Kaluar and Celi staring up to the sky, a fire crackling near them, adding to the ambience, emitting a soft orange light on their faces, an understanding silence between them.
'So.' Kaluar muttered, trying to break the silence between them, looking up to her with a smile.
'Which one's your favorite?'
'huh?' Celi looked at him, confused by what he meant.
'Constellation, mine's Aquarius.' he said, looking back up to the sky, his smile never fading as the orange light bounced off his face.
'Well, I guess mine's the big dipper.' Celi murmurs.
'Haha, makes sense.' He commented, sitting up as his gaze locks on to the stars.
'How so?' She pondered, mimicking his motions, her gaze on him as he stared into the sky.
'I mean, lots of people use the big dipper to navigate when they're lost, isn't that the same thing you're doing with me?' The young hero smiled at the tiny elf, her eyes widened in realization to what he meant, a small smile appearing on her lips as well.
'Yeah.' Celi muttered,
'I guess you're right.' The stars continued to sparkle in the sky as our adventurers looked up in awe, their shine landing on the silver on Kaluar's gun. Celi's gaze landed on it, her eyes scanning it's intricate design. Vines wrapping around the muzzle, holding a heart between the cracks, the vines avoiding puncturing it's fragile state.
Her mind traveling to what Kaluar did a while ago, shooting flames out of his musket with both concentrated and explosive force.
'Hey, Celi.' Kaluar muttered, grabbing her attention.
'Yeah?' She responds looking up at the young elf, his hands nestling his head as he relaxed against the soft embrace of the grass below.
'Are you real?' He asked. His eyes panning over to her meeting her disapproving scowl.
'What kind of question is that?!' She argued, sighing in disappointment as she finally sat up staring him in the eyes.
'I mean, are you real, or are you just a spell made by someone.' He inquired, his face got even more clueless to the question he was asking, his words clearly irritating her.
'Of course I'm real!' She shouted.
'Then why are you all blue?' He inquired, clearly messing with her.
'I'm clearly projecting myself from-' She cuts herself off mid-sentence realizing what he's doing, her hand on her hips the minute she does.
'Are you messing with me?' She mutters, facepalming that she even fell for that.
Kaluar burst out into laughter, holding his sides as he continued his joyful howl. his laugh soon turning into a muffled snicker covering his mouth with his hand. Celi soon joined him in the light hearted fun, the happiness he willingly shares.
'What about you? What's your story?' She pondered, looking at him with the smile that was left behind from their laughter.
'My story? He rubbed his cheek awkwardly as he sat up, hoping the beginning would just come to him.
'Where should I even start?' He chuckled lightly.
'hmmm.' She pondered, looking over to the musket once more before giving his answer.
'Where did you learn to make that?' She pointed over to the musket, her eyes filled with curiosity.
'Oh that?' Kaluar asked with a smile.
'My father taught me, though I experimented a bit more in terms of design, haha.' He walked over to pick it up, his hands running over the intricate design feeling all of it's indents with one set stroke.
Celi looked at it in awe, the design looking way more prominent up close as she reached out to touch it for herself, her hands too gliding around it's intricate design, slowly pulling away her face still clearly amazed as she watched it.
'You can hold it if you want.' He reassured, giving it to her gently in case it fell.
Hesitantly she reached out, her tiny little fingers wrapping around the muzzle of the musket. Her eyes widened even more entranced by the level of detail on it, the iron immaculately bent and molded into shape, the steel and wood working in perfect harmony. It felt light but sturdy, the trigger stiff but not too stiff or slack. The barrel easily cupped by the palm of any size.
Curiosity held the best of her, her tiny hands moving towards the trigger, slowly rubbing her palm to it, enjoying the smooth sensation of it all. When her fingers pressed against it. She pulled back, aiming for the path ahead.
Slowly the trigger went down, her eyes closing in anticipation, yet nothing happened. She turned the musket in confusion. Checking to see where she possibly went wrong before trying again but it still wont fire.
'Hey, Kal..' She turned to her companion, who fell asleep on the grass, snoring softly, the dull blades tickling his nostrils. A small pout formed on her face before a slight chuckle, putting his musket back to the grass.
'You're hopeless' She mumbled to herself, walking over to him before nestling in his arms for warmth.
'I wonder what he's dreaming about.' she muttered, her eyes closing as they both drifted off to slumber together.
'See? Just a little more effort and...' A voice trailed off in a distance memory, a young elf watching in awe as his father's hands worked like magic. Creating something out of nothing, the beauty of creating a masterpiece with just the imagination and the know how.
'Anything can be done with just enough work.' He smiled, a warm golden gaze blessing the sight of his child, his tiny elf ears perking up, a light blush on his cheek from wonder, trying his luck against the tapestry.
His tiny little hands fumbling with the material, a look of frustration flashing his features as he continued to struggle.
'This is so hard!' He cried, tossing the thing in rage, his tiny arms crossed his chest with a huffed pout before looking at his father, his eyebrows furrowed in sorrow and a hint of jealousy. 'You make it look so easy! I'm never able to make the things you can.'
'oh Kaluar,' His father smiled, rubbing the head of his son as he picked up the materials he discarded in his fit of rage. 'We all start somewhere, no one gets better over night.'
He placed the materials in Kaluar's tiny hands once more, his eyes looking deep into his.
'Let's try this one last time.' He said.
Kaluar nodded, his father leaning over to help him, fitting the pieces together, allowing the device to work as intended. Once a metal scrap pile, now a majestic machine in the shape of a bird, moving ever so slightly before the pair.
Kaluar's eyes lit up with wonder, his hands clapping in a merry rhythm, picking up the toy bird and running with it in his hands with senseless cries of joy.
'It works! It works!' He cried, jumping all around his room in joy, the thing he worked so hard to create now working in his grasps, 'do you see father?'
'Haha, see? I told you, If you put your mind to it, anything's possible.' His father laughed, it warmed his heart to see his son indulging in his craft, getting the excitement he once felt all those years ago as a wee lad. Kaluar stopped, to his father's words, their meaning resonating deep within him, a confident smile etched upon his features. Remembering this day, up to the point he finally became, an adventurer, starting his tail from the ground up.