Glorious festival. Flowers had been placed everywhere for the great party to begin, as all sorts of different people tried to get snacks or take part in other festivities. It was clear, that the mood was particularly high for everybody involved, as occasional sounds of "KANPAI!" flew into the air. With the season what it was, wind blew the flower petals and pollen about a bit, which surely wasn`t a problem for anybody.

"Hachoo!!" Well, besides the decently sized dwarf on the scene. He proceeded to quickly clean his nose on his sleeve. "Bleh..." For the dwarves eyes, this was propably the most colourful place he had ever seen since birth. It was hard for him to come up with words how to describe it. All of it was just shown as he turned his head around weirdly concentrated. "Man, wonder what field they emptied for this... Even mamas jewelry doesn`t match up, hehe!" He scratched his kimono...

Honestly, it felt very weird to have a shirt on again after such a long while. The insides of it were way comfier than the usual leathery hunting gear, and the sleeves proved to be very spacious indeed. His big hands fit right through em easily, As he continued walking, with his usual pants sticking out a bit from under it. They were all sorts of dusty and worn, but Kurdran really didn`t feel like changing em to anything else. Besides, the kimono was already hiding his tattoos. He was gonna keep SOME things of his out there. He wouldn`t be a proud dwarf without a beard now would he!?

Besides, he was already getting stares from the bystanders. All sorts of whispers were going about. "A dwarf? This far from the mountains?" "...And wearing a designer kimono no less... Wonder if he has nabbed it from somewhere." "Oh but look at that mane! Do dwarves even cut their hair?" "Who knows. But he looks absolutely ridiculous either way. I wonder if that beard ever gets stuck on anything..."

Despite the whispers not being exactly the most friendly, Kurdran didn`t seem to give a damn. mostly because he couldn`t hear them. "Hmmm... what to eat... candied apples? Perhaps some mint boar? ...wait, who the heck ruins boar by putting in MINT!?" The dwarf kept ranting outloud to himself as he walked about the place barefooted. Besides, he needed to find some place to drink too...

Dwarven kimono for reference:

At last the day Aurelion had been waiting with such anticipation finally arrived. It was the the flower festival here at Orchidia and he was excited to be a part of it, after all he heard people talk about it on the streets for days and days and he really liked the idea of a festival. Having asked around he learned of where it would take place so the only thing left was for him to get ready and attend the celebration. His dark blue kimono matched perfectly his dark blue hair which he had dyed the day before the festival. He loved nature and flowers and the meaning of the cherry blossoms spread throughout the festival was strongly tied to life itself. The cherry blossoms symbolised new beginnings, their unparalleled beauty however was fleeting just how life is and that made Aurelion want to try a change or two in his life, this is how it would begin.

He left his apartment and into the crowded streets of Orchidia he found a great deal of people heading towards the festival area. The kimono offered him great comfort exactly what he liked in his clothing, it was soft to the touch and adorned with lots of small light-blue flowers. There was a white ribbon on the back tying the kimono tight on his waist and  its two ends flowed freely to Aurelion's sides. He was now getting closer to the festival area and he could already see the magnificent cherry trees, he was mesmerized by their bright pink color. It was a spectacle he was never before able to cherish. His mother taught him about flowers, their scents and colors, even their capabilities as medicine or poison, but Aurelion was truly entranced by the beauty some flowers offered -one of them being the cherry blossoms-. He had never seen so many in abundance and he was enjoying every single moment of it.

Having finally arrived at the main area where people were drinking, eating and generally having a fun time he was wondering what his next move would be. Maybe try to blend in with the crowd and talk to some strangers or just enjoy his time alone admiring the beauty this event had to offer. His trail of thought was suddenly interrupted by the voices of some people nearby, they seemed to gossip about a certain individual, a dwarf from what Aurelion heard. He kept hearing comments about the person's hair and beard thinking how rude some people can be just because the person is of a different race.

As he passed by those people, Aurelion managed to see the dwarf they were speaking of, he was certainly standing out from the rest. His orange mohawk being around 20cm long from what Aurelion could discern and his long beard made him draw the attention of many people at the festival. However, he seemed to be minding his own business trying to decide what to eat as he was looking through the treats offered at the event. Aurelion walked closer to the man and stood beside him "Have you decided on what you'll be having? My treat!" Aurelion exclaimed and gave the man a smile.

"eh!?" The stocky short guy turned around to look at this youthful looking young man with dark blue hair and a way tighter kimono than his was with an initially mean look. He was smiling too... though Kurdran would propably call This kind of kid "a shrimp" in casual situations, with him being like a twig.

