darkSpyro

Sere shook his head, rubbing his chin on his fist as he gave a frustrated grunt. "That is most definitely uncalled for. Laszur should be back up before too long; We'll see what we can do about finding this individual, or at least preventing any such future incidents," he assured Maverick. Did news spread that quickly? Was someone overhearing things? Or did word get out some other way? So many possibilities - none of which he really liked.

Veris crawled slowly towards Angora until he was right above her; lowering himself, he brought his snout by Angora and brought her in close to him. "Don't leave," he tried to communicate in a series of wyvern noises. "Stay here. Don't go." If only his ideas could get through to her...

"Señor? Any ideas on who... and why this was done? I don't think that whoever did this had the wrong cabin." Maverick said, not seeing how anyone could make such a vital mistake in cabins. Someone was specifically targeting it.

Quote: A Guy

Veris crawled slowly towards Angora until he was right above her; lowering himself, he brought his snout by Angora and brought her in close to him. "Don't leave," he tried to communicate in a series of wyvern noises. "Stay here. Don't go." If only his ideas could get through to her...

Angora almost lost color in her face. Did she just heard Veris... talking? Was Neo giving her the power right now? But she didn't ask for it, and she would've sensed it if he had done something.
"Veris?" she said, not certain if she had heard right. Or was she just delusional. Or was she finally understanding his language.
"Did... did you just say, don't leave? Stay?" Angora asked, not feeling the need to repeat each one. Is that was Veris truly talking, not only this was a crucial development in her powers. She now knew that the wyvern she took great care of didn't want her gone.

Sere closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head once again. "Maverick... I'll be frank with you. Angora - I learned today that she was communicating with the enemy. Being manipulated by them. And such a thing perhaps allowed the enemy to track us, and attack us when we were preparing to act against them. I accused her of disloyalty... I said that I should've killed her, and that I wanted to kill her. Banewood - he convinced me otherwise."
Sere stopped to look down for a few moments, contemplating his actions. "I have gone too far. I played right into the enemy's hands. I should've stopped to consider what circumstances led to such a thing, and how to correct them. Not only did I not do so, I failed to take countermeasures against being overheard. If that is what happened... then that would explain that action."
Sere took a deep breath before letting out a long, exasperated sigh, his chin resting on his hand. "It's been a long time since I have been so uncertain of my own actions. I have only had to lead my own Guardians before... I do not know how to keep us safe from the enemy anymore. For they do not just attack us physically..." Sere slowly walked back to his seat at his desk, before sitting down. He didn't immediately dismiss Maverick.

Veris gave an excited look as Angora responded. Was she truly understanding him? "Yes! Stay! Don't leave! You can't leave me!" he pleaded, trying hard to get through to her. If Angora truly understood him, maybe she wouldn't leave. Understanding him... if she could do that, things would be so much better. She had been so good to him, even without being able to understand his language - but perhaps he was just thinking wishfully?

After Sere's explanation, Maverick looked for a moment like he wasn't breathing. It was too much dreadful information in one go. So that was what was bothering Angora? After a very long pause, he finally talked.
"So that's why Mischief saw her that way. I... lo siento señor. I should've known something was deeply wrong with Angorita. She was sad. Hurt. So very much... and I neglected her. I didn't talk to her with the frequency I should've had." Maverick apologized, believing it was also his fault. He had spend so much time with his girlfriend that he left his dear friend in the shadow for too long. He left her right at enemy hands. He didn't know how they could talk to her, but imagined magic was involved.

He had to take another pause before continuing.
"I'm glad you decided not to kill her señor. Like you said, she was manipulated. I'm certain of it. There is no way she would betray anyone on purpose, and certainly not willingly. I know her well capitán. I do. I'm meeting her in a few minutes. Por favor señor, try to be easy on her. I apologize if she could never fully adapt to your regime, and show respect in a proper way, and of course, about this mess, but I can assure you, it's not her fault." Maverick pleaded, knowing too well that her vulnerability was partly due to how hard and cruel the Guardians were to her, especially Latnok. There was no other explanation for such vulnerability. That had to be most of the reason. Angora was usually not easy to manipulate. He found it shocking that Sere was finally recognizing that he was being too hard on her, so perhaps there was still hope for a better treatment. If Banewood was the one to thank, he was going to be certain he had the thanks he deserved.

Quote: A Guy

Veris gave an excited look as Angora responded. Was she truly understanding him? "Yes! Stay! Don't leave! You can't leave me!" he pleaded, trying hard to get through to her. If Angora truly understood him, maybe she wouldn't leave. Understanding him... if she could do that, things would be so much better. She had been so good to him, even without being able to understand his language - but perhaps he was just thinking wishfully?

Angora understood every word, except the last leave me. Her powers still needed some work, but she could still understand plenty. This was quite the predicament. All those nightmares she had about Veris wanting to keep her and possibly be angry at her if she left, it wasn't simple paranoia after all.
"Veris... I... I don't know. The Guardians, you know they have never been fond of me. I don't want you to be sad. We have been through a lot in this journey. But... staying with you? It... you're sure it will work?" Angora asked, almost saying it won't work in that last sentence, but she didn't want to agitate Veris any further. Now she understood just how used to her company the wyvern has gotten. Their bonding, their routine, it has reached the point where he didn't want to end it. But how could it work? Even if Sere accepted, she couldn't contemplate herself spending the rest of her life as a caretaker in Guardian headquarters. Perhaps if he knew Sere considered killing her today, he would change his mind. But she couldn't do that. It would devastate him even further, not to mention that she didn't want to stain Veris' view of his master.

