darkSpyro

"I'll try to be quick. Angorita said she'll be out tomorrow too, bu maybe she'll come back soon? Either way, at least you have the money just in case you need to go out. Buenas noches." he said with another kiss, reading just a little while long before going to sleep, wanting to be alert and well rested for tomorrow.

Angora closed her eyes, and despite her concerns, she managed to conceal sleep fast, hoping she wouldn't have any nightmares about anything. It has been a while since she dreamt of anything, but she knew she did when particularly stressful. No dreams of any sort so far, so maybe Neo was helping? The couch? Whatever the case, it was turning out to be a rather pleasant slumber. As her sleep became deeper, she wondered if Shade ever had dreams about her or Maverick, or his family. She was also curious about Veris, but he probably only dreamt about food...

"So they tell us-- it's fortunate we were able to step in. Hunters, unfortunately, almost got to them. Some humans will never learn.," Raclaw said between a sip of ale and a few bites of his food. "Hunters, bandits, raiders, pirates-- you're not wrong.," Risar said looking down at the Fur Dragon; it mattered not that Raclaw was technically a pet or that the dragon ate out of a bowl akin to that of his canine 'sibling.' He still spoke often in third person; he knew how hard it was to break old habits and knew that Raclaw would do just fine.. bowl or no bowl. There was no reason for anything to change if such a change proved to be ultimately unnecessary. Raclaw was clearly happy, was clearly being taken care of, and had a clear and 'equal' place alongside Latnok from everything he had previously seen. And there was no shame in one being owned even if he had left that life behind. Risar was ultimately happy for Raclaw.

"If it wasn't for pirates and like-- Risar and the Raging Serpent wouldn't be so profitable.," the minotaur began to say between sips and gulps of his drink. "You would be surprised how much one might pay to ensure that their goods get from point A to point B in one piece, even if those same people might be not be necessarily willing to say eat alongside us or drink next to us without thinking they're getting funny by calling names!," the bull-like individual then said actually proceeding to laugh a little bit at mention of so-called 'funny' names. It was (for better or worse) ironic how some of the same people who otherwise wouldn't normally socialize with him would just as easily pass their goods *through* him and trust said goods to get their destination safely.

"I can relate to that," Latnok said. "People do consider us Guardians less than human - and perhaps they're right, in a sense - and they do tend to be rather wary of us... until they have a creature that needs killing. We exist to help people, and their money is as good as anyone else's, but most people care more about what we offer than who we are."
The friends would continue to spend much of the night talking with each other, making up for the lost time - however, Latnok and his companions could not afford to stay too long, as they had quite a few things to do the next day. Having filled their bellies sufficiently enough, Latnok would bid Risar, Icestorm, and company farewell - letting them know that they could ask the Salvation House if they were trying to find him.

Ilasi slowly drifted to sleep - having mostly pleasant dreams with Maverick around. There was, however, a brief flash of Huntress suddenly jumping out from the shadows - something which caused her to wake up in alarm, before realizing she was safe back at home. Surely things couldn't be quite that bad. Taking a few deep breaths, she went back to sleep.

Maverick slept for the rest of the night without dreams or nightmares despite the days that awaited him and having the Huntress concern. Still, he was always very positive, and nightmares were too few with him, something that Angora knew and was further envious of. Ilasi wasn't the one who dreamt that night. Angora also fell with a little image of herself. Veris was with her, happy and licking her.
"I don't know what I would do without you Angora." he would say, making Angora feel even more guilty about leaving her job. He continued licking her, and wouldn't stop. Whenever she tried to get away, he would grab her and continue. It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it still wasn't the most pleasant of dreams either. When she finally woke up, she felt all drooled over. But it was just sweat. She was going to take care of Veris now... oh right. It was her week off. And she slept on the couch. She should've opened the window. She forgot how hot the living room could be. She took a quick shower and had some breakfast... but them she wondered... should she cook? It has been years since she has cooked anything. That was Maverick's territory, and in the Guardian's base, the cooking was done by a selected few. How hard could it be? She hasn't done it in a long time, but she has done it, and after what this family has done for her, she figured it would be nice if they tried something new for once, her own little style of cooking.

It was still very early in the morning. Maverick was still pleasantly asleep, worried about nothing. So was Alana. She had a weird dream earlier. She was meeting the infamous Scourge of Redwater, except he was the size of a mountain. Even bigger than a behemoth. A monster of a dragon who could swallow up entire villages if he wanted to, yet she wasn't afraid. He was friends with Angora and her father, so why should she? She was admiring the towering beast with marvel, touching his teeth and seeing his eyes when the dream abruptly stopped and she continued to slumber peacefully and without any further interruptions.

Leoquin himself slept rather pleasantly, being on dry land once again. Though he did his best not to show it, he was really tired after all of his traveling - and so, he slept rather soundly. It would be at least a bit of time before he woke up.

Early that morning, at Shade's cell, several of the guards approached - one carrying letters which were brusquely tossed in, as another guard rattled the bars with a baton to wake Shade up. "Time to start your day. Seems you still have some friends out there," one of them commented. "Or at least you should hope they're friends."

Angora prepared the food, using the experience she had from working for Armon Blakes and all the times she has seen Maverick do it. She didn't know what the food would taste like, but it was smelling good so far. She yawned, figuring she didn't rest as much as she thought. But there was no time for a nap. She had a busy day ahead of her. As soon as she ate, she would go visit Shade, and would have to plan on what to say to the guards to convince them to let her see him. Shade has been off limits to the public for years, but she was hoping that with all his good behavior, it wouldn't be the case anymore. Shade has been imprisoned for such a long time now. It was about time he earned his freedom. And if the morning went well, she could go visit Gregor as well. She hasn't seen the behemoth in months, and for some amazing reason, he seemed fond of her, though she absolutely despised how much his friends liked to tease her.

A soon as morning came, Huntress looked through her binoculars to see if there was some activity in the Maverick household, but since there wasn't, she proceeded to go to the bulletin board again. There wasn't anything of great interest, and since she didn't usually see the hidden notices due to most of them being lame jobs that people usually were too embarrassed to admit, she failed to see the great scoop that was the giant, crimson dragon. She took a simple job that seemed to be available since yesterday and proceeded to her destination. In all her years of doing bounty hunting jobs, she never came across any dragon jobs due to them being always handled directly by Aelinonian soldiers. They never let her be part of it, something she truly hated. It was a dream of her to slay a dragon at least once. The beast that destroyed her home was long dead, but killing one of the miserable monsters would feel like she would be avenging her family, something that she was certain would bring her great satisfaction. It was such a shame that king Seraos would let the Scourge of Redwater live. Just what was he thinking? While the reason still puzzled her, she didn't want to question her dear Seraos ever.

