[Gossamer]

The little jewel flower danced happily on her finger. Then when she brought it closer to study, it gave her a long look and leaped just like a little hopping bird would onto her shoulder. There it snuggled in, right next to her ear and tucked protectively into her hair. The blue petals caressed her neck playfully as it answered her. "You see the unseen by looking for it other ways of course! And no thank you. I drink no water. I'm a jewel flower. We drink water from the very air, which is why we can bloom in the desert heat. Don't you think thats clever? We do." A chorus of echos surrounded her feet as she noted the other jewel flowers surging back behind her, trailing her like rats following a pied piper out of a city. One thing was certain. Everyone was really excited to see someone new in the courtyard... at least all the little jewel flowers.

To be honest, it had a hugely fantastical quality to the whole thing... flowers following like children? A lantern that lights the way to a great treasure? Something unseen that the flowers knew about? Nessani took a moment to really look about the courtyard. It was a snug inner undulating shape, protected on all sides by walls. Miss Maisie's building wasn't square. It was made of a sort of adobe that was curved and elegant, with hugely pleasing lines. There were seats staged in small alcoves, one of which she spotted a small mouse sitting on a bench arm, having tea with another mouse and discussing... something quite important without really looking at her.

In another section, tall trees grew up casting shade. A opossums lounged on a thick visible branch, fast asleep. A chipmunk was tickling his nose with a long feather graciously donated by a magpie that was dancing back and forth on one leg and then another on a higher branch. The opossum's paws were filled with a frothy substance that looked a lot like ... whipped cream? Nessani could immediately see what was about to happen. And sure enough... a paw slapped its nose to scratch, got a face full of the cream, and promptly fell out of the tree to disappear below in the thick purple flowers that grew tall beneath the tree. The magpie almost followed, so hard was its laughter.

There were statues aplenty and stone meandering pathways that went from one end of the courtyard to the other, none straight, all curing in elegant lines. There was no lantern to be seen though... only the huge fountain dominating the center with rearing horses dancing upon the water.... the horses had no back legs, only long curved tails like fish.

It was a magical fantastical place.