Roleplay

@SilverleafNight Just introduce your clan first, we'll connect soon ^^

---

Cave struggled under the pile of mushrooms Neon had dumped on him, causing a small avalanche as he freed himself. A frog watched him balefully from the hood of his mentor's raincoat. "This is why-" he shoved a mushroom off his wing, "'Vena said to bring a basket!"

Neon poked his head up from the lump of muddy moss he was yanking away from the tree. "Ah, yes, yes, such tedious things, heavy, we all know where that leads," he didn't elaborate, burrowing back down into the wet moss. No wonder the frogs liked him. Cave rolled his eyes and climbed a litter higher on the vine.

"Are we nearly done?"

"Ah, don't miss moments! Bad habit!" Neon tsked and yanked another armful of moss from the tree root.

"What is it?"

"Mycena. Good for the soul."

Cave eyed the pile warily. "'Vena says they're madness mushrooms." And that's why you eat them so much, he continued silently.

"Ah, maybe so, maybe not. Look at the rain! Time to wander home, I think."

"Or just go."

"Never deprive yourself of wandering, a good thing for the soul. But mushrooms first!" Cave once again found himself swamped by fungi. Under the pile, he sighed.

---

"It's a long way to go, for a meeting." Ironwing said skeptically, studying the map. "Are you sure?"

"It's a good offer. Unless you can find a better one," Centurion flicked her ear dismissively, her gaze wandering off the wooden walkway and settling on the depths of the forest below.

"Then who will you take? A trade deal requires tact," his tone was reproachful. "I suggest Darvena. Or-"

"Or?"

"Her apprentice, Cave."

"That slime?" She snarled. "And give him more of a chance to fall in love with defectors? He loves Plague so much he'd live there."

"He has talent, and Darvena might have opinions about the trade. I don't see the danger in it. Either way, why not give him the chance? He could be just as much an asset to you."

Jademask listened to them from the corner, his scales pressed against the damp and rotting wood. Every so often, rain would build up enough to leak through, splashing on his head. It didn't help that there was a straight drop to the mulch of the forest swamps miles below, and he was separated from it by wood that had turned soft and green.

"He'd be willing to go. Rivercave could keep an eye on Cave for you. Send Crystal and Azuon, and Abriella might be good for the trade-" he was cut off by their expressions, looking between them sheepishly. "I mean, none of them are vital for home..."

"He has a point," Ironwing looked up again. "They're dragons you can spare from home. Either way, River will keep Cave in check."

Centurion sighed irritably. "It's a poor point, but I'll take it. One of you should go, too. Jade?"

There was a small groan of protest from the corner. "To Wind? It's so cold and open."

"Alluman and I need to be here. I'm not pushing further."

Gemara paced back and forth in front of Cyanwing, who was sitting, curled up around her eggs.

“Alright alright, Gem, tell me again what you saw?” It was late in the night. Cyan wing was bored and exhausted.

“Jadin, Burn, Shanaz, and Hilan all going into a bamboo thicket. It looks like they’re having a meeting!! Shanaz and Jadin in the same thicket! Talking!”

“With the supervision of their advisors it sounds like... This could be something Gem. I wish I could go listen in on what they’re saying! But I have to stay here with the eggs!”

“You’re so overdue for them to hatch Cy… Any day now! You’ll see! How about I go listen in for you and tell you what happens!”

“Yes please!” She sighed, itching to get up. Darn that Aela. He was so smooth and cool. And then he up and abandons her with a nest of eggs! And for a younger dragon to boot! She didn’t blame Crystal. Just Aela. Ugh.

Gemara grins. “I’ve got to be careful though. Hilan is finally seeing that I can be responsible. We’re practically the same age but she’s always treating me like I’m so much younger!”

Cyanwing nods. “You better get going, don’t want to miss too much of this meeting.”

---

“Let’s make this brief.” Burn says gruffly.

“Agreed.” Shanaz dips her head.

“This trade deal you’ve proposed with Dusk clan of the Nature Flight… Ho do we know they won’t just steal from us. They aren’t Wind after all.” Jadin hisses.

Hilan sighs. “What’s done is done. They’ve already agreed to negotiate. This will benefit us all, not just Shanaz’s side.”

“Unfortunately, she’s right.” Burn agrees.

