Sommarsun Night Lights

Event Info:

It was a strange thing. Eyir had spent a lot of time observing the people of Fiore and its holidays ever since leaving the harsh winter lands of Iceberg behind. The current one, Sommarsun Weeks, was also nothing new to her. She had seen it all before. That wasn't to say it had become such a common sight that it was boring and predictable. Somehow the spirit was always entertained and amused by watching the real-life lacrimavision show that played before her. Lately, she had even participated in some of the past events herself just to see what it was like.

There was nothing strange about that, of course. Beings of all sorts did the same. What was strange for her was that she wasn't expected to be alone. Whether by fate or coincidence, Eyir had met one of her guildmates during a New Year's celebration. She wasn't going to make the leap by calling what they had as a type of friendship. They barely knew each other, after all. Still, just considering her an ally seemed to not be the correct label either. Was there a proper label for party companions? Because that was what the woman she had met was. If spending one New Year's Eve party together automatically made someone a party companion. Eyir wasn't sure but she considered that to be an open door to find the woman known as Lucia and repeat the cycle anyway.

The angel-like spirit had in mind to visit Hosenka for the event. Not for any particular reason other than the fact it was the closest city to the guild hall, where she was likely to find Lucia. She wasn't so much a stalker that she knew where the woman of light was besides possibly being somewhere there. Although that might need to change for future circumstances and events. For the moment, her knowledge of where Lucia's room was located within the structure had to be enough.

Eyir made her way there, floating a few inches off the ground as she usually did. Those around her had seen the armored spirit make her rounds of exploration before and thus had grown accustomed to the sight. No longer were they surprised or carried themselves with mixed reactions upon seeing her. Strangely she was greeted often and asked about her well-being. Although she'd reply she wasn't sure what to make of the warm and kind interactions. Perhaps it was best to be ignored in favor of her current goal, and so she did. The small bits of emotion that tried to rise were vanquished and forgotten.

Eventually, she reached Lucia's door. Closed as was often the case when it came to personal rooms. Unfortunately, while Eyir was quite aware people preferred others not to enter without permission she still did not grasp the concept accurately enough. That preference was just for strangers, not for those that knew each other. Lucia and herself had met. They weren't strangers. That meant it was okay for a simple spirit capable of going through walls to enter without knocking, another strange concept to the spirit that spent most of her time in doorless caves of Iceberg.

Eyir's armor glowed dimly and turned semitransparent. The simple spell of removing the solid form of her armor had been cast, allowing it to go through the door along with her actual spirit essence. Without the spell, the armor would have bumped harshly against the blockade to the room and clattered loudly onto the ground. More importantly, Eyir was not comfortable without it. Lucia likely would not have recognized her as a cloud of spirit essence either. Assuming she even remembered Eyir to begin with and was not at all startled by Eyir randomly coming through the door without so much as a courtesy knock beforehand. It probably didn't help at all that the daylight was starting to turn into night, but time also didn't mean as much to her as it did to most others that preferred daylight.

(Word Count: 668)

Dressed in a mint green t-shirt and her usual long white skirt with brown boots, Lucia sat in her room. She had gotten back from Motor City less than two hours ago after taking Will to see Dr. Reid. Will had taken a nasty blow when she, Will, and Gabrielle encountered a necromancer and Lucia needed to be certain that her gray-clad companion had not suffered any permanent damage to his systems after being thrown at her and hitting the ground when she dodged him. It would take the doctor several hours to a day to complete the diagnostic procedures, so the blonde mage had left Will in Dr. Reid's care while she went back home.

Now she was sitting in front of her Hayama keyboard and trying to decide what to play. It had been months since she had bought the concert-quality keyboard and she had not yet played it, but that was because Lucia had been on the road doing work for Luminous Rose. The guild's needs always came before her leisure pursuits. So did protecting the world from necromancers.

Lucia was trying to decide between several different musical pieces she wanted to play on her keyboard. Her personal favorite was Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2, but she was also trying to choose between Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca, Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, and Satie's Gymnopedie 1. All of it was a "greatest hits" of classical music that everyone with even a modicum of knowledge of classical music knew, but she liked all of them, so she was going to choose from one of them.

Gymnopedie was too downbeat for her taste and she was not up to Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 just yet. She also did not want to play Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 because she wanted something upbeat, so a good compromise was Rondo Alla Turca. Lucia would play that one since it was upbeat from start to finish and she was feeling pretty good.

Lucia had just started playing the opening notes when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Something was somehow passing through the door with no resistance at all. The blonde's playing was cut short... she stood up and waited to see what she was dealing with before she resorted to casting spells or going for Shining Light, the Holy handgun which was only a few steps away on her nightstand.

[Post Word Count: 404]
[Lucia's Word Count: 404]

And there she was. Now on the other side of the doorway, she could see for herself that Lucia was... Home? Was the guildhall her home or just a residence of convenience? It didn't matter. She was there and that was all that mattered. Eyir did not sense just how close she was to being in danger though. Even if the music that had been playing suddenly stopped it didn't dawn on her as to why. Nothing wrong had been done so how could she possibly predict Lucia's thoughts on defending herself?

The spell's effects faded, the spirit's armor returning to solid form once more. The light of her wings brightened the room as they spread out and gently swayed in the air. She attempted to keep them from touching nearby objects and furniture but there was little more she could do beyond that. Toning down the brightness was a bit impossible. No matter. Surely Lucia, a mage of great light magic, would not mind and be immune to the effects of blindness.

