New Dawn of Dragons

The modern-day city of London is generally accepted to be one of the most productive, bustling, and massive cities on the face of the planet.
Or at least, it was.
Until one day it suddenly vanished, along with every other major city on the planet. Capitols, bustling metropolitains, expansive suburbian developments all suddenly vanished into the air, their towering skyscrapers leaving little more than indents in the ground in their abscence (sp?). At the same time, the rest of the world was changing, altering itself back to a form that it liked, not the form that humans had given it.
Castles, falling into ruins, sprang back to life, their fallen bricks and moss covered wall reverting into gleaming white walls of alabastor, their glory and magnificence restored in ways that modern-day humans had only ever dreamed. Even in the Americas, new castles sprang from the ground in a flurry of crumbling dirt clods or icy mountain snowdrifts.
The people who could see any of it, the witnesses to this unprecendented change of everything their lives had held, were subject also to an impossible sight, the birth of a million dragons, simultaneously. From the craters of broken cities and the mirrorlike reflections of the new castle walls, dragons emerged in a flurry. Every sort, and type, every color, and age came flying forth in rainbows of unimaginable beauty as they spread themselves across the world.
And in one remote area of the world... in the largest desert on the planet, an icy, mile high castle rose from amidst it's wintery grave, black and harsh in even the bright of day. From the entrance, gates already open in expectance, a towering dragon of the purest white, larger and mightier than any other now on the face of the earth, stepped into its domain slowly. A gigantic, horribly crimson chain wrapped around its body
Then, it raised its head towards the sky, reaching up hundreds of feet before letting out an impossibly shrill cry into the air that was heard around the world by the relatively few remaining humans left to hear it.
It was the dawn of a new era... and it was 30 years ago.

---

Daylight flooded the tiny room located in the top of 2nd tower with urgency. It sought out every reachable surface, sliding along the clothes littered across the stone flooring, gliding up the walls and eventually sneaking across the face of a young man with soft, tan features and strikingly red hair. Having found its target, the sunlight let loose a burst of brilliance which seeped in through the youth's eyelids, causing them to part and reveal a set of pale grey irises which reflected the light back at its source.
Yerin closed his eyes quickly and groaned. Another day... Without thought, his mind did a quick mental scan of the surrounding area, as was required every morning when he woke for rogue signatures that might've slipped through his sleep guard. Nothing. Good... I can stay in bed a bit longer then. With that thought firmly in mind, he let himself relax, then tense up for a few moments before relaxing again. It was a slower process of waking up that he been using for waking up whenever possible, because just getting up gave him headaches. Headaches had never been a good omen.
So, slowly yet surely, Yerin made his way to a comfortable state of alertness, his muscles and mind ready for a new day. His eyes opened once more, and he sat up to face the sunshine of dawn once more. "Come," he whispered faintly on the wind, wishing for it to carry his message to the sun itself, "But don't let them come with you."


The dawn also woke another human. Residing in the lower decks, the windows allowed slivers of light to beam through. And Thomas just had to be sleeping where one of those slivers landed right on him. He shifted slightly, closing his eyes tightly as though to block the sun from his vision. It didn't work, however as he gave a groan, pressing his head to his pillow.
Stupid sun, he thought as he blearily opened his grey eyes. Thomas frumped as he rubbed at them. They were still incredibly tired. But he had the tendency to be up once he was up, despite how much he liked to sleep. Several red patches appeared in his short, unruly brown hair as it basked in the sunlight. He blindly reached forward for his shirt to cover his torso, which was rather scarred. The name "Less" had been engraved onto his shoulder blades, though the wounds had long since healed over.
Slipping it over his head, he stifled a yawn as he got out of bed, scratching at the back of his neck as he looked around to see who else had risen.

The young Yerin dressed himself in relative silence, making life counts and several other necessary mental scans of the area he had under his jurisdiction as the only psychic in the castle. Not even 5 years ago, there had been two more like him. Two more people who understood what it was like to have this gift, but they were taken in a particularily violent raid by the Sky Dragon colony to the north. Now, he was alone in the castle, and expected to maintain all the important duties that his abilities allowed him to perform. It had become second nature to him, and now it only took mere moments to prepare his mind, and make the scan.
Once finished with both dressing himself and his mental duties, he stepped up to window with a yawn and gazed out over the 'kingdom', as people were prone to calling it now. The Kingdom of Chico was located nearly 50 miles southeast from the mass of frozen pines that stood in place of the ancient city of Chicago. Elders, those who remembered what it was like before dragons, had insisted upon the name, in honor of the city they once knew. They had no true king, only a small council who led affairs in the area surrounding the castle for as far as the eye could see, for that was as far as Yerin's mental cage could cover, and therefore as far as any would dare live from it.
Chico itself was steeped in rich beauty this time of year. A light frost glistened off the grass below as it stretched out into the rising sun, welcoming its master in a chorus of earthly glory. The morning air was light, crisp, delicately cool to the skin and the throat. Yerin enjoyed the spring, it brought beauty back to the land after the harshness of a northern winter, but it often brought back dragons as well.
After a few moments of partaking in the grace of the land, he headed for breakfast in the main hall, rousing anyone he needed to see there with a short mental nudge, just to make sure they'd be there.

Merith was already in the main hall, his stern eye trailing around. While he didn't possess psychic powers, the young man defintely possessed stamina. While the mental checks and the like were left up to Yerin, Merith was in charge of the other "soldiers" of the tower. The man hardly slept and hardly said anything. His short dark blue hair was straight over his equally dark blue eyes. He dressed in military garb with leather and metal over it to ensure protection against dragon attacks and the environment. He carried weapons with him at all times; there had been a few surprise attacks in the past years.
Merith always had regarded Yerin with respect, as the psychic-user always seemed to have so much load on his shoulders yet never broke. One of the psychics that had died before was mentally unstable before the Sky Dragon colony took them away. He waited idily for Yerin, to see what orders were to be done today.

Thomas passed Merith without acknowledging him, sitting down beside a few people. He stifled another yawn, loathing the mornings. He didn't like the sunlight at all, perferring cloudy days.

Quietly yawning, Yerin slipped into the main hall where many were gathered already and chatting back and forth. The cooks had been up for hours already preparing breakfast, and were just starting to bring out the bounty to the waiting empty stomachs. After taking his place at the right end of the Council's table, Yerin closed his eyes and relaxed for a moment. There wouldn't be much time for such things in a few moments when people would start coming up to him to greet him, chat, or discuss important matters which they thought required his attention. It was lucky for them that he was generally in an agreeable nature, and did all he could to be nice to others, otherwise he probably would've been somewhat of an outcast by now.

Merith noted Yerin entering and briskly walked over to the table, standing behind him slightly as though he were a personal guard. He clasped his hands behind his back, staring forward sharply.

Thomas's stomach growled in anticipation as they put the food in front of him. He stared at it, savoring the smell.

Looking back over his shoulder, the young psychic nodded slightly to him. "Hey there, Merith. You know that standing there isn't good for the stomach." He commented lightly, starting to grin. "Sit down and eat. I'd prefer healthy friends and allies than statues who stand behind me like that." As always, Yerin was doing his best to seem lighthearted and, at the same time, reasonably cheerful. It was difficult to do sometimes, but he usually managed.

"I ate earlier," Merith said in his monotone voice, thick with the accent his mother had carried. He remained standing stiff and tall, as though an unmovable force.

