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Post by Anari on Aug 9, 2014 9:02:16 GMT -8
This had to be the hardest things Anari had ever done. Here she was, returning to the place where she had first entered the Weyr, where she was going to be surrounded by dragons. And why was she going here? She'd been having ill thoughts and dreams of late that the DHS or one of the Highlords somehow found a way to follow her, looking for their artifact weapon, and would find this place. That she just could not allow to happen! So, to settle her mind, she was returning to the same cave she had awoken in to make certain there was nothing to indicate they had followed, or were able to.
Carefully Anari eased around the dragons on the sands, keeping a wide berth. It didn't matter how much she heard it, her heart always started to race anytime she was around one of the creatures. Despite the differences, there were just too many memories for her to immediately let go of the past. Thankfully this time there were no dragons on the ledge with her cave in it, and she was able to make her way up and back down the tunnel, this time with a borrowed lamp to light her way.
The cave was completely undisturbed - and no wonder as it was far too small for most dragons to get into. She still saw her dried blood staining the floor, bits of debris and scraps of paper that had likely gotten pulled in with her, but not so much as a scratch or hinting of any runic circle. Searching the entire chamber minutely, she found nothing.
"There you are, Anari," she murmured to herself, "you've gone and done it, and found nothing amiss. Now quick fretting!" Casually she reached down and picked up the paper scraps - to examine under better light for any arcane marks - and found a surprise buried beneath one. She smiled as she looked the two metal bits over. One was her lieutenant's badge, a little dinged up but otherwise intact, and the other was a sparkling blue button that she had found as a child in the temple garden. She'd always carried it 'for luck' first because she'd thought it had fallen from an angel's clothes, then because for some reason having it made her feel better. Pocketing them and the papers, she left the tunnel and began making her way down the ledge, slower going this time as her right leg was paining her. Upon reaching the bottom she decided to sit and take a rest, leaning back against the rock and rubbing her leg gently, easing the ache.
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 9, 2014 9:45:33 GMT -8
Cain was scouring the Nexus, on the hunt for anything shiny or even remotely not dull. His echee were apparently on a nesting spree or something since he woke up with his whole right hand dismantled down to the wrist bone. It had taken him a couple of hours to find all the bones and then another thirty minutes arguing with Gambit about how the bones were actually his and not the echee's. Without them, he could not feed them which finally got through. Food was more important than a comfortable nest after all. Least...At the moment. So in an effort to cut off the stealing before he woke up completely dismantled, Cain was looking for things they could line their nests with.
So far he had a couple of color feathers, a fang, some shiny rocks and a twig. Not a lot when he got right down to it, but hopefully enough that maybe he could keep one or two fingers come the morning. Coming around the side of a large rock formation, he spotted the strange woman from the Tavern party. The one that had gotten entirely out of hand the longer the night went on and the more the drink flowed. It had been one of the few times he was glad he could not get drunk and therefore had basically blackmail on everyone.
Rather they remembered it or not.
Looking about, he spotted Dorth flying high. Probably looking for him. Ducking a bit closer to the rock, he moved towards Anari, head tilted slightly. "Hello there. Do not think we have meet. I'm Cain. You would not have happened to find anything shiny that a rodent might like out here would you?" He figured he might be doing what he was and just walking about the Nexus. Though the purposes were probably vastly different. "And if you have, would you mind if I have it? I would be grateful for it."
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Post by Anari on Aug 9, 2014 16:37:30 GMT -8
The faint scraping over the sands was the only predecessor to someone speaking that Anari had, and as such when she heard Cain addressing her she jumped more than just a little bit, hand flying to her flail's grip and nearly drawing it even as she scrambled to a single knee (which didn't help her muscles much). It was the skeleton, Cain by name it seemed. Slowly she stood fully, not wanting to be caught at a disadvantage if she needed to defend herself.
"No, I don't believe we have met. I'm Anari Warden. And if I can ask why are you looking for something for rats?" It was a strange pastime to say the least. One of the dragons above audibly shifted, making her eyes dart up for that split second to make sure it wasn't coming down before she returned her focus on Cain. Well, she'd been wanting to settle things about him, whether she could trust the skeleton when all her other experiences with the undead had only told her one thing. Seemed that decision would just come under the gaze of several (dozen?) dragons.
