|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 6, 2016 20:09:13 GMT -6
Dragon senses were unique. Smell, hearing, sight; all tended to be stronger than human for the average dragon. Aerious perhaps most of those she had seen. In theory, the average dragon should have had no issue noticing a couple eavesdropping children by paying just the least bit of attention.
As her heart threatened to reach escape velocity, Nayru calmly thought to herself that just for once, maybe she should try paying attention to things OTHER than what she was focusing on. She had managed to avoid jumping up, screaming, or attacking them, or all three in varying orders or possibly at once, but the rigidity of her posture and the awkwardly skewed frozen smile on her face betrayed a fair bit of her shock as the great and wise dragon absentmindedly hoped that the warmth in her body was just from the touching scene before her and not because she had peed herself.
...'Kay, crisis averted. The dragon finally allowed herself a shaky breath, placing one hand on her heart as if hoping that the additional pressure would keep the organ from literally jumping out of her chest, and tried really, really hard to smile genuinely. She wasn't sure if it worked very well, but there was definitely an attempt, and the thought was what mattered, right? "Please-" Her voice squeaked a little, and Nayru was forced to pause for a moment to collect herself, her voice a little thin. "-Don't do that again." There was a pleading undertone to her voice, aged ten thousand years by the experience.
In retrospect she probably should have seen this coming. It was a uniquely... Amelia thing to do. She hadn't thought Owain would go along with it. Maybe it was petty, but it was, uh, a little less embarrassing to see Remus a bit flustered about it as well. "Yeah, you two!" She wasn't really mad, realizing it was just them had overtaken the moment of sheer panic, but the slight hint of righteous indication in her voice was as genuine as the light of day. "The whole point of eavesdropping is to not get caught."
A giggle and a sigh as her heart continued to gradually return to something resembling normal activity. Nayru moved her hand again, resting her forehead on the tips of her fingers for a moment before looking back up, smiling wryly. She couldn't be mad at them, but this was more serious than a childish prank. "But - this is serious, Amelia, Owain." She glanced at each one as she spoke their name. "It's - very important to me. Maybe someday there will be no need for secrecy, but..."
But what? Nayru trailed off, not entirely sure how to end that sentence. She simply didn't know how to explain to them what was liable to happen if it reached the wrong ears. She had heard from Richter what happened to Marcus for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and after a few centuries of running from trouble, old habits died hard. And it wasn't just her; Aerious, Locke, Lynessa, Taiel, the Aeos she'd heard of in passing, and any of the doubtless other dragons living under the shroud of secrecy would pay a cost as well, forced to live in greater fear at the news of a second Marcus.
In a worst case scenario, it might even destroy her dreams of a reunified Elibe where dragons could simply live as themselves, if humanity realized the truth behind the masquerade and discovered Arcadia's existence. It would be better for her to be dead at that point rather than know that truth.
She had to hope that they - Remus included, all of them - held to their word as best as possible. Though... Nayru had a weird feeling that they were going to start meeting more dragons very soon. It seemed like a domino effect. Maybe fate was a joker, or maybe dragons were just really bad at stealth. Who knew? Giant scaly monsters not good at hiding?
|
|
|
Post by Remus on Jun 7, 2016 22:01:53 GMT -6
Remus had a barrage of fears racing through his mind. It wasn't that he didn't trust the children. They were smart enough to know this was serious. What he didn't trust in this regard, was the outside world. He had a few individuals he had faith in, Nayru being one of them, and his family being the rest save for the kind souls that traveled with him currently. However he also knew that the children were being just that. Children. Running around with few fears, and fewer concerns in general. To this end, the blue haired priest approached as gently as possible, leaning down with a warm smile spreading upon his features while he clasped a hand on Amelia's shoulder; almost seamlessly so because almost simultaneously to this gesture, she fell from Owain's shoulders only to find herself intercepted by the young priest.
He'd been around them far too often. Even that which surprised them, such as falling, was almost predictable. His other hand lightly perched atop Owain's slowly growing scruffy mop of hair before ruffling it as he locked his bright emerald gaze with the children he adored so much. His words emphasized this adoration even further in the nurturing coming off almost precisely like a guiding parent.
"Now, since you've heard our conversation. I trust you two. You mustn't tell anyone, because it is a very personal matter. Miss Nayru has helped us countless times, and it would be very poor on our part to return her kindness and bravery with such a let-down on our part. So we three will keep this between us okay? But that means no mentioning it to anyone. Under any circumstances. Don't even talk about it among yourselves unless your completely alone, or alone with me. It isn't our place to tell. If Miss Nayru wants others to know, she'll tell them."
