A slight wind carried multi-colored leaves through the streets of the city, the foliage dancing in the air past painstakingly posted autumn-themed decorations that littered the streets of Reis; they had been put up in honor of the upcoming season, and the event that had recently started-Reis' autumn festival. Held once a year (duh), the autumn festival was easily the city's most celebrated event; it was rare to find a single citizen of Reis not attending said festivities, even going as far as closing up shop to do so. The city almost seemed akin to that of a ghost town during the event, and even the guild hall of Infinite Serenade had closed for the time being, though those that frequent it would return in due time to wait for answers to the applications they posted all over town.

Set up like a large carnival on the outskirts of the city, the celebration grounds boasted having a little something for everyone, and sure enough, there seemed to be a tent for every sort of fancy. In the center of the celebration grounds was a large stage for those who wished to perform, and those who did choose to do so would rarely disappoint. Those outside the usual citizenry of Reis were most welcome to attend, and many a tourist would patronize the festivities, whether it be to dine, shop, or be entertained, and some had come from as far as Enrein's bordering nations. It was definitely the place to be at such a time of year, the patronage of said event growing bigger every year. Other cities and towns did celebrate the turning of the seasons much akin to the goings-on in this city, but Reis' festival for the start of autumn was easily and continued to be the most populous of said events.

((Eh, it's a little short, but I guess I'm a bit rusty. The idea here is to get you guys to the carnival by whatever means possible, though it is not completely necessary to do so; there still should be a small handful of people (not characters) that haven't attended the festivities. My character will be introduced a little later down the line.))

Malzahar was like a child again, he was taking part in a series of strength competitions in a local tavern with men nearly 1/3 of his age and was winning by a very small window as he didn't want them to know his actual strength so he was just barely won. He wasn't a bragger as he used the earnings to buy a round of drinks for everyone and continued to laugh and smile along with everyone else but inside he yearned for the quiet seclusion of his small house but figured it was good to let loose every once in a while.
Standing up from his table he congratulated the winner of a different game and set down some change for more drinks before taking his leave with a small line across his face as he had drunk his fair share of alcohol for the day and was ready to continue looking at the rest of the area's around the huge carnival. He took note of some rowdy men who were slurring and staggering as they walked but he paid them no mind till one of them bumped into his shoulder. Giving a quick apology Malzahar gave a bow but the big man wouldn't let this slide and instead gave the old man a shove causing him to lose balance and stagger.

With a smile he stood up taller and gave them another apology but apparently the drunken teenager's were intent on giving him a hard time about respecting their walk space or something, he paid it no attention as the bigger man took a swing only to hit the air next to Malzahar who gently kicked the other man's closer leg to knock the big man off balance and fall beside him unharmed, the other didn't wish to partake so instead the elderly man continued to walk around with an old walking stick made of polished oak.

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"But when one of it's baby chicks is in trouble, Momma comes a run'nin' and a squawkin and a run'nin''." -General Treistar

{Cesare Kazantzis}

_Stage_ Performance

On the big stage, the shining knight with ruby armor stood for all to see. The gleam off his armor nearly blinded those in the front row. He had an air of mystery around him as his identity was concealed using a helmet. " LADIES and GENTLEMEN, presenting the Ruby Warrior. " Said the announcer proudly as he gestured over to Cesare, the so called ruby warrior. " Today for our entertainment, he will show off his skills with his legendary poleaxe." The announcer went on to say as he tried to build up the crowd's excitement.

Cesare Kazantzis placed his shield behind his back and held his poleaxe with two hands as he went into a combative stance. He was getting paid to do this, but it wasn't the pay he was doing this for nor was he acting as a show off. The point of this, was to catch certain people's attention, members of Infinite Serenade. He may have had a reputation, but he wanted to show their was a reason why he earned such a reputation due to his skills.

In front of Cesare was another warrior holding up just a shield and standing by the man with the shield was the announcer holding a pineapple. Behind Cesare was a big man, who held a big rock over his head. " BEGIN, Ruby Warrior!" The announcer shouted to start the show. Cesare rotated his poleaxe as the man with the big rock threw his rocky weapon at him. He turned and struck the rock with the spike of his poleaxe. He broke the big rock in half with his Poleaxe Crusade's finisher. Cesare then, turned to the man with the shield and charged right at him. With great speed and rapid succession, he slashed at the man's shield, left, right, left, right, with his poleaxe.

Suddenly Cesare took a step back and pulled back his poleaxe. The announcer tossed up the pineapple into the air in front of the shield user. He rotated the poleaxe for greater damage and lunged forward with his poleaxe. Cesare had waited for the pineapple to be in front of the shield as the announcer told him before hand. Both the pineapple and the shield, shattered and scattered everywhere on the stage floor as his finisher connected. He went enough to just destroy the pineapple and shield, as he measured the distance between him and the shield user and the length of his weapon. The man holding the shield was just knocked down by the attack.

" Now, how was that for our Autumn Festival, folks !" Announcer asked as the show was over. Cesare offered a hand to the man he knocked down.

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"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

Harvey Roots - Outside Reis

Harvey trudged along down the street to Reis, breathing in a sigh of comfort as the cool Autumn wind blew over him. He had just returned from a visit to his old home town of Port Arante. The man's somewhat wrinkled suit still smelled vaguely of fish and salt water, a scent that to him was nothing shy of heaven. Tucked inside his wrinkled suit was an even more wrinkled deck of cards, lacking a proper binding and instead held together with nothing more than a rubber band. All in all, if one were to define how Harvey looked right now in a single sentence, they'd likely label him as a high class hobo. Nevertheless, Harvey intended to participate in the festival just like any other good citizen of Reis.

His red hair reflected softly in the various lights that flooded the streets. Green eyes danced across the various stands throughout the festival. While the selection was nothing compared to Port Arante, Reis' seafood couldn't be ignored. Harvey practically gorged himself on shrimp alone. Fried, grilled, baked, steamed, even raw, the style didn't matter; it was all delicious. "Must stop this before I eat myself into poverty." he thought with yet another sigh, stuffing one final shrimp into his mouth before moving on.

Unfortunately the mage didn't make it far before he was once again stopped by the festival's attractions. This time it was a string of various carnival games that caught his eye. While childish, Harvey often found he couldn't resist the urge to relive his younger days while he was still young enough to relive them. Knowing when enough was enough though was a useful gift Harvey possessed, and one he'd need to make use of if he planned to get out of the carnival with the majority of the money he'd came in with.

As Harvey left the money pit that was the central road, he continued on down the streets of Reis, avoiding the stampedes of small children that seemed quite intent to travel on the same line as himself. This wouldn't have been half as annoying if the brats hadn't been waving around sparklers as well as these almost always led to some unpleasant, and rather embarrassing burns. Rather than play the grumpy old man though, Harvey simply smiled and allowed the children to pass by without a hassle. "Seems things are as lively as ever."

