Business slows in the tavern as the evening wears on, and it's quite dark out when the young Rath'ani innkeeper's daughter returns to the front room with her apron off and a light cloak fastened around her shoulders. "My father says I can leave now!" she says with relief. "Are you ready to go, Piper?"

The Gallah licks a milk mustache from around his muzzle as he finishes off the last few drops in his mug. "Quite ready, Madame. Hopefully the Creen hasn't gone to roost yet." He hops down from his stool and shoulders his back full of trapping supplies.

April looks crestfallen as she pushes open the door leading the outside. "I hadn't even thought of that," she says abashedly. "When do Creens go to sleep?"

"Whenever they want, Madame!" Piper's tail wags as he tries to lift the raccoon's spirits a little. "As long as there are people out to feed it, then it should probably still be up and about. It is much easier to sleep with a full belly after all."

The bustle of the Bazaar has subsided as the two step onto the street and beginning heading north, following April's lead. She appears reassured by the Gallah's words. "Oh! All right." She smiles, her bushy tail swishing as she walks.

The mutt sniffs curiously at the air. "Has your father said anything more about the Creen I have in my bunk? This one seemed half-tame already when I caught it and doesn't seem as eager to bite anyone."

She nods shyly as they turn a corner, entering the area which houses the Farmer's Market by day. This late in the evening, only a few nocturnal species remain to sell their goods to others of their kind, while many of the tents and canopies are wholly empty, with vacant spots along the row where farmers park their wagons by day. "He sort of grunted and said it was okay," the raccoon answers Piper. "I like your new Creen. She's friendly. Have you named her yet?"

"I want to leave that up to Mam'selle Kassie, but for now I have been calling her 'Belle', Gallisian for 'beautiful'. You can come up and play with her if you ever feel like it. Belle needs to get used to people handling her and playing with her." Piper's tail wags leisurely. "How much do you like the silver Creen?"

While leading the mongrel through the winding street and around another corner, April answers, "I don't know. The silver Creen was very pretty, but I wasn't close enough to touch it or anything. It probably won't be as friendly as Belle."

Piper nods, his tail missing a wag as he ponders. "Well, I shall be happy simply seeing it for now. I should not make too great of a plan for something I do not have yet." He fishes his pan-pipes from his belt and quietly plays a series of warm-up scales.

April smiles at the mutt's playing, and then pauses as they pass out of the market and into an open square. "Over there," she says, pointing with one hand to a three-story building on the opposite side. "That's where I saw it last. It came across the square, then flew up to near the third floor of that store. Then I lost sight of it."

The Gallah tucks his pipes back into his belt and rubs at his nose. "Perhaps Misseur Creen has a nest on the roof? We shall see if the owner will let us have a look around." He squints at the building to see if it's a residence or an abandoned building or a shop.

The building appears to be a storefront with apartments on top. The sign on the front shows a comfortable looking chair with a footstool before it, and underneath reads "Juniper's Furniture." The darkened windows suggest the shop is closed.

Piper whines to himself as he studies the building and then claps his hand over his nose at the sound, his cheeks blushing. "Mmmm. I think that we might not be able to reach the roof from here. Dame April, would you be willing to help me to see if we could lure the Creen to us?"

April tilts her head curiously as she turns to look at the Gallah. "Sure, Piper. Whatcha gonna try?"

The Gallah sets his pack down and pulls out a small bag of seeds. "The shops are closing down, so now is the last chance hungry Creens have to fill their bellies." He sprinkles a few on the ground and then holds the rest out to the raccoon. "Put these in your hands. The tamer ones will come right up to you if you don't startle them."

The raccoon ohs, accepting the seeds and holding them in her cupped hands. She glances around for Creens curiously. "Are you going to hold seeds, too?"

"No, Madame. I'm going to try and call them to us." He pulls out his pipes and rubs them on his shirt. "Dame April shall get a serenade as well as her own private flock of Creens." He winks and begins making sharp trilling noises through his pipe, trying to imitate the excited keening noises the creatures make whenever they've found stash of food.

For a few moments, nothing happens, then Piper spots the head of a curious Creen poking out of the gutter of a nearby building, and April gasps as she sees one swoop out of an upper bowl of the fountain in the middle of the square towards them.

