Games, Antics, & Roving Gamblers [Rogue and Liza]

It's an average day in New Racksom just perfect for pranks and fun and games: sunny skies, busy streets, and a wizard with a baby dragon!

***

Who knew the city was so BIG! To a tiny toddler dragon, the city of New Racksom was a never-ending expanse of buildings and lights and people everywhere. Sinyaya scampered along rooftops and darted past windows in a futile effort to see the whole of the city in a day. Shortly after her little burst of energy she settled on an awning over an apothecary's shop to rest.

"This'll take a lot longer than I thought. Maybe I should've just stayed in and waited for Lori to get back before going out on my own."

Exhausted little Yaya had no idea that Lori was going to be gone for a LONG while and it would take weeks for her to get back home at the rate things were going. With a depressed whine she settled her chin on her front paws and shut her eyes to nap, only for the awning to give way moments later.

"Ouch!" she squeaked as she tried to get her bearings. . .only to find that she had landed on someone's head. "Uh-oh. . .I'm in trouble now. . ."

After a slightly longer absence from Racksom than usual, up at the North Academy, when Foen had returned to his home city, things had... well, changed didn't seem like a strong enough word to describe what had happened.
Surahnian invaders. Everywhere. They were doing more than merely walking the streets brazenly, acting like they had always lived in the city, but things had transformed, dramatically. Natives were outnumbered, and those that Foen did see, were thin and dirty from manual labour. Buildings were ruined, the plague... well, the plague had gone, that was one good thing- but other things were distinctly worse. Stopped by a Surahnian patrol of guards, the only reason Foen was allowed to continue walking on towards an acquaintance's shop was because of his 'profession'. Healers didn't come cheaply.

He wasn't much impressed by what he saw, really. Sure, these invaders were impressive in their regime, smartly dressed and organized, but what else were they going to bring to the Isle? The natives Foen saw were... not happy. It didn't sit right with him at all. At least he had some sort of pass to get through the city however. He was doing better than most, it seemed.

Coming to the door of his friend's shop, he looked over the facade before trying the door, then rapping on the wood with his knuckles when it didn't just open. Odd. Hopefully he wouldn't have to wait lo--
A fearful shout erupted from him as the little roof over the doorstep suddenly collapsed, cowering under the shower of wood, dust and tiles as something heavy crashed onto his head.

"Owww. . .I'm sorry!" she stuttered as she scrambled to get down from her precarious perch and greet the poor visitor properly.

She jumped down and sat in front of the door like a little house cat before staring up at the person she fell on. From what she knew this was a healer's shop and she could only guess this man was here to purchase something. It wasn't too often she got to meet natives that didn't have authority over her, but it was a great chance to make friends. Now the poor little thing felt terrible about choosing that particular awning to sleep on.

"I was just trying to take a nap, I didn't mean to fall on you. What're you doing in the city? Are you looking for someone?"

There was no way to hide her enthusiasm any longer, she rubbed against his legs and reached up her front paws in a friendly greeting. All the while her tail was swishing back and forth and her eyes were wide as saucers. There was no question, she was going to make friends with this strange native if it took her a week to do so. With nobody around to play with and this person having the glittery scent of magic hanging around him, he seemed like the perfect companion.

"Let's see what's in the shop!" she chirped perching herself on his shoulder.

Foen yowled in disapproval and discomfort as something extracted itself from the rubble that had all come crashing down; something that wasn't himself. He flapped around his head and ruffled his hair until he was back to some sort of presentable, his hat knocked from his head onto the floor, and thoroughly crumpled. Stooping quickly to the ground, he snatched it up and jammed it over his head, before looking fiercely at the small creature that had manifested itself in front of him.
A rather underwhelmingly sized night dragon, and a dusty one at that. But, its deep colours still showed through under that, the bright sparkles of silver and blue, the darker midnight of the larger scales. If he hadn't been so offended that it had suddenly deigned to fall on him, he might have already been scooping it up to inspect from every angle in glee.

Instead though, he held up his arms from her as she pressed closely and excitedly to his legs, looking down a little disapprovingly at her behaviour. With Zack... well, the little scroll dragon wasn't exacty house trained, but knew enough not to go crawling all over Foen... sometimes. Occasionally. Who was he kidding? This dragon perhaps had more manners than that little tearaway.
"Well, then..." he said, hearing her speak. "You're the first that's not demanded something off me like that." Foen snapped his fingers together. "As a matter of fact, I was just waiting for my friend to open it. If ever he is going to get around to it." He tapped sharply on the door again, brushing his robes down with one hand to try and reverse the little night dragon's doing.

