Arrival (Open)

[Riley]

Riley stepped to the front of the ship, watching as the island grew larger and closer, soon he would step foot on the new home of the Riders. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, pulling his hood up over his head farther, shielding himself from the spray of the ocean. The lower half of his face was hidden by a scarf, more to keep the sea water out of his mouth than anything, and his left hand rested on the pommel of a short sword. On both of his forearms were matching leather bracers, his hands covered in gloves. "The Riders forced from Ilirea, this cannot be a good sign at all. Though what can I do?" His thoughts were interrupted as he looked down at his bracers again, she had made them for him. He was doing this for her, to protect her, that was why he had come to Vroengard.

"Wolfsbane." A gruff voice from behind him called, causing Riley to turn and glance at the sailor. "Cap'n says you're to be the first 'un off the boat. He still hasn't forgiven you for bustin' 'es lip in tha' brawl a couple years back." Riley shrugged, "Your captain will get his wish as soon as we dock. And you can remind him that he started that fight, it's not my fault I am the one that finished it." Riley turned back to face the island, his eyes narrowing slightly. His hand tightened on the pommel of his sword, if his knuckles had been visible, they would have been white. He took a few steps closer to the edge of the ship, his navy blue tunic and dark grey shirt sticking to his skin and making him shiver. "We're here.." He muttered under his breath, taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves.

True to his word, Riley was the first one of the ship, stepping onto the dock barely seconds after the gangplank touched down. He hauled his bag up higher on his shoulders, starting to miss his horse Claudia, though he also knew that she was in good hands for now. He started down a fresh path working his way toward the city of tents, letting out a low whistle when it fully came into view. This was going to be interesting, still unsure as to what he was going to accomplish on the island, he threw his belongings down on an empty patch of dirt. After a handful of minutes, and several choice words in both his natural language and the ancient language, his tent was up and his bedding rolled out on the floor. He'd buy a cot after he got some food... and maybe more gold.

Stepping back out of his tent, he sighed and looked around, azure orbs taking in everything. With a shake of his head, he started walking through the camp, stopping at tents that were open and selling wares. He stopped at one of the tents and bought a fresh apple pie, starting to eat it as he continued his trek through the ocean of tents. Riley couldn't help but smile as several kids ran by him, laughing and playing. Shaking his head he continued down the path he had chosen, not fully paying attention to where he was going, eating more of his pie as he walked. His mind falling back to the person he had spent the last several days thinking about, wondering what she was doing now. So caught up in his thoughts, he didn't pay attention to anyone around him until he heard someone. "I'm sorry, I was miles away, what was that?"

[Emma]

Doru Araeba. The sanctuary of the Riders. What a fucking joke.

Maybe I could tolerate the fact that we lived on an island full of jungles and volcanoes. Maybe I could understand Anurin’s abrupt decision to let the humans join the Pact. Hell, I even got why Dellanir hated us- considering how the humans butchered her husband, I wouldn’t be inviting them over for tea if I was in her shoes either. But sending mercenaries to slaughter us in our sleep, like rats, like snakes, was the most base, low thing I could possibly think of. They had come in the night, crawling over the walls, slitting guards’ throats, and had burst into my villa shortly after midnight. Ikehr’s roar of pain had woken me. They’d tried to gut him with a spear. The wound was deep and still needed treatment up on Mount Erolas, which was why I wasn’t with him now. The thought of those idiots grinning like they’d actually achieved something while burying that thing in my dragon’s stomach still made me clench my hammer. There were still pieces of bone and brain matter on the sharp edge of my hammer that I hadn’t been able to clean yet. I wanted the reminder. For the third time, I had been forced away from my home, never able to return. I pulled out my bottle of whiskey and took a huge swig from it.