Continuing still further into the festival grounds, Harvey eventually reached the epicenter. The stage, the very heart of the festival itself. Granted he had no intention of ever being on that stage himself, Harvey always found it pleasant to see other people go up there and perform. When he had arrived, Cesare had just finished his performance. Though more than his performance, Harvey was confused by the odd armor the man was wearing. It made more sense once he learned that this fellow was the Ruby Warrior. Granted Harvey knew next to nothing about the man, though he had to give him credit for picking such a self explanatory name. Nevertheless, Harvey couldn't help but chuckle at the oddness of it all, though he was probably that last person who should have been critiquing someone on their clothing's appearance.

~Aryala Breslin~

A young lady with long blonde hair wandered down the makeshift streets of the festival, her bright blue eyes shifting from tent to tent as she walked. Every time she saw something she didn't recognize, a smile lit up her face and she immediately made a beeline for whatever it was she had seen. Once she had picked it up, she spent several minutes analyzing it, speaking animatedly to the stall-keeper about what it was, what it did, where it came from, how it was made, and when it was first invented.

By the time she was done talking their ear off, she had an even brighter smile, and they were just glad she was gone, whether she had bought the item in question or not. So far she had only bought one thing, a wooden puzzle cube made of nine interlocking pieces, which she had stowed in the pocket of her perfectly clean white apron, to be played with later. There was altogether too much to do at the festival to simply sit and play. Her progress towards the stage at the center of the festival was slow, and her steps were measured and graceful, identifying her as an upper class citizen. Her light blue skirt swept along the ground as if it were floating, and the tips of soft black boots appeared ever so often when she moved a little more quickly after finding something of interest.

Once she got to the carnival games, however, her pace quickened somewhat. Such games were generally the same from one festival to another, and she had been to a few festivals before, though this was one of the largest. Once she reached the main area of the stage, she made her way to the front to see what was going on, and watched the polearm demonstration closely, examining how exactly one like herself would counter such moves.

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Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

Mauro sighed in relief. The city wasn't as intimating as he had feared. The walked into the city, gaping at everything. There were so many people! And so much stuff! And! And! Eventually Mauro had to go somewhere quieter to calm down. Then he went back in and tried to keep himself from gaping at everything again and letting his mind go crazy. He went over to buy a meat-on-a-stick, ate it, then bought five more. He forgot meat could taste so good! During his journey, he had mostly subsisted on salted and dried meat and bread with a few pieces of fruit he had taken from trees.

He was now in the contest section but wasn't quite sure what to do. While he saw a few that interested him, he wasn't very skilled at the moment. He tried anyway. He tried throwing darts where he managed to almost hit the person in charge, he tried something called skiball where he managed to throw the ball so hard it bounced off the board and hit himself in the forehead, and finally ended up watching a man using a polearm. The guy was great, much better than Mauro with his weapon.

When it was finished, Mauro enthusiastically clapped his hands and attempted to make his way over to the man, trying to squeeze through the crowd and push it apart, occasionally apologizing to those he pushed a little too hard.

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Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

~Kaylee Brynn: Carnival, Stage----It was supposed to educational~

"I swear, one of these days you're going to be the death of me."

A girl and her brother, the perfect duo. The girl was a hyperactive young lady, with flowing black hair tied in a ponytail, and a hoodie tied around her waste. She was skipping around excitingly, while her brother calmly walked, with an annoyed look on his face. He did not miss the people passing by, shooting him pitying looks. They were at the carnival, one of Kaylee's favorite places to be. There were many times when she wanted to join the circus, but this she never admitted to her brother nor her father. They would have flipped out on her.

She came from a family of honor, who took their work and reputation seriously. Sometimes her family members could take things too far. As her father said, "Honor comes before reason". Or something like that. Kaylee never payed any attention to her father's lectures. She would rather go outside and play, and watch birds flying in the air. A life led with honor sounded pretty boring. Unfortunately, her brother didn't think so, being sent to work for a warriors guild and back again. He used to be a fun guy, but now he's so serious...and BORING. Kaylee liked to remind him of this every now and then.

Evidently, they both came to the city they were in with guilds on their mind. Sel was supposed to return to his own guild, and Kaylee had to sign up for a guild of her own (much to her dismay). It was one of the conditions for her to come with Sel on his travels. It was either this or stay with her horrible father. Needless to say, Kaylee was having a blast with her brother. They had just arrived in Reis, and Kaylee heard from a conversing couple that there was a carnival going on. Beforehand they had seen many spectacles in other cities, including a rather horribly written play. Kaylee even managed to get her brother to buy her a spear (which she was showcasing proudly in the streets), and in return he taught some of his fighting moves, even though Kaylee didn't understand why. Still, it was really fun to spend some quality time with her brother again.

Now they were at the carnival. It took awhile to convince Sel to bring her here. He really wanted to sign her up for a guild right away so he could return to his own. But Kaylee insisted that they went to the carnival. She even made the face. No matter how disciplined Sel was, he simply could not resist the face. He soon came to regret his decision, as Kaylee skipped around him excitingly.

"Oh, cheer up big brother!" she exclaimed to him. "It'll be fun!"

Sel groaned, "'Fun' is not what I need right now."

Suddenly a large group of people passed them by, chatting excitingly amongst themselves. A couple of them pushed Sel aside, obviously in a hurry. Grunting, Sel said, "Honestly I don't see the hurry." Something tugged at his sleeve, and not surprisingly it was his sister, pointing at a gathering crowd in the distance. "What is it now?" he asked her. "There's a performance going on!" she cried. "And look, one of them's using a poleaxe!"

"Hm" muttered Sel. He recognized the term "Ruby Warrior". Apparently the guy was a legend. He supposed he could allow Kaylee to watch him for the rest of the performance. After all, exposure to the skills of others were always a good thing for development. Perhaps Kaylee could learn a thing or two. "Fine, let's go see what this guy can do. But after this we-" Sel didn't even get to finish. "YAY!" cried his little sister loudly, giving her big brother a huge, bone crushing hug in the process. "Can't....breath....bones....crushing....too.....strong...." Sel gasped as Kaylee finally let go of him, grinning like a goofball. He shook his head, "What did mom feed you? Oh, well...we'll worry about that later. Just go, and do what have you. But come back after the show. We still need to sign you up for a guild. And be courteous!"

"Alright!" Triumphant, the young woman ran towards the stage, pushing her way through the crowds so she could get a better view of the so called "Ruby Warrior". She was awestruck by his wondrous performance. It was wonderful, the way he handled his poleaxe. She would even been as daring as to call him better than her brother. The performance soon ended, and Kaylee let out a cheer. She HAD to get this guy's autograph. Maybe she could get him to autograph her spear! That would make it even more special!

