[Xanth]

“Hmm.”

Green stains on the knees of her pink dungarees and the soles of her bare feet, a young girl - no more than eight or nine - stood with her toes buried in the soil of Xanth's quadrangle and her arms crossed over her chest. She was frowning at the trashed flowers at her feet, a look of utter grumpiness that turned into a moue of disappointment as she sighed and glanced about.

“I shall never understand their penchant for taking in such foul beasts as their pets.” Her speech was much more formal than one might expect of a child, and she had used an exacting French accent when she spoke that word, 'penchant'. For her trouble, she received a startled look from a young man as he passed her, but the child gave no indication tha she had either noticed nor cared.

“I should never have allowed them access to this place,” the girl self-reprimanded, though it was unclear what 'this place' was, or even what 'foul beasts' she was talking about. “Disturbing my pretty garden. I need a new acolyte, if only to ward off those disgusting animals.”

[Naava]

“Ugh, no, that's not right,” Naava muttered underneath her breath as she rubbed an eraser into her sketch pad furiously. She was once again attempting to Sketch a bust of Xanth's statue to no avail. She just couldn't seem to get the face right. Blowing the little bits of worn away rubber off of her pad and into the dirt, Naava sighed as she turned towards her legs that were curled to her right and opened the pouch that rested on them. After digging for a moment, Naava withdrew a new pencil with softer lead and held it up triumphantly. “Aha!” she exclaimed, before turning back to her pad, flipping back and forth throough the last dozen pages or so. Why couldn't she draw faces right?

Closing her pad with a muffled 'humf' Naava gazed practically straight up at Xanth's statue. She'd started over on the bench across the path and had found herself slowly wandering loser as she attempted to get a better gras of the great detail that was in the statue. “Why is this so difficult?” the young half-breed asked no one in particular as she blew an errant strandf of curly brown hair out of her face. Another chilly autumn breeze blew through the air, tossing about Naava's hair and vibrant lavender skirt as it carried crisp fire of fallen leaves from one end of the park to the other. The little bits of trees caught the light in their various shades of red, yellow, and brown in a glorious display as that managed to twirl about Xanth's statue a bitt before falling once again to the ground. Every so often another leaf or two would descend from their home in the tree for their turn on the rollercoaster ride called the wind.

“What do you think, Flit?” she asked her cheefle as the little creature scurried about grabbing whatever seeds she could find and hoarding them away in her cheeks, repeatedly getting almost-choked by the harness that was attatched to the leash that was currently firmly tied about Naava's ankle. The Anyeli had built up quit a bit of strength the past few months and now didn't have much trouble holding onto her pet, especially with that wonderful leash Xanth had given her. The Cheefle paused for a moment, ran up to the pad, sniffed it, attempted to scurry over it, and then went back to foraging. “Yea, that's what I think too,” the girl said with a slightly sad chuckle before turning to a fresh page. “Okay, one more try... Start the face like this...” Naava said, talking her way through the anatomy of Xanth's face as she attempted to draw it for the umpteenth time today.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Xanth]

The little girl had given up on her attempts to clean the dog waste out of her flower beds, her violet eyes almost crackling with vexation and her smooth brow crinkled by a deep frown. “Hah!” She stomped her foot, very much a child frustrated by things beyond her control. “Hah!”

Another stomp, and she turned with a sigh to glance around. She almost wished for one of those measly mutts to come her way, just so she could punish it for all the damage its kin caused, and gritted her teeth. No. She was made of sterner stuff. Fairer stuff.

Little wonder, however, that of all creatures she enjoyed playing with their make-up the most, perhaps attempting to fix what she could only consider an evolutionary mistake.

“You might want to start with something a little simpler, child,” the little girl called out to the shapely Anyeli who, sketch pad in hand, seemed far more frustrated than she. They were perhaps too far apart for the girl to actually have heard the woman's mutters, but Xanth had learned that most people ignored what their logic and common sense told them in favour of joining the pretense. Indeed, she had no need to exert much energy when wandering in her mortal forms; few people ever truly looked beyond the facade anyway.

There was no censorship in her voice when she spoke to the woman, however, and no trace of recognition. As ever, their previous relationship had been somewhat strained, and she was in no mood to drag old business out of dusty closets. Better to pretend, no?

In a flash of movement, the little girl was standing slightly behind Naava, long blonde pigtails wrapped in pink satin ribbons flopping forward as she bent at the waist to peer over the woman's shoulder at current sketch. Hands gripping her knees to centre her weight, the little girl's large violet eyes gleamed with something that might look rather like pride.

“It is not so bad given the state of that statue,” she announced with tilted head, as if her opinion was the only one that should count. And should it not? The girl was drawing her after all. “Did you not know? That face is in constant flux.” And with this she winked, giving leeway for the Anyeli-Nymph to choose for herself whether or not to believe this child.

