Post by Samantha on Dec 10, 2013 1:22:56 GMT
This was the first time Adutaine was role played, and Kysannis was pretty new as well. In fact, I don't think any character in this piece had seen a lot of action. So some places may seem a bit rough (not sure if Dan is a thing nowadays, for example). But it is true that Adutaine and Ysera do travel to the human world together on rare occasion, to undertake such silly mundane "experiments" as they here describe. =P
Riv, who roleplayed Arioch and Akhe, is a former member (not to be confused with a current member who used to go by that name). She discontinued Akhe halfway through, hence her sudden and unexplained disappearance.
Adutaine belongs to Samantha.
Ysera and Kysannis belong to Ataxia.
Imp belongs to 27th.
Arioch and Akhe belonged to Riv.
***
The wind howled amongst the sand dunes, tearing loose the few tenacious plants which had managed to take hold there.
On the other side of the dunes lay the passage which separated Adutaine's Isle of Time from the main island. If she looked back over her shoulder, the Elemental could see the waves rising to crash upon the stones which littered the shore in pattern-less clusters. But for the main part, she didn't care to look. Perhaps soon she would venture out over the ocean, and allow the relentless rain which pounded the far shore to cleanse her scales of the grit and sand which clung to them like parasites.
Parasites. There was a fine analogy.
Adutaine smiled and closed her eyes against the wind, as further swirls of furious yellow pulled free of the dunes and danced past her face. Very little could survive out there, especially in this weather. But dragons were more dogged than most creatures, and she was an exceptionally dogged dragon, if she did say so herself.
A slight little bengal cat of the domestic kind bounded through the sandstorm, happily frolicking in the sand. The cat eagerly leapt onto any movement it saw, whether it be grass, or a scorpion, or a bug, or a sand particle...
Or an Adu tail. With what was quite literally the roar of a jaguar, the cat pounced on the blue spade of the Time Elemental's tail, then froze with a paw drawn back and ready for the strike.
"Oh, my apologies. Wrong feline again." The kitten grinned, showing off fangs that were far too sharp for any domestic cat. It strode to sit calmly in front of the dragon which was much larger than it, looking up with large, round kitten eyes.
"Good noon-time, my dear Adutaine." The kitten licked its lips. "By my right kidney, how do you live here? The sand is continually getting into my mouf." The cat's last word was muffled as she spat out some sand from the storm, scrunching up her face in disgust.
The bengal picked up one paw and flexed it in a way that no normal cat could, her entire form beginning to grow slightly, soon seeming to be more jaguar than domestic cat. "Do you happen to have some time for a little bit of human-watching? I was thinking we could go out and have that interesting brown drink that they ingest each morning." She needn't explain about how she'd shapeshift the both of them. Adu was smart enough to figure that out on her own. "Or has some other creature already reserved you for the day?"
The cat vaguely wondered why Adu was simply sitting in the middle of nowhere. Then again, the Time Elemental had always been a strange one, much like herself. Each had a considerable intellect, and each also found most of the other Elementals as either sources of amusement or yet another mystery to unravel. At least in Ysera's fairly complex brain.
The wind rose, howling its protest through the few scant trees that littered the sand around the small oasis. Oasis may be a bit much, it was more a small watering hole, but it was enough to keep the small dragon cool during the hottest part of the day. Unable to sleep, Akhe opened her eyes, her nictitating membranes slipping over her eyes to keep the sand at bay.
She stretched much the way a cat would, her rear end in the air with her front legs out in front of her and yawned exposing glinting fangs. The young dragon stood and walked over to the waters edge. She sat on her haunches and dipped her head down, lapping at the cool water as it slid down her throat. In the distance she spotted a small dust storm that rose a hundred feet into the air blowing sand in every which direction. After a moment's consideration, she crouched down and, powerful legs releasing like coiled springs, launched herself into the sky. Her wings snapped open and she lifted effortlessly into the air, spiraling higher and higher towards the dust storm.
Akhe had every intention of flying through the middle of the twisting vortex, but something caught her eye and she veered away from the mass and towards the coast. It wasn't long before she reached the spot where Adutaine and Ysera sat conversing with one another. She swooped down, landing gracefully twenty feet from the elemental that created her and instantly bowed her head in respect.
"Good morning, Adutaine."
She tucked her wings in and sat on her haunches, her tail curling around her legs. Turquoise eyes watching the large cat. She could sense power emanating from the creature and knew it must be another elemental, however she had never met any of the others and her curiosity was instantly piqued.
Adutaine looked at Ysera, her eyes protected from the wind by the curve of her neck. She allowed herself the briefest of smiles.
"If that's what you want to do, Earth," she said. "I'm open to the idea,"
Taking the dragoness' last question as rhetorical, Adutaine did not reply. She watched Ysera carefully, trying to get inside the cat's head and find out what made it tick. In truth, she knew already- at least in part. Adutaine understood Ysera better than most; perhaps even better than Tivialous. He simply lacked her...perception.
A voice, blown by the wind, reached Adu's ears. She lifted her head towards the source, to spot a pale Time Creation: Akhe. It was she who had spoken.
Adutaine saw no reason why she should incline her head in return, but she did give the Creation a blink of recognition.
"And a very good morning to you, Akhe," she said. "You're a little far from your usual haunts, aren't you?"
"Oh, no greeting for little me?" The cat's voice was filled with amusement, though, not scorn. Evidently, the Elemental was in a good mood right now. Green eyes danced over the Creation's figure, easily taking in her features. "Well, I suppose you've interrupted us at a most fortuitous time, Akhe. We were just about to depart on a little human-watching mission."
Green mist swirled around the cat, and silk-membraned wings the color of summer leaves stretched skyward. Fur turned to scales, each delicately sculpted and shining in the rays of the sun. Giving her head a small shake, the newly re-sized and re-formed Elemental flicked out a snake-like tongue to wet her scaly lips.
"I certainly wouldn't mind if you came along, either," Ysera continued. "And I do believe it's good to get off this musty little archipelago on occasion. Perhaps we could head out to one of their food court areas, and see what the humans are up to this day?"
From the rocks of the beach, an odd little creature crouched in a bush. Massive ears were tilted towards the Elementals and Creation, and its black eyes intently watched their conversation. Sitting downwind from the three dragonesses, the creature was able to pick up the general parts of their conversation with relative ease.
"Human-watching, hmm, mother?" Kysan whispered. Even her mother might not be able to sense her clever daughter at this range- especially because the Elemental didn't expect her to be here. Kysannis had never encountered Adutaine before, but she was quite sure that the analytical elemental had already pinpointed her locale. "Well, I guess that's worth a look."
Akhe blinked, turquoise orbs glinting in the bright sunlight. She looked over her shoulder back in the direction that she had come from then returned her gaze to Adutaine. "Yes, the wind woke me and I decided to take the opportunity to explore a bit. I haven't been to this side of the island much, it is quite beautiful."
She turned her attention to the cat-like creature that had spoken to her and watched in wonderment as the Earth Elemental shifted into her true form. Akhe could feel the power resonating from the two Elementals before her and considered herself lucky to be in their presence, but something that Ysera said snapped the Creation from her awed silence. Having never left the island, Akhe was unfamiliar with these 'humans' that the Elemental spoke of. Ever curious, a draconic smile could almost be seen upon her maw.
"Humans? What is a human? And what is a food court? Where can I find these things?" She had to catch herself before more questions tumbled out. Akhe suddenly remembered where she was and whos presence she was in. "I'm sorry, I just have never heard of these creatures." she explained. If a dragon could blush she would be doing exactly that. "I would very much like to accompany you if that would be alright."
She looked between Adutaine and Ysera hoping that neither Elemental would protest. She was completely unaware of the creature that was lurking in the bushes down on the beach.
Adutaine shifted to face her Creation head on, her bulk now protecting both she and the smaller dragon from the worst of the storm.
"As Ysera said," she began; "we certainly don't mind if you want to accompany us. Have you really never seen a human? Obviously Aiden doesn't get out enough,"
She chuckled at this, well aware that she didn't take her Rider with her as often as some Elementals. As often as, say, Tivialous. Possibly even Ysera.
"In any case, humans always stand on their hind legs. They don't have tails, scales or wings like you and me. Their teeth are rather unimpressive, and they have ridiculously short lives. But they have the most marvelous sense of civilization- don't they, Ysera?"
"Aiden must indeed be getting a little lax." Ysera's reply was a laugh, knowing as full well as Adutaine that the Time Elemental was a little careless with her Riders. "I ought to have Kyanna meet him. She'd probably try to shoot the poor fellow- the girl's been a little trigger-happy ever since I gave her that new bow."
While Ysera was less careless with her riders because of her knowledge of the natural cycle, she mostly left her half-elf to do whatever she wanted to within the boundaries of Earth Territory. Since this usually resulted in the overeager girl hunting down Ysera's favorite snack in an attempt to impress the Elemental with her hunting prowess, things were even better, and her stomach was much fuller.
"Oh, yes, quite fascinating," Ysera babbled, sounding like some hyperactive bird, not bothering to pause for breath. "While illogical and squishy most of the time, they have created these most intriguing metal-covered fire-spouting monstrosities for both the air, water, and land. Humans almost have a personality complex, you know. It's like they understand that they're the shrimpiest, weakest animals around, and try to make big things to make up for that. Not to say that they aren't powerful with their tools, just incredibly easy to ki11. Say, Adu, my agents told me of quite a few fascinating new creations that we'll definitely have to check out." The Elemental's "agents," of course, were creatures loyal to her which spied on just about everything to sate her curiosity.