I looked out now at the pathetic little town that the Riders had set up. It was just tents. I slept in a cot- definitely not the worst place I’d ever slept, but a far cry from my villa. Ikehr didn’t even have any shelter from the constant rain except for a stupid canopy set up for the dragons. In other circumstances, I might have laughed at the Riders, especially the older ones, as they wailed and complained about having to sleep with the bugs, but I was unable to make any facial expression that wasn’t grim or angry. I had been sitting here most of the morning, just staring out at the sea of tents. Nobody approached me. I didn’t want to go see Ikehr, since seeing him injured made me feel sick to my stomach. I just wanted to sit here and drink. But at the same time, I secretly wished someone would approach me. I had that dark cloud in my head again, making me feel lost and unfocussed. I held my head between my hands and groaned.

Footsteps nearby made me open my eyes and look up. Nobody was in front of me. I glanced behind me and saw somebody in my tent, a human woman. She was peering with great interest at the bottles of whiskey piled near the back, turning them so she could read the labels.
“I can’t help but notice you’ve got some Hellenic Providence in here,” she purred. She had a noticeable Iberian accent, one that seemed vaguely familiar. “I might have some of that.”
“What the bloody ‘ell have you been smoking, woman?” I snapped at her. “If you so much as lick that bottle I’m gonna beat the hell out of you and shove that Hellenic Providence up your arse!”
She turned around and gave me a look. “Huh. I love you too.”

But as soon as I saw her face, I stared. She stared right back at me. The woman in front of me was tall, nearly a foot taller than I was, with long, wavy light brown hair. She had copper skin, not nearly as dark as mine, but she clearly wasn’t Alagaësian either. The most striking thing about her was her huge turquoise eyes, and that outfit. She was the least-dressed person I’d ever seen, trussed up in a sea-blue corset with sparkling silver sequins and a gaudy necklace. A tiny black skirt adorned her absurdly long legs, and on her feet she wore knee-high leather boots. It left, thighs, arms, breasts, almost everything visible, and was so embarrassing to look at that I covered my face. But I still knew her as soon as I saw her eyes.

“Cyprus. Bloody hell.”
“Why so serious, pirate girl? It’s a beautiful day! Come here!” She spread her arms and leapt at me, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug. I returned it once I could breathe, trying not to touch any of the bare skin. I was all sorts of annoyed, surprised, and thankful that she was here. Once she released me, I offered her the bottle.
“Put your lips on it, or I’ll be all kinds of pissed.”
She took a seat beside me and took the bottle. After a sip, she passed it back to me. I stared at her as I took my drink, and then thrust the whiskey out to her again.
“What are you doing 'ere?”
“Work. Got a job with, uh, a private business in Broddring. What about you? I heard you’re a real live Rider!” She elbowed me in the side. “Though you don’t seem too happy about it.”
It was my turn to give her a look.
“Don’t get along with him, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Ooh. Now I have to meet him.”

I wanted to make a sharp comment, but was interrupted by the whoosh of a dozen pairs of enormous wings. I looked up and saw twelve or so dragons taking off all at once while two others were coming in for a landing, pulling their wings into their bodies and dropping like stones. Just before they hit the ground, they spread their wings open again and shot over our heads. The wind knocked more than a few tents over, and caused no small amount of cursing from the occupants. However, I sat a little straighter in my seat. Both of the dragons were flying awkwardly, and when I looked down at my hand I could see that a few drops of blood had fallen onto it. Cyprus leaned over to look, obviously curious. I immediately stood up, pushing the bottle into her hands, and stalked off. It was blisteringly hot, so I had on a sleeveless black shirt that showed the knot-work of tattoos down my left arm, and I wore baggy blue trousers tucked into high black boots. I was wearing fingerless black gloves so no one would see the damage I’d done to my knuckles by punching a tree. My hair was done up in a braid that hung over my shoulder. I made my way to the outskirts of the city, hearing Cyprus’s footsteps behind me all the while. Near the edge, I could see a tall, well-built man standing near a tent, looking off into the distance. He didn’t appear to have heard my approach.

“OI!” I snapped when I was close enough. “Human!”
He turned to look, blinking. “I’m sorry, I was miles away, what was that?”
“I ain’t seen you around here before,” I said, stopping and peering up at him. “You ‘ear anything about a battle? We got wounded dragons flying arse over tit and no one’s telling me who fooking injured ‘em!”

