Roleplay

"More than one charge? I've never heard of such a thing. Guess I'll have to ask my mum," Legend said, tilting his head as he thought. He'd never heard any of the other guardians he'd met mentioning even the possibility of multiple charges. "I wonder what that would be like, though." He would probably be up to protecting both his brother and something - or someone - else, but what would happen if, for instance, it was two dragons and both went in opposite directions, or worse, got into a fight with each other?

Legend tried not to laugh as the nocturne crawled over him. It tickled a little. "Huh, you don't know either? I don't think it's anyone who lives here, so I figured he must have come off the ship." Since he was involved in security, the guardian did try to learn new faces quickly, but he supposed he might have missed someone.


***

Quercus looked up from the books to see the fae working with a jar of quills. He thought the fae had asked, non-verbally, if they were interested, though he wasn't sure if the mage merchant was referring to the books or the quills. "May I have a look at the quills?" he inquired in the common tongue. They appeared to have a spell upon them and interested him in much the same way the little puzzle at the other booth had.

On the floor, Avery continued to mutter to himself as he flipped through several books. As he had previously, he had made two stacks - a small one to buy, and a larger one for Query to put back.


***

Eugene was cheered that the coatl agreed to his price. By the look on her face, she was unfamiliar with haggling - a bit of a pity, as he was looking forward to negotiating, but he wouldn't mind saving a few coins. "I'll take the entire bolt, if that's okay," he said, withdrawing a pouch of currency from the silk clothes he wore.


***

(I can have more dragons perusing the other stands, sure! There are several in the background I can bring into play if you wish. Any requests as to which stands?)


***

"I may not want to be careful with that stuff?" the bogsneak asked after regretfully swallowing the last of his mead. Perhaps he had misinterpreted what the mirror had said, especially given the bandages on the nearby dragon. He and the mirror had both been imbibing alcohol, after all, so misunderstandings were quite possible. He eyed the strange cold box thoughtfully without moving any closer to it. Magic, he assumed, though he was no mage. He only knew that it would surely be useful in terms of food storage. "Is it something some of the clan's mages would be allowed to look at?"


***

Hugh smiled a bit when Lodon complimented the gardens. He didn't know if Tama was around, but he was sure the coatl would be pleased - well, as pleased as the serene fellow ever seemed. He paused just past the nesting grounds to consider the tundra's question. "Vespers? He's..." he trailed off, realizing he was about to say "archaic" and that such a word might be offensive to the obviously older dragon next to him. "Anachronistic, in a way, though he's a highly talented mage and a good leader." He plucked a stray feather from his chest and twirled it idly as he thought, trying to figure out what to share. It wasn't exactly that Vespers kept his origins a secret, but the leader was somewhat reserved and slow to trust. "He used to lead a clan here, a long time ago, but he was caught in a magical trap in the tunnels under the island - a trap whose magic ensured that he would not change physically, though he was all alone and couldn't get out. One of our coatl found him while exploring the tunnels. He's still getting used to everything he missed, but he's both powerful and wise. I haven't heard that he has any particular healing expertise, though" he said, a bit puzzled by Lodon's interest in him. It was unlikely that most living would have heard of Vespers before he was sealed, and he didn't think the clan itself, much less its leaders, had done much to make names for themselves to the extent that far-flung dragons of Sornieth would have heard of them. "Why do you seek him, if I may ask?"


***

"A pit with tall trees? Sounds fun!" said Echo. There were tunnels on this island, but no pits, and the trees certainly weren't very tall. No vines or thorns that looked anything like Mardikan's impressive brambles either, much to his regret.

"Perhaps you are hungry after your journey here. We can discuss more details up in the dining hall, if you would like," said Deepsea. He didn't necessarily want a lot of dragons listening in, but it was better than the underworld spirits he could spot near their tents.

"Why'd they have to put everything at the top of a cliff?" Darkshine muttered, stretching his wings a bit in preparation for the ascent.

Striker expected as much. She had never met a guardian with more than one different charge. She had met one that had a group as a charge. Perhaps it counted as one because they were one clan. "I wonder what that would be like, though." Legend said. Striker wouldn't know. Maybe it was like having two family members. Striker only has one.

The tundra could have just been a dragon covered in pollen. It could be anybody. They could be a dragon with a fur coat or even a dragon wearing a fur coat. Striker yawned and asked, "Do any dragons come from inland?" She expected that some would, but she wouldn't know how many. She had spotted a wall, but she didn't know if there was a gate or anything. Perhaps for heavier dragons there would be a need for such an opening. A coatl back home likes to say that the weakest part of a wall is the gate. She scratched behind one of her horns quickly than laid down again on top of Legend.

~~~~

Mogi detected a misunderstanding when Quercus asked, "May I have a look at the quills?" He raised his frills unaware of the misinterpretation at first. He pushed the jar of quills towards the coatl. Meanwhile, Avery was flipping through the books on the ground. He mumbled to himself, but Mogi couldn't hear what he was saying. It probably had something to do with what books he had and which ones he didn't.

Many of the books were not in common languages. One of the books that had been on the ground related to wards against high, frosty wind which can be used as a portable shield. It is written in longhand tundra. In the books case, it was more like long spell. Mogi had seen a written form of several dragon languages. He had never seen a written form of Wildclaw, Ridgeback, snapper, or coatl though.

Another was in Imperial. He found Imperial written language quite irritating to look at. It read top to bottom, right to left, or left to write depending on the context or region. Poorly written Imperial looks like squiggly lines with no rhyme or reason too. There was only one book in Imperial and was, thankfully, written quite adequately. It was near the bottom and was something about scrying. Mogi didn't read far into it before the text changed direction and he put it down out of annoyance.

~~~

The pearlcatcher was seemingly quite pleased with Estelle's acceptance of his bartering. He had opted to buy the whole role of fleece and paid handsomely for it. Estelle proceeded to count the coin. She felt like she had still done well anyway. She had an empty crate next to her that held the rapidly increasing amount of coinage. At least she would get paid well. She and the rest of the crew had been promised a bonus to their normal wage, plus a split of the profit. Seventy percent of the profits that the Slattern got to keep after giving the clans in the Flows their share, which was about sixty or seventy percent, went to the crew and the captain. The last thirty percent would be used to maintain the ship for another day.

Estelle planned on eating some pretty expensive seafood when she got paid. She would of course like to enjoy it with her fellow crew members and one in particular in fact. Mogi is planning to buy a silk pillow to sleep on. Old man will probably buy booze with it or give it to some hapless beggar they meet on the way home. Stern will buy sticks and a new hat maybe. Perhaps he would buy a new eye patch. Longfellow will buy paint and canvas maybe. Mobius will probably bury it somewhere. The twins will blow it on something new that somebody tells them about. Luthien will likely go and buy a saw or buy a new brush for her familiar.

In the meantime, Estelle asked, "Anything else you're looking for?" She prepared to meet any other dragons that may be looking to buy something. She still has a lot of stock. It will become less diverse as time goes on most likely. She hoped that she could sell more. The ointment, puzzle, books, furs, and fleece were worth a pretty penny.
~~~

(They could go anywhere, but you could go to the yet unvisited Jewelry, tools and weapons, armor and clothing, and food and drink stands. I'll have those dragons perhaps too.)

~~~

Rorrim blinked and looked at the bottles of alcohol. "Woops. May have had a tad too much." He conceded. "You don't want to play around with that stuff." The mirror had a delayed reaction, if only by a second, and then replied, "A mage would be a good idea. A pinky coatl had asked about it earlier I think." He couldn't quite think of the name though. He shrugged a little. The dragons nearby laughed under their breath. The bandaged Wildclaw did not.

