Roleplay

One of Zekagh's goblin guards heard Palatina's roaring, and listened in.

Hearing that one of the dragonesses was in a bad way, he ran quickly to Zekagh's private study.

"Sir! One'a dose lady dragons is dyin, and de other's puttin' up a racket! Y'need ta come quick!" the goblin stammered.

"What?" Zekagh replied. The goblin repeated himself a bit slower, and Zekagh rose from his seat.

"Very well. I will go see what the problem is. You. Get another guard and come with me." he snarled. "Send someone to get my healing kit again."

The Drow and the goblin made their way back to Palatina's screaming. As he entered, Zekagh shouted, "Silence, Dragoness!"

"I am here to find out what is wrong with the Fae, cease your shrieking!"

He stalked to the small cage, unlocked it, and removed Serylda's wheezing form.

He put a small cushion on the ground, placed Serylda gently on it, and examined her.

"You! Greenskin! Name and rank!" he growled.

"Crixzix, chamber guard, Sir!"

"I need airwort and some of my dried dwarf truffles. NOW!" Zekagh ordered, shouting when the goblin hesitated.

Soon enough, Crixzix was back with the required herbs.

Zekagh was fiercely aware of Palatina growling softly behind him.

As the elf administered the airwort, which almost immediately improved Serylda's breathing, he asked, "Lexya. What happened here?"

"Ssshe wasss given maggotsss to eat. Ssshe isss allergic, from what thisss looksss like, Sssir." Lexya replied.

Serylda, hearing this, was glad that the Imperial had lied, sort of. But, the best lies were half-truths.

Zekagh fed Serylda the dried mushrooms.

As soon as they hit her stomach, she began to vomit. Pieces of mushroom and maggot covered the floor, the cushion, and Zekagh's lap.

"Crixzix. Go prepare a bath for the little dragon, and get my servant to get me a change of pants." Zekagh ordered.

The goblin took off, and Zekagh left with Serylda cradled in the crook of his arm.

Serylda hazarded a wink at Palatina; she wasn't in danger anymore.

---

Rhys checked Marya and Zamoro over, picked the maggots out of Zamoro's food, which luckily had quite a lot of the earthworms in it, and settled back down.

He ate the token couple of eels to satisfy Sakuya, but offered the rest to Dalecar, Heliessa and Volarian.

"You should eat these, but if you really don't want them, I won't let them waste." Heliessa said, accepting some of the eels.

"Neither will I." Volarian followed, taking the largest, fattest one he could see.

"Rhys! You eat those eels!" Sakuya growled.

"My appetite is gone, My Lady, and I'm sure the good healer will tell you that I'll do more harm than good retching again. Please, Sakuya, let it be for today. I'd like to go back to sleep." Rhys replied, as respectfully as he could.

Marya sat with Zamoro, singing, as she'd finished her "dinner". It was one of the songs Silvona would use to sing them to sleep, her favorite.

Ú i vethed nâ i onnad.
Si boe ú-dhanna.
Ae ú-esteli, esteliach nad.
Estelio han, estelio han, estelio,
estelio han, estelio veleth.
Esteliach nad, estelio han.

It was the only Elvish Marya knew, the one lullaby.

"Marya." Rhys said. "Was that Evenstar?"

Marya blinked sleepily.

"Mhmm. It was." she said.

"Sing it again, please." Rhys continued. "You've always been the best singer."

"Okay."

Ú i vethed nâ i onnad.
Si boe ú-dhanna.
Ae ú-esteli, esteliach nad.
Estelio han, estelio han, estelio,
estelio han, estelio veleth.
Esteliach nad, estelio han.

The young Tundra's breathy soprano rang in the cavern again, warming it like her fur warmed Zamoro.

"That's beautiful, Marya." Sakuya said, laying her head on her front claws and attempting to sleep as well.

---

"Me and mine are as you see us, Ser." Val said, bowing politely to the inkeep before slinging her arms over Persephone and Kharahm's withers.

