darkSpyro

Angora perked up her ears to listen, and while she couldn't fully comprehend the words, she could understand enough. She knew he couldn't clean Shade, but she didn't think it also meant he couldn't do it himself. It was just a natural response to clean himself, sort of like how cats do it. She felt so bad for the dragolet and how unjust some of his treatment was, but she knew there was nothing she could do. Nevertheless, even from the distance, she signaled Shade to look at her direction, and did a brief breathe in and out expression in order to tell him to calm down, and just obey, no matter how much he despised it. The more he obeyed, the less hard the treatment would be.

After practically begging him to calm down, Angora turned around to head to the kitchen before Laszur could notice her little signal. She was thinking of bringing Raclaw with them, but since Veris was going outside anyway, his conversation with Maverick could be either outside the ship or the island. As she and Ilasi walked, she would occasionally look at the mermaid and opened her mouth as if to say something, but she desisted each time. The smell from the hallways interrupted the thoughts, a smell that obviously indicated Maverick on his cooking work. Angora opened the door to find the food ready and at it. It wasn't as attractive as other platters, though the troll had a pretty good idea why.
"There you are my girls. All is well I gather?" he asked with a wide smile.
"It did, in some way. Shady will be allowed to roam the island for a while, though Laszur will come with us to keep watching him." Angora explained, with Maverick a little disappointed by the condition, but still very understanding of it.
"Well, it's a necessary procedure. Now we'll have two dragons watching over us. Those iguana things will think twice before attacking us." he said in an almost joking matter, grabbing a platter while Angora grabbed the other one. Veris should have a feast with this meat. As they walked to his enclosure, she imagined it won't be long before the wyvern could sniff the heavenly smell. Angora had tasted both Latnok and Maverick's meals, and she still found the latter's much more delicious.

"Oh, you're trying to be a smart one, I see," Laszur said disapprovingly. "Do you think that sort of behavior is going to fly here? I told you you couldn't bathe - that includes how a cat bathes itself. For that, you can sleep like that."

Veris picked up his head and body as the smell of Maverick's cooking wafted in, his drool starting to form a small puddle on the ground. He waited right by the door, anticipating the moment he would get to devour the incoming food.

Maverick was already nervous. He could hear the wyvern panting and almost scratching the floor.
"Eh, Angorita? Why don't we just throw it there? I've seen that wyvern eat, and..." Maverick started to say, but Angora simply took his platter, grabbing both, one on each hand.
"Oh boy, you're such a crybaby. Just open the door and I'll give it to him. Don't you worry. I'll get out of the way if he gets too wild. I'll say the meal is from you." Angora assured, with Maverick not knowing if she was too brave or really appreciated Veris' friendship that much. After much hesitation, he opened the door's enclosure, closing it behind Angora at her order. The troll then presented the strong scented platter to the wyvern, who was already forming a waterfall with his drool.
"Look what I just brought you Veris, courtesy of the hairy human. Now just take your time to enjoy it..." Angora began to say, getting ready to jump out of the way in case Veris tackled the new meal a little too much. Knowing him, she could accidentally get caught in the crossfire, and he may even go as far as to eat the platters too.

As she got locked with the wyvern, Maverick looked at Ilasi nervously.
"Well what do you know that Angorita? Too stubborn or too brave?" he asked jokingly again in order to ease up his nerves.

While Angora and Mav prepared to leave alongside Veris and others-- Raclaw explained what had happened as well as the additional component to the favor. "And later on-- I may help properly introduce Maverick to Veris. Angora wishes to relieve some of his fears and it won't do any good having a member of this crew be afraid of Wyverns.," the Fur Dragon concluded having rejoined his friends. It wouldn't be long until they could set off to help teach Chester how to swim, the little Beagle only growing more curious despite a small instinct warning him otherwise. Elsewhere.. Risar observed the skeleton crew.

As much as Veris wanted to just stuff his face without a second thought, he had to be more careful with the platter - he would instead bring his head down and carefully pull the food off with his mouth, before chewing it once or twice and swallowing it. "That was delicious!" he said - which would come across as his typical pattern of hisses and growls without a translator available. He then stood up and spread his wings, waiting for Angora to let him out. She was going to help him get out, right...?

"Okay... that all makes sense," Latnok said. Angora always seemed to have some sort of fascination for Veris, so this was nothing more than taking it to its logical conclusion to him. "Might do her a bit of good to have someone else she can speak to. As long as she doesn't douse herself in cooking sauce... Of course Veris wouldn't eat her like that. He's too kind. But he's also very happy to eat anything..." The sight of Angora happening on Veris after getting into a cooking accident was too whimsical to be taken seriously, and gave Latnok a bit of an internal chuckle.

Quote: A Guy

As much as Veris wanted to just stuff his face without a second thought, he had to be more careful with the platter - he would instead bring his head down and carefully pull the food off with his mouth, before chewing it once or twice and swallowing it. "That was delicious!" he said - which would come across as his typical pattern of hisses and growls without a translator available. He then stood up and spread his wings, waiting for Angora to let him out. She was going to help him get out, right...?

Angora didn't need Raclaw to translate for her. Knowing Maverick's cooking, she knew what the wyvern said.
"He did it with a lot of care. That's Maverick for you." she replied before seeing him all eager to get out. She then put on a sad face.
"Oh, I'm sorry Veris. I know you wanted to get out. I know you were hopeful that your master would give me permission to let you out..." she said with droopy ears.
"Well, you hope paid off. You can get out Veris, under my supervision of course. Got you, eh? Come on wyvern. Time for a taste of freedom." she said jokingly, having wanted to see the wyvern's face when he thought he wouldn't go out.

