⸻「 Valine 」⸻

Female || Earth Dragon || 106 Years || Mentions: Mircea, Roxanne, Michael Everyone

Her body was tense, her stance was powerful, dangerous. Valine stood tall, asserting dominace towards those who were within her personal space, along with her Rider's. Any who dared to touch that personal space... would certainly lose the treat to ever step in it again.

"Why are you being nice to me?"

Startled, almost forgetting Mircea and herself shared a mind connection, her muscles flinched, but she quickly composed herself.

"Oh Mircea. Dear boy. I am not being nice against my will. I, Valine, have chosen to be kind to you. Respect you. Whether or not you believe it, you deserve my kindness."

As the poor fellow went on, speaking of how he shouldn't have let his feelings and emotions get to him, the Earth Dragon couldn't help btu shake her head. "Mircea, you are human. Not a dragon. Humans, as weird and complicated as you can be, you are still a human. Its not a crime to let your emotions get the better of your. Its not a crime to cry. And its especially, not a crime to be a human."

Unfortunately, it didn't seem her words were helping. Mircea continued to tremble.. it was heart breaking to Valine. What could she do to help? How could she stop it?

Beneath her frills, she could hear Mircea mumble something.. .something to the effect of, "loud". Was it too loud?

Slowly, the dragoness sat down onto her rump, curling her tail inside of her frills, wrapping her tail around Mircea. It didn't take an expert to know, this poor human was in the middle of some sort of internal attack. Valine wasn't skilled in the studies of human health.. but she knew, he needed to calm down sooner rather than later. Or this could result in horrible issues..

This angered Valine.

Oh. It did more than anger Valine.

It made her blood boil.

Her gaze landed upon some unfortunate, pathetic boy. The one that was seen with Mircea before all of this. What was his name? Oh right. She didn't care.

The dragon's eyes were fixated upon the boy, her eyes filled with nothing but absolute hatred and an instant lust for blood. Her scaled lips curled upwards, revealing a row of horribly sharp pearly whites. A deep growl emenated up from the dragon's lungs, mentioned, and directly towards the boy.

Then.. then some woman had the audacity to walk up to them. Valine was about to stand upwards, and snap this girl's head clean off, but she soon realized it was his friend. She stopped herself, and kept herself seated, however, she didn't stop growling. If this girl touched a hair on this boy's head the wrong way, Valine would make sure she'd never be able to touch him again.

Valine's eyes were focused on the girl, keeping track of her movements and actions. Then, she began to speak to Mircea, and the vibrations that came off of him slowly faded away, little by little. She was helping him.

The woman questioned Mircea, not in a scary or interrogation - type of way.. it seemed to be helping Mircea it seemed. Distracting him? Helping him to focus on something else? That was good. Very good.

"U-Uh, probably get her some food and settle into the dorms. I don't know what she likes to eat though..."

"I love many things... charred lamb chop is certainly one of my more favorites. Boils the blood right up, so as we bite into it, it isn't such a mess! Some like feasting from the stomach and up, but I prefer from the head down. The tongue is so small, but is.. so tasty.. like a piece of candy to you human! .... I am now hungry."

As the two spoke to one another, succeeding in calming Mircea down, Valine moved her leg out of the way, to give more air to Mircea, her frills no longer hiding him.

It was nice, and Valine smiled.

But of course, nothing nice can last long in reality. Now can it.

Some foolish, moronic Water Dragon thought it was a grand idea to start spewing Riders with either freezing water, or boiling water. And then, they thought it was alright to spew water at her rider. At Mircea.

Valine caught sight of it in time, and shoved the woman out of the way, placing her leg in front of Mircea, her frills spreading out, protecting her Rider the best of her abilities from the cold water. The water splashed up against her armor, and fell to the ground in mere seconds. Cold water resting inbetween her scales and amour. The dragon didn't doubt that Mircea was wet to a certain extent, but she took the brunt of it, which was good.

There was no holding back.

