Ziya stared and stared some more at the strange gift that had appeared in his room that he shared with his father. It was definitely addressed to him even though his initial reaction was to assume that it belonged to his father who was far more familiar with the area and probably knew at least a few people living in Neued. Why would a gift appear that was for him? Ziya tilted his head back and forth as he tried to figure out the mystery. It simply didn’t make sense, not here at least since they had only just arrived in Neued. Though the young hybrid was a bit oblivious to the affectionate looks from others, the young beast charmer even missed the hints from the shifter dancer who had tried to flirt with him earlier while swinging along the trees with other performers. So he wouldn’t even think to place the blame on her for a mysterious gift, especially since he didn’t even catch her name or recognize her efforts to gain his attention in the first place. “Well, I guess while everyone else is away exploring it wouldn’t hurt to open it.” Right? Ziya pursed his lips thoughtfully as he tilted the small wooden box this way and that way as if the sunlight flickering through the windows could reveal what was inside. “Lykke til!” He chuckled as he decided to just go for it and all risks be damned. Ziya twisted off the lid before frowning again. A crystal bead? Ziya held it up towards the window of the inn room to try to see it better. Was that a flower engraved in there? It looked like a budding flower that they had seen ever since entering Neued for this family trip. It was everywhere in the city, bouquets and loose flowers scattered all over the streets while ribbons swayed in the winds for the festivities. “But why was this left for me?” Ziya questioned again as he continued holding up the bead, unaware that someone else had entered the room.

“You just arrived in the city and got a bead? Nice.” A young Shifter grinned as she held up a basket full of fresh linens. “I’m here to offer fresh blankets, if you’d like.” She blinked though as she noticed Ziya’s confused expression. “Do you not know? Makes sense if you’re a foreigner.”

“Not know what?” Ziya didn’t even seem bothered by the girl. He had noticed her when they arrived at the inn earlier, the girl scurrying around with the same basket though admittedly it had a few more linens in it the last time that he had seen her. She had probably already dropped them off at the room his sisters were sharing, that much Ziya could guess. What he couldn’t figure out though was the importance of the bead he was currently holding and so he was curious about what the girl knew.

“The beads are part of the festivities.” She gestured for Ziya to step to the side so that she could shake out a blanket for the bed. “They are given to others as tokens of appreciation, but for those looking for a bit of spice they can be used for flirting. That one is very purple so it looks like someone had a passionate impression of you and was hoping for more, hehe.”

“Purple, huh.” Ziya frowned as he looked over the bead in his hands. “Do the flowers change with the colors?” It was almost like a grayish blue to him…as much as he tried to hide that fact from others, very few colors actually registered with the young beast charmer as they looked to the rest of the world.

“The flower? Strange detail to focus on, but maybe.” The girl held out her hand so that Ziya could pass over the bead. “Looks like this one is only slightly budded, while this one is fully bloomed.” She handed the bead back to Ziya and took out one from her own pocket. “See this one? It’s orange as a token of appreciation from my friend. I got another one from my sister that’s green for good fortune even. Looks like the flowers are slightly different, but it could just be how they were engraved by the artisans who made them. Basically you collect them during the festivities and if you like someone back you can buy more beads at a stall to exchange. Some wear a bunch of beads around their necks for necklaces or even weave them into their hair, just to show off their collection from the festivities since it goes on for days.”

“I see.” Ziya frowned though as he realized that he wouldn’t be able to fully interpret every bead that he received, if he did receive any more. There was still the question of who even left him a bead in the first place, but at least he could ask the Shifter a few more questions to try to get a better grasp on the different colors and what they meant….even if he couldn’t fully see exactly what colors they were. It was an interesting way to start their time in Neued though, that much was for certain.

[876]