"Oh, do be warned that we'll have to shapeshift. Though I'll provide that for you." Ysera didn't realize she hadn't formally introduced herself, although her name was easy enough to know.
"Oh, really?" Adu was in a good enough mood to allow her interest to show. "I look forward to seeing all this. And to think that, not so long ago, they were living in caves and poking each other with sharp sticks,"
Adutaine smiled internally at the memory. To be fair, dragons often lived in caves also. But dragons had a better concept of history and the future, and of tools and society; than those early humans ever had. Only now were the humans catching up...perhaps even overtaking the dragons. And that was the interesting part.
"Oh, yes, quite interesting. It's part of that thing they call science. They'll never be able to match the power of dragons or the magic of elves, sadly, even if they continue at this startlingly high rate of discovery." Ysera shook her head, almost sadly. "Nor will they be half as majestic as the ugliest creation." Perhaps it was her inherent draconic pride, but the Earth Elemental was certain that the dragons had been set as guardians of the world, and guardians had to be more powerful than the things they were guarding.
"Well, shall we begin our sojourn, companions?" The Elemental still seemed immensely lighthearted. Apparently her good mood hadn't been ruined yet.
"That's good," a certain small furry creature hiding in a bush remarked. "Hopefully I'll be able to impress her then, hmm?" Kysan was totally oblivious to the fact that she was talking to herself, considering it perfectly normal. Having no other companionship as a child, she'd turned to herself, and now often preferred her own company, only going around others for personal benefit.
"Sounds most pleasant," Adutaine said, mimicking her companion's more formal style of speech.
But her true attention had been captured by something to the right of her vision- although her visage certainly didn't give this away, for Adutaine had long ago perfected the art of observing something without looking at it directly. What bushes existed in this area were scarce, and Adutaine knew the type well enough to tell when something was wrong. Or, in this case, when some small creature had shifted within one.
She allowed her gaze to drift momentarily in that direction. The storm seemed to be wearing itself out somewhat, and she made a point of directing her gaze at the horizon as though she were trying to work out how long it would be before more agreeable weather arrived.
Yes. There was definitely something there, in the bushes, at the bottom corner of her field of vision. But as Adutaine returned her gaze to Ysera, she still wasn't sure what manner of creature it was. But if it was, as she suspected, observing them; then hopefully it would be drawn out when they moved away.
The similarly unerringly insightful Ysera picked up on Adutaine's gaze. So the Time Elemental had found something of interest, hmm? Well, she'd have to ask. Once they got on the move, hopefully they'd draw whatever was going on outside of wherever it was hiding. Actively attempting to perceive something out of the ordinary now, the Earth Elemental soon saw a shadow in a bush where perhaps there should not be one. Something was following them.
"Well, let us head out to the eastern side of the island." Ysera's voice gave no tip-offs as to her intent to draw out whatever was hiding, but Adutaine knew her well enough to understand where she was going with this. That was why she liked the other Elemental so much- intelligent enough so that she didn't have to give some obvious signal that something was up. Simply a suggestion that would seem normal (for her, at least), and Adu would know what she meant. "There I can shapeshift us and get us to the mainland."
Without really waiting for a reply, Ysera began to bound towards the direction she'd indicated, paws making prints in the sand that were quickly erased by the slowly dying storm. She was attuned to the earth, even in this territory, and it didn't seem to be unduly freaking out by anything- so whatever was following them probably wasn't entirely hostile.
Summoning energies in preparation for her spellcasting, the Earth Elemental stopped once they were out of the storm, right on the stony edge of a cliff. "Here should be good," From multiple silent, almost inperceptible signals; Adutaine realised that the Earth Elemental was also aware of their company. A slight shifting of the gaze, the balance and rhythm of her tone and phrasing; was all it took. Adutaine knew beyond doubt that Ysera knew of the creature's presence.
Adutaine took off after Ysera as the smaller Elemental hurried through the sands. The Time dragon was naturally not as swift of foot as her comrade, or even Akhe. But she knew the territory by heart, in spite of the changes brought on by the endless sandstorms. She knew, perhaps before Ysera (though she wouldn't bet on it), that they were heading for a cliff facing out towards the mainland.
When they reached it, Adutaine halted beside Ysera and gazed out at the still troubled waters. Their crossing would be far from boring, it seemed.
Now, what of the Observer? Was it still present? Was it curious, ill intentioned, or simply an animal which had been surprised by their presence? The latter, from what little she had seen, seemed unlikely. It was like nothing Adu had seen before, although she was well aware of the tricks that eyes were liable to play. It was entirely possible that hers had misinterpreted what they were seeing, much as she didn't want to accept this idea.
Adutaine returned her attention to Ysera. Perhaps, if she appeared to be distracted, the creature would show itself.
"Yes," she said, taking the meaning at once. "Here will be fine," she announced.
Ysera smiled, and for the first time today let her power coil around her like a snake poised to strike. The air screamed with tension as the Elemental built up her forces. She obviously wasn't just shapeshifting them. Then she spoke.
"We'll need a little ride to get over, so we might as well arrive in style." Her voice echoed slightly, as if it came from some place far away, and a glow built up around her. "I'd like you to meet my... friend. I do hope you don't mind me causing a little havoc in your nice little desert, dearest Adu."
The energies surged around the three of them, and she felt her form dwindling and shrinking. Skin instead of scales, nails instead of claws, teeth no longer pointed, hair instead of fins. The three of them were now wearing fashionable and well-tailored three-piece suits. ((You can choose what your character looks like.))
"His name is Dan," she added.
The earth began to rumble. Out of the ground shot a massive worm made of rock. Sand poured out of the crevasses between the jagged stones that comprised him. Glowing topazes served as eyes. Rearing up at least fifty feet in the air, the worm dropped its massive head to examine the three of them.
"I am Dan, Lady Ysera's personal chauffeur." The worm spoke in a voice like two stones grating together before a rock slide. "Where shall I bring you today, mistress? And shall I bring your lady friends with you?"
"Ah, yes. Let's go to... hmm, the Rose Cafe sounds like a good enough place. Please do be careful with them, they're unaccustomed to this sort of travel."
"Of course, mistress." The worm lowered his upper half to the ground, and Ysera beckoned to the other two dragons to come over to his side. Easily finding handholds and footholds, she plopped down into a rather nicely decorated little room, complete with plush seats covered in green velvet.
Meanwhile, Kysan watched in awe. She /had/ to convince her mother to teach her how to do that. An envious desire for such mastery sparked within her. She had a knack for learning things- there must be a way to learn all different sorts of magic. Then she would truly be a force to reckon with, and she would be given even more power by those who came to pay her homage. Power and knowledge, knowledge and power- they were near synonymous.
She'd also never seen Ysera do something so flashy. The Elemental obviously didn't need to conjure up that much power just to call over her taxi. Perhaps it was a desire to show the Creation present that it was good to fear the Elementals, or her mother was in another strange mood again.
Transforming quickly into a smaller rockworm, she slipped out from the bush in all the commotion and carefully made her way to where Dan's tail rested underneath the surface. Once there, she shifted into a small rock mite, latching onto the tip of his tail with ease. Transportation: secure.
Was it Dan who had been observing them? Adutaine was curious, but not curious enough to ask just yet. Besides, she had other things to occupy her mind.
The transformation into such a small and frail form always disorientated Adu a little. The skin, soft like paper, was nothing like the heavy dragon scales which she typically wore. Nor was this new, flat face anything like her own pronounced muzzle. Her head still reeling, Adu held a hand up and flexed it, admiring the rolling play of tendons and the oh so flexible fingers. Oneday, she really needed to approach Aiden in this guise. It would be an interesting experiment, certainly.
"So nice to see you again, Dan," she said, her vocal cords reacting to the Dragontongue in a way that she found unpleasant. Not yet fully accustomed to her new body, Adu was certain that she had been unable to keep herself from wincing at the tightness in her throat. Mentally slapping herself (for that was something humans were good at, wasn't it?), she carefully made her way up to join Ysera atop the great worm.
"It's a bit flashy, isn't it?" she remarked, indicating the plush velvet seats. "Still, I'm not complaining. These creatures are oh so delicate, aren't they? They bruise at the slightest jostle,"
Time helped Akhe up beside her, curiously observing the Creation's reaction to her transformation. Despite the initial disorientation, Adu was rapidly becoming re-accustomed to this skin. She tugged at her hair to test what colour Ysera had decided to give her today. Brown, it seemed. And curly. No unorthodox, insane colours for her today, then; thank the Elements.
Dan bobbed his head in greetings to the Time elemental. "Good morning, Adutaine. It's a pleasure to see you well."
Ysera watched them both with badly-hidden amusement as they adjusted to their new forms. "I tried to make us as inconspicuous as possible. So that meant no strange hair or eye colors- I /know/ you're disappointed, Adu. My apologies."
Seeing as they were both secure in some of the comfortable chairs, Ysera gestured to the attentive Dan. A dome of clear crystals appeared, closing at the top and keeping them securely inside.
"Please keep all limbs inside the Dan. All the furniture is nailed to the floor, so I'd suggest holding onto something in case Dan's feeling a little flashy today." Ysera grinned. "Please do try not to hurl."