He scribbled in the book, handed her a key, informed her that their suite was immediately next to Malu's, and bid them a good day.

Silvona followed the others to the larger room containing Canari and the rest of Benioti's family.

"Malu, I'll be over in just a minute. I need to take one last look at my supplies before I tell everyone my idea. I'll rap three times on the wall when we're coming back over." Valravn said, opening the door to her chambers and going in.

She dropped the sack on the bed gently and opened it.

There was a note alongside the bottles, three of a roiling purple fluid and two of a clear bubbling liquid.

A'maelamin, I know your plan. I don't approve of it, but I will admit that if it works, I'll be very amused to see your hair with the dye.

Know though, that if you do not return to me safely, we will soon see what I look like painted red.

Again, I wish I could accompany you and your band, but my military obligations prevent it. All I can do is have faith and pray that the Flamecaller will give you strength, the Lightweaver bring you her hope, and the Plaguebringer call back those miserable kidnappers to the roiling pit of the Wyrmwound.

Gi melin, Silvy.

Dagorain

Tears barely glinted in the elf woman's eyes as she read the missive.

"Sil? Silvona, what's wrong?! Did that human write something to hurt you? Let me see it!" Merlin griped from her shoulder, snatching the note and skimming it quickly.

"This isn't rude or mean...Sil, why are you crying?" he asked.

Persephone picked Merlin up by the scruff of his tunic and deposited the Fae on the bed.

"Merlin, she isn't sad. Silvona misses her mate. You know she doesn't see him as often as either of them would like. She is teary-eyed because she misses him." Persephone said.

She turned to Val.

"Tell me I am wrong, and I will buy you dinner, Elf." she said.

Val smiled.

"No, Sephie. You're right. I do miss him. If we had time...No. I can't let myself think like that. We don't have time on our side. I think it's time to let everyone in on my plan. Let's go see Malu and the rest." the elf replied.

She gathered her supplies, the dyes and her new outfit, and prepared to move her entourage to the human's room.

But first...

"I hope you're all ready for something crazy. Because this rates very high on whatever scale you gentlebeings use to measure crazy." Val said, stripping out of her armor.

"Just what are you doing?!" Persephone exclaimed.

Putting on the pieces of the silken outfit she'd bought, Val replied, "Just playing a bit of dress-up."

The elf and her dragons took the small trip barely own the hallway to Malu's door.

Val knocked three times, knowing that the human would know it was her, and stood uncomfortably covering her bared stomach. The crimson silks were just thick enough to shield her more private bits from prying eyes, but after that, they were flimsy, gauzy and very transparent.

"Val, you..." Marlin began.

"I'll be more comfortable when I'm in full costume, Merlin." she replied. "Trust me."

They waited for the door to open.

Malu and Eclipse made their way nonchalantly towards the larger chambers. She could hear the soft talking of Benioti and Canari beyond the cracked double doors and it was a second before she realized that the large darkly-colored Imperial was no longer traveling beside her. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw that he was hanging back, almost obscured in the shadows of the hallway..

"Eclipse..." she said hesitantly, not wanting to breach the uncomfortable subject of him without his life-mate.

"I'll be in our quarters, my lady." With that stiff response, the Imperial turned away and padded down the hall one set of doors. He deftly opened and shut them behind him, leaving Malu standing silently in the hall. She heaved a heavy sigh. For his sake - especially Eclipse's sake - she prayed that Palatina was alive and well.

The stories of dragons losing their life-mates...
The carnage that followed...
...they weren't the nicest of fairy tales.

"Yes, sounds good!" she replied to Val's comment, making a mental note about the three knocks. "Why three knocks...?" the strawberry-blonde muttered to herself as she stepped into the larger chamber. The door creaked just loudly enough to announce her presence and even Malu had to admit that she was glad to see the proud and slim figure of Canari all curled up beneath the warm light beaming in through the window. Two fledglings, one berry-red with teal eyespots and the other like his mother with orange tige-stripes and leaf-green eyespots, were tucked against the warmth of her chest, both sound asleep. Benioti looked over at Malu, all proud male and feathers and general giddiness, and then softened in posture when his gaze shifted to his mate. The young woman noted that Canari wore an enchanted "skin" overtop her true colors of maize tiger and steel-grey eyespots, though it wasn't exactly less gaudy. Though that was what made it so effective...? Malu wondered this as she approached. Canari's Wind-green eyes blinked slowly at her and a smile curved her lips.