Piper grins to himself and throws another handful of seeds down on the ground to encourage the Creens to come closer. He quickly returns his hands to his pipes and starts to play a fraction softer. He's started to get the Creens' attention; time to see what happens next.

Hesitantly, the first swooping Creen does a loop high above their heads, then lunges downwards to snatch a seed out of the pile on the street. April squeals, both startled and pleased, and then looks abashed as the Creen zips away.

"He may have friends, Mam'selle. Just be patient," the Gallah whispers to the Rath'ani in between breaths. His tail wags happily.

The Rath'ani goes silent, stilling her body, and the Creen from the gutter flits out of it, then swoops in to snatch a seed for itself. Meanwhile, more Creens can be seen stirring from their hiding places, and their voices can be heard faintly, a querulous counterpoint to Piper's call.

"Once the others see that the first scout wasn't attacked, more will come." The dog winks at April and makes a squealing purr noise through his instrument, the sound of an extremely happy Creen.

Another Creen comes in to grab a seed, and joins the other two circling in the night sky above the pair of humanoids, cooing to each other. They pause at the change in the tenor of the pipes, and shift to circling lower. Abruptly, a half-dozen Creens come swarming in, bumping noses as they grab for seeds on the street floor. A latecomer bypasses the street brawl to take some directly from April's fingers, while the raccoon stays very still with a huge uncontrollable grin on her face.

Piper fights to keep from grinning too widely himself lest he loose his grip on his instrument. He slows his playing enough to let the noises of the real Creens through while he glances at the creatures, looking for a flash of silver among them.

The swarm of Creens flashes with many colors, but the occasional flash of light shades proves only to be pale hues on an otherwise ordinary green-bodied Creen. As he watches, more Creens swarm around April, who is now fighting off giggles as they duck through her hair and bump their noses against her wrists in their dashing runs for further seeds.

"If they get too wild for you, let me know, Mam'selle. One note and I can send them away." He chuckles to himself and lets his music trail off entirely.

The Creen's own chorusing fills the void left by the end of the piping. Out of the corner of his eye, the mongrel thinks he sees something bright, well away from the swarm, while the raccoon's attention remains focused on the Creens surrounding her.

Piper squints at the shape and digs out another handful of seeds. He tosses them farther out from the swarming flock but remains standing where he is, lest he scare it away with his movements or leave April to the mercy of the flock if they get too excited.

A piebald Lapi approaches the fountain, then gapes up at the swarming Creens…

The Gallah smiles at the Lapi as he spots him out of the corner of his eye. He waves to the rabbit and then puts a finger to his lips in a "shush" gesture while his other hand offers a fistful of seeds.

At first the dog sees nothing more when he turns to look at the source of the glint, but after he's scattered a few more seeds, and glances that way again, he sees the outline of silver wings spreading in reflected starlight. They fan closed again, behind the curve of a gargoyle ornamenting one building, but the small silver head of a Creen remains visible, gazing evenly at the mutt. Now that he knows where to look, he can make out its tail coiled around the stone gargoyle.

Figuring the Gallah to be the one he was told about, Aaron keeps quiet and watches for any hints of silver among the rambunctious Creens.

"Pssst! Mam'selle April, up towards the gargoyles, is that him? Misseur seems to be somewhat shy," Piper whispers,dropping another handful of seeds into the raccoon's palms to replenish her dwindling supply.

The swarm of Creens soon devours the latest pile of seeds, then starts pecking at the seeds Piper still holds, while some especially bold ones dart around him, questing through his clothes and pockets for more seeds. April giggles fitfully, which doesn't seem to much disturb the Creens still flickering around her, enthused by the addition of more food to her store. She tries to gain control of herself and look past the fluttering wings to see where Piper is pointing, lifting one hand up to brush away intervening Creen bodies. "Yes!" she whispers back, at last spotting the outline.

Aaron squints in the direction the others are looking, craning his ears as well since he hears better than he can see at night.

The dog nods, his tongue lolling out at the confirmation. "We'll just watch him for now. It may be more prone to trust us if we treat his friends well, oui?"

