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It went without saying that the lack of sunlight impacted nearly every aspect of life in the Underdark. Klaus knew this, of course, but somehow, it had never really occurred to him that this meant that there were no seasons, at least not in the same way as there were on the surface. Of course, this meant that any seasonal holidays had no real Underdark equivalent, and Klaus had found himself enjoying walking Kar'niss through each one.
Now, Eleint had arrived, and while it was a bit early to begin preparations for Highharvestfest, Klaus had a particular project in mind that he wanted underway sooner than later.
Behind him, he heard a sharp hiss, and he turned just in time to see Kar'niss's hand jerk up to shove his finger in his mouth.
"Are you alright, 'Niss?" Klaus asked with a frown as he approached. He gently took hold of Kar'niss's hand and lowered it to get a better look.
"The berries bite us," Kar'niss grumbled petulantly. A small bead of blood had already formed and begun to seep into the crevices of his knuckle.
"Hells, it got you pretty bad, didn't it?" Klaus murmured, gently wiping the blood away with his thumb to have a better look. It was superficial, certainly nothing to be overly concerned about, but he knew it must sting. He lifted Kar'niss's hand to his lips, kissing the scratch, and he smiled to himself at the blush that rose immediately to Kar'niss's cheeks. "You get the hang of it with practice."
Kar'niss scowled even as his cheeks grew redder and glared down at the bush as though it were sentient and had attacked him deliberately. Klaus stifled a laugh at his antics.
"Tell you what, why don't I finish up here and you can start working on hauling all these berries back?" He gestured to the several baskets that they had already filled. "It will probably take a few trips anyways."
Kar'niss followed his gaze with a frown. "...Very well." He hesitated. "He will be careful, yes? His skin is soft. Easy to break."
Klaus's face softened. "Don't worry about that. I've done this hundreds of times." He reached up to flick Kar'niss's forehead teasingly, carefully avoiding the additional eyes. "Besides, I'm not as delicate as I look. I can handle a thorn or two."
Kar'niss nodded and awkwardly lowered himself down as best he could so that his face was level with Klaus's, just inches apart. His body wasn't really made for crouching, and his legs quivered slightly from the effort of holding his body up as all seven eyes looked at Klaus pleadingly. Klaus wrapped his arms around Kar'niss's shoulders and closed the gap between them, Kar'niss's scarred lips scraping against his.
"I'll meet you back at the circus, okay?" Klaus mumbled against Kar'niss's lips before pulling away, "They should have finished with the fire by now."
Back by the campfire, a saucepan with water and honey bubbled on the coals, and Klaus sat cross-legged on the grass as he sorted through the berries, tossing aside the leaves and stems. "So what do you make alcohol out of in the Underdark?" he asked, glancing up to where Kar'niss was standing uncertainly over him, "Mushrooms or something?"
"...Mushrooms, yes. Marrult and orbloren." Kar'niss's voice was distant, almost dreamy, as he tried to recall. "We drank ulaver, once."
Klaus nodded. He wanted to ask more questions, curious what exactly a mushroom-based alcohol would taste like in the first place, but asking about Kar'niss's past, even only tangentially, was always dangerous territory.
"I'm almost done with these. So the first step will be to mash them up for the must."
"He has made this before?" Kar'niss tilted his head to the side in that way he always did that made Klaus think of an oversized puppy.
"Nope!" Klaus set the basket aside and picked up a large stockpot, smiling brightly as he dragged it over. "But I've watched people do it plenty of times. Usually with different fruit, but still. I imagine the general idea is the same."
Kar'niss frowned. "If it is usually different fruit, why did he want to find the biting berries?" He looked down at his finger. It had long-since stopped bleeding, but he scowled at it anyways.
Klaus began to transfer the berries from the basket to the pot. "Ah, now there's the clever part." He paused what he was doing to wink at Kar'niss. "Well, there's an old tradition that Elves are only supposed to drink dew on Highharvestfest. No one really follows it anymore, but I figured -" He gestured to the fruit. "- it would be fun to make a drink from dewberries."
From the blank expression on Kar'niss's face, Klaus knew he'd lost him somewhere. "...Why?"
"I don't know, it's fun!" Klaus laughed, "Who doesn't love some themed fare?"
Kar'niss didn't look convinced, but didn't argue, having accepted by now that Klaus did many strange things.
"You know," Klaus continued absently as Kar'niss began to crush the berries, "Highharvestfest is often a time when people will either make or renew oaths."
Kar'niss's head snapped up. "...Oaths?" he repeated warily, "What... kinds of oaths does he have in mind?"
Klaus chuckled. "Nothing in particular." He hopped up on a log so that he could more easily reach up to kiss Kar'niss's cheek with a wink. "I'm just telling you about the holiday, remember?" he teased.
Kar'niss blushed furiously and avoided Klaus's gaze. "...Right." A pause. "We would vow ourselves to him, if he asked us to."
Klaus rested his chin on Kar'niss's shoulder to watch what he was doing. "I know you would, 'Niss," he said, his voice suddenly going quiet, "But I'm yours regardless." He hummed to himself, and his usual playfulness returned to his voice when he added, "You can't get rid of me that easily."
An odd expression flashed on Kar'niss's face, somewhere between affection and incredulity. The two sat in silence for a moment longer, a docile sort of tension lingering between them before Klaus spoke again.
"I think that looks good. We just need the honey mixture in there, and then it cools for a little."
He rose to get the pan, but was stopped by Kar'niss taking his hand. Mimicking Klaus earlier, he kissed the tip of his finger, then released it.