Sky and Water [Clair/Nayru C]

[Clair Feldsky]

A river. It was so easy to take things for granted once she'd gotten used to them, but the memory of the first large river she'd seen after leaving Ilia, and what that had felt like was still with her. To the southlanders, a river was only a flowing body of water. A nuisance even, if there wasn't a bridge. The Ilian looked at it and remembered the amazement she'd felt on seeing such a thing unbounded by ice crusts. A river that she could actually step into without being concerned with freezing to death within a few hours. Perhaps minutes. The healers would be more clear on that than she was. Here in Sacae, the wind blew freely across the grass, the rivers spread lazily down their beds, and the sky was larger than anywhere else in the world, but it still wasn't perfect.

Dropping her bags at her side, Clair jammed the thunder lance down into the ground, and left it standing next to her things. It would feel good to finally get free from all the scum of Salvation Point's ruins. She could see Nayru already in the water a little way downstream from her. No need to waste anymore time then.

The boots were the first thing to come off. They were always the most difficult. The only thing she really disliked about them. When the second one came off, she turned it upside down and caught a small bauble as it fell out of the boot, tucking it securely into a pocket in her saddle bags. The armor was relatively easy by comparison, unbuckling at her side and simply lifting over her head. Before long, she'd stripped out of her clothes entirely and plunged herself into the water, leaving a small pile of garments near the water's edge. It was just like the training she'd had back in Arphen, she told herself. Privacy sometimes went by the wayside. Despite the embarrassment of being unclothed, acting like it didn't matter often made the issue into a non issue.

She sputtered a bit as she came up from submerging herself. The water may not be deadly here, but it was still cold for bathing. It was better than spider guts though, which was why she stayed in, slowly allowing herself to drift down closer to Nayru. The woman intruiged her. Who was she? She didn't really want to think about giant spiders and other monsters right now, and still felt somewhat miffed at the silver haired woman when you reached past the exterior, but now might be a good time to explore a few unanswered questions.

Perhaps carefully. she thought to herself, as memories of the enormous spider pieces in the church's remains replayed through her mind.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

Nayru found herself reminded of the battered spider from the fortress as she sat, uncomfortably aware of how battered her reinforcement was, the chill of the water seeping past each crack as if to outline it. Uncomfortable though it might be, the sensations were exceptionally useful; each weakness discovered gave her another spot to focus on repairing, keeping her pleasantly(?) occupied. Much better than simply sitting in silence with nothing to do, though she supposed that outwardly it looked neasarly identical save for the crease in her brow that spoke of the concentration she brought to bear on the task.

The human woman - Clair's - arrival did serve to bring another spree of issues to the forefront of her mind. Namely, Nayru was acutely aware that she had probably not been the most amazing and upstanding example of draconic calm and patience and reasonableness. A less generous term for that display might have been closer to tantrum. She could blame her exhaustion, take refuge in having meant it in favor of humanity, but - those were merely excuses for her poor behavior. Nothing more, nothing less. Whether or not she was "better" than this was debateable, but taking refuge in human weakness was abhorrent to her.

She simply watched silently, a ghostly smile on her lips at Clair's reaction to the water. It amused her that the both of them had just performed nigh-superhuman feats, but were still vulnerable to a little cold. In fairness, the water was damn cold. "Uncomfortable, but I find it refreshing. The experience grants a certain clarity that can be difficult to achieve when too focused on standing upright." A short pause, before continuing in a mor serious tone. "...I must apologize again for my outburst. Regardless of the circumstances, it was inappropriate and uncalled for."

Nayru leaned back, simply enjoying the feeling of the water flowing through and around her hair while trying to come up with the words she was hunting for. "It is - something close to my heart, as well as the focus of much of my research. All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing, as the saying goes. Sometimes I forget that there are as many varieties of evil as there mortals on Elibe, each worth fighting to stop. Perception is everything."

