Scene #1359: Dragon Isle

Owner	Pose
Ryu	A sparse grassland island with hills and a rocky cliffside on one side, with a beach on the other, is where Ryu is. He's sitting on the edge of the cliff, staring out at the sunset as it drifts down to the horizon and dyes the sky a different color. He looks peaceful, like this sight was his favorite in the whole Multiverse. Because it is. "Good night," he murmurs to the sun as it touches the horizon, imagining that it's tucking itself into bed for a good night of sleep. Of course, he knows that isn't the case, but his current state of mind makes it easy to think of mythical scenarios. Like anything is possible. He starts humming a gentle, crystalline tune. It has no real pattern to it, just doing something akin to birdsong, or a gentle dragon call. It's the most obvious sign of his good mood.
Rhapsody	A long trip across a sapphire sky, to kiss the edge of the world and dip below, only to rise again. A quiet promise that everyone knows, but never thinks about. For Rhapsody, the thought had only just occured to her as she was making her way across this small island, watching the sunset just as Ryan(Ryu?) had done. As she nears, her pace slows, her attention drawn to the gentle song that had reached out from the prismatic dragon to her. In a day where the Izzet had been bustling, other guilds had been buzzing, and the Guildmaster had been stressing, such a simple thing seemed to cause all of the anxiety generated during the day to just melt away. For a short while she just listens, but after a short time she actually starts to hum lightly in a different way. It's a simple little set of sounds, but something that, if the other dragon noticed, would be able to harmonize with very simply. Its only once Rhapsody is sure Ryan knew she was there that she would wander up beside him.
Teepo	Ever seen a dragon with a snotbubble? Still in his dragon form, Teepo lays near Ryu's right side, sprawled out. He has to twist his lower body to not lay on his tail, but his upper body is flat on his back, arms out. His tail twitches slightly as he snores softly. Believe it or not, he manages not to snore too terribly loudly. He does look pretty damned undignified, though.
Ryu	The sound reaches Ryan's ears, and he does harmonize with it. The sound buzzes through his head and the crystalline noise rolls on. He doesn't turn to look at Rhapsody, knowing that it's her from the sound of her voice. He only turned to look at her when the song came to a close. His gold eyes looked at her serenely, shining eyes on a face with a pearlescent quality. When he speaks, his mouth doesn't move. "Hello, Rhapsody," he says, in a pleasant voice, the quality soothing compared to his human voice. Soft and gentle on the ears, but easily audible. "That's Teepo." He gestures at the sleeping dragon, his forked blue tongue sticking out for a moment in amusement. "He's exhausted. We ran around the island until we both collapsed. I guess we're pretty evenly matched."
Rhapsody	It was a wonderful moment, just letting the song reach out to anything else that could hear the melody. It, however, much like the setting sun, would fade. Once it had, Rhapsody would take a seat there beside Ryan, "Hello," she greets, her own voice calm, serene, friendly, but best of all, relaxed. Something her tone does not regularly have within Ravnica. Oh?" A glance is given the resting dragon. "From your world, then? I'm glad to see you aren't all alone, then," she muses, considering the rest of the other dragon's statement. Hrm. "Were you sparring or..?" She doubts they were enemies. The other wouldn't be sleeping so soundly if they were.
Ryu	"I came out here to try and convince him not to use his dragon form. It turned into a fight and then... I just stopped feeling angry about it. I know what I should focus my anger onto now, something more important. Teepo just... accepted it." Ryan looks over to the purple-colored dragon with... that's definitely respect in his eyes. Warmth. He looks back over to Rhapsody, and his voice conveys a smile that his muzzle can't really show that well. "I want to bring you with us, when we go to find the city dragons are supposed to have come from," he says to Rhapsody. "When we look for answers. I would like you alongside us. I trust you... You're the closest friend I have since I came to the Multiverse."
