It had been a productive morning. Xanadu had found a jeweler that was able to make more darts for her poison jewelry. It was good to have extras, just in case she was unable to retrieve one. So far she had been lucky, but that luck wouldn't last forever.

She had also had her ears pierced again, all along the lobe the way she had them before the accident. She would commission some special earrings when she went back to the jeweler to pick up her darts tomorrow. She liked to wear hoops with chains that threaded them together. She was thinking about getting some streaks in her hair, but she wasn't really certain about that. Earrings could be hidden but streaks were quite noticeable. She wouldn't be as inconspicuous with bold colors in her hair.

After that, she had bought some fabric to make new costumes. It was funny the way a piece of fabric could inspire a dance. She was already contemplating new choreography to go with the costumes she planned to make. She decided she wanted to concentrate more on her dancing and juggling than she had been doing lately. Bounty hunting had become more important in the past few years, and it definitely made more money than performing did. But performing was how she had started out and it was what she loved to do most. Perhaps it was this place that was changing her, bringing back so many memories of the past. Oh, she would continue to bring down criminal organizations and individuals, but she didn't want it to consume her life anymore.

It was a good day. She felt lighter, happier than she had in a long while. She could even look at children playing without feeling overwhelmed by grief. She still thought of Glorie, but now she remembered the good times they had shared rather than mourning for what might have been.

The young Mugrobi took three soft balls from the pouch on her belt and idly juggled them as she walked. Her ears were aching rather badly. She could push away some of the pain but not all of it. She supposed she had been foolish to get the piercings all done at once. Sometimes she thought she was tougher than she actually was. There was nothing that could be done about it now, though.

Perhaps it was the pain, or perhaps it was because she was concentrating on juggling and devising new dance moves, but she did not see the tree root in her path. She tripped, arms flailing as she tried to regain her balance. The juggling balls went flying, and she fell on her backside with an undignified thud.

Sarinah browsed slowly through the collection of dresses laid out on display in the clothing stall, wearing her usual black outfit. She didn't own more than one dress, and it was time to branch out. One in particular caught her eye. It was a dark red, almost maroon, made of a soft cheesecloth fabric. Light and airy, it sat just on the shoulders, with a slightly ruched top, drawstring at the front. The sleeves, loose and flowing, ended in a similar style ruching at the elbow. The rest of the dress skimmed down to just above the knees. Lifting the dress, she held it against her for fitting, then nodded to the stall hand. They exchanged coin and the dancer threw the dress over her shoulder, wondering what Tristaan might think of it.



The dancer turned her head and picked up the rolling balls near her, approaching the fallen woman. Extending a hand with a smile, she raised an eyebrow.

"That was...er...benny?" She chuckled.

“It was rather stupid, actually,” she laughed. A real laugh, a true laugh, the first one she'd uttered in many a year. It felt wonderful. “I should have been paying attention to where I was going and not on inventing new dance moves.” It was nice, though, not to have to be on her guard at all times the way she had to be when she was tracking.

Xanadu took the woman's proffered hand and pulled herself up. Nothing seemed to be injured but her pride. Her bum hurt a bit, but not as much as her ears. “Mujo ma,” she said, smiling. She noticed the red streaks in the woman's dark hair. It looked really pretty. Perhaps she should get her hair colored after all. “Love your hair,” she said.

Sarinah raised an eyebrow as the woman pulled herself up. New dance moves? She took a moment to regard Xanadu. The darker skinned woman certainly had the right body shape for dancing.



The witch smiled warmly, resting one hand on a cocked hip.

"Mujo ma, rosh. Your a dancer then I take it? What sort of dance?" The subject not only interested her out of profession, it also interested her in the hiring of girls for the Blushing Hingle. When the time came. One day. Eventually.

“I dance with snakes. And swords. And I dance while I'm juggling knives.” She rolled her hips, causing the six knife sheaths on her belt to shake and bounce against each other. “It's not as dangerous as it looks, not when you know what you're doing."

She cocked her head to one side, considering the woman in front of her. Xanadu was quite perceptive. You had to be when you tracked dangerous men for a living. “You dance as well, don't you? You look like a dancer.”

Sarinah grinned, warming to the topic. It had been a long while since she could talk shop with anyone.

"Oes chip. I dance on a metal post. I don't really know if you call it dancing though, more like an acrobatic sort of dance. But dancing with swords, that sounds benny. I ent seen it before, and I'd love to try and learn." She shook her head.

"Epaemo rosh, how mung of me. My name is Sarinah, formally of Cooks Place in Vienda. Currently...freelance."

Eriyenna was humming quietly to herself under her breath, slowly bending the last few lines of a new piece of music for her violin to her will. It was tricky business; the festival had been so lovely and distracting thus far. She wandered aimlessly past some vendors selling lovely jewelry, dark eyes traveling over all the bright metal and flashy glass curiously, pausing in her thoughts long enough to look around the crowds. She'd been rather aloof and to herself since the whole Circus had arrived on Surwood, and the purple-haired witch was still trying to figure out why.

She caught a glimpse of someone familiar and smiled, approaching the pair of talking witches so as not to interrupt their conversation entirely.

"Hesta, Sarinah." Eriyenna grinned, briefly glancing around as if surprised to see the dancer without Tristaan. Turning to the other woman, she nodded in greeting, "Junta, chip. Epameo if I'm butting in," She giggled musically, looking back to the familiar brunette, "Long time no see."

"Shopping, are we?" She added, eying their purchases with approval.

“It's nice to meet you, Sarinah. I'm Xanadu. I could probably teach you some sword-danciing, if you would like. We'd just have to find some wooden swords to practice with at first. My parents still have mine, but I don't they'd be much use. They're a bit small, since I started learning the techniques when I was three.” With a graceful sweep of her hand, the petite dancer indicated the stalls all around her. “I'm sure someone here could make some, though.

