Tinnitus

Tinnitus-she/they
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Uh-oh, looks like this amateur performer wandered a little too far from her home lair (grxndsxn, 437722), and now she's off to see the world! If ever you feel the need to exalt, she'd really appreciate it if you could just return her to the home lair, to the 'Dragons Off To See The World' thread, here, or to the hub if you don't want another dragon in return. Please refrain from exalting her! Important note: Please only trade this dragon on travelling dragon threads, as opposed to places such as the Auction House. Tinnitus would like to receive a permanent home someday, so if you'd like to adopt her after she's been travelling long enough, just let her owner know! Owners I've Had: grxndsxn JulyAphelion Satirates xlMidnightRoslx UnknownConcept LittleParade Sweetbean Jaakisaur

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Being one of the children of CircusTent, a famed former travelling dragon, Tinnitus has always wanted to do one of her mother's favorite things; performing. Unfortunately, Tinnitus isn't that great at it so far.

She received some advice from her older sister Jasmine, and decided that now was the time to go out on her own.

Her sister Bug was sad to see her leave, but Tinnitus hoped she'd return someday.

---

Tinnitus traveled far, finding herself without much sense of direction. She found herself deep in The Hewn City. Everything around her was dark and dreary, plants coming out of the ground lightly touching along her body, making her jump often. She flew for hours it seemed before coming across what seemed to be a broken-down cemetery.

She wandered, the silence surrounding her. It was too quiet, she noticed. Not even her footsteps would make noise. Shadows danced at the edges of her vision, shapes taking place to look like other dragons. She turned violently, looking behind her, something was here, she heard it. Frantically searching around her, seeing nothing but brown shriveled plants and tombstones.

She turned to keep going through this land, coming nose to nose with the skeletal face of a pearlcatcher.

"AHHH," Tinnitus predictably screamed.

"Keep it down, you don't want to wake the others," the pearlcatcher sternly whispered to the frightened spiral. "Listen to me and listen hard, you need to leave, leave before the others come for you, or even worse Flare and Marcella themselves find you."

"What are you going on about man? Who are you?"

"They call me Bonekeeper, but I am unimportant. Please take her and leave."

Her, you found out, was a pink and yellow unconcious coatl that this "Bonekeeper" was making move through some unsightly form of magic. The pearl was making the coatl move in a way you'd move a puppet on strings. Jerkily moving her legs and wings, head laying limply to the side. Tinnitus weighed her current options, leave by herself and leave another dragon behind to possibly die, or try and carry this other dragon out of this ungodly place.

In the end, she took the coatl, she later learned was named Issala, with her and flew as far from the graveyard as she could until she couldn't fly any longer.

---

Satirates


Tinnitus could no longer fly. Never has she felt such pain in her wings before. She realized that, if she continued like this, she would rush with her new companion in a fall of several hundred meters.

'' Why do Coals have to be so big! '' She thought bitterly ''And so heavy!''

But she can't stop. Not until she has found a safe place to land. As she began to lose hope, a portal opened before her. Panicked, she walked through it without taking the time to think twice. As the world in front of her suddenly turned completely green, she felt herself hit the ground. It was in great pain that she passed out.


Tinnitus woke up what seemed to her only moments later to the sound of a scream. The young Coalts she had saved seemed determined to complete her wounds which she could already feel blossoming under her scales. For the sake of survival, Tinnitus let her go.

The Coatl looked scared as she asked where she was. Sadly, that wasn't a question Tinnitus could answer. Honestly, she had no idea.

But as the silence between them settled down, she had a good look at Issala. The dragoness had beautiful colors that glistened in the sun. Tinnitus couldn't help but think that she was gorgeous.


However, she was surprised to see such a magnificent dragon traveling through such desolate lands. Where did she come from? What is its history? Tinnitus is curious to know more about this mysterious traveler. She then asked him to travel by her side for a while. After some deliberation, Issala agreed.


If she weren't so exhausted, Tinnitus might have flown of joy!

She has a new friend.

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TruthseekerSky6

Deep in the Shifting Expanse, snow fell in eddies from the lightning-streaked sky.

“It isn’t safe out there,” Tinnitus warned Issala, who was looking out the window. “Everyone told us to stay inside.” She was quite concerned for her new friend, even if they had only met recently—Issala seemed quite the sharp dragon, although she always seemed awkward around other dragons.

Issala continued to stare out the window at the white flecks softly drifting down.

“The magic,” the Coatl said, so quietly Tinnitus almost didn’t hear her, “it feels... strange.”

