[OPEN] there is a fire that we breathe

[thisisamazing]

Who: Hiccup Haddock & You
When: Latter half of May
Where: Around the city, out past the wall
What: Rich jerks, odd jobs, magic studies, and contemplation, oh my.
Warnings: None atm.

[i. The Housing Dilemma]
[Hiccup isn't terribly surprised when the Coven decides it's time to find the newcomers a more... permanent housing solution. (Permanent meaning long-term temporary, he's hoping, but semantics.) He wasn't expecting them all to be led to a very wealthy-seeming district full of big and fancy houses, though. It seems a little much. A lot much, maybe.

If he's honest, he doesn't want to stay out here to begin with, but that decision feels more right when he and Toothless, on a stroll through the Haven just taking in the scenery on their way to check out the shopping district again, run into a group of wealthy-looking young men wearing angry scowls and carrying palms full of blue flames.

They're clearly not happy at all, jeering to each other.]

Look, boys, it's one of the charity cases we've gotten kicked out of our homes to house.
Is that a dragon? 'Ere, there could be a dragon stomping around your house, mate.
Just wait til it gets infected and goes on a rampage.

[Toothless is crouching now, growling, teeth bared, and Hiccup foresees this going very badly. He settles a hand on his dragon's side and reaches for Infero with the other.] You- I'm sorry you all got pushed out of your homes. I'm not staying here, I don't agree with it either-

Dragons like fire, right? Let's give them both a taste of it, boys.

Come on, we can resolve this peacefully-

[He could use some help.]

[ii. Looking For Work]
[Luckily, his housing situation resolves itself when he agrees to help Keith build up his new place out in the woods, past the wall. They can do some good out there, and Hiccup knows they'll be happier away from the Haven and the Aristocratic District. The only con about having to build almost from the ground up is, they have very little money for whatever materials they can't buy. Hiccup knows he needs to find work and hopefully a forge he can use in the off-hours.

So, he leaves Toothless out at the shack, and ventures into the city on his own to check out the shopping district. While he's looking for a place to work, he can't help but window-shop as well, stopping outside different stores selling jewelry, weapons, and anything mechanical to study the wares in the windows, mentally assessing if he has the skills to produce those sorts of items.] I wonder if anyone will even hire me...

[iii. The Library]
[With everything else going on in his life as well, Hiccup doesn't shy away from attending magic classes at the Coven. If he's got it, he wants to know how to use it - and the more he studies and learns, the more he realizes can be done with it. This viking has big ideas and not a lot of magical skill. He's easy to find in the Library, on his own, browsing the stacks and mumbling to himself,] Let's see, Conjuring? Maybe. Household Enchantments Made Easy, oh that one sounds useful. [He plucks a book from the shelf and moves on, lost in his own little world.

Maybe he's reaching for the same book as you?]

[iv. Atop the Bright Wall]
[Opalescent and lit up in the night, the Bright Wall is an imposing - and impressive - structure. It's still not much of a barrier to a dragonrider. Some nights they can be found sitting up on top of the wall, Toothless a dark shadow against the double moons in the sky, Hiccup letting his feet dangle precariously over the edge as if he's utterly unafraid of the killer drop. Sometimes he just likes to feel the wind in his hair and think.]

[v. The Harbor and The Slums]
a. [In the Harbor District, Hiccup can be found at the docks, tying a net out of a length of rope. Toothless is crouched down at his side, peering at the surface of the water curiously - occasionally his head darts out with a splash and he comes back wet and clutching a wriggling fish between his teeth.] Yeah, yeah, real impressive, bud. Gods, how did dad do these knots? I should have paid more attention when he took me fishing...

b. [Or, later, he can be found out in the slums past the wall, carting a net full of fish after Toothless has eaten his fill, and he's filled a net bag to take back to Wilders' Edge for himself and Keith. The excess catch? He stops in a small encampment of down-on-their-luck people, human and monster alike, and offers it to them.] Here, uh. We had a really good day fishing, there's no way we can eat all this. Maybe some of you could take it off my hands?

[vi. Wildcard!]
[Throw whatever you want at me! Or for a specific starter, hit me up at nekky.]

Comments

iv!

