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 Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 8:21 am
new first trydragon hunt | ayrala | lose The words on this page were messy, as if the girl who wrote them was in a hurry to do anything but.I am not upset. I am a little disappointed. I did not follow Leyn's instructions and I could not strike this dragon. I am well aware that there is a reason why he is my tutor, but I can't help but feel I know better sometimes. I shall work harder. Next time, I will win.
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:44 pm
a gift "Why must I do this today?"
"It is respectful. Now that you are a proper student of magic, it is good to show Draco that you are also a loyal child of Soudan—"
"I know all of that. I asked why today, not why... ever." Eanah pulled on a boot, one of a new pair that had been gifted to her when she's chosen her scepter. "I would much rather be sparring."
"So would we all."
If she had possessed eyes, they would have rolled. "Are you ready?"
"Do you have the souls?"
Eanah carefully hefted the satchel at her side, the dragon souls inside clinking together merrily.
Leyn nodded. "We're off."
* * *
She was surprised by the size of the room Leyn led her to, though the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. This office was about fifteen feet across and half as many deep, its only piece of furniture a wide, heavy desk decorated with several very deliberate stacks of parchment. Eanah doubted Draco Verrano handled paltry things like tax collection or census taking, but the papers were still a nice touch. Right now he was simply sitting at his desk, the dark hollows of his eyes directed intently at her.
"Do I frighten you, little girl?"
The leader of the Oblivionites was large and imposing, his power running off of him like water. Eanah wondered if everyone who stepped into his presence could see it, or if he only appeared this way to her kind. It was common knowledge that he was the only one who could communicate with Soudana, and Eanah could understand why more than ever now that she was alone in his presence.
"No, sir. Do I have a reason to be frightened?"
Draco did not reply. He didn't smile or threaten or intimidate. He rose to his feet and leaned forward, slender fingers splaying across the dark marble in front of him.
"How many souls have you brought me today, little girl?"
If he hoped to rattle her by calling her small, he was a bit late on the bandwagon.
"Three." She briefly considered making some excuse as to why there were not more of them, blaming her small stature and lack of a proper weapon, but the truth was, she had felled more dragons without a weapon than with, so far. It would not be a very convincing excuse. Eanah lifted her satchel's flap, reached inside, and slowly lifted the souls into the light, placing them, one by one, onto the desk.
These Ysali souls glowed with a bright, variegated color she had been told was green, a cheery shade that made her think of the earth under her feet and the promise of springtime. She had been told that older Oblivionites could see color, but she had to wonder if that was nothing more than the experience they'd had with differentiating subtle shades over the years. She sincerely doubted she'd ever see anything as bright as a dragon soul.
"Acceptable." He leaned back, taking a seat and fixing her with the same stare he had for nearly their entire meeting.
She hesitated. "Would you like me to put them anywhere else for you, sir?"
"Back in your satchel. You will need them for practice during this time of relative peace. Now, go. I shall see you again in the future. You will bring me more souls than you did today."
Eanah nodded, gathering her spoils and placing them back in her bag. "Thank you, sir." Not knowing what else to do, she curtsied and fled in a whirl of skirts.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 12:41 pm
almost theredragon hunt | ayrala | lose When Eanah returned, she didn't run to her journal immediately. She removed her cloak and heavy dress, cleaned her shoes, and pulled her hair back away from her face, examining herself in the small mirror above her desk. Eventually, she sat down and began to write.I did not win, but that is all right. There is more to this than souls, and the fact that I landed every hit I attempted is far more important than winning at the moment. I believe Leyn will have to assist me if I ever want to take down anything greater than a Ysali ever again.
I can't believe I just wrote that.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:41 pm
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:32 pm
together againdragon hunt | ayrala | win It was my first time as a strategist and it won't be my last. My ideas were not that impressive, but we managed to win anyway. I would like to think it is because we are strong rather than lucky.
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 4:57 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:01 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:42 pm
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:53 am
twenty-one It was a warm night for the season, but not warm enough for most sane people to be outside without experiencing some form of mild discomfort. The liquor helped, but she hadn't had nearly as much as some people. Eanah was very thankful that she had thought to bring her cloak, even though her tutor's room was only just down the hall from her own. It would have cut the chill all by itself, but with his cloak wrapped around her now as well, she didn't feel cold at all. She was sure she looked like a fool, but at least she was warm. Besides, no one could look like a greater fool right now than Leyn.
