Just the Twilight [Vlaer]

[Capricorn]

The water was wonderful.

She'd swam so far out that the shore was only a small sliver of green and brown on the edge of the horizon. Fatigue had just begun to set in, but she couldn't bring herself to go back to shore. The water was wonderful to move through. Perhaps it was the young dragon's imagination, but it seemed like she could simply feel her wings getting stronger. And it helped her legs, too. She'd learned to swim by observing humans. Sure, she had seven limbs, including her wings and tail, and they had four, but the basics remained. She found that her wings and tail could be useful in steering.

It was twilight- the stars were beginning to come out, and the sky was a shade of deep purple, almost black. The clouds were almost gone, on the horizon. It was beautiful. The hatchling spread out her wings, floating in order to admire it for a moment. It took that same moment to realize, almost with a twinge of panic, that she was sinking. She moved upwards, beating her wings. She remained in the air for only a moment before her weight caused her to plunge back into the dark depths of the lake. Her legs kicked at the water, until her horns and then her head breached the surface.

Okay, so she wasn't the best swimmer. She'd have plenty of time to improve.

The hatchling knew that she should be concerned by the fading light and the distance of the shore, but she couldn't bring herself to. Learning how to swim was so amazing, she could hardly feel anything but excitement. Mistakes had happened, but she was still alive. It was becoming cold, and it would get colder soon, too, but she couldn't feel anything but adoration for the water.

Something slipped by her legs. She felt something on her scales- other scales?

The hatchling dipped her head under the water to see what it was. A silvery... Thing. She raised her head above the water, letting the liquid drip from her horns for a moment before plunging it underneath again.

Excitement surged through her, and the little black dragon pursued it. It was moving slowly- it must have been unaware of the dragon following it. It was lucky for her, because she was able to dive underneath it, catching it in her jaws. She dropped it as soon as she reached the surface again, gasping a few times. The dead creature floated on the surface, so she picked it up in her jaws after she had finished breathing. She licked a gash on its side- delicious. It was certainly edible.

The shore was even further away now.

[Aelodil]

Aelodil had been roaming around the Empire cities for awhile and he knew that if he were to go to try to go to any of them he'd immediately be kicked out again. Oroku said it was because of all the problems he made wherever he went but he disagreed. In his mind he hadn't made any problems for anyone because he himself had no problems. He shook his head. He was making himself confused with his own knowledge. He pulled on the reigns and Shadowfax slowed down to a halt in front of a lake. Aelodil slipped down from the horse. Unlike most people who would tie the horse's reins to a nearby trunk or so, Aelodil knew that Shadowfax would remain nearby him. The loyal mount had helped him on multiple occasions and he trusted him enough to at least let him roam freely. Neighing in appreciation, Shadowfax trotted off to an area that was especially lush. Smiling to himself, Aelodil then turned to the lake.

Sighting a small rock protruding out deep into the lake, Aelodil walked as close as he could get then jumped onto it. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, as if in a meditating posture. He reached out to Okoru."What is it? You've been feeling unease ever since you left Gil'ead." Oroku asked him, concerned. Frowning, Aelodil responded,"It doesn't feel right. They let me go too easily. Am I not worth at least a Rider or two?" Oroku gave him the closest he could to a mental sigh."So that's all you think about, isn't it? Strength and what-not?" Oroku voiced his thoughts. Aelodil's brow creased."If that's not worth enough to think about, then what is?" Responded a truly confused Aelodil just to receive a scolding answer,"You are something, Aelodil." Then Oroku went silent for a second and everything around the lake went silent. Even the wind paused momentarily.

He heard it - he could hear the sound of a disturbance in the water. He felt one of the creatures he was connected to just a moment ago die. His keen elvish eyes made out the figure of a small serpentine shape in the dark. Walking closer, he could tell it was a small dark dragon. It's scales being a slightly darker black than Oroku's. Oroku withdrew from Aelodil's mind and hid himself as Aelodil approached the dragon. He stood still and silent for a moment then reached out swiftly and grabbed the dragon - along with the creature. Confused, Aelodil walked back to the shore. He laid down the dead creature and gently let the dragon down. He put his arms on his hips. Just so that the dragon wouldn't think him a potential enemy, he removed the glove on his right hand and showed it the faded gewdey insignia. The most legitimate proof of him having been a Rider. Oroku revealed himself and said to Aelodil,"Aelodil, this youngling is still young. She still does not understand the idea of speech. If you would allow me to do the talking to her here - dragon to dragon." Aelodil gave a sigh and confirmed it with Oroku.

