Maple, a brown golden retriever, Toffee, a fluffy pomeranian, 2 Laurent trained guards, Cupcake, a cookie girl, Truffle, an energetic mountain puppy arrive, following Mabelle.

Spring breezes soothe the heat of the flames coming from the open kilns that have been set out to light the evening for the artists. Canvases are staged throughout the courtyard with blank canvas, brushes and lemon juice. Paraffin candle wax has been rubbed on the back of the canvas so when the flames pass over the heat will reveal the painting but not burn the work of art.

Fire dancers circle through the crowd, being careful not to burn any of the guests. Their oiled bodies drip with sweat as their scantily clad bodies move to the rhythm of the drums set by the side. Servants in Blackshore livery move with trays of wine and mead to help quest the thirst of those standing close to the flames.

Skye circulates through the crowd, holding a glass of campaign and watching with a smile as a few guests step up to start this exercise of painting with lemons. Her pink earrings glisten in the firelight as the soft sway of her hips shows that she is moving a little to music from the drums. There doesn't seem to be any formal hosting lines but a few folks greet the baroness with a smile.

Mabelle makes her way into the courtyard and comes to a halt immedietly at the sight of oiled up fire dances, staring at them with her big crystalline eyes. Once she is back to being less rude, she notices Skye circling and wiggls her fingers to her, approaching her with a slinky blue velvet dress dancing against her form, "Baroness Blackshore. Good afternoon"

Peri walks into the courtyard and is halted in awe at all of the dancers spinning fire to the sound of drums. The excitment thrums in her. With a flushed face she finds the baronness and bows to her. "Thank you for hosting this event." She finds her place at an easel and pulls a sketch out of her backpack to review. She nods to herself and stashes it away.

Merek makes a way into the place with his white black attire on, looking to paint as well as enjoy watching the dancers, looking content to get relaxing in while he scratches at his beard in thought.

Skye smiles brightly at Mabelle at her greeting, motioning to the dancers that are now stating to sway to the music, "Isn't it lovely?" She shakes her head as their movements are less civilized and more primal, "I found this troupe and just had to have them perform. It fit perfectly with my fire theme." She then greets Peri with a curtesy, "Thank you for coming, m'lady." Happy to see Peri taking to one of the canvases, "I do hope we have a few good ones come out of this event." She turns back to Mabelle, "It's very difficult, creating when you can't see how your brush strokes are taking to the canvas. I tried myself and found the exercise challenging." She gives a polite nod to Merek as he enters.

Mabelle presents her palms with a smile of surrender, "I do not paint, and I have a meeting to attend soon so whatever comes out of it will be such rubbish I dare not", she chuckles, "But Lady Peri seems to have a good sense of what she has gotten herself into", she winks to Peri, "Lady Seliki it has been a while, Sir Merek", she greets the other guest.

Merek nods to Mabelle then to Peri while he looks to Skye. "I came to support you and paint a bit, watch the dancers. I am not as attentive as I would like, but it's nice to come by," he says, with a smile.

Peri grins back at Mabelle. "It /has/ been a while." She nods to a canvas near her. "I've never painted with lemons before, so likely mine will be lacking in skill. Try for fun." She sees Merek and nods to him, "Sir Merek, I look forward to seeing what you will do."

Skye does inform Mabelle and Merek, "Well those not creating art will be asked to judge the paintings." She motions to herself, "I'll be the final judge if we can't figure out who should win." She spies the dance troupe looking for her permission and she waves her hand to let them know that they can get started.

Mabelle considers Peri's plea and then hears Skye, "Judging? No judging no...", she hurries toward one of the canvasas and grabs a lemon, keeping it far far away from the gown she is wearing, murmuring to it, "Do not get messy you are brand new". She presses a lemon to the canvas and goes, "Oo there, a flower". Not.

Merek looks thoughtfully to Skye a bit tiredly in thought, and smiles with a nod. "I will paint, but I probably will not say I'm competing, I will probably just make a uh... Dragonfly, or something." He wiggles his nose thoughtfully, while he does take a moment to move the lemon on his painting to draw just that, abstract concept!