The Old man corked the bottle and replaced it under the stand for later. There was still a swallow or two left in it. If he drank it now, he'd probably have heart burn later. He stretched a little to ease his old bones then looked back up in his dead stare kind of way. He never quite sees the things in front of him, but he knows they are there nonetheless. “Interested?” Rorrim asked Burgundy. Maybe the kindred bogsneak would like to buy the mead too.

~~~

Lodon and Hugh continued up the path. Hugh began, "Vespers? He's..." He stopped. Lodon didn't know why. Perhaps the coatl was holding his forked tongue. "Anachronistic, in a way, though he's a highly talented mage and a good leader." Hugh said. Lodon didn't know what that meant, but had an idea after what Hugh said next. "He used to lead a clan here, a long time ago, but he was caught in a magical trap in the tunnels under the island - a trap whose magic ensured that he would not change physically, though he was all alone and couldn't get out. One of our coatl found him while exploring the tunnels. He's still getting used to everything he missed, but he's both powerful and wise. I haven't heard that he has any particular healing expertise, though” Lodon nodded.

Vespers has old magic and leadership experience. Leaders are leaders, no matter how old they might be. The magic used to trap Vespers, Lodon supposed, was probably quite complicated and tricky to use. The Quarry doesn't need him to heal anybody anyway. If anybody could help, it would be a leader. Old magic could also be helpful. Stein and called forth the forms of many beings from history past for aide a while back, but most asked for release immediately and were thus released. A few helped a little, but most were basically insane. Lodon tripped again, but his vision was improving a little. "Why do you seek him, if I may ask?" Hugh asked.

Lodon wasn't sure what the old dragon could do. Perhaps nothing he could do would help. Maybe the problem would worsen, or it could be fixed. Lodon, out of breath, replied, "We need all the help we can get." A blast of light was a memory that Lodon thought of for a second. He pushed it aside with a visible cringe. He didn't want to do what he remembered again. That magic was dark and held little place in the civilized world. “All the help we can get? Even that?” Lodon whispered to himself.

~~~

Echo seemed to hold more enthusiasm than the others and far more than Mardikan. Mardikan rolled his unseen eyes and turned to the coatl as he spoke, "Perhaps you are hungry after your journey here. We can discuss more details up in the dining hall, if you would like,” Mardikan was famished. He had barely eaten and had been throwing most of it overboard anyway. He nodded slowly. He could hear the imperial mumble as he spread his wings. From the mumble's content, their destination was on the cliffs that Lodon had taken a path up. They could meet up and discuss their plans. Mardikan felt that flying would be the best way away from the water, as long as he doesn’t have to fly over any.

Mardikan nonchalantly stepped away from the water as the dragons ascended. His mask was quickly becoming cramped this close to water and he opened it. His eyes were flooded with light and the rest of his senses were overwhelmed slightly. The cool air quashed the nausea at least. He breathed heavily, but he quickly regained his composure. He kept his eyes off the water. He spread his red, studded wings and with his vines, he punched into the sand sending a plume of sand upwards and pushing himself off of the ground. He followed close behind the trio as he quickly left the seashore. He closed his mask again with a movement of his head. And at once, his face was covered again.

Legend felt Striker settle again, and he relaxed marginally. He was still technically on guard duty, but the ship didn't seem to be an immediate threat, and its crew members were friendly - or at least, he had friends on board, and in his naïve mind, he reasoned that Striker and Eureka would tell him if there was anyone he needed to watch out for. The nocturne sisters were probably among the most dangerous of the crew members, anyway, what with their propensity for explosions. Pleased that he could justify continuing to spend time with his friend since he had to protect the rest of the clan from her, he grinned. The weather was nice, and he was out enjoying it with someone he liked, and something good was happening - excitement without a threat.

Lost in his own musings, he almost missed her question. "Any visitors from inland? Hmm, sometimes there are, though most come by sea, or they fly in." He frowned, trying to remember maps and places he had been when accompanying other clan dragons in gathering supplies. "We've claimed some of the territory surrounding Lantern Port for hunting, mining, and the like, but we don't really have a lot of competition in this area - at least, no one's settled nearby while I've lived here, anyway. Maybe because we've got the best spot for a harbor on this section of the shoreline." Or maybe no one wants to live near the spirits, he thought to himself. "I think there's more clans that way if you follow the road out of town, though." He couldn't even tell her how many days, since it depended on what breed of dragon and what they were carrying. "Eventually you'll get to a fork in the road and either go west to the Scarred Wasteland or else south toward the Southern Icefield, though you might as well take a ship if you're going that way. Same thing with the Windswept Plateau, really - easier to get to by water than over land. I think I'd rather fly though, personally - someone as big as me would be a hassle aboard a ship," he joked. "Though ships are great for carrying cargo."


***

Quercus watched in amusement as the quills quickly lost the meticulous order the fae had given them. "What a curious spell. Do they have any other enchantments on them?" Spelled quills would make good gifts for the clan's scholars, though he grinned at the thought of many of the clan's more obsessive minds trying futilely to order them.

Avery's father had taught him some variations of draconic used among different breeds. Though he was not fluent in all of the languages, he knew enough to decipher the titles and the premise of most of the texts Query had stacked in front of him. Some of the books were works of art with intricate calligraphy and illustrations, though they contained little of value in terms of workable spells. Others were nearly illegible to the guardian, but the little he could read seemed sound. He began a third stack for the ones he was uncertain about - the ones he would have to ask his father Emrys to come and have a look at.


***

The black and white coatl doffed his hat once again, carefully balancing his purchase. "Nothing else at the moment, but thank you kindly for what you have provided us," he said, patting his new furs, already envisioning the hats he would make from them. Lost in thought, he drifted in the direction of the Stitchery, eager to start crafting, but he was stopped by a nudge from his pearlcatcher companion. "Look, they have a booth for armor and clothing - want to take a quick peek?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to - how do you say it - scope out the competition," Rettah said.

"Better us than Yew and Rosa. They'd just start arguing about designs and how theirs are better," Eugene chuckled as they made their way over to peruse the apparel on display.


***

Sift and Blain were nearly clear of the booths on their way to visit Cindermoon's office in search of medical supplies to trade and barter with when Sift overheard Blain's stomach growl. "No harm in sampling some foreign food," Sift said with a sly grin. "It didn't sound like they were in a hurry for the supplies."

"I suppose not," said Blain. He wouldn't mind sitting down and resting for a bit. The two pearlcatchers followed their noses to the nearest food stand.


***

The bogsneak jeweler finally gave up on having anyone visit his booth - all anyone wanted to see was the visitors and their wares, so he wandered over to the jewelry booth to have a look at the competition. Perhaps they had some uncut gems to sell that he could work into new pieces. Though his mate provided him with most of the raw materials, there were plenty of jewels and metals not found in the region that he had to buy or trade for.


***

The skydancer Innusha finally squeezed his way through the crowd to the tools and weapons booth. He really wanted to find something that would please Hollis, to prove that he was worthy to work alongside the pearlcatcher in the forge, so he scanned the tools eagerly, looking for something he thought Hollis might like. He wondered if anything on display might be used to make swords like the one that Hollis always wore...


***

"Pinky coatl?" mused the wine colored bogsneak as he examined the alcohol arrayed in front of him. Quite a few coatl dragons in the clan could be called pink. "Did this coatl have a petal pattern on his hide?" That would narrow it down just a little bit, though not much. "Was he wearing anything of note?"

He contemplated the mead. He'd already spent more than he'd intended on the rum, but he rather enjoyed it...but would other dragons in the clan? No good buying something if he was the only one who'd drink it. "I'll likely be back for more of that mead. Just a bottle for now, though. I'd like my mate to taste it." Being a coatl, she would likely be the best gauge for whether or not the majority of the clan members would care for it as much as he did.


