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Dawn came to the scrub forest like Cupid's wings, the light tinted in rose and pale gold as it crept from the horizon to touch the world lightly. Mimicgryphs stirred in the treetops, then lifted their voices into the morning song that was older than history. As the light strengthened, every delicate dewdrop turned into a minature prism, countless tiny, scintillating rainbows edging everything in light and wonder. It was the kind of morning that was made for falling in love.

In other words, it was like every other morning in the scrub forest. And like every other morning, Reynardine, busy warming himself by taking in the first light, was cheerfully oblivious. The dark-colored P'an-lun lay coiled in lazy loops atop a convenient stone outcropping, basking like a snake. Only the occasional twitch of his tail, and the slight glitter of awareness in eyes that seemed permanently slitted shut, indicated that he wasn't sound asleep. And indeed, if it weren't for the sun in his eyes, he probably would have just stayed where he was. But perhaps that nagging light served as an arrow to Rey, stinging him into action. Certainly, he would never have spotted her without it.

As the P'an-lun took to the air in slow spirals, he chanced to see a flash of blue feathers amidst the scrub. Even as he noticed this, the branches shivered slightly and gave way, revealing the most stunning Aviadracus he had ever seen. Such color! Such elegance! A fetching pattern of white on blue, fringed with black, and adorned with a rather unique ornament tucked behind one feathered 'ear'... She moved with grace, deliberation. In short, perfection.

A casual observer would have been amazed at the sudden turn of speed that Reynardine, not usually a swift flier, could put on with the right incentive. Where nature had no power to move him, it seemed a pretty young lady could lend an enviable burst of energy. Still, he was careful not to appear too eager -- it didn't seem like she had noticed him yet, so he had time to get close, then catch his breath for an instant before approaching at a more casual, nonchalant pace. As if this were no more than a chance crossing of paths, a friendly "good morning" between strangers or new acquaintances.

"Pardon me, my lady..." Reynardine gauged a reasonably polite distance, where he could be heard quite well without having to raise his voice but he wouldn't appear to be invading her personal space, then landed in front of her and slightly to the side. "Good morning! My name is Reynardine. And now that I've introduced myself, I, ah, hope you'll forgive my forwardness..." Here the calculated tilt and dip of his head, the bashful smile. Oh, he'd refined this to an art form: play the shy boy, just a bit, to drop their guard before you launch your first ploy. "But you see, I was just watching the sunrise --" a blatant lie, but a harmless one -- "and I couldn't help but be distracted."

"And seeing as it's a day of celebration of love -- well, it just wouldn't be right for me to pass by without telling you how lovely you are." Coming on strong? But of course. That was the beauty of the day, it was the one time of the year he could get away with a line like that.

Besides, who didn't like compliments?

~*~*~


Rays of soft, hazy light filtered trough the trees, illuminating the forest floor with a faint glow. Creatures of every sort rose to greet the morning, their chatter and songs slowly building in size and volume. The excited animals, faint breeze, rustling branches, and babbling stream all seemed to be waiting, to be looking forward to something with eager anticipation.

Dwelling within the thrumming Scrub Forest was a female Aviadracus. Single and kinless, she nevertheless seemed to enjoy her somewhat solitary life; most days, at least. On this day, a day of promise and love, the Aviadracus was not pleased. She was not pleased to be woken so early by her familiars, nor was she pleased when her ears were assaulted with a chorus of love songs when she ventured out of her cave.

The Aviadracus, Sayuri, had had an unusual upbringing. Her mother, a beautiful but delicate Aviadracus, had raised her and her sisters by herself. She taught them that love was not a necessary part of life, and that more often then not love simply wasn’t worth it. Sayuri believed her mother and studiously avoided anything more then mere flirting. With practice she became graceful, polite, poised, patient, and well practiced in driving males wild, yet rarely associated with them beyond business or necessity.

The first time Sayuri had met Grendel’s mate and children she had felt a peculiar pang in her chest. After that, every time she saw the couple – or any loving couple, for that matter – the pang felt stronger, eventually turning into a constant ache. She was unable to discern what the ache truly was, but knew that it was somehow associated with love, further alienating her from it.

Casting a weary eye about the trees around her cave, Sayuri decided that perhaps a walk would help to take her mind off the meaning of the day. Her Dire Owl Chiyo wisely stayed behind, so only Mineko, a quiet Pygmy Panda, accompanied her. Sayuri was later grateful that she decided to allow Mineko to walk with her.