The rockworm didn't wait any longer. Diving underneath the earth, he shot through the underground at rip-roaring speeds- perhaps even supersonic. Amidst the rumble of rocks being chowed very swiftly by Dan, Ysera's wildly happy calls of "Geronimo!" and "Woohoo!" as well as what might be a variant of the Tarzan yell could be heard as her rockworm valet twisted and dove through the ground.
At last, their wild ride slowed as Dan's head burst of the ground to immediately dive back under, like a stitch. The crystals slowly retracted as the little loop of rockworm lay in the open air of a small glade, skyscrapers visible on the horizon.
Ysera leapt out of the carrier with zeal, bouncing over to the edge of the ground to see what city they were outside of. "Ah, you got it right, Dan," she called to the rockworm, even though his head was currently buried underneath the ground. "That's my good boy!"
At last, the adrenaline seemed to leave Ysera, and she turned back to her companions. "When you're steadier and ready, we'll get going to that cafe."
****
The world lurched and spun around her as she hung on for her dear life. Silently wishing her rock-mite mouth could swear, the Daughter of the Elements could only realize that perhaps this was /not/ the best idea she'd ever had. And promise to never, ever, ever go on a ride with Dan again without being inside her mother's compartment.
Suddenly, she was swung around as Dan careened around a corner. Estimating that they were somewhere underneath the mainland of the dragons' island, Kysannis steeled herself and let go. Luckily, she'd also quite literally steeled herself, hardening her rock-mite carapace so she would hopefully not get crushed like the bug she was pretending to be. Dan's long stone tail whirled past and slapped her into a boulder, one of her legs folding uncomfortably underneath her.
/I wonder if mother will mourn me./
Another rock came rumbling towards her. Yelping, she skittered out of the way and shifted into the form of a rockworm again, slowly and painfully making her way to the surface.
Shrinking herself as she emerged, Kysannis poked just her head out from the ground to see where she was. Misty. Dark. Forest.
"Great." Her voice was a moan. Apparently, this was Dark Territory. Well, time to blend in with the crowd.
Crawling out of the hole, she gradually shifted her form into that of a dark-scaled dragoness, with her characteristic two blue crystal horns. Like her usual form, she was lithe and graceful. Except when she was hurt, which she was. Growling in agony as her bones shifted back into a more familiar form with a cacophony of pops and cracks, the Daughter of the Elements stumbled forward to sprawl panting on the ground as she took in her new surroundings.
Ah, how convenient, she'd come up right beside a waterfall with a nice little pool. Well, she'd rest up for a while here, and then work on making her way home. She could use her mother's healing expertise right now.
Arioch could sense his brethren in the distance. Their aura was fading and he knew that they were moving away from the Dark territory. This was disappointing. He slowed, realizing that if they were moving away he did not feel like spending all night chasing them across the island...especially if they were straying into another territory. With a huff he snorted, the air misting out of his nostrils like a thin wisp of smoke and turned back towards his lair. Fortunately he hadn't gone far so it was a short flight back.
As he neared the waterfall he could immediately tell that something was wrong. Not wrong, but...different somehow. Someone he did not recognize was in his territory and /that/ he did not like. With a low growl he shifted into his shadow form, instantly disappearing from sight and dropped down into the thick canopy of conifers. He touched down silently, his lithe form twisting between the dense tree trunks until he reached the trail that led up to the rocky ledge where he often sat to survey his homeland. Much to Arioch's surprise there was another dragon there. On /his/ ledge!
The shadow narrowed his eyes, his normally bright crimson orbs indistinguishable from the shadows that cloaked the forest floor. He'd never seen this dragon before. He was familiar with all of the Dark Creations and this dragon was not one of them. He could also sense that it was female, and injured. A malicious, draconic grin came across Ariochs face. Easy prey, but he wasn't stupid enough to attack without learning about his foe. And perhaps he wouldn't need to attack at all. This could be stimulating, he thought to himself as he crept out of the forest and snaked his way up the trail until he was only a short distance away from the intruder.
"Good evening," Kysannis replied curtly to the other dragon's rather abrupt arrival, hiding her surprise with the expertise of a master liar. "And I'm glad to see that you're not blind." Her tone was cold, and tense with irritation- annoyance at her pain. She wasn't in the mood to fight, even though she was probably much more powerful than this dragon. Unless, of course, Icarus was having some sort of secret business that none of the other Elementals knew about.
A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that her company was hidden. Of course. So the Daughter simply stared into the pool, seemingly mesmerized by the reflection. She ignored the fact that her eyes were a strange orange color- she'd wanted them that way, to blend in better. Instead, she was watching for any sign of attack coming from behind her. If this unseen foe was going to come anywhere near her neck and head, she'd be able to see him coming. At his question, the edges of her scaly lips curved upwards slightly. Oh, yes, this could get interesting.
"A traveler. I got a little thirsty, found this quaint waterfall. Is this your place? You've got it set up very nicely. Open concept, I see. Perhaps a little dreary for my tastes, but who am I to judge?" She looked around his setup a little, the little light dancing off her crystalline horns as her head moved back and forth, a chuckle coming from her towards the last part of her speech. Who was she to judge? The Daughter of Tivialous and Ysera, that's who. But, of course, he wouldn't know that. "I suppose you can call me Myst." She wasn't giving him her real name, of course. She wasn't that much of an idiot.
Bending down again, the tip of her forked tongue flicked against the surface of the water, sending little ripples through the pond. Withdrawing her tongue, she paused for a moment before nodding and reaching out again to lap up more water. As far as she was able to tell, the fluid wasn't poisoned. Of course, she was in a new territory, and didn't know all the dangers. Well, error by trial or whatever!
"So, are you going to introduce yourself to me or what? 'Tis only polite and proper, you know." Her voice carried the slight edge of sarcasm. She obviously wasn't one for politeness.
Arioch noted the way the other dragon moved. She was favoring her leg and had most likely injured it. She was trying hard to hide it though, he respected that somewhat. Whether it was from pride or because she didn't want to appear weak was not apparent to him, so he continued to scrutinize her. Straight away he knew she was lying. He was the master of deceit, but she didn't know that, so he played along.
He snaked closer, a shadow that seemed to shimmer in the soft moonlight. He was now within striking distance yet he held his ground. He was intrigued by this mysterious dragon. He guessed it was a Creation from one of the other territories; perhaps an unknown from the Death territory. He'd never seen her before and her smell...
Her smell was not right. She didn't smell of the thick mist that most of the other Dark Creations smelled of. And she didn't smell of ash or decay, so she must not be from the Fire or Death territories. No, she smelled of the earth with something else mixed in. A shapechanger, he wondered. One could change their appearance but it was much harder to change your scent.
He grinned at her words. "Myst, eh? Well then I suppose you can call me Shadow." Two could play this little game, and Arioch /loved/ playing games. His form shimmered into view, he changed into his solid form allowing her to see him. His crimson orbs glowing like rubies, he examined her.
"What are you doing here and why is it that I've never seen you? You appear to be a Dark Creation, yet you don't /smell/ like a Dark Creation. You wouldn't be lying to me, would you, dear Myst?"
He narrowed his gaze, muscles tensing incase the intruder decided that she didn't want to answer his questions. Would she fight him? Or would she continue with this charade?
"I assure you, I am honored to meet you, Shadow." She knew he was lying the instant he'd said his "name." Which meant he probably knew she was lying. Well, that was great! The two of them would get along /wonderfully./ Wouldn't her mother be proud of her, making friends already!
As soon as he showed his real form, Kysannis analyzed it. Wiry, lean, almost feminine. Bright, glowing red eyes. The color palette for Dark Creations usually was made of blacks and reds... such a nice little combination. Perhaps later, if for some reason she accidentally ki||ed him, she'd be able to study his bright eyes more closely so she could duplicate them later.
A shadow-walker as well, hmm. Well, that was a handy trick to have- she wondered if her father could teach her how to light-walk? Wouldn't be much use in a place like this, but it was certainly a nice little tactic.
Her scent- she hadn't had time to change her scent. Internally cursing herself, she could only hope that her time in the Time Territory had given her a little different odor.
"Lying." She pronounced the word as if it were offensive and preposterous. "Lying?! Shadow, I assure you that I did not /lie/ to you about my heritage." In fact, he hadn't asked her what Element she was from, and she hadn't said anything about it. "I'm afraid, dear sir, I've caught you on a technical inaccuracy," she replied in barely a whisper, her voice deceptively sweet, and her forehead creased in a half-frown that indicated she was pretending to care.
Fortunately for him, she wasn't exactly in the mood for a fight. More in the mood for a nice little nap, but she wasn't about to trust her life to this strange dragon. That would probably mean camping out underground. An unpleasant experience, indeed- she'd only done it once, and it hadn't been fun.
He grinned at the small outburst caused by him accusing her of lying (which made him believe even more that she was doing exactly that). Oh this was going to be a great night, he thought to himself. It wasn't often he got to meet new Creations, especially ones as intriguing as this one. His brethren were more...well, more boring. He saw them as weak things that didn't live up to what he thought a Dark Creation should be: deceptive, malicious, manipulative. Yes, especially manipulative. Arioch loved to play the game and he was good at it. He was also extremely naive and arrogant.
He shifted slightly, sitting back and folding his wings against his back. His crimson orbs wandered to the dragoness and her odd blue, crystalline horns. He'd never seen anything like them before. They reminded him of the icicles he'd often seen in the Ice territory when he strayed up that way.
