@emeraldknight
Caliope had never really been much for drink, but sometimes the day just pushed her to the point of indulgence.
Today was one of those days, but while normally she would have just poured herself a glass of wine and hidden away in the flat above her shop with a good book, now she found herself venturing out into La'marri proper, making for the bar nearest to her store. A small bell above the door chimed merrily as she slipped inside and she shot it a quick look, then lowered her head and bustled toward the bar.
With a shaky sort of breath Cali adjusted her shawl and settled herself on a stool, eyes on the counter and ankles crossing nervously beneath her seat. "Can I, uh, get a drink?"
It was a nice day, warm and bright, and this weather always attracted customers. The tavern was almost full, and while most other staff would have been swamped, Elikalopa was quite enjoying the vibrant atmosphere. The Yoreiqi loved his place, The Islander, and seeing so many happy faces never got old. It was on this day, however, that a rather awkward-looking woman approached the bar, and asked for a drink. "Of course! One mug of ale will be two silver pieces."
He began to pour the drink, the alcohol stopping just shy of spilling over the edge. "I do not believe I have seen you around here before, unless my mind fails me. My name is Elikalopa, though you can just call me Eli. Are you a foreigner?"
Oh goodness, that was quite a drink. "Um, thank you." Cali slid her money across the counter.
She blushed deeply when he asked if she was a foreigner. "Um, no. I- I've lived in La'marri my whole life," she mumbled, hunching in on herself a little more. Of course it would seem like she was a stranger- she hardly ever left her shop, and even as a child she was rarely seen outside her uncle's property.
A small peeping sound came from the bodice of her gown and her blush deepened. "O-oh, excuse me!" she said in a rush, and twisted to try to surreptitiously crane her neck and whisper into her cleavage, "Hush, little one, you're alright."
"Are you okay?" The squeaking noise was strange enough, but then the woman craned her neck downward, seeming to speak to something hidden within her gown. "Are you carrying an animal?"
"Oh!" Cali started slightly and shot him an embarrassed, apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I have to keep him with me. He came in with a new shipment from the isles- even though I've told them and told them to stop capturing wild specimens!" Her cheeks colored with anger and her brow furrowed as she thought of it. One hand went to her breast, trying to soothe the shivering creature that was snuggled against her heart.
She sighed and looked back to the bartender sheepishly. "They took him from his colony, he doesn't have any adults to bond to. If he doesn't stay with me, I'm afraid he'll get sick." When she'd first begun caring for teacup dragons, she'd lost three babies to such a fate, unaware that they could literally die of loneliness.
With another little squeak, the tiny dragon poked his head up from the curve of her bodice, wriggling until he could comfortably observe the tavern without leaving the warmth of his little hiding spot. Cali sighed and stroked his head with two fingers. He purred and nuzzled against her, eyes closing in contentment.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "If he's not allowed in here, I can go." She was very red; she'd thought the little dragon would sleep through her trip to the tavern, and wouldn't cause any problems.
Eli looked incredulously at the tiny creature, the shock of recognition spreading across his face. "A Parrot Dragon! You have a Parrot Dragon! I have heard of you, many have come here telling of your enterprise. I had a woman come in only last week to say she bought one!" The bartender was filled with joy at seeing the dragons from his homeland. "I am from the isles, you see. I made friends with many of these... Creatures? Sorrry, my Common is not quite perfect yet."
He reached out to stroke the dragon's head, ruffling its ears playfully, and laughed. "It is a beautiful animal! How did you come in contact with them?"
Caliope's eyes widened, then she ducked her head again with a little blush. He probably didn't mean anything by it, but the tiny dragon was snuggled into her breast. Reaching over to pet him brought the bartender well into the territory of "personal space".
She cleared her throat, trying to ask casual, and murmured, "Well, when that first trader came through with a cartload of them, I couldn't just leave the little things. No one had bothered to research them, read up on what they needed to thrive. So...I did it."
She smiled as the little creature peeped and snuck a little further out of her bodice to sniff at Eli's fingers. "His name's Tani."
"Hello, Tani!" Eli waved at the tiny dragon, completely taken in by it's features. "So, you are the expert on these dragons? Would you mind if I held him, just a bit, please?"
