HOME | DD

Description
The sun beamed down on the kebanzu participating in the medieval festival, with those unlucky enough to be standing in its direct rays beginning to sweat from its heat combined with their heavy costumes. Milan had seen few kebs that were roaming around the festival without any costumes on, but he was not one of them. He was glad that he had chosen to wear only a light shirt, a plump hat with a large feather and a little string pouch with a few enchanted stones to exchange for food or little interesting trinkets throughout the day. He was dressed as an eccentric poet and was first accompanied by Waylander in a knight costume, but had since lost him to the crowd. He wandered up to a stall selling little treasures made out of cogs and tiny chains. A cube-shaped object in particular caught his eye. It was asymmetrical in appearance, with different layouts on each side.

After a short wait from the stall seller answering another keb’s questions about another object, he asked how much the seller would be willing to let the cube go. “Six enchanted stones.” The keb responded bluntly. Uncertainty flashed through Milan’s mind. He wasn’t a haggler or cheapskate by any standard, but he thought that six seemed a little excessive for an object didn’t contain magic. “Would five be enough?” The seller appeared in debate over this. After a few seconds, they gave him a slow nod. “Fine.” Milan opened his pouch, careful to make sure not to show exactly how many enchanted stones he had, and placed five of them on the stall’s counter. The seller nodded and pushed the cube towards him. He thanked them and placed the cube into his pouch, though it was difficult to close again. Once the pouch was firmly shut, he walked off from the stall in search of some familiar faces.

******

Waylander was looking for food. Directions for the nearest food stall to be precise. He could smell it, he could almost taste it! And then a keb with a tasty treat would stroll past him, mouth too full of food to respond to his question. Then he would pick up something else, more savoury than the last, and the smell would vanish within seconds; likely another keb with their food walking away from the area. His stomach grumbled in protest, reminding him of his very early breakfast and how it was now past midday. He resorted to walking up to the stalls in the hope that the sellers would help him. The first owner was a seller of watches and ‘assorted jewellery made by humans’.

The seller appeared to Waylander as if she was bored. Maybe she wasn’t receiving enough business? Her ears perked up as he made his way over to her stall. “Hi! How can I help? Would you like to purchase a fancy human-made antique?” She was very bubbly and he couldn’t help but smile. “Hey! Actually, I was wondering if you may be able to point me towards the nearest food stall.” He was hesitant, and he felt bad for inquiring when her face drooped. “Oh. Um… I’m not sure… Maybe on the west side?” Her tail gestured in the general direction. He nodded. “Oh, OK. Thank you.” He smiled slightly, and then placed his paw on an object that resembled different shaped beads on a thread, or a thin rope. “And I’ll purchase this trinket.”

******

Artemis felt as if she looks silly in her costume. When she saw that several other kebs had also dressed up as dragons for the festival, her mind was put at ease a little. She shifted her sitting position again. But she didn’t anticipate how hot it was going to be today. Truthfully, she’d hoped to go as a knight with more light clothing. A bet from a party a week ago changed that, and being the impulsive keb she was, agreed to wear a dragon costume rather than argue against it.

A couple of kebs had commented on how daring she looked, with a friend stating that the dragon suited her more than the knight surely would have. She didn’t agree but went along with it for the sake of the bet. Artemis now sat in the shade of a tree, sipping on the straw of an iced soda. She was getting bored, but what could she do? Sweat it out and have fun, or wait until it was cooler where she could enjoy herself without the excessive sweating? A blur of golden yellow moved in the corner of her vision and she turned to look at a sudden scuffling near her. Valkyrie nodded to her, dressed in what she guessed was a warrior’s costume. “Greetings, Artemis. I thought it might be a good idea to join you in the shade for a little while.”

******

Aster was having so much fun at the medieval festival. He was certain he had ridden almost all of the day rides and was anticipating the night rides. He had bought many new treasures that he had no idea what to do with yet, though they could all be used in some of his brilliant ideas. To top it all off, his costume was easy to wear, light, and had the other kebs bowing to him and calling him ‘Your Highness’. When prompted for a reason as to why he had dressed as a king of all things, he replied simply, “No one would suspect a king behind all of my great ideas!”

He was strolling through the crowded stalls and, putting the purpose of the festival into action, anyone that recognised what his costume was stood aside, with some bowing their heads. It was the funniest thing ever to him, and he certainly didn’t mind it just for today. A colourful display caught his eye and he turned his head to face it. When he recognised what the display was for, his eyes lit up.

