[IC] Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

[XxFellsingxX]

At Skobeloff's comment, Rudrick ducked his head slightly as if in embarrassment. "Is it, err, that obvious?" he said with a small laugh. He starts walking down the corridor, keeping his movements slow so the drakes can keep up with him. "Yes, I haven't really had the opportunity to speak with Garrock in quite some time. I've been trying to meet with him for a while, in fact, but he always seems to be otherwise occupied. I thought now would be a good time to try and clear the air as it were but, err..." He hesitates, and for a moment his cheerful demeanor falters. "I suppose he has just gotten back from a mission, and is probably very exhausted." There is a small strain in his voice as he speaks, betraying the slightest hint of frustration towards his sibling. However, he quickly tries to cover it up with a laugh. "Well, it's fine. I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk properly before he leaves."

[rush99999]

Skobeloff

"Is it, err, that obvious?" Rudrick with a small laugh as he set off down the corridor.

"Yep." Skobeloff replied blithely as he moved to follow the dragon.

"Yes, I haven't really had the opportunity to speak with Garrock in quite some time." Rudrick continued. "I've been trying to meet with him for a while, in fact, but he always seems to be otherwise occupied. I thought now would be a good time to try and clear the air as it were but, err..."

At Rudrick's hesitation, Skobeloff's head tilted just a little as he regarded the faltering dragon speculatively.

"I suppose he has just gotten back from a mission, and is probably very exhausted."

The frustrated strain to Rudrick's voice set Skobeloff's head into the motion of an empathetic nod. He had seen first hand how frustrating Garrock could be when he wanted to, and he imagined being related to the grumpy Warrior only did so much to make dealing with him easier.

"Well, it's fine." Rudrick concluded then with a bout of forced laughter. "I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk properly before he leaves."

"That chance will need to come quickly." Skobeloff informed Rudrick. "Garrock doesn't want to stay for long... What is it that you want to speak to him about exactly?"

[Vertigo]

__________________________________________________

Fellwing nodded politely at Heliotrope's answer, but her enthusiasm for asking questions waned considerably the more she watched the older dragon work. Not because of anything she did, but because of the way she was; clearly exhausted, yet unable to take a break with her laboratory crammed with both patients and inquisitive visitors. So when she once again mentioned lost sleep, Fellwing decided it might be best to let her focus on her work and maybe get some well-earned rest afterwards. She could save her questions for another day — or perhaps even for another drake.

"I appreciate your patience with all these questions and patients, Heliotrope," she said with a small smile. "I won't bother you any further. Please do try to sneak in a nap at least, if you can. My clutchmates will hopefully occupy your, hm, assistant for a while longer."

"Fell, do you want to come with us?"

As the Seer turned away from the healer, he found Shieldwing ltalking to her. He looked like he had more to say, so she waited patiently for him to finish - only for the red drake to retort to pantomiming his point across. Fellwing couldn't help but smile at the endearing effort. She was pretty perceptive; there would've been no need for such theatrics, but far be it from her to tell it to him and ruin the fun. Instead, she offered a brief nudge of her head back towards Garrock's general vicinity in turn. Not that she was looking forward to sticking her nose in the older dragon's business, but if it helped her friends... "You go ahead, I'll be with you shortly."

Before addressing Garrock, however, Fellwing had one more thing to take care of, she noticed. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Kyte. They were deep in thought as they examined their wing, and something about it irked the Seer. They'd seen Stargaze's distress, yet had remained quiet in spite of it, even when Shieldwing had directly addressed them.

"An overdeveloped wing is better than one lost to corruption," Fellwing commented, her voice a little colder than she intended, as she passed the other drake by. "You would do well to talk to Stargaze. Sometimes physical injuries heal faster than mental ones."

With that, she turned to Garrock, her tone back to inquisitive. "You keep mentioning your brother and trouble in the same sentence, Garrock, but he didn't strike me as the troublemaking sort." She tilted her head. "Have I got the wrong read on him?"

Or do you, she left unsaid.

