Aurliena Nova

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

Eun-mi's eyes narrowed in confusion and concern. "A spell?" The word tumbled around in her head. What kind of spell? Was Darthun alright? She followed Emma outside towards the field. There were still a few large plants around, but most had shrunk down to nearly their regular size. Darthun lay in the grass covered in some vines next to Maia, but he raised his head and looked over as soon as he heard the two approaching. "Darthun! Are you alright?!" She ran up to him and place a hand gently on his side. Up close she noticed many of the vines were snapped, all but for the one wrapped around his leg. She quickly removed it and Darthun let out a whine. "Tired!" He rested his head back on the ground and sighed. Eunmi gave a small smile and pat him on the head. "Alright, come upstairs and you can sleep." The dragon begrudgingly got up and began to walk back to the castle. Eun-mi turned to Emma a looked at her with apprehension. "What kind of powerful magic have we already gotten into? This seems dangerous."

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

Eun-mi had finished cleaning up most of the room when she heard a pair of voices calling for her. She opened her door to see Graeden and Emma standing there. A look of surprise shot across Eun-mi's face when she saw the two in front of her room, but the surprise turned into confusion when she looked at Emma.
"Emma," She began, "You have some leaves stuck in your hair." Her hand rose up and made a motion, gesturing towards her head. "Did you guys need me for something?"

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

With a sigh, Eun-mi watched as her new roommate left the room and go about his own business. She looked down at the hangers before walking out to the front door and tossing them into a new pile in the hallway. A few seconds later she was back with a piece of paper covered in large writing.
Mystery Hangers: Who owns these?
A few more of her new neighbors were entering their apartments and she hoped that MAYBE one of them would take these hangers off her hands finally. If not...well she didn't know what to do then. A new art project maybe? The idea didn't appeal to her, but it was at least something. She quickly returned to her room and continued cleaning, eager to get the mess out of the way.

Meanwhile, Darthun was wrapping up his swim session. He easily climbed out of the pool, shaking off like a dog and sending water flying everywhere. He flicked his tongue a few times, tasting the air for Eun-mi but to no avail. Confused to where she now was he began his way back to the entrance, but stopped when he noticed the same wild growth outside as his owner did earlier. Flicking his tongue again he could sense magic. He walked a bit further and found a cracked doorway. The strong scent of grass and flowers drew him outside. The weeds and grasses gently brushed against his scales as he walked further from the building. As he grew closer he could smell a girl and a dragon nearby. But where were they? Once he reached the very edge of the growth he stopped. It was too thick for a hatchling such as himself to enter. Darthun paced back and forth for a few minutes, trying once to pull on the thick vines with his teeth before stopping. He let out a huff and bit again, the vine was tough, but snapped after a few minutes of chewing. The urge to know what was within the center of the growth drew him, so once again he tried. Snap! Snap! Vines continued to give way but soon Darthun grew tired. He took another step forward, but then suddenly fell. A vine had caught his leg, but now he had to strength to free himself. Exhausted and missing Eun-mi, he began to give a low whine. Maybe someone would hear him, he hoped. He laid there and rested, but every once in a while he would whine and hope his companion would help him.

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

Eun-mi had begun to fold some of the clothes around her in an attempt to clean the mess up when she heard the apartment door open. Loud footsteps made their way towards the two bedrooms, and she caught a glimpse of her new roommate through her cracked door. A second later it swung open, revealing a blond man accompanied by a dark colored dragon. The man made a comment about the state of the room before introducing himself and his dragon, and Eun-mi could only nod slowly as the dragon began to ask if she was a friend. "I'm Eun-mi. Sorry about the mess. It was like this when I arrived." She got up and walked to the door, looking over her new roommate like one would gauge the cover of a book to get a glimpse of the stories it held. "My dragon isn't here at the moment. He's currently enjoying himself in the ground floor pool. More thoroughly than I would have imagined actually." She glanced down and raised an eyebrow at the book in Graeden's hands. It was leather bound with bright golden trim. Foreign characters adorned the cover and below sat an etching of two regal looking dragons. "A book about dragons? Could I look at that when you're done? I was trying to find the library but went to the wrong area. This place is very confusing. Oh!" She quickly tapped her forehead with her palm and turned around. "Speaking of confusing, are these yours?" Eun-mi grabbed the pile of strange hangers and held them up towards Graeden, "I found these over here and they're not mine at all. Did the dragons or whomever give me your stuff by accident?" The hangers clacked loudly in her hands as Eun-mi gave a sheepish smile. She really hoped these were his. If these hangers weren't his, or any of the others, then where the hell did they come from?! This mystery was driving her insane.

