60th of Spring, 515AV
The day did not start early, but the excitement did. Visitors and Rivarians alike had been speaking of the cheerful Sweets festival for nearly a moon now, excited, even as adults. For them, it was less of a day for Sweets, and more for community, except, of course, to the children. To the young ones, it was all about sweets. About finding the best and the tastiest treats to spend their tickets on. It also came with a certain amount of self control, while going to bed the night before had been tough with the energy that radiated from the youth of the city, the morning could not come any sooner. Parents would take their young to the ticket booth, and then the waiting game began as the children tried their best to remain patient until noon when all the waiting paid off.
Most of Riverfall was now collecting in and around the Zhongjie Warrens. Nothing but candy was sold that day, but it was only expected so no one was at a terribly inconvenience. Restaurants and tea shops that were located near the Bazaar would also reap the rewards of such a busy festival. Colorful clothe hung around poles and a few corners hosted musicians which only added to the excitement.
By the Gods' grace, the Spring rain showers held for the day with only a few scattered clouds to break the sun. As the twelf bell of the day sounded through various parts of the city it was easy to see that the Festval was already in full throttle. Throngs of people covered the streets without horses or carriages to distrust them. The joyous laughter of children was not far from one's ears as the younger ones chased through the streets trying to find the best candy to boast for their friends. Neighbors and old friends reunited and conversed with their own bought goods. Although the city put no decorations up for the event, the streets of Riverfall seemed brighter and more cheery than normal.
✢ ✢ ✢
Sezkero, having chosen an apartment relatively close to the Zhongjie Warrens, found that she could enjoy much of the music from her home. For the solitary snake, she could have been content with a book and the Rivarian fanfare from a particularly patriotic busker outside of her window, but today she had a different idea in mind. She had never seen the Sweets Festval before but over the last few days the Iyvess had gotten a rather good idea of what it was about. She both dreaded and looked forward to the social event, but first she had something to take care of. Dressed in her favorite dress and sandals, Sezkero had taken to the streets earlier that morning in search of two particular children.
The homeless urchins, Meya and Codin had found a special place in Sezkero's heart over the past season, and Ker would hate for them to miss such an exciting event. But when the tiny Iyvess had reached the usual meeting spot, Meya and Codin were not there. Neither were any of the other children she had grown to know the last season. Stumped, Ker had waited half a bell before telling back towards the festival, curious if the children were still unused to her with Hirem's presence close by.
But it wasn't until half-a-bell before the festival started that Sezkero had found one of the urchins. Tiny bare feet, calloused and scarred from exposure at such a young age, running towards her down the streets.
"Kero!" The golden brown eyes of the older brother, Codin, greeted her.
"Codin! Where isss your sssissster?" Sezkero questioned finding no companion with the boy. The eleven tear old held up his tokens, only enough for one child.
"I went to go get us tickets, but she is too young for me to get her tickets, so I was going to find you." The boy explained in quick words, hardly stopping for a breathe. The snake could not help but smile at how the child could barely contain his excitement for the following day. He was already tugging at her hand, and the woman chuckled, following the boy at a slower pace, weaving through the crowd until they finally reached the ticket booth. Standing in the shade of the booth, was Meya. Her hair was all over the place, charcoal curls sticking every which way, but it was obvious the urchin had cleaned up. Although her clothes were old and worn, the girl and her brother looked almost as if they had what other children had. Sezkero had passed the point where she could only feel bad for the children's situation, since she knew that there was an answer. However, the smile that split Meya's chocolate lips would melt even the coldest of hearts.
Without saying anything, a trait that was nearly expected from the girl at this point, she fell into line with Kero as Codin dragged the grown woman to the booth.
"Here, tell the man that Meya needs her ticket." The boy directed her, pointing to the Akalak in the booth. Before complying, the snake took a minute to read the rule's that had been posted in front of the booth. Three tickets for ages 5-6. Sezkero stepped forward to speak to the Akalak in charge of the tickets. He was evaluating how familiar Meya and Codin were with Sezkero before she began speaking.
"Hello, exxxcussse me." Sezkero caught his attention in Tukant, switching over to common once the man replied by asking her how many tickets she needed. "I'm going to need three, for my nieccce," The lie rolled off of Sezkero's lips with startling ease, but the Iyvess continued, flashing her friendliest smile. "Sshhe just turned sssixxx, you ssseem to have given her brother ticketsss, but not her?" Sezkero mustered up the confidence to put a dash of authority in her voice. She felt a hand on her hip and the cloth of her dress was pulled tight by Meya's small fingers. The girl stood nearly at Sezkero's height but was on her toes to see over the counter of the booth. The Iyvess was shocked at the hand, which was only gripping her dress for balance, but dared not challenge how comfortable to girl had become with her.
"It's no problem Ma'am, she was just a little young to receive her own tickets, we thought to see a relative first." The Akalak's calm voice echoed in the enclosed stall as he counted out three tickets.
"Her brother wasss right there." Sezkero huffed under her breathe, feeling like a child herself, before grabbing the tokens and handing them to Meya. The brief proximity was quickly ended when the silent girl obtained what she wanted. A mischievous look was given to her brother and in less than a tick the children ran off into the crowd, ready to spend their tickets quicker than they had received them, if they could. Suddenly without a purpose, Sezkero found herself leisurely walking in the direction the kids had ran off to, curious about the sweets herself. Worry for the kids was not so prominent today, as they were not the only kids darting through the streets today. Nor would the siblings have been easy to find if she tried, something the snake found from experience. But Sezkero decided to stay around, both curious about the festival and ready if the siblings needed her.
Common | Snake-Tongue | Tukant | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking
