Fable - Ask The Warmth of Dragons

[Cressida]

Gossip and rumors were how truth began. Because truth usually wasn't dictated by what was actually true but rather by what the populace believed to be true. It was why Cress tried to keep one ear open on what the rabble said, even if she took their words with a healthy dose of skepticism. Still, for better or for worse the newest bride to Kaveh would likely forever have to deal with whispers referring to her as a dragon-thief.

However, being part of the royal family afforded Briseis with a rare luxury. She didn't have to care what anyone, not even the noble houses, thought of her.

She raised an eyebrow at Rune's comments before the approaching royals came too close however. "You didn't hear? I bewitched my own brother and claimed Laasya for myself." A sly grin piled on to the obvious sarcasm in her voice.

Her grin turned into an all-out smile as Baron finished his snack and followed Errune's commands. She resisted the urge to pet the hound and instead just admired him from afar.

Once the prince and his bride approached Cressida bent her head in respect, allowing her former mentor to do the talking. She was still actively serving the armed forces of Thanasis and her duties defending the royal family outweighed any chatter from the common folk or her own personal opinions on the third-born prince who seemed to explode at the most minor of offenses.

 

[Bani]

Bani gave Leovold a wink. "Yeah they're the tops-pleeugh!" Her cocky grin had collapsed as she tasted the insect in her teeth, and she doubled over into a fit of coughing and spitting. Vexillion roused, raising and shaking out his dark feathers before setting them down gently as though nothing had occured. Bani straightened back up, wiping off her tongue and lips dramatically.

Both she and her dragon were dwarfed by their respective counterparts in the street. While they didn't require much space, the other dragons appeared agitated at the closeness. She glanced at Nyxondra but looked away almost at once. Vexillion would be a bite-sized snack for the blue dragon, and Bani's bones would hardly make use as a toothpick. She shivered at the mental imagery, but put her confident mask back in place.

"We've practically our own little Murizi procession by now. I think a march to the plaza might be prudent. Shall we?"

"Ladies first!" She grabbed Melisandre's polished hand in a dirty glove and started them for the Plaza. A few looks up at the sky and the dragons overhead gave away her nagging thoughts. Why hadn't Raimond come to play yet?

 

[Raimond Thesius]

The smile on Raimonds face turned into a wide grin as his sister gave him a bewildered look and refused his offer. Rai wasn't expecting her to say yes, but it was definitely worth a try. After all, she'd need to get used to some fancy flying if she was going to make it in the military, wouldn't she? He pulled his hand back and gave Ha'Than a little tug to signal it was time. "Alright, alright. I'll see you down there, Ryla. Love you too."

Spreading his wings wide and then pushing off of the roof with a triumphant roar, Ha'Than took to the air at last, massive wings flapping against the sky as he climbed up into the clouds overhead, glowing with sunlight that peeked through the foggy curtain. Raimond leaned back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath of the thin air at this height. Up above the clouds, there was no worry, no pressure, and no troubles. If he could get away with living up in the sky, it'd be the definition of Heaven to him. The expectations and responsibilities that everybody tried to weigh on his shoulders just slid right off.

Ha'Than slowed his ascent, soaring gently as Raimond reveled in the lightheaded sensation that filled his skull, hands idly running across the White Dragon's scales in an affectionate gesture. Then, a sigh... There was a whole festival down there waiting on him. As much as he enjoyed skirting responsibility, he knew he couldn't afford to miss the event today.

Besides, maybe he'd run into Melisandre, or get to show up Bani a little bit. It was supposed to be a celebration after all, and he did have a few friends here and there. So, straightening himself out and opening his eyes carefully against the beat of the wind splashing like water against his forehead, he ran his tongue across his lower lip and tugged lightly on his best friend underneath him. "Okay, buddy. Let's do it."

With another incredible bellow, Ha'Than dove sharply downwards. Raimond held tightly to him, his hair flying wildly behind him as the clouds beneath them part and Thanasis careens back into view. Vhagor had scolded him plenty of times for these dangerously low dives, but nobody could deny he'd gotten skilled at them. Just before the point of no return, where the danger of colliding with the crowd gathered in the square would be at its worst, Rai pulls back. Ha'Than cries out craning his head back and dramatically swooping back up into the air, the claw of his back left foot dragging against the ground, before extending for the beast to catch itself on as it lowered and landed with a quaking thud.

 

[Ryla-Thesius]

Ryla had watched her brother with only a few headshakes and eye rolls. It was a wonder he hadn't killed himself yet. She did enjoy the show though...as long as she didn't think of everything that could go wrong.

Once she had seen where Ha'Than was going to take them down, Ryla and Keeri started their own descent to the festival.

"It was beautiful flying," Ryla said as she stood next to her dragon and smiled at her twin. "But I think Bani beat you today..."

 

[Kaveh]

Kaveh carried himself up the steps past simpering commoners and stubborn nobles, taking no mind of them as they bowed or dipped their heads.