But it wasn't, not really. She wasn't sure how much of that she believed. Regardless of what happened with Etruria, no matter who won, the oncoming tide would drown Elibe unless humanity focused on the threat.

[Clair Feldsky]

Clair didn't reply immediately to the apology. Honestly, she didn't know how she wished to respond to it. The correct thing to do would be to accept and move on, but she still felt that tinge of annoyance. She battered it down with common sense, making it less of a problem. If she kept track of every grievance she suffered, the list would become meaningless in it's length. Best to save it for a particular few....

"Don't worry about it." And that was all Clair said to that. She didn't fancy the idea of getting into an argument over which enemy she ought to be fighting.

"You're right though. There are many evils, and they all need to be met." The Illian sighed slightly. The Prophet and his regime had seemed a monumental task, but they were getting closer to being able to challenge him. With Ilian support, and Rayl rallying the Lycian states, there would be enough force to bring against the Etrurian forces. To have monsters like these spiders suddenly thrust on them was going to set them back a ways.

"Elly was rather impressive back there, by the way.... For a squire that is." The falcoknight didn't bother holding back the small smile of amusement that worked its way onto her face, as she remembered the pink haired girl's efforts.

"Almost no tactical skill at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure she was just flailing her lance around at the things, but she was so ferocious that she managed to kill... I'd say at least three of the things." Spirit like that reminded her of the way another person she knew fought... Perhaps it had to do with the pink hair.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"Elly has a certain spark to her, a seed of heroism that I would like to see sprout." Maybe it wouldn't be the end of the world if she kept the conversation down that path. At least it would be less likely to lead to her saying anything else stupid. "Rare potential and ambition entwined in a..." finding the right word was difficult. "...rough package, but she forges ahead with equal parts drive and stubbornness. Perhaps a slight focus on the latter." Nayru was unable to hold back a small smile, a tinge of fondness peeking through. Elly was an irrepressible, irresponsible mess of emotion and activity that was difficult to follow, but possessed a singular tendency to worm her way into the good graces of everyone around her. She couldn't think of many other explanations for why both Aerious and her apparently-strict Ilian former commander had grown fond of the little hellion... or at least tolerant. The difference was subtle at times.

"I am more impressed that she managed to find the courage to stand up to them at all. Most... people-" It took effort not to say humans, the dragon noted with some unhappiness. She had been talking to Aerious far too much lately, and the mere familiarity granted by having a dragon nearby had reminded her of Arcadia somewhat, polluting her vocabulary with words and meanings left behind centuries ago. "-would not be able to summon forth the courage to fight creatures so foul. Not that it would reflect poorly on them, facing creatures so vastly physically superior, but unfortunate nonetheless. I may need to discuss the differences between bravery and foolhardiness with her when she wakes up."

At least the two new people had kept her safe, then bandaged her up in the aftermath. That took courage, skill, and empathy. It was a pleasant counterpart to the constant reminders of humanity's flaws - that there were still people who already strove to carry themselves along the path to excellence, those in whom reflections of her ideal world could be made out. Regardless of what initial impressions she had obtained of Richter, his actions had spoken louder than his words. Or rather his actions had shown him to be somewhat less of a monster than she had first thought.

That he had been so willing to kill nonhuman creatures but held back slightly against Aerious did not bode well for the situation if he decided they were a threat, though. She resolved to keep that in mind, but didn't foresee it becoming a serious issue; Nayru had no intention whatsoever of staying near him longer than absolutely necessary. "The two of you acquitted yourselves far more impressively than I had dared to hope. You speak quite casually of creatures that most mortals refuse to believe exist, those who lived in ages past as well as those we fight now."

[Clair Feldsky]

The falcoknight dipped her head to the side, starting to rinse the grime from her hair. The water was still uncomfortably brisk, but she was capable of ignoring that. At least with the aid of a conversation, some thought, and some movement. Nayru's description seemed to fit Elly quite well from what Clair knew, and she could easily take the silver haired woman's word on the rest. A seed of heroism... Clair smiled. She hoped it did ignite. Elibe needed as many to champion it as it could find.

