Author: Eden, Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 11:46 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

Eden blinked a bit when Syl passed the platter of meat in front of her to the tigerkin. Most of it was still in tact, too. Still, Eden could not stop herself from shaking her head. "Had lot," she replied, her stomach certainly satisfied with taking in so much meal at once. However, not everything made it inside her. Thanks to her ravenous eating style, the deer juices dripped from her lips a bit, landing upon her chest. She looked so much worse than she did before the pond wash.

Wiping her lips with her arm, she undid the collar's latch once more before using her finger to scrape away whatever may have gotten caught in it. After so many years of dirt and rust being so close to her neck, getting a chance to clean it out had also become a habit. Not only that, but it also helped open the airway a bit more, letting her train her lungs even a bit more easier.

Once she seemed alright with it, Eden latched the collar back closed before gazing back out to the sun, feeling much dryer now. Having a little place one could call their own… enjoying peace and quiet at one's whim… it was such a strange luxury to her still…

Author: Sylvastra Duskscale, Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 1:27 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

Syl watched her only briefly, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable at her table. She smiled as she saw the girl seemingly relax, at least a little, and dig into the food, especially the meat. As she seemed to recoil at the cinnamon rolls, Syl put a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. I should have warned you that stuff was sharp tasting." She shook her head and made a note that if she were fortunate to have Eden visit again, no more cinnamon rolls for her.

She did notice Eden seemed ravenous and wondered a bit sadly what led her to such a state. Taking her plate, she slid it over in front of Eden. Having gone after the rolls, egg and cheese first, she had most of her meat left. Her face broke into a smile. The meat hadn't cooled that much either.

"Here, you can have the rest of my steaks if you want. You seem to like it more than anything else."

Author: Eden, Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 1:19 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

The amount of food presented to Eden was…. massive. So many items with each their own scents, it almost felt intimidating to dive straight for it. How long…. how long she fought for scraps of such meals, and it was sitting in front of her in full, no strings attached… right? However, before any questions of doubt dug into her mind, her stomached roared to life, reminding her that eating was a survival instinct, and the lack of bulky meals in the last few moons certainly pushed their way to the front of her mind. She would certainly regret it if any of the meal was tampered with.

Her inner carnivore was quick to hop onto the steaks before her, her hands quick to dive for the nearest chop. Of course, coming straight off the grill, it was still hot, causing Eden's hands to pop back a bit. However, after a quick recovery, her hands picked the chop off the platter and her inner carnivore woke up, her teeth almost resembling fangs now as they tore into the flesh, tearing it off the bone without any mercy or finesse. Table manners were clearly not built into her as she ravaged her meal as if she had not eaten in many moons. For so long, she had to deal with fruits, but they never tasted right with her, so when the chance of fresh meat was available, she was quick to tackle it.

However, once the steak was rightfully devoured in the roughest mess Sylvastra had probably seen in her many years, her eyes were drawn to the baked item. It was something her nose could not recognize nor her eyes could match with. With much more care (and possibly caution) picking it up, she took a quick bite of it, though it was not long before she was choking a bit on it, washing the taste away with the drink before her. It had that one taste a lot of the fruit had, but much sharper, almost to the point of overwhelming her. And it felt very odd in her mouth. She had no real way to describe how it felt…

The last bits she jumped for here there yellow fragments that were piled up in a corner. One by one, she popped the pieces in her mouth, trying to understand what it really was. It was no meat, but it certainly not fruit or the brown, sweet wheel, either…

By the time she was done eating (probably making a mess of herself once again), she looked up at the dragonessa and told her. "Thanks. Good food."

Author: Sylvastra Duskscale, Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 11:48 PM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

"I do indeed." Syl's voice was warm as she cooked. Taking a small flat board, she slid circles of a strange elastic mixture into the dome of the hearth.

"I've lived here for several years now. It is certainly not flashy like most cities or towns, but I feel like this is home, for now." She took a small wooden spoon and began mixing things in a metal pan.

After about ten minutes, she pulled out the circles of elastic, which were now golden brown and harder, with a sweetness in them. They smelled amazing and had a circle of what smelled like cinnamon and sugar in them.

Gathering two plates, she began fixing up the foods once they were done. Walking over, she set down a clay tray in front of her that had sliced steaks that smelled like deer meat, scrambled up eggs and a wedge of a light colored cheese. Next to those were two of the cinnamon rolls covered in a sweet glaze.

