Tipping the scales

[AuraX13]

Being asked that question Aura was drawn away from her plans for reaching Paris and was now focused on Charniruga. Azura had slowed down while listening, looking back at the dragon with curiosity, then glanced at Aura. Azura repeated the question to herself in her mind, trying to remember when they had visited the capital, but could only draw a blank from the question.

 

Aura blinked and stared at the dragon, constantly repeating the question to herself as she tried to remember. "Uh...well to be honest, I don't think we have been to the capital. We try to avoid major cities for...certain reasons." she said nervously.

 

The only time they would go near any cities was to 'buy' anything they needed that was useful. But they stayed quiet, figuring Charniruga didn't need to know what they did.

[Katedj]

Charniruga picked up on the nervousness in Aura's voice, but she didn't let it bother her. She was almost positive it wasn't anything horrendous, or she would have been more cautious in her thoughts and actions up to this point. "Then come with me. You will be a lot safer there than going into the Idealist's territory...I don't think they take too nicely these days to visitors from the Protectors. Or people from the Protector's land." She explained, then quickly added. "And the city has changed a lot in the past few years. There are a lot of new people and places. It stretches on for almost 1,000 miles."

[AuraX13]

Having a change of mind, Aura sighed, glancing at Azura with a questioning look, almost like she was asking her if it was worth going with this dragon. Azura looked back at her with the same look but would agree with whatever decision she chose. "It would be nice to relax without having to move every few days." she said, waiting for Aura's response.

 

Aura smiled at Azura and shrugged, figuring they could use a break from traveling, and get to know this dragon as well as other people and dragons. "Sure. Let's go for it." she said, looking back at Charniruga. "Lead the way. I bet this'll be more exciting than Paris."

[Katedj]

A smile grew on Charniruga's face as she turned around. "I'd love to show you around. You could even stay with me if you'd like." She added, relieved that she could help someone at least. She felt the gnawing sense of hunger, but she ignored it. Prey was scare enough as it was without a big dragon like herself taking it all. They soon reached land again, and she continued on until she spotted the walls of the city.

 

The city was sprawling now as far as she could see. It's walls stood tall and proud around it, with many low-lying buildings scattered throughout. There were even natural hills and a few small forests within the walls. She communicated briefly with one of the guards on the wall, a blue Nebula, as they began to descend. He recognized her and had all of the guards ease up to look for other things. Along the wall the guards were Nebula's of many different colors. Their sharp eyes made them perfect watchers. She continued flying over the buildings, which looked dim and sleepy from above, until she reached an area particularly thick with buildings. She landed lightly, despite her size, and looked back at Aura and Azure. "What do you think so far?" She asked

[AuraX13]

Even as they landed, the two stared awestruck at the scene before them. They had never seen such a beautiful place as this, never thinking they would see a place as wonderful as this one. Most places they had seen were dirty and dull, but this was like a sanctuary. Aura climbed off Azura's back, standing beside her as they continued staring. "This place is too beautiful for words." Azura spoke, her voice soft and light. "Aura what do you think?" she asked, looking at her.

 

"Wow..." was the only thing Aura could say.

 

Azura smiled as she rolled her eyes and looked at Charniruga. "Thank you for bringing us here. It beats traveling from place to place just to survive."

 

She looked back at Aura, seeing that she was still staring at the buildings, then nudged her to get her attention, startling Aura from her daze. "Huh what?" she said, looking around, then noticed Azura staring at her and smiled. "Oh yeah. Thank you for taking us here. This definitely is a change from having to survive in the woods."

Edited March 13, 2013 by AuraX13

[Katedj]

Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight and Charniruga smiled at them. "You haven't seen anything yet." She said, speaking out-loud for the first time. She made her way inside the building she had landed beside, and moving towards the back she began descending a spiral slope. There was a solid oak door at the end, and she rapped on it twice quickly, then once more loudly. It opened quickly, revealing a brightly lit city. There were a few cars driving along the road, but for the most part the streets were crowded with dragons and people. Merchants were selling food, some had lines that wrapped around for blocks. She stepped aside for Azura and Aura to get a good look.

