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Description
The story is so damn long, hope you have a good read! For moderation purposes, I'll leave the aki breakdown at the top!

Aki breakdown:
1 Minimal - 0
1 Partial - 1
Tier 0 Shading - 1
Tier 4 Story - 20
Total:
22/1391 aki

Word count: 2286

Story time
“Ew ew ew ew!”

Ash's voice was almost a screech. He shook his hand, trying to get the goopy pumpkin strings off of it. “I hate goopy stuff” he mumbled.

He, his sister Ebony, Aqua and Sable were participating in the sprite festivities. He never knew of this holiday so he was a little curious about some of the activities.

He hadn't anticipated pumpkins being so sticky and goopy. He wished he hadn't offered to do this activity.

“It's not so bad, Ash. You'll get used to it.” His older sibling, Ebony replied. She was arms deep into a massive squash. Definitely covered in goop. Ash quivered, he'd never get used to this.

He wished he was back in S'Pentosa. He missed the desert heat on his body, the soft sand under his belly scale. He heavily disliked the humidity of Lelin'Kel. It makes him feel icky. He did appreciate the softer breeze.

He missed his old town. A town specifically made naga kels, kels just like him. There were no steps, or high shelves, or stairs. Everything was floor level, which was perfect! No struggles slithering up stairs, granted he started to get the hang of it.

In all fairness, he didn't really miss any of these things. He'd get used to working around the small town. What he really wanted back were his parents, and the closeness they had.

He missed the warmth of their hugs, their kiss goodnight and the lullaby they'd sing whenever Ash had nightmares. He missed-

“Ash? Are you okay?” The tall blue kel next to him gave him a worried llook. Her voice had broken his train of thoughts. He gave her a quiet nod.

“I am… I'm just thinking.” He looked back at the squash he had in front of him. While lost in thoughts, he had done his best to carve a face into the squash, but the eyes were crooked and the mouth looked a little like a frown.

“If you ever need to talk, you can always talk to me or Sable. It's good to think, but if you only do thinking, one day you'll run out of thinking space! You can't keep shoving thoughts in, you need to empty the box from time to time.” She patted his head gently, a smile on her face.

He thanked her, looking down at the ground, thinking about what she said. Emilia had said something similar to him in the past, not long after he and Ebony arrived in town. His thoughts trailed back to his first few months of his new life. He and his sister had came with Aqua and Sable. The two then-teens had went to S'Pentosa to help rebuild after the Tempesston migration.

He hated every part of the migration. The worst being when he and Ebony lost sight of each other. It took them about a week to find each other again. It was at that moment that Ebony swore to himself to never leave his sister's side.

Ebony and Ash had lost their home in the migration. The part of the S'Pentosan hatchery where they lived had been destroyed by the storm. It was the second time the two naga siblings had lost their home. A year and a half prior to the migration, their parents had disappeared and were never found.

Ash knows deep down that they won't come back, but he always is sure they were not abandoned. Maybe one day, he could find his parents again.

Now is their third home, the Lelin'Kel hatchery, is sure to not be their final home. It is only temporary, as they'll probably need to move out once their baby spots fully faded. Again, another home lost in the future.

He held back a sigh. He wished to have his old stability back. Maybe one day. No. One day, he'll have a place to call home forever, even if that day is far far away.

“Ash, are you coming?” Now it was Sable's turn to cut is line of thoughts. He, Aqua and Ebony were getting ready to leave to grab a bite to eat. He shook his head to chase the thoughts before quickly slithering after them. “I'm coming!”

As he left, he looked to their pile of pumpkins. His pumpkin's slanted smile really looked like a frown with all the straight toothy smiles of the others. Maybe it really is time to empty the thought box.

He slithered behind the group, keeping his head low and face almost hidden inside his hood. Ebony probably noticed, as she slowed down to let him catch up. As soon as she was to his side, she asked him “Are you okay, Ashes? You're hiding in your hood…”

“I just miss Pa and Ba. I miss back then, when we had a stable home…”

“Oh Ashes…” she hugged him. “You have me, I'll take care of you. As soon as I can, I'll get a job helping around and I'll get us a perfect home for the two of us. I promise.”

“Thanks Eb. I love you, sis.” Ash hugged back, a slight smile on his face. They continued slithering on behind Aqua and Sable. All they needed was each other. I'm home wherever Ebony is. Home is wherever she is.

