With the new day came a new attitude for Raijin and as he woke from his place on the ground, a bundle of blankets softening the hard stone for him, he looked around the room. His sister stirred and only when she woke did he bow and depart to allow her the privacy she required to ready herself for the day. He left the room with Ren at his side and made his way back to his own spacious accommodations. The little dragoness was yawning vigorously all the way and was pleased to see a renewed store of fresh meat for her to partake of. This time, however, Raijin laid the barrel down for her, to prevent another flood of blood and flesh onto the floors. He then moved to his large bed and collected a thick blanket, laying it down on the ground before the barrel of meat.
"
Stay on this while you eat, please. You've no idea how difficult it is to get blood and rot out of stone." He was a guest in this place and he didn't want to be a poor guest, not even if he was here against his will. He cleaned and dressed, doing what little he could with his mane of curly hair, before stepping out into the hall again to find Suki, a burping and lip-lapping little Yrenxia in tow.
The day moved swiftly, as if by a dream. Raijin had decided the night before that he would keep to himself, keeping a safe distance from the others and any drama that seemed to float around them. Even the few strangers he had decided to trust, to some degree, would be kept at a distance. After all, he wouldn't know them for very long and he didn't need another bond to break when they parted ways. Too many bonds had been broken in his life. There was no point in forming brittle ones for the sake of a few days company.
~You're weird, Rai. Most of your kind love their kind. You love Suki, but not really anyone else, huh?~ He didn't respond, trying his best to ignore her thoughts as he listened to the instructions on how to care for the small creature from the priestesses.
~Don't ignore me. It's rude.~ The dragoness huffed a cloud of cold air on his arm, giving him goosebumps. Frustrated, and trying his best not to interrupt the proceedings, he pushed out his leg to the side and scooted the little dragoness a foot or two away from him.
"
Would you have some respect, little one? You should not interrupt others." He hissed in a whisper. Ren opened her mouth in protest, but snapped it shut with a little *
chomp* sound as she realized the Varonians had a manner system she knew little about. Instead, she sent rebellious emotions his way and flicked her tail about in annoyance, much like a cat. She had so many questions! When would she have time to learn of these strange creates that now shared her path of fate?
Her thoughts were cut short when Raijin knelt down in front of her and cleared his throat.
~So why don't you like other people, Rai?~
Dark eyes rolled and a quiet sigh slipped from his lips. Leaning forward he went about stretching out her wings, massaging the joints carefully, much as he did to the tired legs of new lambs in his flock. "
People are. . . impermanent. Relationships are unpredictable, unreliable, and idealistic in most cases. They never live up to the fairy tales we're all told as children. Love is not something to be trusted, it doesn't help people, it doesn't protect them."
~But you love Suki. Isn't she safe because you love her?~
"
You're misguided. I love Suki, yes, more than anything, but it wasn't my love for her that kept her safe, it was my instinct to survive and to keep alive the only semblance of familiarity I had. That, and the will of Varon. I doubt anything could have kept us alive that day if Varon hadn't willed it himself."
~Hmm. Is Varon a friend of yours?~
"
Something like that. . ." Their silent conversation went on for some time as he worked along the length of the little dragoness's wings. He meticulously cared for her coat, going over each scale and picking out every piece of meat from her teeth. He was used to such care, for he had spent his life caring for animals. He viewed this no differently and took comfort in the rhythm of things. Suki worked along his side as she had on many occasions before. He chatted lightly with her, struggling to keep up the two conversations – one mental, the others verbal. He had barely finished polishing the pearlescent scales of the little Ammolite before his attention was beckoned to the priestesses again.
"
Magick, huh. . ." It was then that something pulled. But, it didn't pull physically, rather something . . . pulled
him. It was impossible to explain. For a brief moment, it felt as if something was tugging at his very character, his . . . essence? Soul? Some unspeakable part of him. And when it did, it caught his attention, and then it left. He stood there, chilled and startled. When he began to calm, he felt an uncanny sense of a challenge within him, but more than simply the challenge of summoning up some kind of offensive mana. Something inside of him was inspired to prove something, and he could only go with it.
"
Not sure what I have to prove. . . or to whom. . ." He mumbled to himself. "
Here goes anyways." He was about to assume some kind of a stance, like the ones the hero mages used in the story books of his childhood, when he caught a glint out of the corner of his eye. Casting his gaze in that direction, he saw two big eyes staring up at him from a cocked head.
~Did you make another friend?~ She asked.
~Look, you're good at making friends! Show them what you've got!~ The dragoness skipped on the spot like an excited lamb and brought a smile to Raijin's face while the gears in his mind churned, wondering what she meant by "another friend." Redirecting his attention forward, he decided to ignore his previous intent of assuming a power stance and instead brought his palms together before his chest, his feet together, back and legs straight, much as he did before meditation.
He remained in this position and began to imagine what exactly magick would look like, what it would feel like. For a time, nothing came to mind, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that magick would look and feel like the spirits in the world around him. The will of the gods and their servants in the mountains, the wind, the trees, and the water. He thought of the stars that housed his ancestors and of the protection his deceased parents brought to him and his sister. The spirits of the world around him, the protective guardians sent down by Varon to inhabit and enliven the world around him: those were the closest thing to magic he could think of.
Suddenly, there was a wave of cold that swept over him and his eyes open in excitement. He was doing it--- "
Wait. . ." He flipped around and saw Ren sitting on her rump like a fat dog, breathing her chilly breath all over him. "
Ugh, you truffles-for-brains little troublemaker. Leave me be. How can I concentrate if you're sitting there breathing your chill all over me? Aren't you supposed to be helping?"
~Oh, well, yes. I can help. Do you want help?~
He frowned and rolled his eyes, turning back around and trying to concentrate again. This time, however, he wasn't alone in his mind. Ren was there, guiding him with her emotions, leading him into the regions of her soul that housed the essence of her magick. He felt his connection with her and began to formulate his own ideas about what that magickal essence would be like in its physical form. The sound of ice crackling filled the air and when he opened his eyes, he saw small crystals of ice growing up from the ground around him. They were beautiful, each was a slightly different shade of blue, some more cyan, some more of a royal color. He leaned down and touched one as it continued to grow slowly upward and as he did, it shattered into a swirl of snow that filled the air around him. For a moment, some of the flakes seemed to linger in one area of the open air, as if met by something, but Raijin gave this little attention in all his wonder. Eyes wide, he turned to his dragoness who seemed to be grinning – if that was a thing she could even really do. "
This is incredible. Is this you?"
~Hmm, I think I'm less pokey, but yes. The cold is part of me. Without the cold, the heat that is the other part of me would take over. Balance, is the word you would use, right? The cold is part of the balance.~ Raijin was a bit confused but Ren's thoughts filled his mind and informed him of the Ammolite race.
"
Wow. You can make clouds? And freeze things?"
~Well. . . no. Not yet. I don't really have control over my body temperature. It kind of just rises randomly each day. Sometimes it gets really hot, but sometimes it's just warm. And the fluid in me is kinda. . . diluted. It'll get stronger when I'm older. So don't worry if I get it on you. You won't turn into an icicle, you'll just catch a chill!~ The dragoness seemed to find this incredibly amusing and her little body heaved and shook with some kind of laughter. It made Raijin smile and for a time, he was happy, sitting there with that little dragoness, summoning up strange shaped crystals that burst into a beautiful downfall of snow. He found that it was the only thing that really felt natural, likely due to how much he was leaning on Ren and her nature. He tried to conjure fire, but after he got a puff of steam in the face, he decided to stay away from that end of the spectrum.
Soon, however, he was taken from his thoughts by a sudden ruckus being caused by. . . oh, it wasn't Rykker, it was Tahvo, the man paired with the red dragon. "
Yikes," was all he said, glancing over to his sister to make sure she was clear of the commotion. He watched the interactions of the others take place, maintaining his demeanour of indifference. A young woman with soft brown hair and a little speckled dragonling had approached Rykker and Drauchma. A first glance at the woman brought on a wave of light awe. She was beautiful. Yet, he wouldn't allow himself to linger on the thought. Indifference.
He turned and went to Suki and Kou. As he approached, Ren skipped after him, sat neatly beside Kou, and whispered
~Aren't they fascinating? Rai doesn't have any friends except Suki because he thinks love is unreliable. Does friendship require love? Does that mean I have to love you?~ She hummed to herself for a moment.
~Well, I'm okay loving you. We who eat together stick together.~
"
What have you come to Suki? Any luck with this magick?" He was trying his best to create small talk to avoid letting his attention drift to the woman.
