"Ah yes, I met her in the mountains of Frost Gale while I was exploring up there, looking for rare potion ingredients. She had been injured by a hunter, so I gave her a potion to heal her wound and some food. It seems that was quite enough to win her affection, as she followed me around from then on. Well, I'm not complaining. I rather enjoy her company. And she's very helpful. She pulls my wagon for me and I've even been able to fly on her back occasionally." he said over his shoulder, continuing to pet Dora who was now craning their head back to let him scratch the front her neck better.

After a short while, Dora was satisfied. She stretched a bit before plopping down on the ground next to Beist with a loud thud. She stared at the two strangers, giving them a sidelong glance. Beist idly patted the top of her head as he looked at them as well, though his look was much friendlier.

"My apologies if her landing startled you. I meant to warn you of her before she came back, but she returned just as I was trying. Please, tell me more about yourselves. I'd love to hear about some of your travels. You must have been many places from your wide selection of herbs! What is your favorite plant, Orym?" he asked before looking toward Leni-Aura. "You said yours is a flower that blooms only on cloudy days.... hmmm.... I believe that one would be...." he thought for a moment, claws combing through the fur on his neck, his eyes closed, before opening them again with a smile. "Nimbus Lilies? Those are actually a very hardy plant as well, you know. Even if the stem and leaves are destroyed, they grow back year after year from their bulb hidden below the ground. I have read about them a little. I'm still not quite certain why they only bloom in cloudy weather, though. Perhaps you can be the one to find out?"

"Poor thing," Orym remarks, one palm resting on his cheek as he looks at the massive Griffon. "I can't imagine who might want to hurt such a gentle thing... how lucky she was to have found you."

Leni-Aura slowly settles back on the pillow Beist gave her, still holding the fruit in her hands. "... She lets you fly on her back?" she asks, looking cautiously at the Griffon. The massive beast plops down with a thud beside Beist, clearly content in his presence. "What is flying like?" She blinks at the hybrid, tilting her head at it when it gives them a glance from the corners of its eyes.

"Oh, it's no worry at all. Miss Dora is quite welcome to join us while we visit— after all, her home is your home— and we are the guests." Orym smiles pleasantly, nodding in response. "Oh, hm..." Orym ponders the question for a moment. Leni-Aura has since managed to make herself comfortable once again; and she's licking the tart fruit juice off of her fingertips when Beist addresses her. She hesitates, a bit caught off guard.

"Nimbus Lilies? Maybe." she repeats, blinking at the man-beast as he describes the flower; she's not sure if that's right, honestly... but she'd know it if she saw it. The name, though? She can't really say; regardless, she looks at him with mild interest while he goes about telling her about it— but the look fades a little when Beist suggests she might find out. "I don't think so. I am not smart like you or Mister Orym; I cannot even name the plant." Orym breathes a soft laugh at her comment.

"Nonsense, Leni." he objects. "You're seeing many of these plants for the first time; with enough study, you could easily pick them apart just the same." The Rabbitaur doesn't look necessarily convinced, but Orym looks back to Beist. "As for me, I must say I have a soft spot for the Ghost Nettle; it's quite the fascinating plant; never to be consumed, and works best for numbing poultices, but... Completely transparent, save the veins of the leaves... Why, I've only found a few of them in my lifetime." he laughs heartily. "It is, perhaps, the most unique plant I've ever seen despite having few uses. What about yourself, my friend? Is there an ingredient, or plant, that most calls to you?"

"Hmm... Yes, it's difficult for me to truly pick a favorite, but Screeching Oak is at least one of mine. It's uses aren't particularly amazing. It's bark is useful in healing potions and its leaves release an unusually large amount of smoke when burnt. But, it's a favorite because I had a bit of an adventure to acquire it. It's a funny story. I was in the Kingswood with a couple of companions on a hunt for interesting ingredients. When we reached the tree, my guide explained the uses for the leaves and bark to me, but they neglected to mention anything about the blue acorns. I thought they may have some use that I might just have to find out for myself, so I grabbed one. Do you know what happened?" he paused for a moment to look at the two.

