[Thunder]

The peaceful little town of Nabias had become the site of a small ruckus.

It was a strange sight to behold. The Lucain was attempting to drag the Leumoo along by the foreleg, while the Leumoo stubbornly tried to stay put, growling in discontent. Some gave the two confused stares, and simply moved on, while others shouted at the duo to be quiet. None of this, however, halted the scuffle between the two creatures.

"Oh, come on!" the Lucain groaned, still yanking the Leumoo's leg with her paws. "Kahdsfield, you're always cooped up in Lamenolai. It wouldn't kill you to get out and explore a little! Get a feel for the town life!"

"I don't want to be here, Mystica!" Kahdsfield snarled, pulling in the opposite direction. "This place is so boring. There's nothing here but dinky little shops that sell cheap stuff. And why does Nabias have to be so close to a jungle?! It's so humid..."

The squabbling continued for a few more minutes, and finally, with a sigh, Kahdsfield gave up. Mystica's eyes brightened once he gave in, and with one leg hooked around his, she began taking him down the nearest street, in the direction of a small bazaar.

"Don't give me that look," she said, gazing at the dismayed expression on his face. "Come on! We'll do something fun together!" Kahdsfield muttered something incoherent, but did not protest again.

[Jaykobell]

It was a nice day outside. Not too hot, but not too cold; although the jungle made it rather humid. Still, it was a good day to be outside and to enjoy the little things.

The Lucain was walking around the stores aimlessly, looking at the merchandise but not here to buy anything. Most of the shops were tiny little bazaars, with people selling cheap trinkets and expensive items claimed to be rare "artifacts" when they really weren't. This sort of environment was perfect for his little game. By standing near so many people, he could identify a lot of different desires, in countless forms: greed, love, selfishness, fear, wonder, curiosity... There was an endless variety of desires, and an endless variety of emotions to go with it. Not one desire was like another; every last one was different, just like how every person and pet was unique.

It was while taking a look around a few of the tiny shops that he heard a commotion nearby. He turned around and shuffled through the crowd to take a closer look, until he eventually got a glimpse of the issue at hand. A Lucain dragging a Leumoo around, with the Lucain forcing the bovine pet to follow her, while the Leumoo was absolutely not willing to cooperate. There was something curious about the two, although he could not tell what, exactly. Some people yelled at them to be quiet, while others simply walked away or stared with confused, baffled looks.

Quickly enough, the pair stopped arguing — so to speak — and out of curiosity, the black Lucain followed them carefully. He had, admittedly, picked up something from the Leumoo specifically. A desire of some sort, although it was impossible to tell much more than just that. It also wasn't much, considering anyone could give off the feeling that they desired something. Still, the Leumoo was intriguing, and he had nothing better to do. He never bothered to hide away from the public eye, and he wouldn't need to so long as he didn't scream his powers atop roofs.
Carefully, he approached the pair and gave them a smile. "Good day," he greeted, his tails wagging very slowly and elegantly behind him. "Is there something the matter? Nabias is hard to get used to, but if you need some advice, I can certainly spare the time."

Let the little white lie begin.

[Thunder]

As the two were walking towards the bazaar, a Lucain, black with tan Mudbelly, ice-blue wingblades, and starry markings, approached them. Kahdsfield narrowed his eyes as the stranger approached. God, he thought to himself. I hope this guy doesn't cause me any trouble like this crazy witch already is. Mystica, upon seeing the Lucain, smiled and temporarily let go of Kahdsfield's hoof to walk over.

"Good day to you too, sir!" she greeted. "I'm guessing you saw that little commotion back there." Here, she let out a light, little laugh. "Oh, we're alright. My friend here just doesn't quite like towns as much as cities. He's been stuck in Lamenolai for just about all his life. He needs to get out a little more."

"I beg your pardon," Kahdsfield spoke up, "but I was not stuck in Lamenolai for my whole life, thank you very much. I travel, just not a lot." And I can hardly step anywhere without you following! he mentally snapped.

"Oh, come on!" Mystica sighed, glancing back at him. "I'm sure there's something in Nabias that you'd like. You like clothes shopping, right? You can go check out the fashion around here!" But the Leumoo just rolled his eyes. Mystica shook her head and returned her attention to the Lucain. "I apologize on behalf of my friend. The name's Mystica." She dipped her head in greeting. "Who are you?"

