[Lhavit] The Midwinter Festival

[Kelpie]

Timestamp: 46th of Winter, 510 AV Status: Open to All, enjoy the festival! The night is an integral part of every Lhavitian’s life. The night brings glory, renewed activity, comfort and familiarity. Night brings out Zintila’s sacred stars; an ocean of them mingling in Akajia’s inky black veil over the lands. Midwinter has arrived, and the denizens of Lhavit have fully awakened at the dawning of Syna. Carts were hauled out onto Zintia Peak, a procession of people and animals and crates packed with food hastily passing over the slender bridges connecting each peak together. Surya Plaza, as wide as it is grand, had rows of beautifully lit lanterns with dull blue glows. There were no large bonfires on this night, only small offerings to the food being lain out on various countertops, laden with well-wishes and silk tablecloths. The sky overhead was drowned in stars, with Leth’s generous presence enveloping the city in his enchanting light. Denizens were dressed in beautiful white fabrics, and it didn’t matter if one was young or old, servant or wealthy, the colors were the same. People were just beginning to set up, and it showed. Old men were settling their carts to show an array of glow-in-the-dark lizards, called Gila, others were piled with various fruits, even more with scrumptious rice dumplings ready for eating. And some others held games and prizes for the youngsters or the young-at-heart. In a corner of Surya Plaza, a band was playing beautiful, invigorating music. A composition that left the listener feeling as if they were in the center of benevolent spirits dancing all about them. From the steps leading toward the grand Koten Temple, in all it’s glimmering and glowing beauty, another procession began. Priests and priestesses garbed in flowing robes of silky white emerged, holding banners stamped with the insignia of the Star Lady. Upon reaching the Surya Plaza, the two rows of priests split on either side, and from the top of the stairs emerged the tall Ethaefal Anchorite Hayani, as well as another being. A beautiful woman garbed in the same white as the rest, but skillfully glimmering with the subtle glow of her stars. Lhavitians halted their actions to gaze upon their Star Lady, some kowtowing, others bowing low to show their undying respect and devotion. The Star Lady’s hand rose just as the band settled into silence, a smile painted on her lips as she spoke, “My people deserve a night of festivities and beauty. Today is the longest night of the year, when my stars can give each and every one of you the guidance you deserve. Let me be the first to say… Let the festivities begin!” It wasn’t long before Lhavitans rose once more and tossed rice into the air to signal the beginnings of joy and excitement. The music resumed, and from the corner of the plaza emerged the deep-blue garbed ladies of Leth’s temple. The Chandra, as they are called, just as their sisters, the Taiyang, held displays of beauty and dance for the people and for the enjoyment of Hayani and the Star Lady, herself. Only for this night. As they begun their preparations for the coming show, a group of Shinya were tossing out small wooden tokens from one section of the plaza. These tokens, if caught by an individual, signified prosperity in the future and good health for long days to come. A crowd of others were amassed around the battle wizards, cheering for every one caught, some sighing for their loss. The air was vibrant with joy and fun.

[Haeli]

When the rumors of the festival had first started circulating, Haeli wasn't sure what it was all about. But as the time grew closer and the buzz grew louder, not unlike bees getting ready to move their colony, she started hearing words like music, dancing, and food that seemed to be special. Haeli was curious. She couldn't help it. Half the people that lived and worked in Lhavit did things that were mysterious to her. Their temples were strange. Their holidays even stranger. In fact, even some of their belief systems were odd. Everyone seemed to have the name Zantila on their lips, but Haeli was wholly unsure of who the individual was or why he or she was important. But she did dream of dancing. And in fact, she had a dress that she'd purchased in Fall on a whim while out shopping with Brig that would do the trick nicely. She hadn't actually known there'd be people dressed up. But, before the festival had started, Haeli had slipped out of All Things Wild and had wandered the streets briefly to see the mood. There were lights everywhere. It was almost as if it was a festival of lights so illuminated where the streets. There were flowers of silk and decorations she'd never seen. Paper lanterns hung everywhere. She'd caught a glimpse of the musicians, tuning their instruments, and several ladies milling around in finery loading up on tables that sold snacks and drinks. Haeli couldn't wait. She didn't know if Brig would come or not, but his company would definitely be welcomed. Haeli wanted to hear the music and so off it was for her, back home, to change into something appropriate, put her hair up piled on her head, and slip on the fine sandals she'd gotten just for the dress. If Brig wanted to come, she'd definitely wait for him. But if he was no where to be found, she'd slip out with just a note with a picture hastily sketched on it - the type that showed a tiny cartoon of her dancing in front of other cartoon people playing instruments - for Brigs letters were still too poor to trust a written out note just yet. He was getting better though, every day, and by making sure she let him know where she was going if she left when he wasn't home, it made things overall easier on them. And so it was she slipped through the streets to the start of the festival, made her way towards the musicians, and found a likely shadowy spot out of the way to stand and listen to them play. Her foot tapped in time to the music and her entire form quivered with excitement at all the sights and sounds of the festival.