Sere turned back to his drafts, not immediately able to come to terms with everything he could have done differently. "I'll leave her be," he said. "Please make sure she's doing okay. Laszur and I will see about catching this vandal. If you do not immediately need anything else from me, you are dismissed."

Veris picked his head up, giving Angora a hopeful look. "It will work! I will speak to my human! Fur dragon will help me speak to my human! It will work! You will stay!" As far as Veris was concerned, there was absolutely no doubt that Angora would be accepted if he wanted her.

During the conversation, Angora remembered he still had to pick the rest of the dead skin. She already started, so there was no point in stopping, even though right now, she wanted to leave so badly.
"Ok then..." was all she managed to say, extremely worried. What else could she say? That she didn't want to spend the rest of her life taking care of him? He was going to be devastated, and likely angry. She even started to wonder if he would go as far as to hurt her if she said she didn't want to come. Couldn't this day get any worse? She learned that the man from the orb just wanted to use her, had a horrible time with Sere earlier, and now she learned Veris wanted to keep her forever. And there was more to come. There was still a matter of following up Banewood's plan to stop this mad society, a plan that greatly included her. She felt like the universe was conspiring against her. What was she going to tell her friends? They had their lives ahead of them, but they might still want her around. But worse, how will Sere react to the news? Would he be angry at her for bonding with Veris way too much? She was certain he would want to keep his mount happy. He had to if he wanted to keep him effective in both battle and travel. If they survived their encounter with this society and returned to the main land, she was going to have to face this new situation. Now how was she suppose to get out of this one?

Quote: A Guy

Sere turned back to his drafts, not immediately able to come to terms with everything he could have done differently. "I'll leave her be," he said. "Please make sure she's doing okay. Laszur and I will see about catching this vandal. If you do not immediately need anything else from me, you are dismissed."

"I will." Maverick replied, leaving the stressed captain to himself. His eyes went red with sorrow. He went to a corner to sob quietly for a while before returning to the main deck. How was he suppose to face Angora now? He believed she would be so upset with him for leaving her alone. He had a girlfriend, but that didn't mean he had to neglect her so much. He had to tell Ilasi about this. She knew she didn't like spending too much time away from him, but she had to know what was going on. Even if it meant neglecting her for a while, Maverick had to spend more time with Angora now. She needed him now more than ever. She needed his support. She had Mischief to talk to now, but she arrived very recently and looked a little emotionally unstable, so she wasn't the best to vent with right now. Veris might've been a source of comfort for a while, but it clearly hand't been enough. He had to find her. He had to talk to her...

Maverick nodded back, knowing he couldn't talk to Shade, but nothing stipulated that he couldn't look or nod at him. He awaited the day he could talk to him permanently, but for now, there were more important matters to attend to. Banewood seemed to be with Ilasi, and while he wanted to thank him now, speaking to Angora was top priority at the moment.

He reached the cabin again to encounter a slumbering Mischief. She looked so adorable that way, big size and pointy fangs aside. Angora still wasn't there. Where could she be? With Veris? Even with how she was feeling? That was some dedication if that was the case. If she didn't come, he was going to find her himself.

Ilasi was just finishing up her water purification, when she was approached by Banewood - who had restored his mask for now. There would be time for a proper reveal later, perhaps once Sere felt it necessary.
"Ilasi," Banewood said as he presented the orb encased in wood, with Ilasi looked on curiously as he did so. The wood would splinter and break apart just slightly enough to reveal what it was covering.
"This orb is imbued with a divination spell - among many other things. The divination spell is distinct from the rest of the magic. The Ishulgites have been using it to track us - but we are planning to use this spell against them. We need you to modify the spell in order to allow us to control it."
Ilasi gingerly took the encased orb from Banewood. "Uh... yes sir. So a divination spell... modifying it. I can take a look at it. I think I can manage.. it might take me some time, but it shouldn't be anything too difficult, right? Just changing some things... yes, don't worry about me. I can do it..." Ilasi wasn't completely sure she could do it, but was confident that she could at least figure something out. "Yes, leave it to me."
"Very well," Banewood said, letting the rest of the wood break apart enough for Ilasi to open it. "You should be able to get more details from it once you analyze it. Good luck."
"Thank you, sir," Ilasi said, as she prepared to head back to her cain.

Tyraika quietly followed Shade. She didn't react to seeing Maverick and simply gave him a glance with a neutral expression. She remained quiet while Shade addressed Risar, as she figured the minotaur wouldn't understand her anyway. Tyraika barely made eye contact with the minotaur, a bit nervous as to what he might say.