"Not enough... dancing!" he announced, clapping Maon on his bent shoulders as he passed. The Master stumbled forward with a surprised cackle, sending Leyn tripping unsteadily after him. Neither fell, but the color of Leyn's cheeks more closely resembled the paler shade of his hair for a moment as he fought to regain his balance.
"Maon with Dares! Go go go!" He flopped to a seat on the low stone wall Eanah occupied, gracing her with a sleepy grin as he raised the bottle he carried to his lips and took another swallow.
"You're very drunk," she said, unable to keep the amusement from tinging her voice. "And you smell foul." Very slowly, a smile also spread across her lips, and she turned her head to hide it from him, watching her teachers as they fell into a makeshift waltz. Dares was at least a foot taller than the old Oblivionite, and while she looked like she clearly knew what she was doing, Maon contributed little to the spectacle beyond a clumsy shuffling hop and more cackling. Eanah couldn't help it. She laughed. "Why are you doing what he says? You're all crazy!"
"It's his birthday," Dares said, her demure giggles almost completely overshadowing her reply. "We have to listen to him."
"I'll remember that," Eanah muttered. She could think of several things she'd rather force someone else to do rather than taking them on herself.
"Yes," Leyn said, his voice surprisingly clear. "You have to do what I say."
She shook her head, ending its side to side sweep facing him. "I'm not listening. Especially since I know what you're going to..."
"Dance with me."
"No." She sighed. "There's not even any music!"
Leyn tapped a finger to her forehead with quite a bit more force than she deemed necessary. "In here." He shot to his feet much quicker than she would have thought possible, and in an instant he was pulling her up as well, his bottle forgotten on the ground beside them. "C'mon!"
Eanah let out an undignified squeak as she suddenly found herself standing. She slapped at his chest when he curled an arm around her back, but she didn't fight for long, at least not with her ineffectual fists.
"You do know we leave tomorrow, don't you? Early? I'm not carrying you to the dock."
"You couldn't lift me anyway." Leyn led them in a silent sway, his face tipped toward the heavens, and his breathing even. He might have been asleep if he hadn't been standing.
"I bet I could find a spell that would. Should I bring my new defense tome?"
"What? No." He shook his head, veering off to one side and breaking the rhythm of their dance.
Eanah steadied him as well as she could, but it took all of her meager strength to keep him propped upright. He was right. She'd never carry him anywhere.
"Why did you do this to yourself?" she murmured, brushing at his shirt. "It's your birthday every year and you never act this... idiotic."
He scoffed, a dullish look of pride shaping his features. "Okay, on top of it being the miraculous day when me happened, in case you didn't see—and I know you saw because you were there—I'm.. an... Expert! Y'didn't miss it, right? Because I thought I noticed some little baby Eanah tears leaking out of you there in the middle of... OW!" In response to her spirited shoves, Leyn's slurring monologue dissolved into great hoots of laughter that went on until he'd overbalanced so far that no amount of her assistance could help him. He fell in a heap, the queasy look from earlier making another appearance.
"I feel..."
"Don't talk," she said, slipping his cloak off of her back and over his shoulders. "Maon?" She peered at her teachers, lips twisted in a sarcastic grimace. "Can someone help me?"
Dares reached her side first, gently lifting Leyn to his feet. "I've got him," she said. "You make sure Maon gets to his room safely."
Eanah nodded, already moving to help the elderly mage back into their Sanctuary. "I will." She stole a glance at Leyn as Dares slung his arm around her shoulders.
"He'll be fine," the older woman said as she led Leyn away. "Good night, Eanah."
"Good night."
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:54 am
intruder alert There were a very small number of advantages that came with having limited eyesight, not the least of which was a slight increase in the ability to hear dirty little trespassers. Eanah had been padding through the halls in the Master's wing on her way from Maon's quarters to her own when she had noticed the sound, that sort of twitchy shuffling rats made when they were stealing bread from the kitchen. Unfortunately for whatever was making the noise, Eanah wasn't in the kitchen, and when she turned the corner at the end of the quiet hall and saw the door to Master Lena's quarters standing open, she knew she wouldn't find a rat inside.
The boy hunched over the chest in the corner was dark like she was, but Eanah hadn't missed the curling horns peeking out of his hair either. She debated simply clouting him on the head and dragging him to Draco... very slowly... but in the end she chose to step forward, looming over him as well as she could before she spoke.
"What did you steal, hybrid?"