"That's such a farce," one of the ladies said as she placed Yerin's breakfast before him. "You've hardly ate a thing since yesterday. Got to stop bein' so stubborn an' get something in your belly, lad."

Merith glared at the lady, "not until these lands are safe."

"So you said you thought you saw something, so what? Don't mean that you have to starve yourself..." she chided as she smiled to Yerin.

Smiling back kindly at the woman, Yerin thanked her for the meal before turning his attention back towards Merith, his expression quickly becoming more serious. "I will not allow you to risk your health, therefore your life, and therefore the lives of the others because of your dream of safety." He paused, just slightly to emphasize the word. "So long as there are those in the world who would do us harm, we will never be safe. Now, eat. We will be safer with soldiers who are fighting the enemy, and not their stomachs." Before Merith could have the chance to argue against him, Yerin turned his attention back to the meal before him, and the flurry of people who were now entering the hall.

Of those entering the hall was a young girl, beautiful as spring rain. She was clothed solely in a modest dress that came up just below her knees. The dress itself was pure silk, and colored a deep, luxurious purple which accented the mahagony hue of her hair quite well. Moving with the grace of the fabric that adorned her frame, she sat down at the high table without a single glance at anyone else in the room. Her name was Jennifer, and she was the perfect image of beauty in the eyes of nearly every person in Chico, thus earning her the title of 'Princess.'
While it's true that she was not a princess at all, the people still viewed her as one, and treated her accordingly. Respect was shown should she ever pass by. She was allowed a position at the high table, with the other important members of the castle. Many men wished to be her husband, or even her lover, if possible, but none had ever come close to this goal. Knowing this, many simply admired her from afar.
She was Princess Jennifer of Chico. Nothing more, nothing less.

Merith's brow quirked at this as he glared at the back of Yerin's head. Honestly, he thought the psych would've learned by now not to simply dismiss him and his endurance. Not to mention his hunches.
With a glare over to the so-called "princess" (of whom Merith regarded in great disrespect, as she dressed ever so modestly in silk and other luxurious items that were unnessessary), he spoke to Yerin with a stern voice, "I am in control of my body and eat when nessessary. I have reason to believe that something is amiss in the southern lands and I refuse to simply leave it as a "dream"," he said the word with incredible disdain, "but as a reality to ensure the safety of this land and its inhabitants. Disturbia agrees with me."

Disturbia was one of the young dragons that viewed her elders decision to harm or enslave humans as stupid and shameful. She liked people, they were interesting to watch and fun to talk to. Especially stoic ones like Merith or pleasant ones like Yerin. She was a rather dark blue color, very contrasted from her usual white. Mainly because she had left her icy home in the north to join forces with the humans and other dragons down in Chico. She was known for her honesty, perserverance, and intuition, as well as her close bond with Merith. Any kind of mission or patrol or fight, the two were usually together.
Currently, she was outside, watching the areas around her with a bright blue vigilant eye in the shade of one of the massive towers. Crossing her large front legs over one another, she inhaled the chilly air that was quickly warming up in the climate.

Inside, Thomas chowed down on his food, munching on it. It was good and he enjoyed it. He didn't pay any heed to who was at the table and he honestly didn't care. If anyone asked him who the psyhic was or who the princess was or even who the general was, he wouldn't know. Thomas existed alone, how he liked it.

His patience snapping like a bow string strung just a bit too tight, Yerin stood up and whirled around to face Merith. "IF you will not eat, you will NOT be fighting either. Your senses may be right, your feelings may be accurate, your ability to fight may be unhindered by skipping a meal or two, but so long as it is MY responsibility to ensure the safety of the people in this castle," there was a short pause where Yerin allowed himself a calming breath. He had been yelling. "You will eat, because doing so will not hurt you, only aid you."
By now, Yerin's mental tracers were going into overload as he sensed everyone watching his little outburst. He may have been used to people watching him, but an entire roomful was still a bit much, especially in this sort of situation. Feeling a bt embarressed, he forced himself to stand where he was, watching Merith's eyes with an unwavering resolve, even though his cheeks were now a light red.

The 'princess' watched for a moment, mildly entertained by the proposition of an argument between some of the higher ups in the castle. However, once she noticed what exactly the conversation was about, she became significantly disinterested in it. Even the attractive ones have nothing good to say. Jennifer mused in her mind as she started eating once more.

Merith glared back at him, almost defiant. But he was loyal, to a fault. He hated to eat more than his bare minimum when something felt amiss. It was a tradition that his father and his grandfather had done; take care of what feels wrong first then indulge in eating or sleeping. His leader demanded him to eat, however, and Merith found himself torn between loyalty to his leader and to his family traditions.
He simply saluted to Yerin with a growling, "yes sir," before turning to leave for the kitchen, where he would shove food into his stomach that didn't require it.

"My, my such tempers this early in the morning," a light baritone voice chuckled. A man with dark blond hair, mullet style, spoke up from the seat beside Jennifer. He regarded the psychic with amused indigo eyes. "You certainly don't trust Merith, do you Yerin?"
Sukiani was also a protector of the place. He was one of the lucky few to have that special connection with a dragon, enabling him and his dragon friend to fight in battles handily (Merith did not have that connection, he just simply bonded with the dragon through friendship). He was Merith's equal, but certainly did not act the part, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans. He didn't wear shoes either, just socks, to the table.

Yerin shook his head and sat back down with a sigh. "Sometimes, I feel like people do this to me on purpose, you know?" It wasn't as though he wanted to cause trouble, and other people probably didn't either, it was just that events like this had become all the more common since he became a lone psychic. If there was one thing Yerin knew he needed, it was food. And if he needed to eat, he figured everyone else in the battle should too. No point in risking lives, right? that was always how he reasoned with himself whenever events such as the one which had just transpired came up.

From the far entrance came a solitary figure dressed in a black set of trousers, a black shirt, and even a black cloak. Her hair and eyes were frost white, by comparison, and reflected even the tiniest glints of light brilliantly. She was small, barely reaching 5 feet tall on her good days, and moved with such celerity that some people would've failed to notice she had gone by if it weren't for the slight breeze that followed her. In the blink of an eye, the young woman was across the room, kneeling before Yerin at the table. "Master Yerin, the man I spoke of, the one who approaches with the rising sun, have you found him yet?"
This young girl of barely 16, Oliea, was amazingly striking up close. She had a face delicately shaped to make her ivory eyes all the more pentrating. Even the way she held herself in the kneeling position made one want to tell her to stand back up. Her form fitting clothes were littered with tiny blades, all strapped to one place or another, but all was covered with the cloak at the moment, so they were all but impossible to see.

"No." Chico's psychic replied. "I'm afraid he's not yet within my senses. Did you expect him by now?" Running a hand through his rose-like hair, Yerin made another scan just to make sure, and found nothing more than he had on his earlier body count.

Sukiani chorted at Yerin's statement. He just didn't know how stubborn Merith could be despite having known each other for so long. He was about to reply to Yerin when Oliea came in. He perked up immediately as he leaned forward a bit, crossing his arms on the table.
"Good morning Oliea!" he chirped cheerfully before the teenager could respond to Yerin. "Looking lavishing in your dark attire as usual." He grinned to her with a large cheshire grin, a few strands of his hair falling from his shoulder.

