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Description
Previously

Throughout all the time Prince had spent at Staves Rest over the last couple of months, he hadn't learned many things. He'd listened closely to the staxies and other residents of the island and had tried his hardest to understand what it all meant. Sounds became familiar just like phrases, but still, it meant so little to him. He clung to the one familiar person he'd found since his arrival here: Beachtoken, and he was very grateful for their company. She reminded him of what it was like to be home--a place he sorrowfully discovered he could no longer return.
"Home's... Gone?" Prince had asked Beachtoken early when they first met on the shores of Staves Rest. He was known to wander away from the trench quite often in search of his own adventures, and though he'd heard whispers of a tragedy during his time away, it hadn't made sense until now...
"Yes..." Beachtoken answered softly, bowing his head and running their hand through the sand. "The trench started to quake, and suddenly all the rocks were closing in around us. I made it out in time, but others... Weren't so lucky."
Prince had been so startled by all the news back then that he'd said nothing, and even now--months later--it was hard to simply think about his home before Staves Rest. He pushed it away at every opportunity he got and spent every moment he could with Beachtoken, as the one familiar thing he had left...
But lately, something else familiar had caught Prince's ear. Mumbles of a recognizable word--said a little strangely in staxie tongue--but familiar nonetheless: Hadalmas.
Hadalmas had been a tradition the myres at home always celebrated every year, and thinking about it now, Prince realized it was just the time that Hadalmas would be taking place! He and Beachtoken had discussed the high probability that other myres had made their way to Staves Rest from back home, but this had to confirm it! This was for certain, this was--Prince could hardly contain his excitement!
As night settled across the island, Prince returned to the place on the beach that he and Beachtoken most often met up at. Sure enough, he found them there.
"Beachtoken!" Prince grinned, scurrying up to his friend and pressing his nose into their shoulder as a greeting. "Beachtoken--you've heard it, right?"
"What?" Beachtoken asked, reclining in the sand and swiping away a couple stray rocks that had migrated over from the treeline close by.
"Hadalmas!" Prince declared.
"Hadalmas..." Beachtoken mused, a hint of sadness in their voice. "What about it?"
"It's here! In Staves Rest!" He pressed his nose into their shoulder a couple more times to emphasize his excitement.
Beacktoken giggled, but it sounded a little confused. "What do you mean?" It asked, returning the gesture politely.
"I heard it! I heard staxies saying it--saying Hadalmas!"
"That means other myres are here--they have to be!" The excitement finally caught on to Beachtoken, and he rose to his feet quickly, a smile spread across their face. "We have to go find them!"
So, together, Beachtoken and Prince traveled through the island, sniffing their way into town and following the echo of "Hadalmas" as it passed from staxie to staxie. But they were getting lost, and they felt turned around by everybody in the town and all the commotion that took place there. Finally, Prince dared to say something to someone--anyone who would listen.
"Hadalmas?"
"You're looking for the Hadalmas celebration?" A staxie somewhere far away came sidling up beside the two myres with a question. They waited for a response, but the only word the myres could understand was "Hadalmas."
Prince tried not to be frustrated by his lack of understanding. "Hadalmas..." He repeated a little bitterly, in spite of himself.
They felt the staxie shift in place beside them and knew they could sense the two myres' confusion, but their voice was soft and reassuring. "Hadalmas is this way. Come. Come."
Though he couldn't understand them, the repetition of the words the staxie said felt like an offering to Prince, and so when he felt the staxie begin to move away more slowly and repeat themself again, he moved with them. "Come on," he said to Beachtoken, and they went along with even more purpose, following after this stranger in a still-strange town...
What he smelled and what he heard told Prince that they were nearing some sort of clearing of tide pools, and he confirmed this when his feet hit the rough, weathered sea rock to match. The gentle rush of the waves lulled on, and water moved steadily in and out, to and fro... The tide was coming in slowly. But beyond that, there was also the quiet murmur of voices and the scents of a big gathering of people. Hadalmas was a party, after all, but what surprised Prince even more was the sound of voices he actually understood!
The staxie who had led them here said something cheerily beside them, but Prince was too distracted to take notice. He whipped his head in Beachtoken's direction and exclaimed, "There are other myres here!"
"I know!" Beachtoken said giddily, turning slightly as the staxie moved away, farther into the crowd of gathered people. "I hear them too, is that--"
"K'uk'ulkan? Beachtoken?" A sickeningly sweet voice greeted them both--something so bittersweet and familiar it felt like they'd heard a ghost. "Is that you?"
It was Reverie! They could smell him just a little ways up ahead, and what was better, they smelled even more familiar myres! Old friends, little acquaintances--they were still here! More myres were still here.
Prince's heart swelled with pride, relief, heartache! He'd never thought he'd hear from these people again or get to smell their familiar presence around him. He'd never thought he'd get to celebrate Hadalmas again or feel the subtle shuffle of bodies as they swayed quietly to the beat of the music, in perfect harmony. But here they all were.
Familiar food smells, a little different than before, mingled and mixed in the air, and if he listened more carefully, the sound of the drums that played at Staves Rest almost reminded him of the music he used to hear back at home...
  Staves Rest wasn't home. It couldn't bring back what he and his people had lost or make the hurt that followed go away, but right now, it was almost like home... And maybe that was good enough for him. Prince smiled the most sincere smile he'd made since he came to this island. Maybe it was.

