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[ledbythewind]

[Anyone who happens to walk by on the road beside House 28 this evening will be treated to a rather unusual sight: a cloud of fireflies hovering around the front lawn, greenish-yellow lights flickering as they fly back and forth, following the movement of a tiny orb of light.

Closer inspection reveals the source of said orb of light as Richard, who is seated in the grass-- he's using a tiny bit of Hyt's power to combine with his own magic (the base for a Holy Lance, not that he's going to cast the entire thing), creating a soft white glowing sphere that hovers a couple of inches above his finger. As he moves his hand to trace mindless patterns in the night air, the orb follows it, and the fireflies follow that in a parade of blinking lights. Richard can't quite hide his amusement at this, reflected in the slight smile on his face. It may be an odd way to spend one's birthday, but to Richard, it's more than fine-- not that he doesn't appreciate what Asbel and the others have done for him. He just needs a little time to himself to unwind after all of that.

But if anyone wanders by, he'll be happy to converse with them. He wouldn't be in a public place if he didn't feel like talking to anyone, after all.]

Comments

[childofthefullmoon]

[Estelle is returning home from a day spent at the library. She had been so engrossed in the materials she had been reading, that she had lost track of the time. Before she'd known it, it had gotten dark, and she still wasn't done reading! Thus she checked out the book she had been reading last and decided to take an evening walk before heading back to house 12.

Her excursion takes her past where Richard is sitting, the light show easily catching her eye. She pauses to watch for a few moments, almost entranced. She steps a little closer.]

How beautiful.

[action]

[entaiho]

[Apparently the light attracts things other than fireflies, because after a short while Rokuta will be perched on the roof of that house, watching with rapt fascination. He doesn't really care if he's noticed or not; he's just enjoying the sight.]

[lostinmyway]

[It's on her way home to House 34 for the night that Grune notices the lights. Even someone as inobservant as she typically is can hardly fail to notice something so bright and beautiful.

At first, she thinks it's Cecil who's responsible for the display. There have been a couple of occasions where he's used Hyt's power to play with little orbs of light very similarly to this. It's something she's always enjoyed watching, and so of course she comes closer, ready for a visit.

When she sees the source of the light is Richard, not Cecil, she pauses for just a moment--but out of surprise and not disappointment. Then, she closes the remainder of the distance between them with a smile already on her face.]

Hello, Richard. Your lights are very beautiful.

[bravefighter]

Whoa, that's really cool! How'd you do that?

[Well sup, Richard! Have a Pokemon trainer with his Pikachu wandering around. It was pretty easy to spot all the lights from a distance.]

I've never seen somethin' like that before!

[seleniahymn]

[Have yet another casual passerby notice the lights Richard, it was rather hard not to. What compelled her to come closer was also the knowledge that she knew who lived in that house, given that something beautiful could also be something to be cautious about.

It seems she had nothing to worry about, now that she has seen who was causing the spectacle.] It's beautiful, Richard...

[presumablyalone]

[For the past few nights, with the experiment over, Seto has been out wandering the village. It's something he hasn't done in so long. As a matter of fact, it's been about eight months now, since that was when he stopped being able to walk around on his own. Since his world turned into shapes and shadows.

But now with his vision back, he's taking in everything he's come to miss as much as he can. The moon, the stars, the people... and this. Seeing this scene, it's reminded him of how much he's even missed the fireflies.

When was the last time he saw fireflies? It's been... over a year.

That's right, it was before all of this. Before Luceti, before Crow died. That's when he last saw the fireflies floating about on the warm, humid, summer nights. They'd always be there to keep him company or to lead the way for him. Well, at least that's what it felt like sometimes.

He walks up to the man quietly and sits down in the grass beside him with a smile] That's really amazing!

[musubi]

[Isamu wanders out after a time, standing behind his friend quietly to watch the scene.

When he speaks, it's in a soft tone in the hopes that he won't scare the insects away.]

Hey, look what I found.

[He has a bottle of cream soda in each hand.]

It can wait, though.

[ledbythewind]

[He glances over to where Estelle is standing with a smile, lowering the orb just slightly; when he does so, the fireflies immediately cluster around it, some of them even attempting to land on it.]

I had no idea they would be as interested in it as they are, though I can't say it comes as a complete surprise.

