BoZV - Arc 2

[Arashi]

Silver looked at Aqua and scratched the back of her head.

"I'm so so sorry! Yeah, maybe..." Silver replied with a smile, and she laughed a bit through her slight shivering. She was kind of glad she wasn't the only cold one though, but she also felt bad that she was the one responsible for making Aqua cold. "I think the sun will at least dry us fast."

Enfurnus laughed a bit as he looked at Silver, then to Aqua. "It's not that bad. Shame I don't have my coat here with me...ah well." He put his shirt back on now; he had managed to mostly dry at least his torso off with a towel. "Let's go see what else is around, though."

The group left the dunking booth with a wave to the vendor. They wandered about, looking at all the unique attractions of the festival. There were so many interesting things, and interesting food. There was even a target practice booth that had bows with blunt arrows to shoot; this one had quite a lot of people gathering around it, because if you hit the center, you'd get a prize; a tiny stuffed dragon. Silver sort of oogled and stared at the cute little plush as the group looked around.

~~~

As they continued walking, they sampled various foods from various places. Most of it was good, some of it was...unique. Various vendors at booths would try to talk to them as they passed by to get them to buy goods and wares, ranging from clothing, to jewelry, to small weapons. There were traders from other cities, selling exotic things.

For a few moments, Silver vanished in to the remaining crowd...and then promptly came back with crowns made of flowers; enough for the entire group. She sneakily put one on everybody's head as they were distracted and laughed a bit.

The hours went by fast as the group explored; it was soon early evening, and the sun was just starting to set and the weather had cooled off quite considerably; it was a bit cold out, but at least everybody had time to dry off by now. The streets got a little less crowded now, and there was more room to walk around. Silver found herself still sticking a bit close to Rion, but she was certainly a lot more comfortable at the festival now than she was when they first arrived.

A bit off in the distance, music could be heard. It was happy, upbeat music played by various live instruments. The group walked towards the sound of the music, and shortly discovered the source. It was a small pavilion where a live band was playing their music, and people were dancing to it in all sorts of silly ways. As they approached closer, Silver tilted her head slightly. Were these people...dancing? She had caught glimpses of it before, so she knew what it was. She always enjoyed watching it; she thought it was rather charming, but was too afraid to participate. After a few moments of quietly watching though, the song ended. Silver was kinda disappointed by that. One of the band members stepped forward, though, from his spot at a piano.

"Thanks everybody, we hope you're enjoying the show! It's time to switch it up a bit and begin our evening set! We hope you'll stay with us." The man spoke loudly, his voice echoed in the pavilion. He sure did know how to project himself. The man went back to his instrument with a wide grin on his face.

After a few moments of preparing, the band began to play music again, but this time it was different. It was peaceful, relaxing music that had a much slower tempo. It was beautiful and very soothing to the ears to listen to. Some of the people went to go sit down and rest when this music began, and others began to pair off and slow dance.

Silver watched as the people danced with each other. She tilted her head again. This was a different dancing style than she was used to seeing; everybody moved in slow, gentle circles and each person in the pair stayed really close to each other. Silver blinked a few times, then looked at her group of friends, wondering what they thought about this. She kind of wanted to try it, but she wasn't sure who to try it with, since it looked to her like she would need a partner...and one she was comfortable being close to at that. That ruled out dancing with a random human. She would be okay doing it with Rion probably, but...for some reason, she could not even fathom asking that.

As if on cue, Enfurnus looked at Silver with a bit of a smirk. Like he knew something.

"You should try it." He broke her silence, still with a smirk on his face.

"...I kinda want to, but I don't know who to do it with." She replied, shrugging.

"Oh? Why not your buddy here?" His expression then changed to smug, as he motioned with his head towards Rion.

Silver looked at Rion, looked at the people dancing, paused for a few moments...and then looked back at Enfurnus with a flustered and slightly annoyed expression.

"W-wha, well, I mean..." Silver's words trailed off as she scratched the back of her head.

"Oh oops. I forgot the guy is supposed to ask or something. Whatever. Oh well~" He snickered a bit. He then turned away from Silver, leaving her to her own devices, and looked at Aqua and Terra.

