[EVENT] Ain't It Fun?

Her first festival had gone so well that Sivvy jumped at the chance to go to another one. As soon as she heard of autumn's answer to the summer solstice Artemis had invited her to months ago, she'd mentally decided to go unless she was busy working. As luck would have it, though she still wasn't convinced the construct of luck existed, she had just finished up a fairly uneventful blacklist request near Talonia. As she trekked into the town proper to clean up and see about arranging a ride to the coast, she passed a lovely park. The seasonal colors of fall had already begun to emerge, casting all the towering trees into fiery hues. Solemn Park was far from its namesake at the moment. It was filled to the brim with people, tents, stages, and music. Of course, the first thing she truly took note of was all the smells of food, and that was all it took to convince her to stay and enjoy Talonia's Fall Equinox Festival.

Curiously, her previous thoughts about the summer solstice and her friend made it feel uncomfortable to enter the festivities alone. The emptiness was odd. Sivvy had a hard time pinpointing why she lingered at the edge, not wanting to do this solitary. Her mind drifted to Johann and Amalie, her undoubted friends and the closest things she had to family. She could call Amalie, but...the blue-haired woman was likely enjoying the festivities with Johann. In her never-ending studies, the clone had learned about something called the 'third-wheel', a strange but understandable term for a present but awkward and ultimately unneeded addition to a perfect pair. On both vehicles and dates, the presence of a third-wheel was frowned upon, so Sivvy didn't want to be that.

The normally steadfast ambassador fidgeted her iLac in her hand, staring at it with a conflicted expression. She knew who she wanted to call. It was the only other number on her phone, but that wasn't the reason she wanted to call him. The last time she'd contacted him unprompted, she'd been more than a little drunk at a birthday party. While completely sober, she had many more reservations and anxiety over it. Sivvy wasn't the type to reach out and make requests for herself. She was much more the type that waited until someone had need of her before she acted. What if he was busy and she interrupted him? Maybe he was too far away. Maybe he'd simply not want to come. All of these reasons were perfectly acceptable. Logical. Pragmatic. So why was she feeling some sort of negative way in the face of any of these sensible answers? To ascribe emotion to a decline of a spur-of-the-moment invitation wasn't rational. Perhaps she should pay Dr. Raelin a visit for a check-up after this.

Deciding she was just feeling a bit under the weather, she texted the invitation to Artemis Dagger and found a bench to sit on. Sivvy did feel rather drained. There was no way she'd know this time of year was having an effect on her due to the metal element of her dragon slayer lacrima, so she chalked it up to some sort of light ailment for both the drained feeling and her trepidation over simply contacting one of her friends about a festival...and the nervousness in waiting for his reply.

---

The Chairman moved through the park quietly, the target was in his sight, a young man in his twenties. Fortunately, this wasn't a kill, but a setup. Artemis closed in, picking up the pace to shorten the distance between them, the crowd was thick, so he's behavior went unnoticed. As the young man as he date moved over to a stall, Art sauntered over, brushing up next to the man to apparently 'peek' at the stall. "Sorry." He muttered casually, before glancing over the delicacies on offer. The illegal substance already in the jacket pocket of the target.

"And what can I get you Sir?" The vendor asked chirpily, Artemis offered him a polite smile and a shake of the head, "No, thank you just looking for now," He commented before turning away, creating distance between him and the target, when he got far enough, he slipped behind a tent. Adjusting the ring, and altering his disguise to his usual look as 'Morte'. As he moved back out from the tent, he made his way over to a bench, not really paying attention to his surroundings as he pulled out his burner iLac and began texting Blanche instructing her to 'Make the call'. Soon an anonymous tip would be dropped to the Rune Knights and the young man would likely be caught carrying. Just as he tucked the phone into his pocket, he felt a buzz from inside his jacket, where his 'real' ilac sat. He reached in, pulling it out just enough so that only he could see it, he read the message. His eyes widening at the message, his head darted up and he looked around hurriedly.

She was here.

