[NPC]

(( Colleen is setting the scene, and will post as Phen after it is set. ))

It was hardly just another day at the Fae Tree.

Whenever there was a celebration of grandiose nature in a nymph village, it was often held at the Fae Tree. It was just one of their many traditions. The celebration of Euphenia Vallas's birthday was no exception.

Though there were few people invited to the event, the decorations and the feast sprawled across a table long enough to rival the length of one of the Fae Tree's sturdier limbs made it appear that legions of folk would be arriving that day.

Which of course was the doing of Phen's grandmother, Reah. She had arranged voluminous draperies in the branches of the trees ringing the Fae Tree, making a wide circle of soft lavender, blues, and greens. The colors repeated themselves in the tablecloth covering the impossibly long table supporting what could pass for a banquet, and flowers matching those hues had "magically" sprung up overnight near the Fae Tree itself. That last bit was Keyx's contribution, though Reah had supervised. They were still working on the little details while the birthday girl sat on a one of the flowered benches by the food, her hands on her lap as she waited for her guests to arrive.

-------------------- ~+~ --------------------

It took effort for the woman approaching the Fae Tree's glen to make noise as she moved. The Way of Silence was her habit, and she wasn't the sort to welcome attention. Yet her usual ways often had to be cast aside when it came to her daughter. Her Untamed Sunshine lived up to her nickname in that in her presence, her mother's darkness had to hide in order to survive.

"They did it again," she thought as the majestic Fae Tree entered her field of vision. Secretly, it pleased Enyo that Keyx and Reah made such a fuss over Euphenia every year. It was a testament to how much they cared, and it made her Sunshine's short years seem sweeter to have a way to mark their passing. For it was a double edged sword, her Phen's birthday. Every one that passed brought challenges that she would not have had to deal with so soon were her anyeli blood dominant. Euphenia was the light of her life, and on occasions such as this, the reminder that her daughter's time was fleeting twisted a knife formed from dread in her gut.

The nymphs, they avoided her, all but for Phen's relatives. They knew the sight of a bringer of death when they saw one. They were polite, of course, though she was certain that was mostly for Phen's sake. Where she walked, she walked alone. Crowds cleared and let her pass, without really knowing why. Perhaps it was that tingle in the back of their minds that whispered, "A predator is coming. Let them through, and they will not take notice of you."

She kept walking, though she really wanted to fly. Keeping her black wings tucked behind her, Enyo strode forth in one of the many small ways she paid her respect for the people her daughter was half of. She would reach the party site soon, hopefully before any of the folk Phen had told her about would arrive. Enyo shook her head, her lips curved in a slight smile. Her little girl, using a COM. She'd half expected Phen to dismiss the ways of crystal technology altogether after moving in with the Matis household.

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

"I'm twenty years old today," Phen said to herself for the third time that morning, "And I have friends coming to my party this year."

It was hard for her to keep still, knowing that Dante, Kiel, and Lazuli as well as her mother would be showing up any minute, or so she hoped. The nyad's excitement had merely changed direction when Sanna decided earlier that one of the cloths draping the Fae Tree's grove was the perfect thing to practice her dive-and-bite hunting technique on. The angel snake had hit the linen just right to bring the whole thing tumbling down on her head.

"Silly girl," Phen fondly whispered as she pushed a hand into her hair to rub whatever she could reach of the nesting Sanna. She smiled when her fingers got nuzzled by a smoothly scaled narrow head. "I love you, my Lily. Thank you for the distraction, however unintended."

Quickly, Phen glanced about the grove, wondering if there was anything remaining that she could do to put her nervous energy to good use. The decorations were already up, and her gram probably didn't want her to mess with them, anyway. The food and drink was out, and arranged to Reah's liking. Again, rearranging those would likely get her scolded. The flowers were perfect, beautifully complimenting the linens her gram had woven. It was a clear, lovely morning, with the sun shining down gently through the protective leaves of the Fae Tree and the trees surrounding it. There was nothing to do but sit and wait.

"I'm bored, Sanna," she sighed, hating the feeling. Phen was someone who had always excelled at finding something to do. Maybe she just needed to put her imagination to work? "Well, I could practice the song I wrote for today," she considered, "Or I could Shape some of the drinks into something more inter-Mother!"

"I haven't seen you in ages!" Phen practically sang as she bounded from her bench to dash across the grove, throwing herself into her mother's arms. She knew her mother was strong enough to catch and hold her, which she, of course, did. "How have you been since we last spoke? Did you bring anyone with you today? Is that my present?"

Phen was one of the few folk who could make Enyo laugh. Chuckling at her daughter's enthusiasm, the skotadi warrior gave Phen one more loving squeeze before releasing her and pointed over to the bench the nyad had abruptly left. "Keyx and Reah really outdid themselves this year," she began, already starting to walk to where she had pointed, "I am well. No one came with me, Sunshine, and this is your present."

Enjo patted a bulge in one of the pouches attached to her belt with black leather swathed fingers, then gracefully sat upon wooden slats that were still warm, her dark wings tucked up and over the back of the bench. "So, tell me more about those we are expecting. What are they like?"

Though she would have rather been up and moving, Phen went and sat beside her mother to regale her with stories about Dante, Kiel, and Lazuli, though not necessarily in that order. Sanna poked her head out of Phen's hair a couple of times, only to be petted and cooed at before retreating back into her soft haven. The nyad poured all of her happiness of seeing her mother and the potential of her friends arriving into her tales, complete with dramatic voices and hand movements. It helped to pass the time, and besides, she loved sharing with her mother. That Keyx and Reah occasionally stopped and listened was wonderful, too. Phen felt surrounded by the warmth and comfort only family could provide.

[Kiel]

“Like, dude, mom, I gotta go. No, like, I really gotta go,” Kiel whined into his COM, his fingertips trailing through the soft fur on Shane's back as she lumbered along beside him. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to take her or not but, like, she totally hadn't left his side since they got back from Silas, hahahahaha. He liked it, you know? Zeph grumbled, but what else was new, hahahahaha. Besides, he figured Phenny would want to see the 'kin again, you know?

“Naw, man, I told you, mom, I'm going to Phenny's party. Yeah, it's today. Naw, Zeph's not coming. Like, 'cause,” he said, mimicking Zeph's deep voice, “I have too much work to do, Kiel, stop fidgeting and do soemthing.” Back in his usual voice, Kiel dodged a little girl and slipped through the portal, almost tripping over a twig on the other side. “Yeah, mom, I - wah! Dude, like, dude, this is crazy awesome, man, you should see this, they put, like, a ton of decorations up, hahahaha. There's this - Phenny! Phenny, man! Mom, I gotta go, Iloveyoubye!”