Rhapsody	"I would be honored," Rhapsody responds, actually looking rather touched by both the offer to aid them both, AND about how much of a friend she's been to him. "Thank you," she says, quietly, clearly thinking about something at the moment. Something she has done... once before, and somewhat unintentionally. "I have a lot of friends here, Ryan, but for a really long time a draconic friend was something I didn't have. I love Yunomi as a sister, Neva is a wonderful human being, but there is something about the kinship between dragons that is hard to match, I think. Sidonia can be ...distant... Ryxinel can be very distracted... so just having another like yourself to talk to is a gift. I think it may be why I wanted to help you so much. Because I love what I am, and I just wanted you to see that being a dragon isn't about what others think of our kind, its what -we- think." A soft smile, probably more easily conveyed due to her current form. "I think... I'd like to show you something.."
Teepo	Hard to tell what it is that disturbs the purple dragon. But he suddenly snorts, tail flicking, and raises his head. "Huh? Oh, hey." Yaaaaaawn, blinkblink, stretch. And he stands. He notices the expressions between Ryu and Rhapsody, and tilts his head. "Friend of yours?" his voice sounds odd, like there's two people speaking. Both male, one demonic and growling and the other icy and calm.
Ryu	Ryu blinks once or twice, surprised by the reaction he has in his own clueless kind of way. The genuine creature looks even happier when she talks to him... and then nods once when she offers to show him something. He knows what she means-- her dragon form. He's been told in some capacity about it. His head turns when Teepo wakes up. "Oh. Hey," he replies. He gestures to Rhapsody with one of his scaly hands, "This is Rhapsody, the guildmaster of the Izzet. Rhapsody, this is Teepo." He gestures between them, the proper introduction completed. And then he bluntly points out, "He was wondering if you were cute," to Rhapsody. And then he looks at Teepo expectantly. Ryu may not look like it, but he is totally being smug and putting Teepo on the spot.
Rhapsody	And while about a moment earlier Rhapsody was ready to finally shift into something rarely seen, Teepo's sudden awakening causes her to second guess it, "Oh, um," surprised by the other suddenly waking? Yes. Just a bit. "Hello, Teepo," she manages to greet before blinking at Ryan, then glancing back at Teepo. "I don't think I've been called 'cute' by anyone other than my dad.."
Teepo	Whoops! Teepo forgot he'd said that earlier! So he does look a little sheepish when Ryu brings that up. And he reaches over, popping Ryu in the shoulder lightly. "Dude... really? Bro code! What ever happened to the bro code?" Still, he looks to Rhapsody with a sheepish look. "Uh... sorry. I was really just messing with him. 'Cause I thought you were his girlfriend, the way he talked about you. So I was gonna give him a bit of a hard time about that. Just harmless fun." He extends a hand. "Pleased to meet'cha, though."
Ryu	Ryan grunts when he's punched in the shoulder, the friendly gesture getting him to stick his tongue out in something of a silly, bestial way. "What bro code?" he replies, dumbly, just to mess with Teepo right back. He knows what it is, he's just unsympathetic. However, he stops seeming silly when it's pointed out that the whole joke was because of that girlfriend misunderstanding. Ryan turns his head away and rumbles looking down into the ocean with distracted eyes. He is very, very embarrassed about that. It was pretty easy to do that.
Rhapsody	G-g-g-g-girlfriend? Ryan turns away? Heck, Rhapsody makes a very similar gesture, glancing away for just a moment. She manages to regain her composure pretty quickly and stands up so she can shake Teepo's offered hand. It's like she never even got all uneasy. I didn't do anything. You can't prove it! I MEANT TO DO IT JUST LIKE A CAT WHEN IT FAILS. Handshake. "Glad to see Ryan's not the only dragon from your world, Teepo. Being alone can be really, really, hard.." she notes. She doesn't elaborate like she did with Ryan a bit earlier, but the way she says it speaks volumes. Even though she has siblings.
