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Post by NPC on Jul 18, 2019 12:21:12 GMT -6
Acethylka was surprised, there had been quite a few people here lately, and it seemed they kept coming. She watched as the woman walked into the sanctuary and then stood up gracefully, walking over to her as she asked, "Is there something I can help you with today?"
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jul 18, 2019 15:25:24 GMT -6
Fiera nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around. She beheld Acethylka- how did she manage to sneak up on her? She was huge! And...just a little bit terrifying, to be honest. Fiera had faced down a lot of intimidating people back home, but they were just that- people. These draconics were something else entirely. She didn't think much could surprise her anymore after everything she had seen since coming to the labs, but sure enough, this place had managed to surprise her. Back home, Fiera was the sweet talker, the negotiator, the diplomat and, in a pinch, the assassin. Unfortunately, her old skill set couldn't be applied here- the draconic's face was too alien for her to read properly, and who knew what other abilities she might have. It would appear she would have to resort to- ugh- honesty.
"I had heard through the grapevine that this is where one should come if they want the chance to meet a new companion." She replied, picking her words carefully while trying very hard to not look at Acethylka's claws, sharp as they were. "I'm rather new to these lands and, well. It would do me well to...make some new friends."
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Post by NPC on Jul 22, 2019 9:05:14 GMT -6
"Ah..." she murmured for a moment before smiling, showing a toothy look, "Of course you may find a companion here, please follow me and I will take you to the others." Acethylka turned and glanced over her shoulder to see if the woman was going to follow as she led to where the others were.
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jul 25, 2019 12:26:51 GMT -6
Fiera's nervous smile got a couple degrees wider in response to Acethylka's well meaning but toothy grin. Man, that was a lot of teeth. Could draconics smell fear? Fiera certainly hoped they couldn't. She might be a cat woman, but she wasn't a scaredy-cat woman. She shook her head as Acethylka turned away, trying to convince herself to get it together. Come on! If you were here to make a friend, it just wouldn't do to be scared of them, now would it? A lesser...dragon would be offended. And she wasn't here for lesser draconics. She did wonder who she would meet but... she was trying to not get her hopes set on any one individual. These were people after all- she couldn't just adopt them out of the blue like she would a pet. Even if she adored the sight of one of them, if the feeling wasn't mutual... well, things wouldn't work out, now would they?
Finally, she pushed her shoulders back and strode after Acethylka with well acted confidence. Fake it till you make it after all. "Excellent!" She chirped. "I look forward to meeting them!" Internally however, she was still quite nervous, having never done this before.
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Post by NPC on Jul 27, 2019 14:31:42 GMT -6
She nodded and led her to the cavern. There were mostly adult Draconics there, with a few hatchlings. "Be courteous, and I will be there if you need me," she told the lady, pointing to the entrance to the cavern. The female guardian then left her for the time being.
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jul 29, 2019 13:52:30 GMT -6
Fiera followed Acethylka meekly, looking around the cave as they walked in. "Be courteous, and I will be there if you need me." Fiera looked up at the draconic. "Oh! Yes, of course. Thank you for the ah, opportunity." With that, the draconic politely nodded and walked away. Being the guardian of this place, Fiera knew she probably wouldn't go far, nor was Fiera truly unsupervised right now. Courteous indeed- she'd be sure to not mess up today. She examined the cavern carefully- it was surprisingly comfortable, with bright sunlight filtering in from who knew where. There was a variety of cliffs and rooms set back elegantly from the main floor, all made out of that flowing stone. Fiera could see into the, as she walked, beholding a variety of soft nests, made of straw, feathers, and whatever other fluffy things the draconics could find. Each nest was also surrounded by various knick knacks and containers- likely the personal effects of the draconic that owned that room. Most rooms were empty, but a couple had occupants, which looked up at Fiera lazily before going back to whatever they were doing- usually taking a nap. That was right, Fiera supposed. Most of these draconics had grown up here, this was their home. To them, people like Fiera were likely a common sight, but nothing to worry about or be interested in- they had already been passed over this many times, after all. She doubted she'd be able to sway one of them to join her. She was nobody, after all- why would they leave their comfortable life for her sake? At least back home, she originally had wealth, and then when she lost the wealth she had power to earn herself allies. Here, she'd have to work her way up. Like a regular person. Ugh.
