Chapter Five Hundred and Eleven — Proactively Circling Back to See if We Moved the Needle
Chapter Five Hundred and Eleven — Proactively Circling Back to See if We Moved the Needle "Hi!" I said as I bounced over to my friends. Then I crashed into Caprica and gave her a big squeeze. "Caprica!""Hello, Broccoli," Caprica said with a laugh. Her wings beat a little to keep her standing, but she returned the hug. "Nice to see you too.""Yup!" I agreed. "You weren't too bored without us around?""It was significantly quieter and more peaceful, but I must say... I believe I might be getting used to a certain level of madness," Caprica said."Alright, enough hugging," Amaryllis said. "Broccoli, Booksie, it's good to see both of you, but it's well into the evening and I haven't had anything to eat in hours, and that's after a day spent walking around. I'm famished."I laughed, but broke out of the hug with Caprica all the same. "Dinner, then?" I asked. My tummy was pretty rumbly too. A glance at the sky showed that the sun was well on its way to setting. There were so many street lights in Port Royal that it didn't really feel like night yet, though."Dinner would be nice, yes," Amaryllis said."I'm starving, and this bird here." Calamity pointed to Amaryllis with a thumb. "Wouldn't let me stop and grab any of the food these street vendors are selling." He pouted and crossed his arms, entirely ignoring the unimpressed look Amaryllis shot his way."I know a few good places," Booksie said. "Port Royal has a few upper-end establishments, but I'm a lot more fond of the homier places. But that really depends on what you feel like eating.""Anything goes for me," I said. "Well, maybe not anything with too much meat.""I can't not have meat," Calamity said."Do you know any places that serve something sweet? All the grenoil food I've seen has leaned towards the bitter side of things," Caprica said."I'd love to try new foods," Desiree said. "Even the bitter ones."Awen just shrugged, and Amaryllis pinched her nose. Booksie blinked a few times, then giggled. "I can think of a place, no worries. It's not too expensive either. Though we are... ah." She counted all of us real quick. "Seven. They might have to move a couple of tables together, but it should be fine.""Yeah! Let's go!" I cheered.Booksie took the lead, and I couldn't help but notice that her shoulders weren't as slumped and her ears were back to being straight and perky. Whatever stress was plaguing her, she'd forgotten about it, at least for the moment. Stress shared was stress halved... or something like that. She brought us off the main road, then up a little to an old, old building nestled into the side of the mountain. Its walls were all bare rock and I wasn't even sure if it was a restaurant or if it was just someone's home-at least, until Booksie knocked on the door and we were introduced to a matronly old grenoil who bustled us over to a few tables in what had to be her back patio. There was a small garden, and enough seats for maybe a dozen people. A window opened into a surprisingly large kitchen where the old grenoil lady and her old grenoil husband were fussing over a few ovens and a large cast iron stove. There wasn't really a menu. Today's dinner was a veggie stew that the grenoils had started last night, with some fresh bread from a local baker and a big roast of some sort of meat. I was pretty sure it was bug meat, which made me doubly happy that I wasn't much of a carnivore anymore. Before the main course, though, there was a big bowl of mashed potatoes and carrots and yams that was brought out, all seasoned with crushed rock salt and black pepper. Next to that was something that smelled a lot like coleslaw, but it looked a lot creamier. I wasn't sure what it was, but it did taste yummy."Alright, before the main course arrives, shall we go around and see what we got done?" Amaryllis asked. I nodded. "Sounds good to me! Does that mean we can expense this as a working meal?""What even are you talking about, Broccoli?" Amaryllis asked."Ah, nevermind. So! Who wants to go first?"Amaryllis sat up a little straighter. "I'll begin," she said. "As you know, Calamity and I were supposed to secure a venue for the big day."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation."Oh, yes," Booksie said. "Has anything been secured?""Yes," Amaryllis said. "But it's pending your opinion.""Oh?" Booksie asked, perking up."The first option, and the one I wouldn't suggest, is the embassy. It's a nice location, very classy, pretty private, and the security is good all things considered," Amaryllis said."But the place feels very official," Calamity said."It would also put a lot of pressure on you from the city and the Deepmarsh government to do things their way. And, perhaps more damning, a dragon wouldn't fit in the embassy," Amaryllis said."I see," Booksie siad. "I'd considered it too, but yes, there are issues with it. It is a nice place. I believe a few nobles have had their marriages there, when they don't have a suitable house for it. What's the other option?""The other option is far less secure, but it's open, there's plenty of room, and it's genuinely beautiful," Amaryllis said."And it is..." Booksie asked leadingly."The city square," Amaryllis said. "The entire thing. Traffic would be re-routed around it, and the area will be cordoned off. It's