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Ranara and her little daughter Azabel move to Urtho's Tower when the latter can say six words ("up", "mama", "milk", "no", "now", and "please") and hasn't started to walk yet. Ranara sets up to teach little children to read, ones who don't have evident Gifts yet - Ranara herself has Mindspeech, is all, with about a classroom's worth of range. Azabel sits in on classes, worn on her mother's back or later plopped in a corner with toys or, when she's only four, plopped in a corner with a book, younger than the other kids in the class. When Azabel has in fact sat through her mother's curriculum she is turned somewhat loose, to walk very carefully up and down and around the Tower, exploring.
smol bell in urtho's tower
The Tower is really big! And kind of a maze! There are lots of hallways and doors, most of them locked! Some of the doors which aren't locked lead to stairs which go up or down a very very very long way!
There are hertasi! The little lizardfolk adore children and they talk to little Azabel, ask her who her mother is and if she's all right and where she's trying to go.
anticipating_night
"My mother is Ranara and she is fine! I am looking around to know where things are."
Awwww she's a cute child and also a curious one! Their favourite! Several more hertasi converge on her location.
"Do you want to come look at the kitchens?" one of them suggests.
A friendly old hertasi grandmother wearing an apron offers her a hand.
They lead her down the stairs and courteously show her around the kitchen. It's a truly enormous kitchen. They have to feed a LOT of mage students.
anticipating_night
Then they have a very happy sugared child on their hands. Where else is there to go?
Oh, wow, she's the most adventurous child they've met all this decade!
Does she want to meet the gryphons? She can totally meet the gryphons if she wants!
without-fear
Skandranon is a little baby gryphon in the gryphon eyrie! He's very fierce! He gives the newly-arrived stranger a challenging glare, fully of bravado.
(He is about half her current size.)
without-fear
"Arre you going to bite me ffirst?" the tiny baby gryphon says to her in a piping sibilant voice.
without-fear
"Oh."
"...Wanna play? I have a ball, sssee?"
The baby gryphon picks up in his beak and tosses a brightly coloured ball, made of some stretchy cloth-like substance inflated with air.
anticipating_night
"I can't run around, I fall down. I could throw it and you could get it though?" She holds out her hands.
without-fear
The little baby gryphon has SO much energy and does not question her assertion that she'll fall down if she runs. He's delighted to have a playmate and can absolutely try to catch the ball when she throws it and they bring it back to her in his beak.
He also falls on his face a lot while he's attempting this, but he doesn't seem to mind.
without-fear
He loves being petted! After the first couple of times, once he's willing to relax enough, he goes all limp and melty when she does it, and rolls over to expose his belly, which is all soft fluffy downy black feathers.
Awwww the hertasi are so delighted that their favourite baby gryphon has a new friend!
They escort Azabel back to her mother's apartment at the end of the day - they know everyone's work hours, and they don't want her to worry - but they'll be waiting outside in the morning, if Azabel wants to go back and play with Skan some more?
anticipating_night
She DOES want that! But she also wants to explore more places. Maybe Skan can come with her more places?
without-fear
Skan has barely been outside the nest and would love to explore with his new friend! Maybe they'll even find enemies to fight!