Crowds generally weren't Alexander's thing. Too many people looking at him and thinking 'wow, she's pretty cute'. At least, he assumed that. Almost everybody that actually spoke to him always referred to the white mage as female. It was a little irksome, but he had to get used to it. It really didn't help that his family seemed convinced he was female. Stupid rules... well, he could hardly blame his ancestor, it wasn't like she expected to eventually have a feminine male descendant.
Ack, he was too busy moping. He was at a festival. Might as well have a tiny bit of fun. And since it was quite possible for people to get injured in a silly fight or simply knocked to the ground accidentally, he could maybe get a little practice in with his magic. He didn't really feel all that proficient...
The blonde boy walked the streets, head lowered as he studied the festivities.
Delicious. This was going to be absolutely delicious!
Amaline waited in line. Ahead of her was her prize, which she had been waiting in line for the whole time. It was quite a simple treat, but that didn't make it any less sweeter. She didn't actually know what kind of fruit it was, but it was large, round, and cooked to soften it. After that, it was covered in sweet syrup, which gave it a golden brown color. A stake was driven through the fruit and held as a handle. Amaline had her first of the snacks last year, and she'd wanted another one ever since.
... But this line was too slow!
Amaline huffed, puffing her cheeks out as she watched the line moving slowly. Obviously, these people weren't giving this one-hundred percent! Somehow... that had to be it, in any case. Finally, the next person had gotten their candied fruit and moved out of the way, allowing the line to move forward. Amaline eagerly moved up, and then went back to waiting. How had this line formed so quickly, anyway?
Whatever the case was, the small redheaded nine-year-old was patient enough to enduring waiting in line for such a prize. Amaline was sure that her sister hadn't gone far, anyway. Even though(because of her attitude) her sister usually needed Amaline to keep an eye on her. But... what kind of trouble could she possibly get into today?
Amaline smiled, and refocused on waiting one-hundred percent for her candied fruit.
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."Today was absolutely, completely ruined.
Here he was, aspiring mercenary and bodyguard for hire Eamond Von Hossenfeffer lying penniless and filthy in an alley, too weak to even stand up to investigate the delicious smell of candied fruit nearby.
just a year ago if fate had been kinder to him, he would have become one of His Majesty's Royal Dragoons, a Dragon-taming knight whose duty was to protect and serve the royal family just as every capable member of the noble House Von Hossenfeffer had before him. Glory, wealth and the love and admiration of the kingdom's citizens (and more importantly that of its beautiful women) would have been his.
Alas, Eamond's fate was not only a harsh mistress but a cruel and spiteful dominatrix with a taste for sadism. With the advent of steampower and airships dragons were becoming obsolete even amongst the nobles, and the sudden loss of relevance coupled with his naive desire to see the world had prompted Eamond to run away from home to seek his fortune as a mercenary.
Now, after a long unemployed streak, he had returned to the capital to beg his family's forgiveness. Unfortunately, the trip back from distant corners of the world had been hard on both his stomach and his wallet. So now here he was, lying in an alley with nothing but the clothes on his back and the spear and shield he had left home with.
"Maybe....I'll just fade away...heheheheh."
He weakly held up a sign that said: 'Will become most capable servant for food'
edited 14th Feb '12 6:57:55 PM by Dblade26
Eternine... was bored, mostly because she had joined the line after her sister when nothing immediately more entertaining presented itself. At least people in the queue had the decency to give her some space, obviously deciding to respect her fashion sense. Or maybe they just didn't want a rapier in the gut by accident, that would make sense too.
The red mage hadn't been able to get one of these last year, though she'd been able to bother her twin for one bite, and was determined to do it this year. She'd even dressed up properly, too, rather than running around in what amounted to a red dress and hat!
Laziness kicked in. x_x
"What's the matter Sky?" a streak of white fell from the heavens. The clash of metal rang through the forest as two swords met. Sparks fly from the collision and illuminate the darkness. "Good for nothing..." the man in black retracted his blade, only to come in for a second swing.
