Submission (#5181) Approved

"Do you believe in stuff like luck?"

It was a question Mizuki wasn't expecting, but it was enough to drag Mizuki's sleepy expression from the treeline to his friend and traveling companion, Galileo. He was always full of questions like these, but always with bouts of thoughtful silence before them. Normally it wasn't a problem, nor very jarring, but the whiplash he's been experiencing was beginning to be a bit much.

What felt like forever ago, Mizuki invited Galileo to travel with him and the caravan he'd joined up with. It took some time but Galileo eventually warmed up to the idea, and they made plans to sail across the Ealeian waters and resume their journey in one of Mizuki's favorite places; Bellmoril.

However, things--ironically--wouldn't be quite that lucky. 

Almost as though he could sense that they were leaving, Feng, another kittom they'd met in the tall-reaching branches of Ealei had more or less invited himself along. Well, bullied them into it, more like it. What should have been an enjoyable, serene and meaningful trip with his best friend quickly had become a nightmare for Mizuki. And while Galileo tactfullly avoided voicing any such sentiment, it was written all over his face whenever he and Mizuki were granted a moment away from the rambunctious kittom Feng.

Perhaps he had been silent too long, or he'd happened to stare too long in his direction, but the kittom in question turned to face him, forcing himself up from his sitting position to puff out his chest toward Mizuki. "What?" he barked, a scowl parked on his face, though Mizuki found it hard to feel intimidated; The warm, orange colors of Bellmoril seemed to swallow up the similarly colored kittom. It was akin to watching a pile of leaves snarl at him. Weird, but ultimately amusing.

The smirk that settled on his face didn't help his next statement. "Yeah, I believe in luck. I'm hoping that while we're here we can find something really lucky to balance out the... bad luck we've been having." Mizuki said softly, though Galileo seemed a little displeased.

Feng huffed and kicked onto his feet, taking a bold stance across from Mizuki. He paced a bit, leaning his head to one side then the other, before slapping a few leaves into his face. Sputtering and annoyed, Mizuki lept back, and before he could ask what Feng's problem was, Feng was gone.

"Your bad luck left," Gallileo said dryly, getting to his feet now too, and walking to the other side of the patio the trio had settled on. "You didn't have to be mean though, Miz."

"Mean?" Mizuki frowned, looking where Feng had been sitting only moments before. "He was the one that got an attitude. And he should have gone on his own trip instead of barging into ours."

He didn't mean to whine, but Mizuki had found he really didn't like having Feng around, but considering that he was Gallileo's friend first and fore-most, he didn't feel he had room to deny him the trip. But Gallileo seemed unmoved, giving him a side glance before looking back toward the town--the direction Feng must have went. Mizuki's ears, already lop and low, sank.

"I know you consider Feng bad luck... but--" Gallileo began...

"But he is! He almost made us miss the boat! He keeps 'accidentally' breaking things, and getting us in trouble. No matter how many times I tell him I don't want to race, he takes off anyway and doesn't care if he breaks anything in his way if he thinks he's in the lead! He... he's probably the reason the boat almost sank on the way here!" Mizuki, normally so soft-spoken had raised his voice, this even garnering a mildly surprised expression from Gallileo. Noticing it himself, he lowered his head and his tone, "I mean... he kept jumping even when they told him to stop... what if that's why that hole formed?"

Gal shook his head, "The captain said that was the result of a rough trip over, and they got it fixed well before it could be a problem. You're just looking for something to blame on him now."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

The boys stared at each other, before Galileo hopped the wooden fence of the patio and trotted toward the stone-paved street. Unwilling to leave it there--and not wanting to be lonely--Mizuki leapt after him, albeit with much less dexterity. It only took him a bit to catch up to him on the cobblestone path, both of them taking a soft, leasurely pace while the wooden buildings of the town loomed over them on either side. Elnin and others alike were lighting their candles, torches and lanterns now, ahead of the dark. 

Behind the buildings the mountains overlooked their stroll, peeking over the strong orange and red tree-line visible even from there. Occasionaly, Mizuki could see parts of the elder tree peeking at them in the distance, past the magical signs and billboards, through the alleyways of the town.

But after a bit of walking in silence, Mizuki finally asked, "Where are you going?"

Gallileo looked back at him, expression icy before it melted suddenly into a cheeky grin. "To find our bad luck."

