dragoncalled | Event Start: Renzu's Flock; Predator or Pray

Entry tags:

!event

Event Start: Renzu's Flock; Predator or Pray

There's a commotion by the ocean.

At dusk, a strange and unsteadily honored tradition begins to cause unrest within the city. It's nearing the end of a trade season, and the approach of winter brings with it a tenuous and uncomfortable truce of necessity. A small trading group of Beast Hunters dock their ships at Outer Nuren's pier, just within Dragon Bay. They have brought with them hides, trinkets, meat, fish, rare plants, magical items and caged common creatures from the wildlands beyond the city's walls. In turn, they seek fabric, clothing, lumber, weaponry, armor and food from Nuren's harvests. Most of the Beast Hunters have come to trade their goods, while others are there to relax for a week in the seedier Outer Nuren, where the citizens are less likely to bother them and they can pick their fights and conversations with little concern for the preaching of the devout or the judgement of the sheltered citizens in the city proper.

Beast Hunters are fond of tavern brawls and games of chance, though their regard for a scion's dragon, or any magical creatures, is visibly and openly one of disgust and discomfort. Despite this, many of the traveling traders enjoy sharing stories and will pass on tales of the fearsome and dangerous creatures they proudly boast to have killed or survived encounters with. There is open distrust or curiosity toward the scions and their worlds, but in general the Beast Hunters are a far more survivalist group of Remnants with a scattering of Touched. They're grim, rough around the edges and quick to violence and anger, but a bit of gold, flattery, charm or gambling can soothe most tempers.

For a few gold, a scion skilled at games of dice, chance, or drinking competitions might find a profit in Outer Nuren throughout the week, and curious souls could learn more about the world beyond the city walls. Including its dangers and potential treasures, stories of the Wastewalkers or wild magical creatures and lands, and boastful accounts of survival against horrible odds.

The Beast Hunters have a low opinion of the city citizens, calling them soft and worthless creatures who lean too heavily on their faith and security. Likewise, the citizens of Nuren have low opinions of the Beast Hunter's, calling them dangerous cut-throats and warning that they will gladly stab you in the back or poison your drink for a single gold coin or to steal the young and vulnerable dragons from their scions. Open scorn from both sides is apparent while the Beast Hunters linger in Outer Nuren, with fights both physical and magical breaking out. While the citizens may not venture far beyond Nuren's walls, they are practiced magic users and skilled fighters, albeit a bit less prone to fighting dirty.

By the end of the week, the Beast Hunters will have sold their goods, and will pack up their ships and leave, refusing passage to scions and citizens alike. Only Beast Hunters may sail aboard their vessels, and any stowaways will be thrown to the sea serpents and sharks.

Strange magical feats in the streets.

In stark contrast to the rough and rowdy Beast Hunters, another group has grown active in Upper Nuren, becoming very visible during the week. A group of Scholars of Renzu have returned to the city from a trip to Renzu's temple, and bring back with them more of the great Griffin's teachings and knowledge.

Throughout the week, the scholars try to get involved with the Scions. They offer to help the Scions understand and learn what their elemental alignment is, and how to use the ability they and their dragon now share. Several of the scholars hold daily 'classes' in the squares of Upper Nuren. Displays of elemental ability occur in the squares, along with discussions on how the different elements relate to and interact with one another.

In the evenings, the Lorekeepers of the group tell tales to small gatherings of young citizens and any interested Scions, teaching them about Renzu and occasionally delving into tales of Chelba, Benra, Mouros, and Lysheu.

A few scholars with powerful shield and healing magic offer to help Scions practice their magic, so that they can learn how to use their new abilities, and learn what to expect if their dragon decides to use their magic as well.

At the end of the week, when the Beast Hunters have sailed away, the scholars will still be present, but less visibly active away from the smaller temple of Renzu within the city.

And a fine feathered friend around every bend.

