[Merrion/Peony/open to mages in the parade]
This was Peony's first festival as a council member, and as such she knew she needed to be visible. Although she had enjoyed watching the parade from the sidelines in the past, she had volunteered to participate, even going so far as to dress her station, which was very rare. In her black robes, with her dark hair flowing down her back and a glowing silver rod in her hands, she might have made an imposing figure had the expression on her face not been as typically serene as usual.
As they progressed through the streets, she lifted her hands and summoned fire to form into a pair of battling dragons above her head - a parlor trick she used in teaching apprentices, sometimes, made on a larger scale - which seemed to greatly please the crowd. She smiled as the children and even sone of the adults gaped and shrieked and pointed up at the spectacle.