As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, Topaz grew more and more restless. The walls of the rider's quarters were closing in on her--and it only got worse as the days were passing. The young woman was feeling trapped, and like a trapped animal would, had begun to lash out. At least the hopeless feeling that she knew was coming with the ending of the day hadn't set in yet, that was something.

There was one day left. And Topaz was terrified.

As the training got more serious, she only slacked off more. The only thing she disliked more than weapons training (Finn's sword did not fit her, and she refused to use anything else) was the constant speak of 'finding her magic.' Little did they know had she been able to do so at all it would have been a long time ago. Halfing.

Topaz was pacing again, not unlike a trapped wildcat. She needed to get out of her quarters, out of this whole damn castle.

She shot a glance toward the large hollow in the ground-a space for the dragons to curl up. All of the quarters had them, or so she had heard. They weren't supposed to be in the other bonded's rooms. Not that Topaz cared, no one wanted her in their room anyway, hers was just fine. The quarters were oddly beautiful, the ground covered in a thick layer of moss maintained by elven magic. The benefits of Azo. At least she hadn't bonded with the sun dragon, the burns she would have gotten from that would have been painful.

C'mon, we gotta get outta here bud.

She couldn't simply leave, Topaz had tried that. She had been gone for a week, traveling up the Dilling. It was wonderful, finally being out. That was until a certain elven judge had hauled her sorry ass back and forbade the woman from leaving the grounds. Well, after a few choice words were exchanged. Topaz was pretty sure they both had regretted that spat later. Well, maybe not Sanasiliare. The elf seemed to enjoy the arguing more than she should.

Imagine not being able to sit down for what's supposed to be the most exciting day of your life. The little voice in her head whispered. The fact that Topaz was as irritated as she was left her feeling even more resentful. Why did she care so much?

Somehow the red-hilted sword had ended up in her hands. In her frustration, she always seemed to end up coming back to the damn thing. It was a shame no one had listened to her when she had tried to get someone to reforge it to git her hands. Hell, she didn't deserve the thing. It was practically stolen anyway. Without warning, she hurled it at the moss-covered floor. It struck the ground with a soft thud, nothing like the loud crash one would have expected.

Immediately embarrassed by her outburst, Topaz turned toward the door. Let's go check on Flea. All he's done lately is get fat, I need to take him out.

And without another word or glance at her dragon, she made her way out the door and down the hall toward the stables with determination in her stride.

Galladis Verael | M | Re'enalla | Wren, Zeb, Topaz, everyone (ind)

His eyebrows raised at her comment, if only slightly. For the Games? His spirits went down until he heard her second response. "But yes I missed you... more than I would ever like to even admit." So she does care. Does she...? Eyes darting to Wren, she gave a slight nod to him as he pondered whether or not Zeb, you know, loved him. If she cared more than she'd ever admit, then it was likely she did. He'd only ever admit how he felt around her. You know, safety and all.

Turning his mind to the Games, he thought on what it was and how it would be going. He was almost glad that he'd figured out what the Games themselves would be around the same time he did the bonding. It certainly would save a lot of trouble. Wren, how close is it to the Games? In response, Wren gave him a look. "Tomorrow." His mind raced. He'd missed so much time... it made sense for being the next day and all, but he missed getting to watch the riders bond.

Getting to watch Zeb bond.

He wanted to watch her bond the most, seeing as she was his Apprentice, nearly his age, and cared about her. It would've been thrilling, if not endearing, to watch her bond with her metal dragon. I'll have to ask... not now, Wren, but to know what these past few months have been like. She gave him a nod before going into a light sleep. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly missed Zeb's final response.

All he managed to do was stare at her for a long while. His mind was racing, heart beating wildly. Kiss her. He couldn't exactly say what was causing his thoughts to stray so much, but he was affected by the appearance of Zeb before him. She was just standing there, caught between going to tell the others and keep a moment with him. Kiss her. Without even knowing what he was doing, he leaned himself forward.

