[Piper]

Piper stood before the statue of Xanth, staring up at the purple monolith a little dizzily. Comet and Fawn were snuffling and sniffing around the base of the statue, held close by their leashes attached to her belt, but they were behaving themselves so she left them to it and instead focused on the goddess's figure breathlessly.

She wasn't even sure what she was doing here. Well... she kind of did. She'd been thinking for a while about it, ever since she overheard someone talking in her shop about asking the goddess to give her beloved chihuahua wings so they could go on flysies instead of walksies together. She couldn't remember if the Anyelos's request had been granted, although she thought she'd remember if she'd seen a flying lapdog, but it had given her the beginnings of an idea anyway and she'd been mulling it over ever since.

She was pretty vague on what she wanted to ask, but it was somewhere along the lines of turning Comet and Fawn into real protectors. She was trying to do everything she could think of to protect herself and was even thinking about asking Dazadi to teach her to fight (although, she really thought that conversation would go down well) but she was self-aware enough to realise she'd never be a fighter. She was too easily distracted, too trusting despite her paranoia, too... soft.

And the truth was, so were her pets. They were easily intimidated, and while she loved them the way they were, she'd bought Comet (or Wolf had, at least) in the first place thinking he could grow up to be a guard-wolf for her. And while she didn't want them to become aggressive little monsters, she wanted to be able to rely on them somehow. It was just... all a bit of a muddle in her head.

So she'd come to summon Xanth - if that was even possible - with the hopes that the goddess would know what Piper needed. Deities were meant to know everything, right?

"Um." Feeling more than a little bit ridiculous as she stood there talking to a statue, Piper nevertheless raised her voice a little. "Xanth? Can I... I mean, if you're not too busy, could I... Could I talk with you for a minute?"

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Xanth]

"It is to be hoped," said Xanth's statue, "that you do not intend to allow those beasts to urinate here." The 'beasts' in question were sniffing at the base of the statue and their owner was not even watching them. In twelve thousand years, Xanth had learned to be extra vigilant against canines, and it was not so very long ago that Inimicus Malus, as her acolyte, was forced to clean up after one. Xanth had a deep respect for the creation and evolution process, but that did not mean she would stand idly by and watch an animal befoul her last-known statue when its owner was right there to stop it.

No sooner had the statue spoken, Xanth melted out of it in full goddess regalia and, for good dramatic measure, floated down from the plinth to land to one side of Piper, wiggling her bare toes in the grass. Her hair was a ripple of purple and lilac that cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes were a deep violet that matched the tall, delicate wings at her back. Purple sparks wafted across the grass in the same gentle breeze that ruffled at the folds of her gossamer pants.

Immensely aware of, and keeping her distance from, the wolf and fox, Xanth levelled a speculative glance at Piper and sighed. "Why have you summoned me to grant a boon when you have no idea what it is you want?"

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

[Piper]

"Nyah-argh!"

Leaping back from the statue in shock and something akin to horror, Piper shrieked as Comet and Fawn set to with a startled howl each that made Piper wince and thank her lucky stars that the pair were usually quiet animals.

Tugged this way and that as they jostled for pride of place at either side of her - and slightly behind, since they took after her too well, the little cowards - Piper stared at the goddess who'd melted out of the statue, then flicked a glance at the statue itself, back and forth while her brain tried to catch up with what she'd seen.

Which, she'd chastise herself later, wasn't anything unusual when all was said and done. After all, she'd known Xanth was a goddess. She probably knew more about the deity than most Elysians, actually, given her connections (and boy, was that weird to think she had connections!) but there was a vast difference between knowing something was real and actually seeing it in all its spectacular glory with her own two eyes.

"Er, but... no, I mean, of cou - They wouldn't, ah, I wouldn't... Um." Snapping her lips shut before she could dig herself any deeper (if Dazadi found her annoying, how would the most powerful being in the realms find her? Oh, God, this was such a bad idea!), Piper glanced down. One knee dipped as if she was going to curtsey, but she straightened up and winced. She had no idea how to act around this woman, but for all her cowardice, Piper'd never been the type to bow easily and her mind was rejecting the thought now too.

Realising Xanth's feet were bare in the grass where her glance had dropped, Piper's eyes widened slightly. In all honesty, she couldn't imagine any kind of shoe that would suit the goddess, but she hadn't expected bare feet. Not that she'd known what to expect at all, really...

