In a dilapidated estate on the outskirts of Nisshoki, a man clad in a dark blue kimono was slowly walking across the boards of the wooden floor of a house. He was listening carefully for any creaking or weakness in the wood, and writing down any repairs that still needed fixing. He had purchased the land and property for a low price, just barely being able to afford it with the money he had at the time. Although some could argue he could have simply waited until a better offer turned up, he believed this investment would be more cost-effective in the long run. Not having to pay for room and board in the city had freed up a great portion of his expenses. Though it was just a roof over his head at the moment, Cymbel was confident that with a bit of care and maintenance it would be as good as new. What he didn't expect was just how much would be required, as nature had reclaimed most of the surrounding land in the past years.

Every day since then had been a repeating pattern of weeding, foraging, cleaning, and gathering. It was hard work since he had no one else to help. All of his life he had been attended by servants, so this was his first taste of real labor. The central garden would be left largely untouched aside from the weeds, and would become a vegetable garden in the near future. The large peach tree in the center of the estate served as a place to rest and a source of food later in the year. But he couldn't make the repairs to the structure by himself. He had to find a carpenter or builder to ensure it was properly fixed. Soon he would have to return to the city to find work again. The past nights had been cooler, and he slept more soundly. Maybe it was because he was worn out after toiling away, but he was feeling less exhausted come morning. Bright and early, he left his house to gather wild greens before the sun was too hot. He brought along his parasol just in case to avoid potential heat stroke.

Aqua was a very curious creature and everyone but her seemed to know that curiosity was a very dangerous thing. It was night as her mom slept that she had stayed up playing when she was supposed to be sound asleep. It was then that a wisp had appeared. Aqua wanted to catch the glowing spirit and set chase to it not paying attention to where it was taking her. The crafty spirit had stopped and hovered over a portal that was well hidden, Aqua snuck up to it like a cat than pounced. as her claws touched the wisp it disappeared. Aqua readied for a landing but instead of something said it was like landing on water. The surface rippled as she fell through and then dropped to the ground in a different area. A place of bamboo and mist. 

That had been how she had gotten there a few nights ago but now she was hungry, thirsty, and hopelessly lost. Her skin barely glowed as she was losing strength. Soon she had collapsed in the middle of a path. She raped her tail around her as she began to drift off.  

"Dandelions, purslane, mugwort, and chrysanthemums. No sign of wild onion sprouts yet. Some garlic buds or spinach would be nice as well…" He sighed heavily, kneeling before gingerly picking the leaves off the plants he had mentioned. Not enough for a single meal, but perhaps he would find more on the other side closer to the deeper woods. He was grateful to be able to find what he could every day, but a bit more variety to his diet would be a welcome change. At the moment he had nothing to barter with or trade for other foodstuffs, but maybe the farmers and the elderly ladies who came to harvest bamboo shoots might be willing to teach him a thing or two. One thing he missed was the savory texture of meat and mushrooms, but he'd rather go hungry than die from poisoning. Thus he held back whenever he passed fallen logs laden with fungus caps. He still had to buy fish for today's meals, and the most he could get were the salted and preserved kind. Their flavor wasn't bad, but they were only palatable after several hours of soaking in tubs of fresh water. It was difficult whenever he went into town for work. The smell of food cooked with oil and the simplest of spices were leaps and bounds above what he had, thus he resorted to eating alone to keep himself from feeling worse.

Just a little while longer, and then he could finally have more freedom with his budget. Once the house was fully restored, he could focus on making it more comfortable. While he walked he thought of ways he could earn additional income. He couldn't make much of a living by labor alone–not with his stamina. And unfortunately it wasn't as if people were interested in hiring personal tutors at the moment. All he had were the few worldly possessions to his name. Like his weapons, his harp, his clothes… His clothes. That train of thought gave him an idea. There was that pair of boots he had bought in Horae. He had been thinking of pawning them off for a while now, as its enchantment wasn't anything special. The fact it came from such a unique location would make it more valuable. After all what good is a pair of boots that only causes flowers to sprout wherever you go? …Wait a minute!

It took a few minutes for that to sink in. The flowers! Why didn't he think of it sooner? He could simply pace about the house, and then a flower garden would appear. Even if the plants that sprung up weren't necessarily edible, he could just pick them and sell them in the city. If selling them by himself wasn't effective, then why not sell his stock to a local florist? Here he had a never-ending supply of the freshest flowers at his disposal. His heart was much lighter now as a glimmer of hope to his financial situation had appeared. The world felt brighter and less grey with that little spot of happiness. The rest of the morning went by much more quickly after his spirits were lifted. So far he had a few handfuls of wild greens for this morning's meal. Hopefully the rice he had set to cook would be less watery today, and with the salted fish it would be complete. Walking back home, he smiled to himself as he was thinking of how to test out his new idea when he nearly tripped over a dip in the road. That near-miss made him notice some kind of strange lizard in the center of the path. It was lying there curled up. Immediately Cymbel became wary. What was that creature? And more importantly, was it dangerous?