Oroku reached his mind out to the young dragon, first sending an image of his body when he was still alive along with feelings of peace, understanding, and questioning. He then sent an image of Aelodil along with an image of Aelodil and he flying together to indicate that Aelodil was his Rider and he was trust-worthy. He then sent his feelings: He wanted her to know they meant no harm and that they were just passing by. He then questioned as to what she was doing here - whether she had a Rider or not, and if she did, where was he or she?

(Sorry for the quality. In a rush)

[Capricorn]

The dragon wasn't at all expecting to be grabbed out of the water. She began to struggle, attempting to pierce the skin of whoever or whatever had grabbed her with her teeth and claws. Her tail was moving frantically in an attempt to slap the thing that had grabbed her. Of course, unless she managed to hit an unarmored spot, it was probably a useless action. It didn't matter to the young dragon- as far as she was concerned, this could have been a matter of life and death, so she fought from sheer instinct.

When she was dropped, the dragon was relieved. She lowered herself to the ground, letting out a hiss similar to that of a feline. She looked up at her "attacker". He looked similar to a human, but still resembled Auduriel in some way. He wasn't quite an elf, but didn't look exactly like your typical human either. More similar to Eragon. She wondered what they were- why did they look like that? Her Rider's mind had suggested that it had to do with the dragons, but Auduriel was a Rider and she didn't look like that. Not to mention, she couldn't see a dragon anywhere near this person.

Her kill was lying on the ground next to her. She walked over to it, lowering her head and tearing some of the silvery scales off of it. She'd never seen it before, but others would likely recognize it as a fish. She liked the taste. It was different than anything else she'd ever tasted before. She took another bite of the fish before she felt another mind touch hers.

If it weren't for the fact that she didn't understand the concept yet, the little dragon would have put up mental barriers. Her head turned towards the man as he ungloved his hand. What was that mark? She'd seen it on several people, especially on those with tents near hers, but this one was more faded than those. She had the vague sense that she should know its meaning, that it was important, especially for her, but she didn't and couldn't remedy that. She turned her attention from her own thoughts to the images and feelings that were being communicated.

It felt almost familiar, almost like she'd felt a similar sort of mind before. The images communicated to her suggested that a dragon was the one who was communicating with her, but she saw no dragons nearby. The young dragon was still suspicious of this man, despite the feelings. It was mainly because of the lack of a dragon, otherwise she would have trusted this man easily- perhaps too easily. She kept her tense body language and proceeded to growl at the man before sending her response.

She sent an image of the elven woman who was her Rider, and then of Dras-Leona as it appeared on the horizon. It would be a long run for such a small creature, yes, but it was still close and a Rider would probably be able to make it to this point quickly. Her answer was a rather pitiful attempt to threaten the person communicating with her. Her answer to their first question was responded too with feelings, but more of a physical one than anything. It was how the young dragon felt that flying would be, a feeling of strong wings lifting her into the air. She was trying to strengthen her own wings.

The hatchling also sent a question of her own. They were her own feelings of mistrust and suspicion, resulting from being grabbed, and the image of the man. She sent a feeling that took special note of the fact that there was no dragon. She wanted to know why there was no dragon, if the person on the other end of the mental communication really was a dragon ridden by this person. It was followed by an almost triumphant feeling, as the hatchling felt like she had proved fairly well that the person contacting her was lying.