Words;; 1190
Characters Used;; Nemo Ramsey with Cyprus D'Ellsadro
Muse;; Oooooooookay.
Thoughts;; So. Long. Since I wrote from Nemo's POV. XD

[Riley]

Riley looked at the two that joined him, his eyes narrowing at once as the elf spoke, informing him of wounded dragons and asking about a battle. His left hand immediately gripped the hilt of his sword in a death grip. Rage burned in his eyes, the skin on his knuckles turned bone white. "I've only been on the island for a couple hours, I haven't heard anything about a battle." Riley looked up at the path the dragons had taken, his azure eyes taking in everything in the area. "But I swear, the moment I hear anything about a dragon being harmed, I will kill the culprit myself." He swore in the ancient language, making it a promise he would be unable to break.

Riley turned his head, looking in the direction they had flown in from. "Can't have been on the island, we would have heard or sensed it. The mainland is a good distance away, even by dragon back. Nidhwal maybe..? No dragons are too smart for that.." He almost seemed to be talking to himself, his mind working faster than it had ever worked before. Riley tore through possibility after possibility, not taking anything for granted. His mind raced back over the lessons he had learned back in Ilirea, Dragons were sturdy, it was possible they could have gotten into a fight on the mainland.

Riley let his mind continue to race, slowly lowering his hood from his head and letting it fall back. His dark brown hair was cut short, and his azure blue eyes reflected the intensity of his rage at the mere thought of dragons being harmed. Around his neck was a single large wolf fang, the fang of a young Shrrg he had killed, earning him the title Wolfsbane. The very end of one of his scars poked up from the collar of his shirt, the scar old enough to begin turning silver. "Shall we discover what has come to harm these sons and daughters of wind and fire?"

[Emma]

Unlike most of my kind, I didn’t mind humans too much. In fact, I actually preferred to spend time with them. For the most part, they weren’t obsessed with truth or knowledge; they just liked to have a good time. Cyprus was testament to that fact. They could be a little slow, however, which was what I initially expected from the newcomer in front of me. I didn’t even expect him to care all that much. But to my surprise, his eyes suddenly blazed and his expression turned dark. He clenched the hilt of his sword until his knuckles were white.
“ I’ve only been on the island for a couple hours, I haven't heard anything about a battle. But I swear, the moment I hear anything about a dragon being harmed, I will kill the culprit myself.”
Cyprus had come up beside me, crossing her arms over her chest. She gave me a funny look. “What did he say?”

I didn’t answer her immediately. It was even stranger for a human to speak the Ancient Language. And his accent was infinitely better than mine, like he’d spoken it since childhood. But the man had turned around, as if Cyprus and I weren’t even there, muttering. “Can't have been on the island, we would have heard or sensed it. The mainland is a good distance away, even by dragon back. Nidhwal maybe..? No, dragons are too smart for that…”
I raised an eyebrow. “Y’know, dragons ain’t half as smart as ya give them credit for.”
The man abruptly dropped his hood, revealing the rest of his face, a scar near his collarbone, and short, dark hair. I heard Cyprus give a low whistle. I covered my face and considered pretending I didn’t know her, but the human didn’t seem to have noticed her noise of approval. He looked off into the distance for a moment more before rounding on the two of us.
“Shall we discover what has come to harm these sons and daughters of wind and fire?” he demanded, directing his question at me.
I just stared at him for a minute, several questions on my mind.
“I think that’s a splendid idea,” Cyprus responded cheerily. “Nemo! You’re the biggest expert on dragons here. Take us to their leader.” She prodded me with one finger.
“Oh, bloody hell,” I groaned. “We’d have to see fooking Almalexia.”
“Even more reason for you to lead the way, if she’s as violent as people say she is.” She reached over and patted my arm. I looked at her, considering whacking her across the face with my hammer. At this point, however, Ikehr would probably suggest that my anger was best kept for whoever had harmed the dragons. I narrowed my eyes. He would be right.
“Roights. Follow me!” I turned right around and began to storm towards the middle of the city, my fingers itching for my hammer. I heard Cyprus trying to make conversation behind me.
“Don’t mind her. She doesn’t warm up all that quickly. Speaking of! That’s Nemo Ramsey, Dragon Rider, and I’m Cyprus, Just Visiting. What’s your name?”

