Open Preparations

[Kuvarakh]

OOC - continues from here.

4th Day of Winter, 514

Kuvarakh had been thinking back to Phobius walking off with his pay for several days now, all smiles and eager planning. The alchemist had become quite fond of the boy. When he was not endearingly sensitive, he was an inspiration with his upbeat attitude. Even when something brought him down, which admittedly was pretty easy, he bounced back completely over the simplest of things.

And now he had spoken of having a party for his birthday; of inviting everyone in town. Kuvarakh smiled at the youngster's comment. He'd even invited the customer he'd only met moments before; the one whom Kuvarakh had only just finished commissioning for some hides. It had been completely spontaneous. And the thing was, Kuvarakh knew it was not just some empty gesture. Phobius truly wished the stranger would accept. And he had.

This was not to say that the customer, Redire...White...something, didn't strike Kuvarakh also as a nice enough guy in his own right. But such trust was a vulnerability. It made him worry about Phobius. Kuvarakh caught himself. Was he right to think this way? There had to be a balance. Not to be aloof and alienatingly distrustful; but not easy to exploit either. Maybe this was why he liked Phobius so much. He was a balance, a breath of innocent fresh air, to offset his innate suspicion.

He paused with a pang of regret. Who was he to think this way? It was true, his recent ordeal with the criminal element of the city had added a layer of caution to his outlook. But had it stopped there? With only "caution"? He'd hired a man to murder someone! The backlash had only been because he'd taken over his body. He knew Kirby had been a psychotic killer, kidnapper, rapist, and the gods knew what else. But he knew he'd descended far too deeply into that world to escape unscathed.

He shook himself free of this reverie for the thousandth time since Victor had first confronted him, thinking he was Kirby. Phobius was good for him! He felt compelled to be positive when the kid was around. He'd come to the conclusion that it was one of the main reasons he'd so spontaneously hired the boy as his courier. He suddenly realized he needed to be a part of this party. To be part of something positive and joyful.

He'd been essentially hiding himself at home or at the shop. He knew perfectly well that any criminals still in town knew where he was. But he'd become sort of untouchable to them, what with the Womiyu's eyes on both him and them. He wanted to come out in the open again. This was his chance. It felt so right!

Wanda, of course, was completely behind this line of thinking. She practically threw him out of the shop to go start making some arrangements. "You'll need time to find the entertainment you want, once you decide on it." She's said with a saucy grin.

Actually, it hadn't turned out that way. It was more like browsing at shop windows. He simply went out walking until he ran across something that looked promising. The first thing he came to that struck him this way was "Okana's Tent". She was a Konti that had been telling fortunes in Alvadas for several years.

As if to verify her talents, when he entered her establishment, she simply smiled at him and said "I accept. Fifty now, and fifty when the party is over."

Kuvarakh stood agape for several ticks, then broke out laughing, with a shake of his head. "Splendid!" he agreed, digging in his coat pocket for fifty mizas. "I assume you already know the day?" he ventured.

Surprisingly, she now stood agape, puzzled. "Well...no, actually, his birth was in the past, and nothing in the vision showed what day it is to be. Can you tell me?" she asked, with a bit of a blush.

[Phobius]

Phobius had been trying his hardest to get some party-planning done, but the last few days had been disappointingly unproductive, and he just couldn't understand why. He'd sat himself down in his room for bells, doing nothing but staring up at the ceiling and hoping for ideas to come. And the boy had a good sense of what kind of party he wanted; a big one, in a big-enough place that everyone in Alvadas would be able to come in and comfortably fit. Beyond that, however...well, it was like his brain had clogged up, for some reason. He couldn't figure out what other things he wanted, like what kind of food would be served, and what the decorations would look like, and if there would be some sort of theme...

Really, Phobius didn't know anything about parties and how they were supposed to go. He'd never been to one, before; aside from birthdays, there weren't many celebrations that happened in Wind Reach. Or maybe there were, and he'd just never been invited to any. Either way, the Inartan boy couldn't help but feel as though he was terribly under-skilled for the job he'd taken up. The feeling pushed him to go and ask Ms. Georgia for her advice. She'd more likely know more about parties and planning one than he did, since she'd been around for a while.

