{Liz & Kat} Non-muddy forest explorations! {Hydra & Measle}

“Hey, I’m not –hic!- that druuunk!” Jackdaww slurred, pointing one finger accusingly at Silence. He’d been getting his drink topped up every few minutes, and that added with the alcohol already in his system had gotten him into quite a state. He;d been worse – Measle kept telling him about /that/ - but he probably couldn’t walk in a straight line any more.

A few seconds later, the rest of Silence’s comment sunk in. “Oh, yesh… remind me to tell Meashle about that.” He added, passing back his cards as Silence rearranged the deck. Then, an idea hit him. “Hey, let’sh go and find him!” He suggested, standing up. Or rather, trying to stand up – as soon as he made it to his feet his legs wobbled, and he had to grip the table for balance. “Alright, mehbee I /am/ a little drunk…”

--

Measle jolted awake quickly, and panicked for a moment as he realised he was on a rooftop. However, when he saw Hydra by his side, his memories flooded back, and he let himself relax. “I’m awake.” He announced, licking Hydra’s cheek playfully, before shaking himself from nose to tail. His scales ruffled up as he did so, easing out his joints, and he looked around, double checking that his surroundings were quite safe. Satisfied, he sat down again, making himself comfortable on the roof tiles.

“I wonder where Jack has gotten to.” He pondered to himself, unsure whether his human would have drunk himself unconscious yet, or if he was still semi-functional. Well, they’d find out soon enough, so he decided not to worry.

She didn't bother to hide her laughing fit as Jackdaww started slurring and couldn't stand properly. "Why don't we wait to find your friend until you can walk?" she asked trying to get him to sit back down. "You're likely to get yourself hurt if you try walking now. Please wait until the alcohol runs its course, Jackie." His friend could wait just a wee bit longer, right? It was better to make his friend wait than risk Jackdaww getting hurt.

---

"He's probably found some woman to occupy his time in a brothel somewhere." She shook off her scales and settled back down before sniffing the air. "Smells like he's still around that brightly colored girl that smelled so weird." It was back to lazing about under the partly cloudy it seemed. Nothing had changed since she'd fallen asleep really, fewer people on the street in later afternoon though. "Let's go make sure Jackdaww's alright. I'm getting a little worried."

“You’re a little worried? How do you think I feel then!” Measle laughed, standing up. “He doesn’t like to switch taverns unless he’s been thrown out usually, so how about we try where we left him?” he suggested, before unfolding his wings and looking down at the city. It was like looking down at a map – they only had to follow the lines to reach the old, run down tavern they had left Jackdaww. That at least they could be thankful for.

It didn’t take too long to reach the tavern, and Measle pushed in through the door confidently. He didn’t know how ready Hydra would be to walk into the bust tavern, but he was well used to it. “Jackdaww? ‘You here?” he called, shouting to be heard over the noise of the tavern. Most of the men were ridiculously drunk by then, so it would be a miracle to be heard over the top, but he hoped Jackdaww would notice his bright blue crests even if he couldn’t hear him.

--

Jackdaww had listened to Silence’s advice and stayed in his seat. However, he hadn’t exactly had time to sober up noticeably before he heard someone shout his name through the crowd in the tavern. He turned, spooked, before relaxing as he saw Measle. “We don’t have to look for him then. Shilenshh, meet Meashle.” He grinned, gesturing widely towards the back and blue head across the tavern. He dimly thought that the little dragon would be unimpressed to see him so drunk – for by then he had to admit that he really /had/ had too much to drink – but the thought was drowned in the woolly mass that seemed to be filling the space between his ears. He liked the feeling – it meant he didn’t feel taxed to think, but did tend to stop things sinking in as they were supposed to.

Hydra laughed and waved her way through the tavern and over to Jackdaww. "Have you found yourself a lady-friend Jackie?" she teased. "I never thought I'd see the day!" It was true that this girl still smelled funny, but it was all the more amusing that she was hanging around with Jack. She gently nudged Jackdaww's leg and snorted affectionately. "Nice to see you're happy though!"

