Creative Corner

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87992012][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/879921/87992012.png[/img][/url][/center] As GrimRill made his way down the southern corridor and to the entrance of the vast chamber that Jadus occupied, he was surprised to find her standing just behind the entrance. "You've gotten a bit ahead of yourself this time, GrimRill," she said, brushing his wing with one of her tails as she circled around him. "After staking your claim on my approval, what will you do if I reject your request?" "Will you reject it?" Grim watched her without any emotion in his face. She paused to close the doors, then smiled. "Not outright. It would be very convenient in terms of location, and I want to know what collateral you have in mind." Rill clenched his teeth anxiously. They had very little left after paying Bairoth, and he knew the items they had stolen would not be enough, even if she accepted them. What did Grim have to offer as insurance? "I assume our gear would be unsuitable?" he began casually as they moved to the table further into the chamber. "I don't accept items that require me to invest further to bring them to practical use," Jadus said dismissively. "I suppose I could send them to my enemies, but unless you have ones that are intelligent, or cannot be removed once they are worn, I won't accept cursed items." "I thought so," Grim moved on without much pause. "You mentioned unconventional payment, so long as you can be sure it will be paid. Would labor be among those options?" "So you would pledge the time of useful bodies? Or provide them?" "Either. I can assist you in producing them if you are inclined to that as well." Both looked at him with an astonished expression before both burst out laughing as Jadus regarded him with disgust. "You have quite a high opinion of yourself, don't you? Daring to proposition [i]me[/i]." "The arrangement would be mutually beneficial," he said calmly. "What exactly makes us such a repulsive choice?" Jadus laughed again, though her eyes flashed with anger. "You are far, [i]far[/i] beneath me, GrimRill. All you have is your name, and the few who know it despise you. You may have managed to secure a more stable position here, but don't think for a second that this makes you worthy of my personal attention. My wealth is made up of clans and the pinnacles of dragonkind, not mere metal and stones, like yours." Her opposite leaned closer. "Even if you held more influence than us, we would never foul our lineage with mutant trash like yourselves. If you somehow managed to cure yourselves of your deformity, then you might have the [i]possibility[/i] of consideration." Grim didn't show any sign of offense at the harsh rejection, but Rill felt the left side of his body tense as his partner's jaw tightened. "Sister, surely that goes without saying," Jadus looked at her with a smirk before she continued. "The short answer is no. We have more than enough of the lesser creatures in our possession, and we are not desperate for mates, as we would have to be to accept your... offer." The female Aberration cleared her throat. "I also have no need for labor as it pertains to our kind; it would be impossible for you to provide me with better subordinates than the ones I currently employ." "Even if it were my own service? Surely you could find a use for us." Grim looked at her seriously. "I would be doing you a favor if I were to manage you for any length of time," she sneered. "No. The only theme that has remained consistent throughout your past is your inconsistency, and your violent actions. No sane individual would ever give you more than what you're accustomed to receiving." Rill's claws extended without thought as he glared at the Aberration with all the hatred he could muster. He wasn't allowed to speak, he reminded himself furiously; he had to stay quiet. "Did I touch a nerve, Rill?" Jadus asked, a tiny smirk on her face as she turned to face him. Something in Grim's eyes changed as he stepped forward. "What about ownership of this clan? You would have complete control over your base of operations, and easy access to individuals that could mitigate the loss. Something else to add to your 'wealth'." Rill looked over at his opposite incredulously. How deep was he going to dig them into the hole? There was no way everyone would be okay with that arrangement, and if they failed... "Hmmmmm," Jadus clearly hadn't expected the suggestion, her eyes dancing with delight as she considered it. "Do you have the authority to make such an offering, I wonder? Ah, but I forget you can't use magic; a guarantee on simple parchment won't hold any value to me." "If it's strong enough, we won't dispel it," he narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure you can find someone experienced enough to weather my touch, or was all of your earlier posturing just that?" She studied him for a long moment, then smiled. "Very well, I'll do it. I'll lend you five million gold pieces; you'll have five years to repay me with forty percent interest." Her counterpart was already busy filling a sheet with calculations and notes. "You don't have to make payments for the first six months, to give you some breathing room, but I expect you to be timely. If you miss more than one, barring disaster or acts of the Eleven, I'll repossess your collateral." "Am I allowed to consult with anyone before I sign, to make sure these terms are fair?" Grim narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Jadus smirked. "No. I told you before, I only lend to individuals. You're free to do with this sum as you see fit once it is in your slippery claws, but the terms are between you and I. And anyway, this is my only offer to you. Take it or leave it." "What would the monthly payment be?" Grim asked. "Two hundred and forty-four thousand, two hundred and eighty-four gold pieces. Or their equivalent. Keep in mind I'm loaning you Searmarks, so you can't repay with something like your local Shards, or Rotbits. The only coins on-par with the purity of Searmarks are Dustmii, but even then they still have a slightly lower value." Rill's head was spinning, and Jadus noticed. "Tantus can help you with all that," she said with a chuckle. "Just know that your loan is five million Searmarks." Grim looked down at the paper that was turned to face him. "So you can see all the calculations yourself," Jadus explained as he silently read them. "Do all the numbers add up?" The captain's left side just gave her a wry smile. He obviously had no way of determining whether any of the results were correct or not. "Like you said, this is your only offer. The only thing I can say is whether I accept or not." "Well said. So, do you accept?" He dipped his head. Jadus grinned at them with two identical mouths. "Excellent. I'll be back shortly, then we can sign. Please make yourselves comfortable." She walked to one of the eleven circles depicted in the center of the floor, then closed her eyes and disappeared. Rill noticed that the defining symbol emblazoned on the circle she had chosen was the emblem of the Arcanist. [i]Grim, she might be making us sign something that's impossible to do![/i] Rill motioned furiously. [i]What are you doing?! You said we were going to have Tantus here![/i] [i]She won't let us leave without a definitive answer,[/i] Grim answered calmly, looking down at the floor for a moment before he lifted his chin. [i]Besides, we told everyone we would do this. We don't have a choice.[/i] [i]And what happens when everyone finds out?[/i] Rill's eyes were wide as he turned to face him. [i]Tantus is going to see the conditions as soon as we hand him the contract.[/i] [i]He's not going to say anything to anyone else. He told us he would do anything for an opportunity to actually use his skills.[/i] Grim looked at his partner. [i]You saw how irritated and desperate he was, and how he jumps to support anything we suggest. You really think he would reveal that detail?[/i] No, he didn't. Rill sighed. [i]If something goes wrong, we can't just cut our losses and leave now, Grim.[/i] [i]That's exactly why I'm doing this.[/i] Rill blinked in confusion at his words. [i]What?[/i] Before Grim could explain further, Jadus returned with a scroll tucked in the corner of one wing. "Thank you for your patience," she said, rejoining them in front of the table. "Normally I wouldn't charge for the signing materials, but this particular document cost me significantly more than usual. Bairoth referred me to his supplier, and his rates are..." She died off with a smile. "So, first, I brought a simple test to make sure you're capable of signing. If you both don't mind," Her partner slowly slid forward a small scrap of paper listing the signee as the supreme authority of their clan. Grim hesitated for a moment as he took the pen, then exhaled and began. As he wrote, a tiny incision split the skin at the vein just below the surface of his left wrist, and the blood quickly and fluidly flowed into the strokes of his pen until his name was completed in his precise, utilitarian script. He passed the pen to Rill, who grimaced. His own writing was horrendous on its own, nevermind beside his partner's. The moment he had finished and lifted the pen, the blood gave a quiet hiss as a magenta flame burned it into the paper. "Interesting. I thought you wouldn't be able to sign it if your position as leader was only temporary," Jadus mused, pushing forward the real document. "Phantom was the only one who suggested it was temporary, and she did it after she had already agreed," Grim shrugged as he skimmed the lengthy paragraphs. "Perhaps that's why." Rill felt sick as he looked down at the ranks of letters describing all the rules they had to abide by, and the large numbers specifying each amount as mentioned. How were they supposed to make their monthly payments in only six months? He was so absorbed in his worries that he didn't notice Grim had finished signing until he nudged Rill with the pen. "Your turn." Rill looked at him with a final plea, but his partner remained unmoved, nodding expectantly toward the document. "Rill." He bit his lip, hesitating for another second before he closed his eyes and quickly signed. The heat of the arcane flame tickled the edge of his grip, and he opened his eyes to see their name smoldering into the bottom of the sheet. Jadus quickly took the contract back, signing and making a strange motion before pulling the document on both sides. Rill expected to hear the tearing sound of paper, but instead the long sheet separated itself into two identical copies. "Here is yours," Jadus said, handing them one, which Grim took and slid into the bag at their waist. "And the other is mine. Good luck; I'm very interested to see if you can pull this off, GrimRill." Her dark eyes held a threat veiled behind amusement as she waved them off dismissively. "You can see yourselves out," she said, then flew up into a higher level beyond their sight. Rill was stunned in place, but Grim began turning, pulling him toward the closed doors. [i]Now we can see Tantus.[/i] Rill tightened his mouth as Grim hit the switch on the wall, and the doors began sliding open. The Aberration was halfway out when they both stumbled and twisted on their weight to avoid trampling the small white figure sitting directly behind the doorway. "Gah!" Rill hissed, cursing under his breath. "Weiss, what are you doing here?" Her giant eyes looked up at him anxiously. "Are you going to kill my dad, Rill?" Rill scoffed in disbelief as he quickly maneuvered around her and continued down the hall. "I will if you ever do that again." "Really?!" she wailed in horror. "No, obviously," he rolled his eyes. "It's not evening yet; get back to whatever it is you normally do. We're busy." "I finished all my chores," she protested, trotting along beside them as they walked. "Can I go on patrol with you?" "No. Go bother someone else." "But I want to ask-" "You had your chance earlier today. Go away." Weiss flew in front of them, hovering close enough that they both twitched back to avoid contact. "You were really mean to my mom today, Rill. Why?" "Your mom is really mean to me," he leaned to the side before stepping around her. "She deserved it." The young Aether frowned, but didn't argue further as she flew beside them. "Jirael said you have to be nicer to everyone if you're important." "That's his opinion." Rill stopped and turned to face her as they neared the bend that would make them visible to most of the clan. "If you keep following us around like this, Weiss, your mom will notice. I don't think you want that, do you?" "I was just asking you a question," she huffed. "It's not like I'm not allowed to talk to you." Rill looked over at Grim for help, but his partner was focused on watching the corner, and didn't offer any solution. "Why did everyone think it was bad that you wanted to make a bank?" Please, please let there be someone who can take her somewhere far away, Rill prayed as he marched past, looking directly ahead as she babbled on beside him. Once they rounded the corner, she fell further back until she saw that no one else was in the hallway. Suddenly Eredia's muzzle poked out from the Great Hall, and she instantly turned and brightened. "Weiss, there you are! We're just about to do the ceremony for formalizing your familiar." "But-" GrimRill gratefully sped past, letting the Imperial deal with the energetic young dragon as he hunted for Tantus. The Coatl wasn't in his room, and so they went to the Mess Hall. A horribly enticing aroma enveloped him at the doors, reminding him of his hunger as he looked up. The accountant was crouched over one of the tables near the ceiling, and the captain quickly took off and flew up beside him. "Tantus," Rill said in greeting as he landed. "Oh, captain! Or I suppose it's 'leader' now, right?" the Coatl flashed a quick smile. "I was just writing down some ideas I had." "Perfect, because I have something I want your opinion on," Rill knew it wasn't a proper segue, but he was too impatient to devise a better transition. Grim handed Tantus the scroll, and Rill watched the other dragon anxiously as he scanned the paper. "This is what we have to work with."