He had hoped to drive this point home, and that he wouldn't have to repeat it more than that one time. His expectations were...altered some though as Amelia gave Nayru a bright thumbs up before nodding with acknowledgment and grinning widely ear to ear, giggling as she tried to, or at-least it looked like to Remus, act like Nayru in her body language as she gave a thumbs up. "Don't worry Dragon Momma! Your seccret's safe with me and General Owain of the Amelian empire!"
The fit of giggles from the small girl afterwords left Remus bemused as he tried to gaze at her, hiding his exasperated expression as best he could. ""No..see..Amelia. You can' call her dragon Momma. That's exactly the opposite of what we just agreed on.
|
|
|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 9, 2016 6:20:17 GMT -6
Watching Remus interact with the children was a pleasant diversion, offering what was a somewhat calming effect amidst a whirlwind of thought. Remus knowing had been... fine. Ish. The children - Nayru couldn't help but worry. She liked them plenty, and she trusted them as far as one could trust children, but she wasn't sure she trusted them enough to actually keep her secret given their behavior so far. Stage whispers and excitement did not a good degree of subtlety make.
But what could she do about it, really? Eliminating the witnesses was - well, horrifying that she had considered it at all, albeit perhaps pragmatic, but not an option even if she thought she could make herself to it. And she couldn't. It would be better to just hide somewhere else in Elibe for a few decades to avoid the furor rather than try to safeguard her livelihood by underhanded means. And it... PROBABLY wasn't a huge issue in terms of people actually believing the children, for better or for worse. They had no real proof of what she was, only the word of two precocious children, one of which was heavily prone to exaggeration.
And besides, most of Elibe thought dragons were gone, anyways. So unless she starting doing really stupid crap, like everything she did on a daily basis, it'd probably work out! Wouldn't be the first time she left town in a hurry, probably not the last either. The lack of long-distance effective communication and the relatively short memories of humans combined to make even the most dangerous locations often perfectly harmless a century or two later, and realistically - she didn't much care for Bern anyways. Too much fighting and too many wyverns. Still better than the ass end of Ilia, since pegasi just made her hungry but it was a total social faux pas to just start eating one in the middle of the street.
Dragon momma though, huh? Nayru wasn't really sure what to make of that, though it didn't sound as bad as she would have thought. She was also pretty sure that trying to be pretend mom to these kids would kill her long before an angry mob ever could. What a way to die. The thought drew a smile to her face, followed shortly after by a chuckle that refused to keep itself hidden. "This is... nice. I hope it lasts." Her comment was unprompted even by her brain, but simplistic in its honesty... and the number of meanings it held. Whether it be Elibe's relative peace among its citizens, the current placidity of the darkness before the source of the monsters doubtless revealed itself, being able to simply live rather than be hunted, or her gradually brightening prospects; Nayru didn't know if she even could pick but one of the above.
|
|
|
Post by Remus on Jul 5, 2016 20:28:48 GMT -6
It was a warm moment, despite the gravity of it. Though Remus could parade a scolding tone, he couldn't maintain it. The expression upon Amelia's face as he attempted to scold her was one of almost absolute defiance. With her tiny left cheek puffed, and a quiet huff of determined disobedience setting in, she marched over to Nayru with small arms snaking around the female dragon's long, well developed limb and fingers clutching one another near Nayru's elbow; the girl attempting to hoist herself up with little success. Remus would've scolded her further, if he didn't know how intransigent Amelia was when she wanted to be. Fingers lightly combed through lapis hair which messily clung to his digits, even as the priest's attempt at discipline crumbled entirely. He simply loved the children too much. As long as they were safe, and healthy, and happy, he could find no greater meaning to his life.
While Amelia attempted to scale Mount Nayru, to attain heights atop her shoulder previously un-attained by mortal men, Remus eased himself back atop a box with a heavy grunt and then a sigh as wave after wave of relief washed over him. He was sore. Internally. As if his soul itself was aching with the fatigue of battle. Healing took a tole still, even if he'd grown proficient. His capacity to heal while under such duress had certainly increased by impressive magnitudes, but it always caught up to him eventually. A weariness that ate away at every inch of his core. His body looked entirely healthy (minus the heavy dark bags under his eyes at almost all times) yet he felt internally as well and whole as a man who'd acquired a universally nasty series of wounds along his whole body. Every extremity engulfed in a dull, slowly sharpening throb of pain that made even idling about more of an effort than not.
If he hadn't taken time to heal the wounded within the small town both prior, and after the scuffle with the gargoyles, he'd probably have recovered his stamina and would no longer be suffering from his current fatigue. However he'd chosen the path he had. To most it would've warranted a rest. For Remus however it generated another source of comfort. One of the psychological type. The fact that he was so tired from assisting others, meant he'd put that much more effort into it. He'd been able to assist others in such a way that the mere exertions of it left him aching and weary. It left him with a means to gauge how much suffering he'd spared others, and thus how much he'd helped. Every ache. Every bruise. Every pain. All of them, shifted onto his own from another. Something he could only ever hope to continue. Nayru had staved this off for a time though. The hot coco, and rest, and conversation Nayru had granted him, along with her generally comforting presence, mitigated this to a degree; sadly though not enough for him to feel fine entirely.
