{ahaha yay i'm glad :D and you're lucky! have fuuuun :> }

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Sundari

"True," She laughed. Food was pretty important. She could hear her stomach rumbling now, even though she'd eaten a few hours before. "It's just around this bend in the hallway here, follow me." She said, fighting to push the door closed again and then turning heel and leading the out of the icy corridor. It wasn't long before they approached a larger room, certainly much larger than the bedrooms. Perishable foods were kept locked away in the ice or snow on icy shelves much like a regular pantry. There were a few icy bars that served as counters for preparing the food, and a large firepit in the center with racks above for cooking.

"Here it is. You have to defrost anything before you eat it, which is a lot easier I guess if you have magic... But I'll get used to having to heat things over the fire I guess," She said, turning to Mika. "Well, I think it's pretty interesting. Really laid-back I guess. I was expecting a bootcamp-like situation."

Ulalie

"Well," Ulalie began, hoping Borealis would chime in and finish the story for her. She didn't like talking about it, as much as she hated to admit it. "Long ago there were many more like us. Dragon and rider pairs, all throughout the lands. Two of the more ancient dragons ruled at the time, claiming themselves to be kings. They each were allowed unlimited riders, whereas we are only limited to one, you know. They kept the rider population in check, and once it got too large... they destroyed them. One of them decided they wanted to rule themselves, and not alongside their brother, and they turned against themselves. It was a war that lasted ages... Only one survived, the one the brother turned against I think. He went into hiding, but they say that they both will rise again and after they destroy the new dragon rider population -- us --, they will turn on each other again and create another long war," She finished, sighing at herself at going from complete motivation and adrenaline to hating to speak and hoping someone else would explain for her. Although she only explained the basics, she could explain so much more for them. As terrified as she was, the story fascinated her.

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((Hey guys, sorry i've been away. I will definitely post tomorrow. I just got some nice inspiration so hang on for me :3))

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{Yay inspiration! :D Do you guys ever wonder if anyone has this thread bookmarked to read for entertainment? I mean I would because I'm a total creep... XD}

Mikaviel
Following his new companion, Mika soaked in his unfamiliar surroundings as she spoke. The ice was truly beautiful, reflecting a myriad of bluish hues. He wondered how the non-magic users got by without fire. It wasn't like he practiced nearly as often as he should, so he could barely put off a spark. Hopefully there was some kindling and flint somewhere.

"I'm with you," the elf said, peering into the shelves for components of a meal. "I've barely got any magic skills, and the little I do have are mostly mental." It was annoying at times, especially since he couldn't keep up with others of his kin. His sister had always teased him about his lack of magical prowess. "Anyways, it's good to hear nobody's cracking the whip yet--to be honest, I'm not sure what I expected on the way here. It's still baffling to me there are even other Riders. I thought Zyla and I were alone." Almost as an afterthought he added, "Would you like anything to eat?" He pulled a chunk of ham from the ice-shelf, plopping it on one of the counters nearby. The ham would have been satisfying, but he spotted a basket with a bit of bread. Bread was his favorite. As he tore off a loaf, he looked at Sundari with an eyebrow raised in an inquisitive gesture.

Zyla
Listening to Ulalie speak made Zyla's feathers stand on end with excitement. The legend was enthralling, to be sure, and filled her with an innate sense of dread. The thought of the ancient dragons coming back was not a pleasant one; it was almost hopeless--why were they even trying? She decided to voice this concern.
"It just sounds like a vicious cycle to me. So much war and death... Surely after a little more recruiting our numbers would be enough to defeat two dragons? What a terrible place the world might be if those two remain in power." She wondered who even decided they were kings--themselves, most likely. Anyone who declares themselves to be in such a high state of power and then commits genocide must be mad and tyrannical, indeed.

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((Lol, that would take a lot of faith given how fast we're going xD ))

~Borealis~

Boreas nodded as Ulalie spoke. She told the story accurately enough.

