Hello readers! First off, I want to apologize to anyone who is currently watching for my next update of "Boundaries." I have been up in the mountains with no internet for the past few days celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family. I promise that I will have that up soon. In the meantime, with the holidays right around the corner, I figured I would take a stab at a one-shot. This one is my attempt to portray the events that lead up to the image for this story. The Harmony Festival kind of reminds me of Thanksgiving here in the states, so I decided to quickly jot it down. Most of this story was written in the car on my mobile phone so it probably has more than the usual errors. Anyways, enjoy!
The phoru and ruchi stared each other down with hostility and fire in their eyes. In between them lay a piece of El Tree fruit. The intensity in between the two animals was almost palpable enough that it appeared that sparks were flying in between the two's eyes.
Then a sudden change came over the pair of animals. The animosity that was so apparent before seemed to vanish and was replaced with a sense of friendliness. The phoru bent down and picked up the El Tree fruit chunk. It took the hunk of the sweet food in its paws and pulled it into two equal halves, and handed one of them to the ruchi. The plump, little bird jumped up and down in joy as it took its half in its small beak and darted off into the brush.
Rena watched the showdown unfold only a short distance away. Such an exchange brought a smile to her face as she observed the two creatures part ways and she switched her attention to the long table in front of her. The table was covered in a napery that was colored in shades of vermillion, velvet, emerald, grey, fuchsia and cerulean. The golden haired elf was setting down a variety of dishware and utensils, from enormous platters to tiny tea spoons. After only a few more minutes of placing the tableware, Rena looked over the table and nodded to herself in satisfaction.
"Alright, all set. Now I just have to wait for Elsword, Aisha, Eve, Chung and Raven to get back with everything else." She smiled to herself. Her thoughts were then interrupted abruptly by a deep voice.
"Rena, I got all the firewood we will need for the cooking fire. Hm? The kids are not back, yet?" Rena spun on her heels to see a tan skinned man with wild sable hair step out from the surrounding brush carrying a variety of sizes of wood in his mechanical left arm. She beamed at him as he bent down to put down the load of tinder.
"No, Elsword and Aisha still have not come back with the rest of the food and Eve and Chung must be still collecting the water. You work fast, though, Raven. You were only gone for about ten minutes." The elf commented to the man as he stood up. He faced her and showed a small smile and his normally hardened golden eyes softened with affection. Rena could not help but blush slightly at his expression, and she quickly turned her back to him while mumbling something along the lines of one of the place settings being off center.
Truth be told, she was quite fond of the man. He had suffered through a lot in his life, yet after she and the rest of the ElGang met him, he had decided to join them in order to compensate for the sins that he had committed. He had received bitter receptions at several locations because of his past association with the Black Crows, yet he continued to try and make up for his mistakes. And over the course of their journey, she slowly began to develop feelings for him and his steadfast conviction of redemption. And it was those rare smiles that he occasionally permitted to spread on his face that allowed the elf to fall for him even more.
Raven looked somewhat confused at his companion's odd behavior, but he did not think much on it and his mind wandered as he watched Rena's back. It was as if he was back home in Velder with his fiancé, Seris, again. Those moments when he would come home after training with the Crow Mercenaries and she would be in the kitchen fixing up something for the two of them to eat sprung up from the well of memories of those happy times as he gazed at the elf. But those times were long gone and so was Seris, something that he would never forget. It was that moment in his life that he started down a path of bringing pain and suffering to everyone he came across.
It was then that he met the ElGang, though it was more like he confronted them. After he and his band of Black Crows were defeated, he was offered by the leader of the group, Elsword, to join the team of adventurers in their quest to restore the El in Ruben. It was an opportunity that he thought he did not deserve, but he took it anyways, mostly because of this elven woman who stood before him. Her eyes, her hair, her smile… all of it reminded him so much of his deceased love. Though his obsession with her started with those similarities, he had begun to see her less as Seris, a shade of his past, and more as Rena, the elf who fought alongside him. Now, he thought of his lost love less and his thoughts were often filled with the bright smiles that Rena would have glued on her face. He felt that he was finally starting to let go of what he had lost and moving on to the future.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar sound.