His smile crested once more as he spoke up, body sagging someone and dipping to the side as he felt his mind dull and briefly engulf within the fog of weariness and drowsy notions over-take him. He'd likely need sleep soon, or rest. He jolted upwards even as he caught this, a brief and faint surge of adrenaline allowing him to take greater context within the world once more.
"Ahh! I um..meant to ask. One of my earlier thoughts. Are there any dragons that can er..heal?Like..dragon healing magic?"
|
|
|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jul 23, 2016 3:21:23 GMT -6
It took a moment to figure out exactly what Amelia was trying to do; Nayru wasn't exactly a mind reader and she was more used to the kids crawling all over Remus like maggots in a corpse than - actually that was a HORRIBLE simile, by Earth and Sky her brain was diseased beyond repair to think of that. It was kinda fitting though, in a weird way... anyways. Nayru grinned and grabbed the waifish girl and hefted her bodily with (for Amelia) possibly disappointing merely human strength, for all she knew the girl secretly wanted to be tossed 30 feet into the air but Nayru had a feeling Remus wouldn't take kindly to it, so if that was Amelia's goal, it would have to remain incomplete. For now. In the meantime, she lifted the little hooligan up to her shoulder, wincing a little as she realized her body was a fair bit sorer than she'd realized or been letting on. But it was gone from her face in a moment; Nayru had spent far too long pushing things down inside her to give up on the practice now.
She couldn't really think of anything to say to Amelia beyond the brief smile of a moment before, though. Nayru wasn't BAD with kids, exactly, she was just... a little out of practice. That was the story and she was sticking to it.
Remus for his part looked like a dead man walking, or, er, sitting as it so happened. Nayru didn't exactly have a great deal of experience with using healing magic, but she'd been around healers, especially Remus, long enough to know that it put a serious strain on the user, far more so than the magic that it would take to inflict the wounds it healed. It seemed a bit unfair, but such was life. He was sticking through it like a god damn trooper though, and Nayru didn't want to push the matter, so she silently resolved to drag him kicking and screaming into some well-deserved rest later even if it required the infliction of a minor concussion.
For now though, it was gums-flappin' time. Which... sounded bad even in her head. But his question was a fair one, from the perspective of someone who didn't know crap about dragons - which was also fair. So Nayru took it seriously rather than responding to it flippantly like her first reaction might have been. Healing dragons! Hah, she friggin' wished. Certainly would have made her life a lot easier if her worst concern was accidentally healing people too well, and people would probably like dragons a whole lot more if they were 30 ton clerics with endless juice. Nayru grinned wryly in initial response, putting her words together in its wake. "Nothing that convenient, sadly. Elemental aspects only, though given enough time, effort, and knowledge of arcane techniques, supposedly some are capable of feats bordering on magic."
Truth be told, Nayru didn't know how accurate that was. Dragons lived such wildly different lives, worked in such different ways, and hoarded knowledge so jealously that even to another dragon it was difficult to truly say what their race was capable of. In Arcadia she had seen some pretty weird stuff, but - well - Arcadia. It would be weird to NOT see weird stuff there. Certainly there were draconic apothecaries whose knowledge of healing remedies bordered on omniscience, and supposedly some dragons had... skills out of the ordinary, but she'd never met a dragon who could use healing magic. Probably. It was hard to tell sometimes, though that might have just been that the one she knew best was also a street magician as a hobby who lived to mess with people.
"For me, though, it's just lightning."
|
|
|
Post by Remus on Jul 25, 2016 14:49:23 GMT -6
He couldn't help but recall the countless times when he was younger, to which he'd seen his sister conjure dancing lights of crackling lightning which sparked between her finger tips upon the faintest of whims. Such talent had been something he had, much to his inner-most guilt, been envious of. Now he thought of it once more when he imagined that which Nayru spoke of. Her ability to fire bursts of lightning and who knows what else. It also made his curiosity of such grow wildly while his imagination went wild with the boundless possibilities. The priest couldn't help but imagine the monstrous bursts of lightning from her strikes, and perhaps the ability to call down torrents of it similar to his own knowledge with the holy purging magic, but with violent bolts of death lightning as opposed to divine light. Despite this, he knew only one thing could sate his curiosity.
