Submission (#8649) Approved

Varun was a young kittom, bright eyed and into just about everything much to Rize's dismay. With Symph traveling Rize had been left to watch the kittoms and Varun was asking a lot of questions. Specifically questions all about pomus, since he was very excited about his new little friend. At least up until the pomu turned into a crystal for the miasma months of the year where the kittom's spirits seemed to dampen a bit.

Now soft green eyes peered at the colorful papers at the corner of Rize's desk. "What are you eyeing there, Varun?" The older elnin asked, quirking an eyebrow at the kittom that usually never slowed down but was actually quite focused and still now. "Can I have some paper?" The kittom asked, clearly not even sparing Rize a glance. "If you can tell me what that paper's worth I'll give you some." Rize responded, curious how Varun would answer. The kittom shifted their eyes to Rize for once, giving the adult elnin an incredulous look like the question itself was absurd. Varun was very much a dreamer and the idea of figuring out a legitimate answer seemed entirely off the table.

Varun scrunched his little nose up a bit in thought. "I'll bet you traded some stars for it." He announced and Rize's serious expression all but broke. The older elnin had to stifle their laughter behind their tail as they wrapped it around their body up near their face. Rize's eyes smiled though. "Alright, alright. I traded some stars for it." Rize lied, sliding the stack of expensive stationary towards the kittom. Varun ungracefully pulled himself up on a small stool to shift the papers around a bit, picking out a small assortment before trotting off into the corner beside the window of their home.

Rize lived on the top floor of a luxurious abode in Silveil City. From the window Varun could see quite a bit as their residence was somewhere between the lake and the market stalls below. Lanterns lit up the streets with warm light and Varun could smell the wafting scents of delicious food even from the room they were in. The lake itself glowed with bioluminescent jellyfish and the sky glittered with stars above it. This land of night was all Varun had grown up around so far, and so with the stationary papers he took some inspiration in crafting a lantern for his little pomu crystal. It was quite small, maybe because he was still little too, but the bigger problem was that pomus were often more dexterous. Without their help his lantern crafting was very rough. The papers didn't fold quite right and he found himself tangled in the string he thought would be good to affix the papers to the lantern frame.

The little kittom was starting to get frustrated after a while that Rize eventually drank a manaberry potion to help. Rize could be a bit of a tough parent sometimes, wanting to see kittoms problem-solve but Rize wasn't cruel. Plopping Varun in their lap they helped the little kittom put the lantern together, tying a string to Varun's little pomu crystal. "What do you think?" Rize asked, feeling Varun sigh a bit. It looked like a sigh of relief though. "I like it. It's just right." He said, little tail swishing back and forth in thought before turning those big eyes on Rize again.

"Can we take the lantern to the market with us?" He asked, his little face hopeful. Rize pretended to think about it for a moment before nodding. The kittom's growling stomach didn't go unnoticed while they had been crafting the lantern together. After getting a bag to bring back any goods they found in, the two of them made their way down the stairs. Soon Varun was out on the street with Rize, plodding past the gambling dens that Rize occasionally found their uncle in and down towards the market stalls. In the stalls of the city they found all kinds of things, mushrooms from the forests just outside and luxury goods that others had brought to the area from across Eyre. The stalls they ended up stopping at though this outing were mostly food stalls. Sweet treats that melted in your mouth and tasty noodle dishes that were said to be even tastier fresh in Kyendi. Once the two of them had picked out their selections they found a bench in a park towards the lake and sat down to eat.

Rize still had a lot of work to do and Varun knew as much, but it was nice to have these small outings together. Varun knew Rize would make time for him. The older elnin didn't like to admit it but their kittoms were spoiled. Thankfully they didn't act as much because Symph sometimes showed them what it meant to live modestly. The stark differences between the two parents could be humbling at times. As the two of them ate Varun looked at the elder tree faintly in the depths of the lake. It was a big tree, but with how dark it could be sometimes it was a bit hard to see.

The pomu lantern floated beside Varun on the bench. The paper used mirrored the night sky on two sections but it was a soft sunset scene on the opposite sides. Inside a soft pomu crystal was a gradient of blue to green like Varun's eyes. The kittom wished his pomu were awake to enjoy the scene with them but sharing it with the pomu crystal was the next best thing. The lantern felt extra special too since their parent had helped them craft it. For the dark gloomy months Varun couldn't be happier.