Fire Emblem: The Exalted March (Shapeshifters)

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Carte smiled and waved off Sari's worried remarks, nodding. "It wasn't a problem, Sari. Your family needed help, and as a comrade, I couldn't be happier than to help. Besides, we did need a few medical provisions, so it was a fair trade." Carte threw a glance at Barus, grinning happily. "Besides, Big Bird over here really did most of the work. I just worked my legs. Speaking of which, I need to stretch out my Beast form a little before we go. I'll meet you at the gate."

With that, Carte fetched what looked like a large, lavender-colored pearl out of the inside pocket of his coat and - before even meaning too - turned into a large rabbit about twice the height of Sari (if he were standing on his hind legs, of course). He let out a sigh, his voice having a peculiar reverberation in this form. "I swear, whenever I touch a Beaststone, no matter what my intentions are, I always transform. At least this time I meant to." With that, Rabbit Carte took the medicine box in his mouth and sped off for the gate, his speed rivaling a horse's, and the trail of dust behind him rivaling a desert twister. Carte was as happy as a Hawk Laguz with a five pound bass to be running again. He sort of hoped he'd pass by Miruru to show her just how well his Beast form was honed.

Folle smiled delightedly at the girl's glee for helping Requiem. She read it as cooperative capacity and admired her ability to help. "I really like this girl," she said, following the two.

At the blacksmith, Folle greeted the shopkeep with a nod and placed her blade on the counter. "I want this sword's handle forged, and a name etched in the blade. Let me show you blueprints drawn up by a Carcinoan smith I know, he came up with the design."

With that, Folle withdrew a small scroll from a pocket in her sleeve, opening it and placing it over the guard of the sword. "I want the blade to be called "Naga's Star" - I had it blessed awhile ago. I'm going to be travelling for awhile."
 
"This... This is quite good" The blacksmith murmured, looking over the schematic. "Yes... I think... Maybe... Hm..." He looked up at her "Alright, I will get started immediately. This should be finished in a few hours" He told her "You can pick it up later, or, if you would like, I can have it delivered."

"But... I don't know where we're going even!" Aleria cried out.

The blacksmith looked up "Hm? Oh, oh! Well, hm... I don't suppose I could get one of you to supply me with a drop of blood. There's a mage in town, they should be able to locate you using your blood."

Requiem nodded "Yeah, sure." He agreed, taking out a sheet of paper, and a small blade from his cloak and piercing his skin with it. A single crimson drop dripped out, staining the paper. "This should suffice, yes?"

"That'll be perfect."

The wolf man turned towards Folle "That'll be 600 gold."
 
Folle smiled and dropped three small bullions on the counter. "I imagine the mage's services will require a small payment, and I'm going to need another sword until you get mine finished. I'll take the best sword you have - and I know it can't be more than twenty-one hundred. Either way, just take the bullions and give me a sword to hold me over. Keep the rest for the mage, because getting a few bullions is easy when you fight brigands." She smiled and turned to Requiem, a satisfied grin stretching across her face. "Wouldn't it have been better if we'd used my blood? I mean, there's no point now that you already gave him yours, but I'm no stranger to bleeding."
 

Sari sighed as her companions left her behind to reach the gate in their own fashion. She understood why, everyone would be grouped together soon enough that a little alone time was appreciated. She made her goodbyes to her small family quickly and then climbed into the cart, clicking her tongue to encourage the horse into a steady walk.

As she rode to the gate she drifted in and out of deep thought. She had no idea what lay ahead for her, or who these new companions were. She only knew that the envoy has said they had been chosen for this mission and Sari was not about to let the Envoy down. That meant she was going to have to take care of these people, keep them well and whole. That she could do. But she was also going to have to live with them, share meals with them, help them in everyday life where she could. While she thought that would be fine she also knew how sensitive and shy she could be. The last thing she wanted was to make these people feel like they had to tiptoe around her just to keep from scaring her.

She made a resolution then and there that she was going to do her very best to talk to and try to develop some sort of camaraderie with these people. Even the wolf. She was going to do her best to speak up, to not be afraid of them, not to stammer, and not to cry when she lost her temper. She was going to do her best not to loose her temper in the first place.
When she reached the gate the first thing she was going to do was apologies to those she had shouted at!

Her resolution was sorely tempted when she reached the gate, saw the Wyvern, and the first words out her her mouth were in fact "Eeeep!"
 
Requiem shrugged slightly "I may have had ulterior motives for doing so. When it's delivered, the mage will have to find me, and with any luck, they might be able to teach me the trick" He told her, slightly dismissively regarding his actions. He hadn't actually considered consciously before he'd said it, but it would be a valuable thing to learn to do, so the reasoning made sense, to him at the very least.

As Requiem spoke, the Blacksmith sorted out the equipment she requested, searching through a catalogue. He knew the blade he was looking for, but he could never remember where he put anything. After a moment's searching through the book, he headed into the back and dug out the blade he had been searching for, a blue curved blade that looked more like a decorative piece than an actual sword. "Here it is, the best blade in my shop. Took me near on a month to finish 'er." He explained "Her name's Ethereal Flame. She'll serve you well, so long as you take care of her."

"Wooow, it's so pretty" Aleria whispered, slightly awed by it. She'd never actually handled a sword before, preferring to keep herself out of harms way, but the sword in front of them had her in a state that slightly represented what others who doted on their blades felt. She had no way to express herself on the matter, and thus was actually quiet for a moment.

Seeing his comrade slightly stunned, Requiem laughed lightly "Well now you have to take it, it has the power to shut her up!" he teased.

"Oh shut up Master! That's not funny!"
 
Folle looked on the blade in awe and took it by the center of its weight, by the foil of the blade. It nicked her skin when she touched the edge. "My, my, I was expecting a silver longsword, but... This is much better than I thought!" She placed another bullion on the counter. "Congratulations on the job! You deserve another thousand!" In truth, Folle had about four more bullions in her satchel from taking out brigands. Each one was large enough to be worth 1,000 gold, but bigger ones could for five or ten. Still, for a traveler, she was rolling in it. "I'm not taking no for an answer - this blade's too beautiful to pay a mere two thousand. I'm glad I'm leaving my blade in your hands."

Folle turned back to Requiem, who were of course having a friendly argument. She smiled and nearly let out a giggle as Requiem quipped at Aleria. Folle began balancing the blade by the hilt on her palm, trying to keep it from falling. Unused to the weighting, it took her a few seconds before she achieved perfect balance. "Any master of the sword should have no problem with this little game~" She looked back to the smith, bending back and seeing him upside down. "This beauty got a sheath, or at least a leather sleeve I can put it in?"
 
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"Well well, why isn't it Dietrch..?"
Heard a smarmy pierce the air just so, almost like he had intentionally wanted to make his ears twitch.

He more than guaranteed he had.

"Hey man - you've let yourself go.." The voice he recalled, one much more nicer in tone. One that sounded like a friend who knew him well.

"I haven't let myself go!" He called out in frustration. "This thing is just a fat ass! I swear, all it wants to do any more is eat, shit and sleep." He recounted, though, that could honestly be said for him as well at times. But he couldn't help but be a free spirit after all.

While the two men struggled in vane--their efforts more placed on moving a ten ton beast that was relative to dragon kind and Manakete alike--probably more so than they had ever exerted themselves before. Mean while, it was making a guttural sound, almost like a cat's purr when Gwen drew near. Even louder still, almost like it were snarling when she actually TOUCHED it. Manaketes, Dragons, and Wyverns were all closely related. I fact, his wyvern could even breathe fire. The only hing that classed them differently was, they weren't as powerful as their cousins the dragons, and couldn't take human form like a Manakete. Still, Gwen was a Manakete and therefore--by extension--was a dragon which meant she could 'see' what it was thinking. In essecence many would consider it 'mind reading'.

Dietrch simply called it 'instinct'. He had an uncanny bond with this creature. While he couldn't talk with it like she could, the relationship between a wyvern and its rider was almost like that of a loyal son or daughter to their parent--undying devotion. They would rather die themselves than have their rider struck down. It went without saying that to form such a bond one had to be 'selected' at their hatching. They claimed whoever they saw first as their rider. That was the 'normal' way of things. Dietrch wasn't normal and neither was his mount. Dietrch was an outcast, a vagabond. He came and he went. But He had two close friends, friends he wouldn't trade the world for or even even his freedom. Gwen and Aseyr. They were three very close friends.

However, one day Dietrch found an abandoned Wyvern hatchling. It had been badly abused but it was still calling out for its late master. Dietrch stood in the rain that day--something he normally hated doing--getting wet. But there was something about this small winged creature he found that he just loved innately. Over the course of months he rebuilt that bond that the former owner had forsaken. Spending months at a time, just visiting the same cave--fetching the same lamb meat--and over time it accepted him instead. Not because of the meat, though that was certainly a bonus--and an addiction apparently. But because of the good the creature could feel from him. Yet Diectrch wasn't without his own problems.

He was often feared because he had two different colored eyes. Even when he sought to help someone they would turn him away and people would often speak behind his back. He was forced out of Carcino, after an altercation where he got in a fight with a bully. Dietrch loathed bullies, and more times than not, he was the biggest kid around from his slave laboring and thievery. He found himself in Rausten and with no doubt, his Wyvern was in toe. Whenever they ran into wild animals--it would shot a spark off. But often, this just pissed it off so he would have to grab the hatchling and run for it. Life was hard in the wilderness, he got lost on the way more than a few times but eventually he did make it to Rausten.

The city was more than he'd expected. While Carcino was 'mingled', it had a sense of a fragile peace. Like a simple sleight would result in war. But maybe that was just him as a Laguz. Nevertheless, when he got to Rausten, there was no such...uneasiness for him. But he was simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Laguz--even Manaketes were there! Speaking of which, the resident princess, yep, Gwen? He ran straight into her. What's worse, he groped her--accidentally of course. She was none too pleased about it either. You say it was an accident--but nooo! She has to go on and on about how to treat a lady. But then things got even worse when he made the comment "if you were having sex, wouldn't you do that to a lady though?"

She turned as red as any dragon could surely breath fire--and hit him. She hit hard for a girl too! Then she said " You don't ask that question!" To which he replied--while rubbing the hand print covering one side of his face--"I don't understand. Don't you ask questions to better understand things?" And she replied "Well...yeah,, you do." to which he responded "So why did you hit me if I just asked a question to better understand something?!" Then she crossed her arms and glared. "Better understand this!" And Dietrch proceeded to be stuffed in a wicker basket--against his will. Princesses were abusive. Rule number in Rausten.

Ayser was different however. With him, they were two peas in a pod! The both stole things, made life difficult for everyone else, played pranks--which, they often took turns doing-- and generally being mischievous.

Meanwhile, back in the lovely present where that tiny hatchling has become a full blown dinosaur...

"You guys should stop being assholes to such a beautiful creature less you might find yourself dealing with two, large, fanged dragons - got it?

"Well excuse me your majesty for trying to get this fat ass out of your gate!" Dietrch hollered back at her. "Besides--on our last mission--you know what this bastard did to me?! We got surrounded by bandits, it walked aways away--plopped its fat ass down and then started napping! Napping!"
 
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Miruru had finished her 8th carrot when the small boy piped up, saying they should meet with the others. He thanked her for her assistance, and she waved it off. "I'm just glad to have another purist in the group. You and I will have to pair up during fights!" She gave a surprisingly fierce smile for such a tiny girl. Someone who didn't know her age would probably find it disturbing even. Miruru placed the last two carrots in her pouch at her hip. She got up from the bench and brushed the dust off her tail. The cloaked boy asked how they would get back, and if they could go slower, and Miruru lightly scoffed. However, if he looked right, he'd see a slight smirk play on her lips. "Yeah yeah, I guess your baby legs can't keep up. Here." She held out her right hand to the boy. "If I start to go too fast, pull on my hand." The boy grabbed it with his left hand, luckily the side that didn't have his tome so it was still covered. As soon as his hand was in hers, Miruru took off at a brisk walk, slowing down anytime she felt a tug.

As they made their way to the gate, Miruru listened to the people on the street talk. It would be a while before she returned, and she'd miss hearing the chatter of the Laguz. A part of her wanted to return home to bid her family farewell, but she shook that idea from her mind. She'd return eventually, so there was no need to say anything. She usually came and went as she pleased, so her family was accustomed to her not being around all the time. It was best not to worry them. Soon Miruru heard a sound coming from behind her, the fast pattering of feet, Taguel feet to be precise. Miruru turned her head to see a Taguel run past, and it didn't take long for her to realize who it was. The cloaked Taguel from earlier, what was his name...Wagon? He rushed by, and Miruru's nose scrunched in disgust. The young Taguel had a nice beast form, but that only made Miruru hate him more. If he had such a nice beast form, why would he ever need to disgrace himself by using pathetic Human weaponry? This thought ran through Miruru's head for a few seconds before she threw it out. She had no reason to dwell on how the mind of a filthy Human sympathizer worked.

Eventually the gate came into view, and an interesting scene was taking place. A wyvern was blocking the gate while a Laguz and a Taguel tried to push it out of the way. For a second time, the small Taguel's nose scrunched. She wasn't a fan of wyverns, and it didn't help that this one was starting off by being a hindrance. Long before the two fully reached the group, Miruru released the boy's hand, and finished making her way to the gate. She crossed her arms and twitched her ears, however she was surprisingly quiet. Only the presence of the Envoy's daughter kept the small girl from voicing her dissatisfaction with the situation.




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Osiel nodded as the wolf gave his name and asked for a song. He was glad to know there would be plenty of people in the group that wanted to hear him sing. Osiel spread his arms out and began to sing in the Ancient Tongue.

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Though it was unlikely that the wolf would understand the words themselves, the feeling would be the same. It was an uplifting song about setting off on a journey and believing in the path one has chosen. It was a song commonly sung in the olden days for those who were to set off on a long voyage, so it seemed appropriate. As his last word lifted into the sky, a loud crash came from the gate as a large wyvern flew into it. The noise startled Osiel, and his heart began to beat faster. Such a ruckus was uncommon in the Heron pavilion, mainly due to their sensitive personalities.

As the wyvern rider tried to push his mount out of the gate, Osiel simply smiled and watched. The Heron had not physical strength at all, so it was better for him to stay out of the way. There was some interesting back and forth between the Envoy's daughter and the rider, as well as a comment from a male Taguel. Osiel took it all in quietly. He wasn't one for witty banter, he simply liked to sing to others and give advice. The Heron looked to his new acquaintance, Ursa, to see if the young wolf would assist or stay put.[/hr]
 
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Auri was wandering towards the gate--much like everyone else had begun to do. Though, there was a small, little girl wandering with a just as small little boy. He couldn't very well make out the boy. The girl however looked like a rabbit! lurching forth, a massive if not extremely calloused hand extended grasping Miruru by the scruff--and with no effort--lift her entire small body off the cobble stone walk way. She would soon come face to face with an extremely intimidating manakete whose face had been recently healed, but the healing wasn't quite potent enough as not to leave scars. There were several that ran the length of the draconian man's skull, back into his mess of blood red hair. The grip would be firm, but not aggressive. Still, it would be nigh impossible to break free of.

"Is you rabbit?" The simple minded manakete asked, his dialect noticeably 'rough'.

He put his large nose near her and sniffed.

"Ah! You are rabbit! Auri no see small rabbit girl before! How come rabbit girl so small?" Auri tilted his head, looking down and then back up up at her.

There was a very noticeable gap between her feet and the ground.

 
When Osiel began to sing, Ursa immediatly closed his eyes and his wolf ears seemed to perk up as he listened to the tone of the song. His usual stern look was for once calm and collected and for some reason Ursa just felt like the song was absoloutly perfect for what they were about to do. Sadly this calm was suddenly destroyed by a wyvern suddenly crashing into the gate, his eyes opened wide and he said out in confusion. "What?!" But in his head it went more like this. "What the hell! Who dares to ruin my chance to listen to a Herons song!"

He scoffed as he looked around and when no one seemed to want to help the cat Laguz he walked forward to him and tapped his side before he asked. "Can............I............Help?" but once again the way it sounded in his head was quite different. "Do you want some help to get this damned wynern out of the gate?!" Ursa had not even noticed that Gwyn and her Taguel friend had also stepped forward to the place, when Ursa saw Dietrch and Ayser's ears he suddenly felt like patting them. But even if he wanted to the fact that the wyvern was in the way of their travels made it into a bigger target of his concentration.​
 
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Barus finally arrived at the gate where all the others were congregating - or at least he arrived in front of it. His wings started to beat slowly as he lowered himself to the ground before finally landing and stretched out his wings. He had not flown in a while and it was pretty exhilarating to be all high in the sky once more. The Hawk's attention turned back to the gate where he saw a large wyvern blocking the gate.

Around the wyvern he saw a laguz who seemed to be it's owner and Gwyn, the one who was being not so kind earlier. He also a Taguel with a small boy and another Heron laguz come up close to the gate. The group was almost assembled and he did not really have much to say to anyone. Bringing out his lance that was on a sheath on his back, he sat cross legged by the gate and sat the lance across his lap. The Hawk decided to not render any words to anyone and sit as the rest of the group fully assembled before the gate - or wyvern if it was still going to be there.​
 
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The blacksmith nodded and pulled out a curious looking wooden sheath, various swirls and unusual patterns carved into it, "Here you are, I know it doesn't look like much, but it'll serve you well." He informed her, passing it over the counter. He looked at the sword for a moment longer, a tinge of sadness edging into his voice "And if you ever decide you no longer desire her, I'll gladly take her back from you."

"Well, we should be heading off" Requiem remarked, making his way towards the door. The others he expected were already to the gate, and he didn't want to leave them waiting, nor did he desire to be left behind.

Aleria, seeing the Manakete heading towards the door, chased after him, concentration broken from the sword. "Hey! No fair! Wait up for me!" She shouted in protest at his sudden movement.

Requiem laughed lightly "Are you coming Folle?"
 
Folle attached the sheathe to the sword loop on her belt and sheathed the blade. The edge was facing up, as that was how she preferred to unleash her blade - more tension in the first strike, she figured. It was a shame to hide that edge, but it had to be preserved. She smiled at the smith and bowed respectfully. "Many thanks, smith. Even if I do not return the blade, rest assured, it will not leave my side, even when Naga's Star reaches me. I will make it a blade of legend, alongside Naga's Star, you have my word." Hopefully those words would soothe the man - especially since he had received payment for the blade beforehand. And Folle did intend to become a legendary swordswoman. She had the skill already.

Looking back to her party, Folle nodded and bounced over to them, ready to keep pace if they rushed. She looked back to the smith and gave a ginger wave of the hand. He was a very skilled craftsman, and Folle was proud to be the owner of the Ethereal Flame. Taking the man's best stock seemed like a damn shame, but skills can only improve with practice .Surely he'd make a better masterpiece in the future.

Carte had made his way to the gate to see a wyvern had parked itself in the way - he was followed by the purest Taguel and her new friend, the Dark Mage. She probably didn't know he was a Dark Mage - best keep that a secret, for his sake. Carte flew out of Rabbit form with a rolling leap, landing squarely on his feet before the group, just as Barus arrived. His hand had placed the Beaststone securely in his jacket pocket and he was ready to begin blazing a path forward. "What, ho! What goes on here, friends? Why's there a wyvern blocking the path? We can walk around it, but the cart needs to get through!"
 
Ferrus grabbed ahold of Miruru’s outstretched hand. He was grateful for her offer, despite inwardly grumbling about his being called a baby again, but he stifled it. Hiding his true feelings was something he had learned to do a very long time ago. A purist, well I definitely do not fit in that category. But he said nothing, until he was one hundred percent sure that this ragtag group of his wouldn’t tear him limb from limb he would continue to endure the assumption that he was a child. Although he did wonder exactly how much older the Taguel was. As they made their way to the gate, Ferrus tugging to slow her down occasionally, he studied her features. According to Beorc standards Miruru would only be barely older than his current form. Ferrus had done little to no research on the shapeshifting tribes before leaving to find them, so he knew next to nothing about their culture, physiology, fighting style, diet, or basically anything about them besides the fact that they could transform into large demonic creatures that could rip him apart quite easily.

In fact one such creature rushed by the pair, a full-bodied Taguel, or in layman’s terms, a demon bunny. He noted his new friend’s nose crinkling at this Taguel’s approach, Does he smell bad? He supposed that the animal shapeshifters would have keener senses then he would, but how did they handle hygiene? Another question to add to his list of wonderings about this strange people he had sought out.

When the duo had reached the gate, Ferrus saw that a wyvern had seen fit to impede the progress of the group by squatting in the gate. And it looked like despite its rider’s protests and efforts, the mount refused to budge. If it were back in my father’s house, this man would have been punished for his lack of discipline. But I suppose that the people here see these beasts as more than just mounts. Though some of the people in his father’s service treated their wyvern mounts nicely too, like one would treat a housecat or loyal hound.

Best not to draw attention to myself, the peppy one seems to be handling it, I’ll stay here with… he paused for a moment, realizing that he had never caught the name of the Taguel who had led him around the city, he had picked up some names while in the temple with the Envoy, but not all. Still, Ferrus was at a loss of how to go about asking names, because he would no doubt be expected to introduce himself in return. And that was something Ferrus was loathe to do at the moment, I have a child’s form, I might as well use it. And he began crafting an identity for himself, A temporary identity, he told himself. It would not do to pretend to be a child so much that he forgot that he was in actuality an adult. The only one he would need to be wary of would be the Heron. He had heard rumors that while other Laguz tribes were physically frightening, it was the Heron tribe that was the scariest. They could mess with your mind, toss it around like a plaything, ferret out your darkest secrets just by staring into your eyes, or so he had heard. Ferrus was not one to put too much stock in the wild rumors the Beorc of his birthplace had of the Laguz and other shapeshifting races. In fact, he knew some of them to be complete fabrications on some of the nobles part, propaganda to ensure loyalty through fear of the unknown. But still, if was any truth at all to those claims, that Herons could glean thoughts and feelings from those around them, well, Ferrus was certain that he would be found out.

But for now he would play the part of the child, and hope that these shapeshifters would take Ferrus at face value. If necessary he would apologize for the ruse later, after he was certain his death wouldn’t be inevitable if found out. Survival came before social courtesies after all.

Ferrus was startled out of his musings by the sudden disappearance of Miruru. He had not seen her move away so where could she have gone, or was she so fast that his eyes could trace her position? No that’s ridiculous, he thought, she’s around here somewhere. And sure enough the answer came in a booming, though rough voice that came from way above him. Looking up he saw one huge manakete holding Miruru by the scruff of her neck, seemingly curious as to why Miruru had such a small stature. Well, when it comes to size the guy definitely takes the cake, Ferrus thought nervously, and probably eats it too. The red manakete didn’t seem to be aggressive, just forward, but Ferrus didn’t know enough to be entirely sure.

“Um…,” he spoke, voice slightly quavering, “excuse me mister manakete? I-I don’t think she likes being held that way,” Ferrus had no clue if Miruru liked being held by her scruff or not, but he knew that he wouldn’t so he simply assumed that others didn’t either. “So maybe you could put her down, or something like that…,” his voice trailed off. His voice and manner of speech matched his childlike form completely, the nervousness in his voice added to the effect, but that was because Ferrus was actually nervous when confronting a manakete a few times larger than himself. He’s obviously seen battle, what am I doing, confronting him like this? So much for survival first...
 
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They made their way back to the gate unimpeded with Requiem and Aleria bantering back and forth like they always had. It was a standard way for them. They had no reason to be serious or reserved around each other, and they felt comfortable around Folle as well, though why was something that neither could know or explain. It simply was.

As they approached, they found a quite unusual scene. The group was mostly assembled, and in various predicaments of curious positioning. The large Manakete he hadn't met yet was holding the young Taguel, with a nervous looking dark mage boy underneath them both, and to top it off, there was a Wyvern blocking the gate. "Would you look at that? We wonder off for a short bit and everything goes to pot." The tactician remarked as he broke off from the small group he was with, leaving Aleria and Folle behind to catch up with the larger Manakete and the two smaller ones.

"Woah their big guy, what's going on over here?" He asked as he approached, smiling lightly, politely, hand resting easily on his blade under his cloak. He didn't know the new Manakete, or their intention, and while he figured it would probably be better for the group as a whole if he did kill her, the uproar would in the end not be worth it. Best to keep her alive if at all possible. Killing an unknown however would be much more acceptable, if a bit distasteful.

As he neared however, he relaxed considerably. He didn't have any kind of aggressive look on his face. It was almost childlike. Curious, but not dangerous.

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Aleria watched as her master abandoned them to investigate what was going on before seeing the Wyvern at the gate. "Hey! Wanna check out what's going on over there?" She asked grinning widely as she opened her wings, taking off the ground and lifting into the air about ten feet. She looked back at Folle for a moment before taking off.

"Excuse me?" She asked as she hovered over them, ignoring the fact that she was wearing a skirt. "I don't suppose there's anything I can do to help is there?" She wasn't particularly physically imposing, but it was her nature to offer, so offer she did. If she was denied, she'd watch from above and try to figure out the best angle to help from anyway, and if her offer was accepted, she'd try to help in any way she could.​
 
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“Um…,” Auri heard a voice.

What was that? Where did it come from? It was sweet and child-like. Kinda cute?

"Rabbit girl you say something to Auri?" He questioned the now--more than likely--frantic taguel. His large fingers able to easily hold her off the ground like a claw in a claw game when played just right.

“excuse me mister manakete? I-I don’t think she likes being held that way,”

That's when he noticed it. The voice wasn't coming from Miruru a.k.a "Rabbit girl". That was when he looked down. Down at the child who, for the lack of a better term looked like he was wearing clothes to big for him. “So maybe you could put her down, or something like that…,”

This...being seemed rather frightened. Was there something big behind him? Auri double glanced behind himself. No. Nothing big there. So what was so scary? That's when his keen nose joined in. Causing him to sniff at the air like he had found a long lost scent--or a new scent that he had never smelled before, or readily. His nostrils flared, and could easily give one the image of his dragon form exhaling powerfully through his nose. This could be most intimidating as he was an unpredictable character--at least by Ferrus' standards. Of course, the years of battle scars probably didn't make him look any more cute and cuddly.

The giant of a manakete didn't lower Miruru. Instead, it lowered it other massively muscular arm--clawed hand scooping Ferrus up rather swiftly if not unnervingly easy. Ferrus would be reminded to be thankful he wan't at least flying off. Still those few feet would probably feel like the hundreds as if he had taken to the winds. More frighteningly, Auri brought the boy face to face and started sniffing at him and looking him over.

"You no got fluffy rabbit tail." Auri commented his face buried in the fabric of Ferruss' cloak. It would have been quite amusing--like a cat with blindfold on,if Auri's size didn't intimidate him so much. "You no got rabbit ears." He commented looking at Ferrus' head from different angles--as if MAYBE he were missing them somehow.

Finally the manakete drew in a large waft of his scent, getting so close to Ferrus' that the boy could smell the natural scent of sulfur and see the rather sharp set of teeth he had. "You no smell like rabbit."

"Hey...wait minute! You no rabbit!" Auri winced one while enlarging the other. "What is you?" He questioned Ferrus.

"Woah their big guy, what's going on over here?"Another voice boomed. Turning around, the way he held Miruru and Ferrus, you'd swear he were kicking htem out of Rausten like they were a pair of trouble makers.

"Auri see small rabbit girl. Auri make friend with rabbit girl. But..." He then lifted up Ferrus in such a way his arms and legs would dangle as he had been confsicated by his belt region. "Auri no idea who this friend is. Auri think he smell strange." He then would tightly squeeze them against his chest--while unintentional, his massive arms would feel like boulders were crushing the two even as Auri smiled proudly.

"Auri make good friend rabbit girl and strange smelly person!"

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Dietrch and Aseyr were hardly making any leeway. Okay, that was a lie. They were moving the damn thing a bit! Dietrch was being as Dietrch was when something TOO much effort--like moving a giant wing fire breathing poisonous tailed behemoth of a lizard called a wyvern. And that was swearing up a storm under his breath, while, to some, comically pressing one greeve to the beasts shoulder, clinging to its reigns for dear life trying to muster it to move either forwards or back.

He seriously prayed it was back wards which was the way he was tugging, because if HAD gone forwards, there might have been the chance it could have caught wind of lamb--then all hell would break loose. Stopping Fafnir from going after lambs was tantamount to topping a castle from falling on you after it was fell off a cliff into the sea ON TOP of you.

You either stay and were smooshed. Or you moved. Sometimes it really didn't matter. Because even though it wasn't made for running, its legs were along bigger than your and so took bigger steps. Simple logic really.

That's when he felt a firm hand. He made the honest mistake of mistaking its owner to be Aseyr.

"Gods be damnned Aseyr, I'm pulling as hard as I can what the hell.--" He stopped, sniffled realizing that what stood in front of him wasn't the rough and tumble rabbit he'd grown up with. No. This...thing was huge. and its chest very hard. He exhaled calmly, scratching the back of his neck in awkward silence before the wolf laguz spoke and rather...oddly he might add.

"Can............I............Help?" Dietrch arched a brow.

"Sorry I...didn't see you...standing there...like a giant." He commented looking around for Asyer.

Where the hell was that rabbit?! He was gonna pick the bastard up by his ears in a magic trick for not telling him that he wasn't behind him anymore. That bastard was always quick on his feet. There was no telling how many times Asyer out ran him and he wound up getting blamed. What a pain!

"Sure...you can help I reckon." He told Ursa, actually scaling his body with his eyes like he were a really tall tree. Like, seriously tall.

Now where to put him. He couldn't necessarily tell this giant to grab her tail. What if she stung him? If he lived, that wolf would be on his tail for who knows how long! But Fafnir only trusted certain people near her head, she had to lower it to let him mount her--it was a sign of trust. Get the wrong person around those massive set of jaws and one could imagine what would happen.

He snapped his fingers. The back legs! Grant it still might be a long shot.

Then there came another voice. This one WAS NOT the wolf. He could tell that.It was too soft and well, more like an actual sentence rather than it seemed liked she had a lobotomy recently. No offense pooch.

"Excuse me?" A feminine voice spoke out.

Yeah, that was too nice to be Gwen.She wouldn't bother saying excuse me. She'd just tell him what to do--what was oddly cute, was when she'd boss him into doing something sweet or romantic.

What was even more odd was...he didn't mind it.

"I don't suppose there's anything I can do to help is there?" When Dietrch looked up at the rave laguz--It took him a minute to realize it, but he was actually looking up her skirt. When he did he looked away covering his eyes.

"Shit lady!" He exclaimed.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Gwen is gonna have my hide for a rug! He contemplated. I'll say I didn't see nothin'! Yeah, that's it. Shit. She is not gonna believe that! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why'd you look up dumbass?! Curiosity's killed the cat...And I'm not even sue how many lives I have to spare...

 
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"Shit Lady!" Aleria heard one of the men shout as he averted his eyes. It was only then that she suddenly recalled her position and clothing. "Sorry!" She responded apologetically, dropping to the ground quickly. When she landed though, she had a terrible idea. "It's not that bad though, I mean it's not like you could see anything" She paused for a second for effect "Although if you play your cards right, you might" She finished with a wink. It was just her way. She flirted with everybody, especially when she thought it would be funny. Her teasing aside, she spun around the lot quickly, examining what was going on "So... What seems to be the problem here?"

From what she could tell, it was just a big winged lizard stuck in the gate, but they seemed less than successful in getting it out. Sometimes the easiest solutions were the ones most overlooked. She was good at finding them, and if all else failed, she could certainly motivate them to get it done. Being a Dancer gave all sorts of fun perks after all.

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"I'm sure you will, but for now how about we set them down, they look like they're about to burst" Requiem remarked lightly. The Manakete in front of him was seemingly quite simple, and he didn't know if they had any sort of triggers that would cause him to go berserk or something like that, which meant that he'd have to be careful, at least until the smaller ones were safe. "My name is Requiem, What's yours?" He inquired to the hulking man in front of him. He was quite accustomed to being towered over by other male Manaketes. He didn't mind too much usually, it made them underestimate him. Of course, he wasn't technically short, just shorter than the majority of the males of his race.

To make up for the size disadvantage, Requiem had focused on speed and precision, and of course, magick didn't hurt either. He'd worked long and hard to make a name for himself, and once he had, he took full advantage of it. People that had been around him a long time knew not to mess with him, and ones who hadn't and tried to cause trouble quickly learned not to. In this case, he doubted he'd have to worry about anything, but he'd learned quite some time ago that anything was possible and the only thing one could do was be prepared for anything.
 
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After a moment of staring at the Wyvren Sari was able to quell her beating heart. For looking so ferocious the beast actually seemed to be quite tame. There were people swarming all around it too . . . What were they trying to do? It was then she realized the Wyvern was actually stuck in the gate. Stuck in the gate or just refusing to move out of it. Trying to determine which it was and if she could do something to help, Sari climbed out of her cart, still gawking.

It took her a few moments to realize from the chatter around her that some of their party was on one side of the game and some on their other and no one could get through, because the Wyvern had seen something on the far side and attempted to squeeze through blocking the space. Well that was easy, she thought, get it to back up and then bring whatever it wanted through, or fly the Wyvern over. A moment later she realized that was exactly what they were trying to do, only the animal refused to budge.

As Sari looked at the fiasco in front of her, and edged to the side for a better view, she unwittingly forgot to look at her surroundings and ended up in the shadow of one very large Manakete. She realized suddenly that the light had changed and looked up only to find herself staring up at a rather scarred face of a man that was holding the two smallest of their party in midair.

I will not be afraid, she told herself, I will not be afraid, I will not, I will not!

Her ears twitched, but Sari drew a deep breath and stepped back so she would not have to crane her neck quite so badly, and offered a shaky smile. It was then she realized that this huge man holding the . . . well younglings was the word Sari wanted to use . . . was apparently being supervised by the group’s second tactician, also a Manakete. She breathed a visible sigh of relief when she realized that was the case.

She stepped to the side again, further from the huge man and closer to the tactician.
“Umm . . . If the Wyvern wants something on the other side couldn’t someone with wings go and get it? Maybe . . . maybe if whatever it wants is on this side it would back up?”

It was a stupid suggestion, Sari knew that, but she had made a suggestion. Probably to the wrong person, but it had been a worth while statement, and not a squeak, or a scream, or a gasp, and she hadn’t shouted any anyone either, so obviously the stress and shock of this mission hadn’t turned her into a complete whining idiot. She still had those apologies to make, but for the moment she would settle for showing she could handle this much at least.

“My name’s Sari by the way,” she whispered.
 
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Auri was...well, strange for a manakete. Particularly one of his sheer size and obvious history of violence. His outward look, suggesting a warrior capable in his own right, or perhaps capable of just sheer violence as his hands alone gave the horrific notion of crush a mans skull like it were a simple grapfruite. And that was without the added look of his clawed finger nails. Nevermind the large assortment of scars that littered the manaketes body from the years of beging caged like a simple animal and forced to kill whatever was placed in front of him. Beorc or Laguz. Which ever drew a larger crowd at the time.

Come one, come all. Watch as some of the finest Beorc warriors go up against this massive creature!

Or

Watch at how savage these creatures really are!

Entertainment was always a rich man's game, aimed at the poor man's imagination. But the ones who were really the pawns, were the actors. Auri was no exception. Though he did have a trick to being able to compensate for seemingly have the docile nature of a fawn or a child-like mentality. It hung around his throat. Almost a constant reminder he was to always BE a slave and nothing more. However when that particular shackle came off...he could be very much as frightening as a wyvern. But that was always what they seemed to want to see: Him tearing the arms off some unlucky Beorc fighter, or tear out the throats of other Laguz. They gasped and they awed--but when he was left standing and drenched in blood, they were applauding deafeningly.

Still. Aureilus didn't seem to much care for the world. Beorcs were an unclean, unsightly race. Maybe it was the dragon in him that believed this. Maybe it was his long standing experience with them. Forced or not, it was still experience. For the Laguz, for his own kind he felt pity. They were a fading race. Slowly dying out in the oppression of Beorc's aggressive expansions. Those he killrf while fighting, he could never look directly in the eye. They reminded him too much of that freedom, of the world out side shackles and chains and beyond the bars. Nevertheless, he accepted his fate. To be a killer no mater who or what was in front of him.

It was a sad existence, he'd agree. But when that manacle came loose and its power no longer dimmed his wits. He was a force all his own. With it own, he was at some length, what he wished he could have been even if he did find "Auri" to be a bit...well, stupid at times. And to that, one could say a dragon never loses that sense of being regal. It was more Auris fun-loving spirit and willingness to help that he enjoyed.

"I'm sure you will, but for now how about we set them down, they look like they're about to burst," the manakete infront of Auri proclaimed. While not as big as Auri, he held a commanding presence. Not as much as the Envoy, but one in the same.

It was true. The rabbit girl had been fussing this whole time. Kicking her short arms and legs out at him.
Of course, Auri's reach was nearly three times that of hers so needless to say, shut struck nothing but air. And his grip on the backside of her attire holding her up like she were a little child much like poor Ferrus was--was pretty much unshakable. And she couldn't very well bite him to make him let go. So her ranting, raving and general all out rage (Which for a bunny girl he found kind of funny.)had left her dangling with her arms crossed and annoyed expression on her face.

Auri took one look at Miruru and tilted his head before setting her down. Just like that. Ferrus, he still held by his britches. He was too curious about the boy to let him go. Which probably scared him even more.

"My name is Requiem, What's yours?" The manakete that had gotten Auri to release one of his captives at least, had said.
"I is Auri!" Auri said straightening his back which puffed out his chest. Again, probably not making Ferrus feel any better about HIS situation.

“Umm . . . If the Wyvern wants something on the other side couldn’t someone with wings go and get it? Maybe . . . maybe if whatever it wants is on this side it would back up?” A lightly spoken voice had blossomed.
But then, something caught Auri's eye. The glimmer of curiosity was nigh unmistakable. Sari had stepped into his range of vision and BAM! Instant tunnel vision. Not so much on her face...as her ears. To be truthful, he was kind of like a pointer dog--head leaning forwards at this young, female feline.

“My name’s Sari by the way,” She introduced her self, drawing Auri's intense curiosity. Afterall, these were the first Laguz he wan't being ordered to tear apart. He could actually talk to them. Perhaps maybe even befriend them. But that came with his oddities. Like having always wanted to pet a cat person. Their ears twitched and it looked so fun!

"Hi Sorry." Still holding Ferrus. The poor boy. Auri had leaned forwards and gently began petting Sari, whose name sounded like "Sorry" to him. He tried to be gentle, he really did. The weight of all the muscle on his free outstretched arm, would probably make her head draw back like she were receiving a rather hefty 'lick' instead of the normal petting she could have been used to.

"I is Auri!" He told the girl, who seemed a little more than nervous around him. He gave her a big toothy grin, if that helps!


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The woman was quick to land and apologize.

"Sorry!"She would exclaim. But then she made matters...a little worse.

"It's not that bad though, I mean it's not like you could see anything"

I'm a cat lady! I can see "things" very well!

Where Dietrchs exact thoughts. He wouldn't say that out loud. Gwen would use the hulking manakete strength and make it so he would, could only make kitten mewls rather than manly roars. Not that he roared that often. But one could get the idea.

"Although if you play your cards right, you might" Dietrch's brain just...completely froze before it sped right back up and he quickly covered his nose bleed, trying to turn away quickly with an audible "Argh!".

He had to get away. This girl was trying to kill him! Granted,the ideas that kept trying to fabricate in his imaginative mind were...heh great. They still ended in, you know, in him dying by the hands of a very angry she-dragon. Which, he had those kinds of thoughts about too--but that was another story! Moving on!

"So... What seems to be the problem here?"

I mean, it wasn't like he was a pervert...He was just a man. And manly bodies had certain...needs. It was natural damn it!

Oh, right, she was talking again. Why did he feel this was going to end badly?

"Fafnir's saying "hi" to Gwen. Only problem with that is...her fat ass has blocked the gate!" Dietrch would sound quite muffled, as he had turned away from the exotic raven dancer, and covered much of his face. He then tried to pull harder on the reigns. "And if I let her go in there, she's gonna eat all the live stock and then I'll be working until I've got gray hair!"

It was bout the time he had proclaimed "fat ass" that the wyvern craned its neck down and back, grabbed Dietrch by the leg in its powerful mouth, swirled him around and dropped him down between Fafnirs head and Gwen who had been kindly stroking the beast. With a sigh, he stood up dusting him self off and turned to Fafnir and pointed commandingly.

"I have NEVER seen a wyvern treat its rider this way! Ever!" Dietrch yelled, the Wyvern just simply snorted in his face, blowing his hair back. With a heavy sigh he turned and faced Gwen now.

"Hey, how ya doing there mean ass?" He chuckled, trying to salvage some of his "coolness".

He was in truth, a cool guy to be around. It was just, he and this wyvern had a very unique bond. They liked teasing and testing each other. But if any one dared to say they didn't care about one another, as sure bound to find out the hard way they did love one another.

The wyvern nudged him closer to Gwen and he turned and looked at Fafnir. She had that "Tell her the truth about what you just saw" look.

"No! No! You are trying to get me killed! I'm not saying that to Gwen!" He pointed and the wyvern tilted its head.

Without hesitation, she leaned her head back before jerking forwards like a viper striking. It took most of Dietrch's upper body into its mouth. Normally, that would be a death sentence. Those teeth could punch through steel, and the jaw strength aloned could crush you like your just a tin can. But in this case, she just held him off the ground swinging her head from side to side--but most importantly--rolling that big tongue all over his. This was quite amusing to most, but to him--it was indignifying and annoying as hell. When it 'spat' him out, Dietrch was covered in dragon slobber.

Standing up, trying to wipe his face off so he could see.

"Okay, okay, fine! You want me to die, I'll tell her. Just don't whine when I haunt you damn it!"

Dietrch turned back to Gwen, and once again--tried to grasp his dignity. If he had any left that was. And inhaled deeply.

"Gwen...I might have, maybe, could've seen up a flying girls skirt." His admission was hard to say if he was more annoyed he was being forced into saying it, or if he was actually trying to apologize? It was so like him to be difficult.

"But before you commence with stuffing me into the nearest basket--I gotta say, I did.noy.do.it.on.purpose." He continued say emphatically. "I was talking to this walking tree guy and then BAM. Out of no where this Raven just hovers over me and when I look up she's got a damn skirt on!" He hung his head and arms forwards.

Gwen was surely going to kick his ass the entire time they were gonna be on this trip. He could just feel those scary eyes glowing and her knuckles cracking.

Oh life's cruelties. Look up a flying girls skirt, and you're on a death sentence for the remainder of your days...How cruel.
 
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"Hi Sorry."
Sari flinched at the mispronunciation of her name, but otherwise said nothing. Maybe once she go to know these people a bit better she'd feel brave enough to correct it, but she didn't feel like now was a good time. And then . . . Then this large man reached out and began to pat her head. His hand was heavy and she felt her neck bend a little bit with each stoke as she tried to keep from falling over. Her knees trembled at this unsolicited touch and her eyes went wide. Not at the fact that such a large man had just reached out to touch her, but at the fact that a guy who looked like he could crush her skull with a single hand was quite obviously trying to be kind and apparently this was the way he thought was OK to make new friends.
"I is Auri!"
She tried not to squeak her hello as his hand continued to assault her ears. But he appeared to be trying to smile at her, even if that smile did look like a Wolf Laguz's war grin.
After a few moment her legs did give out under the weight of his hand and she hit the ground and with a very unladylike like gasp. She found herself in the dirt looking up, not quite able to wipe the utter astonishment from her face.

"Please-" she panted trying to gain control of her nerves, "please ask . . ." Her whole body seemed to be trembling from the situation. It was as if somebody had just jumped out with a horrible mask on and only shouted boo. The startle was what did it, not the learning that everything was actually ok. And when she had initially seen his hand coming towards her head, well she had been very much startled.
 
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