Osaaru's sparsely filled streets have begun to fill in with the sounds of life. Excited citizens, exploring scions and intrepid young dragons have to learn to live with one another in the city. The adjustment is easier for some than it is for others. None understand this better than the Great Griffin.

Renzu, the Great Griffin and Guardian of Knowledge, is a prominent and active guardian, revered and respected by a large portion of Nuren's population. The wisdom of the Great Beast is spoken of by any Scholar, Mage or devout citizen who mentions either of the Great Griffin's names. Though largely viewed as a gentle guide and known to be the Observer who watches over the city, there are occasions where the Great Beast takes a more direct approach.

As evening descends, a distant chime begins to fill the air. The darker the sky grows, the more the melody seems to grow, always faint but with new melodies whispering and intertwining their way through the winds that sweep as gentle breezes through the city streets and alleyways. The distant sounds create a melody of wind chimes accompanied by a faint song that seems to resemble the soft music of wind instruments. It fills the air for a week, always faint but present, and all who hear it are likely to feel a calming, peaceful emotion settle over them, that comes and goes over time.

With the winds and music, a flock of Griffins and Grifflings have entered the city, taking perches on buildings and walls. They play with or assist the citizens of Nuren and any scions who do not attempt to attack them. Grifflings race across rooftops in playful games of tag and chase, or engage young dragons in tag or hide and seek to sharpen their hunting skills. Griffins, some larger than lions in size, stroll through the streets, lending their backs to the pulling of wagons, or their wings to the creation of helpful currents.

With some dragons nearing an age of testing their wings, and other young hatchlings beginning to fill the city, Renzu decided to take the young creatures and their scions under wing and give them a first lesson in their new lives. Renzu's flock are there to help the young dragons with their first steps toward flight. Throughout the week they can be seen acrobatically soaring through the skies above Nuren or creating small controlled winds and gusts to lift young dragons and their scions into the air.

Gently approaching a Griffin may even see the creature allowing citizens or scions to ride on their backs, provided the person in question is respectful. Their powerful wings and large forms allow them to carry scions and their young dragons, or up to two people, on their backs. While they may be unable to ferry about larger creatures, they will gladly assist others where possible.

The citizens of Nuren caution against injuring or threatening Renzu's flock. Most will insist they are gentle and harmless creatures as long as no harm is done to them. Injuring or killing a Griffin or Griffling is severely frowned upon by the citizens, though a Beast Hunter or two might be willing to pay a high price for one. Any harm or threat scatters the flock, making them distrustful and even aggressive toward the attacking or threatening party. From then on, the Griffins and Grifflings will not allow the scion in question to approach them or others of the flock.

At the end of the week, Renzu's flock take wing, returning to the mountains they came from and leaving only a few scattered Grifflings playing in buildings and on the streets. With them goes the music, fading away on the gentle winds.

Notes

Please direct all questions to the Q&A on the plotting post.

Additionally there is a post on the OOC community for talking about upcoming wishes in the Tide of Wishes Here.

You are welcome to use this post to toss out open or closed starters and tag around, or to make your own posts within the community. Another post will go up for the Tide of Wishes, soon. In the meantime, there is an OOC post for you to leave your character's wishes, if you so choose, or to discuss them with others.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

"No, you're stupid for not realizing that he might have backup," Glory shoots back over Sync's head. She recognizes that tone - the tone of someone who doesn't want to admit they're in over their head. Someone who is happy to pick on someone they think they can hurt or push around, but is much less happy when the tables are turned.

"Now apologize. Or I'm going to eat you."

"Do you think you can be a little more specific?"

He stopped circling, hovering somewhere off of Tsunami's left shoulder. He didn't want to hit her by accident. But even so, he could still try and look intimidating. He beat his wings harder, sending gusts over the scavengers, and with a roar shot a blast of flame into the air, well away from Tsunami.

