Creative Corner

----- [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2383572/44#post_36543602]Previous[/url][/center] ----- [center][b][u]Chapter 78: Never Enough[/u][/b] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=26649130] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/266492/26649130_350.png[/img] [/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35290001] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/352901/35290001_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "I'm done with this!" Magiere shouted in the face of her mentor. "I know magic, I know what I'm doing, I don't need you anymore!" "Maj, listen-" Lin spoke calmly, as if she were nothing more than a hatchling throwing a tantrum over getting earthworms for dinner. "No Lin, you listen." Magiere snapped, finally releasing a surge of pent-up rage. "I have spend years serving under you, being humiliated, being told I must make it on my own merit. I have been selfless, I have given you this time and I am telling you I am done. I'm done being your morality project, I'm done being told I'm not enough yet, that there's always more to learn because you know what? You and I are very different dragons, and I am not going to turn into another stuck-up rock-headed boring stuffypants like you! I never should have left The Clan of Resting Wings, I never should have left Legba and Duskrunner, I never should have let Eth take everything from me! Because then I knew who I was, and I knew who I wanted to be. I had everything I wanted. And do you know what I have now? Nothing but a handful of magic tricks." "Magiere, I get that you're frustrated-" Lin tried to cut it. "Frustrated? FRUSTRATED? That's an understatement." Magiere rolled her eyes. "Goodbye Lin. We're done." Lin sighed as he watched his apprentice storm off. Maybe he had been a bit busy with Rockbreaker's Ceremony, maybe he should have given her a bit more time. Maybe he had been going too far. He hadn't meant to control her, he simply wanted to show her there was a better way to live than greedily suctioning off of the power of others and that she could earn power on her own merit, power that would last. Perhaps he had been a little scared of her and her energy and wanted to soften her edges. Regardless, he could do nothing but let her go. She had made her choice, and what more could be done? It's not like it was up to him to control her, it was just up to him to teach her what he could. Besides, chances are she'd be back in the morning, eager to learn more. After all, she'd had blowouts like this before, they'd never lasted. Magiere didn't come back the next morning, and Lin was forced to admit he had pushed her too far. [center][img]https://orig00.deviantart.net/e0bf/f/2018/247/7/5/divider_by_cas_a_fras-dcm237t.png[/img] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33201295] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/332013/33201295_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "For me...." The last note of Banella's song filled the dark and empty theatre. She looked out from the stage, trying to imagine an adoring audience, but no matter what she did, she knew the applause would never be enough for her. She had to acknowledge the hard truth, nothing would fill the void left in her heart when her family denied her the crown. She had first run to Leo, hoping the excitement of an affair would give her all he needed and that he could help her get what she wanted. But when it came down to it, she had fled. She hadn't had the guts to actually pull the trigger. Then she built the theatre, hoping fame and acclaim would replace her need for recognition and power, but here she stood in a empty theatre after a show that was half-decent at best. Where would she go from here? Who was the really? The ambitious princess? The vengeful sister? The cowardly lover? The aflluent and mysterious theatre owner? Because Leo was right, those were all personas, characters she had played at one point or another throughout her life. When it came down to it, she was just a lonely wildclaw with nothing left to care for. As this realization plunged into her heart like a knife, she collapsed on the stage in a fit of tears. Banella's body shook as she sobbed, holing her robes to her eyes trying to blot the tears, though more kept coming. She couldn't remember the last time she had really truly cried. She didn't know if she had ever felt such emotion, for all her dramatic airs. "Excuse me." A timid voice spoke from the shadows in the wings. Banella looked up, trying to quickly dab away her tears before she was seen in such an embarrassing situation. "Who's there." Banella rasped, her voice caught up in her throat. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45953399] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/459534/45953399_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "I just wanted to know if you were okay." There was the faint glow of a lantern and Tosha stepped timidly onto the stage, eyeing Banella with cation, as if not sure she should be here. She stopped a short ways away from the weeping wildclaw. "I'm fine." Banella lied, trying to get herself to her feet. She felt so shaky, she wasn't sure if her legs would hold her. After watching her struggle for a bit, pity clear in her golden eyes, Tosha moved to help support her. Her eyes! The sight of their golden glow sparked a thought within Banella. Her clan, her kingdom was gone, yes, but there had been survivors. Hadn't some of Kaladin's circus folk fled from the uprising? One of his illusionists had mentioned something about escaping, she had been the one to bring the news of the fallen kingdom. Then came another wildclaw, Banella hadn't payed him much mind. What had his name been? Logan? Loren? Lorcan? That was it, Lorcan. He had come bearing news of a new light clan, built from the survivors of the rebellion. Banella hadn't given it much thought, after all, her sister's final letter had confirmed her parents death and Leo's letter had confirmed her sister's, but if she really wanted to find out where she fit in and who she really was, maybe she should go back to her roots. "Is there anything I can help with?" Tosha asked, a little awkwardly, as if not sure of her place. "Actually there is. Would you be my guide through the Sunbeam Ruins? I have business to attend to there." ----- [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2383572/45#post_36601629]Next[/url][/center] ----- [center]@CleverDual @Alwaid @zzzhorses @Skyeset @ScrivenerRook @Kizzan @clarax @lilastar @tigressRising @Disillusionist @Aetherstorm @rainphee @RiaFire11[/center] ----- Now it's time for this arc to really get moving! The song Banella was singing was [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUkRoIMyqFo]Never Enough[/url] from The Greates Showman Also, if anyone wants to read some bonus Windkeep Tower stuff, I've been writing responses to the prompts of the Lore Advent Raffle CleverDual and I have been running (even though we can't enter for the prizes) and there are some snippets of different dragons in my clan that I would not normally be able to touch on as easy. You can find links to my submissions here: [LIST] [*] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2566260/7#post_36570633]Flight[/url] [*] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2566260/8#post_36581213]Dream[/url] [/LIST]

