"Aww, thank you! I do my best," Cen replied with a burbling giggle. "And yes, I am. We Farliens shrink when we're dehydrated and the smaller we are, the less we can handle being in larger bodies of water. Desert Farilens though, are very clever. You see, they don't usually live in exposed bodies of water like the rest of us do. Usually they live in plants like cacti or underground springs. This actually changes their color - minerals from underground turning them blue and purple while vitamins from plants and such turn them yellow or green. Very rarely are oasis available, but when they are, many of all sorts and colors come to bask."

She sighed and gently folded her arms. "Unfortunately... many desert Farliens are captured that way, or are bred by caravans to be sold as living decorations. I know a few who have escaped that lifestyle... at very great cost..."

For a moment, the gentle farlien was lost in thought before she snapped back to reality.

Cendra let out a delighted trill before realizing her volume and turning to check on Salem. Still unconscious, but still breathing and not bleeding, thank goodness.

"Well, yes," she replied with a smile. "Layflow is powerful magic in Bel'Terum. Our Steward made it that way so that we would be born. As for our magics, we're very stable. It's hard, after all, to meddle with pure elemental magic, especially when it has a vessel. You see, unlike other beings, our magic doesn't disperse into the Ether. It continues with our current and grows within us until we pass on. Our surface tension is part of that. It's flexible enough to be punctured without harm but sturdy enough to keep the delicate magics within us safe.

"As for our shapes, we're not solid nor stable. We change at will, constantly, never in the exact same form as before, any more than the water in a lake or river is in the exact same form as it was before. Because of this, we can take whichever shape we chose! Though we are never fully solid."