As they continued towards the next activity, Ash's gaze fell on Aqua and Sable again. Some might find it strange that kelings were friends with adults, but to the sibling pair it wasn't. The blue and the red Kels have been there for them since their first encounter.

Ebony had found them during the migration, she even saved their lives! Despite it being a little over a year from the migration, the two Kels made sure they were comfortable and had some familiar-ish faces around.

Even when their last baby spot fully faded and they moved out of the hatchery, they still came by from time to time to spend time with the two naga Kelings. The two Kelings had a bad tendency to stay away from other Kels their age, leading to them not having friends outside of Aqua and Sable.

“We're here! Come on Eb, race you to the cookie seller!” Sable exclaimed, running away laughing. “Wait up! Cheater!” Ebony replied, rushing away after him.

That left Aqua and Ash alone together. Maybe now was the time to empty the thought box? It helped a little when he emptied it a little with Ebony, maybe it'll help even more with Aqua. Ebony always wanted for him to move on as fast as possible, or to shoulder on the responsibility.

“Aqua?” Ash asked, looking up at the blue kel. “Is it okay if I… empty my thought box with you a little?”

“Yes! I'm always here if you need to talk. Let's go sit over there!” She pointed to an empty picnic table. The main plaza of the town had been turned into a food plaza for the festivities. Many Kels used the opportunity to back some goods and share with the town. The two Kels reached the table and Aqua helped Ash sit at the table, the bench being a little high for him.

As she took her seat, she asked “What did you want to talk about?” Ash shifted in his place a little. “I've been thinking… a lot about my parents. I miss them… I miss having them…”

His gaze slided towards the ground. He couldn't look at her. “Back then it was easy. We had food, a home, Ebony didnt have to shoulder everything.” He clenched his fists. “Its be hard on me, on both of us. But I know that it has been the hardest. She's good at hiding her sadness… She probably has a lot of thoughts in her thought box.”

He was trying his best to hold back tears. He buried his face in his hands and hood. “I just wish we could have our parents back. I miss Pa and Ba. But they're gone…” Tears rolled from his eyes as his sniffed. He felt a hand on his arm.

He doesnt know what he expected to see, but he didnt expect compassion filled eyes like Aqua's eyes were. The corner of her mouth was turned into a slight smile. “It's okay to feel how you feel, Ash. While I cannot fully relate to your feelings, I want you to know that they are valid and it is more than okay to express them.”

The grey naga sniffed again, a shy smile creeping onto his lips. It felt nice being heard. He remembered trying to talk about this with Ebony, only for her to tell him not to worry, or that he had her and she was all he needed. Yes, he needed her, but he also felt like he needed something else. Maybe…

“Hey guys! There's some frozen hueberries for sale over there. They have orange ones, I know they're your favourite Aqua!” Sable called from a few tables away. His hand tail was holding a massive amount of snacks and sweets. This made Aqua shake her head with a playful sigh.

“Wanna come and get some hueberries, Ashes?”

“Yeah, sure!” Ash wiped away the leftover tears on his face. He grabbed Aqua's hand before she stood from the table. “Thank you, Aqua.”

“It's nothing, Ashes. Like I said, you can always come to me or Sable if you need to talk. Emilia can too when she's not busy!” Ash nodded and they left the table. Off to enjoy some tasty berries.

The rest of the day went by and it was now time to accompany the Kelings back to the hatchery. As they entered the large building, the two pair of Kels wished their goodbyes.

“Thanks for spending the day with us!” Ebony exclaimed. She had had fun all day, slithering around like a ray of sunshine.

“Hope you had as much fun as I did!” Sable laughed. His loud and clear voice almost echoed in the entrance of the hatchery. Ash liked that his voice was as confident and wished he would be as confident in the future.

“Want to accompany us to our room?” Ebony asked. The couple often did that, so the four of them would spend as much time as possible together.

“We do have something to do before heading back home, and it's getting late already. It will have to wait for another day I'm afraid, Eb.” Aqua said. Ash lowered his head with a small frown, saddened that the couple could not follow them further.

Ebony grabbed his hand as the the two slithered to their room after a sad wave goodbye.

•••

Time went by as the two spent time in their room. Their roommates were already sleeping in the upper bunk beds when they arrived. They sure had stayed out late. Ebony was drawing at the room’s desk, using a small lumi lamp to light what she was doing.

