Private Tales Flint to the Fire

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
"Arguing?" She blinked, her head snapping back at him after she had lifted her head to try and spy for the signs of the Morays. "Is that what that sound is?"

"Yup," Talorgan replied.

"I don't know why they spend so much of their energy arguing over who gets the best branch."

He shrugged his broad shoulders.

He glanced across at Nadya's profile. They were both separated from their peers. His was an exile of choice, whilst she had fallen into the responsibility of a mighty dragon and her command.

He had expected them to cross that gap quite like they had in the stream. Talorgan smiled as he looked down at his lap.

"Well, that's two of our drinks down. Soon we may have to retire for the night, otherwise I am afraid you wouldn't keep up with the counts of drinks."

"Well you are very small, but still gave a good account of yourself," he chuckled. "Come on, we'll go back to the tent."
 
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"I knew you would be intimidated by the way I can hold my drink." She grinned at him. "Already calling defeat, Talorgan?"

But Nadya wouldn't say she was eager to go with his suggestions for the rest of the evening. She would not say she waz eager to revisit what happened in the stream either, but Nadya was glad for such a distraction. Drinking and listening to an evening of the wilds was something she took for granted when on patrol. Now, she was being taught to listen and appreciate what is not known by all Thanasians.

"How do they exist out here? What about the threats of Jarlax?" She pondered aloud. Nadya's face turned to watch his, brows furrowed in question. Was she safe out here without her dragon?
 
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Talorgan took a moment to think about the question. He'd heard it asked in a variety of different ways over the years.

"It's kinda like saying 'how are there still sheep despite dragons?' The tribes have existed out here for a very long time."

There was another little plume of light. It was hard to gauge how far away it was. At night the light could travel far.

"They don't live in patches of forests where jarlax live in numbers. And... Yes... That was a little intimidating."
 
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It was impossible for the wry smile to leave her lips as he admitted she intimidated him with her experience with drinking. "Oh, I do love hearing a man admit that. Sweetest words I will ever hear." She grinned, getting up onto her feet slowly and turning to him.

"If the chance of a Jarlax attack were to happen... do you think these people will hold it against me if my dragon were to join the fray?" Nadya looked at him sheepishly. "He is nearby, but not too close... Kalyss doesn't trust the idea of me being far from him. Something about him choosing me over any of my sisters and him being the last Storm Dragon." She rolled her eyes, but it was clear that Talorgan's assurance of the peaceful life the tribes lived was the right thing to put her at ease.

She stood there, staring at him again. Hard not to, not after all she saw of him as soon as the sun went down.

Clearing her throat, she shrugged nonchalantly. "Bed time? You promised we could wake at dawn to go looking for... you know." Other dragons. It was the gamble of how much sleep would be had, or rather, if indeed their weary bones would allow them to rise with the sun or not.
 
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He hoped he found those words sweet. The ones she would be hearing from him soon would not be.

He stood slowly, considering her question.

"They might hold it against you," he decided. "But really, if it's that or death we might just have to choose losing some friends."

He glanced up at the clouds as if he might catch the silhouette of the storm dragon. Then he looked back down at Nadya. He saw the path her gaze followed and he took a deep breath.

"We'd best turn in early then," he said, crossing his arms across his chest.
 
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Nadya did not miss the movement of his arms.

For a brief moment, shorter than she would have liked, she watched his arm muscles tense over his chest, another assortment of movement she did not miss a beat seeing. "Losing friends... I think I can survive that. Losing family... I don't think I could handle that."

Her eyes lifted, meeting his, and managed a smile. "Never mind any of that. We're here to learn more of the wildlife."

It seemed that Nadya would need more time in the wildlands if she wanted to learn more.

A night spent in private with Talorgan only lead them to giving into each other's company. They had tried to keep things quiet, but Tal knew just how to break her willpower.

By the time dawn rose, the sun hit their tent partially the moment Nadya rolled and sat up. Slowly, she began to grab pieces of clothing and pulled them on as she got to her feet. She sat on a small wooden chest, gathering all her hair and began to braid it while she heard Talorgan toss around.

Hopefully he was awake.

"Morning, you. I had a thought. Didn't you mention there was an almost rare breed of phoenix found in this area? What do you think our chances are of seeing one?" She half turned her spine to try and spy where he was and offer a smile. No need to mention their evening of wandering hands.
 
