[NPC]

Ooc:

Played by Dora

Ic:

Luna heard Faroah's squawk, and knew it to be one of protest, but ignored the frantic noise, curling up around the soft squeezable doll that looked like a slightly fatter her. Of course... it was fatter because of the plush held within it... not because Jack was fatter. Although, Luna probably would say so. Looking at her new found toy, her eye's caught sight of the shiny reflection of gold within the plush dragons eyes. Shinies? On a plush? What a way to ruin it. Examining the jewels, Luna moved her paw to latch onto the bead with a sharp claw, ready to remove the otherwise perfect plush from the imperfection tied onto it.

Just as her claw was about to snag the thread holding the delicate jewel to its surface, Faroah wrapped himself around her body, his neck interfering with her plan. Pulling back her head sharply, ready to hiss much like a cat... something Luna had picked up along the way, her black beady eyes caught sight of his scarlet jewels. Hearing him utter mine, she just about scowled, ready to port away with her new plush anyway. Before her brain could process any of it however, he continued to speak, promising more than just a single doll. Tilting her head, she looked from him to her doll, then back. For now, she would go get more plush. And later... she would come for this one. Hopefully he would not become clever overnight and hide it from her. Although what Faroah wanted with plush Luna did not know. Probably the jeweled eyes. Those she would leave. But the doll was hers. Even if she abandoned it for a short amount of time.

Nodding to Faroah, moving forward, she reared up, placing her front claws upon his side, ready to enjoy the ride he was to give her to this new promised plush.

Credit to Google & Pipers Boutique

[Loranth]

OOC: Faroah has teleported himself and Loranth from the ending of this thread. ^^

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

One moment Loranth was riding Chenoan, the Gryphon Therian, the next, she was sprawled on a large pile of glittering things. Her mind barely had time to register the feeling of something small landing on her back a smidgeon of a second before the sudden change in her environment. Her stomach was in her throat still as the effects of being teleported wore off. It was such a gut-wrenching feeling if one was unexpecting it.

She grimaced at the position she'd landed. It was pretty much an extension of how she'd been perched on Chenoan, but instead of laying on a soft warm living being, she was a laying on countless pieces of cold, sharp items, none of which she could see, except for the glittering hilt of a sword sticking out of the pile of treasure a few inches away from her nose. Her eyes came in and out of focus on this particular item, as she tried to figure out just where she'd been teleported to. She tookd a few deep breaths and tried to keep quiet. She couldn't imagine a collection of jewels and gold and shiny things this large would go unguarded, and her imagination suggested a large beast dragon as a possible owner of such a treasure room.

She wondered if she should stay still until she knew the coast was clear, but it was such an awkward position! Her arms were practically pinned beneath her and her body protested strongly. Lora decided to sit up, slowly and carefully. Her right cheek was yelling at her for landing in such an awkward fashion. As she propped her torso up with her left arm, she rubbed it gingerly with her right hand, surprised that she wasn't bleeding. She cringed at the amount of noise her movement created. Little pings and chimes mixed with the sound of metal scraping in metal echoed around her as the treasures settled back into place once more.

She was probably very lucky she hadn't skidded forward more on her landing - her eyes picked out several things that would've been extremely dangerous to land on, including the hilt of that sword in front of her. Here and there, she saw things that would've been far more comfortable to land on, however. Large satin cushions dotted the small mountains of shininess that filled the space before her. Finally getting her legs under her, she grimaced again as she realized one of her knees had been skinned in the second unexpected landing she'd had today.

That'll teach me for wearing a skirt to go get coffee. Where the hell am I? She wondered, looking around. Wherever this place was, it was truly amazing. She'd never seen such a number of jewels and expensive looking cloths and gold in one place.

[Faroah]

Faroah was not unaccustomed to crash-landing. He was easily distracted and it was far from being the first time he'd fallen flat on his face while in pursuit of a new treasure.

It was the first time such treasure bit back.

Faroah lay on his back where he'd landed amid all his shinies, one wing broken and torn, the other folded awkwardly beneath him. A vicious gash across his underbelly was bleeding profusely from where his new pretty had gouged a piece out of him when they collided upon impact. He was in so much pain he could barely breathe for precious moments, yet he still was trying to reclaim his prize. His tiny arms strained to reach for it, but it had fallen a good foot away from him and was sparkling tauntingly at him, baiting him to injure himself even more.

Finally regaining his breath, Faroah screamed, a horrid and prolonged sound filled with pain and confusion. Somehow, despite all his clumsy antics, Faroah had never been badly injured and, like an infant, couldn't understand what was wrong with him or why he hurt so badly.

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Wonderland Effect ¤ Meilin Wong ¤ Anime Rain ¤

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

The sound of her beating heart had just subsided in her ears when Lora heard the piercing sound of something screaming behind her. Frantically, she turned around, skinned knee forgotten as she scanned the glittering masses for the source of the cries.

It was hard to pick out anything moving among the glittering piles of items. As she scrambled to her feet, the sound of the metal once again grinding and jingling from her sudden movement almost drowned out the sound of whatever was making the desparate noises. The sound of the cries seemed to bounce off of the treasures around her, making it hard for Lora to pinpoint exactly where they'd come from.

Lora climbed forward a few steps up the pile and realized that the sound wasn't as far away as she'd thought....

Before her lay a small red crumpled heap of Imp Dragon. It looked very much like the one she'd seen in the Quadrangle a few days ago, but this one was in much worse shape. Instead of being a radiant little chittering being, this Imp Dragon was a small, horribly frightened and alarmed ball of pain.

The poor little dragon had landed worse than she had, and seemed to be in an extreme amount of pain. Her eyes widened at the positioning of its small body. One of the miniature creature's wings appeared to be badly broken, and she could see through the thin skin of the webbing that connected the wing's small bone structure.

She edged a bit closer to the suffering creature and squatted, taking a closer look at its injuries. A red stream of blood was rapidly flowing from an incision in the soft lateral scales of the dragon's abdomen. Lora couldn't actually see much of its other wing because it appeared to be under the poor creature's back, probably crumpled like the other. But amazingly, despite of all of its obvious injuries, the little Imp Dragon appeared to be reaching for a small black crystal of some sort.

Kneeling, and once again reminded of her skinned knee, Lora pushed her hair back behind her ears. She had to do something to help the poor thing. There was no way she could walk away from this and not hate herself.

She reached over and plucked the black crystal from its bed of gold and inspected it quickly. From the blood still on it that had transferred to her fingers, Lora guessed that this was the offending object that'd caused the wound on the dragon's underbelly. She winced at his cries, and quickly went to hand the poor creature the crystal, in hopes that it would calm him enough for her to be able to figure out how to fix him. She wiped her fingers on her skirt and whispered a prayer to Xanth for strength and wisdom. She'd never actually healed anyone before, since choosing her sept, but now was as good a time as any to learn her chosen art...

[Faroah]

Faroah's cries were hurting his throat but he couldn't calm down. He was so frantic and upset that he hadn't even realised he was in his own home. All he could think was that the odd black not-diamond had hurt him and was escaping, and that he wanted his Xanth. Where was his Xanth?

The noises from Loranth's movements finally registered in his tiny mind and Faroah became ever more frantic as he struggled to roll over onto his belly so he could run away from whatever new threat. Typically, he didn't even consider teleporting away, but because of the damage he'd taken, he could barely move. He was still struggling, his arms and legs kicking frantically, when the Dragoness took his shiny.

It had hurt him, but it was still his, and he told her so! "Ine!" he screeched, his voice hoarse and his throat sore so that the noise became more of a squawk. But then she held the pretty out for him and he paused, hiccuping softly as he stared at her, his eyes and snout wet with tears. Tentatively, he reached out and accepted the treasure, sniffing and whimpering, and held it to his mouth between his foreclaws to hold for comfort. Hearing Xanth's name in her prayers, Faroah sniffed. "Aff." Yes, he wanted Xanth. Where was his Xanth?