There was a piercing shriek from Starflight's neck. The sudden heat and noise had startled his dragonet and she scrambled off his neck over his back, causing him to falter somewhat when she scampered near his wings. He could feel her clinging to the spines on his back and really hoped she wouldn't do that again next time, now that she wasn't looped around his neck like normal.

a. Roll them Bones (11/14-11/16)

[For the first time since he arrived, Fuyuhiko is actually feeling pretty okay about the fact that his egg is taking forever to hatch. He feels right at home with the Beast Hunters, having grown up in similar company, and he's not sure he'd enjoy it as much if they disliked him because of his dragon. Or worse, tried to hurt it.]

[So for the first few days after their arrival, the former heir spends a great deal of his time in the taverns, listening to the tales of the Hunters and asking with keen interest about the world beyond Nuren's walls. Occasionally, he might even be talked into sharing a story of his own, though they're pretty mundane in comparison. It's really hard to compete with slaying magical creatures when you're a normal human from a normal human world.]

[He also spends plenty of time taking part in their dice games. For someone who doesn't even look old enough to be in a bar in the first place, he's surprisingly good. But not all of the gold he wins actually leaves with him. Some of it is occasionally spent on drinks for his gambling companions (beast hunters and other scions alike), though he never once buys a drink for himself. It's clearly some sort of gesture of sportsmanship, meant to keep moods high and tempers low. Who knows, even you might find yourself on the receiving end of this gesture, if you've found yourself losing to Fuyuhiko a few times.]

[Or, you might catch him playing the part of the dealer, instead of the player. Because you know what game should definitely be on the gambling agenda? Cho-han. If that's not a game that already existed in Osaaru, it absolutely needs to and Fuyuhiko will teach anyone who's willing to learn.]

b. A Griffin of a Tale (11/14 or 11/15)

b-1:

[While Fuyuhiko held little interest in the teachings of the scholars (or magic itself, for that matter), the lorekeepers are a different story entirely. As he's making his way back home after a day spent in the company of the Beast Hunters, he can't help but notice a small knot of people in one of Upper Nuren's squares. Curious, he makes a detour and hovers awkwardly near the edge of the crowd.]

[Unfortunately, the Lorekeeper is already more than halfway through his current tale of Renzu so Fuyuhiko is more than a little bit lost. Talk about shitty timing. He nudges the nearest Scion and leans in to whisper, so as not to cause too much of a disturbance:]

b-2:

[Early the next evening, Fuyuhiko can be found sitting on a low stone wall in that very same square. Resting in his lap, beneath both hands, is a small, balled-up jet black blanket. It's impossible to tell what's inside the blanket for sure, but if you assume he's a scion, then it's probably not too hard to guess what it is. It would seem that today he aims to catch the storytelling session from the beginning, instead of catching it halfway through. And maybe he wanted a better seat, too.]

c. About Damn Time (11/17) CLOSED to housemates

c-1. (for Natsumi & Peko)

[So, normally Fuyuhiko doesn't come home until late in the evening, but today is an exception. Because a certain SOMEONE decided it would be a great idea to start a bar brawl. Thanks, Natsumi. Thanks. While those aren't exactly uncommon with the Beast Hunters, this one had gotten pretty nasty and Fuyuhiko figured it was probably best to get out of dodge for a while till tempers cooled.]

[That, and he got a little scraped up in the process of protecting his sister. Again: thank you, Natsumi. So the two are back home before noon, Fuyuhiko grumbling all the way to his bedroom.]

[How did she even talk him into taking her, an underage girl, in the first pla-- oh right, he can't resist her sisterly charms. That's how.]

c-2.

[Once Fuyuhiko's newly-hatched companion has been cleaned of all egg goop, the yakuza heads into the living area with his dragon wrapped up in a towel. Once there, he sets the little bundle down gently on the ground, where it promptly falls open to reveal a the wriggling white hatchling. Help help, he's fallen and he's too uncoordinated to get back up. Luckily, his scion is at least nice enough to help him get turned the right way. The two will stay there for a while, the dragon mostly flopping around on the towel and trying to get the hang of using his legs while Fuyuhiko watches (and occasionally laughs and gives the dragon a helpful nudge.)]

