darkSpyro

Angora became submissive. She wasn't upset anymore, but was still feeling very depressed. She blocked her mind to make sure not even Neo could talk to her, but she still felt she had to ease her pain with somebody.
"He didn't mean that. He never will. I'm a troll. That's all he wants to know. You're lucky now Veris. Just lying down, having enjoyed a free meal. All you need to do is follow commands and renounce your freedom and everything is given to you. Being free has become so hard." Angora said in a low voice, wanting the conversation to be kept between them, even if Veris couldn't understand her. The troll wasn't crying, but her red eyes indicated she wanted to so badly. She had always been stubborn and proud, but Latnok has been irritating and offensive enough to make her crack and lower her guard in a way she has never done before, not even when she was a toddler. She even envied the wyvern a little at the moment, feeling that an animal lacking will and freedom had a better life than her.

Sere pointed to the forested spot on the map. "This is where we were tracking one of them, before the trail went completely cold," he said. "Absolutely no leads on what happened after that, unfortunately. We have excellent trackers at our disposal - no doubt that it was something supernatural which made us lose them."

Veris lowered his entire body to the ground, lying down. With a bit of curiosity, he observed the tooth that Angora possessed, taken from the other creature he had eaten - and then he abruptly stood up. Shutting his maw tight, there was a brief crunching sound, after which he spat out a tooth at Angora's feet.

The troll was confused, then slightly disgusted when she noticed the tooth. It was the same trick Veris did when he entered the realm, only this time, he didn't follow Sere's orders. It came from the wyvern's own will, at a genuine attempt to make her feel better. This animal was smarter than given credit for. Angora looked at the creature tooth she had around her neck, having completely forgotten about it. It was a childish whim back then, one that she was ashamed of, but being polite, she picked the new tooth, being bigger and more curved than that of the flying creature that attacked Shade. For the first time in very long, Angora smiled. It wasn't a simple grin or even a smirk, it was a large, real smile, one that almost reached her ears.
"Heh... this... this is amazing. Th... thank you. Funny how you and a machine have been the only ones who have ever shown any sort of respect and appreciation for me. Why can't the rest see beyond a simple, midget troll?" Angora said gloomily, patting the giant wyvern's snout. In all her pride and rudeness, she had always hoped that somebody could see there was much more to her than just an ugly, tiny and despicable troll. She had hoped that Neo choosing her for the mission would've been enough, but how wrong she has been.

Sere nodded, and went right back to his note-taking. "I'll show you the very general area - but like I said, every trail, including yours, went cold at once. I can't guarantee that it'll be of any use to you."

"Okay, I think the tension is calibrated perfectly now," Latnok called out to Sere. "As soon as the next storm comes and goes, we'll be ready to catch us one of those storm claws. Maybe even bring one to the training grounds when this is all over."
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Sere said. "There is still much we need to study about the fauna here. Perhaps the flora, too... there may be many magical, medical, or martial applications to it. Usually, Julian would have been doing this sort of research... I do hope that we can find him."

Veris grinned - as much as a wyvern could grin, anyway - at Angora's acceptance of his gift. He laid down submissively in order to give Angora more opportunity to pet him, if she wished.

Relaxing, Angora lowered her guard completely, fully trusting Veris. It was still unbelievable the way an animal, a reptile no less, has shown her more love and compassion than any other member of the group combined. She lied down comfortably on his grounded elbow, using his wing as a giant tent, and looked outside the cave from a little opening. It was a peaceful moment, until she heard what Sere and Latnok were talking about.
"Heh, listen to them, already talking about exploiting this uncharted territory." Angora said quietly, in part feeling furious for having to save the world. She was practically saving it so that humans like those two could destroy it anyway with their greed, little by little. She imagined poor Veris knew what it felt like to be exploited. She didn't want to imagine how much torture he had to endure in order to oppress his basic instincts and manage to follow orders.

Angora wanted to remain peaceful, but thinking about them, especially Latnok, made her blood boil.
"That jerk of Latnok, always with the false kindness and biased views. He thinks I don't know he intends to kill me as soon as the mission is over. He will betray me! I know it! I'm telling you Veris, as soon as this infernal mission is over and I manage to be successful, just... just swallow me up and put me out of this misery. I won't be able to stand living with the fact that I saved the world just so humans like him can continue exploiting it!" Angora remarked very bitterly, hating Latnok with a passion. Angora didn't mean what she said of course, but she was feeling so angry and depressed, those are the words that managed to come out. She didn't even cared if anyone heard. One thing she has decided though, was that as soon as she destroyed whatever evil entity was threatening the world, if she managed to succeed, she was going to disappear. Leave the group forever, and run away from Latnok, who wasn't going to show any any gratitude, and whom she was certain was horrible enough to murder her even after being the savior.

