4.8

The dark tone in the sky has long pillaged the space that was previously orange. The stars began to shine everywhere and the moon was not yet up, but it was still beautiful to look at. She was nice. Clean. A good night for the festival to take place.

The cool night wind strolled through the streets, playing, relieving the heat that came from the summer. A great feeling for the population that happily walked along them.

Brandon watched it all half-heartedly, without showing it. The excitement of people happily coming out of their homes and walking around the festival, going from tent to tent to play games and eat was a different emotion than staying in his room reading, but it still brought him happiness.

And he was sharing the same feelings as they were. He was grateful that Nott had called him out and come here.

The swordsman was beside him, watching like him, but unlike him, there was an explicit smile on his face, wanting to enjoy himself as much as the one watching. The other was excited and mainly wanted to go to the strength test stalls, hit the target and the food that looks tasty just by looking at it. His stomach seemed to whet his appetite, even though he had eaten dinner not long since he came here.

Brandon averted his eyes and continued walking around the room, enjoying the feeling. He approached one of the stalls on the sidewalk with an old man making meat. He had many skewers with meat and vegetables threaded under the skewer and they looked very well done, the natural fat arrived and gleamed under the streetlights and the tent itself. The old man smiled at his prospect and let him watch while he focused on what he was preparing.

"Two, please." The redhead asked, pointing to the two he thought were the most beautiful. He chose one with a lot of meat for Nott, as the knight is a food lover. The gentleman deftly handed it over and received the money.

"Have a good festival."

"To you too." He wished in return.

With both skewers in hand, he turned away and walked over to Nott who was standing looking for him. His steps were light, causing small noises that were drowned out by the sound of the crowd talking, but his presence was soon sensed by the chestnut's senses, making him turn towards him, only to see a small smile on his white face and the two pieces of wood with food.

"For you." The redhead handed what he chose to him, causing a surprise when he saw what he liked most about the wood.

"Thanks." Nott smiled and took a bite, enjoying the flavor of the meat and sauces the master had added. It was very good. "Delicious."

"Yes." Brandon nodded as he ate as well. It was very good.

If he had to say, he didn't expect the festival food to be this good. But he could tell it wasn't bad from seeing a small line at every shelf on the street. In the old man's now, there were few, but that must have been because it was still just the beginning of the festival. Surely, he would earn a good amount tonight if the other skewers were as good as they are now.

"Where are we going?" He asked the brown one. Brandon had no idea where to go first, and since it was Nott who called him, he should have made the decision to choose.

"Um, I don't know." The brown one looked around and decided to go for 'hit the target'. "How about that one?"

"OK."

The tent they both chose wasn't crowded and not crowded, it only had three teenagers, a girl around 16 years old, a young man the same age and a smaller one, the same height as James, maybe 12 or 13 years old. The boy threw the darts cautiously and hard, trying to hit the target, but each time he missed. Either the dart went outside the big circle he had to hit, or it didn't reach the center, which is where he had to hit it to win the prize. He was getting frustrated.

The 12-year-old boy watched all that with a little boredom, but curiosity. He wanted to try too, but his brother was trying so hard to get the prize for his girlfriend that he didn't want to disturb him, after all, it was a little funny to see his expression a little angry and the shame for failing in front of those he likes.

The young woman on the other hand wasn't sad or anything, she was just happy that her boyfriend was trying so hard to get something she casually said. Seeing him try like that made her heart soften and find him very handsome. Who doesn't like to be pampered or see the person they love working so hard for them? Even if he doesn't make it, that's okay, just by his attitude he had already won her over, she would comfort him for his efforts.

Brandon saw them and stood to the side, asking for three tries, as did Nott beside him. The knight went first, standing with both feet slightly apart and arm raised, his thumb and forefinger lightly squeezing the wooden object, throwing it. The dart flew but missed the center, hitting only the outermost white area of the circle.

His second attempt was somewhat better, but still close to the first hit. However, to Nott's disappointment and a bit of a surprise to Brandon, the third missed the target. He passed the big circle and hit the wood behind the object, getting the tip stuck in the wall.

"You should stick to the sword anyway, Nott." She teased the redhead. Nott looked at him a little displeased at the fact that his aim was not good. He wanted to try again, but it was his friend's turn.

"Why don't you try?" She challenged him, judging that he would be his equal. The brown one knew that the redhead had never played a game like this, so it must not be as good as him. His words and tone had confidence almost imperceptible to those who didn't know him, but Brandon still saw it.

The redhead saw Nott's confidence through narrowed eyes, but he didn't say anything. He just positioned himself in the same place as his friend before. If it was to break his trust, the best way would be to prove it.

