Story Title: Festival of Lights
Rating: PG
Author: Mione3
Characters: Cain/DG
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the story of Tin Man or the Wizard of Oz.
Warnings: None
Summary: Things take an unexpected turn during a block party to celebrate the one year anniversary of the downfall of the witch.
AN: Please Read and Review!!
Main Street in Central City never looked so incredible. Cain was in awe of the changes and decorations and overall mentality of the people along the crowded street. The first annual after the fall of the Sorceress was to be commemorated in the form of an extravagant block party, to which DG compared to a Mardi Gras-esque celebration, whatever that means, though Cain did not ask the Princess to elaborate. It would take too long and he still would have no clue what she meant anyway, so there was really no point.
Venders lined the sidewalks, offering their wares for a fraction of the normal cost in acknowledgement of the importance of the occasion.
Men sold food and drink in wide variety, every taste bud sure to have its desire filled. Spicy and sweet, salty and bland, food was by far the number one commodity seen along the front of the buildings. Drinks would take a close second, especially with the crowd of young adults and the multiple alcoholic beverages available at every turn of the head. It would not be long before people were stumbling, laughing and doing the unthinkable in the haze of an inebriated stupor.
Then there were the commemorative merchandise.
Surely all the children would try to persuade their parents into getting them the Ozian version of action figures. Cain, complete with fedora and duster, came with his own six-shooter; Glitch, zipper across his head and roundhouse kicks second to none; Raw, furry exterior and mirror accessory; DG in her Other Side clothing, holding Toto, with the twister symbol decorating her palm; Zero, leather clad and accompanied by the Iron Maiden in which he was imprisoned; and lastly, the witch. Not Azkadellia but the witch, old and hunched over, holding onto the emerald for which she so desperately sought, and lost, she even included a mobat pet.
The older patrons would be coaxed by various salesmen into purchasing more adult products. Some peddlers swore they owned a piece of clothing from one of the famous four, to which the four travelers were referred, trying to hock the items for much more than they were actually worth. However, even though none of merchants truly owned even a button of the original outfits worn by the travelers, they were sure to make a profit from the naïve and the gullible.
Other products included emerald replicas hung on pendants, certain to catch the eye of any woman and open the wallets of their men. Six-shooters, supposedly endorsed by Cain, were going for a hefty sum. Other Side wear was in stock for young women wishing to emulate the youngest Princess. And these peddlers even went so far as to claim responsibility for the former advisor's self-defense skills, offering their services in a number of lessons in the art for a "small" monetary amount.
However, time pieces with the date of the witch's downfall and the phrase "Freedom At Last" emblazoned on each cover were no doubt going to be a best seller. It was just one of the many specialty items made for the Festival of Lights, as the Ozians were calling the celebration.
For a Festival of Lights it was going to be.
Multicolored streamers dangled between balconies and awnings, crisscrossing their way from one side of the street to the other. When looking up, the sky was barely visible beyond the ceiling of paper. Suspended from the surprisingly strong decorations were thousands of red paper-lanterns, making the whole block take on a crimson hue.
Banners swayed from window ledges expressing the peoples' feelings on one year of freedom. Some praised the House of Gale, DG in particular, while others either defamed the witch and her crony Long Coats or shouted the wish for this newfound liberty to continue. People from every corner of the Outer Zone came to pay tribute to the safety and security the House of Gale now provides. It was a sight to behold.
But the sight Cain was more preoccupied with was that of his friend and companion. Walking along the closed off street, he watched DG's eyes widen in wonder at the sheer immensity of the celebration, head spinning in every direction to take in her surroundings.
The glow from the lanterns above bathed her in red radiance, her skin pinker than normal, eyes turning violet with the combination of the two primary colors. Cain never thought she looked prettier and was feeling more and more self-conscious about this realization with the passage of time.
And, to his horror, he was not the only one who was captivated by her beauty.
Every male they passed eyed the Princess hungrily and Cain found himself glaring down too many to keep count. The lanterns were having the opposite affect on the faces of the men in the crowd, distorting their features, making them look more predatory than human. Eyes glowing red with want, they raked up and down the feminine body of their quarry. The pack of men made Cain uneasy, to say the least, and with the numbers of people on the street he was having trouble finding a means of escape if things turned ugly. So, there was a double purpose behind the hardened grip on the handle of his revolver; One, to try to keep the animals at bay and two, to keep himself sane.
Some were even bold enough to approach with the omnipotent Tin Man at her side. DG, ever the cordial sovereign, took it in stride, smiling thoughtfully at their obvious attempts at seduction, twisting Cain's stomach into knots with every upward inflection of her lips. And with each new admirer who swaggered over to the alluring young lady, Cain's blood pressure tripled, soon it was threatening to give the man a coronary.
One final brute wormed their way over to DG and actually had the audacity to snake an arm around her waist while going in for a kiss before he even uttering single word. Cain lost the tenuous hold he had on his anger and snapped. The man had barely begun to lean in when he was heaved back by the collar, tossed unceremoniously onto the hard concrete. Cain pulled back a heavy fist, preparing to flatten the nose of the bastard sprawled at his feet but a soft hand on his arm stilled his motion.
"Don't," DG whispered. "It's not worth it."
Cain bent at the waist so his face was mere inches from the prone figure. "You ever touch my Princess again the last thing you'll see'll be my fist breaking your jaw."
Standing up Cain placed his hand on the small of DG's back, ushering her away from the blatant scene he just made.
"So," she said quietly as she halted suddenly, effectively stopping him as well, his fingers still splayed over the silky smooth fabric across her waist. As she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her lips quirked up into a soft smile. "Your Princess, eh?" And her smile widened to its full capacity as his face flushed hot.
When he said nothing in response she took a small step to stand right in front of him, her hands pressing lightly against his hard pectoral muscles, face tilted upwards. Cain looked down at her from under the brim of his fedora, his hand still flared over her back, and swallowed thickly. Both were oblivious to the dozens of people who stopped in their tracks to watch the encounter unfold.
"I think I like the sound of that," DG practically purred, sliding her hands up the remainder of his chest and around his neck to play with the small blonde hairs at the base. Slowly he wound his other arm around her waist, pulling her in closer to his body until they were sensually pressed up against one another.
"You've always been my Princess," he whispered huskily in her ear before he captured her lips with his own. It was not soft or tender, but needy and urgent like he would die of thirst without her lips there to quench his desire.
When they finally parted, Cain leaned his brow against the forehead of the small woman in his arms. Both of them were glowing red in the twilight which had nothing to do with gleam from the canopy of red lanterns above.
"Always will be," he added, securing her hand in his larger one. Running his thumb tenderly over her knuckles, they walked in amicable silence back to the palace to continue their wanton exchange in private.