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Moon dress, check. Moon-tan lotion, check. Towel, check. Luggage, check. 

She was all set. 

Ready to spend 4 days having fun! This was exciting! Vremea hadn't been this excited since... the last time she FLARPed with her old friends! Which was a while ago, unfortunately. She gave her things one last look through and gave a rare and genuine smile. She had gone to Bloodfest a few times before, and obviously she knew high bloods were going. In events like these, though, they tended to stay in their cliques instead of  getting bored and teasing other low bloods. She just needed to steer clear of them and everything was great. She could relax and have fun. She let out a small exhale and scratched her arm, wincing in sudden realization. Her arm hadn't healed properly yet. Hopefully that wouldn't harm her chances in any of the planned events...

After looking under her light-weight clothing and checking to see if her bathing suit was on correctly, Vremea pushed her now straight and finally perfect hair(the incident had singed its edges and forced her to cut it to keep it healthy) behind her shoulders. It was very early in the night— to get there early enough to actually be able to participate in any events, she'd have to arrive earlier than most. 

She pursed her lips as she boarded the train behind a few other trolls, unpacking one of the many books she had packed to read and sitting herself down on one of the many chairs. She looked to the right, outside the window, looking at the swirling desert sands hitting the train. 

...Did I leave anything? She was sure to have left something. No no, she left Yakmom with plenty of food and water, and paid someone to rebuild the shack again. It would most likely hold for a while until the next storm. 

"Then what am I forgetting...?" She asked herself, hoping she was just over thinking it. It was times like these she got too paranoid. The train lurched forward and rebounded back, signaling the start of the journey. Sitting back comfortably in her chair, she opened her book, pushing the thought to the back of her mind. Whatever it was, it was to late to retrieve it. The train was already moving.



Vremea was worried. 

It wasn't about the ocean though. She loved the ocean. Almost as much as a sea dweller! (Actually no she didn't want anything to do with one) It was just that she was hesitant to go to the beach in Old Hemisect... actually, she was hesitant to go to Old Hemisect in general. Namely the theatre. It brought bad memories. Very, very bad ones. Getting off the train, she looked around hesitantly, hoping not to see anything worrisome before dragging her bag off. Some trolls behind her rolled their eyes, wondering why exactly she was bringing something so large to a beach. It wasn't like appearance mattered. 

To them.

Vremea lived on looking nice. She brushed her hair out of her eyes, her hand pushing her hair behind her ear. A content sigh escaped through her lipstick coated lips— they could always be blacker.

Today is a good day. Today was, so far, an amazing day.

Vremea began walking to the beach, the satisfied smile on her face never leaving. Sometimes her eyes looked around the deserted streets, the eerie feeling of being watched creeping into her. She tried to ignore it, and instead tried to focus on the beach. Watching from a distance, she could see drones repairing shops and many changing stalls were littered around the beach. There were many trolls there already— She should have woken up earlier! (Either way, that was the first train for Old Hemisect of the night, she wouldn't have been able to get there even if she had woken earlier.) Her lips pursed and even from such a distance, she could hear the Queen's voice. She shivered. The highest of high bloods. Thank gog we're all sleeping in separate places, She thought, hugging her towel to her chest as she tried to listen to the young queen as she spoke. They were rebuilding Old Hemisect— that explained why the place seemed more lively. She looked around and let a frown grace her features. This seems pretty selfish.

Vremea inwardly gasped at her thoughts. What was wrong with her? How could she think that? She was their Queen, she couldn't... just... Insult her like that! She'd get culled... She closed her eyes and lectured herself once more, rushing to get to the beach, the voice of the Queen echoing around her. Her sandals began digging into the growing sands of the beach, getting covered in the sand, dimly reminding her of home... Aw man, her luggage would get ruined! She turned to look at the luggage, contemplating on hiding it it somewhere, but unsure whether or not to She had arrived right when the small Queen began to wave a scarf in the air, a spark of curiosity ringing through her. "...what's a celebration without some games to go with it!" She heard, and the yellow blooded troll couldn't help but let some of her excitement appear on her face. 

