Gods and spirits were funny things when you really thought about it. Or at least that was how Pounamu felt every time there was a huge festival just to honor them. Not that she minded since that usually allowed her to have extra treats and to take a break from trinket making with her aunt but she did find it curious about how many godly beings existed across all of the races and yet she personally had never witnessed any such thing. Did they truly not have any interest in the world of mortals? Such questions had always been laughed at by her friend who turned such mysteries into adventures that they would need to solve in the future, but so far nothing had ever been revealed to either girl. But it did allow them to enjoy playing fantasies while growing up and adventuring in the reefs together. Such memories were especially dear to Pounamu and haunted her currently while she swam towards a village of hapuna, the colorful reefs and playful atmosphere reminding her terribly of home.

Pounami knew there was something going on once she heard the sound of singing and laughter. The largest crowd she had ever seen swam past, banners of colorful seaweed and shells floating behind groups as they darted around. The hybrid found herself blinking in confusion before realizing that there were symbols on each banner and it was almost like some sort of game. Younglings especially were enjoying darting about with little banners that they playfullysnatched from one another. Laughter burst out of a group as another youngling lost their tag and swam towards the captured ones. "Welcome to the festival!" Called out a brilliant hapuna as she slipped around Pounamu and darted into a maze of coral with another hapuna chasing her. Oh. Pounamu found herself blinking in surprise. So it was time for the summer festivals already? The Prentice shook her head, a small smile crossing her lips before she went towards a merchant and offered a pearl for some supplies. She had been traveling and didn't have much time for festivities anymore. It had been nice once when she was younger and had Naia to play with but for now Pounamu was on her own, finding her own way. Would earthlings have festivals like this? Surely they would, right? Summer was the happiest season with plenty to go around and Pounamu would be disappointed if the foreigners did not celebrate it somehow. As long as no one was being sacrificed or even put in terrible danger she would gladly love to see it one day. Traveling it seemed had inspired something within her to grow and she was feeling more adventurous like her parents with each passing day. But would that spirit be enough to get her to Tendaji? Did she even want to try going that far? Visiting the islands had been a major first step for her and she had already encountered one of the Elaria who had taught her some about their kind. It was strange to think that they worshiped trees but once Quiana told her about how she actually emerged from a bloom the younger girl quickly understood why they valued their great trees so much. If they had something like that which they had to rely on for children then she would treasure it too! She would love to see such a great tree up close but Quiana had told her about how sacred it was to the Sisters so they didn't dare approach it. All Pounamu could do was look at the rough sketches Quiana made in the sand with a stick while sharing summer treats, including very delicious berry pie! Pounamu could not complain since it allowed her to not only rest up for a night on the island but to also make a friend. And now here she was in a smaller village of hapuna enjoying herself once more. There was unfortunately no pie like what she had enjoyed with Quiana but they did have plenty of drinks and colorful crystal sugar candy to share during the village's summer celebration. Surely it wouldn't hurt to take a few hours to explore and rest up? Pounamu smiled at the thought. Before arriving at this island and meeting Quiana she had been swimming without much rest for days and her body was feeling exhausted. It was a perfect time for a summer festival indeed. That decided Pounamu found herself darting off into the deeper waters to see what awaited her below the waves.

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