Putting the plates on the floor for the time being, Angora opened the enclosure, to the surprise of Maverick.
"Whew, you're in one piece." he said with a small laugh, with Angora hitting him gently on the knee for the tease.
"Oh you silly idiot. Veris is gluttonous but not abusive. Look at this." she picked the plates.
"See? The plates are still intact. He even chewed carefully before swallowing in order to enjoy the taste. Of course, it's a waste not to enjoy your cooking." Angora complimented, hoping that this would be prove enough to Maverick to stop fearing the kind wyvern so much.
"I'll leave the platters here. Heading to the kitchen will take us more time than we already have. Let's go." Angora said, showing a tremendous amount of happiness. It has been so long since Maverick has seen her this way. Angora even smiled to Ilasi, a warm, genuine one. Clearly this time on the island will do wonder for her, and hopefully all of them.

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"Okay... that all makes sense," Latnok said. Angora always seemed to have some sort of fascination for Veris, so this was nothing more than taking it to its logical conclusion to him. "Might do her a bit of good to have someone else she can speak to. As long as she doesn't douse herself in cooking sauce... Of course Veris wouldn't eat her like that. He's too kind. But he's also very happy to eat anything..." The sight of Angora happening on Veris after getting into a cooking accident was too whimsical to be taken seriously, and gave Latnok a bit of an internal chuckle.

Raclaw shared a internal chuckle-- imagining the sight of a lunging Veris eager for food. It would be a gruesome sight for sure, but he had to admit that the Wyvern could be quite hungry at times. "Yeah-- he is that. We would know, wouldn't we?," Raclaw then said with a slight chuckle referring to their connection to the ravenous Wyvern himself. He lost count of how many times the thought of food had occurred to Veris while in their presence. 'Too many times to count.,' he thought to himself. As they spoke, Chester stood up from where he had been laying and seemed more eager than usual. Latnok would no doubt mention what they had decided in Raclaw's absence before long. If Raclaw could get over his fear, than perhaps so could he.

Veris was drooping at first - right before Angora hit him with the twist, when he was immediately back to his energetic self. Without wasting any more time, he began moving out of the pen.
"Oh, by the way, Raclaw," Latnok said, on cue. "We're going to see if we can also teach Chester how to swim. Maybe someone at the town - wait, what is Veris doing out?"
Veris coming out of his enclosure was very obvious. It didn't seem that Sere let him out - rather, that Angora did. Undoubtedly very unusual - Latnok approached them immediately to ask questions about the matter.
"So, what's the deal with Veris?" Latnok asked.
"Oh, Latnok... Angora is taking him out for some exercise," Ilasi assured Latnok. "The captain gave her permission, provided he doesn't fly over the town the locals have set up here."
"I can finally fly again! My human is too busy... but Angora will help me!" Veris said proudly. "Maybe I can even find some more food!"
Latnok almost rolled his eyes at Veris' predictable thoughts. "Well... okay, I guess," he said. "Make sure you take good care of our friend here, Angora. And Veris, if you're good out there, I might even make you something special when you get back. Leoquin's out hunting, so maybe some of that - or maybe I'll find something myself!"
Veris began licking his snout with some dribbles of drool as Latnok mentioned cooking for him. He was very ready to go by now.

Raclaw gave a smile at the sight of a overly excited Veris-- the Wyverns thoughts briefly becoming clear to Angora as the nearby Raclaw watched. He was not surprised at the slightest when Veris' thoughts expectively immediately went towards food. It was a thought that he he knew very very well by now, especially when he and Veris were within mental range. "So-- swimming, eh?," Raclaw said looking down at Chester. "I figured it was time.," Chester responded watching alongside Raclaw and Latnok. The little dog could see the excitement in Veris-- like any cooped up animal happy to finally get out.

Angora got out of Veris' way in case he would drool all over her. She could tell he was looking very forward to a day of freedom.
"Alright then, only Shady and Laszur remain. I'll get them now." she said as she left that group for a while to fetch the two. Maverick felt happy for her and having Ilasi's support.

As she walked towards Shade and Laszur, Angora grasped the orb, keeping it hidden.
"Sorry for the delay, but I want to do this before meeting you." she expressed, not knowing what awaited her with the stranger and thus wanting to take advantage of this special moment.

Laszur let out a snarl to Shade as Angora was preparing to leave. "Clean yourself up quickly so we can leave," he ordered. Shade's discipline would be tested another time, seeing as he failed this one - but considering the dragon was told his mistake, there would be no excuse for a further violation in the same manner.

Angora looked at Shade with a 'what did you do this time' face, knowing how prone this dragolet was to disobeying. Shade's powers were contained for now, but his temper was something that remained. It was probably something silly, or maybe even a misunderstanding, but it really discouraged Angora how hard it was for Shade to please these strict military officials.
"If I may have your permission sir, I would like to clean behind Shade's teeth. He can't reach there, and given he killed that thing, we don't know what kind of strange infection or bacteria he can have that would cause some future trouble." Angora asked, seeing how uncomfortable Shade was and feeling quite bad for him. While she was forbidden to interact with him, she could do the cleaning as a chore, not as some quality time.