[Aelodil]

Oroku explained the situation to Aelodil - it seemed that the dragon didn't believe him. He didn't blame her. She is still young, so the concept of an Eldunari still wouldn't have been explained to her. He shared their communication to Aelodil. He was fascinated by the Rider as well as confused. What kind of a Rider lets such a young dragon roam around at night? Especially when so near to Empire territory. He huffed. Oh well. It was none of their business, so it was best not to dwell into it much. But still, he couldn't help but feel worried about the dragon. As the dragon still didn't seem to trust them due to a lack of a physical body of a dragon, Aelodil bit his lip. He hated explaining this. It reminded him of what had happened. He extended out with his mind to the young dragon's mind and opened his to her's. He first sent an image of Oroku a day before his body was mangled then sent the image of Oroku's dying body followed by his ejection of his Eldunari. Then he put up an image of the Eldunari with Oroku's body hoping the dragon would make the connection between the two.

Deciding to partly explain it, Aelodil thought that perhaps the dragon would understand Ancient Language. After all, every being responded to it. He began to explain just the core of it - that the Eldunari contained the essence of a dragon and that whomever has the Eldunari can use it to connect to the dragon's mind - as well as the fact that the mind she was sensing from the dragon was indeed actually a dragon - just with no physical body but instead he was using an Eldunari to connect. He then explained the gewdey insignia: It was what marked the bond between a Rider and his dragon and that his was faded due to the fact that his dragon's body was murdered.

He proceeded to apologize to the dragon for snatching her out of the water but explained that she had gone far too away from shore for safety. She could have been swept away and perhaps even drowned. He looked at the fish she was affectionately nibbling on. He smiled to himself. It reminded him of how Oroku had been when he was still young. Then suddenly, he strained to hear the sounds of footsteps. By the sound of it, they were wearing heavy metal. Empire soldiers? He turned around to find them surrounded by soldiers. At least a dozen of them. The lead soldier, with a halberd in his hand pointed to the young dragon and said to Aelodil,"Move aside. We do not care about what issues you have made; we are here for that dragon." Aelodil unsheathed Aeternum and placed his shield in his hand."And if I refuse?" He asked, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. His eyes seemed to be burning with anger. The soldier shrugged as if it didn't matter,"Then we will just have to kill you."

As if on cue, one of the soldiers lost his patience and charged forward. Aelodil hesitated - he didn't want to expose such violence to the youngling. Deciding not to kill them, he blocked the soldier's first strike then parried the next leaving a wide opening to the chest. He put away his shield and aimed a strong punch towards the chest - just strong enough to knock him cold for awhile. The captain grunted. The rest of the 11 soldiers surrounded them. One of them, apparently stupider than Aelodil tried to grab the dragon from behind Aelodil's guard. Aelodil didn't even turn around. He muttered a quick line in the Ancient Language and the water behind the soldier rose and grew arms. The weird man-like figure made of water grabbed the soldier with one huge hand and threw him at the trees. The branches broke his fall more or less but he still received quite the bruising. Aelodil then turned to the rest.

They seemed hesitant to attack him after what they had seen but the captain didn't care. He brandished his halberd forward in a stab. Aelodil caught the spear shaft between his shield and sword hilt then jerked viciously to one side, breaking off the metal part of the halberd turning it from a weapon into a useless long stick. The captain threw it away and took out a sword and a shield. The rest of the soldiers decided to use their brains and ran away, back to the city. The captain and Aelodil circled each other and the captain made his move first. He swung his sword swiftly in a wide arc. Aelodil parried it then pushed forward with his shield, forcing the captain backwards. Then, the captain threw away his shield and grabbed the sword with two hands and placed all his strength into one attack. Aelodil easily saw past it. He timed his stroke perfectly to parry the swipe with enough strength to cause a stagger then as the swords met, the captain's sword shattered and he stood there, stunned.

Sheathing his sword and shield, Aelodil turned to the captain,"Go home. It wouldn't do for you to continue on with no weapon. Do not die meaninglessly. It'd suck. You wouldn't be able to cut people anymore. Go back to the city, train harder, and when you're ready... come find me with a murder intent." Oroku gave a mental face-palm. His partner-in-soul was thick. Way too thick. He literally just told his enemy to get stronger then come back to kill him. Luckily, the pair of them by now were way too strong to be easily killed by mere soldiers of that level. Aelodil turned to the dragon again and then frowned. He asked her whether her Rider was worried or not. He extended his arm, beckoning the dragon to perch on his arm explaining to her that they'd go to the city to go back to her Rider.