Leaving the tiny sack of mizas that Kuvarakh had generously paid him in his room, he headed to the lobby. The kindly innkeeper didn't look busy, giving him a smile as he came over to her desk, and as he began to explain everything she gave him her full attention.

"Alright...I think I'm understanding the issue, here," she said once he was done, pursing her lips and nodding a little. "I'm sorry to say that I haven't planned any parties, in my time, but planning in general is all about not overwhelming yourself."

"What do you mean?" Phobius asked, blinking at her.

"I mean that you shouldn't try and do too many things all at once. Split up what needs to be done, and handle each thing separately. Like...like invitations, for one. Figuring out who you want to have there seems like the most important thing about the party, don't you think?"

At this, the boy smiled. "I want to invite everyone!"

"Ha! Of course you do," the woman replied, laughing a little. "But that might not be such a good idea. Think about it for a moment; not everyone in the city knows you, so they might not want to go...and even if they did, that's a lot of people in one place. You'd have a very crowded party."

Phobius frowned a little, but didn't say anything. He hadn't thought about it that way...

"Wouldn't it be better," she continued, careful with her words so that she'd avoid upsetting him. "If you only invited people you knew? And then they could invite the people that they knew. That way, you'd have a nice-sized party with all of your friends."

"...y'know, that really is a better idea," Phobius said after a while, having thought her words over for a few ticks. The smile returned to his face, then. "Thanks!"

So it'd be a smaller party, but one that was just as fun as a huge party, because all his friends would come. Maybe now would be a good time to go around and invite them...if he waited too long, stuff could come up and some of then could end up being busy on the day of the actual party. And Phobius desperately wanted for all of them to be able to come.

I wonder who I should invite, first...

The boy was quiet for a moment as he thought. Kuvarakh, of course...he'd been the first person to hear about the party, after all. He deserved the first official invitation. Thanking Ms. Georgia before he walked out the door, Phobius set out to toward the Alchae; the alchemist was usually lingering about there, with Ms. Wanda somewhere nearby. Luck would have it that he happened to pass by a tent that he'd never seen in the city, before, and a voice from within it reached his ears. It sounded kind of familiar, too.

Curious, Phobius detoured and wandered over to the tent, ducking his head in through its curtain-like doors. There he found the alchemist, along with a white-haired, fair-skinned woman. "Kuvarakh?" the boy said, staring at the man in bewilderment. It was hard to believe that he'd managed to find him so soon, but he wasn't about to complain, the omnipresent smile returning to his face. "Haha! Isn't this kinda funny? I was just gonna go look for you at the shop. What's this place...? And who's that?" he asked, looking over at the woman and giving her a friendly wave. Then his gaze shifted back to the alchemist.

"I guess you're busy now, but do you know if you'll have stuff to do on the 22nd? That's when my party is. Uhh...will be. I don't...really know where, yet, but...but I'll think of something soon. I have lots of time!"

"This is speech in Nari."

This is thought.

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh locked surprised expressions with Okana. Then they both laughed, "Well, I guess that answers our question." The Konti remarked, going on to admit, "I'd love to say I saw that coming, but I'd be lying."

Kuvarakh looked over at Phobius, assuming the kid would be confused by the reaction. "She's a seer, a fortune teller. But she didn't know what your birth date is. And now we do." he crowed with a grin. "She already knew I was coming here to offer her a job for the party. But nothing in her vision gave her the date."

The woman sat again at her vision orb, or crystal ball, or whatever it was called, murmuring, "...just a moment...just a moment..." Kuvarakh could not tell what she could possibly be seeing inside the thing. All he saw a was an opaque swirl of what looked like white smoke.

It was remarkable though, how much detail she acquired. She apparently realized that neither of the two men had any idea who to hire as entertainment. "I see...people...riding horses...learners for their first time, or...demonstrations ...trick riding...a booth... 'Unstable Stables'...you must have hired them... or rather, be about to."