"Greetings, Lucia," Eyir said softly while floating her way toward the fellow Luminous Rose mage and her fancy instrument. It felt odd saying such words. Many years had passed since she had last said words similar to her greetings toward Havardr. Having a reason to say them again felt... Good? Was that what that was? Eyir wasn't so sure she liked it. Her everlasting state of contentment was being disrupted so easily. It was too late to take back those words then though and she still desired to go through with giving the invitation.

On that note, Eyir reached into the abyss of her hood and pulled out a pink closed envelope from within. How that worked and where the envelope had been would forever be a mystery. "For you." The envelope was held out for Lucia to take if she chose.

The first thing Lucia would notice was that her name was on it, written in pretty and neat lettering. If she opened it she would find out that its one content was a standard Sommarsun Weeks card that could be found at any convenience store. People loved those things for whatever reason that Eyir could not comprehend, and it was tradition to give them out for celebratory times. The one she picked out had a beautiful night sky over a beach with fireworks all around. The lettering on the front was large and read "Happy Sommersom Weeks!"

Of course, the usual cliched message was printed on the inside of the card, having been there when purchased. What might have stood out was what Eyir wrote in there herself. It was in the language used in Iceberg. Speaking the language of Fiore came easy, having learned it under Havardr's instruction. Writing it was a bit different. She never learned that. Figuring out how to write Lucia's name was a chore alone and still she had no idea what each letter represented or sounded like. She just noticed the order of the symbols on the guild registry and used that as a reference. For some reason, she assumed Lucia knew how to read Iser and considered that as a solution regardless of how nonsensical that was considering the effort taken to write the name in Fiore's language.

Eyir stood there silently and waited for Lucia to take the envelope and read the card inside.

(Word Count: 567
Eyir Total: 1235)

Lucia was not sure what to expect and her apprehension only increased when a bright light filled the room. She could not see the entity at all and took a step back, raising her left hand in front of her eyes to block out a bit of the bright light. Fortunately for her the entity soon spoke and she recognized the voice as that of Eyir, her guildmate and companion for the New Year's event.

"Hello, Eyir." Lucia calmly greeted her guildmate. She did not know a lot about Eyir, but the latter was a person of few words and certainly knew how to make an entrance. Lucia looked closer at her guildmate and saw that Eyir was holding a pink envelope. The blonde was curious about its contents and her curiosity only increased when it was extended towards her.

"Thanks, Eyir." Lucia said before gently taking the envelope from the former. After her eyes adjusted to the brightness a bit Lucia looked it over and noticed that her name was neatly written, a fact which prompted her to open the envelope as carefully as possible to avoid tearing it. After slowly and carefully opening it she gently pulled out the contents and saw that inside was a card. Lucia examined the card and liked the exterior, which was a combination of a beautiful display of fireworks against the background of a beach at nighttime. On the front was printed a simple message... "Happy Sommarsun Weeks!"

Eyir had a good eye for cards, but there was more to it than just a pretty card because Lucia opened it and immediately noticed more writing, writing in a language that she did not understand.

Lucia tried to read what was written, but she just could not make out what language she was looking at. She had never seen its written characters before and thus could not understand the words. Lucia looked up at Eyir and had a flash of insight that was granted to her by context clues such as the card, the color of the envelope, and Eyir's tone of voice when offering the card.

"I don't understand what's written, but I might have an idea of what you're trying to do." Lucia announced to her guildmate.

"Are you offering me an invitation to Sommarsun Weeks?" Lucia asked Eyir. The blonde's flash of insight could be wrong. She would find out when Eyir replied to her question.

[Post Word Count: 406]
[Lucia's Word Count: 810]

At first, Eyir was confused about why Lucia did not understand what was written on the card. Was Iser not a language that was taught to the living beings outside of Iceberg? She had thought all had known the languages of the continent. Havardr knew them. Perhaps he was not the best example to use for the average mortal, as she was quickly finding out. It didn't matter though. Lucia was smart and had figured out Eyir's main reason for being there.

"Yes," Eyir answered in her usual way that surprisingly did not bother Lucia at all. Her short response came with a following pause of silence as if it required time to sink in because it was so important and complicated. It didn't and wasn't, of course, but that's just how she was. "Hosenka is celebrating," her soft words and gentle chimes finally broke her silence. All of Fiore was celebrating but the mention of Hosenka was the clue that that was where Eyir had in mind to go.

"Do you accept the invitation?" Eyir went straight to the question on her mind. Lucia didn't have to accept. Declining was her choice that the angelic spirit would not mind.

(Word Count: 200
Eyir Total: 1435)

Once Eyir spoke Lucia learned that her flash of insight had been accurate after all. The beautiful card was an invitation and that invitation was to the "Sommarsun Weeks" event currently going on in Hosenka. It did not take very long for the mysterious young woman to ask Lucia a question that the blonde had been anticipating ever since her insight was proven correct. It also did not take very long for Lucia to respond to it.

"I gladly accept your invitation, Eyir." Lucia informed her guildmate that she would be glad to go into Hosenka and partake of the festivities with the latter. The blonde liked parties and this "Sommarsun Weeks" event sounded like it was going to be a good one. As luck would have it she was already dressed in something that was appropriate for the season and she was ready to go see what was going on in town.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are, Eyir." Lucia informed her guildmate that whenever she was ready to go to Hosenka the blonde would follow.

[Post Word Count: 178]
[Lucia's Word Count: 988]

Some. Time. Later.

