Under The Moon (Finished)

[Mana]

The plain was always her home. Mana had been looking very happy since they set foot in the home of the nomadic tribes, homeland of many great Sacaen tribes. It was only a couple of weeks since they had decided to leave Bern to avoid the rebellion. It was nice to be in a peaceful place after seeing a war with her own eyes. Sacae might not be the safest place in Elibe, constant threats from Etruria and the mountain bandits still terrorized the land, but the land could give a good refuge for people who wanted to avoid Bern's conflict. That was why she suggested Sacae, along with the fact that she longed to return to her homeland.

There were three tribes who always met and held a festival at a certain date in a year. Those three were Hawkeye, Arulad, and Fanales. Their nomadic patterns were similar which lead to their people having very close relationship. There were a theory that stated that those three probably come from a single tribe before they were divided into three, which explained why they had relatively similar culture and tradition. At certain condition, mostly the season, these tribes were used to celebrate some special occasions together which strengthened their bond.

After they had decided to head to Sacae, Mana came with an idea. She knew where and when the festival would take place and offered her friends to attend. It wouldn't be difficult for her to figure where it would be held, after all. "The Moonlit Festival has always been awesome!" That was the fifth time she said it today. Mana seemed very enthusiastic about the festival. Well, couldn't blame her for that because she knew how fun the festival would be. "We always have some fun rituals and small competitions in the afternoon before the main event in the night. Yes, a night party. The moon are beautiful! And the foods are super delicious! Probably a little too spicy for you but I guarantee you will like it," she said, laughing happily. "We usually don't have guests but we won't reject them either," she added, winking to both men.  It was ironic how she didn't realize that she might be the only Hawkeye to attend the festival. It was actually possible that some people survived that raid too but so far she hadn't met anyone from her tribe.

[Wyatt]

With Elias' help, Wyatt had recovered remarkably fast. He no longer needed the crutches, but his right leg was still badly injured. It didn't move the way he'd liked, and he found himself still unable to run, to spite whatever Elias had tried. He might have to learn to accept that this would just be a permanent scar from his latest battle.

But Mana's excitement was contagious. She had practically been dancing around the two red companions of hers, and Wyatt had to admit that he'd very rarely seen her so genuinely happy. Excited, sure he'd seen that, but this was different. Her running around happily had been a real mood changer for him, keeping things light and happy as they traveled along the plains. Wyatt had been walking with Elias mostly, while Mana had been leading the group of them, practically unable to sit still.

"So you've convinced me!" Wyatt exclaimed with a laugh. "It really must be something special if you are this worked up for it. It'd be nice to relax for a little bit too, no life threatening or rushes or really anything. Man, I haven't been to a festival in years. I wonder how different Sacaen festivals are compared to Lycian ones. What do you think Elias? Does the 'Crimson Mage of Elibe' have any insight into this? I mean, I'm sure you've seen things like this on all your grand adventures." Ok, so he was having a bit of fun with Elias, but there was no malice in the voice. He knew Elias liked being theatrical, and he did find it endearing, now that he'd learned how to deal with it.

[Elias]

Well they were able to escape Bern, naturally with Elias incredible help was such a thing even possible. He would gloat about it for hours, putting his hands on his hips and laughing triumphantly into the air, yes that's what he would have done if Wyatt and Mana hadn't of had the audacity to up and thank him like decent human beings. It took all the fun out of gloating when you knew other people simply agreed. He wham-bam and them kazam'd them right out of that little mess, military blockade? Marshal law? HAH! Trying to keep the mighty crimson mage contained is an exercise in madness!

Elias hadn't been in Sacae for, like, a long time and junk. It looked the same though, really plainy. It was funny they call them plains, because they were super plain. It was such a fitting name, whoever thought of it was clearly a wordsmith of lordly caliber. Of course that didn't mean bad, just a little too plain for Elias' tastes. He like lots of crazy things going on like mountains and oceans and giant towers and forests and big ole cities just strewn around for no real reason, Sacae lacked a lot of that. Still it was nice enough and was Mana's home... plain, so he was respectful for the most part. Besides, there was like things going on now! Mana told them about some festival about the moon or something which was cool and all the moon was definitely in the top seven coolest celestial bodies. There was also something about 'fostering relationship' and 'tribal closeness' and 'blah blah' but that wasn't important, it was a festival! That's awesome! He hasn't been in a festival in, like, infinity years!

