Submission (#4298) Approved

[RQ-E-2] First Steps into the Unknown

Quest: Resonance - Act 3
Act Type: Exploration
Word Count: 1023 words
Adult Elnin Present: n/a
Regional Affinity: Ealei
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Azalea [ELN2369]
[Adventurer] Rank Unlock Mini-Requirement: Adventuring Outfit + Exploration Act

Having collected a fair number of mana blossoms and berries (with Azalea spending the past hour trying to get her pomu to empty out any stray berries it decided to toss into her shadow), they were finally done, and could begin to relax! However, all the berry-gathering had taken much longer than they had anticipated, and the sun was already starting to go down. Considering that she had to go back and prep dinner also, it didn’t seem like they’d have time to go down to the docks as planned. 

Slightly dejected, Azalea began sorting through her bag. Perhaps she had another bag tucked away in her shadow that she could use to sort the blossoms from the berries. At least that’ll keep her occupied on her way back.

An extended paw made her pause, and she looked up to see Reverie smiling at her.

“I’m sorry this took longer than I thought. While I did say we can go to the docks if we finished ahead of schedule, I might have gotten a little overzealous on collecting samples. How about I handle dinner for tonight, and you go do some exploring?”

Azalea blinked, and shook her head.

“No, I-”

Before she could protest, Reverie plucked the bag from her shoulders.

“You can make it up to me by handling the chores tomorrow, and helping me with a small errand, ok?”

The kittom frowned. She felt bad since the only reason they had taken so long was because of her, but since Reverie wasn’t usually the type to offer something without getting something back in return (usually at Azalea’s own expense), she supposed this was partially out of good will and partially Azalea was going to regret what this “small errand” was, but after hours of collecting berries and blossoms, she was itching to do something of her own for a bit.

“...Alright. I promise I won’t be back too late, and will be up bright and early tomorrow.”

Reverie smiled, and ruffled the kittom’s head, much to her dismay.

“Sounds good! Come back before the sun completely sets, ok?”

Azalea nodded, and watched as Reverie went off. She let out a sigh, and turned her attention towards the sea. The vibrant blue sky was now tinted with the orangey hues of the setting sun, which reflected off the water in shimmering motes.She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still able to smell the salty air from where she was, and heard the calls of birds above. Just a quick walk around the docks, and then she’d head back.

A brisk wind made her shiver, and she rubbed her paws together. She supposed she should put on something warm if she was going to head down by the water.

Her pomu had tuckered itself out from all the berry gathering earlier, and was currently napping in her shadow, but maybe it could pull out some materials for her? 

Not knowing how to contact her pomu, Azalea began pawing at her shadow, wondering if it would get Lily’s attention. After a third attemtp, a pair of ears poked out of her shadow, and her pomu peeked at her curiously.

“Ah, sorry for waking you up from your nap, Lily. But do you think you can get me some warm clothes? Maybe another small bag for-”

Before Azalea could finish, the pomu dove into the shadow. A few minutes later, a pair of boots flew out, along with a pair of gloves, a warm shawl, a pocket pouch, some sticks, and some manaberries. Azalea wasn’t too sure what she’d do with the sticks, but she supposed the berries would be a light snack if she got hungry.

Putting on the boots and gloves, she wrapped the shawl around herself, and strapped the bag to her waist. Feeling sufficiently bundled up and ready for her adventure, she began to head down to the docks.

While the boots kept her feet warm, it made it a little hard to maneuver around the mangrove roots. After nearly tripping over them a few times, she was glad they finally began to thin out the closer she got to the water. The docks were finally in sight, and Azalea’s eyes widened as she looked out towards the sea. Even with the day coming to an end, the sky was still filled with thick white clouds, taking on the sun’s amber hue. The sun’s rays across the ocean’s surface made it seem like thousands of shimmering fireflies were dancing across the edge. As she turned, she could still see Yggdrasil from where she stood, the highest parts seemingly touching the clouds if not already immersed in them.

Satisfied with this small excursion, Azalea plopped down at the edge of the dock, and closed her eyes as she dangled her feet over the edge. She swung her legs in contentment, and closed her eyes. Today was hard work, but she’d keep working hard tomorrow to make up for this brief moment of respite. Perhaps she was enjoying herself too much, as a fairly strong kick sent her boot into the ocean. Ack!

Azalea scrambled to her feet, reaching out as far as she could, but the boot was still out of reach. What should she-

Sticks! Azalea dug into her pouch, and pulled out the sticks she had stashed inside. She reached out, waving the stick, but it was still too far. It seemed her flailing had attracted some fish, which began to nibble at her boot. Noooo!! Think. Think!

Azalea gasped, and pulled out some manaberries from her pouch as well.

“Hey! Don’t eat that! Eat this instead!”

She tossed one into the water, successfully spooking some of the fish, while others seemed to take interest in the berry instead. She took another berry, and stuck a stick on both ends. With the extended reach, she managed to pull in her boot, thankful that it hadn’t tipped over in the process. The last thing she needed was a soggy foot on the way back.

Well. That was certainly an adventure. Time to head back before anything else went amiss.