The town of Hosenka was busy. Perhaps that wasn't so strange a thing. It was a place well known for its spas and unique architecture in Fiore that resembled that of Midi and even Dongxia, after all. That night most were not there just for the spas and sights though. They were there to celebrate another night of the long Sommarsun Weeks festival. It was a bit different than the towns and cities near the beaches of Fiore. There were no swimsuits, sand games, or water sports. Maybe further away from town there were those things, but the city itself celebrated in its own way. There were open shops promoting themed items and having contests and giveaways. There was loud celebratory music and shows of various entertainment all over. There was even food and drink practically everywhere. One couldn't walk a step without practically tripping over a table or running into a stall full of tasty options.

None of that quite interested the angelic spirit just yet. As soon as the Luminous Rose pair arrived in town Eyir had gone straight for the free goodies. Just like with New Year's and other previous events, she made a collection for herself by adorning all of the colorful and cheap accessories that no sane person would care about after an hour if even that long. In no time whatever serious and graceful appearance she could claim to have was absolutely ruined by all the mix-matching wearable party favors. A lot of it was floral in design and consisted of necklaces, bracelets, a pair of bright-colored sunglasses that would have been better used during the day, and a cringe paper hat that had the town's name on it along with the mention of Sommarsun Weeks. Just like with all the previous events, those items would be kept and preserved for as long as possible.

Lucia would not be left out. Goodness no! She had to be properly dressed for the celebration! Eyir wouldn't go so far as to dress her festival companion with as many accessories as she wore herself, but she did not hesitate to grab one of the paper hats and put it right onto the blonde surface of the woman's head. Perfect! .... Well maybe not. As Eyir stared at her genius work she realized something was missing. It wasn't quite right. Maybe she just would go all the way with loading Lucia up with tacky and pointless freebie accessories. "You need more," Eyir stated vaguely, leaving Lucia to have to once again piece it all together with the clues of the situation. Not that the spirit gave her time to properly figure it out though. The armored spirit hovered her way around the party favor tables, grabbing accessory after accessory until her hands were full, at which point she fully intended to come back around and cover Lucia with every bit of it.

(Word Count: 487
Eyir Total: 1922)

After Lucia accepted the invitation that had been offered to her she entered Hosenka with Eyir and found that the festivities were already in full swing. The atmosphere was a festive one and there were people everywhere along with plenty of festival activities to do, not to mention an abundance of food of many different types. in between the activities, the atmosphere, and the food, It was safe to say that Lucia was going to like this event a lot.

Once she was finished doing an initial look around the area she looked for Eyir in order to see what her guildmate wanted to do first. Unfortunately for her Eyir had disappeared... the blonde had no idea where Eyir had went and she had no idea where to even begin looking. As she waited for her companion to reappear Lucia began to go over how much she knew about the mysterious person. That took all of a few seconds because Eyir was still an unknown entity, but Lucia knew that Eyir was a person of few words, that she liked to make a memorable entrance, and that she seemed to be a kind person despite her quirks.

Lucia was surprised when she felt something placed on her head, snapping out of her thoughts on the spot. She looked towards the source of the object and saw Eyir, who had reappeared as mysteriously as she had disappeared and was decked out in too many items of event-themed apparel to count. Lucia did not scream this time, but she was unable to ask what was going on before Eyir decided to pull another disappearing act without even a word on what she was going to do. The blonde reached up and grabbed the mystery object, then lowered it to where she could see it and learned that Eyir had generously gifted her a party hat that was event-themed.

Lucia quietly put the hat back on her head and wondered what had compelled Eyir to give her that item. Maybe she was trying to be generous and offer the blonde a piece of memorabilia that had something approaching a practical function. Or maybe Lucia was just overthinking things and there was no special meaning behind the gesture. Lucia looked around for her guildmate while trying to piece together what Eyir had meant by her three-word statement from earlier.

Based on the context of the earlier situation it had something to do with the party hat. Lucia did not need multiple hats, so that could not have been the meaning of Eyir's remark. Maybe it had another meaning that she was not catching onto yet... she would need a bit more time to think the riddle through before she made a guess as to what Eyir was trying to say.

[Post Word Count: 466]
[Lucia's Word Count: 1,454]

The poor woman had no idea just how silly she was going to look once Eyir was done with her. Not that ridiculous and silly had been the intent. To her, it was just properly blending in. Lucia would look great! Much better than all those boring souls that didn't even bother to dress up. How could they just ignore the freebies that gave them a second chance to celebrate in style? Shameful.

Lucia was in luck though. Something of a higher power than them had decided to twist the strands of fate and save her from the horrendous look she was about to have. A spectacular event had started. One that would distract Eyir from her task and goal. Colorful lanterns began to rise to the sky, having been lit and let loose by those partaking in the activity. The spirit stopped what she was doing to stare in awe at the colorful spectacle. Then, as they reached the highest point they were able, the lanterns exploded into a small puff of pretty firelight. It was amazing and distracting. When one of the lanterns descended before it could reach the skies, Eyir went for it. The many accessories in her arms fell to the ground as she let them go in favor of the new object that had caught the attention of her seemingly nonexistent eyes.

Once she caught it, she quickly took it to Lucia to show it off. She might remember about the accessories later. Maybe after she got bored with the lanterns. If Lucia continued to be a lucky woman the angelic spirit wouldn't remember about it at all.