Words;; 521
Characters Used;; Nemo Ramsey with Cyprus D'Ellsadro
Muse;; 'Bad' comes to mind... XP
Thoughts;; Errrrrrrrrrg. I was UNINSPIRED. Stress + post do not mix well.

[Riley]

Riley looked between the two, taking note of his fellow human being half naked. His eyes moved up to the woman's eyes, his anger trumping every other emotion he had, it however did not cloud his reason. Of course, that was when mention of the leader of the dragons was mentioned. "Almalexia, the Almalexia?" Riley couldn't help but shake his head, he knew right then and there that this day was going to prove to be more interesting than he imagined. "Lead the way." He started following after the Rider, who had been introduced to him as Nemo, glancing at the girl next to him Cyprus. "Riley Cypher, I'm called Wolfsbane." He stated, starting to take better control of his anger, reaching up he clutched at the tooth around his neck.

Letting his hand drop back to the hilt of the short sword at his hip, Riley took a few calming breaths. "Rider Nemo I apologize for my earlier outburst." He touched the first two fingers of his right hand to his lips, then twisted them over his sternum in the elven sign of respect. Riley then refocused his mind, tightening his mental defenses and taking this as seriously as he did when he was doing his mercenary work. Though he had left that life behind long ago, he still trained, he still kept all his skills up. Especially now that he was here to try and join the Riders, he needed his skills to be better than they ever were before.

Riley looked ahead, watching where they were travelling carefully, memorizing every detail. This was tent city, everything looked the same, he was going to have to memorize paths and walkways, not memorize tents or markers. Riley put everything else on the back burner for the moment, the only two things on his mind the path they were taking, and the injured dragons. A wave of repulsion coursed through him, how could anyone hurt a dragon? He understood if it was in self defense, but even then the dragon would have won without much issue. But these were Rider's dragons, could things really be worse than he thought?

[Emma]

Apparently it turned out that sending me to Vroengard was one of Queen Nayeli’s better decisions. At least it was for me. Here I was, fresh off the boat, and exciting things were already happening. First, I had run into my fellow seafarer Nemo and had some whiskey to start off the day. Now, an attractive man was introducing himself to me, and I was going to meet Almalexia herself. Naturally, Nayeli had sent me here for other things besides flirting and drinking, but I had the whole day for that. For now, I focussed on the human fellow beside me. He looked to be around my age, obviously well-trained for combat based on his well-used sword and muscles. And he seemed to have quite the temper- at least when it came to dragons being injured. Overall, I approved of everything.

“Riley Cypher, I’m called Wolfsbane.”
I slowed a little bit, genuinely surprised- so surprised that I actually didn’t have anything to say back to him. Wolfsbane? Exactly what kind of wolves did he mean? Garden-variety or the more unusual types? While I fell behind, Riley called ahead to Nemo. The very short, very orange-haired Rider was storming through the tents and people with furious intent.
“Rider Nemo, I apologize for my earlier outburst.”
In response, Nemo grabbed someone who was standing in her way and shoved him to the side. She didn’t appear to have heard him. I quickened my pace, taking long strides to catch up to Riley.
“She is the queen of outbursts. I don’t think she minds.” I tried to change my tone to casual, incurious. “So, Wolfsbane… that’s an unusual title. How did you get it?”

I had one eye out for Doru Araeba as we made our way through it. It wasn’t so much a city as it was a glorified campsite, with every bit of shelter made out of fabric. I was surprised at how many non-Riders there were- a good deal were merchants, setting up booths for cheap whiskey, clothing, gaudy trinkets, and fresh food. But others were sitting with their families around fires, cooking food and looking tired and beaten. I hadn’t realized just how many people were involved in the Riders’ cause. And if this Wolfsbane was anything to judge by, more were showing up every day. What brought people here? Nobody dragged their entire family up to this hellish island just because they liked rooting for the underdog. I shook my head, not understanding. We actually walked through the entire camp before Nemo suddenly came to a halt at the edge of it. Past the last of the tents were trees that grew so thickly together that it was impossible to see through them. Nemo cupped her hands over her mouth.

