At Least I Know I Live

(Yneli): Lanni Ahonen says, "I make new thing, maybe? Maybe like?"

(Yneli): You say, "Ooh?"

(Yneli): You say, "I'm almost finished speaking with the dryads in Kiunid Vruna, Lanni! Do you have something made now? May I see?"

(Yneli): Lanni Ahonen says, "No made now. But I try."

(Yneli): You say, "I'm so very excited! Can I help in some way?"

(Yneli): Lanni Ahonen says, "I show start?"

(Yneli): You say, "Oh, yes please!"

You have emoted: With a cotton-puff coneflower in hand, Lief wings excitedly into the muku flower garden, her eyes bright with curiosity.

An ephemeral mist fills the room before Dionastra, the spirit stag emerges.

Pysynne smiles softly.

Lanni Ahonen exclaims, "Hal-lo!"

You have emoted: Lief bobs in the air, tucking a cotton-puff coneflower behind her ear. "Hello, Lanni!" she beams.

You slip into a cotton-puff coneflower.

You create a pose for the object. It will now appear as the following when worn:
a cotton-puff coneflower tucked behind an ear

In a gravelly voice, Pysynne says to Lanni Ahonen, "Hello little one."

Lanni Ahonen slinks about you and Pysynne, his taciturn face looking unusually bright-eyed with excitement.

You have emoted: Lief clasps her hands together, her wings humming with excitement mirrored. "What are you making? You are keeping us in suspense!"

Lanni Ahonen leans down and pats the muku flower. "Muku grows. Keetos." He taps his forehead with two fingers.

You beam broadly at Lanni Ahonen.

Disentangling her hands briefly to tap two fingers to her forehead, you say to Lanni Ahonen, "Ole hyva."

Lanni Ahonen breaks into a rare smile at you. "Yes," he nods, "Yes."

You have emoted: Lief wings back and forth, flitting about as she watches Lanni Ahonen, not deterred from her curiosity one bit.

Lanni Ahonen pulls out a dark-clothed, round, object that looks like it's half-stuffed with muku threads with two needles stuck in it. "I make."

Lanni Ahonen looks about himself suspiciously.

Pysynne tilts his head curiously.

You have emoted: Lief dips closer to Lanni Ahonen, studying the object in Lanni Ahonen's hand. "Is it going to be a doll?" she asks curiously.

Widening his eyes, Lanni Ahonen nods at you vigorously. "Kavindra says, she makes doll." He points at himself, "I say, I make too."

Pysynne's eyes sparkle with amusement.

In a gravelly voice, Pysynne says to Lanni Ahonen, "It appears to be a mighty fine start to a great doll."

You have emoted: A squeal of delight escapes Lief's lips, which she covers up with a startled look, and then a laugh. "Oh, Lanni, I'm so excited!" she says through her fingers, as though that weren't obvious, her eyes lit with joy.

You feel a slight tug within your chest and the air around you sparkles with motes of bright light.
You sense Aruokei pulling on the strands of aether surrounding you.

Among the sparkling motes of light, a translucent figure appears in the air and then quickly solidifies as Aruokei comes into view.
Aruokei has entered the area.

Snapdragon Aruokei says, "Hey Lanni."

Lanni Ahonen exclaims to Aruokei, "Hal-lo!"

Lanni Ahonen pats the round, lumpy object with a look of pride. "Is start." He pulls at a few muku threads. "Not like."

You have emoted: Lief's fingers curl against her upper lip as she studies the ball, stuffed with muku threads. "What will it be?" she can't resist asking.

Lanni Ahonen closes one oval eye, starting at the round lump, then he opens it and closes the other. "Is Nazli." He points a long, slender finger at the dark-cloth, which has no discernible features at the moment aside from its lumpiness. "You see?"

Snapdragon Aruokei says, "You...killed Nazli?"

You think to yourself: It...perhaps looks like his hamster so far.

You say to Aruokei, "No, no!"

Aruokei scurries around you, bumbling with hurried steps with an unsure expression on her face.

