Dragon Problems

[Smithy]

(An intro to you all; as I've fallen in love with RP so much, I want to begin my own. Hopefully it'll be good.

Basically, this story is set in the vast universe of the NTWF. Strange beings, some think they're dragons, have been stirring up trouble near my ranch in a forest of Off Topic. And we're here to try and figure out the 5 W's around it all.)


Smithy flicked off the radio, and went outside her large house, grumbling. "Dragons, causes of fire, what will they try to lie to us about next, eh, Archimedes?"

Her Whoot nodded.

She began walking to the stables, knowing that there were chores to be done.

"Excuse me. Miss Smith, I presume?"

Smithy swung around, startled by the unfamiliar voice. She then stood and scanned the figure before her.

It was cloaked in black, slim, and of normal height. But it's face was hooded. Smithy guessed it was a she by the voice.

Smithy narrowed her eyes. "Yes, that's me. What do you want? Appointments to buy equines are supposed to be arranged beforehand."

The hooded female looked taller. "I am here on a hurried errand. I need a good demon horse, a fast one, and now. I am prepared to pay whatever you ask."

Crossing her arms, Smithy stood fast. "I don't sell my horses without reciepts and a name."

"Figure" gave a shrug. "I am prepared for anything."

Still suspicious, Smithy didn't let the other girl behind her as she strode to the stables. Opening the door, Smithy let the hooded woman in, then went in too, leaving the door open. "That's Venom, a dark purple. He's winged and can use the wings well. I can't put him lower than 5,000 gold pieces."

The figure pulled out a bag of gold. "You can be assured that it's all in there."

Smithy hefted the bag, checking that the gold wasn't the kind that dissappeared the next morning. She nodded, and led the other to a room. Smithy found a reciept paper, and bade the woman to sign it. The woman did, with a flourish. "Put your name there."

The hooded woman did, and Smithy read it. Jenjia Swordstroke.

Smithy saw the woman away, and was startled at how readily she paid for tack, too. And even more suprising was how she beautifully handled the difficult Venom.

Smithy stared at the sky after they left, and went indoors.

"That one's no good, Archimedes. Reckon those news reports had some truth in 'em?"

The Whoot fluttered his wings and nodded again.

His owner grimly smiled. "Then perhaps the fingersmith should get to work again."

At the base of the stairs, Smithy shouted up at her sister,"Soul! Come down! We've got problems!"


(I hope you guys like the plot that's begun. )

[xsoulweaverx]

Soul didn't bother using the stairs. With a grand leap, she jumped down landing awkwardly on the floor in front of Smithy, where her knees buckled and she sprawled forward.

"Graceful," Smithy commented playfully, helping her sister to her feet.

"Sarcasm's a bad habit to get into, ain't that right Archimedes?" Soul asked the Whoot who cooed softly in reply. She straightened up, smoothing the wrinkles out of her clothes, her wolf tail lashing about behind her.

"So," Soul said excitedly, green eyes dancing. "You said we have a problem?"

((I'll let you define the problem XD I don't RP much so this is pretty new to me and I'm not sure what to type ^^; Just thought I'd introduce myself though Sorry it's so short...))

[Diana]

((I'm interested in joining. I'm a dragon, and I do live in the forests, but not a problem-causer...))

[Omni]

((I'm considering joining, too, but would like to find out a little bit more about the plot first.))

[Smithy]

"So," Soul said excitedly, green eyes dancing. "You said we have a problem?"

"Yup, sis, I just had a pretty weird customer." Smithy brushed some dust off her clothes.

"Y'know all that stuff on the news about dragons making lots of trouble in the forest, etcetera etcetera etcetera? There was this girl, in a black cloak and hooded so I couldn't see her face, that just bought Venom for a hefty price. No haggling or anything. See?"

Smithy held up the heavy bag of gold. "Now this is what's strange, she handled him perfectly. Remember the trouble we had gentling him just enough to touch him? All she did was croon and he was like a genie under command."

She looked at her sister thoughtfully. "You know that dragons can get controlled, right? We might just have a case here. We need to ride into Off Topic and see if they've spotted her around. Oh, her name was Jenjia Swordstroke."

Smithy began going up the stairs at her usual two-in-a-step stride to fetch her cloak and wand. "Get Qamr and Amethyst saddled up, won't you? I'll be out in a minute."

[Diana]

((I think I'll enter now. Tell me if I've got anything wrong.))

Diana woke up.

For a moment, she just let the dappled green sunlight filter into her closed eyes, stretching. Sure, her life was by no means safe, but one of her favorite times of the day was dawn. It was just peaceful, so much more serene than the usual running-away-from-murderers schedule her life seemed to be glued to.

She stretched, letting her cyan eyes flutter open. Her wings flared out, glittering with magnificence, the sky's vibrant hue trapped in every glossy scale.

With a yawn, the dragon girl pushed herself to her feet, scattering the small pile of leaves she'd rested her head upon. She headed over to a particularly tall mahogany, her pale, delicate fingers searching for a hole in the bark; her stash of items she'd nicked from society over the past three years.