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 9, 2014 19:18:02 GMT -8
Cain would offer his hand for her to shake, but given her sudden jump at his approach he decided that would be an unnecessary movement and liable to get his head knocked off. "Well...They are not rats per say." Moving his hand, he stuffed it into his eye socket to coax out Brains. Out came the hand and then a nose followed by a face as Brains poked her head out to see what Cain wanted. "It is for creatures like her. They seem to have a fascination with anything not nailed down." Scampering down Cain's face and to his shoulder, Brains chittered at Anari before she started to groom herself.
"If you don't have anything that is okay. There should be plenty of shiny things in this area. Dorth tells me that the dragons often crack open geodes when they scratch at the cave walls or the mountain sides. Though I'm not seeing many. Probably the other echee have already scoured this area for it." Moving his bag, he opened it and tilted it so Anari could see what was inside the bag. He could not help but grin at his work despite him forgetting that this woman was not Taki and could not know he was grinning for happiness and not for the creepiness factor. "This is what I have so far. Think they are shiny enough?"
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Post by Anari on Aug 10, 2014 4:05:35 GMT -8
Anari’s eyes widened at seeing Cain put his hand into his own eye socket, then widened even more at seeing the echee come out of his head. Ok, that was definitely a new one on her ‘strange’ list! But it most certainly wasn’t a rat; she thought Brains was much prettier-looking than the average rats she’d seen skulking about alleyways. She’d seen other echee at the tavern, and yes they did seem to be the sort to get into anything and everything, and be on the lookout if they took a shine to you she’d bet! Bringing herself back to the conversation at hand, she shook her head.
“No, I haven’t found any geodes, but then again I’ve only really been in that tunnel up there.” She pointed to the one she first emerged from, then frowned some in slight thought as a thought occurred to her. “But… I do have a couple of coins. From what I saw at the tavern, silver isn’t going to be much use to me anymore.” She pulled out the two coins, each stamped on one side with a dragon’s talon, and on the other five drop-shapes with their points facing inward. She’d not understood what that symbol had stood for exactly until her capture, and now that she did, she found she wasn’t as keen on the emblem as she used to be. Offering them, she let the little bit of light that penetrated the shaded side in which they stood glimmer off of the metal. “If you want you can add them to your collection.” Glancing in, she saw that he had indeed gathered quite a bit of odds and ends. His expression was a little unnerving, but somehow she didn’t think there was any malice in it. Maybe he was trying to be friendly? How could one tell if a skeleton smiled?
When Cain mentioned his dragon, however, Anari couldn’t restrain a shiver and another glance up at the dragons on the ledges, her nerves feeling as tight as a drawn bowstring. {Get a grip, Anari! You’re a watch lieutenant, you can handle this!} she mentally scolded herself, though it did little good, especially when she noticed the one flying in the sky. It looked like it was hunting for something (hopefully not a meal!) and reminded her of too many bad memories.
“So… you’re – Bonded – to a dragon too?” This could make Cain either doubly trustworthy, or doubly dangerous, depending. It was still hard for her to grasp the concept of ‘dragon’ and not immediately tie it to ‘tyrant.’ As if in memory, her leg gave a pulse of dull pain, and Anari shifted her weight to her left, leaning her back against the nearby wall and trying to make the motion seem natural, rather than a necessity. No need to give away a weakness if she didn’t have to. “Is everyone here bonded to a dragon? What exactly does that mean?” What she really wanted to ask was ‘who is in control of whom?’ but she didn’t dare.
(word count 509/500, shade, bow, lookout; I certainly hope it was bow (like the weapon) and not bow (as in the motion) lol!)
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 10, 2014 4:23:53 GMT -8
Cain almost frowned in disappointment. No new shinies to add to the pile, but then she pulled out the coins. Nodding, he quickly put the offered silver into the bag. He was not quite quick enough as Brains snagged a coin and climbed back into Cain's skull with it. Laughing, he closed the bag and tied it to his wrist. "Gives new meaning to the phrase 'Got stones for brains?' does it not? And thank you. The more I amass, the better off I'll be I think. Provided I don't across any more wild echee." The last time had ended up in Cain being broken apart and scattered about. Needless to say, it was an experience he did not want to repeat.
A nod was her answer as he moved to lean against the rock next to her, head tilted back to look up at the sky to track Dorth's lazy spiral in the sky. "Hmm...Not everyone, but nearly so. Most of us were found by the dragons when we first landed here. They could not believe humans were in this realm and some of us could not quite believe we were face to face with dragons. Some of them are extinct or just myths where we originally come from." He moved to scratch his face as his smile came back when he recalled the day he bonded to Dorth. It was a lovely one even if he had been scared that he was about to fight a dragon to just live.
