Gryphon

To be honest... I have no idea.

Forgive my ramblings here if they bore or fail to interest you... In slightly over a month I'm going to be moving into a flat of my own and for the first time in my life be totally responsible for my own living space. I'm currently unsure how I view this development. On the grand scale it is the achivement of a long term goal that I have been moving towards for some time, yet at the same time I'm typically not one to leap before I look - to the point where I sometimes procrastinate well beyond the time when I should be acting... So now that things are solidly in motion and I cannot abort my move, and while it's too far away for me to actually be excited that it's happening I'm left feeling somewhat introspective when I'm not worrying that I've not planned for something that is going to cause a major setback. Whilst this is going on in my brain I produce snippets of stories, random ideas and little bits of what I try to pass off as poetry. To be honest I dont really believe that it's gifted prose of any sort, but then I'm of the view that very little to none of what I produce falls into the gifted category so in the mean time I'll just keep posting blurbs here and thank you for your patience.

In the pre-dawn light a young man walks, lost in thought, his jacket wrapped tightly around him in an attempt to keep warm. In his mind echos snippets of information, thoughts, feelings, images... all idle amusements to a bored mind that has awakened too early just to get to the bus stop on time. One image in particular is particularly vivid, reoccuring whenever his mind wants to escape the most. A gryphon, not the image of the heraldic beast, but instead a living breathing entity of grace, beauty and power. Today the gryphon sits high atop a tower in an unfamiliar environment, surveying the world around. The walker continues towards his destination, his mind lost in contemplation and flights of fantasy and as he does so the gryphon of his mind takes flight and the image is lost. Shortly thereafter the young man reaches his destination and begins the wait for a bus, now contemplating the alterations to feature in his life over the next month or so... all thoughts of the flying gryphon slip away and are temporarily forgotten.

Watches Cryptomancer and Mynx and their phone antics with interest and amusement... Sits back with a sigh to contemplate the two cellphones sitting on his bed - neither of them ringing in the slightest, polyphonic or otherwise Its weird... I've ended up with two of these cellular electroleashes... and I rarely get a call on either one of the damn things.

Having now read everything on that webpage.. and finding it all very fascinating... I'm finding myself hoping like hell that it's all wrong. I dont quite know why, but I've a feeling that it'd be sad if the story and it's endgame were revealed too early on in the piece by deductive reasoning such as this. Maybe I'm just being weird?

From a distance the sprawling Pen Keep appears at peace, calm, it’s citizens existing from day to day, strolling the grounds, listening to their muses (or being threatened by their muses in Salinye’s case) and creating works of wonder for the world to see. Occasionally shouts of outrage arise as another almost draconic scheme goes awry, but otherwise all is quiet on the Pennish front. Sitting high atop the tallest spire of the Mighty Pen, Gryphon sits absorbing the peace and thinking deep thoughts. Casting his mind forth he contemplates the nature of his existence, and meditates on a strange connection he has felt of late… Some kind of elusive impression that his fate is somehow linked to one of another world. The picture in his minds eye becomes clearer and in curiosity the winged mage casts an augury to the wind seeking to know more of this other being, yet expecting little. To his surprise an image comes to mind, so clear that it felt almost possible to reach out and touch. A human male sitting at a desk, apparently intent on looking at a small rectangular picture frame suspended on the desk in front of him. In the image the male is manipulating words that appear magically on the picture by tapping on a flat board with keys set into it. Puzzling over the meaning of this image the Mage, known to some as Skydancer is suddenly overcome with a sense of impending change, the knowledge that for the young man in his vision some major changes are going to happen in his life before the next month is out. As quickly as it came, the image is lost and Gryphon Skydancer once more sits contemplating the grounds around The Mighty Pen as he senses a shift in the air currents and knows that as happens in life, the winds of change blow once more.

A brilliant crescent moon, Hangs suspended in a turquoise sky, Whilst overhead stars, Diamonds of the night, Wink at me in defiance of the coming dawn, And birds serenade me.

