Multiverse Crisis MUSH - User contributions [en]

2172/Dragon Racing in Berk

2015-05-09T04:30:15Z

Ayerth:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/06
|Location=Isle of Berk <BK>
|Synopsis=Zephyr visits Berk when she's mobile. A race ensues.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=162, 759
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      The sun is bright and the weather is warm. For Berk, that means it's not overcast with a temperature hovering a little bit around 20C in the shade, a bit warmer in the sun. Valka is sitting quietly in one of the fields surrounding the village, watching Cloudjumper worry with the new hatchlings, teaching them the best way to dive for fish from one of the shorter cliffs. The hatchlings are fearless, hurling themselves into the void with wings that sort of work, splashing into the choppy surf, and emerging, more often than not, with a cry and empty jaws. When one does manage to catch a fish, the rest of the hatchlings crowd around, each trying to snag a bite and see the prize that the lucky dragonling caught.      The grass is tall - about knee high in most places, others tromped down flat where dragons have decided to use them as impromptu napping spots, and it's at the edge of one of these that Valka sits, waiting for her visitor from afar to make an appearance. A voice over the radio but one who could fly. One who wished to challenge Cloudjumper to a race. Should be fun. 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     With a sound not unlike a Night Fury in battle mode, Zephyr appears overhead, the distant rumble of a sonic boom finally catching up with her arrival as she desends. She's wearing a much different outfit than the last time she was here. Instead of a wheel chair, and parts of a military uniform... she's got a /really bright/ suit of armour on. Breastplate in orange and yellow, a battle skirt in yellow with orange trim, bright yellow boots that armour her feet, and a large bracer on her right forearm, bearing a blue gemstone set into a purple coin, which in turn is set into the silver metal.     She looks over at the hatchlings and Cloudjumper, offering them a polite wave, before heading over to Valka. "Yo. Not a bad time, is it?" 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      That sound, initially, is what catches Valka's attention, her clear green eyes scanning the sky for the source of the sound. Generally it's attached to a black-winged dragon ridden by her son, but today, it's caused by a brown-haired woman in some really bright armor. Cloudjumper pauses in his teaching, watching Zephyr drift down from above. He does seem surprised, too, since it's without a dragon. And, as she descends, Valka herself rises, dusting herself off, even though there really isn't any dirt to dust off, and walks closer to the landing zone, giving the visitor a smile when she's greeted.      "No, no. Not a bad time at all. You know how it goes, with the world sometimes. You take your peace when you can get it and enjoy it while you can." Valka turns to look at the dragon and the hatchlings, tilting her head over to look at Zephyr in her gleaming armor. "You look considerably better than you did the last time I saw you, Zephyr. Is your friend not coming, as she did last time?" 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     "She's got work to do with my Dad. Not that she didn't /want/ to come, y'know?" Remarks Zephyr as she shifts her position a little, hands on her hips cockily. "Yeah, well, when I said they let me outta medical cuz I was doin' better, I meant it. I heal fast anyway." a total lie, since she was laid up for over a week with Mana Burn.     "Peaceful times are a rarity these days... it's good to find them, yeah." she replies, then looks over at Cloudjumper again. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      "No, no, I understand. Just let her know that, if she ever wants to come visit, she's more than welcome to. Berk is surprisngly welcoming to just about everyone these days, as long as they're nice to the dragons." Valka takes a step back, turning to look the brown-haired woman over again, giving her a smile. "Besides, you healing fast means that you get a nice workout with Cloudjumper to see if you're still on the mend, or how much you need to wait before hand, right?"      Valka whistles and, with a snort, Cloudjumper sends the hatchlings scattering and makes his way over to where she and Zephyr stand, bending to give the other woman an exploratory sniff before looking to Valka. She lifts a hand to pat him on the cheek, looking to Zephyr as well. "You wanted a race, didn't you?" she asks, teasingly. "Want to see what the dragon has in him?" 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr nods a bit. "I'll let 'er know." she replies, before looking at Cloudjumper as he walks over. She starts to reach out to pet him, but thinks better of it. Best not annoy the beast that could probably bite her in half if it wanted to. "Yeah, I guess pushing myself'll let me know just how much of an idiot I am." she remarks wryly, then reaches for the coin on her right forearm. "Divine Wind? Set up." she says to it, kissing the gemstone, before it's engulfed in purple light and expands out into a HUGE, double bladed battleax. <ALL SYSTEMS GREEN. READY SET.> chimes the Device merrily. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      "Oh, don't worry. He'll let you pet him." Valka chides when she sees the hesitation. Thing is? When the kiss ot the coin happens, and everything starts going all sparkly? She pauses. "What in the Gods' names..." Valka murmurs to herself, taking a step back once the woman is engulfed in purple light, the battle axe making an appearance. Cloudjumper gets in between Valka and the other woman, too, protectively shielding her with his wings until it's obvious that this isn't an attack, and even then, he simply watches, wary. "Originally, I thought you had a dragon, or a machine...but I guess that axe helps you fly?" 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Divine Wind fields this one. begins the Device, the gemstone 'blinking' as it speaks.     Zephyr herself drives the end spike into the ground, and leans on the metal of her weapon as it speaks. "Yeah, what she said. I /can/ use my flight spells on my own, but they take a /lot/ of focus and more mana than if I was using Dee here." she adds, grinning a bit. "Sorry if I spooked ya." she says, looking at Cloudjumper apologetically. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Cloudjumper shifts his not insubstantial weight from one foot to the other, bending his head to peer quizattically at the axe now positioned in the ground just so and then the woman standing next to it. "So Divine Wind," Wow, she's talking to an axe, "acts as a kind of....lens? For your magic? Makes what you put out that much stronger? And...my apologies but...mana? I'm not exactly sure how magic works. Is that the...coal? Fuel for the magic?" 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     <INDEED.> replies Divine Wind simply. Zephyr expands. "Yeah, kinda like how you can make the light from the sun tight enough to start a fire with a piece of glass? Kinda the same here. Dee takes care of all the calculations and high end math, I just dump mana, 'fuel' into it and away it goes." she remarks. "Like she is right now, Divine Wind is built for mid-long range combat. She's got an alternative form for close range, but right now, I'm not fightin'." she adds, then watches Cloud Jumper curiously. "This must all be really confusin' huh?" She directs this at both Valka and Cloud Jumper. 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr smirks a bit, and nods. "Yeah, sure! Think we're good to go, Dee?" she asks the Device, which chimes resonantly. <ALL SYSTEMS GREEN. MASTER!> it replies, which is all the teenager needs. She shifts her footing, as a spell circle forms under her feet, a diamond-shaped arrangement in dark purple. <FLIER FAN.> the words stated in a more automatic tone than the other vocalizations from the Device.     Four purple 'pixie wings' fade into place over her shoulders, and she levitates off the ground by a foot or two. "I'm ready when he is. Don't expect this to be easy though." 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     "Once 'round the island should do it!" replies Zephyr, grinning a bit as the Stormchaser roars in challenge. "Think you can keep up, big guy? Lets find out!" she goads playfully, floating over to line up with the dragon so it's a fair start. She even drops back to the ground, planting her feet and setting a ready stance.     "I'll let you count us down. From three to one!" 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      The large dragon blows out a breath, looking to Valka, shifting his weight again, his wings unfurling, flexing a bit, and then pulling close to his body. "I find that understanding some things requires a bit more brain power than I have, so the simple explanation of 'power booster for magic that gives advice in battle' will suffice until more enlightenement becomes more available." Valka chuckles softly and then remembers her manners. "It's nice to meet you too, Divine Wind."      Valka leans against the large dragon who, after a moment, covers her shoulders with one of his wings, looking to Zephyr, then Valka, then Zephyr again before giving a huff. This causes Valka to look up at Cloudjumper, who then looks from her, to Zephyr, and then back again. "What?" She asks, straightening, looking to Zephyr. "Here? Now?" Cloudjumper huffs and bonks Valka lightly, seemingly giving assent to her question. With a tilt of her head and a chuckle, Valka looks over. "He's wanting to see how fast you can fly. Up for a race?" 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:''' %R      "Oh, I don't think he would be challenging you if he thought it would be easy." Valka replies with a smirk, using her staff to pull herself up on to the large dragon's back. He bends his legs and unfurls his larger rear wings, flexing them, sending a rush of air as he flaps them once, roaring a challenge to the much, much smaller brown-haired girl.      Valka watches quietly as the wings make an appearance, wanting to reach out and touch them but thinking better of it. She looks to Stormchaser, then to Zephyr. "What do you think would be the best? First 'round the island? Something to test speed and agility at the same time? Cloudjumper's fairly good at both." 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      The Stormchaser's bellow gets the attention of several people (and dragons) on the island, who turn to look through windows or go to high vantage points to watch the dragon versus flying woman challenge.      Cloudjumper eases a bit to the side, as to not knock Zephyr over when he unfurls his wings, giving them, and the two smaller wings beneath them, a flap, sending grass and dust scattering. It's quite a sight to see the massive beast lining up with a much smaller woman. "Once around the island sounds fine. Just watch the columns on the edges. The openings are smaller than they appear. Trust us." CLoudjumper gives a huff and he readies himself. "On your mark? Get set? GO!"      With a roar and a mighty heave of his wings, Cloudjumper is off! 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr is rocked by the sudden gust of wind from the dragon taking off, which stalls her for a moment. That moment is filled by the purple 'wings' turning into white 'jets' as the Device chimes. <BLITZ MODE>. With a crack like thunder, the mage is off, seeming to vanish in a blurr of motion. The boosted speed doesn't last for long, and she blurrs back in, in front of Cloudjumper, the 'jets' turning back into 'wings' before she rolls onto her back and grins.     She wings back over, doing an outer barrel roll, then diving down closer to the water. "C'mon! That the best you got!?" she goads, laughing as she skims the water's surface. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      At this point, Valka is pretty much just hanging on for the ride. When Cloudjumper, the Stormchaser dragon, gets it into his head that there's a race to be had, Gods help those who are challenging him! He was feeling rather pleased with himself, thinking he had left the woman behind, but when she appeared in front? Well, he gave a little of a jump, bellowed again, and beat his wings even quicker, in counterpoint to each other, sending up spray as he picks up speed! Valka peers over the dragon's ruffled neck at where Zephyr flies ahead, reaching down to pat Cloudjumper's neck, whispering something to him and ducking back down. The dragon, after a moment, picks up altitude, larger wings pushing, smaller wings gliding....going up and turning sharply, staying close to the island, heading right for the gauntlet of towers near the shore! 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr looks back, seeing the dragon pulling up. She then looks ahead at the towers of stone by the shore, and adjusts her angle, pulling up as her outfit flutters in the wind rushing past her. She grins even wider, this is gonna be /fun/. "Hey! You're almost as good as Rainbow Dash! You should give her a hit up some time!" she bellows over the wind. "Pegasus Pony from Equestria, fasted flier in her own world!"     