A Night to Remember

[Gryphon]

On hearing of his up and coming date with Mynx as a result of the bachelor auction Gryphon sets to work immediately.

 

Those able to sense the ebb and flow of the magical powers in and around Pen Keep can feel the magic being pooled and directed into some powerful spell-casting (benign and totally harmless to the locals so no-one needs to come knocking).

 

A tiny gem of a humming bird is summoned to and dispatched from Gryphon’s room with a spell message for his lady (or is he hers?) requesting that the date be set for later in the week as the stars will be at their most auspicious at that time whilst also giving her a brief idea of what would be appropriate to wear, then the shift and flow of the powers begin again.

 

On the afternoon of the appointed night Gryphon emerges from his brief seclusion to go and find the lady of the evening, hoping that she is looking forward to the upcoming date.

 

Taking to the air he makes the brief flight over to Mynx’s current lodgings and pauses, taking in the scene outside before knocking on the door. The afternoon is lovely and clear with barely a cloud to be seen in the sky, inhaling Gryphon detects the scent of freshly cut grass on the wind before turning back to the task at hand and he reaches out and knocks once, twice, thrice on Mynx’s door seeking admittance.

 

/----------------/

 

On Mynx opening the door Gryphon bows low and addresses her thus:

“My lady, thy beauty is even more exquisite tonight than usual, you make me swoon with delight that you would pick me to be your escort on such a wondrous occasion.”

 

“I had a few ideas about what we can do tonight… I hope you like what I have planned, please, walk with me a little way, the first step of our journey this evening is a step into forever.”

 

With that said Gryphon wraps himself around Mynx in a gryphon-hug and then leads her away for a short walk towards one of the more picturesque gardens of Pen Keep. After walking through the gardens for a few brief moments Gryphon leads Mynx off to one side towards one of the rose-beds housing white roses where he reaches out, murmurs the release words of a minor spell and allows his hand to flow through the appropriate gesture and from nowhere plucks a rose that is the deepest red in colour.

 

Sparkling motes fall from the petals of the rose as Gryphon moves to hand it to Mynx, standing just behind him. “It shall retain a memory of this moment for all time my lady, that you might remember the beauty of tonight also. Please come this way…”

 

Walking close by Mynx brushing against her thigh as they walk side by side Gryphon leads her further into the garden towards an ornamental archway set in the middle of the garden. Gryphon gestures grandly at the archway with a laugh in his voice he says “Here we are my lady”.

 

Mynx looks on for a moment seeing the laughter dance in Gryphons eyes and gestures at him to lead on.

 

Gryphon dips into a small pouch hung around his neck and brings out a small gem – a diamond glowing like a small sun. A few words whispered in an arcane tongue starts the small gem floating towards the archway, glowing brighter as it goes so that soon it becomes too bright to look directly at…

 

Moments later there is a bright flash, blinking away the tears brought on by the sudden burst of light Gryphon and Mynx behold a glowing portal of shifting chaos colours hanging suspended in the garden archway with seeking tendrils of light arcing out from it reaching towards the watchers. With a look of concentration on his face Gryphon focuses on the archway, driving the seeking tendrils of energy back on themselves, weaving them into a pattern of power, sending them seeking a new destination for the evenings date.

 

With a final flourish and a gesture the patterns in the shifting chaos solidify to show a picturesque beach scene and again hugging Mynx Gryphon takes his place by her side and they step together into the scene. There is a brief moment of disorientation and a sensation of falling or fast travel without moving before the step is completed and when it’s over Gryphon and Mynx stand together on a beach front overlooking a sparkling ocean. There is a chill wind blowing but another gesture of power and a few whispered words create a shimmering barrier that cuts the chill of the wind from the young couple overlooking the beach. One Gryphon, one Mynx, together.

 

“Welcome to our dinner spot… I hope you like it… It’s a place I like to go sometimes and I thought it might be nice to share it with you tonight. Its called the Sea of Fallen Stars.”, and with those words Gryphon steps back and takes another small gem from his pouch and cups it in his hands. The brief glimpse that Mynx has of it show it to be the deepest red, a close match for the rose now held in her hands.

