Wyvern talk (Aria/Anigrim)

[Aria]

The first day of the ranch's annual festivities had drawn to a close. The workers and family members were slowly escorting people off their property. And the wyverns were steadily being returned to their own pens. Chewy's saddle was removed by one of Aria's nephews. The brick colored wyvern gave a bit of a shake then licked the teen on the face as if to say thank you. The red wyvern then set out towards her sky haired human. Chewy approached Aria and nuzzled her. Aria grinned and nuzzled back.

"I know. You haven't seen me all day. Yes, I missed you too you big lug." Then she took a step back to give her wyvern a thorough once over. She needed to see if Chewy developed any new cuts or bruises. She was ferrying people around on her back all day with a saddle that may or may not have fit her properly. Aria gently climbed up onto her wyvern's back careful not to hurt herself on Chewy's horns. She took a seat on Chewy's back.

"Don't see anything wrong with you. Guess the boys did a good job keeping an eye out." She spoke. She gripped Chewy's head horns and gently guided the wyvern around. They moved slowly and out towards one of the ranch's various empty lawns. Aria slowly got off her wyvern and the wyvern immediately made itself comfortable on the cool grass. Aria joined her by sitting down on the grass and leaned against the belly of her beast. She sighed softly and looked up at the multicolored sky.

"Hmm.. we sure picked a fine time to come home. I know I missed this.. but.. I can't help feeling this is a little wrong. We are supposed to be sort of recovering? Or do you think we.. should be out there? Helping Liam and Julius.. or.. finding out information about that thing that brought up the dead." She glanced over at her steed. Who had her head on the ground, asleep, with both her eyes shut. It had been a long day for both of them and Aria didn't blame her for wanting to take a nap.

[Angrim]

The festivities for the day were drawing to a close, or rather all but the most dedicated stragglers had already left. This did of course include Angrim and Zael, the latter of which had spent the last two hours whining and complaining that he did not wish to be here any longer. It was at this time that Angrim would relent and allow him his leave, while noting that he did not in fact need his permission to go.

"Look, I'm just saying that reliving your childhood is nice and all but why did it have to involve staying at a smelly ranch for an entire day?" Zael questioned as the two escorted themselves out the entrance.

"It wasn't about reliving my childhood. Well, not inherently, I suppose. This was a place I had visited as a child and I was curious to see it again, that's all. You didn't need to stay as long as you did. In fact I am a bit proud of you for keeping it together for so long. Even if I caught you gambling at the end there." Angrim gave his friend a good hearted smile. "What would the captain think?"

Zael scoffed with false indignation, "Pardon me! But I think that a quick round of cards is the surest way to know a man inside and out."

"Oh, so tell me then, what exactly did you learn about the fine men you played with?"

"That they were all incredibly easy to swindle of course." Zael laughed and tossed an entire coin purse to Angrim. "Check it out, it wasn't cards but when I offered a coin toss under the 'heads I win, tails you lose' clause he totally took it!"

Angrim felt Zael was far too proud of himself. "You are a terrible soldier." Angrim half-heartedly smiled.

"Its a good thing I never pretended to be anything else then, isn't it?" Zael let Angrim hold onto the coin purse as they walked not thinking much of it, until Angrim patted his own side uneasily. "What's up?"

"Hmm? Oh, I could have sworn I had my old ring on hand."

"A ring? Then why pocket it?"

Angrim looked at Zael incredulously. "I didn't pocket it! I just... dang it! You go on ahead, and apologies to Hel for me if you would. I am going to go back and see if I can't find my ring." Without waiting for confirmation Angrim turned to hurry back.

"Wait! But its getting dark, how would you ever find it?" But it was no use, Angrim was already back to the ranch. "C'mon man..." Zael huffed but decided to keep going.

