Bela

Bela, after being sent from Patera Town's Straggler's Den (NightmareValley's Clan) with one of her brothers, settled in the Dugout, far to the south. Yore, one of the progenitors, saw the two siblings and made an interesting suggestion. That they both become Undertide. Her reasoning being that she was interested in studying Undertide that had once been another species of dragon, and of course, that Undertide were her favorite archeological and draconological discovery in recent years, and so were something of a specialty of hers. Lacking any particular objections, Bela and Sabio both agreed.

Bela, finding little to do in comparison to her brother, became quite bored and thus noticed a lot of improvements that could be made in the poorly populated Dugout. She appointed herself Co-ordinator, the dragon that assigns and recruits workers.

Bela and Sabio, newly Undertide after moving to an archeological Dugout in the Icewarden's domain, take in the sights, both feeling out of their depths in completely different ways.

"I know I said I needed a vacation, but I'm not sure there's going to be much relaxation going on here." Bela says, though she can't help smiling at all the festivities.

Sabio, Bela's brother, nods and squeaks to himself as doing so jostles the bundle of eggs he's got carefully secured. Two new members of Sunset's legacy are only days away from hatching, so he took the opportunity to bring them along.

The final member of their entourage, Bela's plus one, Pixa the Mirror messenger holds up a map to the two Undertide. She peeks out from behind it, with an excited smile.

"Bela, we're on the coast here! You hardly get any chances to swim these days. Not to mention, they've got hot springs. No need to stick around busy spots and socialize too much." Pixa says, speaking quickly enough that it's a little overwhelming.

Sabio snorts. "Looks like you've got your day planned for you for once, Bela. As for me, I think I'll head to the Glittering Library." He spreads his wings and takes off without another word.

"...I wanted to check that out too." Bela tsks.

Pixa snickers. "We can meet up later. I saw that gleam in your eyes, those hot springs are enticing aren't they?"

Bela rolls her eyes fondly. "You want to go as much as I do, Pixa."

Pixa laughs properly this time, "I'll race you there!" She says, crouching into a ready position.

"You're on," Bela says, getting ready to take off.

It's no contest; Pixa is already lazing around in the spring by the time Bela arrives.

Bela and Pixa enjoy sampling the different flavors of fruit drinks available at the hot springs! A pair of brightly-colored aquatic birds seem interested in sampling them, too...

Says Simera - "Careful, once you feed them, they'll remember your face and follow you around all week! You can just shoo them away, they'll take the hint...for a while, at least..."

Bela, Pixa, and Sabio had had a great day relaxing and socializing with many relatives, and by the next morning were energetic and excited, with the atmosphere only heightening that feeling.

They each wished Sunset a bright 'Happy Birthday!' and followed the crowd to the shore.

Pixa graciously took Sabio's eggs to keep them safe while the siblings went treasure hunting.

"I'll be heading into the coral reef, I think," says Bela, "I've never been in one before."

"Those caves sound interesting; plenty of spots to hide things, I'm betting." Sabio says, flexing his fins in anticipation.

"Good luck!" Pixa shouts, as they both dive into the water.

Bela follows Minnow's group to the coral reef, where countless colorful little fish school between endless fields of coral. Though she's stunned by the beautiful view, Bela soon focuses on her task of treasure-hunting!

Sabio, meanwhile, declines the offered lamp and cord to guide his way through the sea caves; he's confident he can navigate just fine by himself, after all, as an Undertide! He winds his way through the narrow tunnels with ease, collecting one doubloon after the other.

That afternoon, the siblings reunite on shore to share their spoils!

The days flew by for Bela, Pixa, and Sabio. Though they didn't get many chances to speak with their relatives, they were happy enough to relax and have fun as their own little group.

Bela found herself swimming more than she ever had before, taking her mind off of her worries. Pixa was always there to meet her when she resurfaced. The two of them became closer friends, and were almost never seen very far from one another. Bela and Pixa had an uproarious time at the feast, each enjoying as much on offer as they could, Bela savoring the oyster chowder, and Pixa loving just about every meaty dish available.

Bela and Pixa watched the fireworks together, in awe of the display. Pixa seems to say something to Bela quietly as the fireworks bloom in the sky, her voice inaudible. Bela is smiling sadly, imagining a bittersweet departure from the reunion already.

They begin their long journey home the morning after, feeling optimistic for the future.

The Dugout, as of early October, is not being properly run on quite a few fronts. Yance and the infrequent visitations of Yore have their own roles and a number of things are being handled on a case by case basis by whoever is closest by without much thought for the future success of the Dugout as a residency and as a archeaological/paleontological site.

That said, I will be the Dugout's Co-ordinator, the one assigning work to current residents as well as scouting for new residents to fulfill roles.

Builder Types. We're looking for strong dragons (breeds such as Guardians, Gaolers, Banescale, Snappers, and Sandsurge come to mind) that have experience with woodworking, stoneworking, heavy lifting, finishing, and other craftsdragons for refinements in the Dugout's living and working spaces.

Census Taker. That is, someone who keeps track of important former and current resident whereabouts, etc. in a summarized manner.

Therapist. Some of our residents have been through some... trying times. It's a no-brainer, really.

Tactician. I know there have been talks among team Pancake about future team compositions specialized toward particular coliseum venues. I figure a team captain/manager type could help refine those ideas.

Trader. Someone who keeps track of items in our vault that are highly valued for trading at Swipp's. It would be helpful to know when we have enough of an item and so have no need to vault more of it. This dragon would also conduct trades between other lairs.

Outflight Shopkeep. This dragon would help run prospective shop(s) for other clans. For example, renting out a Chronicler, a potential hatchery, and so on. They could also help make non-shop advertisements and programs relating to discovered subspecies.

Entomologist. Someone who knows a thing or two about bugs.

Ichthyologist. Fish expert. Not a fisher dragon, a scientist.

Fisher Dragon. On that note, we are in need of a fisher dragon willing to make the trek over the mountains into the depths of the Tundra for sources of freshwater and saltwater forms of seafood.

Botanist. Plant science is also needed!

Lodge Staff.
We're looking for an educational administrator who would schedule seminars, classes, hire teachers, place students, and so on.
We'd like to run a refreshment counter in the lodge, so we need someone to prepare snacks, coffee, tea, etc.
A tour guide is also desired, a dragon that would show new dragon residents and visitors around the sprawling Dugout.

Office Staff.
Dragon Residency Rights documentation is not being especially well considered.
Any others that come to mind will be recorded as needed.

Lecturers. A general invite for any scholar willing to lead classes or seminars. The arts are welcome, as are the sciences. Social studies (species relations, philosophy, etc.) are also appreciated.

Infrastructure.
We lack a general kitchen staff.
Maintenance workers are needed, as glamorous as that is.
Positions for gardener, mushroom cultivator, fish farmer (as in an in-territory cultivator of mollusks and similar), and beekeeper are all open.

Dig Participants.
Archaeologists, paleontologists, geologists, gemologists, and others are invited to the Dugout to... dig.

As more needed jobs become apparent, I will add them here.
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