Beneath Oliea's cloak, an arm moved for one of her many hidden knives, the rest of her body still as dawn. But she stopped at the sound of Yerin's voice in her mind. He means you no harm. Just talk to him, please. As you wish, my master. The conversation was held in less than an instant, just as fast as the two brains could process the information being sent.
Letting loose her hold on the hilt of the blade, she stood and bowed slightly to the dragon knight who had spoken to her. "Good morn, rider Sukiani." Her silvery voice slipped through the air. "How does this morning find you?"

Happy to have avoided another potential conflict, Yerin began to relax again and resumed eating. Oliea had dedicated her life to making his easier, his own personal bodyguard, spy, companion, confidant, and just about anything else Yerin might need. She was young, and it was often thought that the psychic had chosen her for her beauty, or that she wished to get close to him to hold power. Neither was true. Oliea was simply the daughter of one of the deceased psychics and found that helping Yerin made her life seem worth living.
Her past had shocked Yerin to no end... but that was all, truly, in the past.

Jennifer had already finished her meal, finding enough to fill her and naught more. She had never been much for eating large meals, since it would conflict with her elegant figure. It wasn't that she couldn't eat, it was simply that she gained weight faster than most people. Why she kept up her appearance though, she was prone to doubting. No one in the castle interested her, and the few that did were ofen taken or disinterested in her. This too was often something she had trouble believing.

"I'd be a lot better if you'd finally be familiar with me," Sukiani chuckled. "But otherwise fine. Merith and Yerin were yet again eating away at each other. But men will be men, right?" He said, disregarding that he himself was a man. He leaned his head on his fist, grinning to her happily as though a love-struck fool.

"Oh, miss Jennifer! Are you finished with your meal?" a cute, bubbly girl smiled sparklingly to her. She was one of the girls who cleaned up after everyone in the castle. One of her favorite jobs was to collect everyone's plates.

Merith entered into the kitchen, grabbing two fruits and exited out of the back way. He sharply looked around first, then began heading over to Disturbia. He honestly thought that he had seen something the day previous, which was what he wanted to solve before he ate something fulfilling. And not just out of the corner of his eye, but directly in front of him. It had been a few meters out, but he distinctly saw a figure... dancing.
He was immediately suspicious of it, especially when Disturbia noted it as well. Merith approached her, tossing one of the fruits at her.
She snapped at it, then grinned down at him. It was hardly a meal for a dragon, not even a snack. Merith stood beside her, crossing his arms over his plated chest.

Jennifer regarded her mildly, then nodded slightly, smiling at the girl for a brief moment as she left. The 'princess' preferred not to speak to anyone, unless they were important enough to be truly useful to the castle. This wasn't, however, a result of her being 'spoiled', but rather, simply her way of avoiding the unecessary conversatiosn that often resulted when she let her guard down.

Yerin rolled his eyes as he ate, doing his best to go over what other mental checks he needed before the morning was up. There was still the council meeting today, after all, and then he rather wanted to go outside for a little bit of air, time permitting. Being a lone psychic was hard, which was one of the many reasons he allowed Oliea her fun in serving him like she did.

A few feet from him, Oliea nodded slightly. "Sir Merith is truly a difficult one. He simply does not understand Master Yerin's wisdom in the matters of personal affairs." Her eyes calmly watched the dragonrider in front of her, but would occasionally dart to check on Yerin as she felt necessary. The sooner this conversation is over, she thought without any obvious signs of doing so The sooner I can return to more important matters.

Sukiani chuckled at this, "he also doesn't understand that the will of some isn't the will of others. In the old time, I remember researching on the amazing military of some countries. Did you know that there were some Germanic soldiers during World War II that could go for days without food and only on water? And there were Russian troops who lived only off of bread and grass for a month before their food line came in. And even before that, there were monks in India and Tibet that hardly ate at all yet they managed to live for years. The body is quite amazing, don't you think Oliea?" He asked her, fully aware that he was probably wasting her time. After all, she seemed very studious like Merith, hating to waste time with idle chit-chat.

The girl shot him one of the oddest looks. "A 2nd world war? Are not we still in the middle of the first?" She had been born and raised amongst a world where the only fighting she'd even heard of, ever bothered to learn was that of human vs. dragon. It was also appaent to anyone who talked to Oliea, that she normally only seemed to hear the second half of what you said. Mostly this was due to her lack of interest in perpetuating conversations with anyone who wasn't Yerin. Getting sidetracked with others meant that her time for him was limited. Some say the relationship bordered on unrequited love, but neither Oliea nor Yerin paid any attention to the rumors. One was simply too busy, and the other would always dismiss it as the 'foolish ramblings of people, looking for entertainment.' (you can guess which is which XP)

Sukiani nodded, glad to have gotten her attention on this.
"Yes, we're in a war right now, but in the old times there were many wars. There was the Holy War, the Crusades, the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the American Civil War, the war of 1812, World War I, then World War II... The list goes out. Humanity has thrived in war and it will continue to do so apparently... Though this is the first time dragons have come into the fray," he laughed as his other hand joined its mate in holding up his head. "I've managed to keep quite a few books on it. Perhaps you'd like to come with me to study them? You might learn a few things about combat."

"I learn all I need of comabt in the arena." Oliea explained with a short shake of her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I've no need to study in the wars of before." Before was what nearly every man, woman, and child who was born at least a decade after the dragon's coming called the time preceeding it. Being one of them, Oliea had never thought twice about referring to it that way, and, consequently, never assumed she needed to know about it. times were drastically different then than now, which meant new lessons were theirs to learn, not these lessons of the past.

Yerin, nearly finished with the meal in front of him, finally spoke up. "I don't mean to interrupt, Suki, but Oliea and I must be going. I'm afraid I have another meeting with the council. However, I'd like to ask a favor of you, if you wouldn't mind too much?" Not having much time to wait for a reply, he simply continued with his request. Acceptance, or denial, would be equally acceptable, and could each be determined later anyways. "I was wondering if you might bring your dragon around to the front gate in an hour or two? I'd like for Oliea to take a look for something and haven't the time to ask anyone else."

"Firstly, it's Sukiani Yerin," Sukiani smiled. "My name has already been shortened twice, I wouldn't like it a third time." He smiled, looking over to Oliea, "and of course, I'd be happy to do anything for little Oliea. What would you like her to look at?"

"I apologize, simply a time issue. She's looking for someone, and her eyes are sharper than even my senses sometimes, so, if you could, that would be wonderful." Yerin was already up and had begun walking away from the table, so his speech was coming in on both Sukiani's verbal, and mental channels.

Young Oliea was following quickly behind him, never more than half a step behind him. The most she'd left with was a simple "Thank you."

Sukiani watched them leave, assuring to Yerin's mind that he would be delighted in assisting Oliea. He watched them leave before turning and exiting, off to find his dragon partner Tennan.

Tennan was one of the eldest dragons at the kingdom of Chico. Not to say that he was an old dragon. No, he was in his prime. A fire-type, his dark red scales were fearsome and his hide tougher than the softer ones like Disturbia's. His wings were bright orange and ragged towards the end parts, showing his many battles. Currently he was walking along one of the farthest walls, his wicked talons digging into the ground (but being careful to keep away from the crops).

