#dragon nest

Dragon Nest commissions for friends and clients

DN Vandar Facebook Banner Contest. Me 2nd place o wo)

genshin impact x dragon nest

Hohoho~ the season for giving is coming once again! Unfortunately, we are sad to announce that SantaPooch will not be hosting a Secret Santa Exchange this year u _u life threw too many lemons, we need time to process them.

We will however, still do a Christmas Countdown per our usual tradition   o(*>ω<*)o Please look forward to our 2016 Twelve Days of Christmas, and may you all have a safe and lovely holiday~ 

To dear Reri,
I hope you are having a fantastic holiday so far. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a great New Year!

From: An anon under a mushroom

Ecreri stared at the piece of paper—specifically, a piece of paper which had been in a neatly wrapped present that her dear friend had left under the Christmas tree for her. As of matter of fact, it was the only thing in the box, so she assumed that it was her Christmas present. It did not, however, explain why “where the songbird sings when the sun rises and falls” was printed neatly across the strip of paper. The staring persisted for a while longer, before she flipped the paper over.

Merry Christmas, Ecreri! It’s been a wonderful year with you, so I decided to get you a present this year. Yes, it’s this paper! But it doesn’t have to be. If you solve this riddle, you will get…another piece of paper! EXCITING ISN’T IT?! And, if you get enough pieces of paper, you will get THE ULTIMATE PRESENT.

Of course, I won’t leave you abandoned, because I’m your friend. If you need a hint, just write me a letter.  Don’t expect me to reveal the answer though!

- Dea

The elf felt herself smiling, despite the exasperation she felt. As willing as she was to humour her friend, Ecreri had to wonder if the other was aware that the postman only ever came once a day. She had a sneaking suspicion however, that the Flurry knew that full well; which meant that she had to figure out whatever it was her friend had prepared for her alone. She was disinclined to believe that the lady had meant an actual songbird (and there were some tens of those hanging around). Dea was about as likely to be straightforward as Berlin was to grant you a +13 weapon without taking away all that you loved first.

She glanced around the room, looking for some sort of inspiration. It was freshly devoid of people, since they had decided to leave for a party or another. Ecreri had politely declined, despite the insistence. As comfortable as she was with her guildmates, she still shied away from the idea of meeting new people, particularly in large numbers. Still, the room still held onto the warm, lingering festive feeling that the group had brought in when they gathered that morning.

Gaze falling upon the lyre sitting upon the fireplace mantel, she considered the possibility of ‘songbird’ being a reference to music in general. Setting the opened box aside, she picked up the instrument instead, half expecting another slip of paper to be under it. She was similarly half-disappointed to find it empty, however. She plucked at a few strings, sitting down on in an armchair as she always did in the mornings and evenings when everyone sat together to relax after meals. It was a while after the tune in her head translated to strung notes that she noticed the white rectangle stuck between the seat and the armrest. Setting the lyre on her lap, she picked it up.

Congratulations! Now your Christmas present is two pieces of paper, with my fantastic handwriting on it to boot. It’s only going to get harder from here on, so you better be ready to wrack your brains!

Remember: you can still write me a letter if you need a hint!

P.S. If you’re not Ecreri, please put this back.

- Dea

Ecreri sighed, although it was accompanied by another one of her amused smiles. The back of the slip read “now you see me, now you don’t”, whatever that meant. She nudged her glasses up, staring a little bit longer. If she had been even remotely confident about her abilities to solve her friend’s riddles, that confidence evaporated every time she reread the new one.

“Oh, there you are.”

The elf jumped, just barely grabbing the lyre in time to stop it from crashing onto the floor. She looked up at the lady, clutching the instrument as she did.

“Sorry for that, it’s just that Dea is up to something again. Here,” the lady passed an envelope to her. “She addressed a letter to me but this was in the envelope.”

“Oh…thank you! It’s just a-uhm-treasure hunt of sorts.”

“It sounds like fun, I suppose.” The lady gave a lazy wave as she left the room. “Merry Christmas to you, Ecreri.”