Mana seemed to be glowing with girlish giddiness, laughing and skipping and generally being so happy that it was literally bleeding into Wyatt through osmosis. Elias was already happy though, so it just kind of was normal as per usual for him. Elias was hanging back with Wyatt, the poor sod, his leg wasn't quite fixed yet and just about all the cool magic junk he tried didn't really work. It was just too, ugh, magicky of a wound he would have to say. Whoever that dragon was, they left a seriously dent in this dude. "Not really, whenever I walk into town there's a much better chance a million billion trillion bandits begin exploding out of everywhere and sprouting like daisies and junk. Haven't been to many festivals." He didn't attend many as a child, his father found festivals 'too disruptive' and had Elias stay away from them. He just focused on his research, though his grandfather snuck him out into to town from time to time. He could remember eating apple pie and this one woman who wore too much makeup and too little clothing and that his grandpa wouldn't stop talking to her and junk, he even tried to say Elias was his kid. What a weird guy, aw now he missed him.

Demon neighed a bit almost as if to respond to Elias' thoughts. Shaking his head making that 'phbphbthpbh' noise horses like to make. Elias patted the monstrosity on the head almost affectionately. "Demon smells horses, we must be getting close." Elias said, as if he understood what the horse was thinking, which he kind of did. For a horse, Demon was really smart. Like almost scary smart. Like smart as a human at least, and he's met plenty of humans dumber than his horse. Even when Elias ignored it for giant chunks of time and mostly forget that he exists, somehow he shows up just the same with little explanation as to where he's been.

[Mana]

Mana pondered Wyatt's words, she would like too attend a Lycian festival too. Considering the differences between their cultures, it promised an interesting new experience. "You must see...No! You must experience it with your body!" She could have explained everything about this festival but she decided not to spoil too much.

"I assure you that no bandits will attack us...probably. Especially because the Fanales people. You wouldn't want to pick fight with them. Well...most of their men are as big as Wyatt. And they are very accomplished warriors." The blacksmith had strong physique and fairly big body, but he would find many people who could easily match him in this festival. Mana seemed proud when she talked about her tribe's allies. She liked and trusted them as much as they felt the same for her kin. "Well, we never got attacked, anyway. So maybe this time would be peaceful as well. I mean...who will want to attack? There will be many people. Bandits usually pick small groups as their target....." As soon as she finished her words, the girl realized that her tribe was one of the smallest tribes in Sacae. It explained why they were attacked. Her expression changed into gloomy. "If only the hunters weren't away that time, maybe they could make a difference." She then shook her head and forced a bitter smile. The Sacaen swordswoman didn't want to make her friends worried.

Mana raised an eyebrow as she wondered whether Elias understood what his horse said. There were some people with that kind of skill but she didn't expect Elias to be one of them. "Right! We will reach the camp in fifteen minutes. Well, actually you probably can see it already. Look at that direction!" Mana pointed her finger to the north. The two men probably could see the camp although it was still far from their place. Thin smoke rose from the camp, faint voices and music could be heard, and the wind also brought nice smell of Sacae spice toward the three travelers, showing that there was indeed a festival held in there. "Come on. I can't wait anymore!" she said cheerfully.

(fifteen minutes time skip ^_^)

They finally found themselves inside the camp, Mana was taking her time to watch the activities. It was very alive. Three men and two women were playing a beautiful song in the center of the camp while many people gathered around them to enjoy the beautiful music. Many other groups also scattered around the camp, having fun or working the preparation for the main event at night. Mana smiled as she embraced this sight with her eyes, she could see Arulad and Fanales people everywhere. It might be difficult for Wyatt and Elias to tell that they were from different tribes because their clothes and tents had similar motives and designs. "Heh, this really makes me excited," Mana said. There were a few groups near them, one was a group of men competing in arm wrestling, another was having archery match, and the last group was serving meal to people. Their loud cheers made the atmosphere alive and the delicious foods made everything perfect.

"See?! Isn't this great? You have to wait until night for the main event but we can..." But then someone suddenly leapt toward her before she could complete her words. The Sacaen couldn't react in time and fell helplessly as a brown-haired woman pinned her to the ground. However, there was no danger, the woman didn't mean to hurt her or anything. In fact, she was crying as she stared at Mana's face. "So, it's really you! Oh, thank you Father Sky and Mother Earth! I am always sure I can find you some day. But I truly don't expect you to come here and find me instead." The woman then hugged her tightly, forcing Mana to bear not be able to breath for a few seconds. "I-I am...dying...Stop this, Terra," she said weakly.

