@Petall Draaaamaaaa!! OK, ngl, I'm kind of a huge sucker for drama, but OUCH. The emotional blows against Karma and Violet in this chapter were just straight-up devastating, especially given what we know of Zeal. I wonder if those two ladies will be able to bond over their mutual irritation of him. And, perhaps their mutual irritation, in the future, of Jett. x'D
@Petall Draaaamaaaa!! OK, ngl, I'm kind of a huge sucker for drama, but OUCH. The emotional blows against Karma and Violet in this chapter were just straight-up devastating, especially given what we know of Zeal. I wonder if those two ladies will be able to bond over their mutual irritation of him. And, perhaps their mutual irritation, in the future, of Jett. x'D
They would make good friends, wouldn't they? Pity they're both so wrapped up in their own little worlds right now.
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[center][b][u]Day 60: Coming and Going[/u][/b]
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Sentence: Writing[/center]
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Khepri wasn't sure when the gem guardian had arrived, but it made for good company. It would break up his work every once in a while, reminding him to eat and drink. It also helped him in his work. He wasn't sure how it did it, but using its fiery hot gem, it seemed to be able to shape anything out of metal. A part of him wondered how he ever got anything done without it. He could get the spirit to form the finer details of his work, while he worked on the heavier projects. They made a good team.
Every so often, his mind would drift to his daughter's visit. Those were the dark days. He tried to avoid it, but he always found his way back there sooner or later, and with it was immense pain. She was the last piece of Nevaeh, and he had driven her away. Yet at the same time, seeing her broke his heart just as much. She was just a reminder of everything that could have been. He could have had a [i]family[/i]. Him and Nevaeh, raising children and building a life together. Now that would never happen, and it was all Khepri's fault.
He was having one of his darker days when his gem guardian pulled him out of his stupor. He suddenly realized that the sword he had been trying to make had been pounded into a flat sheet of misshapen metal. He sighed, and threw it onto his scrap pile. He'd have to reshape that later.
Just as he turned to go back to his work, he realized that he wasn't alone in the forge. His gem guardian was chattering and swooping around a large imperial. it looked expectantly at him, then back at the imperial. Khepri blinked at the newcomer in surprise. It had been so long since anyone had come to visit him, it was hard to know how to react.
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Khepri's eyes were suddenly drawn to a mechanism running down the imperial's back. It was fixed to his spine, as if providing support, and a fiery engine of sorts was fixed by his shoulder. The imperial himself was quite small, probably not yet fully grown, but he seemed hardened and aged, as if he had seen more horrors than most dragons his age.
"Er, hello?" The imperial said in a gruff voice.
"What can I do for you?" Khepri asked, suddenly returning to his senses.
"My name is Webb. Some of my spine is in need or repair," He coughed. "I saw the sign, and figured you could help me. I'm just passing through, but it's been a rough journey, and if my spine malfunctions... Well let's just say it wouldn't be very good."
That was when Khepri noticed that some of the brackets along the spine her bent or missing. From the way Webb was holding himself, he seemed to be in pain. The snapper moved forward to examine the handiwork. It seemed to be holding his spine in place, as if the imperial's back had been damaged. It would have been a fatal injury to most dragons, and Khepri had to double check Webb's vibrant eyes to make sure he wasn't some sort of single-headed emperor.
"I was lucky," Webb sniffed, as if reading Khepri's thoughts.
"Well, we can definitely help with that," Khepri said, moving away from the imperial and back to his forge. "My gem guardian can take care of you, its better with the delicate work."
Webb simply nodded. Khepri couldn't help but feel a spark of appreciation for the imperial. He was a man of few words, as Khepri had become. Perhaps his company would not be as painful as most. Khepri returned to work, starting the sword again from scratch, and for once, it felt like something was shifting.
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When Karma slipped out of her room in the back of The Siren's Call, her mother was already up. There was no sign of Zeal. Seaberry didn't seem bothered. Instead, she was humming a song to herself and darting around the kitchen cooking up a storm. The egg was strapped close to her body. Karma felt her heart break. Her mother seemed so happy, and yet Karma knew it wouldn't last.
