A noisy intermezzo.

Michael

Alex wakes to a massive cacophony of noise. Screaming, cheering, bright lights. She is sitting in mud as people jump and shout under blue and green lights.

Looking up at the people around her she sees them humanoid with wildly painted faces and wildly matted hair. She is sitting it wet slopping mud. She feels things crawling on her under a heavy army over coat. She feels her face is chunky as if it were covered in thick paint or makeup.

On stage she sees through a break in the crowd a group of bizarre painted people screaming, maybe singing, spraying liquid over the crowds. fire and fireworks erupting behind them amid complex light effects.

Amber

Feeling her face, then checking her clothing she first tries to see what she has with her. Does she still have her bag? Oh no does she still have the jewel?? she pats down her own body to check what she has with her.

For a moment she stares in amazement or disbelief to the stage. Hearing the sounds and cheers she tries to move back a bit out of the massive crowd who aparantly are enjoying this form of music.. she thinks.

Then noticing the crawling sensation she carefully looks under the heavy army coat. To afraid that if they are biting creatures that she might get bitten or stung.

Michael

She realizes she is wearing an army jacket that goes to her knees, with 4 big ockets on the front. Three of the pockets are wildly wiggling.

She is wearing nothing else.

Amber

As she is patting herself down and then feeling she is only wearing the coat, and just that the coat with three wiggling pockets her eyes grow like saucers...

A quiet string of curses is muttered,

She then carefully looks in one of the wildly wiggling pockets carefully opening the flap to peek inside and hopefully not getting attacked...

Michael

Running hands on the jacket pocket a scaled handsized creature slides out and curls tightly around her wrist. Looking down she sees a tiny red dragon looking up in fear and adoration. It puffs a tiny smoke cough. She feels other movements and finds a white dragon curl tightly around her left wrist. Running up the jacket to clamp onto the collar is a blue dragon. THey stare at he in fear of their new surroundings, bonding with her in the first minute of their lives.

Amber

Alex looks surprised at first but seeing the fear in their eyes she holds them thightly against her wrapping the oversized sleeve more around them.

She speaks soft to them eventho they probably do not understand her.

"I'm going to take the four of us out of here. Stay close to me. I'll care for you. "

Call it maternal instincts or just her caring personality. While finding a way out of this crowd and hopefully an exit. Alex humms soft to them.

She doesn't go look aggressively to the exit but she is determined in finding her way out of this cacophony of sound and light.

Michael

As she get to the back of the crowd she sees tents and campgrounds, smells food and realizes how famished she is. Getting to the edge people milling around at the festival she sees a lot of naked or seminaked people. Her attire does not attract attention, beyond being extrodinarily gourgous with three inquisitive tiny dragons.

She sees rows of what are clearly merchants. The dragons smell food at start screeching in hunger. She also sees clothes among the merchandise.

Whoever these people are, where ever they are she sees advertising that tells her she is at a major festival, well over 100k people, for something called the Insane Clown Posse.;

The clothes are distinctive, but its better then being naked when shadowwalking. She isn't sure she could just shadowwalk clothes on. She is too new to it. So... she realizes she needs clothes

Amber

Alex wonders by now how much time has passed... would they know where she is. Surely someone should miss her... unless of course time goes alot faster here. A deep sigh.

Feeling her own hungry state and then hearing the hungry screetches of her three little dragon companions she looks around searching. Seeing they sell the things she figures that she needs a form of currency. With her non dragon occupied arm she searches her pockets again in the hope for some money.

First she decides it is time for food. If she doesn't have money she is going to figure another way. Perhaps even dumpster diving if it means finding something.

She feels formost responsible for the little dragons that they get what they need.

With confidence she walks up to the food area, with or without money she'll find something.

Michael

Coming to a collection of booth all with a reasonable amount of business she sees bbqa, flat grills, woks, and other stuff. grilled cheese, fried foods. fries, chips.

As she looks the three dragons worm loose and take t the air, landing on a prep station in the back of a booth where they are chopping meat for stir fry. The dragons land and start eating, scaring the cook to back away. Around them people start staring.