Funny thing is that while there is a number of things I regret that I'd like to go back and do over, or again, or sooner or something I'd want an undo button because I've a funny feeling deep down that I'd regret changing the moment in the past, and that regret would be greater than the original. The question that has always plagued me is rather this: What if you had the power at any given time to go back exactly 1 minute (or 5 minutes might be more appropriate) and only 5 minutes so that any things that you regret immediately afterwards could be fixed or undone or done again better. It wouldn't help now to solve things that went wrong an hour ago but how much happier would life have been on a day to day basis if I could undo the little things that I do and then immediatly think to myself "gods that was so stupid"

Happy Birthday Yui

Great flyer, Really good! Yep, maybe even... Perfect! Hahahaha Only in this world of words, Not so much in real life. ~-----------------------~ Marvelous feline Youthful, lythe Never fails to be Xtraordinary in my eyes ~-----------------------~ and another cos Mynx is such a short name... My shining heart You are my life Never doubt Xactly how much I love thee. ~-----------------------~ Crazy wordsmith Really I need to ask You the one totally Pertinant question That is On everyones Mind And I hope you'll Not avoid answering to Clarify for me why Ever you chose such a Really long name!

A small glowing ball of light wafts through the Cabaret Room and up to the signup parchment as if it were wanting to sign up for a reading with Madame Quixotic. Watchers stared, confused, wondering what a ball of light would want with a foretelling of the future. Indeed, what sort of future is there for a ball of light? The glowing orb hovers in front of the parchment as if contemplating it, then darts forward to touch the parchment before floating off once more down the corridor. Burned into the parchment in a flowing script is a new name: Gryphon

Running, racing, Twisting, turning, Muscles burning, Pushing faster, Sprinting harder, Heart pounding, Suck air... Frowning. Slowing pacing, Legs aching, Lungs hurting, Have I Made it? Bus drives By me... Damn.

Aardvark, I have no clue if you meant that to be funny... but if you did, you succeeded admirably in my eyes... funniest damn thing I've read in ages. If not... oops.. well it struck a funny bone here.

I don't consider myself to be religious or spiritual. I feel no need to be, no need to believe. I believe that ultimately religion is either a crutch for the desperately needy - or maybe a method of control imposed by institutions such as churches to tell people how they should act or think - or a perch for the self-righteous to look down on others - or a refuge for people who think like sheep who'd rather be told what to do and how to do it and when to do it than to think for themselves... Some of the most important people in my life believe otherwise in some cases quite strongly. They're welcome to do so, mainly because I believe that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and as long as they're not forcing the belief of their own choice off on others then they can do what they want. Its funny, because by and large I think I live my life by many of the same tenants as those who get all hyper-religious, but I dont feel the need to cling to a belief system to go with my lifestyle. I guess my point is that there is only 2 times when I have a problem with religion in general and that is when someone tries to force it on me, or tries to force it on others without letting them make their own choice in the matter. The strange thing is that there's always someone who seems to feel the need to convert me to their point of view/religion/whatever. To them I say, keep your religion, I find may find it as offensive as you find my lack of religion to be, yet I can live with you believing in something I don't. Is it so hard for you to do the same for me? edit: I almost forgot... I decided that if I was going to take up a religion I'm gonna be a Jedi

OOC: Note, the lack of words by Mynx does not indicate that she's the silent waif type or that she can not speak or any such thing. Please just humour me and realise that my feelings run deep enough that I don't want to be seen putting words in her mouth. No matter how well I get to know her, she still has a mind very much of her own and with it the ability to say something that I could never have anticipated. This is for you love, would that I could recreate such a date in our real lives together.

