Rainblade-Ryalors Open Vulpinsula & Surroundings Westisle Cultural Appreciation Day

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil looked thoughtful as he considered that suggestion. "That... That's actually a good thought," he admitted. "I mean, if we can find a todd we both trust, one who we are sure will treat her with kindness and patience and understanding, then she might actually give him a chance. Not Alwyn, though," he hastened to add. "Cousins marrying isn't exactly outside of tradition in the Ryalor family, and technically speaking since we're adopted, even by Vulpinsulan ethical standards it's a little looser, but... Well, I like my cousin, but he's definitely not right for her at all."

Mileya looked up sharply as the merchant named his price. "Gakki-san, kitto ii machigaeta no ne. Sen happyaku to ittakedo, hyaku hachi-jū no tsumoridatta ni chigainai wa."* She gave Asta a small, reassuring smile.

*"Mr. Musical Instrument, surely you must have misspoke. You said one thousand eight hundred, but you must have meant one hundred eighty."

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

Caden laughed loudly enough that several nearby beasts turned to look at him. He shook his head, toning his laughter to a small chuckle before he spoke. "Alwyn? No, no I definitely wouldn't--He's a good beast, don't get me wrong, but he's not exactly stable, not in the way I'd want were I to set somebeast up with him." The marten rocked back on his heels as he thought. "None come to mind currently, but given our various connections, it's only a matter of asking around and getting to know some beasts. I'd say we're good judges of character, and if not us, then we just sit our potential in a room with Asta, and she'll know if he's worthy within five minutes."

The jill in question watched with curiosity as the vendor spoke with Mileya. She had been picking up on some of the language, but it was so different from Vulpinsulan and Varangian that she could only detect some words rather than any coherent meaning. The vendor's frown told her well enough that he was displeased with Mileya's haggling.

"Surely you know how weak the gilder is, milady," he said. "These are finely crafted instruments imported directly from artisans in Westisle. One hundred eighty would be an insult to their great talent. One thousand if you must barter, but even that is a great bargain for such an instrument."

 

[Tal'Rakan]

@Kal Goldtail

It was very interesting to see how this city and culture could transform on a whim. Tal'Rakan didn't even know before that Westisle existed. As such he felt odd walking around as most beasts around suddenly wore different clothes, ate different things and spoke words not used before. It wasn't that back in his homeland there was only one culture, certain Lynx tribes and all non-lynx species to this day hold their own unique characteristics. Still, they could be experienced or seen by going to the towns, cities or villages where they were cultivated. Safe for the First Sun holiday, when they all were represented at the Phoenixes Court and celebrated, one wouldn't experience them without wanting to do so.

Here however, order mattered not. From little what he had gathered, this whole event was a result of another High Priest desire to show the culture of their homeland. It was sickening to Tal'Rakan that those beasts held such sway over what was happening in the land they were merely living at. But if such anarchy was allowed by their god, the Sun Fox? He wouldn't bother to try and change that. Instead Tal'Rakan was just padding around, looking even more so out of place in his plumed cloak and crown and the armour beneath. He actually had some intent to try the food primarily, but he wasn't sure where to start and as such he just decided to ask first random fox he had spotted.

"Khood day to you. I wish to ask for assistance. I am new to this place and well, this event have put me off a prit. Care to explain the prasics and show me around? If you need me to, I can pay for your trouprles."

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil chuckled at Caden's suggestion. "I almost feel bad for the todds subjected to Asta's scrutiny. She'll find out everything about them with a speed and precision that would make a M.A.U.L. agent envious." He smiled at Caden, daring a small touch on the arm - as much as he was willing to do in public. "I don't know how I got so lucky, to have you in my life."

Mileya's tongue trilled rapidly through the Fyadorian words, never missing a beat. "Sutando to yobi no gen ga tsuite ireba, sen-doru wa datōna kingakudesu. Soshite…"* She pulled from her sleeve a small pouch tied to her wrist, fishing out a pair of sparkling electrum fifty-gilder coins with a gold core for weight. "Gakki-shi no jikan o sonchō suru tame ni."**

*"One thousand is reasonable, so long as the stand and a spare set of strings is included. And..."