However, taking that the boys first words to him were literally "Free food!" Kurdran couldn`t help but smile back at him with a barely held in laughter. "Pfff, What kind of a kid just offers strangers food?! You look like I should stuff YOU up with something!" Courteous as always. Then he thought a little bit as he brushed his hand against his own kimono. Maybe it`s another guy with a marketing tactic.

But then he shook his head with one thought: FREE BEER AND FOOD!

"If ye have any proper taste though, Don`t go stuffing meat with some dang sweet stuff. Its like drinking salt water: Gets your body mad at cha!" He slapped his stomach, as he proceeded to press his elbow against the kids waist. "I hope your offer includes the beverages too? You have about half a minute to back out if not." After all the appetite of man of Kurdrans size should not be underestimated. This was gonna be a pretty pricy venture.

"Besides, you even old enough to drink?" Kurdran looked at the boy with a sort of a judging eye once again, as he scuttled around him like a village idiot. It was hard to know with young humans. Atleast you could recognize someone with a beard... "Limits the good options a bit you know if you ain`t drinking. That or you just gonna be a benefactor?" He visibly shrugged with another chuckle. "Cause that works for me too! Less to worry about if I get properly started!"

In the past few minutes Aurelion didn't find a chance to talk, the dwarf seemed to have monopolized the conversation between them, and also called him a kid. He was far from being a kid though, he knew very well that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and Aurelion was interested in getting into as many hearts possible, in a friendly manner -in most cases at least-.

Aurelion was examining the dwarf as he kept on talking, he was loud and talked a lot that was certain, and Aurelion still couldn't decide how proper his manners were, but was he a bad guy, no definitely not -at least in his eyes-. He seemed to have warmed up to the idea of free food that Aurelion offered, adding some free beverages in there as well. We could spend some time and have fun, Aurelion thought, surely it would cost him some extra jewels but having some company while eating was a plus in his book, extra costs or not. And now that drinking was also mentioned Aurelion could show to this guy that he was definitely not a kid, him working at the bar meant that he had to be able to handle drinks or he would be out of there in a matter of days.

And now the man in front of him was even calling him underaged asking if he could drink or not, well he was about to find out. "How about we let the actions do the talking." Aurelion said and winked at him. "Pick three of whatever you want to eat from him and we're also going to have a few drinks from the stall down there." Aurelion said with a smile and pointed a few meters away to a counter full of alchohol. Admittedly, he thought it was somewhat early to start drinking but it seemed that his new friend was all up for it, and Aurelion wasn't one to let his friends down, especially since he wanted the chance to get to know the man better, maybe he could also prove to be more than a friend, he thought with the prospect of that person being a mage and a future ally.

Seems like the curiousity was a thing on both sides. Admittedly, the reasons for the interest of both of them was propably very different, but it seemed like they were on the same level of thinking. That feeling was only encouraged by the boy telling him to let "actions do the talking". "Hah! that`s the spirit!" He said out loud, before the boy even made his offer of 3 free meals on him. That almost made him slap the guy in excitement. "Yer the sort of guy who makes friends quickly, I am sure of it. Just make sure ye won`t regret it, hehe!" Admittedly, he had ignored all of Kurdrans questions, but on the other hand, Kurdran was too hungry to wonder about the repercussions involved in accepting food from strangers.

The duo proceeded to go to the nearest seemingly food and alcohol filled counter... Though the stand owner for a moment just saw a giant brush of a mohawk walking by like a shark, with very big eyebrows at the base. Suddenly, Kurdran made a slight hop, as he hung on deck by his elbows, looking at the guy a bit impatient. "Gimme yer list! I am gonna be eating well today! So I hope you`ll do well and answer to this nice lad here!" He swung his right arm to point at the blue boy, only to fall back on the ground for losing one of the pillars keeping him on it. Luckily he landed on his feet with a simple *Thump!*

The papery list came over to him, as he looked it through... "Onigiri... Mushu? You ain`t got any beef over here?" He tried speaking over to the chef, who seemed to be just confused by the guys lack of knowledge.

"Hey, lanky lad! What in this list has meat on it?" He gave the list to the boy, just as his eyes started scanning the bottles. He sort of remembered some people back home speaking about how much better fancy meat was with wine... though specifics were a bit blurry. "Something with wine in it perhaps? Ain`t gonna eat this fancy, so I am taking my chance if you don`t mind!" He chuckled to himself. This stuff was typically a bit pricy to him, but atleast he offered the boy a chance to choose what he wanted to be eating himself!

"There's nothing I'm going to regret...Ah I didn't quite catch your name." Aurelion said slightly blushing and patting himself on the head, explaining that the whole food conversation made him completely forget his manners. Listening to the man's name, Aurelion gave him a smile and introduced himself as well offering his hand to the dwarf. "As I was saying, there's nothing to regret, and my reason for treating you to some food is just so we can get to know each other and maybe I can make a friend out of you." Aurelion said as he chuckled.

