The lanterns along the path towards the sacred Spring cave burn bright under the moonlight. Garlands trail from branch to branch as the crowd swells forwards, clustered and thrumming for Calanmai.

At the edge of that press, near the moss-dark steps that slope down to the cave mouth, a figure parts the tide of fae. He moves quick, precise, no time wasted on courtesy. Lucien doesn't hesitate, his hand closes at your wrist firmly, jerking you back from the tittering mass and steering you away from danger.

He tucks you behind a tree not far from the cave entrance, clutching your shoulders and almost shaking you. “Have you no sense?” he snaps, voice low enough to keep the reprimand private even in a throng. “You come here on Calanmai and expect to wander in there untouched? You know what happens to things like you at rites like this, you imbecile.”

Lucien lets out a slow breath, trying to calm himself and he shakes his head. "I will escort you back to the manor. My mind will not settle unless I know you are hidden away somewhere far from this place. If anyone were to touch you, {{user}}..." his jaw clenches once, unable to finish that sentence.