[Capricorn]

The hatchling noted a change in Aelodil's body language- specifically, the lip biting- but was unable to pinpoint the meaning of it. The words that the young dragon heard were familiar. She had been learning the Ancient Language from her Rider's mind, but she was more used to hearing the common tongue out loud. The fact that she was getting a sense of meaning from the words surprised her, but it felt right. The words were natural in some way that she couldn't quite place, and they made her feel comfortable. She brushed her warm scales up against Aelodil's leg.

She took another bite of the fish, swallowing it in a big gulp. She ran her tongue over her little teeth to catch remnants of the taste before taking another bite, wolfing it down almost greedily. She hadn't eaten in a few hours, and she was almost constantly hungry at this age. The bones interested her. They were more flexible than those that she had snapped in other prey and lacked marrow- something that she had enjoyed tasting- but she adored the taste of the flesh. It wasn't long before her kill had been devoured.

The sound of metal clanging alarmed her. She instantly puffed out her chest, trying to act threatening and dangerous-looking. She bared her teeth and stood right next to Aelodil, almost certainly failing at looking like a terrifying dragon opponent. She understood the word "dragon"- that meant her kind, creatures like her and Saphira and some others that she'd met- but the rest of the words were incomprehensible to her. She prodded Auduriel's mind, hard. The elf stirred in her sleep but did not wake yet- the connection wasn't strong enough yet.

The sight of the sword being drawn began to concern the hatchling. She had never seen her Rider use a sword except for mere spars, but this seemed to be threatening. Was it an actual fight? She'd never seen one herself, although there was some that she had observed while sifting through her Rider's mind, and she knew what they were and the real use of swords. She noted, slowly, that she was probably going to fight eventually. She knew what her claws and teeth were for, besides hunting.

It almost made her sad.

The young dragon hadn't seen the person grabbing her, and was rather confused when she saw arms of water pluck him from the ground. She realized that this must be the same sort of thing that she'd seen some members of the Varden use. She wasn't very sure about what is was, but it fascinated her. She made a note to research that later on.

When the soldiers left, the dragon was almost disappointed. She had been enjoying the excitement. To congratulate the man on his victory, she attempted to jump onto his back, to climb onto his shoulder. Unfortunately, her claws couldn't quite grasp onto the plate, and she ended up scratching uselessly against it before sitting on the ground, tail curled over her front feet, looking rather disappointed.

In response to Aelodil's question about her Rider, she prodded Auduriel's mind again. Still nothing- she was dead asleep. The hatchling sent an image of her Rider, then a feeling of deep drowsiness, then an image of a bed. Her Rider was sleeping, she was saying. The young dragon was delighted at the arm to perch on, and leaped out, using her wings to propel her, successfully grasping onto the Rider's arm.

[Aelodil]

((I'm just gonna assume that Auduriel's in an inn, if that's OK with you?))

Aelodil couldn't help but give a small laugh at the young dragon's attempts at jumping onto his shoulder. As the dragon perched on his arm and climbed to his shoulder, he received the images of the dragon's Rider. She was an Elf. He couldn't help but be captivated by the mere elegance and beauty those Elves excluded. He was like that, now, he guessed, but still, he never really got over how they looked. He smiled at the dragon. Oroku groaned. Elves were alike. Aelodil spent the majority of his day under any tree he could find, asleep. Granted this had already caused quite a few commotions with many different road bandits who had tried to steal his supplies in his sleep. Oroku shared his thoughts with the dragon - he knew how she felt - they both hated the laziness of their Riders but it couldn't be helped.

Aelodil walked to the nearby city. His family was of royal blood and there was one thing in common in his family: They all had a thick blonde hair and the same charcoal gray eyes, so it was no surprise when he was surrounded by a group of admirers. Oroku smirked in his own way. As Aelodil walked, he decided to talk to the dragon, to let him get to know the two of them better and to sate his curiosity. He reached out to her mind and began to explain royalty and the sort in his own way, making sure that he used his feelings and images right so she would be able to understand. Then he explained that Aelodil was from one of the royal families in the Empire and that that was why he had so many people crowding him.

