Creative Corner

@willowoak
It's less that the curse is poisoning people (like, just being around Oti is poisoning people) than that the Lady (yes, that's her name for all intents and purposes right now) is really sneakily poisoning her guards. Zanica doesn't pull guard duty, so, no, she's not being poisoned. Sengar's solution is a viable one. Until she finds some other trick to pull. She doesn't like being locked up. And, while Zahira doesn't realize it (neither does Oti), the Lady influenced Oti to influence Zahira to get pregnant again. She's hoping for a true Heir now that Zahira's a SD, and a Nocturne child is more likely.

I'm glad you like them!

@Moonlitmage

Yay, the crossover from their POV! I really love how you have your SD's sense emotions and use their gifts. Also, Zahira and Oti's kids look cute, specifically the SD boy, but now I'm worried about them since the eldest also has the Curse. I hope Lemsiel figures it out before something awful happens to Asimov's siblings. Also, I feel like telling Malari not to leave the Shade gem anywhere anyone has the remote possibility of getting it because from what I know usually happens when you seal great evil away, it finds a way to get out, and I don't want the Shade being unleashed on her clan.

@Violetah
Neat, huh?
I'm glad you like them, the SD boy IS really handsome. I like Absinthe, too. And I LOVE the fact that the heir is HIDEOUS (at least from my pov)XD
And yeah. There's gonna be problems from that gem yet, I'm sure. Malari is absolutely certain that she has it tucked away good and proper....which, of course, means that it has to get out at some point. XD

