Amalia wove a tale of trickery and mischief to delight them all, and Kiada brought the masked god to playful life upon the stage while Melita and Jigano danced their puppets around the background. First the lanterns and then the luxere were given their chance to shine, however, and Melita skillfully galloped her little herd to surround the starry goddess, innocently helpful and full of joy to see Safrin peacefully sleeping there.
Well. Somewhat peacefully. Snore, indeed! The bard had to muffle a laugh at Ludo's performance and artful use of makeup on their mask. The hidden laugh sent the lanterns to shivering, but an otherworldly breeze teased past his ears and he sobered, looking out among the audience. The attentive faces of friends and acquaintances looked back, and a shimmer of late-Leafchange heat in the back, but nothing stuck out as the source of that almost-voice he'd thought he heard.
Then there was no further time for distraction as Kiada shifted close to him again, bringing 'Ludo' back to his side of the stage. Again the lanterns swirled around the puppet-god, obedient to its whims. They bobbed a joyful greeting and then, at Ludo's urging, Jigano stepped behind Kiada and spread his long-fingered hands wide with a shaky twist that split the control rods apart and left the lanterns hanging from his fingertips in a cat''s cradle web as they swept all across the sky of the backdrop, beautiful and bright from the paint and paper that had been applied to make them seem to shine.
Well. Somewhat peacefully. Snore, indeed! The bard had to muffle a laugh at Ludo's performance and artful use of makeup on their mask. The hidden laugh sent the lanterns to shivering, but an otherworldly breeze teased past his ears and he sobered, looking out among the audience. The attentive faces of friends and acquaintances looked back, and a shimmer of late-Leafchange heat in the back, but nothing stuck out as the source of that almost-voice he'd thought he heard.
Then there was no further time for distraction as Kiada shifted close to him again, bringing 'Ludo' back to his side of the stage. Again the lanterns swirled around the puppet-god, obedient to its whims. They bobbed a joyful greeting and then, at Ludo's urging, Jigano stepped behind Kiada and spread his long-fingered hands wide with a shaky twist that split the control rods apart and left the lanterns hanging from his fingertips in a cat''s cradle web as they swept all across the sky of the backdrop, beautiful and bright from the paint and paper that had been applied to make them seem to shine.
