The Festival

[Trent Landon]

It was nice to see Jay smile, it had been a few days since she did so, well last time she went back to..."Ugh..that man, yeah, I'd rather you not, it's a good day, let's keep it that way and if he tries to pull one of his stunts again, I'll keep you safe." Trent smirked then when she took his hand his grin widened, he also ignored his brother's hooping and hollering. "Thanks." He then led her farther into the crowd of dances and pulled her a bit closer to keep others from touching her much.

"Sorry I was late, I was checking on Granny Wool, she wanted me to give you this." He smiled and pulled out a bright pink petal scarf. "She said you like lilies I think? So she made you this, she said she hoped you liked it." He then put it around her neck. "So, do you?"

[Bavol]

"Yessss" he purred, suddenly appearing calm, "Dragon." Oh he was going to eat this trembling bunny. Bavol's mouth began to water, "Last chance to show me the shiny thing before I make you my dinner," he stopped resisting the change and let his teeth elongate. The meat only sputtered and babbled out nonsense. Bavol couldn't suppress a laugh when the scent of urine drifted in the air. He knew that he was about to have a load of fun. He was hungry, but Bavol, much like a cat, loved to play with his food before eating it.

A fit of whimsy made him draw the meat so close to him that their foreheads touched. Bavol let out a reptilian growl, fire making his breath boiling hot, "Run." was all he said before throwing the meat away from him. As soon as the prey scrambled to his feet, Bavol gleefully laughed as he released the magic that kept his human shape. Slowly, he began to grow, tanned skin turned into midnight blue scaled, his face elongated as horns grew from his face. When he was in his true form, he roared, signalling that the hunt was on and gave chase.

[Jaylene Bennet]

Warmth filled Jaylene's chest when she saw Trent smile. An actual smile. He was so slobbering drunk, she wondered when she saw him smile like this last.

"Well, I'm glad you made it. Better late than never, right?" she huffed out a chuckle. When Trent pulled out the scarf and put it around her neck she oohed and ahhed at it, "It's beautiful!" she picked up one of the ends that draped over her and admired the fabric, "I love it. Thank you. Thank her for me too, will you?"

Before she could say anything else, a loud, scary roar made itself known over the music. Scared, Jaylene instinctually pressed really close to Trent for protection and tried to squeeze him closer. As she did this, several people around her suddenly stumbled even though no one had touched them, "What was that?" Jaylene said a little too loud as the music abruptly stopped.

[Thomas Steele]

"You're insufferable," Thomas muttered to Adrian, "See how clingly you get when you finally discover the whereabouts of the love of your life after she's been missing since the middle ages."

Thomas could not help but laugh at Lynn's suggestion of throwing a whore at his father, "He does love a bit of skirt, true enough. I'm not sure if a whore would be enough of a challenge to pique his interest enough to distract him from his rage."

When Alavda asked him about Bladen, he frowned a little, "Yes, he's here, but..." he hesitated. Bladen had always been a little crazy, but when Alavda knew him, he was a lot saner. Thomas wasn't sure if he wanted her around Bladen, as volatile as the man was. The desire was in vain, he knew. Bladen was his best friend. The two would inevitably meet. Thomas would have to make sure he was there to make sure Bladen didn't scar her, "He's a lot more...well," Thomas struggled to find a word, "Crazy. Be careful when you're around him, Alavda."

Then a monster roared. Thomas had heard that sound before...he thought the creature might have been a dragon. As he looked around for the source of the roar, he pushed Alavda behind him protectively.

[Adrian Belrose]

"Ah, but until then, my refined friend, I shall also hold the right to make fun at you about your clinginess." he chuckled.

Adrian couldn't hold back an unrefined snort when Lynn suggested getting Felix a whore, " I don't know, Thomas. Your father more often than not thinks with his -er- doesn't think with his brain." he changed what he was going to say mid-sentence. To think he was about to be vulgar in the presence of well-bred ladies...

