Submission (#6079) Approved

Lanhe spent last year's Starfall Faire alone last year. Which was fine, he'll admit, and not something that he tends to think much of day to day. Sure, most Elnin out and about during the holiday are in groups and having fun, but Lanhe was fine with that! He was used to being alone, something like that doesn't change overnight. Or so he thought.

"You gotta use more decorations on your lantern, Lanhe!" Salva came barging into his life at some point. And now the pastel kittom simply won't leave him alone. And he's tried. There's been at least four occasions where he has given his unlikely travel partner the slip. Only to wake up the next day to the familiar pitch. Such a thing had recently happened. His most recent journey had led him into Strynhalde, and while Lanhe himself has been fine in the colder weather (thanks to some of his more fluffier attributes) his Pomu was starting to look more and more worse for wear. Deciding that traveling more would be ill-advised and not wanting to cause his shadowy companion any harm, Lanhe had found himself in the town of Frostford. The snowy town seemed almost carved out of the sides of huge snow banks and blocks made from dark stone contrasted well against the sea of white. The townspeople had also been incredibly welcoming to the small, green kittom. They quickly ushered him inside a warm establishment and peppered him with gifts and food. Lanhe is certainly grateful that most Elnin are hospitable and kind...although those feelings were quickly changed the next morning when he had woken up with an additional visitor. 

("I said I had been looking for you and they just let me in! Isn't that nice?" Salva had spoken with a smile and the initial shock of seeing them again faded into subtle irritation. "Yea...that's....wonderful."

"...you look different, by the way.")

And now Lanhe is here, bundled up outside in the snow painting and decorating lanterns in exchanged for the nice innkeeper for letting him stay free of charge. He didn't expect to spend as long as a week in Frostford, but the news of a bad snowstorm forming in the distance had convinced him enough to stay where it would be safe. Also, he's gotten quite fond of the shaved ice that some of the stands have been selling at cheap prices. He was also finally able to try the infamous maple syrup and snow combination! Lanhe used to be certain he didn't have a sweet-tooth or anything like that, but maybe he was just trying the wrong type of sweets all along. He turns his attention back to the lantern he had been working on: the design was simple, just a single color with stars scattered around the shape. He's not...sure how much more he could add to the design, but looking at Salva's 'work of art' of splattered colors and added attachments, he's sure that his lantern won't stand out as much. The thought saddens him somewhat, but he's not sure why that would be the case when he's been so used to living a solitary and lonely life. Peng makes a noise of satisfaction and Lanhe glances over to his pomu in curiosity. He lets out a small sigh at the sight of the two pomus happily dancing around their creation. Their hands and faces covered with paint that they had then pressed into the side of the lantern to leave a lasting impression. Salva bounces over to the pomus and joins them in their dance circle, much to their delight. Lanhe sets his finished lantern to the side and reaches for another blank canvas, this time he grabs a mask that a seller had passed along to him to decorate. The blank face of a fox stares back at him. He turns the item carefully in his paws side to side and tries to envision what he wants the face to become. Something fierce? Mysterious? Solemn? Countless ideas dart in his mind back and forth and he thinks that slowly an idea is starting to bubble up to the surface when...

"You should decorate them like me!!" Salva pops her head onto Lanhe's shoulder and peers over at the mask in his hands. The idea of personal space is still a concept that Lanhe has been trying to introduce the pastel kittom to. He sighs and shoves her face away with his paw and mutters how he isn't going to even entertain that idea. Salva laughs at how distraught Lanhe seems to be at the thought and turns back to the Pomu's to pick their lantern up and place it with all the other completed ones. 

(The snow crunches under Lanhe's feet as he walks back to the inn. The festivities carried on late into the night and the copious amounts of sugar Salva had consumed eventually led to her crashing into a puddle of complaints about tiredness. While the stallkeeps thought this to be adorable, Lanhe could only sigh and drag her through the snow. The streets were slowly starting to quiet down from the usual chatter of Starfall and eventually Lanhe relented to his companion and heaved Salva onto his back. The rest of the way was quiet, with only the sounds of idle chitchat carried on the wind. There's only about a block left on his way back to the inn when Salva starts snoring. Lanhe shakes his head in disbelief and adjusts his grip, making sure that the movement doesn't startle the passenger he's carrying. He certainly doesn't try to pay much attention, either, when he passes by a fox that looks suspiciously like the person he's carefully carrying on his back either...)