***

"Help? With what, if I'm allowed to know?" Hugh asked, watching the tundra's expression with some concern. He moved to steady Lodon as he tripped, taking care to avoid the bandaged wounds so as not to further hurt the tundra. He wondered what would send someone with such severe and debilitating injuries on a journey, and what Vespers had to do with it. They were passing the first cluster of buildings at the top of the cliff, and Hugh could see the assembly hall that was their destination. "We're almost there," he said, pointing out the stone building near the guardhouse, close to the edge of the cliffs. It was large enough to hold most of the clan's dragons at one time, even the biggest of them. Most of the building was open space, though there were tables, usually shoved near the back, that dragons used for group projects or for games, and offices and a smaller meeting room toward the front where the council met.


***

Deepsea caught a quick glimpse of the skydancer's face as his mask opened for a brief moment, though the coatl just as quickly looked away, not wanting to be rude - Mardikan likely had a reason for covering his visage, much as one of the clan leaders, Eztli, wore goggles to hide a scar over an eye. In the short moment, however, he thought the skydancer looked a bit nauseous. Illness? Nerves? The effect of wearing a mask for so long? It was really none of his business, though, so he joined the others in the flight to the cliff top, coming in for a landing after Darkshine had settled his imperial bulk in an empty lot near the dining hall. The grassy space was commonly used for picnics when dragons ate outside in nice weather, and there were a few enjoying a snack on the balmy spring day. They were a bit early for dinner - oh well. If worse came to worse, they could cook their guest something. Deepsea didn't consider himself a horrible chef, at any rate, and he tried to refresh his memory of what skydancers preferred as he started toward the dining hall.

He was stopped by a nudge from Darkshine, who nodded at another unfamiliar face on the cliff top - a dark tundra, wrapped in bandages, next to one of the clan's coatl dragons - the healer, what was his name...it started with an H, Deepsea thought. They were coming up the path from the library and seemed to be lost in their own conversation.

Striker figured that most dragons would come by sea in a place like this. The clan was strong enough to defend their land probably. In the Quarry (Which I have new lore for on my clan page) a lot of the forest is controlled by the Clan. They tend to leave the lands used by Centaurs unharmed though. The Centauri tend to be grateful for the clan's reservation in intruding upon their territory. Striker gave a small nod at each of Legend's points. Striker wondered if the way out of town was an actual road or just a path carved through the wilds by talons and paws. She had never been too far from the sea and didn't know too much of what lay inland. The roads of the ruins in her homeland were made of cement and paving stones or out of cobble stones. They led all over the city-scape and were used to great effect. The farther you got from the city however, the more dilapidated they got.

Striker had always felt that going by sea was the best idea considering the dangers of land, but she lived in a floating castle essentially. Flying was not such a good plan for small breeds or super large breeds usually. She imagined that the larger dragons were safer than smaller ones in the wild. There were no big dragons on the Slattern really. The largest were mid-sized. The twins are the only nocturnes aboard though. She did know something about big dragons and the sea though and said, "I've seen a guardian that sailed on a raft. More cargo means more money anyway." The guardian had been a poor swimmer and couldn't fly too well, so he made a large wooden pontoon. The Slattern has passed him a few times through their travels. They haven't seen him for a while though.

~~~

The coatl watched with far more interest than Mogi had as the Quills disordered themselves again. Mogi sighed deeply. "What a curious spell. Do they have any other enchantments on them?" Quercus had asked. Entropy was the only spell present on the quills though. Mogi shook his head as he thought of something. Why curse goods you need to sell? Had the mages cursed him? He blinked a few times at the thought and then mouthed his own curse to them. The grin gave Mogi the impression that the coatl would probably like the quills anyway. He could probably enchant them though if somebody asked. He wasn't too good at it, but he could work a simple spell into them.

Mogi could hear Avery moving books still and he peeked over the top of the counter. He turned back to Quercus and pushed the newly ordered jar of quills towards him. He picked up the visibly shiny, black stone and rolled it in his claws as he waited for Quercus. He wouldn’t have time to undo the magic for a while if he was indeed cursed, but maybe he could imitate it for something useful. Disorder can be quite funny after all.

~~~

Estelle was happy to see the fancy coatl pleased. She didn’t know much about hats, but she thought that somebody would appreciate a hat made from those furs. She was making a pretty penny at least. The hatter would make some good money with those furs she suspected. The coatl and the pearlcatcher departed but the spiffy dragon led the pearlcatcher to another nearby stand. She looked at the coat at the stand then looked away sharply.

The other coatl, white and blue, had not seen Estelle look at her. The armorer, Brooks, was busy getting a stubborn stitch through a piece of leather pauldron. Her forepaws were dulled with grease and she had stains in her feathers from stain or fat. There were sets of armor, ranging from thick cloth to heavy steel, placed all around her. There were also several different types of clothing. A tunic was folded nicely on the counter. A was a pair of thick, woolen trousers and several hats sat nearby. Two of them were top hats. A few were cabbies. A heavy breastplate made of black metal and red highlight was set to one side and was polished well. A jar of heavy duty sewing needles was set nearby. An old looking machine was behind Brooks. It didn’t look used.

Brooks looked up from her stitch job and smiled at the visitors. She put the pauldron aside, wiped her paws on a towel she had and then put her forepaws on the counter. She had her own fair share of stitches and scars, though they were generally small, for such a young age. In a strange accent, a Southern Icefield variant of Coatl, Brooks greeted them heartily. “Hidey.” She said. “Looking or buying?”

~~~

A vicious looking mirror watched the crowds. She had set up stand her at the Old man’s request. He knew that few like food more than her. She would eat just about anything, meat or otherwise. She shared her element with Rorrim and as such, has a hardy stomach. The Old man uses his for drinking and she uses hers for survival. She wasn’t quite feral anymore though she looked, sounded, and smelled the part, so she couldn’t eat anything that talks. Sadly, there are quite a few things that do that.

She had grills, spits, and fires going behind her in stone pits and such. They released the smells of many types of food into the air. The smell ranged from the greasy blubber of sea creatures to the aroma of grilling petal moths and beyond. Everybody called her Skinner because of her strange eating and combat habits. She’s the galley cook and deals with the food. She rarely has more than crackers for most of the day. She dispenses soup along with other things for breakfast and dinner. The rest of the day is for the crew to fend for themselves. Cook the food and they will come. That is a phrase that works quite well. Skinner could see two pearlcatchers following their noses nearby. She barked an order and then went about preparing for customers again. She had some hot sauce for herself, but the old man said to let the customers use it if they want to. There was a bottle on the counter. The crew had set up makeshift tables and mats around the stand. Rorrim had placed the food next to the alcohol as well.

Skinner also had drinks. All the alcohol was funneled to Rorrim, so she ended up with water mostly. They had some really bubbly stuff that is super sweet. She doesn’t like it all that much, but some dragons seem to enjoy it thoroughly. She also has a crate of honey crisps on the counter, which she also doesn't like eating if given the choice. She was glad that she had caught that seagull earlier to hold her over.

~~~

Aquari was shifting the position of his unnaturally shiny pearl on a satin pillow as a dragon neared. All around him were shelves full of silver and gold. There were gems and pieces of intricate filigree hung from the eaves as well. Behind several glass cases were beautiful objects. One was a collection of assorted uncut gems. Another held a dagger with gold inlay, a silver blade, a golden and lacquered pine sheath, and gem studs. The dagger probably couldn’t cut paper but would make an interesting conversation piece. Another case held a beautifully made Faberge egg. Both were actually collected on previous ventures, but they would both be well sold like anything else. Most of the jewelry was not from the Flows, but some of it was. A silver pocket watch sat on the counter for instance, but it did not seem to work,

