Pelagic

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lore before i forget:

just one of many soldiers, Pelagic is considered nothing special. She has no exceptional fighting skills and doesn't possess any magical prowess. She's one in a million--another warrior for Queen Pyxis' great army. Her life is monotonous, but she's okay with it. It's better than being hand-selected by the Queen herself. This all changes one day, though.

She's sent on a seemingly routine mission: go to the underground and check the supply stocks. They've been running short on guards, so a few areas of the kingdom had to be checked routinely instead of closely guarded. She makes her way down to the storage and thinks nothing amiss--that is until she hears the gentle scuttle of claws, sees a short tail disappear behind some huge crates.

Now on high alert, Pelagic drops into stealth-mode and quietly makes her way through the "maze". At some point along the way, she draws out her sword. Held in her steady grip, she marches forward until she sees the gleam of small, bright eyes. She thrusts her sword forward--not to strike--and hears a satisfactory yelp. What bothers her is that whoever had made the voice sounds young.

"Who are you? What are you doing in the [NAME] Clan's supply vault?" she barks out, ignoring her worry.

"S-stay back!" the light voice snaps, fear clear in their voice. To their credit, they seemed to be trying very hard to stay brave. "I--I have friends! Yea! Friends who will, uh, definitely maim you if you t-take.. one step closer with, that, uh... pointy knife a' yours...." Their bravado wanes, and she can now see them back further into the corner they've trapped themselves in.

"I have no choice but to take you to the Queen or the High Guard," Pelagic says, pushing whatever instinct screaming at her to not. In this situation, it's either her or the dragonet, and unfortunately she's rather fond of staying alive.

The youngster looks like it wants to disappear, bright eyes going wide with fear. She tries not to feel regret when she takes them by the claws and drags them out of the storage. She takes them all the way to the barracks, and then to the High Guard's office.

The High Guard, an Imperial named Deimos, looks unimpressed. "Take it to Benthic, he'll take care of the little thief while I notify the Queen of this. She will ultimately decide the dragonet's fate," Deimos sneers, before waving Pelagic off.

She knows better than to ask the High Guard for directions, and instead asks the first solider she sees. Thankfully, they're kind enough to be helpful, and list out where she needs to go. The young dragon still held in her grip, she drags them all the way to a place simply called "the Nursery". She raps her free knuckles on the door three times, then politely stands back.

A spiral comes spinning out of the building, two hatchlings held in his back claws carefully while he hovers. "Oh!" he says. "A new dragonet? Come right in." He sounds slightly out-of-breath, as though he's been wrestling a particularly tough boar. She doesn't question it, only hauls the young dragon inside.

The whole time, the kid has been fighting fruitlessly against her strong grip, but they seem to still in the presence of Benthic. The latter of which quickly places the two hatchlings in some sort of nest before closing a hole-ridden lid over the top. He then briskly makes his way back over, grinning slightly.

"So sorry about that! Those twins are a right handful. They never want to nap on time--but they'll settle down soon. Now! What brings you here besides the obvious," he says, looking at the two of them.

Pelagic goes to speak, but surprisingly is interrupted. "I'm DRAGONFRUIT!" the dragonet yells, wrenching free from the solider when her focus momentarily lapses. "I was jus' tryin' to get some food! It's no fun searchin' the garbage for scraps, all the glossy duskrats or ragamice have already taken the good stuff!" Benthic seems like he's about to try and placate the young dragon, but Dragonfruit apparently isn't done yet.

"Y'see, I was mindin' my own business! I swear! I wasn't hurtin' no one, I just wanted a bite to eat! Yea, yea, no one woulda minded--I bet there's even some to spare--" he continues, but this time Pelagic interrupts the dragonet.

"All food in the [NAME] clan's storage is for the [NAME] clan's benefit. Yes, there is extra, but it is a precaution put in place in case of a shortage. It is not yours to have," she says, the words practiced and said without any true thought. Benthic seems to be holding a particularly practiced neutral look.

Dragonfruit only glares, and this is where the Spiral finally seems to find the chance to interject. "Okay, I'm very sorry that you had to go through that Dragonfruit. You shouldn't have to dig through bins for a meal, but you also shouldn't have stolen. Sadly, this puts you in a very bad situation. The Queen will surely make the final decision of where you'll go... and I can't promise you it's anywhere nice," he says, talking softly, looking the dragonet right in the eye.

Dragonfruit seems to seriously consider what he's done, then looks like he's on the verge of tears. Benthic very quickly gathers the young Tundra into his arms, before looking to Pelagic again. "I do believe you should probably go now, I can handle the situation from here. Thank you," he says, but he seems to have lost whatever friendliness he had.

Pelagic doesn't fight, pushes down the feeling she's done something wrong. She leaves the Nursery without looking back, wondering if her hearts ever felt so heavy before.

uhh wip