Those that weren't betting were dressed divinely, in sequin-studded dresses, silver and gold jewelry, and various pets for acessories. Jierati, one of the first rescued Hylans, walked through the crowd as looked around, itching in a tuxedo.

Silvanon walked through the crowds in a silver tiger-striped dress, wearing her hair down with a ruby bracelet on her left wrist. Her necklace bared a hand-crafted charm of Kyrienev, the self-appointed spokesdrigus. She played slightly with the zone's trio of Drigetti, especially Relisa, whose glow illuminated Silvanon's dress with an eerie light.

Darkhorse walked through the salad bar, wearing a dark sapphire dress to accentuate her already black body. The back of the dress was rather revealing to acommodate her wings, which were beaded in emerald on the tips. She wore plain gold jewelry, and looked rather ravishing to Jierati.

TalonsHawk was another of the anthropomorphs. She wore a ruby dress to compliment her wings, and a rainbow festhersnake was by her side, coiling around her arm. She didn't wear much jewelry besides her armband, but with those wings, who needed it?

Jaysen and Kvn stood around in black and white tuxedos, much like Jierati's, except his had flares to accomodate his huge feet. They both stood to the side of the crowds, out of place. Jierati went past them.

He walked over to Jekkal. She had already washed off her normal tattoos for Festival, and had replaced them with designs on her hood and wings in intricate patterns outlined in gold, and colored in red and green. She wore a red slik vest, which was to be expected (Semites are not big on clothes) and introduced her sister Selani, who was dressed in the same. Dari-kun simply had gold-outlined tattoos along her face and wings, and wore a flame-colored cocktail dress.

The sun was setting, and the stars shone in the right places, like they were supposed to. The crowds were cooling down, and the makeshift stage had been set up and already Jekkal was heading over to it, And Dari-kun and Selani sat at the edge of the stage, ready for anything that might happen, although they were mostly sure nothing would.

The crowd was at a murmur when Jekkal came up to the small podium. "Welcome to the 1999 SIZ Festival Awards. Tonight marks the last official day of Festival, as the waters of the Outer Sea rise again to cover Intera for another nine months. Although the celebration has lasted all season, tonight we finally recognize who has been the best of the best throughout this land and all lands. Giving the award for best Genetic agency tonight is Razi from Gaza. Come on up here, big boy."

A clip-clop of hooves could be heard as Razi truged forward, covered by a mask and blanket that were a navy velvet, trimmed in gold. He made his way up to the stage, and reared to stand at the podium.

"You know, a funny thing happened to me on the way to here from Gaza. I was going through the ship's cafeteria and I saw the-"

"RAZI!" Zera shouted, annoyed.

"Okay, forget that joke. Anyway, the award for Best Genetic agency goes to.... Mahnon Pah'llocks!" Darkhorse flew up to the stage, met by Quibec who wore a gold casing over her horns, and held a small diskette with Darkhorse's award– A graphic set. Darkhorse picked up the disk from between Quibec's horns, walked up to the podium, and was abotu to make her speech when–

"THE VOTE WAS RIGGED!" A high-pitched, repilian voice erupted from the crowd.

"Not this again...." Jekkal moaned softly, in the corner of the stage.

"Cousin! Keep your voice down! She explained the thing already...." Talonshawk kept to a whisper, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"LIDRA'OCKS WON AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Bronze Scale, or should I to call you BS, 'cause you're certainly full of it...."

"AM NOT!" she cried.

"Jekkal!" TH cocked her head.

"Sorry, TH, but she is...."

Bronze Scale flew up, and tried to snatch the disk out of Darkhorse's hand. Jekkal grabbed Bronze Scale's wings and wrestled her to the ground, pinned. "DARI!"

"You call, Jek?" Dari-kun ran up.

"Dunk the dragon." She said, tossing Bronze Scale into the Princess's arms, and then a few ropes. Dari-Kun led Bronse Scale behind the stage for a minute....

The next few minutes were spent listening to the all-out brawl between the two dragons, singing the back of the curtain numerous times. As the dust and smoke cleared, Bronze Scale was bound and gagged, and Dari-kun was leading her down to the 'tail' of the windship to dunk her.

"Moving right along...." Jekkal said, motioning for everyone to take their seats again. "The next award for Best Non-Pernese Dragon Agency will be awarded by Jamot Jaipai Haley."

The Jamot Jaipai trotted up in a dark purple dress, accentuated by a golden bacelet and simple loop earring. Her tail swished and shook with every tiny movement, and was forever restless. She walked up to the podium, looking over the envelope and a sheet of paper.

"Hrmmm... Well, I guess since the catfight took up a lot of my speech time... Is that the right word? Catfight? Should I have said dragonfight? Or..."

"Ah, no one cares." One of the Paerchers spoke.

"Fine. Anyway, the award for Best Non-Pernese Dragon goes to.... the Devi!"

A blue-painted coyote comes forth, as she is headed off by Jekkal's two Devi. Dion, the wood devi, held a Sitar, and as soon as she landed, began to play a tune on it. Nardine, the Dream Devi, had another small diskette with Coyol's graphic set.

Coyola turns up to the podium. "You love me! You really love me!" Then she runs over to Jekkal and gives her a half-hearted SLURP before she grabs the diskette and runs off the stage. Jekkal stads stupified for five seconds before she snaps out of it and takes the podium again.

