Growing up is a pain, and it is what it is
Okay, It's not the end of the world
Okay, It's not the end of the world
I grin when Nova calls back over her shoulder. Her energy is infectious—she’s practically bouncing, and I catch myself matching her step without thinking. I’m in my usual oversized coat and dark pants tucked into boots; hardly a candle to Nova’s glamorous flame, but that’s been true of every girlfriend I’ve made so far. Doesn’t matter. I like shining next to people who blaze.
We’ve had fun already—Nova’s probably-illegal antics in the dead of night were… memorable—and I’d been stupidly excited when she said yes to my help hanging lanterns. So far, every run-in with the Marin triplets has been fun in that chaotic, this-is-fine way.
"They really are beautiful," I tell her, meaning it. I’ve got a bundle of my own cradled in my arms—only five, and nowhere near as loud as Nova’s. Mine are more… classic. Pretty colors, shining glass I salvaged from the Celestine cleanup, sanded smooth and set into little mosaics. Only five compared to Nova’s many, many, many—but I’m proud of them.
The path bends and the Miana Pool flashes ahead, rippling like a scatter of diamonds through the shadowed afternoon. "Start here?" I nod toward the water’s lip. "Good place so no one walks straight into the pool. Maybe we hang a few extra so people can see the edge?"
I kneel to set my lanterns down carefully (not breaking them would be very on-brand for me today), then stretch up on the tippy-tips of my toes to loop the first one onto a stout guava branch. It catches the light and throws a soft bloom across the path, and something in my chest settles.
I glance back at Nova, a smile tugging. "So… how’s the design business going? Keeping you out of trouble, or fueling it? Has your rival showed up Karening at your door yet?"
There's always light where it burns
Theea