"Heh, you've changed but I still can recognize you!" she said as she broke the hug. Her long brown hair fell on her shoulder as she got up, wiping the tears from her eyes. Terra was an Arulad, she had the tribe emblem painted in her right arm. Mana and Terra were best friends, mostly because they had the same easygoing personality. She had heard about the tragedy that befall the Hawkeye and constantly worried about her best friend's safety. That explained her exploding happiness when she saw Mana alive and healthy. "I am glad you are still alive," she said. "You almost killed me!" Mana shouted furiously but then couldn't hold her smile and tears as she hugged Terra. "You should tell me everything later...But first I believe you must introduce your friends to me," she said as her eyes rolled to look at the two red-looking men beside them.

[Wyatt]

Wyatt was finding himself getting a bit excited just be seeing Mana so happy. She very rarely had such fits of emotion, it was almost...calming to see her acting like...well, a girl! And as she danced around the crowds, taking in all the sites that greeted the trio of them, a rather unexpected thought smacked him upside the face again.

She was a girl! He'd been looking at her as a warrior and friend for so long, that the concept of her gender being relevant had only very recently been an issue. He'd been putting it out of his mind since Bern, but she'd been throwing it into his face since then it seemed. unintentional, for certain. Now that they had arrived, Wyatt was enjoying the sounds and scents of the area as well. It was so serene...something just pure about how these people acted. A simple life, and a simple celebration, but certainly incredible in it's own simplicity. The smell of the fine food they had prepared, that would dwarf even the meal he'd been granted when he spoke with Clair, was quickly drawing his attention. At least until he heard the sounds of someone attacking Mana.

His hand flew to his axe in an instant, but he thankfully took a moment to asses the situation before he drew it. The woman who had knocked Mana over was not a threat, clearly, and Wyatt was a bit embarrassed that he'd acted as though she was. Was he really so wound up that he didn't trust anyone anymore? He tried to relax his posture a bit as Mana and her friend caught up.

He looked to Elias for a moment, an odd smile on his face as the two girls collected themselves, finally deciding to acknowledge the presence of the two men. Wyatt held his hand out to this Terra woman, offering to help her up from the ground. "Quite an enthusiastic way to say 'Hello' around here." He said, a bit of tongue in cheek humor. "I'm Wyatt, and this is Elias, the Crimson Mage of Lycia." He lowered his voice a little bit. "He's famous, but try not to get too excited. He gets embarrassed easily." He whispered.

Well, he'd started to relax at least. And the first part of relaxing was messing around, at least for him.

[Elias]

Elias was not shocked, nor surprised, nor ready to burn the entire plains down for not even a moment. Nope, that's what a crazy person would do. Instead he was distracted by all the fascinating distractions that laid themselves afore him. It was a festival, of the honest to goodness variety. Elias hopped off of demon in a single graceful thump, that did not cause him to stumble in the slightest and any witnesses attesting to that must have simply been momentarily blinded by the perfection of his dismount, and looked around. There was a commotion a bit away, Mana seemed to be talking to someone or something, he wasn't paying attention. No, what caught his attention was that food! Oh my! There was also people arm wrestling, he would have to make Wyatt do that later, since Elias was far too weak fabulous to do it himself. And archery! Eh. Archery was kinda lame. But food and arm wrestling! Oh boy, what a nifty keen little festival they had going on over here. He'd totally have to scamper over to the food whenever he had the chance, snag a few recipes, blow away the tribesmen with his splendiferous cooking skills, and become the winner of the competition. If they weren't having a cooking competition, then his food will be so good that it will force them to make a competition, just so he can win it.

He heard his name, full title and all from behind his back and swung around almost violently. Has it finally happened? Did someone know who he was without having to introduce himself!? Did the stars and planets align perfectly to make this the best day ever!?!? Oh. Oh no, it was just Wyatt. Aw... Still, kudos to him. There was a lady standing next to Mana who looked like another Mana only different size, shape, and facial features. In fact the only thing they had in common was their clothing, which wasn't even completely similar. Elias should know, he was a tailor. Actually they didn't look alike at all. It didn't stop Elias from saying something dumb. "Hey Mana, this your sister?"

