Nilou

"Since you're in Sumeru, you must not miss Nilou's performances."

This is a fact that most people in Sumeru agree on.

There is no threshold for Nilou's dances, so everyone can come and enjoy a most fascinating and engrossing time there.

Nilou's audience comes from all walks of life. Be it a knowledgeable researcher or a mercenary who's seen true brutality — everyone is attracted here by Nilou's gorgeous, dancing form.

Every time Nilou takes the stage, a press of people crowds the Grand Bazaar until all are standing shoulder to shoulder.

Rational sense and wisdom are the mainstream in Sumeru, while art, which stands for sensibility, does not enjoy the same popularity and respect.

Yet if wisdom is meaning bestowed upon Sumeru by the goddess, then art stands for meaning that human beings seek for themselves.

Unlike other dancers across the continent who hail from artistic families, Nilou came from an ordinary family in Sumeru.

The life that the family of three once lived was no different from that of many who lived in downtown area.

The knowledge they gained from the Akasha was enough for their common day-to-day lives.

If there was anything special about Nilou's family, it was that Nilou's parents' loved and cared for her very much.

Although the pursuit of scholarship is prevalent in Sumeru, Nilou's parents never compared Nilou with other children, nor did they expect Nilou to become a researcher.

Growing up happily and living a stable life was all that they wanted for her.

Nilou thus grew up surrounded by love and respect.

Later, even when there were differences of opinion and occasional arguments between her parents, Nilou's thoughtful and considerate mediation would permit no harm or grudge to ever linger in their family.

Every inch of the Grand Bazaar has been measured by Nilou's footprints, and she keeps everyone at Grand Bazaar in her heart.

Nilou can introduce anyone in the Grand Bazaar in detail, as if they were a family member.

Mr. Jut usually gets up early to make tahchin, so if you want the privilege of having the most delicious bite of freshly cooked tahchin, be sure to get up early!

Mr. Afshin's storytelling skills are simply divine. His wonderful ingenuity always makes people want to buy his merchandise.

Mr. Hushang, who sells toys, has very dexterous hands. With them, he fashions the most fascinating little toys, and they are very popular amongst children.

And, of course, everyone has long regarded this smart red-haired girl as a family member too.

Every time Nilou goes grocery shopping, she always ends up carrying more items than on her purchase list just by making a single trip through the streets, and the weight of the groceries shows exactly how much people like and take care of Nilou.

Of course, Nilou also takes care of them in return.

Hushang and Farhad may have a quarrel over a bet, about as long as Nilou shows up, the two will surely be reconciled.

If Afshin's Sumpter Beasts have stolen someone else's food, Nilou will come forward and help make amends.

If you ask Nilou why she is so enthusiastic, she will answer with a smile:

"Because family is supposed to help each other, hehe."

For Nilou, her mom and dad are her small family, while everyone in the Grand Bazaar is her big family.

Nilou remembers clearly that she met her teacher at the Sabzeruz Festival when she was eight years old.

Back then, the Knight of Flowers gave her a lot of Yalda Candies, and so little Nilou passed by the Zubayr Theater with candies in both hands.

The Sabzeruz Festival is a celebration that features dance, but before, only dance groups from abroad were invited to sing and dance at the festival — and on a temporary stage, to boot.

Now that the Grand Bazaar finally had its own theater, excited people were flocking to the new stage.

Little Nilou managed to squeeze through the crowd to the front of the stage and saw the teacher dance for the first time.

Even though there were no flowers on the stage, at that moment, Nilou felt as if she was watching thousands upon thousands of flowers blooming all at once.

The candies in her hands fell to the ground unnoticed, and she couldn't help but dance along.

It was only when the dance had ended that little Nilou realized what she had done, and hurriedly apologized to the people around her who had made room.

It was at this moment that her teacher also walked down from the stage in an elegant manner and helped her pick the Yalda Candies back up.

She reached out her hand to little Nilou, and asked gracefully—

"Would you like to join me for a future dance?"

Although she has lived her entire life in Sumeru, the city of wisdom, Nilou has never shown any talent in the field of "knowledge." However, she always knows how to soothe the emotions of others in her own way.

"This is probably a generous gift to me from Lesser Lord Kusanali."

After learning to dance with her teacher, Nilou became deeply aware of the power of body language.

