Neverwinter Forest hymn for the weekend

Cypress gets a little carried away. Party time!

Cypress’ first impression of the sunrise-eyed female was almost completely superficial. She was appealing and slender, with gentle mannerisms and a clear, pleasant way of speaking — and he was a child, unable to keep himself from drawing kneejerk and potentially unfair comparisons. He judged books by their covers, a fickle boy in a variegated library, and he plucked October readily from the shelf, attracted by her bright appearance and promise of pretty words. “I like your name, October,” he said, innocent and forthright as was his wont. This girl did not tie him into intellectual knots the way Kendra had; she did not make him feel uncomfortable and embarrassed and clumsy. It was not in Cypress’ nature to be bashful, even around beautiful girls like dapple-browed Kendra and pepper-spined October — after all, his mother was the sweetest of them all. Still, something flip-flopped in his gut at the radiant smile that eclipsed October Roux-Abrhen’s lovely features.

He turned at the stately approach of his father and brother, inching to the side to make room for Rannoch atop his gnarled podium. Recalling Rannoch’s words, Cypress sought to inquire about October’s skills — but he possessed a flair for the dramatic and wanted to ask the question his way. “What services can you offer?” he questioned, only vaguely certain that he was asking the right questions and doing the right things. He checked his stance, making sure to lift his tail in a high arch above his back as he looked loftily down his nose at the girl in a fashion he thought to be quite regal — though in all actuality, he probably looked like a nearsighted mole, with his muddied eyes fixed so ardently on the tip of his own nose. “Would you even be loyal,” he asked further, “if a giant…a giant bear came?” Inspired, he tacked on a few more stipulations: “And then the bear said to you, ‘You should be a foe and not a friend, but pretend to be a friend first,’ and then you had to choose — you would choose to be a friend even if there was a bear?”