He looked her up and down, before continuing with a wide grin. "I'm Elias, crimson mage, this is Wyatt the Blacksmith Guy." He gestured to the somewhat limping man. That made him think, did Wyatt have a title? He would have to speak to him at length about this later, any self-respecting hero had a title. He then grabbed Demon by the reins and brought him closer. "This here is Demon, don't let the name fool you, he's really quite a monster." The horse neighed in protest, but Elias ignored it.

[Mana]

OoC :
Sorry! I am sorry for leaving for a week.
There are some problems that made me unable to post. Sorry for making you wait, guys!
I will try to post faster next time.

IC :

"Well, what can I say? I was very happy," Terra replied Wyatt with a bright smile. The Arulad woman realized that her "hello" might have been too much, it might have attracted some attention as the result. "The thing is...sometimes she often do that as well," she said again, rubbing the back of the other girl's head. She giggled when Mana gave her a weak punch in her chest. "I never did that! Well, not as hard as yours, anyway..."

Wyatt and Elias might have realized just by looking, Terra was a Sacaen from Arulad tribe. She had log dark brown hair with black hairband just above her eyebrows and wore sleeveless green Sacaen dress. She was slightly taller than Mana and had tan skin. A bow was strapped to her back, inidcating that she was an archer, or at least could use it to some extent. Judging from her look, she was older than Mana, probably at her early twenty.

"Crimson Mage, huh? Sure I've heard a few things about the name but you are actually saying he is HIM? Never thought I would see him in person." Although Terra seemed to know and acknowledge Elias, she didn't show much interest for the eccentric wizard. She had heard about him, but mostly only rumors. Her people didn't really pay much interest toward such things, anyway. "And a good horse, too. His name is kinda scary, though. I would like to ride him in the next hunt, he looks smart," she said, praising Demon. Terra knew much about horses, she was one of the best riders in her tribe, by the way. She gave Demon a wink before returned her gaze to the mage. 

"They are my friend, Terra. They are my guests," Mana said as she wiped her tears. She then turned to look at the two men, looking content and happy. The girl didn't forgot to throw her brightest smile although she blushed and looked away when her eyes met Wyatt's. There was something awkwardness since their shared moment in Bern, she couldn't look straight at him anymore. Of course, her shy expression was easily read by Terra, putting a strange smirk in the older woman's face. "They will attend tonight party with me. I know it's a little sudden to invite them without telling your father but...." Mana was silenced by a index finger pushing her lips. "It's okay. I don't see any problem with that. But, their clothes are kind of out of place, you know. Hey boys, I suppose you wouldn't have problem changing into something more fitting with this festival. I could lend you some Sacaen clothes if you want."

Mana seemed to like idea. She even broke the hug and turned to look at them closely. "You know...I think I like it. I imagine you will look great, Elias! You will look like an Arulad druid. And...uh..." She stopped when she turned to Wyatt. "You will look great too, probably...surely, I mean..." Her comment about Wyatt was different from when she was talking about how Elias would look like, she seemed rather embarrassed when she spoke. 

[Wyatt]

If Wyatt caught Mana's odd actions, he was doing a masterful job of not showing it. He glanced back and forth between the two 'sisters', sparing an amused glance to Elias now and again. "Well!" He laughed a bit as he helped her, and then Mana to their feat. "It certainly is energetic around here. I haven't seen a good festival in ages. Mana was practically skipping across the plains on the way here!" He teased.

When she mentioned the clothing, Wyatt was not oblivious to the implications of such. This seemed like a closed festival, were they inviting them in, just on a whim like this? "Are you sure? I mean I wouldn't say no, Terra, right? But, er...you sure we wouldn't be a bit out of place? This seems like a bit of a personal festival for your people, we're both Lycians." He said, gesturing to himself and Elias. The nomads of Sacae didn't have a bad reputation, but nor did they have a particularly welcoming one. It was kind of luke warm at best. He imagined that with Mana's word, they'd be allowed in, but would they really be welcomed, or merely tolerated? Still...Mana wanted to be there, and she was too loyal to let them walk off while she was having fun. His lips curved into a bit of a smile.

"Oh why not? I guess I throw Lycia out onto the plains for tonight and try to be a nomad. Here's hoping I don't make a total fool of myself in the attempt." He said, looking to Elias.

