displays. While absent minded, he hadn't missed the freckled yellowblood hollering her Yuletide cheer. A surprised look cross the trolls face, Ry considered what she was talking about for a moment. It seemed innocent enough, what would signing up hurt? "Ah, Sure. I'll sign up it sounds fun." He smiled, chuckling as he lowered his hood past the cold. Internally Stryke cringed, he felt like he was shouting even if he was only speaking. His normal soft voice had been put aside just like his favorite speech quirk.

"Besides. I can't argue with the free candycane! Oi Autumn come on we can go shopping for gifts after this." Quickly, he, or rather "Nozdor Runner" picked up one of the pens on the table to scribble down his pen name. Once done he backed off to give another troll room if they wanted to sign up. Perhaps the most stressful element was recognizing a few faces of trolls around him. If he was going to pass dressed up, it was better now then never he discovered if he'd planned this out well enough.

Stryke felt his heart hammer in his chest abruptly when a troll brushed past him, accidently bumping into him. Her apology came in the form of a stammer, and was all too polite clearly not meaning to actually run into him. While contact with some other troll was still a touchy subject for him, he didn't recoil away. What was it about her that was familiar? It was bad enough he believed he recognized what might have been Kursha not to far away given the symbol, and who he was sure was Sarcel this too was yet another layer. Had he made a mistake in coming here after all?

At first he didn't think anything of it, the troll seemed to be an orangeblood from the looks of it. His grey eyes traveled form glancing over the fashionable long haired troll to the words she jotted down...instantly he felt his blood pusher drop into his stomach. Nahori. He hadn't seen her in some time, longer than he cared to admit. Letters they'd exchanged came to mind. However he could not safely identify himself to her right now, anymore than with Sarcel.

How the hell was he so calm? "Oh..! It's quite alright, no worries." He smiled at her. "Hope you have a Happy 12th." He added quickly, as he moved back. While it had been quiter, it had no less genuine a meaning. Knowing his friends were safe, and moving along with their lives brought him a small measure of comfort. Even if his feelings were rightfully so a mixed bag, some more pleasant than others.

For at least two of the three present, he could only hope he hadn't been a burden for them. The third of course he refused to even give attention too, his nerve and resolve would crack otherwise he was certain.