Rowan: "Are we ready to go?" She said, her arms still out.
Yakumo: "I'm ready to sleep." She yawned through her words.
Rowan: "Okay okay, let's go." She said before spinning around, returning her hands to her sides.
As the three proceeded to go across the bridge, Nunto floating behind them, Dawn realized that the reason for the bridge was that the area underneath it was an empty nothingness.
Dawn: "Is there anything down there?" He asked.
Rowan: "No one knows for certain, but many individuals have gone down to investigate the void, and none of them have returned. Some claim it leads to the planet's core." She snickered. "I don't know what I think though."
The void appeared to wrap around the whole city like a chasm, keeping Tsukimi isolated from outside influences, at least until the four bridges were built. Dawn saw as they exited the landing port that they were at the west entrance, implying that there were entrances in each cardinal direction.
As the group neared the city entrance, little lights flickered in the sky around them, resembling fireflies or fairy lights.
Rowan: "You see the lights, Dawn?" She asked.
Dawn: "I do, what are they?"
Rowan: "Those are little creatures called Pippops. They are native to cities like Tsukimi, and are kept around due to their light so that they can illuminate the city when the sun goes down."
Pippops are little creatures that resemble gray cotton balls with cat tails. At the end of its tail is a little light, similar to a flashlight, that can illuminate dark areas. On the main body, the cotton ball component, there is a black visor form with little white lights that resemble Pippops' eyes.
Dawn: "So they are like sky flashlights?" He spoke while glancing up at one.
Yakumo: "Interesting way of describing them." She giggled.
Nunto had drifted up to one of the Pippops and appeared to be greeting it.
Rowan: "If that description works best, then yes." She laughed at his words.
Dawn: "Well I guess if you both are laughing at the description, then it is not best." He sighed.
Rowan: "Sorry Dawn, I forget that this is your first time in another place." She controlled her laughter.
Yakumo: "Doesn't change the fact that out of anything he could have used, he used sky flashlights." She continued to giggle.
Nunto then floated back down to Yakumo's side as the group reached the entrance to Tsukimi. The entrance was a large gate-like structure that was guarded by two individuals, one man that had darker skin and the other looked like they were of elven descent. Both guards wore matching sets of armor. Their upper arms were covered by chainmail rerebraces that fit nicely under the shoulderplates. Their lower arms were clad in vambraces with sharpened blades connected to each outer side, ready to be utilized as a weapon. As individuals were walking up to the guards, they were being checked for proof of citizenship.
Rowan: "Good evening officers!" She said as the group approached the two guards standing in front of the entrance.
Guard 1: "Ah, Miss Rowan! How lovely to see you, how was your trip abroad?" The guard with darker skin asked.
Rowan: "It was work related, so not too exciting. Although, I picked up my new friend here along the way." She took Dawn's arm, dragging him next to her. "This is Dawn, and he is my plus one!" She gave a cheesy smile to the guard.
Guard 2: "Excuse my butting in, but you have already used your plus one.." The elven guard responded.
Guard 1: "He is right, Miss Rowan. For another plus one you will have to pay 10 copper solars." He scratched the back of his head.
Rowan: "I see, that's no problem." She then unhanded Dawn and reached into her pocket to retrieve her money. Rowan's wallet was a little pouch that appeared to have nothing inside, but as she shook it, the pouch enlarged. She handed the guard the ten copper solars she had extracted.
Guard 1: "Thank you, let me count them." He then took a moment to inspect each solar, making sure the funds were correct. "Everything is here, you are all good to go. Have a nice time in Tsukimi!" He spoke as he waved the three on.
Guard 2: "Enjoy the city, Dawn!" He smiled and waved as well.
The group then passed through the entryway and into the city. Dawn noticed right away how different the architecture was in Tsukimi. All of the structures were substantially larger and appeared to be made of higher-quality materials and craftsmanship. The majority of the structures were darker in hue and appeared far more intricate than anything he had seen before.
Rowan: "I can't believe they made me pay! I'm always so nice to them!" She spoke in annoyance towards the guards.
Yakumo: "It's almost like they were doing their job." She replied with sarcasm in her tone.
Rowan gave Yakumo a side eye out of disappointment that she didn't side with her.
Dawn: "They seemed nice though, or at least I thought." He said, trying to break the tension.
Yakumo: "They are nice to everyone, but they also get paid to be nice. Guarding the entrance to a city is a job people need to be motivated to do well." She scoffed. "You'd think people would just want to keep the city safe."
Rowan: "They are criminals, Dawn. If you didn't see, they just scammed me." She pouted.
Dawn: "I appreciate you covering for me at least." He gave her a weak smile, not a real one. It was still hard for him to smile, at least for real.
Rowan: "Well you are very welcome." She nodded her head, accepting the praise.
Dawn saw that as he continued down the street, the buildings grew taller. The buildings at the entrance were mostly modest businesses that sold apparel or basic supplies, but as you got deeper in, housing began to appear. Hotels and apartments lined both sides of the street, with people crowding the entrances. Dawn could tell that the streets were full of activity, but as they went further in, they grew much more congested. Various people were strolling around, including elfs, dwarves, demi-humans, dragonborn, and even half-demons. Dawn had never seen so many various sorts of people in one location before, yet in Tsukimi it appeared to be normal. Dawn quickly became aware of creatures he could never have imagined. Dawn saw one creature in particular: its tall, sturdy torso stood straight, with two short, almost branch-like arms drooping at its sides and ending in gigantic hands with razor-sharp fingers, a total of twelve. Its legs were slim and somewhat bent, and each ended in large hooves.
Rowan took notice of Dawn's wandering gaze.
Rowan: "Make sure you don't look at any of these new sights in a disrespectful way, creatures outside of the original four have only recently been given admittance into all areas across the universe. Some might take your curiosity as demeaning." She said in a low voice that only Dawn could hear.
Dawn: "The original four?" He questioned. This term was new to him.
Rowan: "The original four races. Humans, Elfs, Dwarves, and Celestials. All of the other races that came along after those four, excluding demons because they have always been around, were not given the same rights as the first four. People have fought really hard to integrate all races, and it finally paid off." She said with a smile on her face. "I think all life should be equal, but not everyone would agree with that." She spoke as the group continued to walk through the congestion of people in the street.
After some time of walking, the group arrived in the heart of the city, away from the popular areas. The buildings here were considerably larger than those on the way, and they all appeared to be far more significant, such as government and corporate buildings. Dawn saw that in one region of the city they were walking through, all of the embassies of the various races were grouped together. This was new to him, as humans and demi-humans had always coexisted in Solart, at least as long as he could remember. The universe outside of his small bubble was very intricate, and this was only the beginning.