After he had escaped the cramped glass box, the alraune had wandered around, moving from place to place. He stowed away in wagons, hidden underneath carriages, and even clung onto the side of a boat out of view. Ilya had arrived in Vilpamolan a few weeks earlier before he heard about a 'fair' that was being set up down south. He had never seen a 'fair' before, and wondered what made it fair. Hitching a ride beneath a gypsy wagon, the child with light green hair found himself at the most colorful place he had ever seen! There was so many people, so many different ones too! The tents were so brightly colored, pretty lights were everywhere, and there were a lot of strange things that caught his eye. Wandering around, he peered at odd curios and suspicious looking trinkets and unusual foods sold on sticks. Almost everything you could eat could be found with a stick: grasshoppers, sausage, even cake! There was a strange thing covered in hard candy that he saw people roll in crushed almonds and peanuts. They called it a 'caramel apple', but he couldn't see the apple with nuts covering it. Wanting to try one, he reached out but then was stopped by the vendor who asked if he had paid yet. Ilya didn't have any coins, so he went on to see what else was here.
He was skipping along, humming to the music when he heard a familiar female voice with a thick Kurayo accent. Immediately he tried to hide, and found some empty crates next to a booth. Climbing in, he pulled the lid over as two peculiar figures walked past his hiding place. The people in question were a curious pair: an abnormally tall, stocky man with a bushy beard and broad shoulders trailing behind a pale-skinned crone dressed in an expensive evening gown. A fur stole was wrapped around her thin neck, while her sharp nails and fangs gave her vampiric nature away. They were arguing, with the bulky man being the focus of the woman's shrill nagging.
"IGOR! What do you mean it was 'lost in transit'?! Do you have any idea how hard it was to find that plant in the first place?!? I spent three months searching high and low in the depths of Feeorin–all while the accursed hags and fey were trying to skin me alive! I told you to check that the raskovnik's container was secured safely in the back of the wagon before we left for Iria. Now it's gone!"
The bearded giant said nothing as his mistress jabbed her pointed nails into his chest, his face bearing mild annoyance and a dull resignation. Clearly this was not the first time this had happened, though from his expression he didn't seem convinced that he was the one at fault. "I did as you asked, Madame Inga–I was sure that the jar was in the back when I inspected the luggage. And my name is Piotr." The vampire crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Whatever you say, Igor. Why do I even have you as my assistant?" To his mistress' rhetorical question, Piotr answered back with sarcasm: "Because having another vampire as an assistant would be inconvenient." As Ilya was hidden, the strange duo began to question passersby if they had seen a small humanoid being with plant-like features, promising a large reward. It was clear they were looking for something…or someone, but what?
