When Douken emerged from the tent, Mazerine placed her hands on her hips, giving him a look up and down, giving him a quick smile. When he commented on the amount of green she now had, she shrugged her shoulders. "First of all, I can't help that my eyes are green… but yes, it is my favorite," she admitted. "It's just bright, and it makes me think of a grassy meadow," she explained. "And while you were getting dressed I saw that artisan with the necklaces over there, I couldn't help myself," she added.

As he asked if his outfit pleased her, she laughed quietly and reached out for his cuffs, running her fingers over the cufflinks. "To match your key," she said with a smile. "And yes, it does please me… a noblewoman like me cannot be seen with common folk," she added in a sarcastic tone.  "You look rather handsome if I am to be honest," she said, her speech reverting back to its usual tone.  She glanced down at his feet and chuckled at the shoes.  "There's a price to pay for looking nice… I was taught that at a very young age.  If you even knew how tight this corset is, you would grow short breath… I already am," she said, laughing.

The pair proceeded to walk through the bazaar, looking at the different artisans and vendors that had set up their carts and stalls.  It was all Mazerine could do to stop from buying everything she came across - so much of it was so beautiful, and she had long since sold off a lot of her jewelry and clothing she had brought with her from Endapano.  They managed to spend hours going through the different carts, looking at the wares the artisans had created and sampling different foods and beverages throughout the course of the day. Several times before they approached a cart or stall, she would loop her arm through Douken's before they approached, speaking to the vendors in the sophisticated, high-class tone she had used before, garnering several free samples "for the lady and her consort."  "They just love pleasing those they see as nobility, may as well reap the benefits if we're dressed this way," she said at one point, giving him a quick wink.  Before long it was late afternoon into the beginning of the early evening, and many more people were beginning to pour out into the streets.  

Many of the other colorful tents had tied their flaps open now, and within there were many things beginning to take place.  Games of all sorts were starting, and ale and wine began pouring freely.  Chants of "Huzzah!" and "Long live the Queen!" were heard regularly in the street, what with the celebration honoring the birth of the Queen's son.  They spent the next couple of hours touring the area, sitting and watching a few bards perform ballads they had written in honor of the new prince's birth.  Before long, the sun had begun to set, and festive candles and lanterns were hung out.  

A midway of sorts had been set up, with many different carnival style games scattering each side.  On one table, several bottles were stacked up, with the vendor offering large round stones to try to knock them down for a few silver coins, different prizes being offered up.  Another had the same style of bottles, but with rings to toss to try to land around the neck of the bottle instead.  There were several other games as well, some of which Mazerine could not figure out how they worked just from looking at them.

Several new vendors had appeared, their wares differing from those that had been offered during the day.  One particular table had garments of bright colors sent from Abed, and she dragged Douken over to look at it, being drawn in by the shades.  After looking through them for a moment, she held a bright red thing up to her body - it was clearly some form of intimate, scantily there undergarment, but Mazerine was oblivious to its real purpose.  As she held it up to herself, she turned to Douken and it was clear she was trying to figure out what it was for.  "What is this even?" she asked.  It was a hardly there brassiere attached with a few thin threads to a hardly there undergarment.  "I mean, why would anyone wear this?" she asked, trying to figure out how it would function as clothing.

They passed another tent, and from peeking in through the open flaps it seemed as though the people in that tent were playing a game similar to the one that Mazerine had taught Douken while they sailed from Egjora to Adeluna - she thought about suggesting they try that game, but the cloudy memories of that night urged her to do otherwise, instead scanning the area for more.

Another stall advertised several different styles of mead, including one brewed with hibiscus flowers.  "Oh, that sounds delicious," Mazerine said as they walked by.  The tent next to the meadery stall was filled with folks dancing to loud music, laughter drifting out the open flaps.  Mazerine glanced into the tent rather longingly, memories of her time at balls and fancy galas flooding her mind.  At times, she missed her life as a noblewoman in Endapano, but she was much more content with the carefree lifestyle she lived now.

