Roleplay

---

@Nicolas

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=14721&tab=dragon&did=24926637][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/242689466194460672/242689601913749506/24926637.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=dragon&id=14721&did=125003][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/242689466194460672/242689600340885515/125003.png[/img][/url][/center] [b]"Remind me why we're doing this again, Lia?"[/b] the obsidian-colored male drawled, his tone bored and his bright green eyes taking in the bamboo forest that they had wandered into in a completely uninterested manner. His tail swayed in a lazy manner as he stood tall, his arms clasped behind his back where wings normally would've been, though his were completely missing. He preferred doing jobs in the Shadow lands, since it required less travelling, but he couldn't say no when Dahlia twisted his arm for more serious jobs. And speaking of Dahlia... The female growled low in her throat at the male's tone, moving to whack him with a wing before folding the appendage back against her body. [b]"Because [i]children[/i] have been going missing, Jaf. That's why we're doing this,"[/b] Dahlia snapped, her dark eyes narrowing from the shadows of her hood and hat. [b]"This Clan is scared scaleless and for a good reason. I'm going to do everything in my power to help, and you're reliable in difficult situations."[/b] Jaf scoffed at that but said nothing in response as both Wildclaws moved closer to the outskirts of Hollowsong territory, where the Clan alpha had said they'd be met to discuss this... [i]delicate[/i] situation face-to-face. @/CookieMayhem edit;; WHOOPS YOU TOTALLY DIDN'T SEE THOSE BROKEN IMAGES NOPE

[center][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/233585/23358402.png[/img] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/233585/23358403.png[/img][/center] "I don't think it's a good idea to drag other Clans into this." Chisu mused, his long tail flicking into Carmin's eyes. The Mirror just barely resisted taking a chunk out of the Fae's tail, but she shook the black-speckled dragon off of her head all the same, "Don't be silly. If anyone can help us, it's someone who can provide a new perspective. Maybe they'll spot something that we don't." "Or maybe they're the actual perps, you never know." Chisu pointed out. Carmin chuckled, giving the Fae a smirk, "Oh, yeah, of course. The dragons from across, I dunno, a fair few other territories are coming all the way here just to kidnap our children." Her tone went serious, "Yeah, no. Did you even do any research on them?" Admittedly, Chisu had done absolutely nothing. In fact, their affiliation with the other Clan had been a surprise to him -- Carmin had a stubborn habit of keeping things to the last second. He barred Carmin's way, preventing further progress toward the edge of Clan territory. His frills pressed to his neck and he lashed his tail in frustration, "How could I if I didn't even know them in the first place?" Carmin's four eyes pressured into him, potentially staring right into his soul. Though he knew that it was the Mirror who was in the wrong, it still made Chisu rather uncomfortable. "Yeah. Sorry. Got a little carried away there." [i]Dammit. How does she keep doing this to me?[/i] The Mirror huffed, about to say something when she picked up a scent on the Wind. "Chisu, can you see anything?" Chisu had better vision than the Mirror, so the question was unsurprising. Though it seemed he'd need to get glasses soon enough. He squinted at the horizon where two tallish figures were progressing sluggishly across the flats, "Uh... yeah..." The scent Carmin had picked up grew slightly stronger as the figures drew closer. It was a dusty scent that could roughly be described as burning cobwebs and incense, but that description in itself confused the pair. Still, it had a chance of being their visitors. The Alphas awaited their approach, a sense of pervading dread crawling up their spine. ----- @Nicolas Hope that wasn't too long. I literally collapsed after seeing the post what, six hours ago? Yikes. I suck at sleeping. I also just woke up so there's that too. (v .v)

Weaving through the the bamboo thicket, Jaf's sharp eyes noticed the Mirror and Fae pair first. He murmured something to Dahlia, and both of them angled their direction to make their way towards the other dragons.

Despite the lighthearted tone that Wind lands had, this particular area was tense -- the whole territory was. It felt like the inhabitants were just waiting for an inevitability, and it was enough to put Jaf's teeth on edge. Dahlia, however, was struck more by how melancholy the air of the territory seemed. It was enough to make her wings droop down for a moment before she fixed her posture and pulled them snug to her sides once again.

The Wildclaw pair stopped a respectful distance from the two Wind dragons, both assessing the strangers. Jaf, far taller and ten ways more intimidating, was once again standing at his full, straight-backed height with his hands clasped once more, his sharp gaze fixed on the two dragons before them. Dahlia had crossed her arms upon stopping, and her much softer gaze was flicking between the two of them, trying to figure out which was the one that had sent her the letter. "Ah, Carmin?" she asked finally, directing it towards neither in particular, "The situation you wrote about in the letter sounded... dire. We're here to help, in any way we possibly can."



