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“SERAPH!!”

I drew the softest boi

Part two of my troupe of performers! These are the Kitsune twins, they’re dancers and can also sing and provide backup instruments such as drums or tambourine. Both siblings have a habit of flirting with the audience, but Pedan Tends to look out for any girls that are either with some unwanted attention, or need to get away from a bad situation. They tend to tag team, with Chagas acting as a distraction (mainly by hitting on the guy) and Pedan helping the lady. Started out with belly dancing, but began incorperating other dances into a mishmash style to fit her aesthetic. 

Chagas Is unabashedly gay, but as they’re constantly traveling, he hasn’t been interested in a serious relationship. He prides himself in his dancing and pursued belly dancing right along side his twin from a young age. He respects Aynaba for being so comfortable with their identity, and that it even encouraged Bulin to just be themself regardless of clothing.

-

I’m not your friend, pal. Artem enjoyed his own humor and responses he thought up, but they never reached past his lips. Besides, he didn’t know this stranger. What if he became aggressive? But on a completely different note, he was strangely… dressed? Was that a fashion statement? No, wait, there were more problems past his attire. Although Artem didn’t move past that thought until the fellow began speaking again.

“Agni…” The name slipped his lips before he had even comprehended the second sentence. Wait, was he floating? He was too close. Was there a problem with his face? What if he thought his name didn’t match? That would be quite a disappointment. Touching a finger to his cheek, he wondered if the face paint covered the slight red in his cheeks. He didn’t appreciate compliments from strangers. They made him nervous. It was still a compliment, though. He should be polite.

Give him your name. The thought disappeared as Artem took a step back. His entire mind had shifted to the fact that he had finally moved. What if he tripped? What if he was in someone’s way? This was a problem. A much bigger problem than the conversation. Derailed from the introduction entirely, he responded, “That outfit doesn’t match.”

Dear Ventuswill, swoop out of your castle and destroy all of Selphia before this conversation continues. Where was Sasha? Artem mentally cursed her at least twice for this outcome… and then quietly rescinded those curses.

Agni blinked, thrown for a loop for a moment, before looking down at his own clothing. “You really think so? What do you think would look better then?” He had thought that the pattern suited him but surely this elegant stranger might have more of an eye for fashion than he did. He was a hairdresser not a fashion designer. Looking up at the man that had taken a step back, Agni tilted his head, concern for the other quieting any concern over his choice of fashion.

-

“Jordan–” Gael paused, the sudden motion of a certain mermaid friend (using the definition loosely at this point) pulling his attention away from the boy who had been cooking a meal just moments ago. In the lack of an appropriate weapon, she had picked up one of his pots. She already knew the object would just phase through Nasim, but that wasn’t stopping her, apparently. “– no, NO. Sasha!”

Between the barbarian trying to destroy his shop and Nasim unconsciously whipping up a storm, ‘think fast’ was the first phrase that came to mind. Prying the pot from Sasha’s hand, he rose his voice, “You’re making a bad first impression!”

The comment had actually been directed at Nasim. Sasha was making a very accurate impression. At the mention of a third party involved, the battle simmered into quieter (but still rather loud) bickering.

“Is that one of your friends?” Sasha spoke in a low, suspicious voice, eyeing Nasim for a short moment.

“I don’t know him.” Nasim, who had never actually introduced himself to Jordan at any point (he pretty much went into hiding whenever the squirrel came over), wasn’t very fond of having the half-monster’s eyes on him. He didn’t like being stared at. “What? We’ve got monster parts so we must know each other? How shallow can you possibly swim, you idiotic whale.”

Gael knew that phrase would probably end with something about suffocation, so he cut off the commentary, setting a weary hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Jordan. This is Sasha. I used to work for her in Sharance.”

“… And that’s Nasim. He’s been here the entire time.” Gael cleared his throat, a small flicker of a smile appearing on his face, “He’s just shy.”