He offered no greeting as he passed Errune and the White Rose at his side, fully intending on ignoring them as he would have any other. Yet his steps suddenly came to a stop when the man's greeting fell not only to him, but the woman just behind him.

The Prince's head turned almost instantly, eyes flickering over the archivist and then briefly to the woman besides him before returning to Errune himself.

Briseis was a figure of reviled hatred within the Palace, almost more so than Kaveh himself. There were few in the nobility who would speak to her, fewer still who would offer her any sort of title. Most would rather see her as a ragged corpse on the street. The fact that she was treading in the Royal Plaza was an insult to many of them.

Almost instantly within his mind a thousand different strings began to tug and pull themselves together. Within the flickering of a heartbeat a plan began to form in his mind, set into place as his foot swept gently to the side and he fully faced Errune.

He smiled, an expression that looked like a wolf which had found its next meal. "Briseis."

Kaveh said, drawing the former servant's attention.

"This is Errune Thesius." The Prince said with a gentle wave towards the stoic man. "He is the Royal Archivist."

He glanced over towards his charge. "He guards a hoard of knowledge most nobles could not even dream of.

Behind him, Rayvath still loomed within the square. She watched as the Servant girl began to pick up the tray, tail flickering ever so slightly within the air as Polina began to speak whispered promises. Eyes narrowed as though the Great Dragon were attempting to read the honesty to her words.

Then after a moment more, Rayvath's low growl seemed to almost turn to an earth shaking purr.

Briseis | Polina | Cressida

 

[Melisandre]

Oh Leovold. Melisandre gave the man a saccharine smile to hold back the scathing words in her throat. She hardly looked amiable with her lips being pulled back too tight and a vein popping on her neck. She wanted to— no, she needed to— remind the haughty little lord that arrogance could plant a seed of sin and loneliness was wont to serve to as its nursery.

Eyrx looked up, unbothered by the gnawing of their hind leg, and slapped it’s long tail against Ira’s side.

Then a flurry of commotion as Bani arrived, and soon enough, the Merchant’s Corner was struggling to contain all the dragons and their riders. Meli was about to walk off herself, but Bani had grabbed her hand and was already dragging her away.

“Yes, ladies first….” Meli said, looking behind her to Leovold, Vhagor and the shadow-like woman, holding up a hand to twiddle her fingers in a languid yet playful good bye. “Don’t get lost to the Plaza, Leo, I know it’s been awhile since you’ve been out of your house.” Turning back to face forward, Melisandre snapped her fingers, capturing Eryx’s attention.

Despite Bani having a filthy glove, probably splattered with bug guts on top of dirt, Melisandre didn’t pull away from the pixie-like girl. Instead she kept up with the young woman’s frantic pace. The redhead reminded the youngest Evreux of a dragonfly.

Her flying was quite spectacular. The only one to match the break-neck pace and to not throw up after performing those spinning-helix nosedives was probably Raimond or Evirea.

 

[Briseis]

Lady....

Two syllables that weighed a whole lot as they fell upon Briseis, and she stopped in her tracks, her expression paused as her dark eyes settled upon the man who'd risked social suicide by giving her such a title. Had she gained her dragon any other way, it would have been a title given to her freely, but the noble families of Thanasis didn't take insult lightly, and she had insulted them in the worst possible way. Bri cast her gaze back to Ciraxis, and to those around him who watched in jovial awe as he performed a preening stretch and flourish of his wings.

She noticed Kaveh stop too, her gaze shifting to him warily as he turned to the polite offender, and suddenly she remembered how to walk again and managed to catch up. Kaveh didn't smile like that unless he had some ill intentioned plan in mind, and the tangle of anxieties in her chest began to knot and tighten.

They would never know how strange a thing it was to stand here amongst royalty and nobility without a tray in hand. They'd never understand how odd her own name sounded on their tongues, or how difficult a thing it was to keep her chin up and her gaze steady as they spoke to her. She was learning, though. That she was comfortable enough in the Prince's company to call him by name and to speak without first being spoken to was a testament to that - but he didn't loathe her like so many here did. There was only so much confidence that Kaveh had managed to instil in her, and of course it wavered when she had no idea what thoughts were behind the devious smile he wore as he spoke her name.

Upon introduction, she dipped her chin politely, and though her lips curled into a small smile it failed to reach her eyes and there was little she could do to hide her uncertainty. Words lodged in her throat and she had to clear it before she spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Thesius. I imagine the Royal archives to be an interesting place indeed." she offered in small talk before her gaze dropped to the hound at his heels and her smile warmed.

A Lady of House Murizi, she noticed, was stood quietly in attendance too, and Briseis offered another dip of her chin.. "M.." My not mi, my not mi, my not mi.. "-y Lady." she forced out, hopefully in time not to look entirely mental. At least if she weren't trying to figure out what the hells she was supposed to be doing with her hands right now she might have blended in a little better. Folded? Clasped? At her sides? Lets just go for all three shall we?