As his exposed golden eye zoomed around the festival, he looked out for that familiar pink hair and those alluring carmine eyes. As he glanced to his right, he spotted a woman sitting on the bench next to him, and not just any woman; Sivvy.

He turned away sharply, trying to figure out what to do, she had texted him, wanting him to accompany her, and she looked different... almost drained.  He panicked, wondering how to handle the situation, should he leave and them come back as himself, but he had to make sure the mission succeeded, at least linger around enough to witness confirmation of the setup. But her expression, that solemn demeanor of hers. A part of him didn't want to leave her alone like this, she wanted him there and well... he couldn't let her down, could he? A thought come to mind, a crazy and potentially very stupid thought, but maybe for now, he could kill two birds with one stone. Finish the mission and make sure she was okay, then disappear after the mission was done and turn up as Artemis. Would it work? Boy he hoped so.

With his back turned to her, Artemis carefully pulled out his real phone, texting her back; 'Be there soon x'. He tucked the phone back into his inside pocket before turning back to face her. He cleared his throat, before shuffling closer to her, being careful not to act too familiar as to not give himself away. "Excuse me Miss, are you okay? Forgive my intrusion, I just couldn't help but notice that you look a little...poorly?" He would ask, using Morte's voice, which was deeper and much more sultry than his own.

---

As the return text came in she yanked her phone up to check it, a small smile peeking on her lips. Sivvy wasn't sure why all of the sudden the nervousness disappeared and she felt relieved, but she wasn't in the mindset to think about it too hard. She wanted to reserve her energy for a day of fun with Artemis...though she couldn't help but wonder how soon 'soon' was. Was he nearby? Did he have to travel to make it here? Was 'soon' fifteen minutes or two hours? It was really a matter of perspective, but the thought of texting back to ask for clarification brought some of the nerves back, so she decided against it. He said he'd be here, so she'd take it at that. Nimble fingers slipped her iLac back into her bag.

The deep, unfamiliar voice coming from so close to her had her head snapping in its direction, eyes perhaps sharper than usual. Her preoccupation with her phone numbed her to his scooting and throat clear, but didn't flinch or startle ever, not while she was awake, anyway. If she was dozing or asleep, all bets were off. He was asking about her wellbeing. That only confirmed that she really wasn't feeling her best if it was noticeable to the general public. Carmine eyes did a quick assessment of his appearance, as if she was some sort of whiz at detecting threats just from appearance and demeanor (she was not), and deeming him harmless for the time being, she disarmed and produced her typical polite smile. But the issue was...how did she respond to him? Sivvy did feel a bit poorly, though she had no idea why. Lately she'd been expanding her social skills, working diligently to learn the finer nuances needed to keep from unnerving others with potentially situationally inappropriate responses. This one seemed to call for some sort of vague assurance to put him at ease without wasting too much effort since he was a stranger simply being polite. After a pause, she came up with one. "I'm just a little tired. Must be the weather," she replied simply, not quite understanding everyone's obsession with talking about and blaming the weather for things, but rolling with it anyway.

Sivvy couldn't stand being idle, so soon after she spoke she stood, even though sitting would benefit her drained body more. She could roam the festivities while she waited, maybe find a snack. However, it felt rude to just walk away from the dark-haired man with the eyepatch that had worried for her, so she lingered. Since he too was seated on a bench instead of enjoying the events, she made a guess. "Are you waiting on someone, too?" she inquired, tilting her rosy head as she did. "If so, we could wander around and wait together, I suppose," she mused, hoping she could be of some use to someone while she waited for Artemis. That'd be a wise use of her time.

---

There was a pause before she answered him, admitting to the stranger that she was feeling a little tired. He nodded, "I see, do you want me to get you a glass of water maybe? I'm sure one of the nearby stalls will offer some."  He asked, he was trying not to act too concerned, not wanting to make her think something weird about it or get suspicious, but more along the lines of a concerned passer-by. There was still good guys who were willing to aid strangers right? She would ask him if she was waiting on someone, before offering to walk around with him until they arrived. Artemis's eyes widened in surprised by the invitation, although internally, he was a little irked. Irked that she would so easily hang out with a complete stranger like he could be dangerous! He wasn't, but that was beside the point. Also what if this dude tried to make a move on her, not that it was any of Artemis's business but for some reason, this bothered him slightly. Still, he would smile, despite his internal thoughts, it worked in his favor and from the look of Sivvy it seemed like nothing more than a friendly offer.