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Wonderland Effect ¤ Meilin Wong ¤ Anime Rain ¤

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

She watched in amazement as the little dragon's claws grasped the black crystal after a desperate squawk of, "Ine!" followed by a small hiccup emerged from the creature. Lora had never seen something so small and so vulnerable be so stubborn before. Seeing this behavior gave her a glimmer of hope that the charming creature would survive its injuries. Certainly fate wouldn't let such a fighting spirit be snuffed out so quickly?

She continued to pray, willing Xanth to hear her, "Great Goddess, I ask that you watch over us as you watch over all of your children. Please let my healing prevent this little one from any further harm, and let his or her ails be mended. Lend me your strength and wisdom for this purpose, in this time of need. In your name, it will be done."

She stared into the Imp Dragon's little eyes, willing it to stay still as it brought the crystal to its mouth.

Gingerly, Lora reached forward to apply pressure to the Dragon's most obvious wound, willing the bleeding to stop, and the damaged tissue to heal itself. When her fingers made contact with the wound, she felt a strange tickling feeling in her chest as she accessed an energy she didn't know she had. Suddenly this energy came running down through her arms and into her hands, making her tremble and shake as it rushed forward to the little creature, spreading not only to the initial wound in its abdomen, but to its wings as well.

For a few seconds, Lora was surprised and thankful that she didn't have to focus too strongly for her powers to start working. And then something in the direction of the energy shifted. It didn't feel the same anymore, and instead of rushing out of her, was rushing into her.

Loranth knew that something was innately wrong with what was happening and her mouth hung open in a panic as she tried desperately to control the overwhelming amount of energy that was pouring into her body. All at once, Lora's upper body was on fire. Another searing pain swept through her body, starting in her stomach and roaring across her back. Roaring in pain, Loranth fell backwards, unable to break her fall. Both of her arms felt like they were broken, and she was on her back unable to really move much because the pain was too great.

She couldn't believe the amount of pain she was feeling, nor how fast the injuries from the Imp Dragon had been transferred to her. If she'd known the consequences of healing an array of such injuries would be this great, she would've certainly gone for help first, but the dragon probably wouldn't have made it by the time she found any. She moaned as another wave of fire flashed across her stomach to her back. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to roll onto her side and curled up into the fetal position, arms on fire infront of her. She could see blood running down one of her arms and when she looked at her shirt, she almost passed out from the amount of blood that was soaking through it.

She tried to sit up but failed miserably. The pain was just too great. Tears ran down her face as she lay on the gold and jewels, sobbing uncontrollably. She tried to yell out for help, but was unable to form words...all that escaped from her mouth was a low moan of pain, "HEEEEEEEEEAAALMPH..."

OOC: GM with permission.

[Xanth]

As much as she would like to, Xanth could not keep an eye on Faroah every second of every day. For one thing, his movements, when he was active, were extremely erratic and following him on his treasure hunts even mentally took a lot of energy. For another, no matter the dynamics of their relationship, he was not her pet and he deserved her respect. Even knowing his penchant for accidents, Xanth also knew he had an uncanny way of getting out of trouble without too much help from her. And although her great fear was to one day see him die, she fully expected his death to be from old age and not any great or tragic accident.

It took her a few moments, then, to realise he was injured. She immediately teleported to his side, her wings and tattoos in full view as her wide eyes relayed her panic, to find that he was already healed and none the worse for wear. Struggling to make purchase on the unstable piles of gold beneath her bare feet, Xanth nevertheless bent to snatch him up into her arms, cradling him against her chest to coo down at him. Her eyes squeezed shut on a wave of emotion so strong it made her hair ripple as if tugged by a strong breeze, and when her eyes opened again they were burning fiercely.