"Why have you summoned me to grant a boon when you have no idea what it is you want?"

"Oh..." Disappointed for reasons she couldn't even begin to fathom, Piper bit her bottom lip. Comet whined, drawing her attention to the hand she'd fastened around their leashes, probably in response to Xanth's threat - had it been a threat? - and she loosened her grip just enough so she wasn't choking either of them but could still keep them under control. "I... Well, I don't..." Her fangs flashed as she made an awkward attempt at bluffing a smile, but her shoulders sank. "It's just that I'm so tired of being beaten up, of being a victim." Was that something Xanth could even understand? Piper doubted the goddess had been a victim even once in her life.

"I'm trying so hard - so hard - not to be scared anymore, and I have a plan to make myself stronger but..." Lifting her gaze to study Xanth's face, wondering if what she was saying had made an impact at all, Piper tilted her head and shrugged. "I'm not a fighter, and no matter how hard I try it seems like there's always someone out there stronger than me who wants me dead."

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Xanth]

Xanth's lips pursed as yet another mortal assumed she had led a blessed life and could not understand fear or hardship. "I understand more than you know," she replied curtly, plucking the thought right out of Piper's head. She did not elaborate, however: She maintained the role of goddess and kept her origins secret to protect both herself and the domain she had claimed, so revealing that she had once been a victim herself - if only of her father's iron-fisted reign over his lands and his family - would only raise questions she had no intention of answering.

"I have a plan to make myself stronger..."

"Do you believe strength will solve your problems, then?" Still keeping her attention on the canines - who seemed rather more docile than they should be, perhaps a result of the traumatic experiences they had suffered - Xanth trailed her fingertips across the smooth marble of her statue as she circled the plinth slowly, her gaze on Piper.

"I'm not a fighter."

Xanth held back an unlady-like snort. "Some of the bravest people in Elysia's history were pacifists." She had not been summoned to boost Piper's confidence in herself nor correct her assumption that only fighters could survive here, but she understood the girl's need to find a way to fight back, or at the very least defend herself. After all, had Xanth herself not disobeyed her father's command out of a similar need? Knowing that, she offered the unsolicited wisdom with a serene smile that faded as she considered Piper's unspoken request.

The girl had earned a boon, at least, but nevertheless... "I cannot make you, or them - " She indicated the wolf and fox with a tip of her chin. " - the fighter you wish to be." Actually, she could grant them offensive capabilities, but Xanth could not imagine Piper ever willingly setting her pets to the task of killing a person.

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

[Piper]

Piper visibly flinched at the tone Xanth used. She would have taken at least a couple of steps back, too, if her pets weren't pressed to the back of her legs, and instead leaned against them, thankful for their reassuring warmth.

She couldn't help but wonder how a goddess could suffer. It wasn't that she didn't think it was possible, because now Xanth had mentioned it, she figured it must be and thought of all the myths she vaguely remembered that involved gods being cursed. Or had they been the ones doing the cursing?

At any rate, she just couldn't figure out what could be done to hurt a woman who could create and destroy with a flick of her wrist (if the stories were true). It seemed impossible, not to mention terrifying, because if Xanth could be harmed, what hope did Piper have?

And then, a tiny flicker of a thought in the back of her mind that didn't fully make sense yet: Maybe that's the [d=black]point[/d].

"Do you believe strength will solve your problems, then?"

"Well, no, but I - I..." Biting her bottom lip in confusion, she frowned. Did she think that? She had been searching for something that would give her confidence in herself and her ability to keep herself and her loved ones safe, and maybe she had subconsciously assumed that meant improving herself physically. But, she'd also known that no matter how strong or fast or skilled she was, she'd never be able to make that killing blow. Kaida had proven that for her time and again, hadn't she? And yet, Piper wasn't fully convinced she knew what Xanth was asking; it seemed like there was a hidden message, lying just beyond her comprehension. Or maybe she was inferring something that just wasn't there.

"Some of the bravest people in Elysia's history were pacifists."

