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Description
Lilaa moved slowly through her temple library, her eyes scanning the shelves. She was searching for something to read. Something light and easy going. In the distance she heard a kettle boil, her pot of chamomile tea finally ready. The gynosphinx sat down, about to reach for a book, when something caught her attention. Quickly she leapt up, wings spread as she bounded to land on top of one of her bookshelves, her footing light and steady. Lilaa peered across her lair, spotting the shadow of an unexpected visitor move along the wall.

Nova Dewclaw carefully made her way into the temple, the dragonfolk clutching her parcel close to her chest. As one of the senior librarians of Dierdre, Nova couldn't help but marvel at the rows of bookshelves that stood before her. Her gaze drifted, moving over to a desk that stood central to the vast room. No one was there. Nova frowned. The dragonfolk drew breath, readying to call out, when a soft thump sounded out behind her. Nova turned quickly, finding herself staring into a set of glowing green eyes.
"Lilaa! You startled me."
The gynosphinx moved, walking past Nova towards the desk.
"I was not expecting your visit, Nova. I could have hit you with my planar shift spell by mistake. You could have been trapped in another reality."
"You're not that reckless, Lilaa," Nova replied.
The gynosphinx paused, allowing herself a slight smile.
"I have a pot of tea ready, what brings you here?"
"I have a gift for you."
The pair approached the desk and Lilaa sat down behind it. Gently Nova placed the parcel before the gynosphinx.
"I'll go pour," the dragonfolk said.
Lilaa watched as Nova headed off to the the sphinx's personal quarters, a privilege permitted to only the closest of her friends. She waited for Nova to return, two steaming cups in her hands.
"We received some new books recently," Nova said, sipping on her drink as she passed the other to Lilaa. "I thought you might like a preview of some of them."
Lilaa reached out with a free paw, her claws snipping away the bindings that wrapped the parcel. The glow in her eyes dimmed softly, a sign Nova recognised as contentment.
"I think you might get some amusement from that top one," Nova said, watching the gynosphinx pick it up.
The gold leaf on the spine highlighted the title, Sphinxes: A Natural History Of Cryptic Guardians.
"I believe the author is a gnome," Nova said. "From what I could find out about him, he likes to think he's a specialist in biology. We have a couple of other books from him, and I think he's currently writing one about various lycanthrope breeds."
Nova chuckled.
"I wouldn't take what he writes too seriously."
Lilaa put the book back down, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
"This is much appreciated, Nova," she said. "How long do I have before you require them back?"
"The way you read? Say two weeks."
Lilaa took a sip of tea, savouring the taste.
"What other news do you have, Nova?"
The dragonfolk rolled her eyes, smiling.
"Where do I start?"
The two friends settled down, their voices the only sound in the gynosphinx's lair as they began to gossip, the gentle smell of chamomile tea filling their surroundings. Lilaa had few true friends, but ones like Nova, and moments like this, were as valuable as her books. And that was a treasure worth having...

Dierdre, and dragonfolk belong to
Lilaa belongs to me

Description
Lilaa moved slowly through her temple library, her eyes scanning the shelves. She was searching for something to read. Something light and easy going. In the distance she heard a kettle boil, her pot of chamomile tea finally ready. The gynosphinx sat down, about to reach for a book, when something caught her attention. Quickly she leapt up, wings spread as she bounded to land on top of one of her bookshelves, her footing light and steady. Lilaa peered across her lair, spotting the shadow of an unexpected visitor move along the wall.

Nova Dewclaw carefully made her way into the temple, the dragonfolk clutching her parcel close to her chest. As one of the senior librarians of Dierdre, Nova couldn't help but marvel at the rows of bookshelves that stood before her. Her gaze drifted, moving over to a desk that stood central to the vast room. No one was there. Nova frowned. The dragonfolk drew breath, readying to call out, when a soft thump sounded out behind her. Nova turned quickly, finding herself staring into a set of glowing green eyes.
"Lilaa! You startled me."
The gynosphinx moved, walking past Nova towards the desk.
"I was not expecting your visit, Nova. I could have hit you with my planar shift spell by mistake. You could have been trapped in another reality."
"You're not that reckless, Lilaa," Nova replied.
The gynosphinx paused, allowing herself a slight smile.
"I have a pot of tea ready, what brings you here?"
"I have a gift for you."
The pair approached the desk and Lilaa sat down behind it. Gently Nova placed the parcel before the gynosphinx.
"I'll go pour," the dragonfolk said.
Lilaa watched as Nova headed off to the the sphinx's personal quarters, a privilege permitted to only the closest of her friends. She waited for Nova to return, two steaming cups in her hands.
"We received some new books recently," Nova said, sipping on her drink as she passed the other to Lilaa. "I thought you might like a preview of some of them."
Lilaa reached out with a free paw, her claws snipping away the bindings that wrapped the parcel. The glow in her eyes dimmed softly, a sign Nova recognised as contentment.
"I think you might get some amusement from that top one," Nova said, watching the gynosphinx pick it up.
The gold leaf on the spine highlighted the title, Sphinxes: A Natural History Of Cryptic Guardians.
"I believe the author is a gnome," Nova said. "From what I could find out about him, he likes to think he's a specialist in biology. We have a couple of other books from him, and I think he's currently writing one about various lycanthrope breeds."
Nova chuckled.
"I wouldn't take what he writes too seriously."
Lilaa put the book back down, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
"This is much appreciated, Nova," she said. "How long do I have before you require them back?"
"The way you read? Say two weeks."
Lilaa took a sip of tea, savouring the taste.
"What other news do you have, Nova?"
The dragonfolk rolled her eyes, smiling.
"Where do I start?"
The two friends settled down, their voices the only sound in the gynosphinx's lair as they began to gossip, the gentle smell of chamomile tea filling their surroundings. Lilaa had few true friends, but ones like Nova, and moments like this, were as valuable as her books. And that was a treasure worth having...

Dierdre, and dragonfolk belong to
Lilaa belongs to me