The morning sky is an ombre gradient of pastels; of sky blues and gentle pinks; as the sun creeps over the edge of the horizon far below the treeline. In the midst of the Moonveil Village, there had travelled a small group of merchants the previous night. Their colourful wagons lined the outskirts of the gentle village of healers; their livestock grazed in the grass; and they spent the night quietly amongst the trees and flickering fireflies.

Now that the sun has begun to rise, however, the merchants and their companions have begun to stir.

Leni-Aura groggily stumbles from the back of a decorative purple-and-gold tented wagon, arching her back and stretching her forepaws far in front of her for a glorious morning stretch. She stifles a yawn as she pulls back into a neutral stance, her spear tethered to her back as she waits for the old halfling to tumble his way out of the wagon.

The morning is mostly peaceful; there are a few villagers bustling about; a few curious eyes turned towards the colourful merchants. Some who are familiar with them, and some who aren't... which is all fine. "Ah..." Orym, the balding halfling with his little round glasses, comes stepping carefully out of the wagon— his wooden cane tapping at the step-ladder as he cautiously descends. Leni-Aura extends a hand to help him, and he takes it with a chuckle. "It is mighty early, isn't it?"

"Mm." she agrees, sleepily. Orym makes it to the grass, and heads off in his well-known direction towards the Herbal Gardens; Leni-Aura hops compliantly after him. "What is it that you needed to get up so early for...?" she sounds grumpy, ears lowered as they travel down Moonveil Village's gentle dirt roads.

"Dawnflowers," he answers with a drowsy smile. "They only bloom at the liminal time of dawn; they're very effective in a number of potions and tinctures— but they are very hard to remove from the bud if you don't pluck them while they're fully bloomed." he chuckles his little-old-man chuckle.

"... How do the flowers know that it is dawn?" she wonders aloud, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully as they cross the threshhold into Moonveil's Herbal Garden together, where a few people seem to be meandering about.

"Oh, nature has its way... but they know."

Beist yawned as he reached down to pick another Dawnflower. He had travelled for quite a while just to reach these herbal gardens in this village. He didn't usually like waking up so early, but he wouldn't miss his opportunity to acquire such a useful potion ingredient. His hand reached up to cover his mouth as he yawned again.

"Oh, why must you have to bloom at such an early time of day? Can't you let an old man sleep?" he muttered a bit grumpily to the flowers as he placed them into his satchel.

He had travelled in his new wagon that was pulled by a new friend he had made recently. He only bought the wagon because of her, but he was very happy to be able to have something of a little home while he was on the road. Along with company. Now, it would be much easier for him to brew his potions with a roof over his head and a solid floor beneath him. Though, he did have to be sitting down. The roof wasn't as high as he would have liked and he couldn't be bending his back the entire time. Still, he was happy.

As he finished filling his satchel with the flowers, he stifled another yawn and stood up with the aid of his walking stick. He glanced around toward the others in the garden. Some of them had been a bit startled when he first appeared, but they seemed to be used to him now after he politely introduced himself. Apparently, there was a much ruder, smaller fuzzy creature in this town that they had grown almost used to. Compared to that, he was practically welcomed with open arms.

"Well, that should be enough for now. I'd better get back to Dora before she wakes up. She can be a bit grumpy if she doesn't get a few morning head pats." he chuckled to himself as he turned to the exit of the garden. But as he was about to leave, a curious newcomer entered.

"They have no eyes," she objects, hopping alongside the halfling as they walk beneath the thresh-hold. "Dawn seems like a strange time."

"They can feel the shift in the sun, or lack of; you've seen the flowers that bloom only in the moonlight." Orym chuckles; Leni-Aura makes a face in return.

"Yes, but I don't understand those, either." she mumbles; the old halfling laughs, giving her a pat on the shoulder as he looks around the rows of blooming plants and herbs— many which Moonveil is well-known for. Leni-Aura huffs, taking in the breadth of the communal garden. Dragon's Cradle is rather not well-known for it's wide array of foliage— and she has since grown accustomed to Moonveil's vast foliage... but it's still very unique. She can't tell anything apart, just knows that it's different.

"Oh— there's the garden master." Orym, leaning on his cane, notes an elven man towards the back of the garden. "I'm going to go talk to him for a moment; would you start picking me some blooms? Remember— just the blooms— and never take too many from the same plant. Okay?" The halfling offers her a decoratively embroidered purple bag, which she takes with a nod. "Thank you, Leni."