"Huff… huff… Why are you making a lady carry all this stuff… You should be taking all this stuff off my hands like a real gentleman…"
"Stop whining already, shorty. Maybe if you worked out your arms more than you do your magic you would be able to handle this."
Raven and Rena showed the same jaded expression as they turned to the source this argument, a red headed boy and purple haired girl.
"Well, excuse me for actually using my head for more than as a battering ram!" The purplenette stuck her tongue out at the boy as she dropped the brown sacks that she was carrying.
"What was that?! You wanna piece of me, grape head?!" The red head flung up his arms in outrage, throwing the packages that he held behind him and reached for the sword on his back.
"Ha! I will roast you like we were going to roast that pig! Who knows, maybe we can eat you when I am through with you!" The little purple clad girl summoned a wand to her hand and brought it to the ready.
As this scene unfolded, another pair of figures stepped into the clearing. This pair comprised of a blonde boy clad in white armor and a massive cannon slung over his back and a petite silver haired girl with a sky blue orb embedded in her forehead and dressed in a futuristic outfit colored in greys and whites. The boy's brilliant blue eyes had a particular paw print pattern where his pupils were supposed to be and he had two curious dark patches in his short, bowl cut hair, giving the appearance of dog ears. Accompanying the silvernette were two drones, one white and one black, struggling to pull along a couple of rather large water skins. Yet, the girl paid them no mind as her golden orbs focused on the bickering duo with a flat expression.
"They are at it again? They had better quit it soon or..." The cannoneer looked at the scene nervously when he suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine. At the same moment, the two arguing parties broke out in a cold sweat as they felt the atmosphere suddenly change.
"Elsword... Aisha... I thought we were past this childish fighting... Weren't we?" Rena was smiling at the two kids, but her mouth was shaped in a way that it looked more like a Glasgow grin as a dark aura emanated from her well proportioned body.
Elsword and Aisha stared at the elf in fear and let out nervous laughs.
"Haha... O-of course we are Rena. Right, E-Elsword?" Aisha'a violet eyes were wide in terror as she looked to the young swordsman.
"Haha... Right right. We were just... Uh... You know... Cause the best of friends fight the most." Elsword shakily allowed the words to leak from his mouth, earning him a glare from the magician.
"Why did you say that, you idiot?! Don't you ever think before you speak?" Aisha panickly shouted at him as she sweated bullets.
"You got a better idea? I would love to hear it!" He retorted angrily as he drove his forehead into the mage's.
Just as the veins in Rena's temples began to pulse she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Let me and Eve handle this." Raven smiled at her reassuringly and malevolent aura around her immediately dispersed. Raven looked to the silver haired girl and she looked back at him, the two globes of gold meeting each other.
Normally, Raven did not particularly enjoy Eve's company, but after traveling with the Nasod Queen, he had formed something of a connection with her. He was unsure if it was because of him being part nasod or not, but for some reason he could communicate with her with just from making eye contact.
Eve stared at him for a moment and then she nodded, picking up on Raven's plan. They moved to either side of the bickering pair, Raven behind Elsword and Eve behind Aisha. Then, in perfect sync, they pushed on the backs of the fighting duo, putting Elsword's and Aisha's faces in total contact, before stepping to the side.
In other words, Elsword and Aisha were now kissing, albeit unwillingly.
Their faces flushed a bright crimson as they wordlessly sprang apart and spat at the ground.
This served to ease the squabble as the six unlikely friends continued their preparations.
Several hours later, the gang sat down at the table that was now adorned with a plethora of food. There was a green salad made by Rena, a fruit medley, steamed and sweet potatoes and some very salivate inducing stuffing that Raven prepared. But taking center stage was the roasted pig that Elsword and Aisha spent a considerable time catching. It's flesh was seared just right and exuded a fragrance that had Elsword almost diving across the space to get to the hog.
However, the young swordsman kept himself under control, a rare feat especially considering the presence of the feast in front of him, and he stood up from his seat, clearing his throat.