Dragons must be unknown on this world

Amber

Alex spits out a short "Shit...." As she runs after her three dragon babies. She ignores any warning or people who might want to stop her. She has to get a hold of these little guys first.

If she manages to get to them she quickly picks them up one by one with any food which they might be consuming. Holding them firmly in her arm.

She looks at them sternly.

"No! I was figuring a way to get you food this is not the way."

She then under a muttering of apologies walks away from the booth... hoping the shock and strangeness of the situation make people enough flabbergasted to give her time to disappear in the crowd.

Michael

The crowd looks pretty freaked but the place is pretty wild and crazy. She drags them away and they refuse to release the big haunches of food. booth owners start yelling for security.

A guy steps in front of her and yells.. "Hey! Come to my booth!!! hoogie sandwiches! Those lizards will love them and maybe people will come to my booth. Im not Jagalaga so the fuckers are ignoring me!"

She sees security for the event start walking toward her.

Amber

Alex is clearly a bit flustered and confused. Put her in a battle fine, a war sure thing a freaking festival while carrying three dragons... yeah that is her limit. She found it...

Seeing the security Alex groans , but seeing the choice between the boothowner and the securitu guys she nods to the guy in front of her "Sounds good, they are hungry. Not Jagalaga...? "

She shrugs and shakes her head. And follows the guy to his booth. All the while keeping the three rascal dragons firmly in her arms.

Michael

"Ya, Jagalaga...Fans of the Insane Crown Posse. no offense meant if you are.. Just you know how cliquish these things can get."

He moves her over to a booth where a woman and a preteen boy are assembling sandwiches and bagging pickles. As she steps behind the booth the security seems to wander away.

The boy hands meat to the dragons who leap to a rail and eat, attracting attention.

Amber

Alex cautiously watches the security making sure they do not change their mind and turn back.

Seeing the dragons eating but also attracting attention she shows hessitation if this is such a good plan.

But first she turns to the man. Inclinin her head in thanks "Thank you for helping me out there. I do not know what i would have done... i am afraid i cannot pay you for the food though. "

She looks a bit ashamed.

"I woke up like this and i do not even know where I really am. " Alex had read these things jn stories that sometimes it can work playing the unknown innocense... but it was very close to the truth. She did wake up like this without a thing but the coat, and three dragons. And she has no clue where she is.

She smiles at the woman and preteen boy. Holding the coat a bit tighter around her.

Michael

"Don't worry about the food. Animac's don't eat much. Just for show you know. Those are great. Never seen ones with such detail. Japanese work i guess."

Amber

Alex is digging deep in her memory if she has ever read something about animac's or japanese... TO answer she only nods with a short "Sure."

Looking around now from the safety fo the booth she takes a better look at the people. but then also remembers she had a crusty feeling on her face. Looking about she tries to see if she can see her face in a reflective surface.

While looking for that she smile "So what can i call you? I'm Alex. "

Michael

"Jake, wife Casey, the boys Sam. Hang out for a bit, get me a line, and we're golden Hey, did you sell your clothes, shed them or have stone snake them when you overdosed? Strange. Thiefs would have taken the animacs. Sam, make sure you pick up the animal pods."

Amber

Alex stares at the man confused for a moment. Then shaking her head she responds. "Thank you, again. And i did have clothing. but i woke up like this over there i nthe crowd, and i do not know how i got here... overdose? On what? "

ALex decides to just sit down somewhere out of the way keeping an eye on her little dragons. She has a strange sense of dread but perhaps that wsa just there because she had no clue where she was or any bearing on time or anything. And she hated that she already got so reliant on the trump cards. Missing them greatly now. She then reminds herself what her father had said. even a stickfigure would do.

She looks up at Jake. "Uhm Jake i hope it is not to much to ask but do you by chance have something to write or draw with and a piece of paper or something?"

Michael

He points to the receipt pad and pencils.

His wife comes up and says, "Ah, we got some merch in trade. Stuff won't fit me. You are welcome to it."

Amber

Alex smiles seeing the receipt pad and the pencils, then turning to Casey she blushes a bit. "THank you for your kindness, i would gladly have something more to cover me up, though it seems not odd to be naked around here. "

Alex takes a few pages from the pad and a pencil. She doesn't want to use up the whole pad. And if she does it right she only needs one page.

