《 The Elusive Dream 》DWTxOC

XI. Festival!

"Woah. What is happening?" Tip asked, seeing people filling the streets of the village. Stalls and wagons were lined up on either side of the streets. Decorations hung between the houses filling the town with color. Music with a nice rhythm played in the distance.

"It looks like the harvest festival." Dream said, recognizing the pumpkins and smell of roasting corn. He wasn't wearing the mask so as to not be recognized in the crowd of people.

"A festival? I've never been to one." Tip said, looking up at all of the decorations.

"The king doesn't have festivals in the city?" Dream asked, shocked.

She shook her head, "No they do. I'm just not allowed to attend. In all honesty, my father never lets me into the city as it was full of criminals. I've only been to balls and rich gatherings."

Dream raised an eyebrow, "That sounds boring. Festivals are a lot more fun."

Her eyes sparkled with interest, "Can we go see it?"

Dream shrugged, "Sure. They might have warm clothes on sale so I don't see why not but we can't stay long."

Her face lit up with excitement. They walked into the crowd. She wanted to look at every stall to see what they were selling. She found interest in a wooden bead stall, "These are beautiful. Did you make these?" She asked the young woman running the stall next to an older woman sitting down in a chair.

The younger woman nodded, "Every bead was carved by me and mama." She said, gesturing to the older woman.

"They are more beautiful than any gold or silver jewelry I've seen." Tip smiled, inspecting a bracelet with little wooden bears on the twine.

"Thank you my dear." The woman smiled.

"Lea." Dream called from behind holding a napkin and something on top. He did a quick nod to summon her over before handing Ranboo something

"Quite the man you got there. I wish my husband would look that good. Even with the scar. Gives him character." The woman chuckled.

Tip reddened, "Oh we aren't a thing. Just traveling."

"Hm. Well better get him before someone else does. They will snatch him up like the last apple on a fruit sale." The woman chuckled, "Anyways I'll let you get back to your very handsome travel buddy."

Tip smiled, "Thank you for letting me see your beautiful jewelry." Tip left the stall to join the boys.

"Who was that?" Dream asked.

"Just a nice sales woman with beautiful jewelry." Tip answered.

"Here." He handed her a small pastry. The breading was uneven and the bottom was a bit crispy.

It was warm on her fingers, "What is this?"

"A furittart." Dream answered.

She looked at it and then at a sign above a stall that said 'Fresh FruitTarts'. "You didn't take these did you?"

"I did..." He smirked at her disbelief, "After I bought them." Her face hardened into a glare which caused him to break out into a laugh. "Have a little faith in me. Try it. It is good." He nodded to the tart in her hands.

She wasn't used to food like this. She admitted she had a very exquisite pallet but she was willing to try out the simple pastry. She took a bite of the tart. It's jelly leaving a strand as she pulled away. She tasted apple and cinnamon in the hot jelly. Her eyes widened at the perfect taste. She stuffed the last bit of the tart in her mouth.

Dream broke out into a wheezy laugh and Ranboo chuckled as well. "I told you it was good." Dream said after recovering from his laugh.

"That was amazing! I've never had anything like that in the palace! It is so unique! Everything in the palace is the same. It looks the same and tastes the same. If it doesn't look perfect then it doesn't get to leave the kitchen." Tip explained.

Dream scrunched up his nose, "Sounds boring." Maybe being a royal or rich wasn't as great as he thought it was. Tip hadn't realized that the music had stopped for a while and now she heard instruments start to play again. Her eyes lit up as they started to play a catchy beat. She followed the sound by pushing her smaller body through the crowd. She came into an area where the musicians were playing and people were dancing in the town square.

Dream and Ranboo came up behind her and watched as people danced. It wasn't a coordinated dance like a ball dance. It was messy and some people didn't seem to know how to dance but they looked like they were having fun. People of all ages were dancing with someone from young kids to older couples. Everyone was laughing and singing to the song.

Dream moved past her, "If you can dance, you can fight. Let's see how good of a dancer you are, princess." He held out his hand to her. Her eyes lit up as she took his hand.

"I'd think you'd be surprised." She smirked. They waited for the next song to play. Dream started off with a twirl and she easily stayed balanced and then returned back to him once she came out of the spin. She kept light on her feet with her steps following his. She was surprised he knew how to lead so well. He spun her out once again before fully extending their arms so they were at max distance apart before he pulled her back in to lead her around him and then bring her back to the center.

"Where did you learn to dance?" Tip asked him, following his pace.

He smirked, "Would you believe me if I said I was self taught?"

She tilted her head with a surprised face, "I do not."

He chuckled, "Well, Wilbur said he would only teach me how to use a sword if I knew how to dance. You will learn how persistent I am if I want something."

He spun her out once again but this time going the other way to trip her up but she was ready for it and was able to stay as graceful as before. "I have no doubt about it." She said once she came back to his chest.

"You're not half bad yourself, princess." He said.

"Well I have been dancing since I was four." She said to him.

"No need to brag." He teased.

"It isn't a brag." She laughed.

The song started to pick up speed and so they both increased their steps to match. He led her around himself once again. He could feel the song coming to an end. There was a build up for the music and then it stopped as he bent over Tip holding her above the ground. She smiled up at him breathing heavily and he gave her a smirk. She studied the scar that ran across his nose. She couldn't see him without it. It was a part of him even if he was paranoid about it. She had even come to love it when he looked her way a smile or cocky grin on his lips.

There was an applaud and they looked up and saw they were the only two in the dancing circle. People were clapping and cheering as they both stood up with a smile. Tip extended her hand to Dream and led him into a bow of 'your welcome' to the cheering crowd.

Dream and Tip made their way back to Ranboo, "⊬⍜⎍ ☌⎍⊬⌇ ⌰⍜⍜☍⟒⎅ ⌰⟟☍⟒ ⍀⍜⊬⏃⌰⌇ ⍜⎍⏁ ⏁⊑⟒⍀⟒." He chuckled. (You guys looked like royals out there.) He never told anyone about his ability to see people's auras because he knew it would be hard to explain. It was better if no one knew.

The different colors, combinations of colors, and shapes of the auras signaled different emotions. When Dream and Tip were dancing their colors were bright and radiant. Tip's a bright teal mixed with a pink color of excitement and joy. Dream's was pink and gold, a combination Ranboo had never seen before. He knew pink was happiness but he had never seen gold before.

"Well, one of us is one." Tip smiled, giving a smirk at Dream.

Confusion and concern fell on his face, "Wait, what did he say?"

"You said you were persistent. Learn the Enderman language and you'll know." She laughed. He gave her a glare for using his own words against him. "Oh what's that?!" She asked, seeing something else and disappearing into the crowd.

"She is going to get lost isn't she?" Dream sighed.

"⌿⍀⍜⏚⏃⏚⌰⊬." Ranboo agreed. (Probably)

"So how hard is it to learn Endermen?" Dream asked, following the way Tip had run off. H was considering learning the language.

Ranboo shrugged, "⋏⍜ ⟟⏁ ⊑⏃⍀⎅ ⏃⏁ ⏃⌰⌰. ⟟⏁ ⟟⌇ ⊑⏃⍀⎅⟒⍀ ⏁⍜ ⌇⌿⟒⏃☍." (Not hard at all. It is harder to speak.)

"I'm guessing that means pretty easy?" He looked up at the taller who nodded. "Great."