The Nuit was not so amazed as to overlook practicality, "Do you see how much I offered them?"

She looked at him with disappointment, "Really, Mr. Lashman. Such a crass question to ask. Obviously you both found whatever you offered acceptable. As did the..." she returned to her orb, continuing a chime later, "...skit performers ...tumblers ...jugglers ...there is a sign reading 'M.A.R.T.Y.R' over their heads...there are singers...from the school, the ...'Asylum'... dancers as well ...I see artists selling and displaying their wares ...displays of weapon prowess ...archery mostly ...falconry ...Oh!"

She had clearly been surprised by something unexpected, and she looked at Phobius with a smile. "Why young man, how sweet. Helping to provide entertainment at your own party? How generous. Most guests of honor expect to be spared such efforts at their affairs." Then she looked back at Kuvarakh, "Anyway, the Musician's Guild will be happy to provide a quartet for the day." She frowned slightly, "You ...have some issue with them? ...some past unpleasantness they are magnanimously willing to overlook ...for a price?"

Kuvarakh rolled his eyes, recalling how his failed effort to create musical ear-warmers last Fall had not been met favorably by their representatives. He waved dismissively, "It's nothing. As you said, we obviously came to terms. Music is definitely a must." he turned to Phobius, "Are you getting all this down? Some group called 'Martyr'; some students of arts from the Acumen Asylum; the Musician's Guild... We could have some games and contests, races. Did she say you are a practicing falconer? That's splendid, I never knew."

Of course, as a Nuit, he did not consider the other necessity of any party...food.

[Phobius]

The alchemist spoke, but it left Phobius feeling a little more puzzled than he already was, and he blinked at him and said nothing, letting the curious-sounding words roll around in his head. A fortune teller...the boy had never heard of someone like that, before. Kuvarakh had said something about a vision, though, so did that mean that they were people who could see into the future...? Was there some sort of magic someone needed to know to be able to do that, or could it be learned from books?

And what had the man meant about offering her "a job for the party"?

Question after question formed in Phobius' confusion-addled mind, one piling on top of another until his entire skull felt like a bag that was overflowing with...things. Like stones. Palm-sized, heavy stones. He frowned, readying himself to ask Kuvarakh if he could explain what he'd said a bit better. Then the fortune-teller-woman moved and began to toy with something, and the boy's eyes flicked over to her, his previous goal forgotten.

It looked like a glass ball that was probably a little smaller than his head. When the woman seemed to focus on it, however, billows of white smoke began to form inside. Mystified, Phobius went forward a few steps and knelt down, pure wonder glinting in the amber of his eyes as he stared at the sphere. Maybe this was how fortune-telling people saw into the future...and maybe the smoke actually wasn't smoke, at all; maybe it was some weird form of magic.

The woman started to speak, pointing out things that she was apparently seeing. Phobius wanted to see them, too, and couldn't understand how it was that he was only seeing the magic-smoke stuff. He even moved around some more, inspecting the ball from every possible angle until he gradually gave up.

Within a few ticks, it'd dawned on the boy that the woman was talking about his future. Or, more accurately, the future of his party. The realization was clear in his expression, his confusion ebbing and being replaced with bright-eyed excitement, along with the massive grin that refused to leave his face as she went on and on.

He'd been fretting so much over the last few days, not having the slightest clue as to where he was supposed to start in terms of planning. It hadn't occurred to him that he could ask for help, in addition to the advice he'd sought from Ms. Georgia. But Kuvarakh seemed to have taken that upon himself, and if what the fortune-teller woman was saying would all be true, then it sounded like he had no reason to worry, anymore. Horse-riding, juggling, dancers and singers...it was the best party that Phobius had ever heard of. Well, it would be.

And then the woman was smiling at him, all of a sudden. "Why young man, how sweet. Helping to provide entertainment at your own party?"