Turning her attention back to the pillars, the mage slows her momentum. Divine Wind chimes as well, coinciding with a switch in the purple 'wings' to green, elongating out from 'pixie' to 'dragonfly'. <GALE SHIFT.> Looks like her top speed's been cut down, but as she flies, it's like she's 'skating' between the pillars. More agility, less speed? 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Valka would respond but, you know, wind noise and all that rot means that it's not going to be too easy for her to do so. Instead, she just hangs on and enjoys the ride, sliding around the dragon's sinewy neck as he twists and turns, all without a saddle! "I've been to Equestria!" Valka calls during her maneuvers. "Didn't meet Rainbow Dash, but did meet Twilight Sparkle and Spike!"      Cloudjumper rolls on his back into a dive, turning altitude into speed, heading right into the maze of columns and, with deft twists of his tail and smaller wings, rolls and dodges around the obstacles with well-practiced grace. Something that big shouldn't be able to fly as precisely as he is, but he's doing it! And, even with the technology, he's keeping up with Zephyr! 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr is actually falling behind! The practiced ease and high speed mean that the more methodical way Zephyr's navigating the maze is much slower, more time consuming, since she has to be able to see what's coming, instead of knowing what's ahead from prior knowledge.     Once she's free of the maze though, she swaps back to the purple 'pixie' wings, and surges forwards, easily getting to top speed over 'level ground' as it were. However, she lost a lot of ground and using her Blitz mode repeatedly isn't something she wants to do. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      And now clever viewers will notice what the problem might be with lugging around so much weight - even if it is all muscle. The maneuver that got Cloudjumper ahead, gaining and losing altitude, along with the knowledge of the maze of colums, had him pick up some speed and a decent amount of distance, but sadly, the blitzing Zephyr and her rocket-booster wings (or flaming wings, as Valka will call them,) can close the gap on the straightaways. It's a classic race, and as they fly past the village, the cheers from the onlookers (and the roars from the dragons) can be easily heard over the rushing of wind and crashing of waves! Cloudjumper flies low, sending up a rooster tail of water as he goes, making another turn in to start along the northern coast of the island. This part has no columns...a straight shot to the last turn and on to the finish! 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr pushes herself to the limit. This isn't a phrase, this is her way of life. Always right at the edge. However, being at the edge means it's an easy slip to falling over it... and that's what happens here. Zephyr pulls up alongside Cloudjumper, and looks about to pull ahead in the final leg.     That is, until she suddenly clutches at her chest, and drops out of the sky like a stone, skipping across the water like said stone hurled by a child. She then begins to sink, while her wings 'fizzle' out, shattering into purple motes of light. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Luckily, Valka seems to be looking over at the moment that Zephyr slips past the limit and clutches her chest. "No!" She shouts, standing up to her full height and intentionally leaping up and back, the leather wings built into her armor snapping out and pulling her off of the dragon's back, the woman twisting to the side to avoid Cloudjumper's tail as she falls towards the water. Somehow she manages to keep the other woman in sight, wincing as she skips over the water like a well-thrown stone. The leather 'wings' built into her armour help her to glide instead of falling like a rock.      The thing with gliding, though? You really don't have much control, or propulsion, so when Valka gets close to the water she pulls in her arms and legs and skis across the water before tumbling head over heels a few times, sending up a giant splash. Thankfully, it was near to where Zephyr started sinking, so she starts to swim, calling for Cloudjumper as she goes, diving down, trying to catch the woman! 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Divine Wind is pulsing its gemstone rapidly, though whatever it's trying to say is likely lost in the water. Zephyr herself is limp, but only sinking slowly. Valka can easily catch up and drag her back to the surface, and being a waifish young woman, she doesn't weigh that much. Her Barrier Jacket also seems oddly water resistant, not absorbing any of it so it doesn't get heavier. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      The onlookers witnessed everything from their vantage points, and already people are running to the docks to get a boat out there, while another is quickly saddling their dragon to fly out to help. Cloudjumper, when Valka left his back, immediately circles back and around, hovering over the bay where the two women vanished, watching for a bubble, some sign of them, since diving on top of them would probably not be a very good thing.      The surface of the water where Valka and Zephyr entered is ominously still, the waves covering the pair. Suddenly, with a mighty splash, Valka breaches the surface, holding Zephyr against her chest beneath the arms, floating on her back to keep her face out of water. "Cloudjumper!" Valka calls, coughing up some water, "Get Divine Wind. We're fine." She looks over toward the shore, relieved to see a boat coming closer. A hand moves to Zephyr's neck, checking for a pulse. 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr still has a pulse, and a DEATH GRIP on her Device. The weapon still cluched in the vice-like grasp of the girl's left hand. She's unconscious, but seems physically fine. Maybe it's something to do with her magic. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      The boat with the rescue crew - two of the burlier vikings in Berk - draw near, one tossing a rope to help Valka float and pull herself in. The other viking takes Zephyr and Divine wind out of the water using a block and pulley system - almost like a fisherman's net with some bracing to allow for water flow out. It's surprisngly gentle. He moves the pair, Zephyr and Divine Wind, out of the water and lays her down on her side on a makeshift pallet on the floor of the boat. Valka pulls herself to the deck with the rope and sinks to her knees, coughing out water, looking to the pair. "Get us to shore." she murmurs, looking to Cloudjumper before giving a wave. "I'm okay, you big lump. Head off and rest. I'll worry about our guest." 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     <JACKET PURGE!> chimes Divine Wind. Now that the girl is out of the water, the Device releases the Barrier Jacket, itself turning back into it's standby mode as well. <LINKER CORE ANOMALY DETECTED. STABILIZING.> states the Device as it hovers on its own over the girl. Zephyr winces and jolts once, before groaning. <STABLE. ALERTING UNION MEDICAL.>     Zephyr's eyes open and she lefts a hand to her chest. "Gnnnhhh... guess I over did it again..." she says softly. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      "Oh gods, girl, did you give us a fright." Us being Valka and Cloudjumper, of course. The woman sits close by, lightly stroking Zephyr's hair as the pair of vikings row the boat closer to shore, watching her before looking up to make sure Cloudjumper has gone to do whatever it is that he would like. "Well...you said you were looking for your limitations, but you didn't need to push yourself so hard." The woman leans back, water streaming out of her armor still, her head going back to look into the cloudless sky. "Truth be told, you were winning there at the end." 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr coughs a little, groaning again as she rubs at the crest of her sternum. "Yeah... I was pushing, pouring mana into my flight spell... guess I just... pushed too hard." she chuckles weakly, which devolves into a coughing fit, hurking up some water from her lungs. "Glfk. Too much fun, not enough focus." she adds, then looks up at Valka. "Sorry." 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      "Shh, rest now. It's fine. It was a lot of fun, and I can't wait until we get to do it again." Valka is gentle, patting Zephyr on the back to help her cough up the seawater, making sure she stays on her side so that water isn't breathed back in accidentally, looking up now and again until the bump of the dock against the hull of the boat signals their arrival. Valka stands and steps out of the boat on to the dock, letting the vikings lift Zephyr out of the boat, watching as they carry her carefully to the largest of the buildings in the village - the great hall - where Valka keeps the guest rooms.      Zephyr is placed, if she allows it, on one of the beds in the guest quarters and is left alone. A few minutes later, Valka appears, out of her wet armor and in a simple brown dress that covers her well, and knocks. "Zephyr? Are you up for a visitor?" 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Zephyr is sat up when Valka shows up, leaning against the wall with a little holographic screen open, which she taps to close. "Yeah." she's taken off the camoflage pattern jacket, and sits in her tank top and cargo pants, legs folded under her in a cross-pattern. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:''' %R      The door is opened and Valka enters with a small tray of things - water and fruits - before pushing the door behind her closed with one foot. She approaches and sits on the foot of the bed, the tray placed within easy distance for Zephyr to grab. "Divine wind said something on the boat....Alerting Union Medical. Is someone going to be coming to check up on you?" 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     "Probably. Darma's probably on her way to scold me for overdoing it." replies the mage. She reaches for a piece of fruit, and munches on it idly. She's silent for a long moment, then glances over. "I have a serious defect with my Linker Core... it's the source of my mana." she ponders. "Like the source spring for a river, I guess. Mine has a 'fault' in it that makes it 'leak' when I use too much mana, too fast." 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Valka sits quietly, taking one of the fruits for herself - an apple - that she bites into with a crunch, chewing and swallowing before speaking again. "We'll delay her for you to get yourself right first. No sense in being scolded, after all, if you don't want to hear it." Valka chuckles quietly, leaning on the foot of the bed, pulling one leg beneath herself, listening. "Like a leak in the pipe leading from the source..." she trails off. "And it overwhelms you."      Valka tilts her head to the side, looking over after a moment. "You were pushing fairly hard....I'm just glad you're okay." 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Outside, the voice of Darma can be heard, as a large panther-like dragon bounds into the town center. "Where is she? I know she's here somewhere!" She does /not/ sound happy, though she doesn't stay in War Form for long, turning back into her humanoid shape with a wash of green light. "Whelp! What have I told you about pushing yourself after getting out of Medical for Mana Burn! You Linker Core can't take that kind of strain!"     Zephyr winces a little bit. "I don't wanna hear it, but she /is/ right... I messed up." 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      "I see." Valka says quietly, looking over at the entrance of the main hall as the commotion kicks in. Zephyr's not being hidden at all, and Darma's pather-dragon form does get a few people scattering out of the way, a few dragons' hackles rising, before Valka calls out from the room they are in, allowing her access to the main hall. She sits quietly. "I will take responsibility as well...if I had not been racing you, this would have never happened." 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Darma comes storming in, ear frills pinned against the side of her head. She looks like all the world to be about to scold the Mage... but instead, steps over, and hugs the girl instead. "Don't make us worry like that again." she states firmly.     Zephyr looks surprised, and hugs back after a moment to register what's happening. "I'm sorry Darma." she replies, then looks over at Valka. "I agreed to race. You didn't do anything wrong, I coulda said no." 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Valka seems surprised as well when Darma reacts in the way she does. Not as a vengeful woman who is angry, but as one who is more concerned about the person she is put in charge of. "She just had a bit of a fall." Valka says softly. "We were racing and...well...I guess you know, thanks to the magic thing." 

