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Post by Silver on Jun 24, 2021 16:53:10 GMT -6
Sorrel x EsperanzaOnly the users participating in the breeding may post in this thread. The room can look however you like, within reason.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 24, 2021 17:06:44 GMT -6
Honestly, Seveth hadn't expected his last encounter with that Shalaya -- Clover, was it? -- to have turned into a two part deal, but apparently he had done well enough that she'd wanted him to accompany her son. She had stressed to the both of them, repeatedly and animatedly, about the importance of making a good impression. Apparently this was the real deal, and that very rich family from last time was thinking about bringing the son -- Sorrel -- into the family, or at least making a match. Even a temporary match was bound to elevate the standings of Sorrel and all his relations. Sorrel had listened with a soberness that Seveth couldn't share, and Seveth wondered if maybe San would have been the better suit for this after all. But try as he might, he also couldn't imagine San agreeing to something like this, let alone how to broach the topic to begin with. 1
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Post by Noa on Jun 24, 2021 17:12:28 GMT -6
Noa hadn't expected the Riverhold clan to demand his presence back so soon, but now one of their own was the one being matchmade, and for whatever reason, they had decided that his presence was necessary. Noa didn't see what all the fuss was about. It was evident from the number of new clan members since he had last taken stock of them that they had no trouble getting on with their matchmaking without him. And he wasn't pleased at all to have to come down in the summer, with the weather even more hot than it would have been in the city. The only saving grace was that the caverns themselves were cool. The Draconics knew something of architecture, he would allow, and Riverhold was as fine an establishment as any of them, he supposed. As well they ought to be, with the amount of wealth they had. "So?" he said none too patiently, when he was finally escorted to a room, in which a brightly colored Lashak was being attended by several smaller Draconics. "You're the lucky one, I presume?" She turned and fixed him with an even look, taking his comment in stride despite the tone of his voice. 2
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Post by Linyü on Jun 25, 2021 16:19:42 GMT -6
It wasn't as if San was totally unaware of how to socially schmooze... And considering his more sober personality, it was entirely possible that he would turn out to be better at it if only he put his mind to it. But for better or for worse, Sorrel and his family were stuck with Seveth. And Seveth must not have made such a bad impression, if they had chosen to enlist his help again.
"So what's the venue this time?" said Seveth, as Clover's lecture wound down. "Same place? The food was pretty interesting last time." They had even had portions that were reasonably sized for humans, though knowing what he did now, Seveth suspected this was more to suit their Shalaya clientele than because they anticipated any human patrons.
He had fully expected Clover to answer, but instead it was Sorrel who spoke. "No, we'll be meeting somewhere else."
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Post by Noa on Jun 25, 2021 16:29:17 GMT -6
She was, he allowed, pretty enough for a Lashak -- not generally a breed he associated with great beauty so much as a war-like countenance, but some of Marric's more delicate proportions had yet been passed on to this one, even if she was just as large as the pure-blooded ones. Her scales were a light blue, and now they were brushing her all over with powders to bring out the best iridescence in her hide. Her green wings were being painted with pigment that shifted color with the light, subtle patterns that lent her a certain air of mystique. Draconic beauty standards weren't something that Noa had ever concerned himself with, but even he could tell that a great deal of care was being put into making this Draconic look her best.
"And you are the human," said the Draconic. The chill in her voice would have done Arianza proud. It was curious that her infamous temper had skipped both her sons only to turn up however many generations down. He wondered how much of a hand Arianza had had in the raising of this one. "I've been informed that our names are beyond the ability of your little mind to remember. I am Esperanza."
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Post by Linyü on Jun 25, 2021 16:33:48 GMT -6
Sorrel was soft-spoken, the opposite of his mother; his voice had a slightly musical quality to it, giving it an almost wistful, dream-like quality. Given his size and coloration, Seveth wouldn't have expected it of him, but that meant hardly anything at all, especially here. Even with humans, it wasn't wise to judge based on appearances, and he didn't even have a proper frame of reference for Draconics.