Meanwhile at Veris' enclosure, Angora was finishing up picking all of the dead skin from the wyvern's body. It didn't took her long, since most of it was already falling off for itself, and all it took was some simple rubbing. But in that little time, she wondered what she could say to Veris to make him change his mind about keeping her... but nothing came. He seemed pretty adamant in the decision. She came up with something only after finishing up with the grooming.
"I'm glad I can finally talk with you Veris. I'm glad... I can finally understand you. I must leave for a while now. Speak with your master if you must... but... don't keep your hopes way too high, you know, just in case. There is a slight chance he may not accept." Angora said, not wanting to involve herself. How could she tell Veris that she didn't want to spend the rest of her life taking care of him? She could try visiting often, but taking care of him permanently meant working with the Guardians, and serving the wyvern forever was practically going to be slavery. Imprisonment. She loved Veris very much, but that life wasn't one she wanted.

Then suddenly, she remembered what Sere called her. Selfish. Was she going to be selfish if she didn't comply to Veris' wishes.
"I'll... see you later." she said to her large friend as she prepared to leave, uncertain on what to do. The most important thing right now was stopping this society, but even if they succeed, she would still have to face this new predicament...

Veris gave Angora a confused grunt. "What's wrong?" he asked, unsure if she doubted Sere would approve her or if she had some other concern. "Maybe you need food! Food will make you feel better!" Veris wasn't going to make any further effort to stop Angora from leaving, however, and he set himself back down, preparing to take a nap.

With the orb in hand, Ilasi headed back to her cabin. Though she could use a bite to eat, she figured that it could wait until after she at least got an idea of what sort of spell the orb had. Entering her cabin, she noted a few hairs from Dahia - that could be cleaned up later, however.
Breaking off the wood surrounding the orb, Ilasi sat down on her bed and began her analysis. There was so much magic in such a small device - most of which was unrecognizable to her.
Most.
With a bit of efort, she was able to home in on familiar askects - a divination spell. Multiple triggers - mostly controlled from one end, though certain elements from another end could cause it to activate. The very basic framework was there - she just had to delve a bit deeper....

"I will eat later. Don't worry." Angora assured, seeing him lie down, no doubt about to take a nap after his meal. It has been a while since she gave him since exercise, but with the society threat at large, not to mention this new development, looms like she wasn't going to any time soon.

She headed to the cabin, where Maverick had been waiting, watching over Mischief. But he couldn't stand waiting any longer. What if Angora had left the ship, or worse? He was about to look for her when she opened the door. She was so deep in thought she didn't noticed the message on the door.
"There you are Angorita. I was thinking you weren't going to come." he said, almost sounding like a scold.
"Had to attend Veris. He didn't eat for a while, and he hates his meals late." she explained, deciding to let their little conversation a secret for now. Maverick sensed her concern, but assumed it was only because of what happened to Sere.
"Señor Sere told me everything Angorita. About... what happened in his office." he said melancholically, but Angora shrugged it off. The crying from earlier really helped her get it all out.
"Well... that was fast. I didn't think he would've told you. I can assure you, we wouldn't be speaking right now if it wasn't for Banewood. He was THIS close to sentencing me to death." Angora said, though she sounded more angry than sad or worried like in a few minutes ago.
"Well then, what a really cool guy. Imagine going to your defense like that, and you barely know each other." Maverick said with a smile, feeling like Angora was blessed. Banewood really came at the right time, otherwise he didn't doubt Sere would've gotten away with it. How Banewood managed to convince Sere not to go along with such a horrid decision was incredible, and was curious on how he did it. He would ask Angora later though, since he didn't want to revive the awful time, especially being so recent.

Instead, they talked about other things, mostly to make sure Angora would be fine, and in a low voice to make sure Mischief didn't wake up. During their conversation, Angora finally noticed the door. Maverick didn't want to tell her, but she insisted. He to,d her about the words written, and suddenly, the noise she heard behind the office door back then made sense. She didn't say anything due to that conversation being tense enough as it was, but now she feared someone was going to spread the news about her betrayal, and she would be back to square one in terms on how the sailors saw her.
"No te preocupes Angorita. Señor Sere already knows, and he's going to take every measure he can to find the culprit." Maverick assured, but Angora was still disheartened. From that incident to now, the news could've already spread. And just when she thought this day couldn't get any worse. But perhaps there was still time to redeem herself... by defeating this society...

OOC: Sorry about the delay, haven't had internet access since yesterday. I'd make a more thorough post but I'm half asleep.
Darkheart nodded and attempted to summarize. "So a howl is the most thorough at revealing emotions, and a bark is excitement of some sort... That all seems simple enough."
Mischief slept hard, utterly exhausted both physically and emotionally. Her other self, however, was listening closely. As long as Mischief's body was at all functional, she could, but the darker side only recently developed an interest in cooperating. When the vixen finally woke up, she sleepily opened her eyes and mumbled. Something about her pack. It wasn't anything coherent, and indeed she wasn't fully conscious anyway. Finally something coherent came up. "Hungry..." She shifted onto her side a little and yawned wide.

Angora and Maverick talked for a while until the former suggested going to the main deck.
"Banewood, he has a plan to stop the society. And I can help." she said, not going into detail, but Maverick was extremely concerned.
"You mean the ones that attacked us? But..." he began saying, not liking the idea of having Angora involved. True, she defeated Darkmatter, but things may be different this time. With what he has seem, he knew they were dangerous. How was it possible that the few of the, on the ship could beat them.
"There is a plan Maverick. We just need to follow it thoroughly. You know they have to be stopped. If not us, who?" Angora said, making him think, but the moment was interrupted with the awakening Mischief.
"Uh oh. Somebody's hungry. Can you get something for Mischief this once? If she can get up, take her to the kitchen." Angora asked, knowing Maverick wouldn't deny her a favor. He went alongside Mischief and waited for her to awaken properly.