The priest shifted atop his box. He folded his legs further, elbows propping atop them with hands lacing fingers in an interwoven bridge which served to support his chin as he rested it atop them. His inquisitive gaze leveling to the dark haired dragon, while he tried to wrap his mind around just how powerful she really was. She..was a dragon after all, but at the same time, he didn't know what was fact and speculation surrounding their power. So many legends and rumors had made it sound like they were impervious and unstoppable. That the mighty heroes and their fabled weapons had been the only thing capable of bringing them down. Hadn't he seen her injured, and tended her wounds when they had that scuffle with the unsavory gentlemen in Ilia though?
So..she wasn't immune to normal weapons. So what did that mean for her mortality? The priest gazed at her quietly while speaking in a curious tone.
"What exactly..can you do with lightning then, besides breath it from your mouth? I admit though I er..was under the impression that dragons only breathed fire. Can they breath..well..any form of magic as one of these exhale like bursts of power?"
How did a dragon breath earthen magic if this was true? Were their light based dragons or darkness based ones? Myths spoke of almost every possible answer he could try to draw on, and he had perhaps one of the best, if not the best source of accurate information. He'd have been a fool not to want to know the true answer.
|
|
|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jul 25, 2016 17:01:01 GMT -6
Well, Remus definitely seemed, er, interested. Which was flattering admittedly. Nayru didn't really talk about herself much, for obvious practical reasons as well as a multitude of personal ones. So it was rather gratifying to have it be going so, well, well. But it was a little embarrassing as well, it felt as if she was being stripped before his eyes. Metaphorically speaking. Granted she didn't have far to go before it was literalANYWAYS.
She had to give him credit for taking this all so well though. From his perspective Nayru didn't know if she would have been able to take it so relatively calmly. It was hard to tell though, since she could only really speak from her perspective, and she'd spent her entire life dealing with things that weren't supposed to exist. Arcadia alone was a hive of weirdness and wonder that would probably never be replicated, and she'd spent more than a century there. Thus, she was pretty inured to weirdness. Not immune to reacting to it of course, but at this point unless something was way beyond what even she could comprehend it was kinda just like 'yeah ok whatever it still doesn't trump the animated flying toast demons.'
...She still wasn't sure what the f**k the story there had been.
Anyways, uh, right, elements. Truth be told, Nayru didn't quite understand Remus's question. He was clearly working from a very different baseline understanding of dragons than she was, which wasn't his fault to be fair, but it did make it harder to know how to explain without possibly causing further confusion. So... from the top, she guessed? Hehe. It was kind of nostalgic, actually. It reminded her of being a kid in Arcadia listening to lectures, telling her stuff she didn't care about, human and dragon biology, elemental usage, all that stuff.
Which was doubly funny because she'd found the subject interesting as hell when learning on her own, doing the reading herself - just not in a school environment. ANYWAYS. Dragons. Right. "Dragons are each attuned to an element," Nayru began, speaking a little slowly but clearly as she placed her words together, one after another, gradually picking up steam as she went. "Human mages tend to have a single element they favor, right? Especially Anima users - even if they CAN use multiple elements, one tends to feel more right to them. Dragons are kinda like that, but stricter. I mean, I've heard -rumors- of multi-elemental dragons, but - anyways. For a normal dragon, or manakete, you're just born with an element that you generate until you die, love it or hate it. There are six - similar to Anima magic actually - Fire, Lightning, Ice, Water, Air, Earth. Unlike Anima, there's a split between Ice and Water, because... well, they hate each other and there's kind of a big difference between arctic and aquatic lifestyles."
Yeah, the 'Ruins Maniac Nayru' switch was definitely flipped on by this point. It was rapidly becoming more of an effort to actually stay on topic rather than veering into interesting tidbits, a problem she'd always had; repeating 'boring' known stuff wasn't as interesting as talking about if it was REALLY possible to have a Dark element dragon - would it be a Nether dragon or just attuned to dark magic? - and how a multi-elemental dragon would even work - THAT was alien to her, but it sounded really handy to be able to switch between elements like an Anima mage would. But how would you keep two elements stored inside you? Wouldn't they clash? Would an Earth/Lightning dragon short themselves out, or a Water/Lightning dragon electrocute themselves? NORMAL dragons were more or less immune to their own element though, so maybe the Water/Lightning dragon could just use its own hydrokinesis to conduct electricity - er anyways.
It was only slightly harder than Atlas lifting the entire world upon his shoulders, but Nayru forced herself to pull away from that topic. It, er, would probably be better kept for a later discussion with Remus after he knew a lot more about dragons, or more practically, another dragon - maybe Locke if she ever ran into him again, he seemed like the sort who would find that stuff as interesting as her. "Oh, and there are Dragons and Manaketes, though they're both dragons - little d, like a species - anyways. They're kinda like... castes, warrior and mage, sorta, except manaketes can still punch your face in - dragons are kinda the stereotype; big tough scaly jerkasses who breathe fire, manaketes have a lot more control over their element and can do all sorts of weird magey stuff with it, but aren't as strong or as tough."