What'd she mean...? The boy wasn't quick to shortchange his own abilities, but compared to the rest of the apparent entertainers who'd be performing, there wasn't really anything that he could do. He couldn't sing, though he did enjoy humming to himself at times, and he was nowhere near graceful enough to be able to dance. Nor could he play an instrument like Pryzavard could, or draw pretty things like Miss Maya, or...or fight like Mister Ekans. They were all talented in their own, special ways, while he...

Kuvarakh spoke, next, and Phobius brought himself out of his distracted thoughts to turn his head and listen. He liked to think that he had a good memory, but maybe it was a good idea to find a pencil and write all of these things down. The woman had said a handful of names, and he'd probably get them wrong if he didn't spell them out or—

"Did she say you are a practicing falconer?"

"Huh...?" the boy said, blinking in question at the alchemist. Did she, really...? He'd heard her mention falconry, but him being a falconer?

Phobius averted his gaze to the ground, a moment later, his cheeks turning a bashful shade of pink. "I...umm...kinda? I mean...n-not really, I..."

I haven't practiced in a really long time, he mused, the somewhat-flattered smile on his face starting to fade. It'd been ages since he'd done anything with falconry...and he had a falcon now, but she was still a baby, small and unable to fly. She didn't even have a name yet. And besides, it wasn't like he was any good at it; sure, he remembered some of his teachers telling him that he did a swell job when it came to handling the birds and everything, but that didn't mean that he was good. If he'd been good, really good, it could have been his job.

"We can...find someone else. Right? If we need them..."

"This is speech in Nari."

This is thought.

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh looked at Phobius and smiled, inwardly shaking his head at the kid's endearing self-consciousness. He decided a boost of confidence was what Phobius needed.

He gathered an inward pressure, the way one would hold a pressurized breath to make their face turn red. This always allowed an easy tendril of djed to pass from him. He let it gather in a sphere, with which he overlaid the Inartan's head, with the focused thought that: 'Aww...I'm just being modest...I'm really pretty good with birds.'

The Nuit generated the sense of self-confidence and embellished Phobius' self esteem with it. '...we'd only need another falconer so we could do teamwork stunts.' Kuvarakh added, so the flow of comment would not be too directly contradicted. Subtlety was paramount where hypnosis was concerned.

Phobius seemed more relaxed as the Nuit allowed the mental djed to dissipate. Now it was time to make more basic progress. He once again pulled out the bag of mizas and handed them to Phobius. "If you'd like to go out to the 'Unstable Stables' and maybe the Musician's Guild, you could see if they'd be interested in providing some entertainment. Offer them one hundred mizas for the day. Don't go higher than two hundred."

He smiled and gestured at the fortune teller, "We already know they will accept, so don't worry about it. There is five hundred in there, so if you think of anything else, you'll at least have another hundred to work with. But anything you can save off what you offer the first guys will give you more to work with. And frankly, I think you'll do better with the Musician's Guild than I would."

He buttoned his coat back up, "I'm going to stop and get some more mizas. Then I'm off to the Carpenter's Guild, the Acumen Asylum, and these 'Martyr' people. I'm going to see if they think they can coordinate some ideas for skits and songs and stuff, and see if the students at the Asylum have some artistic ideas, or at least paint some backgrounds for the skits...Hmmm...we're going to need games and contests or races and such, which means we'll need prizes...invitations too."

He sighed heavily. The more ideas he came up with, the more behind schedule he felt. He needed to get going. Work would suffer, but Wanda had already shown her support for this endeavor.

[Phobius]

Phobius couldn't help the unease that had crept onto his face. A life in Wind Reach had instilled in him an absolute adoration for birds, and he'd always enjoyed watching falconers do their little tricks, amazed with how a person and a bird could be so in tune with one another. They acted as an inseparable team. He'd watched a few routines and, after being allowed to handle some of the creatures, mimicked the simplest ones as best as he could, but he doubted that any of that qualified him as a falconer.

Then a small reassurance wriggled its way into his head, and he could feel some of his doubtfulness melt away. I might not be a professional, but...that doesn't mean that I'm not good at it, he told himself. I just haven't done it for a while. That's all. I could practice a few times before the party...well, I probably should. And maybe if we found another falconer, we could do tricks together. I could even learn some new ones!