[Euphenia]

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

(( I'm treating this as happening after Phen's party but before "So it begins". I hope that's alright. ))

"Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down. Autumn leaves are falling down, my fair Lady!" was being sung to the melody of "London Bridge" by a bundled up winged girl as she skipped across the cobblestones leading to the grassy area around Xanth's statue. From the knit cap perched atop her unruly pale mane to her weathered old boots, she was wearing enough dark gray to classify as being in mourning. She didn't seem at all depressed, though, and Xanth only knew where she had heard such a tune to interpret it as she was.

A tuft of white feathers poked out from under the girl's hair, and it shook whenever she bounced from one foot to another. It was easy to connect the dots as to whom it belonged when a narrow reptilian head poked itself up and out from underneath the singing damsel's hat to flick its tongue at the world.

Sanna wasn't all that perturbed, as she found her nyad's voice comforting. Phen could sing about making snakeskin boots and the angel snake would still be comforted, not that the winged nymph would ever do such a thing. Since being given Sanna, Phen had sworn off snake meat, skins, and any other body part that couldn't be taken from a snake without harming it. If an item made from such components, from food to trinkets, had previously interested her, after Sanna they made her stomach queasy.

The angel snake untucked her wings as Phen neared the outer edge of the grass that was known to surround Xanth's Statue, then flapped to free them from the clinging waxen strands of her nyad's hair.

"Not yet, my Lily," Phen scolded her pet, reaching up to gently stroke under the angel snake's chin. Sanna automatically pressed into the attention, finding the heat from Phen's hands to be as pleasant as the familiar scent she associated with her nyad. "You can sun yourself when we reach our destination, not before."

Feeling bad about having to force her will onto her pet, Phen tried to make up for it by slipping Sanna a treat, a dried cricket. Not one to turn down free food when she wasn't stuffed to the scales, Sanna snatched the morsel from Phen's light grip and gulped it down.

Smiling, Phen went back to what she was doing before Sanna got antsy, and let her hand drift back to the bubble wand that was dangling from a golden chain about her neck and dipped it back into a bottle framed by a web of interlocking gold lines that was being held by her other hand. The two halves, bubble wand and bottle, made up the pendant she had inherited from her father.

So it was with a stream of bubbles announcing her arrival that Euphenia entered the holiest of places (according to her), only to find her retreat occupied by a small girl and a skotadi woman who had a thick pad of paper before her with a drawing pencil in one hand. The presence of the skotadi struck Phen shy. They were her mother's people, and while none of them had insulted her when she was young and still living with Enyo, they had not welcomed her, either. Going from her former skip to a walk, she gave the pair a wide berth, angling to go around them so she wouldn't interrupt their conversation. Trying to look casual, she didn't allow her wings to clench up, instead willing them to stretch a bit while she breathed slow and deep to keep a clear head.

For the hundredth time, she wished she could hide her wings without whatever she tucked over them hurting them like crazy. Their gray feathers were a dead giveaway that she did not belong to a caste, and she was tall enough for most anyeli to wonder why she had yet to choose a side. That their society mandated that she had no right to make such a decision hardly mattered to passerby.

That was when she noticed the condition of the garden. Her dread at the skotadi's possible reaction evaporated like a drop of water on a hot sidewalk the moment she took in the wilted flowers and mounds of feces. She even forgot that she wasn't alone when she cried in horror, "What have they done?! Who allowed someone to do this? This is holy ground!"

Of course Phen's exclamation startled Sanna, and the angel snake flew like a stone from a sling from the practically growling nyad's hair, only to jerk to a halt in midair when she reached the end of her leash. She hovered there, anxious to reach the statue that was oh-so-close-just-let-me-touch-it, when Phen took the step that was needed to allow the pearly reptile to perch on the shoulder of the statue and slide a loop of her sinuous body about its arm. Sanna arched her wings in triumph and fluffed out her tail tuft. That sight cheered Phen up some, but she shook her head anyway before screwing the parts of her pendant back together. She tucked her heirloom under the layers of her clothing, and made sure it was safely nestled before she tied the end of Sanna's leash about the statue's ankle. "I entrust her in Your care, Great Lady," Phen earnestly prayed with a bowed head, her hands coming up to be clasped before her, "I brought You a gift, but its importance pales when compared to the need I see here."

Remembering that she had company, Phen swiftly added, "And while some enjoy my performances, I do not wish to further disturb those who were first in Your presence."

"I will present it before this day has passed," Phen promised, then moved away from the statue, feeling calm as she ever did after offering words to her goddess.

Turning slightly, the winged nymph peeked in the little girl and anyeli's direction, if only to check and be sure that she had in fact not ruined their conversation with her outburst.

[Naava]

Naava frowned at her poor little sketch as she persistently attempted to mimic it's curves and angles. Every time she put something on the page, however, she seemed to be erasing it just moments later. Why can't I do this? she pondered absently as she tugged on Flit's leash to reign the critter back to the Anyeli's position on the grass before the statue. Satisfied that the cheefle was not attempting to chew through Xanth's statue, Naava stared intently at the carving's face as she chewed on the end of her pencil absently.