"Well, what do you want to do?  There are plenty of choices to pick from," she said and left it up to Douken to decide what they would do next.

Douken could not help but internally smile as Mazerine took up the mask of her more noble half when it came to swaying the shop hands into samples of their foods. Instead of trying to play a part he was not used to, all she had to do was revert herself from her more adventurous side and into something that was meant to be presentable, allowing them to sneak in samples of their product. It helped kept them satiated so that they never worried about lunch… In fact, it even helped pass the time even quicker until the sun began to set, where the streets began to light up.

He was glad to see that most of the tents were ready to celebrate the night away, with only a few needing but a mere moment to get things situated. Smiling, he freely toured the grounds they were on as the street was flooded with bards, telling tales such as how the king and queen met or about their achievements of old that let them get into such positions. It was fun seeing a lot of the tents able to give some fun to the kids as well as the adults with their games, though it seemed Mazerine's eyes were more attracted to something more adult themed…

Watching her hold up some seductive lingerie caused him to turn a bit red, just thinking about her actually wearing it before covering it up with a slight snicker thanks to her confused comment. "Probably something you would wear in red light…" he commented back, hinting at the dirtier side of some towns that he did not want any nearby kids to hear. Luckily, she got the message really quickly, considering her face grew beet red before gently setting it down. Then again, it was a tent more tucked away, so it made sense they would try to hide away from children… And if I was a betting man, they probably have a couple bottles of Blessing of Canelux stowed away… After all, what better way to celebrate a new prince than the chance of more children?

After she returned to his side, they continued walking around, seeing what some of the other tents offered. One that caught Mazerine's eyes caught was a gambling tent with cards set up… Hold 'Em, it looked like. She did not say a word of interest, and even if she did, he would tell her no. After all, she was still getting used to the base rules of the game.

When she asked about what to do next, Douken offered, "Why got get a drink before we look more?" After all, there was no real security blocking drinks from the games, and some who had were still allowed to play. All they had to do was make sure things were kept clean and away from others. So, with this in mind, Douken headed into the tent, getting two pints of the hibiscus mead for the pair before heading down the aisle of games.

"You, sir! With the beautifully dressed madam!" he call called out, turning his attention to the man that they met from before! However, it seemed his confidence levels had severely changed. "Sorry about before, but we are now ready to go~! What do you say? You think you can show off some magical prowess for your special lady here? Look:" He then dug under the tent before pulling out a pair of gloves and a spell paper, a rune already drawn upon it. "Here's the deal: These gloves are actually spell mediums. It will let you channel your power into them and into this tag here. The tag is drawn with Mana Ink, so anyone can call upon its power. All you have to do is channel your mana into one of these, take aim at one of those, and you shatter one of my gems, you get a prize~! What do you say, only two silver." Looking back at Mazerine, he smiled before placing the coins on the table. "Perfect!" Now, be sure to only aim at the crystals on the right, as those are my failed attempts. The ones on the left I really am trying to sell."

Playing along, Douken placed on a glove before looking at the tag itself. Indeed, it was a fireball rune with a trigger chant on the bottom. One he had not much practice in drawing, but enough to study. Speed, impact, burst… his eyes looked at each segment of the room, mentally translating it down before channeling his power into it while his finger was placed on a certain segment. This one has a terrible blast at the end, so I need to increase its force, he thought as he charged it before holding the paper up to face what looked like a bear that was missing an arm. "Fro, kruuz!" he called out, shooting the fireball out and shattering the smoky quartz bear.

"Ka-BAM! Down does another failure! You earned this!" Taking the glove off, he was handed a plush bear in return, who wore a silver and green bow before Douken handed it off to Mazerine.

The mead was just as delicious as Mazerine thought it would be, and she drank deeply from the pint that Douken had gotten her as they walked through the myriad of games.  She giggled a bit when the man from the earlier tent addressed them, placing her hand on her chest in a "who me?" manner.  When they walked over, she stood to the side as Douken listened to the instructions.  She caught his smile when he looked back over at her, knowing full well that he would be successful at the game.  She didn't fully understand what the concept behind the magic was, but when she heard the gentleman running the game mention that it involved rune magic, it gave her enough of an idea.

