Is tiny dragon still a dragon? (closed)

[twin_blade]

WHO: Vax'ildan Vessar twin_blade & Dion Lesage oblige
WHEN: Post-fog event
WHERE: Charronway
WHAT: It's time to mini-prime.
NOTES\WARNINGS: None.



[ Vax might have a place to rest his head at night, but he doesn't actually spend a lot of time at the apartments. Having been in Etraya for a year, one would think he would have found a more comfortable place to call home, but this place is not and never will be his home. In short, he hasn't bothered to try.

Instead, he likes to be out as much as possible. Exploring different areas. Learning the ins and outs of the world and getting a lay of the land. When he's not traveling, he likes quiet spots away from it all. Anything that remotely reminds him of home. The lakeside is one of those places he enjoys.

He sits on a log near the water's edge, absently rubbing a smooth pebble between his fingers as he watches a single bird glide over the surface of the water. It's here that he waits for company from someone who contacted him for a meeting. Until then, he lets himself get lost in the sound of the wind in the trees and tiny laps of the water on the rocky bank. It won't be difficult for his elven ears to pick up the approach of anyone coming to find him. ]

Comments

[twin_blade]

[ Vax quirks a single eyebrow down at the little dragon. Does Vax have to remind him of how good and perfect he is again?

Rather than insist on it, he takes more direct action and uses two fingers to gently pinch Bahamut's mouth shut. Which is entirely useless since Bahamut's not even speaking from his mouth, but Dion must get the picture.

With a small smirk, Vax lets him go and runs his fingers under Bahamut's chin, instead, for some more scratching. ]

I'll just tell everyone your weakness is chin scratches.

[oblige]

That would surely sound absurd.

[ Just as he feels a little ridiculous himself, distracted the way a cat might be. But this time he's determined to keep himself on his self-imposed task, which sees him stubbornly clambering up to Vax's shoulder to park his small Bahamut body among the dark, feathery mass of the man's cloak.

He's safe from distracting scritches here, definitely. ]

We may yet face dragons on a mission as well, so I would rather you know how to contend with them.

[ Not that Dion wouldn't endeavor to tackle such dangers himself, but missions afford them little by way of predictability. ]

[twin_blade]

Absurd until they try it and find out.

[ Dion probably wouldn't allow that, though. Or maybe he would from the right person. In the fog, Dion said he didn't have friends, but like Vax said, that may change here.

There's a blink as Vax watches Bahamut begin to climb, only to smile a little when he nests himself in the feathers that adorn his shoulders. Yes, Dion is safe. For now. ]

Oh. I suppose that's possible.

[ Anything is possible here. ]

I fought some smaller ones, actually. In the fog. Young dragons.

[oblige]

[ Dion settles, practically flattening into the feathers, wings and all. Typically he wouldn't rest while Primed either, but he'd acclimated somewhat during the Earth mission. The compact nature of it has its uses. Hiding from the menace of well-placed scratches, for instance. ]

I'd rather random individuals not make the attempt to sate their curiosity.

[ If they even would find it all that interesting. Dion isn't entirely convinced they would. Few as his friends are, there aren't many people he'd not feel crowded by if they were to do so. ]

But the fog conjured dragonets? How small were they?

[twin_blade]

[ Vax's long hair is also back there, but he's not worried about Dion accidently getting tangled up in it or poking him in the neck with one of those spines. Not unless he wanted revenge for those scritches, which is unlikely. ]

What? You've never had a random stranger scratch an itch?

[ That sounded suggestive, but he's not sure Dion will pick up on the joke. Plus, that kind of behavior would not be becoming of a prince, would it? Then again, even kings scratch an itch, given the nature of Dion's birth. Dion is a nobler man than his father, though. ]

Hm, they were about ten feet in length, nose to tail. It might've been a problem, but someone else was there to help fight them off. It was.. Byroden. My home village.

[ Burning. With those smaller dragons wreaking havoc. ]

[oblige]

[ Bahamut's silly long tail might flick some of that hair, but if he notices, he'll self-correct. In the meantime, the joke is cause for a little dragon face to rise from the mass of feathers to squint up at Vax. He did serve in the military, and while his men may mind their manners around him, that hardly means he has lived cloistered away from the world like a monk.