----
And now I've finished 'Hadalmas Prompt 1: A Hadalmas Story!!!'  I'm genuinely so happy with the way this story came out, and also my heeeeeart! The whole idea that Slurm is throwing a Hadalmas celebration for all the myres is so sweet, and I wanted to capture the mixture of heartache and happiness the myres would feel during this new Hadalmas celebration! Also--not that it's super important, since the staxie isn't named, but--that staxie that leads Prince and Beachtoken to the tide pools is Slurm.  I've really enjoyed all the cutscenes with Slurm, so far! They're so silly and crazy, in harmless sort of way, (hopefully,) but they're also really honest, and I feel like they have a kind heart! It's nice. UwU
Anyway, hope y'all like my story as much as I do!  I sketched a little picture of Prince and some abstract swirls to represent how he experiences the world more through his other senses than sight, and it's actually really fun figuring out how I wanna write stories for a character that doesn't see, like a myre. I've really enjoyed the challenge so far, and it's refreshing to have to focus of explaining the world through ways other than seeing it! Oh, and this story is 1097 words long!
Enjoy!

Prince K'uk'ulkan belongs to me!
Beachtoken (mentioned) belongs to Hann-Nido !
Reverie (mentioned, NPC) belongs to Staves Rest!

6/1832 Beans
Bean Tracker

Aeb.

