It was one of his favorite times of the day; the late afternoon sunlight shown its yellowest right before sunset began, turning all the waves to gold and black, like an inverse night sky. He stopped fixing the canoe for a moment to admire the scene, despite having seen it a hundred times. An absent, half smile comes to his face as he gazes, letting his mind wander blankly. His calm intent is so strong, he fails to notice the voice calling out to him from farther down the beach. Finally, the figure waving its arms frantically against the gold background as it runs towards him calls his attention. Too late though; a sudden, sprayed wave of water hits him full in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Coughing, he sits back up, and glares at the silhouetted dragon in the waters; "Funny Neelam, just hilarious." The bishel sends a laughing sound through his mind, and the boy couldn't help but smile good-naturedly. A moment later, a more concrete answer reaches his mind; "Look beside you." Crinkling his eyebrows in confusion, he none the less follows the suggestion, and is surprised to see a somewhat sodden beanie, clearly from a bishel's childhood, laying on the sands, with a piece of paper attached.





He reaches towards it, but is interrupted by the figure from before, a boy the same age as him, somewhat out of breath from running all the way to him. "Devan...I tried...to warn you..." Devan waves his hand dismissally at him from his position on the ground, and grins engagingly. "Don't worry about it Arvind, I should have been paying more attention anyway. Neelam is certainly good at keeping you on your toes." The other boy laughs, nodding his head in agreement rather than talking yet. He kneels down by Devan, waiting a few moments to catch his breath before speaking. Devan waits patiently, merely gazing at him questioningly. After a few moments, Arvind says, "Did Neelam tell you anything?" Devan shakes his head, then suddenly remembering reaches to his side and grabs the beanie. "He just said to look for this." Arvind nods, the remains silent, as if thinking about something. Then he sits down, and looking off to the horizon says, "Well, you remember when Neelam chose a mate, right?" Devan rolled his eyes and grinned, both because there wasn't any way he could forget, and because Arvind always seemed to start of his important announcements so far away from his actual point. "Yes, yes, of course, Estrella, just had a clutch; so, what are you getting at?" His frankness, if you knew him or even just looked at his face, couldn't be construed as curtness; he just wanted to spare Arvind from the tortured way of saying something. Arvind looked at his frend and smiled, but then frowned suddenly. "Well, her bondmate...disappeared. And we thought...well, that you might consider bonding with her instead." A thick silence followed his announcement, then Devan laughed. "You must be nuts Arvind. Me? And a bishel? Granted, I can understand why Neelam would want her closer," which only made the other boy blush, though Devan just continued on without noticing, "But me? How much time would I have that I could give to a dragon?" Arvind shook his head; "You'd make time, you'll understand then-" Devan laughs again, incredulously. "And what if she doesn't even like me?" Arvind snorts, and looks at him pleadingly; "Everyone likes you. Come on, just think about it, won't you?" After staring at each other for a few moments, Devan caves in. "Well, all right, I will...I mean, you and Kasturi seem pretty happy with it...but me? I'll think though." Arvind lets out a smile, though he still looks somewhat concerned. "Just look at the beanie. I'll talk to you later tonight." With that he gets up quickly and starts down the beach, leaving Devan alone again. He shakes his head, not understanding all this, when he feels the piece of paper tied to the toy. He unties the knot quickly, and pulls it open; to see a picture of her as a wyrm. He sits back, pondering it in the light that's quickly fading red. Soon, it becomes dark, and still making up his mind, he walks slowly back along the beach towards the houses. It certainly was a lot to think about...a bishel? He still couldn't believe it, but coming to the correct house he makes up his mind, and goes in to find Arvind.

Name: Estrella Sex: Female Age: Wyrm Color: Blue Type: Magical Object: Powers: Mate: Homeland: Bishen Realm