"Don't underestimate what a few confident and capable people can accomplish, Nayru. And I don't think we're so badly off as you may think. Those creatures were... horrid, but a few mages carpeting the area with their spells would have shortened the battle dramatically." There it was. She still clung to her new found hate for all magic except the basic heal staves, but only because it held so much dangerous potential. It was a loathing for the need for it, more than the magic itself. She'd be more than happy to make use of it when it was called for though. She wasn't sure how they would have handled the big one though. Probably just hit it until it died. She'd hate to see what would happen in a small town from these things, but she was confident a force like hers and Richter's would be able to deal with such an infestation.

Some of Nayru's next comments led Clair to believe that she and Richter hadn't been recognized. This was... good? Part of her chafed at this. After all, she'd spent roughly three years as a prominent piece in Richter's forces, and that whole troop had made a target on their backs by angering the Prophet as they had.... it was a silly thing to be frustrated with though. Recognition was still one of her goals, but one among many that were more important. She could get by with what fortune threw her way until she met her goals.

"Ha...." The blond haired falcoknight gave a single short laugh as the water kept flowing lazily by. "I think its reasonable to assume that Richter and I have had some unusual experiences in the last few years. Enough to teach us to be less closed minded about some things, I guess." Plenty of memories came to mind as she spoke. She had enough material for a good story already. Maybe she ought to have it put down on paper some day.

"I'm a little more interested in what happened while you in that building.... To put it bluntly, a normal person going up against the monstrosity I saw in there would not be trying to tear it in half. Like the remains I saw in there.... You have a secret, Nayru." Clair watched for a reaction, unsure she'd be able to read it if she did catxh one. Her own expression was somewhat unconcerned. There was a chance she was still somewhat affected from having a Thunder Lance blasting her entire body for about ten seconds too long. Perhaps she ought to be more careful when dealing with unknowns, but they hadn't showed any hostile intent so far.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"Yes... elemental attacks would certainly have made the battle much easier." It was on the surface a simple agreement, but there was an undercurrent of meaning that meant more to her than to her companion. Another day, another reminder that she needed to learn to channel the elements into a weapon if she was to follow this path. It had been something she actively avoided for countless years, unwilling to make herself more a weapon than necessary, but - being able to scathe the room with the fury of the storm would have made the fight much less lethal to both her and the humans. Not that she could have transformed without having spurred this conversation much earlier. A ghostly smile graced her lips foor a moment, self-recriminatory and a touch bitter, but melted from her features as she filed the emotions away for later.

It was probably for the best, the tiny smidgin of non-self-destructive detached logic in her mind helpfully supplied, that Clair changed the subject without any prompting. Nayru was too busy coming off the momentary depression to evince much of an actual reaction, but her mind was forcefully wrenched from its path in order to deal with the new issue. She had hoped that the subject wouldn't come up, but that had been foolhardy at best; not after what happened to the spider. She could explain that Aerious had done the vast majority of the work and that - rather than bravely and singlehandedly slaying the beast - she had actually just fallen and landed on it while it was already falling, but that would do little to answer the human's - woman's - question and just raise more questions than it answered.

The dragon opted for an expressive shrug, her moving shoulders barely visible through the cloud of much more vividly waving hair. "We all have our secrets, do we not?" It was a noncommittal answer at best, but less her blowing off Clair's question as trying to give herself a moment to think. Which of the two was it that had mentioned dragons earlier? Clair. Richter? Maybe both. Either an in-joke of some sort, or a reference to, well, dragons. The obvious answer seemed possible, but it was also possible that they had simply been trying to evoke a specific response from her or Aerious. Conspiracy theories and plots within plots. Her favorite. Nayru suppressed the urge to groan melodramatically, suddenly feeling very tired - she'd never been much good at politics, or really intentional lying in general. Lying by omission, perhaps, but the clash or undercurrents and double meanings had never sat well with her.