She hovers at the entrance as Orym hobbles away, ears turning back when she realizes he didn't...

explain what the Dawnflowers actually looked like...

She holds the bag in both hands, running a thumb over the embroidery as she looks out towards the garden of blooms. There are a few people loitering around, and many flowers which are blooming that she assumes are not just the Dawnflowers, but her inexperience in this leaves her... uncertain, to say the least. Slowly, the rabbitaur hops further into the garden, taking uncertain glances between plants in an attempt to determine which, of all the plants blooming, are the Dawnflowers.

... Or, are they all Dawnflowers?

She stops for a moment, uncertain, and takes a look around the garden for aid; the first individual she notes... seems to be a rather large humanoid. Almost bear-like, but... with a satchel full of blooms, which seems promising, but he stands at a staggering height which, initially intimidates even herself.

After a moment of eyeing him up, rather unsubtle, Leni-Aura sighs to herself.

She hops hesitantly towards him, "Excuse me; do you know which is a Dawnflower?" she requests, looking towards the plants with a somewhat baffled expression.

Beist stared down at the Rabbitaur for a moment. He had never seen one before and was very intrigued. He suddenly realized his staring might be a bit rude, and looked away toward the flower bed in front of him, full of the Dawnflowers he had been picking. Ah, I got lost in thought again. I hope I didn't make them uncomfortable. I've never seen someone half rabbit, half human before. Or would half human be incorrect? They're rather small, perhaps it would be more accurate to say half halfling? Well, I shouldn't say that out loud to them, they might be offended. Though their shape is more like a centaur than a werebeast. 

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a voice calling out to him. He looked down and was surprised to see the Rabbitaur looking up at him and then toward the plants, somewhat baffled. What did she just say to me? Oh dear, I was too lost in thought and didn't hear! What should I say? He looked to the bed of Dawnflowers she was looking toward. Perhaps she just asked what type of flowers these are?

"Ah, this bed is full of Dawnflowers. They only bloom at this time of day, early in the morning. Are you interested in herbology?" he said, gesturing to the garden bed. "I was actually just harvesting some of them myself. They're very useful in potion making" he smiled down at the Rabbitaur, doing his best to act friendly and seem like he had actually heard her speaking.

By some chance, Leni-Aura didn't seem to notice that he hadn't even heard her when he spoke; in fact, he basically answers her question so naturally that the thought doesn't even cross her mind. Instead, she looks relieved as he gestures towards the garden bed. "Thank goodness," she breathes, ears perking as she looks amongst the blooming Dawnflowers. The large man is still talking; but Leni-Aura starts to settle down, tucking her legs beneath her rabbit-like body as she reaches out to hesitantly touch a Dawnflower.

"My employer is an herbalist; he makes tinctures and potions and poultices." she answers, sweeping her fingers beneath the bud; gingerly, she plucks one off the stem— looking a bit nervous as she examines the flower, in the case she's damaged it. She doesn't think she has, though; so, she tucks the Dawnflower carefully away into the bag Orym gave her. "The plants from my homeland are not very many; the winds and the storms are too strong to harbour anything but the hardiest of them. To see so many different ones at once is... overwhelming. Only here in this place do I see... this many."

Her ears tilt back as she looks from where she came; there are many plants in the garden, many of which she could not name. She sighs; and a gentle wind buffets the plants in the garden. Leni-Aura takes it as a small hint, looking to the stranger from the corner of her eye. "You... are an herbalist, then?" she asks, as she turns and reaches out to take another bloom— then pauses, taking a moment to count the flowers on the plant before she commits to gently plucking one off for her bag.

She really wishes Orym would hurry over here.

"Oh, yes I am something of an herbalist, but I would rather refer to myself as an alchemist. I am very interested in different plants, but I also use some ingredients in my potions that come from animals as well as minerals on occasion. So your employer only uses plant materials as ingredients? How interesting. They have chosen to specialize, then. I prefer to stay more open-minded with my potions. Is your employer here now? You said your homeland has few plants and only the hardiest survive? May I ask where that would be? It sounds interesting. Is your employer from there as well?" Beist rambled on to the Rabbitaur until he suddenly remembered that he had to go make sure Dora was fine.

