{DEAD!!!}Midsummer Festival: Day One

It promised to be a beautiful weekend for a festival. It was Friday and the forecaster had promised perfect weather for the next three days through a brilliant display of dentistry. Caroline had been distracted by the overly-straight, overly-bright teeth, but not for long. Today, well, tonight actually, was going to be amazing.

It was nearing the time Amorina should be showing up, if Emilio's behavior was indicative of anything. He moved from place to place like a child hours before attending his first recital. His excitement was rubbing off on Caroline, making her feel all fluttery and nervous. Not that she needed Emilio to be somewhat buzzing about tonight.

"Basta!" Caroline finally snapped at Emilio. He gave her a sheepish grin and went to open the window. Sounds of people already gathering in the village square drifted in, along with the preliminary practicings of the musicians who would be positioned at non-clashing spots amongst the booths and decorations.

Emilio had been out there earlier today, helping Leo carry food and tables out into the square. He also helped out with other stands, but it was all rather minor stuff in comparison. Caroline, on the other hand, had done some last-minute groceries, had conducted her class, and had completed all of the grading she had for the weekend.

A light breeze wafted in carrying scents that made her mouth water. Emilio closed his eyes at the smell and breathed deeply. Caroline looked at her brother- even in his excitement, he didn't have a hair out of place or an unplanned wrinkle in his clothing. He was wearing a loose white shirt, playing up his dark skin and muscular lines with an open collar and a simple silver medallion. Light-colored cords wrapped around his left wrist. He was also wearing well-cut black trousers (he'd said something about jeans being kind of uncomfortable to dance in) and shoes with a bit of a heel on them. Caroline refrained from teasing him about this, deciding to take it easy on him today.

Not that he would have cared if he had been teased. It was a Cuban thing, to tease those who are close to you and therefore know your intentions are all in fun.

Caroline flicked off the television and looked over her apartment again. She'd put new sheets on her bed and the fold out in the couch, then had done her best to make the place look slightly lived-in. For the longest time, it had been sparse and spartan in appearance. At least now it had a few books and some plants.

----------


Nikolai watched from a shadowed doorway, his silver eyes taking in the bustle of the square. A break from his work had been necessary as he was beginning to wonder why he'd forced himself out of his self-imposed exile if he was just going to avoid people.

The were-dragon had to admit that all of this bustle was intruiging, yet absolutely familiar. He was no stranger to festivals- humans were notoriously rigid to habit and this manner of celebration was certainly no exception.

At the moment, he was clad in clothes he'd pilfered from the school's lost and found. The black t-shirt and one-size too small stonewashed jeans made him look even younger than usual, but he wasn't one to complain when the clothes were free.

Nearby, a group of musicians tuned their instruments and tested out their beats and tunes. It was discordant, but only for a second. His dragon half stirred, waking up in response to the delightful smells all around the place and the jewel tones used in decoration. Sun-catching topazes, bloody ruby, breathtaking sapphire.... It all reminded Nikolai of treasure.

Today, however, he was in total control. It used up his concentration, making it hard for him to completely focus on anything else, but it was worth it. He certainly did not want to Shift in the middle of all this. There was no doubt in his mind that his dragon form would totally destroy all of it. Every precaution must be taken. He would have to avoid anything valuable- his avarice to bear in mind. He would have to distance himself from cooking meat- anything raw would drive his senses absolutely haywire.

His eyes roved the square until they hit others almost as strangely light in color as his own. However, the ones that met his were a cold blue, lighter than the iceberg blue of the Frozen places... no, this kind of blue was almost colorless, just had a hint of a color to drive the hate behind them. Nikolai had only met those kind of eyes once or twice before.

The dark-haired boy had no time to think about this before the pair of eyes disappeared and the other disappeared into the growing crowd. Nikolai was too old to be actively scared by something as passing as this... still, a coolness lingered on the back of his neck, as though his human half still remembered how to get goosebumps.

Waking up two hours before she had to go made her a nervous wreck. Sleeping at night seemed almost impossible since the other day's events; every time her body wanted to sleep, she was awoken with that screaming face, glaring at her, waiting for the right moment to kill her. Seeing the time she had, she threw clothes in a buffle bag and jumped in the shower, taking one of the fastest showers of her life. The choice of outfit was already picked out; the only thing she was worried about now was the coming night.

With her hair curled like usual, her make-up minimum, she smiled down at her outfit before she threw it on. A teal colored shirt that hugged her at the hips, bawting sleeves, v-shaped crochet design on the back, a v-neck and a banded bottom. She could have easily just put on some leggings to complete it, but she opted for a black short skirt that fell to the middle of her thigh. Small black, 1/2 inch heels graced her feet again to make sure she wouldn't be as tall as most people.