If the subject was going to be aired, though, the dragon supposed that she owed it to both herself and Aerious to at least ease the transition. "Magic can make the impossible... less so. I seem to remember a set of weapons that allowed humanity the ability to nearly destroy the planet some time back." That was about when Nayru realized that her words could be taken to be clearly insinuating that she possessed a legendary magic tome. Not quite as planned. "You have that lance, granting you uncanny control over lightning. Control that goes far beyond what a human could accomplish on their own. Is it so far-fetched to think that I might possess something similar?"

That was the lead-up to playing it off as a function of her bracers, the white lie that she had always had prepared in case the issue came up. It left a foul aftertaste in her mouth to actually use it, though, a hint of shame to accompany the sensation. Nayru settled for absentmindedly playing with her reinforcement, trying to determine whether or not she could "pop" enough energy to blow the grime off without detonating her skin - or her entire body. The metaphor of playing with fire while submerged in an ocean of oil sprang to mind. If nothing else, maybe she could give this all a shot - Clair was certainly skilled but unarmed, so at least she would have a chance to escape if the woman became hostile.

"Allow me to respond to your question with one of my own. Do you think me in league with the aberrations of earlier, or do you have another species in mind?" Asking directly about the dragons both had mentioned seemed a bit too direct, not to mention that the act would imply more than she was willing to confirm right now, but she was certainly curious. If nothing else, this all might be good practice for when she told Elly the truth. ...If she ever told Elly the truth. Something else to ponder later.

[Clair Feldsky]

Clair nodded slowly as Nayru spoke of secrets, unsure whether she was getting anywhere with this or not. The silverhaired woman seemed to be collecting her thoughts. Probably deciding how to reply, or how much to say, if any.

Bringing up magic weapons hadn't been what the Ilian had expected, and she certainly couldn't link any of her own knowledge of magic tools and weapons with what she had seen in the dark of the church. She liked thinking that the instruction she'd had in Arphen had left her well informed about mage tactics and various other magic tools, but it was easy to imagine that there were more deadly things which she'd not been taught about in her time there. It was the first time she'd had to confront the idea that her education may not be complete. There might be pieces missing in the big picture, and that could prove disasterous.... She woukd have to take it on herself to fill in any lack of knowledge, and try to expand her realm of experience on the matter. She was no mage though. She felt discomfort, not excitement, at the idea of studying magic lore.

"...I don't think we'd be be bathing in the same river if I thought you were a monster." Clair's cheeks tried to redden briefly as her comment reminded her of what she was doing. Now really wasn't the time for embarrassment though. Nayru's reference to another "species" gave the falcoknight enough of a connection to convince herself to consider the possibility. Had she and Richter stumbled across another dragon traveling the world?

"I do know a few things, Nayru. I know that not all the dragons of this world are gone, contrary to what some believe." She backed off a bit as she continued letting the river water run over her shoulders, though not in a particularly alarmed way. It was more to provide Nayru with a bit of a space bubble for herself.

If Nayru was a dragon, then she'd have a dragon stone, and would rarely if ever be parted from it. Something that housed her power. Marcus had taught her that. Her eyes were caught by the sparkling earring which Nayru wore. A single gem... Large for an earring, in her opinion, but could a dragon stone be so small? Her mind was still behind on guessing how unlikely this encounter was, but dragons were the only thing that actually fit the pieces of this puzzle. She wondered how many people in the world would even be able to conceive the idea.