He could feel Wren judging him, even in her shallow sleep.

Kiss her... As if watching from another body, his right hand reached forward to touch her face. With his thumb, he caressed her cheek, making sure to be gentle. If she really did care about him, he couldn't imagine what she'd been feeling. And so, mind still dazed, he leaned forward and pulled himself to her. Before doing something he knew he'd regret, he gave a gaze at her that was almost soul searching. He took a moment, inches from her face. Two. "Kiss her already, you wimp." Wren snorted at him.

She was certainly feeling loving today.

Even through the doubt in his mind, he finally reached fully forward, bringing his lips to hers and kissed her for a long moment. There was only one thought that crossed his mind though. Does she feel the same? He worriedly pulled away, a slight crease in his forehead at the thought. Did she? He hoped so. Wren was fireworking in his head, dancing and grinning. "Zeb and Addis! Addis and Zeb! And Wren! And Cathix!" Excitement was rolling off of her in waves, and as far as he knew, she was remaining quiet to keep the moment.

He remained close to Zeb for another few moments, letting himself breathe her in. We've never been this close before. After contemplating her possible anger, he returned to his previous position as lying down on the bed. He propped himself up and studied her. "I apologize if that was too forward. I..." It took him a long time to figure out what to say. Strange. He wasn't usually this... slow. He was likely in shock from what had just happened. Eventually, he just gave up trying to explain himself.

"Could you stay a little longer?"

He just wanted this moment, alone, with her. It wasn't likely something they'd get in the next few days, if at all. They'd either be interrupted, found out, or busy. Something told him to not let the moment pass- it'd be something he treasured for years later, his first real show of emotions for the... second love of his life. Third, counting Topaz.

And that was another thing- would she care that he'd already been with someone? That he had a daughter? Topaz. A pang of sadness hit him, upset at missing the time he could've spent with her. Ten years he'd gone without his little girl in his life, and the first time he saw her again she hated him. Would she ever forgive him? I've missed so much time to make up with her.

He sighed.

This was his moment with Zeb. Not Topaz... he could pull her aside later. He wanted to show her that he could be the father she deserved, even if he didn't deserve her forgiveness. If only I could show her I left to protect them. The sadness showed on his face, and he had a hard time even just showing Zeb. "Be strong, Addis. She is family. She will forgive." Wren came closer, resting her head in his lap.

He stroked her scales wordlessly, wishing only to be able to make it up to her. Of the three women in my life, only two love me. There was Wren, of course. Zeb... Zeb was still conflicted, he knew, but he thought she did care about him. It was only his daughter who hated him. And it was for leaving her, that he knew. There was no way she'd ever forget that, and no way he'd ever forgive himself for letting her grow up without him in her life.

He didn't know who he was truly talking to as he spoke an apology under his breath.

Sol Saanvi Dayal | F | Bonded: Salacia| M: Salacia, Sana, Howl, Orrian

"Don't let it get to your head, hotshot," she snarked back, feigning exasperation, even as a small smile crept onto her face.

Sana's approach caught her off guard, but there wasn't any reaction - just cool nonchalance, a face that was simply unruffled, little else. Her stoicism was instinctual, and it took considerable effort to let herself break down a little more. Then again, it was Orrian and Sana, two she had grown closer to that most, even if it didn't always... show. Traditional displays of affection was a closely guarded thing for Sol, almost always reserved to never appear, just like her magic. How fitting.

