[Kitsumi]

Rosie had opened her mouth to answer, but her mother had finally grown bored of the bakery. The woman let out a loud yawn and then leaned towards her daughter. "Didn't you say you wanted to see that petting zoo? We should head over there." Gesturing to Ava, she added, "You're welcome to meet us there if you like. I'm sorry if I'm being rude; I tend to get tired of places when I stay in them for too long."

Rolling his eyes, Tyre shook his head at Astrid. "I don't think you ever purchased any of the sweets here, did you? I would suggest the cupcakes with peppermint icing." He smiled at Ava. "They're delicious." He felt bad for leaving the other girl just as Rosie was beginning to make friends, but Astrid was already standing and putting her mittens back on. And when Astrid had made up her mind that it was time to go, that meant it was time to go.

"I hope I'll see you later!" Rosie waved to Ava. "And I'm sorry we have to leave so quickly." Her mother was already pulling her towards the door, so she waved one last time before the door shut behind the trio, leaving the warmth and smells of the bakery behind.

[Post 15 -- Bakery]

[Kitsumi]

"We could have stayed a bit longer," Tyre chided as they walked out into the cold air. "Rosie was making a friend, and it was rude to leave that other girl so hurriedly. I do hope she doesn't think that she did anything to offend you." He raised an eyebrow at Astrid, already knowing that she wouldn't care about what he thought, or about what Ava thought.

As Tyre had suspected, Astrid shrugged, not really caring. "I told her that I was bored, she knows it wasn't her fault. Besides there are plenty of other people here. And I thought that Rosie wanted to see the petting zoo?" She pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, wishing that she had brought a ponytail to tie it back. The wind was blowing her hair in every which way, and she was sure that it probably looked terrible and out of place by now.

Not wanting her parents to fight, Rosie changed the subject. "Oh, isn't that the petting zoo over there?" She pointed at the area.

[Post 16 -- Petting Zoo]

[Kitsumi]

As they got closer to the Petting Zoo, Rosie began to feel more excited. She tugged on her parents' hands, urging them to move faster. "Come on, come on! Oh, I can hear the animals now!" Giggling in delight, the little girl hurried forwards forcing her parents to practically run to keep up with her. The tension between her parents was once again forgotten as she was filled with curiosity to see just exactly what sort of animals the Petting Zoo held.

They were let inside the area, and for a moment Rosie stood perfectly still. She wasn't sure where to go first, and her head turned from side to side trying to take the whole area in. "Are you okay?" Tyre asked, putting a gloved hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You look a bit overwhelmed. If you want to wait a little while and then come back, we can."

"No way!" Rosie said. "I just can't think of which animal I want to see first." Her mind seemed to be made up for her as a young Yingshee came right up to the girl, pressing it's fleecy body against her legs. Squealing in delight, Rosie reached down to pet the animal. "Oh, aren't you the most adorable thing ever!"

[Post 17 -- Petting Zoo]

[Kitsumi]

As his daughter patted and cooed to the Yingshee, Tyre pulled out his camera and began to take pictures. He couldn't help but smile at the sweet and gentle way that the girl and animal reacted to each other. He was able to get at least half a dozen good pictures before the Yingshee's attention was drawn to something else. It trotted away, leaving Rosie to gaze after it.

"She was so cute," the little girl giggled. "Did you see how she nibbled my coat?" Twirling around happily, Rosie nearly fell into a pile of hay. Tyre was quick to steady her, and the girl thanked him with a hug. "Can we go see what other animals there are, daddy?"

Tyre nodded. "Of course we can. We should probably find out where your mother is first, though." He looked around, but didn't spot Astrid. "Did you see which direction she went in?"

[Post 18 -- Petting Zoo]

[Kitsumi]

The father and daughter began to search for the missing member of their family. It only took a few minutes for them to find her. When they finally spotted her sitting in a pile of hay, both of them stared in shock. At first, neither of them were able to believe their eyes. They looked at each other in disbelief, and then back to Astrid.

In Astrid's lap were a couple of sahound puppies. One of them was fast asleep, while the other was resting it's front paws on the demigoddess's chest and licking her chin. A third puppy frolicked around her, running towards her and nipping at her pants or coat playfully before scampering away.

The most unbelievable thing about the whole situation was that Astrid seemed to be enjoying herself! She laughed as the playful puppy tugged at her clothes, and made kissing noises to the one that licked her chin. Her hand stroked the sleeping puppy, gently so as not to wake him. Everything about her seemed happy and incredibly peaceful. It was so unlike anything that either Rosie or Tyre had seen in her before. The daughter of the god of chaos actually looked calm and happy!

