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 Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:31 pm
When most students wanted to study, they stayed in their rooms. Nall had tried that, for a brief time, but living with four dragons made silent study time impossible. Rarely five minutes went by without some sort of squeal or shriek from the little ‘darlings’. One of them was always bouncing, biting, or somehow bothering one of the others in a sort of perpetual, ‘he’s on MY siiiiide’ battle. That, and Xylia, in her endless enthusiasm, had managed to scare Kalyan, which, in turn, pissed Kalevi off, who started to chase the female dragon around… yeah. It was complete chaos in Nall’s room, which was precisely why the young mage decided to study outside.
That, and the box clamped carefully under one arm, where it would be kept safe. It was a normal enough box, just large enough to hold two large rats, perhaps, provided they didn’t mind standing on each other’s heads. The fact that ‘Nall Fox’ was scrawled on one side of the box proved that it was almost certainly some sort of a mailbox, or perhaps one of those little Valentines’ boxes that students would always make in February just in time for that day of love, only to realize that no one would ever love them. Ever.
Besides, it was a nice evening outside. No need to stay inside. Nall briefly adjusted his glasses before settling down next to the lake, or, at least, what could pass for a lake in poor lighting. Emerald ooze glittered on the water’s surface, only occasionally being broken by a frog or a fish just under the liquid. Trees, their branches drooping, were just barely visible through the fog’s thick substance. They almost looked… ghostly, like that, actually, several shades paler than they normally did. Carefully spreading out a blanket on the dry ground---a blanket he wouldn’t mind burning later, since this was a swamp---Nall settled down and cleaned his glasses carefully before, once again, looking over the water.
Just one Will-o-Wisp. That was all he came out here to see, or, more specifically, to expose his egg to. So far, he had kept the egg secret from his little terrors of dragons, so it should be a perfectly blank slate. Nall slid the box into his lap and peeked into the box now, looking at the smooth gray surface of the egg. It hadn’t changed at all… which was only to be expected, of course. It was the dragon hatchling that would change, right? Setting the egg aside for now, he took up his notebook and began taking a few quick notes on… well… just about anything.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 4:46 pm
Vlasia sighed as she closed the notebook in her hands, aggravation shown in a furrowed brow. Her mother had written her, a detailed note filled with very little actual emotion and a nice long list of what she should and should not be doing while there. Oh yeah...and apparently, someone had informed her of the little egg-experiment her daughter was working on. There was a detailed list of what to do for that as well.
Vlasia would follow it, but also be sure to find the little snitch running around the grounds.
What happened beyond that would be up to her more sinister imagination.
A quiet little trill made her look up. The swampy, wet landscape in front of her was indeed pretty, albeit a little different for her tastes. Nirvikara, her little swamp-aligned darling, absolutely thrived in this area, however. She was the only dragon accompanying the red-eyed girl to the swamp today. She was also the only reason the girl came. A quick glance to the left would explain why.
There, on the ground next to her, was a box. Per her mother's instructions, not just any box - a crystal box, lined with fine crimson velvet and satin and filled just enough to keep the egg snug and comfortable. And to keep it from any unwanted influence. Honestly, if her mother hadn't told her to do it, she wouldn't have done it...but it was rather smart, and pretty. Two things her mother had too much of, honestly. At that point, Vlasia shook her head and took a deep breath. No more mother thoughts. They were annoying. And made her want to punch small infants. Or trees. Trees had splinters.
Vlasia picked up her box and tucked it carefully under one arm. The girl stood with her arms full, and only then noticed that a certain swamp dragon wanted to be picked up. She blinked down, wondering why the dragon couldn't understand the fact that she couldn't be picked up.
"I'm sorry, dear."
Squeak.
"No, really, I can't pick you up. I'll drop something!"
Squeak. Sad face.
"Oh come on, don't look at me like that. How about this - when we get home, I'll let you harrass Celasto a little."
SQUEAK!
Vlasia smiled and motioned for a happy Nirvikara to skip along behind her as she walked along the bank, the figure of another near the lake further down the bank. Why hadn't she noticed that before?