"As for what it means to be bonded...I've come to the conclusion it means a sharing of minds sort of. There is a link that is form and along that link can come thoughts and feelings. Sometimes images. It works both ways too. Everyone found that out the hard way when Dorth flew. Some more than others." The wince he performed he did not even try to stop. That had been the most painful experience of his life to date. Even when a witch was boiling his bones in lava could not compared to the fire and heat that flowed through his bones as Dorth mated. Maybe it was just cause he had no other way to express the feelings and desires, but that did not make it any better.
Good thing Dorth was not gonna rise again anytime soon.
"Did that answer your question or do I need to try and think of a different way to explain it?" He felt a flash across his mind and knew Dorth had found him. The only thing keeping her from landing and picking him up was the fact that he was talking to someone. Thank the heavens and the ground for small miracles was all he could think.
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Post by Anari on Aug 10, 2014 5:18:52 GMT -8
A small, short chuckle slipped from her lips as Brains snatched the coin with all the skill of a master pickpocket, claiming it as her own. It was gone as fast as it had sounded, leaving behind only the smallest trace of a smile that faded too as she considered his words on how the others had responded to seeing dragons for the first time.
"Dragons... are very real where I came from." Her tone was more than a little grim. "It is unmistakable fact, actually. Would be hard to believe otherwise when they rule everything. But I think I can wrap my head around the rest, a little. Though," She looked skyward again. "are you saying that it gets stronger when the dragons are flying?" Well, Anari supposed that the sensation would have to be incredible.
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 10, 2014 5:23:46 GMT -8
"They were real where I come from...Or so hunter lore goes." He would have to ask her about that if they became better friends, but for know he suspected it was a touchy and sore subject with her. "And not so much stronger, but more intense. The type of flying I'm talking about is when the females rise to find a father for a clutch. The emotions are so great, it spills over into their bonded. As most of us learned the hard way." Dorth took a slow glide through the sky, landing far enough away to be the size of a horse when looked at.
She would stay here for now until Cain was ready to leave and then boom! Bath time for the skeleton. After all, he had been tramping around all day in the dirt and who knows what all else. He needed it.
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Post by Anari on Aug 10, 2014 5:38:21 GMT -8
When Dorth landed, Anari slowly looked at the dragon with wary eyes, her left hand resting on the hilt of her flail, her right subconsciously touching her thigh almost protectively. Most of the dragons were only casually observing them. This one that had landed was outright watching them! She just managed to catch Cain's clarification, and had the dignity to blush slightly.
"Oh! I see now. A mating flight." Her eyes darted between skeleton and dragon. "There's... only one place where there are dragon eggs back home - well, former home I suppose. The Spire."
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 10, 2014 5:49:42 GMT -8
"Doesn't sound safe." Cain did not miss the change of her stance or the way her hands went to her mace and thigh. That was what he could not place when he first saw her at the tavern but could certainly place now. She was a warrior. Someone use to fighting and being on guard most of the time. Cain was one himself which was why it had taken him so long to put a finger on what he was seeing. You can recognize the signs of yourself in others, but sometimes they are hard to place or give a name too. "The Spire sounds dangerous for them. Dorth just keeps her in a sand nest on the ground and heaven help you if you come near them and you aren't family. She nearly bite the head off of a dragon the other day for trying to get too close."
The dragon was just trying to see how many the young female had clutched though maybe a little warning ahead of time would have been good. Or even minding his own business would have been a good thing to follow. Certainly would have saved him a snap or two at his snout. "Would you like to meet Dorth in person or should I tell her to go see to the eggs before Garland decides they look tasty and tries to eat them?"
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Post by Anari on Aug 10, 2014 6:06:58 GMT -8
"It's not safe, unless you're a Dragon Highlord or a DHS." When Cain suggested she meet Dorth, her heart jumped about five times in rapid succession and she felt her face pale. "M-meet Dorth? You mean your dragon?" While the rational part of her told her that if she wanted to live here, she would have to do this sooner or later, another part of her trembled at the very thought of being that close to a dragon again. Especially after Cain's words about how she nearly attacked another dragon who got too close to her eggs. Granted, her eggs didn't seem to be anywhere nearby to them, but still.... Truly torn, her hand clenched and unclenched on her flail.
