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“Aisling!!! Are you ready!?”
“Haha, yeah I’m ready Mayhem, don’t worry! This isn’t my first time seeing The Soul Migration.”
“Oh right, well it’s my first time! I know it happens every year, but I was kind of busy until this time around.”
“It’s quite lovely! Watching the souls that finally find their mortal bodies for the first time looks almost like shooting stars, only right above you.” Brite chimes in.
“It’s so cool! You’ll never forget it once you see it!” Blip excitedly shouts, bouncing around the group.
“Be careful though! If you don’t watch your step while wandering through you could fall off a cliff!”
“Void, we’re going to a field this time for that exact reason remember? We don’t need another year of having to chase your rolling head again.” Aisling chuckled.
“Ah, right! Good, good.” He responded nonchalantly, the others laughing in response.
Aisling happily listened to her new friends banter as she gathered some snacks for the event. It made her happy to know all the shadows have been getting along so well since finding each other. The majority had formed their own little groups of friends within the larger group, but they all got along to some degree. She hoped that the others would be able to come with them next year, since so many had already committed to other activities this time around.
“Ugh! Somebody date me so we can kiss under the light of the new souls!” Mayhem shouted jokingly.
Aisling paused, Mayhem had a crush on Dade. She hadn’t seen him in a while and wondered what he was doing. Did anyone think to invite him? He was a little nervous around others, so it may not have occurred to anyone.
“Hey Aisling, we’re ready.” Brite smiled.
“I’ll meet you guys there, I just realized I forgot something super important.” She responded, moving to find Dade’s energy signal.
“Sure thing, just don’t be late!” He smiled, rustling her hair.
“I won’t be!”
As they went their separate ways she wondered if Dade would even want to go out with everyone, but she wanted to at least try and include him. He may be a little nervous and defensive around people he doesn’t know well, but he’s a good guy and he’s her friend. Before she knew it she was at his door. With a deep breath and a little anxiety she knocked. After some rustling and some slow footsteps, Dade cracked the door open just slightly.
“Hey Dade!”
Looking surprised, he opened the door fully.
“Oh, uh hey Aisling. Why are you here?”
“Well, tonight is the yearly Soul Migration. A few of us are meeting down by the fields to watch, and I wanted to see if you would come with us.” She smiled.
He stared blankly at her for a long moment before grimacing.
“Why?” He asked, harshly.
“Because you’re my friend, and I want to spend time with you.” She swiftly responded.
Seemingly caught off guard, his face softened and his tough demeanor faltered, though only for a moment. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, actively avoiding eye contact. She wondered if he’d had any actual friends before considering his young age.
“Jeez.. I mean I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get out of the house. But don’t get used to it!” He half snapped.
“Sure thing!” She beamed.
“And don’t go whining if I get bored and leave early!”
“No problem, I get it! Let’s go, we don’t wanna be late.” She nodded, pulling him along.
The walk down to the fields was mostly filled with silence, but every so often he would comment on something he liked in the environment like a weird tree or frog. She was happy he seemed to be warming up to her. When they finally made it Brite waved them over, and everyone happily welcomed them. Mayhem immediately gets heart eyed at seeing Dade, thankfully respecting his touching boundaries at Aisling and Brite’s stern looks. Blip immediately offered him a snack, his usual enormous smile radiating towards Dade.
Uncertainly, he took one of the snacks when the migration finally arrived. One new soul zipped by just above them having found it’s first mortal body, catching everyone’s attention. As the glow of billions of multicolored souls filled the skies, thousands began finding and shooting towards their first mortal bodies. The air buzzed with energy, as the colors began to gently whirl around the group as they silently watched. They spent the night awestruck at the beauty of the event before the sun finally began to rise and the migration finally ended.
Immediately the group began excitedly, albeit tiredly, chatting about the event. Blip was losing his mind to Brite who’s seen it a thousand times but still loves it just the same. To Aisling’s delight, Mayhem and Dade were maintaining a back and forth about what they liked the most from the night. Void was dramatically reenacting his favorite bits to Aisling in a pseudo story telling mode, as she happily listened, laughing at his silly antics and physicality.
Eventually everyone needed to head home for the day, Brite guiding Blip and Void home while Mayhem teleported back on her own. Aisling took to walking Dade back to his home since she had walked him out to the fields for the event.
“Aisling?”
“Yeah?”
“Uh.. thanks. For ya know, inviting and all. Was more fun than I thought it would be.” He semi-awkwardly grumbled.
“No problem! Always happy to spend time with friends.”
“Yeah I guess so.” He sighed.
“Hey, if you want I can let you know next time we’re all doing something together. I’m sure they’d love to have you again as much as I would.” She suggested.
He continued to stare at the ground as they walked, simply grunting and nodding in response. When they made it to his home she waved goodbye when he paused at his door.
“Thanks again, see ya later.” He half smiled.
“See ya later!” She beamed.
She continued to smile to herself after he closed the door and on her way home, he was warming up to her after all. He’s a good shadow, and she’s really happy to call him her friend.