Ash was laying in his bed, unable to sleep. His mind was still racing the same thoughts he had all day. Hadn’t he emptied his thought box already? He sighed.

He rolled around in his bed, messing up the sheets in the process. He missed his old bed, it was way more comfortable than this one. His back ached from all the slithering around he did all day.

He was about to sigh again when there was a knock on their door. Ebony and Ash both looked at it, wondering who would visit so late in the day. “I’ll get it!” Ash explained.

As he got to the door, he struggled opening it for a few seconds. As soon as he could see who was on the other side, he jumped in their arms.

“Aqua! Sable! You came back!” Ash exclaimed, hugging the blue kel. Ebony also called out their name, rushing in for a hug too.

“How is it going, lil grubs?” Sable asked, ruffling the dark blue naga’s hair. “Missed us?”

“Yes,” thought Ash, although he would never say it out loud. He held Aqua tightly.

“Hey grubs, Aqua and I have a big question to ask you two.” Sable said. The red kel beckoned them to come closer. The two nagas edged to his feet.

“We’ve been thinking about it for a while and waiting for the house and the farm to be finished before asking but we’d rather ask you early.” Sable went on. Ash was a little confused. Why wait for their new house to be finished building?

“We wanted to ask you… do you want to come live with us?” The red kel’s head tilted to the side as he asked the question.

Ash's heart seemed to stop for a second, being feeling as light as a feather. A new home, finally, with all the kels he likes.

“You wouldn't have to call us Mom or Dad, but we'll have to adopt you so you can officially live with us.” Sable added.

“We'd be your guardians!” Aqua chimed in.

Ebony and Ash seemed too shocked to speak. Not knowing what words to use, the dark grey naga charged into Sable's harm, hugging him tight while tears… happy tears… filled his eyes. He was quickly joined by his sister, then Aqua for a the first of many group hugs.

Ash smiled. This was a new beginning. While he knew he couldn't forget and move on from his first parents, knowing that he could have two in the future warmed his heart. It might take a while to consider them as parents, but it won't stop them from becoming closer and closer.

Finally, Ash could stop worrying. The future is looking bright.

Description
The story is so damn long, hope you have a good read! For moderation purposes, I'll leave the aki breakdown at the top!

Aki breakdown:
1 Minimal - 0
1 Partial - 1
Tier 0 Shading - 1
Tier 4 Story - 20
Total:
22/1391 aki

Word count: 2286

Story time
“Ew ew ew ew!”

Ash's voice was almost a screech. He shook his hand, trying to get the goopy pumpkin strings off of it. “I hate goopy stuff” he mumbled.

He, his sister Ebony, Aqua and Sable were participating in the sprite festivities. He never knew of this holiday so he was a little curious about some of the activities.

He hadn't anticipated pumpkins being so sticky and goopy. He wished he hadn't offered to do this activity.

“It's not so bad, Ash. You'll get used to it.” His older sibling, Ebony replied. She was arms deep into a massive squash. Definitely covered in goop. Ash quivered, he'd never get used to this.

He wished he was back in S'Pentosa. He missed the desert heat on his body, the soft sand under his belly scale. He heavily disliked the humidity of Lelin'Kel. It makes him feel icky. He did appreciate the softer breeze.

He missed his old town. A town specifically made naga kels, kels just like him. There were no steps, or high shelves, or stairs. Everything was floor level, which was perfect! No struggles slithering up stairs, granted he started to get the hang of it.

In all fairness, he didn't really miss any of these things. He'd get used to working around the small town. What he really wanted back were his parents, and the closeness they had.

He missed the warmth of their hugs, their kiss goodnight and the lullaby they'd sing whenever Ash had nightmares. He missed-

“Ash? Are you okay?” The tall blue kel next to him gave him a worried llook. Her voice had broken his train of thoughts. He gave her a quiet nod.

“I am… I'm just thinking.” He looked back at the squash he had in front of him. While lost in thoughts, he had done his best to carve a face into the squash, but the eyes were crooked and the mouth looked a little like a frown.

“If you ever need to talk, you can always talk to me or Sable. It's good to think, but if you only do thinking, one day you'll run out of thinking space! You can't keep shoving thoughts in, you need to empty the box from time to time.” She patted his head gently, a smile on her face.