His reaction would have been quite amusing had he been a friend, but in this instance his shock was more satisfying than funny. The boy shot to his feet and spun in place, smoothly shifting whatever was clamped in his hands from the front of his body to around behind it.
"Not stealin' anything, miss. Plantin'." He gave her a conspiratorial grin. Eanah bared her teeth in return, but it was more a snarl than a smile.
"What did you plant then?"
"Promise you won't tell?" His smirk implied that he fully expected her answer to be no, so Eanah decided to give him a little something unexpected.
"Yes. I promise to keep your secret, hybrid. Don't make me repeat myself for a third time."
His confident expression faltered, but a moment later he was all smiles again. "Sure thing, miss." The boy moved his hands and their burdens back into her range of sight and Eanah couldn't help the predatory grin she gave him in return.
Drakein eggs. They had to be. She couldn't tell the colors of their shells, only that the one on the left was paler and had a smattering of spots spread across its crown.
"Give me that one," she said, waving a hand at the spotted egg.
"No," he replied without hesitation. "I... I mean... I need these eggs. I have to sell them or I can't eat."
"Sell that one. And steal something from the Sanctuary kitchens as I'm sure you already regularly do."
They remained silent and staring for half a minute, the boy stiff and motionless but otherwise seemingly amiable.
"You're good at this," Eanah conceded. "Acting like you don't care. I never would have guessed at how deeply your disappointment was rooted if I hadn't been its cause." She took hold of his arm. It was quite obvious to her that the boy could have broken free if he'd chosen to, but he held onto the pair of eggs as she led him outside instead. Perhaps he knew he wouldn't get very far.
When she let him go, she held out her hand and he reluctantly passed her the egg.
"Keep it warm. And don't say where you got it."
"Only if you don't tell anyone who you gave it to."
"Done." He smiled then, a genuine one. Eanah couldn't tell if he was simply relieved she was letting him go or had some other reason for being so cheerful. "I'll be on my way then."
"Wait." She honestly didn't expect him to answer truthfully, but she had to ask. "What species is it?"
"Kiandri. Or so I was told." As soon as the words had left his mouth he was gone, jogging across the courtyard with the second egg clutched close to his chest.
Eanah hoped it really was a Kiandri. Leyn would like that.
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:49 pm
the journey begins Magical Defenses: Volume Three was quite a bit heavier than she had recalled. To be fair, most of the time the tome just sat open on the old book stand in her room, ready to be rifled through whenever she was practicing a particularly difficult bit of protective spellcasting. The last time she had actually lifted it had been several months ago, and although that unimportant memory had clearly faded, Eanah was now fairly certain she'd had help to accomplish it. The girl had really only lugged the tome along this time to spite her tutor, but it seemed her prank had backfired a bit. Carting this book around for the better part of the next six months was sure to be merely uncomfortable at best, and if a Kiandri forced them to flee their tent, she might even have to leave the book behind. Eanah was just about to attempt the lengthy walk back to her room to drop it off when there was a ripple in the crowd.
She frowned at the disturbance, shaking her head when Leyn emerged from the center of it. He caught sight of her and raised the hand that wasn't clasped around his scepter in a shallow wave. Her tutor looked... well, frankly he looked like s**t, but given the uncharacteristically exorbitant amounts of liquor he'd consumed the night before, it wasn't terribly surprising.
"Hello, Leyn," she said as he stopped at her side. For once, she didn't try to curb her disapproving glance. There was no need to be proper in front of Leyn. He knew her far too well, and she him.
"Morning," he muttered.
It was no longer morning by her estimation, but she kept her comments on the subject to herself. "Shall we board then?" Her magical defenses text felt lighter as she thought about finally getting a move on, but the large drakein egg that sat nestled against her spine seemed heavier in exchange. She hadn't told anyone of its existence, but that was largely because she hadn't had anyone to tell since the thing had been dropped into her lap the night before. Leyn would be the first to know of the creature, but she couldn't very well tell him now.
They piled into the ship alongside the other passengers and took a seat near the window. Eanah peered curiously through the thick glass as they took off while Leyn deliberately avoided looking through it at all, his eyes firmly shut to the outside world. She waited until his head bowed against his chest before she addressed him again. Loudly. Well, loudly for her.
"Leyn!"
"Mnnhn!" he said, sitting up straight and reaching for his scepter again. He glanced around the ship's interior looking for any obvious threat, but when he found none he eventually sat back in his seat and turned a sarcastic smile on his student. "Yes?"