It was a bit of a... winding explanation, but that was the downside of having a multi-threaded thought process, new subjects kept popping up and getting started while others were already unspooling, and they got tangled sometimes. "I'm a Dragon dragon - you know you'd think they'd have a better name for the species so I didn't have to use that distinction - and Lightning element, as you might have guessed by this point."
Sarcasm? Nayru? Perish the thought! She did get a bit more serious as she continued though, able to focus better at the subject at hand, if only because it was a great way to remind herself of her myriad failures. Yay, optimism! "As for the full list of powers... well, I don't know," Nayru admitted frankly. "I've spent most of my life winging it. Not really much in the wise of teachers. In human form, usually not much, at least not anymore, but obviously weak breath attacks and partial shifting - that thing I did with my arm a bit earlier." The dragon raised the aforementioned arm, now perfectly humanoid again. "Beyond that, I've been experimenting with conductivity to work it into various aspects of my fighting style. I don't know how an Earth dragon does it, I've never seen one fight."
Something else to beat out of Locke next time she saw him. Er... metaphorically speaking of course. Or literally!
|
|
|
Post by Remus on Jul 25, 2016 18:40:03 GMT -6
So...there were Dragons..and Not-Dragon Dragons..
His head hurt slightly. Perhaps it was the vast amount of information at once. Maybe it was how abstract it was? But he was trying to process it in a relative way. A relateable one. His eyes drifted upwards as he quietly tried to process every word. Quietly pondering while he ingested this new knowledge. Part of him felt a slight rush. If adrenaline could rise from excitement to learn..this was the closest manifestation of it. His back straightened. His jaw squared slightly. He was learning things that likely a few humans..if any, alive, knew. His inner scholar was flailing with pure enthusiasm at this. He tried to process it all internally.
In his weary state, Remus was sluggish though to process it despite the energy he felt.. His brains cogs moved slowly and turned with a sloth-like gusto. He looked back to Nayru, his eyes burning with a hunger not often seen. Remus consumed knowledge with an avarice few could match, that would likely surprise many given his gentle personality. His shift in poise slight, but enough to display an attentive trait. As he processed what she said he tried to follow with appropriate questions.
"So..this question was one that I'm just now pondering given well..the overwhelming notions in general now settling in better. How is it your able to er..take on a human form? If you don't mind me asking such a sensitive question. I have so many things I want to ask but I feel like, for my own sake if nothing else, it'd be easier to ask them one at a time. This way I can let it sink in, mull it over."
Oh the questions! He had so many to ask but had to hold back lest he begin endlessly asking questions as he would receive answers. His eyes however, did a poor job restraining these. He looked to Nayru, as if trying to examine her human figure for..tell-tale signs. Imperfections so to speak. Signs that she was, well, a dragon. To see if there was any way he could've known prior.
|
|
|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jul 25, 2016 21:17:25 GMT -6
"That's probably wise," Nayru agreed pretty readily in response to Remus's notions, feeling a little guilty. Even if Remus hasn't meant it that way, it struck her that she may have over-explained to him, which was probably not what he needed when he was already struggling to take it all in. It was nice to have someone to listen to her talk though, and he definitely seemed interested so she didn't have to feel TOO bad about it.
Yeah, he definitely looked really... REALLY interested in her. Like... really. Somewhere in the dark and horrific recesses of the black, boiling morass she called a brain, located right next to the cancerous boil called her humor center, something rose to the top of the bubbling pitch that was her imagination, and she leaped upon it like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline. "Oh Remus," Nayru purred in what was about as close as she got to a seductive voice - not that she had much experience with doing it herself, or err at all actually, but she'd seen it happen enough times in her life to make a decent approximation. "I know I look good enough to eat, but you shouldn't undress me with your eyes like that when the children are around!"
...She wasn't sure if she actually managed to pull it off, but Nayru was proud of herself for trying, even if it was actually, uh, really embarrassing when she said it out loud holy f**k**g crap why had she thought that was a good idea ABORT ABORT ABORT QUICK TALK ABOUT DRAGON STUFF "A-anyways" that definitely wasn't her voice cracking just a totally normal pause like normal words normally had "It, uh, normally the two bodies are essentially different mirrors of the same soul. The mechanics vary, but usually revolve around shapeshifting or simply reflecting a different image of the self over the previous one."
