< Stranger In A Strange Land | Ex Pulplogs | Vigilantes Of The Sun >
ST In the air around Brume, two creatures wing through the night. One on living wings of flesh and blood, earned in the twsting Wyld beyond nature...the other one wings wrought of cloth and wood, fashioned from his mind and the material of Creation. After the most recent Brumian storm had cleared away there was clear air above the islands but for the ever-present clouds. And it was into one of those clouds that both creatures had flown. The same cloud. A very small cloud.
Xar'Rex flaps lazily and sets his wings to glide, trying to peer downwards through the cloud to see if that glint he'd seen was a crystal or gem, or merely a trick of the light.
Myrrh squints into the wind, even with his goggles. Visiblity was hard in such an open air craft...maybe the next version should have some sort of enclosure, far from the mountains he feels little need to look out for anything in the empty skies with nothing but billowy clouds.
ST Through the mist and clouds, neither Xar'Rex nor Myrrh is able to see the other, but the faint sounds and traces of reflected light do spark their minds to investigate what might be the source. And so they fly towards each other, unaware of their danger.
Corve The assessor sits in a lounging chair far below the two gliders, oblivious to their predicament. He knows Myrrh is somewhere up there, but he's been too enrapt in his beer and book to really give his friend much attention. Mostly, he's just taking it easy. Somewhere within visual perceptions, his daughter is trying to find flowers...
Xar'Rex tilts his head slightly, was that a noise? A new species of bird he hasn't tasted before?
Corve It's unlikely she'll find any, since it's not exactly flower season.
ST Unaware, that is, until the mist clears a bit and they find themselves faced with another flying monstrosity only a few feet away! The clouds had hidden them from each other perfectly until they were too close to turn back easily! Oh, it will be a struggle to avert disaster now!!
Xar'Rex 's eyes widen and he folds his wings flat against his back, making like a rock!
Myrrh yanks the emergency lift chord franticly, trying to avoid...whatever the hell that thing was!
Xar'Rex 's momentum carries him forward just far enough to SMACK into the flying contraption with a strangled yelp.
Myrrh myrrh's chord works as intended...a little too well as it swings him straight into the horrible winged bird monster!
ST With one diving and one rising the two fliers end up directly in each other's path and, with a hideous sound of screaming human, screaming dragon king and screaming glider, the two smash into eachother! Carnage! Wreckage! Horrible things!
Xar'Rex takes a moment while acting like the aforesaid stone to stare at what the hell he just hit. He blinks a few times... a *human?*
Xar'Rex "Human, how can you fly?" he shouts across the distance.
Myrrh glances at the not so giant and evil looking and more strange looking flying lizard, desperately fiddling with some switch of some sort. He's rather confused when it starts talking to him. "Could fly...CORVE!"
Corve The assessor's eyes sharply draw upwards as he hears the screaming, then the odd, frantic conversation. The call of his name breaks him out of a bewildered trance and he pushes himself off his chair, putting down his beer and dropping his book.
Corve He looks up high in the sky, grabbing his hat from the back of the chair to try to block out light so he can see better.
Xar'Rex "You fly with a Corve? What is a Corve?"
Xar'Rex does not seem terribly concerned about the plummeting nature of the conversation, although it puts his purple and blue feathers in quite a disarray
Xar'Rex does, however, unfold his wings the slightest bit, to give himself more control over the fall.
Myrrh "No, no. Corve down there! Uh...are you, per chance, capable of say...flying and maybe grabbing my wings before we hit the ground in a tangled ruin?"
Myrrh yanks one final cord to no apparent effect.
Myrrh "Oh damn."
Corve When he catches a glimpse of... two... figures in the sky, he sighs and starts jogging towards what he supposes will be Myrrh's landing spot. "What did you get yourself into this time you silly little man," he whispers to himself. "I'M COMING, MYRRH! HOLD ON TO...SOMETHING!"
Xar'Rex regards the falling human for a moment. "You won't try to stab me with a pitchfork when we get down, will you?"
Myrrh "I don't have a pitchfork!"
Corve He doesn't really know what the thing is, but it seems to be able to fly still, which his friend obviously can't. He breaks into a sprint, wondering exactly what he's going to do if Myrrh keeps falling. Catch him? Riiiiight.
Xar'Rex cups his wings slightly so that he falls slower than Myrrh, then once he is above him, drops down and siezes the man and/or contraption as carefully as he can with all four sets of claws, then extends his wings fully, turning the drop into a practiced glide
Xar'Rex glides in circles and eyes the man below. "Your Corve will not stab me either?"
Myrrh "Uh, no. CORVE! No stabbing!"
Corve "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" He stops, seeing that the... is that a big lizard..? has grabbed his friend and they are now descending at a much more comfortable rate.
Xar'Rex "Hmmm. Good. I did not want to have to kill him. Can he fly too?" They begin a controlled circling glide down towards the ground and Corve
Myrrh "No, although he can get a ship if he needs to. That flies."
Myrrh relaxs, welcoming the change from fatal free fall to a more gentle descent.
Corve The cop waits for them to come down, still staring at the large lizard, slowly beginning to see it better. Feathers? That's... weird.