Ciraxis, in what was either the best or worst timed intervention gave a gentle nudge at her back and she turned slightly, offering the creature room to survey those around Briseis with a loud huff that ruffled cloak and skirt. Briseis settled a hand on the smooth scales of his cheek and fought a smirk..

 

[Errune Thesius]

That the Prince had deigned to stop and converse had shocked Errune so greatly the emotion visibly played on his stoic, dour features in the form of raised brows and widened eyes. Wholly unexpected in every way imaginable, Rune gave a gentle clearing of his throat and wrapped the grip of his hand around the dragon claw handle of his cane a bit tighter. Sensing Rune's shift in demeanor, the hound lifted his haunches from a sit to stand alert at his side.

He'd even missed the lack of his Historic Seat title of Lord in the Prince's introduction of him - something that would have made him bristle at the disrespect. Not that most people would expect anything better from Kaveh or that Rune would have said anything to the point. Luckily the young Lady saved the Prince from any such social faux pas.

"Lord Errune, please," Rune replied gently to Briseis, "Lord Thesius is my father. And yes, there is a great deal many interesting things to be found in the Royal Archives. I would be pleased to give you a tour at a later time, if you are so intrigued, Lady Briseis."

When her gaze shifted to Cressida he noted the wane twinge of ... something. Discomfort? Anxiety? His wife had been much the same way when he first met her, shy and reserved as she was, and hid her anxieties well from society. She'd never been comfortable in large crowds or at court, despite how well received she'd been.

"If I may," Rune gestured with the hand holding Baron's leash to Cressida to introduce her to Bri, "this is Lady Cressida Murizi, an honored warrior of the Crown's draconic militia, rider of Laasya, and a dear friend of mine."

 

[Virdan]

Merchant's corner en route to Main Plaza

The look on Virdan's face was too short to be one of patience yet too long to be one of irritation. Perhaps a sprinkle of trying to puzzle out an unanswered question as her eyes flickered between Melisandre and Leo. And a shadow of fleeting disappointment as she finally landed on and held the smoldering eyes Leovold.

As Bani and her dragon entered the scene, there would be a slight shift to the merchant's tents across the way, as if a mirror's surface moved. A puff of preternatural air followed that warmed the existing breeze. Virdan's index finger flexed at her side before she turned her scarred face.

"@Vhagor," a dip of her chin in respect. "We have much to discuss. Later." Hands would clasp behind her back as she'd walk alongside her fellow Ascended, even as Lady Melisandre and Bani lead the way toward the plaza. A quick look back to Leo.

"There is a time to celebrate and a time for mission planning. Let us take advantage of the former. Come find me at Ōmeyōcān if you and Lady Melisandre need...assistance in your future endeavors."

A beat later and eyes that missed little went to Vhagor with a quiet question that only he would hear. "Headaches again?"

 

[Polina]

Royal Plaza

Rayvath's purr-like sound made Polina feel like the bones inside her body were shaking. A nervous smile as she picked up the remaining pieces of the shattered tray, clutching them within her upturned apron of her uniform. Even though she was crouching next to one of, if not, the largest dragon in all of Thanasis, she felt far more at ease with Prince Kaveh's absence and attentions elsewhere.

Even if her heart still worried at her friend's safety.

Hazel eyes flickered back to Rayvath as she allowed herself to study the dragon a bit more closely. "You are very beautiful," an awed whisper as she dipped her blonde-haired head in respect. The crowd around them made sure to give her a wide berth, casting the dragon the same fearful looks as the prince.

"Not many other dragons here, today," Po shook her head, head tilted back toward the beauty and might of Rayvath, finding it easier to talk with a dragon than most of her own kind. "Do you think other nobles are unwilling to take the risk after what happened with-,"

"GIRL!" Madam Sinclaire's sharp voice was suddenly at her side as she turned to the enraged face of the household head. Before she could react, the older woman's palm slapped across her face in a sudden, sharp sting with enough force to cause Polina to pitch forward, all the pieces that she'd picked up promptly falling again to the ground as her knees and palms bit into the pavement.

A hand imprint was quickly forming across the fair skin of her cheek, blonde tresses a disarrayed curtain across her bowed head.

"If you make another mistake like the spectacle you just caused you and your father will be thrown back out on the streets! Or worse. Do you understand?"

 

[Vhagor]

Main Plaza

It wasn't exactly the procession the young Lord Leo wanted no doubt, with Bani and Mel arm in arm like two young school girls with their heads bent towards one another to whisper. Then Virdan with her scars and he with his... well, he cast a glance to the side as Nyxondra unwound her long neck from the mazes of the Merchant's Corner and revealed her true size once more. At five decades old she was hitting the prime of her years and her scales shone with pure power. Once her rider was free of the old ruins she stalked after the procession - such as it was - making a series of clicks and chitterings in what Vhagor had come to understand was their own odd, fear-inspiring language. Each of her strides left a puncture wound in the earth that would take the pit masters a week to fill.