That would have been a REALLY good time to know about Taguel and use them as an example, but alas, due to the fuckery of liquid time Vinland's discovery wasn't even known yet. As it was, Nayru was left to struggle through her explanation without its benefits. "But some dragons are naturally predisposed to one form or the other, either by choice or by some sort of mutation or unnatural circumstances; it is possible to create humanoid shells, though, ah, nothing akin to shapeshifting, and some dragons cannot, or... do not, stray from human form." Humanoid shells? That was what her last.. appearance had been, after all. An attempt to rebuild herself - to reject who she was and craft something perfect from it - and look what it had done to her. Ruined her power, her control; wreaked havoc on her mind... and in the end she'd just gone back to being herself anyways. Somewhat. She could tell she was still missing a great deal of what she had been before leaving Arcadia, and that bothered Nayru a great deal. More and more it felt like she was just some of the pieces that had originally made up Nayru rather than... her.
And there wasn't much Nayru planned to say about dragons who couldn't or shouldn't transform, either. That was a burden that had nothing to do with Remus; it was something she had to figure out herself in order to be able to truly be able to work at becoming at ease with herself.
|
|
|
Post by Remus on Jul 26, 2016 14:33:41 GMT -6
Remus was caught unaware. His guard was already low, because she'd just been speaking in a normal tone. They'd been having a serious conversation. Then..the tone. It was something he'd only heard in passing from others speaking to one another. At no point had it ever, ever been directed towards himself. This, combined with his rather child-esque innocence generally controlling the themes upon his mind, led him to be taken aback in the most abrupt and sudden ways. His reactions simultaneous and as equally extreme as they were abrupt.
His cheeks almost instantly burned with a sudden flush. With scruffy lapis shaded hair framing the sides of his face and messily matted down somewhat from the jostling in the gargoyle fight, contrasted this growing crimson tint to his cheeks and temples that it almost stood out further. The self awareness that he was, in essence, examining her very revealed body drew then the more sensual aspects of it. Things he'd genuinely never noticed about Nayru prior purely because of his mindset. Ontop of this, he found the brief gaze that she had idling upon him overwhelmingly unbearable when coupled with the purr in her tone and his now racing thoughts. The sheer mixture of embarrassment and shame as his mind now perversely twisted his innocent glancing over her body for draconic traits into a wave of subconscious guilt under the illusioned thought that he'd had ulterior motives.
His heart raced wildly within his chest, threatening to break as he flailed in shock. However, with his fingers laced the way they had been and his body effectively poised in a way that it'd simply rest atop his box, he toppled backwards. Reality inverted. Up became down. Down became up. Left moved to right as he found vertigo take him and in a dizzying twist, he spun to the side as he effectively fell back and to the right with a yelp of shock, and a grunt when he landed upon the musty wooden floorboards face-first. Gravity had seen fit to make the brief descent as disastrous as possible. The shifting of wood as his legs kicked out one crate, caused two empty wooden crates above to descend from their pile; another two "Oof"'s coming out of him as he was effectively covered in uncomfortable wooden weight.
They weren't heavy enough to do more than bruise his rather frail body, but still did a marvelous job at startling him. The Blue haired Priest couldn't hear much, beyond light ringing in his ears from the sudden noise. The fits of giggling from the small raven haired girl being hoisted atop Nayru like a sack of potatoes seemed to indicate that the children, at-least assumed the priest was in almost no danger. In reality, the only thing that'd been dealt serious damage was his psyche and self-confidence.
Remus shakily moved the box that was resting atop his back off of him. However the angle at which he wished to move the box pinning his legs down was proving to be far more challenging. Adjusting himself as he tried to lean up to press the crate off, the Priest gazed up at Nayru while coughing to try and recover himself, his face a furious burning scarlet.
"AH..um...yes...er..ah...Sorry..about..um...ah..that."
|
|
|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jul 27, 2016 5:11:21 GMT -6
In the wake of Remus's antics, her head inclined towards the goblin on her shoulder. "Remember this day, Amelia." Nayru's words were as solemn as the grave, her expression as serious as the Ending Winter. Admittedly her eyes had the look of a horrible little gobshite to them, but that was completely irrelevant. "The day that we discovered a weakness in Remus's impenetrable armor - a weakness to exploit without mercy! No more shall we dine without cookies or sleep at a reasonable hour, for the day is ours!"
But man, he had certainly managed the impossible. Nayru wasn't even sure how Remus had managed to implode that hard. It was like the boxes themselves had been animated by a perverse need to wage holy war upon Remus's holy ass, and he had been possessed by... something. The dragon sighed, her head dropping down for a moment in equal parts acceptance and ridicule of the situation, and looked back up with renewed purpose in her being and fire in her eyes as her hair struggled to keep up. "Alright, let's go dig the good priest out from the prison of his own misdeeds." Grinning, Nayru nudged Amelia's side with her head affectionately and rose at a reasonable speed, acutely aware that hopping up like a spooked pegasus might dislodge her devilish companion.
