The summer festival is always a bit of a hectic time in Charon, especially in the major cities. People from all over - if they are able to - travel to the city centers in order to partake in the elaborate, multi-day celebrations. It's something that distracts from the chaos, raises the morale of the populace, and - in a way - further cements the monarchy's control. Whistleblowers are drowned out by the bard songs and dissenters are ignored in favor of flashy performances and delicious food. It can be a frustrating time for some, but the majority welcome the brief levity. After all, who knows when the next disaster will shake the continent once more. 

Returning from King's Valley moments before such a disaster occurs, Everett and his crew have disembarked from their vessel - the Lightning's Edge - and are seeking out their own distractions from their own troubles. Though that has not exactly worked out for them, as Sol City is facing its own localized crisis. Thousands of people have flooded the city since Everett was last there a few days prior, and the influx of people has caused unimaginable congestion within the city's walls. Getting into port had been trouble enough, but it was nothing like the city's interior. Every single street is just jammed with people all trying to get somewhere and failing miserably. 

Everett scratches the back of his head as he assesses the situation from a rooftop, his crew left behind on the docks while he tries to sort out just how they're supposed to get past the crowds to the nearest inn. The city hadn't been nearly this crowded the year before. It's a wonder no one has gotten trampled yet, but just where were the guards? Shouldn't they be doing something about this?


He can only assume that several large passenger ships must have all arrived at one time while people flocked to the city from the rest of the island. The timing couldn't have been worse. 

He sighs and scans the throngs of people trying to squeeze between wagons, horses, and storefronts. This was getting them nowhere. Perhaps there was some way that he could help get things moving again before someone gets hurt, but just how to do that is still unclear even from his vantage point. 

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Gridlocked
Participants: Two or more
Location: Sol City
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: Sol City becomes chaos this time of year, with people from all over flocking to enjoy the summer festival. Merchants come to sell their goods, while Bardic Virtuosos come to sing and dance for entertainment. However, because of how much attention this attraction brings, the city streets can often times become gridlocked. You find yourself caught up in a messy gridlock somewhere in Sol city. Wagons, carts, horses, and other livestock remain stalled while hundreds of people push and weave their way through the crowd… some sort of occurrence or disruption causing the street to become jammed. Find your way out while navigating the unknown chaos that may pop up.

As the last of the footsteps receded into the distance, Mimi emerged from the little crawlspace she had been hiding in for the past days. She could still hear voices. A lot of voices. But they were more distant now than they had been before and the scuffing of boots across the wooden decks above her had all but disappeared. They had arrived. Finally. Wherever this was.

She quickly glanced around the dimly lit room, making sure there were no stragglers left that could spot her and then darted up the narrow steps to emerge on the deck of the ship. It felt so good to finally be under the open sky again after being tucked away in her little hiding spot. The sunlight felt glorious on her skin, especially with how much gentler it was than the scorching rays of the desert. And the air smelled tangy and salty and, and.... There were so many smells!

Mimi stepped up to the ship's railing to find the source of the intermingling scents and the cacophony of noise that was assailing her, now that she was in the open, and her heart stopped. There were people EVERYWHERE. They were clogging every conceivable space between the buildings and stalls that made up the city port. There were humans and elves and grem and people of all shapes and sizes and horses and beasts. Goats bleating, dogs barking, people shouting. The rancid smell of old sweat and fish mingling in Mimi's nostrils.

Stunned, she stumbled back a few steps. This wasn't what she had imagined when she decided to stow away on the first ship she could find to leave Zeinav and her old life behind for good. Tears sprang to her eyes. This was all too much. What had she been thinking? That she could find her way in the world all by herself? That she'd be fine in strange and unfamiliar lands? The little gremling that everyone in her clan had labelled useless, a burden, a crybaby. She, who had barely managed to survive by herself in the desert that she knew better than the back of her hand? Actually, now that she was thinking about it, she who had barely survived in the desert even when she was still with her clan? Ridiculous.

