Submission (#916) Approved

The strange phenomenon was, while unexplained, undoubtedly beautiful. Lights cascaded from the sky as elegantly as a falling star. Even meteor showers failed to capture this degree of otherworldliness, so enigmatic and ethereal and touchable.

Yet Pixis couldn’t find it in herself to enjoy it.

She sat on the edge of the Starlake, her Pomu-totem motionless in the grass beside her.  Between the lake’s own mysterious glowing orbs and the reflection of both the stars above and the falling lights, the glossy surface of the water glistened with so many sparkles it was practically mesmerizing. She hadn’t taken her eyes off it for at least an hour now, but her muddled mind failed to register the true beauty of the scene before her. It was somewhere else, trapped somewhere between self-pity and melancholy.

She would have loved to share this with them. Prance around the fields beneath the quasi-shooting stars with the childish fervor she would let slip out in those moments among her friends. Playfully roll her eyes as the two of them fell over each other trying to see who could catch the most lights before they hit the ground. She briefly wondered if they could see this from wherever they were, too. If they ever thought about her on their long journey. A dying ember landed on her nose and caused her to scrunch up her face even though there was no physical sensation.

“And here I came all this way to enjoy some peace and quiet in my special spot, only to find it occupied by some outsider.”

Pixis nearly jumped out of her fur at the sudden voice, whipping around to see an Elnin with thick, fluffy fur and a firefly floating around his head. “Oh… I’m sorry, was this your spot? I’ll leave-” She moved to stand - causing trouble in this city was the last thing she wanted to do right now. 

The older nin’s sudden chuckle cut her off. “I’m just messing with you. The Starlake belongs to no one. I just hope you don’t mind me enjoying the light show for a bit.”

“Not at all,” she offered politely and he sat down a couple feet away from her. Some time passed with the two of them enveloped in silence. Though he kept his eyes on the falling lights and didn’t do anything weird, she felt… awkward. Maybe she should just find somewhere else to sulk. 

Before she had a chance, he suddenly sighed. “Alright. What’s eating you?” He spoke with the tone of someone who wouldn’t normally care to ask but who also couldn’t take the blaring silence any longer. “You lost? Get your money stolen? Someone break your heart?”

She couldn’t help the small, wry laugh from tumbling out her lips from his choice of words. “I just…” Should she even be talking to this stranger? He could be a crook for all she knew; Silveil was full of them, if the rumors were to be believed. And yet she couldn’t find it in herself to care right now.

“I just feel like the world is moving on without me.” She wasn’t necessarily prone to wallowing, but the past few weeks have been particularly… lonely. Even her Pomu had left her. Not on purpose, she knew, but the sting of it hurt just the same. After a short pause with no response, she impulsively asked, “Do you… ever feel that way?”

“Hmmm…” There was the briefest pause while he looked to be considering the question. “Nope. Not even once.” The flippant response managed to deflate her even further. So she truly was just being childish...

The grief must have shown on her face because he sighed again, this time with much more annoyance. “Geez, quit being so mopey - it’s really killing my mood. You need to live a little, kid.” When she didn’t reply right away, he got up and strolled over until he stood directly behind her. “Likeeee… have you ever taken an impromptu dip in the Starlake?”

“No, why would I- Wah!?”

SPLASH!

Her limbs flailed frantically in the water, desperate in their attempt to force her head above the surface. She didn’t have time to think about how ridiculous she looked right now or if those floating balls of light in the water were in any way harmful; she gasped for air and paddled gracelessly back to the shore. While she stood there panting and shaking out her fur, the offending ‘nin who shoved her came closer with a smirk. His face looked so much more dastardly than it did the first time he smiled.

“Life’s no fun if you don’t take risks. There’s some free advice for you- that doesn’t come often in this city, you know.”

She wasn’t sure what to say, too shocked by the absurdity of what had happened and distracted in her efforts to wring the droplets from her bangs. Thankfully, he had turned his back to her and was already walking away.

“Don’t say I never did anything for you,” he chimed in a cheerful voice, as if he didn’t just push her into a lake.

And, once again, she was completely alone.

But... she strangely found herself a little less sad. Her fur might be soaked and heavy but her spirit felt lighter than it had been in a long time. Since they left. Since her world had changed.

She looked at her Pomu, staring into the featureless eyes she knew couldn’t see her back. As she did, however, something in the farthest corner of her mind told her everything would be alright… eventually.