Krese

The Southern Icefield was no match for Krese. A beautiful and talented dragon such as himself shouldn't need to worry himself over the weather—what harm could a bit of snow do? Still, even as he told himself this, he couldn't help but feel the need to get out of the area and back home to his warm, sunlit clan—the sooner, the better. The only issue was that damn Fae he was tasked with guarding. Despite the exceptional skill set he possessed, which allowed him to excel at any task given to him, he'd managed to lose sight of stupid Pangaea, and Lightweaver only knows what the clan would say if he returned without his downer of a companion.

So he began to scour the frozen wasteland, dramatically calling out for the Fae, his cries slowly becoming laced with more and more concern as snow flurries turned into steady snowfall. Had a loose drift fallen and buried his companion alive? Would he be next? Sornieth wasn't ready to lose the most beautiful dragon the deities had ever produced! Desperate to preserve his own hide and no longer giving a damn about Pangaea's safety, the large (and don't forget beautiful) Imperial dove for cover under a nearby icy overhang, shivering as the frosty gale whipped up around him and the world became nothing more than a blinding white. Shrinking back against the wall as far as he could, Krese strained to see his face in its icy reflection. If this was his time, then he could at least die looking at something beautiful... Once his features became visible, he let out a relieved sigh and allowed himself to become transfixed on them. Truly, I am the most beautiful dragon to grace this wretched icebox. It wouldn't be long before he would allow himself to succumb to the cold, slowly slumping down against the ground and closing his eyes. A brief rest won't hurt... Perhaps the snow will have lightened up by the time I awaken...

---

"You call that digging? I want to see you sweating out here! Where are those excavating skills you claim to have?"

"I don't see you attempting to help me, Arista. The heat from this poor fool melted the snow around them—they're frozen almost solid!"

"Perhaps it's already too late, then..."

"I don't want to hear that kinda quitter's talk, ladies. I'm not leaving until this idiot's ugly mug is properly dug out and we definitely know they're dead. Now get to it!"

At the mention of the "U-word," Krese's ice-encased eyes snapped open, and with a sudden burst of strength and energy, he broke himself free from his glacial tomb, swinging his head to try and catch sight of the dragon who dared to suggest he was such. "Clearly one of you ladies has never laid eyes on such beauty," he growled out, shaking chunks of ice from his flanks. "Have you even looked at me?" He attempted to show off his impressive figure, only to huddle up a bit, finally shocked by the sudden cold.

"Lightweaver be praised, he's alive and well..." That caught Krese's attention, and his gaze drifted to the singular Imperial of the group. Another dragon from his superior homeland? He couldn't tell—the protective goggles she wore made the color of her eyes indistinguishable. Noticing his stare, the dragon stepped towards him, grabbing for the large pack slung over her shoulder and offering him a warm thermos. "Please, drink. I can't imagine how long you've been out here, and with nothing to keep you warm..."

For a moment, Krese didn't know what to say. Mere moments ago, this poor, below-average-looking lass thought he was dead, and now... she was already flirting with him? He liked her style. Gratefully taking the thermos and sipping it with far too much haste, he winked suggestively at his savior, trying not to show how much his tongue and throat were currently burning. "Hey, baby, I appreciate it... maybe we can head back to your den and I'll show you my thanks, whaddya say?" He licked against the wall of ice beside him, both demonstratively and in an attempt to cool the burning of his tongue, only to end up stuck to it, soon attempting to tug himself away rather aggressively and spilling some of the still-open thermos' contents onto the snow.

Cackling at Krese's lack of brains (or experience with ice), the Mirror standing behind the appalled lass strode over to the "couple," pulling out her own thermos and clawing her way up the brute's neck. "Hey!" he managed to choke out around his tongue, trying to shake off the pest. "Easy on the scales, worm! Ow!"