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:14 pm
‘Day Two:
I’ve taken the egg to the swamp today, still in its box to hide it from unwanted influences. The plan is to wait for complete darkness and keep watch for any will-o-wisps, because it would be interesting to see the effects of such things on a dragon egg. When I was a kid, I was told that will-o-wisps are ‘ghost candles’, the remnants of those who have died in the swamp’s grasps. If you follow their little candles, you’ll light one of your very own…
Of course, this is total nonsense. Today we know that these so-called ‘wisps’ are caused by nothing more than swamp gas. Still, it would be interesting to study the various paranormal lights. Foxfire is next, followed by St. Elmo’s fire. Although, it’ll be tricky to see that last one, which is seen only on boats. Perhaps I can bribe a captain or something. Perhaps ball lightning as well…’
Nall stopped there to listen to the world around him, or, more specifically, to listen to what wasn’t there. The swamp, at this time of night, was often a chorus of croaks and hums from the various frogs and toads that made it their home, not to mention the birds that fed on the aforementioned amphibians. But, they suddenly stopped… that was a clear signal that someone---someone else---had invaded their realm. Not to mention, something was just… off, in this natural world…
The young mage remained completely motionless right up until he heard the soft ‘squeak’ of a dragon who wanted attention. Another mage then, clearly. Pretending to be completely oblivious, Nall continued his idle scribblings, doing a quick little doodle of what a will-o-wisp looked like. Only then did he start talking.
“Good evening. I didn’t think anyone else would be out here…” Feeling very pleased with himself for detecting someone else’s approach without looking, he looked over his shoulder and, quite quickly, felt very foolish for not looking before. Behind the silver frames of his glasses, his eyes opened wide with obvious surprise, making him look rather like a green-eyed bug who had just noticed a bird. “Vlasia? I… I wasn’t expecting you, of all people. Not that I’m unhappy to see you… Come on, please, sit down. Plenty of blanket for all.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:35 pm
The girl ran through the mental list of things she needed to accomplish over the next few days regarding the egg. She wasn't sure exactly everything she was going to expose the egg too, but....well, it had already been exposed to the crystal of the box, the velvet and satin. Next on the list was a mirror, and some diamonds and rubies. Beyond that, she wasn't sure. Maybe Nall could help with that? Wonder where he was right then....
As she approached, she realized who it was. Nall! Well that was a face she hadn't seen in a while...and it was odd that he appeared just as she thought of him. Vlasia smiled as she approached, doubting that he noticed her presence. He looked very preoccupied...writing? And what was that he had, an egg? It would be neat if they were participating in the same experiment. When they were given the eggs, they weren't told who else had one. It could 'contaminate' the findings. She really wasn't sure how that was possible, but...ok.
She stopped, blinking when he spoke to her without even looking up. Wow, impressive. Was she loud? Probably not. Maybe that was why he noticed her. She went to speak, but then he looked up with a rather surprised expression. The girl smiled at him and nodded.
"Honestly, I probably wouldn't be out here if it wasn't for Nirvikara here," she explained, looking down at the dragon and then back to him. She accepted his invitation to sit, setting the crystal box gently down beside her. "It's great to see you! What are you doing out here?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:47 pm
Nirvikara? At the name, Nall’s eyes traveled down to the little splotched dragon, recognizing her after a moment of thought. Ah, yes, that was Xylia’s other daughter with Stolz. A Swamp affinity, as Nall recalled. Well, that made sense. Only then did he notice the shiny sparkly fancybox that Vlasia was holding, fully explaining why she wasn’t carrying around her little dragon. “It’s great to see you again too. It’s been… hectic, to say the least. I’ve gotten another dragon and he’s a handful, to say the least. Several hands full, I believe.”