[Brig]

Haeli had been gone from All Things Wild only a few moments when Brig had returned to find the place empty. He’d been out already in his coon form prowling the streets, taking in the sights and sounds and scampering between more pale pants’ legs and skirts than he could count. The sounds and the smells had drawn him over the wall and along the narrow bridges, the lights and lanterns had fascinated him. He might not see the same spectrum of colors that Lhavitians or even other humans did. But what he saw in the night was still more vivid than most. The activity had been irresistible and he’d gone over the garden wall on a whim, intending to come back and tempt Haeli out with him again. He’d only been gone longer than expected. The Lhavitians with their loaded carts made for a banquet that itself was a powerful distraction. The odd savory rice ball or sweet pastry accidentally dropped from a child’s hand or toppled off the edge of a cart barely had time to hit the ground before he snatched it up. And he hadn’t been above panhandling either, even at the risk of being chased off and running again. He’d come back over the wall again down the old tree in the corner, only to find Haeli gone. He knew it immediately. Their bond meant that he’d have sensed, felt her presence. He didn’t, and he didn’t like that empty sensation. Not one bit. He’d looked in every room nonetheless, followed his nose to no avail but eventually the kelvic found the note she’d left him. The pictures she’d drawn told him just what he’d needed to know. Just as well as words would, or maybe better. It hadn’t taken Brig long then before he was off again, as good as sniffing out and following her trail. But this time in his human form. He’d seen the musicians, heard the words of the Star Lady even if he didn’t grasp exactly who she was…She must be important though, the kelvic had thought, considering the way she glowed and commanded everyone’s attention. Even his. But now there was only finding Haeli on his mind, and he’d made the effort to look his best and much like the Lhavitians themselves. He’d gotten himself something too during that earlier outing. And he was dressed in loose white trousers and tunic that he thought he could easily wriggle out of if he needed to shift. This time Brig didn’t linger to take in the sights or panhandle treats from the vendors, but made way straight to where he’d seen the musicians playing. And there spied Haeli in the shadows. He grinned just enough to reveal a flash of his longer canines before remembering himself. Then passed through the throngs in making his way towards her. Just a touch, and he reached out and brushed his fingertips along her forearm to get her attention. Though she’d probably sensed him nearby already.

[Haeli]

Haeli turned, smiled brightly, her eyes filled with joy. "Brig! Do you hear them? I've never heard anything like it. It's filling me all up, like I can hear the music with not only my ears but my heart and my toes and my nose and every part in between." She said, shifting slightly, fidgeting, and all filled with happy excitement. People were milling about, gathered by the sound of the music and the scents filling the air. Haeli had never smelled such things. Her nose was more akin to brackish water and soft rotting things. "The food Brig, have you tried it yet? We need to get some today. It smells delicious, especially that meat cooking. I wonder what it is? Smells better than alligator, that's for sure." She added, half turning towards him until she spotted the dancers. Haeli stared as the special place beneath here the musicians were filled with people. They swirled and whirled in ways she'd never imagined humans could. Only Dhani had that kind of grace, right? She stood frozen, staring, and then her smile returned big and bright. She tugged on Brig slightly, her gaze meeting his for a minute. "Lets get closer. I want to see this. I didn't know humans could do this..." She said, gently dragging Brig through the crowd to a closer vantage to the dangers. Brig could feel a complex knot of emotions from her. Excitement. Wonder. Realization. Interest. Even strong curiosity filled her. She as nervous and excited all at once, more fascinated by the people than by anything else at the festival. She crept to the edge of the dance floor, just beneath the dais at the corner of the square. Haeli hadn't seen the Star Lady yet, and as she got closer to the festivities, a token flew out of nowhere and across Brig's direct sight. In fact, it would have hit him on the nose had Haeli not said 'Brig, Watch Out!". Haeli turned to stare at where the token came from, trusting Brig to duck or catch. That's when she caught a glimpse of the Star Lady and her entourage. The witch simply stared, growing silent suddenly. She forgot the dancers, the musicians, and even the crowd as she whispered ... "By Caihya, look at that woman Brig. She's more beautiful than anything I've ever seen." The girl said breathlessly. It was almost as if the festival, in and of itself, was completely overwhelming to Haeli.