Angora's discontent was picked up on by Veris. He slowly became more restless and uneasy himself, letting out a low growl and fidgeting around. Latnok, having detected this, decided to check on Veris in lieu of Sere, seeing as he was occupied.
"Easy there," Latnok said, as he walked up to Veris to pet him. "We don't have any enemies here yet. Just relax - we'll need you as soon as the next storm comes and goes. Besides, we should be moving out soon." Veris perked up upon hearing this, eager to expend some of his pent-up energy. Latnok hadn't really registered Angora until after this was all done.
"Hey, troll, what have you eaten, and what have you had to drink? We need to be ready to move."

Angora realized now by this time that wyverns, or at least Veris, was very sensitive to emotions, so she tried to remain calm, even after the irritating Latnok spoke to her.
"Nothing... and nothing. In that order." Angora replied sarcastically, wondering why he would even ask that. She had been too busy getting food for Veris, and he didn't even share. She drank nothing, and she was only able to get two or three bites out of the boar meat due to her argument with Latnok distracting her.

Latnok reached into one of the side pouches in his pack, grabbing one of the Tree's fruits and a canteen filled with water, before casually tossing them at Angora.
"Don't say I never gave you anything. Make sure you're ready to move out whenever we have to." Latnok was not particularly concerned for Angora; however, all personnel needed to be fed and hydrated in order to perform their duties effectively, and Angora was no exception. He was going to head back to load up the ballista components, waiting for everyone else to be ready.

Angora grabbed them in mid air, refusing to pick them from the floor as if some dog taking scraps. Even though she hated accepting things from others, especially Latnok, she needed all the food she could get, and she despised wasting food, more so than accepting it. Trolls were omnivores, but most usually preferred meat to have all the proteins necessary. Due to her size, Angora didn't need much of it, but in the past, she ate much of it in the hopes of growing up, attempt that has been futile.

The tiny troll ate the fruit in one bite, but before swallowing, she looked at the wyvern, chewing many times before swallowing.
"See that? It's called enjoying the food." Angora said casually to the mount, needing to amuse herself in order to mellow down her bitterness towards Latnok, but also hoping the two legged dragon would learn he didn't have to eat so fast. She doubted too many creatures would even dare to steal from a very greedy wyvern.

Veris raised and cocked his head in perplexion, not quite understanding what Angora was trying to convey to him. He instinctively flicked his tongue in and out of his snout briefly, though he wasn't particularly hungry.

"I'll do what I can," Sere said. "For now, we still have the task at hand. Though I really do wonder where those roots would be headed, and what could possibly be happening with them." Turning towards Orion, he asked "When are we going to be moving out? We should make some forward progress before the next storm hits." Sere was, in fact, somewhat eager for a storm to come, if only to test his theories about the storm claws.

Angora confused his tongue flicking for food begging.
"Oh please, don't tell me you're still hungry? Well whatever, I already did my part. If you want more food, ask your master!" Angora said rather rudely, still feeling irritating for accepting something from Latnok. Since she still felt bitter, she left Veris' side to avoid taking her anger on him, and also to prevent passing on her bad vibes to the sensitive creature.

After drinking some water, the troll felt much better, but she still craved from some boar meat. However, she wasn't going to take it out with Veris so nearby, so she waited for a more opportune time. To take some time off from the wyvern, Angora started to look at Shade, then quickly at Raclaw since he was nearer, having noticed their uneasiness earlier. She disguised her concern with a glare, not wanting them to misinterpret, or at least caught on her worry.

Raclaw memorized the map that been shown to him, agreeing with the Godfather's assessment. He had made an mental note of Falcon's Beak possibly being related to the darkness and turned his attention away from Shade and Sere-- not wanting to worry them any further. Part of him felt slightly ashamed for almost letting the corruption get to him again albeit in a dream and causing Shade more pain the process. Shade may have been the source of the corruption (at least in part), but his own failures to maintain control and properly manage his own connections certainly weren't making things easier on the poor Dragolet. Or on Sere for having to step in.

He looked away and noticed the glaring eyes of Angora staring back at him. It was obvious that the troll was still mad at him, but he also detected a hint of... Concern? Sympathy? He couldn't be certain, but wanted a brief break from the Guardians and stepped towards Angora-- wanting some company and perhaps the chance to help at least right one wrong. "Are you alright? I know they've put a lot on your plate as of lately, but at least Veris seems to have a new friend.," he gently said trying to casually start some sort of conversation between him and Angora. He hadn't forgotten how close they were to making up before they were interrupted the last time, much to his dismay.

