Welcome to Gaia! ::

She grins at him. "Like I said, I wasn't angry... though you did kind of take me by surprise as well."

Then she decides to change the subject slightly, hoping to wean him away from the embarrassment. Getting to her feet, she walks to his side, gliding alongside of him with a soft rumbling purr.

"Was it as good in the dream as it is when you are awake?"

*talk it through to the other side.... make him think of the dream, not the action**

Ai shrugs and shakes her head. "I have never heard of a crystal egg before, except as something a jeweler has carved for display. They are rather pretty. Usually covered with tons of facets. Why?"

She sinks down to the ground beside him and laughs. "I had one once, but lost it on a bet. Didn't realize how valuable it was until I handed it over. Felt like kicking myself for weeks following that, I assure you. They are very hard to make. To make an egg of a reasonable size, one needs a crystal with no flaws and that is terribly difficult to come by."

Ai shrugs once more, clearly confused. "No, I don't think I've ever seen one. Even the gem dragons lay perfectly normal eggs." Then she grins at him and licks him on the nose.

"It was probably just a dream, dear heart. Dreams help us to work out our problems, but they don't always make much sense, I'm afraid. I remember one in which I was running down a street line with doors... no houses, just doors... and if you opened one, it led to an identical street... more of a nightmare, actually... one I had shortly after arriving in the lower planes... but it has stuck with me all these years. I swear it seemed so darn real. I could feel the street beneath my feet... and it seemed as though I was being followed, not chased, just followed. It seemed too real to be a dream, but trust me, it was too odd to be anything but."

Ai sighs heavily. "Once perhaps... I really don't know. Like all realms of magic, the Void and those who dwell within it have deviated from their origins... perhaps even more so than any other." She shakes her great head and then drops it to her front feet.

"In truth, I have heard that the anteroom to death's halls is indeed such a maze... but I have never been there, nor am I likely to ever experience it. I can die... at least I've been told I can die... but unlike you and the other mortals of the lower realms, I have no soul. Once I do pass on, I will dissipate back into the pool, but only one of my brothers can truly kill me. Others may sorely wound me, but when that happens, I merely go into a healing sleep... which can... like it has before... last for untold eons."

Ai smiles sleepily at him and nods. "I'd like that very much. And since the night is clear, we could doze here." Gently nudging him, she points to the stars. "What better blanket could we find..."

.........

The next morning, Kero awakens first, stretching and yawning, then nudging Ai to get her to move off his back legs. She shifts but doesn't fully awaken, dropping off almost as quckly as she had responded to his gentle pokes. Sniffing the morning air, Kero realizes something. Ai's heat is over. No longer was she as ripe as she had been for the last few days. Oh she still smelled inviting, and would probably do so until she bathed, but he suspected that it was now safe for them to return to their home.

With him moving away from her, she soon begins to shift around in her sleep, trying to find him to snuggle against. Finally, after groping about in her sleep for some time, she slowly wakes up with a puzzled frown.

"Kero?" she calls with a yawn. "Where are you?"

At first Ai doesn't seem to mind, but then she realizes what he's up to and tries to pull away with a shocked. "What the..."

She submits to his overtures but a little more testily than she has had in the past. It seems that being woken up with a bad joke isn't very high on her list of morning wake up calls.