[Post 19 -- Petting Zoo]

[Kitsumi]

Quietly, trying not to let Astrid know they were there, Tyre pulled out his phone. However, just as he pressed the button to take the image, she looked up. Her face was serene as the picture was taken but became stormy the second after she realized what had just happened. "Hey, what are you doing?" She stumbled to get to her feet, dumping the two sahound pups out of her lap - but carefully, making sure not to hurt them.

"I'm sorry," Tyre said in an attempt to calm her down. "I just had to take a picture. I wanted to capture the moment. You just...looked so beautiful."

Instantly Astrid froze. The corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, as if she wasn't sure whether she was going to smile or frown. Her hands clenched into fists and then released, clenched and released. Her gaze was locked onto Tyre and there was definitely some sort of electricity between them. Whether it was a positive or negative electricity, Tyre was almost afraid to find out.

[Post 20 -- Petting Zoo]

[Atoli01]

Next thing he knew, he had his plate held above his head and Dolly was reaching across the table for it. "You can go get your own, you brat!" he hissed, fork in one hand, still trying to take stabs at his cake and eat it regardless of the overly excited girl in front of him. "I just want one bite! Just one bite, Horatio!" He did little but glare at her in response, and move his first successful piece of cake from his plate to his mouth since the affair began. "You have your own money, Dolly." The girl grumbled before pointing out that, "But if I can get you to pay for me, then it'll be coming out of your paycheck instead of mine. You make more money!"

There wasn't any way in the universe that he was going to give up even a crumb of the sweet, and no way in which Dolly-- or Elliot, if he so tried-- could convince him otherwise. Children, he groaned, taking another bite. Was it so much to ask for to be able to eat his cake in peace? "Calm down, calm down, you two. You're making a scene. People are staring," he heard Elliot say, the exasperation in his voice evident. Just those simple words were enough to make both him and Dolly settled down. They quite literally made their living by being in the spotlight, but this is one time in which it wasn't the top priority of any of them. Dolly, sulking, lowered herself back into her chair and stared at him expectantly, whilst he simply maneuvered his plate back on the table and continued eating.

[10: The Bakery]

[Atoli01]

"Elliot..." He was tempted to go sit at another table, just so that he wouldn't be subjected to Dolly's whining. "What?" the man asked; anyone could tell that he wasn't very pleased about having hive name called for the twentieth time today. "Buy me some cake. Horatio already finished all of his, and didn't give me a slice..." Well... she was wrong. Until, right after that statement, the last crumbs of his cake actually did find their way into his mouth. "I can feed you like a bird if you'd like. I'm sure I still have some cake left if you really want it," he offered with a smirk. It elicited a scream from Dolly. "Horatio! I um... I don't think I want cake anymore..."

Well, he would've felt bad for the girl, had she been any other person. Unfortunately for her, she was much more irritating than other girls. He tried to find room in his heart to feel bad for the girl, but he just couldn't. He could hear a sigh come from Elliot's direction. "What do you want then? If you don't want cake." Dolly beamed. "Well if you're seriously offering... I think I'm suddenly hungry for cake again!"

[11: The Bakery]

[Atoli01]

In the end, Dolly got her cake. And he got another slice. He'd like to say it was a happy ending and call the whole ordeal a wrap, but it was far from it. They still had the entire night yet to go. Who knew what could happen in that amount of time? The thought made him sigh and left him rubbing his temples in exasperation. Somehow, Magi and Rupa had ended up sleeping throughout all of this, Magi sitting up against a wall and Rupa's body covering the creature's legs completely. They were even more active than Dolly. Of course they would be tired.

Once Elliot finished eating the pile of cookies he had bought for himself (and refused to share with anyone), he stood from the table. "Should we be going? I think Dolly will like where we're going next," he mused. Elliot procured the map from his pocket and opened it once more, seemingly to make sure he was right. The man nodded before he put it back away. When he looked over at Dolly, however, she had a frown on her face. "I still want more cake though, Ellie..."

[12: The Bakery]

[Atoli01]

He wasn't in any position to complain about Dolly's seemingly selfish wish. The bakery's food was exceptional, like nothing he had tasted before. He didn't exactly care if he put on a pound or two from it. That could be lost again with little effort. It would take more effort to find another bakery with the quality food that this one served. So, while he and Dolly were occupied with their cakes, cupcakes, cookies, every sweet under the sun, honestly, Elliot was simply sitting there with a look of displeasure on his face.

"When can we go?" the man asked. It seemed to be that Elliot was getting a bit antsy, watching the two of them munch away. He couldn't really care less though, he concluded. Dolly had other plans, however. Always aiming to please Elliot, she said, "We can go now if you're really that unhappy, Ellie." Great. Good going, Dolly. Elliot, with no hesitation, stood from his chair and stared at the two of them. He sighed and nudged both Magi and Rupa awake with his foot and shoved his last cookie in his mouth. "I guess I have no choice, hm?" In the same way that Elliot had stood, Dolly quickly answered, "Nope!"