Xanth fixed her attention on the screaming Dragoness at her feet, her expression softening. Slowly lowering herself to balance on her haunches, Xanth reached out to brush the girl's forehead gently. "Hush, little one." Her voice was soft like the wave of warmth she sent into the girl's broken body. "You have done me and mine a great service today. I thank you with all my heart." Xanth's voice broke a little and her arm tightened briefly around the precious friend in her arms. He, above all others, was her friend and treasured companion. He demanded nothing of her save his shinies and yet gave so much in return. Free companionship was so very hard to come by, her existence so lonely, and if anything happened to Faroah...

There was never any question in Xanth's mind as to whether or not she would heal the girl in return. Not for this.

Her bones and flesh mended quickly and the bleeding stopped, yet Xanth lingered for the briefest of moments. It was so rare for her to find herself uncertain but this event played too close to her heart. She could not remain unattached or objective and so she simply repeated, "I thank you," and stood.

ooc: Godmod of Faroah with permission. GM for Lora too?

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley

[Faroah]

Healing him was a completely selfless act and one that was far beyond the limits of Faroah's comprehension. All he knew was that suddenly his own pain was gone, his injuries almost fully healed, and his own cries stopped. He was confused and still sore, covering his ears against Loranth's screams and squeezing his eyes shut. It was not selfishness, it was merely an inability to understand what had happened on a basic level. Faroah was not accustomed to injury or to people other than Xanth attempting to heal him and now those god-awful sounds were frightening him.

Feeling the piles of gold beneath him shift and tremble, he let his eyes pop open and whimpered at Xanth. His Xanth was here now, she would make it all better. When she plucked him up into her arms, he clutched the cool silk of her vest in his tiny claws and snuggled against her, wrapping his tail tightly around her forearm so he couldn't be snatched away from her. "I wasn't bad," he told her telepathically, trying to reassure himself that he really hadn't been naughty and that it wasn't his fault the crying girl was hurt. The gem wanted to be his, he hadn't stolen it, but it was a trick! The bad pretty had tricked him into getting himself hurt.

When Xanth bent, Faroah clung to her all the tighter, not wanting her to put him down. Seeing that she was only helping the girl, he relaxed a bit, peering at the Dragoness over Xanth's arm. Knowing everything would be alright now, Faroah rested his head in the crook of Xanth's elbow and stared at Loranth, wondering how he could repay her kindness.

OOC: Godmod of Xanth with permission.

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Wonderland Effect ¤ Meilin Wong ¤ Anime Rain ¤

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

It was hard to register anything that was going on around her, except for the pain she was in.

Lora hoped that someone was near enough to help her. She certainly couldn't get up and find it help on her own now...she couldn't even sit up, let alone stand. The tears kept coming, and she realized that the loud sounds she was hearing were actually her wails of pain...but it wasn't something she could help at the present moment.

She felt pain throughout her body, but at the same time, she was growing very cold. She knew she probably wouldn't have long before either blood loss or shock made her pass out. From a medical perspective, she was surprised she hadn't lost consciousness as soon as the injury transfer had taken place between the Imp Dragon and herself. She squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of pain swept over her.

Then suddenly, someone was there, next to her, touching her forehead. Was it her mother? It could be....perhaps not - Lora's mind rejected this idea, reminding her that Corinne was still on Earth, and that she, Lora, was in Elysia.

A quiet voice told her, "Hush, little one. You have done me and mine a great service today. I thank you with all my heart." The coldness in her body was replaced by feeling of warmth and then the pain she was feeling started to subside. The person with them now must be a healer, and a very strong one to be able to heal her so quickly. Lora breathed a sigh of relief - she knew she'd be alright now. For the first time today since this morning, she felt truly safe.

Lora opened her eyes and found herself in the presence of none other than Xanthorra herself...or else it was someone that was her twin. But really, Lora knew it was the Goddess without having to ask. She was more beautiful in person than her statue was, although the statue was a perfect image. She spoke again, "I thank you," and then stood.

