Submission (#7414) Approved

Regional Affinity: Enmir
Word count: 765 words
Elnin AP is for: Esmeray (https://worldofeyre.com/character/MYO-ELN780)
Other Elnin: Aelius (https://worldofeyre.com/character/MYO-ELN781)
Extra EC: Include a pomu +1

It had been a decent jaunt through the swamp and the dense canopy of leaf and vine obstructed the sky where Aelius knew stars had been falling the last time he checked. This was the height of Starfall and his sibling was missing it. Well, he called them a sibling but they merely grew up together, both fosters who were adopted into a large family. Still, in this unfamiliar place with such a unique occurrence, the sunny Kittom wanted nothing more than to share the moment with his fellow sib and yet the purple kittom was nowhere to be found. Aelius searched around the usual spots, high up in the crook of trees, down in rounded hollows, but had little luck in tracking down Esmeray. He heaved a big sigh in frustration; by the time he found them, the whole festival will have ended. While he knew that was kind of Esme's point, Aelius had hoped to share the sights of the falling stars at the very least. The orange kittom kicked at a partially rotted log and then used a vine to steady his balance as he used a stronger one to cross one of the many rivers in the region which fed the deeper swamps. He would give it a few more minutes before turning back to the bright lights and merriment that drifted in from the village behind him.

The sunny pomu that followed him around jumped from shadow to shadow as he moved through the forest. While it was unable to use Aelius' shadow for transport because the shadows of the forest was thick and fast, it was quicker to jump than try to waddle around on stubby feet. A bright pop of colour, the pomu held a low lantern to help illuminate the path ahead of them, what little there was.

He was about to head back when he turned around a corner and found, not only the object of his search, but also an opening in the trees that let the vast open sky peek through. "Hey Esme, how is?" Aelius gave the purple kittom a wave and then stood there waiting for an acknowledgement or something so he didn't startle them. The usually skittish kittom.was sitting down with their back to a tree, eyes raised up to the sky. At first Aelius through they had fallen asleep while they were sitting as that was their usual tendency but then one ear twitched towards him and the orange kittom couldn't help but smile. "How have the stars been?"

Esme stretched, a long and deliberate motion that gave them time to think about their answer. They looked back up to the star-filled night sky though the leaves of the banyan trees and nodded. "S' nice." The purple kittom's voice cracked a little as they spoke but was audible enough. This was nothing new, Esmeray preferred silent observation over loud chatter, they usually let Aelius take the helm during conversations. "Plans?" they added after a long pause, tapping the twisted and curved root beside them for their orange sibling to join them. Esme liked Starfall just about as much as they loved the quiet of night-time. There was just something interesting about watching the sparks of colour rain down from the sky and splash harmlessly onto the ground. Some people speculate that was how Aelius' pomu got his colourful guise but the purple kittom was sure the sunset-coloured pomu had always been a bright colourful thing, much like its owner. Esme shifted to the side a little as the orange kittom came to sit beside them.

"Plans? Well, the festival is still going on, I was thinking of playing some of the games and I found a stall that was selling those sweets you liked. The ones that reminded us of Salt-water taffy?" Aelius filled the night air with banter of all of his plans and ideas. He had found many interesting things to see and do in this little village that existed on the edge of the thick forested swamp. Some were themed for Starfall, while others had a more well... swampy theme to them, but he was pretty sure it would take all night and then some if he wanted to have a chance to play them all. However, the thought of hanging out in the middle of almost nowhere with his sibling and watching the celestial light show was also something that he enjoyed so for the time being Aelius decided to stay put and spend some quality time of a calmer, more serene nature for the evening.