Quincy's footsteps were a whimsical dance in the midst of the bustling crowd. His vibrant eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light, a reflection of the Dreamer's Moon's influence. Humming a whimsical tune that seemed to ripple through the air, he skipped along, his sense of direction seemingly at odds with the flow of the crowd.
Bumps and apologies followed in his wake, the occasional
"Excuse me?" or
"Sorry?" escaping his lips as he merrily collided with the nearby elementalists -And yes, he expressed these phrases in the form of a question. Toes were trodden upon, and grumbles rose from those in Quincy's path as they paid him annoyed glances.
As Quincy continued his merry jaunt, Ennui perched on his shoulder, her expression a mix of concern and exasperation. She watched the chaos unfold, occasionally glancing at Quincy with an incredulous shake of her head.
“How strange. There’s so much excitement in the air tonight.” Quincy said.
Ennui couldn't contain herself any longer.
"Quincy," she sighed, her voice tinged with exasperation,
"I believe there might be a reason for this excitement in the air."Quincy tilted his head, pausing in his skipping to regard Ennui with wide-eyed innocence.
"Oh, absolutely, Ennui! It's the Dreamer's Moon, you see. Its energy is positively invigorating today!"Ennui's face met her palm in a display of despair.
"Quincy, for the love of dreams, look around you!"And so, with a perplexed expression, Quincy did. His gaze swept over the vibrant scene, the stalls adorned with elemental wonders, and the dancers twirling with elemental grace. It was as if he was truly seeing it all for the first time.
"Ah yes, the festival! How fun!" he declared, a sudden burst of realization lighting up his features.
With the same carefree enthusiasm, Quincy flung his Dreamcatcher garment towards a nearby unsuspecting victim. Instead of a simple toss, the netting seemed to extend, magical threads weaving and spiraling in the direction of the throw. The man's eyes widened in surprise as began to ensnare him.
“Wobbleflap!” The man shouted in shock.
Quincy gasped. Appalled by the man’s language.
“My, my, what a potty mouth this one has.” He said looking at Ennui. A comment which earned him a groan from Ennui and a befuddled look from the man Quincy captured.
With a tug from Quincy the extended netting vanished, leaving Quincy's garment back at its normal length.
"Watch where you're throwing that thing!" the man exclaimed, rubbing his nose where the netting had briefly ensnared it.
“Oh but I did.” Quincy replied with a warm smile.
“Just look at the wondrous dream I captured!”The man arched an eyebrow and muttered ‘weirdo’ under his breath as he decidedly moved in any direction far away from Quincy. In fact, Quincy’s actions seemed to have bothered enough of the crowd that he now had a wide gap of space surrounding him.
Ennui, unable to contain herself any longer, buried her face in her hands, her shoulders slumping in dismay.
"This,-" she managed to say, her voice muffled,
"-is why you don't have friends, Quincy."“Nonsense!” He said.
”I have plenty of friends!”“Like who?”“Remember King Arion?”“You mean the King you drove to insanity over a century ago, which ended up leading to the usurpation of his throne?”“Exactly! That’s the one! The two of us are best of friends!” Ennui gave him a flat stare
“He’s dead, Quincy.”Quincy shot Ennui with a stunned expression.
”Since which?”Ennui shrugged.
“He was human, Quincy.”Quincy stared at her with a clueless gaze as if expecting more.
Ennui sighed.
“You know… Human… they live a few decades at best.”“Ah right! Of course. Huuuuuuuuuuuuman.” He said as if trying the word for the first time. -It was not the first time he said that word...
He casually glanced around at the empty space the crowd had given him and determined that this should be a good enough place as any.
Reaching into his sleeves, he pulled out a tiny dream catcher from his sleeve, the one containing his old home. A tiny dream conjured shed that had been taken by the Abyssal Convergence a year back.
Ennui eyed the dream catcher with concern.
“Quuuuuuiiiincy…” She said warningly.
“Yes, my dear?” “QUINCY! NOT HERE!”Too late! With an exuberant flourish, Quincy tossed the dreamcatcher onto the ground. As soon as it touched the earth, an explosion of motion burst forth as Quincy's unassuming dream-conjured shed expanded before the crowd, causing them to gasp with astonishment.
The once-modest structure, conjured before the crowd, bore the unmistakable marks of the Abyssal Convergence's touch. Its timeworn walls seemed to ripple with a faint, shadowy energy, casting an unsettling aura upon the scene.
Quincy gazed upon his reclaimed abode with a mixture of fondness and sorrow. The shed held memories of simpler times, a sanctuary of dreams, but now it bore the scars of its encounter with the malevolent force. He could feel the lingering presence of the Abyssal Convergence, a reminder of the darkness that had briefly claimed his cherished refuge.
As the shed settled into its newfound space, the air around it seemed to hum with an otherworldly energy. Suddenly, from within the corrupted walls, a swarm of tiny, mischievous creatures burst forth like an animated cloud.
These were the notorious Flittergnats, Abyssal beings with a penchant for harmless yet incredibly annoying antics. With their incessant buzzing and penchant for rearranging furniture in absurd and inconvenient ways, chaos erupted in Quincy's once-peaceful shed. Chairs were inexplicably hung from ceiling lamps, and tables were upturned in inexplicable configurations.
The townsfolk stared in bewilderment, their initial astonishment quickly giving way to confusion and then panic as the Flittergnats continued their whirlwind of disorder to the ongoing festival. The elementalists nearby raised their eyebrows, clearly taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
"By the elements, what is happening?" one of them exclaimed.
"It's here! It's here! The Abyssal Convergence is here!" another townsperson cried out, misinterpreting the chaotic scene before them.
The panic spread like wildfire through the crowd as people comically scrambled away from Quincy's shed and the troublesome Flittergnats, fearing the arrival of the Abyssal Convergence itself.
