Encounter at Amaanat!

County Of Lion's Reach - Amaanat - Courtyard

	The path leads you into a walled in courtyard, the pristine white marble glowing in the sun, luminous underneath the moon. You can see that there are gates on each side, each leading out to a cardinal direction, the gates all currently open and allowing travelers and caravans through. The courtyard is packed with tents in a riot of colors, merchants set up and hawking their wares; clothing, food, and treasures from all corners of the Dreaming.
	In the center sits the massive building seen from afar, its many domed roof reminiscent of the Taj Mahal in the Autumn world.
	Looking up at the structure several balconies are visible, marking each floor up the building. Colorful, gauzy curtains flutter in the wind, making the interior look very inviting. On the East side the first floor sports a dock that juts out into the air, a safe tie off for the airships that traverse the desert.
	The bottom floor is completely open, pillars to hold it up the only thing in the way. A communal gathering space is set up here; rugs and a large wooden pavilion with short tables and pillows for seats. The ceiling is peppered with hanging lamps to provide a warm light, an herbal scent drifting from them to keep any pests away. Two stairwells rise up from the east and west walls, reaching up to the second floor overhead.

Contents:
Cash
Keira
Obvious Exits:
  Open Desert <OD>   Second Floor <SF>

Keira grins, looking over her shoulder at him as she streaks down the stairs, holding the front of her skirts up to keep from tripping. A light jump over the railing and she lands in the sand, lifting her hand to her mouth to give a high, loud whistle. The courtyard is bustling, but that whistle seems to signal something and the area in front of the main stairs clears out in a hurry. A large shadow passes over head, and then there's a heavy WUMPH as the creature lands.

Cash never knew what to expect, after all. He follows Keira, though not nearly as nimble. "You got a horse?" He guesses, incorrectly. The shadow has him shield his eyes to look up - then Pavan lands. "Holy... they are beautiful." He whispers, not making any sudden moves.

	Ferdinand makes his way towards the courtyard on what looks like some sort of chubby chocobo. He'll dismount from the steed where the path in meets the walls, giving the beast a pat before heading on in past the walls and into the structure proper. But then? There's a shadow looming up ahead! Ferdi ducks down a little, and braces for the WUMPHS that will follow the shadow's approach. Pavan! He'll look over for where there's a Pavan, there's surely a Keira, and he offers the Lady of Amaanat a wave and a bow. "M'lady."

Keira grins, "He. Pavan is a boy." And she's moving over towards the owlcat, wrapping her arms around his thick neck, hands disappearing inside his fur to give a thorough scritching. The beast closes his eyes, beak clacking happily as a warbling hoot comes out. His feet flex, claws digging into the sand as he kneads. "You can come touch him. He especially likes scratches behind his ears." The sound of the other voice has her unburying her face from the companion's neck to look over. "Hello Ferdinand." giving him a nod and a small smile.

Cash looks from Ferdinand to Keira. "See, I knew I should be callin you by a title." He grins, extending a hand towards Pavan, to let the companion scent him. He slowly moves forward, offering scritches in the aforementioned spot. "I wasn't gonna check him upon first meetin' him, Keira." He grins. A nod is offered to Ferdinand. "Hey there.

	Ferdi makes his way over to give both the Lady of Amaanat and the majestic Pavan a more proper greeting, giving Cash a friendly smile and a wave as well, recognizing him from the Spaniard's last visiyt to the Sideshow. But then his attention returns to Keira. "I'm going to make preparations for another story circle at the Uhuru Madrasa," he informs the Eshu. "With your leave, of course. I've a set of new stories to share from my travels abroad."

Keira can't help the laugh, "Yes, I'm sure he appreciates not getting flipped over and inspected." Teasing Cash, before she wrinkles her nose lightly. "No titles, Sir Ferdinand is just remarkably formal at times." The small smile lingering as she looks to him. "That would be wonderful. We have quite a group in the city, and I haven't heard of any activity going on at the other school. I imagine you would have quite an audience."

Pavan leans into any and all scritches after a suitable sniff check of the new face. He's even helpful in guiding things along by lifting up his wings so Cash can get under there too.