At least, Virdan seemed willing to delay the full force that was Leo and Mel by occupying them.

"Always," he murmured and cracked a rare, small smile in the direction of the woman who had once been a scared girl he had saved from the jaws of death. Even if her powers still unnerved him she was as close to a member of family as he had. "It'll pass, it's just this bloody--" his words cut off as the sudden sound of screaming filled the air and a shadow that had a spot began to grow.

Nyx and Vhagor looked up at the same time.

Many of the normal citizens of Thanasis were not familiar with Rai's reckless riding and naturally fled at the sight of a dragon barrelling towards them. Others fell to their knees and began the end of life prayers whilst others simply collapsed or were dragged under the sudden crush of crowds rushing to escape what they believed to be the collision point.

Silence hushed across the Plaza as the dragon landed until

"BOY!"

Nyx was quicker than her rider and in one powerful jump was upon the younger dragon with a snarl, claws or teeth attempting to pin it into place. Vhagor wasn't soon behind her but his eyes were for the rider. Wherever he had fallen the old man with surprising strength hurled him up by the scruff.

"Best find your tongue boy and sing me a pretty excuse before I let Nyxondra here peel every scale from your dragons hide. What the fuck do you think you are doing? LOOK! LOOK AT THESE PEOPLE!" He snarled, shaking the younger lad in his grip. Around them stunned citizens picked up friends or inspected wounds.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Raimond had stuck the landing, or at least he thought so. Ha'Than was on the younger side of things, but he wasn't careless, and he'd made sure he wasn't landing on top of anybody when they came down. Of course, he hadn't accounted for people being so high-strung they started panicking at the sight of a dragon in a city that worshipped dragons. Pfft. He turned to Ryla as she hurried down to meet him, the commotion around him buzzing in his ear like an annoying bug as he smirked at her judgment. "It's a good thing that wasn't my show then. I just thought I'd arrive in style. See, I have this trick planned where I--"

Vhagor's roar was almost as fearsome as Nyx's, but it wasn't his voice that suddenly knocked him off Ha'Than's back and sent him falling hard to the ground in front of Ryla. Nyxondora was the kind of dragon you just didn't cross, and evidently Rai's stunt had been a little too over the line for her and her rider. Raimond clutched at his ribcage with a small groan as he used his other arm to prop himself up and watch at Nyx tackled Ha'Than, easily overpowering the smaller, younger dragon and bringing it down. Ha'Than put up a good struggle, roaring and snarling back up at his attacker, slipping from her grip on more than one occasion and basically making a nuisance out of himself, but he wouldn't last.

Ha'Than would have to manage though, because soon after that Raimond saw a large hand come down into his view and haul him up to his feet to look back into the furious eyes of his old teacher, Vhagor. Yeah, when Rai decided on this style of entrance, he hadn't taken the old man into account. His bad, really...

"I didn't hurt anybody, Gor!" Raimond choked out between shakes, "The only people who got hurt are the ones who started freaking out. If they'd just kept calm they'd have been totally fine! It's festival day, they should be ready for dragons!" Admittedly his logic was only half correct. Yes, the commoners should have been used to seeing Dragons up close on festival day, and this wasn't the first time Raimond had done this during the festivities, but he also had approached far too fast and low even by his usual standards.

Reaching out to hold the wrist Vhagor held him with, Rai clenched his teeth.

"Look I'm sorry. I came in too low. I was distracted, alright?"

 

[Ryla-Thesius]

Ryla was busy watching her brother when she heard Vhagor's voice and saw Rai get thrown from Ha'Than before she really understood what was happening.

Vhagor pulled Rai to his feet and started to yell at him. She had been oblivious to how he had landed and now she wanted to scold herself for not yelling at him before Vhagor got there. Poor Ha'Than was receiving the worst of this little encounter.

The elder twin stayed quiet and stood with her hands behind her back while Vhagor yelled and Rai tried to explain. A better person would have tried to stick up for her twin but Vhagor and Nyx were not to be crossed. She wasn't on the old man's bad side and she had no intention of getting on it.

She would apologize to Rai later.

 

[Cressida]

Ugh. Sometimes Rune was simply too kind for his own good. Nearly every interaction she'd had with Prince Kaveh had been... unpleasant. Not that she could, or would, ever admit as such to anyone. She had a duty to serve the royal family but one could only stomach the ill temper of a spoiled brat so many times without dismissing him as being a petulant child that would hopefully never sit upon the throne of Thanasis.

His new bride on the other hand? She seemed to be everything that Kaveh wasn't.

Unsure of herself, fumbling over a simple introduction, and those hands. Briseis seemed to be fumbling with her hands like she was a teenage boy at his first brothel.

Cress was preparing to react to Rune's introduction with an overly formal hello of her own until Ciraxis changed everything. The dragon seemed to react to the situation perfectly. In tune with the anxiety that rolled off Briseis' shoulders her dragon drew near. That sort of thing was rare and generally reserved for bonds that were decades old.