And just like that, the boy was back to his cheery, eager self, the planning of the party taking priority in his idea-riddled head. When the bag of mizas was held out to him, he took it and blinked down at it in question. Luckily Kuvarakh went on to explain his little plan, and Phobius nodded vigorously to show that he understood, focusing hard on the man's every word. In addition to what the fortune-telling woman had talked about, it was a lot of stuff to remember, but he was sure that he could handle it. As the alchemist continued, going on about what he intended on doing, the boy repeated the many names of the places in his head. Musician's Guild, Stables, five-hundred mizas, one-hundred each...

"Hmmm...we're going to need games and contests or races and such, which means we'll need prizes...invitations too."

"Oh! Oh!" Phobius exclaimed, all of a sudden, bouncing on his toes like an eager student wanting to answer a question. "I wanted to ask everybody, but...I talked to Miss Georgia, and she said friends only was a good idea. Sooo...Miss Maya and Mister Ekans, annd Darkalin and Pryzavard and Nana and Redire and...and, uhh..."

He'd been counting on his fingers as he listed the names, then grew quiet as he tried to come up with some more. Phobius didn't want to forget anyone.

"Do you think Miss Wanda wants to?"

"This is speech in Nari."

This is thought.

[Kuvarakh]

"I think Wanda would be delighted to attend." Kuvarakh promised. He knew she had taken a real liking to the youngster. "I'll let her know she's invited when I make my return trip. In the meantime, we've got plans to make."

He turned to Miss Okana, "And thank you very much also, Ma'am. We will see you on the 22nd." His brow furrowed at sudden thought, "I don't know where it will be yet...but...I guess it must work out, or you wouldn't have seen yourself there, right?"

The fortune teller's smile confirmed his speculation even before he finished stating it. He turned to Phobius again, "I'd wish you luck, but it looks like you're not going to need it. We pretty much already have Miss Okana's confirmation that we pull this off. So I'll just say...enjoy your errands, my boy." He bowed quickly and left.

As Kuvarakh made his way to the home of the Carpenter's Guild, he considered the fortune teller's vision. Just because she'd seen herself there, it did not mean that he did not have to tell her where it was being held. Her vision probably depended on him coming back later and informing her. So, by the same token, it all depended on him having had this train of thought along the line somewhere.

He grinned, the uncertainty of potential paradoxes in relation to telling the future had always intrigued him. Maybe such a story would be presented by one of the story tellers he was supposedly going to be hiring. He shook his head with a laugh. This had already become a story unto itself.

He'd gotten to know this carpenter pretty well, while arranging various repair work at The Mansion. The man had only been there once, and only to do a couple of doorways. It had mostly been to show Kuvarakh how to seal the jambs with caulking and putty, since a cut fit was rarely perfect.

And the simple task of making a stage, one that could be divided into three or four portable segments, was no problem. His only real question was whether Kuvarakh wanted it to accommodate a hanging curtain or a backdrop roller. He explained to the Nuit, that this was a scrolling gadget that allowed painted scenes to be quickly changed. Different scenes were painted onto a continuous canvas, so they could rolled to the next scene with a few twists.

Kuvarakh speculated that the Performing Arts students at the Acumen Asylum would probably already have such a gadget on hand. They came to the agreement that they should go to the school together and consult with the students and faculty about their contribution to this endeavor. Kuvarakh knew damn well that their "contribution" would depend entirely on the size of his contribution...to the school's coffers.

Well it was no more than he expected.

[Phobius]

With a wish of luck, Kuvarakh made his way out of the tent, leaving Phobius and "Miss Okana" alone. The boy supposed that it was as good of a signal as any that it was time for him to head out and take care of his portion of the planning, but he couldn't help but hesitate a little. The white-haired woman behind him could see into the future...and there was no telling when he'd ever get the chance to meet someone like her, again. Maybe it'd be a good idea to ask her more things about the party...simple things, like what kinds of food everyone would like, and how long the party should take, and if he'd really look as nice as he thought he did in the shirt he'd bought a while ago.