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 10, 2014 6:13:50 GMT -8
"I take it DHS does not stand for something good." Seeing her do that little number on her weapon, he moved to rest a hand lightly over the appendage. "Hey. Easy there. No one is going to force you to meet Dorth. Accidental is one thing, but if you do not want to meet her, you do not have too. Maybe I should not have told you about the egg thing. Makes for a lousy first impression, do you not think." He wanted to rub her back and comfort. The sweetheart part of him wanted to so bad, but the practical part pointed out that it might not such a good idea. Sending a mental message to Dorth to come back later, the dragon nodded once and flew off.
But not before studying the person and then speaking directly to both her and her Cain. He gets into any trouble and you have my permission to beat him black and blue. Well...As black and blue as you can something with no skin. Giving the impression of a laugh that thought, Dorth left the area to whatever devices Cain might come up with to do. "She was kidding...Mostly. Though I have no doubt if you ever decide to beat me over the head with that mace of yours she would be the one trying to give pointers on where to hit."
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Post by Anari on Aug 10, 2014 6:24:37 GMT -8
Anari jumped a bit at the contact - being touched when she was that tense generally made her jumpy, and by a skeleton even more so - but she was pleasantly surprised to find that his touch wasn't icy cold like the few hordes of undead she'd delt with a time or two. Perhaps another sign that something was different about him? She took a slow breath, let it out, then repeated it again to help calm her heartbeat.
"No, DHS does not. It means Dragon Highlord Soldier. Their enforcers." Her cheeks reddened slightly in a faint touch of shame at her momentary weakness, and she forced her body to relax. "Perhaps... perhaps it didn't." She watched Dorth fly away with both relief and a small pang a regret... then visibly jumped when Dorth spoke to her, gasping in surprise. "I - I heard a voice!" Her free hand came up to touch her head, as she looked at Cain, a bit stunned. "Was - was that your dragon?" The chuckle that floated through the impression made a small smile creep onto her face again. "She... laughed." Briefly Anari looked down at her flail, gently swaying with every movement. "Yes, I suppose my weapon would work particularly well against you. At least if you're at all like the skeletons I've had attack me in the past." Inwardly she cringed at how poorly that came out. She hadn't meant to sound threatening, when all he'd done thus far was talk with her and even offer reassurance. "In make-up I mean. Bones are bones no matter where you are, I suppose?" Not exactly the best recovery ever.
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 10, 2014 6:41:30 GMT -8
Cain had to laugh a little at the smile that covered her face at Dorth's laugh. "Yes. That was her. She likes to think she is funny." He had removed his hand at the jump, making a mental note that future contact would have to be slow and gentle to avoid scaring her too bad. He had no idea it was from the tension she was currently feeling and not the fact that he had moved too fast or had done unwanted contact. "Hmm. Perhaps. Mine might be a just a bit stronger cause of remodeling and how often I broke some of them, but yep. Probably would not be much difference than the bones of those that attacked you."
He did not care that Anari had sounded like she thought he was gonna take a swing at her. He was not like that, but he knew that habits died hard and when you considering that most undead were not like him, he took no insult. Least she hadn't called him a minion like that Necromancer did. The nerve of that guy! He was no one's minion thank you very much.
Stretching and moving off the rock, he turned to face her. "But that is what I meant by the bond. Your bonded talks to you and you can talk back. Sometimes they are nice and sweet and them sometimes they end up like my Bandit and try to steal everything with charm and wit. He thinks he has got me fool and I'm loath to admit it...But he has me around his little hoof about eighty percent of the time."
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Post by Anari on Aug 10, 2014 9:14:31 GMT -8
Cain's chuckle make Anari blink - she'd never heard that sound from a skeleton before! Ok, well there was that one time one cackled, but since he was 'speaking for' his necromancer master and she thought the laugh was more his than the undead's it so didn't count. It was a surprisingly nice sound, then she got another shock when she briefly averted her eyes and he'd spoken again, and she had been completely unable to tell he hadn't been alive.
It was clear that despite her joke, Dorth was fond, quite fond, of Cain, and the feeling by all appearance was mutual. His word about how 'his Bandit' so had him charmed showed affection as well. He'd joked with her, and although she couldn't read the expression he might have tried to convey, his voice had shown concern when she had panicked, He had thought of her well-being also; she caught his withdrawn touch when she'd reacted when most she knew would have pressed contact, forcing her to face her fears and become immune to it rather than pull back and let her go at her own pace.
Before she could think her thought through, Anari blurted the most inane thing she had ever said in her life:
"You're not like an undead at all!"
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