Yuzu was never the type to stray very far during the holidays, but finally finding her own sense of freedom invoked curiosity for the vast unknown she might never have the chance to experience again. Treading through the dim marshes of Enmir, the girl was left with the eerie silence; no croak of the murky creatures that littered the water, hanging moss that brushed her shoulder and sent a shiver up her spine. Admist the dim glow of the fireflies that danced across the water's surface, Yuzu paled when she saw the semblance of a skull tethered to underwater vines. It looked as if someone met their untimely demise at the hands of nature, and the girl had enough -- darting back towards Salva for comfort. Unbeknownst to her, an unfortunate scholar studying anatomy had dropped their foam display into the water when traversing the slippery roots that hooked the grand trees into the ground, but at least it made for a chilling addition to the already unsettling atmosphere this time of year.
On her trek back towards the masses, the grapefruit kittom squints her peach optics and slows her pace to a halt. She's never been the type to scare easily, but she certainly wants to speak on her experience... Without outing her own fear. It brews in her head, impish smile spanning from cheek to cheek as she shuffles into a souvenir shop to pick up a single-wick candle and lighter to get into the spirit better. Amassing a group of kittoms for a collective storytelling experience, she leads the way back towards the area she bolted from -- although it wasn't as close as the original location, it still set the atmosphere for scary storytelling. The party isn't large in the slightest, consisting of a few randoms she managed to pull in... but more importantly, her two best friends Pomona and Amaryllis. As they all sat circled around the growing embers that the lighter and chunks of drywood, Yuzu had lit the candle and held it directly under her, casting a strange shadow on such wicked features. There was a goal in mind here, and a single look shot towards Pomona had only reaffirmed her decision when the latter rolled her eyes with a smile.
The others had cut through their stories, passing the candle around when the storyteller had changed. Throughout the night, Yuzu had watched over Amaryllis and observed her mannerisms. They had been friends for years; of course Yuzu knew she was scared. Feigning bravery was something the faenin could never actually do, but her ego was just as fragile. Determination burning ablaze in those eyes of hers, the grapefruit of the family had pulled the candle to sit on her lap as she separated herself from the crowd. Hunching her shoulders over the flickering flame, Yuzu makes eye contact with each of the kittoms waiting in anticipation... She makes sure to set the mood, eyes darting from side-to-side as a hush falls over the crowd. Her mouth opens, speaking in a low tone, "On a night much like this one... Some have been said to go missing by this malevolent spirit of the drowned," Withholding a smirk as some begin to tense up -- Ami in particular, who was her target, Yuzuki drags her tongue across her teeth to downplay that grand smile that she was struggling to fight off. The howling winds rustle the thick portions of hanging moss, some detatching and waving at the crowd like monsterous fingers. Just as it was getting to the climax of the story, a white kittom with a flurry of starry green and blue markings puffs up and proudly proclaims that the others needn't worry, and that she shall slay the mighty spirit where it dwells and bring peace to the soul and keep the meek safe. A huff from our young storyteller, squinting at the interruption but choosing to overlook this one instance as she settles back into place. Amaryllis visibly relaxed at Callisto's reassurance of safety, meaning that Yuzuki had to step it up again to give that chill of fear racing up her best friend's spine and heartrate to quicken. It's awfully cute, how Ami could get so frightened and still have the nerve to insist that she wasn't about to bust out in tears.
Her face falls flat at the fourth interruption of the night by none other than Callie, who was so willing to commit to this act of bravery just to ensure her peers were enjoying themselves and wouldn't be leaving with nightmarish thoughts plaguing them. Yuzu scrunches her nose in vexation, and Pomona places a paw on her shoulder to ease her out of this frustration. Grumbling to herself, the kittom is moments away from snapping some of the sassiest remarks at her additional storyteller, but a thick fog enveloping the surrounding area and a distant voice is enough to send all of them hightailing it out of there. His features are only noticable once he takes a step into the moonlight, a single trail of green whisping into the sky from his eye... Citron muses to himself before putting out the campfire and plucking up the tipped over candle that Yuzu had dropped on her way back to Salva with her newfound friends... If you could even call the others that.
Citron's never felt more amused by his little sister and her friends in his entire life.
