I've seen falling stars, of course. I've seen shooting stars. But I've never seen anything like this. It's like... it's like fireworks. Except they're not man-made. They're not even from this planet. Or solar system. It's... amazing.
The sky lights up with streaks of color, of fire. Some of them are big, some are small. Some are fast, some are slow. Some are white, some are yellow, some are red. They're all beautiful. They're all breathtaking.
These aren't distant streaks in the sky gone in a moment, either. It's like giant flaming stones skimming across the surface of a lake, but I stand beneath the lake, looking up as they blaze across the surface, creating glowing trails of plasma fire as they move.
I stare, transfixed, my mouth open, my eyes wide. I can hear the others around me, gasping and exclaiming, cheering and clapping. I can feel the excitement, the joy, the wonder. It's contagious.
I forget, for a moment, where I am. Who I am. What I'm doing here. I just... watch. And I feel... something. Something I can't quite name. It's not happiness, exactly. It's not peace. It's not even hope.
It's more like... awe. Like... I'm a part of something bigger than myself. Something vast and mysterious and beautiful. Something that... makes me feel small, but in a good way.
Wonder, I supose.
Mira appears at my side, clapping her hands and jumping up and down. I can't help but look at her.
Under the dancing lights of the falling stars above, she's the most dazzling thing I've ever seen. Her entire form, lit from behind by the lightshow, is a cacophony of rainbows and light. She glows like she's made of fireflies.
"Isn't it amazing?" She says, her voice full of delight. "Isn't it just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"
I nod, unable to speak. It is. It really is.
Each color in the sky above lights up inside her, refracts into green and rainbow prisms, and bounces out of her at random angles. She is more beautiful than the sky itself. It's almost hypnotic, I find.
"Look, look! There's a big one!" She points, and I follow her finger to see a massive rock, blazing across the sky. It's huge, and it's leaving a thick, glowing trail behind it. It's... incredible.
I hear a gasp from my other side, and I turn to see Jxyim, her eyes wide, her face lit up in awe. "Magnificent." She whispers.
And it is. It's the most magnificent thing I've ever witnessed.
We sit there, the three of us, and watch the show. We don't say much, just... enjoy. I can feel the energy of the others around us, the buzz of excitement, the sense of community. It's... nice.
I still miss home. I still want to go back. I'm still scared and confused and lost.
But...
For now, right now... I'm okay.
I'm okay with being here. With seeing this. With being a part of this.
It's not a bad place to be. Even if it's not where I want to be.
The shower lasts for a long time. Hours, maybe. I lose track. At some point, when my neck begins to ache, Mira grabs my hands and yanks me forward hard enough for me to yelp and nearly smash my face into gem.
"Come! Come! It is time for the dancing! You promised!" She says, and I can't remember if I did.
"Dancing?" I ask, dazed. "But... the stars..."
"They'll still be falling for hours!" She giggles. "We have to dance! The gravity is low and the air is sweet! Come on!"
She pulls me up, and I stumble after her, towards the center of the garden. There's music playing now, something rhythmic and pulsing. It's not like any music I've heard before, but it's... good. It makes me want to move.
Mira starts dancing, twirling and spinning, her gem body glittering and flashing.
And I-
I am terrible at dancing. I'm even more terrible at this rapid fire dance.
But she pulls me along anyway, giggling and laughing, until Jxyim appears and grabs my hands, pulling me away to dance with her, instead. A man I don't recognize grabs Mira to dance with her.
"We share our light together." Jxyim says, smiling at me as I - as I try not to trip over my own feet and get trampled. "Today we all dance together, as one. It is a beautiful thing." Her eyes sparkle. She's not just pale, I realize, she's glowing. Much as Llywelyn does, I suppose. But... different. His is a sort of bioluminescent glow, while she is... something else entirely. I think, maybe, that this is what she meant about her people being starlight.
I nod, and try to match her movements. It's not easy. She's graceful and fluid, and I'm... not. But she doesn't seem to mind. She just smiles, and spins me around, and we dance.
I'm dimly aware that gentle music often in the air has become louder and is driving the dance. I haven't pinpointed how it works yet, but when it shifts slightly, Jxyim spins and sends me off into another person's arms, who sweeps me away in a similar movement.
I lose track of time. I don't know how long we dance for. All I know is that I'm laughing, and a little bit too giddy for my own good.
I'm traded between a dozen, maybe two dozen people. Jxyim, Mira, Yta, the server girl, a man I've never seen before who appears to be solidified golden slime, a woman with a lizard like face, a creature that appears to be made entirely out of moss.
And then, I'm in Llywelyn's arms.
He looks down at me, his eyes narrowed, his expression annoyed. His veins are glowing a bright, pulsing blue, and he's scowling. "This fis'ia song never ends." He mutters. His breathing is rough, and that dark blue hair of his is sticking to his face. His dark blue coat is open and falling off his shoulders, revealing his chest and stomach.
But his hands are tight around my waist, and his steps are sure and steady. And he's... he's leading me. Guiding me. Moving with me.
I'm surprised. I didn't think he'd dance. He doesn't seem the type. But here he is, spinning me around, dipping me low, pulling me close.
