Taking the last drink out of the bottle of Solterrian sweet wine, she let it clatter to the bartop with the loud clashing of glass hitting wood. “Alright, oldtimers. Listen up!” She said dramatically, stamping a hoof to the floor to draw even more attention, “I’m going on an adventure.”

Hargis, the grumpiest man in the building who could always be found in the same dark corner, gave a snort. “Yer going t’get yerself killed is what yer gonna do.” He said, with a rolling of his one good eye.

Dearest laughed, a sound very close to way the bells rang in her hair, “You better be careful. People might think you’re starting to like me, Hargis.” and he instantly made a noise of disdain, though it got stuck in his throat and turned into a cough.

“Like ya? I don-” He coughed again, clearing out the clog, “I don’t like yeh! Doesn’t mean ah want ye runnin’ off t’Gods know where all la-di-daing like some flouncy airhead withha flower up’er rea-”

He stopped talking when Dearest almost fell over cackling, the scowl etched deeply on his face and directed straight at her, “Whatcha laughin’ at?! Think this place is juss rainbows an’ fairy tales. Iffin’ I had the right mind I’d...” and he continued to complain, but it trailed off into mumbles none of the rest of the patrons could hear.

“Gonna be gone long?” Reolfwig, the owner, chimed in, lazily wiping down a couple whiskey glasses. She gave a small shrug, still catching her breath after such a grand showing of mirth, causing her black curls to shift against her neck.

“A week or so. Not too long. Or well, not long enough for you to give my room to someone else.” and she gave him a wink that he returned with a smile.

“Well go on then,” he said back in a teasing way, “What the hell y’still doing here?”

She grew a little shy, looking around to see if anyone was watching them before leaning in closer. “Can, uh... Will you draw me a map?”

Hargis yelled gruffly from his corner, “Told ye yer gonna get killed! Ye don’t even know where yer going!”

30 minutes later (and having been lectured the whole time), she was on her way. She stepped out of the dingy bar, the cooling enchantment stripped from her skin, and the full heat of the day blasted itself forward like a charging beast. Her stomach churned slightly, still sloshed full of red wine, and for a brief moment she considered just turning around and drinking another bottle. That would be admitting defeat however and the red woman was much too stubborn to let that happen. She slipped into the crowd, trodding heavily down the cobblestones, until she stood on the edge of the court with a sea of sand spread before her, glittering beneath the sun. The air seemed to shiver and shake in the far distance, promising quite the battle of endurance. Dearest frowned, already tired just thinking about walking across the dunes.

“Travelin’!?” An excited voice said from her right side, and it almost made her give a surprised squeak. She turned, not seeing anyone... and then looked down. He couldn’t have been more than 8 hh, this stranger, though he didn’t seem to mind that as he was grinning up at her confidently with a very prominent gold tooth that matched all the hoops he wore on each ear.

“Excuse me?” She said, sidestepping to put a little space between them but he moved with her, nudging into her leg with his shoulder.

“Travelin’! Explorin’! Settin’ out inn’tah the WILDS O’ NOVUS!” He said grandiosely, gesturing with his head to the wide open that laid before them.

“Oh.. Well..” She paused, uncertain of the small creature, but he continued to grin up at her, “Yes. To the dusk court? I have a map somewh-” and she trailed off as she tried to locate it, spinning in a circle, stopping, looking behind her. She froze for a moment, concern crossing her face, and with a blush crawling onto already red cheeks, she mumbled a very unladylike word and turned back to the stranger. “Well. I had a map.”

“Map, Smhap!” The miniature horse said, “Dont be needin’ a map, lass. Ol’ Gipetto here at your service!” and he bowed so low that his earrings touched the sand. She still wasn’t sure what to make of this character, but she didn’t have much choice in the moment. “Come on. Lessgo. This way.” He said, circling around her and pushing into her rump to jumpstart her forward, and she followed the directions... not seeing as Gipetto quickly kicked sand over the map on the ground and then scurried to catch back up to her.

“Juss rightin’ this way, around t’corner.” He said with excitement, and walked for a few minutes near the outside of the day court, following along the wall, until he proclaimed “TA-DA!”

Dearest was looking at an old wooden cart, its wheels floating just slightly above the ground, and a large stallion who leaned against it, sleeping.

Gipetto did not look pleased, his expression souring. “I said.. TA-DA!” and the new stranger jolted, snorting himself awake and clumsily unfolding his wings, “Ta-daaa... crap. Cramp.” and he winced, rolling one of his shoulders and causing the small merchant to sigh. He returned his attention to Dearest, forcing back on his grin. “Best in the, uh, business. Reckon we can get ya there in 2 hours.”

The red woman simply blinked at him, as if still trying to make sense of the scene before her. “Business?” She asked, before it clicked, and her lantern eyes grew wide, ”You want me to ride in that!?”

The minature horse seemed offended. “She’s as sturdy as a ram!” He insisted, trotting over to smack it with a hoof. The cart shimmied and shuttered, but it didn’t break. When she still didn’t seem convinced, he thought for a moment, looking at the winged man then back to Dearest. “I’ll throw in a bottle of his homemade mead.” and she struck the deal even as the stranger’s partner voiced complaints over his alcohol.

The ride did not end up being smooth, or as short as quoted, but it sure was a hell of a lot better than a two day trip. They had glided high above the land below, sand turning into trees, endless blue skies replaced by softer ones with clouds. They were currently over a wide flat valley, and Gipetto gave a small shrug as he turned to the young mare, “Tis the spot! Not allowed t’land in the Dusk Court anymore after the crash. Hold on!”

“Crash? Wha-” but her words turned into a scream as they shot into a dive heading straight for the grass below. She dug her teeth into the wood, bells ringing wildly as the wind whipped back her black curls, and said a silent prayer. The cart made contact with a thud, bounced, thud, thud. The jolt hurt her neck but she hung on, making a mental note to NOT tip the driver. When the motion stopped, and the cart was once again hovering ever so slightly, she made a rather annoyed noise and turned to the merchant.. Who wasn’t there anymore. She looked around her quickly, and saw him groaning a few feet away, having bounced out at the last minute.

“That’s your idea of customer service?” She said in an annoyed voice, her adrenaline still going.

“Y’ain’t dead, are ya?” He said brightly, flashing that gold tooth. She threw her coins into the cart, giving him an eyeroll in response. “Oh yer finnne. Dusk court is that way.” He said, pointing her off into the distance. “Bout a 30 min walk.”

“It’s been a pleasure.” She said sarcastically, brushing past him, and not looking back as he started laughing and counting the money.