:'''{{#var:162|Zephyr Windstar (162)}} has posed:'''     Darma looks to Valka, and nods. "I know about the 'magic thing' yes." she turns her gaze back to Zephyr for a moment, then bows to Valka. "Thank you for helping her." she says before straightening. She turns back to Zephyr, and moves to scoop her up. "Come on, whelp... lets get you back to Medical to make sure your Linker Core is recovering."     Zephyr erks as she's hoisted up like that, but can't really say anything against it, merely hanging on. "It was fun. Tell Cloudjumper I'm eager for a rematch when I'm fit and able." she says, before she's carted off in a princess carry. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      "You're welcome back any time." Valka says with a smirk, watching as Zephyr is hefted up like a dainty princess, getting to her feet too and following them out. "We'll be sure to do it over water again, just in case you push yourself too far again." 

}}

2191/A Field Guide to the Dragons of Berk

2015-05-09T04:26:44Z

Ayerth: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/05/09 |Location=Isle of Berk <BK> |Synopsis=Valka gives interested parties lessons about the Dragons of Berk. Terrible Terrors are cute! |Tha..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/09
|Location=Isle of Berk <BK>
|Synopsis=Valka gives interested parties lessons about the Dragons of Berk. Terrible Terrors are cute!
|Thanks=Thanks to Toph for suggesting this scene.
|Cast of Characters=219, 236, 385, 525, 528, 578, 626, 759
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Class. it seems, is in session.      Soon after Valka's arrival in the multiverse, the woman put out a call to those seeking knowledge of her home island and the denizens, and more importantly, the dragons, that called this picturesque island home. Most dragons, she has found, have somewhat of a poor reputation, with very little of the peaceful co-existence that Berk has come to enjoy over the past few years. Of course, while caution is suggested around all dragons, hopefully luck will be with her and she will be able to get a few of those that are gathering interested in dragons and willing to think a little before charging in with blades swinging . They might even get a few potential bonds for her new allies!      A classroom of sorts has been set up in a field on the outskirts of Berk, on a grass-covered cliffside overlooking the sea. Sounds of the breeze blowing over the ocean and through the grass, the crashing of waves against the cliff face, and the warmth of the sun make this a nice place to sit and learn. Comfortable chairs - sized for a normal-sized viking or a very tall human, are arranged in a semicircle, small tables set nearby, a larger one near the back piled with food and drink. There's also a flat chunk of slate about the size of a garage door that's leaned against one of the boulders deposited during the last ice age - a makeshift chalk board that's seen quite a bit of use, judging from the faded markings that currently cover it. Sitting next to it is a stack of books - one for each person here.      Cloudjumper, Valka's Stormcutter, rests in the shade of one of the trees, his tail moving back and forth as he watches and waits, while Valka flips through one of the books - her copy of a well-worn and annotated version of the same book that's being handed out tonight, except with her notes added in. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' While Yuna hasn't been out and about in the Multiverse nearly as much lately as she would normally like of late, the chance to learn about Valka's world, and about the dragons who come from there, has had her interest since the topic came up on radio. So Yuna tries to make a point of being there a couple minutes early, hiking up from the warpgate, with Elner flitting along next to her. "Hi!" she calls out, waving to the young woman who's already at what seems to be the 'classroom'. "Valka, right? I'm Yuna ... nice to meet you in our human forms," she grins, approaching Valka and holding out a hand to shake. 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut may be a dragon king, but on his world he is pretty much the only dragon. So, he is happy to take the opportunity to visit a dragon-filled world where the dragons are friendly.      Rather than his usual showy entrance, Bahamut has chosen a more subdued approach. After all, he does not know who will be here, and does not want to cause undue stress on either dragons or people. So, rather than the mighty roar and the shattering of runed spellcircles, he comes spiraling through the nearest warp gate before his impressive feathered wings spread wide. He banks around the area, then flies in toward the appointed teaching spot. He looks as though he will fly over it, but pulls up and burns off speed just as he is about to pass. He floats almost gracefully down to the ground, but that doesn't stop the strong thump of his weight hitting the ground. He stretches his wings before folding them back against his body. "Hello again, Valka." he says, bowing regally, then he looks over at Cloudjumper and utters a rumble of greeting. 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' Freya had her about Valka world and her Dragons, she's had met and fought a few dragon's in the past, so her curiousity about the dragon's in this world has intrested her. She human size, her normal size would cause too much commotions She looks around the grass area where the classrom was set up. "Hello!", Freya says. "I assume this is where the meeting", she a puases thinking. "Gathering? Lesson? oh well! I'm Freya!" 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     In any other situation, Auron would be riding a chocobo from the warpgate. But honestly he's not sure if the dragons would try to eat a large bird or not. They do, after all, seem to resemble very large chickens with ostrich legs. And he's not quite sure what the dragons of Berk like to eat. So for the safety of his chocobo he's chosen to walk it.     Once he gets to the area where people seem to be gathering, he offers a nod of greeting to Valka, as well as Yuna and Freya. Bahamut's entrance is unmistakeable as well, and he offers a respectful bow. Even if the king of dragons isn't from /his/ Spira, he's from /a/ Spira. "Hello," he offers pleasantly to the gathering at large. 

:'''{{#var:525|Inga (525)}} has posed:''' Then arrives the littlest viking, Inga Freyasdottir, standing at a whopping 5 feet and leaning on a carved oak staff to help compesate for her fairly obvious limp. She's dressed in what is traditional for her home world, a white linen dress with a red wool overdress pinned at the shoulder with silver brooches, a woven belt at her waist from which hangs a leather pouch, a small knife, and a myriad of bone-charms. Her long white hair is intricately braided, hanging over one shoulder. Despite her decidedly unimposing stature, Inga has a certain air of confidece an authority. She carries herself like one who is accustomed to being respected, but not haughty. Upon entering the clearing, the wisewoman's eyes widen for a moment as she takes in Cloudjumper. She then bows slightly to all present, a soft smile appearing. "Hail!" she greets, greeting each in turn. She knows most here from the radio at least. Auron is unfamiliar to her as of yet, so she greets him with a simple 'sir.' "This land...it is beautiful. I thank you for the invitation. I've brought a small gift," she says, reaching into her pouch to pull out a large bottle of good ale, from Mac's in Chicago. Inga looks up at Cloudjumper again, eyes wide and appreciative. Is it an intelligent, speaking dragon like others she's met? Well, either way, she introduces herself. "I am Inga Freyasdottir, wisewoman of Uppsala." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Oh hey, class! Kyra's pretty familiar with attending all things class!     But more importantly, Kyra's come for this because dragon's occupy a very special and coveted spot in her world. Namely, only the dragoons, knights of the Dragons, have ever seen them in person. Meeting actual dragons in person will /never/ not be novel to Kyra. Never.     