"Nayru, I apologize if this sounds crazy, but I think you're a dragon." As she spoke, her voice carried a bit of a carefree feel, as though she was too tired, or had been startled one too many times to be shocked by the outrageous nature of such a claim anymore. There was still a bit of the giddy amazement that had filled her when first meeting Marcus shining in her eyes though.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"I suppose that the half-dozen extra legs might make it somewhat awkward, and then the whole bit with drooling venom could conceivably make the experience less pleasant, but a wise man might call it a character building experience. One must break a few giant spiders to make an omelette, as they say." The words came out unbidden and entirely unplanned, somewhat more flippant than she had hoped, but hid a quiet gratefulness that at least Clair hadn't assumed the worst. Nayru was more worried of being seen as a threat than being liked; conflict avoidance had always been her modus operandi, and even coming out of her shell somewhat had done little to alter that.

She still watched out of the corner of her eye as Clair moved about, noted the woman's careful deliberation. Clair assessed the situation impressively quickly - and accurately. A reminder that despite not being eight feet tall and covered in battleaxes, her companion was quite the consumate warrior. Nayru felt no need to add the qualifier "for a dragon" to that thought, unwilling to pollute it with something that petty. It certainly lent credence to the duo's words of earlier, the casual reference to dragons. They must have met, perhaps even fought alongside multiple examples of the race. It was a pleasant reminder that even in this crumbling world, the two races could put aside their differences for a shared goal. Much like how her own dream could only be realized by both races combined.

The dragon simply stared at Clair blankly while she thought, her gaze both at and through the woman. Apparently she had been overly cautious, but there was yet one aspect to the issue that needed to be outed. Both pink-haired humans would like to know the information, Nayru didn't doubt in the least, but her thoughts were not on Richter. She spoke with practiced cadence, customary eloquence still on display, but quieter. "...I dislike outright dishonesty or obscuring the truth through lies of omission, but this rotting world is not one in which we can all show our true selves. I will never be a slave to the whims of a mad king, a beast of war to be used and then discarded in the name of imperialistic expansionism." Her tone switched abruptly from calm to vehemence, then returned to normal after a moment of silence, Nayru forced to gather her composure after the comment went further than anticipated.

It was a sideways agreement to Clair's question, implicit rather than direct, but about as subtle as Aerious on a good day. She had to hold back a smile at the thought. "So you know. I suspect your friend has inklings, but - if I may ask of you your word, please, do not tell Elly." Nayru's words took on a far-away tone, but there was a steely intensity beneath them that led to a curious dichotomy of feeling. "If you will trust my oath that I hold no animosity to humanity, do not tell her. She - I would rather she think of me as a mere retired wyvern rider. She still holds too many prejudices." She didn't explain further, and hoped that she didn't have to. Not that it was a state secret or mere typical draconic reticence so much as that Nayru wasn't sure she could come up with an explanation without stumbling through her words to the point of making herself look like a complete idiot.

[Clair Feldsky]

It wasn't hard to accept that Elly had no knowledge of her companion's true natures. The falcoknight had no doubt that if she hadn't had prior knowledge, or if they hadn't met during such amazing events, she would have gone on oblivious to the dragon. Or perhaps dragons. If Nayru, then why not Aerious?

Dragons! She still felt impressed by the reputation surrounding them, but she was beginning to think of them as less the legendary beasts from the deep past, and more simply another of the many people populating Elibe. She never would have thought like this a couple of years ago. Perhaps she wasn't supposed to feel so casual about this, but Clair wasn't going to go out of her way to feel uncomfortable.

The blond haired Illian raised a hand out of the water, forestalling anymore worry.

"I won't tell Elly. It's your secret to keep, and the girl obviously adores you. I hope you can tell her the truth some day though..... I hope you can live openly some day." Clair seemed wistful, a little lost in thought as she paused. Marcus had been a dragon, and the whole army had known. It had caused some stir at first, but the soldiers had gotten over it quickly enough, even if they never warmed up to him as a person, precisely. The idea of hiding who she was for her entire life seemed incomprehensible to Clair. Impossible. She shook her head, dislodging the thoughts as quickly as they'd come.