Amorina grabbed her bag and the address from her hoodie-pocket and made her way from her apartment towards Caroline's. She knew she was going to be late as soon as she tried to find her way around. It didn't take long before she was lost, looking at signs and directions, back-tracking and having to go five different ways. It was festive out, though, and she wasn't completely angry to be lost. The people waved and she waved back, stopping to talk to some and asking others for directions. Amorina smiled at each, but had to ask six people before she finally came to the right place.

She walked up to the right apartment number and knocked on the door, feeling the excitement of the day to come. It was going to be amazing! Her hands were better than they had been, thanks to her dad, and they had given her some very helpful advice; to use her gift before punching him. Had she turned him normal to begin with, she wouldn't have broken her hand. There was no doubt she would keep that in mind for the next few nights.

Caroline was fixing her makeup and told Emilio in fluent Spanish to answer the door. That was completely unnecessary because he was already there, hoping puppy expression on his face. He opened the door with abandon and his grin made it clear the person standing behind it was exactly who he was waiting for.

Caroline was clad in a turquoise dress, low cut with a skirt that flared out for movement- it came to about lower-thigh length, revealing more of her legs than she was accustomed to. Even now she was apprehensive of the vinelike scars curling their way up her bare arms and legs. At the moment, she was touching up her makeup- just enough to add to the exotic look she was going for. For once, she had figured on the scars being a part of the entire impression. Her hair was fell to her shoulders in waves and framed her face nicely.

---

Emilio grinned. "Hola, Amorina. Bienvenida! Come in... You look... great!" He moved out of the way and waved an arm in the general direction of the living area as Caroline emerged from the bathroom, smoothing her dress out nervously. His sister broke into a smile when she saw Amorina, though.

"Hey, Amorina. Just put your stuff wherever. I think Emilio might have a heart attack if we don't leave soon." She put on a demure expression when her brother flashed her a dark look and muttered something in Spanish.

"Oooh, voy a decir Mama," she said teasingly.

"Not... not if I tell her... first!"

The next part was a rapid-fire discussion in Spanish that left both of them laughing hysterically at some inside joke.

Caroline, shaking her head, managed, "Would you like a brief tour or would you like to go?"

------

Nikolai moved into the sunlight- the thing seemed to be kicking off. He picked up a cup of something fizzy and non-alcoholic. Control and drunkenness were not good bedfellows. As he took a sip, he listened to the band nearest him. He was unused to such music and he had mixed feelings about it. However, after a few moments, he decided that it was tolerable.

He watched people, reading their expressions and memorizing their habits. He could feel the sunlight soaking into his black shirt and sighed in pleasure. Being somewhat cold-blooded as he was, this was very nice. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, not moving at all.

Not standing there long, she was surprised at how fast the door was opened. She was even more suprised at who had opened the door. "Hi Emilio,"she said, her smile growing bigger. Looking down at herself, she shrugged. "I don't think anyone could look as good as you." Manuevering her way into the living area and dropping her bag close to the pull-out couch, Amy smiled at Caroline. "Well, I may have to take that back, Emilio. I do believe Caroline looks better than you at the moment." Caroline's dress was a few shades darker than her own shirt/skirt combo, which made Amy feel better.

Amy noticed how they kept having to say all four syllables of her name. "You can call me Amy if you want. It's a lot easier to spit out that 'Amorina'. I feel like I should be in a princess dress singing to animals with my name." It was nice to hear every once in a while, but after a while, she even got tired of having to listen to people try to say her name quickly. It was a good name to have on formal occasions, but "Amy" would work for her if she was just hanging out with friends.

She watched them talk, not able to understand at all, but smiled when they started laughing. It was times like these when she wished she had a sibling. Her cousin was the closest thing to it, and with Amy working and Clara's classwork, they rarely ever hung out anymore. Amy let herself smile when they started laughing, letting herself shrug a little.

"We can go now, to save Emilio from his heart attack."

Caroline blushed lightly, unused to such flattery. She nodded and grabbed her key, a few bills, and her ID. All but the keys she slipped into a hidden pocket in the skirt of her dress- she didn't trust herself not to lose a purse or get it snatched somehow.

Emilio grinned at Amorina before stepping out the door. "Princesa Amy." His tone was slightly teasing, but there were lights in his eyes- he was ecstatic about... about everything!

Caroline made a last-minute check to make sure all of her lights were off and the window that Emilio had opened earlier was closed. Once all that was done, she nodded and said, "Ahora, nos vamos."

She headed toward the door, expectant smile and all.

---

Emilio waited outside, his limbs aching to dance, to move. He had silently disagreed with Amorina- she was absolutely beautiful. Caroline still carried herself with unease. That was the biggest difference between the two. Amy's easygoing nature and her confidence... those were things that Caroline had yet to develop fully.



||If you like, we can sort of skip ahead to inside of the festival- that's where the true action begins, yes? Like a "soon they found themselves in the village square" jobbie||

[Sure, that works for meh.]

