Iliana looked around from the corner where the buffet table was set up. A
pretty impressive group of people had come, just as her mother had told her,
surely there had to be a lot of fun people here tonight. Crouching behind a
large potted plant, she waited for just the right moment.
When a young gentleman came by, obviously looking for something, Lana made
her move. With a mighty pounce that would have done any feline proud she
decended upon the unfortunate man. All he could do was let out a startled
yelp before the young baker grabbed a plate and proceeded to shovel food
onto it.
"Hi! My name is Iliana," she began, "I'm going to be serving the food
tonight! Most of the main dishes were prepared by other people but I made
all the breads myself! Well, my mother and grandmother helped a little. We
have a small bakery not too far away, if you like what we have here tonight
you should really stop by sometime, we can make anything you ask for and
without magic-it tastes better that way you know, 'nothing's like bread you
make with your own two hands' my grandmother says. Yes, we use only the
best ingredients and add just a touch of experience to give you the best
breads you'll ever taste."
"Um...excuse me miss?" the man started.
Iliana handed him the now overflowing plate and gave him a winning smile.
"Oh don't worry, if you need seconds just come back, we've got plenty. I
would love to talk some more but I see my boss coming and he doesn't like
for me to spend too much time with the guests, he says it's not
professional."
When the man just stood there looking as if he wanted to say more Iliana
made a shooing motion with her hands. "I really would like to talk, but I'm
supposed to work now, come by the shop sometime and we can chat a bit longer
alright?"
"Okay..." The man walked off looking slightly dazed with a heaping plate
that held more food then any normal person could eat. Making a mental note
to avoid a certain red-headed serving girl in the future, he dissappeared
into the crowd.
Kanta sweatdropped nervously as she watched the
redhead at the refreshments table, hoping against
hope that she and Meri were far enough away to
escape the boisterous girl.
"Yes, outside sound great!" She said, urging
Meri to follow her outside. When they finally
exited the crush of people Kanta found them to be
in the gardens. Looking back into the room, she
noticed a couple things she hadn’t before. The
crowd in the hall had seemed to have thinned out
a bit and that she must not have seen all the ice
sculptures, as a few were more elaborate and had
Atlanteans hanging on them or touching them.
She shivered again in a sudden draft of cold and
then turned back to Meri. "What do you do all
day?" Kanta chimed rather bluntly. "I mean if you
were my age you’d go to school, but aren’t you a
bit old for school?" She smacked herself mentally
knowing what kind of reprimand she’d get from Mr.
Roallin if he’d heard that. "I’m sorry, was that
rude?"
Meri only smiled and laughed quietly. "Don’t
worry, I’m not offended. I’m a healer," She
informed Kanta as they began a slow walk around
the gardens. "You seemed to be avoiding someone
inside…" she said, suddenly curious about Kanta’s
behavior. " Mind my asking?"
Kanta sighed and shook her head. "Mahried – My
Father – he’s got a new mistress with him tonight
and Mama’s back home making the house beautiful
for a small gathering of her friends at home.
Mahried’s a libertine and flaunts all of his
mistresses in the public eye, but Mama doesn’t
realize it…or she ignores it. Oooh!" She growled
aloud. "I hate him so much sometimes…for his
flippancy and his thinking he can tell me what to
do while he cheats on my Mama…" she finished and
then gasped as she remembered her manners lessons
and realized she’d said too much. "I’m sorry, I
didn’t mean to trouble you with my problems."
"It’s all right," Meri answered. "I’m glad you
told me." Kanta looked up to see Meri looking
down on her with a sorrowed expression. Kanta was
amazed that Meri would even think so much of
something that was all too common in the higher
circles and that Kanta had been forced to learn
to live with for years..
"Thank you," Kanta smiled and then let the
conversation drift elsewhere. Her father’s
dalliances were the last thing she wanted to
think about right now.
Meri must’ve picked up on the small shift in mood
and began to speak about what had been on her
mind earlier when Kanta had accidentally bumped
into her. "So the chaos at the bazaar was all
real then..." She pondered out loud. "I swore when
it was finished it was all a dream, or rather a
nightmare."
Kanta smiled and nodded. "Yes it all seemed so
surreal, but then again I spend my free time
weaving and watching dreams so it was easy for
me. I just had to imagine it was all in a normal
day’s work," she confided.
Meri laughed again and the two continued through
the gardens, recounting the bazaar as well as the
ups and downs of high society... but keeping far out
of the way of gossiping.
Everyone loved the dancing chicken. Everyone loved to applaud and gaze in
awe as his particular poultry skills revealed to them -- or at least to
Channing -- answers to questions they always wanted to have answered.