[Later on in the evening, the pair can be found in the kitchen. Fuyuhiko has arranged some fruit, vegetables, and meat on the counter and is attempting to determine exactly what his dragon eats. By...lifting up said dragon and setting him down on the counter in front of the food. This is definitely the best way to find the answer to this question. Definitely.]

d. wildcard

[If you have something else in mind, hit me with it. Fuyuhiko will be out and about for most of the event, save for on the 18th when his egg hatches. He'll stick mostly to Outer Nuren before then, and strictly to Upper Nuren afterwards.]

Edited 2016-11-17 04:06 (UTC)

"Don't eat him, he'd probably upset your stomach," Sync comments over his shoulder.

The Hunter almost growls in anger at the taunt, but really isn't stupid enough to take on a full grown dragon. "Eh whatever. You're lucky you've got that beast with you. Next time..." He turns and stalks off, not at all pleased.

Sync is tempted to follow and pound the crap out of him anyway, especially since he hadn't apologised yet, but with Gale still clinging to him, he doesn't, changing his focus to calming the little dragon down. "It's alright, Gale..."

Dust's eyes were, as always, not visible. But his mouth curled into a smirk that was almost sinister.

"I don't need them to be scared, Tsunami. But they should be. Inside me, there's a hunger for battle and war that is part and parcel of who I am, what I do. And for a month now that part has been smothered under the need to care for Sky, to look out for the other Scions and their dragons, and to do what I can for the people of this city. But now... Now they're going to offer me the chance to fight in defense of a friend? To let both halves of me join together in one unified purpose?"

The speech was entirely true, mind, but Dust didn't utter it to brag or even to simply monologue. As much as he wanted the fight, he hoped the quiet and fierce intensity of his voice and the sincerity of his words would intimidate the Hunters. Backing them down without violence would be better than a fight, even if he didn't believe it was possible.

(Hopefully Tsunami would not ruin the entire effect by taking umbrage at him characterizing her as a friend.)

"Lower your weapons and back away," Dust said, spinning his blade into a forehand grip to point it at the leader, "or you will face a foe unlike any you have imagined."

Sounds like the cocky one in this is the Hunter, not the kid.

The Doctor crouches down to look at Gale with a small smile. "I don't like this either," he murmurs at it, "but we can't sit back right now." And all his usual tricks... won't work here. He sighs and looks back up at the tense situation, wondering who will break first, and hoping that Sync can actually hold his own. Unlike the Beast Hunter, the Doctor isn't one to judge by appearance.

He remains crouched down, guarding over Sync's dragon.

All he can hope now is that this won't get too messy, because he's probably going to be the one cleaning up for the citizens, given that he didn't discourage this fight.

"Fussy, eh?" He peers forward at Sam's shoulder and the little dragonling on it. "Well hello there, Addie, is it?"

Please don't nip at his face. He leans backward just in case.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, don't worry."

Tsunami only half-listened to Dust's speech. From what she heard though, this guy was dramatic enough to give Deathbringer a run for his money. All this talk just made her tense. Her weight shifts a little, her bulk hunkered protectively over Minnow, who is making faint noises of fear and alarm from his spot between her forelegs. She's not terribly worried about fighting this lot--more concerned that Minnow might get hurt in the confusion. She glares down at the hunter's leader, adding on to Dust's long-winded speech.

"I'll eat you if you don't leave me alone, understand?" She growls. The hunters hesitate for a moment. Before it had been an easy target. Dozing dragons you take by surprise are one thing, but an angry, wakeful dragon that has help? That's another thing entirely. The stand-off stretches out for another few seconds, then the leader finally scoffs dismissively and waves his fellow hunters away.

"Feh. We're here to make coin, not do more hunting. C'mon, lads." He estures for the others to follow and begins edging away from the pair.

