After their brief, tense encounter with Nero and Khione, Elreth and Azalea wandered deeper into the festival. The afternoon sun was warm, the crowds cheerful, and the air thick with the scent of roasted nuts and spun sugar. Elreth kicked at a pebble, still brooding. Azalea walked beside her, serene as a portrait.
"You're no fun when you sulk," Azalea said.
"I'm not sulking."
"No, You're sulking."
Elreth stopped. "Fine. What do you want to do?"
Azalea's eyes swept the festival, landing on a booth where wooden rings were tossed over glass bottles. "That."
The booth was simple. Three rows of bottles, each painted a different color. The goal was to loop a ring over the neck of a bottle. Five throws for a handful of tokens. The prize for a perfect score was a giant stuffed dragon, green and scaly, with button eyes.
"I'll go first," Azalea said.
