Fantasy The Skies Are For All [pluvian_penguin & junedingo]

[junedingo]

Tynan woke with a momentary disorientation of place. This was unfortunately, not so uncommon for the man. Instead of making it to his bed for a night of rest (or day, depending on what time he stopped his research or studying), he’d begun to fall asleep where ever he was sitting. With no one to wake him and send him off to bed, he often now awoke with confusion, as well as a horrible crick in the neck. Back. Hip. Pretty much always a sore spot someplace, as it was difficult to be comfortable in the issued furniture.

For nearly a year now, he’d been living in one of the towers of their grand military fortresses, yet he wouldn’t call it home. One weekend a month he was allotted time back to his family’s estate, the noble maison the only true home he knew. This was where he awoke now, still with a crick in the neck because he’d been foolish enough to be writing at the ornate and sturdy desk of his room, rather than lying in the downy softness of the mattress. At least this chair was somewhat comfortable, though that made it easier for him to relax, and apparently sleep with his mouth open enough to drool on the book he’d been writing. Notes on his theories, questions he needed to discuss.

Scrubbing at his face, Tynan looked out to see that it was in fact morning, which he was glad to note. He had something to see to today after all, it was good he'd not slept in.

———

A couple hours later had him venturing out into the capitol streets, wearing a fresh set of clothes. The britches were a season out of fashion, and he’d avoided the shirt that touted the emblem of his house, preferring to go without the societal name tag. His mother abhorred the state he had arrived home in, lamenting how the military just wasn’t the same these days, forcing him out of his standard wear and to shave his scruff the moment he’d stepped into the home. Tynan’s father was always an impressive, put together man, and so his mother was convinced that it was the degrading state of their leadership that allowed her son to look so terrible while in their employ. The true fact was that the military didn’t give a shit what Tynan looked like, so long as he kept being useful. They already had a hold of his siblings for displaying ‘proper patriotism’, Tynan himself a far less useful example of heroism to the public.

He supposed though, that approaching someone he’d never met before in regards to their dragon, while technically off duty, his mother had a point about appearances. Couldn’t ever make a second first impression and all that as she put it. Not that fresh clothes and a clean face would hide his general weariness and poor posture.

With address in hand of where to find this rider and dragon duo, Tynan firstly did some shopping. Bringing with him a gift of expensive organ meat for the dragon was better than nothing, particularly as he hoped to examine the beast. This of course wouldn’t endear him enough to any dragon to allow that to happen, but a gift to a dragon was better than anything one could give to their rider in earning trust Tynan had learned. Only the bonded human would be able to convince the dragon to not immediately maim the doctor for trying to get close.

Knowing very little about the duo he was wanting to meet with, Tynan approached the temporary housing, speaking with the landlord out front to confirm that a particular dragon rider resided there. As he was waiting for the landlord to summon the rider, Tynan sat to rest at a low sandstone wall, his height making it a decent perch for him. He dropped the leather sack at his feet, a fair sweat on his temples and neck from hauling the heavy bundle from the butcher during the decent weather while also sporting his own satchel for notes and tonics. It would hopefully prove a worthwhile endeavor, as there would be no use for the griffin liver otherwise.

 

[pluvian_penguin]

The day had started early, with River making her way down the main road at first light. The dragon stables weren't exactly attached to temporary housing - something about safety issues - and the distance made her itch. She'd never been so far from Cobalt before, and she didn't like it.

Cobalt, as usual, had been affectionate when River showed up, nuzzling at her hands as she chuffed and rumbled. A few of the other dragons had shown some interest in Cobalt's breakfast, but River wasn't worried about any of them breaking into where Cobalt was staying. She'd been assured that the place was secure. And she knew, without any assurance, that Cobalt ould be able to handle herself if any of the other dragons did try anything.

With her brief visit done, she was back to her rooms with a hot bread roll for breakfast. She'd worn a skirt to the stables - something Cobalt had sniffed and snorted at - but she hadn't put any work into her hair except covering it with a hooded cloak. Combing and braiding it was an effort reserved for when it was light outside.

Besides, the best way to get on anyone's good side was to help them. Collecting eggs and carrying water would get her on good terms with the cook. And that was the first step to having a pleasant time anywhere.

Naturally, she'd gotten a little messy in the kitchen, through no fault of her own. A mishap with one of the maids, and her own dropped bag of flour, and she'd decided to just hang her clothes to dry and shake the flour off later. Much less effort than washing them! And she'd gotten her hands on a spare set of clothes, with the first coins she'd set aside. Changing her shirt was easy, and she tucked it into her pants, which she then tucked into her boots. She'd managed to get her hands on a courier job. Something familiar in a strange world, and she liked the idea of seeing more of this kingdom, or country, or whatever, from the back of her dragon, like she so often had at home.