What was he doing here? Oh… well… that was a little embarrassing… Nall looked back down to the little box nearby him, which suddenly looked extremely shabby next to the crystal elegance of Vlasia’s fancybox. “Oh… Well… errm… I don’t know if you’ve heard about the egg experiment going on? See, there were some eggs created without affinities and I’m taking care of one of the eggs. I’m supposed to expose it to various things---keeping track of the exposures---and then see what happens. Not very scientific, I suppose, but it should be interesting. I’m hoping to expose my egg to the various so-called ‘ghost lights’ of the world: St. Elmo’s fire, foxfire, will-o-the-wisp, Naga fireballs, ball lightning… I’m hoping that this egg, imprinted with these things, will show me exactly what these ‘ghost lights’ really are.”
Patting his pockets absentmindedly, Nall eventually found a bit of dried fish---Jelka’s favorite treat---and offered it to Nirvikara. As sisters, they would probably have similar tastes, right? “So, are you just taking Niri here out for a walk? Strange place to take a fancybox like that.” He pointed out the obvious, only now really thinking about why someone would be walking around with a fancybox. And, yes, in his mind, it really was one word. It simply… fit.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:20 pm
"I've got quite a few now myself. They're absolutely adorable, and I love them, but...like you say, they're a handful."
She shook her head, tucking that characteristic white streak of hair behind one ear. Her dragons were her life, but they were exhausting sometimes. For a person who liked her privacy and quiet alone time, it could be grating. Thankfully they all got along, for the most part, with her decay and gravity dragon keeping the peace if things got out of control. He was like a babysitter for the others. For that, he got extra treats. She should be getting the egg from his breeding soon...hmmm....
Gah, focus.
"Tell me of this new dragon - what affinity is he?"
"Really? You're taking part in that too?!" she exclaimed, smiling. It was amazing how much her demeanor changed when she was around him and in a good mood. And not distracted by studying. He was a friendly soul - maybe that was why. She wasn't really used to those. Vlasia shook her head, bringing herself yet again back to reality. "That's a very interesting list of things to expose it to. Ingenious, actually," she said, nodding. "I wish I could say my list of exposures would be that fascinating, but mine are staying closer to home, so to speak. I'm really not sure what all I'll be using, though, actually. Perhaps some gems, metals....that sort of thing."
As Nirvikara took the bit of dried fish happily, squealing and hopping up and down before curling around her prize, Vlasia smiled. "That, and trying to clear my head a little...or, rather, my temper. My mother sent me a letter. Those are never fun to get. And this box is what I'm keeping my egg in. Mother insisted. I wouldn't have it out here, but I didn't want to leave it alone. Because it is breakable, if one of the dragons knocked it off a counter...it could be disastrous."
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:43 pm
And some dragons were bigger handfuls than others, of course. And in different ways too. Xylia made her desires known, normally by being an attention-whore or by stealing Nall’s shiny glasses. Jelka was a physical handful, seeing as she was larger than average. Little Kalyan… even he was annoying, because of his habit of constantly hiding away from just about everyone (excluding Nall about half the time)… and then there was Kalevi… “Levi is a ground affinity dragon. I won him during an event,” Nall explained, smiling at the memory. “He’s a pain in the butt, he really is. Highly possessive of just about everything, including Kalyan. Once he decides something is his, he does not let go of it. But… he does have a softer side. He won’t let any of the others pick on Kal, which is nice. And it is awfully cute to watch them sleep, all curled up around each other. This box here… well, Levi had claimed it for his own, so he’s a little upset with me right now. A wonderful time to stay away from my room.”
Oh! Vlasia was another one of the students?! Well, this was great news! Nall’s surprised little smile became a wide grin of genuine joy. “I had no idea you were part of it. Well… I mean… I guess none of us were really supposed to know… dunno why, though. I guess they just don’t want any students coming up with clever ideas, like exposing the eggs to each other alone.” Actually, that would be kind of interesting… but, it would almost certainly open up some sort of time portal, or at least cause a small galaxy to implode. Why, no, Nall had NOT been reading any fiction lately. Why ever would you guess?
