[Xanth]

The crash of the waves against the sand was cold, leaving her bare feet icy just as the chilly wind left her skin covered in goosebumps. It was not the best weather to be visiting the beach, most especially not in the thin lilac of her beaded vest and pants. Of course, had she really wanted warmth, Xanth had only to think of it. Instead, she had allowed the saltwater to soak the bottoms of her pants, making the soft lilac mcuh darker all the way to her knees and chilling her flesh almost to the point of discomfort.

A few yards off shore, a small blob of red and lilac was wing-surfing, ostensibly to hunt the 'wrigglies' under the surface, though Xanth was certain he was merely playing. Had anyone travelled this far from the city, Xanth might have said she was only here to watch over Faroah, but in truth she enjoyed the sound of the ocean. She had also, after realising suddenly that it was almost Xanth Day yet again, decided it was past time to take Chenoan up on his invitation for a visit.

It was not merely out of duty that she had come down here. While she did feel some obligation toward the ex-Aide, particularly now that their past differences had largely faded, today she was lonely. More so than usual, and perhaps nostalgic for the days when she had Aides to summon for entertainment. She had not often done so, of course, believing such to be a waste of their talents and time, as well as an abuse of her powers, but merely the knowledge that she could had often alleviated the emotion somewhat. Now, she had only Dazadi, and the Skotadi had become very, very boring.

And so here she was, with Faroah in tow both because the imp dragon had insisted on coming to hunt the second he realised where she was going, and because she was not entirely convinced Chenoan would seek her out. It was he who had extended the invitation, leaving hers to be the next step. Perhaps the delay would extend their feud yet further, or perhaps he would simply ignore her. She was sure, whatever his choice, he knew she was here; she was making sure of it.

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
Piper's Boutique · Dafont · Aethereality · Keith Urban · John Reuben

Chenoan laid out on his bed with Jaden. It was the beginning of winter on the Ao Coast, and that meant storms would be coming in regularly. As it was there was a large one that was going to be pounding the coast later tonight, Chenoan could feel it in the air. “Hey, it's okay boy,” Chenoan said softly to his companion that was now taking up just as much of the bed as the Therian himself was. “The cabin's built well. It'll hold up,” he consoled the sad-faced griffin. Jaden didn't like storms, and he always got a bit quiet and whimpery whenever one occurred. Today was no exception and the little griffin was acting like a child all over again.

There was something in there air other than a storm, though. “Come on, boy,” Chenoan said as he stood up, realizing exactly what it was that he felt in the pit of his stomach. There was a lot of power practically just outside his door. A quick shift of his nasal passages to that of a Kelpie Wolf once he had opened said door confirmed the sent that was in the air. Soft, like lavender, but very distinct.

Chenoan's eyes scanned the coastline rapidly and he soon spotted what he was looking for. The day was beginning to become night already and soon the Ao Coast's more noctivagant creatures would be out and about. The moment he saw the female form he started towards it at a brisk pace. “It's an awfully harsh evening to be out, my lady,” Chenoan said in a welcoming tone as he walked up behind her, stopping just before the water.

“Perhaps you'd like to come inside with me?”

[Xanth]

Xanth had more or less "zoned out", insofar as she had tuned out most of the voices which were her constant companions, closed her eyes, and focused entirely on the sway of the worlds she had created. Her arms were swept out as if she were flying, and her wings too were spread, though she continued to keep them only very barely visible.

She had sensed Chenoan's approach, but was slow to turn around, blinking at him as if coming out of a daze. In truth, she was fully alert as ever, but in her time among mortals she had learned that showing vulnerability put them at ease.

And there. Chenoan was not Dimitri. Putting on a soft face for him would not result in war. She would not allow it.

“I thank you, Chenoan, for the invitation.” Turning over her hand as she lowered the other to hang loosely at her side, she called telepathically to Faroah, who immediately poofed into the air above her wrist, a billow of red smoke following him. His wings were not moving, so he immediately fell, and she pulled back her hand so he could fall into her palm with a loose slap of hide on skin. Secure, he scuttled up and twined around her arm all the way to her shoulder before disappearing into her hair with a snicker.