After the Water Dragon had finished his reckless actions, the Earth Dragon stood up, her fangs beared. Her tail swayed, and whipped the air venomously, creating cracking - like sounds. "You foolish, irritable, disgrace for a pest - !" Stopping herself, she glanced over to see a dragon leaving their rider near Valine, and she snorted.

Do I look like some.. human baby sitter?

It seemed the Air Dragon and another had it covered. Fine by her.

Valine could not,not, stare down at the soaked rider with a completely blank expression. She was silent, until she suddenly asked, "Is the water nice at least?"

Something caught her attention, and it was the Group Dragon and his leader, speaking towards the utter disgrace of a dragon, and then towards the whole group. The air was tense.

So much was happening, that the girl found difficulty concentrating. From what she had gathered side-eyeing everyone, chaos had ensued. Though she was wary of the situation, she was unnmoving, her eyes fixated upon the crouching figure of Mircea. She had positioned herself into a kneel long ago, her legs having grown numb from crouching. That, and because she couldn't hold herself balanced without holding onto something, and Roxanne was too afraid to rest against Mircea's dragon. She could still feel her eyes upon her, to which she intentionally avoided.

"I was thinking of doing that as well, getting food I mean. Dan here mentioned that he was hungry," she spoke, adding onto the conversation. "Perhaps we can go together?" She recommended. "Even ask Barns? Like old times?" Did she feel up to it? Not entirely, though if it helped ease Mircea's nerves, it was a worthy sacrifice.

"Valine is a very pretty name." She had nearly gulped as she said it, risking a quick glance her way as Mircea pointed to her horns. "It suits her. All I gave Dan was my dagger, which he is now going to use as a toothpick." She had focused upon the spike Mircea exposed, raising her hand and tapping it a few times with her knuckle. "It's good material for a dagger. Sturdy."

She had felt relieved upon seeing Mircea smile, and she strained herself to match it with her own. She was even more relieved to see him revert back to himself. Not to mention, it was good that Valine witnessed it. If Mircea had another attack, and Roxanne was not around, at least she knew what to do. A single breath or relief escaped her, that is, until it turned into a hiss upon seeing Barns plopped a few meters away, soaking wet. She had opened her mouth to say something, but wasn't quick enough. Roxanne merely blinked, and suddenly Mircea was hidden behind Valine, while Dan stood in front of her.

She had felt a few droplets of water cascade upon her, dampening strands of her hair and arms, a scowl reforming upon her. Recollecting her thoughts and figuring out what had just happened, she glanced from behind Dan. "Stupid lizard," she uttered beneath her breath. "Not you Dan. You're not stupid," she corrected, patting his arm once more. In Dan she trusted. Thank you, she had added on, using his arm for a moment to pick herself up. "See that, Dan? That dragon is a bad individual. Wetting people for no reason, pah!" Huffing and scoffing, she threw a silent tantrum as she wiped her arms on her clothing. The idiotic creature had even gotten Barns! Truly, what a disgrace.

She would have continued rambling and spewing insults, had Nicodemus not approached. Instead, she observed, watching as he threatened the dragon himself. A wide grin had formed upon her seeing the threats. Serves that dragon right, she spoke to Dan, though her smile slowly vanished upon the mention of death. Well, that was a tad much.

Eh, what did she care. She still had the ride to think about. Oh, woe was her! How was she to not fall off? Sure, Dan said that she wouldn't but what if she just slipped? Maybe.. Maybe she could run and buy some pillows to tape around her. That way, if she fell, she wouldn't break as many things. Hell, did they even need to fly? Maybe Dan could run and simply glide for a few moments. Then again, Roxanne could hardly ride a horse.

Her thoughts were interrupted once more by Nicodemus, who continued on mentioning respect and whatnot. Well, good for him. That was one way to establish it. Using her shirt, she began to dab at Dan's arm in the process of listening to Nico, nodding her head to herself at certain things he said. That dragon was being bad. If he learns to act nicer and apologize, then he can become good. See what I mean? Though.. he'll have to work harder to gain respect. Explaining her earlier thoughts to Dan, it was a good example to use for their earlier conversation.