"The tree started screeching like a banshee! And the racket attracted the attention of two Treants along with some other beasts from the woods. We had to run out of there as fast as we could!" he let out a laugh. "Oh, it was terribly frightening at the time, but I suppose almost any story can be quite funny in hindsight. I'm still trying to find out about those acorns, by the way."

Dora rolled her eyes as if she had heard this story before and wasn't nearly as amused as the beast man. He gave Dora's head a teasing push when he noticed her eye rolling. He looked toward Leni-Aura.

"Flying is.... how to describe it...?" he took a moment to think about it. "I'd say it's a bit frightening. It makes my stomach drop. But it's also quite exciting. Though, the few times I've done it were not for pleasure, but for travelling faster. Dora doesn't like having to lift me. I am a bit heavy, you know." he said giving Dora some more pats on the head. "Are you interested in flying?"

"Screeching Oak?" Orym remarks, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "My, that's a curious one!" He retains his smile all the same, listening respectfully while Beist relays his tale of the Screeching Oak. Even Leni-Aura listens with perked ears, munching quietly on her fruit, while he recounts his tale of finding the Screeching Oak. Orym opens his mouth, but Leni-Aura speaks instead.

"What happened?" she remarks curiously as Beist pauses for emphasis; she wipes at the corner of her mouth with the back of one hand while Beist looks between the two of them. Orym looks at her, mildly bemused, that she's slowly becoming invested in the story. Orym looks back at Beist, laughing softly as he continues. "The tree started screaming...?" Leni-Aura's eyes widen slightly, head tilting.

Orym laughs heartily, "My! What a fright that must have been! A Screeching Oak attracting a bunch of beasties like that... Why, it must have been quite terrifying! But what a story it makes!" he chuckles, tapping his cane against the earth. "I can only imagine! You must tell me if you ever figure out what those acorns can be used for."

Leni-Aura is polishing off the last of her fruit when Beist addresses her; she laps at the juice on her fingertips, blinking at him as he describes flying. She perks up, her hazel eyes glittering with a bit of interest. "Ah..." she remarks, ears tilting back slightly. She looks at Dora inquisitively, then looks back at Beist with a hesitant nod. "The mountains in my homeland are tall, and the winds are fierce. I spent much of my youth on them. Sometimes I wondered how it might feel, if I could leap from the top and go anywhere through Avasha's domain."

"Of course, I'll let you know once I find out. Perhaps you'd like to take a few and do some of your own research? I hope you'd share any of your findings with me as well." Beist answered Orym happily. Maybe Orym would have better luck finding a use than he had so far, since he is specialized in plants. It was always better to share research to better advance the study.

He looked to Leni-Aura as she described her thoughts on flying. It was nice to have such a simple dream, he thought to himself.

"Ah, such a simple dream. How nice. Complicated dreams are too troublesome. It's nice to have a dream like yours, far less likely to cause you problems. More achievable." he said, thinking about his own attempt to achieve his dream of controlling himself while transformed into his werebeast form. It hadn't ended particularly well. His dream had been far more complicated than he had anticipated. "Maybe achievable right now."

He looked down at Dora and gave her some scratches in one of her favorite spots on the back of her neck. "Dora, would you give Leni-Aura a ride? She's far lighter than me. It'd be an easy task for such a big strong girl like you." he said, stroking the griffon's ego along with her feathers. Dora gave a prideful look as she stood up again and gave a short screech.

He looked to Leni-Aura again. "Would you like to give flying a try?"

"Oh?" Orym looks quite pleased at the offer, and nods in return. "Well, if you have a few extras to spare— I would love to take a look at them!" he agrees, "Of course, if I found anything at all, I would certainly tell you about it... At least, on the Herbalist front. I'm afraid I may not be much help with the alchemical side of things." he chuckles, his gaze softening as Beist addresses Leni-Aura.

She looks at him hesitantly, looking off to her side with a look of embarrassment. "Mm." she agrees simply; she really should have known better to admit something that childish out loud. She flicks her ears, paws shuffling against the pillow she's sitting on; although, Beist's next words have the Rabbitaur giving him her full attention. "Huh?" she repeats, looking at Beist, then looking at Dora as he reaches down to scratch the back of her neck.