“Lead the way.” Moving forward, her bare feet sinking into the sand until the purple polish on her toenails disappeared, the wet bottoms of her lilac pants dragging heavily at her ankles, Xanth reached to slip her hand into the crook of Chenoan's elbow. Her hair, cascading past her hips in waves of lilac and purple, blew forward as she turned her back to the wind. The colours morphed and mingled like oil and water in a rotating jar, never mixing but tumbling over each other as the tresses rippled and billowed.

“How is the cub, Jaden? Mhm, perhaps a cub no longer, hmm? And you, Chenoan? How are you finding life... here?” With her free hand she gestured at the cove he had claimed as his own and the cabin he had built. It seemed a peaceful life, tranquil, largely undisturbed by people even though she could clearly hear the call of the griffins nearby. The ocean roared, the ebb and flow throbbing through her as power called to power, and she found herself glancing at the ex-Aide wistfully.

“Had I been aught but a goddess -” She used the term lightly, for she knew he had never considered her such. She, too, was averse to the term, but found it useful. “- I might have settled in a place such as this.”

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
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Regardless of their history, Chenoan respected Xanth for what she did for the world. “But of course,” he said with a jovial smile. He wasn't one to kowtow to pressure, but a kind word went a long way with the Therian. “I was beginning to think you'd never come, it's right this way,” he stated, offering his arm for the woman to take if she so pleased as he remembered their last encounter. It had been almost a year since then. They were practically estranged by now.

“Jaden has grown quite a bit,” Chenoan said, following Xanth's lead with the small talk. “Oh, there he is,” he said, pointing towards the doorway where the griffin was cowering a bit. “He doesn't appreciate the storms of the coast very much,” Chenoan explained with a sympathetic smile aimed towards his companion. “As for myself... I appreciate Jaden's company but... I am a bit tired of the solitude,” he stated frankly.

The pair crossed fairly quickly to Chenoan's door and were soon inside the open abode. “I'm sure you would love it, though your gardens are very majestic,” he responded to her statement. In truth he missed the feeling of doing something productive that came from his prior service to Xanth. It had been a long time since he had retired and he had grown much since then, enough to know better than to bring up his secret thoughts. Besides, if Xanth wanted to know them she likely already did. “What made you decide to leave them on an evening such as this?” Chenoan asked, offering Xanth a seat in his sofa that sat by an already crackling fire.

[Xanth]

“I realised how close it is to Xanth Day, and that it must be near a year since I saw you last.” Since he had extended the invitation, she meant. It was as close to an apology for the belated visit as she was willing to get; why apologise for something she could not control, after all? To her, a year was a drop of rain in a storm, easily lost and forgotten.

“And in truth,” she began as she made her way to the window nearest Chenoan's seat and peered out at the storm. Remembering what he had said about Jaden's fears, she smiled gently at the griffin - whom she still thought of as a cub despite his size, simply because he had grown up in both her and Chenoan's care and would not survive in the wild now. Holding out her hand palm up, she made a great show of blowing the storm away, her eyes glowing with power. While the storm did not actually dissipate - she would not interfere with the natural cycle unless absolutely necessary - she did shield the little cabin from the worst of it and dampen the sound so the cub could rest.

Thunder never was conducive to conversation, anyway.

“I was lonesome,” she continued as if she had never interrupted the sentence, turning to face the Therian. With the backdrop of the storm behind her, the purple glow of her eyes was more pronounced. “The gardens are beautiful and peaceful. Majestic indeed.” She smiled and inclined her head in thanks. “But its inhabitants are... somewhat limited in conversation, no?” Her head tilted, her hair sliding across her shoulder to reveal Faroah's sleeping form as an impish smile took her lips, as if to say "even he has his limitations".

Curiosity took her then, as she ran through a mental checklist of conversational topics. “Have you been up to the caverns recently?” She meant his old haunt at Rowan, of course. “They have been troubled by monsters in the deep, though reports indicate the problem solved.” Her tone left room for Chenoan to assume those reports were false, should he wish to investigate further. “I find it a shame that you have closed yourself off to your own kind since retiring.” Tilting her head a little more, she eyed him as a mother inspecting an errant child, somewhat fond and a little proud, but a little irate too. “Perhaps you could take Jaden for a hunting trip to the Fae, no?”