**"To honor Mr. Musical Instrument for his time."

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo fur would furl up at Marianna's words were it not for the fact he was still soaked in water. "Well... I only have one matter t' deal with today. I need t' pass some documents t' one fella from Justice I've got working with me. Safe for that, am yours for whole day fer anything we wanna."

He slowly raised from the spring, pulling Marianna upwards too as she was firmly tangled with him. After a gentle kiss to her forehead, he parted from her and stepped aside to shake off water from his fur, unashamed both with himself and with the fact he was looking at her. Once he was just damp, he took a towel and threw it over himself, grabbing his clothed for today and moved to back to the changing stalls. "Also, we coulda take part in 'em tea ceremonies. I've heard they are as intricate as delicious... and so called mochi given as sides are even sweeter... like ya." He grinned before disappearing into the stall.

Soon after, on the other side, he met with Marianna again. Now that he was dried, his fur was combed and his tail as bushy as it could get, Ivo didn't bother with words, only extending his arm to let Marianna into his paws again.

 

[Kal Goldtail]

@Tal'Rakan

Through the sounds of festivities, Kal almost startled at words directed so close and so directly towards her. She turned around, scanning the beast. Older, clearly stronger, but a fish out of water. Armored, despite the casualness of the event. Feathers? Was that a crown? There was a lot that surprised her in this interaction, from Lynx's accent, to looks, ending at the sole bizarreness of someone clearly of some wealth approaching someone of her status and asking for assistance. It probably did show on her face, though it wasn't an antagonistic look by any means. The interaction being so out of place, she stumbled over what kind of tone to apply.

"'Ello- I mean, good day, sir. I- well." She cleared her throat. "Of course. My pleasure. I don' know all, but I can try to help, at least." She gestured for them to walk and talk, leading them towards a section more focused on armor and weapons of Westisle, as she imagined that would be interesting to the beast. At best, it could be some easy coin. She didn't dare to think of potential worst outcome, was she to disrespect the beast.

"Well, where to start. 'tis a Westisle Cultural Appreciaton Day, organized by our nobles. Duke Ryalor comes from Westisle, if I remember right. 'tis a day to eat their food, try their weapons, and see their clothes." She gestures around. "You, sir, don' seem local, pardon the assumption. Where do you hail from, if I may?" She was mixing her speech patterns and stumbling over her words, generally stressed and flustered.

 

[Tal'Rakan]

@Kal Goldtail

The lynx listened carefully, nothing new so far but at least he was heading someplace instead of trying to randomly stumble into any point of interest. That was a good start, and the vixen, while unassuming, wasn't unpleasant unlike some. She seemed to be more educated and well-spoken than most that is for sure. And her curiosity in fact humoured Tal'Rakan who always liked to boast a bit.

"Ah, I come from Ichan Iluiteomeh. For lack of pretter translation, Land of Phoenixes, place of eternal summer, home of thousand peaks. One far southwest from this place." After previous encounters, he knew that openly saying he is a diplomat led to some... interesting results. So for now he decided against it. "I know very little aprout this nation of yours and I am here to learn" He spoke a tiny bit mumbly, not liking the fact he has to use half-truths.

"I would enjoy seeinkh all. While it isn't aprout this land from what I khather, knowinkh more isn't khoinkh to hurt for sure."

 

[Kerney Erdősi]

@Pomodu lu Modokunomulo @Kaii Nashirou

Kerney tilted his head curiously as the beast produced a beautiful case from her similarly beautiful sash. Watching her produce the coins, time seemed to slow as they sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight, his eyes going wide as saucers.

"Are ye kidding?! Put that away!" He spoke in a hushed voice, stepping closer so that his body would block onlookers' views of the precious metal. He wore a forced smile and looked around for anyone who may have seen, trying much too hard to pretend like everyhing is fine. "Yah tryin' te get robbed...?!"

Oops. He didn't mean to be rude. Awkwardly, he shuffled back, eyes darting around the large crowd that surrounded them. "Eee, sorry, I mean... Thank you for your generosity..." He cleared his throat, "But really, you're too generous. Yah already stand out, don't want folks thinking yah have goldies to nick too. Lots of beasts on the street. Food for thought."

