For the moment, Power of Rat is apparently being spared the spiteful glances of Chance and Fate, and in fact, finds one of those rare human beings who is willing to chance the wrath of a power to offer her an offering of sorts- one of the popsicles made during this time. The boy smiles, and from the lack of apologetic parent quickly ushering him back into the crowd, it can only be presumed that he is, sadly, one of the children of those who disappear into the Bureaucracy, never to be seen again, and kept care of as a ward of the state. 'I hope you like it, Exalted Power of Rat.' he says with a cheerful smile. 'It's grape.' If you choose to take it, he bows quickly, and disappears back into the crowd again, disappearing out of sight to continue with the days frivolity. The ice is cool, refreshing, a touch of winter in the warmth of spring, and all too soon, is left only as a stick and a sweet memory, as the night continues on.<br/><br/>Snake, meanwhile, has found himself with the usual distractions of the festival- Games of chance, games of skill, all mental, out of perhaps the hope that a mental challenge against a power will give more likelihood of a lucky break and a missed move, misguided though this belief is. There is one man, a youth with the grin of a devil and a new game every year, always something of the manner of the three card monte or the shell game, pitting his dexterity and cunning against your wits and quick eyes- The cheating is taken as a matter of course, merely another level to the game, and no matter how many times you manage to select the correct card, from out of his sleeve, the brim of his hat, a nearby child's hand, he still offers you another challenge the next year. There is an old man, who sits by a table with a chess board set up- Each year, since you have taken your position as power, during the festival, he plays a single turn of the game with you. The game still has a good way to go, and he says that it offers him good incentive to keep living on, and an interesting problem to consider every time he finds himself overwhelmed by other things. These are not for his favor specifically, merely ways that the people of the city spin their prayer wheel, brilliant moves and tests of skills the drops of water that grind out a fine flour of enlightenment. This year, as always, the one to challenge you is perhaps the finest go player in the city- Each year, he wins the right through whatever skills he needs, be it a test of sporting prowess, a gambling odds, or something so simple as a riddle contest, and presents you with a single perfectly carved pearl, alternating between black and white, shining with one of the Mantras written, vanishingly small, by hand, the labor of the free time of an entire year. He bows as he offers you the pearl, and always, leaves without waiting to hear if you are pleased, for if you were not, he would not have been given the opportunity to give you even the second pearl.<br/><br/>The night is warm, and blissful, and joy is in the air. It is a rare moment for you to reflect back on what you have been spending your time on, for a Nobilis is rarely bored- Perhaps not always doing what they want to, but boredom is a sign of something deeply wrong with the cosmos.