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
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Chenoan was not offended when Xanth refused to sit. After all, it really was her choice what to do. He was very grateful for the efforts she made to make Jaden more comfortable, though. The griffin was practically clinging to Chenoan's leg now ever since the man had reentered the house, but as the home was protected by Xanth he grew more comfortable and began to walk over towards the woman. Chenoan sat in the sofa where Xanth had decided not to and leaned back into the cushions, smiling at his companion as he went over to nuzzle Xanth's hand.

What Xanth said about loneliness edified Chenoan slightly. It was good to know that Xanth had such feelings as well, and to an extent also made Chenoan feel less abnormal. “Oh, I go out there on occasion...” Chenoan said, even though it had been many months since he'd made it to the caverns. Jaden hated going through the underground tunnels, especially as he continued to grow, so Chenoan had stopped going for the most part. He had heard rumors of the kumo attack, and felt like that wasn't the entirety of the story there, but Drystan knew what he was doing as Sentinel and Chenoan had too much respect to go against the man.

“I've been... looking for someone...” Chenoan said, being exceptionally vague. Not that Xanth couldn't just look into his mind to see that Chenoan still hadn't found what he'd gone looking for all of forever ago, but it was difficult searching for a person when you only knew their first name. “It would be nice, though. It's got to be summer there now, though, hasn't it?” Chenoan asked, recalling the complete swap in weather patterns that happened as you traveled that far north.

[Xanth]

Xanth held out her hand, allowing the griffin to catch her scent once more before attempting to pet him. Even domesticated griffin like Jaden could turn readily, and while she did not think it of him, nor could she be harmed if he did, such would distress both males so it was better to take care.

“Oh, I go out there on occasion...”

Xanth inclined her head in acknowledgement, a small smile playing on her lips. She suspected that for him also, time had a way of vanishing and that his "on occasion" was only a little more often than she visited him.

“I've been... looking for someone...”

“Indeed.” She would not press for who, for he was right; she already knew. That was perhaps the bane of becoming an Aide: one never quite left her service, and the traces of her blood simmering in their veins made it all too easy to sense their movements without even trying to. She had been aware of his travels, and her in curiosity had also become aware of his motives.

“Summer, yes. The snow in the mountains was particularly crisp this year, but I suspect a swathe of rainstorms will chase all that away and heat things up considerably.” The conversation was incredibly mundane. She was not accustomed to idle chatter, but there was something uniquely appealing about discussing the weather and other such banalities.

The glow in her eyes had faded. Xanth moved away from the window toward the sofa Chenoan occupied. Still she did not sit, not just yet. She was not hesitant to be near him, but despite the rooms in her temple all being lushly decorated she was not given to sitting on the many settees and cushions. Instead, she more often found herself on her throne - whenever Faroah had not already claimed it, of course - or levitating cross-legged. She did not think this an occasion to settle into her usual pose. There was something undignified about sitting cross-legged before anyone but her pets, especially a male.

And still, in moments that was the seating arrangement she had settled into, turned sideways on his settee to face him, one of his cushions in her lap for something to hold simply because she was never long without a companion to pet. Faroah, especially, enjoyed napping in her lap as she stroked his spine with a fingertip.

Long purple curls slid about her shoulders as she made herself comfortable, reaching up with one hand to pet Faroah's tiny snout. “Perhaps it is loathsome to ask,” she prefixed, tilting her head as if to contemplate her next words carefully. Since Nymphadora had abandoned him, she had not heard of him courting anyone new, but there were some aspects of her Aides' lives she did not invade. Willingly, at least. “Have you made any... friends... this past year? The locals, they treat you well, no?”

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
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chenoan was cought off guard a little as Xanth sat so near to him. There was space between the pair so that neither was touch the other, but still. Xanth had a flare for the dramatic, though, and the way she described the mountains easily painted an image of beauty in the Therian's mind. Chenoan turned so that one leg was still on the ground and the other was folded in front of him so that he could face his guest.

Jaden had followed Xanth and decided that he wanted to occupy the third, central, seat of the sofa. As such he jumped into the cushion before turning about and laying down so that his hind was in Xanth's lap and his head was in Chenoan's. It wasn't an insult to the woman, though, more of a torn decission as to who should be allowed to pet what. Chenoan was chosen for the head because of his more familiar scent, but Xanth was given the more vulnerable hind portions as a symbol of trust.

