Sand Castles (Aeos/PM for entry)

[Aeos]

"I.. will continue to speak in our native tongue. It is easier for me to express my emotions with. You.. are willing to throw down your life. To defend Arcadia. I.. do not know if I could do the same. I.. want to live. Even if it means me living as stone less dragon. I want to see what becomes of the world. Someone would need to carry the history of our kin even if I am to be the last of our kin to do so. Should the worst possible thing happen and humans wipe us out." He took another sip. He could not recall when he obtained these grim thoughts.

Aeos perked up. Locke was willing to take him to see the citadel. To see his Arcadia.

"Perhaps my thoughts will change if I witness Arcadia with my own eyes. I do not mind the flight. I.. do not think I have ever flown with another dragon. And I will admit my landings aren't the best. There is a crater in one of the Bernese forests to prove it." He chuckled softly. He wondered how Eupheimos and his border guard were doing. The dragon downed what was left of his second drink and put the stone bowl aside.

"I hope Arcadia is as wonderful as the drink." He smiled.

"Have managed to befriend a few humans? I met one in Bern. After the crash I was left in my human form unconscious. A man named Eupheimos and his group came to my aid. Although he.. and the others were initially curious as to how someone like me could have done so much damage to the forest. After explaining my peace.. and somehow keeping my secret safe. We exchanged stories." He started to think.

"His advice to me was to go and enjoy as many apple pies as I could from each of the Bernese pubs." He had a bit of a grin on his face.

[Locke]

"Living... I have lived long, Aeos. I have lived many centuries. I have dedicated myself to protecting the Sanctuary. I will preserve our race... And its culture... For that is what anyone can understand. Beasts do not have culture. As demonic or bestial as they may depict us... We are cultured beings, Aeos. This is not killing for game or sport. This is a genocide."

Locke shook his head in disappointment. He was nearly powerless in this situation.

"Aeos... I will first fly with you to the Sanctuary. From there, it is not far to Arcadia. I wish you to see what was the grand temple of my race... You will be even more grateful for the haven that Arcadia is once you witness the ruins of our proud temple.

As for flying... Do not worry about it. In the sand, landings are easier... Personally, I think the hardest part for me is stopping flying and shifting back. I do not like confinement in this form. I bear it, but I feel trapped and restricted. I yearn to be free."

After Aeos shared the story of his travels in Bern, Locke chuckled and smiled in nostalgic remembrance of his own friend.

"I have never had an apple pie. Hm. Are they good?

I too met a friendly human. His name was Kyle. He hunted with the bow. We became well acquainted, before we were separated at sea. It was a shame... I wonder what has happened to Kyle. He was not a bad human."

Locke shrugged wistfully. It was too bad, how fleeting human lives were.

OOC: If you're ok, I'd rather do our trip to the Sanctuary/Arcadia in a support, especially since we can't really RP in Arcadia.

[Aeos]

OOC-Support works for me.
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"Apple pies are pies filled with apple and spices. If we travel outside of Nabata I will buy you one. Apple pies are heaven on earth in the form of food. Or at least I like to think so for pies in general. Except for meat pies. Those taste terrible." He chuckled softly. Recalling that Euphiemos had the same thought when it came to meat pies. They are all bad. Aeos was glad to have met him though and to have cooked for them. The other humans he was fortunate to meet were Bee, Flynn, Gavin, Garrit. He had met quite a few in his travels now that he thought on it. Each of them were unique and managed to put him in good spirits. Not all humans were bad. But humans had short lifespans.

"Strange I've had the opposite effect. My other form.. it's over powering. Each time I have been forced to transform bad things happen. The first being when I gained the power to do it. I caused a small sandstorm due to inexperience. The second time was a bit better but my tail knocked over rocks that nearly destroyed the camp. The flying lessons resulted in many face plants into the sea or mountain. They were not lessons... I had no one teach me. More like I had to figure it out on my own. I could go on.. the most recent one involved defending and eventually saving a young man from a monster. Which.. led to the crash into the forest." He sighed. The more he thought about it the more he realized how pathetic he was starting to sound as a dragon.

"I prefer to walk around as a man. What you call confined I call controlled. I know the limits to this body. I have meditated with it. Trained with it. Gained insight with it. I talk and make friends with it." He paused. He took a moment to clutch the stone under his shirt.

"But I understand. It feels wrong to keep my other side.. our dragon side concealed. They.. it.. are a part of us. They are us. I wonder what sort of reactions the people I have befriended would have if they are to witness it." He look down sadly.

[Locke]

"Hmm. It is interesting. I hope to try an apple pie sometime... I usually only consume travel rations, and then only when I am around humans. It would be hard to explain why I feel a need to eat a whole gazelle."

Locke laughed. He had a voracious appetite, but it only surfaced on occasion. He usually sustained himself in human form by eating plant matter and dried meat, along with fungi. His diet was high in minerals every dragon needed - after all, he wouldn't want his scales to dry or his wing bones to become brittle.

"Perhaps you need to practice. We could train with each other, out in the desert. No humans would find us, and it would be refreshing to utilize my full power. Plus, I want to meet the true, original Aeos. Not merely the human container that holds your dragon spirit. I wish, like you, that we could be true to expose our true selves."

Locke drew out a battered map of Nabata, which was marked in various places with strange marks. To a human, they would look like the scrawls of a bored clerk or a child. To Locke, they were shorthand for places he knew.

"If we wait for nightfall, we can fly directly southwest. There are no habitations if we follow this path..."

The manakete dragged his finger over the parchment, showing a curve almost like a 'v' that ended up in the middle of the barren desert.

"This is the location of the Sanctuary. From there, Arcadia is but a short trip south. When will you be ready to travel?"