“And I think I would like learning to dance on a pole. I've never even seen it done, but it sounds interesting. I'm always looking for new ways to improve my acrobatics."

She watched as a purple-haired witch approached the two of them and greeted Sarinah. Purple ... that was the color she wanted streaked into her hair. It was her favorite color and a nice dark shade would be perfect, one that would shine brightly under lights while she was dancing, but wouldn't make her stand out when she was bounty hunting.

She returned the woman's greeting with a smile but didn't say anything else until she mentioned shopping. The straps of two large bags crisscrossed Xanadu's chest and hung by her sides. Both were full of fabric, fringe, beads, and other notions needed to make costumes. They looked as if they would be quite heavy for such a small woman to carry, but Xanadu was in superior shape and deceptively strong from years of fighting, acrobatics, and dancing. She barely felt the weight at all.

“I've been shopping all morning,” she said. “Fabric, mostly, for making my own dancing costumes. If I hadn't been thinking of new choreography, I probably wouldn't have fallen. But ... I don't know ... this fabric is inspiring. After I get the moves down, I hope to find someone who can compose some music for me. I am quite hopeless at that, I'm afraid. If either of you can recommend someone, I would be grateful."

Sarinah nodded to Eriyenna, grinning.

"Junta Eriyenna! It's been a while. How are you rosh?" She held up the dark red dress briefly, before folding it back over her arm.

"Shopping, oes. I think I need some dresses, and something short. All my clothes, including the ones you gave me rosh, they are all floor length."



Sarinah grinned, crossing her arms and cocking a hip. She pursed her lips.

"We could teach each other chip. A trade of sorts? Ye chen? I am sure we can find a crafter here to make some swords for practice. And the flag poles are the right size to show you a few moves on them. They've been smoothed and polished, so no splinters." The dancer nodded to herself. It would be a good way to pass the time leading up to Calli's birthday, and something to do other then lay about with Tristaan all day, as exciting as that was...and it really was.

Eriyenna smiled, "I've been benny. There's so much to do here." She giggled like a wind chime in summer, amused by the two ladies discussing their dancing methods and thinking of the Circus, "Sounds like you'd both make amazin' acts."

The purple-haired witch was obviously teasing, knowing very well that at least one of them had been a sort of professional at one time.


She laughed, looking at Xanadu, "You're in a benny place to learn just about anythin' here on Surwood. You should stop by Balder's camp sometime; Calli an' I are always up to sprucin' up our acrobatic routines."


Eri raised her hand, just a little, to about chin-height, and let her smile turn sheepish, "I'm a musician, but I've never really worked on commission. I mostly write for myself ... and the Circus. That doesn't mean I'm never open to something new, however. Is there a particular instrument or style you have in mind?"

“That sounds like fun. I'm being rather spontaneous at the festival this year ... not making a lot of plans in advance ... so any time that is good for you is probably good for me.”



“Oh, I would love to. You're probably much better than I am, though, if you're in a circus. You could probably teach me more than I could teach you. It would be interesting, though, to see what you can do.”



“Usually I have music written for me that can be played by several instruments. I either get a friend to play for me or I hire someone, and I sometimes dance in establishments that have their own musicians. Often I don't know what instruments will be used, so just general sheet music would be best."

She paused for a moment, thinking. “I'm looking for something ... different ... unusual ... moody. Could you work something out if I showed you my choreography? It's only in my head right now, but this evening I'll probably practice what I have in mind and see if it works.”

Sarinah listened to the women talking, a smile on her face and arms crossed. Looking back and forth at them, she held up a hand.

"Why don't we three get together tomorrow? You and I can teach each other some moves, and we can both talk to Eriyenna about music and what not. I have some things to ask her as well." Her brown eyes looked thoughtful.

"We could do it in the morning, ye chen? Nice and early, before all the kov's get out of the woodwork. Down by the beach where they had the fotamos festival, there is a good sized clearing. The ground is slightly sandy, so its not as hard to fall onto. I think there is a toy stall around here selling wooden swords, so I can pick up those now. What do you say?"

Eriyenna beamed, dark eyes shining a little with excitement, "Oh benny. That's actually the way I prefer to work ... when I'm writing for someone else."


The purple-haired musician laughed, waving a hand teasingly at Sarinah, "Oh, hush. Not all of us have kovs to worry about wakin' up in the mornin', but I'm sure it's worth all the trouble." Eri giggled, "I'll gladly meet you ladies there, though I'll warn you I'm not the brightest until the sun is higher."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, "I might even have some instruments in mind. I'll just have to bring ones I can carry."

Xanadu realized that her little trip over the tree root had actually turned into something good. She had all but forgotten the pain in her ears in her excitement over teaching what she loved and learning something new. If this worked out, she might try teaching other people when she returned to Vienda. She didn't need the extra money; she had been saving most of what she'd earned or stolen for many years. What she really needed to find was something to invest it in ... a business that was bound to be profitable.

Ahh well, she would hopefully find one eventually. New opportunities seemed to be presenting themselves now that she had let go of her grief. Perhaps they had always been there, but she had just never noticed. She would certainly keep her eyes open from now on.

“Sounds good to me,” Xanadu said. She looked at Sarinah. “If you are going to buy swords at a toy stall, make sure they are as close to the size and weight of an actual sword as possible. If they are too small, light, or heavy, your balance is going to be off once you start using real swords. And that could be dangerous. I'll bring my dullest swords with me.”

She turned to Eriyenna. “I'll finalize my choreography tonight so you'll be able to figure out what kind of music it needs. Perhaps the three of us might even be able to work out a routine that combines all our skills to perform before the festival is over. That would be a lot of fun.”