~::Ternadan Fall Festival!::~

[Neko]

((Ooc: Anyone is welcome to join! Just derpy fun with our characters.))

"Woohoo! Today is gonna be awesome!" Sophie shouted with glee as she walked through the city of Ternadan. A cool breeze rolled by, shaking the red and yellow leafs, and causing the young maid to shiver. Things had cooled down as fall rolled around, and its arrival also brought about one of the most exciting times of the year - Ternadan's Fall Festival. The streets were lined with booth upon booth, each offering something fun and unique. Spread throughout town was also a fun assortment of games and contests. One of the newer attractions was a hot spring, which many found to be a wonderful place to warm up in the chilly fall weather. Sophie had of course helped decorate, but with that out of the way, she was now free to explore and play just like everyone else. She planned to help the guild cook the big festival dinner later, though.

The sound of music could be heard, the joyful melodies drifting over the entire festival. The day had only just started, but it wasn't long before the streets were filled with common townsfolk and guild members. Sophie had casually scanned the booths, on the lookout for cute clothes, or shiny trinkets for her raven (Mimic was out in the forest, napping). She was very money conscious though - and had been sure to only bring a small amount of coins. Walking down the rows of booths, Sophie eventually came up to a larger area of town, which had been set up for what looked to be some sort of archery competition. While she had no skill with bows herself, she loved watching others use them. She watched in awe as people of all types shot at the targets, likely in hopes of winning some coins. "I wonder if they have something like this for throwing knives." Sophie thought. But, the memories of all the times she had actually thrown her daggers, and missed, suddenly flooded the girl's mind. She sighed, instead shifting her attention to the games.

Sophie made her way over to one of the games, eventually finding one that seemed appealing. It was fairly simple - Pick up a wooden duck from the barrel. If the duck had the correct symbol carved into the bottom, you'd win one of the adorable wooden figures. Sophie eyed the expertly carved raven figure. She knew Mimic would get a kick out of that. "I'd like to play!" Sophie announced excitedly as she took her place beside the barrel. Every duck inside looked the same...the game was complete chance. After handing the human male running the stand a coin, Sophie took hold of the duck directly in the middle. She looked at the bottom, a sad expression momentarily taking over. It was blank. "Awww!" Sophie whined. She quickly perked back up though, and continued walking down the line of booths.

[Bootman]

Kassadin bumbled through the streets in her normal haze, though she seemed significantly more awake than ealier. The bright lights and sounds drew her like a moth to flame, especially since she didn't really know what was happening. She scratched her cheek as she looked around the large center area, flaking off a layer of dirt and grime from her skin. She thought she had seen Sophie up ahead, so she walked up to where the maid hd last been, a booth filled little wooden ducks in a barrel.

She gripped the edge of the barrel and tilted her head as she exaimined the ducks. They were small and wooden and perfect as they bobbed up and down in the water. The warrior flung her head up at the man running the booth and pointed into the barrel. "Duck please." She said with a perfectly straight face. The man grimaced at her and gestured with his hands as he spoke. "Does that mean you want to play? If you give me a one copper, you can grab and duck an-"

A copper piece landed on the floor at the man's feet at Kassadin used her other hand to pluck a wood fowl from the water. She smiled slightly and continued her march towards Sophie. As she admired it, she noticed with curiousity the little symbol on the bottom. So much that she didn't notice when she bumbed right into the guild's maid.

[Oath]

Another celebration. I have seen a number in this town during my days, they are generally different, but they all have something in common. Good food and drink. A man of no great wealth such as myself enjoys these types of celebrations because there is a wide variety of foodstuff on display, and generally attainable for a small amount of coin. While I have seen a good number of festivals in my day, if you ask me to recall them that may become a challenge. All sorts of local brews are up for grabs, and I enjoy trying all of them. Quite often I will get into a drinking contest with a random townsperson, usually emerging the victor. When you chain such challenges together, however, things start to swirl in the world around you, and sometimes you lose yourself. For this festival, I plan on taking a more casual, enjoyable approach, and sampling much of the food and less of the ale. This could all change in the blink of an eye if I decide that some good competition with a friend is in order, but at the moment I will just wander around and see what delicacies this town has to offer.