"What do you say Mr. Crimson...Druid?" He said looking confused for a moment. "Hmmm, it doesn't roll of the tongue as easily." He said with a face showing deep thought, which he could hold for about three seconds before he started laughing again.

[Mana]

Mana seemed to sulk a bit when Wyatt tease her but refused to react to it, not wanting to look embarrassed than she was currently. It was Terra who spoke next, answering Wyatt's worries about their presence with a small chuckle. "Are you worried about that? Nah, it's not like we will throw you out if you are not Sacaen. But you are right about this festival is rather personal, sort of. Lets see...How should I explain this?" The woman looked at he sky and crossed her arms, trying to find a good way to explain the reason. She understood why the red-haired blacksmith thought he and his mage friend weren't really welcomed here, but his thought was only half-true. "It's a sacred festival indeed, usually only attended by members of three tribes. But you won't be the first, and won't be the only one "foreigner" in this festival. It's pretty rare but we are used to have guests."

"Don't worry, Wyatt. Well...I should have notified Terra's dad beforehand but everything will be fine. Her dad is some sort of the leader of the three tribes, being the strongest and most intelligent between us, and he is in charge of this festival, by the way. Following our custom, it would be appropriate to tell him about you." Mana finally decided to rejoin the conversation. The girl didn't want her friends to get false impression that they weren't welcomed here. She had wanted to invite them for several reasons, although she was rather shy to say it out loud. One of them was..."Well to put it simply, if Mana invites you, then we must accept you as one of us. It means she considers you both her families. You are and will always be accepted as a member of Hawkeye, Arulad, and Fanales tribe. It is a great honor, you know. So you can call me sister now if you want," Terra said, laughing at the end. Her explanation ended with another elbow attack from the embarrassed swordswoman, replied by Terra's confused glare. Mana thought precisely like what she had said, she just couldn't say it bluntly. Well, she could probably have if "that" didn't happen between her and Wyatt. Wyatt and Elias had been good friends, probably the closest friends she ever had since Terra. She liked to think that they were her families, showing how much she liked and trusted them.

"Anyway, I could probably find some good clothes for you, boys. Wyatt might be a little difficult, though...Hmm, maybe I could ask my Fanales friends. They most likely have many outfit for someone with your size." Terra examined Wyatt with her eyes, sizing him up and down to find a right guess about his size. "We can do it later." Mana suddenly interrupted. She gestured toward the crowd in their left. There was many people gathering around a table, two men had their arms locked on it. It was clear that those men were doing arms wrestling. "Lets find something fun for now. Something like that. By the way, maybe you should try to compete, Wyatt," she said. Terra sighed and smiled, she seemed agree with her best friend. The clothes could wait, they would be able to get them easily. Now they had to enjoy themselves. "Not a bad idea. Be careful, though. There are some strong people there," she remarked jokingly.

[Elias]

Elias wrenched his face as he listened to the people around him, not quite a frown but not exactly a smile. It looked more like he was confused about something really, his eyes drifting from person to person and from place to place. People spoke around him, and he absorbed ever word naturally of course he was the crimson mage after all seriously guys, still he didn't look like he was being particularly attentive. It showed too, as he was relatively silent while the three other people in this conversation were talking around him with little notice that they missed his presence. He was getting that a lot lately, Elias was an incredibly addition to any group, but even he felt the pangs of being awkwardly jammed into things. It only got sillier when Demon was added to the equation, it was like they were intruding in what would otherwise be a very intimate occasion. You know, if you ignore the countless strangers. It felt a lot like "Mana and Wyatt, and Elias" instead of "Mana, Wyatt, and Elias" like he was sort of an afterthought, or something. Which was perfectly legit and understandable, after all he was the one who teleported halfway across the continent in order to help Wyatt, it just left him with a lot of nothing to do once he was done. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do when he couldn't justify following Wyatt around anymore, a time fast approaching. He didn't even need his 'walking facilitating instruments' anymore.

