While the bitterness of winter didn’t always hit the area of Kahi like the other continents, the locals still prepared for the migration of certain sealife in and out of the area. Certain plants also only grew in the hottest of weather and shifted during the cooler months to something less savory which prompted them to gather what they could today. There was also a festival for the changing of the seasons, the big amber moon in the sky always the brightest at the end of the summer season when autumn was taking over which always provided lovely scenery for the celebrations. Quiana had thought that her latest stop with Konana would be more restful but once again the hapuna was simply too kind to ignore others and somehow he managed to rope Quiana into helping the locals prepare for the harvest feast. “Do we really need to pull things together?” She complained quietly under her breath, her bright green gaze skimming over all the various tools and baskets left around the open area of beach.

“Of course! We can participate in the festivities with everyone and hopefully there will be plenty left for you to take as supplies. You were running out of food since the storm ruined some of your belongings, correct?”

Quiana pursed her lips before nodding her head. “Yeah.” She admitted finally before moving down to pick up a sickle and a basket. “So we gather some seaweed and such that they like to use in soups and wrapped around rice with fish?” She had tried it before and had to admit the crisp addition of green against the rolled rice was rather delicious. The clear soup too with the floating pieces was really good and Quiana made a note to learn the recipe later for when she returned so that she could share it with her grandmother. Now that she knew what to harvest exactly, the very shade of emerald seaweed that grew in clusters before fading into a more yellowish color with the cooler seasons, the Elidae would make certain to go out of her way to gather it.

Kanona nodded. “It’s a good season for harvesting it. Technically we can harvest most of these things year round but there’s not as much of the good stuff when the cooler waters come in.” He explained as he followed after her, the water coming up to his waist before he went under. Quiana was not able to breathe like the Kahi but at least she could hold her breath long enough to follow him along the shallow areas of the ocean, the coastal area being her comfort while others went even deeper into the ocean. If only I could breathe underwater. She mused with a frown before slicing into another clump of seaweed and tucking into the basket, the woven top keeping the seaweed from floating free as she swam after Kanona and a few other Hapuna who darted throughout the reefs. The brilliant colors were beautiful and caught her by surprise the first time she had visited the area, but now Quiana simply appreciated them. It would be too tempting to relocate here near the Hapuna and to stay along the pearly white beaches to enjoy the vibrant colors of their coral reefs and ocean sunsets. She had a mission though and her family was waiting for her out there whether they knew it or not. Quiana had to continue reminding herself of that as she spent more time with Kanona, learning more about the Kahi and finding them to be a warm hearted people (at least whenever Kanona was with her that was the case, since she hadn’t really interacted with them by herself yet) and it was hard to doubt their intentions when everyone’s actions spoke of their kindness. So she supposed helping with the harvest wasn’t such a horrible ordeal. She could pass time with Kanona, learn more about his people and then enjoy another free meal before hopefully gathering more supplies to keep going forward with her journey. The very thought made her brighten up as she rose to the challenge and started to compete with other hapuna who were trying to quickly fill up their baskets. Eventually when the sun was still high in the sky the group would gather up their baskets and help spread out the seaweed on flat stones that would dry out and make the strands of seaweed crispy. Quiana’s cheeks flushed as she found her own stomach rumbling, the smell of soup and other foods prepared for the harvest meal reminding her of the appetite she had worked up all morning. This was definitely…not a horrible experience after all. She found herself realizing as she laughed at a few jokes and headed towards the crowd of hapuna who were starting to serve the harvest meal.

[810]