The tension finally snaps as Sync's patience wears out, darting forwards and lashing out at the Hunter. It's almost an unfair fight; for all the Hunter is used to fist fighting in brawls, Sync is a master at this kind of fighting, and it shows. The Hunter is also not at all prepared for how damn fast he is, and is quickly on the defensive. At least he's not having to content with magic. A couple of chairs end up getting knocked about, but Sync at least is trying to avoid the obstacles.

Gale sighs unhappily and sits by the Doctor's feet, watching the fight with some interest for all she doesn't want Sync to be hurt. He takes a few hits, but even the unhanded fighting doesn't bother him too much. The fight ends almost abruptly as Sync abuses his smaller size to throw the Hunter right out the door of the tavern. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay out there!" he yells, sneering some.

"Probably because initially there weren't that many adult dragons to help teach them," comes an answer from not too far away. Sync hadn't really planned to talk to the dragon, but he was following Gale who was now definitely sitting in front of Tsunami and staring up at her curiously. At only a foot tall, she was much, much smaller than the other dragon.

"Plus you probably don't want to teach every single dragon in the city, I imagine." He sighs a little, standing a short distance away and watching Gale. Maybe letting her have free reign to run around as she pleased was a bad idea...

A - Docks; 11/14 - 11/16

[For the first few days after the Beast Hunters' arrival, Natsumi can be found spending a lot of time down at the docks with them. This is definitely her kind of atmosphere, and it's almost comforting because of that. Reminds her of home with how loud and rowdy the guests are. Which is why it's no surprise that she's getting just as loud and rowdy. Maybe not joining in on any of those bar fights that are going on, but she'll definitely cheer them on. She spends a lot of time gambling with the Beast Hunters too, more than happy to increase her wealth at the expense of others. (Though some of that does go back into the pockets of the Beast Hunters in the end as she can't help picking out some of the wares they've brought to take back home with her.)

What she spends the most time doing, however, is actually chatting with the Beast Hunters. She enjoys hearing their stories a lot, and can be found primarily doing that, sometimes buying them drinks to convince them to talk though that's not always necessary. She has a certain charm to her, after all, that can be quite endearing to even the toughest of hearts. But listening isn't all she does.]

--and then he grabs the bat as that asshole swung it at me, rips it out of his hand and punches his lights out! Got him square in the nose, I don't think I've ever seen a guy cry as much as that fucker did!

[She's plenty happy to tell her own stories too. They aren't as amazing as fighting off wild beasts or slaying great monsters, but they're still tales of battles won, even if they're on the mundane side. A few of them are about herself, a handful about her family, but the overwhelming majority?]

My brother's amazing! Just give him time and he'll be out there slaying your sea monsters just as well as you can!

[They're of course about her older brother. Want to join in on story time? She'll be happy to share more, or listen to cool stories from fellow scions too.]

B - Griffins; 11/16

[She doesn't have a dragon for the little grifflings to play with just yet, and at first she was kind of wary of the bigger guys too. These kinds of animals were just myths where she's from, and while she's not exactly scared of them she does keep her distance. After playing a little with the babies though and watching them help out little hatchlings learn to fly, she comes to the conclusion that they must not be all that bad. So she finally decides to hang around in Upper Nuren, dodging the Scholars and hanging out with the animals some instead. Especially since she's pretty sure she saw a few scions get flights around the city from them and that's something she wants in on.]

What are you even...? You're like some overgrown, mutated chicken.

[Probably not the best way to win a griffin over, and when the one she's speaking to starts walking off with disinterested she follows.]

Oh come on, I meant that in a good way! Chickens are great! And you have like...cat paws. I love cats!

[Endearing herself to people? Easy! To intelligent animals? Not so much, apparently. Not that she isn't trying, bless her heart, but the "chicken eggs are tasty" comment probably isn't winning her any points.]

C - Hatchlings, finally. (Joint with Fuyuhiko; Afternoon of the 18th)

[After nearly two weeks of waiting, it seems stupid to keep their dragons cooped up any longer. So, even though Fuyuhiko's is barely a day old and Natsumi's, half that, the siblings decide that it's time for the hatchlings to go out and meet the world. On the afternoon of the 18th, the two pairs can be found a little ways outside of the Dangans' cavern home.