Angora shook her hand near her ear, as if trying to shoo a mosquito buzzing near was almost a minute later that she decided to reply to Raclaw.
"Oh, you talking to me? I thought you liked the humans more." Angora said sourly, still feeling unforgiving. She had come to accept that it was silly of her part to hold a grudge on Raclaw for him not letting her ride him, but for him to side with Latnok after he so rudely interrupted their previous conversation, but mostly, even after learning what humans like him did to him. He would've been just another Veris and he didn't seem to care.

Raclaw sighed, realizing that Angora had found something else to blame him for. He really was trying to appease the troll and make amends, but that was getting harder and harder it seemed. "Angora-- please. I don't like or dislike any particular species more than the next one. I'm sorry about how you feel about the humans and they weren't exactly innocent in my upbringing, but I don't hate you and I don't hold you of a lesser importance. I really hope you understand that and I hope you understand that I have been trying to show you that.," he said pausing before admitting something.

"I.. I know what the humans did to me and what I could've ended up becoming. I.. I also know what the humans are still doing to me as a byproduct or side effect of their own creation. This collar and the entity inside it-- it weakens me here and it puts an continuous strain on me maintaining and keeping the corruption out. I gave in and I opened that barrier slightly last night if only to give me some relief even if only for a little while, and it tortured me in my own dreams. I know that if it wasn't for blind luck or the desire to create some new artifact on a Guardian's behalf; that I would've never gotten off that farm or experienced the world as I do now. Please don't think I don't know that-- I do and I struggle everyday partly as a result of their actions.," he then said inadvertently letting his loose unstable emotions do most of the talking for him. As he spoke, it sounded as if he had been bottling up those emotions and was just now letting them out.

He wasn't in the mood for another pointless argument and it triggered him. It also didn't help that he tried to maintain some sort of calm for the sake of the group-- and that his downfall would bring down nearly half the party thanks to him being the conduit that both literally and figuratively linked them all. At first, he had only the collar to deal with and he dealt with that his entire life. However, now the collar was only one of numerous things he had to deal with on a daily basis-- be it holding back the corruption or dealing with Shade's even more unstable emotions. It only got worse the further they went too, with the corruption slowly increasing and the open connection only getting bigger as time went on. Nevertheless, he tried to maintain his calm for as long as he could-- for the sake of himself, Shade, and the party as a whole.

Angora breathed heavily with each sentence, not caring about Raclaw's predicament. She was angry with Latnok for interrupting their previous conversation, but Raclaw only made things worse by permitting it.
"I didn't ask for the story of your life. Stop victimizing yourself just so I can take some pity. We were doing fine earlier! I even forgave you for the ride because I realized it was a stupid thing to be mad about!" Angora said, finally realizing that she should've have ride him like that, even if he did overreacted.
"But of course, he had to interrupt us!" she said, pointing at Latnok.
"Did you say anything? You could've said something like Do you mind? We're talking! or Stop bullying her all the time! No! You simply took his side and started talking with him and ignore me completely! Like always, him making sure that everyone's against me, cause he hates it that I'm the one chosen for this mission! The only ones that like me in this miserable group are that little fox's thingamajig cause it's just a darn machine, and that gluttonous wyvern! Why him? Cause he's a simple animal that lacks a will and doesn't know any better!" Angora expressed furiously but sorrowful, her eyes going red again but holding the tears. She was even watching Latnok constantly, practically waiting for the biased human to butt in like last time and once again interrupt this new conversation, cause she was certain his goal was to avoid her from being liked by anybody.

At this point, Latnok was restarting the fire which just went out a few seconds ago. He withdrew a few pieces of wood from his bag, heating them up and eventually igniting them with some fire magic, before throwing them where the previous fire had burned out. While not directly paying attention to the words, he noticed Angora pointing to him, and walked over.
"Did you summon me?" Latnok asked, non-confrontationally. "Are there any questions you need me to answer? Or perhaps you need some tips on combat? Like how to use a bow... trolls, not really the kind for bows anyway, are they? Never really seen one use one. What about you? Do you even think they're capable of using one? How about you try it out?" What seemed like a random tangent was actually a calculated move by Latnok - by offering help and moving the conversation away from the conflict between them, any further nasty reaction by Angora would demonstrate that she was the one who had the issues.

"Latnok-- please! The only reason we are having this conversation is because you interrupted last time and ignored my mental pleas for you to back off. I was just now trying to explain to Angora that I did indeed tell you to back off and that you had chosen to completely ignore me. I told you last time and I'll tell you again-- we. need. to. have. this. conversation. Please... I'm begging you-- let us have it!," Raclaw quickly rebutted not wanting a repeat of last time. As he spoke, he slowly said the last words one-at-a-time so that Latnok would HOPEFULLY understand. Like Angora, he was actually somewhat agitated that Latnok had interrupted right when they were finally making progress-- and that he had now done it again when they were making progress again.