While waiting for Angora, Maverick reviewed his inventory, and wanted to have Ilasi's opinion.
"These are the things I plan to sell. Some I don't even know what they are, but maybe other people can find use to them. Trouble is I don't know what price to give if I don't know what it is or how useful it can be. I was thinking you can help me with that part." Maverick suggested, believing Ilasi would have slightly more experience in thet given the many jobs she had in the past.

"Dragons have eaten worse," Laszur said dismissively of Angora's request. "He'll clean it just like every other dragon would clean themselves. If it really becomes an issue, we'll have someone else do the job." Laszur was getting annoyed with Angora and Shade presenting him with what he mainly saw as excuses. He had his orders - and he would follow them.

"Well..." Ilasi said, as she looked among the goods. "First, we have to learn what the islanders value. Things are likely very different here than they are on the main continent, where everything is connected - in some more isolated regions, for example, iron is more valuable than gold, because it is more useful. Not that this place is like that - but it would be a good idea to get to know our audience first." Indeed, there was little point in selling something the locals didn't care about, and they might be able to get better prices here than elsewhere.

"Some research it is then. Alright. Good idea. We'll walk around town like tourists and see what the locals value the most before we get to the selling." Maverick commented, liking Ilasi's suggestion. In that while, Angora was disappointed by Laszur's denial, and yet she didn't argue about the matter any further. It was good enough luck that Shade was being allowed this brief moment of freedom, even if it was under strict supervision. As for the cleaning, it would have to wait. At least he hadn't eaten the creature, so his teeth can't be that dirty.

Knowing it was the wisest decision not to press the matter further, Angora left Laszur and Shade alone, pleased that she at least tried her best. Shade was being allowed to roam the island. She was allowed also, and better yet, poor Veris could finally have some freedom while his master gets the much needed rest. It was more than she could've hoped for. With that in mind, it was time to leave, but first of all, she needed some kind of harness.
"Maverick, I need some rope or something that will hold me to Veris while we fly." she asked, briefly interrupting his conversation with Ilasi.
"Rope? Hmm, let's see..." he said, investigating the hyperspace bag, but all he could find was a grappling hook.
"That'll do." she said, with Maverick forgetting he had that. It was not in the inventory, but it was a possession that could be useful to them.

Angora waited for Veris to allow her to mount him, getting ready to ride him all by herself for the first time. Shade could be watched by Laszur and Maverick. Right now, the wyvern was her responsibility.
"Alright Veris, you better behave yourself in this flight. Riding you may not be the same as riding Shady. Remember, stay away from the town, and please don't eat anyone. There are probably many creatures around here for you to hunt, but try not to do too much damage to the ecosystem." Angora instructed, knowing fully well that Veris could understand her even when she couldn't without Raclaw's help. Maverick was nervous about Angora being with Veris, but he would trust her... and the wyvern.

Laszur was not expecting such audacity from Shade. "Are you serious? I wouldn't trust you with a sheet of metal," he said, "let alone my own life. Do you think I'm looking to just 'accidentally' fall off? We're moving on foot."

Veris gave a hiss to show that he understood, as he lowered himself in order to allow Angora to mount him and secure herself. With so much pent-up energy, this was likely the most docile he was going to be in the immediate time period.
"Who knows? They might even have some interesting clothes for us to wear, or some other exotic things we can take back once this is all over," Ilasi said, as she looked at the sight of Angora trying to mount Veris. "For now, though... a little relaxing would be in order. Especially after all that's happened."

Angora climbed Veris and tied her waist to the wyvern's back, using both the hook and the rope. She made a few tests before going airborne, leaving her arms free in order to guide the flying mount. As she secured herself, she could hear Laszur seemingly scolding Shade. She felt so bad for her friend, but she knew interfering would make things worse for the both of them. She hoped Shade wouldn't feel too jealous of Veris for having her and more freedom, but she trusted he would have the same in a not too far future.
"Alright you two. We're leaving now. Shade and Laszur can accompany you, at least until you arrive to the town." Angora suggested, wanting them to have some protection on their way to the civilization. If the wildlife was as hostile as the beast that had to be killed, she hated the idea of those two walking on that wilderness all by themselves.

Maverick replied to her quickly before Veris could take her away.
"Sure thing Angorita. Have fun." he said before turning to Ilasi.
"That's a great idea Ilasi. Imagine how rich the culture of the people here is." he commented exitedly, already looking forward to the town, though wondering how far they would have to go. He didn't see a town when he woke up on the island, so he imagined it was quite far.

Once Angora gave the command, Veris took off in a flash - soon reaching the higher ends of his speed, completely forgetting about Angora as he flew high up, eventually reaching a point where he could soar as he looked at the ground below. This experience was exhilarating compared to having been cooped up in the holding pen for so many days. He saw what would presumably be the town, getting a good idea of where he should stay away from; as he flew, burning up his pent-up energy, he was searching for other lifeforms. Prey to hunt - food. Some nice way to pass the time, and to eat of course.

Ilasi watched on as Veris did his initial takeoff. "Well, he's certainly in a hurry," she commented. "Naturally - the poor thing has been stuck inside for so long, when he needs the sky." But that was enough of that. "Well, whenever you're ready, Maverick. Try not to find anyone or anything too interesting, now."

