(open)

[usurpers]

Who: a draconic thief and you!
When: i'm flexible with the days as long as it's after the full moon! diy!
Where: a dragon's underground den.
What: an open log for those signing up for the city-wide wanted quest!
Warnings: will add as they come! a note that eren will not attack anyone unless they steal from him— which, if you want to go that route, by all means hmu for plot!


ᴏᴏᴏ ʜᴇ's sᴛᴇᴀʟɪɴ!!!!!
[ past the constraints of the bright wall and just before the wilde creeps into fresh plains, slums and farmlands with its frosty winter nip, lays a hole; a hole that seems too large to have been dug by a rabbit and can easily fit man or monster. if one has followed the incredible amount of scattered shedding (black scales with a scarlet-plum sheen, perhaps orange or gold depending on how light bounces from it), it leads them further down. many elders are sure to give tips if you ask: flattery will help you if you talk of liberty, bring something else that's sharp, that'll do it, i would bribe him with one of those fair-folk, haha, and perhaps oh, send him my cookies. whether either of those work or not, it needs to be tested!

the tunnels are identical to those made by miners, twisting and turning into different, multiple paths, some leading into scorched dead ends while others may only seem to take you lower . . . and lower, into more intricate corkscrew bends. some spots aren't all that dark, lit by runes carefully carved and enchanted to glow a deep orange, but those with less of a knack for seeing in dark places might do well with an extra source of light, no harm done. if successfully navigated, intruders will find an opening that spans into a large, large den, one expected to be the interior of a mountainside. the cavern is impressive in size and sculpted entirely by claw, molded by spine and reinforced with dragon flame. the ceilings are high and the floors— that might be a problem.

the floors harbor an ocean of sharp objects that create mountains, piling up to nearly half the wall of the entire dome— heaps of any kind of knife, long blade, spear, needle, gardening and construction tools, broken glass, ceramic and . . . that's a piece of paper, yes. anything that has a fine, dangerous cutting or stabbing point is hoarded here, the product of a monster's growth of over a year (and counting). the dragon, though, the dragon may not be instantly seen unless one looks so very hard for two pairs of glistening, crystal-blue horns protruding out of the mass— or, perhaps, you'll want to play it safe and look for the obsidian knives in a literal haystack of knives. ]

Comments

[galdorleod]

[ This himbo smells strongly of alcohol, hyacinth flowers and fresh magic, and even after he notices the blue eyes beneath the hoard, there still isn't the smallest whiff of fear added into the mix.

Howl smiles. When the dragon doesn't move or say anything, he sweeps into a low bow. ]

Good evening to you, sir! I am Howl, fellow Mirrorbound. [ When he stands up again, he wobbles for a moment before balancing. ] Beg your pardon for the intrusion. I followed a trail of your exceptionally beautiful scales here. Would you mind if I kept the ones I found?

[usurpers]

[ his . . . scales? he is shedding and probably let a few couple dozen out of his sights. the dragon raises his head from the hoard and exhales a mix of smoke and steam— horns come first, then shut eyes as sharp, dangerous objects fall off his skull and land on the existing pile with clanks and clatters that’s weren’t very hearing-friendly to most. the same blue eyes and a rumbling maw closes in on the visitor, tongue swiping forward intrusively to taste and never forget what he smelled like.

moreover, he’d be far more inclined to kick him out and do worse with all the intruders slipping in to take his knives. he’s curious, all the same; the witch (he exhales witch blood) seems confident in what he’s come for and for lasting seconds, the dragon silently eyes him for body language. air. eyes. ]

That’s all?

[galdorleod]

[ Howl blinks, and for the first time displays an emotion even remotely consistent with speaking to a dragon inside his den, and not a harmless stranger on the street - surprise and wonder. This dragon, a male, is not only shifted at the moment, but he's much larger than Howl thought he'd might be. Perhaps he'd been too giddy about the dragon scales; those enormous blue eyes were a dead giveaway. ]

Uh - [ Howl blinks again, cocking his head as he processes the question. That's not a response he expected, but he realizes now that he isn't sure what response he expected. ] Well, yes. Is it odd for me to ask your permission before taking them?

[ Howl pauses, looking upon the dragon's exposed teeth and swiping tongue. Maybe he ought to explain. ]

Alchemy suppliers sell shed dragon scales at a very high price, you know. And yours are remarkable - far better than any I've seen in shops. Very beautifully colored, packed with potential.

[usurpers]

[ in . . . teresting. ]

I thought you were here for something else, [ the part of his wing that still has fingers (three working ones) gathers the weaponry in a protective semicircle masked by the three more elongated digits curving back and high; he huffs. ] but I know all about that.

[ flattery may not get howl many safety points, but something inside the dragon swells like little popping bubbles. he's now a prideful creature and it's a free stroke of his ego— of his beauty and the power wedged into each pop of scales. after some consideration: ]

Keep the ones you found on your way here. The rest, [ the ones scattered here, on the floor of his den starting where howl stood moving forward, ] they're mine.

