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 Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2026 7:34 pm
Quote: The Lantern Festival (7) : Scientists have been hard at work trying to understand the strange, glowing qualities of the luminescent caterpillars found in the caves by the reservoir. The caterpillars still shrivel up if they are taken out of the caves but their glowing secretions have been processed into an organic paste that can withstand the outside world. The city is selling paper lanterns infused with various seeds. The glow paste is full of minerals to support healthy plant growth without risking damage to the environment; all lantern purchases come with a small packet of activating power that will heat the paste up enough to mimic the effects of a candle without the concerns of flammability. When the glow paste loses its heat, the lantern will return to the Earth and upon the first rain (or any contact with water) the paper will dissolve and the seeds may begin to grow. All proceeds from the lanterns are put right back into the community to support local conservation and environmental protection efforts. Judith has told him about it first, bringing it up casually while he’d been finishing up paperwork for the day to update her on changes to the schedule. She’d been hinting and nudging things his way, all in what he assumed was an attempt to get Kioshi to show up more or for him to bring more stationery and decorations for her desk. Thinly veiled bribery but she did good work so he didn’t mind it. The idea of letting lanterns loose seemed nice, something mundane enough that he went out and got some on his way home from work that very night. Seeing the lanterns, he couldn’t help but think that they reminded him of some of the things Kioshi had mentioned about Japanese mythology and festivals. Maybe they’d enjoy it, at least he would enjoy doing something quiet together that they could do in his backyard or at least close to home, seeing the lights on in his home, he wondered if they were there surprising him by cooking again, or if Omen had figured out how to break in and raid his cabinets again. Shaking his head, he slid his key into the lock and let himself in, being careful with the bundle of lanterns under his arm. “Hello? I’m home.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2026 7:36 pm
Living so close to his partner was nice, convenient even, it meant he could let himself whenever he wanted and help himself to things. Typically it resulted in him cooking, or cleaning, he’d done the laundry a time or two even. Most often it was cooking or him working on something, whether for work or school, but he never came over and did nothing.
He’d gotten out of classes today, and he didn’t have work, so going over to Lorcan’s sounded like a good idea rather than remaining at his own home. At first he’d worked on school work, setting aside anything he might want some help on, before drifting off to work on dinner for them both. He took his time, watching a video online to guide him, he wasn’t accustomed to making certain foods. He cooked asian dishes a lot, he knew what to do there and knew the flavors, but what he was making tonight wasn’t that. He’d aimed for something different as he stood in the kitchen with a hand on his hip while standing in front of the stove. Shirtless because it was warm, warmer than he liked, being where he was. One hand rested at his hip, a thumb hooked into a belt loop, as he worked.
When he heard the voice, because he hadn’t heard the front door, he called out though he kept his focus on the food. “In the kitchen.” He’d lost track of time, but he’d been busy, or he might have put some water on for tea. Being warm as it was he had a bottle of green tea next to him, with white peach flavor added to it, that was half empty already. Condensation trickled down the bottle as he reached for it and took a drink, setting it back down carefully, the food was almost done and then they could eat and figure out something to watch.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2026 7:38 pm
It took another few moments for him to juggle things and put his work bag and coat in the closet before heading towards the kitchen with the lanterns in tow. Seeing Kioshi shirtless wasn’t a surprise, and in a way he was glad for it both because of the view and also because he could see how that large back tattoo was healing. They’d been resting more, and he’d made sure they were eating on a better schedule so that they wouldn’t get run down again.
“I bought these on the way home, Judith mentioned them, and I thought it might be something quiet to do since I’m off work tomorrow.” Holding up the stack of folded paper lanterns, he set them aside on the kitchen table before coming to stand next to his partner.
“Thank you for dinner. I had planned on eating something from my meal prep stash before bed, but this is a nice surprise.” Fresh always tasted better, but with his schedule, there were times it just wasn’t possible.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2026 7:38 pm
Turning to glance at what Lorcan had brought he knew what they were, he’d seen them a few times over the years, they weren’t just some pretty lanterns to let off but they helped the environment and were biodegradable which he certainly appreciated. Something to do together, an activity, was nice…warming even in a certain way he had been getting used to over the time they’d been dating.
“I thought you might prefer a fresh meal, and it is healthier.” Shrugging as he spoke, it was true, and while he knew the other had a small stash of meal preps, Kioshi knew this was the better option. Leaning into the others side, bumping him gently, the darker haired male moved his gaze from the lanterns, finally, and focused on the other's face. “Sounds like I’ll be sleeping over tonight, since neither of us will disturb the other by getting up too early.” Not that either of them were much the sort to sleep in, at least not really.
“If you want, while this finishes, you can grab a shower and change into bed clothing.” Might as well since it was likely bed right after eating, or shortly thereafter. “I have some homework i was working on before deciding to work on dinner. I left a few sticky notes with questions.” The question, the ask for help, wasn’t needed.
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