[Kiel]

Kiel's hysterical laughter eventually subsided enough for him to flop back in the snow, still chuckling periodically, and, like, totally clutch his aching side. “Oh, man, like, you gotta needle and thread, man? Like, I gotta stitch my sides back together or something, hahahaha.” Amused by his own joke, he set off laughing again, but he really did have a stitch in his side or something, man.

“Like, did you see the way that dude, like, totally nosedived off the top of the maze? Hahahahaha, that was awesome, man. Like, but you know they're gonna totally get us next time, right?” Snickering, he sat up and brushed the snow that was dusting his shirt with his free hand. Shivering in the cold, he hopped to his feet and, like, made like a total gent, holding out his hand so he could tug Phenny to her feet.

“So, like, what'd you get before, Phenny, man? Like, you've been before, right? I've only been once but it was awesome, hahahaha. She gave me this gobstopper thing, right? And, like, I was kinda hurt at first, but, you know, my mom was all, like, "any gift from the Creator's worth more than life itself, shut up and be thankful", hahahaha.” His impression of his mom's voice kinda sounded too high-pitched 'cause he was still laughing a little bit, but she'd totally get the point, right?

[Euphenia]

She had propped herself up with her hands in the snow, and though that made Phen's fingers beg for a warm pair of gloves, it kept her from spilling over and becoming a squirming ball of laughing nymph. Oh, but the looks that they'd been getting as people tried to squeeze by had triggered a renewal of giggle fits more than once.

At last dialing down her sweet laughter into snickers followed by gasps of breath, Euphenia settled into a wide smile and a fairly steady equilibrium. Thankfully, by the time Kiel cracked his joke she'd about laughed herself hoarse, so she just strengthened her smile into a grin instead of joining in. She could sit up straight without her arms' aid then, and set to warming her tingling hands by rubbing her aching sides. Goddess, she hadn't laughed that hard in forever!

"Oh, thank you." Kiel's show of manners caught Phen by surprise, just as the repeat of what she'd surmised to be a nickname for her had. "Phenny. Yes, I think I can live with that," she murmured as she clasped the proffered hand and helped to haul herself up.

He had her giggling again already. Half smothering the sound with a hand in a gesture that made her look the part of the bashful maiden, she freed her other from Kiel's to unbutton the collar of her wool coat. "I wouldn't normally wear it like this, but I wanted Her to know how much I love it," she explained while tugging the neck of her coat open, revealing the shimmer of delicate silver thread shot through sea green silk. "Isn't it wonderful?" she sighed, stroking the scarf loosely wrapped about her throat as if it were a pet.

Then the memory of what he'd said before he'd made her laugh again pricked at Phen's brain. "A gobstopper? Wait, I think I've heard of those! Are they some kind of hard candy?"

As always when she was learning something she considered interesting, Phen's eyes lit up and her cheeks became rosier. Even the state of her wings couldn't dampen her enthusiasm, though she was giving them several thorough but quick flaps to try and dry them off.

[Kiel]

Now they were both on their feet and fairly sober, Kiel started moving towards the ice throne and the presents, trying to remember which way to go. He was forced to hop and jiggle because otherwise he'd be moving too fast for Phenny to keep up, but he was kinda used to that anyway.

It hadn't even occured to him that she might object to his adding a syllable to her nickname, so he could only give her a strange look before shrugging and leaving her to her oddness. Like, why wouldn't she live with Phenny anyway? It was her name, right?

“Like, yeah, man, they're these big ball things you stick in your mouth and, like, I dunno, they get chewy and you can't talk so, like, you know. They stop your gob.” He pointed at his mouth to demonstrate that "gob" meant mouth in some dialects. “Gobstoppers, hahahaha.” He shrugged again, bouncing on his toes. “I don't like 'em, you know? Like, they kinda make me feel like I'm suffocating or something, but, like, my mom's right, you know? Hahahaha, maybe I can give it to Derry or something, man. Zeph'd kill me, you know? but, like, I bet Derry'd love it, hahahaha. She could be all, like, nibble nibble, though, 'cause she'd never get it in her mouth all at once, hahahahaha.”

He almost set off laughing again at the thought of the imp dragon dislocating her jaw or something to get it around his gobstopper, but Zeph really would kill him if she hurt herself.

“But, like, dude, I like your scarf, man. Is that real cobwebs? 'cause, like, I dunno, man, that'd be awesome creepy, you know? Hey, hey, you think that's kumo silk?”

[Euphenia]

Though Euphenia wondered why that odd expression had stole over Kiel's face, it was so brief a thing that she decided to let it go. Surely she'd done something out of place again and that was the cause. She hadn't been in the city very long, so her behaviour had yet to fully adapt. Phen wasn't sure if she really wanted to fit in, as wouldn't that change a part of who she was?

Pushing such thoughts aside, Phen did her best to stay just out of touching distance of Kiel, not hiding her amusement at his bouncing along. That he was doing so for her sake crossed her mind, but due to what she'd seen of him up to that moment, she was pretty sure he could skip everywhere and still have energy to burn. He might just do it for the fun of it, which was something she could appreciate, even if she'd never tried it before.

Light blond hair bobbed as Phen nodded her head to indicate that she understood when Kiel pointed to his mouth, and filed the word "gob" under "mouth" inside her mental file for city slang. Her lips quirked into a lopsided smile at him saying that he didn't like that particular candy. She figured that Kiel wouldn't like anything that prevented his ability to talk. "This Derry must be very young, or petite, if her gob is so small." See? She could use city lingo, too.

"Is she a good friend of yours? Oh, and who is Zeph? Her father, perhaps?" Sure, she didn't have to ask, but it wouldn't hurt to know a little more about the 'vari, would it? They did just have a short adventure together, though admittedly she wasn't sure if her mother would count running from snowmen and smacking into ice walls as "adventure".

Phen didn't seem to have an end to her supply of blush. Beaming at Kiel, she pet her scarf again. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out. There has to be a shop in the city somewhere that specializes in silk. It may be, though, since it was a gift from Her."

Since she was paying more attention to Kiel than where she was going, Euphenia almost smacked into a wall when it curved into a turn. Startled, she drew in her wings and stood up straighter, almost resembling a bird fluffing up its feathers to seem more imposing. Trying to act like she'd known where she was going the whole time, Phen hustled to catch up to Kiel and resumed walking, aftward being much more alert as where she put her feet.

"Look," she breathed when the hard glitter of ice gave way to the soft white carpet of snow once more. When twilight eyes came to rest their gaze upon the throne Phen had danced in front of not so long ago, the winged nymph was then certain it was the presence of the Goddess that wrapped itself about her heart in a spiritual embrace. She immediately felt warmed from the inside out, and all tension left her body. "Can you feel Her?"

[Kiel]

Kiel hadn't been able to explain who Derry and Zeph were for laughing. Like, it wasn't her fault she didn't know automatically who he was talking about but just the thought of anyone thinking of Zeph as a daddy cracked him up, man. He was totally awesome, man, but dude! Hahahahahahahahahahahah hahahahah hahahahahahaha.

Sniffing to suck his laughter back in, Kiel calmed himself down, leaning his free hand against the ice, then snatched it back into the warmth of his sleeve. “Like, wah, dude, that's cold, man.”

Stepping forward way more slowly than Kiel could normally pull off, his steps, like, totally reverent as he came up beside Phenny, Kiel nodded and whispered. “Like, I'd swear She's sitting right there, man, you know? Hahahaha, hey, hey, maybe she is. Like, dude, that's kinda creepy.” Again, he totally meant no disrespect, but the thought of her watching them but being invisible or something made him look around like a kid worried he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar or something.

Shaking it off, Kiel stepped towards the throne and bounced on his toes, cradling the flower. “Like, if the petals fall off, it's totally not my fault, man. Like, if you're gonna smite anyone over it, it better be your snowmen, okay? 'cause, like, it's totally their fault, right? Right.” Nodding, totally assured they had an understanding, Kiel carefully laid the flower on the throne.

As he hopped back and grinned at Phenny, a thought occurred to him. “Like, I hope I didn't just accidentally cop a feel or something.” If he had, it was Her fault for that, too, since, like, you know. He couldn't see Her.

“So, like, what'd you get her, man? And, like, you think it's okay if I take another present?”

[Euphenia]

Phen really didn't know what was so funny about her questions, but then she didn't know the people she'd asked about, did she? Or had she used the "gob" word in the wrong context? Well, whatever it was that had made Kiel so merry, she wasn't about to object. She liked his laugh. It made her feel more carefree, almost as if she didn't have to keep her distance from him, though she still clung to the habit of doing so.