Loranth took a deep breath to see if it would hurt at all, but the action didn't bring her much pain...instead, she was just sore and tired. Very tired. She struggled to sit up, looking up at Xanth, who was now cradling the little Imp dragon in her arms. Its eyes were fixed on her, and Lora smiled to see that the little creature had pulled through.

She sat with her legs folded, indian-style, and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Her shirt was still soaked with blood, but she didn't care. She was happy she was alive! Her throat felt dry and raspy from crying and her eyes were still teary. She flexed her fingers a bit. Her arms felt funny, but definitely not broken anymore. She could feel a slight tingling sensation where the healing had taken place. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and cleared her throat before attempting to speak.

"I think it's me who should be doing the thanking, my Lady. Thank you for healing me. I..I don't know that I would've made it out of here alive if you hadn't come. Is the dragon alright? I guess I was foolish to think I could control my powers at such a young age...but I didn't know what else to do," Lora admitted to herself and Xanth aloud.

[Xanth]

Xanth stood, her equilibrium returning quickly now that she knew her beloved friend was safe. The tip of her first finger stroked gently along the top of his head between his eyes, all the way down his neck to scratch the sensitive spot between his shoulder blades, and back again. The motion was soothing and her wings slowly faded from view as she gazed down upon Faroah's saviour.

"I think it's me who should be doing the thanking, my Lady. Thank you for healing me." Xanth inclined her head slightly. The girl was right: It was only polite to thank her for the healing, but in truth Xanth was merely returning a favour.

"I... I don't know that I would've made it out of here alive if you hadn't come." She likely would have. Once healed, Faroah would have summoned Xanth or sought her out. Although, it was just as likely he would have spent too long seeking comfort while the girl bled out. Faroah was not cruel nor even what Xanth would call selfish, but nor was he particularly sensitive to the goings on around him either.

"Is the dragon alright? I guess I was foolish to think I could control my powers at such a young age... but I didn't know what else to do."

Xanth smiled beatifically. Carefully stepping over Faroah's treasures, she found a nearby pile of luxurious fabrics and watched them rearrange themselves so that she could sit upon them cross-legged much like Loranth. "'The dragon' is named Faroah," she told the girl once seated, "and he is now perfectly fine thanks to you." Her smile widened as she gazed down upon the beautiful red dragon. "Foolishness, selflessness and courage often go hand in hand," she mused with a quirk of her lips as she glanced up at Loranth.

ooc: Godmod of Faroah with permission.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

"The dragon' is named Faroah," Loranth heard the Goddess reply as she seated herself much like the pose Lora was in, except she sat on a pile of expensive-looking fabrics that had mysteriously moved themselves into a neat pile. "And he is now perfectly fine thanks to you." As Xanthorra continued speaking, Lora found herself feeling more and more embarassed for her foolish mistake. She felt her cheeks becoming hot and flushed and was sure they were turning a bright shade of red...she found it hard to meet the Goddess' gaze as she spoke, so she kept her eyes on the vast amounts of shiny things at her feet. She focused on a chain of gold and jewels peeking through coins and currency that made up much of the treasures surrounding them.

"Foolishness, selflessness and courage often go hand in hand," Xanth told her. At this statement she glanced at Xanth and saw a smirk playing on the Goddess' lips. She didn't know whether to laugh with Xanth or to cry...but she felt like doing both. Her body was still adjusting to the near death experience...and she felt like a bumbling idiot infront of the Deity before her. She hadn't pictured her first meeting with the Goddess to have been like it was...the Goddess coming to her aid when she'd been the one to put herself in such a ridiculous position. Lora wasn't used to being embarassed at all, and it killed her to think that Xanth would remember her for having to come and save her, and not something better.

But what Xanth said could've been taken as a compliment too, Lora realized. She decided to smile instead of cry, and let a small, tired smile form on her lips. Her cheeks still blushing, she sighed. "I wouldn't call myself courageous by any means, but I do try to do what's right. And seeing him like that was horrible...I just didn't know that his injuries would be so threatening to me. I guess I have much training ahead of me in my sept."