"Morning, Mom," Karma said, grabbing a sausage from the pan and nibbling on it. "Where's Zeal."
"He went out early this morning," Seaberry said, smiling to herself and patting the egg. "Said something about wanting to run a few errands for this one. He'll be back before too long."
Karma was doubtful, but she didn't have the heart to break the news to her mom. She didn't want to be the one to shatter her perfect morning. Zeal would shatter the illusion himself soon enough.
"By the way, your friends are here. Table six. They've been waiting for you," Seaberry said, nodding to the door to the main room of the tavern. "Do you want to take their breakfasts out to them?"
Karma didn't say anything, but she scooped up the plates, balancing them along her long body, and flew out to where Pomona and Bonegnasher were sitting. The two of them seemed pretty deep in conversation, but they jumped up and made room for Karma once she arrived.
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"There you are! We've been trying to find you for the past few days! Where have you been?!" Pomona exclaimed.
"I was trying to track my dad," Karma admitted.
"And?" Pomona asked eagerly.
"Well the good news is that I managed to get into the black market, where he's been hiding out. The bad news is I still don't know anything about what's actually going on except that there's a dragon named Thorburn involved," Karma shrugged. "Plus, I found out I'm going to be a 'big sister,' and that my mother's heart is going to be inevitably shattered to pieces because there's no way Zeal's sticking around to be a dad."
"Oh yikes," Bone grimaced. "Sounds like you've had quite the week too."
"What's been up with you guys?" Karma asked, ready to shift the topic.
"Well, I managed to wrangle Scoril into trying to help my dad, but only succeeded in making things worse," Pomona admitted. "But Virtue and I had a pretty good talk and we're going to try to help him somehow, so I guess things maybe worked out?"
"Bailaduel's back," Bone said wearily.
"Is that good or bad?" Karma asked.
"She didn't come back willingly, Coldstorm found her passed out from hunger in the middle of the market district, so we can safely assume she still wants nothing to do with me or her family," Bone sighed.
"Wow, we've all had pretty sucky weeks, haven't we?" Karma laughed. "It almost makes me feel better."
"Cheers to that," Pomona grimaced.
"At least we have each other," Bone pointed out.
"Yeah, thank goodness for that. I don't know what I would do without you both," Karma grinned. "I would have snapped a long time ago."
It felt good to be among friends again. The atmosphere was hardly cheery, but there was a great comfort in knowing that despite whatever was going on in their respective lives, someone had their back. It didn't ease their situations, but it helped knowing that they weren't going through everything alone. The group spent the day together, laughing and crying and just relishing in each other's company.
At the end of the day, as Karma slipped back into her room long after midnight, she heard her mom sobbing from her own room and Karma realized she hadn't seen Zeal return. Taking a deep breath and setting her own issues aside for the moment, she cracked open the door and wrapped herself around the bawling form of her mother. Seaberry in turn wrapped herself around her daughter, holding both Karma and the egg close.
The family fell asleep like that, long bodies tangled up in each other and holding each other close for comfort. As Karma awoke to the sunlight streaming through the window on the noodley forms of both spirals, she realized she had been directing her anger in the wrong place. All this time, she had been irritated at her mother for having such an awful taste in men when she should have been irritated at the awful men who took advantage of her and left her hanging with a broken heart. She couldn't blame her mother for wanting to have the comfort and security of someone who cared about her, not when Bailaduel had left everyone the way she had, not when Seaberry didn't have the same friends and support Karma had.
Cracking a small smile, Karma untangled herself and left her mother to sleep while she moved to the kitchen. This morning, her mother could rest. Karma could take care of things, just this once.
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So, it's time for me to send Zeal off and eagerly await my next traveling dragon! He's been fun, but he's played his part, and now its time for him to go. I enjoyed having him around for multiple updates, and I hope I can fit my next arrival into the plot as easily as I could him.
Also, Webb is my free dragon for September, and I am so so excited about having him!!! [emoji=tundra star size=2]
This part is roughed up, but could be salvaged for its valuable wiring components.
