While most of the special events for the New Year celebration were not really to Anisa's taste, the constant dancing and eating made up for them.

The Amazonian dances ranged from the familiar may-pole types to wildly tribal styles involving dozens of frenetic dancers moving to primal music.

Due to her injury from the Zaki, Lucia sits out all but the most sedate of the dances. Roland however displays impressive stamina in keeping up with all the activity, and continues to get into dancing duels with Zig-Zig when the gladiator isn't off attending to other duties.

The light now comes entirely from torches and bonfires, as the sun has set several hours ago, and things are beginning to wind down. The crowds have thinned from hundreds, to dozens, and now down to a few scattered groups. Tired looking coneys begin cleaning up around the remaining celebrants, and the tents and pavilions are being taken down.

Even Lucia is looking drowsy, and her white-shelled Vykarin is already dozing next to an empty wine cask. There's been no sign of Aaron since he went off to the main pavilion – and still no sign of him now that the tent is being taken down.

Anisa yawns as if to solidify the general sleepy consensus. "Whew, that was a fun time, but it looks like everyone's gone. Have you seen where Aaron got off to?"

Lucia looks around, and spots Roland coming over from the Main Pavilion. "I haven't seen him, but I see who to ask," she says, and waves to Roland.

The big buck alters his course to come over to the two does. "You're still here?" he asks in amazement, then looks to Lucia's Vykarin to see if it's passed out from wine or just dozing.

Anisa waves to the buck as well. "Hey there big guy, have fun?" The doe stands and stretches, giving another yawn. "Was Aaron still at the tent? I've hardly seen him all night."

"Oh, nobody told you?" Roland says. "Xavier is staying with Clan Hydron tonight. Linnea, Esai, he and Tyche all left hours ago."

The smaller doe blinks, and then frowns. "He… he is?" She retakes her seat on the bench. "What for?"

"Trade talk, probably," Roland suggests, shrugging. "Or else they've ganged up on him and are arranging to marry him off to one of Tyche's daughters."

Standing up, Lucia wakes up her mount by pouring a bucket of water over his head. "Time to go home then, I suppose," she says.

He'll be back by the morning, won't he?" Anisa's frown deepens, and worry begins to show. "We were supposed to start back home tomorrow." The doe watches Lucia, and gets to her own feet.

"I expect so, or else he'll be back later tonight," Roland says, rubbing his chin. "Knowing how Tyche negotiates, he should tire out well before morning, really."

Anisa nods to the buck, and follows Lucia to her mount. "I hope so. It could be a while before we could get tickets back to Rephidim if he doesn't show."

Perched on her Vykarin, Lucia offers a hand down to help Anisa climb up. "I wouldn't worry too much, Anysia," the warrior-Lapi offers. "I'm sure Xavier will escape in time."

Hopping into her seat, the rabbit can't help but smirk. "Escape is right. Ah well, now its our turn to escape. I could use a good night's sleep."

With a few clicks and grunts of protest, the Vykarin finally starts walking – then trotting – back to the Kerebos villa.

As usual, morning starts early in Amazonia. Coeus is first to waken, and in the process of doing his chores manages to wake up Lucia and Anisa as well. The smaller doe is still a bit sleep-fogged when Aaron runs into the room just after Coeus has left to fetch breakfast. "Oh good, you're awake!" the buck says, looking a bit more frenetic than usual, and then begins rummaging in the wardrobe to find the clothes he wore when they first arrived in Olympia.

Still in her nightgown, Anisa rubs her eyes while watching the buck. "Aaron? What in the name of the First Ones are you doing?" She hops from the bed, and walks over to take a closer look. "Missing something?"

"What? Oh no, just want to have regular clothes to wear when we get back to the docks," Aaron says, still sounding a bit wound up. Now that she's next to him, Anisa can also see a small – but livid – bruise under the fur on the left side of Aaron's neck.