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

After catching her breath, Eun-mi went back into the locker room to search for a towel. A large shelf of them sat by the showers, and she gladly began to dry herself off. Darthun had gone back to swimming a few minutes after she gave the all clear, and from her position in the locker room it was easy to hear him splashing and making a mess in there. She threw the used towel into a nearby hamper and grabbed a new one, draping that one over her head and shoulders for warmth. She was cold, hungry, and her body ached terribly after todays events. Who knew taking care of dragon could be this hard? "Darthun?" she called out towards the pool, "I'm going to explore a little more and then head to our room. You can play here for a while longer but then after that come find me." She heard a gurgled yelp and then another splash. "I guess that meant yes?" She gave a shrug and then began to make her way back to the lobby, trying to ignore the large scratch marks on the glass outside the pool as she walked past.

Back in the hallway, she passed the rows of windows again. Not much had changed with the view except for the new addition of dozens of giant flowers and plants now covering a potion of the field. Eun-mi was barely able to make out the silhouette of a figure running around out where those plants were. She watched from her spot carefully, trying to figure out which new colleague she was seeing. "Let's see... Right now there's nature going crazy. I think that might be some king of magic like that large dragon was talking about. So maybe some kind of nature magic? Or what if it's a dragon? Hm...Emma had a dragon that looked really green and naturey, maybe it's her? Hmmm...." She stood there for a few minutes in contemplation. This place was so interesting. Magic and dragons...she never thought it was even possible. But now look where they all were! She turned away from the window and kept walking. There was plenty of time to figure everything out, but right now she wanted food and a break. When she made it to the lobby she quickly turned to the stairs and began climbing. There were still people huddled in the lobby blocking the elevator, and she didn't want to wait. The climb took a few minutes, but she finally reached her floor. Both sides of the hallway were lined with doors. Next to them on he walls were small brass plates bearing the number and names of the occupants. She walked steadily towards her room, silently reading the numbers as they counted down to hers.

Room 312
Gaeden Yourshaw
Eun-mi Seong

She grabbed the handle before pausing after remembering she didn't have a key. A frown appeared on her face but she tried anyway, and to her surprise it easily opened. "Hello?" Eun-mi's voice echoed as she entered the apartment. It looked like her roommate hadn't arrived yet. There was a long comfy sofa and chair next to the entrance and a few paintings of nature on the wall. The first impression made it feel like she was back in college, only in a much nicer place. Walking down the hallway she stopped in front of two doors. The same type of small brass nameplate from the front was placed on top of both doors as well, and Eun-mi opened the one listed for her on the left.
"Oh come on!"
She hadn't packed anything when she came here, so whoever was tasked to bring her stuff took the liberty to not do it in an organized manner. Clothes, art supplies, and various dish ware were dumped on both her bed as well as the desk on the far end of the room. Small piles of more clothes sat heaped on the floor. By the window was a pile of hangers. Just hangers. Eun-mi couldn't figure out why. What made it even more curious was the fact that these colors were all bright yellow and red when hers were all white. These weren't her hangers. Why were they with her stuff?
Irritated, Eun-mi trudged through the piles and began picking up a random assortment of objects to try to make sense of the mess. This would take hours to clean. She gave a sigh and shoved a portion of the bed-clothes into a pile of floor-clothes and collapsed. She let out a groan and just lay there for a while. Maybe Darthun or her roommate would come back soon so she wouldn't have to deal with this mess yet. She hoped that would happen. This was not something appealing to do right now.