 

Whispering something to the gem in his hands causes it to start glowing, a bright red light reaching out to envelope its holder, causing him to become indistinct, transparent, a spot in the shifting light that is now his being… Moments later Gryphon begins to coalesce back into a solid form, now on two legs, slightly taller than Mynx, though not by much (good snuggling height) she beholds before her a young man wearing soft black leather boots, black pants, a top with a silvery sheen and a smile for her. “Another little surprise for you this evening”, Gryphon says, “I hope you like this one too.”

[Mynx]

Mynx regards her surroundings with a smile that hadn't left since Gryphon first showed up at her dwelling. Looking out to the view, her eyes sparkled as she returned her gaze to the man she was with.

"I have always wished to see this place...I am so deeply honoured that you would show it to me, Gryph. Thank you. It's beautiful. I love it."

Smiling still, Mynx leaned forward and nuzzled Gryphon gently on the cheek.

Stepping away from him slightly, she drew her robe around her and dropped her head, muttering slightly. A light began to glow from within, until it enveloped her entire being. When the light ebbed away, Mynx stood before Gryphon once more in human form, a form not many see.

Standing before Gryphon now was a young woman with golden hair that fell over her shoulders. She wore a simple knee length dress the colour of a storm cloud, the colour of her eyes as she smiled softly at her date for the evening.

"I hope you don't mind?" She asked, biting her lip nervously as Gryphon took in all he saw.

Edited July 21, 2004 by Mynx

[Gryphon]

Gryphon pauses, drinking in the beauty before him with his eyes before bowing low once more. “Lady you do me a great honour, thou art indeed beautiful”. Gryphon takes the young ladies hand and kisses it gently before straightening up and speaking with a grin on his face matching the one in his eyes. “Now”, he says, “on with our evening”.

 

Taking Mynx by the hand he leads her down onto the beach it’s sand glowing in the rich warm afternoon sunlight, the wind dies down and provides a nice cool counterpoint to the warmth rising from the sand beneath their feet. After walking for a short way Gryphon leads Mynx to a sheltered level spot on the grass up from the beach. To their rear the waves calling with the promise of sport and splashing fun, whilst in front of them cradled from any winds by sheltering trees is a flat piece of ground covered by springy grass just perfect for a picnic.

 

Releasing Mynx’s hand with reluctance Gryphon once again dips into his ever-present pouch and withdraws another gem, this one with only a faint glow to mark the power stored within. With a flick of his wrist Gryphon sends the gem into the deep grass where it takes root and begins to grow, sprouting forth a nice blanket for the picnic to follow and some towels and other items should a swim become desirable.

 

The towels cause Gryphon to raise his eyebrows as they were not part of the original spell that was set, but he turns to Mynx with amused wonder spread across his face. “Well… that wasn’t quite what was supposed to happen but sometimes the magic has it’s own ideas. Would you care to join me for a swim since everything we need is here for us?”

 

Mynx smiles brightly at Gryphon, or maybe she just knows something that he doesn’t, and replies “Sure” before altering her attire with a gesture and a word and heading for the warm waters of the sea. Laughing Gryphon follows along behind her diving into the waves to play catch as catch can with Mynx, waves and little fishes until both are tired and bobbing in the water in each others arms. Gryphon plants a very slightly salty kiss on Mynx’s nose and picks her up to take her back up to the picnic site to dry off in time for dinner and she laughs happily in response.

 

Letting Mynx gently regain her feet Gryphon reaches for the pile of towels warming them with a murmured spell before they both dry off and sit down on the rug to enjoy dinner.

 

Dipping once again into his bag of tricks Gryphon extracts several different coloured gemstones each glowing mutely and begins to choose the evenings meal. The first gem when activated produces a low table with a small selection of soups and bread to which the two happily help themselves. Gryphon murmurs to Mynx, “Take your time my dear, we have plenty of it… and there is plenty more food to come too, so treat this meal as a buffet and take only what you want.”

 

With that another 2 gems flash producing a small sideboard with an array of drinks on it for the evenings perusal and a small course of hot finger food to accompany the soup and bread.

 

As the first course dies down Gryphon reaches out and strokes Mynx’s cheek gently with the back of his hand, his fingers caressing her with love before he takes her hand gently in his once more and kisses her palm. The breeze blows and in the distance something wings its way across the horizon possibly a dragon but it’s too far to tell for sure. The sun works its way closer to the horizon promising a glorious sunset but currently warming the air around the picnic with it’s rays.