"Oh, sure." The witch smiled, much more comfortable now that the focus was on her little companion. "C'mon, little man," she cooed, coaxing the baby dragon into her hands. Once he was settled in her palms, she held her cupped hands out to Eli with a small, shy smile.
"Let him sniff you first, to get familiar with your scent. At this age, because he was separated from his family, he basically sees me as his mother, and he may be a little shy."
The bartender held out his hand, gently offering it for the small dragon to sniff at. He remembered seeing them in the less developed parts of Yoreiq, flying around freely and gracefully. The things were so human that sometimes he wondered if they were really dragons at all. "How many of them do you have?"
Tani sniffed at the man's fingers, then glanced back at Cali with a small, questioning chirp. When she nodded and smiled, he reached out with one dexterous front paw and craned his neck to better explore the offered hand- not quite transferring to Eli's hold, but gradually moving in that direction.
"Right now?" The witch tilted her head as she mentally took stock. "Um...about three dozen, not including this little guy and the other hatchlings. I have three family groups that live with me permanently, the rest are being trained as companions."
"That's quite a few!"
Eli was rather surprised by how many there were. While three dozen was not an overwhelming amount for livestock, he'd always imagined a seller on the mainland not carrying as many. It seemed the shipments were capturing quickly. "I am sorry to ask, but they are transported... In good... They are not being hurt, right?"
He gently attempted to coax the dragon onto his palm, stroking his head softly.
Tani chirped and crawled about halfway into Eli's hands, his back legs and tail still clinging to Caliope's fingers.
His foster mother frowned- not at the barkeep, at the idiots who kept bringing her dragons. "They aren't now," she growled. All of her stammering and awkwardness were suddenly gone in the wake of a quiet, righteous fire. "At first I just bought whatever the traders came over with- no one else seemed to know how to care for them. Once I learned, I told them that I wouldn't take any more wild stock. It's not fair to them, to rip them away from their homes like that. The stress alone can be fatal!"
She winced as her voice rose and Tani squeaked in surprise, jumping into Eli's hand and twisting to stare at her with wide eyes. "Sorry, little man," she whispered, stroking his chin the way he liked until he purred. She looked up at Eli bashfully. "I'm sorry. I'm doing everything I can, but there's such a high demand for them now...even though I'm pretty much the only reputable source you can buy them from on the mainland, traders still capture and sell them. About half of the poor dears barely make it three months after they're caught."
She chewed her bottom lip. "I- I've started a breeding program with my lot, hoping that I could show how easy it is when they're raised in this environment. It's so much less stressful for them, they're so much happier."
Eli didn't know what to say. He was absolutely abhorred by the revelation. He just couldn't comprehend how people could be so cruel! As Tani twitched in his hand, he ran a thumb down his back, empathizing with its species and the horror they had to endure. "So you are helping them have better lives. Good. It is terrible, how they are treated! You are doing good things for these animals, so have another drink, on me!"
With this, Eli began to pour another mug of ale, still angry about the traders, but happy that his customer was taking a stand. "Oh, I am sorry, I never asked your name!"
"Oh, goodness!" She flushed and shook her head quickly. "R-really, that's not necessary, I'm j-j-just doing what I should..."
She cleared her throat and held her hand out for Tani as Eli returned to pouring drinks. "Um, my name is Caliope."
"Cali-ope? Haha! I find that rather hard to say. I will just call you Cali, if that is okay?" Eli gently held his hand, with Tani on it, next to hers, forming a little bridge for the miniature dragon to cross. He then slowly slid the full mug of ale across the counter. "You deserve it! Please, do not give me such hope and then not accept reward, you will make me feel guilty!", he claimed, in rather high spirits.
A chime was heard as a man entered the tavern. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with short, blonde hair and one leg missing, walking on a crutch to compensate. As he hobbled up to the bar, Eli called out to him and anyone else that would care. "Hey, Jiff! You have returned from the sea!"
Jiff sat down and looked over to Caliope as if trying to retrieve a long forgotten memory but gave up after a few seconds. "So, Eli, who's this lovely lady? She new?"