She's come dressed casually in the outfit that Tomoyo made for her ages ago. It isn't that different from her usual outfit, the biggest alteration being she's wearing pants instead of her Alexander Academy uniform skirt. When she shows up and takes a seat, she looks positively tiny and frail in the chair. Kyra is as far from a Viking as anyone can be here. "Hello again!" she greets cheerfully to Valka. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "I'm here! Hello!" Ariel has arrived! She's trotting up with a quick little prance... in unicorn form. Well, unicorn foal form. She's still pretty small, after all. Point is, she's on all fours, with only the cloak that is her Abstractum covering her. That's small right now, in hibernation. She may have gotten delayed by prancing around the fields chasing a few things. She is basically a unicorn, though! It's only as she walks up close and plops down next to a chair to observe that it becomes clear she's not exactly normal. Her body is a pearlescent green, and her eyes jewel-like topaz. She has no hide, but instead a smooth, chitinous material, though her hair and tail both sport the hair of a filly. She definitely doesn't look human, but with Bahamut here she figures that's not a big deal. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Cloudjumper notices Yuna first, his head coming up, eyes swiveling over to regard the slender blonde making her way closer. Seeing no threat and no danger, he lowers his head again, and he does this with every arrival. Valka, dressed comfortably in the dress that normally lives beneath her armor, smiles at Yuna's arrival, approaching her, reaching out to take her hand with both of hers, clasping it tightly before shaking it twice, then letting go. "Hello there. Yes, it's Valka. Welcome, welcome." She chuckles quietly, looking out over the classroom and the ocean beyond. "A little like Equestria, but without the ponies or the shape changing. It's a pleasure to meet you as well."      Bahamut's subdued arrival causes the woman to smile broadly, stepping back so she can more easily look up at him at his landing spot - he is fifteen feet tall, after all! "Hello again, Bahamut. Welcome. I did not know that this would interest you, but I am glad it did." Cloudjumper returns that rumble with one of his own, lowering his head a little in a nod of welcome.      "Welcome! Welcome!"Valka turns to Freya as she approaches. "You have found the right place. We are gathering now, Miss Freya, for the lesson." For a moment, Valka looks a little sheepish. "I admit, it will mainly be an overview, directed by your questions, and quite a bit of show and tell, but I do hope that it's interesting."      The dragons would try and eat the chocobo if it were running loose, without a saddle, but when it's being ridden by a person? Nah. Lots of curiosity, though! If a chocobo was brought, it can be left in one of the stables where it can eat and be safe from pretty much anything that would want to cause it difficulty. Auron gets a smile and a nod as well.      Inga's arrival does cause Valka to pause, watching as she approaches. Her style of dress is familiar - in fact, on her travels from the gate she will see women dressed in things quite similar. And, as she approaches, the red-haired woman detaches herself from the group to stand closer to Cloudjumper, lifting a hand to scratch him beneath the jaw. "Understands our words, yes. But talks?" Cloudjumper looks down at Valka, then at Inga, blowing a puff of warm breath over her that makes her hair rustle, her charms rattle, and her skirt flutter. "He doesn't talk much, but gods, he does have a mischievous streak."      Kyra gets a wave from Valka near her spot near Cloudjumper. "Hey there, Kyra. Welcome back."      And last, but certainly not least, the unicorn. Out of all of the people, it's basically her and Bahamut that are different but, it seems, it doesn't matter that much. Even through the edge of the village where the warp gate stands, Ariel would have been looked at, certainly, but not ignored or shooed away.      Probably a few of the children were plotting a way to get a strand of Ariel's mane, but that's neither here nor there.      Everyone suitably greeted, Valka moves from next to Cloudjumper toward the board where she stands, hands clasped in front of her, practically beaming from the interest that's been shown. "Th.thank you all for coming." she finally says, once people have taken their positions (or stand in the case of Bahamut). "For those of you who have not met me, or have only heard my voice on the radio, my name is Valka and this, " She extends her arms. "Is the island of Berk. Home to friendly dragons that, with time and a little bit of compassion and effort, can live with humans as companions and friends."      The books are passed out at this time... 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' Freya nods as she sits down listening attentively to Valka-sensei. She takes the book idly skimming throught it. She looks around the island. "There are alot of dragons here! I've never seen so many in once place. Then again most once I've seen are alot bigger." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Oh my Goddess." Kyra is up out of her chair like a shot when she finally takes notice of Auron. More specifically, when she finally takes notice of his ride. It isn't long before she's inspecting the bird, walking all around it, and staring at it, gaping. "A real one! In person. Whoaaaah..." Her awe only linges for a little while before she scoots away, back to the seat, which she just leans up against rather than sit down in again.     Kyra cheerfully waves at Bahamut, happy to see him again.     Taking a book, Kyra shifts again so she's sitting on the edge of the way too big chair. She unfolds the book into her lap. "So there are many different species here, then." 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Lots of familiar faces, and a few less familiar; Yuna does her best to keep up with the new arrivals, though, waving to everyone whether she already recognizes them or not. She doesn't have much of a chance to exchange more direct greetings before Valka calls the 'class' to order, though; Yuna finds a seat and sits properly at attention, with Elner settling in to hover by her left shoulder. Yuna also accepts a copy of the book that's being handed out, and opens it up to see just how hard the text will be to decipher when she only knows how to read Japanese. She's probably going to have to fish out her smartphone-like radio, and balance it next to her textbook. Apart from that, though, she's listening intently. 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut also offers a greeting to each arrival, but for him it is Auron that gains the most attention. "Sir Auron! It is an honor to see you again." Bahamut says, lowering onto one knee and bowing respectfully. Kyra is second on his list of attention. He offers a warm smile to the young woman. "How are you, Miss Kyra. It has been a while since I have seen you as well."      The others, Bahamut has not met. So, they are given a slight bow. Ariel's prancing and child-like antics cause him to chuckle softly. "It is an honor to meet all of you. I am Bahamut, King of Spiran Dragons and Aeon of Bevelle." he says before blinking as he is handed a book. He looks at it, having to carefully hold it between his large talons, then rests it in his left palm and attempts to open it with the claws of his right. It takes him a few tries, since he is trying to be careful with it. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel hops up, and... takes the book? With hands! She has a humanoid form, apparently, but it's still obviously not human. She even has a nubby little horn on the forehead! But she has legs and arms and hands, too, and those are what she uses to sit down and settle in with the book. "Ah, thank you, Miss Valka!" The others are given pleasant waves as well, of course. SOme, like Yuna, she's worked with before. The others not so much, but she's at least spoken to them. "Mn... maybe I should have brought Al." She glances up, realizes that she hasn't done a full introduction. "Kuklos ka Ariel Schmendrick-Fortuna!" A beaming smile, and she adds, "But you can all just call me Ariel." 