******

“Hey, did you need help with something?” Beau called out to an odd-looking keb in a knight costume. By odd-looking, he meant that the keb looked confused and dare he say, desperate. The keb looked uncertain at first, then slowly made his way over to his stall. “Do you happen to know where the food stalls are?” He asked, and Beau could sense the uncertainty in his voice. He winked at him. “Of course, cutie! Over on the north-west side. After you hit the middle of the festival where that big pole is, follow the strongest food smell–you’ll probably smell popcorn first–and then you should be there.” He wasn’t lying though; the keb was cute even if his stomach rumbles audibly.

The keb nodded gratefully. “Thank you so much!” He sounded exasperated, and Beau realised that he was either desperate to get a friend some food, or he was starving. Noting the stomach rumbling, he settled for the latter as the answer. As the keb took off in a hurry, he shouted out, “Hope you find what you’re looking for!” Only then did he realise he forgot to ask the keb for his name.

******

Valkyrie had been resting under the tree’s shade with Artemis for roughly an hour. She had been listening to the speedy keb talk about the events of the party that had led to a bet where she was to dress in a dragon costume, presumably the one she wore now. “I think it suits you well. It shows how courageous you are. In folklore, the knight defeats the dragon, but the dragon has already earned the reputation of being strong and fierce.” She was pleased that this metaphor caused the kebanzu to smile.

They were interrupted by the sound of multiple kebanzu shouting for everyone to move out of the way, and their frantic tones worried Valkyrie. Both she and Artemis stretched onto their legs, heads snapping around to see the source of the commotion. Artemis seemed to be the one who first spotted it, as Valkyrie saw her jaw drop open in an, “Oh, my–” She turned her head to meet the direction that the younger kebanzu was looking in, and she felt her heart drop. A young kebanzu, one she had been in the library with earlier in the season, was proudly trotting through the scrambling crowd wearing a king costume. “Aster, what in the world are you doing?!” Another kebanzu shouted at him from the crowd. “I’m going to place this on top of the centre pole before it goes off!” Aster shouted back around the large sparkling firework he carried in his mouth.

Description
The sun beamed down on the kebanzu participating in the medieval festival, with those unlucky enough to be standing in its direct rays beginning to sweat from its heat combined with their heavy costumes. Milan had seen few kebs that were roaming around the festival without any costumes on, but he was not one of them. He was glad that he had chosen to wear only a light shirt, a plump hat with a large feather and a little string pouch with a few enchanted stones to exchange for food or little interesting trinkets throughout the day. He was dressed as an eccentric poet and was first accompanied by Waylander in a knight costume, but had since lost him to the crowd. He wandered up to a stall selling little treasures made out of cogs and tiny chains. A cube-shaped object in particular caught his eye. It was asymmetrical in appearance, with different layouts on each side.

After a short wait from the stall seller answering another keb’s questions about another object, he asked how much the seller would be willing to let the cube go. “Six enchanted stones.” The keb responded bluntly. Uncertainty flashed through Milan’s mind. He wasn’t a haggler or cheapskate by any standard, but he thought that six seemed a little excessive for an object didn’t contain magic. “Would five be enough?” The seller appeared in debate over this. After a few seconds, they gave him a slow nod. “Fine.” Milan opened his pouch, careful to make sure not to show exactly how many enchanted stones he had, and placed five of them on the stall’s counter. The seller nodded and pushed the cube towards him. He thanked them and placed the cube into his pouch, though it was difficult to close again. Once the pouch was firmly shut, he walked off from the stall in search of some familiar faces.

******

Waylander was looking for food. Directions for the nearest food stall to be precise. He could smell it, he could almost taste it! And then a keb with a tasty treat would stroll past him, mouth too full of food to respond to his question. Then he would pick up something else, more savoury than the last, and the smell would vanish within seconds; likely another keb with their food walking away from the area. His stomach grumbled in protest, reminding him of his very early breakfast and how it was now past midday. He resorted to walking up to the stalls in the hope that the sellers would help him. The first owner was a seller of watches and ‘assorted jewellery made by humans’.