---

Measle was a dragon?! Oh that was a twist she wasn't expecting by a long shot! "I didn't know you had a dra- two dragons?!" It was only a few seconds later she noticed Hydra, and once the shock wore off she couldn't help but grin. "They're so cute, Jackie!" She could tell which was Measle by who Jack pointed to. "This is Measle, then?" she asked moving over to the storm dragon. Both dragons were adorable due to their size, but their scales were beautiful, she couldn't deny that. "Who's the other then, if this is your friend, Jack?"

"Behaving as far as being inebriated is concerned, but yes he has." And now suddenly she felt out of place with them. Perhaps it was the fact he had two dragons with him, or it was that Measle didn't seem too happy about her being around his human. She thought about just leaving and not forcing Jackdaww to take him with her wherever he was going next. Didn't seem like she'd made a good impression, in fact to her she felt she'd made a bad impression.

"What do I look like though, his babysitter?" she asked irritably. "If that's what you think- oh forget it." However when she tried to walk off Hydra stopped her and nudged her back to her seat. "No no you can stay! I'm sure Measle didn't mean to say it like that." If Jack really had found someone to spend time with, it wouldn't do for her to get offended and run off. She hoped the girl wouldn't decide to leave anyway. If she did and Jackdaww found out it might not turn out well.

Silence felt rather bad for Measle now and knelt down to pet him on the head. "Jackdaww lost a game of poker so now he has to bring me along until you guys get to a new city. He never made conditions for if he won so I guess he really got himself drunk if he forgot that." Despite her discomfort she warmed up to Measle quite quickly. "You are just too adorable!"

Hydra on the other hand wasn't used to anyone else getting to cuddle up to Measle like that and she took it upon herself to watch Jackdaww and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Ah well, she'd seen enough of his stupidity to know what to look for. "Shall we find somewhere to pass the night or let Jackie sleep off his hangover in here?" It didn't matter one way or another to her, but as Silence had felt earlier, she now felt like the third wheel and curled up on the floor to avoid being stepped on.

"That's fine with me. I'll keep Jack company in here till he can walk properly, you guys go have fun. Someone's gotta babysit him, might as well be me. Just don't get into trouble okay?" said Silence with a smile. Hydra's reaction was much more, well, reactive. "Anything to get out of here! Too many people for my taste." She hurried out the door and waited outside for her lightning bug.

Silence in the meantime was doing her best to keep Jackdaww in check. So far so good, it didn't seem like too much of a chore. Though she was sure when the dragons left he'd get to be a handful to deal with. After Hydra left she felt a little more at ease, and figured that Measle would soon follow. "If you want I'll hold onto the key." she offered. After this was over she'd likely be the first to fall asleep that night.

Measle passed the key over to Silence thankfully. “If there’s any problem jut shout – I’d better just check on Hydra…” he said, before darting out of the door to sit with Hydra. “Are you alright? You looked a bit flustered.” He asked, nudging her shoulder gently. He was also a bit worried about leaving Jack behind again, so he was probably overreacting, but he had to check. “Here, we’d best decide where we’re going to sleep anyway.” He added, presuming that leaving the two humans be was probably the best option. He didn’t want to deal with Jackdaww’s drunkenly behaviour all night anyway. The roof they had been on before seemed like a nice idea, but he’d leave it up to Hydra.

Jackdaww protested meekly as Measle left. “I don’t need a babyssitterrrr.” He announced, clinging to the back of his chair to stop himself falling off. Ok, now he could definitely say he /had/ had too much to drink – well, he could slur it anyway. He was going to have /such/ a bad head in the morning…

((feel free to timeskip to later on/morning if you want – I’ll leave it up to you ^^))

Surprisingly the night had passed without incident for Hydra, she slept like a log! First time in ages that she'd had an uninterrupted night of sleep, and it was wonderful. The only issue now would be to wake up her precious Measle, and he was not a dragon that liked to be woken up. She inched over and licked Measle's cheek before nudging him. "Wake up, we gotta go make sure Jackdaww survived the night."