But first, clothing. If Casey shows where she can find some clothing Alex first puts on some pants and preferably a hoodie so she can hide her dragons in there.

AFter gettin dressed Alex sits down in a corner out of the way but keeping aclose eye on her three young dragons. As long as they are happily eating on the booth she thinks it should be fine.

Who to draw. She decides if she goes for two different people she will widen her chances. The first to pop up in her mind is her father. Trying to contact a strong trump artist and magically inclined might help her establish contact.

The second she'll attempt to draw is Arlo. He might be to tired after this pattern thing but she trusts him and he to is powerful and magically smart. She starts to draw sketch her father to the best that her memory allows

Michael

In time she feels the trump should work. But attempting it makes her feel scattered. Uncertain, she starts work on Arlo's trump.

Amber

She will continue on the trump of Arlo. But if using them makes her feel wo scattered she won't use them and will keep them safe for a last resort. It does worry her greatly that using trumps makes her feel that way. She just knows to little of these powers yet to understand what it might mean.

She will stay at the booth as long as she isn't kicked out. When it seems the dragons have attracted enough attention for the booth to be noticed Alex will start indicating that she needs to get going. Under profusely thanking them for their help.

Alex wants to test a few things out, without to many people around. If she knows what she still can and what she can't do might give her an idea to get out of here.

Michael

The little dragons are a hit. After a bit people are paying for slices of lunchmeat to be fed to them. The little brutes seem to be born showman. They seem to like Sam and they stay in the booth. But one is always within arm's reach of Alex.

In time her Arlo trump is done. Stepping behind the booth she finds a privy shared by several merchants. Sitting g in it her call is answered fast. "You live! Good. I owe Vance a silverwing. You're blocked though. I can feel you but visually you are blurry. This is a co tact trump too. No passage. Are you in danger? All your gear is here. We just finished having Agom walk to the center to retrieve the stuff. A from is unconscious, but here, and being guarded by a nasty looking Targ."

Amber

Alex lets out a deep sigh of relief hearing Arlo. She has to fighht the urge to fanatically start talking. A deep inhale gives her pause.

"I woke up on a festival ground. Some horrible loud music is playing and weirdly painted people. The merchandise says Insane Crown Posse... so i suppose that is that. I woke up with three little dragons. A kind man gave me a space to draw and for my dragons to eat. I tried to contact my father as well but that felt... weird scattered.. bad. "

She then continues jn a more calm reporting way. "I do not seem to be in immediate danger or trouble. Now the dragons have eaten and i have clothing i think i should start shifting shadow. How can it be that i am blocked? And wait... Vance thought i died?!?!"

Michael

(Crown, not Clown, but everyone is dressed like clowns)

Arlo chuckles, "No...that was me."

Amber

((Editted it from Clown to Crown))

Alex shakes her head not that Arlo can clearly see that. "Alright well... i still live. For now. I do not know how long this trump lasts, i just sketched you on a receipt slip. But i'll take it with me. I'll gather up my little dragons who must be getting stuffed by now. And i'll attempt to go to Arden."

She then reminds herself. "Oh, Scully is still there in the stables. And please if you all go do not leave Karieeena and Hannah behind. How is the pattern doing? Less angry?"

After a short pause "Wait... if Agrom is still there Duncan remained there why in the hell did i get send here? Did i do something wrong?"

Michael

"It was going to be you or Vander. Vander declined to walk just together your stuff. As for the pattern, its a work in progress. Look, where ever you are, make for the jeweled road rather then Arden. Easier"

Amber

Alex nods "Well i understand Vander didn't want to, and when he wakes up please thank Agrom for me for collecting my things. Whenever i meet him i'll thank him also personally."

She sighs "If i find my way back. But you are right jeweled road would be easier. Do you think whatever is blocking me with trumps might also makes shadowwalking more difficult? I haven't tested more of my abilities yet. First I wanted to be able to check in."

Alex already stands up ready to go gather her dragon babies and search for the exit and hopefully jeweled road. She ties the overcoat like a babycarry pouch in the front so her dragons can hide in there.