Winter Faire Fun

[Kehkhiro (Kiki)]

OOC: This takes place on Whazzitmas day 10, mid-morning through the afternoon.  This is a free-for-all - use the setting and RP with whomever you want - alone or with others.  Egg posts are totally welcome! Also, I totally stole this from myself to give people a rambling RP prompt. Have fun with it. :)

The scents of winter hung heavy in the moist air: the rich spice of mulled cider and creamy tang of hot chocolate; the crisp cleanliness of new-fallen snow; the harsh bite of woodsmoke tickling at the back of your throat (or shivering across your sensors, whatever the case may be). The cheerful sounds of laughter, excitement, and enthusiastic merchants crying their wares continued the sensory experience, rolling across the Weyrd. Pennants in red, green, white, and blue hung throughout the area, marking paths toward a large pond, culminating in a giant banner which read 'Welcome to Whazzit's Winter Faire!' stretched between tall poles just before the pond's shore.

Dozens of tents and stalls had sprung up seemingly overnight, colorful canvas and wood affairs housing merchants and vendors of all sorts, from food to knicknacks and expensive craftworks on display for the residents of the Weyrd. The pond itself had iced over, forming a perfect surface for skating - and the diligent efforts of several mages kept the ice thick and solid to prevent accidents. All snow had been cleared from the immediate pond surroundings, but a large clearing was marked out with fresh, fluffy snow perfect for snowball fights, building snowmen and forts, and making snow angels (or devils, if one was clever enough to pull it off).

A schedule of events hung from each side of the welcome banner, written in the common tongue but also (illustrated with simple picture guides):
Costume Processional (marching group of people) from 9:00-10:00
Costume Awards (dressy people with prize ribbons) at 10:30
Figure Skating Competition (ice skaters with prize ribbons) from 11:00-12:00
Free Lunch Buffet (tables of food) from 11:00-1:00
Ice Skating Races (ice skaters going fast) from 12:30-2:00
Winter Pageant (classic theater mask) from 2:30-3:00

As people arrived they were funneled through the space between the poles by a temporary fence set around the area, ensuring everyone had a chance to see the posted schedule as well as receive a map of the faire and, if they wore a costume, instructions on registering for the costume contest (which consisted of giving their name and what they were dressed up as to a waiting clerk). After that, everyone was free to roam around the faire and attend whatever events they chose as the day progressed. Food vendors offered snacks and drinks of all sorts to tide people over until the buffet, while merchants aggressively cried their wares to attract the attention of those strolling around.

Welcome to Whazzit's Winter Faire.

[The Legion]

The cats were out in force today - Alabaster had even managed to drag Tinker away from her egg basket after promising that all of their shinies would stay home to guard the egg from Ophysk's attentions. Not that it really needed guarding, since the mantle was well out of the Wher's reach, but Tinker was as nervous as if the egg had actually been her own baby. Which was probably driven by it looking so much like her precious Oeztesk, honestly; the marmalade tabby had an excessive fondness for their first bond, and the Opal Wher and the mystery egg shared a truly lovely coloring.

So Alabaster, Mumford and Tinker sallied forth to the Faire, tails high and ears perked as they wandered through the gathering. Oh, and they wore their winter knitwear, of course, trotting along in fuzzy red vests with matching bell-adorned booties and tiny little hats perched between those eagerly swiveling ears. They did not submit themselves to the costume contest, but proceeded on into the milling throng of Whazzitians to browse, steal snacks, and play the day away.

(9/20 egg)

[Kehkhiro (Kiki)]

Kehkhiro had been in sore need of a job when she arrived at Whazzit - food and lodgings were not free, though the kindly old biddy who ran the boarding house/apartment block that she rented from had been kind enough to defer rent for a few weeks while the felid looked for work. Kehkhiro had bartered housekeeping chores for the boarding house in exchange for two meals a day, but the rent was not covered. The same old biddy recommended Kehkhiro get in touch with a 'recruiter', at which point Kehkhiro learned that there were people whose job it was to find other people jobs of their own.

It had been an odd meeting, to say the least - like almost everyone else she had interacted with thus far, Kehkhiro had to rely on shinies to interpret for her - but she came away from the recruiter's office with a meeting scheduled at something he called a 'school'. That turned out to be a center entirely devoted to education, an idea that boggled Kehkhiro's mind - and the school needed a person to teach physical activity classes for younger students to help them stay fit and burn off energy between more sedate lessons. The whole concept was counter to anything Kehkhiro had grown up with, but since she was clearly stuck on this strange Planet she would have to do her best to fit in. With no other options that suited her skills Kehkhiro took the job - but it wouldn't start until after the holidays, leaving her at loose ends for a few days more.

It was natural, then, for the felid to wind up at the winter faire, meandering among the booths and observing the residents of the Weyrd. Against the cold the Churrhehynan wore her new black knit clothing, enjoying the warmth they imparted even if they were somewhat itchy; she had not quite gotten the trick of wearing clothes without it tugging her fur off kilter. She was accompanied by Sindel, the ice-sculpted Arathli helping Kehkhiro to interpret not just the speech but the customs of her new home. It made for a rather awkward exploration, but at least she was out and about instead of holed up in the tiny apartment puzzling over this whole strange festival thing that kept dropping stuff at her door. (Just wait until she got her mystery egg in a few weeks - that was going to make her really, really confused).  Back home winter was a time when things got quiet as the planet went dormat for its time of rest; here, things seemed to get more energetic every day.

(Egg 5/20)