[Wind Reach] The First Thaw Festival

[Amon]

Munching and swallowing, a few sips of the wine he held in one hand and his eyes roaming the room to pass the time. Usually when people noticed he was eating, they would back off, at least, most of the time. He enjoyed savoring the food he tasted more than actually allowing it to make its way to his stomach. Then his eyes fell on a familiar patch of fiery red hair he'd seen earlier. Oh yes, it appeared as if this was one of those promising individuals going after a particular Wind Eagle in the aeries. The thought made him mentally smirk. Navigating his way through the crowd, he tapped the boy's shoulder lightly with his free hand (the other being occupied by the glass of wine he held, having left his plate on the table). "Hey, you're the kid going for Alwin, no?" He inquired, taking one more gulp from his glass and smiling slightly, he playfully slapped Beau's back. "Name's Amon, yours? The Endals have been talking about you, or rather what you and the other kid have been doing. Must be pretty excited, eh?" What a talkative man he was, but there was no hint of animosity in his tone. He was only friendly, outgoing and willing to entertain at whatever cost. "Oh, by the way, does it like to fly?" Of course he was talking about the medallion on the back of his bryda, but it wasn't so much that he wanted to win, it would have just been a present surprise if he figured out before anyone else.

[Haya]

She´d been lingering on the same place in her hesitation, and it wasn´t long before she got punished for her indecisiveness. Someone bumped into her rather roughly and Haya´s knuckles whitened when she strengthened the grip on her cane for support. She managed to keep herself up though, turning around to face the speaker of the lightly denegrating remark she’d earned.

The man’s mixed heritage was the first obvious thing she recognised, followed by the wry grin he wore on his face. Haya did not know him personally, but there had been whispered rumors of this individual and his none-too pleasant behaviour at times.

Haya automaticly lowered her glance, stepping back to allow him passage, a quick apology passing her lips out of habit. Though when he passed, she mentally scolded herself for behaving so meek, today of all days! She lifted her gaze again, her eyes falling on the little wooden piece pinned between his shoulderblades. Heh. The lightest hint of a smirk crawled on her face. “It’s seems they’ve given you a medallion befitting of your personality.”
Her voice was loud enough for him to have heard her, and she kept her gaze on his form despite the fact that he did not seem like a person easily evoked.

[Cyrill]

Cyrill took a sip of the red wine, marveling at how warm it felt as it cascaded down her throat. This was definitely quality wine and as such, she was enjoying it immensely. Her eyes roamed across the courtyard, settling on nothing in particular, but taking in the celebratory atmosphere. She didn’t come here to stand around and drink wine, had she? No. What she needed to do was socialize and really let loose for once. Certainly, she could afford to do that once a year, at least. And then, there was the matter of the medallion pinned to her back. Cyrill usually wasn’t one to indulge in these kind of games but this one seemed particularly intriguing and required the kind of logical thinking that Cyrill valued. Her gaze fell on a man that seemed to stick out from the crowd of red-haired Inartas. His air appeared to be mainly black in color, with red highlights running through it. She cocked her head to the side, trying to remember whether she knew him. He didn’t act like a foreigner, so he must have been living in Wind Reach for quite a while. In any case, the black hair intrigued her. She detatched herself from the table she had been leaning on and with her glass still in hand, proceeded to move through the throng of people. She approached the man just as he bumped into a woman – a Drudge by the looks of her. She watched with slight disapproval creasing her brow as he spoke to the woman with what Cyrill judged to be a rather haughty tone. This was a festival after all – a time to leave caste biases behind, in her opinion. Cyrill decided to hold off on speaking to the man for the time being and turned her attention to the Dek with whom he had collided. “Are you alright?” she asked. Cyrill didn’t know much about illness or canes, but she did know that having someone bump into you when you were already in pain wasn’t too pleasant.

[Vanir]

Vanir downed his drink and poured himself another one. Two drinks couldn't cause too much harm, besides, it was a party, he should be enjoying himself, not worrying over refreshments. The wine sure did taste good. He seemed to ignore what was happening for a few moments. Too many people, too loud for Vanir's likes. His ears started to hurt after listening to the party. But Vanir stuck in through. The wine made it all worth it, though it seemed Vanir stayed away from the food. He had remembered some Dek telling him a while ago that he had filled himself up with that food, and the entire year he craved for. Vanir had remembered that, so the food he stayed away from. But what harm could having a couple glasses of wine lead to? He had remembered the medallion on his back. Maybe he could start asking questions, and hopefully win a prize. He took a few steps forward and looked around for any one open, someone who was free to ask a question to. He spotted a woman Inarta, at the other end of the dance floor enjoying a glass of wine at a lone table. It may have been a stupid idea, but she was one of the only Inarta he spotted free. Ever heard the expression it is almost impossible to cross a dance floor? It's true. He finally arrived at the table and looked at the girl there. "Why hello there." He said. He noticed an empty seat beside her. "Mind if I take a seat?" He asked sounding politely. Dek had to be polite on this occasion. The last thing you ever wanted was to be kicked out during the Thaw Festival. There is always so much going on during the Thaw Festival.

[Aislinn]

Aislinn had almost jumped in surprise as a young man a little older than herself walked up and said "Why hello there." She barely managed to hide it and she kicked herself mentally for staring off into space. The man she noticed was wearing a lontev and quickly she labeled him as a Dek. As she came to this realization he asked "Mind if I take a seat?"

She smiled at the man and said "Hello, of course you may sit there." She took another sip of her drink noticing that the man was being extremely polite. She liked the Dek and appreciated them unlike many Inarta. "My name is Aislinn, may I ask yours?" She was extremely happy to talk to someone and this man would bring very interesting conversation.