"Alright. Suppose you aren't lying to me. You say you're a traveler. Where are you going? And where did you come from? I know for a fact you aren't one of Icarus's Creations." He said the name with disdain and it came out in an irritated hiss. "So tell me, Myst. Who created you?" Arioch was determined to figure the dragoness out. He sensed she was something more than what she appeared. Could it be one of the Elementals? He thought not. How very intriguing...
"An Elemental." It was a reply that encouraged him to get infuriated with her. She could be more or less annoying if she liked. /Actually, two of them./ The Daughter noted his disdain of Icarus with interest. For one who was so adept at seeing through her lies and lying himself, he wasn't the best and concealing his emotion about the Darkness Elemental, who was also obviously his Creator.
Kysannis grinned and was about to continue when a breeze stirred the mist about them. She froze as she took in the scents. "Do I smell... blackberries?" Her voice was suddenly different, more intent and focused, and her eyes were brighter. She was always one for eating- and as a shapeshifter, it was hard to gain weight. "And deer. Yes. A buck." /Probably close together,/ she deduced quickly. /One's eating the other./ For a moment, she entertained the thought of a giant blackberry chasing a terrified deer, and a smirk played at her lips.
She wasn't as world-wise as she liked to think herself, but she was obviously of the same personality as this Dark Creation. He was slippery- despite the fact that she enjoyed his company, she wasn't about to trust him or try and recruit him for her (imaginary) army. He was likely to turn on her at any point for some greater personal gain- or even if he felt like it. Sure, she was more powerful than him- but it was all about timing.
A forked tongue flickered out to lick her scaly lips. "Do you happen to be hungry?" She refrained from adding a "dearest Shadow" to the end of her sentence. It was a bad habit, picked up from her above-irritating brother and incredibly strange mother. No one was "dearest" to her. And if she had her way, no one would ever be.
An Elemental. He grinned wickedly, not trying to hide his amusement. Oh, this one was clever. He liked that. Maybe he would let her stay a bit longer. He noted her sudden change of demeanor. When her eyes brightened he thought she had finally decided to attack him and he reacted in turn. His tail swished from side to side, much like an angry cat. At a moments notice he could slip back into the shadows becoming invisible to the dragoness, but he would only do so as a last resort. He preferred to fight his battles with words over tooth and claw, but that didn't mean he was weak.
"Blackberries..." he stated, confused. He caught the scent a few moments later. Arioch preferred to eat meat and never bothered with the rare fruits that growed in the Dark territory. He left those to the lesser creatures. He liked his food to be a challenge to aquire...he enjoyed the hunt more than the reward. He thought about the stag he'd devoured earlier that evening. A dark stain on the forest floor was the only thing that remained.
"Hungry? No." He wasn't prepared for her spontaneity. Or perhaps she just had a relatively short attention span, he thought to himself. His gaze lingered upon her lithe frame. She seemed fit, minus the injury to her leg. She hadn't admitted to it, but he knew something was causing her pain. "Are you always this flighty?" he asked. He hadn't really meant for it to be an insult, but he realized that it may have sounded that way.
Arioch stood and walked over to the ledge. His midnight black scales caught the shimmer of the water in the pool below and he had to suppress the urge to dive in. It was something he did quite often. He enjoyed the water and being clean and often would go for moonlit swims by himself, enjoying the solitude. He often thought of himself as an anti-social creature, but lately he had to admit that he was getting lonely. Perhaps he just needed a change of scenery...
He remembered that he wasn't alone and looked back to 'Myst'. His gaze meeting hers and his eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness. He prepared to do something that he never would have considered before tonight.
"Shall we go for a moonlit stroll through the forest?"
Sometimes you had to play nice in order to get what you wanted. You can attract more flies with honey than vinegar, he thought. He would find out who (or what) this creature was. And if he had to play along he would do so. The game had begun and he did /not/ want to lose.
Concern filled Kysan at his sudden tenseness, until she figured out that he had merely gotten ready for a fight because of her own sudden attentiveness due to the prospect of food. She snickered. He was definitely a source of amusement, and she’d ask her mother to let her keep him as a pet if only she had a bit more hope that her father would agree to the idea. Tivialous was always ruining such plans before they even went into the planning phase- he was talented that way.
“I suppose you wouldn’t be hungry,” she huffed, refraining from pouting. “I suppose I’ll have to wait to eat until later.” Though she wasn’t particularly famished at the moment, the Daughter was never one to pass up a good meal if she smelled it.
The shapeshifter watched him carefully as he stepped up to the edge of the ledge, the moonlight filtering through his translucent scales. The Creation standing above his little pool was rather picturesque, she decided. If she were her mother’s rider, she’d probably be trying to sketch him right now. But, alas, she didn’t have such artistic talent or such a desire to draw. As she looked on, his eyes seemed to gain a sort of far-away aspect.
“A little spacey, are we.” Her voice wasn’t even a whisper, her words simply mouthed as she exhaled softly. Indeed, it seemed as if her company had simply zoned out on her, going off to frolic in whatever not-so-happy land shrouded his mind. When at last he turned back to her, his crimson eyes seemed to have a new sparkle to them.
“A moonlit stroll.” The idea put Kysan on edge for a bit, unsure of his intent. She put on a fake pondering face as she quickly thought it over. After only a moment, she replied. “How very gentlemanly of you. I suppose I will accept your offer.” He was playing nice, it seemed.
He wanted that one little scrap of knowledge- the truth about her identity. It was odd how those who lied were often most concerned with getting the truth. But unless he had some deeper, more subtle, craftier plan than expected, he’d just given her control over himself.
And giving control to Kysannis of the Verdant Secret was never a good idea.
As soon as he wasn’t looking at her, a dark smile stole along her lips. Oh, yes. Tonight would be an thoroughly interesting and enjoyable night.
****
Adutaine's stomach churned, but she did her best to keep her composure. What was composure like in humans, anyway? Relaxed muscles, that was it. Open eyes, but not too wide...darn. /Narrow them, Adu!/
"Steady has to be relative in this case," she remarked dryly.
Looking around, Adu noted the tall metal-and-glass constructions in the distance. My, they were more abundant than she remembered. Their alien beauty ran bells, but still felt uncomfortable and unfamiliar to Adutaine. It was as though she were a...fish, maybe; who had poked its head above the water to catch a glimpse of the long rumoured land. It was something that she knew to exist, but which didn't seem as though it could. Adu looked back towards Ysera, aware that a large part of her- and likely of Ysera, too- was eager to move onward towards the city and its strange marvels.
Ysera looked over to her semi-queasy companion(s). "Shall we proceed, then, Adutaine (and Akhe)?" Without waiting for much of a reply, Ysera stood up straighter, adjusted her suit to make it neater, and strode towards the city.
Once at the edge of the mass of structures, the Elemental did wait for her companions, carefully regarding them to figure out exactly how much had changed since her last visit. Not that much- there were new buildings and the roads had been repaved, but nothing incredibly groundbreaking. Hopefully, their cafe would still be around.
As soon as her companions were caught up with her, Ysera turned around. "Alright, let's review rules. We can't act strange around here. Adutaine, you know what to do. Akhe, just follow Adu's example. I've made it look like you two are more or less siblings, and so it'll be fine if you just pretend to be shy and follow her."
The Elemental glanced between the two of them. "Are we clear? I've worked very hard at establishing some contacts and a persona here, so strangeness won't help me much."
Arioch figured she would accept his offer, and he felt her tense when he made it. She was smart to be wary of him. He wouldn't lower his guard just because he'd decided to play nice. After all, this would be a test. Take her out into the darkness, judge how injured she was, how she handled herself...and if all went well he would then decide whether or not to spring his trap.
He turned to look back at her, the tip of his tail twitching slightly. The long, needle-like barbs there rattled like bones being tossed together. It was an unnerving sound in the misty, quiet of night. He lifted a foreclaw and motioned to the trail that led down from the ledge. "After you, but watch your step. It's quite steep and I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." He gave her a wicked grin that showed his pearly white teeth.
She doesn't trust me, he thought as he noted the way she never turned her back to him. He couldn't blame her. It was wise not to trust him...very wise indeed. Given the first chance to strike her he would take it, but only if it would be in his favor. He'd lived long enough to know the difference between an assured victory and a probable one. He wanted to be sure. He was patient. He would play this game for as long as he needed in order to figure the dragoness out. But something nagged at him and he wasn't sure what it was. A gut instinct told him he was playing with fire, but youthful arrogance made him ignore the warning. He was naive in the belief that he was capable of manipulating this creature...to get her to acquiesce to his will. If Arioch had known that a Daughter of Ysera and Tivialous sat before him he most likely would have abandoned all his plotting and scheming a Imp was on the edge of the Fire and Darkness territories. He caught scent of anger and he narrowed his red eyes. He is still upset with me, Imp thought with an amused chuckle. Deciding he did not want to face an angry dragon, he turned back to the Darkness. It was closer to Death in relation to territory terrain.
The Death creation picked up speed until he was zooming, eating up the ground with his muscular legs. It didn't take long for him to catch scent of a fresh hunt. There was nothing left for even a medium sized dragon to take scraps from. Imp was disapointed but not too much. He had eaten a few hours before and had yet to become truly hungry once more.