“Come now… Your mate is from Dusk clan.” Shanaz says, trying to reason with him.

“Sunray was always loyal to the Windsinger and her proper flight though. Unlike your mate. He was perfectly happy to serve the Gladekeeper. Or Hilan even! You were born in the windswept plateau but were you loyal to your flight even when you joined Dusk clan? Huhn?” Jadin spits, turning to Hilan part way through.

Hilan smiles evenly. “No, but I’ve found my way back and I am now. That’s all that matters.”

Gemara nudges her way into the bamboo nearby, listening in.

Jadin growled irritably. He was never in a good mood these days. He missed Shanaz but wouldn’t admit it. He loved a good fight. But a fight with his best friend? That really stuck a thorn in his side.

Shanaz sighs. “Jadin… Does this mean you will refuse to cooperate with them when they arrive? Will you attack them?”

Jadin glances at Burn. Burn shakes his head. Jadin growls and looks away. Burn speaks. “We’ll cooperate. For now.”

“Good.” Hilan interjects. “We intend to have Spectre and Gemara with us when they arrive. Spectre is a good diplomat and Gemara has a spark that just puts dragons at ease.”

Burn nods thoughtfully. “We’ll bring Joshua. He’s more even tempered than the rest. And we should see if Aela will join us. He’s a bit of a jokester but he may be the most charismatic dragon in the clan.”

Hilan nods to them. Shanaz looks down sadly.

“If that’s it. We’re leaving.” Jadin leads Burn out of the thicket.

Hilan sighs. “Those two are a handful.”
Shanaz laughs. “Yes.” She says a bit too fondly.

Hilan starts to leave and notices Shanaz isn’t moving. “My lady?”

“Just a moment, you go on ahead. I’ll meet you back at our side of the lair soon enough.” Hilan nods and leaves. “Gemara dear, I know you’re there.”

Gemara comes out sheepishly. “My lady…”

“You better be on your best behavior when they arrive.”

“Of course! When who arrive?”

“Dusk clan, we’re going to make a trade. Now run along…”

Gemara sighs. “I’m not that young… You don’t have to treat me like-”

“Then act your age.” Shanaz says gently but firmly.

Gemara bowed her head and creeped off.

Once she was gone, Shanaz’ s expression dropped and she curled up in the thicket to think.

The air was cold and hard on their wings as the group flew high over Sornieth. They went the extra mile to avoid Shadow; the route took them through the scorching heat of the Sunbeam Ruins and across the border between the Sea of a Thousand Currents and the Shifting Expanse, trying to avoid the worst of the storms ravaging the landscape. Rather than face the heat of the Ashfall Waste, they cut across the ocean; it was exhausting for the larger dragons, but the air currents were favourable.

Neon watched the view in excitement from Jademask's shoulder, lifting his head to feel the air. It blew his personal cloud of rain all over the place, spattering Jade's scales; the Imp didn't mind that much, especially in the heat of the southeastern Flights. It had been an impulse decision, as every decision of Neon's; the party was heading out, so he would hop on board.

Centurion had ignored her own advice to fly with the group. The frustration of pacing rotting walkways while the negotiations took place was enough to make her angry straight off the bat - when the party had taken flight, she had done so with them.

Winds buffeted them as they crossed the border, forcing them to fly lower and slow as they tried to fly against the crescendo. It was a futile effort. The imps touched down a mile into the Plateau, panting in exhaustion.

"They... fly... in this?!" Jade huffed, giving up on supporting his wings.

"As much as can be said of flight. Wind dragons are too reliant on the winds."

"It takes you where you need to go," Neon said absently. An awkward silence fell, as usual after Neon spoke.

"Where's this negotiation supposed to be?" Jade was shouting over the buffeting winds now.

"They gave directions from the Steppes," Centurion snarled back, trying to make herself heard.

"We'll never get there in this wind!"

"It's not going to die down! We'll have to take the risk."

"I'll fly ahead," Crystal said quietly. "Try cutting through the wake."

"They'd better be welcoming," Centurion snarled, starting to test the air with her wings, heaving in large strokes before she was able to lift her heavy body off the ground. Jademask, Rivercave and Crystal followed suite, the smaller dragons flying behind the Imperials or clinging to their horns.

