Orestes
(#48000084)
Level 10 Skydancer
Click or tap to view this dragon in Predict Morphology.
Energy: 50/50
This dragon’s natural inborn element is Light.
Male Skydancer
This dragon is hibernating.
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Personal Style
Apparel
Skin
Scene
Measurements
Length
4.71 m
Wingspan
5.06 m
Weight
665.6 kg
Genetics
Stone
Giraffe
Giraffe
Mint
Constellation
Constellation
Cyan
Firefly
Firefly
Hatchday
Breed
Eye Type
Level 10 Skydancer
EXP: 1241 / 27676
STR
4
AGI
5
DEF
4
QCK
9
INT
9
VIT
4
MND
9
Biography
Near-Miss Milestone
Full Palindrome
Bee -> Constellation 10/8/2022, 01:31 FRT
Ripple -> Giraffe [Flash Sale] 3/11/2024, 15:34 FRT
Nighttime in Byzmara was full of sounds, most of them of mercifully indeterminate origin. Still, Orestes supposed that it would be worse if the city were completely quiet. A city like Byzmara was supposed to be unquiet.
Mixed in with the noises was the crowing of a cockatrice, and that was as good an alarm as any. The Skydancer left his nest and went to wash and dress. By the time dawn broke, he was ready to go.
Outside, the nocturnal noises had been replaced by the chatter of guards. Orestes passed a group of them conferring beside a patch of strange, prismatic fluid. Some of the slime was also splashed onto the walls of the alley, though Orestes decided not to see where the trail led.
"Good morning, Captain! Busy night?"
"Yes, Orestes. Good morning." The captain returned his greeting with a solemn nod. Orestes passed him and headed for the nearest cafe. He needed to pick up his breakfast; he'd eat it on his way to work.
By the time he arrived at the couriers' office, work was in full swing. He dodged a Mirror who was zooming away with her cargo and bustled up to the front counter.
"Ah, Orestes! Done signing in?"
Orestes hurriedly gulped down the rest of his breakfast. His supervisor, meanwhile, was already consulting a clipboard. Several ghostly hands writhed around her wings, and with these, she picked up several parcels and arranged them in a large delivery box.
"Thanks, Karst. I'll check back in once I've dropped these off."
The Spiral had already turned away, but one of her ghostly hands gave Orestes a thumbs-up. He grinned back and carefully settled the box between his wings.
His first delivery was to the Commercial District, where he had to surrender a package to a large dragon with glowing eyes. The dragon picked up the package using a long pair of tongs, for which Orestes was grateful—he could feel the heat from the forgemaster's cavernous maw. A moment later, the tongs returned, this time with the signed delivery receipt and a pouch of coins clamped between them. They were still smoking slightly.
"Thank you!" Orestes called out. He heard a deep grunt from inside the forge, and then he turned and went on his way.
Over the next several hours, he delivered parcels all over the city: a sweet-smelling package to a perfumery; a slightly less aromatic package to an alchemist; a small, heavy parcel to this merchant; a lighter, fluffier one to that pet store...
One package went to a plant nursery, where several dragons were wrestling a mass of angrily lashing branches into a greenhouse. Orestes recognized all the warning signs; he quickly passed the package to the lead gardener and had her sign the receipt. He was just hurrying out when a sudden whoomph! from behind knocked him to the ground. Clouds of pollen drifted everywhere.
"That's one strangler pollinated. On to the next!" the lead gardener crowed, followed by groans from her subordinates.
Orestes shook the pollen off. The packages were unharmed, but as the clouds cleared, he saw an unwelcome shape approaching.
"Volker!" The Imperial was banned from the courier system for many, many reasons. That didn't stop him from trying to use it, though.
"Excuse me! Orangutan! Could you make a delivery for me?"
"It's Orestes!" the Skydancer groaned. "And excuse me, Volker, but I'd better get going."
"Come, now, it's just down the street! Surely you could..."
Volker trailed off. He coughed. As he and Orestes watched in disbelief, an enormous blue bubble wobbled out of his left nostril. It popped, leaving the aroma of blueberries...
With a gleeful giggle, a furry shape materialized next to Volker's ear, revolving slowly in the air. The Imperial's eyes bulged. "You!" he gasped, even as more bubbles jetted from his ears.
Orestes broke into a relieved grin. "Thanks, Inverse!"
"Anytime, Ori! Say, I was wondering if—"
"I have to go, but thanks all the same!"
Inverse had been trying to get Orestes to join his "Special ID Crew" for some time now. The Skydancer had always politely declined, and today was no different: He was devoted to his job; it provided all the excitement he wanted.