Piper wasn't going to respond to that, because there was nothing she could say. She knew it to be true, but she also knew she wasn't one of them. It wasn't even that she was a pacific herself; in fact, she understood completely that there were just some instances where violence was unavoidable and figured justice often meant harming someone physically - like the old adage, "an eye for an eye". No, that wasn't the reason she couldn't defend herself. She was just... squeamish. Afraid, maybe, of losing control and becoming a monster. In fact, was that it? Was she afraid of herself?

"No..." she realised slowly, her eyes widening with surprise as she lifted her gaze to study Xanth's face blindly. "I don't want to be a fighter." She had, once upon a time. She'd trained hard with Elise during their adolescence and fancied herself some kind of ninja.

But not anymore. She'd tasted real violence, been tested on the battlefield and come up short, and after all this time, and all this striving to better herself, she realised that what she was looking for had nothing to do with combat prowess or the guts to kill and maim. Yes, she was looking for strength, but it wasn't so she could hurt people.

"I just want to stop being afraid that... every time I leave my house - " Dazadi's house. "- someone will attack me. I mean," she tacked on quickly, afraid Xanth wouldn't let her finish, "I know there are no guarantees, I do. There's always... there are always going to be people stronger and faster and better and meaner, but I - I just want..." Her eyes flickering side to side as she scanned unconsciously, her brain firing rapidly, she said slowly, "I just want a shield." Except she didn't mean a shield she'd need to carry around, because she lacked the skill to actually use it. She just meant something that would protect her, maybe like... an invisible shield. If Susan of the Fantastic Four could have one, why not her, after all? Assuming Xanth could do that, and that she'd even want to... "One that, you know, activates automatically or something when I'm attacked?" Because, God knew, she didn't have the reflexes to react quickly enough herself. "Maybe if Comet... I don't know?"

"And... it'd be great if... I could let them off their leashes knowing they'd still behave themselves, so they can, I don't know, be with me all the time?" She still worried over Comet's behaviour sometimes and the fact was, they were both wild animals no matter how docile they usually were. She knew all too well that she couldn't bring them under control if they were pushed far enough, and she couldn't bear the thought of having to kill them - or have them killed - for merely doing what their natures dictated. It wasn't fair.

Besides, letting them off their leashes would mean no more entanglements, which could only be a good thing as far as Piper was concerned.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Xanth]

Though the girl was naturally jumpy, her flinch brought Xanth up short. It was not the first, nor would be the last, time she had been abrupt with someone, and Xanth was not in the habit of pandering or coddling, but the thought of someone being afraid of her when she was not feeling particularly frightening or wrathful gave her pause.

Halting her circular path around the base of her statue, Xanth eyed the girl with interest. She had no intention of softening her tone nor of trying to make the vampire feel at ease. Piper had come to ask a favour - several, in fact! - which were not the easiest to grant, and she should be prepared to deal with the consequences. Surely she must have considered the danger of Xanth being in a foul mood, or even not the friendly goddess of the stories?

Or perhaps not, Xanth realised with an arch of an eyebrow as she recognised memories of Nymphadora and Chenoan, and even of Dazadi. Piper knew Xanth existed, and she knew her temperament - for the most part, at least - from her friends, yet then why was she still afraid?

"No. I don't want to be a fighter." Xanth was hard-pressed not to beg the girl make up her mind, but she held her tongue. It seemed that one word out of place would send the girl into a nervous breakdown and, while Xanth was not paricularly enamoured of her, she had earned the boons she was here for.

By the time the girl was done with her rambling request, Xanth had no desire to discuss the issue. There was little point, really, and it seemed that querying any of it would only convince the girl to change her mind yet again. Xanth was not prepared to spend the rest of the day going back and forth, and the vampire's personality suggested the same would be true even if Piper came back another day. "Very well." Eyeing the canines with distaste, she focused on the larger of the two, the wolf, as Piper had indicated. "I will do this thing you ask while the three of you sleep tonight." Altering the makeup of anything was always easiest when the subject slept, otherwise they attempted to resist the changes and Xanth was split her focus.

"Your wolf - " At this, Xanth's nose wrinkled. " - will have this shield you desire, though you should be aware it will only defend against melee attacks - daggers, swords and the like - and only then if you are within three feet of him." She paused to let this sink in, almost certain it would not. Many people seemed incapable of understanding the limitations of what she could grant until they were put into practise. "And both will heed your every spoken whim, though I would suggest you do not ask them to prepare your breakfast." This joke was accompanied by a flicker of a smile and a vision of the chaos that might ensue were Piper to actually attempt such. In fact, Xanth may enjoy such mischief, especially if Dazadi were there to witness it.