"Well met as always, Scholar Malu. I'm glad you were able to make your way here safely." Her voice was always pleasant and it reminded Malu that she was perfect for spying about the city.

"So are we. You haven't met our friends yet, but the Elf Valravn and her dragon-kin will be in shortly to discuss our reason for visiting you. I wish it was for the simple reason of seeing you and your beautiful fledglings, but..." Again, she sighed but the momentary gloom was chased away as she knelt down near Canari's knuckles. The fledglings shifted in their sleep, making their little grunting noises and dreaming of fledgie thing, and Malu couldn't help but melt a little on the inside. Fledgling Skydancers were all wings, huge eyes, and baby-bellies. She had a serious soft spot for the dragon species.

"I got that impression from Ben, yes," Canari replied, her eyes flickering to her life-mate. The gembonded Skydancer nodded gravely.

"I don't know if you know, Ari, but fledglings were stolen from our Aerie - from Clan Animar as well, across the fjord."

There was silence in the large suite while Canari took this in.

A thin breeze swirled about the room before dying down. Malu recognized this as a brief manifestation of Canari's emotions and was glad that Ben had watered it down. She hadn't any experience with a truly angry dragon of Wind-Clan origin.

"I knew it was traumatic, but not like that." Unconsciously, she collected her fledglings closer to her chest. They squeaked in their sleep, but settled in once again. "No wonder you brought a small army."

"Eclipse is here as well," Ben volunteered half-heartedly. Canari glanced up at him again and seemed to read her mate's mind.

"It wasn't only fledglings then. Eclipse and Palatina have no fledglings."

"Palatina...she was taken too," Malu mumbled from where she was sitting, arms wrapped about her knees and legs tucked to her chest. "You can imagine how he feels, Canari."

"I suppose I can barely scrape the surface..." the female Skydancer replied sadly. Benioti leaned in and they took a moment of resting their foreheads against one another, as if the shared touch would ward off the unpleasantry of the real world. "You know, I don't envy whoever took her. They have a slow and painful death awaiting them..."

"Absolutely." Benioti nodded and looked back towards the double doors, cracked open still. "Isn't the Lady Elf and her entourage going to join us?"

"She had to place her stuff in her room first. There was something about knocking too, but that made no sense to me. I guess I'd listen regardless," Malu responded as she set her knapsack to one side and began rifling around in it for a small satchel of dried fruit and venison jerky. Her stomach had begun growling a while back (she blamed the marketplace stalls for that...) and she couldn't ignore it anymore.

---

Dalecar watched from a distance as Rhys gamely gave up the rest of his eels to the Ridgeback siblings.

He still didn't understand the need to be so...noble at a time like this.

It was survival first here.

At least the little Fae was eating. It still stuffed up his mouth and kept him from wailing. He seemed less judgmental of the fare, especially when the maggots were removed.

Then Marya began singing.

Dalecar's Earth-brown eyes grew wide as he listened to the song and its Elvish lyrics. Zamoro had curled up against her fur that poked through the bars of his small cage as best he could, taking advantage of the warmth that enfolded him. The tendrils of Tundra fur were long enough to cover his tiny body.

To his complete and utter horror, the song that echoed about the cave like a blessing triggered a painful lurch of his heart...and tears welled up in his eyes.

Some flash of memory, a snap of something he couldn't grasp or touch, flickered through his mind even as he stared. One solitary drop rolled down his cheek as he lay there quietly in the shadowy corner of the pen.

He hated the Tundra for singing...but then again...gratitude was mixed in with the bitter brew of emotions in his chest.