The landscape was hard to make out; Centurion had to avoid the urge to squint against the high winds, trying to navigate the open terrain. It was harder to recognise landmarks from descriptions than experience.

"I will have to land," Crystal said quietly, starting to slope towards the ground. Without much fuss, the Nature dragons changed direction with her. They came down heavily near an area of bamboo thickets, snapping a few in the clumsy landing.

"Great, now we have to get in the air again," Centurion snapped.

"We are sheltered from the wind now," Crystal pointed out coolly. "And we are already here."

Shanaz and Jadin walk out of some tall bamboo nearby. Hilan and Burn at their sides. The two advisors looming over their superiors. Burn had always been a particularly large Imperial where Hilan was just on the small side for a guardian. Either way, the orange tundra and purple mirror were dwarfed. Behind the four, Gemara stood by her father, head held high. Spectre followed right behind his mate and Joshua walked separately at the back of the group.

“Greetings!” Shanaz called. “I apologize for the wind… It seems to have given you some trouble. But at least you found us!”

“Every dragon within a mile could see you and tell that you weren’t wind dragons.” Burn muttered.

Shanaz ignored him. “I am Shanaz, matriarch of the Silverleaf clan. And my advisor, Hilan.” Hilan smiles and bows her head slightly in greeting. Shanaz’s voice was warm and welcoming.

“I am Jadin! Patriarch of the Silverleaf clan! This is my advisor Burn.” Burn smiled wryly. Jadin’s voice in contrast was booming and commanding, demanding as much attention as an imperial’s voice.

The three guardian and one tundra behind them all bowed their heads in greetings to the newcomers.

“You must be hungry from your journey.” Shanaz said in concern. We have plenty of food if you wish to eat, and we’ve prepared some nests if you would like to rest a moment before we start negotiations.” Jadin rolls his eyes.

Crystal, the largest and the oldest of the dragons, with grey in her mane and her iridescence dulled by age, stepped forward in place of Centurion and lowered her head in greeting. "Greetings, Wind Clan. My ears are not as sharp as they once were, but a mutter is not lost on me. Forgive us for drawing attention to your clan. I don't doubt you would have similar trouble in our terrain."

Centurion was bristling, holding herself back from interfering with Crystal's introduction. The older dragon had cut ahead of their leader, a sign which - for any older clan - would have shown a lack of confidence in their leader. She bit back on her retort, waiting before her reply as though there was an understanding between them.

"This is our ambassador, Cave. You don't need to know more than that. We're here for the trade." She snapped abruptly, moving forward to take her place. Her green eyes settled on familiar dragons. "Show us the way."

Neon gently hopped down from Jademask's shoulder, his little cloud of forest attracting more attention than a Fae usually would. He gave the Wind Clan a little bop of his head, and one of the frogs croaked at them.

Hilan bit back a retort about their clan not being called Wind clan. The front four lead the nature dragons to a pile on a rock of small creatures, plants, and some bugs. The other four dragons stayed a ways off discussing something.

“This is our food pile for today.” Shanaz indicates it. “If you are hungry you can help yourselves our hunters just got back.” The taller dragons might have seen over them to a secondary pile a ways off.

Hilan nodded his head to indicate a thicket nearby. “In there there’s been some nest made for you to rest in. We weren’t certain of your normal sleeping or eating conditions but we did our best to make them comfortable.” Further examination of the clearing that was apparently their lair, it seemed to be split in half. Most the clan seemed to be at their nests or somewhere else, probably trying to stay out of the way of the negotiations and such.

Jadin and Burn stayed quiet, watching with veiled expressions as Shanaz and Hilan tried to make their guests comfortable. When the two peaceful dragons had finished speaking Jadin spoke up.

“Again, welcome. I hope your stay is… satisfactory.” His voice had a slight hissing to it, like a snake.

"A food pile?" Centurion hissed under her breath, to the others. "It's a good thing we didn't bring Darvena, she'd have had a fit. I'm sure this is right in your element, Cave." the remark was pointed and more than a little poisonous.

"Actually, in Plague they have some gorgeous dishes - you wouldn't think what they could make in the desert, but 'Vena says their alcohol is the best in Sornieth." It was a matter-of-fact statement, although everyone knew Cave hadn't missed what was behind Centurion's words. He looked up at her neutrally.

"Fine, eat if you want to. Jade, scout some of the area out. We want to be prepared for anything."

