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Delcan and Frederick walked up to the festivities that were being held. The sound of music lighten the air around them.

Delcan sighed in content and yet, when he looked at Frederick he can't help but worry.

Frederick still had his armor on, even though they were off duty tonight. Yet he was so nervous he looked like he was glowering.

Two women scampered off to the opposite direction, away from them, when they took one look at Frederick.

Erebus, Delcan's hound, sighed in relief when Garmr, Frederick's hound, whimpered at the lost.

Delcan sighed even louder and gripped Frederick's shoulder. "Look man! You gotta lighten up!"

Frederick stiffen up even more and Delcan understood. He never liked crowds much less people.

But....ever since Frederick came back with 3 claw marks down his left side of his face and body, a hound pup in his big arms, he said he would change. Now is a perfect time.

"Look.," Delcan leaned in to whisper in his ear. "You wanted to change, now is never a better chance."

"What are you two whispering about?"

Delcan jumped in surprise and so did Erebus, which mean only one person could do such a thing and get the surprise from his hound.

Diana came up from behind Delcan and Frederick with those long skirt of her's and tunic. As well as her signature head scarf to hold back those long midnight curling locks. She hand tan skin as if she were born from the earth herself. Yet it's those blue eyes that seem to shift color in the light.

A far cry from Delcan's and Frederick's tawny skin and Delcan's blonde and Frederick's brown hair.

Tonight they held a blank look, as if she were aloof. Her hound Selini was beside her. White as the moonlight and a mask full of flowers and....is that a living butterfly?

As well, there hounds are a far cry from Selini. Erebus had green eyes and black fur with shimmering green. Garmr is like a vortex. Black swirling patterns over that bright orange coat and glowing eyes. He wagged his tail in happiness while Erebus glowered at her.

Delcan smiled weakly at Diana. "H-hey Diana. What are you doing here?"

Even though Diana seemed normal...there is something odd about her. "I'm here for the festival of course. And with you two here, I assume you are too."

Delcan looked at Frederick. He had lowered his head and turned it towards the side. Frederick is extremely shy around women. Especially ones he liked.

"Yeah. We are," he replied.

Avlur stopped his breathing for a second when the question was asked. He knew it was going to happen, in the back of his head no matter how far back he pushed it he knew this question would in fact appear in this conversation. This time though he needed to make a decision, does he speak the truth or speak lies and be branded a lair and un-trust worthy. His adventure with Assan had just begun. This wasn't easy for him, saying these words could make him look like a fool. He took a deep breath and calmly let it out in a soft slow push.

"Because i'm not interested in your dog, nor the rest of the groups dogs. I'm interested in your hounds." Avlur said opening a book marked page in his Mythological history book. On the page was pictures of different hounds, some with no tails, others with one or more. Even some with wings that seemed to be able to fly. He brought the book up to where everyone in the circle can see. He held it there and showed no sign of letting it drop down.

"This book has only pictures of these creatures, along with only a few paragraphs of knowledge that may or may not be true." Avlur spoke his voice getting a bit whispery. "It talks about how these creatures once helped our people long ago when bad things were happening." He continued. "The fact I may be seeing these creatures right now in front of me can only mean one thing. These hounds are back, and for a reason we may not all know.". He stated with a serious voice and a dead stare at the group. He waited to see what they would say. He had not mention him being a summoner as well or of his own hound. This of course was a technical way for him to tell the truth, yet keep himself still a secret. He knew they would find out soon enough, but he didn't want them to know till he knew they were also summoners them selfs.

Amriela frowned, she felt bad for snapping at Avlur like that but she couldn't help it, her curiosity got the best of her. She apologized and smiled. She listened intently as he talked, how on earth did he know this was a hound, and why out of all things was he interested in them.

"Hound..." She paused, hesitating the next thing she was preparing to say. "What do you mean hounds?" She laughed nervously. It was then he pulled out a book, she couldn't read the title but it felt like she had seen it before, sometime long ago, it was almost like a dream now.

She looked at the book, there were pictures, drawings of what hounds were. Some of the pictures seemed to depict the hounds to be evil which was not the case, at least not with Amriela and Aku.

She broke her gaze from the book to look at Avlur. "Can I talk to you privately Avlur?" She asked the towering man.

Upon turning from the group of huddled young women and man, the demon-masked stranger felt a pair of eyes on him. He couldn't tell who it might have been until saw the mutt turn its attention back on the guy with the book. The mouth under the mask contorted into a crooked smile. So, he hadn't gone completely unnoticed.

"And just what is that look people get when they are hiding something?" he questioned Tory, turning back around to address the group. Removing his mask, he held it between his thumb and forefinger as he placed both hands atop his cane in front of him. The fingertips of his other hand nimbly grasped his still-smoking pipe. A spiky beard jutted from his heavy jawline, his yellow-gold eyes intense as they inspected each dog and owner there. His face was creased with age, a place worn between his eyes where his brows had often furrowed. He now rested his spectacles upon that well-worn spot once more.

"Because from where I stand, the whole lot of you seem rather suspicious." He nodded toward the book. "All this talk of Hounds and history...just what makes you believe this young man isn't simply in the pursuit of knowledge?"

Brienne, as is often her custom when many people get to talking at once, had simply allowed herself to go unnoticed as she took in the multitude of new voices. Just where had all these people suddenly come from, anyway? According to Ithiliel, a few of them even had hounds with them.

This is too much, Ithil, I'm beginning to get a headache! Just who are all these people anyway? Have there always been so many other summoners, or is it just the festival that's drawn them here? I don't like all the questions this Avlur person is asking either and -- oh?

I said he has the scent of a hound to him. My guess is he's also a summoner, or else knows someone who is. Though why he's concealing this fact... I can't guess. Be wary, Brienne. It may not have been a good idea to come here, after all.

Just then, a new figure joins the group. Brienne can tell he is older by the tone in his voice, and her hound confirms this fact. This one, however, does not carry the scent of the hounds and she realizes how right the man is. A group of people huddled about together with large 'dogs' is bound to seem a bit strange.

"I must agree with the gentleman, in this case," her tone is a little amused. "We seem to have drawn some attention to ourselves, unintended as that may have been.... Besides, I certainly didn't come to the festival to be questioned to death." Ithil looks at Avlur at this last bit, her gold eyes intense. "I came to dance!" She laughs, a smile stretching her face.

"So, which one of you is going to join me?"

Brienne laughs softly. The old man may be a bit grumpy, but there was something endearing about him, none the less. She'd always been a fairly good judge of character - had to be when she'd had such a..disadvantage. "You don't need to be able to see to dance, old man. You just feel the music. Besides, having a partner helps immensely, wouldn't you agree?"

Certainly someone would step up to the plate.

Now this is something she hadn't expected! She turns in the direction of Avlur's voice, and pauses for a moment before answering. She's not sure how sincere his apology is, or what his motives may be, but it would be rude to say no seeing as how she'd made the open proposition. Besides, Ithil could always bite him if he annoyed her too much.

"...Very well," she holds out her own hand and waits for him to take it and lead her to the floor. Ithil stays where she is, with the group, and settles down to lay her head on her paws, watching them for a moment before closing her eyes.

"So, you said you lived near the forest? Have you ever seen any strange beasts there? I hear that odd creatures can sometimes be seen in the woods though, of course, those are merely legends."