[Digizel]

Shieldwing

Shieldwing couldn't help but allow a slight grin to form on his face as he heard Fellwing's words. Were they being a bit nosy? Perhaps. But that didn't occur to him. He simply couldn't help himself. He felt bad for their situation, and he wanted to help. However, he nodded back to Fellwing in acknowledgement. He didn't say anything more and was quick to follow Skobeloff outside of the room. Hopefully, Fellwing would be following behind shortly if she wanted to come with them. He ensured that he continued to stand by Stargaze's side as they stepped into the hall, hearing Rudrick and Skobeloff already conversing.

'Boy, Skobeloff really doesn't waste any time, does he?' he thought to himself as he fell into step behind the two dragons. For the time being, he simply remained quiet as he listened in while Skobeloff talked; he had his own questions for Rudrick, but they could wait. For now, it seemed like he and Skobeloff were on the same page for once. And he certainly didn't want to derail that.

And yet, he couldn't help but cut in at the end.

"Yeah, Skobeloff's right, actually," Shieldwing added. "He's been telling us since we arrived how he wants to keep moving, and how it's on us if we get 'roped into something'...." Despite how typically formal and professional Shieldwing tended to try to act around older dragons, he couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. "It's like he doesn't trust us to make our own decisions or something. As if I couldn't tell if a decision was stupid or not."

Yet again, his clutchmates would probably remember a number of times he may have tried to do something on his own to make himself seem tougher or more capable than he actually was, or even stepping up on his own in order to help or defend one of his clutchmates. Brave and bold acts, certainly. But many of them, undoubtedly, stupid.

As he spoke, he was a bit more animate than he usually would be as well; his neck craning a bit as he shook his head as he spoke some of his mild, mounting frustrations aloud. Finally, though, Shieldwing seemed to have caught himself. He shook himself a little bit and straightened himself up. "Ah...s-so, uh, yeah," he quickly tried to stammer to cover himself. "If you've got something to say, you should probably just come out with it sometime soon, like, uh. Skobeloff said."

[XxFellsingxX]

Heliotrope paused in examining her patients to look over at Fellwing. "Oh, it's quite alright," she said. "It's refreshing to find drakes interested in my work." She gave a small, somewhat dry chuckle at the Seer's suggestion that she try and get a nap in. "Well, if the Moons allow it." However, she did seem appreciative of the concern, and a slight smile remained on her face for a little while after.

Kyte looked a little alarmed when Fellwing addressed them, as if they had been so caught up in their worries they forgotten about most everything else in the room. Tamba coming over to comfort them seem to have brought their attention back slightly, but they still unfocused. They nodded awkwardly in response to the black drake's words. "I'll, err. talk to her when she gets back," the winged drake muttered.

Garrock turned his head towards Fellwing in slow, deliberate fashion. "Your first impression of my sibling was him trying to tackle me while I was carrying an injured dragon," he said. "I don't know, Kebros, does that seem like the actions of a responsible adult to you?" His tone was nowhere near as acidic as it had been when they'd been on the island, more flat and monotone as if the reasons for his annoyance towards Rudrick should have been obvious to everyone.

---

There was a pause at Skobeloff's question, as if Rudrick was genuinely considering how much he should say. "Just family matters, really," he said. "If Garrock hasn't mentioned me, I doubt he's really spoken of family at all. He's not really close to any of us these days." He gives a little shake of his head. "Believe it or not it wasn't always like that. He wasn't always like that but..." He opens his mouth as if to elaborate, but all that comes out is a deep, weary sigh, as if he doesn't quite have the words for what he wants to say. After a moment of just letting that sigh hang in the air, he draws himself back up to his full height and turns his head back to drakes. "But never mind about all that."

He listened to Shieldwing's response and managed a chuckle at his observations on Garrock. "Yes, that sounds about right," he said. "Patience never was a virtue of his."

[rush99999]

Skobeloff

When Rudrick voiced his doubts that Garrock had spoken of anyone in his family, Skobeloff's eyes glinted in the manner which they always did anytime the Trickster discovered a crack through which he could slip. "You know... while he didn't speak of you, Garrock did actually mention three other family members to me during the mission we've come from" Skobeloff spoke up once Rudrick fell silent. "Your uncle Kurkar, your cousin Topaz, and your mother... Sunglow."