"Haaa!" the former heir to the Lancastle Kingdom swung upward vertically, intercepting the incoming blade. His opponent's sword twirled into the air. In the next second it stabbed into the ground only five feet away. Sky charged forward, raising his cold steel to prepare the killing blow.
The victim closed his eyes for the blow that never came. Sky froze before the blade came into contact with his foe's head.
"Ahaha!" the man took this into account. One swing from the opponent and Sky's blade falls to the dampened earth. "You think you're fit to rule?" the blonde man frowned, dissapointed in Sky. One attack is all it took and he blew it. "You're better off dead." one swing, one white light and one scream later, the young man woke up.
"Ahh..." Sky opened his eyes as they adjust to the powerful white light of the sun. He was in the middle of an alley sleeping on a piece of cardboard. How far has the once great heir fallen? It's been about two weeks since that scene and he still has nightmares about it. Reminding him of the failure he's become.
"What's that... noise?" a commotion from the main street? What was going on? Oh right, some festival or something because shit's been going down, or at least from what he- WAIT, stuff was happening, right! The princess... he had to talk to the princess! His uncle's betrayal, everything happening back at Lancastle.. he had to do something! He waited for this festival, the perfect oppurtunity to speak with the princess! YES!
He stood up from the damp cardboard he called a bed and shook his head. Yeah, he'd definetly get an audience with her looking like a street bum. Well, he could at least wash his face... and put on his armor... and his sword. A quick wash of the face could prove useful.
Alright... now... onto the new day.
The man walked out of the alley way and made his way through the main street, getting closer to the town's central fountain. He dipped both hands in, scooping up what he could. He splashed his face once and then again, making sure to at least look presentable. His eyes focused in on the reflection the crystal clear water provided. Has he really fallen this far? His eyes fall half-closed, only before looking back up at the castle. He admired its beauty, its splendor reminded him of the very home he was forced to leave behind.
I'll get back there, don't worry, my friends...
Ah, the festival... How often as a young child, one would look alluringly at the food stalls and hoped in vain that one's parents would give in and buy a kabob or perhaps a handful of sugared gel drops. Maybe perhaps play a skill game and give their child a plush toy. And perhaps not drag your avid and awestruck son away from the street performers. That was the stifling life of a certain noble family, all decorum and formalities. Even on the annual festivities, no reprieve was given and life was expected to run in monochrome ways. Perhaps that was why said family awoke one day to found their oldest male child gone without a trace. Besides the arranged marriage to a very disheartening example of a female.
Fast forward to the current day, where a boy in oriental robes was distributing a bag of fresh breads and buns to the various street orphans, smiling all the while as he watched the kids bite into the piping hot wheat. "There we go, right as rain you guys are. Uncle Fonfon made sure to buy the more expensive breads this time, since it's the fesitval and all." White hair and a short stature portrayed the speaker as an old man from afar, at least until one came close enough to recognize it was simply a teenager with pale hair.
"Anyways, Uncle's going to go and enjoy the festival now. See you guys, later." With a smile and a wave, Fonfon then sprang upon his heels and raced through the crowd in a pale blur, his eyes detailing which route to take in advance in order to not be slowed down by civilian traffic. It's a good day to have fun.
Always be ready to do the unusual and unexpected.

The world has moved on.
Do you still remember the old legends? About how, in the time of our world's greatest need, when it seemed that there was no hope left and Theia itself would die, they came to us? The legend of the crystals... Together, keeping the balance of our planet, preventing it from collapsing into chaos and destruction. They were the cornerstones of our world, their great shining light filling each new day with a ray of hope and wonder for all the people of Theia. We cherished them, we venerated them, we protected them, for if anything happened to them the world would once again be plunged into darkness and upheaval.
No? You don't remember? There aren't many that do, and even amongst them the ones who still believe this legend dwindle with each passing generation. Maybe... Maybe that's why this happened. We forgot the old ways. We strayed from the light, and once again we must face the darkness.
The world has moved on.
