[center]Elenor & Fig
[i](A GamerTemplar & Byte collab)[/i][/center]

“Thanks for the help!” A stubby hand made a lazy wave at the poor sod behind the counter. Although he was richer for it, he didn’t relish the thought that this particular Gundrukan might return to pull out the rest of his hairs.

The tiny woman grinned, eagerly skipping out the bookstore and into the bustling street of tall people.

For it was always tall people, wasn’t it?

Fig clutched her newfound tome like a newborn babe held its latest teddybear;  cradling it as she huddled back towards the center of the village.

Her tiny legs paused as she glanced upwards with a smile plastered on her lips when she caught Elenor fluttering down.

“Show off…” She muttered under her breath, kicking herself off the ground in a mock flight before continuing her path.

Elenor landed in one of the quieter streets not too far off from the bookstore she’d agreed to meet up with her companion at. Sylpharim towns were… far more accommodating for such things. The architecture back home offered more readily available perching space. At least on this occasion, El had been able to touch down with only a minimum of disturbance to the locals.

She stepped out into the main street, eyes peeled for her friend amidst the hustle and bustle. The Skyborn herself didn’t exactly cut a towering figure among humankind, but her wings were enough to make her stand out all the same.

And, of course, she could stretch them out a little to create some much-needed personal space among these lanky groundwalkers.

“El!” A voice bellowed from the tiny frame that darted up towards the Sylpharim, hands holding the book aloft like an olympic trophy.

Fig grinned, stopping just short of her companion as she beamed with pride. “Look, found a rare copy of the Amani Bear Warriors.” The tome was worn, the title edged in the leather faded and indecipherable unless you looked closely.

Or a Gundrukan with a weird obsession for whimsy and useless…

Fig balanced on her tippy toes, nearly shoving the book in Elenor’s face. “See? Pristine condition.” She flopped back on the soles of her boots, the strain sending a discomforting pang down her calf. “Only missing two pages, oh and someone gobbed on the writer’s foreword.”

Fig danced on her feet, her excitement palpable as she hopped into the air, her feet but an inch off the ground. “[i]And[/i] one page was used to start a tealight.”

The Gundrukan’s green eyes widened, shaking her head as she chuckled. “Silly me, how was your flight?”

Elenor returned a bemused smile - Fig had been talking her ear off about finding a book like this for the better part of a week.

“Skies were clear, no strong winds… perfect weather for it,” replied the Sylpharim, her brow furrowed. “Didn’t quite find what I was looking for up there though. You remember that peddler who mentioned there were a few ruins in this region? Supposed to be something like that up in the mountains - mine, fortress, I don’t quite know which. Thought I could get a sketch of it for [i]your[/i] book, but…”

Her gaze turned back toward the mountain in question, squinting at it as though standing in the middle of town afforded any better vantage than a literal bird’s eye view.

“Mind you… I [i]could[/i] have been looking at it from the wrong side…”

The bird woman’s wings twitched as she let out an irritated sigh.

“You know what, I’m not going back up there again without knowing where I ought to look. The weather may be fine, but it’s not half nippy when you’re that high up.” Adjusting the straps on her backpack, she began to head off down the street. “Come on, Fig. I say we look for a decent pub round here. A nip of something to keep the cold out, and maybe we can find out if there really is anything on that mountain…”

“Like killing two birds with one stone?” Fig’s face flashed a toothy grin, her eyes glinting with a friendly mischief.

El looked askance at her friend. “That’s a horrible saying.”

The Gundrukan giggled with a bounce in her step as she eagerly followed Elenor to the pub.