Lights struck the dark wooden structures within the common area. Decorative red carpets draped the ground in between the extended halls and the wallpaper pleasantly sat in a light orange hue, giving the room a warm atmosphere that contrasted the departing snow outside the lavish building. Nathaniel had never taken part in a parade, heck he had never even been to Hargeon before, yet here he was, stretching alone in what would appear to be some form of theatre. The hall was mostly empty, but mirrors decorating the walls would display Nathaniel his costumed glory.

The outfit saw him in deep orange shorts that held onto his thighs, with a longer piece of fabric, akin to a loin cloth in his eyes, that feel about the same distance as the shorts, right above his knees. His upper body was bare, the scars on his torso evident and there sat orange accessories on both his upper arms made of what feels like straw. His torso was embroidered with a large necklace comprised of canines larger than the ones on his original necklace.

He sat on the ground, one leg bent towards his center, the other outstretched while he leaned towards it stretching his calves before letting out a satisfied sigh. It felt nice to be involved in something like this again, dancing was something he had not done much of since he left Enca, and over his two year stay something he definitely missed exploring while he spent time in Fiore. He wasn't even sure who he was supposed to meet here, he was just given a time and a place but the surprise was part of the fun wasn't it? He definitely thought so.

Within a few moments of clearing his thoughts he would roll backwards, finding himself leveraging a few of his bodies mechanics to spring himself into a handstand where he remained while he waited.

Man, how good it felt to arrange a party as big as this one… and thank the heavens that he was still around to be part of it. If he had to skip out on a parade due to sickness, then he would just had grown depressed as a result. It made his reckless heart fly in relief, establishing a heavy conviction that good tidings were to come after all the hardships he and his guild underwent. No malfunctioning Take-Over Magic was going to rob him of this… M-Mardi Gras, as it was called.

Hmh? Oh yeah, Daiko had grown much better with foreign languages after his recovery. ‘Mardi Gras’ meant, funnily enough, ‘Fat Tuesday’, for one was going to use up all the fats in their homes before the fasting periods kicked in… at least, that was what the trivial handbook explained to him. He didn’t know if he’d be able to fast, but if there were plenty ups about it, then maybe he’d try! Yeah, sure, with his appetite, holding off eating anything the entire sun-time of a day sounded troubling, but who knew if he had it in him…?

Mardi Gras, specifically, was a very… colorful parade, though. Henceforth, Daiko had to prep himself up once more, making sure that he could perform perfectly as a representative of Blue Pegasus. Now, given his entire reputation, maybe he already had it in the bag? An advance over others, maybe, because his whole deal was that he was known as Firebird… and tell you what, he only found out very recently!

He rarely paid attention to when people congratulated him on completed missions such as clearing the ports of invasive species, coming back from the mountainous areas up north after having scared away some unfriendly golems or hunting down hostile wyrms up in the forests of his old home in Orchidia. The praise he valued the most was from his guildmates, so he made sure to return back to the guild hall in short time and have a drink with the flying horses and muse of each other’s odysseys.

Also, as you might’ve noticed, thank goodness he grew a tolerance to alcohol at last! Yes, he could finally hold his liquor like an actual adult! It made his joyous late night parties with the guild far more enjoyable, since he was now able to recall most of the events. If you were to ask for his forte, then he grew quite fond of red wine – his favorite brand being the Oiseau Brûlant variant ‘Rothschild’… see? Daiko had grown a taste in wine; that must’ve meant that he got rid of all of his childish tendencies of the past. Maybe Alisa and the others would start seeing him as a much more mature individual from now on… r-right?

Oh yeah, back to the parade… Daiko had sought out the help of a seasoned tailor, thankfully due to Blue Pegasus’ connections, for an outfit that would bring out the most dazzling in him. Daiko’s plan was to perform a ceremonial dance called a kagura, which had close ties to what one would expect from the opposite of a rain-summoning dance. In his case, he’d want to mix in his Fire Magic and manifest cracking flames in the air to blow away the minds of everyone witnessing them, but to do so, he’d have to be in something comfortable but also conveniently flamboyant for the parade.

He was handed the items in a cardboard box and asked to try it out, to which Daiko obviously handed the tailor his complete trust and ventured into a changing room. The guild hall of Blue Pegasus had so many rooms that he had never touched in all the years he had been here – don’t judge him, he had been busy with all kinds of stuff! He could afford learning something new about his guild once in a while…

However… he didn’t exit the changing room in quite a while. Now, one would likely just brush that off, but Coda was on the other side of the door scraping on its surface with a confused look on her beaky face. She managed to calm down once Daiko’s voice reached her avian ears: “I-Is this… o-okay? I can… feel the air tickle down there…” The outfit that the tailor had granted him was so… minimal. This was a new predicament for the usually ‘I don’t care what I wear for as long as it fits’ hunter from the northern woods where any sort of cloth would prove useful to defend himself against the elements… had he, perhaps, grown some self-awareness too!?!