With determination, Kaylee made her way to the front, eventually knocking into Mauro. But Kaylee was so excited, she didn't think to apologize. She only waved frantically in the Ruby Warrior's direction. "Mr. Ruby Warrior! Mr. Ruby Warrior! Over here!"

Meanwhile, her brother was making a trek through the crowds of his own, looking for his little sister. He was not the happiest bloke, she was supposed to have met up with him. He caught sight of her rummaging through the crowd, seemingly to meet the Ruby Warrior. This caused Sel to facepalm himself, "How embarrassing." Sighing, he made his way after her, excusing himself over and over again as he made his way through the crowd. Quite unlike Kaylee, Sel had a sense of mannerism.

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Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Basil - Performance

Basil had only just made it into the town from his home town of Aria, and the festivities looked to be great in Reis, so taking this opportunity at hand he set up to perform next to a bench his baggage in front of him and an old hat of his on top of his bag to collect money.

He started by clasping his hands together above his head, then in a swift motion separates his hands to either of his sides, in between his hands in the path they just took was a band of white flame, he lets it off of his hands and has it go to about his shoulders turned sideways in a half ring fashion, he then has it start to spin at first slowly but picking up speed every couple of seconds, eventually the half-ring is spinning so fast it has the appearance of a solid ring spinning around his neck, Basil then has it slow to a stop to reveal that he had spread it out mid way through the "spin cycle" to actually become a full ring, Basil grabs this ring (it's white flame magic so it won't hurt him) and then spins it on the palm of his hand controlling it so that it once again spins, but this time it spins in a fashion so that it looks like a sphere is on his hand. Basil stops the ring and then has it float about 6 feet above his head, he then has it separate into 10 small flames, and lowers it so they're around his torso, suddenly the flames start to spin into small spirals all around him keeping a fixed position, Basil then lets them go and they start to go in random directions around him but are unable to escape a spherical area Basil set for them, Basil invites several audience members into this "orb" and assures them that no matter what the fire will not hurt them, after which Basil has them fly once again above his head and combine into a large spiral which Basil then proceeds to make twist and turn and flip and fly mere inches above the audience's heads, Basil then goes to his finale, he brings the spiral above his head for the 2nd time, this time however he causes the middle of the spiral to jut out underneath and swing back and forth as though it were looking down on the crowd, almost immediately after the crowd would notice that that piece would now look like a chinese dragon head, Basil noticed that while he was forming the head a bit of the tail flame started to fade so after he was done and the crowd got in their surprise and "oooooo's and ahhhhhhh's" he shot up a band of flame that he held in his right hand this not only gave him easier control of the mass of flames but also gave the flames a new feed of energy, so after about 3 minutes of having it fly around and causing it to roar by using the crackle of the flames correctly he had it float above his head once more, but this time it stayed there, soon after it got to it's destination the audience would notice a small splotch of black forming in the middle of the "dragon" this soon ended with the dragon being made of entirely of black flame, he had it sprawl and move as though it was in pain and then the crowd would notice that it started to look odd with bulges forming across it's person, this went on for about 20 seconds before the dragon exploded into a bunch of skittering white flames, to which he bowed and collected his earnings

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I'm good with computers, that is all

Ciara McClellan: First Aid Tent

Inside the first aid tent, there was a young woman who was currently bent over a young boy's bloody knee with cotton swabs and a cleaning solution. Her slightly messy bun of reddish-brown hair shone even in the shady light that managed to make its way through the fibers of the fabric that the tent was made out of. This young woman, Ciara McClellan, was of medium height, on the cusp of being tall, with bright violet eyes rimmed with a tasteful amount of eyeliner and mascara. Her form, bent over as it was, was shapely with her petite shoulders, curved hips and nicely shaped long legs that were visible in her uniform of a black skirt reaching just above her knees, tank top with lace on the bottom, a white vest, and a small red silk scarf with the Infinite Serenade Guild logo sewn on in black, and the initials "I.S." sewn in the same black underneath it. The only thing that looked slightly out of place was the pair of tinted silver aviators, and despite her bending over repeatedly to get a good look at the young boy's injury, they never fell off.

Though she was normally a serious person in all matters, she did have a soft spot for attractive men and anything in pain, she just couldn't resist herself. Giving the boy a small smile, one could call it a slight curvature of her pink lips, she deftly cleaned and bandaged the knee before patting the child on top of his head and saying in a soft yet slightly clear voice that could easily become authoritative, "You're ready to go now, take care, sweetie." She hadn't met the boy before, but after seeing the child crying and holding his knee in a death-grip while his mother carried him into the tent, she immediately felt bad for the child, almost guilty despite her having nothing to do with his injury.The boy gave her a grin, his tear-stained cheeks slightly pink after all of the stress that he had been in, and hopped off of the bench to his mom who thanked her and walked back out to enjoy the events after giving her son a thorough scolding that he completely ignored in favor of watching the 'Ruby Warrior" in action.

She, upon her helping to set up the tent, had taken a look at the rest of the events that were also setting up. They all seemed to be the usual fun and games, and she didn't mind missing them if she got to help out: it felt good to be useful. She could hear the conversations of the crowds passing her tent, and gave herself a nod. Hopefully everything would run smoothly this year: she hated seeing people in pain, which was one of the main reasons why she had decided to become a doctor. Some had tried to dissuade her, saying that it wasn't something that she should look into when they thought that her skills lied elsewhere. She hadn't listened, and didn't regret her decision at all, especially after the incident with her childhood friend and neighbor. She still regretted not being knowledgeable enough to do anything at the time, but felt that she was doing her fair share of helping to make up for the past.

Gathering up the bloodied cotton swabs and bandage mess and tossing them into the trash specifically for body fluids and the like, she then expertly cleaned off the bench and then washed her hands once more before walking over to the entrance of the tent and crossing her arms as she leaned against of of the supporting poles. Looking out over the crowd, she continued to watch out for injured people and animals while still managing to have a good time just observing. There was nothing like a Reis Autumn Festival, afterall. Pulling the aviators over her sensitive eyes, she sighed deeply and frowned slightly. She was worried about the guild. 'What's going to happen to us?We're doing the best we can, that's all we can do, I guess.', she thought while zoning out temporarily as her right hand reached up to massage the palm-sized guild tattoo on the right side of her neck.

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Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

~ Leb Sterlyn: Opposite side of the square to the "Ruby Warrior" show ~

Leb quietly swore.