The doe furrows her brow, stepping aside to get to her own bag. "Is that so? Why in such a rush? The airship doesn't leave for a while." She peers closely at the bruise.

"I'm not in a rush!" Aaron practically yelps. "There's just… some more things that I'm taking back than I originally planned on. And some shopping that needs to be done in Elysia too. Do I seem like I'm in a rush?" the buck asks, seeming genuinely concerned.

Picking up her own bag, Anisa carries it over to the bed, and sets it down. "You seem like you're about to have a heart attack. What's the deal?" She sits on the bed, and pulls out a fresh outfit. "Did you get into a fight?"

Aaron blinks several times at the question. "A fight? Me? No, nothing like that," he claims, but now Lucia has noticed the bruise and comes over to sniff at the buck – causing him to retreat backwards until he runs into the wardrobe.

"Then how'd you get that shiner on your neck?" Anisa pulls on a pair of trousers under her gown. "Or let me guess, negotiations here require boxing matches."

"Shiner?" Aaron squeaks, as Lucia continues her examination of him. Finally, the large doe's lop ears raise up a bit in surprise, and she laughs out loud! This causes Aaron to shrink inward a bit, his own ears going down.

"He's been drinking Milk," Lucia proclaims, and gestures to the bruise. "That's a love-bite!"

The smaller doe arches her brow at this, and looks to Aaron with a surprised smirk. "Drinking… milk? Is this how negotiations are done here?"

Finally realizing what the two does are referring to, Aaron claps his black-furred hand over the bruise. "Uh… I had to sample all the goods Tyche wanted me to take… and Hydron makes the best Milk of Ashtoreth! That's all! It's just left me feeling a little hyper."

"Sampling things is right!" The doe slips on her shirt, and turns back to Aaron, shaking her head. "Now I see why you were gone all night! Still, you're too hyper for the milk… what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Not really! Just… there's a minor complication in our plans for returning to Rephidim," Aaron admits. "I have to bring one of Tyche's daughters with us."

Midway through tying her bag shut, Anisa does a double take at the buck. "We what?! We have to… take one of her daughters with us?" The doe looks at Aaron incredulously, then crosses her arms. "Okay, spill it. What's the deal?"

Aaron sighs and sits down before beginning. "Well, Hydron really wants some outside trade contacts, since they've gotten about as far as they can with trade between the clans around Dianus. Tyche and my mother convinced me to bring a sampling of the things Hydron has to offer, along with her oldest unmarried daughter to… learn how things work on Rephidim. And maybe marry off to a businessman there, if needed."

"Is that so? And who might this businessman be?" The doe flattens her ears, and looks sidelong at the buck. "And that still doesn't explain why you're so on edge."

"Maybe marry her off," Aaron says quickly. "I was very firm about her not needing to get married to land a good trade agreement. They originally wanted me to marry her!"

"That much is obvious." Anisa sighs, and starts to put her things back into her bag. "So there'll be three of us now? It'll be kind of cramped. Can you afford it?"

"Oh, Tyche gave me enough goods that I can make up for the cost," Aaron says, waving it off. He then narrows his eyes and asks, "What do you mean, obvious?"

Lucia just giggles while getting dressed herself.

Anisa shakes her head. "Nothing, nothing… forget I said it." She picks her bag back up, and carries it over to her other things. "So when do we leave? I'd like to say some goodbyes first."

"After breakfast, I suppose," Aaron says, getting himself back under control. "Calligenia will meet us at the boat," he says, and scratches at his bruise. His eyes go wide then, and he says, "She didn't bite me though! It was Tyche… er… "

The smaller doe looks at Aaron in disbelief. "Good grief! She's old enough to be your mother!" The doe can't help but let out a laugh, and places her bags on the bed.

Patting Aaron on the back, Lucia says, "That's true, but she is also still considered to be one of the most beautiful women in Dianus, Anysia. And well past her childbearing years, too."