Now wasn't really the time to think about it, he had a festival to look forward to. So he hopped off his steed with a small 'oomph'. The horse wasn't particularly as large as the others, in fact it was kind of a smaller breed, but to be honest Elias knew next to nothing about horses outside of riding them. A (voluntary) gap in his knowledge due to his near preternatural fear of them. A fear that he was largely over, since it wasn't really real in the first place. Just another one of his stories that had grown a bit too grand and took on a life of it's own. It was surprisingly easy to let go, mostly because the only reason he was even faking it was because the truth was a bit more painful to swallow. He pat it on it's nose, or snout, or whatever you call it. Sharing a look with it, that he was more then sure that it not only understood but replied to with it's own look. "Yeah, don't worry. Demon's good with strangers, we met while I was just a stranger to it. In fact I'm not even entirely sure why he sticks around." It was an interesting question. He knew nothing about his horse other then it randomly started stalking him while he was in Sacae, and for some reason it seemed to like him. Or hate him. It was hard to tell the two apart. His horse was fast, smart, and kind of sadistic.

He looked at the three, Wyatt and Mana and her friend Terra. They all looked rather happy, Mana especially. She must be ecstatic to be with her friends again, it made Elias smirk. She also seemed rather embarrassed about something, and that wasn't exactly a weird out of place thing. They were over there making plans about something, getting new outfits for him and Wyatt for the festival. Honestly as long as it was red, he didn't mind that much. Heck, he wouldn't even care if it was a different color, just not green though. Green was awful. How does it even get up in the morning knowing such an awesome color like red is right over there? Elias was honestly surprised it had the audacity to show it's face, much less almost everywhere he turned. Mother nature must have been color blind. Still, it didn't matter, Elias wasn't much interested in clothes. "Yeah, sounds great." He said offhandedly, an empty phrase that was more to show he was still paying attention then anything. "Hey, now that we're out of Bern and taking a moment to rest, I need to go do something." He quickly began again, thrusting his thumb off away from them with a grin. "I'll catch up with you two later, so don't worry about me."

[Wyatt]

Wyatt was a bit distracted. First by Elias' odd behavior, which did bother the smith quite a lot. But somehow, Terra's seemingly innocent comment struck him even harder. His discomfort was not well hidden when she said he could call her 'sister'.

"No. Er... I mean, Terra is fine." He managed out weakly. Hearing her and Mana talk as sisters had not bothered him, but someone else being his sister... that opened a still-fresh wound. He became aware of Elias pulling away and spoke up. "Don't miss the party, Elias! We still have some serious patry-time to catch up on!" he shouted. Wyatt wanted to involve Elias in what they were doing, but he just seemed so sullen lately. The smith had been doing his best to try and steer the spotlight towards the attention-craving mage, but Elias just shied away from it. That made no sense, he was always trying to be the center of attention.

Wyatt's external personality had rebounded a little bit. Not to an amazing degree, but enough. "Arm wrestling, eh? Sure, why not. Let me get rid of this, though. I'll have to drop it off some place more permanent soon enough." With that, Wyatt slipped his pack off. Filled with his smithing supplies, even with a weaker leg, it hit the ground with a rather solid sound. Next her removed his metal armor, now standing as if he were naught but a peasant boy. Just his normal clothing, no weapons, no armor, no nothing. He grinned as he stretched out his limbs again.

"Sometimes I feel like I live in that stuff." Wyatt saw that the table had just emptied, as both competitors had finished and gone off to do something else, possibly grab a drink or two. So he sat down at the table, wondering who would decide to be his competition for today. Maybe nobody would be, that would sure be odd.

"So, what started this festival? Has it been going as long as your tribes have?"

[Mana]

The crowd was waiting for new competitors when Wyatt stepped up and seized the table for himself. That invited some cheering from the crowd, mostly women. There were some people who actually looked interested to accept the challenge. However, they didn't know him so those people were basically reluctant to play against him. He had invited some applause and cheering for stepping up, though.

Mana and Terra stood next to him to be his mental support. "Hmm...I don't know...It has been going for a very long time, anyway" Mana never thought about it, she didn't really care as long as it was fun. The other woman shrugged and said, "Probably. I remember my grandmother told me about it. It's just great we are able to keep the tradition alive until now." Maybe it would be even more surprising if the festival was stopped being held. Most Sacaens were very protective with their culture and tradition, especially when foreign threat like Kraft and his Etruria kept calling them heretics and trying to eradicate their people. 