Aquari looked up at the bogsneak with feigned interest. He was only here because he was promised that he would be left off of deck scrubbing for a week by Rorrim. Just because he knew how to grade gemstones didn’t mean that he could sell them though. This was better than scrubbing any day. The jewelry would pay handsomely if sold in any case. Aquari was contemplating buying the pillow for himself with his bonus.

~~~

Jackal was happy to get out of the engine rooms for a day. He had taken a nice bath and had come up immediately when the ship had docked. The old man had been put in charge of organizing the stalls and Jack was unsure of why he was chosen for tools and weapons. There were literal weapons experts on board. The engineers would have made good here at the stand. He just kept the boilers from exploding. He would know how to use a wrench, but that was about it.

There were numerous tools for numerous purposes. On one side, there were forge tools which consisted of an anvil on the ground, several hammers, tongs, a bellow, and a stamp, plus a few more. On the other were handy dragon tools. There were wrenches, nuts, bolts, screws, screw drivers, etc. The middle was a hodgepodge of different tools. Weapons were located behind Jack on racks. There were hammers, axes, bows, arrows, swords of all types, as well as daggers and throwing weapons. They all seem to have been made by the same dragon or dragons. Most of the smaller weapons were made of bronze or iron. Large weapons like one great sword, which would be a short sword for a guardian, were made out of steel or iron.

Jackal looked quite unsure. He knew some of what he was supposed to be doing at least. He knew more about his wares than Estelle who was probably freaking out in her mind. Brooks was an armorer, so she knew what she was doing. Nobody knows food like Skinner. Mogi is one of the few mages on board who are worth a darn. Nobody knows alcohol like Rorrim. Lothian is pretty well off. Aquari was probably just as bad off, but his smugness wouldn’t betray his actual problems. The Skydancer that squeezed through the crowd caught Jackal’s eye though. The skydancer seemed out of place. “Need something?” Jackal asked.

~~~

Rorrim wasn’t sure on the specifics due to his failing vision, but he strained for them anyway. “Pinky coatl? Did this coatl have a petal pattern on his hide? Was he wearing anything of note?" The bogsneak asked. Rorrim thought as he scratched his side with his back leg.

He blinked his hazy, red eyes and replied, “Big white coat.” He was pretty sure that it was a coat. He had seen fluffy coatls in the Icefields before though. That was a long time ago when he had actually “seen” them.

Rorrim was pleased to get back to the topic of inebriating substances as the bogsneak said, “I'll likely be back for more of that mead. Just a bottle for now, though. I'd like my mate to taste it." Rorrim pushed a full bottle of the mead towards the purple bogsneak and waited for the sound of coin so that he could collect it. Sometimes he wished that he could still see, but other times, he feels as though he has gained a greater insight into the world.

~~~

Lodon felt that it probably wouldn’t hurt anything if Hugh was told the truth. Lodon was beginning to be able to make out Hugh’s features now and saw a bit of concern on his face. He steadied Lodon when he tripped and Lodon thanked him. Lodon took a shaky breath and said, “The Veil is not too hard to break.” It had been slowly getting worse when he had left. Luckily, the granite Quarry was tough enough to survive most of the punishment dealt to it. The day he had left, a tremor had caused a tree to fall near the Quarry’s edge. Leaves had fallen for hours.

Lodon nodded as they neared the top of the incline. Lodon could see the building pretty well and could distinguish a few dragons lounging around. He followed behind Hugh as they continued. He wished that he could see right about now. He suspected that when he did go blind one day that he would miss so much of the world. Lodon heard a drop of liquid strike the path and concluded that his wounds were seeping through his bandages. They tended to do so under stress and this certainly counted. He sped up so as to keep the path as clean as possible. He smelled something on the wind and turned his head. It smelled like worried memories.

~~~

Mardikan landed softly next to Darkshine and Deepsea. Mardikan couldn’t see much more than a few hundred feet with his mask and so didn’t see much beyond the grass and nearby dragons. The colors were also partially muted and unsaturated. He could see two dragons moving up the path and he thought that he recognized one. His eyes glowed behind his lenses and in a moment, the visage of Lodon was visible to Mardikan.

Mardikan stepped forward as his brambles coiled tightly around his arms and body. He turned to Deepsea and Darkshine and asked, “Shall we continue?” He wanted to make some sort of plan of action and quickly. There was little time to waste. Unlike his comrade, Mardikan is far more radical in his plans. Mardikan thinks that Lodon was sent with him to act as a voice of reason, but Mardikan thought that he was being reasonable. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Even if he has to shove every spirit back where they came one by one, he would. Whatever these dragons suggested, if Mardikan agreed, he would attempt to bring it into fruition. Lodon would attempt to water the plan down though. Mardikan sneered behind his mask and gave a small laugh.

"A guardian on a raft?" Legend laughed. "That would be a sight." He wondered how one would go about making a raft, then quickly dismissed it. A life at sea wasn't for him, though he wished he could go on a short voyage with his friends, just for an adventure or three. "Speaking of sea vessels..." His armor creaked as he stretched, though he remained reclining on the amphitheater. "When do you have to go back to the ship? Not that I'm in any hurry," he said quickly, "but I don't want you to get into any trouble. Will your sister miss you if she wakes up without you? Or do you somehow always know where the other one is?" He wondered what it would be like, with twins. There were lots of siblings in the clan, but no identical twins.


***

The coatl watched the fae shake his head and guessed it meant that there were no further enchantments on the quills. Still...these had potential for pranks. "How much?" Quercus asked, shaking the quills again with great amusement.

"Add these to your order," a voice piped up from below the booth as the small guardian nudged his "to buy" pile carefully before gesturing to another stack, hoping the fae would understand. "And sir, would you mind holding this selection until my father, the head librarian, comes to look at them?" Then again, Avery reasoned, it wasn't too likely that anyone else would want to buy the spell books he'd selected - and if they did, the clan's scholars would probably just add any tomes to the library's collection. Probably. Some of them did maintain their own personal hoards of books. There was always the chance, though, that Nathaniel had alerted some of his mysterious contacts of the bustling market taking place and that the clan's dragons might get some competition. At least they'd managed to have first look over the wares.


***

"Buying, hopefully," smiled the coatl Rettah, doffing one of his hats at his fellow craftscoatl behind the booth. "Did you make all this yourself?" he asked, gesturing in particular to the top hats.

Eugene ignored the armor, though he examined the tunic - not his style, but certainly not bad workmanship. He made a mental note of the heavy duty sewing needles. He didn't need them as a weaver, and the tailors - Yew and Winternight - usually worked with finer materials that didn't require such durable tools, but he'd heard Yew complain more than once that spelled fabric was harder to work with. Maybe the thicker needles would help him compensate. The pearlcatcher was about to inquire if the needles were for sale when he caught sight of the strange device of sorts behind the coatl. "What is that?" he pointed.


***

Sift parked himself next to the honey crisps on the counter and gestured with his tail for Blain to join him before turning to the mirror proprietor. "If my nose isn't lying to me, I'll take some grilled moths for myself and my companion here. Some of these, too," he said, nodding at the honey crisps. "And something to drink," he added, almost as an afterthought when he caught sight of the hot sauce. The island's chef didn't often make spicy food, but Sift rather enjoyed it. He couldn't recall if Blain did, though, and felt a built guilty - they spent most of their time together thanks to his condition (he attracted spirits; Blain repelled them, so he remained in Blain's company to avoid being possessed, or worse), but there was still a lot he didn't know about his friend.


***

Oro's gaze was captured first by a large and shiny pearl displayed on a pillow before the bogsneak snorted to himself - obviously it was the property of the pearlcatcher behind the booth. He didn't really see why the breed placed so much value on such an unwieldy and unornamented stone, but...to each their own. The pieces were all beautiful in their own way - the egg was delicately elaborate, the dagger flashy yet tasteful, and the pocket watch...well, it was pretty enough but didn't seem to be working. He frowned slightly at it. The objects didn't seem to have a common theme, however, and he deduced they were made by different dragons. Still, it wouldn't do to insult the maker if any of these works were those of the dragon seated among the treasures. "Did you craft any of these?" he asked.