After an extended 'hmmm' Naava turned back to her back and scrounged abbout for a pencil with harder lead. Her scrounging kept her distracted to the point where she did not hear the young girl's shout. Not that she would have noticed the voice anyways. Naava had become so used to not being the focus of anyone else's words, especially in public places such as this one, that she'd practically tuned out conversations entirely. Pencil in hand, Naava began drawing again only to abruptly shriek and clutch the pad to her chest when the young girl was suddenly behind her.

The Anyeli breathed heavily as she ried to get her heart to slow down. She probablly shouldn't have jumped like that, being a Skotadi Warrior and all. What would her instructor say? No, wait, Callis wouldn't say anything, she'd just beat Naava 'gently' across the back of the head with the club made out of pure shadow like she always did anytime anyone made a mistake. Naava couldn't believe she actually missed Parfay's training style, but she would take sarcastic remarks over physical abuse any day.

“W-wait, it whats?” Naava said as she craned her neck a bit to see the girl who was now completely invading her personal bubble. The woman's face quickly darted from girl to status, then back to the girl, then to the statue again, then down at her current sketch, then up at the statue, then down to a sketch a few pages back, then back at the statue, then back at the girl. A moving statue didn't make any logical sense, though, then again, this was Xanth and she had a tendency for non-sensical things.

“Are you sure?” Naava asked, slightly disbelieving because of the child's apparent age, but still not completely dismissive. Hey, for all Naava knew this girl was a thousand year old vampire or a child prodigy or something, and Naava wasn't exactly know for her clarity on Elysian history right now, at least, so it wasn't an impossible thing to say that any random child could know more than her about any random thing, especially something so culturally important as the last remaining shrine of Xanth.

Before the young girl could answer there was a roaring cry over the state of the quadrangle. Naava absently flipped open her pad to the last page and added a mark to the column entitled "outrage" before closing it again. Less than an hour after arriving in the quadrangle earlier today Naava decided to start cataloging people's responses to the destroyed state of Xanth's garden. So far that was the fifth yell of infuriation in the Anyeli's time here. There had been seventeen gags of disgust, eight childish giggles, and three prompt exits, just to name a few of the other responses. There had also been an obscenely high amount of people who hadn't seemed to have noticed the destruction at all, so many that Naava stopped counting after twenty.

“You do not need to worry about disturbing me,” Naava called out to the apparent anyeli fledgling as she walked away from Xanth's statue. The words were accompanied by a pleasant smile before she turned back to the younger girl with brilliantly purple eyes who was now apparently critiquing her drawings. “Oh... your eyes are lovely,” Naava said, both entranced and confused. “I've never seen such a color on anyone but a 'Vari,” the Anyeli commented, holding back that typically rude quation of 'what species are you?' that offended oh-so many people. As if Naava should be a walking census, knowing the exact lineage of everyone she might happen to encounter.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Xanth]

Xanth was pleased by Euphenia's reaction. Clearly, she and others were horrified by the mess, and yet disappointingly not a one had cared to clean it up. Granted, in the past an acolyte was usually held responsible for maintainance, but at one time of day this mess would have been gone before it became a problem. Citizens of today could be so thoughtless, and not a one had apparently recognised that there was no acolyte currently. Even the Priesthood, so busy with their attempts to revive the old religion, had not recognised the statue's dire need, and Xanth was rather miffed that she was now forced to care for the quadrangle herself.

Did she not have enough to do as a goddess already that she had time for this? Granted, she could clean up with a sweep of a hand, but it was the principle of the matter. Elysians, like Naava and Euphenia and so many others, enjoyed this quadrangle not only as a place of worship but also as a place of tranquility and beauty where they could escape the bustle of the city, and yet not a one of them wished to take responsibility for its care.

A grumpy, childish frown settled between her brows as the child-Xanth waggled her fingers, rather more gracefully than one might expect of a dungareed and grass-stained young girl, at the Nymph. The wave was far from dismissive of the woman's concerns, but merely indicated that she had not been disturbed by her outburst.

“Oh... your eyes are lovely.”

Xanth smiled, tilting her head so that she could better see the Anyelos. “Thank you, child, I have always thought this shade to be one of the better purples. It can be such a garish colour, you know, and yes, I am quite certain. The changes are very subtle, but they are there. Her idea of a joke, I suppose,” she continued as if they had not been interrupted. Somehow, her pronunciation of the "her" made the capitalisation of it obvious, and thus the "her" in question - Xanth Herself - also obvious.

“You have heard, of course,” she added, tilting her head the other way and directing her words to Euphenia as much as to Naava, “The stories of how the statue moves all by itself, as if possessed by the Creator herself? That she can become anything or anyone at a moment's whim?” At this, she winked at Naava, still leaning over the Anyelos's sketchpad, a wink meant to be mysterious. Perhaps she was suggesting she herself was the goddess, or perhaps only that the stories she was telling were false? She did so enjoy teasing her Children.

[Euphenia]

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

Phen's relief at the skotadi's words were swift, and she dipped her head respectfully in response, but it faded at the frown wrinkling the little girl's otherwise perfect brow. How had she offended someone so young? "Think outside yourself," she thought as she glanced first at a half dead flower bed then back to the disgruntled girl, "This bothers you, so why would it not someone else?"