As they were walking towards the nearest counter with food and drink Aurelion was looking at his new friend, wondering how his mohawk would stand so tall, that aside there is also something about him aside from looking strong, he thought. Aurelion hadn't noticed they made it to the counter already and only snapped out of his thoughts when the man asked for the list of things they offered, and pointing at him as the one in charge of paying the bill, Aurelion still a bit dazed nodded in agreement.

The stall owner passed the menu to the dwarf with him trying to figure out which of the dishes had beef in them, passing the list to Aurelion moments later asking him to find something with meat. Taking the list in his hands and glancing quickly through it he said, "Hmm, let's see, you can get some Okonomiyaki, it's pancakes with pork and Yakitori seems good, it's grilled chicken on a stick...Nothing with beef from what I can see.". Aurelion was a bit disappointed that the stall manager didn't have what the dwarf wanted but he went ahead and order two of the previously mentioned treats, there was however some wine for sale and Aurelion decided to buy four 500ml bottles for him and his friend,"Might as well right? It goes well with both the chicken and the pork." he said and winked at him.

Having paid for the order, Aurelion started heading to a bench nearby urging the man to do the same so they can have a nice talk while resting and eating.

Song:

Orchidia was a beautiful town that was even more mesmerizing with the addition of the abundance of blooming flowers. The hundreds of cherry blossom trees, in particular, stood out, their limbs branching over the paths in the park the festivals were taking place in, streaming pale pink light through them, gently raining petals on people as the soft spring breeze wove through them.

Going down one of the paths, just off the main road past the festival stands amongst these gentle tree's is a nice eating house with cushions around the low tables for patrons to sit on and enjoy the sakura. Near this seating area, there was a small stage to entertain those eating and passing by. From that stage a mysterious ringing called out to those who passed and say near, a sound like a wet finger running around a wine glass, a deep and melodic sound. Then the singing started "Sakura~... Sakura~..."  as a slim woman with long blue hair, a blue and white dancing outfit and a solemn-looking face sing, approached the stage and started slowly dancing to her lyrics and the deep sound when she arrived on stage. The cherry blossom petals around her seem to dance with the woman, weaving around her wide arms as she gracefully turns with the music, continuing to sing a foreign song. "Noyamamo satomo~..."

After a while, the song ends with the polite clapping of the audience and a bow from the dancer. Tips are given in the steel bowl set out in front of the performance and after a word with the old man playing the instrument and dancer get’s off the stage for another set of performers, walking between tables and looking for a place to take a break, her yellow eyes alert for any unwanted grabbing, privately wishing she brought her spear along. Scanning the area Nova Artunis pauses in surprise at an interesting sight. Was that a dwarf? Growing up in the capital she had seen dwarves before but always from a distance and this one looked just as messy and hairy as the others that she’s seen. Then her eyes widen further as she spots a matching pair and a man who could be her twin brother. Fascinated despite her wariness of men she approaches the table, eyes set on the odd duo.

At this point Kurdran was starting to get a tiny bit suspicious... He couldn`t help but feel that the guy had SOME kind of ulterior motive. However, he did give his name when asked. "Kurdran. Kurdran Briggs. Remember it." Though when he was offered a hand to hold, he proceeded to scoff a bit annoyed, while crossing his hand. "Come on now, I ain`t a baby! I´ve got two of me own legs, So I`ll use em!" What a weirdly friendly fellow indeed...

However, when it came time to choose what food he wanted, he listened to the explanation of the dishes the guy was giving to him... with a wink no less. "Chicken on a stick huh? Can`t get more countryside than that!" That could be great actually. atleast compared to the whole pancake stuffed with pig thing... "I`ll take three of those meals then! Whoever stuffs a pig in pancakes must be some sort of an idiot." Come on, its obvious that something salty like that would just ruin the sweetness of the pancake, right?

Annoying fact was that he needed to wait a little while for them to actually make em... but the blue haired shrimp was once again already ahead of him... and awfully excited to have him sit nearby... Was he leading him on?

He grabbed his plate of chicken sticks and walked over, seating himself across him. He rubbed his hands together. "Thanks for the meal, and time to chomp in!" He grabbed his first stick, and chomped on it furiously, pulling one of the pieces off and munching it down! "Hohoo! Not half bad!" Clearly there was some sort of sauce involved...