Xar'Rex drops Myrrh when they get a few feet off the ground, and alights a few feet away, warily.
Corve He rushes forward and grabs his friend by the collar, shaking him roughly. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"
Myrrh grunts as he hits the ground still tied in the "bag." After a few seconds of breathing to make sure he isn't dead he starts wriggling out of the thing.
Myrrh "Damned safety devices! Not even the emergency burner worked!"
Xar'Rex cocks his head to the side in an oddly birdlike gesture and watches the two fight. "This is your friend?"
Myrrh gives Corve an annoyed look as he's shaken. "I was THINKING of going for a flight before I ran into him!" Points at Xar. "And I thought you were supposed to be watching!"
Corve He lets go of the inventor and rolls his eyes, crunching his fits and resisting the urge to smack him over the head. "Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to be watching. WATCHING. W-A-T-C-H-I-N-G. What the hell am I supposed to do if you fall? Catch you?!"
Myrrh "It would be a good start! It's not like you're exactly helpless! Bah! Nevermind. Is Sun ok? I didn't land on her did I?" Gruns and pulls the glider, trying to get a better look at it.
Corve "How the hell am I supposed to catch you when you're falling from hundreds of--GAH! You're fucking insane, is what you are!" He turns at the mention of his daughter and looks around, spotting her only ten yards or so away from Xar, staring at the large reptile inquisitively.
Xar'Rex flares his feathers up and then straightens them with his claws, smoothing the feathers that cover the tough leather of his wings as well. He is tall and broad, brown scales armoring his hide, with tufts of brilliantly colored feathers covering his joints and forming a crest down his spine. and chest. Massive spikes emerge from his head crest, and the clublike ball on the end of his tail.
Corve "Honey... Sun..." he calls to her, but the girl simply stares, enraptured by the behemoth with scales and feathers. "Sunshine Blossom! Come here!" With a shake of her head, she looks at him and then rushes over, tackling his leg and hugging it, eyes staring still at the giant reptile.
Myrrh "Huh! Frames mostly intact! Baring the complete and total safety systems failure i'd say it did well for a prototype impact test! Certainly went better than the last big crash..."
Xar'Rex looks at the tiny human curiously. It's not throwing rocks or anything. Odd.
Corve "Daddy... what is that?" The little girl points blatantly at the lizard.
Myrrh "Well I for one would like to thank you, Mr...Ms?" He holds out a hand to Xar
Corve "It's... well... he... or she..?" he asks the lizard. "...is a very strange looking Dragon King. You remember Halak... she was a Dragon King, too." The little girl tilts her head and widens her eyes. "Oh yeah! But this one is fatter than Halak. Halak was skinny and had a long neck."
Xar'Rex eyes the hand, and takes it in one massive paw. "I am Xar`Rex."
Myrrh "Ah, pleased to meet you Xar'Rex! my name is Myrrh and this is Corve."
Corve "Yeah, well... Dragon Kings aren't all the same..." Especially this one, he thinks to himself. Wrapping his arms around his little girl, he lifts her up and walks towards the lizard, stopping a few feet away. "Pleasure to meet you, Xar. U Nder? the circumstances I think an apology and a thank you are in order... aren't they, Myrrh?" He stares hard at his friend.
Xar'Rex "Myrrh and Corve." he nods
Corve "This is Sunshine Blossom," he says, and the little girl meekly waves. "People call me Sun!" she exclaims, suddenly, and then leans forward in her father's arms, and whisper:. "Your wings are very pretty."
Xar'Rex "Sunshine Blossom." His voice is strongly accented, and he sounds like the language does not come easily to him. "MY wings, yes?"
Myrrh "I...uh, am sorry for running into you. I thought you were a cloud."
Xar'Rex "They are good but not good."
Xar'Rex blinks at Myrrh. "I, a cloud?" He laughs
Corve The little girl nods vehemently and then tucks her face into her father's neck, giggling at the Dragon's response. "Umm..." Corve is getting slightly uncomfortable now. "Xar, I... are you currently residing in Brume?"
Xar'Rex "I travel, see the world, yes?"
Xar'Rex "See the clouds, maybe go around next time."
Xar'Rex grins, showing off an array of fangs, a few of which are broken. Myrrh "Are you alright, by the way? I don't see any obvious wounds but..."
Xar'Rex slaps his chest, "I am whole. My wings good. Your wings broken?"
Myrrh "Only for the moment. A bit of time in on the workbench and they'll be good as new...better than new if I can work out some sort of safety system..."
Xar'Rex "I help fix?"
Xar'Rex "I break, I fix."
Myrrh "You're a craftsman?"
Xar'Rex "what is that word?"
Myrrh "Uh, you make things?"
Xar'Rex "Oh, yes I make things. See?" He shows his artifacts, made of crystal and obsidian
Myrrh He looks at the various strange crystal objects he's being shown. "Hmmmm...interesting!"
Myrrh "How did you make all of that?"
Xar'Rex "I make, from the stone. I know the stone, the..hmm... crystal? Crystal, yes."
