[Mkguild] The Harvest Festival (4/20)

[Hallan Mirayas]

-------

 =


   "Oh look at
all the toys!" Sofie exclaimed, pointing. Emma jumped up and down but
couldn't see where her sister pointed. Barrick leaned over and hefted the f=
ive
year old on his shoulder.

 =


   Kendrick turned and
had to jump to see past the tables of trinkets and souvenirs from the south=
ern lands.
In the next street, a southern merchant had erected a huge pavilion filled =
with
little wooden toys. "I don't think we can buy anything," he pointed
out. "We need to save our money for dinner."

 =


   "But Kendrick!"
Sofie begged. "Can't we look?"

 =


   "Yeah, I wanna
look at the toys," Emma whined.

 =


   "Emma,
remember your diction," Brigitt reminded.

 =


   The little girl
nodded, scuffed her shoe, and with lowered eyes repeated herself. "I want
to look at the toys, Kendrick."

 =


   Kendrick nodded his
earless head and did his best to smile. "Okay, we can go look at the toys.
But if you start begging me to buy anything, we'll leave."

 =


   Barrick rolled his
eyes and patted his brother gently on the shoulder. "Good luck sticking to
that one."

 =


   The pavilion was
stretched canvas held up by several poles and illuminated with witchlights.
Tables ran in aisles each stacked with a profusion of wooden toys, and stuf=
fed
dolls. The wooden toys consisted of painted soldiers, many of them done as
animals to look like Keepers, little wagons, hoops, mock swords, and even a=
 few
game boards with finely sculpted pieces. Several other Keepers were browsing
the pavilion, including a mischief of familiar rats.

 =


   As soon as they
arrived, Emma and Sofie darted over to the animal dolls and began picking t=
hem
up and playing with them a little before putting them back exactly where th=
ey
found them. Brigitt sighed, and followed after them, "I'll keep them from
breaking anything," he said, leaving Barrick and Kendrick by the wagons
and swords.

 =


   Barrick picked up
one of the fake swords and it nearly disappeared in his massive paw. "I
remember we used to play soldier when we were little."

 =


   "Back in
Ellcaran," Kendrick replied. He hefted one as well, faintly smiling. "Rodri=
ck
tried to teach us both." His long claws made wielding the sword awkward,
and after a few experimental swings, he set it back on the table. "I don't
think that's going to be my weapon."

 =


   Barrick laughed, a
deep rumbling sound that resounded in his belly. "Mine either. You should
see the sword the Castellan makes me use. It's bigger than you are."

 =


   "Most things
are bigger than I am. Well, except them." He gestured to the rats, one of
whom eyed him meaningfully. There were five rats walking the store, one of =
whom
was dressed in a knightly tabard, while the other four were in more common
clothes. The knight he knew to be Sir Saulius =97 and the tabard had been m=
ade
with Urseil cloth! He knew the other four as well, even if they didn't buy =
from
his father.

 =


   "Let's go see
what they're up to," Kendrick suggested, and started walking around the
tables. The white furred Elliot turned at his approach and grinned, showing=
 off
his huge incisors. A thoroughly gnawed chewstick stuck out of his belt loop.

 =


   "Kendrick!
Your father let you run around today did he?"

 =


   "I minded the
store so well yesterday, Father has entrusted me with showing my siblings
around the festival. What are you five doing here?"

 =


   Elliot gestured at
the tables. "Buying toys! You know Charles, right?" Kendrick nodded.
The former Head of the Writer's Guild had always been a welcome customer at=
 his
father's shop. "Well, he was sent south on some dangerous mission, leaving
his wife and five children all alone in Glen Avery. We're buying some toys =
for the
little ones. Kind of hoping that we'll have the time to go visit her soon a=
nd
spend a week up there with her."

 =


   "That's very
nice of you," Barrick rumbled from behind Kendrick. "I thought he was
only married this year. How does he have five kids already?"