River was bounding down the steps two at a time when the landlord stopped her. There was a strange glance at her appearance - shield slung over her back, a sword on her belt, pants instead of a skirt - but they apparently decided that saying something wouldn't get them anywhere. Instead they informed her that she had a visitor.

"I heard that you're named Tynan," she said curiously, folding her arms over her stomach and shifting her weight to stand on one foot. He was tall, lugging around a lot of stuff, dressed nicely enough. "And that you're looking for me. Something about a dragon."

She didn't intend to say too much until she had some idea of what he was asking about. The landlord had said very little about who was waiting for her, and that intrigued her. And made her a little wary, because who had any reason to be looking for her?

Although she'd seen those notices about enlisting for the dragonrider corps in the military. Sounded like they recruited pretty heavily from pairs who were already bonded. Even if she didn't understand any of the written words, the innkeeper had been happy to tell her wha the words meant. She'd learned the written word they used for dragon, at any rate. That seemed important to know. And a few other important things like 'illegal', 'for hire', and 'reward'. She could work on the rest later.

"If you're asking after Cobalt, she's a little nippy around strangers."

That could be something of an understatement. But Cobalt never bit a human unless River told her to. River had known the importance of that from the very beginning, and it had been the first training she'd focused on.

 

[junedingo]

There were some passerby, an older man who looked at Tynan with a furrowed scowl, which the wasting aristocrat responded to with what he thought to be charming smile. There were some women busy with carrying boxes, clearly at work and not sparing the waiting man a thought. A few others glanced at him, noting the class difference perhaps by the attire, but there was no recognition in their eyes. If his elder brother had sat in that very place though, gawking would have certainly ensued. Tynan waited, eyeing the various dragon flies as they flitted about in haphazard momentum, but the he moment he saw the rider there was no mistaking her for anyone else.

The young woman was armed, and her posture was immaculate, speaking of a strong core strength no doubt. Tynan dealt with riders on the regular, unfortunately needing them to be near for examining their dragon. It was generally unfortunate because a good number of the riders Tynan knew were. . .well frankly they were bastards. Arrogant, selfish, single minded, those were words Tynan would use to describe many of those that were military employed. Yes, some were better than others, but Tynan couldn't help being biased when his own sibling was among that group he'd rather avoid speaking to. Even so, there was no denying their aptitude for physical activity, and set shoulders and a level gaze was a good indicator of that. He saw the same in this woman, and when paired with the weapons, it was obvious he'd found the right person.

Rather that be immediately indifferent though, Tynan was struck with curiosity at their introduction. The rider had an accent the likes of which Tynan had never heard, and those armaments did not look crafted by any smith of this kingdom. He smiled, pleased and curious at the same time, though he was still a bit weary and didn't lift himself from his wall spot just yet.

"Yes, I did expect as much, its why I haven't come empty handed," he told the rider, nodding down at the heavy sack by his feet. "A meeting gift for your friend, Cobalt, you said? I'd like to see your dragon, for research purposes. I'm a medic. Would you take me to her? It shouldn't take too terribly long, I didn't mean to interrupt your. . . hm, workday." He looked at her, considering the rider in much the same manner a bluejay figured how to steal from a squirrel's stash, not quite sure what job she may have been off to do dressed like that.

 

[pluvian_penguin]

He looked at her in a strange way, in her opinion, though she did think that about a lot of people in this kingdom. He was dressed a little differently than the rest of them. A little finer, she thought. Maybe he was some kind of merchant. She'd seen many men who had made their fortune off moving food and fabric and natural materials.

River's gaze dropped to the sack, then returned to his face, even more curious now. Brought a gift for her dragon? Nobody else had done that. There was another dragonrider who'd been nice to her so far, helped her navigate the rules about keeping a dragon in the city, but that was it.

She hopped up onto the wall next to him, the soles of her boots pressed against the stone as she looked down at the sack again. All right, so maybe it was... considerate, and nice, of him to have brought something for Cobalt. But it wasn't going to immediately get him access to her dragon. Cobalt was her most precious friend, and she wasn't about to let anything happen to her. Especially not... wherever this was. They were all that each other had, now. That meant more than it ever had.

But the mention of research purposes made her frown. Research? What kind, exactly? She wasn't the most trusting person by nature, and she was fiercely protective of her best friend. Not just anyone could get near her.

"You think I'm going to just let you... poke at my dragon?" That was what medics did, as far as she could tell. First impressions were fine, as far as the man himself went. But she was, admittedly, not very open to the idea.

"What does a medic or a researcher want with my dragon? He told me she was healthy," she said with a frown, growing suspicious. Cobalt had cleared a basic health check by a city veterinarian, but River hadn't known there would be anything else. Though the veterinarian had said that it was very basic. Just seeing if Cobalt was in good condition and not carrying any obvious signs of disease. Could he have missed something?