She'd underestimated this girl. "Prince Kaveh," a slight nod of her head, "Lady Briseis, it's good to meet you. Lord Errune pays me many flowery words but my House and I simply live to serve Thanasis." And, by extension, the royal family. Cressida planted a warm smile upon her face as she paid Briseis the same cursory nod befitting a wife of the prince.

 

[Evirea Nymbos]

Evirea may have been cautious and level-headed when it came time to draw her sword in battle, but the stunts Taivas pulled seemed to be the complete opposite of what some who’ve worked with the pair would’ve expected based on that. The truth was that caution arose from not knowing what would happen and not having the confidence that a good outcome was guaranteed. However, Evi knew perfectly well what she and her dragon were capable of and what their limitations were when they took flight.

It took her entirely too long to get ready, fretting about what to wear and adjusting everything to try to get it to fit just right, but she eventually gave up and decided that what she had was good enough. The silver ceremonial armor was spotless; not a single stain or smudge sullied it. Evirea wrapped the silky white scarf around her neck tightly, but still doubted it wouldn’t fly off.

Taivas crouched to let her climb into the saddle, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He didn’t waste a moment once she was seated. The white dragon vaulted skyward and flung all four wings wide open. He soared above, and the pair watched Bani and Vexillion and Raimond and Ha’Than put on their shows. Taivas mostly blended in with the clouds, especially considering his small form, but a keen eye could see the light play off those iridescent scales of his. Evirea leaned forward and frowned as Ha’Than made his dive. The two waited for the other white dragon to finish his show before Evi pulled down her visor.

Taivas’s wings folded against his body, and he dropped like a stone. The air dragon angled himself straight down, then opened his wings as he approached the rooftops. He didn’t fly nearly as low, still giving the startled civilians below plenty of space, but he offered a flashy show. Quite literally; sparks jumped off his hide and electricity arced across it. Tai shot over the rooftops, slamming his wings shut as he twirled and twisted back upward to double back and do a canopy roll above the plaza. The wind gusted about him, and he flicked his wings to put himself into a rapid spin again as he made a dizzying loop in the air, which saw him make a neat landing at its end.

Evirea pushed her visor up to see Vhagor and his beast lunge at the two daredevils that made their entrance before them. She glanced to the side before she cleared her throat.

“Excellent flying on Bani’s part and, er… daring as always, Rai— Lord Thesius,” she said as if he wasn’t on the verge of being strangled to death by the grizzled high ascendant. Still saddled, she looked toward Ryla and Melisandre. Bani ought to have made her feel less out of place considering how “unladylike” her own outfit was, but Evirea blushed anyway. She removed her helmet and hung it from Taivas’ saddle before she slipped off and touched the ground. The rider quickly ran her fingers through her dark hair to untangle the knots that accumulated during her brief flight.

 

[Bani]

Main Plaza

Bani had to take almost two strides for each of Melisandre's, shimmying her feet alongside the other woman's elegantly flowing dress. The streets didn't seem so cramped to her, proportionally she had plenty of room. Even with the minor parade of nobles and dragons it was much more spacious than her workshop. If she wasn't actively in danger of tripping over something sharp and metal it was a pretty easy walk.

Vex felt the air pressure shift on his feathers, and this alerted Bani to the sound of rushing wind above them. __ things happened then: her eyes narrowed, her brow creased aggressively, and her lips twisted into a competitive sneer as she watched Rai plummet from above.

The great dragon brought a gale with its low pass that battered Bani's hair and watered her eyes. It was okay she would admit to him later. Actually it was pretty dang good for flying something that heavy, but the Thesian boy didn't need any more praise than he got on a daily basis.

Vhagor's rumbling furor was familiar to her ears and sent far fewer prickles down her spine than it should have. To the contrary, her eyes lit up watching Raimond getting torn into.

It's festival day, they should be ready for dragons!"

"Yeah but they weren't ready to see your face!" she hollered out with a glove cupped around her mouth.

Before she could meet the consequences of that statement, yet another rider came blazing in from the sky. Evirea, always too polite Bani thought. She was wearing *armor* after all and she looked like a bad-ass. Ought to act it.

"Thanks," she answered with a clumsy wink, "Those plates new? What kind of metal you flying with now?" She leaned forward and squinted through the still-settling dust. She'd been looking for something light but strong but hadn't found the right mix yet...

 

[Kaveh]

Royal Plaza
Briseis | Polina | Errune Thesius | Cressida

Kaveh’s eyes briefly flickered to Cressida. Errune speaking her name finally sparked memories in his mind. The two of them had met before of course, and her family name was one that carried weight even in the halls of the Royal Palace.

He felt a fool for not having noticed her before, but felt another spark of joy at the fact that she was.

Errune himself would be enough to make waves, but a daughter of House Murizi as well? Yes that would serve very nicely. Briefly the flames of rage flickering within his chest were forgotten, as were the stares of those nobles around them. A few already beginning to whisper. Kaveh inclined his head in greeting, an overly pleased smile on his face. ”You do yourself a disservice. It is only through those like you that Thanasis still stands.”