At last having found the cranny, she felt around, at last pulling out a brush and starting to comb her hair. While it was really quite a redundant act, considering it was unlikely she'd see anyone today, it was just an idiosyncracy from the days before the fire that had destroyed her life.

If one were to look closely at the forest clearing where the dragon girl dwelled, you might have noticed charred blocks of stone under the twisted vines... or two etched marble blocks that rested above nothing, a tribute to two lives unsaved.

Putting the comb back, Diana started to pull away from the tree. Then she froze, her ears pricking up like a cat's. Instantly, her wings flattened against her back, nestling themselves under the leather jacket she wore.

Somebody was coming.

((Smithy, I might add, the fire that killed her family has nothing to do with the current plot.))

[Celestial]

((*growls at Smithy* I thought you were better than that!! Nevertheless, I must protect those who are bound to me. One Dragon Mage of the Draconis Order coming in!))

Celestial stood outside her cave, watching the sun rise on the green valley near the Off Topic board that was her home. She liked it here, she liked watching the dragons fly across it and tell her stories while she flew with them in her dragon form. The fatc that there were more of them now and that they refused to speak with her struck Celestial as odd but she paid it no attention. They were her kin and it was her sworn duty to protect them. The Oath made sure of that.

That included making sure no adventurers touched them, either for their hoards for for reputation. Celestial liked diplomacy but the stubborn ones...let's say that the valley floor didn't just have rocks on it.

She turned into her dragon form and flew around the valley, looking for prey. However, a strange feeling in the air made her senses tingle. Something was not right. Briefly she looked down and saw a woman riding a demon horse. This was never good news. Celestial landed in front of the woman, not at all terrified by the steam coming from the horse's nostrils or the evil glint in the woman's eyes. The Dragon Mage spread her wings as far as possible.

"State your business for here be dragons" she growled at the woman, allowing her electric blue eyes to sparkle with danger. If there was a safety manual for adventurers, not crossing a girl in purple with dragon wings would probably be high on the list of "Things not to do under ANY circumstances".

[xsoulweaverx]

Smithy began going up the stairs at her usual two-in-a-step stride to fetch her cloak and wand. "Get Qamr and Amethyst saddled up, won't you? I'll be out in a minute."

"I wish life was simple." Soul stated to no one in particular before she slipped on a pair of shoes and headed to the stables. Her dapple gray mare whinnied gleefully as she approached and Smithy's horse poked his(her?) head over the stall gate.

"Sorry, Amethyst," Soul apologized to the horse as she let herself into the stall. "No apples today. Smithy's pretty anxious to check out a situation near the Off Topic board."

'Why am I explaining this to a horse?' Soul thought. 'I wonder if she can even understand me...'

She patted the mare's neck absently and left to retrieve the necessary gear. It wasn't long before both horses were tacked up and brought to where Smithy was patiently waiting with her wand and cloak and... provisions?

Soul stared at the bags blankly for a few seconds. "Er, how long will our trip to Off Topic be exactly?"

Smithy noticed Soul's gaze and grinned. "You can never be too sure."

"Great." Amethyst nudged the wolf girl in the back with her nose. Soul laughed. "Well, the horses are ready to take off." She flashed her sister an almost challenging glance as she put her foot in a stirrup. "Are you?"

((Strange thing is, in 'real life' I'm allergic to horses XD Smithy and I have already established imagination is a wonderful thing to have ^^))

[Omni]

The snap of a twig here, the crunch of a leaf there… A dragon was wandering through a forest-y area. Not being very familiar with forests, she would tend to step on everything, sometimes on purpose, just to see what happened. She was rather small for a dragon, only about the same length from nose to tail as a basketball player is tall. She was mostly yellow, with some metallic bronze color also noticeable.

Having not paid much attention to where she was going, the dragon wandered into a clearing, thinking it kind of odd when her foot felt charred stone when she stepped into a pile of vines.

[Smithy]

((Qamr is a he, Soul))

She flashed her sister an almost challenging glance as she put her foot in a stirrup. "Are you?"


Smithy grinned. "I'm always ready."

Sticking her tongue out childishly at her sister, Smithy set out at a walk.

***

After a while, they were still on the rough forest road. "Are we there yet?"

Smithy sighed. "We're nearly there, Soul. That's the fifth time you ask this minute already."

Suddenly the forest ended, and Off Topic was right ahead of them. It swarmed with NTWFers talking to one another.

Qamr walked up to the place, and Smithy dismounted. "Let's find someplace friendly to ask around at."

Followed by her sister, Smithy approached someone she knew. "Hey, heard about that trouble in the forest? What do you think of it?"

Before either the girls knew what was happening, a new thread had been started and people were swarming to it. "I heard about it!"

"They say that some've been burning land!"

"I guess it's for the gold!"

"There's been this strange girl around!"

"Yeah, she buys like a nutter!"

Overwhelmed, Smithy backed out. Turning to Soul, she smiled weakly. "At least we got the info."

[Diana]

Diana stood motionless for a moment, her ears pricked.