[Vanir]

Vanir sat down in the chair, glad someone from a higher caste was allowing him in their company if only for a little while. He heard the girl tell him his name and ask him his name as soon as he sat down. "My name is Vanir, Aislinn." He replied. He turned around for a brief moment. "Hey, do you mind if I asked you if the thing on my medallion would be involved in cooking?" Vanir thought himself very clever for asking this question. If you could use it for cooking, it would either be a plant with berries or an animal that they ate or used to kill. He allowed a moment for the Aislinn to look at it, before he turned around. He knew his question may have seemed like a bad one, but it would actually help narrow it down very quickly. He took a small sip of the wine, allowing his mouth to savor the flavors for a moment before he gulped it down. "May I say, it was very kind of you to let me sit here. Many people don't like the company of a Dek, and would prefer the one of a higher caste." He ranted. " It's sometimes very hard for us to be social, but thanks to people like you, we can."

[Kovac]

The Drudge dropped her gaze and gave Kovac place, as was fitting, except maybe for this special day. He passed by the young woman with a quick glance. In spite of her nearly shapeless shift and obvious handicap, he admitted the thin Drudge was not completely unattractive. She seemed to take care of herself pretty well, for a Dek. The wine table beckoned him again, and Kovac set his gaze on the sweet liquor when she spoke again. The half-breed concealed a grin from the girl behind him. So, the Drudge had some spunk after all. He begrudgingly admired her boldness. Intrigued, Kovac once again belayed his quest for wine. With a slow turn on his heels, Kovac faced the woman once again. She was probably close to his age. He did not grace her with an accepting gesture yet, wanting to see if she would stand her newly claimed ground. "Really? You know me pretty well? Kovac challenged with a raised eyebrow. "Can you tell me if it has wings?". The hunter asked the question before he remembered that he swore that he would not play the stupid game. Kovac leaned around the Drudge to spy the wooden disk on her back. "Figures." He muttered as another woman suddenly appeared. The new arrival seemed vaguely familiar, he had most likely seen her among the craftsmen...no glassblowers. He had seen her when he would visit Kalle as she worked. That had been a while ago. A smart remark rose to his lips as the woman ignored him and spoke to the Drudge, but it froze on his tongue. On occasion, Kovac listened to the voice that insisted he keep his mouth shut.

[Haya]

Against Haya’s expectations, the man did turn around, and suddenly she wasn’t so sure if it had been wise to provoke him. Though his facial features were rounded and rather gentle for a guy, the look he held in his eyes was anything but.

His first question caught her off guard. No, in truth she did not know him well. “You have a reputation,” she chose to admit, feeling slightly awkward.
But at his second question the smug smile crawled back upon her face. “Oh, I’m sorry. Just one hint per person, remember?” Oh yes, having the opportunity to actually turn down a request was definitely satisfying, and Haya didn’t look half as apologetic as her words insinuated.

She was unpleasantly surprised though, when the man moved closer without a warning. Haya’s eyes widened, her body stiffening up. It wasn’t until he muttered a soft 'figured' that she realised he’d been checking up on her medallion.

But it seemed she wasn’t allowed any time to recompose herself before she had to shift her attention. A young woman stood beside her, red curls forming a playfull frame of her face. The concern in her words was touching.

“Thank you, I’m quite alright. I know how to handle myself.” Haya bared her teeth in a wide smile and raised her foot slightly, wiggling her toes for a moment. “It’s already been a long time since this one hurt, and an equal amount of time since it was usefull.”

[Eidolon]

A visit to the festival had seemed like a perfect break from her daily life and as Chemar neared the bustling courtyard her anticipation grew. First Thaw had always been one of her favorite times, it signaled an influx of new perspective and experience, something that she thrived upon. As she was getting ready she'd decided to go all out, choosing her most elaborate vinati, one that was decorated with an intricate stained glass pattern of deep violet and blue. Her bryda were decorated in kind, and held fast on her hips by a transparent scarf of watery blue, the overall effect was that of a living piece of artists glass and though this was outside of her usual appearance, she didn't feel ill at ease. The fact of the matter was that she rather liked the touch of the air on her belly, and the whispered chimes of the glass she'd threaded into her long hair, sounding with every step. The most notable adjustment for her was the intensity of the light, making her squint as her eyes scanned the room to see all the revelers. Having become so accustomed to the calming atmosphere of the Lady she had almost forgotten how truly bright the world was. As she stood at the opening of the courtyard she felt a finger brush along the valley of her back and she quickly glanced over her shoulder. The face that greeted her was that of a familiar young woman, and with a dip of her head, she greated Chemar. "I'm so happy you came." She grinned widely as she attached the medallion to the back of the vinati. "Will the lady Rae be coming as well?" Chemar brushed a spiraled red curl off the girl's forehead and smiled, "I'm afraid not, she's chosen solitude once more, but I will have fun enough for both of us. Thank you for the medal Miran." She shimmied her shoulders a little to feel the brush of the small medallion against her skin and offered another smile. "Give you mother my love." She leaned forward and softly kissed the girl's cheek before watching her scamper off to the next party goer. Already, she felt happy to be here, now a glass of wine, would make the moment complete.

[Cyrill]

Cyrill smiled a little in return and caught herself feeling relieved that the woman wasn’t in actual pain. She wondered if the cane was the reason for her being labeled a Dek. Suddenly, Cyrill felt very thankful for her caste – something she usually never thought about all that much. “Can it move from one place to another on its own?” she asked her, turning around slightly so that the woman would have a better view of the medallion on her back. She turned her attention to the man now, leaning around to catch a glimpse of the medallion on his back. “To answer your question – it does not have wings.” “I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before,” she added, tilting her head to one side as she examined him. “I am Cyrill and you are?” she let the question hang, extending her right hand to him in greeting. The man might not have left the best first impression, but that was no reason for her to be impolite.