[Vertigo]

__________________________________________________

Fellwing mirrored Heliotrope's smile, but didn't turn back to bother her any further. Nor did she get back to Kyte with more than a quick, approving nod. She wasn't sure whether Stargaze would appreciate her meddling, but she also couldn't bear to let any feelings of regret or guilt linger in her friend's mind.

Speaking of meddling, Garrock's response was about what she expected, and this time she couldn't even blame him. She understood him, after all; she would've been likewise irate if someone tried to pry into her family business. But instead of saying that, what came out reflexively was an equally monotonous: "I suppose I haven't had very many responsible adult role models as of late."

... Shoot.

Fellwing tried so very hard not to side-eye Garrock as she said it, instantly recognizing that he wasn't being particularly venomous this time around — and so, neither should she. So she coughed, quickly continuing: "Mind, he only did it because he was so excited to see you. Excitement that hasn't waned despite, what I assume to be continuous, lack of reciprocity. Or, in other words..."

She sighed, looking up at the older drake with a look of genuine sympathy, unwelcome as it would likely be. "You're really dear to him. I'm sure a few minutes of your time would mean the world to him — and get him to leave you alone faster." An almost conspiratory smile visited her features. "That tends to be the way to handle the clingy sort. The further away you push them, the harder they cling. Give them a figurative bone, and they'll be content chewing on it for a while."

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Stargaze

Stargaze was mostly quiet, listening to the group as they spoke with Rudrick. When Shieldwing brought up Garrock's attitude on the island she called home, she chimed in, "I think he still cared in some way. He seemed worried about you right after landing at Home, Shieldwing," She remembered how Garrock had checked on Shieldwing after he crash landed.

Of course, Rudrick continued speaking, addressing the topic of family. She did find herself a little envious and frustrated. Sure, Echo is a mother figure to her, but she didn't have any siblings. Heck, she didn't even feel like she'd belong in a House. Everyone, except for her clutch and a couple of other older dragons, ostracized her for not being part of one after all.

She is loathe to admit, but she is having trouble understanding or relating to what Rudrick is talking about when it comes to siblings.

She was caught off guard when Skobeloff somehow got the information of family out of Garrock, and she couldn't help but ask, "Wait. What? When did Garrock mention them?"

[Digizel]

Shieldwing

"Oh yeah...." Shieldwing murmured as he thought back to the very beginning of that mission. He considered how the Garrock had originally claimed not to care too much, but at the first opportunity of potential injury, he had come to him and started giving him a quick examination. Even though he had been fine, and the response afterward was rough, he had gotten the distinct impression that there was some amount of care put into that. "I guess he's not all that bad, now that I think about it. I've seen dragons and drakes that are way worse, at least. He's just...grumpy."

He couldn't outright dismiss the idea that Garrock may have just been concerned about his charges getting injured so soon during their mission for the sake of his own image, but he dismissed the thought outright. No need to take out his bitterness on him.

However, as Skobeloff continued, he had to stop himself from continuing on his own mental tangent and focus back on the conversation at hand. His verdant clutchmate was hard to read, but he could tell by now when Skobeloff was beginning to use his little word tricks to get something out of someone. He was bizarrely good at knowing how to say just the right thing; it was almost a little creepy, actually. Not that he'd ever say that aloud.

"Yeah...I don't remember that...or do I?" Shieldwing murmured, tilting his head upward and looking toward the ceiling in thought. Then again, he had been very passive for much of that mission, and a lot of it had gone over his head. And the more he thought about it, he realized the fewer details he was actually remembering. However, after a moment, his head snapped back down and he was looking back over at Skobeloff again. That last part seemed to particularly catch his attention. "Their...mother?"

[XxFellsingxX]

Garrock gave a small snort in response to Fellwing's first words, seeming more mildly amused rather that offended. He didn't say anything until she finished speaking. "I have a strong suspicion that Rudrick wants more than just a few minutes of my time," he said. "He wants to ask me a favour, and giving how much he's beating around the bush about it, he knows it's something I won't want to do." He sounds a little pained as he says this, like admitting even this small detail about his and his sibling's relationship causes him physical discomfort.

