[Stormhold Beach] The Midwinter Fire Festival (Open)

[Nya Winters]

Timestamp: The 46th of Winter, 509 AV Time of Day: Afternoon into Early Evening Status: Open to everyone Cost: 1 Gold Miza Nya had worked very hard, almost tirelessly, to set things up for the newly established midwinter fire festival. The Cultural Council had needed some funding to aid visitors who wished to settle in Syliras get established. The Syliran Knights had been helpful enough to set up a program to assist people in finding jobs and housing, but there was still often other things they needed - food, clothing, necessities - that the knights didn't provide. So, in a brain storming session, the council had decided on some sort of party. Nya had suggested a fire festival, since she knew a firedancer who might be willing to preform. Zaira also firedanced, and there could be storytelling, other music, dancing, and food. Patiently, as an exercise in practicing her letters, Nya had used Father Glav's parchment and ink to write up fliers to post about the city advertising the up and coming event. She'd even talked friends of Matilda - The Widows of Syliras - into providing a sort of meal (Nya still wasn't sure what a pot-luck was but the widows assured her this was perfect) to feed the masses so long as the forest cat had provided the main course of food. She delivered two very large wild boar sows to be pit roasted slowly all day on the beach. And the best part was that Nya hadn't had to hunt alone for them. Abashai had come along with her, and they'd made a day of it stalking and taking the pigs down. The forest cat had gained a new respect of her bondmate's archery for it was almost anti-climatic to get a sow to chase her under a tree stand where Abashai's deadly arrows were waiting. The event had put a permanent grin on the forest cat's face for two days afterwards as they let the meat hang and cure before spitting them for the feast. Nya's weather sense had kept her informed that it would be a stormless and rather calm day well into the evening. Abashai and her had worked tirelessly, dragging endless pieces of firewood together to create an enormous bonfire and vast supply to keep it fed the whole night long. The widows had set up a donation table, first to collect money, and secondly to collect unwanted clothing and dry goods - shoes, coats, hats, tools... almost anything. And the knights had provided a dais of sorts for musicians to play and for the firedancer to preform. There was a roped off area for a dance floor, and a dozen little individual fires with driftwood dragged up around them so people could quietly converse all night long, taking turns dancing and passing down the buffet. Even Sus had been put to work, along with several other horses, hauling supplies down the cliff and helping to set up the party. Nya had snuck off to pick up a few items that Matlida had suggested for her; khol for her eyes, gloss for her lips, and an iron she could heat in the fire to add a curl to her hair. Then she'd carefully taken out the the swirled earthtone dress and delicate sandals and went to work on her appearance, using Matilda's room in Syliras to get ready (with a lot of help from the Konti). She'd promised Abashai she'd meet him at the Festival later where she wanted to introduce him to her friend Terminus. Terminus had been delegated to the most important task of them all. Two of the stout boys of a local family the Cultural Council had helped were manning the pits, roasting the pigs (and keeping them from burning) with the promise of free entrance and unlimited food. Terminus was their supervisor as well as the supervisor of all the fire lighting and last minute party preparation. His main job was keeping the very vocal and boisterous 'Syliran Widows' out of trouble. They were elderly women, old aunties really, who liked to meddle and fuss and have fits over the littlest thing. They'd managed, somehow, to acquire hothouse flowers, and had made floral garlands for all the women and men who decided to come to the party. Lorian Dyres had donated kegs of ale and wine to the party, and was rumored to perhaps himself show up sometime that evening. Nya was excited, and squirming almost uncontrollably, even as Matilda finished lining her eyes with khol so she could look her best for Abashai. Kissing the old Konti in thanks and swirling her heavy green cloak about her shoulders, Nya hurried off so she could be one of the first people at the Festival when the general crowd started showing up. Abashai had promised to meet her there, having agreed to fetch his share of the elderly who'd expressed interest in coming but could not walk that far, by cart using Sus, that had been provided by Father Glav. And while Abashai wasn't necessarily suited to be a cabby, it gave him a chance to meet more of the cityfolk. Nya made it just past the third bell after mid-day -- just in time to help make more punch and wipe wooden mugs belonging to the Temple clean after theyd been used. She grinned at Terminus, blushed when the Widows cowled at her khol-lined eyes, and laughed at the boys as they drove off stray dogs trying to snatch their fair share of pork without paying.

