[Trade] Silk and Silver

The crowd at this abandoned human building was perhaps the biggest Quinn had ever encountered. The silvery grey utahraptor carefully ducked out of the path of the heavy feet of a passing therizinosaurus, raising his head and attempting to sniff out his companion. Quinn huffed in annoyance as he finally caught a hint- all the way on the other side of a room. With a sigh the raptor began to make his way through the crowd, thankful for once for the sharp spikes on his back; other dinosaurs were careful to stay out of his way, as little as he was in comparison for fear of being poked.

The sound of happy, familiar laughter was what finally helped Quinn locate his target- the brown and white utahraptor he had been searching for, snickering with a very pleased white and pink oviraptor dressed in some… ridiculous outfit. Likely one of the staff for this strange little place, then. The white oviraptor noticed Quinns approach first, smiling widely and waving in a friendly fashion despite the irritated flare of his feathers.

“Oh! Quinn!” Seraph yelped, sheepishly scratching at the ground. “Sorry! I got bored and wandered off, and then I met Snowdrop here! She was telling me all about what she does at this festival… you should hear it too! Where were we, again?”

“Oh, yes!” Snowdrop chirped, waving a wing dramatically. “I am one of the main performers of the festival. In about… hmm… 30 minutes, I will be performing a grand show for the guests at the nature wing. However, I find myself lacking in comrades to act by my side- which is why I have been searching the crowd! Would you like to assist me? Ill make sure you are compensated for your time!”

Seraph gasped, looking excited. “Oh! That seems like it would be fun!” He looked back over towards Quinn, a bit of hesitance showing. “Quinn?”

The silvery utahraptor let out a long breath but could not lie, he was interested too by the proposal. Still. He had questions? “What would this consist of?” Quinn quizzed, stepping closer to the oviraptor. “What would you have us doing?”

“Its simple!” Snowdrop chirped. “I’ll take you to a side room, find some costumes for you, and we’ll take our place as our displays. It's simple, really; just some displays of grace, agility, beauty. It will only last for a few hours, and you’ll be rewarded with snacks and tickets!” 

Seraph seemed even more eager at the prospect, and Quinn could not say he himself did not perk up at the mention of dressing up- it was an act he rarely got to engage in, with the sharp spikes on his back and all. Surely they would have something that would fit him. “Alright, alright.” Quinn grumbled, shaking out his feathers. “Let's go, then.”

“Excellent! Follow me.” Snowdrop clapped her claws together, before taking off at a swift pace. The two raptors scrambled to follow her, ducking through the small, crowded halls and entering a completely different part of this museum. This part was seemingly themed all about nature; fake replicas of plants were contained in narrow displays, stuffed mammals posed in dramatic displays and even large rocks and crystals. Various dinosaurs were posed on these structures, dressed in mis-matched outfits and performing dramatic displays. On one, a trio of tapejara were showing off various shiny objects like proud ravens; and on another, an albertosaurus balanced two oviraptors on her back. Snowdrop greeted the other performers as she led Quinn and Seraph back, eventually making her way to a small, half broken down room off to the side. “In here!”

The room was cramped despite its decent size, space taken up by a huge assortment of boxes thrown across the area. Various fabrics, ropes, and jewelry were scattered across the room, centered around a cracked but clean mirror. “Alright!” Snowdrop spun around as Quinn and Seraph entered the closet, showing off her outfit. It was some kind of feathery boa around her body, seemingly freshly cleaned and free of dust. A hat was haphazardly placed on her head, seemingly kept on by her crest. “Hm… come here Seraph!” She gestured the brown and white utahraptor over to the mirror, before rummaging around in the various fabrics. Snowdrop returned with something silky and soft in her claws. “Any interest in this?”

“Ohh! That looks great!” Seraph dipped his head, allowing the oviraptor to drape the fabric over her shoulders. They sat nicely against his feathers, although they were long enough to ever so slightly drag on the floor. The brown utahraptor turned in place a few times, allowing them to swish over the floor. “Perfect!” He grinned at Snowdrop, before scooting out of the way and allowing Quinn to take his place. The silver utahraptor was much more bashful, looking around slightly nervously at the various fabrics. It seemed like most of them would tear when in contact with his spikes- would anything work?

“Hm…” Snowdrop walked around Quinn slowly, observing the spikes along his feathers. She even tapped a claw against one, seemingly to test its sharpness. “We can’t put any fabric on your back… but who would want to hide these lovely spikes anyways?” Instead of grabbing fabric like she had for Quinn, the oviraptor instead grabbed various jewelry. She carefully wove them around the raptors thorny spines, and placed some kind of clear, plastic crown upon his head. Quinn felt a bit foolish, but when he looked in a mirror he couldn't help but smile; his spikes almost gleamed where the jewelry hit him, making him sparkle. Perfect.

The three made their way out of the closet, Snowdrop leading them over to the nearest empty display. It was some kind of rock formation, with fake, plastic plants growing on the sides. Seraph was quick to climb up, sitting on one of the rock ledges and settling in. Snowdrop made her way up to the other side, leaving Quinn to scramble onto the highest perch. The utahraptor squinted a bit- while the lighting was far from harsh, their station was close to an open hole in the roof. Cold wind occasionally fluttered in, ruffling their feathers and fabrics. “Now what do we do?” Quinn turned to Snowdrop.

The white and pink oviraptor smiled back. “Follow my lead! Copy my motions.” She began to dance in place, slow, dramatic movements that showed off her feathers and the boa around her neck. “Don’t be afraid to mix it up!” Seraph and Quinn quickly joined suit, beginning to bob and weave, ruffling and flexing their feathers in graceful movements. The silk around Seraphs body almost flew in the air, adding an air of elegance. The jewelry on Quinn made a soft tinking sound as it swung against his spikes, creating an almost musical sound. Various visitors paused in their travels, cheering them on before continuing on their way. If he closed his eyes, Quinn could almost let himself get lost in it all; the cold breeze against his feathers, the soft movements of the dance, the tinking of the metal. When he opened his eyes again, he met Seraph's gaze. Something passed between them, and Quinn had an idea. There was plenty of room up on his platform- at least for two. The raptor backed up ever so slightly, holding out his claws. Seraph lit up, quickly taking up the offer and jumping upwards. He cleared it in a single leap, landing besides Quinn with a large grin on his face. 

The duo began a two creature dance, gently weaving around each other as they waved the wing facing away outwards. Feathers brushed feathers, and fabric and jewelry met. The two spun together above the rest of the crowd, drowning it all out for a moment as they danced together under the moonlight with twin smiles on their faces.

But the moment could not last forever, and eventually they lost the wind they had. “Hey! You guys did great!” Quinn and Seraph jolted, almost falling off the platform as they startled. Snowdrop blinked up at them, the dawn light turning her feathers ever so slightly orange. Red tickets were held in her claws, which she quickly offered to the two raptors. She had at some point returned her outfit, but the oviraptor raised her claw as Quinn and Seraph scrambled to shed theirs. “You can keep what you have on- consider it a thanks for a job well done.” Snowdrop winked, handing them the tickets. “And if you ever want to perform again? We’d be happy to have you!”