Not that Kiel was allowing Euphenia's habits to get a firm hold. No sooner was she reminding herself as to why she had to be careful, there he was again, standing right by her and whispering. There was only a moment of panic. It fluttered in her stomach like a caged butterfly, but its wings stilled before her body could stiffen. It didn't make sense for her to be afraid in such a sacred place. Surely the Goddess wouldn't allow harm to befall her there. Besides, she found herself wanting to get to know Kiel. As long as she was cautious and took things slow, maybe, just maybe, she'd found a potential friend?

Perhaps she could have reacted with horror at Kiel calling Xanth "creepy", but the way he said it was so funny that Phen had to choke down a giggle instead. He didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body, so she felt free to presume that he hadn't meant anything by it.

She endured his commentary about the flower without further threat of laughter, but when he teased that he might have "copped a feel" she just couldn't help but be overcome by another giggle fit. Again, she owed her understanding to the gossip of The Birdcage's dancers. Xanth bless their chattering mouths! "K-Kiel ... I think She can ... h-hear you ... " she managed between giggles.

It took about a minute for Phen to work out the remainder of her pent up amusement, and she was back to subconciously rubbing at her sides. Then Kiel's asking about what she brought for the Goddess jogged her memory, and she went from rubbing to opening up her coat. Not that she intended to strip down to her slip this time. That just wouldn't be right, not when she was with company. No, instead she slipped a hand in to pull a keyless rosewood flute from a pocket sewn into the coat's lining. The flute was of simple design, though the wood shone from the numerous polishings she'd lavished upon it over the years. "I brought her a song."

She could have tried to show off, presented her instrument to the throne and said something flowery and perhaps a touch poetic, but instead she brought the flute to her lips and arranged her fingers atop its holes.

Her song was the tale of a single snowflake. She had come up with the original idea for it during her first winter with her grandparents. It was something that had developed over time, evolving into a story of how a thing that seemed so insignificant by itself took on new meaning when it joined others of its kind. She had poured her own sense of inadequency into the song's beginning. It swelled with how tiny she had felt, so very out of place in a new dark sky. She had no one familiar to cling to, and so the snowflake drifted alone and lonely, missing the cloud it had slipped from with an ache that permeated its entire being.

Then something miraculous happened. The snowflake slowed, then whipped about quickly as a blast of wind scooped it up and away. Tumbling end over end, the flake lost track of the distance, but soon noticed that it was no longer alone. There were others that looked much like it, caught up in the airy tunnel. Some brushed it as they spun past, and the longing that filled the flake was overwhelming. So it chased after them, navigating the wind, till it found itself shuffled along, crowded between a flurry of snowflakes. They were all beautiful and unique in their own way, and among them the flake felt as if it had, at long last, found where it belonged.

There was more to the song, but she didn't want to keep Kiel waiting any longer than need be. Phen ended it as smoothly as possible, leaving the snowflake dancing with its brethren, happy as could be. She dipped into a courteous little bow to the throne, then tucked away her flute.

"I promise that I will play the rest for you when I visit you next, my Lady." Phen clasped a hand over her chest, feeling her heartbeat against her palm. Then she looked up to offer Kiel a reassuring smile. "I believe She would want us to take one. Don't you?"

Instead of waiting for the 'vari's reply, Phen stepped forward and plucked up a gift. The box was long and narrow, and the wrapping paper reminded her of the snowflake who represented her younger self, a self that was still close to her seeking heart.

[Kiel]

Kiel was silent. Like, he couldn't remember ever being so quiet in his life. Like, he wanted to say something about how beautiful the music was but he just gawped at Phenny like he'd dropped his brain or something.

His heart ached, man. Like, dude, Xanth, he missed his family so bad just then, he had to blink water out of his eyes that totally wasn't tears, you know? It was like Phenny'd reached into his chest and yanked out his heart or something, man. At least she'd ended on a bright note, though, 'cause, like, if she'd kept up with the sad stuff, he'd have been bawling his eyes out by now.