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88679887][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/886799/88679887.png[/img][/url][/center] Tantus was silent as he read the contract twice, flipping it over to make sure there was nothing on the back before he left it on the table and leaned back. "Well, this is certainly..." he filled his cheeks with air, then slowly blew out. "It's not the worst I've heard of, but-" "Is it possible to pay it all back in that time?" Rill pressed. "It's not impossible; to most clans this amount of money would be a small fraction of their income, but we don't have the same amount of personnel, connections, or facilities as those clans," he gave them a look. "As we are now, I don't think it's possible." "If we established a merchant's guild tomorrow, would it be?" "You can't establish a guild in a single day," Tantus chuckled, then became distant as he thought. "Would you like me to ask Kydraas to have a meeting with us as soon as he is available? He would be able to assist you with this better than I can." Rill nodded instantly. "How busy is he?" "Very busy, but he often takes personal days," the Coatl smirked. "And I think he'll most likely come as soon as he gets my invitation." "How much will you need to start your bank?" Rill asked. "Hm. I'll have to run the numbers, but I don't imagine it will be more than five hundred thousand gold pieces. I have to send our details to the flight's registry of financial institutions, and creating a secure vault system will require the most money; hiring a high-level mage for permanent enchantments is never cheap..." "Well, let us know as soon as you have your total," Rill interrupted. "But finish the letter to Kydraas first." The Coatl nodded with a smile. "I'll get started immediately." Grim took back the document. [i]Ask him to keep the terms to himself. We can pick this up again tomorrow.[/i] His partner cleared his throat. "Since this is a private arrangement, I want you to avoid talking about the details with anyone that isn't us." "Of course," Tantus nodded. "That's common practice, so please don't worry yourself over it. I'll exercise the utmost discretion." Rill nodded in satisfaction. "What team are you on, Tantus?" "I'm currently working under Adagio making dining utensils." "I'll tell him I need you to borrow you tomorrow, then. We can meet after breakfast. Will you be done with your estimate by then?" "Easily," he smiled. "I already have a quarter done." Rill flashed a quick smile. "Good to hear. I'll leave you to it, then. See you tomorrow." "Until then," Tantus smiled back. [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85558896][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/855589/85558896.png[/img][/url][/center] Rill spent the afternoon hours ensuring that the three troublemakers were unable to escape their punishment by installing locking mechanisms into their doors with the help of Adagio and Eredia. Ker replaced Taniks in guarding the north corridor and the entrance to the ruins, and Jirael was also made into a temporary member of the guard along with NightShade, to give more downtime to GrimRill and their soldiers. Taniks' sentence was a week confined to his quarters, and with Dart and Faust shut in their rooms as well, Rill realized they did indeed need some sort of prison, even without taking the whole Shade issue into account. He would have loved to send them all to a proper cell. Ker was currently storing all of the Shade hybrid substance that Faust had extracted from the clan members, but Rill knew that they would have to find a better solution quickly. If it came out on its own after a while, it wouldn't stay inside the Gaoler for long, not once it became aligned to plague energies. He knew Grim would have solutions, but the massive amount of matters that needed to be attended to without delay made Rill's head spin. And now they couldn't even leave if things got out of control. After Adagio finished Dart's lock, and Eredia placed several foils to any magical attempts to unlock it, Rill began walking away until the Aether suddenly cleared his throat. "Captain, before you go, I'd like to ask you something." He glanced back in annoyance as Eredia flew past and returned to the Mess. "Then ask." "What are your intentions with my daughter?" he asked, pulling out her small journal as explanation, his eyes calm as he watched them carefully. Rill cursed inwardly as Grim turned them to face the Aether. How long had he known? [i]We want to make use of her potential.[/i] "Weiss has a lot of potential. We want to teach her how to use it." Adagio said nothing for several moments before he looked at Rill directly. "I take it you don't approve of this, Rill?" He blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?" "I've noticed you alternate between 'we' and 'I' for key things; you use 'I' when it pertains to your own thoughts, and also your shared experiences with Grim. You must use 'we' when speaking for him." Rill froze, unsure of how to answer, but Adagio gently placed the journal at their feet as he continued. "Weiss also wrote several strategies for bypassing your attempts to block her from learning, and your threat that anyone discovering this would result in its destruction." [i]You're just giving her additional experience while she learns, so she can learn several skills at one time.[/i] Grim kept his motions subtle, but Adagio still looked at him for a moment before he turned to his partner. "What is [i]your[/i] answer, Rill?" he asked slowly. Grim didn't move, but Rill knew that disappointing him would result in more unpleasant consequences, and he had just promised to stop contradicting Grim's orders. He had to make it sound convincing. "All of this was Grim's idea," he admitted slowly. "But I can't just do the same as him, even if we work together. Weiss needs someone to push her. If I make things hard, she can get mad at me instead of us both. She seems to motivate herself by wanting to prove me wrong." "You didn't answer my question," Adagio made an amused sound in the back of his throat as he turned to Grim. "It's one thing to teach her the skills of observation and stealth, but learning your private language is another matter." His eyes were level, but a deep suspicion swelled inside his gaze. "Why would you want to teach a child to communicate with yourselves?" [i]It's just a means to an end for teaching her. It helps her hone her memory and coordination, and we also want to see whether it's possible to teach it to other species.[/i] Grim maintained the Aether's gaze as Rill repeated his answer aloud. Adagio was clearly not convinced. "I see." The male Aether suddenly straightened, sniffing once as he lifted off the ground. "Well, then there should be no issue if I also keep an eye on her progress. I don't want to impact her focus, so I'll ask you to refrain from mentioning this to her." He came beside them, looking directly into Grim's eyes. "If I get the sense that your 'means to an end' is something that benefits you personally, she won't be available to learn from you any longer." "Sure, whatever you want," Rill smiled as he picked up Weiss's journal and turned away from the Aether. "See you around, Adagio." [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85631083][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/856311/85631083.png[/img][/url][/center] Grim was silent for the remainder of the day, but not in the deliberate way he would withhold responses as punishment. Rill knew him well enough to recognize that he simply had a lot on his mind; the severe headache spreading out from his left side was a dead giveaway. It wasn't until after curfew when they were pacing through the mountain that Grim finally broke his silence. [i]You didn't answer Adagio well.[/i] [i]He already knew, Grim. Lying wouldn't convince him.[/i] Rill responded defensively. [i]I did my best.[/i] [i]You [b]always[/b] do this.[/i] Grim refused to face him as he snapped out his words. [i]You never do what I want you to.[/i] Rill was taken aback, his face shifting between outrage and confusion. [i]What are you talking about? I do everything you say, we [b]always[/b] do what you want.[/i] Grim was so angry their body became uncomfortably warm, but he didn't elaborate. Rill took a deep breath. [i]Look, I know everything seems hard, but I know you can handle it. You always manage to come up with something. We can do more of what we want now, so that should make things easier, right?[/i] [i]Do you have any idea how stressful it is to be the only one deciding everything? To be responsible for everything?[/i] Grim bared his teeth as he whirled on his partner, his nostrils flaring angrily. [i]You probably think this is all fun and games for me, don't you?[/i] Rill flinched back. [i]Grim, you said that was your job. You always tell me I can't help you.[/i] [i]Because you can't![/i] He clenched his fist for a moment before he sighed angrily, shaking his head. [i]Why am I telling you this? You won't even remember anything I'm saying.[/i] Rill was quiet for a long time. He didn't understand what his partner was referring to, but he could feel the intensity of his frustration. [i]I'm sorry, Grim.[/i] [i]No, you aren't.[/i] Grim gave a hateful, self-deprecating laugh. [i]To think the only thing you've learned this entire time was how to forget.[/i] Rill's face creased in total confusion, and Grim looked at him with a low chuckle of disbelief. [i]I almost forgot how much I hate that stupid expression you get every time.[/i] [i]What are you talking about?[/i] Rill narrowed his eyes. [i]I might not remember everything as well as you, but I don't... forget everything.[/i] [i]Really? What was the last thing I told you to change?[/i] Rill struggled for a minute. [i]You mean when we left the Windswept Plateau last month? About being more likeable?[/i] [i]Oh, so I suppose you can manage about a month back,[/i] he sneered. [i]How about the previous thing I told you?[/i] Rill cringed. [i]I... I don't know.[/i] [i]It was the same thing, Rill. I thought maybe connecting it to Selenia's fortune would help it stick, but everything I try just doesn't work with you.[/i] Grim exhaled loudly. [i]Do you remember [b]anything[/b] I told you over the years?[/i] Rill's eyes filled with shame as he struggled to look into the three-pronged gaze burning into his face. [i]We got stronger, Grim. I learned how to fight and talk with you, we did that together.[/i] [i]So nothing.[/i] Grim didn't look away. [i]In all this time, the only thing you can remember is what I said a month ago. That and what I remind you constantly.[/i] [i]I remember it because you told me there was no reason for you to say what you were doing![/i] Rill snapped back. [i]You always leave me out of everything! Why can't you just talk to me about what you're thinking? Or what you want to do?[/i] [i]How many times do you think we've had this argument, Rill?[/i] Grim asked slowly. His partner frowned. [i]Maybe a few times, but-[/i] [i]One thousand and fifty-two times. Fifty-three today.[/i] Grim interrupted. Rill was stunned in place as Grim shook his head with resignation. [i]That's why.[/i] As they walked through the southwest hall, glancing into Dart's room to make sure she was still there, Rill furiously tried to come up with something to prove Grim wrong. He had memories of things that had happened before, after all. It wasn't like he just lived with a month of experience. [i]I remember... you not talking to me for four months after we left the Viridian Labyrinth,[/i] Rill said slowly. [i]So you don't remember any words of mine, just their absence.[/i] Grim gave another low, bitter laugh. [i]Do you remember what you agreed to do after I stopped?[/i] Rill looked at him for a while before he lowered his eyes in defeat. Grim scoffed. [i]Do you remember why I was so angry with you?[/i] [i]Was it because I messed up? And that was why we had to leave?[/i] [i]Yes, but the fact that you asked means you didn't remember that either. I know you know why we were there, because you mentioned it earlier today. So what [/i]can[i] you remember about our five years there?[/i] Rill winced as he struggled to recall the details. [i]We were there to get into the ruling family by using... I don't remember her name. But we had to constantly act like we cared about her, and the other members there. And it worked, didn't it?[/i] [i]It did. By all accounts, we should be there now.[/i] Grim's motions dripped with venom as he glowered at his nervous counterpart. [i]So what happened, Rill?[/i] He gave a feeble laugh. [i]Did I tell her I didn't want to be mates with her or something?[/i] Grim closed his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath. [i]You killed her on the night we were made a member. It was so unexpected that I didn't even have time to react before you finished. After everything we went through, all the hoops we had to jump through, once everything was set, you destroyed it all in a single instant.[/i] Grim opened his eyes, pushing closer as Rill nervously leaned back. [i]When I asked you why you did it, do you know what you said?[/i] His eyes flickered. [i]I... don't know.[/i] [i]Yes, exactly. 'I don't know'. So if you didn't know, why did you-[/i] Grim raised his clenched fist again, then let it fall back to the floor. Rill winced. He couldn't recall anything, or even guess at his reasoning behind such an action. [i]I'm sorry, Grim.[/i] [i]Well, that doesn't matter anymore. This time I think I came up with a plan that you can't ruin by borrowing from Jadus.[/i] Grim gave him a wide smirk. [i]You can't just forget about it, because it will constantly be hanging over our heads. Maybe with that, you'll actually be able to make some permanent changes, instead of telling yourself we can just run away from every problem that crops up.[/i] [i]So you did all this just to get back at me for messing up one of your plans?[/i] Rill gestured angrily. [i]You've messed up more than just one,[/i] Grim snorted as they sat back on their haunches at the bend in the hallway. [i]And no. There are other reasons too, like giving myself a new challenge.[/i] Rill looked unconsciously toward Torn's room. [i]If I'm so unpredictable, why did we have Glory, then?[/i] [i]Because I wanted to see if you would react the same way if Torn wasn't a formal mate.[/i] Grim answered. [i]That's why we did it before we came back. If you had killed her, at least she wasn't a part of the clan yet. No one would have known.[/i] [i]Why Mystery and AshLeaf, then?[/i] Both grimaced at the mention of AshLeaf, but Grim didn't pause. [i]Again, it will connect us to more members of the clan. And it should also reassure you, since you're apparently so averse to commitment.[/i] The thought of Grim's actions being made out of consideration for him made Rill feel strange. Was he actually concerned about him, or did Grim just see him as a stumbling block to navigate around? [i]You surprised me with Glory,[/i] Grim admitted as he looked toward Bairoth's room, where a member of his retinue was standing guard near the door. [i]I was half expecting you to kill him the day he hatched, but you lasted almost a year without doing more than tormenting him whenever you saw him.[/i] [i]You always said he was yours, not mine.[/i] Rill looked away as he responded. Grim nodded as he sighed. [i]Well, at least whenever I say too much, I can rest easy knowing you won't remember it anyway. I think after playing out our conversations so many times, I'm finally starting to understand how to talk to you.[/i] Rill had no response to such a cold declaration, but as he looked at the resigned grimace on Grim's face, he realized the only way he could possibly get closer was to try and retain their conversations. He had to remember this, and everything else. [i]How do you remember everything?[/i] Rill asked. Grim looked at him with a trace of surprise, as though he hadn't expected the question. [i]You just don't forget,[/i] he said slowly, then shook his head. [i]Or is that too much?[/i] [i]Too much what?[/i] His partner sighed in relief. [i]Nevermind. Don't worry about it, Rill. You can't fix this without making more problems for yourself, so don't bother.[/i] [i]...Alright.[/i] They sat for some time before they had to get up and check the other sections, but Rill's face was set with an intense focus. So all this distance between them was because Grim was frustrated with his inability to retain anything. But why didn't he want him to fix it, then? Was he just so disappointed in him that he didn't think he could improve at all? Rill cringed at the thought of how many times Grim must have explained this same concept to him, and then having to repeat it as though it was the first time every time... he would be just as frustrated in his place. He glanced back at his partner tentatively. It was only in these moments that he saw how weary Grim looked, with his dull, blue-grey eyes and his stiff gait, as though he was made of something that wasn't alive. When they were alone, but Grim still was more alone even than him, he realized. He couldn't even work together with his partner; handling everything other than speaking. He had to do better. He had to start remembering, starting with what he could already; the Travelers had been a significant disruption, so that would make an easy starting point. Rill nodded fiercely to himself as he engraved that moment in his mind. His memories would begin from the day the Traveling Breeze had arrived.