Fate - First Reply Come take me from this dull world

[Favashi]

Little sprigs of flowers, pots of honey, saucers of fresh cream.

These were the gifts for Little Folk and she watched as they relished in the small offerings. Only those with the Sight would see them scurry hither and thither to complete mundane tasks and miracles; finding a lost sock, polishing a faint memory, helping a chicken past her prime lay a few more eggs. Old wives tales, most of them believed her kind to be even in a world where Dragons darkened the skies with their wings. They would chalk these little things up to coincidences or small blessings. But they wouldn't not put out their offerings. Just in case. Of course the Fae could not be real, but the unusual bad luck of broken crockery and minor accidents that seemed to happen when such gifts were not made was enough to keep people in line.

After her stroll through the city, Favashi came to be sat beside the pool and trailed her fingers through the cool waters to watch the way the ripples disturbed the lilies that floated there. She needn't truly be here to supervise the Little Ones as they went about their activities but she oft enjoyed accompanying them and it did well for them to be reminded of who was truly in charge. A small Brownie ran over to her and placed in her hand a feather of some bird with blue and silver feathers by the looks of this one. She smiled benevolently and tucked it into her hair then blew a kiss to the little creature who scurried off to complete his work in the city. She didn't mind the hustle and bustle of the crowded streets but she preferred it here in the gardens of the palace. She could remember a time when such a structure didn't exist but she couldn't remember how long ago that was. Time was something she barely paid attention to anymore.

Like a desert cat she stretched and lay down beside the pool. The gauzy green material of her skirt tangled around her legs as she twisted onto her back to watch a butterfly pass overhead. She raised one elegant hand and it came to rest upon her finger like an ornamental ring. She turned it this way and that to examine its scarlet patterned wings: such a curious creature, gone in the blink of a human eye and yet she found nothing more beautiful in this world.

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Today I'd like to keep the skies bright.

---

​

Aivrid's eyes were drawn to the woman lounging by the fountain for several reasons; though those reasons were not the same as those of most. He noticed the ethereal beauty and general lack of garments that the woman had. There was nothing wrong with appreciating something on purely aesthetic merits, but dragons rarely commented on such things; art among Aivrid's kind was often quite limited.

His gaze had been initially attracted by the glint of the pool in the sun. The woman's skin was gold -- and of course, Aivrid was very interested in gold -- and she seemed to attract the little creatures that scuttled about Ragash. The way she moved betrayed a sort of carelessness; it reminded Aivrid of himself. As if nothing in the world could harm her, as if time slowed around her and she could sit and watch a whole generation of little folk pass by and she would be the same.

Time... no, as the transformed dragon drew closer to the woman he realized why she was interesting. He remembered her. They likely hadn't met before, but he recalled seeing her before, at least a thousand years ago. Yes, he'd once dabbled in the affairs of the far-off Fae courts; sharpening his mind as he watched plots and politics unfold in a place so far and irrelevant they did not much care that he watched.

So why was she here? The dragon's avarice extended to an inherent curiosity in all things. Most of the little ones he could ignore, but to converse with a creature so rare was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The 'human' approached the lounging woman, stopping a few feet away. "I imagine the desert climate does not agree with a Fae... though I admit I am no expert," he began.

 

[Favashi]

Hushed whispers. A chittering laugh. The Little Folk were so easily amused that she almost disregarded their warning of a man watching. Favashi's glamour was superior than most Fae and it would take a creature who had visited the courts of her kind or were blessed unnaturally so with the Sight to see her. She did not think such people existed in these lands anymore. The heroes she had given her boons to had long since passed to ash and she did not believe any human who had visited her Court in recent times yet still lived.

Let alone one that would dare to talk to her.

Nevertheless she pushed her hand away from her and the butterfly took flight once again to find sweeter nectars to sample. Favashi was arrogant but she also craved amusement and if their wittering was true then perhaps this trip would prove to be more interesting than she had first thought. Her golden eyes drifted to the one whose footsteps she could hear and met his gaze as he spoke. A languid smile spread across her face but she did not move from her reclined position, though the Little Folk who had been busy braiding her hair ran and fled beneath the wild blooms nearby. Instead she returned her now butterfly-less hand back to the water to stir more ripples.

