Cringes at the awkward barrage of questions, and shoots Ephebe a quick sympathetic glance
Spin catches Krays' reaction, shrugging a 'what? she asked...' look at his roommate.
Spin catches Krays' reaction, shrugging a 'what? she asked...' look at his roommate.
'Phebs' grandmother apparently opened the floodgates, and the questions coming rushing out in rapid fire, "Does a dragon only imprint once? Do all dragons do it, or just your type? Is it the same as love? Ya know, mostly emotional with a side of other stuff? Or is it all biological? Can you imprint on any creature? Does it have to be a creature? Has a dragon ever imprinted on a hunter? Has a dragon ever imprinted on an animal? Like a cat? Does the imprint only happen on living things? Could a dragon imprint on Krays? Or Asch?"
Ryleh had to work hard to suppress a laugh.
"I'll do my best to answer all of those. To begin with, yes, a dragon only imprints once in their lives. No matter how long that life may be. To the best of my knowledge it is only our type that imprints in this way. I can't say why exactly. What I was told is that our race was more prone to being loners than most dragons even and that this somehow helped ensure the perpetuation of the species. It has been fact so long the explanations have become somewhat garbled. While there is a biological component, it is the same as love. Which can be a lot to have dumped on you in an instant. The feelings are no less real even though they appear rapidly. What it is not is voluntary. At some point in a young dragon's life they meet someone who trips that trigger and that's it, the only person they will ever love."
She took a sip of her tea.
"As for the rest, my daughter is the first of our kind to ever imprint on a non-dragon. It seems to be standard now. Which is understandable when the only other living dragons of our kind are close blood relatives. We're still figuring things out. But yes, it has to be a creature. A sentient creature, not an animal. And I am unsure about undead, but I would not think so. I am however outright guessing."
Ephebe tried not to blush too much. She wasn't particularly succeeding.
Spin realizes - again - that he's embarrassing Ephebe. "Ok. Cool. Thanks." he mutters, hoping someone else will take up the conversation.
Spin realizes - again - that he's embarrassing Ephebe. "Ok. Cool. Thanks." he mutters, hoping someone else will take up the conversation.
"You do not need to feel bad about asking questions. I would imagine that is why my granddaughter brought you here. It seems she is still at the blushing and stuttering phase whenever she tries to speak about these things." Ryleh shrugged.
"She will get over it in time. In the meantime, if you ever have any more questions, you may feel free to come and speak to me."
Spin tries his best to lighten the mood, looking over at Ephebe with a half-grin, "So I guess you're stuck with me, then, huh? i'll try not to be too much of a downer."
Spin tries his best to lighten the mood, looking over at Ephebe with a half-grin, "So I guess you're stuck with me, then, huh? i'll try not to be too much of a downer."
Still blushing, Ephebe smiles back. "I guess I am. But I can't imagine you being a downer. I think I've smiled more in the last two days than all last year."
"Sometimes I get so busy fixing the past and the future I totally miss the present," she admitted.
Ryleh smiled. For now at least it looked like she had nothing to worry about. She poured herself another cup of tea.
"Would you like more tea, Krays?"
"I think you two are a great match, personaly. Two of a kind."
Looks at Ryleh, then quickly goes back to sipping tea, then starts as he's addressed by Ryleh
"Umm...yes, Great One. I would! I feel as though I should be serving you though...this doesn't seem right..."
"I think you two are a great match, personaly. Two of a kind."
Looks at Ryleh, then quickly goes back to sipping tea, then starts as he's addressed by Ryleh
"Umm...yes, Great One. I would! I feel as though I should be serving you though...this doesn't seem right..."
"There are no servants among us," she said as she poured another cup of tea for Krays. "This was part of our contention with the other dragons. Whether you are controlling harshly or benevolently, it is still control. We believe that the other races can govern themselves. Even kobolds," she added with a wry smile.
"The other dragons saw this as weakness I'm sure. Pity."
He seems to get lost in thought
"Kobold clan structure isn't the pinnacle of social structure, but it works. For most, anyway..."
Looks back to Ryleh
"Servitor or no, it is still an honor to meet you, Great One."
He's quiet for a second, then...
"Where do you all...go to fly?"
He's quiet for a second, then...
"Where do you all...go to fly?"
