Ashura left his bowl near the main tower of flowers and came over to Cheese, his silks trailing behind him, his feet bare on the gravel. He smiled at Cheese and knelt on a pillow beside him, making himself comfortable.

"I must thank you for all your hard efforts, Cheese," he said softly as other people turned their flowers up. "Normally we set the flowers into the river and they float away, lighting it up gold. But the bowls of water serve well."