Starting Date and Time: 61st Day of Ceruleo, 300 DM, Early morning

Starting Location: Western Outskirts of Ruby Banks

CS URLs: Zenovia & Verissa Beatrix Greenlakes aka Trix



Trix awoke, stretching and turning between her covers. As usual, her feet were being warmed by her ever constant companion, Remus, while Remilia chose to sleep on the floor, next to her bed, between it and the door. Today was a big day, and she had much to do. Today was the Winter Moon Festival. The village had been preparing for easily a ten-day. Trix had claimed her spot early, having placed her table a few nights ago. It helped that her home was on the outskirts of town, she'd been able to see the preparations out her shop's window.

She slipped out from under her covers, feeling the chilly air creeping up her bare legs, leaving her shivering in her slip. The fire in her hearth was low, and she moved over to the small pile of wood she kept next to it. She set the logs in there, making a nice neat pile. Looking at her pups, smiling, "Let's go outside." Feet carrying her over the cold wood, she moved through her flat, into the shop, then back into her apothecary, feeling the rising sun stream through, warming her. Her apothecary smelled wonderful, filled with the many dried herbs, hanging from strings to the rafters, stacked on shelves, in various sacks and jars. She had no fresh plants, very few plants thrived the cold winters here. She had a few heartier ones out in the yard, mostly shrubs and bushes.

She opened her back door, and the pups led the way out. Leaving the door open, she let them go about their business as she relieved herself into her chamber pot as well. Trix made her way back outside, rubbing her bare arms against the chill. Her pups were doing their checking of their domain, sniffing their way along the fence line, and once satisfied, they returned to their mother. She knelt down, rubbing both their heads, "Good job you two, all safe now?"

They didn't respond, but she broadened her smile at them anyways. "Time to go pick up our orders." She went back in, and put on her slip and dress that she'd bought just for this festival, forgoing her standard boots for matching slippers. She slipped out the front of her shop, locking it behind her, the pups taking their spots, Remilia out in front with Remus at her side. Their first stop was by the local woodworker's shop, Phrenwig's Haul.

It was an impressive shop, built by the owner and his children, craftsman and lumberjacks from Green Fall. Two stories, and quite long, entirely handcrafted from the finest of hardwoods. She pushed her way through the door, her pups following her in, greeted by one of the owner's many children, a tall blonde boy that was obviously younger, but his body's muscles made it seem if he were older. But his age was given away as his voice cracked in his greeting, a flush filling in his cheeks, "Welcome Miss Greenlakes, doin' well today I hope?"

She smiled at the boy, "Yes, thank you Lucas."

"How might I help you today? I imagine it will be taken care of quickly, not a lot of work going on today anywhere."

"So I noticed, town is all moving westward, getting ready. I ordered a large cauldron, and I need a stand to hang it from, tall enough to build a fire under it, and maybe steps to get up to it."

The boy nodded at all this, "Should be easy enough, if you don't mind us using cheap wood, parts and labor will be fourteen golds."

Trix felt this was a bit high, "Seems a bit high for such a simple task. I could just ask Edoward to do it, and while it would be of lesser quality, it would get the job done. And its not like you're turning away customers today."

The boy looked a bit uncomfortable, he wasn't used to people negotiating the price. He stammered a bit, "I-- you--, okay. Twelve golds."

"My table is labeled, just pick a spot near it. Thank you Lucas. And have a lovely day." She turned on her heels, content with herself, "Let's go Remus, Remilia." She left the shop, making her way to the market, where she picked up her grocery order, one of the teamsters carrying her barrel of wine to her table. Lucas and his sister Vera were already setting up the stand, making quick work of the wood.

Shortly after, the cauldron she ordered arrived from the blacksmith's. The siblings had finished the stand, so the blacksmith hung it up for her, and he even dumped the barrel in too. She thanked him kindly, and soon found herself alone, not counting the pups, at her table. She went back to her shop, gathering her firewood in her arms, straining under the weight, wobbling as she carried it back. Once back at her table, she deposited the wood beneath the cauldron, wiping sweat from her brow. She laid out the rest of the ingredients on her table, the brandy, the fruit, the spices, the herbs she provided herself. Today, she was going to make mulled wine for the festival. It was just after the eighth stretch, and the festivities didn't start for two more stretches. More than enough time.