As if able to read his thoughts, the woman smiled at him, amused. Then she swept a hand over her mist-filled orb, looking as though she was trying her hardest to part the swirling tendrils and peer through them at something. "Ah...it seems I've forgotten something. Would you like to know what it is, young man...?"

Immediately curious, Phobius nodded and stepped a bit closer to her, squatting so that he could look into the sphere, too. He knew by now that he wouldn't be able to see anything, no matter how hard he focused, but watching the smoke-y stuff float around inside was interesting enough.

The woman seemed to squint, her hand hovering above the orb as the mists continued to swirl. "I see...I see a grand party. With laughter and smiles...and people enjoying themselves," she said, her eyes flicking up to meet his. "You're there, too, and just as happy. There's absolutely nothing to be worried about."

It was more or less of a little white lie, but her words did their job. The boy looked relieved, the anxiety that'd been threatening to creep up on him shrinking into the back of his mind as he returned Miss Okana's smile. With nothing else to say, he thanked her and saw himself out, stuffing Kuvarakh's mini-satchel of tinkling mizas into one of his pockets.

Okay...so what should I do, first? There's the Stables, and I guess it'd be easier to go there, now, 'cause I've been there before...but Kuvarakh said to go to the Musician's Guild, too...whatever that is.

Phobius frowned a little as he walked, having no idea where he was going but hoping that the motion would help his brain along. And the more he thought, the more he began to realize that there were still a bunch of things he needed to do. Things that hadn't been figured out, yet, that Kuv and the fortune-teller hadn't mentioned, like food and...well, where the party was going to be, in the first place. The boy nearly bopped himself on the head out of sudden frustration. I knew I should've asked Miss Okana something else! I'll bet she knows where the party's gonna be. Maybe if I go back...

He turned around, half-convinced that he would be able to see the woman's tent from where he stood—he hadn't gotten very far within the last chime and a half—but it looked as though the streets had already changed up, a pale blue building sitting right where he swore she'd been settled. So much for getting more help.

Well...I guess I'm on my own, now, Phobius mused, absentmindedly gripping at fistfuls of his katinu as he stared at the shuffled shops and houses. It was a bit daunting, having to handle all of this stuff on his own while Kuvarakh was taking care of the other stuff, but...he felt confident enough that he could do it. It was his party, after all, and he wanted to make sure that it'd be fun for everyone. Picking a place was probably the most important, since he'd need something to tell the music-people and his friends, once he invited them all. Invitations, too, though those could be taken care of a little later.

Assuming that wandering anymore wouldn't help, Phobius made a quick detour and sat himself on the nearest sidewalk so that he could think some more. Furrowing his brows, the boy thought of all of the places that he'd been to in Alvadas, like The Rose and the Alchae, along with the ones he'd heard of but never actually visited. None of them really sounded like party-places, though...at least, they didn't to him. And he couldn't explain why, other than the fact that they just didn't feel right. Besides, most of them were stores; who had a party in a store?

There was a hedge maze that he'd overheard some people talking about, once...but that'd probably be too confusing to go around in. Some big, open space would be nice, but Alvadas didn't seem to have any parks. None that he knew of, anyway.

So what was left?

Phobius let out a sigh, pushing himself back up to his feet. Party-planning was just getting more and more difficult, and at this point, he probably wouldn't get anything done. He couldn't even figure out where he was supposed to start.

All of a sudden, a particularly-strong wind blew, buffeting his clothes and sending matted locks of crimson hair fluttering behind his head. Alarmed, Phobius gripped at his scarf to keep it from flying off in case the gust grew any worse, only to let out a surprised squeak when a piece of paper collided with his face. Pulling it off and straining to read it, the boy discovered that it was a flyer, of some sort, advertising a play that was scheduled for tonight at someplace called The Crooked Playhouse.

Huh... the boy mused, blinking at the paper as it lazily flapped about. I've never heard of that place, before...