52
Sentence: Writing
Khepri wasn't sure when the gem guardian had arrived, but it made for good company. It would break up his work every once in a while, reminding him to eat and drink. It also helped him in his work. He wasn't sure how it did it, but using its fiery hot gem, it seemed to be able to shape anything out of metal. A part of him wondered how he ever got anything done without it. He could get the spirit to form the finer details of his work, while he worked on the heavier projects. They made a good team.
Every so often, his mind would drift to his daughter's visit. Those were the dark days. He tried to avoid it, but he always found his way back there sooner or later, and with it was immense pain. She was the last piece of Nevaeh, and he had driven her away. Yet at the same time, seeing her broke his heart just as much. She was just a reminder of everything that could have been. He could have had a family. Him and Nevaeh, raising children and building a life together. Now that would never happen, and it was all Khepri's fault.
He was having one of his darker days when his gem guardian pulled him out of his stupor. He suddenly realized that the sword he had been trying to make had been pounded into a flat sheet of misshapen metal. He sighed, and threw it onto his scrap pile. He'd have to reshape that later.
Just as he turned to go back to his work, he realized that he wasn't alone in the forge. His gem guardian was chattering and swooping around a large imperial. it looked expectantly at him, then back at the imperial. Khepri blinked at the newcomer in surprise. It had been so long since anyone had come to visit him, it was hard to know how to react.
Khepri's eyes were suddenly drawn to a mechanism running down the imperial's back. It was fixed to his spine, as if providing support, and a fiery engine of sorts was fixed by his shoulder. The imperial himself was quite small, probably not yet fully grown, but he seemed hardened and aged, as if he had seen more horrors than most dragons his age.
"Er, hello?" The imperial said in a gruff voice.
"What can I do for you?" Khepri asked, suddenly returning to his senses.
"My name is Webb. Some of my spine is in need or repair," He coughed. "I saw the sign, and figured you could help me. I'm just passing through, but it's been a rough journey, and if my spine malfunctions... Well let's just say it wouldn't be very good."
That was when Khepri noticed that some of the brackets along the spine her bent or missing. From the way Webb was holding himself, he seemed to be in pain. The snapper moved forward to examine the handiwork. It seemed to be holding his spine in place, as if the imperial's back had been damaged. It would have been a fatal injury to most dragons, and Khepri had to double check Webb's vibrant eyes to make sure he wasn't some sort of single-headed emperor.
"I was lucky," Webb sniffed, as if reading Khepri's thoughts.
"Well, we can definitely help with that," Khepri said, moving away from the imperial and back to his forge. "My gem guardian can take care of you, its better with the delicate work."
Webb simply nodded. Khepri couldn't help but feel a spark of appreciation for the imperial. He was a man of few words, as Khepri had become. Perhaps his company would not be as painful as most. Khepri returned to work, starting the sword again from scratch, and for once, it felt like something was shifting.
When Karma slipped out of her room in the back of The Siren's Call, her mother was already up. There was no sign of Zeal. Seaberry didn't seem bothered. Instead, she was humming a song to herself and darting around the kitchen cooking up a storm. The egg was strapped close to her body. Karma felt her heart break. Her mother seemed so happy, and yet Karma knew it wouldn't last.
"Morning, Mom," Karma said, grabbing a sausage from the pan and nibbling on it. "Where's Zeal."
"He went out early this morning," Seaberry said, smiling to herself and patting the egg. "Said something about wanting to run a few errands for this one. He'll be back before too long."
Karma was doubtful, but she didn't have the heart to break the news to her mom. She didn't want to be the one to shatter her perfect morning. Zeal would shatter the illusion himself soon enough.
"By the way, your friends are here. Table six. They've been waiting for you," Seaberry said, nodding to the door to the main room of the tavern. "Do you want to take their breakfasts out to them?"
Karma didn't say anything, but she scooped up the plates, balancing them along her long body, and flew out to where Pomona and Bonegnasher were sitting. The two of them seemed pretty deep in conversation, but they jumped up and made room for Karma once she arrived.
"There you are! We've been trying to find you for the past few days! Where have you been?!" Pomona exclaimed.
"I was trying to track my dad," Karma admitted.
