Elara, having snuck away from the center of the party, grabbed her brother's arm and called his name, spooking the boy. Of course, she had found him at the exact moment he began eating. “Mhhh, Mhhh! *Swallow* What is it?”

“Come’ere, over here! I have to show you something!”

“What, what’s the matter,” he asked. He was more than adjusted to her erratic behavior, but he was in the middle of speaking to his guests.

“I can’t say. It’s a secret, follow me,” she rose onto her toes to whisper into her ear. The rest of the group smiled at the young girl and her brother as Elara whisked Ander away from the circle, leaving the older folk to converse sans a younger tongue. It proved challenging moving amongst the sea of people, especially with the energy of Elara’s sharp movements. Eventually, she came to a stop, planting her feet and raising a finger to point off into the distance.

“It’s Layla! She came,” Elara said with glee, tugging at Ander’s arm. “You should go talk to her.”

“Me?” The young man said, feeling his nerves creep up on him. “What do I have to say to her?”

“I don’t know, come up with something,” Elara scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. “You always talk about wanting to get closer to her, don’t you? Well now’s your chance!”

“Ela, Ela!” Mr. Idris called over the crowd, searching for the young woman. “Ela, where’d you run off to?”

“I have to go,” she shot him a knowing look as their father loomed closer. Being the center of attention, she was no doubt in a constant state of attendance with their father. He wanted to brush off her suggestion and return to his small alcove with the rest of the folks, but if it was something so important that she had run off to just to help him, he really couldn’t refuse. “Don’t waste your chance, Andy.”

“I suppose I can’t, can I.” He steeled himself for what was to come. She showed up on her own accord, clearly, she’d be happy to speak with you, a part of his mind called to him, egging him on. There also came a cynical voice in his head. Rubbish! You’ll only embarrass yourself. I say we cut our losses and run back to Mr. Alchov.

“Oh, shut up and do it, you pansy,” he said to himself in a whisper. Taking a deep breath to puff out his chest, he collected himself and approached the lonesome Layla. In spite of the cool evening air, he felt himself begin to sweat, if only a little.

“Hey, Layla!” He called, hoping he could mask his nervousness with a strong ‘hello’. “You made it. I wasn’t sure if you’d actually come.”

“Well, I was mulling it over,” she teased, looking up at the sky with a finger on her chin. “But then I remembered your mother’s the best cook this side of Sylrel, and so here I am!”

“Ahh, makes sense,” he said, feigning nonchalance. “Did you come with your uncle? The man’s been talking my ear off for the past half an hour.”

“So he’s been his usual self?” She grinned, “that’s good to hear.”

“As cheery as ever, I’m afraid. He came this close to spilling the beans on what I got for Ela.” He used his fingers to emphasize how close Mr. Alchov had come to ‘spilling the beans’ in regard to the chocolate crisps.

“Did he now? That loudmouth!” Layla groaned. “He did the same thing when I snagged my parents some cream puffs for their anniversary. Sometimes I just can’t with that old bag.”

“Oh, but he is a fine man, isn’t he,” spoke the young man, feeling Mr. Alchov deserved some praise even in light of his transgressions.

“That he is, that he is,” Layla cut off a piece of ham from her plate but didn’t eat it. “Say, I have a favor to ask. Just a small one, I swear.”

“Yeah, what’s it about?”

“Tomorrow my uncle’s got some deliveries coming in from Ver Del. Mostly flour and whatnot, but there’s set to be a lot of it. I heard from Mr. Adrisaal that you’re quite good at picking things up and putting ‘em right back down, so I wanted to see if you would fancy helping me with unloading them? It’d be an hour's worth of work, tops.”

“I’ll see you're paid for your work too,” she said hurriedly, almost in a nervous tone. “It’d be in the morning, around the same time you stopped by today. Do you think you could make it? It’d be a big help. Honest.”

“Ahh, y-yeah, sure, absolutely,” he forced himself not to reply in jubilation. It was an absolute miracle on his end. “I’d be happy to. Anything to help out Mr. Alchov!”

“Great, thank you, thank you a ton,” she said with a smile. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but her cheeks had been discolored with a patch of light red. A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard, picking up her brunette bangs in the wind. “You’re a lifesaver, you know that?”

“I do try,” he huffed, looking away from the girl, worried she would see how red in the face he had gotten whilst talking with her. Even though it was a day to honor Elara, he just happened to stumble upon an incredible gift of his own. An hour alone with her, he thought to himself, here’s to hoping I’ll be able to fall asleep tonight!