“OI, YOU OLD BITCH!” she screamed. A couple of people turned and stared. “It’s NEMO!” I smirked. As if it could be anyone else. “WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE INJURED DRAGONS, YOU OLD SKANK? ‘ALLO?”

For a moment, there was silence. I thought Nemo was just shouting at the trees. Then an enormous dark shape shot into the air in front of us, moving so fast it was almost a blur. A very large, very scaly blur. Almalexia spread her leathery wings out, sending an enormous gust of wind over the surrounding area, and dropped down to the earth. Her huge claws kneaded the coarse grass as she twisted her long black tail around Nemo. She was huge- the biggest dragon I had ever seen. I had no idea how she’d managed to fit in those trees. As she folded in her wings, I saw ghastly, painful-looking injuries all along her side- half-healed wounds, but not fresh enough to have come from today. She opened her mouth slightly and pressed her fangs directly against Nemo’s face, her breath steaming in the humid air. Then I heard her voice, deep, angry, and loud- echoing around in my head.

‘Your lip will be forgiven this once, Shur’tugal Lagr, because your partner is so grievously injured. But do not forget what happened to Shur’tugal Eisolae’s arm.’
“Almalexia,” Nemo spat, like the name was poisonous, “what happened to the fooking dragons?”
‘It is not your business, Shur’tugal Lagr.’
I realized that Wolfsbane and I were in an awkward position.
“Not my business? Y’know, you also didn’t tell us shite when fooking Dellanir cursed our entire Order and sent us to this BLEEDIN’ NYX-FORSAKEN ISLAND!”
Now Almalexia reared her head back and snapped her jaws shut together, just barely missing Nemo. She snarled and hissed and put her eye right to Nemo’s face. Nemo set her jaw and met her gaze unwaveringly. They were having some kind of silent conversation. I snuck a little closer to Wolfsbane and leaned over to his ear.
“Apparently she bit a Rider’s arm off for giving her sass.”
I had tried to whisper, but as soon as I spoke Almalexia whipped her head around and glared at the two of us. She placed her gigantic head over us, leering. I shrunk a little under her gaze. The dragon eyed Riley for a moment, and then seemed to catch a scent. She sniffed carefully and then, horrifyingly, put her nose right over my head and took deep whiffs. Somehow, I didn’t think she just liked my shampoo. Eventually, Almalexia gave a soft snarl and pulled away, but her voice boomed in my head again.
‘And why have you brought a human and this diseased creature to me, Shur’tugal Lagr? Who are they?’

Words;; 923
Characters Used;; Cyprus D'Ellsadro with Nemo Ramsey
Muse;; MUCH better!
Thoughts;; Sorry for the wait, exams and final projects murdered me. Also, Shur'tugal Lagr means 'Little Rider'. x3

[Riley]

Riley was drawn out of his thoughts as the woman spoke, he glanced at Cyprus as she caught up again, asking how he got his title. He smiled slightly, pulling out the larger than normal wolf fang from under his tunic. "Several years ago I was fighting bandits outside of Kuasta, they had a wolf that was almost the size of a horse with them." He held the fang up higher for Cyprus to see, before he dropped it and let it hang again. "This wolf was called a shrrg, and I killed it. The villagers around Kuasta who witnessed this, gave me the title Wolfsbane." Even Riley had to admit, there was more than a small amount of pride in this. It was the first time in his life, not that he admitted it at the time, that he had felt alive, that he had found the first step down his path. Everything leading him to where he was.

Riley turned back to Nemo as they stopped, and he started yelling. Blinking in surprise at the things that Nemo said, he stepped slightly in front of Cyprus, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. He was hopeless in defeating a dragon, especially if it was Almalexia. But he hoped he would be able to slow her enough to allow Cyprus to escape. At least if she was upset enough to attack them. Why Riley decided to do this, he didn't know, because logically he knew that if Almalexia attacked them in anger they would all be dead. However, he also knew that the chances of them getting attacked were slim, or so he told himself. He proved to be right however, as Almalexia did not attack them, or even notice himself and Cyprus.