It was just his luck, arriving in the city on the day of a carnival. Clutching his over-sized hood and cloak that cover his features, he glared in contempt at the crowd and their star speckled gushing over their prized fruit cutter. “Ruby Warrior” ran a bell, but what were tricks to actual combat. Still, the crowd seemed impressed, and Leb could even make out a screaming fan girl for the armoured clown, knocking over a fashion-tend wannabe. It wasn’t that Leb didn’t know the crowds would make him less noticeable, something useful for someone with some his infamy, but he just hated carnivals. It reminded too much of the Circus. Besides, he needed to find the guild hall and the swarms of human pests weren’t making that easier in this maze of a city. Making one last check that his sling with all his worldly possessions was safe over his hump, Leb turned to be run over by another gleeful fangirl.

The young girl was dressed in her best afternoon gown, and she gave the knocked over dwarf her best scowl. “Watch it, you little brat!” She beat away on the dirt that got on her frills.
“My point exactly.” Leb snapped back, as he got to his feet. Before he could get another word through, the girl’s well dressed father appeared behind her. “Buttercup, don’t mind the freak, you still have a chance to meet your knight,” he curtly told her. Rage built up inside the dwarf, his gorilla like arm tensing and releasing in anger.

The girl needed no second bidding. Huffing in disgust one more time at Leb, while muttering something about her dress, he eyes lit up as she saw the Ruby Warrior on the stage. Squealing, she ran straight towards the crowd, a book and pen in hand for her target, she ran around the fountain in the middle of the square. Meanwhile, her father looked down his nose at Leb, thought for a moment, then dropped a few coins at his feet before making his way there too.

This was too much for the mage. The authorities be damned! The man and his b*tch should be buried for their “high manner”. However, there were more subtle ways of revenge. As soon as the father turned his back, Leb glanced as the scampering girl and timed her steps over the brick road. Timing was everything. Slowly putting his giant left hand on, then into, the ground, Leb closed his eyes and felt the vibrations in the ground. Any second now… annnnd…

The girl, dress bouncing and swaying with her, was just about to reach the far end of the fountain when one of the bricks shot up out of the ground slightly as her foot came down. Thrown completely off balance, the poor girl screamed as she tripped over sideways and went face first into the fountain's pool with a resounding splash. Her father, pale faced, darted forward to now help his crying, soaked daughter out, as she fumbled around in her drenched attire with makeup, water and tears streaming down her face.

Leb gave a satisfied grin. He took a dirty rag out of his sling, then bent down to pick up the coins still scattered at his feet. He was careful to not touch any of the coins without his cloth, while looking left and right to check for two things. One, if anyone had noticed what he done, which was unlikely since his left arm was concealed in his cloak, and two, if there was anyone who looked like they might know where one could sign up for Infinite Serenade.

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*The Crowd*

Mauro was not having an east time getting through the crowd. He even was knocked down by someone but he didn't turn fast enough to see them. Eventually he reached what seemed to be an impregnable knot in the crowd. Three large men had decided to stand right in Mauro's path and he was unable to get through them. He tried going left and right but the men stood in a narrow area, making it impossible to get through the people around them. With a sigh, Mauro moved back to get out of the crowd. He got out and moved through the alleyways, attempting to find another way around the crowd. He wandered around for what seemed like a long time and finally popped out onto a street that was nearby.


Midway, he noticed something move very quickly across his field of vision. A brick went flying, tipping a poor girl who had apparently gotten dressed up for the festival. He looked back to where the brick had come from and noticed someone. He walked up to them and pointed at the girl "Did you happen to have something to do with that?"

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Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

~West Michaels, City of Reis~

///////{In Front of Infinite Serenade Guild}\\\\\\\

West looked up and down, his orange and pink eyes scanning from the ground to the roof. He stood still, face blank and eyes wide in an observant stare. He then looked left to right, following the walls as they went around the building. His eyes never blinked, and nothing below his neck even moved half an inch. An elderly man slowly walked up along the street, carefully moving with the aid of his cane. He glanced to the oddity that was this young boy with his hair shaded a multitude of colors. West slowly turned his head, looking back at the man.

The old man screamed and suddenly learned how to run all over again as he made a mad dash away. "HE'S A STREET HOOD! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLPP!!!!" His cries rushed out across the empty streets as his old legs carried him off toward the festival.

"LEEEROOOYY JENNKINNNNSSS!!!" Another man suddenly jumped out of a crate, wearing nothing but a paper bag on his face. He smacked the old man wit a rubber chicken and ran off in his nudity.

West finally blinked, tilting his head while watching the old man run away faster than the boy could even run after getting back up. "Huh... Wonder what that was about..."

~~~Earlier that day...~~~

"Old Man Jenkins...."

The elderly fellow looked up, his thick, white beard bouncing a bit over his frail chest. The slits of his eyes slowly crossed the visage of an old acquaintance. "Ahh, hello Joe! The store been doing well?"

The vendor eyed the old man, smiling wide. "Yeah, business has been good to me the past couple weeks. All the work setting up the festival has helped boost sales near the festival grounds." He lowered the wooden overhang that usually was providing shade for the small stand and its customers. "Nearly forgot to get the change from my register, though... Gonna need that for all the fun going on today." He stated with a laugh, locking the large slab of wood down and closing off the small shop. He was most pleased that he had gotten the papers for setting up the shop months ago, knowing his base store near the town's edge was likely going to lose sales the closer the festival came around.

"Heeyyyyyy! HeeyyyyyyyyyyyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!"

The two looked up as they heard screaming growing closer. They looked up the street toward the rising hill, watching a crowd of people running. Joe spoke up, "What in the world...?" He squinted his eyes, trying to make out what he saw. He then jumped and gasped, turning to run off. "LOOK OUT JENKINS!"

Old Man Jenkins watched his friend run off, then slowly look up the hill to the approaching crowd. "... Wha... Huh?!" His slits opened and his brown eyes went wide. A young man with hair ablaze with nearly ever color under the rainbow was dashing down the hill, a large fish on his head. Or rather, a large fish had its large mouth opened wide and was holding onto the young man's face for all he was worth. The youth had his arms extended forward, swatting around to smack down anything in his way. And just behind him...

Several large sailors and fishermen were yelling and rampaging, stampeding after the boy while swinging at him with ropes, chains, fishing rods, and even some rather big anchors. Some screaming about wanting the fish back. Some shouting, "IT WAS MY CATCH!" Some were bruised and had footprints over their faces, practically steaming out their ears with fury and desire for payback. But in all, they wanted this kid and they wanted to take something, even if they had to get it out of his hide.

Unfortunately, the kid's eyes were covered by the fish sucking on his face. A muffled scream came from somewhere on his face, repeatedly trying to give out any warning he could for anyone in his way. He quickly came within two feet of the old man. For a brief instant, flashes of memories ran across Old Man Leeroy Jenkin's eyes. Days gone by when he was still young, venturing out upon the world. Facing whelps and other assortments of beasties. Reminding him vividly of the friends he lost one day, their dying words so clear to him this day.

"At least I have chicken..." Old Man Jenkins stated. He lifted his right hand, taking a bite of a chicken leg. His face came in contact with a swinging fist soon after. The moments since then all became a blur for the old man.