Well, she certainly didn't actively avoid the two, so that counted for something, probably. Maybe. Hell, she wasn't too well-versed in friendships. Must be what sitting in a dark room and staring at the wall all day gets you. That was a regular pastime for her - that, or a grand exodus in search of a near-death adrenaline rush, take your pick. Both were extremely healthy options, of course - no wonder she had been cursed into this competition for a crown she didn't want, nor deserved to have. Even so, in these past three months, Salacia had been a help, someone to keep her from doing anything too stupid. There were moments, like these, that she felt alive, even. Still, she slipped back into that depressing sort of void too often, but she did her best to project a different image, only for the sake of herself, no one else. She could hardly care if they judged her for missing meals, or sleeping through a day. She doubted they noticed, which was prefferable to, say, some overly nosy and concerned bystander dragging her off to some sort of magical witchcraft therapy.

She should be honored if someone cared enough to even pick that sort of thing up - but the only thing she would be honored for was if someone granted her, oh, say, a few pounds firae and a ticket out of the competition.

She snorted at Sana's expression towards Orrian - Sol found their relationship, or lack of it, it far too entertaining. She raised a mockingly judgemental eyebrow at Orrian, a promise to tease him later about it, and Sana. A wiser person may avoid poking a seven-foot-something bear for the thrill of it, but hell, she only had a life to lose. Or possibly a few front teeth, if she was lucky - bloodied mouths and gap-toothed smiles should be in style, one of these... decades. And who better to break a nose two than a woman who was practically a tree? A tree who could fluster her fellow trees, which was something Sol was fairly sure she was not capable of in any sort of way.

"Oh, thank you for that reassurment," she remarked, rolling her eyes a bit, even though a small smile crossed her face. Sana was... well, Sana. Impossibly tall, fun to be with, admittedly, and of course, always blessed with her witchcraft or whatever. Always had her magic. And I always had some sort of self-imposed death wish and insane luck to compensate. Match made in heaven.

"No idea - never met my father. His name was Kurion, if my mother's drunk rambling is a reliable source." She rarely was drunk, and as far as Sol knew, she avoided alcohol the way death seemed to evade her, no matter how many times it decided to pop it's head in. It was twice she had downed one too many shots of whiskey, and both times, a certain Kurion was mentioned. "He ran off. Hell, I don't even think it was... a willing sort of thing, him and my mother. If you ever run into him, do me a favor and punch him in the face," she offered, all unbothered composure. She shouldn't care anything for her father - actually, he was now degraded to Mother's throw-away trash, who happened to be responsible for half of my blasted creation. MTAT, for short.

Sol snorted a little at Orrian, raising a challenging eyebrow. Drawing herself to her full, five foot something height, she lifted her chin. "That's hardly fair, sir," she mocked, approaching with an easy surety, until she was close enough to, say, dump a particular elf into a particular pond. And then blame it on the wind, obviously, because the total lack of breeze would certainly help her case. As if she would ever lay a finger on a fellow contestant. Oh no, she was sure there was some sort of legal sabatoge there, but to hell with it. If they pressed charges, that was just a convinient way out for her.

"I'm not sorry," she offered, with an almost mischievous smile edging onto her features at the last moment, before kicking a leg out, sweeping out his own feet from beneath him, and shoving him unceremoniously into the pond.

Cathix|NB|Bonded to Zeb|Mentions: Zeb, Galladis, Wren

It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky, the perfect temperature, and the air was filled with birdsong and the smell of growing things. However, as this was the nth such beautiful day in a row Cathix had spent sitting outside of the medical tent, its charm had begun rapidly wearing off. It didn’t help that the humanoids that frequented the tent no longer seemed to watch Cathix with the deference that was due to a dragon, even if all they had seen Cathix do recently was sit, nap, stretch, and occasionally pace. Oh, if they could only see me during training, Cathix thought wistfully. Impressive as the dragon was simply sitting still, in action they were heart-stopping, a force that could shatter cities and rend armies. Or I would be, they grumbled silently, if I ever got the chance to actually DO something.