"Well, lead the way then! So long as the refreshments are good, I'll have no complaints." He grinned, while Clover glared daggers at him. "Alright, alright, I'll behave. Even if there aren't any refreshments." And if he lamented this with a little sigh, well, she couldn't very well crucify him for that, could she?
Clover muttered something under her breath that Seveth didn't quite catch, but he decided it was probably for the best. It was probably nothing flattering about himself anyway.
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Post by Noa on Jun 25, 2021 16:40:03 GMT -6
She didn't temper her words with a threat, but there was an unspoken one lingering in the air, and Noa suspected that if he asked for her name again today, whether in honesty or in jest, he would draw more than a frosty dismissal from her. Rhys shuddered from his place on Noa's shoulder, and Noa could feel the trembling of the Faeron's side against his neck.
"Duly noted," he said, his own voice bored and offhand. Esperanza's eyes narrowed, but covered in attendants and paints as she was, she could hardly do anything more. And if she meant to seek some magical means of reprisal, well, she might find that Noa was more than her match in that aspect. He had certainly never met a Draconic who held more magical reserves than he himself did now, despite their reputation as a race well versed in magic... But then, theirs was innate to them, and ubiquitous among their population, so maybe it was a matter of dispersal rather than concentration.
"Will you be much longer at this?" he asked. If she expected him to wait on her for hours on end, then she was sadly mistaken, business relationship or no.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 25, 2021 16:58:18 GMT -6
Sorrel sighed. "I will have to prepare," he said.
Seveth blinked. "Prepare for what?"
"I need to be presentable. I have been thoroughly cleaned, but the paints..." He rose and began walking at once, leading the way further into the chambers of the cavern where Clover's family made their home. It was a respectable size -- certainly bigger than what Seveth had here. Sorrel's room was large and airy, with a reasonably nice view. A shelf that would usually have been for reclining was currently occupied almost entirely with various pots of something or the other, most of it shimmery or colorful, or both.
Seveth had seen the sorts of paints and powders that some Draconics adorned themselves with from a distance, and occasionally he had seen a Draconic wearing them up close, but he didn't know much about them and he had certainly never been privy to their application before.
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Post by Noa on Jun 25, 2021 18:05:43 GMT -6
She didn't dignify him with an answer, but one of the Draconics attending her informed Noa in a quiet tone that it shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes. Noa sighed; it wasn't quite enough time to do anything else, so he picked a convenient spot to sit -- fortunately not difficult to find here, considering his smaller size and the room's generous proportions -- and gazed out the window, thinking on his latest spell experiment as he waited. It was not how he would have chosen to spend his time, but he had enough dealings with Riverhold that unfortunately some give and take was required, even for him.
The attendants, at least, were as good as their word, and within fifteen minutes they were in fact finished. And if Esperanza was inclined to fuss and nitpick about their work afterwards, well... "You must be very infatuated with this suitor, to go to such lengths for him," Noa drawled, inspecting his nails. Esperanza did not look at him, but he could see her tensing out of the corner of his eye, and he knew that his barb had hit the mark.
"We're leaving. Inform Great-Grandmother," said Esperanza, and one of the other Draconics scuttled out of the room.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 25, 2021 18:14:29 GMT -6
Sorrel wasted no time and picked out a pot that had only half its contents left. It must have been a tried and true favorite. He took a brush, dipped it in the contents, then began dusting it over himself in practiced motions. Seveth watched, with no small amount of fascination, as the black scales of Sorrel's hide took on an iridescent look.
"Ah," he said. "This is how they do it, isn't it?"
"It's a mineral powder," Sorrel explained. He was humoring Seveth; there was no real need for him to explain, and Seveth hadn't exactly badgered him for an explanation, but he anticipated Seveth's curiosity and offered one anyway. "There are cheap ones, and very expensive ones... This is one of our best." It had a greenish cast to it, the better to compliment his wings and the faint teal shades of his legs. The effect was very becoming.