Kerney held his paw up in a 'no,' like a bluenose having been offered a pipe. This next part was a knife in the gut, but he supposed he had to say it if he were to turn himself around. "And I can't accept that. Way too much. Way. I'll find another way." He stood there with his arms hanging by his sides, silently hoping that was enough in this foreign social standard he had to adhere to.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

@Pomodu lu Modokunomulo @Kerney Erdősi

Kaii was very surprised by what happened in front of his eyes. This Red Panda producing... really excessive amounts of wealth. Kaii seen larger sums before, technically he was meant to inherit many times that, but it was a timeline not meant to be. The reaction of the Squirrel was very much valid however. Such money was an easy invitation to cause a disaster.

"I do not know about the ways of your lands... but such money here is as our interlocutor said, way too much. You should seek smaller nominals if you wish to partake in charity or acts of spontaneous kindness." Kaii explained plainly while trying not to think if he could ever hold such wealth so freely again.

Turning his attention to the Squirrel he spoke again, with slightly softer tone than before. "I know there are some places that lend outfits at very low prices. Should you desire to try one, without having to buy it, that is an option too."

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna toweled herself dry and dressed herself with a speed that probably set a personal record; whether it was the prospect of food, dessert, or reunification with Ivo, she would never say. The net effect was her readily stepping into Ivo's grasp, her own arm slipping around his waist. "Mm," she remarked, "let's meet this contact of yours quickly. I'd really like to have the rest of the day to ourselves... and unrestricted time to sample Fyadorian food. I really, really want to try this 'mochi' you speak of in particular."

~~~

Aramaeus Lemon hated that he'd gotten himself injured just before Westisle Cultural Appreciation Day. Spending the day in a sling was a severe letdown; he'd been hoping to purchase a wooden katana and spend the whole day demonstrating to passing vixens the techniques and stances he'd learned by mimicking those depicted in certain illustrated and serialized Fyadorian novels that had fallen into his possession, most frequently from the clutches of Missertross Gulls in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. He was adamant in defending his interest as purely literary and cultural, especially after one of his coworkers had caught him looking at a page which included an illustration of a vixen whose proportions seemed to defy the limits of gravity, biology, and credulity. He'd been much more circumspect in reading since then.

His eyes scanned the crowd for his contact, footpaw tapping impatiently. There was only so long left in the day, and he'd been hoping to stop by one of the booths selling serialized novels. He'd heard a rumor that they were selling a limited number of prints that showed certain features the artists normally left to the imagination, and he was quite curious to verify or dispel those rumors himself.

In the interest of cultural education, of course.

~~~

Pomodu's face fell as the fox and the squirrel both rushed to shield her money from the general populace's view. "I on'ly wanutedu heh'p," she remarked, her lower lip starting to tremble in a way unbecoming of a samurai. She looked between the pair pleadingly, her paw covering the coin. "Maybe I buy foh you?" she offered the squirrel, glancing to the fox to see if that would be okay. "So you no worry?"

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

@Daniil Ryalor

Caden returned the todd's smile. "Thanks for saying so, Daniil. I can't say I always feel worth of such praise, but I'm trying to live up to it." He leaned in and brushed his shoulder against Daniil's as he murmured in the todd's ear. "I don't know how I got so lucky that a kind, innocent soul like you would put up with a rogue like me, but you don't seem to mind my, ah, stronger qualities."

At the vendor's stall, Asta watched as the fox bowed to Mileya and accepted the coins. He rose and spoke to both the vixen and jill in Vulpinsulan. "You are very generous, and I accept your bargain. One thousand, with the stand and spare strings included." He looked between Mileya and Asta in question. "Will you be paying in coin or check?"

Asta held up a paw. "Waiting one moment." She dashed back to Caden and Daniil. "He willing to sell for one thousand. Is that okay? I can paying two hundred from my earnings from Niceties."

"One thousand, hm?" Caden rubbed at his chin. "Given Einar sold some of his best lutes for three times that, accounting for the exchange rate, it seems fair, but what say you, Daniil and Mileya?"