Zeb must have sensed Cathix’s restlessness, as she reached out with the promise to begin training again soon. Momentarily placated, Cathix stopped ripping up the rather sparse clumps of grass that had managed to survive their boredom from the previous days of waiting. They then placed their head on their forelimbs, before closing their eyes and attempting to nap a little more. Cathix didn’t get very far in this process before Zeb’s voice entered their mind once more, accompanied by a rush of excitement and relief. So the Dragonborn returns to us, Cathix mused. They weren’t as thrilled as Zeb was, but Cathix supposed it was better to have Galladis walking around doing things rather than lying motionless all the time.

Cathix heaved themself to their feet rather gracelessly, before poking their head inside the tent flap. It had been weeks since the dragon was small enough to fit their entire body inside the tent, and the patient nearest to the entrance at least had the courtesy to appear startled. Gratified that their appearance still inspired a little astonishment, Cathix switched their lavender gaze over to where Zeb and Galladis were located, just in time to see the two finish touching lips, their faces remaining close together. Panic overtook Cathix, an image of Galladis on the floor and Zeb with him flashing through their mind.

“Someone help them!” Cathix roared, the sound louder than a crash of thunder. “Zeb and Galladis, they’ve been poisoned again! Wren, do something, get an antidote!” Heedless of the destruction it would cause, Cathix shoved their way into the tent, wings knocking bottles off of tables and smashing them underneath massive clawed feet.

Eosear|M|Bonded to Aztiello|Mentions: Aztiello, Topaz, Azo

Eosear was concerned for his bonded. In the weeks since their bonding, Aztiello had become more and more withdrawn, his initial cheery nature fading into something darker. He seemed to spend little time with Eosear, and even less with the other competitors. Aztiello’s appearance had suffered as well, and a strange smell seemed to accompany him most days. Eosear wished that Aztiello would talk to him, because their bond didn’t seem to be strong enough for Eosear to find out on his own. The only thing he could really discern from Aztiello was a sense of loss, a feeling of something missing.

As Aztiello left their room for another of his aimless walks, one stray thought escaped from him: Home. Home? Eosear was confused. Home was this room, no, home was Aztiello and Eosear, together. But, Eosear thought in a burst of realization, maybe Eosear wasn’t enough of a home for Aztiello. Maybe there was something else to this sickness, someone else. Startled by this sudden epiphany, Eosear resolved to find someone to fix Aztiello’s homesickness.

Eosear strode out of his room, not bothering to attempt to conceal himself in case Aztiello was around. Not that he was very good at hiding, his feathers and bright scales were pretty conspicuous. As he entered the hallway of the dragon riders’ quarters, he noticed one of the other riders heading toward the exit. Topaz, he believed her name was. Eosear followed Topaz and her dragon to the stables, a strange place filled with snorting, stinky beasts. In his haste to catch up with them, he didn’t notice that he was leaving, burned, smoking footprints in the straw littering the floor.

“Hey, Azo, wait up!” he called after them. Suddenly, the smell of flames permeated his nostrils. Bronze eyes widened in horror, and he turned around to see small to medium sized flames licking at the wooden stall doors. “Uh, Azo, could I get a little help?” he yelped.

Howl blinked twice at his rider before staring at him. What. the. heck. was. that? It was a very awkward effort from Orrian. He couldn't decide if he wanted to tell Orrian or not, but he decided not to purposefully tell him, even though it had probably already leaked through his bond. He cocked his head, as he watched another female approach them. These two legged creatures were so odd and hard to understand. Why did it matter what they were doing? He supposed it might make sense if you were worried that it would cloud a competitor's judgement later on, otherwise, he didn't understand. Howl sometimes thought it was funny that he was multilingual thanks to Orrian, and he was still a little young one.

Howl cocked his head again at Orrian's blush, and he decided to add something to his head. *Um...has Sanasiliare met me? I would not be around, if you two were doing...that,* he vaguely refered to it, his face slightly disgusted, which didn't really change his facial expression much. *I don't understand why you help her, when we'll be competing against her soon enough,* he grumbled finding something else to complain about. When Orrian leaned against him, he let a little more cold flow out to gently cool him off. He did it without thinking, and was annoyed that he wasted cold on Orrian. He couldn't appreciate it like Howl.