"Lucia," Eyir called her guildmate as she hovered her way closer to her. "I have found one of these. There are many in the sky." The fiery red colored lantern was held out for her guildmate to see, but Eyir did not dare part with it so she continued to hold it. Even as it exploded into the small puff of fire that all the others in the sky had done and would continue to do as fresh ones joined in. Eyir was seemingly unphased by what had occurred. She quietly stared at the burning lantern that was quickly turning into nothing more than a pile of ashes that slipped through her armored hands. Clearly, it had been defective from the start so it was no true loss. She'd simply get her own and watch it fly into the sky to join the rest in a fiery display of colors.

"I want to make one." Finally, the spirit was direct instead of leaving yet another chunk of vagueness that Lucia would have to guess. "You should make one," she added just before quickly following up with, "Let's go make some." It didn't sound as if she was giving her much of a choice to decline the idea. Lucia was allowed to, of course, but Eyir was completely set on making and lighting a lantern for the festival.

(Word Count: 500
Eyir Total: 2422)

Lucia was still wearing the party hat on her head and was still trying to figure out the meaning of her guildmate's words from earlier when Eyir put in a reappearance and was holding a lantern, showing Lucia the object. The blonde wondered where Eyir had gotten it from but was diverted from that line of thought when she looked skyward. A sizable quantity of lanterns just like the one the animated armor was holding were slowly but surely ascending... when they reached the apex of their ascent they ignited and made a pretty light to mark their passing from the world. Lucia was spellbound by the sight of so many different colors flaring to life and could not help but to watch the show with her undivided attention.

Lucia's attention was so focused on the show that she almost did not hear Eyir, who was talking to her. The blonde managed to look away from the lights in the sky and focused on her guildmate, who had dispensed with her usual style of speech in favor of telling the blonde what she was trying to say from the start. Eyir stated that she wanted to make a lantern of her own and the animated armor suggested that the blonde join her in the activity. The tone in which Eyir finished the conversation was a lot more forceful than the one Lucia was used to hearing from her guildmate, but there was no hostile intent behind it.

"Sure, Eyir. I'm willing to join you. I'm ready to go whenever you are." Lucia expressed her willingness to join her guildmate in the activity. The blonde had never made a lantern before but was still up for it because if Eyir stated something in a direct way it was obviously something to take seriously. Lucia would take heed of the tone and go along with Eyir's request because despite her quirky behavior Eyir seemed to be a good person, one worth getting to know.

[Post Word Count: 332]
[Lucia's Word Count: 1,786]

Eyir was pleased. Lucia was just as eager to participate as she was. Well, maybe not eager but being willing was enough to satisfy the spirit. Strangely the human before her did not take the lead or make a suggestion of which way was best to go. It was all left to Eyir. It was her idea so it made sense in a way but humans always seemed to be creatures that preferred taking charge. Lucia continued to be much different than expected. The choice of event companion had been good indeed.

"I am ready now." That was the only warning that had been given to Lucia before Eyir did what was likely unexpected. Without another word, the armored spirit moved behind her guildmate. Gently she wrapped her arms around Lucia and lifted her up while also letting the energy of her wings take them into the air and above the crowd. Eyir had a goal and taking the time to walk through the busy streets only caused a delay. Flying was more efficient. As far as Eyir knew humans could not fly without magic and Lucia had never shown or spoken of an ability that provided that utility. Hence her reason for believing she was helping by taking hold of the woman as a forced passenger.

Eyir went as high as many of the rooftops. The ascending lanterns were all around them, making it difficult to tell just where the lanterns originated from. It seemed that once people made their lanterns they scattered to wherever they wanted to release them. Still, even while swarmed Eyir did her best to avoid touching the delicate lanterns and messing with the artistry that had been created by their presence. They'd find the place to make their lanterns eventually. With the high vantage point they could see everything the spa town had to offer. It truly was a lovely town that was full of life that night. Eyir told herself that she needed to visit again to see what it was like on a normal day.

As they flew Eyir eventually had to descend ever so slightly along the way. Normally she could be in the air for as long as she liked but the extra weight of Lucia was becoming more of a burden than she had originally anticipated. Humans were apparently heavy creatures. Maybe Lucia was light for one of her kind. The spirit didn't know. All she was beginning to just then understand was that there were weight limitations to her ride. Her vessel wasn't meant to carry a person. Not when there wasn't an actual person inside to add the required strength. The energy of her spirit body did not provide much, and it was beginning to lose its grip.

Lower and lower they went until Eyir had to make a landing on a bridge that had been built over a small river. It was the safest thing to do in that circumstance. Though she had never asked Lucia about her relationship with death the angelic spirit had sensed it the first time they met. Knowing there was a connection was concerning but that's all it was. She wasn't about to accidentally drop Lucia and test whether or not she'd still be alive and well after the fact. "You are heavy, Lucia," Eyir explained in the same monotone soft tone she always had. It wasn't meant to be an insult at all. It was just a fact for her. Had Lucia been the weight of a balloon there would have been no issue at all.

"Come. We will ask for guidance." Unless Lucia had seen where the lantern-making setup was that was Eyir's best plan to get them there. Thankfully there was no shortage of locals and tourists that knew just where to go or at least knew how to read a simple map that laid out all the activity spots for the day. Even luckier was that they had made a landing right by a great selection of food stalls. The spirit would not mind if Lucia desired to stop at some to get something to eat. Living beings did need to sate their appetites, after all. Sometimes wandering souls did too... but that was something entirely different.