Merek checked dexterity + artwork at difficulty 15, rolling 4 higher.

The drums change in their rhythm as a young man with no shirt steps forward with chains and at the end balls. An assistant lights the materials inside and steps away and then starts to moving, swinging them so that the fire moves to the rhythm to the drums. A few servants make sure none of the guests are standing too close because the possible fire that could occur.

Mabelle checked dexterity + artwork at difficulty 15, rolling 3 lower.

Peri casts an admiring gaze at Mabelle sheathed in blue velvet. "I agree. no dripping." The young dancer begins his dance and Peri's eye follows the flame for a moment before looking at her lemon and squeezing it into a cup. She touches the canvas quickly and looks in closely to see if she's got the strokes she wanted. She frowns.

Skye makes her way over to Mabelle and tells her softly, "No...the lemons are just for show." She motions to the bowel of lemon juice and the brushes, "It's actual painting." She gives her friend a light pat on the hand, "But it's a common enough mistake." She then moves on to check on Merke and Peri to see if they need anything.

Mabelle glances at Peri as she squeezes the juice, instead she asks one of the servants for a knife. Because we all know its an artsy object. When getting it, she begins slicing the lemons in various patterns. She then makes impressions of the sliced lemons upon the canvas when Skye comes to her cooking, I mean painting, station and chides her a bit. She gives her a sheepish grin, and bites her lower lip, "I kinda like it that way though", she murmurs, "Can I keep it?"

Other fire dancers move in to jump and do acrobatic wonders over and below where the muscled man swings the lit chains. He's like an atlas against the slimmer dancers that move around him.

Merek switches up to making his piece with the strokes of the brush, then he places a few points on it, making his dragonfly. It's not winning anything, but he does make nice art, it is clear he's just doing this for fun at the moment. He licks his paint brush, because he likes lemons. Siiip from the cup, looking to make sure no one notices he's drinking his canvas.

Merek checked dexterity + stealth at difficulty 15, rolling 40 higher.

Skye checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 19 higher.

Mabelle checked charm + manipulation at difficulty 15, rolling 54 higher.

Peri checked perception + survival at difficulty 25, rolling 23 higher.

Mabelle checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 7 higher.

They do notice that Merek's cup is suspiciously less full, but maybe he just uses a lot of juice paint. HMM.

The dance once again pulls Peri's attention away from her painting. She watches for long enough for the reflecting streaks of lemon to vanish and she has to guess where she last set her brush. Out of the corner of her eye she see's Sir Merek surrupticiously lick his brush. She is uncertain of his technique but dips her brush in the juice and then dabs some on her tongue before proceeding.

Skye smiles brightly at Mabell when she asks to keep the lemon, "Of course, please do." She does give her a compliment, "It is lovely." The lovely hostess doesn't notice Merek's little faux pas, even walking right past him oblivious as he takes a sip. A few minutes later, a servant brings more lemon juice when they notice that Merek's bowl is getting low. Peri's little lick on her brush gets a sweet giggle from the baroness, "Oh I wouldn't drink the juice, we got the water from the rainwater barrels, it might taste a bit metallic."

Merek checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 6 lower.

Brushes? Please! Look at this vase with beautiful flowers made of lemon prints Mabelle didnt make. Doesnt stop her from creating a disaster. Its cute though, in a way you 2 year old brings a painting from kindgarten cute. She hears Skye tell the lickers where the water is from and contorts her face, "That's... great recycling right there!", she smiles instead.

"... Wait, what!?" Merek asks, then he makes a face while he licks his lips and smacks them, with a sigh. He then takes the new lemon juice with a thankful nod while he keeps on painting, "Oh look, it's a thing." He motions to his dragonfly!

The dancers continue to move to the pounding drums as they almost see to get louder. The man in the center continues to move the chains with his hefty arms, moving the balls of fire through the air. A few guests murmur with surprise on the man's stamina.

Peri checked charm + performance at difficulty 15, rolling 13 higher.