***

"Oh! Sorry," stammered the skydancer as he blinked rapidly, looking up from examining the tools. "I work in a forge, you see, so I was considering the...oh wow, look at that sword! It reminds me a little of Hollis' blade. Just a bit. Anything good for making a sword among these tools?" Hollis still didn't trust him much in the smithy and mostly just had him use his fire magic to maintain consistent heat while the pearlcatcher managed most of the tools and materials, so Innusha didn't know the names of everything. Maybe the icy looking mirror could help him out. A burst of flame appeared on the excited skydancer's shoulder, which he quickly slapped with his forelimb to put out. "Sorry," he said again.


***

"Big white coat?" the bogsneak said as he counted out coins for the mirror, careful to make exact change. "That would probably be Ez, one of our clan leaders. He's an ice mage, come to think of it - he and a spiral named Galin are, if I'm not mistaken. They would probably be interested in having a look at that cold box of yours. I'll get word to them." He could see the usefulness in such a device, but understanding it was above his pay grade, so to speak. He just liked delicious food, quality drink, and the comfort of nice surroundings - the simple pleasures of life. "And I'll more than likely be back for more of this," he said, toasting the mirror with the bottle of mead.


***

Hugh sucked in a quick breath at the mention of the veil, recalling the devastating effects of their own breach. His friend and mentor, a coatl physician of skill, had been among the departed following the attack. "Oh dear. Might be a matter more for the exorcists than for Vespers, but I'm sure he can direct you to someone who can help if he can't himself," he said. The healer wondered if Vespers had the sight, the ability to make out unmanifested spirits. It wasn't really something that had come up before. Hugh could, personally, and he knew that hatchlings born in the clan increasingly exhibited that skill, likely thanks to hatching in an environment where the boundaries were stretched so thin, but he wasn't sure if anyone had ever determined how many of the clan's dragons could actually see - much less interact with - spirits who hadn't taken on a corporeal form.

He was distracted from his musings when he noticed Lodon speeding up and realized that the tundra's wounds were seeping. "Stop for a moment - let me rebandage those," he pleaded.


***

"Is that tundra with you?" Darkshine asked Mardikan. Their auras felt different, yet there was a similarity - or, perhaps, familiarity - to them all the same. Or perhaps it was just that they were both dark, mysteriously clad strangers.

"If so, let's invite him to eat with us," said Deepsea, proceeding toward the dining hall. He thought he caught a glimpse of a pale moon spirit looking out of their tower on top of the cliff as he glanced back at the others.

The nocturne glanced at the tundra when he saw the others looking at him, but he didn't seem as interesting as the skydancer - no brambles, no mask - so he turned back to Mardikan.
"What's your favorite food?" Echo asked curiously.

Striker agreed that a guardian on a raft is an odd sight. The guardian himself wasn't all that big, but still too large to fit in the Ship. The raft itself was different every time she had seen him. Perhaps he repairs it as it breaks down. Striker was jostled a little as Legend stretched and as his armor creaked a little. Striker spoke with a bit of calmness unseen before, "We'll probably go when the Cap'n's sure that we've sold all we can. He'd be happy that we found something calm to do honestly." She smiled a little. "Sis'll be confused, but she'll be fine. We're rarely apart, so I don't know if she could find me. She usually knows where I am 'cause I tell her." She scratched her wing and then folded it again.

Striker looked around again. Without her sister, she felt free, but she also felt empty. It is like living somewhere for your entire life and then leaving. It's exciting, but it is uncomfortable. She didn't know what to do. She rarely had to make choices without input from her sister. They had discussions in seconds and then decided. It feels slower to do it yourself. Striker stopped for a moment and asked, "You have a brother?" She hadn't noticed before, but Legend had mentioned him a few times and hadn't spoken much about him.

~~~

Mogi thought for a few seconds. They had been very cheap before. A rusty coin would do for any one of them. He had no idea if the entropy magic would persist or for how long if it did. He attempted to hand sign "One gold piece each", but he wasn't sure how effective that would be. He had never been able to talk well. Anything he does say is nonsense. To him it makes perfect sense though.

Mogi tallied up the books into the final price and wrote it on a piece of old paper that he had pulled from a book. It looked to be a grocery list written in Tundra. The tundra who had written it probably forgot where they had left their book. By the looks of the paper and book, that was a long time ago. They may not even know that they had ever had this particular book. They were probably hungry that day though. Mogi slid the paper to Quercus. It had the price written is black ink. He had borrowed some ink, which he promptly put the lid back on to avoid a magically induced spill, and a leaf from the ground to write. At least he can write cohesively, more or less.

~~~

Brooks nodded at the coatl in a greeting. She quickly threaded the heavy needle with leather for thread and then cut it after tying the strip into a tight knot. She pulled it from the counter in her mouth and onto the ground. She looked back over the counter and replied, "Nah. I mostly just did a bit of patchwork and some of the armor. I don't do clothes too good." The coatl had ushered to the top hats but Brooks hadn't made those either. Most of the clothing had come from the Flows and most of it was highly insulated. The armor was collected from several places. The fur armor was from the Flows for the most part. The leathers were common in the Scarred Wasteland. Metal is more common in the Starfall Isles and in Northern Dragonhome.

Eugene pointed to the bulk behind Brooks. She turned to look at it and sighed. She turned back to the pearlcatcher and said, "I think it sews things. They found it when they were diggin' in some ruins." She smiled. You could find all sorts of interesting stuff in old places. "I haven't got it to work yet though." She added. She figured that it was like those contraptions in the Shifting Expanse. The machine is who knows how old, its components are brittle, and it is unlike anything she had ever seen. It was of little practical use, but it could make a rustic decoration. If she had time, she would probably take it apart and replicate it, but she didn't think it could sew metal or leather. It could probably sew a lining though. It wouldn't be as delicate or as personalized as doing it by paw probably though. She wondered if the tailors would be interested. She imagined so.

~~~

The pearlcatchers were following their noses after all. Skinner smiled devilishly. Hunger is something everybody shares in one way or another whether you have it all or have nothing at all. She barked excitedly, as she had forgotten to use her words, and turned to her pans. She grabbed them bareclawed and shook them. A satisfying sizzle spanned the distance to the two dragons waiting. Skinner found two clean, wooden plates and put a liberal amount of moths each one. She tossed a dash of pepper corn that skittered across the moths onto each plate and put them in front of the dragons. They were still hot and sizzling. She crouched close to the ground and pulled two glass bottles from a half empty case. She put one in front of each customer. The bottles were mismatched and had a clear liquid in them. They were quite effervescent though once the caps were removed. A talon or claw could do it.

Skinner had laughed excitedly the entire time she was preparing the food. She had always liked cooking once she had gotten the chance. She appreciated having a bit of flair in your food or having any food for that matter. She still woke up sometimes and wondered if she would eat. She still rationed without meaning too as well. She likes making sure everybody has enough to eat. Sadly, they had been running low on soup for a while, so she had to improvise. She had gone through a lot of rats. Most of the crew eats meat and seafood, so it wasn't a problem. The veggies as she calls them were the easiest to feed because they just had to go and find any land whatsoever. The tundras could eat anything resembling a plant, but the pearlcatchers and Skydancers tended to be pickier. Thirty or so dragons are a lot of mouths to feed.

~~~

Aquari suspected such a question and replied casually, "No. I don't make them. I just check them for flaw." He had gone over them with his jeweler's glass on the way to Lantern Port, which is tough on a moving ship. Some of them were imperfect, but good enough. A few were quite exquisite. There was a diamond ring that was quite well made on the counter somewhere. In a way, they stole most of these treasures from thieves anyway, so it was fine. They weren't allowed to plunder. They were, however, allowed to privateer corsair vessels, which usually have the best loot. They usually can't find where the loot came from though. That is the nature of piracy usually.

~~~

The skydancer worried Jackal. He seemed to be a walking stick of dynamite. He was a bit fidgety too. The small bursts of flame didn't do much to earn Jackal's trust either. He knew a thing or two about systems that get hot, and one thing you don't want is inconsistency. If the temperature fluctuates, there could be problems. Forging can be tough Jackal reasoned. There was a stack of ingots, mostly steel and iron, behind the stand. It stood a few feet tall. "The shiner ones are probably steel." Jackal said. Jackal was no smith, but steel is steel. If it can keep a boiler from exploding, it might be good for weapons. He shuddered. Just being near Innusha made Jackal nervous. He felt like the skydancer could explode. (Can he?)

