[PRP] Follow the Stars ( quick slip x floating leaf )

[Andraia]

FOLLOW THE STARS
quick slip x floating leaf

Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

Another kimeti pushed past Quick Slip, knocking shoulders roughly and sending the meek boy stagger a few steps to the side. He wondered off, apparently not even noticing. Quick glanced around himself trying to find the safest path through the clearing. When he had first seen the shooting lights through the trees he had made his way to the clearing to get a better view. Apparently he hadn’t been the only one to have this idea. The large space was simply crawling with kimeti. Quick Slip never had been very good with crowds.
 

[Mika_Yumi]

The evening hadn't started off in a very exciting way. It was rather... well, nondescript, really. Moderate temperature, no storms or glaring sunsets, not much wind or even a breeze to be heard of. Floating Leaf hadn't even found a rock to trip over in the course of her evening, though to be honest she hadn't exactly ventured out much from her comfortable home.

Well, until she heard the commotion.

It hadn't exactly started as a commotion. It began slowly, with just a shuffle of excited feet in the swamp nearby. Then one kimeti called to another, though not with any detail in their voice. Soon, however, there was clearly something going on that was drawing quite a bit of attention, and apparently everyone wanted to tell everyone else about it. Eventually, as the sixth or seventh rustle of hooves passed over her ears, the third or fourth call of one kimeti to another passed through the trees, Leaf's interest was piqued to the point of encouraging her out of sure comfort. She wasn't a fan of crowds, but whatever it was that had so many gathering... well, apparently it was worth a look, wasn't it? At very least, she wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

She didn't even think to look up as she passed through the trees, towards the general murmur of the crowd in a nearby clearing. As she began to see them, one after the other, shadows or semi-lighted shapes, she saw that they were all looking up. Up? What were they looking at? As she started to come into the clearing, and it seemed to lighten a bit as the trees above gave way to sky, she looked up to find out just what it was they were all seeing. It took a moment, and at first she thought they were all crazy, but then something caught her eye -- a star streaking past the others for just a brief moment. Was that really what she saw? She didn't have much time to wait for another one to assure her, though, as she was bumped by two kimeti who had apparently heard about the event and were rushing to gather with the others, which then caused her to bump into another.

"Oh!" This was why she hated crowds. The two kimeti were gone without saying a thing, and before she could respond with anything more, about their running into her. The one she'd run into, though, appeared to not be rushing into the crowd.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to bump into you. It's just all of these kimeti -- it's so crowded, they hardly know where they're going or care what's in their way. Though, I should have been paying better attention as well; I just didn't understand what everyone is so excited about -- still don't, really. But that's all beside the point." Floating Leaf shook her head and took a breath, looking at the one she'd bumped, a light buck slightly taller than she. "The point is, I'm sorry. I will do my best to not bump you again."

Of course, as she said that, another kimeti rushed by and nearly made her run into him yet again, though luckily she was able to stop herself just short of actually doing so. Yes, this was definitely not helping her aversion to crowds at all...  

[Andraia]

Another few stars shot across the sky, momentarily dragging Quick’s thought off their depressing path. He couldn’t claim to be an expert on the lights that floated above his head in the evening sky but he was pretty sure he had never seen them move like that before. They danced across his vision in pretty patterns and he wondered where it was they were going. While his mind was wandering a young doe had got herself caught up in the crowd and was tossed rather roughly into his side.

Quick let out a little cry of surprise and silently cursed himself for forgetting where he was and the inconvenience of crowds. He got his footing again and expected to find himself once again alone to his thoughts but to his great surprise his most recent attacker had not run off like the ones before her.

“I’m sorry!” A voice trilled nervously from beside him and he found himself face to face with the doe. She went on to explain herself and Quick was relieved to find that he was not entirely alone in his unease! Before he could say anything another inattentive buck rushed by and nearly sent her bumping into him again.