"And?" Pomona asked eagerly.
"Well the good news is that I managed to get into the black market, where he's been hiding out. The bad news is I still don't know anything about what's actually going on except that there's a dragon named Thorburn involved," Karma shrugged. "Plus, I found out I'm going to be a 'big sister,' and that my mother's heart is going to be inevitably shattered to pieces because there's no way Zeal's sticking around to be a dad."
"Oh yikes," Bone grimaced. "Sounds like you've had quite the week too."
"What's been up with you guys?" Karma asked, ready to shift the topic.
"Well, I managed to wrangle Scoril into trying to help my dad, but only succeeded in making things worse," Pomona admitted. "But Virtue and I had a pretty good talk and we're going to try to help him somehow, so I guess things maybe worked out?"
"Bailaduel's back," Bone said wearily.
"Is that good or bad?" Karma asked.
"She didn't come back willingly, Coldstorm found her passed out from hunger in the middle of the market district, so we can safely assume she still wants nothing to do with me or her family," Bone sighed.
"Wow, we've all had pretty sucky weeks, haven't we?" Karma laughed. "It almost makes me feel better."
"Cheers to that," Pomona grimaced.
"At least we have each other," Bone pointed out.
"Yeah, thank goodness for that. I don't know what I would do without you both," Karma grinned. "I would have snapped a long time ago."
It felt good to be among friends again. The atmosphere was hardly cheery, but there was a great comfort in knowing that despite whatever was going on in their respective lives, someone had their back. It didn't ease their situations, but it helped knowing that they weren't going through everything alone. The group spent the day together, laughing and crying and just relishing in each other's company.
At the end of the day, as Karma slipped back into her room long after midnight, she heard her mom sobbing from her own room and Karma realized she hadn't seen Zeal return. Taking a deep breath and setting her own issues aside for the moment, she cracked open the door and wrapped herself around the bawling form of her mother. Seaberry in turn wrapped herself around her daughter, holding both Karma and the egg close.
The family fell asleep like that, long bodies tangled up in each other and holding each other close for comfort. As Karma awoke to the sunlight streaming through the window on the noodley forms of both spirals, she realized she had been directing her anger in the wrong place. All this time, she had been irritated at her mother for having such an awful taste in men when she should have been irritated at the awful men who took advantage of her and left her hanging with a broken heart. She couldn't blame her mother for wanting to have the comfort and security of someone who cared about her, not when Bailaduel had left everyone the way she had, not when Seaberry didn't have the same friends and support Karma had.
Cracking a small smile, Karma untangled herself and left her mother to sleep while she moved to the kitchen. This morning, her mother could rest. Karma could take care of things, just this once.
So, it's time for me to send Zeal off and eagerly await my next traveling dragon! He's been fun, but he's played his part, and now its time for him to go. I enjoyed having him around for multiple updates, and I hope I can fit my next arrival into the plot as easily as I could him.
Also, Webb is my free dragon for September, and I am so so excited about having him!!!
Awww.... It's good that when though they haven't had the best role models (barring Bone, his family is great) the younger generation seems to have their hearts in the right place when it comes to supporting their friends and families emotionally! That's really important, sometimes.
Webb is certainly an interesting character! I'm excited to learn more about him! And Khepri could stand to expand his social circle, even if it's just a dragon stopping by for his expertise as a forge-dragon!
Awww.... It's good that when though they haven't had the best role models (barring Bone, his family is great) the younger generation seems to have their hearts in the right place when it comes to supporting their friends and families emotionally! That's really important, sometimes.
Webb is certainly an interesting character! I'm excited to learn more about him! And Khepri could stand to expand his social circle, even if it's just a dragon stopping by for his expertise as a forge-dragon!
Oh wow, Webb is amazing!! I'm so glad Khepri has someone (well, two someones) looking after him now. He could really do with a friend.
Aww Karma and friends have such a great dynamic! Maybe its not all that bad for her, she still has her friends at least.
Yay for commiseration :D And oooh, I like the lore for the Mad Max apparel [emoji=special eyes size=1][emoji=special eyes size=1] It's good that Khepri has a couple of ""friends"" now - maybe that means better healing! I'm really rooting for him!