[shadowflash]

"Yeah, my parents were both Lindwurms. I chased after them when I saw them kill my parents. They escaped. Three years after the incident, I saw the two people wearing the skin of my parents as a jacket. Can you believe that? All that for a stupid scale jacket that you could have designed with fabric instead or dragons. I killed them afterwards and took the ring that they were wearing." Pastel closed his eyes and took in a breath slowly. "I always wanted travel the world, but I was to scared that something bad was going to happen. Now that I'm out of my cave, I will not waste the chance to wander around the world and see that great sights. I was thinking, would you guys like to come with me since you won't really have anything do to after this."

[AuraX13]

Both human and dragon stood staring at the sight before them, their mouths slightly agape as they continued staring. The warmth and comfortable feeling from the city washed over them, making them feel relaxed and less worried. Then, without warning, Azura and Aura ran inside, unable to contain their excitement as they explored the city, looking at the many dragons and people that were there and looking at what the merchants were selling.

 

"Azura we need to buy these cute bracelets! They look so cool!" Aura exclaimed excitedly.

 

"We should get these adorable necklaces and earrings! Or maybe all of them! Oooh I can't decide!" Azura whined, unable to look away from the jewelry.

 

Aura went over to Azura and giggled. "Or maybe we can skip the jewelry and buy some apples?" she said, noticing a food stand with plenty of shiny red apples. "Do you know how long I've been craving for apples?"

 

"I want some too." Azura said, lightly pushing Aura. "I blame you for making me become addicted to eating those."

 

"Hey, it was either that or we would've starved to death." Aura said, smirking. "You know I'm not good at hunting."

[Aquila]

Ungracious wing-flapper! I should eat you now, and save myself the trouble later!

 

Nilam woke to the telepathic equivalent of a roar crashing against the inside of her skull. She winced and opened her eyes with a sigh, not bothering to get up just yet. There was a sound like a set of very large teeth snapping together, followed by a chittering that sounded suspiciously like laughter. She sat up just in time to have something roughly the size of an eagle collide with her chest. Nilam bit back a yelp of pain and wrapped her arms around the green-and-orange bundle. The Misfit Pygmy wriggled himself upright without breaking her grip and turned to face the direction he had come from, letting out a small shriek.

 

In answer, a large male Tri-Horn Wyvern burst through the thick jungle into view. Nilam gently touched her mind to his and fought to keep from smiling. The large dragon was indignant rather than truly angry, whcih she had expected.

 

What did he do this time? she inquired gently, knowing that Rajan was much more sensitive than he liked to appear. Rajan sniffed, his tail twitching like a vexed cat's, and pouted a moment before replying.

 

That...that...that pathetic excuse of a dragon, Rajan said, straightening himself so as to appear more composed, Is descended from pigs and parrots. He has no respect for anyone or anything, and will be the death of us both.

 

Tilak scolded him with a series of short, sharp whistles. Nilam worked to keep a straight face and traced one of the little dragon's many orange spirals to calm him. Did he steal your kill again? she asked, setting Tilak aside and untangling herself from her bedroll. She began to clean up last night's camp, working swiftly and efficiently. Rajan made no reply, which was answer enough. Long practice was the only thing that kept Nilam from bursting into laughter. Instead, she allowed the dragons to cool off in silence as she packed. Rajan tended to come off as a snob on initial meetings, but this appearance was mostly fluff. Tilak was much more playful, having the mentality of a five year old.

 

Nilam swiftly pulled her black hair back, tying it with a strip of leather before shouldering her backpack. She whistled to Tilak, who had wandered off, and leapt onto Rajan's back with ease. He took off from a standstill, powerful wings straining. They circled higher and higher, flying lazily and aimlessly above the beautiful hills near the border to India. After awhile Tilak grew bored, and left them to skim the treetops below. Nilam traced his progress with her mind every few minutes, unworried.

 

They had been flying for 45 minutes when the little dragon returned looking very pleased with himself, followed by a Nilia Pygmy. Rajan was annoyed at the arrival of yet another pygmy, but none the less banked and began to fly in a large, lazy circle so that the smaller dragons could keep up. He hardly flapped his wings, using the warm air radiating up from the sun-baked hills below to keep himself aloft. Nilam raised an eyebrow at the new arrivals. Nilias were not uncommon in Nepal, but they tended to stay in the mountains unless they were bonded to someone. Namaste, Didi, she thought, using a common, respectful Nepali term for older females. I hope Tilak wasn't bothering you, she continued, still thinking in Nepali.