 =


   Sir Saulius turned
and joined Elliot while the other three rats continued selecting toys. Saul=
ius
had several figurines in his paws, a few of them rats, "The children of my
squire and Lady Kimberly wert born as rats, and like rats, born as a litter=
. 'Twas
a wonderful night to be there with good Charles while his children wert bor=
n."
The knight stood a little taller and Elliot began to snicker. "'Twill be
good for them to see that 'tis no bad thing to be a rat. 'Tis an honour
instead!"

 =


   Kendrick chuckled a
bit, a quirky smile creasing his triangular head. "Right, right. Lots of
very nice toys here. I hope whoever brought all of this makes enough to risk
returning."

 =


   Elliot rubbed his
paws together. He alone of the five rats did not have any toys in his arms.
Instead, the money pouch hung from his hip. "I hope that the merchant
decides to stay. I hate giving money to foreigners, but it's for Charles and
Lady Kimberly. I can bend my principles for them."

 =


   Barrick tapped
Kendrick on the shoulder. "It looks like Emma is trying to race off in a
wagon. Excuse me."

 =


   Kendrick turned and
watched Sofie pushing a wagon, inside of which sat Emma squealing in deligh=
t.
Brigitt ran after them, and now so did Barrick. A man dressed in plain clot=
hes
with greying beard and hair shouted after them =97 the merchant, Kendrick
guessed.

 =


   "Erick!"
Julian called, "Tell me what you think of this one!"

 =


   Sir Saulius
inclined his head to Kendrick, "Give my regards to thy father, good
Kendrick." The knight turned around, long tail swishing back and forth,
and walked over to where Julian held up a toy figurine of a ballista.

 =


   Elliot nodded and
stepped a bit closer to Kendrick, reached into his money pouch, and pulled =
out
a few coins. "Here, that should be enough for the wagon. Bring the change
with you later."

 =


   "Later?"
Kendrick asked, heart trembling because he knew what that meant.

 =


   "Yes. There's
a wine merchant from Braasem who is selling very cheap wine for very exorbi=
tant
prices two streets over. We certainly don't need his business here at Metam=
or.
He's staying at the Shoeshine Inn. Ten suns will be enough."

 =


   Kendrick frowned
and nodded. "Anywhere special?"

 =


   "The usual
place." Elliot grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Have fun at
the Festival!"

 =


   Kendrick nodded and
sauntered over to the distraught merchant. He waved the money in the man's =
face
for several seconds before catching his attention. "I think we'll be
buying the wagon."

 =


-------

 =


   "Hiya, cutie!"

 =


   Drift spun, grabbed
Alexis mid-tackle, and whirled round to dissipate her momentum. "Hey,
gorgeous," he replied, kissing her warmly.

 =


   "Aww=85 I miss
the dinner plate eyes," Alexis pouted as she wrapped him in her wings,
under his arms. She snuggled him close, backing him against the cart full of
tin cups the samoyed had been pushing, and tucked her head under his chin w=
ith
a wistful sigh. "Oh, well." She grinned and tweaked his rump. "I
guess I'll just have to suffer in fluffy luxury."

 =


   Blushing vividly,
and with an embarrassed (but not unappreciative) smile, Drift said, "Um,
Alex, people are watching." His fingers twitched on her shoulders, as if
not quite sure whether to wrap her close or nudge her back.

 =


   Alexis moved her
leg from between his and stepped back just enough to get Drift's ears to st=
op
flitting around. "Oops," she replied with an impish smirk, unabashed.

 =


   Drift's tail
swished, and he leaned down to kiss her, touching her nose with the tip of =
his
tongue. "Thank you. You know how I feel."

 =


   Heaving a long sigh
of resignation, Alexis ruffled her clawtips through Drift's thick neckfur. =
"Yes,
yes, I know. I still say you're being silly." Drift kissed her again, and
she smiled. "Okay, handsome, bribe accepted. And you can't blame a girl
for trying, with such an obvious temptation." She toyed with his fur a bit
more before asking, "Have you given any thought to my offer?"