He'd never seen a play, either, but had heard enough about them to know that they involved stories and people wearing costumes. And this Crooked Playhouse...Phobius found himself growing more and more curious as he mulled over its name, wondering what kind of place it was and what it looked like. Was it really small, or really big? Colorful or plain? Did lots of people like going to it during the day? ...would it be a good place for a party?

There was only one way to find out.


"This is speech in Nari."

This is thought.

[Phobius]

With no pictures to go by and no map to rely on, Phobius had been expecting that it'd take a while for him to be able to find the place. And yet, after a few chimes of walking and turning corners, he came upon a tall, old-looking stone arch. Directly beyond it sat some sort of tunnel, with nothing but a gaping, door-less, pitch-black hole at its end. There were no bulletin boards or hastily-drawn signs around, no windows dotting the crumbly stone that flanked the tunnel...really, it seemed as though the whole area was abandoned. Completely and utterly people-less. But as the boy stood underneath the arch, staring up at the many cracks and crevices that had formed in the overhead stone, he couldn't help but feel a bit drawn to it all. It was as if some...thing lurking inside of that tunnel was beckoning him forward...encouraging him to walk on in.

He'd found the Crooked Playhouse.

Did he know how he knew? No. That didn't matter, though; Phobius' mind seemed convinced that he'd found the right place, and so, despite the slight creepiness that hung in the air, he made his way over to the tunnel and slipped inside. To his surprise, the ground seemed to slope downward. There were stairs, too, and it was dimly-lit enough for him to be able to see his hands. Now more curious than nervous, Phobius began to descend, keeping his arms stretched out at his sides so that he could stay balanced.

As far as size went, the mansion was the largest building that Phobius had seen in his somewhat-short lifetime. When he'd finally reached the end of the tunnel, however, squinting as light suddenly spilled into his eyes, he realized that he'd found a close competitor. The theater was humongous, with rows upon rows of seats in every direction, and a meticulously painted sky on a ceiling that seemed to be miles above his head. Awe-struck, the boy simply stood and tried to take it all in, widened amber eyes sweeping over every chair and dangling purple streamer. And then he noticed something odd.

Everything looked awkward. It was kind of hard to pick out specifics, but Phobius could tell that there was something off about the whole place. Save for the huge stage in the center, that was.

Some time passed before the boy was able to find anyone. For a moment, it had seemed as though the theater was just as barren and lifeless as the area outside it was. And then he'd found a lone man who later introduced himself as Fabel, a leading actor of the Crook. Phobius was quick to explain his situation to him, along with the fledgling plans that he and Kuvarakh had thought up, with Miss Okana's help. The man said nothing as he spoke, merely nodding and listening as the boy tried to keep himself from tripping over his own tongue. When he'd finished, he was silent for a moment before giving him a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "If everything that you say is true, then I see no reason to deny your offer. The theater is yours for the day," he said.

Overjoyed, Phobius thanked him and fished Kuvarakh's moneybag out of his pocket. One-hundred seemed like a fair price for a place that was so big, and Fabel didn't seem like he had any complaints to make as the gold-rimmed coins were dropped into his hand. Still smiling that non-smile, he gave the boy another nod and wished him luck.

Phobius was already on his way back to the tunnel when he stopped himself and, turning around, asked the man for another favor.

"Do you know where Musician's Guild is?"

Fabel didn't respond right away, looking as though he was thinking it over. "I'd check the Bizarre, if I were you," he said, sounding certain. "They travel around a lot, but they like to lurk in places that are filled to the brim with people. If they aren't there, try the inns."

Smiling, Phobius thanked the man again, then headed out.

Alrighty! Now I've got a place...all that's left is the music, the food, and the fun stuff...

"This is speech in Nari."

This is thought.

[Phobius]

The remaining mizas clinked together in their bag as Phobius half-walked, half-jogged his way down the sidewalk. It wouldn't be as easy to find the Bizarre, but he was sure that he'd run into it sooner or later, having familiarized himself with the building's characteristic drabness. With all of Ionu's other tricks going on, and the streets changing around whenever they liked, bland things had a habit of sticking out to him. That and the fact that the building was usually teeming with people.