“L-” He cleared his throat and trying to act and sound all manly 'cause, like, he didn't want her thinking he was a wuss, you know? “Like, yeah, man, hahahaha. I like presents, you know? Hey, hey, maybe She'll give me a hat or something I can use this time, right?” He skipped across to the pile of presents to hide the fact that he was still affected by the music, but his movements lacked his usual chirpy energy. As he plucked up a gift at random, he looked at Phenny's box, wondering what was in it. “Hey, hey, I'm starting to get why people go mad over this Xanthmas thing, hahahaha.”

He wanted to ask her to open it there and then so he could see it, but, like, he wanted to open his with Zeph this time for sers, even if it meant waiting a couple weeks for the rush to die down or something. Like, you know, it seemed like it'd be cool to share the joy or something. Even if he had to force Zeph into it, hahahaha. And, like, it didn't seem fair to ask her to open hers if he didn't intent do open his.

“Hey, hey, since, like, you know, the snowmen are gonna be on the warpath next time they see us, you wanna rendezvous here again next week or something? You can tell me what was in your present, hahahaha.” He totally wanted to hear the rest of that song, too, man. Like, he didn't know what it was about, but she'd said it wasn't finished, right?

[Euphenia]

Had Phen known Kiel before their meeting on the way to the grotto, she might have been amazed at his respectful silence while she'd played. As it was, the winged nymph was used to people stopping what they were doing to listen to her songs. She thought that's what everyone was supposed to do when someone was performing. To do otherwise was rude.

So she accepted Kiel's courtesy with accustomed gratitude, though her smile became more tender when she noticed the glitter of denied tears. She'd touched him where it mattered most. Phen felt an immense satisfaction, and a part of her melted. Someone who could understand the pain of what she'd gone through, who felt that same pain in their own way, just couldn't be all bad. Maybe they really could be friends.

Remembering that men were hung up about expressing their deeper emotions, or so her grandfather had made plain, Phen didn't comment on what she saw. There was no need to embarass Kiel, especially since he'd been so nice to her. Instead, she went along with his diversion. "Mad as in 'crazy', right?" she asked, wanting to be sure she understood him correctly.

Ah, there was her blush again. He wanted to meet her there again next week? "Sure!" she practically chirped in her excitement, then immediately ducked her head and felt her cheeks get hotter. "Sure. I'd love to, and I will."

Oh! That reminded her. Turning to the throne, Euphenia did another little bow, and as she rose she tucked her precious Xanthmas scarf closer to her body and put the box she'd selected away in an inner coat pocket that wasn't occupied by her flute. "Thank you so much for my scarf, Great Lady. It's more beautiful than any I have ever seen before! I will take good care of it, and will find a way to honor your gift to the best of my ability."

Smiling so bright it was a wonder her face didn't combust, Phen actually skipped over to where Kiel was and tried to pat him on the shoulder. He wouldn't know just how huge of a gesture that was from her, but it made her happy all the same. "Race you to the exit!" she challenged, already taking off with a childish squeal of glee.

[Kiel]

“Dude! Like, dude! Hey, hey, that's cheating! Wah!” Snapping into a brisk run to catch up with the little cheat, Kiel snickered as his arms pumped, his present clutched in one hand. Like, he'd nodded when she checked what he meant about going 'mad', and grinned like an idiot when she'd agreed to meet him again next week, but he'd barely taken a step towards the exit when she'd challenged him and took off without giving him a chance to prep, man.

Not that he needed much prep, hahahaha, and she'd totally regret racing him, you know? “Wahahaha, I'm faster'n you, man, cheat or no cheat!”

He was giggling madly again by the time he zipped out of the maze to the tune of snowballs thudding into the ground at his heels, but, like, he didn't dare stop until he was on the other side of the street. Like, snowball fights were cool, man - hahahahaha, pun intended even if it wasn't deliberate! - but, like, you know. He didn't want ice trickling down his back or something. Zeph needed him at the store, you know? He couldn't afford another cold or something. Although it'd be awesome cool if Zeph came over to take care of him again, hahahaha.