Teepo	Teepo pulls off a raspberry at Ryu quite well in his dragon form. And it looks kind of ridiculous, reptilian tongue flopping around. Though he does quite when suddenly both Ryu and Rhapsody seem embarrassed. But, as much of a brat as he is, he DOES know when it's gone far enough. Letting Ryu recover, he notes to Rhapsody's comment, "He would be, but I was pretty insistent about finding an artifact." It's probably no big secret how Ryu came to be. And this is supposed to be an ally of Ryu's, so....
Ryu	Ryu regained his composure more slowly. He looked over to Teepo with a 'really???' kind of look for a second, and then looks between Rhapsody and Teepo. He nods a couple of times, and goes on to explain: "We both used artifacts that were stolen from the Wyndian vaults originally to turn into dragons. Myself on accident, Teepo on purpose. I think they come from Dragoneir, probably something that hadn't been touched by anyone actually compatible with the power in them for centuries. I'm guessing that if the war hadn't broken out in Wyndia, they never would've been found or used again. Or Wyndia might've tried to weaponize them for their own interests."
Rhapsody	That seems to catch Rhapsody by surprise. Artifacts??? "I'm... confused. You had to use artifacts?" They .. -are- dragons right? "What did you mean by compatible, Ryan?" she asks, pretty to the point with her question. It's just a mild doubt, to be sure, and one she's fairly sure that seems silly to be asking about. However, knowing it would nag at the back of her mind, she decided to ask anyway.
Teepo	Teepo blinks when Ryu gives him that look. "...What? You didn't tell her?" He looks surprised... and then sheepish. "...Sorry." But since he's already spilled the beans... "As far as we know, the dragons in our world were... uh... not pleasant." He's actually trying to soften the impact this might have a little, since Rhapsody's a dragon-- she might not like hearing about a world with bad dragons. "But we don't know why. They just sorta... disappeared. And then these artifacts showed up. Ryan and I both touched one. But I don't think Ryan was the first to touch the artifact that he got hold of, and I know I wasn't the first to touch the one I got hold of. So like he said... we must both have been compatible with it somehow."
Ryu	Ryan nods slowly at Teepo's explanation. "We might have just had the potential already, in our soul or body," he says, shrugging at the idea. "There hadn't been dragons in our world for hundreds of years, according to the stories we're told. The story goes that there was a dark empire run by dragons and their devil king, and that a great war broke out with the goddess Myria that drove them to their deaths." He then gestures with one hand, "No one even thought dragons were real, and now two show up in as little as a couple months between each other. We didn't get any knowledge of what we are, and it hasn't changed /who/ we are, but we definitely aren't human anymore." He bows his head. "I'm sorry if that's disappointing. I know you felt strongly about having another dragon around to talk to, I probably should have explained in full earlier."
Rhapsody	"No, no, it's alright, both of you," Rhapsody insists. "In my eyes, you're both dragons, regardless of how it came to pass. If there's one thing that the multiverse will teach you in a hurry, its that not everything has the same origins..." she muses, considering how best to give an example. "The way I came into the world is probably a good example," she begins. While she may not actually shape shift in front of Teepo, she does at least roll up one sleeve of her coat. "I've mentioned before, but I'll go into a bit more detail about this.." If either were to look, her skin, or maybe hide, is smooth, and clearly scaleless. "There was a law in Ravnica. It was called the Law of Draconic Residency. It stated that dragons considered 'feral' were not allowed to live in the city and that such dragons were to be slain on sight. They defined dragons as a dragon that cannot speak, a dragon that would attack someone without due provocation, or a dragon that was under the age of five hundred years old," she says, pausing for emphasis on the third bit of the law. "Additionally, the Azorius Senate also had the right to judge any dragon as feral or intellectual as they saw fit."
Teepo	Teepo nods, adding to Ryu's statement, "So like... even if we weren't dragons like this, we were already dragons inside, y'know?" He's at least TRYING to do some damage control with Rhapsody's disappointment. He really didn't realize that Ryu hadn't told her, else he'd have kept his mouth shut. Rhapsody's story gets a tilt of Teepo's head. "Oh geez, really?" Snort! "That sucks. I'm definitely not that old." Pause. "Then again." A look to Ryu. "How long you think we'll live? You think we can still die of old age now?"