"It was the Milk, really," Aaron mumbles, and goes back to getting his things together. Coeus comes in at the same moment though, bearing tea and several muffin-like pastries with fruit preserves, honey and butter.

Anisa just smirks, and remembers to put on her clan medallion. "I hope they don't mind me wearing Rephidim clothes today, since we'll be leaving. What about what's her name? Does she have anything other than a toga?"

"I told her to wear a tunic to be less noticeable," Aaron says. "She'll have a small wagon with her… but no extra clothes. I don't suppose you could take her shopping for some in Elysia while I arrange to have the wagon brought up the cliff to the air-dock?"

"I suppose I could," the doe says, "but you'd better not take too long. What's the wagon for anyway? Trade stuff?"

"Yeah," Aaron says, and helps himself to a muffin. "Angor-fur fabrics, some artwork that I thought would be popular, and several potions and medicines that can only be made in Amazonia. Some bronze and gold too, but not a lot. It's harder for me to get things like that through customs."

Anisa takes one of the pastries as well, and takes a bite. "What role does Calliguna play in this, other than just to get married off?" she asks with a full mouth. "Doesn't sound very businesslike to me."

"I'm sure she has her mother's sense of business, to be chosen for such a task," Lucia says. Aaron nods along in agreement, and adds, "She'll learn Standard and what's needed to set up a business there. Probably be in some of your classes, Anisa. Oh! That reminds me… where do you get those stuffed animals made, Anisa? The ones you have in your bedroom back home?"

The doe looks at Aaron strangely. "My mom and dad used to get them for me at a place in the Bazaar back when I was a little girl, I haven't been to it in years. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Callie is still Amazonian," Aaron points out. "She won't want to sleep by herself. I figured a little stuffed coney made from Angor-fur fabric would help her out in that regard. Isn't it why you had so many stuffed toys?"

Lucia doesn't seem to understand what Aaron is talking about, but Coeus figures it out and tells her, "Pillows shaped like babies, I think."

Anisa blinks. "I dunno… I've just always slept with them since I was little." She shrugs. "Maybe that's why, I never really thought about it." She nods to Coeus. "Kind of, but they're toys. I'm sure the place is still around, although sleeping with a stuffed bunny is different from sleeping here." She ruffles the coney's ears.

"I don't suppose it would be too much to ask if she could stay with you on Rephidim then, is it Anisa?" Aaron asks, looking over the edge of his teacup. "It wouldn't be appropriate for her to stay with me, after all, and that way she'd be surrounded by a big family as well."

The doe frowns at Aaron again. "I haven't even met this girl yet, and you're asking me to do all this for her?" She shakes her head, and tosses the packs over her shoulders. "I'll have to ask my parents. Its their place, so they get final say. The tavern is pretty cramped as it is, but we'll see."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll like her!" Aaron says, perking up again. "It'll be like having a little sister you can mentor. She's only seventeen years old, so shouldn't be too difficult to get along with."

"I'm used to little brothers, not sisters." Anisa sighs, then shakes her head, "but I suppose I can help you out. She's only seventeen?" The doe smirks. "Better not be robbing the cradle," she says in Standard.

"I'm not marrying her," Aaron replies in the same language. "I can barely keep up with you, and you're only a few years younger than me. Maybe she'll take a liking to Royce or Tyson though?" he offers.

Anisa is taken a bit aback by the comment, and laughs. "Somehow I doubt it. If she's like her mom, she'll be more than those two lunks can handle." The doe finishes off the muffin. "Besides, they're not businessmen."

Aaron nods and sighs. "I really don't plan on hooking her up with anyone, but I'm sure she'll have enough to occupy her without having to worry about that. It'll be enough of a challenge just getting her up to the docks."

The small doe walks over to the buck, and helps him gather his things. "Why's that? Can't she just go up with us? For that matter, what's she gonna do when she gets to Rephidim?"