The first dart left his hand and flew into the center of the target, surprising both him, Nott and the three people beside him who were in the middle of the dart. The guy who was throwing the javelin saw that and couldn't help but stare at Brandon for what he just did. He was surprised that the man not much older than him did it on the first try, while he couldn't get one even after trying more than ten times.

He got sad.

The girl was surprised and her expression explicitly showed it, with her mouth open and wide eyes, but she soon came out of the trance and turned her head to look at her boyfriend, seeing him with furrowed eyebrows and slightly lowered head. She didn't have to think too hard to guess what the boy was thinking. She took a small step and reached for the boy's free hand, attracting his attention, smiling and squeezing his fingers.

The boyfriend saw this and couldn't help but be moved, his ears starting to turn pink.

The boy didn't notice the couple's intimacy, he just looked at the redhead who hit the center. He wanted to do the same, just like him.

"How was it?" Brandon looked at Nott who was surprised he got it right. The knight was sure his friend hadn't played before, but that made him feel doubtful about it.

"You haven't played this before, have you?" He asked, curious about the answer.

"No." He denied. He had never actually picked up a dart before. It was his first time and, therefore, he was also surprised that he got it right the first time. But that was enough to see that Nott's confidence was shaken.

"I'm sure it was luck." He said, teasing the redhead. "That's beginner's luck."

Brandon never thought Nott was competitive in this way, other than swords. He knew the knight didn't take defeat so easily in duels of skill or in competitions, and he often asked for a rematch if he lost, but it was just a game of darts, nothing much. Saying it was luck is the same as not admitting that he was better than him in terms of skill.

He had to prove himself again.

Nott was only doing this to tease the guy in front of him. He knew his friend and he knew that underneath the cold face was someone he felt very sorry for, so he wanted to see him try and express some temper, even if just a little bit. Also, he wanted to see his reaction, make him have fun; and competing wasn't a bad idea. He had several different games stalls at the festival and seeing who won at the games was a good method of entertainment.

In the end, if he won, he could joke with his friend that he was better than him at the games. And Brandon can only accept, not refute.

The position was taken again and everyone in the tent had their sights on the redhead getting ready. The owner of the tent also looked on with curiosity to know if the young man would get it right or not. Every year he sets up his tent as a way to make extra money and many people come to him and try to hit the target, but with the exception of archers and some knights, almost nobody hits the targets and they take the prizes, so it was very profitable. . And, in his eyes, the two who came were not archers or ranged experts, although the chestnut had the bearing of a knight.

Brandon stared with his green eyes at the red target hard and with concentration. Just like the first time, he wanted to break Nott's confidence and prove that he is better and that the other should only focus on swords. His arms flexed and thumb and forefinger tightened, with the dart going back and forth as he threw it.

The object sliced through the air as it flew and hit the red target again, right under the first one he threw.

In order not to lose his concentration, Brandon didn't lose focus and took a deep breath, calming himself and not letting himself be shaken. He took the third and final dart from her hand and moved as with the previous one, hitting again. With the hit, he turned to Nott and his expression took on a slightly arrogant air, with a small smile for the knight.

Whiskey-colored eyes saw the expression on Brandon's white face and he couldn't help but get a little bitter taste of the realization that he'd lost. Even more so knowing what Brandon wanted to say to him by looking at him like that. It's like he's teasing him to do better than him and make him recognize his ability.

"Do you accept that it's better to stay on the sword?" Question, with a slightly malicious and playful tone.

"Yes. You're better than me." She admitted it, though it doesn't look like she didn't want to.

"Hi, will you choose which prize?" The stall owner approached and stopped in front of the two, smiling and being polite. It's not every day he sees someone with the skills to hit three in a row and he has to recognize that the young man in front of him is really something. Perhaps he is talented in that area.

"I…"

Brandon started to speak, but stopped when he noticed the intense visions of the trio hovering over him, waiting for him to choose and hoping it wasn't theirs. His eyes landed on the three of them and he shook his head, stopping at the boy standing next to his brother. He looked about James' age and his bright eyes reminded him of the purple haired boy. They had admiration and curiosity directed at him, making him feel a bit shy since he was a stranger looking at him that way.

His brother, the boy with features still slightly childish, but becoming clear, looked at him with envy, but was ignored. And the girl next to him, who could be noticed as the boy's partner, looked at him curiously.

Making a last-minute decision, he points to a not-so-big bear.

"I'll have that one." The man nodded and climbed onto a stool to remove the prize, handing it over to the winner.