Maverick looked up as Veris disappeared into the clouds, now seeing what a great idea it was for Angora to use the grappling hook as a seatbelt. The poor wyvern has been so desperate for freedom that he couldn't even begin to imagine how Shade must be feeling. Perhaps if Maverick could continue increasing his rank, he would allowed to interact and maybe even help train Shade, and make his life a little less hard.
"Well, good thing Angorita braced herself, huh?" he said jokingly to Ilasi before smirking at her last comment. She had some idea on what she was implying.
"Alright Ilasi. No te preocupes. Come on. Señor Laszur and Oscurito can catch up with us a little later. Let's go. Make sure you have the knife accessible." Maverick warned, holding her hand and heading to the gangplank. He knew it was better to follow Angora's advice and have Shade and Laszur's protection, but he didn't want to keep his girlfriend waiting, not to mention Shade would probably go through a little bit more of training before heading out. It was the first time he would set foot on the island again after being rescued, and he was feeling quite skeptical. He hoped the iguanameleon incident was a one time thing, and that the creature was just too different from the rest of it's kind. Even so, he was ready for any kind of danger. The island was beautiful, but it would've been better if the wildlife hadn't been so hostile.

Angora felt like gravity itself was punching her. The lift was so violent she started to have a headache. Her nostrils became so cold, she even started to believe ice was forming up inside.
"Veris Veris Veris, you beast! Ease up!" Angora scolded, having been so taken aback by the severity of the lift that she even started to get angry. She tried to navigate the wyvern in a similar fashion to how she has witnessed Sere doing it so many times, but she didn't think it would quite get the same results. Riding Veris was so different than riding Shade. Their backs, even their skins were too different, and Shade didn't have to be guided. Angora tried to keep Veris calm, but evidently, being cooped up in that dark enclosure made him accumulate quite a bit of energy. At least nothing was in the sky that could make him go crazy... or so Angora had hoped. The hope was quickly shattered when she saw dozens of black flying creatures heading their way. They looked like they could be hostile, but when some flew above Veris, she could see what looked like very furry bats with two pairs of wings. They were slightly smaller than her, and their heads resembled more like squirrels. They were completely harmless, hunting only bugs and having no interest in attacking her or Veris, but knowing this wyvern, she was afraid of what was coming next...

With Angora/Veris flying off and the others taking their leave-- it would soon be que for Raclaw and company to leave as well. As they prepared to leave behind Mav and Illasi, Chester looked up at the sight of Veris flying with some envy. He still fondly remembered the 'test fight' he had on Raclaw's own back and it had been the closest thing a dog could ever experience to be true flight. "You ready?," Raclaw said looking down at the little Beagle. "Ready!," Chester replied a with a nod. Flight or no flight... he was still eager and curious to get his own 'getting over his own fears' moment in the water.

Veris, while very excited, was somewhat controllable in his direction, and slowed down (if only slightly) in response to Angora's pleas. This semblance of control was completely lost when they ran into the unidentified flying creatures.
Veris, predictably, became distracted - what the others might consider an interesting sight, Veris considered his next meal, to no one's surprise. He performed a sharp U-turn as he gained altitude - a typical maneuver for preparing to dive down on his target at a breakneck pace. Without a command to stop, he would continue until he finally caught one.

"If you want to fly," Laszur said, "you can fly here by the ship, where we can all keep an eye on you. You'll have to prove yourself capable of obeying simple orders before I will even consider allowing you to fly with anything worth anything on your back, Scourge. You have enough innocent blood on you - and until you prove controllable, you are a danger to others." Laszur could only wonder why it seemed so hard for Shade to simply do as he was told without complaint or subversion. All he had to do was what he was told...

Latnok was all prepared to start moving out. "Well, let's go, then!" he said. "Might also give us a chance to learn more about the sort of wildlife here - which may or may not be in the way that Leoquin intends to learn about them, anyway." Latnok began to step off the ship, leading the way for Raclaw and Chester. The path would be new for Chester, but not for the other two.
Ilasi saw the others leaving as well. "Seems like as good a time as any to start leaving," she said, holding onto Maverick's hand. "Would you mind leading the way?" Ilasi was ready to see all the islanders had to offer - she and Maverick may have more fun times ahead of them today.

Maverick made sure to follow a small creek that soon turned into a small river, no doubt the one that lead into the town. Many locals, especially in small places, did their establishments near water. So far so good. The river was full of all kinds of fish, and animals, from normal looking rabbits to some strange looking creatures like a... muskrat with antlers, drank water from the edge. There were also many kinds of insects, though thankfully, not the stinging or biting kind.
"Well then, this is nice. It would've been perfect if... we'll never mind. Let's just head to town. This all looks nice." Maverick said, actually enjoying the scenery but also on high alert. Those iguana things could camouflage very well, and they may not be the only hostile wildlife around. Still, nothing has happened in the minutes they walked, so that pleased Maverick. However, he didn't lower his guard...

Quote: A Guy

Veris, while very excited, was somewhat controllable in his direction, and slowed down (if only slightly) in response to Angora's pleas. This semblance of control was completely lost when they ran into the unidentified flying creatures.
Veris, predictably, became distracted - what the others might consider an interesting sight, Veris considered his next meal, to no one's surprise. He performed a sharp U-turn as he gained altitude - a typical maneuver for preparing to dive down on his target at a breakneck pace. Without a command to stop, he would continue until he finally caught one.

