Apprentice (Private RP)

[Celestial]

((Note: This is a private RP between me and Vapor))

The Manor teleported them to the kitchen as quickly as it usually did. Celestial still felt breathless whenever she went on it. She looked at the dragon who was with her.

"Are you alright? The teleportation system is unnerving if you are not used to it"

[Vapor]

Vapor shuttered, but shook it off quickly.
That's all right. There was a couple of wild patches of loose magic in the mountains where I used to live. They sometimes teleported us. We had to get used to them. They were a little colder, though.

[Celestial]

"You used to live in the mountains?" Celestial was intrigued now. This dragon was interesting her more and more. Certainlty nobody she ever heard of lived in mountains like that.

"Interesting..." she said and then remembered herself. "How rude of me not to introduce myself though. I am Celestial Tien, Dragon Mage of the Draconis order but everyone just calls me Celestial around here" she said, bowing to the dragon.

"What is your name? And more to the point, what do you need in terms of supplies?" Celestial asked curiously.

[Vapor]

Vapor was quiet for a few moments, and although it's hard to read a dragon's expression, she looked almost like she was blushing.
Yes... I did.
Vapor perked up at the words 'Dragon Mage', but says nothing, and bowed clumsily back.
My name... She hesitates. Names are powerful things where I come from. You can call me Vapor, I suppose. Vapor- She looks as though she might have added something to that, but stops herself.
Bread, I suppose. Jerky, if you have it, fresh meat if you don't. I can dry it myself. And... If you happen to have any mint growing, or any spare socks?

[Celestial]

"Alright Vapor, if you don't want to tell me your name then I understand" Celestial said, looking through the store for supplies. On the table she carefully laid out bread, beef jerky, both in sticks and in strips and some mint.

"Is that all? I would get you some socks but I don't think those who do wear them would be happy to part with them" Celestial said laughingly. However, she was not going to just let the dragon go. Curiousity burned inside the mage and she wanted to know exactly who the dragon was and where she came from, at the very least.

"Now I'm no healer but I don't think you should travel now, at least not without resting. Have a seat, there are very few people in the Manor right now so if you are scared about people seeing you, I can take care of that"

[Vapor]

Thank you, so much.
Vapor pulled out a pack that was hidden behind one of her folded wings and piled the supplies inside it. Almost as an afterthought, she opened a pocket inside and withdrew a few gold coins.
That should cover it, I think.
The dragon winked.
That's all right about the socks, I only asked because I collect them. Human clothing is so interesting, socks, especially.. They're so warm.
Vapor looked at the mage for a moment, considering her offer.
A rest would be nice, actually. I haven't stayed in a building for a long time... If you wouldn't mind, I think that would be a good idea. But rest assured that you won't have to hide me.
With that, the dragon began to shrink. With a soft puff of smoke, a tall, blond human appeared in Vapor's place. Her skin was tanned from the sun, and her hair was tied back, hiding its length. She wore a loose grey sweater and worn jeans, and she reached over to the table and slung the pack over her shoulder. She turned to the mage.
If you could show me to an empty room, if you don't mind. I can only keep this form for a short time.

[Celestial]

Celestial looked at the gold coins on the table with an almost obsessive eye. She loved how they twinkled and sparkled in the light, shimmering like water. Stretching out a careful hand, she took them and put them in a pouch on her belt, feeling the gems and coins already in there. However, the smoke distracted Celestial. She looked at where the dragon was but instead saw the girl. Celestial suppressed a wide grin. They had more in common than she first thought.

"I didn't mean hide you from the others, they should be used to seeing dragons around here. It was more if you felt comfortable with others seeing you" she said with a smile.

"I will escort you to your room. However I must tell you that mages want more than gold for their hospitality. We also desire knowledge and it would certainly be of interest for us to hear about the mountains you mentioned" she said enthusiatically "If you don't mind that is"

[Vapor]

Oh.
She blushed.
Sorry, I just assumed... People are easily frightened, you know... But I think I'll stay like this, for now. Practice, plus if you want to hear it, I think you'll like my story better if you hear it from a human face. Humans play off of emotions, right?
She nodded to herself, then looked to Celestial to lead on to the room.

[Celestial]

"Don't worry about it, my wording is never too good anyway" Celestial said walking out of the kitchen.

"Assume any form you like when we get there, I can interpret human and dragon emotions" she added onto the end. Waiting for Vapor, Celestial yawned, stretching her wings unconciously. They were such a hinderance in the Manor doorways but to keep them folded for too long was even more uncomfortable.

