Intrigue was a beautiful harpoon, curiosity a wondrous escapade, mysteries a passionate canvas. Rather than wander the ancient, yet familiar, arts of spring and its dewy serenity, rather than cast away stones and delve deeper into the folds of a forest, the fairies serpentined their way amidst cataclysms and collisions, disrepair and devastation. As they danced, as they swept, as they chided scorn and derision, as they sang and chirped and crooned along the heights of iron and the pinnacles of sorrow, the elegant sway hastened them into bewitching, entrapping veils. Where they once pranced into shadow, the twists, the turns, became light, and where they basked in the warmth of Birdsong puddles, they felt the hiss of fire – and their gaze lanced immediately to the swarm of infernos and luminescence, blinded by the brilliance, by the entanglement of the Sun God. They’d been awed by his magnificence too many times before, had earned sweet, mellifluous chords, and bright, blistering, treacherous chords from his blessings. They paid their respects, an ivory kitsune, a nettled nymph, to his opus, to his patronage, in fine bows and deep reverence, a kind, enveloping smile, a genuine, winsome grin – but failed to voice the many questions swarming their minds. What was his purpose here? To extend more bestowals? To hinder the might of some other dominion? To fracture and sever some barbaric constraints? This wasn’t a world she was familiar with – but known particles and presences reached the Songbird’s heart like a proud dove: the icy convictions of Mauja, World’s Edge King all over again, Lord Deimos woven amongst the outer edge, children of the Basin suddenly becoming older, wiser beasts – and then a notion, a memory, a horror stirred against her chest (the massive beast, hovering, unwinding, full of hate and malice and fire), and she instantly preferred to break amongst the folds of others, daring to delve into the crowd, amass a smile back along her face, even if it didn’t impact her heart. The Mender’s focus reeled upon the warmth of the luminous deity, and prayed for salvation instead of sacrilege. 


[Imogen and Lena pay respect to the Sun God. On seeing Gaucho, they both hover deeper into the crowd.]