She clapped her hands, laughing as Douken shattered the quartz bear.  When he handed the prize bear over to her, she held it up and shook it a bit.  "Oh look, green!" she said playfully, holding onto it.  "Too bad I hate that color!" she quipped before the pair took off to another area.  During the time that Douken had played the game, she had drunk the vast majority of her mead.  Showing Douken her nearly empty cup, she suggested that she go and obtain a refill before they do anything else - the sweetness of the drink masked its potency, and she paid no mind to any objections and walked into the tent to get another, coming back out in a short amount of time.

The pair passed a game that Mazerine decided she wanted to try - a large target with different color circles sat back quite far from a counter, with a bow and quiver of arrows sitting near the front.  The halfling running the stall called out to Douken as they passed.  "Impress your lady with your archery skills, good sir!" he yelled, to which Mazerine paused and looked at it.  Rather than suggesting Douken try it, however, she gave him a big grin and handed him the teddy bear, wandering over to the counter and laying five silver pieces down, which was the price for the game.  She set her mead next to it, and picked up the bow.

The man looked at her for a moment before laughing softly as though he did not believe she would be capable of such a feet.  Several other targets were set up, all with different men shooting at them - no one expected a noblewoman to shoot a bow.  The men around her were hitting the outer edges of the target, proud of themselves for sticking all of their arrows.  

Like clockwork when the man set her off, Mazerine began queuing up the arrows from the quiver, drawing them back one by one in the bow and releasing them.  Her eyes were narrowed and her concentration high, each arrow landing in the center of the target, with the final arrow splitting the one previous to it down the middle.  She lay the bow down on the counter and gave a smile to the man running it, who looked absolutely dumbfounded.  Quietly, he handed her the prize she had won - a certificate to be presented to one of the weaponsmiths in town for a custom made bow, complete with a quiver of arrows.  With a grin, she scooped her cup of mead back up and walked back over to Douken.

"Well, that was fun!  I've always wanted a new bow," she said and took another sip.  "Want to go sit and enjoy our drinks and watch the bards perform?" she asked while gesturing towards a grassy area where many people sat on the grass watching a different group of bards perform. "Or we could find some more games if you want," she said, reaching out to take the bear back from him.  "I'm having a great time, so anything is fine with me," she added, giving Douken a genuine smile.

It was not the only tent that offered the man to show off to the woman they escorted around, and he doubted it would be the last, either. However, it seemed that the archery challenge was the one that let her take up the challenge instead, doing so in between four other men with their madams watching nearby. Giving her a quick cheers, he watched her take aim like a master marksman, the still air giving no challenge to her accuracy before topping off the final shot into an older one. Those who stood watching drew silent as she went and claimed her prize, everyone watching her as she headed off back to Douken, giving them yet another cheers before offering his arm back to Mazerine and heading off.

"The evening is still early, and the events are still live. We should make the most of it." And thus, the pair explored the festival, trying out more of the games, feeling free to laugh at themselves when a child nearby did better than them (after all, it was not a competition) before getting some sandwiches and grilled potato slices, refilling their mugs once more before settling themselves down in the field, laughing and telling stories or complimenting (or occasionally making fun of) the street performers and bards.

However, as the pair ate and drank, the bards soon grew quiet, as if the sound of festivities died down. The lights were not going out, nor was their any sign of cleaning up, but things were quieting up for something…. a small whistle the echoed through the air as a tiny trail of light was sent into the sky before suddenly bursting out, filling the sky with a ball of color. As soon as the color faded, more strings shot up and detonated, filling the sky even more lights and colors as the noise returned with more cheering, events stopped as everyone watched the fireworks fill the sky, and yet it was also as if everyone were collected in their own small worlds as they watched.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Mazerine asked Douken, leaning towards him with a hushed whisper, as the crowd quieted down, but her question was soon answered as the first of the fireworks shot forth into the sky, her eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across her face.  "Oh!" she exclaimed, a childlike excitement in her voice.  She was enamored with the sight.  "I've only seen fireworks one other time," she said, and fell backward into the grass, staring up at the sky.  The fireworks went on for a bit longer before they were over, and it seemed that the festivities were going to end shortly as well.