The rabbit catches sight of the silver Creen's head just before it darts back around the stone ornament. Its tail starts to unwind, and a moment later they see its wings spread, then the whole length of its body is visible again as it soars into the air. The little creature, just as April said, doesn't look white at all, its hide and wings having the gray sheen of burnished metal.

The Lapi moves closer to the Gallah and Rath'ani. He moves slowly enough to avoid startling the Creens. "Don't they tickle?" he whispers to Piper, indicating the Creens exploring his pockets.

"Magnifique!" the dog yips as the silver Creen takes to the air. He smiles at the Lapi and shakes his head. "It is all part of the job, mon ami. As long as they do not try to run off with my pipes they are welcome to explore all they like."

Aaron watches the silver Creen take flight, and whistles. "So it is real." To the Gallah, he says, "I woke up covered in Creens once, in the Xenean jungle. I think they liked my body heat. Are you by chance the one called Piper?"

Although the question wasn't asked of her, the raccoon nods in firm assent at the Lapi's first query. The swarm of feathered serpents has calmed to a degree while their bellies start to fill.

The Lapi bows to the raccoon, and produces a lightly perfumed business card. "Greeting, Milady. I am Aaron Lightfoot, of Lightfoot's Apothecary."

"Oui, misseur. Piper is my name." The dog's tail wags again as he follows the path of the flying Creen. "Does the silver one belong to you? I was hoping to catch it."

The outline of the silver serpent soars away from the building it was near, then lands on the highest cupola of the fountain, its gaze once again seemingly fixed on the mongrel.

The tips of April's ears pinken as she fumbles with her hands, pouring the remaining seeds into one in order to accept the proffered card. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Lightfoot," she says softly.

Piper carefully grabs a double handful of seeds and takes a hesitant step closer to the fountain. He holds his hands out and coos softly to the silver Creen. "Bonjour le petit. Avez-vous faim?"

"Oh no, it doesn't belong to me," Aaron says. "But I am interested in it. I need its scales, you see, so was hoping to either catch it or find its nest. Siessith the animal trainer is willing to take care of it if you can catch it though." To April, he asks, "Are you the one that asked Siessith about purchasing a silver Creen earlier?"

As the Gallah steps towards the fountain, the bright Creen's wings flutter, and it lifts away from the cupola, flitting a yard or so away.

The raccoon's ears pinken further. "Oh, no, sir. My Da would kill me if I tried to buy a pet! He won't even let me keep one, never mind paying for one."

"What do you need the scales for?" The Gallah squats down and tosses a pinch of the seeds in the direction of the Creen.

More of the ordinary Creens swarm over Piper, snatching at the double handful of seeds he had in his palm, and dashing forward to catch those he scattered. The silver one executes a few slow circles over the far side of the fountain, then lands on it again, half-hidden by the white spray of water as it peeks towards the Gallah.

"What a shame," the Lapi remarks. "A fine young lady like yourself should have a pet as pretty as she is, after all. Oh, I supply ingredients for magic users. I'm told that Creens shed their scales every six weeks or so. I'm sure that if you can catch it, Master Siessith would let the young lady visit it. It seems a bit shy compared to these other ones."

Piper tries a new approach. He lets the seeds in his hands drop and leans against the fountain. He takes out his pipes and starts to play an odd melody.

The young raccoon makes some kind of quiet reply to the Lapine shopkeeper, but the words are lost among the fluttering and cooing of the Creens. As Piper begins to play, they finish off the remaining seeds, then, cooing softer now, head back for their perches, seeming soothed by his music. By contrast, the silver Creen slithers along the edge of the fountain's upper cupola, drawing closer to the Gallah.

Piper continues to quietly play the soft melody. His ears flick as the other Creens quiet down, but the only further movement from him are from his fingers dancing over the holes in his pipes.

Unseen by the pipes player, but clearly visible to Aaron and April, the silver Creen slips to a spot just above the mongrel. It spreads its wings, and begins a cooing counterpoint to the tune of the pipes, its own notes interweaving with that of the instrument.

Aaron watches quietly, almost hypnotized himself.

The Gallah's ears perk as he hears the melody over his head. He carefully takes up a handful of seeds and raises it, palm outstretched just behind his head while his other hand and face remain focused on his pipes.

