Challenges

[WolfEnchantress]

Sarora listened and watched Saira's recollection of the past few days. It didn't take long - things were so much easier to get across when you didn't have to say them, it took far less time. The dragon kept part of her attention on Len, watching his jumping and dagger-spinning.

Len came over to them pretty much when she finished relaying their trip. Sarora had listened in silence, refraining from questions and comments for the time being. Upon his arrival, Saira grinned.

"That was fun to watch," She said. "It looked like you were dancing." Sarora picked up her head, glancing skyward. The sky was nearly dark, stars were beginning to show.

Saira, you should sleep, Sarora said. We will leave early tomorrow.
"I'm not tired," She said. The dragon fixed her with a pointed stare until she relented, standing up and stretching. "Okay, fine." She sighed, feeling somewhat sleepy, despite her claims. She wandered over to a massive tree and sat under it, somewhat distant from the two, remembering that they were going to talk about whatever it was they were going to talk about. She lay down and curled up, using her cloak as a blanket.

Sarora shifted into a better position, focusing down at the man in front of her.
Allright, She said. Where should we begin?

[Omio]

Len nodded. "First, let's see if you've got the story straight from Saira. I have a feeling she's left out details, probably because she's worried about you over-reacting to some of the things that have occurred. I would understand a moderate reaction, but she probably felt you incapable of handling it. If you think you can understand and not go overboard with a reaction, then start covering aspects of what we went through. If there's anything incorrect, or anything missing, I'll add those in."

[WolfEnchantress]

Sarora curled her massive tail around her thoughtfully.

Yes, I can see her doing that,[/i] She said finally. She often does things like that. I suppose she did leave out spaces in the story. Though, I will say, I am impressed that she can do that. Before she left there's no way she could have kept anything from me, even if I wanted her to.

Sarora then proceeded to fill in Len on what Saira had told her, sometimes using snippets of Saira's own memory - which would be interesting, since Len would be seeing everything from Saira's point of view - but limited these to only a few parts that would be easier showed than explained, not quite sure how Saira would feel about her memories being showed to others, even if that person was there during it anyways.

It ended up turning out that Saira had been almost entirely accurate and honest, only leaving out the parts when either of them was close to death, or injured, and the inn, except for the mirror, which still fascinated her. Sarora finished her recollection, which had gone by surprisingly fast, about the time when they had arrived in the clearing.

[Omio]

Len had added in the parts, wanting to be fully honest. "All the parts I suspected to have been left out, too." The images he pulled out were not one, but two; the second being roughly what either the landscape side-view looked like, or the viewpoint of anyone significant - Saira would be occasionally included in that - while the first image were the scenes went on, from his own point. He had also included seeing the dragon with the Scrying spell.

[WolfEnchantress]

Sarora listened, and watched, the details being filled in. At the scrying part, she picked up her head, eyes narrow.

So it was you watching, She said, supressing a growl. Friend or foe, she didn't take kindly to those who watched like spies. However, she ignored it for the time being, thinking of more important matters at hand. She didn't react outwardly to anything else, though a few of the things made her thoughts fly.

All right, so I'm filled in on the details left out, She said after a brief silence. What else is there? Despite Len being awake enough, she did think he should get some sleep too. After all, tomorrow Len would ride a dragon for his first time (she assumed) and would need his wits about him if he didn't want to fall off.

[Omio]

Len nodded. "I do apologize about that, but Saira needed an example of the Scrying spell. As was, I needed the guidance at that time, and apparently, she needed to be refreshed on her objective." And he sighed. "Wildmagic works like that often enough. Anyhow, since you want to keep night duty, I won't argue. Not as if I'm awake enough to argue anyways..." He smirked, before laying back. He didn't pay any attention as he did so, his backpack holding him up, sorta. That didn't matter, though, as Len had fallen asleep on the backpack.

(( Not going to throw the lore in. No discussion needed. Post when desired. ))

[WolfEnchantress]

Sarora stretched up, peering over the treetops and into the inky night. Morning couldn't come fast enough - she hadn't had a chance to fly in too long, and tomorow she could. She retreated to the far end of the clearing where she could keep an eye on both humans and still see most everything. She didn't think it was particularly needed - most animals would sense her there and wouldn't come anywhere near. But there was the occasional brave - or stupid - animal who ignored it, or the humans who didn't have enough intuition to realize she was there. That was who she watched for.

The night, however, passed without incident. The sun was barely above the trees when Saira stirred, being accustomed to waking early. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, immensely glad that this morning, Sarora was there when she woke up. She stood, stretching, before leaning against a tree andwatching the sun rise.

[Omio]

Len first awoke without stirring or opening his eyes, his change of breath being the only sign of him having woken up. Most would be too distant to hear it, however. During the night, he had managed to roll to the ground, and off of his backpack. He was aware of that now, and after a few seconds of laying idle, he spun himself onto his shoulders and flipped to his feet. In a way, it was an attack, and in a way, it was a swift recovery. But it served a different purpose; to kick-start the morning.

"Morn'n." Len has sounded blasé, and a little better than usual. He hadn't even remotely thought about anything, and had little to think about. Even after talking, his mind didn't wander. His eyes, however, went to the very thing that Saira was looking at; the sun rising up from the horizon. Why, exactly, he was drawn to it was a matter beyond him, but a matter he didn't care to figure out.

[WolfEnchantress]

The two watched the sun rise for a while. It was fairly brilliant, the pink and orange sky shot through with white clouds, the sun dying everything else golden.

We should leave soon, Sarora said finally. We will have a better chance at making it without being spotted by the village you both went to. Saira nodded.