 

Another half handful of gems flash and dissipate producing a range of small dishes to select the main course from. Dishes ranging from simple fare to gourmet specialties having been encountered by Gryphon in his travels and re-created specially for the evening and this picnic. The sun sinks lower toward the horizon beginning to light up the sky with beautiful gold and orange hues fading towards a deep burnished bronze and violet as Gryphon and Mynx eat and gaze at the portrait that nature is so kindly arranging as a backdrop to their picnic.

 

As the sun sinks towards oblivion for the day framed by a shimmering glow reflected by the Sea of Fallen Stars Gryphon activates all but a couple of the remaining gemstones to provide a simple but delicious desert menu, the remains of the previous course vanishing into the ether from whence it came. A number of small glowing balls of multi-hued light pop into existence conjured by Gryphon to provide a romantic glow to the remains of dinner as they chase each other around in small circles.

 

Savouring the last bites of food Gryphon gestures and hot drinks and after-dinner mints appear to round off the evenings meal. The table vanishes and the drinks are transferred to the sideboard as Gryphon and Mynx curl around each other to watch the stars begin to shimmer and dance above and below the waters of the Sea of Fallen Stars as the sun fades from the sky for another day.

 

After sitting together in silence and watching the magical show before them for some time Gryphon stirs. “I hope you enjoyed our evening my lady… If you care to, I’d be more than happy to repeat it with you any time”. With that Gryphon reaches into his pouch again and extracts a small silver ring which he hands to Mynx. “For you my lady, it may have magical properties that you will discover in time, but for now, perhaps you’ll wear it as a sign of my love.”

 

/-------------------------------/

 

All too soon the evening is over and the temperature is dropping from pleasantly cool to chill. Turning to the trees behind them Gryphon approaches a pair that have braided themselves together in the most peculiar manner to form a living archway, perfect for a gate back to the familiar grounds of The Mighty Pen.

 

Drawing one last time upon his pouch of tricks Gryphon removes his last gem, a twin to the sun-like diamond that opened the initial gate to the picnic spot. Again chanting in arcane languages the gem is released to float toward the archway and the gate is formed – easier this time as it is anchored in the living arc of the trees.

 

The shifting chaotic colours solidify to the darkness of the sky and the lights of habitation in Pen Keep, stepping through the portal Gryphon and Mynx shimmer and shift, their forms returning to those the inhabitants of the Pen are familiar with. Gryphon walks Mynx back to her door, from whence he retrieved her so many hours ago.

 

“My lady, thus concludes our evening as demanded by the Bachelor Auction. Know that it was my pleasure and should you but wish it to be, we will enjoy such an evening again, on that thou hast my promise.”

[Gryphon]

OOC: Note, the lack of words by Mynx does not indicate that she's the silent waif type or that she can not speak or any such thing. Please just humour me and realise that my feelings run deep enough that I don't want to be seen putting words in her mouth. No matter how well I get to know her, she still has a mind very much of her own and with it the ability to say something that I could never have anticipated.

 

This is for you love, would that I could recreate such a date in our real lives together.

[Mynx]

OOC: I just want to second Gryph's statement. He knows me well enough that words don't necessarily need to be said when we are in each others company for us to have a good time.

*tight hugs* Thank you my love. The date was wonderful

 

 

Epilogue:

 

Shutting the door behind her as Gryphon took off into the night, Mynx smiled dreamily to herself.

Stepping through to her main living area, a cozy room with a fire and a disturbing amount of weapons on the wall, Mynx took off her robe and placed it over a couch, the firelight catching the golden traces of her tawny tiger-striped pelt, making it gleam in the light.

Stretching in her feline manner, Mynx curled up on a chair and took out from her belt pouch the ring Gryphon had given her. She spent a few moments staring at it, tracing the intricate pattern cut into the silver, before regarding her paws. Only one piece of jewellery sat there, a ring of Onyx that circled the middle finger of her right paw. After a moments consideration, Mynx placed the silver ring on the middle finger of her left paw.

It's too big, she thought with dismay, before she noticed the carving beginning to glow. For a brief moment, Mynx's entire left hand was encased in a light. When the light ebbed away, the ring sat snugly on her left paw, a perfect fit.

Purring happily to herself, Mynx waved her paw and conjured herself a pot of coffee, sitting in the confines of her room as she happily relived the memory of her date.

Edited July 22, 2004 by Mynx