⛅ Aeros | The Bookshop

[Exitium]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: Exitium + 626371
Prompt: "Write about what your aero would do if
they ended up being the "chosen one" for a heroic journey?"
Aero(s) Involved:

Druidic Eidolon #302
My Entry:
585 words
The sound of bushes rustling and trees whipping under the pressure of heavy winds, is no longer a familiar and comforting sound. Dunes of sand and earthen ground span farther than the eyes can see. Trees that once stood stall and mighty have been replaced by pillars of eroding limestone and hardened sand, and citizens remain indoors away from the hazards of the outside world. Deep in the center of this faux-ghost town stands an intimidating sandstone fortress and numerous watch towers. Taken over by a desert-dwelling elemental, these lands waste away day by day, waiting for the end...or the arrival of a chosen savior.

[ENTER => Druidic Eidolon]

Shuffling his feet, he carefully moved piles of treasured socks around for his denmate to clean. Cleaning materials were always scarce, so his wonderful denmate would utilize the plants growing from their body to soak dirt and debris out of his precious socks, after which they would fan the fabric dry with thick leaves. "Another day, another pair of socks left abandoned in the city..." he said in a somber tone, clipping down pairs of freshly cleaned socks onto their dusty fireplace. "You'll find a way to rescue more socks, Druidic. I know you aren't affected by the hazardous environment outside...don't look at me like that! You really thought I wouldn't notice the six new pairs of socks you gained overnight?" Mint Grinder sighed, shaking their head at their denmate. 'Soon enough, we won't even HAVE a guest room because of his sock horde' Mint Grinder thought, shaking their head as Druidic Eidolon chirped and ducked his head in embarrassment.

Fate cast its gaze upon an eccentric critter and its fellow critter, making the decision to salvage the lands.

{BY MOON AND SUN, WIND AND DUST
THE POWER OF SIX HUNDRED MEN- THE POWER OF SIX HUNDRED SOCKS
SOUL UNBLEMISHED AND DESIRES HONORABLE, GO FORTH ECCENTRIC CHILD, CHARGE TOWARDS SALVATION WITHOUT FEAR}

Fate echoed a poetic prophecy, leaving it up to the sock-loving critter to understand its message.

[ENTER => Druidic Eidolon]
"...did you hear that voice?" Druidic Eidolon questioned hesitantly, chains rattling as he flipped around to face his denmate. "Yep. I think this means you're the 'Chosen One', buddy. I'll...find the sock pouches for your journey." Mint Grinder said in amusement, wondering how exactly six hundred socks could equal the power of six hundred 'men'. "Huh...you won't be joining me? What if I get distracted or fall in a pile of shiny trinkets?" he nearly whined, nervously trilling as he fixed his trail of dust and sand. "You're the one with the prophecy, Druidic! Besides, I wouldn't survive an hour out there. My plants would wilt!" they started, pausing to mull over their next words, "Anyways...if you don't let yourself be distracted, you can roll around all you want in your socks, and collect shiny metals and trinkets! You need to save our lands first, Druidic Eidolon. You wouldn't want to ruin any of your socks by goofing off, now would you?" Mint Grinder snickered, knowing that would set him off. Totally worth it!

《So it seems that Druidic Eidolon would willingly do whatever it takes, should he be selected as a savior or the "Chosen One". A sock obsessed sand goat goes nowhere without socks, however, so it is no surprise that he would be required by Fate to carry every single sock with him to channel the power to save the lands. Let's just hope he doesn't find out about golden socks!》

[sev.en]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: •seven• + 988363
Prompt: "Write about what your aero would do if they ended up being the "chosen one" for a heroic journey?"
Aero(s) Involved:

evie #286

wordcount: 1,028

Evie comes from a long line of farmers- her parents are farmers, her parents' parents were farmers, and even her parent's parent's parents...
Everyone in town knows them and they provide everyone with the best crops all year round.

She's known from a very young age that she was going to follow in her family's footsteps and carry on the legacy but that hadn't stopped her from dreaming of bigger grander things for her future! Be it becoming a world-class traveller, sailing the high seas, or being crowned a princess her imagination knew no bounds but she always came to her senses and pulled herself out of her dreamland to get back to work.

