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Closed Semi-lit: PG-13: The Order of the Dragon Knights

Charlie glanced at his coin, which was glinting dully in the sunlight. "I'm pretty sure I can scrape off the rust with something rough and polish it to make it shiny," Charlie replied, remembering the time he was ordered to clean his master's silverware. Although the coin was bronze, he was quite sure that getting the tarnish off of the coin would be the same as shining the silverware.

Charlie felt the dragon shift slightly as she announced that she will be going faster. The boy hurriedly placed the coin back into his pocket and made sure it was secure -- he didn't want to accidentally lose the gift he would give to Morrigan. As the dragon sped up, Charlie was suddenly reminded that they were afloat in the air, flying. Morrigan had been soaring so smoothly it almost seemed as if they were standing still on the ground. The wind blasted against his face, and his breath was torn right out of his mouth. Charlie leaned forward and shut his eyes, a strange mix of fear and excitement churning his stomach. It felt rather nice, this strong wind, he thought absentmindedly as he placed his arms around the dragon's neck to keep himself from getting blown off. Morrigan was going quite steadily, however, and Charlie risked peering down.

The ground was rushing away at an amazing pace -- everything seemed to become a blur. Although they were flying rather high, he could feel the dragon's speed from her powerful wing beats. The flight was exhilarating. "This is awesome!" Charlie found himself shouting, his voice was snatched away by the wind.

Hm, I hadn't used the word "awesome" for quite a long time... Charlie thought to himself.
 
Ardeina couldn't help but gasp in awe at the extent of Endymion's power. Did all dragons have such amazing abilities? The sheer power took her breath away. She gave the sparkling mist an admiring glance, aware that it was far grander than she had expected. "I... I see. That is... amazing." When he began to describe his habits upon entering a human city, she felt herself pale, a shocked expression on her face. Ignoring the clinging mist, she could hardly bear to think of what he had done - bartered children for whatever objects caught his fancy. How horrible! Yet, he seemed to be amused by what he had done, and apparently none of them had been hurt...

Then again, there had been those toys, certainly nothing a dragon would need, scattered among his vast collection. He hadn't hurt them, and the children even seemed to like it... Of course, he could be lying. But if he wasn't, was this trade really so bad? "I think I might understand the giddiness of the children." she said politely. "Your presence is astounding."

---------------
Morrigan grinned as he leaned forward, not minding the tight grip he had on her neck. It wasn't too bad, and he needed something to hold onto. And so they sped along, approaching the lair that she called home. It wasn't much of a cave by dragon standards - it had water, true, and shelter, but the ledge was far bigger than neccessary, since she enjoyed the feeling of the wind whipping across the rocks. After a while, she had to adjust her height and speed, to allow for a smooth turn.

"Uh - hold on, I need to drop and turn. After that, I'll be landing, which takes some backwinging to land without jarring... So just hold on tight, alright?" It was odd, to have to think about what to do to make sure her partner wasn't thrown off by accident. Too many times she had simply dropped to the ground from a height, but she couldn't do that now...
 
Endymion chuckled a little bit, "My presence? I suppose to a young human, I would be quite a sight, both thrilling and frightening... Perhaps to you, I am as well? Still, compared to many other dragons, I'm not that imposing, yet. I will be someday, but right now, I'm satisfied with where I am. I don't want to rush things, because then I can't enjoy them, and rushed plans are prone to mistakes. As for my strengths, well, you'll just have to see for yourself, won't you? It's a little self-righteous to be bragging about one's strengths, don't you think?"

The silver dragon then began rubbing and scratching Ardeina's back gently with his claws. "Now then, I have my own questions... what are you thinking about, my little human? You looked so shocked... It's a little too bad you're older than what I normally take away, but if you want, you can still play with this mean ol' dragon. Tell me, Ardeina, what kind of games did you like when you were younger? And what did you dream about... tell me, what were your greatest desires. Perhaps I can help them become a reality...?"
 
Ardeina smiled faintly. "Self-rightous to talk of your strengths, but it would probably be foolish to talk about your weaknesses." she replied, stretching and slowly moving closer. It was impossible to forget that he was so much larger than her, and covered with weapons that could kill her. She dreaded saying something that would anger him, or making a foolish mistake. For now, she tried to be careful, but... Was this really how it was supposed to go? Maybe she would relax later, when she got to know him better.

The scratching felt good, despite the fact that it was being performed by claws as large as her head, and capable of stripping her flesh from her bone with ease. "Um... We value children. What you did was clever, but at first I thought you had harmed or scared them, or something of the sort. I understand why they would have offered up so much to have them back safe. The first few times, I would have called it cruel, but if the children are happy..." She shrugged. "When I was younger... I had many lessons, and all sorts of things to study and learn. When I did play games, it was with other nobles, and we knew we had to be careful about rank, and how we treated each other. We were always watched. We used to play a game in a group, where a person would whisper something to the next, and it'd go down a line and the last person would say it out loud. It would come out very distorted, and make no sense.

