TEST DRIVE MEME #5

[fairyfoes]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Considering apping to EACHDRAIDH? Why not give the setting a test run here! OPTIONAL SCENARIOS 01. ARRIVING IN THE DRABWURLD. The Seelie and Unseelie courts welcome you with mirthful revelry and hearty food. After you have been briefed on your purpose here, you will find an endless feast and a night filled with entertainment to placate your concerns. Mingle with new arrivals, sneak down the castle halls and make sure your eyes are always on your glass; fairies and imps have no bias when it comes to tricks! 02. THE STATION. Looking for a little slice of home? The Station gives you all that and more. Take advantage of the wifi, have a cup of fairy-brewed coffee (the one they didn't spit in) or sit back and relax on the patio. You can even move your things into one of the available rooms! 03. WILDCARD. Your own scenario! Explore the Drabwurld or simply take advantage of your Locket!

Comments

[folklorish]

[ Hiccup isn't that far off. Nuada's people have been called elves by humans. He is examining some of the architecture when the viking youth arrives in the hallway and, while his presence would be easily ignored, it's the pegleg that catches the prince's attention. It does not seem adequate for the task of keeping someone upright and allowing ease of mobility.

A pale eyebrow lifts at Hiccup's awe, amusement and irritation vying for emotional dominance. ]

Have you never seen weapons before, boy?

[smithwork]

[ There are a lot of odd creatures in the Drabwurld, some nicer than others (and then the rest are like pale imitations of Black Shuck), but Nuada's tone sets him apart from them and prompts Hiccup to try a more chatty casual approach than he otherwise might have. He turns side-on to pat the Dragon Blade sheathed at his right thigh, only the dragonish handle on view while holstered. ]

Of course I have. That one — [ a nod is given to the shortened lance, keen green eyes flicking up from it to the stranger ] — it extends, doesn't it? It's beautiful. Did you make it?

[folklorish]

Ah, a warrior. [ This is the longest conversation he has ever held with a human where the thread of immediate bloodshed (and subsequent death) wasn't on the table. It's an odd feeling, honestly, especially since the boy's handicap would render him nigh helpless in a fight. He thinks. ] It does, yes.

And, no, I did not craft it. The sword, yes, but the lance was a gift for my majority.

[smithwork]

Dragon Master. I'm Hiccup.

[ The correction is a small one, and only because he doesn't feel like much of a warrior in the broadest sense of the word, even though his smile is grateful for being considered one. In his niche, however, he fits there very happily and covets it.

He takes a step or two closer, attention fixed on the figure rather than the accoutrements carried. ]

They let you use the forges in the castles, they're not too shabby. I made a few knives when I first turned up in the Drabwurld and the metal wasn't ... well, it wasn't great but it could have been worse for just messing around with.

Did you get here for the feast tonight?

[folklorish]

You command dragons.

[ It's somewhere between disbelief and a question. Golden eyes narrow, looking the human up and down a second time, perhaps wondering if his leg was lost to one of the beasts. Dragons are now extinct in his world but, even when they weren't, acknowledged to be a true force of Nature, and his people most often simply allied with them.

He also stands his ground as Hiccup approaches, upper lip curled into something less than friendly, but not yet foreboding enough to suggest the boy's life is about to be snuffed out. ]

I need specific materials to maintain these weapons. [ Pause. ] ... Yes.

[smithwork]

One day, people will actually stop sounding so astonished when they say that.

[ BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY. He nods, not about to call Toothless out of the hall just to prove himself other than a liar, and rubs the back of his head as he keeps a respectable distance from that finely crafted yet obviously deadly assortment of weapons. ]

I might be able to help you out there, I can cover a lot of ground. [ Not with his pegleg, obviously, but he'll leave that minor mystery up in the air for now. ] What exactly would you need?

[ Maybe doing the grumpy elfthing a good turn will ensure those pointy blades don't investigate Hiccup's flightsuit any time soon. Or ever. He's hopeful. ]

[folklorish]

Dragons rule themselves, boy. They are not ruled.

[ Keeping a respectable distance is probably a good idea, although the size properties of the lance can often make that distance somewhat negotiable. Just something to keep in mind when dealing with this particularly grumpy elfperson. ]

Pure silver, a good forge, and the magic of my people.

[ To start with, anyway. Most likely any extra frills won't be possible, considering the Drabwurld isn't his home realm. ]

[smithwork]

I never said I ruled anyone, only that I can master them. If pushed to, anyway. I really wouldn't like to try that again with the Screaming Death. There aren't many dragons around these parts, so the whole thing is a moot point.

[ He pulls a slight face at the word magic. ]

People don't get powerful with their magic here unless the High-Kings and High-Queens decide to give out boons. It's ... best to just. Not.

[folklorish]

And you do not understand how those two words - their meanings - are interchangeable?

[ What are they teaching kids these days? Sheesh. ]

Magic is a part of who I am. It is .. in my blood, if you like.

[smithwork]

Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you always have to make a point of being the best, that'd be obnoxious. Besides, who wants a gangly guy yapping on about dragons all the time? Approximately no one.

[ Hiccup rubs the back of his head, ruffling his hair. With a frankness born of experience in the Drabwurld, he tells him, ]

You should guard your blood, then. [ Which is a weird thing to tell anyone, but he sincerely means it. ] More than you normally would, anyway. People are always greedy for magical content in just about anything.

[folklorish]

No, it would mean you strove to best yourself. [ Blessed Danu, does the boy have no self respect whatsoever? Nuada frowns, dropping all pretense at not being dangerous, and moves forward until he's in danger of looming over Hiccup.

Or as much looming as a six-foot-something elf prince can. ]

I would. Dragons are magnificent creatures. Their intelligence is immeasurable, as is their magic. And if you can get one to tell you stories, even if in exchange for gold, it is well worth it.

[ ... and then someone has to ruin his lapse in judgement. ] It does not work in that manner. But I would be happy to remove the head of any fool who tries.

[smithwork]

[ Hiccup's smile is a little wry until he finds himself with a faceful of Elf, raising his chin a little so his own height of six-foot-one gives him back a minor advantage. Not much, considering Nuada is around fifty times as threatening (and would probably still be so if he was three-foot tall, since Hiccup could be twelve-feet and still as frightening as a limp loaf). At least the guy knows how to take care of himself, as if a first glance couldn't have told Hiccup that anyway.

He zones in his predictable topic of interest. ]

What kind of dragon is magical? I've never met one who could speak anything but Dragonese. [ Even as wary as he is, his eyes are wide with fascination at the prospect of hearing a dragon talk, as in with real words. ] You've seen them?

[folklorish]

[ Truthfully, Hiccup is only a couple of inches shorter than Nuada. Mankind was somewhat shorter during their developmental phase, and the elf prince towered over his adversaries once. But with evolution comes a change in height, so that advantage isn't as ... advantageous as it once was. But his ferocity does tend to make up for that. ]

The ones I am acquainted with. [ Clearly. ] Only a few deigned to speak, so I suppose it is possible not all of them knew how. Or wanted to.

[ He shrugs and moves away, still feeling restless and unwilling to remain in one place. ]

Yes. My father treated with them.