With the initial surprised abating, Lily found herself wondering the extents of this flask. Did it have a limited amount of uses? Was there any side effects to drinking it? And, for that matter, was it possible to overdose? 

All things that were important to consider before she started gulping down a substance that, well obviously miraculous, was still somewhat dubious. If the effects if the potion came with side effects, the flower should show what they were, but at the moment there was no reaction from the newly grown plant. [i]One uncertainty eliminated.[/i] 

That still left the matter of overdosing, and possible limited uses out in the open. Both were simple enough to find out: The plant had absorbed something close to half its weight and seem to none the worse for wear, and there was still some of the Golden liquid left over, indicating that it took what it needed. As for limited number of users, the only way of finding out about that, what to use it.

She turned to Brucie, a few kernels of apprehension still burning in her chest. "Do you think it's safe?" She asked. 

Brucie shrugged, seeming far less uncertain than Lily felt. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. The flower healed up well enough, and it's ain't started mutating. I reckon it's safe." 

"Well, in that case, bottoms up I suppose." She brought the flask to her lips and drank, slowly and making sure to take only a little. No more than a single mouthful. It tasted much as it had smelled, but much richer and fuller - a very pleasant taste. 

She put the flask down and swallowed, standing stiff as a board and looking like she expected, to spontaneously combust. Fortunately no such thing happened. A tingling sensation on her right arm prompted her to look, and revealed to her the powers of the potion. Before her eyes, the clotted wound that Brucie had inflicted upon her, was closing all on its own, leaving nothing but unblemished skin after a few seconds of healing. Eager to see how else it healed her, she turned so that her back was facing the Shark, and pulled up her shirt to inspect the cuts he had left there. They, too, were closing, but at a much slower rate, and within a handful of moments the healing ceased. The wounds were smaller, as were every other scratch and bruise that she had accumulated in the fight, but only the smallest had disappeared entirely. 

"It looks like the amount of healing is proportionate to the amount I consume. On the plus side, I felt only a tingling sensation from my wounds healing, and I don't feel any more tired than I was already. That's good. The energy required to heal my injuries, comes from the potion itself, and not from me." She tipped the bottle to her lips again, taking a few mouthfuls this time. The tingling sensation set in immediately, and before her eyes her removing scratches and bruises disappeared, as if they had never been there in the first place. The only evidence of any sort of injury were they patches of dried blood around where the injuries had been. 

She pulled her shirt back down and returned to the bonfire, a rare smile on her lips. Brucie followed, sitting down opposite her and through another piece of wood at the fire. 

"So, what now?" He asked, staring into the flames. 

"It's approaching night time, so I think we should go to sleep," Lily began, fiddling with her bangs, "but we can't both sleep at the same time. We have no idea who might find us, and I don't want to risk being stabbed in my sleep. Tournament or not, I would not put it past some people, to just off a competitor when they are defenceless." 

"That's easy," Brucie said. "Sharks like me don't really sleep. I will still be aware are things around us, so you don't have to worry." 

[i]That is a relief,[/i] Lily thought, curling her tails around herself. "That's great, so yo- wait, what's that?" Her ears stood erect, both pointed towards the door opening. A sound was coming from outside, that of foot falls, like a those of a quadruped. She didn't trust herself to assume that, just because it sounded like a small creature, it was not dangerous. For all she knew every animal in this world might obey the principle of scorpions: The smaller they are, the more venomous and dangerous. 

She held her hand indicating to Brucie that he should remain quiet and motionless, even as she rose to her feet with cat-like grace. Nine tails fanned out behind her, moving with gentle motions that brought them in constant contact with each other. Senses straining to their utmost, they waited with bated breath for the would-be embouchure to make his appearance. 

The sound of the approaching creature came closer and closer, until finally it reached its zenith and a... dog walked into the room. A small, rotund, black and white dog appeared in the doorway, walking into the room slowly and with obvious hesitation. Its - his? - eyes shifted between the fire and Lily, having stopped halfway between the door and the room's occupants, as if asking permission to approach. 

Something of a wave of embarrassment washed over Lily, and though she forced herself to show nothing of it, she still couldn't help but feel foolish for having been so paranoid about as small, fat dog. She forced to self to sit down slowly and adopted a relaxed and un-threatening posture. 

Reaching out a hand and giving the dog a smile, she spoke to the dog, hoping to lure it closer. "S'alright. You can come closer," she said gently, using the tone she most often employed around the village's smaller children. When the dog did not seem forthcoming, still uncertain, she weaved a little bit of magic into her hand, producing the smell of a common dog treat from her world. Judging by the sudden reaction from the tail, now wagging, it seemed to have been a success. Her smile widened to become more genuine as the dog slowly approached, tail wagging at the prospect of a treat. 

On the other side of the fire, Brucie watched intrigued as the newly arrived critter started sniffing Lily's hand before giving it a tentative lick. And then a few more. "How'd you do that?" He asked. 

"Illusions," she explained. "It's much more than simply images. I can also mimic taste, smell, sound, and even physical sensations. Right now, he thinks that my had tastes like a dog treat. It's not as easy as visual illusions, but still some things I can do." With the dog still licking her hand she reached out with the other and, carefully so as to not startle him, ran her hand across his back. When he didn't react aside from more rapid wagging she couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment. In fact, the dog seemed all too happy to lick her hand and get a taste of dog treats, and to be scratched behind the ears the same time. 

"You gonna keep him?" Brucie asked, breaking her out of her reverie. 

Judging by the continued licking, the dog was still in [i]his[/i] reverie. "I think so, yeah," Lily said at length. "He's wet, and probably cold, from the rain. At the very least we could lets him sleep here with us tonight." She removed the illusion on her hand that made it tastes like dog treats, and though the dog seemed momentarily disappointed, he quickly recovered and lay down by near the fire, content to accept Lily's scratches for the time being. 

Brucie shrugged. "Alright. You go sleep, I'll go half-sleep. Like a proper shark." He chuckled to himself and turned to the door, leaning sideways up against the wall. "Night, Boss-lady." 

"Good night, I s'pose," Lily replied and lay down, wrapping most of her tails around herself like a makeshift bed and blanket. The single one not wrapped around herself, lay next to the dog, curled around him to keep him warm. "Wake me if anything comes."