He thanked her, looking down at the ground, thinking about what she said. Emilia had said something similar to him in the past, not long after he and Ebony arrived in town. His thoughts trailed back to his first few months of his new life. He and his sister had came with Aqua and Sable. The two then-teens had went to S'Pentosa to help rebuild after the Tempesston migration.

He hated every part of the migration. The worst being when he and Ebony lost sight of each other. It took them about a week to find each other again. It was at that moment that Ebony swore to himself to never leave his sister's side.

Ebony and Ash had lost their home in the migration. The part of the S'Pentosan hatchery where they lived had been destroyed by the storm. It was the second time the two naga siblings had lost their home. A year and a half prior to the migration, their parents had disappeared and were never found.

Ash knows deep down that they won't come back, but he always is sure they were not abandoned. Maybe one day, he could find his parents again.

Now is their third home, the Lelin'Kel hatchery, is sure to not be their final home. It is only temporary, as they'll probably need to move out once their baby spots fully faded. Again, another home lost in the future.

He held back a sigh. He wished to have his old stability back. Maybe one day. No. One day, he'll have a place to call home forever, even if that day is far far away.

“Ash, are you coming?” Now it was Sable's turn to cut is line of thoughts. He, Aqua and Ebony were getting ready to leave to grab a bite to eat. He shook his head to chase the thoughts before quickly slithering after them. “I'm coming!”

As he left, he looked to their pile of pumpkins. His pumpkin's slanted smile really looked like a frown with all the straight toothy smiles of the others. Maybe it really is time to empty the thought box.

He slithered behind the group, keeping his head low and face almost hidden inside his hood. Ebony probably noticed, as she slowed down to let him catch up. As soon as she was to his side, she asked him “Are you okay, Ashes? You're hiding in your hood…”

“I just miss Pa and Ba. I miss back then, when we had a stable home…”

“Oh Ashes…” she hugged him. “You have me, I'll take care of you. As soon as I can, I'll get a job helping around and I'll get us a perfect home for the two of us. I promise.”

“Thanks Eb. I love you, sis.” Ash hugged back, a slight smile on his face. They continued slithering on behind Aqua and Sable. All they needed was each other. I'm home wherever Ebony is. Home is wherever she is.

As they continued towards the next activity, Ash's gaze fell on Aqua and Sable again. Some might find it strange that kelings were friends with adults, but to the sibling pair it wasn't. The blue and the red Kels have been there for them since their first encounter.

Ebony had found them during the migration, she even saved their lives! Despite it being a little over a year from the migration, the two Kels made sure they were comfortable and had some familiar-ish faces around.

Even when their last baby spot fully faded and they moved out of the hatchery, they still came by from time to time to spend time with the two naga Kelings. The two Kelings had a bad tendency to stay away from other Kels their age, leading to them not having friends outside of Aqua and Sable.

“We're here! Come on Eb, race you to the cookie seller!” Sable exclaimed, running away laughing. “Wait up! Cheater!” Ebony replied, rushing away after him.

That left Aqua and Ash alone together. Maybe now was the time to empty the thought box? It helped a little when he emptied it a little with Ebony, maybe it'll help even more with Aqua. Ebony always wanted for him to move on as fast as possible, or to shoulder on the responsibility.

“Aqua?” Ash asked, looking up at the blue kel. “Is it okay if I… empty my thought box with you a little?”

“Yes! I'm always here if you need to talk. Let's go sit over there!” She pointed to an empty picnic table. The main plaza of the town had been turned into a food plaza for the festivities. Many Kels used the opportunity to back some goods and share with the town. The two Kels reached the table and Aqua helped Ash sit at the table, the bench being a little high for him.

As she took her seat, she asked “What did you want to talk about?” Ash shifted in his place a little. “I've been thinking… a lot about my parents. I miss them… I miss having them…”

His gaze slided towards the ground. He couldn't look at her. “Back then it was easy. We had food, a home, Ebony didnt have to shoulder everything.” He clenched his fists. “Its be hard on me, on both of us. But I know that it has been the hardest. She's good at hiding her sadness… She probably has a lot of thoughts in her thought box.”

He was trying his best to hold back tears. He buried his face in his hands and hood. “I just wish we could have our parents back. I miss Pa and Ba. But they're gone…” Tears rolled from his eyes as his sniffed. He felt a hand on his arm.

