After filling their bellies with good food, they went around the expanded market area, looking over the new stalls that popped up for the festival.
There were so many new things she hadn't seen in Ceralde before. Normally the market street was used to sell everyday goods and anything that was a specialty item had to be found within a specific store. For instance, if one needed stationary, one merely needed to visit the Gidget Stationary Store that Ulfric ran with his family.
Yule followed her diligently, looking over everything with her with a critical eye. Penelope had to wonder if he was looking for something specific. What did boys his age like? She had a bit of money, so she could easily grab him something as a gift to thank him for taking her out. Penelope had to pay attention to what he was interested in and swoop in for a gift!
However, that was easier said than done, as he kept gravitating towards accessory stalls. Ones filled with ribbons and bows and even jeweled ones whose prices made her head spin. It was curious as to why he wanted to look at them, but if that was his preference, she wasn’t one to judge. If he liked it, he liked it. However, even though he zoomed in on such stalls, he never remained long nor seemed to find any particular piece interesting. And as Penelope didn’t have much interest in things herself, she didn’t stick around those tables much herself.
Penelope’s eyes scanned everything around until she noticed several pots filled with tapered sticks, which turned out to be brushes and pens! Gasping in excitement, she dragged Yule over to take a look with her, not realizing her strength as she near dragged him with her. On the same table were bound books with simple covers, tied off with a thin twine. The paper within was thin and delicate, which reminded her of a little of rice paper.
“Ah, you have a good eye, miss. Are you interested in calligraphy? We have excellent brushes and ink to go with these books,” the merchant stated, making his sales pitch.
Penelope looked up at the merchant and nodded. “They do look interesting! I prefer doing art than drawing, though, hahaha.”
“I see, an artist, hm? The brushes are good for that, too,” the man said, not one to lose a possible customer for anything.
“Is it only ink brushes you have?” Penelope asked, looking around more. There were ink pots, which were the norm in Birain, however, there were also sticks, which she barely recognized. “Oh, you have sticks, too. Those work best with these kind of brushes.”
The merchant chuckled. “Wow, you really do know your stuff. I also have the stones that pair with them in a set, if you would prefer the sticks over a pot.”
“How much for a set?” Yule asked, finally speaking up. The merchant looked over at the boy and they seemed to size each other up silently.
After a moment, the man gave his price for the set, which was reasonable, but still expensive. Money exchanged hands, with nonplussed gratitude said on both sides.
“Thank you for the items.”
“Thank you for your business.”
If things got any drier, they might be standing in a desert.
Turning to face Penelope, Yule presented the ink set to her. “This is for you.”
Penelope immediately became flustered, colour rising in her cheeks as she tried to wave off the gift.
“What? No, I couldn’t possibly accept it,” she said. As far as gifts went, this was too much honestly. “You already gave me flowers, you didn’t have to get me more.”
Not wanting to argue, he placed the box in her hands, knowing it would be easier for them both once she touched it. It worked. The moment she felt the lacquered wood of the sleek brush, could caress the ink stone and trace the intricate pattern of what had to be a peach blossom on the stick, she was enamored with it. Holding the set close to herself, she fought hard not to cry, putting on her biggest, sincerest smile she could.
“Yule…thank you so much!”
He seemed satisfied with her gratitude as he smiled softly at her enthusiasm. His fingers found hers again and he led them both off to another part of the festival. Penelope’s eyes did not leave the ink set she received, taking in every single detail of her present, while he couldn’t help not being able to take his eyes off of her happy expression.
Penelope was excited to have received this. She’d never gotten to use an ink brush before, so she wondered what it would be like. Will it be smooth? Will the ink splash in a controlled or wild way? And what would she draw using her new set?
Hey, wait. I was supposed to be the one buying him something – AAAAGH!
Whoops. She had meant to get Yule something, yet he wound up buying her a present first. Maybe she could pay for the next thing they did together, as a treat (he also paid for their food earlier, she realized). She’d just been going with the flow and enjoying herself, she totally forgot her goal.
I need to make this a good day for him, too.
Now, what could they do? She did see some game stalls when she and Yule walked around the area to pick out what they could do. There was an archery game where one could win prizes. The shooting line hadn’t seemed too far from the targets that a child could do it, she thought. And archery couldn’t be that hard, right?