Angora looked at Latnok with an angry smirk, proving her point.
"See what I mean? Annoyingly predictable." she said, looking at Raclaw. There was no doubt in her mind that Latnok was making sure everybody was against her. He didn't care that his life, and everyone else's for that matter. depended on her success.
"You can get lost now. I don't need anything from you. I won't ever need anything from you." she finished, rejecting his offer, although certain that he was just being sarcastic.

"What meaninful conversation? The one where she just blames everyone else for her problems? It will go the exact same way as last time - she will find a scapegoat for her own issues, just like last time," Latnok said firmly. "If you are going to speak about me, I am sure as hell going to defend myself. Take it or leave it. The only thing you will get from her is racism and hatred."

"Latnok-- I hate to break this to you, but we were actually making progress before you had interrupted last time. We were THIS close to finally making amends, when you had butted in and ruined everything. I was just now trying to make amends yet again when you once again decided to interjet. I know you don't agree with her and that she doesn't entirely agree with you, but please-- let me try. If I want to try make amends and bring some peace into our fragile relationship, then that is my decision. I have that right and if it backfires on me-- then it backfires and I'll know. But please... let me try.," he responded to Latnok making the fur dragon equivalent of a human gesture to further clarify this point. He once again slowly spoke certain words to make it crystal clear that he wanted to have this conversation. He wouldn't stop trying until he did and knew that he ether could or couldn't make peace with the troll.

OOC: I'm not sure how to describe a fur dragon making the "this close" gesture, but just imagine it.

Angora groaned, wondering why Raclaw was wasting his time with him. She wanted to dismiss the blasted human until she heard what he said last.
"Racism and hatred? Are you serious? Have you even listened to yourself? You fluffy, you've been with us this whole accursed journey! You've seen everything! Who's been the most racist?" Angora asked, but turned to Latnok before Raclaw could respond.
"You've been this entire time finding every chance accusing me of something, belittling me to no end and insult me for the mere fact of being a troll! If that's not racism I don't know what is! Even the one time I try to make peace with you, you didn't let me! You just continue being the same, accursed bully over and over and over again... but why the hell am I saying this to you? You'll never change!" Angora remarked full of fury, wanting so badly to hurt him, but she never did. She refused to be seen as a monster, cause she believed that's what Latnok wanted. It was clear to her that he was never going to live with the fact that the fate of the world depended on her and not the egocentric him.

Latnok raised his hand in frustration before finally letting it down again. "You know what? If you want to listen to this troll and her BS, blame us for everything that's wrong in your life, that's fine by me. But any sort of communication or bond or whatnot is completely worthless in that case. Hopefully she will do a much better job of helping you out than I can." With that, Latnok sat down and began focusing - slowly beginning to sever the bond between him and the other two, having become weary of bearing the burden and happy to finally find a reason to sever it. It was quite reckless for him - something he would normally never do - but the corruption seemed to have driven him past the point of caring.

"He's always right and I'm always wrong! That's how it always is with him!" Angora said to Raclaw, really sick and tired of this hatred pattern. Latnok really had it against her.
"Why don't you go and feed the wyvern this time? I already did my part... and I hope he bites your arm off." Angora said to the meditating Latnok, muttering those last words in a whisper and with gritted teeth. Even though he had been surprised she managed to feed Veris so up close, it still wasn't the reaction she had expected from Latnok. Not even an ounce of respect for doing what he told her to. It had been a dull deal.

'Latnok-- please don't be reckless. We don't know how this will affect Shade or the corruption, which seems to be targeting my every weak point. Look-- I'm sorry. If you had let me finish, I would've explained how the Guardians are making amends and how everyone deserves a second chance. All I wanted was to make peace with Angora and to help alleviate some of the tension felt in this party. If me and her can make peace, then so can trolls and humans. And if trolls and humans can make peace, then the world would've been one step closer to being a better place.,' he telepathed to the meditating Latnok hoping to prevent the Guardian from making another grieve mistake. All he wanted to make peace with a troll and Latnok wouldn't even let him do that.

He also looked at Angora, not wanting to ignore her this time and at least make some progress. "You're right-- he's not giving you a chance, but perhaps he will in time. I just hope you know that I have been trying to make amends with you and that everyone deserves a chance... even trolls. For what it's worth, I hope he sees that-- I really do.," Raclaw then said with a slight smile. 'Why couldn't this party just get along?,' he thought to himself.

Quote: redwes

'Latnok-- please don't be reckless. We don't know how this will affect Shade or the corruption, which seems to be targeting my every weak point. Look-- I'm sorry. If you had let me finish, I would've explained how the Guardians are making amends and how everyone deserves a second chance. All I wanted was to make peace with Angora and to help alleviate some of the tension felt in this party. If me and her can make peace, then so can trolls and humans. And if trolls and humans can make peace, then the world would've been one step closer to being a better place.,' he telepathed to the meditating Latnok hoping to prevent the Guardian from making another grieve mistake. All he wanted to make peace with a troll and Latnok wouldn't even let him do that.

