[PRP] A Debt Unpaid (Zhiji/Tian Yue)

[Meepfur]

Zhijian padded down the hall from his room to Tian Yue's, stretching as he went. He'd recently woken up from a 'nap' that had lasted for two days, sleeping away the work of helping to remake the sky - not that he'd done any of the actual remaking, he'd just been the transportation, but it was enough to tire him out! After waking, he'd stuffed himself full of food offered by his new aoide, who had apparently appeared while he'd been asleep. It was good timing, since his only other servant had gone and gotten herself voted onto a Council of Gods. He was still trying to wrap his head around that one.

But now that he was awake and fed, he had things to do! First on the list was to visit his ascended brother and see if he was up for a little trip, one he hoped would certainly go better than their first.

[Sosiqui]

The door opened immediately, revealing Xing Yun; the goat-like Aoide bowed immediately, a pleased smile on her face. "Lord Fangbridle. One moment - Lord Tian Yue will want to know of your presence at on-"

"I can smell him coming a mile away," a loud voice announced, and Tian Yue himself appeared. "Brother - it is good to see you back, and well." He moved at once to clasp Zhijian in a brotherly embrace.

[Meepfur]

"I knew I should have taken a bath," Zhijian said with a grimace. Since his brother had appeared in such short order, he hadn't had time to do more than begin to nod at the aoide, and once Tian Yue showed...well, all his attention went to his fellow dragon. "Or, come to think of it, maybe I should have rolled in something? But I think I will leave that to Yu." Lighthearted teasing at the expense of one's absent sibling never hurt.

He returned the hug, his tail waving with pleasure. "I hear you've been busy, brother."

[Sosiqui]

"As have you - first to soar through the new sky, placing the stars? How I envy you, brother. I would rather soar there than... well." Tian Yue made a face. "How Tien Lung came to be Dragon King of the celestial realms and of bureaucracy, I shall never know. Apparently it has always been our lot. Myself-Shaiming recalls such trials in our first youth. Perhaps I shoudl cultivate a wild aspect like your own. I am quite sure nobody comes to you with forms to sign in triplicate."

[Meepfur]

"Yes, and my reward for my efforts is to be even hairier than ever." He ran a clawed hand through his mane while he spoke, and though his statement was lighthearted, he was clearly proud to have served his Lord in such a glorious way. "And I swear I shook out a few more pixies when I woke this morning."

"That's because they know I might eat them instead of signing their forms," he teased.

[Sosiqui]

"Very true. I should wear scales when I accept documents, and yawn copiously to show off my fangs... but tell me, brother. Come, and sit, and tell me what it was like, up there. Carrying our Lord, placing the stars." There was a quiet envy in Tian Yue's eyes, but it was tempered with warmth, and a clear understanding of their roles.

[Meepfur]

"How would you accept documents at all like that, hmm? Your claws would put holes in them, although I suppose that would further dissuade anyone from attempting to give them to you."

Zhijian was happy to sit, but unsurprisingly, silently and physically insisted that he do so curled around his brother. He was practically incapable of not touching. "It is...difficult to describe." He looked apologetic. "I don't know that I can, truly. THere was dark and light and Him, and it was glorious."

[Sosiqui]

"See? It is a perfect plan," Tian Yue said, then quieted as his brother spoke of his journey. Only a few words, but they were enough. "Such glory," he sighed. "Though it is not the same... cannot be the same as living Universe, it does the heart good to see the sky and stars again. My followers are nearly beside themselves with delight, repairing their spacecraft, taking measurements and mapping the new stars. They are starfarers, and had been so lost without that frontier overhead."

[Meepfur]

"I imagine mine feel similarly, though it is what's between they've been missing. I should check on them...if I can find them," he said with a chuckle. "They've been busy while I slept, I'm sure."

"But that can wait." Zhijian rested his head on his brother, tail curling idly. "I have a proposition for you, if you're not too busy with your paperwork."

"I was thinking of returning to The'ta'naa."

[Sosiqui]

"The'ta'naa?" Tian Yue repeated. "Travel? Somewhere far away from paperwork and meetings and councils? Ah, yes... yes... and from there, I could enter the Old Pantheon. I would like to survey that place again, and search for greater knowledge and lore. That is a duty far removed from tedium, yet still beneficial to All." His tail-tip was waggling a bit with eagerness. "That is a proposition I'm glad to hear and accept, brother. And just what I need at this point, I think. How did you get so wise without reading books?"

[Meepfur]

The sight of such eagerness from his poor, responsibility-trapped brother made him grin, and he caught lazily at Tian Yue's waggling tail. "The aoide there was of great help to us, telling us of the Fate Stones as he did. Perhaps we can repay him, somehow. And he may yet know other things the rest of us have forgotten, about the Grigori and who knows what else."

"Maybe I've absorbed something from chewing on them," Zhijian speculated as to the matter of books. They were so boring, but the spines really felt wonderful between his teeth. Not that he'd done any such chewing recently, having decided to respect that other gods found the Library significant...and he didn't want to chance destroying anything that might actually contain important information.

[Sosiqui]

"You ch- no, please don't tell me that you actually chewed on books. I might have to go off and make incoherent sounds of horror for a while if you tell me that," Tian Yue sighed, putting one hand over his eyes... then peeking out at his trapped tail. "It is an excellent idea. I hope they made it through the Weeks without too much loss..."

[Meepfur]

"Not anything important," he assured his brother, vastly amused by the more scholarly dragon's horror at the habit. "I checked first."

"That may be a high hope, but there must be something left, at least." As long as it was still there, as long as the aoide was still there...how many of the bird-people were left didn't worry Zhijian overmuch. It would be unfortunate if they had suffered particularly hard, but such was the way of things.

[Sosiqui]

Tian Yue still winced at his brother's words, but no incoherent sounds of horror escaped his lips. For now. "So long as you checked... well." The wince was replaced with a smile. "When do we depart? I must speak with Glyph before we go; he has need of understanding the First Tongue, and I do not know who, besides myself, Knowledge, and our Lord Himself might teach it to him."

[Meepfur]

"Whenever you're ready. I don't have so many responsibilities as you, so I can go at any time." Zhijian snorted lightly. "You just had to go and get yourself voted onto a Council while I was busy, didn't you? I didn't even get to vote."