"There is a jungle where there used to be a temple. People believe the area to be cursed so stay away. It was not cursed, but it was the home of an evil being. My son," she added sadly. "He was...broken inside. That's the best I can describe it. He is gone now."
"We go there from time to time to fly. Not nearly often enough for the children. Aananda does not mind because she was raised as a human, and I am used to spending long stretches of time underground. But the children want to stretch their wings."
His eyes light up
"Great! I love flying! Can I go?"
"But the children want to stretch their wings."
His eyes light up
"Great! I love flying! Can I go?"
She chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so."
Spin lights up a bit as well, "Count me in."
She chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so."His eyes light up
"Great! I love flying! Can I go?"
"Wow thanks! I learned a spell that lets me turn into a black dragon for a little while...flying is...amazing..."
Looks at the other two with a dopey kobold smile that says this is the best thing ever
"You can fly too, right Spin?"
"Spin flies quite well. You should have seen him during gym class."
She started fiddling with her cup again.
"I suppose this is the best time to bring this up....If she starts yelling, feel free to wait for me in the hallway."
She took a deep breath. "Obviously Mom told you that these guys know the truth....I've told six people. And I told Taron and Jimmy to tell their closest friends too. I know they don't have to. It's..it's not paranoia about the Hunter. I...we can't keep hiding. That's why there are so few of us left. Less people would believe the lies if they really knew what dragons were like. I'm not suggesting that we do something like Kam did last term where he just told everyone what he was out of the blue. But I don't think that we can continue to be secret. We need to tell people the truth a little bit at a time. We can't keep hiding."
"But how is that supposed to be helpful? Sitting there in one spot always made my mind wander it never could sit still though." Asch says as he pulls a large chest from midair and drops it to the ground. "Even if I go to meditation I've already missed today's class. So now the only thing to do is get ready for the hunt tonight." He says as he pulls out different boxes of bullets from the chest along with a couple of other items.
Nasima looks at Amada, but the succubus is busy with other things. She smiles a little sadly at both their backs. "Well, no, Deep Meditation was this morning. There's still the afternoon 101 class, but it looks like you've already made up your mind not to go." She says this not as a taunt, but simply as an observation.
"Here Sima take this." He says as he tosses a sheathed dagger to her.
"Buh? Wha, whoa, whoa!" the sylph juggles the thing a bit before finally catching it.
"Its just in case and the main part of it is it has an enchantment that will protect you. I know you said you couldn't imagine hurting someone but if someone wants to hurt you at least this dagger will try to stop them."
"Er, thanks! Asch. Um." She holds the dagger as if it were a dead fish of advanced age. "I..." She thinks for a moment or two, glancing at the dhampir and then back at the dagger, and seems to arrive at a decision.
The blade glows a light green when drawn. Inscribed along the hilt is the word 'Fate' in what ever language is Sima's native language.
Gingerly, and obviously terrified of both Asch and Amada, Nasima sets the dagger down on a nearby surface. "Thanks so much, Asch, I really mean it. It means a lot to me that you'd seek to help protect me. But I'm not the one who's really in danger, and...and I'm sorry, but accepting that weapon would imply a lot of things I don't want people to be able to infer. It would be a compromise that I don't ever want to make, especially not now, when I'm so young, still. Even owning a weapon, even a ceremonial one or one given as a gift...even that is a compromise of certain principles that with every day that passes here I'm more and more certain I believe in."
She takes a couple steps back. "I know we don't see eye-to-eye on this, and I really hope you're not offended..."
She gulps ...especially since you have guns and swords and spells and teeth and who-knows-what else...
"...but I just can't do it. If...if you have other, um, jewelry, or something, maybe, that aids in protection, I'll certainly wear that, but I just can't have a weapon. At all."
"I'm real sorry."
Hearing footsteps, 'Sima turns to spot Fei striding by. "Hey, look, I'm gonna catch up with Fei, alright? I'll see you guys for dinner? Okay? Have fun prepping!" With that, she rushes out after the monk.
Nasima jogs lightly down the hall, self-consciously tugging up one arm warmer as she does so. Her hair fans out behind her and lets little bits of itself break off, leaving a trail of cirrus clouds behind that start clustering together and forming a white carpet up towards the ceiling, gently obscuring the overhead lights.
"Fei! Hey, Fei! Wait up!"