The long and arduous journey of about four steps to the scene of the crime was over in short order, a grinning Cheshire Nayru eyeing her fallen prey like a shark that had just spotted a bare ass. "Looks like you could use a little help there pardner." Cow...girl Nayru? She vaguely felt like she was fitting some unknown stereotype for some reason, but shrugged off the strange feeling of genre savviness as a fever dream, or possibly the black plague. "Perhaps St. Elimine herself frowned upon your misdeeds and punished you with divine, uh, boxes. Lucky for you, I am a kind and generous dragon hero horse, a steed truly worthy of Amelia's world conquering, and so I grant you mercy."
Standing over Remus with her left hand outstretched - the right one was kinda stuck dealing with Amelia - and the setting sun over her head like a blazing corona of holy light, Nayru might actually have... vaguely... looked the part, as long as Remus didn't actually see the crap-eating grin threatening to consume her face whole or notice the mischief in her eyes. For behind the great and mighty dragon was a horrible immature little monster of a teenage girl. Not that that was actually a surprise anymore.
|
|
|
Post by Remus on Aug 5, 2016 17:30:39 GMT -6
In the state he was in, Remus had become almost hyper aware. Every little point of pressure, where the wooden crates and boxes pressed against him. Every dull ache slowly compounding within his body at precise locations where wooden edge met soft squishy priest. He was weighted down with every large box atop, and as the scruffy blue haired priest grunted through muffled repressed breaths, he did his absolute best to surface. The best he could muster was moving aside one or two. So light spilled through once more and his out-stretched hands clasping wildly for support found an unyielding comfort in clasping Nayru's as she extended it for help.
He couldn't quite see her clearly, let alone her smug expression, but he was sure her laughter and and joking comments were sufficient proof. Wooden crates and boxes clattered aside, tumbling off while the blue haired man's body shifted upwards in thanks to the female dragon's mighty strength and support. Though in this case chances were that her normal strength would've been perfectly suitable. The giggling fit that filled the room, the laughter that reverberated from it's origin point, a raven haired girl atop Nayru's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, traversed down the arm of the dragon only to be felt by proxy from Remus clasping at her hands.
Though the thoughts had quickly been scattered into the sytgian void with Remus struggling under the boxes and crates of divine oppression. Perhaps this was true, what she'd stated. Divine punishment. Perhaps it was false. One couldn't know. What he did know, was that his entire body was now more stiff and sore physically than spiritually. His aching soul was forgotten behind a series of aches along his back which he was certain was not supposed to ache that way, throbbing shoulders that were certain to have rough bruises along them now, and what felt like a strained muscle in his leg.
Never the less, he chuckled warmly towards Nayru as he tried to adjust himself back atop the box he'd fallen from.
"Ah I um..well...I've never been attacked by boxes before..that's new! Ah. Thank you..for helping me up."
|
|
|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 6, 2016 9:02:19 GMT -6
"Mmyes, the perfidious boxes are a threat to the free men of Elibe." The ahh... posh accent she had momentarily assumed was definitively out of place for Nayru, but it did lend a sort of silly air to the proceedings. Which was the idea. It did seem a little strange on an overall level, the recently unveiled dragon messing with the human who had discovered her as they both laughed about it. As if it was a cosmic joke that for once she was actually privy to. It was sort of a nice feeling, and while Nayru couldn't help but unconsciously dissect it on some level, for the most part she was resolved to just try to enjoy it for now.
...It did seem a little sacrilegious though. As if this was supposed to be some great emotional, deep-meaning moment, not a couple of idiots awkwardly flirting with each other. Uh... not that they were. Suddenly remembering that she had extremely important business to attend to that was NOT right next to Remus, Nayru advanced in the opposite direction just a little bit hastily, reclaiming her seat and facing Remus again when she was able to do so without having to worry about having a teenage girl moment.
"Well..." The dragon drew and drawled out the word, searching for the right words for a moment. She wasn't actually sure where they went from there. In terms of conversation, not - DAMMIT she remembered now why she didn't do that stuff. Focusing on the task at hand, Nayru continued, her voice tinged with concerned warmth. "How are you holding up, Remus? Not - necessarily right now, but you look like you could use some rest sooner rather than later. That fight with the gargoyles was a hell of an adventure, and that light magic couldn't have been completely devoid of cost." The qualifier about the timing hadn't been strictly necessary, but Nayru had tried to actively stave off any strong impression of her trying to get rid of him or make her escape - though she did plan to overnight or in the morning. As much as she wanted to stay and help, every day spent here came with the risk of the creature tearing through south Bern moving into more populated areas and causing massive casualties. She felt for the people here, but... there wasn't a great deal more she could do for them. Even if it seemed heartless, she had to triage the best she could in an objective fashion, trying to weigh the most possible lives that could be saved.