Smirking at Emilio, Amy crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't make me call my fairy god-mother,"she teased back. It was an odd feeling she hadn't had in a long time; she was finally about to go out with friends, joking around with them, feeling like she had known these two forever. It felt wonderful.

She found it hadn't taken long for them to find the festival. The sounds of people grew louder, the smells grew more profound, the world seemed to come to life in a matter of seconds. Amy mad sure to walk between them, not wanting either to feel left out.

Seeing all there was at the festival made her feel overwhelmed until she remembered she still had two more amazing days to do it in. Her mind had been made up already; she would not touch a drop of alcohol tonight. Amy needed her wits about her in case she encountered somebody. A part of her thought that maybe Emilio would help if need be, but the other part knew it would not do any good unless she made him normal first. Hitting a brick wall as hard as you could was how it felt to hit the vampire.

Amy looked at her friends, linked her arms with theirs and smiled at them. "So, what should we do first? Eat, then look around, look around then eat, get something to drink, drink, eat, look, somebody pick something."

Emilio was oddly silent for a bit, but Caroline caught a glimpse of his face and chuckled. He had been caught off-guard by the torrent of English and he was working it all out in his head. Caroline ended his torment by saying, "How about we look around. If you see something you want to eat or drink, we'll pause and pick it up. If you hear a beat you like, we'll stop and dance. Let's take things as they come."

---


Emilio grinned. He had only understood part of what either of them said but Caroline had used the word "dance". That made it all good with him. All he did was flash a grin by way of answer and stare out into the festival, his brown eyes flicking from one place to another.

He'd been out there earlier- what a difference a few hours made! It had been peaceful earlier... now it was borderline chaotic. Emilio can almost hear exactly what music he wanted to dance to.


------

Nikolai found himself moving through the crowd, feeling more like a ghost than a participant although a few people paid him some mind. Some stared at his eyes, others at the scars around his left one. He attempted friendly smiles at them, but they were halfhearted and tense. He already figured on leaving somewhat early.

Amorina smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me." The word "dance" made her nervous. She had practiced as much as she could on her own, but still didn't think she was good. Most of the time, she found herself watching her feet, trying to make sure she could move perfectly; it didn't seem to work. When she did look up, she seemed to move better. Without worrying about it, she wasn't thinking about what not to do.

She felt a little awkward, looking around at everything, not sure what she should do. Usually she'd be looking at everything, talking to some people, eating, or just sitting down talking about how life was going. Right now... She didn't know what she was going to do.

Something amazing caught her nose. It was a mixture of heaven and paradise and was calling her name. "I will... Be right back." Walking into the crowd, it didn't take long for her to find what it was. Hot dogs. With macaroni and cheese. And lemonade. It took all of two minutes until she came found her friends again and smiled. "I was a little hungry." She looked around. "If you wanna go get something to eat too, I'll find us a place to sit or something."

"Alright," Caroline answered, feeling a few rumblings of hunger in her own stomach when Amy came back with food. Emilio, however, wasn't paying attention. The half-hispanic punched him in the arm to get him to look their way. "Tienes hambre, Hermano?"

Emilio's eyes darted to the hotdog Amy had, then to a nearby food stand. Slowly, he smiled and said, "Si!"

Caroline nodded to Amy. "We'll find you. Vamos, Emilio!"

With that, she dragged him by his arm out into the crowd. Emilio cast a semi-apologetic look at Amy as he disappeared.




||I hope other people end up joining this thread...||

She gave them an awkward wave as they left and looked around. It was very crowded, but it did not take long for her to find a place they could all sit. She placed herself at a somwhat-small, round table, smiling at those who smiled at her and eating. Her nose had been right; a mixture of paradise and heaven. Amy had been a little nervous before coming, and hand't eaten much the whole day. Being there calmed her stomach and made it roar until she finally dug in.

A small nudge of fear made her look around her. She knew it was still too bright for him to be out, unless he was covered in clothing from head to toe. She couldn't help but worry; being on her own frightened her. Silently wishing she had gone with them, she kept to her own, thinking about random things.

A flash of gold caught his eyes... no, it wasn't gold. It was a woman's hair. His eyes turned amber-red for a moment, but he regained control. His human side was intrigued, though. Why was a woman that pretty sitting alone? He made his way over and sat beside her, trying to capture the familiarity that all these mortals seemed to be displaying.

He hoped it wasn't too much.

The were-dragon fixed the girl with a steady gaze, attempted a smile, and said lightly, "Pleasant day, is it not?"