Angora could only watch as she was more or less forced to be part of the hunting. At best, she was just another part of Veris. The double winged bats didn't seemed fazed by their presence, nor did they attempted to fly away. Angora figured the poor little creatures didn't even know what was going on. Maybe a lack of predators gave them poor survival instincts?
"You're such a savage!" she exclaimed as the wyvern dived like a peregrine falcon out for the kill. The now practically wild Veris continued to do whatever he wanted and treating her as if she didn't exist. She was however going to let Veris have this moment of instinctive fun. He needed it, although she was going to pay close attention to where he flew. She knew that in a moment like this, he could accidentally fly near the town and spook the locals. It was quite a lucky break that the creature's were flying to the opposite direction.

Laszur had no objections with giving Shade the opportunity to exercise. "Yes, you may," he said. "You can lead the way, but I'll be keeping an eye on you." Things didn't i]have[/i] to be bad for Shade - Laszur had no problem granting certain things when he didn't feel they conflicted in their goals.

Veris would, in a flash, dive through the formation - and would pull through with one of the bat-squirrel creatures in his jaw, where it would remain for only a brief moment before quickly disappearing. With this bout of hunting complete, having expended some energy, Veris became much more docile, flying at a slower pace. He suddenly remembered that Angora was on his back - and briefly turned his head to her, as if expecting an order.

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Latnok was all prepared to start moving out. "Well, let's go, then!" he said. "Might also give us a chance to learn more about the sort of wildlife here - which may or may not be in the way that Leoquin intends to learn about them, anyway." Latnok began to step off the ship, leading the way for Raclaw and Chester. The path would be new for Chester, but not for the other two.
Ilasi saw the others leaving as well. "Seems like as good a time as any to start leaving," she said, holding onto Maverick's hand. "Would you mind leading the way?" Ilasi was ready to see all the islanders had to offer - she and Maverick may have more fun times ahead of them today.

Raclaw and Chester happily followed-- the former already familiar with the path and the later trusting his two beloved companions. The local population had been rather curious about him or at least so it seemed. He figured that they would be even *more* curious now that Chester was also with them. Fur Dragon, Beagle, and Human-- the oddest of trios. They, without fail, had managed to turn eyes wherever they went.

Angora was resting her head on her hand and her elbow on Veris' back, looking at him with a scowl. Her rope was still tying her, but it was more loose than before. A little more and it might've failed.
"Oh? Now you're noticing me?" she asked, sounding like a scold but also as a tease. It was quite fun seeing Veris this happy, but she didn't think riding him was an experience worth repeating. Her headache still remained, and she was starting to feel dizzy, but then she started thinking that if she could please this wyvern, not only would they be bonding more. But Sere could also see how useful she could be at something.

Maverick and Ilasi walked around the river with no problems along the way. No signs of hostile wildlife anywhere, not even iguanameleons, but even if they were out there camouflaging, they certainly didn't make any efforts to attack them. Maverick knew when he was near civilization when he saw a human fishing with a net. He looked almost shocked to see them.
"Greetings. You're not from around here, are you? I know, you're from that ship that recently arrived here. It's quite a miracle you made it through that storm. It's like the eye of a stationary typhoon here. Very calm in the center, but arrive around the edges, and pray to every saint you know." The man stated, greeting the couple but not getting his eyes off his net. His arms and legs were very strong, but the rest of his body looked scrawny and frail. He was rather funny looking.

Veris gave a quick nod before beginning his descent to the shore. At least down there, Angora would be able to clarify anything if she needed to, or call it off if she was no longer in a condition to ride. Regardless of what happened, he had fun, and was in a very happy mood. He wondered if he would start getting regular flights again - but his human was busy, and it was questionable if he would allow Angora another chance to take him out.

Laszur was satisfied with Shade for now - but things could afford to be a little less static. That gave him an idea - a way to practice discipline and teamwork.
Laszur would grab one of the small javelins he usually carried on his back during missions. "Here is what's going to happen," he said to Shade. "I am going to toss this somewhere out in the distance. You are going to pick it up and return it to me. Does that sound simple enough?" Laszur wasn't aware of how he was essentially just playing fetch, having never owned a dog - to him, this was an exercise like any other.

Ilasi thought the man quite odd - but this place was not wanting for oddities, so it wasn't anything too exceptional. "Yes... we've lost people coming through this storm," she said. "More because of someone's stupidity than anything else, though. He was banished from the ship, and is dead himself unless the creatures that attacked us captured him. But enough of that... we can only keep moving forward. We're here now, and we're looking to learn more about the area." Ilasi, having almost lost Maverick and having witnessed the death of others, had absolutely no kind words for Star, being glad that he was thrown into the storm.

Maverick felt Ilasi's uneasiness and started to feel quite sad, but catching on the negativity, the man spoke almost immediately.
"Well it's natural with storms like that. Here, we're practically trapped, not that anyone minds though. Very few people ever contemplate returning to the ocean after being here. Right here, you can make your own life. Start anew. Here, you don't need to worry about the problems of the world, or being judged by who or what you are. Whatever life you had out there you can forget about it if you like. Just make your own life, live, work and have fun." The man said, his words almost sounding like a rehearsed speech.

When his net caught a bunch of fish, most of them catfish, he hurled them back to land, picking the bounty up and turning around to leave, leaving Ilasi and Maverick completely alone and not even saying goodbye. Maverick called to him to ask where the town was, but the man ignored him. He figured following him would lead them closer to their destination.
"Well, that was... interesante. Come on Ilasi. We'll follow him from a distance." Maverick suggested, at first very pleased to meet this man, but now rather startled by his oddball behavior.