(Word Count: 710
Eyir Total: 3132)

Lucia did not have much time to prepare before she went airborne courtesy of Eyir, who was kind enough to issue a warning before takeoff. During the takeoff the blonde did not scream because she did not have any fear of heights, but once they started moving she made sure to put her hands on her skirt to keep it as close to her legs as possible because she was up in the air and while she was moving her skirt inevitably moved too. As she was being carried she got a good view of the lanterns floating in the air and hoped that one would not fly into her and burn her hair or set her clothing on fire. However, her sense of wonder at the sight soon supplanted the concern about hitting a lantern and she watched the sight with the same interest that she had shown when first witnessing the lanterns take flight.

Eventually Eyir began to descend, but the descent was a gradual one that took a minute for the blonde to notice. Thankfully the pair landed safely and once they were both safely on the ground Lucia listened to the animated armor's comment about her weight. The blonde did not take offense to it and even found it amusing; if Eyir looked the evidence was the light smile on Lucia's face.

"That's true, Eyir. Maybe I should exercise more or go on a diet." Lucia commented in an effort to be funny. Whether the joke worked or not was up to Eyir. After making the joke Lucia soon turned her attention to her guildmate's next comment, which was a suggestion that the pair would seek the help of the other event attendees to locate the place where lanterns were made. Lucia had no problem with that because she certainly did not know where to go and she did not want to lead them on a wild goose chase. Lucia looked at the area around them and saw several stalls close by that happened to be operated by food vendors.

That sight made Lucia curious as to whether Eyir wanted anything to eat before they moved on. Seeing no harm in asking because the worst that could happen was that Eyir would decline, Lucia turned to her guildmate and asked the question.

"Is there anything you want to eat before we go find the place where we can make a lantern?" Lucia asked Eyir. Lucia had her eye on a few of the stalls but had not yet made a selection. Waiting for her guildmate's answer would give the blonde enough time to make a choice.

[Post Word Count: 440]
[Lucia's Word Count: 2,226]

Eyir stared at Lucia when the joke was made. The spirit had some sort of a sense of humor, although it was more to the extent that she knew humor existed. Most of the time jokes would go over her head and be taken literally. In her mind she thought about those suggestions regarding Lucia's exercise and dietary change. Would those work? Could Lucia become just as weightless as she was without the armor? That would be super convenient! Although... wait... if that were possible surely she would have seen at least one person blow away from a gentle breeze in her time. Eyir had to put a couple of things together to realize Lucia had been joking. Or was mentally confused? Perhaps both. "Humorous." As unfortunate as it was, the spirit could not laugh. She understood what a joke was but that was it. The necessary emotions just were not there to elicit laughter.

The armored spirit was slowly moving at a pace easy for Lucia to follow. The food stalls were many, and though she respected that her guildmate might want something to it she herself did not hold any interest in them. Mainly because she couldn't eat anything from them. The question that came next caused her to stop and take a look at Lucia and then at the many stalls of snacks and meals just waiting to be tasted and eaten. The other festival goers seemed to enjoy them immensely so it all had to be good. Not that Eyir would truly know at that point in time. "No," Eyir replied gently, although she was kind of surprised that Lucia had even asked that kind of question. Did she know many ghosts and spirits that were able to eat foods such as that? Eyir knew none. The only ones she knew ate something else entirely that would hopefully never be on the menu at a celebration for the living.

"I do not regain energy in the same way that you and others do. I am incapable of eating anything here." That simple explanation was proof enough that the spirit was capable of saying much more than she usually did. She just often preferred vagueness and simplicity over long drawn-out sentences that fatigued her to even say, much less listen to. "You should try the offerings here," Eyir suggested, letting Lucia know that she had no issue with her wanting to eat the food there even though she could not.

(Word Count: 414
Eyir Total: 3546)

Lucia listened to her guildmate turn down the offer of getting something to eat and listened to Eyir's explanation of why she did not want anything. As it turned out Eyir had completely different nutritional needs, a fact which made the blonde blush with embarrassment. She really did not know that her question was not a smart one to ask, but she chalked it up to the mystery surrounding her guildmate. Whether Eyir knew it or not she was a figure of mystery to the blonde, who was only just now beginning to learn anything of substance about the animated armor.

"All right then. I wasn't aware of that, but now I know. I was making the offer because I didn't want to eat in front of you without at least giving you a chance to get something." Lucia attempted to explain her reasoning for asking the question. It was up to Eyir to accept or dismiss that reasoning. Lucia was going to move on from the mistake before she risked digging herself deeper with the animated armor by making another explanation that might not be necessary.

Lucia looked around at the offerings of the food vendors and noticed that there was a lot to choose from. She could choose from items such as hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecued meat, popcorn, corn dogs, tacos, and fries or she could select something slightly fancier such as filet mignon, several rice-based dishes, salads, and even baked fish. Lucia definitely had options, but the tough part was choosing from those numerous options. At least she did not have to worry about whether Eyir could find something she wanted.

Lucia folded her arms across her chest and looked at the vendors again. Her eyes drifted towards a vendor who specialized in different types of salad and she spotted romaine salad as an option. Her interest only increased when she saw that she could get a salad with finely sliced strips of steak as the meat. She looked around one last time to be certain that that was what she wanted, but after giving it another minute or two the blonde had decided to get the salad with strips of steak.

"I'm going for a salad." Lucia informed her guildmate of her choice. She doubted that Eyir had any real interest in her selection, but the blonde had told the latter anyway just to make conversation.

[Post Word Count: 400]
[Lucia's Word Count: 2,626]

"Thank you." Eyir appreciated the consideration that had been given. Not that she would have minded anyone eating in front of her to begin with, but it was still nice to be thought of in that case. There was the thought of one day Lucia returning that open mind if there ever came a day when Eyir had to "eat" in front of her. Somehow though she expected the woman would disapprove. Most good-natured people did and as far as she had seen so far Lucia was just that. Unless asked, Eyir was not going to bring it up any further or explain any more than she already had.