"Indeed, the brother that still lives today is the elder, called Oblaan. Apparently, and I believe it to be true, our leader, Thelduin, is the Rider of the great dragon. And I would like to point out that these dragons are ages old, and likely rival small mountains in size. They are not beasts to be reckoned with. If Oblaan's brother were to rise, we would have to somehow convince Oblaan to help us kill him, instead of killing us and his brother. We believe that if we can make peace with Oblaan, we may be able to stop the cycle of his brother's regeneration. Though, I've no idea how true that is. It's just a theory."

~Sitara~

At the last part of Thelduin's reply, Sitara paused. She pursed her lips slightly.

"I... honestly don't know what the other's think. Most of the interactions I have with others are when we're sparing. It's not that I don't like them, I just prefer my own company..." Sitara felt a bit sheepish. She was supposed to be a mature, grown elf, yet she couldn't handle being around others. It was stupid. They were her comrades, and she treated them like strangers.

"Perhaps it would be good for you to go around getting to know the other's and their opinions since you've been gone," she stated.

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(Oh my god I completely abandoned you guys. Dx And I've been curious too, but Celebi has a point. xD)

(Ok I went to click to read through something but accidentally clicked on an old page and saw Zyla's "Queen Bitch pose #6" and just lost it omg)

(Oh and another edit HAPPY CHRISTMAS/HANUKKAH/KWANZZA/HOLIDAYS)

Sundari

She gave a small chuckle, "I have none whatsoever. Most of the people here do, though, or at least it seems. I guess it's good Thelduin wants to have that feast so I can hopefully become friends with them and they can share some of their nice food with me, or else I'll be eating frozen bread for the rest of my time here, it seems," She said, lifting a loaf of nearly-frozen bread. It wasn't old, just frostbitten.

"But you're right, I'm glad they didn't make us get straight down to training the second we arrived here. Having this time to learn the corridors and not get lost in this labyrinth is really helpful. I've got most of the general areas learned, but who knows how far across and deep these halls go. I bet that old elf has some stories to tell about this place, if he's been here the entire time. Maybe we could get him to tell us some of the secrets of this place somehow," She said.

Sundari gave a smile, and let the frozen bread clatter on the ice counter, "You found actual bread! I'd love some, let me see if I can find some lettuce to go with it.... but I'm guessing the only kind they have is iceberg," She laughed at her silly little joke, wondering why she was acting so strange. She was rambling, something she rarely did. Maybe it was because she was having second-day jitters, or the fact that despite it was much, much warmer than the outside, it was still pretty cold in this place. Grabbing a surprisingly somewhat-room temperature head of lettuce, iceberg, she headed back to Mika and looked up at the elf. Maybe it was him. She'd never even seen and elf before visiting this place, and they were all so strange.


Ulalie

"Make peace with the brother?" She echoed, thinking over Borealis' theory. Was that what the riders thought? It was a curious plan, just risky enough to work. If Oblaan were to join them and they were to fight together against his brother, they would surely be a force to reckon with. His brother wouldn't stand a chance. But, the thought of after the brother is killed, the great beast still turning on them floated in her head.

"That's a daring plan," She stated after a moment, looking between the two white dragons. It was crazy enough that it may just work, and although she knew she'd be regretting it after the fact, she was ready to make peace with the old dragon once he rose from his isolation.


Thelduin

He nodded, shifting the weight between his feet. He was curious to why Sitara didn't know much about the others, since she'd been there for a while, although that wasn't really the topic at the moment. And frankly, she didn't look like the one to elaborate on subjects like that. He had no doubt in his mind that she would most likely tell him off, or worse. And then what would the others think of him? He already had been neglecting the riders here, he didn't need to be known as "The Great Rider of Oblaan.... who got completely and entirely dissed for sticking his nose in other people's businesses." That would just be embarrassing, as if it weren't already enough having to accept that fact he hadn't been doing his job here.

"You're right," Thelduin said. He wasn't sure why he seemed to rely on what she knew. He should be going out and personally finding out what the rest of them think. "I'll go do that once we're finished speaking, and we can discuss it all together at dinner in the main hall tonight. I wonder if Mikaviel had seen anyone and told them about the feast yet," He murmured the last sentence under his breath.