@/CookieMayhem
That's fine! ^^
btw; whenever I mention that Jaf is standing straight or anything, think of a human standing with their hands behind their back. He also doesn't visibly have any wings what-so-ever either and I wish there was an accent that I could put on him to show that ffff so he's a pretty oddball sort of Wildclaw lol

"Oh, uh, yes. That's me!" The Carmin raced toward the duo at an alarming speed, having gripped her Fae companion by the tail and dragging the helpless creature along with her.
It was obvious that the Mirror was far younger than Alphas typically were, and compared to the Wildclaws, she was only a wisp of cloud in a stormy sky.
"I was the one who sent you that letter, though you'd have probably guessed already." She swallowed her uncertainty, hoping to death that Chisu would lend a word or two.
Yet the Fae's frills were pressed hard to his neck, and he remained silent as he let his eyes wandered over the flats -- most likely to escape the critical gazes of the two strangers. Carmin examined the two dragons herself, though not with a scrutinizing gaze. They were in fact much taller than she was, for she was bipedal as well as still not fully grown. She felt completely meek in their presence, and if things went the wrong way, then it'd be over in seconds.

"Um... yes. Well, so... em..." She give Chisu a harsh whip with her tail, causing the Fae to hiss but come to his senses.
He stumbled over his words for a few seconds, "Uh y-yes. I'm the um... other Alpha. We're a team. I think. I mean, obviously."
He then muttered under his breath and put his face in his claws. Not even Carmin knew that talking to strangers made him feel so vulnerable. She nudged him, but quickly stilled her movement as she came back to attention.

"Well, anyway. First of all, thank you for your aid." She dipped her head in both greeting and gratitude. "As it's customary to do so, I'll introduce us -- my name is Carmin, as you should know." She gestured to the hovering dragon beside her, "And this is Chisu."
She sighed.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, but getting to the point... the situation itself is an awful one indeed. Though it's not particularly our own, hatchlings from neighbouring territories are disappearing with no trace left behind." Her head hung low in self-loathing, "And they're blaming us for it. Though it's not entirely our Clan's fault and-"
Chisu cut her off with a quieting gaze, and the Mirror just stared at the ground and scuffled at the grass weakly.
"On a more informative note," Chisu brightened; he loved feeling important, "It started a couple nights ago on Halloween." The Fae's frills vibrated with frustration, "And ever since, a considerable amount of children have been disappearing as previously stated. Annnn..." He trailed off, "That's... uh, yes, that's it. That's all."
"So... um... what are your names exactly?" Carmin mumbled.
"Seriously?" Chisu snapped in a not-so-quiet whisper.
"It's polite!" She retorted hotly.

---

@Nicolas
That post wasn't too good... but I definitely have some things waiting in the wings for situations.
v .v Sorry about that low quality and length of it. It'll get better.

And I can imagine Jaf without wings -- he looks roughly like a velociraptor with pretty feathers to me. xD Absolutely beautiful!

Jaf's gaze hardened slightly at the stuttering and the general demeanor of both Wind dragons -- he could tell that both of them were young, but that didn't stop the feeling of disdain he had. He stayed silent through all of this, knowing that Dahlia liked to do most the talking since this was her job, and because Jaf did much better with fighting and looking generally intimidating.

Dahlia made a noise at the information she was given, dipping her head so she could stare at the ground, a frown crossing her face as she tapped her sickle-claw against the ground repeatedly, almost like a nervous habit. "So it only recently started, and none of the nearby Clans are responsible... unless they are and are trying to frame you. But why would they steal their own children in that case? Unless they truly have no love for them, but then why draw attention to it?" By this point, Dahlia was murmuring to herself, a paw on her snout as she tapped her claws against her nose.

Jaf, noting that Dahlia hadn't heard Carmin's question because of her own musing, rolled his eyes and answered for her. "I'm Jaf. And she's Dahlia. I'm just here for the intimidation factor," he replied with that same bored drawl as before. "It's only been children that've been taken, then? No dragons that were older than hatchling age have disappeared?"




@/CookieMayhem
As long as I have something to work with, I can usually make a reply xD it's alright!

And yeah, that's pretty much how he looks! At least I got his appearance across cause his looks are actually sorta important to his character xD;

Chisu was trying to take note of Dahlia's unmet babbling, while Carmin, whom was obviously less distracted, frowned, her claws beginning to knead the dirt much like the black cat that lay hidden in her scarf.
"Well... there is one exception..."
She sighed, giving up completely. If she couldn't trust these two Wildclaws to help - who were of an affiliated Clan even! - then who could she have faith in? The Mirror sucked in a breath, her four eyes blinking on different timings, and odd and unnerving malfunction due to the dragoness's stress levels.
"About a month, only one of our Clanmates disappeared. Fantasia, you might know her. She was our songstress, and she had a beautiful voice at that. I'm pretty sure she could rally the entire Clan with just a hum." Though her tone was light, Carmin barely smiled, and her voice darkened considerably, "Well, honestly, she was kind of strange. She didn't really care for singing though she did it, and she was always just a tad kind-of-creepy, but not actual-creepy, y'know? But at this point, we've all pretty much assumed her death since it was a while ago now."