Gryphon pauses, drinking in the beauty before him with his eyes before bowing low once more. “Lady you do me a great honour, thou art indeed beautiful”. Gryphon takes the young ladies hand and kisses it gently before straightening up and speaking with a grin on his face matching the one in his eyes. “Now”, he says, “on with our evening”. Taking Mynx by the hand he leads her down onto the beach it’s sand glowing in the rich warm afternoon sunlight, the wind dies down and provides a nice cool counterpoint to the warmth rising from the sand beneath their feet. After walking for a short way Gryphon leads Mynx to a sheltered level spot on the grass up from the beach. To their rear the waves calling with the promise of sport and splashing fun, whilst in front of them cradled from any winds by sheltering trees is a flat piece of ground covered by springy grass just perfect for a picnic. Releasing Mynx’s hand with reluctance Gryphon once again dips into his ever-present pouch and withdraws another gem, this one with only a faint glow to mark the power stored within. With a flick of his wrist Gryphon sends the gem into the deep grass where it takes root and begins to grow, sprouting forth a nice blanket for the picnic to follow and some towels and other items should a swim become desirable. The towels cause Gryphon to raise his eyebrows as they were not part of the original spell that was set, but he turns to Mynx with amused wonder spread across his face. “Well… that wasn’t quite what was supposed to happen but sometimes the magic has it’s own ideas. Would you care to join me for a swim since everything we need is here for us?” Mynx smiles brightly at Gryphon, or maybe she just knows something that he doesn’t, and replies “Sure” before altering her attire with a gesture and a word and heading for the warm waters of the sea. Laughing Gryphon follows along behind her diving into the waves to play catch as catch can with Mynx, waves and little fishes until both are tired and bobbing in the water in each others arms. Gryphon plants a very slightly salty kiss on Mynx’s nose and picks her up to take her back up to the picnic site to dry off in time for dinner and she laughs happily in response. Letting Mynx gently regain her feet Gryphon reaches for the pile of towels warming them with a murmured spell before they both dry off and sit down on the rug to enjoy dinner. Dipping once again into his bag of tricks Gryphon extracts several different coloured gemstones each glowing mutely and begins to choose the evenings meal. The first gem when activated produces a low table with a small selection of soups and bread to which the two happily help themselves. Gryphon murmurs to Mynx, “Take your time my dear, we have plenty of it… and there is plenty more food to come too, so treat this meal as a buffet and take only what you want.” With that another 2 gems flash producing a small sideboard with an array of drinks on it for the evenings perusal and a small course of hot finger food to accompany the soup and bread. As the first course dies down Gryphon reaches out and strokes Mynx’s cheek gently with the back of his hand, his fingers caressing her with love before he takes her hand gently in his once more and kisses her palm. The breeze blows and in the distance something wings its way across the horizon possibly a dragon but it’s too far to tell for sure. The sun works its way closer to the horizon promising a glorious sunset but currently warming the air around the picnic with it’s rays. Another half handful of gems flash and dissipate producing a range of small dishes to select the main course from. Dishes ranging from simple fare to gourmet specialties having been encountered by Gryphon in his travels and re-created specially for the evening and this picnic. The sun sinks lower toward the horizon beginning to light up the sky with beautiful gold and orange hues fading towards a deep burnished bronze and violet as Gryphon and Mynx eat and gaze at the portrait that nature is so kindly arranging as a backdrop to their picnic. As the sun sinks towards oblivion for the day framed by a shimmering glow reflected by the Sea of Fallen Stars Gryphon activates all but a couple of the remaining gemstones to provide a simple but delicious desert menu, the remains of the previous course vanishing into the ether from whence it came. A number of small glowing balls of multi-hued light pop into existence conjured by Gryphon to provide a romantic glow to the remains of dinner as they chase each other around in small circles. Savouring the last bites of food Gryphon gestures and hot drinks and after-dinner mints appear to round off the evenings meal. The table vanishes and the drinks are transferred to the sideboard as Gryphon and Mynx curl around each other to watch the stars begin to shimmer and dance above and below the waters of the Sea of Fallen Stars as the sun fades from the sky for another day. After sitting together in silence and watching the magical show before them for some time Gryphon stirs. “I hope you enjoyed our evening my lady… If you care to, I’d be more than happy to repeat it with you any time”. With that Gryphon reaches into his pouch again and extracts a small silver ring which he hands to Mynx. “For you my lady, it may have magical properties that you will discover in time, but for now, perhaps you’ll wear it as a sign of my love.” /-------------------------------/ All too soon the evening is over and the temperature is dropping from pleasantly cool to chill. Turning to the trees behind them Gryphon approaches a pair that have braided themselves together in the most peculiar manner to form a living archway, perfect for a gate back to the familiar grounds of The Mighty Pen. Drawing one last time upon his pouch of tricks Gryphon removes his last gem, a twin to the sun-like diamond that opened the initial gate to the picnic spot. Again chanting in arcane languages the gem is released to float toward the archway and the gate is formed – easier this time as it is anchored in the living arc of the trees. The shifting chaotic colours solidify to the darkness of the sky and the lights of habitation in Pen Keep, stepping through the portal Gryphon and Mynx shimmer and shift, their forms returning to those the inhabitants of the Pen are familiar with. Gryphon walks Mynx back to her door, from whence he retrieved her so many hours ago. “My lady, thus concludes our evening as demanded by the Bachelor Auction. Know that it was my pleasure and should you but wish it to be, we will enjoy such an evening again, on that thou hast my promise.”