[Jaykobell]

As the two strangers introduced themselves and explained their situation, he couldn't help but to tilt his head to the side curiously. What a strange little pair. "Oh, is that so?" He stretched his neck so that he could take a look at Kahdsfield now. "Don't worry, towns are actually rather similar to cities. You've lived in Lamenolai... yes? Nabias is just a little bit smaller. But if you've been traveling, then I assume you already know that." The last comment wasn't meant to be sarcastic or snappy. Truly, if Kahdsfield had traveled before, he would know towns and cities were very similar.

He turned back to Mystica then, with his conversation with Kahdsfield over. "I see. My name is Astrophel; very pleased to meet you," he replied as he, too, dipped his head down in greeting. "And your little friend is...?" Once they got the introductions out of the way, it would be easier to get down to business. Really, he was more interested in Kahdsfield than Mystica; if only because something was powerful about Kahdsfield... but Mystica was a lot more easier to interact with; and so, he would adapt for now.

[Thunder]

Kahdsfield simply nodded at Astrophel's question. "Er...yeah," he responded awkwardly. He kept swaying back and forth, in either discomfort or impatience, and his pose was tense. "My family is in Lamenolai. I'm a prince, you see." At this, he puffed out his chest slightly and stood up a little straighter, which made him look rather ridiculous, as just a few moments ago he was whining and miserable. "Um, it's nice to meet you. Astrophel."

"Yes, yes!" Mystica said, in a much more cheery tone than the Leumoo. "It's very nice to meet you, Mister Astrophel." Her three tails wagged in delight. "Indeed, he's Kahdsfield, and he's a prince from a fairly prestigious royal family. Of course, he has to be the grumpy one." She laughed again, while Kahdsfield let out a little snort. "And me, I'm a sorceress that his mother hired to keep him in line."

Right, the prince thought. And you're the one who turned me into this thing and caused me so much misery. Why don't you babble out the rest of my life story, will you?

[Jaykobell]

As the two introduced themselves some more, Astrophel blinked and grinned just a little bit. "Kahdsfield and Mystica. I see." The Leumoo seemed to be quite the character... not only that, he happened to be a prince as well. Astrophel blinked at that mention, not confused, but certainly intrigued by the situation. A prince... Leumoo? He traveled, but he had never heard of Kahdsfield's name nor his family. This proved that you really couldn't know everything.
"A sorceress..." And quite suddenly, Mystica was very interesting as well. While Astrophel had no idea just how powerful her abilities were, he hadn't met a lot of mages or sorceresses. Although, he had to admit he hadn't met a lot of princes and princesses, either.

As they were talking, Astrophel suddenly felt something coming from Kahdsfield. Again, it was something powerful coming from the Leumoo... and as he peered into that powerful feeling, Astrophel came to the conclusion that he had found another one... Another one who was wishing for something. Someone who had a strong desire. "Why don't you two tell me a little bit more about yourselves?" he inquired, tilting his head curiously. "There is a nice little snack restaurant nearby, especially for Evelonian pets. As a traveler, meeting a prince and a sorceress is a rare treat." While he couldn't tell what the desire was, Astrophel could feel it coming from Kahdsfield, and for the sake of keeping his identity a secret, he would have to beat around the bush very carefully to learn about this hidden desire.

[Thunder]

Kahdsfield was about to decline the restaurant invitation, as he already had so much trouble with Mystica practically stalking him, but the sorceress was faster to speak than he was. "Oh, that would be excellent!" she exclaimed, beaming at Astrophel. Kahdsfield mentally groaned, and if his anatomy was different, he would have slapped himself in the face. However, quadrupeds weren't exactly good at that. "What do you think, Kahdsfield?" Mystica turned around, smiling at the prince.

"Uh...sure," Kahdsfield replied gloomily. He wasn't even going to try and defy her anymore. Mystica ignored his sullen tone and looked back at Astrophel. "If you could guide us to this restaurant, we'd appreciate it very much."

Speak for yourself! Kahdsfield thought, narrowing his eyes slightly at the sorceress. "Uh, yes," he said out loud. "We would like that. Very much. Yes..." His voice faltered, and he decided that he might as well just shut up.

[Jaykobell]

Although the Lucain was beyond excited at the invitation, Kahdsfield seemed to be rather upset about it all. He certainly was a peculiar one, so Astrophel would have to play his cards carefully. While childish and easy to fluster, Kahdsfield couldn't be just a stupid kid. Astrophel was going to get himself settled into a little mind game for this one particular prince. Outwitting someone wasn't an easy task, oh no...