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"Morning," Tal replied. He was only just awake, but it seemed like trying to force his brain through fog into a truly woken state.

He was slow to lift his bulk. He ran his fingers through his hair to try and smooth out the mess. He usually woke earlier than this with the sun. He smiled briefly at Nadya. He hoped her throat wouldn't be too sore this morning.

"Chances are slim," he told her as he put his travelling leathers back on. Normally if he had such a night without romantic ties he would have been on his way.

"But that doesn't mean it isn't worth looking. The rocky hills north of here are the best chance. Biersys could have climbed with us on her back, but we will have to do it ourselves. Kalyss will force any smaller creatures to ground."
 
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She cleared her throat.

Twice.

Nadya rolled her eyes when it was apparent that feeling would not leave so easily, and that was all partially in thanks to him.

"Well... north sounds good. How long of a trip are we looking at?" Ideally, she didn't want to leave the tribes so soon. Perhaps another day or so, to rest and learn some more of the way of the tribespeople. Learning about the creatures nearby too. Food, water, bathing, shelter. All of it.

But Nadya could not wait to delve deeper into the wilds with Talorgan. She knew him to be smart, to know so much of a life out past the borderlands.
 
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Talorgan tilted his head from side to side as he considered the question. He hadn't walked there on foot before.

"I'd say an hour's walk, probably a few hours to get around the rocks and find a quiet spot to watch."

He had the sense to look a tiny bit embarrassed at her discomfort.

"I'm going to go and wash," he said. "And... Maybe stretch a bit. Long walk would do me good."
 
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"An hour?" She inquired, echoing her thoughts. "That isn't so bad..."

Her pale eyes watched him ready hinself to go wash in the stream. She would have followed him, but the aches of their activities still stayed with her. "Alright then, I think I will go find some tribes people to train with."

Getting physical and training could help loosen her up.

For Nadya, it wasn't hard for her to find where the stronger people were and where they trained. Upon her approach, she garnered some stares. One of the elder men in the hunting group greeted her in the Common Tongue. "They are curious about you. They all think you too small and frail to fight."

This only made her smile. "I am a Wing Leader in the Thanasian Army." And many of her peers believed it was her dragon that got her all her promotions. In truth, Kalyss was, but not in the way they all thought. Nadya had wanted to earn his approval, to gain his trust, and the best way to go about it was to show him her dedication. "I learned a lot."

The man grinned, ushering her in closer and spoke in his native tongue to his brothers and sisters. Some of them laughed, but others appraised her anew.
 
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Talorgan meandered on his way to the stream. He was walking in the same direction as several more from the tribe.

Their location offered shelter. Rocks for defence and fresh running water.

He stepped down into the stream, ignoring the others and gave himself a good wash. He was aching in all the right places.



One of the tribes people returned with a shield and a spear. It was a spear pole, but there was no point, just some metal studs to give it the same balance.

Their weapons were crude, but anyone could wield a spear and be far more dangerous than a swordsman on the field.

They set them down at her feet.

She was waved at and then they pointed at the spear. One of the younger men in the group took up position opposite her.
 
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This was going to be a challenge. Not because she thought them to best her, but because she was not familiar with their fighting style. Going through basic training with the Thunder was when everyone was taught the same, but once you made it into the squads under each wing, that was where you were expected to flesh out your own personal fighting style in hopes no one can anticipate your next move.

Nadya had always been closer to an apex predator in this.

She was patient, vigilant, and intelligent when it came to sparring. Instinct was there if she needed it, but she liked to plan her approaches.

A shield and spear was not often a duet she played, but she understood the mechanics. Her spear was sharpened on one side, and already she knew the best way in wielding it. Moving into an offensive position, Nadya nodded to her opponent to indicate she was ready. Only when they repeated the gesture did Nadya lunge forward.

She went in low and fast, testing to see how well they could hold their balance before adjusting her approach. Her patience was a skill she worked hard at, elongating her endurance in hopes to tire out her opponent. This tactic also gave her insight on how one would counter her, and from that, she would learn how one fought.
 
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The spear snapped towards her. These people didn't fight with elogance. They couldn't afford it. They fought together, held position and fought much larger creatures. Of they broke and fled, they died.

That meant they focussed on the speed and power of the thrust. The sound of the spear striking Nadya's shield rang out.