“Ah, Merry Christmas to you too…” her words trailed away, and she wondered if the sorceress even heard her.

She waited a while, before placing the lyre back in its place and opening the envelope. Pulling out a now familiar piece of paper, she read:

You probably didn’t send a letter but I bet you need a hint for this one! So here it is: “you” and “me” are the same person!

P.S. If you’re not Ecreri, please pass this to her.

- Dea

At this point the elf had to wonder if her friend was taking her through some philosophy class. She glanced up at clock, which revealed that some ten minutes had passed already. Ecreri walked out of the meeting room, wondering if chance would smile upon her again. It never occurred to her to check the back of the paper until she had wandered around the guild house for another half an hour, and when she did, she found herself sighing yet again.

Check your basin!

As controlled as her pace was, Ecreri made it to the connecting bathroom of her personal lodging with a surprising speed. On the spot where she normally set her glasses down when she washed her face was another one of the paper slips, and on this one read: “Home is where the heart is, but where would you find the heart of the home?”

Thismightbe the last riddle! Although I guess since you’ve been staying with us for a while now it’s not so much of a riddle anymore. Unless elves do have kitchens in their trees.

P.S. If you’re not Ecreri, I hope you’re not a Peeping Tom. Also, please put this back where you picked it up from.

- Dea

She shook her head at the hypocrisy of the post-script. At least she had no need to run around just trying to figure out where she had to go to next. Quickly, the elf made her way towards the kitchen.

“And done!”

Ecreri walked in, just in time to catch her friend with her arms in the air. The normally dark brown hair was dusted with flour, as was most of the kitchen. Orange met gray and an awkward silence persisted. The Flurry considered hiding the very obvious cake on the table, but it was, unfortunately, too conspicuous for any attempts at concealment. Instead, she made for a big grin and an unnecessarily energetic wave.

“Heya, Ecreri! How’s the treasure hunt going?”

“Uhm. Great, I guess?” She involuntarily eyed the cake piled high with sugar icing and various diabetes inducing goodies. “Uh…”

“Yes! You’ve guessed it!” Dea dramatically gestured towards herself. “It is moi!”

The loud silence was almost unbearable.

“Geez, I would have thought you would have given me a bearhug or something.” The Flurry’s arms and expression dropped in mock disappointment.

Ecreri wondered if it would be too late to do so now, except she was interrupted before that thought process could finish itself.

“Just joking! This is your present!” She dragged two tall chairs over, unsettling the floor on the floor. “I thought it’d be fun to have a mini-party of our own since you didn’t wanna go for the big one.”

Uncertainty locked Ecreri’s words from forming, and she instead decided to join her friend at the table. Both dug into the cake at the same time, although the elf had to wonder just exactly what the icing to cake ratio was when her fork ended buried halfway up the handle by the time it hit the plate.

The two friends ate in silence for a while, before Ecreri decided to throw a nagging question out.

“I don’t get the mirror one.”

“Really? That one’s easy. Now you see me,” in a deft movement, Dea removed her friend’s glasses, “and now you don’t!”

She gave the glasses back to the Windwalker. “And since you’re looking in a mirror, ‘you’ are ‘me’! Pretty good, eh?”

“I guess it is.” Ecreri smiled, adjusting her glasses back on properly, as quietude fell upon the two once again.

“Oh, by the way, Dea.”

“Yea?”

“Merry Christmas, and thank you.”

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Wenny! I hope you enjoy your gift! I really enjoyed writing it, I’m a total sucker for cute fluff pieces… Also, I greatly appreciated the writing music, I listened to the Warden’s song a lot while writing this, maybe you can tell x3 I kinda mixed a few of the prompts together to form this piece. Anyways, enjoy!!

From: Kat (magikatfish.tumblr.com)

Saints Haven was beautiful at this time of year. The snow fell gently from the sky and glittered from the illumination of the glowing Christmas lights that adorned all the buildings. People were bustling about in the marketplace, shopping for last minute gifts for family, friends, and loved ones. A certain Warden exited this crowd with her hands clasped firmly against her chest. Something was grasped firmly in her fingers, and it shimmered momentarily when it caught the light of a lamp overhead. The Warden was blushing slightly and she kept her gaze firmly locked on the ground, her feet carrying her to an unknown destination.

