Submission (#6569) Approved

The boat ride from Silveil to Bellmoril had been a bit choppier than Mercury was used to. Holst had tried to comfort him, but it was hard for the tiny bean who piloted an airship through the cloud seas of his homeland to understand the kittom’s predicament. Regardless, Holst was happy to make camp early as the two settled into a lovely meadow not far from the shore.

The two went about unpacking their light traveling supplies- a small tarp flung over a branch made for raincover, and a spider-silk rope was more than sturdy enough to secure against the wind. They set some small snares with the rest of the rope, and started slowly foraging through the surrounding copse of trees for kindling and any goodies that might make a good meal for a less than stable stomach.

It took only a few minutes for the two to find enough foraged food to fill them up for the evening, and they returned to their tiny encampment to cook. As they began to build the fire, Holst couldn’t help but feel that niggling worry at the back of their mind.

“Mercury?”

“Mmhmm?” 

He hummed in reply as he used his mouth to strike his flint and steel against their small pile of dried leaves and twigs.

“I must admit, I’m a bit concerned.”

The kittom nodded in agreement as they blew into the growing flame. Holst fiddled with a branch, idly stripping it of some loose bark as they spoke.

“We did not find another shrine to leave an offering at before we left Silveil, and I don’t know if you’re as familiar with this area. I don’t like the feeling of having started this journey with what would seem to be such a bad omen.”

Mercury groaned and rolled his eyes as he laid down beside the flame.

“Oh, and here I thought you were actually worried about me!”

Holst sputtered, ripping off another piece of bark and holding up his hands.

“No no! Of course I’m worried about you and your seasickness. I’m sorry you feel so unwell. But my concern regarding the unfortunate luck surrounding this delivery journey still floats! I mean, uhm, stands?”

Mercury shook his head as he dropped another branch on the fire, perhaps with a little more force than was necessary. Sparks shot out towards the two as his companion flinched back.

“C’mon Holst, we talked about this already! It’s not a bad omen or whatever, it happens! If you’re really so worried about it, we can go into the port tomorrow and ask somebody where to find a shrine. But right now, I just wanna eat some food to make my tummy stop turning!”

Holst nodded, relaxing against a rock. 

“I would like that very much. I’m sorry Mercury, I don’t want to push you while you’re unwell, but your apparent disregard for the situation makes it hard to put aside.”

Mercury frowned, looking into the mesmerizing flames of their fire.

“Yeah, I guess I’m sorry too. You asked before we left and I could have taken us to a shrine. I’ll try to pay more attention to what you want next time.”

Holst smiled and nodded. The two spent a moment looking into the mesmerizing twists of yellow and red as they waited for the fire to grow to a size suitable for cooking. Their meditation was interrupted by the snap of a trap going off.

Mercury grinned, leaping into action and bounding towards the noise. 

“Finally, a main course!”

He trotted happily to the edge of the copse of trees, grinning as he saw he’d snared some kind of small mammal. His attention was quickly shifted, however, as he saw the sky beyond his prize. He stood motionless for a moment before stopping entirely to sit.
The rippling flowers and tall grasses of the Bellmorill meadow were bisected by a rippling veil of purples, blues and greens. It glistened in front of him, colors shifting into one another like the sheerest silk. The light seemed to bounce off of the peculiar veil like the surface of a clear lake. He couldn’t take his eyes off the undulating wonder even as his dinner escaped its snare. He tilted his head to the side to call to his companion.

“Holst! Holst come quick!”

He could hear the tiny voice of his benaling friend calling through the trees as he zipped closer.

“Mercury? Are you ill again? Did you hurt yourself? I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone- Oh.”

The little bean’s worries stopped in their tracks as he flitted up to join the Kittom. They stared at the sight for a moment before Holst gathered their thoughts again.

“That- That’s quite beautiful. What is it?”

Mercury shook his head, shrugging a bit.

“I dunno really. I’ve only seen something like this thing once before. I was in Ahza, in the desert, and it was sunset. It was really pretty, but when I woke up, it wasn’t there.”

The bean hummed and nodded. They sat there a moment before Mercury was suddenly pulled away from his fascination by an uneasy muttering from his stomach. Holst looked to his companion and gently patted his side.

“It is truly beautiful, but I think we need to attend to you, and soon.”

Mercury nodded in agreement, and then groaned as he looked at the now empty snare.

“Aw, c’mon! I was looking forward to that!”