A sharp little bite on the side of her ear pulled her out of her tearful reverie. She winced as a little yellow gecko with black spots on its back disentangled itself from the messy, tangled hair it had been sleeping in and nimbly climbed down to sit on her shoulder. 
"Ow Zeke. What'cha did that for?", Mimi looked at the gecko accusingly as she rubbed the sore spot on her ear. The creature just stared back at her, slowly blinking its left and then its right eye. 
"Yes, yes, you're right, of course, oh wisest of the realm. It won't do to just stand here and wait for the ship's crew to come back and give us a right beating for bein' on their property. We'll just have to make the best of it, huh?" The gecko continued staring, its large eyes like black pits into the abyss. 

Right. There was nothing for it. She jumped up onto the ship's railing, took a cursory glance around the ship and port around her, ensuring no one had spotted her prolonged trespassing. Her violet hair was waving in the ocean breeze, a dried up leaf, that had been stuck there for gods know how long, pulling loose and fluttering away in the wind. And then, with one more moment's hesitation, she gritted her teeth and dove into the teeming crowd on the streets below.

Deciding that he needs to act in order to solve this issue, Everett sets off across the rooftops to try and find a way to clear a path for people stuck in the gridlock. While he hops across from one roof to another, stepping on the air like it's solid ground, two of his crew are trying their damnedest to shoulder their way past the crowd with mixed success.^[1]

The pair, led by a tall moon elf male with tattoos running up his neck and down his arms, bob and weave between merchants, carts and people of all shapes and sizes. The elf seems more than confident in moving people aside so he can pass, though it's still slow going given no one really has the room to move in the first place. 

There's a slight give in the crowd and a clustered rush of folks surge forward just as a small mess of purple hair dodges between knees and legs. The movement catches the elf's eyes and he's quick to react just as the mini stampede looms over the small person. 

"Oop." Elleon scoops up who he thinks is a child about to get turned into road kill and hoists Mimi up off her feet. "Watch out, kid. Yer goin' ta get stomped." 

Ophelia - a young woman with blue skin and rainbow ribbons of hair, dressed in a billowing, shimmering robes - shoves past a few people and then sees her companion holding Mimi. She resists facepalming. "Elleon." 

"Aye?"

"She's a gremling, not a child." 

Elleon takes a second to process that information then looks around for a safe place to put Mimi down. He spots the top landing of a short set of stairs and shuffles his way over there before putting Mimi down. "Sorry, Miss. Bit chaotic 'round 'ere." 

Ophelia wipes her brow. "This is ridiculous. How is anyone supposed to get anywhere like this?"

"Captain will figure it out." 

The young woman gives a bit of an eyebrow raise at that. "Right." She then looks at Mimi. "Where are you headed? Might have better luck getting through this with a group than on your own."

---

[1]Step of the Wind

Mimi is so startled that it takes her a few moments to process the events that just unfolded. She looks the tall elf who so rudely displaced her up and down in confusion. Does she recognize his voice? Then her eyes fall on the press of people stampeding through the space she occupied moments before, and she realizes they would have most likely reduced her to mush. Did the man just save her?

"Uhhh... Thank you?" she manages to mumble, her mind still reeling and her thoughts only now catching up to what the woman said. Does her voice also seem oddly familiar somehow? So they want to 'help' her get to a different location. Riiiight, that's like the oldest trick in the book to rob someone. Lure them to a secluded place where they can be robbed blind. Not like she has anything of value on her person anyway...

She remembers what she saw from the vantage of the ship's deck. A teeming mass of people filling every inch of the streets as far as the eye could see. While her small stature allows her to dodge and weave into gaps too small for the ordinary person, it also means she is quite likely to be knocked over and trampled, as almost happened just now, and she hasn't been in the crowd for very long.

Maybe sticking with these strangers for now is her best bet for getting through this chaos. After all, she should always be able to escape whatever trap they have planned for her. She returns her attention to the two odd people in front of her. They are staring at her. How long has she been standing there silently deliberating? And where does she want to go anyway? Her plan never extended beyond her passage on the ship.

"Uhhhhm..." she manages to mumble, shrugging her shoulders.

“Welcome,” Elleon replies with a curt nod.

Ophelia raises an eyebrow at the gremling. Then she has a look of realization on her face like she just guessed Mimi’s thoughts. “Oh! Don’t worry, we aren’t weird circus people or are trying to sell you anything!”