~~~At Present~~~

West shrugged and turned back, looking over the guild building before him. "Man... So biiiiiiig..." He stated absently, staring up once again. After several minutes, though, he fell back to sit upon the street. "... Too bad the doors won't open, though..." He then looked around, seeing that nobody was nearby. While he was new to city life, he had seen crowds of amassing citizens earlier that all seemed to be heading in one direction.

"Guess I'll start there..." West picked himself back up and turned, starting a walk down the streets to try and find someone in the guild to let him in.

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{Cesare Kazantzis}

_Off the stage_ Around the Stage area_

Cesare was the opening act to the rest of the show. He volunteered since the original performer didn't show up on time. He waved to the crowds as he made his departure from the stage. Now as much as he didn't want to become a show off, he had to admit that he liked the cheering crowds. At least he figured this display of skill would at least impress a member of Infinite Serenade before they reject him.

"Mister? I'm not that old or am I?" He questioned as he stopped. He rubbed the metal chin of his helmet as he pondered the answer to his self-asked questioned. " I suppose, by my appearance and the skills, I possess, I imagine others would think, I am much older." He proposed to the person who called out to him. " However, I like to declare that I am youthful as one as yourself. " He continued. Cesare spoke a scholar aged from academy than a warrior that was on stage. There was a reason why Cesare was silent on the stage and the announcer noticed this beforehand.

"Aw, sorry, I was talking about something unrelated, did you have a question, miss?" He asked as he finally realized he was rumbling on an unrelated topic. He then, noticed the spear that Kaylee had in her hands. " Oh I see, you're a fellow warrior. " Cesare pointed out. " That's wonderful, but remember all life on this planet is sacred. A weapon's purpose is for defense, not for fun. So never take it lightly. " He lectured to the young spear user.

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"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

~Kaylee Brynn: Carnival, Around the Stage Area----<Insert Fangirl Squeal Here>~

'He's talking to me! He's actually talking to me!' Someone so skilled as the Ruby Warrior taking the time to acknowledge her assistance was not something Kaylee would have expected. Although, to be honest it was not what Kaylee expected. The extravagant knight was gabbling on about his age for some reason. Kaylee hoped she didn't insult him. 'That would be horrible!' she thought. Still, the woman's cheeks turned a rosy red as Cesare spoke. She had forgotten about why she meant to meet up with the knight in the first place. That is, until he mentioned something about a question.

It hit her like a speeding bullet, "Oh! Yes! I do!" She nodded, now remembering to ask for an autograph, and held out her spear for him. She did this a tad shyly, might I add. It was still fairly new, and she was still blushing madly from when the warrior first spoke to her. "Will you please sign my weapon? I hope you don't mind...and that it isn't any trouble. My name is Kaylee Brynn." The spear had a diamond shaped tip to it, which seemed to be made of steel, while its long shaft was made of iron. In length, the entire spear was as long as Kaylee, maybe even a bit taller. The design that connected the spearhead to the shaft was shaped like a cylinder, and extremely simple. Only the color that was painted onto it (which was a sky blue) made it seem a little bit unique. Still, it was special to her, the way Kaylee handled it showed that.

It came to pass that soon after she made her request, the bashful look on Kaylee's face soon melted into a frown as the Ruby Warrior lectured her about fun. However, she supposed that she should not be that someone other than her brother or father would lecture her on the importance of being serious. Still, she had hoped that this was not the case with the Ruby Warrior. It seemed that even the most extravagant people had some scholar in them. It was kind of disappointing really. "Yeah...that's the sort of thing that my father would say...and my brother." Her eyes lingered over the spear, and the face of her brother entered her mind, as well as another thing she had forgotten. "That reminds me! I promised him I'd come back to him after the show!" She could visualize her brother becoming very cross with her. Needless to say, it was NOT a pretty picture. Kind of frightening actually. She hoped he wasn't too worried about her.

Speaking of which, Sel had seen his little sister follow Cesare around the stage, and was currently trying to find a way out of the crowd. The show was still going on, so the crowds were still troubling. He eased his way between a man and a woman, his eyes focused on where Kaylee had gone. This was going to be difficult. Not that it was much of a surprise.

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Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

{Cesare Kazantzis}

_Somewhere near the stage area_

Cesare rested his poleaxe on a nearby wall. As Kaylee held out her trusty spear, Cesare examined it. While he studied the weapon, he was thinking of a response to her question. It was obvious that she had a strong connection with her weapon due how she handle it, but what surprised Cesare was the fact she wanted him to sign it. Since this hadn't occurred before, he was relatively new to this kind of experience. "Kaylee, am I saying it, right? You want me to sign it?" He questioned as he then looked at her. " I feel honored, but I must decline. That weapon is your tool to forge your own Legacy." Cesare said in a rather stoic way.


" You have a good brother and father, then." Cesare mentioned as he changed the subject. " The temptation to use a weapon for evil is as vast and wide as an ocean. " He said , through it sounded like another lecture coming on. " Course evil and good is the opinion of the individual like ourselves. In nature, such concepts don't exist." Cesare said as he voiced his actual thoughts on the topic at hand. " But that's a topic for another time. In this instant, all I'm saying is that they have a point." He went to say.

" Which said point is that they don't want you to walk on the wrong path." He said simply and finally.

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"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

Harvey Roots - Caught Between Between a Rock and a Fat Guy

{Carnival}

The more Harvey attempted to get closer to the stage, the more and more obstacles got in his way. Just as he was about to reach a prime viewing angle, some girl with a spear brushed past him, effectively shoving the slender mage out of the way in the process. In doing so, Harvey's nose crunched against some sturdy looking fellow also intent on getting a better view. The two men exchanged a few dirty looks before each going about their own business. While the incident annoyed Harvey it was nothing to get worked up over. People made mistakes, especially when they were excited.

Unlike the children who'd gotten in his way earlier though, this one was more than old enough to realize the consequences of her actions. Due to this, Harvey was less eager to let her off the hook. Still, there was little he could do about it now anyway. Any chance he'd had of getting closer to the stage was now gone. All that was left now was to wait and see who the following act would be.

As Harvey waited though, a thought crossed his mind. He hadn't come back to Reis to enjoy the festival. He'd come back to check up on that Infinite Serenade Guild. "Where was that guild hall anyway?..." Harvey thought silently to himself as he peaked around over the heads of the crowd. "Doesn't matter I suppose. Even the guilds'll be closed for the festival anyway. No sense making a fuss about it now."

Rucio did not dislike carnivals - so long as they matched a schedule that he was familiar with. There were, after all, new sights to see, new people to talk to, and new books that would, perhaps, help him in deciphering his master's heirloom even just a little more.