 

(OOC: Woah, this was not supposed to end up this long. Sorry it took me so long to reply; I had a lot of unexpected RL issues come up. I should be more active now.)

Edited March 14, 2013 by Aquila

[Katedj]

Ooc; No worries

 

Bic;

 

Fezir was somewhat confused that the Misfit hadn't responded to her when he looked back. But she followed him as he climbed into the sky, where she could see a large Tri-Horn Wyvern circling. She was greeted in Nepali, which she wasn't truly familiar with. But she had spent some of her younger years by these mountians, so she knew just enough to understand. "Namaste" She replied politely as the circling began. "Not at all. Do you speak English?" She asked, still in Nepali though it was stretching the limits of her communication abilities.

 

~~~

 

"Those miserable criminals!" Gysentio exclaimed once Pastel had finished speaking. He shook his head at the offer. "Erdezeld isn't busy, but I am. I'm always going everywhere and seeing everything. And a little guy like me is safer alone sometimes. Well, more sneaky anyways." He replied, giving his wings a good stretch. "Actually, I'm going to be on my way. It was nice meeting you, my friend." He added casually.

 

~~~

 

Charniruga watched Aura and Azura happily. She strolled by them casually, "Do you have enough money to get by? If you do I'll be on my way. Just give me a shout when you're ready for rest." With that she stretched her large wings carefully and took off, flying carefully through the city.

[Aquila]

Nilam smiled at the small blue dragon. Yes, she replied. Her English wasn't perfect, but she had spent enough time with tourists to have a decent understanding of the language. Let us land so talking is easier, she said, projecting her thoughts so that all the dragons could hear. As they had been conversing, Rajan had begun to spiral downward. They had descended and were now only about 25 meters above the ground. Nilam waited waited for the Nilia's agreement before she asked Rajan to land. Tilak landed heavily on her shoulder, wrapping his tail around her arm for balance.

[AuraX13]

Their moment of joy was only short lived when realization dawned on them. "Oh crap...we don't have any money to buy anything...I can't believe we forgot about that." Aura said, sighing in defeat.

 

"I guess seeing all that shiny jewelry made us forget, huh?" Azura said, standing close to Aura.

 

Aura looked at Azura and nodded. "This is why we avoided anything shiny. To keep us from forgetting." she looked around curiously. "Maybe we can find someone who sells food for free? Or if not...we'll have to 'buy' food our way."

 

"Or maybe we could ask Charniruga for help? She was kind enough to take us here." Azura said softly.

 

Aura knew Azura was right, but started feeling guilty when thinking of asking Charniruga for help. "I don't want to disturb her. She's done enough for us." she started walking through the crowd. "Come on. Let's just look around for now so we can get used to everything. We'll figure out what to do about eating later." she said as Azura started following her.

[Katedj]

Fezir nodded, slightly relieved. She landed on a medium sized rock that sat beneath a snarled, old tree. She dipped her head politely to the group. "I didn't mean to disturb you. She began. "But I have noticed that you don't bear a mark for any group, and I was wondering what you had heard of the Defenders." She added, just barely able to keep herself from tensing up with fear. She was never much good at recruiting people, but sometimes she just had to try. She would try anything for Monica.

 

~~~

 

Charniruga flew into her room quietly, rummaging through a drawer to bring out two of the gold pieces she kept there. Aura and Azura hadn't responded when she asked them about money, so she guessed that they would need some about now. She made her way back towards the two, the gold pieces held gently between her teeth. She landed on a building above where she had last seen them, and noticed them walking noticeably less excited down the street. "Need anything you two?" She asked them, a look of amusement on her face that she quickly banished. She'd see if they asked for help or not before she just gave them the money.

 

~~~

 

Shobana and Moriqua made good time, and before the sun was even to low in the sky they made it to Guam. Shobana looked about in amazement, it was so unscathed compared to India. How could the world be so different? She wondered, though she quickly noticed that it was decidedly lacking in small creatures. So the war does touch here, just in a different way She thought sadly. She looked towards the sky, wondering when the person that Monica had mentioned would get here. Ever. When would Ever come?

[shadowflash]

"See you sometime later Gysentio." Pastel turned his head to face Erdezeld, waiting for her response.