Yet indeed he hasn't availed himself of the comforts of strangers. Some may visit pleasure houses, but Dion hadn't the interest, nor the freedom for that matter. Anything he did would reflect on his nation and his father, after all.

Rather than say any of that, he simply huffs out a sigh and flops against the feathers again. Or into them, given his size. ]

They sound like unto wyvers...

[ The thought is quiet, more directed toward himself than Vax. ]

Did they attack your village?

[twin_blade]

[ Vax tilts his head a little to meet the dragon's gaze, his brow lifting at the puff of warm air that follows. An interesting reaction. Maybe Dion would have welcomed the freedom to seek distraction if it suited him. Hard to tell coming from a miniature eikon. Vax also knew what it was like living under scrutiny. He could only suffer it a few years before he ran from it.

A gentle smile, and Vax reaches over to deliver a few soft pets on top of Bahamut's head in that same spot he planted a kiss, earlier, then withdraws. ]

In the fog, they did. In actuality, I only saw Byroden once it was in flames. The dragon or dragons responsible were no longer there.

[ Just ruin and death. ]

[oblige]

It was cruel of Echo to visit that fog upon everyone.

[ And to no productive end that Dion can discern. He wouldn't have wished that torment on anyone, much less in the forms it had taken. For his part, he'd had the echoes of voices he couldn't have heard roiling about in his head. Knowing they could not be real did nothing to dull the sound.

He hasn't forgotten Vax's apprehension at the thought of a dragon among them, as well. Between having lost his village to a dragon attack and having to battle some villainous cabal of them, it's no small wonder. Rather, it's something of a marvel that he'd been as accepting as he was.

Dion isn't all that certain that many would be. ]

I'm sorry you've had such terrible dealings with dragons.

[twin_blade]

Echo hands out gifts in one hand while holding a dagger in the other.

[ That's why Vax can never trust Echo or believe Echo is doing the right thing. He knows that if his world really might come to an end as Echo suggests, he'd rather go down fighting for it. Not let it be picked through the course of some game with rules no one understands.

Vax's reaction would have been different had he not already known the man that Dion is. It's made all the difference to bringing him this far and allowing a small dragon to perch on his shoulder.

The apology gets another turn of his head to glance at Bahamut, which is followed by a small smile. His hand lifts to reach his shoulder, so his thumb can deliver a soft caress along the dragon's cheek. ]

I suppose they're not all bad.

[ And he can only say so because of present company. ]

[oblige]

[ There is no denying that Echo's way feels arbitrary at best. It feels as though all of this is meant to entertain someone, rather than serving the functional purpose of saving worlds. What does it prove or achieve if they perform some of these tasks or endure entirely avoidable hardships?

The more time passes, the more Dion can't help but wonder. They've little choice but to press on, even so.

In the interim at least none of them are entirely alone. ]

They aren't in my world, at least.

[ Intelligent beasts, and potentially dangerous, but that was much the same as any other creature. He sorely wishes Vax's world only had those sorts of dragons, rather than the cursed, ambitious creatures they had to grapple with. ]

[twin_blade]

[ Vax has felt significantly less alone since he's gotten closer to Dion. It's difficult shouldering pain from the past, but that weight is lessened knowing that someone else understands. ]

I doubt they'd be a threat at all in your world.

[ Dion's dragoons, or Dion himself, could squash the Conclave in moments. Vax would give anything to see that. ]

[oblige]

I do have a size advantage. [ A pause, as Dion considers, tail flicking behind him. ] Typically.

[ He hasn't forgotten how small he presently is. This compact form is more suitable for non-combat purposes, though he could still wield his aether.

Though he doesn't say it, Dion does wonder how it is that they can be summoned to this world, dispatched to others, but not to their own. Not to those they know here. How simply they might eliminate threats to so many lives... ]

They would be considered a threat, until they were dealt with, different and malignant as they are.

[twin_blade]

[ Among all the people here and their abilities, they might easily bring peace to every one of their worlds if they were allowed to do so. Vax figures Echo doesn't care about the state of their worlds, since they might be eliminated, anyway. Just another reason for him to believe Echo doesn't have their best interests in mind. ]

It would be something to see, those dragons running scared from you. I'd owe you more debt than I could repay.