“Its alright!” Quick Slip assured her, smiling meekly and watching the pulsing crowds with a weary eye. No one here seemed to care to steps about what harm they might be causing others, but he couldn’t bring himself to express his aggravation. Maybe they had a good reason for being so rude. “Everyone seems wrapped up in the moment. It – it – it is rather interesting, I can see why they might be distracted.”

He stomped his hooves uneasily and shuffled a bit closer to the doe in order to avoid a couple of foals who had just come charging out of the trees.
 

[Mika_Yumi]

Though she was still feeling quite uneasy about the entire thing, Floating Leaf was glad to hear the buck's assurance that she had caused no harm by bumping into him. He was watching the crowd with eyes that seemed just as nervous as she was, and she wondered if they shared the same discomfort in crowds. Though, to be honest, she wouldn't be surprised if someone who wasn't typically afraid of crowds found themselves freaked out in this situation...

The newly-arrived doe still wasn't exactly sure what the 'moment' was presenting that was so mesmerizing for everyone. She took another glance around her, and then looked up to the skies once more. Apparently whatever was in the sky took some time to appear, as she wasn't catching glimpse of anything -- though, the streak she saw before was so quick that she wasn't even sure it had happened, so she also wondered if she would notice it if such did happen again. She turned to her adopted companion (for the time being, at least) as he shuffled closer to her to avoid some others running out to join the masses.

"D-do you know... what they're watching for?" Floating Leaf cleared her throat slightly; even though she did like this buck so far, and he seemed to be as uncomfortable as she, she still wasn't great about talking to new people. But she didn't really want to wander off alone at this point, either. And perhaps he would have the answer she was looking for? She looked back up with everyone else.  

[Andraia]

Quick took his eyes off the pulsing crowd long enough to look at the doe beside him. He has thought that she was as uncomfortable as he was, but if she didn’t know why everyone had come to this clearing she must have just been following the others. Then he realised that even though he was made uneasy by social gatherings like these he always hated to miss them. Sometimes you don’t want to be alone. After a moment he remembered she had asked a question. “The flying lights.”

He realised lamely that that didn’t really explain very much. “I mean the stars. At least, I think they’re stars. I looked up and saw lights streaking past the branches of the trees so I came out here to get a better look…”

Apparently a lot of people had the same idea.
 

[Mika_Yumi]

Leaf felt the buck look down at her, and was not surprised to feel a bit of a blush come into her cheeks, though it probably wasn't visible in the dark lighting. She couldn't blame the buck, of course -- she liked to observe others, and she had watched him when she'd first bumped into him as well. It was just that, well, the green doe didn't really like anyone watching her very much. It made her feel... pressure, somehow, as if she would stumble and fall and break her leg right at exactly the worse moment, as they watched her. She wouldn't put it past herself.

"Flying lights..." She blinked at the sky, glad that he was not just watching her anymore. Perhaps what she had seen earlier was what he was talking about? As he continued explaining -- stars, lights streaking past the trees -- she was fairly sure that she may have seen what they were talking about, but it suddenly startled her. Stars, falling across the sky? That didn't exactly sound safe. At very least, that is not what stars are supposed to do. They were there to light the night! To help give directions, sometimes! It seemed to Floating Leaf that stars running or falling in the sky would be a bad thing for them to do.

"Well, that sounds... scary, almost. Stars should not do that, should they?" The green doe shifted on her feet, uncomfortable suddenly at the thought of something going so wrongly in the world. But then, she had spent such a small amount of time in this world... how did she really know what it should be doing? Just the same, it did not make her feel any better right now.

"If stars are falling, perhaps we should not be out in the open as it is." She seemed definite, as if giving herself an excuse to not need to seek to be further in the crowd. Just then, however, another streak of light shot across the sky, and Leaf found herself quite excited, "Oh! Oh, was that it? Is that what has been happening?" Her eyes stayed on the sky, but she was clearly talking to the buck still beside her.