[Sondra]

As the giddy old crone arranged flowers around Sondra's neck, the Konti had the body language of a post. Her expression was mild appall. What had she done to herself? This was not the kind of festival she was expecting.

"Uh, thanks."

The old woman patted Sondra's head with a pleased smile that made the Konti nervous.
"Have fun, dearie," the widow instructed before pushing Sondra into the group and waving on the next girl.

Half stumbling into the party, Sondra gave everything a hard look, her hands jammed into her pockets. Thank, Avalis, there was ale. However, getting completely obliterated didn't seem to fit the spirit of the event.

Unlike most the women, she was a trace grubby, choosing trousers and boots over the rippling hems of a skirt or gown. Her days of pale sheaths and white furs were long past. If handed a dress, she'd probably put it on backwards.

For the first few minutes, she had a destination. It was a brief but consoling distraction. She cut through the clusters of people, careful to not touch them, moving towards the donation table.
A new looking pair of children's shoes was awkwardly disentangled from her satchel and placed on the table. Despite a moral looseness, she abided by a version of penance.

The act mysteriously tinted her cheeks a rose. She wandered from the table debating whether to start with food or drink. Usually she couldn't afford many drinks, so food was forgone to make the alcohol more potent, but tonight she feared passing out would result in her awaking in a circle of angry crones and kicking children. Righteous indignation was the most terrifying kind and old women had it in spades.

Sondra grabbed a plate and entered the slow orbit around the browned pig. Using the wealth of her personal eloquence and convivial airs, she extended her dish towards the carver and said,
"Pork?"

[Terminus Norin]

terminus recieved Nya's invitation with a great amount of excitement as he had wondered where the forest cat had gone to for so long. It also came with a bit of trepidation as he had kept to himself for so long that he feared he might embarass himself..or worse Nya. But he accepted and was thrilled that she wanted him to firedance...to worship Ivak was his fondest desire so of course he would agree to do so.

The day arrived and he was there as preparations began, helping light the fires, sometimes by magic and most times by flint and steel. He helped set tables and supervise the pig roasting. He was looking for Nya and Abashai ..looking forward to meeting the man she called bondmate. Nya had been there arlier that day and with a smiled greeting had put him to work and he hadn't seen her since. He also allowed for the Widows to have many projects to fuss over as they were happy when they were fussing and concerned about something. As a worker he was promised free entrance, but paid his Miza anyway as it was for a good cause.

By third bell...things were going smoothly and the buffet was about to be set out. Terminus had been saying silent prayers to Ivak all day in preparation for his perfomance as well as staying quite busy. The his attention was caught by the vision of Nya in a lovely swirled earthtoned dress with a heavy green cloak around her shoulders, her brindled hair was curled and her eyes lined with khol. He had to stop for a moment and lookt at her as she was a lovely sight, he hoped Abashai would think the same as he suspected this was for his benefit. He walked past her and whispered so softly that only cat ears could hear

If Abashai doesnt notice how pretty you look..hes a blind man. And by the way bring him over when you're ready..I look forward to meeting him.

He also had this burning feeling in his chest..almost as if his mark were live fire. It had never burned like this before and it gave him the impression that Ivak was alerting him to something very important about to happen. He frowned in a way that only Nya wpould notice andwent on about his way but more aware of the people and things going on. There were still fires to tend and pig to dish out

[Abashai]

Abashai finished helping the elderly guests out of the cart. A couple of the old women, small and frail, had to be lifted out. As Abashai hoisted them out of the cart, they giggled like young girls. The bensiran called to a couple of the boys who had proved most helpful in setting up for the festival, and asked them to assist some of the old folks to seats around one of the smaller fires.

He unhitched Sus and tied the mare to the cart with a loose line. Abashai did not worry about the horse running off, but his faithful steed had a habit of following him around, which could complicate his participation in the festival. He pulled a flake of hay out of the cart, set it in front of the desertbred and gave her a soft pat on the neck.

He straightened his coat and set off to find Nya. He had not seen her since earlier in the day, when she had rushed him off to gather some of the older citizens in a borrowed cart. With a curious grin, she promised to meet him later.

Abashai had thoroughly enjoyed the past few days. He had spent most of the time with Nya, preparing for the event. It had been what he wanted for more than a season, something for them to do together. Now was the culmination of their, and many other's, work.