~~~

That was his name, Ez. Rorrim remembered now. He hadn't met him, but he overheard him and Longfellow talking. He didn't care who Galin was really though. Mogi would be happy to be gone with that little boxed disaster. He can barely contain it and has been worried about it. The old man nodded happily at the bogsneak's plausible return. He collected the coins and was pretty sure he had put them with the rest. Rorrim smiled and said, "See you again. You should bring some folks back with you too." He would be happy to serve the crowd gathering. One dragon had passed out nearby from too much rotgut already. It's barely mid day and some of the crew is already drinking themselves to sleep.

~~~

Lodon agreed. He figured Vespers could help in a non-direct way. Lodon hurried, but his old bones protested. "Can't stop yet. They'll still be here when I get there." Lodon wheezed out. Time is not something you want to use too much of, because rarely can you get more. He was beginning to limp and shamble forward instead of walking though. Streaks were left on the ground as he did so. He needed to catch Vespers quickly.

~~~

Mardikan understood the connection. There is not just one ominous figure, but two on the same island. It is logical that they would be considered together. Mardikan replied simply, "Yes." Mardikan turned to the coatl and said, "He's busy," Lodon's gate was that of a dragon on a mission, even if that mission is causing you to drag yourself to it. Mardikan saw Echo turn to him as he had asked something. Mardikan didn't turn to him but replied, "I've never thought of it." He turned slowly to the nocturne, "Anything that doesn't kill me." He joked in a serious tone. He turned back to Deepsea and Darkshine and asked, "Shall we get started?" In a slightly menacing voice.

Legend felt bad for disturbing Striker - he wasn't used to having smaller dragons use him for transportation or as a pillow. Usually it was just hatchlings climbing all over him when he was doing guard duty near the nesting grounds, but parents usually put a stop to that. Usually. Some let their hatchlings get away with anything and didn't seem inclined to reprimand them for "improper" behavior, whatever that was. Dragons had come from all over Sornieth to live on the island, so they all had different ideas and customs as to the rearing of hatchlings, and that wasn't even including the various types of spirits and their offspring.

He tried to turn his head and smile back at her without doing too much jostling. "That's good to hear - hopefully you'll be here a while, then. Calm can be boring, but you're right...it's nice once in a while," he chuckled, a deep rumbling in his chest that shook his frame. He hastily tried to cut it short since he didn't want to disturb Striker. "Let me know when you want to go back if you think your sis might be worried about you. My brother worries about me sometimes, since I tend to get in fights a lot," he confessed. "His name's Splinter, and he's a tundra. He's a bit...shy, so introducing him to new dragons can be tricky, but if we run across him, I'll point out who he is," Legend promised. His brother was a stonemason, and he wasn't sure what project he was working on currently, whether he was in Lantern Port or somewhere on the island in Coatl Cove or elsewhere. He felt a sudden unease at not knowing exactly where his charge was, but he mentally reassured himself. Splinter was safe and sound somewhere in the clan's territory, and at any rate his brother wouldn't stand for him following him around everywhere; nor would Legend take his brother with him on while he was on guard duty, since that might endanger him. Neither of them would get much work done if they spent all their time together. He wasn't like fellow guardian Avery, who followed his charge Quercus around constantly - but they both operated the ferry, plus with Query's medical condition, it made sense to have someone keeping an eye on him most of the time. Elyta spent a lot of time apart from Emrys, too, much like him and Splinter - Ely coordinated the clan's defense, while Emrys spent most of his time in his library.


***

Quercus stared blankly at Mogi. "Err...could you repeat that, please? I'd like five of these quills - how much?" he said as politely as he could. The only fae he'd ever interacted with was Vis, who was accustomed to being around coatl dragons and was slightly less monotone than the average fae. Or, rather, his volume varied even if his pitch did not. Usually his speech was loud and boastful and had something to do with fighting or picking a fight, so it was pretty easy to interpret. He would probably have a harder time understanding the violent little fae if he was trying to communicate bartering or something. Then again, if Vis was manning the booth instead of this fae, he'd probably make anyone wanting to buy an item fight him for it. Query's parents had told him that there used to be more fae dwelling in the clan before the Barrier Breach but that most had left after, all save Vis. He wondered suddenly if Vis might be lonely, not having another fae to talk to.

Mogi slid him a piece of paper with a price on it, which he assumed was for the books Avery had picked out rather than the quills (or, if that was for the quills, it seemed far too great a sum to him), so he passed the paper along to the guardian. Avery muttered a bit when looking at it, then shrugged. "Seems fair enough," he said, counting out the coins carefully and nudging them onto the counter top. "You getting anything, Query?" he asked his coatl charge. "What do you need quill pens for, anyway? We have plenty of them."

"There's a spell on them," replied Query, bringing them down to Avery's level so the guardian could see how they disordered themselves. "I figured we could have some fun with these, seeing as how we have more than a few dragons who are quite insistent on having everything orderly," he said slyly. Avery rolled his eyes in response, but he wasn't able to hide a small grin.


***

"Ah well. They're nice pieces, at any rate," said the black and white coatl. Rettah swapped his hats for one of the ones on display just to see what it was like. It was a bit too large for a coatl and would have fallen down over his eyes were it not for his crest feathers, and it was also surprisingly warm - a top hat for cold climates. He chuckled a bit at the thought of wearing a top hat in a snow storm, but then reflected that he would probably do exactly that. At least the brim would keep some of the snow off. "Not quite my size, though" he added, setting the hat back down and replacing his own atop his head. He didn't even bother looking at the armor, as no one in the Stitchery did much in the way of armor save for occasionally helping Hollis outfit his metal pieces with leather and cloth.

Eugene's interest was peaked. "It sews things?" Hard to imagine such a boxy thing being useful for sewing, but it did look curious. Even if Yew and Winternight couldn't get it working, it might be a nice decoration for the shop, though he couldn't tell by looking at it if it might be something that Rosa would deem a worthy item for interior decoration. He had a hard time figuring out what the coatl found tasteful. Seemed to depend on the season a lot of the time. "Is it for sale? Oh, and how much are the thick needles?"


***

Sift looked on in growing unease as the brightly-colored mirror barked and laughed as she threw their food together. Was she...sane? he wondered. At least she was handling the food with skill, and when she parked plates in front of them, he gave a peppered moth a tentative nibble. Delicious. "Thanks, it's quite tasty," he said, shoving some coins across the table before reaching for the hot sauce and pouring it liberally over his moths. Beside him, Blain was concentrating on the honey crisps. He grinned at the other pearlcatcher. "Your mother would tell you to eat your insects before your dessert," he said.

"My mother isn't here," Blain retorted, tossing another honey crisp into his mouth defiantly.

"Suit yourself," said Sift, still grinning as he returned to his own meal. Mmm, yes, the hot sauce made it even better. Blain's snapper mother was...smothering, to put it mildly. He didn't blame his friend for taking the opportunity to eat his meal how he wanted.


***

"Ah, I see," said the shiny bogsneak. The afternoon sun cut through the uncovered side of the market and reflected off both his faceted hide and the gems he was examining. He had suspected as much, but it was nice to have it confirmed. He could expect only limited information from the pearlcatcher selling the wares, then. Oro looked closer at the uncut gems. "What do you have in the way of sapphires or other blue gems?"


***

(Unknown. Hopefully not a full on explosion, but he could potentially cause a problem since his fire magic is unstable. He is working with other mages to learn control.) "Probably steel? You aren't sure?" Innusha asked Jackal. Hollis would be rather annoyed with him if he brought home the wrong materials. "And how much?" he asked. Hollis would probably be even more annoyed if he returned with nothing to show for his trip away from the forge.