Maybe...just maybe...because there was some good in the world...they would make it.

---

She was so entangled in the sheer terror of seeing Serylda suffer that Palatina didn't calm down right away. She made a swipe between the bars at the goblins standing nearby and never mind that her claws didn't find a home in their gnarly hides. ...she would get them.

Never mind that Zekagh was administering the healing herbs to Serylda. Never mind that he had sewn the sutures that were now loosened in the membranes of her wings. She wanted him badly within reach of her teeth, still half-bared as she emitted a continuous and unnerving growl. She stalked along the bars, Fire-red eyes a-glow with roiling frustration and slowly-lessening fear for the little Fae.

The female Imperial stared hard at Lexya as she heard Zekagh address her.

And the relief at the dragon's white lie helped gutter out the rest of the anger within her chest. She settled into a crouching sit, her head held low as she watched Zekagh clear out the contents of Serylda's stomach.

There was something pleasing about how the vomit spattered his fine pants.

But then he rose up, still carrying Serylda! Where was he taking her?! This wasn't part of the plan!

Palatina rose to all fours again, mouthing words but finding no voice to utter them. 'Come-come back-no don't leave-'
"Serylda...!" she whisper-screamed, fluttering her wings. Within the depths of her stomach, there was a sudden clench, much like a cramp, and she couldn't help the pained growl that escaped her gritted teeth.

Within her ancestral memories, she knew it meant that her eggs were at risk and it had something to do with how stressed she was feeling.

Somehow, she had to calm down.

