*Emma walks out from beneath the roots, writing as she walks. The spring winds leave as the Summer heat hits, while the tree thrives, growing out its roots to supply the Oasis with the Mana it needs.*

  Emma: *watching the paper.* I know you’re there. What do you need, buddy?

  *Arthur walks around the corner smiling from ear to ear.*

  Arthur: I wanted to go play out in the sand today.

  *Griffin slowly sneaks toward Emma from behind, playfully.*

  Emma: Okay, I told you. You can’t go without supervision.

  *looks at Arthur.*

  Emma: And GRIFFIN. Has other things he should be focusing on.

  *Griffin walks behind Arthur, and they both make pouting faces.*

  Griffin: But I’m free for the rest of the day.

  Emma: *unimpressed* Really? Okay, well, I still have things to do.

  Lily: Sharpening your blades excessively will lead to a brittle end.

  Emma: *Sighs* Okay. Fine. We’ll stop by the tavern and let Thomas know to tell Kimmy.

  Arthur: Can I steer?*Looks at Griffin*

  Griffin: How about we wait until we get there. Last time I made you a promise I couldn’t keep, Auntie threw me into the lake.

  Dennis: You asked for it.

  Emma: Even Dennis agrees. *Smiles*

  *The five reach a long, open stretch of mostly flat area. They pull up to the edge and hop off. Arthur runs alongside Lily, and Dennis flies overhead as he kneels on the flat surface. He looks down to see the moving sands, which create a kaleidoscope effect.*

  Emma: Don’t go in until we’re ready.

  Arthur: Kay!

  *The “Sands” are a lake of ever-moving sand. While the sand is aerated, it becomes the consistency and density of water, but some pockets open up, creating a whirlpool effect, invisible on the surface. Travelers have found a means to explore this safely by anchoring themselves to the shore. Docile sand “Fish” and rodents roam the area freely, as most predators avoid them due to the constant noise.*

  *Griffin ties off the skiff before walking over to Emma as she helps tie Arthur.*

  Dennis: You know, with you here, I doubt we need to tie him so tightly.

  Emma: Just because I can clear the area doesn’t mean I should.

  Arthur: *small gasp* Are we going to do more of the Sandy explosions?

  Emma: Hopefully not, this area is safe, remember?

  Griffin: Sandy explosion?

  Emma: *Stands* It’s just a wind blast.

  Arthur: Yeah! But it makes sand go *Imitates explosion sound.*

  Emma: Is that the only reason you wanted to come out here?

  Griffin: Actually, that was my doing. I wanted to talk to you about something, but I thought it might be better with fewer prying eyes.

  Emma: I can make a room secure, no problem. Which means you don’t want Kimmy to hear.

  *Griffin hands Emma a familiar book. She looks at it, and emotions rapidly change across her face as she holds back anger, joy, and Sadness. Her grandmother's journal.*

  Emma: *Hesitant and glaring.* How do you have that?

  Griffin: An elf brought it to me about a week ago. They told me not to tell you who.

  *Emma opens the book, and a note rests inside.*

  Griffin: They said you wouldn’t want to see them, but wanted you to have that.

  *Emma opens the note*

  “ Careful outside, the weather isn’t clear. “

  Robin.

  Emma: *Confused* Griffin. I need you to be very careful with your next words.

  *Dennis flies to Griffin as he senses Emma’s bloodlust.*

  Emma: What is Robin to you?

  Griffin: Is that who left it? *Emma nods slowly* They approached me while I was drinking with Haythum. And asked me.

  “Are you the one seeing the Seer?”

  Griffin: I turned to see their eyes, but they wore a mask. I saw a green glow and, for half a moment, thought it was you playing with me. So I turned around and told them to be quiet, and they handed me that before disappearing.

  *Emma calms down and looks at the book, confused.*

  Emma: Robin wouldn’t have… Did they ask you to take me out here?

  Griffin: No! I swear.

  Emma: Your soul tells me everything.

  Emma thinking: It sounds like a threat, but why deliver the journal as well?

  Griffin: Is that good or bad?

  *Emma playfully jabs Griffin.*

  Emma: I’ll be honest, I don’t like being away from home right now. Whoever gave you this is a potential threat to everyone in the Oasis.

  Griffin: Then let’s head back!

  *Arthur looks back, upset as he was about to hop in.*

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Emma: No. Kimmy is safe. I’m just anxious.

  Griffin: But you just said it was extremely dangerous.

  *Emma kisses Griffin before picking up Arthur and hopping into the sands.*

  Griffin: *Looking at Lily* Is she always like this?