"As for dreams... I wanted a different life, where I would be respected, but not watched constantly by people I despise. I didn't want to be talked about constantly behind my back. I wanted to be special, better than just a noble heir that will have an estate and servants and govern a plot of land. I guess it happened, but I didn't think it would happen quite like this..."
 
"My weaknesses... perhaps." Endymion grinned, lowering his head toward her. "I know that this place isn't everything you're accustomed to. Still, judging by what I said earlier, perhaps I'm the only thing standing in your way of freedom. If you were to kill me, without me around, you could climb back down and leave, enter a town, having proven your strength, and be treated as a hero, telling tales of how you singlehandedly killed a vicious, bloodthirsty dragon, who loved to pluck children from the hands of their loving families... You would fulfill your dream of becoming greater than a normal noble. So then, my question is, if I told you my weaknesses... Would you try to kill me?" He acted rather non-chalant about the whole question, not like he was concerned, but rather curious about delving deeper into her mind.

While he waited for a response, Endymion lifted up the human-sized silver dragon doll, holding it out in front of Ardeina, then placed it next to her, tilting it toward her. "Perhaps, though, what you're looking for is not fame and glory... but someone who can understand you and respect you, not for your bravery or your achievements, but rather for who you are. That is the one thing that I can promise you I can be.. but you have to do one thing for me first..." Endy rubbed back her hair, playing with it a little bit with a claw. "You have to open yourself first. Politeness is good for speaking with others... but it masks what you truly are thinking. I can only be for you what you allow me to be."
 
Maia looks at the young boy and ponders on her age. She certainly remembers living at least twenty summers, but doesn't quite know if there was more than that. She closes her eyes and wonders long it it takes for a dragon to remember time.

"I believe that I'm at least...thirty summers. I believe that's thirty years..."

She opens her eyes and smiles at the young boy, stretching out her neck and nuzzing him lightly as she could.

---

"The test has been around for years...no clue how long, but it's a god send for Serfs and Servants...if they get a good grade, they can go up in society and create a better life for themselves and their future family. The Nobles however always get a good grade because of their class...so they have no where to go but up. I know that's a little slanted, but it's how it works. As for me, I don't really care what would have happened to me after the test. All I could do was do my best and see what my skills landed for me."

Ominak then lets out a sigh, resting his head back on his arms.

"Many of the non-Nobles hold a degree of hate for the Nobles because of the perks they get for little effort. I can see where they come from, and all I can do is feel that life dealt a bad hand for these people. As a Merchant, I often wonder what makes these people better than us when they don't even know how to grow their own food or clean a house. If sudden;y they lost all their money, they would be the ones in trouble since they'd have no skills to fend for themselves."

He then looks up at the dragon when he turned his head and looked at him.

"Sure. We could land. You must be getting tired from flying this long."
 
"Ah, I see." Kinri considered this tidbit of information silently for a little while; the only sounds the occasional flap of his wings and the light rush of wind. Here and there, if the young man riding his back happened to look, was the occasional dragon of varying color going about their business-or flying off to tend to that business, anyway. Things are so much simpler for us dragons, really. We give respect to those older and wiser than we, and so forth. Eventually, no matter how divided in natures, we do tend to work together involving a common goal. Usually, anyway.

Hmm? The green dragon panned his head slightly again. "Actually, I'm quite fine-since I don't have to flap my wings so much as other dragons I can actually glide for days...if there's a nice draft to use." He smiled a little. "But perhaps landing would be wise. I could see about something for you to eat, for one thing...and I certainly wouldn't be distracted by trying to stay in the air, either. But...tell me something," He said as he angled slightly so that he would spiral steadily downward-almost like a falling leaf, perhaps. "Do all humans think of dragons as those that breathe fire and cause havoc in general?"

One might believe the question seemed a bit pointed, but it also seemed rather harmless, actually. More of the matter that he wanted to know, instead of making it into a trick question.
 
"Wow, twice as old as me!" Raiha says, his eyes wide. "Hmm, what should I ask next?"

Resting his chin on the sword hilt, he plays with a stray lock of hair while pondering, wincing slightly as his tongue hits his bite mark. Shrugging it away, he finally thinks of something to say.

"So do you have like, special powers or something?"
 
((Posting, after a long time, doot dodo doo doo~~ *shot*))
Ilia looked up at the white and gold dragon shlyly. It was.. actually, very pretty-looking. Strange.. for some reason, she really wasn't scared of.. Celeste? She'd said that was her name, right? Ilia, the girl too terrified to hold a conversation with people, was talking to a dragon. Still, having this creature looking at her made her nervous.
"Ilia. I-I'm a girl.. I could tell that you are."
Because a male dragon wouldn't have golden angel wings like that..
 