"What do you guys think? Wanna stick around? Who knows when we will see another one of these." He crossed his arms. "Might be nice to mingle with the cityfolk a bit..."

[Swim]

The remainder of the afternoon passed by in a flash, before long it was dusk and everyone had long since dried off from the dunk tank escapades. The party had stopped by a pavilion to watch some performers do a folk dance and when that had finished it looked like they were opening up the dance floor to anyone that felt so inclined. Terra had danced before and could take it or leave it, but Silver seemed enthralled. For her sake it might be worth sticking around. They'd done enough walking around and looking at things without stopping at many of them, it would be nice to partake in another activity regardless of what it was.

Terra happened to be standing close enough to Silver and Enfurnus that she got the gist of their exchange even if the music was loud enough to cover some of the specifics. Enfurnus nodded suggestively in Rion's direction, Silver looked flustered and glanced back and forth between the dancers and Rion. It had been obvious for awhile now, to Terra and possibly everyone but Silver and Rion, that she was enamored with the light mage. It seemed plain to Terra that the girl wanted to dance with Rion but didn't know how to ask. Terra pitied Silver for a moment and tried to remember back when she'd been a hopeless romantic. She'd been fortunate enough once when she was younger to have something akin to a fairytale romance, even if it had been a fleeting one with that dashing colonel. But now she was older and knew that if you wanted something you had to make it happen. Waiting and hoping for someone brave enough to talk to you was the recipe for many a lonely night. With that in mind, Enfurnus' last comment sounded to Terra like the worst advice he could give to Silver. Maybe she'd show the girl how easy it was. Her 'brother' would make a decent demonstration.

"Might be nice to mingle with the cityfolk a bit..." Enfurnus was saying as the band finished their song and prepared to play a new one. Terra's eyes found some space on the dance floor where one couple had just stepped away from. She caught Enfurnus' eye and grabbed one of his hands. "Hey. You and me, let's go dance." She said before practically dragging him onto the dance floor not really giving him a chance to protest. Once they were there he figured out what was going on and adopted a similar attitude to the dunk tank. He was a competent enough dance partner, although Terra noted that she did have to lead him more often than not. Nevertheless she smiled, remembering her dance with another young military man those many years ago..

[Bloodbane]

As the group walked around, Rion couldn't help but smile briefly. Going around town like this, enjoying festivals and being among crowds, it reminded him of simpler times, times before he made the decision to use his powers to fight back against the coming darkness. Soon enough, he was lost in his thoughts before those thoughts were broken by something being placed on his head. "H-huh?" He blinked a couple times before looking towards the rest of the group, finding that they too had crowns of flowers on their hands, causing him to soon laugh along with Silver.

As evening came, Rion found himself looking down at the device he had been given by the person managing the schedule for dueling Yung, still seeing the device was dormant. Perhaps it was broken? If it was, he supposed it did not matter much; even with Shin's urging he did not see much of a point to getting involved in that. Regardless, as the party approached the upbeat music it stopped before changing to a slower pace. He soon saw people pairing up, placing a hand to the back of his neck. 'That time already... hoo boy.' He looked around, seeing Enfurnus talking to Silver but not before briefly catching her gaze. He started to look away, back towards the dance floor, before hearing Enfurnus speak up. "Er.. uh... sure..." Rion trailed off, not entirely sure what to say otherwise. From there, Terra took Enfurnus by the hand and led him to the floor, leaving him looking back over to where Aqua and Silver were standing.

'Gonna make me choose, huh...' He looked somewhat awkwardly around the floor, finding this to be an awkward choice to make. While he did not catch the conversation between Enfurnus and Silver, he did however think back to other things she had mentioned to him in passing. It seemed there was a lot she had yet to experience as far as being around people simply from isolating herself for so long. That... and it seemed that Aqua and Enfurnus seemed to talk to each other a little more closely, though the group had only really been together a short time. Either way, those points pushed his decision, and soon he came up to Silver, though it was still a little difficult for him to bring up.