A moments after he takes up the seeds, the bright-winged serpent drops from its position, wings braking its fall asit glides to a feather-light landing on Piper's shoulder. Its tail starts to wind around the back of his neck, and it continues its sibilant, cooing melody, head and neck waving slowly from side to side, in rhythm with the song.

Piper finds himself fighting the urge to bark out his excitement. He knows that if he roughly grabs the Creen and scares it he might never tame it, or it might never trust him again. Instead he begins to change his tune a bit. His song begins to sound more simple and more questioning now.

The silver Creen coils its body loosely around the Gallah's neck. It folds its wings against its sides, making a few reassuring coos now and again in response to the tone of the pipes, snuggling its head against the side of Piper's head, eventually nestling its head beneath the flap of one of floppy ear, its coos so soft as to be hardly audible to the others in the square.

As April watches, she's even more still then when the Creens first approached her. "Wow," she whispers, to no one in particular.

With that, the Gallah begins winding his song down to a stopping point. He looks back to Aaron and April, grinning wildly but too scared to move or make any kind of noise.

Aaron smiles, and whispers, "Wow indeed. A few more encounters like this, and he should have it tamed, I'd think."

As the mongrel's song winds to a close, the coil of tail tightens a little around his throat, becoming almost uncomfortably snug, but not strong enough to be threatening or painful. The Creen makes a final "Cree," of response as the last notes of the pipes fade, then seems to settle in comfortably, possibly even going to sleep.

"Usually when I play, it is to scare them away. I know their songs, but this is the first time I have actually tried it." Piper carefully reaches over and scratches the Creen's scales, stroking it gently and checking to see if it has any loose skin to peel off.

Aaron quietly asks, "Have you ever seen a Creen like this before, Piper? They're supposed to be mythical."

The silver Creen shivers and makes another little coo at the scratching, shifting position to get comfortable again. Its scaled skin is smooth and tight against its body, as if it had last shed fairly recently.

"No misseur. Never in my life. I thought perhaps it might be an albino that got its scales dirty, but I can tell that this is not the case." The Gallah licks his nose. "You will have to wait for your scales though, unless I can locate its nest and maybe find a cast off skin there."

The raccoon watches, still a little spellbound. She sidles very cautiously closer. "What're you going to do with her now, Piper?" she asks.

Piper whimpers to himself. "I don't know, mon ami. Isn't it bad luck to capture something mythical? I do not know if I should cage such a thing."

April bites her lip and nods in agreement. "It doesn't seem right to put her in a cage."

The Lapi leans in closer to examine the Creen. "It looks healthy at least. Do you know where it might roost?"

Piper looks up towards the stone gargoyle on the side of the building. "I would guess up there or somewhere nearby. If I could find a way up there I could probably find it by scent."

Aaron looks up at the gargoyle. "It would probably be safer to have an Eeee check it out first. I'd be glad to pay you for any shed skin or eggs you might find in its nest."

The building with the gargoyles appears to be an old public meeting hall, since converted to a warehouse, in good enough repair that it's probably still in use. The corners of the structure have carved gargoyles at each of two levels, and elaborate cartouches which lead up the sides between the larger carvings. The front door and some of the windows are similarly ornamented, although the carvings are somewhat eroded in places.

The Gallah gently strokes the Creen's head. "Argent shall be your name. Do you think you could show me where your home is?" He starts to nudge the Creen from his neck.

The Creen makes a sleepy sound of protest, rustling its wings and snugging its tail tighter around Piper's neck. "Cree?"

"It would appear that I am Misseur Argent's roost," the mutt chuckles, wagging his tail.

Reassured, the feathered serpent settles down again, laying its head on the top of Piper's.

"In that case," the Lapi grins, "You may want to drop by Siessith's shop to find out how to care for it."

"Oui, misseur. I have never had to take care of a myth before. They may require a special diet." Piper kneels down to give April a look at the Creen, happy in his catch and happy that he's managed to cheer up the Rath'ani girl.

April, an enchanted look on her face, reaches out to touch the myth's head with one gentle finger, as the fountain burbles softly in the background.