His smile faded a little at Vlasia’s next words, mainly her insistence that letters from home were somehow cause for alarm and dismay. But, when he thought about it, he thought he could recall a few instances in which Vlasia had hinted that her relationship with her mother was… rocky at best. “That’s one spoiled egg… is that velvet in the fancybox there? And crystal?” Very extravagant, just for a nest box. His mailbox-turned-nest box was very dishabille indeed…
Hmm… putting on a more thoughtful expression, Nall scratched his cheek lightly, a sure sign that everything was ticking away in his mind. “You know, I’ve got a polished ruby in my room, if you want to expose it,” he said in a completely innocent voice, completely unaware that this could be taken to mean something completely different.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:03 pm
"Ah, I see...well, that's good that he's protective like that, in a way. My Volun is like that, though he's more of a....babysitter, actually, to all of them. He solves all the little disputes over who gets what piece of meat and who gets to lie down where, and who gets which article of clothing from my closet." she said, smiling. "I, honestly, wish I could have had mine in a box like yours. Simple, completely blank. Best for making exposures have the maximum effect, I'll bet."
"Yeah, I have a feeling that could be bad." Maybe not rips in the fabric of time kind of bad, but...bad, probably. Maybe it would void out other exposures, since....nothing + nothing = a lot of...nothing? Ok. She had no clue where she was going with that. Nevermind.
"It is, and it is. I don't know what sort of effect it will have on the egg, but it's a little late to worry about." she said, tracing her fingers over the box. "I do think it's pretty, though. And I do like red. So I guess it's ok."
She looked up at him, blinking in slight surprise. You know...if he was any other person, she'd probably slap him. Instead, though, the normally calm and reserved girl burst out into a fit of laughter that made Nirvikara jump and protect her treat. Vlasia would comment beyond that...but she wasn't able to.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:40 pm
“I dunno… I think crystal would have been a better choice, now that I think about it. I’ve heard of wood affinity dragons. Haven’t heard of any crystal ones yet. It would be… I dunno… sort of disappointing to go through all this trouble to expose the egg to different things only to end up with a wood affinity. Or another forest affinity, I suppose.” Although he loved Xylia and Jelka, he was hoping for something different, preferably new. It would be wonderful to be the owner of a brand new affinity, the likes of which had yet to be seen… but, he doubted that would happen. “Out of curio…”
He just started to speak again when Vlasia suddenly burst into laughter. Blinking in confusion, Nall looked back over the swamp, just to make sure he hadn’t missed a will-o-wisp or something. Now that would just be his luck, to miss his one chance at seeing a will-o-wisp just because he got dist… only then did his mind finally really think about what he had said to his friend and what it could sound like. Nall’s face burned red and he promptly hid it in his hands. He would have done a proper facedesking right then, but found himself lacking a desk. So, hands would have to do. Properly ashamed of himself, he tried to explain his words, but, seeing as his hands were still firmly clamped on his face, all that came out was, “Murp merrf fruf… I sfirn…” which could hardly be termed a language, let alone English.
But, realizing that this was hardly a convincing way to get his message across, Nall finally looked up, face still bright red. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that! I would never… err…” he looked down, then at Vlasia’s feet, then at Niri, then back at the lake, and finally back at his own feet again. “I would just… not say that… Hey, look! A butterfly!”
Desperate for something, anything to distract Vlasia from his horrible phrasing, Nall pointed at a fluttering insect. It was, indeed, a butterfly. But what a weird time of day to find them! Normally, evening belonged only to the moths…
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:04 pm
"It's alright, Nall. I know you didn't mean it like that." she explained, the laughter dying down to a mere giggle. She smiled at him, trying to alleviate some of his embarrassment. "I slip up like that sometimes, too."
It was painfully obvious that he wanted to move on from the subject, so she obliged, watching the butterfly he mentioned as she commented on his earlier statements. Now that she thought about it, Vlasia hadn't seen any crystal affinities either...that would certainly be interesting. Maybe she should change her focus. "Anyway....I guess crystal could have been a better choice, but with what you're going for, I don't think it'll matter. You should end up with a very interesting affinity, I should think. I hope, anyway. I hope mine is interesting as well. Now that you mention it, a crystal affinity could be neat."