Ryu	Ryan was kind of distracted by the FESTERING WRATH at the absolutely awful laws, and snorts when it's outright implied that the situation was resolved eventually. He shakes his head, and then looks over at Teepo, blinking once, slowly. "Uhh..." "Now that you mention it, the stories did say dragons were endless, like the goddesses. Maybe that meant they were ageless? Or just really long-lived." He reaches up to rub at his muzzle thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, they did say I was like... a Class Two mythic entity, in Union Medical. Does that mean ageless? Magical?" Ryan cluelessly stares at Rhapsody, hoping she has the answer to this very strange puzzle. He shakes his head. "Uhh... continue with your story, if you want. I'm curious how that got dealt with."
Rhapsody	A pause in the tale, Rhapsody hears the two of them comment and it doesn't seem to bother her. A nod is given to Teepo's sentiment. They were dragons too her, and he read her mind on essentially WHY she thought that. She continues, after a moment. "There was a document in Ravnica. Consider it our 'Constitution' to borrow an American term... if you recognize it." bloody multiverse. "It was known as the Guildpact and it magically enforced the laws added to it across the city. As a result, there were a lot of dragons that died. It had a different effect on dragons that didn't hatch though. We didn't die... we just ... got stuck."
Teepo	"Maybe both," Teepo replies to Ryu's question of 'Class Two'. "Almost makes me want to see if I'd be the same, or if that's like a development thing. You HAVE had it longer." Rhapsody explains the situation and Teepo snorts. "So they just up and killed a bunch of dragons because they were afraid of 'em? Why didn't the dragons do somethin' about it before it happened? They had to have had time to find out, right? Bureaucracy takes FOREVER."
Ryu	Ryan looks horrified about the idea of dragons dying in a huge swath, even those who had no choice, because of an effect they may not have even known was going to happen. He shook his head slowly about the idea, considering the words. "There was another dragon at fault for this, wasn't there?" He knows enough about the power-hungry to suspect it. "Someone old enough that the law wouldn't kill, someone who helped make the law possible. Right?" He wondered if his guess was right.
Rhapsody	"Well that's just it. My father, Niv-Mizzet, was one of the people to sign the Guildpact. And while the law didn't exist then, it existed shortly after. He felt betrayed, but because of the Guildpact, nothing could be done. The Azorius Senate's job in Ravnica is to write the laws of the city. He actually went missing for a thousand years and let some of his more trusted magewrights run the guild in his stead. He also created Thianel, a sort of construct that worked to try and get rid of the law through.. quite unsavory means. He never did succeed, though. So for thousands of years in Ravnica the only dragon in the whole city was Niv-Mizzet. Still, he knew how to plan ahead. He constructed a massive power plant around us, to hide us, called the Cauldron. It wasn't until after Ravnica unified that the spell of the Guildpact seemed to weaken. One of us shook our eggs, and it caused him to work out a plan to have the law destroyed."
Teepo	Surprisingly Teepo stays quiet while this conversation goes on. He sits back on his haunches-- with digitigrade legs that sort of results in an animal-like 'seated' pose-- as he listens. He doesn't actually speak until Rhapsody mentions the plan by her father. "How'd that work out?" he inquires. "I mean, how did he manage it? This guild pact thing sounds like a magical binding."
Ryu	Ryan shows a great deal of interest in Rhapsody's story... and nods once when she explains the actions of Niv-Mizzet. He thinks on the dragon's actions, particularly the implied success he had at saving the various dragon eggs. His posture is straightened, his eyes are bright and fixed on Rhapsody, his tail wiggles behind him with extra energy.