Then...what is this I hear? Voices! Imp grinned, red eyes glowing in the darkness. He caught two distinct scents and knew at once who he was dealing with: a Dark creation and a Daughter. The gray creation crouched, face raised to the ledge.
They couldn't stay there forever, Imp well knew. He would wait them out and see what happened.
Riv, who roleplayed Arioch and Akhe, is a former member (not to be confused with a current member who used to go by that name). She discontinued Akhe halfway through, hence her sudden and unexplained disappearance.
Adutaine belongs to Samantha.
Ysera and Kysannis belong to Ataxia.
Imp belongs to 27th.
Arioch and Akhe belonged to Riv.
***
The wind howled amongst the sand dunes, tearing loose the few tenacious plants which had managed to take hold there.
On the other side of the dunes lay the passage which separated Adutaine's Isle of Time from the main island. If she looked back over her shoulder, the Elemental could see the waves rising to crash upon the stones which littered the shore in pattern-less clusters. But for the main part, she didn't care to look. Perhaps soon she would venture out over the ocean, and allow the relentless rain which pounded the far shore to cleanse her scales of the grit and sand which clung to them like parasites.
Parasites. There was a fine analogy.
Adutaine smiled and closed her eyes against the wind, as further swirls of furious yellow pulled free of the dunes and danced past her face. Very little could survive out there, especially in this weather. But dragons were more dogged than most creatures, and she was an exceptionally dogged dragon, if she did say so herself.
A slight little bengal cat of the domestic kind bounded through the sandstorm, happily frolicking in the sand. The cat eagerly leapt onto any movement it saw, whether it be grass, or a scorpion, or a bug, or a sand particle...
Or an Adu tail. With what was quite literally the roar of a jaguar, the cat pounced on the blue spade of the Time Elemental's tail, then froze with a paw drawn back and ready for the strike.
"Oh, my apologies. Wrong feline again." The kitten grinned, showing off fangs that were far too sharp for any domestic cat. It strode to sit calmly in front of the dragon which was much larger than it, looking up with large, round kitten eyes.
"Good noon-time, my dear Adutaine." The kitten licked its lips. "By my right kidney, how do you live here? The sand is continually getting into my mouf." The cat's last word was muffled as she spat out some sand from the storm, scrunching up her face in disgust.
The bengal picked up one paw and flexed it in a way that no normal cat could, her entire form beginning to grow slightly, soon seeming to be more jaguar than domestic cat. "Do you happen to have some time for a little bit of human-watching? I was thinking we could go out and have that interesting brown drink that they ingest each morning." She needn't explain about how she'd shapeshift the both of them. Adu was smart enough to figure that out on her own. "Or has some other creature already reserved you for the day?"
The cat vaguely wondered why Adu was simply sitting in the middle of nowhere. Then again, the Time Elemental had always been a strange one, much like herself. Each had a considerable intellect, and each also found most of the other Elementals as either sources of amusement or yet another mystery to unravel. At least in Ysera's fairly complex brain.
The wind rose, howling its protest through the few scant trees that littered the sand around the small oasis. Oasis may be a bit much, it was more a small watering hole, but it was enough to keep the small dragon cool during the hottest part of the day. Unable to sleep, Akhe opened her eyes, her nictitating membranes slipping over her eyes to keep the sand at bay.
She stretched much the way a cat would, her rear end in the air with her front legs out in front of her and yawned exposing glinting fangs. The young dragon stood and walked over to the waters edge. She sat on her haunches and dipped her head down, lapping at the cool water as it slid down her throat. In the distance she spotted a small dust storm that rose a hundred feet into the air blowing sand in every which direction. After a moment's consideration, she crouched down and, powerful legs releasing like coiled springs, launched herself into the sky. Her wings snapped open and she lifted effortlessly into the air, spiraling higher and higher towards the dust storm.
Akhe had every intention of flying through the middle of the twisting vortex, but something caught her eye and she veered away from the mass and towards the coast. It wasn't long before she reached the spot where Adutaine and Ysera sat conversing with one another. She swooped down, landing gracefully twenty feet from the elemental that created her and instantly bowed her head in respect.
"Good morning, Adutaine."
She tucked her wings in and sat on her haunches, her tail curling around her legs. Turquoise eyes watching the large cat. She could sense power emanating from the creature and knew it must be another elemental, however she had never met any of the others and her curiosity was instantly piqued.
Adutaine looked at Ysera, her eyes protected from the wind by the curve of her neck. She allowed herself the briefest of smiles.
"If that's what you want to do, Earth," she said. "I'm open to the idea,"
Taking the dragoness' last question as rhetorical, Adutaine did not reply. She watched Ysera carefully, trying to get inside the cat's head and find out what made it tick. In truth, she knew already- at least in part. Adutaine understood Ysera better than most; perhaps even better than Tivialous. He simply lacked her...perception.
A voice, blown by the wind, reached Adu's ears. She lifted her head towards the source, to spot a pale Time Creation: Akhe. It was she who had spoken.
Adutaine saw no reason why she should incline her head in return, but she did give the Creation a blink of recognition.
"And a very good morning to you, Akhe," she said. "You're a little far from your usual haunts, aren't you?"
"Oh, no greeting for little me?" The cat's voice was filled with amusement, though, not scorn. Evidently, the Elemental was in a good mood right now. Green eyes danced over the Creation's figure, easily taking in her features. "Well, I suppose you've interrupted us at a most fortuitous time, Akhe. We were just about to depart on a little human-watching mission."
Green mist swirled around the cat, and silk-membraned wings the color of summer leaves stretched skyward. Fur turned to scales, each delicately sculpted and shining in the rays of the sun. Giving her head a small shake, the newly re-sized and re-formed Elemental flicked out a snake-like tongue to wet her scaly lips.
"I certainly wouldn't mind if you came along, either," Ysera continued. "And I do believe it's good to get off this musty little archipelago on occasion. Perhaps we could head out to one of their food court areas, and see what the humans are up to this day?"
From the rocks of the beach, an odd little creature crouched in a bush. Massive ears were tilted towards the Elementals and Creation, and its black eyes intently watched their conversation. Sitting downwind from the three dragonesses, the creature was able to pick up the general parts of their conversation with relative ease.
"Human-watching, hmm, mother?" Kysan whispered. Even her mother might not be able to sense her clever daughter at this range- especially because the Elemental didn't expect her to be here. Kysannis had never encountered Adutaine before, but she was quite sure that the analytical elemental had already pinpointed her locale. "Well, I guess that's worth a look."
Akhe blinked, turquoise orbs glinting in the bright sunlight. She looked over her shoulder back in the direction that she had come from then returned her gaze to Adutaine. "Yes, the wind woke me and I decided to take the opportunity to explore a bit. I haven't been to this side of the island much, it is quite beautiful."
She turned her attention to the cat-like creature that had spoken to her and watched in wonderment as the Earth Elemental shifted into her true form. Akhe could feel the power resonating from the two Elementals before her and considered herself lucky to be in their presence, but something that Ysera said snapped the Creation from her awed silence. Having never left the island, Akhe was unfamiliar with these 'humans' that the Elemental spoke of. Ever curious, a draconic smile could almost be seen upon her maw.
"Humans? What is a human? And what is a food court? Where can I find these things?" She had to catch herself before more questions tumbled out. Akhe suddenly remembered where she was and whos presence she was in. "I'm sorry, I just have never heard of these creatures." she explained. If a dragon could blush she would be doing exactly that. "I would very much like to accompany you if that would be alright."
She looked between Adutaine and Ysera hoping that neither Elemental would protest. She was completely unaware of the creature that was lurking in the bushes down on the beach.
Adutaine shifted to face her Creation head on, her bulk now protecting both she and the smaller dragon from the worst of the storm.
"As Ysera said," she began; "we certainly don't mind if you want to accompany us. Have you really never seen a human? Obviously Aiden doesn't get out enough,"
She chuckled at this, well aware that she didn't take her Rider with her as often as some Elementals. As often as, say, Tivialous. Possibly even Ysera.
"In any case, humans always stand on their hind legs. They don't have tails, scales or wings like you and me. Their teeth are rather unimpressive, and they have ridiculously short lives. But they have the most marvelous sense of civilization- don't they, Ysera?"
"Aiden must indeed be getting a little lax." Ysera's reply was a laugh, knowing as full well as Adutaine that the Time Elemental was a little careless with her Riders. "I ought to have Kyanna meet him. She'd probably try to shoot the poor fellow- the girl's been a little trigger-happy ever since I gave her that new bow."
While Ysera was less careless with her riders because of her knowledge of the natural cycle, she mostly left her half-elf to do whatever she wanted to within the boundaries of Earth Territory. Since this usually resulted in the overeager girl hunting down Ysera's favorite snack in an attempt to impress the Elemental with her hunting prowess, things were even better, and her stomach was much fuller.
"Oh, yes, quite fascinating," Ysera babbled, sounding like some hyperactive bird, not bothering to pause for breath. "While illogical and squishy most of the time, they have created these most intriguing metal-covered fire-spouting monstrosities for both the air, water, and land. Humans almost have a personality complex, you know. It's like they understand that they're the shrimpiest, weakest animals around, and try to make big things to make up for that. Not to say that they aren't powerful with their tools, just incredibly easy to ki11. Say, Adu, my agents told me of quite a few fascinating new creations that we'll definitely have to check out." The Elemental's "agents," of course, were creatures loyal to her which spied on just about everything to sate her curiosity.
