Nothing Is Ever As It Seems - Open!

[Tundra]

(All plot hints and info related to it will be in quotes like this)

"The plan is going along perfectly. Everyone is in play"

The air around Kuar seemed to be tense, the people not liking that he was there at all. It almost seemed as though some were just waiting for the chance to snap and take a shot at him. The hostility in the air around him made the hairs on Kuars neck raise. He finally looked over at one of the civilians, the aura off their body just radiated hostility. Kuar huffed lightly, closing his eyes and folding his arms. Pyry, seeming to sense his uneasiness turned his head curiously at Kuar. Finally the rune let out a burp and returned to scarfing down what remained of the cake. Kuar chuckled, missing the times when he could be carefree like the little rune before him. Perhaps the rune embodied Kuars youth, he didn't know.

The tension snapped suddenly when one of the civilians picked up a rock and tossed it at Kuar. Kuar, almost instinctively grabbed the rock out of the air. He looked back at the one who threw the rock. He taunted Kuar as though to ask him to do something about it. Kuar quite often had to deal with this hostility. People jumped to conclusions when they saw him, I mean the first thing they assumed was that he was a halfbreed. His dual colored eyes always caused problems. His nor blood, and his strong mystic blood was the cause of his heterochromia, but everyone assumed he was a half-breed.

Kuar would do something about this, but he would rather not cause any trouble now. He finally turned away and walked back towards the gate "Pyry, we leave, NOW!" Kuar stuffed his hands in his pockets, the rune on one hand glowing intensely. The tattoos under kuars eyes began to glow as well as the magic channeled through him. Khalid, the griffin with Kuar took a defensive post behind Kuar as it was obvious Kuar was angry/frustrated at the situation. He finally let it out, the magic lighting the man's shirt on fire, the flames engulfing it within minutes. He screamed in panic, but calmed when he realized the fire was only burning his shirt. The people of the area started to gather to catch Pyry who instantly took to the air to catch up to Kuar.

Kuar smiled and chuckled lightly as he left the scene, pyry landing on the shoulder pauldron Kuar was wearing and chirping slightly. The rune seemed to wrap his tail around Kuar's neck and settle down.Kuar made his way as far away from that area of the tower as he could. The crystal on his other shoulder started glowing "Always getting in trouble when I am not there Kuar? Calm your mind, clear it of the anger" Kuar sighed, his shoulder slumping down as he attempted to calm down. This day wasn't going so well. He found himself back at the gate he had entered the city in. This was when he noticed the drake on the wall. The massive white form clad in armor always was an amazing sight. Kuar narrowed his eyes, Drakes were not his..most favored of the eld species. He instinctively reached up and gripped one of his arms that had the scars from centuries ago.

He sighed, letting his arm fall back to his side and he finally noticed the person beneath the drake. The aura the she gave off was of fear and awe at the same time. It didn't surprise him, if one hadn't ever seen a drake there was usually a sense of awe. Other then Ancients, Drakes were the largest of the eld species. Kuar huffed walking over to her cautiously. "Trust me, nice to look at, dangerous if angered." Kuar himself obviously looked like a Nor, his emblem on his necklace being that of the Nor kingdom. He also wasn't shy to wear their colors, but other than what he was wearing he didn't fit the build. He was very much like the mystics, his purple eye enhancing this.

[Prince Mal]

The occasional flicker of the streetlamps cast the street in a warm glow. Occasionally some cityfolk and travelers would walk the lit paths, gossiping about the Dragoon Trials, the upcoming Gala, and what they did that day. The Glasswork Dragons happily attended to their lamps, and a nearby Sea Serval tried to catch one midflight before it's owner pulled it away. Aimo found the whole scene unsettling. It was too calm. Too perfect. It seemed wrong somehow.

Kita squirmed, trying to break free of the prison that was her terrified friend's arms. The Avian didn't notice and just wrapped a brown and cream wing around the Rune Dragon, making her squirm even more, the only visable part of the small Rune being the tips of her wings and tail. Emelyn just hung her head in second-hand embarrassment then continued observing the lights, making sure that the mean Serval wouldn't hurt a single Glasswork.