Quote: A Guy

Veris gave a quick nod before beginning his descent to the shore. At least down there, Angora would be able to clarify anything if she needed to, or call it off if she was no longer in a condition to ride. Regardless of what happened, he had fun, and was in a very happy mood. He wondered if he would start getting regular flights again - but his human was busy, and it was questionable if he would allow Angora another chance to take him out.

While Angora was glad for the break, she wondered if Veris wanted more.
"Well, that was quite some excercise, wasn't it boy?" she commented, taking some time to breathe and let oxygen return to her brain.
"You even got to dine, though those creatures would probably just fly into your mouth if you keep it open." Angora contemplated, wondering if he would try it later. She then continued.
"Anyway, I'm planning to meet with Maverick and Ilasi later, but I can manage, I don't know, twenty minutes more or something? I know you don't want to return to your enclosure yet, so we can still do a few things. What do you want boy? Want to hunt some more? Some grooming? Maybe play?" Angora asked, ready to look for a toy back in her cabin when she suddenly remembered that in one of her pockets she had a rather special spring that Opium gifted her so she could entertain herself in the times she needed to be alone in the days Maverick was missing. She had completely forgotten about it. If the spring was pressed on the ground, it would rebound very hard with every surface it touched for a while. It could be useful as a toy. But maybe Veris didn't want that, so she just waited for the wyvern to 'tell' her in his own way what he wanted to do.

Veris didn't know how best to communicate his wishes to Angora - she wasn't his human, or one of his trainers, so he couldn't use the signals he was taught. Instead, he scoured the ground - finding a decently-sized rock, convenient enough for his purpose. Carefully, grabbing it in his mouth, he tossed it up, only to slam it away with his tail as it descended - sending the rock flying into the water. Veris was still in somewhat of a playful mood; a few more minutes before something relaxing would hit the spot for him.

Ilasi figured that people trapped here would be woeful, missing the outside world; she was surprised to find seemingly the complete opposite. Her own limited worldview left her blind to how others might feel about their circumstances.
"Well, I guess that wouldn't hurt at all," Ilasi answered to Maverick. She would prefer to think of it as just curiously seeing where the man was going, rather than stalking him.

Latnok and his companions would eventually happen across the very same town they were at a few hours ago - getting there first, no doubt because of their familiarity with the route. This time, there were no armed men and women to greet them - just someone looking down from the guard tower, and deeming them to not be a threat.
The three walked in to the sight of many staring at them. Latnok had a goal in mind, however - he was searching for the marketplace. The marketplace would mean food, food would mean hunters, and hunters would mean potential hunting animals.

As Latnok, Raclaw, and Chester entered the town-- neither dog nor dragon would be surprised at the sight of many eyes staring at them. The usual questions would no doubt be seen floating in the townfolks' heads should Raclaw explore them. 'What is he? Who is he? Is he some sort of gryphon-- a hybrid? Was he owned? What was he doing with a dog?,' the fur dragon didn't even need to mind read to already know. It wouldn't be long 'till they would find an open marketplace could be seen in sight and a distant dog bark could be heard. They would no doubt soon find the source of that bark...

The fisherman entered his hut still ignoring Ilasi and Maverick's presence, singing in a falsetto voice as he entered his lonely home. Visible but at quite a far distance, there was the town Sere and his group visited earlier.
"Ah, civilization at last. Look rather nice, doesn't it Ilasi? It looks peaceful enough to be a home, but I'm not sure if I'd want to live in one place all my life. I like peace, but I also like exploring." Maverick expressed, many times thinking those feelings didn't go very well together. Not all the world was peaceful, so you were bound to find trouble sooner or later if you explored it as past experiences proved.
"Well then, shall we?" Maverick commented, as he offered Ilasi his arm to escort her to the town like royalty. He was loving what he was seeing, but wondered if the man's oddball behavior was a result of living in one particular place with seemingly one single routine. It was a peaceful life for sure, but also very boring.

Quote: A Guy

Veris didn't know how best to communicate his wishes to Angora - she wasn't his human, or one of his trainers, so he couldn't use the signals he was taught. Instead, he scoured the ground - finding a decently-sized rock, convenient enough for his purpose. Carefully, grabbing it in his mouth, he tossed it up, only to slam it away with his tail as it descended - sending the rock flying into the water. Veris was still in somewhat of a playful mood; a few more minutes before something relaxing would hit the spot for him.

Angora raised an eyebrow, finding it too odd how Veris would be into such a monotonous activity.
"Skipping rocks? Really? Didn't think you'd entertain yourself in such a way." Angora commented, although not certain if that's what he meant or if he tried expressing something else. Even so, she decided to sit besides him, though at some distance to avoid being slapped with his tail.

While she waited for Veris to give her some other signal, she looked towards the nearby ship... and that's when she noticed Shade. Why wasn't he flying? Did Laszur forbid it? He was giving him some time away from the ship at least, but she was hoping he would be allowed to fly. That was the very definition of freedom for a dragon.

Veris shook his head no - his intentions seemed to be misunderstood. He just wanted to play in general. He couldn't immediately figure out how to communicate that, however; until Raclaw could help them out, he would settle for something more likely to be universally understood. He began to lick fervently at the grooves in between his scales, before slouching down - an attempt to request grooming. It was something Sere was typically meticulous with when he had more time.