"You don't like to dance?" I ask, one of my hands gripping onto his shoulders because... frankly, my legs are so tired I don't trust them to keep me up at this angle. "You look like you're doing fine to me."
"I didn't say I didn't like it." He huffs. "I said the song is too long. It's been playing for hours, now. Fis'ia, I want to take a bath."
I laugh, and he glares at me, but there's no heat in it. "Is a bath the answer to all of your life's problems?" I ask him, teasing.
"Yes." He says, deadpan. "It is. I'm an Akutwas. We need water. We thrive in water. It is our natural state. Unlike this nish'ian dance. Too much fis'ia energy..."
"What do those words mean? You say them all the time but never explain." I tilt my head, and he hesitates, his brow furrowing.
"What words?" He asks, as if he has no idea what I'm talking about.
"Fish...a and nishan and snil-"
He covers my mouth with a hand, and his already glowing veins flare up a bit more. "Foul mouthed woman. Do not say them so plainly."
His hand is damp against my lips, and I'm surprised for a moment, before I realize he's not going to remove it, and I huff at him instead of speaking, licking his hand.
He jerks his hand away, making a face of disgust. "Fis'ia! Don't do that! That's-! Ugh." He wipes his hand on his coat, and I can't help but laugh at him.
"You're the one who put your hand there." I point out, and he just glares at me.
"Disgusting."
He twirls me. Or at least he tries. It's more of a violent spin, and I'm pretty sure I squeak as I stumble, but he catches me. "I'll tell you later. Not here."
I raise a brow. "Why not?"
He gives me a withering look. "Because I don't know what the words approximate to your weird little sub-"
"I'll punch you."
He coughs, and those veins of his flare a little brighter for a pulse. "Human language." He finishes, instead. "Can't talk while dancing."
He absolutely could a minute ago. He's lying.
But I decide not to call him on it. I don't need to start a fight with him right now. Not when I'm having... fun.
So I just nod, and let him lead me, and try not to stumble. Which is made more difficult when the frustrating fish man is stumbling and gasping for air at every other step.
For few moments I look around, expecting hands to be reaching out for me to pull me away from him, to move on to the next dancer. But it doesn't come.
Llywelyn spins me a final time and dips me once again, and then the music abruptly drops.
And I crash to the ground. I let out a yell of surprise, and then a pained groan as I land hard on my ass. "Gah! What was that for?!"
Llywelyn is on his hands and knees, gasping and panting as if he's just run five miles. "FINALLY! Fis'ia! Fis'ia!" He is... ranting in what I assume are curse words, punching the grass, his veins nearly blinding to look at. He falls on his side, still gasping, and I can't help but wonder if he's... actually going to be okay.
I crawl over to him, propping myself up on my hands, and wave a hand in front of his face. "Hey. Fish guy. Are you okay?"
"Don't. Call me. That!" He waves an arm aggressively at me. Or, I imagine it's meant to be aggressive. It's more like he's limply slapping at the air.
"Should I call a medic?"
"Nggghh. No. Maybe." He covers his eyes with his arms and rolls onto his back. "I hate dancing." He groans. "I hate parties. I hate people. I'm going to die. And the last thing I'll see is your ugly human face."
"I am not ugly. You're ugly."
"I'm nishi'an beautiful." He turns his head to face me, and I'm still struck by how very pretty he is. Even sweating and exhausted, his chest heaving for air, he looks like a creature out of some myth. "The last thing I want to see is a fis'ia swamp toad like you."
My eyes narrow and I lift up a hand. "I was going to offer you water, but if you're going to be like that-"
"No, wait, you're actually the best looking human here." He grabs at my arm. "Give me water. Before I expire."
I sigh, but grab one of the glasses of water left out on the tables and pass it to him. He sits up and chugs it, still breathing heavily.
Finally, he lets out a long breath, and looks at me. "You can't tell anyone about this. Understood?"
I raise a brow at him. "What? That you're a fish out of water?"
"Nishi'an wo! No!" He is offended, again. "That I'm-" He stops, and clears his throat. "Good at dancing. They'll make me do it more."
"When were you good at dancing?"
He gives me a withering look. "Were this water not so precious, I'd dump it on you." He mutters, before glancing back at the crowd.
The other aliens are still going, dancing and laughing. Mira is jumping up and down in excitement, her gem body flashing. Jxyim is clapping and cheering. And Xilukulkas... is sitting on a throne-like chair, watching them all with a serene smile on his face.
I wonder when he showed up.
Llywelyn follows my gaze, and then looks back at me. "You're not a bad dancer either, for a human."
I shrug, and take a sip of my own drink. It's a bit warm now, but still good. "Now you've proven you're a terrible dancer."
"I'm going to feed you to Mira's carnivorous plants."
"You'll get winded before you get me there."
He scowls at me, and I can't help but grin. I don't know why, but I like this. Teasing him. Making him flustered and angry. It's fun.
And it's nice to know that he's not as perfect as he seems. That he has his own flaws, his own weaknesses.
It makes him... more...
Tolerable.
That thought makes me smirk just a little more, as I turn my gaze back up to the asteroid shower above.
It really is still going. And I think I'll be here for it for a while longer.
And... that's not so bad.
Maybe this.
Could be my life.
For a little while, at least.
Maybe.
But that's probably just the overwhelming exhaustion talking.