"Ill-ee-uh..." Celeste pronounced the human's name to see how it felt on her tongue. "It will do. Now, the others have already found a campsite of sorts, and I need to take you there with me." She held her claws in front of her. "As light as you look, these won't do at all. But if you sit on my back and cling to my neck, you could ride me. I fly relatively slow, so there isn't as much to worry about." she attempted to reassure Ilia, though honestly, anyone riding on the back of a dragon has a reason to worry.
 
Ilia nodded, not quite getting this. She was going to ride a flying dragon..? What exactly was 'relatively slow' supposed to mean? Still, she couldn't argue with people in general, especially with a dragon, even a friendly one.
She obeyed, and climbed onto Celeste's back, holding on way too tightly.. obviously terrified.
We're gonna fall and die or crash or something!!
 
Charlie was actually enjoying the ride when he spotted a huge ledge and a cave ahead. That must be Morrigan's den, he thought to himself. The ledge must be the landing platform, and the cave is where Morrigan lives. The dragon slowed and started drifting down, and Charlie realized that he could probably sit up straight without falling off now. However, his position was getting quite comfortable, and he really didn't want to shift...

"Uh - hold on, I need to drop and turn. After that, I'll be landing, which takes some backwinging to land without jarring... So just hold on tight, alright?" Morrigan said suddenly. Charlie nodded, then remembered that the dragon couldn't see him.

"Alright. I'll be fine," Charlie called back, keeping his hand around Morrigan's neck and braced himself for the drop. He hoped that he wasn't hurting the dragon, but since Morrigan hadn't said anything, it was probably fine. A hint of fear started to rise up again, for the flight had been smooth until now -- what will the drop feel like? Will he fall? Charlie trusted Morrigan with flying -- the dragon had done a splendid job of it -- but he still couldn't help feeling a bit nervous regardless.
 
((LATE FMC IS LATE TO THE PARTY))

With a single powerful beat of her wings, N'hee took to the air, each beat sending rippled though her muscles, her strong body easily pushing though the air. She let out an echoing bellow, like the sound a wildcat would make mixed with an eagle's cry, and thrust herself upwards, towards the clouds.

"What do you think, my little prince? My power will be yours, if you agree to obey my every...suggestion. The black dragon wields the power of the festering swamp, to bring death to their foes at any price... That will be your power as well." She purred, flying in place.

---

Alanna squeaked as she was placed on the dragon's back, but clung on tight. Falling off would be bad, and probably fatal. She didn't want to die all that much. She pressed her face to Kismet's scales, and shut her eyes.

"Flying sounds nice..." She mumbled, smiling.
 
Ardeina blinked. Until now, she had thought of dragons, if she had thought of them at all, as fairy tale creatures, vicious beasts that she knew little about. Now, though... Endymion had proved to have a sense of humour, to carry an interesting conversation far better than some nobles she knew, and was definitely intelligent, not a mindless savage. True, she would gain power, prestige, the elevated rank and respect of one who had broken free of the mold.

...But did she want it? Endymion's power was dazzling, his strength she could only guess at. She had been chosen, by both the testing and him, and that choice had bestowed the option to become something truly powerful. Didn't she want power, as well as someone that was always at her side? Even at court, if she had a rank and was revered, there would be rumours, backstabbing. But with a dragon, she would be above all the petty games, the manipulation and manouvering. She'd be above it all. "No." she heard herself say clearly. "I don't think I would try to kill you. I might like this life better, if I live through the training."

She eyed the silver dragon doll with a faint smile of amusement. It looked cute, and so much smaller than the actual thing... "I think... I'd like that. To be respected because of who I am. It doesn't happen like that, when you grow up with status and rank." She didn't mind his toying with her hair - she doubted it would get any more tangled than it had from the flight, and the slight tugging felt good, if she didn't think about just how he was playing with it. "But... it would be difficult to open myself up, as you term it. I've had years of closing myself off." Realization struck her - here, she was away from the eyes of her equals, those who would pick and prod at her every action, trying to bring her down. Here, it was just Endymion and her. "...Do you think you could help me?" she asked softly, for once more nervous than polite.
-----------------
Morrigan had to think carefully about how she was going to do this. Her wings were massive enough, and shaped well to enable such complicated techniques as hovering and backwinging with far greater ease than other dragons, but she had to make sure none of her movements were too sharp. Now, she slowed her wingbeats until she was dropping steadily in height, and once she was at a close enough distance, broke into a hover. "I'm going to change how I fly to make sure I land properly." she told her passenger, tone anxious. "So just cling to my neck or something - it shouldn't take too long." She reversed her wingbeats, lifting the upper portion of her body into a near-vertical position as she backwinged. Once the ledge was beneath her, and she wasn't too high above it, she dropped back into a slow hover that lowered her body gently to the ground.

