When I became the Judgment Knight-in-training I had been pushed through all kinds of endurance, stamina and strength training. I once climbed to the top of a mountain without any use of my legs, and at that time I had walked on my hands. The whole way. Later on in my training I had to survive in a forest for a week without any food, water or supplies. I was also frequently pushed into drinking with the current Sun Knight. If you don't know him you probably won't understand why this was thrown in, but suffice to say that drinking with the past Sun Knight could be used as a torture method in the Judgment Complex. And it would be effective.
None of these, or any of the other training I had received, had prepared me for attending the festival with Kadence.
"Seriph, Seriph!" She shouted excitedly, making me want to run away. She was currently pointing and staring at a fortune telling booth with bright eyes, "Let's go there next!"
She was brutal. We had been running around for hours, moving from stall to booth to performance to- well, everything really. I had agreed to come, albeit reluctantly, but had insisted that I wear my hooded cloak. She had whined at that time, all the way from my quarters to the festivities, making me wonder if she ever tired. At that time, I had only seen the tip of the iceberg. For the moment we crossed the threshold into the bright lights and loud crowd she had produced a seemingly endless wallet, running to and fro without pause.
Still, I let her tug me over to the fortune tellers without complaint, After all, she seemed happy. She was in a constant state of grinning, her hair hanging down brightly and her dress catching the light, sending red-orange reflections glittering off the glass beading. I obviously wasn't the only one noticing it, as people peeked at her curiously. Some even went to the extent of stopping to stare, others even following us as though they wanted to approach her and start conversation. None of them did, though. After all, even with my black hood I was obviously male. Some of them gave me the dirty eye, mumbling curses to themselves. I was glad though, as most of the attention was stuck on Kadence. This way nobody would look closely enough at me to see under my hood.
We entered the small fortune-tellers tent, looking around curiously. Inside was dimly lit, with cushions and rugs sprawled out all across the floor. In the middle, on a pink cushion, sat a young woman with elegant brown curls. Her skin was smooth and caramel-coloured, her eyes lined heavily with black. Jewels made spiralling patterns around her eyes, glittering gold in the light. She wore loose, red clothing adorned with bright jewellery.
She didn't look up as we approached, merely kept her eyes closed and pointed to the ground.
"Um," Kadence looked unsure, stepping forward and sitting down infront of her hesitantly. Naturally she pulled me along, dragging me down to sit next to her. She bit her lip as she looked at the unresponsive woman, waiting a moment before asking in a soft voice, "Are you asleep?"
"No, Child," The woman said in a lilting voice, her red lips quirking in amusement, "Although you appear to be."
"Hey!" She said indignantly, while I tried to smother a laugh, "That's rude!"
"I'm sure you'll live. Now tell me child; you did not come here to banter, did you?" The woman said in a strange accent.
"No," Kadence said, regaining her happy mood quickly, "Can you really tell fortunes?!"
"Everyone is always so obsessed with the future," She remarked, shaking her head softly, "Some too obsessed to realize their present," She reached forward for Kadence's hands. Kadence hesitated slightly before offering them, and the lady began to patiently open Kadence's clenched palm. In the middle sat a bright blue marble. Kadence looked shocked, staring at me and the woman in turn. She stayed surprisingly quiet as the woman took the marble, holding it up to the light as she said, "You're too obsessed with it to even see your past. And what an interesting past it is."
"How do I see it?" Kadence asked quickly, leaning forward and staring at the woman intensely, "How do I find it again?"
The woman laughed to herself, smiling even wider to reveal a bright set of white teeth, "It finds you, silly child. As," She placed the marble in Kadence's hands, closing her fingers over it as she did so, "Will your future. Why, it's finding you right now."
"What?!" Kadence snapped, looking annoyed, "That's not helpful at all!"
"You have plenty help in your life," The woman said in her strange accent, shrugging carelessly and standing up, "Why would you need a strangers help?"
"Isn't that what you're paid to do?" Kadence asked incredulously, standing up and pulling me with her.