Then the Queen finished her speech and got off stage, blending into the crowd of trolls easily. She blinked. Was she that small? Nevermind, she thought to herself, approaching a drone and asking where the hotels for low bloods were.



After dropping the luggage in her small, rented room, wandered around, passing by a food stand and trying to avoid the purplebloods that were flocking to the table. She took her time, walking and observing, trying to see if she could recognize anyone in the mess of trolls playing on the beach and around the food stands. She passed by a small group of trolls watching a lithe red blood dance, and Vremea couldn't help but remember that figure. Was that... Odette? Her hair was as it usually was, puffy and all bunched up in front of her face, but her thin body, oh gog, her body was too thin. She danced elegantly and beautifully, making Vremea stop and watch with respect. Her eyebrows wrinkled and she resisted the urge to interrupt the dance to grab the poor girl, maybe bring her to the nearest stall and buy her anything she wanted with her meager amount of beatles. She looked like she was starved within the time she last saw her. Looking to the jar on the sandy floor, she saw someone approach it, stuff some money into it, and stand, watching Odette... Wait a second, wait a second. That posture.

Her horns. Her hair.

She couldn't be. Only that troll she met in the library had that mess of a hair— wait a second, what was her name again? "...Minist?" She asked herself, her face becoming a light shade of yellow as she shied away, looking back to the jar that another troll began to approach. She blinked. Athene! What a great coincidence! She noticed the green blood wasn't wearing her normal hairstyle and instead wore a ponytail without her different colored baubles in her hair. She approached the jar herself, dropping a few beetles in it before backing away, tempted to go and salute Athene or Minist.

As Khanda raised herself from her kneel and began brushing off the sand that clung to her skin and clothes, Taquin was forced to stand by and wait. He understood the importance of looking presentable, but if you were going to care so much about it, it would have been best if you had learned to keep your balance in the first place. All this fussing was just boring and a waste of time. Was she redoing her hair, now? Seriously? Next he'd have to watch her repaint her toenails because her stumble chipped the paint a minuscule amount. Incredulously, Taquin took the offered hairbow in his hand and held it loosely at his side, turning his head to scan the busy crowd around them. If this took very much longer, maybe he could just wander off and find something more productive to do. It shouldn't be difficult to lose himself in this hubbub; the bratty seadweller wouldn't have to see his face again.

"Get me a comb."

Oh, that was it. He was not humoring the wriggler any longer. He was definitely not going to hang around to follow any of her pompous orders like a butler. Taquin huffed and draped the purple hairbow over Khanda's head as she bent and stroked the rats from her hair. If he walked off with it, she would most definitely be on his case. "Get yourself a comb, your highness," he told her, and turned to disappear into the crowd. Perhaps he could have kept going with his little gag, and humiliating a highblood would have made his entire perigee, but he had chosen someone way too high-maintenance. He continued to glance around the beach, searching for something to get his mind off this failure of a mission (or perhaps a place to hide if she pursued him), and decided tonight was just not his night to test his skills of deceit. The highblood had worn down his patience, and he just wanted to find a nice, cold cherry grubpop and watch trolls embarrass themselves in the competition.

She had one of the most captivating figures he had ever seen; subtle curves and an ebony chassis that gleamed like an oil-spill in the strong festive lights. He could hardly wait to take hold of her and let the world hear their audio connection exonerated through the triple speakers of the sound-stage. He had to give the Queen props, she really did make sure the best equipment was ready and available for the performers.

Joined by four others, Talymn hid his excitement well as they were called to the stage, and he lazily drifted onto the raised platform, his left thumb hooked on the pocket of his knee-length, blood-colour striped board shorts. He was more or less dressed appropriately for the festival, sporting a denim, silvery grey vest that he wore open with no shirt underneath, his insignia split in half on the front, and his usual spiked collar with matching bands while black strap sandals adorned his feet. Anyone who knew him would wonder where that keytar of his had disappeared to though, as it wasn't anywhere in sight. A rare occurrence that Talymn wasn't trying to think about anymore. He felt a bit naked without the Major, especially so on stage, but a musician needed to learn to cope without their preferred instruments. Or so he told himself.