open-air, and if we secure a few meteo-wizards the day will be quite gorgeous. Lots of room for spectators, vendors, and onlookers.""Which is a security nightmare," Calamity said.Amaryllis nodded, acknowledging the point. "True. But the entire Exploration Guild would be securing the venue, and... well, there will be room enough for Rhawrexdee, his sister, and his mother.""You'd have to be a bit silly to interrupt a wedding with Rhawr's mom there," I said."Awa, people can be... silly... anyway," Awen said. That was... a fair point. People did act silly sometimes, even if a dragon or three were around. "Rhawr did mention there might be some more distant family of his showing up," Booksie said. "And the city square is quite pretty. There are some nice buildings around there and the statues and fountains are nice.""The square sounds perfect," Amaryllis said. "Awen, I'll be stealing you for the next couple of days. We'll have to put together a pavilion and a few other necessities.""I... am not an architect?" Awen tried."No, but you'll know enough to tell if the ones I hire are being honest," Amaryllis said. "Now, our other task was finding the ring. We didn't quite have time to touch base with Cholondee, but we did spread word that we were on the lookout for it.""That might help," Booksie said.Amaryllis nodded. "So, how did things go with the Company B?""Are we company B?" I asked."Yes, it's B for Broccoli and Booksie... Sorry Awen, it doesn't quite work with your name. Definitely nothing to do with you being lower ranked," Amaryllis said with a straight face."Ah, well, things went okay," I said. "We got the dresses fitted, except for Caprica's. She'll have to run over and see about hers soon. Then Booksie and I checked on the vendors. We'll need to tell them where the big venue is, but the Vendor's Union seemed amenable to help!""That's good news. Two more things to cross off the list," Amaryllis said. "Awen said she split off.""Ah, yes," Awen said. "I met up with Desiree, and we have a meeting to see some people in the city who have sound magic and enchanted equipment for stage shows and big events. There are even camera operators in this city, you know.""Like a film cameras?" I asked."Huh? No? I mean, maybe? I don't know how they work, exactly. I believe they take an image on a chemical plate using a bright flash timed with a shutter, but I'm not entirely certain," Awen said. "I know how the lenses work, but not the chemical process."Oh, she meant old-old cameras, with the big explosion and the drape over the cameraman's head and the tripods. Actually, that was kinda neat too!"Alas, I am struck with the sense that my productivity has failed to measure up to the rest of you fine souls," Desiree said as she patted one of her tails across her lap. "But worry not! A new day dawns tomorrow, and I shall redouble my efforts to impress you all with my vulpine work ethic!" "Yeah!" I cheered.We only had a few days until the big day, but I trusted in all of my friends. By working together, we'd turn Booksie's big day into something magical!
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Awen's Halloween Special
Awen was sitting comfortably on a cushion she'd placed on the Beaver's floor. The ship had just about everything someone might want, but it did lack a large sitting area. Because of that, they tended to turn the kitchen into their lounge whenever it wasn't time to eat.That meant pushing the table aside (there were clever hooks on the wall and eyelets on the table so that it could hang there, and the legs folded inwards and locked into place as well) and spreading the chairs out so that everyone had a place to sit.They had some other seats as well. Lounge chairs and little sofas that were usually pressed up to the sides and out of the way, but which were brought out when it was time for them to sit back and relax.At the moment, Awen had eschewed any proper seating and had instead found herself plopped onto a cushion with her back to the wall. Her pose and the mere fact that she was sitting on the floor of all things would have driven her mother spare. It was half the reason she was doing it."Let me get this straight," Amaryllis said. "You have a celebration every year, a sort of festival...""Not quite," Broccoli said.Awen looked over her friends. It made her feel warm inside to know that she'd gone from none to this many. Sometimes she didn't get Broccoli's enthusiasm for meeting new people-why go out of her way to meet new people when she could stay indoors and mind her own business instead?-but other times... she got it.Amaryllis was huddled up in a big blanket, and next to her Caprica was sitting on one of their dining chairs, easily manipulating a pair of crochet needles and making... something out of it. A sweater, maybe?Calamity was doing something to his bow strings in the kitchen area, and their newest friend, Desiree, was brushing her tails out. Broccoli, of course, sat in the middle of the room, cocooned in a layer of blankets and looking like a frumpy lump of quilts with just her face sticking out. It was a bit chilly. The air outside was cold enough to see one's breath in, and the big bay windows on the far end of the room weren't quite able to keep the chill out.Awen was sitting next to the small magical heater, the warmth of it splashing across her one side so that she was