Angora headed to the main deck, ready for the plan. She still had the Veris issue in her head, but she would deal with that later. This was most important. She searched for the wood man, when she remembered something about getting Ilasi. She couldn't see the mermaid from there, so she assumed they were in Sere's office by now. She hated the idea of returning there, so she waited there...

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Soon enough Shade encountered Maverick. He looked at Tyraika then back at Maverick. He simply gave a nod knowing he couldn’t talk to him at the moment. He then Saw Risar and went to him. “Excuse me mr Risar I want to talk to the captain. I know he is busy and Ilasi is probably busy as well but I want to ask permission if I can have my mother heal Tyraikas wounds they look pretty bad. And with his permission I would like to accompany her.”

"Hmm?," Risar said listening but doubting that doubting that Sere would grant the Dragolet's request. Shade's mother, like the other dragolets, had been left on the island and that potentially meant extending his range of freedom. The captain had been sheldon forthcoming with such a thing, but regardless-- he would at least relay the request. "Very well, Risar will inform the captain that you wish to speak. Wait here.," the minotaur then said briefly crossing his arms and leaving to knock on the captain's door...

---

Quote:

Darkheart nodded and attempted to summarize. "So a howl is the most thorough at revealing emotions, and a bark is excitement of some sort... That all seems simple enough."

"Yes-- you've got it so far, although everything has its exceptions and variables. For instance, a bark can shift into a while depending on the emotional emotional intonation affecting changing it's tone and meaning. A whine, depending on the context, can similarly shift tone to that of a simple no for instance-- such as answering a human's question as to rather or not the tonic is right. But all will be revealed in time. For now, Chester and I will carry out a simple conversation and we will see what you can interpret.," Raclaw responded offering more insight and looking to Chester. Beyond simply explaining, they had to start somewhere after all.

"Morning Chester!," Raclaw began with his signature smile -- a characteristic that he was much more capable of presenting verses that of the typical Canine. The greeting would come out as two barks, with a combined happy/friendly tone that could be observable if one was paying attention. "Morning Raclaw!" Chester soon responded carrying the same tone. They would carry on a brief conversation concerning the weather, how they used to feel and now felt about the water, and about their dreams the previous night so as to add some diversity to the range of emotions. "So tell me.. what did you make of that?," Raclaw would then ask.

OOC: I had to cut it short, but feel free to improvise with the interpretation.

As Angora waited for Banewood to show up on the main deck again, she went to a spot on the main deck where not many sailors gathered, and look at the island.
"I did have hope. I really did. You talk about how I betrayed you, but how do you think I feel?" she said in a low voice, imagining talking to Shepherd, or whatever his name was. She didn't think no one was actually listening, particularly because she used a low voice and didn't try to target anyone with telepathy, not to mention not having the orb with her anymore, so the comment was mostly for herself, to try venting and feel better about what was going on, and how she was played like a fool. But thinking back, the fools were them. If they hadn't sent that attack to the ship yesterday, she wouldn't have seen them for what they really are, and she would've gone to them when they asked. She still almost lost her life to Sere for being honest, so she owed Banewood her very life. She needed to find a way to thank properly. She still believed Sere was going to be disappointed in her somehow, someday, but that couldn't be helped now, could it? Especially now that there was this issue with Veris, and that is assuming Banewood's plan worked and they survived...

Mischief groaned and weakly pushed herself up. Her eyes were both blue again. She stroked her growling belly. "Oh... How long was I out..? I'm starving..." Her head still hurt a bit. Everything felt a bit fuzzy, and not in a good way. "Thirsty too..." She stroked a throat sore from crying, shouting, and general distress, not to mention not drinking enough. She finally noticed Maverick. "Hi Mister Maverick..."
Darkheart tilted her head, able to make out the absolute basic bits. "Uh, you started with a greeting... Which makes sense... Brought up something about the current conditions, felt kinda like the ages old 'nice weather huh' exchange, maybe a bit after about... Hint of nostalgia to it but also more recent thoughts... I suspect the past and present of some subject... And the last bit involved something more recent but not immediate, involved something vaguely fantastical." She thought a bit harder. "Dreams, perhaps? That seems like what the last bit was but I'm more guessing. It just seems to fit the emotions."

"Hola Mischief." Maverick greeted back, wondering if she was with the energy to get up. Ilasi was better in judging conditions.
"Can you stand? We can go to the kitchen." he asked, willing to do Angora the favor but still thinking about her, and how she was doing...

Mischief took a bit to get up. She was still a bit wobbly, but managed to stand. She tried not to drool at the thought of food, and as per usual wasn't entirely successful. Of course, she was also desperately thirsty, so she'd need a drink too. Running her tongue along her teeth, she whined eagerly.

Quote:

Darkheart tilted her head, able to make out the absolute basic bits. "Uh, you started with a greeting... Which makes sense... Brought up something about the current conditions, felt kinda like the ages old 'nice weather huh' exchange, maybe a bit after about... Hint of nostalgia to it but also more recent thoughts... I suspect the past and present of some subject... And the last bit involved something more recent but not immediate, involved something vaguely fantastical." She thought a bit harder. "Dreams, perhaps? That seems like what the last bit was but I'm more guessing. It just seems to fit the emotions."