Chapter 56: Lessons and Meetings [item=Shed Fuschia Scale][item=White Pawn][item=Cindershroom][item=Sardines][item=Sea Fae] @VoxxVoleur @Leopardmask @luckgandor @Ximena @Galaxy99 @tigressRising @Ezmara @Solaristigres @Violetah @Willowoak @CatsAndMaths @Silverhame Bentar was more than a little amused to realize that he had not one student in Coatl lessons but two. Luckymint, as unofficial Teacher of hatchlings and newcomers, came to his quarters early in the morning following Kyndall's awakening. Since he refused to interrupt his day [i]twice[/i] to teach a pair of silly Skydancers to hum, the three of them quickly settled on the dawn hour for lessons. After the language lesson, Bentar would go and find Pebble. He was tired of not plying his trade, and he and the stonesmith were working on mining him a smithy on the lower level of the Lair. Instead of melting the stone away as she had when traveling, she cut it into neat cubes that could be stacked elsewhere, in case, she said, they ever got a sculptor. He helped her move them to a newly excavated Hoardroom, just for that. The dirt the Tundras had taken from the new Hoard was taken upstairs to grow plants for Viruk's familiar rooms or topside for Kesi's gardens. While they were busy getting that to Bentar's exacting standards, Luckymint and Absinthe would practice Coatl with one another for a time, then go their own ways. Luckymint to her office, Absinthe to collect her squadmates. Elanee and Kesi were always ready for her, though occasionally Elanee would be annoyed at her timing. She never said why, though. They would fly down to the coast to the promontory where they met the Maren girl, called something that sounded like a cross between whale song and gull calls, but the Maren took a liking to the word 'huntress,' so she let them call her that. Perhaps twice a week, Absinthe and Huntress would practice Maren. On the days when Huntress wasn't in their section of the Sea, they would head back to the north, toward Shadowlands some days, toward the Rotrock Rim on others. Serthis were hard to approach, despite her knowing their culture the best...or perhaps because of it. Ilon and the others had told her a lot about Serthis culture and it was, to say the least, cut-throat. The Talonok were too strange and different, too hard to read, though she watched. Elanee and Kesi didn't like that part, because she went alone. Far easier to hide herself than herself [i]and[/i] two giant Guardians. So her first approach was the Centaurs of the Shadowlands. She watched one Herd for a good long while before she even tried to get near. And, despite her squadmates' objections, she approached the encampment alone, though they were within sight. Absinthe approached within easy bowshot of the nearest pine lodge, then sat, setting her two bags aside. From one she took wood she had collected in the Plaguelands, as well as rocks obviously not from the immediate area and worked quietly to build a small fire. She didn't look up when the first tinge of curiosity and alarm went through the Centaurs. She knew a trio of archers were watching her, but still didn't look up. Instead, she set a tripod above the fire and hung a small pot over it. She filled it with water and added vegetables, herbs and fish. With that simmering, she opened the other bag and shook out a well-made blanket. She laid out bowls and utensils, enough for herself and three others, a small white packet, a pot with a lush green shrub growing from it (how Lemsiel had enchanted the bag so that the plant would fit and not get crushed was beyond Absinthe, but she was grateful), and a bowl made of emerald, ruby and sapphire, smoothed and melded together by Pebble's magic. It had taken quite some time to get [i]that[/i] exactly as she wanted it. All that done, she sat at her place at the blanket, folded her forepaws and her head and waited. She moved only to occasionally stir the brewing stew, then returned to her position. Kesi and Elanee got antsier as time stretched, but they kept to the distance she had insisted on. When the stew was edible, Absinthe ladled out four bowls of the stew and returned to her waiting pose. Confusion and curiosity warred with anger and suspicion in the Centaurs. Finally, one presence drew up to her blanket, and she looked up a long way a huge Centaur, the largest she had ever seen, half again taller than Koran at home. [u]"You know our courtesies remarkably well, for a [i]dragon[/i]."[/u] She couldn't tell whether it was anger or amusement from his voice, but her other senses told Absinthe that it was really a bit of both. [color=#36B507][u]"I have had the honor to read a treatise on your culture,"[/u][/color] she replied, bowing her head to him before rising to stand. [color=#36B507][u]"As I am honored to speak with you, and to look upon your enclave."[/u][/color] [u]"Your treatise was not very good,"[/u] the Centaur replied, stamping a forehoof in emphasis. [color=#36B507][u]"Please tell me why you think so,"[/u][/color] Absinthe replied politely. [u]"We do not treat or trade with [i]dragons[/i],"[/u] he said, a wealth of scorn in the last word. [color=#36B507][u]"But once you did. Once there were treaties, alliances. Trade routes."[/u][/color] [u]"No longer. Not with this Herd."[/u] He turned to leave, but paused when she called. [color=#36B507][u]"May I say one thing more?"[/u][/color] He turned back to her, eyes cool and distant, arms crossed over his blue sash and weapons belt. [color=#36B507][u]"Please think what dishonor it would be for me to return to my Clan with these things meant as gifts. Take them in good faith, and perhaps we might meet and speak again. Not to treat or trade, but only to speak."[/color][/u] After a long moment, he looked down at the things laid out on the blanket. She reached down and picked up the bowl of stew she had set for herself, and sipped at it in seeming idleness as he stared down at the blanket. After another long moment, she set the bowl down (the fishy taste was making her a little sick to her stomach, but she had read (and observed) that the Centaurs liked fish). [color=#36B507][u]"I know the weaving is not up to the standards of the Centaur people,"[/u][/color] she commented, brushing her hand along the blanket's edge. [color=#36B507][u]"But we think it pretty, and it came all the way from the Southern Ice Fields. The bowls are copper, except this one, which is wrought of gems by our stonesmith."[/color] [u]"And the plant?"[/u] he asked, his curiosity out weighing his disdain when she was silent for a moment. She smiled and ducked her head. [color=#36B507][u]"Ah, that. A Sapling in our Clan and our Plague researchers found this plant deep in Plague territory, near the Rotrock Rim. They say that it has been proven to cure a disease in the Centaurs allied with a friendly Clan deeper in the Shadowlands. We thought perhaps your Herd might have a similar disease, and that you might appreciate the cure."[/color][/u] [u]"And what disease do you think this cures?"[/u] He was disdainful again. [color=#36B507][u]"Our allies in the Shadowlands say the Centaurs they know call it 'Soft Hoof Foundering.'"[/u][/color] She said it in an offhand way, but she was rewarded when his interest piqued. She got up and put a lid on the pot of stew, then set it carefully in a woven reed carrier, then locked it so that it wouldn't spill. She folded up the tripod and put the fire out with a special powder that Bentar had given her for just that purpose. It not only put out the fire but cooled the stones, and she put them all carefully back into her bag, then scooped the ashes into a sealed bag. All that would be left once the blanket and other gifts were taken would be a small circle of scrapped earth. [color=#36B507][u]"But perhaps you have no need of it. I could take it back, despite the dishonor."[/u][/color] [u]"You are polite enough,"[/u] he replied, putting a hoof to the blanket. [u]"It would be a shame for that courtesy to be rewarded with dishonor. You may leave the gifts. I will tell my Herdmaster of your courtesy."[/u] For the first time, Absinthe laughed and met the Centaur's eyes. He raised his brows, startled at the laugh. [color=#36B507][u]"You forget that I have read about your culture. I know the marks upon your sash, [i]Herdmaster."[/i][/u][/color] He grinned, a sudden, swift and fleeting expression, though the emotion behind it was lasting. [u]"It is intriguing to have a partner who knows how to spar with something other than a sword."[/u] He pawed at the ground with a hind hoof for a moment, then shrugged. [u]"Tell [i]your[/i] Herdmaster that you may return here to speak with me or mine. [i]Only[/i] to speak."[/u] [color=#36B507][u]"You honor me, Herdmaster,"[/u][/color] Absinthe replied, well pleased. [u]"If they can behave as well as you, your two shadows can attend the next meeting,"[/u] he added, flicking his tail toward where Elanee and Kesi waited in the distance. [color=#36B507][u]"The brighter one is not as polite as I,"[/u][/color] the Skydancer replied, smothering a smile. [color=#36B507][u]"But neither speaks Centaur even so well as do I, so hopefully she will hold her tongue."[/u][/color] [u]"I have Herdmembers that are that way,"[/u] the Centaur admitted, also smothering a smile. [u]"A safe trail to home for you."[/u] [color=#36B507][u]"My thanks, Herdmaster."[/u][/color] They returned late that afternoon, and Zahira and Luckymint took her report of how her day had gone. It was Luckymint, tucked away in her office filing the report, who thought to wonder when it had become that most of the Clan was working for Absinthe. But then, they worked together for so many things now. They hardly had seperate projects any more. Much had changed, according to the notes of the Scribe previous (Kauri's notes were as detailed as an Archivist could hope), and her own observations. Well, between that and Altan's insistence on formality, perhaps they were becoming a proper Clan at last.