The witch smiled and coached softly, "Kuh-lie-oh-pee. But just Cali is fine, most people call me that anyway..."
She shrank back into herself as the stranger took a seat near her, ushering Tani back into the warmth of her bodice. She didn't quite know how to respond, taken aback by "lovely lady", even if it was just a pleasantry. Her cheeks flushed and she ducked her eyes, wrapping both hands around the mug she'd been offered and taking a small sip.
"This is Caliope, the dragon breeder they talk of. I think it is her first time in this place." Jiff smiled and extended a soft hand towards her. "Pleased to meetcha, I'm Jiff Donnall, captain of the Shrimpin' Girl". He swiveled back to Eli and ordered a drink. "Jiff has been on a little journey the week ago!"
"Nice to meet you," Cali offered softly, shrinking down onto her stool a little further. Irritated at being deprived of his view so abruptly, Tani squeaked and poked his head from the top of her bodice as she lifted her mug for another sip.
Jiff flushed at the sight, not knowing quite where to look. Eye contact might be awkward, but it would be rude to look away, and obviously anywhere near the dragon was off limits. Before the silence went too long, Elikalopa chimed in. "This is her parrot dragon, his name is Tani".
Jiff smiled stiffly. "Well, isn't that just lovely. Hey, Eli, give some ale, won't ya?" The bartender smiled and quickly grabbed a mug. "Jiff, tell Cali about the venture!"
"Alright, I suppose I can spare a tale or two. Unless you're in the shrimpin' business as well? Yer not, are ya? I mean, yer clearly a dragon-er or whatever the love it is, but ya can never be too sure what they do on the side these days!"
The witch smiled slightly and ducked her eyes, shaking her head. "No, I'm just...a dragon-er," she chuckled quietly. "I'd...be happy to hear about your work, if you wanted to share."
Tani squeaked again and seemed to settle himself half in and half out of her bodice; he could see anything of interest without leaving the warmth of her body.
"Alrighty, then, I s'pose I'll disclose it to ya. But don't go blabbin, alright? This is top secret business, can't be havin' the rivals find out about it!" Eli slid the frothy mug towards the sailor, and he took a small sip, a rather surprising portion considering the stereotypes usually associated with those like him. "Thanks, Eli. So, I've been thinkin' of expandin' the business fer a while now, but, see, the problem is, ya never know exactly where's gonna be a find, and where's just a big ole flop, no use commitin' to those places. So anyway, I decided to spend the last week or so, hard to tell, really, on a bit of an experiment, out on the high seas, searchin' for shrimp hotspots, and wouldn't you know it, I stumble upon the most amazing breeding grounds. Now Eli, you listen in here, this is the bit you haven't heard! It was just a fair bit west of here, and I simply had to have it, so I deployed the gear, nets and all, and brought in the largest haul of my life, absolutely gargantuan! Brilliant stuff that can be found if you search further away, and I always do say, I could just go down south, only a short trip over there, but this past week goes to show, straying from one's comfort zones can indeed lead to the most illustrious of treasures".
As he spoke, Jiff took more and more of those tiny sips, faster and faster, until the whole mug was drained when his tale ended. It was an incredible sight, someone drinking that small of an amount so many times, and so fast, all while keeping a conversation going. He'd clearly had practice. "Elikalopa, would you mind sending another drink this way?" Another odd development was the change in his speech pattern. It seemed that with only one mug of ale, Jiff's vocabulary and tone had gone from 'rough sailor' to 'Eloquent academic'.
"Excuse me, miss Caliope, but would you mind telling me about your dragons? I don't mean to pry, but they are such fascinating creatures!"
Eli slid another mug over the bar, happy to see the two getting along. He'd known Jiff for a few years now, and he'd always been a great patron. It was Eli's suggestion, in fact, that convinced him to drink in smaller portions. It didn't help much, but at least he had more time to bring out the dictionary.
Cali blinked, listening to his monologue with wide eyes. When he turned the conversation back to her, she flushed and ducked her head quickly.
"W-well, they're not really mine," she murmured. "I just sort of...look out for them, until they can go to proper homes. Most of them, anyhow."