:'''{{#var:525|Inga (525)}} has posed:''' Inga didn't really have a chance to explore the village itself, having prefered to do that after she's been formally introduced to Valka and perhaps given a guide. Oh, but she is /extremely/ curious though, given what she had seen so far. Everyone's love of helmets with horns is just a little odd though. Inga would pass her gift, thinking she should have brought a gift for the dragon as well. Do dragons like tacos? One is produced, bizarrely, from the relatively small pouch at her waist and offered to Cloudjumper. Inga can't help but giggle as Cloudjumper breathes a warm puff over her, setting her skirt a-flutter momentarily. "Well, it is my great pleasure to meet you as well...don't suppose you would like a taco...?" she asks, holding it upward. "Its...meat. Of somekind," she offers, her nose wrinkling suddenly. "You know, I never did stop to ask what kind of meat..." she trails off, shaking her head. No matter. Inga looks back toward Valka, reaching to take the book she's offered, brow furrowing slightly. Books. Lovely. But as she takes the object, brushing Valka's fingers slightly, naturally a vision is triggered. Inga goes rigid momentarily, frozen in place as her pupils widen quickly, the black swallowing the warm hazel completely. She is quiet for a few moments, then shakes her head as if to clear away the fog of the glimpse she'd gotten of the wyrd. "Nightfury," she says quietly, blinking. Inga doesn't wish to interupt what is to be a lesson any further. She could talk more about her vision later. "Apologies...your son is quite clever though, isn't he?" she says, then turns and moves to take a seat. Her eyes fall on the unicorn and go round as the moon. PRETTY PONY!!! Dignified cough! She nods to Ariel, smiling. "A pleasure," she says. PRETTY HORSEY! Right then. Inga looks down at the book, grumbling quietly to herself as she opens it. Only to let out a small cry of delight! it's in RUNES! "I CAN READ THIS!" she cries, triumphant. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron returns Inga's greeting with a polite bow of his head. He recognizes her voice from the radio, but he doesn't know her personally. Same with Ariel; he knows her voice but has never met her (that he recalls). As Ariel calls out, he offers the same polite bow of his head in greeting to her. Bahamut's greeting gets a smile. "You as well, Lord Bahamut." Yes, he will call Bahamut 'Lord'. not just out of respect to /this/ Bahamut, but to the Bahamut before him, the Fayth.     Introductions seem to be being made to those who don't know each other. So he offers simply, "I am Auron." No titles or last name, just a single name. He's paying attention when Valka begins her lecture proper. Then... a book? Despite the way his left arm is kept in his coat as if the coat was a sling, when the book is passed to him, when he takes the book, he uses his left arm as if it were perfectly normal. And he too begins to look through the book.     Inga's shout brings his attention to the writing in the book. If the book is written in runes, Auron probably won't be able to read it, no. But if there are illustrations of the dragons inside, the point should still get across. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      The books are simple leather-bound tomes with sheepskin pages, each hand-written (or, rather, hand illustrated) with names and simple drawings of each dragon known to those in Berk, as well as facts about how to gain their trust, what they eat, and other tidbits of information like that. The 'extremely dangerous - kill on sight' that used to accompany each page, as well as the threatening wording, has been changed to be more informational than frightening, giving the reader an overview of exactly what is known.      "There are quite a few dragons here, yes." Valka responds to Freya and Kyra. Then, to the rest of the gathered people, she speaks. "We know of a little more than fifty different types - of course, not all of them are on the island and some do prefer to be left alone entirely, so this class will focus on the ones that get along with people the best. The rest of them, what we know, are in the book, and if you'd like to meet any of them and they're not overtly hostile, I'm sure it can be arranged."      Valka chuckles - she can't help it - at Bahamut and the too-tiny book. "If you'd like, Bahamut, I can get you a larger copy made or your priestesses could make it more readable." she suggests before looking to Ariel who is no longer a unicorn. She pauses, blinks, and shakes her head in disbelief. "You're quite welcome, Miss Ariel. Now..."      Inga's gift is taken with a nod of thanks. Cloudjumper sniffs the offered taco and deftly plucks it from Inga's palm with a deft tongue, swallowing it down before bending to give the little shaman a light touch of head to head - thank you, it seems. But the vision? That gives Valka pause, a wry smile flitting over her face. "Yes...yes he is." She agrees, looking to the woman with a bit more respect since she seems to be a seer. Still, at the exclamation about the runes, Valka can't help but laugh. Still, this IS a class. Valka claps her hands. "Introductions done, all surprises taken care of. What you hold in your hands is the Book of Dragons - everything we know and have learned over the years about them. It's been changed a bit from when we first started - originally the book was a manual on how to...kill." She coughs. "Ahem. How to kill dragons, but in our more enlightened times, we've made it a book of knowledge. It's written in runic but I have supplied the Union with a translation, so if you'd like, you should be able to pull up something on those things some people use to help. Now...where would you like to begin?" She takes her staff and indicates the board where, written in halfway decent common, are six names, pointing to each one in turn. "Deadly Nadder, Monstrous Nightmare, Stormcutter, Zippleback, Terrible Terror and, of course, Night Fury. The names are a hold over from when we fought dragons before, and for historic purposes, we've kept them to remind us." 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' Freya nods listening intentely to Valka. She raises her hand. "Why the change over from killing to domesicating... hmm no living side by side with the dragons?" 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "Yuna Kagurazaka," Yuna introduces herself (somewhat belatedly) as apparently people WERE exchanging introductions. Oops. "And this is Elner." By the time she says that, Elner's pulled up the translated file that Valka mentioned and it's being displayed on the screen of Yuna's phone; Yuna goes back (largely) to focusing on Valka's lecture. "I gather the dragons are still largely predators, or at least meat-eaters?" she asks. She's paging through the book's entries for those six, though, as if trying to figure out which one to start with. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel points out to Inga, "If you'd like a taco that has no meat, I'll bring some next time. Atlantean tacos don't have any meat." She's looking through the book, though, right now. Light flipping through pages, scanning them thoughtfully, and twitching one loppy ear now and then. "Nnnn... kind of like some of the fairies back home." Well, Ariel doesn't seem too surprised that they're friendly rather than vicious. Anyone who knows her wouldn't be surprised, considering her general pacifism. She does have one question, though. "Um, I guess I'm a little curious how common dragon-riding is in your world. It seems like not a lot of people have tried to be friends with them." 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron may not be able to read the book, but if the board is written in a common language, he can compare the board to the book. With that he can figure out which dragons are which, at least. He doesn't really carry a lot of technology on him when he travels most of the time. Horribly behind the times, unfortunately. But he'll make do.     He has a question of his own, though... something's made him curious. Ariel does actually touch on it. He nods as she speaks, adding, "...Usually a shift of public opinion on that scale takes a massive push. What changed the opinion from killing the dragons to coexisting with them?" 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut manages after he gets used to the book, but he also has some trouble reading it. "The Nightfury is the most famous of these dragons among your people, I take it?" he says as he fingers through the pages. He takes note of each dragon, finding the wide variety to be a rather pleasant surprise. 