"Perhaps then, the imagining is best left to the experts," her words were a soft summer breeze that wound about his senses. "For example, an expert might imagine that a person who could see me and mine has met with us before."

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

I suppose I am an expert.

---

​

The transformed dragon breathed deeply. The air around the woman had a certain aroma, and the tone of her words was the kind that would distract most. His weak human body was physiologically affected, of course, but he managed to keep his mind focused and his gaze centered. The senses of a dragon were not easily deceived, and Aivrid had made a point to keep his magical sight even in another form. The humans around him would think him mad but he continued to regard and converse with this most glamorous Fae.

"A most valid assumption," he mused, slowly moving to take a seat next to the woman. "Though I do not believe I've conversed with one before. Even an expert would imagine that this is a most rare experience." Aivrid had very few firsts left; new things were always welcome. To converse with an ancient Fae, one that may be even older than him... well, he couldn't pass up such a chance.

"Tell me, Fae, why have you come here? You are far from your homeland." He'd heard tell of them traveling far and wide, but this one seemed to have a high place in court, what with the power he sensed from her and her age.

Another thought occurred to him, a little late. "Do you seek to bargain?"

 

[Favashi]

His words won a smile from her lips.

When he made to sit down Favashi pulled her legs away to allow him a perch and then lowered her feet to the ground to manoeuvre herself a more into an upright position. As she moved she brushed a hand over her skirts so that they detangled themselves from her legs and fell instead to the tops of her ankles, giving her a more modest look. For such clever words she would entertain him a little. Perhaps even answer his questions. She watched him with her head cocked to the side then blinked lazily and turned her attention to the waters instead. From there she plucked one of the lilies and twirled it between her fingers.

"The Court of Dawn is far in its reach but not so far from here," she plucked a petal and cast it into the pools, then another and another. "I like to watch the Little Folk from time to time and ensure that those who still believe and leave offerings are rewarded correctly, and those that do not... punished accordingly," but when he spoke of deals her gaze, which until now had been focused on the lily, snapped up to his. There was a subtle shift in her features, interest piqued further. Not many would outright ask such a thing. The smile she gave him now was a dangerous one and she wagged her finger.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

"We do not Seek, we are Sought. Those that wish to make a bargain would be wise to do so in the proper manner. Amongst the halls of the Fallen Hero who once strove to do what your Emperor does too, with the correct gifts."

She would let him have this one faux pas but he walked a deadly edge.

"It is not good etiquette to ask a Lady whilst she is on her day off."

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

How menacing.

---

​

"Very responsible of you." To visit one's subordinates and be sure of their intentions... very important. And of course, if this Fae wanted anything changed -- with or without her rulers' permission -- she could do so easily. Aivrid had half a mind to ask her to make his domain off-limits to said 'Little Folk', but that would likely be unacceptable... and it would likely reveal his identity.

The transformed dragon shifted in his seat, eyeing the Fae as she made her veiled threat and rather odd hand gesture. What was that again? Wagging one's finger was meant to denote a negative emotion. Aivrid wasn't entirely sure. He also was mildly concerned if he had, in fact, angered this woman. As it was his timer wasn't quite up, and it was nearly midday. If it was as he presumed and she was a Solar Fae she'd be near the height of her power. This frail human body could not bear the weight of all the magics he would need to cast if it came to it...

But his mind was intact.

Aivrid smiled as she finished speaking. "My apologies, then... as I said, I am no expert. Perhaps... well, if you are not here to bargain, then perhaps a wager? I wish to know more about you and your people, and I am sure I can provide something you want..." His smile widened. Surely this was enticing... Aivrid himself was already amused.

"The contest is simple. You must determine what I am and who I am, before midday. Ask me any question you wish, and I will reply with yes or no." He glanced up at the sun. The clock was already ticking. "Do you accept?"