“Not of note,” Chenoan said, his voice trailing off. “I only really head into Espur when I am in need of supplies,” the man explained, not so much justifying his actions as stating them. He had built up so many walls since Dora had hurt him that he was wary of letting people in again. “And you, who has been in your life of late?”

[Xanth]

Xanth was amused by Jaden's attempt to become the centre of attention, a mirror of Faroah's own traits such that she was not offended. Her dragon may not be as large as the griffin but his insistence did not suffer for his size, and so she was accustomed to such questionable moves. It was some measure of his remembering her that he made himself vulnerable to her.

“Who has been in your life of late?”

A peal of surprised laughter escaped her lips and Xanth's hand paused in the act of smoothing the fur on Jaden's rump. “Alas, Chenoan, my temple is empty save my eternal companions.” She did not necessarily mean that such companions were immortal as she (even though some were), only that there was ever an abundance of animals to protect and rehome. “Dazadi remains my Aide, but I fear she spends more time preening and scowling than actually doing her job.” This was unfair, and Xanth winked to say as much. The Skotadi did do her job, but were it not for Xanth's keeping tabs on her it would not seem as such - Dazadi had not sent in a report, telepathically or otherwise, in months.

There, Dazadi had not really changed. “She is as irreverent as ever, of course. She and Kiril did make rather a mess of my temple several months ago,” she admitted, remember the damage their little escapade had caused before she wiped the slate clean. “Their efforts to tease me were rather amusing, actually, but I fear they lost the upper hand swiftly.”

She almost mentioned that she had heard word of Evischoul also, but refrained. Even she could not know if Nymphadora was with the warrior, and mentioning him would only open old wounds. She had kept the full danger of his presence from her other Aides anyway, so Chenoan could not know the import of Evischoul's still being alive. And free.

“Of course, Elysia keeps me busy as ever.” Xanth was rather more lonesome than she had intended to give away, however, despite the continuing needs of her Children, and she feared that Chenoan would recognise her need for companionship more than she wished.

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
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When Xanth said that her temple was empty, Chenoan's heart sank a bit. He assumed that meant the Dora was still gone, but that realization didn't make him as happy as he'd assumed that it would. After all, Chenoan had proposed to her... they had shared... something. At least, he had. The Therian knew that he shouldn't be so offended by her change of feelings, especially after having served as the Sentinel and spending so much time working with Nymphs. He knew their culture, their tendencies, their... appetites. Chenoan had served a purpose for Nymphadora, and the man was still glad that he'd been able to help her through the loss of her sister. He just wished that the connection had lasted longer.

As Xanth continued to speak, however, Chenoan realized he wasn't just sad that Dora was gone. He was sad that Xanth was alone. He knew what it was like to be alone, but with how long Xanth had lived he could only imagine how it felt for her... From what he'd been able to learn about Elysian history (which of course there was only so much he had been able to pick up since one, he was under a century old which was rather young in Elysia, and two, he had been initially raised on earth) there had been many expanses of time where she had not had any Aides whatsoever, not even a seemingly absent one such as Dazadi had apparently become.

Chenoan knew better than to try and read Xanth's mind. He would only be allowed to see what she wanted him to, and that would most likely be less than what she was actually saying. He thought he picked up on some glimmer of amusement when she talked about Kiril and Dazadi wreaking havoc in the temple, and Chenoan smiled at the thought as well. He kind of regretted not having been there for that. He hadn't seen either of the aides in ages, and watching the duo go head to head with Xanth had to have been an interesting sight, to say the least.

Chen definitely picked up on a... sadness of sorts as Xanth spoke of Elysia. She didn't seem to be as happy as she portrayed. “Well, whenever you have a break you are free to visit me here, of course. Perhaps we could make that trip to the caverns together?” Chenoan said with a friendly smile as he continued to scratch Jaden's head. The griffin responded by purring in that odd way that the half-cats did.

Suddenly the air was pierced by the screech from the kettle Chenoan had left on his stove. The noice caused Jaden to jump to his feet abruptly and squawk in the direction of the noise. “Oh, right, the kettle!” he shouted, abruptly shape-shifting into his most rudimentary form of a Mockingbird and fluttering across the room to the kitchen area of his large, but one room, cabin. Once there, Chenoan quickly morphed back into his human form and, after catching his breath for a moment after the inordinately close together shifts, grabbed his pot holder from the counter. “Would you like something warm to drink?” the man asked as he pulled the kettle away from the heat and stopped the noise.