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85640835][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/856409/85640835.png[/img][/url][/center] It had been hours, and still Phantom had not spoken, Adagio thought to himself as he stared at the ceiling. The pair were in their nest, wide awake in complete silence. After years of having his mate keep him awake in conversation until the early hours of the morning, it was an incredibly uncomfortable contrast. But he needed to sleep, and the longer he waited, the more he would regret it in the morning. "Phantom," She didn't move, but he knew she was listening. "Do you want to talk about it?" The Nursery Mother was quiet for nearly two minutes before she answered. "No." Adagio gave a soft sigh. He would just have to endure this suffocating tension until she was ready. "Tell me when you do." "I will." They resumed their awful silence, and though he curled up, sleep did not relieve him of his discomfort. He was beginning to fade away when suddenly his mate got up and stepped out of their nest. "It's time?" he asked. "Yes." The pair exited their chamber and quietly flew across the hall to the wall above the rooms of the youngest members. Adagio had already carved out a suitable chamber for incubating nests in preparation, and they landed on the floor with a hairline crack in the wall for a window. It let in the cold, but nothing else. Adagio worked quickly to fashion a shallow crater of compact earth while Phantom breathed layer after layer of ice inside it. Once she was satisfied with the foundation, she changed the shape of her lips and cheeks, blowing out a topcoat of fluffy, soft snow. When the blanket of snowflakes was deep enough, she circled several times before lying down inside. "Do you want me to stay with you?" Adagio asked. Phantom shook her head. He nodded slowly. "Call for me if you need anything," he said, then left as quickly as he had come. Phantom looked toward the sliver of moon that was visible from the nearly invisible slit carved into the mountain. It was much colder here, and tiny fragments of ice danced through the razor of light that entered inside. All she could hear was the faint, mournful sound of the wind. With the haunting chorus moaning in the distance, Phantom finally felt her tears begin to run down her face as she laid helplessly in her place. She had no one to be angry with, no one she could lay blame on other than her father, and he was long gone. Why had he made such a request to Adagio? He must have known that some day it would no longer be a secret, and what then? She couldn't even blame her mate. Phantom knew how much respect Adagio had for her father, even though he had never said it aloud before today. She could still recall the stark terror in his eyes as he had rushed past her to meet with him one final time. And the way Adagio had wept at his side once he had died. Her mate had always been quiet, reserving his emotions to the most minute displays he could. To find him sobbing unabashedly over her father's body when even Phantom herself had only cried a little at his passing still plunged deep into her heart, convincing her of her abject failure as a daughter. She had always thought that Adagio had deserved her place in the family. If she had traded for his life instead, would she have fared any better than he had? The question was one she couldn't answer, and she circled back to the one that plagued her most. Was her father's final request one he had made for her own happiness? Knowing that she would only find an unhappy future if she prejudiced herself against Adagio? Or had she just been one final gift to a former thief from his mentor? Of course, Phantom knew which answer was correct, but she couldn't stop considering the other. Her father had not given her [i]her[/i] choice. Yes, she had loved Adagio, but now, what was she supposed to feel? Knowing she had not been entrusted to her own judgment, and that in the end, her father had trusted Adagio more than her. Her emotions were a poison of jealousy, bitterness, and anger. And she could only drink it alone. Several hours passed as she was swept away with a mixture of physical discomfort and emotional agony. By the time she came out of her trance, an egg was near her, pure and unmarked. Phantom tended to it quickly, turning it over and gently encasing it in her ice as she built it up layer by even layer. When she finished, she fell back, watching it with tired eyes as she let her cheek fall into the soft snow. She still couldn't sleep. "Mom," a timid voice called softly from the entrance. "Mom?" Phantom slowly lifted her head. "What is it, Weiss?" she asked gently. "I can't sleep," her daughter whispered as she crept closer. "Can I stay with you?" Her mother forced a smile onto her face, shifting over slightly. "Come here." Weiss gratefully pushed against her, sighing in relief before she noticed the egg in the middle of the nest with wide eyes. "Is that...?" Phantom smiled, a genuine one this time. "Yes." Weiss gave her an amazed smile before she turned back to the egg, her eyes drinking in every detail. Phantom gently took her paw, leading her daughter's palm to the icy shell. As the young dragon touched it, her eyes lit up in wonder, holding her breath as she carefully stroked the surface. Mother and daughter were quiet as they regarded the reward of Phantom's labor for some time, then Weiss finally pulled back, snuggling against her mother's body before she looked up at her. "Do you still love Dad?" Phantom displayed a tiny, knowing smile as she looked down at the smaller Aether. "Is that why you couldn't sleep?" "Yes," Weiss said quietly. "Dad is really nice, Mom. And he doesn't do that stuff anymore." "I know, Weiss." "Well, do you love him?" Phantom was quiet for a moment as she gathered herself. "I do." "How come you haven't looked at him all day, then? And why are you here alone?" She looked down at the pale, anxious eyes in front of her and smiled reassuringly. "Right now, Weiss, I just need some time to be alone." "But why?" "Because I learned a lot today. I need to put it all together in my head before I continue on." "You don't want Dad to be executed, do you?" Weiss studied her carefully. Phantom gave a tired chuckle. "No, I don't." "Then why did you say you didn't know earlier?" Phantom sighed. "It's hard to explain, Weiss; I'm sorry you had to hear that. When I'm upset, I can say some awful things." Weiss nodded to herself as she leaned back against her mother. Neither said anything for some time until Weiss suddenly broke the cold stillness. "You need to be nicer to Rill, Mom," she said slowly. "You're really mean to him." Phantom pulled back, staring at her. "Why do you say that?" "He's so mean to you because you're mean to him. And besides, dragons who do bad things turn into nice dragons if you're nice to them. Like Dad did. So we have to be nice to Rill, right?" Phantom blinked in astonishment, then chuckled. "You might be right," she said, ruffling the mane between her daughter's horns. She didn't always need to correct her; besides, maybe Weiss was partly right. She certainly hadn't achieved anything by antagonizing GrimRill all this time. "But not all bad dragons turn into good ones, Weiss. Not all of them are like your father." Her daughter frowned in thought. "So does that mean you think Dad is a good dragon?" "Yes," Phantom was surprised at how quickly the words lifted from her lips. "He is." "And you'll go back to being friends again, right?" Phantom laughed. "Oh, don't worry so much, Weiss. That's my job, not yours." "But I don't want you to be enemies," she insisted. "We won't be," her mother planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I promise." "O-kay," Weiss sighed again, her face full of complicated worries as she let her cheeks fall onto her paws. Phantom couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Now, do you think you can sleep?" "I think so," Weiss mumbled. "That's good," Phantom gently nudged her with her head. "Then you should go back to your nest." "Do you think you can sleep, Mom?" Weiss asked, laying a paw on her face. "I don't want you to cry instead." Phantom's eyes widened as she felt her frozen tears melt against her daughter's touch. "You notice a lot, don't you?" she asked softly as she pulled her in close. "I'm trying to." "Don't try too hard; I don't want you to notice everything," Phantom chuckled, kissing her again. "I'll be fine, Weiss. Your visit helped me feel much better." "Really?" "Yes." Weiss made a shy, happy smile. "Alright. I'll go. Goodnight, Mom." "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." The two Aethers watched one another as Weiss went to the door, sharing one final smile before the young dragon flew away to her room. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep, their chests full of a warmth that had not been there before.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85631083][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/856311/85631083.png[/img][/url][/center] The sun had not risen, but the captain was already outside in the early hours of the morning, his wings struggling against the frigid mountain air that attacked him from the south. [i]So, what's the plan again?[/i] Rill asked as his partner frowned down at the frozen waves of carcasses. They had managed to remove the ones closest to the mountain, hiding them behind the sloping hill to the west, and the wood near the north entrance, but beyond that, the battlefield was still littered with the dead. [i]We need to clean up the outside,[/i] Grim motioned, looking up at the last of the stars that still lingered in the sky. A pale, white light was beginning to illuminate the east at the sun's approach. [i]But the most important thing today to make plans with Tantus. If all goes well, maybe we can speak to his guildmaster friend this week.[/i] Rill nodded. [i]You'll have to tell me most of what to say.[/i] [i]I know. You don't have to worry about that.[/i] Rill thought back to Faust, reminding himself of the situation of the ruins from their quick sweep of the sleeping inhabitants earlier. [i]What are we going to do about the Shade stuff?[/i] [i]We need to find some of the Icewarden's devout to manage that, with how bad it is. We'll have to hope that they would be willing to come in spite of our situation.[/i] Rill chuckled. [i]Well, that's all Gaolers care about, right? Shouldn't be a problem.[/i] Grim nodded. [i]Ask Aria to handle that. Since it will be a simple request with the information we have, I don't think her Fae demeanor will negatively impact the results.[/i] [i]Why not Eredia?[/i] Rill frowned. [i]Because I have something I need her to do. Torn is also the only one who can teleport, so she'll have to accompany her. Aria can travel incredibly fast on her own, so she has to be the one to visit the Stockade.[/i] [i]What do you need Eredia to do?[/i] Grim looked toward the territory that had belonged to the harpy flock until recently as they circled. [i]Larishan Aoch means White Iron.[/i] Rill's eyes lit up in understanding. [i]You think the harpies had silver in their territory?[/i] [i]Like Tantus said, it would be strange if there wasn't anything precious in these mountains. I'm sure we'll find other things if we conducted a proper survey.[/i] Grim tilted his wing and directed them over the smaller peaks. [i]We can lease this out to other clans. I still don't know whether we should demand a percentage, or just charge them to extract resources.[/i] [i]So Eredia's going to suggest that to other clans in the area?[/i] Grim nodded. [i]Starting with that clan of the Skydancer trio. If they have nobles from the Sunbeam Ruins, she would be the perfect one to interact with them, considering her background.[/i] [i]Because she's nobility, right?[/i] Grim grunted as he rolled his forearm into his answer. [i]That's putting it lightly. Her family is descended from the Sun's Children; some of the first Imperials that were ever assembled from the Lightweaver. They aren't very prominent anymore, but their lineage still commands an immense amount of respect. Kelaya knew who she was as soon as she said her name.[/i] [i]What's her actual name then?[/i] Rill frowned. [i]Valerilla Sabina,[/i] Grim gestured as they pulled back away to the tundra and the dark shadows of the sparse pine forests. [i]I remember hearing about the Sabinus family a few times in passing when we worked with Kelaya.[/i] His partner thought for a minute before he looked over. [i]Why did Kela owe us a favor, Grim?[/i] [i]Well, what do you remember?[/i] Grim looked at him curiously. Suddenly Rill's mouth fell open as their conversation from the previous night came back to him. He had completely forgotten about his goal once he had gone to sleep. For a few minutes he cursed himself, his eyes dejected as he realized he had nearly lost his grip on something that had been so important. It would be incredibly easy for him to simply slip back into the same darkness if he didn't come up with a way to fix his memory problems immediately. But how? Grim watched him with interest. [i]You don't remember anything?[/i] Rill shook his head. He had to figure it out later. [i]I just remember that she owed us a favor. And that she's always smug.[/i] Grim made an amused sound in the back of his throat. [i]Kelaya was embroiled in a lot of intrigue when she was younger. I don't remember all the details anymore, but one of her uncles was caught in some scandal that would have ended his political aspirations if exposed. The one that discovered this was a rival of his, and Kelaya wanted this other dragon killed before he could reveal anything.[/i] [i]And we did that?[/i] [i]Yes. But we also took the fall for it.[/i] Grim motioned quickly. [i]That's why she owed us a favor. We had to insert ourselves into that drama, and we acted like we had a petty excuse for revenge against this rival so it made sense to blame us when we killed him. Kelaya and her family avoided any suspicion, or at least, I assume they did. She never said if they were suspected.[/i] Rill looked at him with amazement. [i]How were we never caught?[/i] [i]Because we do occasional jobs with Bledryn. He always covers our tracks and his, to avoid being discovered through magical means. Each job we do, part of the money goes toward more arcane countermeasures.[/i] He gave an amazed sigh. [i]You really think of everything, don't you?[/i] [i]Well, I try to, anyway.[/i] They had finished their flight around the outskirts, and were now beginning their return trip as the first rays of the sun peeped over the horizon, staining the world with color. It was a welcome warmth on their cold, creaking wings. [i]Grim, why don't you talk here? You talk to others we knew from before.[/i] Rill asked. [i]Is it just so you seem more mysterious to everyone else?[/i] [i]You really like hearing me compliment you, don't you?[/i] Rill's face furrowed in confusion as Grim began. [i]It's because of a few reasons. One is that you're incredibly good at lying. That, and the fact that you never remember much makes you almost perfect at deflecting any attempts at discovering information. I can hold my composure, but I can't speak a lie without small tells, like you can.[/i] He lifted his head back so the sunlight could touch his cold neck. [i]It's also easier for me to examine others, and remember what information we give out; what are lies and what aren't. That's all hard to keep track of when you're saying it yourself in the moment.[/i] [i]Is that why you didn't help me in the circle?[/i] Rill had thought he would have completely messed it all up without his partner's help, but now he understood. [i]I always leave that stuff to you. That's not the first Area of Truth we've been put in,[/i] Grim smirked. [i]The issue is when something that can read thoughts is used.[/i] [i]But they used that with Whisper, right? That didn't worry you?[/i] Rill frowned. [i]Bairoth's familiar didn't examine anyone else before he reapplied the Area of Truth. Probe Thoughts requires constant concentration, so casting another spell would end it.[/i] Grim looked at him strangely. [i]You're asking more questions than normal.[/i] Rill was careful to keep his face confused. [i]Am I?[/i] A plan was quickly beginning to form in his mind. He was good at lying. Was he good enough to fool his partner? [i]Well, I suppose you always question everything,[/i] Grim admitted, shaking some of the frost from his mane. [i]I'm just not used to you asking much about our past.[/i] Rill tried to screw the information into his brain. He was good at lying, and he didn't ask many questions about the past. He would have to space them out to avoid drawing suspicion. And repeat himself often. If Grim was honest with him, he could find out a lot by using his partner's assumption that he would forget it all. The beginning of their conversation was a bit foggy, and he winced. [i]So what did we have to do today, again?[/i] Grim rolled his eyes with a sigh. [i]Talk to Tantus. Tell Aria to find us a proper Gaoler. Plan Eredia's trip to another clan.[/i] [i]Right.