"Ssshe will be brought back. Do not worry." Lexya said quietly, after the hubbub had died down and the Imperials were left alone. "He isss going to wasssh her, and ssshe will be put back in her sssell." The black and green dragoness hoped that her words would calm Palatina. At least a little bit. She was beginning to feel a small fondness for her new companions. They'd brought her hope, something only Meldarion had done lately. "He hasss done that for me before. I wasss afflicted with sssomething that made me retch nearly all the time, and he made sssure I ssstayed clean. There isss no harm in where he isss taking her." Lexya continued. Seeing Palatina's grimace, the more experienced female said soothingly, "You mussst calm yourssself, lessst you miscarry thossse eggsss. They are presssiousss, are they not? A gift from your Mate? Lisssten to me, youngling. Breathe in. Now out. An in...Out...Ssslowly inhale...measssured ecssshale..." She saw Palatina begin to breathe in time with her, if only barely. She still looked uncomfortable. But Egg Twist always [i]was[/i] uncomfortable. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Serylda lay limp against the Dark Elf's broad chest. She could smell water, and heard it running and splashing in the next room. "I had no idea you were allergic to maggots. Why didn't you say anything?" Zekagh asked. Serylda said quietly back, "Forgive me, Sir, but every tale I've heard of your kind paint you cruel monsters. I did not think other food would be provided." "You will be given something you are not allergic to in a couple of hours to let your stomach settle. Right now, I am going to bathe you, and return you to your room." Zekagh replied, curtly. The next room contained a large basinlike pool of water, which a pair of goblins had filled about half full. Zekagh passed Serylda to a female goblin in the pool, then removed his shoes and fouled trousers and stepped in himself. "Balst, fetch me the strangler-oil and bumble-honey mixture, a medium-firmness brush, my Fuiran-hide glove and the Kamaitachi salve." he ordered the gobliness. She saluted, scurried over to a wooden cabinet, and began removing things. "What will all that be for?" Serylda asked. "I see that you're about to shed a skin, and that your scales are a bit dull and dried-out. I'm going to encourage the dead scales to peel with the oil-honey and the brush, the Fuiran hide will gently but thoroughly remove the dead skin, and the salve will keep your scales glossy." Zekagh replied, soaping down the Fae and washing the vomit from her stomach. He dipped her in the pool to rinse as the goblin came back. Zekagh applied everything as he'd said. For a slave-dealing son of a corpse-cleaner, he sure knew how to do a spa peel. After cleaning and taking care of her scales, he clipped her nails, not something she particularly enjoyed, but her talons, while small, had been sharp, and could've blinded him. Zekagh removed himself and the tiny dragoness from the pool and dried them both. He dressed again, this time in fresh clothes, and took Serylda back to Lexya and Palatina. She was relieved to see Palatina alright. Zekagh put Serylda back in the cell, which in her absence had had its bedding changed and the offending larvae removed. Zekagh turned to leave after shutting the Fae back in her cell, when Lexya hailed him. "Massster Zekagh. A favor, if you would." she asked. Zekagh gestured for her to continue. "May I be moved into Palatina'sss room? Ssshe isss a firssst-time mother, and I feel I could help her. I jussst cannot do much from here." Lexya asked. Zekagh thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I don't see why I can't put you two together. You appear to be getting along well." he mused. "But I'll get things cleaned out in your room first, Lexya. I'll put you both in there." "Thank you, Sssir." Lexya said, bowing politely. "First, though, I'm going to give you a scale treatment, too, Lexya. You're overdue, and it will give the goblins time to clean." he said, unlocking her cage. He threw the door open, releasing Lexya. She walked calmly behind him, past Palatina. Lexya whispered quickly, under her breath and in Imperial, [i]"If you play along, do what he ssayss, and behave, you can have an amount of freedom. You'll be treated like a queen, ssince you're carrying eggss. Assk for a bath when we get back. He will put a chain on your neck, but I will vouch for you and tell him not to. Then we'll be put in the ssame cavern and we can talk more about thiss resscue you believe iss coming."[/i] She left Palatina blinking at her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marya was pleased that everyone liked her song. Well, [i]almost[/i] everyone. At Dalecar's teary eyes, she narrowed her own. There [i]had[/i] to be a way to get that sourpuss to smile! She still held Zamoro as Rhys and Sakuya began to breathe more evenly, a sign of sleep. Rhys began to snore gently, being tangled around Sakuya with his head in Anja's lap. Marya picked up Zamoro's cage and waddled over to Anja's side. "Please watch him. I need to make the other friend I smell smile." she said. Tundra-logic. "Zamoro." she said to the tiny, tiny Fae. "She smells like a friend, okay?" Marya thanked Anja, then turned and fixed the Earth-eyed Imperial in a determined gaze. Marya crouched down, low to the ground, like she'd seen Kharahm do when hunting, wiggled her backside, and POUNCED! on the much larger Imperial fledgeling. Before he or the Ridgebacks could react, Marya was rubbing her silky, tickly fur all over Dalecar's sides and tickling him with her handpaws. "You look sad, but you smell like a friend! Don't be sad!" she giggled, clinging to the Imperial. Voalrian looked at Heliessa, who stared agape back at him. One, they'd never seen a Tundra move that fast. Two, she seemed, to them, to be having an effect on Dalecar. Three, she was coming after them next! Having left Dalecar momentarily, the little Tundra was now chasing the Ridgebacks! She tackled Heliessa, weighing just enough to knock her over, revealing her blood-red belly. Marya tickled and tickled, trying to break the somber mood. Before long, the fingers and the fur had Heli rolling into a ball, weak with laughter. Volarian, watching Heliessa fall with a few well-placed tickles, ran for the rock ledge he liked to sit on. He scrabbled up the cave wall onto it, but undeterred, Marya followed him. Voli hissed at her, raising his spines, before she rubbed herself along his stomach. She licked his hissing face, right near hers, and as he began to splutter, she planted several more slobbery, affectionate lick-kisses all over his neck and face. "Yech! Gross! Cut that out, you little furball! Ghaack!" he choked. She'd latched onto his neck, fiercely hugging him as Anja and Heliessa stood by, laughing harder than they had in a long time. Volarian finally picked Marya up by the scruff of her neck and carried her down from the ledge. "Anja! Keep the hairy beast away from me!" he grouched, before sitting next to Heliessa with a large grin on his face. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After having waited a bit, Val knocked on the door again, three times. "Come on, Malu...I'm getting nervous out here like this..." she said, under her breath. "And we're losing time..." (Here's Val's disguise, minus the skin-dye.) [img]http://i58.tinypic.com/ajxm6w.jpg[/img]

The Imperial female did get annoyed at the suggestion of regulating her breathing - wasn't she already trying that? - but she tamped it down when she realized that being irritated wasn't making the cramping go away. In and out...in and out...measured a slow, like Lexya. Palatina felt her internal muscles begin to relax and relief cooled her veins.