"A morning greeting, a bit of age old small talk, the discussion of something past and present, and fantastical dreams-- that's correct.," Raclaw said with a confirming bark from the nearby Chester. "The bit about the past and present was about the water. You see-- Chester and I weren't always fond of it, ironic right?," the fur dragon than said very much aware of the irony of two seabound companions being afraid of the very thing that surrounded them. It had been a fear that once gotten him into a great deal of trouble in his youth. His mind briefly recalled a past adventure with an domesticated hawk.

As she waited, Angora realized she was hungry. Banewood and the others probably won't take so long in the office, but even so, Angora decided to take a quick detour to the kitchen to get some snacks. If she was going to be a big part of the plan, she had to make sure she didn't have an empty stomach. With everything going on, she was quite stressed, and sometimes eating calmed her down. Sounded a lot like Veris, but she just rolled her eyes at the thought.

Quote: darknessdawn

Mischief took a bit to get up. She was still a bit wobbly, but managed to stand. She tried not to drool at the thought of food, and as per usual wasn't entirely successful. Of course, she was also desperately thirsty, so she'd need a drink too. Running her tongue along her teeth, she whined eagerly.

Maverick scoffed quietly, finding it funny how Mischief, being bipedal and very capable of speech and complex emotion still acted much like a cub. Her transformation was fairly recent, so no wondering there. He went to the kitchen as well, already knowing more or less what she liked. He was also going to take something to Angora, not knowing that she was already there...

Darkheart tilted her head more, curious. "You didn't like water, meaning... What? Not being fond of something can refer to anything from outright hate or fear to a simple preference to avoid it." She was dying to know what he meant.
Mischief grabbed some juicier fruit, peeled the thicker skinned ones, then squeezed them into a bowl. She sipped the resulting, extremely sweet mixture. If she still had a tail it would be wagging. She also devoured several more fruits, then queried "Do we have any fish on board? I'm craving fish." Her coat could use the oils anyway. She started to clean her paws off before finally registering Angora. She offered some of the handmade juice.

"Fish? Sure. Many of the sailors here prefer meat, so there's plenty. One would think that being at the ocean would be the other way around." he joked, having made several platters with fish to make the others crave them. He was about to get some for Mischief when he saw Angora.
"Oh, hola Angorita. What are you doing here? Hungry?" he asked, had to be since she fed Veris not too long ago, and it wasn't good to give him many snacks.
"You didn't need to. I was going to get you some." he then said as Angora accepted the juice. She wanted meat, but took some fish as well. She was eating voraciously, making Maverick wonder if she was anxious.
"Don't worry Maverick. Just simple stress for having this jerk society attacking us." she assured, which wasn't entirely a lie since that was one of the many things that had her so stressed. Maverick didn't want to press her, so he accepted the answer.

The trio ate, him grabbing a snack as well now that he was there. It was a small moment, but an awesome one nonetheless. Like Angora, Maverick also missed the times where Shade and the troll were his traveling companions, navigating around the world, having adventures and selling stuff for a living. What he wouldn't give to have those moments back, but he had faith that things will be back the way they use to soon, with the only exception being that he will have his beloved girlfriend with them. He firmly believed she would accept. She could fly on Shade and have some ocassional girl talks with Angora. And with the way things were going, he didn't mind if Mischief became a new traveling companion as well.

Mischief was, as always, happy to see Angora. Just one other member of her little pack was missing, and she wiggled delightedly. She enjoyed any time with them she could get, and it was self evident. She was also enjoying the meal, of course. Right now, she felt good again. Something nagged at the back of her mind. The Ishulgites need to be brought down, before these lovely moments can't happen anymore... The grim thought failed to taint her emotions, but there was a certain feeling of extreme protectiveness the other two likely could notice just looking at her.

Angora wanted to enjoy this moment completely, but she still had many thoughts bothering her. For one, she wanted to tell Maverick her exact play in Banewood's plan. He already knew she was going to help, but didn't know exactly how. And even if they succeeded, they would have to return to the mainland at some time. Not only was Shade technically still a prisoner of Aelinon, she also had to deal with the possibility of practically being a prisoner herself. If Sere found out about how much her time with Veris has changed the wyvern, chances were that, even if he didn't like it, he needed his mount happy and efficient, and Angora was part of that now. She still didn't know how she was going to deal with it. Perhaps she could convince Raclaw to talk to him? But it wasn't fair bringing him to the problem. Maybe Sere could convince him. But what if he couldn't?

There would be time to think about that. For now, the main priority was to stop the society. And maybe if Shade had a big part in it, his sentence with Aelinon could be depleted. Maybe not completely, but anything could help. There will be time to think of the future. Right now, the moment that counted was this one. Just her, Maverick and the new friend Mischief. It would've been perfect if Shade could be with them, and in part Ilasi, but this was all she had right now. A moment that would only last minutes, so she had to empty her mind and enjoy it as much as she could.

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Darkheart tilted her head more, curious. "You didn't like water, meaning... What? Not being fond of something can refer to anything from outright hate or fear to a simple preference to avoid it." She was dying to know what he bettermeant.