Xar'Rex picks up a handy stone, and it seems to become clay beneath his claws. He concentrates fiercely on it, feathered crest rising and flaring, then subsiding, as he finds the truth within the stone. His thick fingers somehow form a thing of delicate beauty out of the stone, and he holds out the small figure to Sun. "For you, yes?"
Corve Sunshine Bloosom stretches her hand out and takes it, pulling it towards her and looking at it. "Oh... oh, oh, daddy can I keep it?!" Her eyes stare at her father with marvelled amazement. "Uh... sure."
Corve "Say... errm... you wouldn't happen to have stopped by a registration point on your way towards Brume airspace, would you, Xar?" being a cop had a lot of downsides, and one was being suspicious of everyone.
Xar'Rex "Registration?"
Corve "I had a feeling you were going to say that." He winces a little and puts his child down. She's much too intent with her new gift anyway. "I'm Assessor Corve, of Brume Law Enforcement. Anyone entering Brume has to go through certain procedures... nothing much, just to make sure you know all the rules, et cetera. It's my job to make sure this kind of thing gets done..."
Xar'Rex bristles a little, "Rules? I did not break rules. I just fly, save friend Myrrh."
Corve "No, no, Xar. It's not that you ⚠ <i>broke⚠ </i> a rule, it's that I need you to understand what the laws are for the future. So you don't accidentally break one later without knowing. It's a precautionary method, so you ⚠ <i>don't⚠ </i> get into trouble."
Xar'Rex "Oh, Corve helps Xar`Rex. That is good." He cocks his head to one side, "Humans will not try to hurt Xar Rex if I follow rules. Then I not fight humans, not have to leave."
Corve He pauses for a moment, tilts his head, and smiles. "Exactly. There are just a few basic rules that will get you into trouble real fast... No stealing. No smuggling. No blackmarketting. No killing." He scratches his head for a moment.
Corve "Also, don't forget to tip your waiter or waitress at any establishments." This was beginning to feel like deja vu. "You do have money, right?"
Myrrh "If not i'm sure he can find a good job making things like what he did for Sun!"
Myrrh "Actualy I could always use an assistant..."
Xar'Rex "What is tip your waiter or waitress?"
Corve Definitely like deja vu. He scratched his chin. "When someone serves you food... you pay for the food, and then you give them a little bit (not too much) more for the service."
Xar'Rex "serves me food? Xar Rex not welcome in food-serving-place. Hunt instead."
Corve "Well, Xar," Corve says, smirking a little bit. "I think you're going to like Brume. Here, we don't care what you look like. As long as you can pay for it, you can have it."
Xar'Rex "I have no Jade, only this." He holds up a few Southern coins, and some small jewels. "This good?"
Myrrh "Hm..."
Corve He looks straight at Myrrh and then shakes his head, and in Brumish: "This one's all yours. I already have a crazy amnesiac Solar in my house. I don't need a gigantic flying Dragon King."
Corve "Besides, Xar can work for you. I'm not sure what to do about Carmine."
Xar'Rex blinks at Corve as he speaks a foreign language... it's hard enough understanding these creatures, without them speaking gibberish!
Myrrh nods and replies in Brumish, "Yeah I can atleast justify taking him onto the staff more than Carmine..."
Xar'Rex "You talk about Xar Rex?"
Corve "Yeah... and you won't get as much shit from the missus." He looks at Xar. "Don't worry Xar, we're just figuring out how bes tto help you. With work and things."
Myrrh "Yes, I think I might have a way for you to earn some extra money and have a roof over your head and a steady meal!"
Xar'Rex "I travel," he gestures expansively, "Maybe stay, make money, then travel."
Corve "Everyone needs a steady meal," he murmurs, grabbing Sunshine by the arm and swinging her up on piggy back. "Sure, Xar. Whatever you want. We just like helping people..." it really seems that way lately, anyway.
Xar'Rex nods solemnly. "You help Xar, I help fix wings."
Corve "Everyone helps everyone, sounds perfect. Listen, Xar, it was a pelasure meeting you... I need to go to work." He swings Sunshine off his back and kisses her cheek. "You're gonna stay with unle Myrrh for a while, hon. I'll pick you up tonight." The little girl nods and hugs him, then skips towards the other Solar.
Corve "Myrrh... watch her, please. I have to go." He raises his fingers to his lips and whistles loudly, the sound attracting an overly large raptor that suddenly comes into view, galloping at excessive speeds on its two legs.
Xar'Rex steps back, and assumes a defensive position as the creature comes galloping up
Corve As it skids to a stop before Corve, he pets its neck and swings himself onto Jaks' back, waving to his friend, daughter, and the giant lizard. "I'll see the three of you later, hmm?" He adds a glare at Myrrh, making sure the man remembers that he's babysitting tonight.
Myrrh "Sure, I'll drop her off once I get Xar set up at the house." Tostles Sun's hair and smiles.
Xar'Rex "Raptor friend?"
Corve "Raptor companion," he says, winking. "He's one of my trusted friends. I'm sure you'll get along with him later. But right now, I have to go." He pats Jaks on the neck and then nudges slightly. The raptor's crest sizzles, and it spins around as Corve waves backwards, suddenly several dozen yards away.
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