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Kadryn
words: #33A7FF

That morning Kadryn rolled out of bed ready to go play in the snow. A nice thinket blanket of snow had covered her town, and Kadryn was ready to play to her hearts content wit him. Then she saw the scroll stuck in her window. Someone had tried to shove it through but hadn't quite managed it. Going over, she opened the window, grabbed the scroll and shut the window before too much of the cold wind could invade. As she unrolled it and read the elegantly written lines, she became filled with excitement.
"A.. Winter festival?!!! Yes! This is going to be so awesome!"
Running out of her room, she booked it into the kitchen, "Hey Ma, can I go? There's going to be a festival! With food and contest, and a market! It says everyone is welcome! I bet I can meet some really interesting people here! And we can take Fallon and.."
"We know Kadryn. Someone shoved a scroll under our window too." Kadryn's mother smiled as she pointed to their scroll lying on the table. "We were thinking of going as a family, but Fallon caught a cold and your father is at the smithy finishing his last order. So if you want to go, Talia and Tarlon are already there and setting up a booth. I think she wants to see if she can entice more people to come to the Wind Cafe. I don't mind you going, but make sure you check in and let them know where you are every now and then, okay?"
"Yay! I will Ma! Promise!" Kadryn ran over an hugged her mother's knees.

Later that evening, Kadryn had finished helping to set up her aunt's booth and had just finished baking a set of jam filled pastries when she saw many people arriving. She gazed in amazement at all the Oblivionites, Orderites, and Dovaas. She'd never seen so many different types of people together before.
"Wow.. that's a lot of people..."
"Sure is, pumpkin. Why don't you go out and skate some, Kadyn? I'm sure Tarlon can handle the cooking while I man the booth. Go and enjoy yourself. Kadryn's adopted aunt smiled at Kadryn as she whooped with joy and vanished into the massive mob of people. "Now all I have to do is sell these treats!"


ooc: feel free to stop by Talia's booth, they're selling hot apple cider/spiced wine, jam filled pastries, cookies, breads, and other baked products that can be eaten with bare hands or while wearing mittens. Just quote me in the main thread when you want to rp with her. Same goes for Kadryn.

Samril had almost decided to go out hunting Firani once more, but at the last moment had decided that going to this Winter Festival might be fun after all. Plus, he deserved a day off every now and then and it had been a while since his last one. And since he'd finally taken out a Firani on his own, he felt a bit better and less stressed. He could practice and dragon hunt any day, but going to a festival... well, that didn't happen often!

Along the way, the Dovaa wondered if he'd see Elleth. It had been quite some time since he'd seen her last. She was probably very good with her sword now! Just as he'd gotten better with his magic and the clawed gloves, which he'd brought along in their little pouch, though he had read the part about no fighting at the festival. He might just make a little side trip after a dragon if things looked boring. But he might as well go check them out, right?

As Samril arrived, his jaw dropped. He hadn't thought it would be this big! There were people everywhere! And all the vendors were calling out to the passersby, their voices overlapping one another as the Dovaa strolled through the festival. Wow, just wow.

The thing that caught Samril's attention was a knife throwing booth. Sure, the dude running it looked a bit creepy and weird and the knives weren't great, but it had prizes! And it looked fun!

So, Samril gave into temptation and paid the price listed, picking through the knives until he found one that appeared to have a decent point on it. All the knives could certainly have used a sharpening! But the Kiandri Dovaa found one that wasn't too bad and hefted it for a moment to get the feel of it. He'd never really thrown a knife before, but he'd seen a few others do it to show off. It couldn't be that hard now could it?

With that thought in mind, Samril lobbed the knife at the target.

While his knife hit the target with a soft thunk, it didn't strike point first and bounced off to the ground. Samril sighed, moving on. Maybe he'd try again some time later, but he really wanted to look around some more too!

Kadryn

As Kadryn scurried through the crowd she saw a game booth that people seemed hesitant to try their hand at but were starting to gather around. As she slowed down and came closer, she notice it was for knife throwing. While the knives look old and the booth not too pristine... the owner was an entirely different matter. She'd never seen an orderite so pale and elegant before.. but his eyes where what really caught her attention. They were pitch black with a pale teal blue iris glowing from the middle. And his wings were odd, instead of the pastel colors and feathered wings of others, his were black and leathery.

That's odd.. I did't know orderites could have that type of eye... or black bat wings.... She muttered to herself as she munched on her pastry and watched the tall golden dovaa fail at his throw before moving on. Deciding to try even though she knew she sucked at throwing, Kadryn approached. She paid the small fee and randomly picked a knife from the pile. Finishing her food, she took aim and threw with all her strength, maybe brute strength could make it stick in the target....
Kadryn sighed, while it had stuck, she'd completely missed the target. Oh well. At least it hadn't bounced... Turning to the odd elegant man, she asked;
"Hey mister, how'd you get your awesome eyes? I've never seen an orderite with the like before. They're really pretty!" She grinned up at him as she fished another pastry out of her bag to munch on.