[Aquila]

Rajan landed as gently as he could, which took much effort for a dragon his size. Nilam slid of his back and landed on her feet, scratching the base of his crest affectionately before sitting cross-legged in front of the Nilia pygmy. Because the small dragon was perched on a rock, Nilam had to tilt her head up a bit to meet her eyes. The young woman held Tilak in her arms, knowing he would be a distraction if she allowed him to wander. He relaxed, rolling on his back so she could stroke his soft belly scales, and his eyes drifted shut as he slowly fell asleep. Rajan made himself comfortable, resting his head on the ground next to Nilam, but kept watchful eyes on the strange new dragon.

 

The Nilia waited until they were settled, then dipped her head politely to the group. "I didn't mean to disturb you," She began, "But I have noticed that you don't bear a mark for any group, and I was wondering what you had heard of the Defenders."

 

Nilam blinked in shock. There was a pronounced pause before she answered, partially because she needed to proccess this and collect her thoughts, and partially because she hadn't spoken much English in the past few years.

 

"I have been told that this group is a refuge for those fleeing the war." She stopped for a moment to sort out the right words. "The leader is a woman whose name changes between sources. It is said to be located near Indonesia." Nilam spoke in a slow, measured voice. It wasn't her natual rhythm of speech, but she didn't want to make any errors.

 

"I do not know your name," she added. "Mine is Nilam Shahi. You know Tilak, and this is Rajan," she said, gesturing to each dragon respectively.

[AuraX13]

Aura, startled again, jumped almost a foot in the air, her heart beating fast in her chest as Azura tried hard not to laugh at her. Aura shot her a glare before looking at Charniruga, smiling at her. "We're fine. We were just exploring until we got bored..." she said nervously.

 

Azura shook her head, rolling her eyes as she decided to say it. "We have no money to buy food. We've had to steal food and clothes when we really needed them."

 

"Thank you for coming out and telling her Azura." Aura said, sighing. "I was going to tell her...I just wanted to politely ease it out instead of rudely blurting it out."

 

"You were always too shy and nervous to ask people things." Azura replied, smiling. "But you're always polite."

 

"I try to be." she said, smiling back, then looked at Charniruga. "Anyways, we need just enough money to buy us both food for tonight. Can you help us?" she asked.

[Mousia]

Monica. Nose down, Aurum and Ever crashed through the air, diving towards the people they were supposed to meet. Mere yards before hitting the ground, Aurum flared out his wings so they were caught by the air. Landing in his serpentine fashion, the dragon let Ever slide down from his back and she smiled upon approaching the group. "Have you been waiting long? I would hate to disappoint new friends." She glanced around quickly, though she knew there could be no danger coming to her. Aurum would protect her to the very end before harm could come to her. The paranoid dragon owed his life to her and, thus, protected hers fiercely. Slithering closer to his master, he kept a close eye to the sky.

[kingcobra2018]

Tukiko was talking to her dragon in an annoyed tone "They treat me like I'm three, I can't even brush my own hair!!! I want friends and a life but noooo!!!! I need to read a book or study!!!!!!!!! Am I really that young? Am I really that helpless? They can't let me live my own life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

 

Suntail set heared this every day, but still he understood. She was about to start talking again but before she could he gave her a look and they walked outside.

 

"would they understand if i tell them what I've been telling you?"

 

Suntail set shook his head no.

[Katedj]

While Gysentio and Pastel were talking Erdezeld thought about Paste'ls question. Well. I already told him I'd spend time with him. But it's not like I have tons of free time. I loved exploring the world before the war started, but now it just feels to dangerous. Besides, traveling long distances mean I have to eat more, and there isn't that much food left in the world. But it would be kind of nice. She argued in her head, sighing as Erdezeld felt Gysentio take off. She felt a yawn grow until it had to be let out. It was so much work to fly with a human. "Until this war is over Pastel, I don't have the time or resources to travel just because. Maybe, if I don't die first, we could do that after the war." She told him softly. She didn't want to be melodramatic about it, but the group she was in was small and hard-pressed. It would be a miracle if they managed to win. And if they lost, she doubted they would survive the wrath of either side.