To put it plainly, he was unfazed.

He had watched the scene unfold before him, not an ounce of care etched anywhere on his face. Rather, he sat upon his haunches, blinking. A part of him was mildly entertained at everything transpiring. Did he make a move to shut it down? No, for he didn't care enough to.

The only thing that had peaked his interest was seeing Mira being beckoned by the leader. Eyes narrowing into slits, a low growl escaped his chest with disapproval as she strode forward, light beaming at full force. Now he was interested. Now he watched, eyes upon her as she made a move before shifting to the water dragon. So much as a cruel word towards her, and Vasuki would make a move. He watched the other male, eyes fixated upon him as his fangs peeked through his agape mouth in warning. A single drop of water, a mere utterance of cruelty towards Mira, that was all Vasuki waited for. The moment he heard or saw anything, there would be one less dragon in the vicinity.

His spikes had protruded through his scales, tails softly rattling before quieting. There would be no need for violence, for the water dragon stood down. Content, Vasuki blew a puff of smoke through his nose, resuming back to normal as if nothing had happened. Smacking his lips, his tongue flickered from his mouth before a sudden realization hit him.

Mira wasn't here.

Mira wasn't here.

A colossal grin twisted on his mouth, his eyes widening as his head slowly turned like an owl towards Rinecess (that was her name, wasn't it? Probably, it was such a mouthful). He had no time for a reaction earlier when she dared.. dared talk back to him, for that was when all the ruckus began. What did he recall her saying again? Oh, yeah.

"If you dare to threaten my lovely finger again, I'll make sure to smack that look right off you-"

Turning his neck towards Rinecess, he moved one of his tails around her waist, forcing her towards him. When she was near, he raised a singular paw, placing it upon her back and patting her three times as if they were all friends. On the fourth time, he wrapped his claws around her shoulders, grasping her. He gripped her tightly. It wasn't enough to draw blood nor pierce her skin, but enough to put an uncomfortable amount of pressure on her.

"You know, I can probably squeeze you until you pop," he uttered nonchalantly, increasing his pressure on her. "It doesn't take long, either. In fact, I could probably do it now before Mira comes back." The idea sparked an interest in him, his grin increasing. Mira was distracted, the leader busy with the water dragon. It was perfect timing. "Of course, the missus would be upset with me. I'd have to do it discreetly, perhaps say you fell off a cliff or drowned." Tilting his head, he examined her. "Or, I can say you simply.. crawled into my mouth." That was a better idea. Actually, it was a very good one.

Why not, she was small enough.

A single tail wrapped around her waist once more, tightening as he lowered his claws from her shoulders. Increasing the pressure, he slowly lifted her in the air, letting her dangle for a moment. A wicked grin remained upon his face as he unclenched his mouth, expanding his jaw to its full width, like a snake. Lifting her higher, he tilted Rinecess towards his mouth, tightening his grip in case she decided to struggle. Within moments, Rinecess was halfway in his mouth, saliva dripping down the sides of his face. He never did enjoy eating humans, but this was an exception. In fact, this was a very good exception, but ugh, she tasted awful! "Thry nut tu moofe," he gargled out with annoyance, brows furrowing. The thought of her bones scratching his throat simply threw him right off and-

He froze, making eye-contact with Mira. Standing still with Rinecess still in the air and partially in his mouth, his eyes shifted to her, then back to Mira, then back to her. He stood for a few moments, frozen, before slowly spitting her out. Casting a smile in Mira's direction, he lowered Rinecess to the ground with his tail, unwrapped her, and patting her a few times on the head with his tail while making eye contact with Mira. He grinned, as if he were simply joking, and even released a small chuckle, one etched with fear.