[/i] [i]And start cleaning up the outside,[/i] Grim reminded himself as he looked down at the bumps hidden beneath the snow. [i]Yeah.[/i] Remember, he had to remember to find a way to remember this all. He couldn't lose it again after a day, Rill told himself furiously. A journal, maybe? But no, Grim would read it and discover him. Suddenly he thought of the interrogation. That was a memory of his that would have been written down. [i]Grim, what are we going to do with the records Eerie took?[/i] Grim paused, then nodded slowly. [i]I didn't think of that. Let's ask her for them; I don't want anyone tampering with them if she leaves them unattended.[/i] Rill nodded. He could work on memorizing their session, and trying to memorize the others as well, to train his mind. That shouldn't draw any attention to him, and would help him root those memories in with concrete evidence. [i]Oh, I almost forgot,[/i] Grim reached into their bag and pulled out Weiss's journal before ripping it in half with Rill holding it in place, then in half again and again until it was simply scraps that fluttered out from their grasp. Then they wiped their forefeet together to remove any of the bits that clung to the mucous on their palms. [i]It will be better if she had no record of any of this, for her own practice. I don't want someone else studying this without our knowledge, and it will make it harder for Adagio as well.[/i] For some reason, Rill wasn't as delighted at the sight of the destroyed journal as he had expected. [i]What's the plan for her?[/i] Grim shrugged as he began tilting them forward to descend. [i]Well, let her learn as she becomes better at avoiding you.[/i] [i]No, I mean once she learns how to decipher you, then what?[/i] Rill frowned. [i]Then I switch to use all inflections. Her final step will be to decipher whatever it is that you do.[/i] Their private language had many different stances that communicated emotional context; words were divided up among different inflections in such a way that when one used one stance, such as anger, it presided over concepts that lent themselves to the emotion, such as enemies, conflict and hatred. Grim never used these, his inflection was always neutral, unless he needed to borrow a word from another stance. Rill never could read him as a result, and the prospect of having Grim share his emotions in their communication was one that he desperately wanted to enable. [i]...What's wrong with how I use it?[/i] he narrowed his eyes. [i]Your words are all mixed up with inflections,[/i] Grim explained. [i]You drag words into the stances they don't belong, and mix them with one another without any apparent pattern.[/i] [i]You seem to understand me,[/i] Rill gave him a wounded look. [i]I know. I just want to see if she can. If she can't, then you'll have to teach me that so we can still have private conversations. If not, I'll make another.[/i] He looked over at Grim with surprise as his partner smirked. [i]Did you think I wouldn't leave us a way to keep secrets?[/i] [i]Well, I don't know what your plans are.[/i] He gave a sullen gesture. Grim gave a bitter chuckle as they swooped into the open gates. [i]I know.[/i]

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88119988][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/881200/88119988.png[/img][/url][/center] After morning drill had concluded, many of the clan's members streamed out of the Training Grounds as Anhun met with Eredia so she could give him a sheet of letter paper. He was already eager to work on Ker's request, and wanted to inquire about useful books from his mentor as soon as possible. The Imperial yawned to himself as he flew into the Mess with a smug smile on his lips. Finally, Dart wouldn't be able to steal his spellbook, and he could practice without having to hunt for it each evening. Anhun had just opened it with triumph when he narrowed his eyes at the sight of the Aether-bitten pages. Dart had eaten away all of the margins of the first two chapters, leaving only a hair's width between the open air and the edge of the text. He found himself thanking the gods that she had at least avoided eating the actual printed sections. "Good morning, Anhun," Rodrathym said with a nod to his fellow Imperial, passing him a large cup of black tea through the kitchen window. "How did you sleep?" "Fine, I suppose," he murmured as he breathed in the pungent scent with a happy sigh. "How do you like the new kitchen, Rodrathym?" The other Imperial smiled instantly. "It's much better than before; I finally have enough space to move. It actually might be [i]too[/i] big." "Too big?" Anhun raised a brow, peering inside. "I meant... I may need to actually have some regular help, other than Len and Phantom," Rodrathym gave an embarrassed laugh. "Maybe I can ask to use some of the other familiars that we have." "That sounds like a good idea," Anhun agreed as he took several hard cookies and let them sink to the bottom of his cup. Rodrathym looked at his action with dismay. "I have something I need to do. Thank you for the tea," the young mage dipped his head in parting. "Y-yes! I should get back to setting everything out," he said distractedly, still staring at the bubbles floating up from the biscuits that were rapidly crumbling. "Enjoy." Anhun stopped to take a drink, then took his pen in his hand and frowned as he began. [i]To my respected teacher, Cayne, I have nearly finished all of your introductory exercises, I only have ice and fire remaining to practice with. I would say that my progress was slowest with the aspect of nature, but that would seem expected, I think. My purpose for writing to you this time is for another reason, however. Ker, a Gaoler of our clan has asked for some assistance in attuning our clan, specifically the youngest members, to his illness so that he would not kill them if he were to release it. I am unfortunately very ignorant of this subject, having never developed my own, with guidance or otherwise. Would you be able to recommend any books on this topic to me? I assume you are very well-read, and would probably know of the best authors or series on this subject. I will be working closely with Cenue, our druidic healer, so additional information that is relevant to her would also be helpful. [right][i]Your diligent student, Anhun[/i][/right] [i]P.S. Would you prefer I address you as professor, master or mentor? Please excuse my rudeness in the meantime.[/i] Anhun nodded with satisfaction as he finished, slipping it into an envelope before speaking his teacher's name and watching as the letter rushed away through the hall. "Anhun," a flat voice said suddenly by his ear, and he flinched to see Aria hovering near his head, held aloft only by a warm wind. "May I have your invitations? I will be leaving soon, and I was asked to begin distributing them." "Of course!" he nodded, hesitating as he looked at her tiny body. "Will you be able to carry so many?" "I won't have to carry them," she gestured simply to the air rushing around them. "They are light enough to fly." "Of course," he coughed awkwardly, then pushed to his feet. "Please wait here, I'll return shortly." [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85518279][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/855183/85518279.png[/img][/url][/center] "But I don't know where their clan is!" Torn explained angrily as she ran behind the captain, who refused to slow down. The two had been arguing since the training session had finished. "You can't just teleport anywhere you like if you don't know the place exists." "It obviously exists, Torn," Rill rolled his eyes. Why were mages so stupid? "Do you think she was lying about coming from a clan or something?" "Teleportation only works well if you really know where you're going. If you're not familiar with it, you can end up somewhere completely different, and get hurt in the process. If you try to go somewhere unknown, and you're unlucky, you might not even arrive alive." He stopped. "Huh. Really?" "Yes, really!" she glared at him. "And besides, Eredia is too big for me to take along; I could take smaller dragons, or two our size, but not her." [i]Did you know about this, Grim?[/i] [i]I didn't know she was this unskilled. She made it seem like she was a competent mage, not an apprentice-level one.[/i] "I thought you were above the basic level, Torn," Rill narrowed his eyes. "Was anything you told us from before true? Did you even come from the Starfall Isles? Did you ever go to your gibberish academy?" "I didn't-" she began shouting, then took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "I may have exaggerated some things, but I didn't lie about everything. I do have some experience; I was able to start a spell and pass it along to Anhun and Eredia to maintain, after all. That's not an easy thing to do." "Is it easy for an Arcane dragon?" Rill leaned in, a knowing smirk on his lips. Torn's eyes disappeared beneath her brows as she sighed, looking away with a guilty expression. "...Yes." "So your exaggeration was comparing yourself to dragons that aren't born with crazy talent. When you were." "I don't understand why this matters so much to you that you have to insult me all the time over it!" Torn looked up at him with frustration. "I wasn't completely honest with you, you're right, I'm sorry. Does that mean you have to rub it in my face for the rest of my life?" [i]Don't keep pushing. You made your point.[/i] Rill rolled his eyes, but didn't say what he had been planning to. "Go get Eredia and Anhun," he said. "I'll have to try and sort this out with them." The female Aberration gave him a final wounded glare before she flew off into the upper level and vanished. [i]If they can cast it, would they be able to bring a dragon their size? Or is it the same for everyone; just a few small ones?[/i] Rill looked over at Grim with a frown. [i]Well, we'll find out soon.[/i] Grim motioned. "Captain, good news!" Tantus was flying toward them, his hand clasping a torn envelope and a letter. "Kydraas is coming tomorrow! He said he'll arrive at the sixth hour in the evening." "Great!" Rill exclaimed. Finally, some good news. "Will he be staying here?" "Most likely not," Tantus shook his head. "Ah, well we can still ask Lilla to prepare in case he does," Rill said with a grunt. "Thanks, Tantus. We'll see you after breakfast." "Absolutely. I will see you then," the accountant smiled before flying back to the Mess Hall. After a lengthy conversation with Eredia and Anhun, they decided that Anhun would be the best one to handle the matter, and the Imperial promised that he would test the spell the following day with Eredia, to see if he could take her with him. Eredia was also told to send a letter to the dragon she knew from Kaïda's clan in order to plan her arrival, which she reluctantly agreed to. Rill teased her about this for a few seconds before the bell rang for breakfast, and they all put the conversation aside to eat. After breakfast Tantus explained all of the costs associated with the bank, and Rill parroted Grim's words without any alterations, too mentally drained to engage with the discussion himself. When it was over, all he knew was that it would cost a lot of money, and would require them to carve out a large space for it all. The moment they had concluded, Mystery approached them, with Eerie handing over the records of both interrogation sessions. Rill barely acknowledged it, trying to keep moving before Mist cleared her throat. "Sir, I wanted to just-" "Mist, I'm busy," he grunted. He didn't want to give her the opportunity to speak with him, fearing what it would lead to. "Save it for later." "I just wanted to thank you!" she said quickly, coming in front of him to block him from walking away. "...For sparing me. I've been thinking about it a lot since Jirael said he wouldn't have. I was so caught up in everything that I didn't think you were actually being-" "It's nothing. We couldn't afford to lose you," he said quickly, trying to sidestep her. Her eyes widened with surprise as Eerie reflected her astonishment, and Rill cursed himself. "I mean the [i]clan[/i]. We don't have enough soldiers." "Oh, of course," she mumbled, although some color still rose to her face. "That makes sense." He had to escape, before she said anything else that would draw Grim's notice. "Now get out of the way, we have a lot of work to do outside today." "Oh, are we cleaning up the corpses today?" Mist asked hopefully. "You'll be inside," Rill looked at her firmly, shoving her aside as he pushed past. "We have enough members already lined up." In spite of the rough gesture, Mist appeared unfazed as she fell in beside him. "But I'm off-duty today. I don't mind helping you, sir; I can move the snow and ice better than anybody else." Grim was staring at her, and Rill rounded back on her with his teeth bared. "YOU'RE STAYING INSIDE, MYSTERY! [b]DROP IT!!![/b]" The Mess Hall fell into a tense silence at the unexpected outburst, and the captain didn't wait as he marched past, leaving the corporal frozen in shock. Grim said nothing. [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85631083][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/856311/85631083.png[/img][/url][/center] They spent the rest of the day outside, overseeing the clean-up efforts as many of the adults in the clan worked to pile the corpses into a massive mound. It wasn't until the nighttime that they were able to light it all, wincing at the heat and smell. "We'll see what's left tomorrow," Rill said as they all wearily began returning to the lair. "Good work!" Some bitter smiles rose to the faces below them, but Rill didn't wait to fly inside, his body sighing with relief at the warmth. The temperatures always plunged when the sun went down, and he had felt as though he were slowly freezing in the dark. [i]I'll take first watch today,[/i] he offered as they settled in the Great Hall and watched the other dragons trudge inside. Grim gave a little smile, but didn't refuse. [i]Alright.[/i] Good. He could start practicing with the book. Rill forced himself to keep his face even. He was going to get better, he promised himself. Starting tonight. [i]Is there anything we need to do before Kydraas gets here?[/i] [i]Sleep.[/i] Grim shrugged, watching as Jirael and Ker pushed the gates closed and activated the massive stone bars that linked the gates together. [i]Nothing else.[/i] Rill nodded as they began walking to their room. [i]I hope he can help us.[/i] [i]Well, we'll see.[/i] Grim shut the door behind them with his tail, but Rill opened the small, sliding window to allow a patch of soft light to come through. It was close enough to their bed that he could put the book in it and read comfortably while Grim slept. [i]Are you going to do something tonight?[/i] Grim asked curiously as they drew their legs up beneath them. [i]I just want to read through Phantom's part,[/i] he grinned. It was a believable lie, he decided. [i]I want to remember it again.[/i] Grim snorted with amusement. [i]Have fun.[/i] Then he curled up, and fell asleep. Rill exhaled softly to himself, pulling out the thin book and flipping to the first page, running through each line as he mouthed all of his words over and over, trying to get through it all without his eyes open in between peeking to make sure he was right. Several hours later Rill was able to recite the first three lines perfectly. He hadn't remembered anything at first, other than Phantom nagging and insulting him as usual, so he felt he had made a tremendous start. He was incredibly pleased with himself as Grim opened his eyes and leaned over. [i]Do you want me to put it away?[/i] Rill asked. [i]Keep it there. I want to review some of these anyway,[/i] his partner gestured as they turned around so he was on the outside edge. [i]See you in the morning,[/i] Rill nodded, tucking his head away. Grim grunted in acknowledgement as Rill felt himself bursting with excitement at the thought of making more progress the next night. If he could keep this up, he wouldn't ever forget anything again.