Riley could not enjoy his invisibility for very long however, Cyprus whispered to him, something about someone losing an arm. That was when Almalexia turned on the two of them. Casting a glance back at Cyprus, Riley took a step forward, bowing to her before pressing the first two fingers of his right hand to his lips and then twisting them over his sternum. "Oh great Almalexia." He began, praying on the vaulted vanity many female dragons were known for. "I have come with Rider Nemo to discover what has become of the dragons that were injured. To bring justice on those who hurt them." He hoped that he wasn't intruding, as he slowly reached his mind out to Cyprus to translate his speaking in the ancient language for her. "Sorry Cyprus, I mean no offense barging into your mind."

[Emma]

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be nervous. A giant angry dragon hovering over you didn’t classify as normal circumstances, though. I didn’t even bother reaching for my knives. Unless I managed to crawl under her belly, they’d be useless. And even then, all she had to do was lie down on me and I’d be squished. As I thought this, I was surprised to see Wolfsbane step forward in front of me, quite clearly using himself as a shield. I just stared at him with an open mouth. This was the first time someone was actively defending me in my entire life. Normally, people got in front of me for other reasons. However, this man didn’t seem to have surmised what I really was- but it took someone with a really good nose to tell anyway. Still, if he was famous for killing wolves the size of horses, it was probably a good idea to sneak away from him. But good ideas were safe ideas, and never any fun. So I stayed right where I was, and watched curiously as Wolfsbane bowed deeply to the dragon. I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, but he spoke with reverence and humility. Deciding to follow his cue, I came up beside him and gave a flamboyant bow.

“The name’s Cyprus D’Ellsadro, Almalexia. It’s not often I get to meet a celebrity! Nemo and I used to be sailing buddies. I can’t speak the Ancient Language and I’m not strong enough to hurt a dragon even with my disease, so I’m not a threat to you. And I taste like dog.”
Almalexia regarded us in silence while Nemo muttered and swore quietly about being crushed. The dragon wrinkled her nose, and then leaned back in again.
‘No, I don’t suppose either of you provide a threat. The injured dragons will be well cared for and nursed back to health. As for who caused their pain and suffering… that matter will be dealt with by the Riders.’
“I’M A FOOKING RIDER!”
‘A Rider whose already questionable mental stability has been further compromised by the serious injuries of her dragon. You will be informed of the proceedings, Shur’tugal Lagr, but for now you may entertain your mortal friends.’ Almalexia slowly released Nemo from her tail. ‘I highly doubt any of you would be fit to deal with matters on this scale. A human that still stinks of the sea, a miserable animal…’
“Cyprus ain’t an animal!” snapped Nemo, wriggling out of the tail. “And blood’s still dripping out of yer wounds, Almalexia. Ya know why? BECAUSE YOU WOULDN’T LET ANYBODY HELP YOU WHEN WE WERE ATTACKED!”
This started yet another row between the two of them, during which I felt something poking into my head. I was jarred and automatically clapped my hands over my temples.
‘Sorry Cyprus, I mean no offence barging into your mind.’
We never had to deal with this mental and magical crap in Iberia. I didn’t have a clue how to deflect mental intrusions. Still, I didn’t mind this particular intrusion.
‘Don’t worry about it, darling. This Almalexia’s a real cow, don’t you think? You think maybe we could sneak past her and visit the dragons that were attacked?’

Words;; 541
Characters Used;; Cyprus D'Ellsadro with Nemo Ramsey
Muse;; ... not so great, I didn't really know how to go forward.
Thoughts;; Hrrg. If you wanna plot that would be cool. I wasn't sure what to do next. DX

[Riley]

Riley kept himself ready to push Cyprus aside as she stepped up to talk, while Almalexia stood over them and stared he entertained similar thoughts to Nemo. They were gonna die. He only hoped quickly, and not slow and burning. He would have given a years salary to know how hungry Almalexia is, he hoped she had eaten recently. Riley sighed in relief when he found out they wouldn't be killed. Not yet anyway. Though the threat of death rose once again when Nemo started arguing with the black dragon again. Well, he'd lived a good, short, life. He only wished he'd been able to have children with Ana, and grown old with her. Or at least seen her one more time. His mind was brought back to reality when Cyprus asked him if they could sneak by.