Ilasi gladly took Maverick's hand. She was still giving a slight blush at the gesture, though she was trying to get more used to it. She was still insecure to a degree (if not as much as before), and considered her time with Maverick to be a blessing.
"Well, I've been traveling a while... though more out of necessity than by choice," Ilasi mentioned. "Though I have never had any issue with it - travel had always been a means to an end for me. I've never really had the opportunity to just travel for the sheer joy of it... there's so much more out there that I need to see!" Of course, one of Ilasi's main concerns with traveling was how the outside world would be lacking in safety compared to Aelinon - something very few in the nation took for granted

"Hmm... fetch?" Laszur said, not being familiar with the game - though he could guess what it was by the name. "Yes, you will be fetching the javelin. You may fly to reach it, and then toss it at me, or in my general area, rather - but don't go to far away from me. We'll start simple." Laszur, with a solid grip on his javelin, tossed the javelin through the air - and it landed solidly in the sand, several yards away.

Latnok quickly homed in on the source of the sound, making a beeline for it. Though there was a crowd at the market, it was still relatively easy to pass through. Though some vendors tried to get his attention, Latnok already had a goal in mind - finding a glimpse of a dog appearing to be a bloodhound, with its armed hunter with meat fresh from a recent kill.

"Well, with the necessary precautions, traveling can be fun. Of course, you need to know to defend yourself from the unscrupulous people who want to disturb your peace, but hey, you have your magic and I have my pirate training. It's not something I'm proud of, but it helps me defend myself. I don't like bringing harm to others, but I understand it's sometimes necessary to save your life. But even with those life delays, traveling can be so much fun. I barely travelled on land when I was with my father, and I got the chance. I only ever saw the ocean from above, and you introduced me to the beautiful inside." Maverick said happily, really grateful with how his life has changed. There were still many hardships for him and his friends, but he was certain this was just another life trial. He trusted Shade would earn the freedom and redemption he deserved, and that Angora will finally be happy. And now, he had Ilasi too, and he was determined to make her feel happy and worthy too.

Quote: A Guy

Veris shook his head no - his intentions seemed to be misunderstood. He just wanted to play in general. He couldn't immediately figure out how to communicate that, however; until Raclaw could help them out, he would settle for something more likely to be universally understood. He began to lick fervently at the grooves in between his scales, before slouching down - an attempt to request grooming. It was something Sere was typically meticulous with when he had more time.

While Angora failed to understand the first cue, she was familiar enough with this behavior.
"A grooming then? Well alright. Let's get those loose scales and ticks." she commented, climbing the wyvern and starting with his back and all the generally hard to reach places. She she got to it however, she could somewhat sense Veris wasn't entirely pleased.

"I'm sorry I can't understand you Veris. I may have some magic I don't even know of, but talking to others like you without Raclaw... well, not sure if I can, but I would like to try. Your master may hate me, but he did gave me good advice in telling me I should practice it. Maybe I'll discover something incredible. Heh, ironic isn't it? A lonely troll with no magic or family, just roaming the land surviving the old fashioned way, and look at me now. I have friends, a family, and I seem to befriend large, strong creatures like you. I mean, I don't quite get why you like me when your master doesn't, but... it feels nice." Angora expressed as she groomed him, really enjoying talking to Veris even if she couldn't understand him. It took her back to those days in the caves of Darkmatter's world, where the wyvern was the only one who ever consoled her before Maverick entered the picture and Shade pleaded loyalty to her.

Ilasi gave a pleased smile at Maverick's mention of his appreciation for their sea outings. "Of course, there's still so much more I want to see myself. Places I want to go, not as a worker, but as a sightseer. I'm hoping that one day, I'll have the chance. Perhaps you have a few ideas of places you would like to show me around..."
As the two approached the town, guard towers could be seen, with some islanders manning them, on the lookout for something - besides that, however, the place seemed relatively peaceful. Many of the townspeople, both men and women, carried arms of one sort of another - but with the creatures on the island, few could blame them.

Veris rolled his head back and forth and let out a low growl to show that he was following along. Even if he couldn't communicate the playtime he wanted, this was nice and soothing. He began falling into complete relaxation, beginning to drift to sleep.

Laszur took the javelin from Shade, satisfied with the result. "Not bad," he said. "Let's try going a little farther this time." Taking the same javelin, he tossed it again, this time managing about twice the distance before it sank itself in the sand. Simple exercises like this would accustom Shade to following orders...

Maverick had visited his fair share of places as a traveling merchant, but there was still so much that remained.
"Well, I use to walk around with my job, but flying is much easier. Perhaps one day when Oscurito finally earns his freedom, we can fly around places. We can visit places each of us visited before, or we just land wherever we can. We'll just have to of course do a little research before setting foot on certain p,aces, but still, part of the fun is not knowing your destination." Maverick commented, having a heavy spirit of adventure, but aware that cautiousness was always a must in any scenario. As they talked, they had reached the town in what looked like no time. Time almost looked like it stood still on that island, and even the sun looked frozen in place. Now that they arrived there, it was time to meet the locals and observe what they valued the most. Maverick wanted to wait for Angora, but he figured she would be busy with that wild wyvern for a while.

Quote: A Guy

Veris rolled his head back and forth and let out a low growl to show that he was following along. Even if he couldn't communicate the playtime he wanted, this was nice and soothing. He began falling into complete relaxation, beginning to drift to sleep.