That was until one day a strange cloaked figure arrived in town shrouded in mystery and intrigue catching the eye of every aero, stirring whispers and murmurs in the crowds as everyone tried to place where this stranger had come from and what their purpose was here. He had set up a small stall under the large willow tree in the centre of the town square, hanging drapes and crystals from his cart and laying out small trinkets and random shiny objects on the table from his travels in the hopes of being able to sell them to the locals.

Evie has her own stall set up just across the square where she sells her family's crops- apples are very popular at this time of year. She spends the better part of the day just watching the townfolk circle around the stranger admiring his wares. Once the crowds have dissipated, Evie decides that she will close up her shop and wander over to the stranger and see what he has to offer.

"I was wondering if you were going to come over here or not." The stranger says as he looks up at her from under the shadow of his hood.

"Curiosity got the better of me, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. What have you got for sale? Hit me with your best salesman pitch." Evie says with a playful smile as she leans over the collection of shiny crystals and amulets carefully strewn across the velvet tablecloth.

"Well my dear, that depends on what you are after exactly. Maybe a luck charm to bring you fortune? or perhaps a love amulet to help find your soulmate?" He questions, eyeing her carefully as if to see what piques her interest. He notices a glint in her eye, something different and takes a chance- "Hold on just one moment I think I may have something special for you-"

Evie perks up as she watches the stranger bury his head in the back of his cart digging for a particularly special item for her, stepping on her tippy toes trying to get an early glimpse of whatever treasures are to be shown to her. A muffled aha! can be heard as the stranger turns back to the table gently placing a silk-wrapped item in front of her.

He gestures to her, silently letting her know to go ahead. She tentatively reaches out grabbing the thin fabric and starts to unwrap it. Inside she finds a small delicate gilded box with emeralds embedded in the lid. Her heart starts to race as she fiddles with the clasp, she can feel some sort of energy coursing through her but shrugs it off as excitement.

What lies inside the box is an amulet. It's solid gold and shaped like a teardrop with fine intricate designs etched into the surface and in the very centre- a large emerald, like the ones on the box but this one appears to have? a very dull glow? Evie thinks it must be a trick of the light but as she reaches towards the amulet and picks it up the dull glow suddenly BURSTS into a blinding light and surrounds her as a trail of green smoke swirls around her whole body! As it clears the amulet is gently floating right in front of her!

As she is frantically trying to process everything that is happening the stranger speaks up- "I had a feeling it was you." He looks at her with a gentle smile.

"I don't understand- what is this, what's happening how-" Evie trails off silently asking even more questions in her head, not sure how to put everything into words.

"This amulet has been looking for the right owner for centuries. It was foretold that a brave hero would one day be able to unlock its full power. Only one of pure heart and good intentions, the only one able to bring back an ancient magic to this world." He smiles at her expectantly.

Still standing there wide-eyed as the amulet continues to float in front of her, Evie peeks around it- "I'm sorry what? a brave hero? no no, I'm not brave and I am certainly no hero... I am just a farmer! I was only here to sell apples!"

The hooded stranger lets out a small chuckle, "My dear you do not need to be a fearless knight in shining armor to be a hero- you can be a simple farmer with a brave heart. All you must do is accept this quest and it will all make sense to you in due time. I can guide you if you choose to follow this path but it would mean leaving this life behind- at least for now anyways. But I promise you it will be the adventure of a lifetime, an adventure only you can take. You were chosen for a reason."