"You are talking about taking her on… an airship?" Coeus asks, his eyes wide with apparent horror.

Anisa looks down to the coney. "Well, it's the only way to get to Rephidim, li'l foot. Is that bad?"

"Lowland Amazonians have a terrible fear of heights," Lucia explains. "They don't bother me of course, since I'm from the mountains… but still, the idea of going up to a land in the sky, higher than any peak in Valkyria… it chills the blood!"

Anisa flops her ears sideways. "I guess… but once you're there, it's like you're on solid ground. I was born there, after all."

Coeus scoots away from Anisa slightly at this admission, apparently having never thought about it before.

"Yes, but you are a very strange person too, Anysia," Lucia points out. "From the Amazonian view, anyway. I think you're just fine."

"She's pretty strange from a Rephidim viewpoint too, Lucia," Aaron says, smirking and keeping out of Anisa's reach.

The smaller doe blinks at the coney's reaction, then frowns. "Thanks Lucia… I think. And Aaron? You'd better watch it!" She picks up one of the buck's bags, and places it by her own.

"People are different everywhere, Coeus," Aaron says to the coney. "As Calligenia is about to discover. But if my mother survived exposure to foreigners, I'm sure she will too."

Anisa grins at the small buck. "We're not bogeymen, Coeus. Besides, you'd better give me a hug goodbye now, we may not be back."

"You have come back!" Coeus says, and tackles Anisa in a hug. "You can become a warrior, like Lucia! Just… just a really small one!"

"Oof!" The doe falls to the ground, and laughs as she gives the coney a hug. "Okay, but only if you promise to be good, which I'm sure you will." The doe gets to her feet. "And take good care of Lucia too, she'll need your help!"

"I'll take good care of her!" Coeus promises, apparently not too upset now at Anisa's imminent departure. "And when she has children, I'll get to play with them!"

"You're already a great baby-sitter, Coeus, if you've been able to take care of us," Aaron jokes, and rubs the little boy's head.

"Yeah, if you can handle us, you can handle anything!" The doe tosses her bags over her shoulder. "We'd probably better get going, if we're gonna make all of our stops."

"Don't I get a hug?" Lucia asks, stepping over to Anisa.

Anisa grins, "Of course! Just don't crush me!" Laughing, she gives the larger doe a bear hug of her own. "And I'm serious, you'll have to come visit us sometime."

Lucia is careful of Anisa's bruised ribs as she hugs back. "I will see to it as soon as I win my entry into the Clan," she promises.

"We wish you luck, but I doubt you'll need it." The smaller doe grins, and slings her bags. "Well Xavier, you ready?"

Aaron finishes his tea and gives Lucia a hug as well. "And good luck with my cousin, too!" he wishes, and gives the warrior a quick kiss on each cheek.

"Yeah, we'd better getting moving, before the Vykarins want hugs!" Aaron says to Anisa.

Anisa laughs, and nods. She gives a final wave to the coney and the warrior, then makes her way out the door.

The trip through the city is uneventful. There are still groups of Lapis working to clean up after last night's festival, but the usual crowds in the marketplaces are smaller than when the pair first arrived. After asking around at the docks, Aaron finally manages to find the proper one.

A medium-sized barge waits at the end of the pier, with no less than six Vykarin rowers this time. On its deck sits a two-wheeled card laden down with packages, and standing next to it is a chocolate-and-cream colored Lapi who waves as Aaron and Anisa reach the boarding ramp.

"Is that her?" Anisa asks, politely waving back to the doe. "She seems a lot smaller than the others."

The girl by the wagon isn't any taller than Anisa, but then none of the Hydron women seemed to have the height of warriors from what the doe had seen before. Calligenia – which means 'Daughter of Beauty' in Olympian, according to Aaron – stands out in other ways as well from the typical Amazonian coney. Her figure suggests a richer diet for one thing, making her look as mature as any Rephidim Lapi would at that age, and her build is trim and somewhat athletic. Her eyes are liquid brown, and her ears are tipped in black. Rather than the standard cut of tunic and shorts that most of the Dianusians wear, her tunic is higher-cut and more form-fitting, a bright crimson with gold embroidery and swirling designs. Instead of shorts, she wears a low slung skirt the same cream color as her belly.

