Submission (#2167) Approved
User
Prompt
Submitted
14 March 2021, 22:54:49 PDT (3 years ago)
Processed
15 March 2021, 09:16:03 PDT (3 years ago) by tatter
Comments
1319 words!
Regional Affinity: Zevija
Elnin: https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN338
Regional Affinity: Zevija
Elnin: https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN338
Content
It had been nice, but it seemed that Ivan's vacation in Zevija was nearing an end, and he really didn't have much to show for it.
His guardians had come to the volcanic region mostly for the sake of a business trip, but for the first time ever, they'd actually brought Ivan along with them instead of just finding a kitsitter to watch him at home. It was something he'd looked forward to, counting the days on his paws until they finally boarded the caravan and left the snowbound region of Strynhalde. He'd never been somewhere warm, before- and how warm Zevija was! Even more than the sunlight, warmth seeped out of the very ground in the form of red-hot lava and steaming pools of water.
While his guardians remained busy with finalizing the details of their business (something that Ivan had never thought to pay much attention to) they left him with... well, a kitsitter. However, they were a kitsitter from Zevija- and being taken care of by a kitsitter from Zevija meant getting to explore the region and see some of the sights! After begging and pleading, Ivan had even been able to get a few precious coins from his guardians so he could buy himself a souvenir to take him and remind him of his first trip out of Strynhalde. Whatever he was going to buy, it had to be perfect- they had really only given him enough coins to get one thing, and if he got something he didn't end up liking, there was no way they'd give him more.
The first thing that caught Ivan's eye was a bottle of hot spring water for sale at the market near the inn. The sign next to the stall said it was straight from a real hot spring, one of the ones Zevija was famous for! The thought of bringing home a hot spring was exciting- he could take it back to Strynhalde and make his own little hot spring in the snow, and stay warm all the time! He was almost ready to buy it, when his kitsitter informed him that although the water certainly had plenty of vitamins and minerals, it would not stay hot forever. It was, after all, only water.
That had been a close call, and it made Ivan glad to have such a smart kitsitter with him.
The next thing to interest the young elnin was a beautifully carved sculpture of Zevija's elder tree. It looked just like the real thing, with a stark white trunk and beautiful ruby red leaves that caught the sunlight and glittered like fire. When Ivan looked up and past the town's buildings, he could see the real elder tree in the distance, its bright red leaves stark against the sky despite being so far away. The only difference was that the sculpture was small enough to hold in his paws! He'd tried to buy it immediately, certain that this was the perfect souvenir to take back home, only to find that he didn't have nearly enough money for such a work of art. His face burning with embarrassment, Ivan could only hastily shove his coins back into his coinpurse and vow to pay more attention next time.
When Ivan found the next thing he wanted, it was at a souvenir stand near the hot springs, selling all kinds of funny rocks and crystals that had been brought up to the surface from the caves below Zevija. The largest crystals caught Ivan's eye, of course, but he'd learned his lesson with the elder tree sculpture. He was going to be a bit more modest with his spending, this time. After much thought, he settled on a pretty (but awfully small) purple crystal. The shopkeeper called it an "amethyst," and said it was from one of Zevija's largest quartz mines. Eagerly, Ivan reached into his coinpurse...
And he couldn't find a single coin. Instead, he felt something else- a hole, torn right into the bottom of his bag, so big that he could almost fit his whole paw through it. Instantly, Ivan was awash in cold panic. How long ago had his coinpurse ripped? Had it been all the way back in town, or somewhere along the trail that led down to the hot springs? He looked left and right, checking the ground for any sign of the money he'd dropped. Then, without another word to his kitsitter, Ivan took off running back up the trail to town, the older elnin's protests fading into the background behind him as he ran.
He searched and searched for what felt like forever, kicking up dust while he looked beneath rocks and among the dry dirt trail. His coinpurse must have gotten caught on one of the dry, thorny bushes by the side of the path and torn open. The problem was, Ivan just couldn't find his coins. His guardians had trusted him with that money, expecting him to spend it wisely on something to take home, and now he'd done the worst thing imaginable- he'd lost it all, and had nothing to show for it. Finally, his eyes bleary with tears, he gave up the search and sat down on a rock to cry.
Not long later, his kitsitter finally caught up with him, though they were out of breath and seemed a bit cross with him. However, seeing him with fat tears rolling down his fuzzy face, they only sighed, shook their head, and walked away. Ivan was certain his kitsitter had abandoned him for being such a stupid little kittom- or worse, maybe they were going to go tell his guardians that he'd lost all the money they gave him. The thought just made him cry harder.
After a while, Ivan's pity party was interrupted by the sound of something jingling- he looked up, sniffling, and saw his kitsitter had come back. They were dusty and dirty, and even had a bit of thorny bush stuck in their tail, but in their outstretched paw... Were four shiny coins. It wasn't even close to the amount that Ivan had lost, and it probably couldn't buy much at all, but his kitsitter had clearly worked so hard to find them...
"Thank you." Ivan said, his voice still sounding small and sad. His kitsitter just smiled, and gently placed the coins in Ivan's open paws. He held the coins close, making sure not to drop them this time. The two of them then made their way back down the trail towards the hot springs, and back to the crystal merchant near the water's edge.
Careful not to get too close to the steaming pools of water, for fear of dropping his money in and truly losing it forever, Ivan went back to the souvenir stall and put his coins up on the counter. With a sinking feeling, he confirmed what he already knew by looking at the prices- his measly four coins weren't going to buy him that amethyst he wanted. Yet still, for some reason, the shopkeeper pushed it towards him and nodded.
"It's yours." The shopkeeper told him, and flashed him a big grin. "It's on sale, you see. Special deal of the day."
Ivan could only thank the kind shopkeeper profusely and hold his new treasure tight the entire walk back to town. He was determined not to drop it or misplace it- not after all the kindness that had gone into getting it for him. As soon as he made it back to the inn, the little amethyst was safely packed away into his luggage. Although his guardians scoffed at the little treasure, skeptical that it really could've cost Ivan all the money in his pouch, Ivan knew that what he'd gotten that day was worth far more than the coins he dropped.
He vowed to himself, quietly, that he'd pass it on one day.
Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Elecite Coins | 8 |
Characters
ELN338: ★ Ivan 🌿
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| AP (Zevija) (Currencies) | 1 |