"I can't say I was expecting to be taking a bath with a dragon today...." She laughed a moment after she said it. Not many things had gone how she'd expected today, in fact.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"...Thank you." Her voice was quiet, her tone subdued, but there was a current of emotion in it battling to be let free. The temptation to compare Elly to an adorable leech was strong, but the dragon had found the girl had grown on her far quicker than she had thought possible. "I - hope she grows out of that at some point." Whether she was referring to Elly's prejudices or the idolization, Nayru was vague; it was less a clever dual meaning so much as entirely because she wasn't sure either. Clair having reacted so well was a colossal load off her shoulders, though; Nayru felt herself able to relax somewhat, untensing muscles she hadn't even realized had been ready to move, to flee.

The silence that passed for a moment was less awkward than a moment of quiet contemplation, of what she thought - hoped - was acceptance from both sides. Nayru settled for a small smile, as much to release some of the emotion flowing through her as for anyone else's benefit, finally getting to work on scrubbing herself clean. Bereft of a suite of personal servants, or at least a good towel, she opted to experiment with adjusting the flow of energy into her hands, not quite as worried about being attacked. It turned out to be harder to accurately gauge the necessary power to provide a tangible degree of force without accidentally overdoing it, but after a few moments of concentration she managed to create a subtly rippling flow of energy across her palms that, in theory, might help to dislodge some of the grime.

Or accidentally punch through her leg.

Trying to keep her mind off of that line of thought, the dragon decided to try to use the conversation as a medium for concentration, or at least to give herself something to do in order to distract her from how horrible of an idea this was. "One grows used to it. Live a lie long enough, and the boundary between truth and illusion blurs. It never quite disappears, though. ...I dream of a world in which that might be possible, but it is possible, even likely, that I will not live to see it. So long as that ideal survives, though - if others take up the mantle of carrying that dream, if I can push the world just a hair's breadth closer to that world, then I am satisfied."

It was true, though not the entire story. No one wanted to die with their goals unfulfilled, but simple pragmatism left Nayru with no delusions about abruptly changing the hearts and minds of an entire species with a couple happy speeches. She would be fortunate to even see great change centuries from now; even if she did manage to nudge a few more people down that path every generation, there were still so many more who she could not touch or who simply did not care. "...I did not lie about my trade earlier. I simply wander, learning what I can of humanity and those creatures. The variations in humanity never cease to amaze me - both their strength and their weakness. It seems worthwhile to remember those who deserve it, to etch their names in my memory that I may act as a monument to those who time and their fellow men have wrongly forgotten."

Aaaaand that was not exactly how she had envisioned this going. Sharing any information about herself had always been an awkward proposition to the dragon, and even intentionally pushing herself as she was, it still left an odd taste in her mouth. "What of you, Clair? What would you be remembered for? What would you leave behind as a mark of your passing?"

[Clair Feldsky]

The falcoknight thought it was a little odd as she listened to Nayru's dream. So often, it seemed that the big, bad, scary, dragons of the legends spoke only of acceptance and peace between the races when put in the light of today. As the losing side of such a mighty power struggle, they were lucky any of them had survived at all. Such would be the sentiments of any people who lost a war and had to focus on survival.... Putting it in this perspective helped the Ilian relate to what Nayru was speaking of better. She couldn't shake the feeling that Nayru's motivation encompassed true unity though, beyond simple peace and tolerance. Nayru was probably right. Clair had accepted Marcus as a friend, but she didn't know if she could or should manage the same thing for an entire species.

As she listened to what Nayru said, she realized she had no idea how old the dragoness was. Or how old "old" was to a dragon. She knew so little about them, aside from the fact that they were fearsome to behold on the battlefield. She was speaking to a survivor of the Scouring, for all she knew, and that was a daunting thought. It left her feeling a bit shaken. Not something she was used to anymore. It was a relief they'd gotten off to a good start.