Along with Aaron, Anisa makes her way over to the doe, and gives her a smile. She stays silent for the time being, waiting for Aaron to make introductions.

"Calligenia Circerae, this is Anysia Snowshoe," Aaron says formally. "You probably recognize her from your Mother's booth at the tournaments yesterday."

The chocolate bunny bows to Anisa, and says, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Snowshoe."

Awkwardly, Anisa imitates the bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, or rather, meet you again in a way. I hope you can put up with us during the trip." She grins.

The girl smiles, and says, "I'm sure it will be a learning experience. I hope you will be able to put up with all of my questions as I try to learn your language."

"We'll do our best to teach you, but don't worry. All the Lapis back home speak your language too, so it won't be too difficult," the snow colored doe suggests. "So Aaron, where to?"

"These are Cyclon tapestries, and Kimeran rugs," Aaron says as he examines the contents of the cart. "Kerebos wines too… oh!" Startled from his poking around, Aaron runs up to the barge captain and lets him know they're ready to leave.

"That's quite a bit of stuff," Anisa says, gesturing to the cart. "Hope it's not mostly bathroom stuff." She grins playfully at the coney.

Calligenia smiles back, but asks, "You use rugs in your baths?" Meanwhile, the Vykarins untie the barge from the pier and begin shoving off with long poles.

Anisa steadies herself after the sudden jolt of the barge's take off, then shakes her head. "Just a joke, sorry." She takes a seat by the cart. "So, ready to visit Rephidim? Xavier tells me you're a businesswoman of sorts."

"I have participated in trades with the other clans," Calligenia says, sitting down next to Anisa. "I hear you live with many monsters up in the sky, and use magic to keep them from devouring you. Will I need a magic charm as well?"

Anisa blinks at the younger doe, and stifles a small laugh with her paw (although her ears still wiggle a bit.) "Monsters? How do you mean?"

"Fierce carnivores," Calli whispers, as if saying it out loud would draw their attention. "Dark-shelled horrors that walk on many legs, and howling beasts that live to hunt down the unwary. And… oh… imps that play tricks and steal things, and great birds that carry off children and covet jewelry!"

The older doe stares for a moment at Calligenia in thought, then nearly laughs out loud when realization dawns on her. "Oh! Oh… those! Um… " She can't help but chuckle a bit. "Well, there's a lot up there, yeah, but I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. They're not quite like that, you see… "

Blushing and folding her ears down, Calligenia says, "I must sound like a fool then. Of course you would have subjugated and tamed such creatures by now, with your magic and clever devices. They are probably naught more than your slaves."

Anisa giggles a bit, and pats the other rabbit on the shoulder. "No, you're not a fool. And no, we don't have any slaves. You'll see in good time, just know that things are quite a bit different up there, but not necessarily bad." The doe puts her arms around her legs. "So, are you excited? I imagine you'd like to know a thing or two first. Any questions?"

Licking her lips, Calli nervously asks, "The ships that fly through the air… nobody falls off of them, do they?"

"Not usually no," replies Anisa. "Unless you're being careless, or trying to fall off. I heard of this Khatta that used to fall off all the time, but he wasn't very bright, and you seem smart." She smiles, "You'll be alright. We'll be in the cabin most of the time anyways. It's just like being on a boat."

"This is my first time on a boat," Calligenia admits. "I thought it would smell more of fish, like the Cyclon ones do. Where we are going… Olympia… there are many different sorts of people, yes? Not Lapis?"

Anisa nods, "Many different kinds, mostly Khattas though. There's a lot of Lapis there too, but it's a bit of a hub. On Rephidim, you'll meet dozens of different kinds of people."

