Submission (#3308) Approved
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Prompt
Submitted
20 March 2022, 03:19:39 PDT (2 years ago)
Processed
21 March 2022, 11:23:06 PDT (2 years ago) by tatter
Comments
Content
"Come ON Dad!!! Can we take the blindfolds off already?"
"Just wait 5 more seconds.... and, done! You kitt's can take them off now." Impatient, Hiroka rips off the bright red bandanna covering her seafoam green eyes to see the polished oak table, covered in a variety of beautiful materials. Soft velvety ribbons in a small assortment of colours, colourful cardboard and paper pieces, as well as a few polished gemstones and next to them two small lantern bases carefully crafted from leftover wooden pieces their Dad, Ripple, had commissioned from a local Ealeian Craftsnin.
"Woah. Is this...?"
"Yes it is." Ripple said puffing his sky blue and white chest up with pride. "A pair of pomu lantern bases! I know, you don't have your pomu yet Hiroka, but it doesn't hurt to build your own lantern early! Cal, now you can house your pomu's crystal nice and carefully." Ripple said with a nod, before muttering softly to himself, "Especially given your tendency to break things."
"WHOOPEE!" Hiroka exclaimed, bounding around the small treetop apartment with glee, causing her steppe tail to bounce up and down, her soft white and bluck tufted ears barely brushing the top of the thatched roof of the apartment.
"HEY BE CAREFUL OF MY POMU'S CRYSTAL!" Cal bristled at his sister as he picked up his pomu's crystal and hugged it close to his luminous streaked golden mane.
"Hiroka... settle down." Ripple said giving his daughter a stern look, his golden and silver eyes glinting with an inner fire, that looked like it could burst aflame.
"Heh, whoops... sorry Cal." Hiroka, tossed her floating tufts of hair back away from her face, before throwing her front paws up in the air. "But guys, I just can't help it!!! This is so exciting!!! Dad, do you think my pomu will show itself if I craft a lantern?!" Ripple smiled at her and ruffled her small black and gold tufted head.
"Well, my little flower, you never know. Maybe it will manifest with your amazing lantern making skills. Now, both of you remember, a pomu lantern needs to be sturdy enough to hold a crystal without falling apart, and decorated just like how you would decorate your rooms at home! Treating your pomu and pomu lantern with care will mean a happier healthier pomu!" Ripple said nodding to both of his children.
"But Dad, why can't we just buy a lantern and plop the pomu crystal in that and be done with it? I don't get why we have to make our own. You know I'm crap with arts and crafts" Calcifer complained, rolling his dual-toned red and orange eyes as he gently placed his pomu's crystal on a soft bright red cushion.
"It's tradition son! Plus it's no fun if everyone's lantern looked the same. Take the time, so that when your little pomu wakes up, they can see just how much effort and care you put into looking after them. Now, let's build them together." Ripple said, sweeping back his blue and gold bangs and tying them back into the short ponytail he always wore.
Over the next couple of hours Hiroka and Cal glued, weaved and crafted their pair lanterns, under the watchful and somewhat helpful gaze of their dad Ripple.
"Hmm... nice work Hiroka! I think yours is... almost done! You just need one little finishing touch, so wait here." Ripple said, winking one golden eye, before getting up off his seat and heading to the bedroom, leaving a large golden light ripple in the floor, an afterimage of his phantom step mutation. Hiroka nodded and looked back at her handiwork happily. Her lantern was painted an iridescent blue-green shade, that seemed to shimmer with the light. Small red gemstones sat encased in little golden frames in all four cardinal directions of her lantern. Velvety red ribbons tastefully hung off the sides, each one written with words she had chosen herself a few days prior. At the center of the lantern, a basket woven from thin strips of bamboo, painted in a metallic gold, held a singular red velvet cushion, with little golden buttons in the centre. Oh how she couldn't wait for her pomu to come to her! Hiroka then turned to look at her brother's handiwork. In stark contrast, Calcifer had no ribbons hanging off of his lantern's design. Instead it seemed to consist of geometrical shapes made of wood, that looked very Kyendi-like in style. It was almost a fiery elaborate box of sorts? Hiroka watched on with envy as her brother, smugly put his pomu crystal at the heart of his lantern. Oh how she wished her pomu would come to her soon.
"Ah I'm back! And voila." Ripple said handing Hiroka a smooth rounded crystal of sorts.
"What's this Dad?" she asked her head tilting, causing her metallic markings to shimmer in the glow of the ceiling light.
"Ahhh... heh, it's a fake pomu crystal I had commissioned a season ago when Cal's pomu appeared. I could tell you were quite jealous of his pomu appearing first and not yours. Ah, ah, ah! Don't try and tell me you weren't jealous and it was just a 'phase'. I know you well enough to know. Now, let me just imbue it with a little mana aand.... hey presto! We have a faux glowing pomu crystal." Ripple said handing the soft white glowing crystal to his overly ecstatic daughter's paws. Eagerly, Hiroka gently placed the crystal on her pillow and walked back a few steps, to admire her lantern. A little bashful, she gives her dad a big hug, squeezing his fluffy blue shoulders.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" she exclaims all the while hugging him tightly.
"Hahaha, okay, okay. Oh Cal! Nicely done, son. I wasn't sure about the whole no ribbons thing, but it turned out nice. Now, why don't the two of you take your pomu lanterns to enjoy the sunset! If you hurry you might just make it before, Sevvi's Icecream Parlour closes." Ripple said with a wink, handing them a few coins, before padding off to the sofa, his blue and gold glade tail swaying side to side in an invisible breeze, as motes of emberglow float off of his coat. The pair of excited kittoms look towards each other and with a nod, scramble to tie their lanterns around their wrists before bounding out the door of their treetop apartment.
Outside, the sky was a myriad of colours, the pale blue of it, fading to the famous shades of sunset yellow, orange and red. Large poofy clouds on the horizon reflect a pinkish red fading to violet. Reflected by the ocean below, the sight is one to behold. Calcifer struts across the large wide branch path, his black and yellow lop ears bouncing with every step as his geometric lantern softly lights up the nearby area with an orangish glow. Hiroka bounds up to him grinning from ear fluff to ear fluff, proudly tugging along her own lantern. As the two kittoms run to reach the Icecream parlou before it closes, their dad watches on from a window, smiling to himself under the great boughs of Yggdrasil. What a lovely day.
Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Elecite Coins | 8 |
Characters
ELN1314: Ripple
| Reward | Amount |
|---|
ELN2374: Calcifer
| Reward | Amount |
|---|
ELN2375: Hiroka (ひろか)
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| AP (Ealei) (Currencies) | 1 |
Add-Ons
These items have been removed from the submitter's inventory and will be refunded if the request is rejected or consumed if it is approved.
| Item | Source | Notes | Quantity |
|---|
Nalico's Bank
| Currency | Quantity |
|---|