The gentle thumps of hooves stomping the rough, dry dirt had long since faded for a sharp and melodious clatter to take over. The wheels no longer rumbled upon untamed ground but creaked against the cobblestones beneath them, offering a smoother ride.
The frequent rustling of leaves and squeaking of bats had been replaced by distant voices and noises guaranteed to echo from the heart of and through a great town.
The constant jingle of harnesses came to a late halt after, lingering for a second once the carriage had stopped. It was only then that the veil rendering Arabella's gemstone eyes dull had been lifted, breaking out of a daze to earn a sharper stare.
Head snapping from left to right in order to glimpse her surroundings, despite the strong lights penetrating the windows that prevented her from doing so.
"Here we are," Katherine smiled, shifting in her spot.
A single but loud clack rose through the night, followed by softer footsteps that stopped right by the door which swayed open slowly after that.
Katherine stood from her place and took the valet's hand, stepping down the little stairs with much grace.
Arabella copied her actions for both women to stand between the end of a forest and the entrance of an obviously more civilized area.
The clattering of hooves resumed when the carriage took off, leaving the two of them out there.
A sizable, concave stone bridge lay ahead, connecting two sides of the hushed river underneath it. Quiet as a pond on a summer night, only light bounced against its motionless surface.
Katherine took a deep breath, her grin widening, "Welcome to KasselMoon,"
Arabella's gaze tailed Katherine's upwards, along the two, round metal pillars that ascended so high into the sky, they could've served as towers.
Posted from each side, at the very beginning of the bridge, the potent lights from those lampposts had pierced the misty layer of clouds. Shining so bright, they'd cast a gleam upon the entirety of the enormous ebony sign that had been secured with thick metal chains to the lanterns for it to hang above every newcomer's head.
In letters, almost as big as the sign itself, "KasselMoon" had been etched into its body.
"The moon always shines upon KasselMoon, no matter the weather," a little giggle escaped Katherine, "Right then, let us go," she'd half stated, half asked.
"Oh…Yes!" as though freed from yet another trance, Arabella had blurted out in a haste before walking behind Katherine.
The clicking of their heels against the worn smooth cobblestone was the only thing to shatter the prevailing soundscape. That was, of course, until Katherine had spoken again, "I hope you don't mind walking," she threw a glance at Arabella before quickly adding, "Not that it is going to be too long of a stride,"
"I don't mind it at all," Arabella shook her head, smiling.
"Lady Persephone has personally requested that the carriage stop at the entrance of the town. Normally, we'd go straight where needed, but…," she trailed off momentarily, "You've been nowhere ever since you arrived in Umbraria. I suppose she believes it'd be a shame to keep you cooped up and restricted to the limits of the property,"
"That is very thoughtful of her," Arabella muttered.
"Very thoughtful indeed," Katherine affirmed.
The first dwellings beyond the bridge appeared to be smaller than those nestled deeper within the town.
Despite acquiring some knowledge on the place through years of reading, amazed would have been too weak of a word to accurately describe her feelings at that moment. Arabella could not decide whether the gargoyles adorning every structure were grotesque or simply, frighteningly stunning.
Between the timber-framed houses and the intricately carved stone constructions, the commonality resided in their steeply pitched roofs and pointed arches.
"The gargoyles decorating a house can enlighten you as to what creature owns it," Katherine's voice wrenched Arabella's eyes away, only for them to land back upon those gargoyles.
Some were freakishly bigger while others stood minuscule in comparison, reflecting nicely upon the tinted glass of the closest windows to them. Pointy ears and wide upper bodies were often a depiction of flesh-eating ghouls. On the other hand, tall and slender builds often referred to vampires and the large, clawed, hunched over figures represented wolf folks.
It hadn't been the biggest part of Arabella's education, but she was, at least, aware of the practice.
Arabella's eyes traveled back onto the empty road before them, and as the buildings grew bigger and prettier, the street became narrower the more of it they followed, but what had piqued her interest the most, was the fact that not a soul had yet to cross their path. Not one.
Instead, those distant voices and inhumane noises drew nearer as their humming came and ebbed in waves, echoing everywhere, all through the empty streets and winding paths threading KasselMoon.
Katherine's chuckle ripped Arabella's attention in her direction again, "I see that look on you! You won't see anyone just yet. Such is the nightlife in KasselMoon for not even the lone souls amble the outskirts,"
A stronger breeze blew past the women, causing Arabella to shudder, forcing her to grasp and pull the fabric of her cloak forward in order to shield herself further.
The gust brought more than the cold their way. It carried the weight of muffled conversations, mingled with the far-away sounding laughter of children. That wasn't all however as growls, clapping, feeble squeaking and even the booming of explosions tagged along.
"Brace yourself and watch your steps," the grin across Katherine's face did not instill much comfort in Arabella.
Right there, a few feet ahead, the street they walked seemed to finally end, opening on something much vaster where a lot of movement and lights of many hues danced together as the cacophony only grew more obstinate with each step forward.
The muffling diminished until it completely withered the instant Arabella had crossed the threshold from the street to the town square.
As large as the grayish constructions surrounding it were, their sizes held no candle to the sheer broadness of that space.
Bustling and brimming with life it was, Arabella's senses were confounded as to what of it should be admired first.
There was so much activity, in fact, that Katherine had to seize Arabella's hand in order not to lose her among the masses.
Fireworks of the kinds Arabella had never witnessed wretched little jolts out of her upon eruption, painting their surroundings with various bewitching colors.
Wooden tables were not so neatly arranged near taverns to make outdoor bars where people and creatures of different shapes sat, laughing, arguing and clinking their glasses together at times.
As she weaved through the crowd, it dawned on Arabella that many eyes tracked her every move.
From the ghouls that towered over the rest of the population, to the pale bloodsuckers that only offered courteous nods and smiles when spotting the brooch on her chest. Even the children that ran between everyone's legs would stop to glare at Arabella very momentarily. Some would whisper things into each other's ears while others would attempt to smile in her face only for their glistening eyes and toothy grins to betray their cravings.
Shivering at the thought only made her realize that the cold of the night had quit gnawing on her skin for quite a while.
Though it was no surprise, considering the assembly of the many breeds had raised the temperature surrounding that stretch of KasselMoon with their bodies and warm breaths.
"Are you alright?" Katherine gave her hand a little squeeze as she looked back.
"Oh… yes…," mouth agape and a dreamy smile on her features, Arabella whisked her head out of the way right on time for a sparkling fairy to zoom past it.
Not long after that, an entire flock of them came flashing by in an almost synchronized tide.
Arabella's gaze followed them as they went only for her attention to fall on a small and pointy eared group of people huddled together as though gathered for a purpose of utmost seriousness.
She immediately turned towards the next thing the moment the yellow eyes of those goblins all instantaneously snapped onto her.
Black, pointy hats were what had captivated her after those, resting upon the heads of some odd-looking women, all dressed in black. Six or seven of them stood conversing amongst each other, cackling at times and throwing their long, frizzy hair back in the process.
"Try not to stare for too long, Arabella," Katherine gave her a gentle tug, "Especially not at goblins and witches. It might offend them," she added in a firmer tone.
Kathrine made a stop which forced Arabella to do the same, noting that people around them also stood in one place and no longer moved.
"We're through the hub and we've reached the performance center, but we can't linger for the moment being. Believe it or not but the tailor we're to visit is actually human and usually closes shop around midnight," said Katherine.
Up until Katherine had mentioned it, Arabella hadn't paid much attention to the people marching around with brooches on their chests.
They, along with herself, were a minority out there.