Dismissing the vampire now she had agreed to grant her request, Xanth began to circle the plinth once more, taking great pains to avoid the canines. She had not found them so uninviting, she realised, before the mutt that had attacked her statue with fervour. She may not even dislike their presence were they anywhere but in her quadrangle, but she would be glad when the vampire took her pets away with her.

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

[Piper]

Piper hadn't realised it was possibly to feel only ten inches tall, or that deities could fear any form of animal. And that's what Xanth's sneering looked like to her - disgust and fear of Piper's poor, beloved pets.

If Xanth had been anyone or anything else, Piper would have either tried to reassure her that the canines were harmless, or rant at her for treating them with such distaste. She loved her pets more than anything else in this world (more, even, than Wolf - who no longer counted as being in this world since he'd fled Elysia entirely - at this point), and to think anyone could dismiss them the way Xanth had been really angered and upset her on their behalf.

But of course she wasn't going to say as much, and she tried not to even think it for fear of the goddess's wrath should she hear the disrespectful thoughts in her head. Of course, as Wolf had complained many times, she never had learned to shield her thoughts properly.

She squealed when Xanth agreed to grant her this boon, launching herself at the goddess to hug her in thanks. She was brought up short by the leashes still connecting her to her pets, jerking to a halt with a squeak of surprise as they were yanked up onto their hind legs with a whining whimper each. They settled quickly onto all fours, looking up at her with eyes that made her feel dreadful, and she crouched to comfort them guiltily.

Afraid to ignore Xanth even for an instant, Piper kept her gaze on the goddess, stunned that she'd actually agreed to do anything for her. She may have been friends with Nymphadora and Chenoan, and she may live with and clean up after Dazadi, but in the grand scheme of things she was nothing. But she wasn't about to question her good fortune, either.

By the time Xanth mentioned breakfast, Piper was kind of overwhelmed from a combination of relief, surprise, fear that Xanth had overheard her less than respectful mental commentary, and joy that finally it seemed like her attempts to make herself less vulnerable were actually working. So overwhelmed, she barely recognised that Xanth was actually joking, and the twitch of her lips that was meant to be a fake smile - because she was too tense for it to be real - was a little late in coming.

"Thank you. So much." There were no words to truly thank Xanth for this gift and she knew it, but hopefully Xanth would understand how much she appreciated it.

Afraid to linger, to keep the goddess here when she clearly wanted to be elsewhere, Piper gave her the tiniest of nods and stood slowly, backing away with her fingers curled under Fawn and Comet's collars. She released them gently when they'd covered a few steps, and she turned to leave, her gaze lingering on Xanth for a moment before she finally managed to drag herself away.

[d=crimson]((OOC:[/d] Piper has left the thread.[d=crimson]))[/d]

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Xanth]

It was a good thing Piper's attempt to hug her did not succeed; had the girl thrown her arms around Xanth at that moment, she would have been reduced to ash.

Indeed, she had not learned to shield her thoughts at all and Xanth had caught most of her internal tirade. The only thing preventing the seething Xanth from teleporting her into a pit of hungry vipers was the fact that she admired the girl's loyalty. Had anyone shown fear or disliking for her beloved Faroah, she would not be quite so circumspect with her response. Even though Piper's caution stemmed from her fear of what Xanth might do should she voice her anger, she had at least shown respect in keeping her mouth shut, which was more than could be said for many.

It was also not a good idea to surprise a being with so much power at her fingertips. Dora had landed a surprise hug a time or two but at least Xanth knew and liked her. She could not be responsible for her reaction should anyone else try the same, simply for the fact that she was so unused to being hugged, if nothing else.

A small and petty part of her wished to renege on the agreement as punishment, but Xanth killed the thought immediately. She would entertain no such spitefulness, nor would she go back on her word. Instead, with the girl gone and only a couple of hours until nightfall, Xanth would go to her temple to prepare for the night's deeds.

Closing her eyes, she faded from view.

[d=purple]((OOC:[/d] Thread finished.[d=purple]))[/d]

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