Sylvastra refilled their water cups and brought over a bowl of fruit in case Eden was the fruit type. She gathered up some silverware but it seemed up in the air as to whether or not she expected Eden to use them in the first place. But at least she did lay some cloth napkins near by.

"Dig in!" She smiled over at Eden as she started into her eggs and strips of meat.

Author: Eden, Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 11:35 PM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

She certainly had several nights hunkering down in caves, especially when the sky turned into a waterfall. However, this hole in the wall was not like any other. Many odd items decorated the area, few of which she could tell from their wooden counterparts. However, some of the items were just strange and confusing to her eyes. Some things were made of many smaller items that she could not even guess what they were for until later in the day she began to work with them. Not all of it was lit up, though, as some portions of the cavern were still rested in darkness, even with small heatball pockets resting next to their entryways. One of them even had a light mist lightly seeping from it with a bubbling noise.

When she was told to make herself at home, her reply was but a simple nod before resting the heavy sword upwards once more, sitting still on a flat tip, near the entrance before resting her clothes next to it. Despite the small trip, she could still feel some water still clinging to her body. The trees along the way up were of no assistance, thus bare she remained, heading over to a seat near the cave's window. There, she could feel the sun basking down on her skin while the scent of the cooked meat filled the chamber. While she did not understand why the meat was placed under a heatball like that, her body certainly preferred it over its raw state. Then again, it seemed to have only agreed when its raw state was better than nothing.

"Live here?" were the next words that escaped from Eden to Sylvastra, turning her gaze away from the sky and back to the working kitchen. "Many odd thing."

Author: Sylvastra Duskscale, Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 10:44 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

The woman smiled brightly as Eden seemed amenable to staying for a little bit. Yes, the dragon liked her solitude, that was the sole reason for moving out this way. But like any social being, she did occasionally miss company that was more than just the dwarven traders she ran into contact with on the rare trip she made into the city.

Leading the young woman down the path through the trees, she soon led her up against the mountain range. The spires seemed to jut high into the sky from here, but the base wasn't treacherous in that regard. Grunting, she pushed aside the roughly carved circular rock she used to seal off her house when she was in for the night or out.

Inside it was considerably darker until she lit the couple of lanterns she had hanging on the walls. Eventually it revealed a very well taken care of interior. A small basin was on the left side of the wall, carved into the stone. A cord above it was attached to some manner of internal contraption. Nearby was a large basket that looked like it was covered on the inside with some kind of parchment or paper. Near this side was another fireplace carved into the stone with a longer hearth and domed cover, looking brushed from its most recent meal.

Opposite this small kitchen area was a fireplace, unlit for the moment. Further back into the cave was a small table and one that rested against the floor, both carved from stone. There appeared to be two tunnels leading from this living space, one to presumably a bedroom and the other was not lit but Eden could hear bubbling coming from it. Had the lady tapped an underground hot spring for bathing in private? That would be relaxing! Syl must have preferred or needed time out in nature; there were some folk who would never leave a bounty like an indoor hot spring.

Sylvastra came in and motioned Eden to follow, the morning sun shining in from the mouth of the cave. Lighting the fireplace and her makeshift oven, she pulled out several steaks from the basket near the cooking area and lifted out a small basket full of eggs. On a small tray was a block of cheese and in another nearby basket were rolls. As soon as the fire was lit, Syl took some hanging cookware nearby and began preparing what started smelling like a succulent meal.

"Oh, please feel free to make yourself at home." Syl motioned to two wood chairs near the table.

While she was busy preparing food, she pulled the cord over the basin and water began flowing into it, being caught by a kettle she was holding underneath. She set the kettle over the other fireplace and started it warming while taking a cup made of clay and filling it with water. She set it on the table in front of a chair with a smile and curled her tail around her waist to keep it out of her and Eden's way. Soon the entire place smelled like delicious as she gathered up some plates and flipped over the cuts of meat, moving the eggs around with a spatula.