Tinnitus stared at her, a slight frown on her face. What... she thought as Issala turned and slipped into her bed. Tinnitus was not an ice dragon by any means, but she knew that snowy weather was not supposed to reach the Shifting Expanse.

Tinnitus was about to settle down in her own bed when her companion’s head jerked up. The Coatl’s eyes looked... off, as if they were glazed over. Issala stood up and started her way toward the room door.

The Spiral looked at her. “What’s going on, Issala?” The Coatl ignored her, opening the door and slipping past. “Issala?”

Something very, very strange was going on with her friend. It made Tinnitus want to twist herself into knots in agitation and worry, but she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slithered after Issala.

She made her way past the open door of the room, down a hall, and into the entrance, where Jill was yelling at Issala, who had opened the exit; snow gusted into the inn, the wind screaming outside. “Come to your senses!” the Nocturne shouted. “The weather, it’s still too dangerous to venture out!”

Issala shoved past Jill, and slammed the door behind her. The snowflakes settled on the ground, the wind’s cry subsided to a whisper.

Silence.

Then Jill shook her head. “By all the gods, that dragon,” she murmured. “What was she thinking... Fighter’s gonna kill me.” She glanced over at Tinnitus, as if noticing her for the first time, and raised a brow. “You’re the Coatl’s companion, right?”

Tinnitus noticed, for the first time, her breath misting the air. She was shivering as well, her wings tucked close to her. “Um, yes,” she said. Now that she thought about it, it was cold, very cold. Was the ventilation working properly?

The Nocturne said, “I think it’s best if you head back to your room. I’m heading out to search for your friend.” She slipped out the door.

After Tinnitus had returned to her hotel room, she had trouble falling asleep; for the rest of the night she simply stared at the metal-bolted ceiling as the hours ticked by, her coils twisted up painfully as she thought of Issala.

Next morning, Jill stopped by her room, informing her that the snowfall had erased Issala’s scent and footprints, making her impossible to track. She reassured her that the clan was searching for the Coatl. Tinnitus felt her heart sink, knowing the odds of them finding Issala were nigh impossible. Where had her friend gone? Would she ever see her again? Was Issala even alive?

As the Spiral looked out the window at the thinning snow, much as her Coatl companion had done last night, she made herself a solemn promise: one day, she would find her friend. No matter how long it took, no matter how much she had to travel Sornieth, she would reunite with Issala. And somehow, in her heart of hearts, she knew it would happen... one day, she would see Issala again.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

---

UnknownConcept
Tinnitus sat across a table in the not-so spacious lobby of the Adventurers' Guild located in Riftwist Town. Her travels had brought her to the Ashfall Waste in hopes that she'd catch a glimpse of where Issala had gone; but the harsh heat and ashy, arid dust in the air of Fire's territory had wore her down. She encountered a small group of adventurers during the time she had been wandering the Waste, and they brought her to the guild where she currently sat.

One of the adventurers, a Gaoler by the name of Olhaza, was leaning against the table on the side opposite of her. His companions had left to report to the guild master. "So..." he spoke, tapping one claw against the top of the table. "You're looking for someone?"

Tinnitus nodded her head, "I lost a dear friend to the storms in the Shifting Expanse," she answered, "I was traveling in hopes I'd find them. A shining red Coatl with a yellow pattern. Have you--"

Olhaza waved a paw to interrupt her question. "No." He replied flatly, "we've been hunting a Hydra. Frankly, you're the first dragon we've seen since offing that beast. Made a whole mess of the traveling roads so everyone's been taking the longer routes."

Tinnitus felt a flush of frustration on her face and she couldn't help but start to fidget and twist around. This caused the Gaoler to sigh heavily.

"But," he spoke, "I'm an excellent tracker and so are many others here. You're more than welcome to commission the Adventurers' Guild. I'm sure my group or another would be more than happy to take on that job. How much could you pay?"

Pay? Tinnitus felt her building hope fall once more. "Nothing?" she answered honestly, a bit unsure of herself. Traveling so far hadn't given much opportunity to earn reliable wages. Most other clans had been welcoming without any sense of greed.

The Gaoler laughed, "I can relate to that! Unfortunately, there's only one dragon in my group that'd be keen to take on a charity case and we veto her three to one. Sorry kid," he shrugged, "but maybe if you hang around here and tell a good sob story someone'll take you up on it."

Tinnitus couldn't help but feel a bit irritated at Olhaza's demeanor. Not that he declined to help her but that he'd make light of the sorrow she still felt whenever she thought of Issala lost and alone. "I'm a traveler," she replied with a grimace, "not a storyteller. I'm not going to waste time waiting around here."

