You discern that this location has not yet been imprinted by any being.

Near the western edge of the Aalen.
The stars twinkle in the clear night sky. A green-flowered ginseng plant has been planted here. A
low-lying wild ginger plant is growing here. A purple coneflower grows here, its large stalk
straining towards the sky. A nearby branch is laden with hard-shelled nuts. A low-slung myrrh bush
is here. A red elm tree grows here, its branches gently swaying in the breeze. A lobelia wildflower
is growing here. A burdock plant is growing here.  Kei is here.
You see exits leading north, northeast, south, and northwest.

You grab hold of a nearby branch and swing nimbly up into the treetops.
In the trees above Near the western edge of the Aalen.
The stars twinkle in the clear night sky.
You see exits leading north, northeast, south, and northwest.

You begin to use your entire body to cleverly cling to the branches of the tree while still
maintaining a great deal of freedom of action.

You say to Kei, "Well, at least I'll have someone to share Logosmas with this year..."

You lean on Kei, seeking consolation.

You say, "Even if it is just myself in the end anyway."

A silvery harmonic winds through the treetops and embraces you in its resonance.

Lifting the bottle to your lips, you take a long pull of the dark, syrupy liquid. The rum burns your
throat as it races to your stomach, causing your eyes to water.

The smooth aftertaste of caramel lingers upon your tongue as the hot liquor settles in your stomach.

A resonating harmonic whispers, "One needs not have company to enjoy a season."

You blush furiously.

You say, "Thank you."

You have emoted: Kei draws up her knees on the branch she rests on, burying her face in them. "Thank
you..."

A resonating harmonic whispers, "You are north of four centuries, Kei. Do you not yet have peace in
your own being?"

You have emoted: Kei shakes her head slowly. "I have missed much in this life. I feel like a relic,
even despite the kindness I have been shown by everyone. Like I have no place anymore, as much as I
pretend to."

Shimmering and lowering in key, the harmonic rustles through the bells strung in your hair.

A resonating harmonic whispers, "When one cannot find a place, one must create it. It is the
blessing gifted to you by your imagination, should you accept that gift."

You have emoted: Kei reaches back to brush her fingertips over the jingling bells, jostling them
into sound again slowly. "I have always been afraid of tripping on the way. Afraid that I will just
fall if I reach too far. But maybe it's better to fail than to sit and ache in silence."

A resonating harmonic whispers, "To fall is merely to run through the ether in an unexpected way.
What is so terrible about that? The ground will be there to catch you like an old friend, and the
sky there to tempt you upwards once more."

Resonant laughter marks the Great Bard's amusement, His rich baritone subsiding to meld with the
lingering harmonic.

You have emoted: Kei smiles a little and shakes out her hair, jingling in response. "I've spent my
whole life running away -- from friends, from responsibility, from love. I need...no. I want to stop
running away. I just don't know what direction to go." She pauses a moment and smiles a little wider.
 "But that's the whole point, isn't it? If there isn't a path...cut one open for yourself, right?"

A resonating harmonic wavers and whispers, "I do believe that after four hundred years you are
starting to catch on. Walk in song, wherever you carve your path, Kei."

Scarlatti, the Great Bard has bestowed His divine truefavour upon you. It will last for
approximately 1 Achaean month.

The silvery harmonic slinks away through the branches, leaves rustling in the treetops in its wake.

You merrily shake some tiny silver bells, filling the air with a musical jingle.

You say, "Thank You, again. Maybe all I needed, all along, was someone to notice I was hurting, and
show me the way out."

You have emoted: Kei stands smoothly between the branches before hopping down to the ground. "Old
friends and new. Old friends I miss with all my heart...I won't forget you, but please make room for
a few new ones...I'll have a mistake to correct in a few months time now."

You carefully watch your footing and swing down from the treetops.