[BURNING INCENSE] + [RED ENVELOPE]
Seele, at this point, had a wide array of answers.
The bard, who gave a personal story, seemingly out of obligation and from her own understanding, an assumption that she herself was suffering.
The tall woman surrounded by an air of mystery, who suggested an inability to feel that sense anymore
And the transparent man who...gave the most literal answer possible.
She felt as though she was not going to be able to parse any more answers past that, despite such a strong start in her questioning. Maybe she should give up on this?
Despite that, she still found herself approaching one last person. A woman, of whom carried an air of maturity and elegance to her, something she wasn't all that familiar with. That air was threatening, but the question was on her mind all the same.
One last person, then I'll stop asking. Maybe this lady will have an answer like the bard's? She seems like she may have experienced a lot, right?
So, in a so-called 'one last hurrah', Seele approached the mature lady -- Eden, though this name was not one she knew in the moment -- and asked, as she had asked the others:
"Excuse me, ma'am? Sorry if this is random, but I wanted to know...what does the burning of incense mean to you...?"
As Seele asks this, a look of realization hits her. I gave the transparent man one too, so I think I will give this lady an envelope as well...
She quickly takes out a red envelope -- a proper butterfly etched unto it, and a little bit of mora inside of it as well, as per tradition.
"And...happy Lantern Rite as well!"
"It's a time for remembrance, of course."
Eden's eyes flitted down calmly to the girl, welcoming her warmly. She herself was not one to often go out of her way to remember the departed, the long-lost, in ways other than via a tall glass, but it was a special occasion. The lantern rite's melancholy air, as the night grew late, touched her years-weathered heart. So, her eyes illuminated by the flames, and her senses swimming with the scents, she had decided on a moment of vigil.
Her eyes returned to the light.
"Not just for those I have lost." Memories danced in the sheer light of the center of the flame. "But, also for what has been lost to us all. People come and people go, and so too do its cultures and landscapes."
She took up her glass, ever present at her side, and added to the encompassing incense with a small sip. The red envelope is accepted gracefully, despite her lack of need for money. It was a memento, and a meaning, above all else.
"Happy Lantern Rite," Eden hummed to herself. Then, to Seele, "Yes, Happy Lantern Rite to you. Let's enjoy the silence together, now."