---

Why was it suddenly so comfortable sleeping in a barn? She recalled that the night before she couldn't get to sleep, so why was she okay with it now? Before she could figure out any of it she had one final question: what happened with Jackdaww? Her main concern was that he was okay, just passed out somewhere in the shed. Worse yet was the fear that she was forgetting something very important. In a bit of mental haste she recalled everything from yesterday and exhaled a sigh of relief, she hadn't forgotten anything. Now the matter of Jackdaww. . .

Measle grumbled a little at being woken, but got to his feet and stretched out his back. “Morning.” He crackled, sounding as close to cheerful as he could manage first thing, before blinking and looking around. “Yes, we probably should go and look for him – goodness knows how Silence is doing with him.” He replied, nodding in the direction of the tavern. The last rays of the sunrise were still glittering, throwing their golden light through the city; it all looked quite beautiful really. It wouldn’t take them long to get there, so they could take their time and enjoy the sleepy, quiet city on the way, soaking up the sights and smells of the world just coming to life. He presumed that he wouldn’t need to be in the barn behind the tavern immediately, and that Jackdaww could handle himself for a few moments longer, but then again, he’d been wrong before…

--

Jackdaww’s eyes snapped open – some rustling in the straw waking him. Wait…straw? What straw? He sat up looking around. He was in a hay barn by the looks of things. Ok, that wasn’t so weird – he remembered reaching Caspan, so he and Measle had probably rented the barn out for the night. Then, something else caught his eye… There was a woman in the barn, and he couldn’t remember for the life of him why /she/ was there, or who she was. He stood up quickly, dusting himself down hurriedly. That was when the headache hit him.

It felt like he’d just run into a brick wall – everything ached, and he swayed visibly. So he was hung over – he’d been drinking. Oh gods, what /happened/ last night? “Erm, good morning…” he said stiffly, sounding more than a little concerned. He hoped that the woman would be able to provide some explanation as to why he had been lying in a barn, drunk, for no clear reason…

She snuggled up to Measle in an attempt at an apology for waking him. "I think we have a little while yet before Jackie's up and moving, he did drink quite a lot last night." When Measle mentioned Silence she stifled a laugh. "She can handle herself just fine I think. Your human's the one I worry about." If she had to bet on a match between the two humans, Silence would've had her vote for sure. From was she'd seen that girl could tackle anything.

---

"Jackdaww sit down, you don't look well." she said looking concerned. "You had far too much to drink yesterday!" Why he was acting so strangely she couldn't understand. "What's got you acting so stiff, last night you didn't seem to mind my company at all." She stood up and walked over to him still looking rather worried. "Please come sit down, Jackie, you need rest." What had gotten into him this morning? Had he forgotten everything from the day before?

“Hmm, yeah, I suppose. I just worry about him, and by default anyone he’s associated with. She’ll have a rough time when he comes round…” Measle shook his head, snuggling back against Hydra. This was the most peaceful morning he’d had for months, and he suspected it was mainly because Jackdaww wasn’t there. He wasn’t even particularly sleepy – apparently waking up early didn’t bother him if there wasn’t the ever-present challenge of looking after Jack.

“We should probably start to make our way over there anyway – just to be on the safe side. A little alcohol is unlikely to stop Jack getting up to ‘train’ anyway. He’s so into the whole ‘knight’ thing.” He groaned, the irritating sound of chinking mail rising in his memory already. He had hoped that eventually the sound would become soothing, but it just annoyed him. It meant the world to Jackdaww, so he’d never say anything though.

--

Jackdaww nodded, and sat down obediently, trying desperately to wrap his head around the situation. That made his brain hurt even more than it already did, so he gave up, looking around for clues. When the woman started to walk over, he stood up again, reverting by default to the most courtly manners he could think of, but stopped short of bowing. That would look just a little bit too strange if he had, in fact, already met her.

At her words, his face paled a little, and he swallowed. What did she mean by ‘her company’? He didn’t dare to follow that thought all the way through. Shaking his head, he squeezed his eyes shut in thought for a moment, before speaking in a low, gruff voice.

“Erm, yes, I think I did have a bit much last night.” He said, rubbing his aching forehead. He followed the woman obediently and sat beside her. Thing of her as ‘the woman’ was irritating him, but he didn’t quite know how to go about asking her name. Wait, something was coming back – he’d bee in a tavern with her at some point yesterday afternoon, and her name… Silence? Funny name, but at least he had /something/ now.