The object in her hands was a gift for a certain someone. It was a small icy blue gemstone set in a simple silver ring band.  She had been debating whether or not to get it for a long time, but in the end she finally gave in and bought it. Scenarios kept playing through her head, both nightmares and dreams come true—she hoped he would like it. It wasn’t much—she was sure he owned better—but it reminded her of his eyes, and the way it captured the light reminded her of that special glimmer in them. Just thinking about it made her more nervous than before.

Before she knew it, she had ended up outside the Arena. She had not really been paying much attention to where she was going, trying to shake off some of her nerves by walking. Her own doubts kept pestering her. What if he didn’t like it? How special would it even be? Surely he had other, more important girls giving him gifts this Christmas? She shook her head to try and get rid of these questions. He cared about her a lot… right?

“Pretty Girl!”

The Warden froze. Only one person called her that nickname. But what was he doing here!? She quickly dropped the small ring into her quiver, hoping to hide it before he noticed. Then, she took a deep breath and turned around to face the person approaching.

The Crusader was smiling at her as he approached. His black suit made him look particularly elegant, and with that soft smile on his face he looked the part of a perfect gentleman. He stopped in front of her, his eyes glimmering as usual. She thought of the ring hidden in her quiver once again and felt her face heating up again.

“Hey, Pretty Girl, what are you doing here?” He asked conversationally.

The Warden steeled her nerves and smiled up at him as well. “Nothing, really. Just taking a walk.”

It was partially true, at least. The Crusader nodded and accepted her explanation without question. Just then, a cold wind blew through the Arena. The Warden shivered—her dress was not the warmest of clothes, and she had not brought a jacket or scarf or anything.

“Are you cold?” The Crusader asked with a hint of concern in his voice. The Warden shook her head, not wanting him to worry.

“Here.”

The Crusader took off the coat of his suit and wrapped it around her shoulders with gentle hands. The Warden tensed. The fabric was warm, and felt a little bit like she was receiving a hug from the Crusader in front of her. It was nice.

“It looks good on you,” The Crusader announced with a smirk.

She blushed furiously and quickly yanked the coat off her shoulders. She threw it back at him in embarrassment and exclaimed, “I’m fine! I don’t need your help or anything!”

The Crusader chuckled quietly and put the coat back on. “If you insist.”

“Of course I insist!” The Warden huffed, and then, in an attempt to change the subject away from the embarrassing moment, said “What’s a Pretty Boy like you doing at the Arena right now, anyways?”

The Crusader shrugged and answered, “I was just watching a couple of the matches. There was a Windwalker fighting earlier, and she was really impressive. Her flying was beautiful.”

The Warden felt her heart twist painfully at the words of praise directed at an archer who was not herself. She could practically feel the ring in her quiver weighing her down like lead. His careless praise made her angry, too. Did he not realize how much it hurt?

“Windwalkers are nothing special,” She declared angrily, “Any archer could fly like that if they wanted to!”

The Crusader looked confused and worried at her sudden outburst.

“I didn’t mean any offense,” He said in an attempt to placate her, “Sharpshooters are talented too. I just meant that—”

“In fact, I’ll prove to you that any archer could do it! Just watch, Pretty Boy!”

The Warden was too upset to listen to his words. Completely forgetting about the precious item in her quiver, she crouched down and leapt into the air, her lithe legs propelling her upwards in a wide arch. She was used to a bit of airtime, but acrobats were on a different level. She remembered watching one of them as they tumbled in midair, floating as if they had wings, and decided she would attempt to do that as well. It was simple enough, and maybe then the Crusader would think she was beautiful too.

“Hey, Pretty Girl, be careful!”