In the skies above Chico, an dragon dove and spiraled through the air effortlessly, slicing through the blue like a red blade. It was Reanth, a dragon who had been found at Chico when it was discovered, nesting in the high tower, as if it had always belonged there. So far anyone knew, he probably did too. Reanth was a slim blood dragon who only ever bothered talking to anyone if they were female. For whatever reason, and no one really ever had gotten a straight answer out of him, he refused to talk to males of any sort, even dragonkind. Coincidentally, it also seemed that he refused to talk to himself, and therefore was prone to speaking before he thought.
Even so, he hadn't actually bothered anyone in Chico. Never faught or killed humans, never tortured the other dragons, and never seemed to be involved with any trouble except with those who purposefully started it with him. However, he also would never fight against the dragons who attacked the castle either. Reanth was one of those who felt that both sides were fighting pointless battles, and that he just wanted to be able to sleep in his castle, eat whatever food he found, and generally live life to make himself happy.
His current flight was a flight for just that reason, to keep himself entertained during the morning when practically nothing female wanted to talk to him. It wasn't as exciting as it could've been, but it did serve it's purpose nonetheless.

Tsuya climbed the stairs up to the topest tower. She had a bunch of food for the dragon as she began to lay it out in order. Other than collecting people's dishes, serving Reanth was her other favorite job!
Even if Miss Jennifer didn't talk to me, at least Mr. Reanth will! she thought as she went to the opening where the dragon would come through. "Mr. Raenth, your breakfast is here!" she called out.
Tsuya was rather small figured with lavender hair. She kept the back part tied up, allowing some strands to frame her face. Her gentle green eyes were always smiling.

Hearing the faint call of the beautiful voice, Reanth dove down towards the tower almost too quickly. Wind slammed by his slim body as he accelerated downwards, growing larger extremely quickly in the eyes of any watching him. At the last moment he pulled open his wings and backwinged hard, sending a massive wave of air against the side of the tower, since he was trying not to siturb his food, or the girl on the top.
A few moments later he had gently flaped his way up to the top of the building, settling him on the ledge on the top of his tower.
Reanth was amazing to look at up close, which was somewhat rare in the case of blood dragons. His slim body was a translucent red that, had he been a normal member of his type, would've shown shown his internal organs, but instead only allowed the viewer the shimmering reflection of massive amounts of crimson blood that flooded his being. Blood dragons were called as such for a reason, they had massive amounts of blood compared to their body size. Reanth just happened to have more than even a normal blood would have, and so it had filled up the space between his organs and skin, giving his body a constantly warm and waterlike touch. A small crest that reminded many of a swarm of lightning bolts jetted back from his head. The crest began just above the front of each eye, and stretched back above the eyes, down a fraction of an inch, and then gradually curved down to meet at the base of the back of his skull. Being only around 14 feet in length, and just about 8 feet tall while standing, Reanth was actually considered to be a pipsqueak among the vast majority of dragonkind, especially since his tail took up over half his body length. He didn't mind it, because his smaller size allowed for drastically faster maneuvers than many of his race, and he could still easily approach a female human or two without scaring them. His emerald green eyes sparkled with a life of untold adventures and glories, and were currently fixed on the young woman before him.
Hello, Tsuya. The dragon's voice popped in the girl's head, strong and yet, gentle. You seem especially lovely this morning, has spring helped to blossom you as well? Reanth had never learned human speech, even though he'd tried once or twice. Using his mouth to do anything but eat or screech was simply unappealing to him.

Tsuya was clapping at the magnificent display of him, but she usually was entertainted easily being a simple girl.
She giggled at him as she shook her head, "Mr. Reanth you're so funny!! Humans can't blossom!! Hehe! But please, enjoy your meal! I snuck in poor Mr. Bunny because he was gonna be someone's dinner, but they didn't want him. But you can have him! Maybe you'll jump like a bunny then!" she said enthusiastically.

She was most certainly a simple girl, obviously not given an extreme gift in the mental department of her kind, but with a good enough heart to be enjoyable. Thank you, once again. Will you stay to keep me company, or be returning later? His voic echoed into her head as he grabbed a small fruit with his long tail, bringing it to his mouth in a swift motion. Moments later it was in his stomach, barely having been chewn due to its softer nature.

"I can stay up here if you do not mind," she smiled to him, gathering her skirt and sitting down on the floor. "Did you have fun with your flight, Mr. Reanth?"

The blood dragon continued to eat loftily with his tail, spearing or grasping items with practiced ease before tossing them into his mouth. It was all far too easy to do, but satisfying nonetheless, at least when the girl would smile at his antics. The flight was nothing much, but yes. I did. How has your morning been? Despite his aloof attitude and distance towards all things male, Reanth had a sense of courtesy that was beyong what people might normally reason. Full of himself, yes. Somewhat tricky, of course. Intelligent, for the most part. And courteous. Courteous to a fault, which was that he often had troubles remembering the difference between human courtesy and dragon courtesy.

"My morning has been absolutely splendid!" Tsuya beamed happily. "I said hello to Miss Jennifer but she did not reply back as usual and Mister Yerin and Mister Merith got into a verbal fight but Mister Merith listened to Mister Yerin and stomped off, very angry! It was quite fun to see their expressions." She giggled a little bit.

I see. Reanth replied with a short nod, swallowing an apple as he did. It was all quite delicious food, and he knew that Tsuya had picked out whatever she could get, but it was still good enough for him. Humans had ways of preparing food that were simply amazing. The conversation about the psychic and the rider didn't mean much to him, and the Princess only vaguely interested him at best when she wasn't nearby. How did you sleep? Any dreams to speak of?

Tsuya blinked a bit then tilted her head as she placed a finger to her lips.
"I did have that dream again, about the dragons and the humand dancing... But this time it ended in sorrow." She pouted a bit, looking at the ground. "Everything froze over, then it was engulfed in flames. A lot of people and dragons died, it was terrible to hear their screams."

A scene flashed across his mind's eye unexpectedly, making him shudder despite how warm the sun was. I see... Despite the initial panic he felt at the vision, Reanth did his best to control his mental voice, for the sake of the girl. It couldn't be possible that the girl was psychic... psychics had a particular flavor to their scent, even the weakest of them. Yet, still... something had to be happening if it could affect him like this. Well, let's not think on it, eh? Would you like to fly around for a bit?

If that was Reanth's attempt to cheer up Tsuya, it did the job. Splendidly. The frown was gone and replaced with a large smile before it could register to her mind. She quickly jumped to her feet, clapping her hands together.
"Really?! Oh yes please please please!!" she hopped on the balls of her feet, obviously excited.

Sukiani was elsewhere, having finally found Tennan. He greeted the older dragon, who had learned how to speak like humans.
"Hello old bag," Sukiani smiled to him. Tennan pulled back his lips, revealing his sharp, jagged teeth in a mock of a human smile.
"Hello dirt," he replied, voice thick and in a heavy vibrato. "So you need me for that girl, hm?"
Sukiani laughed as he sat on a rock beside the dragon, "ah, you know my heart so well. I hope that with your luck the ice around her heart will melt. She is so very darling."
"Merith would be jealous to hear that," Tennan joked as he settled onto his haunches beside Sukiani. Even though he was sitting, he still towered over the human.
"Heh! Your humor still needs to be tuned," Sukiani said.

Reanth bowed his neck down as his body lowered to the stone platform atop the tower where they were. Then come, we shall fly.

---

It was a few hours later, and Sukinai was waiting at the appropriate time and place for Oliea, leaning against a large tree as Tennan lounged on the otherside.