“I’m not shy.” Nasim growled, refusing to let that slide.

Jordan smiled at the bickering twosome. “Its nice to meet you Sasha! Oh, and it’s good to finally get a proper meeting Nasim. I noticed your presence for a while but i figure it’s better to leave well-enough alone. I’m Jordan, and I used to travel a bit before settling down in Selphia!” He politely dipped his head, pretending to ignore the whispers that might as well be spoken right at him with how badly they were concealed.

-

“Blue represents calmness and serenity, although it can hold an equal importance in intimacy and trust. It depends on the intent.” Gael gave the flower a loving look which translated to Lorna as she caught his attention. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had given him a pat on the head. It was… unusual, but not unwelcome.

The mention of love, however, was both unusual and a bit startling, at the least. He had to admit, he didn’t know a whole lot about Lorna, since he only asked rather silly questions as a child, but he couldn’t help but think that seemed strangely out of character. His eyebrow raised, and with good reason, too, as Lorna smiled at her own joke only a few seconds later.

“One of my customers did mention she would do some runs around town to spread the word. I didn’t expect the word to reach you, though. There are all sorts of travelers in town, though.” Gael was more than pleased at the mention of them sitting down to chat, and he immediately moved towards the door. It was only as he opened it to turn the sign to ‘closed’ that he realized it had been quite a long time since he had even looked outside. It was almost spring, wasn’t it? Or perhaps it was spring… it had been a while since he past peeked at a calendar. Perhaps he had missed most of winter… not that he had a problem with that. Although it didn’t get terribly cold in this location– probably the only blessing he received from ending up here.

Jarring himself out of the moment he had so easily lost himself in, Gael turned the sign and quickly shut the door, motioning for Lorna to take a seat in the small nook where the window overlooked the forest. Without missing a beat– or rather while adding a few of his own– Gael rushed towards the back, “This is the perfect occasion! I’ve been meaning to open this for a while now.”

The dark elf shuffled around in the back for a long moment before returning with a bottle of wine, a set of glasses, and a basket of apples. “I haven’t been able to keep up with the grape vines, so I started bottling wine in my free time– although I haven’t done much recently. It’s too late to tell me you don’t like wine!”

Lorna admired the flower, tucking the stem behind her ear. “I actually visit the town fairly often, a friend of mine lives there, you see. I rescued him from a bad predicament and we’ve kept in touch since.” She watched as the younger elf enthusiastically went about gathering things from the back. 

Slowly taking a seat she didn't notice the soft smile that had made its home on her features as she relaxed a bit. The view from the window was beautiful and the scent of flowers that filled the shop reminded her of a time long past. It certainly had been some time since she set foot on the shores of the Elven Nation.

-

What if it was too much? Or what if it wasn’t enough? No, no, gut instinct was the best feeling to go by, and even more so for someone he had known for so long. Even if they hadn’t met in quite a long time. But he could choose something fancier, couldn’t he..? Pulling his attention back to Lorna, the elf gave a short laugh, “I’ve taken to it over the years.”

He wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not. He did like his name… but then most people called him Gael. That was at his request, too… but first names were quite personal, weren’t they? Lorna was a reasonable exception.

“I must have grown big and strong if you think something like that would upset me.” Gael grinned before plucking a charm blue from the table he had been scouring with the deepest of concentration. In a swift motion, he held it out to her with a childish glimmer in his eye. “I’ve got plenty of stories to tell and company to share, but the customer comes first! Was there something you were looking for specifically? Or were you just another curious visitor?”

Lorna accepted the flower with a smile. “I always have adored the color of charm blues, thank you.” She met that childish glimmer with warmth of her own. Such a thing she had not seen in some time now. Without realizing she had moved, she pat the younger man’s head, reminiscent of days long past. Still-- there was a slight niggling sensation that she had forgotten something important about him.

“Obviously, I am looking for love. That is the true reason i travel around.”