[Brig]

”I can hear it, it’s how I found you,” the kelvic declared with a wide smile when finally he’d gotten through the crowds to Haeli’s side. The festival was a feast for his own heightened senses. Overwhelming, unpredictable, but in a way he liked so long as Haeli was nearby. The music drifting over countless voices, some loud and others quieter. The milling crowds and glowing buildings, the dancing lights from lanterns not unlike the stars high overhead. And the many smells that had been most responsible for luring him out and over the wall in the first place. He knew what she meant though and he looked down at her tapping toes and grinned as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. ”They’re dancing all on their own,” he declared, as if she hadn’t noticed and had no control of it. ”I’ve tasted some of the things that were dropped.” Indicating he’d been out already, but in his coon form. ”I’d like to try more, especially the ones they call dumplings.” He followed her gaze to the area surrounding the musicians and like Haeli, Brig watched them for a curious moment. It was strangely contagious, and his own toes started tapping in response. He’d never really seen humans dancing. Until now he’d have wondered why they would. You moved to get from one place to another, to get things done. But the Lhavitians seemed to be moving just for the pleasure of it. As if it was, like Haeli said, their bodies felt what their ears heard, and were compelled on their own. They seemed to be enjoying it, no matter their reasons and he grinned a little. ”Would you like to try?” he asked. Her excitement was contagious too. He could feel it through their bond, added to touch and expression. He smiled and happily took her hand to drift closer to the middle of things. The instruments themselves were a source of curiosity and he tilted his head, intently watching as fingers plucked strings and got something more melodic back than simply noise. It couldn’t help but remind him of his mother’s music box, but there’d only been winding it up to hear it play, not fingers to strum away at it. Before he’d dismantled it at least, and failed to put it properly back together. He was still wondering when Haeli’s voice brought him to looking up and finding the wooden token sailing right towards him. There was no time to duck or weave aside, only snatch it out of the air before it could bounce off his nose. He narrowed his eyes first and peered off towards the source, wondering just who was throwing things at him before he inspected the coin in the palm of his hand. It wasn’t gold like the mizas they traded for goods. But others who’d caught one seemed to be happier for it. ”It’s like a coin made of wood,” he said and handed it to her for a better look. ”but I don’t know why they’re throwing them at us.” The Star Lady though, that brought back the earlier moment when he’d first seen her appear. And even though he’d only caught low glimpses through pants’ legs and robes, he’d wondered at the awe of the Lhavitians when they’d seen and heard her. ”I saw her when she first came out,” he told her, his own eyes fixed on the figure as well. She was like nothing he'd ever seen and if he didn't quite grasp who she was, he knew her importance beyond a shadow of a doubt. ”She called the people…her people. And she called the stars her own. I think she must own the city, and the stars too. Do you think she’s a god?” he wondered.

[Eshara Aravell]