 =


   "Yes, I have.
Thank you, but the answer's still no. Finding my father's killer is my duty,
not yours. If you come across any information, tell me, but I don't want you
hunting him yourself."

 =


   Alexis shook her
head with a resigned sigh. "You proud, stubborn man. What -am- I going to
do with you?" She shook her head again and let him go. "You be
careful at the talent show tonight. You promised me a dance at Misha's part=
y,
and you can't do that if you wind up in the infirmary again."

 =


   Drift nuzzled her
nose and smiled. "Don't worry, love. I've already taken care of it: I
picked up a potion from Pascal yesterday, just for that purpose. You have f=
un
shopping, and I'll see you tonight." He watched her walk until she was out
of sight, a lopsided, dreamy grin on his face, before self-consciously
adjusting his rumpled tunic and pushing the cart down the street. As he pas=
sed
a rain barrel, he fished a cup out of the cart and dipped out a cold cupful,
dumping it on his head. "Whew." He hung the cup off the side of the
cart to dry, shook the water off, and then broke into a smile as he patted =
his
chest pocket, making sure of the precious item inside. "Yes. Tonight will
be perfect."

 =


   Xavier looked up
from a thin accounting ledger when Drift approached. Noting the water dripp=
ing
from the samoyed's head fur, he nudged Wolfram=85 who promptly started laug=
hing. "Alexis
again?" the black leopard asked over the ram's laughter.

 =


   "Yeah."
Drift stowed the cart of cups in the back of the stall, and then flumped do=
wn
in a chair. "Sweet Yahshua. I'm never going to make it to the wedding."

 =


   The ram snickered. "I
told you. You should wear that ring-"

 =


   "No, Wolfram."

 =


   "It'd keep you
nice and cool down-"

 =


   "-No-,
Wolfram."

 =


   "Leave him be,
Wolfram," Xavier said, rolling his eyes at the ram's ribald humor and
returning his attention to the ledger. "It is his choice, and his
standards."

 =


   "Just ask her,
Drift," Wolfram advised, dropping the teasing. "Save yourself the
torture."

 =


   "That's the
plan," the samoyed said with a smile.

 =


   "When?"

 =


   Drift's smile
widened. "Tonight."

 =


   Both black-furred
Keepers looked up from their work, startled. Xavier's pen dropped unnoticed
onto the ledger and left a shapeless blot of ink. The leopard finally repli=
ed
after a long moment. "You're kidding."

 =


   Drift leaned back
in his chair, grinning wider still, arms crossing behind his head. "Tonight.
On stage, after my act. I already have the ring in my pocket."

 =


   Wolfram laughed his
approval. "It's about time! Now, don't just sit there, show us the ring!"

 =


   With a shake of his
head, Drift replied, "No. You'll see it when everybody else does."

Xavier and Wolfram shared a dubious glance before advancing
in unison on their friend. Ignoring the dog-man's protests, Wolfram caught
Drift in a headlock with the swiftness of long practice, while Xavier rifled
through the samoyed's pockets. "Ah, here we-" The leopard cut off
with a sharp whistle of admiration through loosely closed teeth and held the
ring up for the ram to see. "Look at this, Wolfram," he said,
impressed.

 =


   "Wow, Xav. Now
I know where all the money from that canteen order went. Any bets on whether
she'll still be able to fly with those rocks weighing her down?"

 =


   "No takers
here," the leopard replied, turning the silver ring to see the morning
light sparkle in the deep blue sapphire embedded in it. His eyes widened as,
within the gem, a six-pointed star gleamed in the sunlight. Even the two sm=
all
diamonds flanking that gem did not diminish its beauty. "How did you get
that star to appear in it, Drift? I've never seen the like."