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88579307][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/885794/88579307.png[/img][/url][/center] The wind whispered of the warmth of the sun's return to the mountain peaks, and [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88579307]AshLeaf[/url] opened all her eyes as she was gently coaxed from her dreams. The fading memories of the chorus of voices melding with the song of the earth, the embrace of the sun, and the feeling of the water and grass stroking against her feet left a smile on both her faces as the Aberration rose to her feet, and left her room. It had been a beautiful dream. The voice of Rill drifted down the hall, and she ignored the words, closing her eyes as it curled around her ears, its pitch low, but energetic and with a touch of the quality of sand. A certain roughness around the edges, and with the character of the ocean breeze. The voice of the shallow tide, and the warm rain. She opened her eyes as Jirael answered him, relishing the gusts of his speech that tickled her nostrils. She could smell the summer days, the wind racing through the grass, and the memory of the heat on his back that kept his voice reserved, but nostalgic. He had the voice of fields, and young forests. Breathing in the last of his tones, she memorized the impression it left in her throat, in her lungs, and exhaled with delight. "Excuse me," Torn mumbled as she walked past. Her voice was slow and weathered in the mornings, which meant she was tired, AshLeaf reminded herself. She preferred Torn's vocal quality after the dazzling Aberration had eaten something sweet, when it changed like a flower opening for the sun. "Excuse me," AshLeaf responded, the effect identical to the other Aberration. Torn hurried past quickly, giving her the look of a wary animal before she shivered. Which voice should she use today? As more of the inhabitants began making their way to the Training Grounds, AshLeaf was swept along with them, like a leaf floating down a small brook as snippets of conversation accompanied them all like birdsong. "-long does it take for an egg to hatch?" "More than a year, Weiss. Every day your mother-" "-wonder how many days Faust will be in his-" "-to eat one more bit of smoked anything, I'll-" "Good morning, AshLeaf!" She came out of her trance to find Mystery walking beside her. She liked Mystery; the wind that carried her words was cold, but it had two faces. One was soft, like snow in the night, and the other was overflowing with life, like the breeze that ushered in spring. "How did you sleep?" Mist asked with a smile. "Beautifully," she answered back with Mist's voice. "In my dream the sun came to live with us all." "Egh, that would be scary..." her voice dropped to a hushed laugh of worry. "It would be too hot, I think. Wouldn't we all burn up?" "We were all very happy," AshLeaf kept Mist's brightness in her tone. "It was wonderful." There was a quiet, but the older Aberration only smiled. She liked smiling. "How did you sleep?" she asked in Eerie's voice, hoping that the switch to a more soothing sound would reassure the other dragon's unease. "Not very good," Eerie answered with an unhappy smile. "I was thinking about the captain too much." "What were you thinking of?" AshLeaf asked with interest. "Well, the things he said yesterday," Eerie sighed. "And he yelled at us after Mist offered to help. I don't understand why he was so angry with us." AshLeaf didn't understand either, so she didn't offer any answers for her. "What did you dream of?" "Huh? Oh, nothing last night." AshLeaf didn't address this either, thinking of how wonderful it was to sleep. Without dreams, one was able to return quickly to the world, and with them, they were able to visit others. "AshLeaf, why do you always copy our voices?" Mist asked her with her mouth curving down. "Why don't you use your voice?" "My voice?" AshLeaf found the notion strange. "But aren't we all one clan? Isn't this all our home?" "What does that have to do with anything?" she blinked with astonishment. "You all share them with one another. Isn't your voice meant to be shared? I enjoy hearing it echoing between us as we speak." "Talking isn't sharing it," Mist frowned again. "It isn't?" Eerie stopped her partner with a look. AshLeaf watched them both curiously until Eerie turned to her. "I guess what Mist meant was that she would like to hear your voice. A voice that only belongs to you, and not the rest of us. A new voice." "A new voice?" AshLeaf repeated Eerie's exact tone, but with a question. "Nevermind," Mist grunted. "She obviously doesn't understand, Eerie." "I am trying to," she insisted happily. "Please tell me what my new voice would sound like, Eerie. Would it be the voice of the egg that Phantom is keeping?" Eerie's breath came and went before she finally stepped through the doors and winced painfully. "I'll think about it and tell you later, okay, AshLeaf? Right now we have to start warming up, so we'll see you later." "Okay!" The older Aberration listened with interest as the other pair began whispering furiously to each other about how strange and oblivious she was, but then the captain began ordering them to their positions, and she happily moved forward. As they were given their partners for the morning, AshLeaf found herself sparring against Cenue, trying to focus on the way the other dragon moved her feet in the sand. All the Sandsurges seemed to be much more nimble in the difficult environment of the Training Grounds, and she wanted to copy the ease they had. She was brought down several times before they changed to exercises of strength and endurance, and worked for some time before a break was called. This break was when the captain would spar with each member one-on-one. AshLeaf watched with wonder as GrimRill called forward Anhun, and the two began fighting while the other dragons watched near the walls. The damage he was able to deal was hampered by his size, but still the Aberration was clearly in no danger from the Imperial as he took note of the openings and slow reflexes of the other dragon's stance. After five minutes, they landed, and Rill quickly gave a summary of the improvements he expected before dismissing him and calling forward another. After an hour and a half, they had finished, and Rodrathym rang the bell for breakfast. "Hold it!" Rill snapped, flying to the exit that led into the Mess Hall. "Today we'll be meeting with Kydraas, so I don't want any work to be done. Tidy the lair as best as you can, and then you can spend the rest of the day coming up with family names for yourselves." "What if we can't think of one, sir?" Dew called forward. Rill paused for a long moment, then looked toward Eredia. "I'll leave that to you, Eredia. Maybe they can come up with names for two other members or something. And then decide from the suggestions." Eredia gave a short laugh. "I suppose drawing names would be interesting." "Great. Enjoy your day off, everyone. Dismissed!" Rill said quickly, then disappeared into the Mess Hall. The other dragons wasted no time in flocking to the doors as AshLeaf thought to herself of all the things she loved, wondering which ones she would like to hear most when she was called. [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/38812962][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/388130/38812962.png[/img][/url][/center] "Weiss, could you take this paper to Dart and tell her what our task is for today?" Eredia said five minutes later as she struggled to hand out papers to the horde of dragons clamoring around her. "Oh, and Taniks and Faust as well, please." "Okay, Eredia," Weiss smiled wide as she launched off down the hall, obviously pleased that she had been asked. Eredia gave a quiet chuckle to herself before she was tapped on the leg by several different dragons and had to spin back around to pass out more papers. Breakfast began with much conversation, albeit at a lower volume as all the dragons ate while brainstorming along with those at their tables. Some had very clear ideas of what they wanted, but most appeared to struggle with the exercise. "Oh, Eredia. Make sure you vet these names; I don't want anyone named 'Skullsmasher' or 'Evilsbane'," Rill grunted as he walked toward the doors with his breakfast, giving a pointed look at Baning, who flushed and scratched out something on his paper with a guilty expression. "Absolutely. And what about you, GrimRill? Will you be coming up with a name for yourselves?" "I'm not good at that stuff," Rill gave a lazy grin. "You can come up with something for us. Or ask the others what they think; I'll pick from the options later." "Very good," she smiled. "Shall I record all these as we go?" Rill laughed. "Eredia, I said I leave it to you. Do what you think is best." She smiled again. "Understood." "And leave all the other stuff for tomorrow. Just take it easy for today," he gave her a stern look. "You need it." She gave a modest laugh. "Thank you." Rill grinned as Grim looked up above her, then the Aberration left the hall with Tantus flying closely behind him. After most of the food had been eaten, Rodrathym came out of the kitchen with several stacks of large bowls, spreading them out on the lowest tables. "What are these for?" Eredia asked curiously. "I thought you said we would be drawing names," he gave an awkward smile. "So I thought each bowl could be for one of us, and everyone else would drop their suggestions into it." Eredia brightened immediately. "Thank you, Rodrathym. I wasn't sure how to address it with so many asking me for my opinion." "No worries, Eredia. Oh, or would you prefer us to call you by your real name now?" he frowned, scratching his head. "It would seem strange to be called Valerilla after being known as Eredia for so long," she said slowly. "I'd like a second name to go along with it." He nodded. "I'll try to think of a good one, then." Seeing his hesitant smile, Eredia felt incredibly guilty. Why had she been treating him with such disdain all this time, when the only ones he had hurt were their enemies? She needed to apologize. "Oh, we were supposed to clean first, right?" Rodrathym looked up at the dozens of dragons that were no longer eating, but remained at the tables. "I'll go get started on the lower level; I can pack all the dust back into the walls." Without waiting for her answer, the Imperial quickly flew out. She would apologize once they had finished, Eredia promised herself before she lifted her head. "Everyone! Leave your work where it is for now; we can resume once we tidy up the Clanhold. Please clean your team's work area and its surroundings. The little ones can do the common areas." [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85558896][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/855589/85558896.png[/img][/url][/center] Adagio struggled to think of his task as he went through the motions of organizing the products that his team had made. Rough stone boxes were carved out to house the crude tableware as the earth dragons smoothed over all the walls and floors of the guest hall. He would have preferred to leave this sort of thing to Phantom, but she still was avoiding him. "Did you have a family name, Adagio?" Tux asked as he worked to scrub the texture from the wall nearby. "Maybe one from your guild?" "No. There was no reason to give us family names," he chuckled. "Do you have one, Tux?" "Tufa," Tux admitted. "Although I don't have much of an attachment to it. Do you think I should take a new one?" "That would be your choice," Adagio said as he placed a stone lid on top of the box that was now full of rough crystal glasses. He would have been grateful to own such a precious possession, but circumstances could also make such connections undesirable. And he didn't want to probe, or influence the young Aether. Tux sighed with an annoyed smile. "You're no help." "You should decide that for yourself, Tux. It's not a matter that affects me." "But I want to hear your opinion," Tux insisted. "If you have one, that is. And I feel like you do." Adagio opened his mouth to reply when suddenly they were interrupted by Phantom's entrance. His mate had her arms full with a hefty stack of clean linens. "Is there somewhere clean I can put these?" she asked, meeting Adagio's eyes for a moment before looking down at her feet. "Here, let me make you one," Adagio worked swiftly, trying not to look at his mate too much as he cut five slabs from the wall they had left rough-hewn and fashioned a box. Phantom mumbled her thanks as he gently took the tablecloths from her, her eyes lifting to meet his as their paws touched. And then she was gone. Adagio didn't show any emotion on his face, but he did exhale softly, and Tux looked over at him with concern. "She still isn't speaking to you?" "Not as much," Adagio said, although his voice made it clear he didn't wish to share anything further. Tux nodded, holding his tongue. "Will you both be using her family name?" "I don't think so." The two earth dragons continued working quietly until a familiar white figure slowly flew over, her eyes on a piece of paper as she carried a single fork. "Dad, could I come up with a name for you and Mom and me?" Weiss asked as she tossed her miniscule load into an open crate. "Or would it just be a name for me? Because I don't want to have my own separate one." "I would love to see what you come up with," Adagio plucked the fork from where she had left it with the hammered steel platters and put it among its fellows. "But Weiss, you should carry more than a single thing. Otherwise we'll never finish." His daughter gave a distracted nod as she scribbled down something and frowned. "Okay." Adagio was about to dismiss the smaller Aether when his skin broke into nervous hives. Weiss and Tux both reacted to the same instinct as they immediately turned around to see [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88800774]NightShade[/url] standing behind them. The Aberration's faces were the stuff of nightmares, with both possessing two pairs of eyes; one larger, rounder pair between the standard pair. Like a spider. Their horns were also unusual, being long with a gradual curve forward, similar to the chitinous thorns that pierced through their mane. This coupled with their dark hide, and insect-like wings, gave them an unnerving presence. "Eredia asks for you, Adagio," Night, the right head said with his sinuous voice. The effect was not unlike the impression of what an eel might sound like, if it spoke by its appearance. He nodded calmly. "I'll come immediately." Night's partner, Shade, smiled over at Weiss and Tux, both of whom visibly shuddered. "We can take your place until you return." "I don't think that will be necessary," Adagio said as he began beating his wings. "Tux can take over for me." "Yes," Tux blurted instantly. "Please don't trouble yourselves." "It would be no trouble," Shade insisted, but his opposite simply chuckled darkly. "Suit yourself." Adagio buzzed out without delay, but NightShade lingered for a moment until finally he began walking back into the hallway. Weiss held her breath until the Aberration left, although she still didn't relax. "I wish he would just stay outside," she mumbled to Tux. Tux gave a nervous laugh, not wanting to be rude and agree with her.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/40155445][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/401555/40155445.png[/img][/url][/center] Many leagues northeast, Hilgeth was dozing in the afternoon sun, enjoying the heat that enveloped her entire body as she listened to the sounds of the redwoods whispering in the lazy wind. Only a week ago she had been completely lost for direction, her wings carrying her north until she came across two other Guardians that had told her of a place where their kind gathered as a place to rest. It was a valley that a very old Guardian watched over; a place in the Sunbeam Ruins where their kind were always welcome. They had invited her to come with them, and she had accepted eagerly. The three dragons had reached the valley two days ago, although the other pair had left the day after their arrival. Hilgeth had stayed, fascinated with the chance to speak with other Guardians, learning of all their different opinions and charges. She especially loved hearing the stories of their individual searches, her heart soaring as they connected all of their experiences together into their own satisfying conclusions. She wanted to be able to speak so passionately someday of her own adventures. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a soft blow on her neck, and Hilgeth curiously turned to see a boar constructed from wood and leaves grunting at her. Its glowing green eyes regarded her with annoyance, as though she were in its way. Hilgeth got up, hopped across the river and laid down again, but the strange boar simply charged into the water, drifting downstream before climbing out and rushing back toward her. It again ploughed into her, and she was unable to help herself from laughing. "Do you want me to move further?" she chuckled. At her words, the creature turned to look toward the center of the valley. A bell was beginning to toll, and she saw several other Guardians flying to the lake to form a small gathering. The breeze brought the soft traces of conversation, and Hilgeth looked down at the boar with a grudging smile. "I wanted to rest today, you know," she said. It charged at her again, and she nimbly sidestepped it. "I'll go, I'll go. You can stop." The boar snorted again, glaring at her suspiciously until she took off and began flying. As the Guardian looked over her shoulder, she laughed to herself to see the creature watching her to make sure she went to the lake. It was only once she was circling above the glassy surface that the strange animal went on its way. The sun was hot, and so the dragons sheltered themselves in the shadow cast by several redwoods as they spoke about their travels. Hilgeth was so enraptured by their stories that she did not notice the arrival of another Guardian. Her only warning came from the other dragons, who immediately bowed to someone behind her, greeting the newcomer with incredible respect. The Clanmother turned to find a towering Guardian with a hide cracked from age, his dark scales contrasting against his pale green eyes, which were fixed on her. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/91114353]Susurrus[/url], the guardian of this valley. She immediately bowed as well, worrying she had offended the elder with her pause. "Please be at ease," he said slowly, nodding to the other Guardians as they politely excused themselves. His voice was rough, but kind. "Welcome, daughter. I noticed that you did not leave this morning as I expected." Hilgeth lifted her head, looking back longingly at the other dragons that had gone before she turned to face him. "Are you the one who guards this place, grandfather?" "I am," Susurrus smiled, tilting down onto the grass. "Come, sit a while with me." His words were like a spell, and the female Guardian instantly did as he bid her. "What brings you here, daughter?" he asked with an inviting smile. "And what keeps you?" "I just came here to rest," she said slowly. "Is that all?" Hilgeth wasn't sure what came over her, but suddenly all of her deepest thoughts began tumbling from her mouth, each more private than the last. The dragon listening was a complete stranger, but once she started, she was unable to stop. "I don't know if I made the right choice in leaving Merris," she began. He didn't know who Merris was, she thought, but his eyes encouraged her on, and so she continued. "I know I'm his charge, and his mate, but lately I..." She took a deep breath. "I wonder if we would even be mates if we hadn't always been together. Am I drawn to him because of who he is, or because we only had each other our entire lives? And does he feel the same way for me? What if I'm not meant to be his charge, or his mate? What if all of this was a mistake?" An intense feeling of shame swept over her, but Susurrus didn't react, his eyes gentle as he listened. "Merris always was there for me, but he also was the one who made all of our decisions. I don't know how to do anything myself, and now I... I'm regretting my choice. The more I listen to other Guardians, the more of a failure I feel I am for not doing more myself. But I..." She hung her head. "I'm afraid to start. I'm afraid of the answers to my questions, and my choices. What if my story isn't wonderful like all the others'? What if it's full of mistakes, and regrets?" "A story is not a story without mistakes and pain, daughter," he said with a smile. "The stories you hear are merely a glimpse, or a taste that has been offered. There is always more that remains unsaid." Hilgeth gave him a surprised look, but he simply chuckled. "Myself, for instance. I stubbornly resisted taking charge of this valley for over a century, because I thought I would not be satisfied with remaining in one place." Her eyes widened in surprise. "More than a century?" "My own assumptions of myself and my duty prevented me from seeing what was before me. But that was my journey," the other Guardian smiled. "I had to learn much before I was ready to take my place. Mistakes are not something to be afraid of, daughter, they are lessons to learn. Lessons you [i]must[/i] learn." "But my search is what's most important," she frowned. "That's what defines us all as Guardians. If I don't find my charge, then I'll always be seen as [i]this[/i]." "Your search is not simply looking for your charge, daughter," Susurrus said with astonishment. "It is your preparation for your charge. Your test. A charge always comes to those who are ready for it, whether it is felt, or chosen, or gifted. If you have not met with yours, it simply means you are not ready to receive it yet." Hilgeth's mouth folded into an embarrassed line as he smiled warmly. "You are one of the Tidelord's children," he without hesitation. "Many of your brothers and sisters face similar difficulties in their lives, especially if they are not raised among their kin. Your understanding of our kind is limited, but that is not your fault. You have not failed in anything; so long as you are living, there is still time." "But... where do I begin?" she whispered. "Where do I go? What do I do?" He smiled. "Those are questions you must answer yourself. And there are no wrong answers. All your choices will be right, for your story." The female Guardian found herself wishing for Merris, to have him point in a direction and lead her. The prospect of choosing her own path was terrifying. What if she missed the opportunities she needed, or passed over the answers to her questions? "I know it is a daunting prospect," Susurrus said slowly, interrupting her worries. "Especially if you have never taken your own path before. So perhaps you can allow me to give you my advice." Hilgeth instantly nodded, and he chuckled again. "When you have no direction, let the wind guide you. If there is no wind, stay a while, greet your surroundings, your neighbors, and then when the wind calls you, leave with a grateful spirit and an eager heart. It is what we are taught in the Windswept Plateau, but I think it would serve you well as it did me." "I thought you said you flew over this place many times," she teased, and he gave a jolly laugh. "Not with the wind beneath my wings." As though it had heard them, the breeze returned with a happy heat, brushing their faces and wings as Susurrus took in a deep breath. "It seems it is time for you to go, daughter. The wind calls for you." "For me?" she blinked, looking up at the trees swaying above their heads. "It is a warm wind. One that will carry you higher," he said, giving her a curious look. "But... but we just started," she protested. "What more do you have to say?" the elder asked, and Hilgeth froze. She was simply stalling, and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes told her he knew this too. "You can always return, daughter," Susurrus said. "So don't hesitate. Open your wings!" Another gust of wind came, and she braced herself for several moments before she suddenly felt a change come over her. The older Guardian smiled as Hilgeth's eyes gleamed with a new light, then she turned as the breath of the sky swelled beneath her. "Goodbye, Susurrus!" she called. "And thank you!" "May you find what you search for!" he called back. Hilgeth smiled, then began beating her wings, speeding along with the wind as it carried her north above the waves. She could go anywhere, and it would be correct to her story, she thought to herself, then exhaled with excitement as she pushed herself onward. No matter what awaited her, she would do her best to meet it proudly from now on. [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/90038894][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/900389/90038894.png[/img][/url][/center] Aria swiftly dressed in her warm clothes, already dreading the trip through the Crags. She had only heard stories of the passage, but even these made her blood run cold. Because of the sheer scale of the mountains, even larger dragons were forced to find shifting paths through the range, and many did not survive the journey. In the winter the arctic winds made this even more treacherous as the cold storms viciously fought to send flying creatures into the jagged cliffs. The Fae would be unable to warm any of the winds around her in the intense cold, so she would have to blunt them, or avoid the unfavorable ones. It would be a serious test of her skills. "Please be careful," Eredia said with a worried smile as she waited in the Great Hall. "I will," Aria said emotionlessly as she took up her bag, sliding the invitations inside. She had boasted to Anhun about being able to maintain all of the letters, but after consideration, she realized it would be better to keep them safe. The enchantment activated instantly, storing all of the contents in another plane and leaving her bag as light as though it were empty. "And please send us a letter once you reach the Stockade," Eredia insisted. "I won't be able to rest easy until I know that you made it safely." Aria mimicked a small laugh as best as she could. "I appreciate your thoughts, Eredia. Pray that I am able to bring someone back with me, so this will not be in vain." "Of course." Dew quickly moved forward to open one of the west gates, and as the cold air tore through the hall, Aria bowed, softening the fringes around her face. "I will return soon." "Swiftly and safely go, Aria," the Imperial offered the parting words of the Windsinger's children, then remained behind as the delicate green Fae rushed out of the mountain and into the cold. For the first part of her journey, Aria skirted the range, testing the effectiveness of her abilities against the cold. She could perhaps change her trajectory by an increment of less than fifteen degrees, she realized quickly, and this was not even as cold as it would become further in. The sky became brighter, waiting for her as she gathered her courage at the edge of the mountains. Finally Aria took a deep breath, and leaned into the winds swirling around the base of the mountain, letting them pull her up and into the next valley. An hour passed in this fashion, and she began to wonder if all the stories had been exaggerated. The sun was still visible, in spite of the clouds that rose off from the mountains, and the temperatures were not low enough to warrant alarm. Aria considered relaxing when suddenly she was sucked down and dragged forward toward the sheer face of a cliff. Immediately the Fae flared her wings, slowing herself enough to scrabble against the stone and angle into another current that ran along the rock. Her heart pounded against her chest as she narrowly avoided a falling chunk of ice, and trimmed her wings to rocket toward a gap between the two mountains in front of her. She shot through like an arrow, then angled herself to a stop, feeling her heart sink as she looked at what awaited her. In the darkness of the inner range her mind's eye saw the winds that constantly writhed and devoured another in an endless battle. One wrong move or miscalculation, and she could be dashed to pieces. Aria closed her eyes as she gently floated down, thinking of Osian. She had to make it through this, she told herself. She needed to speak with him again. With a determined frown, the Fae took a deep breath and dove into the maelstrom.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85631083][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/856311/85631083.png[/img][/url][/center] "An artificial sun?" Tantus gasped as they opened the doors into the first room on the lowest level the elevators could reach. Vast fields of a strange grass carpeted the biggest cave they had ever seen, along forests of redwoods, and a small town carved from a white stone. Grim looked at the accountant curiously. "Is that impressive or something?" Rill grunted. "Yes. It's not just light, because-" Tantus dissolved his own orb and flew higher, concentrating. "Look. It mimics the movements of the sun as well. It's still rising." "Wow." Rill didn't sound impressed as he looked around. What was the point? The two dragons had been exploring the other levels of the interior at Grim's suggestion. Tantus had agreed instantly, mentioning that Kydraas would want to know all that they had access to, including any facilities, so they could begin making proper plans. [i]What's the big deal with this place? We have somewhere to go in bad weather?[/i] Rill motioned in annoyance as Tantus flew closer to one of the clouds floating overhead. [i]Farming. Prey.[/i] Grim answered instantly. [i]We can keep things that wouldn't survive outside in here indefinitely.[/i] Rill still wasn't impressed. [i]Okay.[/i] His partner shot him an annoyed glance of his own, before Tantus returned to them with his eyes wide. "There are clouds in here too. That might mean it rains on its own as well. I assume it comes from that lake that's above us." "Yeah, alright, cool. Let's keep moving, we have a lot more to cover, Tantus," Rill grunted as he waited for the Coatl to return to the giant hallway. Grim was the one who opened the next door down, only to find a searing heat blast him in the face, and he flinched back. Rill winced, waiting until the temperature mixed with the cool air of the hall, then peered inside. A volcanic cave. Lava pooled in the lower regions, flowing down the side of burning mountains as pockets of ash clouds lingered in the sky. The taste of sulfur made his eyes water, and once Tantus peeked in for several moments, Grim quickly closed the door again. "How many rooms like this are here?" Tantus wondered to himself as he made his orb as bright as he possibly could. As the hallway became drenched in light, both dragons instantly noticed the symbols of each flight worked into the stone at the threshold of each room. [i]There are twelve.[/i] Grim motioned as he peered to the end. Rill narrowed his eyes, lifting higher as they quickly flew to the end of the hall. The twelfth door was tiny in comparison to the others, and isolated from the other eleven. When they looked down for the symbol on the floor, there was none. [i]Maybe it's a spare.[/i] Rill suggested. Grim looked at the door for a moment. The entrances to the other eleven rooms were massive, big enough for the largest creatures to fit through. This one was only slightly bigger than them; Tantus would have to crawl inside if he wanted to see the contents. [i]Tell Tantus to stay back.[/i] Rill told him, and the Aberration cautiously crept forward on silent feet. Grim lowered his head slightly in preparation, and Rill slowly pulled the door open with the edge of his wing. This room had nothing except a dome of ice in the center. It was massive, and took up most of the room, but he didn't understand the purpose. "Fridge?" he guessed. Grim snorted at the suggestion, stealing forward quickly until they came to the edge of the frozen hemisphere. [i]Light.[/i] "Tantus," Rill called as he pointed. The beam of light became blinding behind them as Grim rubbed off the clouded frost from the surface, squinting inside. [i]I can't see anything,[/i] he motioned. [i]Maybe there's nothing in there,[/i] Rill gestured in boredom. They stood for a moment as his counterpart studied the room, then suddenly both tensed as a loud horn reverberated the walls and floor. "Þurhweorþian!" A sharp, clear female voice rang through the chamber, and the captain instantly streaked to the door, watching with wide eyes as the ice began fragmenting. Both dragons pulled back to the hallway, leaving the door open as they watched the shards of ice roll and mix with several other visible elements, the smog of shadow, and the crackling sparks of lightning. Then the dome reformed, this time as a dark, shifting haze. GrimRill and Tantus crept back inside cautiously, scanning the room for the source of the voice. They found nothing. No windows or doors, either, except for the one they had used to enter. "An elemental wall?" Tantus guessed as he looked down at the shadowy hemisphere. Rill glanced at Grim, waiting as his partner thought. [i]What's it for?[/i] [i]I think this might be a room that stores the Shade,[/i] Grim motioned slowly as Tantus flew around the room once more. The Aberration looked back at the unmarked threshold as he shook his head. [i]But I don't know what those words meant.[/i] Rill stood without moving for several moments, but his partner didn't continue. [i]What do you want to do?[/i] [i]Nothing for now. We can inspect this more another time,[/i] Grim looked back toward the hall. [i]Let's keep going.[/i] The other nine rooms were elemental biomes, as expected. Moving up to the next floor was the strange lake that Faust had taken them to, which both gave a wide berth. Rill still caught a glimpse of the strange aquatic doppelganger of Faust, and shuddered to himself as it watched them with empty, wet eyes. There was another lake, and Rill knew instantly from the smell that it was saltwater. The other must be fresh, he realized as they studied more of the tiled columns that rose up into the ceiling far above. Walking farther yielded a molten lake of lava, as well as a large pool of magical runoff. There was a large, rectangular building near the elevators, and when they went inside, they found it was full of runes and switches. Tantus took note of everything as they went further up. Warehouses full to the brim of anything a craftsman could ever want. Mining shafts. A room full of elemental golems in every breed they knew of, and some that they didn't. Alchemical vats and workstations. A massive forge. And a vast hall with a dais. As the two dragons looked over the chamber, they found that the massive slab of marble behind the raised platform had the veins of the marble forming a design of titanic proportions. Every single contrasting fleck of mineral, when one pulled back enough to view it in its totality, created the illusion of a vast, twelve-headed dragon watching those in the doorway. The effect was unnerving, especially with the stylized, giant eyes on each head. Grim took it all in without expressing any thoughts, and after several hours of exploring the open areas, the pair left with Tantus. "There's a lot in there," the Coatl breathed in astonishment as he looked down at the pages he had filled with writing. "I didn't realize we had so many facilities here. And most seem to be in good shape; we might be able to use them with only minimal adjustments." "No living quarters, though," Rill grunted as they walked. "Perhaps they're further in, beyond the indestructible barrier," Tantus said distractedly as he reread something. "And every day it recedes a little more, so we may find even more." "Once we break up the rock blocking all the other passages." "Yes, of course," Tantus smiled. "Well, if you'll excuse me; I need to begin trying to find the best price for the enchantments we need." "See you at six," Rill agreed as the accountant flew further ahead. They walked in silence back up the hall, stopping briefly to speak with Ker before they continued into the main area. Most of the clan was in the Mess Hall, but some were in the Great Hall as well, all working at their pieces of paper with sticks of charcoal, or the odd pen that someone had borrowed from Anhun or Eredia. "How we doing, Eredia?" Rill asked as he approached the Imperial dragon. "Almost half are done," she smiled as she looked up. "I'm actually trying to think of names for you, GrimRill." He nodded, then flicked his head toward the gate. "I need a bit of fresh air. I'll come take a look once we're back." "Of course!" Eredia began writing a bit faster. "Please take your time." He couldn't leave fast enough. The Aberration had hardly flown for a minute before Grim began signing. [i]We have almost everything already down there.