"Brrr… Some weather we're having up here. A proper blizzard out there, isn't it?" The orc shivered as he shook off the snow from his boots. Leaning down to scratch the ears of the jackal wagging its tail beside him, he entered the ballroom. The dog was better suited to hotter climates, and so to compensate for its short coat the chef had fashioned a sort of vest-jacket for it to wear. Its feet were given padded boots as well, to prevent frostbite nipping at its toes. He'd gotten the invitation, which was odd because he found it in his belongings while on the road. The trip by airship was a long one, and it wasn't easy to find a craft willing to take a dog on board. Delanac was here for many reasons. Holidays in Glaciem meant two things: festivities and food. Today he was here for both, more for one than the other. What had really gotten his attention was the mention of the deities of Revaliir being present, and that there would be food prepared by them for all to partake. The table with them was plain to see, but it would be rude of him to start before at least half the place was full.

The jackal immediately ran over to the table of food and stood up on its hind legs. Enticed by the smell coming from a large steel pot, Delanac was just in time to keep the dog from taking a bite. "Bran, no! Down boy! Ye can't have the whole pot for yourself! Come on, off the table now." Picking up the dog, Bran's tail was swinging furiously as he turned his neck to stare at the buffet table as his owner carried him away. The jet-black jackal barked and whimpered, pawing the orc's shoulder. "I know boy, smells good doesn't it? But ye have to behave yourself, no sneaking a taste 'til then." He pulled out a small dried piece of rawhide and waved it in front of Bran's nose. Distracted, the jackal began chewing on it throwing glances at the table every now and then.

She had never seen anything like it–a place larger and more beautiful than the night skies since the two moons were full. The way to Zets'ki was arduous and cold, but together she and her companions had made it to the snowy haven. It all began with a letter, written on shining parchment and an envelope with the gentle fragrance of evergreen needles. Gale had asked Sidra where Zets'ki was, and the sphinx said it was far up north of the savanna, higher than the Library Temple. As they ascended the air grew colder, but Asha kept them warm. When they had arrived, the young dream-walker was soon wandering the streets in wonder. Although it was no warmer than Gifre's vault, the spirit within this place was comforting. As she did not possess any clothing suitable for Glaciem, Sidra took responsibility for finding the girl something to keep her from freezing. A robe which reminded her of the stars was draped around her as her sash now acted as a shawl. Locks of fiery orange hair peeked out from beneath, and she admired the beautiful buildings while the phoenix perched on her back.

Sidra immediately complained about the low temperatures and went to find a more comfortable place to rest. With her sightseeing of the outside finished, Gale soon followed. The Reverie Cathedral was breathtaking. She remembered how Arri had so many gemstones and gold in their own streets, but never before had she seen an entire structure seemingly carved from one. The vibrant and intense color of the malachite, the hues of azurite, and the rich darkness of onyx all made it seem like she was dreaming. Carefully she pinched the back of her hand to see if she was asleep. Wandering through to the Celestial Hall, it was a wonder that she even made it there. There were so many wondrous and curious things which distracted her from heading straight there. The scent of cinnamon and other familiar spices drew her in, and she finally arrived at the ballroom. Sidra was already reclining in a corner, grooming herself. Other guests were walking about enjoying themselves, chatting among each other. 

Rubbing her chilled hands together, she saw the table laden with food. Taking a steaming mug of hot chocolate and cinnamon, she held it in her hands as the drink's warmth seeped into her palms and fingers. There were moving statues positioned around the hall, one with a winged horse and its rider. The rider bore a trumpet, and they both moved as if they had been brought to life. Gale watched the wings and feet of the mechanical pegasus move, amazement and wonder reflected in her eyes.

Hagar made his way from the tavern to the cathedral. Eden was asleep in their rooms they had rented for the night, and Hagar was restless. so he had decided to go for a walk earlier that night, when he heard some commotion. The cathedral was full of people who were attending what seemed like a dance. Upon returning to the tavern he found an invitation to the dance stuffed neatly in his bag along with his other belongings, which was weird because he couldn't remember anyone ever giving it to him. Luckily he always kept some finer clothes for situations such as these. The shaman put on a green dress shirt as well as green dress pants. He always wore this green outfit to events such as these because green was the color of nature, and he felt close to the earth while wearing the outfit. He took a deep breath and pushed the front doors open before walking into the cathedral.

Music immediately filled Hagar's ears as he entered the building. Melodic songs of different genres enticed him to walk further into the cathedral, slowly drawing him closer to the ballroom. Everywhere he looked couples were dancing and enjoying their time at the dance. People of all different races and walks of life were in attendance, and he was amazed that everyone was getting along so well. The whole building was made of marvelous stones and the shaman couldn't remember ever seeing a building as marvelous as this one. He was walking around observing the scenery when he spotted someone. Standing a little ways off in the distance was a fiery haired girl who was admiring a mobile statue of a winged horse and it's rider. The angles and curves of the statue were so perfect, and the movement of the statue so graceful, that someone standing from a distance might mistake the statue as living beings. Although the statue was beautiful, Hagar still found himself more drawn to the girl who was standing in front of it. Something about her aura attracted Hagar's attention to her, causing him to decide to walk over and speak with her.