"Hah, got you!" He suddenly spoke to Rinecess, a joking tone taking over. "As if I would harm you, friend!" Well, he certainly couldn't now. He'd have to wait. Maybe accidentally bump into Mira during the ride and force Rinecess to fall off, or maybe much later.. Mira would suspect him now and-

His thoughts were put on hold as he heard another dragon approached. Oh, god, it was Mira, wasn't it! She was going to kill him and.. and.. Oh, whew, it was Caeli. A large sigh escaped him, his head nodding in her direction. "By all means, hide away," he responded to her, casting Rinecess a glare before focusing back onto the air dragon. His interests instantly peaked when she mentioned collecting. "Oh, did I ever find some neat items!" He suddenly piped up, turning to face his friend, tail nearly whacking Rinecess in the process.

This is Caeli the air dragon. She's very nice, he spoke to Vivienne, introducing his friend before glancing to her. "I found a gold ring. It doesn't fit me, so it's rather useless. Hmm.. what else.. what else," he spoke, tapping a claw to his chin. "Ah! An amethyst, but I gave it to my rider. There was also this white pebble that was quite lovely, but I can't seem to find it." He'd have to show Caeli later. Like him, she enjoyed collecting trinkets. She was one of the few that he didn't mind touching his belongings, for she always handled it with care. She had yet to drop or scratch one. Then.. then Vasuki would cut her off, but for now, she was responsible enough to touch them. Maybe even hold them at times.

"Hm?" He suddenly asked when she spoke next. "You're all of the above, Caeli, whatever do you mean. Don't think so negatively of yourself. You're very special." He had frowned when she spoke ill about herself, disliking when others did that. That's not how he saw his friends, so it hurt him to hear that.

He had nodded her to when she mentioned finding her rider, Lira. "Have a safe flight. Find me later so I can show you what I found!" He called after her as she began to depart, lifting a paw to wave her off before sitting back onto his haunches with a thump.

"Well, guess it's just you and me, kid. You ready for the flight?" He asked Vivienne, turning towards her.

Deirdre || Fire Dragon || M: Michael, Everyone (Ind)

As the brave folks began asking their questions, Deirdre focused her attention on her rider. Michael was still visibly upset; while his anger seemed to have dissipated for the most part, the root cause of his feelings remained -- the Mircea. Deirdre's brows furrowed as she followed Michael's gaze to the other boy. What exactly was going on between them, she could not tell. Dragons didn't... well, they just had different mannerisms -- at least, the ones she'd been around did. With dragon siblings, such as herself and her sister, and even with young dragonets that were friends, annoying-prodding-turned-short-sparring-sessions were common, if not expected. Perhaps the fragility of mankind was too much for such behaviors.

Deirdre was being blasted with memories, emotions, and overwhelming thoughts through the bond. One particular thought stood out: Michael did not intend to draw so near to the Mircea again. Part of Deirdre was relieved: this meant that she did not need to worry about Michael being harmed by another dragon, and it meant that the Mircea couldn't get upset at him anymore, which also meant that the furious, tall girl would leave Michael's clothes alone. The other part of her was saddened: the Mircea, as annoying and infantile as he came off, was Michael's friend. Or, she assumed so. Either way, and whether or not they were still friends, Deirdre could see that it had hurt Michael. Sure, his actions had been juvenile, but he was -- well, how old was he? Surely not an adult by human standards. Regardless, everyone had their stupid moments. That wasn't a reason to be sad and miserable forever.

Do you need time to yourself, Michael Evans? she asked. If you do, then I will stay out of your sulking -- though you should not let the Mircea's words hurt you for too long. Otherwise, we need to prepare for the ride.

Deirdre had never been gentle. She was not a docile creature, and her protective drives were ones of force and intimidation. She came on strong; she came in hot; she rained down fire. Being gentle was not her strong suit. Deirdre was, however, genuinely trying with Michael. Trying to be nice and firm without stomping on his emotions. He had a right to feel them, after all. Deirdre was just... quicker to get over these sorts of things, she supposed.