193

Chapter 193 : Festival (1)

The further the group of seven walked, the more festivities they ran into. Despite the twilight causing a sense of impending darkness, magical lights and even torches lit up the broad, cobblestone streets of Grenvale. The houses and shops along the way were fully invested in the festivities with obvious nods to the Halloween holiday of old. Candles and ethereal lights adorned several windows, giving the glow of twilight its own appeal. Along with that, the time of the year allowed for a “sweet spot” temperature. This was fortunate, because otherwise Agni would have been feeling a bit nippy.

Along with the decor which set the mood, the streets were filled with sights and sounds of various types. Most prevalent was the scent of food wafting through the air. Foods of all types. Various street stalls, stands and carts could be found every dozen paces, all participating in friendly competition with one another. Criers and petitioners, all organized to recruit any and all to try their viddles, lined the sides of the street as well.

Occasionally Katrin saw a trinket which caught her eye, usually something antique or enchanted that she stopped to look at. Once Agni saw all there was to do and see, it was no wonder Katrin rushed her earlier. Accessories, clothing, even general goods like potions, poultices and weaponry. There was something for everyone. In fact, the urge to shop was so strong within Agni that she was beginning to regret her lack of funds.

Aside from the dangerous rescue mission into the last red shard, Agni had done little by way of grinding or building up her funds.

“Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.” Shula begged Katrin shamelessly and without reservation as she pointed towards a nearby stand selling what appeared to be ice cream. The delightful desert was particularly aromatic, causing Agni’s mouth to salivate as she inhaled deeply.

“Fine, fine. “ Katrin said as Shula led her away by the arm. For a moment Agni struggled with the feelings welling up from within her heart.

*What about me? I want some...whatever that is.* She thought.

Thankfully, Katrin turned to ask, “Are you coming?” just a few steps later. Agni suddenly felt stupid, more vestiges of an older life where she had fewer friends, and therefore fewer people to rely on.

As she took in the sight of Katrin’s rooted stance, while Shula attempted to drag her towards the ice cream stall. She seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself, her expression conveyed as much. It was a feeling moment, one that Agni felt inclined to etch upon her heart. She’d allowed a dozen such tender moments to escape her in a past life. She’d long since learned the value of poignancy, the recognition and delicacy of it.

Once again, for the umpteenth time, the Succubus made a mental note to just cherish the now as she practically hop-skipped towards Katrin and Shula. Moments later, courtesy of a treat from Katrin, Shula and Agni both were like two happy peas in a pod. Taking a place at a nearby bench, the trio enjoyed their delicious snacks while everyone else chatted or explored the nearby area.

Agni could scarcely contain her delight. In fact, the thought of doing so even seemed strange to her at this point. She was very good at self analysis--or so she thought. Even she had come to realize the natural sense of hesitation, of holding back that she had come to cultivate. It was second nature to her, to watch or observe -- to decide then act. But on days like today, she truly realized all she had come to forsake over the years. The feeling of unfettered, unrestrained excitement. The simple joy of eating delicious food, which caused her to swing her feet to and fro -- as if she was a child again. Happy, living in and enjoying the moment to the fullest. One of thousands of opportunities that, however small, she would have never allowed herself to experience fully.

As the cool, sherbet-like taste of alcohol and fruit danced across her tongue Agni tilted her head to and fro to an imaginary beat. Shula seemed to enjoy it just as much as she did.

“I’ve never seen two people so happy to eat ice cream.” Gates said with a chuckle. He then looked over and noticed Gigi was practically doing the same as she sipped on a mug of--something.

“Oh, nevermind.”

Overall, the group took their time as they moved, partaking of the stalls and vendors they found interesting. Along the way Merri and Ariadna bought some rare items, Gigi and Gates took photos together using light magic, and Shula managed to get Katrin’s blessing to eat various viddles. Each time, Katrin made sure that the succubus was not left out. By the time they reached the central square of Grenvale almost an hour had passed. Despite this, they still had about half an hour before the celebration began in earnest.

“There’s so many people here.” Shula remarked as she floated upwards to get a better view of the crowd. Grenvale could be called a small city by comparison to places like Kirlunst. Yet there were easily thousands of people on the nearby streets, both “normals'' and adventurers.

The normals seemed to be mostly shop and stall keepers who stood along the outer perimeter of the square. By contrast most of the adventurers were crowded in the center of the square. There, a large octagon shaped stage was constructed. This structure allowed for everyone in the nearby audience to direct their attention to at least one such stage. On each of the various platforms performers of all types were all busy portraying their craft. Actors, singers, dancers, bands -- each stage seem, as if they were well rehearsed and synchronized beforehand.

Within the audience itself were adventurers of all types. Agni saw other Demon-kin, even types that seemed more animalistic than humanoid. She saw other members of the Mystic Tower, people she only knew in passing. She even saw a few unpleasant faces, enough to cause her to double take.

“Is that?” She whispered, but just as soon as she saw the color of sky blue hair and dark colored cloak, the figure was gone.

“What?” Katrin asked.

“Nothing. I guess…” Agni responded.

Agni continued scanning the crowd, perhaps it was a habit. She never really liked large gatherings. In her past life they caused her headaches, migraines even. She was somewhat of an empath and the overbearing flow of other people’s emotions often left her feeling drained. Internally, she wondered what changed? Her senses and intuition were much sharper since coming to Adventia. Yet she didn’t have any of the same old problems.

*Maybe it’s related to my succubus abilities?* She mulled the thought over before dismissing it altogether. It didn’t matter. She decided to enjoy the day and all it had to offer, wondering why she wasn’t annoyed seemed like a complete waste of time and energy.

Amid the crowd Agni saw all manner of people and she scanned them all as best she could. Monster girls of various sorts, beast-types , aviary types and amphibious types mostly were grouped together in a single, noticeable area. Not far from them Agni noticed a gathering of demons. It caught her eye due to a nearby Incubus who had his attention fixed on her. She smiled politely and allowed her gaze to sweep over the crowd once more.

Rough types, people with scars, magic casters who were dressed like stuffy old magicians and witches, spear wielders and even berserkers -- all of these could be seen in the square. There were even a group of women who caused Agni to feel that her outfit wasn’t so revealing. They were all dressed in see-through gowns, ones obviously meant for bed.

Beneath their attire they wore absolutely nothing, baring their nipples, trimmed bushes and asses for all daring enough to sneak a glance. Furthermore, the ladies didn’t seem to be bothered either.

*I wonder if I will ever be daring enough to go out in that sort of outfit.* She wondered. Then, after taking a second look Agni recognized a few of the women.

“Are they from...the Silken Petal?”

DreamOfRen