However, whilst he got to eating, Another blue haired fellow appeared... She was clearly some sort of dancer or something but... he stopped eating for a moment, turning his head from the one sitting in front of him, to the one standing next to the table. They looked kind of... similar... And not in a good way... "...You invited outright bard or something?" The look he gave was a bit of a worried one. Kurdran had heard of doppelgangers, and being a very naive guy, he wouldnt be surprised if it was time to back away slowly.

Aurelion found himself being amused by his new friend, he was loud and talkative and all over the place, speaking his mind without a second thought, or so did Aurelion think at least. He liked that, it was a nice change from most people he met in his life, it meant that the person was honest and wouldn't hide behind his finger. Aurelion laughed at Kurdran's comments about the two dishes, "The pancake one is actually good, you'd think it would be sweet but they actually make them salty just for this specific meal." he said and patted the dwarf on the back before sitting down on the chair. "Here I'll give you one of mine." he said and smiled while passing one pancake to Kurdran's plate despite his answer. "I'm glad you like your skewered chicken at least, but do try this as well." he said as he got another bite of his own pancake.

As the two were now sitting and enjoying their food and drinks, Aurelion saw his friend suddenly stop as he looked to the side. Tracing his eyes Aurelion said, "What's up Kurdran no more appe-" he didn't even manage to finish his words as he saw a young girl with a beautifully woven white dress, her light blue hair were a perfect match for the outfit, but, Aurelion froze for a moment, the piece of pancake fell from his fork. Her hair, his hair had the same color before he dyed them, and her eyes same color as his, what was going on, Aurelion couldn't really understand, who is this girl, he thought. A light blinded him for a moment, moving his head slightly to the side to avoid it, the woman's necklace was reflecting the sunlight. Aurelion looked at the necklace, golden with a light blue stone, just as the heirloom his mother gave him. That is what shook him the most, the hair and the eyes might have been just a coincidence but the pendant, this can't be a coincidence, he thought.

Kurdran interrupted his trail of thought with his comment which made Aurelion blink three or four times realizing he had been sitting still for a bit. Standing up, he looked at the girl's eyes, "Who are you?!" he said softly as he waited for the girl's response.

Nova blinked at the sudden question, pausing in her approach. She was now close enough to make out more of the two men’s appearances. The dwarf, he was definitely a dwarf now that she got a closer look or a very stout human, had the typical dwarven appearance. Long orange beard with many braids and trinkets in it, bushy eyebrows and styled into a warrior-like Mohawk above his head. He wore a surprisingly high-quality men’s yukata (was that its name?) that only gave hints of tribal tattoos underneath it. She seemed to be interrupting their meal with the dwarven man looking between the two humans in an almost spooked matter.

She couldn’t blame him, Nova was starting to feel a bit spooked as well. ‘Illumin bless me.’ She thought sharp yellow eyes on the others face, searching. She wasn’t mistaken before, the boy sitting with the dwarf could be her twin. He had a long angular face like hers that was made to be solemn, though he looked like the cheerful type and eyes the same shape and colour as hers. If his hair wasn’t a dark blue colour the resemblance would be uncanny. ‘We could be related.’ She muses to herself in the safety of her head which was now knocked to the side in thought. She had a large family on her mother’s side but with the woman being pink haired and green-eyed the dancer always assumed she took after her father. But she would never find out who that is since her mother… well, let’s just say she had many half-siblings. So this person could be a mystery relation from that side as well.

Realizing her silence had gone on too long and could be mistaken as rude she gave the men a quick curtsy with her dancer dress. “My apologies for the wait. My name is Nova Artunis, at your service gentlemen.” She says formally, remembering that they were costumers at this place. “I do not mean to be rude, honoured guests. I was simply drawn to my resemblance to…” She trails off, looking at the shocked young man herself. “I did not mean to interrupt your meal. My apologies again.” Nova says with another curtsy. She was starting to regret approaching them, past experiences made her wary of men.

The boy continued being a bit of an annoyance, as he outright slid one of those weird "pigcakes" onto his plate, with a pat on the back no less. "Sigh, alright then, I`ll eat it. Just cause I propably have space after these sticks!" Why did the guy want to touch him so much? Had he never seen a dwarf before or what.

However, with the doppelganger lady appearing, Kurdran didn`t really know how to react at first, and seemed like the other two didn`t either, as an awkward silence rose, only to be broken by the "original" blue hair. He was confused as well? The dwarf proceeded to straighten his back, preparing to seemingly leave hurriedly, if something was gonna happen between the two... (handy thing about being a bit shorter than others, you sometimes get ignored...)