Everyone enjoyed oohing and ahhing when Tas clucked and cocked his head like
any chicken would while Channing soaked up their compliments like a sponge,
a tiny smirk turning up a corner of her lips.
It was a bit unusual for Channing to find herself among the Atlantean
snobbery as an invited and wholly welcomed guest, though it wasn’t a
situation she particularly despised. As long as the familiar jangle of
coins echoed in her ears and the fair words continued flowing, she was
happy. She could put up with their airs just as effortlessly as they put up
with hers. Her gaudy clothing and judicious amount of facial paint made her
an eyesore in a world of perfectly matched, perfectly polite people, and it
didn’t take too much on her part to know that some of them were intrigued by
her mystery or just disgusted. She secretly wished both reactions were
happening.
Channing loftily glanced around to find the next of her customers, anxious
to hear more words to feed her ego and make use of Tas’ amiable mood while
she could. Thus far he had been surprisingly cooperative, possibly because
he wasn’t feeling the strain of being magically coerced to prance yet. Or
he was hungry. She tried not to dwell on the implications of his good
behavior in the hopes she could avoid cursing herself for a disastrous
night. When her gaze caught hold of a pretty girl wearing an outfit that
must have cost many a pretty spell to keep clean holding a plump purse in
her hands, Channing motioned the lady to take a step forward. Tas chortled
almost disapprovingly, but pecked at the lace trim of the woman’s dress
curiously.
“Ahh, my partner seems to find something in you that needs to be answered by
his services,” Channing whispered. “Is there something you wish to ask?”
The girl froze, curious but shy, with her head slightly bowed. She licked
her lips, inhaled deeply, and looked deeply into Channing’s burgundy eyes
when she suggested, “May I know about when I will know my true love?”
Already a blush was blossoming across her cheeks, which was becoming of a
girl as pretty as she, but exhausting to the diviner. She inwardly twitched
and regretted her choice as soon the girl voiced the dreaded question that
had caused so many headaches before. Channing ground her teeth tightly
together to keep from audibly hissing, stepping backwards and drawing Tas
away from his dull perusal of cloth with her action.
Well, she thought dryly, it’s been going fine so far... But the sinking
feeling in her stomach told her that her prosperous day was about to sour
while she forced the show to go on.
A stone's throw away, her lips tired of mouthing so much, Gelsey was pleased to find herself away from her mother and father, sipping a glass of water tentatively. The typical Atlantean meeting--groups of people, chatting with each other, some entertainers. Of course, this one was special in a way she wasn't quite sure. Seeing that her water was finished, she gave a slight sigh and supposed it was time to get back to her mother and father, much as she hated the task at hand.
However, her quest back to the table was halted (much to her relief and slight annoyance at the same time) by a very out-of-place person. Dressed in very un-typical attire and having much face paint, she easily caught the attention of the passerby, including Gelsey. That included the chicken as well. She was tending to a woman, and Gelsey listened in, keeping her distance so that it did not appear as if she was eavesdropping. This might be some different kind of magic, which interested her, but with a chicken?
The woman walked away, seemingly pleased. Immediately, Gelsey stepped up. "Very interesting," she said, not waiting for a hello. She didn't mean to be rude, she just had a few questions that very much needed to be answered, skeptical as they were. "May I ask how this particular form of...magic works?"
Channing arched a single inquisitive brow at the girl's
straight-forwardness, her face a mask of enigmatic amusement at the girl's
expense. She didn't have anything to fear from this frail thing, she
decided. Diviners on her level were not afraid of customers. They were,
however, equipped with the proper responses to such questions.
"Trade secret, m'dear," she replied kindly, as if to a child. "My art too
far beyond you to expect you to understand its subtle nature."
Gelsey found her answer almost insulting. If this was a type of magic (which
by the looks of it, it was, if it truly was 'something' and not merely a
scam, as she suspected it to be), certainly any Atlantean as educated in
magic as herself should be allowed education in this particularly 'rare'
form. Also, her tone was unnecessary, chewing at Gelsey in a very downsizing
way. She didn't like to be irritated this quickly. She wasn't smiling, but
she tried to keep herself friendly--Mother had begun complaining how
straight-forward she was, so for now she kept herself level-headed, out of
her 'argument' mode as possible.
"Surely any time of magic can be taught to an educated Atlantean, such as
myself. I wouldn't spread this magic around if you do not desire me to do
so. (She felt the urge to roll her eyes at this.) Unless...?"
She let her words hang in the air to suggest she felt blasphemy without
saying it directly. 'Happy now, mother?' thought Gelsey sarcastically, and
tried not to grimace in spite of herself.