 

~~~

 

Moriqua pointed to a flash of gold in the sky before it landed beside them. Shobana stood up, dusting the sand off of her clothes, she couldn't help but be a little impressed at the dramatic landing. She shook her head. "Not really. I'm Shobana Raji, and this is Altamoriqua." She said, stroking Moriqua's neck as she passed, holding out her hand to shake hands with Ever. "Monica wanted us to assure you she'd be coming later. She said she was waiting for someone."

 

~~~

 

Fezir watched Tilak settle into Nilam's arms, and as his belly scales were stroked she missed Monica. She could almost imagine Monica running her finger along her scars. She forced herself to focus on the conversation once Nilam began speaking, and as she introduced herself Fezir realized she had made a bit of a social blunder. "Pardon me. My name is Fezirmurah. It is nice to meet you Nilam," Fezir said, a bit embarrassed that she had forgotten to introduce herself. She began the next part hesitantly. "I do not know you. Or your story. I don't know what you stand for. But I would like to offer you a spot as a Defender. You probably won't get offered again, at least this openly, but I won't judge you whatever you decide. If you would like to join, or at least know more, follow me and we can talk on the way." Fezir said, spreading her wings. She flew out from under the tree and began climbing high into the sky, directly above where she had left them. She took her time reaching the heights by using large, lazy circles, to give them as much time as possible to decide before she began making her way back towards India. I made it so random. I'm horrible at recruiting. She scolded herself. I wonder if they will come She wondered, unable to see them in the forest below her.

 

 

~~~

 

Charniruga blinked in surprise when Aura jumped. She listened to the two carefully, it was refreshing to see them interact so freely with each other. It was quite different than her relationship with Anthony. He was sometimes guarded, even from her. Theives huh. Well there are worse things. She thought, not truly surprised at their confession. She dropped the two gold pieces in front of them. "This should keep you going for a while." She smiled, turning away. "Just don't let any merchants give you less than what it's worth. Those could almost buy a dragon egg each, at least before the breeding centers were shut down." She added as she glanced over her shoulder at the pair. She wasn't sure why she felt like helping them so much, but maybe it had to do with the way they acted so unaffected by the war.

 

Ooc; Hopefully everyone will be able to interact with other's soon. That's the goal anyway. I promise to pick things up once everyone's characters get settled into the story.

[shadowflash]

"Well, that's fine. I'll spend as much time together until we have to leave and go to other places." Pastel understood what Erdezeld was saying, such a shame that a war was going on when he can leave his cave. He shook out that thought and started to think what he would do when Erdezeld left.

[Aquila]

Nilam was taken slightly aback by Fezirmurah's abrupt offer. She watched the small dragon take off, mind whirling. Once Fezirmurah was out of sight, Nilam turned to Rajan. His great head still rested on the ground, watching her silently with large blue eyes. Nilam felt a pang. The Tri-Horn Wyvern loved her, but he loved the mountains he'd been born in just as much. They'd been to India several times, visiting family, and once at the request of a wealthy tourist they had guided an expedition up the Tibetan side of Mount Everest. But that was the farthest they'd traveled, and even that had made Rajan slightly homesick. The big dragon wasn't nearly as tough as he looked, and Nilam couldn't bear to see him hurt.

 

But she really, really wanted to join the Defenders. Nilam had been considering this for a while. The other two groups were too extreme, and the young Nepali woman had grown tired of waiting on the sidelines. She wanted to act.

 

Slowly, so as not to wake Tilak, Nilam leaned back until her head rested next to Rajan's and they were eye level. She turned on her side and gently rested a hand on top of his nose, taking a few seconds to bury her deep desire to join the Defenders. We won't go if you don't want to, she told Rajan. He blinked in reply. This worried Nilam. Rajan often refused to talk when he was upset. She wished she knew what was going on inside his head.

 

Finally, he seemed to come to a decision. Rajan exhaled sharply, nostrils flaring, shifted his weight, and leaned until his nose touched her forehead. We're going, he told her. We...We'll come back. After the war, we'll come home.

 

Nilam sat up. There was no need to ask if he was sure--if he wasn't, he wouldn't have said anything. She stood up quickly and wrapped her arms around the large dragon's head. Tilak fell to the ground with a squawk. "Thank you," she whispered aloud. "We'll come back. I promise."

 

Rajan allowed her to embrace him for a moment more, then let out a snort and shook his head. Nilam stepped back, smiling, and murmured soothing words to an angry Tilak while Rajan shifted himself. She coaxed Tilak onto her shoudler, used the rock Fezirmurah had perched on to mount Rajan, and then they took off.

 

Nilam searched the skies for Fezirmurah. The Nilia Pygmy blended in surprisingly well with the sky and was hard to see from below. It was Rajan who finally spotted her, circling high above. They ascended steadily until they were flying on level with Fezirmurah. "We have decided. We will come with you. She eyed the Nilia, wondering how they would match the speed of a large dragon like Rajan to the speed of a pygmy.

 

(OOC EDIT: Are we allowed to use modern weapons like guns? I haven't seen any DC Rules regarding this, but I don't know one way or another.)

Edited March 17, 2013 by Aquila

[AuraX13]

They both smiled at her and bowed respectfully. "Thank you so much for your kindness. We really appreciate it." Aura said, then looked at Azura while smiling crazily. "Off to the apples!" she shouted happily, running over to the foodstand with Azura following.

 

They never had any money before to buy food or clothes with, so they didn't exactly know what to buy first, except for a couple apples so they could eat. "Okay, after getting a couple apples for us, we'll get some meat for us, and new clothes for me." she said while examining the apples. "And maybe I should buy a bow and some arrows. You know? So I can practice before we go hunting again."

 

"Sound like a good idea." Azura replied, also looking at the apples. "Just make sure you warn me when you're going to practice. Last time you tried using a bow during our first hunt you hit me and not the prey." she playfully scorned.

 

"Don't start that again! I told you it was an accident!" Aura said as she laughed, both her and Azura picking out two good apples and offering a gold coin.

[Katedj]

Ooc; As far as I'm concerned yes. I planned on having atomic bombs come into the story, or at least hinted at. It seems like it would be up to what the setting of the rp is. I just wouldn't get too descriptive with wounds. (If this changes I'll let you know)

 

Bic;

 

Erdezeld opened her eyes. "We can probably hang out often enough if you were willing to stick around the island for the most part. I just can't travel like you were saying without Monica." She said, hoping that would help brighten up Pastel's expression. "We'll probably be leaving India relatively soon. It's getting close to sundown, and I don't think that Monica will want to wait here much longer."

 