Evie looks around the empty town square thinking for a moment before looking back at the stranger and then the amulet, taking a deep breath- "Okay. I'll do it." As soon as the words leave her mouth, another swirl of green smoke as the amulet floats higher in the air slowly spinning as the green glow pulses before it drifts down placing itself gently around her neck. A quiet wow escapes her lips before she looks back up at the stranger with a huge grin on her face- "So where to first!"

phew! that was a lot more words than I was expecting to write! its my first time writing anything in like? 12 years? but I had fun so thank you for the opportunity ^^
◉

[Eevee55]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: Eevee55 + 1033286
Prompt: "Write about what your aero would do if
they ended up being the "chosen one" for a heroic journey?"
Aero(s) Involved: #14
My Entry:

The traveler that approached the town had quickly gotten everyone's attention. She seemed prepared for a long journey, and had the aura of an aero on a mission. A few aeros spoke up as she passed by, asking her what she was doing, but she ignored them all, continuing through the town until she reached Spirit's house. Spirit was quite confused by this, but even more confused by what she told them. Them, the "chosen one"? A hero? Destined to save the world? At first, they were sure this must be some kind of prank. It seemed the other aeros who had followed the traveler through town agreed, since several scoffed at the idea.

"I think you have the wrong aero there," someone said. "If you want a hero, there's plenty of us who are stronger, and braver, and better. You should pick someone who might actually be able to help you."

It was no secret that most of the aeros in town looked down on Spirit. Many found their appearance scary, and some even thought they might be evil. On several occasions, they had heard of rumors spreading throughout the town about them. Usually, this happened whenever something strange happened around town, or if some kind of natural disaster like an earthquake happened. Neighbors warned visiting aeros to stay away from their house as if it were a haunted house, and nearly everyone seemed to make a point of avoiding them if at all possible. Truthfully, Spirit didn't mind the other aeros avoiding them since they preferred to keep to themself and mind their own business, though deep down inside they had to admit the rumors hurt their feelings. They never had any basis in fact of course, Spirit was actually a very kind aero but rarely was given an opportunity to show it. They would never try to cause harm to come to any of the other aeros, and they had no idea how they would even go about causing an earthquake in the first place. Nonetheless, with the spread of the rumors, by now no one would believe them if they attempted to defend themself.

To their surprise, however, the traveler seemed entirely uninterested in selecting a different aero to be the hero. "No. They are the chosen one, not you or anyone else."

"Well, suit yourself, but don't come crying to us when this whole saving the world thing comes crashing down because you picked them instead of a more worthy aero," another aero commented before walking off, apparently having lost interest in what was going on. Several others followed, muttering under their breath. Spirit couldn't hear all of what they were muttering, but the snippets they did hear were all in a similar vein.

"Why me?" Spirit asked finally, when most of the aeros had left. A few had decided to stick around and watch from a distance, probably to see if Spirit would do something that might harm the traveler so they could start up a new set of rumors, but at least Spirit could speak with the traveler in relative peace.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't decide who the chosen one is, I am just here to help. To guide you on your journey, well as much as I can at any rate. Most of it is up to you, really."

Spirit raised an eyebrow. "And you are truly willing to leave the fate of the world in my hands? Even after everything everyone else has said about me?" It was difficult to believe someone would trust them with any kind of important task after the way they had been treated by other aeros for so long. Spirit wasn't even sure they would trust themself with such an important task as saving the world; even knowing the rumors were based on false assumptions, they had taken their toll on Spirit's self esteem. Besides, they still weren't entirely convinced this "chosen one" thing was even real.

And yet... The idea of doing something big to help everyone, something that would prove the other aeros wrong, something that would let Spirit show everyone who they really were... Part of Spirit wanted it to be real. Part of Spirit wanted to put an end to the rumors once and for all, to be a hero instead of an outcast. But could they? Could they really succeed at whatever it was the traveler claimed they were destined to do? Or were the other aeros right when they warned the traveler that Spirit was the wrong choice?

"Why would what they say matter? The only one who can decide who you are is you."

Well, that was new. Most aeros seemed very confident in their ability to judge what kind of aero Spirit was, whether they had actually spent any time around them to base it on or not. Somehow, the traveler's words were comforting to Spirit. She was right; everyone else could spread rumors about them, but that didn't make them true. If she truly believed they could be a hero, they might as well at least make an attempt. "In that case, I will do my best."

The traveler smiled. "I knew you would help! Follow me, and listen carefully, there is a lot you need to know..."

..........