Oliea arrived in a flash of black, moments before the scehduled time. "Hello." She greeted him, bowing her head somewhat respectfully as she straightened herself out, icy hair swaying slightly from an unseen breeze. Somewhere between the meeting she had attended with Yerin and arriving here, she'd managed to change her clothes into a set of finer garments, these ones not so apt for hiding blades on. She wore a black silk dress of a style rather popular to the chinese cultures of that far eastern land. It was slim, form fitting, as always, and had slits cut up on either side til only a few inches below Oliea's waist, giving her th ability to move in the dress far more easily than would normally be allowed. Even in the dress, she wore her cloak over her shoulders and, as it settled, it concealed most of her body from view. "Shall we be going, then?" It wasn't like her to waste time with introductions for the second time in a day, and she ran on a strict schedule, as always.

Sukiani's eyebrows arched as he didn't hide his roaming eyes. Not to say that the view wasn't appreciated, but it did strike him odd that she would be wearing such an outfit.
"So we're going to find your boyfriend?" he ventured, recalling what he had gathered not only from Yerin's talk but from his mind earlier. He was also hoping to get some info on the rather scanty, if not appealing, outfit. Beside him, Tannen snorted air from his snout as he shook his head.

"No." She stated simply, a bit bothered by the assumptions people always seemed to make about her, at least when she was practically forced to explain to them the truth. "Master Yerin simply wished that I..." the young girl paused and changed her voice slightly, imitating Yerin's voice quite well, albeit with a feminine ring to it "Should make our guest and Sukiani feel as comfortable and appreciated as possible." With that explanation out of the way, she turned towards the dragon a bit more. "Now, may we go?"

Sukiani laughed at this, leaning forward slightly.
"So the reason why you are wearing such lovely clothes is because Yerin demanded it? Ah, such a nice young lady you are," he chuckled at this, shaking his head. "Do you enjoy wearing that?"
Tennan didn't say anything as he shifted his massive body slightly, wanting to leave.

She looked up at him, directing her harsh gaze into his. "I do not mind it, if that's what you mean."

"No, I mean do you enjoy wearing it?" he smiled to her. "Does it please you to wear that?"

"Waht would please me, rider Sukiani, is if we could get going on this flight." Her tone was becoming more an more impatient, idle chit-chat was such a bother, especially when she had something that needed her attention, like the matter at hand. "So, if you wouldn't mind... take me now, or I'll find a rider who's willing to."

"It's just Sukiani, Oliea. No need for titles or other such frivilous things," he waved his hand carelessly. "Very well, where are we heading to?"

Oliea started towards the dragon gracefully. "We're to look around the kingdom, so a sweep of the border would be best." Her hips swayed naturally as she walked, something she didn't bother controlling because of her lack for what other's thought of her. "And the sooner, the better."

Tennan looked over to Sukiani who just simply shrugged with a smile.
"Alright, so around the borders it is," Sukiani replied as Tennan lowered his neck to them. Sukiani bowed slightly, extending his arm for Oliea to board first.

Without hesitation, she lept onot the dragon's back, settling herself behind the rider's position, legs both off to one side, which was the way she rode anything while in a dress or skirt. She had been told it was 'proper' by several people, including all the former psychics, which, to her, meant it must be true.

Sukiani hopped on as well. He grinned over his shoulder at her. "You'll have to hold onto me not to fall off. Sure you do not want to change into something more comfortable?"

"Sukiani. If you waste one more moment of my time with useless banter, I will find someone else who is capable of performing simple tasks." Her voice had turned into the same shade as her hair. Crisp, white, and cold to imagine.

He didn't mind in the least. He honestly was attracted to her and anything about her. The man only shrugged.
"Merely thinking of you, Oliea. Very well then, Tennan, if you would do the honors."
The dragon nodded as he crouched low, then leapt into the air. The force of him moving made Sukiani and Oliea press into his scales briefly for a moment. But Sukiani was used to it and had preped his body for the impact.
Once airborne, the castle looked very peaceful. Sukiani noted that Merith and Disturbia were near the outer edges, close to the forest. He frowned a bit, but didn't comment as he glanced over his shoulder to Oliea.

Oliea wasn't paying him any attention, her arms wrapped around his waist for support, and nothing more. Eyes, trained to pick out every detail, were already scanning the landscape below, looking for traces of lone figures near the horizon. "To the east, first." She commanded, knowing that was the direction the man should've been coming from.

Sukiani smirked a bit as he patted her arm, "ah, by the way, who exactly are we looking for?" Tennan banked to the east, eyes also cast around the area.

"A man from Neyrk, a kingdom far to the east which we received word from months ago." She said with little care for the talk at hand, making sure to be loud enough to be heard over the winds caused by flying. "He's a psychic a bit weaker than Master Yerin, but he'll be invaluable to us since it will ease the burden on both him, and Master Yerin."

"Don't you mean valuable?" Sukiani asked as he turned his head to look at her more. "Oliea, why not simply fly out to Neyrk? Merith and Disturbia are the fasted flyers we have."

"Invaluable." She repeated. "Meaning his value to use with be incalculable. And he distrusts dragons of every kind, as well as people he does not know who don't address him properly."

Sukiani laughed at this, "so how do we bring him to Chico? Tennan can be seen in the skies... Ah, I see now. The shirt. Show him a bit of leg and he'll come crawling, eh?" Sukiani was joking, of course, but he had a leer on his face.

"IF we find him," she said sternly, ignoring his comments "I'll be escorting him to the castle on foot. You can patrol from above if you want, but it'll have to be from a distance." Oliea's gaze had never left the ground, scanning every visible piece of land.

"He'll still see Tennan, but very well m'lady," he nodded, turning back to the front. The man sighed, expanding his torso with the inhale of breath, then letting it fall back into place as he exhaled. Oliea didn't seem to be riled by his comment. He vaguely wondered if she ever saw anything worthwhile past Yerin... Sukiani looked over the side of Tennan's great hide, seeing a flash of white in the forst below. He frowned in thought, wondering if it was an animal.

Oliea spotted the flash as well, her eyes keening in on it for a moment. He wouldn't be stupid enough to wear white... would he? Motioning towards it, she called out to Sukiani. "Let's check down there." It was but a brief hope that it was actually him. "Make sure to land far enough away to not seem hostile."

Sukiani frowned, sharing a few thoughts with Tennan. They remembered how Merith told them and a few others of the dancing figure in white. Tennan rounded the area as Sukiani inquired of Oliea.
"Does he dance?"

The question was so peculiar she thought he must've been kidding, and ignored him on the way down. One of the many reasons Oliea never interacted with most people was their lack of ability to think straight. No one ever seemed any more concerned with important matter than they did with trying to get her into their bed, or away from the table, or simply out of their way. That was why she served the psychics, among several other reasons; they understood the difference between important matters and silly questions.

Tennan stayed in the air, circling where they had seen the white figure. Sukiani waited for her answer, and when it was apparent she wasn't going to give one, shifted a bit to look at her.
"Oliea, does he dance?" he asked again, looking a bit serious.

She looked up at him, a bit startled at the sudden change in attitude. He... wasn't joking? "I wouldn't know..." the young beauty admitted after a short pause. "I've never met him, as I told you. Why do you ask?"

Sukiani faced forward again, making a quick decision with Tennan.
"That isn't him," he said as Tennan banked away and resumed their path. Sukiani's body was tense, rapidly thinking about this.

"Then what was it?" She asked, curious at the rider's sudden change in temperament, and none too pleased with his lack of explanation.

"Confidental," he said with a tone of finality. "Tennan, go due east. If we look in a place situated between Chico and Neyrk then most likely he is there. He knows probably knows of Chico and Yerin for that matter. Figures that we'll pick him up sometime." His entire mannerisms changed, voice stoic and body tense.