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(Oh yeah, Happy holidays everyone xD Enjoying any time off you've gotten? I'm a bit busy tonight but i stopped in real quick. I'll post tomorrow if possible!)

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(I have been! xD Mostly staying up until morning and then sleeping in, but I've also been catching up with my best friend who went off to college across country. It's been nice to see her again. How about you? Ooh, and I got a tablet for christmas! I wanted to try and draw the dragons' cavern, but I don't like how it turned out. I have no clue how you can draw ice so well Charle! D: http://equestriennes.deviantart.com/art/Ice-Cavern-502881931.)

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{Ugh I've been busy too D: But the time off is nice! And I totally forgot I'd written that about Zyla haha I want to draw it :x and happy holidays to you guys too! hope you both had good ones :D Fly your ice is really cool!!!! I love the sparklies and the black impurities! Tablets take a while to really get a feel for, and digital art in general. I follow a lot of tutorials, though they're more guidelines--I've got some in the "Tuts" section of my favorites you should check out!}

Mikaviel
"Hey, frozen bread is great!" the elf joked, rapping his knuckles on the hardened loaf. The resulting noise was a hollow thump. "Okay, maybe not. But I think it'll be nice to meet the other Riders, too. Thelduin seems pretty nice as far as I can tell--I'm sure we could coerce him to tell a story or two." He paused, wondering if there was some cool loot hidden in some icy niche somewhere in this glacier. It had to be pretty big if it was intended for dragons. Granted, most of the ones here weren't entirely grown, but at some point there had been many adult dragons living here with their riders. He recalled the vastness of the cavern at the entrance of the hideout; it must have been a sight to see back then with all the different species of dragons and types of people wandering around.

Mika jerked from his thoughts just in time to hear Sundari make a top notch pun, after which he flashed her a big, lopsided smile. "ICEberg, right....," he said with a laugh. He rummaged around the ice shelves for a knife. Luckily, there was one--and seemingly clean, too. Turning back towards the counter, he caught the girl's gaze. Her dark eyes were a stark contrast against her skin, and Mika felt himself freeze in a moment of hesitation before sliding back to his normal demeanor. His mouth once again turned up in a grin, but this one more genuine than his normal flirty smile he'd give most girls. Sundari just seemed like she deserved more respect than that--plus, they were partners in crime. Granted, partners amongst other partners, but he didn't want to creep her out when she was the only one who was willing to hang out with him so far. "So...." he began, struggling to keep conversation, "your name is unusual--I mean, in a good way, I've just never heard it before. I like it." His cheeks flushed pink. Damn it, he thought as he felt his face heat up.


Zyla
"Daring is one word for it. It's worth a shot, though. How would we go about convincing such a powerful dragon?" Zyla's mind whirled with thoughts of bribery, subterfuge, blackmail, and conniving. They couldn't intimidate him. This was all so new to her, and now she began to feel the weight of their mission. She wondered if Mika knew of the threat that lurked in the world. Surely someone must have mentioned something by now. "And where is Oblaan now?"

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(NAWW MIKA IS SO CUTE WHEN HE'S FLIRTY and I'll definitely have to check out those tutorials, thanks! :D)

Sundari

She couldn't help but give a small laugh when he noted her bad pun. "I think any other type of lettuce would be wrong here. Could you imagine romaine lettuce here? I can't," She said jokingly, and then switched her expression to a more serious one. "That's good to hear. I can't imagine what the old riders left behind.. I'd be incredible to see if he could tell us more about them and all the secrets to this place."

They locked eyes for a moment, and Sundari paused mid-step before continuing to walk over. Once at his side again, she dropped a brick of cheese on the ice counter for the sandwiches and began to slice it with another knife. "Thank you," She said with a small smile, looking up to catch the reddening of his cheeks briefly before looking down at the counter again to hide her own. "It was my grandmother's. My dad said it was what her Elvish friend used to call her. I can't remember if it had any meaning to it, but since I look so much like her, it was what he decided to name me. My mother wanted to name me Jenna," She gave a laugh.

