Shhhhh

Danger gleams like sunshine

After departing from Lena and their ~date~, Zavien immediately finds a quiet place to calm his beating heart. The Atheneum seems like the perfect refuge when the librarian shushes his loud footsteps and Sol's curious chirp as they make their way inside. His little gold dragon companion shrinks onto his shoulder as if to hide from the beady eyes. Grimacing at the reprimand, he gives the ancient woman with half-moon glasses a polite, apologetic smile before making his way farther in. The large archival space has a peaceful atmosphere that sooths the racing thoughts and emotions, drawing him in farther to the building. Ignoring the swimming letters across the spines of the dusty tomes, Zavien makes his way towards a strange twinkling sound. What could be making such a noise inside the large building? Whatever he thought it might have been, he is not expecting to find the slow trickling of water through a canal system. He pauses to take in the crystal-clear water. It doesn't fit his idea of stuffy books and dim lights, but it doesn't seem out of place amongst the tall arches and echoing ceiling recesses. 

Settling onto the ledge of an opening near the water, he lets himself relax into the sound. The worries and anxieties try to creep in, yet Sol rubs a smooth head against his cheek, making him smile softly. "You're right. Everything will work out," he whispers softly. If only to keep his fidgeting hands busy, Zavien opens his bag to pull out the scales he'd collected from the dragon earlier and the sketch Lena had done for him. The pieces glitter in the warm lighting as he begins fitting them together in some semblance of the shape he sees on the paper. It's a calming process, even though he isn't the most crafty person. He doesn't think Frey will mind the result, mainly the attempt, and that gives him some sense of confidence in the squished mound of scales in his hands.

Zavien

to a brave man's eyes.

And it's peaceful in the deep
Because either way you cannot breathe

It had been a while since Soh had been to the Hollowed Grounds, and longer still since she'd visited the Atheneum. She'd forgotten just how peaceful it was listening to the sound of running water as she wandered between stacks of books. It had been her favorite place back when she'd called the Grounds home, and even now, when she'd been gone for years, she still found herself seeking out the nooks and crannies of the library that had once called to her. It was in one such little area - a ledge near the water - that she found a familiar face.

Where she might normally have called a cheerful greeting, the librarian in the Atheneum would have her head if she made that much noise. Instead, she and Tarak approached at a leisurely stroll, the little griffin flying ahead to investigate the dragon that Soh couldn't remember having seen last time she'd met Zavien. Tarak opened his beak as if to squawk a greeting, but at a look from his bonded, shut his beak with a soft click. Meanwhile, Soh offered a shy smile to Zavien. "Hello," she whispered as cheerfully as she could manage. "It's been a while. May I join you?"

No need to pray
No need to speak

Sohalia

the Luminary

Danger gleams like sunshine

His focus on his task might have distracted his mind and hands, but his warrior trainings were too strong to keep him from noticing the familiar woman and griffin who approached. It didn't, however, train him to disguise the shock on his face as he spotted the former Stormbreak ruler making her way through the bookshelves. He almost didn't respond for a second, eyebrows raised in a humorously shocked look before he shook his head, waving her closer. "Oh! Hi! Of course!" His whisper-yell back was soft enough not to echo, but certainly sounded chipper enough. Zavien gave a wide grin as he shifted over, shoving aside a few loose scales to make room on the ledge. 

Sol bounced over to greet the griffin, trying his best to refrain from any yaps or chirps of excitement. Luckily, his flapping wings and flicking tail seemed to convey his emotions well enough. Similar to his companion, the little dragon loved to make friends. 

Leaving the pudgy young reptile to his antics, Zavien turned to Sohalia, trying to keep his voice low. "How are you doing?" As he waited patiently for her response, he continued to fidget with the scales in his hands, fitting them together as best he could.

Zavien

to a brave man's eyes.

And it's peaceful in the deep
Because either way you cannot breathe

Much to Soh's relief, her friendly greeting was returned in kind, and she joined Zavien on the ledge, looking over both the little dragon and the scales the man was arranging with interest. Tarak, for his part, remained focused on a new friend, landing near Sol with an enthusiastic bob of his head, flaring his wings out playfully. "Easy," Soh whispered to her companion. If the librarian didn't like noise, the Luminary hated to think what she'd do if their companions started roughhousing!