An hour later

I have tried a good amount of food, and a few brews that I had not seen around prior to this time. The most enjoyable food factory thus far is a nice little stall that serves any meat you can think of on a stick. The idea is pure genius. People are walking around, why would they want to sit and eat. Give them the food to go. It is delicious and portable. The man behind this is a culinary genius. Food you can eat on the go... It should be called Go-food, or something. Well I never had a knack for naming things, so maybe someone else can find a more appropriate name for it. Regardless of what it is called, it is delicious. I am going to have to talk to some of the Guild chefs and see if they have heard of it. A stick is so simple, but such a simple accessory turns any meat into the food of the Gods.

I still haven't seen a fellow member of the Guild. This strikes me as somewhat odd, because really, everyone should be here. It could be that some of the other members do not have the eye for exquisite cuisine, quite like myself, and are off playing some sort of game designed for children instead of enjoying the finer things in life.

[Neko]

"Eep!" Sophie stumbled forward slightly as someone bumped into her from behind. She turned around, smiling when she found the culprit to be Kassadin. "Good morning!" Sophie greeted her. "Are you enjoying the festival so far?" The two of them stood beside what looked to be a matching game of sorts. You'd flip over two cards at a time, and hope they were the same. If not, you would flip them back over, and hopefully remember what cards they were later on. Sophie had little interest in playing it though. "Oh and make sure you save your appetite! There's gonna be a huge dinner for the guild later!" She exclaimed, obviously excited about it.

[Bootman]

Kassadin nodded slowly and lifted up the wooden duck, shaking it a few times before admiring it again to herself. Her gaze became distant for a few moments before returning to Sophie, a slight frown on her face. She scratched her cheek again, flaking off more dirt from her filthy skin. She sniffed a few times, her face crinkled at whatever she detected. Eventually she met the maid's eyes with a blank stare.

"I got this duck.  Are you enjoying it?" She paid the card booth no mind, but perked up when Sophie mentioned food.

"More food? Is it free?"

[Neko]

Sophie couldn?t help but wonder if Kassadin knew what sleep was. For whatever reason, the girl always seemed a bit?out of it. She also couldn?t help but notice how dirtied the girl?s attire was. Perhaps she was just always exhausted from long journeys? Despite Sophie?s constant questions about Kassadin, she still enjoyed her company. ?Oh! I played that game too.? Sophie said with a smile, taking just a moment to admire the wooden duck. ?Mhm! This is one of my favorite days of the year~. When I still lived on the farm, my mom took me to the festival once. It was one of the best days of my life!? She quickly nodded at Kassadin?s question about the food. ?It?s completely free for guild members of course.? Sophie told her. Oh how she couldn't wait to start the cooking~. ?Oh yeah, did you hear about the hot spring? I heard it?s super warm, and good for your skin.? She added, the chilly breeze rolling past right on cue. She thought the spring might be good for Kassadin, considering how worn out she seemed. A good dip in the spring would likely fix her up a bit! And of course, Sophie was excited to check it out for herself. She had never been to one before.

[Bootman]

Kassadin faded in and out while Sophie was speaking, distracted by her little wooden duck every now and then. But there was something else... The warrior's eyes seemed to drift to the maid's dress every once and awhile, her gaze tracing the frills. Sophie seemed to have finished talking, so Kassadin decided to start thinking about her response.

"Game? Hot spring?" She questioned with a tilted headed. There wasn't a game... you just bought a duck. And a hot spring sounded like some sort of combat manuvere. Was Sophie well versed in combat arts? Something worth keeping in mind for future conversations. Either way...

"Free food is good. So you've always lived here?" To tell the truth, the guild member didn't really care, but it was out of reflexive courtasy to take interest in what people said."

[Neko]

"Yeah, the duck game! I mean, that's where you got that figure from, right?" She questioned, but then quickly moved on to the next subject. "Yeah, the spring! Come on, I'll show you!" She said excitedly, looking to the wooden signs that would guide the way. "Well, I lived outside the city. You know, in the farm lands." Sophie explained as she began to walk toward the springs. "What about you? Where are you from Kassadin?" Sophie took great joy from knowing about her fellow guild mates.

[Bootman]

Kassadin looked off to the sun, still rising and not quite new yet. Her gaze grew distant as they walked. Eventually she tilted it back at Sohpie. "Far to the east. Rann. Born there. Was... gladitor?" She said questioningly. As she did, her must-covered hand inched towards the hilt of her sword, gripping it tightly but making no other motions with it. When they entered the service building, she let Sopie talk to the two men running the desk.

