• Solo • So This is Zi'da

[Rei'sari]

17th Zi'da, 720

Location: ---


"Ari'sora, do you have a few bits? I was hoping that you might be able to explain something to me."

Ari'sora glanced up at her friend curiously. Her youngest son was just starting to dose off after his feeding, so she settled him in for a nap. When she was certain that he was asleep, she turned back to her friend. She gestured at the door, and Ryl'ryn nodded. They both left the nursery, and headed into the family room.

"What is it?" Ari'sora asked.

"If it's something I can explain, I will be happy to do so."

"It's...well...everywhere you go, everything is decorated. People are laughing, and cheerful...far more so than usual. And I've heard the name Saoire mentioned more than once. Who is she? Why is everything so...festive?"

Ari'sora frowned. It said a lot about how Ryl'ryn had been treated that she even had to ask what she just had. But it didn't really surprise her. Vyndar likely didn't want her to know about anything that might have given her any hope, and Hathelrri would have been careful not to say anything about it around her friend because he wouldn't want to risk Vyndar's anger.

In truth, while Ari'sora knew about the festivities, this was only the third arc that she had had a chance to celebrate them herself. Mi'zuri had grown up knowing all about Saoire and hoping that she would get a gift from the mysterious woman each arc, but Ari'sora herself had never gotten one while she was living under Ren'zar's rule. Perhaps Saoire had known that Ari'sora had been a slave back then, and that she wouldn't have been allowed to keep any gift she might have been given; worse, she would have been punished for getting anything in the first place. From what Ari'sora had learned, Saoire was good at understanding things like that. And once she had been rescued, she had gotten something one arc.

"It's..this is a time of giving. People give gifts to everyone they care about, and get gifts in return. And the decorations are a way of attracting people to the various shops in the hopes that you will buy some of the gifts you plan to give to others there. More than the gifts, this is a celebration of hope. People light candles, have feasts, and honor the idea of unity, friendship, and family. It is a time of giving, and many people will reach out to those who have no family or friends and try to bring a little hope into their lives."

It was quite possibly Ari'sora's favorite time of arc. At the very least, it was one of her favorite times of arc. As a child, Ren'zar was almost always in a good mood this time of arc, and that meant that there was less of a chance of being punished for something that was out of her control. She might even be granted a few extra breaks to read as a means of keeping her out of the way when Mi'zuri and her parents celebrated the season. She still had to cook the feast and clean up afterwards, of course, but those extra breaks of reading were always very welcome to the young child she had been back then.

These trials, she loved to go out and look at all of the decorations. Her oldest daughter, Rin'saia would turn two arcs old on the thirty first of Zi'da. She wasn't quite old enough to understand what was going on yet, but Ari'sora still planned to buy her something to celebrate the season with.

"And Saoire is..."

Ari'sora hesitated.

"I'm not really sure who, or what she is, to be honest. There are all kinds of stories and rumors about her, but I don't know if anyone knows what the truth is for certain. But there are some things that everyone knows about her."

"What are they?" Ryl'ryn asked eagerly.

Ari'sora smiled at her friend's obvious interest.

"Saoire is a beautiful woman. She always wears a crown whenever someone sees her, but that crown can differ wildly in appearance. It might be a beautiful golden circlet with pretty ornaments dangling from it one time, a wreath of pine branches another time, and something completely different the next time she is seen. She always smells of warmth, spices, and juniper. So when you suddenly smell those three things when you couldn't smell them mere trills before, you know that she is near. Saoire is quick to arrive wherever she chooses to show up, and equally quick to disappear. But she always brings gifts and advice to those that she visits."

"Saoire sounds like a wonderful person. Has she ever come to visit you, Ari'sora?" Ryl'ryn asked softly.

Ari'sora nodded, smiling as she remembered the one time that she had been paid a visit by the mysterious woman.

"Yes, she came to visit me once. I hope that she comes to visit you one arc, too. It's the sort of thing that you will always remember."

[Rei'sari]

17th Zi'da, 720

Location: ---


"You're teaching Ryl'ryn about Saoire, huh?" Mi'zuri asked as she entered the room.