Lifting his free hand to wave vigorously as he tucked the COM in a leg pocket, Kiel bounced up and down. Catching Phenny's scent (or, like, maybe the snake's), Shane totally took off at a dead run, phasing from shadow to shadow so she wouldn't burn. Like, yeah. Kiel hadn't thought about the time differences when he'd decided to bring her, but luckily the forest was shady enough she shouldn't be in danger. Unless, like, she tried eating Sanna or something, hahahahaha.

“Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthdayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” Dashing towards the Nymph, Kiel flung his arms out ready to pick her up and swing her around and around again, giggling madly. Like, man, he was so excited, hahahahaha, it was like it was his own birthday all over again. “I totally got you a present, man, but you can't have it until you guess what it is, okay? Hahahahahaha, hi, hi!”

[Lazuli]

Lazuli looked quickly in a nearby fountain to make sure she looked fine enough for Phen's birthday. For this special day, she wore a frilly white dress with a soft, fuzzy robin-blue jacket that matched a similar blue bow in her hair, where a cheefle also slept. "Oh, little Chiko," she said lightly in amusement. "Don't mess up my hair, okay?" The cheefle poked up its head long enough to make a small, high-pitched grunt and went back to sleep.

Next, the nymph checked the condition of Phen's gift. In her arms she held a bright emerald-colored box striped in pale yellow, big enough for her to be holding with both hands even though its contents weren't that large. Yup, everything looked good. She gave herself a little nod and moved purposefully toward the portal, feeling excitement augmented by the fact that she would be returning to her nymphly homeland for the first time in months.

"I'm here!" she called out as she arrived at the Fae Tree, smiling happily at its welcoming magnificence, the shower of sunlight seeping through its leaves in tiny pieces. She took a deep breath of the fresh forest air and dashed over to join Phen and the others. Oh, Kiel was there, too! "Hello Kiel," she called with a grin as she watched the 'vari attempt to pick the other nyad up in some frisk of joy. She turned to Phen and held out her present. "Happy Birthday, Phen! I brought this for you -- open it whenever you like!"

She had had plenty of fun creating Phen's gift: an elegant golden pocketwatch customized to play tinkling music from a small music box system whenever it was flipped open. The watch had been specially commissioned with ivy designs and tiny colored jewels dotting the surface of its cover, and Lazuli had taken a long time picking out just the right melody from the music store. Lastly, a whole section of the New Alexandria library had been ravaged as she found the means to combine the two things with tools. Oh, and she had also sketched a picture of Phen in flight, settled neatly inside the giftbox.

Looking past her shoulder, Lazuli addressed the other party attendants--probably Phen's family--with polite nods and smiles. "Nice to meet everyone. My name is Lazuli Kitay." From ontop her head, her cheefle rose to sniff the air. "And this is my new friend, Chiko."

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

The irony of the moment what that Phen had been in the middle of describing her many "adventures" with Kiel when her friend showed up. She had just gotten to the part when Kiel first met Shane when the pair bounded over as if summoned by the story. The nyad might have been a little surprised, because it was Sanna that reacted first.

The angel snake smelled Kiel, which was a scent that she had first liked, but after spending so much time with Shane he and the 'kin practically smelled alike. The shadowkin to Sanna meant, "Danger! Fly away, fly away!", and so she slithered mostly out of Phen's hair and spread her wings, preparing to do just that.

Only Sanna had forgotten that her nyad had caught wise to her antics. Once the angel snake had been freed from the "linen incident", Phen had slipped the special harness that was her birthday present from her grandfather onto the angel snake. Amazingly, it was Shaped from wood and leaves, but was so supple and bendy that one might mistake it for an exotic type of leather. It also came with a leash, which Phen had wrapped securely about her left wrist.

The angel snake took off, reached the end of her leash, and hovered in midair with her wings flapping frantically. That didn't last long, because soon Phen was leaping up from the bench, her face beaming with joy at seeing Kiel and Shane. Then the nyad got scooped up and twirled about. Sanna went spinning as the leash corresponded with the movement its other end was secured to. The angel snake felt dizzy, the world was whirling by so fast, the smells by which Sanna defined her world intensified by the whipping of the air across her body. When the ordeal seemed to be over, the winged reptile wasted no time in reorienting on Phen scent and making a beeline for her nyad's hair. She curled up in the familiar softness, vowing to not leave it for the rest of the day no matter what happened!

"It's so good to see you, Kiel!"

Phen was definitely excited, though despite it she reached into her windblown hair to stroke Sanna in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm sorry, my Lily, but it had to be done," she thought, gladdened when her angel snake responded with the customary rubbing of her narrow head against her nyad's fingers.

"A present? You didn't have to, but I know I'll love whatever you brought. Wait, wait, wait! You have to meet my mother!"

Phen literally tried to tug Kiel to be closer to where her mother was still sitting on the bench, looking as cool and collected as cucumber in cream. That was one of her mother's traits Phen wished she could emulate. She got it right sometimes, but Enyo had it knocked. "This is the dracovari I was telling you about, mother. Kiel, this is my mother, Enyo Vallas, and you already know my grandparents."

Without missing a beat, Enyo's full lips curved slowly up into a pleasant smile that didn't quite reach her sea green eyes. "A pleasure," she murmured in an alto voice that was as demanding as it was quiet, "Phen speaks highly of you. It is good to see that she's made a friend."

"Lazuli!" Phen squealed, then bounced across the glen to try and hug her nyad friend, package and all, "I'm so glad you came!"

"Mother, this is Lazuli Kitay. The one who saved me from the River Cora," Phen explained as she tried to hustle Lazuli over to her mother.

Whether the nyads reached the bench or not, Enyo rose of her own accord and approached the pair. They likely came together somewhere between. As Enyo was being herself, she made no sound as she moved, and the blades of grass beneath her feet were hardly bent enough to show that they had been stepped upon.

Coming to a graceful halt before Lazuli, Enyo began to remove her gloves one by one before tucking them into her belt. Then, still in deliberate silence, she offered her daughter's friend both of her hands with their palms up.

Keyx and Reah knew what Enyo was doing, and they did not question it. It was the anyeli's decision to make as to whom she pledged her protection and loyalty. She had done the same for them a few years back, after they had accepted her into their household. Seeing that Kiel was a bit out of the loop, so to speak, Keyx decided to "save" the boy. "Over here, Chosen," the dryad instructed, beckoning for Kiel to head over to stand by the food table beside Keyx, "Taste some."

Keyx gestured to several dishes strewn across the pretty tablecloth in wooden vessels of varying shapes and sizes. Reah looked on with approval, nodding over to Kiel to indicate that he had her permission to proceed. Not that he needed it, of course, but it was her habit.

Phen also understood what her mother was up to, and didn't look all that surprised. Instead, she tried to take the wrapped present out of Lazuli's hands so they would be free to interact with Enyo's if the nyad so chose. While she was at it, she tried to get a good look at the adorable cheefle nestled atop her friend's head. "Greetings, Chiko," she whispered, wanting to be polite but also not wanting to spoil the moment.