Right?
Penelope suggested they go take part in a few games. There were a variety to choose from, ranging from a classic ring toss to something that resembled bowling to Penelope. However, the one that had her attention was the archery game, where one simply needed to hit a spot on the target in order to win a corresponding prize. The bows were small, obviously made with children in mind.
“Is there a prize that looks good?” Penelope asked Yule, who also eyed the game with some interest. The boy turned his gaze over to the wooden display which held a number of items. The top tier prize was a plush doll, made of soft blue fabric with a white ribbon tied around its neck. To Penelope it resembled a rabbit and she found it absolutely adorable. That was the top prize, so she would have to hit the bull’s eye on the target once to get it.
Penelope paid the man running the stall and was taught how to use the bow and arrows. The game gave her three tries per payment. He even showed her how easy it was to hit the target from where they were standing. Once she was shown how, the girl gave it her best try.
All three failed miserably. Not a single arrow hit the target. They all landed a foot or so short of hitting anything. It was honestly embarrassing.
Laughing her failure off nervously, she handed over another copper coin to play. “That was just practice!” she rationalized. “Now is the real deal!”
The next three fell flat as badly as the others. Clearly, she was not meant to use a bow and arrow, but the loss did not deter her from her goal. Just one. She only needed one bull’s eyes. Another coin was passed over.
This time she took her time to shoot. Her mistake was her haste, she told herself. So if she took her time, it would change the shots!
The first one missed, though the arrow landed much closer than last time. The second one actually hit the target and she cheered, because she finally touched it. However, it was still out of bounds as the arrowhead did not touch any of the coloured circles.
Penelope felt good about her next shot and was about to shoot again, when she felt Yule’s hand on her shoulder.
“Can I try?” he asked.
Penelope blinked up at him, thinking about it. She wanted to keep going, but figured she could try again later. If Yule wanted to play, she should let him. She was an adult and shouldn’t hog a game all to herself (conveniently forgetting she was actually ten years old).
The girl handed over the bow and the last arrow, standing aside to watch as Yule took a deep breath and squared off his shoulders. He shifted himself so he stood sideways, feet spread apart just a few feet. One foot had its toe pointed in the direction of the target. He notched the bow and pulled back as much as he could, not quite straining, but he was drawing it harder than Penelope ever did. And after a moment or so, he let his arrow fly.
The arrow sailed far, embedding itself in the target. Not dead center, but anyone watching could clearly see he hit the center circle.
The stall owner ran a bell, declaring him a big winner. It was kind of unreasonably loud and attention grabbing, but Penelope supposed this was how he drew other people to try and play. The rabbit plush was picked up from its spot and handed over to Yule, who returned the bow with his thanks. The boy came over and presented the doll to Penelope, surprising her again for the third time that day.
“For me, again?”
“This was the one you wanted, right?”
“Well, yes, but I wanted to try and get it for you…”
“I see…”
The plush was pushed into her hands. The boy had a soft blush on his cheeks, however he seemed pleased. Not understanding why she felt embarrassed, Penelope buried her face into the soft side of the plush doll.
They moved on to other games to play. Mainly failing at them, but enjoying their time trying them out. Despite the losses, she found them more fun to experience than the wins. She could laugh instead of fearing of not performing well; it was a liberating feeling. Penelope did find she had a knack for the ring toss, being able to throw them more easily than shooting a bow.
“Say, how come you’re so good at it?” she asked curiously. They were in between games and had circled back to the archery game again. Watching others attempt the bull’s eyes was actually entertaining, rather than playing it herself.
“I used to practice it a lot,” Yule explained. “My father and I used to practice a lot together when I was smaller. He stopped when I was ten, but I never stopped practicing. It’s just something I liked to do.”
“Well, it shows. You’re very good. Good job, Yule.” Though he was taller, she reached up and patted his head as she praised him.
He didn’t say anything in return, just quietly watched her.
“I feel like we’ve been walking all day long. My feet hurt,” Penelope complained. It was well past midday and many people were taking seats and just enjoying a meal. Amazingly, time hadn’t moved that quickly since they started their day at the festival. It was maybe around 2 PM and the day was still young, though the girl did already feel tired.