However, soon enough, the girl just gave a simple curtsy, and apologized "for the wait". "Wait? We`ve been waiting?" He looked at the blue haired boy again, expecting some sort of answer. The dumbed down gears in his head were moving, as the girl continued her apologizing. She did atleast LOOK like a performer... but the resemblance was still spooky enough to keep him a bit tense. "Alright... ye here to eat as well, or you a bard?" The question was loud and clear as always. "Cause honestly, I would like something energetic. Gives some rhythm to the meal, am I right, hehe?" He lifted up his chicken stick and chomped down on it again. He did like music, so if there was not gonna be trouble, it would be fun to hear something...

At this point his attention turned back into his meal, as in the middle of his first stick, he just stared at the pancake begrudgingly. Eventually, he lifted a fork with his free hand and stabbed it through the pancake, lifting it up and biting into it... It was a weird feeling for sure... Instead of the meaty stringy texture, it was soft and pillowy, yet had a meaty taste. This weird intrigued look grew on his face, as he tried to think of what to say about it...

Aurelion realised that what he did wasn't the most polite thing as he heard the girl speak. Shaking his head slightly he regained his senses and after apologizing himself, he introduced the dwarf and himself to the girl following her own introduction. "You aren't interrupting us at all, as you can see my friend here would also love some music if you happen to be a songstress." he said with a warm smile, her costume after all did show signs of a performer. Waiting for the girl's reply he added,"Maybe you'd like something to eat first?" picking up a skewered grilled chicken from his plate he offered it to Nova, saying that he hadn't managed to touch any of the skewers yet. Whether she declined or accepted, Aurelion would smile at her and sit on the chair once again.

"I have to say, the resemblance between us is striking, as you tried to say before." he said with a soft chuckle. He explained that they have the same hair color but he had decided to dye them for the festival, and their eyes and facial characteristics were matching as well. "What is more noteworthy is our necklaces." he said as he took out his golden pendant from his yukata showing it to the girl. He was wondering whether Nova had a connection to his family, and what the secrets of her necklace could be.

Turning his attention to Kurdran for a moment he saw the man opposite of him tasting the pancake with pork for the first time. "Now I was going to ask for your manners, since we have a lady here, my friend, but I'm more interested in hearing your opinion on what you're eating. Was I right in asking you to give it a try?" Aurelion said and laughed while giving the man the bottles of wine he purchased earlier.

(Ooc: Extra long post for the extra long wait! Sorry guys!)

Nova had the urge to cock her head like a bird at the actions of the two men but revisited at the urge. She was a performer and that was hardly an elegant action. The dwarf, Kurdran was his name, acted like she suspected they would, a rowdy, tough and rough type of people. Though while the gruffness of him put her off he didn’t seem like a bad person, though she was still fairly suspicious. At the very least he seemed immune to manners, which she found odd, funny and comforting at the same time. Though she didn’t like his messiness or his rude attitude. Was bard supposed to be an insult? Or just another way of saying, performer? At least he didn’t call her an escort or something along those lines.

Taking her stern eyes off the happily eating man Nova looked at the doppelganger of a different sex. So his name is Aurelion, mystical like hers. She nodded her head at both of their questions on her employment. “Yes, at the moment I am a performer hired to sing and dance for the festival. I would be happy to perform for you. Something energetic you say? I shall see what I can do.” The songstress said with as much sincerity as she could muster, smile not reaching her eyes. She sang and dance out of desperation and for the happy life of someone dear to her. As a little girl she loved to do it, but because of the desperation and all of the harassment she received her love for it faded. But a job was a job and she should be grateful for even that. Before she left their table to the stage she hesitated and said: “I would love to join you for a meal after.” Then hurried away to discuss the song with the musicians.



The song was from the hill country that she hopped the dwarf would like and would commemorate the spring festivals, though she wasn’t great at the accent it needed. “Aquilla’s Blessing: Dancing Stream,” Nova’s says while swirling both of her wrists around in a circle until beautiful clear magical streams of water gather at the end of her fingertips, which she used as ribbons for her cheerful dance after the fiddlers gave her a nod. The dancing and singing was well received, hopefully meaning lots of tips for her and the musicians.

Wiping the sweat off her brows the Water Mage hesitantly returned to the men’s table. “I hope you enjoyed my performance sir Dwarf.” She says to Kurdran as she sits at the table, accepting the grilled chicken delicately and munching on it as Aurelian talked. “Yes I was very surprised when I first saw you, but now I’m even more bewildered! We even have the same hair colour you say? We could be twins, though I’m rather certain my mother would have told me if I wasn’t born alone.” Well not really, plus he could be an unknown sibling form her father’s side, Nova muses as she chews on the chicken, wondering if Kurdran is amused at this development or still spooked. “You wouldn’t to happen to have any family in Crocus, would you? That is where I’m from.” Nova says after swallowing a bite, shaking her head in disbelief at the coincidence while hoping no sauce lands on her white outfit. While she was very curious Nova didn’t want to tell strange men too much of her personal history in case they became stalkers or told potential stalkers. I was a very real concern for her.