Elleon’s brow furrows. He’s about to ask why Ophelia feels the need to assure this stranger that they’re not circus folk or salesmen, then he looks at the glittery dress Ophelia is wearing and her rainbow hair. He also remembers how the young mage got swindled into an apprenticeship with some snake oil-selling wizard. Yeah. Probably reasonable for her to think she needs to reassure folks she’s not about to read their fortune and run off with a fortune of her own.

The tall elf looks back across the heads of hundreds of people. He then spots Everett running around in the air back and forth over the crowd.

He lets out a long sigh before someone bumps into him from behind, jamming their elbow into his side.

“Watch out,” he warns the culprit.

“You watch out,” retorts a burly dwarf with a disgruntled look on his face.

Elleon doesn't escalate the situation, it's not like anyone is getting anywhere anyway. A fight certainly wouldn't help the situation.

“Oh!” Ophelia jumps and starts waving as Everett makes his way over to them. “This is nuts! Isn't there any way through?”

The half-elf steps down from the air next to Mimi and rubs the back of his neck.

“There must have been some accident on the main road. Guards are trying to untangle several wagons all locked up against one another. The animals are distressed and making it dangerous to try and get past so they've closed the road. They're trying to divert but many of the alleyways were closed off to keep peddlers from hiding out there during the festival.”

Everett then looks down at Mimi. "Hello." 

Ophelia points accusingly at Elleon. "He thought she was a child." 

"Oi, it was an honest mistake." 

"Okay, okay, no fighting you two," Everett says with a laugh at their banter. "If we want to get past this we'll need to go on the roof. I can help you all up and across to the other side." 

"Sounds better than standing here. You okay with some parkour?" Ophelia asks Mimi. 

Mimi started as the figure descended from the air, as if walking down an invisible staircase, and joined the other two strange individuals. This did little to reassure her that they weren't scammers or circus performers, despite the rainbow-haired woman's earlier assurance.

Her gaze swept over the crowd, still contemplating an escape from these peculiar strangers. The idea of navigating through the sea of people alone seemed daunting, especially after nearly being trampled. However, her attention snapped back to the conversation at hand at the mention of panicked animals. It was no surprise that the poor creatures were distressed amidst such chaos; Mimi herself felt overwhelmed by the press of bodies.

An urge to help the animals surged within her, but she couldn't ignore the oddity of the situation. The man who had descended from the air caught her eye. She noticed he was missing an arm at the elbow, yet he carried himself with remarkable confidence. The other two seemed to defer to him, suggesting he was the leader of the group.

Suddenly, a realization hit her. She recognized the voice of the one-armed man. He had been the most vocal during her time stowed away on the ship and often gave the orders. Could this really be a coincidence, running into the crew of her ship in this crowded place? Or were they aware of her stowaway status and planning to confront her? It seemed unlikely; if they had known, surely they would have dealt with her at sea, rather than risk her slipping away in this bustling city.

"You okay with some parkour?" the glittery woman asked, breaking Mimi's train of thought. The others were looking up at the surrounding rooftops, clearly considering them as a path through the crowd. Mimi followed their gaze, assessing the buildings. They seemed to have plenty of window ledges, door frames, and other handholds for climbing, and the roofs looked sturdy enough to support her weight. However, the gaps between the buildings were daunting.

"I'm fine with climbing up to the roofs, no problem, but there's no way I'm jumping from one house to another," Mimi replied, giving the woman a nod.

As she spoke, she hoped that they weren’t all planning to walk through the air like the one-armed captain. At least once they were out of the crowd, she could more easily extricate herself from her newfound companions if necessary. The thought of being led through the skies made her uneasy, but perhaps being above the chaos would give her a clearer path to safety—or a chance to slip away unnoticed.

Whether or not any of the three are aware of Mimi's crime of stowing away on the Lightning's Edge is certainly not very clear. So far no one has brought it up, so it's possible that they don't know. Or this could all be some elaborate scheme to get her to come clean on her own out of guilt after they go out of their way to assist her. Who could say for certain. 

"Oh, don't worry about that. He can get you across fine." Ophelia waves to Everett as he helps boost Elleon up onto the rooftop.