She bent down with her flint and steel, striking and striking, but not getting any of the sparks to catch, forgetting she had no tinder. She continued struggling, getting more and more frustrated by the passing slips.

A few weeks prior to arriving in Ruby Banks, she had been caught up in an argument with one of the 'senior' Shadewalkers about why she shouldn't go to Ruby Banks, let alone by herself and that she should organize a proper raid if she wanted to go somewhere in Ebonfort. "This isn't a raid, you idiot." She retorted, her arms crossed in irritation. "I'm going there because I want to see the Winter Fesival. And it's not like I'll get killed by some mere Ebonknights. This paperwork is flawless." She added, slapping some parchment with the back of her hand as if she were a lawyer of sorts. "You know very well why I still cannot allow this! It's unbecoming of a Kvaren. Especially one of your status. If this gets out to the other tribes, we won't hear the end of it." The halfling argued back. Ever since Zenovia expressed her disinterest in formal speaking toward a Warlord, her shadewalkers, among other members have spoken to her quite casually. She had no problem with it, but it brought about some bold disagreements, like this one. She moved closer to the halfling, bending slightly, her face brought closer to the halfling, "Then do your job and keep it under wraps. Alright?" She commanded in a low voice, glaring at him.

The Halfling stepped back smoothly as he admitted 'defeat', giving a slight nod, then a sigh as he walked away. There had been a few other Shadewalkers around, since they mostly kept close to the Warlord at any time. "Anyone else got a problem with me enjoying myself?" She asked openly, the irritation clear in her expression. None of them stepped forward to protest, in fact some of them had been involved in making the documents for Zenovia to enter the Ebonfort region.

She made no effort to change her clothing, thus many people stared at her as she walked through the region toward Ruby Banks. Her Shadewalkers had given her a simple map of the place so it was easy for her to get where she wanted. Her appearance had caught the eye of many Ebonknights, but they were 'repelled' by the fantastic paperwork to claim that she was legally allowed to travel through Ebonfort as a foreigner.

She had made it to the festival grounds on the outskirts of Ruby Banks, but it was only eighth stretch in the morning, so festivities weren't going to start for awhile, however she noticed a few people setting up already. Zenovia noticed one of the stall owners struggling to light their fire. And here I thought anyone could do it. She shrugged, strolling up to the blonde woman. "You look like you could use some assistance." She commented with a playful smirk on her face. Before the woman could respond, Zenovia produced a small ball of dried grass, which she used for tinder. She lightly tossed it onto the firewood that the woman was trying to light.

She was about to throw the flint and steel down, when she heard a woman's voice speaking to her, offering assistance. Trix looked up, flipping her blonde curls over her shoulder, her forehead a bit damp from exertion and frustration. She smiled as the woman threw down some dried grass, and Trix realized what she'd forgotten. "Ah! Thank you, been running all over town all day, completely forgot."

She bent down, striking the steel, watching the sparks dance off of it, adjusting her angle until they started falling on the grass. Light metallic tinks sounded until eventually a small bit of smoke began to form in the grass. She leaned in close, cupping her hands around the tinder, blowing lightly. Her eyes were fixated on the smoke, continuing to huff and puff, until a small flame burst into life, eliciting a cheer from the herbalist. She watched it spread over the grass quickly, before it started catching the dried bark of the firewood. Confident that it would spread properly without assistance, she stood fully, examining the woman who'd given her aid.

Her garb was certainly a bit strange looking, but Trix just assumed it had something to with her possibly being an Anuirean, indicated by her red hair and sharper features. She seemed a bit older than herself, but still maintained a youthful beauty. "I do greatly appreciate the help, when the mulled wine is ready, the first cup is all yours. I'm Trix, Trix Greenlakes. I've not seen you around, are you from one of the other villages?" She figured Scream Watch, Anuireans tended to live there more than elsewhere.

She began to start preparing the rest of the ingredients, as the fire lit up, and began to slowly warm the red wine. She pulled a small knife from her cooking kit, both her pups sniffing at the woman now that their mother had approved of her presence. Hefting a lemon, she began cutting away the yellow zest from the peel, letting the shavings fall to the wooden table. Looking up from her work, she saw yet another redhead approaching, this one a man, in shining ebonsteel armor. She smiled softly at his approach, "On duty then, Edoward?"