The violet griffin was the only one of the travelers to notice the scraping of talons against stone. Maybe that was a good thing, after all, Aimo definitely would have freaked out if he heard it. Emelyn just decided to sit up straighter and puff out her chest. She wouldn't want to say she didn't protect her bond after all. Her sharp eyes first caught sight of a caramel colored griffin a bit larger than her, but she sat unfazed. He seemed concerned rather than threatening anyway.

"Are you alright?" Oh dear, Aimo heard that. His wing that was wrapped around Kita now smacked the wall (so hard it popped, he would tend to it later). There was only one thing left to do, he would run and hide on the other side of the buildin-, "U-um, I'm okay. I just...it got dark! Yes, that's what happened!" After that first disaster of trying to communicate, he saw that the curious man had wings and feathers. What cruel fate was this!? Emelyn glanced at Aimo, as if waiting for something to happen. Aimo had to look away, from both his griffin and the Avian in front of him, "You...your griffin looks very well behaved. Uh... um... Is this the first time you've visited this city?"

[SkieNight]

Ebony didn't notice the man who walked up besides her. She didn't feel the powerful aura that surrounded him. She didn't hear his soft footsteps against the ground. The young woman was so mesmerized by the beast that sat high above her head that a person practically materialized by her side without her so much as blinking in his direction. If she had been paying even the slightest bit of attention to something other than the shape on the wall she would have been able to feel the presence of another or at least noticed the shaking of Nitor. The small Rune was currently perched on her shoulder staring at the stranger with bright green eyes that pierced through the night like a flame. Ebony should have noticed him long before he appeared at her side She was observant, and yet when he spoke she practically jumped out of her skin.

It wasn't rare for the girl to be scared, she was always at least slightly anxious about something, whether that be finding food for the day or trying to keep her violet eye hidden from society. But for someone or something to be the cause of that anxiety and fear, now that was rare. Ebony was always on high alert, she was always wary of her surroundings and always had an ear open, or at least that was something she did a majority of the time. So of course it was during one of the rare moments when her guard was down that someone decided it was time to approach her, something that rarely happened to her. She was part of the group of folk that people decide to ignore, whether it was her unfriendly air or the scowl she always wore, Ebony didn't care. As long as no one talked to her everything was fine and dandy.

The woman spun around quickly, her eyes wide and heartbeat taking off with a start, pounding against her chest as its sound echoed in her ears. She stared at the man and the first thing that came to mind was cold. She could tell the fox standing besides her felt it too. Asetin's fur bristled as a deep growl echoed form his chest, and his bright eyes darted from the man to the shape above them as though he wasn’t sure which one to trust less.What Ebony noticed next were his eyes, one was a delicate blue and the other was a color all too familiar. Her stomach practically fell. Another half-blood? If Ebony hadn’t been thinking she would have brushed her own right eye, but with her hair covering her right eye, as per usual, any movement was sure to give her away. And the third thing she observed were the colors of his outfit. If living with the Mystics of fifteen years taught her anything it was how to identify people, and the man who stood in front of her was clearly a Not. Not only did he have the appearance of one, but the clothing he wore and necklace that decorated his neck were all things from the Western Kingdom.

After a few seconds of think silence she realized he a said something, and being the only person within ear range, it was most likely to her. The Elvian half-blood stood a bit taller and watched him with a narrowed gaze, careful to keep her straight as not to let a single strand of hair fall away from her right eye. "I am well aware of that, thank you." She muttered. She might not have ever seen a drake, but she wasn't that uneducated. As some of the anxiety left her, Ebony's face relaxed into it's usual scowl, the one she wore only around people she didn't know or like. That being said it was the expression she wore the most. She stared at him. Was that the all he wanted to say. Most people didn't approach her without good reason. "Can I help you?" Asetin let out another guttural growl and the girl glanced towards him, though she didn't bother trying to shut the fox up. He'd stop eventually.

Tagged: Tundra, Kuar}}

[Tundra]

"Quiet down you irritable drake! Or I'll put you back in the chains where I found you!" The armor clad drake clacked its teeth a few times and huffed out air before finally settling down. It obviously didn't like the idea of that threat becoming reality.