"Me?" The question startled her. She'd never really put a great deal of thought into what she wanted to be remembered for. Known as a skillful and fairminded leader. Remembered in the lists with the other great Falcoknights! Hah! That had been a part of her childhood dream. Perhaps it still was a dream. But, actually having it addressed was something that she hadn't had to deal with before.

"I don't know, exactly. I'd have to give it some thought." She leaned over in the water and scooped up some of the sandy grains along the riverbed. She looked down at the contents of her hand as she thought to herself, before beginning to scrub lightly. Nothing like the feel of grime scoured away by dirt for philosophical thoughts.

"My mother was- is a falcoknight known as the Doombolt.... When I first started training, I had one simple desire. To make her proud, and hopefully match what she had accomplished someday. Since that time, my goals have grown." Clair smiled fondly of the time she remembered. She'd changed since then, but she still wanted her family to be proud of her. And she was certain they were.

"I've had alot of goals over the years, I guess. I wanted to have my name known the world over. Top of the list for anyone who needed an Ilian Falcoknight. Reputation is everything when your country depends on contracts from elsewhere. I don't know anymore though. It's still important, but there's so much going on now. So many things in the world that catches us all up. It's hard to maintain a path sometimes." It had turned into a bit of a rambling complaint she realized, but it was good that she'd finally found it to confront.

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"To make her proud and surpass her..." Nayru couldn't help but smile hollowly, a tinge of bitterness tainting the undisguised happiness as she lost herself in memory for a moment. The quiet cadence of her voice broke as she trailed off. It was - not new, but the similarities in motivation between many humans and dragons was always interesting. A reminder that despite all their differences, there were common themes. The details were always different and dragons tended to value eternal life as a specific goal less, but no one wanted to die, and very few wanted to be forgotten. "I had someone like that once. Decades of idolization, then centuries of chasing her shadow. No matter how I improve, her silouette is always that much further ahead."

And she'd ruined that relationship entirely, with no one to blame but herself for that loss. The dragon sunk further into the water, hiding from both herself and Clair. She was still so - weak. Too scared to really open up to people, but unable to stand alone, to forge her own path without someone at her side. As much as she wandered, as little as she brought with her, it was so very often with someone else. "...I envy you that you can still have that. Moreso that you grew out of it. I was not wise enough to see what I had before I lost it." Self-deprecating, perhaps, but all too accurate for her tastes. Nayru didn't really have any idea how to say it, but she wanted to impart that sensation to Clair, if only on the very unlikely chance that somehow it slightly influenced events such that the other woman never made the same mistake she did. She carried on regardless, leaving that line of thought to rot.

"Pragmatic and sensible. Mercenaries succeed or fail by their reputation even as they live or die by their skill at war." That had seemed like an interesting life, once, something full of excitement and activity, but - it certainly didn't seem as tantalizing now. It destroyed humanity, shattered morals and families and brotherhoods. It wouldn't be quite fair to say that she disliked mercenaries, but Nayru was on the chilly side of neutral about the whole idea. The thought that maybe she was just jealous that hussies riding pegasi were allowed to fly and she couldn't was ruthlessly crushed under the iron fist of glorious denial. "The world has always been a complicated, dirty place, but the issue of the Dark Ones certainly behooves us all to prepare ourselves. Priorities must be made, stances taken - between humanity as a whole and self-interest, country versus species."

That came out wrong. "No, I apologize. That was not accurate. People as a whole, not a single species." Humans could be every bit as worthwhile as any dragon, or vice versa if one's prejudices lay on the other side. She spoke often of its danger, but in truth Nayru was equally hopeful that the storm would aid her goals by forcing humanity to adapt, to evolve further towards her ideal world. The notion was only somewhat dampened by the unfortunate fact that at far too many good people would die in the process. If they were all lucky, Arcadia might even be forced to get with the times.

[Clair Feldsky]

Clair stopped and wondered for a minute as Nayru's thoughts seemed to take a nose dive. She seemed to be telling a story of having lost someone she admired at some point. It was hard to picture Nayru so completely focused on becoming like someone that she lost touch with them in some way.... Something about it seemed to carry more weight than merely the woman's words expressed.