[usurpers]

[ you’ve picked a bad (good??) spot to hang around, friends. the moons are plenty full and stretch across the sky in girth, they’re— they’re huge. beautiful, really. one with no problems might be able to just sit there and enjoy the scenery, entertain thoughts all night if they could.

he could keep this urge a lot more under wraps earlier than he could now, unfortunately; eren sees the hilt of a sword and remembers hiccup’s hip companion. it was a fine blade. a very fine blade. the presence of another dragon makes eren’s scales deepen in color from afar: black becomes a midnight blue, and the scattering detail of red and orange come alive like fire. his blood is pulsing as fast as his heart, wild and agitated— he’s here because this spot, this little pond that hides away a very special hoard— is his.

and there’s another dragon in it. it was an infectious sort of thought that made sense once it latched onto him at its most heightened, and while dangerous, it was more competitive than it was aggression to the death (for now). he just!! doesn’t know how to get up there. he has no claws, and the palms of his hands are as smooth as can be.

he’ll start by launching pebbles as far as he can up the wall, and the first one is. so undeniably strong, it goes over their heads. eren gives a deep gah, and aims again, hitting the wall. a third time, forth, fifth, just probably getting harmless taks against stone. eventually, he might hit one of them. he’s aiming for toothless, in particular, but hiccup was the next best thing.

yeah buddy if you’ve ever seen another dragon inviting a challenge, this is what it looks like? partially. if the dragon was human shaped and had no wings, or horns. the only thing he has are a vast amount of scales, blue eyes in slits and a mouth full of bloody pointed teeth. he hasn’t eaten anyone! they’ve just finished growing in, after a painful amount of time of them being pushed out. ]

[thisisamazing]

[The little whooshing and pinging sounds of stones flying, knocking into the wall, knocking into Toothless' scaly hide, catch the dragon's attention first, of course. His eyes narrow to unamused slits and his ear fins twitch, standing straight up. Shuffling around, he leans down to look at Eren, and lets out a screeching roar of disapproval, rife with a surprising amount of authority - he's not the Alpha of all dragons back on Berk for nothing. (While he doesn't have that same position here, he certainly roars like he does.)

Toothless's reaction has Hiccup standing up atop the wall and frowning, staring down, but his eyesight isn't good enough in the dark to make out the identity of the figure down below.]

What- What are you doing down there? Hold on, we'll come down. [He calls, confused more than anything, sliding into the saddle. Toothless's inky wings spread, temporarily blocking out part of the moons, and they glide down easily. The viking is taken aback when he recognizes Eren, and takes in the scales and slitted eyes, the sharp teeth in his mouth.]

Woah. What- Are you okay?

[usurpers]

[ don’t u roar at him

eren is— far from alpha of all dragons in aefenglom, but he’s certainly the defiant sort! one that will not tolerate authority that isn’t his own (or levi ackerman’s). he is free. he understands, through pricks of body language what he’s calling back to him, and eren stands tall, straight and colorful, a walking sunset of colors where skin isn’t as dark as the sky and brows into resolute slants.

everything says he isn’t too okay. an escalated pulse meant he was breathing harder. he doesn’t want to be hostile with hiccup of all people, much less his dragon, and not outright attacking them proves at least some grasp on his principles, still. ]

Yeah— No— Your sword. [ his fingers fidget and he can’t keep still. after a beat, he starts up again, gesturing with shaking hands. ] If I could beat Toothless, it’s mine, [ he’s got, erm— nothing but pants on? no shirt, no shoes, no weapons, but give him service. ] alright?

[ he’s willing to win the sharp thing fair and square!! he’s honestly . . . more excited than he is being antagonistic, but rebellious he is! and he has to stick to that. he is his own alpha, buddy . . . ]

[thisisamazing]

[Excuse u tiny dragon man!! Toothless's spines stand straight up and he hops on all four feet a few times, eyes narrowed to slits and teeth bared, because he recognizes a challenge when he sees one. Bring it on, he will take you!!

Except Hiccup is putting himself between them both like that martyr-y idiot that he is, hands held up, palms out, placating.] What- No, no no no, no one is beating anyone! Toothless, stand down. [Toothless' ear fins flatten, but he sits up primly, eyes still narrowed with irritation.]

You want- You want Inferno? Okay. That's fine. [He unhooks the hilt from his belt, and clicks the little button that extends the blade - which is less a real blade and more the metal outline of a blade, meant to be lit on fire, the heat in conjunction with the sharp edges meant to slice through things more easily. It's out of Nightmare gel, but when he waves it, flames dance along the edges of the blade.] Here. You can just have it, okay? [If it prevents a fight, he's fine with this. He'll just get it back later when Eren isn't being so... weird.] Just tell me what's going on.