Leni-Aura looks at the bird... creature, her ears tilting forwards. There's a glint behind her hazel eyes— maybe a restrained excitement— but she's holding back. "Is— is that okay?" she asks hesitantly, brows furrowing as she watches Dora stand. "I mean... Dora wouldn't mind?"

Beist gave a slight chuckle as he stood up and gave Dora a few strokes on her back. She looked at him for a moment before walking over to Leni-Aura.

"Looks like she doesn't mind at all." Beist said as he walked over to the back of his wagon and climbed in. After a moment, he reemerged with some ropes. "I'm afraid I don't have a proper saddle though, so I hope some ropes will do for safety."

He walked over and wrapped a rope around Dora's body, making a makeshift harness around her legs and neck for Leni-Aura to hold onto while they were flying. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would at least make sure she didn't slip and fall off the back of the griffon if she flew a bit too fast. He didn't think her rabbit legs would be very good at gripping the sides of the beast like he had done when he flew on her.

Dora stood still as he put the harness on, but gave a slight screech of annoyance. She didn't like the harness, but knew it was being put on her for a reason. She was a very intelligent creature and had trust in Beist, the one who had saved her. She didn't know Leni-Aura, but they had had their ego stroked. If they refused to let her fly, it would look like she was saying she couldn't. Her pride wouldn't allow that.

Beist gave her plenty of pets as she allowed him to harness her up, knowing she didn't like it, but he would feel terrible if there was an accident that he could have prevented with something as simple as a little rope.

"She's ready to go when you are." Beist turned to Leni-Aura when he was finished tying the rope securely. He looked back to Dora. "Don't fly too fast, and come back immediately if she tells you she wants to stop. And no tricks! No flips or dives or anything that might make her fall off." he gave the griffon a short lecture before stepping back to let Leni-Aura climb on. Dora laid on the ground to allow the Rabbitaur to easily climb up.

Leni-Aura looks between Beist and Dora, eyes widening slightly; for a moment, she feels... a bit overwhelmed. Yes, the idea of flying was something she had once been enamored with, just a bit, back in Dragon's Cradle, but... really flying? She's very much a land dwelling creature, but... but now that Beist's offered, she feels she can't say no.

She also kind of, maybe just a little bit... doesn't want to say no.

An opportunity has been laid before her and although a part of her feels hesitant— perhaps even scared— another part of her flutters in a childish excitement. An innocent lightness that she simply hasn't felt in a long time. She looks quizzically at Orym, who smiles back at her, and gestures wordlessly to Beist and Dora. She looks back at the two, swallowing what remains of her nerves as she hops towards Beist and Dora.

The large beast-man seems to have made a harness out of rope, and Leni-Aura wonders distantly if it will actually hold... could she actually stay on a beast as big as Dora? She holds her hands together, a tiny gesture symbolizing her nerves, as she approaches the large bird. She listens as Beist gives her a little lecture; Dora receives lots of pets from him as well. She looks up at Beist, then back at Dora as she lowers herself to the ground.

"..." she hesitates, looking back one last time at Orym, who gives her another encouraging smile. She takes a breath, turning back to Dora, and stepping forwards. "Hi, Dora." she greets hesitantly, giving the beast's fluffy neck a gentle pat. "Thank you for letting me fly with you." She's definitely procrastinating a little bit, and also trying to get on the bird-hybrid's good side, but she finally hops up onto her back after a moment.

It's a bit awkward, admittedly; it takes her a minute to find a position in which she feels she can somewhat grasp the bird's sides with her four paws. She takes up the harness, holding onto it tightly.

With Leni-Aura on her back, Dora spread her wings and took off into the air with a screech. She flew in a circle overhead a few times before soaring away, over the forest nearby. She flew fast, but held back enough that her passenger would not be flung off by the wind and kept fairly low in case they fell off. Beist sat back down as the two disappeared over the tree tops.

"Dora seemed very happy when she took off. She's very energetic, always wanting to fly around or play. I do hope Leni-Aura has a good time with her. She seemed a little hesitant, understandably." he said, stroking his beard and staring off in the direction they had flown.