“Hahahahaha.” Planting a hand against the shop door he'd come to rest in front of, Kiel jerked and snickered as the door opened under the yank of an outgoing shopper. “Like, dude, hahaha, that was freaky, man.” Deciding that resting there wasn't a great idea, since, like, the dude was glaring at him and sniffing haughtily, Kiel hopped to the side and leaned his back against the wall this time. “Like, you'll meet me for sers, though, right? I'll be waiting here on, like, hey, hey, is Wednesday good for you, man? Like, afternoon, right, 'cause, like, I don't got a shift at Marty's that day. I dunno why, 'cause, like, he's always chirping on about not having the staff.” Kiel hadn't quite realised yet that when the dude said "you can't get the staff these days", he was judging the quality rather than the quantity of his workers. Hey, hey, Kiel worked hard, you know, what did the guy have to complain about?

“I gotta go now, though, man,” he told Phenny, pulling a sad face briefly. “Like, I told Derry I'd bring her some chocolate, man, even though, like, Zeph'll totally freak all over me or something, but, like, you know, she's awesome cute when she's into the chocolate, hahahaha. But, like, I ate my last piece earlier so I gotta go shopping before I put on the jacket.”

[Dante]

His curiosity had beaten him into submission again. He couldn't help but make another visit to Xanth's Grotto, as he had been wondering if it were really true that visitors could claim a gift for each week of the holiday season. Of course, it wasn't really his place to question a goddess, but whatever. It was easier to question a goddess than it was to force his curiosity to recede.

After convincing himself that it wasn't a bad idea to go back into the grotto, Dante took advantage of the snowmen being otherwise engaged in 'combat' with a few children. Enjoying his good fortune, Dante slipped by and made it beyond the entrance to the maze without incident. Hah! That time not so much as a single snowball had been thrown his ...

Thwap!

Dante sighed as the already melting snow started to drip down the back of his head and onto his leather jacket. He turned enough to spot a snowman peeking over the edge of an ice wall with what passed for a mischievous grin distorting its features. Without warning, it then spun about and went to join its comrades in their epic battle against the little kids outside. Slumping his shoulders, Dante sighed again and checked his journal in the hopes that the snow hadn't dripped onto any of the pages.

The rest of the trip through the maze was uneventful. He had noticed people along the way, but didn't stop to interact with them. After all, he was only curious about the gifts and whether or not the rumors were true. It just seemed improbable to him that enough gifts would still be available after so many had claimed theirs. Yet to Dante's surprise, he saw as he finished navigating the maze that there seemed to be as many presents as there had been before. He made a quick entry in his journal and smiled before walking over to pluck up a small gift. He gave the goddess his thanks and made his way back out, his curiosity satisfied for another week.

[Euphenia]

Phen had the lead for a grand total of ten seconds.

Grinning at the sound of Kiel's protests, she'd darted into the maze and had begun to retrace their route, her breath streaming from her lips and nostrils as a thin vapor. She'd half considered stretching her wings out to block Kiel from passing her, but the thought that he might have barreled into one of them like they both had the wall kept those wings tucked up against Phen's back. Besides, it was somehow colder since she had left the center of the grotto and she needed the extra insulation.

Euphenia felt a gust of wind rustle the feathers of her left wing before she actually saw Kiel ahead of her. He was just that fast. Oh well. She hadn't challenged him to a race to win it. Phen had gotten an idea as to just how quick on his feet Kiel was earlier, when he'd taken off for the entrance to the maze. She just wanted to have some fun. "And it's warmer when I'm running," she thought with a renewal of her grin, pumping her arms harder as she made the attempt to catch up with Kiel.

Bursting from the maze, Phen almost got pummeled by the snowballs that had been meant for Kiel. Then she had to dodge ones aimed just for her. "Missed me!" she mocked playfully, squeaking when a snowball got just a little too close for comfort.

Spotting Kiel, she dashed over to him and scooted to the side, resting a shoulder against a wall a safe distance from the door he'd chosen. Before she could warn him about the lack of sense in being so close to a door, someone had already opened it and was giving the 'vari a snooty glare. She tried offering the innocent, if seemingly haughty, bystander a small smile to try and smooth things over a bit.

She didn't wait to see if her smile worked, for when she decided that Kiel was addressing her instead of the stranger, though she still didn't know why the 'vari thought she qualified as a 'man', she focused on making room for him when he hopped away from the doorway to rest against the same wall as her.

Phen didn't quite follow all that Kiel said after that, but she tried. He had a tendency to talk about things as if those he was with already knew everything about his life. She didn't mind it so much, especially since it encouraged the feeling that getting to know him would be worthwhile. At the very least, it would help her to better understand what he was saying. "Wednesday is fine," she agreed with a nod, "And I should get going, too."

