Reos World Fair 2022

After they left the backstage area, Kazegami, Wysteria and Kazoo walked around the fairgrounds together for a while and talked non stop about all kinds of topics. But as time went on, the ciruela colored Vay noticed how well the other two seemed to get along – laughing at anything the other one said, walking in cadence side by side, and looking at each other more than their surroundings. It wasn’t hard to tell they enjoyed each others company immensely and Kazoo didn’t want to admit that she slowly started to feel superfluous, so instead she told herself it would be a nice move of her to give them some space and time alone. «Oh boy, look at the time! I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you two now, I promised some friends to meet up with them.» Wysteria briefly looked at Kazoo and smiled. «It’s fine, hope you’ll have a good time! I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.» Then she turned back to Gami who offered one polite nod towards her, before they went different ways. 

Kazoo wasn’t sure where to go next though. There was still a lot she wanted to see and do, but the huge amount of choices was almost overwhelming. As she walked past the stalls and looked at other Reoseans taking part in various fair games, she wondered if the might be able to win at one of these games, even though she never tried it before. It’s probably a waste of time, I’d have to practice first. Not that this would keep her from trying anyway, hoping for beginners luck, but after checking her bags, she got reminded how little money the Vay had with her and told herself with disappointment to hold back for now. As she walked towards the food stalls, her stomach grumbling, various different smells whafted through the air, some familiar and some not. The vendors yelled their slogans at the crowd like at a large market, trying to attract visitors and sell their products. «The fluffiest cotton candy you ever tasted!» «Stockfish here! Fresh and crispy!» «Get your popcorn here! Butter, caramel, whatever you wish!» But one call made her prick up her ears and turn her head. «FREE samples! Exotic meat, spicy and delicious! Get yours here!» Oooh exotic meat! Don’t mind if I do! 

Curiously she strolled over and saw a couple other Reoseans already gathering around the vendor. The Vay closest to her, a pale yet stocky looking puller with mezmerizing pelt, seemed unsure about the bright blue colored vendor and looked at her doubtfully. The sign on the counter said ‘Hi, I’m Nivia! Ask about our wide selection of exotic meat from all around Reos!’ and another sign hanging above her said ‘Today’s special: Thedelian Reptiles’

«Reptiles?!» Kazoo could not hide her surprise and her expression started to imitate the puller besides her, disgust and a little fear written on their faces. «Why yes, indeed! The tasties you’ve ever had! What will it be – Lizards, snakes or alligators?» Suddenly another voice called out from the other side of the rosette Vay. «Snake for me, please! Rattlesnake if possible.» «Of course, coming right up!» Kazoo tried to peek past the Puller to see who would be brave enough to actually try that kind of food, and with such excitement nonetheless! It took her a moment to discover the daredevil – a young and slim, vanilla colored Vayron with dark stripes on her lower back gleefully waited for her snack. Following Kazoo’s gaze, the male turned towards the Runner next to him and raised an eyebrow. «You actually like this stuff? It doesn’t sound like it could possibly taste well. More like it’s slimy and chewy.» «Oh not at all! Don’t you know snakes are almost all muscle! And their skin is soft and warm, just like their meat! You should try a bite!» Nivia, the vendor, nodded at the male and pointed at her showcase. «If you’d like to sample, we have little pieces prepared of various different animals, all well seasoned and seared perfectly. There’s no need to be afraid if you’ve never tried it before, even the youngest Thedalians love these treats!» With another, even louder growl than before, Kazoo’s stomach attracted her attention once more and she stepped forward, curious about whether what that stranger said was true and this could be quite the delicacy. «I think I’ll try one, please. Uh…a lizard maybe?» «Great choice for a beginner, you won’t regret this! Here is some komodo dragon tail in crispy breading.» The female with the white face and runemarks along the neck handed her a small plate with three pieces of meat that looked just like ordinary chicken nuggets and smelled like sweet pepper, chili, sumac and sage. Strange combination but not unpleasant at all. When Kazoo looked up again, she noticed three pairs of eyes rest on her, eagerly anticipating her opinion. So she gathered all her courage, took one of the nuggets and bit off a piece, chewing, slowly. But to her surprise, the meat was actually tender and the coating absolutely delicious. «This…is amazing!» The suspicious male still seemed unconvinced, but curious nonetheless. «May I take a look at that?» «Of course!» Kazoo handed him the plate after munching on the rest of her first nugget. While he was still cautiously investigating the strange food, the beige Runner walked a step closer. 

«Congrats on your first lizard! That was really brave of you. What’s your name by the way?» «I’m Kazoo! And you?» «Raetia! Born and raised in Thedale, I ate reptiles ever since I was a tiny pup/cub. And how about you?» She turned towards the male with the rosettes. «What’s your name?» He only looked up for a short moment before continuing to stare down the nuggets. «I’m Aldebaran. Roenden.» «Ooooh I see! So you’re a complete stranger to most reptiles, right?» He nodded. «They don’t show themselves very often, no. And I prefer it that way. Don’t need no snakes in my den.» He sniffed the two remaining pieces, but couldn’t possibly notice anything but the spices, just like Kazoo did. After a long moment of contemplation, while the two females and the vendor chatted together, he handed the plate back to Kazoo with a defeated expression on his face. «I don’t think I’m ready to try this yet.» The ciruela colored Vay took the plate, patted him on the back to cheer him up and then proceeded to eat another nugget. Nivia also seemed understanding and explained that she was actually not from Thedale either, but Vitalus instead and that it took her a while to get used to eating reptiles, but even longer with spiders and scorpions. The striped runner though rolled her eyes after Aldebaran said he wasn’t going to try it, and uttered a quiet ‘coward’ which he didn’t hear though. «That’s the exciting thing about the World Fair though, it brings all regions and cultures more closely together! If it wasn’t for the fair, Kazoo might’ve never tried this» spoke the vendor and the vibrantly colored female replied «Yeah, that’s true. And I really wanted to use this once-a-year opportunity to discover something new, so I’m happy I managed to convince myself to try it.» «Well» said the Puller now, «I still have a couple more days left to change my mind and even if I don’t, there’s always next year.» «You could also just visit Thedale whenever you feel like it» said Nivia optimistically and Raetia grinned mischievously. «Or I, as a kind and selfless person, could send some to Roenden for you whenever you expect it the least.» The girls all laughed, but Aldebaran didn’t seem very excited about this idea, gulped his spit and spoke with a shaky voice. «I’d rather you don’t…do that. Please.»