Elleon gets into a wider stance as if bracing himself for something, then Everett gathers a gust of wind in his hand and sends it up under Elleon as the elf jumps up into the air.^[1] Elleon flails a bit at the top of his jump, but he does manage to stumble his way onto the roof without losing his balance too badly. Once on the roof, Elleon turns around and gets ready to help Ophelia once she's boosted up. 

Ophelia hops her way over to Everett and gets ready to jump up. 

"Ready?"

"Aye, aye, captain." She salutes before keeping her arms tucked close to her body. 

"Up you go." 

With another burst of air, the young mage is boosted up to the rooftop where Elleon waits to catch her. He reaches out, grabbing her hand, and pulling her onto the roof so she doesn't fall back down into the crowded street.

After a few seconds, a curly mop of rainbow colored hair peeks back over the eaves and calls down to Mimi. "It's a bit scary the first few times but no one has fallen yet!"

Everett looks at Mimi and gestures toward the spot he's been launching the others from. "I promise you won't get hurt. I can also carry you up if you want." 

---

[1] Push/Pull

Mimi watched in amazement as first the tall elf and then the colorful woman were boosted into the air, their hair and clothing rippling. What an unconventional way to traverse this was. When the captain suggested that he could carry her up the building, Mimi felt a flush of indignation. This wall would be an easy climb; she did not need to be carried like a child. She'd show them she could ascend almost as quickly as they could leap with magic.

And yet, she hesitated. There was something about the way the others had been lifted—soaring freely through the air, even if just for a moment—that looked undeniably fun. Weighing her options, she realized that if these strangers meant her harm, they could have done so in simpler ways.

Making a decision, Mimi stepped into the spot where the others had been boosted. She nodded to the one armed man, a small smile creeping onto her face. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She took a deep breath, braced herself, and then jumped.

The current of wind caught her, lifting her high above the crowd. For a fleeting moment, she was soaring, taking in the vibrant colours, the cacophony of noise, and the sea of people below. Then, she realized she was much higher than anticipated, the roof she aimed for a good 20 feet below, and her newfound companions watching her ascent with wide eyes.

Panic set in. She flailed her arms, trying to regain balance, but only succeeded in tilting forward. At this rate she was going to plunge face-first back onto the cobblestones she had just left below. A yelp escaped her as she began to fall.

"Oh, look at her go." Elleon looks up at Mimi as she soars past them a good 20 feet higher than anticipated while shielding his eyes from the sunlight overhead. 

A look of horror crosses Ophelia's face and she yells down at Everett. "THAT WAS TOO MUCH!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Everett realizes that without really needing Ophelia to yell at him. All the same, he quickly casts another spell, this time on himself, and then takes into the air after the falling gremling.^[1]

He hooks his good arm around her waist, trying to keep her as upright as possible but ends up carrying her under his arm like a football. It's awkward and there's definitely a few onlookers in the crowd below who have noticed the aerial shenanigans and are pointing at the display. One guy even hollers up shouting for an encore like this was some sort of planned performance. 

Everett ignores the attention that Mimi surely did not want on her and just flies her back to the rooftop. 

"Yer okay, we got ye." Elleon reaches out to help guide Mimi back onto her feet and to the safety of the roof. 

Once Mimi's back on solid ground, Everett lands and bows a bit to her. He rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

"Sorry Miss, I didn't account for your weight." 

Ophelia is quick to punch Everett in his whole arm. "Don't say it like that! Gods, neither of you know how to treat a lady." 

Elleon snorts. "Didn't know we were in the company of any." 

The young mage gives him a stink face. "I will push you off this roof." 

"Okay, okay, easy you two." Everett laughs.

This kind of banter isn't anything new, though he can get how to an outsider it may be uncomfortable or suggest that Elleon and Ophelia don't get along. They actually get along quite well despite the differences in their personalities. It probably helps that Elleon is a good listener, or at least good at faking that he listens when Ophelia goes off on one of her rants. Ophelia is definitely smarter than Elleon, but can sometimes get up in her own head about things. Elleon is more pragmatic and task-oriented, so he helps keep Ophelia grounded. They make it work which is nice since there are others Everett intends to invite to join his crew that may have a harder time getting along with one another. 