Phen wasn't entirely sure if his looking sad that they had to part ways was for her benefit, but it touched the part of her that had melted anyway. Enough that her hand tried to rest on Kiel's shoulder again for a brief pat. "I'm glad I got to meet you."

"Well, see you on Wednesday, and good luck finding some chocolate for Derry!" she partly sang as she pushed off of the wall to start off at a jog. Phen didn't want to be slow just then. No, she felt like hot footing it over to Haven and getting some grooming done for the three legged tabby that was brought in the other day. "Bye!"

She was off and feeling great. A visit to Xanth's Grotto, a chance to play her song for the goddess, a new gift, and maybe a new friend? "Thank you, Great Lady. Maybe this is the place for me, after all."

[Kiel]

Kiel was buzzing, man, for sers. Like, he missed Zeph like crazy, you know, but maybe the dude's being too busy for him lately had been a good thing 'cause, like, Kiel had made more friends the last couple of weeks than he had since he'd come over here. Well, like, you know, maybe not friends by some peoples' standards, but Kiel had never met a stranger, you know? Everybody was a potential friend to him, but he was awesome glad he'd met Phenny. At least someone he'd met knew how to talk without glaring or grunting, right? Hahahahaha.

And unlike with Lucas and even Zeph, he didn't feel like she was just tolerating him, you know? So when she said she was glad to meet him, Kiel grinned like a maniac and reciprocated. “Like, totally, man!” He was reluctant to end their crazy awesome adventure, and almost followed her, but then he stopped and waved instead. “Like, that'd be creepy, man,” he reminded himself, giggling a little.

“Ah, but, like, dude, man,” he said to no one in particular as he turned to head in the opposite direction, his hand still raised over his for a second. “That was awesome, man. But, like, for sers, you know, I hope Xanth doesn't think I was trying to cop a feel or something. 'Cause, like, I think that'd pretty much suck.”

[Xanth]

For the second week of Xanthmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

To Lazuli, a small, elaborately carved mahogany box that contains twelve supreme quality coloured pencils.

To Kiel, a red-and-pink tartan bomber hat lined with thick faux fur.

To Euphenia, a tiny frosted glass figurine of an Apali woman hanging from a delicate silver chain. The figurine appears as if made of ice.

To Lucas, a black leather jacket with three red bands around each upper arm.

To Dante, a wooden box filled with small glass phials that contain: a patch of ruddy fae squirrel fur; a gytrash foot; an ounce of imp's blood; the tail feather of an ice phoenix; ground unicorn horn that sparkles like white glitter; and the wing feather of a stymphalian.

And to each, again, her warm blessings for the week so that they might find joy in the holiday season.

[Kiel]

Kiel hopped up and down on the pavement, craning to spot Phenny over the heads of the passers-by. His head was probably too warm since he was wearing his new hat, but, like, you know. No way he wasn't wearing it today, hahahaha. Like, dude, man, it was awesome! Who knew Xanth could give such great gifts, you know? And he'd be sure to tell her biiiiiiiiig thanks today, since he probably didn't deserve such a cool hat after his last visit. Or maybe She'd been impressed by his and Phenny's giddy entry or something? Like, he should remember to ask Phenny if her gift was even more awesome this time.

“Like, where is she, man?” he asked a nearby bush as he looked around for a better spot to look out for her. He'd tried climbing on the iron-wrought bench only a couple of feet away at one point, but then this old lady'd wanted to sit down and apparently didn't like it when young men stood on the seat next to her, 'cause she'd made like a wasp and buzzed him away. Total suck.

Not that he'd gone far, hahahaha.

“Like, you know,” he continued, this time talking to the lamp post. “It's not that I'm scared of the snowmen or anything but, like, I told Phenny I'd meet her here, you know? Hahahaha, I should've brought a hair dryer or something.”

The old lady creaked to her feet and collected her bags, giving him one last "don't you dare climb back up there" look before waddling off. Kiel waited until she was out of sight before sticking his tongue out in her general direction and scrambling back up on to the bench to keep an eye out for Phenny.

[Euphenia]

If Phen had been there, she probably would have joined in Kiel's sticking out of his tongue. He brought out the little kid in the winged nymph, the side of her that never really was encouraged to show while she was growing up.