"Ah," The woman said in an inspired voice, holding her hand up and gesturing to us, "I don't remember you paying, Kadence. Do you, Seriph?"
Kadence cracked, turning to me with an agitated look, "Don't listen to her Seriph. She probably heard us talking, the old fraud!"
"Now, Now dear," The woman said, ushering us out and saying in a quiet voice, "Even if I was a fraud, I would never be so bold as to blatantly lie to the Judgment Knight," My eyes widened in shock and she finished pushing us out, turning to us with a sly smile before saying, "You two have a nice night now."
I instantly felt uneasy and began to lead Kadence away, despite her loud protests that she wanted to go back and 'Knock that hags head in!'. When we got a suitable distance away I stopped, relinquishing my grip on her arm and standing to the side of the procession while looking around worriedly. If she told anybody else panic could spread, and I could be caught out breaking my 'Unkind and uncaring' image. After all, Judgment Knights don't attend festivals. They just don't.
"Kadence," I began uneasily, pulling my hood down further and speaking in hushed tones, "I think we should leave now..."
She didn't answer. Instead she was staring off into another direction, looking overly excited. I followed her gaze and saw why. Down the street was a large, crowded tent. Across its entrance there was a large banner, reading 'Drink if you dare! See if you have the stomach to compete with the best drinker in the world!'
For a second I was suspicious that the previous Sun Knight was here. Then I dismissed it. He was too well-remembered around these parts to go off starting drinking fights. At best he would have a room full of statues.
"I want to go there!" She said excitedly, eyes sparkling and grin wide enough to tear, "Seriph, Seriph, Lets go there!"
"Kadence," I said in exasperation as she grabbed my arm and began to tug me to the tent, "You shouldn't run around drinking freely. I don't want to have to look after you when you're drunk."
"Pfft!" She snorted, pushing back the tent entrance and squeezing the two of us into the crowd. From there she began to weave to the stage, speaking to me as she did so, "Don't go underestimating me! I could drink for a year and not get drunk!"
"Kade-" I was starting to get genuinely worried. All around us were citizens, all looking happy. I didn't want to disrupt that. But before I could protest, a loud voice that sounded awfully familiar called out…
"Woah! Another one bites the dust! Who else thinks they can compete and win?!"
We finally got close enough to reveal the stage. On top of it a man sat at a table with two chairs, while another man lay passed out on the floor. The sitting man was large, with wide shoulders and long, dark hair. Next to him, grinning and wearing his official uniform, stood Blaze.
Shi-!
I knew that the 'Warm and Kind-Hearted' faction would be patrolling, but I didn't think I would come across one of them like this. It made sense, though, that they would be pulled in to help host and run some of the entertainment.
"Kadence," I whispered urgently, but she either ignored me or didn't hear.
Instead she pushed through the rest of the way, leaving me at the stage before jumping up and putting her hand in the air, saying in a loud voice, "I will!"
People began to laugh, nudging each other and pointing to her as if she were comical. I had to admit, it was an amusing sight. She was now standing opposite the thick, towering man, her hand placed on the table firmly and a cocky grin covering her face. Even with her long, golden hair covering full view of her body it was obvious that she was only a slip of a girl. Blaze looked unsure, leaning in and saying in a kind voice, "Are you sure? This isn't a game you know, kid?"
"Hmph," She pulled out the chair opposite the drinker and sat, staring at Blaze stubbornly, "Don't underestimate me!"
The drinker laughed boisterously, pounding the table with his large fists and saying, "Let her participate! She has fire!"
Blaze shrugged, beginning to set large pitchers of alcohol in front of the two of them before saying in his usual, loud voice, "Start!"
