[crow]

[Pet Unlocked]

Certain things could become habit if one did them often enough. Sivain knew this. It was one of the earliest lessons he had learned from his father as a child. Back then, the emphasis was on continuation, on persistence--- he would learn not to hate brushing his teeth if he kept at it long enough.

Things were simpler then. He would later apply the same principle to more difficult things. Being alone could become habit. The proper forms of the sword could become habit. Killing could become habit, if he did so often enough.

He had never thought, however, that turning up for celebrations could become one such habit. And yet here he was, in a city outside the front lines, with Rhodes perched upon his shoulder, watching a festival unfold.

[crow]

"My my my," said the cat. This had become habit too, the two of them together. These days, Sivain felt almost a little naked without the extra weight. What had mostly begun as a matter of convenience--- for there was no other way to conveniently carry Rhodes around--- had become customary, unless Sivain was expecting a fight.

Now the cat surveyed the landscape, riddled with celebrants. There were people dressed in gaudy costumes, hawkers selling wares, and all manner of food on display.

[crow]

And everywhere, absolutely everywhere, there was gold. It was sewn into sleeves and hems, gilded upon masks and ornamental armor, painted on storefronts and banners and stalls. Gold, it seemed, was the theme of the day. It made Rhodes sigh a little, to see it. "Always so gaudy, every year," he tutted. "I had forgotten how it was, after such a long time away."

"You know this then?" said Sivain. It was wholly foreign to him, but that was no surprise. He had come from... a long way away, and hadn't spent much time among locals.

[crow]

Sequestered away on the grounds of the estate, it was easy to forget about the rest of the world. Evidently this held true for Rhodes too. They had, both of them, plenty of reason to wish to forget, though it had cut them off from more mundane things too. Festivals, for one.

"I confess, it came into vogue quite some time after I was inclined to partake of such things." Which meant after his first master had died, Sivain knew, without the cat having said as much.

[crow]

Rhodes wasn't forthcoming with his history, but they had known each other a long time now. There were moments where the cat would let some detail slip, and Sivain had always had a good memory for grief. It was what had made him so effective at his job, back in his home realm, for all that it served him little now.

The cat continued, his tails waving idly. "There was a good deal of hubbub, however. It was impossible to ignore at the time, at least in the cities, and I did work for some time as a banker."

[crow]

There was a weary resignation in his voice, as if he didn't approve of the whole thing, which brought a smile to Sivain's face. Rhodes noted it, and made a wordless noise of disapproval. "Have I said something amusing?" he said, a little cross now.

"No," said Sivain, but the smile remained. It was like Rhodes to greet any prospect of celebration with that put-upon air. These days he complained that it was because he was often in charge of making the arrangements, but in this case they were merely here as participants. Then again, perhaps that had become habit too, for him.

[crow]

"Well, you did always say you were tired of all this war business. Is this not your idea of relaxation?" Sivain raised a brow, to which Rhodes replied with a withering look.

"Young master," he said, in the driest possible voice, "you cannot really have decided to come all the way here on a whim simply to relax. In fact, before today, I was of the opinion you didn't know the definition of the word. But to answer your question, no; an outing to a place filled with noise and people is not what I personally would find relaxing."

[crow]

Sivain chuckled. "It is all the Christmases, I suppose. They have soured you on noise and people." Rhodes did not even dignify that particular statement with a response. Sivain took that as his cue to walk on, further into the mess of people and noise.

It wasn't so bad, really. It should have been better than it was. If he was being perfectly honest, he wasn't entirely comfortable either in the face of so much... everything. They had come from the front of a war, but wars were usually loud and terrible things. This type of quiet, oppressive campaign was a novelty.

[crow]

Still, they had been living it for long enough that coming back into society felt like a fresh shock, especially considering Sivain had led such a quiet lifestyle beforehand anyway. The only thing that had brought anything like this level of excitement into their lives had been...

... Ah.

Sivain felt his chest close at the thought of Suvi. How long had it been since she had last seen him? He couldn't remember. A long time, certainly. It felt like it had been ages.

[crow]

Rhodes, somehow sensing his distress, peered at him more closely, ears pricked forward at attention. "Young master," he said. There was just the barest hint of a question in his voice, but Sivain was already shaking his head.

"It's nothing," he said.

The cat didn't seem satisfied with such an answer, but he didn't press Sivain further. He merely gave Sivain one last look of concern, then changed the topic. "I don't suppose you know the specific story behind this particular festival?"

[crow]

This was easier. Sivain felt the tightness in his chest ease, and he could breathe again. He was thankful to Rhodes for this much, but he said nothing on the matter; it was the sort of thing that didn't bear acknowledgement, because to put it into words would have drawn too much attention to it. "No," he said, and tried to sound as if he were interested, instead.

The cat cleared his throat. "I'm not the best person to be hearing it from, of course. I'm not terribly familiar with the mythology myself."

[crow]

With that said, however, he continued. "If I recall correctly, it is something about one of Yepha's angels... and a Chaos. I seem to recall it as a love story, though that could be the result of one too many theatrical interpretations that I have had the misfortune of watching." He grimaced at that, drawing another smile from Sivain. The cat eyed him sidelong, but did not admonish him for his laughter this time. It was just as well; the image of Rhodes sitting in at some play, thoroughly disgruntled, was too amusing for Sivain to maintain a straight face.

[crow]

"Well, if you want the whole story, I'm sure you can find some transcription of it here. Or perhaps there will be another... re-enactment." Rhodes' ears went back as he spoke the word, his tone making it perfectly clear what he thought of the plays themselves. "I rather doubt the accuracy of the interpretations of the stage, however."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Sivain. Another quick survey of their surroundings gave rise to one unanswered question. "Why all the gold?"

[crow]

The cat had to think for a moment about that one, which made Sivain wonder at it a little, considering how prominently featured it was in everything they saw. "Something to do with the... thread, I believe. Ah, yes, I neglected to mention that, didn't I? There was some sort of god-given thread involved... Something about the hearts of men. My apologies; it really has been quite some time since I've attended one of these things." Another grimace, and another chuckle from Sivain, earned at poor Rhodes' expense.

[crow]

He sobered after a moment, however, looking at the wares on display at one particular stall. "Gods, hmm," he said. His eyes were dark, his features settling into an unreadable mask.

The shopkeeper, an enterprising man whose bravado perhaps exceeded his sense, saw the direction of Sivain's attention and waved. "Good eye, sir! These are hand-crafted figurines. Made from the finest material; best deal you'll find in the whole festival." He picked one up to better show it off: some sort of black dragon, as best Sivain could tell.