Lanni Ahonen looks alarmed and blinks. "Kill? Not kill. Make doll." He pats the lumpy object in his hands. "Like Kavindra."

You have emoted: Lief's eyes assess the ball held in Lanni Ahonen's hands, her head tilting this way, then that. "It has a bit of his colouring," she offers optimistically.

In a gravelly voice, Pysynne says, "Apologies, I have to depart."

Pysynne inclines his head politely to those around him.

Pysynne touches his fingertips to his hand, illuminating the temporal tattoo upon it. The air beside him warps, as a clock-like portal manifests.

Billowing mists suddenly surround Dionastra, the spirit stag before he vanishes into them.
Pysynne has left the area.

You have emoted: Lief offers a cheery wave to Pysynne's departing form.

The clock chimes, disappearing into a wisp of aetheric nothingness as it fades.

You have emoted: Attention returning to Lanni Ahonen, Lief beams at him brightly. "Have you and Nazli become good friends?"

Lanni Ahonen nods enthusiastically. "I make him say," he scrunches his nose and hisses loudly.

You have emoted: Lief's own expression shifts into mild alarm. She glances briefly at Aruokei, then scans the gardens, searching for a moment as she asks, "But he doesn't scratch you anymore?"

Lanni Ahonen shakes his head.

Lanni Ahonen says, "No scratch."

You wipe the back of your hand across your brow in relief.

Lanni Ahonen lifts the grey lump and holds it up next to his face. He hisses and lashes his tail back and forth. "Nazli sounds." He nods at himself, "Like?"

Aruokei gives a nervous laugh and a sideway glance to you, but otherwise gives Lanni Ahonen an encouraging thumbs up and a gentle nod.

You have emoted: Lief wings a quick circle about Lanni Ahonen. "You sound just like him!" she laughs. She reaches out to lightly touch the ball when she comes before the kaelye again and says, "Don't forget his ears and tail!"

Thoughtfully, you say, "Maybe don't include his claws, though."

Lanni Ahonen pokes at the muku stuffing again, pulling out a few strands. "No claw. Kavindra say Mahin no claw too. Mahin not happy." Lanni tilts his head, eyes fixed on Aruokei suddenly. "Cookie?"

You have emoted: Lief draws back just enough to give Aruokei room, her eyes bright. "Are you making a doll of Mahin, too? Or is Kavindra?"

Frowning, Lanni Ahonen says to you, "Kavindra makes Mahin. Kavindra says, Mahin says many things, unhappy. First doll, Lanni make easy. Nazli."

Slinking forward and whispering with wide eyes, Lanni Ahonen says, "Daiua wants to make Nazli. But Kavindra says no." He nods and points at himself, "Lanni makes Nazli."

Snapdragon Aruokei says, "Are we going to be able to get dollies of Nazli too?"

Lanni Ahonen tilts his head, looking at Aruokei appraisingly. "If give cookie," he says, deadpan.

Aruokei gives a rancid, booger green heart-shaped candy to Lanni Ahonen.

Snapdragon Aruokei says, "These are good too Lanni."

You have emoted: Lief lowers herself nearer to a radiant muku flower and reaches her hand out, gently touching one of its massive petals, it alone nearly as big as her entire body. She glances over as the candy is given, and she snorts on an inelegant laugh. "Be careful, Lanni," she says merrily. "It will inspire you to say things - maybe things you don't mean to say!"

Lanni Ahonen sniffs at the booger green heart-shaped candy and wrinkles his nose.

Lanni Ahonen gives a rancid, booger green heart-shaped candy to you.

Lanni Ahonen says, "You eat."

Small enough that it would fit atop the tip of the average human's finger, this candy heart is rancid, booger green in colour and composed entirely of candy wafer, cooked and shaped into the confection you see before you now. Written in blood-red dye, the words 'Hug Me!' have been written out across its face.
It has 25 months of usefulness left.
It weighs 1 ounce(s).
It has the following aliases: candy, heart-shaped, heart.

A genteel peacock crowned with a crest of bright scarlet drooping to one side shakes his head, causing the crest feathers to swing back and forth.