At first, Spirit felt kind of overwhelmed. It was one thing to be told you were the "chosen one" and another to hear exactly how much was essentially resting on your shoulders. Learning about their apparent destiny had been shocking for them, and between their self esteem issues and the stares- and sometimes glares- of passing aeros as Spirit followed their guide, they felt a lot of doubt. Were they really cut out for this? But any time their doubt became strong enough to make them consider giving up, they would remember their guide's words. The only one who can decide who you are is you. Spirit wanted to be the kind of aero who kept trying to do the right thing, no matter how uncertain they felt. So they continued forward, one step at a time.

Preparing and training for saving the world felt slow initially, they stumbled more than a few times while practicing fighting and often needed breaks to rest. Sometimes it felt like they just weren't catching on fast enough, and Spirit wondered again if maybe the other aeros were right and someone else would have been better suited to being the hero. But their guide seemed to have unending patience, always willing to pause and let them try again later. She somehow managed to be encouraging without really trying, knowing just the right thing to say when Spirit felt especially discouraged, but always saying it in the same nonchalant manner as though she were discussing the weather.

Over time, Spirit got better at fighting and strategy, and they gained some confidence. But no matter how well they did, one harsh comment from a passing aero seemed to shatter their confidence again. The farther into the journey they got, the more they tried to hide this. They figured by now they should be more confident in their skills and shouldn't be letting other aeros' words affect them so much. They had a feeling they weren't as good at hiding it as they thought, though. Either that, or their guide was very perceptive. She continued to to be supportive and encourage them to keep going, so they did.

..........

Finally, they were ready to save the world. At least, their guide thought so. Spirit still wasn't fully convinced, but after all the time she had spent helping them train, encouraging them, and just being their friend, Spirit felt like they owed it to her to try. So they faced the villain who was trying to destroy the world, hoping they would be able to win the long, difficult battle ahead of them. The villain didn't seem to think they could, and started boasting about how he had nothing to worry about if this was the "chosen one" that was supposed to stop him. Nonetheless, Spirit didn't back down. They had to try.

As the two fought, the villain kept insulting them, saying all the things the other aeros kept saying about them. But to Spirit's surprise, the words no longer cut them as deeply as they used to. Maybe Spirit had just gotten so used to the comments that they had lost some of their edge. Or perhaps they were so focused on wanting to save the world that they were able to ignore the words to some extent. Either way, Spirit was able to keep fighting until they eventually won. With the villain defeated and the world saved, Spirit turned to the aero who had helped them during their journey.

"Great job! I knew you could do it!" she said, smiling.

"Thanks. I never would have been able to succeed without you." Spirit replied.

"Oh, come on, don't be so modest! You are the chosen one, after all!"

"Even the chosen one needs a friend sometimes. I am glad you were the one to guide me."

..........

Word spread throughout the area that the world had been saved, and Spirit was regarded as a hero. Even their neighbors treated them with... well, somewhat more respect after learning about what had happened. But more than anything, Spirit was just happy to have been able to help everyone, and to have made a true friend along the way.

[thenullchrysalis]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: thenullchrysalis - 1047850
Prompt: "Write about what your aero would do if
they ended up being the "chosen one" for a heroic journey?"
Aero(s) Involved:

#412 - Seia, #180 - Void, and #182 - Ender

Seia awakens to chanting, which is a little strange, but honestly weirder things have happened so it’s more startling than anything else. It takes him a second to adjust, his eyelids heavy with the cling of deep sleep, his vision blurred by the pure magic aura surrounding him. He has about a second and a half to inwardly remark ‘that’s really dangerous’ before the magic sparks, flooding the room, and shocking him into full awareness-- literally. The aura, which had been ethereally holding him in the air, quickly dissipates, leaving him to pathetically fall to the floor with a groan, already annoyed by the electricity stubbornly clinging to his fur. From an outsider’s view, this strange, blue-green sort of aero kind of looks like an elderly cat that survived a laundry cycle and is now immensely peeved.

His fur sticks up on all ends as he shuffles to his paws, stumbling a bit at the very different weight distribution his body automatically resorts to. To put it frankly, Seia’s quite used to standing on two paws, but for some reason his body seems made to stand on four. Weird, but okay, no biggie. He’s a shapeshifter, he’s been four-legged before. It’s just odd to be four-legged upon waking up. He takes a moment to survey his surroundings and is immediately bewildered, taking in the various equally bizarre things of note.