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo navigated the streets with ease. Fortunately as one of the few beasts actually dealing with city planning, he was in part responsible preparing impromptu maps for the masses and tourists to help them find their entertainment of choice. Aramaeus, or agent Goldfur as was his codename, for some reason very heavily insisted that their meeting, one that just happened to be on this day, would end up being on one of the squares that was meant to be, in his words, 'dedicated to Westisle literature and arts'. And while Ivo wasn't well versed in those, he had just a bit of suspicion about those due to this square being... decently deep into red-light part of the district.

At least he could show Marianna that he was comfortable with her no matter what. Strolling towards the square, Ivo couldn't help but look around. As one can imagine, this area overall was celebrating very... sensual parts of Westisle culture. And while Ivo's body reacted just as nature intended, he could leisurely talk with Marianna while walking by more or less obscene stalls without much problem. He wasn't going to hide the fact he was affected by all this, but he was making the message clear. She was affecting him more.

Finally at the square, Ivo wasted no time and spotted Aramaeus quickly. There were lots of beasts here, stench of unwashed fur hitting Ivo's nose much harder after such refreshing bath. Still, he managed to get around, holding Marianna just a bit closer as if showing the world they were together. Once he finally stopped by a stall selling... drawings of vixens doing wierd things with those Westisle swords, Ivo pulled out the folded envelope and hid any uneasiness from his voice. "Goldfur! Interestin' choice for a place of meetin' I hav' t' say! Fer sure no one would seek any honest official in place like that." He smiled sarcastically before passing the envelope. "This is fer t' last two weeks. Also don't mine me company. She is t' be trusted." Ivo delicately nodded towards Marianna, he was still holding her, tightly, protectively even.

 

[Mileya Ryalor]

Mileya bowed to to the vendor, murmuring "Arigatō Gakki-shi" before following after Asta. Her eyes widened as she noted a blush on Daniil's face, but the conversation was fixated on Asta's koto and there was no opportunity to inquire about it. Instead she focused on the matter of purchasing the koto. "I have some spending money from the House, and I'll be glad to chip in to get my meikko-san a gift!" she enthused. She clutched her brother's arm, adding, "Come on, Daniiru, you have to help buy it for her!"

Daniil considered pointing out that technically speaking Asta wasn't Mileya's niece since Daniil and Caden were unmarried, but he discarded the thought; it was a technicality that wouldn't win him any points with anyone present, and would probably just make everyone upset with him. "I can chip in three hundred," he allowed. "Mileya, I know you, so how much can you actually afford to put in?"

Mileya wilted as she admitted, "Okay, I have four hundred on me, but I was hoping to spend a lot at the festival, so I really was budgeting three for the koto, and I offered one of those to the vendor as a tip to get him to throw in some extras."