But he had not come to Reis to see the performers or the sights - he had come to see how his application for Infinite Serenade had turned out. The reborn guild was his best bet, without making his Enlightened status somewhat public, that was. And then make himself a beacon for all the more dangerous Language Mages out there who wanted the one Word of Power he had been left from his dead predecessor.

Of course, that was before he saw the dusty old tome sitting as a stand for an ugly old lamp at one of the flea market sites. He patiently slid the tome out from under the lamp, taking care not to exacerbate the broken state of the half-eaten binding. He did not blow on the cover - only idiots and amateurs did that - and instead retrieved a soft brush from his pack. His eyes started to widen as the cover came into view, but he quickly clamped down on his emotions as the owner came bustling around to judge and, more than likely, throw him out if it seemed like he wasn't going to buy anything.

"Help you with anything?" asked the portly man, who seemed far too proud of the keg that was his belly for Rucio to take him seriously.

"I was just looking at this old children's book from my homeland," he said, sounding wistful. "It was good timing that I found this, too; my brother's children are fond of the old folk tales from their father's country."

The man regarded him and the book suspiciously. If he was anything, he was a seasoned merchant, and he thought he knew the signs of the great game being played upon him. Haggling, that was.

"5,000C's -" he began, but was interrupted as Rucio said immediately, "Done!"

Rucio hid his smile as he pretended to fish around for the money in the wallet he wore around his neck; the man was sputtering, trying desperately to think of some way to raise the price for what he now thought he had undersold greatly. The truth was, it was probably the right price - Rucio himself had no idea how valuable the dusty old tome truly was. He had been shocked, momentarily, to read a dialect of a Lesser Language that he was not familiar with across the cover. Only extensive reading and deciphering of the words would reveal whether or not he had made a correct purchase. Either way, the man's look as he accepted the money made the book - even if it truly was a book of fairy tails - worth it already.

He was about to settle down and whittle the time away until the guild reopened, but was stopped momentarily by a curious creature - no, person, now that he saw, but horribly deformed - out of the corner of his eye. It was not, however, the deformation that had caught his eye, but the look of hatred that had flitted momentarily across the man's face as his eyes followed some child who had mocked and insulted him. Rucio had seen that look before, and, if anything, the strangely bulging muscles in the man's arm seemed to indicate he may have been planning something foul.

While Rucio was hardly one for to act upon any momentary feelings of valor and valiance that welled up in any boy his age, he did think that saving a little girl's life from this man's monstrous arm would look favorably upon his application to Infinite Serenade. But, to his relief and slight disappointment, he saw the man turn away.

Thinking it was over, Rucio was about to turn away himself when he saw the girl fall into the fountain with a splash. He immediately turned towards the deformed man, who was looking upon the scene with undisguised glee and satisfaction. As it was, Rucio could not help but give a small smile himself as he saw the father grimace as his daughter splashed fountain water over his conspicuously expensive clothing.

When he saw the man looking around, somewhat warily, Rucio gave a small grin and walked up to the lop-sided man, who had been confronted by another person, around Rucio's age, with streaks of orange in his messy hair.

"Hey," he said to person with the orange streaks. "There's no proof of that. It looked to me like the girl was flouncing around and misplaced her step. If anything, the man here should be commended for keeping his cool after that girl and her father insulted him like that."

His cerulean eyes darted for a second at the father and daughter, neither looking particularly as haughty as they had only moments ago.

_________________
Akaine: And a boner from this? Why not. If guys can walk around all day with boners, why not from slight provocation?
Jay: All day would indicate a health problem. But yes, at the most random times, several times a day for maybe half an hour, once every few hours at least, for absolutely no reason, sounds about right.
Redsnow: Stop teaching at preschools, Jay.

zenieth wrote:

I love you red.

Basil- FOOD

As Basil had already shown his performance he decided on walking around and spending a little of his money. First he got some seafood and some meat on a stick to walk around with.

He walked around for a while avoiding the epicenter, so he could get a little elbow room, as he walked he came to an area almost devoid of people, so as he kept walking sure he'd eventually find his way back to the festival. He came across the guild his parents had sent him to try out for, now of course it was closed but to simply look at it gave him a feeling of anxiety and excitement.

Continuing back to the festival he had run out of food and decided to get some more, something spicy, like chicken wings some of the hottest he could find and with that kept walking.

As he walked he noticed a large crowd of people standing at what seemed to be the center of the festivities, letting his curiosity get the best of him he walked up to the crowd and asked a nearby guy (Sam's since I don't know how to describe him) "What's going on over here?"

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I'm good with computers, that is all

-Laem the "Fire-Starter"-
For a man with his hands on fire, Laem was unusually calm.

The bartender had quicked him out after his little "accident", leaving him on the streets with flames on his gloves. Laem didn't mind the heat too bad, he's had worse, but he knew the gloves wouldn't last forever. Luckily for him they were a spare pair. Unluckily, it was his last pair of spares. On the bright side, once that guild accepted him, and who could resist my amazing usefulness?, he'd have plenty of cash for things like gloves to burn through, and equipment, and ingredients, and something for the burns... speaking of, he was out of that, wasn't he? Mulling over how to handle it, he got distracted by a display. Some guy was doing some sort of show, with batches of flame, oddly colored white and black flames at that. It was kinda nice, although Laem prefered nice, naturally alchemically started flames himself.

FLAMES. Right, right, his hands. "I can just take them off, but the second hand is gonna burn... where's some water?" Looking around, he couldn't seem to spot a fountain, not before this Ruby Warrior caught his eye. He really should have focused, but the large, roaring crowd distracted his thoughts. The man pulled off some nice tricks with the poleaxe, but Laem wasn't much impressed by the display of physical skill. "Eh, not bad. Still, guys like him have really got to stop caring so much about their fancy weapons. The minds where it's at. I mean, if every muscle bound guy with a fancy wea- fire, damnit Laem. Fire." Finally spotting a fountain, the red cloaks man walked over, ignoring some odd stares. You don't see people on fire everyday, but the Autumn festival was probably the exception.

Halfway there, however, some random woman splashed right into the water fountain Laem was aiming for. He took a step back, and decided is was best to stay far away from the lady and her father, lest he somehow accidentally get involved. Don't ask how, but Laem was sure of it. Out of the corner of his eye, something got his attention. A first aid tent. That could work. He tugged the glove off of one hand with the other, as quick as he could. By the time he got there, the other was nearly burnt through. "Hello, er, ma'am. Do you happen to have anything for burns?" Gritting his teeth, he took his now exposed left hand and grasped the burning right glove, tugging it off quick as he could and throwing it to the ground. Stomping on it, he took a moment to explain. "Slight accident. Trying to impress someone. Drunk bastard wasn't even really with Inifinite Serenade, can you believe that? Some people think it's funny to watch me light myself on fire. Well, heh, it kinda is, but...."