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Post by Noa on Jun 25, 2021 18:19:43 GMT -6
Perhaps 'scuttled' was not a generous way to put it, considering the size of these Draconics, but it did remind Noa very much of someone fleeing a scene. If Esperanza was anything like Arianza, as her first impression promised, then Noa didn't exactly blame the attendant that had fled. And he had no doubts as to who 'Great-Grandmother' could be. As little as they cared for each other, there could be no doubt that Arianza was the one who ran the clan, even if they named Marric as their head as well as their founder. But he had quickly learned that it was better to deal with Arianza in all her waspish, haughty attitude than it was to deal with Marric and his rambling eccentricities. At least Arianza knew how to conduct business, and her mind was shrewd.
With that matter settled, Esperanza rose to her feet, and paced out of the room with her head held high. Any other Draconics in her way scattered to get out of it. Noa rose and followed in her wake. Thus far he was her only entourage, though given the weight of the occasion, he doubted things would stay that way for very long.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 25, 2021 18:24:22 GMT -6
And Sorrel seemed as if he was a practiced hand at applying it to himself. He went pretty quickly -- though to be fair, he had a lot of ground to cover. He wasn't the biggest Draconic Seveth had ever met, of course, but he was certainly on the large side. Soon, one pot of powder was exchanged for another, this one combed through his mane. His horns were polished and tipped with paint, before at last he attended to his wings.
Here, at last, he had some difficulty, and Seveth stepped in to help. "If you can draw the patterns, I can fill them in," he said. In the end Sorrel had no need of even doing that much; it didn't take Seveth long to identify the pattern, and from there it was a small matter to replicate it. It would have been faster still if he could use magic, but alas...
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Post by Noa on Jun 26, 2021 12:51:07 GMT -6
Noa's suspicions were confirmed when they emerged into the central foyer, just before the main doors themselves. There was assembled the rest of their party: a collection of Draconics, mostly kin. Several Lashaks looked to be clutchmates, and there were two especially large Makiyans standing with them as well. Arianza was present, though Noa rather doubted she would go with them.
Esperanza strode past all of them with that same haughty air. Apparently, at least today, even the presence of her own kin didn't temper her ego. She deferred only to Arianza, bowing her head so that the smaller, older Draconic could murmur something for her ears only. Probably some last minute advice, or perhaps even a warning. Noa didn't know, and he didn't particularly care either, so long as they weren't too long about it.
But the one thing that Arianza had in common with Noa was their dislike of wasting time. And so she did not speak long, and Esperanza straightened after only a few moments. She walked out the door, and it was the two Makiyans who followed, along with one of the two Lashaks, though the latter hung further back than the rest, with an air of faint amusement.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 26, 2021 13:52:54 GMT -6
They were still trying to keep a low profile -- or rather, San was, and Seveth was reluctantly acknowledging that it might be for the better if he didn't stand out too much either. He doubted his pursuers were still looking for him, especially considering the circumstances under which he had left, but there was no need to test that theory too closely.
A pity. All this magical power and so little occasion to use it. He sighed, and Sorrel turned to look at him.
"If it is too troublesome," he began, but Seveth shook his head and smiled.
"No, it's kind of relaxing, actually. Hold still, I'm almost done." And he was as good as his word; a few last brush strokes filled in the last of the patterns, and then he stepped back, to allow Sorrel more room to examine his wings. Sorrel unfurled one and then the other, craning his neck to see the patterns.
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Post by Noa on Jun 27, 2021 13:18:40 GMT -6
Noa glanced sidelong at him, and the Draconic caught his eye, but rather than glaring at Noa as his sister -- Noa was reasonably sure she was his sister, anyway -- might have done, he merely winked. What did he think transpired between them in this exchange, Noa wondered? Ah, but it was probably nothing important.
Still, he felt that it would have been better, for himself at least, if it had been that Draconic, rather than Esperanza, being accompanied today. At least the whole affair would have been more bearable if the figure at the center of it had a sense of humor. Unfortunately for him, and possibly for all of them, they were stuck with the haughty heiress of Arianza's legacy, and she seemed determined to make a showing of it.
They walked for some time, and it became clear quickly enough that they weren't headed for the same place that Noa had been to last time, when he had accompanied the dark Eideon to a different match-making session. But then, now that he had met Esperanza for himself, he supposed she would have taken insult at the prospect of anything that had already been used or done by someone else.
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