[Xanth]

Therians never ceased to amaze Xanth. Their shapeshifting had been a surprise to her, coming from Tanakheimein blood - her own - that she had assumed did not contain even an iota of that ability. Despite the unexpectedness, and the sheer amount of energy their morphing consumed, they were so comfortable with the concept as a species that, as now, one could morph without even thinking about it.

Of course, Chenoan's ability was boosted by her blood swimming in his veins, so he was perhaps more readily able to fly into action as now than others of his kind, but it amused her nonetheless.

“Shush, now, cub.” Her voice firm but gentle, and her hand the same, Xanth smoothed Jaden's fur and pressed against his spine for him to settle. Truthfully, he should not be so easily startled as this. She feared she and Chenoan had done him no favours by sheltering him as they had, but she could not blame the Therian for trying so ardently to protect him. She had long thought the responsibility of caring for a "pet" was the best means for a body and soul to heal. It was, after all, the reason she had given Dante to Dazadi.

“Mm, some hot chocolate, perhaps?” If he had no cream or marshmallows or chocolate powder with which to forge a spectacular drink, she would "edit" it for him.

Her eyes sparkled as she switched her gaze from griffin to Therian, her hand continuing its smoothing motions. “And I will indeed take you up on your invitation.” She smiled, but her tone was a little sad. She knew it would most likely be yet another year before it occurred to her how much time had passed, but such was the way of things. At least with him she need not fear that one day she would attempt to visit only to find him long dead of old age.

“Mayhap, once we drink, we should pay our visit now?”

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
Piper's Boutique · Dafont · Aethereality · Keith Urban · John Reuben

Chenoan sat the kettle on the little metal holder to the side before opening the cabinet behind him the held his dishes. A quick search thankfully found him with exactly two mugs (what, it's not like he needed more than that). He pulled them out and set them to the side before opening a nearby cabinet and searching through a few boxes and bags. “Ah, there,” Chenoan said, pulling out a paper bag filled with a dry, dark brown powder.

As he pulled out a pair of shining silver spoons from a nearby drawer Chen couldn't help but think it was peculiar that Xanth had requested such a drink. It was one of Chenoan's favorite comfort foods, but in his experience it was mainly only consumed by those who had spent some amount of time on Earth. In Elysia people seemed to stay more towards their teas and such rather than the processed cocoa. Still, he didn't say anything about it as he measure out enough for the two beige mugs and the gingerly poured in the hot water, careful not to spill any.

Surprisingly Jaden had stayed on the couch with Xanth, rather than following the man over to the counter. The griffin still acted like a clingy cub for the most part, especially when he was already unnerved by the oncoming storm. Xanth had "pushed" the storm away, but Jaden still seemed wary of it, just as he typically acted for a while after a heavy storm ended.

“What? You mean, to the caverns? Today?” Chenoan said, his tone blatantly startled. It was at least four or five hours earlier in the day that far west of here, so the fact that it was sunset here wasn't really an issue. And both he and Xanth could teleport there in a flash, or they could even just walk down to Espur and use the portal there if they so desired. “I, well...” Chenoan's words didn't really have a purpose, he just felt obligated to say something.

Having finished making the chocolate drinks (both sans marshmallows, Chenoan was still a vegetarian after all), Chenoan picked up the to mugs and walked back over towards the sofa. He handed Xanth her drink before resuming his previous position. Jaden slowly resumed his as well, lying down on the expanse between the two that could have easily held two more people given the way Chenoan and Xanth were seated. “Is there something particular you wanted to see in the forest today?” Chenoan asked as he took a sip of the liquid warmth and resumed his mellow stroking of his companion's feather scalp.

[Xanth]

The smile Xanth wore was one of secrets and amusement. She knew he had not expected her to want to go today, and rather suspected his "let's go together some day!" was more of a stall tactic than an actual invitation, but she could not fathom his reluctance. They could easily circumvent the storm, so that was not his worry, and it would do Jaden some good to get him out of here where he could calm down.

As Xanth reached out to take her proferred drink, pink and white marshmallows the size of her pinky fingernail bobbed up out of the froth as if they'd been hiding there all along.