Ignoring his cries of protest, the Mirror finally positioned herself on his head and unscrewed the lid from her thermos, cackling and pouring the scalding liquid against the ice and down to the vain Imperial's tongue, melting him free and burning his snout in the process. As he jerked his head back in pain, she hopped off, putting the cylinder away in her travel pack and grinning up at him. "Well, didn't you put on a show!" she mocked, her crimson eyes alight with amusement. "Wasn't that a phenomenal performance, ladies? Bravo!" She expected the Imperial to lose his temper with her—oh, would that be a sight to see—only to scowl in annoyance when she realized he thought she was serious and appeared to be rather pleased with himself. "What's your name, huh? We've never seen you around these parts."

Krese sniffed disdainfully. "Clearly you haven't if you don't know me—who could forget a face like this?" He paused to allow them to take in his beauty, drawing a groan of irritation from the Mirror. "The name's Krese—fitting for a dragon of such beauty, isn't it?" He chuckled at his own comment, then returned his attention to the Imperial from earlier. "And who might I thank for offering me the delicious drink earlier?"

The other Imperial eyed him warily. "My name is Imith—"

"And that's Haze, and I'm Arista," the Mirror cut in, gesturing to the quieter, third member of their party. She cast a glance in Imith's direction. "Sorry for cutting in, dear, but we've got to get moving if we want to get back to the den before this break ends. Do you see those clouds gathering?"

Krese snorted disdainfully in Arista's direction—how dare that ugly whelp cut into his conversation?—though as he rolled his eyes upwards, he couldn't stop the shiver that suddenly ran down his spine. "Whoa... I didn't realize clouds got so... dark," he muttered, and the Mirror nodded, flicking a claw against the pink bulb sprouting up from under her bandana. A faint glow began to emit from it.

"That's right. There's a storm brewing here, big boy, and if we don't get moving, we'll be caught right in the middle of it. So let's go."

Haze finally spoke up, humming worriedly in her native language before addressing the group in traditional draconic. "Will Lucifer allow us to bring in this stranger for the duration of the storm? You know how he is about outsiders..."

At that, Krese chuckled lowly, winking at his reflection in the ice. "Maybe I'll have a chat with this Lucifer, then... change his mind." He glanced back at the ladies surrounding him. "Unless, of course, one of you lovely ladies is interested—I don't discriminate." It felt wrong to call the hideous Mirror "lovely," but hey, if it could score him a night with at least one of them, that would be a win...

"In your dreams, kiddo," Arista hissed out, spreading her wings to their full length. "Now let's get moving—Haze, travel beside our guest here; Imith, take the rear. Go, ladies, go!" With that, she turned and launched herself upward with a sudden leap, and Krese found himself hastily taking off after Haze, the Coatl having not bothered to wait for him to go first.

"Slow down, babe, my wings are a little stiff!" he called after her, and he couldn't help but grin to himself as his flying companion dropped back a bit to line up with him more. "I appreciate it, darling," he purred out, winking in her direction. "You know, my wings aren't the only thing—"

"Pardon me, Krese, but we should really focus on getting to safety first before you try to make any moves on me," Haze hummed out sweetly, and Krese quieted briefly before nodding.

"Oh, yes, of course, once we're back at your lair and are able to warm up," he stated matter-of-factly, turning his gaze forward and scowling a bit as he was met with the sight of Arista's rear. "Doesn't it bother you to be behind her?" he commented, trying to focus on the scenery around him rather than the disgusting Mirror. If only he had a real mirror, one that was able to show him true beauty...

"She leads us," the Coatl replied simply. "I'd rather be behind her and know the way than be in front and get lost."

The rest of the flight was spent mostly in silence, as his companion wasn't particularly chatty. Oh well—that just meant that once they were in her clan's lair, she would be more attentive to the important things... like him. It wasn't until Arista suddenly dove downwards that Haze finally spoke again, humming out a pleased "we're here" before following behind her "leader." Krese appeared to be unconvinced—this sure didn't look like a lair to him!—but followed after her anyways, deterred by the steady snowfall that was picking up.