[/i] Rill looked over. [i]You want to use it?[/i] [i]We can save a lot of money by refurbishing all those chambers,[/i] Grim's face was impassive, but Rill felt a wave of relief pass through them. [i]I was going to upgrade most of the lair, but now, I think it would be better to cleanse the ruins and occupy them instead.[/i] [i]But there's no rooms. No kitchens. No workshops.[/i] Rill narrowed his eyes as he flicked his tail dismissively. [i]The hallways are laid out with gates at strategic intervals, and its all structured like a wheel. Areas are all as close to one another as possible; it's incredibly resistant to invasion.[/i] Grim argued back quickly. [i]There was a hall that had more elemental areas for training, and I think those golems could be used as combat dummies. We should start using it as soon as we can.[/i] [i]So we unlock this awesome place and force everyone to live in the dump? They're going to whine about it every day.[/i] Rill gave him a look. Grim chuckled. [i]So? Let them.[/i] Rill frowned. [i]How are we going to clean it up, though? It will take Faust forever to filter out all the hybrid stuff, especially if it's in the floors and walls. We'd have to take the entire mountain and turn it inside-out.[/i] Grim hesitated. [i]If Aria can find someone capable in that regard, it may be easier than that. Otherwise we'll have to bring in more water dragons and have Faust teach them.[/i] [i]I thought we were trying to avoid water dragons,[/i] Rill gestured slowly. [i]We don't have much of a choice. We can't exactly leave ourselves dry with hostile Maren so close by.[/i] His partner's motions were confident, but there was a trace of apprehension running through them. Rill said nothing for some time, then he cautiously looked at Grim. [i]I thought you normally don't trust others with important stuff. Not this much.[/i] Grim gave an amused snort. [i]We can't run everything ourselves, Rill.[/i] [i]I still don't understand why we can't just travel alone,[/i] he sighed. [i]Why do you want to be part of a clan so much when we have to be around clan dragons?[/i] Grim exhaled in annoyance. This must have been something he had repeated many times. [i]The older we get, the more we fall behind dragons that can use magic. We can't survive on our own forever. If we don't find somewhere to stay, we'll eventually run into enemies that we can't escape or fight by ourselves.[/i] [i]Who cares?[/i] Rill grunted. [i]Everyone is an enemy. What's the difference?[/i] [i]I'm too tired to have this argument with you right now,[/i] Grim dismissed it with tight motions. [i]That's my reason. Figure it out yourself if you don't understand.[/i] Rill sulked silently beside him as they wheeled back. It would have been one thing if Grim was the main one speaking for them, but having to be their front, while disliking the arrangement was draining for him. Especially now that he had a taste of what being a leader meant. He hated it. And all this work doing building things for dragons that probably would turn on them at the first chance. But he had ruined their other chances, he thought to himself. This whole uncomfortable situation was probably the result of his own past actions. [i]Grim, why did we leave the Sea of a Thousand Currents? We stayed there even as everyone kicked us around, right? So what made us leave? Did I mess up something?[/i] Grim's heart stopped for a moment. [i]Why are you asking?[/i] [i]I'm just curious.[/i] On the surface, nothing seemed out of order. Grim's expression was unconcerned, his movements were smooth and precise as usual. But now his heart was beating incredibly fast. [i]I can't answer that.[/i] [i]Why not? Because I'll forget it?[/i] [i]There's no reason for me to.[/i] Rill snorted. [i]You know I can tell you're nervous.[/i] His counterpart turned to scan the hills beneath them, refusing to answer. Rill glared at him for several minutes, but finally he gave up; he didn't want Grim to stop talking to him altogether. But if he forgot everything, why wouldn't Grim just say it? [i]Fine, I'll drop it,[/i] he sighed, but his curiosity didn't leave. Now the question was gnawing at his mind, snagged in his throat like a bone. [i]Focus on the present. We have a lot going on; don't waste time thinking about stuff that happened.[/i] Grim gestured dismissively. [i]Yeah, you're right.[/i] He could always try again another time.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/86742881][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/867429/86742881.png[/img][/url][/center] "Hey, Dart, what did you come up with?" Weiss called as she leaned against her clanmate's door. It had been several hours, and she had made no progress at all. Dart sounded very proud of herself as she answered. "Cantrick. You know, cantrip and-" "Yeah, I got it," Weiss rolled her eyes. She didn't know exactly what cantrip meant, but she assumed it had something to do with magic. "What about you?" Dart asked, stretching her neck to peep out of the narrow slot in the door. Most of Weiss' paper was crossed or blacked-out words. "No luck yet?" "I don't know how to make names," she moaned, kicking a stray pebble. "The best I came up with was 'Tool-egg'." "Two-leg? But you have six," Dart teased, laughing as Weiss gave her a playful smack through the gap. "Ow!" "How did you come up with Cantrick so easy?" Weiss sighed, dropping her cheek onto her paw. "That's such a good name." "I'm just great at everything, Weiss, duh," Dart laughed, squealing again as Weiss began smacking her. "Hey, ow! Okay, okay! I'll tell you! Ow!" "Tell me how you did it!" Weiss said in a mock angry voice, laughing a little herself. "Or else!" "Okay, okay!" Dart winced, smirking as she blocked the last blow with her forearm. "I just thought of the stuff I like most, and I smushed them together in different ways," she demonstrated for effect. "Until I got something good." Weiss frowned as she thought hard while Baning slithered over, squinting down at the paper that was tiny in comparison to him. "Dart, what name did you come up with?" Weiss tuned them out as Baning gushed at how good Dart's choice was once she answered, and began begging for her help. What was most important to her? No, to her family? Weiss slowly wandered into the Great Hall and looked through the open windows of the Mess Hall to see her father and mother sitting at separate tables. Adagio was inserting panes of glass into a window, while Phantom kept grumbling to herself as she wrote and crossed out each addition. She just wanted her parents to get along again, she thought. How could she do that? The young Aether kicked another pebble angrily, watching as it knocked into a second one with a light clack, and then both tiny stones bounced back and lay next to one another. The simple action made her lose her breath, and she squinted hard, trying to remember what it meant before her eyes lit up. She knew exactly what to write! [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85640835][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/856409/85640835.png[/img][/url][/center] "Mom, Mom!" Weiss was out of breath as she hovered beside Phantom, her eyes bright. "Quick, let's go see Dad, I have something I want to show you!" Phantom looked down at her plans for the expanded nursery for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. So long as it's quick." Weiss nodded furiously. "I'll be really quick!" Her mother couldn't help but smile at her daughter's enthusiasm as she lifted off behind her and flew to the table where Adagio was working. He lifted his head, nodding to both in greeting as they perched nearby. "You had an idea, Weiss?" he asked, immediately putting aside the half-assembled window. Phantom sat on the opposite end of the table, while Weiss settled between both her parents. She nodded with a smile. "I remembered the story Mom told a lot before we came here. The story about the two stones." Phantom's mouth opened slightly before she clamped it shut. Why had Weiss thought of that? "Dart said that she picked her name by thinking of what was special to her," Weiss began, looking at her mother knowingly, as though she could hear her thoughts. "I think our family is most important. And you made our family," she said, looking back and forth for approval. Phantom still didn't understand, but Adagio appeared to be following his daughter. "So what name did you choose, Weiss?" he asked curiously. "Stonewind," she smiled. "Because our family is just like the two stones." Phantom smiled gently. "I think all families are, Weiss." Weiss looked at her seriously. "But Mom, you always said that the wind that can bring two stones together is the strongest wind of all. Since they would never meet otherwise." "Yes, and that's love. That's what brings all families together." "It was love?" Weiss flushed with embarrassment. "Oh." Both adults looked at her curiously. "What did you think it was, Weiss?" Adagio asked. "I thought it was Grandpa," she mumbled, looking at Phantom. "He was the one who brought you both together, right? Because you wouldn't have met each other if he hadn't helped Dad." Adagio and Phantom's eyes widened, and they both slowly looked at one another. "I... never thought of it like that," Phantom admitted softly. "I actually like your answer better, Weiss." "Really?" she said in amazement. "I think it's both," Adagio said, giving Phantom a small smile. "After all, without both, we wouldn't be here today." Phantom shyly returned his smile before turning to the smaller dragon. "Weiss, is this name just for you?" "You don't like it?" her voice faltered. "I thought we could all use it." "No, I love it," Phantom assured her quickly. "I would love to use it." Weiss lit up again. "Dad, do you like it?" "It's a wonderful name, Weiss. I suppose we'll all have to tell Eredia then, won't we?" He got up, preparing to fly down before Weiss stopped him with a paw. "I'll tell her! You're busy," Weiss offered quickly as she took off. "I'll be right back!" Both her parents chuckled as they watched her race down, then their eyes met again. "It's a good name," Adagio said quietly. "Yes," Phantom smiled, then flinched in surprise as he brushed her paw with his own. "Come sit beside me," he said. His mate bit her lip, then slowly worked her way on his left. By the time their daughter had returned, both Aethers had resumed their jobs, though their tails were curled around one another. "Eredia said it's a good name," Weiss said happily. "Does this mean I'm done for today?" "I think so," Phantom chuckled. "Did you want to stay and watch your father work?" Weiss looked at them both for a moment, then smiled. "Nah. I'll go play, I think." "Alright. Have fun, and stay out of trouble," Phantom gave her a serious look. "I will!" Weiss called as she took to the air. She stopped on the floor, looking back up to see the two tails, silver and brown, swaying gently together. The sight made her smile from ear to ear. [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/38812962][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/388130/38812962.png[/img][/url][/center] Eredia looked down at the last name on her list with a satisfied smile. Finally, they had finished. Luckily many of their members had family names that they were willing to keep, but the ones who needed these often had a very hard time choosing from the suggestions of others. Baning had taken the longest, and even still, he had only reluctantly agreed to the name everyone had unanimously agreed was the best one. He would just have to learn to like it, Eredia thought with a chuckle. 'The Champion' and 'the Just' could wait until he earned such titles through his deeds. She just needed the approval of one more dragon. "How's it going, Eredia?" Rill's voice asked from behind, and she turned to find the Aberration leaning forward to look down at her handbook. "Looks like you have almost everyone done." "Yes. Except for you," she smiled anxiously. He had said he wasn't picky, but she still wasn't sure he would like the name she had chosen. "...What do you think of yours, GrimRill?" she asked cautiously. "It means-" "I know what it means," he interrupted. There was a long pause, then the captain's speaker sighed. "It's good enough." "What a relief. I was worried you might think it was a bit much." The Imperial finally relaxed as the captain stepped aside, with Grim continuing to read while Rill looked up at her. "I told you, I don't really care that much," Rill shrugged. "Wonderful. I'm glad I was able to choose something you're satisfied with," she smiled. "Would you like a copy of this list?" A short pause before he smirked and began walking away. "Keep it for now. We'll get to that tomorrow." "As you wish," she smiled, sighing in relief as she closed her book and picked up her cup of tea. [center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/vBZdDqGc/Divider-213x50.png[/img] [i][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85558896]Adagio Stonewind[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85640835]Phantom Stonewind[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/86742881]Weiss Stonewind[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87995779]Dart Cantrick[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87998552]Len Farhad[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87926667]Tux Tufa[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88633484]Yarnni Baraq[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88688024]Sabori Sierozem[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87284949]Lilla Azad[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88119988]Anhun Sedulus[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87608180]Rodrathym Sigurdsson[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/38812962]Eredia Gracehaven[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/89521008]Faust Galatea[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/54331617]Ker Shadehold[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85519486]Dew Gelidus[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85687851]Baning Stoutheart[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87771360]Mayel Brighthide[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88679887]Tantus Festinus[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88322961]Lightouch Droucos[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88435634]Council Ylvasdottir[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88342611]Kutzul Nahual[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88555388]Nimriel Seafraidh[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83867183]Whisper Seafraidh[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/89241028]Eon Seafraidh[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88881336]Jirael Stormstride[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/89165435]Cenue Stormstride[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/89241690]Taniks Icehide[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88858936]Key Daystar[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88699333]Tumult Vahedi[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88699332]Lustre Vahedi[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/90038894]Aria Swift[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/89374286]Gorynych Utes[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88800774]NightShade Skotison[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87762586]Ulharsjach Cimmerian[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88579307]AshLeaf Aurora[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85518279]Torn Runebinder[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85633087]Mystery Frost[/url] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85631083]GrimRill Amyntes[/url][/i] [img]https://i.postimg.cc/vBZdDqGc/Divider-213x50.png[/img] [size=1][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2257922]IMAGE SOURCE[/url][/size][/center] [rule] Hey, you. Yes, you reading this right now. Do you like getting cool stuff in exchange for your opinion? I'm very curious what others think of this story, so I thought I would offer a prize raffle for those who writes me some feedback on my progress so far. This raffle will run until April 30th, 2024, and will include at least two prizes! You can only win once, but the first person gets first pick, and so on. If I end up getting a lot of responses, I will add more prizes. All you need to do to enter is fill out the form below and PM it to me! The more useful your submission is to me, the more tickets you will earn. I would prefer at least two sentences minimum for each question, but you will still earn at least one ticket for each answer you give, even if it's short. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88633484]Yarnni[/url] will be in charge of all the tickets. [quote=Answer Form] I value honest answers above generic feedback like 'it's good' or 'I like it'. Please be specific with your answers. Criticism is also welcome! [b]Which character/s are your favorite so far, and why?[/b] [b]What scenes stuck out to you the most? Why?[/b] [b]What questions would you like to see addressed or answered in the future?[/b] [b]Anything else you'd like to say:[/b] [code][b]Which character/s are your favorite so far, and why?[/b] [b]What scenes stuck out to you the most? Why?[/b] [b]What questions would you like to see addressed or answered in the future?[/b] [b]Anything else you'd like to say:[/b] [/code] [/quote] [center][b]CURRENT PRIZES[/b] [quote=Dream of Wisteria] [skin=48380][/quote] [quote=Mining Operation] 500[img]https://www1.flightrising.com/static/layout/icon_gems.png[/img][/quote][/center]