[13: The Bakery]

[Atoli01]

With his arms outstretched, Elliot walked into the festival's next area, and glanced behind him to look at Dolly. "This is what I wanted you to see!" Elliot told her, pointing toward the miniature zoo which they were approaching. There were small pens scattered all around the area, past the petting zoo's gates, which he could see. He suddenly, very suddenly, wished that Elliot would return the map to him. They were going to be here for ages, he knew it. They were going to be in this place for a longer amount of time than they were in the bakery. If only he had prepared himself for this... Maybe he'd have picked up another glass or two of milk while they were at the bakery before.

He looked in Dolly's direction and was greeted with a beaming smile. The girl almost seemed too happy for his liking. Well... he took it back... He sighed. He definitely took it back. She deserved to be happy. Her and Elliot both deserved to be the two happiest people on the planet, after the things they braved as children. But... Oh, he didn't want Dolly's happiness at the sake of his own. He actually did want to see all the attractions the festival had to offer! But, with the way things were currently progressing, he doubted that such a thing would happen.

[14: The Petting Zoo]

[Atoli01]

Dolly didn't waste a second in running into the petting zoo. How a single, nearly grown adult could be so full of energy, oh, he'd never have even the slightest clue. Elliot looked back at him and smiled at him sheepishly. What was he ever going to do with either of them? "Let's go then, if we have to..." he sighed, gesturing for Elliot to follow him.

Before he had even made his way into the petting zoo, he had already lost sight of Dolly. Now, he didn't exactly consider such a thing a loss, but... No, he actually considered it a small success. Although, he thought, he'd probably look pretty ridiculous, wandering around a petting zoo and petting anything that neighs, squeaks, oinks, meows, barks or... whatever they'll all do at him, alone. It wasn't quite as easy as simply making a friend, though... But Elliot was right behind him anyway! Or... not, he noted as he turned around to look for the man.

[15: The Petting Zoo]

[Atoli01]

Forget making friends, he thought he was making pretty good buddies with the Cuniflare running around in there. They kept sniffing him curiously, and regardless of how many times he shoved their tiny, nosy faces away from him, they kept coming back. He had even yelled at them time and time again that he wasn't a rabbit! But, despite the slight difference in race, they still really had recognized him regardless.

"It's alright... you guys aren't rabbits either, so don't get sad," he told the rabbits, cupping the face of one in his hands. Right then, he didn't quite care how others saw him. He could feel a couple questioning gazes directed at him, but oh, all the Cuniflare had really begun to grow on him! Finally, he sat down, and relished in the warmth which the creatures provided upon crawling into his laps. "We are brothers in arms. We are fighting this war together."

[16: The Petting Zoo]

[Atoli01]

Dolly's shoes were visible from the corner of his eyes, and he could only look up in dread. He had been caught. Quickly as he could, yet gently, as to not hurt the Cuniflares all fawning over him, he pushed the creatures from his lap and stared up at her expectantly. "So, Horatio, what war were you talking about now? I don't remember there being any war against rabbits," she said. Suddenly, his pearl white skin was stained in a shade of red brighter than that of a tomato.

"U-um! The war! Don't you know Dolly?! There's so much prejudice about rabbits nowadays!" he screamed in response. The smug smile that the girl sported scared him. "I thought you weren't a rabbit, though. Why do you care so much about the rights of rabbits in this day and age in this case?" Eyes closed, he stood to his feet and wiped the dirt off of his pants. "Because I am a rabbit justice fighter," he said, locking eyes with the girl. Any person who questioned him would be pummeled by the kicks of a thousand infuriated rabbits.

[17: The Petting Zoo]

[Atoli01]

"Alright, pretty rabbit boy," Dolly started, "then why won't you list to me some of the injustices which these Cuniflares battle on a daily basis." He bit his lip at her words, his attention able to be directed nowhere else but toward the rabbits now clawing at his feet. Oh, how he wanted to pick them up, and scoop them into his arms, and hug them until there were just little balls of fluff remaining--! But he stopped himself; he could not rightfully call himself a rabbit justice fighter if he did those sorts of things. It would be degrading!

His eyes remained locked onto Dolly's as he spoke. "Here, let me give you a good example: I want to hug them. I want to hug them until they are no more, until there is nothing left to be hugged, because of how cute they are. Do you think this is fair for the rabbits? Dolly, would you like me objectifying you in this manner?"

"Well... maybe not you... But I would if it was anyone else! Like Ellie..." He swore he could see the drool nearly dripping from her face. "He can objectify me all he wants, if it makes him happy."

[18:The Petting Zoo]