Ignoring Kiel simply wasn't an option. Phen turned at hearing her pappa invite her 'vari friend over so try some food, and caught her gram's nod. They were warming up to him! The nyad grinned, delighted, and tried to murmur to Kiel before he made a decision whether to accept Keyx's offer or not. "You remember what you ate when you last visited? Well, this is ten times better! Gram put a lot of time into this meal, so it would be perfect."

[Kiel]

The pretty, Chosen. I smell the pretty! Shane's delight came in the excited jiggle of her tail and a lifting of her nose to the air to get a better idea of exactly where Sanna was. Kiel was too busy spinning Phenny to notice - Shane's reaction or Sanna's - but the 'kin totally got in on the action. Pretty going for a spin? Shane wanted one too, and so she danced around the pair at Kiel's heels, half attempting to snatch the snake out of the air mid-swing, and half just wanting to enjoy her Chosen's giddy dancing.

“Hahahahahahaha, shut up, man, you gotta get presents! But, like, you gotta guess, okay? Like, you gotta gu- Duuuuuuuuuu-uuu-uu-uuuuude, your mom's so cool, man!” he enthused as he let Phenny drag him over there with Shane right at his heels (like, literally, man, he must have stepped in something tasty 'cause she was totally checking out his shoes), kinda loud and totally staring. Phenny's mom was, like, totally bad-ass, you know? “Awesome tats, man,” he told Enyo, completely enthralled, “like, they're awesome, you know?” Then he asked Phenny out of the corner of his mouth, “You got any tats, Phenny, man? Hahahahahaha, I only got one, you know? Maybe I should get, like, a phoenix or some-”

“A pleasure.” Dude, so awesome, man.

“Hahahahaha, I know, right? Hahahaha, it's 'cause I'm so awesome, you know? Hahahaha, hi hi, like, dude, for sers, man, how long did it take you to collect all that art?” The second he spotted Lazzy, though, Kiel's attention switched to the Nymph and he flapped his arms in a frantic wave. “Lazzy, man, hey, hey, watcha get Phenny? Hahahaha, lemme see, lemme see! Make her guess, though, okay? Like, she has to guess, okay? Hahahahaha.”

He didn't know why he was so obsessed with her guessing, though. Like, he liked to guess what was in his presents, but it wasn't, like, a ritual or anything. It was just fun.

Except Enyo intercepted his friend before she could reach them or something, and Kiel pouted. “Aw, man, I've been dumped. So sad.” He couldn't help but snicker when Shane took him at his word, nuzzling against his leg and looking up at him sadly.

Chosen sad? My Chosen is sad?

He'd knelt to hug her and shake his head when Phenny's gramps called him over, and brightened considerably. “Ooh, food! Yum, I'm starving. Food, Shane, food!” And the pair raced over to the tables, grinning at Keyx and Reah. Even then, he waited for the go-ahead before touching anything. Like, it was just manners, you know?

“Oh. Mmm. Oh, man, that's, like, dude, you gotta try this, man,” he told Shane, scooping up a handful of some mushy green stuff that tasted like strawberries and chocolate so Shane could lick it off his fingers. “Dude, Reah, you're awesome, awesome!”

It was then that it sunk in Phenny'd actually spoken to him.

“Wah! Sorry, man, hahahahaha, I was so hungry. I haven't eaten in ages, you know?” If ten minutes ago counted as ages, which it totally did in Kiel's world. “Like, hey, hey, you opened Lazzy's present yet, man? You still gotta guess what I got you, hahahahahaha.”

[Lazuli]

Oh wow, everyone had gotten pets! Lazuli smiled down at Kiel's pet, a shadowy creature she had never seen before, and Phen's winged snake was absolutely beautiful. Since her arms weren't free, she jerked her head twice ever so slightly in an attempt to catch Chiko's attention without alarming the small cheefle. "Want to join them?" she murmured sweetly at her little darling, although she couldn't really see him. Chiko shifted ontop of Lazuli's hair to glance at his fellow pets, but did not seem to be very interested in their play. "Oh, I won't force you. Maybe later then."

She grinned at Kiel's obvious excitement. She was excited too! She held out the gift box to show him what could only be the wrapping for now, as the present had yet to be opened. "I don't want to spoil it," she admitted with a small laugh, "but I really do hope that Phen will enjoy it. And oooh, guessing is fun!"

At that time, the anyeli who had been sitting silently at the side came forward to meet her. Although she did not know anything about Enyo, Lazuli definitely felt that the woman deserved great amounts of respect -- she was Phen's mother, after all. She bowed politely and gratefully let the wrapped gift pass into her fellow nyad's hand when the birthday girl moved to take it. "I hope you like it!" she whispered quickly to Phen as Phen's mother glided forward, but quickly fell silent when she realized the reverence of the gesture. She smiled gracefully and took Enyo's hands warmly, feeling just a little shy at meeting Phen's mother. "It was a pleasure to befriend your daughter, my lady," she said softly, remembering with fondness their watery yet cookie-filled encounter at the river.

She was about to say more, but Chiko suddenly jumped off of her head. "Oh--!" The little cheefle flew the short distance to a nearby patch of grass and took several more dashes toward the nearest source of food, namely where Kiel sat.

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

"She is, isn't she?" Phen responded with a fond smile, again wishing that she were more like her mother. People respected her mother, and the anyeli had captured Kiel's attention faster than a fragrant pastry.

"You have a tatoo?" she asked, somewhat taken aback, when Kiel asked her if she had any of her own. For some reason, Phen had never pictured Kiel as having that sort of marking on his body. Then her curiousity kicked in. "Where, exactly?"

Then everything happened in a hurry, and Phen doubted if Kiel would remember her question. It was just as well. If the tattoo was somewhere questionable, she wouldn't want to have to be the one to explain to Kiel's boyfriend just why he'd exposed it in the first place. She was in enough hot water with Zeph already, at least according to her healthy sense of paranoia.

Reah smiled at Kiel's vigorous partaking of the refreshments she had worked so hard on, then plucked up a napkin as she headed in the dracovari's direction. Wisely, Keyx moved to be at Kiel's opposite side before Reah reached them. The older man took up a wooden plate and started to fill it as his wife attempted to lightly smack Kiel on the forearm with the napkin. It felt like cloth to the touch, but its was Shaped from grass. Keyx's talent apparently knew no bounds. "Despite rumors to the contrary, Chosen, we do use eating utensils in these parts. They are to your right."

Reah didn't sound upset. On the contrary, she seemed amused. Leaving the napkin draped across Kiel's arm, she took a step away from him to lift a plate from the table and offer it to their guest. "Have you tried the passion berry punch yet?" she asked conversationally.