He also looked at Angora, not wanting to ignore her this time and at least make some progress. "You're right-- he's not giving you a chance, but perhaps he will in time. I just hope you know that I have been trying to make amends with you and that everyone deserves a chance... even trolls. For what it's worth, I hope he sees that-- I really do.," Raclaw then said with a slight smile. 'Why couldn't this party just get along?,' he thought to himself.

Angora scoffed, not believing him too much. She also thought it was a lie when he said he spoke to Latnok telepathically to het him speak with her, but decided not to say anything about it to prevent worsening the tension.
"He won't give me a chance. Haven't you heard him by now? Why must you be so naïve? I don't know what trolls did to him... IF they ever did something, but it's evident he's willing to hate on an entire species instead of pointing individuals." Angora expressed, convinced that Latnok was never going to change his ways, and that he would always hate her just for being born a troll. But before Raclaw could express his own point of view about the matter, she got closer to him and whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear.

"He's going to kill me Fluffy. Don't you understand? He will never accept me. He will never respect me. He hates me for existing! He's only keeping me alive because he needs me to save the world, so that he and his stupid master can continue to selfishly exploit it. As soon as my purpose is fulfilled, he's going to stab me in the back! Don't you see?" Angora expressed, holding her tears once more but now her lips trembling with so much heartache. She had no idea why she was expressing this much to someone like Raclaw, who never defended her from Latnok until now, and someone whom she barely knew. She was so concentrated on her sorrow that she didn't even see Orion slapping Latnok, something she would've enjoyed without a doubt.

Casually deflecting Orion's attack, Latnok ceased the attempts to sever the link - at least temporarily. "Very well, we'll see how this goes," he said, obviously not having any faith in anything meaningful coming of the conversations.
"You know, if you want my arm off, you could always try to do it yourself," he said to Angora. "But you won't, because you know you can't, or want someone else to do it for you. But it sure won't be Veris. Allow me to demonstrate."
With that, he dug into his pouch, pulling out a vial of brined fish left over from the other day. "Hey, Veris! Over here!" he called, as he withdrew some of the fish meat. Without heaitation, Veris ran over, eqgerly eyeing the fish meat in Latnok's palm. "Here's a treat. Eat it from my hand." Veris brought his head down to Latnok's palm, with some very slight trepidation. Though apparently eager to eat the meat, he instead picked up pieces of it with his tongue before swallowing, repeating this several times - a demonstration of just how trained he was in regards to working with the Guardians.
"I'm perfectly capable of feeding a wyvern myself," Latnok said. "Like I said, you did a pretty good job feeding him today, but do not think that I ask you to do any such thing because I'm too scared or lazy to do it myself."

Angora had his back to him, and rubbed her eyes to make sure no tears fell, and turned around to see Latnok feeding Veris.
"It was irritated muttering. Just wishful thinking, one that you had no business hearing, but of course, your ears pick on what's more convenient to you. Which is unfortunate, cause now you're using my comment as leverage for fighting. I know you want me to fight you. You're obsessed with it! But why should I? You want everyone to mistake me as a monster, but in case you have forgotten, you did fight me once, when I ran away to do some meditating, remember? And played very dirty. Showing me that gruesome image while you lunged so I could be distracted? Do all the Guardians cheat that disgustingly?" Angora said in a relatively loud voice, so that everyone, especially Sere, could understand what kind of evil, biased man Latnok was that he used such low methods to win fights. And that one battle... Angora was certain she would've lost if Neo hadn't intervened.

"That one battle? All a ploy. To show Neo what his 'savior' really was. But you laughing at the concept of the world being destroyed, trying to mock me as you planned it, wasn't enough for him," Latnok said, as he sent a telepathic recollection of the very moments he was referring to to those who were listening. "But regardless, I still have to work with the tools I'm given. And no... I don't risk the lives of countless millions on 'fair' fights. When I fight, it's for a reason, so I fight to win.

Sere was absorbed in something completely different - recreating magic signatures. Every time Angora's armor and weaponry had materialized, he had been taking notes. With Grimbane as a focus, he was attempting to mimic some of the magic properties of her equipment.

"Sure, and in that battle, you were dead set on killing me... the one who has to save the world, all because of a whim. And true, I was tempted of leaving the world to it's luck, but I did reconsider. You would've known if you had only left me alone at that moment to have some time to calm myself." Angora scolded, wanting to belittle Latnok as much as he has done to her. She then took one look at Veris and before letting Latnok speak to his defense, she went ahead and spoke again.