After several minutes of walking and brooding, a gentle head butt from Mineko drew her from her thoughts. Looking in the direction that the small bear pointed, Sayuri caught her first glance of the blue P’an-Lun making his descent. Perhaps it was the fact that she had yet to eat, perhaps it was the heat, but her heart fluttered strangely in her chest when she saw the incoming male.

Years of training kicked in and she quickly suppressed her irritation. Composing herself, she sat down and watched as the P’an-Lun landed. She took a moment to observe him and quickly became fascinated. Sayuri had an eye for fine goods and she could tell that his coat was well made. It was not, however, his coat that truly fascinated her: it was his tail. His tail was fluffy! She had the sudden desire to feel the male’s tail, a desire she squashed.

She was quiet while he introduced himself, watching him with half-hooded eyes. He was well mannered, and yet his straight-forwardness was rather refreshing. Sayuri would later blame in on the heat, claiming it had affected her mental state, yet for the first time she believed that she was truly attracted to another Painter. Giggling slightly at male’s last statement, she took his longer pause to introduce herself.

“ A pleasure to meet you indeed, Reynardine. A girl is always please to be complimented, though I daresay you exaggerate; you are far more fetching then I.”

Sayuri always played to males’ egos, but for once her words were sincere. Maybe, just this one time, she would allow herself to forget her past and have a companion.

~*~*~

Reynardine couldn't help but preen a little at the compliment, fluffing his tail a bit and shifting it to a position of best effect. Vain? Him? Guilty as charged. But it was something he took pride in; it took effort, after all, to keep the sheen and volume of his tail fur, to keep that white coat clean and in good repair. Perhaps some males would cheerfully drag themselves through the Jungles of Sleep to the Western Island and back, no doubt heedless of the damage done to their appearance. But as far as he was concerned, they could keep their adventures.

"Ah, you are gracious," he murmured with a semblance of modesty. "But I am just a humble wandering soul."

Which was true. While Reynardine had at times tried to locate the temples where most of his kind resided, he was far too easily distracted to make any serious effort, and far too gregarious to make the attempt without a companion to keep him company. No doubt if he spent too long by himself, he'd be bored out of his skull and talking to himself just to relieve the silence in no time. Overall, the path of least resistance was simply to travel the island at his leisure, actively seeking out company where he knew other Painters would reside. Not the best lifestyle, perhaps, but it suited him. (Plus an added bonus -- if he ever offended a lady with a too-forward compliment, he could simply apologize and leave. No harm done.)

It wasn't that he'd never considered settling down. He had, especially when he met a particularly wonderful individual. But inevitably, once the initial challenge was over, the charm wore off. He would still put on that same roguish smile day in and day out, but the mask would begin to become a chore to keep up, instead of a game. Besides, what would he do? Take a mate? Have children? While admittedly the idea of a pack of tiny Reynardines appealed to his ego on some fundamental level, it just sounded dull. Maybe if he could find someone who could keep his interest, someone refreshing... But that was just a fancy.

Why was he thinking about this now? He had a pretty girl to charm. Back to business.

She hadn't rebuffed him initially, which was always a good sign. And he appreciated it when a lady accepted a compliment graciously -- he always meant his compliments sincerely, no matter how calculated the delivery might be. There was something about her demeanor that seemed a bit -- distant? No, that wasn't quite it... Careful? Perhaps. But it wasn't a bad thing. Goodness, she even had a pretty giggle. This one was really a catch, wasn't she?

"Now, what brings you out for a stroll on a morning such as this one, my fair..." A pause, and a quizzical tilt of his head, as he realized he still didn't know how to address her. "Ah, may I be so bold as to ask your name?"

Reynardine's grin, if anything, grew wider. He liked this lady already -- either her manners were really as courtly and elegant as they seemed, or she was just as good as him at playing the game. Either possibility was intriguing. This would not be another quick interlude, another passing fancy -- no, this was something to be savored. After all, when one finds the sweetest fruit, best to enjoy it slow.

"Sayuri... What a lovely name. I wish I could say the same -- in regards to living here, I mean -- it seems a very nice place, from what I've seen of it." A carefully bland statement, inviting her to argue the opposite, if she so pleased. After all, perhaps she longed for adventure... If so, Reynardine would be happy to oblige. And if not, well, no harm done.

He noted both her solitude (well, relative, at least, she did have a familiar) and the significance of the date. But asking her up-front if she had a particular gentleman- or lady-friend seemed a bit too... crass. So he opted for a slightly more delicate approach, which would hopefully spur some answer to the question without offending her. "A walk? Mmm, a lovely morning for it. I usually fly, but to be in your presence... May I accompany you, Miss Sayuri? I would be honored if you would say yes."