“Ladies, gentlemen! Children and the elderly, and also Beatrice Willard, may I have your ears for a moment?”

The commanding voice of Mr. Idris called over the crowd, putting a mute blanket over the party as he stood on a wooden chair at the front of the courtyard. Beatrice, flattered by the man’s words, called out. “What a wise young man you are!”

Laughs broke out amongst the guests, setting the tone for a jolly speech soon to be delivered by Ander’s father. He hadn’t noticed, but as everyone’s attention had fallen on their host, Layla had taken a small half-step to stand closer to the young man. 

“I would like to begin by thanking all in attendance. What a great lot we have here!” Mr. Idris raised a glass, as did all the rest in attendance.

“Here!”

“Here here!”

“Tis’ true!”

“As I’m sure you are all aware, we gather here today to celebrate the thirteenth year since the birth of our beautiful daughter, Ela!” He motioned towards Elara, who was at his side. She put on an endearing smile and waved to the crowd, who responded in equally jolly cheers.

“I am honored, as a father, and as a friend, that you have all taken the time out of your busy, busy lives to celebrate the day with us.”

“A right lie that is!” Called Aaron Alchov, Mr. Alchov’s brother, and Layla’s father. Laughs broke out again at Mr. Idris’ mention of their ‘busy lives’. The man had a fine way of speaking to crowds, none could deny this.

Mr. Idris raised an open hand, requesting that the crowd would restrain themselves to allow him to speak. The sun, now setting on the horizon, painted the sky with a mirage of pink and orange exuberance, backing the man as he spoke.

“From my heart of hearts, I can say with absolute certainty that I could not have asked for a better lot in life. We may not be blessed with much in the way of material ownership, or property. But what we don’t have in wealth, we have in abundant love.”

The crowd rose in affection with the man, saying thanks to their own families and friends, spurred on by the touching words of their host. Mr. Idris continued.

“We may not have a guarantee of tomorrow, or even today. No one knows what lies ahead, for any of us. But what we can guarantee is what we have now. We have our friends, we have our families, and even the odd strained relationship, or unfriendly kin.”

“He’s talking about you, Vernand!”

Mr. Adrisaal rolled his eyes as his wife yelled out the statement, pulling her in to plant a kiss on her forehead. 

“So let’s raise our mugs. With mead, or without,” Mr. Idris raised his glass again, calling out to the superb crowd. “To celebrate another year with our beautiful angel, and another year together!”

“And many more to come!”

“Aye, here!”

“Here, here-here!”

“Drink for all! Let no one stay sober!”

Ander could only watch in astonishment as the guests turned their level of liveliness up to an eleven. Dance and song broke out as everyone resumed their drinking, with Elara at the center of it all. Of course, being thirteen, she didn’t dare touch any form of alcohol, but even without it she proved to be a fine center of attention. He stood there, smiling and shaking his head at their rambunctious attitudes and foul, yet joyous words. It was then he noticed Layla’s closeness, which seemed to sober him up.

“You really do have it all, don’t you?” Layla said with a sigh. “What a gift little Ela is. How I wish I had a sister of my own.”

“There's certainly some lows,” Ander felt the need to mention the downsides to having such a manic sibling. “But words can’t describe how much I adore her. I guess you’re right, I may as well have all I need.”

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Hours had passed since Mr. Idris’ speech, and as the night grew older, so did the partygoers and guests grow rowdier. Songs were sung in Elara's name, rejoicing her for having climbed the next stair on the route to adulthood. Ander, keeping his wits about him, stayed clear of those who had overindulged in drink and festivities, as surely nothing good would come of his interactions with them. People were painfully honest, and dangerously open when they were inebriated. One mistake could land him in the middle of an embarrassing story about his time as a little lad. Not that anyone would care, but in his mind, it was the peak of embarrassment.

“Go on, Ela! Open it, open it!” Came the lively Beatrice, hanging over the young Idris as she fiddled with her gift. With deft hands, Elara unboxed it and procured a fine silk dress from the box. A flowing garment of red and white, the young woman promptly held it close to her chest as she beamed up at the elderly Willard.

“Oh, I love it! Thank you, Aunt Beatrice, thank you!”

“Hear that? She still calls you aunt, you old witch!” Came Mr. Alchov, who himself had a bit too much to drink.

“Takes one to know one, Alchov!” A voice came from the watchful crowd.