[Vapor]

Vapor followed her silently, clenching and unclenching her hands. She hated opening up to strangers, but this winged mage seemed friendly enough. Celestial had already prompted more words out of her than Vapor had spoken in months, so opening up all the way couldn't hurt her too badly.
I suppose I should start at the begining, then...
She sighed, and slid into a nearby chair.
I came from... from a mountain range far north, I think. I haven't really been paying attention to how I've been traveling. There were two dragon clans that lived in close proximity. One was a group of scholars, mages, a peaceful clan. They had delicate bodies, wingspans that dwarfed their bodies. Their scales are thin, and sport soft hues that blend in with the clouds. They called themselves the Aegis, and they spent years collecting knowledge, practicing magic, inventing. Their culture focused on the winds and flight.
In a nearby valley, there existed another clan, nameless. They had lost their wings generations before, had become bulky, heavy, thick-skinned.
Vapor snorted.
The valley clan lost the ability to speak telepathically, and their scales darkened to muddy colors. They communicated with growls and roars, but they gained strange abilities. They could spit poison, breathe fire, sprout fangs and horns. What little culture they had focused entirely on fighting completions to the death, which decided a dragon's position in the clan. There was bad blood between the two clans for years until.. well, until I came along.
Vapor paused.

[Celestial]

Celestial sat down onto the bed and listened intently as Vapor began her story. Two clans, one scholarly and one warring...it certainly echoed of the eternal conflict between science and force. But it also reminded her of the conflict she had to solve, just a few months ago. Noting Vapor's awkward pause, Celestial leaned forward.

"Please, go on" she said kindly to Vapor, eager to find out what happened next "Of course if you feel uncomfortable, I won't force you"

[Vapor]

Vapor gave a forced smile.
No, of course not. Actually, I'm... more at peace here, now, than I have been in months. It's certainly the most comfortable I've been.
She shuttered, and a soft breeze swept through the room, becoming a thick mist and wrapping around Vapor until she was no longer visible. When it cleared again, a dragon was seated gracefully in the place of the girl.
Vapor smiled again, genuinely this time.
There. That's a bit better. The transformation's always a little easier the return way, more natural, less forced.
She settled into her chair as she continued her story.
I was... the first hybrid. The clans were shocked; they had thought that the two clans had evolved so separately that mating was impossible. My mother came from the Aegis. She was the most incredible inventor... One of their most renowned. My father... he didn't live long enough to see me hatch. The Aegis reluctantly took me in. Sometimes it was only my mother's talents that kept the Aegis from disowning me.
Vapor stood.
If you look, I have caracteristics from both clans.
She spread one wing.
See, I have the valley coloring. I do have wings, but they're stunted; I can't glide, just hover for a few minutes. I can manage maybe an hour journey, tops. Some dragons I knew could stay in flight for days.
She folded her wing, sighing, and sat down again.
I'm to heavy for any real flight, anyway. Too much muscle. Not enough to be of any real use in a fight with the average valley female, of course, but heavy enough to restrict flight. I can't spit poison or fire, but only smoke; well, luke-warm steam, actually.
Vapor hung her head, forlorn.
The only thing I have a real talent for is magic, and magic abilities are a dime a dozen in the Aegis. It's a miracle I can communicate telepathically, or they would have thrown me out years before they did.

[Celestial]

"Good to hear that" Celestial said with a gentle smile. As the dragon told her story Celestial kept looking at her. What Vapor said was true, her wings were too short to glide or to fly for a long time. She politely didn't say anything and listened quietly.

"I see...mind showing me some of your magic?" she asked carefully.

[Vapor]

Vapor brightened.
You've seen some of it, already. The ability to transform, well, it's nearly unheard of. I'm the first in a few generations. Telepathy, of course. And...
Vapor closed her eyes and concentrated. A gold coin flicked out of her pack and hovered a few inches above it. It suddenly flicked into the air, flipping and twisting. It danced around at eye level, and three more joined it, juggling themselves. They stopped, and stayed motionless, then fell to the floor and landed in a perfect stack.
Vapor opened her eyes and smiled.
Telekinesis. A simple skill, maybe, but I'm proud of it. Most dragons I knew would call it a parlor trick. It only works with small objects, and not for long.
What I'm better with, though, is wind magic. It takes more out of me, but I've summoned small tornadoes, breezes,and small quantities of mist before, and affected the weather and the temperature.

[Celestial]

Celestial was impressed. Usually such a spell would take a lot of effort and a very complex choreography of air currents if she did it but Vapor did it with relatively little effort. True telekinesis was a rare skill indeed.

"Air magic, shapeshifting, telepathy and telekinesis? You are a very good magician, most are only limited to a few specific powers" Celestial exclaimed. "Did you learn yourself or did you have a master?"