"She is indeed a god, or technically, a goddess, though there isn't any difference between the two. She is our protector, our saviour, and our patron." came a voice from behind them. Eshara smiled as she strode forward to greet them, her white robes billowing out behind her. Today, unlike most days, she had let her hair down, and it swirled around her, as the winds that blew so often in the mountains caught it and tossed it. "My name is Eshara Aravell, and I greet you on this Midwinter Festival." She held out her hand in greeting. __________________________________________________________________ A few moments ago... Eshara smiled as she moved through the gathering crowd in Surya Plaza, surveying the foods with an appraising eye, while she kept her other eye fixed upon Zintila's abode, waiting for the inevitable moment in which Zintila would make the yearly descent every midwinter festival, to greet her patron city. Eshara had grown up in Lhavit, and had stood in awe of her when she was young. Even now, at the matronly age of 45, Eshara still retained some of that awe every time Zintila made her descent from her abode. It was one thing to know about a goddess and worship her, as she did Ivak. It was entirely another thing to see a goddess in person, as she did so many times every year. Eshara felt, not for the first time, blessed to be in such a city. Coming back to her surroundings, she glanced towards the place in which the Dusk family were gathering. She had reunited with most of the Dusk family members, and was now taking a break, looking around at the other happy gatherings, greeting people with a beaming smile on her face. There were some who knew her for who she was, and a few of them bowed respectfully. Others came to talk about the weather, and other pleasant subjects for conversation today, but all the talk was merely a diversion, for the entire city was waiting with baited breath for the appearance of their patron. And out she came, stunning in her beauty and radiance, garbed in the same white as they all were, yet so enchanting. Eshara felt small in her presence. Even she, one of the matriarchs of the Dusk Tower, stood in awe of the Lady who had gifted her worshippers with the ability to create this beautiful city that glimmered and shone in the night under the stars that dotted the sky. And she mentally thanked Zulrav for keeping the weather mild this night. “My people deserve a night of festivities and beauty. Today is the longest night of the year, when my stars can give each and every one of you the guidance you deserve. Let me be the first to say… Let the festivities begin!” __________________________________________________________________ Back to the present... Eshara shook hands with the two of them. "What would you like to know about our city and our goddess? 'Tis a good night to talk."

[Haeli]

Haeli smiled warmly at Brig, nodded a response to his question as to whether or not she wanted to try dancing, and promptly lost herself in the distraction of seeing the Goddess. She nodded to what he was saying, about how the woman called the Lhavitians her people and Haeli wasn't sure if she liked that or not. The whole concept of owning people made her nervous, especially in the light of what Brig was and that for some reason people coveted his types. She froze a bit, met Brigs eyes, then blinked out of her worry when a stranger's voice penetrated their duo. Haeli turned to catch a glance at the woman who had joined them, and offered her a shy smile. Eshara Arvell had a very lovely name, but Haeli simply stared at her hand not sure hat to do with it. Awkwardly, Haeli reached out her own hand and brushed her knuckles with the woman's, hoping that was the right gesture. She wasn't sure though. She'd never formally greeted anyone. Once she'd done so, Haeli offered her own name. "Haeli. And this is Brig." She stepped back and let Brig step forward if he wanted too. The woman was beautiful and a little older than Haeli. As Haeli stepped back, she met Eshara's eyes briefly. There was something familiar about Haeli to Eshara. It wasn't something the older woman could easily put her finger on, but her face was known to the matriarch of the Dusk family, if even inadvertently. She looked like someone Eshara knew, but the hair was wrong, and so too was the age. Maybe even the sex was wrong, even though there was a striking familiarity in the girls appearance. Haeli felt awkward. She wasn't good meeting new people and was even poorer still at meeting other women. They were usually all she should be and yet was not. In the swamp she hadn't minded, being as wild as one of the other swamp denizens. But here in a city filled with civilization, Haeli was as out of place as they came. Her blond hair had managed to tangle itself even though it was held up by a set of green shell combs that should have kept it tamed. They were, however, inserted the wrong way, as if a child had insisted on placing them and Haeli had let them. The dress Haeli wore was a lovely dyed thing of silk and cotton, the absolute wrong fabric weight for being out in the winter. A heavy cloak mostly concealed it, but did little to cover the battered boots that protected Haeli's toes from the frosted ground much more than a pair of sandals would which was more suitable for the dress. Her hair should have been braided and twisted up, draped with fancy glittering stones like most of the rest of the women had, but the girl had no knowledge of how one did her hair or how one was supposed to dress in Lhavit. Haeli admired how Eshara looked, how well put together she seemed, with everything perfect about her and offered a shy smile. The woman was beautiful, as lovely as the Star Lady without the glow of a Goddess, but someone confident in her own right. "We just settled in Lhavit. We know... well I know... " Haeli knew Brig could speak for himself. He didn't need her to do so. "I know next to nothing about the city. I just came for the people. My adoptive mother passed on and with her death I wanted to see a city like this, maybe live here for a while. Lhavit was close to the Gyvaka so I came here. Anything you could tell me... us... would be lovely. I have herbs to trade for if you'd like payment for the information." Haeli said, letting Brig make his own introductions in his own way. The Gyvaka was a mighty swamp to the south of Lhavit on the boarder of Falyndar and Kalea. It had a notoriously deadly reputation and had spawned dozens of stories that the Lhavitians could use to frighten their children into behaving. That someone was 'from there' seemed a little impossible even though Haeli spoke with honest confidence. Her eyes drifted to the Star Lady again, widened slightly, and offered her first question. "Are the Lhavitians really her people? Why?" She asked, almost in a whisper and almost as if she were afraid they were slaves. Again, her voice, her mannerisms, a great deal about her seemed somehow familiar to Eshara even though she couldn't quite place it. Haeli was strongly reminding her of someone, though someone who had far more confidence than the girl had.

