“My shining comet, come. I must show you the new tapestry in the dining hall. I’m sure you will absolutely love it!”

Niruk turned away from his scroll, giving his mother a polite nod. In reality, he’d already seen a glance of the new artwork when he walked past the room in the morning. The servants must have put it up during the dark hours, when none of the house members were up. 

Niruk’s parents kept forgetting that requiring their child to wake up early every morning of his childhood had resulted in him being a morning courser. When Niruk had reached his adulthood, his mother and guardian had both retired from their early morning facade, and slept until midday. But Niruk was a courser of habit, and went to bed early just to wake up when the sun rose. 

Niruk nuzzled the scroll closed and pushed it neatly next to the other ones. His table was clean and militant, just the way he liked it. And judging from the proud smile on his mother’s face, so did she.

“Is this the tapestry guardian commissioned from the Shining Guild?” Niruk inquired as he walked to join his mother down the hallway. His mother nodded, her eyes closing for a moment.

“Yes! And what a piece they delivered - I will never question her decisions, she truly knows where the highest level art is produced. She could truly make it a career, if she wanted!” his mother sang her partner’s praises.

Niruk hummend and nodded. He sort of wished his guardian did do that - maybe she’d be home slightly less. Being cooped up in the house seemed to have an adverse effect on her, even since she had to retire from dungeoneering. Mother had been a cozy homebody her whole life, but being married into a noble family didn’t inherit his guardian the same trait. 

Mother pranced giddily the last few meters, stepping into the dining hall with an awed gasp. Niruk followed suit, acting out a gasp of his own. In reality, he wanted to turn his ears back and groan.

The tapestry was larger than the other ones in the room, which made it stand out. It was clearly designed to be the centerpiece, being placed in the perfect middle area of the wall, the first thing one saw when walking in. 

It was a tapestry of Niruk, of course. 

The string version of him was on his back legs, rearing to face a comet in the sky. Pearlescent colors shone in the artwork, glimmering in his mane and tail and the comet itself. 

“It’s wonderful, mother”, Niruk said with a pensive smile. It was hard to pretend happiness, but if he was lucky, his mother would think that it was just all the decorum training making him neutral in mannerism. 

Her smile seemed to drop the slightest bit, but then it returned full force. 

“Once your dear guardian comes home, we’ll have dinner. I’m sure she has much to tell about the process! Both the making and the commissioning itself!” she gushed. 

“Where is she right now?” Niruk asked, drawn to changing the subject. 

“She is out to talk with the guild, I think. Not the Shining Guild - but Crispin’s dungeon guild. They sent word for her, so she of course went immediately. No slowing down that courser, truly!” his mother laughed, the sound a bit too sharp to be genuine. 

Niruk nodded deeply and hummed.

“Of course. Send for me when she returns - I still wish to finish the chapter on the edible roots before dinner”, he said. His mother nodded absentmindedly, still staring at the tapestry with a smile on her face.