“Our necklaces?” She asked curiously, rather blindsided by the remark. Then she starred wide-eyed again as the young man produced a necklace from under his robe, just as matching to her necklace as their looks. Now Nova was starting to get a little spooked. “I-I don’t know where I came from or it’s history. It just appeared beside my bed a few years back and I’ve had it ever since. It aids my magic and is like a part of me now.” She says softly, touching her necklace. “I don’t even know what it’s made of. Sir Dwarf, would you know?” She might be acting a bit presumptuous assuming a dwarf knew about craftsmanship and minerals, but she might as well ask, right?

"Lhet a ghuy athleast properly shavour the things firsht will ya?" Kurdran said in-between his munching breaths. Admittedly, the beef was decent from what he thought atleast... But it just didn`t have the same gamey feel as the chicken did. Come to think of it, maybe if he combined the tastes... He took a bite of the chicken to fill his mouth to the brim again... And honestly, the mix tasted surprisingly good! "Phutshamoorshashonhit!" He mongered from his filled mouth at his compatriots! The sauce truly made the dish, or thats what he was atleast trying to say, asking for more sauce.

The girl on the other hand moved onto a small stage, as Kurdran continued his munching, trying to get the mess down in some civilized manner. The song that came out of the girls lips was quite glorious indeed! He gently swung his head from side to side, as his mohawk followed the beat of her every word. He outright dropped the fork where the pancake had been to free it and snap his fingers! "I`m alive!~ I`m alive!~" This was exactly the kind of song his mother tended to sing to him! Admittedly, the songs he himself was a part of usually had more power behind em, but this was great nonetheless!

The water based magic got Kurdran standing on his seat, as a loud "Whoa!" escaped his lips. as the singing stopped, He clapped his hands together like one of those toy monkeys! "Ye`ve got some talents, that`s for sure! Ye`ve got the spirit of the mountains down too!" However, as the hype from the show itself started to turn down, so did the dwarves interest.

Seemingly the girl had proven herself good enough for him to not be too suspicious. Though that also meant he wasn`t exactly interested in why she looked similar to the boy. He proceeded to bite harshly on two of his chicken sticks, wondering where his fork had dropped.

However, the girl offered him a question that caught his attention. "Eh? Guess I can check... Let me see!" He did have a small eye for these kinds of things, being from a mining group after all. However, he almost across the table, reaching to grab one of the necklaces... which one, well, to him it didn`t really matter. He closed one of his eyes. "Hmmm... Golden shade, with a blue thing in the middle... I guess it atleast has some gold in it... Maybe even fools gold, hehe!" Admittedly, he wasnt exactly an appraiser. "Though I could assume the blue one in the middle is ATLEAST a sapphire... Ain`t a lot of gems that are that sort of blue..." He shrugged. "Though what do I know, I was more of a hunter."

"Honestly... If you two are so similar, it makes me wonder more about one thing." He glanced at the boy again, as he released whichever poor persons necklace he had in his hands.  "Can ye sing like she can? Proper melody and so what? Maybe you could do a duet!" There was certain asking about his look. He clearly just wanted an excuse to hear more singing! Besides, for a proper festival mood, continuous singing was a must!

Aurelion was entranced during the girl's singing and dancing, she exerted such power such courage with that song, but at the same time it was like a lullaby for heroes. Aurelion completely forgot about his food and kept watching the girl, she had a certain flair that reminded him of his mother, not that she danced or sang often, but she did have the ability to. A few seconds later he saw Nova wielding water magic that accompanied her dance and gave it a more mystical vibe, now that's a show, he thought. Maybe he could learn something from her, and use his own magic when he's dancing, after all it's all shiny and full of beautiful colors it would serve well as performance flair. His dwarf friend seemed to be enjoying his food and the music, as Aurelion caught a glimpse of him when he realised he was sitting there with his mouth open. He smiled at the dwarf, he seems to like it here, I'm glad, he thought and continued watching.

Now that Nova finished her performance and Kurdran was all rowdy about it, Aurelion wanted to ask her a few things but first congratulated her on her singing, dancing and magical talents. After mentioning the necklaces, and Nova asking the dwarf to take a look at it he momentarily forgot what he wanted to ask. So he let the man take a look at his necklace, gold, with a sapphire in the middle, well that didn't give them much to go on, although answered Nova's question. The real question was how Nova was in possession of a similar one, since Aurelion's mother assured him that it was a heirloom passed down in their family. Surely a completely random person couldn't carry the same item with them, and finding it at the side of the bed was suspicious enough, who could have left it there.