On hearing of his up and coming date with Mynx as a result of the bachelor auction Gryphon sets to work immediately. Those able to sense the ebb and flow of the magical powers in and around Pen Keep can feel the magic being pooled and directed into some powerful spell-casting (benign and totally harmless to the locals so no-one needs to come knocking). A tiny gem of a humming bird is summoned to and dispatched from Gryphon’s room with a spell message for his lady (or is he hers?) requesting that the date be set for later in the week as the stars will be at their most auspicious at that time whilst also giving her a brief idea of what would be appropriate to wear, then the shift and flow of the powers begin again. On the afternoon of the appointed night Gryphon emerges from his brief seclusion to go and find the lady of the evening, hoping that she is looking forward to the upcoming date. Taking to the air he makes the brief flight over to Mynx’s current lodgings and pauses, taking in the scene outside before knocking on the door. The afternoon is lovely and clear with barely a cloud to be seen in the sky, inhaling Gryphon detects the scent of freshly cut grass on the wind before turning back to the task at hand and he reaches out and knocks once, twice, thrice on Mynx’s door seeking admittance. /----------------/ On Mynx opening the door Gryphon bows low and addresses her thus: “My lady, thy beauty is even more exquisite tonight than usual, you make me swoon with delight that you would pick me to be your escort on such a wondrous occasion.” “I had a few ideas about what we can do tonight… I hope you like what I have planned, please, walk with me a little way, the first step of our journey this evening is a step into forever.” With that said Gryphon wraps himself around Mynx in a gryphon-hug and then leads her away for a short walk towards one of the more picturesque gardens of Pen Keep. After walking through the gardens for a few brief moments Gryphon leads Mynx off to one side towards one of the rose-beds housing white roses where he reaches out, murmurs the release words of a minor spell and allows his hand to flow through the appropriate gesture and from nowhere plucks a rose that is the deepest red in colour. Sparkling motes fall from the petals of the rose as Gryphon moves to hand it to Mynx, standing just behind him. “It shall retain a memory of this moment for all time my lady, that you might remember the beauty of tonight also. Please come this way…” Walking close by Mynx brushing against her thigh as they walk side by side Gryphon leads her further into the garden towards an ornamental archway set in the middle of the garden. Gryphon gestures grandly at the archway with a laugh in his voice he says “Here we are my lady”. Mynx looks on for a moment seeing the laughter dance in Gryphons eyes and gestures at him to lead on. Gryphon dips into a small pouch hung around his neck and brings out a small gem – a diamond glowing like a small sun. A few words whispered in an arcane tongue starts the small gem floating towards the archway, glowing brighter as it goes so that soon it becomes too bright to look directly at… Moments later there is a bright flash, blinking away the tears brought on by the sudden burst of light Gryphon and Mynx behold a glowing portal of shifting chaos colours hanging suspended in the garden archway with seeking tendrils of light arcing out from it reaching towards the watchers. With a look of concentration on his face Gryphon focuses on the archway, driving the seeking tendrils of energy back on themselves, weaving them into a pattern of power, sending them seeking a new destination for the evenings date. With a final flourish and a gesture the patterns in the shifting chaos solidify to show a picturesque beach scene and again hugging Mynx Gryphon takes his place by her side and they step together into the scene. There is a brief moment of disorientation and a sensation of falling or fast travel without moving before the step is completed and when it’s over Gryphon and Mynx stand together on a beach front overlooking a sparkling ocean. There is a chill wind blowing but another gesture of power and a few whispered words create a shimmering barrier that cuts the chill of the wind from the young couple overlooking the beach. One Gryphon, one Mynx, together. “Welcome to our dinner spot… I hope you like it… It’s a place I like to go sometimes and I thought it might be nice to share it with you tonight. Its called the Sea of Fallen Stars.”, and with those words Gryphon steps back and takes another small gem from his pouch and cups it in his hands. The brief glimpse that Mynx has of it show it to be the deepest red, a close match for the rose now held in her hands. Whispering something to the gem in his hands causes it to start glowing, a bright red light reaching out to envelope its holder, causing him to become indistinct, transparent, a spot in the shifting light that is now his being… Moments later Gryphon begins to coalesce back into a solid form, now on two legs, slightly taller than Mynx, though not by much (good snuggling height) she beholds before her a young man wearing soft black leather boots, black pants, a top with a silvery sheen and a smile for her. “Another little surprise for you this evening”, Gryphon says, “I hope you like this one too.”

