Day at the Fair

Laughter cuts across the brilliant, blue sky today in Alexandria. A gnome has come to the Festival Grounds with kites, and families and children are flying them. The colors are brilliant against the sky, and occasionally, one might see a faerie dragon flickering between them

Zapolklnex is up too early once again. Or too late? It's hard to tell. The dark elf in dark robes, with his face completely shrouded by a hood is back at the festival grounds, because there appears to be some sort of disturbance going on. Kites, and someone said something about a dragon. So his hooded head lifts, and he's looking for the dragon.

Amid the happy festival goers there is a xian man in dark clothing with a raven on his shoulder. He stands out from the merriment by vertue of the fact that he is not actually taking part. The raven peers around at the people passing by with interest, but the man moves with the steps of someone who has somewhere to be. Though in fact he is stopping here and there to buy things. A few treats from this stall, a few from that one. He has a small bag in one hand that is gradually growing more and more full as time passes on.

Another xian man, who also happens to not have any place to be, is currently watching carefully a large, armored white tiger that is apparently having fun under the attention of various children's attention. Shin's armed, of course, but the man is currently kneeling off to one side as he watches the exchange. "Easy now. Don't pull her tail, and be gentle." The tiger is of course purring from the attention like an overgrown house cat, but otherwise being gentle. Some children are even riding on her back.

Enter one of the craziest, or well, weirdest things most folks have seen! It's the drake-taur, Kaelyn, or Kae-drake kaelyn? or something like that! She's pulling a wagon? Ok, so she -was- pulling a wagon, as she's dropping the wagon arms now after having disconnected them from her lower body.. Which is basically a small draft-horse sized riding drake...

Kae turns around and starts pulling poles out of the wagon, setting them down here and there, and in rather logical type places, before she gets a biiiig roll of canvas which she begins unfolding...

Soon enough she has ropes and stakes in the ground and has a really big marqui type tent set up...

She's smiling cheerfully and that long/probably very dangerous tail is lashing now... It's proven thus, when a person moves up to her and starts to ask if she needs help...

Kae turns the wrong way at first and ends up hip-checking the poor fellow and launching him into a pile of canvas, complete with the of course, necessary wilhelm scream...

Kae then blinks and starts trying to pull the fellow out, who's well up to his waist, upside down in canvas kicking in the air.

Zapolklnex notices the children running around, of course. Some of them as tall as he is. He steps around them as he keeps his eyes up at the sky, continuing to look for the rumored tiny dragon flying around. "If you do see a dragon, offer it fish. If it's the one i've seen, it likes fish." he offers to one group... though one like him isn't going to be listened to favorably by everyone in the city. Shin gets his attention next, or rather what's with Shin. A large, armored tiger? He approaches, from a safe distance, to look.

A few arvek nar arrive to the Festival Grounds in their fanciful best. Word is, they're contenders for the next month's races! At the moment though, they appear to be there for a snack or two. An apple candy vendor's set up shop; apples preserved fresh, through some form of magic and then coated in hardened, cherry-red candy. Small fancies such as these abound. Around the city, people are taking advantage of the weather; at one point, a great, bronze dragon flies overhead. Chuckling! It circles around the GPS offices once, before winging away over the mountains, and is gone.

The raven caws abruptly and starts to fly off but Karasu stops him with an upraised hand, pointing silently upwards as though to remind the bird that the sky is filled with kites being flown by children that could easily run into the bird and injure it. Not even mentioning what else might be flying above them. The raven caws more quietly as if to rebuke Karasu for the reminder and Karasu shrugs silently before continuing onto his next shop. Only to stop at the sight of the other xian man with his pet tiger. It's not the tiger that draws his eye however, as it draws so man others. It's the man himself. His stop gives Wuya, his raven a chance to hop off his shoulder and wing a quick way over to where the children are playing with the tiger and caws at the children; ruffling its feathers playfully and waggling its tail as if to entice the tiger. "Wuya!"