@Petall Never enough, never, neveeeeer~ Haha, I had that song stuck in my head throughout this update. Dang, that was a great movie. :D Nice to see Banella and Tosha beginning to get along (I hope), although Lin and Magiere are making me feel a bit concerned.

I read Magiere's bio, and wow, what a ride. She's a complicated character for sure. Sounds like she isn't quite ready to change for the better yet. D:

(Edit: typos XD)

@Disillusionist

It's by far one of my favourite movies! (in case you can't tell by the number of times I've referenced it in my chapter titles lol)

Banella and Tosha definitely both have a lot ahead of them!

Magiere is a personal favourite of mine because of her complexity! She was originally created by my friend @CleverDual and I snagged her after a lair purge and decided to see where she would end up! I'm excited to explore her more this arc!

How cute! I love how this is going.

@rainphee

Thank you!!! :D

----- [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2383572/45#post_36586037]Previous[/url][/center] ----- [center][b][u]Chapter 79: Lorcan[/u][/b] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45953399] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/459534/45953399_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] Tosha hadn't been back to the circus since Kaladin had rejected her, and she had to admit she was a bit nervous to be here again. She hoped the moody Pearlcatcher wouldn't see her, especially as she was here during daylight hours, before the circus was officially open. It was different, being here during the day rather than the dusky twilight. Some of the magic seemed to be gone, and crumpled pamphlets and food wrappers blew over the short grass, obviously no one had made an effort to pick them up yet. "Can I help you?" Tosha turned to see a wildclaw stepping out of one of the nearby pinstripe tents, a curious look in her purple eyes. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=41895746] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/418958/41895746_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "I'm looking for Lorcan." Tosha explained, matching the wildclaw's gaze evenly. To her surprise, the wildclaw's expression was not accusatory, but rather open and pleasant. Maybe Kaladin was the only nasty one here. "Do you know him?" "He's my nephew." The wildclaw told her. "Let me take you to him. My name's Kyra by the way, what's yours?" "Tosha." She responded with a smile of her own as she followed Kyra out of the circus grounds. She led her away from the open platau sprawling out from Windkeep Tower and directed her towards a sheltered growth of bamboo. "Where are we going?" Tosha asked in a hushed voice. "Lorcan and his wife, Lyra, recently had their third nest. He's been spending all of the time he hasn't been practicing here with her." Kyra responded. "Just a heads up before we see him, he doesn't actually have prophetic powers, those are just rumors. I guess I should have old you that sooner, before we trekked all the way out here, it only just occurred to me." "I'm not here for that." Tosha said quickly. "I've just been sent to speak to him about his birth clan." A surprised look crossed Kyra's face, but it was gone in a flash, replaced by amusement. Kyra began to laugh a hearty laugh. "What do you want with Novus Lux? You could have asked me you know? I wasn't born there, but I've been to visit my sister a few times." "Banella sent me to find Lorcan." Tosha explained. "Banella? What do you want with that unnatural creature?" Kyra asked, clearly taken aback. "Seriously kid, run while you can. From what I've heard, she's nothing but a brooding mess who's time has well passed. Mind you, Kaladin's not all that much better a boss, but at least he has a vision for the future." "She's not that bad." Tosha said awkwardly, not sure why she was defending her. Maybe it was because no one else was. "Well, I can't make your life choices for you. You're really set on seeing Lorcan, aren't you?" Kyra asked. Tosha nodded. "Ah well, I'm sure he'll be pleased to meet you! He may put up a mysterious persona for the circus, but behind it all he's one of the biggest cinnamon rolls I know." Kyra laughed. "Well, apart from my cinnamon roll." With that, Kyra led Tosha into the nesting grounds. Through there was bamboo surrounding the smooth hollow, wind still caressed the nests and the eggs within them. There was a guardian helping what was clearly a first-time couple tend to their five eggs, but Kyra walked past them with just a wave and a smile and walked up to an imperial curled up around three eggs and the wildclaw standing at her side, lovingly rubbing his head against hers. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=39708301] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/397084/39708301_350.png[/img] [/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43080299] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/430803/43080299_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "Hey you two, how are the eggs doing?" Kyra said, giving her nephew a punch on the shoulder. "They're great!" Lorcan exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with immense pleasure. "What brings you here? Who is this?" "I'm Tosha. I was wondering if you could tell me about your birth clan, and how to get there." Tosha explained. Lorcan looked surprised, but it wasn't long until his face had split into a huge grin again. "Ah, Novus Lux!" He sighed, a wistful look in his eyes. "I miss that place. Not that I'd move back there." He added quickly. "Lyra's here and I couldn't leave her behind. I still go back to visit my family when I get time off from the circus though." "Why don't you get back to Tosha's question, Lor." Lyra reminded her husband, an amused look in her eyes. "Don't mind him, he gets a bit off topic sometimes. It's quite funny sometimes, the tangents he gets himself on." "Right, Novus Lux." Lorcan said, giving his wife an appreciative nod. "It's not that hard to get to, here, let me draw you a map. Lyra, you wouldn't happen to have a piece of parchment and a pen, would you?" "Do you think I'd leave home without one?" Lyra asked, rolling her eyes and rummaging through her bag. "Here you go. Be careful, those are my good pens." "I'm always careful." Lorcan grinned. He put the parchment down on a nearby rock and began to draw. He stuck his tongue out as he wrote, causing Tosha to laugh. "Hey Lorcan- you know what?" Kyra cut in, clearly about to interrupt her nephew. Then she caught sight of Tosha's amused look and added. "Oh, nevermind." "Hey Nills, can you come here a moment?" Lorcan called to the coatl tending the five egg nest. The coatl looked up and whispered something to the spiral beside him and made his way over to the gathered group of dragons. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46312930] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/463130/46312930_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "What can I do you for?" Nills asked as he approached. "Can you remember which side of the river the guest lodge is?" Lorcan asked. "It's supposed to be there." Nills responded, pointing to a point on the map. "Hey, what are you doing anyways? Why do you have the Oasis all the way over there?" "Is it not supposed to be there?" Lorcan asked, confused. "You have it way too far North." Nills said, shaking his head with a smile. "Would it be better if I drew it? So you don't confuse anyone and send them to the Forum of the Obscured Crescent instead?" "Please, you are so much better at visual stuff than I am." Lorcan said sheepishly, handing over the parchment and pens. Once Nills set to work, Lorcan sidled over to Tosha. "He has photographic memory." He explained in a whisper. "He's also great at envisioning how things should look. He's just good at visuals in general, it's what makes him such a great architect." It took Nills a long time to finish the map. By the time he had finished, it looked more like a blueprint sketch for a clan than a map, but he insisted that at least it would be to scale. "Here's a map of Novus Lux's position within the Sunbeam Ruins, and here's a map of the clan itself." Nills explained. "There are regular merchant ships to Novus Lux, you could probably easily catch a ride there on an airship provided you have ample payment. Many merchant ships accept work in exchange for food and passage aboard their ship. I should know, I've made the trip back home many times over." Tosha held back a laugh, trying to imagine how to tell Banella they'd have to do physical labour to earn passage on a ship. "Thank you, you are all so kind!" She grinned widely, and felt the strong urge to give each and every one of them a hug. "Have a safe trip, and don't let Banella give you a hard time." Kyra told her. "And remember." Lorcan said, suddenly cutting in. "You won't find what you want, but you will find what you need." "Th-thank you." Tosha said, taken aback by the intensity of his statement in comparison to his easy-going demeanor beforehand. "I'll keep that in mind!" "Oh, and be sure to tell us how everything is when you get back!" Lorcan said, his cheery tone returned. "We'd love to hear about your adventures!" ----- [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2383572/45#post_36727974]Next[/url][/center] ----- [center]@CleverDual @Alwaid @zzzhorses @Skyeset @ScrivenerRook @Kizzan @clarax @lilastar @tigressRising @Disillusionist @Aetherstorm @rainphee @RiaFire11[/center] ----- It was so much fun to be able to check back in on Kyra, and to explore some of the newer dragons in my clan. They are such a fun little family. The Amberlyn family isn't the only large family within Windkeep Tower! If you want to read about another member in this family, I wrote a short bit about another one of them [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2566260/10#post_36593502]here[/url]!