Truly, this was the golden age! With the advent of steam, it seemed like there was nothing that humanity could not achieve anymore! Everyday, the skies of Zoar were seemingly filled with mighty airships, sailing their way through the skies majestically as they plowed through the clouds, whilst beneath them the shining armour of noble knights gleamed in the sun as they rode their valiant chocobo steeds across the lush, verdant plains of the kingdom. The beautiful landscapes of this wonderous land grew more and more breathtaking as new advances in science and magic meant that hard work was becoming a thing of the past, and the populace could concentrate more on improving their already marvelous country without having to worry about breadwinning. And at the center of it all, the capital Illumina stood like a lustrous gem, its people completely content with their newfound easy way of living, going through each day without a care in the world.
Everything changed roughly a year ago. Zoar's neighbouring nation, the much larger and more powerful empire of Armilo, was always somewhat turbulent, but for the most part it was peaceful, mostly thanks to its wise Emperor, Claude Highwind the Proud, was struck down by a mysterious assailant. One by one, the ruling Highwind family began dying off, until only the Claude's daughter, the princess and true heir to the throne, remained, but soon even she disappeared. Soon afterwards, the throne was usurped by a cruel tyrant, a man known as Atma Xenon Jagannath, who declared himself "Grand Praetor". He and the rest of his family, the Noble House of Jagannath, began seizing the nation by the throat, using its populace for their own amusement. Pretty soon, a resistance force calling themselves "The Noble Order of the Onion", or just "The Onion Knights", rose up to face them, but they were quickly crushed and most of their members were put to death. Now only a few of them remain, fighting a guerrila war that becomes more and more fruitless as time goes on. With no real threat to oppose his rule, the Grand Praetor began building up the military of Armilo, aided by a mysterious power he possessed that seemed to transcend regular magic. And now... Now, as he is finally sure Armilo is fully within his iron grip, he has turned his sights to the rest of Theia, starting with the small kingdom bordering his empire...
"And with this, I declare this year's Illumina Festival... Has begun!"
Upon making this proclamation from the parapets of his palace, King Benjamin Zash Illumina was greeted by a jovial roar from the crowd below, and soon the packed streets of Illumina became a din of laughter and music
.
Everywhere you turned, you would run into something exciting. To your left, maybe you'd find an aspiring swordsman accepting challenges to prove his worth and maybe impress a few girls, and to your right you might see a plucked chocobo slowly rotating on a spit as the mouthwatering smell of freshly cooked meat wafted into your nostrils, whilst ahead of you perhaps you'd lock eyes with an amateur bard trying to pass off an obvious rip-off of a von Muir piece as his own work.
But no matter where you looked, it was clear that there was a very good reason why everyone was having so much fun: they were afraid. With the rising tensions as of late, and the dark shadow of Armilo looming over them, they wanted to make sure they at least had one last moment of happiness before everything went to hell.
But maybe, just maybe, they didn't have to be afraid. They knew all about the festival's special guest, after all, an Armilon envoy sent to discuss potential peace plans with King Benjamin. Diamanto Radon Jagganath, younger sister of the Grand Praetor, was due to arrive soon, and if all went well maybe, just maybe, the seemingly inevitable conflict could be averted and the Zoarans could retain their peaceful lifestyle.
Diamanto was not alone, however, as she also brought along with her Armilo's most reknowned theater troupe, who were scheduled to finish the first day's festivities with a grand performance of Lord Avon's classic tragedy, Palazzo, to which the entire population of the city were invited to attend. Whilst the king's presence was not only expected but pretty much required, what had got the people of Illumina talking was the fact that his daughter, the beloved Princess Phoebe, would be attending. It was rare to see her in public anymore, but it was also a well known fact that Palazzo was her favourite play and she wouldn't miss this show for the world.
All in all, although the air had a slight tenseness to it, today was a day for enjoyment, mirth and merriment. From all over Zoar people had gathered, wanting to sample the world famous festival for themselves, and maybe even get a peek at the princess. There was nothing that could ruin this day, absolutely nothing.
edited 14th Feb '12 7:43:32 PM by Moerin