A few days later Helena approached me, holding a sort of pamphlet. "Koyuki, there is a magical fair in town! We could go and check it out this Solday!"

"A magical fair?" I asked.

She nodded. "They have a few magical shows and a lot of food stalls."

"That does sound cool. Let's go!" I agreed.

Cassie and Skadi decided to join us as well. We stayed in our uniform, mostly because it made it easier to explain my undead. The cats, Kaito and Hatsumi were with us. They were here to protect us from attacks, one never knew if there was an assassin lurking somewhere, but also because I thought they might enjoy the experience.

The fair itself had taken over the market square. A big wooden sign read: "The Magnificent Magical Meridins!"

They had erected a lot of colourful tents with plenty of food stalls in between. I could hear some music and the faint sound of laughter, as people seemed to enjoy themselves. The fair was well attended, despite charging one silver as an entry fee.

Kaito got a few curious looks and some people actually thought he was part of the fair. He seemed rather amused by it.

"So, what do we do first?" I asked my friends, my tail wagging excitedly. I had never been to a fair.

"The most impressive performances will be in the big tent at set times. The smaller tents offer some games you can play. There are prizes, like stuffed animals." Helena explained.

"What is the next show in the big tent?" I asked.

"Exotic animals, it starts in 10 minutes." Helena replied.

"Oh, I want to see that!" I said.

"Sounds fun." Cassie agreed.

"Let's go then!" Skadi said.

The tent had seating in a half circle, surrounding a stage. While it was rather full we managed to find a spot on a bench and sat down.

On the stage a man stood. He had a thin curled moustache and wore a purple suit with a big top hat.

"Welcome, dear guests! Today we shall show you fearsome beasts! Monsters, who lurk in the shadows! But worry not! We have those dangerous creatures under control!"

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While he talked a shadow appeared behind him. Out of the darkness a big paw emerged, and pushed the hat of his head. There were gasps from the audience.

"Look out!" A child screamed.

"Huh? Must be the wind!" The man said. Ignoring the paw and picking up his hat. "As I said, dangerous animals. They come at you from the shadows, and eat you!"

This time a big tongue emerged, from the same shadow. It licked his head. The man still had his hat in his hand. "Ah, it seems to be getting wet. Good thing I have a hat!"

"There is a monster behind you!" A child shouted.

He tried to put his hat back on. This time a feline head emerged from the shadow. It looked like a panther. It grabbed the hat with his mouth and pulled it into the shadows.

"Huh?" The man said. Looking at his hand which was no longer holding a hat. "I could have sworn I had a hat."

So far the show seemed to be made for children. They certainly enjoyed the man's antics. Although it did put a smile on my face as well. What fascinated me the most was how well trained their monster was.

"What sort of creature is that? Some form of shadow panther?" I asked Helena.

"Probably. I think they have an illusionist as well though. They are hiding most of its body. It's not really hiding inside a shadow." Helena replied.

On the stage the man kept fooling around. He tripped over a paw, then decided the paw was his hat. The magic involved was rather interesting. Helena was likely right. They used illusions to keep the monster hidden, then had a small black cloud through which the monster acted. It made it seem as if it was a creature living inside a shadow.

Once they were done with their act the monster appeared fully on the stage. It looked similar to a black panther but its tail was armoured and had a stinger.

"That is not a shadow panther. I have never heard of a feline with a stinger like that." I said.

"It would make a great undead. Hey, Nyx, have you considered stabbing things with your tail?" Cassie asked.

"Meow?" It sounded a bit like a question.

"You do have a tail made of bone. Could be a decent weapon." Skadi observed.

"Uh, you could create an ice blade on your tail. Like Chariot." I suggested.

Nyx seemed to ponder the thought.

Meanwhile, Yoru used his magic to form a small top hat out of ice. It looked slightly ridiculous, but also a bit stylish. Yoru preened, showing off his hat. Then Ivy's paw struck and knocked it off his head. Annoyed meowing followed.

On the stage the show continued with a trio of horned rabbits. They were jumping through a burning hoop and performing some other tricks. I had never met a tamer before but it was interesting that the monsters were so well behaved.

Once it was finished I stood up and stretched. Then I blinked, looking at the cats. Yoru wore an ice top hat again. Ivy wore a frozen blood top hat and Kasai had formed a small one from flames.

"What is going on with the hats?" I asked, looking at the cats.

Cassie shrugged. "I guess they really liked the one the man wore."

I looked at Nyx. Nyx looked at her fellow cats. Then a small top hat formed on her head as well. I decided to ignore their antics. Nyx, seemingly satisfied with her work, jumped on my head.

Helena giggled. "You've got a cat with a hat on your head!"

A lot of children pointed at Nyx excitedly. One parent even asked where they could buy a cat with a hat. I had to inform them that she was unique.

After the show we wandered around the fair. I got myself a breaded sausage on a stick. The cats got a few bones from a stall selling fried chicken. Interestingly, Kaito got himself something that looked like cotton, on a stick.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It is a strange creation. Mostly sugar and air. For some reason I actually like it." He mused.

"It's cotton candy, you should try some, Koyuki." Skadi suggested.

I accepted a piece of the strange thing. It was really sweet, but also delicious.

We continued exploring. There was a booth where you had to throw rings on moving sticks. Helena won a small plush teddy, which she gifted me. I rewarded her with a quick kiss.

As the day progressed we bought more food and some drinks. We also watched a small fencing show. Their moves were clearly choreographed but I admired their execution. It was not real combat but they certainly had put some effort into their presentation. There was also a magic show, mostly with light and some fire.

At the end of the day I was exhausted but it had been a really fun experience.

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