For a while the pair stood there as Lucia looked over her options. Eyir didn't mind. She was eager to make her own pretty lantern and release it into the sky but satisfying Lucia's hunger was important. The event coming to an end later on aside, the spirit quite literally had all the time in the world to wait. In time, Lucia had made her choice of meal. A salad. One of those healthy items that she had seen many avoid as if it were poison. Eyir didn't have an opinion on it really. She couldn't have one. Being what she was she'd never understand the difference between a cool and refreshing salad or the comfort of a warm tasty hamburger. If only she could. There'd be less of a reason to remain there awkwardly silent.

Not wanting to be a complete bore and attempt some form of conversation, Eyir decided to try and come up with something to say. "Do you eat salads often, Lucia?" The spirit asked curiously. It was a very pathetic question but it was the first obvious one to ask. Thus far, she knew her guildmate preferred a salad that night, but was it considered a dish she would generally always eat? "The humans of Iserheim do not eat them. Many of Fiore avoid them as well." Eyir neglected to mention that those of Iceberg did not eat salads mainly because the crops to make it just couldn't grow there. Then again, they'd probably not eat a salad anyway if given the option. Their culture was one of hunting and fishing and that was what they preferred to eat. What excuse the people of Fiore had for passing up on salads she did not know.

(Word Count: 399
Eyir Total: 3945)

"I like a salad from time to time, especially one with meat. I don't eat them all the time, though. You caught me in a mood in which I actually wanted a salad." Lucia told her companion the truth. Lucia was not in the mood for something that qualified as "junk" despite this being a festive occasion and people frequently using festive occasions as an excuse to eat junk food in greater quantities than usual. She also did not want to slow Eyir down any more than she already had by taking this detour, so salad was the best choice for the blonde because there were some already prepared and all the latter had to do was walk up to the counter and say which one she wanted.

"I'll be right back, Eyir." Lucia informed her guildmate. Lucia then walked towards the salad vendor, which as luck would have it had no one in line. She sidled up to the counter, looked the vendor in the eye, and requested the salad she wanted. Lucia got it with no delay along with plastic utensils and a bottle of water and walked over to Eyir, who was still patiently waiting where she had been left.

Not wanting to keep Eyir waiting for any longer than she had to, Lucia began to eat the food where she stood. She did so with a fair bit of dexterity, avoiding spills like she was used to eating in such a fashion. In truth she was actually not used to eating like that, but she chalked it up to beginner's luck. Lucia finished her meal and discarded the utensils and plate in the appropriate receptacles, then opened her bottle of water and took a drink from it before lowering it to speak to her guildmate.

"Ready to go find where we can make a lantern?" Lucia asked Eyir.

[Post Word Count: 312]
[Lucia's Word Count: 2,938]

Salads with meat. Now Eyir knew one thing Lucia liked if there was ever a day that she had to retrieve food. For what reason she would ever have to do so she didn't quite know but the future did have a way of being unpredictable. As Lucia went to go get her snack Eyir remained where she was, completely satisfied and entertained by watching the lanterns in the sky. She was a simple creature that was very easily entertained for the most part. The wait did not bother her at all. Even as Lucia returned and began eating Eyir just continued to do the same thing. Only once did she glance over at the living woman to notice that she had even returned. Some people liked to talk while eating but Lucia's silence told the spirit that she was of the sort that did not. That was fine. Eyir enjoyed the silence all the same.

Eventually, the silence between the pair was broken. Lucia had completed her meal and was ready to get going for the true main goal of the current plan. Eyir looked at her and slowly nodded. "I will go ask." That said, the spirit hovered her way over to a random pair of individuals. One turned out to run the spa behind her and the other was another local that lived in town. A perfect duo that would know exactly where to go. Not that Eyir knew that since she just picked randomly out of the crowd. Luck was on the side of the Luminous Rose mages and had gifted them with a way to gain the knowledge they needed quickly. That's all it was.

The two looked at the spirit strangely at first, not that anyone could blame them with her current look of ridiculousness mixed with strangeness. As soon as Eyir spoke though the two calmed down and relaxed, as if her quiet and gentle voice had a magic touch to it to cause that instant reaction. They gave directions and even pointed in the direction to go. That was not all though. Before Eyir could leave and get back to Lucia with the good news of having found directions the spa owner gave her a bag full of customary trial sizes of different products. It was some kind of way to get word of her business out and gain customers by giving free things away but Eyir didn't understand fully or care. The mystery was what made the woman think a floating suit of armor could make use of it. She needed polish, not body scrub. Without mentioning that, of course, she thanked them and returned to Lucia.

"You may have this," Eyir said, holding out the small bag of beauty products for her to hopefully take before she had to drop it off at some random person's house instead just to get rid of it. "I know the way to go."

(Word Count: 490
Eyir Total: 4435)

Lucia was standing quietly when Eyir volunteered to ask the locals for directions on where they needed to go. The blonde watched the proceedings while keeping her distance and sipping from her bottle of water as Eyir spoke to two locals who the animated armor had approached. After a short time the animated armor returned clutching a small bag that was soon given to her. Lucia opened it to find a collection of what looked like beauty products or something along those lines.

"Thanks, Eyir." Lucia calmly thanked her guildmate for the unexpected gift and took it into her left hand. The blonde was not big on that kind of thing, but they might come in handy some day. Maybe. In truth the blonde had not been expecting such an item and was not entirely sure what to do with it. The bag was as unexpected as the paper party hat she was still wearing.