Angora continued with the grooming, not finding any ticks but finding many loose scales in places he couldn't scratch. While Veris was slightly smaller than Shade, his skin was harder to manage. She hit her chin when Veris suddenly laid down, just being lazy.
"Oh boy, don't tell me you're falling asleep now? You silly beast." she commented casually, seeing how Veris was seemingly prepared to do just that. While she wanted to meet with Maverick and Ilasi later, they would have to go along without her if she had to stay with Veris, although knowing that mermaid, she wasn't going to mind.

After a while, she didn't know if Veris was asleep or dozing off, but she had grown tired of all the hard grooming, so she took a little rest by lying her head above his, looking at the sky. She then looked at the fang Veris gifted her some time ago, having it around her neck but always having the tendency to get behind it when she moved around too much. She stopped turning it to the front after some time, but right now, she wanted to look at it. What will happen today? There was still the meeting from the stranger of the orb. She took the sphere out and wondered if he was going to communicate with her. She was making him wait after all. She wanted to ask if he was upset about it, but didn't dare to talk to him, so she put the artifact away in her pocket again, taking this little while to just enjoy the scenery while using Veris as a giant bed.

Maverick and Ilasi were welcomed by many curious townsfolk as they came through. They had already received word that the furry human was part of the crew of the recently-arrived ship - the mermaid would obviously be from that same ship, with how close they were. There were all sorts of different species, thrown together from people happening across the island by accident over time and eventually settling.

Though Veris was seemingly sleeping for about 10 minutes, he eventually woke up, having just dozed off for a moment. As he came up, he let out a long yawn.

Maverick was loving what he was seeing. The townspeople were so kind and diverse in species that he knew a combination like that meant there was no room for judging.
"Nice place indeed, eh Ilasi? I wouldn't mind a little establishment here. Too bad it's around such a dangerous ocean." Maverick expressed, fascinated by what he was seeing. The town was small and not particularly impressive to look at, yet Maverick was still nevertheless fascinated by the place. The restaurants were tiny and more often than not without a roof. Something he noticed was that there wasn't any stores or merchandisers save for a few stands that sold general things like clothes and household utensils.
"Hmm, what do you think Ilasi? Should we try selling stuff here? The things around here seem so simple. And the currency may not be the same as in Aelinon. Whatever money we get here, it's probably not going to be useful anywhere else." Maverick analyzed, some careful observation leading him to that conclusion. He could try to sell his things for some of the local objects rather than money, but nothing he has found useful yet. He wanted Ilasi's opinion about what should be done next.

Angora was briefly lifted up by his head, having moved a little with the yawn.
"Good morning you enormous fiend. Slept well?" Angora asked teasingly, in the mood for a little rough play like how she used to do with Shade. But this wasn't Shade, so she decided not to treat Veris the same way. Even as of now, she was trying to understand Veris' language, but so far no success. Perhaps the stranger from the orb could help her? She would discover it soon enough...

"The captain did say the people here would be paying in gold," Ilasi said. "We can probably exchange gold in most places... but we can find out once we start meeting people to trade with." Ilasi hoped that the traders would be as friendly as everyone appeared initially.

Maverick hadn't seen anything resembling gold, but that was certainly a currency used pre actively anywhere.
"Muy bien then, so what do we know so far? The people here seemed to have very simple lives. Let's see now, clothes, house utensils, hunting weapons, nets... oh, and a blacksmith. Obviously, probably to protect themselves from the wildlife here." Maverick theorizes as he noticed a blacksmith a little further away from they were standing, doubting a place like that existed due to any problem with societies like Aelinon was right now.
"Ok Ilasi. Here's the inventory. I was thinking of walking around to sell stuff instead of opening a stand like it's usually done. I think people here would prefer if the stuff come to them, especially if they're carrying heavy gold." Maverick then suggested, giving the inventory to Ilasi so she could bphelp check and organize the listed items for sale.

Veris may have slept for a little while, but he still seemed lazy. Angora then climbed to his snout, believing he wouldn't mind.
"So then, this is the way you see the world, huh? Must be nice being this tall." Angora commented to the wyvern, looking at him eye to eye. It was at this close proximity that she could see the details.
"Oh wow, your eyes are really beautiful, you know that? Almost hypnotic." she complimented, able to see her entire body's reflection in his eyes.

Veris closed his eyes for a moment as he gave Angora a toothy grin to show is contentedness - not that Angora would have an easy time seeing from her perspective. Hearing Angora's comment on his perspective, he picked himself up, bringing his head as high as possible to give her a better view. Veris was really pleased to have this more personal moment, not being used to much more than having hos needs tended to.

Angora was so surprised at how gentle Veris could be. He let her climb, tickle, groom and even feed him without any kind of harm. It was hard to imagine their first meeting was him tackling her with most likely the intention to kill before Sere stopped him. Angora sighed before speaking again.
"I bet Sere never does this with you, does he boy? I know he has a hard job and stuff, but he really must find the time to do things like that. You have seen Maverick and Dahlia, haven't you? Everyone else thinks that buffalo is just a mount, but she's much more than that to him." Angora commented, finding so much contrast between how Sere and her friend treated the ones they used as transportation.
"But I'm here now... and, I'll be yours for a while. After all, you've been locked in that enclosure for so long I know you need the fresh air. We'll return to your space only when you say so." Angora said, lying down on his snout with her guard completely low so she could show the wyvern just how much she trusted him. Looking below her, she could see some the fangs that overlapped his mouth, and was reminded of what she couldn't do to Shade. As much as she loved and trusted the wyvern, that's where she drew the line. Shade had control of his bite, but Veris probably didn't, so she wasn't going to take that risk.