"Oh, do be warned that we'll have to shapeshift. Though I'll provide that for you." Ysera didn't realize she hadn't formally introduced herself, although her name was easy enough to know.
"Oh, really?" Adu was in a good enough mood to allow her interest to show. "I look forward to seeing all this. And to think that, not so long ago, they were living in caves and poking each other with sharp sticks,"
Adutaine smiled internally at the memory. To be fair, dragons often lived in caves also. But dragons had a better concept of history and the future, and of tools and society; than those early humans ever had. Only now were the humans catching up...perhaps even overtaking the dragons. And that was the interesting part.
"Oh, yes, quite interesting. It's part of that thing they call science. They'll never be able to match the power of dragons or the magic of elves, sadly, even if they continue at this startlingly high rate of discovery." Ysera shook her head, almost sadly. "Nor will they be half as majestic as the ugliest creation." Perhaps it was her inherent draconic pride, but the Earth Elemental was certain that the dragons had been set as guardians of the world, and guardians had to be more powerful than the things they were guarding.
"Well, shall we begin our sojourn, companions?" The Elemental still seemed immensely lighthearted. Apparently her good mood hadn't been ruined yet.
"That's good," a certain small furry creature hiding in a bush remarked. "Hopefully I'll be able to impress her then, hmm?" Kysan was totally oblivious to the fact that she was talking to herself, considering it perfectly normal. Having no other companionship as a child, she'd turned to herself, and now often preferred her own company, only going around others for personal benefit.
"Sounds most pleasant," Adutaine said, mimicking her companion's more formal style of speech.
But her true attention had been captured by something to the right of her vision- although her visage certainly didn't give this away, for Adutaine had long ago perfected the art of observing something without looking at it directly. What bushes existed in this area were scarce, and Adutaine knew the type well enough to tell when something was wrong. Or, in this case, when some small creature had shifted within one.
She allowed her gaze to drift momentarily in that direction. The storm seemed to be wearing itself out somewhat, and she made a point of directing her gaze at the horizon as though she were trying to work out how long it would be before more agreeable weather arrived.
Yes. There was definitely something there, in the bushes, at the bottom corner of her field of vision. But as Adutaine returned her gaze to Ysera, she still wasn't sure what manner of creature it was. But if it was, as she suspected, observing them; then hopefully it would be drawn out when they moved away.
The similarly unerringly insightful Ysera picked up on Adutaine's gaze. So the Time Elemental had found something of interest, hmm? Well, she'd have to ask. Once they got on the move, hopefully they'd draw whatever was going on outside of wherever it was hiding. Actively attempting to perceive something out of the ordinary now, the Earth Elemental soon saw a shadow in a bush where perhaps there should not be one. Something was following them.
"Well, let us head out to the eastern side of the island." Ysera's voice gave no tip-offs as to her intent to draw out whatever was hiding, but Adutaine knew her well enough to understand where she was going with this. That was why she liked the other Elemental so much- intelligent enough so that she didn't have to give some obvious signal that something was up. Simply a suggestion that would seem normal (for her, at least), and Adu would know what she meant. "There I can shapeshift us and get us to the mainland."
Without really waiting for a reply, Ysera began to bound towards the direction she'd indicated, paws making prints in the sand that were quickly erased by the slowly dying storm. She was attuned to the earth, even in this territory, and it didn't seem to be unduly freaking out by anything- so whatever was following them probably wasn't entirely hostile.
Summoning energies in preparation for her spellcasting, the Earth Elemental stopped once they were out of the storm, right on the stony edge of a cliff. "Here should be good," From multiple silent, almost inperceptible signals; Adutaine realised that the Earth Elemental was also aware of their company. A slight shifting of the gaze, the balance and rhythm of her tone and phrasing; was all it took. Adutaine knew beyond doubt that Ysera knew of the creature's presence.
Adutaine took off after Ysera as the smaller Elemental hurried through the sands. The Time dragon was naturally not as swift of foot as her comrade, or even Akhe. But she knew the territory by heart, in spite of the changes brought on by the endless sandstorms. She knew, perhaps before Ysera (though she wouldn't bet on it), that they were heading for a cliff facing out towards the mainland.
When they reached it, Adutaine halted beside Ysera and gazed out at the still troubled waters. Their crossing would be far from boring, it seemed.
Now, what of the Observer? Was it still present? Was it curious, ill intentioned, or simply an animal which had been surprised by their presence? The latter, from what little she had seen, seemed unlikely. It was like nothing Adu had seen before, although she was well aware of the tricks that eyes were liable to play. It was entirely possible that hers had misinterpreted what they were seeing, much as she didn't want to accept this idea.
Adutaine returned her attention to Ysera. Perhaps, if she appeared to be distracted, the creature would show itself.
"Yes," she said, taking the meaning at once. "Here will be fine," she announced.
Ysera smiled, and for the first time today let her power coil around her like a snake poised to strike. The air screamed with tension as the Elemental built up her forces. She obviously wasn't just shapeshifting them. Then she spoke.
"We'll need a little ride to get over, so we might as well arrive in style." Her voice echoed slightly, as if it came from some place far away, and a glow built up around her. "I'd like you to meet my... friend. I do hope you don't mind me causing a little havoc in your nice little desert, dearest Adu."
The energies surged around the three of them, and she felt her form dwindling and shrinking. Skin instead of scales, nails instead of claws, teeth no longer pointed, hair instead of fins. The three of them were now wearing fashionable and well-tailored three-piece suits. ((You can choose what your character looks like.))
"His name is Dan," she added.
The earth began to rumble. Out of the ground shot a massive worm made of rock. Sand poured out of the crevasses between the jagged stones that comprised him. Glowing topazes served as eyes. Rearing up at least fifty feet in the air, the worm dropped its massive head to examine the three of them.
"I am Dan, Lady Ysera's personal chauffeur." The worm spoke in a voice like two stones grating together before a rock slide. "Where shall I bring you today, mistress? And shall I bring your lady friends with you?"
"Ah, yes. Let's go to... hmm, the Rose Cafe sounds like a good enough place. Please do be careful with them, they're unaccustomed to this sort of travel."
"Of course, mistress." The worm lowered his upper half to the ground, and Ysera beckoned to the other two dragons to come over to his side. Easily finding handholds and footholds, she plopped down into a rather nicely decorated little room, complete with plush seats covered in green velvet.
Meanwhile, Kysan watched in awe. She /had/ to convince her mother to teach her how to do that. An envious desire for such mastery sparked within her. She had a knack for learning things- there must be a way to learn all different sorts of magic. Then she would truly be a force to reckon with, and she would be given even more power by those who came to pay her homage. Power and knowledge, knowledge and power- they were near synonymous.
She'd also never seen Ysera do something so flashy. The Elemental obviously didn't need to conjure up that much power just to call over her taxi. Perhaps it was a desire to show the Creation present that it was good to fear the Elementals, or her mother was in another strange mood again.
Transforming quickly into a smaller rockworm, she slipped out from the bush in all the commotion and carefully made her way to where Dan's tail rested underneath the surface. Once there, she shifted into a small rock mite, latching onto the tip of his tail with ease. Transportation: secure.
Was it Dan who had been observing them? Adutaine was curious, but not curious enough to ask just yet. Besides, she had other things to occupy her mind.
The transformation into such a small and frail form always disorientated Adu a little. The skin, soft like paper, was nothing like the heavy dragon scales which she typically wore. Nor was this new, flat face anything like her own pronounced muzzle. Her head still reeling, Adu held a hand up and flexed it, admiring the rolling play of tendons and the oh so flexible fingers. Oneday, she really needed to approach Aiden in this guise. It would be an interesting experiment, certainly.
"So nice to see you again, Dan," she said, her vocal cords reacting to the Dragontongue in a way that she found unpleasant. Not yet fully accustomed to her new body, Adu was certain that she had been unable to keep herself from wincing at the tightness in her throat. Mentally slapping herself (for that was something humans were good at, wasn't it?), she carefully made her way up to join Ysera atop the great worm.
"It's a bit flashy, isn't it?" she remarked, indicating the plush velvet seats. "Still, I'm not complaining. These creatures are oh so delicate, aren't they? They bruise at the slightest jostle,"
Time helped Akhe up beside her, curiously observing the Creation's reaction to her transformation. Despite the initial disorientation, Adu was rapidly becoming re-accustomed to this skin. She tugged at her hair to test what colour Ysera had decided to give her today. Brown, it seemed. And curly. No unorthodox, insane colours for her today, then; thank the Elements.
Dan bobbed his head in greetings to the Time elemental. "Good morning, Adutaine. It's a pleasure to see you well."
Ysera watched them both with badly-hidden amusement as they adjusted to their new forms. "I tried to make us as inconspicuous as possible. So that meant no strange hair or eye colors- I /know/ you're disappointed, Adu. My apologies."
Seeing as they were both secure in some of the comfortable chairs, Ysera gestured to the attentive Dan. A dome of clear crystals appeared, closing at the top and keeping them securely inside.
"Please keep all limbs inside the Dan. All the furniture is nailed to the floor, so I'd suggest holding onto something in case Dan's feeling a little flashy today." Ysera grinned. "Please do try not to hurl."
The rockworm didn't wait any longer. Diving underneath the earth, he shot through the underground at rip-roaring speeds- perhaps even supersonic. Amidst the rumble of rocks being chowed very swiftly by Dan, Ysera's wildly happy calls of "Geronimo!" and "Woohoo!" as well as what might be a variant of the Tarzan yell could be heard as her rockworm valet twisted and dove through the ground.