However, she wasn't close enough to see such shenanigans. Two carts had crashed in the road she was taking to get to the spot where she'd agreed to meet Kiel, and she wasn't quite sure what other routes she could take to get to her destination. Euphenia was consulting her map, trying to trace new paths with a gloved finger, when a need to stretch her wings reminded her that she was still in the middle of the road. Feeling that tingle of 'someone is watching me', she looked up to see the owners of the wagons staring at her. "Oh. Sorry!" she apologized, shifting her map to be held with one hand while the other gestured beyond the accident. "I was just looking for a way around."

"Kids these days," one wagon driver grumbled.

"Yeah. You can never expect any of 'em to help," the other said while shaking her head.

As was her wont, Phen's cheeks flushed scarlet. "Oh! Oh, dear. I'm sorry. I really should have asked that first!" Putting her map away, she fluffed her wings against her back and stepped forward. "How may I help you?"

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

Thank Xanth she'd gotten herself a pair of leather gloves before that happened! "Please still be there, Kiel!" Phen mentally pleaded as ran down the street.

It hadn't taken too long for her to figure out how to get the wagons untangled, but she wasn't sure how patient her acquaintance would be. He was very hyperactive, after all, and people with that kind of energy did not like staying in one place for very long. Murmuring her thanks to Xanth for her bond with the element of water, for ultimately she owed her Gift for the resolution of the wagon problem, Euphenia whipped around a corner and huffed it all the way over to the lamp post where Kiel had said to meet him. Her hood was down again, long ago blown back by the wind, and her pale gold hair was spilling everywhere, obscuring her features as the nyad got her breath back. Peeking up through her hair, she tried to see if the 'vari was there, though with her hands on her knees and being half bent over, she wasn't in a position to see higher than Kiel's waist if he really was anywhere nearby. If he was on the bench, well ... she would get a great close up of his footwear.

[Kiel]

Kiel had been looking the other way, which was just, like, Murphy's Law or something, hahahaha. When he heard someone huffing and puffing, he hopped around, still balancing on the bench, and giggled. “Like, dude, man, I didn't know you were that eager to see me.” He snickered at his own joke, but didn't think he was the reason she'd been running. Like, no such luck, you know? And anyway, he was pretty sure she was late. But he'd been early, so they were even stevens, right?

“Like, you look like you ran all the way here from, like, where's a place that's far away, man? Oh! Hahaha, like, yeah. You look like you ran all the way here from Danurai or something, hahahaha.” A thought occurred to him and Kiel glanced around suspiciously. “Like, is somebody stalking you or something? Did somebody attack you? 'cause, like, I'll totally kick their butts for you, you know?” To back up his offer, he hopped off the bench and reached for the hilt of his katana, still looking around in search of the jerk who'd upset her.

[Euphenia]

Phen was going to make a comment about Kiel's shoes. It would probably have been along the lines of 'Hey, where'd you get those?'. Instead, she found herself looking up at him with a grin trying its hardest to tug up her full lips. Did she really look that winded? True, she hadn't run that hard for that long in a while, but she was in shape, wasn't she? Hm. Maybe she needed to wake up earlier in the mornings. That way she could go for a run after finishing her dance of the Eternal Circle. Yes, that sounded like an excellent notion.

She was going to thank Kiel for inspiring such a change in schedule, straightening up to give her grateful wings a good long stretching out, when she found herself at a loss for words. He thought she was being followed? A tiny prick of fear pierced her mind, but she shooed it away. Sure, someone might have recognized her from The Birdcage, but all those who had up to then had been friendly. Surely no one wanted her harm, not when she was in such a public place. "Oh no, nothing like that, Kiel," she tried to sound reassuring as she started rearranging her hair with both gloved hands. That was a challenge in and of itself. "I just didn't want to keep you waiting. There was a wagon accident on the road, and I couldn't get around at first."

She didn't see the need to mention that she'd stopped to help the wagoners get everything sorted out. That would lessen the act. "It's sweet of you to want to protect me, though. Thank you for that."

Her grin had never had a chance to come to fruition, but what was left of it curved Phen's rosy lips into a warm little smile. "By the way, I love your hat. It's just so you."

At least, what she knew about him, anyway.