 =


   "Let me go and
give me back my ring, or they'll never find the bodies!" Drift threatened
from under Wolfram's arm, futilely flailing his arms in a struggle to get
loose. "I know where you both sleep!" He coughed and pulled on
Wolfram's wrist, trying to pry the arm from around his neck. "And for
mercy's sake, Wolfram, would it kill you to bathe every once in a while? Wh=
at
were you doing, wrestling a-"

 =


   "Excuse me?"
asked a voice from the booth's window.

 =


-------

 =


   Kendrick was
fortunate that in addition to the wine merchant from Braasem, there were
several booths of games suitable for Emma and Sofie to play two streets from
the toy seller. On the way over, Emma rode in the wagon they'd bought, exce=
pt
when she wanted to pull it along. She kept Kendrick's ridiculous charcoal
portrait inside, though she was very careful not to smudge it when she rode.

 =


   When they reached
the street with the wine merchant, Kendrick immediately turned his sisters
towards the two booths opposite. The first was run by an equine Keeper he d=
idn't
recognize, and featured wooden rings that were to be tossed over narrow mugs
and tankards. The object was to have the ring land around one of the mugs. =
He
charged only a single copper to play, but would pay a silver to anyone who
could make a ring.

 =


   The second booth
was run by a woman who was probably a Keeper too judging by her buxom
appearance. She invited them to attempt to toss coins onto tiny glass platt=
ers.
She had a collection of toys arrayed around the table, and anyone who could=
 do
it was given one of their choice.

 =


   Kendrick gave the
girls ten coppers each, and wished them luck. He would be very surprised if
either of them won anything. He remembered playing such games in Ellcaran a=
nd
almost never winning anything. Those Keepers were going to win far more than
they lost, but so long as the money stayed in the Valley, like Elliot the r=
at,
he didn't mind.

While Barrick and Brigitt cheered his sisters on, Kendrick
cast his studious gaze upon the wine merchant. How he wished his eyesight w=
as
better, as he had to squint the whole time to make out any details.

 =


   The merchant was an older man with long grey
beard, and he dressed after the fashion of a southerner. His voice was deep=
 and
melodious, and he invited all to sample his choicest of wines. Kendrick
listened for a bit, noting the wine he offered as a sample, and the wines he
actually sold. He was not surprised to learn that he'd sold out of his samp=
le
wine. Most likely, it was the only decent wine in his collection, and proba=
bly
not even his.

 =


   Kendrick patted
Barrick on the arm and said, "I'm going to try some of that merchant's
wine. I can't get the scent out of my nose."

 =


   Barrick nodded. "I'll
keep an eye on the girls."

 =


   Kendrick waddled
over on his short legs, long tail curling behind him. The merchant didn't
notice him at first, too busy scamming a dog out of his money. The hound ha=
nded
over a full sun for a pair of bottles. Kendrick tapped his claws together,
watching the merchant slip the money beneath his robes. His money pouch jan=
gled
with the coins.

Kendrick glanced quickly at the booth. Apart from the row of
wine casks, he didn't see much else there. No sign of a money chest. With h=
is
toe claws, he prodded underneath the cloth railing at the front of the boot=
h.
He walked around, feeling dirt and the slats holding the stand up, and then=
 he
found it. He traced the bottom of one foot over the money chest, feeling the
iron frame and wooden side walls. It was a type commonly used throughout the
Midlands.

 =


   "Is there
something I can do for you, good sir?" the merchant asked, noticing him
for the first time. "Would you care for a bottle of the finest wine of
Braasem? Not a one of these is less than five years old, fermented from the
finest peaches and pears that Braasem has to offer. A delicacy that will be
soon gracing the table of your very own Duke Thomas Hassan I wager!"

 =


   Kendrick seriously
doubted that, and even considered smirking. But he didn't know if this
charlatan had been to Metamor before. It was easy to fool newcomers, but af=
ter
a few days, even the foreign merchants started to learn what his facial
expressions meant.