“Let’s take a break, then,” Yule replied.
“Yes, please!”
The boy took them over to a set of tables and benches near a stall making hot food. The scent of something being cooked tickled Penelope’s appetite and her stomach rumbled. It was definitely time to get something to eat. Order and paying went swiftly, and they were served drinks and food. It was nice to be sitting down to rest and eat in peace. The bustle of the area was a bit overwhelming for her, but if she focused on her food, it didn’t bother her as much.
“Miss Penelope! Hello, there!” called out a voice from across the street as the pair enjoyed their meal. The source of the shout was Ulfric, who had his family with them. Velma was firmly holding the hands of both of her parents. The child still seemed nervous to be outside, but it was good to see her seeing the world again. Matilda was also looking much better, though the scars of her earlier ill health were still evident on her. The family came over to greet them.
“Hello Ulfric, Matilda, Velma. Are you enjoying the festival?” Penelope inquired.
“Yes, we are. And how have you been enjoying it?”
“It’s very fun, it’s my first time experiencing one like this – oh, look what I have!”
Excitedly, Penelope pulled out the ink set Yule had bought her, ready to show it off. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the boy puffing out his chest a little in pride and she had to hold back a laugh at how cute he was being.
“Take a look! Yule got me this and I can’t wait to use it.”
Ulfric got close to take a look at the set, interest clearly in his eyes.
“Oh, this is rare. Do you know where you got this from? I’d like to stock a few for the shop.”
Matilda smacked her husband playfully on the arm. “Ulfric, we don’t have time for that.”
“Oh, the show won’t go anywhere and we are early,” Ulfric said sulkily, clearly wanting to expand the inventory of his business a bit more. No wonder his wife seemed exasperated; when he wasn’t fretting over his family, the man was obsessed with working the busy.
“Oh, what show?” Yule asked, joining the conversation.
“There is a troupe performing a play this afternoon,” Matilda responded. “We were hoping to get good seats by going early.”
Yule nodded, then looked over at Penelope. She immediately understood what he wanted to ask. She nodded back in turn, cementing their next plans.
“We’re almost done eating. Just give us a moment and we can show you the stall so you can get to the show on time. We’d like to go see it ourselves,” Penelope stated. This way would be beneficial for all of them. Ulfric’s family didn’t need to wander around, wasting time and they could all attend the show without worry of getting bad seats. Matilda and Ulfric seemed to agree this would be a good idea, too.
Penelope and Yule finished their meals, before joining them to show the family the ink merchant and then heading to the entertainment square together to get seats for the play.
The Mousai Trope was a group with eight members and were prominent in fame within Iraloné. They travelled through the kingdom bringing with them entertainment in the form of plays which were written, produced and performed by those same eight members. Whether the role was male or female, those eight took on those roles without fear or shame. They were also of the Beastmen race, specifically the subrace full of birds; the Garuda. Their heads and arms were feathery, while the rest of them contained a humanoid appearance. Thanks to their colourful plumage, the actors were very much eye-catching and their ability to manipulate their voices made acting as men or women a non-issue.
And there was one other reason why their shows were so fun to watch.
Each show, while following a script, was never the same as a previous one. Using audience participation, the flow of the story could very much change, making each performance unique.
And for this, you needed to have a good seat, if you hoped to be picked. The further out back you were, the least likely you’d be picked for something. Matilda loved this troupe and had seen a few of their shows before, so she was eager to take part, even in a small way. She admitted she would have been cross with her husband if they had made them late in getting seats. Despite being an hour early, there had already been a group of colourfully dressed people cheering in the crowd, some even shouting the name of some of the performers.
Penelope compared this to the Takarazuka fans back in Japan; Kasumi’s mother had been one and bought all sorts of merchandise for them, despite never attending a show live. She had collected so many of the performance DVDs and even dragged Kasumi to a few autograph events just to have someone carry everything she bought at the merchandise tables. Apparently, her mother had wanted to be an actress in the group once upon a time, but never made the cut. Kasumi had been forced into dance classes by her mother when she was five, but thankfully their financial situation didn’t allow her to be stuck in them any longer than a month. Kasumi had not been good at dancing at all and kept getting yelled at whenever she failed to keep up with the other kids in the class.