The conversation wrapped up at that point and Tinnitus curtly thanked Olhaza for his time and for bringing her to a safer place to rest. She made her way to the inn across from the guild building and stayed one night before setting off once more. She glided out of the portal to Riftwist Town and back into the blackened landscape of the Ashfall Waste. The warm winds carried her wings and she flew off toward a new, uncertain destination with a still heavy heart.

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LittleParade

Tinnitus had not even noticed when her wings carried her across the border and into the Shifting Expanse, until she began feeling the sting of static in the air. She'd been flying for several days, not able to get her mind off of her friend, Issala, and why she would've left the way she did: abruptly, suddenly, and without reason. The static grew stronger the further into the territory she flew, forcing her to fly closer to the ground. After spotting a large plateau to take a rest, Tinnitus carefully landed and flopped over, exhausted from the journey.

"Lass, this is no rest stop."
Tinnitus' head shot up, and a very large, imposing Imperial stood above her. He was jet black with orange splotches across his body, wore armor and kept his claws on the hilt of his blade. This was Takasa's greatest warrior and captain of the guard, Showa.
"You've entered Takasa territory, state your purpose."
Tinnitus gathered herself and took a breath.
"I'm a traveler, and I'm also searching for my friend, Issala! You wouldn't happen to know of any places to stay around here?"
He scanned her quickly for any potential threats to his clan, and then pointed behind him toward another, slightly covered plateau.
"Takasa extends to you a place to stay, the Egress. Dragons on this plateau come and go, and the area is always guarded. For the time being, you'll be safe there. Tell them Showa sent you."

Tinnitus could barely fly straight she was so tired, and almost missed the landing entirely. After sloppily landing at what she assumed was the big rock Showa pointed at, another dragon greeted her. He had many eyes, and looked as if his body was made up of a bunch of purple galaxies.
"Who sent you?" He asked, keeping his guard up.
"Showa sent me here, he said this was the Egress?"
The Veilspun nodded, "right, welcome to the Egress. Our clan receives many visitors, so the Kuraiji dedicated this platform to any visitors to come and go, while also living outside the clan itself. It's safer that way, and relinquishes that responsibility from the Eiji. One less thing they have to worry about."
Kuraiji? Eiji? What the heck is this guy saying?
"I'm Menulis, and I'll be guarding the Egress for the next few days. Best behave while you're here, or the Eiji will have you out of here in no time."
What a welcome party, and now that he's finally gone, Tinnitus can try and get some sleep. She picks a vacant nest and tuckers in for the night.

After a long needed rest, Tinnitus stretches her long, noodly body, slowly getting her mind off her lost friend. For now, she just needs to focus on getting her strength back up to continue traveling. Looking around, the Egress was actually a highly populated hunk of rock. Dragons of all shapes and sizes were gathered here, and a marketplace rested on the far side of the platform. Tinnitus walked over on foot, giving her wings a break.
Plenty of vendors and patrons walking across the large area, almost in perfect unison. No one was bumping into anybody else, or holding up traffic, as if everyone there was a part of a well oiled machine.
That's Lightning Flight for you, Tinnitus thought to herself.
Unsure when to step into the fray, and where, she wasn't sure if there would ever be an opportunity to join the crowd. In that moment, a young, warm toned dragon exited the crowd and wound up in front of Tinnitus.
"Oh hello there."
Her voice was melodic, and she beamed a bright smile.
"You're just visiting right? I bet this looks a bit confusing," the Veilspun laughed, and stood next to Tinnitus.
"Just a little bit, I came to grab a few things before I head back out, but..."
"No worries, I totally get it! I'm originally not from here either, so it took some getting used to for me as well! Here, stick close behind me, I'll lead you through!"
Tinnitus did as she was told, and tried not to hesitate when she started moving back into the crowd. The time seemed to fly right by within the hoard of dragons, and after some time, both dragons made it back out, with supplies in tow.
The Veil handed the bag of goodies to Tinnitus, "Hope that's everything you needed, and I covered it for you!"
Tinnitus didn't even know what to say. It had been a while since she experienced this level of hospitality from a clan much less a single dragon. She didn't even know this dragon's name.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it..."
The Veil extended her claws, "Akae, a pleasure."
The spiral shook Akae's claws warmly, grinning, "Tinnitus."
Akae dipped her head and waved, "It was nice meeting you, Tinnitus! Safe travels, and good luck finding your friend!"

With that, Akae headed off towards her clan, and Tinnitus turned back towards the Charged Barrens. She wished she could stay longer, but she could hear her friend's voice in her head, and while she tried her best to ignore it for a while, she couldn't do it forever. With a swift billowing of her wings, Tinnitus was back into the air, on her way to her next destination.

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