Dragon Mirror- Ties Between the Veil
Ten: The Festival, The Dance, And The Homesickness

Raina sat in the window on the third story of the Feather’s Flight Inn, staring down at the loud gathering of festival goers. The houses made her think of the old Victorian Era, but with more stone and bright colors.

The bottom floors of most houses were carved stone painted in patterned designs, with sequential floors in what suspiciously looked like wood that had been grown in place. The carved flowering designs along the fluted towers, balconies, and windows were breathtaking. The roofs were tall, pointed, and tiled in bright colors.

She supposed that because each settlement that was allowed to be established was only granted about the diameter of a mile for habitation, that the people had learned to build upward. Which was more pronounced in Auscilla, whose people had opted to keep the majority of their allotment free of clear cutting and large buildings.

Her fingers listlessly traced her Aya’Duel, while Iyzdra prowled the small room, poking her nose in every nook and cubby. She startled one of the small lizards out of the cabinets that ringed the top of the room. Her Will began to stalk the lizard across the shelf, very much reminiscent of the cat she had been.

Raina felt sick. The lanterns and the sounds outside only increased her anxiety. Her fingers clicked open the most recent chamber she had opened on her Aya’Duel and she fiddled with the small acorn like seed.

The previous compartment's lid, shaped like a flame, had been removed by creating heat from the fibrous weed that had been twisted into a wick, burning down into the depression in the center, with her Will forcing a flame into the area to burn until a vacuum popped the catch.

She hadn’t been sure if that was what she was supposed to do when she found the wick in the water compartment, but it was the only thing she had been able to figure, without just Willing the compartment door into jelly.

Inside had been nothing. She had a moment of panic. Maybe it had been burned up.

Except she figured the emptiness was like the vacuum created from fire. So when she noticed a tiny one way valve in the symbol with three curving lines in a circle, she assumed it represented Air, she Willed the air inside to move out of the valve. Which popped the third lid open.

Leaving her holding this tiny seed. Which she had no idea what to do with. The next compartment door had a filigree leaf on its surface, with tiny holes throughout.

She tucked the seed back in its compartment when there was a knock on her door.

Jrash stood there, dressed in one of the romper outfits patterned in yellow and green linked squares and Raina had to stifle a snicker. Ramoth peered at Iyzdra from the hollow of his bare shoulder and neck.

“I was wondering… if you’d like to go to the festival with me. Camilla had one in your size.” And he held out a romper in a pale lavender color with flowers linked by circles, in a bright yellow. The top had a yellow banded braid to hold it up. Raina bit back a groan.

“When in Rome…” She took the outfit and was rewarded by a brilliant smile that made her uncomfortable for a moment. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Raina stood downstairs in the entranceway, surprisingly comfortable in the silky romper. It looked good on her. Jrash was bouncing on his toes, holding Ramoth in his hands. He didn’t seem to know what to do with her.

I can care for myself. I do not need a minder. Since I started on my own, I will explore on my own. And the tiny animal leapt from Jrash’s hands, who jerked as if to grab after her.

Iyzdra poked her with a wingtip. Perhaps we can do something different? Her distaste for hiding in the bag was strong, but the Aya’Chyn refused to be left behind. Raina lifted her arm and frowned.

If Palliza can change Tralna, what if I-

And suddenly Iyzdra was melting into her hand, and Raina was holding an intricate crystal necklace with a medallion shaped like Iyzdra’s head, facing forward.

Ooooh I like this. Put me on! I can see out of the eyes!

Raina pulled it over her head and adjusted her hair, and then concentrated a little to shorten the glass links to a length she liked.

Jrash started, staring. Then swallowed.

“I’ve never seen Grandmother turn Tralna into an inanimate object.” His eyes were wide with awe.

Who are you calling inanimate? The necklace shifted like a snake settling its coils. Jrash smiled tentatively.

“I hope I can do something similar with Ramoth…” He trailed off, since his Aya’Daroul was not exactly the same. He shook himself.

