New lifestyles. ...any issues? [Mature]

[Omio]

That's what Len had been thinking about all along on the back seat. Nothing had bubbled up. "After we finish with keystones, we should head for that city with the Orichalum and Umbrastone, so I can smelt them together into the mineral compound I need, in case I do have to take tough and tumble, like I expect." And then after a second, his realization came in the form of 2 words - one of which censored. Oh, 5#17! Dammit, I let that ball drop! God, I hope Saira doesn't pick it up... Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap... He tried to not let the interior panic of that show. He couldn't tell if his attempts were succeeding or not.

[WolfEnchantress]

Saira nodded as he spoke, then jerked her head up at the last bit.

"Rough and Tumble?" She repeated, a bit slowly, like she didn't understand. She could tell, if barely, that Len had said something he didn't want to. He's hiding something. But what? Maybe I shouldn't ask..After all, if he wants to keep it to himself, who am I to ask otherwise? But I can't just ignore it..."

"And what do you mean by that?" She asked finally, though she had a pretty good idea that she would bet money was right. Or something else valuable, since she wasn't really sure how much money was considered a significant amount.

[Omio]

Len was trapped in an explanation, and he sighed in resignation. "If you can guarantee me that you won't join me in what I must do, then I'll tell you what I am to do. Unless I know that for sure, I can't..." And he shook his head, tears welling up. "...no, I won't let you follow in something so dangerous. But you should know it if I know for certain that you won't..."

She's cornered me. And earlier, I had to pay a cost revoking my ability to lie, lest I want to cough out another slug. And I really don't feel up to getting nauseated, and getting one of those suckers out of me.

[WolfEnchantress]

Saira studied his eyes for a long moment before slowly shaking her head somewhat sadly.

"I can't promise that, Len." She said, her voice pained. Okay, she could physically make the promise. But keeping it was a whole different obstacle. When she saw his tears, she very nearly did exactly what he wanted, but held the words back, saying instead, "Put yourself in my position. If I was going to wander off into the unknown, possibly getting killed...Would you guarantee that you would stay behind if I asked you to?"

[Omio]

Len nodded. "I understood that, and your honesty is brutal..." And he waited about thirty seconds before speaking again. "...You'll be able to help me with information, so hiding it isn't so smart; you're mopped up either way, and I'd rather it be indirect and not so risky for you." And he sighed, rubbing his eyes clear of water. His speech was rather nasaly, as if he could cry any moment. "Because I'm to absolve the past - and that would mean that I would have to converse with the dragons that exiled you. If what you said is true..." And he couldn't even bear to finish the sentence, dropping to his knees before slumping into a seated position, in a fit of sobbing. I don't want to leave either one of you two...

[WolfEnchantress]

An icy numbness spread through Saira's body. He was going to the lair of ice dragons. Of all the things he could do, that may very well be the most risky. If they decided he wasn't a threat, they would treat him with more respect than they did each other. But if they decided the opposite...Len wasn't going to get out alive by himself.

Saira kneeled beside Len, wrapping her arms around him.
"Len, you have to let us some with you. It's not even a fact of danger. You don't know where they reside, or how they think and work, or the right way to approach, or the right way to speak to them. Sarora isn't a dragon to go by when you're talking about ice dragons - she's on the opposite end of the scale there. There is so much to know, so much that you wouldn't be able to remember..." She trailed off. Sarora thrummed her agreement.

"Please. If you're going...I want to be with you. At least then you'd have a better chance of survival. Besides, if you dies while I just sat idly..."
And I have long sought to attempt one more peace agreement as well, Sarora added when Saira trailed off.

[Omio]

The part of them joining him was the part he was not looking for. He just remained, not speaking at all. It took him easily - and probably more than - five minutes before he could even speak. "...Saira, I don't want to doom you if I can help it. As is, there's much about the world you've yet to lea--" He cut himself off, having a flashback wave over him within a quarter second.
(( Notes: 1) The quote recalled was the quote he remembered in particular. 2) Sarora can easily pick this up. ))

He'd been writing some test, and finished before handing the written test in. Len observed that he was the last. Surprised, he had to comment. "Ugh, slow again... ...I hope you don't mark for time used..."
"Granted, I will not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins."
"Huh?"
"It means that unless I understand the background, and where you come from, for me to doubt and think you lower is just plain idiotic. When I know the reason for everything, then I have the ability to truly criticize, and say my things about whatever."

Len blinked, shaking his head. "...Sorry. Yeah, we have too much to learn about each other to really criticize. And as much as I don't want your two to get caught up in a brutal mess, I have to remember that you two are yourselves; free to be as you wish. It's your choice to be mopped up or not - I shouldn't dictate that..." And he narrowed his eyes, looking at the ground as he merely felt idiotic. ...I should've realized the futile attempt...