Aelodil smiled to himself. Oroku sounded like an old geezer for dragons now, didn't he? But Aelodil didn't mind. He always needed an old geezer to rein him in and make sure he didn't get too rash. Aelodil looked around. He walked towards a group of women who were strikingly beautiful. One of them looked like a princess what with her blonde hair and blue eyes. Another had a beautiful mix of black hair with a few streaks of gold in the mix. The third looked rather scary, she had the same eye color and hair color as he. As he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but feel scared. Was that how people saw him? He gave a mental shiver. No wonder people were afraid of him. He waved his hand and smiled, a question already on his lips, "Um, excuse me.. Would you by any chance know where I could find an inn here?" As soon as he said it, he regretted it. The trio all gave an excited smile. They spoke in unison, scaring Aelodil as they responded, "Follow us! We'll show you where it is." Then, two of them grabbed his arms and the third began to push him from behind as he tried to protest.

Finally, the trio stopped in front of a rather impressive looking building. He turned to them and smiled, thanking them, "Thanks a bunch! I wouldn't know what I would have done if it weren't for you." Earning himself excited screams as they walked away. He sighed. This is what he gets for being himself in the Empire. He walked into the inn. He ignored the curious looks that everyone gave him and walked up the stairs and straight into the first room that crossed his mind. He was captivated by the beauty of the Elf in front of him. He felt awkward intruding on her while she was sleeping, but, he came here with a purpose. He shook his head. That's right. He came here to make sure the dragon stays out of trouble. He walked over to the bed's side and gently shook her shoulders. "Morning. Um, I'm sorry to intrude but, your dragon seemed rather lost, so um... I guess I'm here to.. I don't really know. I just felt like I should bring your dragon back to your side." He sat down cross-legged next to the bed and waited for a reply.

[Capricorn]

((Sorry, I should have been more clear about her location.))

When the other dragon offered the hatchling his pity, the young dragon was less than pleased. She responded with feelings of annoyance, and even offense. Her Rider wasn't lazy. The hatchling saw the other dragon's thoughts as questioning her Rider's ability- and by extension, her own, because she had chosen her Rider. Along with the hostile feelings she communicated, she added an image of the night sky as it was now. She was communicating that it wasn't exactly "lazy" to sleep at night.

The young dragon was curious about people surronding him, but didn't think much of it. His explanation fascinated the young dragon. She'd had a vague sense of slightly different concepts, from sifting through her Rider's mind- especially accompanied by a dislike of a certain figure. But this was much more clear, much more straightforward. The hatchling communicated her curiousity about the subject, and gratitude for sharing that information with her.

She didn't like how loud the trio was when they all spoke in unison. When one of them grabbed the arm that the dragon was still clinging to, she edged away from the hand, glancing at it. She hadn't like the voice, but this time, she just didn't want to be too close to the hand. She'd clawed and bit people before, and she didn't want it getting too close to her, because she wouldn't hesitate to attack it if she felt threatened.

The hatchling was also unsure of where the man was taking her. She'd never been this way before, but she didn't communicate her concerns, assuming that they might know where they were going. When they walked into the inn, she was even more confused, and would have jumped off of his arm if it weren't for the fact that running up the stairs would have been quite tiring. She trusted this man, after the Empire soldiers had tried to attack them.

When they walked into the room, the young dragon leaped off of Aelodil's arm and slinked towards the bed in a catlike manner. The elf in the bed looked like Auduriel while she was facing the wall, because of her hair and skin, but when she rose up from the bed, the facial differences were clear. "I'm not a Rider." She spat, looking furious. "Get out of my room, before you and your dragon are graced with a fiery death."

As if to prove her point, she muttered a few words in the Ancient Language and kindled a fire in her right palm, glancing at it for a moment before looking back at Aelodil. "You have ten seconds."

[Aelodil]

((This time for sure the place is right. Please? ;_;))

Aelodil jumped far back as the Elf threatened to kill them. Not her? Ehhh? He must have gotten the wrong idea from the dragon. At the flame, Aelodil's scared expression turned to a deadly cold one. Suddenly, he lunged, his hand covering the Elf's palm. He concentrated on the magic that had the flame intact that was now in his palm and put it out. At the Elf's infuriated expression, especially after he had removed her magic, he simply smiled and said, "Young lady, there's no reason for such a frightful expression. It removes the beauty in you. Anyway, my apologies. We'll be taking our leave." The Elf didn't react until they were out, probably because she was too shocked by Aelodil's response. He shook his head. He was always like that. Every now and then he'd almost slip into unconsciousness and would say something like that to any lady nearby. It was embarrassing, really.