"It's about time you lot got here!" Positioned outside of what Krese presumed to be some sort of narrow cave, a small red Nocturne adorned in a number of black furs hopped up onto her Guardian companion's shoulders, shivering violently and glaring daggers at the party of dragons. "Illusion and I have been freezing our tails off waiting for you three—and who is this? Ohh, Lucifer won't be happy when he sees you've brought in a stranger—"

"Don't get your tail in a twist, Ruby." Arista grinned up at the fuming dragon, flicking a claw against her glowing bulb and allowing the faint light to fade. "Lucifer will just have to deal with our guest while the storm rages—oh, don't give me that look, grandmother. You can inform him of your lack of involvement if it bothers you that much."

Krese scoffed briefly, then winked in the Nocturne's direction. "Hey, baby, don't worry your little mind over your leader—"

"Baby?! How dare you speak to me in such a way! When my mate hears of this—"

The Imperial quickly drowned out the irritated chattering of the tiny dragon, no longer interested the moment he heard the M-word. Seems like this "Ruby" was just like lame-o Pangaea. Oh well, at least he had Haze to keep him company tonight. Slinking behind the group as they began to file into the ice tunnel, Krese couldn't help but pause to admire his reflection in the ice. Perhaps this lair wouldn't be too bad a place to stay...

Quickly catching up with the group, he blinked as the tunnel widened into a large entryway, filled with dragons bustling around. "Get those entrances sealed off—we can't risk any ambushes during this storm!" That made Krese scoff—what dragon would be dumb enough to plan an ambush during a snowstorm?—though he made no comment, instead seeking out Haze now that his original rescue group was breaking off into their own routines. Finally he caught sight of her... and a small Nocturne perched on her back, chatting fondly with her. Oh, so that's how it would be.

Slinking towards the couple and preparing to give them a piece of his mind for leading him on—then immediately inviting them both to spend the night with him, of course—he found himself suddenly stopping in his tracks, his gaze falling onto a brightly-colored Coatl slipping out from one of the various tunnels carved into the ice.

Stunning. He was surprised to be thinking such things about a dragon other than himself, and he quickly directed his gaze towards one of the icy walls. Still not as beautiful as me, he reassured himself, nodding in approval at his reflection before directing his attention back to this mystery dragon. Though she certainly is something.

The Coatl suddenly paused in her tracks, then changed her course, and it took Krese a moment to realize she was approaching him, a wide grin spread across her multicolored face and her serpentine tongue flicking out from her soft, rounded snout. "Eheheh, what's with the stare, big boy? Impressed by me or something? I don't think I've seen you around before..."

The Imperial almost winced—what an unattractive chuckle!—though he stopped himself just in time. A master flirter could not show weakness around his potential prey. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," he countered back smoothly, lowering his head to find her gaze, hidden under her brightly-colored hood. Eugh, water. He might have been turned off by their differing elemental alignments, though for once, he found himself undeterred by what was normally such a key factor in a dragon's attractiveness to him. Perhaps that's not so bad... better than a lowly shadow dragon. "Your clan is lucky enough to have me living here during the duration of this storm—and perhaps you could be the luckiest of them all, babe. Whaddya say?" Offering her one of his trademark winks, Krese could feel his own grin coming on as the lass's face lit up.

"Careful, I may have to take you up on that offer," she teased, ruffling her plumage from under her cloak, "and I'm not sure you could handle all this." Just as he was about to get a good look at the feisty Coatl, he was distracted by the sound of another dragon calling over in their direction.

"Quit mingling and come help me bring Obsidian her meal, Kaleidoscope!"

Kuh-lay-doh-what? Krese found himself baffled by the foreign name, and his companion let out a good-natured sigh, turning her head to look over at a highly unfortunate-looking Mirror. "What, can't handle a little delivery work, Virus? Eheh, don't give me that look, I'm coming." Turning her attention back to the Imperial, she craned her neck and hummed into his ear, almost seductively. "Perhaps I could swing around the guest den later tonight, hm?"

With that, the Coatl—what was her name again? Ugh, something long and hard to pronounce—turned and left, assisting her clanmate in the delivery of whatever strange meal they were carrying. Krese glanced at his reflection once more, letting out a soft sigh and grinning to himself. Yeah, maybe staying with this clan wouldn't be too bad after all...