Roleplay

@yewfelle ((This is late sorry. @~@ Forgot to ask, do you want to assume dragons can do magic of their birth flights?))

Bidwell

Bidwell was perched on the windowsill of his room, peering out into the gloom below him. The night had shrouded the city in darkness but he could still pick out the occasional blots of light as servants began to wake and go about their day. He felt sorry for them. They were trapped within the grasp of masters, more often than not punished cruelly for things that were not their fault, and were often used as pawns. Even his own guild was guilty of this; they had, more than once, forced a servant's hand to kill a target.

It was terrible, he knew. The servant would bear the brunt of the blame and they could slip away. He had no doubt that quite a few had died for their cause. A cause they had never remotely supported. It was a pity. So many were good-hearted and kind. They didn't deserve the life that was handed to them.

A grunt from the corner of the room caused him to turn and stare at the rather large Imperial sprawled across the floor. Sky lifted his head drowsily and huffed at his partner before placing it back down on his hands. Bidwell blinked slowly at the dragon who simply huffed again in response.

Sky was always the one keeping Bidwell on track, helping him, as a teen, on the right track and making sure his head stayed on his shoulders. Though Bidwell was grown now, it seemed to have done nothing but let the seeds spread.

Sky opened his mouth in a yawn, showing off the rows of teeth. Bidwell snorted. The dragon still seemed to think that the display was impressive. He was too used to it to be frightened. Turning to look outside again, Bidwell watched as the first rays of light poked across the sky.

Elizabeth

Being a servant was absolute bull. She was being told to do this, to do that, to clean here, sweep that, wash this, behave like this, not like that, avoid this, don't touch that... the list dragged on and on. How in the hells Cassandra hadn't gotten sold into this prison was beyond Elizabeth.

Actually, Elizabeth was fairly sure she knew.

The clanging of the morning bell finally forced her out of bed. Groaning, Elizabeth rolled over and collapsed on the ground, getting a faceful of straw from Iris' own itchy bedding. The dragon snorted at her partner, shoving at her with her nose to get Elizabeth to stand. She grumbled, forcing herself to stand and glare at the dragon, who simply tossed her head in return, flinging straw everywhere

<Quit that,> Elizabeth said, narrowing her eyes at Iris as she stood up, pearl clutched in her hand.

<I'm not doing anything,> Iris said, playfully flicker her tail over Elizabeth's head, getting straw in it. Elizabeth muttered about dragons and pearls but followed the larger creature out of the cramped quarters. Most of the other servants were already eating.

Elizabeth slumped in a chair and began eating the strange gruel that had been set out for her. Iris padded over to the corner and begin munching on the bugs that their master had so graciously offered. In truth, Elizabeth was fairly certain that the master simply kept a collection bin outside and told every servant to dump whatever bugs they found in there.

The master was strangely stingy for someone who threw elaborate parties and extravagant dinners. She supposed that he believed the servants beneath him. Especially when one of them came with a troublesome dragon that refused to shove off any of her mystical and magical powers.

The head-servant, who had been in the master's service for so long that she seemed to be the only one that could get any respect, approached Elizabeth. "The master would like you to head out today," she said in her monotone. Elizabeth considered banging her head against the table.

She hated going out in the morning. She was not remotely awake and would no doubt forget something. On the other hand, no one was quite awake and pickpocketing was significantly easier.

"Fine," she grumbled into her gruel. The other woman raised an eyebrow.

"It was not an option."

"You phrased it like one," Elizabeth said in return.

<You'll get us in trouble before daybreak,> Iris whined, <And I want food for once!>

<Alright, alright. Calm down.>

The head-servant's nostrils flared and Elizabeth choked down a reference to them.

Finally done her meal, Elizabeth dragged herself towards the main building, away from the servant's quarters. A few maids were bustling around, getting ready for the dinner that night. Elizabeth yawned as Iris followed behind, arriving by the entrance as the head-servant pushed a piece of parchment and a sack of coins into her hands.

"No stealing," the woman said, eyes darting in twenty different directions, "because I've calculated-- put those there-- how much is in there. The chef wants you -- careful, that's glass!-- to get those as soon as possible. The ingredients --no, it goes over there!-- are part of the meal-- are you all blind?-- for tonight and apparently-- OVER THERE-- need a while to stew." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at the head-servant's speech. It seemed she had bigger fish to fry. Elizabeth quietly slipped into the outdoors, followed by Iris and walked towards the marketplace.

@yewfelle ((It's fine. The walls of text will come and go for me.))

Elizabeth

Elizabeth peered at the list.

<There's a royal coming over, if I recall,> Iris informed her friend. A few peasants threw them looks. They were not used to seeing a dragon out and about with someone that looked clearly like they were of peasant stock.

<10 bits I can get him to scream really loudly if I produce a rat,> Elizabeth challenged.

<20 bits I can get him to scream louder if I produce a cockroach,> Iris offered.

<Deal,> Elizabeth said, scanning the ground now for a rat. She enjoyed annoying royals and her master. It made life more interesting. Who cared if they were here on some diplomatic thing? It wasn't as if someone like her mattered. No, she was another cog in a machine that kept turning and turning and turning, crushing most of the pieces under the heavy weight of it. And the great, shining metal pieces would just keep turning.

Elizabeth sometimes wished she had enough strength to run her master through.

As she wandered the marketplace, slightly lost (it had been a month and she still had no idea where anything was), she let herself drift away.

Getting sold was something else. She had not expected the tight shackles, the cramped quarters, the yelling, the screaming, the fact that Iris was nearly taken away (The dragon had bit at least three people), the fact that she was practically cattle. The way her father did not look back, the way her sister pursued her lips and remained stone faced, the way that everyone back home just stared. As if it was meant to be.

Elizabeth had felt pathetic, like she could not fight back. Usually, she would, biting and punching and kicking and occasionally stabbing her way back to her feet. Being sold had taken that all away.

<Merchant,> Iris said, interrupting Elizabeth's line of thought. She stopped, staring ahead of her. There were a few awake enough to be selling the fruits and vegetables she was looking for. Sighing, Elizabeth pulled out the pouch and picked through the assortment of foods, paying for them as she went.

<Sweets,> Iris suddenly said. Elizabeth side-eyed one old lady who had pastries. She scrunched up her nose. She had gotten used to the bland gruel from all the bread and porridge she had eaten back home. Seeing the amount of sugar and honey that went into those things... Elizabeth shuddered.

Iris simply stared.

<Iris, you know those things are about as sweet as can be. I swear, they dump half the world's sugar into one of those-- Iris that wasn't even ******* SUBTLE> Elizabeth said, turning around as her dragon snatched one up in her mouth and took off. Elizabeth's jaw dropped. Gods help me, she thought desperately as she hurried to pocket the money and grab her products and chase after her dragon.

@yewfelle

Elizabeth was swearing at Iris at the top of her (mental) lungs.

<GET BACK HERE YOU CRAZY ******* PEARLCATCHER, I SWEAR TO THE GODS I'LL-->

Iris only laughed in return and flapped off, spiraling into the air before tossing the pastry upwards. Elizabeth turned her head momentarily to see another boy show up. Damnit. He did not look very poor; his face was clean, as was his hair. Her hair had been matted with dirt since she had arrived and the shirt she wore had not been washed in a week. It was revolting, but a servant did what a servant had to do.

<IRIS, NOBILITY. I SWEAR, IF THIS IS HOW WE ******* GET BEHEADED, I'LL SHOVE A FU-->

<Calm, calm,> Iris said, finally descending. A few other people scrambled out of the way as the large dragon touched down, pastry still in hand. The dragon eyed the other boy. <Ugh. Royals. Can't they find themselves some humor?>

<Iris, as much as I enjoy annoying the **** out of them, I prefer doing it when its not easy to TRACK back to us and, you know, get us KILLED.>

<You worry too much.>

<I pointed out that the dear doctor was being antsy but you said it didn't matter. And then we got sold,> Elizabeth snapped back, recalling the days leading up to their servitude. Iris fell silent for a moment before begrudgingly handing the pastry (very crushed) back to Elizabeth.

<You're going to stop mentioning that one of these days,> the pearlcatcher said.

<Yeah. It will be because I'm dead.> Elizabeth glared at the dragon for a second longer. "Here's your... cake," she said, turning to the other boy and staring at the thing in her hand. It looked edible.

@yewfelle

Iris snatched it from Elizabeth's hand and ate it in a single gulp.

Elizabeth wondered how hard she'd have to hit Iris for her to stop being so annoying. Truth be told, Elizabeth wasn't entirely sure why she kept the dragon around. Sure, their connection was strong and Elizabeth could easily scream at the other from halfway across the city, but the trouble that Iris dragged along... When she wasn't darting around stealing things, Iris was playing jokes on the other servants and the masters. Elizabeth would join in, except she had been sold into the life she was toiling in by her father. She had no doubt that the master, who had no ties to her, would sell her once more or even cut her head off. So she left Iris to it.

The pearlcatcher often told Elizabeth that she had lost her spark, the excitement and eagerness to do wild and crazy things, as creatures their age should. Elizabeth would sourly remind the dragon that they were currently trapped in a house with a master that had threaten to whip them both at least once a day for being slow. Not that Elizabeth ever cared about the threat, no, Iris was far too dangerous and unpredictable for the master to go through with it. It was when Iris was away, being silly, that the real danger seeped in.

Elizabeth had finally managed to steal a knife and tuck it into the band of her breeches, wrapped in layers of scrap cloth. It was her last line of protection, since her old one had been taken from her when she was sold. She hadn't had a moment to practice, which meant that if something did happen, Elizabeth would have to hope that she could stick it in the right place.

<Why they insist on telling us everything, I'll never understand,> Iris said nonchalantly.

<Iris.>

<Sorry, sorry. Look, you still got the money, the stuff. We'll finish up buying things and head back without incident. Promise,> the pearlcatcher said.

<Iris, I swear to the f-->

<I promise, ok? I get that you're antsy. I get it. I won't cause any more trouble. Let's give this higher-upper a nice apology and be on our way.>

Elizabeth took a second to glower at the dragon before turning to the other boy. "That's very nice," she said as blandly as possible. Truth be told, explanations were always long-winded and boring for Elizabeth to pay much attention to, though this one was interesting. What would someone who could afford to bathe be doing out here in the marketsquare, mingling with the likes of her? "I apologize for my dragon. Now if you'll excuse us, we must be on our way."

@yewfelle ((Here's a wall of text to make up for missing the last one. :P))

Elizabeth

Elizabeth opened her mouth to tell the royal to lovingly **** off, but Iris interrupted her. <Quickly. We have other duties at the house.> Sighing, Elizabeth turned and followed Iris through the crowds, picking her way through the merchants. She managed to pick up the last few things she needed (And steal an apple or two to snack on) and avoid any soldiers that might take her head off for running around with a dragon. As she made her way through the crowd, she noted that Iris was acting strange, constantly looking upwards or taking off to fly around.

<What are you doing?> she asked, choosing through a few heads of lettuce.

<Something else is here. I smell another dragon,> Iris said, squinting into the sky. Elizabeth frowned and glanced around as well. Seeing nothing, she exchanged the money with the merchant.

<You're paranoid. There's no other dragon here but you,> Elizabeth said, now looking through some tomatoes.

<I'm paranoid? If anything, I took one of your 'noids.>

<That is a terrible pun,> Elizabeth grumbled back after picking out three tomatoes. <Now come down here. You're a target up in the air and everyone can see you.> Iris sighed and descended, landing lightly next to Elizabeth. The pair quickly finished their shopping, Iris quieter than usual, peering around and occasionally sniffing the air, as if she expected another dragon to come out of no where.

<For the last time, there's no other dragon,> Elizabeth said, staggering back to the house, arms laden with groceries.

<You humans have very poor noses,> Iris sniffed, craning her neck around to try and spot something. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of blue scales. Turning around quickly, she smacked Elizabeth in the head, causing her to lurch forward.

<Quit it, you crazy pearlcatcher,> Elizabeth growled. Iris ignored her, peering at the spot. When nothing reappeared, she sighed and followed her angry companion.

Back at the home, they were instructed to drop off their things at the kitchen before being hauled over to the main room. Elizabeth scowled the entire time she was forced to quietly sweep the floor, occasionally making a remark at another servant that was scampering around, obviously terrified of the head-servant.

