Neriya

Previous Familiars: Coral Carpenter

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"Wow, uh, that means a lot to me. Pretty good friend? Like, life goals right there."

Being a pretty good friend isn't actually one of my enumerated life goals, but it's definitely one of the best relationship statuses. The other being "successful business partners".

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Neriya fancies herself a creator, which I guess isn't wrong. Her secretive pet projects aren't really money-making schemes though, so most dragons don't see her around much except for the "restaurant" she runs. Does she even run it? Well, using the organization skills she learned in Lightning, she does some of the running, and occasionally does the cooking. Or they're dragons, so sometimes it's just a question of sprinkling something over something raw. She gets paid by the state to do this. Because this is a state-sponsored restaurant. Yes, that state sponsored restaurant. Up to twenty-four hours before a batch of a meal gets fully prepped, residents can say if they're in or out (some default in and some default out). Going by that, the people who decide to chef that day (and make a quick buck doing so) will make the appropriate amount of food out of the huge amounts of Mire food stashed away. It's already food, they just make it efficiently taste a little different from day to day so that it doesn't get too boring. Also, this helps with distribution. Stragglers who didn't order and just come in on a whim can pick up whatever they want from the preserved food stockpiles. Or eat stuff raw. Anyways, the point is that by doing this in bulk, we can save the general population's time and money, and dragons don't actually have to pay for this food. The core food comes from a deal with Kire concerning the use of the Mire, while paying for restaurant upkeep, workers, and other flavorings is funded through taxpayer dollars treasure. So walking in the door, you don't have to pay, and dragons without an income (like kids, or those content without much, or struggling newcomers) are really getting it for free. And because of the efficiency involved, it actually does save money even for taxpayers, as long as they eat there. If they don't, that's fine too? But the food isn't bad, it's just not that interesting.

Greenpod Bloom

Plant

Harvested as a hard-shelled pod, these plants appear to bloom when slow-cooked over a fire.

42

4

Saryeck had spent long time in the Volcanic Vents. She'd been born and raised by the Flamescales there. Though she'd never had an aptitude for any element, she'd been fascinated by the lava, by fire. The transfer of heat, the noise, the light, the melting and vaporizing. But the powerful clan wanted more, expanding their territory, and Saryeck was not trained in anything of that sort. Instead, she became a mage, helping the Flamescales fight the lesser beings, rain down spells from afar, and later, keep control in the new areas. But one day, a few warriors attracted the attention of dragons, and before they knew it, all of dragonkind had learned of the riches to be found in the vents, and they came running. Saryeck, with little choice, joined the defense, but even with all the beastclans and creatures fighting the invaders, they were not powerful enough, and the Flamescales lost ground. With their settlements now hidden, Saryeck was assigned to confront small bands of dragons with a few fellow beastclan members, but she was very scared. Most of her previous missions were large, she was safe. This time, though, the attention of large armies was not to be squandered here. Eventually, the team was ambushed by some dragons who seemed disappointed that they weren't imps, and though Saryeck didn't want to fight, she wanted to flee, to leave, to go away from the single path she'd been slithering down her entire life, she had to fight, to blast magic at the clearly more powerful intruders, because she couldn't go faster than these dragons who could shred her from above and maybe chance would be in their favor despite overwhelming odds so there was no choice.

"We always give a choice."

Her compatriots hissed and scurried away, glad and angry that they'd escaped with their lives. But Saryeck took the offer.