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Post by Briar on Nov 8, 2019 22:05:51 GMT -6
Aubrey stood at the edge of the cavern, and tried not to feel like he'd made a grave bad decision.
Draconics were people, just like humans were people... Just like big Ungulates and Uthax were people. They were just massive scaly people. That was what he told himself over and over as he approached the place known as the Rookery, but it only helped so much. Tall humanoids were enough to intimidate him. You would think, considering how small he used to be, that the size difference wouldn't be an issue, but Aubrey had never strayed much from home when he was younger. Now that he was out in the world, so many things were new and unfamiliar. It was easy to feel overwhelmed.
It wasn't that the place was empty, but he didn't know who to address. He could only look nervously on for a while, before eventually mustering the courage to say, not very loudly, "U-Um... Excuse me, I... I'm here to..." To what? Adopt someone? The words stuck in his throat, too presumptuous to say aloud. Hopefully they'd see him and understand why he was here; if not... Well, maybe his brain would catch up with the rest of him by then, and he'd come up with a better way to say it.
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Post by NPC on Nov 8, 2019 22:25:20 GMT -6
Acethylka was quite happy, today. It was nice, having such a full Rookery. She would be happy to find them all suitable homes, but they could stay as long as they wanted. She could hear someone approach, however, a really small someone. "Oh, hello there!" Who was this? Oh, probably someone here to visit the youngsters! They had so many older draconics, but a small individual would best suit this small person. "You're here to meet everyone." She said, in a friendly manner. She sized the individual up as quickly as possible, and then nodded. "Feel free, feel free. The young ones may be nervous of you at first, but I am sure that they will warm up nicely." She said, grinning. "They are just over that way, playing in groups. If you'd prefer to meet our more traveled individuals, they are... That way." She had glanced around, and then pointed in the opposite direction. Still, she'd keep an eye out, as she always did.
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Post by Briar on Nov 9, 2019 0:06:44 GMT -6
It was Aubrey who first spoke up, but he still startled slightly when the Draconic addressed him in turn. He blinked quickly, then smiled, though the expression was edged with nerves. If the young ones were nervous to meet someone new, they weren't the only ones.
Still, she seemed friendly, and now that she had noticed him, it was a little easier to step into the space. Moreover, she was kind enough to give him directions, so he didn't have to run the risk of visiting the wrong area first. Not that he thought anything would happen, but...
"Thank you," he said, quietly but with real feeling, and went off in the direction she had first indicated.
It didn't take him long at all to happen upon the young ones.
"Hey, over here, over here!"
"Wait for me!"
"No fly! No fair!"
A crowd of rambunctious young Draconics were playing something that looked as though it might be tag.
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Post by Briar on Nov 9, 2019 0:06:59 GMT -6
A heavy-looking hatchling with small wings flapped them furiously to no effect as he yelled up at a more delicate-looking youngster, who floated above him and snickered, only to yelp in surprise as another hatchling made a leaping lunge. Then the rest caught on, and the floating one had to dart away, fleeing several pursuers at once.
... Maybe it was a local variant of tag.
Aubrey watched them go, at a loss as to how to insert himself into the situation. He wouldn't have considered himself bad with children--- and generally he liked them quite well. But it was still a little daunting, this whole business of visiting the canyons, and becoming acquainted with the Draconics who lived here. The only dragons he had known growing up were Sarane, and these were very clearly of a different ilk.
Just then, a movement on the periphery of his vision caught his eye, and he turned to see a very young-looking hatchling sitting apart from the rest.
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Post by Briar on Nov 9, 2019 0:07:20 GMT -6
As Aubrey watched, the hatchling heaved a sigh, staring up at the rocky walls of the grotto, or maybe at the sky.