It wasn't long before he found it. Not wanting to rush anyone, the boy stood and patiently waited for the streams of people that were leaving the building to thin out. Then he wove his way in, the occasional "I'm sorry" and "excuse me" leaving his lips whenever he accidentally bumped into someone. It sure is crowded, today, Phobius thought as he looked around, the number of moving bodies considerably larger than it'd been on any of his previous visits. Someone must be selling really popular stuff.

He turned out to be right, in a way. The ever-shifting crowds had swept him up and moved him along for a few chimes, after which he was dumped into another crowd that had gathered around a single stand. There were too many people around for him to be able to get to the front, and he couldn't peek at anything over their heads, his sight blocked by big, gaudy hats, but it smelled like someone was selling food. Tasty food. The tempting scents prodded at the boy's stomach, prompting an indignant growl, but he frowned down at it and tried to will the feeling away. He didn't have time to fill his belly, right now, no matter how much it complained. There was still a lot that needed to be done...

A few ticks later, and Phobius heard a curious, distant tune that made him turn his head. His attention now diverted, he broke away from the mass of bodies and started toward where he thought it was coming from, listening hard as it gradually grew louder. It sounded...kind of like music. Upbeat, nice-paced music that reminded him of just how excited he was for the coming days. And after a dedicated search that lasted a couple of chimes, Phobius came upon an interesting group of people. They were the source he'd been looking for, stringed instruments held elegantly in their hands as they continued with their cheery tune. Thoroughly enjoying it, the boy decided to stand by and wait for them to be finished, closing his eyes after a moment so that he could fully immerse himself in the music.

When the tune was over, the group received a casual round of applause, though Phobius' clapping was a bit more fervent. "That was really, really pretty," he commented, sounding almost wistful.

"Well thank you, young man. I'm glad that you enjoyed it," said a woman with a kindly smile on her face. Altogether, there were four souls in the group, the rest of whom were men who looked to be in their mid-thirties.

"I really did. What's that...?"

"Oh, this?" the woman replied, holding up her instrument. "This is a violin. You've never seen one, before?"

Phobius shook his head, all the while inwardly repeating the name to himself. Violin...huh. A pretty name for something that made pretty sounds. Curious, he asked about the other instruments, and was told that there was another violin in the mix, along with a cello and a viola, the latter of which the boy couldn't tell apart from the one that had a similar-sounding name. They then revealed themselves to be the Musician's Guild; a traveling music-troupe that loved to perform in random, populated places. Briefly forgetting the necessity of being polite, Phobius almost insisted that they come and perform at his party. Surprisingly enough, they agreed before he could apologize and change his words around. The boy then handed them their pay; another hundred mizas, which seemed to startle them for some reason. Then he let them know about the place and the time he'd decided on before waving goodbye, his mind already wandering elsewhere when some man began to juggle fruits a few feet to his left. Amazed, Phobius plopped fifty of the gold-rimmed coins into his hand and invited him to the party, too.

Within a bell, the boy had secured the theater, the Guild, a talented juggler, and food in the form of meat and baked goods. The baked goods would be coming from a tiny bakery that was run by a friendly Vantha woman he'd met, who had said that she could deliver some of her foods to his party. And the meat would come from a man he'd spoken with who apparently specialized in making "platters", which Phobius understood as huge plates of food, namely fish and beef-things. Both had been paid a generous sixty mizas.

Feeling accomplished, Phobius walked out of the Bizarre with a bright smile on his face. Was that everything, now? There was no point in going to the Stables, anymore, since the party would be indoors, and he'd gotten the food and some entertainment...

Wait...hadn't Miss Okana said that he would be doing falconry tricks at the party? And with someone else, so he wouldn't have to be alone?

...did he know any other falconers?

Phobius pouted a little as he browsed through his memories, sorting through the many names and faces he'd gathered up over the last few seasons. And then he remembered the merchant man he'd ran into, the one who had helped him with the still unnamed ball of fluff that was sitting in his room, beside his bed.

It was perfect!

"This is speech in Nari."

This is thought.