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"Tapp," he said, tipping an imaginary hat. "Nice to meet you! And oh, it is terribly, terribly exciting. They choose a Peress through the regular ceremony, I guess. There's a light bearing thing, then they connect sceptors." He shrugged. "I've not seen it before. All Savior's Day is different- no one really knows how they find the woman, because it's not happened in over a hundred years."

By the time Lorelei awoke from a short nap, Vanna curled up in her small nest-like bed beside her, night was beginning to fall. Her newfound friend's words echoed in her mind. The Light-Bearing ceremony... that night. By City Park. She knew the place better than most of the city. When she had been very small, her father and mother had taken her there to watch the people stroll by.

She supposed it would be nice to go back, since it was a place that held some of the few good memories she had.

Lorelei looked at the chest in her wagon a moment, then shrugged and looked through. She had sewn a dress one day, after they'd come across a fabric trader, in a fit of semi-madness. It was nearly as elaborate as what she had once worn at home. Its whites and pale accents matched her new form perfectly... but still she covered herself with the cloak after arranging her curls in order.

If she was going to go back, she'd go all out.

The little crown - something she'd found laying around the wagon when she'd first found it - held her hood up a little, so that the bottom half of her nose and her lips showed. Smiling tightly at herself in the mirror, she went and woke up Vanna, dressing her in one of her best dresses. She looked at the girl a moment.

Her purple skin and third eye would stand out. She considered using the make-up, but refrained, afraid of what it might do. Instead, she wrapped Vanna up in a blanket, making a small cowl to hide her face and unusual features. Vanna snuggled close and fell back asleep, and Lorelei headed out to meet her sisters.

After catching snippets of conversation around the caravan, Irina scooped Kal up into her arms and headed back to the wagon to change her clothes into something more festive. She still needed to decide which event to attend as well, taking bits of conversation with her to help her choose. The Choosing seemed particularly interesting, though the All Saints celebration might be something to see as well...

Still torn on what event to attend, she slipped on her nice dress and a pair of leather shoes instead of her usual sandals, and then glanced in the mirror at her appearance, making sure she didn't look too rag-tag. Her curls weren't unruly today, and she was pleased with that, patting them down a bit to make sure they wouldn't get frizzy. When she was done dressing herself, she took the brush to Kal's fur, making sure the little badger looked neat and tidy herself. She tied a few strips of brightly-colored fabric around the badger's neck, and held her up to the mirror so that the badger could see herself. Irina could have sworn that the badger smiled when she saw her reflection, and she knew she had done well. As soon as she grew up, she could dress her in real clothes, she thought, knowing that Kalpana would probably enjoy it.

"Ready to go Kal?" she asked, grabbing up her coin pouch and wrapping it around her waist as a belt. "I think it'll be that time soon enough."

Kalpana seemed to nod at her mother, and she let her scoop her up into her arms, not wanting to get her new neckwear dirty by roaming around in the dirt. She'd try to keep herself clean--at least for awhile.

Gwynna took Nusa and the banya back to their wagon to get the little bird settled. They would have to find a proper cage for her, but for the time being, a little bit of straw in a box would have to do.

After checking to make sure that Nusa was still properly wrapped up, Gwynna ran her fingers through her hair for a moment and left the wagon. It was definitely time to get out and enjoy herself. And with all of the hubbub of two important ceremonies, it was sure to be an interesting time.

The Decision

The two groups are as follows:


The Choosing

Near the city limits, the parade has begun. Most of the people holding banners are wearing all or near all white, though there are many more with the crowd who have collected into the parade and are headed with them into the heart of the city. There are little children carrying baskets of flowers and others with candied sweets and large silver-white basins filled with colored liquid... they are quite shallow, and the bearers seem intent not to spill the contents onto the cobblestones. People are walking slightly wide around these bearers, though they stick their hands and cups in other, more obviously drink bowls and sweet trays that pass them by. If you look carefully, you might see a flash of very distinct white that is unlike the robes... it seems to be... white feathers. And a dispersion of cheetah spots in another flash as the crowd passes you by. They are headed towards the center of the city, to choose their new Perress, and to feast and festival. In a cart filled with watersponges, there's even a Filor in the crowd.

All Savior's Day

The collection of people who are headed into the city for All Savior's Day are mostly women, though there are nearly as many priests as there are priestesses, with beautiful white marks and tattoos on their faces. Where they walk, everything seems a little sweeter- and yet, they are the ones turning to the average folk- the women that are walking with them, and doting on them- taking their arms and leading them gently through the streets, and giving them treats so delicious that they nearly swoon for the taste. They are headed for the Great Gardens, to choose the person who is destined to bear Savior. In the crowd, you might see as you squint your eyes- a woman or two who looks... familiar, though you can't place the face when they're walking away from you- and the distinctive green skin that looks like it belongs on a frog.

Lorelei stuck with the Choosing group, following them as they spiraled in along the roads towards City Park. She hung back on the edges of the group, standing out only slightly with her dark cloak. Vanna stirred in her arms as they walked, yawned, then fell back asleep.

The crowd's bubbling murmur, rising to shouts every so often, kept her from thinking too much about the familiar roads she passed. Still, every so often, her mind drifted to the little fortunes for Vanna, and she held the girl close. Remembering the warning about friends, she was happy that they traveled alone for the time being.

Silver spotted several people dressed in white, with markings on their faces. Intrigued, she finally asked someone what the festivals were about.
"You don't know?! Ignorant gypsies. Why are you even here then?" "Forgive me sir, I'm from the mountains to the nor-" Khevashi squawked at the man and his eyed widened. Silver couldn't tell if it was fear or surprise in the man's eyes, but she didn't want to find out. "Sorry to bother you." She began to walk away. "Wait, miss. I'm sorry. The festivals... they're called The Choosing and All Savior's Day. It's incredibly rare for them to happen on that same day..." The man explained everything to Silver and she nodded gratefully, wondering what had changed his attitude. She squeezed Khevashi and held Ais's hand a little tighter, remembering the time Aisrhan was taken from her in Mulden.

She decided to follow the group she was closest to. Apparently this was the Savior's Day procession.