  *Lily nods, and he jumps in as well. Lily rests on the skiff while Dennis soars above. Arthur and Emma get sucked into the sands, smiling, and Griffin swims after them. The sands spit out the three one at a time into the open area. Arthur jumps around excitedly before jumping through some cascading curtains of sand. *

  Emma: *Laughs* Come here! We still need to tie you off down here.

  *Arthur runs over, and Emma unties him, attaching the ropes to some hooks stuck randomly in a boulder. Griffin coughs up a bunch of sand as he walks forward.*

  Emma: Close your mouth next time.

  Griffin: *Cough* I did, but a fish hit me in the face on the way in.

  *Emma and Arthur laugh.*

  *Under the sands are pockets of air where nocturnal animals come to sleep. Mounds of sand dotted around the ground hide them as they rest. Arthur makes sure to avoid stepping on them as he runs through a crowded area.*

  Emma: Careful! *Smiles*

  Arthur: I wanna find Zipzip.

  Emma: Okay, but don’t wake up anyone, okay?

  *Arthur returns with a small gerbil with wide paws and a short horn resting on his shoulder, not much smaller than his head. Emma and Griffin had been spending time alone looking at the crystaline stalagtite as they hum softly.*

  Arthur: I found him! *out of breath* He’s old enough now. Does that mean he can come home with us?

  Emma: Buddy, where are you gonna keep him?

  Arthur: He can have my room, and I can sleep in your bed with you.

  Emma: *Shocked* Um, why do I have to share my bed?

  Arthur: Because you share it with Griffin most of the time.

  Griffin: Why not have him stay at my place?

  Emma: Where is he gonna stay? The filing cabinet?

  Griffin: *Offended* No. *Confused* Wait, have you never come over to my place?

  Emma: Whenever you didn’t sleep over, Dennis says you passed out in your office chair.

  Griffin: When we get back, Zipzip included.*Arthur cheers* We’ll go over to my place. You remember the door opposite my office?

  Emma: Yeah, I opened it on my first day, but it was an empty, dark room.

  Griffin: That’s the mud room. It’s something I picked up from the Beastkin.

  Emma: We had them in some of Sylvyndor. But they were used for sanitary places like hospitals.

  Griffin: I hear the Gnomes have taken to them as well as of late.

  *A group of smaller Desert Gerbils wakes up to the noise, and Zipzip hops down, and they all tuck their limbs in as they roll closer to one another. They stop rolling, popping their legs out, and rub cheeks.*

  Arthur: Can we bring him with us then? When we go home?

  Emma: I think that’s a great idea.

  *Zipzip turns and smiles, understanding he turns back to his friends and family, and they all roll around happily before Zipzip rolls back to Arthur. He rolls along Arthur’s tail and lands on his shoulder. Arthur almost falls over but manages to grab the wall.*

  Griffin: Ready for Dennis to lift us out?

  *Arthur and Zipzip nod excitedly.*

  Emma: Hold on tight.

  *Arthur squeezes Zipzip tightly, and soon after, the ropes pull them back to the surface, where they swim back to the shore. Griffin pulls out a couple of water skins, and the two use magic to wash the sand from their bodies. Arthur sits down on the skiff next to Lily with Zipzip in his lap. Lily looks at Zipzip in confusion.*

  Arthur: *Looks down* We don’t have to do that, Zipzip, because we like the sand.

  Lily: We’re taking it home?!

  Emma(TL): Relax, it’s staying with Griffin.

  Dennis: When did I agree to this?

  Griffin: Oh, come now, you fly everywhere. Why would a ground animal be an issue?

  *Arthur looks up, worried about Griffin*

  Griffin: Don’t worry, he’s still coming with us.

  *Arthur looks back down at Zipzip and smiles.*

  Lily: *sarcastic.* Yay…

  Emma(TL): You liked Bubba, what’s the problem with Zipzip?

  Lily: I’ve never liked sand.

  *Emma thinks back to a time when Lily would dip and dive through the sand. She shares the memory with Lily.*

  Lily: *Sigh* Sometimes when you’re asleep, Dennis and I go to their house.

  Emma(TL): Was this before we went through the door together?

  Lily: *Shakes head* No! It’s not that deep, I promise. The first night you two spent together, I decided to take Dennis up on an offer to see their place, and. I may have fallen in love. *Emma gasps* With the pillows! Mmmmmm. They have this big fluffy one that Dennis doesn’t use since he prefers to roost.