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~Kaylee Brynn: Carnival, Around the Stage Area----The Wrong Path?~

The frown on her face gave way to disappointment. It turned out Kaylee tried to gain the Ruby Warrior's attention for nothing, or at least it seemed like that. And the warrior was not making sense again. Kaylee couldn't understand what he meant by "Legacy". Did he expect her to make some sort of difference in the world or something? All she wanted to do was be free and have an adventure. She hoped he wasn't suggesting there was going to be more involved. 'Why do I have a feeling this was all part of an elaborate plot orchestrated by father?' she thought in dismay. When things take a turn for the dull and boring, the young lady always blamed her father. For subconsciously she knew that her father thought stuff like that was "healthy" for her well being, though in her opinion it was purely torture. What was frightening about that idea was the prospect that came with it; her brother was in on it too. Though in reality, this was purely all her fault, she just wouldn't accept it. Just like she wouldn't admit to taking the last cookie out of a cookie jar.

To make things worse, the Ruby Warrior dove right into another lecture. The spear-wielding girl was about to let out a groan, but was taken by surprise when Cesare completely avoided the whole "good and evil" thing she was expecting to hear, and went for an entirely different direction. This guy was saying that good and evil didn't even exist! And then he went on saying that her father and brother just didn't want her treading the wrong path. That was great and all, but Kaylee just wanted to understand one thing..."Wait. If there's no such thing as good and evil, then how do I know which path is the wrong path?" she asked him, sounding a bit frustrated. "That doesn't make any sense!"

While Kaylee was busy racking her head over Cesare's words of wisdom, Sel was busy figuring out how to escape the extremely difficult crowd that was in front of the stage. Things were not going well, and as far as he was concerned he was stuck until the show was over. "Great, just my luck" he muttered to himself as a young boy asked him what was going on. "Huh?" Sel turned to look at the boy with interest. He was a tall man in his early twenties, with the same black hair that Kaylee had, except the bangs weren't leveled and it was much shorter. He also had the same blue eyes as her. For clothes he wore shining armor made of steel that gleamed white in the sun, coupled with a white tunic whose hems were dyed a sky blue. In his right hand, Sel carried a tall spear like Kaylee did, only it was much more extravagant, and the spearhead had more of an oval shape to it. "Well, right now there's a performance going on." The warrior looked at the stage with an indifferent look on his face. "Pretty much a bunch of people showing off their skills, looking to impress someone. Not really much of a big deal in my opinion, but it my sister wanted to watch it." He sighed, "And now I can't seem to find her." He looked around for a way out, becoming aggravated by the entire situation. This was not how he planned to spend his return to Reis. Honestly, why did they have to hold the festival right as he entered the city?

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Basil - Meh

"Really? well thanks for the explanation. I already did something like that a little earlier so that's not for me at the moment" Basil said to the older gentlemen in the armor. He stood there for several minutes pointing out several oddly dressed people, including the man next to him it seemed that this place was crawling with those in armor and oddities, I mean Basil is wearing simple clothes (like that without belt buckles) but some people were wearing some really out there stuff.

So after Basil talked a little more he went towards the medical tent to get some aloe (he had been burned a little when the dragon exploded since it was directly above his head but he can't heal himself if the wound was from his own flame), and maybe help a bit since his master told him healing little things would be good practice for his white flame for battle

_________________
I'm good with computers, that is all

Ciara McClellan:It's getting hot in here

Ciara was zoning out when she saw a man walking rather fast in her direction and immediately noticed the burning hands. Her eyebrows rising quickly with surprise: the festival never ceased to bring something new each year. "Oh! Come right on in. I'll help you with that right away, please, have a seat." She gave him a quick nod and gestured to the patient's bench that she had just cleaned. She listened to his explanation with a very slight smile, as if she was trying not to laugh at his expense, and turned around, the Infinite Serenade Guild tattoo on her neck standing out since her hair was up in a loose bun. Her light violet eyes locked onto his hands and she frowned a little, as if she could feel his pain, and took a few steps closer, on the way grabbing a few salves and bandages before she reached him.

Listening to his explanation made her sigh, male machismo created so much work for her, there might as well not be any wars! Then he mentioned Infinite Serenade, and her lips curled gently in a small smile. "So you want to impress the Infinite Serenade Guild?" At this point, she had reached out her hands to below the point where there were burns on his hands and turned them over gently before pulling out a small tub and placing it on his lap and his hands over them. "This might sting a little." She said, apologetically before pouring a germ-killing solution over his hands. Everyone that had the solution poured over an injury before had always been in a lot of pain...but it was the most effective way to make sure that until she got bandages on his hands, that they wouldn't get infected.

While she had been preparing her supplies, she had gotten a good look at his face and found that she wasn't disappointed. Reminding herself that she was working, she brought over the jar of salve and used a cotton ball to take some out and dab it gently on the burnt hands. She took her work very seriously, and was very gentle as she worked. She could only imagine the pain that he must be going through. First, the burn, and secondly, the solution. "Funny?" She asked, not finding humor in that at all. "How can someone being hurt be funny?" She frowned a little but continued in her gentle ministrations. It wasn't like she was mad, it's just that she didn't understand that perspective at all.

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Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

-Royale Patterson, Festival grounds-

"My, my, my, it does appear I've come at a lively time." Roy said to himself as he walked through the crowded streets he had originally planned on visiting the guild's halls to apply formally but one of the citizens of this fair city told him that they were closed during the festival. Absently he brushed off some dirt on his white suite as he moved through the busy streets.

The sound of laughter, both from young and old put a smile on Roy's face, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves but for the most part Roy simply walked by, casually observing each event and performance at a distance. Crackles of fireworks and the smell of food began to fill the air, there seemed to be a charming city, welcoming and open to outsiders.
After exploring the various stands Roy decided to take a break, finding a simple cafe near to a beautiful fountain and apparently a well liked performer. Taking a seat he removed his fedora, placing it carefully on the table and politely waited until someone came to serve him. “Sorry to keep you waiting good master, what would you like.” One of the younger waiters asked after several minutes, the cafe was understandably busy, considering the fact there was festival happening it was surprising it was even open.

“Just a cup of tea will do nicely for the moment, I’ve yet to finish reading the whole menu sorry, you’ve got some interesting recipes and dishes I-“ Roy began turning to speak to the waiter but the man shrank back somewhat when he saw Roy’s left eye, “Ah, the eye again.”