[usurpers]

[ oh.

lacking an aversion to the embers, eren, between giving toothless equally narrowed glares and to hiccup, he reaches for the sword by . . . the actual blade. the heat doesn’t leave its mark, neither does pain come from it. it doesn’t— hurt him at all, and he’d be baffled by it himself if he actually cared enough for it now. in fact, the heat is attractive. thumbing the edges with his fingers, that have a bit of an anxious jitter to them, he might even seem a little less impressed. some thought. hm, actually—

eren doesn’t keep put in one place; he circles around hiccup’s human wall, or tries to, looking over his shoulder to keep eye contact with the night fury. ]

He’s too close.

[ “I’m gonna wrestling you” says his dragon eyes!!! ]

[thisisamazing]

Woah, hey, don't- that's sharp, don't cut yourself. [It doesn't seem to burn him, which is good, if strange. Hiccup just keeps flashing back to that dream, where he had a real grasp of magic and Eren could transform. Maybe it was a premonition after all. As soon as he can get the blade away from Eren's fingertips, he retracts the blade, which extinguishes the flames, and holds the hilt out like an offering, handle first. He'll get it back later.]

Who's too- Toothless? Is this a- a territory thing? [He knows dragons can be territorial. Toothless is usually content to share space, for the most part, but the way he keeps watching Eren - and the way Eren watches him - is a little worrying. Still trying to bring the tension down, he says placatingly,] If he has to leave, I've gotta go too. He can't fly without me.

[usurpers]

[ he’ll cut himself if he wants which earns a defying glare at least before, once the offer is back to him, he— pushes it away with the top of his hand. he’s a man of his word, if he said it’s mine if i win, he’ll keep to it. he has . . . standards. when the objects are being watched.

(honestly it’s a little whimsical, depends on how far off he is). ]

I don’t want him to leave, I want him to show he could stay. [ and he’s running out of patience for it. eren would give a warning, but— he already has! a while ago! rather than closing the little space they had between dragon and human shield, eren steps back to make distance, perfect for running starts, for making holes— he’s basically painting these big, bright targets on him as an invite. ]

[thisisamazing]

[Well, alright. He doesn't want Inferno after all. Hiccup retracts the blade again and hooks the hilt to his belt again. This is definitely some weird behavior Eren is displaying, but he's doing his best to try and be understanding and bring the situation down.

Which... evidently is not what Eren wants. Toothless' ear flaps flatten at the cryptic statement, and his eyes narrow again, stalking forward, pushing Hiccup to the side.]

Oh. Oh no, c'mon, you can't fight my dragon for dominance- is that what you're doing? Are you fighting my dragon for dominance?

[usurpers]

[ never say can’t to eren t. jaeger because he’ll just prove you wrong. toothless in full view is enough of a green-lighted cue for him, and straightforward he goes without heeding hiccup’s words in a bolt.

he’s going to rugby tackle the dragon, results may very. ]

[thisisamazing]

[He is finding this out about his new friend. With an undignified yelp he launches himself out of the way to keep from getting pulled into the crossfire, and Toothless rears back on his hind legs, letting out a roar that definitely translates to "I will put you in dragon time out!!" (He still sees himself as the alpha, after all.)

And he is successfully tackled, but. It takes quite a bit of force to move a two thousand pound lizard who does not want to be moved. Growling, Toothless tries to bat him off with short swipes, still careful of his claws, because his rider is somehow fond of this weird human thing.]

Toothless, don't hurt him, bud! [Toothless just barks out some short, mocking sounds like 'blah blah blah'.]

[usurpers]

[ eren acts like he could lift him, and his strength has certainly spiked this full moon, cheeks puffed and “roaring” out in turn (unafraid of dragon time outs, apparently!)—

but not enough to move a two ton lizard like one would a cup. with arms wrapped around the dragon, eren squeezes to keep his hold there, digging his toes into the earth to push up and give his legs leverage. listen!! there is no biting! or scratching! only good man-to-dragon grappling. he keeps his head low and takes the knocks to the head like a champ, only a hiss under his breath that surfaces like an angry snake.

eren dragged him an inch or two. this is progress (he’s trying so hard). ]

[thisisamazing]

[Toothless glances with a very flat expression at Hiccup, who shrugs broadly at this turn of events. He's completely at a loss. This is weird behavior from what he knows, but he wonders if it has something to do with the full moons hanging in the sky above.

Successfully pushed back a couple of inches, Toothless tilts his head down to look at Eren, and almost seems to roll his eyes, before... Timber. He goes dead-weight, and tips forward, apparently figuring that he will just lay on him for a while like he does Hiccup sometimes when they wrestle.]