With Tarak appropriately abashed, tucking his wings back against his sides and settling with attempting to touch noses with the dragon, Soh turned her attention back to Zavien. "I'm well, I think," she said, peering again at the scales. "I took your advice and let my friends know I'm okay. It went... better than I expected. I don't deserve them." But it was said without quite so much of the guilt and shame that had plagued her the last time they'd met. This time, she spoke with affection for her loved ones. "How about you?"

No need to pray
No need to speak

Sohalia

the Luminary

Danger gleams like sunshine

Sol eagerly accepted the nose bop, his body wiggling at the prospect of a new playmate while Zavien listened to Sohalia. It was great that she'd taken his advice, even if a bit concerning that she had expected a different response from her friends. He doubted that was likely to have happened, but instead of commenting on who 'deserved' friends, the Dragoon gave her a warm smile. "I'm glad to hear that! Good friends are harder to lose than you'd think." Even if his friends turned against him, Zavien would find it hard to blame or hate them. His friendship was kind of like a cult, easy to join but hard to escape. It would probably happen eventually, but he was too optimistic to worry about that kind of stuff. 

Trying to keep his voice low, his face brightened all the more to make up for the volume. "I'm good!" He jerked a thumb towards the little dragon doing his best not to make any noise as he bounced around the griffin. "I finally achieved my dream of getting a dragon. Frey was kind enough to help me bond with Sol. There hasn't been a boring moment since." As exasperated as he looked at the energetic activities of the dragon, there was nothing but loving fondness in his eyes. 

He returned his hands to the golden scales, noting Sohalia's following eyes. "Oh! This is part of another quest Frey gave me. I'm supposed to make these into whatever shape I want my collapsable shield to be. Lena drew up this sketch for me, but I'm not doing a very good job." His laugh was soft to avoid drawing the beady eyes of the librarian as he showed her the page containing a bracelet with a dragon head and scaled body.

Zavien

to a brave man's eyes.

And it's peaceful in the deep
Because either way you cannot breathe

As Sol bounced around happily, Tarak bowed down in the universal animal invitation for let's play. Soh, meanwhile, shook her head and smiled at the companions, content to let them have fun so long as they could do so quietly and without disturbing any of the nearby books. "Congratulations," she told Zavien in a whisper, turning her smile to him. "Companions are such a gift. He's beautiful!"

Zavien continued to push around the scales, and Soh listened attentively to his task. The information that he knew Lena had her further relaxing. First Tal, then Lena - if Zavien was indeed a friend of several of her friends, then she felt more confident in her ability to trust him. "May I?" she asked, gesturing to the scales. If he was open to help, she was more than happy to attempt to assist.

No need to pray
No need to speak

Sohalia

the Luminary

Danger gleams like sunshine

"Thank you. He's everything I've ever dreamed of." He looked again as Sol assumed the mirrored position of let's play, his tail wagging more like that of a puppy than a small dragon. Zavien just shook his head, chuckling under his breath. Just to be safe, he sent a little reminder down their bond to stay silent so as not to disturb anyone. There may have also been a small, but stern, insistence that he not let any smoke or cinders escape from his breath. He didn't need the librarian finding soot marks on any of her books. 

At Sohalia's offer, the Dragoon was more than happy to pass the task off to her. "Sure!" His whisper had enough relief to indicate just how much he appreciated the help. He'd done most of what he could, however, the head was tricky. The small little details were hard to mold with his large hands. Maybe she would fare better. 

Not wanting to make her do his work and do it in silence, he asked quietly, "How did you bond with your griffin?"

Zavien

to a brave man's eyes.

And it's peaceful in the deep
Because either way you cannot breathe

With Zavien's permission, Soh began to gently move scales around, removing one here and placing it there, slowly but surely using her artist's eye to duplicate the drawing that the dragoon had shown her. Tarak began to play a companion's version of tag. If they were quiet, that seemed like a safe enough bet. They could hide amongst the shelves and run through the nearby aisles - as long as they were careful.