---

Rudrick froze in midstep and his face went through many quick little transformations at Skobeloff's words: at the mention of Kurkar's name, there was a slight raise of an eyebrow. With Topaz, Rudrick's mouth started to form the beginnings of a frown, and finally, when Sunglow was named, his eyes widened. His face froze in this weird state between three very different emotions for a good few seconds. "Hmm!" Rudrick said after a long pause. "Well, that's... interesting." There was another pause as the older dragon visibly attempted to get his thoughts and feelings in order before trying to speak again. "Very surprising, actually." He glances over at Stargaze and Shieldwing when they express confusion before turning his gaze back to Skobeloff. "Yes, when did he mention this... and what exactly did he say about them?"

[rush99999]

Skobeloff

"He mentioned this to me during the mission we just came from." Skobeloff said. "While we were making our way to the Treehold to gather reinforcements." Skobeloff decided to leave out the fact that the aforementioned reinforcements were ultimately unnecessary. "As for what he told me. He claimed that doesn't like Topaz very much, he mentioned that Kurkar and Sunglow were close enough that they that they thought to introduce their offspring to one another, and he said that Sunglow is a Semscale elder... Though probably not for very much longer." When Skobeloff spoke that last part, he did so with a notable degree of unease. Due both to the fact that it was likely a sensitive subject for those close to Sunglow and that ascension was a topic he never enjoyed thinking about.

[XxFellsingxX]

There was another pause as Rudrick took in what Skobeloff had just told him, his expression very obviously saddening at the last part. "Huh..." he eventually said, glancing up at the ceiling as he spoke. "So he is thinking about her. That's... good, I think? Might make my job a little easier." He turned his eyes back towards the drakes. "See, I've been trying to convince Garrock to visit Sunglow for quite a bit now. She really wants to talk to him before... well, you know... she can't anymore." He shook his head. "But every time I even try to bring up Sunglow, he just seems like he'd rather talk about anything else." He give a small laugh, which comes across way sadder than was probably intended. "If he even wants to speak to me at all." He look at Skobeloff, almost desperately. "I know we just met, but if Garrock was open enough to tell you, well, any of this, perhaps you can convince him to speak to me before you guys leave. I don't think I'll get another chance, and recent events have unfolded that have made this even more urgent than before."

[rush99999]

Skobeloff

"Perhaps?" Skobeloff asked with an arch of his brow. After a moment, Skobeloff let out a chuckle and shook his head. "If there's one thing you should know about me, Rudrick, it's that perhaps has no place in anything I'm involved with." The Myndoth Trickster said before turning tail and beginning to walk back the way he came. "You three take care of Coryn." Skobeloff told the others as he departed. "By the time you're done, I'll have Garrock ready to talk."

With that said, Skobeloff made his way back to Heliotrope's clinic. Finding the bearded Warrior still present, the raw-scaled Trickster held off on announcing his presence for a moment as he began to plan his opening moves. He studied his quarry, trying to discern any sort of clue as to how he might convince Garrock to speak with his brother. Or better yet, just skip straight to speaking with his mother.

OOC

Skobeloff studies Garrock. He rolls an 11 and learns the answers to the following questions:
- How could I get you to talk to Rudrick?
- How could I get you to talk to Sunglow?

[Guardian Angel Haruki]

Stargaze

Stargaze could only listen quietly as Skobeloff and Rudrick continued talking. Apparently Rudrick wanted to talk to Garrock and get him to talk to Sunglow before she can't talk to him. Stargaze immediately picked up on what Rudrick means when he said 'Before she can't', and she felt her heart sink.

She watches Skobeloff leave to speak with Garrock after telling them to go help Coryn. She looks to Shieldwing and asks, "...Should we go after Skobeloff?"

[Vertigo]

__________________________________________________

Before Fellwing noticed it, she was smiling at Garrock's reaction. Careful and a little surprised, but glad her little quip was so well-received nonetheless. It was such a big difference from the way Garrock had acted on the island, really driving home how worried he must've been back then. Who knew, perhaps she and the older drake could get along yet!

... But not well enough for a conversation like this, she thought in horror the second Garrock continued, hinting at an ongoing sorespot between him and his sibling. 'A favor' on its own didn't sound too ominous, but the way Garrock said it, she knew she had to tread carefully so as to not make things worse. There was clearly layers upon layers of hurt to uncover, and Fellwing didn't quite believe she was the right drake to do it. Not unless she wanted to make the older drake privy to some of her own skeletons, at least.

Fellwing fell silent, trying to figure out what to say, how much to reveal, and how many steps was it to the door in case she decided to just— Oh. Skobe?

It was indeed him, quietly observing them from the doorway. Garrock must've not noticed him. Fellwing shifted uncomfortably; if he was here, there was no way she could say anything about her family. Not in front of her clutch. Coaxing anything out of Garrock within earshot of someone else he wasn't aware of would've felt wrong, too.

So she settled to just standing there, awkward and stiff, hoping Garrock would take her silence as her offering respectful condolences in his trying time.

All the while wishing she'd crashed on the flight here.

[rush99999]

Skobeloff

It didn't take long for Skobeloff to realize that convincing Garrock to speak with his family would be a nearly impossible feat. The grumpy Warrior gave off the distinct impression that he would rather single-handedly take on an army of giant spiders than do that.

Well if an army of giant spiders was what he seemed to want, then an army of giant spiders would be what he seemed to get.

Skobeloff emerged from hiding and entered the room in earnest. "Ah. Right where I left you." Skobeloff said to both Garrock and Fellwing. "Have you heard the news? Distressing things are afoot at the Snouthold. When I caught that updraft on the way here to impress that gliding class we passed by, I spotted an abandoned mineshaft a short stretch away from this place. Well word has just come back that an entire army of giant spiders had been discovered gathering in there. Shocking stuff, am I right?" With the carrot in place, Skobeloff then turned to address Garrock in particular to deliver the stick. "Oh by the way Garrock, your brother is looking for you." The little Trickster continued. "He had a very serious look on his face and mentioned that he had something reeeally important to talk to you about."

If all went according to plan now, Garrock would make a beeline to the mineshaft to occupy himself with fighting the spiders as a way of getting out of having to speak with Rudrick. Then it would only be a simple matter of sending Rudrick the same way, which would lead to him cornering Garrock in the mineshaft. At which point, Garrock would have no choice but to speak with Rudrick.

OOC

Skobeloff tricks Garrock into thinking there is an army of giant spiders for him to single-handedly take on as a way to avoid speaking with Rudrick. He rolls a 12 and opts to create an opportunity and confuse Garrock for some time.

[Digizel]

Shieldwing

Shieldwing was quiet as he listened to the brief exchange between Rudrick and Skobeloff. He maintained a straight-faced, stoic expression as he listened to the short explanation about Sunglow. It was something he was used to thinking about by now. Though he expected tht slight slump of the wings he noticed from Stargaze at the mention of ascension. But what caught his attention was more Skobeloff's own shift in tone as he spoke of it himself. He hadn't known his verdant clutchmate to be so uneasy about any topic; if anything, he felt that he was more often bringing something up that didn't need to be. Information to think about later, he supposed.

The crimson drake watched as Skobeloff elected to return to Garrock and start talking again. He circled his neck around to follow Skobeloff as he began to walk past him, listening to Stargaze as he did. "...Nah, let's let him do his thing," Shieldwing said, turning back to Stargaze again. "Fellwing is in there too, so he'll have help if he needs it." He paused for a moment as something crossed his mind. He had wanted to try to get Rudrick alone. If he convinced Stargaze to go with him....

But then he shook his head. Nah, she was probably just as worried about Coryn as he was, knowing her. Perhaps his chance could come with they actually found them.

"I meant it when I said I wanted to check up on Coryn, and I'm sure Skobeloff did too," he said with a nod. "So let's trust in our clutchmate's silver tongue and go see Coryn first. Besides..." He then added lowly, half to himself, unable to stop himself from glancing to the side. "...I think I might understand how he might be feeling right now...."

[XxFellsingxX]

When Fellwing didn't response right away, there was a flicker of emotion in Garrock's eyes, somewhere between guilt and embarrassment. He opened his mouth, likely to quickly change the subject, when Skobeloff entered the room.