At last, their wild ride slowed as Dan's head burst of the ground to immediately dive back under, like a stitch. The crystals slowly retracted as the little loop of rockworm lay in the open air of a small glade, skyscrapers visible on the horizon.
Ysera leapt out of the carrier with zeal, bouncing over to the edge of the ground to see what city they were outside of. "Ah, you got it right, Dan," she called to the rockworm, even though his head was currently buried underneath the ground. "That's my good boy!"
At last, the adrenaline seemed to leave Ysera, and she turned back to her companions. "When you're steadier and ready, we'll get going to that cafe."
****
The world lurched and spun around her as she hung on for her dear life. Silently wishing her rock-mite mouth could swear, the Daughter of the Elements could only realize that perhaps this was /not/ the best idea she'd ever had. And promise to never, ever, ever go on a ride with Dan again without being inside her mother's compartment.
Suddenly, she was swung around as Dan careened around a corner. Estimating that they were somewhere underneath the mainland of the dragons' island, Kysannis steeled herself and let go. Luckily, she'd also quite literally steeled herself, hardening her rock-mite carapace so she would hopefully not get crushed like the bug she was pretending to be. Dan's long stone tail whirled past and slapped her into a boulder, one of her legs folding uncomfortably underneath her.
/I wonder if mother will mourn me./
Another rock came rumbling towards her. Yelping, she skittered out of the way and shifted into the form of a rockworm again, slowly and painfully making her way to the surface.
Shrinking herself as she emerged, Kysannis poked just her head out from the ground to see where she was. Misty. Dark. Forest.
"Great." Her voice was a moan. Apparently, this was Dark Territory. Well, time to blend in with the crowd.
Crawling out of the hole, she gradually shifted her form into that of a dark-scaled dragoness, with her characteristic two blue crystal horns. Like her usual form, she was lithe and graceful. Except when she was hurt, which she was. Growling in agony as her bones shifted back into a more familiar form with a cacophony of pops and cracks, the Daughter of the Elements stumbled forward to sprawl panting on the ground as she took in her new surroundings.
Ah, how convenient, she'd come up right beside a waterfall with a nice little pool. Well, she'd rest up for a while here, and then work on making her way home. She could use her mother's healing expertise right now.
Arioch could sense his brethren in the distance. Their aura was fading and he knew that they were moving away from the Dark territory. This was disappointing. He slowed, realizing that if they were moving away he did not feel like spending all night chasing them across the island...especially if they were straying into another territory. With a huff he snorted, the air misting out of his nostrils like a thin wisp of smoke and turned back towards his lair. Fortunately he hadn't gone far so it was a short flight back.
As he neared the waterfall he could immediately tell that something was wrong. Not wrong, but...different somehow. Someone he did not recognize was in his territory and /that/ he did not like. With a low growl he shifted into his shadow form, instantly disappearing from sight and dropped down into the thick canopy of conifers. He touched down silently, his lithe form twisting between the dense tree trunks until he reached the trail that led up to the rocky ledge where he often sat to survey his homeland. Much to Arioch's surprise there was another dragon there. On /his/ ledge!
The shadow narrowed his eyes, his normally bright crimson orbs indistinguishable from the shadows that cloaked the forest floor. He'd never seen this dragon before. He was familiar with all of the Dark Creations and this dragon was not one of them. He could also sense that it was female, and injured. A malicious, draconic grin came across Ariochs face. Easy prey, but he wasn't stupid enough to attack without learning about his foe. And perhaps he wouldn't need to attack at all. This could be stimulating, he thought to himself as he crept out of the forest and snaked his way up the trail until he was only a short distance away from the intruder.
"Good evening," Kysannis replied curtly to the other dragon's rather abrupt arrival, hiding her surprise with the expertise of a master liar. "And I'm glad to see that you're not blind." Her tone was cold, and tense with irritation- annoyance at her pain. She wasn't in the mood to fight, even though she was probably much more powerful than this dragon. Unless, of course, Icarus was having some sort of secret business that none of the other Elementals knew about.
A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that her company was hidden. Of course. So the Daughter simply stared into the pool, seemingly mesmerized by the reflection. She ignored the fact that her eyes were a strange orange color- she'd wanted them that way, to blend in better. Instead, she was watching for any sign of attack coming from behind her. If this unseen foe was going to come anywhere near her neck and head, she'd be able to see him coming. At his question, the edges of her scaly lips curved upwards slightly. Oh, yes, this could get interesting.
"A traveler. I got a little thirsty, found this quaint waterfall. Is this your place? You've got it set up very nicely. Open concept, I see. Perhaps a little dreary for my tastes, but who am I to judge?" She looked around his setup a little, the little light dancing off her crystalline horns as her head moved back and forth, a chuckle coming from her towards the last part of her speech. Who was she to judge? The Daughter of Tivialous and Ysera, that's who. But, of course, he wouldn't know that. "I suppose you can call me Myst." She wasn't giving him her real name, of course. She wasn't that much of an idiot.
Bending down again, the tip of her forked tongue flicked against the surface of the water, sending little ripples through the pond. Withdrawing her tongue, she paused for a moment before nodding and reaching out again to lap up more water. As far as she was able to tell, the fluid wasn't poisoned. Of course, she was in a new territory, and didn't know all the dangers. Well, error by trial or whatever!
"So, are you going to introduce yourself to me or what? 'Tis only polite and proper, you know." Her voice carried the slight edge of sarcasm. She obviously wasn't one for politeness.
Arioch noted the way the other dragon moved. She was favoring her leg and had most likely injured it. She was trying hard to hide it though, he respected that somewhat. Whether it was from pride or because she didn't want to appear weak was not apparent to him, so he continued to scrutinize her. Straight away he knew she was lying. He was the master of deceit, but she didn't know that, so he played along.
He snaked closer, a shadow that seemed to shimmer in the soft moonlight. He was now within striking distance yet he held his ground. He was intrigued by this mysterious dragon. He guessed it was a Creation from one of the other territories; perhaps an unknown from the Death territory. He'd never seen her before and her smell...
Her smell was not right. She didn't smell of the thick mist that most of the other Dark Creations smelled of. And she didn't smell of ash or decay, so she must not be from the Fire or Death territories. No, she smelled of the earth with something else mixed in. A shapechanger, he wondered. One could change their appearance but it was much harder to change your scent.
He grinned at her words. "Myst, eh? Well then I suppose you can call me Shadow." Two could play this little game, and Arioch /loved/ playing games. His form shimmered into view, he changed into his solid form allowing her to see him. His crimson orbs glowing like rubies, he examined her.
"What are you doing here and why is it that I've never seen you? You appear to be a Dark Creation, yet you don't /smell/ like a Dark Creation. You wouldn't be lying to me, would you, dear Myst?"
He narrowed his gaze, muscles tensing incase the intruder decided that she didn't want to answer his questions. Would she fight him? Or would she continue with this charade?
"I assure you, I am honored to meet you, Shadow." She knew he was lying the instant he'd said his "name." Which meant he probably knew she was lying. Well, that was great! The two of them would get along /wonderfully./ Wouldn't her mother be proud of her, making friends already!
As soon as he showed his real form, Kysannis analyzed it. Wiry, lean, almost feminine. Bright, glowing red eyes. The color palette for Dark Creations usually was made of blacks and reds... such a nice little combination. Perhaps later, if for some reason she accidentally ki||ed him, she'd be able to study his bright eyes more closely so she could duplicate them later.
A shadow-walker as well, hmm. Well, that was a handy trick to have- she wondered if her father could teach her how to light-walk? Wouldn't be much use in a place like this, but it was certainly a nice little tactic.
Her scent- she hadn't had time to change her scent. Internally cursing herself, she could only hope that her time in the Time Territory had given her a little different odor.
"Lying." She pronounced the word as if it were offensive and preposterous. "Lying?! Shadow, I assure you that I did not /lie/ to you about my heritage." In fact, he hadn't asked her what Element she was from, and she hadn't said anything about it. "I'm afraid, dear sir, I've caught you on a technical inaccuracy," she replied in barely a whisper, her voice deceptively sweet, and her forehead creased in a half-frown that indicated she was pretending to care.
Fortunately for him, she wasn't exactly in the mood for a fight. More in the mood for a nice little nap, but she wasn't about to trust her life to this strange dragon. That would probably mean camping out underground. An unpleasant experience, indeed- she'd only done it once, and it hadn't been fun.
He grinned at the small outburst caused by him accusing her of lying (which made him believe even more that she was doing exactly that). Oh this was going to be a great night, he thought to himself. It wasn't often he got to meet new Creations, especially ones as intriguing as this one. His brethren were more...well, more boring. He saw them as weak things that didn't live up to what he thought a Dark Creation should be: deceptive, malicious, manipulative. Yes, especially manipulative. Arioch loved to play the game and he was good at it. He was also extremely naive and arrogant.
He shifted slightly, sitting back and folding his wings against his back. His crimson orbs wandered to the dragoness and her odd blue, crystalline horns. He'd never seen anything like them before. They reminded him of the icicles he'd often seen in the Ice territory when he strayed up that way.
