"Well. That was educational. Your story checks out. As promised, here is a map. Or more accurately a device that will help you find your location no matter where you are. That was easier than a map, to be honest," she said, handing one of the small crystals to Mazia. "And this is an invitation to tea for your leader at his earliest convenience, which coincidentally will happen to be tomorrow at two," she said, handing the other small crystal to Zanthos. "You are both free to go."
pauses, a moment.
""At his earliest convince" will Probobly, happen to be a lot earlier then tomorrow, even if tea has to wait until tomorrow. Considring Havel is Probobly going to call us back with his armor long before we fly back. And once he finds out what we were up to, he'll likley teleport here in a hurry with elegy. Havel's a lot of things, but..."
zanthos rolls his eyes.
"... Patient isn't really one of them. Timing, however, is always just a little too late to actuslly prevent problems. Hoo. We're going to get an earful for this."
zanthos gets teleported away.
After what no doubt seemed like an eternity, but was actually fifteen minutes, Ryleh returned. She was carrying two small crystals, a large crystalline lens, and a black rod.
"While I am glad that your time here is proving educational, I think we would all prefer to get you on your way as quickly as possible," she said crisply. She slid the smaller crystals inside her sleeve. "Both of these items are for scanning you, in different ways. This," she said, indicating the black rod, "will give me basic medical data that will corroborate your story. Or not. We shall see. This," she said, indicating the large lens, "will show me pieces of your history. Not in depth of course. That would take more time. But enough to confirm or disprove your story. Should you prove to be telling the truth, you will be given a map and an invitation to tea for your leader and let go. If you can manage to not be impolite, we might even feed you before you go," she added dryly, knowing how young dragons' appetites were.
Mazia chuckles.
"Scan away. Not like I can stop you."
mazia's details:
Unless "basic medical data" includes a detailed DNA scan, mazia seems to be something of a humanoid dragon- but aside from posturing and hand structure, mazia seems to be a farely normal black dragon- until his mind is touched. Mazia's memories contain a sprawling mess of horrible deeds, crimes planned, countless thiveres, and a few murders- all done by a halfling. There's a turning point, in the memories, though- the halfling meeting What seems to be a part white drsgon- from there, the halfling grows more and more draconic through the scattered memories, and the crimes become less and less frequent.
zanthos simply snorts, and doesn't say anything.
zanthos's details:
Zanthos isn't actuslly a blue dragon at all: he seems closer to a water elemental crossed with a dragon then any one sort of dragon. the fins he has aren't just some odd mutation- he just isn't actually a chromatic dragon. The only trace of anything else is in his front legs- namely that his front legs still end in things that vaugely resemble clawed human hands.
Zanthos was a pirate, of sorts- but throught the memories, he's reluctant, always "missing" when it came time to do a lot of the dirty work. In fact, the only people he kills in his memories are his own crewmates. And kill them he does- because there's a rather sudden shift in his memory- meeting what seems to be a strange half-drsgon, that shines of all colors of the rainbow, before the very next memory being the ship being sank by a giant finned dragon with numerous tentacles. After that, there's barely any transition- zanthos goes from being human to dragon in a matter of weeks.
"not all of us were too into the hunter thing, you know."
mazia says, rather plainly.
"But feel free to dart off, or whatever. You're right, after all. Not like we have much choice."
"No, of course not," she said dryly. "There are always plenty of people content to simply sit back and watch. A problem I have often heard repeated by those who have been hunted down for the crime of being different. It is the indifference of bystanders that allows atrocities to continue. But you will no doubt learn this for yourself in time. It is a lesson that seems to be only ever learned the hard way."
"I will only be gone for a few minutes," she finished, leaving the room and walking briskly towards Aananda's lab to retrieve a portable scanner and to her own lair to retrieve a small hand mirror and a couple of small crystals.
lots of dragon rambling:
after Ryleh leaves the room...
"Well. That was fainciating."
mazia grins, and zanthos tilts his head.
"What are you churning in thst head of yours now?"
mazia laughs a bit.
"Have I ever been known to let information slip accidentally? Let me put it plainly, so you can understand. I'm learning. I'm watching how she reacts. In the end, I want to learn everything about dragons. Not just thier flattering aspects. I want to see them when thy're annoyed. Barely tolerating somone. Dealing with somone who's egging them on, giving out enough information to count as "cooperation" but in the slowest, most painfully drawn out way possible. If I just told her everything, it would Probobly already be over by now. Worst case, Havel and elegy evacuate and revive the crew. But this way? I get to see her longer, and see what she thinks... Or at least, what she shows.And if I refused to cooperate, she'd just figure it out herself."
zanthos starts to say something, but mazia intterupts.
