[Child of the 7th Age]

Rory and Daisy were at the head of the mob that went charging through the gates as soon as they were opened. Cami and Daisy followed close behind. They were considerable masses of folk, all jammed together and trying to squeeze through the entrance at once. Some were familiar faces to Cami; others less so. A few even had a certain sinister presence about them. Still, the tables that had piles of inviting mathoms along with the sight of so many dancers and entertainers, and the booths scattered all over the field, each one featuring a different treat, did a great deal to raise her spirits.

Cami intended to place her gift for the wight on the large table designated for that purpose. After hearing Rory's lively tale about the menacing green hand that had reached over the fence, she'd decided she'd rather not meet him in person. She was also toting a sack with an assortment of meat pasties and a smaller dish of sweet rugelach that she'd brought along as her contributions to the potluck.

But before she took care of these personal things, she wanted to make sure that Aman and Piosenniel were here, since they were supposed to be in charge of running the party. She clambered up on a nearby tree stump, one that had never been removed after the Scouring, and peered out over the crowd. Aman must have been busy inside the tent as Cami could not see her anywhere; neither could she glimpse anyone who resembled Pio.

It was sharp-eyed Daisy who finally spotted the Elf. "Aunt Pio! Aunt Pio!" Jumping up and down with glee, Daisy pointed a finger towards a retreating figure some ways distant.

Cami glanced over and rubbed her eyes. Surely, that wasn't Pio! This strange-looking Elf had Pio's figure and lively step, but even from this distance Cami could tell that she sported a mop of red hair and eyes that were emerald green! Pio would never appear out of canon at such a fashionable event. She was very insistent about such things.

There had been a great deal of talk recently about exactly what canon was and wasn't. The whole conversation had been too hard for Cami to follow. But she was quite sure of one thing. Elves with red hair and green eyes stood on the wrong side of canon.

Cami looked over again and shuddered. The Elf was definitely Piosenniel, since she was wearing the colorful vest that Cami had recently embroidered for her as a present. Unfortunately, the bright red color of the vest now matched her hair to a "T". She stood out in the crowd like a blazing torch.

Frankly, Cami did not approve of this strange get-up, but what should she tell her friend? She shook her head and sighed. This party was not getting off to a good start!