Despite her uncertainty as to why she was chosen to receive the bag and what the message behind the gift was Lucia kept a straight face and was rewarded when Eyir let her know that the latter had learned where the activity they wanted to do was taking place. There was only one response to that.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are, Eyir. Lead the way." Lucia said, placing the ball in her guildmate's court. Clutching a half-empty bottle of water in one hand and a gift bag in the other, the blonde had eaten a salad that she really wanted and was ready to move on whenever Eyir was. She was sure that they would be heading towards where they needed to go very soon.

[Post Word Count: 282]
[Lucia's Word Count: 3,220]

The spirit chose to not say anything more and simply nodded. As instructed, Eyir began to lead the way that she had been told. A turn here, a turn there, the shortcut through an alleyway that everyone knew about so it wasn't as much of a shortcut at all, it really was a much more complicated process than she had been led to believe. The town was packed and the streets tight. Due to this, the spirit moved slowly so as not to lose Lucia or the reverse. Not that there was a chance that anyone with working eyes could lose sight of whatever it was people would currently describe the spirit. There were looks and various other reactions. One person had even tripped over a decorative display in an attempt to make some distance between Eyir and himself. She ignored it all, including that incident. He seemed to be physically fine so there was no need for her to deviate from her goal just for that small accident. Reaching the lanterns continued to be the only thing she cared to do.

In what might have seemed like forever for the less patient of the world the lantern festival had finally been reached. A large space had been cleared out just for it. The only thing there besides the many people making and releasing lanterns were large tables with the required supplies to make the special lanterns. There were also many premade lanterns of various shapes, sizes, and colors. The fancier ones came with a price but the basic variety was free of cost to all who wished to participate. Besides payment for the premade fancy lanterns or for help there was no need to approach an event coordinator at all. All anyone had to do was just get in there and either start making one or swipe one of the already made freebies.

Eyir had a tough choice. On one hand making a lantern sounded like an interesting experience, on the other hand taking an already made freebie was also nice. On the other other hand that did not physically exist the fancy ones were very nice and pretty. How did she become so indecisive? She had been so set but now she was hovering between all three. One moment she was at the lantern creation table but before she did anything she found herself floating over to the premade freebies, and then again towards the fancier and pricier selections. In the end, she chose to just make one for herself. The armored spirit found an empty space at one of the tables and remained there. Now all she had to do was figure out how to start.

Eyir glanced around and watched the others around her make their own lanterns. She would just learn and mimic what they were doing. Perhaps, if Lucia had decided to also make her own, she'd also watch her as well. Either way, she was determined to figure it out and get a lantern into the air.

(Word Count: 504
Eyir Total: 4939)

Lucia followed her oddly dressed guide through the bustling streets and thanks to Eyir's help eventually reached the area where the lantern-making activity was taking place. She looked around it and noticed that quite a few people had had the same idea they did, which was fine with her. She glanced around the area again and saw that she had two options as far as lanterns went. She could either make one for herself or purchase one of the premade lanterns, which came in basic and fancy varieties.

Both basic and fancy varieties were plentiful and had a wide variety of different decorations and colors to choose from. Lucia followed her partner's example and went by each table to examine them in closer detail in case there was one that was so appealing she could not resist the urge to buy it, but she did not see anything that she wanted to purchase. Lucia had come here to make a lantern of her own and she was going to do just that.

Once Lucia was sure that there was nothing premade that she wanted to purchase she made her way over to the table where Eyir was standing and took a spot beside her guildmate, then looked at the oddly dressed animated armor. Lucia looked at everything Eyir was wearing for a moment before focusing on Eyir herself. Lucia took a quiet breath and looked to her guildmate, who was clearly focused elsewhere. The blonde felt a realization wash over her and she waited a few moments before revealing that realization.

"I'm gonna need to ask for help in getting started on making a lantern because I have no idea what to do." Lucia declared to her guildmate.

[Post Word Count: 288]
[Lucia's Word Count: 3,508]

Oh, dear. Lucia also had no idea how to make a pretty lantern. There went that idea of watching her or even having her help with the activity. The secondary plan of watching those around wasn't going so well either. Eyir had thought she had watched so carefully and knew enough, but she had been proven wrong. The start of her creation did not look like the rest. It was horrible. Going any further would be pointless unless she wanted to see an abomination mixed in with the marvelous lanterns that were already in the air.

Not at all pleased with the result, Eyir crumbled up her work so far and pushed it aside. Stubbornly she worked on a second one only to end up with the same disappointing result. A third attempt would do no good. Help would have to be asked. How unfortunate it was that she did possess the natural talent to make such a piece of art with zero instruction. "I will find someone." Eyir's softly told her guildmate. Once again the possessed armor left Lucia's side to find a person with more knowledge than they had combined. It didn't take long for her to return. Just a minute or so had passed before she came floating back to her place at the art table, dragging along one of the volunteers by the hand.

"I have found a teacher," Eyir told Lucia as she let the volunteer go and then proceeded to get her materials ready to start.

"I'm not a teacher really... but I can help, I guess?" The volunteer glanced at Lucia and then back to the ridiculous costumed... person? She was a young woman with dark long hair that was pulled back and dark eyes. To stand out as an official volunteer she wore a badge on her shirt that said as much. "I wasn't given much of a choice since you pulled me all the way over here." She didn't seem overly angry by what had transpired. After all, helping others with the lanterns was why she was there. It was a fun thing to do. That didn't mean she was available to be dragged all over the place for anyone and everyone though. "But, seeing as I would have been over here eventually anyway I'll drop it. Let's start with step one of the basic lantern-making process."