***

The bogsneak innkeeper heartily thanked the mirror and nodded at his request to send others over, though he was of mixed feelings about that since it would potentially lead to a loss in custom for his inn. Then again, he could smell food here, so it was likely that most of the dragons either living around here or passing through would visit the market while it was in session rather than his inn. Oh well. Maybe he and his mate wouldn't have to cook and serve tonight and could come over and join in the festivities themselves even if that wasn't the most profitable option.

He shifted the alcohol he was carrying and looked around. Where was the blasted guard? He wondered who was on duty, but he didn't see any of the clan's warriors present. Not only was that potentially dangerous, but he needed to send someone up to the lighthouse so that Evrain could signal to have Ez come over. He certainly wasn't heading over to the island, not with all this going on. He finally snagged a passing tundra who he knew was one of the clan's dragons - the stonemason who had assisted while he and his mate were building their inn. "Would you go up to the lighthouse and get Evrain to signal for Ez? There's a magic chest that he ought to have a look at. Oh, and while you're doing that, would you see who's supposed to be on guard duty now? They ought to be here." Splinter nodded, and the bogsneak released his grip before trundling off to his inn with a large amount of alcohol.

The tundra frowned as he started up the path toward the lighthouse, moving uneasily through the crowds thronging the market. He didn't recall a signal for just Ez, though he thought there was one that signaled for mages. Then again, he didn't really know all that much about the lighthouse signals and had likely forgotten whatever someone had told him since they weren't used all that much. More worrisome to him was the location of the guard. He knew his brother had guard duty in Lantern Port today, though Legend probably didn't know that Splinter kept track of his schedule. His brother liked to be in the thick of the action, so he was really surprised that Legend wasn't there. What had happened to him? Splinter rounded the path and started walking past the park, looking around to see if he could spot his brother anywhere. He thought he saw something - or someone - in the grass with a bird on it and moved in for a closer look.


***

"Um. Okay, if you're in that much of a hurry," said Hugh, wincing as Lodon's limping seemed to increase. "Lean on me if you'd like - we're almost there," he said. The door to the assembly hall creaked a bit as it opened, and he stepped inside. The walls and floor were stone, but while the stones on the floor had been polished to evenness and smoothness, the blocks that made up the wall were more natural and irregular in shape. Windows interspersed in the stone let in a fair amount of light, though more was provided by the mage lights which hung in chandeliers from the tall ceiling. A pearlcatcher wearing a fez was setting up a board game at one of the tables dotting the room, and a couple of coatl dragons were arguing quietly over a stack of documents spread between them on another table, each jabbing energetically at various pieces of paper to prove their own point. Hugh gestured across the room as they walked through it, where there were five doors set into the stone. "One leads to the council chambers, the next to the secretary's office, and then there's Vespers' office, Shadowstar's office, and Eztli's office," he said, pointing out each in turn. The doors to the council and Ez's office were closed, but the secretary's chambers were open, and they could see a brownish coatl scribbling away within.

The next two doors were likewise opened, and each showed a purple coatl reviewing stacks of documents. The coatl with runes had silks draped over the walls to soften the appearance of his chambers, while the office of Vespers seemed sparser, unadorned, as if he was still trying to work out who he was and what he liked after so long an absence from the world. He wore a simple crown and an elaborate black robe that spread all around him from where he reclined on a small pile of cushions, studying a scroll in his claws. He carefully rolled the scroll back up when he spotted Hugh and Lodon hovering near his doorway. "Can I help you?"


***

Deepsea and Darkshine shrugged at each other and moved into the dining hall - each wondered if these two dragons were on separate missions or working toward the same goals. If it were the latter, they'd likely meet the tundra later. "The kitchen's back through here," Deepsea said, winding through the tables more quickly than the larger Darkshine could. "We can make you something - what do you fancy?"

Echo had hung back, floored by the skydancer's response. "Really, no favorite food? I've heard some poisonous foods are tasty, though, even if they are deadly. Not worth eating, obviously, but." Realizing everyone had gone ahead of him, he scampered after them, not wanting to miss out on a meal.

(Finally got it finished. I hope that you like it after such a long wait.)

Striker hoped that it would be awhile before they had to leave again. Last time, they had to leave quickly and the captain hadn’t let them off their leashes again. The twins tend to try and impress new friends regardless of the dangers. Legend’s chuckling made Striker chirp. She had to think about it, but she replied, “She’s probably awake already.” She looked upwards through the canopy. It was probably a bit past mid-day. The captain will want to close up sales for the night at some point. He might continue selling night-life goods like drinks though. The ship’s dragons would probably explore at dusk and would have the most time to socialize and rest. Right now, many of them were busy. A few probably drew long straws and went exploring early. “She’ll either explore on her own or romp around lookin’ for me.” Striker explained.

She blinked and yawned. “Your brother probably worries for you too.” Striker said tiredly. Brotherhood, or in her case, sisterhood, flows both ways. Both worry in some way about the other usually. Striker’s voice took on a deeper than average sound. Her imitation was beginning to kick in now. She wondered what it would be like to have a charge. Maybe she’d find one day. She stood up, stretched, turned around a few times then fluttered into the air. She landed on a stair near Legend’s head. It was a little uncomfortable sitting on top of Legend for so long.

~~~

Mogi sighed. This was usually a problem. The only reason he was in charge of the magic was because he was the most competent with magic of the crew. There were a few crew members that dabbled with magic, but he was the most experienced. After receiving the coin for the books, he crossed out that price on the paper and wrote the per unit price of the quills. He pushed it to Quercus. He hoped that he could read it. Mogi did think that the magic was comical though, but not if it was directed at him. If the magic was on him, the quills would stop functioning as soon as they were away from him. If they were on the objects, the magic would probably begin to decay soon. It was children that made this spell after all. They probably didn’t put much longevity in the spell. It sure was effective though. Mogi was sufficiently irked.

He looked around at his inventory. Avery and Quercus had been two of only a few customers so far. Perhaps when the mages from elsewhere came by, they would buy more. He had a few books that he thought that they would like. He had a few books with magical incantation or sigils inside them. A few were just manuals on repairing magical gear though. He tapped the counter and fluttered his frills as he daydreamed.

~~~

Brooks smiled as the coatl tried on one of the display hats. It was probably made for a tundra or some other dragon species rather than for a coatl though. The Coatl’s chuckle made her smile more. She didn’t know what was funny though. The coatl didn’t even look at the armor, which kind of disappointed Brooks. The armor was what she was here for. It was fine though. This dragon was obviously more into finery than fortitude. Brooks liked Eugene’s reaction. She had the same one when she had first seen it. “Pretty sure anyhow. It could make fire for all I can tell, but I’m pretty sure it’s ‘sposed to sew.” She stepped back and using her tail, she uncovered the machine completely. “If you want it, and can move it, I’ll sell it. That’s why it’s here. That and it takes up space.” She replied jokingly. “The needles be three coppers each.” Brooks added. (I use the coins of coppers, silvers, and golds. A few dozen coppers are usually worth a silver, and a few dozen silvers are usually worth a gold. That is just what they are made of. They can be many shapes or styles, as long as they’re coin.)

~~~~~~

Skinner immediately returned to her food. She was cooking more than enough and the dragons that were meant to help her just watched happily. Skinner didn’t mind though. She probably wouldn’t sell all of it, but Skinner was happy to use it. As she ran by once more, she swept the coins on the counter into a jar with her tail, mostly unsuccessfully, and continued on. Skinner always thought that you eat what you can get and you eat the best part whenever you want. She watched the two customers with two of her eyes to make sure they were enjoying their meal. Some eat the best first because it tastes better or to make the rest more appetizing. Others eat it last to preserve it or to get rid of the bad tastes of other food. Skinner tends to eat the best first because it puts her in a good mood that she can use to deal with the rest of her food.