All the scritches! Cash is certainly no stranger to larger animals, considering where he grew up. "Cash. Please to meet you Ser Ferdinand." He offers over, nodding to the man. A grin to Keira - quite impish glances. "I mean, I don't want to get in trouble for bein' informal." He teases.

	Ferdi relaxes a little once Keira gives her leave for the somewhat haphazardly germinated event. He can hardly contain the glee at being able to pull together a story circle and share the latest tales from his travels Deep and Far. "I'll let you know as soon as I've re-oriented to the local calendar and pinpointed the night of the next crescent moon," he offers to her. "I hope to have you attend. I've a small token for you from back Home." Then he looks to Cash. "You should come too. And Ferdi works just as fine, when not on an Adventure or Quest, though I'll give you my full set of honorifics at at the story circle. Especially if Keira's instincts are right (and they usually are!) and we have new faces come and stop by."
Pavan practically melts under all the attention, turning toward Cash to stick out his sandpapery tongue and draaaaag it up his front all the way to the top of his hair. It's a wet, stinky, cat kiss with a sharp beak inches away from being included. Then he chirps and warbles, wandering over to a trough to get himself a drink.

Keira nods to Ferdinand, "Of course. And feel free to leave a flyer in the Garden at the Sideshow, since people are making use of it again." She ahhs softly and waves her hand, giving a small smile. "You didn't need to do that Ferdinand, but the thought is appreciated."

That was not expected. He chuckles, wiping his face down with his forearm after. "Thanks, Pavan." He smirks, looking back to the others. "Ferdi it is, then." A smile. "A story tellin' thing, then?" He wonders.

	Ferdi's eyes mist a little at the mention of the Sideshow, and the liveliness that's returned to the place since Keira took the space over. It looks like he might actually cry, his face easily animated and expressive. But he takes a small breath, and somehow manages not to break out into tears of bittersweet. "I will. That's a fantastic idea, thank you." A pause, "And I most certainly did. You are one of the dearest, nearest, oldest friends that I've left in the both the autumn and le reve. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have remember me and tell my stories than you should I ever not make it back from my quests into the Deep and Far." Then he looks to Cash and nods, "Stories are my bread and mead, the things that give me life. But I am eshu-kin, after all." A grin to the fellow kinain.

Keira gives her family-kin a smile and nods, looking to Cash as she moves to head back to the steps, standing on the bottom one. "I've known Ferdinand since I arrived in Prospect. Eight years now?" She lifts an eyebrow, looking to the Spaniard for confirmation. "Though we've both come and gone, and time being odd in various places...it's all a bit wobbly. He tends to be one of our traveling folk, coming and going on his adventures." Her hand lifts to rest on Cash's shoulder as she stands behind him on the steps, using the added height to her advantage.

Cash cants his head, nodding. "Ah! That can explain the story thing then, yeah? Your folk tend to love good stories - either livin' them or tellin' them." A grin, happy to be a support fixture or even a hand rest for Keira. "Long time friends, those are the best." He comments.

	Ferdi nods at Keira's reckoning of time. Time and space flowed /differently/ around the moonmaus, a side effect of his birthright from the wyrder parts of the dream. There were decades where /nothing/ happened and there were weeks where /decades/ happened for the ratkin-ain. "Something like that, yes." A grin, "Wobbly is a good word for it." His spirits having been much and greatly lifted by the unplanned encounter with Keira (and Pavan!), the feral Spaniard draws back to offer the Lady of Amaanat a bow before rising to give Cash a nod, "M'lady. Sir. I'll see you both about, I'm sure. I should go upstairs and take inventory of the provisions on hand to make ready for the madrasa."

Keira nods to Ferdinand, "Of course." then she looks to Cash and smiles, her expression warming. "Yes we do. Speaking of, I have to give you the rest of the tour." She leads him on out towards the merchant stalls, "Find you some appropriate clothing for the theme." The people in the tavern have started to light the lanterns underneath the main body of the trading post, music and dancing starting up as people start to gather for dinner.

Cash gives a nod of his head, then a wave. "Nice meetin' ya, Sir Ferdinand." Formal, after being called Sir. "Hope to sit in on the story-tellin' one evening." A glance then to Keira. "Clothes shoppin is my thing today, apparently." He chuckles, offering his hand to her to lead him away.