Setting Lazuli's gift with the ones she had yet to open, all of them piled onto a soft but thick blanket a safe distance from the food, Phen hurried back to stand off to the side so she could watch her mother and her nyad friend interact. It wasn't every day that she got to witness her mother pledging her protection to someone, and this was a special case among special cases, for Lazuli was her only real female friend.

Phen glanced over to Kiel and did something that she'd become accustomed to sharing with him. A wink. It was something she had never done before leaving Silas, so her grandparents looked just a bit shocked before forcing their mannerisms to resemble what passed for normal, though they both seemed just a bit more jovial. If Enyo noticed, she gave no sign.

"It's alright, Kiel," Phen assured her friend, "Enjoy."

Then, as Phen returned her attention to what was going on between her mother and Lazuli, Chiko decided that it was time to launch towards the food. Uh oh. Phen slide her gaze sidelong and caught her mother's assessing look. Double uh oh. Enyo wanted her to take care of it. "Do not worry, Lazuli," Phen said with as much confidence as she could muster before she started to hum as loudly as she could.

Sanna poked her head out of her nyad's hair, flicking her tongue repeatedly to locate where everyone was and what was going on. Phen had been counting on that. The winged nymph turned her body so the angel snake was facing in the direction Chiko had dashed. As anticipated, Sanna took wing at the new smell, her curiousity driving her towards the source. It was either that, or she wanted to take a dip in the punch bowl. Phen hoped for the first.

Pearl and peach scales caught a ray of mottled sunshine and nearly glowed as Sanna flitted quickly towards Chiko. She wasn't a big snake, but her wings were rather impressive. They had to be in order to enable her to fly as quickly and accurately as she did, even if only for short bursts. When she got near the cheefle, Sanna hissed a tiny little hiss, one that was meant to be menacing.

"Try to keep Shane out of it, Kiel," Phen reminded the 'vari before focusing on a glass of water near the edge of the table. "Drive them back," she chanted in her head, widening her eyes as the gray in them lightened, "Bring them here. Drive them back."

Her element responded, pouring out of the glass in a rush that knocked it over and onto the grass. Spinning, the water tried to put a six foot wide circle of moving liquid between Chiko, Sanna, and the table.

Enyo had since stepped off to one side, blandly watching the proceedings. She was as if a living winged, heavily tattooed statue swathed in black leather. Only her dark gold hair moved, swaying in a gentle breeze.

Keyx and Reah weren't interfering, either. In fact, they had left to go and get some more things from their treehome, just in case.

(( Let me know if this needs editing, ladies. ))

[Kiel]

Unaware what Phenny was thinking about the placement of his tattoo, Kiel grinned around a mouthful of food, then thanked Reah with a muffled “Anoo” when she offered him the napkin. He might have blushed a little bit at being chastised over the utensils, but he was too busy grabbing a fork and tucking in to something colourful and squishy to realise he ought to be embarrassed. Besides, he figured if the Matises were really bothered about his manners, they'd set the forest on him or something, hahahaha.

Mouth empty for a second as he stacked his plate, Kiel waggled his elbow to indicate his arm, then jerked his chin at his biceps. He wouldn't have needed the gestures at all, since he was opening his mouth to elaborate verbally about the tribal tat around his upper arm (which he'd gotten in secret from a travelling tattoo artist (well, like, he wasn't actually a professional tattoo artist, and was travelling because of his actual job, but when he'd mentioned that he'd done most of his tats himself, Kiel had jumped at the chance and begged until the dude caved in) then been grounded for, like, ever, man), but then he heard Lazzy's "Oh!" and got distracted.

He'd pivoted to see what was going on, one hand holding a mountain of food stacked on what he assumed was a paper plate or something, his other hand clutching a forkful of salad, when he realised what the "Oh!" was about. “Wah!” He wasn't sure if it was a "wah! cutie pie headed my way, yay!" or a "wah, flying thing coming for me!" Probably more the first, but with his hands full there wasn't much he could do.

Not that he was really given a chance to react anyway, though, hahahahah. Just as Chiko caught Shane's attention and the 'kin started the butt-wiggling ready to pounce after the cheefle, Kiel acted on Phenny's warning, bending and moving his leg to block her. “Hey, hey, man, that's not cool, okay?” Her ears and head drooped, though, and Kiel suddenly felt like such a meanie-head, man. “Awwww, it's okay, man. Like, you can hunt whatever you want, okay, just not, like, you know, people's pets and stuff.” He wasn't sure she understood him, 'cause she was still totally giving him that hang-dog expression that made him want to, like, give her whatever she wanted. He would have totally dumped his plate and given her a hug, but, like, woah, man.

“Wah! Water, water!” He couldn't do much more than kind of stand there, probably gaping a bit. “Hahahahaha, that's so cool, man! Shane, Shane, isn't that cool?” The 'kin, hearing the laughter in his voice, totally took it as an invitation or something and started leapfrogging from shadow to shadow around the circle of water and back again.

[Lazuli]

Lazuli gave Enyo a hasty half-bow of apology when the chaos ensued. She sped off to chase after her pet, shouting, "Oh no Chiko, please don't!" She already knew that the little cheefle was extremely speedy and flexible, so he would definitely be difficult to catch. Ah, if only she had watched him better! Hopefully the situation wouldn't do anything to damper the party too much!

She was not really panicking of course, because Lazuli knew little Chiko would eventually return to her, but the matter was the food. She set a firm decision in her mind that Chiko would not receive any more than his fair share of Phen's party goodies. Knowing him however, the cheefle was out to get more. "Chiko, you mustn't be so rushy!" she trilled unhappily, reaching out an arm but unable to catch up to her fast pet. The cheefle zipped around in circle as he tried to get his cute yet pestery owner off his tail, squeaking in a barely audible high-pitched level in indignation. He just wanted all the food for himself, and for himself first! What was wrong with that?

Well.

Out of the corner of her eye Lazuli spotted Kiel shuffling to keep his shadow pet retained, and everyone else appeared to be in fairly safe distance from potential harm from tiny ninja mammals. She stopped when Phen created the water barrier, as did Chiko. Yes, this was her chance! "What a wonderful idea, Phen!" she praised her friend as she bent down to scoop a confused Chiko into her hands. Except the confused Chiko had other ideas.

As Lazuli lifted her arms back up, Chiko launched himself out of her fingers in a blur of silky brown fur, and then he was half-flying and half-surfing on the surface of the moving water Phen controlled. Lazuli couldn't help watching in wonder, but what could she really do? "I think that," she mused wonderously, "if his plans as I suspect them work out, he would fly straight into that cherry pie right there." She pointed with a nod.


(please ask if anything needs to be edited )

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

The likely location of Kiel's tattoo formulated in Phen's mind when he responded to her question with a gesture, that method likely chosen due to the distance between them. Giggling, the nyad nodded slightly, grateful for his choice of answer. If he'd raised his voice, there was no telling how any of the three animal friends that were present would have reacted.

