One didn't have to be high to enjoy Destiny City's annual Star Festival, but it might make things even more fun… At least that's what Peregrine thought as he wandered the vendor stalls of the festival, tripping just a bit on mushrooms. He usually didn't do this very often, getting high while civilian instead of powered up as Parsifal, Sailor Senshi of Alternatives. But Star Fest came once a year, and he just couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience it while 'enhanced,' as it were. Besides, these were the good mushrooms, the ones that really made for vivid colors and fun effects. And he hadn't done any of these since he'd run into that corrupt Senshi in the park and she'd splashed him with something that had made him really hallucinate.

Peregrine giggled as he thought of that night not so many days ago. He still remembered the silly little tune that the big brightly colored bug-things had been singing as they crawled over his bare feet, their little hallucination claws tickling him ever so slightly. Remembering led to humming, and he bobbed his head from side to side, humming the song softly and giggling. That had been a wild evening, yeppers. He'd have to see if he might run into that corrupt Senshi again, if for no other reason than to tell her he'd delivered her message. Which she'd find out if she and Sailor Saiph made their rendezvous at the goth club. (See, he'd remembered! He wasn't that high!)

A thing caught his eye just then, a shiny sparkly colorful thing – actually many shiny sparkly colorful things, dangling from a string from the top of one of the vendor stalls. Blinking, he made a surprised, happy face. Star charms! Somehow he had missed last year's star charms, given away by vendors and volunteers and other participants in the festival. His happy face turned into a frowny face; he'd been collecting them since he was a weester and had hardly ever missed getting one. He brightened again quickly though. He hadn't forgotten this year!

Bouncing up to the stall in question, Peregrine beamed at the vendor. "I'd like a star charm, please!" he chirped at them.

The vendor, a round older woman selling sweets (oooooh yum, maybe he'd buy some of those), smiled at the small man. "Which color would you like, dear?" she replied, evidently mistaking him for a child. She removed the string of charms from the framework of the stall and held them out at his eye level, well below hers. "Just pick one! They're all free!"

"Oooh," Peregrine cooed, eyeing the bright, sparkly little charms as they swayed on the string, catching the lights on their shiny curved faces. Why, they even had tiny little bells hanging from them this year! And the colors were so pretty too! Though that was probably helped by the hallucinogen he had on board. He really liked them all!

Then he saw it – the one. The very one he wanted most of all.

"I'll take THAT one!" He pointed at the star charm he wanted, smiling happily.

The vendor nodded. "Good choice, dear!" She reached into a box and pulled out a charm matching his selection. "I was going to suggest that one myself for you."

Taking the star charm from her, Peregrine held it up next to a lock of his vibrantly pink hair. "It matches!" He grinned hugely at the woman. "Thank you!"

And off he skipped, hand firmly clutching the fuschia charm so he didn't drop it.

(wc: 600)