G'day once more, everyone! I'm back! And I said that I would make a special. Had this in the works since... Wednesday. Enjoy!
It was that time of the year again. The New Year Festival was later tonight and all of the villagers were going up into the Jade Palace for the party near midnight.
And they had to attend.
Tiger was currently out in the courtyard, brushing down Blaze and Draco since it was his time to do it. The long-time residents of the Jade Palace were setting out tables for all and Romeo was getting fitted. Paper lanterns that displayed a monkey on the face were hung around poles. The mood seemed to be happier in the Jade Palace.
He wished he could help, but he'd only get in the way. He knew it well.
When he was done after ten minutes, he threw the curry comb onto one of the small set of shelves and went straight to where his mother wanted him to be fitted. Romeo met him halfway, and he did not look happy. He kept bleating in annoyance and cursed under his breath when they passed. Tiger went right in, and he could finally see why.
All ceremonial clothing. The one thing he didn't like. He liked his rough and loose clothing.
His mother brought him round to get him started. Being one of the best tailors back in their old home, she knew her stuff.
She quickly took note of Tiger's measurements by sight and pulled out a random roll of dark blue cotton, rolling out the necessary length of silk and cutting it for a long sleeved undershirt.
"Are you sure tha-" Tiger began to asked.
"I once had the honour of tailoring clothes for royalty, my son. I know what I am doing." Krynn interrupted.
And so Tiger stood there, waiting and getting fitted. She added the dark green silk shirt and deep purple pants. But, for added flair, his mother told him that he's getting a cape with his attire. The cape itself would be silver, one golden line down the centre. As much as he disagreed to that idea, Krynn saw what the kung fu masters would be wearing, and it was "incredibly elaborate stuff." So his mother won that round, and he was now getting the cape.
She quickly shooed Tiger out of the room and closed the door behind him. With his sensitive ears, Tiger heard the clicking of her tongue even through the door. Tiger went down the path and back to the courtyard. When he got back, the preparations were almost complete and only the finishing touches were being placed.
Sighing, Tiger trekked through to the barracks and went into his room. With the paper walls, it took a little time to adjust. He sat down onto his newly made cot, looking around the room. He never noticed how small this place was when compared to the first two places he would normally compare rooms to. His old room when he was younger and the knight barracks at the baron's estate. But, months of living in a tent would make anyone appreciate a proper bed.
He laid down onto the cot and rested for a while. There is time yet.
Later:
Fireworks coloured the skies with all colours of the rainbow and all inbetween. A dragon mascot danced around the ceremony. All of the lanterns were lit and food was set out on all of the tables. But that was only to the metaphorical tip of the metaphorical iceberg. The many vibrant colours and designs of the clothes everyone wore dazzled the minds beyond compare. Even the king's ceremonial robes would have to try to win to dazzle the people, only to fall short by several hundred kilometres.
Tiger was in his ceremonial attire, his cloak bellowing out behind him. The only thing that kept it from being blown away was the tough golden cord that hung around his throat. He was at the outer edge of the festival, watching yet feeling like an outcast. The noise was also giving him a large headache. He left the courtyard and sat outside the palace grounds, taking care of his tail and cape. He watched the fireworks explode and send their coloured light outwards. While the noise was still there, it was diminished and bearable.
He looked down to ponder on something.
He is an outcast. Everyone else was having the time of their lives in this festival, yet he wasn't. He purposely separated himself to enjoy it by himself alongside no one else.
He would never fit in here.
(Tigress, 3rd person)
Even through the crowd of people, Tigress saw Tiger leave the gathering. Worried, she followed in his tracks. She spotted him sitting against a tree, watching the fireworks without the large noises. She watched him from the shadows, even her bright and mismatching robes couldn't be seen. She walked up and sat beside him, now seeing why this was a good place.
"Why aren't you in the party, Tigress?" He asked, still looking up at the lights.
Another firework went up and exploded in a blaze of orange. Many others went up after it, exploding into the figure of the fire monkey.
"Just wondering where you went and why you're here." Tigress answered.
Tigress heard her brother sigh heavily. She looked over, seeing him looking down to the ground in front of his toes.
"This party doesn't want an outcast like myself." Tiger responded.
This statement got Tigress angered slightly. She stood and pulled Tiger up.
"My brother is not an outcast here. This is your home now. Never feel like you aren't welcome." Tigress growled, staring into Tiger's eyes.
It was then that two more fireworks went up. Both immediately looked up. They were twirling around each other, both sending out white trails behind them. When they exploded, one sent out a continuous sparkle of white while the other separated to the outer edge.
It was the yinyang symbol.
They looked back at the other, smiling. They went back to the festival.
It was there that Tiger learnt that he wasn't an outcast here. In fact, whoever didn't appreciate something like this is the outcast.