 

[Favashi]

Favashi would never have it said that she were not a forgiving Fae. With the apology given her face changed like the tide and the dangerous sharp edge her features had taken on was replaced with one of sweet serenity. It had been a narrow escape but he had guessed the correct path with this particular fae and averted her ire. Like a mollified kitten she returned to playing with lily in her hands, shredding it of its last petals.

then perhaps a wager?

The Fae of War paused in her movements. For a moment it would be hard to tell whether such a thing were good or bad but very slowly she tilted her head and met his gaze then held it captive for a few long breaths. Her mood changed again rapidly. Childlike excitement etched itself into her features and she sat up straight and clapped her hands together in delight causing the bangles around her wrists to jangle. Now games... games were what Favashi and her kind lived for.

"Agreed," as she purred the word a wind picked up about them that seemed to encircle only them two. Blossoms floated past and the pool shuddered. The Agreement was made. Now she leaned a little closer to him to inspect every inch of his face as if searching for something. She had no concept of personal space in this regard. A look of triumph as if she had come up with an excellent question to begin with crossed her face and she leaned back.

"Is this your true form?"

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Nothing if not perceptive.

---

​

A few well-placed words brought a more pleasant Fae back. From what he knew they were fickle creatures; unpredictable, powerful, intelligent, but in a way they could be easily enticed. Like Aivrid it was rare that a Fae took a direct hand in the matters of the world, as so often they operated on a level simply greater than most. But all beings had things that they wanted and things that they needed. For the woman that sat beside him, it was clear that she was in desperate need of entertainment. Aivrid knew the feeling well and was happy to provide.

The wager was simply a friendly game. She accepted as he'd suspected she would, and it seemed that the Fae was launching herself in wholeheartedly -- somewhat resembling how she was quick to get right in his face to study him. Aivrid allowed it, waiting patiently for her first question.

When it arrived he smiled and shook his head. "No, it is not." After all, the normal humans walked past the two without even a glance at the Fae -- Aivrid was without a doubt something beyond such imperceptive and small-minded folk. He did not say anything else; waiting patiently for the next question.

 

[Favashi]

Victory! Flash of teeth as she smiled then began to drum her fingers slowly against the pool edge. Not his true form which was interesting, but then there were many things that took the shape of a human when they were not. It didn't narrow it down by much at the least. Her eyes roved from his face to the palace beyond. The question had been who and what he was after all.

"Are you in a high position of power in the Court of the New Emperor?" her memory was long but she knew that there was a new one the mortals flocked to. Not that she knew much about the court herself; they rose and fell like children's sandcastles against the tide of time and she had little patience to keep track of them. But she did try to keep track of the names of those with some power. After all, it was those in power who desperately sought to cling to it by whatever means necessary once it was in their hands.

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Good guess.

---

​

The Fae was quick to assume that some great answer had been bestowed on her it seemed. Still, most little ones never thought about how they might disguise themselves... perhaps the falseness of his current form betrayed his deceptive nature and his adeptness in magic. Alas it was but a friendly game; no point in thinking too hard. He could instead spend his time learning what he could of the Fae from the way she played.

"Yes," he replied simply. Of the Divan he was likely the least present in the lives of most in the empire. Without magic scrying, most wouldn't recognize this form. The transformed dragon resembled more one of the lowest nobles or a successful merchant. Few asked his business when he walked the halls of the palace, nor when he walked the streets. Still, he rather hated walking...

 

[Favashi]

Favashi canted her head to one side and looked down to the pool as she swirled her fingers in it. Shape changers high up in the court did not ring many bells. She pursed her lips and thought some more. Perhaps it would be easier to go with what for now.

"Can you fly?"

"Are you older than 1,000 years?"

"Is shape changing your only magic?"

She raised one finger for each of her questions then tapped one against her chin in thought. Having only yes and no answers limited the questions she could ask or forced her to dumb their phrasing down. She wanted to know how he could see her but that was not a part of the game. For now.