"So...what are we waiting to see here, again?" she added, looking up to the swamp. Ok, really, she remembered, but....she wanted to distract him from the embarrassment more. That, and she didn't know much about the subject of will-o-wisps
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:26 pm
Talk about Freudian slips… Nall would kill for a Freudian slip, or at least beg for one in a most undignified fashion. No, he didn’t get Freudian slips. Instead, the poor mage had to settle for Freudian-Fall-on-Your-Face, and in front of a girl like Vlasia. It was bad enough that he was already outclassed by her birthwise… she was a good friend, she really was. It just felt… weird, to be around someone who was clearly from a different social background, a fact that occasionally came to light at moments like this. Box-Moments, really, where Vlasia had a lovely crystal box, while Nall had mauled a mailbox into place.
Aha, a change in conversation! Nall gratefully leapt onto the proverbial boat of a topic, eagerly escaping the sinking wreck of his own poorly chosen words. “Oh, I’m looking for a will-o-wisp,” he repeated, vaguely casting a hand over the swampy waters. “It’s a type of… well… ghost light, is the only thing I can think of to describe it. Supposedly, they are candles and lamps held by the lost souls of those who have died in swamps. They try to lure the living into their clutches, you see. But… heh. Clearly, it can’t be that. More likely, it’s just swamp gas. They just look like glowing balls of light, floating over the water. I’ve seen a few before, back home.”
Right now, the only ‘ball of light’ that Nall could see was the moon reflected on the water’s murky surface. That was ok. He could wait. The egg wasn’t due to hatch for a week or two, so that gave him plenty of time… especially since the town’s people claimed that ‘spirit candles’ were common in this swamp. “After this, I think I’ll go hunting for fox fire. That occurs in the forest, they say. I’ve never seen it myself. And possibly some St. Elmo’s Fire, if I can get on a boat.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:45 pm
Vlasia felt that division between them...and really wasn't sure if there was anything she could do about it. That pride in her, that intense feeling of superiority that had so been beaten into her brain and bloodline, was so hard to fight. At least on her part, she could conquer it - mostly. Even if she conquered it completely, though, she couldn't alter the minds of others.
Not yet, at least. Not very well.
She continued watching the water as he spoke, trying to imagine what such a thing would look like. Vlasia had heard of this phenomena before, these will-o-wisps....but she had never known much about them. Sounded interesting. "Ah.....when are they supposed to appear? I'm supposing at night."
"You're going to be on quite a journey for this egg," she commented, smiling lightly. "Well...if you can't find a way to get on a boat, I've got a friend who could probably lend you his. Or at least let you ride on it."
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:40 pm
Nall pursed his lips and thought long and hard about the question, probably expending more thought than he should have. “You know, I’m not actually sure when they appear… I’ve only ever seen them at night, personally, but I suspect that’s just because they’re easier to see then. If… that is, since they’re just swamp gas, it makes sense that they are being released constantly…” ‘If’. Yeah, he had said the magic word that revealed, for all of his ‘clearly’s’ and ‘certainlys’ that he wasn’t actually completely sure that the wisps really were just swamp gas. He was almost one hundred percent sure of it… but, not entirely. Hadn’t he already admitted that he hoped the outcome of this experiment would prove something?
“…you know, I never really thought about how much trouble it would be, doing all this for the egg,” he responded slowly after a long thoughtful silence. Looking down at the egg, he actually considered the journeys he would have to take, and just for one egg. But, it was in the name of education, so it hardly mattered at all. Besides, he always took the extra step to ensure that his dragons were comfortable, even before they were born.
A flicker of light out of the corner of his vision caught his eye and he quickly looked back over the lake, searching for the cause of the light. Admittedly, it could have just been a mistake… but, there they were: casting their glow over the swamp like miniature moons, two balls of light glittered, slowly moving around. It was like some sort of intricate dance, each ball orbiting around the other. About the size of a human head, they could hardly be called solid; one could see the weeping trees through the substance of the wisps, like a veil.
By the time Nall snapped out of it, he realized he had a whole new problem; the wisps were over towards the middle of the swamp and he was not going to wade in there with the egg in tow. There had to be a way to coast it over… “…Vlasia? You have some control over water, right? Do you think you could make a little… err… ice-thing that I could put the box on?”