"And yes. I have already learned something. I need to get much, much better at this. The way she handled things was impressive, and not too bad at trying to tear at somone's heartstrings, in some ways. I've got to get better. After all. If there is one thing I know, it's that for those with enough money, death is meaningless... But breaking somone mentally? Priceless."
zanthos finally gets a word in edgewise.
"How would you know what it takes to pull heartstrings, lacking one yourself?"
mazia just smiles.
"not all of us were too into the hunter thing, you know."
mazia says, rather plainly.
"But feel free to dart off, or whatever. You're right, after all. Not like we have much choice."
"we're locals- born here on agarthia."
mazia nods.
"We've never had anyone claim to be from off-world, even among the few hundred people who simply drop by once a week to hear havel's latest thing to try and deepen their devotion to thier path. After all, becoming dragons seems to be rather challenging for most people."
"What brings us here? We were literally just flying over!"
mazia rolls his eyes at zanthos's impatience.
"He does have something of a point. We weren't doing anything more then flying over. It's not like we made any attempt to visit you. You're the only reason we acknowledged this place at all."
zanthos nods.
"Otherwise, we would've just flown over without incedent, or at most, landed to ask for directions. And even that's... Honestly unlikely, considring we'd assume you'd be "attack on sight" like seemingly everyone else here."
mazia picks up from there.
"And frankly, considring our home is a church with open doors? Yes. I can say that."
zanthos pauses, a moment.
"Would you have even stopped us if we weren't dragons?"
nither of the two seem the least bit intimidated. The blue one speaks up
"I'm somone who really doesn't take threats well."
mazia rolls his eyes.
"And he's also the one with zero tact."
zanthos growls, before mazia continues to mock him.
"Well. it's true. Elegy hsving to recreate our bodies before raising us would take longer. Not fun. So show at least a bit of respect."
yet, at the same time, mazia is barely aknowkadging that there is, in fact, a threat.
A swarm of small crystals flies out from the purple dragon and surrounds the two cheeky intruders, spinning a web of ectoplasmic ropes around them, which constrict tightly, pinning their wings against their sides. They are both grabbed by the backs of the necks and thus prevented from falling or crashing.
::I do not threaten. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. Nor am I the only thing you have to worry about. Now, are you going to tell me who you are, or do I need to pry the information from your minds?::
Her mental voice was no calm and her statements matter-of-fact, if slightly annoyed. If these two were from the Empire, they were the Empire's stupidest scouts. Their lack of recognition of what she was indicated to her that they might be from somewhere else and bought them a little more rope to hang themselves with.
"My my? Polite, are we?" mazia still seems... Unimpressed. Disinterested. Zanthos on the other hand is far less happy, clearly irritable at being bound- abruptly growing tentalces that pry at the bindings in irritation. "I mean, clearly, running into random strangers and binding them for no apparent reason? Wonderful, and so very... Typical, really. Alright, fine. So, I'm mazia, and this is Zanthos. I'll not be saying where, right off the bat, becuase frankly, you look like the kind of person that could break my home, and everyone there. Pity, Havel would love to meet you. Now. Can we undo these bindings and have a less... Hostile chat, please?"
zanthos, on the other hand, is practically worked into a froth.
"... Maybe keep him bound."
nither of the two seem the least bit intimidated. The blue one speaks up
"I'm somone who really doesn't take threats well."
mazia rolls his eyes.
"And he's also the one with zero tact."
zanthos growls, before mazia continues to mock him.
"Well. it's true. Elegy hsving to recreate our bodies before raising us would take longer. Not fun. So show at least a bit of respect."
yet, at the same time, mazia is barely aknowkadging that there is, in fact, a threat.
a small black dragon and a much larger blue dragon (with fins) fly over Avalon academy.
"I told you we were lost."
says the black dragon.
"Mazia, would you just stop that? it's not like you have any right to complain, you're just as lost as I am. Probobly more lost then I am."
the blue drsgon looks around, turning to circle around the school.
"I told you this was a bad idea."
spouts the black one.
"You did not! you willingly tagged along! And you went out flying on your own just last week!"
the black one chuckles.
"But I still told you it was a bad idea. Just because I'm a hypocrite doesn't make me wrong."
the blue one pauses, a while.
"... I hate you, you know that?"
mazia smiles.
"Thanks pal. Means a lot."
the blue drsgon grumbles incoherently as it circles the school.