He made his way through the growing crowd. Already some musicians were playing on the platform, and the aroma of the roasted pigs mingled with the cool salty air. The festival had the air of a benshiran masha, a time of celebration and fellowship. As he surveyed the crowd, the benshiran wondered which one was Terminus. Nya spoke very fondly of Terminus and, if Abashai would be honest with himself, he would have to admit feeling a bit jealous when his bondmate talked about the man. He had no reason to be jealous, he knew. But he was anxious to meet someone that could capture the kelvic's friendship so fastly.

Finally, he headed for the serving tables. Several of the old widows hovered over the buffet, swatting the hands of children who tried to serve themselves with bare hands. Near the end, where several casks of ales and wine were set up, Abashai spotted his bondmate, or so he thought. He walked closer, staring intently at her until he was sure. It was Nya, but not like he had ever seen her before. His pulse quickened ever so slightly as he recognized her. The first thing that crossed his mind was that she was no longer a girl, she was a woman. He suddenly saw how much she had matured over the past couple seasons. Her bondmate's reaction could only be described as stunned. In fact, as he stopped beside Nya, he was speechless. He simply smiled broadly. When she looked up at him with her lined, moss green eyes, he managed to utter a few words.

"Nya, you....you look absolutely beautiful."

[Avi]

Avi had heard about the festival from Nya, and had promptly promised to show up for it... provided, of course, she kept the days straight. Time had little meaning to the Kelvic; she was happy enough to know what season it was, and whether she was in the beginning, middle, or end of it. Time didn't bother her unduly - she kept no real schedule when she was on her own. But Avi had assured Nya she would be there, and a promise was a promise, after all. Earlier in the season, she had flown home to Avanthal, staying only a few days to rest and catch up with what had been going on with her family, and assure them that she had been fine. She had made a new friend, after all, and she had seen with her own eyes a cat that was as large as a horse, and just as powerful. She wasn't much of a hand at drawing, but she could describe the beast just as easily, sketching it out not with ink, but with words.

She had left her family early to make sure that she would be able to get back to Syliras in time for the Festival. As somewhat wild as Avi may have been, her parents had drummed manners into the exuberant youngling - one of the things she had learned from her family was that when there was a party or a gathering, it was polite to pitch in and bring something. She was young and able-bodied, after all, and there was no excuse for showing up with naught but an empty stomach and eager eyes and ears. This was especially true with her being what she was - she had an almost easier time hunting than some of her family, given her advantages, despite her inexperience. Unless she had been deathly ill, it would have been considered a poor grace not to bring something. While she was new to the customs of this place, she was sure that politeness was the same the world over, and that had meant a detour through the mountains once again.

She'd flown most of the way, but she'd seen the smoke from the cooking fire some ways off, and had landed with her prize near the treeline, mindful of where she put her offering down. She only hoped that she'd be able to carry it in her human form. She didn't see why not - sure, it was as long as she was, if not longer... but it wasn't as heavy, so if she slung it over her shoulder... Surely there was a good chance of success there. Avi finished dressing - her dark cotton vest and trousers had been donned, and she worked her feet into the low leather boots. She pondered her hair for all of five seconds before taking out her brush and weaving it into a tight braid - tighter than she usually liked, but if she was going to be carrying a fish over her shoulder.. She secured the end of the braid with a leather cord, and fixed her feathers into it, long, glistening black feathers almost as long as her forearm, and tucked the braid over her shoulder. Thick leaves were gathered from the trees, and lots of them - she would need those to wrap the fish to cook it - these went into her backpack. The pack was next, the impossibly long straps adjusted for her human shape before deciding she was done with her preparation.

Now, all that she had to do was lift the fish and carry it over to the gathering. Making sure that her braid was over her right shoulder, Avi crouched beside the fish, getting her fingers inside the gills, and heaved, hauling the scaled thing over her left shoulder and hung on tightly before slowly standing, testing the weight, and decided it was not impossible. The Kelvic supposed she must have been a sight as she hung onto her prize, looking comically lopsided under the weight of the fish, but clearly determined not to let it go. Not just yet. She had to find Nya first - this one was even bigger than the one she had caught the night that they had met, what with needing to feed more people than just herself. She spotted her, though, and with slow but steady progress, was making her way in that direction. It wasn't long before someone had beat her there, and she would not interrupt the pair of them by calling out.

