Skippy saw the Dragon look directly at him after she sneezed, and he froze like a deer who spotted the glowing eyes of a wolf. Even his breathing and heart slowed like some sort of prey instinct. However, he calmed down rather quickly when the Dragon seemed disinterested in him. The Anithrope even gathered enough courage to slowly approach her, ready to run toward the cottage if it were necessary, although he doubted there was much protection the building could give against a Dragon.<br/><br/>Skippy bowed to her, half expecting her to sneeze again. "Hello! My name's Skippy. I apologize for my evident fear, but you are a predatory being, and I am one of prey. I'm smarter than your average animal though," he said, giving her a wink. "Some of the people here are good in magic, but it really depends on what you are looking for. Me on the other hand, like all people of the Anithrope race, have no magic to use. Only my daggers, which are like short swords to me, and my throwing knives."<br/><br/>~~~~~<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Lysonna was next to introduce herself. She was very excited to see a Dragon, but carefully concealed it. She accompanied Nymeri out of the cottage and followed Skippy's example by bowing.<br/><br/>"I am Lysonna. A simple Elf, a Healer, and an Archer. What is it that Skippy was referring to? I only heard part of the conversation, it sounded like you are looking for a magic user of some sort? As I stated, I can heal, but I am no spell caster."</span><br/><br/>~~~~~~<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">The innkeeper slurped up the rest of his stew. For now he had finally over come all of the questions that had been badgering him since he left his home. Now his only question was: <span style="font-style: italic">Why were those demons after the squirrel kid in the first place?</span> The innkeeper rubbed his stubble-covered chin as he pondered it for a long moment. Then, he pushed back his chair and headed outside to ask him himself.<br/><br/>"Hey there, young... squirrel. Why were those demon goons after you? Did you really steal something of theirs?" The innkeeper didn't even seem to notice the Dragon, at least not at first. When he did turn, however, he jumped at the very sight of the reptilian beast. His mouth hung open and all color drained from his face.</span><br/><br/>~~~~~~<br/><br/>Skippy turned from the Dragon as he was addressed by the old innkeeper. "I'm not really sure what it is," he started, as he dug through his pockets. The Anithrope found what he had been searching for and pulled the black ball out. It had a small indentation with a hole in the center that was the color of metallic orange. "This is it though. I'm sure it's got some sort of magic in it." Skippy looked from the Elf maiden to the Elf man. "One of you might be able to tell for sure, or maybe even you could?" After saying that, he looked to the Dragon.<br/><br/>"In case you're wondering, I didn't steal it, I simply found it. Whoever had it before didn't seem to want it, because I found it floating in the ocean on the way here, while I was on that ship with the Dwarf and those two." He pointed to the pale-haired boy and the black-haired man who<span style="font-style: italic">appeared</span>human.<br/><br/>~~~~~<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"I think we should probably spend the night here and get moving." Lysonna said, as she looked at the object the Anithrope was holding. She turned to the Dragon. "I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that we would be honored if you would join us. I don't think any of us know exactly what's going on, but there's a Demon who wants that ball. I don't intend to give it to him. Maybe not all demons are evil, but the Demon who wants this is most likely pretty powerful considering how many he sent after it. I don't think I want whatever magic that ball holds to fall into his or her hands. At this point, I think we could use all of the help we can get."<br/><br/>The Elf maiden paused as she looked around at the others. "Wouldn't you all agree?"</span>