[surprise! Mr. Big Shot Emperor isn't too good for this. On the contrary, his country has whole festivals dedicated to lanterns, this is right up his alley. Except that, it isn't exactly clear to him that this is a memorial thing, but if the spirits are all up in this, so will he be.]
A Do You Know What Time It Is?
[At first, Cao Pi just watches what other people are doing, what the spirits themselves are doing. It's all extremely familiar and yet the purpose doesn't quite match up. The New Year is months away on the other side of winter, so it can't be the Spring Lantern festival. It is, however, around the time of year for another festival that is most certainly not about the dead.]
It's about a week early for the Moon Festival. [he says idly to whoever is standing nearest to him.] What I wouldn't give for a moon cake right now, though.
[now that he said that out loud, god does he want moon cakes]
B Classics of Poetry
[eventually Cao Pi gives in and comes up with an idea for his lantern-boat. They're not supposed to be square you heathens, they should be round, so his becomes a cylinder of paper on its floating base. The markers are close enough to ink brushes than he can deign to be seen using one to write a phrase on the outside: may we be brought together as Chang'e and her lover in Chinese, before plopping a stone inside and setting it adrift. The Moon Festival is for lovers, after all, and right now he misses his Zhenji more than anything.
Huh. What a strange sense of relief to send that lantern away...
Whether others witness him with his boat, before or after, it may be somewhat obvious that he's present when he begins quietly singing a poem of his homeland, in his native tongue. Not one of his own, but an old classic. He's not trying to draw attention but it is, perhaps, one of few sounds around the beach at the moment.]
C The Party's Over
[Cao Pi is actually standing just inside the trees at the end of the path, observing what's left of the lanterns and whatever the spirits are still up to, when the sound begins all around him. In spite of himself he lets out an amazed gasp.]
...do you hear that?
[he might just tear up a little in joy at the sound. Crickets!! Oh blessed crickets!! Mostly though he's shocked and wants to be sure he's not going crazy.]
Cao Pi | open
A Do You Know What Time It Is?
[At first, Cao Pi just watches what other people are doing, what the spirits themselves are doing. It's all extremely familiar and yet the purpose doesn't quite match up. The New Year is months away on the other side of winter, so it can't be the Spring Lantern festival. It is, however, around the time of year for another festival that is most certainly not about the dead.]
It's about a week early for the Moon Festival. [he says idly to whoever is standing nearest to him.] What I wouldn't give for a moon cake right now, though.
[now that he said that out loud, god does he want moon cakes]
B Classics of Poetry
[eventually Cao Pi gives in and comes up with an idea for his lantern-boat. They're not supposed to be square you heathens, they should be round, so his becomes a cylinder of paper on its floating base. The markers are close enough to ink brushes than he can deign to be seen using one to write a phrase on the outside: may we be brought together as Chang'e and her lover in Chinese, before plopping a stone inside and setting it adrift. The Moon Festival is for lovers, after all, and right now he misses his Zhenji more than anything.
Huh. What a strange sense of relief to send that lantern away...
Whether others witness him with his boat, before or after, it may be somewhat obvious that he's present when he begins quietly singing a poem of his homeland, in his native tongue. Not one of his own, but an old classic. He's not trying to draw attention but it is, perhaps, one of few sounds around the beach at the moment.]
C The Party's Over
[Cao Pi is actually standing just inside the trees at the end of the path, observing what's left of the lanterns and whatever the spirits are still up to, when the sound begins all around him. In spite of himself he lets out an amazed gasp.]
...do you hear that?
[he might just tear up a little in joy at the sound. Crickets!! Oh blessed crickets!! Mostly though he's shocked and wants to be sure he's not going crazy.]