"Fear.," Raclaw confirmed with Chester offering a whine/bark-- similar but different to the previous confirmation bark. "Same for Chester-- he wasn't particularly pleased when I had to give him a bath once.," he then added with Chester giving a series of whines and barks. "But we got better, didn't we?," the Beagle said. "Yes-- we got better. The both of us.," Raclaw himself then said confirming the canine's input.

After a hefty meal, Amgora was ready to head back to the deck.
"Thank you for this moment guys. Take care, and you..." she said, addressing to Mischief.
"... behave yourself, yes?" she concluded, almost sounding like joking, but wasn't.
"De nada. We'll go with you Angorita." Maverick suggested, wanting to support his dear friend.
"Alright. But go to Dahlia first. She's usually so alone. And introduce her to Mischief. Slowly of course. That buffalo needs to learn not to be afraid of everyone that is or looks like a predator." Angora suggested, with Maverick agreeing. Dahlia still was nervous around strangers, even more so predators, so this could be some great progress. Angora was glad she accepted, since she didn't want Maverick or Mischief to listen to the risky part of the plan to stop the Ishulgites.

Back at her cabin, Ilasi continued to analyze the spell. It certainly seemed like it was just shoehorned in along with all of the other wild magic in the orb. It felt almost dangerous to play around with - but she believed she could handle it with enough effort. Whatever these people were up to, they had to be stopped. She thought back to how one of their soldier creatures attacked her before Maverick came to her rescue...
These people were dangerous Someone had to do something.

As Angora went to the main deck, Maverick drank some milk to go along with his light snack. He offered some to Mischief.
"Want some? It's very good. After this, we can visit Dahlia. She's my other dear friend. She's a dirt buffalo that gives rides whenever we need it. She's no dragon, but she runs fast." Maverick explained proudly, certain that Mischief would like Dahlia, assuming the buffalo could overcome whatever fear she feels.

Meanwhile-- Risar knocked on the Captain's door.

Sere, not having been able to get resettled for any length of time, received yet another knock on the door. Though he was annoyed, he tried not to show it as he approached, opening the door to reveal Risar behind it (though he might have been able to identify the minotaur from his footsteps if he hadn't been distracted.)
Good afternoon, Risar," Sere greeted. "What needs my attention?"

"It's Shade, Captain. The Dragolet wishes to speak to you-- he wishes to ask permission to have his mother heal Tyraika's wounds .. and he wishes to accompany her.," Risar responded with a polite nod relying the request as promised. He doubted that Sere would accept.

Mischief nodded nervously at Angora. When offered milk she enthusiastically accepts. "Dirt buffalo? What's a dirt buffalo?" she asks between swallows.
Darkheart nodded. "I see. Fear... It's a strange thing. It can make the most reasonable person utterly irrational. I've seen it turn famous warriors into pliable jelly... Actually, I'll be honest, I weaponized fear to turn those warriors into said jelly. They're easier to kill that way, and I've pretty much always been an object of fear to... Everyone..." Flashbacks hit her like a landslide, and she suddenly went limp, collapsing as every muscle just... Stopped. Her mother, who never finished the post-hatching grooming session. Her father, who tossed her into the nearest river. The common folk, who'd run on sight. Her mysterious and nameless rescuer, nothing more than a voice hiding in her shadow, and who she hadn't heard from in centuries. All these memories and more came up in a giant surge. For several moments her eyes turned feral. Then it finished and she saw she'd ended up on the floor. "Ohhhhh... Why now?"

As predicted, Sere was less than willing to accept such a proposal. "Shade isn't going anywhere, and the only way Tyraika will be leaving our presence for now is with a collar on her," he asserted. "She still may be able to help us get a lead on Raclaw's parents - or lead us somewhere we might be able to do so - and I would prefer we have her socialized enough to comfortably interact with humanoids before we let her loose." Sere waited for an answer from Risar, but didn't feel the need to give the minotaur a formal dismissal.

Quote: darknessdawn

Mischief nodded nervously at Angora. When offered milk she enthusiastically accepts. "Dirt buffalo? What's a dirt buffalo?" she asks between swallows.

"Well, it's a buffalo, sort of like a big bull. They're called dirt Buffaloes cause they can get dirty easily with their fur, but they live mostly in the desert." Maverick explained patiently, the dirt buffalo being very common in certain places. Unfortunately, they are one of the main sources of meat for big, wild dragons, so Dahlia's fear of his giant friend was more than justified.

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As predicted, Sere was less than willing to accept such a proposal. "Shade isn't going anywhere, and the only way Tyraika will be leaving our presence for now is with a collar on her," he asserted. "She still may be able to help us get a lead on Raclaw's parents - or lead us somewhere we might be able to do so - and I would prefer we have her socialized enough to comfortably interact with humanoids before we let her loose." Sere waited for an answer from Risar, but didn't feel the need to give the minotaur a formal dismissal.

"Ah. Risar figured as much, Captain.," the minotaur said with a nod. "Raclaw, Darkheart-- those two are socialized, safe; the former in particular. Tyraika, Shade-- I see improvement, but those two ask too much too soon. Perhaps some day... but not now and not today.," he then said seemingly in full agreement with the captain. Indeed; he had seen Shade at least try to improve, but not enough. And as for Tyraika, She had only barely just began proper training and *human* socialization. Risar gave a nod and prepared to leave, although he waited for any response.