Phen grinned at everyone's reaction to her little trick. Pride flooded her, but she didn't allow it to possess her mind. All it would take was one slip and her connection to her element could waver in strength. She was still trying to master the art of Shaping, and as her mother had always said, practice made perfect.

Yet the sight of Chiko skidding across the surface of the water she'd set into motion did the job just fine. The circle flexed as Phen started to chuckle, then collasped entirely when her laughter took over her concentration. "He's. So. Cute!" she gasped, holding her sides. Chiko had defeated another obstacle, his adorable determination rendering Phen into a helpless fit of the giggles.

Sanna wasn't nearly so impressed. Hissing in alarm, she flicked her wings with a sharp snapping motion just in time to avoid getting drenched. Then she made a beeline for the streaking cheefle. Why the angel snake was doing so was anyone's guess, because she certainly wasn't big enough to try and eat him. In fact, if it weren't for her wings and long tail with its tuft, his mass would dwarf hers.

Enyo remained unmoving but for her eyes and the occasional breath barely raising her midsection. If she were disappointed by how swiftly her daughter had given in to the cheefle's antics, it didn't show. Even her sea green gaze appeared to be neutral, as if she existed outside of the world. An observer and nothing more.

The effect was ruined, though, when the corner of her mouth started to tilt up into a tiny smile. It was the rare kind, for Enyo anyway, that reached her eyes and lit them from within. It wasn't hard to guess what had influenced the skotadi's expression, as her attention was fully on Phen in that moment.

(( Chiko has discovered one of Phen's weakness. Fear the cute.

To explain the situation, Phen is currently "captured by the giggles", meaning she can't do much while having her little fit of laughter. Sanna, however, is on the move, chasing after little Chiko. Enyo doesn't seem to be reacting to much anytime soon. I hope that helps!

UPDATE: This just in! Skyla, Emma wants you to go next, as this post is mostly geared toward what's going on between Phen, Chiko, Sanna, and Lazuli. Afterward we can resume the rotation ... and I will do my utmost to involve Kiel more. ))

[Lazuli]

Chiko's neckfur twitched as he sensed something or someone coming after him. He didn't bother to glance back to see who exactly was on his tail (even though he felt a distinct tingling feeling near his behind), because the oh-so-delicious and oh-so-nutritious cherry pie stood waiting for him only feet away now! His tiny paws padded across the water and with one final burst of momentum, the cheefle shot, as Lazuli had predicted, in the pinpoint direction of the cherry pie. It didn't matter to Chiko whether or not he got sticky pie juices all over his fur, because firstly he was not a girl and secondly said pie juices were delicious.

He slammed into it with a small splash of crumbs and knocking the pie tray a few dashes across the table. Now whether or not the angel snake followed him, he could hardly care. Foodies were his!

Just as the cheefle had buried himself into the lovely golden baked goodie so that his tiny brown fur blended into the pie, Lazuli had gathered herself from her wonder and quickly skirted past the giggling Phen and the quivering water. She stopped by the food table and lightly grasped the formidable pie tray with both hands. She picked it up and examined it with a sympathetic look. "Oh Chiko, look at you! You are covered in pie!" she exclaimed, half catching on to Phen's giggle fit. Well actually, she couldn't really see her pet beneath the layer of upturned cherry, and she had to wonder if Phen's lovely snake had managed to get herself in there too. She refused to pick at it because she did not know how many critters were in there, and it really was quite a mess.

Even so, Lazuli had to admit that Chiko had been absolutely adorable. Yes yes, he would be an excellent surfer! she decided with an bright smile. She hurried back to her friends with the pie in hand and stopped by Kiel, giving a glance around for his shadow pet, which she guessed had been missing in action. "Hmm... I suppose this pie is officially off the menu, right?" she suggested, looking from Kiel to Phen, hoping that the disturbance hadn't been too great. She cast a slightly nervous smile over at Enyo.

(( Sorry for the wait and please tell me if anything needs to be edited! I left it open for you, Colly, whether or not you want Sanna to follow Chiko into the pie As of now, Lazuli can't really tell~ ))

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

The fast moving smelly thing was skittering along the sparkling coolness, and Sanna was all too glad to follow after it. While Chiko made his efforts look super adorable, the angel snake was pure sinuous grace. Slithering at a fast clip, she almost caught up with the speedy cheefle.

Of course that was before the water wobbled and the fuzzy thing fled from Sanna's wrath. It spoke much of how impressive she was that the furry thing chose to be devoured by the flatland monster rather than have to face her! All of that red spittle the animal got covered in had to be acidic. It certainly smelled sweet enough to be. No doubt her target was regretting its decision, and was melting in all of that goo.

Fluffing her tail tuft mid-swoop, Sanna's wings flapped furiously to keep her from joining Chiko in the messy slop. She whizzed by, earning a streak of cherry juice along her tail, but otherwise the angel snake came away unscathed.

Worried that her tail would start bubbling at any moment, Sanna did a three hundred and sixty degree turn and splashed into the puddle Phen's efforts had left behind. She wriggled in the water, making sure to get all of the sticky stuff off.

Recovering from her paralyzing laughter, albeit slowly, Phen wiped excess moisture away from near her eyes before taking a peek at her mother. She smiled, trying to make light of the situation. "We have lots of food here, so one pie won't be much missed," Phen said as she turned so her words were be offered to Lazuli and Kiel, too, "He isn't in any trouble in there, is he? I don't suppose he could drown in pie fillings?"

Moving to be at Kiel's other side, Phen peered into the pie platter and tried to discern just which brown and red blob was Chiko. "Sanna," she called softly.

The angel snake looked up in the direction of the familiar voice. She had been preening herself, which was amusing to watch for firstimers. A snake cleaning feathers? Oh, come on! Flicking her tongue, Sanna narrowed down just where her nyad was, then moved quickly across the ground till she could press her cool head against the flesh of Phen's ankle.

"There's my Lily," she praised, abandoning her search for Chiko to bend down and retreive her pet.

Sanna needed little encouragment to wind herself around the back of Euphenia's neck. At one time the angel snake had been simply too small to do so, but after being with Phen for a little over two months, she had grown. Nuzzling the back of her nyad's hand, Sanna relaxed, letting her tail flop upon Phen's chest. She had her nyad so well trained that Phen didn't even comment on the dirty water that was starting to dribble down the winged nymph's pale skin.

"Here," Enyo said from just to the left of the little group. A tightly muscled, slender arm flicked out, then opened its fingers to reveal the white handkerchief that had been rolled up and tucked against its palm. The hemmed square of cloth slowly unfurled, till it lay limply upon the bronzed fingers of that hand, as if a sacrifical maiden waiting for a dragon to come and gobble her up.