Ari'sora frowned as she looked up at her sister. She nodded, but she wasn't happy that Mi'zuri had taken it upon herself to invite herself into their conversation. Mi'zuri was all too likely to brag about all of the times she had been visited by Saoire when she was a child, and Ari'sora realized that she really didn't want to hear it. She had lived through it once already, and she had heard about it so many times now that she could probably quote all of her sister's stories word for word by heart by now.

"You really should have come to me if you want to know about Saoire, Ryl'ryn. I know all about Saoire, you see. She's visited me many times over the arcs, and she's only come to see Ari'sora here once. I think it's because she like some people more than others." Mi'zuri said with a laugh.

Mi'zuri launched into one of her many stories about being visited by Saoire, this one when she was ten arcs old, and she had been gifted with a beautiful necklace that she still treasured totrial. Ari'sora tuned her out as best she could. It wasn't that Ari'sora wanted the necklace that her sister had gotten. It wasn't even that she was jealous that Saoire had come to visit Mi'zuri so many more times than she had come to visit her...okay, so she was jealous about that. But that wasn't what bothered her the most. It was as if Mi'zuri took such visits for granted...as if she expected them each arc. Like she thought she was better than everyone else...and that she deserved to get a visit from Saoire more than anyone else did. And that bothered her. It bothered her a great deal, and Ari'sora had to struggle to resist the urge to say anything.

"I was planning to go shopping for presents totrial. Would you like to come with me, Ryl'ryn?" she asked after her sister had finished her story.

Ari'sora glanced at her sister.

"You would have to stay home with the children. I hope you don't mind. It's just that it's too cold to take them outside for an extended period of time if it isn't necessary, and we will probably be gone for several breaks."

It wasn't a lie. Not really. Ari'sora genuinely hoped that her sister wouldn't mind staying home with the kids while she and Ryl'ryn went shopping. But that didn't mean that she wasn't glad that Mi'zuri wouldn't be able to come with them. She really didn't want to have to listen to any more stories about how many times her sister had been visited by Saoire, and what she had gotten with each visit.

Mi'zuri frowned, but she nodded after a few bits.

"I don't mind." she said.

Ari'sora thanked her before turning back to her friend.

"So would you like to come with me?" she asked hopefully.

"I'd like that."

Ari'sora and Ryl'ryn got ready to go quickly. When they were ready, they made their way to the marketplace slowly.

"Do you know what you want to buy?" Rylryn asked curiously.

Ari'sora nodded.

"A doll for Rin'saia since she's old enough to sense a little of what's going on, and some small toys for the younger kids. I also want to buy some cat treats and a new book for Shadow. She loves it when I read to her. What about you?"

"I really don't know yet. But I'm sure I'll know it when I see it." Ryl'ryn replied.

They walked in silence for a while, admiring all of the decorations at the various stalls and shops. Every stall had something interesting to offer, and Ari'sora had to fight the urge to buy everything in sight. Some things were pretty enough to attract her attention while others would be just perfect for Ryl'ryn or the kids. Or even her sister. Ari'sora supposed that she had to get something for Mi'zuri as well. It took an act of will not to give in to the urge to buy just about everything that she saw. They were well off, but that didn't mean that Ari'sora wanted to splurge and buy everything she could ever want. It was far better to save as much as she could for when she really needed it. Like when living in the house in the Sweetwine woods had become too much for her, and she had had to find a place to live where she wouldn't be surrounded by trees that might fall on her at any time. It had helped a little, but the move had done nothing to stop the nightmares that plagued her every night.

Ari'sora shuddered, and looked around quickly. They were outside, and in an open area. There was nothing to fall on her here, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that.

"Are you okay?" Ryl'ryn asked in concern.

Ari'sora nodded. There was nothing to fall on her here, and the ground wasn't shaking. She was safe...for now, at least. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Ari'sora had a list of things that she wanted to buy, and a budget that she didn't want to go over. She would stick to that...no matter how tempted she was by everything that the marketplace had to offer.

[Rei'sari]

17th Zi'da, 720

Location: ---

After they had been out shopping for a few breaks, Ari'sora paused in front of a fancy looking store with a sign shaped like a bottle of wine hanging in front of it. She frowned in confusion when something told her that she needed to go inside.

"What's wrong, Ari?" Ryl'ryn asked.