[Aria]

The sky haired rider kept her gaze upwards. She watched the clouds as they passed by and they got her thinking about things. She thought about the wyverns. She thought about Chewy and for the last time they really went out for a good flight. A flight that didn't involve doing other things like errands, fights, or running. She sighed softly then brought her gaze back down to earth. Chewy's mini snores caused her to turn her head than shake her head at her mount's noises. She looked out towards the ranch. Our towards the people who were moving about in the distance. Workers, Families, Guests, it got her thinking about people. These were her people... er.. not her's in the sense that she owned them. But, hers in the sense that she was like them. The working class. And, here she was with a wyvern and armor meant to defend them should the time come. And sometimes she was hesitant about doing that.

The wyverns here were like family. She watched a good chunk of them hatch. She knew them all by name. She helped train and rear a whole bunch of them alongside the rest of the family. She'd hate to see anyone of them get hurt. But, getting hurt and defending the people were what they trained them for. Aria shook her head again then stared at the floor. Something caught her eye and she picked up. It looked like a ring. A simple old ring that looked like it got stepped on one too many times in the dirt. She shrugged and started to pick the dirt off of the metal. Perhaps, there was some sort of engraving on the inside that would give her a clue to the ring's owner.

[Angrim]

Aria would discover that the ring was a silver band that when worn would show the emblem of the 103rd Wyvern Riders. A very subtle show of loyalties when in civilian dress and a trinket most would not be able to afford being silver.

In the waning hours Angrim passed the gates of the ranch and immediately turned his focus to any of the workers he could isolate and speak with. None reported seeing a ring and some suggested it may be gone for good. The most helpful among them were those that pointed him to individuals that could help him further but even those amounted to naught, that is until he happened upon Aria. What better fortune than to catch the woman mere moments after fetching his ring from the earth.

"Excuse me!" He called from a distance. As he approached he recognized the woman. Perhaps this was fate attempting to force him to speak with her, the gods must have something planned with how often they crossed paths. "Well, what are the odds? I apologize mam, but may I see that ring you have there?" He was hopeful it was his, the silver sheen of it was a good indicator and if it had his regiment's symbol then he could prove it. Thinking of this he added, "Does it have a wyvern head breathing fire on it?" Naturally there are no known wyvern's that can breath fire, real or legendary but that was their motif regardless of precedence.

[Aria]

Aria continued to chip the dirt away from the ring. As she chipped the ring's metal started to show it's true form. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the ring looked to be that of silver. That meant it was expensive. She also noticed an engraving of a wyvern head breathing fire. Wyverns don't breathe fire. But, she could see the allusion. Wyvern breath was sometimes a rancid mix of noxious gasses that felt like fire upon the skin. Aria knew that full well. She was often on the receiving end of one of Chewy's burps especially during the few times a week when she had to clean her wyvern's mouth. She raised the ring up over her head so that she could get a better glimpse of it in what remained of the sunlight.

Almost instantly a man approached her. Now she didn't recognize this man, so she assumed he must have been a guest at the ranch. When he asked if he could see the ring the blue-haired rider popped the ring into her palm and closed her hand. She didn't know who this man was, or if he was even the owner of the ring. For all, she knew this man might be a common thief. Chewy perked her head up and turned her head to look at the man. She didn't know who it was either. And the wyvern was protective of Aria. But, before she could respond to the man's first inquiry about the ring, with something smug, he described the ring. The rider sighed softly.

"Yeah. It's got a wyvern breathing fire on it. Guess that mean's it's yours huh." She held the ring out so that the stranger could grab it.

[Angrim]

Matching Aria's own sigh Angrim too let out a deep breath of relief of his own. Even his heart began to settle in a way he had not realized it ever even stirred. "I feel so much better knowing it was found. Thank you very much." Taking the ring back from Aria he slipped it onto his ring finger and flexed his fingers and curled them into a fist as though he was testing the comfort of it. "Seems unbent or damaged too." He smiled then, "Again, thank you very much for finding it."

Taking a glance over at Chewy he had to admire how peaceful the beast seemed while it slept as well as its beautiful scales. "That's a beautiful wyvern you have there." Then partially covering his mouth with a hand he added playfully, "Just don't tell mine I said that, she would get incredibly jealous." Remembering his manners he turned to Aria and offered her his hand. "My name is Angrim. I would like to ask you for yours but I'm afraid I already know it. Miss Aria. I pray this does not sound too strange but I have seen you at the festival and the Bernese Arena. Good in a fight and a beautiful voice." He complimented her. I am curious though as I find it almost difficult to believe but YOU are a rancher?" Why not though, he used to be a smith but her combative abilities did raise the question of where did she learn to fight, not just ride and care for her wyvern.

