northern lights, neon skies, just you and I

RANDOM EVENT

One of the calves veers in with a careless, affectionate confidence, its vast body rolling just enough that its flank drifts into the Sugartide as though the ship were nothing more than a familiar obstacle in its path, a solid shape worth rubbing against for the simple pleasure of contact. The touch itself is almost gentle in intention, the celestial equivalent of a kitten winding around a waiting leg, but the reality of its size turns tenderness into force as the hull groans and splinters under the pressure, wood cracking with sharp, echoing snaps that skitter across the deck like thrown kindling. 

The impact nudges the Sugartide off her course, sending her into a slow, dizzying spin as sails shudder and stained-glass panels scatter fractured aurora light in wild arcs, the ship turning lazily through the glowing sky while stardust rains around them.