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Pit squinted and stared at the ground, but even through his narrowed eyes the intense beams of light reflecting off the surface of the clouds burned. As a gentle breeze whirred through the otherwise silent Skyworld, he grabbed the goddess’s hand tighter and let her guide him. The young angel had lived in Skyworld his whole life, yet after spending just a little bit of time in the dark, dreary Underworld he needed to adjust to his oddly desolate home. How long has it been since he’s been here? A week? A month? It probably doesn’t matter anymore…
As Pit’s eyes began to adjust to Skyworld’s light, he slowly opened them and looked up to see a place he thought he’d never get to visit in his life: Palutena’s Temple. His little wings quivered as the towering building became taller and taller with every step and its mighty shadow engulfed him.
*SNAP*
The sudden snap of Palutena’s fingers startled Pit out of his reverent trance as with just that simple motion, the two gargantuan temple doors parted to reveal the unfiltered glow of the entrance hall. Pit stopped and hesitated as he gazed at the floor tiles - so perfect, so…untouched. He’d never seen anything like it, and there’s no way he’d want to track whatever underworld gunk was caked into his sandals on such a pristine floor.
“What’s wrong, Pit?” Palutena’s voice echoed. Pit jumped and jolted his head up after feeling his hand get squeezed. As he met Palutena’s towering gaze, he felt his small palm begin to sweat.
“Ah-I dunno,” Pit bumbled as his grip tightened around Palutena’s fingers so hard that it started to hurt. “I just…am I really welcome here?”
“Of course you are!” Palutena’s voice trilled with a light laugh that made the tiny angel freeze up. “You just freed me from Medusa! That’s no small feat! Come on, let’s go inside.”
Feeling pressured under her command, Pit takes his first delicate steps into Palutena’s temple. Each careful drag of his shoes echoes through the ornate halls. As Palutena leads him through the halls, Pit swapped glances from the beautiful architecture to the filthy tarnish his sandals caused to the once pristine floors. Each step into this building felt colder as he started to feel so small. The cold blues and whites felt like ice, and Pit swore he could see his own breath. He didn’t even pay attention to Palutena as she furrowed her brow - the poor child was shaking like a leaf.
As Pit continued to follow the lead of Palutena’s hand, he felt a small tug as she stopped to think. He stared up at her, seeing her stern, stoic-looking face. He had only ever seen the goddess’s face in statues before, but now that he saw her real face, he couldn’t help but notice she looked tired. The goddess took a break to close her eyes before looking down at the angel with a warm smile and quietly leading him towards another door…one that was way smaller.
The change in scenery was so drastic Pit had to rub his eyes as Skyworld’s soft breeze carried the sweet scent of fruit right through his nose. Feeling the sun on his wings once again felt freeing. Right after leaving the door, he felt Palutena let go of his hand. He turned back towards her in confusion. “
This is the garden, Pit. The trees here were planted before you were born. Feel free to explore.”
Pit’s mouth went agape as he took a look at the various lush plants that grew around him. He couldn’t help but follow the tantalizing scent of each sweet fruit. As he remembered the gardens of his past, Pit could recall many of the trees that grew here. He immediately noticed the broad leaves and winding trunks of the sweet fig. He recoiled at the sight of the thick, small-leafed olive tree: Olives were one of the few foods he’d never liked. However, the thin and spindly apple swiftly returned his appetite. These familiar fruits felt comforting to Pit, but amongst the laurels one peculiar tree piqued his interest.
The limbs of this tree wound up in spirals and tied each other in knots. Spindly little branches sunk down as they could barely hold on to the massive bunches of tiny leaves that clung to them in clusters. Yet somehow, these branches managed to find room for an odd-looking red fruit. Pit only managed to find one fruit he could twist off the branch. Its skin felt…hard, almost like the shell of a nut. He tapped his finger against it, but it didn’t make much of a sound. It didn’t seem to have much of a smell to it either, but surely it must be edible. This new discovery excited Pit as much as it confused him, and he ran to Palutena to see if she knew anything about this peculiar fruit.
“What you got there, Pit? A pomegranate?” Palutena inquires.
“A pome-what now?” Pit tilts his head in confusion. Palutena can’t help but laugh.
“Here. I’ll open this up for you. Check this out!”
“Woah!”
Palutena used magic to split open the pomegranate, revealing a cluster of little red gems inside. Pit was wowed - he’d never seen anything quite like this before! Now that the fruit was open, he could smell its tart sweetness. His mouth quickly watered and his little stomach growled furiously, but he still didn’t understand what this fruit was. Palutena took immediate notice of his perplexed expression and decided to sit next to him.
“Never eaten a pomegranate before, huh?” she asked, and Pit silently nodded. “It’s okay. They’re pretty weird fruits, aren’t they?”
Palutena handed Pit one half of the fruit, and she kept the other. “Here. I’ll show you how to eat them. Just follow me.” the goddess smiled as she picked up a little morsel of fruit.
