[Mkguild] The Harvest Festival (16/20)

[Hallan Mirayas]

-------

 =


Sunday

 =


-------

 =


   Alexis circled high
above Metamor, frustration setting in as she scanned the crowds below. "One
would think a snow-white samoyed would be easy to spot," she grumbled
after a third false alarm. She had been all over the Keep this morning, and=
 got
nothing but a long walk for her trouble and a bump into a broad-shouldered
white tiger. Then she'd been down to the fields at the base of Metamor Ridg=
e,
thinking that the next likeliest place to find him, among all the games of
strength and speed. She had no luck there, either, just a white-furred bear
Keeper and a stoat gone into his winter coat early. Then, finally, she spot=
ted
him watching her from the curtain wall. He was seated between the parapets,
dressed in the brown vest and pants she had picked out as part of his new
wardrobe. They were a little plain for her tastes, but he had wanted someth=
ing 'practical',
and she had to admit they looked nice on him. His sandal-shod feet hung over
the edge, and a book of some sort lay on the raised section next to him, wh=
ile
a brown pack sat next to his side. It looked like he was writing something,
though she couldn't make out what from this distance.

 =


   Below, Drift smiled
as he saw his lady love arc toward him, gliding downward, and he kept sketc=
hing
the shapes of her wings as she curved in flight, his hand darting over
occasionally to jot notes in the margin. When she got close, he closed the =
book
and set it aside, and then got up and braced to catch her. His knowing smile
vanished abruptly into surprised confusion when she instead pulled up sharp=
ly
at the last moment, flaring her wings and touching down in a dainty landing
just a foot away.

 =


   Alexis completed
his befuddlement by leaning forward and planting a sweet little kiss square=
 on
his nose. "Good morning, handsome," she said, still nose to nose with
Drift, before breaking into a rogueish grin. "Do you know how much I love
it when you flex like that?"

 =


   Drift pointed a
finger at Alexis and stammered, his brain misfiring as at least five differ=
ent
sentences tried to come out of his mouth at the same time. "I=85 you=85 how=
=85
what=85" An extra long pause followed and then, when she playfully reached
out and gave his bicep a squeeze, an indignant "Hey!" as her
well-practiced landing finally registered.

 =


   Alexis laughed
until tears of mirth flowed, until she had to sit down on the parapet wall =
or
risk collapsing. Wiping her eyes and speaking between giggles, she said, "O=
h,
the look on your face!" before bursting out into fresh gales of laughter.

 =


   "So how long
have you been playing me along that you can't land without crashing?" he
asked, his disgruntled frown marred by Alexis' infectious grin. He held up a
warning finger as she started to reply and said, "And no saying 'that
would be telling', or you don't get the treat I bought for you."

 =


   That strange threat
got Alexis' full attention, and the bat leaned forward in curiousity. "Trea=
t?
What treat?" When the only reply she got was an impassive stare, she
huffed a pout. "Oh, alright," she said, furling her wings and
crossing her arms in an overplayed sulk. "I've known how to land for a
long time. You're just much more fun as a landing zone." She wagged a
finger at the samoyed and continued, "And that was nowhere near as easy as
I made it look. I still crash a lot. Landings are hard."

 =


   Drift smiled. "There
now, was that so difficult?" he asked as he stooped down, producing a
large, ripe orange from his pack and holding it out to Alexis. "As
promised.."

 =


   Alexis' face lit
up, every trace of her sulk vanishing as her crossed arms sprang loose in
delight. "Eeee! My favorite! You remembered!" she cried, snatching up
the orange with both hands. Much to Drift's surprise, she then bit into the
rind, spat it out, and gleefully buried her muzzle deep in the pulp. "Mmmmm=
=85
yummy," she purred as the sweet juice flowed. "Where did you get
this?"

 =


  Drift grinned, his
tail wagging with pleased amusement. "That would be telling."

 =


   The fruit bat
looked up, her indignant expression ruined by the juice dripping off her ch=
in. "Hey!
That's my line!"

 =


   Drift laughed. "Weren't
you the one, just last night, saying not to give away a source?" The pout
she gave as a reply just made him laugh harder. "And aren't you supposed
to peel an orange before you eat it?"