"S-so..." He said, putting his hand to the back of his neck. "If you haven't done this kind of thing before... would you, erm... like to?"

[Arashi]

It was pretty clear Terra knew something even Silver didn't really know or realize at this point. Sure, they had only known each other for a short time, but the way he acted made Rion stand out to her. She had never really given anybody much of a chance to get to know her before; she always kind of pushed others away. This was a pretty new scenario to deal with. She may have hundreds of years on everybody she traveled with, but her years meant absolutely nothing when it came to this kind of thing...and her mannerisms made it obvious why in dragon years she would still be considered in her early-mid 20s by human standards.

She continued to stand there quietly for a few moments, not really paying attention to anything, she caught notice of Terra dragging away Enfurnus to the dance floor...and the hilariously confused face he made in reaction to that. He didn't even have a chance to say anything. Silver blinked a few times, then laughed quietly. That sure was an effective way to shut him up. She silently applauded Terra for that. It broke her awkward train of thought for just a few moments. She was also kind of...envious of how Terra was so assertive on the matter. She glanced at Rion again, relieved that he didn't seem to hear anything Enfurnus had said.

Then Rion walked up to Silver and asked her to dance, though he seemed rather shy about it. She kinda didn't expect him to really do anything of that nature expected to just watch the people dance. Of course she kinda wanted him to, but she didn't think it'd actually happen. And then it occurred to her after he asked, that she was standing there staring at him dumb-founded for a few seconds.

"W-wha? Oh, uhh...yes!" She averted her gaze a bit and tried to hide her enthusiasm. "But..." She smiled nervously, "I have no idea what I'm doing...so...um..."

She took the cue from Terra and held out her hand; that was the correct way to start this dancing thing, right?

Enfurnus sighed, then laughed a bit as he danced with Terra. He danced decently, but not at all great. Not even close. Luckily for him, Terra seemed to pick up on that and lead for him most of the time. He smirked.

"And just what was that for?" He was still confused, but his easy-going nature had him going along with it just fine.

[Swim]

"Just what was what for?" Terra asked in response to Enfurnus as they swayed in the same slow circles as the other dancers. "I wanted to dance, you were available, do I need to have a better reason?"

[Arashi]

Enfurnus laughed again, then sighed a bit.

"I guess you have a good point. Well, I hope you are fine with my mediocre dancing skills." He smiled as they continued dancing. He was content with that answer; it was rather amusing to him. He hadn't gotten to talk with Terra much, so this was one heck of an almost first impression. She seemed to be a rather assertive individual; entirely opposite of Silver in most cases.

[Swim]

"Now that you mention it," Terra said, wincing a bit as Enfurnus trod on her foot as they made the next turn, "I expected you'd be a little more of a practiced dancer. I once knew a man who was also in the military, he said it was part of his training that he be distinguished and presentable for treating with ambassadors and such, and learning to dance was a part of that."

A thought occurred to Terra as she spun around and returned to his arms. Maybe it was rude to ask. She'd risk it anyway. "Are you... maybe more comfortable as a dragon than in human form?"

[Arashi]

"Sorry." Enfurnus laughed at himself after stepping on Terra's foot. Man, he really needed to get better at this. "I have heard of that. Out integration in to other military is pretty recent though, and we were kind of grandfathered in during busy times, so we never took part in that training. Really though, I'm the commander and I never had my guys learn it...so it's probably my fault." He smiled as they continued dancing. She had a point; he was lacking in a rather standard thing. He never personally saw it as important, but it always seemed to be to humans.

She then asked about him being more comfortable as a dragon, after doing a spin. He raised an eyebrow, though he didn't take offense to the question; it just caught him off guard a bit.

"Never thought much about it. Having a human form gives me opportunities I would not have when in my true form, so I'll take the trade-off. Being a human more often is a recent thing for me, I'll give you that much. So in a sense, yes, you would be correct. I think that's true for all of us, though."

By recent, he meant in the past 20 or so years while working closer and closer with the human militaries, and becoming more well-known among town leaders.