First of all, he’s in what appears to be a summoning circle, if something made of miscellaneous grocery store candles, what smells like acrylic paint mixed with chalk, and haphazardly scribbled runes on lined paper can be called as such. The paint-chalk mixture is still wet and squishes under his toes, not quite liquid but not quite solid. Kind of oatmeal-ish.

His surroundings are fairly alien in nature; he appears to be inside some sort of structure, but it’s not anything like the stone walls he’s used to. It’s not even remotely similar to the castle, which is the most unique structure he’s visited. Some sort of dyed fiber covers the floor, while the walls are uniformly flat and painted, as well as decorated with random memorabilia, though he recognizes none of it. The furniture is a bit more familiar, though still odd to him, and the device atop a large shelf on the wall is like if his own technology copied it for homework; it’s much sleeker and fancy in comparison, though still blocky like the technology he knows.

Then there’s the two creatures gazing up at him-- the purple one gazes in awe, the green gazes in disbelief, but either way they’re staring at him and it’s kind of awkward. Seia shuffles on his wet paws nervously. His hair, long locks which cascade down his back, feel like they might be dragging through the paint with the movement. He grimaces.

“Oh Holy Creature of the Skies!” The purple, vaguely canine creature cries, having gathered their wits first, bowing dramatically as they speak, “We have summoned you to this world to aid us in our most dire time of need. Please, we implore you-- lend us your aid, oh Chosen One!” The green, more bug-like canine still seems too dumbstruck to speak, but shoves a paw to their friend’s back to stop the frankly embarrassing bows, which is a relief.

“Chosen One.” Seia echoes, still grimacing. The purple canine nods frantically with its face sort of buried in the fiber flooring, which looks painful. Their green friend lets them up upon realizing this. Seia wonders how these two manage to get through the day-- just by the look of what he assumes is their home, he can only imagine. See, part of him wants to turn around and wash his paws of whatever he’s been dragged into, even before he’s actually in it. But these two creatures seem so pathetic that the idea of walking away makes him feel a little guilty. What if they tried something foolish (like cobble together a summoning circle that, by all means, should not have worked) and Seia wasn’t there to stop them?

“Okay…” Seia drags out the word with a sigh. He is so going to regret this. “What can I do for you?”

The two creatures share a wide eyed, but triumphant look. The purple one, who seems to be the leader figure of the duo, rises from their prone position with a grin.

“Let us regale you with our storied history so that you might understand our goal…”

--

“So let me get this straight.” Seia says, paws folded in front of him, perched on what he has come to learn is an ‘armchair’. “You summoned me from an entirely different world because you want me to help you take over a well.”

“A magic well.” Void, whose name Seia has finally learned, corrects. The Dave Quartet floats serenely around the room, lighting up in agreement.

“A magic well.” Seia echoes.

“And eventually the world.” Ender adds, though he sounds a bit amused by the idea. Void doesn’t seem to notice and instead nods enthusiastically.

“Yes-- the Well is only the first step to my grand plan, you see--”

“And you were inspired by a group of likeminded… Aeros, you called yourselves?” Seia interrupts, not exactly eager to hear Void’s raving again. He doesn’t really need an answer, though. He’s starting to understand the situation, and his findings aren’t exactly pleasing, to say the least. He’s been dragged from his home to a completely unfamiliar kingdom, transformed into one of it’s people, and now they’re asking him to use his super cool magic powers to help them literally take over the world. “You realize how shady this sounds?”

Void splutters indignantly, while Ender justs huffs a laugh and rolls onto his back. He’s playing a game on a device he calls a ‘Nintendo Switch’. The controllers quietly click in the background. The screen illuminates his face in the dim lighting of their home, because apparently one of them forgot to pay the electric bill again, so they’re using candles in the meantime. But Void swears it’s ‘for the aesthetic’, and Seia doesn’t know them well enough to try and refute that, nor does he want to argue about the fact that assorted, mismatched scented candles are not ‘aesthetically pleasing’. A better descriptor would be 'headache inducing'.