"Do you know who I am?"

A quirk of the brow for the last question.

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Quite a few things...

---

​

Now the Fae sounded more like a competitor. He answered the slew of questions as they came, always keeping his answers to yes or no.

"Yes." What sort of horrid little dragon was unable to take flight? There was a reason true dragons were superior than their flightless drake cousins. Those filthy little creatures were near worthless; their only value in Aivrid's eyes was for spell components.

"Yes." Most of the time he preferred not to be asked his age, but for whatever reason that question was only off-limits in reference to a woman's years. Silly creatures, humans and other little folk.

"No," he replied, laughing at the thought. A mere changeling? Ridiculous. Useful, perhaps, but Aivrid's magic was far greater in range and power. He was a mage, and a powerful one at that. Polymorphing was but one of many tricks the dragon had practiced.

Her last question in the set gave him the most pause. The man stared at the Fae as he thought, before he finally answered: "Yes." Of course, what that meant was up to her.

 

[Favashi]

Favashi's eyes narrowed at the hesitation.

Interesting.

Fool on her for not clarifying the question. The tapping against the pool edge became a little quicker now as she thought over her answers. Two of them had been given matter of factly, one had issued a laugh of amusement, and one had been her own fault. Tap, tap, tap. She decided to focus on the flight and wealth of other magics.

"Do you have wings in your true form?"

"Are you one of the Divian?"

"Are you a part of court for your own gain?"

Another beat as she tapped her finger one more then leaned forward a little, the question that interested her the most out of the four settling in her mind.

"Have you ever been in love?"

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Odd route of questioning.

---

​

"Yes," Aivrid replied. All true dragons had magnificent wings... he was quite proud of his. Foolish, devolved creatures such as drakes and humans were unworthy of them.

"Yes." No point in hiding it. Such a title would certainly not impress a Fae -- part of him didn't want to wait for her to discover what he truly was. The Harbinger of Death. The Herald of Annihilation. The Champion of Black.

No, all titles were rather silly. Aivrid was prideful, but he wasn't incompetent.

Her third question gave him a slight pause. "Yes, though not for the same reason as some others," he clarified, mildly breaking his own rule. He was sure the Fae wouldn't mind. Still, he simply was not using the court in the same way as most. Yes, he'd made himself rich and influential by using his position, but in truth he served in the divan because Gerra had asked him to, and Gerra interested Aivrid. If nothing else he was there to watch the rise of an empire... and perhaps its eventual fall.

The fourth question, though, was the most interesting... "Yes," he replied, before realizing it wasn't quite the same. "Well, I suppose it depends on the sort of love you're talking about," the not-dragon countered.

 

[Favashi]

The Fae stopped her tapping when he broke his own rules - twice - and then mused over the extra information she had been gifted. What other reasons were there to serve a man if it weren't for power and money? For a creature older than 1,000 years with apparently many magics at his disposal - though of course this was still to be determined, she was merely going off the laugh - monetary rewards and powers did begin to lose interest. It was all about experiencing something new.

The tapping began again.

"Wings with magics aplenty and older than most," Favashi mused aloud. "Are you one of the Great Dragons?" She didn't mean these new weak creatures who allowed people to ride them. No. She meant the dragons of old, when mortals shook in their boots to see the shadows of wings appear across their tiny villages and hamlets. If he were... well now that would be most interesting. With only a few left it would also help her narrow her search.

Two of her questions also required clarification it appeared.

"Do you serve for ..." words were key to fae so she mulled over it a while. "Your own amusement?"

Love was an interesting thing to Fae. It was a weakness but a strength, it was the stuff most deals were made on it would come as a surprise to most to learn.

"Have you loved someone so much you would die in their stead?"

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Great indeed.

---

​

Aivrid laughed. The first part of the puzzle, he supposed. "Yes... while I am not one of the original great dragons, I am one of their caliber and breed." His ancestors were few, but he held their vast knowledge and had been born with their great power. There were many powerful dragons in the world but none were as worthy as Aivrid to own that particular title. Kerathari, Sathirena, Zull Du'un... all were great, but they were not true Dragons.

