Tiny Fish Thief
Shin looks considerate, "I'm finding it somewhat welcoming and somewhat not... the sewer thing was my only excursion as an adventurer there, ah... I did find some interesting places outside of it."
Shin is currently off to the side from a fish cart. With his tigress companion now off to the side eating a large fish. And he has a bag with four more in it now. The somewhat young man is armed, too. He smiles, looking to Mikilos. "If you specialized in greatswords, I might have asked you to check and see what you could do with mine. It's green steel, and I have been meaning to ask if there is some way to have it assume different shapes and sizes to cut down on how much I am carrying usually."
Mikilos frowns mildly. "I've no love for Artifice myself, but admit to its achievements. I myself came to the city many years ago, near the start of the Siege of Sendor. I left with many of the Explorers Guild to join the Irregulars inside the siege. An unpleasant time, at best. But, returning to Alexandros, I've found the local quite welcoming, and have chosen to make it my home." He nods to Shin. "I -specialize- in blade, longswords in particular. But I craft all manner of items, from blades to clubs to arrows to bows to hats to robes to rings to potions. Wands, rods, and golems are about the only things I -don't- make, though my magics are all arcane, so no divine item magics. So yes, such an enchantment on a greatsword is certainly possible."
"Well, I'd like to think I know both this city and this nation somewhat well. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I wouldn't even mind showing you around," Aria offers. "The sewers are, unfortunately, a place that new adventurers to the city sometimes end up. The city does try, but for certain reasons, it's hard to completely insulate them from the incursions of monsters and even unsavory criminal groups. But there's certainly more to this place than that." She looks at the tiger for a few moments, almost seeming to want to say something, though it's not really clear what.
Quite suddenly, with a small little popping noise there is a golden and somewhat harried-looking, tiny, dragonesk creature sitting on top of the pile of fish that Shin's tiger is eating. Down the road a ways there is the sound of someone screaming angrily and the dragon-creature /peers/ in that direction with golden eyes that match its golden scales. It's only the size of a moderately sized cat, and it doesn't look particularly dangerous, but it's also clear that it is the source of the commotion down the way. Quickly it stuffs a fish into its mouth with one paw and gulps it down hungrily. It disappears and then a second, a third and... this little dragon can /eat/.
"MY FISH! WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL MY FISH!" The yelling is becoming a little more clear now and the little dragon keeps right on eating. The owner of said fish has not yet noticed the little dragon eating from their cart.
GAME: Shin rolls Perception: (7)+0: 7 GAME: Merek rolls perception: (6)+16: 22 GAME: Shin rolls 1d20+7: (6)+7: 13 GAME: Mikilos rolls perception: (12)+20: 32 GAME: Durgash rolls perception: (12)+9: 21
Shin, is quite oblivious to anything other than the major commotion down the street. He looks that way. Like yep. There's a commotion. He frowns a little, looking curious as to what's going on as he tries to hear the shouts.
Mirai, on the other hand, notices the sudden lack of fish from the bag of fish. And... the tiny dragon thing. She growls at it threateningly, moving from her finished fish to start stalking the little thing it looks like.
Durgash is finding this city to be entirely strange, and he's not sure how they won the war. But they did somehow, and that's one of the things that drew him here. There must be something to it. Hearing the shouts in the square, he'll head that way to see if there is something to be seen.
GAME: Aria rolls knowledge/arcana: (7)+15: 22
Mikilos blinks. And blinks again, looking to the suddenly appearing dragon, to the fish seller down the way, to the tiger, back to the dragon. 'Miria...' he speaks in a cautionary tone. Not exactly his place to get involved with the cat as big as he is. On the other hand, not really his place to address a dragon, but he does so anyway, switching to the creatures native tongue. Hopefully it'll understand. "I don't think those are yours, and I don't think the very large cat is forgiving." The wizard considers a moment. "Though if you're hungry, I do believe something can be arranged, quite easily." <draconic>
Merek has pulled his dark attire on, with his cloak pulled about him, his belt keeping the pistol about the hip, while he has a longarm upon the back. He takes off the cloak to offer for his assistant while he notices the dragon creature, no sleeves on, though the boots which he has on keeps the man pretty nicely comfortable.