Name: Dex
Age: 25 (human years)
Species: Fox
Appearance: Normal looking fox, just bigger (wolf size) and black. Has poisonous fangs (Snake style) which can be clearly seen when he opens his mouth.
Personality: Very tricky, always thinking about himself. Most of the time likes to play nice and look weak. When the opportunity comes loves to stab in the back, especially when making deals (loves everything valuable). Never wants to fight head-to-head, because of not having much physical power. Has become much more caring after meeting and falling in love with Sapphire.
Weapons: (optional) His only, but a deadly weapon is his poisonous fangs. Those fangs go through almost everything. He can control the poison so that it does not kill, but does make his enemies paralyze and have great pains if he wants/needs to.
Elements: (optional) No really elements, but is immune to poisons because of his own poison in his veins.
Background: Dex was born in normal fox den. As he was young he did end up bitten by poisonous snake. His parrents left him being sure he was going to die. He was found and taken care by old man. The poison did make him grow bigger and have the poison fangs. The man knew there was something odd about the fox, but being an old adventurer he was not sure, was Dex just a new species he had never seen? After the man died Dex started to look after himself. He noticed his poisoneus blood while being in forrests and seeing bloodsucking bugs instatly dying after taking his blood. He made his way back to city life after feeling not at home in forrests. He started to steal food, but also valuables. Once he was almost captured and bite a human who died almost instantly. After that he started to make deals with all kinds of creatures which wanted someone dead or something stole. These days he is taking only very well paid jobs, and knows how to deal with many kinds of situations. Many do not know him well, because of his way to work. But his reputation as the poison assassin especially in the underworld of Cities is huge. He attacked the group while working for Shade (when he was controlled). Has become the leader of the group known as guild of assassins. Has slowly started to see errors of his old ways, and has taken more responsibility about others then ever before (especially of the members of the guild). Over Five years ago formed an alliance againts Blues brotherhood, which was growing fast as a private army, even taking cities under their controll. He lead the alliance in to battle, even getting many official city armies to join them. After Blue was defeted, Dex wanted to go after him, but thats when the city armies stabbed him in the back. They saw an opportunity get many griminals put away, and they captured many of his men and allies as prisoners. The alliance was destroyed in the proses. Has been missing for over a year now.

Name: Blue
Age : Unknown, but he is pretty young for a dragon
Gender: Male
Species: Dragon
Appearance: Pretty small for a dragon, dark Blue all over with emerald green eyes.
Personality: Simply nasty. He has no soft thoughts about anybody (exept his own order) and could even be said to like killing. Likes to see others suffer. But he is good at pretending to be nice if needed to.
Weapons: He is not a good melee fighter. But can do pretty much anything with water. Especially strong when around a large amount of water.
Elements: Water
History: Not much is known about him, but he is an assassin and the leader of the brotherhood of assassins. It is thought that he was part of dragons living normally like they did today and had a family. But as soon as he could he did leave them and started to live the way he wants. Has started to make his brotherhood more of an underground army then a faction of assassins after the brotherhood was almost destroyed. The faction is now Simply named brotherhood, because they are not assassins in any special way anymore. The brotherhood was his private underground army. Even took over cities and where getting very strong in numebers. Was defeated by Dex and his alliance, which where working with official soldiers and guards. Dissapered after the final battle. Has not been seen since. His brotherhood was destroyed in the aftermath of the final battle.

Name: Sapphire
Age : 20 (human years)
Species: Fox
Gender: Female
Appearance: Normal looking fox, just bigger (bit smaller then Dex). Has beautiful blue eyes.
Personality: Mostly pretty nice. But has no problem to kill others without pity. Likes to look cool, but likes also to look beutiful. Loves when somebody praises her appereance.
Weapons: Her talent (which She was born with) is that, She can make anybody unable to move at all if they look at her eyes. She can also choose not to do that, Even if somebody looks at her eyes.
History: She was born as a normal fox. But because of somekind of special talent became bigger and smarter. She had to leave her normal fox live because her family thought She was too dangerous, and told her to leave. After that she was a pet for a human family never making any use of her ability. Untill her family was attacked by Blue and the brotherhood. She was trying to fight them and that made Blue interested about her so he took her with him. After sometime Blue managed to make her believe that both her fox and human families where bad for her and the only family that could understand her was the brotherhood. Blue told her about Dex to give her something to feel like her. After that She wanted to become a great assassin like Dex. She tought Dex was a great exampel how great special foxes like them can become. One of the big reasons for Blue to take her in was to make Dex finally feel somebody was like him, he thought that would make Dex leave the League (after that the guild) and join the brotherhood. After all that had happen Dex and Sapphire are now working together and Blue is only after the two because he wants to kill them. Is now in a realationship with Dex, and they where both in the alliance. Sapphire is now back at the independent city of Cross North, which had the headquarters of the guild and later the alliance in it. After the the attack by the city officials she escaped with Dex. She started to work with what was left of the Alliance, and made it a charity. At first it was hard to get city officials to accept it. But after some time the results talked for them selfs. Every criminal who was send there did not get back to their old ways, most staying with the organisations. After a year the charity is know as the waterlily and has rights to work even in rivaling nations. Especially poor people in many places know them. Every where they had been given rights to work, they hade made pretty noticeable things happen. Sapphire her self is leading the waterlily, but because of the laws in many nations she never is the public face of them. Everybody talks about her as "Lady Sapphire", but nobody really gets to see her. Or atleast thats what they think..... First there was a lot of questions, but in time people have agreed that it is safer to keep the leader of the organisations hidden, because someone might even try to hurt her..... everybody does not like charity, especially those who get income from desperate people. At the begging Dex was working with her, but after many of the members of the alliance which had made serious crime, where not given a chance as part of the waterlily, he left. After that Sapphire has been leading the waterlily on her own..... but still her biggest hope is to see Dex return to her side.

OOC: Double beacause otherwise it was over the limit.

Over five years ago Dex formed an alliance againts Blues brotherhood, which was growing fast as a private army, even taking cities under their controll. Dex lead the alliance in to battle, even getting many official city armies to join them. After Blue was defeted, Dex wanted to go after him, but thats when the city armies stabbed him in the back. They saw an opportunity get many griminals put away, and they captured many of his men and allies as prisoners. The alliance was destroyed in the proses. This war has two names: The crimewars is used mostly by the officials and common people who knew about them. The other name is hero's downfall, which is used by those still feeling loyal to the old alliance. The name comes from their feeling of once making something good and heroic heppen, and getting killed or in prison because of it. The only major crime organisation still working is the black market, but like before they do what they do. There is no more big organisations which means now black market users are just solo or small group kind of thieves, assassins or something else like that.

Sapphire started to work with what was left of the Alliance (mostly those who had done just small crimes), and made it a charity. At first it was hard to get city officials to accept it. But after some time the results talked for them selfs. Every criminal who was send there did not get back to their old ways, most staying with the organisations. After a two years the charity is know as the waterlily and has rights to work even in rivaling nations. Especially poor people in many places know them. Every where they had been given rights to work, they hade made pretty noticeable things happen. Sapphire her self is leading the waterlily from the swadows as "Lady Sapphire".

The old leaders of the now destroyed brotherhood and alliance have not been seen since. Dex was first working for the waterlily, but felt like that was not what he needed to do and left. The City of Cross North is still working, but their days making deals with criminals is over. Their tactic is simble, make themselfs so usefull to others that nobody accpets attacking against them. The waterlily has its main office in the city.

It has been over five years since Blue was last seen, And 2 from the begging of the charity known as the waterlily. Dex has not been seen by anybody in the waterlily for over a year now.

In Redwater the poor especially had been talking for sometime. Soon the leading members of the waterlily where coming to visit the city...... And that meant a lot more charity would be done, which the normal waterlily branch was abble to do on their know. In many cities, the waterlily leading members coming to the town was known as a great day for the poor and those in need of help.
There has also been some disturbing news. Many of the prisoners took in the crimewars had been set free in recent months by some one or some ones. Both brotherhood and alliance side prisoners, some even clear murderers. Also many guards and solidiers involved in the crimewars had been killed. Nobody had survived to tell who was behind it, only thing they knew was that they had died even because of poison or because they had drown. What made these deaths weird was that, nobody could telll which poison was used. And people drowned inside, when there was no water near them?