"I guess that me stressing out doesn't help anyone, huh...?" she mumbled, half to herself and half to her neighbor across the hall. Her ears fell back as she wished, desperately, for a comforting caress from Eclipse. She missed her mate so dearly right now. "Lexya...? Are my eggs hurt? Did I hurt them?" Her Fire-bright eyes seemed shuttered as she looked up at Lexya.

She didn't get an answer as Zekagh appeared again with a much-happier-looking Serylda in his arms. Palatina was pleasantly surprised. She really didn't seem worse for the wear. She crowded up against the bars on the little Fae's side of the cage and reached through with her longer fingers to grasp at her.

"Serylda! You look so much better!" she whispered, a smile on her face. Then, Lexya was speaking her old tongue, her fledgling tongue, and she whipped around to stare at her. "Yes, Lexya, alright..." she replied in the same Imperial tongue.

---

Zamoro wasn't pleased to see Marya walking away - he did let out a sad squeal and reached through the bars at her - but quickly realized that Anja did, in fact, smell like Marya and that made her safe. Plus, he just got the impression that she meant no harm. He patted at her bare hands with his little paws, making questioning squeaks and chirrups. Maybe she had some bugs in her pockets?

Dalecar realized that the Tundra fledglings was heading his way when she was in mid-leap!
SPLAT!
With the wind half knocked from his lungs, he squirmed underneath her and the tickly fur, more panicked than amused at first.
"AUGH! YOU! GET OFF! AUGH! AUUUUUGH-HAHAHA!" That tickly fur was brushing over his ribs, his weak spot, and he found himself half-laughing and half-squealing at the sensation. "NO-HEE-HEE!!!" It was such a release to feel the happy endorphins rush through his blood as he pushed back at her, playfully swatting at her shoulders.

She moved on to the Ridgebacks, leaving him lying there on his side and watching her with wide eyes. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but...it was...nice. He felt...better.

PAYBACK TIME!

Darting over across the open space, he took advantage of how Marya was being set down by Volarian and made sure that his paws found the soft underside of her belly. He wiggled his fingers as fast as he could, cackling like a mad-dragon.

---

Malu paused in rustling around her knapsack when she heard the knocks at the door.

"Ben, would you mind?" she asked of the Skydancer. "I really need to eat before my blood sugar gets too low and I get snappy." She pulled out that jerky she had been searching for and ripped off a piece. It was flavorful, its fats caramelized with the drying, and she smiled to herself as she chewed.

Benioti nuzzled at Canari's face a few times before making his way to the door. Deftly, he flung it open to see...a very different-looking Val.

"Oh. My gosh. Lady Val, you...your clothes!" he exclaimed as he stepped to one side, allowing her to both step in and the others to see. Malu grinned and stashed the jerky in her knapsack. She pushed herself to her feet, brushed off her hands, and sauntered over.

"You look different already! Do they really wear this stuff? It looks...flimsy," she commented as she rubbed the sleeve of the silk shirt between two fingers, being careful not to touch Val's skin in respect. "But this can't be all of it, right? You still look like you despite the silk."

"This is the Lady Elf then?" Canari asked from across the room. The fledglings continued sleeping soundly despite the words floating over their heads.

"Val, please meet the dragoness Canari, mate of Benioti," Malu said with a gesture of her hand towards Canari. "Her eggs recently hatched. If you have a soft spot for Skydancers, you should come see." The strawberry-blonde smiled from ear to ear as she walked back over to her knapsack. She migrated with it to sit cross-legged beside Canari's enfolding arms and gently rubbed one of the fledgling's heads. He shifted in his sleep and let out a tired purring cheep.