Ignotus sighed and drummed a bored tattoo on the countertop. Business wasn’t as prosperous as he would have wished and, it was true that he made the knife game a little hard, but not one had even come close to the target.

Incompetents the lot of them!

A flurry of movement at the periphery of the crowd suddenly caught the hybrid’s attention, allowing glowing azure eyes to trace the small form making its way through the bustle of the throng. It looked like a rather young apprentice Orderite who possessed scruffy short blue hair, a darting attention span and a rather tomboy-ish manner.

No lady this one was, that was for sure, Ignotus observed to himself.
His eyes slowly followed the young blue Orderite to his booth and watched the youth randomly pick a knife from the assorted pile.

Pathetic…didn’t even at least try to pick up the better knives. Got herself a rather badly weighted one too! How younglings these days expect to grow up as fine warriors? Ignotus wondered.

The tall hybrid stared as the little Orderite threw the knife with all of her small might and managed to land the projectile at the very edge of the board. It probably would have taken just a slight shake of the canvass to dislodge the precariously perched dagger.

"Hey mister, how'd you get your awesome eyes? I've never seen an Orderite with the like before. They're really pretty!", came the grinning exclamation from his erstwhile customer.

Raising a thing eyebrow, Ignotus looked at the blue girl and flashed a wide charming smile. Now there’s a nice thing to say, the hybrid thought to himself. Leaning closer to the other, Ignotus motioned as if to whisper a secret to her ear.

“Let’s just say I’m a little bit more special than your average Orderite.” He mysteriously replied. “You’ll probably never see another like me…”

The tall man, straightened himself back to his original position at the countertop and spotted a familiar form just disembarking from the ferry to the festival.

There’s that oddly cheerful Oblivionite he’d met sometime earlier….

Maslin sighed softly as he approached the borders of the Festival he'd been coerced into attending. The young boy had been perfectly content to stay at camp, curled up under some blankets with a warm drink and a book. It wasn't that a festival didn't sound fun but attending meant walking the fairgrounds for hours to enjoy everything worth seeing and Maslin hadn't been sold on the idea. It was impossible to tell if it would be worth it in the long run. With his family settling down in one place for the winter Maslin had become used to not traveling particularly far from camp without very good reason. He didn't really need anything that couldn't be provided by his family or nearby townsfolk and he'd never been the most adventurous sort.

Trudging across a layer of crunchy snow towards the hustle and bustle ahead Maslin thought back to earlier in the day when his mother had crossed her arms and sternly informed him that he needed to take a chance and to go have fun. There had been no arguing against that and the young hybrid had decided to make the best of the situation. Perhaps he could find an interesting mechanical piece for sale within his price range to deconstruct and study. The long winter would seem much shorter if the days could be spent fiddling with the inner workings of some strange new device.

Though his coin was going to have a hard time lasting that long given that a myriad of both strange and familiar smells were enticing him to trek towards the food and drink stalls. It was hard to resist the lure of potential delicacies from places he had never been to or heard of; just as it was hard to think of how to resist a toy or gadget he had never encountered before. The food was closer though and in this chilly weather that mattered a bit more for the moment.

Of course things might turn out fine regardless. Maslin did come from trader stock after all and was well aware of how bartering worked. It might yet be possible for him to acquire both types of things he wanted and perhaps even play a game or two. Games he could see himself becoming engaged with,and possibly also the ice sculpting, but skating and dancing, the pudgy boy would leave to those more inclined towards athleticism than himself. Thus far in his young life he'd yet to find most physical activities worth the effort you had to put into them.

Soon the young boy found himself in an area lined with booths filled with food and drinks. Vendors seemed to be in high spirits, cheerily calling out about deals and re-arranging their edible wares to look more presentable. Now came the hard part, picking which ones to go to. There were far more options that he had honestly expected and it was just a little overwhelming to Maslin. For the moment his was frozen in place, blowing out puffs of warm silvery breath into the chilly air as he tried to make a decision.

Winter was here and with it came a bitter cold that made Elleth want to just bundle up a bit more than she already was. Not that her normal outfit with a set of white pants and a thick wool cloak thrown over her shoulders could be considered 'bundled up', it served her well. She was just glad that she hadn't been drafted into doing anything that involved water. She was glad that her chores for the day had only been sweeping, and that was taken care of as quickly as possible. Excitement lent speed to her movements as she put away her broom and pan and slung her blade over shoulder. The cloak had to be adjusted over the new length and in no shape or form disguised the oversized sword.

Not that she was trying to hide it or anything, but she wasn't going to go anywhere without it. That and the flyer said nothing about leaving your weapons at home, just that fighting wouldn't be tolerated inside of the festival grounds. To think, a Festival where all the races could gather and celebrate together unmolested and without prejudice. That in itself was mind boggling. Even more so than the fact that the flyer itself had made its way into the dojo without anyone knowing how it had gotten there. Boy had there been a stir when Master had announced that those who finished their chores or had the day off could go. There had been heated arguments as favors were called in or denied and Master had just sat back and drank in the chaos.

