Solar Flare had participated in Feyhallow celebrations before but they had never been invited to attend The Masquerade before. It was their first season away from Faerindell and their home there so it caused the kittom some great anxiety to think of attending but it also stirred some excitement. It meant that Solar Flare got to dress up, and that was something that Solar Flare was always ready to do.
With their small coin purse tied around their neck with ease, Solar Flare eagerly left their boarding house with a small skip in their step. They walked along the boardwalk rather than through the side streets so that they could enjoy the view. Stopping at a viewing gazebo along the boardwalk, Solar Flare took a seat on a bench and leaned over to the edge of the gazebo’s railing. Below they could see the sand and the lake. The waves crashed against the beach with rhythmic beat and Solar Flare found their eyes closing as they listened to the sound, nodding their head along.
Listening to the sound of the waves crashing, Solar Flare imagined view in front of them. Brightly glowing jellyfish danced across their mind, floating out of the water and up into the sky. Finding their place among the stars, it only seemed natural for them to shine there as they did in the lake of Silveil City. Solar Flare imagined each jellyfish glowing slightly brighter when it reached the sky as of correctly finding a piece in a puzzle.
Opening their eyes again, Solar Flare looked up at the sky and smiled. It was so dark, so deep, so much more so than other places across the world. The darkness pulled everything into it like a black hole in the sky, haunting Solar Flare when they looked at it for too long. It had been shocking at first that the sky remained night time all day long but Solar a Flare had slowly become accustomed to it. Solar Flare really had come to enjoy the scenery here, arguably as much as their home of Faerindell.
It was the jellyfish in the lake that caught Solar Flare’s adoration more than anything else. The idea that something other than stars could sparkle like the stars in the sky was a tempting thought that drew Solar Flare in and back again each time. At this point Solar Flare had begun walking on the boardwalk with an idea in mind, browsing the stalls and the shops nearby without much luck.
It was further into the city streets that Solar Flare found what they were seeking. A pale mask with long, draping fabric that glittered in the lamplight of the city. The fabric pulled down and fell like a jellyfish, and the mask had a luminous band across the center of the mask in the shape of a four-pointed star.
With great excitement, Solar Flare took out enough coins and purchased the mask with a big smile. They didn’t require a bag because immediately the kittom slid the mask over their face and giggled happily as the fabric moved back and forth with their head bob.
Witnessing the vision of their form, Solar Flare could already imagine the mask at The Masquerade. Solar Flare could see themselves dancing around the venue like the jellyfish from their vision danced into the sky while wearing the mask.
It was perfect. Beyond perfect.
They were already planning their outfit in their head for The Masquerade as they walked away from the stall, backtracking their way through the city until they reached the boardwalk gazebo again. This time Solar Flare sat on the bench and laid on their front paws as they looked into the forest on the other side of the lake. By this time Solar Flare had decided on the dress, they would wear. It was a pale dress with a ruffle train that mimicked the fabric of the jellyfish mask!
Watching the starlit glow of the jellyfish in the lake, Solar Flare sighed contently. They made a note to explore the woods on the edge of the lake before going to The Masquerade so that they could investigate the glow along that horizon. They’d seen it before but Solar Flare didn’t know as much about the luminous mushrooms as they did the luminous jellyfish.
Finally deciding to go back home, Solar Flare wore their mask proudly as they walked. The darkness didn’t seem nearly as dark as they watched the stars twinkle through their mask as if guiding their way back home.
