Thieves

[beshackled]

Sender: Erichthonios
To: Everyone
Subject: Avaricious harriers

Pray tell, has anyone else been having trouble with small creatures attempting to make off with your belongings?

They are getting to be remarkably b----

[The b terminates in a long, curved line, as though the writer was startled in the middle of writing.

Sometime later...]

brazen.

Comments

[a_sweet_little_peach]

[He lets out a soft sigh and smiles down at the pages beneath him. Erichthonios sort of reminds him of a friend of his...]

You're right, of course. I'm uniquely well suited both to capturing and caring for them -- I usually have enough leftovers in food to pass out to neighbors. If it turns out to be some sort of ensorcellment at work here, it's better to leave that to those better suited to handle it, anyway.

Have you heard of any patterns to the thefts? If this is of more mundane causation, it could be of help in finding out who's responsible.

[beshackled]

In the case of the goddess Ereshkigal and myself, the items they went after are of significant importance to us.

I know not if this is the case for others.

[a_sweet_little_peach]

For me, they went after a frying pan I'm very fond of. It... seems suspect, a little, that they'd be able to target things that are of import to us. If it were just one or two, it would be one thing, but...

It's not.

[beshackled]

Which brings forth yet another question: how do they know? 'Tis not as though I frequently go on at length about the crystal my father gave me.

[a_sweet_little_peach]

Yes, exactly! And while I might have been given my frying pan by the dragon whose child I rescued, it is not exactly a well known fact that I helped raise a dragon hatchling, He hopes, for their sake, if he's being targetted right now, Much less keep in contact with them.

[beshackled]

It sounds as though you've your share of tales to tell. Dragons are not native to my star, so I must admit, I know very little of them.

[a_sweet_little_peach]

Well -- a while back here, at Songerein, some dragons lost their eggs. I think mine was the first that hatched, if I remember correctly, so I helped take care of them for a while before their parent showed up.

[He's eliding a lot of detail, of course -- they reunited under, less than ideal circumstances, but everything worked out in the end.

Ralsei still visits them from time to time. He's not entirely sure what the other dragons think of him, but the relevant ones seem fond enough of Ralsei. He's like a weird fuzzy uncle to them.]

[beshackled]

'Twas kind of you to do so.

[Though he cannot help but wonder... how is it that they lost their eggs?]

[a_sweet_little_peach]

[You know, it was never very clear! At least to him. Maybe someone else worked out how so many dragons lost their eggs.]

It was nothing! I like helping take care of people, and it was hardly a trial to look after them.

[beshackled]

That is good to know. Should I ever encounter a dragon's egg unattended here, I shall be sure to contact you.

[How do they house them, he wonders? Do they build nests? Keep them on cliffs? Are they leathery of texture, or hard? What temperature is ideal? How long do they take to hatch? And what does a hatchling eat?

He might... have to read a book on that sometime. Surely there must be a tome or two around...]

[a_sweet_little_peach]

They at least seem to be -- durable, enough. I found it on the street, so they don't really seem to need much in the way of environmental conditions to hatch well.

[He hopes, at least. It would -- make him feel quite bad if the poor dragonet had had problems because of being out in the open air, even if it's not really his fault.]

[beshackled]

'Tis a relief to know.

My thanks for your knowledge.

[a_sweet_little_peach]

Of course, any time!

[A tiny goat is drawn in the margins, waving.]

[beshackled]

[It is an endearing image. Erichthonios himself does not have much experience with artistic doodles, but he attempts to do the same, drawing a little robed figure with bent arm raised in a gesture of parting.]

Fare you well.