RP:Frost Drakes And A Warm Welcome

Summary: As Agreed, Thalra follows up on Lanara's suggestion to add an animal companion to her life, in hopes of adjusting to her life in a new place. Being a drow and only having known a life in the Underdark, Thalra is all too eager to share the details about her deities, weather, fantastical creatures, and a brief history of her live before coming to the lands. The witch is excited to hear about 'froads' and listens intently to the woman, all the while introducing her to a trio of frost drake hatchlings. After a few hours of getting to know each other, Thalra decides that Shiloh is the perfect match, and she adopts the drake. Lana is delighted to have found another animal a home, and she gets back to her work at the sanctuary, right after making plans for a luncheon with the drow in the future.

If Thalra hadn't woken up to the sound of annoying woodpecker she might not have woken up at all. Gone were the days of waking up being wife of a Baron, and the duties that were involved. Now were the days of sleeping in and getting that much needed rest, at least until she finally had a handle on a job, regardless of what is was, at this point she wasn't picky. Dressed in a loose red robe that covered her more relaxed pair of the clothes, Thalra was dressing to keep the prying eye from realize she was a drow. Thus she wore her hood low, and wore gloves, anywhere that could reveal skin she hid. Traveling up the road from her current temporary residence in Cenril and her short excursion to the north of Kelay, Thalra searched for the property she assumed was the Animal Sanctuary. When she entered the main entrance she took in what she could of the place. Making her way to the front desk and signing in her name if it was asked before taking a seat to wait.

Lanara emerges from the adoption office as she spies a familiar face signing in at the front desk, a grin forming on her full lips as she walks over to Thalra and offers a greeting. “Hello! I’m so glad that you made it. I trust you had no trouble finding the place?” The smile is genuine, and the calico kitten in her arms meows in protest as the attention is removed from her furry form and now shared with that of a drow. Lana takes in the red robes, the hood that reveals the top half of Thalra’s face, and the face that the woman seems to be avoiding the gaze of any that meet her eyes. Was she in hiding? The elf continues to scratch beneath the kittens chin as it nuzzles against her chest, and she motions for Thalra to rise from the bench and join her for a brief tour of the establishment. They would pass by the domestic animal section, which housed various breeds of dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and a trio of rabbits. Lana would make small talk along the way, pointing to some of the animals that were most likely to be adopted, whereas others were here for boarding purposes or on the mend after a life saving surgery. Peering over her shoulder, she locks eyes with Thalra, “Have you decided on where you would like to apply for a job, yet? I’d be happy to set up an interview for you, or give you a recommendation. How are you enjoying the lands?” The small talk would end as they go further into the spacious sanctuary and enter the section of the exotic animals. Sounds from all over the realm would enter the sensitive tapered ears of the elf and the drow, as there’s roars, neighs, and screeches from various types of beasts, These animals weren’t for the faint of heart and were only adopted out to those that could truly care for and handle them.

Thalra smiled as Lanara entered, and withdrew her hood no doubt causing whatever secret there might have been to gasp a bit. It was perfectly normal by this point for Thalra to get that. She smiled, broadly nodded, "Relatively easy, sorry for the get up, drow resentment seems to be increasing these days. So I chose this garb to hide my skin and eyes from all those who are looking for a drow." she slipped off her gloves which were long, and stuffed them down her the folds of her robe above her chest. "I also chose this to keep people from seeing my shapely form, less guys making cat calls. Speaking of which, aren't you the cutest thing." She said stroking the cat for however long the cat allowed or before they began moving through animal section. Being herself she couldn't help but look over the reptile section, hoping to spot a snake, but remembered that Lanara hated snakes. "I thought about the taverns but ended up withdrawing from them, I had enough people eager to buy potions that I might go on to selling them, course to do that I will need a second job to be able to purchase the imported ingredients I need to make them. At this point, I'd be happy with any job I can lay my hands on." She moved with Lanara until she heard croaking of a frog, whereupon her eyes went wide and she ran and ducked behind whatever was large enough to hide and wasn't alive. If and when Lanara asked her the cause for alarm and when she realized that what she feared wasn't there she relaxed and replied, "Sorry where I come from there's this creature called a Froad, which is similar to a frog or a toad, except they are about 30' tall 60' wide, and weigh in an excess of 60 tons. They sit by road sides and eat whatever crosses their field of vision, including caravans, riders, and their rides, even whole wagons sometimes. Fastest tongues in the world, one half second you’re riding the next your disgusting dark expanse that only brightens when the Froad's belly bulges before it makes a heavy croak. Terrifying."

