Revival (Moriel and Bracken)

Ah, Song-Lu. Host city to the Silver Tide Festival. A joyous, momentous occasion, filled with plenty of activities, and even more wonderful decorations. Fish themed dishes, fish themed clothes, even fish themed illusions... Everyone there was bound to have a good time, without a doubt.

Well, maybe not everyone.

For some, Song-Lu just elicited painful memories that many would rather soon forget than dwell on. And, of course, in this case, the person in question was Moriel. She was well aware the sop needed supplies from plants and products indigenous to trinity, and with all of it's trading, it would be easy to get materials that couldn't be grown around the area, as well. Yet, even with this knowledge, the young adventurer was reluctant to return to the seaside city, simply because of how much she would have to remember while there. More recently, of course, there were the friends she had met and made while leaving the place, and worse yet, the last prominent memory of her family- all of her family- there for another Silver Tide festival...

No, no, don't think like that, Moriel reminded herself, shaking her head. You're here on a mission, not to look for reasons to get upset. She stood up from her bench, starting to walk down the streets again. She looked into the sky briefly; following her high above the decorations, though it was somewhat difficult to see in the dusk sky, was one of her Raven Familiars; the other was resting on her shoulder as he normally did. She hardly went anywhere now without having them both out; partly because it was a safety precaution, as they could see anything she couldn't, and the other part... Not as important. What was important now was finding what she needed, getting it, and leaving as soon as possible. It would normally be easy, she was sure, but with the festivities going on now...

She sighed, pausing in the middle of her walk, looking around no, wondering which way she should be heading next. It was so difficult to see past the throngs of people, and asking for directions away from the festival had been unsuccessful as everyone just told her to stay and have a good time. She looked at the Raven on her shoulder now, and giving a little nod forward, gave hi, specific instructions to follow. "Tan, we're not making much headway here, are we? What say you to me following behind you while you fly ahead and see if there's any easy way out of here?" The bird nodded silently, and just as quietly left her shoulder, going ahead now, Moriel moving along behind him. Hopefully this would be more successful than the rest of her attempts to head out...

Of course, not everything can go as planned when outside forces were involved. In this case, the outside forces were spectators moving quickly this way and that, avoiding something Tandion couldn't see because everyone kept getting in the way. At least, he couldn't see it until the adults cleared way for some children chasing after... A fish? No, multiple fish, and they were weaving through the crowds. Where was the source of these fish, and how were they flying out of water as they were? Tandion flew a little higher now, and looked farther forward now to see.. A man? No, a half elf... A half elf illusionist, conjuring the fish up out of thin air, But it wasn't his magic that interested the Raven, but the man himself. He seemed familiar... The Raven, now forgetting his assigned task entirely, flew forward as quickly as he could to reach the area where the Half-Elf was performing his show, choosing to rest on a line holding up lanterns when he got there to spectate; he did this much to Moriel's dismay, who, in order not to lose sight of her familiar, was doing her best to weave through the crowd and catch up to him, calling out, "Tan?? Tandion, wait--!", not knowing what had the familiar so worked up to begin with. The Raven, either not hearing or ignoring it's masters calls, tilted it's head at the Illusionist now; so, so very familiar...

_{((And here I am writing you a short story SORRY HNNGH But time to have some funnnn heheh Watch-out Beackennnn))}

Moriel continued to try and part her way through the crowd to reach her Raven; just what had gotten into him all of a sudden? Better yet, what had gotten into everyone else around the area? Why were thee so many people crowded around here? Sure, it was getting late out, and more people would be on the scene, but even then there weren't so many people cluttering up one area. She was getting closer now, and as she got closer she could see.... A long fish?? No, no it was a dragon...? A dragon, darting from building to building, weaving through the crown now... So maybe it was a crowd for a street performer? An Illusionist performer, at that. Moriel thought briefly about possibly pausing to enjoy the shoe when the Dragon suddenly bolted straight at her Raven. for a split second, she felt the same fear that he did, and she dove forward in another attempt to get to her bird; in order to get him to any kind of safety, she had to be closer to open some type of portal; she still wasn't too great with that concept, despite her already being at second class.

That aside though, she was practically under Tandion's beak now, with the dragon being right in front of it. "Tan--!" Moriel started to call out, but at the last second, the dragon turned and narrowly missed the raven, who now flapped his wings in a frantic display to regain his balance on the string. The dragon, instead of going for the skies or the buildings, now went straight for the crowd again- straight for Moriel's part of the crowd. They all parted immediately to let the thing through, Moriel included. "W-woah-!" The Illusion itself was incredible; it had come close enough to touch at that point, and Moriel almost did, but she was stopped by something. A strange, weird, familiar feeling. She couldn't put a finger on what it was strange or familiar, but when the illusioned dragon had come as close as it did, it gave her an odd vibe.... She looked towards the center of the crowd again, but it was too late, as everyone had formed their screen again, watching to see what might happen next. Moriel was interested about seeing what was in the center too now, but not for the show. She started advancing again, but not with her Raven familiar in mind this time around. Just who was putting out the Illusions right now...?