The siblings are off to the side, Fuyuhiko leaning against the cave while Natsumi sits on the ground beside him, keeping a watchful eye on their hatchlings as they gambol around playfully. They still aren't all that great at walking just yet, thanks to their awkwardly stumpy legs and long, noodle-y bodies. So there's a lot of face planting involved in their playing, especially on the part of the younger, black dragon. But at least whenever she falls, the white one is there to help nudge her back to her feet. And vice versa, on the occasions when he falls instead of her.

As time goes on, the two gradually become more adventurous. Why are they staying in just this one little area?? There's still so much more to explore! Taking the part of the leader, the white dragon starts taking confident, yet wobbly steps away from the cave. His sister follows after him, taking his tail in her mouth so that she can keep up. Naturally, their scions come along too. They let the dragons play their bizarre little game of follow the leader for a few moments before scooping them up and carrying them towards their destination (a nearby town square) instead. They are just a few too many people up here, sorry little guys.

Once they reach the square, the scions set their dragons down and move back to go sit on a bench together, falling into easy conversation. The dragons, however, rush forward immediately to start playing with a few of the grifflings that have claimed the square as their playground. They squeak happily, chasing awkwardly after the feathered creatures and not even coming remotely close to catching any of them.]

((OOC: You're free to go for both siblings for a joint thread or one or the other! Just let us know in the subject line which you want!))

[In another corner of the square, a few more of the little grifflings are conjuring up winds, and there's a more person-sized dragon amongst them all trying to get a lift from them. Ultima flaps her six feathered wings insistently as the smaller winds fail to get her more than about a metre off the ground, and Shun looks on from enough distance that he's probably not in any danger of getting hit by errant wings.

That's less certain when a couple of the grifflings manage to stir up a bigger wind, and Ultima gives a startled sound as she suddenly shoots up to about ten metres off the ground. After that moment, though, she gets her wings working, and manages to fly a few metres across...before losing her rhythm and dropping to the ground like a rock a little in front of the Kuzuryuus' bench. At least she lands on her feet, even if she drops into a sulking pile on the ground a moment later.

With an annoyed sigh, Shun crosses the distance himself, stepping around the two little dragons chasing the grifflings.]

If you treat every failure like that, it's going to be even longer until you figure it out. [Gaze moving up to the pair on the bench as he gets closer, he nods at the sight of at least one familiar face...and probably his sister, judging by that similarity in features.] Looks like you didn't have that long to wait until your egg hatched after all.

[The white dragon's overly-large ears perk up as Shun approaches, and he ceases his chasing for a moment to nudge his sister out of the scion's way. Please don't step on her, mister. She is very small and barely even 12 hours old and feet would most definitely kill her and that would make him very sad.]

[Fuyuhiko, by contrast, raises a hand in a lazy sort of wave as Shun approaches. Though, he very quickly realizes that the boy's attention is, understandably, on his heap of a sulking dragon instead. So he decides to wait and see if Shun notices him before saying anything else. When he does, Fuyuhiko can't help but grimace a little.]

You're fucking kidding me, right? It's been nearly two weeks, he finally hatched yesterday afternoon. [Which is probably why both dragons are barely bigger than six week old kittens, a detail that both Ki and Katar totally did not forget to mention in the top level because they're both super smart and would never do that. ~~We did, we're failures.~~]

A. Feathered... friends?

[One might have the (mis)fortune of encountering an absolutely petrified griffling. Said griffling had only wanted to teach a little kitten-sized black dragon to hunt, maybe play tag across some rooftops. But it hadn't counted on the little dragon's scion, crouched nearby with her fingers extended.]

I will not hurt you...

[Is what. Peko says. However the wide smile (if it can be called a smile) hints otherwise as she wiggles her fingers, trying to attract its attention.