Without further ado, she flared out her mangificent cyan wings and thrust herself up, beating them twice. She grasped a branch of the tall mahogany and pulled herself up with one arm. The girl may have looked thin and pale, but she was every bit as strong as she was lithe. Part of her little draconic legacy.

Now sitting awkwardly on the large branch, she scrambled towards the trunk. The mahogany's abundance of leaves completely masked the dragon girl's frame.

Her whole body was prickling with unease. It took all of her willpower to hold onto her normal form; every piece of her itched to be something stronger, something that could protect itself... Nobody had any reason to be at the ruins of her home. It was far away from anything anyone would want, and as far as routes went, it was far off the beaten path. Nobody came here by coincidence. And Diana had enough experience with murderers to know what might be coming for her.

Clop-clop, clop-clop.

She peered down.

A rather magnificent demon horse was striding into the clearing, muscles rippling beneath his short dark violet fur. His wings, not unlike her own, were folded.

Diana's eyebrows furrowed. Demon horses weren't native to this area. Almost nothing was. This wasn't a good sign.

On the horse's back was a rider, shrouded in a black cloak. Their face was hooded.

The rider paused in the middle of the clearing, eyes drilling holes through the barely-visible stone ruin. Then they glanced around the entire clearing, looking for something.

Diana had no doubt it was her.

She shrank back, pressing herself against the mahogany's trunk.

After what seemed like an eternity, the rider stopped. Muttering something under their breath, they spun the demon horse around and galloped away.

Diana sat stationary for a handful of seconds before dropping out of the tree, using her wings as a parachute. This person is up to no good, her intuition blared. And she knew that she was, once again, the hunted, not the hunter she was named after.

She wants to find me? the dragon girl thought, a slightly sadistic smile curving her lips. Then she can have me.

Denying her basic instincts no longer, Diana relaxed slightly, allowing her clothes to melt back into a wave of sparkling, shiny scales, the sky's hue trapped in every one. Her wings flared out, doubling in size. Her long tresses of dark chocolate hair turned ebony, melting into the five-pronged crest that adorned her forehead, nestled between two growing horns.

Within a matter of seconds, the seemingly harmless (albeit winged) girl had become a dragon.

With a toothy grin, the cyan dragon flared her powerful wings and launched herself into the sky.

[Celestial]

((OOC: Does Jenja have any magical powers? I need to now if my next post will make any sense. >_>))

[Diana]

((I dunno, but she's going dooooooooown.))
((Okay, maybe not that quickly... ))

[Celestial]

((I have stopped her now so you might find her caught up with somebody similar to you))

"I didn't hear an answer, what is your purpose here?" Celestial growled, flames rising up her arms. The woman didn't look fazed at all, she simply glared at the Dragon mage in a way that made her shiver on the inside.

"Step aside before I crush you, girl. You do not know what you are dealing with" she hissed. Celestial's fingers flexed as if they were claws. Nobody talked to her that way. Nevertheless, she needed backup and she needed it soon. The woman was going to be trouble. Using her mind, she sent a call to all dragon-like creatures nearby.

Without warning, flames jumped from Celestial and wrapped around the woman. They did no damage. The dragon mage growled. Clearly this was not something that she would be able to handle easily.

[xsoulweaverx]

((If Jenja doesn't have magical powers then she should XD Makes everything far more interesting. She seems to have nice resilience though. Hm... I need to find a way to tie us all in together. I want to interact with some dragon peoples :3))

Overwhelmed, Smithy backed out. Turning to Soul, she smiled weakly. "At least we got the info."

"Mmm," Soul replied. "Did anyone say which way she went?"

Smithy paused in thought and winced. "Not that a recall..." She sighed. "How about we flip a coin to see who goes back in?"

"Sure."

"Heads I win, tails you lose."

"Bring it."

Smithy produced a coin from a pocket and flipped it, the metallic surface glinting in the sunlight. She caught the coin in the palm of her hand.

Soul groaned. "Tails: I lose." She looked pleadingly at her sister. "Can we flip again, please?"

Smithy laughed. "You'd lose again anyways."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Just go!" Smithy pushed her reluctant sister into the throng of people all chattering away excitedly about the strange woman and her demon horse. It was only a few minutes later and when she was in the middle of the thread, that Soul finally realized the trick Smithy had pulled on her.

'Well,' Soul thought. 'It's too late to turn back now. Might as well ask someone and get it over with.'

"Hey, you!" Soul called out to a random NTWFer.

"Yup?"

"The girl in the cloak everyone's talking about. Did you see where she went?"

"Sure did. She went stright down that path, took a left and continued on down to that nearby valley. I heard there's a dragon down that way though. Just thought I'd warn you."

"Um, yeah. Ok. Thanks. Have a karma point."

"No problem," he said gleefully.

It took several more disorienting minutes before Soul navigated herself out of the thread. With difficulty, she found her sister once more.

"So?" Smithy asked.

Soul mounted her horse. "She went that-a-way. And no more dirty tricks, understand?"