"Faroah is a lovely name for a dragon. I think I may have met your Faroah one other time, but I can't be sure it was him. Are all Imp Dragons as curious as he is? Hopefully he doen't get himself into as much trouble as he did today that often?"

[Faroah]

It had taken a few moments to sink in that he had actually been hurt and that the girl had risked her own life to help him. Now that his Xanth was here, his terror of a few moments ago was completely forgotten and his confidence was returning rapidly. He suddenly realised that he'd dropped the bad pretty when Xanth snatched him up, and squirmed in her arms to be released. Scrabbling onto her knee where it held above the silks, he glanced around in search of the not-diamond and spotted it near Loranth, winking at him, taunting him.

Seeing that it was still here with Xanth watching over it, Faroah snickered a chastisement for it to behave itself and turned his gaze on the Dragoness who'd saved him. She called him "lovely". At least, that's what Faroah heard when Loranth told Xanth that "Faroah is a lovely name for a dragon". "It is, it is!" he cried telepathically in response, raising up on his hind legs to clap enthusiastically, his tiny wings spread for balance. And now, he realised, he must repay her kindness, but what to give her?

Scrambling down off Xanth's leg by her ankle, he raced across the many piles of his treasure, back and forth, back and forth, collecting shinies to present to the Dragoness. Many were so small they fit easily between his hands, others bigger than his head so he was forced to teleport them. Within a matter of minutes, he had stacked up a neat pile as big as himself mere inches in front of Loranth. There were tiny gems, earrings and bracelets, a few bits of tin foil and even a small golden statue of Xanth herself.

Racing up to Loranth, Faroah fell against her leg to press his tiny foreclaws into her flesh, snickering at her. "Ooh, ooh!" "Choose," he told repeated telepathically, even though she couldn't hear it, "choose!" And then, he went back to the pile and lifted one shiny, then put it back and picked another, and again, to show them each off individually.

OOC: Is the godmod of Loranth okay?

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Wonderland Effect ¤ Meilin Wong ¤ Anime Rain ¤

[Xanth]

Xanth had not intended to embarass or frighten the girl in any way, only ease her mind. She was young and would naturally make mistakes. It was lucky, yes, that Xanth had been on hand to heal her but she had every confidence that Loranth would learn from this and be more cautious in the future. It did not mean she had to stop helping people, merely be more choosy about the injuries she attempted to heal. That, after all, was what learning was all about, and she was so incredibly new to her Sept. Yet, Dragons and their pride...

Faroah began to wriggle and Xanth glanced down, slow and reluctant to release him. She watched his movements as he scampered about, leaning back so he had room on her knee where her arm had been resting moments ago. His snickering held a tone she had heard before, normally aimed at would-be thieves, and she followed his gaze to the black and gold gem nearby. She immediately recognised it, of course, for its kind was rare and only to be found in the caverns of the EU. This specimen was large for its kind, spanning nearly three inches at its widest point. Given the typical weight of the gold-crested black diamond, she would have been surprised that Faroah had managed to claim it if she had not experienced his determination for herself. His injuries made more sense to her now and she determined to make sure the gem was returned to its rightful place before she left her friend's nest. This was one treasure he should not be allowed to keep.

"Faroah is a lovely name for a dragon."

Xanth's lips quirked in a grin at Faroah's response, jumping a little as his tiny claws pricked into the bare flesh of her ankle as he scampered down onto the piles of treasure in search of something to repay Loranth's kindness. She watched in silence, enjoying the sight of his tiny form running about, her eyes beginning to sparkle with mirth as she realised exactly what he was gathering. Loranth would have no use for tin foil or half of the things he had collected, but she said nothing to him and never would.

As he finally ran up to the Dragoness and told her to choose, Xanth gazed at the girl thoughtfully. Perhaps treasure was the wrong kind of payment...