He wasn't sure how he liked that idea. It made sense, and he felt like he was supposed to like the water, but he didn't like feeling soggy. However, being hot was worse, so he made his way over and plopped his butt down with a little splash. One of the things that caused him for a brief moment to respect Sol was the way she didn't blink at Sana's comment. He threatened Orrian to not reveal that mild temporary lapse. Howl had heard something about the possibility of Orrian and Sana being closer, because originally they were both judges. Howl had been wanting to push someone in the lake, as soon as they got close enough.

Heck! He was perfectly capable of tossing them in. He had been about to ask Orrian if it would be okay, because Orrian had a little more people skills than Howl, but Howl didn't want to seem needy, dependent, or like he respected Orrian's opinion, so he didn't fulfill his little desire. Seeing his rider pushed in, gave him a shot of happiness, which he quickly squelched. He peered over Orrian as he was probably spluttering a bit. He didn't think they were supposed to, but according to most of the interactions he had watched, he had enough cause to dump Sol in.

Salacia shouldn't be unhappy about it, because she was a water dragon. He used his tail to flip in Sol, and then he trumpeted his triumph before gazing smugly at the soaking elves. Should Sana join them, or was that too far? He locked his gaze on her hinting at his thoughts.

Re'enalla "Wren" | F | Moon Dragon | Galladis, Zeb, Cathix

Addis! He was awake! And he was happy. The first thing he'd noticed was her, and the second, Zebeythrae. He was happy to see them! She was glad he was awake. For the past few days, she'd been able to feel more of his consciousness, but she had no idea how close he was to waking. Right before the Games, too! He might need to rest a little longer, but Wren didn't think so. From what she could tell, he felt amazing.

She wasn't entirely prepared when he went and kissed Zeb. She knew what kisses were- she'd seen some of them, before- but never from him. All she'd ever seen from him, especially traveling as he did, was sadness. He'd never made time for another relationship. But how clever she was! She predicted he would get together with Zeb... Have many little Zebs and Addises. Inwardly, she was bursting with excitement.

His emotions- they were amazing! She could feel joy, excitement, lots and lots and lots of love, but also... sadness. Trepidation. She did her best to comfort him, head in his lap, letting him stroke her midnight scales. In truth, she was just happy to have him back. He didn't need to prove to her that he could be strong.

She already knew it.

When the group was just starting to relax from the thrill of finding him awake, Cathix had to roar and burst in as if they were all set on fire. Silently, she exchanged a mental remark with Galladis. How fitting, for Zeb to pair with this one. He was confused at it, if only slightly, but that was normal. He hadn't been awake to know more.

Depending on whether or not she could get Cathix to calm down, she might tell him later. "Cathix!" Reaching out in their collective draconic tongue, she forced him backwards by beating her wings in the direction of outside the tent. "Cathix, it's alright." She moved herself to block his advance, calmly watching him through her cloudy crystalline eyes. Maybe she was a little tired... well, a lot tired, but she could still convince the bigger dragon to back off.

Of course she could.

"They are perfectly fine." Moving her head to look over at the pair, Galladis now watching with slight intrigue, she remembered something. The first time Cathix had seen something like that was months ago, back at the bonding. It makes sense why they are afraid. Cathix's appearance had inevitably ripped the tent to shreds, brightening the room nearly tenfold.

She had momentarily felt blinded, making an attempt to keep her head down and away from the sun filtering through. She was used to a little bit by now- but not this much. And, turning her attention back to Cathix, she completed her statement. "What that is happens to be a kiss. It's nothing harmful." She could feel Addis' confusion moving through their bond, mind asking all sorts of questions.

She ignored him.

"It's a show of affection... and, Cathix, tell no one of this." Her expression spoke mountains, or at least she meant it to.