The shaman's steps were large ones so he covered the distance between him and the fiery haired girl in no time. As he took his place at her side he began to speak to her. "It truly is a beautiful statue. Whoever created it has an amazing eye for detail. I almost believed there was a real horse in the ballroom when I first saw it!" The shaman let out a chuckle before he continued speaking. "If it wasn't for how beautiful the rest of this building was I would almost be inclined to say that these various mobile statues are the most beautiful things here, despite all the lovely women in attendance. I came over here to speak with you though, not to analyze a statue that I could have admired from afar. When I spotted you over here I felt drawn to you for some reason. Something about your aura reached out and grabbed me, and there was no hope of resisting. My name is Hagar and I'm a traveling shaman. If you don't mind my prying, would you care to tell me your name? Quite frankly, out of everything in this room, you're the most interesting thing to me at the moment. All the people wandering around the room, and you're the only one I felt drawn to talk to."

An unfamiliar voice called out to her, and Gale turned to see the stranger beside her in surprise. "Oh, greetings efendi. Yes, it is wonderful! When I saw it I was wondering how it could move continuously. Could there be ropes on the inside?" The man introduced himself as Hagar and a 'shaman'. She wasn't quite sure what that was, but it reminded her of a young Hazan girl she had traveled with across the savanna. Bowing, she gave him her name. "I am Gale, a dream-walker in training. So you came to me because of my 'aura'? Ah, perhaps you mean my spirit? My teacher once said to me that wise men and those who read the stars were able to see and understand the spirits of all things. Is a 'shaman' another name for a wise man?"

From above, a phoenix then descended and rested upon her shoulders. "Ah, this is Asha, my friend." She said, putting a hand on the bird's flaming wing. "I have another friend with me too, Shaman Hagar. She is by the wall there." Motioning, she pointed to a sphinx lounging by herself. As if sensing she was being addressed, the sphinx looked up and watched them from her spot. "Your drink has cooled." The fire-bird spoke. With a flap of her wings, fire circled the mug and it was steaming again. "Thank you, Asha." Gale smiled, returning to face her new acquaintance again. 

The hall they were in was like a painted starlit night, the twinkling of the levitating malachite pieces floating high above. Meanwhile, a shadow flew over them and small wrapped candies began falling from the sky. One fell on her head, and several more ended up on the ground. "Hm? What are these? They're little fish?" Gale held the small white and red candy up to the light. It was indeed a miniature fish in clear wrapping. "It smells of mint and sugar… It would be a waste to leave them here." Picking up as many as she could see, she dusted them off and tucked them away into her bag. As she had spoken with the shaman, there was a sense of familiarity. Though his voice and appearance vastly differed, in some ways he was similar to Master Rushaad. Both spoke clearly and firmly, and at times they too would laugh. Pulling down her makeshift shawl, she exposed the rest of her fiery hair which reached just to her shoulders. 

Hagar smiled and listened intently as the fiery haired girl introduced herself. She stated that her name was Gale and that she was a dream-walker in training. Hagar had never heard of a dream-walker before and he made a mental note to himself to ask Gale about it later. She then mentioned a teacher, before asking Hagar what a shaman was. "Ah I once had a mentor as well." The shaman stated when the girl finished speaking. "The lessons you can learn from a proper mentor will stick with you for the rest of your life, whether you realize it now or not." Hagar realized that he was getting sidetracked by his memories and switched his focus back to the question the girl had asked. "Well, the word Shaman comes from a few different words of origin, one of which means 'to know,' so I suppose you could say that a shaman is a wise man. As for your question about what aura is, your assumption that it is your spirit is pretty close to the truth. Except while a spirit is your life force as a whole, your aura is simply thr energy that is projected from your spirit. It's what allows us to have special abilities such as these." Hagar spotted a rose close by and, when he finished speaking, he used his control of plants to cause it to grow over to where the two stood. He then plucked the rose and offered it to the girl, before making the stem return to it's original size in the vase, a new rose already budding in place of the old one.

Right as Hagar was about to continue speaking, a beautiful phoenix came and rested on Gale's shoulders. The girl introduced the phoenix as Asha and then gestured to a sphinx that looked rather comfortable in it's spot. The lounging sphinx raised her head and looked at the two when Gale mentioned her. Suddenly the phoenix spoke up from her spot on Gale's shoulders. She mentioned that the girl's drink had cooled off, after which she flapped her wings and warmed the drink with her fire magic. This demonstration of the close bond between the two made Hagar smile. The fabled birds-of-flame were typically thought to be solitary beasts, yet this one seemed to love Gale like a close friend. Seeing the two interact was a marvelous sight to behold. Suddenly Hagar felt something hit him on top of the head.

Candies began showering the ground from above. Gale immediately examined one, her curiosity seemingly getting the best of her, and noted that they were shaped like little fish. The girl noted that they smelled like mint and sugar before she began picking up the tiny candies and placing them in her bag for safekeeping. Hagar picked up the candy that had bounced off his head and, after unwrapping it, plopped it into his mouth eagerly. The candy tasted amazing, and if Hagar hadn't been smiling before, he definitely was now. Mint flavor flooded his mouth as he sucked on the tasty treat, rendering him speechless for a moment as he enjoyed the flavor. Sadly, the candy dissolved before too long, leaving Hagar craving more of the tasty fish.

As Hagar had been enjoying the candy, Gale had lowered her hood the rest of the way. The girl's hair was even more magnificent then it had seemed from far away, and it really accented the rest of Gale's lovely features. Hagar wasn't the kind to worry much about love but he had to admit, the girl was very lovely. Hagar took the rose he still held in his hand and motioned to Gale's fiery locks before asking, "May I? It would look lovely in your hair."