[galdorleod]

[ Free dragon scales! At least a dozen of them...! The positive exchange emboldens Howl. There's potential here for a highly beneficial relationship, if he can say and do all the right things. And he loves a good challenge, too.

His soft smile returns to his face before he shakes his head. ]

You needn't worry. I'm not drunk enough to make any attempt at your hoard! [ With a chuckle, he lifts one leg, and then the other, and a moment later he's sitting - but in the air, floating a yard above the ground. He won't disturb even one sheet of paper from here. ] I'm a wizard in my home world, and wizards don't survive for long without respect for beasts like dragons.

[usurpers]

[ "respect", hm! respect . . . he shall see if there is enough of that, and for now he snorts. ]

Just don't get drunk around me. [ dry humor—? he'll take using that, eren wasn't particularly bright with his joke execution. ] So you haven't changed much.

[ being a wizard, and all! ]

What's your name, Wizard?

[galdorleod]

Howl, sir! And as I said, fellow Mirrorbound. [ He floats a little closer to the dragon - inches at a time - testing his welcome, and halting at the earliest sign that he's getting too close. ] I suppose I haven't changed much, in a certain manner of speaking. But for a man of my profession to lose his power and be forced to relearn it, based on entirely different principles... it's a different sort of transformation.

May I ask your name, Dragon?

[usurpers]

[ for now, howl can hover wherever he pleases. even close to the knives, the tip of a spear or even the point of a piece of paper wedged between metal. he'll take the witch's word in full that he wouldn't take anything that wasn't his, and if he did, well. eren would stand by his word as well. the other had far more to lose in keeping his end of the deal. ]

Eren. [ concise. eren's curiosity does twitch when his library of smells and tastes reminds him of something, and so comes his blue tongue, dancing out to flicker its forked end at howl's hovering soles. ] I know where you live.

[ . . . not meant to be a warning, but the way his voice naturally growls doesn't make it sound as tolerant as he would probably like. ]

[galdorleod]

[ Howl's attention is lured by the flash of blue. The tongue hovers near his heels and ankles, and it's not until Eren's matter-of-fact statement that he realizes what the dragon is doing.

In spite of the grumpy growl in Eren's voice, Howl doesn't recoil away. If anything, the brilliant color of his tongue just makes him more curious. He reaches down with one delicate, long-fingered hand - offering to let him smell it, and perhaps daring to ask permission to pet the tongue himself. ]

Then that's mutual, now, and only fair. [ smiling, he glances back at the dragon's blue eyes. ] What else do you know?

[usurpers]

[ luckily, eren doesn’t get drunk so easily— but the next question comes in time enough that he doesn’t think to respond to the first. much luck is needed to try and catch the tongue, but it eventually flits out and in again, whisking across the back of his hand. ]

What you last ate.

[galdorleod]

[ That would be simple assorted nuts, slightly stale from sitting on the counter of the bar that he'd been in earlier, trolling for women. Mixed in is perfume, leather, wood, cotton lint, and a dozen other materials Howl happened to touch over the course of the day.

But on the back of his hand - where Eren's fleshy taste buds grab and drag away particulate and skin cells themselves - are traces of the magic spells the wizard worked with that morning. A powder to keep his skin soft and smooth, an enchantment to hide his pores and any stubble sprouting from his chin and upper lip. Crushed dandelion petals used a potion to dye his hair blond. Not to mention Howl's strong magic aura in the first place - it's so thick it almost seems to coat his skin like a real, physical lotion would. ]

Ah... Stars above, your tongue is huge. I pray you didn't eat a wizard for your last meal. [ He laughs, a hint of nervous thrill-seeking in his voice. It's not every day you get licked by a dragon. ] That's a joke, mind you.

[usurpers]

I wouldn't joke about that.

[ wizard (or witch) wasn't exactly on the menu now, but witch blood, witch magic like the blanket that coated the prideful sorcerer— it had piqued a rather large interest to the point that he'd continue to get licked, sniffed approached by a probing dragon's skull to blow hot air from his nostrils to the man's pants. his own tone holds a lightness to it, as if to follow through with a joke, but it's as harmless as a blade being tucked beneath one's sleeve. it's not. ]

. . . You should get going, Howl.

[galdorleod]

[ The huff of air makes Howl's sleeves ruffle and hair flutter. He chuckles and turns his palm over against Eren's tongue, following along with its movement. ]

Mmm. Should I? [ one fork of his tongue slides between his thumb and forefinger; he obliges the curiosity and spreads his fingers for him to explore. ] I will, if you insist. But... if you're interested in making some arrangement - dragon parts for whatever I may be able to provide to you - please contact me, will you?

[usurpers]

[ contact for exchanges? hm— ]

I'll consider if it has an edge.

[ he won't strictly take blades, though they are possibly the easiest thing to bargain with him. just show him what cuts and he'll probably want it. with that known— he'll see howl out with his eyes, and delve back into his hoard when alone again. ]