She smiled back, pressing her fingers to his arm and pushing it back down to his side. "I was just wondering what you knew of the drakein."
Leyn let out a long sigh, slumping a bit and closing his eyes again. "This couldn't wait? No, forget it. Okay. I've heard they're brutes. No better than dragons, although you'd think they'd have to be smarter or they'd be extinct by now."
Eanah could almost feel the egg next to her shimmy with pride. She glanced at the pack where she'd hidden it with a faint expression of shock. Was it... listening?
"Why?"
She shrugged. "No particular reason." She hadn't yet told him about Lazuli, but now was as good a time as any, she supposed. Someone else's drakein was just a story, not as intriguing to others as talk of her own would have been to an eavesdropper.
"I met one," she said softly. "He seemed to be the companion of that hybrid we came across at the festival a while back. The creature was neither a brute nor particularly smart, but he was also very young. He could grow to be anything his master wished, I suppose."
Her tutor opened his eyes and looked over at her, his delicate brows dipping slightly. "I have heard of such things, but I have never met a bonded pair personally. I am... was... wary of giving credence to those particular rumors. Are you sure you saw what you saw?"
Choosing to ignore his skepticism, Eanah continued on. She hadn't been certain herself, but if he'd heard rumors...
"Yes, I am sure. And I have something to show you."
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:56 pm
ally Eanah sat cross-legged on her bedroll, the egg resting in the nest of blankets in front of her. She hadn't been able to wrap her head around the need for so many thick coverings or the stifling sleeping attire she had been forced to pack, but as their first blazing day on Eowyn had drawn to a close, she had slowly begun to understand everything. The desert was freezing.
Leyn was seated as well, though he was clear across the tent, bundled in his cloak and staring at nothing. After telling him she had something important to show him soon after they left Soudul, Eanah had refused to say another word on the subject, insisting that her news could only be spoken of in private. When she had finally lifted the heavy egg from her pack, her tutor had shakily quipped that, if nothing else, she certainly had a gift for building tension. After that, he'd hunkered down in the corner and hadn't moved, at least not until now.
"Where did you get it? Please don't tell me you stole it?"
"What?" She looked up from the egg's mottled surface, her expression unguarded. He had been silent for so long that she had gotten lost in thoughts of her own and had come very close to forgetting where she was.
"Did you steal that egg?"
"No!" Even though the canvas walls were thick and quickly absorbed nearly every sound they made, her voice still seemed to echo between them. Eanah folded her arms. "There was this hybrid..."
"That sounds like the start of some horribly juvenile joke."
"It's not." She refused to look at him, knowing that the inevitable smirk on his face would just set her off. Instead she tightened her arms and straightened her spine to an almost absurd degree. "There was a hybrid..." Eanah paused, daring him to interrupt again. "And he was trying to hide a couple of eggs in Master Lena's chambers while she was away." She turned sharply, narrowing her eyes at Leyn. "Do you lock your rooms when you're not expecting anyone? Because if there are... ruffians running around, they could target you next."
"Yes, Eanah. I lock my doors. Sometimes with two locks." He waved his hand, encouraging her to continue.
The Adept shrugged. "I told him to give me one of the eggs or I would turn him in."
Leyn chuckled. "Fair enough."
She relaxed again, allowing herself a small smile as she peered at the egg. "Do you think it's really a Kiandri?"
Her tutor grinned and slid closer on his hands and knees, taking a seat at her side. "Could be. Why do you want one so badly?"
She hesitated, at a loss as to how to answer. I don't know was entirely too wishy-washy of a response, but the truth behind her desire was almost too embarrassing to voice. She wanted a Kiandri for him. His reaction had been the first thing she had thought of when that thieving boy had told her the sort of drakein he thought would hatch from her egg. Leyn favored lightning, and even though he was supposed to be killing them, he had always had a soft spot for the dragons who had mastered it.
Eanah swallowed, contemplating her reply. Finally, she decided on, "I think it will complement me." It was the truth, in a way. She was very glad she didn't blush.
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:58 pm
in the desertdragon hunt | kiandri | lose I got to thinking about Orderites and our safety here in the desert today. Aside from a paint balloon spar, I have never fought any members of the race I am meant to slaughter. I don't know that I would, given the chance. Is it better to walk away than risk death? I don't want to die. My life is pretty good respectable. I enjoy it. I do not want it to end.
