Submission (#8143) Approved

With Starfall Faire well underway, the sky was soon growing darker and darker, making the fireworks that bloomed in the sky all the more vibrant. Mizuki had found a quiet spot away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds to watch them with her pomu and new snaptrap friend.

The undine nibbled daintily on a strawberry-filled rice cake, while Biri munched happily on sugar-dusted dough sticks. While they had offered an assortment of foods to the snaptrap, it seemed to prefer the manaberries, and was making quick work of the berries that were floating in the water.

Biri seemed to have finished off all the dough sticks, and was now making grabby paws at Mizuki’s snack. The kittom sighed, and offered her one of the rice cakes.

“This is the last one, Biri! Too many snacks, and you’ll get fat.”

The pomu let out a sad chirp, but still took the rice cake, eating it much slower as if to savor it.

A splash in the water alerted her to their elseworlder friend, who had polished off every fallen berry and was now getting restless. She saw it gaze out towards the ocean and smiled. Perhaps it wanted to return to the Rainbow Reefs? She wasn’t sure if it had made its home there or if it planned to return to where it came from, but the least they could do was accompany it.

After saying goodbye to their new friend, she made her way towards Faeridell. While Ealei would always be her home, Faerindell wasn’t far off as a second home, as the vibrant flora was always so breath-taking. The produce here was always as fresh as could be, and she had encountered several farmers who were happy to provide fair discounts to kind travellers, especially when harvest was plentiful.

The most captivating to her were the faerie shrouds, coming in an assortment of beautiful pastel-like colors. Whenever she visited, she would collect any stray petals she found, making sure they were still fresh and in good quality. Drying the petals and using them in hairpieces helped them catch the eye of passerbys, and if the color should start to fade, crushing them and mixing them into a paste with other ingredients created a wonderfully floral moisturizer or cream.

It seemed the festival was still in full swing even here, and Mizuki couldn’t help but look up to admire the fireworks display. While she did enjoy the fireworks in Ealei, which were often in a grander scale due to the main festivities being held there, she couldn’t help but appreciate the display here, while less grand, showcased beautiful yet more subdued hues that seemed to encapsulate the colors of Faerindell.

She noticed a stray firework that seemed to shoot farther up into the sky. When it burst, it formed a vibrant pink flower. Her eyes widened as it didn’t seem to stop there. The flower seemed to form “petals” in varying hues of purple, which then seemed to scatter into the night sky. Her gaze stayed transfixed as more flowers formed, some even sporting “leaves” that scattered similarly before dissipating. Biri was equally excited, letting out a series of chirps as she clapped her hands at the display.

While she hadn’t initially come to Faerindell just to gaze at fireworks, she HAD to get a closer look, and maybe even meet the pyrotechnician that created such stunning displays. The ones from Nalnalo were certainly vibrant and extravagant, but she had never seen something like that, which was very clearly evident that the nin behind it not only loved their work, but was passionate about it.

Mizuki wandered about, trying to locate where the nin in charge of the fireworks would be, when she came across a clearing. Various contraptions were strewn about, consisting of several pouches of what looked like different kinds of powder, several sketches and diagrams, perhaps of the fireworks, and a black and red elnin sitting in the center of it, diligently working on setting up one of their contraptions. Bright emberglow motes floated around them, almost reminiscent of fireflies. They wiped away a trickle of sweat from their face, leaving it soot-stained instead.

Feeling a pair of eyes on him, Fuwa lifted his head, and blinked when he realized it was a kittom.

“Oh, hello! Are you lost?”

Mizuki realized she had been staring, and quickly shook her head, flustered.

“Ah, no, sorry. I couldn’t help but admire the fireworks, and was curious about who the pyrotechnician was.”

Fuwa grinned, jerking a thumb towards himself.

“That would be me! Though I guess you already figured that out, huh?”

While one would probably be wondering if it would be safe to allow a kittom around pyrotechnic equipment, Fuwa didn’t seem fussed. After all, he himself had been messing around with such things at a much younger age, though granted it was with his father’s supervision.

“So, what did you want to know?”

He patted the spot beside him, indicating it was ok for Mizuki to come closer, and the undine floated over, making sure not to disturb any of the material on the ground. She explained the breathtaking display she witnessed, how she was awed by various hues, and how the fireworks seemed to come alive, jumping and swimming through the sky.

“Oh, flying fish! If you cut the fuse in short lengths, they shoot off in different directions, like they’re swimming through the sky. For the colors, you use this, and for the layers, you have to adjust the timing…”

Fuwa drew out diagrams on a piece of paper as he explained, and Mizuki nodded, taking in as much information as she could. When she asked about the different patterns, he would show how he set up the various tubes to form different shapes, and even let her try designing a few of her own.

In return, Mizuki offered her some of the snacks she had picked up from the stalls in Ealei, and he was more than happy to accept. Since his paws were busy and covered in soot though, her pomu seemed to be handing him the food as he took bites of it, while sneaking bits herself, Mizuki only shook her head, but refrained from childing her in front of the other elnin.

As she watched her own creation soar into the sky, bursting into a vibrant colorful display of flowers, she couldn’t help but swell with pride, grateful for Fuwa’s teachings and having the opportunity to witness something so incredible upfront.