[Aeos]

“I am surprised. You have not had one. What good is living without indulging yourself every once in a while. Some of these human crafted foods are quite delectable.” He smirked lightly.

“I do not mean to brag but have been told that I am a good cook. I have spent enough time around humans to pick up a knack for it. And my parents were quite fond of the art as well. It was also a good distraction for days when my flying lessons went awry. Rather than roar and go on a rampage.. I channeled that inward and made things. Food, trinkets, jewelry, these skills served me well as I traveled.” He paused as Locke went ahead and pulled out a map. The green haired dragon pointed to two areas in the map that he had written on. The short hand was legible to Aeos to a degree.

“You wish to see the true me?” He went silent for a moment. There were days where he questioned the logic of this question. This body he had in human form was as much himself as his dragon self. Was this not his true self? He wants to see us. Together as one. The spiritual voice of his stone called out, as if it had sensed the other half’s discomfort on the subject.

This body bled and sweat like if it was true. Felt emotions. Sometimes if he had too much to drink, frightened, or really excited over something shades of his spirit within the stone would emerge. The more courageous, competitive, cocky, confident side of himself that he kept tucked away in order to avoid trouble. But this body did feel odd at times. Sometimes it felt empty as if missing it’s other half. The half contained within his stone. Other days he felt full. Full of energy or emotion that would follow him throughout the day no matter how much physical exercise or meditation he did.

“This body is as much as the true me as the dragon self of me.” He shook his head.

“But I understand. I will oblige. And you are right, perhaps I do need practice. This… will be an experience for us. I have not had the pleasure of being a dragon in front of other dragons. I can fly out tonight.” He looked up at Locke. Excellent. We get to fly and land on our butt in front of another dragon. The stone chimed in a sarcastic voice.

[Locke]

"I don't eat often, and when I do consume human food, I prefer dry and spicy foods... Salty is also nice. But spicy. The hotter the better. Spicy food is wonderful.

I grow my own Nabatan hot peppers near the Sanctuary. They are wonderfully flavored and textured. I love them!"

As Aeos explained his cooking skills, Locke smiled. It was interesting to see how this fellow dragon used his talents and his time - Locke also had an abundance of time.

"I did not do much cooking in my many centuries... Instead, I focused on the arts. Music, dance, painting, and especially sculpting. I enjoy sculpting immensely."

Then Aeos shared his feelings about his human body; while Locke accepted his opinion and respected his right to feel that way, the Earth manakete could not bring himself to agree. This human body was a form that concealed his natural power and beauty. This was a disguise, a lie that he had to present in order to remain in the humans' societies. He could retreat to Arcadia and live in his true, most natural form... But the behavior of these strange creatures was too enticing. What fun he'd had observing them.

"Whenever you are ready to fly, I am ready... Do not worry about your skill level. I will make sure we are unseen, and I know the way well. It has been many years since I have flown with another dragon as well... Centuries, actually, now that I recall. I am excited. It is a good feeling, this excitement."

[Aeos]

"Ah, I was never a real fan of hot spicy food." He buttoned his cloak and adjusted his bag. It seemed that Locke was not much of a cook but was more of an artist.

"So you choose to focus more towards the arts and music. I envy you. I was never very good at the arts. I would like to see one of your sculptures. Should I pick up things from the market then to cook when we get there?" He asked. He took a peek outside.

"Hmm.. perhaps not. The sun is already very low. Strange how quickly time goes when one is having fun." It was true. Aeos was having fun talking to Locke. It was very refreshing to talk to another dragon about Dragon things. They both shared the same frustrations of being confined to their human bodies. Aeos wanted the sun to set faster so the two could head out.

"This conversation has been... well it's been great. It feels nice to get my.. frustrations off my chest. So to speak. But I'm curious to see how you look in dragon form though. I know in my case my scales take the color of my skin. It is a mix of my tanned tone and the color of the sandy dunes... and the little horns along with my claw nails are black as my hair." He touched his head with his hand. And lifted his fingers up to show where exactly the "horns" come out from.

"My parents have told me stories of dragons who shift into creatures that are dragon like.. but look more like a dog or lion. But they still have the same scales. Other dragons whom are long and serpent like. Some who even had feathers and looked like large reptilian birds... and others who look like large mountains." He was smiling. His voice was happy. As if he was like a child reciting something of merit to an adult. Soon the sky would become dark and the stars would come out. Soon the pair of dragons would move under the cover of darkness out to the sanctuary.

"I am ready." He got up from his seat. "Shall we go?"

[Locke]

The earth manakete smiled as the air dragon shared his feeling of happiness and contentment. It was mutual; Locke had greatly enjoyed talking with Aeos. It was refreshing, renewing, and restoring. The green-haired manakete felt as if he’d been reunited with a long-lost friend. It was interesting… They had met in a wrestling match. What an unusual way to find another dragon. Well, to be fair, it was anyone’s guess in this wild, wacky world. There was nothing constant save the humans, and even those were as fickle as a desert flower. Indeed, it was a rarity to find a human who lived long enough to lay aside their petty, small issues and focus on the greater and grander. But ah… There was no point in fretting about it. The little men would be little men, rushing around with their little women… And so it would go, as it had for centuries.

"Ah, Aeos… I suppose you shall see, won’t you? It will not be long now, but, as you have told me, I shall also tell you. I am dark grey, but with dark patches of brown mottled over. They are the ‘tribal markings’ that our clan is naturally born with; the dark ‘tattoos’ I have on my human face were drawn by my father. They are too small to show up when I shift into my dragon form, and so are only visible here. In some lighting, my scales shimmer with opalescence, as well.

Lastly, the underside of my wings, some of my scales, and my dragon eyes are the same green as my hair.
"

The manakete finished speaking, rose softly, and pushed his chair in.

"Shall we go?"

[Thread End]