Summer festivals were usually so much more enjoyable.

This year though Faisal had his mind occupied with thoughts of marriage, of his own arranged marriage that had been forced upon him by his Grandmother. The very thought had the hybrid pressing his lips in a tight line of protest but his gaze did soften as he thought about such things lately. He could not truly fault his fiancee for her role in this but at the same time he worried that he would only make her miserable. He was charismatic certainly but to connect with someone on a much more personal level? Well it was a terrifying thought indeed, especially after losing touch with his father and brother for so many years. “I guess I’ll be praying more to Hatald.” He mused as his attention was taken by one of the many festival stands. While Faisal had been raised upon Oban beliefs it was still interesting to see how closely connected they were with Matori culture. The young swordsman had never minded studying the rest of the world, his interest in foreign cultures always making it easier to handle all of the quizzes and reading he endured under his tutors during his younger years.

Rather than feeling closed off from the rest of the world, Faisal enjoyed exploring all of the other cultures and appreciated seeing some of them showing up at the summer festival as foreign merchants set up their own stalls to celebrate the bounty of summer. So while Faisal did stop by a booth to pick up some incense for his grandmother to burn at the estate to the gods and goddesses of Oba he also paused by the stall set up by a Sautian and looked over the crystals with interest. “A crystal from Chi?” He asked the vendor before picking up the clear crystal for himself. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to have one of these added to his collection of stones? The clear cut was beautiful and the stone felt cool in his hands, almost like the ice that they continuously spoke of when referencing Chi. There were also wooden tokens representing other aspects of nature for lesser gods and he found his hands pausing over one of a rose. “A plant goddess?” He asked and the Sautian nodded.

“It’s for Alevia, a goddess of herbs.” Replied the Sautian with a small smile. “A lot of gardeners will carry this around in their pockets so that their gardens will be blessed.” The older woman chuckled as Faisal pondered the trinket. “Do you like gardening sir?” She studied him, a gleam of interest in her pale blue gaze. “Or does something else call the trinket to you?”

“Ah, someone else I know enjoys gardening.” Faisal replied softly before handing over a coin for the wooden token, the crimson stained flower keeping his attention as he rubbed the engraving with his fingers. Why not get a token for a lesser god? Surely it wouldn’t harm his own gods and goddesses for him to appreciate another culture, right? Thankfully Faisal was not as superstitious as the Yaeli who surely would have fainted at the very idea of carrying another religion’s token in their belongings. It was a shame though because he would love to learn more about their culture at one of these summer festivals but for the most part the foreigners were still closed off to the rest of the world because of their fear of curses coming from the mainland. Gods forbid that they irritate their god or goddess and become terribly cursed. Faisal could only shake his head. If that was what they wanted to believe then so be it. He, however, refused to allow such things to rule his life. Though he would gladly allow them to rule a few days of his life a year so that he could enjoy these festivals. The sweet pastries especially earned his attention along with the wines that were especially brought out for celebrations like this. Even if it was hotter in Oba during the summer months the country enjoyed plenty of trade from neighboring countries and their wealth brought in plenty of produce that everyone enjoyed together before the colder winter months shut down most traders and supplies until the next spring. Clutching the token in his hands, Faisal could only appreciate the other trinkets set out by the merchant before moving along to purchase anything else that caught his attention and to gather whatever snacks he could for the rest of the day.

[758]