Kuar raised his hand and rubbed the back of his head, unsure as to what to say to her question. He had only come up to her because of her aura. How was he to explain to her that he had sensed her anxiety from the aura around her body. It was always hard to explain things, perhaps he should have just let it alone. Even now though, her aura carried the same fear, but, it was different in a way. It carried less fear, more surprise and uneasiness. He let out a light chuckle, finally saying "Its..kinda hard to explain.." He let his hand down and sighed "forget that..it's extremely hard to explain. Can I just say I was curious and or concerned and be done with that?" He seemed to almost get nervous himself, as explaining some of his actions was always hard for him. The crystal on his shoulder seemed to glow lightly as Valerius on the other side chuckled, but the sound didn't come though.

Khalid had finally joined them, his head tilted slightly at the fox's growling. He chirped before hissing slightly back, his wings spreading slightly and his stance entering one that is slightly aggressive. Kuar immediately set his hand down on Khalids head and all it took was a look. Khalid almost instantly closed his wings and returned to a normal stance. The griffin seemed to trust Kuars judgement, but it was obviously he wasn't pleased at the decision that was made. Kuar chuckled before returning his gaze back to the half-blood before him. Though, Kuar didn't know she was a half-blood at this moment. He rubbed his neck again before finally letting his arm rest at his side again. Pyry this entire time was too interested in getting away from Kuars grip under the other arm. The little rune wanted to play so badly, it was like the creature embodied what Kuar lacked. Finally with one good push of its wings the rune broke free. Flying into the air and crashing playfully onto Ebony's head letting out a thrilled chirp. It was obvious the rune was excited and glad to be free and playing once more.

Gripping and jumping from shoulder to shoulder the rune playfully played hide and seek with her, but mostly with himself. He reached over and gripped her hair trying to play more even if she wasn't playing. Kuar reached out to grab the rune but stopped when Pyry brushed the female's hair aside. He usually would have just grabbed the rune, but he knew most half borns were extremely skittish. He retracted his hand before finally speaking "May I? retrieve Pyry..otherwise you will have him clawing into your head for days..or until he has had his fun.." He blinked obviously completely calm at the sudden accidental reveal as to what she was. But, being as he was old enough for Half-borns to have..been not even a concept or idea he had grown use to their existence. So, her being one bothered him in no way. But, it would be up to her to decide in the end if she even wanted to stick around after such a shock.

Tagged: Ebony: SkieNight

[SkieNight]

Ebony continued to watch the man with her eyes narrowed in suspicion, as if that was her only expression. His movements - hand rubbing the back of his head and his sigh - seemed to suggest some nervousness. Though if there was any, she doubted that there was, the half-blood knew it wasn't because of her. She frowned at his words but decided not to push, if she didn't push he wouldn't push it was an unwritten rule Ebony figured everyone knew. Instead, she huffed slightly but kept her mouth closed otherwise. What else was there to say? A faint glow at his shoulder pulled her eyes from his face and her gaze narrowed on to the crystal on his shoulder. It glowed slightly before fading away as though it was all a tick of the night. Ebony shifted from one foot to the other. The more she stood in front of this man the more her gut twisted and turned. She came to the conclusion then that she didn't like or trust this man, not that it was surprising. Was there anyone she actually liked or trusted?

As another shape approached, her eyes and snapped from the crystal to the creature that approached. Another creature, big, dark, and feathered, stood before them. Ebony swallowed, though her mouth was dry, and glanced up. The shape of the drake was still looming over them; the creature perched high on the white wall. She was surrounded by large creatures that seemed unfriendly and strangers, this night couldn't have gotten much worse. The fox at her side let out a small yelp at the griffin's sudden movement and slipped behind Ebony, tail tucked between his legs. When the bird finally went silent, as though some spell fell over it, Asetin peeked out from around Ebony's legs and crouched low, watching the new creature with eyes golden and wide.

Ebony was a person who was used to silence and actually preferred it when it came to dealing with people. Yet, as she stood in front of the stranger, she felt like something needed to be said as if the silence was strangling as oppose to comforting. The quiet that surrounded them was anything but peaceful and relaxed, at least that was what the half-blood felt. As she pondered and wrecked her brain for something to say and chirp drew her from her uneasy mind. The girl looked up just as the other's rune broke free from the man's arm and darted towards her. It happened in a second. Nitor let out a cry, flapped around, jumped from her shoulder, and promptly landed on Asetin who had been trying to slink through the grass towards the griffin but then froze and growled at the new weight on his back. Ebony was the only one who stopped short, letting the run do whatever it wanted as it hoped from one shoulder to the next then back again.