Lanara nods in understanding as Thalra explains her cause for such a disguise, as being a witch she often had to hide her true nature, as well. Magic was pretty much banned from Larket, witches were burned at the stake or enslaved, and Cenril was slowly following in Larket’s footsteps. Lana rarely, if ever, would perform magic in a public setting, and though she still celebrated high holidays and was a devout believer of the Goddess, she knew that keeping the rest a secret was in her best interest. Even her pentacle was tucked beneath her shirt, and as much as it pained her, it was about survival of her kind. As far as the cat calls go… Lanara was even more used to that happening, though she only gives a grin in reply. “Ellie likes you…” She mutters, as the kitten begins to purr and bat her forehead against Thalra’s palm, craving the affection and attention. The little furball always tried to steal the spotlight, and Lana was sure that someone would adopt her sooner rather than later. She was extremely lovable, with quite a personality! There already were over twenty applications sent in, all for one special kitty! The kitten is handed off to one of the volunteers as the conversation shifts to a career choice and Lana quirks a brow, “Well… Why don’t you join a guild? There’s a Mages Guild, and a Healer’s Guild in the lands. Both would have various types of ingredients, and if you’re a member, you wouldn’t have to pay those importing fees! I run the Adventurer’s Guild, which you’re welcome to join if you like, as well. Maybe you can pick up some herbs on our travels… Though our quests are rarely in the same location, and sometimes take weeks to plan and return from. Think about it…” Her words trail off as Thalra goes wide-eyed and literally runs away, hiding behind one of the bookshelves that houses tomes of animal care knowledge. “Uh, Thalra?” The witch exchanges a look with the harmless fire-bellied toad, and turns the corner to find the pretty drow shaking, and explaining why she behaved that way, the fear in her eyes undeniable. “I’m sorry Howie gave you such a fright! I promise… There aren’t any Froad’s in the sanctuary… And I’ve never seen one in the lands. Thankfully! They sound terrifying!” A pause before, “Any other strange creatures from your lands?”

Thalra caught her breath before trying to pull herself up. "Small frog, heh." she nervously laughed rising back up to standing position. "Many, no horses though, old story says a goddess made horses and released them all into field, of course she forgot that Froads inhabited that field, and thus horses came and went in a day." She chuckled, "Our divines are not your usual gods, they never stop making new races or creatures, always leaving us, with a new monster or seldom friendly new neighbor. My favorite from those lands was Acid Bog Python, big ole hundred feet long 5 feet thick, omnivorous snake, its diet typically froads, and fruit." She chuckled. "We also had giant wolves and lizards that we would ride instead of horses." She thought about the adventures guild, "Well be it mages, or adventures I think I could find some fun there, though a stationary job would be nice, I am always up for the road though." She smiled, and walked with Lanara. If they came to an office she hangs up her robe revealing a crop top shirt and a pair of shorts with pockets. The top a brown fabric while the bottom a blue fabric. "I will say wearing a robe all day is not the best wear for the weather, it gets hot."