This completed, she craned her neck to look at Charlie. "Alright, we're done - you can get off now, and I'll show you my cave!"
 
(such failposts :'( )

Verne held on tightly to the neck and shoulders of the black dragons underneath him, his legs streamlined backward. He took a deep breath, the landscape flying past underneath them, the wind blowing against him, the feel of the dragon's tough scales against his arms and body. He listened to her words, her promises of power. It all seemed like a dream, but it felt so real. "Power..." She promised him power... as long as he followed her. "I've never had anything of my own... I would be happy to do... whatever you desire from me. Where are we headed then, master?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Endymion moved his head in front of Ardeina. "You don't sound so sure, little human..." He gave a soft chuckle. "But I can help you, if you are prepared to help yourself." The silver dragon nuzzled her glittery body, and licked her face gently. He smiled, hearing the tone of her voice change, feeling like he was finally getting through with her. "Relax then... You don't need to be uptight with me. No one else is here to laugh at you. You're here, with me..."
 
((YES FMC IS ALIIIVE~))

Kismet smiled at her little charge. "Well, I am an air dragon, so I can try to make your first flight as smooth as possible." Unfurling her great feathered wings, Kismet ran towards the cliff that another dragon.. she forgot who had jumped off, and took to the air. "Here we go," she sang, stretching her front paws out. "Since it's your first flight, you probably shouldn't look down." There was a strong breeze higher up, Kismet felt, and she flapped her wings, rising, to glide back down.

Today was a good day for flying, she noted, and resisted the urge to do a loop.
 
((Alright, I have vacation starting tomorrow. I'll be gone for a week. Don't go crazy without me, alright? :P))

Ardeina blinked as he licked her. Great, now her face was covered in dragon drool... What did it matter? She could just wash it off, right? Examining her now glittering skin, she smiled. "It... it looks really odd to see your fog sticking to me and sparkling like this. I'm glad it doesn't hurt though. I would have been less pleased." True, no one else was around to laugh at her except him, and she assumed her attempts at training would amuse him - she hadn't been raised as a warrior, after all. Hopefully the other humans wouldn't be doing much better than she was...

((Failpost, by the way.))
 
"Ah, a tent... That's good," Arite sighed, letting herself become submerged. As Erandor set up the tent, she frolicked underwater and ate a few aquatic plants.

She poked her head out of the water after a while, and put her front - paws? hands? - on the shore, although she left most of her body underwater.

"I probably won't be much use in making the actual fire," she said to him, "but I could collect sticks, if that would help."
 
((Bye Stormecho~))

Charlie obeyed Morrigan and held on tighter to the dragon's neck. The descent had not been so bad -- it was more of a gentle drift downwards than what Charlie had imagined as a horrible drop. Of course, seeing the size of the dragon's wings, Charlie had guessed that Morrigan must be good at flying. However, he still couldn't get rid of the little bit of fear tickling inside him, the fear of falling. As Morrigan slowed down, Charlie could see a large ledge and a cave ahead of them. That must be Morrigan's den, Charlie thought. It looked rather big, but he wondered how the dragon is going to land. The best way seemed to be to just drop straight onto the ledge from above, and Charlie sincerely hoped that Morrigan wouldn't do that -- he really wouldn't want to fall off the dragon.

Morrigan started to hover, her powerful muscles rippling. Charlie could feel the disturbed wind from where he was sitting, and couldn't help but hold on tighter as Morrigan slowly pulled up into a vertical position. The purple dragon's great wings looked magnificent from this angle, and Charlie could see how, despite their size, how agile they are. Morrigan gently lowered onto the ledge and landed, and Charlie let out a breath he did not know he was holding. The landing was smoother than he had expected, or at least way better than his ride with the large green dragon.

"Alright, we're done - you can get off now, and I'll show you my cave!" Morrigan said, and Charlie slowly sat up. Exactly how he would get down was another problem. Although the dragon wasn't the tallest in the world, the spot he was sitting on was still quite a bit off the ground, even when Morrigan was crouching down. Charlie settled on sliding down the dragon's smooth scales while keeping a hand on the dragon's arms to keep his balance. He landed lightly on the ledge and stretched. That wasn't too bad...

"That was fun. Now let's check out that cave of yours!"
 
"Well, it's still a little early, so we won't have to light the fire now, but gathering sticks would be a good idea," Erandor replied. "Uh...oh! There are some trees over there, so some dry branches won't be too hard to find."

He and Arite walked over to the small clump of trees and started looking around. "So, after we get enough of these to last all night, what should we do?"
 
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