[Stitch]

"Hurry up, Stitch." Fentya, one of the little girls from the Welcome Home, impatiently tugged on Stitch's wrist as he got yanked along. A bemused grin stuck on his face, he shook his head, briskening the already quick pace he was walking at. He didn't quite understand how he was going slow, in her mind. He was taller than her, stronger than her, had longer legs than her, she was carrying a large pot with one arm, and still she was setting the pace. Did she have no limit to her energy?

As if reading his mind, the little girl gave a small, bemused grin of her own, and tugged at him a little harder. "Hurry up, Stitch!"

"Okay, okay!" Chuckling, he walked even faster, moving to the side of the little girl and keeping a tight hold of her hand. The Welcome Home had gotten one of the flyers delivered straight to their doorstep, one of their many friends coming to knock on their door, and hand it straight to the children. They all had swarmed Stitch as soon as they had heard about the Firedancing that was to be at the beach-front festival, but all of them had been busy that day with visitors, and events that they had volunteered for around Syliras. Begrudgingly, they had given up the chance to go, on the condition that Stitch would bring them back some roasted pig. Fentya, on the other hand, had nothing to do on that day, suprisingly enough. She was the one who was usually the busiest of them all. But, she had been free, and she had jumped at the chance to go. She had even made a dish of her own, a mixture of meat, vegetables, and broth, under a biscuit topping, cooked and served in a big pot/kettle. It was what she was carrying now, and what she wanted to present to the people at the party. She had always been the type of girl eager to cook for everyone, and anything.

As the festival came into sight, Stitch instinctively flinched a bit, the bright lights of the multiple auras nearly blinding him. As hinted at by white bandages wrapped around his head, covering his eyes, Stitch was blind. The only thing that allowed him to see was the recently-learned Auristics, and it had opened up a whole new world of color. It hadn't been too horribly long since he had lost his sight to a certain event, so the image of the world as it looked back then was still fresh in his mind. Out of all the visions he had, Auristics and True Sight were better then the blind darkness, but he still prefered the real world. However, the multiple colors, the people, the dancing fire, it was all still quite beautiful, and he was still quite thankful.

Interrupting his thoughts, Fentya pulled from his hand. "I am going to go give this to one of the people at the roasted pigs, okay?" She waited a few moments, tapping her foot, looking antsy, before bolting at the confirming nod given by Stitch. Cocking his head, the man watched her flounce away, his hidden sight carefully observing her aura. She was excited, quite so. He trusted her in this crowd, trusted her to be responsible, so he didn't mind her running off. Best to keep a watch on her every now and then, though.

Turning his vision from her to the rest of the ground, he stood on the edge of the slowly strengthening celebration. Humming slightly to himself, he let his eye flit over the variety of auras, trying to figure out where he would best be needed. It still looked like the tail end of preparations was going on, so maybe they could use a hand somewhere. It looked very stocked by the fire pits, and Fentya had already gone over there to help. She would be quite an asset, for her age, and she would prove to be a handful. The firedancers hadn't quite yet started, and looked as if they were still a bit busy, but he had no room to try and help them out with a skill he had no chance at. Slowly, he started walking, hands a little bit out in front of him as if instinctively still feeling his way around. Focusing hard on his arcane art, he continued to scan the crowd, trying to find a place where he would be able to fit in. Perhaps a place to start a conversation, if he couldn't help with any work.

Was that a fish lady?

Pausing mid-step, Stitch furrowed his brow, focusing his Auristics. It was only a slight focus, one he had to do to completely define very simplistic details about a person or thing, one that would only leave him short of breath when he did it. At first glance, the woman he had passed his eyes over looked to have the aura of both a fish, and a human female. Focusing now though, he soon realized how absurd that idea was, and realized she was simply carrying said fish. She looked to be struggling with it too. Had she caught that all by herself? That was a massive fish, most men would have trouble with it! A smile passing over his face, happy he had found a place to help, he slowly made his way through the crowd, coming up to meet her.