Mazerine's next suggestion was that they top off their cups of mead before heading back to the inn.  When they got to the meadery's stall, she ended up not only getting them each a refill, but acquiring a rather large bottle of the same hibiscus mead that they had been drinking for the last few hours.  "It's still early, we're not done celebrating yet!" she explained to Douken as she brandished the rather large bottle, her hands now quite full between that and the teddy bear as well as her cup that she sipped from.  Her cheeks had taken on a nice rosy color.  She had not reached a point of inebriation yet, but the mead and fun of the day definitely had a permanent smile plastered on her face.  

As they walked back to the inn, Mazerine babbled on and on about what they had done and seen that day.  At one point, she paused and grew a bit quiet.  "You're good company, Douken," she said, giving him a warm smile.  She grew silent after that, sipping slowly from her cup as they rounded the corner to the tavern.  When they entered the establishment, it was clear on the tavern level that there had been quite the party taking place there all day - and there still was.  Both men and women, drunk on who knows what, loudly celebrated in the tavern.  The pair managed to snake their way through and up the stairs.

When they finally entered their room, Mazerine set everything she carried except her cup of mead down and spun around to face Douken.  "I thought about suggesting we spend some time down in the tavern but… too many people after such a long day!" she said, laughing softly.  She took a sip of her drink and looked thoughtful for a moment before setting the cup down.  "Still can't get over how well you cleaned up," she joked, clearly poking fun at the discomfort he probably felt at the clothing.  

Rather awkwardly, she sat down at one of the chairs on the table, her dress making it a bit difficult.  She managed to bend over once seated far enough to pull her the slippers off that had replaced her boots, tossing them to the side and letting her bare feet touch the ground.  She fished her pouch out of her bodice and lay it on the table, leaning back in the chair as much as her attire would let her.  "So now what shall we do?" she asked, looking at Douken for a suggestion.  "I bet I could scrounge up a couple small cups, if you want to lose horribly at a game again," she said, laughing.

"Lose horribly, you say?" Douken parroted, sitting down on the seat across from her doing the same, stretching out his toes and rotating his ankles as if they had been suddenly granted freedom. "Keep in mind we got different elements at play here. For one, this mead is no where as strong as our first game," he noted, taking a drink from his mug. "Secondly, we are both already feeling the mead, so I am sure that would affect our play. Finally, for better or for worse, this is solid ground we are playing on. There is no water to affect our shots. Either way, you are on."

It did not take them long to get a couple of small cups from one of the maids as they wandered the halls before they got into playing. Each having a stack of coins, they took their turns bouncing the silver onto the table and trying to get it into their opponent's cup. Punishment wasn't as bad this time, as they got to drink a very sweet and rich mead, but they at least balanced it out with bigger gulps. Sometimes, he even swore Mazerine missing on purpose just to enjoy herself a drink and not have him have the entire bottle. Still, in the end, after a long hour and nearly an entire bottle later, Douken offered an odd challenge… probably because of the alcohol.

"I think that is enough… How about we end the night with something simple… You know… cards," he said, pulling the deck out and placing it on the table. "However… We will be upping the ante quite a bit this time… Something that should help you realize how important your plays can be… After all, we won't be playing with silver… After all, you got quite the safety net in that department… easy to play it safe and silly." Beneath his red cheeks, a smile formed as he took off the key around his neck and holding it out. "What about instead… we bet the clothes on our back?

"The rules are still the same. The only difference is what stakes remain on the line. You lose, I get to take off whatever article of clothing or accessories you have on as a prize. You win, you can do so to me. We keep doing this until someone lacks anything to bet… And we can stop there… or add on even more pressure with something a bit more… humiliating…" A drunk chuckle escaped him at that, though never pushed the thought further. "So… you willing to wager the clothes off your back to learn a more risky mindset?"