At the perceived little one's wave, Phen gladly returned it, though hers was a bit more enthusiastic than the original. Then the nyad's focus slipped down to the ground, her head turning side to side as she took in the neglect of the garden. There was so much to do. "How can they stay here, disturbed or not, and do nothing?" Phen wondered, but she sent the thought fluttering away. It wasn't her place to judge folk for that place being overlooked, but she could still do something about it. She had one of her woolen bags with her, which she refused to ruin with the dog leavings she saw scattered about, and nothing else. That left her with few options.

"Hm," she murmured, not really paying attention to what was being said between the anyeli and the girl, having not caught the child's glance in her direction to indicate that Phen was in fact meant to be a part of the conversation, "There. I'll use that."

She pointed to a bush that looked half dried out, its branches on the dead side having gone brown. With a purposeful stride, Phen marched herself over to be beside that bush and began to harvest the dead branches, being careful to not strip off what leaves remained. Only then, as she started the process of creating an improvised "poop scoop", did Phen's attention revert back to the other folk near Xanth's Statue.

"You have heard, of course. The stories of how the statue moves all by itself, as if possessed by the Creator herself? That she can become anything or anyone at a moment's whim?"

Had she ever! Stories about Xanth were some of Phen's favorites, parallel to those centered around her father. With a reverent look at the statue's back, Phen couldn't help but say, "Such is one of the ways in which She's inspired Her Names among my people. My favorite of those that honor Her penchant of trading one form for another is Mother Butterfly. Like the butterfly, She casts off Her old shape to face Creation anew, and She is, of course, the mother of us all."

Realizing that she might be butting into a question not meant for her, Phen's cheeks flushed and she put more energy into finishing her task. "I often shorten it to just Butterfly," she continued in a softer tone, as if unable to stop before she's done, "A nickname, after a fashion. I like to think that She and I are close enough that She does not mind."

[Naava]

Naava suddenly felt very out of her league. The young girl with whom she was now talking must have had an IQ of over one thousand given the way she both spoke and composed herself. Also, there was something about being called "child" by someone so seemingly young that just suddenly made Naava feel ten kinds of self-conscious. The Skotadi also felt as if she had shrunken into a tiny speck in comparison after just a few moments of talking to this girl. There was just something so otherworldly about her.

The half-breed was still entranced by the young girl's speech, though, especially as she continued on about the statue. Something about the way the girl spoke of the stone made it seem as if she knew far more than just the story. Instead of grass-stained pants it seemed like the little girl should be wearing the robes of Xanth's priesthood. Naava found herself absently staring at Xanth's Statue's face, watching for any movement, as Euphenia spoke. She picked up on the term "Mother Butterfly" and grinned as if withholding a giggle.

Pencil firmly grasped in hand, Naava began to sketch Xanth's form, surrounding it elegantly with non-existent butterflies. The insects flocked about the female figure on the page, one even landing on the sketched-Xanth's outstretched hand. Scrounding through her bag for a mment Naava found purple and blue ink pens ans inked in the edges of the drawig with vibrant streaks of color. The drawing was whimsical and fairly good, if the Anyelos did say so herself, except for the fact that Xanth still had no face.

Her quick sketch was far from a masterpiece, however, as denoted by the fact that she finished in the time it took the stranger-Anyelos to finish speaking. Suddenly Naava felt very rude for tuning out the other two whom she was aparently now inn a conversation with. “C'm'ere, Flit,” Naava said softly as she pulled on the cheefle's leash and lead her pet back to her. Focusing onn Flit allowed her to not feel obligated to make eye contact with the two whom she'd just so rudely igorred. She had no clue what Euphenia had said past the utterance of the phrase "Motther Butterfly," though she did have a nice sketch that she could possibly turrn into a painting given enough time and practice.

“I've, uhm, neve heard that title,” Naava said, her voice lacking any trace of confidence as she avoiding eye contact still, now holding Flit as the little critter ran from one hand to the other. “Not that I can remember, at least,” She said as she absently brushed her curly brown hair behind her ear. “Where are you from? Is it an Anyeli term?” she inquired, looking up finally in an effort to seem polite.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Xanth]

Xanth's smile was rather more enigmatic than a young girl should have been able to make as she watched Euphenia out of the corner of her eye. There was pride, but also disappointment that so many others did not share the Nyad's consideration.

It was most definitely time to find a new acolyte.

“Ah, I have heard that name,” said the Xanth-child with mirth sparkling behind her violet eyes. “I believe it has another meaning also, yes? The lady does have a passion for butterflies, I have heard. This is why you have added them to your sketch, is it not?” This last was directed over Naava's shoulder as, with a small, sweeping gesture she indicated the Anyelos' sketch pad.

And, just to tease the pair a little, she murmured, “I see the leash is working out well.” She could simply be observing the woman's methods for containing her pet, but that leash had been a special gift. Perhaps the note would mean nothing to Naava, who seemed more than a little shy, but perhaps she would start to wonder. Who was this girl who knew so much? Ah, how entertaining.