In a marketplace at Redwater the waterlily caravan had made it and they where starting to put tents up. Healing, food, water everything was going to be offered soon. Every carrige and tent had a white flag with a beautiful pink waterlily in the center of it.
In a backally in the docks in Readwater a black fox came out of a barrel he had slept in. He had a little bottle in a metal chain around his neck. The little bottle had water in it, which was almost too clear to be natural. "This city again..... And there even was a time when i hoped i dont have to get back here ever again" the fox said outloud..... After few seconds the water started to shine bright blue light and a voice said "Well if you hate this city so much, i think it is time to make some happy memories in here", after the voice stoped the blue light was also gone.... and so the fox started to walk, making sure nobody would see him.............

By now-- the others would be waking up, including that of Risar. The Minotaur would make breakfast before briefly explaining his plans for the day; he would first check on the Raging Serpent (and related activities) and then ideally on the egg at the local Salvation House. It should still be some time before the ship was even ready to depart, due to several delays concerning shipments and the likes. The delays seemed to increasing as of lately.. shipments getting lost between 'Town A', 'Town B', and 'the ship.' The cause wasn't certain, but the peaceful times seemed to be slowly getting less and less peaceful.

Meanwhile, Chester would still be asleep. He, Latnok, and Raclaw would be given a larger-than-average room that was sizable enough albeit a tad strucken compared to their regular room back at home. This location being based out of a city meant less space available and thus overall dimensions being generally smaller including smaller rooms where they could afford to cut the room. A similar bed was offered both for human and 'canines' alike-- the Salvation Houses not exactly lacking in dog beds. And as the sun rose, Raclaw could be seen lying on his side with Chester seemingly snuggled in between his wing and his bandana. It wasn't certain how they had ended up in that pose, but it was adorable nonetheless. The banana and the collars; a sign of unity and seemingly sometimes a blanket.

Breakfast was ready in the Maverick household. Angora made food that she liked, but wasn't sure if it was going to be too strong and greasy for her friends. She had no time to make a second cooking, so it'll have to do for now. It was nowhere near as good as Maverick's cooking, but she did her best. She served herself and sat in the living room to eat in peace, knowing that the rest would wake up soon, if not by their own, then by the strong smell. She had a lot to do, from visiting Shade, Gregor, and finding Raclaw, which she almost forgot. She added it to the list.

That morning, Draikon woke up much earlier than yesterday, going outside to take in the warm sun. It was a habit he rarely did, but when he did, he usually remained there for a long time. A weird one that scientist, but everybody except most kids just let him be. Part of the reason why he remained outside was to see if Maverick came. Maybe he was just one of those cowards who couldn't stand a little blood? Or maybe it was his faun side that had him so sensitive? Whatever the reason, he was tired of waiting. Half a decade was more than enough patience from his part. He wanted that sample, and if Maverick didn't come in the next few days, he would have to be more insistent.

Latnok was soon awake on account of his circadian rhythm. He quickly donned his armor before heading off to the facility's kitchen, to prepare a meal for his companions.
As he passed through the hallways, he received many greetings from the residents (those who were up, anyway) and staff of the place, which he always returned in kind. The kitchen wasn't far away from their room; in only a few minutes, he would be preparing meat on the fire. His companions would still be sleeping; there would be nothing quite like a warm, delicious meal to start the day.

The smell of food slowly started wafting into Leoquin's room; he would soon be up on account of it. Didn't quite smell as nice as anything he knew Maverick to cook; did Maverick get a new recipe? Regardless, he had other things to look at; he had to review some journals. Perhaps he could get a better idea of how to narrow his own search if he reviewed his knowledge and connections.

A few of the guards shrugged. "Up to some people who have a lot more power than we do to decide that," one of them answered indifferently. "You're free to write your own letters if you want to contact them. Letters are taken pretty seriously."

Risar, meanwhile, was in the process of cooking up his own breakfast-- and that of Icestorm's. He didn't mind the company of the small dwarf dragon; the smell of bacon and sausage would soon fill the air. A hearty breakfast sounded good and this would certainly do the trick...

Since Maverick didn't have work tomorrow, he was oversleeping. Tyrus and Alana were not going to be so lucky though. It was a school day. Soon, the strong scent reached Alana's room. Just what the heck was that? Her father didn't cook that way.
"Wake up Sleeping Beauty. It's almost time to go to school." Alana said, waking up her brother by throwing a toy to his face.
"You smell that? Doesn't smell like daddy's cooking, does it? You think... Mr. Leoquin is cooking?" she wondered, the food not smelling like anything their mother or father would cook. She couldn't imagine Angora as a cook, so she assumed it was Leoquin.

Once Angora was finished, she wasn't going to wait for the whole family to wake up. She had a lot to do today, so she wanted to get started so that she could be back before dark. She left a note on one of the pots she used for cooking, explaining that she cooked and that she had a lot to do today, and that she'll try to be back as soon as she can. Wishing them a good day, she concluded the message and left the house with her hood, wondering what her first destination should be. The Salvation House was technically the closest place, but Angora wasn't in the mood to deal with Latnok right now if he and his companions were there. Plus visiting Shade and convincing the guards was likely going to take a while, so she decided to start with that first. She took a carriage that headed near the prisons, praying that she would be able to see a Shade today and make both of their mornings happy.

"Hmmm-- I did. Yes.," Risar said as he finished up the last of the meat and began to place some of it onto a plate. "That was a good night-- full of good drinks and good friends. Raclaw and Latnok appear to be doing quite well for themselves. And Risar is not surprised in the slightest; he can see what Raclaw sees in Latnok. In another life perhaps. But Latnok appears to be taking good care of Raclaw.. and that's good.," he then said with a slight smile.

Many miles away, Sergeant Farlo was home at last, traveling by water orb and being escorted by sirens when reaching the dangerous currents. It took all night, but he finally reached his destination. A few of his followers came to greet him with open arms, but one look at him and they could see the request for peace was an utter failure. He explained what happened, and everybody was shocked.
"A dragon saved you? That's new. Dragons don't save others." A female centaur pointed out, dragons being notoriously greedy and violent, but despite their reputation, nobody on the valley believed they deserved to be wiped out. And with this new information, it seems there was more to the reptiles than met the eye. It was so sad that as soon as Aelinon found out about the dragon, they were going to kill it. Their dear sergeant was attacked out of nowhere just when he was about to leave the place, and if he was attacked, what hope could the rest of them possibly have? Humans were just too destructive and greedy themselves, and trying to make peace with them would likely mean the extermination of the rest of their delicate races, just like fauns before them.

Sergeant Farlo refused to give up. Were they suppose to remain hidden and limited forever? The Ishulgites were gone at last, the Scourge of Redwater was imprisoned instead of killed and might earn his freedom soon, and it was common knowledge the troll that was pardoned in the arena of death. A troll, one of the most loathed creatures in the human world. If that wasn't progress, he didn't know what was. It showed there was hope, didn't it? King Seraos was a good and merciful man with such actions, but could the same be said about the rest of the people? Farlo really wanted peace between humans and the Old Myth, but after what happened yesterday, was it really possible?

The toy did its job; Tyrus woke up, albeit slightly annoyed. He was going to wake up... eventually. 'Ugh..." he groaned, as he gradually came to his senses.
It didn't take long before he caught the smell Alana was talking about. "Cooking? Mr. Leoquin? Uh... maybe? Doesn't smell like anything Mom or Dad would make. Guess there's one way to find out." Crawling out of bed, he made his way to the kitchen. It didn't take long for him to notice the note left behind - he read it, learning that it was Angora behind the cooking. Well, that explained why it seemed rather unusual. Well, he wasn't going to let that stop him from helping himself.