[Neko]

Although Kassadin hadn't said much, by her reaction, Sophie wondered if perhaps it was a touchy question. The people in the guild were from all over the place, which was extremely interesting to Sophie...but she wouldn't push a topic if it meant bringing up bitter memories. However, she was super interested to hear more about Kassadin being a gladiator.

The trail to the springs had been short. And, luckily, it didn't seem as if a large amount of people had gone in yet. After speaking with the people at the desk, she was given two towels, one of which she handed to Kassadin. Sophie went through the left doorway, the symbol above it letting visitors know it was the girl?s section. The room had various wooden cabinets, obviously meant for people to place their belongings. ?Looks like we get to be some of the first people to check it out!? Sophie said as she removed her shoes. Only one cabinet had been filled, meaning at least one other woman was in the spring already. She had eventually replaced her clothes with the towel, and quickly made her way through the next doorway.

She was greeted with a rush of warm air, which was quite the relief, considering how cold it was outside. ?Woow!? Sophie exclaimed, taking a moment to look over the spring. It was quite large,  and the natural rocky formations holding in the water were surrounded by wooden walls. Sophie made her way over to the waters edge, before carefully poking it with her toe. "Uwah! Super hot!"

[Bootman]

The woman stared out the towel blankly, not particularly sure what to do. She followed behind Sophie, removing her clothes when the other girl did. She dropped the towel on the floor near the locker, but kept two of her belongings with her; the absurdly large sword and the wooden duck. When Sophie exlaimed that they were one of the first, Kassadin felt happy, but she wasn't sure why. Being first felt good? Or maybe it was just because the maid was so happy. Either way, she dragged her sword and craddled her duck into the next room.

She noticed that Sophie was covering herself with a towel. Was she supposed t- oh well, whatever. The girl's sudden scream shocked Kass at first, but the next moment she found herself giggling dryly. She stuck a toe into the water in the exact same motion that her guild senior did, but didn't react with shock. It wasn't that bad. Instantly upon contact with the water, the liquid began to turn black with who know's how many wee-... mont-... years worth of grime. She plopped herself into the water roughly, making a huge cloud of contaminated water around her.

Kassadin also realized that a simple toe tip was not a good enough detector for the pool's heat. She nearly leapt out of the water, letting out a squeal as she thrashed about. After a few moments her panic subsided, leaving her wide-eyed and breathing heavily, looking around in confusion. "This is... fun?"

[Neko]

Although Sophie had appeared to know what she was doing thus far, the girl honestly didn?t know a whole lot more than Kassadin did about hot spring etiquette This was her first time visiting one, after all. Removing her clothes seemed like an obvious step?Looking to Kassadin, the woman had simply thrown her towel to the side. Sophie blushed slightly, looking away. Were you supposed to do that?  However, the maid was almost positive bringing weapons into the spring wasn?t correct. She decided not to question it though. If bringing a sword into the spring was some form of comfort for the warrior, then so be it.

Kassadin had laughed at Sophie?s reaction, which made the girl smile. That seemed to be one of the first genuine emotions she had seen from the warrior all day! Sophie sat at the waters edge then, and unlike Kassadin, only submerged her legs. She had decided to keep the towel on. ?Are you alright?? Sophie asked, both amused and concerned by her friend?s reaction to the heat.  ?I?m sure it will be super relaxing once you get use to it!? Sophie took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly, letting her body relax. It was hard not to notice how the waters seemed to darken around Kassadin. It didn?t bother Sophie?instead, it made her worry. Did the girl know how to take care of herself? While Sophie had all sorts of questions for the warrior, she was a little scared to ask about the past. So, instead, she moved on to safer topics! ?So Kassadin! What?s your favorite kind of food hmm? Oh, and animal?? Sophie questioned, her tone hinting that she was truly curious to know such information.

[Bootman]

She saw Sophie getting used to the heat and decided to follow in suite. It was probably a good idea, since this felt like being doused with boiling water. She heaved herself onto the ledge in one swift motion and splashed her legs back down. Sophie could see that the warrior wasn't as tan as she first appeared, but a significant portion of it was the dirt on her skin. Even with the hot water, the woman's flesh seemed 'stained' to a degree, from head to toe. Kassadin's breathing had supsided and she seemed calmer, but her eyes glared at the murky water in anger. "I'm fine... the black water burns more than the rest..." She said with a hint of disdain as the dirty water slowly sank to the bottom.