Lanara’s eyes grow wide with wonder as Thalra explains the demise of the poor horses, and speaks of fantastical creatures from her faraway lands. Never in all her one-hundred and eighty-two years had the elf come across such a creature known as a ‘froad’ and she had befriended thousands of beasts in her lifetime! She fears the beast, as much as she’s amazed, though she knows that with her blessing of animal empathy that she would have nothing to worry about, should she come across the unique hybrid. The mention of the snakes sends a shiver up Lana’s spine, and she doesn’t comment, though it’s clear she dislikes the serpents. “So you believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses? I do, too… Though my Goddess, Rhiannon, she uses horses for a much different purpose. She leads those that pass via horseback, over the rainbow bridge, and to the Otherside, for peaceful passage. She’s also my patron Goddess.” Lana offers a run on the nearby door so that Thalra may hang her robe, and she nods in agreement, “Yes, I know what you mean. If it was appropriate I’d be parading around in a bikini. I hate the heat… In Kelvar, where I’m from, it’s also brisk. The only season I’ve ever known was autumn, before coming to these lands.” As they continue to discuss the weather, mythical beasts, and paragons, Lana leads the drow over to a large enclosure that houses three frost drakes. The two females cautiously approach the bars, peering at the newcomer with curious eyes, while the grumpy male in the back remains rooted in place, not bothering to make eye contact. Each had their own unique personality, and they were only about three or four months old, the perfect age for training.

Thalra smiled a bit listening as Lanara talked about her goddess. "Well I worship Divines, in my homeland god's and Divines are two separate entities. Divine created everything, and Gods and Goddess they are invented by cults who through worship actually bring these gods and goddess into being, of course those Gods and Goddess are only as strong as the sum of their worshipers, and should the cult be extinguished so is the deity. Divines on the other hand do not need worshipers, but they allow them to persist. Admittedly the Drow from home territory are cult worshiper’s not Divine worshipers, of course I made my peace with the Divines when I married my Human husband, of course I doubt they would have much power over here." She smiled, "The Divine I preferred was Lilansu Goddess and Creator of all elves, making peace with her was a well needed moment in my life, I think it opened the door for me to become what she intended for what we Drow of that land were meant to be, rather than what we desired to be." After leaving her robes hung, and continuing to walk with Lanara she responded with the weather and dress. "Yeah, it's times like this in this heat, I miss walking around in the Underdark of my homeland minus the clothing." She smiled, "Its a drow thing, supposedly to present dominance, but I honestly think a bit more of opportunity to invite danger, so I would, like you if it, was appropriate walk around in a bi-bi-bic..." She stuttered over the word, and shrugged, "That I would where 'that' all day. Ah yes, autumn, the way the trees change their colors, and the air is brisk, makes me think of home, at least the home I had before I came here, course during the winter though it got very dry and very cold, and the air always had that sparkly lightning about it, made my hair stand on end and I have this big ole cotton ball like hair." She went on till they came to the frost drakes, "Is the one in the back called Grumpy?" she giggled, she said kneeling down and sitting back on her legs petting if she could the underside of the one of the females snouts, she felt the ones cold breath against her chest and smiled. "Definitely could keep one cool in the summer months, aye?" She said looking back up at Lanara. "Oh remind me to help you with that Shrinking potion before I leave today, which I hope won't be for a while, but just to remind me." She said stroking underneath the frost drake's chin. "I have to wonder whether dragons are actually two species, the feral and the sentient. Met one once, very decent fellow, nothing like Drexian relatives." she paused thinking that perhaps Lanara wouldn't know what those were, "Sorry Drexians, kind of like your Draconians here, except they reproduce, and they are race of their own rather than half dragon, half you know other thing, they are named after their first of their kind a king, who well in our lands we say he reigned over all the earth, but I guess seeing this place that wasn't true, anyway, he reigned for six thousand years, the noblest ruler ever, he refused to be called a Divine in his lifetime, and but after his death, he still worshiped as one." She paused, "Sorry for the history lesson, it's something we Drow didn't learn in school, and the story, well the story of him, is perhaps the one closest to my heart. He might have been a mortal just like you and I, but..." She paused, "He didn't let what he was define him, he let his actions and morality do that for him, and he never told someone they were beyond hope until they were no longer among the living, or nonliving." She paused, taking a breath, "So I guess that's my God then, I try to be like him, and I am not perfect, neither was he, but at least his way of life is something for me to strive towards, to become." She stood up and smiled, "What else can you tell me about your goddess, I might need some divine help in these lands. And also what else can you tell me about these three little trouble makers?" she winked at the frost drakes.