"It's not that exciting, I'm afraid. I was in the Oerwoud on a mapping expedition - I was a cartographer, you see, back before I was the Heart. I heard something while I was mapping the Undergrove, and I looked around in the bushes, and there he was. He was just a baby, and I was about to start looking for where he'd come from, but then the bond just sort of... snapped into place. We've been together ever since." It had been a great blessing. While she hadn't specifically gone to the gods for Tarak, she had no doubt that they had placed the little griffin in her path that day.

No need to pray
No need to speak

Sohalia

the Luminary

Danger gleams like sunshine

He watched as Sohalia deftly rearranged the scales. The pieces already took on a more recognizable shape, much better than his own progress. "You're really good at that."

Meanwhile, Sol was more than happy to participate in the game of tag. The excitement made it that much more difficult to keep the silent down, but he was really proud of his companion for keeping his jaw firmly shut, using tiny flaps of his wings and flicks of his tail to express his abundance of emotions. It made the Dragoon smile, his gaze occasionally spotting the pair as the darted into another aisle. 

As Sohalia finished her story, Zavien sat with awe-filled eyes, having to remind himself to speak quietly as he said, "That's incredible!" Although her tale of heartfelt discovery rang a chord in his soul, his interest caught on the other fact about her. Usually, cartography involved a lot of traveling, and he loved to explore. Leaning an arm on his leg, he asked, "Have you mapped all of Caido, then?"

Zavien

to a brave man's eyes.

And it's peaceful in the deep
Because either way you cannot breathe

"I'm glad it's helping," she said with a smile, continuing her work in a slow, steady way. Every now and then, she would pause to stare at the drawing, tilting her head this way and that, maybe squinting a little to get a feel for the overall shape instead of getting mired in the details - and then she would return to her work, rearranging scales until it looked a great deal like the drawing, if she did say so herself. She gestured proudly. "What do you think?"

She continued to whisper as Zavien expressed interest in her mapmaking, her eyes lighting up as she began to speak about her passion. "Not all of it - I've never been to the Draig, for instance. I've mapped most of Stormbreak, of course, and a good deal of the Oerwoud and the Greatwood, some of the Climb and Hak Etme, and Torchline and Halo. I haven't done much of the Grounds or the Feverlands, though. I always intended to, but after I became the Heart, traveling wasn't as easy."

No need to pray
No need to speak

Sohalia

the Luminary

Danger gleams like sunshine

Accepting the bracelet from Sohalia's hands, he looked at the formed scales in awe. He had to contain his volume as he gushed over the piece. "I think it's perfect! It looks exactly like Lena's sketch." Holding it up to the paper, it did in fact look eerily close to the picture, like she'd somehow been able to bring the image to life. If he looked too closely, Zavien thought he could see smoke coming from the dragon's inanimate nose. He pulled his eyes away, meeting hers with a sweet smile. "Thank you again for the help." As gently as his large form could manage, he placed the bracelet into his bag, planning to visit the shrine when he made his way back to Stormbreak.

He straightened, eyes widening at the vast array of her travels. "That's still really impressive. If you ever need an adventure buddy, I'm more than happy to tag along." Sol perked up at the idea, skidding to a halt in the opening and giving them an agreeing bob of his head, just as interested in seeing the world as his companion. Zavien chuckled lightly at the dragon waving him over as he made a motion to stand. "Well, we should really get going. It's getting late, and we need to catch a skyship home. But like I said, if you ever need someone to keep you company on one of your mapping trips, let me know!"

Sol pranced up to his companion, giving Tarak a reluctant parting nudge and flick of his tail, a promise to play more another day. Smiling at his friendly little dragon, Zavien scooped him into his arms, placing him on his shoulder again before he grabbed his bag. He gave Sohalia another warm smile, dipping his head politely as he whispered, "It's been a pleasure running into you."

After finishing their goodbyes, Zavien made sure to give the beady-eyed librarian a playful wave on his way out. Her face remained a severe frown, glaring at his back the entire way. 

[FIN]

Zavien

to a brave man's eyes.