[Brig]

It was almost unheard of that someone thrust their hand out at Brig. But the gesture from the woman who’d swept up beside them, struck a memory in the kelvic’s mind. Such a small event that to most creatures it would seem hardly worth remembering. But it played out like moving images in his mind, an aged and bearded traveling tinker introduced by his mother, thrusting out his hand to grab Brig’s own and give it a lively shake. The old man’s hand had been large, weathered and spotted with age, and had swallowed Brig’s own. And in his gruff old voice that had seen too many swallows of whiskey and plugs of tobacco, he’d said Well it’s a rare pleasure to meet you young man!. Brig had been only a child at the time, but in the scheme of things, not at all so long ago. It had been the only other time anyone had offered, but with a quick grin that inadvertently flashed a view of his sharpened canines, Brig thrust out his hand and took the woman’s own. With a grip that, for being learned and remembered, was probably a little more lively and firm than need be for a more delicate recipient. ”It’s a…rare pleasure to meet you,” he said, if a little haltingly, as if he wasn’t sure if the greeting was the correct one. But it was the only proper one he knew. ”It’s Brig, just Brig,” he added towards Haeli’s introduction. Brig too was out of place. Though there were few things in his human appearance, aside of his canines, that immediately identified him as anything but, no matter his style of clothing he seemed not quite comfortable in it. As if it was unnatural to him, or he wore it almost begrudgingly. In the brief time he’d been standing there, he’d scuffed the heel of his boot against the cobbles and tugged at the lines closest to his neck. But he also moved with a sort of animal grace that some humans could only learn instead. And watched the crowd milling around them, around Haeli more accurately, as if he was keeping a never ceasing watch for dangers. He was happy to let Haeli do most of the talking. ”I came from the forests at the bottom of the mountain,” he said. ”I came to be with Haeli.” He’d spent longer in the wilds than he had in civilization, and words weren’t as useful or understood amongst his wilder cousins. He hadn’t been amongst humans long enough to feel comfortable using very many of them when he was out and about. But he knew through their bond, something of what bothered Haeli. This thought that the Star Lady might possess the people here. Maybe even this woman who joined them, a creature who fascinated Brig in her own right with the way she seemed to move about with such ease. And how some others had seemed drawn towards her. But where the possibility made Haeli uneasy, Brig wasn’t nearly as bothered by thoughts of people belonging to others. It was in his making. His contact with other kelvics was so little that he had no real concept of how others like him were treated. Enslaved, chained and used, profited from or even abused. He didn’t know, really, that his kind were seen as less somehow. His limited experiences had left him ignorant, and unaware of it. But nonetheless he belonged to Haeli, body and soul. She was his mistress. Others might call it owned, and say there was no difference. But in Brig’s mind there was, no matter that one was as binding as the other. Haeli was his mistress. He'd chosen, he belonged to her, and it simply was. He smiled though when she asked her question, and remembering the wooden token he still clutched in his left hand, he thought he might have one of his own. Opening his palm, he showed the woman the thing resting there. ”Someone threw this at us. Do you know what it is?”