Brandon, his prize in hand, turns to the trio and crouches down, stopping at the young boy's height. He doesn't smile, but his neutral expression and his emerald green eyes, which even with the street lighting not being the best and shadows falling on them, still glowed like two headlights in the dark, brought a kind of calm and confidence, without any malice, To the other. He holds out his hands to the boy and shakes them, indicating he was going to take them.

"It's yours. Take it." He said.

The boy looked at him for a few seconds, switching between the bear and his face, before stretching his chubby, childish fingers and taking the toy. He thought he was a little old for playing with stuffed animals, but he didn't want to refuse. He looked back at the red-haired man and smiled at him.

"Thanks." He thanked you somewhat restrained, but sincere.

"Thanks, lad." The bigger boy spoke, thanking him once more for his brother.

Brandon stood up and watched the reaction of the three, nodding, saying nothing more. He wasn't in the habit of talking to strangers outside of work or unnecessarily. He only spoke to the boy because he reminded him of James, who at that time should still be suffering from the party that was taking place in the palace.

A movement caught her eye beside her. Nott had stayed where they had prepared to play. It looked like he was going to try again the three times and had already paid the stall owner again. Brandon wasn't surprised by this as he knew his first time out performance was very frustrating for the brown.

The boy of the trio had also positioned himself to play one more time and prove that he also got a prize for his girlfriend. Fire burned in his eyes and a strength of determination rose in his chest. The will to win was great.

Nott tried and tried and tried again. He used all three attempts and none had hit the red target. The first dart was in the first black band, below the last white area of the circle. The second one was in the white band below that black band and the last one had hit the first white area. This time, he hadn't hit the wall behind the target.

This was a breakthrough and a somewhat good result for Nott. Although he couldn't get the medium he wanted so much, he was content.

A smile crept across his face as he glanced at Brandon who was also happy that his friend had done well.

"I achieved!" An excited scream sounded from beside the two. "I got it. Cat, I'll get what you want."

"Congratulations love." She laughed at her boyfriend's happy expression. "You did really well."

"Hey Mr Wilson, I want the white bee." He pointed to the plush.

"That's it, boy." Answered the owner of the tent.

The prize chosen by the girl was a plush white bee. She is a creature that is relatively rare and usually exists in countries with low temperature, being found mainly in Nasviti country, a place covered with snow and far north. Its preciousness is due to the production of white honey, an ingredient widely used in high-class foods and difficult to obtain.

The plush was made of good material and well produced. Also, because it was white, it was exotic and its shape was a little cute. It made sense that the girl would have chosen her as a prize. It was a good choice and proved that the girl had good eyes.

"Thanks, Peter." She came close to him and kissed her cheek, causing a reddish flush to appear on her cheeks and neck. The boy looked like a tomato for his red color that took over him, making him shy, but happy to have won a kiss.

"It was nothing." He said proudly. Deep down, he craved one more kiss on her cheek.

"I'm hungry, brother." The boy spoke for the first time. Finally the brother got the prize he wanted to win and was free. His belly wanted to snack and he had his eye on a stall across the street.

And he didn't want to keep the candle any longer than it already is for the couple.

"It's true. It's okay. Do you want something too, Cat?" At the question, the girl nodded. "Alright, let's go. Bye guys."

He nodded at Brandon and Nott, being polite, after all, the redhead had given his brother an award. The other two made the same gesture and followed him, moving away from the tent and the pair.

Brandon turned to Nott, realizing he was still staring at the trio.

"Are you going to try again?" He asks, but Nott looked at him and just shook his head. "Right. What do we do now?"

"Hm…" Nott paused for a moment, the previous idea popped into his mind again and a gentle smile also on his face. He didn't demonstrate the determination and will to win that were masked perfectly. "How about a game?"

"A game?"

"Yes." He nodded. The smile on his lips only grew, showing white teeth. "Let's see who wins the most in tent games. Whoever is the best has to be recognized as the best by the loser."

Brandon said nothing, just watched him. Nott's eyes gleamed brightly, like a child in the mood for mischief.

"Don't you agree? Are you scared? No need, I will be merciful to you."

Brandon, for the first time, smiled at his friend since he left. He found it funny that the guy who couldn't even hit the red target in the tent game a few minutes ago wants to challenge him to a competitive game and teases him by saying he was scared. He felt it hadn't done much to show him that he was better at it.

His will to win was also growing.

"Okay, I agree. I'll have to point out that you should just keep using swords."

"Just say that when you win, Brandon." He retorted the other's teasing. Then he pointed to another game booth. "Let's go over there."

"Fine, but know that I will win." He uttered with confidence. His steps were light but determined.

"We will see."