 =


   Alexis stuck out
her tongue and replied, "I'm a busy woman, and this is too good to wait."
They both sat down, Alexis still sucking and squeezing the juice out of the
orange until she spotted Drift putting his book away. Without looking up, s=
he
said, "Drift, thank you so much for this orange, and for trying to be
sneaky with the distraction, but if you put that book away without showing =
me
what you were writing, I'm going to have to squeeze the rest of it out on y=
our
head."

 =


   Startled by the odd
threat, Drift paused in the process of tying the pack's flap shut. "What?"

 =


   Alexis paused to
lick her lips. "Actually, I really don't want to waste such a good orange.
Yum." She winked. "Besides, you're so cute when you're trying to be
sneaky, so I guess I can't fault that. How about this, instead: let me see,=
 and
I'll help you prank Wolfram."

 =


   "I thought you
said you didn't want to get involved," Drift hedged, remembering a certain
portrait he'd drawn. "That it was 'too simple a challenge'."

 =


   "Everything
has its price, my dear," she said, pausing to spit out another piece of
rind. "Everything. My price for helping you win your amusing little prank
war is to see what's in that book and find out why you keep blushing whenev=
er I
mention it." She smiled, licking a few sticky-sweet drops from her muzzle
fur. "Just like you're doing right now."

 =


   "And if I
refuse?"

 =


   "Then Wolfram
gets to continue laughing at your attempts. Honestly, Edward, 'bet you can't
fit your horns through that hole'?"

 =


   Drift winced. "That,
I admit, was not one of my better ideas."

 =


   "And the stink
bomb you fumbled?"

 =


   Drift winced a
second time and covered his eyes with his hand. "Okay, okay-"

 =


   "And the snare
you caught your own foot in?" the fruit bat asked, chuckling in between
licking her fingers clean and setting the remnants of the orange to the sid=
e.

 =


   "That was
-not- my fault!" Drift snapped, thumping his hand on the parapet. "Somebody
moved it to the other side of the table, and-" He paused to give his
stinging hand a shake before continuing. "Ow. And tied the other end to
the tablecloth."

 =


   Alexis smiled, an
expression of sweet innocence. "And, of course, one mustn't forget the
noodle incident."

 =


   Drift leapt to his
feet, ears down and arms flung wide in frustration. "I keep -telling-
people, it was that bratty blond kid and his tiger friend! Why doesn't-"

 =


   The instant that
the samoyed moved, Alexis reached across and plucked the book from his pack=
. "Oh,
I believe you, dear," she said with a mischievous chuckle. "I just
wanted you to stand up." Holding it out of his reach off the ramparts when
he tried to snatch it back, she playfully admonished him. "No, no, no,"
she said, the trio of 'no's almost sounding sung as she wagged a finger in
front of his nose. "While I applaud you for keeping your purchase of this
absolutely -gorgeous- ring out of the rumor mill for as long as you did, you
couldn't possibly be so cruel as to expect me not to want to find out more =
when
you do something interesting right in front of me, could you?" Ducking her
fingers under his chin, she grabbed hold of a pinch of fur and pulled his h=
ead
down for a long, intoxicating kiss. After several long moments, she pulled =
back
and smiled at the dazed samoyed and his slightly goofy-looking grin. "I
didn't think so," she continued with an impish grin of her own, setting
the book on her lap and flipping back the cover in the few moments it took =
him
to recover. Several pages turned at the same time, suggesting that the book=
 had
been opened many times to the page that showed, and for considerable durati=
on.
Alexis' eyes widened and she smiled in a direct mirror to Drift's groan. "W=
ell,
well, well=85 I'm glad you caught my good side," she said in a teasing purr.
Her teasing stopped, however, when she flipped through the next several pag=
es.
Her brow furrowed at all the drawings of her wings, drawn in different
positions, notes jotted in small script beside each regarding what each wing
position was used for, guesses on the significance of her wing spar
positioning, and other such information. "I'm impressed, Drift," she
noted as she flipped a page. "You have a surprisingly good eye and memory."
On the last page of drawings was a half-finished sketch of=85 something. It=
 was a
generally triangular frame of lean metal tubes, drawn in several configurat=
ions
and angles of spread. She flipped back, past the grand drawing of herself, =
and
new shapes flitted across the pages. Unlike the later drawings, these seemed
more random, not linked in focus like the wing sketches. "Drift=85 what is =
this?"
she asked, looking up at the embarassed samoyed.