And yet, Naava also seemed a little self-involved, or perhaps withdrawn was a better descriptor. Despite their many differences, the chit was Xanth's responsibility. It would do her some good to come out of her self-induced shell a little.

“Do snakes not eat cheefles?”

[Euphenia]

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

"I've, uhm, never heard that title. Not that I can remember, at least. Where are you from? Is it an Anyeli term?"

The winged nymph's cheeks burned as their pinkness darkened. It was eventual, should anyone be allowed enough time to actually talk with Phen, for such questions to be asked. Yet despite how often it happened, she couldn't help but be somewhat hesitant. Her friends were in the minority as to how folk reacted when they discovered she was a mixed breed. Few people were as accepting as Kiel and Lazuli. Still, Phen had pride in who and what she was, and thus she did not remain silent. Tilting her head back, she directed her gaze squarely upon Naava's face. The nyad drew strength from the nearness of Xanth's status before she replied. "Mother Butterfly was entitled upon the Goddess by my father's people, the nymphs of Silas. It spread into the Duskies over time, and came to be adopted by my mother's people, the anyeli of Celene. If it has come to be used throughout the world, then all the better, but I know not."

Her prior sense of calm resettled upon the nyad, and it was with a small smile that she went back to her work. She was in Xanth's Quadrangle. If the Goddess was to look after her anywhere, that place would be the most likely. There was no reason to be stressed.

Then, as if in response to Xanth's question, Sanna stretched her full length along the statue's shoulder, her wings arcing up and back. Her narrow head swiveled, leveling a look along with an inquisitive tongue flick in the child goddess's direction.

Having noticed her pet's sudden interest in the little girl, Phen's resulting giggle was as melodic as ever. The nyad's voice always sounded on the verge of song, but when she laughed it was as if the music straining to burst into reality found the means to do so, even if only for a moment. "Not this snake," she replied to Xanth's inquiry after she'd mostly recovered from her mirth, "My Lily is lovely, but she hasn't the mass to try and eat such a creature. I'm grateful for that, really, as I have a friend whose pet is a cheefle. Having Sanna seek him out as a meal would make things quite awkward."

Giving the last of her sought after branches a tug to freedom, Phen stacked what she had harvested into a pile. The physical activity was making her coat a bit too warm, but she ignored the feeling. She wasn't about to strip it off in front of strangers. Besides, where would she put it?

"Now to connect them," she said mostly to herself. Phen opened up her bag and rustled some thing around before pulling out a length of leather cord. "I was going to use this for a new costume, but this is a worthier cause."

With that, she found a mostly clear spot on the ground and settled down upon it. Cross-legged, Phen set to the task of arranging the pieces of wood with their many branched ends facing opposite of her, then darting the leather cord in, out, and around.

[Naava]

Naava squirmed under the young girl's gaze. Maybe it was just because she was self conscious about her art, but there was something so... overwhelming about the girl. Naava still couldn't identify the child's species and it made her wonder if she was some sort of sage or something. She looked so young, though... It was probably just Naava being silly, right? Maybe it was just that she'd spent too much time in the quadrangle today. There were those rumors about the statues making people sick, in more ways than one, but that was just that statue they supposedly found in the jungle, wasn't it? But those rumors were just rumors, weren't they?

Naava was jolted from her reverie by the young girl's comment about Flit's leash. “I-it was a gift... from Xanth,” she said with a quick glance towards the statue. Huh, maybe the face did move after all. “Huh? Wait, you're a half breed?” Naava asked, her interest piqued by what Euphenia had said. She didn't come straight out and admit that she was as well by reason of the simple fact that it was not a very popular thing to be. Also there was that whole thing of she still couldn't really remember her family history at all, but that was just a side note, really. A really, really big side note.

“Snakes?!” Naava squealed, suddenly squeezing Flit a little too tightly as she jumped upward. As she rose her wings pulled her backwards a bit and she had to take a minute to stabilize herself before looking around frantically. Somehow she hadn't noticed the shining white serpent being placed onto the statue when the other half-nymph first arrived. “Oh, well... Just in case... heh” Naava said with a nervous chuckle as she backed away from the statue a bit. She wasn't afraid... she was just worried for Flit. Right, that's it. Speaking of Flit, the little creature was squirming with all her might to get free from the cage made from Naava's fingers.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Xanth]

Naava's reaction elicited a peal of laughter from Xanth that was far beyond her apparent years. Something about seeing the woman leaping out of her seat like that, as if a kumo were speeding towards her with its fangs at the ready, amused her greatly. Even when Euphenia attempted to alleviate the Anyeli-Nymph's fears, she continued to hedge her bets, and that, too, amused Xanth.

“Indeed she is,” Xanth answered for the other girl, and deliberately ruined Naava's attempt to hide her own status by adding, “Just like you.” They had other things in common also, but she would allow them to explore those commonalities in their own time. She was growing bored of her little game, and less coy with her remarks as a result.

She was also growing weary of watching Euphenia's efforts to tidy her quadrangle, and was pouting at the mess with the vague plan of doing something about it. Xanth was not usually given to laziness - having the responsibility of overseeing three separate realms, she did not have the luxury - but today she would own to some procrastination.