_{((WELL SHE ALMOST HAD FUN but then she had nostalgia and now it's time for A CRISIS \o/))}

Moriel continued to hurry towards the center of the crowd; she had to see who was there. She just needed to. There was this feeling in the pit of her gut now, and she just had to make sure... She didn't want to trust her hunch either, of course. To trust such an instinct, when there was almost no way for it to be possible... Above her, Tandion was steadily keeping up, hopping from string to string, and even further above, Caomhnóir had started to circle around the area in the air. Though Tandion and Moriel couldn't quite see what was going on ahead of them, he had caught quite a bit already. Some performer in the center of all the people was trying to get away from all the people; show's over? It must have been, for before he started trying to leave, all of the strange air fish and air dragons went into the air, became sparks, and then butterflies. The Raven nearly missed the performer's movements, but he saw it alright: weaving between the people watching or going after the butterflies, he seemed to have a face, and then a mask. The events intrigued The Raven Caomhnóir, and seconds later, he was descending from the sky to go by Moriel and Tandion. 

Though Caomhnóir moved easily, Moriel was having a little bit more trouble. After the illusions launched into the air and erupted into a flurry of sparks and butterflies, the crowd came to another standstill, clapping in awe, children running around to catch the butterflies shortly afterward, making it twice as hard to move through. She hardly even knew which way she was going now that the place was in somewhat of a frenzy, looking this way and that in confusion. There were no more illusions coming from any center point, wither; the show couldn't be over already, could it? She had only just gotten there; she didn't even manage to find the Illusionist behind it all...! But she wasn't going to let that stop her from continuing on; If it just ended, they couldn't have gotten far, right? Just as she started to try an plow forward, someone else came out and they bumped into each other immediately. Moriel stumbled back a bit, starting an apology, "O-Oh, my apologies..." Before she looked back at who she ran into. He was wearing an elaborate Fish-scale outfit, with messy, almost wild brown hair, and wearing.... A mask? A fox mask, at that. A little out of place in a fish festival, but...

"Uhm..." Moriel started, still staring at his mask. He asked her a question; "Do you need any help?", though it took her a second or two to realize that it was a question. The voice, though muffled, set off another few bells in her head. It was so weird.... Uncomfortable even, to a point, but he sounded... She blinked a couple of times, shaking the thought from her head now. No, she couldn't be making assumptions like that. He was just another festival goer, and he was offering her some help. She finally tore her eyes away from the mask, leaning around him slightly, scanning the dissipating crowd behind him, just as Caomhnóir landed on the lantern's string next to Tandion above her. "Ah... W-well, I'm just.... I was wondering who had just been putting on the show a couple minutes ago... I mean, I only just came in at the end of the show, but..." She trailed off, still looking at the crowd. Her heart started to slow down in her chest; she didn't even realize how fast it had been going until then. Had she really been that worked up? She sighed, glancing back at the man in the Fox Mask before her. "I don't suppose you know who was putting on the show? Since it seems as though you came from closer to the center..."

_{((BRACKEN QUIT SNEAKING LOOK AT HOW STRESSED OUT YOU'VE MADE HER))}

Moriel frowned slightly as the man stated that he didn't catch the performer either. If that were the case then she had just lost time catching them, and really shouldn't be waiting around in case she missed them for good... Then, he mentioned something else, giving her a little bit more hope, and it was reflected in her expression. "Oh? Really you think they—" but she was cut off as he said something about getting food, the performer possibly going that way. She blinked in surprise, and then looked off behind him again. He was starting to act just the slightest bit suspicious; why was he so intent on leading her away from here now? Could it be that the performer was really that way, or he actually knew that the performer went in the direction he was about to lead her? Or... Could it be that he was the performer? She looked up now, starting, "Well...." Her eyes were on her Ravens now; if anyone knew where the performer had really gone, it would be one of them. She concentrated to the best of her ability now, trying to get their thoughts to connect. Not great at it yet though, some of the information was lost, ans she really only got a blend of what Tandion and Caomhnóir were thinking. But it was enough for her.

Moriel finally looked back at the Fox-Mask man before her, offering a small smile and a nod. "I... Guess it couldn't hurt... I haven't had much to eat since coming here either, so yeah, I'd love to join you." Before making any move to leave with him yet, though, she looked at the Ravens again, issuing another command by though: Take to the skies. In the next instant, they both gave an agreeable squawk, and a couple of wing beats later, they were away from the man on the mask and Moriel, though still keeping a close eye on the both of them in case something went wrong. Moriel nodded to the man now, offering a, "Shall we then?" the thoughts of her Familiars still on her mind. Though it was all jumbled, she managed to grab a very important bit of information: "Not sure—too crowded—moving fast—many bodies—coming here—this way—same direction—back, back, back." If she went the other way now with the Fox-Mask Man, she was sure to see whoever was putting on the performance, as he seemed to be going that way. It wasn't time to give up hope yet.