Besides, he was looking at her like some kind of con man. Like he was trying to figure out how to make her do what he wanted. River had never been particularly fond of people who looked at her like that. Dragonriders were a rare kind of person, and most who met them, wanted to use them in some way. She'd seen this look on generals, dukes, and everyday salesmen.

 

[junedingo]

The medic ruffled a hand through the back of his hair, trying to suss a response. The woman had a thoroughly fair point. He’d thought to offer a gift would have intrigued more interest, but like her armaments the rider was on guard. Not abrasive he felt, but just appropriately cautious.

Well, a dose of skepticism was certainly healthy and wise. Tynan was always one to question things himself, to the point of frustration of those around him when he’d been a child. As an adult he’d learned to cover that particular trait up better when it suited him, but there was still the ‘Gods you’re soooo tiresome’ sentiment aimed his way on occasion. Having it flipped back onto him did incentivize a light chuckle, but ultimately it was getting in the way. He needed to figure how not to be denied.

“Just a brief exam for a survey, nothing invasive, I assure you. I would hope to be out of your hair quickly, and if Cobalt is well you’d not see me again. I can see you’re wary though, not local? I could explain my reasons, but it isn’t exactly a side-of-the-street conversation,” the medic gave the rider a tired half grin. This was research not sanctioned by his commander, something he was keeping only to himself and he’d prefer not to use his station to gain access to the dragon. He didn’t want word getting out yet. “Or we might visit with the one who previously examined your dragon? Was it Sotherby? Elodia?”

Tynan had good relations with the established veterinarians of the city, sharing notes and meeting to discuss bizarre cases. Tynan wanted to rule out this Cobalt from the theory, to determine he was over estimating the consequences of the magical strain he’d taken note of. Either way he didn’t need them bumping into any of the riders who might recognize him, and question what exactly the research minded medic was doing out in the public streets talking to a stranger draped in weapons.

 

[pluvian_penguin]

A brief exam for a survey? River's suspicious frown deepened. She'd never heard of there being surveys for dragonriders. Maybe things worked differently here... Or he was just lying to her. Growing up, the people she lived with had generally been truthful, and many were friends with her family. This was obviously not that place, and not those people. She had every intention of being suspicious until she could figure out what was going on.

“Nothing invasive,” she repeated, wondering if she really believed that. Well, it wasn't like he could actually hurt a dragon. And Cobalt would make short work of him if he tried anything he didn't like.

So while she didn't believe him, she had no problem showing him where to go. He was a dragon medic, which meant he knew better than to do anything stupid. Or at least that was her hope. She'd certainly met many a stupid person.

“All right...” she said eventually. “She's this way. And no, I'm not local. So you can explain as we walk.”

Though she had no intention of carrying his bag for him, she'd match his pace, even if it meant going more slowly than she'd like. Just because she didn't trust him, didn't mean she could be rude. Her mother never would have approved.

But then again, her mother had never approved of River wearing pants or carrying a sword, so she'd done a few things to disappoint her elders, lately. She might get better at that... if it wasn't for the fact that nothing could convince her to give up the things her mother disliked the most. There'd been many comments about how swords and dragons weren't very ladylike, as if two of the princesses weren't dragonriders as well.

“It was Elodia that looked at her before,” she added. “She said everything was fine. But, she was in a rush.” River shrugged a little. Hadn't sounded like anything serious, just a lunch meeting that she was running late for.

Now, she was wondering if she should have asked a few more questions. But she knew, herself, that Cobalt was healthy. Bright eyes, sharp teeth, trimmed claws, steady breathing, good body temperature, and full range of movement. They hadn't had anything to worry about, as far as she knew.

As far as she knew. Maybe she'd been a fool.

 

[junedingo]

The thorough skepticism wasn’t a bother to Tynan’s mood in the slightest. On the contrary, he thought higher of the dragon rider for it. With how long she contemplated him for, the medic rather expected her to wave him off, tell him she hadn’t a need and to be on his way. Perhaps it was true kindness, or maybe there was an underlying curiosity, but whatever the reason, Tynan was quite glad for her acceptance, no matter how slow in coming it was.

It seemed that the acquaintanceship of himself with the city’s animal caretakers was a point of proof in his story. While he lugged the heavy sack over a shoulder, his body weight leaned forward to counterbalance the weight of the meat, Tynan grinned at the mention of the veterinarian’s name. Elodia was a wonderful, sweet, if aging individual. Perhaps she wasn’t too keen on observing a dragon up close if it could be avoided, after all, Tynan had quite the scar from an exam where he’d let down his guard of one. An action as simple as an annoyed flick of the tail for such a mighty beast could mean a stay in the hospital for the unfortunate humans.