"I don't know. It's strange. I feel like I need to buy something here, but I can't imagine why. Neither of us drink any alcohol, the kids certainly can't have it, and I've already bought something for Mi'zuri. And yet..I just can't shake the feeling that we need to go inside."

Ari'sora wracked her brain, trying to figure out why she felt the way that she did. As she did so, she realized that she had felt that way once before...the one time that she had bought something for a stranger, and had been given a gift in return by Saoire.

"That is strange. Maybe we should go inside and see if we can figure out why you're feeling this way?" Ryl'ryn asked.

Ari'sora nodded. She led the way into the shop, and they began looking at the myriad displays of alcohol. there were all kinds of beers, wines, and hard alcohol...and the only reason that Ari'sora knew which was which was by the descriptions that were next to each bottle.

As she browsed through the store, two bottles of wine caught her attention. One was called Starlight. It was described as a popular wine widely enjoyed by the citizens of Rharne. As she read further, she learned that it was made from Dusk Grapes that grew in the nearby Stormlands, and that it possessed a transparent, deep indigo color. Ari'sora glanced at the bottle, and she could see what the description meant by the color of the wine.

She continued to read the description, and learned that the somewhat iridescent and mirror-like qualities of the wine could cause a glass of Starlight to reflect its surroundings in full color when placed in the correct light. Further reading told her that the flavor of the wine reflected the sweet delicate taste of the grapes that were used in its making along with flavors of plums and pears. The description assured that its bright, fruity flavor that covered its rather high alcoholic content made it especially popular at parties and celebrations. The description also included a warning that it is rather easy to become very inebriated after more than one glass.

The other bottle of wine that caught her attention was called Gyara. It was described as a high class wine made by the people of Rharne. As she read further, she learned that the wine was known for its quality of smoothness coupled with its luxurious color, making it a drink preferred by the upper class. She also learned that the process to make the wine took an extensive amount of time, making it one of the most expensive wines in the world.

Ari'sora felt the need to buy one bottle of each type of wine, and since she wanted to follow the feeling she had and see where it went, she decided to do just that. The bottles of wine weren't cheap, but she had enough money that she could afford them without any detriment to herself or her family.

Ryl'ryn watched her curiously as she made her purchases. When she was finished, the feeling left her, and they left the store.

"Do you have anything else that you want to buy?" Ari'sora asked her friend.

"No. But I think that you should hide that wine as soon as we get home. If Mi'zuri sees it, she'll drink it."

Ari'sora agreed. She already had the perfect hiding place in mind; one that Mi'zuri would never bother to look in. They took their time as they made their way back home, taking in all of the decorations that made Scalvoris Town seem like a wonderland where miracles might come true at any trill.

[Doran]

Ari'sora:

Knowledge:
Discipline: fighting the feeling of jealously
Discipline: resisting the urge to buy more than you should during the holiday
Discipline: focusing on what you want to buy rather than being distracted by the first thing you see
Discipline: staying within a budget
Endurance: shopping can be exhausting
Rhetoric: explaining something to a friend

Loot: a bottle of Starlight wine, and a bottle of Gyara wine, both to be given to Rakvald for the Saoire gift event
Lost: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 5, for impressing Ryl'ryn with her knowledge about Saoire, and for being seen buying expensive wine.
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10

- - -

Comments: I loved the start of the thread, with Ari’s friend wondering why people are laughing and everything’s decorated. It’s so good to know that Ari and Ryl’ryn can finally celebrate, and that Ari doesn’t have to worry about her cruel master anymore. Ari explained the event very well in my opinion. I also like that you provided so much background information and went into detail about what it means to your PC and how things used to be different!

There seem to be some tensions between Ari and her sister in this thread which I found interesting. I had no idea that Mi’zuri liked to brag, and that Ari was jealous of her!

Ari’s excitement when she finally went shopping with Ryl’ryn was described well. I’m not sure if I would have been able to resist the temptation. I liked that you still had past events, such as the earthquake on Faldrass affect her. Hopefully, she will eventually stop feeling unsafe though!

I wonder if Saoire played a part when Ari suddenly felt the need to buy alcohol. I liked that you didn’t only have her buy fancy wine, but also described the wines in question in detail. That shows that some thought went into the gift in my opinion. I hope that Rakvald will like it!

Enjoy your rewards!