"Well, while she's hopefully enjoying herself, why don't we talk more about herbology? I'd love to hear your thoughts on some ideas. You know, I heard recently that someone had tried to make a kind of milk using using beans! Can you imagine? I wonder if that might work, and if it does, could such a thing be useful in medicines or even alchemy. I'm curious about your opinion on such a thing."

The two began a conversation on all sorts of herbology related topics with a few tangents into things like cooking and magical beasts, occasionally wondering out loud how Leni-Aura is getting along with Dora. The two old men got along very well, both being huge nerds with similar interests.

Leni-Aura gasps, clenching the harness tight, as Dora takes off into the air; meanwhile, Orym breathes a soft laugh as she disappears with the large and hefty creature. "Oh, I can't blame her. I'm not much one for heights, but our Leni has a small connection with the sky goddess... She talks about Avasha quite often. I'm sure she'll find something about the ride to enjoy." he assures the large beast-man; although, he does worry a bit for her safety. After all, Leni-Aura is... well, her body is that of a rabbit's— not exactly meant for holding onto the sides of a steed.

Orym looks up as Beist mentions strange bean-milk, and the old man's eyes light up. "Ah! Actually, I have heard of that! Grinding up the beans fine enough, with enough liquid, seems to create a milk of some strange consistency... though, I have actually never tried it, myself!" he laughs heartily, happily continuing the conversation with Beist; the two old men do get along quite well, all things considered.

As a traveler, Orym doesn't always have time to make new friends; so he values this time chatting with another kindred spirit while he can.

---

Leni-Aura, meanwhile, has had her eyes closed as Dora soars through the air; the rabbitaur's hands are quaking as she holds tight to the harness. The wind buffets her hair and fur; the only sound to interrupt the gale being the beating of Dora's wings as she soars high over the trees. Slowly, eventually, she cracks open her eyes; the wind is strong up here as Dora glides. Eventually, she blinks her eyes open, rabbit-like ears buffeted back with the strong wind.

Her heart is fluttering in her chest.

She looks down, eyes widening slightly as she catches the trees of Moonveil, so small below, growing even smaller as Dora rises through the sky. It's... it's terrifying, but it's... exhilarating all the same! There's a strange peace that she succumbs to; a hushed whisper unheard by even herself; that only her soul seems to resonate with.

She starts to laugh; a cheerful, high-pitched sound; she's not sure if she's laughed since she left Dragon's Cradle. "Dora! This is so cool!" she laughs, holding tight to the harness as she peers down below, grinning. She hears the beat of Dora's wings; the chill of the gale; it's... freeing. So, so freeing.

She knows that she can't just take Dora anywhere, yet, she feels like maybe she could go... well, anywhere.

It's magical in its own right.

"And you can just do this whenever you like! The forest is so much bigger than I thought it was..."

The griffon gave a long screech as it flew over the forest with Leni-Aura on her back. She was having fun listening to the Rabbitaur's reactions to flying so high. They were tempted to start doing the tricks they enjoyed, the flips and barrel rolls that were so exhilarating, but they remembered Beist's warning that her passenger might be flung off and stopped herself. Instead, she simply flew a little higher before diving down for a moment and then levelling off again, giving Leni-Aura some an exciting ride. If the griffon's beak could smile, it would be.

After some time, the griffon thought that the flight had lasted long enough and turned around to head back to the wagon. She also wanted a treat for allowing the girl to ride her. She knew she had had breakfast pretty recently, but she could probably get the soft-hearted beast man to give her another fruit anyways. He always said he didn't like to spoil her, but she thought she deserved it this time. Besides, she would be the one pulling the wagon later, so she wanted to be a little spoiled before then.

As the two continued their flight, Beist enjoyed talking to Orym. They were very like-minded. After a conversation about the practical and maybe some less practical uses of bean milk, he decided to get some tea brewing and went inside the wagon for a moment. He placed the kettle on the small burner he often used in his potion making and went back outside to continue talking until he heard the whistle that meant the water had started to boil.

He brought out three cups of tea, placing one on the ground near the pillow for when Leni-Aura returned. It should be fairly soon.