Their game of flipping coins into small cups passed quite a bit of time and had them both well on their way beyond tipsy.  The mead was not nearly as strong as the dwarven ale they had the last time, but it still did its job in setting both of them down the path of inebriation.  Mazerine may well have purposely missed to keep up with Douken, and by the time they had finished almost the entire bottle, Douken suggested something she had most certainly not been expecting.

"So what you're saying is, every hand I lose, I have to take off some of my clothes?" she asked, giggling as she spoke the words.  "You're going through a lot of trouble to get me undressed," she said, poking at his arm playfully.  "Did it ever occur to you to ask?" she joked, her words only slightly slurred. She let him go on explaining the rules, tilting her head as she listened.  Her cheeks initially had only been red from the mead they had been drinking, but they flushed a darker shade at his last statement, wondering whatever he could have meant – until it dawned on her exactly what he meant. 

"I'm game if you are," she said quietly after a moment of contemplation.  "But we're going to need more to drink," she said as she grabbed the bottle of mead, emptying it into her cup.  Rather than getting up and leaving the room, she set the empty bottle down and placed both of her hands on it, closing her eyes.  It took a bit of concentration, but the bottle had been refilled with what Mazerine hoped would be the same mead they had already been drinking.  "I wonder if that actually worked," she said, pulling the bottle toward herself and giving it a sniff.  "Yes, it did!" she said proudly.

So, it having been decided, she left it up to Douken to get the cards out and shuffle them, dealing the first hand.  Of course, Mazerine had little to no idea of what she was doing, even after a bit of further instruction from Douken the night before.  She discarded two cards, being dealt two more, and when it came time to lay her cards down, she had managed to secure a pair of Aces.  "Oh, I actually did good! You said the ones with the 'A' on them are the best!" she said, about ready to point at Douken and tell him to remove something when he laid his own hand down - three sixes.  "Oh… oh no… wait… you said three is better than two… I lost that hand, didn't I?" she said, frowning.  "Ah, well," she said, and she proceeded to take off the small earrings she always wore, only visible now for her having been done up in such a fancy manner.  She lay them on the center of the table and gathered up all the cards, taking her turn to shuffle them (rather awkwardly, coupled with a lot of giggles), before dealing them out.

After going through the motions of discarding and redealing, Mazerine laid down her hand once more.  A pair of tens, and three fours.  "Look, there's two and three!  It's an empty house," she exclaimed, incorrectly of course.  "What've you got?" she asked, leaning across the table at Douken and giving him a smirk.

A chuckle escaped his lips as she pronounced her second hand incorrectly before setting his cards down on the table. Then again, having to do a four card trade, he knew it would not do him so well. "Alas, all I got is a pair of fives. You full house easily takes this round," he told her, removing the jacket that rested on his shoulders before recklessly tossing it on the floor before pouring himself a refill and taking a deep drink. Yes, putting more alcohol into his system was not a rule they settled on, but with the free refill on the drink, why would he not… well, maybe the extra bitter taste the casted concoction had, but they were far beyond the point to really care.

And thus, the game had officially started with the pair having lost items, each one slowly losing an article as they debated their hands on what to trade off. As each hand played out, an item was lost from either side, and each round slowed little by little the more they played. Was she actually considering her plays, or was she at the point where she had to focus really hard to be able to tell what cards she had in her hand? Of course, he had no real way of knowing without underhanded tricks, and as he told her during the first time they played, such tricks was a good way to get removed from the play area, not just the game.

"King and Eights two pair!" Douken declared, placing the hand on the table with a two serving as the final card as Mazerine set down a failed attempt at a flush, making her only a High Card. "And that brings us to a tie," he chuckled, watching her remove the corset that sat under her dress, leaving her only in her bra and panties while Douken sat in his chair in an undershirt and boxers. "Just a few more hands, and we will have a victor…" he chuckled, cleaning up the table before handing her the deck to deal once more, as if they had a rhythm in terms of switching dealers with each hand. "I must say, you are either learning quite a bit, or you are simply a much better player when drunk," he told her, laughing at the terrible joke before finishing off yet another mug.