“So, you see, the rind and the white part aren't edible. The little red cluster bits, on the other hand, are. So, to eat a pomegranate, you gotta eat that juicy red part.” She pops it in her mouth and chews. “Now, you don’t have to spit out the seed, but…”
Pit felt Palutena’s words get drowned out by his own hunger, and he started to wolf down every single morsel of pomegranate in his half. Each bite was an incredible experience. Each little gem of fruit exploded with flavorful juice in his mouth, and in his hungered daze he didn’t even consider spitting out the seeds. As red juice coated his lips, hands and chin, it honestly looked like a murder scene. However, Pit didn’t care what he looked like. He hadn’t eaten anything this fresh - this ripe - this delicious in ages! He continued to eat until not a single morsel remained, but as he looked back up, he felt his feathers rise. Palutena was watching the whole time, eating with such delicate grace and he just had to spoil it!
Despite Pit’s intense impoliteness, all Palutena could do was…chuckle? She smiled as she offered the other half - her half of the fruit to Pit. “Here you go! Y’know, I never considered but…you must be starving, huh Pit?”
Pit didn’t verbally respond, but his face grew as red as the pomegranate juice plastered on it as he slowly picked at the other half with the most poise and grace he could muster. His wings stayed puffed out as Palutena seemed to be hawkishly watching him eat. Damaged and dirty feathers piled around him as he ate, and Palutena watched on with a concerned expression. It wasn’t just his wings that were ragged - his tunic was covered in gunk and dirt, and his hair was snarled. The fruit juice covering his body didn’t help either. As Pit nibbled the last morsel of the fruit and placed the final seed in the rind, Palutena stood up, and Pit soon followed. Embarrassment still plastered his face and he stayed silent, but she took his hand once again and she walked him back into the temple grounds.
Not very many things could get Pit’s mind off of the extremely embarrassing moment he just experienced, but as he felt a familiar warm humidity circle him his shoulders immediately began to relax. Hot springs were the highlight of Pit’s journey, and this was the largest one he’d ever seen. Without even thinking, after Palutena guided him to the steaming bath he immediately sat down and let the warm water envelop him up to his nose. His wings slowly lowered as he closed his eyes. Warm water enveloped his hair, and the pleasant smell of lavender soap wafted through the room. He didn’t notice Palutena wading in the hot spring next to him, that is, until he heard the gentle splash of the rim of a wet dress. He opened his eyes, but diverted his attention away from the goddess as she sat down next to him.
“Hey...Pit…” she called softly.
“Mhm..” Pit mumbled.
“Pit…your feathers are falling out left and right. Look around you.”
Sure enough, the water around him was filled with feathers. His eyes widened as he found feathers of so many sizes floating around. He tried to look back at his wings, but as he tried to fold in his wing an intense cramp jolted through him and caused him to release a shuddering sigh. Palutena fiddled with her necklace anxiously as she tried to think of what to say.
“...Pit, how long has it been since you've cleaned your wings? Be honest.”
He simply sniffled and looked away.
“Pit, this is for your own good. I need to know so I can take care of you.”
Once again, she got more of the silent treatment.
“Pit…”
“They haven’t been cleaned since the attack, okay?!” Pit yelled. “I can’t preen them on my own! I tried, but it hurts! Most other kids my age could, but I couldn’t!” His voice breaks into a sob as he pulls his legs against his face.
Palutena leaned back and gave the kid space. She…didn’t think of that. She knew his wings were different, but she didn’t know he couldn’t even clean them on his own. She looked away and nodded. “Thank you for telling me. If that’s the case, I definitely need to clean them, okay?”
Pit silently nodded.
Palutena searched the perimeter of the hot spring and found the bristle brush next to the shampoo. She was careful as she approached the crying angel, making sure not to bother him more than he’s already been bothered. The first few brushes on the wing Pit tried to spread made him flinch, so she moved to the other side. No matter how careful she brushed, little bald spots still appeared, but that didn’t matter. Those feathers will grow back with time. What mattered was that he was comfortable in his new home. She paused to look at the little angel.
“Hey, Pit…” She uttered.
“What.” he snapped.
“You know, Pit…I missed this. I missed being able to care for people like this.”
“What?” That line seemed to catch Pit’s attention, he turned his head to the point where she was in his peripheral vision.
“Y’know…I loved being helpful to so many people. I loved seeing the people’s joy as I gave them bountiful harvests. When I was imprisoned in the underworld, I missed that more than anything.”
“But…but but…I’m only one angel! I’m not a whole town!” Pit stammers. “I mean, I know you like to care for others, but with everything you can do, why do you use this time to clean after my mess?!”
“Because I owe you.”
Pit remained silent for the rest of his time in the hot spring. He couldn't believe his ears. She owed him? The goddess of light…owed him her care? He was speechless. But he couldn’t deny that being clean and full for the first time in who-knows-how-long felt amazing, and it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go now…
Pit felt his eyelids start to go heavy as Palutena guided him out of the waters of the hot spring. The air felt cold once he left, but that feeling was soon smothered with towels. As he wiped himself dry and changed into a clean sleeping tunic, Pit swore this was the best he’s ever felt. For the last time that day, Pit took Palutena’s hand. The warm light of Skyworld’s sunset filtered through the temple’s halls and made the whole place feel more welcoming. It still didn’t necessarily feel lived-in like his old home, but he was sure that would change eventually. Eventually, the two arrived at a certain door, and for the first time ever Pit looked up at Palutena not with a look of adoration or shyness, but rather a smile of genuine gratitude.
“Good night, Lady Palutena,” Pit yawned as he opened the door to his new room.
“Good night Pit.” Palutena reassured.