Lanara giggles as the frost drake exhales heavily, a cold gust of air gracing Thalra’s dark cheek, as the drakeling tilts her head and leans into the chin scratches. Most didn’t know, but drakes were suckers for chin scratchers, and the reason most didn’t know this was because none dared to get too close! However, the drow doesn’t have the slightest bit of hesitation in her touch, as she continues chatting with the founder of the sanctuary, as if petting a baby dragon was the norm. Lanara listens intently to her guest, nodding and smiling at the appropriate times, and quirking a brow at the mention of the woman having a human husband. The elf had never married herself, though she’d been engaged once to a lycan, so the interracial or interspecies affairs weren’t entirely a big deal to Lana. However, the Underdark must have shunned Thalra for such a thing, and she lowers her gaze, to the frost drakes, while slipping a few minnows through the bars as a treat. The male still remains as aloof as ever, though he’s wiser than his sisters, as he hears the insulting nickname that Thalra gives him and he scoffs and rolls his blue eyes. He’s so offended that he doesn’t even near the bars for a little fish treat! Ever the personality on that one! The talk about the Divine has Lana’s full attention and when the question is turned back to her, she clears her throat, “Well… In these lands, there are the three main Gods… That would be Sven, the Creator of the Realm, Hind, the God of Nature, and Lore, the God of the Knights… You’ll hear chatter about two evil Gods too… Delisha, the Goddess of Pleasure, and Vakmatharas, the God of Death… As for Neutral, the most popular would be Aramoth, the God of War, and for holy alignment, one would worship Arkhen, the God of Light. There are several others, too, some made up, some of the old days, and others that have been spoken of from other realms and travelers… Me? I prefer to worship those from my homeland of Kelvar, those that honor my witchcraft, and all that cater to that of Nature. Gaia is the Goddess of the Earth… And all others are the daughters beneath her, whereas the female worshippers are her priestess’ and I consider myself as such. My sister, Talyara, she is also a witch, and follows the same beliefs and honors the same high holidays.” There’s a pause, as Lana hadn’t meant to get so carried away with religious babbling, and perhaps that would be better discussed at a later date, maybe over a drink at the local tavern. For now, she would focus on getting one or more of the dragon triplets adopted. “Well… The one that you are stroking is Shiloh. She is a sweetheart that loves to snuggle, and she is the most curious of the three. She’s also the most obedient.” A pause, as she considers the stark white drake, who visibly stands out from the others, as the other two were a pale blue in comparison. “Her sister over here… We call her Flicka, which means ‘beautiful, though unattainable’. You can see that her belly is a silvery-blue and sparkles when the light hits it just so… And her lashes are impossibly long. Flicka can be feisty, though she’s obedient as long as there’s a reward attached. Namely, a treat or toy of some sort. Although she is young… We doubt that she’ll ever take a mate. She has no drive to hunt or communicate with those of her kind, and she’s most content with living the life of a loner.” There’s a long pause, as she lifts her gaze to point to the male in the back, unsure exactly how to describe the ill-mannered drake that is the brother of the other two. “Well… The male in the back is growing into a strong drake. Jax learned to fly when he was a mere three days old, and he’s already showing significant muscle tone. He will not obey any commands, and he dislikes physical contact from anyone other than his siblings. He was the first born, and he is protective of the females, and has a true leader personality.” As she finishes speaking, all three frost drakes approach the bars and lock their piercing blue gaze on Thalra, as though wondering which she would most like to adopt. “The names are purely for organizational purposes of the sanctuary, and you could always change them as you see fit. If you’re comfortable, I can open the lock and we can step into the cage so that you can interact fully with each of them, before making your decision.”