[Aria]

"You're welcome stranger," Aria responded after she gave the ring back. As the man went ahead to examine the ring for defects, Aria put her hand on Chewy's head. She gave it a light pat and the wyvern went back to it's napping ways. There was clearly nothing going on here. Or at the very least nothing that garnered the wyvern's attention. The stranger thanked her again and she nodded. She really didn't do anything special. But, the ring clearly had some sort of sentimental value to this man.

"Ring must be pretty important. Not too many have a motif of wyvern fire." Then again this was Bern. Land of Wyverns and apples. And then he commented on Chewy's color and good looks. He also explained that his wyvern would be incredibly jealous if she found out he had said something nice about another person's wyvern.

"Chew here was the second of her clutch to have red scales. Ah, nice to meet a fellow rider." She took the man's hand and shook it. The stranger introduced himself as Angrim. Aria found it to be a weird name but she really shouldn't complain. She did ride a wyvern named Chewy after all and her score was based on a musical sore.

"Aria's just fine by the way. The Miss, makes me feel uncomfortable. You aren't the first person today to recognize me from the Arena. First one though to recognize me from the festival. Didn't think anyone saw that. Or.. uh heard me." She grinned sheepishly. She knew she had a great singing voice. But, she still got slightly red whenever anyone complimented her on it.

"Yep. I be a rancher. My pa owns the ranch. I generally ride around Chewy doing errands." Those 'errands' entail a variety of things like fighting and deliveries. But, this stranger didn't need to know that. At least not right now.

[Angrim]

"Yes, my old mentor, the man that brought me into the fold of wyvern knights gave it to me. But that was before the occupation mind. After all of that I am just a common soldier now, not a squire or knight." Many would have found this a sore subject or something worth defecting from the military over but not he, he was of common birth to begin with and he did not join the military for status or a knighthood. Further he was the one that wanted to leave the forces in the past.

The conversation was firmly on wyverns now, "The second eh? Beautiful wyverns abound then." He chuckled. So she did not like the Miss part? Well, "Then just Aria it will be," he offered her a smile in return and decided not to tease her about her bashfulness. She went and sang for a crowd of strangers, seemed odd to get embarrassed now.

When Aria confirmed she was a rancher Angrim crossed his arms with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Well, considering where we are I do believe you to be a rancher, but, you were not always a rancher were you? I saw how you fight, surely you are prior service?" And why not? Many soldiers left after the fall of Bern and some further during the civil war. The upheaval was endless and many could not cope, or found themselves ousted by others filling roles they once held. He could name three people that held a grudge against General Illheod alone.

[Aria]

"Prior service is right. The war and occupation kinda took my title of soldier." That was a long complicated story.

"My older brother still serves though. He's been trying to get me to rejoin the military though." She commented.

"I don't stay home as much as I should. I mostly ride Chewy out and go to the people. Deliveries, freelance, guard work, ecetera. It's not a glamorous or stable life.. but I like it." The life of a freelance was a decent one. She was happy to have both her wyvern and a little bit of freedom over her own life. It sure beats being forced into a marriage or being forced to take orders from someone else.

"Not going to lie. I do miss some of the stability of a soldier's life. It might sound wrong.. but.. I don't like the idea of throwing Chewy or myself in the line of fire because some big wig told me to. If I'm going to get myself murdered in battle it's going to be under my own terms." She nodded. She glanced back at Chew she hoped the wyvern was listening in and would nod too. But the big brick thing was still sleeping. The rancher could hear the wyvern's stomach gurgles and she shook her head. Don't you dare fart, you big behemoth. She mentally warned the wyvern, knowing full well the wyvern couldn't actually hear her thoughts.