And it was certainly doing that now. Inverse winked back. "Next time, then?" he chortled, before turning to follow Volker, who was still trailing bubbles from his ears.
~ ~ ~
Like most prudent folks in Byzmara, the couriers didn't operate after dark. By the time Orestes returned to the office, several of his colleagues had already clocked out, though Karst was still hovering behind her desk.
"Excellent! I was afraid you might get caught by nightfall."
In Byzmara, that had a nearly literal meaning, and Orestes returned his supervisor's relieved smile. "I ran into... Lore, I believe their name is."
"The Spiral with several eyes?"
"That's them. They were quite helpful; they delivered the last two packages for me."
Karst nodded. "The receipts landed on my desk a while ago. Thanks for your time, Ori. I'll see you tomorrow."
Nightfall was still some hours away, and Orestes found himself drifting into the Arbor, his favorite coffee shop. He enjoyed excitement, but after a long day of deliveries, a calm, cozy place like this was just what he needed.
The owner, James, knew him well, and Orestes didn't have to wait long for his order to be delivered. He had his usual seat near the counter, so that he and James could chat.
"Welcome back, Orestes. How was your day?"
"Pretty much the same as always." Orestes took a sip of coffee. The dark, bitter drink reinvigorated him, and he found that he could think more clearly now.
"Actually," he recanted, setting the cup down, "the strangest thing happened today."
"It always does."
"No, really. You won't believe this..."
"Try me," James said, and the two of them shared a wry chuckle at the strangeness that passed for everyday life in Byzmara. Orestes grinned again. "Well, it all started when..."
~ written by @Disillusionist
all edits by @After
all edits by @After
Banner by @Vertigris
- courier
- charming, bold, respectful, friendly, gallant
- loves his job, prides himself on prompt, safe deliveries and enjoys interacting with recipients, catching little glimpses of their lives
- no fear of the city, loves its shifting roads and colorful residents and the chance for new adventure at any time
- windy landings and departures [Revali-esque], inexplicably leaves traces of his flowerfalls behind
- combat magic of some sort, because as a courier in Byzmara you kinda need that, but mostly just covers protecting himself and his cargo; he's not much of an offensive fighter
- also some physical skills, stronger than he looks
- if attacked, disables and dodges and is a bit playful/casual about it, tries not to cause harm in most cases, mostly focuses on defense and distance
- respectfully declined an offer to join Inverse's ID group - something something too busy and not sure he'd be of any use anyhow - but is friendly with the members and often waves to them while out on deliveries
- possibly Actual friends with Molybdenum and helps haul him out of his research for snack breaks?
- often enjoys quiet evenings at The Arbor [coffee shop], occasionally chats with James about his deliveries
-
NOTE TO SELF HEY NERD REMEMBER SKYDANCERS CAN DO THIS
"This gem-like orb connects directly to the Skydancer's skull and the delicate antennae surrounding it are sensitive to minute vibrations. This ability allows the species to sense when magical energies are present, and to sense the disposition of other dragons and creatures by the subtle energy given off by their body and state of mind." - Skydancer Encyclopedia
misc courier notes, will move to a better spot later:
- Orestes isn't the only one
- speedy deliveries done by Mirror f who i still have to get
- do not send fragile things with Mirror f
- Big™ packages probably handled by a dedicated pair/trio (how big are they allowed to accept???)
- most orders are within Byzmara, but some couriers (Orestes included) also handle deliveries between Byzmara and Light/Lightning territories. orders with further destinations are passed off to Sornieth couriers at the outpost near the Lonely Gate.
- Byzmaran couriers are actually fairly well-paid due to the risk factor and having to navigate streets that might not be the same route twice and find buildings that might only exist for certain hours each day, etc
- some of the couriers also get good tips (Orestes in particular, for which he's always delighted and grateful)
- Lore likes helping out with deliveries from time to time when the couriers are swamped with orders or have to deliver something ridiculously big; whatever Lore is intended to carry disappears into thin air, but all they say about it is that the package is "in their inventory" and not to worry about it.
- this does not stop other couriers from worrying about it, but they've never gotten word of Lore failing a delivery yet, so.
- Lore also waves to them if they happen to notice them out on deliveries, but mysteriously has a sixth sense for when couriers are happy to chat on the way or if they're in a rush. Lore never wants to make them late, that'd be rude.
- official courier system doesn't do nighttime deliveries in the interest of keeping their couriers safe, but there's probably shady folks willing to deliver For The Right Price
- also prob some sort of underground system made by/for the caplins since they need something a bit more reliable than shady randos
windy boi
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Exalting Orestes to the service of the Stormcatcher will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.
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