 =


   With a sigh, Drift
sat back down and took the book from her. "This is my idea book, Alexis. I'=
ve
had it since I was ten. Whenever an interesting idea pops into my head, I t=
ry
to draw it, to figure out how it might work." He shrugged. "Sometimes
I manage to figure it out, sometimes I don't."

 =


   "How do you
come up with these things?" she asked as she snuggled up against him,
hooking her left arm through his right and nestling her hand inside his.

 =


   "Most of the time, it's just a matter of
sitting and watching." Drift looked off into the distance, his eyes not
really focusing on anything. "Listening to that little voice inside you.
Visualizing things in your mind, taking them apart, and trying to fit them =
back
together in new or different ways. That waterwheel over there at the mill, =
for
example," he said, pointing down Metamor Ridge to the river below. "What
if it pushed the water instead of the other way around? Say you hooked it u=
p to
a really big crank, or maybe a treadmill. I don't know. -Something- to make=
 it
turn faster than the water. Wouldn't it then push the water, like a continu=
ous
series of paddles?"

 =


   Alexis reached over
and flipped a few pages to a drawing of a ship with waterwheels attached to
either side. "Is that what inspired this?"

 =


   Drift nodded. "Yeah.
I was out fishing near the mill with my sister when that one hit me. Our ca=
noe
didn't quite qualify as a ship, but still=85" Continuing on, he pointed to a
smaller drawing in a corner. "I came up with this little scribble a month
ago, just from pondering this page. That's a long oar with paddles on each =
end,
for when you're canoeing alone, but maybe it would work better with a small=
er
craft." He pointed to a small boat next to the paddle, thin, with pointed
bow and stern, almost half the size of the canoe drawn next to it, and his
mouth quirked into a self-deprecating smile. "If I swam better, I'd try
experimenting to see if it worked, but since I really don't feel like drown=
ing=85"

 =


   An hour passed before he had explained all of
the drawings to Alexis' satisfaction, and she seemed amused that Drift was
trying to use her wing pattern to create a flying machine. "I won't say it's
impossible," she said, "since we live in a place where so many 'impossible'
things happen, but I do hope you'll be careful. I really don't want you
splattering yourself all over the landscape."

 =


   "I really don't
want myself splattered all over the landscape, either," Drift replied
wryly, and closed his book. "Okay, Alexis. I've showed you my idea book.
What do you have in mind for Wolfram?"

 =


   "Well,"
she wheedled, with a playful sidelong glance, "given that I had to trick
you and swipe the book out of your pack myself=85"

 =


   "Alex."

 =


   "Oh, all
right." She explained her plan, keeping her eyes on the people passing
below.

 =


   Drift's eyes
widened as she spoke, and his tail thumped silent laughter on the parapet
stones. "That's really evil, Alexis."

 =


   The fruit bat
polished the claws of her right hand on her blouse and held them out to adm=
ire
the glittering sapphire ring on her finger. With a smug little grin, she
replied, "I know. It's what I do."

 =


   Drift put his book
away and started to get to his feet. "I should get moving if I want to get
everything together in time for the pie-eating competition-"

 =


   "Relax,"
Alexis said, reaching up and grabbing hold of Drift's wrist. "I put things
in motion the moment you agreed."

 =


   Drift, startled,
sat back down without a fuss. "You did? How?"

 =


   Alexis' brown eyes
sparkled with mischievous glee as she leaned into the samoyed's side, snugg=
ling
in with a wing around his waist. "That would be telling."

 =


   "I'll take my
ring off if you do."

 =


   Alexis burst out
laughing. "You -can- be taught!" she exclaimed in delight. Waiting
until he took his ring off, she snuggled in closer, and then held her hand =
up
again to admire her own ring. "That's how."

 =


   Drift blinked, not
understanding. "That's how what?"

 =


   "That's how I
set the plan in motion," Alexis replied. "By admiring my ring."
Feeling Drift's irritation through tensing muscles, she coached, "Come on,
Drift, put that clever mind to use. I'm not going to spoon-feed you the ans=
wer."