As the Warden was starting to twist in midair to try and float, she heard the Crusader call out to her. The nickname suddenly made her very conscious of the fact that he was watching her, and a sudden wave of nerves crashed over her. Her muscles stiffened, and unbeknownst to her, a small glittering item slipped out of the quiver fastened to her leg. With a gasp, the Warden began to plummet out of the air. Her limbs flailed about in an attempt to balance herself and land safely. She ended up hitting the ground hard, her ankle taking the brunt of the impact, causing it to roll and twist in a very unnatural way. With a gasp of pain, she collapsed to the ground, tears welling in the corners of her eyes at the sudden pain shooting up her leg. She clutched at her ankle and winced.

There was suddenly a hand on her trembling shoulder, and she heard the Crusader’s voice asking softly if she was all right. She shook her head fiercely as hers sobs shook her frame more and more strongly. She had just made an idiot out of herself in front of everyone. The Crusader would never think she was beautiful now, and her ankle hurt so much. She just wanted to disappear and cry.

The Crusader cupped one of her cheeks with his hand, brushing away the tears streaking down her face with his thumb and lifting her head to face him. His touch was so gentle, and the way he was looking at her sent the Warden’s heart beating like crazy.

“It’s ok, don’t cry. I’ll take care of you,” He said softly, wiping away the tears that continued to slide down her cheek. The motion of his thumb made her skin tingle. With a slight hiccup, she nodded her head as the Crusader gathered her into his arms and lifted her up bridal style, careful not to agitate her injured ankle. He was warm, and she pressed closer against his chest. She could feel his grip on her tighten ever so slightly at the gesture.

“Don’t cry,” He repeated softly as he carried her away, “You’re prettiest when you’re smiling.”

She breathed out a gasp of laughter through her fading sobs. His words made her heart twist again, this time with affection and yearning. Did he even realize what he was doing to her? Would he ever realize? She gripped his coat and rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Was it her imagination, or was it beating a lot faster than normal…?

 ~~~

“You need to be more careful,” The Crusader said with a soft sigh as he sat down next to her.

They were inside the Crusader’s home now. The Warden was laying down on his couch, draped in a soft blanket with her ankle propped up on a cushion. With a bit of healing magic and care from the Crusader, it was feeling much better. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace nearby, the light dancing around the room and painting everything in a soft orange glow.

“Thank you,” The Warden said quietly, not daring to meet his gaze, “for taking care of me.”

The Crusader smiled down at her and replied, “Always.”

The Warden blushed furiously. He always said things like that so carelessly.

“By the way,” The Crusader said, shifting slightly in his seat, “you dropped something back at the Arena. I picked it up, because I thought you probably wouldn’t want to lose it.”

The Warden wondered what he was talking about, until he dropped the small ring she had bought for him in her hand. She stared down at it without blinking.

“It looks nice,” He said kindly to fill the silence.

The Warden’s stomach swirled with nerves. But, when she thought about what situation she was currently in, alone with the Crusader in his home, she figured there was no better time to give it to him than that very moment. She grabbed his hand and placed the ring on his palm.

“It’s for you,” She said quietly but firmly. “I got it for you. As a gift. It’s not much, but please take it.”

He looked down at the ring in his hand. When he had seen it fall out of the Warden’s quiver, he had felt strange. He was aware of the thought that crossed his mind… who had given it to her? It had bothered him. But to learn that it was a gift meant for him, it made him feel happy. He looked down at it and felt a sense of reassurance.

“Thank you, it’s beautiful,” He said, and then hesitated before adding, “just like you.”

The Warden did not know it was possible to blush so much. She covered her face with her hands and mumbled something that the Crusader could not quite hear.

“Come again?”

“I’m glad you like it!” She squeaked out.

The Crusader chuckled at her bashful behavior. He slid the ring onto his finger before taking the Warden’s hands in his own and softly pulling them away from her face. She was looking up at him with wide eyes. With a smile, he leaned down and placed a gentle, chaste kiss to her lips. The fire crackled as the flames continued to dance, bathing the two of them in an orange glow. She could hear his heartbeat again, and realized that it matched her own. It felt like her heart was soaring as she kissed him back.