[Swim]

"Hmm," Terra considered his answer. "I think you mentioned before that you were a commander. And here you are acting the part of a field operative. Aren't you worried your boys are going to fall apart without you there to guide them?"

Terra allowed Enfurnus to dip her, though it was more like leaning backwards gradually and hoping he'd support her. Gods his metal arm felt chilly on her back. "You know you never got around to telling me the story behind this," she said, referring to the arm. "How come all the boys these days have such cold hands?"

[Arashi]

"Naw. My generals do great work. Besides, there isn't much going on that we can openly fight as an army right now without creating panic or risking their lives without reason, so...I don't need to be there. Better I get data and bring it back to them when they're needed. Besides, I like them to see that my title is just that, a title." Enfurnus replied to her with confidence.

He picked up Terra's motion for the dip successfully, thankfully, and supported her without much effort for a few moments before pulling her back in. He smirked a bit when she mentioned his metal arm. He figured she must have felt it. It probably felt pretty weird in direct contact like that.

"Mostly because we lose them sometimes protecting people we care about. It's a long story, but that's the short version. I always fought in the front lines, and that can get a little dangerous when you're fighting against blight arch mages. Especially when one of your favorite people is there fighting with you."

[Swim]

It sounded like he was reluctant to get into the specifics about losing the arm. Which was fine, she understood what it was to lose someone. It was just that he'd offered to share a couple nights ago before they set up camp. Now she felt awkward, what could she pivot toward to steer the conversation back to move cheerful things?

"Well whoever made it really knew what they were doing," she said, commenting on the craftsmanship. "Maybe one day you can introduce me? I'm really interested in how it shifts along with you when you change form. Can it do anything else or is it just an arm?"

[Arashi]

Enfurnus grinned as Terra commented on the craftmanship of his arm. It was impressive, even to him, how it moved so naturally, and how it transformed with him.

"I agree. I can certainly introduce you if we end up in the city. I only know the basics of how it shifts, so they'd have to explain it to you. I do go yearly for upgrades and maintenance on it, so it'll have to be a stop at some point. Unfortunately, it can't do anything else cool, but it does have the added bonus of being a portable shield. I'm told it's made of a metal that can't be pierced or any of that nonsense, and I believe it, because it's been through a lot." He laughed. That was no exaggeration at all. "So y'know, if you ever lose a limb, it has some unexpected perks."

He went quiet for a few moments, just dancing. For whatever reason, Terra didn't make him feel awkward. He was usually pretty bad with anything to do with girls. Terra was someone he felt he could learn from, and perhaps ask for advice from. She had a strong personality that he felt was valuable. Which would raise his next question.

"Do you think I should ask Aqua to dance when we're done, too? I feel she's left out. Because I mean, I'm sure you know what's likely." He smiled a bit. "I'm er...just a little afraid of weirding her out or something. Y'know?"

[Swim]

Enfurnus didn't have all the answers but it did sound like as long as they continued traveling together she'd get to meet this craftsman at some point, she'd love the opportunity to learn smithing from a real master. And the prospect of working with metal of that kind, Enfurnus hadn't given it a name, but it sounded remarkable. "What kind of metal is it? And how does it work with your poison magic?" she wondered aloud. "That seemed pretty corrosive back in the cave."

After he responded they danced quietly for a little while. He was gradually improving, which was nice. Or at least he was stepping on her less frequently. The performers were wrapping up the song and they both stopped to applaud. "Do you think I should ask Aqua to dance too?" Enfurnus had asked. Terra looked around and grinned, spotting the elf approaching from where she'd been standing on the side. She had a peculiar expression on her face making Terra think she was up to something. Oddly she didn't notice Silver or Rion, Terra wondered if one of them had actually found the courage to ask the other for a dance. She felt surprised by the turn of events but pleased that she'd shown initiative with Enfurnus the way she had. "You know," Terra answered Enfurnus with regard to Aqua, "I think whatever happens next maybe just roll with the punches and adapt on the go."