"And do you think you impressed me with the wyvern? Of course he is this submissive! Heaven knows what kind of cruel torture he had to endure to make sure he wouldn't turn on any of you! Did you precious Guardians raised him from an egg? Or did you take him from the wild? It doesn't matter. You sucked his will like leeches with blood and made him into an obedient slave, cause that's what you do. Enslave poor creatures, collect body parts to increase your power and commit genocide to those you think are useless or threat your way of life." Angora lectured, once again in a loud voice so that everyone could understand what a monster Latnok and his people were. The claimed that they did it all for a greater good, but in the little time Angora has spent with Latnok and his master, that was what she saw.

"I personally do not feel comfortable leaving the world in the hands of someone who has shown on multiple occasions thag they do not have the will or the determination to commit to tbe job, and flakes off on a whim," Latnok said calmly, scolding Angora right back. "Do you know how we have been so successful? By leaving nothing to chance. Chances are, the mission wouldn't be in co stant danger if Neo picked a monk or someone with more discipline. But that's apparently out of thr question.
"As for Veris... the breeders trained him just like I train any recruit. Through rigorous discipline and reinforcement. Carrot and stick. The same way any other war mount is trained.
"Genocide? Don't make me laugh. Do you know how infeasible that is for most sapient races, with our numbers? Not only that, but killing enemies with broad strokes only brings about broad retaliation on human populations when they realize that we will kill them regardless of intent. I don't know what brainwashing you have been doing to yourself, but please... if nothing else... at least THINK about this thing from a practical perspective. I know that brain of yours probably sucked up all of the resources that typically go into troll body mass, so at least try to use it," Latnok ended, with a backhanded compliment. "Because at the end of the day, killing is not the end goal - just a means to an end. And if you believe otherwise, you are just speaking from fear, racism, and paranoia rather than any sort of grounding in reality."

Angora put her hands on her mouth, containing her need to bellow in laughter. This was the first time Latnok has been funny.
"Oh man, you're so full of it! You see? You're saying exactly what I think of you and your people. You're just using fancy words to disguise your horrible deeds. You're just like a dog chasing it's own tail. You want to keep your views and not see beyond what's your own nose. You're so afraid of seeing the good in a troll because it will completely shatter your biased views, something that you've believed in all your life. That's why you pick on me! You want to bring the worst of me so you can keep your negative view of trolls intact! You've seen how kind Veris has treated me, even when we're supposed to be mortal enemies. And still, you never wonder why, because once again, you're too afraid to be proven wrong in your beliefs." Angora said, sucker punching his argument. But after finishing, Angora simply turned her back to him, unwilling to continue wasting air lecturing this ignorant monster.

Latnok simply shook his head. "So... you're going to ignore everything I just said... and just insist on your delusional views. You're the pot calling the kettle black, you know that? But there is no good to see in someone who has shown to be - and still proves to be - completely self-centered. Everything is always 'me, me, me!' Everything is always personal. Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, I would have a problem with any spoiled child? Your lack of discipline is the exact thing that it's my job to change.
"But it's meaningless. You will insist on your delusions. That we're trying to kill everything. That I'm out to get you, when you're pretty insignificant except for the fact that Neo is in love with you. Thinking highly of yourself because Veris hasn't eaten you because of the work we have done in training him. You really are narcissistic, for a troll... compensating for something?"

He then looked at Raclaw in anticipation. "So, what will it be? Is this whole bond between us meaningful, or worthless? Are we just omnicidal maniacs to you? Because agreeing on that front is the only way she will ever be satisfied with you."

Before letting Raclaw reply, Angora looked at the fur dragon and quietly shook her head, as if saying to him there were never going to have their quiet conversation as long as Latnok was with them in that cave prison. She wanted to ignore the human so badly, but he had a talent to get to you, and felt she had to say something.
"Self-centered? Narcissist? Alright wise guy, what is being unselfish to you? Being an obedient zombie like this poor wyvern? Damn it human, I did what you told me! I fed the dumb animal, even though I didn't have to, and you still treated me the same way! Was all a waste of time? Or were you waiting for the wyvern to hurt me so you could've been amused and got disappointed?" Angora said, but with her back still half turned to him. At this time, she could've been talking with Raclaw and perhaps even forgive him for siding with the humans that time, but yet again, Latnok had to butt in to prevent her from befriending anyone.