She felt it wrong to touch another's rune, so she let the small creature play its stupid game and just frowned, looking more annoyed than anything else. It wasn't like the small creature was doing anything to her, just playing around, so clenching her hands into fists she let the game run its corse. She had originally thought that the night couldn't get any worse. She had been wrong. Very wrong. After a while, it appeared the rune thought it would have been even more fun to play with her hair. That wouldn't have been a problem if the strands of hair had been anything but her bangs. However, the creature seemed to have decided that her bangs looked to be the most fun. The rune gripped her hair, pulled, and suddenly she could see clearly with both eyes.

The girl stared straight ahead. She was so use to having something covering half her face she felt naked without it, and yet her eye wouldn't close. She couldn't do anything. Ebony blinked debating whether or not it was worth even closing her eyes. She realized then that the man had moved towards her and was actually reaching forward when he stopped. They made eye contact and Ebony's jaw locked, her eyes narrowed and it was in that moment that she confirmed that no, she really didn't like the man who was standing in front of her. He moved back a bit, just as Ebony took a step back, her hand going to her hip, fingers brushing against the worn hilt of her knife. "Just get this thing off my head." Ebony had forgotten her voice could drop so low and turn so guttural. Asetin and Nitor must have heard her sudden shift because the fox stood, hackles raised and eyes flashing from playful to wild. Nitor just let out a quiet chirp. Ebony's eyes remained on the man. "And don't try anything funny." She added pulling the knife free from its place on her hip. Half-blood or not, she wasn't about to take her chances with anyone. Someone had tired to take her eye out once, who said someone else wouldn't try it again?

Tagged: Tundra/Kuar ; Kaidan Alenko/ Mei (kind of, feel free to hop in)
{Sorry for delayed replies... school sucks}

[revenant]

Teovanth was bored.
When humans got bored, it was of little consequence. They found ways to entertain themselves. When drakes got bored, it was much the same- but a drake entertaining itself could have much worse consequences for the smaller beings around it. Teovanth, of course, was much too well-trained for that sort of behavior. Lesser drakes than she might romp and play. She was of the mind that she was above acting so undisciplined. It was not proper for the mount of a dragoon to behave like a hatchling! She had been given her task, and she would do it with the utmost professionalism.
But... well, their task was to watch the civilians, was it not? She could tell from her dragoon's relaxed position in the saddle that Mei was doing very little of the watching herself. Someone had to guard the gates. Her sharp eyes scanned the throng of people below, alighting on two in particular.
Directly below, they stood still and talked, occasionally glancing up at her. Though their words meant nothing to her, she understood from their tones that they were far from getting along. Perhaps this long, boring night was to become interesting after all. A rune dragon- small, irritating creatures, those things were- was fluttering about, getting itself tangled in someone's hair and generally causing a commotion.
Slowly, with a movement as smooth and sinuous as that of a snake, she lowered her great head down on her thickly-muscled neck, until she was watching from directly behind the one called Ebony. If she happened to turn, the poor thing would receive quite a fright. But, fortunately for her, she remained oblivious.
That was when Ebony made the mistake of drawing her knife. The change in Teovanth's demeanor was instant. She gave a warning growl, a low, terrifying sound that resonated up from deep within her chest. If the two talking hadn't noticed her before, they would now.
Mei, meanwhile, was effectively zoning out, but when Teovanth growled, she snapped out of it right away. Leaning forward in spite of the danger of falling out of her saddle, she peered down at the commotion below. The glint of light off an exposed blade was the first thing she noticed. "Is there a problem?" she asked, her words carried down to those below. She had to speak loudly to be heard, but she was careful to keep her tone neutral, curious without a hint of aggression. Better to defuse the situation than escalate it.


tags;; Tundra & SkieNight

[Kalo]

The boy jumped at the sound of Tyrik’s voice, smacking his wing hard against the wall. Tyrik cringed. That both looked and soiunded painful. It didn’t seem to phase the boy, though -- instead, he hurried to find an answer to whether or not he was okay.
“U-um, I’m okay. I just…” Tyrik smiled a little, waiting patiently for the boy to come up with the right words.
“...it got dark! Yes, that’s what happened!” At this, the smile faltered slightly. It didn’t seem like that was what happend, but Tyrik left it alone. The boy was flustered enough already, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things worse. He was about to try for some light conversation, as that seemed to calm people down, but the boy was already one step ahead, suddenly saying, “You… your griffin looks very well behaved.”
Tyrik stifled a laugh. “Well behaved” was far from how he would describe Zeru, though the griffin was sure to appreciate the compliment. Looking down at the him confirmed this-- his feathers were puffed out at the chest, and his chin was pridefully raised. He shot Tyrik a glare in response to the raised eyebrow and grin he gave him. Tyrik just rolled his eyes and ruffled the feathers on the griffin’s head.
“Uh… um… Is this the first time you’ve visited this city?”
Tyrik’s attention, which strayed only briefly, returned to the boy.
”Yeah,” he said, ”it is.”
And unfortunately, we’re hopefully lost, he added mentally. The boy’s wing was still predominantly on his mind, though. Something about it looked a little off.
”Is your wing alright?” he asked gently, taking a careful step forward before pulling back. The boy seemed antsy enough as it was, and he didn’t want to make him more nervous by getting closer.
It sounded like you hit that wall pretty hard.”
Zeru chittered anxiously, only to be shushed. ”We can worry about the ‘Golden Lion’ later, Zeru. This is more important right now.”
The griffin merely sat himself on the street with a huff.

Tags: Prince Mal, Aimo

[Prince Mal]

Aimo was laughing awkwardly. He wasn't expecting he'd get a response. And he didn't expect Kita to look up at him waiting for him to speak. "M-my wing? It's fi- ow." As if on cue, his wing was struck with pain, but he decided to try his best to shake it off. "...Ow, I'll... fix it later. Wait, did you say Golden Lion?" Emelyn rolled her eyes at the Avians conversation, how the heck did they not realize they were being so ridiculous? She decided to instead tenderly walk up to the other griffin and introduce herself, she could be harsh, but she wasn't impolite after all.

"You know... W-w-we're heading to the Golden Lion, too. I... I'm pretty sure I know the way there, if memory serves me correctly. Um... it can get a bit easy to get lost here so if... you need any help around I'll try my best." Oh dear, that sounded pushy didn't it? Aimo instinctively held his squirming rune dragon up to his face as he tried to hide, only to realize that sliding down the side of a wall hurt his wing more. At least he had the spirit to keep trying to do something, even if that something was trying to turn invisible by sheer willpower alone.

((pressed submit too early, guess I'm a bit tired whoops, and it's kinda short because plot coming up sorry! Tags: Kalo, Tyrik))

[SkieNight]

The entirety of Ebony's focus was directly a head of her. The half-blood was generally aware of her surrounds; her peripheral vision was spot on nine out of ten times, despite the hair that was constantly in her eyes and face, and her back space awareness was generally acute. But between the long day of traveling, the startling conversation with a stranger, and the fact that now a rune was tangled in her hair exposing her violet eye to the world, her mind was everywhere all at once. And that did terrible things to her spacial awareness. It was probably for the better that she didn't notice when she and the stranger in front of her finally caught the Drakes attention. And it was a mixture of luck and pure unobservance that she failed to notice the large head behind her, or the sticky breath of the drake, or the hot eyes on her back. Nitor, on the other hand, was unlucky enough to notice the the large beast that moved behind Ebony. The small rune froze, its shinning eyes and focused only on the large dragon behind its traveling partner.

Ebony paid no mind her her small companion's silence. It wasn't unnatural for the little, green rune to fall silent in stressful situations. It was at a time like this when it would have been in the half-born's favor to be bonded with the small creature. However, that wasn't a possibility for the girl. Traveling partners was as much of a bond as she could muster; she wasn't willing to pain herself for the rest. So Nitor and Asetin were left as partners who could do what they wished, for the most part, with minimal communication. Had she been bonded with Nitor she might have sensed the small thing's fright and realized what hovered behind her. And Asetin was no help either. The fox continued a low steady growl, eyes only on the man in front of him, his haunches raised and fur on end. His orange eyes so focused that he never the the Drake's movements and simply mistook the sound of breath as sounds of the wind.

When Ebony pulled out the knife everything changed. It wasn't like she was planing on using it, though if he had tried anything she wouldn't so much as thought about it. The knife was a safety measure. She had inherited the thin blade from her mother, it was the only Mystic artifact she carried with her, that and some beads and scarves that she wore when "reading fortunes." The minuet the blade slipped from it's spot on her hip and into her hand a low growl rumbled, shaking the girl to hr very bone. She froze. The hair on her neck stood, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She turned around slowly only to meet the dark eyes of a Drake. Eyes which were at eye level, something that she wasn't expecting from a dragon, and about two feet to close.

The girl didn't scream. Her mouth fell open in silent horror, but any noise she went to make got stuck in the back of her throat and slid out as a soft whimper. Drakes were much larger up close than she had ever thought. She stumbled back once her senses kicked only to trip and fall on her butt at the feet of the strange man whose even stranger rune was making a nest in her hair. She didn't bother to push herself up, she simply stayed curled on the ground, her back to the strange man and the knife still in hand, positioned between herself and the Drake that would now be looking down on her due to a change in hight. Between the Drake and the man, Ebony's senses spiked and she became aware of the movement from atop of the wall. The guard. Ebony's free hand went to her right eye. One person had already seen her eye and that was one too many people for Ebony's taste. Is there a problem? She could have laughed at the guards question but her vocal cords seemed to have withered to nothing after she had found herself eye to eye with a Rune Drake. Yes there is a problem. I have this giant lizard that looks about to eat me. Her lack of words came to her favor and she held her tongue.

Licking her chapped lips the girl forced herself to speak. "N-nothin's the m-m-matter." Ebony wasn't one to stammer or mumbl or quake in fear. And yet here she was, on the ground before the White City, shivering in fright in front of a Drake and two strangers and at a loss for words. This gala better be bloody worth all of this. She thought bitterly. I just want to get up, and go home. The only thing she wanted to do more than go home was get answers. Asetin let out a small squeak. In the time she fell the fox had moved to crouch behind her and was now peering out from behind her, watching the dragon as he shivered. Yeah... it's official. I hate this city. This can't possibly get any worse.

Tagged: Kaidan Alenko , Teovanth & Mei; Tundra, Kuar

[Tundra]

Kuar was starting to reach out for Pyry when the drake lowered its head behind the half-breed. The overwhelming sense of danger enveloping the area by him and the half-breed before him caused Kuar to freeze. Kuar ground his teeth as the drake let out a deep bellowing growl. His eyes dilated, his breathing quickened as memories of his times in the Nors washed over him. Most dragoons knew not to mess with Nors, especially when they are away form their homeland. However, Kuar seemed to calm his mind and let a long breath out. Taking a few steps back, he assessed the drake before him. Too many years of hunting the creatures had lead to a sense of insecurity when any were in the vicinity. One thing that anyone watching would notice is the slight glow to Kuar's eyes as he looked at this drake.

The air seemed to grow cold slowly, He reached his hand out finally stepping back to his original position. He placed his hand lightly on the drakes nose, the area around him growing colder and the sound of jingling keys entering the air. Yet the area around him seemed to have a calm to it. "Everything is fine" He chuckled as the air around him seemed to return to a normal temprature. As much power as Kuar held in him from being bonded to Valerius, he had to learn to control it. Being immortal had its benefits.

"My rune Pyry was causing a little trouble, but most runes do. Not as well mannered as well trained drake yes?" The rune on Kuar's hand faded as he managed to calm himself, the anxiety that had overtaken him now faded. He smiled lightly as Pyry flew up to the dragoon and chirped, landing on the persons shoulder. "Do you mind backing this drake back a little? No offence to him, but the reputation they hold dose offset people" Khalid who was screeching madly at the drake who he felt was threatening them both. Kuar let his hand fall from the drakes nose and to his griffin, calming the creature. "We don't need to cause any trouble" Khalid seemed unsure as he let out one last hiss. Kuar narrowed his eyes and Khalid finally backed down which was unusual for a Griffin of any breed. Kuar reached his hand out and grasped Ebony's arm and pulled her up. "I do not judge a book by its cover, I would expect the same from you, after all what have I done to you?" Kuar smiled lightly letting go of her arm just after.