Nasima jogs lightly down the hall, self-consciously tugging up one arm warmer as she does so. Her hair fans out behind her and lets little bits of itself break off, leaving a trail of cirrus clouds behind that start clustering together and forming a white carpet up towards the ceiling, gently obscuring the overhead lights.
"Fei! Hey, Fei! Wait up!"
Fei stops and turns around, and politely waits for Nasima to catch up - giving her a quick bow when she does.
"Hello."
"Hi! Hey, so, I have a question. Are you supposed to 'not do violence' or whatever it was you said earlier by your choice, or someone else's?" She looks back over her shoulder, but there is nothing there. She gives a small shiver, but does not seem at all distressed.
Ryleh's eyes changed to their draconic appearance.
"And exactly what made you think that decision was yours to make?" she said, angrily.
Goes back to quietly sipping his tea with a semi smug look on his face, as if this is the behavior he expected. He shoots Spin a look that says 'See?!'
Ryleh's eyes changed to their draconic appearance.
"And exactly what made you think that decision was yours to make?" she said, angrily.
"It's not just my choice! The problem is we're all doing it anyway. I'm just the one saying we need to acknowledge it. We can't keep doing the same thing and expecting to get different results. Trust me, that never works," she shot back.
"Hi! Hey, so, I have a question. Are you supposed to 'not do violence' or whatever it was you said earlier by your choice, or someone else's?" She looks back over her shoulder, but there is nothing there. She gives a small shiver, but does not seem at all distressed.
He seems taken aback by that question for a couple of seconds, then slowly responds.
"It...was a decision made by both the masters of my order and...myself. We...understand that there are occasions where conflict is inevitable - with undead, for example - but in most cases it should not be the first answer to a situation. Or the only one."
"The Order of the Sun Soul is of peace, of new beginnings. We defend those in need, but we do not look for conflict for its own sake. That path leads to...darkness..."
His voice trails off at this point, as if something has interrupted his train of thought.
"It's not just my choice! The problem is we're all doing it anyway. I'm just the one saying we need to acknowledge it. We can't keep doing the same thing and expecting to get different results. Trust me, that never works," she shot back.
"Oh, and you think you're able to judge that?! Not one of you is even an adult yet, by draconic standards, including your mother! But, no, of course you know exactly what is best. The arrogance of youth! Have you really stopped to consider the consequences or are you just thinking about what is best right now?"
"Kobold clan structure isn't the pinnacle of social structure, but it works...."
"It's not just my choice! The problem is we're all doing it anyway. I'm just the one saying we need to acknowledge it. We can't keep doing the same thing and expecting to get different results. Trust me, that never works," she shot back."Oh, and you think you're able to judge that?! Not one of you is even an adult yet, by draconic standards, including your mother! But, no, of course you know exactly what is best. The arrogance of youth! Have you really stopped to consider the consequences or are you just thinking about what is best right now?"
"How dare you say that to me?!" she yelled. "When I'm the one responsible for fixing it when you guys get it wrong?! No matter how many times it takes, because of course I have no idea what I'm talking about, until it's all spinning out of control and then you want to know why I didn't warn you sooner! Well, I'm warning you now. This is what we have to do if we want to survive."
"Oh, yes, the time traveler card. We're all supposed to feel so bad for you. Well maybe if you thought things through you wouldn't have to repeat them so many times."
Ephebe went very still.
"You don't mean that. I know you don't mean that," she said, blinking back tears.
She stood up abruptly.
"We're done discussing this. This is happening whether you like it or not. I was telling you as a courtesy, not asking permission."
She turned and walked blindly out of the room, her vision blurred by unshed tears, not waiting to see if the others were following or not.
Spin stands, not even knowing if he should say anything or not, and turns to follow Ephebe. "Um... nice to meet you." He eyes Krays, making sure his room-mate is coming before he follows Ephebe out.
....
Ephebe stopped and waited in the hallway of the house right before stepping back into the school's corridor and hastily wiped away tears while she waited for Spin and Krays to catch up.
"The Order of the Sun Soul is of peace, of new beginnings. We defend those in need, but we do not look for conflict for its own sake. That path leads to...darkness..."
His voice trails off at this point, as if something has interrupted his train of thought.
Nasima raises her eyebrows and gives Fei a significant look, but he doesn't notice. "...and?" she says, hoping to prod him into finishing.
