The sun had fully dropped over Vulcarose, which quickly became cold and dark, a stark contrast from the heat earlier in the day. The night life of Vulcarose emerged soon after, the many obelisks around the city began to glow and emit heat. Several buildings closed for the day, while many others opened for the night! Stalls began selling exclusive items and drinks. Isobella sat on a bench with Drasna, both enjoying a bag of cactus fruit candy. The flavor was mildly sweet and vaguely tart with a refreshing after taste. Drasna had begun tossing them in the air, to catch them in her mouth, which made Isobella applaud.

  “Bravo, but you’ve already eaten half the bag, Drasna.”

  “Hey it's not my fault it's so tasty! Although it might be for the best if you hide the bag.”

  Isobella rolled her eyes and tucked the candy away in her travel bag, “I want to find a bigger venue and watch the professional belly dancers, shall we get going?”

  “Yeah let’s get going! If the ones we’ve been seeing already are amateurs, I can’t imagine what the professionals can do.”

  Isobella nodded with excitement, “I overheard people talking today, apparently the Chromatic Dance Troupe is a must see! They’re all sorcerers who blend traditional dancing with their magic for an unforgettable performance! They perform at a tavern called The Trove, it's close to the Pyramid of Knowledge..”

  Drasna smirked, “Wow you’re really excited about this!” She stood up and reached out her hand, “Shall I escort you to the venue M’lady?”

  Isobella giggled and accepted the hand, “You may, most honorable bodyguard, let us make haste.”

  The two interlaced their fingers and walked towards The Trove. Drasna couldn’t help but feel chilly, the desert at night put the top of her mountain to shame. As a Dragon Fist monk she could use her ki to warm herself, but decided to pursue a different solution. She rested her head on Isobella’s shoulder, the noble was warm and even her traveling clothes were soft and smelled of vanilla and blackberries. It had become her favorite scent, sometimes her own clothes would smell of it as well.

  The Trove was a fancy building, easy to spot among all the other ones around it. The sandstone was polished and red, imported from the Red Cliffs a hundred miles away. The atmosphere was welcoming with a thick purple mat leading inside. Exotic music, heavy with wood winds, violin, and finger cymbals. They entered the tavern and were met with a set of stairs, upon descending they discovered how massive the tavern was. The Trove had been dug deep into the ground, with wood panels and flooring. The chairs were large, having been converted from barrels with polished mahogany tables.

  The two took a table with a good view of the stage, and ordered both jerked and honeyed pork, with some pomegranate wine. The tavern was surprisingly beautiful and comfortable for being in the middle of the desert. Their food arrived quickly via a bubbly tiefling waiter.

  Isobella took a bite of her food, “This place is certainly a trove alright, I’m impressed, and the food is wonderful.”

  Drasna nodded, “I’m surprised we were able to get in so quickly!”

  Isobella hummed in thought, kicking her feet, “It’s what you’d call a hidden gem, its quality is not due to popularity, but loyal patrons and large tips.”

  Before Drasna could respond, the magical lights dimmed and a human dancer with red hair walked onto the stage. She wore a red dancer outfit, the crowd cheered as the band began to play. The dancer moved and spun a lot, making her costume twirl and jingle. She began to move fast with the music, making embers appear and flicker, until the stage erupted into flames. Everyone was forced to cover their eyes from the light. The entire tavern felt 10 degrees warmer, and as everyone's gaze returned to the stage there was a new dancer.

  The second dancer was a dark skinned girl with short blue hair, and a white dancer's outfit. Her performance was different than the previous, with more focus put into her hips and belly. Drasna paid close attention and took mental notes, whilst enjoying every minute of the show. Snow began to fall in the room, eventually falling so thick that the dancer once again became shrouded.

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  The third dancer appeared with a loud flash and bang which cleared all the snow, this time a purple tiefling in a blue outfit holding a scimitar in both hands. The crowd cheered once more as the dancer spun and thrust her blades, each crackling with lightning and showering sparks. Her tail acted as a third leg, allowing the dancer to perform unconventional motions and poses.