Taking hold of the mic-stand, the rhythm started up with a steady bass guitar courtesy of a random band he had decided to front for on a whim just mere moments ago.

Bum-bum-bum... bum-bum... ba-da-da-dum...

Foot tapping with the beat slowly, he kept his head down, allowing for his shaggy, spiked hair to bob and shadow the upper half of his face as just the faintest of smiles played on his lips. The beat was picked up by the drums and his hand began tapping lightly in tandem against the side of his leg.

One more round for the build-up...
The crash of cymbals and the explosion of the lead guitar!
And his vocals sparked through the sound system!

"Krrrrikow!" His head snapped up, eyes open and shining with energy as he grabbed the mic-stand with both hands in a firm grip as if it would suddenly abscond from the force of the band's sonic accompaniment.

"It goes 'One-two-three!' Take my hand an' come wit' me
Cuz ya look so fine an' I really wanna make ya mine~!"

He scanned the crowd, his smile growing a little from the cheers.

"I said ya look so fine an' I really wanna make ya mine~!"

Good times and good feelings were being shared by all; the festivities had everyone riled and elated in one way or another, but was he adding to it or just getting swept along?

"Fo'-Five-Six! C'mooon an' get yer kicks-
Cuz ya don't need the money wit' a face like that do ya, honey~?"

That was usually the issue with big public venues like this. It was hard to discern where the main draw of attention was really at. Gauging the more immediate audience was fine enough, trying to not let the competing entertainment sources irritate and distract him from his own performance. Juss' be glad you got some stage time...

"Big, black boots..."

He continued on into the chorus, eyes closing again as he focused on the music. The band he was fronting for was doing a decent job covering the song, but the back-up guitarist wasn't completely hitting all the cues. He'd have to mention that later.

"Well, I can see~! You home wit' me~! But you were wit' anotha maaaan, yeah~!"

He looked back to the crowds again, his gaze locking onto a small clump of people that were doing more than the usual head bobbing and rhythmic swaying. The members of that cluster performing what he would actually attribute as being 'dance moves'. Some obviously in couples, others more or less by themselves, but overall adding to the presentation. Throughout the rest of the song, his gaze would drift mainly over to them, he decided subconsciously, moving into the ending of the first round.

"I said, are you gonna be my girl~?"

It was no use. He was gone. Planting her feet in the sad Khanda stood perfectly still, not even bothering to look around. The crowd had swallowed him up. He had left her behind. He wanted nothing to do with her. What did she do? She just wanted to make herself look presentable! What wrong with that? He just insulted her and bolted! Slumping her shoulders a bit she looked down at the ribbon in her hand. Maybe coming on land wasn't the best idea.

No. Snapping her head back up she puffed out puffed out her cheeks. That guy was just some lowblood jerk! She wasn't going to let that orange slime ruin her experience! With that she set off again, ribbon fluttering in her wake. Eventually she came across a stall selling hair accessories and though she was tempted to buy some pretty barrettes she stuck to just buying herself a nice little comb. After her purchase she found a nice rock to sit on and comb her hair out properly. Once her hair was nice and smooth she tied it back up with practiced ease and slipped the comb under the knot of her cover-up as she stood up/

With that settled she headed off again. She contemplated heading back to the food stalls to get a snack for herself like she originally planned, but she might run into him again. Then again maybe if she ran into him again she could snag those stupid spec of his and throw them into the ocean. That would show him. Then later she could swim down and find them for herself and never give them back! Giggling to herself at the thought she caught sight of the stage. A group of trolls had started preforming as she had chased after "Paxell". They were nice to listen to as she had combed her hair. Some of the trolls in front of the stage looked like they were having a lot of fun listening to them! She should go join them, she had never seen a real band after all. Putting a smile on her face she made her way to the stage and bounced to the beat of the music.

Running towards the beach, Maihue knew she was terribly late. As she got within 10 feet, she slowed down to a walk and crossed her arms. She stared at everything going on, and then looked towards the beach. She sighed - it was gorgeous! Living next to the lake was great, but she bet that the ocean was amazing. She realized she had stopped walking, and she became embarrassed. Wow, that is lame, why would you stop? She walked to the outskirts of the crowd and looked around some more. She couldn't really see anyone she knew.. (Which wasn't amazing, she only knew a few other trolls.) so she just stood there looking like an uncomfortable statue staring at everyone. Just a usual thing with her.