"Okay.... the next award for Best Pernese Agency will be awarded by... well...." Jekkal turns to look behind the stage. "DARI-KUN? YOU DONE WITH HER YET?"

"COMING!" Dari-kun clears the back of the stage with her wings, holding Bronze Scale by her collar, tied up and gagged. "Before I start, would someone mind holding her down until after this award's been given?"

"I'll hold!" Shyara says, with Cynther right next to her. Dari Kun half-heartedly tossed Bronze Scale into their arms, sqirming.

"Okay, now, I haven't really rehearsed for this, but I bet a lot of you think this is just something for the bigshots, right?"

"DUUUUUUUHHHHH!" A roar erupts from the crowd.

"Well, allow me to say that ain't true in this case. The award for Best Pernese agency goes to Skysong's Pernese Impressions!"

A dragon comes forth and plucks the disk straight from Dari-kun's hands, perching on the back of the stage. Dari-kun passes the microphone to her. "Man, I didn't think I'd win any award! Whoever got me nominated for that one, thank you!"

"Now that's a good sport. Take a seat, sugarbeat!" and with a round of applause, Skysong returns to the crowd.

Jekkal takes the podium again, but not before Bronze Scale–

HHHHHRRRRROOOWWWRRRR!

A ball of fire erupts in front of Jekkal, setting fire to the envelope for Best Search Agency. Dari-kun and Selani get a hold of Bronze Scale, but not before her damage has been done.

"Ladies, Gentleman, and none of the above! We're in trouble! The envelope telling who won the next award has been burned, and the name of the winner destroyed! We can't tell who won!"

<Of course you can tell!> Selia marched up, mostly in jewelery. <Aren't the award sets customed to each winner?>

"Yeah...."

<And is the disk containing that award set destroyed?>

"No...."

<Well, then, see what the set is customed for.>

"Now, Dari-kun, I think we'd be better off clipping her wings." Jekkal spoke to the Dragon Princess.

"Can't. You know the guest policy...."

Jekkal sighed, and rubbed the top of her hood for two seconds. "Well, do something." She walked back to the podium. "Okay, the catagory of best equine agency is the last normal and one of the most vied catagories. It was a close run, but the winner is....."

"Oh please, oh please, oh please...." Lexington whispered, crossing her fingers and legs, sinking into the chair.

"The flame unicorns!"

"EEEEEEEYAAAAAHHOOOOO!!!!!" Lexington burst from her seat, stepping on people's heads until she reache d the front row, and then vaulted to the stage with the help of an invisible force that materialized into Surprize Flame. Jekkal handed her the disk. "Oh, man, I feel like I shoudl be lfying at about this point!"

"I'll help you with the launch." Jekkal grabbed her right arm, swung her around a few times, and let go, tossing Lexington all the way back into her seat.

"Okay, now before I announce the winner of the Best Cyberadoption Webiste, I want to pass out the awards for the Pet shows. 3rd place is held by Myrror's Crilonian Dragons, 2nd place goes to Silvanon's Fashion the Drigus, and 1st place goes to Lady Brooklyn's Episode I horses!"

A roar of pure plaudit erupts as the three webmistresses and their winning pets come up to the stage and accepted their award buttons. A slight curtsy/bow was given, and then they went back to her seats.

"And now... the moment we've all been waiting for.... Who, I repeat, WHO, won the award for Best Cyberadoption Website? Now, clear the audience, please. The two who are vieing for this year's title, step forward into the space.

A circle five yards in circumference grew from the crowd, as Silvanon as Darkhorse had a minor staredown beofre Jekkal arrived in the center of the circle, waving the envelope with a gold seal on it. "Okay, I trust you guys brought examples of all your adoptables, as I requested before tonight?"

Darkhorse smiled as she spread her wings and behind them, Allani stood, flanked by a Papillion. Behind the trio, A Tir Dragon stood, with a Gryphon scrabbling to hold onto the Dragon's head.

Silvanon grew a sly grin as Kyrienev walked up to her, followed by Varyn, two of her unicorns, A small flock of Santrysta canaries, Shaundith, Zeram, and a few of the horses from the kings stables.

"Forget it, Silv." Darkhorse spoke. "I've won for both Genetics and Searching."

"Oh, really?" Silvanon hissed. "As I hear it, they were close. VERY close."

"Girls? And I use the term loosely. You mind if open the envelope and find out for real?"

"Open the envelope. We all know who wins." Silvanon said.

"Not you two, by the looks on your faces. The winning website is...." Jekkal opened the envelope, releasing a dragon-winged Chrysalis Horse, who zipped around until she reached a spot where a sleeping Riph-tal was stationed. He woke up, and released one of Teva Rift's spokes-firelizards, Armlet, who carried a canister, in golden trim. He dropped it, allowing it to flutter to the ground. It opened immeidately upon it's landing on the ground, releasing a firework that shot into the sky. And what was left on the ground unrolled, to tell the name.

"TIR'NA'BAINNE'GILE'LAIR!"Jekkal screamed.

"YESSSSSSSSS!" Darkhorse cired, rising into the air, while Silvanon stood there in shock.

"B-b-b-b-but...." She muttered.

"Don't worry, Silv. There's always next year." Myrror came up to console her.