A little intrigued, and thinking it might be easier to talk to an individual rather than a crowd, Aubrey approached. He was just about to say something when the hatchling wheeled around, fixing him with a baleful glare. The hatchling's eyes were a vivid blue, in contrast to the gold and peach tones of its hide.
Aubrey froze.
"You," said the hatchling.
"M-Me?"
The hatchling gave him a once-over, the same as the adult Draconic had done at the entrance, but Aubrey felt that the hatchling's assessment was less generous. Those blue eyes narrowed.
"You're not going to play with them?" said the hatchling.
Aubrey followed the hatchling's gaze to the rabble from before. The flying one had been caught, but seemed to be laughing in good spirits with the rest.
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Post by Briar on Nov 9, 2019 0:07:37 GMT -6
As he watched, the chase began anew, with a different hatchling as the target, this one somewhat larger looking than many of its fellows.
"I think they're a little busy at the moment," he said a little helplessly.
The hatchling inclined its head. "You're scared, aren't you? Of us? Even of us?"
Aubrey blinked, then laughed awkwardly. "I don't know if---"
"Well, I guess you're not very strong. You're pretty small for a human, huh?" Despite the harsh words, the hatchling's expression had brightened from the dispassionate look that it had been wearing when it first turned to stare at him.
"I'm not a human exactly," Aubrey said. "I'm a... a Sprite. We're a little like the Fae, though there aren't that many of us." It felt strange to say, since he knew so little about Fae or Sprites himself. He hadn't even known that it was possible to just... stop being a Harachiu one day, and turn into something else.
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Post by Briar on Nov 9, 2019 0:07:53 GMT -6
"Hmm... I've never heard of it. You're lying," said the hatchling.
"I'm not! You've never met a Fae before?" said Aubrey. He didn't know whether or not to be dismayed. He had heard a little about Draconics and their widely varying levels of intellect; to be able to speak from such a young age, this one must have been very clever. From a child of his own kind, he would have just laughed off such a rebuttal, but with this hatchling, he had no idea how seriously to take things.
"Show me then," declared the hatchling. At that, even Aubrey had to frown slightly in confusion.
"Show you... Show you what?" he said.
"I dunno. Sprite stuff. If you're different from humans, then you can do different things, right? Like I can breathe on you and you'll feel better, but that one over there can only spit fire." The hatchling pointed out a feathery pink hatchling.
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Post by Briar on Nov 9, 2019 0:08:05 GMT -6
Its words came out in a flat, derisive, matter-of-fact tone, though looking at the hatchling in front of him, Aubrey thought it looked a little... uncertain, maybe? Like it was bluffing. He didn't know if he was just imagining it, but even so, the impression remained.
Aubrey was about to tell the hatchling that it didn't quite work like that for humanoids, but then something occurred to him. "Oh, I guess there is something I can show you," he said. Casting around, he found a bit of vegetation. "Okay, over here." Approaching it, he beckoned to the hatchling, who got up and followed, looking as though it was intrigued in spite of itself. Aubrey smiled.
Holding a hand out to the plant, he gently brushed the underside of a leaf and hoped for the best. At first, nothing happened; he could hear the hatchling draw a breath, probably about to accuse him of lying again. But then a single peach-colored flower bloomed--- and then another, and a third.
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Post by Briar on Nov 9, 2019 0:09:17 GMT -6
Three. Three was all he could manage. Still, the hatchling's eyes were wide, apparently caught off guard by what had happened.
"You did that?" said the hatchling.
"Mhm. I can only do a little, though I have friends who can make lots more flowers than I can," Aubrey said.
The hatchling seemed to be deep in thought. "None of us can do that," it admitted. "We can do a lot of different things. I thought humans couldn't do anything. No one told me about this though."
"Well, humans can't do this, exactly... I'm a Sprite, remember?" Aubrey reminded the hatchling gently. It was true that this was an ability unique to his ilk, which was what he thought the hatchling had wanted to see.
"What can humans do then?" said the hatchling.
"Hmm... If you mean something like magic, then I guess there isn't much, is there?" Aubrey tried to answer as truthfully as he could. "But they can learn magic, and they can learn a lot of other things too."
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