Neon hopped down and across to the other clan, giving a courteous little bow. "It is good to see you! How is the Windsinger doing these days? With your blessing I will honour your Flight!" He looked up at them brightly, and the frog on top of his head croaked again.

Cave had flown over from the others, landing on a small rock. "He means he'll make an offering before he encroaches," he translated. "This is Neon, he's not really with us he's just... here. That's Centurion, our leader, and Jademask, her scout. Those two are Abriella the alchemist and Tessa the bard, and that's Crystalfire, our last Elder. I'm sorry for the blunt introductions."

Centurion’s complaints are not lost on the wind dragons. Jadin glares angrily at him. Shanaz though, turns her attention to Cave and ignores the slight, pretending not to have heard. Burn and Hilan exchange glances tiredly.

“Ah,” She dips her head. “I didn’t introduce the four that were behind us before. The smaller guardian is Gemara, she’s our diplomat. She’s younger and still learning some, but she’s pretty good when she puts her mind to it so there’s no need to worry. The larger black guardian is Aela, he’s our very charismatic blacksmith,” She chuckles. “Not who you’d expect to involve, the blacksmith, but he’s a good talker.”

“The Tundra is Joshua. He’s very mellow and level-headed.” Hilan takes over.

“Very loyal to the wind flight.” Shanaz comments sadly, her voice soft and quiet.

“And lastly, my mate Spectre. Also a good talker.” Hilan concluded.

Jadin sent Burn off with a hushed order. The larger than usual Imperial lumbered off silently to the opposite side of the clearing, disappearing into the thickets. Jadin continued to glare at the nature dragons.

Cave listened politely to their introductions. "It's good to meet you. Please excuse my Clan, I am sure you understand our situation. Trading such things is never a light matter. Will you let Neon make an offering? Otherwise he'll just sit here all day."

Neon didn't look up from talking to one of his frogs, waving his arms and expressive frills like he was having an animated conversation. "He's a little addled," Cave lowered his voice. "But he's a very good dragon to have around. His attitude is contagious."

"Plague rat," Centurion snapped from the main group. "What are you talking about over there? Get back here."

---

They ate until full, although they left enough to be courteous of their hosts. More comfortable on full stomachs, they settled down to be either taken to the lair, or shown the ropes. Abriella and Tessa were holding a quiet conversation at the side of the group, and Cave had settled on Jademask's antler. The scout had come back in too early, but Centurion wasn't going to bite his head off in front of another clan.

Tessa laughed at something her companion had said, her warm expression lighting on the clans. "And what a story to tell..." She trailed off absently. "Much as any other."

Abriella glanced over at the other clan, moving her head to beckon any stragglers over to their small group to talk with them. "Come, now, this doesn't need to be a hostile occasion."

Shanaz dips her head to Neon. “Oh, yes, of course.”

As the nature dragons start to eat, Jadin leaves. He gives an excuse over his shoulder about organizing some drills. Shanaz and Hilan settle down in their normal spot and talk quietly.

Gemara looks up when Abriella calls them over. Spectre nods to them and walks over. Gemara glances at Aela and then follows.

“Greetings!” Spectre grinned. “I’m Spectre. I’m afraid I didn’t catch your names?” Gemara pads up behind him and sits beside them all.

---

Jadin paced in front of them in agitation. He relayed the way the nature dragon, Centurion has seen their clan as. He may have also embellished a little. Burn stood silently on the other side of him. Vera, Heya, Sunray, Felicia, Mairwen, Legionnaire, Keller, Conjurer, and Garett all stood at attention. Mairwen looked lost in thought, standing at one end of the line.

“So what would you have us do?” Burn rumbles finally.

“We’re going to attack them! Tomorrow night. They’ll be on edge tonight. But they’ll be beginning to settle tomorrow night.” Jadin declares. Burn glances at Mairwen, willing the young seer to speak up.

Mairwen had already considered intervening and at Burn’s look, he spoke. “Sir, I don’t think that’s wise. We’re a small and rather young clan-“

Jadin laughed. It was an unpleasant laugh. “Young and therefore more agile!”

“But sir!” Mairwen pleaded. He was shut up by a look from Jadin and hung his head in defeat. Burn bowed his head, resigned. The other dragons cheered and Jadin began outlining the plan.