The show wouldn't be for a while, so that gave Alena at least a little margin for breathing room before the performance took off, not to mention the arranging of a contract with who but her sworn nemesis, that dreadful, corrupt fiend of a businessman Venius, who so viciously usurped the very throne Alena so rightfully had passed down to her, and she was left with nothing but blood money to her name, a name that was very much obscured from the books of this city, but rather she would keep it that way for now, seeing as revealing that she was alive and well would cause quite a stir amongst Karstberg, and according to Matthias, may certainly lead to the woman's imminent demise at the hands of Venius. The Dream District, it was so lovely in the evening light, and this was about the very time this collection of clowns, jesters, and brilliantly talented people of all sorts would spring to life in song and dance, a jolly and jovial parade about the flickering, dim glows of the oil-fed street lanterns, masked and costumed figures bearing the brightest and most wonderful of colors hollering and cavorting about the cobblestone roads, some carrying lit sparklers in their hands and twirling them around, others juggling bright orbs of reds, greens, and blues. It brought a smile to the woman as she tarried unto the district, crossing the stone bridge adorned with ivy and lilacs that stretched over the small canal of emerald green water. 

The sounds....they reminded her so of when she first came to the Carail Theatre with her father. She was but a child of maybe six or seven, come to see her mother perform in one of her most dazzling of plays, a classic of Carail's namesake, and her mother, she shined above other actresses, wearing the most elaborate costumes, and exhibiting such amazing talent that Alena dreamed of someday having, then after that night, her family brought her to the street vendors during the after-party, where the young lass had her first taste of strawberry gelato, so sweet and so heavy upon her tongue. Such delight she had during that moment....but now here upon the grounds of her most cherished memories, she was to make the most dubious of deals with the most nefarious of her demons. That little thought robbed a small portion of her joy as her smile slightly curved in a bit of a frown before returning. [i]For the Coven....I must.[/i] She kept reminding herself. Ugh! Why did Matthias have to choose this contract for her out of all?

All while she roamed silently down the streets, her face concealed behind the mask Matthias bestowed upon her and a dark, hooded cloak draped over her beautiful red gown, Alena's ears caught the sound of what she concluded as a sort of unscrupulous arrangement, though she couldn't say much since she was here upon the same business. She turned to look to the two plotters. The first was a man, who seemed to Alena to be able to wear many masks at once. Talk about a split personality, but it sure showed the lad had quite the talent for his expertise. The other, well she was...not exactly a child, but she certainly had the stature of such. To Alena, it looked as though the young girl's height could barely reach her upper thigh, let alone her hip. Quietly, the woman stood stoic and eavesdropped upon the scheming duo. Their mention of a [i]wealthy tyrant[/i] sparked her interest indeed. She had to wonder, [i]These chums, do they speak of Venius? Hmm...it would seem I'm not the only one after the bastard, but they talk more of stealing his gold than stealing his life.[/i]