Yay for commiseration :D And oooh, I like the lore for the Mad Max apparel It's good that Khepri has a couple of ""friends"" now - maybe that means better healing! I'm really rooting for him!
Yeah, it's something I've found to be very important in my own life, especially this past little while, so I think that was subconsciously the inspiration for that particular group dynamic.
Yeah, it's something I've found to be very important in my own life, especially this past little while, so I think that was subconsciously the inspiration for that particular group dynamic.
Yay! Khepri has a whole squad behind him rooting for him now! *looks at Pinkerton and RNG* don't hurt him, he's been through enough
@Petall *siiiiiighs* Webb is [i]gorgeous[/i]. [emoji=guardian love size=1] He's got such pretty colors, and I hope his presence will be good news for Khepri. The guy's climbing out of that hole, but it's such a slow and difficult road.
[i]"Said something about wanting to run a few errands for this one. He'll be back before too long."[/i]
Omg, it's their own version of "He went out to buy cigarettes!" Poor Seaberry. Karma's right -- it's never right to blame the victim. Better to blame the guys or girls who take advantage of those lonely hearts instead. I liked how this scene ended -- it was so quiet, comforting, and hopeful. Seaberry did a great job raising Karma, and it shows! [emoji=coatl happy size=1]
(Out of curiosity, is there an in-lore explanation for how Zeal can leave the Kingdom? Since Bailaduel wasn't able to get away at all.)
@Petall *siiiiiighs* Webb is gorgeous. He's got such pretty colors, and I hope his presence will be good news for Khepri. The guy's climbing out of that hole, but it's such a slow and difficult road.
"Said something about wanting to run a few errands for this one. He'll be back before too long."
Omg, it's their own version of "He went out to buy cigarettes!" Poor Seaberry. Karma's right -- it's never right to blame the victim. Better to blame the guys or girls who take advantage of those lonely hearts instead. I liked how this scene ended -- it was so quiet, comforting, and hopeful. Seaberry did a great job raising Karma, and it shows!
(Out of curiosity, is there an in-lore explanation for how Zeal can leave the Kingdom? Since Bailaduel wasn't able to get away at all.)
Definitely! Growth is what we are about in this pinkerlocke, and part of that growth means setting aside (or redirecting) her own bitterness! Karma is maturing!
The explanation I have is that the kingdom only holds onto those who either harbor a lot of bitterness, or are actively malicious. Bailaduel has experienced a lot of pain in her life, and therefore has a lot of bitterness eating away at her heart. That bitterness and hatred is what stopped her from leaving. (It's why Ulf was able to leave to return Zunde's body, though if he was having a day where he was particularly annoyed at Topaz, that might have stopped him. But all in all, it was a move to restore justice, so that let him through). Zeal, while a jerk, didn't do what he did out of a desire to hurt Seaberry. It was just an passive indifference to her situation and a desire to move onto something else. His actions might be bad enough to get him pulled into the kingdom in the first place, but they aren't strong enough to hold him there. I hope that explanation makes sense?
Definitely! Growth is what we are about in this pinkerlocke, and part of that growth means setting aside (or redirecting) her own bitterness! Karma is maturing!
The explanation I have is that the kingdom only holds onto those who either harbor a lot of bitterness, or are actively malicious. Bailaduel has experienced a lot of pain in her life, and therefore has a lot of bitterness eating away at her heart. That bitterness and hatred is what stopped her from leaving. (It's why Ulf was able to leave to return Zunde's body, though if he was having a day where he was particularly annoyed at Topaz, that might have stopped him. But all in all, it was a move to restore justice, so that let him through). Zeal, while a jerk, didn't do what he did out of a desire to hurt Seaberry. It was just an passive indifference to her situation and a desire to move onto something else. His actions might be bad enough to get him pulled into the kingdom in the first place, but they aren't strong enough to hold him there. I hope that explanation makes sense?
He's got such pretty colors, and I hope his presence will be good news for Khepri. The guy's climbing out of that hole, but it's such a slow and difficult road.