Quietly he moved over towards a cluster of tree trunks and peered out from behind them. It seemed to be alive, but it was either asleep or resting. Why would it come out in the middle of the road? It didn't seem logical for an animal to place itself out in the open where it could be easily seen by predators. Should he or shouldn't he approach it? It had white and black scales, and was faintly glowing. Perhaps it was some wealthy man or woman's pet, and had run off. Pitying it, he slipped away back to his home. It was a hard decision, but he took out some of the salted fish he had been soaking hours ahead. It was now mildly seasoned, but still held enough aroma and flavor of its original state. A while later he returned, and approached the lizard carefully. Placing the piece of fish down on a washed mulberry leaf, he set it on the ground and went to hide behind some shrubbery out of sight.

Aqua aura awoke to the smell of fish and slowly crawled to it and ate slowly not really caring where it came from or thinking to check to see if t was drugged or poisoned. She was just glad to have it and glad to not feel funny after she ate it. She managed to eat half before again falling asleep. 

Though the meat was quite salty she enjoyed what was given to her. She was still dehydrated and her slow movements made it clear she was not doing well. Her fur was mated and her feet and stomach had a mud baked on it.  As she slept her strength slowly would return but for now, she was still too weak to do much more than sleep. 

Ah, so it was alive. Seeing it eat the food he had left for it gave him a sense of relief. He still wasn't willing to risk bringing it back home, so he let it be for now. Opening his parasol as the rays of the morning sun grew stronger, he decided to come back and check on it later. The half hour's walk had him back inside in time to see how his rice had cooked this time. Today's attempt was off the mark, as it was more of a soggy porridge than single streamed grains. Mixing the rest of his salted fish with it he stirred with a spoon. Some water he had boiled in a kettle was then poured out where he blanched the wild greens he had gathered. It wasn't much, but it would do. After breakfast was finished he cleaned up the kitchen and prepared to clean the floors. It was easier to get more work done the earlier it was in the day.

Bringing in water from the well outside, he began the arduous process of cleaning the wooden floors of the entire estate. This took at least three hours and he was left sore all over his upper body. Noon had yet to arrive, so he rested for while. Soon it was time to prepare the midday meal, and the rice was washed then left to soak. While waiting, he took out his pair of enchanted boots and went outside. Putting them on, he paced around the entire perimeter of the building, watching as flowers pushed their way up out of the rich earth. When he had come full circle, he removed the boots and inspected the results. Most of what had sprouted were common flowers like daisies and chrysanthemums. Every now and then an iris, carnation, daffodil, or a cluster of violets would appear in the mix. Not allowing himself to be discouraged so easily, he retraced his steps all the way around and discovered some hydrangeas and morning glories in the shadier parts of the area. This was wonderful news! Though he doubted anyone would want morning glories, hydrangeas were a more special bloom used in floral arrangement. Irises also had more presence, and the simpler flowers could be sold for less. 

With his experiment a success, Cymbel planned to pay the city markets a visit bright and early before daybreak the next day. The days were getting longer and the temperatures made it difficult for him to leave the house unless it were early morning or late evening. He would need to gather more wild vegetables later this afternoon to compensate for his change of plans. Back in the road where the dragon whelp laid, the forest came alive as morning advanced. The twittering and singing of song birds combined with the raucous din of insects filled the air. The inhabitants of the forest were coming out to graze, and some of them were looking for an easy meal. A weasel stealthily came out from the forest underbrush by the path and began approaching carefully towards the dragonling. It came closer, and closer–just until it was by the piece of fish left partially eaten. In a flash, it snagged the bit of meat and dashed away leaving naught a trace once it was out of sight.  

Once the hatchling finally awoke with some strength she noticed that the food was gone. She smelled the earth untell she found the smell and followed. Soon after she lost the smell. Giving up she climbed a tree and looked around to see where she was. She did not recognize anything in the area but she saw a house of sorts and curiosity set in.  She had only seen similar-ish homes in the towns her mom had taken her. She spread her wings and jumped into a glide towards the house.

Landing she folded her wings and ran a full speed untell she met a wall and climbed, at the top she again jumped and glided to the tree. she climbed to a split plucked a fruit from the branch than laid comfily on her back as she started to eat the strange fruit.