Rhapsody	"The Guildpact? Before it existed the ten guilds were always fighting with each other. The pact was created, and signed by, all ten of the current Guildmasters at the time so the city could have peace, finally," Rhapsody answers before continuing with the main story. "When one our eggs shook, he had Thianel put out a request for the mercenaries of the Multiverse to protect us until we hatched. The problem was, the Azor caught wind of it and had another mercenary sign up too. He was a 'runner' by the name of Joseph Bloggs. Once he knew what the Cauldron was he told the Azor. By doing so, the Azor sent a trio of Dimir assassins to try and destroy our eggs. . . They managed to destroy two. I could feel it, even before I hatched, and in my rage and despair, I helped in the only way I could. I don't remember it well, but I apparently cast a massive beam of light into the sky, one that could be seen in the day or at night. All that saw it heard a single phrase." "One Yet Remains." The way she said it even seems to have -power- behind it, but not a power that Rhapsody seems to be aware of. "Despite this, my father still had a plan, he still wanted to save at least one of us, and it was a loophole that the Azor didn't expect. "
Teepo	Teepo has to snicker at Ryu's almost canine tailwagging. But he's at least polite enough to keep it quiet beyond that. Though he goes stock-still at the power in Rhapsody's voice. That... is not normal. Maybe she's not aware of it, but he sure is. "...Whoa." It takes him a few moments to recover. Because what was THAT?! He's not going to ask, though. Instead he asks, "Um... so you're the only one left?" Ryu had said something about others, but maybe they were only siblings by adoption rather than blood...
Ryu	The snickering only gets a confused look out of Ryu, and his tail keeps wiggling. It is very hard to mess with someone who just doesn't understand humor at all! He turns his warmth back over to Rhapsody and patiently awaits the rest of the explanation on her history. He can tell the end of the story is coming... He seems curious and enthralled, the very epic nature of this keeping his attention with ease. He doesn't dare interrupt, just making a happy, pleasant humming noise.
Rhapsody	A knowing grin is given to Teepo when he asks about her siblings, "You're getting ahead a little," she muses. A light smile is sent Ryan's way, glad to see he was enjoying the story so much. "When you visit Ravnica, and the Izzet sector, there are two spires. One is Nivix, which Ryan is probably familiar with. It is our primary Guildhall and its where the Izzet has conducted their activities for years. The second spire, Thirix, may not be as tall, but is has the ability to lift off and travel much like a large ship in the sky. My father had a simple plan involving Thirix. At the time it was stationed in a city known as New Washington, a place where the Union first had its headquarters. It was from here that Thirix launched and flew for Ravnica. Niv's plan was to have it land at the Cauldron and establish the nation of Irthos. In doing so it would cause the Guildpact's power to be negated. In doing so, the Union was able to assist with a final defense of the Cauldron. I was able to hatch. In doing so, though, I was still vulnerable. I was caught in the grip of Rakdos, someone I'd rather not go into detail about, and he nearly snapped my neck. Niv-Mizzet intervened in a way no one expected. It turned out he was something called a Planeswalker. He saved me from Rakdos, and with the aid of all of the Izzet's allies, our enemies were turned away. Niv, however, spent a massive portion of his new power to restore my brother, Ryxinel, and my sister, Sidonia." A deep breath, a long sigh. It was a long story to tell. "In the end, the man responsible for trying to kill all of us was put to trial. He was fond guilty, banished from Ravnica, and ended up being the first meal for all the dragons that were finally able to hatch when the new Grand Arbiter of the Azor, Isperia, destroyed the Law of Draconic Residency."
Teepo	"Sorry," Teepo remarks as Rhapsody mentions he's getting ahead of things. He quiets then, and listens to the story. Funny enough, in contrast to Ryu's canine tailwagging, Teepo chooses merely to curl his tail around his feet, the end of it twitching side to side intermittently. Perhaps the source of the conflict between them? ...Probably not, actually. And he starts to laugh at the end. Not about the things that happened, no. But because, well... "Served him right." Referring to the guy who was found guilty of trying to kill them. "What possessed him to try something like that anyway?"
Ryu	Ryan seems to be quite a bright and cheerful creature during the whole story, not daring to interrupt even for a second after it really got going. And then he gave a firm nod. "A law that destroys the lives of those who never commited any wrong is a law that should not exist," he points out, "I'm glad that it's gone now." "Thanks for telling us--" A beat. "Wait. How old are you? Six years...? Does it count all the time before you hatched, too?"