Kassadin paused at Sophie's other question. Favorite... what was that? She was pretty sure she was just asking what she liked to eat and fight. Those were good questions. There were always those wolves in the arena... when she killed them she got to eat them. So was that both? She opened her mouth to answer but then remembered nearly every morning of the past few monthes. The girl faintly smiled and let out a deep sigh. "Food you make... yes. And... birds maybe?" The song birds around this area really were a nice way of knowing what time of day it was, and some of them were pretty.

She let her sword rest at her side for a few moments, still holding the handle, though very lightly. She laid her duck down in the water and watched with marvel as it floated, just like a real duck. Her smile only grew. Then she thought of a question for the maid, and her head spun around to face her with childlike curiousity in her eyes. "Your outfit is... pretty? Can I wear it?"

[Neko]

?The black water burns more than the rest??? The sentence echoed in Sophie?s head as she pondered what exactly Kassadin might have meant. She noticed the warriors skin had been cleansed a little by the water, just as she had secretly hoped.  The maid?s own skin had been naturally darkened by the sun, from years of working in the fields.

Sophie felt great sense of accomplishment when Kassadin brought up her cooking. Ever since joining the guild, she had done her best to make the nicest meals she could for everyone. ?Uwah~ Do you really mean that?? She said, her eyes sparkling with joy. ?You like birds? Me too! You met my raven, Mimic, right?? Sophie had always adored birds. Mimic becoming her familiar had been much too perfect. She had spent hours during her free time simply watching the birds, and learning the different calls each type possessed.

Sophie began to slowly kick her feet forward and back, the water swishing around her legs. Things were silent as the maid also watched the duck float around. She would have to go back and try that game again?Kassadin?s next question left Sophie momentarily speechless. She looked the warrior in the eyes, picking up on the sincerity of her words. Even so, that uniform was precious to Sophie, and she considered it the nicest outfit she owned. On top of that, while the water had aided in taking off some of the dirt?Sophie simply couldn?t look past the fact that poor Kassadin really needed to clean up a bit before trying on her precious uniform. ?Well?.uhm?? She searched for the right words, not wanting to be offensive. ?Oh! I know!? She exclaimed. ?We?re totally different sizes, so, I don?t think mine would fit you.? She explained. ?But the guild has more uniforms! I bet you could have one of your very own if you?d like.? Sophie imagined Kassadin in one of the uniforms. ?Oh you would be so cute in it I bet!?

Something about Kassadin was odd to Sophie. The way she talked, the lack of care for herself?it seemed as if the warrior was only just learning about the real world. Because of this, Sophie felt the need to help her somehow. As far as Sophie knew, Kassadin had only been around for a few months, perhaps she just needed a tour around the guild hall! It was quite large after all, and it was possible she simply hadn?t been able to find the wash room. Sophie smiled as a plan quickly came together in her mind. Maybe before dinner she'd be able to give Kassadin the tour she needed.

[Bootman]

She nodded slowly before turning her eyes back to the perfect floating duck, bobbing in the waves that Sophie made. Kassadin bobbed up and down with it every now and then. "Yes. Your food... better than Bread Day." despite the apparent nonsense she spoke, she said this sentence with an odd since of power and assurance for the woman.  She nodded to herself again afterward, as if confirming she really felt that way. "Mimic? Raven? Uhh... bird that's on your shoulder a lot?" She did feel somewhat happy that the maid had reacted with such joy to her responses. She'd have to answer more questions for her.

She wasn't looking at Sophie's expression when she responded to Kassadin's own question, and didn't really pick up on the worry in her tone. "Different sizes? Oh, yes." She tried to think of something comperable to make it solid in her head. "You are a short sword, I am a long sword. Yes. Different sheaths." Suddenly, she stopped bobbing and blushed slightly. She felt a bit hotter even though she wasn't in water anymore, which confused her. Cute was good. Really good. "I'm cute... then you would be extra cute? Like food and extra food." She confirmed to herself once again. She seemed less assured this time.

Instinctively, she look down and noticed something that confused her. Though there wasn't as much, Kassadin's legs still turned the water around them black. But Sophie's legs didn't do anything at all. Out of what seemed to be parental concern, she moved her duck away from her and towards Sophie. "Why don't you make the water black?" She asked, even more confused than before.