Numerous designs flowed along Enyo's limbs, many of them tribal in nature. The tattoos were done in an ink that was deep black in places and yet shades of gray in others. If anyone's sense of sight could be trusted, then Enyo's tattoos' shifted in color according to how the light hit her body. Normal? Not bloody likely. Wait, wasn't she dressed earlier? When did the tall skotadi strip down to just a pair of black cutoff shorts and a sleeveless black top?

"Feeling better, Mother?" Phen asked in a playful tone, looking unconcerned about Enyo's sudden lack of apparel. It must have been what passed for normal between the two.

"Much," the woman smoothly replied, gliding closer without a sound so Phen could take the hanky and start wiping at her front with it. "Worry not about your pet," she advised Lazuli, taking a step away from the others to allow them breathing room. Or perhaps it was for herself that she moved away. "Come. We must settle this."

Enyo adopted the same stance as before, with her arms held out before her and her gaze steadfastedly focused on Lazuli's face.

Phen scooted a bit closer to Kiel and went up on tippy-toe so she could whisper by his ear. "Mother wants to show Lazuli her appreciation in the best way she knows how," she explained, "By declaring her allegiance. It means that whenever Lazuli needs her, all she has to do is call and my mother will be there."

[Kiel]

During the whole incident, Kiel had stuck to the food table like glue, sticky - and now totally greasy - paws all over a pheasant leg as he awkwardly clung to a plate piled high with goodies.

Like, normally, he'd be all "wahoo!" chasing Chiko and Sanna, man, but, like, for one, he was starved. Like, he was always hungry, you know, but he somehow was always hungrier when a feast like this was in front of him. But, for two, he was blocking Shane so she couldn't go after the two little critters. They hadn't been together long, and, like, you know, he still wasn't totally convinced they were bonded like Phenny had said, but while they had been together he'd learned better than to leave her unsupervised when tasty-looking critters were in the vicinity. Like, dude, man, she'd already snacked on a bunch of the imps that had started taking up residence in his back yard, and tried to eat Derry at least once. Well, like, he'd tried leaving her at home since it was daylight and everything, and he totally didn't think Zeph wanted a 'kin in his store, but she'd totally followed him anyway and made those puppy-dog eyes and stuff. How could he say no, you know?

So instead of trying to chase the snake-and-cheefle duet like normal, he was stuck in a corner watching, and trying not to choke on his food as he giggled at the madness. Was this how Zeph felt watching him chase around? Hahahahaha, maybe he was right that being responsible for Shane would iron him out, but, like, “I dunno, man, that sounds kinda painful.”

It was probably a good thing he was on the sidelines, though, man. Seeing Enyo's tats as she held out her arm, he totally would have grabbed her wrist and twisted her this way and that to check them out for real. Going on what Phenny had said and the way she kind of reminded him of a female Zeph (dude, wah!), he figured that would have totally been bad for his health or something.

But, like, “How come she gets all, like, pacty and stuff?” His bottom lip stuck out as he sulked for a second, wondering why the chicks got preferential treatment when he was Phenny's friend too, man, but then Shane's cold wet nose touched the hand that had fell limp at his side, and he almost tossed his plate in the air in surprise. “Wah, hahahahahaha, dude, you scared me, hahahaha, quit doing it, quit doing it. You want some food, man?”

She nudged and nuzzled at his knee, and he grinned down at her. He was back-handing her a huge chunk of, like, venison or something when Phenny reached up to explain what was going on. “Aw,” he sulked, although this time he was only joking, “Why can't I have my own slave and stuff too?”

But, like, that reminded him. “Hey, hey, man, you haven't opened your present yet!” Setting down the plate, he licked his fingers and then wiped them on his pants to get the grease off them, before diving one-handed into a knee pocket to retrieve a long, slender box. “Like, don't blame me for the wrapping, okay, I'm totally awesome at it normally but, like, Zeph was being all bossy and Shane was licking my ankle and then, like, I dunno, Derry tried to eat it or something I guess 'cause I totally turned around and it was suddenly all damp in places, but I didn't have any more paper and Zeph was all, like, "rawr, you've had your break, get back to work" and we were totally swamped with customers, man, and then, like, I totally forgot until this morning but then it was too late to go shopping so, like, happy birthday!”

[Lazuli]

"I think he will be just fine," Lazuli replied to Phen's voicing of concern. If not, she would definitely come to the rescue for her little sweetheart. She tentatively slipped a finger into the mess of pie fillings, attempting to dig up the hungry cheefle like the unearthing of treasure. Her eyes lit up when she discovered Chiko amid the sugar. "Ooh, there he is! I see him! Boy, he really doesn't seem to mind getting messy. I think he could study from Sanna."

She smiled at Phen's angel snake, giggling at the sight of the serpent fussily trying to clean herself-- such an opposite from Chiko. "Hi there!" she trilled gently to the elegant flying creature.

Chiko, on the other hand, was busy gobbling up the lovely pie that he had fought so hard to win. His furry expression was one of utter ecstasy. That is, until he finally noticed that all the stickiness had managed to trap the him into the pie. His movements came to a halt, and soon the poor gluttonous animal was struggling to free himself from the relentless pulling of molten cherry. He panicked. His fur! His fur was all stuck and gross! And his precious Nyad wasn't even paying attention to him?

But Lazuli eventually turned away from Sanna and looked straight down into Chiko's pathetically tearful, bulging eyes. Free me! Free me! they cried.

"Aw Chiko, look what happened to you." Giving her pet a sympathetic smile, Lazuli formed a liquid bubble from some of the water that had fallen onto the grass and encircled Chiko with it, making sure to leave a bit of air for him to breathe. A few scraps of cherry pie floated along inside the bubble. She set down the pie dish near the general trash disposal area and found an empty bowl that she guessed was for the use of the party attenders. She lowered Chiko into it, filling it with just enough clear water so that the cheefle would not be submerged.

She brushed stray crumbs off her hands and happily surveyed her handiwork. "There you go, Chiko! Now you can clean yourself."

Chiko stared up at Lazuli with wide grateful eyes and promptly began doing what he was instructed.

Meanwhile, Lazuli returned toward Enyo's direction, for the warrior had suddenly changed her apparel and appeared ready to do business. Lazuli looked at the anyeli's arms with curiosity, respect, and awe. She had never seen those kind of markings before, but somehow she doubted that just anyone could get them. She half-subconsciously nodded to Kiel's comment. He was definitely right about the "pacty" thing. How long could it have taken to train that body?

"Phen, you can go ahead and open my present, too!" she called to her friend before joining Phen's mother. She carefully placed her hands on Enyo's forearms, deciding that since Enyo had shown them to her, it must be okay for her to do so. She felt a tinge of excitement when she touched the markings. It was like they contained power or something!

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Having gotten somewhat used to Shane doing something cute to get Kiel's attention at often very moment that Phen tried to respond to something her friend said, the nyad was ready for Shane's "cold nose trick". She joined in with Kiel's giggles, and shifted to be to Shane's other side so she could try to get some pettings in. If she felt bad about possibly spoiling the moment between the Bonded pair, she gave no sign. Perhaps she was going by the logic that they had to have several such moments by then already?