Rhapsody	"Fear of change," Rhapsody quickly points out. "Often times it feels like the Azor acts in direct opposition to the advances the Izzet try to make for the benefit of the city. It was a long story, and I did have a point to make. You two didn't hatch from eggs, and in a way, neither did my brother and sister. Thianel was built, not born, and I see them all as dragons, so, I don't see a reason neither of you aren't dragons, you know?" Another smile, then she rolls up her sleeve again, "But to an earlier point, that beacon I made? My father believes its the reason I don't have scales. The ones you see on my head and tail are in place because of a spell he cast." She pauses a moment, glancing over at Ryan, "That depends. I have sparse memories of the years I was in my shell. The three of us 'talked' but it was ... strange. As for my age, yes, its true I'm technically about 7 years old but Ravnican dragons are born mature. Important things get passed from the parents to the kits, so, its not as if I was crying and cooing when I was first hatched."
Teepo	"Sounds to me like they were just afraid," Teepo pipes up. To Rhapsody, "Not scared of change, scared of you guys. Because they knew you'd be stronger. I dunno, if they're always in the way of you trying to make things better, why don'tcha just get 'em out of the way? I mean... I know it's not that simple, but if they're not there anymore, they can't stop you from helping the city, right?" Hopefully Ryu has mentioned Teepo's, uh, more aggressive stance in dealing with people that oppose him in such ways. Otherwise that's going to be a very odd comment.
Ryu	Ryu turns his head, and carefully stares at Teepo. There's a while where he considers the weight of what the other dragon said, and then he counters with, "Because their organization was led by the corrupt, but not entirely composed of them. By trying to destroy them, you invite war that could leave Ravnica the worse for it. They might do things to protect Ravnica that no other guild can manage. She did mention a new Grand Arbiter, too, who abolished that abominable Law. This Isperia might be easier to deal with than whoever had their position before." He looks to Rhapsody for confirmation on this. As for the age thing, he seems to have just rolled with it, after Rhapsody explained it. It made as much sense as anything about dragons has since he got in the Multiverse. Mystical weird things he doesn't understand? Sure that's a thing.
Rhapsody	The two would be allowed to speak before Rhapsody would respond, "Ravnica is a city of Guilds, ten of them, and even now with the Guildpact gone, we still work together as best we can to keep our city going. Isperia was wonderful for the short time she was Arbiter. However, now, things are a bit different but I'm not going to be going into all of that. That's at least..." she ponders a moment, glancing up and aside, "Two or three other stories," she glances back at them, "And I think one tonight is enough."
Teepo	Teepo looks at Ryu in return and shrugs. "What?" It makes sense to him. But then again... "Guess you have a point there. But it sounds like leavin' a splinter in a wound. It's gonna hurt when you take it out. But if you don't, it's gonna fester." And Rhapsody speaking up gets a nod. "You have a point too." Streeeeetch. "So... can I visit Ravnica sometime?" Pause, and a look to Ryu. "I'll behave, I promise."
Ryu	Ryan lets out a sigh at Teepo's words, the insistence about dealing with the Azorius making him shake his head with a gentle disapproval. He soon looked back over to Rhapsody, smiling at her. "I'll visit Nivix later," he says, meaning that he'll visit to see her dragon form, if she's available for it. He looks off toward where the sunset was, realizing that it's growing dark outside. The warm air from the sea starts to grow slightly chilled in the dark. Ryan gets up to a stand breathes a sigh. "We should go. This island gets bitterly cold at night."
Rhapsody	"No one is barred from Ravnica, Teepo. You can visit whenever you like. You won't have me to deal with if you misbehave, that's the job of the Boros Legion and the Wojek," she muses, mostly giving a light jab back at his comments. A nod is given, then, to Ryan. "I'm glad I got to see this place, its... peaceful," she notes before stretching a bit. "And I probably should get back. I managed to shake Sidonia on the way here, so, she's probably worried."