When they were talking about it, a man finally walked to the table. A mature-looking man with a scar across his left eye and thin beard had decided to accept the challenge. He took his time eyeing Wyatt for a few seconds. "Well, a honored guest, eh? Welcome, brother." The man was pretty warm toward his would-be opponent, surprisingly. Looking at him, this man had similar physique but slightly shorter than Wyatt. He didn't wear any shirt, just a simple green pants and a black headband. People began to cheer, some even started making bet, as the competitors seemed to judge each others' strength. "It has been a long time since I did this last time. Lets see if I still live up to my reputation."

"Well, didn't thought you would be his opponent, Kai. Be careful, Wyatt. This idiot is quite a brute, he single-handedly wrestled a bear in the last festival," Terra said, giggling. The man, Kai, sighed and let out a weak laughter. He knew she was only making fun of him. "You know...you shouldn't really call your boyfriend idiot," Mana then gave Terra a wide teasing smile which was replied with "Whatever"

"So, I am Kai of Fanales tribe. Lets have a good match, eh?" he then said as he readied his arm above the table.

[Elias]

He watched as Mana and Wyatt walked away, waving with a sort of wry grin. They needed some time together, Elias was always there in the middle of things, and they've been so awkward around one another. Without Elias there to distract them, perhaps they could resolve that. You know Elias wasn't blind, or completely clueless about everything. Just, y'know, most things. Elias also wanted a little time alone as well, for several reasons really. This was the first time he's been with a group of people that lasted for more than a few days, he had gotten used to having to only deal with people a few days and then going back to his lonesome. A time where he didn't need to keep up with the whole 'pay attention to me' and 'super duper happy all day every day' and now he was growing a little tired of, well, his self.

Undoubtedly Wyatt and Mana had begun to notice him not being as energetic as he usually was. He needed a little time alone before he could go back to that, it was tiring. He hadn't actually felt that way for a long time, by now he was just doing it as a show. He couldn't even track when that started, probably around the time he went to that ruins for the first time, and Garnet left him. It sounded pathetic, but that really affected him more then he was wanting to admit. The first time he started to feel this sort of feeling of ennui was about the time he met the Sage in Sacae. When he got this white cape he was wearing now.

Of course that's how Wyatt and Mana knew him, that's how the world knew him, he didn't want to worry anyone. So he would take a moment to rest, then he would go back to posing dramatically and trying to push his self into everything. Declaring his own name, and being a grand hero in his own mind. No one wanted to be friends with someone who didn't even know what they wanted anymore.

He looked at the staff in his hand and sighed, he really didn't deserve this. Honestly, he was given it because he had 'figured out life' and that he was 'at peace with his self' both of which weren't exactly true. Maybe that's why it hid its true power from him? It was an amazing staff, by any measure, but it wasn't the staff of legends that he held in his hands. Maybe it could sense Elias' confusion, and deemed him unworthy? The only time it showed its true power was when he healed Wyatt, and that was the only time Elias knew exactly what he was doing and what he wanted to do. Now he just sort of following Wyatt and Mana because he didn't have much of a goal for his self.

Demon brayed and pushed him with his nose, which made him laugh. Petting the horse on the nose absentmindedly. It was kind of funny, he absolutely hated Demon at first and somehow this horse became the only person he could be around without worrying about what he was saying or doing. What started off as his deepest most irrational fear became his closest friend. "Well then Demon, what do you wanna do?" It neighed at him and he frowned. "No I am not getting you something to eat, I swear is that all you think about?"

[Wyatt]

Wyatt looked at the man across the table from him, and was pleasantly surprised at the reception. He'd seen so much of the bravado and arrogance in Bern, it felt nice to just have a friendly contest. He nodded in response, grasping Kai's hand as he introduced himself.

"The name's Wyatt, just a smith from Laus." He paused for a second, a bit of a grin forming on his face. "You Sacaens always have the best introductions. I've got to work on mine, maybe I'll ask Elias for help," he said, more to Mana and Terra. "After all the brutes and loud mouths in Bern, it'll be nice to just have a friendly match. Winner buys the first round," he declared with a small laugh.

The time for laughter quickly ended as the both of them began to apply their force. Wyatt had seen a lot of one sided matches in his days. The bullies, and the people who upset them, but this was not one of those. The two of them were evenly matched. Every time Wyatt got an advantage, pushing Kai back a little, Kai reasserted himself and put the smith on the defensive. The hands teetered back and forth, never moving too far from the neutral position. Neither of them could seem to get a definite advantage over the other.