"He could hardly stand last night, I doubt he's really up and doing anything." she said as she walked along the roof. "I'll laugh if he's making an idiot of himself though." At the very thought of Jackie embarrassing himself, her tail began to swish back and forth. "Hope we haven't missed any of his antics if he is being stupid, and that Silence is still sane." Hopefully she "was" still sane or there'd likely be issues ensuing.

---

"You really got yourself drunk during our game of poker. Or don't you remember?" If he had amnesia that would certainly explain why he didn't remember her, and why he was acting as if she'd caught him in his underpants. Either way she supposed it was understandable that he was in a bit of a panic. "What exactly do you remember from yesterday, Jack?" she asked. Hopefully he remembered the deal he made or he'd be sorry.

“I wouldn’t say that so fast – you’re underestimating my charming human’s stupidity. Goodness only knows what sort of a mess he’s got himself into.” Measle sighed, not exactly brimming with confidence. Of course, he could be wrong, but he had a bad feeling about that morning…

With a little hop, he leapt from the roof, signalling to Hydra to follow, and glided down to a low-ish height, where he could see the ground properly. That way he’d know if Jackdaww had managed to get out of the tavern. He felt like a babysitter, but he was used to it by now. He didn’t really mind – he just liked complaining really.

“I hope Silence is still sane too – I almost feel bad for leaving her alone with him.” Measle added. Silence had seemed nice – he didn’t want Jackdaww to manage to scare her off immediately. It was always good to find a human worth talking to, as it didn’t actually come up as often as one might expect.

--

“Erm, I’m not sure – wait, yes, I remember the poker. You were teaching me how to play properly, right?” he asked, his voice still low and sluggish. Bits and pieces were filtering back to him, but he couldn’t remember anything past the first half of that ‘lesson’. Still nothing to explain why he had been asleep in a barn with her…

“I remember lots of yesterday…” Jackdaww said apprehensively, not sure if he felt like admitting how much he’d forgotten. However, after a second, he changed his mind – he couldn’t go on thinking about what could have happened any longer. “I remember precisely nothing other than the first game of poker, actually.” He admitted, rubbing his forehead again. Damnit, his head really /hurt/ now, and he needed to get up and practise. It had to be after dawn now, so there was no excuse…

"Stupidity is one thing, but I doubt he'll do anything THAT bad. If anything I think she's strong enough to put him in place." Indeed she thought rather highly of Silence. Something told her that having the human girl along would make things more pleasant while they traveled. "She'll make a nice traveling companion for Jackie don't you think?" As they moved she noted how beautiful the city looked in the early morning.

---

"Shh, Jackdaww it's alright. You just lay down and try to sleep off that headache okay? I'm sure Hydra and Measle will be over shortly and when you're feeling better we can get moving." He didn't look like he was feeling too well at all. She felt almost guilty about how he was feeling. "Maybe you'll remember more after you sleep a little longer?" It didn't seem like too long till she heard something outside, probably the dragons.

“Hmm, I suppose. Maybe I should rust him more…” Measle smiled, considering that idea for the hundredth time. He regularly considered giving Jackdaww a bit more freedom, but he always managed to prove that he didn’t deserve it. It was typical of him… but it made their lives a little bit more exciting. “I’m never sure if Jack actually like travelling with company – he goes really quiet while he’s walking. I sometimes catch him watching the woods a little way off – like he’s looking for something.” Measle added, shaking his head. Well, they were almost at the bar now – no more time for worrying. It was time to see if the two humans had really survived the night, and what state they were both in.

Landing neatly (well, neatly was a term used loosely – he did stumble and nearly roll, but it was a better landing than usual), Measle head-butted the tavern door open, and crept through the empty bar to the back door. Outside was the barn, a few feet off. There was a slight rustling inside, and what sounded a little like talking from a distance, so he presumed that jack and Silence /were/ both still there. Time to check what /else/ was still in order…

--

“No, no, my head’s fine,” Jackdaww grumbled, “I’ve had worse.” So she knew about Measle and Hydra? Oh good – that would save him a good bit of explaining. “Erm, may I just ask what my behaviour was like last night? I’m terribly sorry if I got a bit… loud.” He said, hoping to glean some sort of insight into what had happened the night before. He wasn’t going to ask outright – that would be discourteous – so it may well end up as a permanent blackspot in his memory.

