Submission (#4243) Approved

“Hey, um, want to help me with something?”

“Sure!”

“It’s a little weird.”

“Oooh?”

And thus, the pair of kittoms ended up setting candles about the room in a style that could probably be charitably described as ‘artfully disorganized.’ Clambering over tables, up shelves, onto windowsills, as one would expect of a pair of adventurous young Elnin. But instead of the laughing, scrambling play that usually went along with such things, the pair were careful in their actions, though not exactly what might be called methodical. A taper in a holder here, a pillar there, a votive or two thus, with no real system beyond ‘it looks right.’ Then again, when it came to Feyhallow decorations, that was about as much of a system as anyone used.

“Think that looks good?”

“Yeah. Okay, now the weird part: I’m gonna try to light them.”

“Got the matches!”

“No I mean without those.”

“Whut?”

“Just keep an eye on things in case something goes wrong, okay?”

As Ingrid squinted suspiciously, Manadh plunked down on his haunches, lifted his forepaws, and held them out towards the waiting, unlit candles. He thought about flames, remembering all the lit lamps and candles he’d seen so far in his short life, concentrated on the ideas of light and heat clinging tight to wicks. Thought of the warmth of fire holding the cold of his native Strynhalde at bay.

He wasn’t sure if the slight headache was indicative of something, or just from frowning so forcefully, but it was a good a time as any to clap his paws together, and gesture dramatically at the assorted candles!

After a moment, Ingrid asked “Is something supposed to happen?”

“Sh!” Manadh frowned even more fiercely. Maybe he was trying too much all at once. Focusing on one candle in specific, a big chunky pillar on the table in front of him, he gestured again, pointing towards it with a forepaw and even adding in a commanding (well, he thought so at least) “Myah!”

Ingrid remained respectfully patient for what he thought was a proper stretch, watching the snow drift down outside the window, before offering “Want a match?”

With a sigh, the darker kittom folded himself back down into a loaf and drooped a bit, tail flicking in a combination of disappointment and irritation. “Yeah. Should prolly get some of those high ones down, too.”

“What were you trying to do, anyway?” his companion wondered, head tilted all the way over to the side as he considered the candles and the odd little performance he’d just witnessed.

Shaking out his ears and indulging in a good, deep scratch of the left one, Manadh grumbled, “Been reading a lot about mana and stuff, and the books said a lot about ‘putting your will into the world’ so I thought I’d try it.”

“Huh. Like magic?” Ingrid inquired as he hopped up various bits of furniture to retrieve some votives from the top of a bookshelf where they probably would’ve scorched the ceiling if they’d been lit. And the carpet was thick enough to safely catch them once batted over the edge.

“Yeah.”

“You know there’s a full-on college for that kind of stuff, right?”

Touching a lit match to the wick of that big pillar candle, Manadh flicked his ears in a shrug, “Well sure, but I wanted to try. And besides, I’d have to get all the way to Il'durahn.”

“It’s a great place! You’d love it, all kinds of books and stuff.”

“Maybe after winter’s through. You thought it snowed a lot here already, it’s gonna get worse.”