“My sincerest apologies good master, it-it just caught me off guard, t-that’s all.” The waiter quickly began but stopped when he found Roy was laughing. “I-is everything alright?”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry it’s not the first time this has happened, at least you haven’t called the owner of this fine place and had me thrown out like some stray hound.” Roy said after recovering, wiping a couple tears off his face, “To be honest, I’ve been thinking of finding ways to, ehh, how shall we say, put people at ease when I’m around. I’m a business man and hopefully in time an acceptable wizard but the only thing I’ve been able to come up with is wearing an eye-patch. I mean that would look somewhat silly during a board meeting now wouldn’t it, haha.”

The waiter relaxed afterwards and simply continued his job after some reassurance, allowing Roy to focus on the festivals. Roars of approvals came from the crowd as the waiter brought him his tea. It held a strong and vibrant taste, Roy was in the process of asking what kind of tea it was when a cry of distress came from the nearby fountain.
There seemed to be some sort of commotion going on, enough to spark Roy’s curiosity and concern. After taking several large sips he calmly asked for the bill and then tipped the waiter adding in as he left that he would return to try some of the chief’s dishes before heading off to the possible confrontation.

{Cesare Kazantzis}


" Don't look depress, Kaylee. I simply meant that your weapon as it is now, looks fine. I like the way it is as it is now and I feel my signature would ruin it." Cesare explained to Kaylee on why he didn't want to sign it. " You have a great weapon and I believe, you have potential with it." He continued to express his point on the matter to the spear wielding warrior.

" Like I said earlier, in nature those concepts don't exist. For people, they do. " Cesare re-said again to what he said prior to Kalyee. " However, people forget, that the individual like yourself must decide what is right and wrong on your own. " He mentioned as he now started to talk about a topic about people and individuals. " Let me be clear, You know, what's right and wrong due to your brother's and father's view of good and evil. correct?" He asked, but he didn't wait for an answer. " Those views have become apart of your view of good and evil. Therefore, it can be said that their views and yours are similar. Yet they forget nly you, for yourself can truly say what is good and evil, and use what they have taught you as guidelines. " Cesare want on to say.

"In conclusion, you already know, what's the right and wrong path, because of the guidelines your brother and father have given you. Yet in the end only you can choose for yourself if they were right or not." Cesare said as his final point.

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"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

Artemis was enjoying both the carnival and a smoke. He liked festivals. Each town had their own way of celebrating something and Reis' was topping the others for this years Autumn fest. At his initial arrival into the city he was slightly disheartened. It seemed as if everyone had simply disappeared. He arrived at the door to the guild Infinite Serenade. The note assured him that he was not going crazy by thinking a fog monster took the citizens but they were in fact at the festival being held at the outskirts of town. With a relieved sigh, he took out a stick and light it before making his way to the festival. After passing a couple of stands with games, food, and souvenirs, he made his way to watch the performances. The Ruby Warrior was a spectacle to watch and he seemed to have many a fan after him. Artemis opted out meeting the warrior some other time. Slowly he made his way through again but this time his walking course was sidetracked by a crying child. Curious, he walked over the little boy and tilted his head obnoxiously to the side.

"What's the matter there sport? Got dust in your eye?" The little shook his head and instead pointed at what used to be an ice cream cone. Artemis let his eyes follow the trail where the glob of melting sweetness laid. Oh, what sour luck....If only I knew how to make that feel better... Artemis twisted his face into a pseudo pout and rubbed the side of his eye before wiping the boys face with a handkerchief.

"Festivals aren't meant for frowns, so how about I help turn it upside down, yeah?" He asked while he nodded his head for the boy to do the same. The child stared at him through watering eyes before looking around and nodding as well. Artemis smiled and stood up quickly, holding out his hand, "Alrighty then. Would you like to hear a story?"

The boy nodded. "Then you have to shake on it that you won't cry over silly things like dropped ice cream anymore. Got it?" He nodded again, grabbing hold of Artemis' hand and the older man shook the small appendage obnoxiously enough the boy began giggling. As Artemis pulled his hand he felt his arm get tugged back and he looked down. he boy was smiling at him still hand and hand but the other held his wrist. With a roll of his eyes, the man ruffled the boy's hair and moved to sit under a tree. Somehow within the time span of holding the boy's hand more children appeared and he had a flock of them to tell a tale. He smirked, sighing not of exhaustion. Something about him just made others trust him; children were the most susceptible to his charm.

"In the world Muromachi, there was a country called Sengoku. There were two species that lived in this one country; the Humans and the Demons. Humans as you all know look just like us. A demon's feature was similar to a human's but animalistic. They were like human versions of animals. So there was one demon who was born in the fox clan. His name was Seto Aogiri. In order to prove he was worthy enough to take up the leadership of his clan he ventured into a deep dark cave. The farther he walked the more the darkness seemed to take over until he came upon an entrance to an opening. A small, dim candle light illuminated the room-like place. He looked around, searching for any sign of an enemy. Then Seto walked up towards the ledge that held the items he needed to prove himself. But, as he got close enough to reach out and touch them, the floor opened up beneath him and he fell into a pool of blood." The child gasped, intrigued by the story and hanging on his every word. Artemis continued to tell them animatedly, acting out certain parts for better effect and making faces at them that made them giggle. "Then a monster of great height appeared from the shadows, laughing evilly at how easy it was to kill his newest victim. The monster was an ugly thing. Its face was deformed with its eyes on each side of its head, the nose crooked, his smile was gaped from missing teeth, and his body looked like a failed experiment of trying to piece together different body parts. His skin was dead and decaying in many places and some pieces of rotten flesh were falling off of him, leaving a trail on the floor to where he stood. The monster walked over to the pool of blood, groaning like a zombie as it tried to make an audible noise.

It bent down, sticking its decaying hand into the vat of blood, searching for its newly acquired dinner. But then the monster felt something grab its arm, trying to pull the monster into the pool. With great force the monster pulled back, taking Seto right along with it. He kept his grip on the monster tight until he felt himself out of the blood. He released the arm, having been flung into the air, flipped and landed in a crouched position on the floor, gasping for his breath but glaring at the monster. It roared in protest that the blood hadn’t drowned Seto and the monster charged at him. He dodged quickly and got behind the monster with the utmost speed and grace. It turned and roared again in frustration, attacking Seto in a fit of anger and desire for food.

He tried to evade most of the attacks but the monster had limbs where they weren’t supposed to be and too many to watch all at the same time. It pushed Seto back to the edge of the pool of blood and roared in triumph. Feeling cornered, Seto sought an escape and then got an idea. He waited for the right moment when the monster would attack. Then he rolled to the side, jumping to his feet. The monster stood on the verge of falling over into the pool. The only thing that kept it from falling was its torso that bent awkwardly, allowing it to keep balance. Seto clawed the monster’s back, making it arch and roar in pain. Then he kicked it into the vat of blood, watching as it drowned, flailing its arms and other limbs in the air as it sunk under into the pool. Injured from battle Seto sat on the ground, catching his breath....."

_________________
Perhaps you are asking the wrong questions?