As he heard the noise outside, he got to his feet briskly, dusting himself down hurriedly. He didn’t want Measle to see him in a mess – it looked bad. “Morning?” he called out, trying his best to sound fully-functioning. His head was still a bit ‘wooshy’, but if he gritted his teeth he could /stand/ at least, which meant he was doing well.

"Morning yourself!" called Hydra as she walked in. "Measle she survived." That was a particularly extreme relief. It was good news to know that Jackdaww hadn't run Silence off during the night or worse. They were both in one piece with the aforementioned knight having a hangover. "Seems your human isn't so bad after all. He managed to not be an idiot long enough to make a good impression."

Man, was Jackdaww really that much of a put-off under normal circumstances? She wasn't about to ask any questions on the matter at that moment for two reasons: one she was still really tired, and two she was very, very, hungry. "Morning to you guys too I see." she remarked a bit dryly as she teased the tangles from her hair as well as the straw. "You guys made any plans for the rest of the day or do you just play by ear?"

Measle sat down on the straw in the barn, relieved that both of the humans were still in one piece. Jackdaww was looking a little confused, but at least he wasn’t lying face-down on the floor, complaining that his brain hurt. “Yes, you’re right – he’s managing quite well today. Well done Jack.” Measle laughed, his tone more than a little mocking. That was how humour worked between him and Jackdaww – one insult after another, until one of them got bored. Hydra seemed to have adapted well to the constant throwing of playful insults, which was comforting to know. He didn’t want it to seem like he hated Jack, because it simply wasn’t true. He had a low opinion of him, yes, but he didn’t hate the man. “And good morning to you too, miss Silence. I trust you had a pleasant night?” He had quite woken up now, so his voice was bright and sunny, just like the morning outside.

--

“Your overwhelming confidence astounds me – thanks a bunch you two.” Jackdaww shook his head sarcastically, breaking into a slight smile when he thought the others weren’t watching. However, it was nice to see the dragons again – his memory was failing him quite spectacularly, and he hoped they’d be able to cover his back at the very least.

“Plans? I believe I need to sort out some sort of provisions, but beyond that we’re just playing by ear. Right now I need to train though – it’s after dawn.” Jackdaww announced, stepping towards the back door of the barn to remove himself from the group. He unsheathed his sword as he walked through the door, and moments later the slight whistling of the skinny sword flicking through the air could be heard from within the barn. He refused to get out of practise, and once he’d missed a day for a good reason, he would miss a day again for a bad reason. He was /not/ going to let that happen.

"Pleasant enough considering Jackdaww was drunk and I had a migraine." she replied with a shrug and a smile. "One question, while your companion's not around. What's up between you and Hydra?" Thankfully Hydra'd wandered outside to watch Jackdaww train. She'd been curious about the ice dragon since she saw her last night when Measle first came into the dive to check on Jack. "If you want I'll give you two a little space and go see Jackie?" she offered.

Meanwhile outside yes, Hydra had gone to see what he was on about, but at the same time she sort of wanted Measle to like Silence for the sake of Jack. "So, you're bringing the nice girl with us, yes?" 'Please let the answer be yes.' she hoped silently. If Jackie had a companion of his own maybe he wouldn't tease her and Measle so much. That and he seemed to like her anyway, so why shouldn't he bring her?

“What do you mean, what’s ‘up’?” Measle asked, after blinking an acknowledgement to Hydra as she wandered out the door. “I suppose you could say we’re an item – that is, we’re together?” he said uncertainly. He didn’t know how to fix a label to what he and Hydra had - all he knew for sure was that he loved her. “Besides, it’s not wise to interrupt Jack while he’s training. He’ll get seriously peed off, and that silly little sword is actually quite sharp.” He explained, shuffling into a more comfortable patch of straw. It was nice in the barn – the rooftop had been a little difficult to keep a grip on overnight, even if it was beautifully exposed to the elements. Sometimes it was nice to get indoors every once in a while, just to see what it felt like after so long outdoors. He preferred the open, but it was always nice to check.