Instead, he did his best to sound impressed. "Truly,
your wine is of such quality? I thought wines were made only with grapes."

 =


   The merchant smiled
that inviting grin he'd seen a hundred times on others of his ilk. Though
everything about the man looked refined and expensive, Kendrick could see t=
he
inferior weave in his clothes, and even noted a few loose threads hidden in=
 the
folds. Here was a man robbing foolish Keepers blind. He was surprised that
Elliot had only asked for ten suns.

 =


   As the merchant
proceeded to explain to Kendrick things he already knew about wine, and some
things he knew were simply fanciful, Kendrick nodded eagerly, trying his be=
st
to look impressed. After a minute of bravado, it was time to hook his fish.=
 "Really?"
Kendrick said. "Well, I don't know. Do you think I could taste some first?"

 =


   "Of course. I
have a bottle open already. Let me pour you a little sip that you might sav=
or
its refined palette."

 =


   The bottle was
half-empty, but its shade was slightly darker than the rest of the wines. He
suspected it was at least ten years older than anything else this merchant
sold. The merchant poured a mouthful into a small cup, and then handed the =
cup
to Kendrick. Taking it carefully in his paws, he lifted it to his snout and
slurped it with his tongue. The merchant didn't even flinch.

 =


   The wine had a
heady aroma of peaches, but it was only after letting it settle in his thro=
at
did he notice the blend of plum and pear mixed in. It burned all the way do=
wn,
and he was left with the flavor of too ripe peaches as an aftertaste. Smoot=
h,
with only a hint of bitterness, Kendrick judged it to be an excellent wine.=
 At
least this charlatan knew what a good wine was, he had to give him that.

 =


   Kendrick nodded and
passed it back. "That was most excellent. Anyone tasting that will surely
want more. Tell me, do you have any of that flavor available?"

 =


   The merchant
gestured at the rest of his wares. "I have many more flavors available,
each as exquisite as what you just sampled. Of this, I fear it is my last, =
but
I will return next year with more."

 =


   He rubbed his claws
together and then shook his head, the plate-like scales on his back rasping
against his shirt. "I really want that flavor. Surely you have more of
that somewhere."

 =


   "Sadly, I fear
not. But this brand here has a similar blend of peach and pear. I'm sure you
will find it even more to your taste."

 =


   "Nae, thank
you though. I must decline. I want what you offered me to drink."

 =


   The merchant's lips
pulled down in a frown. "But this is very close."

 =


   "I'd need to
taste it to be sure."

 =


   "You cannot
expect me to open any bottle you wish to taste! I can only open them if you
pay."

 =


   Kendrick knew that
was reasonable, but if this were an honest merchant, he wouldn't offer a sa=
mple
wine he didn't intend to sell. So he smiled and stepped back. "Thank you,
good sir, but I must decline. Eli go with you."

 =


   The merchant
continued to scowl, but as soon as Kendrick had turned around, the man resu=
med
trying to lure others more foolish than he.

 =


   When he came back
to his family, he found Sofie jumping up and down. The woman handed her a p=
lush
bear with buttons for eyes. She hugged it and showed it first to Barrick, a=
nd
then to Kendrick. "I did it! I did it! Look what I won!"

 =


   "I want to win
too!" Emma complained, her lips turned down in a pout.

 =


   Kendrick laughed
and patted her on the shoulder. "There are plenty of other contests left.
Let's go see what we can find, shall we? Here, climb in the wagon and I'll =
push
you along." That cheered her up.

 =


   Together, they
continued down the street, Sofie hugging her bear, Emma hugging her knees a=
nd
shouting, "Faster! Faster, Kendrick!" Behind them, Barrick and
Brigitt laughed.
















_________________________________________________________________
See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part of =
your life.
http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.integral.org/archives/mkguild/attachments/20080914/f16318=
1d/attachment-0001.htm