Channing forced her face to be serious, even ominous, as she said, "It takes
a certain type for this art. And you," she continued, looking up and down
the girl with mild disgust and more than a little humor, "are not the type.
The wonders /I/ do took years of study and dedication and talent that few
can do." So there, she mentally added with relish.
Tas clucked irately and cocked his head at the pair, peering around at the
crowd when he seemed unnoticed. He pecked vaguely at the several crumbs at
the floor.
Gelsey was at her breaking point. 'Forgive me, mother,' she thought,
gritting her teeth against opinions that just wanted to burst out. 'Let it
out in short little bursts...
'
"Ah, but perhaps it only takes this certain person to perform a total fraud
such as this is?" Gelsey continued to keep her perfectly sweet smile on her
face until it felt like it was frozen in that position for eternity.
"Fraud...!" Channing's eyes widened and jaw dropped in a peculiar fishy
look before she remembered that /she/ was the diviner here, and this other
girl was nothing of the kind. If there was anything Channing disliked most
in the world, it was critics. "You have no idea who -- or what -- you're
dealing with here, girl," she said ominously between clenched teeth.
Gelsey could feel the smile tightening up even more. "I think I have a very
good idea of what I'm dealing with." She relaxed her shoulders and seemed to
lean back on one of her legs, shifting occasionally. "A. Complete. Fraud."
She said each word with an accent on the first word, tapping her fingers
against the table rhythmically.
Channing swallowed. Normally the mundane civilians bowed to such a phrase,
fearing something evil was at work even when they knew of magic and
practiced it themselves. Channing might not be a fraud, but a coward on the
other hand...
But as Fate would have it, even divining chickens were prey to things as
normal as hunger, and by then, the sight of aromatic food made Tas one
hungry rooster. Since his mistress was otherwise occupied, Tas skittered to
the nearest yummy-looking area he could fine. He bubbled with several
clucks as, with a hop, skip and several flaps of his pearly wings, he landed
on a table and turned to peck at a nearby guest's plate.
Gelsey watched the chicken scatter off in the other direction, her eyes
widening. The smile gave way to a smirk, and she stood up straight now,
motioning towards the fowl. "Looks like your little chicken is out of
control of your divination. Perhaps you should tell the future of your
partner on a platter?" Gelsey stifled her laughter. 'Oh dear, mother's going
to be raving about this...at least she's not around,' thought Gelsey to
herself.
Inwardly, the diviner bemoaned her fate to be tied to a chicken, of all
things. Oh, of all the days to wander off! Channing glared at the other
girl with a brave fury she didn't feel. As she moved past the girl to
retrieve her partner and instrument of divination, she paused just long
enough to whisper, "May you forever suffer from sore throats until you
cannot speak!" before moving purposefully towards the tables, parting the
surrounding spectators like a sea and dodging further guests as she made her
way towards her companion and his victim.
***
"That's very noble of you, I'm sure," Astra murmured absentmindedly. She
nibbled on her food as ladylike as possible, hoping to dodge those evil
glares from her mother. "What was your name again?"
Acacia Meir shot her daughter a murderous glance but still managed to smile
appreciatively towards the young man who had decided to join the two for
dinner. "Astra darling...your memory must be slipping. That's the third time
you ask, is it not?"
"Oh...reeearry?" she stopped in midchew to look up, the food in her mouth
dangerously close from hanging out in the open. She quickly swallowed the
rest of her food, ignoring another one of those motherly disapproving
glances. "Really?" she repeated once more, this time with no food in her
mouth. "I'm sorry. Jolavoan is it? Tyfral? Ganikis? Ancah?" Evidently, she
didn't really show much interest in this man. She continued to concentrate
on her food, peering at her leftovers, still contemplating which to eat
first. "Have you tried this yet?" she asked, pointing to the dark meat
dripping in a dark, mysterious sauce.
The handsome young man flashed his trademark, teethy grin and replied,
"It's Shawbeer." Astra nodded mechanically, shoveling another large portion
of food into her mouth. "Shawbeer," she repeated slowly. "I'll remember that
this time," she pasted on her practiced smile. Shawbeer...oh, how she wished
she could laugh! Shawbeer!
"You look very dazzing tonight," Shawbeer still had his annoying smile on
his face. "Wonderful dress."
"Oh this?" Astra glanced at her mother before looking down at her dress
again. "I'd prefer something....lighter. Mother picked it out for me, just
for this occasion. You should talk with her if you're really interested in
dresses. She's got a vast collection of assortments, lord knows how she gets
them all..." she trailed off at the sight of the frown making it's way onto
Acacia's face. The skirts of her deep royal blue gown rustled under the
table as she shifted in her seat. The thin sky blue silk shawl that
glittered in certain lights complimented the royal blue most certainly well.