"So, two then." Daniil sighed, his sister's difficulties in handling money coming back to the forefront of his mind. He looked to Caden, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think? Can you afford three?" It wasn't much by House Ryalor standards, but he knew just how warped those could be.

~~~

Aramaeus started as he saw Ivo approaching with a vixen of a similar crimson hue, walking through the red-light district, appropriately hung with red paper lanterns for the festival. The golden fox's face blushed nearly as red as those lanterns as Ivo teased him. "I thought it inconspicuous is all," he lamely offered as an excuse. He looked to Ivo's partner, adding, "Forgive me, my lady. I did not mean to drag you into such a place. A lady should not be exposed to such perversions."

To his surprise, the vixen spoke up quite confidently as she scanned the booths. "Actually, I find it all quite interesting."

Aramaeus felt his mind shut down. "You... You do?" he asked, his brain feeling like he'd just been concussed again.

"It's quite entertaining, even titillating. Some of it - alright, a lot of it - is unrealistic, I'll admit." She pointed to the nearby stand, noting, "For instance, nothing sharp, sheathed or no, should ever be used for that purpose. But there certainly are some pieces that are quite amusing." She leaned in to her toddfriend and asked more quietly, "Can we stop at one of the stalls on the way back? I think it was third on the right coming in."

Aramaeus's brain was still trying to restart itself after the shock to its system. "There are femmes who actually... like this sort of thing?"

Marianna arched her eyebrow at the golden fox. "Huh. I thought it was just a 'my brother' thing, but now I'm wondering if it's all golden foxes. Yes," she explained, a hint of exasperation in her tone, "many femmes enjoy the titillating and even the obscene just as much as males do. Honestly, if femmes didn't have carnal desires, there would be far less fulfillment of them among males and femmes alike." She touched Ivo on the shoulder, inquiring, "Oh, there's a clothing vendor over there! Maybe you'd like to help me pick something out?"

Aramaeus just stood there, slack-jawed and dumbfounded.

 

[Ivo Suresight]

While Ivo was slightly off in this scenario, he was glad to see that Marianna felt alright in this place. And her talking with Aramaeus did ensure him of one thing he suspected. She didn't just come up with a lot of those thing she sometimes proposed. Ivo, being a rather simple todd, coming from literal gutters of society, admittedly could find Marianna a little too creative in her passion at times. But granted, if she was simply reliving things she found interesting from books that she'd read? Ivo just had to overcome that pesky little thing called 'Male Pride' that was holding him firmly from showing inexperience in such matters. It wasn't a long battle, he gave up after he remembered he not only wished to be true to her, but also that with her being older, he just couldn't have as much experience as she did.

Taking fresh look at the stalls around, he found himself a new goal. Try to find what he actually liked and bring it to Marianna. But firstly. There was still one Aramaeus to deal with. "Look 'round pal. Ya seein' just males here by every stall? I ain't gonna deny there is more of us, but 'em ladies need jus' as much fun as we do!" He added in agreement while throwing his paw at one Stall with a lot of females by it. Granted he instantly saw that it too was advertised with a female rabbit in a very revealing outfit. His point still stood at least. He used this moment to reply to Marianna, tilting his head to her. "Sure... we're s'pposed t' eat but, since we're here 'ready? Maybe I'll get to t' source material of ya ideas."

He chuckled heartily before replying to 'Goldfur' again. "Well, for t' business part. Am jus' gonna say, last batch got me t' stop removing of one of 'em market squares at Slups. I ain't havin' more t' report Goldfur so, see ya next time at usual place." He mock saluted him before turning around on his paw and a moment later, guided Marianna towards the stall she pointed out earlier. Once more he thanked for being so red he couldn't blush. He spoke with a note of careful curiosity to his vixen. "I knew ye liked readin. But now that I know what'cha like readin could you... show me around?"
His last note was meek as he was embarrassed to even ask. But they've just laid their biggest vulnerabilities bare to one another. If she didn't deny him then, he was sure she wouldn’t mock him now, at least not to the point of his dismay.

 

[Kerney Erdősi]

@Kaii Nashirou @Pomodu lu Modokunomulo

