The Midnight: Dark Horizon

Chapter 7: The Town Festival

     Lights erupted in the starry night sky, crackles dazzling the residents as they watched various colors blast into existence. "Oohs" and "ahs" emanate from the gathered crowds chewing on meats and desserts they held in their hands, only illuminated by the flashes of light in the heavens. Lamp posts across the streets had dimmed to allow the spectacle to reflect brighter in one's eyes. Kaboom! Bam! Crackle! The booms reached their ears like an enormous drum hit at a distance, echoing in the night.

     With Sebastian leading the way, Shani followed closely to him until they reached the center of town. The stalls they had seen as they entered the city had migrated to the square filled with potential customers, announcing aloud their products. By the hand, Sebastian pulled Shani to where they had seen the stage being set up before entering the greenhouse. Each row was gradually being filled up by trickling in audience members from all sides. As they stepped onto the wooden steps of the bleachers, he saw a spot for both of them near the top row. After scooching between people, they reached the empty seats and sat down, letting go of one another's hands. Sebastian needed a distraction from how Camila had been acting, and the only idea that popped into his head had been this. "Hopefully Shani doesn't mind me dragging her with me."

     Sitting next to Sebastian, Shani tangled her hands together as she looked straight ahead of her. Struggling to calm down by distracting herself with the movements all around her, she wondered if it was even okay to like Sebastian. Her hands slowly warmed up to the point where they were sweating. "He seems to already be in a relationship with Camila, so maybe I shouldn't -"

     "Hey, I'm sorry for pulling you all this way. I just needed to get away from there fast." Sebastian grew a slight frown, unsure of what to say to her since they had just met. He might be okay at talking with people he already knew, but with new people, it seemed as if there was a wall he couldn't overcome easily without the help of others around him.

     "Don't worry, I understand. B-Besides, this is nice, we can get to know each other." Shani's eyes widened, beating herself about it in her head, "Why did I just say that?! That makes it sound that I want to know all about him! I should just say it was a joke and -"

     Sebastian's eyebrows shot up and turned to her, "That sounds like a good idea!" "Hopefully with this, I can ignore that horrible, anxious feeling in my chest." Coming up with questions, he sat up straight, "So, how many years have you been using those sabers you carry around with you? I tried dual wielding once, but I don't have the flow."

     Relieved he didn't take it the wrong way, Shani smiled as she answered, "Since I was a child. I had to learn to defend myself for various reasons. M-My grandfather -" Taken aback from the sharp pain as though a knife had stabbed her heart, she flinched. Not wanting to make Sebastian worry, she continued, "- my grandfather is the one who taught me. These swords I just bought not too long ago since t-the ones given to me were no longer suited for my height. What about you? And where did you get that katana? I-I've only seen it sheathed, but from the handle alone I can tell it's out of this world!"

     "Truthfully, I found this katana in an abandoned shed in the forest last week. Before this, I used a boken for the longest time, really got my arms in shape from it too." Sebastian flexed his right arm, showing her he wasn't lying, and laughed.

     "I-I see..." A slight blush overcame her. Without thinking, she blurted out, "H-Hey, can I feel -"

     "Welcome one and all to our performance tonight! We hope we didn't keep you waiting for too long!" Down on the ground level, a young man dressed in a vermillion tunic and black slacks spoke out using an unusual device.

     The odd roaring voice made Sebastian turn to where it came from, noticing it was a gadget he hadn't seen before. It was a handheld metal cone device that when spoken into; it amplified the sound going into it. "If Nia were here, this would amaze her!"