"But I like your name too," She said, not wanting to take all the compliments. While it was true she didn't mind getting them and usually didn't dish any out, it was different with Mika. He wasn't just some random village boy running after had like most of the guys she had met had been. "I've never met an elf before so I don't really know what their names are like, well I do, I've just never heard one spoken before by an actual elf," She finished with a slight frown to herself for not being able to get her sentence formed, "I like your name too."

Ulalie

She gave a shake of her ruddy-purple head. Honestly, the plan was the craziest thing she had ever imagined. Who was to say that the beast would even listen? If they were to ask him, he could simply snap them in his jaws and the matter would be finished with. "I do not know. He wouldn't trust any of us. He most likely wouldn't give us the time of day."

The small dragon looked from side to side at her new acquaintances, hoping that they would have a better idea formulated than she did. "I've heard he resides at the edge of the Kings' Fangs. But those mountains are impenetrable. We would most likely grow old and withered before we would ever lay eyes on him."

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((ok I KNOW i said i would reply and I DIDN'T. I'm sorry guys D: We went on a surprise trip to my hometown and i had to pack and get other things organized. Anyway, i'm hella low on inspiration, so im gonna let you guys do your feast thing and i'll see where that takes Sitara))

~Borealis~

He let the other dragons talk for a moment, but he felt their concern for Oblaan was a bit unnecessary. To him at least, the solution was fairly obvious.

"Well, I don't think it's necessarily our role to contact and convince Oblaan. Thelduin, given that he is his Rider, is trusted and a good friend of the beast, i believe it should be his responsibility to convince him to take our side..." he looked at the other dragons to see what they thought.

~Sitara~

She glanced around at the awkward silence that followed. Not nervously, it was just a habit. She didn't have anything to say, so Sitara checked her surroundings. She scuffed her boot toe on the solid ice floor.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at the dinner. I'll stay away from preparations, I'm terrible at cooking..."

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(You're still faster than my reply was before Dx I'm so sorry I abandoned you guys and I honestly have no clue why I even did. I hope your trip went well! Sorry this is so short, I'm having trouble thinking of anything at the moment. -___- Want to skip to the feast being all prepared after Mika and Sundari are done with their little cute flirty moment? So after Kyra can be like I AM HERE LOOK AT ME PEASANTS)

Ulalie

She paused for a moment, and then turned to look at Borealis. "The rider of the great beast is here?" While she was able to smell more than one person on his scent, she hadn't paid it much thought. Ulalie turned her head from Zyla to Boreails for a moment, before giving a nod. "It would be best if he spoke to the old dragon then. It is his responsibility, as you said. Has he told Oblaan about us yet, do you think?"

She frowned, juggling between sides that he had or he hadn't. While it was true that the beast would possibly ride against his brother, it was just as possible that he would ride himself and wipe them out before his brother got the chance to.

Thelduin

"I'll see you at dinner," He said after she broke the moment of silence. He was curious as to what the rest of the riders had to say on the matter, although no matter what they did, it was time this place took its responsibility seriously. It was time he did, because even if the brothers didn't rise in this lifetime, they needed to be able to pass down their knowledge. And if they did, they needed to be ready.

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{haha the holidays were an inspiration sapper tbh XD Fly, we can skip forward if you want :D Mika can't lay it on too thick or Sundari will scoff and run far away}

Mikaviel
Elvish? Mika thought, searching his mind for the meaning. It sounded like a different dialect than the wood elves generally spoke. Sundari, Sundari....he swished it around in his head. Nothing was coming to mind at the moment; he'd have to think on it later. "Jenna is pretty, too...but I think Sundari is more fitting." His mouth formed naturally around the syllables from a lifelong practice.

"And thank you," the elf added at her returned compliment, slicing ham off the large pork leg. "It means 'dark sky' or something. I can't believe you've never met an elf before, though." He tucked his hair behind his left ear and said, "I don't exactly represent most of the ideals of my kin. Sitara and Thelduin seem much more serious than I prefer to be." With a wink, he whirled to put away the knife he'd used. Sundari's fluster was endearing; she clearly hadn't spent much time around elves. Usually humans who hadn't tended to glorify the race, but Mika thought most of his kind were uptight pricks.