-----

Caroline and Emilio were searching Amorina after grabbing something to eat. Caroline had picked up some kind of fruit salad and Emilio had found Leo and made off with what seemed to be a kabob. Neither of them had taken very much- Caroline because she was nervous, Emilio because he didn't want to weigh himself down if he was going to dance.

As for drinks... well, they had gone different ways then. Caroline was holding a glass of wine cooler (a small amount of alcohol would be alright, she reasoned, for she was so nervous!) and Emilio had merely taken water.

Emilio wondered why Caroline stopped. Then he saw a dark-haired man sitting next to Amy. He raised his eyebrows and felt a pang of jealousy, but it wasn't the same man who he'd seen the girl with in his vision. For that, at least, he was thankful.

The man sitting next to her made a bit nervous, but she smiled at him and nodded. Emilio and Caroline would be back soon, and there were many people here. She could take care of herself if anaything happened anyway. "Yes, it is. A wonderful day for a festival. Are you here by yourself?" To be at such a festive place alone seemed depressing.

Looking around for a minute, she saw her two friends and waved them over. "I hope you don't mind my friends coming over. You can stay if you want." Amy felt a wave of relief wash over her body when she saw them, glad that they would be with her soon. This man wasn't so bad, but she still felt a little scared of the stranger.


Wearing a tank top/short combination, Clara walked through the festival with an amused look on her face. All of these people made her want to laugh. They weren't celebrating anything; they just wanted a reason to party. Being alone made her feel a little uneasy. Keeping her guard up, Clara's oddly-colored eyes watched those around her curiously. She had yet to find somebody she knew (or wanted to know); that didn't mean she could look around at other things. Her hair hung towards the middle of her back, her shoes making her an inch or two taller than usual. With most people, she had to look down at them to smile or talk to them.

The siblings made their way over to where Amorina and the stranger were sitting in time to hear the man say, "That sounds... pleasant. Thank you."

Caroline raised her eyebrows as she sat down. "...Hello..."

Emilio was affable enough, flashing a smile at Amy, but a cooler grin for the stranger. He was, at least, trying to have a good time despite this unforeseen stranger providing competition. At this thought, Emilio brightened. He always performed better under pressure. This was just another chance to prove himself in the face of adversity. Besides, this newcomer couldn't be more than a kid.


Nikolai's eyes were drawn to the scars on the limbs of the woman who'd come to sit with himself and the girl with golden hair. His gaze cast over her form, noting more scars creeping up the area by the bustline of her dress. Her eyes met his when they traveled back to her face. There was a slight redness in her cheeks and a cautious regard in her expression.

Obviously, he was too young and the scars were a touchy subject. Nikolai would not mention them.

"Who is this?" Caroline asked, turning to Amy.

Nikolai shook his head. "I have not said my name yet, I am afraid, ma'am. It's Nikolai Dawes."

His eyes flicked back to his first companion, then around table. "And you?"

Feeling her body give a squeal when Emilio smiled at her, she looked away from him to hide her small blush. She hadn't felt this way in a few years, and was surprised at herself for it. For one man to be able to make her feel giddy again didn't even seem possible. She was not going to complain on it, though; it was good to feel this way again.

She turned back to the stranger (Nikolai, he said?) and smiled. "I'm Amorina, and these are my friends Caroline and Emilio." It dawned on her then that she didn't know either of their last names. It was pathetic; she was getting stupid goosebumps from somebody who she knew hardly anything about.

She didn't want to use Emilio just to feel better; she wasn't mean enough for that. Amy liked Emilio, but wondered if this was right after what had just happened. She needed to move on; why not move right on to him?

Her thoughts made her forget that she was eating and she was surprised at how fast her food was gone. At least she still had her lemonade with her.

Caroline nodded to Nikolai, her mouth too full of summer-sweet grapes to speak. Emilio said a clear, "Hello."

Emilio wondered where this newcomer's accent came from. It had traces of his own, but others mixed in as well. How would one accomplish such a thing? Also... the boy's eyes were silver. What an oddity.

Emilio would have thought on it some more, but something grabbed his attention. His food was, as of yet, untouched, but there was a higher need to be addressed. A rhythm... there it was... almost too faint to be heard from where they were sitting. It pulsed through his arms, but he was too well-behaved just to dart off without a word.

Emilio gave an asking look to Amy and Caroline. "Please...?" The urge to supply that beat with his own unique rhythm and movement was great.

Caroline smiled wryly and shrugged. It should be up to Amy. If her brother did go, Caroline was going to follow- this beat was perfect for flamenco... and her brother had a talent for that sort of dance.

---

Nikolai was lost. What was going on? All he knew for certain was the combination of the light glinting off Amorina's hair and the smells coming from the Spanish man's food was driving him crazy. His eyes blazed for a split second, but he shook his head roughly and leaned away from them all.