--

Jackdaww didn’t notice Hydra at first, as his eyes were squeezed shut, his silver blade flashing in the morning sunlight as he whirled through his basic attack sequence. It was only when he threw the blade up in the air to swap hands that he noticed her. Catching the sword and turning slightly, he raised one eyebrow at her, and launched back into the same routine with his left hand, determined to keep both up to scratch.

“Who, Silence?” he asked, not turning around, “I’m not exactly sure.” That much was true – he had no idea what she’d even been doing in the same barn as him. He was still mildly concerned by that fact, in honesty, but wasn’t about to mention it. “I suppose she can come if she wants?” he added. He wasn’t going to send her away, that was for sure, and he had a sneaking suspicion that she’d be coming with them anyway, so it wouldn’t make much difference what he said. With a final flourish of his blade, along with what would have been a fatal slash across some invisible enemy’s chest, he sheathed his sword, satisfied. Then, and only then did he turn around.

Silence couldn't help but smile. "Ahh, I see. So you're a couple? Perhaps Jackie will be an uncle soon, eh?" she joked with a wink and a giggle. She didn't know what kind of repercussions her saying that would have, but she hadn't meant any harm in what she said. So long as he didn't retort with anything about her hanging around Jackie. Measle did seem to care for his icy little companion, so she wouldn't press the matter any further. "So long as you're happy, then."

Hydra meanwhile gave Jack an annoyed look. "Well do you enjoy her company or not? If you don't wish her to accompany us then tell her so! Don't lead her on." It made no sense that Jackdaww held so little regard for someone of his own species, much less one like this girl. "Whatever you're impossible, and it's not a compliment." She returned to the barn and snuggled up to Measle. "Your human is so dense."

Measle blushed. Not just the silly, cute pinkish blushes he shared with Hydra, but something worse. His scales felt on fire, and he must have been glowing red even through them. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and shuffled, inwardly cringing so much that he felt like he could wink out of existence. /THAT/ hadn’t even entered his mind, and now that it had, he was feeling decidedly uncomfortable about it. However, he relaxed as Silence spoke again, finding a smile underneath his awkwardly flushing exterior. “Oh yes, we’re very happy.” He beamed, filling up with a sunny sort of warmth as he did. “But what about you? Do you have some special someone?” he said, acutely aware that the expression sounded childish, but not caring. He hoped it wasn’t a touchy subject- it would be just like him to blunder into something uncomfortable by accident, but Silence seemed calm enough for him to believe she was as free as the wind.

As Hydra entered the barn again, Measle relaxed properly – he had been a little tense since she’d left, but it had taken her return to make him notice. He relaxed into her, snuggling back as she rested on his side. “What’s he done now?” he asked jokingly, nudging playfully at Hydra’s cheek as he did so.

--

“I can’t remember any of her... company.” Jackdaww said – his voice starting off angry, then fading as he realized that he knew a very different definition for the word ‘company’ that the one Hydra was talking about. He gave a sigh, and started again, trying to phrase his words a little more delicately. “She’s a very pr… nice lass. I don’t dislike her company, that’s for sure, and she seems to be sticking around anyway, so..?” he ventured, not sure if he’d said the right thing (he had a feeling he hadn’t already). His head still hurt, and it made it worse trying to think properly.

As Hydra flounced off, he grunted in frustration, drawing his sword again. He whirled through the most basic defensive maneuvers, just to clear his head. His footfalls sounded as light as those of a dancer, but the speed of the blade could still have caught an attack hard enough to send a blade spinning. He’d practiced those movements so many times it was like meditation for him – his body knew what it was doing, and didn’t even need him to keep up. It only took a moment per hand, and once he was finished he returned to the barn, feeling much better for the exercise. He sheathed the thin sword as he entered the barn, the light from the open doors glinting off the ruby encrusted in the pommel for a second as he tilted it to fit the sheath.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked, attempting to be bright and cheery. Even his own voice hurt his fragile ears, but he was better at pretending that Measle would ever give him credit for.