@Petall It was great to see Kyra again, and awww, what an adorable update! After the moody atmosphere at Banella's theater, it was fun to see other dragons having fun and generally being fluffy with each other. <3 Congrats on all the eggs!

Also, now I can't help wondering how Banella will wiggle her way past having to do manual labor. xD

@Disillusionist

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I certainly had fun writing these fun and bubbly characters after all the moody Banella updates! (Though those are fun in their own way too!) And thank you! I was especially shocked at my luck with the 5 egg nest, it's my first starmap pair and I almost screamed when I saw what happened!

----- [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2383572/45#post_36601629]Previous[/url][/center] ----- [center][b][u]Chapter 80: Setting Sail[/u][/b] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47233283] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/472333/47233283_350.png[/img] [/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33201295] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/332013/33201295_350.png[/img] [/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45953399] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/459534/45953399_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] "And your quarters are here." Amaryllis explained, glaring at Banella, who was giving a mutinous look in return. Tosha sighed, they were going to be in for a long ride to the Sunbeam Ruins. Trying to ignore the tension between the fae and wildclaw, Tosha set down her bag by one of the two hammocks in the room. She had never slept in a hammock before, but there was a first time for everything. She had to admit that the further she went, the less sure this trip with Banella would turn out well. she was one to try to stay positives, but if the whole trip was going to be a catfight between Amaryllis and Banella, then that was going to make life miserable for Tosha as well. "Thank you." Tosha said, trying in vain to break the tension. "Your first shift as crew will start at sunset." Amaryllis rolled her eyes. "And be warned, just because Cloud has let you on easy doesn't mean I'm going to be easy on you. He may be a big softie, but freeloaders don't run a ship and we've got an important trade route to attend to." With that, the fae left the two to settle in. Banella settled down on a crate, clearly agitated, but trying to keep her composure. "Why don't you get your bearings before your shift starts." Banella said smoothly. [i]My shift?[/i] Tosha bit back an irritated response. She didn't want to upset Banella further. "I think Amaryllis wants both of us." She suggested softly. "If [i]Amaryllis[/i] is going to disrespect me, she's not getting anything from me." Banella said darkly. [i]On your own head be it.[/i] Tosha sighed and made her way up to the deck. Had Banella ever done an honest days work in her life? From what Thornspine had said, it seemed as though she always got others to get her dirty work done for her. She supposed she should have stood up for herself more, but if she wanted to get into the theatre, Banella was her key and from what she had heard, Banella was not a dragon you wanted to get on the bad side of. She could hold a grudge to world's end. No, if Banella wasn't going to work, she was going to face the consequences. ----- [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2383572/46#post_36812872]Next[/url][/center] ----- [center]@CleverDual @Alwaid @zzzhorses @Skyeset @ScrivenerRook @Kizzan @clarax @lilastar @tigressRising @Disillusionist @Aetherstorm @rainphee @RiaFire11[/center] ----- Sorry it took so long to get this next bit up, and that it's so short. After realizing I needed a ship crew, I had to find them and wait for them to grow up and then I got busy. Now we are back on track, and the story will continue! Introducing Amaryllis, the second in command on the trade ship The Comet.

@Petall Gosh, I really need to order more moodboards from you when I have more money. Your work is always amazing. <3

Before reading the chapter, I read Amaryllis' bio, and I have a feeling she won't stand for Banella's skiving. Gonna be interesting to see how Cloud will react to this, but either way, it looks like it'll be an exciting boat ride!