[Kestrel]

Ivory ran after her over-excitable scarab, reaching him just as he reached the edge of the fountain. He was hovering a good distance above the birds (Were they really swans? Ivory had always thought swans were a bit more...white than that. And not quite as loud.), one of which was honking quite energetically at him.

"Lazuli, careful! These birds might try to eat you!" Worry pitched her voice a few notes higher.

The gold insect flew back to Ivory, coming to rest in his usual place on her shoulder. "Do you really think so? Do swans eat scarabs?"

"They might never have seen a scarab before, and would try to eat one just out of curiosity."

Lazuli folded his wings down and inched closer to her neck. "Oh." His voice was very small.

By this time, Ebony had reached them. His eyes fell on the heater, and he smiled. "Ohhhh, so that's how they keep the water from freezing! It must be just for this festival. That's so nice!" He moved to one of the benches a few feet away from the fountain. "Why don't we sit and watch the birds for a bit?"

Ivory glanced at Lazuli, who, after a pause, nodded his approval, and the Tomb Imeut joined her brother on the bench.

4 - Fountain

[Kitsumi]

Roland seemed fascinated by this new piece of information. "Huh. I guess I never thought about how long you had really been around. I simply remember you being named the head physician when Dr. Carlson died."

"You remember that?" Now it was the doctor who seemed amazed. "Why, you must have been no older than four when that happened!"

"Three, actually," Roland corrected. "But my birthday was soon after. I remember that day so clearly because it was the first time I got in big trouble with my father. Do you remember? It was right after he had named you head physician."

[Post 8: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

Closing his eyes for a moment, Ethan tried to remember the situation that Roland was referring to. After only a couple of seconds, his eyes popped open and he gasped. "Oh, yes! Your father was still standing beside me, and you came running towards him. You tripped on the edge of carpet, tried to steady yourself by grabbing the cloth on the pedestal, and-"

"I pulled down everything on that pedestal, including the lit candles and the urn with my grandfather's ashes." Roland finished the story. He winced slightly, remembering the fury in his father's gaze. "My father shouted so loudly, I think even the stableboys and gardeners outside heard him."

[Post 9: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

Both men sat there with serious expressions on their faces. They looked at each other for a long moment, neither one speaking. Then suddenly, they were both laughing. Ethan covered his mouth as his face turned red from the effort of trying to hold back the laughter. Roland, meanwhile, threw his head back and laughed with abandon.

By the time the laughter died down, both men were wiping tears from their eyes. "Oh, my goodness," Ethan said. "It's so nice to be able to reminisce with somebody like this. I think you and your family are the only people with whomI actually really have memories like this."

[Post 10: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

The cheerfulness seemed to drain from Roland's face slightly at Ethan's words. "What do you mean?" he asked carefully. "Don't you have any friends or family that you can talk to like this?"

Ethan sighed. "Both of my parents are gone, Roland. I never had any siblings. If my parents had siblings, I never met them. Their marriage wasn't accepted by either of their parents, so they became cut off from the rest of the family when they married."

That seemed to strike a chord with Roland. "I suppose I can understand that."

[Post 11: Bonfire]

[Kestrel]

The two Imeuts sat watching the geese for a few minutes (the lady with bread had come over and informed that no, those birds were in fact not swans, but geese, much to Lazuli's disappointment), when Ivory broke the silence.

"Is Lapis still sleeping? I think she'd like the geese."

"I think so; she hasn't made any noise at-" Ebony stopped, gazing down at his empty shoulder in horror. "Wait. No. Where is she?" He swiveled his head to check the other shoulder--also empty. No Lapis on either of his legs either. Nothing on his head. Ivory checked his back and shook her head too.

Ebony shot up off the bench, frantically checking the area around him. "No, no, no, this can't be! What if she fell on the ground, and was crushed, or, or what if I accidentally dropped her in the fire? Or do you think some bug collector would've found her and taken her away? Oh, I can't even imagine the horrible things that might happen to her! No no no, we have to find her!"

Ivory seized his arm and he turned to look at her, eyes wide and unseeing. "Ebony. Ebony! Calm down. We'll find her. It's okay. It hasn't been that long. But you need to calm down before you do anything that really could hurt her!"

Ebony took a few big gulps of air, chest rising and falling. "Okay. Okay."

"That's good. Now come on. We'll check around here first, then slowly make our way back to the bonfire, alright? She's bound to be somewhere between here and there."

5 - Fountain

[Kitsumi]

For the first time, Ethan realized that he could almost relate to Roland in this aspect. "You're thinking of Romeo right now, aren't you?" When the younger man nodded, Ethan put an arm around his shoulders. "I know that your parents have expectations that you don't feel able to meet. But they have always been good people. Your father can be stern, but I'm sure he'll come around."

"I doubt it," Roland said bitterly. "Besides, I'm not willing to risk it. I don't want to tell him about Romeo, or even about my orientation unless I know for sure that he isn't going to do something drastic. It would be just like him to try to pass a law banning the royal family from such 'perverse acts'."