After a few minutes or so, she decided to walk over to the water. She stood there and stared at admiringly. She smiled, and bent down to touch it. She splashed the water around for a bit and sat down. Sitting here all night would be great! She dug her hands into the sand and watched the reflection of lights and the moon on the water. Maihue could her gargling. ...Wow was she hungry. She looked around and saw a booth, but decided to wait for awhile. This was nicer than having to eat.

Despite how catchy the tune was, the lyrics left something to be desired in Talymn's opinion as he entered the second repeat of the chorus, cupping his hands around the microphone. He tried to spice up his performance by adding a little extra strain on the extended notes as his eyes drifted down to the front of the audience again. He noticed a few faces had circulated through the crowd and some new ones had mixed in; one face in particular standing out from the others due to the curious fin-like appendages on either side of her face.

"Oh.. I. Know. We. Ain't got... much t'say~!
but b'fo' I let ya get awaaaay, yeah!"

He focused his gaze solely on the sea dweller, flashing a charming smile and a wink.

"I said, 'are ya gonna be my girl~?' KRRIKOW~!"

With that, he stepped away from the mic as the lead guitarist stepped up to take centre stage and shred through the solo. It was supposed to be the guitarist's turn to command the spotlight, but Talymn wasn't so eager to let that happen as he bounced around the stage, greeting a few of those closest to the foot of the stage with some ad-lib and grateful comments before randomly deciding to engage the bass player. With a playfully seductive smile, he moved around behind him and draped an arm around his shoulder, being careful not to disturb the guitar and rest his head on the opposite side. Not to be outdone, the bassist turned to lean his head in dangerously close to Talymn's, motioning for a kiss without ever missing a note, earning cheers and catty whistles from the audience and a few eye rolls from the other band mates.

Smiling all the same, Talymn refused the advance with just a gentle push on the forehead though before bounding back to the microphone right on cue for the outro, practically caressing the stand as he looked back to the audience, his gaze locking with a few choice picks of the attendees as he finished each stanza, the last happening to be the sea dweller chick.

"Oooooh~! Be my girl~!
I said- BE. MY. GIRL.~!
Oh, are ya gonna be my....
Giiiiiiiiiirl~? ooh, yeah-hey-yeeeah~!"

Attention glued to the stage and the music, Taquin granted himself a moment of relaxation. He swerved his grubpop from side to side in his mouth and tracked the lead-singer's moves as he strutted up and down the stage. This hip troll certainly knows how to please a crowd, he observed as the rocker got friendly with his guitarist. It was a shame that the song was directed exclusively at females. He let the beats crash around in his head and drummed his fingers on his thigh as his hand swung loosely at his side. If it was actually a thing he did, Taquin could totally get down to these jams. He liked the attitude of this singer. He'd have to let himself backstage sometime to meet this handsome troll face to face.

As the song winded to a glorious close, he inched himself out of the crowd. It was time to get some plots brewing, and possibly he could even meet the troll by the end of tonight. But just as he turned, a pair of all too familiar wide eyes brought him back to Alternia and he quickly rushed behind the nearby booths. How had Khanda gotten so close already? She didn't even look like she was searching for him anymore and she had been. Right. There. He prayed that he hadn't caught her attention and traveled further through the dark of the alley between the stands.

Silently gazing at the water, Maihue heard some noise from behind her. She looked around and could only hear.. Music? She got up and wandered toward the sound, curious as to what was going on.

As she got to the outskirts of a crowd, she could see that someone was singing. Maihue stared at the singer and started to tap her foot. This was catchy...! She smiled and clasped her hands together. After listening for awhile, she thought the singer looked familiar. Wandering a bit closer, Maihue was surprised to see that she did recognize him! Being in the crowd, Maihue was a little uncomfortable, but she smiled anyway. The music was nice.. And it was nice to feel (a bit) at ease as well.