Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rowan was feeling especially frustrated today. She had been sent on yet another errand by her aunt, and she was beginning to wonder if running around searching for herbs and berries and bird feathers was going to be the only thing she did while she was an apprentice. It was somewhat maddening. Logically, Rowan knew that she had to start with the basics as well as familiarize herself with Souldul and the surrounding area. But there were so many more important things she could be doing at this moment in time.

She wore the two dragon orbs she had found clasped to her belt. She liked the way they glittered and shone, and she felt immensely proud over having found them. She still wasn't entirely certain what they were for, other than a pretty little embellishment. But Rowan didn't mind using them for just that - she enjoyed jewelry and pretty shiny things. She saw the exact plant she was looking for twining up the trunk of a tall tree and blessed her luck. Perhaps she could get back home early and work on a better idea for catching a Draugur. The flower she sought should be high on the vine... Rowan looked upwards, expecting to see a dark red blossom, and instead saw the great creature sleeping high in the tree.

Being a young Oblivionite who was more innocent than she pretended she was, Rowan had never come across a Drakein before. She had heard of them, and of dragons. She made the assumption that, since it wasn't trying to eat her, it was probably not one of the dangerous dragons. But still, it was alarming to behold, and she found herself staring upwards, slack-jawed.

It was coming down the tree. It was coming down the tree! Towards her! Rowan took a couple of startled steps backwards as the Drakein approached her. Her heart beat wildly inside her chest with a strange mix of excitement and fear. It was so big!

Once she had stepped back enough to give the Drakein space to stand without crushing her, she stood her ground, eyes wide. If she'd had pupils, they would have been dilated to the size of dinner plates. The Drakein stood still, he didn't appear as if he wished her harm or wanted to eat her. She stared at him speechlessly for a moment, and then her customary confidence came trickling back and she took one very small step towards him.

"Hello. I've never met a Drakein before." She said, her voice betraying her nerves and excitement by quavering just a bit.

"My name is Rowan." She replied respectfully, cocking her head and taking a longer look at Toki. Now that he had proved that he was willing to talk to her instead of biting her head off, she felt her nerves easing slightly and she was able to look at the encounter for the opportunity that it was. He was scarred enough that Rowan was certain he must know things.

"You're very handsome." She said, "I'm sorry other Oblivionites haven't been very nice to you." She added, then blushed. It was clear even to her young self that she was abominable at being social and making conversation.

"Well." Rowan said, taking in a deep breath as if she were settling in for a long story. "My aunt sent me out to get some ingredients for things. In fact, that's how I found you - I need a piece of that vine on that tree you were sleeping in. And I was hoping to find it early, because I have things I need to do. I've been trying to trap and tame a Draugur. And I also was thinking that maybe, if I got the things I needed early enough, I might be able to find more of these dragon orbs." She stroked the shining objects that hung on her belt. "I found these in a cave, aren't they nice?" She asked, forgetting Toki had just told her he could not see. "I should like to have more of them."

Rowan paused for a breath. She didn't usually talk so much to strangers, but she found that, for some reason, it was much easier to open up to someone who looked so drastically different from the people she was used to. His draconian form was somehow comforting - her usual social awkwardness appeared not to be as much of an issue. "What are you out here for? I would think you would avoid being near the city, if my people are unkind to you."

"Well, the vine itself is not particularly useful, though it is quite strong." Rowan slipped into her student's voice, and recited the information for Toki as if she were reading a lesson. "But the flower," she pointed to the top of the vine, where several dark red blossoms sat, "it is a good digestive aid. It helps with stomache ache and if you mix it with a tincture of alcohol and salt, it makes an excellent emetic." She grinned at Toki. "That means it will make you sick on purpose." She added, just in case the older dragon hadn't caught her meaning. "Do dragons get stomach aches very often?" She asked, curious. She knew nothing about dragon biology.