_{((Bracken you got lucky this time but WATCH OUT FOR CAO HE COULD REVEAL YOU ANY SECOND))}

Moriel followed along behind them man now, glad that their journey was finally underway; the sooner they started off in that direction, the better. Less of a chance to lose whoever was performing, more of a chance to see who it was. Honestly, though, she couldn't figure out why she was trying so hard. So, if she found the performer, then what? What if they weren't who she thought they were? A quick apology, and she'd be on her way still lost looking for the materials she needed. And if they were...? The chances of him remembering who she was were probably very slim, almost as slim as the chance of him being alive. Yet, even knowing this, she kept going on, holding that hope in her heart, because if he actually was alive...

Most of the walk through the stalls consisted of Moriel paying little attention to the lanterns and decorations, a little more attention to the stalls, vendors, and even the food, and most if her attention on the people around. She didn't even know what she was looking for, going off of the hope that she would know when she saw him, or that one of her Ravens had spotted him and would quickly warn her about the performer. So focused on the people and surroundings was she, though, that she barely noticed someone had called out to the man she was walking with. She might have kept going, too, had she not been walking behind the Fox-Mask man; one small collision, an embarrassed apology and simple question later, Moriel had caught up to the situation. He was called out to, his name was Kazuki, he and the stall attendant knew each other, and the attention was on her now. After two quick blinks, Moriel gave a light laugh, Looked at the Fox-Mask man- Kazuki now, she supposed- for a second, and then back at the woman- Sue, she'd heard.

"Am I a friend of his...? Well, not really... I mean, I only just bumped into him a few minutes ago, and he's more or less offered to help me out... Just as good, since I'm not from round Song-Lu, and I've more or less been wandering around lost all day, haha."

_{((YAY LONGER RP COOL BUT STILL BRACKEN JUST TAKE OFF THAT MASK))}

Moriel blinked in surprise at Sue now, and then she looked at the Lantern. "O-oh, no, I couldn't...!" Though the woman insisted, and Moriel did decide to take the lantern in the end, though hesitantly so. After staring at it for a moment, she looked back at Sue now with another little smile and a nod of thanks. "Oh, they certainly seem like they would be... Thank you very much for this--" Her thanks were cut short though by Fox-Mask Kazuki reminding her that they were on a mission. She looked at him as he started to head off, and then she looked back at Sue and gave her another smile and nod before she started on her way behind her guide. "R-really, thank you again!"

With that, they were off walking again, though this time Moriel was paying a little less attention to their surroundings, and more of it was on the lamp. The light inside was so strange; it acted like a candle, but it didn't move like one. Sure, every now and then she would glance up from it to make sure that she wasn't missing anything around her, but her focus usually returned to the lantern. A lonely little light, moving independently from it's surroundings, nothing really grounding it to it's base... Moriel frowned and shook her head. Again, she was letting her thoughts wander where they shouldn't be going; it was just a lantern. No need to be relating it to such depressing thoughts...

She sighed and looked back up at the back of Fox-Mask Kazuki's head. Why did he choose to wear a mask, anyway? Not many others at the festival were, if any... Did he have something to hide? "Ah... Not to be a bother, but... Why the mask? And a fox mask at that, in the middle of a Fish Festival... I don't mean to sound like I'm prying, just... curious."

_{((NOT GOOD ENOUGH IT CAN'T END THERE))}

Moriel watched the man as he answered the question, though confusion briefly clouded her face. He wore it because he wished to do so? After another moment, Moriel smiled and chuckled a bot, shaking her head. "Well of I'm the one asking the curious questions, you're the one giving curious answers." She decided to leave the questions about the mask off there; he was clearly hiding something, and he clearly didn't want to say what. It must have been rude to keep asking what it was after he was going out of his way to take her along with him for a meal, and to help find the performer. So the questions about him would have to stop therebfor now, she supposed, and move to something else as they continued on.

Reaching the area where the food vendors were, though, her small smile faded, and she looked around. There were so many stalls, so many people... It must have been thicker here than it was back where the performance was being held. She looked up at Fox-Mask Kazuki, and then around the area again. "I.... Well, I haven't really eaten since getting here, so.... I guess I'm a little peckish..." She looked up in the air worriedly now. If she missed sight of the performer while waiting here, she sincerely hoped that her Familiars wouldn't. She could try to send them some kind of order or command, but with the distance between them now, combined with all the noise of the market, it probly wouldn't reach them... She sighed, putting the idea out of her head for now. Looking back at Fox-Mask Kazuki, she asked, "So, do you know what would be best around here...? Again, I haven't really been around for any festivals or anything in a while, so..."

((She's caught on nice going derp))