Leni-Aura genuinely enjoys the ride high over the forest; she holds tight to the harness as she looks out from the Griffon's back. Her eyes are bright, hair a mess, as the wind buffets her from the peak of Dora's flight. She feels the griffon fly a little higher, then level out; and she delights in the feeling of this kind of freedom. Up here, it almost feels like she could forget about much of her troubles... she's almost jealous of Dora, for having wings.

But she's not really thinking about it, either; instead, taken with the scenery; with how small yet expansive the world is from this high— and occasionally praising how incredible the griffon is, and how wonderful the feeling of flight really is. All good things come to an end, however; and for Leni-Aura, the end of their flight certainly comes too soon— but she is grateful that Dora was willing to take her into the air, even as she feels the heart-fluttering descent of the great beast's wings.

Orym looks up, a tea cup in his hand as the beating of wings comes from up above. "Ah... there they are." he remarks, waving at the two with his free hand when Dora finally begins to descend upon the wagon. Leni-Aura holds tight to the harness, grunting when the great beast finally lands. She breathes a little laugh, patting the side of Dora's neck gratefully.

"Thank you, Dora... It was really fun." she remarks, almost wistful that their time has to come to an end. She crawls off the side of the Griffon. "If there's ever a next time, I hope you'll show me some of those fun tricks Beist was talking about."

Beist looked up as he heard the sound of the giant wings flapping, signaling Dora and Leni-Aura's return. After their descent and the Rabbitaur's dismount, he stood and walked over to the griffon to start removing the harness.

He gave a small chuckle. "Well, if you want her to do those tricks with you, you'd be wise to either have a proper saddle to hold onto, or learn how to fly yourself!" he said before laughing. Dora rolled her eyes again, but Beist didn't see this time since he was bent down, pulling the ropes from around her front legs. Maybe I should get a saddle made... he thought to himself.

"I made tea while you were away. There's a cup for you by your seat." he said once he had finished removing all of the rope and placing it into the back of his wagon. He walked back to his seat, followed behind by Dora who nudged his back. He pretended to not notice her until she bit his horn and pulled him, making him nearly fall backward.

"What, what is it?" he said, turning to her and feigning innocence. She sat down in front of him and stared for a moment.

"You want a treat? But you just had breakfast." he crossed his arms in front of him as he spoke. He let out a sigh and waved his hand, causing the giant strawberry-like fruits to grow nearby.

"Alright, fine. I needed to make some more of these for our guests to take anyways. But only one!" he said, picking one and tossing it into the air above the griffon, making her jump up for it and catch it with a satisfied look.

He picked the rest of the large fruits and brought them over to the back of his wagon. He returned with the fruits in a woven basket and placed it next to Orym before returning to his stool.

"If I could, I would!" she complains back; there's no ill-will in her voice— coming across as more of a playful whine when she bubbles into a soft laugh— still presumably giddy from her ride. Orym seems a bit surprised by her reaction; but pleasantly smiles all the same, grateful to see the usually-so-serious rabbit lightening up for once. She gives Dora a last, fond pet, before allowing Beist to help make her more comfortable. "Thank you," she chirps back as she bounces to her seat.

She leaps clear over her tea-cup and the pillow, then circles around and nestles back into her seat, a tiny smile left on her face as she takes her cup of tea, and looks back up at Beist and Dora. She chuckles under her breath as Beist tosses up the fruit into the air, and Dora snaps it up — looking pleased. "She was very patient with me," she remarks, tail twitching contently. "Thank you for letting me fly with her."

The elderly halfling smiles fondly at the rabbitaur; then looks up as Beist brings them a basket of fruits from his wagon. "Ah, thank you very much... I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's reaction when I bring these home to them. They'll be thrilled!" he laughs, looking down into the basket; they do have plenty to share when they get back. He also wonders, if these fruits created by Beist have any unique properties outside of taste?

Regardless, he's certain the others will be quite thrilled to receive these unique gifts. The old man looks back at the others; Leni-Aura, pleased and giddy on the pillow after experiencing her first flight and sipping at the tea Beist had left for her; and the kind, beastly gentleman with his kind, beastly mount who have both been so generous to them.

What a lovely day this has been thus far; spent amongst such lovely company.