There was a pause as he considered her second question. "Yes," he finally replied. Gerra amused him. He preferred seeing these things in person.

The third question, though, made him laugh at the ridiculousness. "No. The people who answer yes are liars and fools. There is nothing of greater value than one's own life, and to waste it on another is to say that one's life is worth less than something else.

"Love is not truly a concepts for dragons, for the most part. But, if I were to truly produce an heir, I would gladly give my life when they are ready. My mother did the same for me. I loved her, but I did not hesitate to plot against her and then kill her. Same with my siblings."

 

[Favashi]

Dragon.

Yes. Now that he had confirmed it and she leaned towards him again to catch is scent she could in fact smell it - but only faintly. His own disguise was impeccable, perhaps even as good as some Fae's glamours. A small spark of admiration came to her face and her temperance changed. His other answers only seemed to bolster the opinion she was forming and quietly she pulled her long brown hair round and forward over her shoulder. So she had a what, now it was a who. Quietly she undid one of the braids in her hair and combed her fingers through it.

A dragon at court, how fanciful. Yet such news had not reached her ears. Perhaps she should pay more attention to this... this elf-proclaimed God. He had been inducing enough wars in the area to keep her entertained for a while now but maybe if she paid more attention to him she would get further amusement.

Midday was fast approaching however and so she pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind and tried to work through the memories of dragons.

"Are your scales... red?"

"Green?"

"Blue?"

She snapped her fingers.

"Black?"

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Much less interesting questions.

---

​

Aivrid watched the Fae intently. He could see her mind working past those sparkling eyes. Oh, what he would give to peer into her mind... alas, he was sure that she would not take kindly to his prying. He supposed it was a sort of unspoken rule to this game. If one could simply read the mind of the other, there would be no secrets.

Worse, there would be little amusement.

As much as it was odd to admit it, the dragon was indeed enjoying this most fascinating creature. A wide smile grew on the little human form's face. It was a little crooked and toothy; this was a natural smile, not something he'd tried to practice to more easily blend in among the little ones. A little laugh escaped his lips with her slew of short questions, but he took his time, looking up at the sun. The minutes were ticking away...

"My scales are black," he replied. "Darker than the night, if I do say so myself." There would always be a little glint when he flew in the sun, but when there were only stars he was one with the darkness. Not that he tried to hide very often. Sometimes there was just a need to be careful.

"Midday nears," he commented simply. He was sure she could ask enough questions to learn his identity in that time, but perhaps she still might lose this little game...

Aivrid waited patiently for the next question.

 

[Favashi]

Indeed it did near.

The power beneath her golden skin was pulsing giving it a heightened shimmer. If it bothered her she surely didn't make a noise about it as she combed her fingers through her hair. It seemed that her irritation was more down to her inability to think of the next series of questions... the right questions. The ones that fell into the parameters set forth by him to be answered in the simple format of yes or no. He had gifted her with answers that went beyond that but she would not falter from their agreement.

Her eyes raised and caught the smile on his face. It caused her head to cock to one side as if she couldn't quite figure out why he was performing such an action. Did he truly believe he would win this game? Or, like her, was he as bored of the mundane life of an ancient and was revealing in this variant from their day to day life. That flicker of a second in their lives that would burn a little brighter than all the others.

The Fae of War's answering smile was a slow one with teeth.

"Did you raze cities to the ground?"

"Do you sit on a pile of gold that would make the greatest dwarfs weep with envy?"

"Do people fear to speak your name outloud?"

Each question her voice became more husky. Her fingers slowed then stopped entirely what they were doing in her hair. Instead one came up as if she would lightly cup his jaw but she did not. Her fingers hovered the barest of breaths from his skin and merely traced the air. Still, with the weight of her powers the touch would no doubt be felt as firmly as if she had actually caressed her thumb across his jawline and over his bottom lip. There was a wicked light to her eyes as she leaned closer.