Author: Eden, Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 10:23 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

Breakfast… That was a word Rizka used a few times when she was studying with her and Justice… They also called it lunch, dinner, snack, supper, meal…  Why was food given so many different names? After all, when she was locked behind a case, it was often called a single thing: "Time to eat." Why did now she have to memorize so many words for the same idea? It made no sense to her, but it was probably a topic that was not really worth delving into. Maybe next time she met Rizka…

Still, she could understand the motion to follow, though she was taking no time to dry off, water still clinging to her form and dripping off the edges. If she was going to take in the open invitation, she had to ignore the sun dry. However, she did not need a voice to actually reply, as the thought of food was enough to cause her stomach to rumble. Didn't matter what the name was, food was food.

Pushing herself to her feet, Eden took a moment in the other direction out of the pond, wrapping her clothes in a bundle before resting them under her left arm before pulling the sword out of the earth with her right, resting the massive weight of a blade on her shoulder. Once settled, she headed over to the side of the dragonessa before looking up, hinting she was ready. After all, this was not her land, so she knew not where she was headed.

Author: Sylvastra Duskscale, Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 12:57 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

The dragon tilted her head and smiled a bit as Eden "spoke". It wasn't unheard of for her to encounter strange and unique ways of communicating and Syl didn't seem put off by that.

"Eden? What a gorgeous name!"

The drake had a very warm and relaxed voice, indicative of how she carried herself. She did notice Eden had an issue with 'speaking', so she was patient and tried to speak in a way she'd have an easier time making herself understood.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

Syl lifted herself out of the pool, water sluicing down her body as she picked up her bag of soaps. Encouragingly motioning to Eden, she walked a few steps away towards the path to her cave and turned back, motioning for her to follow her if she so wanted.

Author: Eden, Posted: Wed May 9, 2018 7:37 PM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

While it may have seem to have been ritualistic, it was certainly more training for Eden. After all, for the countless years the collar had been choking her neck, scars telling their tale, it had been difficult to survive without the item that linked her to her past. The moment she began to feel and form of dizzy, her hand was quick to snap the latch shut with a loud echo filling the pond region. Her eyes were struggling to keep focus as she fought the brightness that flooded her sight. It was still not long she could keep it open, but at the very least her throat had adjusted to let her roar louder. If only that meant she could abandon the tie to her past….

The tigerkin's ears flicked back up when the female dragon spoke up before her head followed suit. She gave her name, and almost immediately, her mind was trying to click on how that would look… S… I… L… Her fingers traced those letters in the air before pointing at Sylvastra to make a connection, before tracing a new set of letters. E… D… E… N… Once done, she pointed back at herself, while "Eden," echoed into the mind of the dragon. A voice that she had probably never heard of linking towards her coming from Eden, yet her lips never moved when she made the statement.

Author: Sylvastra Duskscale, Posted: Wed May 9, 2018 5:31 PM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

The dragon chuckled lightly at the antics between the tigergirl and the soap bar, which promptly decided to bop her one before landing on the shoreline. It was obvious she wasn't being insulting as she flickered her tail away, bringing it back up towards her face and using her own soap to wash it as she hadn't got there yet.

As she watched, the girl flicked open her collar. She saw the girl get a little more relaxed and a bit dreamy-eyed and figured this was a personal ritual of her own. Remaining silent, all that could be heard was the gentle rippling of the water as the dragonessa bathed and left the girl to her devices.

When it looked like the girl was coming back around from her deep mental state (the dragon was rather patient), the purple being smiled at her. Pulling away the soap bag, she sat up, tilting her head over at the young lady.

"Hello. My name is Syl. Whom do I have the pleasure of greeting this morning?"

Author: Eden, Posted: Wed May 9, 2018 10:22 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

When the voice spoke up, Eden's eyes broke away from the morning sky and towards to dragon person she shared the pond with, stating she was aware of her presence. However, there was not room for worry as she did not get aggressive. In fact, she was being quite inviting to the stranger as Eden watched the dragonessa use her tail to move a large leather pouch over to her side, offering use of her "soaps." Pulling herself back upright, she used her fingers to finish spreading out her hair more as she made for the bag.

Inside were several small bricks of… something. They were certainly not that of the walls she fought in, that was for certain. The walls were never this colorful or… smelly. Pulling one out, she gave it a close sniff. Why did it even smell like that anyways? Was it the same thing as Rizka's hair stuff she used when they first met? She still could not understand their real purpose, but the more she tried, the more the water from her wet hands started to melt the brick, causing it to slide out of her grip.