"Lots of people just walk straight in and then back out, nobody knocks."

After seeing his disapproval and the issues he was having with his appearance she hopped down and stretched a paw up to the door, fiddling with the handle before simply clawing at it. Well it seemed this thing wasn't going to open any time soon without one of those jingly "key" things. Sinyaya shook her head and made a small reply. "It's locked."

Only after noticing all the dust around her did she even glance at herself before trying to clean some of it off. She felt so embarrassed now! 'I tried to make a new friend and didn't even think to make sure I looked alright.' she thought sadly, her tail ceasing its excited swishing. There went her happy day of exploration and her chance at making friends with this human. Best to at least say sorry for getting him all dusty.

"I'm really sorry. . .I just wanted to make a new friend."

Without another word, just a sad and disappointed whimper, she sat beside the doorjamb and stared at him, hoping it would make a difference and he'd at least stop scowling the way he was.

"Alas, I already tried that one." Foen gave the handle another wiggle at the little dragon's suggestion, drawing away his hand when she too, gave it a try. Two attempts were better than one, he figured... but even she could not open it. He didn't think night dragon magic would grant access to a locked place, either, rather irritatingly. He would have liked to see the look on the apothecarian's face, to come back home and find Foen sitting happily behind his desk, messing with all the potions to 'fix them up'. Foen's potions were always the best ones.

A small smile and a snort of laughter made its way onto his face as the dragon suddenly lost all of its perkiness, drooping to the ground like some small depressed dog. The sweet thing, it was only a child. The friendliest other being in Racksom, it seemed. Foen brushed his hands down the front of his robes decisively, then turned and sat down with a thump next to the little dragon, shuffling his shoulders so he was comfortably rested against the wood of the door.
"Well. It looks like we might be here a while, as the Apothecarian's out. We shall have to entertain ourselves in the meantime, friend."

"Was there any other place you wanted to see before you left the city? Lori always tells me 'a watched pot never boils', whatever that means. Something to do with patience I think."

On a sudden whim she turned her curious little eyes to the man next to her and swished her tail a time or two before cuddling closer.

"Can you do magic like I can?" she asked giving him her best innocent look.

Somehow being little and cute and sweet didn't work on Surahnians, but maybe it'd work on this native. Lori had a tough time resisting her charms on occasion but being a baby dragon had a good few upsides. Sinyaya was a bit sad that they couldn't get into the shop, but then she remembered something Lourna had told her before she left.

"Hey, does this place have a back door? We can try to get in that way!" All at once her excitement returned and she began sniffing around the sides of the building hoping to find another door that might by chance be unlocked. "I think I found a door! Come see come see!" she chattered as she ran around the building and nudged at Foen.

"This is my home city, little one. I don't have much trouble getting around. At least, I didn't use to..." Things were a bit different now it seemed, with these invading Surahnians taking the city and acting all their reformations on it. Foen extended a hand over the little night dragon as she squeezed herself against his side, petting her gently on the flank.

"I can't do magic... not yet," he said a little ruefully. It wasn't for lack of trying, and he had tried ever so hard at the Academy... but true magic just seemed to avoid him. One day he'd get the hang of it, he promised himself! "But you can, can you? You'll have to show me. I like watching magic." Although it did tend to annoy him, when he tried it secretly in private, and couldn't even get a spark to work. One he had, and that was eeally exciting, but it had been someone else who had caught him concentrating so hard, and was messing around.
there had been laughter for a month after that incident, and he wasn't very inclined to try again now.

He looked up from where he watched the passing 'locals' walk along the street, not one failing to give him a look that said 'you don't belong here any more'. They all had skin like milk, hair like crows' feathers, and not one of them seemed pleased with him. "A back door? I've never had to check. The front's always open... but there might be."
Foen scrambled to his feet, following the little night dragon on her quest around the building. Sure enough, there was a wooden door that blocked off a tiny alleyway down the side of the shop... then another door against the wall.
"Clever girl!" He hammered on this door too, waiting for it to open with renewed impatience.

This time she was sure she could get the door open if she tried hard enough! "Most people don't think to lock doors if they think people can't find them. Try opening it!" She kept pawing at the door handle but lacked the dexterity to make this one move. This door was more of a pain than the last one, but at least this one might let them into the shop so she could see what Foen wanted to do while his friend was away. Her ears pricked and she glanced over at Foen for a few seconds before swishing her tail. "Most of my magic isn't really something you see, but I can fly when the sun goes down!" That was all she really knew how to do at that point as well, but she was confident that wasn't all she'd ever learn to do.