Thalra replied, "Well if you worship the ones from your homeland, I might as well worship mine, course our Divines, leave much to us to solve, but occasionally they send help when there is something that we cannot solve. So I dabble in the Divines here." She said with small smirk, "Course being a Drow though I can say from personal experience gods of evil, are evil period, its best to avoid them, and when they curse you don't turn around and worship them, stand up and they will get the message. Sure you might die, but then, you died standing up to a deity, which at least in my homeland that can be considered an honorable death." She folded her hand in the religious matters, as it was probably best for a tavern meeting rather than an animal sanctuary thing. Stroking the frost drake females as they came she walked with Lanara into their cages. "Sure I would love to look at them, better." Listening to Lanara talk about each one she made her choice. "I am going to go with Shiloh, curiousness was something I lacked growing up, or rather it was robbed from me early, it is only in the last hundred years I have enjoyed having the experience of curiosity again, you say she is a snuggler, I remember how my husband used to take me in his arms, and tell me how much I meant to him, and having his presence there made me feel so safe, she is obedient, that’s something the Underdark requires most of everyone who dwell in it, of course, some of us dispatch our rule makers so that we get on with our lives above ground. No matter how beautiful the gods gift you in your looks, it is heart that speaks the truest of beauty, I have always had this body, but not always this heart, I was once about as bad a drow matron daughters came, I would not have wanted to live with me then if I were who I am now. It took a memory wipe and man who loved me regardless of what I was, and who I had been, to change the heart of this wretch I was, you can't trade hearts you can only improve them, Shiloh I see is a younger me, with a happier life ahead, this is the one I think I will adopt." She said stroking under Shiloh's snout, "Her heart is open and it’s full of love, and it gives freely like a gift, such as I would desire to be, if I were not what I am."

Lanara listens to Thalra speak of the Divine, and then again refer to her husband, as she dispels the magical lock and opens the cage. The trio of drakes eye Lana curiously as she brings the drow into the cage with her, as they aren’t used to having visitors. More often than not, it was the elf, or Venin, the caretaker, that would brave entering their enclosure to provide fresh food, water, and to clean up any mess they made have made. Jax lifts his majestic head and shrills loudly, inhaling the scent of the newcomer and puffing out his chest, a mere show of bravado, should the woman wish to bring them harm. Using her empathic powers on the beast, Lana approaches Jax and runs her hand up his snout and gently massages upwards towards his brow, instantly calming the drake. Within seconds, he’s purring from the contact, and he calms down enough so that Thalra is free to greet his siblings. Shiloh flicks out her tongue to taste the woman’s wrist, and then she gently butts her head against Thalra’s side, desiring more affection, and hoping to steal any attention away from Flicka who has joined the party. The two female drakes study the woman closely, ignoring their aloof brother and Lanara, as they both are eager to be adopted and free of the confines of a cage. They relished in the idea of seeing new sights, sniffing new scents, and exploring the unknown, as they grew up. Would this be the adopter that decided their fate? Flicka, ever the feisty dragon, flutters her wings and violently gives Shiloh a shove to the side, and though Shiloh’s eyes flash with fury, she submits to her sibling and merely leans in closer to Thalra. She was a lover, not a fighter, and clearly she only wanted some belly rubs and not a competition. To ease the tension of the trio, Lana pulls out a tin of minnows and tosses a few to each of the drakes, which are eagerly gobbled up. This gives the two women a chance to chat. “Did your husband pass away, Thalra? I noticed that you speak of him in the past tense…” There’s a pause as she gives her time to answer, before she smiles at Shiloh and nods, “She would have been my pick for you, too. Though they are all of age to be adopted, I feel that Shiloh is the most mentally mature, and ready to brave the outdoors. She also is the most obedient and she’s very loving, which you prefer in a creature with this much strength and intelligence.” Calling to an associate, one comes forth with a clipboard and some forms for Thalra to fill out, before she leaves and readies a care package for the newly adopted frost drake. Lana resumes the conversation, “I know what you mean… Beauty is only skin deep, and it never lasts long, well, if you’re an elf you don’t show signs of aging of course, but for those that aren’t blessed with longevity, it fades almost overnight. Interior beauty, however, is transient. One can be as loving and open as their hearts allow… Or they can give into the darkness and allow it to consume. Yet… Choices. Chances. Time. They all play an important factor, and one can change for the better and emit that beauty from within. We are not all born good or bad, life experiences make us that way.”

