The first time she had ever laid eyes upon him, she had fallen in love. Literally and irrevocably.

It was by a complete coincidence. She had been hunting wolves in the Lost Highlands when she spotted the dragon Utumno hovering above her. In her haste to get away, she hadn't noticed that she was running towards the edge of the hill.

And she promptly fell on something squishy down, down below.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-", she turned to look at her savior…and gaped unabashedly.

She had never seen someone as beautiful as he is in the sunlight, the sun's rays perfectly highlighting the smooth glossy expanse of his dark skin, his tiny wings glittering with every little movement he made. Big black eyes complemented him perfectly, the frown marring his face not ruining his features in any way.

He, on the other hand, thought she looked weird with her gray eyes boring into him, mouth so wide open it could catch a fish, and her hair askew, looking like someone who belonged to an asylum. With that, he turned his back on her - in all his dark sprite glory, of course - muttered "Ugly hag", and swiftly left the scene.

It took a few moments to shake the gaping girl from her stupor. It's a hard thing, after all, when you find someone you literally fall in love with at first sight (platonically speaking, of course.) and even harder still when the said person, I mean sprite, leaves you open-mouthed in the dust.

Undeterred though, by the mean words he left behind ("I will get that sprite", she had proclaimed determinedly), she hopped on her sunbird back to Kaslow City and, after locking herself in her room for two nights and two days, she finally came up with Operation: Catch a Dark Sprite and Make It My Slave – OCADSAMIMS, for short. After scouting Lost Highlands, ("No, I wasn't stalking him, really.") she confirmed that A.) he comes to the Lost Highlands only on Thursdays, and B.) he always roams around the same area. Pulling stuff out from the mess that was her closet, she rounded up all the items she needed –tents, tacks, pens, rope, handcuffs…why are there even handcuffs in here!– and got to work putting her plan into action.

Attempt # 1. Thursday, Lost Highlands. 8:57 a.m.

She had gotten up early to assemble a sprite trap, with the help of a huge basket, a very long stick, rope and a pile of sprite cookies. Attaching a piece of rope on the stick, she propped the basket on top of it, and waited silently in the bushes. The Dark Sprite came at exactly 9 o' clock. True enough, she noticed that he spied the pile of cookies on the ground and was now looking around. Trying to get her timing just right, she waited until the sprite leaned down…and bam! The basket came crashing towards the ground. The girl was just about to start rejoicing when; out from one of the holes in the basket, something small and dark poked. She poked it back. It squeezed itself through and was soon zipping across the desert, leaving a swearing girl and one failed attempt behind.

Attempt # 2.

She was excited. She had been preparing all week for another attempt at catching the elusive dark sprite, going as far as to read up on their cleaning habits. This time however, she was determined that she would not fail. Disguising herself as a kindly old lady, she decided to go as an apple vendor, apples coated with mild sleeping potion. Heading towards the dark sprite, she called out towards him.

"Boy, you wouldn't mind taking a bite of one of my apples, do you?" she croaked, trying to tempt him into biting one. She waved the apples under his nose and he had taken one from the basket, gazing at it in wonder.

And shoved it into her mouth before he ran away, leaving the girl to sway dazedly a few times before slumping into the ground, asleep.

Attempt # 3.

With a clichéd stubbornness, the girl was determined to get her Dark Sprite once and for all. ("Third time's the charm!") She had spent all day at the library reading up about Dark Sprites when suddenly, an idea hit her.

She is a necromancer, so why not just use Magical Shackles?

She berated herself mentally for skipping such an obvious plan. The sleeping potion must've gone to her head. Hurrying towards the Lost Highlands, she crept behind a tree and silently chanted shackling spells. Immediately, magic chains snaked themselves along the dark sprite's body preventing further movement. The sprite resisted against this unknown force, wildly trashing about.

"Don't move," the girl whispered softly, her heart beating like a hammer at her success. "I merely wanted you to be my friend."

"Of all those times you nearly cause me injury, I do not think so," the dark sprite scoffed.

"Please, I beg of you." She had answered, her lips trembling, feeling the sprite's obvious distaste.

The dark sprite's resolve crumbled. He never was any good around crying girls, especially with someone who had stalked him for days. He felt loved.

The girl's personality suddenly changed 180 degrees. "You may call me Wixi, by the way!", she chirped. "And may I have your summoning bells?"

He hesitated for a bit before answering. "Fine. Call me Haros."

AN EPILOGUE (OF SORTS.)

Wixi and Haros were sipping tea (Earl Grey, hint of cinnamon) on the veranda, when Haros suddenly piped up.

"Why go through all those lengths to make me your friend –cough- slave?"

"It's what I do", came the nonchalant reply, accompanied with a careless wave of her hand.

"Well, whatever it was, You do realize that they sell my summoning bells on the Auction House, right?"

He ducked, laughing, as a teacup came whooshing right past his face.

"And you couldn't have told me that sooner?"