Elsewhere in the household, the smell of cooking woke Ilasi up. Who was i, though? Certainly noot her husband - it didn't smell like anything he would make, and he was right there next to her, still sleeping. Oh, well - she would get up anyway, if only to ensure all the children's school preparations were going as they should.

Latnok soon returned with food for himself and his two furry companions - a decent serving of meat, most notably bacon, with a few pieces of vegetables mixed here and there. He set their own bowls down on the floor before sitting down and starting his own meal; he trusted the scent of the food would wake Raclaw and Chester up soon enough. The had a busy day ahead of them, which meant ensuring a proper start with the right meal.

"I'll get it," one of the guards with Shade offered. He headed off, quickly returning with the requested supplies. He set them down at the edge of the cell, before backing off.

"Angora... cooked?" Alana said after reading the note herself, not thinking such activity was her type. She then remembered when Maverick told them Angora did her fair share of cooking back in the day. It seemed strange, but Alana was willing to give the food a go as well. It looked like... many mini omelets, enough for the number of people currently in the household. Angora was gone, so if the food was bad, she didn't have the risk of hurting her feelings. Alana tasted the new food, and it was... not bad. Not something she would call delicious, but it wasn't bad enough to make you gag.
"it's... weird. Not bad, but weird." Alana said, trying to pinpoint what was inside the mini omelets. Lettuce, tomato, and... fish? It was some kind of seafood for sure. It was an odd combination, but while it wasn't something she loved, it was something new, so Alana ate without much hesitation.

Angora was in the carriage, having already passed near the Salvation House. It didn't seem like Latnok and company were there, so she proceeded with her original first goal of the day and let the carriage do it's work. The arena became visible from the distance after a while, bringing some very bad memories. To think nowadays she was sort of friends with the beast that would've killed her that day. It was all too weird. But she would visit this beast later. For now, her top priority was the beloved, yet dumb Shade.

The troll reached her destination after around forty five minutes of carriage traveling. The overly protected prison was less than a mile away from the stop. She removed her hood to make sure the soldiers knew who she was. She was kinda famous among them, so she didn't think a proper introduction was in order.
"Good morning. I'm here to see my friend Shade. The... Scourge of Redwater." she said after reaching the gate, almost gagging, hating his nickname.
"If you can please allow me passage. It's been such a long time since he has seen a friend." she added, doubting Shade has managed to befriend any of the soldiers. They were quite a sadistic bunch, something that she remembered well during her own time in captivity. Perhaps there was an exception somewhere, but she didn't think so. She didn't want to imagine the kind of life he has had during these years.

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“I’m glad to see them again. Nice to see old friends again.” Icestorm said as he sat at the table.

"Agreed.," Risar said as he placed a meaty plate before Icestorm. It was curious how the small dragon had quickly adapted some of his ways to be basically 'human', whereas Raclaw almost served as the feral-yet-tame dragon counterpart eating and drinking more like that of the common canine. Dragons were a diverse species to say the least-- from the small Icestorm all the way up to their local 'Scourge' as Redwater called the massive Shade. As Risar finished putting food on his own plate, he would soon sit down across from Icestorm and begin eating. "First we'll stop by the Raging Serpent and take care of any business there. And then if you wish; we'll check on the egg and maybe even meet up with Latnok again.," he said between bites.

---

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Latnok soon returned with food for himself and his two furry companions - a decent serving of meat, most notably bacon, with a few pieces of vegetables mixed here and there. He set their own bowls down on the floor before sitting down and starting his own meal; he trusted the scent of the food would wake Raclaw and Chester up soon enough. The had a busy day ahead of them, which meant ensuring a proper start with the right meal.

Indeed-- the smell of freshly cooked breakfast would be enough to wake anyone up, especially BACON and especially when dealing canines and canine-etc individuals. First Chester would awake (having the better nose as any hunting dog should) followed by Raclaw himself who would offer a friendly smile at his two beloved companions. "Morning.," he said as he let Chester get off before rolling over from his side. He let his bananda fall back into place once again hiding the collar-turned-symbol-of-unity beneath. Two many people unfortunately associated the sight of a collar with its wearer being 'subservient' to their respective master or owner. Just another human trait to eventually hopefully evolve. The two canines would soon start eating...

Tyrus soon took some of the food himself, finding it palatable enough to eat more of, even if it wasn't quite the cooking he was used to. There was enough to take to school, too, so he took out a suitable portion of the day ahead.
Ilasi soon appeared in the kitchen herself. "Good morning, my dear children. Everything going okay?" she asked. "Do you know who prepared food?"
"Oh, we're doing fine! Angora cooked for us!" Tyrus answered. "It's actually good. I think she made enough for everyone."
Ilasi was just a little annoyed - she didn't like imposing anything on her guests - but accepted the gesture for what it was. "That's very nice of her. You mustn't forget your fruits, however!" she reminded them, before handing them each an apple from the food storage.
Leoquin, having had enough of his analysis for now, stepped out - to have some breakfast, if anyone was offering, before heading out. He came to a kitchen that already had quite a few people. "Good morning," Leoquin greeted. "Who do we have to thank for the food this morning?"
"That would be Angora," Ilasi answered.
"Angora? Never knew her to be much for cooking. Oh, well, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?' Leoquin answered, before taking out his own portion of food.

The prison guards remained firmly affixed to their posts. "Visits to the Scourge of Redwater are granted solely by order of the warden," one of them answered. "If you wish to speak to him, you must set up an appointment to do so." The guards didn't seem to be in a particular rush to help Angora out with her particular request.

Ilasi moving away from the bed was enough to wake Maverick. Although he wanted to remain in the bed for a few minutes more, it still didn't feel right to have a wife wake up first. Whenever he was free, it was usual for Maverick to oversleep since he relaxed so much. The opening of the door made the scent of Angora's cooking much more noticeable.
"Buenos dias everybody. Oh? What do we have here?" Maverick asked, wondering who cooked. Couldn't have been Ilasi since she just woke up too, and the children were still too young to do it themselves. Perhaps Leoquin? Or... Angora? Alana went and brought the note to her father, answering his question.
"Mi Angorita. Still got it, and so generous. Aww, too bad we couldn't see her before she left." he lamented, wishing he could've thanked her before she left, but it would have to wait. He helped himself with a bite, having been a while since he tasted some of the troll's cooking. It was unique alright, and there was no red meat at all, just a bit of fish. She likely did it for his sake.

At the prison, Angora was quite annoyed.
"But I'm already here!" she groaned, finding it absolutely stupid the need of an appointment when she was already there in the flesh. Humans just had to make very simple tasks so overly complicated. The soldiers didn't seem eager to make an exception, so she abided to their ridiculous rules.
"Fine. Where can I find the warden?" she asked, hoping it was a fast procedure. An appointment shouldn't be that hard to get, especially since it was not as if there was a long line of people waiting to see someone as feared as Shade.

Latnok made sure not to rush his own meals - though he would usually eat them rather quickly, given the chance to do so, he would rather not encourage his companions to do the same. Instead, he took his time to eat, giving them the chance to savor their own food as they wished.
He would give a brief run-down of their plans for the day as they ate; they would check on the status of that egg, then they would visit the museum, and finally, they would hunt down that contract and see what the deal behind it was. It seemed rather unusual, to say the last.