Taron, having been headed to the cafeteria to get something to eat, notices Ephebe wiping tears away and looks at her surface thoughts. He walks over and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You want me to go in there?" He asks quietly, indicating the hall she just walked out of.
Taron, having been headed to the cafeteria to get something to eat, notices Ephebe wiping tears away and looks at her surface thoughts. He walks over and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You want me to go in there?" He asks quietly, indicating the hall she just walked out of.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea. Grandma's pretty pissed. I told her about the change in strategy, about not hiding anymore. She wasn't really pleased. She...said some pretty nasty things."
She sighed. "At least she was nice to Spin. It's a good thing we talked through that stuff first."
"Well, that could've gone better..." He mutters to himself
"I was wondering if you'd share your reasons for your opposition to Ephebe's plan?" he asks Ryleh, as he stands to leave.
"She obviously has some insights to the repurcussions bad decisions have, and how hard it is to undo them. You've said so yourself. So, why then would you ignore said experience out of hand? Becasue of her age?"
"I'm not sure it's a good idea. Grandma's pretty pissed. I told her about the change in strategy, about not hiding anymore. She wasn't really pleased. She...said some pretty nasty things."
She sighed. "At least she was nice to Spin. It's a good thing we talked through that stuff first."
"See? It's not all bad. She certainly wamred up to Spin faster than Kam. If you want me to I will go see about an apology." He pauses for a moment. "Think of it as a thank you for helping me."
"Well, that could've gone better..." He mutters to himself
"I was wondering if you'd share your reasons for your opposition to Ephebe's plan?" he asks Ryleh, as he stands to leave.
"She obviously has some insights to the repurcussions bad decisions have, and how hard it is to undo them. You've said so yourself. So, why then would you ignore said experience out of hand? Becasue of her age?"
"It's complicated," she said in a clipped tone. "After everything we sacrificed to keep them hidden and safe..." She put her hand in front of her eyes.
"Just go now. And...tell Ephebe I am sorry. I spoke too harshly to her."
Nasima raises her eyebrows and gives Fei a significant look, but he doesn't notice. "...and?" she says, hoping to prod him into finishing."The Order of the Sun Soul is of peace, of new beginnings. We defend those in need, but we do not look for conflict for its own sake. That path leads to...darkness..."
His voice trails off at this point, as if something has interrupted his train of thought.
He blinks.
"...And one should not tread that path. If one takes the time to look...there are always other paths to walk instead."
"And our path to class may bring us there late if we do not continue on soon," he says as he notices the time on a hall clock. (^.^)
"See? It's not all bad. She certainly wamred up to Spin faster than Kam. If you want me to I will go see about an apology." He pauses for a moment. "Think of it as a thank you for helping me.""I'm not sure it's a good idea. Grandma's pretty pissed. I told her about the change in strategy, about not hiding anymore. She wasn't really pleased. She...said some pretty nasty things."
She sighed. "At least she was nice to Spin. It's a good thing we talked through that stuff first."
"Yeah, she seemed to really like him. It helps that he's so likable," she added with a subdued grin. "So is Kam, but...history can be hard to overcome. It's different if you were there. You'll just have to trust me on that. If I didn't have the connection to you that I do I'd have had a hard time accepting him too. But I do and it was a good thing. Really made me stop and rethink my perception of things...I guess that's what Grandma needs now. To stop and rethink her perceptions."
Asch looks at Sima strangely. "Does she think I'd attack her?" He thinks to himself. "Sima that's fine I would never force someone to fight." He says as he takes the dagger back the words flowing back into dark speech. "Here try this then." He says as he pulls a mithrial ring out of the chest with runes encompassing the outside of the ring inlaid with gold small emeralds are set into the ring. "This ring will do the same thing."
"Yeah, she seemed to really like him. It helps that he's so likable," she added with a subdued grin. "So is Kam, but...history can be hard to overcome. It's different if you were there. You'll just have to trust me on that. If I didn't have the connection to you that I do I'd have had a hard time accepting him too. But I do and it was a good thing. Really made me stop and rethink my perception of things...I guess that's what Grandma needs now. To stop and rethink her perceptions."
Taron laughs.
"Don't worry about it them, because she will. You, James, and I are going to change the world in one way or another. She'll need to burrow even deeper if she doesn't want to change with it."
"I was just going to get a snack if you'd care to join me. I'm already done getting ready for tonight. No lasagna, I swear."