"We can get around to the inn from here." Everett points across the rooftops to the iconic Brass Dragon inn which can be seen poking up between a few other buildings just up the hill from where they are. "I want to try and help clear the wagons, but you all can go ahead." 

"I can go with ye," Elleon offers.

"I appreciate it, but getting you over there isn't as easy as getting you up here." 

"Yeah, he'd have to account for all your extra weight."

Everett manages to catch the back of Elleon's shirt before he can attempt to yeet Ophelia off the roof. "It's fine, you go ahead and see if they have any space left."

He lets go of the elf once he's sure he won't get the young mage back for her comment and digs around in his pocket for some coins. He hands a small pouch over to Elleon then looks down at Mimi. "Do you know where you're going? Or do you need directions?"

---

[1] Flight

Mimi reeled, her head spinning from the sudden change in altitude. The rush of adrenaline still coursed through her veins, leaving her slightly breathless and shaky. She blinked up at the captain, her heart racing. “Y-you saved me. Thank you... thank you so much!” A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “Well, this was fun. Let’s not do it again, though.”

As the captain asked where she was headed, she hesitated briefly, glancing around the rooftop. The city sprawled beneath them, a patchwork of bustling streets and colourful stalls, but the chaos below reminded her of the animals trapped in the crowd. "Uhm... you mentioned there were animals caught up in the mess, right? I'd like to help with that, if it's okay. I mean, I'm pretty good with animals." Her words came out quickly, almost in a rush, as her nerves caught up with her again.

Mimi's gaze softened as she reached up, feeling the comforting presence of Zeke nestled in her hair. “Zeke can vouch for me. Right, Zekeee-boy?” She carefully retrieved the leopard gecko from her tangled hair, gently cradling the drowsy creature, that had miraculously slept through the entire commotion.

"Oh, I'm Mimi, by the way," she added with a smile, looking up at her saviour. Her fears were slowly starting to fade into the background.

“Uh, well-”

“He nearly sent you to the moon,” Ophelia interrupts, reminding Mimi that she wouldn’t have been in the air in the first place if Everett hadn’t jettisoned her up there.

“Sorry, again.” Everett bows his head again.

Mimi’s ask to join him in helping the animals comes as a bit of a surprise. “If you’re sure.” The half-elf doesn’t look too convinced that’s the best idea, but he’s not about to judge the gremling's capabilities by her appearance. He would be a hypocrite to do that when he’s been subject to such prejudice himself being someone clearly missing a limb. “It’s pretty crazy up there. But any help I’m sure would be appreciated.”

When Mimi pulls out their little gecko, Ophelia is quick to bounce over and gush over the tiny little lizard baby. “Oh gods he’s so cute! Wittle man so sweepy.”

Elleon can’t help but snort a laugh at her baby talk.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Mimi,” the captain introduces himself. “I’m Everett, that’s Ophelia and Elleon.”

The rainbow-haired girl and the tattooed elf each give a wave back as they’re introduced.

“We’ll go ahead then,” Elleon says as he starts to cross the roof to a more open alleyway. “Try not ta get trampled.”

“Catch up when you can! Good luck with whatever you’re going to do, Miss Mimi!” Ophelia waves as she goes to catch up with Elleon, and they make their way back down to the street level on the other side of the buildings.

Everett gives the pair a nod of acknowledgment before he extends a hand to Mimi once more. “I can fly us both over to the wagons. Just make sure you hold on tight.”

If Mimi takes his hand, Everett would then fly them both over to where the wagons and beasts of burden are jammed up against one another in the narrow street.^[1]

The guards have had no luck in getting the stubborn and scared animals to move and the crowd around the wreck has only grown more impatient as time has passed. Their shouts of frustration are not helping calm the animals and run the risk of someone getting kicked or run over at this rate.