"Yes well, I'm waiting for some friends to arrive. I'd be happy to walk around with you until our respective company arrives." He agreed, before standing up from the bench. He almost went to offer her his hand but stopped himself as he remembered who it was he was supposed to be. Instead, he would begin to walk amongst the stool, trying to appear friendly but not too friendly. As he perused the stools he noticed something in particular catch his eye, something that Artemis knew Sivvy would enjoy immensely. He turned to her,"Do you fancy trying one of the contests? It will probably kill some time," He said indicating the food eating contest that he'd noticed. He highly doubted she would say no, this was Sivvy after all. But of course, the man he was pretending to be, wouldn't know this, so he feigned unawareness.

---

As he'd predicted, her eyes lit up once she realized what the man was motioning to. Two contests were happening, one of which had just finished. A rather loud chef had won, producing a mount of stunning food. It seemed that food and all the other cooking contestants' dishes were being used for an eating contest, and that's all it took. She was sold. Quickly the two entered and took their places at the table, the first few dishes being brought out and settled before them. Sivvy'd never met a food she didn't adore other than the tasteless packets from the lab, so everything looked amazing. Perhaps some foods would be difficult for others.

For a second, she thought she sense something magical on the food, but it left as quickly as it came. Once the announcer blew the start whistle, it was time for Sivvy to shine. Even though she felt a bit off, that had no bearing on her impressive insatiable appetite. Feeling no shame whatsoever, the clone proceeded to blow every other contestant out of the water. No one had a chance. With that bizarre level of calm elegance she'd shown when Arty first met, the ambassador consumed the food in a spectacle worthy of charging admission just to witness. While the others tried to keep up, it was obvious she had out eaten them in both quantity and speed soon enough, and the results were called. Sivvy had won, though she was a bit disappointed. She could have eaten much more.

After she received her two trophies, she left that tent and checked her phone, then scanned the area again. Still no Artemis. Her face fell a little and she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. Even after all that food, her energy levels were still awfully low. Finding a sturdy tent pole to lean on, she waited for the man with the eyepatch...what was his name? She hadn't even thought to ask...

While she was a bit zoned out, a man appeared in front of her. The odd but strong mana she sensed caught her attention, and she looked up to se a grinning man with a pleasant face. "Hello, miss," he greeted. As she had with the dark haired stranger, she paused, then put on her empty but polite smile. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked out of habit. He seemed to think nothing of it. "Yes, maybe you can. This time of year is perfect for tricks and pranks, and I'm looking to spread a little of the fun by issuing a little challenge of my own. For every trick or prank you pull, I'll give you a trophy. How does that sound?" he asked, eyes gleaming in childish mischief. Sivvy, however, just blinked up at him in slight confusion and tilted her head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know how," she hated to admit. It clearly bothered her that this concept was unknown to her as her smile morphed into a frown.

---

It seemed his hunch was right, she was more than happy at the idea of the food eating contest and whilst he was one hundred percent certain that under no circumstance would he beat Sivvy. So after approaching the bench, and sitting himself down next to Sivvy. He straightened up slightly tensely, it was alot of consider. His mannerisms, and behaviour, would she recognise the way he ate? But then again this was a competition to see who could eat the most, so would it be weird if he ate differently. It was a lot to think about, so much so that when the competition start, he would carefully take everything in. Trying to eat in such a way that one might expect from a man with this face, neatly and with grace. Fortunately due to his etiquette lessons as a child, he was actually kind of good at that.