"Wonderful," he replied with a smile and a tilt of his head when the two agreed to accompany him for a snack. "It's right around the corner. Follow me, please," he invited as he turned around and lead the two companions away from the plaza and into a small corridor of shops.
Unlike the bazaar stands and the — dare he call them that — black market-like shops, this part of Nabias was like a busy street especially for tourists. Every little building was a restaurant or a shop, each of them specializing in different themes. One of them read, "Delights of the Black Sand," and its rival went along similar lines: "Salty, Sandy, and Sunny!". Obviously, they were shops selling common trade products from the Sa'fir and Dead Coasts, and they weren't the only ones. The restaurants quite often referred to the general foods of Evelon, but some of them served special dishes and meals from other corners of the world, such as exotic Jawan seafood, or icy cold treats from the very edges of the Basantha region. Needless to say, this place was extremely culturally-diversified.

Along the way, Astrophel stopped to look at Mystica and Kahdsfield. "I somewhat lied when I said I had a place in mind," he admitted without even batting an eyelash, and instead, smiled happily. "But it'd be rude of me to just pick a place for you." His tails swished, as if showing the endless amount of little shops and restaurants. "So how about you pick the one you want? Some of the shops sell trinkets for the most part, but most still have take-out dishes as well. There are so many cultures that it would be a waste for me to force you to try a random one. But, beyond me rambling on, what would you like to try?"
Making his little "guests" feel comfortable around him was also part of the plan, of course.

[ Feel free to make them pick anything~ And feel free to make things up too. xD I'mprettysuretheywouldhavenaughtythingsintheretooso. :U ]

[Thunder]

(...what are you implying 8|)

Mystica let out a little, excited giggle as she began to follow Astrophel. Kahdsfield, sighing again, followed suit. Every so often, the Lucain sorceress would look back to check if he was there, and he always was. He was too afraid of what she'd do if he tried to run away. They left the plaza and found themselves in a street chock full of shops and people. There were many restaurants, serving dishes from all over Evelon, as well as a number of other shops.

Mystica paused when Astrophel mentioned that he didn't actually have an idea, and gazed around at the shops. Kahdsfield, too, took a look around, not necessarily because he wanted to eat here, but because he didn't want to eat in a place she picked. His eyes fell on a placed called "Fruits of the Deep Jungle", a fancy looking restaurant with savory smells wafting from it. He could hear men inside, laughing and having merry conversation, and through a small window, he could see an attractive waitress serving wine. Kahdsfield opened his mouth to speak.

"The Smoothie Shack!!!" Mystica squeaked, pointing her paw at a small, brightly colored shop with samba music blaring from speakers set up outside. Kahdsfield groaned and let his head fall to his feet. Before anyone could move, Mystica dashed over to The Smoothie Shack and gazed over the menu. "Let's go here! They have smoothies made of rare jungle berries!"

[Jaykobell]

Astrophel tilted his head when the two got a bit more comfortable and started taking a look around for themselves. He wasn't a picky eater, so anything would suit him. If, for whatever reason, they picked something he didn't fancy, he would just excuse himself and say he wasn't hungry enough for that specific treat. The odds were small, but you never know.

Astrophel noticed Kahdsfield about to speak, but then Mystica spoke first. The Lucain dashed away to take a look at the menu of the Smoothie place, but Astrophel could see the Leumoo prince wasn't very pleased with that choice. He walked over to the Leumoo and lowered his head a little. "Where did you want to go? If anything, we can come back later or tomorrow." The Leumoo was the one Astrophel was interested in; by showing him that he could be comfortable around Astrophel, the Lucain would eventually get to learn what was, literally, eating the Leumoo from the inside.

[Thunder]

Kahdsfield, needless to say, was quite happy that Astrophel was considering his opinion. "Oh, um, Fruits of the Deep Jungle." The Leumoo gestured towards the restaurant with his muzzle. "I suppose we could go there later. And thanks for thinking about what I want to do. That Mystica is a headache to have around, dragging me to all these places I don't really want to go." He scowled slightly at the memories of all the other times she had followed him around when he wanted to be alone. "She always says 'it's for your own good', but she's just making things worse for me."

Kahdsfield shut his mouth as soon as Mystica bounded back towards him. "Well, won't you two come?" she asked cheerily, knowing nothing of the harsh words just spoken about her. "They have lots of different flavors I've never heard of. It should be interesting."