New Friends And Tasty Pies

The fizzy taste of the cocktail settled pleasantly on Karliah’s tongue as she sipped it lazily. It was free of any alcohol, the kadin not being in the mood to get buzzed right now, the fruity concoction she was sipping on right now was plenty fine for her. She was loving the festival so far, getting to finally celebrate the joining of ketucari and Rixixi was incredible! She ran fingers through her long red hair, preferring to explore the festival in her human form considering how crowded it currently was.

She had passed a few food stands, her stomach growling but her mind having trouble deciding exactly what she wanted to eat, that was until the enticing scent of flaky pastry dough and warm spiced and sugared fruits hit her nose. She found herself in front of a pie stand, at first not seeing anyone, and almost yelped in surprise when a chubby, gorgeou ixi raised their head from under the stand. “Oh! Apologies my dear! I was simply grabbing more ingredients, these pies are selling out faster than I anticipated.” The rixixi was gorgeous, a soft pleasant purple with kind pale yellow eyes. “The name is Juniper, but you can call me Junip if you please! Can I interest you in a pie?”

Karliah chuckled, resting her empty hand on her heart and smiling brightly at the ixi before her. “Oh you’re fine! Just startled me is all, uh…what do you recommend?” She inquired, eyes scanning over the options, occasionally finding their way to Junips large expressive wings that seemed to have a mind of their own sometimes as the ixi moved about.

“Oh absolutely! The mixed berry is my biggest hit, but my personal favorite has to be the custard!” The lilac ixi explained.

Karliah hummer, her stomach making the decision for her. “I’ll take a slice of both!” At that exclamation the ixi grinned, a soft chuckle coming from deep in her belly. “My kinda customer! Coming right up!”

Junip paused as she held up the plate with the slices of pie. “Actually, I was just about to take a break, maybe I can join you?”

Karliah nodded, smiling as she took the plate with her gloved hands. “Of course! I’d love the company.” She waited as Junip grabbed her own slice of what looked like custard before following Karliah to a seating area, the two settling down comfortably as Karli started in on her berry pie first. “Oh my gods this is divine! You’re an incredible baker!”

Junip blushed under her fur and chuckled shyly. “Oh hush, it’s just a hobby of mine, but I do really love it, that’s for certain.” She took a bite and let out a noise of happiness. “A hobby I get to eat at that!”

Karli laughed at that and nodded. “I don’t often partake in sweets or baked goods but I’m very glad I did today. Normally its whatever I have on hand or can hunt.” She explained, waving her fork around enthusiastically as she spoke around a bite of custard pie.

“Oh! I can imagine having a rare pastry is quite the treat then isn’t it?” Junip responded, taking a sip of some kind of mulled wine drink.

Karli nodded. “Mhm, I’m glad my nose led me to your stand, now I get to enjoy a delicious treat with some awesome company! This day couldn’t get better in my opinion.”

Junip agreed, and the girls talked well into the day before parting ways, leaving Karliah happy and full. This festival was quite an amazing time!