[Post 12: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

Ethan didn't know what to say to that. He suddenly felt like he was to blame for dampening Roland's mood. The man had been so happy and enthusiastic mere minutes ago. He had to do something to cheer him up again. "Hey, have you been any further than the bonfire?"

"No," Roland responded. "I arrived after you. When I spotted you, I figured I'd come over and chat. Why do you ask?"

The doctor shrugged. "No reason, really. I was just wondering what sort of surprises an event like this would hold. Perhaps you'd like to explore with me?" He held his breath, hoping he hadn't ruined the prince's mood to the point that he would want nothing more to do with the doctor or the event.

[Post 13: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

"Sure, that sounds like fun."

When Roland managed a small smile, Ethan practically sighed with relief. "Oh, good. You know, I was too nervous to walk around on my own. It'll be nice to have somebody I know to come with me. You're pretty good at inspiring courage in people."

The compliment seemed to embarrass the prince. "I wouldn't say that," he said slowly. "Although I'm glad that I can be of service to you tonight."

[Post 14: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

Now it was Ethan who seemed troubled. "Don't worry about trying to be of service to anyone tonight, Roland." He swept his arms in a wide arc. "Look at all of this! You should just enjoy it. We should enjoy it. What do you say?"

Roland's smile was real this time. "Alright, I suppose you're right." He stood and moved away from the fire before waiting for Ethan to join him. "I think I see some sort of gathering of people over there," he gestured towards the large tree. "Oh, is that a Christmas tree? I think I see lights and ornaments on it."

"Let's go check it out," Ethan said.

[Post 15: Bonfire - moving to Christmas Tree]

[Kestrel]

A thorough search around the fountain--and a frantic questioning of the bread lady by Ebony--yielded no results. There was a moment of panic when Ebony thought Lapis might have landed into the water, or been eaten by a geese, or have fallen into one of the vents in the heater, but Ivory reminded him that he hadn't been anywhere near close enough to the fountain for that.

So the group headed back towards the bonfire, the two Imeuts hunched down, peering at the ground, and Lazuli flying in the area around, checking any bushes or trees or other structures near the path. Ebony and Ivory would stop any passersby, asking if they had seen a small blue and yellow scarab, but every response was a negative.

As the drew nearer to the fire, Ivory spotted two men who looked like they were just leaving the bonfire. She waved an arm and called out to them. "Excuse me! But have seen a small blue and yellow scarab anywhere tonight?"

6 - Fountain (moving to Bonfire)

[Kitsumi]

Conversation between the two men lapsed into a comfortable silence as they began walking. Roland led the way, with Ethan trailing a step or two behind. By the time they were close enough to the tree to make out the different ornaments, Roland's mood had improved again.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he turned to see what Ethan thought. The doctor was facing the tree, but his eyes were closed as he inhaled deeply. "Hmm? Oh, yes." His eyes opened and he grinned sheepishly. "It is beautiful. I was just thinking that it smelled pretty good, too. I've always loved the smell of Christmas trees. I haven't had a real tree in my house since I've been on my own."

[Post 16: Christmas Tree]

[Kitsumi]

The wistful tone in Ethan's voice was impossible to miss. "Maybe you should get a live Christmas tree this year," Roland suggested. "Hey, I could even come with you! My parents never wanted to have a real tree - they claimed it was too much hassle. It would be a fun experience for me to help you pick one out."

At first, Ethan thought that Roland was just messing with him. But when he realized that the other man was serious, he lit up, almost as brightly as the Christmas tree in front of them. "You'd really want to do that? That would be pretty fun. I have a really good hot chocolate recipe too, so maybe you could help decorate. You're certainly free to invite Romeo as well. Do you think he likes cookies? I've been thinking about baking cookies this Christmas."

[Post 17: Christmas Tree]

[Kitsumi]

Roland hid his laughter behind his hand. "I haven't had the chance to ask him if he likes cookies yet. I guess we'll find out soon, if he's feeling well enough to come with us." For a brief moment his expression clouded. Romeo's health was always a concern to him. But as quickly as the worries came, he banished them. Ethan needed him to be cheerful tonight. Roland could tell that the doctor wasn't used to enjoying himself. He needed Roland to help show him the way. "I didn't peg you for the baking type," Roland commented. "What type of cookies do you think you'll make?"

"Oh, as many as I can." Ethan chuckled. "That's if I'm lucky to get enough time off work. And you're right, I'm not usually the baking type. Or the cooking type. But I've been getting sick of the cafeteria food at the clinic, and of microwave dinners at home. I thought I'd try developing my culinary skills."

[Post 18: Christmas Tree]

[Kitsumi]

Before Roland could ask anything more about Ethan's plans for baking, the doctor was moving closer to the tree. He gently made his way through the crowd, reaching back to grab Roland's wrist and drag him along. "I want to see some of those ornaments up close," he explained. "Maybe it'll help give me ideas for my own tree."

"That's a good idea," Roland replied. "And I have no problems with getting a closer look." He side-stepped a woman with a toddler clinging to her leg, and suddenly they were right in front of the tree. "Wow," the man breathed. "It looks even better up close."

[Post 19: Christmas Tree]