Mizuki pouted, but knew it was best to stick together; he may not have liked Feng, but he also didn't want him running off on his own, or getting lost, or worse. The miasma was clearing but things were still dangerous, as the older Elnin were quick to tell them. And Feng was definitely the type to throw caution to the wind and run along the outskirts of town just to try to prove them wrong. 

"You know," Gallileo said randomly, "It balances out."

Mizuki blinked.

With a sigh, Gallileo slowed his pace a bit so they were walking side by side. "I found you, or you found me, or whatever. If Feng is our bad luck, then you're our good luck."

Mizuki blinked again. And then he blushed. "W... what?" He really wasn't used to being complimented by anyone, so of course he was thrown off. "How am I... what?"

"Well, it was lucky that you and I ran into each other. Lucky that we even became friends. You came to Ealei right when I was thinking about leaving. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to. Or if I could. But you told me all about the places you'd been, and even though I thought you were kind of a loser, you were really nice. And patient and stuff when I bugged you with questions."

A cart hobbled past, overloaded with boxes and materials that shone with a hint of magic. It kicked up more than a few of the orange, golden leaves scattered about, some of them dancing past their faces in a moment reminiscent of some novel or story where nature blew around at an important moment or confession. But this wasn't a story, Mizuki thought, squinting at his friend. 

While Gallileo was more than ready to ask questions or wax philosophical with Mizuki, very rarely did it seem like he offered his feelings freely. He was usually just content to, in his words, 'chill or whatever and not get too deep'. 

But when Gal turned to face him, either waiting for the second cart to pass or looking deep into his soul, he continued. "I think you're good luck for Feng too. He's kind of a jerk-hole but he doesn't have very many friends. He doesn't really trust people. You know? But I've learned that he's pretty prone to trouble, and getting lost, and he really doesn't have the toughness he wants to have. So it was lucky we were planning an adventure when he needed one. Lucky we didn't turn him away."

Mizuki looked down, not quite convinced by any of this but... maybe not as ice-hearted. "I ... guess it could be seen that way. But--"

"You told me about the grown ups that helped you out on your journey when you were all alone... maybe you're just paying it forward to us, you know? And we're keeping you company. 'cuz I think you were just as lonely and awkward as Feng is, too--er--just not as aggressive. You're so much more confident now, Miz!"

Mizuki shook his head, but couldn't help but to smile. "What? No--I'm just used to Bellmoril, that's all. And it's not raining! You should see me here in the rain. And I keep checking on my pomu's lantern! You laugh at me all the time!"

Gallileo chuckled and gestured toward the street.  Running toward them, with a bundle in his mouth was Feng, brows furrowed as he locked eyes with them. The kittom didn't so much as blink, and it sent a shiver down Mizuki's spine. With more speed and purpose than Mizuki could ever muster, Feng made it across the street, dodging one last cart as though he didn't care of the low-speed danger it posed.

"What are you--" Mizuki blinked as Feng skid to a halt in front of him, his claws scraping the stone. The bundle of cloth was suddenly colliding with his chest, and the poor kittom keeled over with a deep "OORPH."

"Lucky day, losers! We got lunch!" Feng swiped at the fabric, unfurling a handful of loaves of bread and some jam. There were probably some cheeses and other things there, but Mizuki was too busy wondering why this was happening.

"Where did you even get this, Feng?" Gallileo took a moment to look things over, "Ugh. You didn't STEAL this did you?"

The brown kittom looked more than offended, "What the heck? No! I'm not some thief! Are you accusing me of being a thief? I got this fair and square!"

"How?"

"I was running across the road a few blocks down and almost got hit by a cart."

"And?"

"This fell out when they stopped suddenly!"

"... So you stole it."

"NO, you dummy! They gave it to me!"

Gallileo rubbed at his forehead and laughed, "Yeah, OK Feng."

"They were taking it to a party, but it was cancelled, so they said I could have it." Feng breathed, now inches away from Gallileo's snoot. "I brought it back because I can't eat it all alone!"

Amused ,Gallileo looked to Mizuki, tilting his head, "Wow, I guess that's pretty lucky, huh, Mizuki? Didn't we skip lunch?" 

Mizuki puffed out his cheeks, content to lay on the cold stone, but even in his stubbornness he couldn't help joining in Gallileo's laughter. And he was surprised that Feng's laughter didn't sound as psychotic or scary while he had leaves, straw and dirt all over him.

"Yeah, I guess we're pretty lucky you're here Feng."

Feng nodded, "And they're lucky I don't know how to sue!"