Kaveh complemented, the words almost foreign to his tongue. His attention remaining on the soldier for a few seconds more before he regarded Errune.

”A most generous offer.” Kaveh said, for once sounding positively delighted. Allowing the emotion to clearly show in his face.

His gaze flickered to Briseis. ”One I think you should most certainly take.”

The option, as always, would be hers. Kaveh would never force Briseis to do anything she didn’t want, particularly when it might once again put her in danger. The Royal Archives were truly a treasure trove, a delight to parse through even for those who had no appreciation of history. A joy that was, of course, denied to most commoners. Such as Briseis had once been.

Behind him, within the center of the square Rayvath watched as the peasant girl was admonished by her master. The Dragon peered in utter silence, towering over the scene as Polina’s tray went clattering onto the ground. A few others barely noting the common scene.

The Huge Red Dragon’s head suddenly swept forward. Her gaze fell on Madam Sinclaire as her sole attention. Looming over the head of the House as though she were little more than a next meal. Then suddenly a gust of wind ruptured out from Rayvath’s mouth and cast out over the woman. Her chest racking and shifting in what anyone familiar with dragons would see as a pantomimed cough.

 

[Briseis]

Royal Plaza
Kaveh | Polina | Errune Thesius | Cressida

Briseis was glad of the gentle correction, but her cheeks still warmed ever-so-slightly at her mistake and the faint tinge of pink only deepened at the invitation to accompany this Lord Errune, on a tour. The first, albeit fleeting, thought on her mind was one of dubiety, knowing how at least some of the highborn population wanted her killed and would no doubt pay a great deal for the deed to be done. Was it naivety that caused her to brush the troubling thought so swiftly from her mind, or the possibility that she was being a little too paranoid? It was a complicated battle. She hadn't expected any of these Lords and Ladies to be in any way pleasant toward her upon her first public appearance since Kaveh had taken her under his wing - and so it felt wise to be a little suspicious of such niceties.

She offered no response yet as introductions to the Lady Murizi were made, and she smiled politely, listening to Kaveh's insistence. "Even to me, your family name is quite infamous, Lady Cressida. It's an honour for me to meet you." she answered, idly brushing her fingertips over iridescent scales.

She had been about to say more when she heard the voice of Madame Sinclair, a woman she had only heard of and had not yet had the pleasure of meeting. The way she had screamed the word 'girl' had stolen her attention, having assumed it meant for her, but instead she watched as the woman strode toward Polina and struck. Ciraxis lifted his head, bristling as Briseis did, and she glanced up at the dragon wordlessly, dropping her hand as he shifted back. With a huff, the creature turned to stomp his way back down the steps, his scales shuddering under the sound of a low, guttural growl until he reached Po and lowered his head to her side. Briseis made a mental note to ask Kaveh about the woman later, but for now, she hoped, the interest of two dragons would prevent any further attack on the girl.

'A most generous offer, one I think you should most certainly take.'

Dark eyes blinked as they settled back on Kaveh, his response just another unexpected thing to ponder on. He was being.. unnaturally pleasant to these people, but then again, she had never been within his company with anyone else outside of the palace. Perhaps he was always this way among them, but whatever it was, it was unnerving. He did generally seem to have her best interests in mind, even when he'd pushed her from the highest balcony in the palace (something she now understood but chose not to entirely forgive him for), and so she comforted herself with the hope that he wasn't being devious to her detriment.

"I, would accept your invitation with great anticipation, Lord Errune. Thank you." she answered with a warm smile.

 

[Leovold]

Main Plaza

A waved hand and a puff of breath met Melisandre's latest round of teasing. If anyone wasn't getting out enough lately, it was her. Perhaps if she did she'd have known how truly active Leovold was. Just because he preferred not to keep company with rabble didn't mean that he was a recluse. He rolled his eyes.
"Of course, Melisandre, of course."

Leovold lagged behind, letting the 'ladies' take their 'first' position. Virdan's repeated glances irked the lord-apparent. What on Arethil did she want? She was merely an ascended, she should've known better than to cast such leers upon true nobility. If they weren't in public, if this weren't the festival, he would have dressed her down properly, but alas. Instead he just had to put up with her cryptic glances, and the lingering feeling of...what, familiarity?

The young Solherre rolled his shoulders and felt chills crawl across his back. He didn't like this feeling.

"There is a time to celebrate and a time for mission planning. Let us take advantage of the former. Come find me at Ōmeyōcān if you and Lady Melisandre need...assistance in your future endeavors."

"...Indeed..." He managed, not smiling nor glaring, just irritated as he struggled to place that strange sense. His own searing gaze lingered on her but a moment longer before he shook himself and marched onwards.