And then their resemblance, could they be twins, no Aurelion was certain of that there wasn't a relation of that degree between them, he didn't remember ever having a sister, nor his mother or father ever talking about one, even in secret. Nodding in a negative manner and a frown on his face, Aurelion was still lost in thought and that was his way of answering to the question. "Any family in Crocus?" he wondered as he tried to remember. "I used to live in Magnolia but that was a house my mother and father bought, I never met any other family members, though I had heard my mother say that we did have some relatives in Crocus, never told me who they were though, she always seemed to be saddened when referring to family affairs.".

Kurdran interrupted their conversation, much to Aurelion's relief as things were becoming a bit spooky and uncomfortable with the mystery of why they look alike and they also carry seemingly identical necklaces that aid them in their magic. And so came his question, could Aurelion sing, well of course he could, both of his parents were talented in that aspect, but his mother never wanted to really sing or dance in front of him, she used to say that it brings her sadness, but his father taught him both and then he'd perform for them both or the patrons at the bars when he was needed as an entertainer instead of a bartender. Explaining that to the dwarf, he then turned to Nova and asked her if she happened to know of a song his mother used to sing for him, it was the only time he heard her sing, and she had told him that it was a piece for two originally. "So the lyrics are as follows. You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek, life beyond the shore, just out of reach, yet the waters ever change, flowing like time, the path is yours to climb~" Aurelion sang a few lines waiting for the girl's response, if she knew it they could then perform it for Kurdran together.

Nova blinks in shock and drops her food back onto her plate as there was a sudden yank at the back of her neck, not strong enough to bruise but strong enough to almost make her face plant into the plate before her. The dancer glared ruefully at the dwarven man as he investigated her stone, bright yellow eyes flashing in anger. She had half a mind to slap the dwarf over the head for that, he could have just asked her to move or take it off. But seeing as he was doing what she asked Nova refrained from commenting and just silently hoped he didn’t wreck the beautiful piece of jewelry. A possibly bruised neck didn’t matter to her that much, she was a healer after all.

After Krudran had finished with inspecting it and telling him what he knew the songstress pulled away while rubbing the back of her neck, sending a glare at the stocky man that was not unlike a wet cats. Snubbing him for that slight she turned back to her doppelgänger and what he said about his family. “So we may be distant relatives than from unknown sides of our families. That would explain our similar appearances.” She says reasonably, after all, genetics could be odd like that ones looks skipping a generation and appearing in the next. But there were still mysteries unsolved, such as the fact neither of them knew much about that side of their families. It also didn’t explain their matching necklaces, though she could have just unknowingly inherited a family heirloom. But why was it given to her in such a mysterious fashion?

Her deep thoughts were interrupted by the deep voice of Kurdran and forgetting her previous ire at him Nova just looked at him curiously. Did this crude man just suggest something interesting? The healer misjudged him a tad, he must have really liked her singing and that meant something. Though he was still a bit too rough around the edges for her liking. He seemed eager for more music at least, and was that maybe his cheering during her song? If so she was flattered a dwarf liked her Hillman singing, and even more flattered that he wanted to hear more. It hadn’t even occurred to her that Aurelion’s family could be musical like her mother’s family and that he inherited that trait. She smiled at him warmly as he explained to their companion about her families signing habits, she too had learned most of her song and dance skills from her rather large family on her mother’s side, including the woman herself. Was this a feeling of excitement, over singing? She hadn’t felt this way in years.

Then she took a quick intake of air when Aurelion started to sing. Nostalgia washed over her as the blue-haired man began to sing one of her favorite songs from childhood, 'Lost In Thoughts All Alone'. Even during her time in the clergy she would sing it, it was such a beautiful song full of so much meaning and interpretations “Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time, the path is yours to climb~" Sing joins the melody, intertwining their voices and they probably smile at each other and Nova nods her silent agreement. Nova reaches out her hand to Aurelion, and whether he takes it or not she leads them to the stage to perform.



