[Mkguild] The Harvest Festival (1/20)

[Hallan Mirayas]

(If I missed any authors or contributors, just let me know
and I'll make the correction.)


The Harvest Festival

by: Hallan Mirayas,
Chris O'Kane, Charles Matthais, Michael Nastov, Michael Bard, Drake Taggard=
, Tatsushu,
Stephen Tigner, and Oberon Snowcat





Friday

-------

 =


   "Tis not fair!"
Gil sulked upon the walls of the Keep as the two guards the lion-morph and =
his
fellow Avonney had replaced walked off to enjoy the rest of their day.

 =


   "Why, merry,
tis a fair, and thus thy discontent," Rose rejoined, her laugh echoing off
the stones.

 =


   "Aye, for
being posted where we'll have no fare!" grumbled the lion-morph,
apparently unaffected by his friend's good cheer.

 =


   "Think'st thou
only of vittles?" Rose remonstrated.

 =


   "Nay! For
think I, too, of drink," exulted Gil, "or rather drink not drunk."
He added the last with a dejected look.

 =


   Rose cast aside her
own gaze, "And more's the pity, that I give thee." Since she had
found another from her small homeland, she had enjoyed tormenting him; and =
she
was tired of being confused with Steppelanders and their uncouth speech -
couldn't these people tell the difference? But then, the Common tongue was =
so
corrupted here, anyway, that it was hardly unexpected.

 =


   "An' thou
wouldst, I'd be grateful," Gil jabbed, a hint of playfulness returning to
his voice that brought rose out of her own morose state.

 =


   "But thou art
already," Rose noted, and moved a fair-skinned hand to remove the stray
hair that had fallen into her eyes.

 =


   Gil frowned, "Already
what?"

 =


   "A great fool!"
cried Rose

 =


   Gil's frown turned
into a scowl, "Wherefore dost thou injure me so?"

 =


   "'Woe is me!
Woe is me!' Thou dost prattle like a student before his lessons, whilst his
peers do gallavant amongst the fields." Rose laughed briefly, "But
soft, gentle friend, lay aside your complaints and stand this watch through=
 the
festivities with me, for should we shirk our duties it must therefore mean =
we
have but placed our miseries upon another's back. Do this, and I promise yo=
u a
nectar as sweet as you have ever tasted!"

 =


   "I will hold
thee to thy word!" Gil threatened.

 =


   Rose laughed, "T'would
be worth it, an' t'would keep mine ears safe from thy lamentations." She
gestured out over the walls on which they stood and where they could already
see preparations being made below. "Against that time cometh, thy and I
shall upon this wall sit, whence we may partake of such festivities as can =
be
seen."

 =


   The two friends
looked out from the wall to where the other Keepers were preparing for the
Harvest Festival. In Euper and in the Keep, carts laden with vegetables, ne=
wly
picked in the fields, crammed narrow alleyways, while garlands were strewn
about streets and mantles. The smell of baking pies and pastries drifted
through the streets, and men, women, and children were weaving their way de=
ftly
through the preparations. Everything was abustle with activity.

 =


-------

 =


   A badly-soldered
tin cup bounced off the wall next to the door just as Alexis opened it, and=
 the
fox-bat plucked the crumpled ruin out of the air as it fell, bobbling the
still-hot metal back and forth between her claws before setting the cup on a
workbench. "Drift, you're been working on these for three days straight,"
she said, shaking her right hand as if to cool it. "I really think you
need to take a break."

 =


   Drift set his
soldering tool down and massaged his temples, his hands trembling slightly =
from
fatigue. "Ugh. And I thought building the still was hard work. I need
smaller fingers to work on these cups: all this fine work is giving me a
headache, and I still have the etching to do." He stripped off a pair of
protective gloves and slapped them down on the bench, and then ran his fing=
ers
through his thick white mane with a frustrated sigh. "I could really use
the time to practice for the talent show, too, but I need to get these done
before tomorrow. Gotta finish paying Xavier back for his help with the spice
merchant."

"You have good friends," Alexis said as she ran
her fingers over the stack of cups that were already finished, an artful
pyramid occupying most of another workbench. "Still, it looks like you're
doing okay so far, enough to take a break for an hour or two. C'mon, take a
walk with me. We need to pick up your new clothes anyway." She smiled,
stepped in close and stretched up to wrap her arms around his neck. "And
your performing outfit," she added with a sly wink and a kiss.

 =


   "I still can't
believe you talked me into wearing that." Drift shook his head ruefully
and then kissed her back, setting the tool down on his workbench so he could
wrap his own arms around her waist. "Where on earth did you find that
book?" He nuzzled her cheek, inwardly amazed at how comfortable he felt he'd
become with Alexis' forwardness over the past few months. Barely a month ag=
o,
he would have burst into a flaming blush from having Alexis this close, fee=
ling
this good and smelling this nice. He still blushed even now (he wasn't sure=
 he'd
-ever- train himself out of that), but more in appreciation and flattery th=
an
embarrassment. Though with that reaction under control, he was left wonderi=
ng
what his clever and mischievous beloved would try next.

