Palm leaves were strewn across the street floors. Stalls filled with flowers, coloured feathers and glass trinkets wrapped along the edges. Solar sails waved in the wind with their characteristic sandstone coloring with golden threads of sunfruit fibers powering up all the stoves and fans. Some vendors walked around with their store in ornate shelves carried on their backs. People were dressed in their most colourful clothing. They appeared as a giant flock of paradise birds, talking, laughing, and shopping. Obi could not go one block without having to decline three vendors getting right in his face, bump shoulders with at least twenty strangers and almost getting run over by a group of playing children.

It was like somebody had done a massive magic trick. Just earlier in the morning it had been so calm and just like that all these people and decorations had appeared!

Obi tried to hurry along while taking in the sights. There was something new to see around every corner. Just the sheer vastness of Central was mesmerizing.

Looking up, Obi saw kites flying over the market street, their pilots jumping from the teal roofs and walking across rope they had tied between the buildings. Children and adults alike were flying their crafts across the completely blue sky.

In the midst of the sea of tropical kites a single black one stood out to Obi. It was flying steady, circling over the streets with a commanding air, it’s shadow passing over the sailor. Crossing the street balancing on a rope with their own kingfisher styled kite, small with brilliant blue and orange colouring, moved as rapidly as the winds allowed towards the menacing shadow, unafraid and challenging. It looked dangerous and foolish the stunts the kingfisher pilot was taking, but at the same time Obi could not look away. They ran over the rope and jumped, catching themselves with one arm on a post sign while still balancing the kite with the other hand, then swinging up with the momentum to grab the ledge of the flat roof building. Meanwhile the kingfisher kite looked like a fluttering bird, dipping and rising in a playful dance as it advanced on it’s target. The shadow waltzing with no rush to engage.

“Hey good sir, want to buy some roasted almonds?” A vendor called out from Obi’s right while sauteing nuts in his direction.

“Huh-? Indeed. Yes.”

Obi did not pay attention, for it was all focused on the battle up ahead. Before he knew it Obi had paid and was holding a small bag of almonds, mindlessly eating a piece.

The Kingfisher pilot was now on the roof right beside the Shadow’s master. The smaller kite circled the other, dipping and rising, but the black kite did not take the bait and kept steady. A gust of wind blew across the street bearing flower petals and the aroma of carnival candy. That was when the shadow’s line went stiff and sharply pulled down. Being carried by the wind the line just connected with the Kingfisher’s own lifeline at the very end of the power spurt. The friction cut the line, letting the Kingfisher soar freely away into the sky and towards the harbour while the Shadow continued it’s partoll over the street.

A small group of onlookers applauded around Obi as he snapped back to reality. Confused, he looked at the bag of almonds in his clawed hands, shook his head, and began running down the street.

“Aeons damn it, gullshit winds.” was heard carried with the wind as the acrobat pilot raced over the rooftops to catch their kite.

Obi had the thought that the two of them were racing to get to the harbour even though the other contestant would have no clue that they were in a competition or that they were winning by a large margin. Again and again Obi apologised to vendors, kids and grannies as he swam across the crowd sea, though being sneaky-bastard-light-foot he had no trouble navigating out and caused no harm in his rush.

Once out from the main street and on the harbour platform the crowd let up , leaving instead a wall of floating ships stacked on top one another. Sailors climbed up and down their masts, checking all the ropes and support plants. Deck boys scrubbed away and oiled the wood. Quartermasters, officers and Golden Circuit overseers paced the platforms, shouting out their orders and orchestrating the whole spectacle.

“Where did that damned kite fly off to…” Obi turned to the voice and saw the acrobat kite flyer standing next to him balancing on top of a stone bench. She was about the same height as Obi, and had slightly reddish skin and black scales on her neck and a thick forehead, dressed in an orange one-piece and a matching headscarf. With so many of her aspects being so close to Obi’s own he wondered if the girl was not from his own village back in the east desert of the Sharlian island-continent.

“Hey! I saw you fighting earlier! It was really cool. Want an almond?”

The kite flyer looked at Obi with the face of someone who had just drank sour vinegar, shook her head, and continued to spy around for the elusive kite.

“No thank you. Sorry If I disappointed a fan. Damned Orca always gets me after all these years at the festival.”

“So that’s the kite's name? I named it Shadow.”

While Obi was talking he was also on lookout for the kite. It should not be too difficult to spot but the Kingfisher was nowhere to be seen when he felt something touch his feet. While the acrobat was busy looking far away at the ships she had missed what laid directly beneath her. Obi bent down and picked up the mastercrafted kite, brilliant in colour and surprising in its weight.