The older dragon quickly shut his mouth and turned his attention to the blue drake. He looked a little doubtful when Skobeloff brought up the supposed giant spiders, but that doubt vanished the moment he mentioned Rudrick wanting to speak with him. He raised his voice to address the entire room. "Will you all just excuse me a moment? There's something I need to take care of," he said before quickly exiting the room.

This caused Heliotrope to pause while examining Altostratus and look over, first towards the door, then towards Skobeloff and Fellwing. "What was that all about?" she said.

"You know, I do believe that is the most politely I've heard him speak to us this entire time," Vipereyes could be heard muttering on the other side of the room.

---

Rudrick watched Skobeloff leave, looking so astonished that it took him a moment to register that there were still two other drakes in his presence. "Your friend is a strange one, indeed," he said before turning back to Shieldwing and Stargaze with a smile. His cheer looked less strained now, if a little quizzical. "Yes, we should probably go find Coryn," he said. "I think I might have some idea of where he is." With that, he starts striding down the corridor once more, this time with a less hesitation in his steps.

Should Stargaze and Shieldwing follow him, he would lead them round the corner into another corridor, this one filled with a variety of living quarters as opposed to classrooms. Rudrick started marching down the corridor, glancing through each of the doorways as he passed. Most of the rooms seemed to be empty of their occupants, but signs that dragons were indeed living there were plenty. One room seemed to be filled with a variety of trinkets that had been hung up on the walls as decorations, while another had a book lying open on one of the nests, likely waiting to be resumed at some later point.

Eventually, Rudrick stopped at a room that only had two nests in it. One side of the room had walls lined with a variety of (mostly overgrown) plants with no seeming rhyme or reason to their placement, while the other several neatly organised shelves containing collection of gems and rocks. "I think this is where he's staying, if I recall correctly," Rudrick said, peering his head into the room. Coryn wasn't in there, but instead another, gloomier looking drake with scales of a bluish-grey. He was currently trying to pry loose a particularly thick set of vines that was creeping up alongside one of the shelves. "Ah, Lazward," he said. "You wouldn't have happened to have seen Coryn by any chance?"

Without looking round, the drake responded in a flat tone of voice, "Came in here a minute or so ago, asked me if his tongue looked infected, I said I didn't know, he ran off to the bathroom." Despite Lazward's attempts, or maybe even because of them, the vines started moving further up the shelf, with one of them even starting to curl around one of stones perched on it. "And if he doesn't come back soon, I'm setting fire to his side of the room," he said, his voice still devoid of any tone that would indicate whether he was joking or not. Before anyone could say anything, he grabbed a feather duster that had been lying on a nearby desk and started whacking at the vines with it,

[rush99999]

Skobeloff

"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen." Skobeloff declared before laughing evilly, calling upon his connection to Shieldwing, and using his tail to throw some gem sand over himself. Once more did Skobeloff turn into sand upon contact with it. And once more did he fly swiftly and unerringly to Shieldwing's location, where the Trickster then returned from sand to scale.

"I have returned!" Skobeloff declared. Then he noticed the situation in the living quarter and tilted his head in curiosity at the sight. "And it looks like I've arrived just in time." The drake continued. "What's going on in here then?"

OOC

Skobeloff returns a friendship gem to Shieldwing to teleport to his side.

[Vertigo]

__________________________________________________

The first emotion Fellwing felt upon spotting Skobeloff was confusion, followed by awkward self-consciousness, and then relief; Skobe was clever, maybe he could get her out of the figurative hole she'd dug herself in? She never did excel at conversation or socializing, but he seemed to have a very, very peculiar knack for it.

But as Skobeloff approached, it wasn't difficult for a Seer accustomed to her friend's shenanigans to realize he was up to something. And, just like that, her 'oh yes, he's clever' turned into an 'oh no, he's clever.'

He went off about spiders in the mines or some such nonsense, and Fellwing could do little but watch in horrified amazement as Garrock took the bait and excused himself, leaving behind a roomful of flabbergasted dragons in his wake.

Upon hearing Skobeloff's evil(?!) laugh, Fellwing turned to the Trickster to ask what in the world he was planning, only to find him gone, too.

Ever so slowly, even at the risk of regretting it later, Fellwing excused herself and slipped after Garrock. If her instincts were right, the old dragon wouldn't get to be alone for long, anyhow.