Dragoncrest Cliffs Toujours

miette waited - oh, to her enormous credit, she waited so patiently! she barely paid attention as the adults spoke of val and his leadership - big deal! all the same, a curl appeared on her lips to see him stiffen, and she elbowed astera in a shared snicker.

the rivulets of water on val's back scarcely hit the ground before miette was up by chacal's urging, flying greedily towards the oysters. she seized three and laid them out neatly, made a great show of deliberating which one to strike first -- and then, seizing a plump one between her teeth cracked it.

she felt something hard between her teeth and spit it out, glancing to her fellows so they could see she was skilled enough to get one first try. but the pearl! oh, it was so ugly -- a sad, brown little thing that had miette's eyes darken in hidden disappointment.