Aria happened to be looking right at Mirai when the little dragon popped into view, and the growing confrontation seems to worry here. "Oh. Oh dear." Her voice rises a bit to catch Shin's attention, her concern palpable. "Mister Shin, it appears your companion is rather irate? This being the first time I've met a tiger, I'm not quite sure about their behavior, but I don't believe predators of that size are tolerant of their food being stolen. And while I'm not particularly an authority on the topic, that appears to be a baby dragon. At that size, it must have hatched very recently. You almost never find one of this size away from its nest. I would take care that your companion doesn't harm it accidentally."
Most of the time, life is boring. A little less so outside of her home in the temple district, and apparently...right now? A small, light brown sith makar steps out of the Pub, pulling on her shawl while a hunk of bread pokes out from the side of her mouth. Upon hearing something the commotion, her ear-fins narrow and she turns to look at it, catching the tell-tale hiss of draconic being used and tilting her head.
The tiny dragon peers up at the sound of words directed at it, and the growl of course. The growl gets a growl in response, and the little dragon... puffs up a little bit, as though prepairing to fight. "Fish! Myfish! Hungryfish! Peoplesfeed?" The dragon's voice is pitched in a moderate range and definately feminine, and it speaks so quickly that it's words are almost unintelligible. "Badkittycan'teatmyfish. Nofishforkitty!" The dragon growls again at the much larger tiger, clearly unafraid of it. <draconic>
Merek looks to the dragon creature, then he takes a moment to look in the satchel he keeps with him, taking from it what looks like some fish. He is the one that fishes for Eluna, and also settles to offer it to the dragon.
Durgash is now heading over towards the tiger, curious to see what exactly is the source of all the shouting. This is definitely interesting, though he has no idea, as yet, what's actually going on. He moves close enough to see a tiger and a dragon, but this seems an awkward place for a gladiator fight. So it must be something else....?
The tiger continues to prowl, starting to move one way, then the other. Shin moves over, frowning as he reaches to Mirai, but stops as the tigeress growls at him. "Oh... wow. You made her mad." He says towards the small dragon. Looking at his companion, Shin says, "Mirai, stop. It's a cub!"
The tigeress continues to growl. Dragons aren't that scary whenever you're over its size apparently! The tigress definitely looks unafraid and is starting to crouch down.
Shin is looking pretty desperate. "Mirai, calm down! It's hungry just like you are! Look, we'll get some more fish, just heel girl!"
Mikilos blinks, taking a moment to translate. Not the draconic, the childspeak. 'Right. It's hungry, and don't quite seem to grasp the concept of ownership beyond 'Mine!' Thankfully I happen to have a feast in my bag.' Reaching into said bag, the archmage pulls out a tiny ivory door, a polished piece of marble, and a silver spoon. Clasping the amulet around his neck, the elf speaks loudly. 'Ladies and Gentlemen! I am about to host a magical feast! All are welcome! There is enough for everyone, even dragons and tigers. Please step though the doorway, and into the dinning hall if you wish to join!' So saying, the mage murmurs rapidly, and a large door opens in the air before him. If one glances though, it appears to lead to a magnificent dinning room, piles high with a vast array of foods. Turning his attention to the dragon, he bows politely. "Young Mistress, I have a feast of fish inside. Far more than even a crowd can eat. Many, many fish. Please, join us." <draconic>
GAME: Aria rolls knowledge/local+2: (12)+7+2: 21
Aria's expression doesn't change--it never does--but the scene does seem to leave her a little confused. Shin is busy with his tiger, and Mikilos is busy with the dragonling, and she doesn't know anyone else here, so apparently now is as good a time as any to simply start rambling to one's self. It's a bit hard to follow because her pace rapidly increases as she speaks. "It is curious, isn't it? Baby dragons are certainly more dangerous than their size would indicate, but creatures of that age don't really thrive away from their nests. It can teleport. Could it possibly have teleported this far? Are its parents nearby? Is it an orphan? Could it be from Dragonier? How long has it been here? Could it . . . " Her rambling eventually seems to bear fruit, though. "Oh! Right! I know what this is!" It would be helpful if she actually elaborated, but she just stands there instead.