Combining her talents and knowledge of body language, she created her very own form of "body movement therapy."

For example, when Mr. Zubayr is angry, everyone in the theater would be walking on eggshells.

But Nilou would keep a warm smile, drawing wonderful patterns one after another in the air with her arms and fingers.

"Imagine that we are in the rainforest that has just rained, and that you are following me as we walk onward, saying hello to every animal that passes by, waving, leaving everything else behind..."

Perhaps this may seem childish and funny to a bystander, but for those who are wrapped up in the moment, Nilou's gentle voice can cause the anger that clouds their minds to disappear before they even know it.

What's even more amazing is that, according to Mr. Afshin, this body movement therapy has been trending recently — and it even works on his two stubborn Sumpter Beasts...

Be it in day-to-day life or her performances on stage, Nilou has always maintained a simple attitude —

To melt everyone's worries away and let comfort and ease waltz in.

But when "trouble" comes to her, she is often distressed due to her inability to make the call.

Tahchin sure is delicious, but Pita Pocket is also good, and I also saw someone holding a Potato Boat that seemed really yummy. Which one should I eat tonight?

I've heard people talk about places outside Sumeru City... the pure white snowy mountain and windmills the size of giants... Should I also consider going out for a trip?

Nilou can often find good reasons to go with any of the options she is considering, and so they are like Forest Tree Frogs sitting across from one another with bellies out, not one able to win the others over.

But if there was a person who could make a decision at this time and tell her with confidence and calm:

"Why not have half the amount of each and share them with me?"

"And as for those places you have never been to, I have already set foot there. I can assure you that they are safe."

...Nilou would dismiss her hesitation in an instant and raise her arms in a dance-like graceful gesture of thanks, before indulging in the joy of having solved a great problem for a long time indeed.

Refusing to accept gifts on stage has been a long-standing rule in the Zubayr Theater.

Sometimes, the audiences do still get too excited and may insist on giving various kinds of gifts to Nilou. That said, such givers will definitely receive a gift in return the very next day, along with a note that has been left at their doors...

"Thank you for your kindness. If you would like to express your love for Nilou's dance, you may write a letter to the Zubayr Theater instead of sending gifts."

And so it came to pass that like snow flakes dancing and falling in the air, letters filled with the audience members' passionate praise have been sent in batches and droves by the Dusk Birds to the theater's mailbox.

During her free time when there are no shows or rehearsals, Nilou will read every letter carefully, share this joy with the other members of the Zubayr Theater, and then carefully preserve these letters.

Every word and every expression of recognition and fondness in the letters is worth remembering and appreciating.

As Nilou bettered her dancing skills, more and more people came to watch her dance, and in time, the letters have added up to quite the stack indeed.

But if someone cracks a joke, saying that Nilou is the most valuable treasure in the Zubayr Theater, she will definitely shake her head with a sweet smile.

"Our most valuable treasure is our audience's love, and it is all carefully stored in one mysterious box."

Nilou has heard her teacher talk about the meaning of dance more than once. From her teacher's perspective, dance is born from human life and has belonged to everyone from the very beginning.

"As a dancer, you should convey emotions on stage, and your audience's smiles are their response to the emotions conveyed in your dance."

Nilou was well aware that she was nowhere near as good at thinking about the "meaning" behind things as Akademiya researchers. But still, she practiced diligently each day under the direction of her teacher and planned to continue following in her footsteps.

When she finally first took the stage, she quickly became completely immersed in the performance, holding nothing back.

She thought of the wind, the moon, the gentle sound of the rose blooming, the feeling of stroking the tail feathers of Dusk Birds, and a myriad of beautiful things that existed in this world.

She wanted to display the beauty she perceived in her heart to the entire audience through her dance.

Slowly, splashes of water ran together, converging into a lake on the stage. Like a Crystalfly dancing on a lake's surface, Nilou gently fluttered back and forth, and the lake-mirror rippled slightly in time to her steps.

Like a water lily, her body swirled in the middle of that lake. Amazed at such pure and flawless beauty, the audience almost forgot to breathe.

After the curtain fell, Nilou flopped down on the backstage chair and took deep breaths.

Like dewdrops on a lotus leaf, a Hydro Vision had appeared at her waist.

Nilou thought then that she had perhaps found the purpose of dance at last —

"To become beauty, and then to convey the beauty and value of art."