He was pleased to see that despite her feeling unwell, Sivvy was eating the food without issue. If she was healthy enough to eat as she normally did, this was a good sign. As he was eating, he noticed a scuffle in the distance, in the crowd watching had been the man he'd bumped into earlier. It seemed he was enjoying his date, watching the eating contest without a care in the world. So the tip off hadn't had it's desired effect yet, the cops sure were taking their sweet time and much to Artemis's dismay, it meant he had to stay in this form a little longer. The audience looked on in amazing, engrossed in the amazing feat that was occuring at the table of the eating contest. Such a petite girl was practically enhaling the food without any struggle. Artemis managed to keep up for a while, his body needed plenty of sustenance to keep up with his human form. So he could handle a fair amount of eating, he just didn't like to overindulge. Anything to make him seem a little more...human. So after making sure everyone but Sivvy had cracked, he would too give in. A good effort, but nothing compared to what Sivvy had managed.

Artemis cleaned himself up, before accepting his participation trophy graciously. He turned to look at Sivvy who was were an expression he was unfamiliar with. Disappointment perhaps? As she leaned against a pole, he began to move towards her. When suddenly a man stepped out from seemingly no where. Artemis's eyes narrowed, and he continued to move in, listening in on the conversation, but not interjecting. He had good hearing thanks to Morte's power, so he didn't have to get too close. As he heard what was being said, he realised it was something to do with the festival and relaxed a little. Pranks and tricks. Artemis resisted the urge to smirk in his usual fashion, now that was something he could do. He approached as he heard Sivvy's reply.

"You know... I could help. I've played a few pranks in my time..." He looked around, trying to figure out the perfect target. He turned to Sivvy, figuring it might be best to explain what he was about to do. "So a prank or a trick are lightheart jokes that you play on people to either scare or shock them, sometimes they can be funny, sometimes they can be for the purpose of teasing, but generally it's just a little jesting for the pranksters, who would be in this case us."  He looked away, noticed a gaming stall, with a basketball net. From the looks of it, one had to shoot the balls into the net and earn enough points to win. "Here watch this;" He said, nodded over to the stand. As the player was just recieving a prize, a giant teddybear for. The woman grabbed it excitedly, unprepared as Artemis slipped his magic underground, being careful not to let Sivvy see it. He passed it through his body and through the soles of his shoes, seeping underground, the black mist travelled through the earth. The demonic energy, rose from the ground, seeping into the bear, but remaining thinly spread enough that it wasn't noticeable.

As the woman was hugging it, the bear suddenly came to life. Moving as it on it's on will, flailing frantically, the woman screamed. Dropping the bear, and jumping back, although as she looked at it again the bear was still, unmoving. Artemis chuckled, "See, just a harmless little prank for fun. You want to give it a go?" He would ask.

---

Sivvy watched with keen interest as he played his prank on the woman with her stuffed bear, though she couldn't figure out what kind of magic had achieved it. In the end, it didn't matter. There was little practical application for pranks in her opinion, but she wasn't one to shy away from a new experience. "I see," the metal dragon slayer noted, indicating that she understood the fundamentals, but whether she would be good at it was another story.

So yes, she did want to try it out. But..what to do? She had to think long and hard, possibly longer and harder than usual since she wasn't quite feeling 100%. For someone normally so efficient, she seemed to struggle coming up with a concept. Rosette brows lowered and puckered a little in the effort. He'd used some sort of magic for his prank, so it stood to reason that she should as well. Her social skills to pull off something like this couldn't be trusted, but she also didn't have any magic that could harmlessly control something without detection. Her spells were all geared toward causing damage to enemies. She could possibly use really thin wire threads to do something, the same spell she used to make her durable clothing on the fly, but she couldn't come up with an application that would shock or startle another person....other than dismantling her outfit right where she stood and flashing everyone. While she had little shame, that didn't seem like something an ambassador would do just for the sake of a prank.

Suddenly, she had an idea. "I'm not sure I understand entirely, but I'll try," she told him with deadly seriousness. Afterward, she held out her hand, looking down at it expectantly. Metal droplets oozed through her pores, gathering in her palm. Normally this would be nearly instantaneous, but Sivvy did seem to struggle to have the energy to do something as simple as making an object from memory. Her metal magic was acting up today. Very unusual, but she pressed on until she had a metallic dragon's egg in her hand. But this wasn't just any dragon's egg. The finishing touches made it very plainly a grenade, complete with pressure handle and pin. Once she was finally done and a little winded, she eyed the stranger who had kept her company today.

