Event Private A Breath of Fresh Festival Air

Felen led the way, though he naturally took his cues from Zora. Quietly and wordlessly leading her around the larger groups to keep her from being jostled or overwhelmed. Where some bodyguards might exude an air of restless tension, Felen seemed more relaxed and smooth. Still clearly alert and watching but easier going.

The options seemed interesting but ultimately Felen chose to mirror Zora's own order. A classic funnel cake with powdered sugar on top. "I'm afraid anything too much more elaborate and I might make a big mess of our nice clothes," he joked and similarly grabbed a few napkins himself.

It didnt take very long for the simple orders to be filled and Felen took both plates from one server even as Zora was paying still. Felen would offer to pay her back later when they had a moment.

"These smell delicious. Terribly unhealthy but delicious."

Felen paused noticeably at the morbid joke. He'd practically been dead himself before he'd been possessed. She was still reeling from the death of Broen. He wasnt unfamiliar with darker jokes. You dont last long as a soldier without learning how to face death at some point, after all. But he was of the mind that death had no place in enjoying a music festival.

"Ma'am. It was not the best joke to make given the current situation but I understand why you said it," he admitted with a sigh and took a bite of his own funnel cake. Fatty, sugary, fried and piled on a plate. In short, delicious and absolutely terrible for you. Probably the perfect thing to cheer Zora up.

"At least there is a much sweeter taste we can focus on instead," he added as his face softened a little and he broke another bit off to eat. He was being extremely careful not to spill any of the powdered sugar onto his clothing. Having rolled up his sleeves slightly and tucked the napkins in his shirt so that he could pull them out easily as he needed them.

He was actually using his demon hand to feed himself, finding the claws excellent at separating parts of the fried dough for ease of eating.

Felen mostly chose not to pursue the point. Focusing on the comment about death would only continue dampening the mood. But he did want to reassure her. "Dont worry ma'am, you won't make me uncomfortable. I just think there are many wonderful sights and sounds here that would be more enjoyable to focus on. It's not always we get to walk through the streets seeing the varied musical selections and other arts on display," he explained as they passed someone who seemed to be creating a fantastical light show to accompany their own singing. Or perhaps their singing was producing the lights. Felen wondered how much more amazing the sight would be once the sun went down.

He too scanned the crowd, though he of course was watching for threats as well as enjoying the experience. And it wasn't just actual dangers he was looking out for. Too dense crowds, people Zora might not want to speak to, even members of the press could all become issues potentially. All of which he wanted to keep Zora from having to deal with.

He turned towards her and shook his head at her question though. "No, I have not been to one of these festivals before. I was still a soldier in my own world this time last year. Let's see...," he paused to remember where he was. Then gave a chuckle. "Amusingly I believe I was assisting in keeping order at a wedding for one of my superiors. There was much food and music then too." It was a good memory. Two days and nights of dress uniforms, fine food, and a little bit of dancing when he could get away with it. The wistful look that crept onto his face was pretty obvious

Well that had clearly caught her attention. Felen noted with amusement that Zoraida had lost interest in her food and even her surroundings at his mention of his home. At least it could be something to help distract her from the unpleasant thoughts and foul mood he was trying to help her escape from. It wasn't like he was sharing any big secrets though, or that it would matter much if he did. It was doubtful he'd ever have a way of returning.

"That's a complex question Ms. Del Bosque. Almost everything is different upon first appearance, though on closer inspection the plants are not so dissimilar and people of all kinds tend to act like people. But our way of life is vastly different. Our technologies always incorporate levels of magical influence. We don't live in moss or grass covered hills or in fantastical treehouses like elves do in some stories here. But everything is designed with a certain living art in mind. Our homes of wood and stone are almost as much alive as we are, and the towers of our major cities are sprawling and reinforced by great slabs and jewels of crystal."

As Felen described things he thought about all the things he'd never see again. The people and placed he'd forcibly been torn from as he defended their very existence. A slight frown might have crossed his lips before he bottled that up and stowed those concerns for later. The delighted look on his employer's face cheered him probably more than she knew. "But of course I did not see everything there. As the protectors of our continent every one of us is conscripted into the military at the age of 15. Appreciation for the fine art and craft of life comes only after we spend our first 50 years in service protecting those same things."

There was no regret or dismay shown in his face as he explained about serving. In fact he seemed quite proud of his service, in the same way Zoraida might have noted he looked from time to time while serving her. He clearly was a man who needed something or someone to protect in order to feel complete.

Felen nodded as he tore off another bite himself. "Different kinds of advancements but yes, there is far more magic in our daily life where I come from than there is even here on the island." He was being honest but also fairly diplomatic. Personally he was inclined to feel like his home was better than the island, though it was definitely growing on him the longer he stayed on Earth.

The seating area wasnt full but there were a lot of people already seated there. Some listening intently and others laughing and enjoying their varied food choices. Felen started to usher Zora towards a couple empty seats about halfway back from the stage.

He paused to give Zora a knowing smile when she brought up the length of their service. "A long time perhaps in reference to human timekeeping but when you live for several hundreds of years 50 is not so long a time. Somewhat equivalent to children in schooling here I suppose. Release from service is seen as a graduation to a more cultural part of your life. Freedom to pick a direction to pursue after earning the right. And so that no one takes protection for granted."

Felen firmly held that his service was extremely important, even if he might never get to complete it. And even though it had very nearly cost him his life.