Submission (#1840) Approved

Sirius spent the bulk of his day scrounging around for supplies to make his pomu lantern. It was still the day hours in Silveil and yet the sky outside was as dark and starry as always. Worse was the miasma months where visiting quieter parts of Silveil where the stars seemed to shine more brightly grew difficult. There were darker things ahead he felt during the miasma months, as he realized his small very round pomu had become a floating soft blue crystal. It glowed a faint blue light that seemed to warm his spirits despite the cool color. Rize had told him about the lightbringers tradition and Sirius took the endeavor quite seriously. Perhaps it was just to preoccupy himself but it was worth the time regardless. He wrapped a golden colored thread around the crystal, tying it messily as it was difficult with only paws. Rize couldn’t bear to watch him after a while and offered to help while they used a manaberry potion for hands for a while.

After securing the thread to his pomu crystal and having Rize tie and braid it into his tail strands Sirius set out into town. He couldn’t wander deep into Silveil’s forest as he sometimes would in Rize’s company. The Miasma season was far too dangerous for that so instead he wandered to the edge of town. Near the tree line was a local greenhouse, one that on occasion sold some of the luminous local mushroom flora Silveil was known for. Without delay Sirius pulled a small pad of paper and some drawing utensils out of the small bag he had brought along and began designing the papers that would go on his lantern. While the store owner was a bit weird in the flora they seemed to research here they knew Rize well enough as a customer to allow the small familiar kitten to admire their work. Just as long as Sirius didn’t touch anything they would be allowed to sketch to their heart’s content among the soft glow of the greenhouse’s luminous contents.

It took a few hours of art and Sirius would occasionally glance at his pomu crystal a bit longingly. Usually his small partner would quietly observe and lend a hand when his paws couldn’t quite smooth out the drawn lines quite right. What normally took maybe half an hour now consumed many as Sirius felt the frustration of not having his companion around. For a moment he shuttered though, the passing thought of what if his pomu never reverted back from this shape. Rize assured him no such thing would occur but it still made a kitten like Sirius, who was not familiar with pomus hibernating state, nervous.

He usually enjoyed pleasant sights like this with his pomu as well. Maybe when Miasma season passed he would be able to at least share some of it with his pomu through the paper drawings. Using a few sticks used to prop up some plants, the greenhouse owner helped him pull together his lantern. Originally Sirius had made the attempt himself but it...just didn’t go well so they must have taken pity on him. With the lantern crafted he headed out with a soft thank you and went to explore what he could of Silveil with his pomu. His paws trudged their way through a bit of tall grass until the earth beneath it grew sandy along the lake’s shore.

Sirius could see the water ripple with vibrant blue at its edges as the native luminous jellyfish were disrupted by motion on the starlake. It was easy to see where other lake dwelling critters startled them or lept from the waters with a splash because the disturbed water seemed to bloom with light from the activity and startled jellyfish. This wasn’t the scene he wanted to share with his pomu though, as delightful as it was to tourists in this region. As he walked though he stared up at the starry sky, the soft glow of the lantern filling the corner of his vision silently hoping maybe his pomu would be conveyed a silent message. The crystal showed no change though, steadily glowing in a calm way. “You’ve always been as quiet as I have been. No pomu this or pomu that until you were ready to talk.” Sirius commented, noting his pomus' similar quiet demeanor. Not all pomu mirrored aspects of their elnin’s personalities but Sirius and his pomu had a sort of solidarity in their pensive silences. They were both rather quiet and observant but his pomu always nestled close when he was worried. It was communication that didn’t take words to get across it seemed.

Carefully reaching the edge of the city again Sirius wove carefully between the other residents on the busy Silveil streets. He could smell the tasty food at the stalls and carefully corralled his pomu crystal in front of his chest, steadying it with a paw and pushing it along using neck to keep it close. He was careful it didn’t get torn from the braid in his tail painfully on accident with only a thread tying it to him. The crystal would return to him Rize had said, but his labours to make a satisfactory pomu lantern would not.

Making his way free of the crowd he could finally see his destination not far off. It was the docks near the Starlake waters. He had spent so long at the greenhouse that though it was almost impossible to tell Silveil’s daytime from its nights Sirius could feel the city’s vibrance and activity starting to ramp up in the city itself and quiet on the docks. Settling down he just admired the lake for a while. This was the view that Sirius appreciated the most in his time living here. Even with the miasma building in the distance the city reflected by the waters below the docks seemed to shimmer as starlight bounced between the sky and water layering on top of the reflection. Below the reflection the luminous life also added to the effect. In a way it felt like a fireworks finale seen around Starfall Faire. Sirius would have to bring his pomu back here later. It would be a bit different each time, and he had come during the day a time or two but as he suspected it was an even prettier sight when the city got more active.

He could see his drawing aglow from the lantern’s light as well. With a bit of difficulty he pulled out his sketch pad again, and attempted to draw the scene. It wasn’t quite right but his attempt to capture the moment would have to do. With that he tucked away his drawing and trotted back towards home. There were a few dark alleys along the way, but it seemed even the more suspicious of Silveil’s residents at times took part in the traditions of Eyre as Sirius could see the fainter glow of pomu lanterns down the alleyways as well. Some were more extravagant than others but he didn’t particularly mind. In his head his lantern was the best. Coming through the door to his home with Rize he settled in to report his day's adventure. Rize always seemed to know where he went, Sirius had discovered after catching his parent off guard a few times. All the same though talking was important, so the two sat down and talked in their awkward way and settled in to share some stories around their pomu lanterns. With the soft glow of the lanterns these months did seem brighter.