half toasty and half chilly. It was nice.She glanced at Broccoli, then pulled her eyes away. It was hard to really look at her best friend sometimes. Broccoli might not have realized it, or maybe she did and she was just willfully ignorant about it, but she was... cute. Very cute.Right now, with just her face peeking out of the blankets, her big puffy cheeks looked extra puffy and pinchable, and the way her little button nose twitched at the end was impossibly attention-grabbing. Then there were her ears. She'd let them flop down around her face, like a furry scarf, and the tips of them were wiggling about every time Broccoli spoke."So," Broccoli continued. She'd been explaining some sort of celebration they had where she was from. Awen often wondered if everyone from Broccoli's homeland was like her. If that was the case, then... then life just wasn't fair. "Halloween is... old, I guess? I can't remember its actual origins, but it started way, way long ago, before I was ever around. I guess there was a bunch of meaning to it, but now it's mostly an excuse to dress up and eat candy.""I like this celebration," Caprica said."You just want an excuse to gorge yourself on sweets," Amaryllis said."Yes, and?" Caprica shot back. Her needles continued to click and clack. "I also like the idea of dressing up. It's not like a ball, right? This sounds less formal than that.""Huh? No, it's not like a ball at all," Broccoli said. "I mean, I guess there are maskerades?" "Ah,those are quite fun," Caprica said.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon."I find them daft," Amaryllis replied. "You can tell who someone is based on their feathering, a little mask won't hide anything, and pretending not to know feels foolish."Awen held back a giggle. She'd been to a few masked balls before, never by choice, but she generally enjoyed them more than the non-masked ones. They had been an excuse for others to act as someone other than themselves, and for her to be herself, if only for an evening. It was funny, seeing the attitude of her friends. They all came from such strange cultural backgrounds. Broccoli more than the rest, of course. Hers was a world apart. But that didn't mean that the others didn't have their own quirks."We have costume balls," Desiree said as she continued to swipe a brush through her tail. She paused to tug some hair out of the bristles. "They're quite amusing. The more far fetched and creative the dress, the more accolades the dress receives. Of course it's forbidden to hide one's tails, or make it seem as though you have more than what you truly have.""That sounds more like Halloween," Broccoli said. Her head popped fully out of the blankets and hear ears sprang back up above her head, as if they were spring-loaded. "But Halloween is all about being a bit spooky.""Spooky?" Amaryllis asked."Like... ghosts, and monsters, skulls and creepy things," Broccoli said."Why would anyone want anything to do with ghosts," Amaryllis asked. "They're both foolish and have a strong aversion to the living. All they deserve is a sharp zap to send them off to a real afterlife.""No, not like that," Broccoli said. "Ghosts aren't real.""I beg to differ.""I mean, they're not real back home," Broccoli clarified. Then she paused. "Or maybe they're just shy? Anyway! We dress up as creepy things and try to scare each other. It's quite a lot of fun! Kids go from house to house, and they get candy."Caprica tilted her head a little. "I don't see how those two things fit together.""Ah, well... me neither, but it's still fun?" Broccoli tried. "It was one of my top ten favourite holidays! We couldn't afford nice pre-made costumes, but my dad and mom and I would make some things together anyway, and then I'd get free candy! It was great!"Awen smiled fondly. "What kind of costumes?" she asked shyly. She wished that she was louder. Amaryllis had a voice that boomed and carried most of the time, and Caprica and Calamity could both hold their own. Even Desiree, with her very flowery way of speaking had a way of grabbing people's attention. By contrast, Awen found it hard to speak up most of the time."Oh! All sorts of things!" Broccoli said. Awen might not speak loud, but Broccoli listened hard. "I remember dressing as a princess! My mom was a princess too! And so was my dad. He, uh, didn't look good, but that was half the fun! And we did robots once, with cardboard and aluminum foil and these long flexible tubes.""This whole thing is sounding less like a holiday and more like an excuse to look like fools," Amaryllis said."Exactly!" Broccoli cheered. "I never dressed as a bird. Oh! But we did do cats one year! My mom likes musicals."Calamity half-turned from his spot in the kitchen. "What, you went around with cat ears and a tail?""Yeah!""That's racist.""Ah!" Broccoli said. Her cheeks warmed up, and then she pouted. "But cat people aren't real!" Calamity blinked. "What do nya mean, we're not real?"Awen pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle some giggles as Broccoli wiggled her arms about and tried to explain herself. Calamity continued to grill her, though it was obvious that his outrage was more teasing than anything.This was nice. Awen thought that she might just be the luckiest girl on Dirt sometimes, for having found friends this good.
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