Grand Tour

“Cailu! Verbena! I’m so glad you could meet myself and Gwen here today!” The strange man waved the two reoseans forward, large grin plastered on his face. At his side stood a small chaser, wagging her three tails with enthusiasm towards their guests.

Verbena smiled as well, nudging Cailu softly with an elbow. The larger haedian pinned his ears to his head, feeling sheepish towards the attention he’d gathered, but he figured he should have expected such. After all, his kind had only just began to emerge from the depths to walk among the current inhabitants of Reos. Weird looks were the least of his worries.

“Of course, Mr. Plum,” Verbena replied with a respectful bow towards the fair’s owner.

After encountering Cailu’s clan in the depths, Verbena had maintained contact with them, eager to learn more about their kind should they come to the topside. And, now that they were here, she’d invited Cailu to visit the grand fair. It was the biggest event on Reos, and he was certain to find as much wonder in it as any pup would. He’d accepted her invitation instantly with great delight, but now that he was among the topsiders, he’d proven to be a tad shy, as expected.

“When I heard there was a haedian attending our humble fair, I just had to meet you in person,” Mr. Plum continued, bowing towards the pair of them respectfully. “And I wish to show you around our event. Vitalus is really the best place for a such a magical set up.” Due to the nature of the continent, the fair had an ethereal glow to it, with crystals framing the tents and banners strung from floating islands all the way to the grounds. Flowers of all kinds bloomed among the grounds, some glowing like the crystals, others floating like the islands themselves. It was truly a sight to behold.

Cailu paused for a moment too long, and Verbena took over for him. “I met Cailu when the caverns opened,” she explained. “We became friends, and I’ve kept in contact with him ever since. I needed him to see the fair. I’ve loved your show since I was a pup, Mr. Plum.”

“Marvelous!” Mr. Plum spread his hands wide. “I’m excited to show you this year’s event. I am sure you will love it.” He turned on his heels, motioning for the reoseans to follow him. Plum trotted beside, keeping pace with the larger reoseans easily despite her size.

As Verbena and Cailu followed their guides, Mr. Plum began to explain the history of the fair and a bit about how Vitalus itself became known to the grounded vayrons of Reos. Verbena already knew most of this, despite the fact that she hadn’t even been born when Vitalus had opened its gates to outsiders. Her parents had moved to Vitalus, and she’d been born among the magical crystals and floating islands, but she had learned most of her history from a young age.

Cailu listened with interest, taking everything in around them as they walked with wide eyes. Verbena wondered how much he knew about the topside; honestly, it was all second nature and knowledge to her, so she had already forgotten how much he’d been told. As they toured the grounds, taking in the sights of the tents, costumes, and performers, many stopped to look towards Cailu in interest. He was the first of his kind to attend such an event, it seemed.

“Come on, no need to oggle,” Gwen snapped at several other chasers who spent too long staring. “It’s rude to stare!” The chasers jumped, then scampered off to find a game to play, casting a few glances over their shoulders at the group as they retreated.

“There was no need for that,” Cailu murmured. “I’d probably stare too.”

Gwen shrugged. “I would rather everyone be comfortable here, including yourself, without being part of the show. Unless you want to, that is.”

The group continued, and after a few more minutes of walking, they arrived back to where they’d began, close to the entrance of the fair. It all seemed overwhelming to Cailu, but after saying their thanks to Mr. Plum and Gwen, Verbena grabbed him by the arm. “Come on! I’ll show you my favorite game!”