~~~

Aquari smiled faintly at the appraiser. His hide sparkled like treasure. It was very nice. There was something less boring he had to do at the moment though. Maybe he would think more on that later. He stood and, with his tail, reached over the counter and ushered to a row of blues ranging from almost white on one side to a cobalt blue on the other. Nearby were colors like turquoise or teal as well. A few were bound to be sapphires. A few were probably Lapis Lazuli, agates, or diamonds though.

~~~

Jackal still wasn’t sure on what metal was what and he shrugged at Innusha. He knew one way that would determine which metal was probably steel and which was probably iron though. If he could scratch one with the other, he would know which is which. He didn’t know if he was allowed to do that though. He only had a dozen or so ingots anyway and didn’t know if it was worth wasting time doing it for every single one. A smith could find uses for all of them probably. He replied to Innusha with the price of each ingot. The darker ones, which were probably iron, had a lower price. (Is it fine to be vague with prices?)

~~~

Rorrim watched, as much as he could, as the bogsneak walked away. He was a nice fellow. He still had plenty of alcohol here, and he couldn’t drink it all, so he resigned to selling it. He had already broken his coin purse for the day. That jerky and the alcohol were expensive. He sighed warmly. “Welp. Who’s next?” He asked nobody in particular. He hoped that the next dragons would buy more. He could smell the gold that all these dragons hold. It was probably not literal though. He cocked his head as each dragon walked by and never looked at who he was focusing on directly. His sails began twitching.

~~~

Stern snored a little as he lay in the grass. The sun was nearly out of his view now, but he did not stir. He would wake in a few hours or if one of his crew found him. He would need a bath maybe. He tried to stick to a bath a year whether he needs it or not kind of schedule. The grass probably delayed his need of one for a week or two though. That’s why he gets his coat trimmed anyway. It had grown fluffy in the South though, so it has been difficult to maintain. His ears perked as he heard something approach, but he did not stir otherwise. The bird had found a small patch of something itchy and was excitedly picking away at it.

~~~

Lodon nodded as he lurched towards his destination. He was in little danger of another episode, but he was still old and fragile. The door creaked as he pushed it open. The building seemed to be mostly stone Lodon noted. He could hear some dragons chattering away nearby. The room was about as bright as outside, so Lodon could see most of it. If he had some time afterwards, he may explore, but right now, he had something else to do. He nodded as Hugh pointed out the different doors and Lodon stopped in front of Vespers’ door. Lodon smiled feignedly as his old bones rested a bit.

He looked at Vespers with his reddened eyes and greeted him warmly, “Hello.” He leaned against the doorway as he spoke. He closed his eyes for a moment than reopened them. His heartbeat was irregular and rapid and his limbs shook, but at least he had reached somebody he thought could help. He looked to Hugh and smiled then coughed roughly and then leaned back again. “Just let me rest a moment.” Lodon said with a chuckle. After he had rested for a minute, he turned to Vespers again. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He greeted with a smile.

~~~

Mardikan followed Deepsea and Darkshine into what he thought was probably the dining hall. He could smell the remnants of food in the air, but he smelled mostly seafood. In the slightly darker dining hall, he could probably remove his mask if not for the smell. He usually only opens it if he needs to do something important anyway. He always found it unpleasant to primarily see in shades of grey however. He followed Deepsea and walked around Darkshine as best as he could. He could now see that Echo was coming in after them, but he had heard most of what he had said. It was inconsequential at the moment however and so he ignored it.

Mardikan always found areas like this favorable to open regions. There was less input to his senses and there was less room for enemy escape. He had to aim less and there was a higher chance that you would hit something no matter how grossly inaccurate you are. Luckily enough, there are quite a few densely packed areas in the Starfall Isles. Whether that is of trees, caves, or boulders is of little consequence usually. He followed Deepsea with his eyes, but his head did not move. “Anything made of plant or something resembling insects will do.” Mardikan said unintentionally monotonically. His vines, which were tightly coiled around his forelimbs, made a skittering noise at the thought of food. The thorns and splinters then flattened against the vines again.

"Why would my brother worry about me?" Legend asked, astonished. "I'm much bigger and stronger than him. Plus I have my sword training. And armor. And...stuff," he continued. He stretched a bit more freely now that Striker wasn't using him as a seat, not having to worry about displacing her. "Hopefully your sis will catch up with us soon, then...if you want her to, that is." Maybe Striker was enjoying being away from her sister for a bit. They'd been cooped up together on a ship, he figured. Hard to have any time to oneself.

A movement in the corner of his eye stole his attention, and a grin spread across his face once he realized what it was he saw. "Speaking of my brother..."

***

Quercus blinked as the fae scribbled a price. "Oh, I see. I think." He picked up a handful of quills, then set the amount of coins he thought the fae was indicating on the counter, the amount scribbled times the number of quills he had taken. "Is this right?"

Down closer to the ground, Avery sighed, eyeing his stack of books. The island's librarians and mages usually relied on Sift or himself to get new materials, but there were rarely this many to browse. He figured he could convince some of them to make the trip out once they got back to Prufrock.


***

"How heavy is it? Guardian-heavy? Two guardians heavy?" asked Eugene. He wouldn't ask his ill imperial friend Ember to move it, but perhaps he could rope that guardian guard into transporting it... "And that sounds like a fair price for the needles. Do you have change for a silver coin?" he asked, flipping it at Brooks.


***

Both pearlcatchers finally finished their meals, though each ate their food in a different order. "Thanks again," Sift called out to the chef. "Right then, onto finding Cindermoon to see about those medical supplies..."


***

The bogsneak peered critically at the gems that had been pointed out to him. Some were promising and he found himself envisioning a couple of pieces he could make, but...nothing jumped out at him. "I might come back later," he said. "I need to inventory my own stock, find out what I might be low on." He nodded politely before turning to go back to his own booth. He doubted the sailors would be after fine jewelry, but one never knew.


***

(Totally fine - I have no idea what the value for most things would be, and coming up with a complete economic system would quickly overtake the RP, I think.) "Maybe I'll take one of the lighter-colored ones, then?" Innusha asked, still indecisive. At least he wouldn't be returning entirely empty-handed.


***

More dragons were entering the market and walking around, and though many cast interested glances at the alcohol, it was clear that most desired to do their shopping first so they would be clear-headed and haggle more effectively. More business would likely come later in the day, especially after the island's dragons wrapped up their day's work and came over to the port to investigate...


***

Splinter eyed the other tundra curiously as he approached. He shuffled his feet nervously, trying to work up the courage to bother him. "Err...excuse me. I don't suppose you've seen a guardian..." He trailed off, thinking he heard voices, then looked up and finally caught sight of his brother talking to a strange nocturne. "I found him, sorry for bothering you," he mumbled apologetically before starting toward Legend and Striker.


***

Vespers queried Hugh with a glance as the other coatl hovered worriedly behind Lodon, then turned his attention to the tundra. Perhaps not as old as he was in terms of age, but unlike him, who had been trapped in a suspended state, this dragon had suffered the ravages of both age and illness. He seemed to have traveled a long way, Vespers reflected, startled to note that this made him a little jealous. He'd never traveled much. Then again, the thought of actually leaving the island made him preemptively homesick. He was just getting to know it again, just getting to know his subjects - his friends, his loved ones. "Who might I have the honor of addressing?" he asked Lodon. He wondered how the tundra had heard of him, why he had come.


***

"Err, of course!" said Deepsea, turning immediately to the imperial Darkshine, who ate a far more varied diet than the coatl did. "Make yourself at home," he added, gesturing to the empty tables around them.

Darkshine rumbled an assent and went to poke around in the kitchen as best he could. The main chef was a wildclaw, so he found the arrangement a bit small, but with some squeezing he could reach most ingredients. He started to throw together a simple salad, garnished with insects.

"Something for me, too!" Echo called out, plopping himself down near Mardikan. "I want what he's having!"