:'''{{#var:525|Inga (525)}} has posed:''' Inga, cheeks slightly pink, flips through the book, quietly pleased with herself. She is going to love it here. She cannot wait to show Harry, Riva, and other friends. Then...Harry seems rather /not/ fond of dragons. Perhaps he needs a little exposure therapy. Yes, that would do nicely. "The Terrible Terror, is that it's full grown size?" she asks. She's totally not asking because she wants one. Nope. Inga looks to Yuna. Oh, that's a good question. Feeding. To Ariel, Inga smiles. "It's alright, thank you. These tacos are...sort of special. They are...healing...tacos," she says, hesitating as she seems to realize just how ridiculous that must sound to an outsider. Inga looks over then to Auron, leaning over, pointing to the runes. "This one says Whispering Death," she says, with an absurdly pleased look on her face. This is novel for her, after all. As for Auron's question, she looks to Valka and smiles knowingly. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Valka points to Freya when she raises her hand, listening to the question. "Simply put, it was a question of survival. Originally, the dragons raided us constantly for food and we, of course, tried to fight them off. It was believed that they were mindless killers for the longest time, taking far more than they needed to survive, or killing just for fun. The fighting between us and the dragons...it really only made things worse." She trails off, thinking quietly. "Not to get into any long tales, suffice to say that after my son and Toothless bonded, the Vikings of Berk discovered that dragons weren't raiding for hunger, but to feed the alpha dragon which, thankfully, is no more. Freed from the Alpha's control, the dragons became quite gregarious. Friendly, even, to those that showed them respect." Cloudjumper trudges over and sinks down next to Valka, looking at the gathered people before poking her with his wing lightly, getting a squeak out of the red-haired woman who responds with a playful push on the dragon's wing..      Turning to Yuna, Valka nods. "Yes, Yuna, that is correct. They are still, for all intents and purposes, meat eaters. Our dragons mostly eat fish and, rarely, game such as elk, mutton that they can catch while hunting or chicken if they deserve a treat. Sometimes vegetables, but of course that depends on the breed."      Then Valka turns to Ariel. "Dragon riding is fairly uncommon. Berk, from what we know, is the only place that it happens on this world with any regularity. Oh, I'm sure there have been others, but we're the ones who have made it a part of our life." Referring to Berk as her world? That's going to take some getting used to. Still, she continues. "Most other people that we know of simply go places dragons aren't, and the dragons tend to stay away from populated areas since, a lot of the time, humans are hostile or, in the worst case scenario, trappers or dragon hunters. We've found that being friendly helps quite a bit."      Auron's question, along with Ariel's touching upon it, gets the woman to nod, turning to face them both. "The simple answer is my son. My clever, clever son, as Inga put it." She leans on her staff. "Now, I wasn't there, but I've heard the tale. During one of the raids after I had been taken...." she trails off there, apparently leaving off a massive bit of story. "Hiccup shot down a Night Fury - Toothless - using some kind of machine that combined a net with a bow mounted on a cart." She waves a hand. "The whole shooting down thing was pure luck, and he thought it would get him accepted by the rest of the vikings but, when he managed to find Toothless in the woods, still wrapped in the net, he couldn't bring himself to kill him. Everything he had ever been taught said to kill this night fury, but he listened to his heart...and set him free. That simple gesture was the seed, and over time the two became close. The two became inseparable and, eventually, they led the vikings in an attack against the alpha dragon that was the cause of all the raiding."      "Toothless....the only Night Fury we know, is the most famous of our dragons. Notoriety does have its advantages sometimes." Valka chuckles, nodding to Inga. There should be a human-sized drawing next to the dragon to give you an idea of their size. So, yes. The Terrible Terror is about the size of a housecoat." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra has gone silent. Just about everything discussed here is new to her-if only because this world had a different sort of dragons than many of the other. But just little things like the confirmation of dragons as meat eaters were significant to her. The mystery of dragons where she is from runs deep.     "Wait wait wait, you had been taken? Like the dragon just kind of...carried you off?" Kyra seems confused by this, clearly. As if it doesn't strike her as normal dragon behavior beyond what happens in silly, completely untrue stories. Her attention is soon drawn by the pictures present in the book.     Aww, tiny dragons. "That's exactly the kind Riva could have if they're so small." Kyra remarks. "She lives in an apartment and doesn't have a lot of space." 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' Dragon riding? Freya thinks she will skip that, too much exciment that would cause some problems for her. She nods listeing to Valka. She idly looks thought the book listening. She doesn't have any more questions at the moment. 