[quote name="Moonlitmage" date=2016-10-24 05:11:11] And I LOVE the fact that the heir is HIDEOUS (at least from my pov)XD [/quote] Huh, I guess I should snoop a bit... *Sees Asimov* Oh. Oh dear XD

AHHHHHHHHHHH!
*Paranoid flailing*
OH NO!

The Shade showed up.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The Curse has an Heir.
AHHHHHHHHHHH

also, I love the description of the gem and the mirror.
... that thing is going to come back to haunt them, isn't it.

@Leopardmask
Yiiiis, exactly
@willowoak
Yiiiiiis, it is. I am unsneakily stealing Leopard's plot for later plotting. (after the Curse is done, perhaps)

@Moonlitmage Speaking of which, I guess Uncertain can't sense the Shade in the gem. I can think of three good reasons for this:
1) Malari's runes also prevent anything from sensing the Shade.
2) Uncertain was only directed to find Shade-touched dragons, and so can't sense the Shade in any other form.
3) The transfer "changed" Uncertain's target, and since she is not within sight of the gem, she doesn't know the Shade is even there.

@leopardmask
I hadn't even thought of that. Yay for helping me shore up my plot holes. XD

Chapter 57: Imperial Youth [item=Birch Twigs][item=Onyx Craylet][item=ivory tusk][item=Crisp-leaf Amaranth][item=Charcoal Hopping Mouse] @VoxxVoleur @Leopardmask @luckgandor @Ximena @Galaxy99 @tigressRising @Ezmara @Solaristigres @Violetah @Willowoak @CatsAndMaths @Silverhame @Netshy ((So, the plot has some background noise to make, and I need something to do in the foreground in the meantime. Votes? It can be something for someone to do (like Absinthe contacting another beastclan, or more contact with one she already has), or more on a specific character that we haven't (or have) seen lately. It can even be specific questions about given characters, that I'll turn into a full post (feel free to give me strange questions, they often elicit interesting stories from my brain). And I will keep ALL suggestions/questions for later posts or scenes!)) At first, no one noticed anything strange about the two young Imperials that hatched from WHY and Lemsiel's nest. They spent little visible time with their mother (though the boy, Izanami, nickamed by the Clan 'Zani,' slept most days, so they knew little of what he did with his time at night), and much of it away from the rest of the Clan with their father and Bentar. No one knew what they spoke of, though Lemsiel, when asked, absently said "[color=#25A39B]Imperials are a secretive lot. Just don't ask them about death. They really hate to talk about it."[/color] Around the time they reached nominal adulthood, however, Yaal became snappish and reclusive, spending most of her time flying over enormous swathes of Clan territory and beyond. She would come in, sleep, and wake only to go out again. Even when she was in the Lair, she often caused near-accidents with her Clanmates, as she never watched where her extremities were, and would lash her tail and nearly hit someone. She never ate with the Clan and rarely spoke to anyone, her father and brother included. Zani, on the other hand, was every bit the dignified, careful Imperial, worried that his bulk would hurt one of the smaller Clanmembers and gentle in his movements. It was different on the battlefield, when he and Fangorn and Yaal would go out together, though it was rare. His sister was reckless in a fight, and he was nearly as reckless with himself defending her. Fangorn was hard put to keep up with the two of them, and they were often in the Infirmary for tending by the other healers when Fangorn alone could not heal all their injuries. Asimov would tease Zani that he was more devoted his sister than some of their couples were to their mates, but Zani took it in good fun. Not all the Clanmembers did. Asimov's teasing waxed between friendly and almost cruel. One day Yaal batted him against the wall of the Ritual Room when he was teasing her about being a vulture, always flying in circles. It took three of the Healers to heal the crack in his skull and the bruise in his brain. Asimov left Yaal alone after that. In fact, he started pretending she didn't exist at all. Altan took Yaal to task for it, and confined her in one of the cells for a week. It didn't seem to phase her much, and she returned to her usual pursuits as soon he let her out again. The guard squad that week said that she and Oti talked a lot, but none of it made a terrible lot of sense. They couldn't decide whether the two were simply gibberish-ing at each other (though no one had ever known Oti to speak anything more than precisely what she meant) or whether they were speaking in code (though how they would have come up with a code with no one the wiser was a question, since they had never spoken before). All in all, the two new Imperials had added a layer of mystery and danger inside the Clan, like there hadn't been enough of both to begin with. Hina and Galtan traveled to the Wyrmwound together to serve the Plaguebringer, and the Clan gave them a big send off.