Instead of answering, she wrapped her fists around the mug and blew gently across the top, her smile of secrets expanding ever so slightly. “Have you ever seen a pride of nagrim, Chenoan?” She quite doubted it, even without taking a peek into his mind, as nagrim were most commonly seen as domesticated or wandering alone. They were in truth a lonesome creature, but at this time of year they were more want to cluster, and she knew something Chenoan did not.

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
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Chenoan didn't notice Xanth's... "adjustments" to her drink. Not that he would have commented if he had noticed them. He knew better by now than to be surprised by anything Xanth did. Well, no, he might be surprised if she suddenly painted her face with clown make up. Yea, that would be rather startling.

And scary.

Chenoan resisted the urge to shudder at the mental image he now had in his mind, and focused instead on slowly sipping the warm chocolate in his mug. Jaden nuzzled Chen's hand with his rigid beak in order to get the man to scratch just under the griffin's jaw bone.

“Nagrim?” the Therian said, slightly thrown off guard. It was exceptionally uncommon to see them on the coast, and usually then it was only if they were being ridden by an owner. In the wild it was also rare to see them, especially near to the caverns. They typically nested much, much higher up the mountains inside of caves that didn't connect to the unnatural Rowan Caverns in any way. They were also a far too large for any Therian to successfully transform into one. As such Chenoan had only seen maybe a dozen Nagrim, two dozen at the most, in all of the years he'd spent in this realm.

“I didn't know they formed prides,” he said, highly intrigued by the thought. Xanth obviously knew more about Elysian wildlife than the man did, despite all of the time he had spent studying the various creatures of the known realms. Perhaps she knew of a treat that he did not.

[Xanth]

“Mhm,” Xanth said non-committally as Faroah's tail twitched and rippled along her arm before dangling off into her mug. Startled by the sudden heat he shot upright and slammed his tiny claws into her chin as if checking she remained with him, his shriek mutating into an "ooooooooh" of surprised pleasure as he caught the scent of chocolate. Immediately he was scampering down her arm to wrap his tail around her wrist and squeezing between her face and the rim of the mug to pluck out a marshmallow and shove it, whole, into his mouth.

Accustomed to his antics, Xanth did not bat an eyelash, and only lifted her free hand to tickle his throat when he struggled to swallow the fluffy treat. Before he could throw himself into the hot drink, Xanth lifted it to her lips, and then her own eyes widened slightly. This was not the kind of cocoa to which she was accustomed. Granted, she did not partake of it often, but it could not have altered this much, surely. Where normally, the drink was close to being a liquidy paste where the beans were crushed by hand and then mixed with hot milk, this was far more of a liquid, and, oh, had he not used water?

She was not at all convinced she enjoyed this taste, but she would not complain. Before she could take another sip, Faroah was trying to drown himself in it anyway.

Eyeing Chenoan as if suddenly seeing his Terran heritage for the first time, Xanth confirmed, “They come down the mountain to find a mate. Although,” she admitted conspiratorially, “The term "pride" is perhaps not the most accurate.

They are more aggressive during mating season, but the pride will move almost constantly until it is time to return to their nests so it would be a shame to miss them, no?”

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
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That look Xanth gave Chenoan was kind of unnerving. It was almost like a leer or something, but not quite so harsh. Almost more... inquisitive? Regardless of the intent, it made Chenoan's spine tingle a bit. If it weren't for Jaden being so comfortable in the man's lap, Chenoan might have moved away from her a bit.

Xanth's tone also belied her intent a bit. Chenoan caught on the the way Xanth seemed to almost be covering her tracks. “It does sound amazing...” Chenoan said, not surprised that she would want to see a hoard of purple beings (she did have an odd obsession with that tone), though not currently believing her entire tale. “But, if we wait to go then you have a reason to come and visit me once more,” Chenoan said.

In truth he was very glad of the company. The pair had of course had their differences, it was the reason Chenoan wasn't an aide anymore, but as far as the Therian was concerned the pair had moved past that. Their last few encounters, though separated by many months each time, had been amicable. Deep down, perhaps, part of Chenoan hoped to one day be able to do some good for Elysia again. Though, at the mpoment at least, Chenoan would barely admit that to himself - let alone Xanth.