Help a girl out, will you?]

B1. You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth

[Peko can be found making her way through the city looking at the various goods for sale. Weapons seem to catch her eye more than anything else, though; her eyes linger on swords in particular as she pauses to contemplate a wooden sword. It's meant for children, not for killing, but it seems well made enough to suit her purposes.

She's so focused on examining the different weapons available that she completely loses sight of her dragon, a black-furred kitten-sized creature with feathered wings and clawed feet. Her dragon is more interested in passing boots and shoelaces, though. Anyone who might pause for long enough nearby is bound to have the little creature pounce toward any hanging bootlaces. Please don't kick her dragon, Peko would take extreme offense to that.]

B2. Animals Pt. 2: The Animaling

[Or, perhaps you might find Peko staring at a collection of caged common beasts. The cactus cats and jackalopes seem to particularly hold her attention.

What's more frightening about this scenario is that she's not smiling. Or rather, she seems to be making an attempt to smile. Her face contorts into a pained grimace, and she makes sounds that might be her attempting to focus her concentration, or might just be her coughing up a hairball. It's genuinely impossible to tell from noise alone. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to check on her...]

Edited 2016-11-17 15:58 (UTC)

"Fuh, he wouldn't even make a decent snack," Glory retorts, glaring after the Hunter and his friends as they take off. Part of her is glad she can understand what they're saying about her - about dragons. Another part wishes they'd stayed indecipherable squeaking noises. She lowers her head to glance at Sync.

"You and Gale OK?"

Glimmer has puffed herself up on top of Glory's head and is making little growly noises at the retreating Hunters.

"In front of me--don't worry about singing me a little bit!" Tsunami yells. She ducks back, sweeping her dragonet into the crook of one foreleg as she snaps out to both sides with her teeth. She badly wants to take off into the air, but the weight of the net against her wing keeps her on ground. Her tail lashes out again, smashing a hunter to the ground.

"I'm not your stupid prey you teeny little morsels!"

"...I can't believe that worked."

Thoroughly surprised, Dust watched them retreat for a moment, his hand still tight on his sword's hilt as he expected a trick or treachery. Since he didn't dare look away from them, he lowered his voice slightly. "Is Minnow okay?"

Tsunami didn't sound or act hurt, and he doubted she'd appreciate any solicitousness towards her emotional well-being at the moment, let alone her physical.

Though he was certain she cared about her wing membrane. If he could fly like a dragon, he couldn't imagine not worrying about injury to it. "If you lower that wing down I can help get the net off. It might be barbed."

[Gamboling and playing hatchlings catch the eye of a far larger cousin. Skyship veers away from following Dust as they pace through the square, turning to pace over to the two smaller dragons.]

[Dust, who has become QUITE used to his dragon's foibles over the past week or two, doesn't even both trying to pull Sky back into line. Sky will do what Sky wants to do when it comes to situations like this, so Dust just trails along behind him. He doesn't seem the least bit worried, which should be of comfort to anyone who might wonder what the big dragon is up to.]

Tsunami grumps at Sync. Of course that much should be obvious but it still bothers her that dragonets have to learn from these weird creatures. She peers down at Gale (who was absolutely tiny) along with Minnow, who chirps excitedly at the newcomers from his spot on her shoulders.

"I don't have anything but time here, so I probably could," Tsunami replies with an annoyed sigh.

Papyrus isn't the least bit bothered by Fuyuhiko's shocked reaction. He has realized by now that most humans, both of this world and others, have never seen a proper skeleton before, so it's only natural they'd be awestruck! He is, after all, a magnificent example of perfect skeleton-ness!

"No? Well, I'M GLAD!" He really is, even if it means he can't practice on Fuyuhiko. "You humans have soft, delicate exteriors, so it's good to know you take good care of yours!"

Really, he has beautiful skin! Papyrus wishes he had one too, smooth soft skin, he would draw really cool tattoos on it and rub it with the finest olive oil – what he was asking about again? Oh right, healing.