Mazerine took the deck of cards as Douken offered it to her, proceeding to shuffle it.  "Maybe you're just not as good when you're drunk," she said in a rather playful manner as she dealt the cards to each of them.  As she picked up her own hand, her eyes widened slightly as she looked at what she had.  When it came time for the discard, she tossed two and dealt them both their remaining cards.  "Three of a kind!" she said in a giddy manner, laying down her hand - three aces, a king, and a ten - which beat Douken's pair of jacks, resulting in the loss of his undershirt.  Mazerine's gaze drifted to his chest for a brief moment before she gathered up the cards and pushed the deck across the table to him.

The following hand resulted in a loss for Mazerine, to which she lost the top half of her remaining garments.  Her deal of the next hand came up as a loss for her as well, to which she stood up and slid off her remaining garment, now being completely unclothed.  She looked rather nervous at that time, at which point Douken asked her if she wanted to accept the loss there or play another hand, upping the stakes considerably.  She contemplated this for a moment, before looking up at him with a confident look in her eyes.  "One more," she said and pushed the cards across the table to him.

He dealt and they went through the motions, each concentrating rather hard on their hand.  When it came time to show what they had, by some miraculous happening, Mazerine managed to beat Douken's two pair with four of a kind.  She made a little sound of victory as Douken stood and removed his remaining clothing, evening the odds between the two.  "Guess that means we have to play one more, doesn't it?" she asked, to which he nodded.  The terms of what the losing party would need to do remained somewhat undisclosed as Douken passed the deck back to her and she shuffled, dealing their final hand.

Mazerine showed her hand first. "No way you're going to beat this," she said, giving him a smile that was a bit more devious than any she had before. She had a queen high straight, and was incredibly proud of herself - until Douken laid his hand down, showing a flush of spades.

Her smile faltering somewhat, she looked from Douken's hand to her own and grabbed her cup, draining what mead was left in it, before looking to Douken, wondering just what was in store for her.

A smirk struck Mazerine's face as she laid out her hand, boldly declaring victory as her hand showed the Queen boldly standing up front with the units behind marching in order. How appropriate, considering the night's celebrations. However, her statement came too soon. "You almost had me," he told her before laying down his hand. A random assortment of numbers with a king high at first, but at closer inspection, they were all spade. "However, this flush here trumps your straight." The air grew still as she sat down, drinking what remained in her glass before asking the important question. "So… what do I have to do?" her face mixed with blush and alcohol as if she tried to settle herself on the idea.

From there, the light dimmed down slowly as the two went through their paces until the final candle went out, the two sleeping silently, closer than ever before: naked and Mazerine cuddled up so close. After all, it had become a late night from their games and… actions… before the two tired each other out and called it a night. Even when the sun began to break the horizon, they had found themselves still sleeping for another hour, or at the very least, Douken did.

Douken's eyes peered open lightly to see the elf resting naked close to him, leg curled up around him preventing him from moving much (unless he wanted to wake her up so he could get up) while his head pounded from all the ale they had consumed over the night. Conjuring that mead was a bad idea… Sure, it was not as strong as the dwarven ale they played with the first time, but that alone seemed to had them lower their guard and consume even more, turning a fun night of games into… well…

While he did want to get up, put on some pants, and head for some medicine, he dared not budge an inch as Mazerine rested so close against him. Her face seemed quite peaceful as she slept the day away. However, the real question was how much was in her head about what happened? After all, the high quantity of mead did make it hard to remember everything that occurred…. only a faint gist… At the very least, he knew he did not end it in a way that could have potential, but it did not stop him from worrying.

Still, in the end, all he could do is close his eyes and bear the migraine as he let her rest, even if for a mere moment longer.