“Now that,” Mr. Alchov paused to take a swig from his drink. “I cannot deny!”

Roars erupted as the two elders embraced one another, calling their counterparts demeaning names, all in good faith, of course. More presents were sent in Ela's direction, all of which she accepted with humility and untamed excitement. Alongside the dress was a new pair of boots, a set of combs, some toiletries, a few articles of headwear and gloves, along with a fine set of silver earrings. The pair were gifted from Mrs. Lekhov, the wife of a local shepherd, and another friend of the Idrises.

Now late into the night, the gathering was still as buzzing as ever. The families with younger folk were made to depart as the day faded from the sky, but those without any serious dependents continued to savor the festivities. Without anyone noticing, mostly due to copious amounts of beer and mead that had been consumed, the two Idris siblings had made a clean escape from the party. They found themselves scaling the group home beside their own, setting up shop on its clay roof overlooking Sylrel. The climb was requested by Elara, but before mounting the building, Ander had made a quick trip to his room to procure his own secret gift.

The roof gave them a fantastic view of the town, including the Vellera spirals of central Sylrel. Belonging to the elite, the towers were a pinnacle of wealth and power, as well as a home to their governor and lords. In addition to this, the roof allowed them to stay within earshot of the party, taking in all the obscene and downright hilarious comments made there.

“Look, that's Hacher's Communion!” With a finger pointed at the sky, Elara gestured to the outline of Hacher's Communion, a constellation named after Hacher, the god of relations. It resembled a long table with figures seated along it, as closely as a constellation could resemble anything, quite frankly.

“Hey, and there's Tallon's Perch!” She added. To the left of Hacher's Communion was a cluster of stars that looked like a watchtower, and it was aptly named after Tallon, the watchman god. Every god had their own sanctioned constellations, as did the lesser gods and even some mortal heroes of their world. 

“Hmm,” Ander nodded his head, amazed at tonight's visibility. Unlike during the day, when the sky was a tapestry of white and blue, the nighttime above wasn't tarnished by a single cloud. The two of them were reclined on their backs, taking in the cosmic ballet, reflecting on the day they had so thoroughly enjoyed.

“Do you think he sees us, all the way down here?” Ander turned his head to look at Elara, whose eyes sparkled with stellar light.

“Of course he does,” she mouthed. “He's the watchman god. He sees everything.”

“Yeah, but, does he see us? Does he care about us, even the little people?”

“The gods love all mortals, Ander,” she sat up on the slanted roof, propping herself up with her right arm as she communed with Ander. “At least that’s what I’ve been led to believe.”

“Mhh, maybe,” he pondered the thought aloud. “It's just hard to imagine gods at war with each other, isn't it? They're immortal: they can't die. What's there to fight about?”

“It's hard to imagine anything about the gods, at least that's how I see it,” she lied back down with her hands behind her head. “A thousand years they've been fighting. I've been alive for only thirteen years, and it's felt like forever to me.”

“That’s ‘cause your whole world is only thirteen years old… For them, thirteen years must go by *snap* like that. Living forever just seems so, I don’t know, impossible. Seeing everything - living through all of time - how could anything be special to you if you've seen it all?”

Elara let out a sigh, shifting her legs into a comfortable position as she spoke. “I suppose it's just a different way of life, really. It's just like, well, I'd say it's just like how one can't imagine how a rabbit lives its life. Living in a hole, unable to speak, alive for not even a decade. I feel bad for them for how short their lives are, but I can only assume that in their eyes, we live too long to see anything as ‘special’. I guess how we see rabbits isn't all that unlike how the gods see us. Just a thought.”

“Oh, speaking of special,” Ander, being careful of his balance as he stood up, was reminded of the special package he brought with him. Walking over the crest of the roof, he bent down and retrieved the paper-wrapped box, walking it over to Elara's side where he promptly sat down. “You’re gift.”

“A gift?” She looked at the box, plucking at the string binding it together. “I thought we were all done with gifts.”

“Oh we are, but this is a special gift.”

“And why's that?”

“It's ‘cause it's from me, dummy, now open the darn box.” He playfully elbowed her as smiles adorned both their lips. Elara, glancing between Ander and the gift, slowly undid the string bow, letting it unravel around the paper wrappings. Beneath the brown surface was a dark velvet fabric, aligned with trims of glistening metal and wood. A bronze latch held it close, and as her fingers began fiddling to undo it, the two held their breaths as she unveiled the contents.

“No… you didn't!”