Wardrobe

Villager: Indigo

The glint of sunlight on metal catches your eye, and you see a manokit - or wait, that wasn't a manokit - dancing in the training grounds of all places, wheels of wind and fire clutched in her paws. As you watch, she spins around and throws her chakrams, bowing gracefully to the side in anticipation of an imaginary attack as her wheels strike true, ripping holes in the target dummy before returning to their owner's paws.

That's about when said owner notices you, and abandons her practice in favor of coming over to talk. A vampbird swoops down from who-knows-where and lands on her shoulder, giving you a scrutinizing look. A...vampird with a monocle, of all things. You feel uneasy under the bird's gaze, like the bird is staring directly into your exposed soul.

But that's silly, isn't it?

"Hello. I take it you haven't seen a battle dance before? I'm not surprised; its not exactly a common practice. My name is Indigo. Who are you?"

"A visitor, nice. And to answer your question, I'm a pangolotl - a hybrid of a pangolin and an axolotl."

Yeah, you could see it. Huh. The more you know.

"Oh, Corvus?"

Indigo runs her finger down the bird's head, who preens happily under the attention. When she lowers her paw, he gives her a fond look and a small nibble with his beak before resettling on her shoulder.

"He's my battle buddy. And don't worry, he knows better than to drain people. He gets his blood and marrow at the dinner table."

Corvus fluffs his feathers for a second, before giving you a cool look. You feel like you're being judged, and found severely wanting. It was a stark contrast from the fond and happy looks he gave Indigo.

Right. Honestly, he reminded you of a cat. It wouldn't be the first time you met pets like that, and if he was going to be like that you were perfectly fine ignoring him in favor of his owner.

"How does my fighting style work?"

Indigo gives you a small smile.

"Simple. You've heard battle compared to a dance before, right? Well, that's literal for me. As I dance, I dodge and fight, turning the battle into a performance. It's a very effective way of fighting, I must say. Looks great, too. The point of the style is that it's a dance meant for both the battlefield and traditional performances."

"Yep, I fight with these. Chakrams are a lot easier to perform with than swords, axes, maces, and the like - or heaven forbid, flails. They're good at keeping your enemies at range and can be flashy without sacrificing form."

Given that you saw them trailing firelight as they flew through the air, you can't disagree.

"Sir Milo? Yeah, when he first saw me practicing he immediately asked if I'd be okay teaching him. It helps that he already knows how to dance, though learning a new fighting style isn't easy. He's made great progress so far in the few month's I've been training him. Sir Milo'll be quite deadly when he's learned all I have to teach him."

"What? Oh no, this definitely isn't a style I invented! I learned from a skilled master, who learned the art from her teacher before her, and the teacher's before him. It's an ancient art, passed down from master to apprentice for hundreds of years. I definitely didn't come up with it, that's for sure. I'm just good at it. Really good."

"My master? Her name's Imber - she's an adventurer, so she's never really in one place for a long time. Depends on if there's things she still wants to do there before moving on. While I was training I traveled with her, and lemme tell you, adventurers have aaaaall kinds of little tricks and tips up their sleeves for, well, just about everything really. You wouldn't believe how many tricks and shortcuts Imber has just for getting camp set up!"

"What do I like doing in my spare time?"

The pangolotl laughs.

"That isn't dancing, you mean? Well, I do enjoy a good book. And board games, those are pretty fun. Never really did get into movies though. I mean, I used to watch them a lot when I was younger, but...I don't know, they kind of just, phased out of my interest I guess."

"Do I like video games? Yep. And yes, I'm a part of the video game club around here. Too bad we don't have a dance dance revolution game, I've always wanted to try it. I've heard those are really fun. I've always meant to try it, but just never really got around to it, honestly."

"Oh, have you been to the Great Furvilla Reef yet? If you haven't, you should give it a try. There's a part of it that's a protected park, and the wildlife there is incredible. It's a bit of a journey but well worth it in my opinion. Just make sure you bring a waterproof camera! Trust me, you'll need it. Who knows, you might even run into Quinn out there. I've met him a few times; he really enjoys the different parks around Furvilla."

"Am I gonna- ah, no. I'm not going on a tour or anything. I'm not uh, I'm not a celebrity or anything, or looking to be one. To be honest, while I love performing for fun, the stage where I belong is more the battlefield than anything else. Speaking of which, its the anniversary of the town's founding today, and I'll be putting on a show tonight, along with several others. You should definitely stop by the plaza if you're still here; we go all out with the food, fireworks, and general festival games."

Indigo chuckles.

"As well as general festival mayhem. It's not really a festival unless people are having fun. Anyway, just think about it, will you? Honestly, I should probably be heading off by now - Brenna needs me to pick up a few things in the battlefields for her, Sora, and Zale. They're working on mechanical pets, you see."

And with that, the dancer gives you a wave, before walking past you onto the street leading to the ocean. Corvus turned his head to look behind her and gave you a reproachful croak, to which Indigo bops him on the head for. You couldn't help the chuckle that came out at the scolding.

Sooo…a festival, she said? Well, what kind of a question is that? Of course you'll go - who'd wanna miss out on a party like this?