The tribesman was forced to give just a single step as she continued to come in lower than he was accustomed to. As he gave ground he shifted his grip on the spear, swinging the butt of the weapon up towards her chest from below.
 
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When an opponent was much taller than her and began to counter her attacks from a lower point, it often left plenty of areas wide open for her to strike. Nadya did not exploit this straight away. Perhaps he knew he left quite a lot of opportunity for her to attack, and thus leading her into a false sense of victory.

Nadya shifted herself to meet with his blow, letting out a hiss of pain as it shocked her system, but that was all she allowed in that moment. She twisted, shield now between herself and the tribesman as she used it to block her open area as her feet moved to continue to movement of twirling. She lowered herself to rest on a knee, swinging her weaponised arm to arc around her and swat at the back of his legs.

No one was immune to that reaction. His knees buckled, and Nadya smiled as she launched back onto her feet and took a few steps back. Resetting to beginning stances.


"Very good." She chuckled, fingers flexing over the spear. Her blood was flowing, warming up to the workout she was about to lead herself and her opponent through. By the end of this, perhaps she needed a bathing before heading out on her hike with Talorgan.
 
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Talorgan saw the tribesman go down on his back before he saw Nadya standing victorious.

As he approached to the sound of training spear on shield - this time her opponent was more cautious and took advantage of his reach - he noticed a change in the tribes people. The reactions varied. Some clearly showed some respect for her fighting on the ground. Others were reminded of the strength of Thansis.

Those most interested in the fight either hurled light insults or advice from the sidelines.

"I'm gonna lose you to fighting all day aren't I?" Tal asked as she was driven back a step.
 
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Nadya was successful again, this time, her opponent tapped out to be released as she had them pinned to the ground and her spear pressed against his throat. She did so quickly, rolling off of him and moving tk stamd as she caught her breath. She laughed in Talorgan's direction, his hair still damp from washing.

"I only made you wait a few minutes since you said something." She grinned. In fact, her opponents had thought he had the upperhand, but Nadya was trained too diligently. "I'd say we go get something to eat before we make plans to go on our walk. I'll bathe later tonight when we get back."

There was an unspoken invitation for him with that declaration. She wouldn't hold him to it, but if he so happened to entertain it again, Nadya would hope he would help ease some tension in her muscles.


"Come on. You're my translator. Pretty sure one of those tribes people called me something awful."
 
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. "I'd say we go get something to eat before we make plans to go on our walk. I'll bathe later tonight when we get back."

"If we get back early enough we can go out of the rocks and upstream," Talorgan said. He provided her answer by suggesting more privacy for them both.

"Come on. You're my translator. Pretty sure one of those tribes people called me something awful."

Talorgan laughed.

"I don't need to translate everything. You should know they didn't expect you to put up a proper fight."

He gave a little shrug.

"They were quite impressed."

He turned to the group and barked out a few more words. A few narrowed eyes. Not because they were annoyed, but because his grasp on the language was poor. He could still be confusing.

"Ready to go?"
 
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Nadya visibly winced as Talorgan spoke their language, the stark difference in coherence of butchered and native obvious to every ear. For all his worth, the sheer fact Talorgan had made the effort to communicate in a language he had learned made her value him as a human being even more. Despite his poor pronunciations, it was clear the tribes people still respected him.

All these thoughts, and Nadya never realised she was thinking tenderly of her friend.

Her cheeks burned red at the realisation.

Nadya cleared her throat, a nervous smile on her lips. "I guess a Wing Leader means nothing to them... a fancy title only." But Nadya had been learning to fight for over a decade. There had been great expectations for her after she bonded with a Storm Dragon, and with so many eyes looking at her and the legacy of the bloodline that began to Thunder of Thanasis, Nadya had been a worthy challenger.

In a bid to hide the awkwardness trying to push through, Nadya wiped at the sweat clinging to her forehead. "Yes! Water and food, and I think we are right to go." Her smile was too big, and she only realised after a second too long of staring at him before she cleared her throat again and turned around. "This way...?"
 
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"They know you're a soldier now," Talorgan told Nadya.

"Yes, out north," Talorgan said.

He stepped up beside Nadya and headed for the communal tents. She was smiling more than he had seen before. Perhaps, he thought to himself, she had been in desperate need of working out some tensions.

He asked the tribes people for some supplies and was offered some stale bread for the road. He filled a few water skins in the stream.