"What say we go check on our dragons? I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little picnic with us." It had been a while since he'd seen Zyla; he was a little worried that she had killed everyone or something, but his mind link hadn't picked up any negative or even tense emotions form her. Still, he wanted to see how she was adjusting--and meet Sundari's dragon.


Zyla
Zyla's pale golden eyes widened in surprise. "Thelduin? I thought he was without a dragon.... Mikaviel and I met him in the woods and he was alone." She felt a little suspicious at his failing to mention that fact outright. "But if that is the case, then yes, the task falls to him. I only hope he doesn't fail." She turned to Ulalie, reptilian brow pulled up in thought. "I'm sure he would keep this place a secret. He seems to be on our side--why would he spend time training us otherwise? It would be a waste of time; he could just gather everyone here and have Oblaan kill us." She hoped her logic was sound and not just built on wishful thinking.

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((Yep sounds good. Seems we all need some new activity to get our writing pumped up again.))

~Borealis~

Boreas tilted his head slightly.

"Sitara and I had our suspicions, but when he was riding on me while we headed to the glacier, Sitara questioned him, and we sensed he spoke the truth. It would seem he is... unsure about telling Oblaan of our existence. Though, I can't see how Thelduin has hidden us from him this long. It would be impossible for me to hide something from Sitara or vice versa. That's what the link between dragons and Riders is meant for, so there is no mis-communication. I imagine Thelduin wanted to make sure we were who we said we were before he told anyone his identity either." Boreas paused. He thought he heard the echo of footsteps and human voices, but it was hard to so deep in the glacier.

"But yes I believe you're right Zyla. He has a genuine want to help us and the world," Boreas finished. While the winter dragon was not affected by the cold, he was stiff from sitting still for so long. He raised himself up from sitting position and backed off a bit to stretch. If it wasn't for his almost skeletal build, alarming amount of spikes, and of course the wings, the scene would resemble a house cat stretching after a nap in the sun. Boreas shook himself and snorted, frozen breath and ice crystals making a small cloud around his pointed nose.

~Sitara~

She nodded, then turned to leave, waiting for Thelduin to exit so she could close off her room. Now that she had finished speaking with Thelduin, Sitara wasn't sure how to spend the rest of the day. Boreas was getting to know the other dragons, and she didn't want to interrupt him, so flight practice was out of the question. She frowned subconsciously. This had almost never been a problem with her... Maybe she needed to find a real hobby.

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(Gahhh why is winter break over? Dx And all right!)

Sundari

"Thank you," She returned with a slight laugh. "I think your name fits you as well, from what I've been able to tell so far," She chopped some of the lettuce up for both of them, and then searched around for plates. After a moment of looking, she had spotted them just barely visible and warped through the icy cabinets above. She opened the swinging door -- thanking that there was magic holding this place together -- and pulled out the glass plates.

"What's the fun in being serious all the time? That's like how they were at home. Well, aside from my brothers, but most of my town consisted of old fishermen who's daily fun consisted of catching the largest fish out of the lake near our house. They wouldn't even go by the ocean, even though it was less than a mile away," She said, and then gave a nod. "I'd love to see the dragons."

Ulalie

"I hope he does not fail as well," The lightly-built dragon nodded in agreement. "And I hope that if he does tell, the beast is on our side. I can't imagine how he's kept the secret from Oblaan.. Unless the dragoon knows, and is just playing as though he does not. If that's what he is doing, maybe is is on our side after all. I can't imagine this huge secret being kept from him for all these years. If he is truly as strong as they say, he could be listening to our conversation at this very moment," She frowned, looking at the icy dragons on either side of her. She, too, arched her back in a stretch, having to dig her thumb claw into the ice to avoid from having her scales slipping on it as she did so.

"Where do dragons eat around here?" She asked suddenly, realizing she hadn't had a full meal since the day before she and Sundari arrived here.

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