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The Lantern Festival (7) : Scientists have been hard at work trying to understand the strange, glowing qualities of the luminescent caterpillars found in the caves by the reservoir. The caterpillars still shrivel up if they are taken out of the caves but their glowing secretions have been processed into an organic paste that can withstand the outside world. The city is selling paper lanterns infused with various seeds. The glow paste is full of minerals to support healthy plant growth without risking damage to the environment; all lantern purchases come with a small packet of activating power that will heat the paste up enough to mimic the effects of a candle without the concerns of flammability. When the glow paste loses its heat, the lantern will return to the Earth and upon the first rain (or any contact with water) the paper will dissolve and the seeds may begin to grow. All proceeds from the lanterns are put right back into the community to support local conservation and environmental protection efforts.
The paper lanterns were a normal thing to see this time of year, seeing them floating through the air, people enjoyed setting them off all during the starfest. Seeing them drifting heavenward, only for them to land somewhere later on, was not a new sight for Kioshi as he wandered down the street. He’d seen it year after year since the glowing caterpillars had turned up, since it was their glowing secretion which allowed for the nutritional paste on the lanterns, and he doubted the lanterns would ever stop being sold…so long as the caterpillars remained anyway.
There was a small shop set up to sell the lanterns, one of many filling the city, which called to him as he shifted while walking. His shirt was too damn tight, stuck to his skin due to the heat of the night, he’d gone out for a walk in order to cool off and let himself relax. He’d come home from work only to work some more, working on a design for a client. It wasn’t that the client was hard, they were really easy to work with, it was just that he was working on a large back piece for someone. He’d sat in his living room with the coffee table covered in a large sheet of paper, half an idea drawn out, as he tried to focus on the design. The color pallet was easy enough, traditional Japanese was limited in color pallet, it was the design though. They had left things fairly open for him to do what he wanted, within reason, so Kioshi had to figure most of it out on his own.
Most would think that would be easy, and it should be, but he’d been drawing a blank for the last hour and a half, it was why he’d decided to go for a walk and clear his head. He doubted Lorcan would drop by, though the other did have a key to his home, but in the off chance he’d left a note on his fridge to let the other know that he’d gone for a walk - he’d be back soon.
Soon wasn’t as soon as he’d planned, though it had been a loose plan really, he’d just let his feet guide him…right to one of the small shops selling the lanterns. Grabbing his phone from his back pocket while approaching the shop, someone sitting on a stool in front of a register, Kioshi made a noise to grab their attention as they were preoccupied with their cell phone and some video he assumed. Once he had their attention, and they’d settled down from being startled by him, Kioshi asked for a lantern. He knew it was late, nearly midnight, but the shop was still open for whatever reason. He supposed he was lucky, it gave him something to do while he was out wandering, and as he paid with his cell phone and apple pay he took the lantern with a slight smile.