"Dozens!" the girl squeaks. "But… do not the Khattas kill Lapis on sight? How did you get past them?"

The other doe shakes her head, grinning. "No no, nothing like that. They all live together in, er, relative peace I guess. They eat meat yeah, and it's pretty gross, but only of dumb animals, not Lapis or anything."

This seems to relax the girl considerably. "The border clans exaggerate to protect their interests, I think, even though they are barbarians. You do live in a palace on the Sky Island though, don't you?"

"A palace?" Anisa fidgets slightly. "Not… exactly… but I think you'll feel at home there."

"Tell me about your home and family, please?" Calli asks, making doe-eyes at Anisa.

The white-furred doe smirks. "Well, my parents own a tavern, and I live there with my six brothers. Er, well, five of them at least. My oldest brother travels the world, and sends me letters. I work at the tavern, it's not the best job in the world but it gives me spending money." She scratches her ears. "I also have a sister-in-law, her daughter, and my nephew."

"Rephidim is great," she continues, "or is for a while at least. It has its upsides and its downsides, but it's home. It's a big place – you could wander there for days and see new things all the time."

Calligenia smiles at the description. "Oh, it is good to hear. I feared that all of the Sky Lapi were insane, like Xavier. But… what is a tavern?"

Anisa laughs! "Insane is he? I guess I can see that, he is a bit nuts at times." She chuckles some more. "A tavern is like a restaurant, but more homey. It also has rooms to rent, or at least it would if my family wasn't using them all."

The girl nods her head politely, then asks, "And what is a restaurant?"

"Oh my, you even have Vykarin-nip in here!" Aaron exclaims from the wagon, where he's still inventorying the contents.

"You don't have those either?" Anisa furrows her brow. "It's a place where you buy food. Cooked food that is, not raw like at a market. People who don't have time to prepare their own food come to us, and we serve them, and my mom's a pretty good cook." She looks up at Aaron. "Are you drooling yet?"

"No!" comes the buck's voice, followed by the sound of a sleeve bring run across his chin.

"You… you prepare meals for people outside of your clan?" Calli asks, struggling with the concept.

Anisa nods, "And they pay us in exchange. My job is to serve the actual food, my mom and brother do the actual cooking. It's crazy, but it's a living."

"So… strangers come to your home, and you feed them, and they trade for this service," Calli says, reciting each bit as if it were part of a formula. "Because their own clans do not prepare food for them. Are you the only clan that prepares food for others then?"

"We don't exactly have clans up on Rephidim," replies Anisa. "It's just my immediate family. There are a lot of different restaurants, we're just one of them."

The brown doe taps her fingers on her knees, and tries to digest all of this. "It sounds very confusing. I don't see why anyone would need these restaurants," she admits.

Anisa shrugs. "It's nice to be able to eat somewhere and not have to make it yourself, and you can get a lot of different kinds of foods too. There's this place in the Bazaar that has amazing Chronotopian style zucchini; I'll have to take you there, then you'll see what I mean." She smiles at the younger doe.

Calli smiles back, but seems less sure of herself now. "I hoped to be a great warrior for my clan, conquering new territory. We do that through trade though, instead of force of arms. I no longer know if I will be up to the challenge, because your world sounds so different."

"I'm sure you'll do alright," Anisa reassures the younger Lapi. "It's not nearly as complex as it sounds. You'll see when you get there. When we get to port, we'll buy you some new clothes, that should get your mind off it for a bit."

"I've heard of shopping," Calligenia says. "It sounds intriguing."

The white doe grins. "I think you'll like it, and there's a lot of it to do up on Rephidim. That's toga's pretty, but we need to get you some more modern clothes." The doe stretches, and gives a yawn. "Until then, we should maybe catch some shuteye until we get to the dock." Stretching out, the doe folds her paws over her chest, and lays back.