"Milady?" The honorific word was spoken very politely, a friendly tone to his voice as well, a small, somewhat shy smile on Stich's face. "May this one help?" Well aware some women liked to fare on their own, he gingerly reached out, ready to pull back his hands if she denied his offer, and ready to help her by carting the tail end of the fish, or the whole thing, if she decided to drop it on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Fentya had happened to spot Terminus, and had quickly made her way over to him. The little girl was very forward with her offer, coming up to him in a straight line, and tugging on a part of his clothing if he didn't see her coming at first. "Mr. Pig Roaster Man. You looked like you were leading most of this about, I brought some stuff to help." Smiling, she offered him her pot of food. Not a second passed before a serious look crossed her face, her voice coming out quite serious as well, a bit of a sight from such a young girl. "Do you need any help cooking? I am quite good at getting a roasted pig to just the right level of doneness."

[Nya Winters]

The old auntie grinned at Sonya's contribution to the table. She fussed over the shoes, grinned and patted Sonya's shoulders, and rearranged the footware to be displayed in a proudly prominent position. When she managed to make it back through the crowd towards the firepits, she'd find half-pint attendants both swirling the meat and carving at it. The boys, one of which a ginger-headed child with an impish grin carved her off a generous portion while the other one grabbed her a large wooden plate, and the meat was piled up on the plate and handed to her. "Eat up miss! It's mighty good!" The boy declared, proud that he'd been the one babysitting the meat all day, carefully turning the spit. He also gestured to a large pot-luck buffet table set up close at hand. The Widows of Sylira were hard at work manning the opposite side, refilling emptying bowls, herding the children, and of course gossiping. One spotted Sonya being pointed towards them and gestured wildly. "Over here... come try the salad!"

Nya noticed the new woman, her paleness, and greeted her. "Hello! I'm Nya.. thank you for coming. We're going to have music shortly, so if you play anything, feel free to join the musicians. And if you don't, you can dance or simply watch... eat as much as you'd like and get to know people here. This is a wonderful way to meet people. There's also ale or wine if you'd like." Nya said gesturing towards where the kegs are. She was about to say more when Terminus slipped by.

She turned to greet him and caught his puzzled expression, almost as if he was hunting. Nya stayed silent even as Terminus whispered something and moved onward. Nya flushed, then smiled slightly, and let him go, with only a 'Thanks.. I will...' called softly to his retreating back. Nya hoped he found what he was looking for and that there was no violence. Hunting had its time and place, a party wasn't the place, but she definitely thought she knew Terminus well enough to know it would be fine. She'd introduce him to Abashai as soon as her bondmate got there. There was a lot of people she needed to introduce to each other at this event if folks did actually show up.

Speaking of bondmates... Nya glanced around and inhaled deeply. People. Smoke. Pork. Food. Children. It was a scented assault, one that almost overwhelmed her. But just as she was starting to feel a little uneasy, a very familiar smell washed over her, calming her completely. She turned slightly, met Abashai's blue-green eyes, and smiled brightly. Warmth and joy flooded her. A purr burst out of her along with her smile. She lifted herself up on her tippie toes and ran her jawline along his, hugging him gently for just the briefest of moments. "Thank you. You look nice yourself." She responded then captured one of his hands. "I want you to meet someone. Terminus is here." She said, glancing around, Abashai's hand still firmly in hers.

Nya scanned the crowd, her sense of smell useless. She spotted Avi, smiled, and waved to her with her free hand. "Here's Avi too... She looks like she needs help with.... something?" Nya laughed, tugging Abashai along with her to meet the other kelvic. "Avi.. what did you bring? I'm glad you made it!" She said excitedly, and turned to introduce Abashai to Avi, exchanging names. "Abashai, this is Avi.. she's another kelvic. Avi, this is my bondmate." She spotted the blind man, but did not know him. The kelvic paused, grinned, and looked at Stitch questioningly. "Who's your friend?"

[Leo Varniak]

He had been unsure till the very last moment, and even now he felt definitely out of place with so many people intent on having a good time. Leo derived very little pleasure from these large social gatherings; there was some kind of threshold, he believed, when too many people in the same place lost what made them people to begin with. They turned into writhing, haunting, man-sized puppets. What had once been an individual turned into a mass, matter pressed against matter. Leo could filter it out, but to have fun was another thing entirely.

His clothing was remarkably light for a mid-winter event; just a brown shirt and grey trousers, with a cheap belt and pair of aged traveling boots. He really did not need any more, given the heat radiating from his altered body and the fact he felt no compulsion to dress up for such events. It was strangely ironic how one of the most obsessive defenders of justice in Syliras was so antisocial and vaguely misanthropic.