“It is a small world,” she quipped, amusing herself further with her vague hints and their reactions. Perhaps they would finally understand who she was, or perhaps this game could continue just a little more.

[Euphenia]

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

"Huh? Wait, you're a half breed?"

Phen's weaving of leather through branches barely paused, but for someone who was paying close attention, they may have noticed the nyad's shoulders shudder and then her posture stiffen. Her mother could shrug off just about any comment and let it slide into obscurity. Phen was another story, even though she tried to appear unaffected.

"Yes, I ... What?" she asked when Naava's piercing cry slashed at Phen's ears. The winged nymph put two and two together and carefully turned around, dropping the mostly woven broom-like cluster of branches so she could wave her hands in an earnest attempt to gain the skotadi's attention. "Please, don't make such loud noises. You'll frighten ... Oh dear."

Sanna was already in a panic. She'd launched herself from the statue to try and fly away from the screechy winged thing, and was reminded that she was on a leash at the last possible moment when it twanged her back towards the statue. Hissing for all she was worth, the small winged serpent tried again, her feathered tail shaking hard and fast enough to put the best feather dusters ever made to shame.

"My Lily, you need not fret," Phen murmured in her most soothing of musical tones, rising to her feet with the liquid grace of the dancer she was. The nyad was speaking in the language of her father's people, one that had dazzled poets and charmed wild beasts generation after generation. "Come to me, my dear one. Come. I will protect you."

As her nyad slowly advanced in Sanna's direction, murmuring in the voice that she loved so very much, the angel snake changed her mind about what direction she wanted to flee in and wheeled about in midair. She dove for her favorite haven, and was accepted into the soft nest of her nyad's pale gold hair. She huddled in there, quivering as her tail still shook. It wasn't until her nyad had stroked her several times did Sanna calm enough to quit trembling.

"As I said," Phen repeated as she undid the knot keeping Sanna's leash tied to the statue's ankle, gripping it securely before shifting to be facing the nervous anyelos and the child, "She hasn't the mass to try and eat such a creature. Also, Sanna is very sensitive to noise. I would appreciate it if you kept that in mind while she and I are near you, please."

The whole ordeal had somehow ended in time for Phen to catch the little girl's amused laughter, which earned a baffled expression on the winged nymph's face. Which of course only broadened into stunned shock when she overheard what the girl said next.

"Indeed she is, just like you. It is a small world."

Numerous little hints collided in the nyad's brain, and sparked a cascade of thought that once she might have considered ridiculous. Not that she didn't believe. Oh Goddess, she believed with her entire being! It was that she never, not even in her wildest dreams, would have ever thought that she would meet Her in person. That the skotadi was a half-breed also drew a reaction from Euphenia, but it was minuscule when compared to the mind numbing realization that her Goddess was there, right before her very eyes.

"My Lady," was dragged from her as a gasp, and Phen fell to her knees, not caring what was smeared or scraped across her clothing as she bowed low in the abused quadrangle, "Mother Butterfly, i-it's You ..."

There was no doubt, no fear of embarrassment. Phen was humbled and ashamed. Shamed that she hadn't the time to clean the quadrangle so it would have been perfect for her Lady. Shamed that she hadn't realized just who She was when Phen had first laid eyes upon Her. Tears pricked and won their way to fall down what little of Phen's cheeks they could reach with her facing the dirt, and then dropped to dampen the thirsty ground.

Meanwhile, Sanna had slid her head out of Euphenia's hair to flick her tongue in the child goddess's general direction. The angel snake had known the entire time just who Xanth was, so she didn't understand why her nyad was reacting like this. The Creator didn't bother Sanna, and Sanna didn't bother Her. That was a fine arrangement, so the angel snake rather thought that her nyad would have made the same deal. Apparently she'd assumed incorrectly.

[Naava]

Naava didn't like snakes. They were creepy and long and they did that thing with their tongue and... Naava visibly shuddered at the thought and found herself diverting her gaze from the snake-bearing girl even as she was being directly spoken to. Though, she was also diverting her gaze because she felt a bit like she was being attacked. She already felt like a fool for the way she'd squealed, and now she was essentially being scolded for it. Regardless of how polite or nice the other woman was being Naava wished she could shrink as small as she currently felt so she could disappear. She was so upset she didn't even have the gumption to ask about the strange language that the half-breed had been singing in. Naava somehow understood what the words were, well at least most of them, but she couldn't really remember learning the language. In the back of her mind the skotadi wondered if it was a link to her past, but in the front of her mind she was fighting to keep her composure.

“I... er... I... I'm sorry...” Naava mumbled just loud enough to be heard as the As she stood she grew increasingly uncomfortable. She'd drawn at least five decent sketches today, maybe it was time to head back to the Cloud Palace and rest up for training tomorrow. Even though it was a good four hours before she would usually go to bed. But it had to be better than staying here longer and becoming more embarrassed, right? Right. Right?