Anyway, he thought. He looked back at the images the dragon had sent him. Alright then, apparently he had dearly misunderstood the dragon. The feelings sent with the image were not the feelings of an inn. It was the feeling of sleeping on the ground day after day. A tent. He covered his face with his palm. How stupid could he be? Oh well. He frowned. Though, where would she set up a tent? There was only one place. It was a nice small open area in the forest. The trees made just enough of an opening to admit sunlight to the clearing. It was the perfect place for a tent. Well then, time to get moving.

Aelodil walked through the small city, trying to avoid anyone who looked like they would bring trouble or any guards. The last thing he needed was to make a scene before trying to leave this accursed city. But of course, as usual, Aelodil couldn't dodge them. As he turned around a corner to dodge some guards, he ran head first into a group of bandits. "Hey! What's the big deal here, punk!?" Yelled the indignant lead of the bunch straight in Aelodil's face. Aelodil recoiled and tried to back off but knew it was sealed: He was going to have to go through another spar. As if on cue, three of the bandits covered the only exit other than going straight through the main group. Aelodil put his hands up in surrender, saying, "Please, gentlemen. Let me pass." The lead bandit shook his head. "We can't let you through. Not with your fancy equipment and what-not. We could make quite the fortune with them. So hand 'em over quietly and pass or die." Aelodil sighed. He couldn't avoid a fight here.

Alright then, he thought. He unsheathed Aeternum and his shield then gently placed the dragon off to the side. "Stay there for a bit. Just 'til I deal with these misfits." He said to him. Then he went into a quick sequence of cut and slash. He cut the three behind him with ease, making sure to not deliver fatal wounds, just to disable them for the moment. He swung Aelodil in a wide arc in front of him, leaving only the lead bandit standing. He sheathed Aeternum, picked up the dragon, and ran straight towards the other side. As soon as he reached the bandit, he shoved his shield at him, strong, and broke some of his ribs, leaving the man gasping on the floor as Aelodil ran out the alley. Finally, he arrived at the clearing. Indeed there was a tent there. He walked inside the small tent. Indeed, there was a woman resembling the Elf the dragon had sent. With a cautious sigh, he repeated, "Um.. I think this is your dragon..?" While shaking the Elf's shoulders gently.

[Capricorn]

The dragon followed Aelodil through the city. This time, she wasn't on his arm, so she had to run to keep up with him. By the time that they ran into the bandits, the time off to the side was more than welcome. She breathed heavily, recovering her stamina. She sat down, but dared not lie down as she waited for the fighting to finish up.

The dragon still didn't know where he was taking her. When they arrived in the clearing, she enjoyed playing in the grass for a moment, but had to stop in order to follow Aelodil into the tent. She was surprised by what she saw. There was Ithíníl, lying away from the elf. That was strange- Auduriel always had her sword close to her. It shouldn't have been lying on the floor like that.

Even stranger, Auduriel was here. In the strange tent. The hatchling creeped over to her Rider, pawing at her stomach in the way that a cat would inspect something. Combined with this and Aelodil shaking her shoulder, the elf rose up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Once she came to, she noticed Aelodil before her dragon.

"What are you doing with my dragon?" She asked, looking furious. She moved forward, grabbing her sword and holding it comfortably in her hands. She held in a threatening position, her green eyes looking over the other rider. The hatchling pawed at her Rider once again and attempted to communicate, but found that her Rider was listening. "And what are you doing outside of our tent?"

The hatchling, unable to get her Rider to listen, proceeded to communicate her confusion with Aelodil. She first sent an image of the correct tent- the one within the Varden's main camp- accompanied by a feeling of rightness. She then sent an image of Ithíníl, lying on the floor, accompanied by confusion. She tilted her head, looking at one Rider and then the other, and proceeded to delve into her Rider's mind. Even if Auduriel wasn't listening, the young dragon could still look into her Rider's mind. She proceeded to begin "tugging" at a few of the elf's more sensitive memories, in an attempt to gain her attention.

