25. Harvest Festival

Vervain knotted the lovely green scarf that Jaden had gifted them around their throat. It didn't exactly match the pale purple witch dress that they chose to wear as their costume, but it was warm, and soft, and Jaden had given it to them, so they wore it as often as they could. Probably, when they were in town enjoying the festivities, they would loosen it, if they became too warm, with the crowds and the merry making. For now they fluffed themself up in the mirror and then went looking for Jaden.

The terrestrial was dressed in the ninja costume that they had picked out at Sweetie's Tooth, well, picked out with Vervain's help. Jaden adjusted their accessories, made sure the headband was tightly tied, and picked up the shoes, ready to put them on when they were ready to head out. They looked up at Vervain and smiled.

"You look wonderful, Ver!"

"And you look awesome," Vervain laughed and smiled, "Are you ready to go then?"

"Yeah!"

They head out, while Jaden donned their ninja shoes, Vervain lit the old lantern on their porch. The soft orange glow was their beacon home.

Both kitsu carried a basket along with them, the one Jaden carried was filled with little treats and candies, and the other, held in Vervain's hand, were larger portions of side dishes that they had made. The idea of a 'Potluck' was floated for the Harvest Festival, and so they had made their best side dishes, made with all the seasonal fruits and veggies from their orchard and gardens.

When they arrived in town, Vervain headed towards a row of buffet tables set up, handing over the basket of side dishes. They were happy to be roped into helping to arrange everyone's contributions on the tables, to help serve, make sure everyone had forks and napkins, drinks and at least a little taste of everything they wanted to try. Vervain helped for a few hours, and then were dismissed to go and enjoy the rest of the night. Luckily there were many volunteers helping out all over.

Before departing the tables, Vervain filled a plate with things that they themself had wanted to try. They always ate their own cooking, and Jaden, when they traded jobs, so it was an interesting experience, getting to try things that were completely different from what they always make. Sure, everything was made with similar ingredients, things that grew well in Silverlight's region, but everyone had their own way of making things, different herbs and spices they liked to use.

The most interesting thing they tried were the 'deviled eggs', a creamy sauce mixed with boiled egg yolk stuffed back into a halved egg white and sprinkled with some spicy red powder. Vervain didn't prefer hot and spicy foods, but it wasn't too hot for them to handle. Vervain returned to the potluck tables for two reasons, to get another portion, just in case Jaden hadn't had a chance to try it, and to find the kitsu with the recipe for the delightful creation.

(WC: 514)