Attuale

Attuale was a guardian that was a good friend of Acelandra before she left to move on with her brewing dream. Yet when Attuale found herself dying in a battle against two imperials defending their clan, she found that the help of a friend was needed. Acelandra came to the rescue just seconds later, and talked her way out of the situation at hand. Attuale couldn't have been more grateful, and promised to do anything to help their friend in the future. The future came a few years later when Acelandra joined our clan and began experimenting with her brewing. A dragon was needed who was of Water descent, and Arpa wasn't exactly the kind of subject you would want in this kind of experiment. So Attuale was called to the scene, and Acelandra began working at once. Except something went wrong. Horribly wrong. Attuale's body began to dissolve, and not wanting a giant corpse in her workshop, Acelandra stuffed her friend's body into the pool where she gathered water for the brews. Something odd began to happen to Attuale when she was submerged, and within hours her body was reshaped and made out of pure water. Acelandra pretended to be overjoyed at the sight of her revived friend, but Attuale no longer trusted the brewer. As expected, when Styx found out about this she was furious. She demanded that Attuale be turned back to normal, but it was no use. Attuale was never going to be able to return to her old body and she knew it. But instead of moping around at the news, she offered to join the clan as a fisher. Styx wasn't keen at the thought, but eventually gave in. Attuale is now the best fisher in the clan (mostly due to being pretty much invisible in water) and has been cheerful despite what happened to her. Her charge is her job to fish. Without it she says that she would feel lost, and unimportant.


Attuale swam lazily at the bottom of the lake. The water was clear and fresh, and the small rivlets of water that ran off to other rivers and lakes in the world from under the ground brought in more and more fresh water each day. But to her, the lake was just a part of her body. Shapeless, and holding her tightly. She ran a talon through the pond scum at the bottom, causing a small ripple of filth to disturb the usually clear water. If she was still able to breath air, she probably would have sighed sadly.
How she wanted to return to the sea, but no rivers led directly to it from where she was. Oh she could get close. Agonizingly close. But she still couldn't walk on land and cross that short distance. Attuale drifted towards the window that allowed her to see into Acalendra's workshop. Hanson was back again. Frustration was evident on his face, and he wrinkled his snout in anger.
Attuale wondered if he knew that the Tidelord had fallen silent, and that if he didn't start talking again soon, Hanson wouldn't get his prophetic abilities back. Probably not.
She floated up to the surface, and looked at the damage the main room had gotten from the fire the previous week. Cosmo's pale yellow form moved slowly and mournfully through the burnt remains of his garden, muttering to himself about the tragedy. The watery guardian poked her head above the water.
"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity," She commented, making him jump.
Cosmo snorted, and crumpled the charred remains of a daffodil in his claws. He was in a bad mood, but Attuale loved to poke fun at the dragon. He was her best friend, after all.
"The only sign of insanity around here is how my garden can sudddenly overtake an entire living space in less than 3 minutes before suddenly stopping. That's insane."
Attuale shook her head and leaned up out of the water some more. She lifted a claw and poked the ashes, getting them wet and turning them into a thick paste. Some of it started to float inside of her, and she scowled.
"Cosmo we all already know how much you're upset that you lost your garden, but you shouldn't take it out on yourself. Or what's left of it."
He shook his head sadly.
"I have to start over. Start over or just leave, and hell knows I'd rather die than give up."
Attuale gave him a meaningful look, but said nothing as she slipped back under the water.
An alien ripple drifted through the water that made up Attuale's body, and she turned in it to see Hanson's head poking under the water. His bright teal eyes were narrowed in the water, and he turned left and right in an attempt to find something. Attuale smiled to herself and swam over to where the pearlcatcher was sitting. She lifted her head above the water once more and snorted.
"That would be my left leg," She teased, "Just calling me would have been more effective."
He wrinkled his snout, the creases it gave to his face enhanced the tired look he had. His whiskers twitched once to flick off spare drops of water.
"Yes, but this calls less attention to us." Hanson poked at the water, "And I'm pretty sure this is just the lake."
He shook his head, "That's not what I'm here about though. You're a water dragon. I was wondering if you get any visions."
Attuale scowled at him.
"No. No I don't."
"Ah."
An awkward silence pressed on both dragons. Hanson shifted his wings once or twice as Attuale glared holes into him. Everyone in her clan had expected her to become some sort of seer. But the talent never showed in her. It was annoying. She half sunk back into the lake. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know. Maybe she should stop playing with him and let the poor seer know what was going on.
"The Tidelord's gone silent, if that's what you're actually here about."
Hanson looked up, startled by the knowledge.
"So that means..."
"It's not just you having a lack of ability, no. Every seer and oracle across the continent is going through this same silence." She paused, "And sorry for spying on you and Acalendra. I just always gotta keep an eye on her, you know."
He shook his head and stood, frowning in worry.
"No, it's fine. Thank you, Attuale."
The guardian watched him walk away, pearl held in the curl of his tail. Was it selfish of her to envy him? A seer, and someone who was actually physical. She drifted back to the bottom of the lake silently.