Wyatt, however, had a few factors aiding him. For one, his arms had been getting a lot of work, especially with his legs needing more support then usual. His time with the crutches had actually improved his arm strength. Second point, after being lost in the 'underworld', he'd gained a good bit of endurance, which was naturally tempered by how often he spent in sweltering environments. As such, even though beads of sweat were forming on both of their brows, Wyatt's endurance held out. It wasn't a sudden win, it wasn't a mighty slam onto the table, it was a slow and grueling push, but Wyatt finally forced Kai's knuckles against the wood. He released his opponents hand, shaking his own off and taking a few deep breaths.

"Lands alive! You weren't kidding when you said he wrestled a bear!" Wyatt responded with surprise, feeling the lingering effects of such exertion on him. "I've never met someone with that much raw power before. Yow..." It wasn't just him being polite. If they were to play again later tonight, Wyatt wasn't sure he'd be able to win again. Kai was strong, and that just made the game all the more fun for him.

Wyatt rubbed a bit of sweat off his brow. "Thanks for the 'welcome', Kai. So what do you say we see what kind of fun this party has? I dunno about you, but I could use something a bit less strenuous after that!"

[Mana]

His comment about wanting a nice introduction made both girls smile. Mana shook her head a little as she spoke. "Well, I don't know....Elias might give you a most brilliant introduction ever. But it would probably too flashy," she said, shrugging. Actually, she was tempted to help the mage find a good introduction for Wyatt but it would have to wait.

The match went smoothly with both contestants trying to bring down their opponent's arm. Kai had shown that he was seriously strong. His tenacity couldn't be underestimated as well. The man went all-out since the beginning, not giving any opening to his opponent. Both contestants probably ignored the cheering as they used much concentration while controlling their strength. As the end approaching, it seemed Wyatt was the better one, he gradually pushed Kai into defeat. Mana had one of the loudest cheer for him when their hands crashed against the table. "Damn it! I knew you were strong but this...You surprised me." The man had a frustrated expression in his face upon his defeat. He didn't show any hostility, though. Instead he had a big grin while catching his breath. "Just wait, the next time I will break the table with your arm. Well, but not now, okay?" he said casually. Another match might prove too much for both men after such power contest.

Wyatt had suddenly become popular as some people started crowding around him. Some clasped his back and praised him, some thanked him for winning (because that made them win the bet), and some ladies could be found having their eyes set on him. Mana joined and put her arm around his shoulder, looking pleased and proud. "Don't brag about it, but you deserve to know that you have bested the third strongest person in Fanales tribe!" she said loudly as she punched his chest. She quickly moved away from him, however, suddenly looking flustered. For some reason, Mana couldn't bear having physical contact or being too close to him recently, this problem had never been occurred before "that" happened. "By the way...You need this after that, won't you?" Mana then handed him her pouch of water, but Terra stopped her. "Not water, he need something stronger, and yes, you have to drink it too!" The other woman slammed four glasses onto the table. It had an alcoholic smell but somewhat different from Lycia or Bern beer. The others also started to encourage them to try their local drink. "I was going to suggest that! Try this, buddy! You will never forget the taste." Kai was the first one to grab his glass and the man drank the content quickly, followed by Terra who drank surprisingly quick too.

"This won't end well....." Mana thought to herself as she reluctantly drank her share slowly. The girl couldn't handle alcohol but she didn't want to refuse the offer. It would be impolite according their custom. After a quick sip, she then turned to Wyatt and said, "Well, we could try the bear-hunting but you must be tired...So why don't we go and visit the food stall for now. I've always wanted to show you how amazing our cooks are."

"You could have Kai accompany you around but I have some matter I have to attend to, being a chief's daughter makes me very busy sometimes. And maybe I will try to grab some clothes for you on my way." Terra then left after saying that she would find them later. Mana almost laughed when she saw how Kai watching over her back as the Arulad woman walked away. He was definitely in love with the maiden, it was too clear for everyone to tell.

---------------------

Terra walked for a while before she found the Crimson Mage. She didn't know why he decided to spend time alone but it wouldn't stop her from coming to talk to him. "Hey, isn't it the awesome Crimson Mage? You should go with your friends, you know. They are going to grab some foods. Well, Mana might insist to go to watch our dancers train after they have their stomatchs full," she said. She was just trying to be friendly to the mage. especially because he didn't look so well.