The Atrium

[Faleep]

"It was... I was sneezing dust out for weeks, and I was on the bad side of many keep spiders, and various other bugs that I discovered up there, several I didn't even recognize. And all the bug carcasses," Fal shivered, "oh the horror. I had nightmares about them for a few days after. I am not willing to repeat that again. Oh, and I can't forget to mention that I had to help piece back together the books that my Ammits destroyed. Some were.. Easier then others."

[Kestrad]

Lachesis smiled back at Ty. "Sure, I'd be happy to help you with potions!"

She turned her attention to the newcomer. "Hi Naomi! I'm Lachesis. You may have seen me before; I spend a lot of time digging through the library for new potions recipes to try out." Calida also politely chirped a greeting from Lachesis's shoulder.

She winced in sympathy at Fal's story. Putting together the damage sounded like an unenviable task. She was glad her phoenixes knew better than to come near the library, with all its flammable books.

[PaleoMage]

"Did someone say stories and lore?" Mathias asked, leaning out of one of the Atrium doors. "I'd love to hear them!"
His face fell as Fal recounted her adventures in the Keep library, and the head of a curious serendin poked out from behind its master as if it was listening. "I wouldn't want to do it again either," Mathias said. "With all the shiny object lovers I keep around, I'm surprised I haven't been contacted about any exceedingly important missing objects. Then again, all my draconians together probably number in the hundreds - and as for single species, only the wyverns' numbers are worth noticing."

[Merkwerkee]

Merk wanders off, dripping diagrams and muttering about getting dressed - or maybe it was something about a dressmaking machine. Either way, she headed back to her rooms on the heavily fortified Artificer's Corridor.

[Silvrechan]

Silvre walked slowly into the Atrium, her arms crossed shyly across her chest. Prydwen perched delicately on her shoulder, surprisingly well-balanced on her perch for such a large feline. Her swirled fur and tan wings shifted subtly as she kept her balance on her keepers shoulder. Silvre's mouth had fallen slightly open at the beauty of the place. She had heard it was wonderful, but this... this was heavenly. It was like a whole different world, and heaven knows she loved new worlds. The small satchel slung loosely over her shoulder attested to her specialty in exploration- pinned on the bag's shoulder strap, there was a token from each of the four allies that had been known to, on occasion, visit the keep. A a bundle of lycan fur, tightly bound together with a piece of leather string, hung from the bag like a keychain. A decorative centaur-made arrowhead was strapped to the bottom of the shoulder strap just below a single shed scale from a mermaid, glistening in the light like mother of pearl, it's beauty only rivaled by the golden bangle hanging next to it that was of distinctive Naga make. A centaur dagger, clearly much less decorative than the arrowhead, was strapped to her side, as well. One did not travel as much as Silvre did without making some friends.

After taking in the atrium in her dazed state for what could have been anything from seconds to hours, though it was in all likelihood no more than a minute or two, Silvre remembered herself and glanced around. Quickly, she ordered a cold mug of tea for herself and a shot or two of milk for Prydwen from the smiling barmaid and glanced around, hoping desperately to see someone she knew. As much as she seemed to have a way with exotic creatures and allies, she was a bit awkward around humans, especially humans her age who expected her to be social, of all things. Quickly, she spotted a familiar face- Faleep, the ammit keeper. "Fal!" she said, jogging up to her. Prydwen took off, annoyed at the sudden movement of her perch, and alighted next to the ammit-lovng mage, her bi-colored eyes shooting a slight glare towards Silvre before she butted Faleep's hand with her head, demanding pets in her bossy, catlike way.

It was only half a moment before Silve rounded the corner and wilted as she saw the others that Fal was spinning a tale for, likely about her prized ammits. "Um... hi," she said awkwardly, halting her run abruptly into a slightly stiff walk. She rubbed her hands together nervously, noting too late that she had neglected to clean the graphite off her hands from her last entry session. Her journal, a prized book filled with sketches and notes, usually left a smear of gray lead on her otherwise tan skin. She didn't mind- she was used to it, as an artist and writer- but she didn't know if the others would. She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, where it joined the stub of a pencil already precariously tucked away there. Her mane of brown hair was wild, no matter how many times she combed it, and she hadn't bothered to pull it into the confines of a ponytail for a simple trip to the atrium. Now, it spilled over her face, no matter how many times she pushed it back. She pushed it back again for good measure, then did her best to jump in to the conversation. "Are you talking about the library escapade? I remember you were complaining about the bugs or days! That must've been pretty bad- I mean, nothing scares Faleep, right?" She almost nudged her friend jokingly, but some shy instinct in her took over and she reigned in the movement, grabbing her own arm instead.

[Faleep]

Fal chuckled at her friend, "Oh hush you. Don't you remember the spider carcass I brought over to show you? The thing was a good foot across, and that was just the body! After the library incident, I moved all my Ammits down to the desert. Now they just destroy the local caravans. Thankfully, they don't cost much, but I do keep a reservoir of gold just for repair costs." Fal said, chuckling.

[Silvrechan]

"You and your deserts," Silvre sighed, shaking her head in mock disapproval. she automatically felt more comfortable in the presence of a friend. "I can understand it as a safety precaution, but as a lifestyle choice?" She shook her head. "Th jungle and forests have so much to offer. The desert is just... deserted." She shrugged, then shuddered. "I do remember that spider, though... talk about huge. But it's true that you aren't scared of much. I mean, you keep ammits, for crying out loud!" Silvre gestured affectionately to Fal's companion. "Talk about tough."

Prydwen purred louder and butted Faleep's palm again. She did not want to be left out of this conversation!

[Faleep]

"You'd be surprised how full of life it actually is." Fal said, petting the winged cat, "There are actually quite a few creatures that live out there. There are solar foxes, lunar foxes, temple dog and cats..." Fal went on as she rattled off a list of creatures that lived in the desert, "Many of them only come out during the night, but various ones do come out during the day."

[Myrin]

As though mentioning the creatures were a summons, a temple pup and kitten came dashing into the atrium - and the cat, of all things, was chasing the dog. The puppy pulled up just short of crashing into someone's leg, and the kitten took the opportunity to bat the pup's tail before she turns and runs back the way they came. With a high-pitched yip the pup raced off after her playmate.

A few moments pass, and the animals come into the Atrium again; this time the kitten is riding on Myrin's shoulders, while the puppy squirms in her arms. She takes a moment to admire the renovations, before giving the pup a scritch and putting him down. "Doesn't look like you broke anything. Stay close now." The pup turns in a tight circle a couple times, but obediently stays at Myrin's heels as she gets herself some tea.

[Talyn]

I am thisclose to graduating, but how am I supposed to get any studying done with these rabbits everywhere?!