Aftermath (Nar, Blank, Zoot, Val, Myr, Xiu)

[discordion]

The metal drake frowned, exoskeletal structure whirring noisily as it acclimated to the movements of the muscles underneath. He wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a joke, a veiled threat, or both. He paused thoughtfully when she asked him of armor that would replace scales, removable if possible. Did she not comprehend what she was looking at?

A clockwork copper claw was raised to scratch at his bright, electric blue mane, the only organic part of him that was visible with all the armor and prosthetics on. "I suppose I could build you a sort of exoskeleton not unlike mine that would also greatly increase your strength, perhaps even include additional offensive capabilities, but," he interjected. "I must warn you that the more complex the armor, the heavier it is, especially if I don't have enough enchanted minerals, metals, and crystals to work with." Verdant embers clicked shut and then open as he blinked, steel irises telescoping as he focused again. "I'll also need to take, ah... Measurements."

The drake turned to face Valaina, neck servos whirring noisily and puffing steam with the motion, his gaze lingering for perhaps a bit too long before switching back to the other female. The male didn't usually get out much, and when he did, he was usually more awkward around females and aggressive types, and this rather brightly colored dragoness seemed to be both.

[Mal]

Valaina rose from her spot by the crater to move back by Narrae's side, responding to her glance with a small smile at her silent reassurance. As for everything else, she had nothing else to say, for the moment, and kept her silence as Narrae asked her questions. Dross answered and she listened with some curiosity.

Only when the mechanical male was done speaking did she break her silence. "I'm curious.. will we need to go back to your lair for her measurements? It will be fine if we have to, I'm sure." It was all she had to say for the moment, unless the male had further questions on why the clan was split and what else had happened. If not, she'd probably have to tell him later, regardless.

The dark lady's gaze shifted off of Dross to give Narrae a questioning glance to see what she would decide.

[¢яι¢кєt]

Narrae tossed her head, "Sturdy, but light." The statement hung in the air as Valaina spoke before the female extended her damaged wing, gaze wandering over its surface before she folded it once more, "Measurements can wait." She didn't say why, though, "Measurements and making the armor will take time. It can be done with the new Clan standing tall."

That said, the dragon inclined her head toward the far North and the desert that awaited forlornly there, "It will take time for me to gather those who remain. Perhaps you could scour the desert to see if the witch lurks in the sands?"

She didn't exactly expect them to just find Myrria as easily as that, but intuition granted by her other eye declared that something dwelt beyond the horizon. Even still, little else was said. Whether they agreed or not was determined by whether or not they respected her superior position to theirs. As such, the blue left them with little other guidance and disappeared into the sky shortly thereafter.

[discordion]

Irises whirred half-shut at the demand of 'sturdy but light', but the mechanized drake did not speak of his disgruntlement. Sturdy was easy, yeah, and so was light, but sturdy and light? That would require sufficient magical materials.

The inventor turned to his crush when the threatening female left, emerald glows staring quizzically at her.

" New clan?," he queried. "Those who remain? Witches? I... What's going on, Valaina?" See, these sorts of things were why he never left his vault-cave, there was always somebody or something outside who wanted to hurt you so they could take your stuff, exert control over you, or just because they decided they just plainly do not like you.

His vault was safe, it was artificially fortified, like he had done with his body, and now both were bigger and stronger than they would've been otherwise... And a good deal shinier.

[Mal]

The dark lady listened as Narrae specified the armor she wanted and moved past such to speak of recruiting the others, as they were found. When the blue told them to search the desert, Valaina gave a nod to her, one that was almost a bow, and watched as the new leader left on her errands.

Dross was the next to speak and she immediately gave him her attention as he expressed his confusion. "I'll tell you on the way to the desert. I'm not sure if Myrria would be hiding there, but if she is.. Who knows? Maybe I can stop her before she causes any more harm." The dragoness responded and turned, spreading her silvery blue wings and taking flight. She fluttered a short distance above the trees as she waited for Dross, and if he followed then she would angle herself for the mountains.

Like before, she took it easy, gliding more often than not. As the looming mountains grew ever closer, she told Dross everything Narrae had told her: what had drawn the blue to the volcano's mouth, who she had met there and what had transpired.

"Cirinia has also been.. absent from Sh'tusa's for far too long. She is my friend, however, I have no idea what she is up to, or what keeps her from her duties as leader, but.. she has not been around to help anyone." Valaina continued, "That is why Narrae has left, and those who follow her, to create a new clan, one of which will be much more active to protect Vesmora. I have decided to join, as I told you."

The dark female stopped for a moment to glance over at Dross, seeking his reaction first before going on. "I feel that in a way, this is my fault. I probably should have never told Myrria that I was her real mother when she was a hatchling. She would have never run off, and perhaps would have never taken after Zren."