"Oh! Dear me, I nearly forgot that I really must be going! My apologies. But I would love to meet your employer, and you again as well. I am staying in my wagon parked just outside of town in that direction. I would be delighted if you came to visit. We can speak more there." he said as he made sure his bag was securely closed before pointing in the direction of his wagpn and turning to leave with a small wave and a smile. He really hoped they would come by. He enjoyed having company and she and whoever her employer was seemed like they would make great conversation partners. Or at least someone he could ramble on in front of. As he was about to exit the garden he realized he hadn't even given his name. He stopped and turned back toward them.

"Oh, my name is Beistmild, but please call me Beist!" he called before leaving to rush back to his wagon.

The man-beast suddenly starts to ramble, and Leni-Aura furrows her brows slightly. He's talking a lot, and rather quickly; and it's a bit much for her to fully hold onto while she's focusing on the plants. She pauses for a moment, looking at him from the corner of his eyes as he talks; but before she can even reply to him— he suddenly realizes he needs to leave, and points towards the direction of his wagon.

The Rabbitaur sits up slightly to get a grasp on the direction and then he's rushing off.

Leni-Aura watches him go, brows furrowed, at the odd interaction; but then he stops and calls from across the garden his name— Beist— and he's gone.

"..."

"Hm? Who was that?"

Shock prickles up Leni-Aura's arms as Orym's voice enters the silence left behind; the little halfling adjusts his glasses, looking expectantly at her. "An... alchemist." she answers, shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she reaches for more Dawnflowers.

"An alchemist?" The halfling rubs his chin, a tiny, curious smile on his face as he watches Leni-Aura work on filling the bag with Dawnflowers.

"Mm. He was very talkative."

Orym laughs a little, knowing very well that the Rabbitaur is not the best conversationalist; but, he has noticed her putting in more work. She's still not good at it, but she does seem to try. "I'd like to meet this alchemist," Orym reaches out with a freckled hand, plucking a Dawnflower expertly, and handing it to Leni-Aura for the bag. "It's not everyday we stumble across one... Perhaps he has something interesting to teach. What say we head back to the wagons, and bring him some gifts?"

Leni-Aura puts another flower in the bag, breathing a soft sigh.

"If that's what you want; I believe he said he'd like to meet you, as well."

---

The sun has finally peeked over the horizon, and the Dawnflowers in the garden have begun to close, when Orym and Leni-Aura finally head towards the wagon that the Rabbitaur had said he'd pointed out. They had returned back to their own— Orym had her gather up a small greeting basket for the stranger— and then, they followed the path from where Beist had pointed Leni-Aura.

Eventually, the two approach a wagon settled on the outskirts of the little village.

Beist got back to his wagon just in time to see Dora starting to wake up. He walked over to the Griffon and started giving her some pats on the head. He was always careful to treat her head like a bird's. The huge beast nestled into his hand, loving the attention. He patted her for a while until she looked at him expectantly.

"Alright, alright. I know what you want" he said with a slight chuckle as he waved his hand toward the ground nearby. Plants began to grow rapidly from the ground, several large flowers blooming and then quickly growing into large fruits and vegetables. He walked over to the plants and pulled off one of the fruits.

Dora stood up and took a low stance, ready to play. He threw the fruit into the air over her head and she jumped up to catch it, gulping it down. The two continued to play, also feeding Dora breakfast, until she turned away, no longer hungry. There were still some fruits left, so Beist began having breakfast himself. He brought a stool out from his wagon and placed it on the ground outside and began to eat. The fruits were sweet and slightly tart, resembling very large strawberries. The vegetables were savory and oddly tasted almost like meat. They looked like oversized tomatoes. He made these specifically for his carnivorous companion, but they weren't bad, so he ate one as well.

As he finished, Dora stretched a bit and spread her wings before looking at him. "Yes, yes, you should go for a flight. A little exercise after a meal. I'll wait here. We may have a couple of guests soon if they took me up on my invitation." he said. Dora took flight, flying over the nearby forest. He wasn't worried about her safety. What could possibly threaten a flying griffon in this forest? This wasn't known to be a dangerous place at all. She should be perfectly fine.

Beist sat outside his wagon, reading a book until he saw a couple of figures approaching from the town.

"Hello there!" Orym's soft voice doesn't carry very far, but he does give it his best. The old man waves his cane in the air in greeting while Leni-Aura watches him cautiously. Together, they almost give the impression of a grandparent and grandchild, despite how clearly different they actually are. Orym sets his cane back on the ground, smiling as he approaches the strange man. "I hope you don't mind that we took it upon ourselves to visit; Leni-Aura told me you had extended an invitation, and I am always keen to meet a fellow practitioner."