"If you won't tell me, I will ask Master Yerin about it." Her voice grew cold again, not liking his manner even more than when he was trying to womanize her. "And we are NOT to go outside of Master Yerin's mental range unless we spot him. Understood?"

"My range is as large as his, so we'll be in a safe distance," Sukiani replied, ignoring her comment of asking Yerin. Yerin didn't seem to take Merith's sighting seriously anyway. His eyes looked around for the man.

Oliea frowned and huffed for a moment, before going back to her work. If it's not one thing, it has to be another, doesn't it? the thought crossed her mind, temporarily making her lose focus on the task at hand.

Interesting, Tennan's voice rang thickly in Sukiani's mind. She has an opinion when you least want one.
Sukiani frowned at this. And I least want one from you as well. Just find the stupid bastard. The sooner the better. I wish to find that dancing figure now that I've seen it for myself. Sukiani replied.

Despite herself, Oliea found herself in an interesting dilemma. she wasn't focusing on the task at hand, but rather musing about relationships. Just one guy... I mean, really. Is it so hard to find one guy who repects me for more than my looks? I know Yerin does, but he's a psychic, so that's more natural for him. Sighing deeply, her eyes even wandered up, looking towards the sky instead. If only I had some gui... Her mind slapped her, ordering her to get back to her job, which she immediately resumed, not even bothering to scold herself for her thoughts. there would be time for the later.

Sukiani could feel Tennan's amusement over Oliea's thoughts, which just seemed to irritate him. The man couldn't exactly see what Oliea was thinking, very much unlike the elder dragon who could preceive thoughts clearly. They kept looking for a while, Sukiani feeling as though they were on a wild goose chase.

Several more minutes past with nothing more than the occasional deer sighting, giving Oliea nothing but dissaproval. There was nothing useful... nothing interesting to note, and, worst of all, no sign of the other psychic. Where... come on...

"We're heading back in a few," Sukiani said, a bit of his usual tone of voice creeping back into his vernacular.

"Very well." She replied, duly taking note of this fact, as well as more details about the ground. It couldn't have taken them... then, she saw a flash of black where no shadows should've been. "Take us down!" she ordered, pointing to the spot. "And, remember, land a ways away."

"Very well," Sukiani said as Tennan made as quick as landing as he could without hurting his two companions or giving them pressure sickness. He landed admist some moss covered rocks, looking around as a flock of birds flew into the air.

With as much celerity and grace as possible for a girl of her stature, Oliea launched herself from the dragon and on top of the rocks. "I'll be back soon enough with news." Where she was standing, even for the brief moment, the sunlight glinted off of her clothing and hair in the just the right way to make her seem angelic. As soon as the image could re recognized, she lept down and headed towards the figure, disappearing from immediate sight.

The image helped settled Sukiani's anger as he looked up at the sky, waiting.

Oliea stopped several yards from the spot she thought she'd seen the figure. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She called out, ready for an attack, just in case.

Sukiani idily waited, ready to spring into action if he heard anything out of the ordinary. Tennan kept a close mind on Oliea's thinking, ready to inform Sukiani if anything would happen.

A figure stepped from the trees slowly, and Oliea could suddenly feel his presence in her mind. Hello there. You're Oliea, the messenger sent to get me, I assume. What took you so long?
A bit taken aback by the sudden intrusion in her mind from someone who wasn't Yerin or a dragon, her light eyes widened temporarily, before she forced control of herself. Yes, I am. She thought back, knowing that he was reading her mind if he was bothering to talk telepathically.
That dragon you came on... he is
Harmless. And he won't be accompanying us if you prefer it. It felt odd to have conversations inside her head with other humans. They had a different presence than dragons, who conversed with her only when they felt it appropriate, and this man was certainly different than Yerin, who was so much like a dragon in some ways.

The Neyrkian psychic stepped out of the shadows, looking as porfessional as one could be after so many days of walking through dangerous territory. His black cloak was darker even than the one Oliea wore, and was embroidered in a dark grey that only accented the black hue even more. His hair was combed back and spiked, giving him the appearance of a rogue hedgehog with a human's body. A strong face, littered with tiny scars showed barely a trace of emotion beyond that of contempt and formality. He wore tall brown boots, both currently mudstained, dark grey trousers, and a matching grey shirt with long sleeves. It was like staring at a nobleman from ancient days, with a bit of a difference given for the hair.
As his emotionless green eyes scanned over Oliea, he shook his head. "Far too young." Come. We shall go. I will even take the dragon, just so long as we get to the castle soon. It was as if he'd gotten the entire idea of communication backwards. He thought out loud instead of in his head, and only seemed to talk through telepathy.

We'll be moving soon. Tennan spoke into Sukiani's mind, having kept a careful watch over the conversation. Sukiani nodded as he stretched.
When we get back, I want to find Merith and see how much of his story is actually true. he mused. Yerin doesn't have a shred of belief in the story, but seeing that flash of white... Perhaps it's just a wolf or something, but I want to investigate.

Oliea and the psychic, whose name was Jurig, arrived back at Tennan's side in less than three minutes, after a fairly silent sprint back. Upon arrival, Jurig stopped and eyed the dragon suspiciously. "I suppose it's the only way... filthy beasts." The moment his outer thinking was done, his words cut into Sukiani's mind. You're the rider, I assume. I hope you know enough to get me safely back to the castle without getting killed. "Can't be too careful with people who trust dragons."

Having only caught the thoughts before and after the conversation, Oliea tried to piece it together in her mind, just in case it was important. While doing so, she stood, ready and waiting to help the psychic up onto Tennan's back.

Sukiani grinned at the way the man functioned as he bowed his head to him.
It's a pleasure to meet you sir, he thought respectfully. I am Sukiani, nothing more but a humble servant in your presense and an escort for this lovely young lady. Is she not the very essence of beauty? He knew he was probably being too chatty, but he didn't really give it a thought.
Tennan didn't like being called filthy, but knew that some humans still had trouble accepting his kind. He could understand why, but still. Just because their scales tend to collect more dirt...

She's fair enough. He communicated back, shrugging as Oliea helped him on, then took her place behind the psychic. She's too young though. Now, the sooner this is over, the better.

Young is such a relative term nowadays. Should we stick to the past when young was a child or adapt the ways from before then when young meant an adult? Especially in this world that represents the old past more so than the recent past. As Sukiani conversed with the elder man, Tennan took off as fast as possible with three humans, which wasn't much of an improvement from before as he had to be careful for their sakes.

"Hmph. Impudent rider..." The word can mean whatever you like it to. It still means what it means to me. Jurig told him, not caring much for conversation, much less conversation with a dragonrider.

Oliea didn't bother listening to the random remarks that the new psychic made, because she was slightly busy with her own thoughts. Now that her mission was complete, and that the only thing to do was to report back to Yerin's side, she found herself contemplating love and relationships once more. It was all so... complex, and frustrating.

Sukiani chuckled at this. Very well. So what business have you in Chico? If I may be so rude as to ask. Sukiani was slightly interested in why they had to go out and fetch someone. Sure, Oliea gave him an answer, but he wanted to feel this guy out and decide for himself if Oliea had told him the truth or a lie Yerin had her speak.

"He truly is a dolt... isn't he?" Jurig spoke aloud, shaking his head as he replied. I am here to become one of the castle's psychics. Since your castle lost two, mine was generous enough to nominate me to come and help. It bothered the psychic that this rider would speak to him so freely, but, such was the nature of those who thought they were priveleged.

