Bougainvillea

You have wandered far through the gardens today, into another clearing of dragon homes. This one is interesting in design, with all the houses being built around a stage, rather than a central fire. The stage here seems to take on the same purpose as the fire does in other communities; a place for the dragons to gather together.

On stage, a thorny veilspun belts out a song, with other dragons accompanying him on various percussive instruments. Although many dragons in the garden tend to be eccentric in their own way, you can tell he's in a class of his own. An artist's artist. That's not to say he was bad though. He is clearly a gifted musician. You look around at the houses surrounding the stage and begin to think this is a particularly musical community all together, but you have an idea of which house is his.

One house, made of several small trees twined together, is splattered in a variety of paint colors. Hung around the exterior of the house are multiple small wooden boards, painted with lush green scenes of what appear to be the forest beyond the gardens. Next to the house, a lopsided sculpture of what seems to be the artist himself is in progress. Although his music is stellar, and his painting skills seem to be quite polished, it seems sculpture is a skill in need of some practice.

As you explore, the band seems to finish up, with great applause from the audience and yourself. In a great honor, the lead singer himself notices your interest in his work and invites you to see the inside of his home.

Inside, light drifts in through the gaps between the trees, dust sparkling as it floats through the air and into the sunbeams. The shadows of leaves dance softly on the floor in the warm midday sun. This leads you to notice that the floor itself is actually rather open and empty, save for some small carved pieces and a couple of blankets. The house is just one room, so you wonder where he sleeps or prepares food. He seems to notice your confusion.

"I sleep outside in the crook of the tree just outside. Really, I do most of my daily living outdoors."
"This space is one of performance and practice."

He elaborates, and this is where his band gets together to practice, and sometimes he has friends over to dance.

You leave his space with a sense of community and a deeper appreciation for the arts. You also walk away with a small carving of a dragon he gave you, quite possibly another self portrait, but you didn't want to offend him by asking.