Yay! All yours... unless you've any requests I'm goin to plot you up something *special* Edit 22 July 04: The date can be found here: Gryphons date with Mynx It's a work in progress - so if it's not at least 3 replys long I'm still not done.

Watching wide eyed from the sidelines Gryphon takes in the promotion of those (far?) more senior at The Mighty Pen than he... Seeing a lull in the congratulations surrounding those newly promoted he takes a moment to add his own congratulations to those being honoured. Congratulations all... long may your tenure at The Mighty Pen be, as well as educational and prosperous (at least in the literary sence).

How are those bids coming along?

Embarrassed look If you can believe it I nearly scored 80 on my own test... cant remember why now, but it suggests to me that there is at least one ambiguous answer where either one of two answers could be correct... So for anyone who gets 80 you might as well consider yourself to have gotten 100 according to the other half of my personality.

OOC: I know it's all in character... but having felt something like this in the past I actually felt a twitch of sympathy for Wyvern there... Silly Gryphon... what's with that? (no really... I honestly did, poor Wyvern)

Eep... not only do I suck badly at everyone elses quiz I cant think up any questions to make my own Working on that second one tho... keep an eye open for a Gryphonquiz on here... maybe. Edit: done one... find it here: Test your Gryphon knowledge

A shadowy figure muttering spells of concealment sneaks up to the signup sheet for the bachelor auction and scribbles a name on the side of the sheet then scurrys away trying to look subtle and failing miserably... In it's wake a Gryphon feather floats gently to the ground and the name Gryphon is now scrawled on the signup sheet.

A playful wind comes blowing in through a window that is open a crack and gusts over to wrap its self around the hopeful applicant. As Mynx sits sharpening her scythe her ears prick up... it's almost as though the wind is whispering to her! Focussing her attention on what she is hearing faint words can be made out, they speak as follows: "Tell them about yourself, speak your hopes and dreams, tell them what you want to do, tell them what you've seen. Let the folks at the Pen, know more about yourself, your thoughts and your feelings, dont keep them on the shelf. If you tell them more, about yourself you see, they'll let you in and you'll become, an initiate just like me!" And with that the wind departs leaving slightly ruffled fur and a warm fuzzy feeling in Mynx's heart.