---
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Mischief nodded nervously at Angora. When offered milk she enthusiastically accepts. "Dirt buffalo? What's a dirt buffalo?" she asks between swallows.
Darkheart nodded. "I see. Fear... It's a strange thing. It can make the most reasonable person utterly irrational. I've seen it turn famous warriors into pliable jelly... Actually, I'll be honest, I weaponized fear to turn those warriors into said jelly. They're easier to kill that way, and I've pretty much always been an object of fear to... Everyone..." Flashbacks hit her like a landslide, and she suddenly went limp, collapsing as every muscle just... Stopped. Her mother, who never finished the post-hatching grooming session. Her father, who tossed her into the nearest river. The common folk, who'd run on sight. Her mysterious and nameless rescuer, nothing more than a voice hiding in her shadow, and who she hadn't heard from in centuries. All these memories and more came up in a giant surge. For several moments her eyes turned feral. Then it finished and she saw she'd ended up on the floor. "Ohhhhh... Why now?"

The flashbacks didn't go unseen to Raclaw, although he didn't purposely intrude on the dragoness' thoughts. "Shh, shh-- it's okay. It's okay.," he quickly said uses his head and upper body to help lift Darkheart up. "It's only a memory; it's just the past. No-one can hurt you now...," he then said.

Mischief nodded quietly. She'd never actually seen a buffalo... She remembered Choco once again. "Oh! Ch-Choco! I keep forgetting to feed him!" She swallowed hard. "I hope he's okay, I've been less than fully functional lately..."
Choco was, indeed, quite fine. He'd mostly left the sailors alone, and because his metabolism was significantly slower than Mischief's hyperactive schedule, he didn't actually NEED to eat every time Mischief did. He was, however, mildly annoyed that Mischief was paying him so little mind.
Darkheart was somewhat shaky when she stood. "Yeah I know that logically... But it doesn't prevent the flashbacks. It's been a while since I've had one... Last time was when..." She racked her brain. "I believe it was shortly after I joined up with you... When I showed you my old lair... I was even less stable back then." She rested against Raclaw. "Why now? I thought they were gone..."

"Choco?" Maverick repeated, not certain if he has heard that name before. Couldn't be, since he would've remembered a name as peculiar as that. Based on what Mischief was saying, she seemed to have a pet of her own. Very curious indeed.

Angora pondered on the main deck as she waited, still wondering how she would play a part in Banewood's plan. According to what he said earlier, it almost sounded like she was going to be a bait. It was a thought that disturbed her, but the only thing that relieved her is that this society wanted her alive, so they wouldn't risk doing some damage to her... unless of course they didn't have as much control of those bugs as they believed. Whatever the case, she was going to be sure to have her magic ready. The rest of her powers were faulty, but the only thing that never failed her was her trusty shield. She could create it both around her and further away, so something like that could be useful if she was to be directly exposed to the enemy in order for their defeat to happen...

Mischief facepawed. "Ugh... He's a kind of giant yellow bird, called a chocobo. He's acted as my mount - and only constant companion - since we hatched together at the Academy... He likes a type of vegetable called Gysahl Greens, they look a lot like a cabbage or head of lettuce and are a bit... Ah... Pungent... Anyway, I should probably find him. Maybe I could introduce you two?" She tilted her head.

Maverick thought about it, and a companion for Dahlia could be wonderful.
"Isn't it the bird that sometimes roam around the deck? Many of the sailors thought it was a native bird from your island that tagged along. A few of the, tried to catch it, but they never could and got used to the presence. So it's yours then?" Maverick asked, having wondered what that strange bird was. He tried to find it in the tome Sere gifted him, but there was no info on it. Then again, much of the archipelago was very mysterious. It was a rather ugly bird, so the sailors that tried to catch it was mostly to shoo it away, since it didn't look edible, although Maverick decided not to tell Mischief anything about that detail.

Mischief nodded. "Yes, it is. Apparently it's another being that doesn't fit in this world. Although it's apparently from the same land that the Black Mage Academy got its magick. Then there's me. Between the two of us, neither fit in. Even at the Academy we were outcasts. We were found together as eggs, and we've stuck together since then..." She shifted her stance. "Even if they had caught him there'd just be trouble, since he's VERY strong. He can't fly, but he kicks REALLY hard."

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Darkheart was somewhat shaky when she stood. "Yeah I know that logically... But it doesn't prevent the flashbacks. It's been a while since I've had one... Last time was when..." She racked her brain. "I believe it was shortly after I joined up with you... When I showed you my old lair... I was even less stable back then." She rested against Raclaw. "Why now? I thought they were gone..."

"Sometimes even the best things can make you think of what you had or didn't have-- both the good and the bad. It makes sense that your lair would trigger such emotions and now... you are about to enter a new stage in your life.," Raclaw gently said supporting the larger dragoness. "When I first met Latnok and Godfather Sere, many such memories were triggered-- they hurt at times, but such things will always pass. And you don't have to deal with them alone. You never have to be alone again.," the fur dragon then added with a gentle smile. Chester briefly rubbed up against Darkheart out of sympathy.