“The dancing in the main square is about to start, and I would like to get some of the festival food.” He hesitantly held out his hand and Raina took it and let him lead her out. She felt a wave of depression as she thought about Zhao. Had he moved on? What was her family doing?

After they joined the crowd, she noticed that not everyone wore the bright rompers, some people were obviously from out of town, wearing their own fashions. She was particularly interested in a knot of people wearing kimono styled garments.

Jrash stopped at a vendor that was on the outside ring of the square of people and got them two folded paper pouches that looked like candied nuts or popcorn. It was not as sweet as she anticipated, and had a more soft crunch, like caramel.

They stood for a few moments, watching. The music was being performed from a five piece band on an upraised dais shaped like the spoked wheel of an old ship. It had a raucous beat, and many of the participants were throwing their partners in circles. Raina mentally compared it to the childrens game of red rover and a manic swing dancing.

Jrash kept looking at her out of the corner of her eye, and Raina cringed inwardly. She suspected that she’d have to tell him off eventually. He’d been slowly showing more interest in the past month, and she hadn’t known how to put a stop to it.

Go find someone else to dance with? Iyzdra spoke abruptly and startled her, she bumbled a few kernels of her snack.

With a complete stranger?! Her voice inside her head was rather loud. She had never even danced with a stranger in high school. She abruptly turned, eyeing Jrash, who looked away and blushed. Her lips thinned.

“I’m going to explore a bit, don’t wait up on me.” Jrash opened his mouth to protest, but she had already flitted off into the dancers. I don’t need to dance with anyone. I just need space.

She missed her boyfriend terribly. But everything felt so numb. And she didn’t want to think about the fact that she may as well prepare to live her life here. She would never abandon her Aya’Chyn. She shuddered. She didn’t know how her grandmother could have left behind a piece of herself. It was like trading away a piece of your soul.

After traveling far enough that she thought Jrash wouldn’t be able to immediately find her, she stopped to lean against a doorframe of a closed shop. She lifted her hands to pull back her loose hair. Even after being here for several months, it still startled her to see the strange golden hair shot through with silver and glossy black streaks.

She toyed with it for a moment, then started putting it in a loose braid. She had noticed people staring at her hair, and at her slightly uncommon height.

There is a man coming this way- Iyzdra cut off abruptly.

“Your hair looks gorgeous whether it is down or up.” Raina looked up and stared. She barely registered that the man was speaking the common language with what suspiciously sounded like a Spanish accent.

What poleaxed her was that he had Zhao’s face. She mouthed “Zhao…”

He smiled confidently and Raina felt her mouth go dry. No, not Zhao’s face exactly. His skin was bronzed.. His nose and chin were sharper, and his eyes were a pale aqua blue with white flecks. His hair pulled back in stiff spikes of white blond hair that partially covered the tiny peaks of pointed ears.

Hah. Elf ears.

“Would you like to dance with me?” He held out a hand that was calloused and tanned. She felt Iyzdra’s rising concern as she stood frozen, staring at him. His fingers curled back and he tilted his head. “Unless you are one of those that object to Charbitian presence…?” He trailed off.

“Oh- Oh, no. I’m sorry. You look like- like a friend.” His lips curved into a smile.

“I would hope to be your friend.”

Raina made herself reach out to take his hand. The man sounded nothing like Zhao, who was cautious and reserved, and spoke with a slight Michigander accent. This man’s voice was sultry and sex incarnate.

She felt an emotional question from Iyzdra, and she responded with reassurance that she did not completely feel. She felt as if she were in danger.

The music had changed to a slightly less frenetic reel. And she was led to stand in a type of dance where one person did a move, and the next in line added to it, until it circled back to the originator. The groups seemed to be up to ten ringed together facing inward.

She noticed wanly that no one was trying to do things that the others could not, but trying to add intricacy to the dance. Her hand was hot and sweaty, but the man did not let go until they joined a group.