The seller appeared to Waylander as if she was bored. Maybe she wasn’t receiving enough business? Her ears perked up as he made his way over to her stall. “Hi! How can I help? Would you like to purchase a fancy human-made antique?” She was very bubbly and he couldn’t help but smile. “Hey! Actually, I was wondering if you may be able to point me towards the nearest food stall.” He was hesitant, and he felt bad for inquiring when her face drooped. “Oh. Um… I’m not sure… Maybe on the west side?” Her tail gestured in the general direction. He nodded. “Oh, OK. Thank you.” He smiled slightly, and then placed his paw on an object that resembled different shaped beads on a thread, or a thin rope. “And I’ll purchase this trinket.”

******

Artemis felt as if she looks silly in her costume. When she saw that several other kebs had also dressed up as dragons for the festival, her mind was put at ease a little. She shifted her sitting position again. But she didn’t anticipate how hot it was going to be today. Truthfully, she’d hoped to go as a knight with more light clothing. A bet from a party a week ago changed that, and being the impulsive keb she was, agreed to wear a dragon costume rather than argue against it.

A couple of kebs had commented on how daring she looked, with a friend stating that the dragon suited her more than the knight surely would have. She didn’t agree but went along with it for the sake of the bet. Artemis now sat in the shade of a tree, sipping on the straw of an iced soda. She was getting bored, but what could she do? Sweat it out and have fun, or wait until it was cooler where she could enjoy herself without the excessive sweating? A blur of golden yellow moved in the corner of her vision and she turned to look at a sudden scuffling near her. Valkyrie nodded to her, dressed in what she guessed was a warrior’s costume. “Greetings, Artemis. I thought it might be a good idea to join you in the shade for a little while.”

******

Aster was having so much fun at the medieval festival. He was certain he had ridden almost all of the day rides and was anticipating the night rides. He had bought many new treasures that he had no idea what to do with yet, though they could all be used in some of his brilliant ideas. To top it all off, his costume was easy to wear, light, and had the other kebs bowing to him and calling him ‘Your Highness’. When prompted for a reason as to why he had dressed as a king of all things, he replied simply, “No one would suspect a king behind all of my great ideas!”

He was strolling through the crowded stalls and, putting the purpose of the festival into action, anyone that recognised what his costume was stood aside, with some bowing their heads. It was the funniest thing ever to him, and he certainly didn’t mind it just for today. A colourful display caught his eye and he turned his head to face it. When he recognised what the display was for, his eyes lit up.

******

“Hey, did you need help with something?” Beau called out to an odd-looking keb in a knight costume. By odd-looking, he meant that the keb looked confused and dare he say, desperate. The keb looked uncertain at first, then slowly made his way over to his stall. “Do you happen to know where the food stalls are?” He asked, and Beau could sense the uncertainty in his voice. He winked at him. “Of course, cutie! Over on the north-west side. After you hit the middle of the festival where that big pole is, follow the strongest food smell–you’ll probably smell popcorn first–and then you should be there.” He wasn’t lying though; the keb was cute even if his stomach rumbles audibly.

The keb nodded gratefully. “Thank you so much!” He sounded exasperated, and Beau realised that he was either desperate to get a friend some food, or he was starving. Noting the stomach rumbling, he settled for the latter as the answer. As the keb took off in a hurry, he shouted out, “Hope you find what you’re looking for!” Only then did he realise he forgot to ask the keb for his name.

******

Valkyrie had been resting under the tree’s shade with Artemis for roughly an hour. She had been listening to the speedy keb talk about the events of the party that had led to a bet where she was to dress in a dragon costume, presumably the one she wore now. “I think it suits you well. It shows how courageous you are. In folklore, the knight defeats the dragon, but the dragon has already earned the reputation of being strong and fierce.” She was pleased that this metaphor caused the kebanzu to smile.

They were interrupted by the sound of multiple kebanzu shouting for everyone to move out of the way, and their frantic tones worried Valkyrie. Both she and Artemis stretched onto their legs, heads snapping around to see the source of the commotion. Artemis seemed to be the one who first spotted it, as Valkyrie saw her jaw drop open in an, “Oh, my–” She turned her head to meet the direction that the younger kebanzu was looking in, and she felt her heart drop. A young kebanzu, one she had been in the library with earlier in the season, was proudly trotting through the scrambling crowd wearing a king costume. “Aster, what in the world are you doing?!” Another kebanzu shouted at him from the crowd. “I’m going to place this on top of the centre pole before it goes off!” Aster shouted back around the large sparkling firework he carried in his mouth.