Put simply, this was Remus's world, not hers, and the beast was her world, not his. She didn't want to drag him into something that dangerous... frankly Nayru still had her misgivings about even bringing Veigue along, not out of distrust of his abilities but worry of losing him, and he was a lot less likely to get himself killed than her Etrurian friend.
|
|
|
Post by Remus on Aug 7, 2016 15:03:28 GMT -6
He chuckled at the sudden accent that Nayru took on. It made him grin widely while he tilted his head and observed her once more, but this time ensuring not to gaze too much. She was a fascinating person. Er...dragon. At times, she looked like she was barely containing an overwhelming ocean of grief. At others she looked content at best. At others, like this one, she looked genuinely happy. He could only hope that in the future, he could help that part of her become the dominant one. Now however, was not the time nor place for him to worry about dominance and Nayru. She brought up a solid point. He was beyond exhausted. His gaze was slightly dulled and though his body moved, it was only by sheer force of will that he maintained his outward warmth and welcoming reception towards her that he usually held. His body hurt from the boxes.
His fatigue was almost at an all time high. Healing had slowly become less taxing over time. Easier to manage. However the use of light magic, while exhilarating, was not as easy. His tired expression and weary smile answered and affirmed everything she said as he looked up to Nayru. Amelia still bound to her shoulder like she was, and Owain quietly standing behind her. It made him happy. Nayru might not be a permanent part of their life. They might never see her again. She was important to them though. Just as she was to the priest, but in a different way. They didn't have a mother. They hadn't had an older sister. No prominent female figures in their lives. It was because of this, that a strong female figure that could protect them seemed to bring them such joy; to which end Remus was ever indebted to Nayru in his mind. She gave them one of the few things he couldn't.
The priest pressed his staff down, and slowly stood up. His back fought him with every inch as he eased upwards fully and smiled warmly towards Nayru. His staff supported his weight while the priest chuckled in agreement before speaking. He didn't want to risk falling asleep on the box, now that she'd brought his fatigue to his attention. It felt far more noticeable once she'd mentioned it.
"Ahhh. Your right. It's strange...honestly. Light magic doesn't seem hard. It doesn't seem so painful to cast. However it accumulated so quickly! Each individual bolt wasn't a strain, but the small volley's accumulated so much of it so quickly. I think, if our conversation hadn't entranced me so and distracted me from it, I would've collapsed by now..haha."
|
|
|
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 7, 2016 20:27:32 GMT -6
"Remus..." Nayru stared at her companion in crime for a few moments, her words trailing off as she tried to decide whether to be livid at him or just just normal incensed. Or proud. Maybe a bit of both. Nayru knew that she couldn't do what he did with a staff, both on a pragmatic / literal level and more importantly in terms of the sheer... drive to heal and create that he had but she lacked. She had met priests before of course, it would be stranger if she had not, but few that had possessed the sheer willpower that Remus took for granted. He was definitely one of the more inspirational figures she had met, and while she didn't care to tell him as much - she didn't like trying to influence things like that - Nayru could see him changing the Etrurian church from within, given time and a little luck.
But with the good, so too came the bad. People that driven didn't tend to stay that way - they either burned out when they tried to push themselves too far, or got killed when they scared the wrong people. THAT was something Nayru had seen enough times to worry about. The more you tried to change the world, the more the existing order fought back, whether out of rational self-preservation or mindless resistance to change or even just petty spite. And the men in power over Eliminism had all three in spades. It was unlikely that they would take kindly to some young whippersnapper diluting and reframing the message they used their religion to convey and control with, no matter how positive his intentions, and... well, you didn't have to be a political savant to notice that people Kraft didn't like tended to end up disappearing. Etruria was a brutal police state these days, even if it hurt her inside to admit it given how beautiful and peaceful and enlightened the country had been a mere fifty years ago, or even about... 10-15 years ago in her last brief visit.
For now though, the threat wasn't so much angry assassins as that Remus was going to blow a blood vessel or accidentally use his entire soul to fuel a resurrection or something equally stupid and selfless and Remus-ey. "Alright, I tell you what." Nayru rose to her full height with a little bounce at the end that was crafted to, and indeed did, draw a giggle from Amelia at the apex of her flight to the heavens. "I like you, and I want you to make it through the night. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way." As serious as the Ending Winter and only half as funny, Nayru took a step towards her prey. "Either you get some rest of your own free will, or I carry you there and Amelia makes sure you get your beauty sleep. The choice is yours."
Okay, yes, TECHNICALLY there were some... passing... similarities to a kidnapping in this interaction, but Nayru was a strong believer in getting results, and if that took some underhanded methods here and there, well, such was the price of business. She wasn't going to brook any excuses from Remus, much less shenanigans of any sort - he WAS going to get some damn rest if it killed him. Er, bad choice of words, but the point was clear as far as she was concerned. "If he tries to escape, you have permission to sit on him, Amelia," the vile draconic monster added in a conspiratorial tone to her leetle friend.
|
|