Vhagor's verbal explosion and Nyxondra's physical one was enough to bring focus onto something new. Raimond's little display had, aerially, rivalled Leovold's in recklessness, but even Leo knew not to make landings in populated areas. The landing platforms in the royal plaza let his squadron be seen plenty, and served as an actual, designated landing strip. Raimond professed that he hadn't hurt anyone, but that was a stroke of luck by any measure. Ha'Than was no feathered dragon; Bani might have played the scene off like it was no big deal, but Leo knew that sort of stunt was something that should be left to her house.

Look I'm sorry. I came in too low. I was distracted, alright?"

Leo sauntered up next to Vhagor, arms folded behind him. It was hard to believe that he and Rai were the same age sometimes.
"You shouldn't have been flying, then." Leovold chastised him, looking down the bridge of his nose as best he could while looking at a man who was taller than him. "Your house might be a minor one, but nobility you remain. You should start acting like it. You reflect poorly not just upon yourself, but on all of us."

 

[Errune Thesius]

"Prince Kaveh," a slight nod of her head, "Lady Briseis, it's good to meet you. Lord Errune pays me many flowery words but my House and I simply live to serve Thanasis."

”You do yourself a disservice. It is only through those like you that Thanasis still stands.”

Kaveh complemented, the words almost foreign to his tongue. His attention remaining on the soldier for a few seconds more before he regarded Errune.

”A most generous offer.” Kaveh said, for once sounding positively delighted. Allowing the emotion to clearly show in his face.

His gaze flickered to Briseis. ”One I think you should most certainly take.”

"Even to me, your family name is quite infamous, Lady Cressida. It's an honour for me to meet you." she answered, idly brushing her fingertips over iridescent scales.

"I, would accept your invitation with great anticipation, Lord Errune. Thank you." she answered with a warm smile.

If he was uncomfortable with Prince Kaveh's new groove, Errune probably looked it. But his pinched expression of social discomfort was rather easily mistaken for his usual resting agony face. Cressida might be able to tell the difference, but she was busy brushing away his flowery words. That was fair - she was probably still smarting over how he'd accepted today's invite from her.

Baron stiffly watched the conversation and as the dragon neared the great, beastly dog issued a wanton grumbling whine.

Rune's gaze closed for several seconds as he, in fact, did remember that he was in pain from standing still for too long. A terse inhale of breath, he shifted with a white-knuckled grip on his cane and opened his eyes once again just in time for Briseis to address his offer.

"Wonderful," the man replied grimly, his face not at all matching the word but looking more like he'd stepped on a nail, "I have some time after the festival before I leave to make the yearly census rounds. Elsewise it will have to wait until my return."

 

[Virdan]

Main Plaza

"...Indeed..."

A small tip of her chin in Master Leo's direction, before her attention went back to Nyx's first love.

"Always," he murmured and cracked a rare, small smile in the direction of the woman who had once been a scared girl he had saved from the jaws of death. Even if her powers still unnerved him she was as close to a member of family as he had. "It'll pass, it's just this bloody--"

Lips parted but were quietly sealed back up as Raimond Thesius made his entrance. Followed by his sister. Seeing the two Thesius siblings reminded her that she needed to make a visit to the Archives today. Virdan's job required nearly as much time spent in the field as well as the stacks. Though most, never noticed her presence. As much as her job required it, she did not enjoy the risk of mingling more closely with the noble families permitted in those halls.

A quick, long-suffering sigh as Vhagor and Nyx did their things. A phantom flash of pain along her scars. A quiet nudge at her back. It looked like Rai wasn't being offered any leniency from the Ascendant nor from his peers. Melisandre, Bani, Evirea Nymbos seemed more like sisters over blood.

Another wince along her face, though not for physical pain this time.

Hands clasped behind her back. Ready to offer Vhagor and Nyx assistance if they needed it. Confident that they didn't. Gaze flickered toward the direction of the Archives as a warm impatient plume of air hit the back of her neck.

 

[Polina]

R O Y A L P L A Z A

"If you make another mistake like the spectacle you just caused you and your father will be thrown back out on the streets! Or worse. Do you understand?"

Head remained bowed even as she snuck a peak between blonde curls. Even as she noticed Kaveh's Rayvath turn the bulk of her attention on Madam Sinclaire. Po swallowed, suddenly fearful for another reason. As nasty and unforgiving as the household head could be, she didn't really want to see her get maimed or eaten. Not that Rayvath was thinking about doing that. Then again, Po couldn't be sure what the great dragon was thinking.

"Y-yes ma'am," Po finally found her voice above her stinging skin and over that thundering dragon's cough.

When Briseis' Ciraxis came thundering down as well, Po's anxiety only tripled. Even as she realized today was the closest she'd ever been to dragons before and ones that even bothered to pay her any attention. Perhaps if she wasn't being punished with very real threats to herself and her father being thrown back to the streets, she would've been able to marvel at this situation a bit more.

Madame Sinclaire seemed to think twice about taking another step toward Po. But she did frown down upon her with a look that this conversation wasn't over and it would continue later. Without the presence of these dragons. "Finish up quickly girl and back to work," a barking command before she went to take a step back and then another.

