100 Themes

99. Friendship

   "No matter how much I love you, you are an inadequate substitute for tea."

   Athena attempts to look offended, holding a hand over her heart and rearing back a little. "I'm hurt, Gayle."

   The elf smiles up at her. "I'm sure you'll recover, dear." She turns back to the merchant as she opens her pouch. "How much for what I've chosen?"

   "Four silver, ma'am."

   She nods and hands over the coins, accepting her purchase when it's handed over. "Now where have the other three wandered off . . . to . . ."

   Athena furrows her brow, following the younger woman's gaze in confusion. Then her eyes fall on the nymph, who's walking toward them. "Is that a dragon on your shoulder?"

   Sabbith beams up at them, stroking the tiny dragon's head with her index finger. "Apparently it likes to travel -- I was just trying to buy something, and the merchant handed over a gold coin with this little one hanging onto it. He said that it's its hoard."

   The werewolf groans loudly.

   Gayle just continues to smile serenely. "Does it have a name? It's a pretty little thing."

   She's not wrong, Athena supposes. The dragon looks quite muscular, its leathery body copper and blue and eyes black. Its wings are almost bat-like with a row of spines running between them and down its back.

   "I wasn't told a name. Give me some time and I can come up with one, though." The glint in her eyes hasn't faded at all; it might have actually gotten brighter as the conversation has continued.

   "You go ahead and do that. Do you know where Liesel and Eiren are?"

   She shrugs the shoulder not holding the dragon. "Think I saw Liesel at a stand over that way--" she makes a loose gesture to the left. "Eiren's just disappeared entirely, I think. Part of the whole thief thing."