  Emma: Ooooooooh. So you’re upset you're losing your sleeping spot, and Dennis is upset because he won’t be able to convince you to keep coming over. That about covers it?

  Dennis and Lily: When you say it out loud, it does sound stupid.

  Arthur: Did Lily and Dennis misbehave?

  Emma: No, I just think they were so caught up in us getting together, they didn’t notice them. Well, Lily didn’t realize.

  *Lily looks at Dennis.*

  Lily: If I gave that impression. Let me be blunt. You look more like something I’d hunt for a snack.

  Dennis: Spirits don’t eat.

  *Emma and Lily speak at the same time.*

  Emma: Lily does.

  Lily: I do.

  Griffin: Yeah, I figured you’d know that since you have a crush on her.

  *Dennis looks at Lily with panic in his eyes before retreating to Griffin.*

  Dennis: I understand the tasty and snack comments now!

  *The elves and spirits laugh, Arthur looks at Emma in confusion before she relays it to him.*

  Arthur:*Pouts* It’s no fun when I can’t hear the jokes.

  Emma: I’m sorry, buddy. *Pats head.*

  *As they enter the mud room, Griffin lights takes out a small piece of firerock and lights the wick of a lantern. Emma looks around the basic room and notices a space for shoes, with different slippers of all different shapes and sizes. Emma smirks as she sees some for what can only be assumed a larger variety of beastkin.*

  Emma: *Playful judging.*Get a lot of. Um, visitors?

  Arthur: They’re Zipzip size!

  *Arthur excitedly puts them on Zipzip, who doesn’t move, standing still, looking forward as if frozen in fear.*

  Griffin: I’ll be honest. Those and another pair were left here.

  Dennis: That explains some of the furniture choices.

  Emma: Did you not get rid of any of the stuff? Oh gods, you're not a hoarder, are you?

  Griffin: What? No! *Sighs* Just come in already.

  *Griffin opens the door and Arthur zooms off, chasing after Lily and Zipzip around the large, lowered living area. A set of stairs leads to an overhang that takes up all but the space above the common area, allowing people above to see the people below, and a thin, opaque sheet rests above, allowing light into the area. In one corner on the bottom floor, there are a couple of different animal beds. Liy lies in the biggest one, watching Arthur and Zipzip run around. Under the stairs is a collection of boxes covered in nets and dust. Lily’s paw prints can be seen in a couple of spots. *

  Emma: *Smiles* I’m noticing a lack of a kitchen.

  Griffin: We couldn’t take the lift because of Zipzip, you think I want to carry my food this far? I just went downstairs to the main kitchen.

  Emma: Yet the five of us struggle to find space sometimes.

  *Griffin steps in front of Emma.*

  Griffin: I mean, why not move in then? We can seal off the tree with more security, and then you can still visit Kimmy and Thomas.

  Emma: Kimmy would kill you for that. You think she’d let me move across town?

  Griffin: Follow me.

  *Griffin leads Emma upstairs, where Griffin's bed is shoved in a corner; the sheets smell dusty.*

  Emma: I guess that proves you haven’t been sleeping here.

  Griffin: Keep coming. This whole floor was a bunch of rooms.

  *Griffin opens a door, and a cloud of sand and dust flies out, causing the elves to cough.*

  Griffin: I’ve no reason for them.

  *Griffin reaches across the hall and lights a lantern before bringing it into the room. A bed, a wardrobe, a night stand, as well as a desk and chair on the opposite end of the room, are all covered in a. Thick. Layer of dust.*

  Emma: I gotta say, this isn’t exactly inviting.

  Griffin: Okay, but let me finish. I have another 4 of these rooms. They’re the bedrooms for the previous mayor and his party before they all retired. The “Bedroom” was set up when I got here because from the hall forward, it was a mess, and I never bothered. Why not have everyone move here?

  *Emma looks around. She makes a small wind current at the tip of her finger to wipe away some of the dust, to reveal, aside from fabrics, that the furniture is stone, with a thin layer of wood to soften the seats and bed. The mattress falls apart due to age.*

  Emma: I’ll tell you what. *Dusts hands.* I’ll go home and talk to everyone about it, and if they all agree, then I’ll come over first thing in the morning.

  Arthur: Are we leaving?

  *Arthur pokes his head from down the hall.*

  Griffin: Just for now, Little Mon.

  Arthur: Auntie, can we have a sleepover? Griff has so much room I can play inside even when it’s dark!

  Emma: *Smiles* Maybe soon. Let’s go say goodnight to Zipzip and Dennis, then we can head home and talk.

  Arthur: ’Kay!