"I've never been into this shop before, I wonder what's in here." Now that was something to get excited about, new places to explore! Even from the outside it smelled strange and it seemed like a whole city of scents lived in this one tiny little building. After a while of being impatient she swiped at the doorknob again in hopes it would come open, but she had the same problem as before.

Foen wondered whether the dragon had experience in breaking into other buildings, when she could make such a generalization. Perhaps it was best not to ask. He stood back from the door as Sinyaya scraped heartily at her with her claws, even doing so much to leave a couple of thin white scratches on the wood.
"That's a clever trick. I'd like to see that, if you're still around when it gets dark." Foen's speciality was potions, but he still had a healthy interest in dragons. It only lacked a bit due to the fact he was always in some dark room brewing up this or that, so he wasn't out chasing after a Sunblaze or a Spined Shadow, or another fabled species.

"It's an Apothecary. Not much different to the others in the city, although it's a bit fancier looking, so my 'friend' can charge twice as much as the rest of us." Really, were they going to get nowhere today? Foen banged extra-hard on the door this time, making it shake in its frame. "PAERAIS! Come answer the door already!" If that didn't work, he'd just go find something else to do for a couple of hours. Things certainly had changed in the city, so there was no lack of ways to entertain himself. "Might have to come back later." Annoying as that was.

"Did you have somewhere else you wanted to go while you were here? I'm sure if you just wanted somewhere to wait you could do so at my caretaker's home. She's away on a military venture and told me it was too dangerous for me to go with her, still being so little. I hate being it, I never get to go anywhere special." Of course now that there was some strange native hanging around in the neighborhood she was more than happy to pester him till either he decided to leave the city or Lourna came home one of the two. "You know we don't have many healers in the city, and the ones I've seen are nothing like you. You go looking for magic where most everyone here would rather avoid it."

"Follow me, or I'll follow you and we'll explore the city! It doesn't look like your friend is here right now, maybe we'll see him if we go looking around for something else?" It made sense to the little dragon, but only because she'd heard others say they found items they'd lost while looking for another item or person. The other the little dragon wanted was food, and she had simple ways of getting hold of it without much notice in the crowded streets. Her want of food wasn't something she really wanted to voice at that moment, it could wait a little while, but not for long.

“You’re a sweet one. I’ve got my own place though… at least, I did.” Foen scratched at his head, hoping that his house was still his and also in one piece, then put his hands on his hips. “Well, Paerais doesn’t look like he’s in. I don’t even have any paper.” He patted at his pockets now, then gave up quickly. Stepping away from the door, he started back up the little alleyway, still noisy just in case it would bring his friend to the door, at the last minute.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m not so talented though, just ordinary,” Foen said as they arrived out on the street again. He hadn’t been top of anything for a couple of years now, but he could get along well enough with potions and things. “Can you explore the city you’ve always lived in? Well… it’s rather changed. Perhaps you could show me what these invaders have done to our home, eh?” He barely lowered his voice, chipper and chirpy as usual, and that comment earnt him a few looks. It wasn’t good custom to speak of the Surahnians poorly, even when there wasn’t much comment being made. Foen was blasé about the whole thing though, strolling away from the apothecary store without a blink of his eyes to those around.

"Can't say that's what I'd call them, since to me they look like normal people, but one of the "invaders" decided to raise me so I don't guess they're too bad." She didn't really know anything but the Surahnians, she hatched in a Surah's bakery for Mother's sake! "I also don't get much time to see the city, my caretaker says I'm not big enough to roam on my own." She still managed to sneak out now and then to learn a bit more about the world around her. It was a huge risk since she was still too little to defend herself, but now since she had Foen with her she'd be a little safer on the streets. "I'm just past two months old, if anything there's just been a lot of fixing what was already broken. I keep hearing about the battle that did a lot of this damage, but it feels more like a bad dream than a real event."

Indeed to her most of this was alien and made little sense, and not much of it ever would since she herself was adopted into this culture. Creatures like her weren't in it to begin with so everything was jarring and most of the time kept her torn between what she knew and what she wondered was beyond the city walls. It didn't occur to her that eventually she would get to leave the city and travel, nor would it have mattered if it did. Her curiosity would remain so long as she was forbidden to leave the city without Lourna. "What's outside the city walls?"

» Rogue| These Sins of ours |Liz ~[Syn X Sin]
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