Ssarak Dyreackthanose

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Unlike the previous year, the demonstrations that Ssarak and Meirin were able to observe were actually pleasant, and even quite interesting. It was perhaps a bias of his, but he found particular interest in Satori's displays of psychomancy. They appeared to have missed her actual demonstration, but her ability to condition the animals around them into her service was an ability with great potential. Manipulating the minds of simple creatures was, in general, far easier than that of a person. The potential utility of such an ability was vast, particularly if the psychomancer was creative. 

After the demonstrations, the pair moved on outside. The day of the feast was essentially like a festival with the amount of merchants and other businesspeople it attracted to the college. The same had been true last year, though for obvious reasons, Ssarak had been unable to see what they had to offer. Although, Ssarak was not quite certain where to begin himself. He had only attended such an event once before in his life, and that was in Felldor. Outside his homeland, he had mostly only witnessed the normal operations of the places he visited, and even they were sometimes unusual to him. For a day such as this, Ssarak was not quite certain what to expect. As such, he followed Meirin's lead, for the most part, The displays of art, whether it be paintings, sculptures, or simple trinkets, often caught his eye. They originated from many parts of Tiien, and as such, were all drastically different in style. Some possessed a realism that almost did not seem possible without the aid of magic, while others sought to please through more abstract means. Unfortunately, the most impressive of them were more expensive than the amount he was willing to spend. He would have purchased a mask along with Meirin, but he was stopped mostly by the fact that the vendor did not have any available which would fit an Esyire's snout. 

Ssarak found himself somewhat confused by the business of carving pumpkins. There were certainly strange displays of art around the courtyard, but he did not quite understand why one would wish to take the time to carve something into a berry. Surely the pumpkin would rot within a few weeks, at which point their art would be ruined? In his village, everything they made, apart from their housing, was meant to last as long as they could make it. Artwork was often carved or painted onto stone, partially so it would not need to be recreated as frequently, and partially because stone was rather common. The concept of carving a food item was unusual, but nevertheless, Ssarak gave no protest. He sat down at the table beside Meirin, staring at the large orange fruit for at least a minute after Meirin had began to think of what design he might try to create. [color=f7941d]"I...do have to admit that the visual arts have never been my specialty. Music was what captured my interest. Carving, well, I did attempt it as a child."[/color] He explained, as if he felt compelled to explain the reason why his own carving was likely to be...subpar in quality. Eventually, he slowly reached out and stabbed a claw into the pumpkin to begin his carving. He was going to [i]attempt[/i] to create the silhouette of an actual dragon, though he was not anticipating a great deal of success.

[color=f7941d]"Are you talented in visual arts, like painting, carving, or sculpting?"[/color] Ssarak asked Meirin curiously. [color=f7941d]"You certainly have the dexterity for it. I know at least with the grace with which you move, you could be a talented dancer."[/color]