“Our goal is not at all shady-- it’s noble and true!” Void exclaims, “I’m following my heart and spreading the truth of the deliciousness of well water. And once we’ve shown Aronia the truth--”

“Wait, hold up,” Ender interrupts this time, lowering the Nintendo Switch to stare up at Void, “I’m starting to agree with our Chosen One here. That sounds super shady, dude. And is also not at all what you were saying before.”

Void looks comically betrayed. “I thought you were on my side.”

“I was, until you started talking about ‘showing everyone the truth’.” Ender replies, frowning. Seia looks from Ender to Void, back and forth, as if he were watching a particularly interesting ping pong match. “Is that the kind of stuff America’s going on about?” Ender’s expression is the kind of ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed’ that pierces right in the heart. Void avoids his best friend's eyes.

“Well…” Void starts, and seems to have no rebuke. There is a moment of tense silence.

Seia hops down from the ‘armchair’ decidedly. “I think,” He says, both aeros looking to him, “I’ve got a much better idea.” His teal eyes meet their lost gazes. “I say we go to this Sylvia and talk to her. Let her know your point of view and your feelings-- non forcefully-- and something tells me you’ll be able to find a compromise.”

Void and Ender exchange a look. “Sylvia has no reason to work with us.” Void feebly retorts, looking for all intents and purposes like a kitten who just got scolded with the spray bottle for the first time.

“Unless we sell out.” Ender argues. “We tell her America’s plans--”

“-- and she’ll help us in return!” Void finishes, looking far more upbeat at the idea. Maybe change doesn’t have to happen through force. Maybe teamwork really does make the dream work.

“It’s settled, then. Off to Sylvia’s!”

[opaquii]

Bookshop is closed for judging/calculating coins!

[opaquii]

Bookshop Results

Considering that only five have entered, everyone will be getting bonus items.

@appleschloss
I'm so glad Ve'are is able to make their own choices now, and I hope their journey is safe!
You have earned 2000 cloud coins as well as...

1x Writing Equipment

@Exitium
I have a bit of a soft spot for Druidic, this was really fun to read!
You have earned 2000 cloud coins as well as...

1x Cup of Tea

@•seven•
Oooo how interesting! I wonder what quest awaits Evie?
You have earned 2800 cloud coins as well as...

1x Green Jewel Collar

@Eevee55
That's so sweet! I'm glad Spirit was able to become confident in their own abilities!
You have earned 2800 cloud coins as well as...

1x Chunky Fur Sweater

Oh what's this... it seems like this aero has taken a liking to you Eevee55! (ID #0404)


@thenullchrysalis
I laughed at Seia calling the two pathetic, they're just silly lil guys
You have earned 2800 cloud coins as well as...

1x Red Plaid Dress

[ylesia]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: ylesia + 1068648
Prompt: "Write about your aero's family life, do they have siblings? Do they have a family they chose?"
Aero(s) Involved: Toi #801 | they/them

My Entry:

Toi has a very large family, displaced in the whole universe. In fact, TOI 3757 b, called "Toi" is an exoplanet. Their mother is TOI 3757, the red dwarf around which they orbit, also known as Toi. They have no siblings but a myriad of uncles and cousins in the constellation of Auriga the Charioteer.

With their family, Toi has a beautiful relationship: apart from their mother, they never see each other, and they just write letters and send each other postcards at lightning speed. The perfect family, in short.
Nevertheless, Toi has a best friend. He is her very distant cousin, Jupiter. They are more than 500 light years apart, but what is 500 years to a planet? The two enjoy telling each other stories of the solar systems to which they belong and around them. Toi often tells about their closest relatives and especially their mother, while Jupiter fills his letters with compelling stories about his brothers, especially Pluto, his favorite little sibling.

In addition to exchanging letters, Toi and his family also delight in a beautiful dance. Everyone has their role as they dance in the empty space and each of them follows their own choreography. Occasionally, stars and planets align, resulting in some of the most beautiful moments of their dance.

His family life, however, is not made up of lightheartedness alone. They often have to say goodbye to one of their own. At such times, planets and stars dress in mourning, mourning their recently departed relative. But great celebration begins again when a new family member begins to shine or glow with someone else's light. The mourning clothes are dropped and Toi, along with everyone else, raises his song of welcome.

