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"You don't want to eat first, Andarien?" Earendil asked, a bit surprised. While he wouldn't go so far as to call Andarien a glutton, he was well aware of how much the boy enjoyed eating.

Andarien shook his head. "Not hungry. I'll eat later."

The others all left rose from their seats to follow after Lancaeriel, who was still carrying Uruloki, and thus ended up becoming their guide by default.

Once outside, Wren couldn't help but smile as she took a deep breath.

"I know Spring is still a few days away," she grinned, "but it feels more like it than even back home would feel like Spring by this time."

"And of course that means we're here for the welcoming of the New Year," Daeron added.

Uruloki kept his eyes on the street ahead of them. "I wouldn't say there's much ceremony," he replied. "Music, dancing, games, always games ... competitions ... there's a tradition some people follow of giving something to a loved one, but that's more common during the Middle Days."

He paused, then added, "Don't plan on getting much sleep the night before. Often the celebration begins on Old Year's Day in the morning and goes right through to the evening of New Year's Day. Especially if you're still in the inn."

"Maybe we should think of setting up outside the city sooner rather than later," Earendil suggested as Uruloki directed them down a narrow side street.

The dragon's eyes closed halfway, and looking at Lin Uruloki asked flatly, "You doubt my word?"

"It's just something we've not seen before is all," Earendil said hastily, before Uruloki could become too offended. "Why so long?"

"Because it's a celebration that comes only once a year, what other reason do they need?" Uruloki pointed out. "And really - left here, Lancaeriel - it is a two-part celebration. Farewell to the old year and welcome to the new year. It's the biggest celebration there is here."

"Bigger even than the Enderi?" Wren asked, surprised. Even in Caras Galadhon, the Enderi had been the biggest celebration, just as it had been in all of the countries of the Four Lands.

Uruloki exhaled slowly, and his eyes returned to their usual wideness. "I apologize. I also forget that you are not from this world and thus would not know as much about the people."

"It makes me curious, though," Earendil added, going back to the other part of the conversation, "to know how the Enderi are celebrated here. Back home, even in Caras Galadhon, it was - is - the biggest celebration of the year. Three or twelves days of festivities."

"Here, not so." Uruloki directed them down another narrow side street before continuing his explanation. "Here, the Enderi are simply a few days off work, where all the shops are closed and everyone simply spends time with their families. As I already said, families often present their loved ones with gifts; but the focus is simply on togetherness."

"Like Christmas," Kaito grinned cattily. "Lots of candy, too?"

"I think so," Uruloki responded slowly, sounding very thoughtful. "Ahkshi and Kyrie don't care much for candy and I don't eat it at all, but if the fact that the children often appear far more hyper than usual may be an indication."

Kaito's eyes gleamed yellow and his grin widened. He turned to Lin and Earendil and said, "Exactly how long are we staying here again? At least that long?"

"I've found that people everywhere love candy," Uruloki chuckled. "And I'm sure Kyrie and Ahkshi will both be grateful you're willing to stay here so long."

He nodded as they reached the end of the narrow street, which opened into a wide, nearly empty area. It was enormous, at least one hundred meters by one hundred meters, and seemed to sink into the ground. When they got closer, the rows of seats became apparent, each one lower than the one before it, in a semi-circle surrounding a stage the size of a large room.

"The amphitheater," Uruloki said simply. He hopped down from Lancaeriel's arms and stretched his body out like a cat, then ran over to the edge of the first row of seats. There were a few people down on the stage, setting up, cleaning up, it wasn't quite clear.

"How many does it seat?" Iorlas asked, looking around at all the seats.

Uruloki tilted his head thoughtfully. "Three hundred? Three fifty?"

"It depends on the show," Uruloki answered Miyuki. "Musical shows tend to draw more of a crowd. But it also depends on what it's about, what time of day it is, what day it is, whether people are interested, the price of a seat ..."

"One full night at even one gold coin each would be enough to keep us for a while," Iorlas mused. "Though I don't know if I dare be that hopeful."

"And unfortunately I can't help you with that," Uruloki said apologetically, looking up at Miyuki. "If you'd like, we could always ask those men down there, but they're probably not the ones in charge."

"Besides," Earendil added cautiously, "wouldn't you want to first make sure that you're ready to perform before you ask about it? It might be awkward if you were to ask if you could perform here and then tell them you don't have a show yet."