The soft sunshine was enough to make beads of sweat collect on the back of his pale neck from the effort of carrying the dragon’s offering of peace (or at the very least momentary distraction, as this particular sample of meat wasn’t drugged. . . Tynan was not above using such measures for the more aggressive beasts or those who had pricks for riders and encouraged poor behavior).

“It probably is so,” he said, in regards to the previous exam Cobalt had received. Speaking while walking and carrying his satchel and the liver were causing him be a touch out of breath. “Its just a precautionary measure. . . I’d like to simply rule your Cobalt out. . .from a growing concern I’ve had. . . regarding dragon kind.”

Tynan’s smile was starting to slip away as he needed to concentrate further on their walk over to the dragon stables at the fringe of town, lest he embarrass himself and stumble over his own feet along the way.

“I should let you know, this. . .is my own research,” he admitted, knowing he looked like almost any citizen. “So if we bump into anyone. . . with the military. . . it’s best if you just let me talk. Not likely. . .but just in case.”

 

[pluvian_penguin]

River frowned and folded her hands behind her back. A precautionary measure. Elodia had said nothing about such measures being necessary. Had she forgotten, or had things changed so quickly? Whatever the case, the man walking alongside her didn't carry the same leather bag as the other two veterinarians she'd seen, so she somehow doubted that he was the same as them.

A researcher, he'd called himself. And he was clearly researching dragons. But what, specifically? Some kind of illness? She could think of little else that would require one's concern to grow.

Dragons had been ridden for centuries. The bond wasn't understood very well – no rider had allowed it to be studied in any scientific manner – but dragons themselves had been studied almost as long as they'd been partnered with. Everything that needed to be known about them was public knowledge.

Except for what he'd found, apparently.

He wasn't smiling any more, and she wondered if that was because of the topic of conversation. Whatever he was researching couldn't be too dangerous to humans. That seemed like the sort of thing that anyone would mention first. Tell her to stay away from Cobalt, or humans who could get sick, or even both.

Well, she'd only listen to half that advice, if she was given it. She and Cobalt had been friends for too many years. River was never going to stay away from her, no matter who said to. Loyalty, her mother used to say, carries much more weight than law.

“I didn't know the military was that interested in dragons that weren't theirs,” she said, then immediately wondered if she'd just betrayed her total unfamiliarity with this place.

“And if you do see Cobalt, are you going to be telling your... generals, or someone, about what you find?”

As far as she could tell, he was operating independently. But that didn't mean that he couldn't be ordered to share his findings. She'd never been too familiar with the military, but it seemed like the hierarchy was sacred to its ranks. If an officer demanded his research, his papers and journals, would he listen?

More importalt, would they use that as an excuse to hurt or seize Cobalt?

They could always fly off, try to outrun them. River doubted that they could outrun any organised army forever, but she could make a damn good attempt. For her dragon? Anything.

“Why don't you tell me a little more about why Cobalt interests you,” she suggested. She gestured toward a cluster of large rocks ahead of them on their left, half-covered in grass at the base of a tree. “We can sit down if you need to catch your breath.”

The more he said, the stranger he sounded – and the less she was sure that she wanted him to know too much about her.

 

[junedingo]

A short laugh unexpectedly leap out of his mouth at her reply. From his point of view, her reaction was exceedingly naive, and he couldn't help but be humored by the juxtaposition between her attire and her words. To be decked out in riding gear and weapon, yet to think so little of the kingdom's military. . . it was a unique mindset he'd not encountered before. Unfortunately, his lungs couldn't quite keep enough air in them to keep walking with the stress of the added weight while also laughing at the same time. He ended up having to cough, stopping to drop the hefty liver-laden bag at his feet a moment.

Waving a hand at the dragon rider when she offered to have them stop to chat, he was finally able to catch his breath enough to speak again after his coughing fit had subsided.

"If I stop now, I'll just want to stay put. Best not let the treat spoil for your friend as well," he said with a haggard grin. Making himself stand upright, an effort to expand his lungs that made some of the vertebrae in his back pop in protest, he lugged the dragon's gift up once more, waiting for her to lead the way before continuing again on their path.

"I plan only to tell them what's necessary, and for now, you're not what my research considers. . . pertinent to them. . . " Tynan knew his words would do little to assuage her concerns, and he didn't want to yet reveal the truth, knowing that in itself might dissuade her from letting him see the dragon. But he needed to at least let her know enough to deem the pair safe. He sided eyed her briefly, once again noting the obvious foreignness of her.

"I have a theory, and I want to rule your dragon out of it, not in. That's what this is about," he said, carefully stretching out an arm to balance himself against the side of a building as he navigated a short set of stairs. "Likely a dead end of many possible sources, that's all. You seem a conscientious sort, correct? So if you want to think of it as helping other dragons, then that's what this is."