"Ahem... Everyone, thank you for your hard work in preparing for this... um... special day. Uh... This event that is held once a year on this continent is a day where all living things enjoy each other's company and celebrate a time long past where peace was commonplace in Elrios. So thank you again for making this harmony festival possible. Let's dig in!" The red haired youth then sat himself back down again and everyone began to reach for the feast in front of them. Laughter and conversation filled the sky as Solace and Ebalon lit up the sky together.
After the food was completely consumed and the table cleared, Rena joyfully skipped to her pack and withdrew six grass green robes, each with a shining gem on the chest area.
"Here everyone! Chief Hagus gave these to us in commemoration of today!" She handed out each one to her friends.
As Elsword donned his new outfit, his eyes fell on the ruby that was embedded on the chest. For some reason, he felt drawn to the campfire that was dancing in the middle of the camp site and he was filled with a warmth that he could not even begin to explain. But he shrugged it off and picked up a small guitar that was on top of his belongings and began to tune it.
Aisha slipped into her new robes and felt the sapphire that decorated the center. As she sat down on the log she noticed some dew slowly collecting on the grass at her feet and it felt... familiar. However, she dismissed the feeling and watched Elsword work on his instrument. She felt a smile creep onto her face as she watched him. It was a well known fact that they did not get along more than half the time they were together, but for some reason... she felt that she would not have it any other way. It was like he balanced her out.
Rena wasted no time getting into her new clothes, but she felt strange when her eyes fell on the emerald that adorned her centerpiece. She all of a sudden had an urge to take off her boots and dig her feet into the green earth. However, the impulse faded as quickly as it came and she seated herself on the log next to Elsword. She watched Raven as he eyed his own robe and she had a sudden wish to sing, so she began to hum to herself as she made sure that her singing voice had not failed her.
Raven was slightly discombobulated at first when he set his eyes on his mantle. It looked it two spaces for his head to go through, but he eventually realized that one of them was for his nasod arm. After this realization, he quickly robed himself and then gazed on the hematite gemstone that served as the brooch for his outfit. He felt his body become as light as air and he felt the breeze brush his face as if welcoming him home. Wait... home? But the feeling soon faded and he was left none the wiser as he picked up a glass filled with wine that he had bought for this occasion in Ruben, for himself and Rena of course; The others were too young to partake in the beverage, though Eve could probably drink some, but she showed no interest in doing so.
She was too engrossed in her own costume and the quartz that bedecked its center. She felt the warmth of Solace as its rays mixed with the silver light of Ebalon, but it was if she could only feel the beams from Solace. And it felt so calming, calming enough that she felt tired as she lay her head on Aisha's lap and fell under. Aisha was surprised at the nasod girl's choice of a pillow, but she quickly banished her unease and smiled at the cute face of the silvernette, leaving Eve to her slumber.
Chung watched Eve as she fell asleep with an endearing smile on his face. She was really was cute. Had he not known better, he would have figured that she was a simple girl as opposed to the ancient queen of the nasods. Those thoughts ran through his mind as he dressed himself in his new robes. His gaze then landed on the onyx that was his center clip. He then felt the shining light of Ebalon as if it was a part of him and became cold, but not uncomfortably cold, but rather comfortable; As if it were his natural state. He was snapped out of his stupor when a little phoru decided it would use his lap as a chair as it began to drink from his cup. Chung was at first startled, but he quickly got over his initial surprise and held onto the creature gently as it slurped his water.
Finally, Elsword strummed his guitar and Rena let a melodic tone escape from her throat. Then the air was filled with the dulcet song of the elf's singing and the calming tunes from the guitar as the gang, except Eve who was still asleep, looked to the sky, all with the same peaceful smile.
Well, there it is. My terrible attempt at a one-shot. I may use that last section to construct another story later, but if you are familiar with the lore of the Elsword world, you can probably guess where I am going with that. But on another note, all of you... be thankful for your family and friends. Be grateful for what you have and be sure to let those you love and those that love you know how much you mean to them. Thank them for being with you and for supporting you. Treasure your family and covet your friends, they are perhaps the one thing you cannot replace if they are lost (not that I am saying they will be lost). So anyways, Read and Review... especially Review because more reviews equals more motivation for me to continue writing, whether the reviews are bad or not. Until next time!