Toi also has a pet. They actually have more than one and they are not really theirs. Toi loves to play with comets that pass around them and tickle them with their trail. Some stop for a while, others pass by and shoot straight ahead. They are wild and undomesticated, yet Toi considers them part of the family.

________________________________

Toi woke up, they were in Aronia again. It had not been a dream, Toi knew that very well. Getting up they looked for their mother: she was in the kitchen preparing something to eat. As they sat down, some bunnies came up to their ankles tickling them before running away. Toi looked out of the window. Jupiter was chasing Pluto in the clouds. It was a nice sunny day, but night was what Toi was waiting for. It was at that time that they could be what they really were: a distant planet around one of those distant dots of light.

word count: 446 words

[thenullchrysalis]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: thenullchrysalis - 1047850
Prompt: "Write about your aero's family life, do they have siblings? Do they have a family they chose?"

#711 - Archite - She/her | #613 - Green - He/him


#661 - Nymphae - She/they/he | #577 - Atlas - He/they

“We are so lost, dude.” Nymphae comments dryly, about 2 and a half hours into what was originally a hike, but is alot more aimless now.

“No, we’re not! Literally look at the map for two seconds and you’d see where we are--” Archite retorts annoyedly, gesturing at the map.

“Are you seriously talking about the red x mark?” Green questions, noticing what marker Archite is gesturing to. Archite scowls at him.

“What do you mean ‘am I talking about the red x’, that’s us!” Archite scoffs incredulously.

“I hate to break it to you, but that is not us.” Green corrects. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been leading us thinking that we were the x mark.”

Archite falters. Her eyes flick to and fro in a nervous habit as she tries and fails to come up with a response. Eventually her shoulders slump and she admits, “I was honestly wondering why the x mark wasn’t moving.”

All of her family members make various alarmed and exasperated noises in response.

“Archie…” Nymphae bemoans.

“We’ve been walking for hours.” Green exclaims, fur bristling as he looks at her in disbelief. “Hours, Archie!”

“How was I supposed to know? Nobody said that wasn’t the marker for us!” Archite argues.

Nymphae sits and buries her face in her paws. “Somebody remind me why we entrusted the navigation to the one aero who lives in the ocean?”

Atlas, currently stuck lying on the ground so his family can read the map in his fur, heaves a dramatic, exasperated sigh. “Legitimately I told you guys as soon as we left not to let her do the navigating.” Of course, as the oldest sibling his younger siblings are legally obligated to ignore any advice he gives, so they ignored him then and ignore him now.

“Don’t move,” Archite scolds idly, focused more on comprehending the map (and failing). “What the heck is the red x for anyway, then?”

“It’s treasure, usually.” Atlas explains. “Ranging anywhere from a dollar someone dropped to a cool place to visit.”

“Your map just randomly points out treasure? Does it say what it is somewhere?” Archie starts poking around at his limbs in search of said label. Atlas bats away her paw with an annoyed swipe of his hoof, rising to a standing position, done with laying on the slightly itchy grass. “Okay, but that’s actually kinda weird.” She presses.

Atlas raises a brow at her judgmentally, to which she goes to argue about because he’s looking at her weird, but is cut off by Green:

“That’s the weird part? Atlas’ fur is a literal map.”

“So?” Archite argues, mostly for the sake of arguing. Green sighs and shakes his head, unwilling to fall into another argument with her, knowing she’ll keep it going until she wins. “It’s misleading, is what it is. You should be able to turn that feature off.” Archite complains petulantly.

“Says the one who just got us lost.” Nymphae comments, so of course Archite tackles her, to which they both begin to play-wrestle.

Ignoring their chaos, Green pokes at the red x mark on Atlas’s torso, and correctly reading the map, notes, “We’re actually pretty close to that treasure. Maybe we could check it out? You said sometimes it’s a place, not just an object, yeah?” In the background, Archite loudly complains about Nymphae kicking her, and bites in retaliation. The noise Nymphae makes in response is a strange combination of disgusted and bewildered.

