#talva

August 16, 2021:

Caribbean Secondary, Obelisk, Leopard.

An eccentric herbalist, Talva acts old and wise, although she's actually one of the youngest dragons in the clan. She knows the use of pretty much any plant you can name and spends much of her time out of the lair, gathering herbs or just wandering around. However, she tends to pop up when needed. And if you don't find Talva in her room, you can often find her mate Iburel there, snagging some herbs for his perpetual experiments in potion-making.

Acrux poked his head into Frip’s quarters and … nothing. She wasn’t there. At least, he didn’t think she was; it was hard to be sure, since he couldn’t keep the image of her chamber in his head. Even while looking at the room, he couldn’t describe it, couldn’t even tell anyone what was in it … More of Frip’s strange magic, but Acrux didn’t have time to worry about that now.

After Telyn’s alarming departure, he could think of only two things to do: warn Aridatha and seek answers from Frip. He’d settled on doing the latter first, hoping that he’d have a little more information to go on when he spoke to Aridatha, something a bit more helpful than “inescapable doom.” It was a slim hope. While Frip most certainly had answers, Acrux’s chances of dragging them out of her were not high. The nocturne knew everything that occurred in Clan Lukra, and often the future as well -- she had bonded with Telyn over that shared experience -- but, even more so than Telyn, she was disinclined to be helpful, preferring to maintain a frustrating aura of mystery.

“Acrux? What are you doing?”

Instead, she put her head in her talons and ran her claws through her feathery crest, trying to resist the urge to pull at that. She wasn’t completely successful, and she found herself staring at a long, brown feather in her claws. Xylia groaned.

“Trouble in paradise?” asked a voice from the doorway. Xylia jumped and turned to see a purple Snapper standing in the entrance to her cave.

“Oh, it’s you.” Wincing, Xylia realized that the sentence had come out rather flatter and more unpleasant than she’d intended. “Sorry, I mean ... Never mind.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Talva said, grinning. “Snappers have thick skin.”

Xylia had absolutely nothing to say to that, so it was fortunate that Talva picked up the conversation again in a couple seconds.

“I could hear you shouting from my room,” Talva said. “Almost withered my cindervine.”

“Sorry,” Xylia said miserably, although it occurred to her that if Talva’s plants were that sound-sensitive, she was going to have a hard time rearing them, even out here at the edge of the lair. Acrux was fairly quiet, but Xylia could hardly hold herself in from venting her frustration when her art wasn’t coming along as she expected.

“Don’t worry about it.” Talva smiled. “I just wanted to see what’s wrong.”

“Oh, yes.” Xylia swung her tail at the canvas she was working on. “I just can’t get this painting to come out right. Whatever I do, I can’t get the exact combination of textures I want. It’s very frustrating,” she added, primly, as if she hadn’t just been tearing her feathers out.

“I imagine it would be,” Talva said. “I might be able to help, though. Don’t move; I’ll be right back.”

Xylia went very still as the Snapper lumbered out of the room, taking the purple dragon at her word. Her eyes kept wandering to the unfinished painting, the sinuous brown and red design that so vexed her. Her claws twitched; she wasn’t completely sure that she shouldn’t just tear the canvas apart, rip it to shreds. It would be a satisfactory way to vent her emotions, but it would mean giving up on the piece. But she might as well, right?

Not until Talva returned, and fortunately the Snapper was back in minutes. Talva came carrying pouches of seeds and leaves, at which Xylia looked rather askance. The Wildclaw was aware that some artists mixed plant pigments for their paints, but her materials were more direct.

“’Fraid not,” said a voice that Gavin didn’t recognize. Gavin frowned and sniffed the air; he didn’t recognize the scent, either, although it could be masked by the fragrances of the various fruits, flowers and herbs growing in his room. He slipped out from under the bush and turned to see a purple Snapper standing in his cave’s entrance. He still didn’t recognize her. “I just wanted to see if I could get some seeds and cuttings from you.”

“Are you new?” Gavin asked, confused.

The Snapper inclined her head. “I’m Talva.”

“Gavin.”

“I know.” She smiled. “I joined the clan recently, and I’m looking to get my garden started.”

“I’d be glad to help,” Gavin said, returning Talva’s smile. “What do you need?”

She rattled off an extensive list of herbs and plants that she sought, and the smile slid off Gavin’s face. He was impressed, and he didn’t have very many of the species she was looking for. Gavin’s collection centered on beautiful plants, those with colorful flowers or leaves or plump fruit; Talva seemed to seek flora with medicinal properties. Or magical properties.

“I’ll give you what I can,” Gavin said, going to his collection of seeds and picking some out. “The rest I’m afraid you’ll have to find on your own.”

“I thank you for any aid,” Talva said, bowing her head.

“Let me know how your garden does.” Gavin smiled and handed Talva a pouch of seeds.