[se] tangled in the red

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Not used to flattery, her brow arched, uncertain if she was supposed to be convinced by the argument. Hadn’t there been plenty more of them to be impressed by – like Remi or Ronin? “Maybe,” she finally answered, with little to no definition. Traversing towards Stormbreak, or the mere notion of it, would have to be given time and space from her initial, impulsive, mulish reaction.

Pipsqueak was a welcome distraction anyway from the topic, and the mess was all the more pleasing. Fangorn waved his vines around, eerie grin fixated on the other dragon, and then plucked a rock and threw it, clearly intending to start some measure of catch. Sila, in her typical bashful self, retreated immediately back to Melita’s curtain of hair, tucked away and out of range. “She’s shy,” Melita offered. “But thank you. How did you find Pipsqueak?"

As for the pumpkin…”Fangorn is a vampire gourd. They’re all over the Hollowed Grounds this time of year.” Thoughtful, while she scratched the bronze dragon’s shoulders, attempting to alleviate her of any residual fears. “He’s pretty smart. And they know how to survive.” Given how many people tried to eat them.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword

Name me one other person who's watched a dragon and a pumpkin try to play catch. I'll wait.

Pip catches the stone valiantly enough, jumping up to snatch it from the air before tumbling head over heels back to the ground. Then she has to pause a moment, considering her appendages and determining her prehensile tail will be the best tool with which to lob it back. Koa watches with fond amusement, impressed by his companions ability to compensate for short appendages.

Sila is less effusive, but it doesn't phase the boy. "Aw, that's okay. It's a big world out there." Koa flips his hand to be palm-up, extended for sniffs should she care to give them. "I'm not scary, though, I promise." He smiles warmly at the little dragon nestled in a tangle of red mane.

"A clutch of eggs was brought to the Celestine. Pip was too small to make it on her own, so she came to live with me." She'd been barely bigger than a canollini, then. He tilts his head back toward the pumpkin, still not entirely sure what to make of his jack-o-lantern grin. "Huh. That's... wild, honestly. Bet he's got some stories to tell."

And then he pales just a little bit, throat slightly dry. "So... If he's a vampire gourd, what does he, uh, eat?"

koa

code by sky

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Fangorn was well versed in catch amidst his vines and appendages – the poor thing had snagged at many stray arrows in the past. Watching and waiting for Pip to counter his movements was a game of patience, and luckily the gourd had it in multitudes compared to Melita – so his eyes merely widened and the toothy grin extended as the dragon lobbed it back. He gave chase, bounding and bobbing, and while it may have been a ridiculous sight, the Honeybee was content that her bonded was the same.

Then he tossed it, a long, slow loft into the air.

Shaking her head, she watched Sila from the corner of her eye, but the little bronze continued to hide through crimson hair. “Sorry,” she apologized, for it took time for the youth to warm up to many.

The way he’d managed to snag Pip though brought out more curiosity. “That’s nice that you were there for her though,” and half-inclined to ask about more about the Celestine – as she’d only brief been there – far too busy fighting and relic hunting.

Fangorn probably did have many stories to tell – most being the same as Melita’s, though with a far more sagacious air. Grinning at the inquiry though, her gilded eyes flickered back to Koa. “Blood.” Shrugging, intending for a reaction, she continued. “Meat. Bugs. He’s not terribly picky.”

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword

Koa accepts his defeat with grace, shrugging as his hand falls back to his side. "Guess I'll have to keep trying," he says with a grin, eyebrows raised at the friendly implication that they will see each other again.

His smile softens when he thinks back to bonding with Pip, a rare shadow of sadness cast across his sunny face. "More like she was there for me." And it's true: bonding with Pipsqueak had done wonders for Koa's maturity and focus, in a time when he was desperately adrift.

The cloud passes in time for Melita's grinned response, Koa not really sure if she's joking or not based on its slightly wild quality. Not sure if she means human blood but utterly unwilling to ask, he casts a slightly cautionary look upon the pumpkin and Pip, not unlike a parent who was just told his child's new playmate enjoys starting fires.

Which ability Pip has chosen this moment to demonstrate, exhaling a plume of crimson flame at a nest of spiders. Foes defeated she looks back to Fangorn, absolutely no attempt made to disguise how smug she is.

koa

code by sky

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Sila grew comfortable in the shade and shelter of Melita’s locks, while the latter arched her brow at the insinuation. Letting that slide off, her attention wandered back to the companions, especially Pip, at Koa’s statement. “Yeah. It always happens that way,” and if her smile was wistful, fond, full of memories from Fangorn’s efforts to ensure they all survived, then she let it remain. No need to hide away her in pride in a creature capable and stalwart.

The gourd frowned though at the sudden inclusion of fire – a bit mindful of the element, given all his experiences with the Honeybee’s weaponry and tactics – skirting away and out of range, and maybe a bit saddened the game of catch had met its end so swiftly. The youth crouched and scratched his head, while balancing the dragon along her shoulders. “Well, I think we did a good job cleaning this place up.” Unfortunately, it would probably need to be done several more times, given the bizarre iteration of spiders. “Do you need anything else?”

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword

Pip's display of fire is met without enthusiasm (perhaps owing to the fact that Fangorn is a plant and thus flammable), leading the dragon to mewl questioningly before taking her rejected tail back to her human. Koa lifts her up obligingly, shaking his head in silent reprimand of the actions which have brought her to this point.

It's true that they've nearly cleared the field. Looking around, Koa feels a surge of pride in the morning's work: it feels good, having aided someone, if only in a minor task. "It's looking good. Thanks for letting me help out," he tells Melita sincerely, his sunny grin rising again as he takes in the copper haired girl and her menagerie. As for anything else he needs? He shrugs, eyebrows raised. "Just a training session, whenever you have time. We're always down to have our asses kicked in the name of training, aren't we, Pip?"

koa

code by sky

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Brushing her hands together, and ridding them of some of the sticky silk once more, Fangorn started to collect the thread in a pile again, figuring they could amount to something in the interim. “Thanks for the help,” she added, because she’d likely still be working on peeling away all the substances, had he not arrived.

Turning, presuming that the task was done and she’d head back to the house for a snack or two, she had to glance back over her shoulder, brows raised slightly, at the notions. Melita’s usual flair of choice was to kick someone’s ass, stranger or otherwise, so the acceptance came readily thereafter, in the shift of her Cheshire grin. “Sure.” Then, with a wave, her hasty strides took her back towards the house, Fangorn and his silk, and Sila on her shoulder, following thereafter.

{FIN}

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun