• Closed • More Lanterns?!

[Bao Bao]

30th Cylus, 721

Bao walked around with awe written over his features, staring up at the beautiful Cylus sky for one last night. Tomorrow would see the return of the sun. As much as he was tired of the cold and was excited to see light again, he had to admit there was a beauty to the dark. Something felt magical about it. Maybe that was just how Bao viewed life in general, but it was a good belief to have. If everything was beautiful in some way then everything was worth admiring, which made the world that much brighter to be a part of.

Slowly, Bao approached a small stand that was selling cookies to a group of small children. Mixed in with the children was one Cadouri, standing at around five feet tall, a river otter. She turned to Bao and smiled. "Good trial, friend" she said to the Red Panda, making him smile wide as he approached her and gave her a big hug, excited to see one of his own. With a grin, the river otter hugged him back. "To you too, my friend. To you too. I see Idalos has been treating you well?" he asked, smiling up to one of the many Cadouri on the island.

With a nod and a pat on Bao's head, the tall otter told Bao she couldn't stay long but wished him well. Walking away, Bao saw her arrive at a group of parents with all the children at her side, clearly acting as a family friend. As her and the parents walked away she turned back, waving to Bao with a warm smile, the parents noticing and giving him the same wave. "Goodbye, friends!" Bao called out to them all, jumping excitedly until they were out of sight before turning to face the woman selling cookies. As he did, he wiped a small tear from his face, one of great joy and happiness to see his own people so integrated with the world already. "Two please" he smiled up to the owner of the stall, a sniffle in his voice as another tear formed.

Having seen the prior interaction, the owner left the stall and came around the front with cookies in hand, kneeling down to Bao and handing him them. The red panda looked up to her with a warm look, failing at his small attempt to hide his tears. With one finger she wiped under his eyes as he clutched his cookies, giving him a reassuring look. "In case you haven't be told it yet already, welcome to Idalos" she smiled, gently brushing his fur aside. Bao nodded softly and placed a hand on her arm. "Thank you. Glad to be here."

Smiling, the woman stood herself up as Bao offered out his coin for the cookies. "You enjoy yourself now, take care" she smiled, taking the coin from him and giving him a small wave goodbye. With a small bite, the Cadouri started to walk towards a bench that wasn't already being used. When he got there he made sure to brush off as much snow as he could, wrapped up in his coat and clutching onto the blanker that Saoire gave him as he used it as a scarf. His other hand held the cookies, both around the size of his head, and he realized he might have bought one cookie too many for his size.

Grinning to himself, Bao made sure to sit to the side in case anyone wished to join him.

`

[Elisabeth Black]

Elisabeth…. was sad.

Cylus was coming to an end and that meant her time in the city was too. Soon, within trials, it would be time for her to board the boat to Rharne. Rharne was her home and she had responsibilities there – at least for the time being until residency in the city didn’t make sense anymore. She didn’t know when that would be, but she sensed a decision would need to be made sooner rather than later. No one had asked her to, but it seemed logical that at some point, it would happen. Splitting time between two cities wasn’t practical and being a realist was something she prided herself in.

Leaving meant leaving behind people she cared about though. Her friends, Balthazar. The time she had spent in Scalvoris had been special and as much as she wanted to get back to Rharne, her heart felt torn in two. The young woman wanted to stay too. They hadn’t planned to stay in Scalvoris so long, but things had changed after arriving from Viden, and it seemed everyone was tied up with new matters that couldn’t wait, drawing them to the city. It would have been selfish to ask any of them to come with her, so she simply remained silent.

Elisabeth didn't want to leave Balthazar - at all. The man meant the world to her and if her world was in Scalvoris, why was she leaving? It was a conundrum to be sure. The pull between responsibility and want.

Cylus also gave her a gift – darkness. Her over-active mind thrived in the dark season, able to focus better without the distraction of light. At least that meant whatever she needed to think about, she was able to do so more easily. It had always been that way for her so in part, Elisabeth was grateful that it was during that season that she had so much to think upon.

Sighing softly as she made her way to a place where she could see the lanterns, Elisabeth had hoped that seeing them would brighten her mood, but she was beginning to feel as though her mood was unsalvageable. Looking around, she wanted to find a place to sit and consider matters, and that’s when she saw a Cadouri occupying a bench. Arching her eyebrow softly, she slowly moved towards the bench, giving a soft smile. “Is this seat taken? I was hoping to sit here and watch the lanterns. I understand if you are saving a seat for someone else though.” The young woman hadn’t spent much time around Cadouri so she was a bit unsure, but hopefully, everything would be alright.

[Bao Bao]

As the people moved around Cylus, lanterns being readied with every moment to light up the sky, Bao chewed lightly on a cookie in his hand. One of the things he had adored the most in Scalvoris was the food. Perhaps it was just the Cadouri way, but food meant a lot to him, it was always a way to relax and recover no matter what had happened in the trial beforehand. Sweet food, Bao had to admit, topped his list more than most others. Something about the sugar and the deep flavors gave him a rush. Maybe he'd learn to make his own sweet food someday so that he could share that joy with others.

As he sat down on the bench and munched on the first of two cookies, coat wrapped around him tight and snug, he closed his eyes for just a moment and listened. Footsteps crunched in the snow, people laughed and talked, some animals made sounds in the distance. At that moment he thanked Saoire with a prayer, addressing her as 'mother' and telling her how happy he was. With a wish farewell, he ended the prayer abruptly, hearing someone ask him a question.

Slowly, with cookie crumbs starting to make a mess over his coat, Bao turned to see Elisabeth and smiled. "You can sit here, I'm not waiting for anyone" Bao stated happily, munching on a cookie as she took her seat. Once he had finished what was in his mouth Bao spoke, not wanting to have bad table (bench?) manners.

"My name is Bao, it's good to meet you" he smiled politely, turning to look out to the beaches and all of the people excited and happy. Curious and wanting to make conversation, the Cadouri turned to Elisabeth and gestured out to the beaches. "I've never seen the lanterns here before, not like this. My people weren't around to. Have you ever seen them?" he beamed, eyes taking in everything around him as he watched. There was a level of fascination for the world in every look he gave, every glance he made in every direction.

As he did so he felt his stomach start to get full, looking down at the cookie and a half he had left. Odds were he could finish the first cookie, but his assumption that two would be too much was correct. Not wanting food to go to waste, Bao turned to Elisabeth who was still but a stranger at this point - not that it mattered in Bao's mind. It never hurt to be nice to people, after all. "Would you like a cookie? I thought they were small so I bought two but...well, they're small for you, but it's bigger than my head!"

He chortled a little as he held up his own half-eaten cookie, comparing it to his head and realizing he wasn't actually wrong about the cookie being slightly larger than his head. With an amused grin, he offered the untouched treat out to the stranger, hoping it would make her happy. If she didn't want it he might be able to find a small family that would share it or some other Cadouri that would want to try it. That would have to be later, he thought, as it would be rude to get up and walk away from a conversation like this.

So he hoped she would take it, smiling to her as he offered.

[Elisabeth Black]

Elisabeth smiled at her new little acquaintance, taking the offered seat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bao. My name is Elisabeth.” The creature’s happiness and curiosity were refreshing…and something much needed to lift her current mood. She only wished Balthazar was with them. The mage was rather fascinated with the creatures.

Shaking her head gently at his inquiry, she followed it up with something of an explanation. “This is my first time in Scalvoris…but I wanted to see them before I left. There’s something magical about them to me.” It was an odd statement, coming from a mage, but there were things in Idalos that were even more magical to her than her own magic. Snow. Stars. Lanterns. Friends. Love.

Especially love.

Relationships were important. While she cherished her time in Scalvoris, she also missed her friends back in Rharne. Her thoughts went to them, wondering how they were faring in light of the confusing and traumatic cycle experienced. The young woman wanted to linger on the subject more but the conversation she was starting with Bao was equally interesting to her. There was an internal struggle between doing as she was, talking with the Cadouri....and wanting to pick him up and give him a hug. She theorized that the later idea would probably be bad.

“Your people? Cadouri? I confess, you are the first I’ve talked to at any length. How are you finding Scalvoris?” Elisabeth couldn’t imagine what it was like to be experiencing everything for the very first time. Was it magical? Was it overwhelming? Was it sad? She knew what it was like to be new in a city…but this was something entirely different. A whole new world to explore. New places, please, sites, sounds, food, smells. Her curiosity about his observations and thoughts was a bit relentless in her mind but she reined herself in for the sake of not overwhelming Bao. The young woman tended to do that on occasion.

Her sapphire eyes lifted to the sky, but his voice brought her back, seeing the cookie he held out to her. A gift. She didn’t get gifts often, so the small act was precious to her. Smiling softly, she took the cookie. “Thank you, Bao. You are very kind.” Indeed, the Cadouri had better manners than many people she knew. Taking a bite of the cookie, she considered what other topics to ask him about. There really were a million of them.

“Bao, what are some of your favorite things so far? I like blankets and books. My favorite thing to do is curl up by a fire with a cozy blanket and read. I also like snow – I grew up in a place called Viden where it’s cold and snowy almost all the time. I really like the stars too.”

[Bao Bao]

Once introductions were made, Bao smiled at Elisabeth as she explained how magical the lanterns were to her and how it was her first time in Scalvoris. It was a nice sight, someone that saw the world with awe and wonder as Bao did. So many people he had met just took it all for granted, they didn't seem to admire the beauty of so many things. It didn't bother Bao, of course. They could live the life they wanted to live in the way they wanted to live it. But Idalos had so much to offer that so few people seemed to care about.

"Magical...yeah. They really are" he smiled wide, looking around Scalvoris for a moment. "They seem to like lanterns here. Earlier in the Cycle they put them out on the water, and they had these lanterns shaped like flowers that were beautiful too on another trial. It was...amazing" he spoke, eyes drifting off to the distance as he remembered the lanterns clearly. That one flower lantern. Beautifully made, floral designs covering each petal with such intricate detail. It almost made Bao want to create his own lantern for next Arc.

When asked about Cadouri his face lit up, grinning wide. "That's us, the Cadouri!" the small red panda said with pride and laughter, looking over as she asked about Scaovoris. "As for Scalvoris, it's wonderful. Truly, truly wonderful. Everyone has been kind, every place I have visited has been beautiful. Idalos was all it was promised to be and more, I've never been happier than when I arrived here."

Realizing he had talked too much about himself, and once Elisabeth took the cookie he offered, Bao held onto his blanket tight under his thick coat. It was a gift from Saoire that he always brought out in the cold, just in case it came in handy. Once she asked her question, however, Bao would have been rude to ignore it. Once he spoke he made a mental note to ask her about her own thoughts and such, so he wasn't taking all of the conversation for himself. As much as socializing with anyone other than Cadouri was new to Bao he always did his best to make sure he learned.

"Well, I like eating a lot!" he started, the cookie crumbs on his fur backing up the statement and leaving little doubt if he was telling the truth or not. "I've made friends, that was fun. I like blankets too! I have his one, that Saoire made for me before I came to Scalvoris so I could keep warm and remember home" he nodded, unzipping his coat to show the beautifully decorate blanket that wrapped around him like a scarf for him to hold. "Cylus was pretty, though I look forward to seeing the sun again. If I'm honest..."

Bao paused for just a moment, before smiling up at Elisabeth. "Everything. I've enjoyed it all. This world is so wonderful, so beautiful - and I have a whole lifetime to explore it. What more could anyone ask for?" he smiled, giving a soft laugh this time. As far as Bao was concerned it was true. Idalos had everything he would ever need or want.