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 1:27 pm
older and a little bit wiserprp | kadryn
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:21 pm
thren Eanah was wide awake. That wouldn't have been a problem if they had been out hunting dragons or practicing spells or doing anything else that required alertness, but it was harder for her to accept in the middle of the night. She shifted beneath her heap of throws, drawing her drakein egg closer to her body to keep it warm. When she heard an answering sigh, her agitated frustration melted into relief, then guilt.
"Can't sleep?"
Leyn's voice was gritty, but more from simple disuse than exhaustion. She hadn't woken him after all, or so she hoped. Eanah shook her head and said, "No," at the same time.
"It was an excellent fight," he said, seeming to read her mind. She could hear him moving around the small space, and not long after he stopped, the inside of their tent blazed bright without any warning. "Sorry."
She made a vague sound of dismissive forgiveness as she sat up. The nighttime chill had already begun to seep through the cracks in their shelter, and Eanah kept her blankets gathered around herself and the egg to the best of her ability.
"I have never gotten through your defenses like that before," she said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. "You always had to crack them a bit before I could sneak in. And don't deny you did that. I'm not a child."
"I am... well aware of that," he replied with a shake of his head as he reclaimed his seat. "And I haven't given you a deliberate advantage in a very long time. You made some real progress today. It's worth losing sleep over." He looked down at his hands with a smile.
Unintentionally ignoring his lapse into nostalgia, Eanah barreled on, caught in the rush of her own excitement. "I wish Maon had been here to see. And Dares too, though she wouldn't really have understood."
"I'll give you Dares, but all Maon would have done had he been here was use your success as an excuse to sing some old battle chant and get too drunk to stand."
Eanah paused, trying her best to look deliberately thoughtful and keep herself from smirking. "Isn't that second part your job now?" She might have gone a little overboard with the feigned innocence.
"Oh." Leyn's chuckle was nearly inaudible. "I see how it is." He pointed an accusatory finger in her direction as he rose dramatically to his feet, draping the nearest sheet over his shoulders. "Fine. There may not be anything to drink around here, but I can sing, don't you worry about that."
The argumentative, teasing part of Eanah wanted to protest, to cover her ears with her hands and shame him into silence before he could even begin. The rest of her was simply curious. The girl loved music, she always had, and if Leyn could actually sing, it would be a welcome surprise indeed.
He hesitated as if he expected her crueler half to fight to the forefront, but when she made no move to stop him, Leyn launched into an enthusiastic rendition of Soudana's Rally, complete with ridiculously obnoxious hand gestures.
Gather, children, hear my cry
The winged ones would see you die
Look thee now to the western sky
It is time, it is time
His singing voice was a tuneful tenor, once he stopped trying to exaggerate, and while it would never win him any awards, Eanah knew hers wouldn't either. She smirked up at him, running her palm over the top of the egg at her side as she joined him for the second verse.
Your weary muscles burn like fire
But you've found your heart's desire
Fifty winged ones on a pyre
Their time here, it is—
She froze and fell silent as she felt something shift beneath her hand. The egg. Was it hatching? "Leyn?"
To his credit, the mage didn't make a joke about her forgetfulness or otherwise try to taunt her. He stopped singing as well, standing still with his lips slightly parted as he seemed to gather himself. "It's ready."
Eanah nodded, rising into a crouch and pulling the blankets from her shoulders. She positioned them around the egg, unable to tear her gaze from the sizable crack that now ran up its side. She thought about asking him if they should try to help the beast, but her worry proved unnecessary. It only took a couple more shoves of the drakein's nose for him to open a hole large enough for his head. Him. Somehow Eanah knew the creature was male just as surely as she knew he was Kiandri.
"Look at that," Leyn said softly, his smile wide. "Can I?"
Before she could wave him over herself, Leyn had kneeled at her side and was carefully lifting pieces of the shell off of the damp keinling. A tiny tongue flicked out and raked across his thumb as he did so, prompting a chuckle from the older Oblivionite. Eanah reached out, her soft laughter joining his as the baby drakein butted his head against her hand and let out a startled chirp.
"Whoa there, little one," Leyn said. In his hurry to be born, the creature had unleashed a flurry of weak kicks against the inside of his shell. The keinling burst free a short time later, slithering forward onto Eanah's lap and closing his eyes. "It's tired."
"He is tired. Thren." She reached for her drakein again, running her finger over one of his horns and watching him sleep.thren's pov
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