Before Naava could answer her own unsteady question again, the younger girl spoke and betrayed Naava's secret. Oh great, now Naava felt even more self-conscious. But, wait, how did a little girl that Naava hadn't met before know such an intimate detail about her. Then the grey winged nymph was on her face and calling the young girl mother... “butterfly?” she gasped. “I... is? H-have we... met?” Naava asked.

Suddenly she was remembering sitting before Xanth's statue, except it wasn't her statue. It was the same woman, but vibrant and full of life. The pair exchanged words, with Naava being incredibly disrespectful at times. There was another girl there, too. She knew her. They were friends. Xanth gave the pair an assignment, to go do... something... in the rain forest.

Naava gasped a bit. “X-xanth?” She asked, releasing the cheefle in her hands who promptly jumped the few feet to the ground and landed with a slight bounce. “Wh-why... H-... This isn't the first time we've met, is it?” she asked timidly, not sure what to think about her slowly returning and spotty memories.

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[Xanth]

Euphenia's reaction to Naava's reaction was very unforgiving. Xanth might have been surprised by the usually compassionate Nyad's apparent coldness, but who could blame her for putting the welfare of her beloved pet first? Naava's fear of the angel snake was entirely misplaced.

Still, it was understandable. Even Xanth, who had the power to smite anything remotely frightening, had her phobias; though naturally, hers were Tanakheim related.

And then, finally, “Ah, I see you have seen through my disguise.” The little girl giggled, pressing a small hand to her mouth as if their discovery had been accidental. They had been faster than most, and yet not as quick to the realisation as others. Their reactions were certainly fun to witness.

“H-have we... met?”

Her expression coy, the little girl's eyes sparkled. “In another life, perhaps.” For Naava, it was only the truth; they had no dealings since the girl was brought back from Shadedom, and even then, she was as if a different person since the onset of her amnesia. It would almost be a pity for her to regain her memories, though perhaps she could learn something from these past months.

“I thank you for your efforts, child,” the girl spoke softly to Euphenia, amusement clear in her expression despite her distaste for bowing and scraping. “Stand, please.” She was no slavemaster, and while she tolerated Elysia's need for such behaviour because she needs must maintain her status as a goddess - for their own safety and well-being as much as her own - she did not wish to speak to the back of the Nymph's head.“I wonder if, perhaps, you are interested in a more permanent position here?”

[Euphenia]

Oddly enough, it was Naava's words that brought the nyad's head up, albeit slowly. Twilight hued eyes searched across the short distance between one half-breed to another. Phen had to keep looking up to eventually make out what details she could of the repentant and, of all things, frightened skotadi's face. A new shame visited itself upon her, and the blue of Phen's eyed flared to be their dominant color. "No .. I'm sorry," she whispered, her words likely to be clear in the near silence that followed Naava's apology, "I know how it feels, to be afraid. I should have been more considerate."

Then she bowed her head back down, though not nearly as low as it had been before, and listened with rapt attention as her goddess confirmed who She really was. The nyad's very essence quivered like a plucked guitar string, and she couldn't help but hang onto every word that Xanth blessed the air by speaking. She was so enamored with listening to her goddess that Phen almost missed her cue when Xanth addressed her.

"I thank you for your efforts, child. Stand please."

Once the meaning behind Xanth's statement hit, little else could have brought Phen to her feet faster. Again displaying the innate grace that helped to maintain her career as a dancer, Euphenia flowed into a standing position. She then diverted her focus to watch Xanth and Naava carefully, gauging her behavior by the barometer of their reactions. All that she had read, everything that she knew, it all suggested that the Goddess had as many faces as She did moods. The last thing Phen desired was to assume what Xanth wanted and having her actions instead be taken as insulting.

"I wonder if, perhaps, you are interested in a more permanent position here?"

Phen did her best not to gasp, though she suddenly felt light headed. A more permanent position, in the Quadrangle? Forcing a flood of tantalizingly revitalized daydreams aside, the nyad tried to do something that was very challenging for her. Phen pictured her schedule in her mind and flipped its pages. After a contemplative moment, the nyad responded in a soft but steady variant of her lyrical voice. "You ever have my interest, my Lady, and what You wish of me is of the greatest priority. Say You that there be a need that must be filled, then I shall gladly attend to it. However..."

She paused, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Informing your god that you already have a busy schedule, and would they please wait a moment to allow you to rearrange it before anointing you for some holy task was never easy. "If what You seek of me will demand a great deal of my time and effort, my only request is to be permitted an opportunity to inform those with whom I have previous commitments before I undertake it. This is merely to ensure that all is conducted in due fairness unto my standing agreements with them."

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[Xanth]

“Oh, pish.” The little girl waved a hand dismissively at Euphenia's request, not to deny her but to deny the need. She was tired of relying on the select few only to have them disappear in short order, and her manichean methods were getting her nowhere. It was time to change, and time to teach the Priesthood something their ancestors had forgotten: If they wished to tout around town in her name, reaping the rewards granted those who served her, they needs must earn their right.

And so she explained, “I expect your position as my acolyte currently will be more that of a liaison than a groundskeeper. Let those priests earn their keep, no?”