:'''{{#var:525|Inga (525)}} has posed:''' Inga doesn't look too surprised by some of this story--she'd seen a bit of it in her vision. Inga then glances sidelong to Kyra, nodding. "Yes, as do I--until the cottage is built anyway," she comments. Oh goodness, Harry would probably never forgive her if she came home with a dragon. % Ah, but they are not just pets you take home. These are dragons, to be respected. A companion, a friend. To see the bond Valka has with her dragon is inspiring. Inga has many questions, though not all to do with dragons. She'll try to stay on topic. "An alpha? So the dragons are pack creatures, like wolves?" she asks. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Yuna raises her eyebrows a bit at the 'Terrible Terror' being that small ... and she almost can't help but ask. "What's the Monstrous Nightmare like?" With a name like that, she's not expecting it to be all that cuddly or friendly (without a fair amount of work, anyway) but just knowing the answer could be useful, and/or interesting. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron looks to Inga as she points to one of the dragons in the book. "Thank you," he responds with a smile. "And this one?" He points to another dragon in the book. It's kind of at random, since he's comparing the letters on the board (which he can read) to the letters in the book (which he can't read). A few of the letters almost seem close enough to English letters to figure out. English he can read.     Valka begins to explain several aspects of dragons and life with them, as per questions that have been answered. Auron listens to this information, filing it away for later use. Valka's story of her son gets a thoughtful look. So it doesn't seem like there was a worldwide shift in opinion, just a local one. That makes sense, given that dragon-riding is apparently not that common in this world.     But the mention of the alpha dragon gets a tilt of his head. "So there /are/ hostile dragons? Not all of them can be coexisted with?" he inquires. "Are these that do in the minority?" That's a useful thing to know... 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "Huuuuh... there's a lot of kinds," Ariel mumbles, still leafing through. "They're all kind of cute." All of them? Then again, she has a shoggoth as a pet, so her definition might be a little warped. "We actually have a dragon roost in the volacno fortress, but it's for a Thousand-Forged Dragon, which is a construct-type thing. Still, I wonder if it'd make a good place for visiting?" Yeah, she's going to invite Valka over to the house without consideration for her parents. Or daughter. Or book. "It sounds like there are good and bad dragons, just like humans," Ariel notes, paging through thoughtfully... then unrolling a scrap of paper and doodling one of the pictures for herself. Not because she wants to keep it, she probably just likes the aesthetic. Apparently, she likes the Monstrous Nightmare when it's aflame. 

:'''{{#var:525|Inga (525)}} has posed:''' Inga looks over again to Auron, smilingly pleasantly. "That one is called the Hideous Zippleback," she informs him with a nod. "They all have rather interesting names, don't they? This one is a called a Gronckle, and this is a Deadly Nadder," she continues, flipping pages a bit. 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut can't think of anything to add. But, the talk of these alphas does bring an idea to his mind. It would be nice to have a group of dragons to actually call him king. There are no others that he knows of in Spira, after all. At least, not ones that are really alive. "What does it take to become an alpha to these dragons?" 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Valka nods to Kyra. "Exactly that. Twenty or so years ago, just after the birth of my son, there was a raid. I could never bring myself to kill a dragon, but when Cloudjumper here..." She reaches up to pat the dragon who seems to be intently listening to her. "Broke into my home where Hiccup was, in his cradle. I took up a sword and ran to save him. My son meant so much to me, I would have broken that most sacred of my beliefs, but, when I entered the room, he was just...looking. At the baby. He wasn't attacking, wasn't breathing fire. Just...looking. There was evidence that dragons weren't bad, right there in front of us." Valka smiles at the memory. "And then the moment was gone. My husband, Stoick the Vast, came in, saw the dragon, and attacked. Cloudjumper thought Stoick was attacking /me/ and he...well...carried me off to the nest where I stayed for twenty years, learning their secrets. It....it was not the best decision I ever made, but it was the one I made."      "The dragons are pack creatures, yes. The largest that we know of, the Bewilderbeast, is normally the alpha species, but Toothless challenged one and now he, all sinewy and sleek black Toothless, is the head of all the dragons in this area and as far as he can fly." She looks to Bahamut with a twinkle in her eye. "To become alpha, you must defeat the alpha simply enough. Get him or her to back down with posturing, threats, or outright overwhelming strength. Show that you're worthy to lead. This, of course, does not mean kill any challengers, since a murderous dragon is often turned on by those it thinks it has control over.      "There are hostile dragons, yes, just like there are hostile people. Territorial more often than not, or not really good for living if nearby, but dragons don't just seek out people to attack. The best way I can describe hostile dragons are almost like a hive of bees...you leave them alone, they leave you alone. You poke their hive? They poke back."      "Monstrous Nightmare...page..." Valka's fingers wiggle as she flips imaginary pages. "Twenty seven or so. Near the middle. Fearless and proud. Aggressive in battle. First to arrive in battle and the last to leave. Show it respect and you'll earn it's trust. Just touch him on the nose and...Hang on. I'll let you practice." She lifts her staff and spins it around her head, a howling whistle echoing along with a rattle from the inlaid bones before she lets it back down.      There is silence for a moment as the sound drifts away but, it seems the howling staff apparently did something, summoning without a spell, because suddenly from the air, the ground, and the sea, dragons descend - one of each type listed on the board (and four or five Terrible Terrors!) save for Toothless, the Night Fury. Valka approaches the red-scaled Monstrous Nightmare, lifting a hand to touch it on the snout, stroking it lightly before turning to the group. "Just touch them on the snout like this and show him that you're not a threat. That's the best way to go." She gestures to Yuna. "Come over here."      The other dragons settle around Cloudjumper, close to Valka, watching the group expectantly (except for the Terrible Terrors, which investigate the table of food, Inga, Kyra, and anything else of interest, even trying to climb into available laps). 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut grins as Valka explains the terms of becoming an alpha. "I see." he says, then listens to the rest of the explanation. When the other dragons are summoned through apparently mundane but seemingly magical means, Bahamut rumbles lightly. "I will leave the riding to others. I suspect the dragons would not appreciate it if I tried to ride one of them." he says, amusement in his voice. 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' "oh my..", Freya says as the dragons come closer. One of the terrible Terror comes up to her. "umm hi?". she looks a bit neverous. "I don't got any food.." 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Yuna looks uncertainly at Elner; the robo-faerie just 'bobs' slightly as if shrugging at her. "Valka wouldn't offer the chance if she thought you might do something wrong and get eaten up whole, right?" says Elner. This doesn't seem all that reassuring to Yuna ... but she sets her book and her phone aside and gets up from her seat, walking over to where Valka indicated. A piece of her is wondering if she should err on the side of caution and transform first, but ... Well. If the point is to not be a threat, then being armored is probably a step in the wrong direction. Besides, Yuna picked her T-shirt and jeans for a reason - so she heads over to the Monstrous Nightmare, bowing slightly as she approaches (without taking her eyes off the red-scaled dragon), and stepping forward to pet its snout like Valka just demonstrated. "Is this one male or female," she wonders, "or haven't you had occasion to find out?" 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron's quiet as Valka speaks about... a lot of things! But that's what a lecture is, and so it's expected. Some of them are personal, though. Of her staying with the dragons, he notes, "That might have been best. Until the others had learned not to attack them on-sight. Cloudjumper might have been attacked."     He nods to the mention of the dragons being more territorial than truly hostile. And a smirk when the analogy of bees is made. "Bees generally can't take off an arm, but I do see the similarity." That might have been a teasing comment. Then suddenly HERE THERE BE DRAGONS!     Oh come on. /Someone/ had to make the joke!     In all seriousness, Auron blinks his remaining eye as the dragon appear. And, as to be expected, one of the Terrible Terrors comes to investigate him as well. He smells different, after all. Not like someone from Berk. Also BIG RED COAT! That tends to be an eye-catching feature. Plus the little dangly beaded thingie on his left shoulder.     Not just that. But Auron tucks his left arm, and that leaves his coat loose on that side. Apparently one of the Terrors mistakes this for a cave, because it alights upon Auron's left shoulder, and then proceeds to crawl right in there where is left arm is tucked. Auron pauses, looks at the small dragon. "...Come on now. Out." He shifts his arm, getting a squawk of protest, and the Terror doesn't move. Apparently it finds this area quite comfy! 