The man nodded, giving a very suspicious stare at Zenovia. As with all Knights, he'd done his first year of knighthood in Scream Watch, so he was a fair judge of how Screamers looked and dressed. But he didn't accost he, for if she'd made it this far, she was a citizen. "Yeah, on patrol until later tonight. What is it you're making?"

"Mulled wine, my new friend here helped me get my fire started, I completely forgot about using tinder. She gets the honor of first cup when it is ready."

"Ah lovely, well I'll be back around, if Sergeant Brynmore sees me standing around chatting, he'll send me to guard the latrines. Save me a cup and a dance?"

Trix didn't respond to that as he turned and left, casting one long judgmental look at Zenovia. She finished zesting her lemons and began doing the same to the oranges. "So do you have a stand or anything here? Or just enjoying our festivities?"

"Oh? You're making mulled wine? That's wonderful~ I'd love to have the first cup." She replied with a smile before continuing, "I'm Zenovia and I'm from Kerawac. It's nice to meet you." She wasn't much for pleasantries, but she might as well go with it. Don't want to cause too much trouble. "Or rather, from 'The Valley of the Screamers' as you ebonfolk like to call it." She added, giving Trix a slight smirk as if to say 'What are you going to do about it?'

Zenovia quietly crouched down to give the two pups a pat and played a little with them using her staff, jingling the rings around to catch their attention and curiosity. She glanced back at the blonde when she heard another voice, a male one. An ebonknight. She wasn't concerned about whether or not the knight knew if she was a Kvaren or not, she had the appropriate documentation to say that she was allowed in here as a citizen.

She stood back up as Trix spoke to her, "I'm just here to enjoy the festivities~" She replied, stretching her arms a little. "Your kingdom is strange. Allowing the enemy in just because they have the right documents. And you can't accuse me of anything either." She commented with a mocking tone as she looked out at the festival area. She was well versed in Ebonfort law, as she needed to be if she was to stay in this place without getting executed.

Oh, my goodness, there are so many people. Lyriia thought, as she fluttered over the already-gathering crowd. She had never seen so many people in her life. But, here she was. Miraculously, she’d managed to only get lost a little bit on the trip from Silent Rise to Ruby Banks, and had even found the fairgrounds without too much effort. And now… wow.

She flew between the stalls slowly, gaping in awe at all the things she saw; she knew people were staring at her and didn’t much care. How was there this much… stuff that even existed?

The small healer flew around for a while, gawking at wares. When she saw several of the Ebon Knights patrolling, she blinked, remembering why she was here in the first place. First of all, she was here because Master Longarm had given her a list of herbs that he needed, ones that were hard to grow in Silent Rise because of how dark it was all the time. Well, she’d find those later. She had to get an idea of the lay of the land, after all.

Second of all, she was here because Kalim had asked her to do something for him. She’d heard stories from the elders about other fairy towns and had foolishly mentioned something about it to the Crazy Katzheer. Well, he wanted her to go look for fairies. And the best place to find them would doubtless be at an enormous social gathering where people come to sell lots of good food and alcohol.

And thirdly, well… thirdly she was here for Kierie and Lyellan. She’d been so busy with Master Longarm that she hadn’t been able to get home for Kierie’s birthday, and intended to bring a surprise home with her to compensate. And for Lyellan, well, his birthday was coming up. She had no idea what to get for him, but… she’d figure it out.

Lii was distracted from her thoughts by the scent of some warm, strange beverage. Thick with fruity scents and spices. Quite delicious-smelling. And judging by the steam it was likely warm. Warm was good. Fairies got cold too easily; even bulked up with four layers of tunics and a cloak, Lii was still shivering.

She fluttered down next to the booth, down to approximately eye-level for the two women standing inside of it.

“E-exc-cuse m-me, l-lad-ies…” she started to say, the cold making her teeth chatter. She then realized that there was seemingly some sort of argument going on, for all that the red-haired woman seemed entirely at ease, totally confident in herself, playing with the dogs. Or maybe that was what seemed off, the red-haired woman too cocky, and the blonde one too defensive.

“O-oh, um, s-sorry. Sor-ry. I’ll er, I’ll c-come b-back l-lat-ter. S-Sorry.” Blushing considerably, the little fairy hovered uncertainly for a moment, then went as if to flutter away. She didn't go far, just across the row, to look at the next stall over, in the hopes that she could hear what the two women were talking about.