"Mother's very particular as to who she offers her allegiance to," she began as soon as her fingers met shadowkin fur, "And while you are my best friend, Kiel, Lazuli saved my life."

Phen paused when a thought impacted her next sentence even before it fully formed within her mind. Then she started to giggle again. "Not that I want you to have to save my life, of course. I can only hope that my future is peril free."

Euphenia nodded in response to her fellow nyad's statement about Chiko not minding getting all messy. The comment about Sanna brought a grin to Phen's face. "I don't know how she could go about taking him in as a student, though," she replied after watching Lazuli poke at the pie some more, "They probably would just end up exercising all day long by chasing each other."

"He looks awfully sticky in there, Lazuu. Should I ..? Ah, good thinking," Phen complimented her friend as little Chiko got his opportunity to wash up.

It was then as if her ears started to twitch, and she just had to pay attention to Kiel once more. Phen had to admit that her 'vari friend had a gift. He could get Euphenia to giggle by saying almost anything, and she couldn't resist listening in on whatever he wanted to talk about as a result. He could probably have started a conversation about the different smells of socks, and Phen would eventually be doubled over laughing. Quelling the temptation to start giggling again, Phen snagged one of the nearby chairs and dragged it away from the food laden table. Then she plucked her bottom upon its seat and arranged her outfit with both of her hands as if she were seeking something for them to do other than eat or pet the pretty shadowkin that was rubbing the side of her head against her 'vari's knee. "I wouldn't call my mother that, Kiel. Not even in jest," she warned gently, shaking her head as her hands switched to her hair, "She's sensitive about that sort of thing."

Yet that was when Kiel chose to bring out Euphenia's birthday present, and as a result she got reverently quiet. She stared at the narrow box as if she'd never seen such a thing before in her life. In truth, Phen was really trying to build up the nerve to reach out and touch it. It was to be the first present that she would ever receive from someone other than her mother or her grandparents, and the meaning of that had crash landed into her heart the very moment she'd seen the evidence of the gift. It did occur to her after several seconds that perhaps her friend would take her silence in the wrong way, and that at last prompted her to speak. "It's beautiful," she murmured and brought her hands forth in an attempt to carefully try and accept her birthday present from Kiel.

"Phen, you can go ahead and open my present, too!"

Phen tried not to be overwhelmed by her friends' generosity, but she could already feel happy tears starting to build. "O-of course. Thank you," she called over to Lazuli, then turned to Kiel to ask, "Would you please get Lazuli's gift box for me?"

As per usual, Enyo had waited in relative silence. She stood steady and tall, a rock given the form of a woman and allowed to breathe.

When Lazuli's skin touched the skotadi's, Enyo's hand slowly swept up to echo the gesture upon Lazuli's forearms. They formed a kind of chain, the two women, and in many ways were a study of opposites. Enyo was the experienced and marked matron, with wisdom glowing in her eyes and battle scars aplenty scattered across her flesh, and Lazuli the tender and trusting young maiden, with skin soft and delicate as a dove's wing and eyes full of wonder. The tingle that Lazuli may have thought she'd imagined when she'd touched Enyo's tattoos was real. Enyo's element lived upon her, invited by more rituals than a dryad could shake a stick at. Lingering upon the assassin's body was power, the kind that existed before even Xanth was created, and without a sound it thrummed like an electric current.

It was from that echo of the essence of Shadow that Enyo drew as she bent down her head to try and rest her forehead against Lazuli's. "You saved my Euphenia," she whispered past stiff lips, "And in so doing, you have saved me. There can be no greater debt. May that which I owe be fulfilled by my vow."

The markings along Enyo's arms seemed to rise as if formed of smoke, but only slightly. Some lazily came forward, sliding along the women's joined arms like a cat looking for attention. "I, Enyo Vallas, daughter of Aellai Vallas, swear upon my life and my allegiance with the Shadow, to protect the woman with whom I now stand. She will be to me as a daughter, a comrade, and a sister. Should she need me, I will know. Should she call for me, I will know. I will know, and I will answer. So mote it be."

Tendrils of the dark wisps that were exploring Lazuli's arm broke off from the rest and sought to sink into the nyad's skin. The sensation was likely confusing, as they felt warm and then cold, switching between rapidly.

(( It's up to Lazuli if she fights off the stuff or not. I can at least say that it won't harm her? ))

[Kiel]

“Hahahahaha.” Kiel loved giving presents to people and watching their reactions. Like, okay so he only really had his family to go off, but despite them sharing the same kind of mentality, they all had even subtle differences, you know? Like, Pheebs would just stare blankly at him if he gave her something cool, even if she loved it. Laces would smack him on the head with whatever he'd given her, telling him to quit spending hard-earned money on frivolities even though she'd totally glomp him for it later. ChloChlo was all, like, kinda like him, you know, squeeing with glee and pouncing on him for a thank-you hug. Ray... Dude, that guy, even though Kiel admired the hell out of him, he sucked at being grateful, hahahaha, but at least his quiet 'thank you' was sincere.

Tad, on the other hand, was a total ingrate, man. Like "what, you couldn't afford the better model?" was a thanks? No way, man, even if he was only joking (most of the time).

Phenny was awesome, hahahahaha. She made it look like she'd never received a gift in her life before, and, like, you know, maybe she hadn't. He didn't know Nymphy customs, you know? In fact, come to think on it, 'Vari probably didn't do much giving, either. Too greedy, you know? Which kinda made him wonder who started the tradition in his own family.

“Open it, open it!” He bounced on his toes, completely oblivious to Enyo's ritual now that something exciting (that actually involved him) was happening. He couldn't wait to see if she liked the csarf he'd bought for her. Like, it was kinda smooshed 'cause he'd needed to wrap it up tight so it would fit in his pants pockets, but it was fabric so it wouldn't matter, right? “I totally would have got you, like, a bracelet or something, but, like, I was passing this boutique that sells, like, hats and fancy scarves and stuff, right, and I thought "Ooh, Laces'd like that, man" so I went in and then there was this, like, stand full of all, like, dude, you'd have liked it, man, I'll take you there some time so you can get a new cozzy for your show, okay?”

He bounced up and down on his toes again, fighting the urge to reach forward to rip open her present for her. It's not your birthday, Kiel, let your sister blow out her own candles or you'll be washing the dishes all by yourself!

To distract himself, he kept talking. “There was this really awesome windfur scarfthat, like, woulda totally cost, like, a month's wages or something so I couldn't get it for you, but then I saw this and thought of you and, like, I dunno, it's nice and warm for the winter, right, and it's white so I figured, like, you can wear it as part of your costume or whenever, you know? You like it, right? It's awesome, right? Hahahahhaha, I can take it back if you don't like it.”