"I don't see how, not unless we could hide out scent... I have an idea." Riley had to force himself not to cringe, he withdrew himself from Cyprus' mind. Then stepped up to Nemo and touched her shoulder. "Argetlam, she's right. The dragons will be well cared for, let's leave them be." Riley touched Nemo's mind now, being careful not to venture far, "I have a plan. Trust me and let the matter drop now, but give it a good show." His eyes narrowed slightly, tightening his grip on Nemo's shoulder slightly. "Now come on Nemo, I'll buy you both a drink." He stepped back, motioning for both women to follow him as he took a few more steps back.

Riley let his mind wander over his plan, correcting several spots of it. He took them far enough away that he hoped the dragons couldn't hear them, then stopped and waited for the two of them to show up. When they both did he sighed and started fleshing out a few more details. "Nemo, how sensitive is a dragon's sense of smell?" Riley began, kneeling down and starting to write out a spell in the ancient language. "Also, how skilled are you in magic? Because this is gonna take at least some magic." He said, finishing off the spell. Standing straight, he sighed. "Ladies, I hope you're not too keen on staying clean. Cause the next step is to match our scent to the surroundings."

[Emma]

‘That is a lie, Shur’tugal Lagr.’
‘I don’t bloody well think so! You wanted to kill all the humans after the war. The hell have you got planned for the elves now?’
‘Nothing is ‘planned’ except for the restoration of our Order.’
I sucked in a breath. I was about to call out this upper class git on her lies when I felt something touch my shoulder. I rounded sharply and saw Wolfsbane standing right behind me. I’d almost forgotten he and Cyprus were even there.
“Argetlam, she’s right. The dragons will be well cared for, let’s leave them be.” I felt another consciousness brushing against mine, and decided to allow Riley in. He couldn’t do any more damage than Almalexia. ‘I have a plan. Trust me and let the matter drop now, but give it a good show.’

I stood there with my mouth open for a moment more while Almalexia peered over my head, waiting impatiently. She didn’t say anything, but it was obvious that she was ready for more arguing. I looked at Cyprus, and she gave me a nod of agreement. The Iberian woman looked a little nervous, and it occurred to me just how many people were afraid of Almalexia. I turned back around and looked up at the black dragon. I wanted to make that wound of hers deeper, but we really weren’t getting anywhere. There was an entire island to explore. Besides, I wanted to see the look on her face when she learned that I had found everything out. I hid the smirk on my face with my hand and pretended to cough, and then gave a low, sweeping bow to the Grandmaster. Almalexia tilted her head, surprised.