[Eshara Aravell]

"Hello then, Haeli and Brig," Eshara smiled welcomingly at them. "It is good to meet and have new people in the city. I see that you have not yet time to familiarize yourselves with our customs yet. But of course, you have only recently settled in to our city. Do you mind if I help you with your hair? I think at the moment it would be better if you let your hair down." Eshara commented, her hand stretching to the clips on Haeli's straw-coloured hair, which was, as she commented to herself later in her rooms in the Dusk Tower, a mess. But Eshara had manners enough to know that that sort of thing was not to be said to one's face, so she simply unclipped Haeli's hair, and let the hair cascade down her back, untangling as it went. "Information is given, not paid for," Eshara said, catching Haeli's passing comment as she straightened out Haeli's hair. "For now, let it suffice to say that next Midwinter Festival, you should wear white like the rest of us, in celebration of the longest night of the year, when Leth, god of the moon, graces us with his presence." Eshara waved a hand to the sky, where the moon hung at the zenith, shining down upon the scene with a luminous white sheen, soft yet bright, standing out amongst the stars that were strewn across the sky. Looking back at Haeli, she frowned as a flicker of memory flashed in her mind and was gone before she could truly grasp it. Haeli seemed to be familiar somehow. Eshara knew that she had never seen Haeli before, for Haeli had only recently come, and Eshara had rarely ventured outside Lhavit, so she puzzled over it inwardly, whilst turning to Brig, who asked a question about the token in his hand. Eshara smiled. "Anyone who has one catches one such token, according to legend and myth, will be blessed with good fortune, prosperity and good health. The people who are tossing them over there," she said, pointing, "are the Shinya, the warrior guardians of our city and the enforcer of our laws." "As for Zintila, we are her people, and she is our goddess. In the years after the Valterrian, our ancestors had to face the task of living next to mountains that grew higher and higher each year as the face of the earth distorted itself. She then gifted some of us with the ability to use the material of the stars and meteors to build this city that shimmers in the light of the sun, the moon and the stars. She saved us from ruin, and today, we are a prosperous city due to her blessing. Her gift was all the more great for the fact that she had already lost most of her power to save her mother, Semele. We revere her, and worship her. She loves us and blesses us in return." Eshara looked back at the building with Zintila called home. Now Zintila was being entertained by the Tayang and the Chandra, who were dancing gracefully. Many people had stopped to watch, entranced by the movements of the guardians of the Temples.

[Kelpie]

The revelry was gradually growing as chimes passed. Children ran through the legs of adults, chasing each other with Gilas they held in their hands whilst the older folks mingled and conversed about any subject that came to mind. Zintila and her entourage had settled themselves in seats carved of painted wood, just as the Chandra were beginning their first few dance routines. Many people stood to watch, and indeed, some even bowed at the spectacle performed by the moon maidens, who, with long strands of translucent silk embroidered with shimmering silver stars, they twirled and leaped and performed acrobatic feats that left the viewers in awe. Both Brig and Haeli were left relatively alone, with an occasional Lhavitian or a child of Leth gazing upon the pair in subtle curiosity. In such a tight community, most knew when a foreigner arrived, and they could tell from their mannerisms that they did not yet belong. However, Eshara’s arrival seemed to help integrate them into the revelry wholly. Several children during the course of their conversation tugged at Haeli’s and Eshara’s dresses and offered breaded buns full of vegetables and decorative fans made of fine fabric; gifts for the denizens who showed up for a night of festivities. Although none of these intrusions warranted as much attention as the next unexpected arrival; a man garbed in a white silk robe so fine it rippled brilliantly in waves like glimmering pearls, rimmed in embroidered gold-tinted fabric. The owner of this fine garment appeared as if he was in his late 30s, with long, rich black hair cascading behind his back, and brilliant violet eyes flecked with gold, eyes that shown a brilliant hue at his abrupt greeting. “Ah, dear Eshara, how fairs this fine night?” His tone suggested he should be light-hearted, but instead, the patriarch of the Twilight Tower sounded stern, almost too stern to warrant a proper pleasant response. He glanced toward Haeli and Brig, the subtle twitch on his lip betraying the effort to hide his displeasure with their lowly presence. “I was looking for your brother. He was not in his usual spot rooted to his seat at the tea house. Perhaps you know his whereabouts?” Weisur’s cool gaze wandered the crowd once more, tapping the top of the cane he held in both hands, before his eyes landed on Haeli once more. She was an odd sight for sure, although Weisur was hardly surprised. What did surprise the patriarch, however, was the distinct necklace that hung around the Swamp Witch’s neck. It seemed as if it held the insignia of the-- the Twilight Tower! It was almost ridiculously quick how Weisur’s hand shot forth and grasped the necklace in his hand, scrutinizing it further. His eyes seemed to deepen into a gold just as deep as Haeli’s own, but his was a glare, as if he suspected the girl of theft. “Where did you get this?” He barked.