"It's okay," Polina whispered to Ciraxis. Re-collecting the shattered tray piece by piece within her apron. "Thank you for picking my friend. You have very good taste." Po would carefully arrange her hair over the growing bruise along her fair skin with her free hand before she went to stand again.

Head swiveled to Rayvath, trying to garner the giant dragon's attention away from Sinclaire. "It's okay," she repeated for the other dragon. "Are you two a fan of chocolate?" Eyes flickered between the two dragons.

 

[Vhagor]

"I didn't hurt anybody, Gor!" Raimond choked out between shakes, "The only people who got hurt are the ones who started freaking out. If they'd just kept calm they'd have been totally fine! It's festival day, they should be ready for dragons!"

Vhagor wasn't sure whether he wanted to strangle the boy with his bare hands or see him scrub the training arena floors for a month instead. Both would be gratifying in their own way.

"Yeah but they weren't ready to see your face!"

"You shouldn't have been flying, then." Leovold chastised him, looking down the bridge of his nose as best he could while looking at a man who was taller than him. "Your house might be a minor one, but nobility you remain. You should start acting like it. You reflect poorly not just upon yourself, but on all of us."

To both, he cast dark meaningful looks even a blind man could read before turning his attention back to Rai. Tempering his rage so that he didn't commit a murder right there and then he instead roughly jerked the boy around to look at the large groove in the cobbled plaza his dragons talon had gorged into the earth. A small child could stand within it and go unseen.

"That, is not 'totally fine'," he growled. "That could have been a person. A child," or someone important which probably would have caused more outcry from the people. Around them the citizens began to return to ordinary life though they kept an even greater distance from the dragons and their riders. Fear mingled with adoration in their eyes.

With disgust, he finally let the boy go none too gently.

"You will report to me tomorrow," were the only further comment he passed. Every dragon knew where and when when it was Vhagor who issued a punishment. Nyx reluctantly let go of the smaller dragon one talon at a time until he could scamper free himself.

 

[Cressida]

Cressida gave another head bow, as was the custom in Thanasis, to the kind words from the Prince and Briseis. She refrained from commenting on the praise offered up towards both her house and her own service towards the kingdom. The conversation had, luckily, drifted away from herself.

"Oh, you're in for a rare treat," she contrasted Rune's grim tone as best as she could with as much pep in her words as she could muster without sounding fake.

After a day full of fun at the festival Errune was the only person she knew that would actually enjoy chronicling documents or preparing numbers for the census. Sure, there were far more thrilling works of history and myth within the archives but if Cress still knew her old mentor there was a good chance that he'd despise the company. Preferring to bury his nose in books rather than entertain a guest in his archive.

Meaning, if Briseis took the opportunity they'd be looking over centuries worth of grain tallies and ancestral plots of land.

"It's thrilling stuff." A grin formed as the decision to force Rune to leave his solitude was proving more and more enjoyable every moment.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Raimond wasn't a weakling; If he wanted to squirm against Vhagor's grip and make things difficult for him, he easily could have, but even he knew it would be stupid to dig himself in an even deeper hole, especially with a Dragon like Nyx at Ha'Than's throat. But while Raimond held both respect and a little bit of fear towards the wise instructor, the same fear wasn't held for Leovold, who strutted up beside Vhagor like he'd been made the assistant teacher of the day.

If looks could kill, the sharp glare Rai shot lantern-boy would have dropped him dead then and there.

Perhaps luckily, Vhagor roughly turned him around before the young Thesius could spit some venom back at Leovold, and reluctantly he trained his eyes on the gouge that had Vhagor's eyes bugging out of his skull. He wasn't wrong, and Raimond knew that. Still, he wasn't a rookie... Despite what everybody here seemed to think, he was damned good at what he did, and he knew Ha'Than wouldn't have touched down there if there'd been even a remote chance of injuring somebody.

Of course, try telling them that.

So, he begrudgingly swallowed his pride. "Right. I'll watch it." He muttered back to the disgruntled old man as he rubbed at where he'd been gripped. Saying anything else to him that wasn't compliance wouldn't do a damn thing for him now. Still, Rai never ran from punishment when he messed up. Vhagor knew he'd be there tomorrow.

Leovold... Rai narrowed his eyes at the auburn-haired man. "Yeah, next time I want advice on how to represent my family, I'll be sure to ask the one person who represents Solherre." It was harsh, and Raimond didn't really mean it, but Leo had no place talking about his family either, especially when he'd already heard thirteen complaints today that he wasn't Errune.

His eyes moved to Ryla, softening a bit as he realized how awkward this was for her. Damnit...

It hurt. All of it did. Raimond had just wanted to put on a show, and now they were all looking at him like he was the village idiot. Fine. Clicking his tongue and whistling to signal Ha'Than to follow him, who did eagerly as he moved back towards Bani, nodding at her. "Sorry about that. Guess that kinda killed the vibe, but I was looking forward to riding with you."