Freely giving answers also instigated something to Sukiani as he nodded, chuckling at the term 'dolt'. He hadn't heard that term in a long time.
Then I wonder if we'll receive a second pyshic... Though I am wondering why you were out in the wilderness as opposed to a convoy coming to receive you. You must think us rude. Chico loomed in the distance and Tennan was all the more willing to get there quickly.

No. I didn't expect much from a castle like this. You're not all that grand, after all. Besides, the psychic thought back, getting tired of the rider's ceaseless blathering I preferred the solitude. It's less obvious to dragonkind, in general.

Oliea sighed deeply and shook her head, ridding herself of her unwelcome thoughts. They'd be back home soon enough, and she needed to make sure she was composed enough to do whatever was necessary when they arrived.

Sukiani either pretended not to pick up on the psychic's weariness of the coversation or honestly didn't realize. He continued to talk.
Well, it's straight up ahead and you'll see how a fine city we've become. We may not be like Neyrk but I feel we make do. Sukiani's eyes roamed the ground, spotting Merith and Disturbia near the castle's protective wall again. He'd figure to check on them later as Tennan circled the castle and landed near the entrance.

Yes, yes. If you say so. Jurig replied, sighing deeply as he did. "Does this man not understand his own stupidity?"

Sukiani couldn't help it. He laughed outloud as he dismounted off of Tennan. Landing on the ground, he had to use the dragon's leg for support as he held a hand around his stomach.

Oliea dropped down and helped Jurig off as well, before letting him basically run off inside. It seemed he didn't really need, or want, her company. Taking that as her cue, she bowed slightly to Sukiani. "Thank you for your time, Sukiani." And, with that, she took her time walking off, for some reason not in as much of a hurry as she thought she'd be.

Tennan noted how hurried Jurig was but also noted how Oliea took her time. He nudged Sukiani's mind as Sukiani quickly looked up to speak in a tone loud enough for her to hear, albeit through his laughing.
"It-It was my pleasure, miss!"

When Oliea arrived back at Yerin's side, she bowed and reported what she knew he already knew. "The new psychic is here."

Yerin nodded to her and smiled. "That's good. How is he? How was the trip?" Unlike so many people, Yerin was always genuinely interested in what people had to say... just so long as they had something to say.

"Damn," Sukiani cursed as he stretched with a grin. Guess it wasn't for me then, eh?
Perhaps next time. If you continue to pester her like an annoying baby, Tennan said to him. Sukiani laughed as he patted his friend's scaley hide.
"I'll see you around. I'm going to find out what's up with Merith and get more on that white dancing figure. Perhaps you could check around?" he asked. Tennan gave a nod as he took to the skies.

They conversed for a while about all that had occured while they walked upstairs to Yerin's room, where he could sit down and take in all the information, as well as allow them a place to not be disturbed. "I see..." Yerin said as she finished her report, then he glanced up at her. "And yes, you may go change if you please."

---

The next day started like any other. Aside from the buzz of having a new psychic, not much seemed to go along. Sukiani was strangely absent from breakfast, though Merith was not-so-strangely missing.

Yerin yawned as he ate breakfast, mentally searching out the two missing riders, since it WAS his job to keep track of everything still, until he could properly assess and sort of the jobs that Jurig would handle.

Sukiani and Merith were outside, walking around the perimeter. Sukiani immediately picked up on Yerin's mind.
Good morning Yerin, he greeted him.

Good morning. Might I ask why you both are so far off and not eating breakfast? He replied, focusing a bit on them so as to not use as much energy.

Oh, I've already had my breakfast. The cooks were very nice in allowing me to eat early. Merith is his usual and eats just what he requires. Yerin, I must say, I find your obsessiveness with breakfast quite unsettling. Did something happen when you were young? Sukiani tried for joking as he smirked. Merith gave the man an odd look before figuring out that he was talking to Yerin.

You're lucky that my creed won't allow me to use my powers to hurt those I am sworn to protect. Yerin's mental voice was not in as good of a mood as Sukiani's. Now, will you answer the other part of my question, and inform Merith that he won't be participating in tonight's training excerise, and more if I hear about him skipping more meals.

Sukiani laughed outloud. Calm Yerin, it's a beautiful morning. And we have news of something quite peculiar. Perhaps the newly established psychic can be of help. Any time in the near future will you be available?

He sighed and shook his head, not liking conversing with either of the two. They always had to make his life so difficult. Sukiani. If you won't give me a straight answer I will mentally raid you to find it myself. I'll be available right after breakfast, now inform me as to what it is.

It would be unfair to Merith. After all, he was the one who found her. Sukiani knew that he was being a pain, but honestly, he couldn't help it. He enjoyed talking in riddles and purposefully being misleading. As extra insurance, his mind was thinking nothing but Oliea at the moment, as a blockade against Yerin's mental probing.

Sukiani... I am so going to think of a way to punish you while I finish breakfast. I'll be there when I'm done, and it had BETTER be good. He sighed, cutting the link and looking down at the food before him. "I swear... what did I do to deserve them?" His voice was just a low whisper, becaus he didn't want to be heard. After a moment he started eating, and smiled, greeting those who came up to him, as always.

Jurig, meanwhile, was eating carefully, as though he completely distrusted the food, and everyone around him. It wasn't surprising, since he was in a brand new place, and everything.

Sukiani busted out laughing, "he is so going to think of a way to punish me! Ah, that Yerin. Such a jest..."
"You'll deserve whatever he gives you," Merith replied in his usual growl. Sukiani only grinned to him.
"And you think he's fond of you? I could feel the hatred he has for us pouring from his mind. We're lucky we do damn good jobs at protecting this place, otherwise we wouldn't be so far up in the ranks."
Merith just grumbled as he looked away, eyes cast over to the forest once again. Sukiani smiled at this, watching Merith out of the corner of his eye.
"You're thinking about your parents again, hm? And how they probably had great lives before all of this."
Merith shot Sukiani a look, "they did have great lives. My father was a war hero. I learned everything I needed from him. Not from some mind-reading controller."
Sukiani busted out laughing as he slapped Merith's back, "that's the spirit! Vent out, don't keep it all in! Tell me how irritated you are with Yerin!"
Merith clenched his teeth, giving Sukiani a glare. "He is my leader, I have nothing to vent about."
"Sure you don't," Sukiani tsked at him. "You need to learn how to be more free-willed and open-minded. This isn't exactly the military that your father grew up in. You keep pretending this is, but it isn't."
"Silence," Merith hissed at him, eyes glaring forward and Sukiani knew him well enough that he wouldn't speak anymore.

Nearly half an hour later, Yerin headed out towards the two mental blips that were still far enough out to be a good walk. He left Jurig to keep mental checks and complete track of everything while he was gone. Jurig didn't have near as much range or capability as Yerin, but he had enough to do what was needed in the spots Yerin would be unable to reach from where he was going. Oliea had been ordered to assist the new psychic in any way she could, even though they both knew that probably wouldn't mean much. He'd had another reason for leaving her behind though.
After another ten minutes, he arrived at the spot where Sukiani and Merith were waiting. "Alright. I'm here. What exactly is it that you two are talking about?"

Merith looked over at him, straight and stiff as always.
"That white figure," he said plainly. Sukiani waited a moment, then elaborated.
"He feels that it's suspicious and a possible threat. He and Disturbia have seen it. And on our way to pick up your friend, Oliea, myself, and Tennan saw it as well." Sukiani smiled to Yerin as he leaned forward, purposefully whispering aloud, "just humor him. You know how stubborn he gets."
Merith gave Sukiani a cold glare.