Xanth debated elaborating further. In part, she wished for Euphenia to determine the course of action for herself: maintain the quadrangle alone, or approach the Priesthood and remind them of their responsibility? Yet this was not something she could leave to free will. Euphenia was a smart girl, but that might not lead to the path Xanth would wish for her to follow.

“The Priesthood has been, how do you say, 'cashing in' on their past relationship with me, yet they have allowed my shrine to be desecrated and have done very little to renew the old vows.” As she said the word "desecrated", her nose wrinkled in disgust and she eyed the excrement the Nyad had been attempting to clean up. “I suspect a...discussion -” She had paused to hint that such a discussion may not be a pleasant one, though in truth she suspected the Priesthood's lack of attention to duty was merely a loss of records and not any greed or malice. The quadrangle had long been the responsibility of the general public and Xanth's own choice in acolyte, so they could not be expected to pick up where they had left off. “- is in order. Such will be your duty as my acolyte, and to take care of this -” She twirled slowly, her arms extended and her palms facing up as if to cup the rain had it been falling, indicating with some pride the tranquil - if messy - quadrangle. “- until such time as the Priests remember their own duty.”

Then, glancing briefly at Naava, an impish smile took her lips. “Perhaps Naava here could assist you. She has been searching for purpose.” Switching the direction of her speech, Xanth sent the Anyelos a knowing smile, though 'purpose' was perhaps not the correct word. “Have you not?”

[Naava]

Xanth's response was more than cryptic. Or maybe it was less. It was barely a sentence so it was really hard to tell if it even meant anything, let alone anything important. Naava's face pinched in confusion for a moment before she realized that she was witnessing a rather intimate moment between Xanth and the other half-breed. Awkward. Feeling incredibly out of place, Naava cautiously walked over to pick up her sketch book, all the while keeping a wary eye out for the disgusting snake.

Naava had finally gotten it into her bag and had put the pencil she'd been using back into it's case when Xanth spoke to her again. “Huh... whu?” she said with an incredible lack of grace. “M-me? An acolyte?” she asked in vague disbelief. Her newly recovered memory still fresh in her mind, Naava looked back at Xanth confusedly. “Is that how I know you? Was I an acolyte in the past?” she asked uneasily.

It didn't feel right, though. Her as an Acolyte? Then why was she a fighter, who wore almost entirely black? Naava looked from Xanth to the other girl and then back again before diverting her gaze to the ground between them. That was a very stupid question to have asked. Now the other half-breed girl probably thought Naava not only inconsiderate, but also an imbecile. What a great first impression.

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[Euphenia]

Phen nodded now and then as she listened closely to how Xanth chose to answer the nyad's request. She found herself swallowing another gasp of surprise when the words "liaison" and "priesthood" came up. Were she not so focused upon her own behavior, Phen might very well had swayed like a reed under the influence of a strong wind. The nyad had a sharper mind than most realized, her Goddess notwithstanding. In mimicry of her mother, Phen's thoughts sliced through her astonishment and piled the tiny pieces off to one side so she could remember the details later. She couldn't afford to be distracted by anything just then, not even the warm joy building within her chest.

When the other half-breed was given a name as well as Xanth's attention, Euphenia swiveled her gaze that way. Her thoughts turned inward. If Xanth thought she was worthy of such a set of tasks, then the nyad would perform the assigned duties to the utmost of her ability. Still, the prospect of handling the grounds-keeping of the Quadrangle on top of meeting with Xanth's priesthood was so daunting that Phen was grateful for even a remote possibility of not having to do so alone. She didn't know the snake fearing woman well, but that was something time and effort had the potential to change.

"Huh... whu? M-me? An acolyte?"

Ah, so her reaction hadn't been all that strange. Relieved, Phen offered Naava a small smile.

"Is that how I know you? Was I an acolyte in the past?"

As before, when Phen had came to realize just who Xanth really was, some of the things that her fellow half-breed had said clicked into place. "Miss Naava," she respectfully addressed Naava in the Anyeli tongue with a slight bowing of her head, "These tasks are greater than myself. I know not fully of your struggles, but I may be of assistance. In return, perhaps you would see fit to join in the aid of our Mother Butterfly?"

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[Naava]

Before Xanth could respond to Naava's question, the other half-breed was speaking. The way the other two women spoke made being an acolyte sound so important... but Naava was so unsure. After all, she was a warrior ont a groundskeeper, wasn't she? Though... Maybe that is what Xanth was wanting. Someone to be able to back the nymph up in case things ever turned south. The priesthood wasn't known for violence, but there were always rumors. Like the one about that woman who was speaking out against one of the leaders of the priesthood conveniently disappearing.

Even if it was true, they couldn't do that to an acolyte, could they?

Well, there was a scary though. Naava absently clutched at her chest, her hand automatically looking for a necklace that wasn't there. “I... uh...” Naava stuttered, unsure of what to say. “What would I need to do?” the Skotadi asked as another chilly fall breeze crossed the quadrangle. The girl hoped she wasn't expected to be some kind of juggernaut or anything, seeing as she was still in training.

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