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:37 pm
Vlasia had no earthly idea whether or not the wisps were just swamp gas or just other-worldly, or a little of both. Honestly, she didn't care. They had nothing to do with anything in her life. The only way it could become important is if Nall needed something regarding them that she could provide, or assist with. Other than that...more power to him on figuring out exactly what the exposure would do to his egg. The girl didn't think it would be detrimental to his cause; everything on this earth had a little spooky, ghostly factor to it in one way or another.
She looked over at him upon his sudden realization of just how much work would be required to do what he wanted to do. She chuckled a little to herself - hopefully he realized the great reward all that work would give him, if done right. Right now, her own quest wouldn't require a lot of travel or effort. That would probably change, but...eh.
Vlasia blinked and looked up when the flicker of light caught her own eyes. Blinking, she looked t'wards the source, the two little...orbs of light. Well well well, Nall was right. Fascinating little circles of light in the middle of the swamp. They looked a little out of place, to her. It was dark, for one. If she were a glowing orb, she'd pick a less conspicuous time to appear. Vlasia was shaken from her musings when Nall spoke, both of them still watching the orbs, asking if she knew enough to form ice. Probably. The only problem would be keeping the form at that distance.
"I'm sure I could. But if you get out too far, I may have to go in after you to keep it frozen. I can't do it at very long distances."
She stood, moving to the edge of the water - as close as she could get to the edge, at least - and kneeling close to its surface. One hand moved out to hover just over the surface, steady and firm. She was dead silent and immovable for a moment...before she quickly pulled her hand up, a 'section' of the water underneath it rising with her. She held it above the water's surface as it slowly hardened and cooled, a very faint glow surrounding the small circle with slightly raised edges. When it was cold enough to stay frozen but not freeze the water around it, she carefully let it plop back into the water. And thus, the little floating circle was born.
"The raised edges should keep the egg from slipping off, just in case." she said, looking back and smiling. "Will this work?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:18 pm
Nall watched in silent admiration as Vlasia, almost effortlessly, created the perfect little ice floe, even including edges, just in case. Now that took real talent. While he struggled to get so much as a daisy grown, she could do this without any apparent effort. Amazing… her words brought him back to reality, a reality in which he was blinking bemusedly at her. Oh, right! The egg float. Yes. “I actually plan on keeping it in the box… That way, if the ice melts or something, at least the box will stay afloat. I don’t plan on wading into that water, but if I have to…” Well, he really didn’t want to. Regardless of his wild affinities---forest, mainly---he still had a keen interest in decidedly civilized ideas, like keeping clean.
“But, I think I know a way to keep the ice from unfreezing too much. Or, at least, keep it afloat just long enough.” Hmm… yes. “Growing something from nothing is far beyond my abilities,” he went on, knowing that there was no hiding this fact from Vlasia. After all, she had seen the Great Butterfly Army. “But, I bet I can encourage this algae to grow just enough to form a thick… er… pad of stuff. That should help.” It wasn’t exactly a ‘forest’ persay, but if he thought of it as a forest of algae, he just might be able to fool himself.
Pushing his glasses back, he knelt near the edge of the water and completely ruined the knees of his pants with mud. Eww… he could tell that, as soon as he got back home, he’d take a nice two-hour long bath to get rid of this stinky mud. But, the egg came first, yes. Very gently, he stroked the surface of the water or, more precisely, the layer of algae on top of it. For a moment, nothing at all happened, but then there was a ripple of movement. Well, not exactly movement… just, when you looked away and then back at the water, you got the distinct impression that not everything was in the same place as before. The surface was a good deal darker with plantlife, which was centered around the little iceberg. “Alright… we’ll have to do this quickly…” Nall wiped his forehead, unknowingly spreading some unidentifiable swamp-gunk on his skin.
Carefully removing the lid from the box, he placed the box on the floe, ready to take it back if it looked like it might sink. But, luck was with him, at least for now. “Alright… can you send it over to the wisps? I can help keep it afloat with the plants, but I can’t… you know… make it move…”
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