"What's being unselfish? For one, having someone else do your job for you because you're too lazy to do it yourself is definitely not what normal people consider unselfish," Latnok said. "Unless, by some insane troll logic, 'unselfish' means the exact opposite that it means to the rest of us. Honestly? I didn't expect you to bother doing anything. Even then, I did say you did a good job - but you immediately dismissed anything I said, instead responding with hostility, because you wanted to hold on to your narrative of me being out to get you. Would you rather I get on my knees? Because the only time you will see me on my knees is when I'm grappling or taking a shot.
"Tell me, why do you think I have issues with you? Can't be because you're not human - no one else here except Godfather Sere is human, and I haven't had significant issues with anyone else except Shade, who has definitely not been in full control of his faculties, and this is despite me fighting dragons in the past. No - you are the only one who acts like an entitled child, like a spoiled princess from a noble house. The day you step up and stop being a brat is the day that I can take you seriously. Until then, you are just a load to be carried to a destination - nothing more." Why was he even bothering? Angora would use twisted logic to justify any of her behavior, and would never admit her shortcomings.

Angora scoffed with disgust, believing Latnok had an abnormal sense of reality.
"Well, perhaps I wouldn't have acted with so much hostility if only you hadn't been such a bully from the very beginning! You expect me to do jobs and tasks as if I'm one of your stupid recruits or just a dumb creature with no sense of will, but I'm not! Get it through your thick skull already! It's not enough for you that I did that one feeding task! It's just as I said! You expect me to obey your every command, and that's the definition of unselfishness to you! Nothing I do is ever enough for you! And what about Raclaw? Why do you have to interrupt our conversation every damn time? It's because you're afraid he'll see me as something more than a troll! Hell, even that wyvern, an animal whose will and instinct you shattered, has more sense of morality than you!" Angora rebuffed, really determined to have the last word, or at least make sure everyone listened to the conversation. She had no doubt that everyone was hearing what was going on, and she even unblocked her mind so that even Neo himself could hear. She knew Latnok was a lost cause, so all the lecturing, it was for everyone else to hear, especially Sere. Angora wanted to make sure that he in particular could see what a disaster he has made of his protégée.

"So I take it that bad-mouthing me behind my back is your attempt at showing your 'hidden depths' to Raclaw? Get real," Latnok said. "Unlike you, I don't need to talk about you behind your back to make sure you can't defend yourself. I'll say the facts to your face. You shirked your duty at watch, so I had to cover for you. That is simple, black-and-white. And you keep trying to subvert the issue and say that I have a problem for not respecting anyone who shirks their duties. Guess what? I hate humans that shirk their duties too, so stop trying to make your race out as a scapegoat.
"Nothing but a brat who thinks she automatically deserves respect when she has given me every reason not to grant it to her. But if you try to bad-mouth me, I sure as hell will defend myself. Or are you going to try to subvert this issue again? Why don't you tell Raclaw why you didn't take watch? Because you had things to do? Guess what, we all do, but I still had to do your job for you." Latnok was completely self-assured in his tone and manner. Meanwhile, Sere listened, but did not intervene.

Angora really wanted to explode, but if Latnok had been good at anything, it was excercising patience.
"You hadn't badmouthed me? Says you. You're probably done it through your mind to make sure I didn't hear. And is this all this because I didn't so a stupid night watch? That's is NOT my duty. I already did a nearly full night watch before and even watched over Shade! I had no obligation doing last night's watch! But hey, if you want me to be too tired to beat this dark thing and endanger the whole world, then I'll leave it all to your conscience... if you have any." Angora claimed, attributing his current bitterness to lack of sleep.

"So instead of facts now, just more paranoid delusions..." Latnok said. "Some of us need to be well-rested to perform optimally - certainly not you when Neo does all of the work. Don't deny it - I've seen it myself in that last fight, Neo fighting of his own will. A quadriplegic turtle could fight with some legendary figure moving the sword for him. You were being lazy - as if none of us had to do watch before. All you are is a load we have to carry to the destination - and the better shape we're in, the better we can drag you along." Angora was pretty obviously going to make excuses for all of her shortcomings - just a matter of pointing everything out to Raclaw.

It was by this time that Angora was tired of arguing. It was useless to point Latnok's flaws to him, so she simply hoped that the rest of the group heard their conversation. They would be the jury. They shall decide who had the most fault in this mess.
"Still attributing my work to Neo I see. Too bad I can't drive his spirit away from me so your ignorant self could see it's my own doing. No matter. Do what you want! Why should I care what you think of me? We shall part ways soon enough. You won't have to see my face again. We will leave each other so you can continue living in your own, biased fantasy." Angora points out, concluding the conversation there. If Latnok said something else, she was going to ignore him. Sitting near Raclaw's own corner, she crossed her legs and used her hands as a pillow, wanting to breathe deeply and forget about this new waste of time. She then looked at Veris, wondering how the wyvern was taking on this tense arguing. Even though she had planned to disappear as soon as the mission was complete, she formulated a plan in her mind that included the wyvern. It would be her final test to Latnok, and to some degree, Sere as well...