(( I leave the description of the scarf to you, Colleen. ))

[Lazuli]

All else seemed to fade away when Enyo touched her arms. Lazuli felt herself locked in the anyeli's gaze, but it wasn't quite a bad sort of feeling. In fact, something like this had never happened to her before, nor had she ever felt the type of ancient power that coursed through Enyo now. It was exciting.

In a distance, Lazuli could hear Phen and Kiel murmuring excitedly about the gifts, and even the tinkling splash of Chiko in the water. But it was difficult to really place her attention on anything but the ritual that was happening now. She smiled when their foreheads touched and Enyo thanked her for saving Phen. She personally did not think that she had done much -- any person would have tried to save the struggling nymph, yet clearly it meant deeply to Phen's mother, and for that the memory seemed even brighter, making Lazuli grateful and happy.

She was about to tell Enyo that she was welcome, but the shadowy smoke that rose from the anyeli's arms halted any words that she might have had to say. Yet Lazuli did not pull away, because Enyo had just pledged upon her life to protect her. Perhaps Phen's nearby joy at receiving presents from her friends spread contagiously, but suddenly tears began welling up in her own eyes, which surprised Lazuli. After her parents met their end, she had largely relied on herself in life without really knowing that she had tried to do everything alone at first. So the words 'daughter', 'comrade', and 'sister' became extraordinarily powerful. That along with the immense magics of the Shadow made the moment a little overwhelming.

"Wow, thank you!" Lazuli said with the brightest smile and happiest expression she could muster, so that no one would mistake the glimmering tears coating the bottom of her eyes as anything other than that of cheer.

(From his bowl, Chiko sniffed the air, marveling about why his nymph was being emotional and if it had something to do with him.)

Lazuli continued to watch both in wonder and curiosity as the shadowy wisps sunk into the skin on her arms. She couldn't quite keep track of the sensation, so she simply waited to see what would happen.

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Euphenia's fingers trembled upon the box containing Kiel's present. Tears continued to well as her 'vari friend went on about where he found her present, how he picked it out, even the color and how warm it was supposed to be. Kiel rambled. He was known for it. Yet every word that he said rang within Phen's ears with crystal clarity.

With a swell of fondness and gratitude filling her heart, Phen steadied her hands and opened the box. She was actually rather glad that Kiel hadn't the time to wrap the gift, as then she would have felt terrible about tearing the paper. As things were, Phen was likely to keep the box. She was a sentimental girl, and it was her first present from a friend, so that meant she ought to treasure everything about it, right?

When she saw the scarf, Phen carefully eased it out of its cardboard prison and ran the material across one of her palms. The empty box sat upon her lap, forgotten for the moment. The scarf was cashmere, which was a very fine, very expensive, very soft and durable wool. She held a corner of the white scarf to her cheek and rubbed against the softness as if she were Shane marking something as hers. Tears fell, making thin rivulets down Phen's blushing cheeks. "It's perfect, Kiel. Thank you. Thank you, it's so perfect."

Sanna poked her head over Phen's shoulder, then slithered closer to her nyad's cheek to taste of one of the winged nymph's tears. Then she swept up another, and another. Either Sanna was trying to comfort her nyad, or she was drinking up the available water while it was available. It could even have been both. Euphenia didn't care which was true. She gently pet her angel snake, and received a nuzzling from the small serpents head in return.

"You are welcome, child," Enyo murmured as the tendrils of darkness affixed themselves to Lazuli's skin. It wasn't until the misty shadows began to finalize on a pattern did Enyo straighten, her hands sliding down till they could try to hold the nyad's in a gentle grip. "Now you are family."

The bits of Shadow had settled into a distinctive series of shapes. They looked as if someone had loosely wrapped Lazuli's forearms with leafy vines that sported the occasional rose-like bloom, then took the plants away, leaving only their shadows behind. The tingling sensation was still there, only less intense. It was as if a house cat had settled on each of Lazuli's forearms, ones that were purring without end.

"Come. We must not allow your gift to be ignored," Enyo instructed as she tried to give Lazuli's hands a soft squeeze, then turned to begin soundlessly walking towards where the nyad's gift was still waiting for its turn to be opened.

(( The tattoo isn't permanent, Skyla. I discussed it with Ems, and as it's done with Elemental Manipulation, as soon as Lazuli is out of Enyo's sight, the tatts will poof. On the plus side, they will return whenever Enyo is able to see Lazuli. I hope you like the pattern! I can change it if you don't, hon. ))

[Kiel]

Dude. Like, Kiel really hated when chicks cried, man. It made him feel like the worst kind of bully, you know? Like, and it was impossible to tell if they were crying 'cause they were overwhelmed with joy or about to hit him over the head with a two-by-four. Or, like, in Phenny's case, either drown him in jelly or set her snake on him, and, like, no offense 'cause Sanna was pretty and all, but he really didn't want her slithering around under his clothes, you know?

Just the thought made him want to jiggle like he had a ferret in his pants or something, and he really didn't think that would go down well with present company, you know?

“It's perfect, Kiel. Thank you. Thank you, it's so perfect.”

“Wah! Wah! You couldn't have said that sooner? Hahahahaha, I'm glad you like it, man, I was, like, I'm glad you like it. Hahahahaha, awesome, awesome.” He sort of backed up a teeny bit when Sanna appeared, though. Like, he didn't think anyone could have thoughts he'd just had, and then see the snake and not be nervous, you know? Even though it was kinda cute, seeing her do that.

Ooh, the pretty! Chosen, the pretty's heeeeeeeeeeere!

Shane's butt wriggled and her tongue swiped at his hand like she wanted his attention on her so she could show off her pouncing skills. Kiel “Wah!”d and jerked a leg in front of her, dropping to his knees to glomp his arm around her. She seemed totally confused, and was totally staring up at Phenny with a hungry gleam in her eyes, but her butt stopped wiggling. “Hahahaha, that was close. Hey, hey, Shaney Shaney, share my goo. What is this stuff anyway?” he asked as an afterthought as he turned back towards the food tables where he'd dumped his plate, eyeing from afar the green mess that tasted like strawberries, his head tilted like a curious bird. “I wanna try making it for Zeph, haha, he likes sour stuff, hahahahaha. He's a sourpuss, sourpuss.”

“We must not allow your gift to be ignored.”

“Ooh, gifties, yay!” Even though he'd just gotten Shane to follow him back to the food, Kiel pulled an abrupt about-face to see what Laz had given Phenny, getting all excited again. Shane must have figured it was a game, 'cause she totally mimicked him, spinning about on her hind legs and tumbling backside over brain. “Wahahahahahaha, dude!” Applauding enthusiastically, Kiel giggled. Like, people might think he was mean for laughing at her, but he just thought it was so adorable, you know? “Like, dude, that's so cute, that's so cute!”