She finally noticed what he was wearing when they joined a group of people similarly dressed. This was the group of people wearing the kimono type robes, but their middles were cinched with wide colored bands, and their robes had no sleeves, leaving very muscular biceps banded in gold exposed.

Only one other person looked similar to the man, and the woman had long auburn hair that was curly and flared out from her head. She, along with a few other men, had her robes gathered and tied above the knees in some fashion that Raina could not divine.

The man was bending to roll up his robes and Raina saw that they were hemmed in ties and splits to secure the robe into split baggy pants after tying. The woman turned to flash a dimpled smile on a face that was a feminine twin to the man.

“Veo que Ian ha arrancado la flor mas hermosa para admirar.” I see Ian has plucked the most beautiful flower to admire. Raina felt her jaw slacken. The woman was speaking Spanish. A man next to her continued in Spanish.

“As long as he does not linger too long admiring the flowers- we have a job to do after this delightful hiatus.” A dark swarthy man was bending to stretch, then leapt up with his arms extended. The next man laughed as he copied him and dropped to kick out a foot and leap back up.

Ian scowled at the woman. “Permiteme disfrutar del festival con todas sus flores…” Allow me to enjoy the festival with all its flowers. He spoke to Raina, gesturing as he too copied the moves, then added a flourished bow that made the others jeer. “This is my sister, Kasey. My name is Ian. If it pleases you, may I know your name?”

Raina leapt up, dropped to do an awkward kick, bowed, and as she straightened, she spread out her romper in a mocking curtsey. “Me llamo Raina. Encantado, Kasey, Ian.”

Three of the men in the circle rocked back on their heels, roaring laughter. Kasey’s smile broadened.

“She speaks good Charbitian. Although the accent is strange.” It was her turn to dance and she added a fluid spin while crouched. Raina marveled at the woman’s motion, but then realized Ian was staring at her with an intensity that she found distinctly unnerving. She was glad that her face was already flushed from exertion. The dance had made its circuit twice.

Raina was about to say that her father was Puerto Rican, but stopped herself when she realized that that would mean nothing to these people.

She felt the same stab of sadness and anger from his absence since she was fourteen. Regardless, he sure as Hell couldn’t be here for her across worlds. She felt Iyzdra’s emotions become a piqued interest in her drakun mates' past, but Raina ignored her.

She was out of breath as the third circuit of the dance came around after a few mistakes. She could barely keep up, even though she had no issue remembering the moves. Finally, the music ended and there was a collective shout “YATTA!”

Raina nearly jumped out of her skin at the cheering, and nearly did it again when Ian took her hand. He was standing very close. He seemed to be leaning towards her, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

At that moment, Jrash pushed through the crowd. “Raina!” Ian dropped her hand and turned to his sister, only sparing her a speculative glance as he rejoined his comrades.

“I didn’t realize you wanted to dance- I would have come with you!” Jrash frowned at Ian’s back, and blushed slightly when he realized that Kasey was giving him a slow and inviting smile. Her black eyes flashed and she winked at him.

Jrash straightened, but turned his back on them, focusing on Raina. “Did you want to dance the next reel?” He asked hesitantly but seemed to be bouncing on his toes.

“Ahh…” Raina trailed off as Ian looked over his shoulder again and she was caught in his icy eyes. “No. I’m exhausted.” Which she was. “I’m very sore from riding today.” Which was also very true.

Jrash’s face fell, but at that moment Kasey came up behind him and tapped his shoulder. He jerked when he saw her, and her smile widened.

“Would you join me in the next dance?” Her Daka was thickly accented. Jrash visibly swallowed and glanced at Raina wide eyed.

Raina shrugged and motioned him to go on, then turned and hurried off towards Feather's Flight without seeing the absolute look of betrayal on Jrash’s face as Kasey grabbed his arm and dragged him into the dancing crowd.

Iyzdra kept pinging her senses with curiosity and she grumbled to herself. “Not now, maybe not ever.”

As Raina walked from the square and entered Feather's Flight, she did not notice a pair of ice blue eyes marking her departure.

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