Kerney sighed he was offered two different paths to new clothing. Oh dear, he'd really dug himself deep into this one. He smiled at the fox in a wordless 'thank you,' then turned to Pomodu.

"It's fine, lass, really - hey, chin up. Honest mistake." For the first time in a long while, the squirrel felt a pang in his chest for almost making a beast cry. There was a certain humour, though, in seeing such a large figure, face painted terrifyingly, overly meek and on the verge of tears. He barely fought back a smirk.

"Well..." he crossed his arms, hesitant. In truth, Kerney didn't like handouts of any sort. After all of that though, he supposed he had to acquiesce. If those coins were real, and if what the fox said was true, what the woman would buy for him wouldn't even be pocket change. "If yer insisting, I won't say no. You said you knew a place to loan a piece, uh..." The squirrel trailed off, staring blankly at the fox. He hadn't gotten his name.

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

@Daniil Ryalor

Caden had been ready to simply write the check for one thousand and have the vendor send a messenger to the bank for the sum, but as the others chimed in with offers to help, he felt a warm flutter of gratitude for their support. It was not an altogether new sensation, having beasts close to him express such open generosity--Einar had been quite the helpful sort, sometimes to his own detriment--but it had been over a year since he had been able to relax from the role of sole provider for his daughter's happiness. He found himself blinking back tears. 'Gates, he didn't deserve this, not from Daniil and Mileya. There was so much he owed them that he could never repay.

"Aye, three hundred is not an issue at all," he said hoarsely.

Asta reached out to take his paw, looking up at him with concern. "What's wrong? Everything okay?"

He nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his sudden emotions. "It's nothing. Just, I'm very grateful for the support, is all. Thank you, Daniil and Mileya. You're far, far too kind. It means quite a lot that you'd show such generosity to Asta."

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

As Marianna and Ivo peeled away from the flabbergasted golden fox, Marianna turned her thoughts away from brief musings about if the gene for golden fur also counterindicated critical thinking or if it was just coincidence, and focused instead on the prospect of shopping with Ivo for some materials that, normally, she had to pay extra to have very discreetly shipped over from Westisle.

The vixen brightened as Ivo inquired about helping him to find reading material of her own.
"Of course!" she enthused, taking him by the arm and leading him about some of the stalls. "Now, a lot of these include content that isn't plausible, isn't physically possible, or isn't recommended to mimic for health, safety, moral, or legal reasons; it's important to keep that in mind and to separate what's purely fantasy from actually instructive. There's nothing wrong with the former when read with that understanding, any more than there is with reading fantasy about knights fighting dragons. If you want to learn some things that will have me arching my back, though..." She stopped at a stand right next to the one that was filled with outfits ranging from the alluring to the highly revealing, and gestured to a set of paperback novels, most of which were printed with woodblock images of fox couples embracing each other in the throes of passion. "This series is one of my favorites, and is shockingly useful and instructive," she remarked, blushing slightly as she added, "Trust me, it's better than the title makes it sound." Given that the title was I Married My Boss Who Is Also Secretly An Infamous Pirate Lord, it was impossible to say whether that caveat set a high or low bar for quality. "Some of the things they do with rope in that series are quite... creative," she admitted, turning a bit more pink as she focused instead on the nearby outfits.

She took two off the rack, turning to Ivo and raising her eyebrows as she added, "I do have a question for you, though, before we do any other shopping: the black and gold kimono with the white sarachi, or the pink-and-red kimono over the blue hadajuban?"
Half an hour later, their shopping done and in discreet parcels set on the counter before them, the pair finally watched, mouths watering, as hibachi was served on plates before them. "Oh, I didn't realize how hungry I was," Marianna groaned, taking a pair of bamboo chopsticks and eagerly raising a piece of braised steak to her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head at the taste. "'Gates, that's so good!" she enthused. She glanced over to Ivo, inquiring, "Have you used chopsticks before?"