"Do you prefer those who worship you?"

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Ah, if only the game lasted longer...

---

​

Aivrid indeed reveled in the questions asked of him. As much as he loved intrigue and deception there was something satisfying about revealing even small bits of information about oneself to a creature of equal interest. Perhaps it was because these questions allowed Aivrid to show off a little. It was a difficult balance to strike between hiding his intentions and flaunting his majesty.

"Oh yes," he said, his smile turning wicked. Many of the cities he'd burned had been long lost to history. To be an agent of chaos, a herald of destruction... oh, how those titles were apt, if comical in their inability to capture the truth of his nature. He had lost count of how many settlements had been torn asunder by his breath and presence.

Aivrid laughed. "Oh, the dwarves think themselves mighty, so many prone to greed... but there is no greed like a dragon's." There was a reason so few dwarves still lived in the Seret. "Yes. For any short of will and heart, my hoard is irresistible." It was in part due to the many magics that inhabited his lair, but equally that all had their price. Only the most interesting creatures could not be tempted by gold -- and thus he had decided to spend time with this Fae.

He considered her third question for a moment. "Yes," he said. The common folk had many tales of Aivrid's destructive nature, but just as many were military reports and rumors circulating the world of the black behemoth that put the God-Emperor on his throne.

But even as the time ticked away, the Fae did something unexpected. The frail human form reacted in the usual way to such a touch, but Aivrid held the Fae's gaze as he considered her last question -- and the implications of her actions.

"All creatures have their place, as I am sure you know." The mysterious hierarchy of the Fae was notorious for its complexity. "Some are meant to worship. Others, well..." The smile returned, and the man's eyes matched the fire of the Fae. "Others are worth much more."

 

[Favashi]

"You are interesting, aren't you?"

The answer to her first question and his wicked smile turned her blood to fire. As a Fae of War she lived on destruction and desolation: it was like what a drug or a potent alcohol was to humans. She leaned back before she did something she might regret and tapped her fingers against the ledge on which she was sat to listen to the rest of his questions. She wanted to win, of course she did, it was in a Fae's nature to want to win. That would hold her other desires for now.

She had quite a lot of information. Probably more than enough to answer and win this game, the problem was searching through her centuries upon centuries of information for the name. Favashi knew it had to be in there somewhere. Such a dragon would have attracted heroes and armies who rallied to kill him and desperate men who sought to fight such beasts sometimes sought out a power of their own to back them in their wars. Such a power as her.

"Are you... Uzyles?" her eyes narrowed a little at the name. A black dragon of old for sure, and one of great power. But had he been one that had actually been slain by her heroes?

"Or are you the son of Ovedia?" the black beauty who had died over the waters of the Blight Sea had been a true terror and she was sure there had been an egg she had left behind. She couldn't recall ever hearing of the prodigee appearing in the world though.

There was only one other black dragon whose name she had heard ripped with terror from the lips of Man.

"Or... are you Aivrid, the Harbinger of Death?"

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

Looks like I've lost.

---

​

Aivrid laughed. He waited for her to finish thinking and asking her questions before speaking. "You flatter me," he replied. He was lying. Comparing oneself to these older dragons was degrading of both him and then, but he feigned feeling otherwise. For now he would sing the praises of the others.

"Ulyzes, well, he survived those ancient would-be dragon slayers with the pure force of his magic. He fled to a far-off island to heal, but his connection to his lair had been damaged and he lost all sense of direction and location, stranding him far from the continents. Of course, those are only rumors," the transformed dragon said with a cheeky smile.

"As for Ovedia, she perished over the Blight Sea if I recall correctly. It's said she still clutched her last egg in her claws, and that when it's found at the bottom of the sea it will emerge fully grown." Now, that would be a sight to see. The walls of the egg would need to be quite thick to survive the pressure at the sea floor. Still, Aivrid would love to learn what effect it would have on the development of the unhatched child. Assuming, of course, that those rumors were true.