With a soft laugh Elleth waved to her Master as she passed him, and called out that she'd be going to the Festival and that she'd be back before morning. The elder Oblivionite bid her a good trip and to bring him back something nice. He knew she had pocket money from her parents and what little she managed to earn on her own as a combat tutor. It was more than enough to pay for her fill of food and drink and whatever trinkets and games she wanted to partake in.

The trip to the site was uneventful, and true to it's written word, there had been guides that had shown her the way. But knowing that there would be a lot of people and seeing them were two different things. People of all three Races were there and all mingled without a care. It was as if once they crossed the threshold that their grievances were shed like the hair on a shaggy goat come spring. It was amazing and just a bit terrifying.

Shaking her head Elleth stepped into the festival proper and nearly found herself swept away by the crowds. Huffing she waded through the throngs until she made her way to the edge and with a little bit of difficulty, slipped out of it. A quick glance around showed that she'd ended up near the ice sculptors. There were still unhewen blocks of ice, waiting for any of the festival goers to try their hand at crafting. Oh how she wanted to try, but looking at the others she'd have to go against she decided not to. On a good day her wood carvings only faintly resembled the animals she attempted.

A heavy sigh passed her lips before she could stop it. "Stop being so hard on yourself," She muttered, "You're here to have fun, not let your inadequacies get you down."

"Kav, wake up!" a seemingly excited Orderite called as he shook the bed-headed Dovaa from her sleep.

"W-what is it?" the sleepy Ysali asked, sitting up and massaging her eyes slightly before allowing herself to set the green globes sight on her handsome boyfriend.

"This letter was delivered just now and I think we should attend!" the Orderite's voice cracked with excitement as he handed over the flyer to her.

It took a moment for the Dovaa's eyes to adjust to the printed ink. She scanned the contents of the letter and a small smile grew upon her face.

"It's right here in Serenia, down by Lake Amafel! We can get there by taking the ferry and it will only take a few hours. I already ran down to the docks and the next ferry leaves in about a half-hour. So," he began, kissing the girl's forehead and standing up straight, "get yourself ready and lets be off! I'll make us a quick meal to eat on the way." the Orderite said with a grin as he left the bedroom.

The little Dovaa fell back upon the bed and laid there a few moments in the silence of the dawn. Look at how perfect he was, doing all of this just so the two of them could have a fun day in the snow at the festival. She just had to do her part and get herself ready.
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The sweet aroma of pancakes swept into her nostrils as she walked down the stairs. As she entered the kitchen, she saw both Alex and Naomi cooking away at a meal that the two of them could enjoy on the ferry ride over.

"Mmm, it smells delicious." Kavanna's green eyes shifted from one person to the other as she made her way into the room. Now this is what she considered cooking.

She had made her way to Alex's side, who kissed her when she arrived. "Yes, it's amazing, thank you so much mom. We will be back later. You ready?" he said, first to his mother, Naomi, and then turning his attention to the Dovaa.

A quick smile and nod provided enough information that gave it away. Alex didn't want to leave without his sword, for he always wanted to keep Kav and himself protected at all times. Everything was set and the two left the Orderite home with their respective breakfasts and enough gold, provided by Naomi herself, to have a fun eventful day.
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It took about an hour on the ferry to finally view the beauty that was the festival. The Dovaa wasn't about to shed her wool coat anytime soon. It was cozy and snug against her small frame and having Alex's arm around her helped immensely.

The ferry docked and the group of, what was mostly Orderites, departed onto the festival's shores. The sounds and lights everywhere was so intriguing to the couple. They held hands, and obviously would probably get quite a few weird stares from others around for doing so. It wasn't every day that people saw an Orderite and Dovaa couple. But, most of the people here weren't paying too much attention to what others were doing. Luckily for them, everyone seemed to be in their own little worlds.

The sea of faces allowed for little recognition. With so many people around, Kavanna knew she would probably see someone she had met before as well as meeting many a friendly, and possibly unfriendly, face.

A glimpse of someone dark caught her peripheral. Was that...no...it couldn't be. Did that b***h find a way onto the grounds. This was great...the exact opposite of what she wanted to happen. It was Elleth. Well, knowing that fighting wasn't allowed in the festival's grounds, maybe a little provocation was in order.

"Alex, could you possibly go find me something to drink, please? The food and drink stalls are over that way I believe. I'm going to go sit down over there a little while." she asked. He smiled and agreed, scampering off. This was her chance.

The Oblivionite was just walking aimlessly it seemed near the ice sculpting sector of the fair. Kavanna caught up to her slowly and tapped on her shoulder, a grand smirk on her face.

"Didn't have enough the first time I kicked your a**, so you had to show your face here, huh? Hoping for a rematch are you?" Kavanna said with a chuckle towards the end. Oh, how she loved to flaunt her power about. Obviously she didn't know how the girl would react to such an attempt at provocation, but she would soon find out.