"So you say you're a fellow rider... Your wyvern nearby?" She peeked around behind the man hoping to catch some shambling semblance of a wyvern near him. So far the only ones she could eyeball were the local home grown ones.

[Angrim]

Angrim smiled to the comments presented by Aria. Getting skewered on her own terms? If things were on his terms there would be no room for getting skewered in the first place. Though her sentiments about fighting the wars of other bigwigs struck a cord with him. Some time ago he too could not continue fighting for Bern as it once was. “That is why I had once left the military.” He admitted, “but since the rebellion I feel that we have an opportunity to set a new precedence for Bern and the ways of the military, and if not then at least I can fight against the creatures that threaten our home and stability ever since monsters crossed over from Lycia.

“Hel, my Wyvern, is back out in the woods over that way.” He pointed in the general direction of an ever darkening space. “I sent my friend Zael on ahead of me to get his and mine ready. You had a rule of no ‘outside’ Wyverns allowed so we had to leave them behind. But if you would like to meet them I’d be more than happy to introduce you two, or three. Hel is an absolute sweetheart if a cheeky thing and Fafnir’s laziness is only matched by his rider, but don’t tell Fafnir I said that.” He covered his mouth partly with one hand as though he needed to keep some secret from reaching the ears of another. “Though, I suppose it may be getting too late for that?”

[Aria]

"War is terrible for all parties involved. I try to keep my nose out of politics and focus more on the other stuff. While the war was going on me and Chewy were flying around the country taking a few odd jobs for the people. Now that it's over, all we can do is focus on rebuilding and restoring." Aria explained.

"Those monsters are a pain. Chewy and I have had more than our fair share of them already." She thought back to the festival of flowers back in Lycia. Then back to Liam and that monster they found with the blue-haired priest. A small shiver went up her spine. She didn't tell her folks about that thing since she wasn't quite sure how to word it. She knew some parts of the Bernese mountains were home to gargoyles. She counted her blessings that she hadn't met one yet.

"Yeah, the No outside wyvern rule is in place for safety reasons. We don't know how outside wyverns will react to our wyverns and vice versa. We don't want anyone getting hurt." While most wyverns under a rider's care were tame. There were still parts of a wyvern that was wild, with unpredictable instincts.

"You're right.. it is getting late. Tell you what though, you've piqued my interest. Mind meeting me at the town gates tomorrow morning at nine? I'm going to have some errands to run in town anyway. I'll bring Chewy too. It's been a while since she's met other wyverns that weren't from the ranch."

[Angrim]

Angrim was known to miss little details often but even he could see the grim aura that came over Aria when she spoke of war and the monsters that had come around as of late. He decided it best not to comment to it but he did make a mental note of it. He did not know her story but he feared it may be a darker tale than he had initially believed... of course he could completely looking too deeply into it and risking treating her in an overblown and inflated way but now he was just over thinking things and it would be so much easier to just... NOT do that.

"9AM in town?" Was she so starved for conversation to invite a stranger out to run errands with her? He found himself grinning internally but his exterior remained stoic to it. "My leave is still ongoing through tomorrow so I think I can meet that request. I would be happy to continue these... wyvern talks later. While I would like to talk more now I do have a lack of torches and I had probably best get through the woods before I get lost completely. Aria was it? I will come find you tomorrow." He agrees before rushing off. Once he was passing the gates it began to click that he had left rather abruptly and perhaps too much so but... eh, no need to go back now he already committed to it and it really was getting late.

[Aria]

"What nine am is a perfectly reasonable time. Be glad I'm not asking you to come out at dawn." She argued. An hour before dawn was the usual time she woke up at anyway. Part of being a rancher meant getting up really early in the day to make sure you are prepared for all the other stuff you have to do that day. With farm, wyverns, and farm animals, the day's chores led right up until sundown. Part of her was glad at the same time sad she had left that life.. sort of. No, not really. She was still back home and would probably be doing all sorts of farm work before going out into town.

"Sides, if you're yanking my leg about meeting two charismatic wyverns, Chewy can just eat yours." She gave the wyvern a small pat on the side. The red creature just let out a small snort in response. Aria was kidding of course. Chewy didn't eat people. But, if she did get burned on this little get together, she would be sure to not let Anigrim near the ranch ever again.