Aaand Kae gets the fellow loose and blinks, looking at him who stares back at Kae with a disheveled look. Kae shrugs "I haven't always been this way?" He then nods slowly.. "Sooooo stay away from that tail and your rear when you're distracted?" He responds... Kae pauses, and then gives a cheerful nod.. "Yup! And probably if I get excited too!" She adds..

The disheveled young man nods slowly an staggers away... Kae then goes back to setting up the tent, her tail wagging behind her as she hums a cheerful tune.

Shin smiles as he keeps an eye on the children more than anything else. No upsetting a tiger, after all. Nope. Last thing he wants to do is explain that one! The arvek nar arriving has his attention briefly before he looks back to what is going on.

Zapolklnex finally notices Shin with the tiger, and decides the tiger must be tamed or controlled in some way. So that's good. It's not a problem. That leaves him to explore other things. This city sure is busy, as well as being bright and wide-open above ground. Very unusual. The arrivals of the arvek nar he looks to, which leads him to get an apple... but then there it is. "Now that dragon is not one that seeks fish. That is a proper dragon. Fortunately it is a bronze, and unlikely to attack a city such as this. So now, eating the apple, he looks to Karasu, and his raven. Approaching somewhat, slowly, now looking at ANOTHER animal companion brought on in.

The raven meanwhile is taunting the tiger, which seems distracted enough by the attention of the children to not notice the raven's antics. Which suits Karasu well enough that he just stands there watching the raven intently. Until a child wanders a bit close to the raven thinking it as tame as the tiger and the raven puffs up and caws irritably at the poor kid. "Wuya, be nice, the child merely wishes to play with you." It's clear from Karasu's voice that Wuya will get no sympathy from him but in the end the raven allows himself to be petted and seems to enjoy the attention as much as the tiger does. Karasu makes a noise in the back of his throat and shakes his head. Finally he turns his eyes on Shin and offers the other xian man a bow. "Pardon Wuya, and also myself.”

Shin raises an eyebrow at that, standing and giving a bow back as well. "It is fine. Wuya, is it? He seems pretty harmless. And Mirai is distracted by the children enough to not notice. She has no cubs of her own as of yet, and the children remind her a bit of when my lady and I always played with her when she was younger. At least that is my thoughts on it." The tigress indeed does give a few rides, as well as playfully bats at a child or two.

Kae glances around curiously, and soon enough, yup, she has her tent all set up.. She then peers and looks up curiously... "OOOOOOOOOOH" she calls out as she peers at the dragon...

Kae's tail wags back and forth as she waggles her arms and she blinks when kids run up to her trying to shove fish at her... Blink... blink... "Ummmmmmmmmmmm" She says....

Zapolklnex nods as the raven first reacts harshly to the child, and then is taken care of by Karasu. Still slowly eating his candied apple. "One does prefer the small troublesome bird to be loud, than the large predatory beast. I believe Tarien would prefer it that way, as well."

Shin looks up at the dragon, then over at Kaelyn. "Oh no..." And well, the tigress has smelled fish. She perks up, looking around, then starts to move towards the kids that have the fish and Kaelyn. Shin shakes his head, "Great... Mirai, no! Fish later!" He moves after the tiger.

"He is..." Karasu begins to explain, but Shin is off after his tiger and Wuya is left behind to fend for himself. The child goes to pull Wuya's tail and Karasu coughs, giving the child a mere look that makes the kid think better of it and Karasu's dark eyes fall on Zapolklnex who... seems to be talking about Wuya. "You have... professional interest in Wuya?"

Kae blinks at the Kids now, and sees the Tiger coming on, and folks following the Tiger.. Blink... Blink... Kae caaarefully turns a bit, putting her self between the big kitty and the Tiger... "Sooo umm yeah, soo.." Kae blinks and pulls out a biig thing of parchment paper.. "Put the fishies on this, I'll give it to the tiger..." She then peers at the Kids again and grins... "Imma get you guys a treat if you do that, okie?" She says, tail moving slower now at least, but she looks like she's concentrating a little bit..