"Do you perhaps know of someone who isn't as careful?"

[Papyrus has better luck endearing himself to the griffins, winning them over with an eager hatchling and a shower of compliments of the "oh my god I don't know what you are but you're AMAZING" variety. His dragon is playing with a few of the grifflings when an older one approaches, followed by a human. She's obviously trying to befriend it only to be given the cold (and feathery) shoulder. It's kind of sad to watch, and Papyrus wants to help.

Not that he knows what it feels like, he most DEFINITELY never had trouble making friends.

He waves the griffin, inviting it – and Natsumi – to join him.]

I'M SURE THE HUMAN MEANT TO FLATTER YOU! A DAZZLING PRESENCE SUCH AS YOURS CAN SCRAMBLE ANY COHERENT THOUGHT!

[Papyrus is 100% sincere and griffins are proud creatures, easily flattered and easily insulted. The question is, will this particular griffin believe it?]

[The little black dragon follows her brother's directions, moving out of the way (though stumbling a little and falling in the process). But out of the way and safe she is at least! Thank you brother.

Meanwhile there's a different dragon that deserves some attention. Natsumi has no idea who this guy is but if he knows Fuyuhiko - which she's guessing is the case, judging from their exchange - then he can't be bad. Not if her brother isn't trying to chase him off.]

Six wings must be hard for you to manage huh?

[She's addressing the dragon first, of course, before nudging her brother in the ribs with her elbow.]

Who's this guy oniichan?

[Despite the lack of worry on Dust's part, Natsumi is still a little apprehensive with the larger dragon approaching. She doesn't think he'll purposefully hurt the little ones or anything, since from what she can tell all the dragons seem to get along well enough? But they're just barely bigger than six week old kittens and both are very young. Understandably she's a little worried!

She's friendly enough, however, as she calls out to them.]

This big guy yours?

[Her dragon, meanwhile, also took notice of the larger dragon and when she realized he was approaching them decided it was a fine time to stop chasing a feather she'd found much easier to catch. She's a little on the shy side, and takes to hiding behind her white companion instead, waiting to see what exactly Skyship has planned.]

[Whether it believes the skeleton or not on Natsumi's half has yet to be determined, because while that wonderful compliment has it approaching Papyrus, the girl doesn't follow to try and take advantage of it.]

Wh-wha---

[Hold on. Let her pinch herself, is she dreaming? No, that hurt. She's staring at a skeleton. A big walking, talking skeleton. A living skeleton what the hell is even going on in this place.

...wait, no maybe...it's some kind of like. Animatronic? So what if this place doesn't have that kind of technology magic can apparently do anything! Who knows, maybe it can animate shit too!

When she finally takes the invitation, the first thing she does is start poking his skull and shoulders. She's looking him up and down, trying to figure out exactly how he works.]

How weird...shouldn't you be in some kind of amusement park or something?

[Like his sister, Fuyuhiko is also concerned by the larger dragon's approach. Where the hell was this coming from? He's not afraid of big dragons or anything. Big dragons are great. Okay well, really, all dragons are great but either way, it doesn't explain the sudden apprehension that grips his heart as Skyship draws closer to the hatchlings.]

[Maybe one day he'll realize that he's basically a worried parent, but today is not that day. For a brief moment, his gaze flicks over to Dust before returning to the dragons. If his sister is taking care of the social part, he'll take care of the watchful eye part.]

[His dragon, however, has a much different reaction. With a squeak, he puffs himself up in a protective sort of way, attempting to reassure the little black dragon that he is Big and Strong and he won't let anything hurt her. Not that he thinks Skyship will, judging by the way he takes a few steps forward, stretching his neck out to sniff at the bigger dragon.]

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Page 2 of 20

Event Start: Renzu's Flock; Predator or Pray

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Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu | will match format

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B

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B

Natsumi Kuzuryu | Will match format!

C, joint

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Peko Pekoyama | ota!

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C, joint is fine!

Re: B

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B

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