Fortunes! Get yer fortunes! [open/PM to join!]

[Rhindeer]

[PM to join! 8D]

For all the notoriety Connlaoth had, getting their troupe inside had been a rather uneventful affair.

The soldiers had been polite enough and no one had needed to be marked, as not a single member of their troupe was a mage, and many had seemed curious about their group. Which was understandable and, in fact, was exactly why they'd set out to try their luck in Connlaoth. A group of traveling performers, none of which possessed a lick of magic, would be far more impressive in a place without magic than in a place that had it. Their art was often a tough sell in Serendipity and Adela, though Adela, at least, was a little more receptive. But here, people could appreciate tricks and illusions done not with any vile magic, but with sleight of hand and dance and pure athleticism.

They had figured that Uthlyn would be their best starting point, city of knowledge and all that, and so that is where the group headed. They parked their wagons--ten of them, most of them serving as cages for exotic animals though a couple carried their supplies--just outside the city. There they moved their wagons into a circle to create a natural "stage" at the center, set up their simple props and equipment, and sent a couple of their crew into the city to spread the word.

People came in a trickle at first, but word of mouth doubled the numbers as stories spread of flexible acrobatic twins, sword-swallowers, fire-dancers, and horses that did tricks. They didn't have a large crew; most of their members were proficient in multiple areas. The sword-swallowers also fire-danced, the horses were the same ones that pulled the wagons, and one of the twins was an illusionist. And most of them were at least quite skilled in the art of pick-pocketing.

Perhaps it wasn't as fancy or as impressive as other acts elsewhere, but it was something, and it was different. And they at least had a few animal species that were quite exotic, including a fledgling gryphon and a full-grown tiger.

Then there was Iris.

Iris had always been a bit of an oddity in the group, for she didn't actually perform as the others did. Or at least, not in the same way. Set apart from the main area, out of the way of swords and horses, she had set up a little table beneath a shady tree. An old cloth covered it, decorated with tassels, and an assortment of crystals and runes and carved bones were laid out on it, as well as a deck of Thanati Fuiyun cards. Just as her table was eclectic, so to was she, her white and lilac hair decorated with little beads and bells that were also woven into her colorful skirt. A shawl was draped over her shoulders.

None of the colors she wore matched, either. But that didn't bother her. Her cloudy eyes were proof of her blindness.

But blind or not, she could tell the future and read fortunes, she claimed. It was a gift from Ansgar, this sight. Though He had taken her eyes, He had given her a new kind of vision in return!

Some people were uncomfortable with this, finding it too close to witchcraft even though she didn't bear the mark. Others, curious, were drawn in.

And even as Iris played her role, she paid close attention to what was going on around her. She knew she was pushing boundaries here.

But she was used to that.

The day wound down, and evening approached, and her troupe prepared for the final show that night. Iris, having nothing better to do, returned to her table and called out, "Fortunes! Get yer fortunes! Fortunes a-plenty, learn yer future, find yer soul mate! Past-life readin's, too! Fortunes!"

[GreekFries]

Harold walked slowly back to the stable, a lot of money in his bag, he had made a deal with the small town to provide food, and in return he received a large chunk of money. He had heard of a circus that had come into town, and all the miracles around it. Harold wanted to get back to his farm without any delay, but he figured he would go by a path that passed by the carnival. He heard a woman say something and he turned around, there was a woman there that was shouting about fortunes.

He stared at the strange woman, he himself did not have much fashion sense, but even he could see the strangeness in the woman's apparel. Her clothes were Mitch matched, and he found himself drawn to the stand. The table was strange and had crystals, runes and bones. He found himself unnerved by this woman for some reason.  He walked slowly, but then picked up the pace over to her. He sat down in front of the table, and his mind wandered of things to say, before speaking "So, can you tell me what lies in my future?"

He looked towards a deck of cards on the table and figured that that was how she read people's futures, he wondered whether she would be a fraud, or the real thing. He scolded himself for that idea immediately, for if she was the real deal that would likely be too close to magic for the government to let her in. He looked at her once again, waiting for her response.

[Jiaolong]

Okay, shirts were definitely a pain.

His guardian had told him all this clothing was required on the mainland, but it all seemed so unnecessary!

As Aleki walked along the busy streets of Uthlyn, he tried to ignore the curious stares of other people. He knew he stuck out a lot—he was probably one of the only Yoreiqi people in the city. And his wings, which were large even among his own people, attracted even more attention. He'd had to cut a large whole out of the back of his shirt so it would fit. Needless to say, his guardian hadn't been happy, but what else could be done?

But now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. He had come to Connlaoth as a first stop in seeing the rest of the world. He was going to enjoy it, even if he did get a lot of weird stares.

"That circus was fun!" A passerby said to her companion. Circus? That word was vaguely familiar. Aleki approached the two, who blinked in surprise at his appearance. He folded his wings closer to his back, self conscious. "Um, I heard you talking about a circus? Where is that?" he asked, a slight accent in his voice.

"Just outside the city..."

With those directions, Aleki took off, mildly aware of the setting sun. His guardian had told him to return before sundown...but technically, the sun wasn't down yet. Aleki smirked at the thought, finally finding the "circus" place. A small table beneath a tree caught his eye. The colorful yet unidentifiable trinkets covering it reminded him of his collection of random objects back home.

Home...he didn't want to admit he was feeling a little homesick, but being so far from the tiny chain of islands made him miss the crystalline beaches and warm sun. With that thought, he decided to see what the little table was all about.

A man was already standing there, asking a woman—surely the owner of the stand—what his future was. Could this woman really tell fortunes like that? Intrigued, he listened in, hanging back a little.