Carmin kept her head low, refusing to even look up. It wasn't Jaf she was intimidated by, but rather her Fae companion's accusing glare that had turned to her. Ignoring this, she continued, "We're not sure if Fantasia has any relation to the kids poofing out of existence though. She had just completely matured into her adult body when she 'left us', but otherwise I can't tell you much else."
The sentence itself felt incomplete, as there was one more thing that may play a part.
But isn't it always just another speculation in the end?

---

@Nicolas

I always write better at nighttime. Huzzah! :P

Yeah, Jaf is the kind of guy that I would imagine to be some kind of black butler. Stern and pointed, and dangerous, but still proper in his ways. Obviously that's not quite his persona, but it still lets me play off of something and makes it easier to picture him! :3

Dahlia quieted her muttering at Carmin spoke, dark Shadow eyes focusing back on the Mirror in front of her. The frown on her face grew and she continued to tap her claws against her muzzle, though in a different rhythm than when she'd started. "A month is a long time. Anything could've happened to her, and the length of time makes me feel like that's unrelated," she said, her posture at-ease but her eyes betraying her racing mind. "It's something to maybe keep in mind, but until other proof shows up, I think we can rule her out."

Jaf flicked his gaze over towards Dahlia, but said nothing in response to that. He knew better than to rule out the dead, even the truly dead, but they had no proof just as she had said. Even if they did, how were they going to go about stopping a ghost? The thought of having to deal with spirits was enough to make his hackles raise in a small grimace of teeth, but the expression was gone off his face as quickly as it showed.

Dahlia sighed slowly, letting her arms fall into a more relaxed pose. "Is there anything around your Clan that might help us figure this out? Any of the surrounding Clans willing to talk to us about this?" she asked, already wondering where this peculiar case was going to lead them. It already had an air of foreboding about it, one strong enough to cause her feathered crest to flare slightly underneath her hood.




@/CookieMayhem
Night always works better for writing, it's weird lol

That's sorta it, yea xD he tends to also be really snarky as well as smooth-talking, but Dahlia chastises him for being mean when she's around while he does so, so he holds his tongue :P

Chisu's frills tensed, the scaly flesh between the small bones stretched as they fanned out in a relatively hostile manner. Carmin gave him a pressing glance, before she gave the two Wildclaws a a shake of the head, "Our neighbours are really hostile because they blame us, it'd be unlikely that they'd even consider the idea." She admitted, diverting her peridot eyes once more. "We have the missing kids' names in our Clan Archives, but we've looked at them so much that our eyes hurt, and there's nothing new there either."

Chisu's tail lashed in annoyance as he lumped himself onto Carmin's head.
"It's not like names are any help anyway." He grunted dismally.
He scanned the edge of the bamboo forest as if looking for something, before he arched his neck in a stretch and folded his butterfly wings again his flanks.
"Well, yeah. There's been a number of children that have disappeared. Different breeds, genders, names, bloodlines... there isn't any sign of a link there either." She frowned. "Well, I suppose you could always ask our Clan Watchguard. She knows everyone whose gone in and out. It just depends if you can get an answer out of her -- "
Chisu cut the Mirror off, "But as far as we know, she hasn't said a word in her life. She's essentially a living statue, except more like a statue than living."

Carmin rolled her eyes at her companion's obscure description, before her four eyes blinked expectantly at the two other dragons, as if awaiting confirmation.

---

@Nicolas

I'll certainly keep Jaf in mind. He has a very unique personality in my book, considering I find it hard to write smooth + snarky characters because the traits are so opposed. I commend your writing of him!

Edit: I spelt snarky as 'snary'. Shoot me. Shoot me now. ;-;
(I pride myself on my English grades. I'm four years ahead in spelling, descriptive writing, vocabulary and grammar! Hooah! >:D Though I don't know how I get away with the descriptive writing part. v .v )

Dahlia shook her head slightly, another sigh escaping her. An unnerving job, missing children, and basically no leads? This was going to be an adventure... She twitched slightly at the scoff she heard from Jaf, turning her head to watch a small sneer cross his face. Frowning, she flared a wing out to whack at him again, looking back towards the expectant Mirror.

"Even if she doesn't speak, she might be able to lead us in the right direction," Dahlia replied, ignoring Jaf's under-breath snarling beside her. "Maybe we'll be able to communicate with her in a different manner than speech. It's worth a shot, especially since we have nothing else to go on right now," she added, lifting a paw to rub her face. She could tell already that this mystery was going to wear her down to the bone.



@/CookieMayhem
Honestly, I do as well; all the "suave" characters I try to write end up being gigantic dorks for some reason lol it's a curse xD I'm really bad at keeping character personalities consistent aha ;___;