[¢яι¢кєt]

The desert held many secrets. Catacombs littered its interior and the baking heat generally warded off all but dragonkin from exploring its depths. As such, dwelling even further north than Tsol Nevoc lie Tess'lareth; land of the sands. At its core lay the Kingdom of Aratheriss, a matriarchal society of desert-dwelling dragons. With buildings made from sandstone, strict religious values, and a hard-won lifestyle, the desert-dwellers considered themselves some of the toughest creatures in the realm.

Of particular interest, the latest generation in the royal line had brought forth two daughters and one son. The son disregarded and married off as per religious dictation and the first-hatched daughter betrothed to a high-ranking noble, the fate of the second-hatched daughter remained the subject of interest.

Truthfully, though, Dalormirra couldn't care less. At their bidding, she would've been forced to marry somedragon at random, as her brother had. This matter vexed her and the female instead requested the guidance of one of the shaman. As such, it was at the spiritually-inclined dragon's bidding that she now flew through the desert.

Dalormi and her trio of guards had been travelling for several days and, likewise, had gone just as long without food or water. Water was of minimal consequence- years of adaptation had enabled them to go lengthier times without such. Even still, food wasn't something the dragons were quite used to skipping. Despite the obvious lack thereof, Dalormi pressed her entourage onward.

Bronze scales littered with gleaming yellow-gold markings woven into an intricate pallet of abstract work were offset by silver jewelry dotted here and there. Horns dotted her brows, the base of her jaw bilaterally, her nose, and a crown of them lined a ridge at the back of her head that made her look almost like a dragonized triceratops.

Whether or not they'd been noticed, yet, Dalormi caught the glint of something shiny in the distance not far from a black speck and altered her travel accordingly, making the utmost effort to ignore the trio of guards as they flew close to protect their Princess.

[discordion]

The mechanized drake rose into the sky in the same manner he always did. Massive metal rockets popped out of the metal carapace on struts and, angled downward, unleashed dual blasts of heavily smoky flame, generating enough force to hover the armored drake into the air, wobbling slightly to maintain stability. Once he had risen high enough, these boosters swiveled back, angled away from the ground, allowing the male to zoom along into the air after the source of his affections, his flight pattern swerving back and forth lazily.

Drosselmeyer listened to the female intently as she explained things, occasionally becoming lost in her deep, oceanic blue eyes or the glint of the sun off of her scales, but was always quick to snatch his attention back to the situation on on hand. Rocket boosters puttered in the air at the revelation that she was a mother, dropping the copper, brass, and iron behemoth through the air like a stone for a moment before he regained control, the motors roaring back to life and bringing him back upward.

Emerald glows seemed to contemplate her and this new revelation for a moment. "So you're a mother," he asked, sounding somewhat confused as to what to do with this situation. "That's interesting."

A hopeful little voice in the back of the gadgeteer's mind whispered, At least she'll have prior maternal experience.

[Mal]

It wasn't until the mechanical dragon sputtered and dropped next to her after she'd finished speaking did she realize what she hadn't told him. Did she? The dark lady settled into a stiff silence as she thought it over and regretted not telling the male sooner, just vaguely hearing his uttered confusion amongst her thoughts.

"Yes," The dragoness replied at last and cast him a little frown. "I had forgotten to tell you about that. Perhaps I shall once we get over the mountains. It will be hard work to get over them, so I will save my breath until then."

That said, her attention turned to the mountains as she began to ascend to cross the border to the desert, anxiety gnawing at her as she wondered what he thought of her now. She supposed in her (suppressed) excitement at earning an interested male, she had forgotten to tell him of her children. Perhaps that hidden reason was that she was afraid it'd chase him off.

Well, he knew now, so she supposed she'd have to see if he was still interested.

__

The cold mountain air was enjoyed a little moment longer as the blackscale lazily descended towards the desert, her wings still as she let herself glide towards the rolling sands. The heat hit her like a slap to the face, but she dealt with it for the time being. As for talking, she didn't know where to begin and decided to wait.

Her gaze scoured their surroundings as she flew, her eyes slitted against the sand tossed by the occasional hot gust of wind, but she saw nothing so far. There was no limp, black form curled against the sands, nor was there sign of a fleeing silhouette. However, something did soon come to her attention: four, flying shapes in the distance, the sun glinting off of what could be either scale or metal armor. Or even both.

Valaina gestured to them to draw Dross's attention to them, if he had not spotted them already with his mechanical eyes. Whether or not he gave any sign he saw, she would angle her flight towards them. When the two small groups neared each other, the dark lady would land first; albeit a bit clumsily on the loose sand. When she had adjusted, she stood straight to wait for the strangers and hoped that they were not coming to attack.

[¢яι¢кєt]

Dalormirra held no fears of landing before the strangers as she noted their descent, but was forced to wait with one of her guardians, circling cautiously whilst the two others landed easily on the shifting substance to question the strangers.

That they bore armor was a given, but she wore none. Truthfully, her position as the second-in-line meant that her life meant little, so long as the first remained.

Even still, caution prevailed in the behavior of the group as a whole while Dalormi touched down with her other companion. They remained largely silent initially as everyone got a good look at each other before the regally-marked lady spoke up, "We bring tidings from the far north. From what Kingdom do you hail?"