:'''{{#var:525|Inga (525)}} has posed:''' The wisewoman watches in awe as more dragons descend, apparently all friendly but understandably cautious. Most of them, anyway. Inga pulls out another taco as a Terrible Terror starts to investigate her. Indeed, the creature's behavior reminds her quite strongly of a cat. She smiles, offering food and to let the little beastie smell her. Inga is normally good with animals. Witch powers or something of that nature. Soon enough, there's a little dragon in her lap, being stroked gently like a scaly feline. Inga purses her lips slightly when bees are mentioned. As keen as dragon's sense of smell is likely to be, Inga smells rather sweet. Like honey, in fact. Blinking, she looks over to watch one of the Terrors climbing into Auron's sleeve and can't help a laugh. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "So he carried you off mostly because of a mistake?" Kyra looks to Cloudjumper. Intelligent and a bit more complex than most animals, Kyra will give it that, yes. Beyond that, though? "At the very least it does answer that question as to why a dragon would carry off a Hume for real. Well." Besides food but that was a nuance that didn't apply to this world and thus didn't get brought up.     Summoning staff indeed, though. "...so they respond to sound.." Kyra murmurs as the dragons converge en masse in several different ways. She looks absolutely delighed by all of this and immediately pulls out her phone so she can take pictures of them all.     It isn't long before Kyra is trying to coax one of the Terrible Terrors into her lap with enticing wiggling fingers in their direction. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Valka looks to Bahamut with a smile. "I don't think we have a dragon that you could easily ride on. You'd need to be at least half your current size....at least half your weight as well. But I think they appreciate it."      The Terror investigating Freya squawks, almost like a parrot, but squeakier, before nudging her foot with its nose, wrapping around her ankles in a figure 8 motion, and settles down on top of her feet where the friendly giant may notice that the little dragon is quite an effective foot warmer. "Be careful." Valka teases gently. "If he takes a fancy to you, it'll be hades to pay to get him to leave you be any time you visit."      The Monstrous nightmare is standing there, leaning down on his 'elbows,' basically the bends of his wings since there aren't any forelimbs on this breed, watching Yuna approach. "Best to learn by doing." Valka says, stepping aside as the blonde draws closer, the Nightmare lowering his head, peering at Yuna with baleful yellow eyes when she reaches out. He watches her for a moment, looking from hand to woman, to Valka, and back again before moving forward just a bit, lightly pushing his snout forward to bump against Yuna's palm, holding it there, as warm as a sun-baked rock in the summertime, and smoother than expected. "This is Hookfang. He's a male. Why he's a male, you can see in the book." Apparently anatomy lessons aren't in the cards today.      At the assault of the Terrible Terrors, Valka can't help but laugh, specifically at the one curling in Auron's jacket, peering out with beady yellow eyes, squawking in defiance as it curls into a tight little ball to (hopefully!) resist extraction from the comfy cave attached to this nice man! And Inga's offer of a taco? Food is the fastest way to a dragon's heart. If the little Terror could purr, he would, but instead he begins to snore, squeakily.      Turning to Kyra, Valka nods. "Exactly. I mean, look at it from his view. I was there, I didn't attack him, and Stoick rushed in to attack. He...made a decision. I think he thought I was a dragon. I'm positive he does think that now. Anyway, it turned out to be a nice one in the end." Valka lifts her staff, the rattles rattling, and offers it to Kyra to look at if the Terror doesn't crawl into her lap. "Sounds, low ones, generally, are the ones made by the larger, generally alpha dragons. So...I dragon-backed on it, basically." She twists the staff and a muffled 'clatter' of the balls inside can be heard - the dragons turning their attention to her - even the one in Auron's coat, until she lets the staff down. "It's part of the training and the bonding. They learn nuances. They apply dragon-thought to people and see us as flightless, scaleless dragons. So they help." 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' Freya chuckles a bit. "Noted.", she hmms looking at valka staff. "I know some sheep hearers use bells to herd the sheep. but I think Dragon's are a bit smarter than sheep." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "They start to think of the Humes as...dragons?" Kyra repeats following Valka's explanation. She sounds like her mind just got blown by turning it around like that. In a way, it did kind of make sense. "It's interesting that they'd so readily adopt someone into 'dragonhood' like that."     The wiggling pays off. The Terrible Terror does crawl into her lap just as Valka offers her the staff. It, of course, looks up at attention as the staff clatters as Valka turns it.     Kyra pets the little dragon in the meantime, completely delighted by the smaller creature. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     The laughter from Inga, and then Valka, gets a sheepish look from Auron. A little embarrassing, but a little embarrassment never hurt anyone. And he reasons, "If they're anything like housecats... have you ever seen a cat pass up crawling into a bag? Or a box? Seems the expression 'if I fits, I sits' can apply here." His coat must have looked like a safe little hidey-place.     Since he's probably not going to get the thing out of his coat without damage (that arm isn't as well-protected from scratchy claws as his right; besides, he can just move his arm if he needs it, there's plenty of resistance with his belt holding his coat closed for the Terror to sit in there even if his arm's not in the coat.     Valka's mention of low sounds attracting the dragons gets a raise of his remaining eyebrow. "Low sounds... infrasound?" he inquires. He uses infrasound, in a limited capacity. "You mean..." He draws in a slow breath, closing his eye briefly as he does. And when he opens that eye, a low rumble of sound, possibly more heard than felt, emits from his throat. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Yuna smiles, petting Hookfang's muzzle. Thinking of him as a giant cat, personality-wise, seems to help a bit ... even if the dragon could still chomp her in half with an ill-timed yawn. Sure, he's kind of scary to look at, but he seems friendly enough now that Yuna's been guided through making his acquaintance properly. She has to giggle a bit at the comment she overhears from Auron, too, and she takes a moment to look around at how her 'classmates' are doing so far. 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut watches the much smaller dragons dispersing through the ranks. He chuckles as well when one claims Auron's jacket, then turns his attention to Yuna. When she makes contact with the Nightmare, he waits for something to happen. When nothing really does, he smirks lightly.      "These dragons seem to be an interesting mixture of intellect and strong instincts." Bahamut comments, then chuckles. "I suppose that could be said of any intelligent creature."      Then, Bahamut finds that one of the Terrors apparently finds him to be a good perch. He is tall, sturdy, and a dragon. So, the little creature scampers up him like a cat up a tree, and perches on his head. Bahamut rumbles in slight annoyance as the Terrible Terror surveys the area from the top of his head. "I notice that Cloudjumper seems rare as well. Is he another apparently one of a kind dragon?" Bahamut asks Valka as he tolerates the little passenger. 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      Valka nods to Freya. "Considerably smarter. With their own likes, dislikes, and dreams. Usually it's of a full belly of fish, but still." Valka reaches up to scratch the Deadly Natter beneath it's jaw, smoothing back the spines with her other hand.      "They start to think of us as them. The fact that we can help them get food, give them places to sleep, and treat them as companions and not terrors..." Valka leans in to hug the Deadly Natter, looking over at Kyra. "If more people would act like this, the major battles between the Confederacy and the Union would be gone in a season, I'd wager. It's hard to accept those who are different, but the eyes of the dragon see through that as easily as the sun clears the fog in the morning."      The rumble of sound from Auron gets all the dragons looking toward him, the Natter's needles going up and then back down, Hookfang looking over, then back down to Yuna to keep her touching his nose. It feels nice, you see. The Terror in Auron's coat shrinks down and, with a thump, wiggles its backside out of the arm of the coat and slinks to hide behind his boot, peeking around with a muffled squeak. Sorry, it seems to be saying.      Cloudjumper, at the mention of his name, looks over to Bahamut, then down to Valka. "Oh, a hard one to find for certain." Valka says, chuckling at the sight of Bahamut with a tiny dragon on his head. "They're normally not as big as he is now, but they're out there. Toothless is the rarest of them all, followed by the Bewilderbeast alphas, followed by Stormchasers like Cloudjumper. Think of a bag filled with colored balls....for each Toothless, there are....ten or so Cloudjumpers? So...they're about ten times more likely, but that's still very rare." 

:'''{{#var:759|Valka (759)}} has posed:'''      And as they talk, information is shared, questions are asked and answered, and, in Valka's mind, seeds of hope are planted. Those seeds are to be carried from world to world, to be shared that some dragons aren't completely and utterly evil, that they can be lived with. That they can be touched. Come and see. Come and see. 

}}