Velma looked uncomfortable sitting between her parents while here, probably from all the noise and the strangers milling around. Her eyes kept darting around, as if expecting to get snatched up again.
Feeling bad for her, Penelope offered her plush doll to hold. The other girl was shy about accepting it, but holding and touching the toy seemed to calm her down. At the very least, it kept her distracted. If she wanted to keep it, it was fine, as Penelope was not one to get too attached to things (unless it was her art supplies). Years of learning to give up things she liked was the norm for her when she was Kasumi living with her family.
“Remember to give that back to Miss Penelope later,” Ulfric said gently to Velma.
The girl nodded obediently, as if it was a given she would return the toy.
“Did you thank Penelope?” urged Matilda.
Velma, softly, looked over at Penelope and murmured, “Thank you. I’ll give it back later.”
Quite a shocker and the artist became a bit flustered, being thanked by such a cute young girl for just receiving a doll, even temporarily. “O-oh! N-no problem! It’s just a toy. Hahaha.”
Moments like this still struck her out of nowhere. Honestly, if they had kept it, she wouldn’t have minded at all. However, she noticed Yule sulking a little, though he hid it pretty well from her. Huh? Why was he moody all of a sudden? How strange.
The show started to the cheers of the die hard fans, opening up to a Garuda with bright green and blue feathers that reminded Penelope of a parrot. He wore a simple white shift, tied off at a shoulder and held in his feather hands a lyre. He strummed a few notes, which silenced the excited audience, almost like magic. There was a hushed buzz through the crowd, all eyes on the front.
“Welcome esteemed guests! My name is Calliopus, your narrator for today!” The Garuda bowed to everyone in attendance, some returning his greeting with a cheer of their own. “Today’s story is a tale of heroism and choices. Of great personal sacrifice! And of a long awaited reunion. Of course, the tale’s end shall all depend on you.”
The actor gestured towards the audience, causing a small uproar of screaming fans to rise up and wave their arms enthusiastically. Matilda also got up and waved her arms, to try and catch Calliopus’ attention. It was a bit much for Penelope, but she took it in stride as a part of the experience.
Calliopus cocked his head to the side as he listened to the cries of willing volunteers. His gaze trailed through the crowd, slowly and deliberately, until they fell on Penelope`s group. She thought that maybe Matilda would be picked and was about to congratulate her when something unexpected happened.
“You! Little girl in the hood! Come on up!”
Penelope froze in her seat. Did they seriously pick her? Looking around her, she saw dozens of eyes staring at her, some glowering with daggers. What in the world – not her fault the guy decided to pick her over them. If looks could kill…
The girl shook her head vehemently, trying to ward off any possibility of being in the spotlight. However, it would seem that she had no choice in the matter as she was pulled up towards the stage by a pair of feathery actors. However, there was a bit of a hitch as Yule was not letting her go, their hands still firmly together this whole time. Instead of letting it be, Calliopus laughed on stage.
“Oh, so the girl’s Prince Charming wants to go with her? Let’s bring them both up!”
Hearing this, the two Garuda picked both Yule and Penelope up and brought them backstage, wherein everything moved like a whirlwind. The two were separated from each other and brought into a small dressing area where they would be blocked off from anyone viewing them. Costumes were tossed at them and they were given the rundown of what was expected of them for the play.
The story was of the two main characters; a king who went off to war and a queen who was left waiting behind for him. Yule was given the part of the child king, while Penelope was given the part of his queen. Their parts were small, but was part of the show. It was apparently normal for them to drag in amateurs for small scenes before going with the full story with the usual cast of actors.
Penelope felt like a deer in the headlights and just did as she was told; on the other side of the divider, she heard Yule resisting his handlers with everything he had, not wanting strangers to help him get ready and just wanting to see Penelope.
“That’s the spirit!” one actor said. “You have to show everyone how much you want to see your queen.”
“I want to see her for real, you birdbrains! How do I know you’re not doing anything weird to her?!”
He was loud, but Penelope could appreciate his concern.