"Alright. Suppose you aren't lying to me. You say you're a traveler. Where are you going? And where did you come from? I know for a fact you aren't one of Icarus's Creations." He said the name with disdain and it came out in an irritated hiss. "So tell me, Myst. Who created you?" Arioch was determined to figure the dragoness out. He sensed she was something more than what she appeared. Could it be one of the Elementals? He thought not. How very intriguing...
"An Elemental." It was a reply that encouraged him to get infuriated with her. She could be more or less annoying if she liked. /Actually, two of them./ The Daughter noted his disdain of Icarus with interest. For one who was so adept at seeing through her lies and lying himself, he wasn't the best and concealing his emotion about the Darkness Elemental, who was also obviously his Creator.
Kysannis grinned and was about to continue when a breeze stirred the mist about them. She froze as she took in the scents. "Do I smell... blackberries?" Her voice was suddenly different, more intent and focused, and her eyes were brighter. She was always one for eating- and as a shapeshifter, it was hard to gain weight. "And deer. Yes. A buck." /Probably close together,/ she deduced quickly. /One's eating the other./ For a moment, she entertained the thought of a giant blackberry chasing a terrified deer, and a smirk played at her lips.
She wasn't as world-wise as she liked to think herself, but she was obviously of the same personality as this Dark Creation. He was slippery- despite the fact that she enjoyed his company, she wasn't about to trust him or try and recruit him for her (imaginary) army. He was likely to turn on her at any point for some greater personal gain- or even if he felt like it. Sure, she was more powerful than him- but it was all about timing.
A forked tongue flickered out to lick her scaly lips. "Do you happen to be hungry?" She refrained from adding a "dearest Shadow" to the end of her sentence. It was a bad habit, picked up from her above-irritating brother and incredibly strange mother. No one was "dearest" to her. And if she had her way, no one would ever be.
An Elemental. He grinned wickedly, not trying to hide his amusement. Oh, this one was clever. He liked that. Maybe he would let her stay a bit longer. He noted her sudden change of demeanor. When her eyes brightened he thought she had finally decided to attack him and he reacted in turn. His tail swished from side to side, much like an angry cat. At a moments notice he could slip back into the shadows becoming invisible to the dragoness, but he would only do so as a last resort. He preferred to fight his battles with words over tooth and claw, but that didn't mean he was weak.
"Blackberries..." he stated, confused. He caught the scent a few moments later. Arioch preferred to eat meat and never bothered with the rare fruits that growed in the Dark territory. He left those to the lesser creatures. He liked his food to be a challenge to aquire...he enjoyed the hunt more than the reward. He thought about the stag he'd devoured earlier that evening. A dark stain on the forest floor was the only thing that remained.
"Hungry? No." He wasn't prepared for her spontaneity. Or perhaps she just had a relatively short attention span, he thought to himself. His gaze lingered upon her lithe frame. She seemed fit, minus the injury to her leg. She hadn't admitted to it, but he knew something was causing her pain. "Are you always this flighty?" he asked. He hadn't really meant for it to be an insult, but he realized that it may have sounded that way.
Arioch stood and walked over to the ledge. His midnight black scales caught the shimmer of the water in the pool below and he had to suppress the urge to dive in. It was something he did quite often. He enjoyed the water and being clean and often would go for moonlit swims by himself, enjoying the solitude. He often thought of himself as an anti-social creature, but lately he had to admit that he was getting lonely. Perhaps he just needed a change of scenery...
He remembered that he wasn't alone and looked back to 'Myst'. His gaze meeting hers and his eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness. He prepared to do something that he never would have considered before tonight.
"Shall we go for a moonlit stroll through the forest?"
Sometimes you had to play nice in order to get what you wanted. You can attract more flies with honey than vinegar, he thought. He would find out who (or what) this creature was. And if he had to play along he would do so. The game had begun and he did /not/ want to lose.
Concern filled Kysan at his sudden tenseness, until she figured out that he had merely gotten ready for a fight because of her own sudden attentiveness due to the prospect of food. She snickered. He was definitely a source of amusement, and she’d ask her mother to let her keep him as a pet if only she had a bit more hope that her father would agree to the idea. Tivialous was always ruining such plans before they even went into the planning phase- he was talented that way.
“I suppose you wouldn’t be hungry,” she huffed, refraining from pouting. “I suppose I’ll have to wait to eat until later.” Though she wasn’t particularly famished at the moment, the Daughter was never one to pass up a good meal if she smelled it.
The shapeshifter watched him carefully as he stepped up to the edge of the ledge, the moonlight filtering through his translucent scales. The Creation standing above his little pool was rather picturesque, she decided. If she were her mother’s rider, she’d probably be trying to sketch him right now. But, alas, she didn’t have such artistic talent or such a desire to draw. As she looked on, his eyes seemed to gain a sort of far-away aspect.
“A little spacey, are we.” Her voice wasn’t even a whisper, her words simply mouthed as she exhaled softly. Indeed, it seemed as if her company had simply zoned out on her, going off to frolic in whatever not-so-happy land shrouded his mind. When at last he turned back to her, his crimson eyes seemed to have a new sparkle to them.
“A moonlit stroll.” The idea put Kysan on edge for a bit, unsure of his intent. She put on a fake pondering face as she quickly thought it over. After only a moment, she replied. “How very gentlemanly of you. I suppose I will accept your offer.” He was playing nice, it seemed.
He wanted that one little scrap of knowledge- the truth about her identity. It was odd how those who lied were often most concerned with getting the truth. But unless he had some deeper, more subtle, craftier plan than expected, he’d just given her control over himself.
And giving control to Kysannis of the Verdant Secret was never a good idea.
As soon as he wasn’t looking at her, a dark smile stole along her lips. Oh, yes. Tonight would be an thoroughly interesting and enjoyable night.
****
Adutaine's stomach churned, but she did her best to keep her composure. What was composure like in humans, anyway? Relaxed muscles, that was it. Open eyes, but not too wide...darn. /Narrow them, Adu!/
"Steady has to be relative in this case," she remarked dryly.
Looking around, Adu noted the tall metal-and-glass constructions in the distance. My, they were more abundant than she remembered. Their alien beauty ran bells, but still felt uncomfortable and unfamiliar to Adutaine. It was as though she were a...fish, maybe; who had poked its head above the water to catch a glimpse of the long rumoured land. It was something that she knew to exist, but which didn't seem as though it could. Adu looked back towards Ysera, aware that a large part of her- and likely of Ysera, too- was eager to move onward towards the city and its strange marvels.
Ysera looked over to her semi-queasy companion(s). "Shall we proceed, then, Adutaine (and Akhe)?" Without waiting for much of a reply, Ysera stood up straighter, adjusted her suit to make it neater, and strode towards the city.
Once at the edge of the mass of structures, the Elemental did wait for her companions, carefully regarding them to figure out exactly how much had changed since her last visit. Not that much- there were new buildings and the roads had been repaved, but nothing incredibly groundbreaking. Hopefully, their cafe would still be around.
As soon as her companions were caught up with her, Ysera turned around. "Alright, let's review rules. We can't act strange around here. Adutaine, you know what to do. Akhe, just follow Adu's example. I've made it look like you two are more or less siblings, and so it'll be fine if you just pretend to be shy and follow her."
The Elemental glanced between the two of them. "Are we clear? I've worked very hard at establishing some contacts and a persona here, so strangeness won't help me much."
Arioch figured she would accept his offer, and he felt her tense when he made it. She was smart to be wary of him. He wouldn't lower his guard just because he'd decided to play nice. After all, this would be a test. Take her out into the darkness, judge how injured she was, how she handled herself...and if all went well he would then decide whether or not to spring his trap.
He turned to look back at her, the tip of his tail twitching slightly. The long, needle-like barbs there rattled like bones being tossed together. It was an unnerving sound in the misty, quiet of night. He lifted a foreclaw and motioned to the trail that led down from the ledge. "After you, but watch your step. It's quite steep and I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." He gave her a wicked grin that showed his pearly white teeth.
She doesn't trust me, he thought as he noted the way she never turned her back to him. He couldn't blame her. It was wise not to trust him...very wise indeed. Given the first chance to strike her he would take it, but only if it would be in his favor. He'd lived long enough to know the difference between an assured victory and a probable one. He wanted to be sure. He was patient. He would play this game for as long as he needed in order to figure the dragoness out. But something nagged at him and he wasn't sure what it was. A gut instinct told him he was playing with fire, but youthful arrogance made him ignore the warning. He was naive in the belief that he was capable of manipulating this creature...to get her to acquiesce to his will. If Arioch had known that a Daughter of Ysera and Tivialous sat before him he most likely would have abandoned all his plotting and scheming a Imp was on the edge of the Fire and Darkness territories. He caught scent of anger and he narrowed his red eyes. He is still upset with me, Imp thought with an amused chuckle. Deciding he did not want to face an angry dragon, he turned back to the Darkness. It was closer to Death in relation to territory terrain.
The Death creation picked up speed until he was zooming, eating up the ground with his muscular legs. It didn't take long for him to catch scent of a fresh hunt. There was nothing left for even a medium sized dragon to take scraps from. Imp was disapointed but not too much. He had eaten a few hours before and had yet to become truly hungry once more.
Then...what is this I hear? Voices! Imp grinned, red eyes glowing in the darkness. He caught two distinct scents and knew at once who he was dealing with: a Dark creation and a Daughter. The gray creation crouched, face raised to the ledge.
They couldn't stay there forever, Imp well knew. He would wait them out and see what happened.