"As for Aivrid..." He smiled, spreading his arms as if to present himself. "Indeed, that is I. I concede my defeat to you, Favashi," he said, the smile only growing. Of course, he could only hope that was indeed the Fae who sat before before him. It would be embarrassing to see another's true form and fail to recognize them properly.

He glanced up at the sun, now high in the sky as it reached midday. He would curse his luck, but Aivrid was not at all bothered by this loss. He had been amused. That was enough.

"Well then. What shall you claim as your prize?" He hadn't exactly set a limit on what she could ask for, but he was sure that his material wealth was of little interest to her. Magic, perhaps? Favors? He waited eagerly for her response.

 

[Favashi]

It was like being retold a story one might have heard as a small child. Through the mists of age and time they drifted back to her along with images of who they had truly been in all their glory. Imposing. Daunting. Fear had sung in the hearts of every mortal when the shadow of wings had fallen over their towns and cities. It had been a time when they had called for Favashi far more than they did now. A heightened era of the Magic of Old.

The Fae of War sighed wistfully, her hands cupping her cheeks in pure adulation and giving off the appearance of an innocent. It was only the eyes that would have stayed even a mortal man for making such a mistake. If one stared to long they might have even seen the rows upon rows of men march by like a flickering reel of old film. She was so lost in the memories of carnage that she almost missed that he had spoken her name.

Almost.

"You know me," her eyes crinkled at the corners with a smile that was not all friendly. Names had power and whilst it was not her True Name it was close enough that he would be able to summon her should he have wanted. She sat up a little straighter and the look she gave him now was a lot more guarded. Perhaps with even a little hint of respect. Not a toy - a player. Her memory was longer than the Chronicles of Man it was hard to sift through them all at speed to remember whether she had met him in some other time.

"Under what skies have we met before?"

 

[Aivrid]

Tag: Favashi

She is... what is the word... vorel. Adorable.​

---

Few creatures could make a Fae sit a little straighter. Aivrid smiled. He'd lost the game, but he could still claim smaller victories through duels of words. He'd revealed much of his identity to her today. Still, revealing that he knew something about her just as important as anything he had said today forced her to recognize him in a new way.

"Do not fret, Fae. I have no intention of summoning you, nor revealing your name to others who might seek to use it." Of course, he would likely never know her true name, just as she would likely never know his. There was no point in hiding how he'd come across it. "Many years ago, at least a few centuries, I came across you in my scrying ceremony. I often watched the courts of the Fae. Few things can sharpen a mind like watching your politics," he mused.

"But I was curious, because in that circle I had not requested to see a Fae. I had asked to see someone who I would meet far from then." The transformed dragon smiled. "It took more effort than I care to admit, but I managed to discover your name. And ever since I have eagerly awaited our encounter." It had taken him a fair amount of time to remember what he recognized her from. It was possible that she had seen that spectral avatar of his while he was scrying, but even a Fae may struggle to spot him.

 

[Favashi]

The audacity.

To think to spy on the courts of her people and draw amusement from their politics? It was obscene. It was arrogant. It was intoxicating. He had waited for her for all these years. She drew her hair around in front of her after casting him one last long look as if she were trying to decide still whether or not to kill him. A golden comb appeared in her hands that shimmered with the light of the midday sun and she ran it through her hair in wild abandon.

"I would like some scales," her voice was a summer breeze that wound about the senses. It spoke of lovers rolling in the grass, sweet treats, and hot nights underneath the stars. "I find myself in need of new armour and black is not a colour I have worn for a long time," not since the Days of Heroes. Her black armour had been a sign of ill omen back then. Men had quaked in fear to see her walk amongst their ranks.

"That is my prize," Favashi paused in her slow methodical drags through her hair to fix him with a look that dared him to argue before her lips twisted thoughtfully and she returned once more to her hair.

"You must have had time to write your questions for the day we were destined to meet. You may ask, but only five," another slow brush through her golden brown hair.