 =


   Alexis smiled and
loosed her arms from around his neck, slipping her right hand into his left=
 and
gently pulling him toward the door. "That would be telling. Now come on=85
we need to make sure everything fits right." When he still hesitated, she
promised, "I'll help you out when we get back. I have smaller hands than
you do, and I learn fast."

Wolfram and Xavier sat at a table on a balcony overlooking
Metamor's market street, eating lunch. "Nice place, Xav," Wolfram
said around a mouthful of food. "And your landlord is a fine cook."

 =


   "Thank you,
Wolfram," the black leopard replied, mopping his lips with a napkin. "Shari=
ng
a lunch is the least I can do for a business partner. Once Drift finishes t=
he
last of the cup caps, we'll be ready for the Festival." The irony of their
partnership, and their friendship, was not lost on him: two people of such
different backgrounds, a coarse farmer's son and a refined nobleman's son,
working together for mutual benefit.

And occasional mutual amusement. Xavier leaned toward the
railing, craning his neck slightly to peer down the street. "Is that Drift
I see coming out of the tailor's shop?"

Wolfram leaned over, too, and his eyes widened as a familiar
fox-bat followed after the samoyed, a smile on her face, and both started to
head their way. "Wow. Alexis -finally- talked him into getting some new
clothes," he said, and the ram's hand closed on the handle of a large
pitcher nearby. "Poor Drift," he continued, watching over the
railing. "Deep in his cups all day and now Alexis springs clothes shopping
on him."

Xavier ignored the drinking insinuation with no more than a
roll of his eyes. "Wolfram, despite what you seem to believe, a steady
romance is not a bad thing. Besides, I've heard a lot of good things about
Farnham's. Rumor has it he's been working with a mage or two on some designs
for taurshifters."

 =


   The ram shook his
head, still watching the pair walk closer. "You couldn't -pay- me to do
that."

 =


   "Do what?"
the leopard-man replied with a wry smirk. "Go clothes shopping with a
steady girlfriend? Have a steady girlfriend in the first place?"

 =


   "Taur shift."
Wolfram lifted the pitcher into position when he deemed Drift and Alexis cl=
ose
enough. "And that other stuff, too, of course."

 =


   Xavier glanced over
the rail and then back at Wolfram. "Are you planning what I think you're
planning?"

 =


   The ram smiled
mischievously. "Of course. Gotta break the new outfit in, y'know."
When Xavier laughed, Wolfram yelled, "'Ware below!" and tossed the
contents over the balcony rail.

 =


   His aim was
perfect, and Drift's outraged yell from below was priceless. "Wolfram, you'=
re
a dead man!!"

 =


   The ram held the
glass pitcher in view over the balcony edge and laughed. "It's only water!"

 =


   Drift set down the
wrapped bundle he was carrying (thankfully, the wrapping was waterproof) and
shook the water from his fur while Alexis shrieked and hid behind an uprais=
ed
wing. The samoyed then glared up at the ram, ears flat as he wrung water fr=
om
his handsome brown vest and trousers. Grinding bared teeth for several mome=
nts,
he growled things better left unheard before jabbing a finger in the ram's
direction and shouting back, "You're still a dead man!"

 =


   While Wolfram tried
to talk Drift out of assault and battery on a grand scale, Xavier watched
Alexis out of the corner of his eye. The bat Keeper was=85 confusing. She'd=
 acted
pleased when she'd heard that Xavier had helped Drift out of that bind with=
 the
spice merchant, but something had rung just slightly false to the leopard's
sharp ears. A hint of reserve. Still, she was normally quite pleasant to be
around and Drift absolutely adored her. A little jealous streak was a small
fault to overlook, and it -had- been Drift who'd approached him for help and
not the other way around.

 =


   That was another
thing that confused him: with how hard Drift worked, why did he need the lo=
an?
Xavier knew it wasn't that building Drift was having built down in Euper th=
at
was tying up the samoyed's funds: Brightleaf's financing of that venture was
common knowledge. But if not that, then what?

 =


   Drift shook his
fist at Wolfram, picking the bundle back up with the other hand. "Just you
wait, Wolfram!" he yelled. "I'll get you yet!"

 =


   Wolfram laughed in
response. "You've been saying that for three months now, Doggy!"

"I will!"

 =


   "And yet, here
I am," Wolfram continued as if he hadn't heard, standing and spreading his
arms wide, "never successfully pranked, still the master!"

 =


   "I -will-!"





















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