"Well Miss Von Arx," He stepped closer to her, giving her his full attention, "There are certainly a lot of entertaining things here today. The younger members of my clan tell me that they put together some sort of a tunnel that couples can paddle a boat through," Adrian flashed a charming smile her way, "Would it be presumptuous of me to ask if you would be interested in joining me?"

As soon as he said this, a roar filled the air. Adrian knew that the roar belonged to a dragon right away, "Stay back," he ordered, throwing a protective arm in front of Lynn. He did not think the dragon was terribly close to them, but he would be damned before he let anything harm a lady when he was present.

[Trent Landon]

Trent nodded at Jay when she made the comment of being being there. "I knew you would come, and honestly I owed seeing you in a better light than the last time." he begrudgingly admitted. As he watched her put the scarf on, he couldn't help but stare at her grate admiration of it. He snapped back to reality when she asked him to thank his grandmother for the gift. "Oh, uh yeah, of course."

Things were finally looking up for Trent as he heard the roar over the music as well. He felt Jay get close to him and press herself against him. He instinctually growled in the direction of the noise as he looked around at the crowd and saw the DJ cut the music, also looking in the direction of the loud roar. "Don't freak out Jay, but I am pretty sure that is a dragon." He said as he put his hands on her shoulders. "I want you to go find safety, even if that means hiding if a cove. This thing plays with people like a cat plays with mice, I want you nowhere near that. I'll come find you when this is over." He waited to see Jay take off before he made his next move.

[Lynn Von Arx]

"That was vulgar of me to say of your father, Thomas, my apologizes." Lynn half-heartily admitted after the fact. When Thomas also noted that Bladen was a lot more of a ticking time bomb than last she saw him, she slightly sighed in relief. "Yes, please do be careful around him, he's, not quite right anymore.." She then looked over at Adrian and found her cheeks warming up again. "Oh, we do not have to do that if you would rather keep an eye out on the festival, maybe more towards the end? I can't completely say no to your suggestion though." She sheepishly smiled at him.

She then heard the intimidating sound of the dragon and her eyes widened. "One, here? I though they all extinct decades ago.." She looked over at Thomas and Alavda to make sure they were ok as she saw some of the crowd starting to run in panic as the music stopped.

[Evelyn Connor]

Eve couldn't help but smile at he two as they started to dance and Trent pulled out the gift for Jay. "You know, if it wasn't for Matthias, I would think those two would make a good couple, but you already know that." Her stare looked annoyed as she pointed that gaze at the hooping and hollering Max. She was just about to walk off herself, to get away from him when she heard the dragon. She stopped mid-step and twitched her ear to find the exact area the dragon was in. She however, was knocked over by someone in the crowd as they started to run and was now in the process of being trampled.

[Asher Hale]

Asher was happy talking to this girl about different types of music as he heard the man from before mumbling from there and also caught wiff of what was going on. He looked back to see the dragon taking form and picked Sam up. "Sorry sorry sorry!" He apologized as he took off in the opposite direction of the festival now and ran towards the beach. "I know you have something in your pocket and I'm almost positive he can outrun you, but maybe not me. I know you got this, but let me at least get you a safe distance away from the blue lizard."

[Alavda Noir]

Because of the dragon's roar, Alavda could not reply about Bladen. She could not ask the questions she wanted to ask such as "was Bladen EVER sane?" or "If he was sane before...what's he like now?" Thomas's friend had always seemed a little off to her on his good days. Looking back, she thought his behavior quirky, or eccentric. She had not been aware at the time that he was losing his sanity.

The suddenness of the roar made her blood run cold. Instinctual fear made her freeze in place, "Dragon?" she whispered as if it would keep the dragon from noticing them, "Around here?" Her nanny had told her tales of them when she was a little girl, but in all her years Alavda had not seen one. She rather wished it had stayed that way.