"What about you? I mean, you've been in Idalos for all your life, at least I assume. Does it still have that excitement, when you see new things, new plants or animals or forests?" he asked, genuinely interested as he sat up a little and waited, looking at Elisabeth as she answered with full attention given to her.

[Elisabeth Black]

She listened as he spoke of the other lanterns he had seen, making Elisabeth wish she had seen them too. “They sound so beautiful! Sadly, I was on one of the other islands at the time. Maybe I can come back next arc and see them all.” Would she even be back next arc? That was a question she didn’t know the answer to. So many things were up in the air. Ever since arriving in Rharne the cycle before, the ground beneath the young mage’s feet seemed to be shifting, never stable, sending her off in one direction or another. Did she want stability, or to have the freedom to roam?

The mood she was in couldn’t last against the pure happiness and optimism of the Cadouri. Smiling softly at him, she replied gently. “That makes me incredibly happy to hear. I must admit, I’ve found the same thing to be true here. There are a lot of kind people in Scalvoris.” Her time had been short, but Elisabeth had grown fond of the area. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take her long to return. Oddly enough, the longer she spoke to Bao, the more clear her mind became regarding what she wanted to do between Rharne and Scalvoris, and she wondered if that was some sort of special ability the race had. Interesting thought really.

Taking another bite out of the cookie, she considered the answers he gave her regarding favorite things. The comment about the blanket intrigued her. “Bao, you said that Saoire gave you the blanket to remind you of home. Where is home? I’m just curious.” The Cadouri’s comment about Cylus and the sun caused a soft laugh to slip free. “Well, I have to admit that I’m partial to the darkness. I thrive in it most of the time…but I agree that it makes some things difficult, so I don’t mind when the sun comes back too much. I really don’t like when it gets hot though.”

His enthusiasm was truly refreshing. Oh, how it would feel to see everything with new eyes! A part of her wished she could go back and live like that again. Certainly, there were always new wonders to see but for Bao, everything was new and magical.

His question surprised her for it was exactly what she was thinking about at that moment. “Oh! Well, yes…sometimes. There are things, like snow, that will always be magical to me, no matter how many times I see them. Other things are exciting the first time. But the answer to your question is yes. Part of me thinks that is because I lived in one place for so long and never really explored there even. I’m just beginning the exploration part of my life. It’s something like being born again and seeing things from a different perspective. Does that make any sense?” That perspective didn’t even consider the magic coursing through her body. Talk about new experiences, Elisabeth was still coming to terms with that as well.

Curious, she had another question for him. “Bao, do you ever find yourself…overwhelmed by everything?”

[Pig Boy]

Player Name: Elisabeth

Points awarded: 15
Magic xp: none

Knowledge: Non-lucid dream.


Renown: N/A
Loot: N/A
Injuries/Overstepping: N/A
Wealth Points: N/A
Consequences: N/A

Skill Review: Non-lucid dream.

Player Name: Bao Bao

Points awarded: 15
Magic xp: none

Knowledge: Non-lucid dream.


Renown: N/A
Loot: N/A
Injuries/Overstepping: N/A
Wealth Points: N/A
Consequences: N/A

Skill Review: Non-lucid dream.

Notes: This was a cute dream, set in a very true to Idalos dreamscape

Bao Bao, I nearly melted when I pictured your cadouri enjoying a cookie and just sitting by watching the floating lanterns. Bao is so precious, I really enjoy his attitude, and enjoy the way he is written. He's cute, but not to the point of being saccharine or fake. It's hard sometimes to portray a cute character without some degree of contrived cuteness, but you really manage to portray him in a way that is totally genuine.

Elisabeth was a little more moody than I'm used to seeing her, but just as thoughtful as she always is during this thread. I enjoyed her part in getting to meet Bao Bao, even if it was a non-lucid dream. I really would've liked for her to get an answer from him to her question at the end, which was a good question that would've revealed a lot about Bao's character, but alas it appears this dream never got to that point.

Enjoy the rewards!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!