When she was changed, a little makeup was applied to her face. Just a little blush and a stain, to give her a more made up appearance for the stage. The brush tickled her skin and the stain felt weird, but it was otherwise not too bothersome. Yule continued to make a racket.
Penelope was given some coaching, too, as her hair was fixed up. She asked them not to remove her flower wreath, though, as she didn’t wish to lose it. The Garuda were confused, but otherwise respected her wishes.
“Now Calliopus will be finishing up the prologue soon,” explained a red feathered Garuda, named Clio. “We will signal when it’s your turn to come out. It’s very simple. You just have to look into your friend’s eyes and say that you’ll be waiting for him. You’ll hug and kiss and then you can come backstage again to change back. Easy.”
The horrified look on Penelope’s face said otherwise.
What the Hell do they mean ‘hug and kiss’. What the Hell is wrong with these birds?! Don’t they know that we’re kids, good freakin’ god!!!
Maybe it was because she was in the middle of her first cycle, so there was a possibility she was overthinking things and getting upset over nothing, but she didn’t want to just openly display affection like that in front of everybody. On top of this, Penelope hated being in the spotlight. Some may thrive while standing in front of others, but she much preferred hiding in her own little corner where she could draw.
Plus, I’ll be going out without my hood. Will it be all right, or are Cynthia and Minerva being too protective?
She’d gotten so used to wearing it outside it became like a second skin. She felt naked without her disguise. With all these unknowns flying around in her mind, she could feel her heart racing in her chest out of sheer anxiousness.
I’m going to make a fool out of myself, she mourned internally, as another actor (in deep purple feathers this time) led her to the side steps backstage that would lead her up. She could see a little of what was going on and clearly heard the words spoken on stage.
Yule was already on stage, dressed up for his part and looking quite sullen, surrounded by other actors who danced around him as his ‘generals’. His arms were crossed and he looked very displeased, even a bit ruffled up. Yet, Penelope thought that the crown, though fake, suited him quite a bit. If she hadn’t known better, she thought him a real prince. Despite his expression, he stood there almost regally amid all the colourful Garuda, in his crown and royal costume. She wanted to etch the moment into her memory, so she could put it to paper later.
Yule is going to be a heartbreaker when he’s older, the girl thought to herself.
A soft tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality. A pair of the Garuda actors were decked out in ladies-in-waiting costumes, ready to escort her.
“It’s our turn now. Let’s go!”
“Gack!”
Oh, man, it was do or die time.
Closing her eyes, she made herself enter the stage, holding back the urge to get sick. The dusky sunlight was gently as it shone down on her as she emerged from backstage, quite a few people cooing at how cute she was (to which she wanted to petulantly tell them she was not cute at all).
Forcing herself to open her eyes (so she wouldn’t accidentally fall off the stage), Penelope came face to face with Yule and his entourage on the other side, waiting for this part of the play to conclude. His young face, originally in a scowl, was set into something more scared. Penelope dreaded what had to come, yet she knew she had to do it.
Each step was like a march towards the gallows, nervousness welling up in her stomach and making her feel extra sick. She knew everyone’s eyes were on her as she went over to her friend and that fact alone made her feel even worse. By the time she was directly in front of Yule, Penelope was holding back tears from intense stage fright.
“I….I…I…” Her words came out trembling and her eyes watered. She could feel heat in her cheeks and in her throat. Her hands sought him out and she quickly hugged him, trying not to cry.
But she failed.
“I….I’LL BE…I’LL BE WAITING WAAAAAAAAH!!!!” she sobbed loudly. Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she held onto Yule and sobbed, unable to handle the pressure of everyone watching her onstage, while wearing strange clothes, her feeling practically exposed. Others may like this kind of thing, where they could be part of a show and have their fifteen minutes of fame, but she didn’t.
Yule’s hand patted the back of her head, caressing her hair gently, trying to calm her down. The audience made sympathetic noises because it was obvious how uncomfortable Penelope was, as well as murmuring things like ‘ how sweet’ to how Yule was treating the situation with so much patience.
They stayed like this for a minute before the other actors moved along with the show. Eventually she was taken away (practically separated dramatically from Yule by her fake ladies in waiting) still teary-eyed and distressed, their scene over.