Val sighed.

"You're right. This is only about half. I still have to do the dyes." she told Malu. "Not to offend any of our reptilian friends here, but I'd rather have someone with thumbs help me apply those."

Valravn grimaced. "Some, from what I've heard, wear less. I's rather keep as much of my dignity as I can."

Val pulled a map out of the bag she'd brought and asked Merlin to explain their route to the Underground.

She also pulled out the clear and purple fluids that were the dyes.

"This is the hair dye," gesturing to the clear fluid, "And this is the skin paint." indicating the other.

Val greeted Canari and the hatchlings, petting one, which grasped her slender fingers with its tiny claws.

"Canari, these are why we're here. I'm going to make sure this can never happen again." Valravn said quietly.

She turned and told Malu that she wanted to get on with the dyeing part.

"Faster we get this done with, faster we can get to our kids." she said. "Here, I have some gloves so you won't get dyed, too."

Val handed the elbow-length gloves to the human, and indicated that she put them on.

"To make this convincing, we'll need to get this purple everywhere. I mean literally everywhere." the elf snickered. "Here's a chance to get a look at Elf physiology."

Merlin smacked his paw to his face, Persephone grimaced, and Kharahm put her paws over her ears.

"You don't have to make it sound so dirty, Val." Merlin said, looking up from the map. He continued, "Anyway, there's an entrance to the catacombs that will lead to the Underground on Coriol Street. We find the spider crests, use them as keys, and we can open the way. We find the slave-dealer, and get the kids."

"I might have missed a step somewhere." Merlin admitted.

Meanwhile, Val was becoming more and more...Purple.

---

Marya convulsed with giggles at Dalecar's wiggly claws. With Volarian still holding her, the little Tundra had no way of escaping.

Until Heliessa came to her rescue with a tail slap to Volarian's snout and a hip bump to Dalecar's side.

Rhys and Sakuya slept blissfully on in Anya's lap, while the human woman petted Zamoro through the cage to keep him calm.

If it weren't for the bars, the scene would have been homey.

---

Lexya calmly followed Zekagh to the bathing area and slipped into the water. She tried not to think about her captivity, and only focus on the delightful scraping away of dead scales and skin cells.

She slid into bathing bliss.

---

Serylda peeped at the new food she'd been given. It was mealworms and grasshoppers, with a few cave beetles thrown in for good measure.

"Palatina, I feel better! I think he'll hold off on "introducing" me to any of his males for a while. If not, I have plenty of other plans I can use." Serylda said. She snuggled up onto Palatina's forepaw.

"I miss Merlin." she said. "But if I know him, he won't let a couple miles of dirt and some dark elves stop him from finding us."

She looked up into Palatina's face.

"How are those eggs? You okay?" Serylda asked. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

---

Zekagh mused at his ledger. His profits were high, his stock in good condition, and he had new blood to add to it.

He had a meeting in a little while with a customer, too.

All was going well.

Except, this customer had a reputation for being rather hard to deal with. Lady Zilvarra had a bad reputation and no honor, but a fat wallet and blood ties to the Queen. There would be no refusing of her.

He told the goblins to prepare for her arrival with the best wines and foods, the nicest cutlery, even his good tablecloth.

Even if she was a colossal b****, he didn't want to offend her.

---

(Zilvarra is actually a friendly Drow. She releases all the dragons she buys, or sends for their families to come and get them. I figure she purchases at least one or two of our hatchlings, and they tell her who to send a message to. Zilvarra helps orchestrate the jailbreak of the adults, too.)

Malu slipped the gloves onto her hands and made sure to pull them up as high as they would go; the cuff reached her elbows and she deemed herself ready with a mad-scientist-ish wiggle of her fingers in the air before her.