“You found her! Thank Tiamat. You are a blessing stranger.”

The girl in orange gently took the kite from Obi’s hands and held it like it was her delicate, precious baby.

“Happy to help. Sorry I can’t watch you fight more. I have a ship to go to. My crewmates are probably mad at me for disappearing.”

“Are you competing in the Golden Circuit?”

“Indeed I am. Sailing the Goldfish across all the continents.”

“You better win now, mister stranger, because I will be betting money on the Goldfish. Here, have a little lucky token. It has not been working for me it seems.”

The girl reached into a pocket and gave Obi a small yellow glass trinket of two feathered serpents spiraling around one another, the avatars of the twin gales, Vaya-Vatu, Aeons of the wind.

Before Obi had the chance to thank the girl in orange she had already dashed off and was climbing up on the nearest rooftop with that almost inhuman agility she possessed. Obi took it as a sign that he too should hurry along and so he jogged down the walkway to his ship.

Next to an extended platform the Goldfish floated steadily. Solar sails hoisted to capture the sun's energy with one main sail and two fins stretching along the sides for navigation and capturing more light than the vertical sails. In the middle of the ship stood the Heart Tree, golden leaves shimmering in the light with strings spreading out like a harp to connect it to energy points in the deck of the ship. As the ship's woodsman, a short elderly man with a fiery red beard and permanently sunburnt nose, came out to check the soil moisture, he caught a glimpse of Obi climbing up the rope ladder.

“Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up!”

Goudi the woodsman announced, gesturing with his whole body. The rest of the crew stopped what they were doing to look.

“Has Obi returned?” The navigator called from below deck, peeking out from the open trapdoor, spotted Obi, shook her head and then returned to her work.

“The sneaky bastard scurrying off during ungodly hours of the mornin. I’m surprised he didn't wait till liftoff to show his ugly mug back on deck!” Iffa, the main muscle of the ship and Obi’s older brother walked over and gave Obi some hearty smacks to his back.

“Don’t be like that, I come bearing gifts! A pouch of roasted almonds and a Vaya-Vatu charm!”

Captain Semla, a tall woman of full aquari aspect, meaning she was devoid of scales, feathers or hair, walked over to join Iffa, giving poor Obi some friendly pats as well.

“Vaya-Vatu? What a coin toss of a charm. I’d want nothing to do with the trickster twins. Do share around the almonds. Now, how to punish you for neglecting your work on the day of the grand tour.”

“I’m sorry captain. You know it’s my first time in Central, and during the Rainbow Festival!”

“Excuses. I know; you will take guard duty during our stay in Rhumm. Maybe the rest of us can get some sleep then.”

“I can’t do that captain! I have to go to sleep early. You see, I have plans for the morning. It won’t interfere with the race that I swear but I can’t take guard duty.”

“You are making this difficult for me, Obi.”

“Obi got plans? How? With who?”

“I met a summoner and an eloquere at the coffee pavilion. We talked and decided to meet again.”

“Our boy Obi got himself a date with two fine ladies!” Another sailor called from the lookout. Cheers and whistling ensued.

“Make him a monkey boy, it’s the punishment he deserves for leaving us to chase girls.” The woodsman stroked his beard and wore a broad smile.

Again cheering picked up, they were making so much noise sailors from other ships were giving them looks. Once Captain Semla decided they had been tomfooling for long enough she brought up a hand and the crew went silent.

“Very well. For the whole day you will be the ship's monkey boy. I want to see you working during the whole flight and anyone has the right to order you around. You heard that crew!”

“Aye, aye! Monkey boy Obi!”

The sailors responded in unison with some last laughs before heading back to their tasks.

Obi slouched his shoulders in defeat. Luckily the first part of the relay race going from Central to Rhumm was a relatively short one. With their competitive ship they should make the trip in about three to four hours. It was really more of a competition to get a good starting time for the next part than part of the three month long race.

It will be a short trip. It will.

“Monkey! Get over here and start scrubbing!”

It will not be a short trip.

Obi rolled up his sleeves, got himself a brush and went down on his hands and knees, scrubbing and oiling wherever he was directed. His mind began to wander off. Obi never did get the name of that girl or learn where she was from. If she was a regular, maybe Obi would see her flying her kite next year, but it was also just as likely that they would never see each other again. Obi smiled to himself, whistling as he applied oil to all the little nooks and crannies of the ship’s exterior. In a way he enjoyed those small little meetings with strangers in their own way.