[Xanth]

Chenoan's sudden nervousness was quite clear, and Xanth was a little miffed. This was one of the bigger reasons for her keeping a distance from mortals and mortal-born: They were wont to misinterpret her actions, her words, and her expressions.

Still, it was perhaps better for them both that he retain a sense of awe. Those who grew comfortable around her also were wont to take it too far, and that was where wars began.

“Oh, pish.” Faroah snickered as a peal of laughter escaped his pet goddess, as if he actually understood why she was amused. The tiny dragon had scuttled down her arm and into her lap, chasing her mug as she settled it onto the cushion, and was now reared back onto his hind quarters with his tiny hands pressed to his snout to hide his mirth.

Xanth rather doubted he knew why she had laughed.

“They will not be there for long, my love. Their presence, or lack thereof, will have no effect on mine.” In other words, whether he allowed her to give him this rare experience or not would have absolutely no effect on whether or not she ever came back to see him. “It is your loss, of course.” There was the barest hint of disappointment in her tone, for she had been quite interested in giving him this gift, but she smoothed over it telling Faroah, who was about to stuff Jaden's tail into his mouth, that “No, my love, that is a bad idea. Remember how Midnight reacted?” The shapeshifting feline had chased Faroah for a week solid, and when Faroah's teleporting proved to be too much in a straight hunt, instead conspired with others to lay a trap that should have cured the dragon of the habit for some decades to come.

Midnight always had overestimated Faroah's memory, along with his sense of self-preservation. At the very least, Faroah did listen to her this time, and abandoned his would-be snack to scuttle back into her lap while chittering quietly to himself about how he was doing her a wonderful favour.

“Fear not, Chenoan,” she assured the Therian with a patient smile. “I shall visit again, even if it does take another year.”

[Chenoan]

-=~*~=-
Piper's Boutique · Dafont · Aethereality · Keith Urban · John Reuben

Chenoan had a passion for animals. It was kind of his obsession as a kid. It was even why he had become a vegetarian. As disturbing as it had been to wake up with feathers, in the end it had been almost a dream come true. And that summer with his grandfather, oh so long ago... Well, it was practically something out of a novel.

That fact, when combined with Xanth's inexplicable capability to contort all of reality into her bidding while still allowing you to think you had free will. Though by now of course Chen knew better than to doubt Chenoan's intentions vocally, or even fully consciously. He was already fighting back thoughts of her persuasive habits by the time she'd convinced Faroah to not chow down on Jaden's tail.

That could have ended badly. Fillet of imp dragon served alongside purple-zapped griffin, anyone? Even if Chen did eat meat that thought would have made him gag. It was almost as bad as the Clown-Xanth visual. ... Almost.

“I.. ugh... Alright,” Chenoan acquiesced. In all honesty if what Xanth was saying was in fact true, Chenoan certainly wanted to see it. But, just in case it wasn't... “But... just to see the Nagrim,” he added as he ruffled the feathers at the edge of Jaden's face. Old suspicions die hard. But... at least he was trying?

[Xanth]

Xanth allowed another peal of laughter to pass her lips. Alas, he had come to know her well enough to realise that nothing was ever as it seemed with her, but in this case she really did want only to show him a natural wonder. “And for what else might I be luring you away, hm?” She was still laughing, however, clearly amused rather than annoyed that he did not trust her. He had ever reason not to, no?

And so, setting her mug of still-steaming chocolate on the floor beside the sofa, Xanth stood gracefully and abandoned her cushion. She had lost Faroah in the move; he apparently preferred to wrap himself around the mug she had left behind, and she shrugged. It was perhaps best that he remain here. Nagrim were easily spooked during mating season.

As she made her way to the door and turned back, framed by wood and storm, she pondered briefly if Chenoan would allow her to ride on his back as a griffin. It was one of the things she had not yet found the time to do, but as they both could teleport she doubted he would sacrifice his dignity for her entertainment, and so she turned back to the door, and then paused yet again.

This time, she did not turn to face him, merely rested a hand against the door frame and murmured, just loud enough for him to hear, “Perhaps you might try Zanarya next.” She would allow him to decide what the cryptic clue meant, and paused no more. She was bound, after all, to show him the nagrim, and she was convinced he would enjoy the experience.

((Thread finished. ^^))