"Alright, be seeing you tomorrow then." She waved him goodbye. And watched him go. Aria sighed softly and elbowed Chewy.

"Wake up. It's getting dark. Let's get to the barn." Aria commented and the red wyvern reluctantly got up.
--

The day started like any other. Aria was up before dawn, as usual. She woke up Chewy and the pair of them went about their morning routine. Aria changed out of her sleep ware and into a regular farmer's clothes. A simple wool tunic and slacks. Long boots that went up the calf. She kept her hair up in a high ponytail. After that, they swung by the family home for a light breakfast. She'd been given her set of morning assignments. She gathered the eggs, cleaned the coop, picked the rabbits for the stewpot, fed the pigs, and cleaned out their pen. By the time eight o'clock rolled around she was a muddied smelly mess of a ranch hand. With her parent's permission, she washed up a bit with some water and prepped Chewy's saddle. There was no reason to put on a full suit of armor this time. But, she did keep the holder with her lances strapped on her just in case. The dynamic duo was in the air by eight forty-five and making their way towards the city gates. The rider munched on an apple as they flew. They arrived at the gates by eight fifty-five.

[Angrim]

The day started unlike any other. From the moment Zael awoke Angrim was forced to be awake too. "Come on man! You got yourself a date! Don't be late, act cool, but not too cool, ladies like a man of mystery but not a jerk." Angrim's grogginess hadn't even left him before he was bombarded by 'suggestions' and soon found himself lifted from his bed with a brush going through his hair.

"Ah! AHHH!!!"

"Oh man, do you have some knots in here. I may need a stronger brush."

"Zael!" He got his friend to stop. "STOP! Please. It's just a friendly thing to talk about wyverns."

"Well, that's how it starts, sure, you talk about wyverns and then about each other, then there is poetry and boom! You go in for the smoochums. Farm girls are easy like that!" Zael proceeded to hug himself and make kissing noises.

Angrim awkwardly laughed it off. "And how many farmgirls has all that worked for you on exactly?"

"Enough..."

"Right. Well, let me at least dress myself and I will get going."
--

Ever punctual Angrim was at the city gate a full thirty minutes early. He might not take his combat training as seriously as others but he would be dead before he was not where he was meant to be. Hel rested on the side of the road as to not block it and Angrim sat with her eating a morning apple along her flank. "Huh, I don't see Zael around, guess he and Fafnir are going to leave us alone for once."

It seemed only a short while before the shadows of another wyvern were cast overhead. Angrim stood and waved with his apple hand. "Hey! Right down here!" Realizing it he tossed the core into nearby shrubbery.

[Aria]

Aria quietly gazed downwards towards the man and his wyvern. From her vantage point, she could see a lovely coal black wyvern with a red underbelly. Chewy gave a small grunt.

"I agree, that's a fine looking wyvern. I wonder what color coats her parents had." Of course, Aria could tell that Anigrim's wyvern was a female. The color pattern reminded her of those spiders in the barn that she was to stay away from. What were they called again? Ah yeah, the black widows. The sky haired rider gave Chewy a light tap and the brick colored wyvern landed a few feet in front of them. Aria gave Chewy some affectionate head rubs before dismounting. She took a few steps forward and looked up at Anigrim's wyvern. Remeber to say good morning to the human first dummy!

"Good morning you two." She smiled softly. Then she went into what she called Wyvern afficiando mode.

"Oh my, you were not kidding. She IS a cute wyvern! And those colors! What a delight." The rider carefully held her knuckles up towards Anigrim's wyvern's snout. She would wait for the wyvern to sniff her hand. The ebony wyvern would either accept or reject Aria. And the wyvern's action would determine Chewy's reaction. So far the red wyvern was standing behind Aria. She didn't show any intimidation towards Anigrim's wyvern, but she wasn't overly friendly either. She was waiting for Aria's interaction with the coal black wyvern. Waiting, just in case she needed to jump in to defend her rider from the maws of this other wyvern.

"What's her name?"