The peach wasn't fully ripe yet, as the flesh was still crisp and lacked sweetness. The outer fuzz on the skin was also thicker than usual, making it a good thirst quencher but not much of a filling snack. In the higher branches of the tree, sparrows chirped at her and the blackbirds cawed in annoyance. Eventually the smaller birds flew off, but there was one blackbird who wasn't too pleased with the little dragon. Outside the heat was starting to pick up as the temperature rose. Hurrying back under the protection of his parasol, Cymbel returned with several more handfuls of edibles. The sound of the outer door creaking loudly announced his arrival as did the groan of the hinges as the door was shut. He was thankful it didn't get stuck, otherwise he'd be in a difficult situation. 

Putting the soaked rice to boil, he began washing and drying the vegetables he had gathered. This time he had brought in a better batch–wild onions and garlic sprouts with a bamboo shoot. The onions and garlic were a real treat as they added flavor to the food. Another welcome find were small oblong orange-colored fleshy fruits he found growing in clusters from a tree–known as loquats. They were sweet and juicy, perfect for making into jams or jellies. The tree he had picked them from was heavily laden with bunches of them, and the local fauna were eating their fill as well. He had eaten some on the way back but a few remained in his basket. It was about an hour until the midday meal was done and it was time to eat. Lifting the lid off the rice pot, he backed off as steam filled the air. Carefully scooping a mound of white, freshly steamed rice into a lacquer ware bowl, he laid the cooked bamboo and vegetables in another dish beside it. The little table he had in the room outside of the kitchen served as his dining table for now. Finally, it was time to eat.

The smell of cooked food wafted out to the central garden where the peach tree stood. It would appear Aqua was lucky; this house was inhabited. That meant a better chance of finding food and a permanent place to take shelter.

she actually liked the unripe fruit as she ignored the animals and noise and ate until the bigger bird decided to pick the fruit out of her hand. in annoyance she flipped onto her feet and pounced landing on the bird and taking a bite before falling off. she landed on the ground and took the seed of the fruit in her jaws as she again scaled the tree and cleared it of the annoying things before again laying down and sucked on the seed. The seed started to grow but she did not notice or know she had sped its growth she only wanted to get all the juice off it that she could. way too soon did the birds return with its buddies pecking at Aqua. 

The young dragon sprinted down the tree as fast as she could and then into the bushes to get rid of the horrible creatures. they scratched and tried to get her for a few minutes before leaving. the smell of cooked food called at her to leave the bush and go inside the building to eat but every time she tried to leave the birds would return.The Each time it seemed they would stay longer and get louder before giving up. she eventually sat there cowering and calling for help in short high pitched scratches. 

Already partway into his meal, the sound of birds squawking and making a fuss got his attention. He was hesitant to leave, as he had just sat down. Taking another mouthful of rice, he covered him food with the lids of pots and went outside to see what was the matter. Taking a broom for protection, he crept outside. Maybe a small animal had managed to sneak in through the damaged portions of the building. Or worse, there was an intruder. Hiding behind the posts and corners of walls, he peered out to see if anyone was around. The sounds of agitated birds was growing louder, which made him worry. Following the noise he entered the central garden where he saw a flock of sparrows and blackbirds swarming like locusts on a hot day. What in the name of the stars had caused them to go into a frenzy like this?

"Shoo! Shoo! Away with you!" He shouted, swinging his broom to chase the birds off. He was not aware of the little dragonling that was hiding in the low-lying shrubbery, and soon the birds were gone. Peace and quiet resumed, while he stood with the broom's handle in hand and shading his eyes with the other, watching the birds rise high into the sky. "What's gotten into them? Normally they're rather peaceful. Was it some kind of territory spat or something? There aren't any nests in the tree last time I checked." Sighing, he began walking back into the house. He still had to finish his lunch before he was off schedule. The floors still needed cleaning, and the outer areas needed sweeping. Once the place was fixed it'd be much easier, he told himself. If he put it off it'd just take longer. Cymbel's act of driving off the birds gave the whelp a small window of opportunity to escape her cover. As the man was not aware of her presence inside the estate, it wouldn't be difficult to sneak past him. Returning to the table, he resumed his meal. 

The young Aqua stopped crying at the site of the two legged that managed to drive off the horrid birds. She picked the seed back up, then she was quick to run into the house once she had a chance. it was a little dusty but at least the birds were gone. She stood on her back legs and sniffed the air. Food, she thought as her mouth watered. She got back on all four legs and started to walk deeper into the house. 

She slowly walked towards the table once she saw the man was inside the room. She climbed the table and sat down. She looked at the man than at the food and back a few times before sending a set of ecos with her eyes wide and ears down. She stopped and looked at the man before repeating and wrapping her tail around her legs and letting her wings drupe.