Thalra chuckled as Flicka gave Shiloh a shove, and smiled when Shiloh merely leaned closer to herself. “Good girl you know how to control your anger, took me some time to master that myself,” She said with a chuckle, and withdrew as soon as Lanara began handing out minnows. Walking over to a place to lean against, a fence perhaps as Lanara posed the question about her husband. “He did.” She said, her smile vanishing, eyes and voice with sadness, she sighed, “For ninety three years I was married to him, of course he wasn’t my first husband, but he is the one who I choose to remember. I guess in some ways I can call him my only husband. See when I lived in the Underdark my mother had to unify with a neighboring drow house that controlled a city by patriarchy, something of which my mother abhorred but was willing to do to so long as she didn’t have to marry anyone, so I was selected to marry the prince, and well his brother and I got along better, and so to scorn our families we did classic drow treachery, unfortunately, my mother arranged for a slave skinning, and my sister was skinned to death, in front of the community to everyone laugh, and then my “husband” ordered his brother to be skinned. I was fed up with both so I planned the next active gathering and killed them all, both houses and fled the Underdark. No one followed because no one was aware of what I did. So I turned to being an assassin for hire. Did that for almost a century before I was sent to kill a farmer who was not a farmer but an anti-assassin mage, and took from me all of my memories of my life up until that point, my skills I had, but not my memory, and at the time I didn’t know why I was being attacked, because I knew not what I was, and then the mage had an axe buried in his back and was dead. I passed out but I awoke in a tavern and discovered that the local blacksmith’s apprentice had been the one who saved me. For the next ten years I grew up in that village, I formed friendships, and I started dating Banner, who was the blacksmith’s apprentice. Then came a war and he signed up, I signed up as well and we fought side by side, I was a scout and he was rose through the ranks until our noble was killed and then he took charge of the army in the area, and we rose ranks together until the kingdoms were unified under an emperor, who gave out titles to his general one of them being Banner, who had gotten the nickname the Hammer, not only for using one on the battlefield, but from a winning strategy which pinned the enemy between three faces of our allies, and beat the enemy like glowing iron.” She took a breath smiling remembering it, as she accepted the paper and began to sign it out continuing, “Banner declined the Emperor’s gift of being a duke and marrying his daughter, he chose me instead, the emperor gave us a title anyway of barons, and our own hold. Which protected the empire’s capital and served as the main harbor of the empire. I was baron’s wife, and helped design the city, and bore him three children a son and two daughters. We had peace for twenty years, and then the Skidoshians began attacking the coast and then invasion, my husband and my son went off to war, for nearly forty years, I lost my son when he destroyed the skidoshian fleet that was bound to invade our shores, blew them up with Blitherium paste, and my husband was taken prisoner. I managed the homefront, and when he was sixty the war ended, he came home. But the war ended with demands and the skidoshians and some allies they had made within the empire, benefited from tribute demand which would have bankrupted the empires cities, so my husband said that our city would pay the complete debt to save the empire. He was a true Drexian worshiper, and in a way inspired me to be, one of my daughters married a nobleman during the war the other married the emperors son, only for he who was sickly to die, and leave her queen. So it wasn’t a total loss, the husband who came home wasn’t the same man who I had fallen in love with if anything he was more, we held fast together for as long as he lived, Just a year before his death he took me back to where it all began and somehow , being there, my memories were restored. I was horrified at who I was now looking at my past with new eyes, but when I realized that I had so much more than what I had then. I did everything I could to keep it, I tried every potion every spell and everything I could to keep him alive, but he died nonetheless. I lived a year without him, before I carried out his last wishes.” She smiled, just a mild evil glint, and between tears. “You ever hear the saying that a husband and wife become one through years being together? He rubbed off on me, and I on him, and one thing he could not stand was a certain baron who had worked with the enemy to go silently into the night, so I poisoned his mead with Silixitit Mushrooms and Sashum dust, and just a drop of lixiu sap.” She chuckled, “For the first time in his little baron, the peasants were able to be warm for the winter from ass gasses, at least until he decided to stop passing and exploded. So I fled here until at least my exile is over.” She finished signing the papers. “If you ever marry for a long time you would be amazed what your husband will let you get away with, especially if he loves you.” She paused, understanding she spilled a lot of her history at once, “I will say you are right, and in my own book if every evil person had the same experience I did I think there would be a lot less evil people in the world. Because no one is born evil, no not one, all have a choice, to be good or evil, through their culture at least for drow makes it very difficult to be good and live long. I would be happy never to live in the Underdark again.”