He doesnt know what he expected to see, but he didnt expect compassion filled eyes like Aqua's eyes were. The corner of her mouth was turned into a slight smile. “It's okay to feel how you feel, Ash. While I cannot fully relate to your feelings, I want you to know that they are valid and it is more than okay to express them.”

The grey naga sniffed again, a shy smile creeping onto his lips. It felt nice being heard. He remembered trying to talk about this with Ebony, only for her to tell him not to worry, or that he had her and she was all he needed. Yes, he needed her, but he also felt like he needed something else. Maybe…

“Hey guys! There's some frozen hueberries for sale over there. They have orange ones, I know they're your favourite Aqua!” Sable called from a few tables away. His hand tail was holding a massive amount of snacks and sweets. This made Aqua shake her head with a playful sigh.

“Wanna come and get some hueberries, Ashes?”

“Yeah, sure!” Ash wiped away the leftover tears on his face. He grabbed Aqua's hand before she stood from the table. “Thank you, Aqua.”

“It's nothing, Ashes. Like I said, you can always come to me or Sable if you need to talk. Emilia can too when she's not busy!” Ash nodded and they left the table. Off to enjoy some tasty berries.

The rest of the day went by and it was now time to accompany the Kelings back to the hatchery. As they entered the large building, the two pair of Kels wished their goodbyes.

“Thanks for spending the day with us!” Ebony exclaimed. She had had fun all day, slithering around like a ray of sunshine.

“Hope you had as much fun as I did!” Sable laughed. His loud and clear voice almost echoed in the entrance of the hatchery. Ash liked that his voice was as confident and wished he would be as confident in the future.

“Want to accompany us to our room?” Ebony asked. The couple often did that, so the four of them would spend as much time as possible together.

“We do have something to do before heading back home, and it's getting late already. It will have to wait for another day I'm afraid, Eb.” Aqua said. Ash lowered his head with a small frown, saddened that the couple could not follow them further.

Ebony grabbed his hand as the the two slithered to their room after a sad wave goodbye.

•••

Time went by as the two spent time in their room. Their roommates were already sleeping in the upper bunk beds when they arrived. They sure had stayed out late. Ebony was drawing at the room’s desk, using a small lumi lamp to light what she was doing.

Ash was laying in his bed, unable to sleep. His mind was still racing the same thoughts he had all day. Hadn’t he emptied his thought box already? He sighed.

He rolled around in his bed, messing up the sheets in the process. He missed his old bed, it was way more comfortable than this one. His back ached from all the slithering around he did all day.

He was about to sigh again when there was a knock on their door. Ebony and Ash both looked at it, wondering who would visit so late in the day. “I’ll get it!” Ash explained.

As he got to the door, he struggled opening it for a few seconds. As soon as he could see who was on the other side, he jumped in their arms.

“Aqua! Sable! You came back!” Ash exclaimed, hugging the blue kel. Ebony also called out their name, rushing in for a hug too.

“How is it going, lil grubs?” Sable asked, ruffling the dark blue naga’s hair. “Missed us?”

“Yes,” thought Ash, although he would never say it out loud. He held Aqua tightly.

“Hey grubs, Aqua and I have a big question to ask you two.” Sable said. The red kel beckoned them to come closer. The two nagas edged to his feet.

“We’ve been thinking about it for a while and waiting for the house and the farm to be finished before asking but we’d rather ask you early.” Sable went on. Ash was a little confused. Why wait for their new house to be finished building?

“We wanted to ask you… do you want to come live with us?” The red kel’s head tilted to the side as he asked the question.

Ash's heart seemed to stop for a second, being feeling as light as a feather. A new home, finally, with all the kels he likes.

“You wouldn't have to call us Mom or Dad, but we'll have to adopt you so you can officially live with us.” Sable added.

“We'd be your guardians!” Aqua chimed in.

Ebony and Ash seemed too shocked to speak. Not knowing what words to use, the dark grey naga charged into Sable's harm, hugging him tight while tears… happy tears… filled his eyes. He was quickly joined by his sister, then Aqua for a the first of many group hugs.

Ash smiled. This was a new beginning. While he knew he couldn't forget and move on from his first parents, knowing that he could have two in the future warmed his heart. It might take a while to consider them as parents, but it won't stop them from becoming closer and closer.

Finally, Ash could stop worrying. The future is looking bright.