[discordion]

The gadgeteer followed his admiree down as she landed in the sand, rocket boosters roaring noisily as they switched to a hovering position and then clicked off altogether, dropping the metal plated drake onto the hot sands. There was a series of whirs and clicks as the rockets folded themselves back into his exoskeleton, panels sliding back to conceal the propulsion systems completely.

Mechanized emeralds fixed on these new dragons, which must have been of some race he'd never seen before. The bronze scales and dinosaurian features drew great interest for the drake's curious mind, but that same mind also noted that two of them were armored guards, with one of them heavily bejeweled, either a member of some royal family or something similar.

The stranger's questions only helped further his theories, with an immediate assumption of fealty to some other kingdom and a marked usage of regal niceties, if only in two sentences. The alchemical wizard knew nothing of royal customs or what sort of greetings or answers one could give to such a dragon, and wasn't interested in starting an accidental fight, and so chose to let Valaina speak, content to scan their forms and armor with glowing mechanicals, his optical search interspersed with mutterings of "fascinating," and "interesting."

[Deleted]

These were strange times-- it could feel it in the air, making his feathers ruffle with unease. Perhaps it was his ability to receive news from the Above, or maybe Seraphis just had an inkling that 'he' was needed here. A premonition of sorts. Three pairs of feathered wings unlike a bird worked to slice through the air, pulling him closer to those in need. Even as he drew closer, the seraph-dragon could feel his insides churn, his luminescent scales dimming in the presence of evil. As that what he identified it as. The land itself plagued by something wrong that didn't belong. Seraphis knew that it was then his duty to set it right. A guardian angel for the balance of nature, some would say.

The earth was slowly starting to shift, grass turning to sand. It was then that Seraphis dove downward-- swooping up and fanning his wings out to set himself smoothly on the ground. His elongated ears will twitch faintly as the dragon turns his head, tasting the air. He figured that whoever else was out there would not meet a large beast such as himself with eager tidings if he just swooped in from the sky. Tucking his wings into his sides, the entity will start off at a lazy yet hurried loping run again towards whoever was waiting out there.

As the feeling inside him grew, Seraphis let loose a harsh bellow of a call to announce his presence, slowing his pace to a trot. A few images came into view, but the dragon made no other attempts to announce himself. The pulsating light that his white scales gave off would be obvious enough as he drew closer.

[Mal]

Valaina watched the group as they landed, the silence stretching out until the bejeweled lady spoke up. Kingdom? There must be a civilization hidden somewhere out here in the desert, that of which she would have to find out later.

"We hail from the south, from the forests of Vesmora. My clan leader has sent us here to seek out someone, named Myrria. Have you seen a dragon of black scales and purple mane, with injuries?" The dark lady asked politely. "If you have, be warned that she is of evil intent and not to be trusted."

"What tidings do you bring?" Valaina started, her voice faltering as a bellowing call cut through the hushed desert. She turned herself away from the group to seek out the owner of the call, curious. There was a white glimmer in the distance, perhaps from sunlight reflecting off white scales. Another dragon? Maybe he was a friend of the bejeweled lady and her escort, but until they gave any sign of recognizing him, she remained wary as the behemoth slowly approached. The soft, white glow made her a little uneasy; since when did scales shine that much in the light?

[¢яι¢кєt]

The regal lady noted the mechanical drake's interest with some level of egotistical pride. She'd no intents of taking away this male for her own, but certainly all but basked under his gaze. Ever a creature of the royal sort, she particularly enjoyed having the lesser beasts (as she was starting to think they were) idol at the sight of her glossy scales and shimmering jewels.

As she listened to their initial response, the three unnamed guards stiffened about her, one even going as far as to hiss at the glowing creature that roared, landed, and now approached. Dalormirra, however, was not so put off. It'd the regal air of a champion of sorts; perhaps one of the blackscale's ken? The metal drake was overlooked, mostly, as her matriarchal upbringing favored the words of the female above his.

With a wing gently nudging the guard's so that he remembered to remain stalwart and unmoving as she spoke, Dalormirra answered, "Ak. No, we have not seen another blackscale aside from you, Southerner." Her orange-tinted eyes fixed upon the newcomer once more before she continued, attention entirely upon the female she presumed was their leader, "Of tidings, we bring an offer of allegiance."

A moment was given to allow this to sink in before she continued in that commanding manner which denoted her rank, "My sister is already appropriately betrothed and her status as heir to the throne is fixed. As for myself, I am to seek a male around my age to take for a mate and, essentially, be traded to your people as..." She rolled her eyes a little, huffing slightly, "... Essentially, goods."

Truthfully, she didn't want to return to the desert she'd called home for so many years, but she also didn't know if she could quite trust these strangers. Naturally, her guards would remain as ambassadors, also, and act as messengers for the two regions until such a time as their relief from service. Too, Dalormirra would have to be broken of her haughty, superior air if she were to live with the 'Southerners' who'd no legitimate kingdom.