Quote: darknessdawn

Mischief nodded. "Yes, it is. Apparently it's another being that doesn't fit in this world. Although it's apparently from the same land that the Black Mage Academy got its magick. Then there's me. Between the two of us, neither fit in. Even at the Academy we were outcasts. We were found together as eggs, and we've stuck together since then..." She shifted her stance. "Even if they had caught him there'd just be trouble, since he's VERY strong. He can't fly, but he kicks REALLY hard."

"Si, seems strong." Maverick nodded, never imagining there was something like an academy where Mischief lived. Choco looked like a small ostrich, so he figured those legs were strong. Everyone has gotten used to the bird by now, and it never caused trouble for anybody, so he doubted there would be trouble. If Mischief was done, he was preparing to leave to see Dahlia, hoping that somehow, he could give her a walk around the main deck, although it would be hard finding a route for her there. Dragons everywhere, and Tyraika hasn't met her yet, and since she was a very wild dragon, it could be very problematic.

Darkheart snuggles into Raclaw. "I... I think I'm fine now..." She gently pets Chester. "Th... Thank you..."
Mischief stretched. "He's very fast, too. Hence, a good mount. Anyway, um... I wouldn't mind meeting Dahlia, and I can introduce BOTH of you to Choco properly. I think he'd like you..."

With some luck, Ilasi was able to make progress on deciphering the spell. The tricky part would be reworking it. She'd never done anything quite like that before, but it couldn't be too different from making the spell from scratch, could it?
And so she spent most of her day in her cabin, focusing intently on modifying the spell. She hadn't left to eat, so occupied was she with her job. She wouldn't realize until she was almost done that night was falling.
She analyzed the reworked spell one last time. Yes... this should ideally allow the locator to be modified, for a period of time anyway - enough to give the user time to be somewhere else before it naturally corrected itself. She had to report her progress - but a soft rumbling reminded Ilasi that she hadn't eaten. Perhaps some food wouldn't be too bad...

Angora paced around the ship, unable to hold the wait. She wanted to go to Sere's cabin to see what progress was being made, but she wasn't ready to go there yet after what happened. Her thoughts always drifted between what was her p,any in the plan and how was she going to convince Veris that staying with him in Guardian headquarters wasn't the best of ideas. In a lonely, desperate time like this, she would usually visit him, but right now, she didn't want to get him more used to her visits than he was now. So instead, she paced around, doing the dishes in the kitchen to distract herself and then helping Sand Dune, Random and Opium in the infirmary. She used some of her healing magic in the sailors that were there, still wounded from the battle, but she didn't want to overdo it like last time and instead healed them partially, leaving medicine and their own healing biology to get the rest of the work done.

After helping as much as she could, Angora returned to the main deck, and found to her surprise it was already night. Time sure flew this time, although there were still no signs of Banewood. No surprise there. They were going up against a very dangerous society. They needed a very complex plan. With night though, it meant that it was time for Veris to eat again.

She headed to the now clean kitchen, taking chopped beef covered in some fish in the usual tray. When she knocked at Veris enclosure so he would know she was there, Angora remembered she didn't give him some exercise, though probably it wasn't all bad.
"Dinner time Veris!" she called as she opened the door and put the food right in front of him, imagining she was going to have a talkative wyvern on her hands now that he knew she could understand most of what he said. She was thinking of sneaking out as he ate, but didn't want to make him feel bad after not visiting him for almost the entire afternoon...

Quote: darknessdawn

Darkheart snuggles into Raclaw. "I... I think I'm fine now..." She gently pets Chester. "Th... Thank you..."
Mischief stretched. "He's very fast, too. Hence, a good mount. Anyway, um... I wouldn't mind meeting Dahlia, and I can introduce BOTH of you to Choco properly. I think he'd like you..."

"I hope so too. If he and Dahlia get along well, do you mind leaving him there? My poor girl gets so lonely, and I can't visit her as often as I'd wish." Maverick requested, Choco looking like the perfect candidate. A herbivore bird was definetly something that Dahlia wouldn't be afraid of, though if Choco needed to run often, it was a possibility that the option was out of the question. But an introduction first of all.

The day went by fine. At first, Dahlia was puzzled about the strange creature, but like the sailors before her, she quickly got used to the new presence. Choco didn't seem dangerous. Just perhaps a little cranky. She was ready to welcome the ostrich like bird, and if he liked it there, and with Mischief's permission, Maverick would be more than delighted to keep Choco there to keep his dear Dahlia company.

Veris salivated as Angora approached, wasting no time in erasing the food presented to him. Once he was done, however, he would take advantage of the opportunity to talk to his caretaker.
"Food! Thank you! What is happening? How are you? How is my human? How is your human?" Veris had so many things he wanted to talk about, and found it hard to settle on just one. He could only think of all the conversations he could have with Angora now that she could understand him.

Angora was somewhat glad he didn't touch the previous subject, and she was happy that she could finally understand him, although she wished it could've been under better circumstances.
"Easy. Easy Veris. Everyone's fine. We're just preparing ourselves better in case there is another attack. We can't let those... people get away with it, you know." Angora replied, Veris looking so eager he almost looked like he was going to hit his head on the ceiling. She predicted many conversations in the future, although as painful as it was, she would try to avoid them. Veris already wanted her the way it was, and if it turns out he liked the conversations, it will be harder for her to try to convince him that his wish wasn't the best thing.

Maverick continued seeing the process between Dahlia and Choco, having high hopes for these two precious mounts to get along and keep each other company...