They reach Beist's location eventually, and Leni-Aura— who had not had time to introduce herself prior— nods weakly in greeting to the large man-beast. "Hello again."

"We brought you a little something as thanks for your hospitality and for your helping Leni-Aura at the gardens— I hope you'll find some use for them." Orym gives Leni-Aura a small gesture with one hand, and she offers the woven reed basket to the man-beast that she's been carrying. Inside, at first glance, there appears to be all sorts of little ins-and-outs that most people might not blink twice at; but the samples of dried plants nestled carefully inside the basket are all quite unique— from different areas of Charon: Zeinav, the Ash Lands, and Frost Gale among them. "Just a few little extras from my own stash," he remarks with a chuckle. "We have plenty more at the wagon, and... ah, my manners. My name is Orym," the halfling introduces himself, then gestures at Leni-Aura.

"This is our guardswoman, Leni-Aura. Our wagons are a bit on the farther side of Moonveil Village; but I like to think we're a fun little collection of merchants, craftsmen, and traders. I work as an herbalist now amongst my peers, but I dabbled in a bit of alchemy in my youth before I specialized in my craft."

It did seem, at some point, Leni-Aura had relayed some of Beist's ramblings to the older man.

"Do you have a chair, or stool of some kind for Orym while we're visiting here?" the rabbitaur interjects; to which Orym shakes his head, leaning on his cane.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. My old knees still have some life left in them."

Leni-Aura looks at him briefly, before giving Beist a still-hopeful look about the possibility of something for the old man to sit on.

"Ah, how rude of me!" Beist said as he stood up and offered his stool to Orym. "Please, it'd be impolite to make my guests stand no matter their age. Just a moment." He went into the back of his wagon and retrieved two more stools before taking a look at Leni-Aura and reconsidering. Instead, he brought out a stool for himself and a large pillow for the Rabbitaur. "Maybe this would be more comfortable?" he said as he placed the pillow on the ground for her before placing his stool so the three could be seated in a triangle.

"Thank you very much for the lovely gift. What a wonderful selection of herbs you must have. I'm sure they will prove most helpful in my endeavors." he said as looked through the basket of different herbs before getting up and placing it in his wagon. He came back holding two fruits that looked like giant strawberries.

"I hope you'll allow me to share something with you as well." he said cheerily as he handed each of them one of the leftover giant strawberry-like fruits he had conjured up earlier before sitting on his stool again. 

"Ah yes, Leni-Aura and I had started having a conversation in the herb gardens, but I remembered that I had to take care of Dora. Though, in hindsight, the conversation may have been a bit one sided. My apologies. Please, tell me, where exactly are you from? I've never met someone quite like you before." he said, looking toward Leni-Aura with a curious expression.

"No, no— really, I'm fine." Orym objects yet again, but Leni-Aura is quite used to his usual song-and-dance; she's grateful when Beist brings out a stool for the older gentleman. Although, his bringing out a pillow for herself comes as a surprise; she takes a pace back, eyeing the pillow almost skeptically. Orym breathes a sigh, smiling wistfully at the large man. "Well, thank you." he breathes a little sigh as he takes a seat, digging his cane into the dirt between his dangling legs.

"Oh, I certainly hope so— my, what is this?" the halfling looks, interested, as Beist hands him an odd fruit. Leni-Aura, having made herself quite comfortable on the pillow, after determining it was just a pillow— takes the other. She's sat rather comically on the presented pillow— all four legs tucked beneath her, giving her rabbit body the illusion of looking a bit like a loaf of bread. She makes a face at it, twisting the fruit around curiously in her hands, as if doing so will tell her what it is.

She perks her ears when she hears her name, looking at Beist from over the strawberry-like fruit. "...Me?" she repeats, furrowing her brows slightly. She looks hesitantly towards Orym, who's taking a tentative and curious bite of the fruit; she looks back at him, ears twitching. "Within the storm, in the Dragon's Cradle." she answers. "I was born there; I trained there; I would have remained there, but I left months ago, and now I am here. My warren is still there. This place is very different from home... Much quieter. Much more colourful."