~~~

As Caden seemed to be briefly overwhelmed with the siblings' eagerness to help, Daniil looked to Mileya and subtly indicated Caden, which was all the cue she needed. "Aww, it's no problem!" the vixen gushed, stepping forward and embracing him in a hug, which was all the cover Daniil needed to step in from the side and hug the marten as well. "I love Asta already! Besides, it's not like I have any other nieces to spoil."

"Yet," Daniil reminded her. "Last I heard, Vilen and Miriku were still trying."

"And even then, I'll always have time for Asta," Mileya promised. "Now, let's pay the merchant and find a good place for you to sit and play! I'd like to watch you practicing. If you'd like, I can teach you what I remember from my lessons."

"So she knows how not to play it?"

"Daniiru, ijiwaru wa yame nasai!"

 

[Asta Dalgaard]

Asta joined in on the group hug, being sure to squeeze extra tight. It was difficult for her to express in Vulpinsulan just how thankful she was for Daniil's presence in their lives. Though nobeast would ever replace her father, to see Caden happy with another beast again, and to have the earnest todd as part of their small family, made her heart sing. The addition of Mileya now, and her clear and enthusiastic support for her brother and, by extension, Asta and Caden, was more than the jill could ever have hoped for in their new life.

She found herself nearly bouncing on her footpaws with excitement as she handed off the collection of gilders from various coin purses to the merchant. Bowing deeply to him, she thanked him in passable Fyadorian as she had heard from Mileya. The vendor carefully packaged the instrument into a soft case with sturdy handles and pawed it off to Asta. With Caden toting the folding stand and the bag of extra strings along with a basic instructional booklet and two sets of finger picks, they made their way to an open square with a central fountain. Asta set up the instrument beside the fountain and motioned for Mileya to join her as she sat on the wide edge of the fountain.

"Can you showing me how to play more?" She offered one set of tsume to the vixen and made room so they could both sit behind the koto.

Caden glanced over his shoulder, noting several beasts had stopped to watch. "Looks like you'll have an audience for your lesson." He looked to the todd beside him. "Daniil, do we want to find lunch for us and our musical companions while they play?"

 

[Ivo Suresight]

It was weird shopping spree for someone like Ivo. In a span of minutes not only he had learnt about how deviant some beasts could be, he also went through a crash course on possibly every single deviation Marianna knew of. It was a lot. Still, what he had learnt about her and himself really broadened his horizons. In his love for mother anarchy, Ivo hadn't considered that sort of liberation. Now, he could only thank Marianna for learning something about himself... and perhaps show her that he was most eager to put theory into practice.

That had to wait, he was famished and the food was served. Taking a long whiff, he was impressed with how rich the smell was. He could recognise most spices present, but he wasn't aware they would together combine into such wonderful symphony. Ivo wasn't much of a cook though. Spending most of his life eating whatever made him more numb to taste, hence why he enjoyed spices to feel the food more, but the smells were always his favourite.

Looking up at Marianna, following her question, Ivo looked down at the pink-red kimono she was now wearing. "Well... I ain't gonna say I know how t' do it well. Kinda had t' eat with whatevs 's there. I did use 'em, jus... t'was necessity, not actual... y'know." He slightly stumbled over his own tongue as he picked up the chopsticks. Truth was, most of his life he just ate with his claws. But years of training with pens and pencils left his wrists and paws well trained. He was eager to try, even at the cost of a bit of embarrassment.

He often had to draw things quickly so holding two different pencils at the same time was useful to switch them around when needed. Ivo grasped the chopsticks like that, resulting in one of them being hold as if ready to draw while another was rested on the fingers below. It wasn't perfect, but it was serviceable. And when he tried to pick a piece of some mushroom, he managed it decently. Granted, were it not for his stronger than usual wrists and pawfingers, he would fail with a grip like that.

He tasted it. "Sweet mother anarchy..." He exclaimed before fluttering his eyes. "So spicy." He exclaimed before swallowing the piece. "I can see why ya wanted t' eat those now." He gave her a peck on her ear before continuing to eat. Seemingly unbothered by how spicy his meal was, he only took breaks to speak to Marianna thoughtfully. "I know am a youngling. Haven't heard or seen much of t' world, especially as Slups kid. Ye've seen and get'ta experience much more, I hope ya're okay with me bein' a bit lost or borin' at times."

 

[Orina Emberkin]

The booth Orina found herself in had two sections. The front section, open to the public without need for payment, contained a great deal of fiction that she found quite interesting, yes, but words on a page were not something the squirrel found particularly tantalizing. At one point in her life, when she had been younger and without as many outlets, fiction had been one of the ways she learned that perhaps she was not alone in certain tastes and tendencies. However, delving into the deeper halls of Niceties over the years, and the beasts who dwelt there, had shown her that the practical practice of such things was far more her speed.

And that was what the rear of the booth led to. After parting with a sum of gilders that was equal to a several months of a dockworker's pay, a beast could enter the building the booth was connected to and follow a narrow hallway down a set of stairs and into a warren of rooms that showcased a great deal of what Westisle had to offer.

The vice minister had spent a good portion of her morning in that building, and emerged later into the front of the booth to casually peruse the fiction offerings and decide where she might sate other appetites. A golden fox was pawing through one particular novel that she had found intriguing in her perusal earlier that morning.

"They really don't leave much to the imagination in that one, do they?" she commented as she grabbed a copy from the rack and flipped through it. Orina opened to a page and showed it to him. "I mean, you certainly don't see that in standard Vulpinsulan works, do you?"