"Purple, here we go..." she murmured. In the back of her mind, she repeatedly reminded herself that spattering the dye on her own skin would blow their cover. They'd be caught faster than a starving Wildclaw in a coop of Game Fowl - and make no doubt that their bird would indeed be plucked. Wrinkling her nose at the tremor of nervousness deep in her gut, she sluiced some of the purple dye onto the gloves and began smoothing it down Val's shoulder. As she massaged it into the elf's skin, she glanced over at the three dragons and snorted in amusement at their embarrassment. "What, see no - speak no - hear no evil?" she asked them off-handedly. Her elven friend was correct, regardless of the implications of bared skin: the dye really did have to get everywhere.

"Yes, perhaps you did miss a step," Benioti chimed in response to Merlin's musings over the map's sequence of steps. "What are spider crests?" He glanced down at his mate, who appeared to be half-drowsing over her two hatchlings. "Canari, have you come across spider crests in your city wanderings?" It took Canari a moment to come out of her cat-napping and she blinked a few times up at the other Skydancer.

"Not specifically a spider crest, no," she replied softly. She paused a moment to observe the dyeing process, raised a silently speculative eyebrow, and then continued. "It can be taken literally or figuratively, of course. A crest is part of heraldry, of a design found on a shield. Our two-legger friends likely have family crests of their own. Perhaps it's a twist of the word, like a clue buried in the use of archaic word choice." Her thin lips rose into a self-satisfied grin. "Remind me to tell you all sometime of how I solved a very peculiar mystery here in the city." Of course Benioti was intrigued, but knew better than to divert his mate; she would talk for far too long about it.

"I'd love to hear about it when we have more time," Malu said with a big smile of her own. Turning back to Val, she began rubbing another handful of dye into the elf's lower arm now. She had nearly finished this limb - Val could do her own hands easily. "Okay, so where can you not reach with your hands? Your back, right?"

---

Zamoro watched the Tundra go with a gut-watering sense of momentary fear before he felt the soft and warm hands of Anja descend on his back. He flinched at first, for it was the two-legger he knew well from hatching itself (the Lady Malu, where was she...?), but quickly decided that touch was better than no touch. He arched up into the palm of the healer, making quiet monotone squeaks of delight. He eventually ended up leaning against the bars of the cage itself while her hand gently ran up and down his spine, careful to not catch on any other body parts.

Dalecar was intent on continuing his payback endlessly - the Tundra was so soft, it was actually quite nice to tickle her - but his raspy chortles were cut off when Heliessa bumped into him with controlled force. He stumbled away to one side, catching himself acrobatically on one front and one hind foot, before settling into a sit. He laugh-coughed one more time before sighing.
Yes, the endorphins had done something nice for his mood. Waving at the two Ridgeback dragons to get their attention, he scribbled out:

~ Revenge is dish best served ticklish, yes? ~

---

Palatina felt tears prickle at her eyes when the wee little Fae dragon leaned her insubstantial weight against her paw. Friends - it was amazing how critical friends became when one was under duress.

"I'm so glad that you're well," the Imperial dragoness whispered, not trusting her full voice. She glanced back at her sides, which no longer rippled and no longer panged. "I think the eggs are fine." It was odd, this feeling of being gravid. Some weight had shifted in her body and now she felt somewhat unbalanced. "I don't...I don't want to clutch here." Her throat closed off for a second and she closed her Fire-bright eyes tightly, forcing down the panic. It took her a few deep breaths to continue. "Don't worry about worrying me. I wouldn't have reacted any less concerned even if I had known that I was gravid. You're too brave!" Her laugh broke a bit on the end and she sniffed, wiping her nose on her shoulder. The movement brought the far exit of the room into her view and she stared at it for a second before glancing down at Serylda. "Did you hear Lexya? She said that I should ask for a bath and that...the drow would treat me like royalty since I was carrying eggs." Her nose wrinkled up in disgust at the fact of her worth being determined by her pregnant status; with a snort, she smoothed her facial expression into thoughtfulness. "She also said that she would vouch for us being housed together to discuss...the plan." She mouthed the last two words, hoping that Serylda caught them.