"Ah, I have not been to the Dragon's Cradle. Though, from what I've heard, I understand what you mean when you said only the hardiest of plants would survive there. I hope you are enjoying your travels. Plants can be truly beautiful, wouldn't you agree?" he said with a warm smile before turning to Orym who had taken a few small bites of the fruit.

"Do you like the fruit? I made it myself. Conjured up using a bit of Earth magic. A very useful spell, and I say, the only way I could possibly afford to keep Dora fed. And maybe myself" he said with a hearty laugh. "I can also make more if you'd like. Maybe some for the road? Oh, I suppose I could also make regular fruits. These large ones are just a bit more convenient for me to feed Dora. Easier to throw."

Beist wondered if he should have had Dora stay to meet his guests. He also wondered when she would be back from her flight. She'll probably be back soon. He hoped Orym and Leni-Aura wouldn't be too startled by her. She could be a bit frightening for his customers to approach, which was why he usually let her fly around when she liked while the wagon was parked somewhere. Similar to himself, he supposed. He also just didn't want her to feel too confined.

"Say, are you not interested in magical creatures at all? I know you specialize in plants and herbology, but are you not fascinated by them at least a little?" he asked Orym, gaging his reaction. 

"Mm." she agrees, "Only plants that can survive the temperature, wind, and storm can survive there." She looks away from Beist when he asks about her travels, but nods idly; she didn't leave home willingly, and she misses it— but she supposes it hasn't been all bad. "Moonveil has the nicest. There's a flower that blooms on cloudy days that I really like, but I don't remember the name."

She doesn't know the name of it; but the white bloom holds a strange, cloudy grey pattern to it. In a weird way, it reminds her of home; of storms, thunder, and rain. She sees it sometimes when they settle down for the night, when the weather is less than ideal.

"I do!" Orym exclaims, cocking his head curiously as Beist explains the nature of the fruit. "Really? You made this with earth magic? My, that's quite a talent you have!" He bubbles into a laugh, "Dora must have quite the appetite! Is that your horse?" he asks, taking another little bite of it. "Oh, I would hate to trouble you— but if you don't mind making a few for us to take back, I think my peers would rather love these."

Leni-Aura looks at Orym for a second, listening to him compliment the fruit; then looks at the one in her hands. Hesitantly, she takes a nibble of it while they speak.

Actually, it's not bad.

"Hm? Oh, well... Yes, of course!" Orym holds a wistful smile as he answers his question. "I don't think I know a soul who isn't interested in magical creatures; is that what you focus on in your studies?"

"Why, thank you. I'd be happy to make more for you and your companions." he said, a little flattered. His ears drooped a little less and his tail swayed back and forth behind him.

Beist raised his hand to his beard as he thought about the question for a moment. "I don't believe I can really call magical creatures my focus per say, but I am quite intrigued by them. I like to think I am open to anything that furthers my alchemical pursuits. Within reason, of course. No, I mainly ask because I hope you-" his words were interrupted by a screech and the sounds of wings from above as the huge Griffon landed beside the trio, close to Beist.

He turned around and stood up as Dora forced her giant avian head into his arms, seeking the beast man's attention. He began to pet Dora, scratching the front of her neck gently and stroking the back of her head with a laugh.

"Ah, as I was saying, I hoped you would not be too surprised by Dora's return." he called over his shoulder to the two guests. "She's a good girl, yes she is." he said as he continued to pet the Griffon that was now playfully nibbling on one of his horns.

"Thank you, kindly." Orym chimes back, smiling as he takes another bite of the strawberry-like fruit. The Halfling still listens attentively, though; tilting his head as Beist tries to explain exactly what his question means—

when a massive Griffon descends from the sky, landing on the ground nearby the beastman.

Both halfling and rabbitaur startle; although Leni-Aura startles moreso— the rabbitaur had leapt from her pillow when Dora arrived— managing to leap back quite far with a look of alarm on her face. Orym just sits there, wide-eyed, and then begins to bubble into an excited laugh. "My, my! What a beautiful creature she is! I've never seen one in person before— you said her name was Dora?" he asks, marveling at the Griffon while it nibbles on Beist's horns.

Leni-Aura seems to relax the longer Dora playfully interacts with Beist; slowly and hesitantly, she returns to her pillow. "She is... big." she remarks, eyeing up the creature with a curious cautiousness behind her gaze. "She's... friendly?"

"Where in the world did you befriend such a creature?" Orym adds.