Atlas nods affirmatively to Green. “Well, we can’t get any more lost than we are. I’m not opposed.” Raising his voice over the bickering of his siblings, Atlas calls, “Alright you two, that’s enough. We’re moving on.”

Said siblings pause in their play-fight, though the fight seemed to have been over anyway, with Nymphae having pinned Archite and somehow her many tentacle-tails in the process, though one had stubbornly half- escaped and was beating at the closest target, which was Nymphae’s calf. Sticking out her tongue at her sister, Nymphae rolls off and brushes not-so-imaginary dust from her coat. Behind her, Archite makes to pounce, but Atlas gives her a warning look. She pouts but rejoins the group.

“Where to, cap’n?” Nymphae asks.

“We’re gonna check out the treasure.” Atlas explains, leading them through the brush. He occasionally glances at his hip to make sure he’s heading the right direction. It looks a bit uncomfortable to stretch like that, but he seems practiced at it, and walks quite confidently.

“Shouldn’t we be trying to get back home?” Archite asks. Green looks like he wants to tackle her but holds off in the name of peace. Still, the temptation is strong.

“Bold words from the one who got us lost.” Nymphae comments again, because it was funny the first time which means it’s hilarious the second time. When Archite dives for her again, Nymphae manages to dodge her, but that just lets her tackle Green instead. By the smug look on Nymphae’s face, that was entirely planned. If he weren’t currently being attacked, Green would have glared daggers at her.

“Dude, get off!” He complains instead, trying to push Archite off, “You’re gonna scratch my shell, I literally just polished it--”

“Bruh, just polish it again--”

“It takes forever!”

“You’re such a girly girl--”

For that, Green smears mud on Archite’s face, to which she screeches and scrambles off him, dramatically spitting out the dirt that managed to get into her mouth. His paw having slipped in her mouth was probably the worst experience he’s had, but the sacrifice was worth it. He cackles as she whines about how gross he is. Then he notices how far ahead Atlas and Nymphae are, since they continued on, and scrambles to catch up. Of course he doesn’t actually say anything to a still whining Archite, who only realizes as well when Atlas calls for her from the top of the hill.

“Come look at this!” Nymphae shouts excitedly, waving her closer.

Archite hurriedly catches up to them, asking, “What is it?”, only to stop once she too reaches the crest of the hill. The foliage breaks way to a beautiful clearing, where a small, peaceful lake shimmers in the afternoon sun. There are flowers of all colors just about everywhere, water lilies decorating the water’s crystalline surface. The leaves on the trees seem to glow an ethereal green in the sunlight, the wind gently rustling them as a cool breeze passes by. Dragonflies whiz to and fro on the water, while honeybees gently float from flower to flower.

“Woah.” Archite gasps, in awe.

“Woah.” Atlas agrees warmly, smiling at her softly. Green says nothing, just taking in the sights contentedly.

“Well, it’s not where we originally intended, but it’ll do.” Nymphae teases. Archite lightly glares at her, but it’s got hardly any heat behind it.

“I love you guys.” Archite says, her heart swelling with affection so suddenly it almost hurts. Atlas leans into her side, tucking her head under his own fondly, with Nymphae and Green leaning in turn for a group hug.

“D’aww.” Nymphae coos, ruffling Archite’s short fur. Green is allergic to saying anything about his feelings so he ducks his head in avoidance, but his grin is obvious.

“We love you too.” Atlas responds, squeezing her affectionately. After a moment he draws back, smiling as he asks, “Shall we set up camp?”

Archite grins mischievously. In one fell swoop, she shoves all her siblings over and challenges, “Last one to the water is a rotten egg!”

Having fallen into each other like dominoes, the three of them scramble to untangle from each other, bickering and laughing as they do. The day is perfect even with their mishaps, and when it’s time to return home, they walk quietly, tired in the best way and content in each other’s company.

Also, Atlas leads the way home, because they actually want to get to their destination this time.

[BPlusSupernova]

[CLOSED]

This activity is closed until further notice.
Every post between this and the [REOPENING] message will be void and ignored.

Please read THIS announcement for information.