Pulling the pin in a swift motion, she held the grenade up. It seemed she may have not understood the 'harmless' part of his instructions, made worse as she said a humdrum "catch" and tossed it to the man in the eyepatch. "Did I do a prank?" she asked innocently before darting around and crouching behind a barrel for cover. Peeking up, she waited to see his reaction to what would seem like a live explosive tossed to him by a strange girl who didn't understand many different nuances in life. Had he made a terrible mistake?!

After a few moments, nothing would happen and she'd stand and retake her place in front of him. Hopefully, her first prank had been a success. Given her small but slightly impish smile, perhaps she'd enjoyed the pointless activity more than she'd anticipated.

---

Artemis watched as she took a moment to decide what to do, he was genuinely a little intrigued. Sivvy didn't really seem like the type of girl to pull practical jokes, but he was interested in seeing what she came up with. His currently amber eyes would follow her movements, watching as she seemed to come up with something. Talking to him in a surprisingly serious tone before holding out her palm. He dragged his eyes down, watching as something metal began to materialize in her hand. It was excellently crafted, at first he thought it was some kind of egg, a large one at that. Perhaps belonging to a mythical creature of some sort, although he wasn't sure what she intended to do with an egg. As he continued to watch after several moments his eyes would widen and he would instinctively step back, realizing what it was she was actually holding. "Um...I don't think you understand what I meant-" He began to ramble in a panic, his mind racing, should he used he magic? But that would mean exposing his magic to her, which meant if he used it again as himself she would recognize it. She's pulled the pin, but this was Sivvy, surely she wouldn't do this to an innocent. Unless she'd realised who he was and what he did?  His face broke into an expression of horror as she would throw it to him, telling him to catch.

Artemis reached up, hastily snatching the grenade out of the air, awkwardly hopping it between his hands in an attempt to stop it from falling. He looked at her bewilderment for a moment as she ducked for cover. Fuck it. He pulled back his arm, putting all his strength into his arm, Sivvy wouldn't see this but under the fabric of his suit and gloves, the skin of his arm would begin to turn black. And he would launch the grenade high into the air, much higher than a regular human could throw. He would then duck, covering his head as he wanted for the skyline boom.

Except it didn't come, and several moments later the metal grenade would drop down, bouncing along the ground playfully. Arty looked over at it, staring for a moment as realization dawned. He straightened up as she emerged from behind the barrel, brushing down his suit as she approached. Despite his momentary panic, he would meet her with a grin. "Okay, you got me. That was pretty good, especially for your first try." He said encouragingly, As he looked behind her, he spotted his target across the festival grounds, currently in a heated discussion with some Rune Knights. As they quickly escorted him away, that was all the confirmation he needed. As he looked back at her, he realized he needed an explanation for the staring. He smiled at her, "Just be careful pulling out those fake grenades around the Rune Knights, they might not find it so funny." He said with a chuckle. Still, it was an enjoyable prank, it was clever, very clever. He would pull out of work ilac, glancing at the screen, he had to text Blanche confirmation, but he preferred not to do it in front of Sivvy. "Well, you seem to be in a better mood at least, please forgive me but I have to rush off. My friends are here and they've asked I go meet them, it was a pleasure hanging with you." He said, and with a wave, he turned striding away from the rosette.

He waited until he was far enough away that she could no longer see him. Dipping into a vacant toilet stall, he would hurriedly text Blanche and order her to have a change of clothes brought for him. Something more casual and to his normal attire. Fortunately for him, when he asked Blanche to do something, she made it happened. Not long after he was text with a location of an agent dropping off what he needed. He met the agent, retrieving from him a rucksack. Following which he returning to the toilet stall, making the agent wait outside of him whilst he changed into his next attire. Once he was changed, he would then return the rucksack to the agent, and dismiss him back to the guild. Moving once again out of view of the public, once he was sure the agent was gone, he would twist the ring on his finger and his disguise would fade. Everything from the appearance, his aura and even his smell would dissolve once again revealing his true form.