~~~

 

Charniruga flew back to her home, settling down inside it. She let out a yawn, it would probably be a while before the two got over their excitement enough to get some rest, so she settled down into a light sleep.

 

~~~

 

Fezir nodded, hitting her top speed on her way to India. "So we're on our way to the Indian coast, where you will meet Monica. She's a far more experienced recruiter than I am. From there we will head towards a place somewhat close to Indonesia, and Monica will explain what will happen once we get there. Do you have any questions?" She asked. Fezir avoided telling them that Monica was leader of the Defenders, it made her too much of a target before they could be certain that they made it to the city. Once she had finished speaking, she focused more on flying. She didn't want to slow them down, so she made up for her small size by descending very gradually. It helped her keep up her speed because it was like she was falling, just not very quickly. It was one of the tricks she had learned to be able to follow Erdezeld and Monica.

Edited March 17, 2013 by Katedj

[Aquila]

(OOC: Ooh dramatic. Thanks for clearing that up.)

 

Nilam listened quietly and shook her head. Then, realizing that Fezir might not have been able to see, she thought: "Yes."

 

Rajan followed slightly below Fezirmurah so that she didn't get swept away by the draft from his wings. He noticed she was flying very fast for a pygmy and tried to slow himself since they had so far to go.

 

Nilam tried to feel Rajan's mood, but a stone's mind would've been easier to read. She sighed and leaned forward, resting on his neck, too worried about Rajan to notice anything Fezirmurah did.

[Mousia]

Monica. Nose down, Aurum and Ever crashed through the air, diving towards the people they were supposed to meet. Mere yards before hitting the ground, Aurum flared out his wings so they were caught by the air. Landing in his serpentine fashion, the dragon let Ever slide down from his back and she smiled upon approaching the group. "Have you been waiting long? I would hate to disappoint new friends." She glanced around quickly, though she knew there could be no danger coming to her. Aurum would protect her to the very end before harm could come to her. The paranoid dragon owed his life to her and, thus, protected hers fiercely. Slithering closer to his master, he kept a close eye to the sky.

(I think you may have missed this...)