Then Thomas shoved her behind him. She was distracted, and the move was so unexpected that she stumbled and only just kept herself from falling. Thomas kept a hand on her even as he faced away from her...trying to locate the beast, she thought. She was a vampire and far more durable than any mortal woman would be. She was no fighter, but she thought she would be able to handle herself until she found an opportunity to get away. Even so, she found his protectiveness endearing. Through the fear, she suddenly felt a swell of affection rise from her heart. Touching his arm, she asked the group, "What are we going to do?" She looked at the chaos around her and she met Lynn's eyes for a second, "Is there anything that can be done?"

[Jaylene Bennet]

Despite the panic of the crowd, Jaylene was able to hear Trent's growl. Even though she knew what he was growling at, she remembered someone else growling at HER that same way and she felt her body pull away from Trent as she wrapped her arms protectively around herself. She tried to cover it by acting like it was the dragon that made her recoil from Trent when she realized what she had done, but she wasn't the best actress on the island by a long shot. She was able to snap out of it more or less when Trent grabbed her shoulders and told her to take cover.

She moved to do just what he told her to do, but then she stopped and turned back to him, "But what about you? A dragon could really mess you up, Trent," was her voice shaky? it sounded shaky to her.

[Adrian Belrose]

"They're not extinct at all," Adrian said, his voice calm despite the adrenaline he felt pumping through his veins. Years of dealing with disasters helped him keep his cool, "In fact, there's an island not far from this one where many dragons sleep. They usually keep to themselves, so I don't know what set this one off." Adrian rubbed his chin, "I really must be off to organize something to shoo it away," he turned to Lynn, "Miss Von Arx, I must gather my people. I don't wish to be presumptuous, but I would suggest you head for safety. I am confident enough in my abilities to keep you safe, but I would rather not risk you." he address Alavda, but did not look at her as he said, "You too, Miss Noir. You must also go for safety. There are many places to hide from here." To both women he said, "I would advise removing anything very shiny. Dragons do like things that reflect light."

To Thomas he asked, "Have you many dealings with Dragons, Steele?" he put his full attention on the man, "If you are your father's son, I would think you know how to handle yourself in battle."

[Max Landon]

"We should try and set them up, eh Evie?" he laughed and turned his head to look at her, but she was already leaving him. Max was not one to be easily shaken off, so he went after her...which was why he was close enough to grab her when she got pushed down, "You alright?" he shouted over the cacophony. He held onto her as he pushed through the crowd to get to an area that was not overrun with panicked people.

When he was sure she was relatively unharmed, he looked around and saw the massive lizard, "Found it," he pointed to it. He whistled, "Boy that thing is big...and so blue! I thought dragons were green or red, but I guess I was wrong." he carefully watched the dragon who was not paying that much attention to the many people running around...wait, did he just eat somebody? "I think he's looking for something...Evie," he paused, "Do you want to run, or do you want to fight a dragon with me?"

[Thomas Steele]

"The most experience I have is when Bladen and I accidentally disturbed one in its hoard. We tried to fight it, but our combined strength and skill wasn't enough. The best course of action was to run. And they move fast." he only raised his eyebrow at Adrien when he asked about his prowess in battle. Of course he could handle himself. He was the son of a vampire clan head, "I suppose you are asking for my help?" Thomas didn't wait for him to answer, "No need to ask. I already planned on assisting you."

Thomas turned around to face Alavda, "I agree with Adrien. You and Lynn should go and hide. I'll come for you as soon as I am able." He turned to go, but was stopped by Alavda tugging on his arm. He turned around to look at her, to ask her why she stopped him. But when he turned around, he saw that her eyes were wide as saucers, "Alavda?" was the dragon too much for her? did she snap?

"No." he barely heard her whisper it.

"No?" he furrowed his brow at her and waited for her to continue.

[Trent Landon]

Trent saw Jaylene withdraw and hold herself and was confused why she did that, he was going to ask her what was wrong, but didn't think know would be the time, heck, there was a dragon, he had to make sure she was physically safe first before wondering about her mind. "I'll be ok, I don't think I am the only one who is gonna mess with this guy, not by a long shot." He smiled. "Just get somewhere safe, I'll find you afterwards, promise." He then ran off, trying to find Max.