As soon as he was sure no one could see him. He would step up into the festival, moving back in the direction from which he had left her. Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to track her down, his demon senses had kind of familiarised themselves with her scent today. As he saw her, he would beam, glad to be in his natural state, he waved at her. Calling out to her, "Hey Siv, sorry about the delay, got caught up at work. How are you feeling? Ok?" He asked, stepping in front of her. He couldn't believe his luck, he had managed to finish a mission, make sure Sivvy was okay, and now he was going to be able to spend the rest of his evening with her. It was a great way to end a day at work.

---

Almost a great way to end a day at work. By the time the man she'd been waiting all this time for finally appeared, Sivvy was no longer in the mood to enjoy any more of the festival. She'd already eaten in and won the contest, which given her fondness for food, she'd hoped to experience with him. It wasn't logical, the irritation she felt. Maybe it was the drained feeling that had her a bit grumpy, but by the time she saw the man waving, she didn't even produce a smile. "Hey," the rosette responded limply, her arms crossing her chest. She appreciated that he'd made the effort to come and understood that he had to work and that work was more important, but that didn't do anything to soothe her sourness. It should have, but it didn't. The things she'd just enjoyed with the eye-patched stranger were things she'd wanted to share with Artemis, but it was officially too late. "I'm not feeling my best," she answered him, her disappointed carmine eyes dropping from his to roam about. The slayer was honest, but not so much that she'd blurt out that she'd wished he had just declined if he was busy. It'd have been easier to enjoy the company of the man whose name she didn't even get if she hadn't been waiting with a cloud of uncertainty about when Arty would actually arrive hanging over her. 'Be there soon x' was so vague. Was this how long 'soon' was for the average person? Why not estimate a quantitative number? The pinkette had truly wanted to spend this time with him, especially because she felt weak and took some sort of extra comfort in the thought of him being at her side.

While her eyes roved around, she caught a glimse of the dummy grenade used for the prank still sitting where it had landed after eyepatch man threw it. She moved to retrieve it now, before his warning could prove true and a Rune Knight came after her for terrorism. It had been her intention to re-absorb the metal back into her hand, but it seemed even the small use of her metal dragon slayer spells had exhausted it, so after just a few moments of awkward concentration she dumped the fake grenade into her bag. "While I was waiting with a man also waiting for his friends to arrive, we did the eating contest and he taught me how to prank. He was nice. It was fun, but I'm tired now, and I think I'll just go home, if that's ok," Sivvy continued, returning her eyes to his, "I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing."

The clone had just been about to turn and walk away toward the train station when she seemed to remember something. It was unlike her to be absent minded, but it was already clear enough that she wasn't feeling like her usual self. "Oh wait," she said quietly, rustling through her bag for a few moments before pulling out a little leather pouch, "I wanted to give you this." Sivvy pulled two identical bracelets out, neither masculine nor femine, and thus the perfect style for friendship bracelets. The brown leather band was plain, but the clasp made up for it with gold and an oval ruby in the center. "I bought these from a man by the entrance. They're supposed to be enchanted to that we can touch them and feel each other's heart beats or something. He assured me that all friends have matching bracelets," the clone told him in a tone that indicated she thought it was either a lie or at least a very weird tradition, though her smile had still yet to resurface. Sure, normally a somewhat impactful gift like this-- especially considering that it was Sivvy, the girl whose emotional and social development was still a bit stunted and awkward, was the one being proactive enough to gift it-- should be given when both parties are in a good mood. For the aforementioned reason, Sivvy hadn't considered this and at least wanted him to feel like his late arrival wasn't completely for nothing. She was disappointed, not hateful! Sivvy handed him his and then quickly put hers on her left wrist while she was still there with him, then seemed intent on leaving. Was she looking forward to the train and ship ride home? Absolutely not. Given she was already feeling unwell, she was certain it would be extra torturous getting home, and perhaps this time she'd be unable to avoid getting sick from motion sickness. Where else could she go, though?