From there the volunteer would give step-by-step instructions on how to make the basic lanterns and even how to apply the necessary components that added the colorful fiery flare for when they were in the air. By the end of it, unless there were some complications or just a huge lack of artistic ability, the pair of Luminous Rose mages would each have their own lantern creation ready for the skies.

(Word Count: 467
Eyir Total: 5406)

Lucia watched Eyir try to make a lantern without help only for each attempt to end in failure. learning from her guildmate, the blonde did not bother to try making one on her own so that she would not waste the resources in front of her. Eventually Eyir decided to take steps towards solving the problem and left to find someone who could give the pair some pointers. When she finally returned the animated armor had indeed solved the problem in true Eyir fashion by bringing along a dark-haired volunteer who did not seem particularly thrilled to be here because of how she she had traveled to this point.

"I didn't expect you to get someone to help us so quickly, Eyir." Lucia said to Eyir diplomatically, giving the hapless volunteer a sympathetic glance once she was finished talking to her guildmate.

Lucia, mindful of the fact that the dark-haired young woman was not used to Eyir's behavior, kept a pleasant facial expression and refrained from saying anything as the volunteer began to explain each step of the lantern-making process in detail. Lucia paid attention to everything that was being said and the explanation was helping a lot, especially the part about how to create the colorful fire that had drawn her attention to the lanterns to begin with. The blonde had already decided what color she was going to make her flame... it was going to be blue because blue was her favorite color. However, that would have to wait until the lantern itself was finished, which would not take very long thanks to the detailed instructions she was getting. By the time the blonde was finished she would have a lantern worthy of taking to the air alongside that of Eyir and those of the other event attendees.

[Post Word Count: 300]
[Lucia's Word Count: 3,808]

"It was simple." That was the only thing Eyir said. The spirit didn't see anything wrong with what she had done nor did she take too much notice of the volunteer's displeasure. What she was more focused on was that Lucia had noticed how quickly she had saved them from the horrible fate of making monstrous lanterns that should never be seen by the world. That was a satisfactory result. Though she was a being that had a rapidly growing affinity for healing magic she wasn't exactly entirely selfless or fit the stereotype many healers were labeled with. Her actions surrounding the lantern activity were proof enough of that.

Eyir followed the step-by-step instructions carefully. Many times the volunteer would have to correct her and even at times do something for her. The spirit was slightly bothered by the latter part but she remained patient and idle during it. Becoming angry and hostile took a lot and the volunteer taking certain parts of the project over did very little to reach it. By the end of the instructions though Eyir had a beautiful lantern of her own. It was almost a shame that soon it would be no more, but that was just how it was. She needed to see it burst into colorful flames just like all the others. Only then would she be satisfied and content.

"Thank you," Eyir told the volunteer as she picked up her very first created lantern. Her color of choice was pink. It wasn't exactly her favorite color. Eyir wasn't sure if she had one. Pink was just a color she recognized as one her guild was known for and therefore it was a special color. It was still pretty though and didn't clash with Lucia's choice of blue.

"Come, Lucia. We must release them." Eyir would say to her guildmate. The spirit was eager to get to the next part, but she stood there and waited before taking off just in case Lucia wasn't quite finished with her lantern. Adding last minute details was very important.

(Word Count: 344
Eyir Total: 5750)

By following the instructions she had been given to the letter Lucia had managed to produce a lantern that was far from the best, but it was good enough for her purposes. It was going to be gone soon, so she was not terribly bothered by the fact it was not a work of art. The most important thing was that the light would be blue, which was her favorite color. The blonde turned and faced the volunteer who had given her the instructions necessary to succeed at making a lantern.

"Thanks for the help." Lucia thanked the volunteer for their time and effort. Without their help Lucia would be either standing at the table desperately trying to figure out what to do or forging ahead on her own and making a mess of things. Now she had a lantern that was OK to look at and had a blue color, which was not bad for her very first time making one.

Lucia looked towards Eyir and noticed that the animated armor had made a pink lantern, which was a choice Lucia did not expect her guildmate to make. She had expected Eyir to be the one to produce a blue lantern before the blonde could, but pink was not a bad choice either. Lucia looked towards her guildmate and heard the latter's words, which she was quick to answer.

"Certainly, Eyir. Lead the way." Lucia answered in the affirmative after grabbing her lantern and bade the animated armor to lead the way once again. She had not made this lantern just to look at it... she wanted to send it airborne and watch the beautiful blue flame engulf it once it reached the apex of its ascent. Soon Lucia would get to do just that.

[Post Word Count: 296]
[Lucia's Word Count: 4,104]

With their lanterns finished and ready, the pair had set off to find a spot to release the creations. Eyir led the way and eventually settled on a spot that was a bit more secluded than the rest of town. There they would have more space, a quiet surrounding, and be able to watch their lanterns rise and join the rest of the sky display in peace. It was the perfect location in the spirit's mind.

Once ready, their lanterns were lit and released to float into the air, going higher and higher until they joined the other released lanterns that were doing the same. As soon as they had reached as high as they could go, they exploded in that beautiful puff of small colorful flame that became part of the larger spectacle the event was known for. Their part of the lantern festival art was over but there was still much more to do before it was all truly over. There was little doubt that Eyir would once again spot something very interesting and inevitably bring Lucia along as her participation companion.

(Word Count: 184
Eyir Total: 5934)