[crow]

[thread moved with permission from other mods]

"I don't think we should be here."

Two figures walked through the streets on the eve of the festival. The one who had spoken was the shorter of the two, which was about the only thing you could determine about them at a glance, what with the way they had chosen to dress themselves. They were covered from head to toe in a variety of garments, most of which didn't seem to be in very good shape, with not a scrap of skin showing through.

[crow]

Among their adornments numbered a tattered cloak, one or possibly several loose shirts or tunics, at least one pair of pants that fit just as roomily, and scarves upon scarves upon scarves. Their lower limbs were wrapped in what might have been bandages, and they wore gloves and boots on top of that.

The voice sounded male, if only barely, and that barely by virtue of how soft and muffled it was. The cloaked figure spoke quietly, as though they were afraid of being overheard by anyone but their companion. Maybe even by their companion.

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The face of their companion, by contrast, could clearly be seen, and he made no effort to hide it. His clothes were of a finer make, his gait lighter, and the smile he flashed at his friend was as careless and blithe as a child's. He was not very tall, but his figure was slender and lithe, and there was a grace to the way he moved that made it seem as though he were taller than he was. Especially when compared to the cloaked figure, who upon closer inspection was, if not hunched over, then at least unconsciously trying to make themselves smaller.

[crow]

"Don't worry, Fein. It's a festival! Everyone's having a good time! I dare say no one will be unpleasant to you even if you don't cover your face."

The cloaked figure--- Fein--- flinched at the mention of their name. "I wish you wouldn't call me that," they said.

"But you have such a pretty name. Nothing like mine. 'Elissar'--- ugh." A grimace briefly troubled his fine features, but a moment later it vanished, replaced by another smile. "Oh, but I'll call you Moon-eyes if you like, Fein."

[crow]

"Please do," said Moon-eyes, who tugged the scarf a little higher over their face. They sounded tired. Probably they had had this conversation, or something like it, many times before.

Moon-eyes might have said something else, but they lost the opportunity. Elissar's attention was caught by something he'd seen at one of the stalls, and he tugged excitedly at one of Moon-eyes' scarves. "Look, look! They're selling masks there. Why don't we buy one? You can hide your face without looking quite so strange, and it would be so much fun. So festive!"

[crow]

His glee was real and evident, but judging by Moon-eyes' reluctance, it wasn't infectious, or at least not so much as Elissar had hoped it would be. Moon-eyes' eyes darted back and forth between the stall and their surroundings, and one hand clutched at their scarves. "I don't know," they said.

"Well, there's no harm in trying one on, is there?" said Elissar, refusing to be deterred. "And if you don't care for it, I'm sure Bambam would love one. Some of them are pretty grisly."

[crow]

He was right about that. The masks were on the whole kind of gruesome looking, their faces those of monsters, many of them reptilian in appearance. Their visages were distorted into snarls or expressions of what might have been pain. Elissar drew closer, and Moon-eyes, with a sigh, was forced to follow, almost as though they had been drawn along, for all that Elissar had no actual hold on them.

"My. They're so dramatic, aren't they?" he said, eyes widening as he came upon the stall.

[crow]

It was run by a short, stout woman somewhere in her forties, who smiled at them as they approached.

"That they are, sirs," she said. "Finest handiwork in the whole festival, and I guarantee you can't find a better thing for scaring the little ones. Or your suitors, if that's what you're after." She winked at Elissar as she said this, and he smiled back--- a friendly smile, but not quite to the point of sharing the joke, and rather more as though it had gone over his head instead.

[crow]

"That's quite the boast, ma'am," said Elissar, "but I don't think our little one will be frightened by a mask."

The woman's eyes widened, and she looked between the two of them again, as though she were re-evaluating her initial impression of them. "You have children?" she said. Politeness and the eagerness to make a sale didn't quite manage to keep the incredulity out of her voice.

"No," said Moon-eyes hurriedly. "No, we don't. We have a... There is a child in our care, but he isn't... ours."

[crow]

"Of course he's ours! He's our partner, isn't he? And we take care of him," said Elissar, with a hint of pride. "Oh, but she means parents, doesn't she? Ah, yes--- that is, no--- we're helping him find his family, actually."

The more he spoke, the more uncomfortable Moon-eyes looked, until Moon-eyes finally couldn't bear it anymore and took one of the masks down. "How much?" they said, clearly wanting anything to talk about that wasn't their current topic.

"A silver," said the woman, who did an admirable job of not looking at them too strangely.

[Wild Pet Found]