You idiot, Lii. You have to observe before you go barging in.

Trix listened intently to the pleasant woman. She'd never heard of Kerawac, but it was a big world out there. However, she stiffened at the mention of Screamers. When she looked at the woman and her smirk, she realized what it really was. The blasted woman was joking, albeit a tasteless one. Joking about being a Screamer was really bad, nearly everyone knew someone that had died to a Screamer raid. Trix was now regretting offering the first cup to someone with such a sick sense of humor.

The woman said she was here to enjoy the festivities, and Trix believed that, at least. That's why everyone came to festivals. She tossed the zest into her sauce pan, then squeezed the juice from the fruits in ass well. She then wrapped the cloves and cardamom in some cheese cloth and set it in the saucepan too. She added the sugar, cinnamon sticks, and water around the cheese cloth, filling the pan. She knelt down and stuck it in a hot part of the fire, bringing it to a simmer, swirling it to dissolve the sugar, since she couldn't stir at this angle. After checking it several times, she moved it to a stone so that it was at a lower heat, now able to stir it occasionally, until it was reduced. She then poured this mixture and the brandy into the cauldron, and tasted. She then repeated this entire process several times, over several slips, only half listening to the woman's awful joke continue.

Once it was to her liking, the mulled wine in the cauldron now simmering, she smiled. She ladled it into a cup, and handed it to the crude woman, a fake smile on her face now, not enjoying the company one bit, "First cup, as promised." She poured herself a cup as well and sipped at the sweet, warm goodness. She considered giving the woman a talking to about such jokes, but figured someone else could bother. Wasn't her place.

Then she heard a tiny, high pitched voice nearby. She turned and saw a fluttering fairy woman there, smiling at her, before awkwardly excusing herself. Trix watched her go, over to the next stall across the way, realizing that she must be quite shy. Fairies weren't terribly common here, but they weren't unseen either. Trix realized that she had no fairy sized cups or anything, but wanted to give something to the shy woman. She pondered at the conundrum, then had an idea. She reached into her cooking kit, and grabbed the smallest bowl she had, often reserved for spices. She then carefully ladled it into the tiny bowl, and left her stand to walk over to the woman, "You sounded cold, drink, my gift. I am Trix, welcome to the Winter Moon Festival."

She looked back over at her stand to make sure the woman wasn't doing anything untoward, but there were knights everywhere. A thief or vandal would be caught rather quickly, and a few probably already had been. "Why don't we head back over to mine, very warm by my fire?"

Zenovia, on the other hand, was enjoying herself a little too much. She felt like laughing when she saw the realization in the blonde's face. She watched as Trix made the mulled wine, knowing full that the other woman wasn't enjoying her company anymore. She cocked an eyebrow at the blonde as she offered Zenovia the promised, first cup. "Why thank you!" She replied with a grin on her face. She took a gulp at the warm liquid, enjoying it's wonderful taste.

She noticed the fairy's presence but chose to ignore it as it fluttered away. Zenovia watched as Trix went to offer the butterfly thing a tiny cup of wine. By that time, Zenovia had already attracted the attention of a few knights. They partially surrounded her. She went through the arduous process of showing them her documents. It all checked out as usual. They started to talk to her a little bit as well. "So what's a woman like you doing 'round here? You're a bloody Screamer if I ever saw one." He said with an accusing look. Before Zenovia could respond, one of the other knights piped up, "S'pose I could take you round back and make you scream for a different reason, Hah!" The knights laughed briefly at the stupid joke. Zenovia smirked mischievously at the Knight that made the joke. She leaned her staff on the table before wrapping her arms around the Knight's neck in a seductive manner. "Wouldn't you like that very much~?" She whispered suggestively as she brought her face closer to his, as if she was going to kiss him. She could see the knight's face turn a shade of red, causing her to chuckle and draw back. A collective, silent 'Awh' emanated from the three knights.

She stepped back, gulping the rest of her wine down and picking up her staff again. "Perhaps some other time~?" She teased before sauntering over to Trix, only to catch her inviting the Fairy to her house. "I'd love that too. Perhaps I can tag along~" She interjected with a friendly tone.