The elf and the dwarf were walking along the meadow on a sunny day, when the dwarf asked, “Why are you making so much noise?”
His elf friend hung his head and murmured, “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. This section doesn’t have all its FX applied yet.”
“Ah, so you won’t yet look so superhuman and cool,” nodded the dwarf.
“Superhuman? I think you mean superelf.”
“If I meant that, I would have said that,” retorted the dwarf with a smile.
They soon reached a forest, one of those sudden magnificent woods that appear out of nowhere but fantasy tales. One foot outside the wood: bright sunshine and blue skies. One foot inside the wood: enough dark gloom to make eight-year-olds anxious. And spiders. Maybe. Depending upon the budget.
The elf put up his hand and halted just outside the forest.
“Here you must wait,” he said to the dwarf.
“Oh, one of those rules where only elves may pass?”
“You really think elves look down on everyone else?” asked the elf.
“If the carefully-crafted shoe with wings fits…”
“No, no,” said the elf dismissively, “It’s nothing to do with elves. This is a gated community and it has an HOA. If you don’t sign in at the guest house those ninnies will turn into harpies.”
“Literally?!” asked the dwarf.
The elf looked at him with eyes wide and nodded slowly.
“You don’t want to get on the wrong side of the HOA folks, let me tell you. I once did and it took a long and dangerous quest to the Dark Valley of Law to get them off my backs. But they sure went running when I brought back a barrister ogre!”
“So, uh, what’s the fee to enter?” asked the dwarf.
“What is this day? Oh yes, half off before noon,” said the elf as he set one foot inside the forrest and disappeared from sight immediately even though he was literally one foot further away.
Ah, the FX folks had started their day!