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85631083][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/856311/85631083.png[/img][/url][/center] As GrimRill made his rounds to ensure everything was presentable for their guest, Rill barely waited until they were out of sight before he began complaining. Grim was busy examining every inch of the Training Grounds while Rill slowed their progress with his offended gestures. [i]Why is it that I have to be nice when everybody else can just insult us... or me, mainly, and get away with it?[/i] Rill glared at his partner. [i]Eredia is so condescending, I hate talking to her when she has that stupid, 'I'm better than you' smile.[/i] [i]I don't think Eredia meant to insult you. The name she chose is probably a gesture of goodwill.[/i] [i]She honestly thought I wouldn't know the language of the place we come from? It's not exactly a secret,[/i] Rill exhaled angrily, widening his eyes for emphasis. [i]And 'Protector'? She's obviously sucking up to us. While saying I'm stupid.[/i] Grim peered into the empty armory. [i]We did protect them. Or do you not remember that?[/i] [i]No one ever thanked us for anything; this is all just fake. She's just...[/i] he lost his train of thought as they dove into the saltwater. Grim didn't continue the conversation, busy scanning the contents of the pool. [i]She's just fake,[/i] Rill concluded lamely. [i]If you don't care, stop complaining,[/i] Grim looked at him as he used his movements to keep them up. [i]It's a name. We've had countless over the years. It doesn't matter.[/i] Rill sighed, swimming with him until they had examined everything, then helped his partner paddle to the side. As they hauled themselves out and shook off all the moisture, he was suddenly struck with a thought. If they had used many different names, then- [i]What's our real name, Grim?[/i] His opposite shrugged. [i]I don't know. We always picked ours.[/i] [i]Well, what was the first one you remember?[/i] Rill looked at him curiously. Grim tilted his head back as he consulted his memories. [i]I think it was TrenchMaster. I doubt that would have been a given name.[/i] [i]Who was Trench, and who was Master?[/i] Rill teased. Grim snorted in amusement. [i]I'll let you decide.[/i] They leapt up into the upper level, then exited into the Great Hall. Rill noticed suddenly that there was no sign of the damage from Eleanora's attempted escape. Had Gorynych repaired it all back to its previous state? He didn’t think on it for long as they walked the perimeter, then strolled down the smaller hallway that housed the young dragons and the nursery, peering into each room until they were across the hall from the only locked door. "Rill, when can I be ungrounded?!" Dart whined the second the Aberration was visible. "You said Taniks has a week, and Faust has two. But you never said how long I have to be in here for!" Rill snickered, turning around to face her while Grim looked into Baning's room. "You'll be ungrounded when I decide you've learned your lesson." "What?! But you could just keep me in here forever then!" "Hey, I never thought of that," he mused, stroking his chin. "Huh. Actually, that idea isn't half bad. You wouldn't be able to cause trouble anymore, and it's not like you help out anyway-" "You can't do that! I'll starve to death in here, and if I die, then I'll come back as a ghost and haunt you forever! And then you'll be sorry!" In spite of Dart's threat, she sounded as though she was on the verge of tears. [i]Rill.[/i] He rolled his eyes. This whole 'likeable' thing was so boring. "You're in for two weeks, Dart. Same as Faust." The young Aether stopped. "What?! But Taniks isn't in that long, and I'm younger than both of them!" “Huh, that’s strange. I must be hearing things, because it sounded like you said that you wanted to be in there for [i]three[/i] weeks instead of two. Is that what you want, Dart?" Dart opened her mouth, then shut it quickly. "No." "That's what I thought." He walked in front of her door and smirked. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before doing something stupid." Dart stuck out her tongue before she huffed and moved further into her room, grumbling something under her breath. The Aberration chuckled, then continued his sweep of the clan's living quarters. Len, NightShade, and Key's rooms were messy enough to warrant a lecture, and as GrimRill watched them tidy, Rill resumed their conversation. [i]What about our names now? How long have we had these ones?[/i] Grim's heartrate increased. [i]For some time. If I could, I would change our names every time we went to a new place, but you often give us away if I do that. Referring to me as Grim, or yourself as Rill, even though you introduce us as something different.[/i] Rill winced apologetically. [i]So that's why we're using it here? Even if we might fail?[/i] [i]Failure isn't an option anymore. We have to make this work, for a number of reasons.[/i] Grim answered as he watched Len dump several pieces of splintered wood in the hallway. Why had that question bothered him so much? Even if Grim couldn't maintain his composure completely, Rill still didn't have any way to probe further. He was obviously avoiding something, but what? [i]I have to think about what I want to say to Kydraas,[/i] Grim said pointedly. Rill nodded instantly. [i]Right. I'll leave you to it.[/i] Were they connected? Or were these topics avoided for different reasons? Rill's eyes unfocused as he frowned in thought. He couldn't ask anyone other than Grim about these things, and even if he managed to find someone who could answer them, wouldn't Grim just stop him anyway? He sighed. Why was he so bad at remembering things in the first place? Had he always been like this? Or was this something that had crept up on him? "Will you be showing this Kydraas every inch of the lair, Rill?" Night interrupted his gloomy thoughts with a throaty hum of amusement as Shade swept out a small pile of cracked bones from their room. "Or just our rooms?" "Just yours," he chuckled. "You're the messiest ones, so I need to get you to clean up somehow." Night and Shade both laughed as they got back to work, but Key seemed horrified at the suggestion. "Mr. Rill, will you actually be... be showing Mr. Kydraas my room?" "Is there something you don't want him to see?" Rill asked, leaning back to look into her room curiously. "N-no! I just... I don't want someone to look into it. I don't think it looks very nice." "I don't think anyone's room looks nice, aside from Jadus and Bairoth's. So don't worry about it, kid," he smirked. "It's just so that it looks fine from the hallway." "Oh," she nodded with relief. "So you won't go in any." "Well, if he asks, we might." Her face fell again, and Rill laughed. "Key, you wouldn't even know." "I hope very much he doesn't ask," she mumbled before she disappeared behind her door. [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87998552][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/879986/87998552.png[/img][/url][/center] After fifteen minutes of shoving half of his possessions into the hallway as garbage, and the other half beneath his nest, or in a shallow nook in the corner, Len was allowed to leave after disposing of his pile. He was excited to have another visitor, but Rodrathym was anxious, and had begged for his help in preparing supper. Like he wouldn't have helped already, the Aether thought with a little laugh to himself. Rod was probably worried his cooking wouldn't meet the expectations of a dragon from a more robust culture. The cheerful Aether had just strolled into the Mess Hall when he noticed that Eredia was there, speaking with his friend at a volume that was clearly intended to be private. Len instantly cleared his throat, smiling at the two Imperials as they turned to see him. "Would you like me to come back later, Rod? Or can I start prepping?" he asked. "Oh, pardon me. I don't want to keep you both from your work," Eredia said quickly as she began walking. "I know you'll do just fine, Rodrathym, so please don't worry yourself about it." Rodrathym's face had a brighter expression than Len had seen for some time. "Thanks, Eredia. I'll do my best, anyway." The two young cooks made their way into the kitchen with a smile in greeting, saying nothing as they washed and dried their paws. For Len, the Imperial's content humming was a welcome change, and he couldn't help himself. "Something happen?" he smirked. Rodrathym didn't seem to hear him at first. "Hm?” "What were you talking about with her?" his friend asked, poking the cook's shoulder as he flew past to a net full of onions. "Sounded like it was important." "She just thanked me," the Imperial said slowly as he began cutting away the salted rind of a massive ham. "For trying to help when..." He died off, and Len smiled for him. He knew how much it had bothered Rodrathym that Eredia had been avoiding him. "That's good." "Yeah." The cook smiled to himself happily. "Yeah, it is." "Now I just have to bully Lilla into apologizing, too," Len teased, laughing wildly as Rodrathym's face twisted into an alarmed glare. "You told Eredia to do this?!" he exclaimed loudly, then realized his friend was still laughing, and sighed in annoyance. "You great..." "Lighten up; you take everything so seriously," his smaller friend chuckled. "By the way, you're not putting oregano on those potatoes." "Yes, I am," Rodrathym grunted. Len narrowed his eyes. "No, you're not. You'll ruin them." "It goes well with the seasoning I made." "Well it doesn't go well with the [i]potatoes[/i]. You can't use oregano with baked potatoes." As the pair accelerated into their passionate argument, Rodrathym growled at his friend that he was an affront to the culinary arts, while Len fired back with the accusation that his cooking was unfit for consumption. But even though their words were harsh, the Imperial was still smiling, and that made his best friend smile too. [rule] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/86742881][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/867429/86742881.png[/img][/url][/center] Lunch was a simple affair, with a medley of raw foods served plain. Many of the clan members complained loudly about this before Len barked back at them to shut up and eat, saying that he and Rodrathym needed to focus on their work for supper, which he promised would be worth the inconvenience. Phantom joined them in the kitchen once she had finished eating, then shooed everyone out of the Mess Hall and shut all the doors and windows. Weiss was one of many that grumbled about this, but tried to find something to occupy their time as they waited. It was a difficult task, especially as the aromas of their cooking began to permeate the entire lair. In the end, most of the clan lounged around in the Great Hall, waiting for the arrival of Kydraas as they engaged in idle conversation. Weiss had returned to her room to review the notes in her journal when she realized it was missing again. The young female's heart sank as she quickly flitted through the halls until she found the captain speaking to Bairoth at the end of the south corridor. “Rill,” she interrupted them shamelessly. “Did you find my journal?” Rill just grinned in answer, and she slumped on the ground in defeat with a moan of agony. It was gone for good now. “Thanks for the recommendation, Bairoth,” Rill concluded, then stepped back and began walking past her. “I’ll see if Tantus knows of him.” “No problem, chief,” Bairoth smiled, then peered down at the small Aether sprawled on the floor in dramatic fashion before he walked back into his quarters. He hadn’t even asked her if she was alright, Weiss thought angrily as her cheek pressed against the stone. “Get off the floor, Weiss!” Rill’s voice bounced back down the hallway. “No!” she whined back. “I’m staying here for the rest of the night!” “Sheesh, Dart’s really rubbed off on her, eh, Grim?” he mused before he lifted his head. “Oh well. Suit yourself!” Rill sounded incredibly happy at her threat as they turned around the corner. Weiss suddenly realized that if she pouted the whole evening, she would miss her chance to watch Grim. And today Rill would likely be more distracted than normal, so she wouldn’t have to work as hard to avoid his notice. She bit her lip, lifting her head to see if he was still watching. The hallway was empty. The pale Aether silently picked herself up and began flying back, peering around the corner to find the captain smirking smugly as he leaned against the wall. “Called it,” Rill snickered as he turned his back on her and continued walking. Weiss sputtered angrily, then rushed past him while the sound of his low laughter echoed after her. [rule] The hours dragged on until just before six o'clock when Dew and Mystery began pushing the west gates open at a call from Tux from his observation window. All the dragons inside rose to their feet, watching with wide eyes as two Imperials and a Coatl slowly coasted inside while the guards waited for their entrance. The pair of Imperials were what caught the notice of everyone instantly, especially the [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/88818725]large, navy guard[/url] that commanded a miniature storm, complete with crackling lightning that traced the outline of his wings beneath the billowing moisture. With his glowing eyes, and his horns that constantly shifted with the white-hot electricity that arced between the metal plates of armor, he was an intimidating sight. His partner was just as exciting, a [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87869088]deep green Imperial[/url] wreathed in a smog of dark arms covered in otherworldly eyes, a horned mask, and a sheer cloak woven from the fibers of some species of phosphorescent moss. The jingle of many bangles accompanied him as he folded in his wings and landed heavily beside his companion. Between the Imperials a smaller figure touched down, his presence literally and figuratively overshadowed by the pair of massive dragons. The royal purple Coatl had elegant gold adornments, and a sleek banner with an exotic symbol draped over his shoulders, but that was all. Weiss knew he must be [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/34601197]Kydraas[/url], but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed by his simple appearance. No one moved for a moment while the Imperial guards scanned their surroundings haughtily, until Tantus emerged from the southern corridor and rushed forward to embrace his friend. “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to find us!” Tantus exclaimed happily after the two Coatls had concluded a strange musical motif in greeting. “It’s good to see you again, Kydraas!” “Look at you; last time I saw you, you were hardly more than skin and bone!” Kydraas laughed. The timbre of the Coatl’s voice constantly alternated between a harsh and lighthearted quality that made Weiss uncertain of how to place him. “It’s good to see you all grown up, Tantus.” As the accountant introduced the guildmaster to the other council members, Phantom threw open the doors to the Mess Hall, and immediately the clamor of conversation filled the hall. Weiss wasn’t able to make out what they were saying, but judging from Eredia’s gestures, she was inviting the three newcomers to eat with them. Weiss quickly flew through one of the windows, trying to pick a table where she would have the best vantage point. The council would have to be on the ground if Cenue was to be included in the discussion, since she couldn’t fly, and because of the number of Imperials, they would have to be in the middle of the Mess. That meant she just needed to find a spot that Rill wouldn’t notice.