[Bloodbane]

For a few awkward seconds, Rion and Silver simply looked at each other, both probably still processing what he just asked before Silver finally seemed to perk up a bit. He certainly was not surprised to find she was unsure of all this, then again dancing wasn't entirely a big thing to him either. Fortunately, slow dances were easy; keep close, be somewhat aware of the other person's feet, and move to the soft music. He smiled back as he took Silver's hand, the two making their way to the floor.

"So you just kinda... stay close, and hang on." He said, looking to where Enfurnus and Terra were dancing, a smirk coming over his face. "S-see...? Nothing to it." He added, before he go of Silver's hand and moved his hands to her sides, looking back to her eyes with a small smile.

[Sorrum]

Aqua had been delighted by the scene. It looked beautiful here. The light was cresting over the horizon, painting the sky in a brilliant orange and pink canvas, with clouds clumping together that the sun peeked through. The dance floor was alight with paper lanterns and torches, and the band was playing a lovely tune on their woodwinds and acoustics for the humans, elves, and bestia all dancing together in harmony.

Her dragon companions joined in with the others, leaving her by herself. It was the first time they'd taken the initiative all day, except for the adorable flower placement Silver snuck in. She gently touched the carnation behind her ear, then smiled at the sight of Silver and Rion dancing. There was definitely something between those two, even if they hadn't realized it yet.

She then looked over at the other pair. She thought Enfurnus would be asking her to dance as she had caught his eye a few times, most notably when she was tending his leg. But she couldn't fault Terra for her boldness, so she sighed whimsically and stared on at the scene. Everyone here looked to be having a good time. It was admittedly, the first time she'd seen the more tender side of humans since she made it to the continent.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Aqua turned to the voice, to see a man standing next to her, a bit taller than her with pink hair and an orange coat. He was also looking at the people dancing, with a small grin on his face. He turned his head to meet her gaze. "I take it you're not from around here, miss?"

"No, actually. I'm just passing through with some friends." She maintained composure at the sudden stranger's appearance. Years of being the daughter of a diplomat had taught her to be wary of questions in these situations. "We've stopped here for some rest, and it just so happens that there is a festival happening at the same time."

The man's expression softened. "No need to be on guard, ma'am." He chuckled. "I just happened to think a good looking girl like yourself ought not to be stuck watching the dance when she could be in it herself. If you don't mind, that is." He held out his hand to her. Aqua looked down at the hand and then back at the man again. It was true that she wanted to dance, and since she was alone.. "My name is Vile Rai, but you may just call me Rai." Rai smiled again. "And you are..?"

"Frida, charmed." Aqua took his hand and they went out to the floor together.

Aqua's steps were formal, having learned and practiced throughout the years. Rai had some skills as well, though they weren't as polished as hers. Eventually they found each other's rhythm, and were moving together with the other, Rai taking lead. Their dance had garnered the attention of some couples as they moved, forming a circle around the two. Aqua spun in his arms, he raised her up and swung her around, they dipped, and twirled. Aqua laughed, as did Rai.

He leaned his head in as the two moved in step. "I must admit, this is one of the best dances I think I've ever had."

"You as well? I was beginning to think I'd never find a scene like this, much less someone who could dance well." Aqua replied joyfully. Rai looked over and past Aqua, apparently noticing something, or someone, in the crowd. His expression changed momentarily, from glee to grim. Aqua noticed the change, and prompted him. "I-is something wrong?"

Rai snapped back to Aqua. "Uh, this is terrible timing. I'm sorry, but I must attend to.. affairs." With that, he stopped dancing and released Aqua from his grasp. "Until next time, Ms. Frida." With that, he made his way off the floor and into the crowd, leaving Aqua standing by herself as the bystanders wondered what the exchange had been about. Aqua wondered that herself.

She moved back to the area where she had been standing, thinking about the dancer who suddenly left her, especially when she felt they were just getting started. She noticed Enfurnus and Terra, who were definitely getting into the swing of things. A devilish grin appeared on her face. She approached the two dancers.

"Hey you two, mind if I cut in?" Aqua requested. Enfurnus and Terra then separated. Aqua grabbed a hold of Terra in the blink of an eye, and began leading the girl in circles. "Ahaha!"She let out a laugh. Dancing was so much fun.