Iris, in the meantime, was trapped outside. She picked at the ground and stared at the windows wistfully. Back when Elizabeth had a father and a sister, Iris was always allowed inside. Well, no one objected to her going inside, more like. Elizabeth's sister had cast a glare or two Iris' way when she got her strange luster everywhere, but never threatened her bodily harm.

Their master had threatened to not only steal her pearl but to cut her wings as well. The master's daughter was even more horrendous. "Lilith, like some kind of devil," Elizabeth would remark, glaring at the young mistress. She was something. Something that neither one of them particularly liked. They had, at one point, sneaked a few rats into her bedroom. While it was never pinned back to them, all the servants were declined the evening meal. After that, neither one of them tried anything too elaborate.

Iris had not qualms about pinning the blame on another. She had, at one point, stuffed a cockroach in the mistress' food and managed to make another servant take it to her. The kitchen boy at the time, who had been ladling the meal, was charged with the crime and punished. Elizabeth hadn't liked that. Iris hadn't cared. Lilith deserved some punishment and besides, the kitchen boy hadn't objected, had he? No, he had stood there quietly, not objecting or defending himself.

Iris heaved a sigh. Elizabeth had never been the same since they had first been sold. Iris prided herself for being adaptive. She would have liked to call Elizabeth the same, but the other girl didn't seem too keen on returning to their old ways. Perhaps it was the shock at being sold. After all, they had both expected the good doctor to have some kind of kindness left in him. Perhaps it was the new lifestyle. Back when they lived with the doctor and Cassandra, they had been guaranteed two meals, at the least. Here, if they did wrong, they could have no meals. They were not allowed to bathe regularly, either. In fact, Elizabeth hadn't had a decent cleaning since two weeks before she was sold. Her clothes were not changed.

Perhaps it was the jarring difference between the countryside, where everyone looked the same, to the busy, bustling city, where the rich were rich and the poor obvious. They had been stared at multiple times the first few times they had been sent out on errands, as if the sight of a pearlcatcher and a poor girl was absurd. It most likely was, to those people. Few had dragons and almost all that did were of some kind of royalty. Money, really. If not money, than name. Elizabeth did not have her name nor money anymore.

Perhaps that was why she was so bitter and angry these days. She had had things taken away from her, things she did not ask to be taken away. She was sold and now she was property. Iris supposed that would make anyone angry.

The sound of a door opening and shutting made Iris turn to see Elizabeth walking towards her, glowering. "I get it, I get it," she shouted behind her. Iris could make out the head of Lilith and imagined the mistress' pinched face at Elizabeth doing anything wrong. Her companion appeared in front of her.

<Lilith requests,> she spat the word out as if it pained her, <that we go out and deal with the horses.>

Iris shuddered. Dealing with the horses was never fun. They kicked and whinnied and screamed when Iris came near and Elizabeth had to deal with that. Lilith would come watch, practically laughing at the pair as they struggled. Iris had knocked over horses before with her wind magic, getting them both in trouble for possibly damaging her property.

Property. That was all they were anymore. Still scowling, Elizabeth walked around back to the horses.

Bidwell

Bidwell walked outside swiftly. Sky was up in the air now, floating among the clouds and using his blue hide and a bit of his magic to blend in. Bidwell was supposed to scout for a royal that day. Climbing up the side of a church, he walked across the roofs, staring downwards at the bustling city. He wore his normal clothing; a dark pair of slacks that concealed the daggers that he had on his waist, and a dark shirt.

Bidwell tapped his fingers on the ledge of one roof as Sky's voice suddenly cut through the quiet.

<New dragon,> the Imperial said. Bidwell blinked. It had only ever been Sky down here. No royal took out their dragons.

The Imperial landed besides him and craned his neck downwards, pointing in the direction of a wealthier land owner. Bidwell turned to see a white pearlcatcher walk through the crowds, pink wings shimmering.

He turned to see Sky recoil. The other dragon had most likely seen him and alerted Sky. Sky took off again, looping around the buildings. Bidwell sighed. The Imperial could go meet this new, interesting development. Bidwell was going to do his job.