“Almalexia, as dodgy as you are, I know ya got the best interests of the dragons at heart.” That was a little too reverent, because Almalexia unfolded her wings and slammed her tail on the ground. The trick to knowing a dragon’s emotions was in their body language, not their faces. I allowed my voice to be touched with scorn again. “We’d be happy to clear off if you stopped shaking the fooking ground like a bloody circus elephant! This ain’t over, Sundavrskular, and I’ll come back for this conversation when we’re both a little less gutted. All right?”
‘What a pity. I was hoping to give you and Rider Eisolae something in common.’
“Now come on Nemo, I’ll buy you both a drink.”
I held Almalexia’s gaze for a moment longer before turning around and stalking after Wolfsbane. Cyprus came trotting along beside me, getting less and less nervous with each step we took away from the black dragon. I looked at her. Her eyes were on Riley.
“Did you two have some sort of chat while I was busy?”
“He has some kind of plan. Don’t look at me! He’s the one who’s all mystery.”
I scoffed. “Why do you care, anyway? You a Rider sympathizer now?”
“Not in the slightest, dear. I missed you! And,” she lowered her voice and whispered directly in my ear, “he looks almost as nice from the back as he does from the front, don’t you think?”
I groaned in disgust. “Figures your day ain’t complete ‘less you’re getting bonked by a stranger. Fuck off, Cyprus.”
Cyprus gave a cackle as we weaved our way through the thickest of the tents. Here was mostly where the families resided, and it was impossible for a dragon to land here without crushing at least four tents. I knew because it had actually happened a couple of days ago. But today we were alone, for the most part. Wolfsbane had kneeled onto the dirt and was starting to write out a spell. I was still genuinely surprised that a human knew so much of magic.
“Nemo, how sensitive is a dragon’s sense of smell? Also, how skilled are you in magic? Because this is gonna take at least some magic.”
Cyprus looked at me expectantly. I winced a little. I wasn’t exactly the Riders’ poster child for magic in the first place. I usually slept through all the arcane classes. Most of my abilities came from Ikehr; and hell if I was going to use the energy that he needed to heal. I looked down at my belt and started fishing around inside it. By some miracle, my emerald ring was still in there. I yanked it out and put it onto my finger, gazing at it. While I did this, I answered Riley’s questions.
“I can’t tell you the blimey science of it, but dragons have a damn good sense of smell. I’ll be all right with this.” I pointed at the ring. “Why do we need magic, again?”
Riley finished his calligraphy and stood up again, seeming very serious. “Ladies, I hope you’re not too keen on staying clean. Cause the next step is to match our scent to the surroundings.”
Cyprus raised her eyebrows. “Well, considering we both had to go without baths for months on our ships…”
“I think we can stand a little dirt, Wolfsbane,” I grinned.
“Hey, wait a second,” said Cyprus suddenly, her turquoise eyes widening. “Does this mean you’re not actually going to buy us drinks?”

Words;; 875
Characters Used;; Nemo Ramsey with Cyprus D'Ellsadro
Muse;; Horrible at first, got better quickly, though.
Thoughts;; Yay, this one went nicely. =D

[Riley]

Riley nodded as Nemo explained about dragon's sense of smell, and then motioned at the ring. He raised an eyebrow at that, closing his eyes and examining the ring for a second with his mind, smiling when he sensed the energy. Retreating back to himself, he knelt back down and brushed off the spell again, then rewrote it and examined it. Riley might know much about magic, but it was a paltry education compared to what he did have. "You'll get your drinks.. After I know about the dragons.." He glanced up at the two women, before returning to the spell again. "I spent years of my life in Ilirea training with the Riders. Years learning how to fight with my mind, how to use magic, history, the ancient language, everything. I have little magical strength, but I still learned everything I could."

Riley was finally happy with the spell, then stood straight and pointed at it. "Cast that on all three of us, it will hide our scents, then we can match out scent to our surroundings. After you finished we'll need to find more than just dirt. We need plant life as well." He absentmindedly reached up and started playing with the wolf fang hanging around his neck. Riley's mind was working fast, the next few steps were going to be the dangerous ones. These were the ones where they could get lit on fire. "Nemo, how far to the dragons?" He asked, listening to the reply, then zoning out to fine tune his plan slightly. Of course he knew that most of it would end up being made up as they went. He sighed, knowing that too loose a plan could fail, and too rigid a plan would cause for them to fail as well. They needed balance.

Riley turned to look at the two women, though it was obvious he didn't really see them. His mind was going over everything one more time, finally he shook his head and sighed. He was back in focus. "All right, here's part one of the plan. We get into the trees and move. I'll take the lead, step where I step." This was his element, and it made Riley feel alive. He could feel the anticipation flowing through him, however it was something he quickly banished. Now was not the time to feel anything, now was the time to be in strict control of his emotions. Just as quickly as his face contorted and twisted when he was thinking, it now showed absolutely nothing.

Riley then started off for the forest, and started walking through the trees. Every step he took was silent, he side stepped anything that could make noise as they walked. He quickly built up speed, before finding the balance of speed and stealth he felt he could maintain for as long as needed.