Then again, the tailor was very confident in the choice of outfit… maybe Daiko had just been behind times? The very least he could do was try it out and see where it got him – if he got a beating for the poor choice, then that would be that. Then again, the outfit consisted of a thin, red, relic-like cloth, leather straps bound around his thighs and waist, and a pair of black, long gloves… and nothing else.

…

No, no, no, he didn’t have the balls to walk outside in that alone… at least, not right now. He had to practice his kagura, too, so he’d quickly find his way to the nearest stage which was located at one of Hargeon’s humorful theatres. There, he busted the doors open and walked up to the stage with a stern, strong look on his face as if he was condensing all the focus he had in him…

Only for him to notice that someone else was already occupying the stage. “U-Uh?! Crap, I meant to surprise you al- wait a second… ohhhhhh, h-hey there! You must be new around here!” Why was Daiko so confident, you may ask?

Well, he chickened out and attached black leggings for modesty…

WC: 981

Nat hadn't spent much time in his pose but he could feel the strain on his shoulders begin to kick in, while nothing out of the ordinary it did finally feel as though his body was waking up. The nerves twinged under the pressure of his own body weight and his legs folded into a lotus position, arms lowering him slowly back to the ground as he sat(?) in a headstand. His arms would lay helplessly on the ground for a moment as he connected to the earth, his weight sinking deeper and deeper into the ground yet his body remaining perfectly still. The imagery of his essence, his very life returning to the Earth from which it came only so be refilled with renewed, fresh energy brought a sense of peace and well being to him.

Dropping all worldly worries he felt himself become lost yet entirely found within the embrace of the mana that circulated throughout the land. The liveliness and experiences felt by those around him surely made him feel more alive as well, the joy and happiness that sprinkled across the land seeping back into him if not merely metaphorically before the boy opened his eyes again. Exhaling as he enjoyed the sensory information flooding back into him, his limbs returning to life, the smell of cedar flushing the sleep from his system and the sound of the hotel's patrons feeling the air. what filled his eyes was luckily a modestly covered male whose choice of black leggings likely kept this thread from receiving an R rating.

He blinked for a moment, no other response came from the dark haired lad as he took in the male with a curious expression. Within seconds however, the man would proceed to laugh himself out of his position, his genuine glee both annoying and contagious as his hands fell onto his stomach, the back of one hand sitting on his forehead as he convulsed with laughter. "The only person here probably dressed in less than me." He teased, his face bright red from the moments he had just spent rolling about. Picking himself up off the floor he approached the new person, extending a hand in comradery he continued to smile widely. "Nathaniel. I think I also got my costume from the women's section." He added before snickering and returning to the ground to continue laughing at the man who already seemed mildly embarrassed.

It was in good spirits, it was a time to enjoy the company of others and boy was his company something to be enjoyed.

Wha-!

Little rascal. Daiko was taking a huge step in his character development donning this suit, and he wouldn’t have anyone mock him for it! If you wanted to claw down the few breadcrumbs of self-confidence that the powerful Take-Over Mage held in him, then you’d have to drill your way through a wall of steel-hard rage, retribution and words of annihilation- okay, maybe not really… while the strange boy did speak facts, it still made a vein press up on Daiko’s forehead. A finger was raised up to point at the weird tribal guy while Daiko’s angered teeth grinded against each other in a violent hiss: “I’ve taken such a big step… a gigantic step trying to live up to my guild’s flashy reputation – as brain-hemorrhaging as it is – and I won’t have another Worth Woodsea woodlander lookalike tear down my vibe! I can’t afford to lose all those hours of thinking about what to do and how to dress like this, okay?! I know I’m dressed like a topless belly dancer, so what?! Don’t you belittle my efforts, kid! I’m actually very paranoid right now, and I really need to get used to this outfit – sorry if I’m screaming, I don’t know how to calm down right now! IT’S NICE MEETING YOU, THOUGH!!! WHAT’S YOUR NAME?!?!?!”

…

A wave of utter silence… no, not silence, but a wave of distant buzz from Hargeon would fill the theatre for a moment. Daiko was sweating rivers, and it was written all over his face – he didn’t actually mean to explode like that, he was just caught off guard for a brief moment. Hopefully, the kid wouldn’t have been too scared by his outrage… what if he complained to Alisa?! Ohhhh, Daiko’s butt would’ve been in danger!

“… S-S-Sorr-S-S-Ss-S-sS-o-S-So-S-Sorry… I-I’m Daiko! My guild, Blue Pegasus, is hosting our upcoming festival… say, you do look pretty flashy yourself!”

…

Another wave of relative silence flew through the air, before Daiko was suddenly attacked by a flying creature. It was Coda, his birdy pal, and she was not happy for some reason! Her mighty yellow beak drilled into the poor Fire Mage’s skull, much to his comical despair as he cried out: “S-Sorry, I apologized! I apologized already, please, I mean it! I MEAN IT!”