There. Now, depending on what she responded -- if she declined the invitation saying that she was going to meet someone, or if she declined for some other reason, or if (hopefully, and to Reynardine's ego this seemed the most likely scenario) she accepted...

Reynardine felt a quiet internal thrill of delight when she accepted, though he did his best not to seem over-eager. Fastest way to put a girl off, to try to get in close too quickly... Still, her acceptance of something so innocuous as a morning stroll was step one, a foot in the door.

"Oh, you might be surprised..." Reynardine inclined his head slightly, for a moment his smile taking on a wry, rueful tinge. "It is my curse, it seems, to forever admire the fairer sex, and yet to be denied a lasting companion." Truth, or close enough to it, and yet discreetly leaving out that half the time he was the one to leave in the end.

Walking side-by-side with an Aviadracus would no doubt be an... interesting experience, what with their respective proportions. Hence why Reynardine usually flew -- the P'an-lun's long, serpentine body and relatively compact legs really weren't the best for extended ground travel. But as long as they kept to a leisurely pace, he was sure he would have no trouble matching her stride comfortably. Now, if they got more rambunctious in their speed... But that was the lovely thing, he was quite certain that she wouldn't. Not like some females, who would scoff at a male who wasn't particularly strong or agile. Perhaps he hadn't known her long enough to judge, but Sayuri seemed like the sort who could appreciate Rey's particular assets.

Reynardine could not help but keep his eyes from wandering -- so why hide it? He made no pretense as to what he was doing, openly admiring his companion on the walk. Not necessarily in a lascivious way, merely an admiring regard of her form and stance. She obviously took a good deal of care with how she appeared to others... Always a positive sign.

His grin turned into an unselfconscious laugh at her coy look and remark. "Perhaps, indeed! Oh, I'd like that... One does get lonely, after all." He flicked his tail in punctuation of this remark, quite casually -- if it should happen to brush Sayuri's for a moment, well, his mistake, so careless... All that fluff, and all. Still, he maintained a polite distance; it would be crass of him to step in on a lady's personal space uninvited.

"Ah, Miss Sayuri..." Looking ahead, he could see a hill rising before them, but the area wasn't familiar to him beyond having perhaps flown over it once in passing. "May I ask where we're going?"

"Anyone home?"

A certain deep blue P'an-lun peered into the cave, omnipresent grin lighting his features merrily. While he made no pretenses about his wandering life, he had made something of a habit of always returning to see Sayuri. Lovely Sayuri, so sweet, so refined, so... well, suited to Reynardine's own tastes.

He had observed, privately, a certain change in her figure as of late... but, well, any prudent male could tell you that you never comment on a lady's weight. Whatever you say could potentially be taken as an insult, no matter how innocuous the intent -- better to hold one's tongue and spare the heartache. And in return, she didn't complain about his sometimes unpredictable wanderlust, either the comings or the goings. Though more comings than goings, these days... She always had the most comfortable pillows. Really marvelous craftsmanship, he made a note to ask her where she acquired a few of the best specimens...

Spotting the object of his affection, Rey let out a low thrum of pleasure and approached, affectionately nuzzling her cheek before settling back on his haunches to admire the growing mountain. "Hello, my dear lady -- preparing for a pillow shortage? The new additions are lovely... though not quite so much as their owner, of course."

"Oh? Treasures?"

Acquisitiveness had only narrowly lost the battle to restlessness in Reynardine's heart in his youth. While he reluctantly accepted that anything too heavy, fragile, or expensive was simply impractical for him to own, he still had a certain love of admiring other people's beautiful things... and handling them, and generally enjoying all the benefits except for the actual ownership. At Sayuri's invitation, he spared only a nod and a smile of thanks before setting to the task. Carefully yet industriously moving aside the pillows, he dug through nearly to the bottom, before coming across...

...oh dear.

Well. He certainly wouldn't have used the word "treasures" to refer to the two smooth orbs resting in their nest of silk. Even beautiful as they were -- oh dear, did that one have orange stripes? Not much use asking as to their parentage; he strongly suspected that if they belonged to anyone else, Sayuri would have simply kept them discreetly out of the way. He remained speechless, though to his credit his expression signalled not so much dismay as shock.

It figured, didn't it? Priceless pearls, half-his, and precisely the treasure he'd been hoping not to see.