"For someone who doesn't care what I think about you, you sure do make a big deal about it..." latnok said off-handedly. "So, what will it be, Raclaw? You give me your thoughts. Do you think I should respect someone who shirks their duties? Or am I right to ask someone to pull their own weight?"

Veris watched as the two argued, visibly tense with his fidgety movements. Sere was taking the opportunity to prepare Veris water, in the same manner as before, condensing water from the air. "Veris... Water..." Sere gasped, exhausted from the strain of the spell. Verisb eqgerly rushed over, bringing his head down to guzzle the water.

As promised, Angora ignored him, not wanting to prolong this pointless argument. Why did Latnok believed she had to make the watch? He was talking as if that was something she had to do. Who was him to boss her around and putting her up to tasks she didn't have to do, especially when she has done plenty already? She was a free spirit, and nobody told her what to do. And if that was selfishness to him, there was no doubt he was too misled in his ideals. And if Latnok was going to be angry about something as silly as not doing a night watch, it was his problem. Once again, Angora dismissed his irritation as him being cranky for not sleeping last night. As she waited for Raclaw to give his own opinion, she entertained herself by watching Veris, having big plans for him, but first, she wanted to talk with Raclaw and try to make amends, but also to learn more of him. The troll had many plans ahead...

Raclaw sighed, tired of getting caught in the middle between the two feuding party members. "You want to know what I think? I think... I think I am tired of hearing you two arguing back-and-forth constantly. Between Shade, the corruption, and a million other things-- we don't need this. Yes, she could have taken a watch. No, you are not omnicidal maniacs. However-- she is trying and she has done nothing but keep trying to earn your respect again and again. Don't you see that is all she wants? She just wants a little respect and to be seen as an equal. That is a respectable goal and you not helping things by starting fights and interrupting her every conversation. All you are doing is causing instability within the party and causing her to dispuise you even more. Whatever Angora or her kind may or may not have done in the past-- drop it. Just let it go and try to give her at least a fighting chance of earning your respect. Those.. those are my thoughts.," Raclaw said having enough of the whole deal. If he could set aside his disagreements on how the humans handled his past, then perhaps an Guardian could set aside his seemingly endless hatred for a simple troll who was simply trying her best.

"So... that's it? Did you listen to a single word I said?" Latnok asked. "She had a fighting chance, but chose to blow it by shirking her duties. I don't care who or what you are - if you shirk your duties out of your own selfish desires, then you show that you put yourself over others. Simple enough. And I will treat anyone who doesn't carry their fair share of the load the exact same way as anyone else. When she wants me to treat her right, she will act like it, and she will at the very least not respond with hostility at every opportunity she has." Latnok hid his frustrations beneath his helmet, though they were becoming more and more evident. "So tell me right now - do you think I should respect someone who has shown that they don't give a damn about others and makes no effort to show you respect? A simple yes or no answer will suffice."

Even though Angora had her eyes set on the wyvern, her ears on what would Raclaw's opinion would be. Has he finally grown a spine? This was the first time he, or anyone else, came to defend her point of view. She was still upset with the fur dragon, but it really touched her to see him standing up to him. Did he sided with the humans because he was still afraid of them? Whatever the reason, this was an improvement. After all, she fed Veris at Latnok's requests just so she could see if she could gain a little bit of respect, even if it was just an insignificant amount, but he was the same, or worse than before. Latnok still accusing her of being selfish and incompetent, but all the times she has had the chance to prove herself. Latnok always either prevented her from doing so or was never enough for him.

Raclaw simply shook his head, growing more and more tired of this endless conflict. He would choose his next words carefully, for he knew he had listening ears. "If you truly believe what you saying, then the answer is no. However, I also believe that you should give such a individual a chance and give them that respect once they have earned-- or at least tried to earn it. Even if they aren't perfect, they are trying and you should at least give credit for that.," he said after a brief pause. He spoke slightly theoretical, giving Latnok the solid yes/no response he wanted while also trying to avoid any further offense on Angora's part. Unknowingly to himself, his corruption had gradually increased from 8% to 9%. They had enough troubles without worrying about inner party conflict.

OOC: I'll you're ever curious, I'll also be naming the "Version history" edits on the Oriondéx to serve as a quick reference when Raclaw's corruption levels ether go up or down. Over time, this may prove interesting.

Latnok nodded. "Very well - just like you say, I will give her the respect once she's earned it. However, she WILL have to earn it - shirking duties and bad-mouthing me behind my back while spouting out paranoid delusions about me and insisting that I'm trying to kill or enslave everyone is not something which makes me want to respect someone.
"Well, let's see. I might forget about this whole watch thing if she takes two watches tonight. And you can hold me to that. But we'll see what happens." Again, Latnok had his doubts about the whole thing, and counted on Angora to prove his point almost immediately. "And, of course, I will not respect someone who does not reciprocate..."