[ Were Vax not already in the service of another, he'd surely pledge himself to Dion if he single-handedly eliminated the Conclave from Tal'Dorei. ]

[oblige]

Your people would have peace. I would be satisfied with that.

[ He only wishes the ills of his world could be dealt with with simple force, but he must hope that Clive prevails. Whatever comes next is not for him to know, and that is something he'd accepted when he decided to lay down his life for his own people.

Yet were he able, he'd wield his strength for worlds that still had need of it, curse or no. ]

Though I believe they shall have it regardless.

[twin_blade]

I hope you're right. If what Echo is attempting here is real, I suppose I wouldn't be here if my world was already doomed.

[ Therefore, it must be possible to save his world from the Conclave and any other threats. Percy and Vex being here from a time ahead of him at least suggests there is a near future that will come to pass. ]

[oblige]

Whether it is or is not, I have faith.

[ Dion would like to believe they are here with genuine purpose. The alternative is bizarre and cruel. However, he does believe that Vax and his allies will prevail.

He'd make it quicker and easier given the opportunity, but he doesn't doubt their ability to succeed. Vax's earnest dedication to that cause is enough to convince him. Two enemies defeated also doesn't hurt that assessment. ]

Though I do hope for Echo's sake that this is not an elaborate deception.

[ Dion might be a nice guy, but there are limits. ]

[twin_blade]

[ There's that word again. Dion's faith in him is unexpected but also incredible. Vax looks out at the lake, his hand lifting to his shoulder and absently feeling the tip of Bahamut's tail between his fingers. ]

If it is, Echo is going to have a lot of angry people on their hands.

[oblige]

[ The flicking halts. His tail ends in a shape much like a spearhead, yet without the cold rigidity of one. It's a curious thing to be touched there, though he doesn't mind it. ]

Assuredly so. I'm uncertain what power they wield would be sufficient to ward off that many people. Especially thus motivated.

[ He too would have words for Echo, just as he did Ultima. ]

[twin_blade]

[ Light as Bahamut is, Vax isn't used to feeling anything resting there. Not that he minds. Quite the opposite, actually. But it occurs to him that he does keep reaching back to touch, so lets go and passes a half-smile to the dragon on his shoulder. ]

Sorry.

[ It's not the same as petting a cat, even if it kind of feels like it. ]

[oblige]

[ And so, Bahamut's little head tips curiously up toward Vax's face, as though he might answer his question before he asks it. In the end, it's simpler to ask than to speculate. ]

Whatever for?

[ He was accustomed to being handled like a toy when he first gained this form. ]

[twin_blade]

Well, uh...

[ Dion is getting a very close-up view of that blush suddenly warming Vax's face. ]

You may be small, but you're still you. I shouldn't.. keep touching you without permission.

[ Just because he's the size of a toy right now does not make him a toy. ]

[oblige]

[ It doesn't make him a toy, no, but Dion was accustomed to it thanks to Silas. ]

I appreciate your consideration, though I took no offense.

[ His tail sways once more as he considers how best to respond. ]

You are unaccustomed to dragons that aren't an immediate threat, so I understand being curious. Similarly, I only Primed in my world for combat, so in that sense it differs for me as well.

[twin_blade]

Oh, alright.

[ Vax nods in understanding. Guess it's fine, then? Dion says he's not offended, at least. He did like those chin scratches earlier, too. ]

Have you looked into that treatment?

[ Vax sees no signs of petrification on the tiny dragon's body, but it may not be visible now. ]

[oblige]

[ Indeed, the stone is only visible on his human body. It's less than it was already, though it's difficult for him to believe still yet. Reclaiming skin that had long been unfeeling grey was strange, to say the least. ]

I have occasioned to visit the hospital since the last mission.

[ He had a feeling someone might ask about it. ]

It does appear to be effective.

[twin_blade]

[ When Dion told him about the curse that plagues people who use magic, Vax was naturally concerned. If there's a chance at a cure, he thinks Dion ought to take it. Hearing that he has done so with positive results gets a sudden turn of Vax's head that might jostle the dragon on his shoulder a bit. ]

Really? That's fantastic!

[ And one less thing to worry about, even if the disease didn't appear to advance in this world. ]