He felt another burden lift off of his shoulders. The earlier one of forgiving had finally come off of his shoulders as well. He'd just about accosted Saira and Sarora for being foolish, but instead blaming himself for attempting to be manipulative. He could forgive others when the fault was his own.

[WolfEnchantress]

Saria waited patiently until Len spoke, listening with some frustration, until he cut himself off and abruptly changed what he was saying. She gave him a questioning look, but Sarora nodded, appreciation flashing across her eyes.

Wise words, She said, Coming from a human. It was not meant as an insult, rather it was a compliment coming from a dragon. (Most of who think humans aren't nearly as smart as they are. Sarora is no exception, though that view has dimmed a lot.)

"I know you want us to stay...But I can't." A pause. "Either way. We have some time until we have to go. So we should enjoy said time, right?" She said, with some forced cheerfulness.

[Omio]

Wisdom is relative. Len smiled at the suggestion Saira made. "Thank you. ...That's what I had planned, but we've gone about arguing a good hour. Dropping that subject for now would be smart. The details will come when they come. Until then, we've got each other. That's all that matters." And he closed his eyes, wiping them off before he hugged Saira in his kneeling position. Guess you guys are in for the ride, whether I like it or not.

[WolfEnchantress]

After a time, Saira stood, offering a hand to Len and wiping her eyes with the hem of her cloak.

"All right. Keystones." She said, putting the previous matter at the back of her mind so she could ignore it for the time being. "We've figured that there are none in this cave, and probably none in the surrounding ones then since they are probably connected in some way or another." She'd found this out as a child living in Sarora's massive cavern. Most caves, if you knew where to look, were connected with the surrounding ones.

"So then, where do we look next?" She questioned. There were lots of options. There were caves farther away, and there was the river flowing down the volcano. There were other places off of Blaze, and there was the crater of the volcano itself. "Since I've never looked for them before, I wouldn't even know where they might be most abundant."

[Omio]

Len shrugged. "I've not really decided yet - I might even go down to Lonea Lake, and see if there's anything around there. But I'm not sure - Keystones aren't absolutely vital, and if we're at the City, we won't need out Wild Magic much there; They forbid the Wild Magic because of its errant ways. Also, most of the time, I usually just come across good ones on circumstance. Maybe right now, we don't need too many."

[[ Sorry, originality is out the window. ]]

[WolfEnchantress]

Siara nodded.
"Well, if it isn't vital, we can always wait till later to do it," She said. "Getting.... Orichalum and Umbrastone, was it? sounds like it should be priority to me." After all, he'd said it himself before that it would be good to have in case something went wrong. And as much as she didn't want to go, better now than never, right?

"It's up to you, though. If you do want to go and get it, I don't know where it is, so you'll have to give directions." Sarora nodded in affirmation. "And wherever we go, Sarora will behave herself in the air if we choose to travel that way." She shot the dragon a look, and she flashed a guilty grin.
Of course I will.

[Omio]

Len nodded. "I've been there a few times already; once more can only annoy, not hurt." And then he chuckled to himself. Oh boy, I can't wait to see the look of the faces of people and Sarora's face as she gets petted by almost every passer-by. And realizing that his chuckling was random, he had to fill Saira in. "Oh, just thought of the reaction to Sarora in that town. It's bound to prove amusing to see the faces of surpise, shock, or in Sarora's case, a raw case of wondering what in hell is going on. Oh, and for the record, when we get in there, we'll say it's geas, since they'll wonder why we're barging in. I won't be able to say it, myself, but nodding can technically suffice if I pull the act off right; since a nod can mean much more than one thing, and I can't utter a lie - no mention to acting one out physically." I rather hate the art of deception at times.

[WolfEnchantress]

Sarora growled reluctantly.
Must I go into the town? She asked.
"Yes," Saira answered. "You'll be treated like a celebrity, and by association so will we. Probably. It will help out case, either way," She said thoughtfully. A sigh emanated from the dragon and she looked up. "I don't like crowds any more than you do, remember. It'll only be for a short while. Just don't step on people, and watch your tail."

"You can't lie anymore?" She said. "Well..I can still lie. Right?" She thought a moment. "I could be the one to explain why we're there if you can't do it, if we do need to tell them something."

[Omio]

Len nodded. "Sorry for beating around the bush - I don't exactly like giving the details of that cost out. I still have another couple of fortnights on it, yet - I think. I'm not sure, I'd have to wait until we're in that dumb town so I can tell for sure. But yeah, you can easily lie, and right now, until the effects of the cost are over, uttering a lie is not something I can do." But as I said, I can still act them. "I'm sorry for mopping you guys into this mess..."