And it worked. Scowling, she looked at her hatchling. "Okay, I'll listen. What are you doing here, human?"

But he wasn't quite human, was he? The elf took a look at the other person in the tent. He appeared to be human, sure, but there were some elven features, too. He certainly wasn't a full elf, but maybe he was a half-elf or something.

[Aelodil]

Aelodil felt as if he had had a heavy stone rock dropped on his back. To be honest, the 'human' part kinda hurt. Especially since most people already knew he wasn't even human anymore. He received the images from the dragon, however he didn't welcome the confusion. He had already embarrassed himself at the inn once, it was a relief in itself to be able to find the right person this time. However, he felt like the Elf had gotten the wrong idea. He hadn't done anything bad. The heavy stone boulder felt like it was back on his back. Why did this always happen to him... He was snapped out of his thoughts by a mental slap from Oroku, "Get a hold of yourself, Aelodil! Just explain it all then let her decide what to do next. At least she didn't tell us to get out in ten seconds or die. I feel like her bargain is rather generous!" Aelodil's eyes became a little cold. Oroku.... he couldn't ever stop teasing him, could he?

The posture the Elf had instantly assumed was that of security. The posture of a person who was at the risk of danger at anytime. He stood up slightly, as best his colossal height would allow him in the tent and extended an arm to help her up. He smiled and said, "Now now, no need to get all hostile with me. I haven't done anything to your dragon. He had found his way into a lake and was getting a little too far away into the dangerous side of the waters, so I helped him out of the water and onto land. There's another thing, when people try to get a good first impression, they don't go blurting out the word 'human' y'know? You could've been more polite. I've received way too much coldness from people today~" His normal expression back to him. Oroku gave a mental sigh. This Rider of his, sadly, never changed. In a single second his attitude could change so dramatically. That's who Aelodil was - he always tried to act upbeat and positive without showing anyone the darkness in his heart.

Then Aelodil noticed the set scowl on the Elf's face. He frowned for a second. "No need to scowl. It ruins your face. You're cuter without a scowl set on your face." He said, a smile on his face. If Oroku had a body, he would have had gone into shock and had a heart attack right then and there. Aelodil... too daring, too daring! However, Aelodil didn't notice his dragon's warning. "At any rate, my name's Aelodil and the dragon presence you've been feeling is my dragon, Oroku. Don't ask for physical proof, his body died long ago. He resides in his Eldunari now. If I may ask your name, fair lady?" He said, that same smile on his face. Oroku reached out to the woman's mind and, as if knocking on her mind, said, "I am Oroku. Well met."

((Sorry for the quality. I'm in a hurry))

[Capricorn]

The elf continued to scowl at the man. "For your information, my dragon is a she, and I'm sure that she'd like to be called by the proper pronouns." She paused for a moment. "And I'll call you whatever I feel like calling you. If it's human, so be it, sorry dear. The same rule applies to anything else that I address you as."

Auduriel let him continue, but didn't pass up the opportunity to make another jab at the Rider. "And it was your incompetence and idiocy that caused his death, I take it? Perhaps you flirted with a lady who just so happened to be too much for you to handle, hmm? As for my name, no, you may not ask me what it is."

She didn't open up her mind to Oroku. The dragon scratched at her Rider's legs, trying to get the elf to calm down. It wasn't working, and the hatchling decided to go against Auduriel's wishes and tell the other Rider her name. The hatchling picked a memory from Auduriel's mind, and communicated it with Aelodil. It was a simple memory, of an older elf asking her name, and Auduriel responding.

Suddenly, the side of the tent opened up. A circle was cut with a blade, and by the time that it finished, Auduriel had raised Ithíníl against whoever had opened up the tent. "Give us your goods and nobody gets hurt."

Instantly, Auduriel lunged upwards, Ithíníl slicing cleanly through his neck. Behind the original thug, there were several, perhaps seven. "Brisingr." The elf muttered as one of the thugs suddenly caught on fire and began to run away.

[Aelodil]

Aelodil hesitated. The dragon was a she. Ah, crap, he must have ended up offending the dragon and the Rider. Not a good first impression. He bit his lip to keep himself from retorting. This Elf really didn't want to be friendly and she wasn't making trying to be friendly any easier at all. He tried to think about something that would make him feel better but as soon as he heard that sentence. The sentence he had always pestered himself about. Had he been too much of an idiot and too weak to protect Oroku. Oroku's mind got shady. He felt bad. He didn't like seeing his Rider like this. And what followed next would be a change in emotions. It was how he was. Whenever Aelodil lost control over his emotions, he lashed out against anyone nearby him. Oroku could feel the Elves' defenses on her mind and respected that. He withdrew, but the damage was already done.

Aelodil's mind by then was already a whirlwind of angry storm clouds. When the young dragon sent him the memory of Auduriel, he barely gave it a second thought. All he thought was that he was going to kill her. He would kill her and everyone else. When he heard a voice threatening him from outside the tent, he calmly and slowly stood up. He didn't bother unsheathing his weapon. He called upon the full force of magic in his body and Oroku's Eldunari and released it in one world-less spell. It was hard to describe what his aim for the spell was. All that was in his mind was oblivion. In response to his emotions, true oblivion took the 5 remaining thugs. A small hole opened up in the air and sucked their souls in. The thugs dropped to the floor, dead, though their bodies were unharmed. Aelodil simply smiled. A cold and cruel smile, it was. It was the penalty for becoming who he was. If he ever lost control of his emotions, he would become like this.

"You know, miss Auduriel, I was thinking maybe I'd be nice to you. Then I wouldn't have to kill you. But now... oh no, now I rather think I'll enjoy torturing you. Don't worry, it won't be physical torture. I don't believe in laying a hand on women like that. But don't you worry, I'll make sure you suffer. I'll continue until I hear your screams as you beg mercy of me. And then I'll deny it." Aelodil said as he turned to Auduriel, all emotion lost in his voice and figure. Oroku tried to fight against his Rider as he began to prepare a spell, but Aelodil simply shrugged Oroku's mind off. He raised his hand and began murmuring long chants in the Ancient Language. Soon enough, an evil dark aura surrounded his entire body. It was dark magic indeed. Dark magic meant to rot anything it touched other than what Aelodil wished to be safe. He smiled in glee. He sent a wave after Auduriel.

Oroku was watching. He watched through his Rider's mind and body. His Rider was gone. He snapped. This wasn't him anymore. This wasn't the sweet and cheerful Aelodil that everyone knew. This was an entirely different person. He concentrated. He couldn't let his Rider do this. He wouldn't let his Rider suffer again. He felt a wrench in his presence and that wrench snapped. Suddenly, standing in front of Auduriel in a protective stance was an ethereal version of Oroku's body. The large dragon towered above his Rider, growing to his full size. He was easily as large as a small fort at the age of 7 years of age. He glowered down at his Rider who had abruptly stemmed the stream of dark magic.

Aelodil fell forwards onto his knees. He dissipated the dark magic and stared at Oroku. "Oroku, I... I'm sorry. I was weak. I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry." He said, close to tears. Oroku simply smiled and brushed up against his Rider. "It wasn't your fault, Aelodil. No matter what people say in an attempt to hurt you, I want you stand up and stay strong. Show them your resolve. Don't let them goad you on. I must go now, the magic's starting to wear off. Remember, though, I'm always with you, even if it's not in person." Oroku rumbled out loud. As his ethereal body dissipated, Aelodil stood up. He looked at the ground around the now burnt tent. All the plants had rotted away and everything that had came in contact with Aelodil's magic was in ruins. "My pardon," Began Aelodil out loud, "is what I'd love to say. But I can't. Although I know it was wrong, I don't feel like I'm the one who's at the wrong here. All I did was return your dragon and try to get to know you in a friendly way and you just have to respond like that? I don't have a clue as to why you hate me so much, but I would rather like an apology from your side. I also wish to apologize to you, little dragon. I mistook you for a male. My bad. Now, back to pleasantries, my name's Aelodil. Nice to meet you. What brings an Elf such as yourself to an Empire city over here?" He finished his sentence while holding his arm out for a hand shake.