They began immediately, picking up the drinks and chugging them like they were water. I stood as close to Kadence as I could without actually getting on the stage, ready to jump up and catch her the instant she fell. It was proven unnecessary though, as they continued and continued. Slowly the laughter of the crowd turned into awed hush, staring as the two of them drank pitcher after pitcher, not stopping or stalling at all. Beads of sweat began to form on the 'Drinker's brow, and he began to sway slightly in his seat. Kadence had no such reaction, a cheeky smile lighting up her face as she watched him over the lip of her drink. Eventually he fell, landing with a thump on the table and spilling his half-finished drink everywhere. She stood, finishing off her drink and licking her lips with a smile.
"That was fun!" She laughed, turning to the stupefied Blaze and crossing her arms triumphantly, "What's the prize?"
"Um," I felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Since she had come to Leaf Bud City she seemed to be rendering the Twelve Holy Knights speechless every time she met them. Finally Blaze regained his senses, turning to the crowd of statues and holding Kadences arm into the air, "We have a winner!"
There was silence, then explosive applause. People were cheering loudly all around me, making my ears hurt. Still, it was a nice feeling. I joined the crowd in clapping, shaking my head and smiling. Until, that was, Blaze turned and gave her the reward; a heavy-looking wallet.
Sob… We're going to be stuck running around the festival till it ends, aren't we?!
"Here's your prize!" Blaze said to her, grinning widely and shaking his head, "I won't lie to you, kid! When I first saw you I thought you'd pass out after one drink!"
"Don't worry!" She said cheekily, moving to the edge of the stage to jump off, "I thought the same for you!"
She jumped, grabbing my arm and leading me out amongst the still-cheering crowd, laughing and thanking the people that shouted her praises. Behind us I heard Blaze yell out, "Well I'll prove I won't pass out so easily, so next time come drinking with me!"
"Sure thing!" She yelled behind her back before we exited the tent and entered back into the bustling streets. She turned back to me as we rejoined the crowd, grinning widely and saying in a smug voice, "I told you not to underestimate me!"
I raised an eyebrow and said in a disbelieving voice, "I still don't think that was a good idea. What if you pass out? I'll have to carry you all the way back to the temple."
"Tcht," Her smug look faded and she pouted, "If I say I'm not drunk, I'm not drunk!"
"Sure, Sure," I said in a tired voice.
"Fine!" She snapped, looking around with a cheeky grin before letting go of my hand and disappearing into the crowd.
"Kadence!" I shouted after her, pushing through people and following her.
I kept following her until I broke out of the crowd and into a clearing, looking around in confusion. I scoured the crowd , unable to find her. In the middle of my panic I found her.
In the middle of the clearing were a group of dancers, the bells sewn into their outfits tinkling as they leapt, spun and danced around. Nearby the sound of music drifted by, played by a group of performers that appeared to be with the dancers. Along with the sound of their instruments came a bright, heavenly voice. Despite it there was obviously no singers in the group of travelers. Instead the voice was coming from Kadence, who was dancing among the performers happily. Her golden hair whispered through the air and swirled around her, brilliantly golden. Her dress sparkled and fluttered up around her.
The dancers were, luckily, a carefree sort. They let her join without complaint, laughing and smiling as they fluttered around.
Part of me wanted to be annoyed, but I couldn't muster it in the midst of her presence. She looked angelic, the crowd around us clapped joyfully and cheered them on. If only they knew what she was actually like, they'd go running!
"Seriph, Seriph!" She shouted, reaching out to grab my hand, "Dance with me!"
I shook my head fiercely, standing back and holding myself out of her reach. It was fun enough being able to watch. I didn't want to join and risk exposure.
She rolled her eyes at me, continuing until the music stopped. At that stage she returned to me, grabbing my arm and laughing merrily, "That was fun! I told you I wasn't drunk, didn't I?!"
"Oh?" I said, smiling to myself as we were bustled around. People bumped into us as we walked past. I waited a moment, thoughtful before saying, "You're hard to sneak up on, right?"
"Well," She look confused, "Yeah. Nobody's ever gotten the best of me. But why?"
"Nothing much," I replied, a smug smile lifting my lips, "Just that the boy in red just pick-pocketed you."