 =


   Drift pondered,
unfocused eyes drifting over the crowds filtering through the fairgrounds.
Suddenly, what he was looking at clicked with what Alexis said, and his head
jerked up in surprise. "You signaled someone watching, didn't you?"

 =


   Alexis rubbed a
hand over the samoyed's back in reward. "Very good. And?"

 =


   Drift's brow furrowed,
his lips pursing in a hint of disappointment. "So -that- person is going
to prank Wolfram? Ow! Alex!"

 =


   "And you were
doing so well," Alexis sighed as she brushed Drift's fur back down where
she'd pinched his side. "Don't backslide. Didn't I say I wasn't going to
spoon-feed you?"

 =


   "That hurt!"

 =


   "Now, now. Don't
lose focus because of a little pinch."

 =


   Drift grumbled,
rolling his shoulder back and forth to stop the tingling. "'Little pinch',
my fuzzy white butt." He jumped. "Ow!"

 =


   The bat giggled and
moved her hand back to Drift's side, massaging where she'd pinched the first
time. "-That- I'll do for free. You were saying?"

 =


   "I don't
remember," Drift replied, rubbing his backside and watching her out of the
corner of his eye, his expression equal parts disgruntled and rueful. "Some=
body
-pinched- me. Hard. Twice."

 =


   "I signaled
someone, but not so -they- could go prank Wolfram," she reminded. "Why?"

 =


   "So=85 that
person could go get what's needed and bring it here?"

 =


   "Not here. A
drop spot- someplace he can leave it so we can pick it up later. Why?"

 =


   Drift thought about
that for a moment, came to an unwelcome conclusion, and put a hand to his
forehead. "Please tell me this stuff isn't illegal, Alexis. The Watch
hates me enough already."

 =


   Alexis laughed. "So
suspicious! Don't worry. It isn't, I promise. Now, why a drop spot?"

 =


   "So he won't
be tempted to warn Wolfram and try for a reward?"

 =


   "That's right.
He doesn't even know what we want the materials for, just that he's being p=
aid
to drop them off. A perfectly normal courier job."

 =


   Drift turned to
face her, his eyes questioning and a bit concerned. "Alexis, why are you
doing all this? This seems awfully 'cloak-and-dagger' for a simple prank."

 =


   The fox-bat
grinned. "This will be -anything- but simple, Drift. And I have many
reasons, even beyond my general love of mischief."

 =


   "And they are?"

 =


   Alexis rolled her
eyes, giving Drift one of her most charming smiles. "If we're late to the
pie-eating contest because you want everything explained, it won't be my fa=
ult."

 =


   "Granted,"
Drift replied, and gestured for her to continue.

 =


   "Don't you
trust me?" Canine claws tapped in annoyance on parapet stone, and the
stubborn set of Drift's jaw convinced Alexis to quit playing around. She al=
ways
knew it was time to stop playing when he got that look in his eye. "Okay,
okay. One, I want to help you. Not just at this, but with your father, too.=
 I
figured if I could pull this off cleanly enough, you'd change your mind abo=
ut
letting me help you search."

 =


   Drift took Alexis'
left hand in both of his, cupping it so the ring shone. "Alexis, I just
don't want you putting yourself in the line of fire. If something were to
happen to you because of that, I=85" He brought her fingers to his lips and
kissed them. "=85I honestly think I would lose my mind. Please, please don'=
t."

 =


   "Even if it
means he never gets caught?" Alexis asked, her ears flipped back in
surprise.

 =


   Drift replied
without a moment's hesitation. "Even then," he said, punctuating it
with a decisive nod.

 =


   Alexis was silent
for a few moments, her eyes wide and her right hand over her heart. "Wow."
Looking into Drift's soulful brown eyes, she found herself at a loss for wo=
rds
for an unprecedented third time in a single 24 hour span.

 =


   Drift reached out
and stroked her cheek, his white fur shining against her rusty red-black. "=
Promise
me you won't make yourself a target, Alexis."

 =


   Still off balance,
Alexis spoke quietly, cupping her hand over his. "You really are something
special, Edward," she said, her voice sounding almost=85 wistful. "Something
precious."

 =


   "Promise me."

 =


   A long pause
followed. "Okay."