She nodded as Nayru continued. It was good to see that at least someone else could understand Ilia's position in life. It was just a bit amusing, or perhaps unsettling, that it was a dragon who understood, moreso than the other human countries. Upholding a sterling reputation for Ilia had always been near the peak of her mountain of principles. At times, she was sure it was the only thing that had kept her from making foolish choices.

She grinned a bit as Nayru amended her statement to "people" rather than "humanity". It sounded like unity really was the dragon's objective. Even though it had little to do with her own goals and responsibilities, she could probably find a way to lend some support to the silver-haired woman's goals. It was a worthy goal to teach the world acceptance, and it was wrong for an entire people to be forced to live in such unfair conditions, having to hide their very nature from others. She might still have reservations about dragons in general, but Nayru deserved a bit of support.

"Don't give up on your goal, Nayru. It's worth fighting for, and I think it may be closer than you think. If not for the populations of humanity, then at least for the champions who rise to the challenges of the future. And these champions will have no small part in shaping what the world looks like in one hundred, fifty, perhaps a mere ten years from now."

She held no special love for the goal, it merely seemed right, but she did her best to smile a bit, and seem confident, much like when she was giving orders out to soldiers and other officers.

"That's why I don't want to hear any more defeatist styled talk coming from you. Because I think you're going to be one of those champions." The falcoknight crossed her arms over her chest as she finished, rubbing her shoulders slightly under the water.... dammit! It was too cold for peptalks!

[Nayru Al-Saiduq]

"Perhaps." Nayru allowed a bit of acceptance into her otherwise neutral tone, but she couldn't bring herself to truly believe it. If it was that easy, someone better than her would have done it long ago. "People change, but humanity was not the only race at fault for the past. The Ending Winter can only be laid directly at their feet, but dragons too must change. Holding millennia-long grudges, looking down on humans... based on legitimate experiences with the worst that humanity has to offer, perhaps, but both sides must move forwards. Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."

Yeah, Aerious was probably rubbing off on her. Didn't change the fact that she had felt that way for too long, though - Arcadia was a nice idea in theory, but simply sitting, frozen in time, was an approach that changed nothing. It was an escape from the harsh realities of the world rather than a coalition to change it. So much more that that massive well of experience and wisdom could accomplish beyond an idyllic retreat, and yet they did so little with all they had. "I am satisfied to simply know that I may be able to push the world in that direction. Fame and fortune are..." she trailed off, half smiling, "-Not as important to me as the results are. Idealism can only be tempered by pragmatism lest it evolve into foolishness."

And apparently the falcoknight was chilled. Huh. Nayru was vaguely aware that the water was cold as hell, but hadn't really been paying attention to it. The idea of an Ilian feeling cold seemed amusing for some reason, but that was neither here nor there. She rose to her full height, water cascading off of her from the sudden movement. "Perhaps we should adjourn, assuming you are suitably clean, and continue this conversation in a more comfortable locale. I apologize for my insensitivity in not noticing your plight sooner."

Score one for her for fairly literally having punched the muck off of her body! She needed to science this stuff more often.

[Clair Feldsky]

Nayru's speech patterns were so refined, every word and sentence carefully enunciated for perfect clarity. A fact which made her impressive to listen to. Especially considering her love of rambling. The falcoknight felt her lips threaten to quirk into a smile as she had that thought. Nayru really was an interesting person.

She laughed to herself, at herself a bit as Nayru apologized for not noticing her getting chilly before. She'd been hiding it somewhat, but it would be good to get out of the water now that she'd gotten rid of the scum and grime.

"Yeah, I guess I'm done here. Never liked being in cold water for long, though it wasn't an uncommon thing in Ilia." She started heading back towards her things on the shore, They needed to get back to the others soon anyway.