Description
Previously

Throughout all the time Prince had spent at Staves Rest over the last couple of months, he hadn't learned many things. He'd listened closely to the staxies and other residents of the island and had tried his hardest to understand what it all meant. Sounds became familiar just like phrases, but still, it meant so little to him. He clung to the one familiar person he'd found since his arrival here: Beachtoken, and he was very grateful for their company. She reminded him of what it was like to be home--a place he sorrowfully discovered he could no longer return.
"Home's... Gone?" Prince had asked Beachtoken early when they first met on the shores of Staves Rest. He was known to wander away from the trench quite often in search of his own adventures, and though he'd heard whispers of a tragedy during his time away, it hadn't made sense until now...
"Yes..." Beachtoken answered softly, bowing his head and running their hand through the sand. "The trench started to quake, and suddenly all the rocks were closing in around us. I made it out in time, but others... Weren't so lucky."
Prince had been so startled by all the news back then that he'd said nothing, and even now--months later--it was hard to simply think about his home before Staves Rest. He pushed it away at every opportunity he got and spent every moment he could with Beachtoken, as the one familiar thing he had left...
But lately, something else familiar had caught Prince's ear. Mumbles of a recognizable word--said a little strangely in staxie tongue--but familiar nonetheless: Hadalmas.
Hadalmas had been a tradition the myres at home always celebrated every year, and thinking about it now, Prince realized it was just the time that Hadalmas would be taking place! He and Beachtoken had discussed the high probability that other myres had made their way to Staves Rest from back home, but this had to confirm it! This was for certain, this was--Prince could hardly contain his excitement!
As night settled across the island, Prince returned to the place on the beach that he and Beachtoken most often met up at. Sure enough, he found them there.
"Beachtoken!" Prince grinned, scurrying up to his friend and pressing his nose into their shoulder as a greeting. "Beachtoken--you've heard it, right?"
"What?" Beachtoken asked, reclining in the sand and swiping away a couple stray rocks that had migrated over from the treeline close by.
"Hadalmas!" Prince declared.
"Hadalmas..." Beachtoken mused, a hint of sadness in their voice. "What about it?"
"It's here! In Staves Rest!" He pressed his nose into their shoulder a couple more times to emphasize his excitement.
Beacktoken giggled, but it sounded a little confused. "What do you mean?" It asked, returning the gesture politely.
"I heard it! I heard staxies saying it--saying Hadalmas!"
"That means other myres are here--they have to be!" The excitement finally caught on to Beachtoken, and he rose to his feet quickly, a smile spread across their face. "We have to go find them!"
So, together, Beachtoken and Prince traveled through the island, sniffing their way into town and following the echo of "Hadalmas" as it passed from staxie to staxie. But they were getting lost, and they felt turned around by everybody in the town and all the commotion that took place there. Finally, Prince dared to say something to someone--anyone who would listen.
"Hadalmas?"
"You're looking for the Hadalmas celebration?" A staxie somewhere far away came sidling up beside the two myres with a question. They waited for a response, but the only word the myres could understand was "Hadalmas."
Prince tried not to be frustrated by his lack of understanding. "Hadalmas..." He repeated a little bitterly, in spite of himself.
They felt the staxie shift in place beside them and knew they could sense the two myres' confusion, but their voice was soft and reassuring. "Hadalmas is this way. Come. Come."
Though he couldn't understand them, the repetition of the words the staxie said felt like an offering to Prince, and so when he felt the staxie begin to move away more slowly and repeat themself again, he moved with them. "Come on," he said to Beachtoken, and they went along with even more purpose, following after this stranger in a still-strange town...
What he smelled and what he heard told Prince that they were nearing some sort of clearing of tide pools, and he confirmed this when his feet hit the rough, weathered sea rock to match. The gentle rush of the waves lulled on, and water moved steadily in and out, to and fro... The tide was coming in slowly. But beyond that, there was also the quiet murmur of voices and the scents of a big gathering of people. Hadalmas was a party, after all, but what surprised Prince even more was the sound of voices he actually understood!
The staxie who had led them here said something cheerily beside them, but Prince was too distracted to take notice. He whipped his head in Beachtoken's direction and exclaimed, "There are other myres here!"
"I know!" Beachtoken said giddily, turning slightly as the staxie moved away, farther into the crowd of gathered people. "I hear them too, is that--"
"K'uk'ulkan? Beachtoken?" A sickeningly sweet voice greeted them both--something so bittersweet and familiar it felt like they'd heard a ghost. "Is that you?"
It was Reverie! They could smell him just a little ways up ahead, and what was better, they smelled even more familiar myres! Old friends, little acquaintances--they were still here! More myres were still here.
Prince's heart swelled with pride, relief, heartache! He'd never thought he'd hear from these people again or get to smell their familiar presence around him. He'd never thought he'd get to celebrate Hadalmas again or feel the subtle shuffle of bodies as they swayed quietly to the beat of the music, in perfect harmony. But here they all were.
Familiar food smells, a little different than before, mingled and mixed in the air, and if he listened more carefully, the sound of the drums that played at Staves Rest almost reminded him of the music he used to hear back at home...
  Staves Rest wasn't home. It couldn't bring back what he and his people had lost or make the hurt that followed go away, but right now, it was almost like home... And maybe that was good enough for him. Prince smiled the most sincere smile he'd made since he came to this island. Maybe it was.

----
And now I've finished 'Hadalmas Prompt 1: A Hadalmas Story!!!'  I'm genuinely so happy with the way this story came out, and also my heeeeeart! The whole idea that Slurm is throwing a Hadalmas celebration for all the myres is so sweet, and I wanted to capture the mixture of heartache and happiness the myres would feel during this new Hadalmas celebration! Also--not that it's super important, since the staxie isn't named, but--that staxie that leads Prince and Beachtoken to the tide pools is Slurm.  I've really enjoyed all the cutscenes with Slurm, so far! They're so silly and crazy, in harmless sort of way, (hopefully,) but they're also really honest, and I feel like they have a kind heart! It's nice. UwU
Anyway, hope y'all like my story as much as I do!  I sketched a little picture of Prince and some abstract swirls to represent how he experiences the world more through his other senses than sight, and it's actually really fun figuring out how I wanna write stories for a character that doesn't see, like a myre. I've really enjoyed the challenge so far, and it's refreshing to have to focus of explaining the world through ways other than seeing it! Oh, and this story is 1097 words long!
Enjoy!

Prince K'uk'ulkan belongs to me!
Beachtoken (mentioned) belongs to Hann-Nido !
Reverie (mentioned, NPC) belongs to Staves Rest!

6/1832 Beans
Bean Tracker

Aeb.