Kae swivels her head and torso toward the oncoming people and the tiger and tilts her head to the right before offering a cheerful wave... Lets face it, Kae-taur is kinda huge...

Of course it's at this point a kid calls out Kitty! And ducks under Kae's belly, tickling it in the process and making her left back leg thump the ground a few times while she makes a weird face "Itchie!!!"

Zapolklnex glances at Kaelyn, and since he was just speaking of Tarien, decides to follow Tarien's precepts by briefly casting a cantrip in the direction of Kaelyn, of a non-descript voice encouraging the children to "Feed the dragon fish! Keep it tame!"

And with that resolved, he removes his hood and nods to Karasu. "In a manner of speaking. I am going to acquire a familiar of my own, probably a raven."

Karasu's eyes flicker toward Kaelyn and then away again. "You are a sorceror?" It seems less a question and more a statement. "Wuya, come here a moment." It's good timing as Wuya looked to be about to puff up at the child poking at his tail yet again. He flaps up from the ground to the bemusement of the child and rises to Karasu's outstretched arm. "My familiar found me, but I know that sorcerors do things differently. This then, is Wuya, and I am Karasu."

Shin manages to at least hop on the tiger and stop it. "Mirai, don't! I'll buy you fish later." He looks annoyed at having to wrestle the tiger down practically to keep her from going after the fish. At least until someone mentions the tiger being given fish possibly. And that has the scuffle stopping as Shin blinks, then looks to Kaelyn, "Ah... uh... what?" Now he's confused a bit. Someone's giving the tiger a fish.

Kae tilts her head, pivots around some, and picks up the paper loaded with fish, and then sets it in front of the tiger.... And no Kae is sooo not riding a drake, it's quite obvious, she's actually part of the drake! She grins at Shin "There fish..." She says...

Kae blinks now and pauses, freezing again as one of the kids is having fun scritching at the itchy bit, and Kae's face screws up, one eye twitching "Staaaaahp, pleeease! It tickles!" *thumpthumpthumpthump...* opposite hind leg is now thumping a bit...

Kae pivots carefully now, she dun wanna step on the kid... "Here!" She says and hands the kiddy a very large cookie... That should distract them right?!?! Then more fish is brought and Kae is flailing "Heeey, I'm not a dragon!" she calls out, flailing some more... "Just kinda sorta part drake, ish thingie or something! Yeah!"

Zapolklnex nods to Karasu, while watching Kaelyn and the children, as he forced himself to be playful for the sake of being playful. "I am. That is a good way to describe what I can do. A familiar probably will magically find me, but I will be taking proactive steps to help."

Shin, meanwhile, lets go of the tiger. Who looks curious, and then gives a growl and playful bat at Shin himself, who looks at the tiger. "Hey! No stealing fish. Remember what that little dragon did? Now be nice!" Mirai looks sufficiently ashamed of that. The child that ran up is given a curious growl and purr combination. And what looks like a quizzical look.

Then Shin sighs, "Oh, she's harmless. Just don't bring fish around where she can smell it. I swear she loves it more than anything else to eat." He says towards the child before looking to Kaelyn and giving a small wave. "Hi! Sorry about that. She smelled the fish." He points at the tigress.

Karasu met Zapolklnex's gaze carefully. "How does one go about garnering the attention of a familiar in your discipline?" It's... hard to tell how actually curious he is, but then, he did ask. Wuya preens trying to garner attention from either of the two men, but for the moment they both ignore the raven.

Zapolklnex smiles faintly at Kaelyn's situation. Then turns to Karasu and Wuya again, looking at each. "I don't know the answer to that question. The magic is in me. I don't learn it. I could no more tell you how I acquire a familiar, than I could tell you how I cast a spell. It's just something I know how to do. And with that. I am going to clean up after having this apple." With a nod, he returns his hood into place, and walks off.

The mul'niessa leaves and Karasu nods farewell to him, glancing once again at the commotion that is being caused by Kaelyn. He shakes his head somewhat and heads in the opposite direction for the next stall at which he can purchase something to eat. It seems that he is on a mission to gather treats from the fairgrounds.

-End