How much longer did she need to put up with this guy? She sighed softly,
involuntarily putting more food into her mouth. She had eaten most of her
food on her plate -- leaving the best for last of course. Maybe it was time
to go get some third helpings? She craned her neck slightly, peering behind
her mother to see what food was left.
No sooner had she turned away from the table did she hear her mother
sputtering angrily about another thing. "Is this a joke?!" Astra whipped her
head back towards the table to see what was wrong. What had she done now?
She blinked at the sight in front of her. A...a..chicken?! Flushing a bright
pink from the snickering surrounding her, she threw another questioning
glance towards Acacia. Not only was it embarrassing to have a LIVE CHICKEN
on her food, it was EATING her 'best-for-last' savings of food.
Acacia frowned with disgust and hissed, "Well, do something Astra!" Astra
blinked back slowly and peered more curiously at the rooster this time. It
was plump enough...quite right actually. "You don't think anyone would mind
if I eat it?" she asked timidly, poking the animal. Tas clucked
disapprovingly, picking at the corn left on her plate. A simple spell was
all it took...
"Astra," Acacia started in her warning tone. "You wouldn't /eat/ it, would
you?"
"It seems fine to me," Astra shrugged, swatting the chicken away from her
corn. Her beloved corn! She was, however, interrupted by the arrival of a
breathless young lady.
In the back of Channing's mind she was glad that the party was thinning out
and allowing her to slip through various grouped guests with less fuss than
usual. She expected more resistence to her movements, especially
considering how many people she remembered seeing earlier -- it had been a
veritable forest of people before, but it wasn't nearly so crowded now.
Maybe the party was coming to an end? And -- what's this? Out of the
corner of Channing's eye she saw one of the newer ice sculptures bearing the
spitting image of someone she had divined for. Had she met someone
important at the party, someone influential enough to warrant such a
detailed sculpture, and not known it? But all of that faded to a vague
sense of unease as she hurried to where she spied her feathered friend,
crying "Don't eat him!" reflexively.
Upon realizing what the first words out of her mouth were, Channing felt
humiliated, and she coughed afterwards, clearing her throat uncomfortably
before adding, "Apologies for my ... friend. I hope he hasn't caused you
too much trouble." She glared hard at the foul in question, before trying
to look contrite with her chicken's newly-made 'friends'.
Astra glanced up at Channing. "This ... thing is yours?" she asked. She
wouldn't mind an extra helping, her stomach was always in need of food. And
the chicken /did/ eat her corn.
Channing felt her face flush as Astra continued to eye Tas and poke the
sides of her beloved chicken. "Yes," she replied uneasily. "That /thing/, as
a matter of fact, is mine. And if you don't mind, may I have him back?" She
paused, then added reluctantly, "Please?" One could sense the slight
discomfort in her tone, as Astra did when she pulled her attention away from
the chicken victim. A miracle, she even stopped poking the animal and took
her hands off it.
Tas took the very chance to flap noisily back into Channing's arms. Once in
secure safety, he cackled loudly, as if taunting the very girl who had
wanted to eat him. The spectacle was causing more attention as the minutes
passed. Pity, the crowd was thinning out.
Her curiosity on what the young diviner would do indeed got the better of
her sympathy which seemed to be the usual case. "I think I recall some
spell...now if only I could remember it," she pondered in an amusing tone,
drumming her fingers slowly onto the table. When the response she got was an
exasperated glare from her mother and another uneasy glance from Channing,
she sighed and her practiced smile once again appeared back onto her face.
"I'm sorry, I was only teasing. Nobody really sees when I'm joking or not."
She sideglanced back at her mother again. Even while Astra wasn't
telepathic, she could very well guess what her mother was thinking. 'Show
your manners.'
Keeping the smile in position, she looked back at Channing and her chicken.
"My name is Astra Meir. And you are...?"
The chicken chortled restlessly in Channing's arms, his head swivelling left
and right before peering up into his feeder's face impatiently. The diviner
was staring at the girl in front of her, tempted to ignore her completely,
but was forced to admit that this 'Astra' did keep Tas from getting into
further trouble. With a serious expression she nodded her head. "I am
Channing Isabis, master diviner..." Tas squirmed. "And this is Tas, the
magical chicken who knows all."
The practiced smile turned into a slightly amused one when she heard the
introduction but she didn't mention anything on the subject of magical
chickens. She had done enough damage on her mother's stress level for one
night that she'd let it go. Besides, magical chickens and master diviners
were quite interesting once she gave it a thought.
The response and smile Astra returned were both genuine, surprisingly. "I'm
pleased to meet you."
x