Surreptitiously wiggling a finger, Xanth tilted her head to stare at Loranth expectantly as the pile Faroah had gathered shifted slightly with a tinkle of gold against gold. A tiny waft of purple smoke billowed into the air from the pert glass bottle that had appeared amid the treasures, a pretty lilac bow tied around its neck with a butterfly-shaped tag declaring it to be a healing potion. Loranth may choose now which to take but Xanth suspected she would find the potion of far more use.

"He wishes you to choose an item from the pile," she explained as the final wisps of smoke dissipated, "in thanks for saving his life."

OOC: The bottle contains a healing potion for minor to moderate injuries with five uses.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

Loranth watched as Faroah recognized his name and stood on his hind legs, clapping his little hands together, his wings spreading wide. She couldn't help but grin at his reaction, and it finally dawned on her that she'd done something right, instead of only embarrassing herself in front of Xanth. Her heart warmed to see the Imp dragon so brilliantly alert and active after their sudden arrival here. He must be the same dragon she saw on the way to her visit to Xanth's shrine, because that one was very stubborn too, and Faroah's scales had a familiar irredescence to them. He was a breath-takingl specimen of his kind, truly. Lora had always wanted an Imp Dragon of her own, but if they were as much trouble as Faroah was, she may have to rethink that desire.

She watched in confusion as he suddenly started running this way and that, grabbing jewels and things from out of piles, only to start a new pile before her. She put her hand to her mouth to cover a a smirk that appeared on her lips, when she realized that not all of his treasures were what people would think of when they thought of riches...she saw bits of aluminium foil get put into this new pile, along with gold and jewels that looked priceless. One man's trash is another man's treasure, especially for dragons! she thought to herself, wanting to make a noise to stop Faroah. She couldn't bring herself to interrupt him though.

Much to her surprise, when he was finished, Faroah ran directly to her, resting his front paws on her leg. His claws tickled her skin through the fabric of her skirt, and she looked down at him in wonder as he snickered at her and exlaimed, "Ooh, ooh!" She didn't quite understand what his excitement was all about, but she was flattered nonetheless. He rushed back to his pile and picked up a gem, lifting it high into the air, and then put it back, moving onto another and making the same motion with the new one.

While he was still showing off his items, Lora's gaze was drawn away from the little scarlet blur of Faroah and to Xanth, as the Goddess wiggled her finger. One of Lora's eyebrows raised as an expression of intriguement crept over her face. A graceful plume of purple smoke appeared in Faroah's pile of goodies. Once it had cleared slightly, Lora realized a new treasure had been planted in the pile, a bottle of some sort. There was a lovely looking bow of purple ribbon around the neck of the bottle, showing a small butterfly-shaped tag.

"He wishes you to choose an item from the pile,"she heard Xanth begin to explain the dragon's actions. "In thanks for saving his life," the Goddess continued.

Lora really was flattered now. She already had a beautiful necklace...and although she'd love a new ring or a bracelet, she didn't want to take one from Faroah. The offer was very sweet though.

"That's a very generous offer, Faroah! But I couldn't possibly take one of your treasures...hmm. If you insist though, I really think that bottle with the pretty purple ribbon is calling to me! Would that one be ok for me to choose? " She smiled at Xanth and mouthed the words, Thank you very much to her, hoping that Faroah wouldn't pay any attention to her once she'd named the item she wanted.

[Faroah]

Yes, yes! Faroah darted to the pile of treasures, clambering over items to get to the bottle. He perched atop a ruby and pressed his foreclaws to the glass, peering in at the liquid inside. He couldn't remember this item being in his nest or where he'd gotten it but that wasn't unusual and he had no qualms about giving it away. Although, it did sparkle ever so prettily and it was Xanth's favourite colour...

Chirrupping at it quizzically, he tilted his head and plucked at the bow. Yes, yes, he'd give Xanth the bow as a present and she'd give him pretty kisses. The Dragoness could have the bottle though.