"You will have to speak to the secretary," a guard explained, despite Angora's display of contempt. "The warden may be in his office; however, he may also be away, speaking with higher authorities on the matters of the prison. The secretary will set an appointment for you to see the warden, based on how important such a request is deemed to be; however, unless the visit is deemed to be particularly important to Aelinon and its goals, I wouldn't hold my breath. Would you like to be escorted to the secretary now?" The guards, once again, made it clear that they didn't feel particularly pressed to do anything outside of the routine procedures for her.

"Yes please." Angora replied, calmer but still annoyed. Seriously, why did humans had to make things so complicated? And the guard was implying she wasn't going to be successful. Why should a simple visit be beneficial to Aelinon? It was just a friend visiting another, nothing more. Yet another example of humans overcomplicating things. As she got escorted, the soldiers lack of understanding and hospitality made her wonder if they went through the same ritual as the Guardians, which robbed them of their empathy and kindness.

The atmosphere was very different in the household. Alana did the same as Tyrus, which was take some of the food with her. And there was still more left for everybody else. In that house, no food was wasted, and if they had too much fruits or vegetables left, Dahlia was the one to eat them before they wasted away.
"I'll just take the rest for the road. Busy day ahead. Good luck at school children." Maverick said, bidding his beloved kids farewell. Even after such a while, he still couldn't believe he was a father, with a beloved wife. It was Ilasi's turn to be said goodbye, so he gave her a kiss.
"Gotta go now mi amor. I want to be done soon and be home early. Señor Leoquin? If you need to go somewhere right now, come with me. We can take Dahlia. She can carry us both." Maverick invited, knowing they shared at least one of the goals.

One of the guards motioned to the other, who directed Angora to follow him. "This way," he said.
The relevant office was towards the front of the compound; they would not encounter any prisoners along the way.
The office was in a bleak, stone room, barely different from most of the cells. Over the desk, the disinterested secretary stood up to take a look at who the guard was escorting. "Oh, it's... the troll. The one that's friends with Shade. I take it you're here to talk to the warden about seeing him?" he presumed.

Ilasi smiled at the kiss, as reassuring as ever. "I'll try to go out a bit today," she said, knowing Maverick sometimes worried about her being cooped up for too long.
"Sure thing," Leoquin said, grateful for the offer. Though he wasn't the most familiar with Dahlia, he knew enough about her to knew she adapted well enough to Maverick to be somewhat tame. "I have many places I need to check out, but nowhere in particular first - I'll head to whatever place you're stopping at."

Angora followed the men, not even noticing poor Shade at the distance trying to take a look. She smiled a little hearing the secretary calling Shade by his name instead of his awful nickname. Perhaps there was progress after all. It even made her avoid replying with sarcasm when asked if she was there to see the dragolet.
"Yes sir. If I may please see him today? Just for a little while? And also, there is a matter of his visits I want to discuss, but that can be later." Angora replied, doubting very much a couple of children would be allowed to visit him, but she was still willing to put up the effort. She knew she could discuss about the visits right now, but she wanted to see Shade right away. It's been so long.

The weather outside seemed sunny, but that could quickly change.
"Just watch out for rain if you get out mi vida." he said, hating the idea of his wife dragging herself around in her transformation, but luckily, merfolks were prestige citizens of Aelinon. Somebody was bound to help her if that happened. Maverick headed outside in Leoquin's company, letting Dahlia be familiarized with him, but luckily, she recognized him fast. The two soon mounted her and headed to the city, and with them gone, the children soon followed, and Ilasi was left alone in the house. Luckily, she had plenty of money to go out too if she wanted. The house was located in a safe place where crime was almost none, so Maverick was not too worried. At best, he was more worried once she was out of the house.

The warden gave a slight shake of his head. "As a result of the great suffering, death, and destruction he has wrought, Shade is a prisoner with extremely rigid security requirements, requiring written permission from either the warden of this facility, or someone he answers to, as well as documents signed by both yourself and the warden. If you wish to set an appointment to arrange such visitation with the warden, I may provide you with that; however, such a visit would be low on the list of his priorities, so you could probably expect a wait time accordingly." The secretary seemed one of those types who operated strictly by the book.

Angora avoided rolling her eyes, really despising all of the ridiculous rules. Shade hasn't killed anybody ever since that fateful day, and if he had, everybody would've known. If the soldiers haven bothered getting to know him, they would know such tragedy was an accident. Knowing that no word or tantrum would make the rules change, Angora proceeded to sign every silly illy document that came her way, sometimes only reading them briefly. Such a hassle over a friend visiting another. While Maverick was out in the city talking to people and doing some research in the company of his friend Leoquin and trusty steed Dahlia, she was stuck in that drab, little office. If the wait time combined with the warden's delay was too much, she might not be able to visit Gregor or the Salvation House at this rate..

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“That sounds like a plan.” Icestorm said.

"Then it's settled.," Risar said as they are. It was clear by now that the Minotaur had a strong preference for meat-- perhaps not too much of a surprise. Although he had previously shown himself to occasionally mix things up... even if just slightly.

---

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Latnok made sure not to rush his own meals - though he would usually eat them rather quickly, given the chance to do so, he would rather not encourage his companions to do the same. Instead, he took his time to eat, giving them the chance to savor their own food as they wished.
He would give a brief run-down of their plans for the day as they ate; they would check on the status of that egg, then they would visit the museum, and finally, they would hunt down that contract and see what the deal behind it was. It seemed rather unusual, to say the last.

Latnok's immediate mission would be a successful one-- with Raclaw and Chester mostly matching their pace to that of the Guardian himself and seemingly *enjoying* the meal. The two collared canines had already mostly matched their sleeping schedules to that of Latnok's, so it was perhaps evident that they would've probably matched a quicker eating pace as well if given the chance. And Raclaw, at least, had initially shown himself to match Latnok's confidence; he still had some scars from those days. Such scars were never immediately evident, but could be seen if one knew where to look.

Fortunately.. the worst scars were somewhere that would never be seen uncovered again; the collar had proved quite effective at covering the aftermath of that shocking event so long ago. The collar, at least, would only continue to protect his neck from any external harmful influences. It's unique properties-- its magic properties, its fireproof material, its neigh indestructible factor --would only be enhanced in its now-days more permanent state. The collar, for instance, would adjust itself (size, tightness) as needed over time making up for the lack of any manual adjustment. And without any buckle or even a way for Raclaw himself to remove it (why would he)-- that also prevented others except Latnok from attempting to disable or steal the magic at work. And with exotic sentient creatures being all the rage for wrongdoers, that certainly wasn't a bad thing.

Fortunately, there were not many things for Angora to sign, as her appointment hadn't been set yet. "Now, let's see," the secretary said as he browsed a logbook. "I can get you in to speak with the warden in eighteen days from now, in the morning, at approximately noon. From there, he woould be the one to make a decision on whether you may visit the prisoner Shade. Do you wish to accept this appointment?" The secretary didn't so much as bother to pick his eyes up, being more concerned with proper bookkeeping than accommodation.

Once breakfast was over, Latnok took the dishes to the kitchen, where they would be attended to by others, before returning to his room. With that, he grabbed his pack.
"So Risar wasn't very specific - but I'm guessing the egg would be with the same people taking care of the dogs, at any rate," Latnok surmised, as he moved out. "I doubt they would've moved it back to the main base without at least informing me of its arrival."

