Of Fire and Swords [M] [Archive]

[DragonSong]

Ren jerked, surprised by Mist's sudden appearance and disappearance, then snorted. Kit gave a quiet thrum, smug that he had won their little staring contest.

Ignoring him in a manner that in a lesser creature might have been called "prim", Ren turned his attention to the healer. With another snort, he turned his injured shoulder to her. "Get on with it then," he grumbled.

As the healer set to work, Kiara suddenly reappeared on her balcony. "Kit? We have a contact. C'mon, let's go meet him."

The smaller dragon looked up at her. "You need to take a break."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Mother hen. I'm fine, let's go."

Ren watched the exchange curiously, but didn't comment. As long as Mist was healing he wasn't too concerned.

[Medievarad]

Mist just waited in his room, resting. Resting.

And growing damn impatient.

[DragonSong]

Kit and Kiara bickered for a few moments more before the girl simply launched herself over the balcony rail, forcing the dragon to surge to his feet so she landed on his back rather than the stone courtyard.

Ren coughed a chuckle as he watched them. Hatchlings. They acted like hatchlings.

"Hey."

The gold dragon blinked, realizing the human was addressing him. "Yes?"

She nodded up at Mist's room. "You two interested in a job? Odds are our contact would be just as happy to employ two dragonriders as one."

He tilted his head, considering. He supposed it depended on the job, but he didn't really care one way or the other. Stretching his neck up and ignoring the healer's muttered commands to hold still, he rested his head on the railing and snorted to get the elf's attention.

[Medievarad]

Too damn impatient. Mist limped to the balcony again. "I hate sitting around and doing nothing." He murmured to himself as he leaned on the rail. "What job?" Was what he asked gruffly.

[DragonSong]

The healer threw her hands in the air and stormed away, muttering something about stubborn patients and "not worth the hassle".

Kiara simply raised an eyebrow at Mist, but she wasn't his keeper so she figured he could do as he liked, long as he wasn't collapsing. "Trading caravan needs some extra guards," she said. "They're heading up to Adela, and Kit and I are going that direction anyway. Probably won't be very interesting, but the pay is good," she said, shrugging.

[Medievarad]

He looked at the healer as she stormed away. Chuckling slowly. He looked at Kiara again. "What's the pay?" Then he looked to Ren. "And are you up for it?"

[DragonSong]

Ren nodded, arching his back. Huh. His shoulder did feel a little better. "I have nowhere else to be," he said nonchalantly. "And it may be interesting to visit the mountains. It has been many years since I've seen my old hatching grounds."

Kiara gave him a quick look, she supposed it wasn't entirely surprising that he'd been born in the Thunderblacks, then turned her attention back to Mist. "Pay depends on how well we do our job," she told him with another shrug. "Every "mishap" along the way docks our total. But if we manage to get them to their destination unscathed- which shouldn't be too hard- it's twenty gold and a hundred silver pieces."

The pay had actually put her off from the job at first, it seemed way to high- what was the catch? But honestly she and Kit needed the money, the couldn't afford to be picky.

And with another dragon and rider, it seemed much less likely that they'd run into trouble they couldn't handle.

[Medievarad]

Mist arched an eyebrow at Ren, nodding slowly. Seemed his companion agreed to him. He looked back to Kiara. "Sounds agreeable." He said with a bitter chuckle. "I've been lost for a direction for a long time already. So actually knowing where I'm headed for a change sounds nice."

[DragonSong]

Kiara nodded, giving them both a quick smile. "Right then. Kit and I can go talk to our contact so you two can get some rest if you like," she offered. Kit twisted his head to eye her, letting her know very plainly that he didn't like the idea of running around for these two practically-strangers.

[Medievarad]

"Sounds like a plan.." But resting isn't my thing. Limadan sighed slowly as he looked over to Ren. "So. Seems like we're stuck together from now on, eh?"

[DragonSong]

The gold dragon gave him a droll look. "...I could imagine worse fates," he said after a moment, eyes glinting in a way that was almost teasing.

He stepped to the side to allow Kit and his rider room to take off, watching them bank out over the marketplace and away. Approaching the balcony, he stretched his neck up and tilted his head to the side. "That blood smell fresh," he said bluntly. "Did you reopen a wound?"

[Medievarad]

Mist chuckled slowly. "So. I'll take that as a compliment?" He said, shrugging slowly at the question.

"I don't think I-" A brief glance down. "Shit. I did." Was what he said, before looking back at Ren, shrugging slowly. "It's a small one. Nothing some bandages wouldn't solve."

[DragonSong]

Ren gave him a dry look. "As numerous parties have told you today, you should rest. Things like that won't happen if you just sit still for more than a few minutes at a time," he grumbled.

With a shrug, he added, "It's not as though there will be much to do until the youngling and the human chit return."

[Medievarad]

"And as you might've seen. Resting isn't my thing." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Last time I rested.. I almost died. And worse. Lost several people." He said with a bitter chuckle.

[DragonSong]

Ren tilted his head further. An unfamiliar emotion seemed to be attempting to take up residence in his chest. Pity? No, that wasn't quite right...

Putting it from his mind, he offered gruffly, "Well, I'm not hurt nearly as badly. I don't need to rest- I can stand guard." He huffed a little awkwardly, glancing away.

[Medievarad]

"Not that I don't trust you. I get antsy.. Nervous." He shook his head slowly. "I know you'd look out for me. You've done nothing but that the past hours." He smirked bitterly, sadly even. "I just can't even if I wanted to.."

[DragonSong]

The dragon nodded. "Then just sit up there and keep me company," he ordered brusquely, settling back on his haunches and fanning his wings a bit in the sun. It probably wouldn't do him as much good as a few hours of sleep, but it was better than jumping around.

[Medievarad]

He only huffed dryly in response. "That was what I was planning anyway.." He said with a butter chuckle. "So. When we're doing this.. Dragonrider thing.. We're gonna have to know eachother. Be synchronised and all that."

[DragonSong]

"Yes. I suppose so." Ren shifted. He didn't exactly love the idea- but he'd heard what the girl had said before, about wild dragons not bonding easily with two-leggers. She was right. So there must be some reason he found he was more comfortable around Mist than he would have expected, right?

He settled down in the courtyard, neck long enough that even lying down his head was almost level with the balcony. "I suppose, if you have questions, I should do my best to answer them," he rumbled. "And I trust you would do the same."

[Medievarad]

Mist nodded slowly. Ofcourse, Ren would see reason. He was a dragon after all. Wiser than him. So, it made sense he at least agreed. "I don't really have any questions that come to mind, but I'll answer all truthfully".