Quilani comes a bit closer to the source of to commotion, taking the time on the way over to finish the bread roll by simply inhaling it into her mouth. At finally seeing the little dragon, she peers a bit at it and adjusts her glasses, sliding them slightly back up her snout. Listening to the whirlwind of suggestions and speech, and the offering of a magical feast, she leans down a little bit and gestures a friendly-hand-wave towards the little dragon, trying to get her attention.
"Small-sister, go with the human for now. Many, many fish will be there. Just for you. I can come with you if you'd like. And then maybe afterwards, we can see about getting you back to your nest?" <draconic>
The dragon is /not/ backing down from the tiger. Not in the least. She is fearless. But there is Mikilos offering a feast of fish! And her attention is momentarily grabbed by Quilani who ushers her towards the feast. A beaufetic expression crosses the dragonlets face, she is so happy that her tail wags back and forth quickly and then she hops up into the air and lands neatly on Mikilos's shoulder. She purrs there like a tiny engine. "Goodpeoples! Nicepeoples! FISH! FIIIIIIISH!" She nudges Mikilos in the face with her head to get him to move in the direction of her food. She's clearly expecting to be carried there. Apparently, she can also speak the common tongue.
Merek looks to the dragon while it moves to the feast, he follows. "I can teach you how to fish," he offers, then he notices Quilani and waves a bit to the woman, more sith'makar are about! He then shifts the cloak about himself while he maneuvers to enter into the Mage Mansion. He takes a drink from the flask with him also.
The tigress growls, but... apparently it recognizes the word fish. It finally calms down some, but still growls towards the tiny dragon. Sighing, Shin reaches to put a hand on her. "Easy, girl, easy. C'mon. The nice wizard's got more fish for you." He looks towards the dragon. "Sorry, but you did steal her meal. We literally just bought those fish."
Both Shin and Mirai move into the magic mansion door thing. And Shin serves the tiger a very large plate of fish to placate her. He eyes the tiny dragon, "So... wait, if you're a baby... where's your mother or father?" He asks the tiny dragon.
Mikilos schools himself not to recoil TOO much as a small predator that's sharp on 5 of it's 6 sides comes towards his face. "Ah. Right. In we go." The -*elf*- leads the way, stepping though the magical door in the air and down a short hall to a massive dinning room, an expansive table piled high with all sorts of food, from fruits and vegetables, to breads and cheeses, to chocolates and sweets, to hams and roasts, and yes, FISH. Lots and lots of fish, in a range of types and preparations. Comfortable chairs surround the kingly table, with seating for well over 100. There are also several couches and perches for the non-humanoids in the crowd. Behind the chairs, set into the wall, are small darkened alcoves, with soft beds inside, should one care to nap after the meal. There are also two dozen servants, silent magical beings, humanoid, in simple grey tunics, but featureless, apparently carved from pale blue glass.
Durgash is absolutely puzzled, but if magical feasts are a thing, sure, he'll participate! Coming closer, pushing a bit if he needs to, he'll go through the door and see what this feast thing is about. It was an open invitation, wadn't it? Kind of? This is a bit more of what he expected from the rumors of fantastic Alexandria. Dragons and magic feasts are, if not an everyday thing here, at least weekly, right?
Aria enters behind Shin, her curiosity piqued by the sights within the mansion. As she slowly turns to take it all in, she speaks, seemingly to the Xian. "I do recall hearing about a young gold dragon that was found caged by a wandering carnival, some months ago. If the rumors are to be believed, it either escaped or was set free, and it has been making a living by stealing its share of Alexandria's fish catch since then. I imagine our young friend is one and the same. I really am curious as to where it came from before then, though. At this size, it's an infant by dragon standards."
She finally turns her attention toward the dragon again, approaching close enough to speak, though keeping a few meters away to appear as non-threatening as possible. "Is that what happened to you? Were you caged by bad people? That must have been very frightening, if it's true."
"Peoplesfish." Is the reply to Merek's offer to teach the dragon how to fish, an imperious tone and a slightly tilted head suggests that the dragon has no intention of fishing for herself. Certainly 'peoples' /had/ indeed provided. She waits until Mikilos gets close enough to the table for her to jump down and start devouring the fish. They disappear at an alarming rate. Almost seeming to vanish the moment they reach her mouth. Even so she pauses to reply to Shin. "I. Amnotababy! I, am Tanithariairisixchel."
She puffs herself up at the declaration and then settles her scales so that they shine in the light. She's a beautiful dragon and she's clearly preening. After a moment she's about to dig back into her food but Aria speaks up and she bristles instead, her golden eyes whirling with sudden anger. "BADPEOPLES. Badcage! Horribleterribleno-goodverybadIshouldeatpeoples!" She snaps her teeth together meaningfully and resettles her wings around her body after flapping them with terrible rage. Her words are very grim until she speaks again. "ButfisharebetterandIlikefishandpeoplesthatgetfish."
Merek looks to the dragon in thought, "I suppose that makes sense, so tell us where these people are? We should find anyone that's taking upon themselves to take dragons," he says, while he looks to folk with a nod about.
Aria stands back a moment and muses, seemingly in Merek's direction, "I wonder if the story isn't quite that simple. One doesn't simply take dragons. I wouldn't put it past a wandering carnival to commit minor theft or operate in the black area of morality for the sake of profit, but they also tend to be survivors. And stealing a dragon egg from a guarded clutch seems like a suicidal endeavour."
To the dragonling, she asks another question, her voice quieter, and her tone softening. "I agree. Those people are very bad, and you never should have been put in a cage. I'm very glad you're free, even if you have to steal fish to survive. Do you know how you ended up in that cage, though?" She pauses. "Did something happen to your parents?"
Mikilos settles near the entrance of the magical dinning hall, where he can keep an eye on the door to the 'real' world. With a vague wave of his hand, several of the magical servants move to shift plates of fish towards the young dragon, clearing away those that have been emptied. "A pleasure to meet you, Tanithariairisixchel." He barely stumbles over the name. "I am Mikilostravia Abrioudelanarchie Mithralla," long names are second nature to him, "though most just call me Mikilos. There are beds if you wish to rest, or you may leave any time you like. For now, do you want something to drink?"
Durgash will find a place at a table and help himself to some food as the dragon rages about the bad people and good fish. "It is pretty good," he agrees, not really to anyone, just speaking aloud. He doesn't know anything about dragons, captured or otherwise, but he's beginning to suspect that the food's not going to last as long as that wizard-fellow expected.
Merek also adds, "Pleasure to meet ya Tanithariairisixchel, I'm Merek."
GAME: Merek rolls knowledge/nature: (19)+7: 26 GAME: Kaydin rolls knowledge/nature: (19)+8: 27 GAME: Merek rolls diplomacy: (15)+18: 33
Shin is busy making sure Mirai isn't going to still be mad. The cat is definitely eating a good fair share of her portion, however. Dragons are not his thing as he looks over at the small conversation going on. "So... wait, did she eat people or not eat people? I didn't follow that. Too fast for me." He looks confused by that part, then shakes his head, "My only problem is what are we going to do with a baby dragon? I don't know about all of you, but I can't in good conscience leave her in the streets or unattended. Both for her sake and the people's."
"The closest place for a gold dragon to lay eggs would be miles away. Too many humanoids in the area to do it safely." Kaydin finally speaks up as he looks to the dragon and he begins to clear his throat and speak Draconic. He hasn't had much practice with the dragon tongue.
"Fishgood!" Tanithariairisixchel pipes up in response to Mikilos' question. It seems that no liquid is required to satiate this dragon. Just... Did she finish that whole plate of fish by herself? And the other one? When? There's a third plate being carried to her by a blue servant and she rumbles quietly but happily at the fact that she's being fed and tended to so well. "Goodpeoples!" This complement is clearly meant for Mikilos, and high praise indeed in her mind it seems.
Aria she eyes perspectively. Then she lets loose with... it's clearly an explanation and words but it comes out so fast and in such a way that it's incomprehensible. It's a long story whatever it is, and she seems to explain it in several different ways but never starting from the beginning. When she's done she seems to give everyone a rather short look. "IAMNOTABABY." It seems that asking after her nest has reminded her to remind you that she is not a child. "Homeisveryfaraway. Don'twannago. Wanttostaywithgoodpeoplesandeatfish."
Mikilos nods to Shin. "I agree in theory, but in the end it's really up to her." He considers several moments. "Maybe visit home? Parents must be worried. Visit and come back."
Durgash watches the dragon out of the corner of one eye, and another corner is for the tiger. But neither one seems like it's about to eat anyone, so that's good. He'll eat and quaff and see how this goes. So far, so good.
"We should count ourselves Fortunate. Chromatic dragons are primal and evil, while metallic dragons have enough sense to know the difference between good and evil." Kaydin says as he watches the dragon. "If the mother finds us with her child, she will not be so forgiving." He says as he adds seasonings to several of the fish and takes one for himself.
The fish that Kaydin is about to eat however vanishes into thin air before he can so much as take a bite.
"I'm sorry. You're right. You're not a baby. Is it OK if I say that you're young, then? And that you might enjoy having a good person to give you fish, even though you can get them on your own?" Aria asks. "There are certainly people in this city who would do so. Like Mister Mikilos. He helped you without wanting anything in return. He has helped others. There are other people like that. And then you wouldn't need to hide. And you wouldn't need to catch peoplefish without permission, and then deal with angry people chasing you, which I'm sure is a bother. It might also be nice to have a good person to keep the bad people away too. You can take care of yourself, clearly, but I'm sure you don't want to worry about that anymore. There are lots of people in this city who don't like bad people, either."
She pauses for a while here, seeming hesitant to ask her next question. "I'm sorry that I didn't quite understand your story. I can be a little slow sometimes. I guess I'll ask directly. Are you from Dragonier?"
Merek nods a bit to the dragon thoughtfully, while he seems to think about it, "There was a nice dragon in my family," he says.
The dragon is licking a plate clean and there seems to be a definite lack of fish around the room. There's some, but not very much. She eyes the tiger thoughtfully and then flutters over to one of the few remaining fish dishes left and makes herself comfortable. She seems to ignore Mikilos for the moment, instead staring at Aria and then suddenly she starts to laugh, rolling over onto her back and curling up with good humor. She laughs and laughs and it's a good sound before she's finally laying on her side wheezing and licking her chops. It's impossible to tell what set her off. "Littlehatchling!" She sputters and shakes her head in a fond manner. "Iamnotfromthatplace. Neverbeentothatplace. Iwillgohomethough. Fornicepeoplesthencomerightback."
With those few words she disappears into thin air, seeming to vanish without a trace.
"I suggest someone remains close to the dragon to make sure she doesn't get into anymore trouble." Kaydin suggests as he reaches into a pouch and pulls out a piece of jerky which he chews on. "So who wants to be the lucky fella that the mother will find with her child?" he asks curiously.
GAME: Aria rolls knowledge/arcana: (16)+15: 31 GAME: Mikilos rolls knowledge/arcana: (4)+27: 31 GAME: Merek rolls spellcraft: (14)+17: 31
Mikilos blinks slowly, eyeing the spot where the dragon was just a moment ago. "....I hope she doesn't plan to come back -right- here... this room might not exist. I hope she ended up where she wanted, magical travel from inside a pocket dimension can be tricky. But I get the impression she knows what she's doing."
Durgash finishes his meal, and calls out to Mikolos, "This was a good meal, wizard, thank you." He bows, and will depart as well.
"I'm just glad that my fears seem to be unfounded," Aria says, clearly relieved. "I had worried that the dragon was an orphan of Dragonier, and that their parents had fallen to Heth's atrocities. That was the only explanation I could think of for a golden dragon of that size to be wandering around alone." She looks toward Mikilos and Merek. "That was high level magic that she used just now, though, wasn't it? You're certainly more knowledgeable than I on these matters, Mister Mikilos. I'm not mistaken, am I? Maybe the teleportation should have made it clear from the start. This isn't a golden dragon that we're dealing with, is it? If I recall, fae dragons often appear very similar to young dragons of other breeds. Or she could be of some race entirely beyond my knowledge. I interpreted her statements as childish pride, but maybe she's actually much older and more powerful than any of us."
GAME: Merek rolls will: (3)+13: 16
Merek frowns a bit with the mention of the war, and looks then to Aria. He wiggles his nose a bit with a sigh, and takes a moment to pour something to drink, which he takes a sip from. It is probably from the cork flask he keeps with him, it is a whisky. He swings that back.
Mikilos nods to Aria. "Such a spell, without magical words or motions, would take great power. I've not trained in such techniques, but even if I had, am not sure such a spell would be in my abilities." He ponders for several moments. "All is not as it appeared, but I don't have enough information to do more than speculate, and even that not well."
It's all of six seconds before she's back, swinging through the air to land neatly on Mikilos' shoulder. Her claws grasp his robe, but she's careful not to hurt him. She rumbles a low purr and is quite warm to the touch. She peers around at the table and notes that all the fish is gone and peers at the people around the table. "Fish?" The word is a chirp, but she doesn't seem to be seeking fish as urgently as she was previously. Instead she makes herself comfortable as if not really expecting to be fed right away.
GAME: Merek rolls reflex: (6)+7: 13
Merek lifts up a hand to offer a little pat to the dragon, that disappears; then it appears on Mikilos' next shoulder. He lifts up his brow in thought while he wiggles that nose of his a bit.
Shin looks considerate, "The main problem... oh..." He looks at the dragon. "So... if you do not mind telling me, who is your mother? And I can see that you're not a baby. Pretty grown up far as getting the fish and all."
Mikilos acks, surprised, but jumps only a little, more startled than worried. "There's a little fish left, but not much. Still plenty of ham and cheese. You ate much more than I expected." More than he thought could fit inside such a small body. "Have you been to the Wizard's College? I know the cafeteria serves fish." And live grubs from the plane of Air, but no need to mention that.
Kaydin watches the others and he then looks to Merek. "So what do you suggest we do?" He asks curiously. "My knowledge of dragons are only the basics." Kaydin says as he eats his jerky and he begins to gather his things. "So what do we do?" He asks curiously.
"Itoldyou!" The dragon chirps at Shin, blinking at him but preening at the complements. Showing off her lovely tail and tilting her head for the best lighting vantage point. She eyes Merek though, not seeming super pleased that he tried to pet her without her permission. "Ihavenotbeentothisplace! Theyhavefish?" She rubs her cheek against Mikilos's and rumbles.
"Weshouldgo!" Her head tilts down and her gold eyes whirl at Aria and she preens even more than before. "Notwrong! Lookathowgoldmyscalesare! Peoplesgivemenicepolish. Nicepeoples. Askniceandgivefishandmakethemshine." She suddenly launches into an explanation of how /nice/ some people can be and how they polished her scales and she liked them very much for doing so. Intermixed of course with gentle insistance to Mikilos that they go right away to this place where the fish were. It seems your starting to get the hang of understanding her.
Mikilos considers a few moments. "Does anyone plan to stay here and nap? I'm not entirely certain what happens if someone is still inside when the room stops existing. There are safety features built in, but I've yet to really test them."
"I'm willing to go," Aria says.
"Sure, I'm up for an adventure," Merek mentions while he nods to the dragon also.
Shin looks considerate, "We should go there just to see if they can help locate some place safe for her." He says to the others, then shrugs, "Which way to it?"
Mikilos nods, and rises carefully as to not dislodge the dragon. "Well, first out the only door. Then east and a little north, up the mountain. Not too far, and crowds shouldn't be bad this time of day."
-End