"EIGHTeen days!?" Angora repeated, screaming at the beginning but managing to contain herself. That was almost a month! Why so much? What the heck? Why the idiot warden couldn't see her now? She really wanted to break something right now. What was so wrong about visiting Shade right away? Was it to keep him isolated and depressed, or for her safety?
"Fine. I'll take it." she finally said with a trembling lip, containing the need to throw an awful tantrum. Five years! Five stinking years, and she had to go through such a hassle just to see Shade. Wasn't half a decade enough punishment? It was final. She would have to speak with the king directly about such horrid conditions. This couldn't go on any longer. And given how stubborn she was, she was willing not to give up until she could see him in person. Going to Tal Rojas to meet him was yet another task she would have to add on her list.

Maverick travelled around the city, asking questions, doing some research, trying to find something about Leoquin's family, but also about Huntress. So far, there was no success, except another person who employed Huntress more than a year ago. Like the last person, didn't know where she lived and who she was except that she was a successful bounty hunter. He asked a soldier patrolling a part of the city, and while he admitted he knew Huntress, he refused to tell him about her. As for Leoquin's family, he didn't have a clue. After several hours, he invited Leoquin for a drink, leaving Dahlia outside where horses were left, though it was clear she was uncomfortable there, so he tried to hurry.
"Well now, this is not going to be easy. Ilasi is really worried about this Huntress lady that visited her yesterday. And your family... well, the archives are not going to help most likely, and the soldiers are as clueless as we are. Perhaps... it's time to visit an Ishulgite prisoner. If someone knows about your family, it has to be one of them." Maverick said, understanding the challenge that awaited them. The Ishulgites were almost as hard to visit as Shade himself, and due to how dangerous they were, they didn't stay prisoners for long. If they could, they would do it as soon as today.

The warden took down the appointment in the logbook. "Very well. We will expect to see you then," he said, leaving the book on the table as it was regularly accessed. "Keep in mind that failure to show up to your appointment without a good reason will result in future appointments receiving lower priority. If you have no other requests, then someone will escort you from the facility." the guard who brought Angora was still standing by, awaiting the command.

Leoquin gladly took Maverick's offer, needing a break from all of the searching. Maverick had the right idea - the Ishulgites would know, if anyone. "Probably..." he said, scratching his chin, "but it's not going to be easy. We'd have to move heaven and earth to speak to one of them, unless anyone we know can pull some serious strings, and naturally we would need some way of discerning the actual truth from them." It was an ambitious search, to be sure - but there were still options. Leoquin wasn't running blind anymore. How nice of Maverick, to spend time away from his own family to help Leoquin find his own...

Angora followed her escort, taking out her list and adding the date of the appointment to make sure she didn't forget. She would write about visiting the king later in case the guard was a nosy one. After she was out, her frustration was noticeable outside the gates when the ground she stepped on melted, generating tremendous heat with her powers and leaving mushy footprints behind. She took no notice of this though, and eventually, she calmed down, the ground stopping to melt. She awaited the next carriage to take her near the behemoth pens.
"Man, humans just love wasting everybody's time." she vented with herself, not even addressing to Neo this time. She wanted to talk with the king personally, but maybe a Sere could help her? She didn't want to go to the base on her break, so it was out of the question. She could encounter Latnok in the Salvation House, but she shivered at the idea of asking him for help. The king was the better option if she wanted some real change. For now, it was time to visit Gregor. Even if his companions loved annoying her, they were still better company than the Guardian that destroyed her emotionally so many times and even tried to kill her once, maybe more.

Maverick considered the options.
"Well, obviously they won't allow us to visit such dangerous prisoners, but luckily for us, we are close to the Guardians. I'm very sure señor Sere will be willing to help us after we explain what we're trying to do. We worked for him after all, and Angorita has taken exceptional care of his wyvern." Maverick pointed out, certain that Sere would help them without hesitation if they asked. The Guardian base was off limits to many people, but since Angora worked there, it was going to be easy for them to enter.

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Once breakfast was over, Latnok took the dishes to the kitchen, where they would be attended to by others, before returning to his room. With that, he grabbed his pack.
"So Risar wasn't very specific - but I'm guessing the egg would be with the same people taking care of the dogs, at any rate," Latnok surmised, as he moved out. "I doubt they would've moved it back to the main base without at least informing me of its arrival."

"Agreed-- we would've heard of such a discovery had been moved. And hopefully it isn't nothing; these are the first leads we've gotten in a long long time.," Raclaw said as they walked. As he spoke, his voice carried some hope or least the idea of hope. After all that time, part of him thought they would never get another lead. And that part of him was very hopeful at this particular moment in time. 'Perhaps, perhaps.,' he thought as he gently swayed his tail. "Whatever lead we find-- we'll follow it. Right Latnok?," Chester spoke responding partly off his/Raclaw's canine senses and emotions.

---
Meanwhile, Risar would soon set out once again with Icestorm. It would only be a matter of time until the Minotaur/Dragon duo approached the familiar Raging Serpent. "Morning captain.," one of the drinking buddies from before spoke upon seeing the large Risar. "Morning-- how is progress going on the goods?," Risar responded with a nod. "The goods.. are going and not going. One of the merchants/craftsmen reports that their supply got raided between here and Hammerhead. They're not going to be able to supply everything they promised.," the other Minotaur responded. "What and how much was lost?," Risar responded back with a tone of combined annoyoise and concern. "Some of the local talismans that are popular with some of the rich folks-- perhaps 50 maybe 75%.," the other Minotaur responded speaking in a highly intelligible matter at least for Minotaur standards. In fact, he didn't even look entirely beastman almost as if he were half human. "Thank-you Teeza. Let me know if anyone else interferes in our trade routes," Risar then said almost placing a hand on his swordside. Whatever happened-- the goods were gone now, but such incidents were indeed happening at an increasing rate.

Soon enough, Angora reached her new destination, having muttered almost all the way there. She really, REALLY hated how humans handled so many things. How come they didn't make a special exception for her after all she has done for the Guardians and this miserable city? She wasn't going to be quiet about the matter. Whether Sere helped her or not, she still intended to speak to king Seraos about this. Enough was enough. But there would be time to handle such matters. First, she would visit Gregor so that the behemoth would know she hasn't forgotten about him. There were times when he was away on another city or being part of an arena battle, but she was hoping today wasn't one of those days. The journey to the pens was a bumpy one.

As Angora exited the carriage, which stopped at the nearest town given the behemoth pens were forbidden to the public, she started walking towards it. The road was even further away than Shade's prison, but she didn't complain. She knew she was close when she heard the thundering stomps and booming voices of the beasts. The soldiers on guard soon started pointing spears at her.
"Easy there! It's only me!" she announced herself, hoping the guards here would treat her far better than the ones from Shade's prison. The last thing she needed was more rudeness and disrespect. While some of the soldiers there knew her, nobody went out of their way to show her some respect, but some did like when she came by due to being so amusing seeing the behemoths annoy her.

Ilasi considered what to do for the day; though there were plenty of waterways to allow merfolk in their aquatic form to move around the city quickly, it was still somewhat of an inconvenience to be in such a form when patronizing terrestrial businesses. She decided she would stay on land; rain didn't look to be in the forecast today, so they would be fine.
In the immediate area, there was a marketplace to be browsed; there were some services that potentially interested her, including hair treatment; and there were the multiple taverns in the area if she wanted to have a bite to eat. She was going to enjoy herself, not just for Maverick's sake but her own as well. Perhaps relaxing while having her hair worked on would do Ilasi well...