Plucking at the bow until it came away from the bottleneck, he bit into the ribbon to release it and immediately tossed it aside so he could give it to Xanth later. Scrambling up onto the bottle stopper, he poofed it into Loranth's lap and chattered at her, waving his foreclaws and bobbing his head up and down. "Ara anoo," he told her, Faroah thanks you, and cupped his snout to blow kisses at her. Then, poofing back to the discarded bow, he looped the ribbon around his neck and scampered back to Xanth's lap to present it to her, snickering affectionately. "A present for my Xanth!" he cried telepathically, holding it out for her to see.

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Wonderland Effect ¤ Meilin Wong ¤ Anime Rain ¤

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

Just as Loranth had hoped, the wee Faroah didn't even hesitate after she mentioned which of his treasures she'd picked from his pile of offers, so he didn't see her mouth her thank-you to Xanthorra. She was reminded of the first time she'd stumbled across him as she watched Faroah press his little claws against the glass of the bottle to inspect its contents. Yep, she'd definitely seen Faroah that day in the Quadrangle, no doubt about it. She almost laughed as an odd sense of deja-vu flowed over her, the scene was just too comical at this point.

Her mouth smiling wide in a beaming grin, Lora watched Faroah pluck the ribbon off of the bottle and toss it aside, and then he flickered in and out of view, reappearing in her lap unexpectingly. At this scarlet surprise she almost fell backwards. Lora quickly caught herself by sticking her arms out to either side, letting a, "Whoa!" escape her lips. She laughed as he chattered to her, and watched him wave his foreclaws, his head bobbing up and down excitedly.

After he told her, "Ara anoo," with what Lora would describe as a very solemn look on his face, or at least as solemn as his face could seem, he disappeared again. This time he reappeared next to the purple ribbon and quickly placed it around his neck, crawling into Xanth's lap.

"I guess I've made a good choice, hey Faroah?" Lora asked him with her smile back in place. She inclined her head slightly and said, "Thank you Faroah! You shouldn't have. I wonder what the bottle could contain?" The pretty butterfly-shaped tag was too far away to see now that Faroah was wearing the ribbon.

Lora took a second to glance around her once more. Amidst all the jewels and shiny things in Faroah's collection, she wasn't sure how exactly she'd be able to leave this place, or even where she was at the present moment.

She turned to Xanth and asked, "For the second time today, I'm having to ask for directions back to the Elysian Underground...do you think you could point me to the nearest exit by any chance?" Her grin turned a tad sheepish for having to ask, but she honestly had no clue where she was, or how to leave.

[Xanth]

Xanth had rather suspected that Faroah would be oblivious to bottle's presence. He had so many treasures in this giant nest that he could not hope to remember every single piece. Of course, he might have remembered that he had not picked it to offer to Loranth but he could be forgetful and simply shrugged off its appearance, just as she had hoped. She did not wish to offend him by offering the Dragoness something he had not chosen himself and even he could be prideful. He was a dragon, after all.

However, he did surprise her by removing the ribbon - and the note explaining the bottle's contents - to offer as a gift to his Xanth. Conscious of the fact that Loranth would not understand the bottle's meaning if she could not know what was inside, Xanth nevertheless clutched the ribbon to her heart as Faroah sat in her lap, smiling brightly. Bringing him to eye level with her hand cupped under him, she pressed her mouth to his nose several times, thanking him telepathically for the wonderful gift. "It is beautiful, Faroah, I thank you dear-heart."

Pressing another kiss to his snout, Xanth glanced over him and winked at Loranth as a label appeared, wrapped around the bottle, as if from thin air.

Smiling at Loranth's request, Xanth inclined her head. "I thank you once more for what you have done, Loranth Tiamati." Still smiling, Xanth returned her attention to Faroah, kissing him again as Loranth faded from view with a wisp of lilac smoke, teleported to the central plaza in the Elysian Underground.

ooc: Godmod of Faroah with permission. And Loranth?

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley