Lives and Times of Elves

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A

Aragon-Draco

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Original poster
(OOC: All characters should be elves, and they can have any amount of powers, so long as the magic they use takes exactly as much energy as it would when the same task would be done WITHOUT magic.)

Michael N'Draco walked along a path outside the elven city of Elasmere', his mind occupied. He'd just moved from the mountains into this forest village. Even though he was a Wood Elf, he'd been among the Mountain Elves for the majority of his life. Now, he was getting used to being among his vibrant people. I really hope I can find some friend of some sort. One day in this forest is not enough.
 
Kirimi wandered round the edges of Elasmere, a sheath of papers tucked neatly under one arm, her free hand holding a half-empty bottle of ink. A few twigs were tangled in her hair, giving her a less-than elegant appearance for her morning of sketching, her dress not faring much better with a thin layer of dirt across the knees and a tear up one side. Taking a step back onto the path, she stumbled over a protruding root and cursed, dropping the majority of the papers she carried. A soft breeze picked up and the papers scattered. She sighed and gave them chase, catching them up between slender fingers. A few scraps fluttered and scuttled away down the path; when she had grabbed as many as she could see she set off down the path after the runaway sketches.

A figure came into sight just a little further down than her escaping sketches. She smiled broadly and called out to him.

"Hey, can you grab those before they get away?" She picked up her pace, bare feet tapping quietly against the path as she rushed to catch the stranger.
 
Michael saw the papers flying by him, and heard the call of a fellow elf, and quickly responded by calling out a small spell, causing the sheets to fly back to their owner. "There you go, milady. An Artisan, are you?" He looked at the disheveled female and smiled gently. Well met, milady. I'm Michael of House N'Draco."

He smiled as he saw the slightly flustered appearance of the female elf. He bowed politely.
 
Kirimi squeaked slightly as her sketches flew back into her hands, only just holding onto everything she had already picked up. Collecting herself as quickly as she could and straightening her dress down, only blushing red at the bow Michael proceeded to give. "Thank you. My work is hardly amazing yet but I try." She shuffled the papers awkwardly under her arm. "I'm Kirimi Nayrith, it's nice to meet you." Her speech was far less flowery than that of the male, a little blunt but full of warmth.

"I don't think I've seen you about here before. You new?" She tilted her head, eyeing him curiously, then remembered her own manners and dropped a clumsy courtsey. Spots of ink dripped onto her dress. She sighed resignedly, then seemed to brush it off and traded the sigh for a giggle.
 
Michael chuckled, and modified his speech pattern a bit. "I should've guessed that would be apparent. You are right. I wasn't raised here, but among the mountain elves. My blood is of these forest elves, but I'm not familiar with your ways at all. My ancestoral people are such vibrant celebrants of the lifestyle. I never heard such merriment among the Mountains." He indicated a group of dancing and singing elves near a pine.

He smiled, "The only benefit was the Dragon-riding training I got."
 
Kirimi's eyes widened, excitement glittering in their depths. "Dragon-riding? You can do that?" She had been kept within the boundaries of the forest for as long as she could remember, watched over by overprotective parents and two elder brothers - one of whom she was fairly sure had a sister complex - and had never even begun to think of the possibilities outside. Glancing down at the mountains of paper she was carrying, she chewed her lip for a few seconds before speaking again.

"I should really go and drop these off at home before I lose them again, but if you feel up to telling me about dragons then we can go a wander round the city after that. See if we can find anything fun to do for a while." Another few seconds. "And I should probably change my dress..." She winked at him and flicked her head in a gesture that screamed 'follow me'. A few twigs dislodged themselves from her hair and tumbled to the ground, cracking underfoot as she set off at a walking pace.
 
Michael followed Kirimi and looked around while she put her things inside her home. All of the homes here were grown from the trunks of the trees. This had stunned Michael when he came into town. Even his Dragon, Faela, had found it intriguing. "I should let you meet my Dragon, Faela. The Council was kind enough to let us use the old dragon hold as our permanent residence, so long as we help in the defense of the city. Faela, being rather telepathic, is bugging me to bring you up to her, so she can meet you!"

He chuckled, "But, first, I'm rather hungry. I heard there was a place where an elf could get a good meal cheaply. I'll take you to meet her, if you'll lead me to this place first."
 
Throwing her sketches messily into a drawer that she seemed to tug out at random and then swiftly running off to her room, Kirimi called back to Michael. "That sounds like a brilliant idea!" She switched outfits quickly, exchanging the dress for a tunic of her elder brother. It was a few sizes too large, making her look smaller than she was. She twisted her hair into a high knot and secured it before stepping back out to meet Michael, looking distinctly better prepared to go out than she had that morning. She scribbled a note and stuck it on the table before wandering back out with him.

"It's not too far from here actually, and my brother part-times there. If we're lucky we'll get a discount, let's hurry." She tapped his wrist for attention, knowing better than to hold someone's hand mere minutes after meeting. She wound them through a few unexpected back streets before coming out next to a delicately-fragranced bakery and cafe. A man, clearly a little older than her but strikingly similar in appearance, threw a short-lived frown at her before shouting out "Next please!" and glancing expectantly at the two.

"Pick what you like, I'll buy. Least I can do for you." Kirimi shot a smile at Michael, then leant back against the wall and fixed her brother with a cutely lopsided grin.
 
"I'll take what you suggest. After eating boiled mountain goat with mushrooms as a mainstay, I don't quite know what to select here." He smiled at the younger elf. "I'll trust your tastes."

He went to a table where there were two chairs and waited for Kirimi to return with the food.
 
Kirimi pondered the menu for a few minutes, making idle small talk with her brother as she did. Eventually she settled for two lots of warm bread rolls with crisped chicken filling and some extra sauces for flavouring, then wandered over to the table where Michael sat. She acted the part as she set the plate down: "your food, sir!" She took her own place across from him and propped her elbows on the edge of the table.

"Hopefully that's all right, it's one of my favourites. I didn't know which flavourings, so there's a few there. Some folk like to make faces!" The rather dull little joke at the end paled as it left her mouth. She ducked her head, the trigger-happy blush setting in again. Picking up a little white bottle, she tipped the contents over her food, splattering drabs of it all over the chicken before recorking the bottle. She glanced across the table and him, studying his face as she reached for her roll. Over at the counter, her brother kept a wary eye on the two while he served the next somewhat pernickety customer.
 
Michael thanked her, then politely began to eat. The flavorful dish sent waves of savory spice over his tongue. "That bird met an honourable end, Kirimi. This is a wonderful establishment." He ate slowly, drinking water as he did so. "However, I fear that your brother is suspicious of me. I hope I do not make an enemy of him by befriending you."

He'd noticed the wariness of the older elf, and wondered what caused it. His fingers itched to touch his dragon, and he half wished he'd stayed in the dragon hold. "First full day here with a new enemy, and that would be a terrible thing."
 
"Don't worry about him." Kirimi smiled, then made a series of gestures to her brother that looked far from polite. He turned away grudgingly. "He's overprotective. It runs in the family. I'm the youngest so it centres on me." She drummed the fingers of the left hand against the tabletop, eating with the right. She made sure at least to have her mouth empty before she spoke and ate with her mouth shut.

She could somewhat sense his discomfort. "Do you wanna get out of here? We could bag the stuff up and take it with us. I have a funny feeling you'd be more comfortable away from Mr Paranoid over there."
 
"I usually do not spend more than a couple of hours away from Faela. She's practically the only thing that keeps me safe. I suppose it's a crutch of sorts. I do sense a bit of distrust of me in your brother. I do not know what I did to deserve that, but that's life. I have seen that many elves do not remember the dragon-riders. It is a shame." He finished his meal and stood, and waited. "Please tell your brother, that I want no trouble."
 
A look of annoyance crossed her face and she shouted loudly in 'sibling language', as her parents had affectionately dubbed it, across at her brother. "You're being an insensitive git again! He's done nothing wrong, let him be." He glanced up for a moment, nodded at her, and then went back to his customer. Kirimi caught up her leftovers and stood alongside Michael.

"He'll leave you alone unless he wants mother to tear him a new one. Blackmail material is a lifesaver sometimes." An evil twinkle bounced in her eye. "Where to next?"
 
Michael was stunned at the strength of the young elf's mental power. "You are a natural telepath! Amazing! Well, Let's go see Faela. She is giving me a lot of trouble saying, 'If you were here, instead of walking by yourself, that would never happen!' She's protective in a different way."

He led Kirimi out the door, and a short way to the edge of town, where a gigantic tree with a flared bulb-like center stuck out, 35 feet above ground, and a staircase was grown into the side of the tree. He led her up that staircase and into the expansive hall, at the end of which, a massive white dragon, with a feathered mane, lay in repose. Michael called, "Faela, I'm home."

The Dragon replied, "I know, my dear. That's why I do not attack. But," She sayed, turning a giant head toward the younger elf, "Who, elf, would you be?"
 
Kirimi stifled a giggle at the mention of the dragon's protective nature, thinking how identical it was to her own family. It then occured to her that while she had her family, this dragon may well be all that Michael had of his. It was a sad thought, but she didn't allow herself to dwell on it, instead just following him through the roads of the city. They finally arrived in the dragon's chamber and she stopped dead, her eyes fixed on the gorgeous white beast.

"She's beautiful..." Kirimi whispered, gazing at the huge dragon. She squeaked as the giant turned towards her. "Beautiful, but a little frightening..." She shrunk back slightly before responding to the dragon's question. "My name's Kirimi, I've been keeping Michael company today." She fiddled with the too-long sleeves of her tunic. "Should I not be here?" She cast a tentative glance towards Michael, her eyes questioning what she should do.
 
The dragon smiled, and replied, "You, Kirimi would not be here if I did not approve." She moved close. "Don't worry, Elf. I will not harm you. Your brother, on the other hand..."

Michael, hearing that, replied, "Faela, that was a bit unnecessary." He petted the big head and looked at Kirimi. "She is indeed my only family. I love her deeply. Don't worry that she'll hurt you."
 
She hesitated before she spoke again, though she had relaxed visibly in the knowledge that the dragon didn't intend her any harm. "Erm... My brother is just overprotective. As a general rule, if it's not a girl with me then he gets pretty wary of the person in question." She shrugged. "It's annoying, but he's my brother. I suppose it's his right." She watched as Michael stroked the dragon's head, the action seeming strange given Faela was so much larger.

She studied the dragon, trying to figure out where you might sit to properly ride one. Between the shoulder blades maybe? As she scrutinised Faela, she suddenly found herself wishing she hadn't left her sketching materials in the house.
 
The dragon looked down at her, "True, little one." She leaned down and gently nosed Kirimi's hand. "Don't worry, Kirimi. You can touch me if you wish. Also, I shall not harm your brother, because I'm even more protective of my rider."

Michael looked up at Faela. "Yes, this is true, but sometimes.... Oh.... nevermind." He smiled at Kirimi. "You can probably sketch her at some point. Just ask her."

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In the palace, a message was arriving, via the scrying mirrors. A lord of the elves stood before the mirror, looking at a figure that shimmered on the glass. The image spoke, "Our seers tell us that you're city is to be attacked by the Uruc. It is our hope that the rider among you can help you. We are sending our elven warriors, which we are placing at his command. They have been enroute for a substantial time. They should arrive within two days."

"We, then, shall alert the rider as soon as we can."

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The pair in the dragon hold were chatting with the dragon, when a strong knock played on the door. Michael answered. At the door, a page silently held out a rolled up parchment with the palace seal. Upon reading it twice, he looked at the page and said, "Please be assured that Faela and I will help. Especially if the Rider's Council is sending help as well." He watched the page leave silently, and to Kirimi, "I would be amiss if I did not tell you this. Faela and I have been recruited to help defend the city. I fear the Uruc are to attack. And, I must battle. I would ask you to come, only if you are capable in a battle."
 
A knock, loud and clear, sounded. Kirimi's voice quieted to nothing as she turned her gaze to the door. She watched Michael read the paper and her lips twisted into a gentle frown. She waited quietly, almost holding her breath, for him to turn back to her. When he did glance up his expression was a little more sombre than it had been previously. She raised an eyebrow as the page left, then tilted her head to one side to listen. As he fell silent, she closed her eyes and ran through a few different options in her head.

"I can fight, yes, but only with a bow. I'm next to useless as far as melee is concerned." She placed a hand on her hip. "I'm not as skilled as the warriors - by no means - but I'm a good shot. Papa has special equipment I can use if need be." Her free hand ran through her hair, agitated. "It would be my first battle; I've not been tested before, but I'd be happy to help you."

(OOC: Yes, I still have a cold. Excuse shortness. Myaaaa sorry it took so LONG D:)
 
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