Submission (#479) Approved

The journey from Strynhalde had been difficult. Keeping the two kittoms together was a chore for Nether, especially now that they needed to hide from the thickening miasma settling in for the season. She had to quickly get them to the next destination — Nalnalo, the capital of Ealei. The mana-sick elnin needed to stock up on supplies and find a place to rent for their stay.

As soon as they arrived, Nether told the two kittoms to grab what they wanted to keep themselves entertained for the duration of their visit as she selected the essentials. Mana and Chuuya nodded, running off with a bag of coin. If she needed to, she could always venture out herself to restock. Once they gathered their things, the three of them traveled to the outskirts near the port. Nether had found a small shack to rent that would be their home for the coming months. She looked forward to the relaxation needed to relieve her fatigue. On the other hand, she was slightly comprehensive on how she would be able to handle the two kittoms. They were both quite rowdy at times, balls of energy she could hardly contain. Chuuya was moderately better at keeping himself entertained in a time of little engagement, but Mana was nothing other than energy. She could hardly sit still for long periods of time. Nether was used to Amaterasu's calm demeanor.

Hopefully the two could wait out the season in relative peace.

The path to their new home was a winding strip of dock. They perched above the pristine waters of the mangroves; gnarled roots acting as anchor points. Eventually, they came upon a row of houses along the biggest roots above the water. These structures also used the roots as anchor points and stilts to balance.

Upon entering, the three already felt at home. The small shack was cozy enough despite the limited space, but the relaxing water ambiance mixed with the sparks of a hearth fire settled them in quickly.

Chuuya and Mana play fought over the best spot in front of the hearth as Nether opened the window curtain to view the darkening sky above the watery horizon. Glancing down to the sill, Nether could see someone had left a shriveled up plant. The soil was quite dry, the vegetation brown and brittle. With the squeeze of two fingers, the leaf she held completely disintegrated.

Nether felt much like this plant — drained and dry of life. Turning, the elnin called to the two still-fighting children. They paused in the midst of a wrestling match and looked at their mother, curious as to why she called to them. She ordered one of them to get a cup of clean water from the sink. The two looked at each other, both thinking which had to obey in order to give up the best seat.

Nether huffed a sigh. "Mana," she addressed in a stern tone. Mana groaned as she got up from the floor with her brother snickering at her as he settled down in front of the fire. Within a few moments, the girl was bumbling back into the main room with a small glass of water, offering it up to her mother. Nether plucked it from her fingers and nodded. "Thank you."

Mana smiled wide and nodded back before shuffling over to Chuuya and plopping down into his lap. They could both share the best spot as long as they curled up together. Nether watched the two for a minute then turned to the window toward the dead plant. She poured the water on the dry soil, letting it hastily drink up the moisture. Although cracked in some places, the dirt expanded in the presence of water.

Setting down the now empty glass on the sill opposite to the plant pot, Nether leaned over to fumble for a health potion. She had grabbed as many as she could carry, almost clearing the store's supply. They were necessary ever since her head got detached from her body. The mana sickness was too great to survive without potions now.

How irritating.

Pulling the cork from the bottle, she poured a few drops onto the plant before downing the bottle herself. She wasn't quite sure if the potion would help the plant — hell, even why she was helping it in the first place. She supposed it would be a better looking room if there was a live plant rather than a dead one. How cruel would it be to consume water if she could not share? The soil appeared just as dead and probably couldn't support a plant any longer. Perhaps later she would replace it entirely.

Night was now approaching and a storm was brewing not far off. She could see the flicker of lightning as it danced across the dark clouds. Nether set the empty potion bottle next to the pot before she hunkered just below the window, leaning against the wall as her attention was now on her two children. They were settled and content, both wrapped in each others arms. The warmth of the hearth had finally settled into their bones, the exhaustion of their travels catching up with them. Nether felt the fatigue settle into her soul. The potion eased any symptoms for now, the pain melting so she could finally relax.

Slowly, the storm crawled to land. A few taps on the roof indicated the rain was coming and soon enough Nether could hear it pour down against the window. Leaning her head, she could barely see the top, but she could see water drip down in rivers against the glass.

Nether glanced down to her quivering shadow to see her pomu pop up from the floor. He waddled over in front of her feet and stood as if expecting her to finally settle down for the night. "Yes, alright," she uttered, standing up from her position and moving over to the two children. "Help me get comfortable."

Slowly, Nether shifted from her gijinka form to her elnin form. The heavy scarf that held her head in place released, letting the free appendage float down as her body settled to the floor. The pomu managed to catch her under the chin, waiting patiently for her body to settle down in a comfortable position. There was plenty of room next to the fireplace and she set herself at a snug distance from the two siblings to give room for stretching out. Nether's pomu then scuttled over to set her head between her paws, adjusting until she seemed satisfied. Once everything was in order, her pomu jumped back into her shadow and went to rest himself.

As the rain beat against their little shack and the fire died down to smouldering embers, Nether watched the dark room for a long while. The atmosphere of the small space was cozy, but she was still quite hesitant to fall asleep so quickly. Nightmares were a plague and she felt more at ease watching the two kittoms dream. She could not stay up forever, observing the room until her eyes felt heavy. The fatigue took her fast, sleep pulling her down deep.

The family slept on a stormy night, snuggled up with each other in front of a warm hearth. The plant on the window sill sat in a pot full of plump and damp soil, green stems slowly unfurling. And for the coming months, the flourishing plant would watch this small family make memories and cherish them.