After whispering to the band once again, Nova stands in front of the crowd she stood still, hands folded over each other in front of her. She wouldn’t dance for this song since it didn’t have any pre-made choreographing that she knew of, let alone for two people and they didn’t have time to practice for such a complex song, though if her partner has any ideas she will try to follow. Hopefully the man next to her reads her silent cues, and they begin. They sing the chorus in unison, then Aurelion sings his part and Nova follows any of his cues. The man sung gracefully, deep voice vibrating through the entire area, catching the harmony and heart of the tragic part of the song easily. Then the beautiful chorus started again with the blowing of a breeze, causing pink petals to fall across the stage as they sang. Then it was her turn. “In the white light, a hand reaches through, a double-edged blade cuts your heart in two, waking dreams fade away, embrace the brand-new day~!" Nova sings the ‘light’ part with spirit, yet at the same time with gentleness as it should be. “Sing with me a song of birthrights and love, the light scatters to the sky above, dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone, lost in thoughts all alone~!” The chorus and their teamwork shines again after a graceful musical number. Her fellow singer sings his part, then Nova her part, intertwining both of their portions that usually stands alone evenly. Then she sings the most mysterious portion of the song, skipping a part in a duet, in sync with the last part of Aurelion’s version of the song. But as they started to sing, Nova hesitated in shock for a second. He was singing something different from what she has learned was used for the duet, different lyrics. Covering up her slip the water mage continued to sing her part alongside her partner's song, gratefull that despite the difference the two still blended well togther."Sing with me a song of silence and blood, the rain falls, but can't wash away the mud, within my ancient heart dwells madness and pride, can no one hear my cry~?” Before seamlessly switching into the chorus, the band’s music rising in volume for the last hurrah. “You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek, life beyond the shore, just out of reach, yet the waters ever change, flowing like time, the path is yours to climb, you are the ocean's gray waves~!" They finished and Nova bowed to the audience, a pleased smile on her usually solemn face. She supposed she would have to thank Kurdran for this opportunity. But this duet made more questions arise about the two blue-haired youths.

Kurdran looked a bit awkward, as he realized Nova looked at him with eyes filled with murder. "Hey, you did ask my opinion, didn`t ye?" Though he wondered a little bit and scratched his beard, as he blushed a bit. "Though I guess I could have just asked you to hand em over but you know... Risky giving stuff to strangers am I right?" He had learned that the hard way, though in this s situation, it seemed more like a desperate attempt to make him be in the right. Kurdran just shrugged afterwards.

Still It looked like Kurdran had diffused the situation. Instead of being all sorts confused, the blue haired guy proceeded to praise his and his families singing skills. Apparently his dad had forced him to do it. Kurdran laughed loudly in answer to this revelation. "Well, prove it to me then. Gimme your best shot! I`ll let you know, my standards are pretty dang high!" They really weren`t. The girl didn`t seem to be against the idea either, as she gave a hearty smile. It generated warmth in Kurdran as well. "Of course, the same applies to ye too. Make it fun!" He chomped on his chicken with a smile, as the duo propably went over to the stage to give another showing to the now rather spoiled dwarf.

The song pretty much washed over him with its notes... It was a very different kind of song from what he was used to. Perhaps something from the shores? It had this calming tone to it, yet, it made the dwarves hairs stand on end from the intensity of the duo... He outright shuddered! .

He curled his beard in his fingers. The song felt like it was carrying him to some other land! He didn`t wanna interrupt the journey, as he swayed from side to side, his mohawk like a sail moving in the winds... Man, for a song without any spunk in it, it sure was relaxing... Honestly, he could listen to this kind of music more often... but for now... he just felt a tiny bit... drowsy... The gentle tones were really getting to him, as he tried to desperately keep his eyes open. He didn`t wanna miss hearing the end of the story the song included! It sounded like a prologue, or an intro to a great saga!

"ye buggers got me under yer spell... Ye dang dopples..." He said with a tired sounding chuckle, as the song was ending. With the last tones wavering about, as the girl atleast proceeded to bow, Kurdran standing up from his seat and clapping as furiously as he could, as he proceeded to shake his head like a rooster trying to look tough. "Good job mates! Good job!" It was definitely not something he had heard before. And the way their voices mixed together... "Answer me honestly, you two just a pair of demons trying to lull me into comfort? Cause yer doing way better job than the last one who tried, hehe!"

Rude and straight as always. "That or two of em angels or something. Ye look a bit too clean for something like a demon after all."

At this point in time, it seemed like the little celebrations were over. Whatever needed to be said had been said, and the hugely magnificent songs still rang in his ears. "Well, whatever ye two are, tell meh next time when yer planning on doing a duo gig again! I could listen to ye for hours!" He turned away from the duo, as he grabbed the last of his chicken sticks, and proceeded to walk out, with final words. "Besides, i ye did not look so dang similar, I could think ye were a proper nice couple!"

After that, he walked outside, with his fancy kimono flowing in the wind like a gorgeous cape, as he snacked on the stick. He felt somehow majestic. Listening to music while having a snack that somebody else paid for you... It somehow felt like a heroic prize for tolerating the silly blue haired man.

And the people looked at him with small whispers. "Man, that dwarf looks so happy it`s almost silly!" "Must be some real great food in there to make a dwarf feel content!" "Let`s go!" Somebody could even say, that the stall was a little bit more profitable that day. But who knows.

[Exit]