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[ledbythewind]

[It's on a slow pass of his hand (and the orb) over his head that he spots the rooftop watcher, and he uses that hand to give a slight wave up at him, the fireflies scattering briefly before resuming their positions.]

And good evening to you too.

[ledbythewind]

[Richard recognizes that voice right away; he's ready with a smile in return when Grune draws near, though he doesn't stand up to avoid disturbing the fireflies still hovering around him and that glowing orb. What he will do is extend the hand just a bit in her direction, urging the fireflies closer to her so that she can get a better look if she wants.]

Thank you, but I'm afraid I can't take most of the credit for it. That part belongs to the fireflies.

[lostinmyway]

[Grune bends down to take a closer look, and--]

Oh! Look at all your friends!

[They're so cute!]

[ledbythewind]

[If Red finds the fireflies interesting, the same could be said for Richard with the Pikachu-- he vaguely recalls having seen Masaomi with a similar animal before, but he's never really seen one up close.]

I'm using some of Hyt's magic combined with some of my own to make the light brighter. I hadn't realized that the fireflies would find it so interesting when I first started.

[ledbythewind]

[Richard is no stranger to that sort of wariness himself, but the familiar voice puts him at ease even before he turns to look at her, and he just draws a few more patterns in the air to make the fireflies follow before he speaks.]

I must admit, I've never practiced my magic quite like this before.

[ledbythewind]

[Someone walking up and just sitting down next to him isn't something Richard was expecting; the fireflies scatter momentarily, startled, but after the initial surprise both they and Richard relax, and the king draws a small circle in the air with the orb to lure them back into hovering around his hand before turning to Seto.]

I take this to mean you're a fan of fireflies.

[ledbythewind]

[Richard doesn't even need to turn around to know who it is-- he's familiar enough with Isamu by now that he can guess at his friend's presence just by the footsteps approaching him. The fireflies appear about as unbothered as he is, just flying around the orb of light in slow, lazy circles, making attempts to land on it every so often without any success. It's really quite a picturesque scene.]

They'll get warm if we wait too long-- assuming that you took them out of the fridge and didn't go raiding the groceries the moment Cheria brought them home.

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[entaiho]

[Rokuta lifts his hand in a sort of wave of his own, attention fixed more on the light than the person even if he'll give a brief nod to be polite.]

How're you doing that?

[musubi]

You think I'd bring you warm soda on your birthday?

[Isamu snorts, taking a seat beside him.] I have a little more consideration than that.

[i_speak_softly]

[Far be it from Donatello to not investigate some strange lights while out for an evening walk. He pauses just within the shadows, observing this unusual phenomenon.]

[childofthefullmoon]

They say that like attracts like. Maybe it fits in this case too?

[Estelle walks closer still and then pauses as she seems to recognize him. She had spoken to him on the journals once hadn't she?]

Oh, you're Richard, right?

[dangerouswind]

[Temari stops in the roadway, her arms crossed as she watches the lightshow. She's silent, but her face isn't impassive. It's subtle, but her expression is light, appreciative.]

[seleniahymn]

Would there have been reason to? [It wasn't until she had begun her journey with her own comrades that she had considered using the fonic hymns for anything other than in battle.]

Though I admit, I enjoy that you have found use for it like this.

[presumablyalone]

[Oh! He didn't mean to startle you or the fireflies Richard. He gives him an apologetic smile]

Mm! I am... [Hesitantly, he slowly reaches out to touch one of the one's floating around Richard's hand but retracts his own hand in fear that he might scare them away again] They used to be everywhere back home.

[piealchemist]

[Noticing the light from a distance, Rorona draws closer to see what's up. Seeing the lights - from both Richard and the fireflies - makes her stop a few feet away, rather entranced by the whole situation.]

... That's so pretty ...

[ledbythewind]

[Richard doesn't notice Donatello just yet-- he traces another lazy pattern in the air, watching the fireflies chase after the ball of light, then uses a tiny whiff of wind magic to toss it briefly aloft before it slowly drifts back down to hover above his hand again. It's clear that he's having fun doing this, if the little smile on his face is any indication.]

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[ledbythewind]

[Fortunately Richard doesn't mind at all; he's happy to explain it to anyone who asks. He had no idea people would be interested!]

I'm just using a bit of Hyt's magic combined with some of my own to make it brighter. I was trying to see if it could be used as a portable light source, but then the fireflies discovered what I was up to and I couldn't make them leave me alone.