They had to pass several watchful tribesmen as they picked their way down. Being near the mouth of the stream gave the tribe a defensible position and clean water.

"Not the most gentle terrain," he said, pointing to the walk ahead. There were rocks kitting out of the uneven ground. In places they walked on stone and other areas were soft and marshy.
 
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There had always been an intoxication at being recognised for her skills, to prove herself. It was why Talorgan would have truly lost her to training all day if he hadn't found her at the end of her match. It was a better drug than the feelings and heart racing any lover could do to her.

But Nadya set all that aside. Her cool down came in the form of taking a drink, following Talorgan around until he secured them supplies and a bag to carry them all in. She had kept quiet, taking in all the peaceful nature around them and thinking to herself how this was another day without her rank and duties that pulled her all over Thanasis. Today had no real plan, and that made her feel relaxed the moment they strayed from the settlement.


"No shit, Tal." She snorted, a grin spreading across her mouth. "You think the way to the settlement was flat and not at all dangerous? I recall, it was you that fell off the side of a rock and I had to help you back up." The memory was still so fresh in her head, her grin growing until she was laughing.
 
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The explorer made a small grumpy harumph.

He smiled at her a few moments later and picked up the pace. He deliberately fell quiet afterwards.

Each time of the day had its own predators. There was a reason that the humans had bonded woth dragons long ago. Alone in the wilds they were vulnerable.

The ground levelled out and met another stream. A small herd of bison were grazing and they took a wide path around them. They were obvious prey for larger dragons.

Soon they were climbing again. He was on high alert, watching every shadow in the rocks.

"We'll head for those rocks up there and wait," Talorgan said. "We're most likely to see one around midday across this slope."
 
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Working with Talorgan was not new to her, and his silence was met with her own as they trekked further into the brushes and trees. This path was not of civilisation, and therefore treacherous to navigate when they were not armed with large amounts of weaponry. They chose to be observers today. They chose to be respectful of the habitats of other creatures and dragons.

She did not need to answer him verbally, but Nadya lifted her head towards Talorgan's face and met his gaze. She held them for a moment before nodding, eyes flicking towards their path.

Nadya was nimble as they needed to climb the rocks in order to hide behind them. It was much like climbing upon dragon back, but there was a clear path to climb in order to get into a saddle. This rock face barely had anymore footholds the higher she climbed.


"Tal." She whispered, looking up at him as he climbed past her seconds ago and already made it to the top, showing how at ease he was in the wylds. "A hand, please?"
 
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"Hmm, you are small," he replied.

He suddenly hoped that she wouldn't challenge him to a duel in front of the tribe. That would give his ego a serious bruising.

He took her hand, brace his other against the rocks and helped her up. She didn't need to use handholds, instead relying on his support to make the last few feet.

There wasn't much room where he was. There were more rocks behind him. It was a thin ledge. Talorgan pressed his back to a rock and settled down.

"I hope the great storm dragon rider can managed some patience," he chuckled. "If we sit still and quiet we might see a wisp of smoke one might be about to take flight."
 
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Nadya simply scowled at him for calling her small. Talorgan came from a family that were all broad and muscular, just by their blood descended from warriors. Tal was easy on the eyes, just like his brothers, but Nadya always liked him better as he could steer a conversation outside of the proper and genteel mannerisms the nobles liked to use.

They were both so similar, and perhaps that connection was what drew her to him a lot of the time.

As he helped pull her up and over the ledge, Nadya had to push out thoughts of his strength being used last night. It had been a fair effort, for there was not much room to put distance between herself and him as they settled to wait for signs of their target dragon or creature to become known.


"I can be patient, but I also can complain about it if I want to." Nadya muttered, lightly elbowing his side.
 
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He could feel her attention, even if he didn't catch her glance. What had happened had been unexpected and whilst he was comfortable, he wasn't always certain how to act. He didn't want anything to change between them, but that was inevitable.

"You can complain about it later," Talorgan replied. "For now you'll be quiet."

He chuckled once and then fell to silence. There was cover in the rocks around them, but he didn't want to end up with a wyvern hunting them out here.

He seemed particularly comfortable with silence. Back to the wall, his eyes fell half closed.

It was over an hour before they heard a cry. Talorgan sat more upright and tilted his head. The sound repeated. A phoenix and not something calling out that it had seen two snack sized humans.

He leaned forwards and pointed as a small wisp of dark smoke rose upwards.