[Kiel]

“Oh. That's no fun, but okay.” Shrugging, he let go of his katana and grinned. “Like, I know, right? Hahahaha, Xanth's got great taste, you know?” Poking the ear flaps of his crazy awesome new hat so they flopped up and down beside his ears, Kiel kept on grinning even as he ducked into a defensive posture and clutched at his head. “You can't have it, man, it's mine! Hahahaha, get your own, man.”

Straightening almost immediately since he didn't really think Phenny'd want his hat, he looked her up and down and skipped around her, trying to see if she was wearing the last present she'd got. Like, not that he'd know if she was since he'd only seen her in one outfit, but whatever.

“What'd you get, Phenny? Like, I bet it was another scarf or something, right? Hey, hey, did you figure out if it was kumo silk? Are you wearing it today? The scarf I mean. The last one, I mean. I like your pendant thing, man, that's cool. Where'd you get it? Like, Laces'd love something like that, you know? She's all into that sort of, like, graceful stuff, you know?”

[Euphenia]

Kiel had finished teasing her so quickly, Euphenia didn't have the chance to follow through on her thought of making a playful grab for his hat before he'd straightened up. Oh well. Maybe next time. Wait, what? Why was she entertaining notions of getting that physically close to someone she barely knew, even if it was just to try and snatch his hat? "This city must be getting to me," she reasoned inside her head, "Or maybe it's Kiel that's getting to me. He wanted to protect me, after all, though I can't imagine him ever wanting to actually hurt someone."

"I don't really have any hats yet," she started conversationally, "I'm not even sure what kind I should wear. My hair is rather unruly." That was the understatement of the day. Her hair would probably push off just about any hat she'd try to plop onto her head. Not to mention the fact that she doubted any hat could keep up with her daily activities. It'd probably end up snagged on a tree branch or something.

Lifting up an eyebrow as she tried to study Kiel, which was difficult as he was bouncing up and down as he went around her time and time again, Phen inquired, "What? It's the same coat you saw last week, Kiel. I didn't even bring my purse today."

Dove gray feathers ruffled as Euphenia tried to figure out just what would have Kiel studying her so thoroughly, her body twisting at the waist in an effort to keep her facing him as much as possible. Then he opened up his mouth and let questions spill forth at an alarming rate. She offered up answers at a matter-of-fact pace, counting them out while a hand tapped the other's appropriate fingers one by one. "She gave me a pendant. No, I didn't. Yes, I'm wearing it. This is the pendant. Xanth gave it to me, and who is Laces?"

Once she was done with her counting, she cupped the aforementioned pendant with both hands and held it up so Kiel could see it better without having to get too close to do so. The sight of the tiny frosted glass figurine of a dancing Apali woman always brought a smile to the winged nymph's face, and it didn't fail to do so then. "Thank you, Xanth," she sighed, for what was likely the fiftieth time.

Glancing away from her latest treasure, Phen tried to fix Kiel with an apologetic adaption of her smile. "Could we wait here a little longer? I'm expecting someone, and I wanted to introduce you."

[Kiel]

“Oh, sure, man, that's cool. Is it another pretty chick like you? 'cause, like, that'd be crazy awesome, you know? Hahahaha.” Figuring he'd let Phenny be the look-out this time, mostly 'cause he wouldn't know who she was waiting for if the chick jumped up and bit him on the nose, Kiel flopped onto the bench, this time the proper way. He was still for all of a nanosecond before he started playing knee drums. “Like, I can't believe you don't have a hat, man. Nobody in their right mind goes through life without a hat of some sort, you know? Like, I'd give you mine but, like, you know. They're mine and She gave me this one sogetoff, hahahaha.”

Once again, he'd totally blanked on the introductions, forgetting to explain who Laces was, but he had that many siblings she'd be forgiven for getting them mixed up anyhow.

Kiel's gaze went back to the pendant Phenny said was from Xanth, a little bemused. “Isn't it kinda creepy that Xanth knows exactly what to give us anyway, though? Like, I'm not ungrateful or anything, and I know she's meant to be this know-it-all or something, but I never figured she'd be paying that close attention to me, you know? It's kinda freaky, like she knows all my secrets and stuff. Not that I have many anyway,” he admitted as an afterthought. “But, like, it makes her seem like a voyeur or something and, like, there's things I don't want other people knowing about, you know?” Private things. Bedroom things. Eating habits. Stuff like that.