It was a glorious day the morning that a young half-breed, Euphenia Vallas, began her "official" duty of cleaning up Xanth's Quadrangle. It wasn't a traditionally beautiful morning with its overcast sky and crisp breeze, but in the eyes of the winged nymph sweeping debris out from where it had clumped under the Goddess's statue, it couldn't have been more lovely.
In honor of her first day acting as Xanth's acolyte, Phen had decided to shuck her usual woolen outer garments and had donned a long sleeved dress instead of work pants and a sensible top. Such garb would be reserved for future days, when she wasn't basking in the memory of her Lady's voice. The skirt portion of the dress was full and had many light layers that often "floated" about the pale nyad like multiple butterfly wings. Whenever Phen moved, a ripple of motion would make her lilac hued dress dance. The prettifying effect of the dress ended at the nyad's wrists, though, as Phen did have the good sense to wear leather work gloves instead of some delicate and easily torn fare. Her shoes were also less than elegant in appearance, being a sturdy pair of closed toe tan sandals rather than the dress shoes one might have expected. Perhaps her long and silky hair helped to make up the difference. It was mostly undone and flowing behind her like a ghostly gold drape, and the ribbons that Phen had used to tie up half of the wind tossed mass to keep it out of her field of vision not only matched the color of her dress perfectly, but they amplified the nyad's natural adorableness to a brain numbing level.
Anyway, the last thing Phen was thinking about right then was her appearance. Her recent conversation with her Lady teased her as the nyad swept furiously at stubborn rocks and other clutter. The nyad had kowtowed to her goddess, and Xanth had not approved. Such was baffling to Phen at the time, though she had hid it well, and ever since she'd been turning the event from one moment to the next in her mind. Was it not the nature of the Goddess to expect such displays from Her progeny? Much of what Phen had read about Xanth had suggested such was so, but her personal experience bucked the concept. Had the goddess been having an "off day"?
From high above, coiled around the statue of Xanth's head, Sanna watched her nyad with mild interest. Visiting the place of stone and tall leaves was fine with her, but did her nyad have to make such a show of it? It wasn't like the stupid yappers weren't going to use the place for their waste again. Better to just find another place, one that smelled less like yappers and screamers and had more water. Yes, more water! Every place ought to have more water.