WC: 382
TWC: 1363

Nathaniel didn't here most of what he had said, his eyes were shut laughing his literal ass off as he failed to notice the back of his costume sticking to a protruding nail from the wooden floor. Rolling to his side the loud sound of fabric tearing would be enough to get the attention of both figures despite the heinous laughing, and most likely snorting, that followed behind it. Nat's hands flew to the ground with a stark moment of realization as he frantically turned to see the damage to his costume only to realize it had only been a small piece of the loin cloth behind him. The fear mostly gone Nathaniel proceeded to return to his laughing state albeit a little less outwardly directed and much more focused on himself as well. This whole situation seemed to fluctuate and so far he was having a blast.

Returning to his full height, he observed as this, bird?, began to attack the gentleman in front of him. Apparently his name was Daiko or something like that, but Nat could likely escape with "he" and "him" titles for a while until he had time to actually gather what had just transpired. He did catch the fact the man was from Blue Pegasus though, that would give him the home court advantage. Nathaniel smiled, a bit apologetically at first, but ultimately he didn't really regret laughing the way he did.

Nat was very big on living his life unapologetically, so even hearing the man say he was sorry didn't really phase him. Maybe fear was something unknown to the bulk of the members in the infinity Wolves, but whatever the reason he was pretty clear in his ability to read the room and this guy seemed to be wildly emotionally unstable. He also seemed to lack a volume control and he did seem to be partly open to conversation though which did make Nathaniel feel happy because there wasn't anything more he enjyoed than a good conversation. Well maybe a fight, but here was neither the time nor place.

Attempting to slide his hands into his pockets before realizing he had no such thing, looking down to his legs as he rubbed them down instead and chuckling to himself as he placed them instead on his hips.

"Tell me then, uhhhh, sir. What exactly should I expect? I've never been to something like this, let alone dress like this so uh...what would you recommend?" He questioned, tilting his head as he let the moment passby and refused to hang on his costume for much longer.

WC: 443
Total: 1200 (I'm amazing for getting this perfectly)

… For a second, Daiko thought that the kid was about to ruin his entire outfit. That tearing sound was way louder than the actual result that made the sound, but it ended up with both of them kind of having a laugh. Even Coda was chirping happily, having forgotten her act of vengeance and justice against Daiko’s skull. However, while the stunt the kid committed was commendable – was it even a stunt? – Daiko’s attention was quickly aimed at something a bit more relevant…

“Expect? Well, lots of flashiness, surely!” he laid out the framework to this… woodland-dressed e-elf-kid? Honestly, the pyromage had no clue whether the inspiration behind the lad’s garments was the northern woodlands or the elven cultures, but props for effort… also-

Recommend? Was he willing to participate in the parade, too? That did give Daiko an idea, and he was willing to share it with the strange woodkid as he held up a finger: “How about a dance? They told me dancing would likely be the main attraction, so if you got some moves to show, then now’s a better time than ever!” Of course, Daiko had witnessed the other members of Blue Pegasus dance, and let’s just say… it was spicy.

But did he have the guts? Hell no! That was why he intended to manifest wings for his dance, instead.

Coda, on the other hand, had trouble trying to figure out how to perform. Their original plan was to have Coda carry a long thread weaved with flowers and fly around people, thus entangling them in the symbols of spring and fruition – y’know, some pretty stuff and that. However, lately she had become quite… blank?

To explain it further, imagine asking someone to deliver a mail to a certain address. Once the task has been given to a mailman, they head out of the mail house and are about to approach their car, but lo and behold, something snaps in their head and they completely forgot what they were about to do. Therefore, the mailman returns to the mail house and asks to have their task repeated to him, but every time they approaches the car, their mind just… zones out of existence, then zooms back into their skull and they have lost all recollection of what the hell they were about to do. The boss would definitely lose patience with a mailman this lost, and Daiko found himself in the same situation… but there was a sharply clear reason why Coda lost focus so many times.

… He believed that it was mating season for her species. Something about Coda made her pay far more attention to the alluring beauties in his guild, thus completely ignoring the pleads of her falconer in exchange for rubbing her face, beak and body up against Alisa and the other girls. Daiko, being beyond lost at the sight of Coda and her jumping out of her closet, had tried to retrain her by giving her simple fetching quests by picking up bait, lunging them at long distances and commanding Coda to pick them up. 95% of the time, she began pecking holes in his skull and retreated back to her peers.

Listen, Coda couldn’t help her interests – Daiko should know, for he had quite the love issues himself lately. However, if it was compromising her ability to execute her missions, then what the hell was he supposed to do?! He wanted her to impress everyone at the Mardi Gras – she couldn’t bail just now, even if her ovaries were demanding some heated action! T-Then again, he didn’t have it in him to talk with his guildmates about it… yet, dunno, it just felt like such a weird topic. He had to know just how he was going to lay it out.

Why was Coda being such a troublemaker? She used to be so cuter…

WC: 647
TWC: 2010