Lanara listens to the drawn out tale of Thalra’s life, her dark gaze full of empathy for the woman that had lost a man she had wed and loved for over ninety years. Would she ever find a love that would endure as their love had? She was doubtful. The witch had a bad record when it came to matters of the heart, and she nods sympathetically and accepts the form from the drow when both her story and the adoption papers, are complete. “I’m so sorry for your loss… You’ve lost children, a husband, and your memories… None of which are pleasant experiences. I once suffered from mild amnesia, but after a few weeks, my memories had returned. And as for love…” There’s a long pause, as she’s not sure just how much she wants to share, and trust didn’t come easily to the elf… Plus, she was at her workplace, and there could be eavesdroppers just thriving on such knowledge. It seems like Lana isn’t going to answer the drow at all, when she clears her throat and adds, “I haven’t exactly had luck in love, either… My ex-fiancé, Eirik, vanished from the lands, never to be heard from again… And two others… They were very short lasting relationships, but I loved them with all my heart, and our time together was cherished… Krystan’s body was found in Frostmaw, he had bled out from a dagger to the middle after his old gang caught up with him. He was an assassin, trying to lead a different sort of life, and turning to only good deeds. Sadly, it was too late for him… And Largakh and I probably had the deepest connection of anyone I’ve ever known…” She falls silent and glances down at the forms, as a single tear falls from her eye and onto the parchment. “His death was only four months ago, so it’s still very fresh in my mind. I found the body… He was a city guard in Gualon, on patrol, and a drug-induced thug stabbed him in the side. I had arrived too late, and he couldn’t be saved.” That was all she’d offer about her past, as the veil of secrecy seems to fold over on the woman, and she becomes distant, her mind elsewhere, and her gaze withdrawn from Thalra. “Excuse me.” Lana exits the enclosure and disappears from view for a few minutes, in an effort to compose herself, as well as grab the care package from Venin, and ready a collar and lead for Shiloh, until she was properly trained and bonded with her new owner. As she returns to the drake enclosure, she carefully removes the tracking device from around Shiloh’s scaled neck, and slips the collar and leash onto her, before handing control over to Thalra. “Use this until you trust her enough to fly freely on her own. I have a package of food, enough for three days, along with some minnows for a treat every now and then. There are pamphlets in here that talk about the basic care of a frost drake hatchling and some things to look out for… Should you have any trouble caring for her, any questions about her training, or should she need medical attention… Return here at any time. I have a full-time staff that can contact me any day, and any time, so you are never a bother. And should you have to leave the lands or rehomed Shiloh, we do offer boarding and pet sitting services. I cannot thank you enough for your support of the sanctuary, and for adopting our lovely little girl. I wish you both many years of happiness and love, and Thalra… Why don’t we get together for lunch next week? You can tell me how things are going with Shiloh, and we can talk about the shrinking potion, and catch up… I really must be getting back to work, but I’m so happy that I was able to bring you both together.” Lana would then lean in and give Shiloh a quick peck on the snout, and offer a brief hug to Thalra, before locking up the enclosure behind them and walking the drow towards the exit. Once there, Venin would accept the payment, which would be a modest fifty gold coins, which in truth was only to cover the cost of the care package. Lana wasn’t charging Thalra the standard adoption fee for an exotic animal, because she considered her to be a friend.

Thalra smiled best she could, until lanara was talking about her own life, she wanted to comfort her but she stepped out before she could hug her. Then when she came back she gave her the hug. "You been through hell and back, you need this." Then removing her embrace, she listened to further instructions. and pulled out a vial of shrinking agent, which she poured over shiloh. Until she shrunk to be able to rest on her shoulder, "Don't worry little one, I'll make you bigger once we get home." Receving a second hug from Lanara, though more brief, thalra set out, again on the road, before recalling, "Oh yeah left my clothes at the sanctuary, oh well I guess I will have to just keep my guard up."