Lanni Ahonen says to a genteel peacock crowned with a crest of bright scarlet drooping to one side, "You."

You have emoted: Lief turns it over in her hands as she draws only a touch away from a radiant muku flower, still lingering near it. She studies a rancid, booger green heart-shaped candy's face, then flashes Aruokei a toothy grin. "You wanted to summon Daiua to him!"

As you chew and swallow on a rancid, booger green heart-shaped candy you are overwhelmed with the taste of candy wafer, intermingled with sugar and a warm, comforting feeling as you swallow. Suddenly your whole world takes on a rancid, booger green tint, though it soon fades away, a sense of warmth and protection lingering long after.
An ecstatic Lief exclaims, "Hug Me!!"

Lanni Ahonen blinks incredulously at you.

You have emoted: Lief opens her arms wide, laughing.

Lanni Ahonen says, "Hug you?"

Aruokei looks towards Lanni Ahonen with an endearing expression on her and reaches towards him, as though pleading for a hug.

Lanni Ahonen stretches out his long arms, one of which is holding the lump with the needles in it. He looks confused.

Dropping her arms, still laughing, you say, "See, these candies charm you, I think, and you say things."

You have emoted: "I think Aruokei wants to hug you," Lief says confidingly to Lanni Ahonen.

Lanni Ahonen looks at Aruokei. He steps forward, with arms outstretched.

Aruokei hugs Lanni Ahonen compassionately.

Snapdragon Aruokei says, "Victory!"

Lanni Ahonen's eyes widen and he pats Aruokei lightly on the back. "Yes." The needles in the lump stick into Aruokei.

Snapdragon Aruokei says, "I am in pain."

Snapdragon Aruokei says, "At least I know I live."

With a flourish of her arm, Aruokei bows deeply.

Aruokei leaves to the north, emanating an aura of immense power.

(Yneli): Aruokei (from the Prime Material Plane) says, "Let me know when you finish your doll! I'll give you a lot of gold for one! Or even goop!"

You have emoted: Lief covers her mouth again, this time uncertain as she peers about herself. "Goodness," she murmurs, then shakes her antlered head. "Hope she'll be okay!"

Brightly, you say to Lanni Ahonen, "You should be sure to save one of your dolls for Nazli, too. He might like playing with it."

Lanni Ahonen draws back and sniffs at the needles. "Sorry," he continues to look slightly confused. "I make one, I make many," he nods.

You have emoted: Lief pulls a handkerchief from a pocket in her kimono robe's sleeve and offers it to Lanni Ahonen with a nod toward the object in Lanni Ahonen's hands. "Maybe you can wipe them clean with this, just in case. And don't worry - she didn't sound upset."

You have emoted: Lief flashes Lanni Ahonen a warm smile.

Lanni Ahonen takes the handkerchief and wipes the needles down with it. "Leaf, thank you." He touches his forehead.

Her dragonfly wings a happy hum, you say to Lanni Ahonen, "Of course!" She pauses, then grins again, clapping her hands together. "I am still looking forward eagerly to your Yneli rite, Lanni."

Lanni Ahonen nods his head enthusiastically at you.

Bobbing in the air, you say to Lanni Ahonen, "Shall I leave you to your work, then?"

Putting the lumpy shape away, Lanni Ahonen says, "I do! Kavindra says, I make Nazli. Give to Lady Maylea. She let me Marythen."

You beam broadly at Lanni Ahonen.

You have emoted: Lief claps her hands together excitedly.

Lanni Ahonen gives you a brief smile and nods. "Soon. Nazli or Nazli doll? Both like!"

You have emoted: Lief nods her head eagerly, beaming as she wings another circle about Lanni Ahonen. "Take all the time you need with this doll. We will all treasure them when you're finished."

You smile broadly and say to Lanni Ahonen, "I look forward to seeing your progress on it!"

Lanni Ahonen nods his head enthusiastically.

Lanni Ahonen exclaims, "Goodbye, Leaf!"

You have emoted: Lief gives a merry wave. "Goodbye, Lanni Ahonen!"