 =


   "Thank you."
He paused then, surprised, and nosed her cheek again, his smile turning
mischievous when he recognized a rare chance to tease instead of be teased.=
 "Well,
it's nice to know that I'm not the only one here capable of blushing," he
said. "Still, it's not fair that you can see mine and I have to feel
yours."

 =


   "It's
absolutely not fair," the fox-bat replied. "It's fewer opportunities
for me to run my fingers through your soft, fluffy fur." After Drift's
laughter died down, she continued on with her earlier chain of thought. "My
second reason for doing this is that you weren't the only one Wolfram chall=
enged
the other day."

 =


   "He was
talking to me."

 =


   "It doesn't
matter. Those were brand new clothes he pretended he was upending a chamber=
 pot
on. If our outfits for Misha's dance hadn't been wrapped up, he might have
ruined them." She smiled toothily and rubbed her hands together. "And
lastly, nobody messes with my man but me." She winked. "At least, not
without my expressed permission." Her over-the-top expression got Drift
laughing long enough for her to get to her feet, and she offered him her ha=
nd. "Now
come on, snowpup, or we'll miss our opportunity."

 =


   Xavier smiled when
he saw Drift and Alexis approaching, the bat riding sidesaddle on Drift's t=
aur
back so she could see over the heads of the crowd around the stage, and the
black-furred leopard-man waved the pair over to his booth. Alexis was, as
usual, dressed in close-fitting, colorful clothes sure to set the tongues of
social matrons wagging in muted (and not-so-muted) disapproval, but Drift's
vest, pack, and caparison were all the color of freshly turned earth, and w=
ere
of a conservative enough cut to balance things out. Quite the change from l=
ast
night, the leopard thought in wry amusement. How -had- she gotten him to we=
ar
that outfit on stage? He swallowed that thought, and remarked instead, "Wel=
come,
you two. You're just in time to cheer Wolfram on."

 =


   The big samoyedtaur
thumped his tail against the side of the booth, his grin showing a few more
teeth than Xavier figured he'd intended. "Glad to hear it," Drift
rumbled, his voice always noticeably lower when he was in taurform.

 =


   "Congratulations
on your apprenticeship to Saroth, by the way," Alexis said immediately
after, giving Drift's shoulder a squeeze as if to maintain her balance. "I
just heard about it this morning." The samoyed promptly echoed her
congratulations, his smile mellowing.

 =


   "That's quite
impressive, Alexis," Xavier replied, his ears tipping forward with
curiosity, "given that it was only announced last night."

 =


   "What can I
say?" she replied with an aw-shucks grin and a pleased little toss of her
head. "I am the queen of the rumor mill." She looked Xavier's booth
over, picking up a bottle of the whiskey he, Drift, and Wolfram had brewed.=
 She
opened it, sniffed it, and set it hastily back down to the amusement of bot=
h her
companions. "I don't mean to be rude," she remarked, her voice
contrite, "but it surprises me that you, a nobleman, would be tending shop
like a merchant."

 =


   "I prefer to
think of this as 'tending my investment'," he replied, not offended. "Wolfr=
am
has many talents, but arithmetic is not one of them. Drift is better, but I
know he needed the break after all the work I've wrung out of him. Thank yo=
u,
by the way," he said with a nod to the samoyed, who nodded back. "My
family made much of its recent wealth through merchant trade, so this is not
unfamiliar to me. Also, I would rather not have a middleman taking his cut =
from
the profits of a project started between three friends, so that rules out
selling to another merchant or hiring one to sell for me." He paused to
accept payment from a gray-haired old lion, handed over a bottle, and then
continued. "Lastly, I am not fond of crowds. Too many people, too close
together. Here, I am guaranteed my elbow room," he said, gesturing widely,
and then leaned forward with a playful smile. "Also, I have an excellent
vantage point to watch both of my friends act like crazy fools." He
gestured toward the stage, but his smile and the lightly amused tone of his
voice took any sting out of that remark. "I may have to miss the Duke's
banquet this afternoon, but I'll certainly get my chance for entertainment =
at
the Duke's Ball tonight."

 =


   "Are you
taking Tessa?" Drift asked, but before Xavier could do more than nod, the
announcer on stage called for the pie-eating contest to begin.






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