  The stage quickly became enveloped in green fog that almost smelt sour, but it faded just as quickly as it came. The fourth dancer, a lamia in a green outfit emerged from the fog. She moved like a snake charmed by a flute, working her belly with the iconic roll and blew a few kisses to the men in the crowd. The green fog emerged once again to allow the 5th and final dancer to swap in. She was an elf as indicated by the pointy ears with a black outfit. She flicked open two folding fans waving and spinning them as she teetered back and forth. Each fan had sheer fabric attached to the end which gave a tantalizing illusion to look at.

  The lights in the tavern suddenly went out and the music ceased, only for both to return within a few seconds, revealing all five dancers now on stage. The music ramped up as each dancer performed their specific dances, each earning mountains of applause and cheering. Many of the patrons stood up and as the finale began, each dancer put their magic together forming a glowing sphere. The resulting explosion left particles of all colors slowly falling from the ceiling, as all five of them bowed.

  Isobella and Drasna enjoyed the dancers until late into the evening before finding a quality Inn to spend the night in. The room smelled of Sandalwood and fresh cotton, with a soft orange rug under the bed.

  Isobella was still excited from the show, “That was amazing! I’m so glad we came here! Everything has been better than I could imagine!”

  Drasna sat on the bed with an ear to ear grin, “Which one was your favorite! I think I liked the second dancer the best! All cool and mysterious with the ice magic, and her moves!”

  Isobella shook her head, “I disagree, the second was very good, but the third dancer was the highlight, the addition of props added a sense of danger! Plus her lightning magic was so pretty!”

  Drasna nodded, “I guess so…Hey Izzy, will you be okay by yourself for a while?”

  Isobella cocked her head, “I suppose, I brought a book, but why?”

  Drasna began to put her sandal on, “I saw something cool earlier, it's pretty far away, so I was gonna run and see if it was still there. I bet your feet are tired, so I wanted to spare you.”

  Isobella sat on the bed, “How thoughtful, do you need to borrow some gold to buy it?”

  Drasan shook her head, and grabbed her traveling bag, “Nah its fine, you’ve been funding the whole trip, I can pay for it. Anyway I’ll be back soon.”

  Drasna leaned in for a goodbye kiss and rushed out the door to make her way towards Studio Green. She ran with full speed, weaving between people skillfully, she was able to run the whole way, thanks to going up and down the mountain at home so often. She spotted the large sign and stepped inside, where a blue skinned tiefling wearing a pink dancers outfit greeted her.

  “Welcome to Studio Green! Are you a dancer?”

  Drasna shook her head, “Not yet, but I really want to learn, except I’m only here for another day. Someone told me to come here, they said to try…um, baldy style?”

  The store clerk muffled a laugh, “I think you mean baladi style, I have a detailed guide book with lots of pictures, I’m guessing you also want an outfit?”

  Drasna nodded, “Thank you, and yes…um, I don’t have a ton of money….what can I get for 35 gold? It’s sorta all I have, I left the other half at home…”

  The clerk frowned for a moment, “I sell specialized performance wear, but I suppose I can part with something in the middle row for that. Come let's take a look.”

  Drasna looked and felt the fabrics of the belly dancing outfits, they all looked pretty with all the flowing fabric, and shiny jingling bits. She skipped over the pink and blue ones, they were flashy. She liked the purple one, but that was Isobella’s color. Eventually her eyes landed on the perfect one. It was a forest green with bronze jingles and sheer black sleeves and scarf. A bronze circlet and other costume jewelry was included.

  The clerk mused, “Oolalala, that would look ravishing on you, green already seems to be your color.”

  Drasna nodded happily, “It's for my lovely Isobella, I’ll take it!”

  The tiefling smiled, “Oh are you learning to impress someone special? How romantic. Here, I'll show you how to put it on and teach you a few moves to practice.”