Leoquin had forgotten about the connections the Guardians would have with the more powerful people in Aelinon. "Oh, that's right - I just wonder if they would still care enough about a former colleague to help me out like that," he said. "Still, it's something, at the very least. They fought the Ishulgites, just as we did. We should be able to work something out. Now, where do you think would be a good place to go...? Oh, don't they run the Salvation House?" Leoquin had never been too familiar with the facility; but he knew enough about Redwater to know when the more ambitious projects sprung up.

It took Latnok a bit of asking around before he finally located the storage location of the egg; it was in a small, isolated room, checked in on every so often by one of the Guardians. The egg was set in a box used for storing things in various temperatures and humidity and lighting conditions; it was normally used for the preparation of magical ingredients which required extremely precise conditions, but was, in this case, being used to simulate incubation in conditions similar to what many eggs would have while being warmed by their mother.
Latnok didn't immediately know what to do with the egg; the incubation was a good idea, but without knowing exactly what was in the egg, it was guesswork at best.

Maverick agreed.
"I think that's our best bet for now. Angorita doesn't like going to the base when she's on her little vacation, so the Salvation House is the place to go. Señor Latnok goes there often for Raclaw and Chester's sake, and for being the founder of course, so our chances to find him are high. Once we explain to him what we want, he will tell señor Sere, and I'm certain he won't refuse us. Not only are we former employees that helped during the Ishulgite war, but as Guardians, it's their duty to help people. And if there is a tiny chance that they demand a bit of pay, I'm ready to do it. I have a good income." he expressed, showing how far he was willing to go to help Leoquin find the happiness he himself managed to earn.

Unlike Shade's prison, there was nothing to sign to enter the behemoth pens, at least when it came to her. She was familiar enough around the place, and since the behemoths seemed to enjoy her company, the soldiers allowed her entry. They simply gave her a name tag and escorted her in, leading her to one of the tall platforms that were used to mount them and be on their eye level. Most of the behemoths had their backs turned, busy with stuff. Others were in further platforms, receiving supplies on their backs so that they could bring them to different places around the city. Although it was shameful to admit it, all behemoths looked the same to her, and since she couldn't see most of their faces, she had to resort to call him.
"Gregor! GREGOR! I'm here!" she yelled, even though she hated calling him. She might be small, but behemoths could easily notice her presence, especially if she used her voice, and calling Gregor meant she might alert them.

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It took Latnok a bit of asking around before he finally located the storage location of the egg; it was in a small, isolated room, checked in on every so often by one of the Guardians. The egg was set in a box used for storing things in various temperatures and humidity and lighting conditions; it was normally used for the preparation of magical ingredients which required extremely precise conditions, but was, in this case, being used to simulate incubation in conditions similar to what many eggs would have while being warmed by their mother.
Latnok didn't immediately know what to do with the egg; the incubation was a good idea, but without knowing exactly what was in the egg, it was guesswork at best.

Just as Latnok was at a lost-- so was Raclaw. It was hard to tell what exactly was inside from just the egg itself; any distinctive patterns on it wouldn't make any difference anyway when they had no idea what a Fur Dragon egg even looked like. Raclaw briefly tried to 'read' the egg looking for sign of thought but again.. turned up with nothing. Whatever was inside the egg was presumingly still alive, but said creature (if it was a fur dragon) wouldn't have any active thought to read at this point in its life. "Hmm...," Raclaw thought out loud trying to think of anything they could do to further figure the conundrum out. "Well-- I'll admit. I am not sensing anything and I don't know enough about eggs to tell one way or the other, but.. but perhaps there is someone who can?," the Fur Dragon then suggested inferring to a certain museum director to whom they already had an appointment with anyway. They, at the very least, now had a image of the egg to describe or shade as needed. And perhaps there was a chance that the egg carried some distinct marking. The chance was a slim one, but a slim chance was better than nothing. Or so the slightly optimistic Raclaw thought anyway.

Maverick's reasoning was sound, giving Leoquin confidence in the end result. "Sounds like it could work. Well, then, should we get going?" he suggested. It had been a long time since he had seen either Latnok or Sere - he hoped they still at least remembered his name.
Regardless, the people who set up a home for abandoned children and stray animals couldn't be working just for the sake of a paycheck. Perhaps some of that goodwill would allow them to assist him in finding his family.

One of the behemoths turned his head much ore quickly than the others, before stepping forward. "ANGORA. WE WELCOME YOUR PRESENCE," Gregor said, as he took a more relaxed pose. "DO YOU COME WITH TALES OF YOUR STRUGGLES OR ENDEAVORS?" As odd as it seemed, Gregor always appreciated the various stories Angora had to tell - they gave him the perspective of the life of someone of a much different stature, from a character he was already intrigued by.

Latnok pondered on the matter for a few moments. "Well, naturally, the one best suited for the task would probably be Julian," he suggested. "Research and biology are his specialties, and both would come in handy here. That would require us heading back to base, however - so that'll have to be done after we're done with everything else." As important as the matter was - with perhaps another potential fur dragon, even - discovering what was in the egg wasn't an immediately pressing task.

"Si. Vámonos. I don't think Dahlia likes her current spot anyway." he said, finishing his drink, paying up, and saddling the dirt buffalo again, who had been restless. She calmed down in his presence, so it was easy to mount her. Once Leoquin was all settled too, they headed to the Salvation House, which was only a couple of miles away from there. He wondered how Angora was doing with her own errands.

The day hadn't gone the way she expected, but Angora could at least see Gregor. She didn't understand why he was always so interested in her relatively simple life and repetitive struggles, but she figured that with his mundane, heavily routinely life, listening to others was a big break.
"Ah well, the usual. Tried to see Shady today, but I have to wait almost a month to see him. That's... something I guess. Had to sign a bunch of papers though. And of course, still working as a wyvern caretaker. The one under my care is kind to me, but can't say the same for his companions. I even got a new bite mark since the last time we saw each other." Angora explained, showing her shoulder but doubting Gregor would be able to notice much.

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Latnok pondered on the matter for a few moments. "Well, naturally, the one best suited for the task would probably be Julian," he suggested. "Research and biology are his specialties, and both would come in handy here. That would require us heading back to base, however - so that'll have to be done after we're done with everything else." As important as the matter was - with perhaps another potential fur dragon, even - discovering what was in the egg wasn't an immediately pressing task.

No matter how much they wanted it-- Raclaw knew that Latnok was right; Julian was indeed their best bet and there was nothing more they could do here concerning the matter. The egg wasn't going anywhere and besides.. they had other matters to attend to. There was the job and of course there was their appointment at the museum. They had a reputation to attend to, a responsibility even towards his species. What they said and did today might determine how others viewed both himself and potentially other any other Fur Dragons in the future. "You're right. There's nothing more we can do here, but there is something we can do to assure the future of any other potential Fur Dragons. Let's go.," Raclaw said with a nod and a sense of determination.

Meanwhile-- Risar concluded any remaining business concerning the ship; things were otherwise mostly going to plan. He looked to Icestorm with a look of both concern and relief. "Well then-- shall we see how our egg is doing?," he then said. He also considered potentially doing something about the shipment interferences, but such interferences were so far random at best and usually took place in-between major trading hubs. It would take some investigating to say the least and that was assuming that it wasn't multiple independent parties doing what they did best. They couldn't be too certain.

As Maverick and Leoquin entered the facility, they would find a man - a normal human, hired by the Guardians - at the reception table. "Greetings, gentlemen. How may I be of help to you two?" he asked politely.
"We're looking for Latnok. Is he here?" Leoquin inquired, skipping right to the point.
"As a matter of fact, you are in luck - he came in to check on... well, I'll let him elaborate on the details if he chooses to do do so. Would you like me to see if he is available?" the receptionist asked. "I will need your names in that case."
The business piqued Leoquin's curiosity, though he figured that there was no reason for it to be his concern. "Yes, please," Leoquin answered. "I'm Leoquin, and this is Maverick."
"Okay, then. I'll be right back!" With that, the receptionist left the area of the desk.

Latnok was about to pick up the egg when the receptionist arrived. "Mr. Latnok, sir, there is a Leoquin, a merman, and a Maverick, a... man who could use a barber, that say they are here to see you," he relayed.
Those names immediately drew Latnok's attention. He hadn't seen them in... a long time. "'Could use a barber,' you say? That's one way to put it," he commented jokingly. "But I might as well see them." Latnok left for the entrance, leaving the egg for now; he would come back for it later.
He arrived to see, indeed, Leoquin and Maverick there, each with a few more years than when he last saw them. "Well, can't say I was expecting a visit from you two," he said. "Hello."
"Hello, Latnok. How have you be-"
"Let's cut the pleasantries, I know you didn't drop by for a chat," Latnok interrupted - both because he had things to do on his own and because he had accepted that most on that ship would probably avoid a casual encounter with him if they could help it. "What brings you here?"

Gregor gave a low, rumbling chuckle at the mention- however, though Angora tried to show him, she was too small for him to take particular notice of her scars. "AH. WE TALK TO WYVERNS EVERY NOW AND THEN. THEY SAY TROLLS HAVE A UNIQUE SMELL. VERY STRONG. EASY PREY TO FIND. STUPID. SLOW. DELICIOUS. BUT YOU ARE NOT SMELLY, STUPID, OR SLOW. AND SO YOU HAVE SURVIVED AMONG THEM. YOU ARE A FASCINATING ONE." Gregor leaned in closer to take a bit of a better look, as if analyzing her, before returning to the previous posture. "PERHAPS YOU HAVE JUST MISTAKEN YOURSELF FOR A TROLL."

Maverick was happy that they could encounter Latnok here just when they needed him the most, but he could see he hasn't changed that much in many aspects.
"Buenos dias señor Latnok. Long time no see. It's great to see you again. I can tell you're busy, so I'll make it brief." Maverick said, knowing well how busy he usually was not only with being one of the main Guardians, but also running the Salvation house. There would be time to catch up on what they've missed later... if there was ever the chance. He didn't like Latnok that much due to how horrible he treated Angora in the past, but it was still nice to see a familiar face.
"So it's like this. We want to speak to an Ishulgite prisoner, but as mere citizens, that would be impossible. We're trying to find señor Leoquin's family you see, and we believe an Ishulgite might know something. We need someone of high authority to make such mission possible." Maverick calmly explained, not entirely certain how willing Latnok would be to help them, but even if he didn't, he could always deliver the message to Sere. The old leader was usually much more easier to talk to, and has been a good boss to Angora as far as Maverick knew.

Gregor's information was news to Angora. So behemoths could understand wyvern language? How very interesting. It felt good being praised by a creature as mighty as this one.
"Oh believe me, I'm a troll. My condition and way of life has made me too different from the rest of my kind, to the point I can easily be mistaken for something else... but I am what I am." Angora explained, not denying her species anymore like she did in the past. She was born that way, and while she had wished she could've been something else, she has learned to accept it despite the hardship.

She did a brief pause before continuing.
"You'll likely never know the feeling, but you have no idea how depressing it is to be a troll sometimes. To be considered a pest, or just food. This wyvern, Veris, is the exception, but the others... well, you know. I was doubly cursed. Not only am I a troll, but I just had to have this ridiculous condition. Trolls hated me because of it. Hated by my own kind AND by humans, hunted by predators, I felt so alone. It was never easy. But I somehow survived. Made friends with dear Maverick, who has his own family and proudly accepts me into it. And friends with dragons and a behemoth. Ironically, not a single human friend, but oh well. You can't please everybody." Angora vented, realizing that her only friends were humanoids, dragons and a behemoth. Maverick didn't count since he wasn't entirely human, and she firmly believed it was only his faun side that made him so gentle, to the point that he was willing to befriend one of the most hated creatures of society.

"Finding family? That's a cause I can get behind," Latnok said - it was something they had been working on in regard to Raclaw. "I can put in a word and help you get the appointment - however, you'll need to find some way of actually making them speak to you, and a way of ensuring that what they say is the truth, at least as far as they know."
Latnok had hoped that they would, at the very least, be here regarding helping children, or maybe adopting a dog; he knew, however, that the two probably wouldn't have summoned him if they just wanted to do those things. Still, trying to find family was a good enough cause.

Gregor didn't immediately respond, being lost in thought somewhat. Imagining life from Angora's perspective - it was like a human trying to imagine being in the position of an ant. Though many aspects of such a life could be understood, it was hard to empathize with the struggle from such a thing.
"WE CANNOT FULLY COMPREHEND YOUR SITUATION; HOWEVER, WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE ENDURED MUCH HARDSHIP," Gregor finally spoke. "PHYSICAL STRENGTH IS ONLY ONE FACET OF BEING STRONG. RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF TROUBLE... THAT IS ANOTHER. YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED SUCH CAPABILITY IN ABUNDANCE, AND FOR THAT, WE COMMEND YOU."

Maverick pondered a while. It was one thing to get an appointment, but another one entirely to make the Ishulgite speak. He suspected they would go silent just to hurt Leoquin, especially if they were holding a grudge.
"Well, we'll just have to find a way to make them speak the truth. If they have some good in them like they believed, they'll help us." Maverick stated, showing that innocent optimism he was so well known for. He stood firm in the possibility that Ishulgites are good people, just horribly misled and paying the price for their extremism.

Angora noticed how Gregor usually seemed to talk in plural, giving the impression that his friends thought the same. She was sort of a celebrity among the beasts, which was funny cause it was almost as if a flea was famous around a pack of dogs.
"Well, it has been too hard, no doubt about it, but look at things now. I'm not accepted by everybody, and I only have very few friends, but those few are true friends and that's what's important. I have a family... and a job, so I have my own income. The only thing that would truly make me happy is to see my friend Shady out of that prison. Go somewhere where he will be left alone, and where he won't be a danger to anybody. To be free and happy himself." Angora expressed, climbing to Gregor's shoulder so that he could continue his previous work but keep having her company and conversation. Life could be a funny thing. He is somebody that almost killed her before, yet there they were, talking like dear friends. Gregor's praise was something that made Angora feel very good about herself, and increased her self esteem. Not many did that.

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Finding family? That's a cause I can get behind," Latnok said - it was something they had been working on in regard to Raclaw. "I can put in a word and help you get the appointment - however, you'll need to find some way of actually making them speak to you, and a way of ensuring that what they say is the truth, at least as far as they know."
Latnok had hoped that they would, at the very least, be here regarding helping children, or maybe adopting a dog; he knew, however, that the two probably wouldn't have summoned him if they just wanted to do those things. Still, trying to find family was a good enough cause.

"Perhaps we could be of further assistance?," Raclaw began to suggest recalling the old days and looking up at Latnok. He offered a friendly smile to the familiar face that was Maverick and Leoquin-- it was good to see more old allies again. "I've probed their minds before, so I may perhaps be able to tell how truthful the prisoners are.," the Fur Dragon then said.