Peri cocks a brow at the Baronness's explanation. She says, "Oh really?" with an otherwise straight face. "That explains the lime overtones." She licks another brush and claims, "I wanted to give a more delicate wash to these eaves."

Skye reassures a few of her guests that are struggling with their canvases because you can't see much once the juice dries on the canvas, "It'll be fine. Don't worry." She pulls out one of her hairpins and then reminds the guests, "You can use pins or other implements to help put in patterns." She goes to a canvas and demonstrates, pull out a piece of lace and then painting the lemon juice right over it. Then she uses her hairpin to trace around the lace. A few guests stop watching the dancers to see what Skye is demonstrating.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Skye before departing.

Mabelle displays her catastropic painting to Skye, "Voila!". She is looking at lemon pieces imprints in different shapes. I mean, it could be artistic if we were 2000 years from today. "There!" She grins triumphantly, refusing to acknowledge that she sucks at this, or if she does, she's pretending, "Unfortunately, I must attend a meeting and so I must depart but the fire dances are lovely! I need to talk to you about the special lights for the solarium!"

"Oh that's ingenious!" Peri says, when Skye demonstrates with the hairpins. "I should have tried that from the start." She frowns thoughtfully at her painting. "It may be a bit crooked, but I don't mind." She sets her brush down and then finds a glass of non-lemony wine to drink.

Skye grins at Mabelle as she tells her that she has to leave, "Of course, I'll be happy to help you with your project." She gives her friend an encouraging look, "And it's not so bad..." She points to a few others who have struggled more." Then she turns her attention to Peri, Merek and others who are still working on their paintings. She moves away from her canvas to get another drink, motioning for a servant to bring one to Peri too.

The big man is starting to sweat as the his arms continue to move to the motions, the drums are getting faster and faster as the slimmer dancers jump and weave faster and faster around the balls of fire. A woman gasps in the crowd as the big man brings in the finale by pulling in the chains and just before they hit him, pulling them into the found to estinguish.

Skye takes a tiny glass latch lidded jar hanging off a charm inscribed with waves from a simple velvet bag.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Skye before departing.

Peri sets her glass down and applauds at the grand finale of the dance. She gives a cheer. "Good show! Wooo!"

Now that the dancing is done, the drums go to a softer melody. The torch wielding servants start to circulate to heat the back of the canvases so the lemon juice paintings can be revealed.

Peri asks the servant to give her the fire so that she can try her hand at this part of the process. She has fun, but she scorches her lemon juice a little unevently. A strange building is revealed, with eeaves that turn up at the ends.

Peri drops a strange building in shades of scorched lemon.

Merek looks to the painting, then he shifts that about. It looks like a dragonfly mostly symmetrical, it's nothing too crazy special, whil he nods a bit also.

Skye has her own painting revealed as a cross-work of lace table with a few fruit on it. As the servants move about to light the paintings, more works of art are revealed. A few nobles start to circulate to see who's painting is favored and many keep coming back again and again to Peri's building.

Skye is overheard praising Peri: Fantastic lemon building

Skye is overheard praising Merek: Dragonfly lemons

Peri is overheard praising Skye.

Peri is overheard praising Mabelle.

Peri is overheard praising Merek.

Skye is overheard praising Mabelle: Painting with lemons is fun

Peri stands sheepishly as people circulate around the courtyard and come again to her painting.

Skye stands there, collecting votes as the painters wait to hear who has won. After a bit, the votes are tabulated and Skye steps forward to motion for the drumming to stop. She waits till all eyes are on her before announcing, "It appears we have a winner!" She then claps her hands as the prize is brought to Peri, "Our dear Lady Peri has been selected by her peers for her amazing efforts with lemons."

Merek of course would vote for that Peri also, then when she wins he offers applause while he stands up, "You did well," he says, then he offers a little smile, while he take up his cape to pull about him. It looks like he will be about his way, "Be well," he says to people.

Peri gives Skye her thanks. "Thank you, Baroness. Your dancers are unpariel! This was most instructive and fun. I would have never thought to paint with lemons." She thanks Merek and admires his painting as well, and enjoys the wine and comraderie of the night.