---

[1] Flight

Mimi watched Ophelia and Elleon leave, her heart warming at Ophelia’s genuine delight over Zeke. It was comforting to see others share her love for animals, even in the midst of chaos. Turning to Captain Everett, she noticed a flicker of doubt in his eyes. It was a look she knew all too well—scepticism of her abilities. But she'd dealt with that before and was determined to prove herself capable. This wasn’t the first time someone doubted her capabilities. No matter. She would show them. She could do this. She hoped…

She took Everett’s offered hand, hoping this time her flight would be less precarious. As soon as she gripped his hand, they took off at a roaring speed, the wind whipping around her as her surroundings became a blur. She tightly held onto Zeke with her free hand, ensuring the little creature was safe during their flight. The sensation was exhilarating, a mix of fear and freedom.

All too soon, they slowed and gently landed on the edge of a roof overlooking an intersection. Mimi had expected commotion, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight below. Dozens of wagons were piled up, trapped animals squealing in panic, people shouting or moaning in pain. Guards were struggling to hold back a surge of people who were being relentlessly pushed forward by the ever-growing crowd stuck in the streets. Most of these people were unaware of what was happening and were simply trying to push their way through to get somewhere, anywhere, but their efforts only made the situation worse.

A pair of horses caught Mimi's eye, one lying motionless in its yoke, threatening to drag down the other, which was whinnying pitifully. An ox had its horn stuck through the side of a wagon, rampaging in its efforts to break free. And... was that a dragon?! A large scaled beast, having broken free from its harness, was writhing over the tops of the wagons, and hissing aggressively at anyone who approached.

Mimi gasped at the sight below her. This was worse than she could have imagined. “Well, shit…”

Things have escalated to be worse than they were only a few minutes ago. The guards are barely keeping things from escalating. From the rooftop, Everett surveys the scene with a grave look on his face. If they didn't do something soon, someone was going to get hurt...or worse. 

The issues were obvious, the wagons were stuck and the animals pulling them were in distress. They couldn't get panicking animals to cooperate, so they needed to free them. It wouldn't be easy getting close to them without getting kicked or pushed by the angry crowd either. And that drake is going to be a problem. It's already in a pretty bad mood and its owner is nowhere to be found. 

It's too dangerous to approach the animals to unhook them...but Mimi is small. Small enough to squeeze under the wagons and unhook the harnesses holding the animals in place. It was a risky situation to put the gremling in, but if he could get the drake to leave the other mounts alone, they might be able to calm the panicked animals and get them free which would make moving the wagons easier. 

He crouches down next to Mimi. "Do you think you could unhook all the animals from the wagons?"

His eyes fall back on the drake as it snaps at anyone who gets close. "I can try to lure the drake away. That should help calm the other animals down." 

Standing back up, he offers to help Mimi to the ground not too far from the roadblock. Once on the ground, he'd leave her to do what she thinks is best for the situation while he focuses his attention on the drake.

Some of the guards try to get in their way. "Halt." 

"I'm a Knight of Duros," Everett explains, flashing an emblem on the sleeve of his coat under his cape. "We're here to help. Leave things to us and make sure your men don't spook the other animals." 

The guards are quick to recognize the emblem and nod, they step aside for both him and Mimi. Everett looks back at Mimi. "Ready?"

Mimi stared as the guard backed off immediately after Everett showed him something on his clothing. He must be really important indeed. She considered the captain’s plan. It seemed good enough for the circumstances at hand, but she was quite worried about what would happen to the scaled creature atop the wagons—a “drake,” Everett had called it.

Mimi nodded when Everett asked if she was ready. “Just try not to hurt that drake. He’s probably just scared.”

With a determined breath, she took off, weaving through the throngs of agitated people and debris. Her heart pounded as she approached the ox, the animal’s massive size and frenzied movements intimidating her. She approached from the front, where the ox could see her. Slowly, she held out her hands, palms open, and spoke in a soothing tone.

“Hey there, big guy. It’s okay, shhh, it’s okay. I’m here to help.”

Her voice, gentle and calm, contrasted sharply with the surrounding chaos. She continued to speak softly, inching closer until she could reach out and gently stroke the ox’s neck. The creature flinched at her touch, but Mimi didn’t pull away. She kept her movements slow and deliberate, continuing to murmur reassurances. The ox’s wild eyes darted around, but it seemed to be responding to her calming presence, if only slightly.

As the ox began to calm, Mimi moved to assess the situation with the harness and the ox’s horn, which was embedded in the side of the wagon. The sight was troubling; the animal’s struggles had twisted the harness and wedged the horn deeper into the wooden planks. With steady hands, she began to work on unbuckling and untwisting the harness, her fingers nimble and quick.