Leo saw a lot of faces, most of which were unknown to him. Nya's was the only one he recognized, and even that seemed to have changed quite a bit from their last encounter. These Kelvic sure grew up fast as mushrooms. Surely the Nya he had met before would not have put on makeup. She was becoming more of a human; gods only knew if she was becoming less of a beast. Leo had undergone physical changes, as well; the rings under his eyes had gotten heavier and darker, and he looked over his shoulder a lot. He had probably lost some weight on top of that, and he had been slim to begin with.

He dropped his Miza into the offering pot and walked over to the donation table. His own gift was something he had picked up without much thought from his home. Something he was not going to miss much, if anything because he had spare copies. It was a teapot, medium quality (it was medium-high, but he would refuse to acknowledge anything other than the discontinued Varniak wares as worthy of such praise). He had bought it at the Bazaar, but the decorative enamel painting was his own. It depicted, unsurprisingly, a building fire. Smoke spiraled above a house consumed by crimson flames. While the style was still rough around the edges, it had a certain realism to it that implied first-hand witness of such an event.

With this taken care of, he... um... had no idea what to do. Leo never drank alcohol, and he was not hungry tonight. He looked around, his gaze lingering on the fires for a little while. He found some private entertainment in predicting how a fire might possibly break out, and where it would go first. Fireguessing was a fascinating artform he practiced whenever he could. These fires were pretty boring, though. They had been leashed good, and couldn't have gone anywhere.

He tucked his hands in the pockets of his trousers and watched the people mingle for a few moments. He could sense a familiar calling - the presence of a fellow mark-bearer of Ivak, but the signal was faint with so many distracting presences around him. Leo supposed he would find him out at some point, if he was indeed a firedancer. They tended to stick out.

He made his way through the crowd, randomly bumping into people and getting bumped into. Leo seemed to favor straight lines even in the absence of straight pathways. "Excuse me," he said, the very definition of somber. "Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me."

[Abashai]

With Nya's warm greeting, the benshiran regained his composure. When she grasp his hand, he barely had time to utter a word before she was off, pulling him behind in her search for Terminus. The excited forest cat hurried in and out of the crowd, then, seeing someone else she knew, took a sharp angle. The strong kelvic's change of course jerked her bondmate in a new direction and he laughed as he had to almost jog to keep up with Nya. Abashai had no idea who Avi was, but he was going to find out, real quick.

They came to an abrupt halt before a young woman with a curiously large fish slung over her shoulder. Naya introduced her as a kelvic. That was very interesting indeed. Abashai studied her briefly, trying to guess her animal form. She was lovely with a dark exotic look, and did have very large dark feathers in her braid, but he saw no real clues. Whatever her form was, she was a skilled fisher. Abashai smiled and nodded. "Pleased to meet you Avi." He hoped he would have the chance to learn more about another kelvic.

When Nya asked about Avi's friend, Abashai turned his attention to the man standing nearby. He wondered if the bandage around Stitches eyes was due to some kind of treatment, or if he was indeed blind. Abashai had seen him before briefly on the street, and had been told he ran the orphanage. This was a boon of luck, the benshiran had intended to visit the Welcome Home. He had a soft spot for children, and would like to see how he may be able to help the home.

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus had been busy supervising the roasting and carving of the pig when he felt his shirt being tugged on. He looked at the young child with a smile as warm as his skin as he took the pot from her and said. But of course i could always use another hand..especially a seasoned hand. he took her over to the pits and told the boys to let her help them.

He was looking Nya's direction when he saw a tall, dakr skinned and dark haired man approach her, and stop and stare at her for a while. He presumed this must be Abashai and that was confirmed by the manner of her display of affection toward him. He smiled as he still thought Abashai a fortunate man to be bonded to her. He knew she would bring him over when she could. He watched as they stopped to visit with an exotic looking woman with an enormous fish on her shoulder. Needless to say this intregued him and maybe he would get to meet this woman at some time..he was a social sort at heart...even if he was a guilt plagued soul.

He was busy with serving the guests when he felt the call..the vague burning from his mark that signaled a fellow Azenth. It was vague and diffuse, mingled with the emotions of the others. He suspected that this Leo Varniak was somewhere in the dense crowd, he was the only Azenth in the city he knew of. He would have to ask Nya if she could spot or scent him in the crowd...he had a feeling he needed to talk to Leo, the previous burning in his mark added to the call just couldn't be coincidence.