---

It didn't take him long to pick up that something was up, the zest she had been talking to him with moments before was now gone, replaced with a much more deflated version of Sivvy. A Sivvy he wasn't used to. "Oh..." He commented as she replied to his question, not sure what else to say. He was admittedly a little thrown by her behaviour, she had seemed okay not long ago. The suddenly change confused him, what had happened between him leaving and changing into himself that had upset her. He hadn't been gone long, but perhaps she had endured some type of upsetting exchange during that time, she seemed perfectly fine when he was talking to her with Morte's face. He considered the possibility that she might have been faking it out of politeness, but he couldn't really picture Sivvy doing that. Sivvy was just too honest to fake anything, at least that he suspected from the time they had spent together thus far. As she continued, she would explain about the 'man' who kept her company, describing him as nice. His face dropped slightly as she told him she wanted to go home, as her eyes met his once more, his ruby irises would search her face for some kind of sign that might explain why this was happening. But as usual she was just so hard to read, perhaps there was some disappointment in her gaze, but he couldn't be sure. "Ah... okay. I see," He began, his excitement quickly fading, he had hoped to spend more time with her, as himself. But he couldn't help if she wasn't feeling up to it, there wasn't anything he could say that would change the fact that she was tired and wanted to go home to rest. "Sorry, I couldn't get here for you earlier, I'm glad you had fun at least." He added, although there was a slight icyness to his tone.

As she turned, he debated with himself for a moment. On one hand, he was kinda ticked that she was bailing on him, although this seemed a little unfair on his part seeing as she was ill and he hadn't freed himself as quickly as he'd hoped he could. On the other hand, it should matter right, Sivvy didn't owe him anything and he didn't owe her, they weren't dating. They weren't even lovers. He didn't know what they were, and when you thought about it that way, it shouldn't even bother him this much. But it did. He was pulled out of his train of thought as she turned back to him, pulling out a little leather pouch. His eyes dropped from her face down to the bracelet, he reached up, gently taking it and admiring it. It wasn't like the type of jewelry he was used to, no good, no diamonds, not the kind of thing he would have bought himself but as she went on to explain it's abilities he softened slightly. Running his thumb over the ruby in the bracelets centre, he looked up at her wearing a small smile. "Thank you Siv, it's great." He told her earnestly, before setting about putting the bracelet on his wrist. After it was securely on his wrist, and her bracelet was on hers, he would feel the soft pulsing through the bracelet. "Hey would you look at that, it works!" He chirped with a grin, before looking at her face once more. After an awkward pause, he sighed, not really sure what to do.

"Want me to accompany you home? I'm not really feeling the festival anymore." He offered, figuring the question would at least give him an idea of where they stood. She could be mad at him all she wanted, but if she was at least willing to ride home with him, that would at last count for something right?

---

Once his bracelet was on his wrist, Sivvy's brows twitched upward in mild surprise. As she fussed her fingers around the ruby she did start to feel his pulse, strong and steady. Artemis's words were proved true. Why this comforted her so much she wasn't sure, but suddenly she was at least a tiny bit glad that the odd merchant hadn't been lying. Testing it a few more times gave the same results, giving her a direct link to another person in a way she'd never encountered before. Something about it affected her, though she didn't understand the intricate details. The iciness toward him thawed a little as she stood before him, staring him right in the eyes as she appeared to be deliberating. At this range, the dark circles under her tired eyes were unmistakable, explaining her mild grouchiness more effectively. She was normally quite stubborn about coddling even the tiniest bit of weakness, but depriving herself of his company to simply be petty was stupid. He had come all this way, the least she could do was attempt to make it worth it in the end. Plus, she just didn't want to be alone.

With a small sigh, she nodded to his offer. Before she realized what she was doing, she'd reached for his hand and took it into her own. "Yes, please," the slayer answered quietly, starting to tug him toward the street, which they could follow toward the train station.

---