Mimi spoke softly to the ox, trying to keep it calm as she manoeuvred to free its horn. “Almost there, you’re doing great. Just stay still for a bit longer.” She swiftly clambered up the side of the wagon and slipped through its window so she could assess the situation from the other side of the wooden planks. The reason the ox could not free itself became apparent immediately; some wooden shelving had fallen over and lodged itself between the curve of the ox’s horn and the wall of the wagon. She leaned back out the window and patted the animal’s nose. “Alright buddy, you just have to trust me on this one and I’ll get you freed up, no problem.” She continued rambling, hoping the sound of her voice would keep the creature calm enough to enact her plan.

Mimi grasped the horn and began pulling on it, but the ox resisted her. She heard hooves stamping on the ground and the horn slipped out of her hands as the ox tried to shake its head and pull free of the wagon, scraping painfully across Mimi’s hand.

“Hoo! Easy there,” she raised her voice but kept her tone calm, hoping the animal would hear her through the wall.

Undeterred, she once again took hold of the horn, braced her feet against the wall, and then slowly but firmly pulled the horn further into the wagon. It took all her strength, but she managed to pull the horn far enough to dislodge the stuck shelving. Still holding firmly onto the horn, she slowly began guiding it back through the hole to ensure it would not get caught on anything again. That done, Mimi rushed back to the window, hoping to stop the animal from bolting immediately. The ox, now liberated from both the harness and the wagon, snorted and shook its head, but seemed no longer distressed. Satisfied that there was no new catastrophe imminent, Mimi climbed up onto the roof of the wagon, gently patting the ox on her way up. She looked around and spotted a human in trader’s clothing looking much too unoccupied. “Hey you!” she shouted. “Get this ox out of here! And give him loads of treats. He deserves them.”

Not waiting for the startled human’s reply, she turned around to see if Everett had been successful in his attempt to lure away the drake and to get an idea of how the situation had changed in the few minutes she had been occupied.

“Right, don’t hurt the angry lizard with sharp teeth,” Everett gives a half-hearted laugh.

The creature would probably do more damage to him than he could do to it given the situation. He watches Mimi head off into the chaos before turning his attention to the hissing creature.

As fierce of a show it’s putting on to keep all the guards away from it, when he locks eyes with it there’s a strange sense of familiarity that comes over Everett. It’s golden slit eyes are so familiar… he shakes his head to clear it before approaching the creature.

“Easy there,” he tries to talk down the angry creature as he puts a hand on one guard’s shoulder and moves them aside. “Make sure to keep that way clear.” He nods further down the street away from the crowds. “I’ll try to lure it that way.”

“Yes, sir.” The guard scurries off to make sure any rubberneckers are back inside the buildings or clear of the street with the help of a few other guards.

Once things are clear, Everett steps up onto the air and circles around the drake until he’s between it and the crowd. The drake snaps at him aggressively, puffing up its throat and flaring its wings to look bigger. Oddly enough, Everett doesn’t really feel that intimidated. It’s just posturing, the thought crosses his mind. Wait…how does he know that? This is the first time he’s directly confronted a drake…right?

Gods above these intrusive thoughts are making his head spin. He takes a breath and waves his arm and shouts at the drake. “Go on! Go that way! Shoo!”

The drake hisses and does shrink back a bit, but then part of its harness snags on the corner of the wagon beneath it.

“Great,” Everett huffs and tries to get closer to untangle or unclip the harness. The drake is not having any of this and snaps its jaws at Everett when he gets close. Reflexively, wind gathers between Everett and the drake then pushes the drake back. The sudden gust catches the drake’s wings and lift it enough for Everett to quickly draw his rapier and cut the leather strap keeping it from moving. With that, the drake is free and flies back a little ways before scrambling across a rooftop.

“Well, that works for now.” With the drake now at least out of the way, he looks around for Mimi to see how she’s faring. Sure enough, she’s managed to get a big ox out of the way. Now it was mostly just the team of horses they needed to do something about.

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[1] Step of the Wind
[2] Push/Pull