"You haven't seen a sunrise until you've seen one from the back of a dragon," She said. Being up in the sky, being so close to the clouds, made the sunrise a hundred times more brilliant than from the ground, like you were surrounded by color.

Yes, Sarora agreed. And the place I'm going to take you, Len, for the mateeriels you need to make keystones, is much safer in the morning for all of us than midday or even nighttime.

[Omio]

Len nodded. "Alright." And he paused briefly - very briefly - to pick up his backpack. "Let's our ourselves out of this area." And probably remove every single thread of my existance around there, except peoples' words. Maybe later, though, I should see about people confirming that I'm 'dead'. I'll probably have to have a friend vouch for me on that, if they aren't all dead by the time I might ever return to do so, so I could actually go back there without too much trouble after that, and not have to worry about people keeping their eyes peeled for me... ...It's awful, laying a web of deceit, but what must be done must be done. I can't relent once I start.

He smiled nervously. "I have a feeling I'm going to nearly get upchucked. Should I be scared of a dragon's flight style?"

(( Thanks for posting. ^-^ ))

[WolfEnchantress]

At Len's question, Ssarora grinned in what Sarora recognized as a very mischevous way.

"Maybe," Saira said. "You'll need to hold on tightly, though, since it'll be your first time flying. Sarora will be on her best behavior" - at this, she shot the dragon a lok that clearly said, 'you will' - "But it's still tricky." She didn't mention the countless times she'd fallen off of Sarora when she was learning to fly. It was painful to be caught in the air, no matter how gently Sarora had tried to be. But Len was more coordinated than she was, so he'd possibly have an easier time of it.

She walked over to where Sarora still layed (making it ultimately not as hard to climb onto her back) and grabbed the edge of one of the huge, ice-blue scales. "You have ti climb scales, kind of like a ladder, to get up," She said. Len could jump high, but definentally not high enough to reach Sarora's back. "But be careful - they're kind of sharp."

If nothing else, I can help, too, Sarora added. But you have to try first.

"That's true, but your ways of helping aren't always pleasent," She told the dragon, remembering when she was helped onto the dragon's back. "It's better to climb, really." She offered a hand, poised to scale up the dragon's side.

[Omio]

Len smirked, having climbed ladders of the same size in utter seconds. "Don't bother with the hand." And Len made one jump. He landed on the dragon, and since there was barely any recoil, he could easily jump again. He was careful with his landings, as to not hurt either Sarora or himself. He could actually sympathize with the dragon, often enough on landings and whatnot. He lightly nicked one of his hands on his way up, but he didn't mind, or really seem to care. It wasn't all that big anyways.

Now, what was the distance, about fifty feet? Doesn't matter, Len was up in less than a minute easily. "I've got myself cove--" And then he noticed, finally, that he had nicked his hand. "...Oh, wow, I actually nicked my hand. Whoops. Ah well, it's minor. It'll be done and over with by the time we get to the cavern."

[WolfEnchantress]

Saria nodded and scaled up after him with the ease of one who had done it hundreds of times before, the razor sharp scales never coming close to her skin.
"Better than I did my first time, I admit," She commented easily, remembering the dozens of cuts crisscrossing her hands.

"You'll need to be up farther, closer to the front," Saira said, leading Len almost up to between Sarora's shoulders. "Her scales don't move here, which means there is no chance of being cut, as opposed to farther down, where there is a slight chance." Really, it was easier to hold on farther down, but Len being a first time rider and all and not knowing how to sit without getting sliced, she wouldn't risk it - a cut on the hand stung enough, let alone being cut in much more unpleasant places from sitting somewhere improperly.

Once she sat down, she scooted back a bit and motioned Len over.
"All you really have to remember is to hold on, to whatever is available. Scales are as slippery as smooth glass. And do not, no matter what happens, let go. I don't want you falling off any more than you do." There really wasn't much to hold on to actually, other than the huge, ivory spikes that doted down the dragon's back, which might not be comforting. But, it was better than nothing. The dragon looked back at him.
Just say when you're ready, She said.

[Omio]

Len nodded, as he hopped up to the shoulder area. "I've stood on glass before." And he held on to the spike with his arm around it, and his hand coiled tightly on his backpack shoulder loop. "I think I'm ready to roll." As long as you don't fly upside-down, we're gold.

(( Would Len have to hug them, or can he go about this one-armed? ))

[WolfEnchantress]

Saira felt the dragon's muscles bunch and tense, like rubber bands about to snap, before with a grin the dragon exploded from the earth with a thrust of her hind legs. Just that jump alone flung them high into the air, far higher than the treetops. They hung in the air for a split second, motionless, before the dragon's hundred-something foot pale blue wingspan snapped open, catching the air like parachutes. She beat them once, twice, and they were far enough into the air to make breathing difficult. Once the sunlight caught Sarora's scales, they shone as brilliant as sapphires against the green backdrop, making it rather obvious why flying midday was frowned uon. And the sunset did indeed look ten times more dazzling than it had on the ground.

Saira stood easily, stepping the few feet to where Len clung to the spike as though she was on solid ground. She laid a hand on the securing spike and one on Len's arm.
"You doing okay so far?" She called over the beat of the dragon's wings, breathing deeply to try and get used to the reduced oxygen. Honestly, now that she loked at it, the ground was a dizzying distance away, the trees looking no bigger than a marble. Sarora tilted to the right and Saira braced herself, sllightly changing her footing to match the tilt, again with the ease of one who'd done it practically in her sleep.

((One-armed should do, for now, since he has a fairly good sense of balance))