When she began to notice, she tightened her grip immediately, which only caused it to slip upwards into the air. She tried to catch it with her other hand, but it, too slipped away, causing a small moment's juggle before the brick landed on her head and bounded back to the shoreline of the pond. Eden's ears were now resting flat on her as a low growl escaped her breath, as if intimidating the brick before turning her back on it and settling herself down on the shore.

Once she was comfortable, her fingers moved up to  the latch on her collar before flicking it open, the metal echoing in the air around them, before taking deep breaths. It was clearly something she was used to doing, as she almost seemed like she was in a meditative state, yet the open collar was never actually removed, and her hand remained close to the latch as she did so.

Author: Sylvastra Duskscale, Posted: Wed May 9, 2018 1:33 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

The dragon opened an eye lazily as she heard the pond splash when someone else joined her. She had never seen the odd person before but most people didn't tend to come this far north. It was nice not to have so much loud noises or bickering or anything harsh disrupting the tranquility.

"Oh. Good morning, miss lady." The dragonessa smiled at her and flicked her tailtip lazily through the water.

She definitely didn't seem bothered to have a bathing buddy. If anything about the lass - ears, collar, anything - bothered her, she made no show of it.

"Can I offer you some of my soaps?" She picked up the bag near her with her tail and stretched it over, gently placing it on the shoreline near the tiger girl. Inside was an array of citrus or flowery smelling small bricks. It looked to Syl like the girl maybe hadn't bathed in a while and she would be remiss not to be gracious in the little plot of land she inhabited when a guest was present.

Author: Eden, Posted: Wed May 9, 2018 1:26 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

How long had she been stuck in this land? Sure, she had been much safer here than on the other land mass, as much less faces knew her name, but at the same time, she had been used to many of the scents the other land held. It was not like she wasn't adjusting here, far from it. It was just a strange feeling she could not really put into words. This place had a much different feel than the other. Was it wrong to have such a feeling, or did it make much more sense? Questions she had trouble understanding.

At the very least, it did not grant restless sleeps as dawn cracked over the horizon, causing the tigerkin to stir from her sitting position, back rested upon a large tree and weapon arched at her shoulder carefully. Should she move wrong, the weapon could easily crush her, yet having it close at hand for emergencies was always eased her mind. With a large stretch to her arms, Eden used the weapon to pull herself back to her feet before another stretch, this time standing on her toes to stretch her legs, back, and tail. AS she stretched, her ears flicked, catching the sounds in the air. The wind through the leaves. Animals on the branches… running water. It had been a while since she had taken the time to clean herself off, especially with that conflict with the rabbit. Heaving the weapon over her shoulder, Eden made way to her new destination.

When she found the source of the water, it was obvious that she was not alone, as a large dragon dressed in velvet-purple scales rested inside the waters as well, scrubbing her scales down with a dissolving brick. Odd, but nothing she was really worried about. There was no hostility in the air and there was room for her to fit, so the tigerkin decided there was no issue in joining her, resting the blade on the earth, letting  it stand tall on its flat tip dug into the soft sand. Next came untying the band that held her kimono closed, resting it on the ground next to her weapon before following suit with the tight-formed cloth and lower cloth, leaving the only thing on her person the thick metal collar.

The water was still chilled when her feet touched, but its current was almost still, leaving no rom to struggle pushing herself in and relaxing in the waters, letting it slowly break apart the knots in her hair, basking in the early morning sun.

Author: Sylvastra Duskscale, Posted: Wed May 9, 2018 12:37 AM, Post Subject: What Dragons Do In Secret (P. R.)

Dragonkin live for a long time. So between experience the nuances of existence, occasionally they wander off for some downtime. Sylvastra was one of those.

The dragonessa had done her share of fighting, training and living in the martial world. Now she just wanted to live quietly in her cave, in peace, making sculptures, meditating and communing with nature.

This morning found her rolling the giant boulder away from the entrance to her cave, yawning as the sunlight crested over the valley in which she lived. Stretching, she took a small bag with some handcrafted soaps and a cloth and went down to the local pond. Fed with water from a nearby waterfall, she used this often as her bathing spot.

The sun hadn't warmed the water yet, so she waded in with a shiver, yawning again. Sitting down in a comfortable, moss-covered spot, she ducked her head under and leaned back, relaxing as she took out the softening soap and began washing over her scales, humming softly to herself. This time of the morning usually greeted her with few visitors aside from the occasional deer or squirrel running around for breakfast.