"It's not as if I ever said I didn't, just that he should eat." Yerin said back, as calmly as possible. "Oliea also informed me that you, Sukiani," he turned to face the first rider more fully "Spotted this white figure and then proceeded to tell her it was nothing without investigating it at all, is that correct?" For people who seemed so insistent on getting him out there, they had apparently not done much in the ways of research.

"She neglected to mention that she didn't persist in the endeavor of finding it out," Sukiani replied with a smile. "Thus making her as guilty as I. Now then, to the matter of what Merith had discovered." He looked over to his friend who just turned and pointed to the forest.
"There is a cave that leads incredibly deep underground. There are tunnels that split from the main tunnel. I did not explore them because there is a heavy amount of roots and debris."

"Firstly," Yerin stated, feeling that Oliea's good name needed to be defended, especially after what he'd heard. "You were the one who had an idea of what it was, and you were the one controlling the dragon. So she is has little fault in the matter. Secondly," now that he was done with that, he let his tone calm a bit, "Is that why I'm here? To help explore the caves?"

She could've stopped me if she really wanted to, Sukiani didn't bother to hide that thought as he smiled to Yerin as Merith spoke.
"From what I've seen there are two options with them. Either the enemy is using them or we can utilize them next time we are under attack," he looked over to Yerin. "The entrance is very hard to find but Disturbia knows exactly where it is. If the enemy has found it, then they could attack us at any time without warning."

"Assuming it was only cloaked dragons, yes. But how did we never find this cave before now? I've been here all my life, and we've done thurough scans before..." Wheels turned in his head, clicking ideas into place. "You have done well in finding it. Let's check it out now, before anything else unexpected happens." As he spoke, he sent a mental message to several different groups, ones that he knew he could count on. Come to the location I'm sending you... if we need help, you'll be the ones I'll need.

Merith hesitated before stating in a rather awkward, uncharacistic voice for himself, "it was that dancing figure... She led us to it."
Sukiani sent his own little message to Tennan to get Disturbia to them.

"Then it's not likely to be used as a spot for an attack." Yerin replied, nodding to himself at the notion. His mind had switched into a more tactical mindset. "If whoever it is has led us here, they're a psychic because I've never sensed them, and leading us here means it's either a trap, or they want to talk. Either way..." there was a pause as he reconsidered what he was doing "Are you two willing to take the risk?"

Merith had doubts about the figure. He didn't trust it one bit, the reason as to why he was hardly eating to ensure that he was at his mind's best. He nodded to Yerin.
"Of course," he replied almost automatically. Sukiani grinned to his leader.
"Anything for Chico, Yerin," he said easily.

Yerin nodded a bit. "Then once the dragons get here we'll head in. One of your and your dragon will take point. The other from the rear." He knew he was protecting himself in this manner, but Chico couldn't afford to lose their psychic, and they could fight a lot better than him anyways.

"Very well, Merith will take the lead and I'll take the rear. Just 'cause our whittle one fought so hard to find it," Sukiani spoke in a baby voice to Merith with a grin. Merith simply glared at him.
Soon, Disturbia came walking into view while Tennan glided over, landing by them. The two dragons waited by Merith and Sukiani respectively.

Yerin nodded and looked at them, bowing his head slightly in respect. "Disturbia, I understand you found the cave. Would you care to lead us there?" Although he knew that the dragon was very close to Merith, and that she would anyways because of that, showing respect to dragons was simply something that Yerin did on principle. Humans were one thing, and coul vary between disrespectful and respectful at any time. But dragons were helping them merely by being there, betraying their own kind, so they did deserve credit for it.

Disturbia looked at him, ruffling her wings into a more comfortable position. She gave him a small nod back, as dragons normally did not show respect towards humans. But those who felt that the humans deserved to live in peace with them did believe in showing repsect. After all, they might not be equal in strength, but certainly equal in mind.
She led them further into the forest, finally coming onto a sunken hole. She motioned to the sunken hole with her snout as Merith explained.
"In that far corner there, covered by those vines and tree branches is a hole wide enough for smaller dragons to fit through," he said, giving a glance to the much larger Tennan.

The psychic nodded, waiting for them to proceed while he mentally signalled the backup dragons on his location, informing them of all he could.

Merith drew his sword and began to approach, entering into the cavern. It was damp and dark, the ground slick, and the walls covered in dirt and who knew what else. They could hear creatures stirring, mostly bats, in the darkness.
Sukiani waited until everyone else went in, then followed.

Yerin slid in behind the knight and his dragon companion. At first, he shuddered at the sudden temperature drop inside the cave, but quickly regulated himself. He didn't take time to look at the walls, the ceiling, or the bats. His mind was too busy trying to probe deeper into the cave. It certainly was complex... that was for sure.

Yerin would feel like there were hundreds of people around, and yet he would be able to tell that there weren't hundreds of people. Perhaps one or two of them felt real.
Sukiani picked up on a strange feeling as he came in, looking around.
Merith, who had none of that, didn't tell a thing as he stepped further then stopped beside a rather large rock.
"This is the entrance," he said, his voice echoing throughout the large cavern. "I followed it and it lead to a maze of pathways."

While Yerin wanted to be sarcastic in the back of his mind, he resisted the impulse, figuring that, if anyone, that was Sukiani's job. "Hello?" He pulsed out mentally, checking for a response from any of the signals he was getting. It was the first time in his life he'd sensed 'unpeople', just the first time in any number larger than a handful.

Two real people tensed at the noise, immediately wondering if it was the enemy or just a random person. Merith looked over at Yerin in the darkness, his eyes adjusting.
"Sir?"
The majority of the "unpeople" didn't respond but a little bit of them paused only for a moment before resuming their mysterious thoughts. One in particular actually responded back and she didn't seem all that far away.
Hello. echoed back into Yerin's mind.

Yerin locked onto the voice and singled the link for communication. Who are you? His voice was carefully cautious, tinted with a mental edge that his normal voice couldn't give.

Why? she replied. She didn't seem malicious or anything, just simply curious.

I simply wish to know. I do not mean to seem rude if, by chance, I seem that way. Making contact was always the first step, keeping contact needed to be the second, and was the most vital part of it as well.

With the longer contact, he could tell that she was within one of the cave walls. Merith and Sukiani stared at him, wondering what was going on (Merith, at least).
No, you are not rude. The voice said after a moment. I don't know who I am. But who are you?

Yerin stopped, hoping the others would stop as well, for the moment. It was dangerous for him to walk when concentrating on a conversation this much. I am Yerin Ianth, psychic of Chico. Do you at least know how you got here? He decided it was best not to ask too many question at once, lest he confuse or disinterest the voice.

Merith paused as did the rest. Disturbia, however, kept moving forward, poking her nose in places and sniffing. She looked over at Tennan and the two started off in the caves, their more-animal-like eyes already used to the darkness.
We walked, she replied. Where is Chico? Is it nearby?

Chico is the place where we are. You're all underground but... it is here. It was an easy concept, he supposed. Not even those who didn't know where they were could understand that, couldn't they?

"What is going on?" Merith asked Yerin, voice very low at the same time the girl said, So it is above us then? Should we go?

Yes, it's above you but no, you don't have to go. He paused for a moment, speaking aloud in thought instead of in his head. "But what in the world do they do then? What do WE do about them?"