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

When the large dragon began speaking, Darthun gave Eun-mi a light shove, breaking her from her concentration. For a second she was confused as to what her dragon could want, but when she realized they had reached the apartments she tried to stay alert. When the dragon mentioned their luggage had been placed in their rooms she raised an eyebrow. "I never packed any luggage before I left?" This thought confused her, and now she couldn't wait to get to her room. A brief glance at the list showed she would be staying in room 312 with someone named Gaeden. Her mind blanked. Which one was he again? She looked over at the gathered crowd and tried to remember. Was he the one who dressed nicely with the black and blue dragon? Or the tall one covered in many tattoos with the crystal-looking dragon? Neither of those answers felt right, but there were just so many unfamiliar faces. She simply shrugged and began to make her way towards a hallway near the back of the area. They were all going to their respective rooms so she'd learn her who her roommate was then. Though socializing was going to be important in a new place like this, it was definitely not at the top of Eun-mi's list right now.

As she was about to start walking down the hallway, Darthun gave a small shriek. Eun-mi turned back to see him motion towards an elevator where the others were starting to board. She reached back and pet the dragon's head, "I want to look around for a little bit first, ok? We'll go to the apartment later." The dragon gave a low gurgled purr and began to ascend the steps with her. The hallway was lined with large windows, and for the first time Eun-mi got a good look at the place where they would be staying. Outside she could see a large grassy field surrounding the castle. Smaller buildings and a lake rested in the field close to where they were, but after that it was just a large mass of grass that eventually grew tall and wild. At the very edge of the field she could see the beginnings of a forest, but it was hard to make out due to some fog. Another nudge from Darthun and the pair continued upwards.

At the end of the first floor hallway, Eun-mi couldn't believe how modern everything looked. Both sides of the hallway were covered in glass windows that showed pristine gym equipment within. Further down the hallway was a large swimming pool on the left, an empty basketball court on the right, and some signs marking where the locker rooms were. At the sight of the pool Darthun jumped up and began pounding on the glass with his front paws. "Swim! Swim!" he screeched. "Darthun! What's gotten into you! We can swim later!" It took all her strength but she managed to pull the dragon back from the glass. His scales were rough on her skin as she held him, but she began to pet him as an attempt to calm the dragon down. Eventually his screams turned into mere grumbles, and Eun-mi released her hold on Darthun. The two of them sat there for a few minute as she allowed the dragon to calm down. Her arms and legs were now covered in small scrapes and she hurt all over, but she was glad Darthun had calmed himself. "Darthun, do you really want to go swimming that badly?" The dragon looked at her and gave a small nod. With a sigh, Eun-mi got up and motioned for her dragon to follow her. The pair entered the women's locker room and after a quick look around they found the entrance to the pool. Darthun let out a mighty shriek as he ran across the concrete towards the water. With a burst of his wings he flew over the edge and dove into the pool. Eun-mi watched with curiosity as the dragon enthusiastically swam and splashed. In the water, he really did look like an alligator like Emma said. Suddenly Darthun opened his mouth and a stream of water shot into the air. Amused at this new trick he did it again and again. A burst of water shot straight at Eun-mi. It knocked her back a few feet and she landed against a wall with a loud, wet thunk. Within a second Darthun leaped out of the water and was at Eun-mi's side, shrieking in concern. "Hurt?!" She coughed a bit and touched his head gently, "Man you pack a punch!" Darthun spoke again, but this time gently, "Hurt?" He gave a loud whine, like a dog that knows it's done wrong. Eun-mi shook her head and he seemed to relax a little, then helped her up into a nearby deck chair. "You're really strong Darthun, please try to remember that." The dragon gave a nod and climbed onto the chair with her. It groaned slightly due to his weight, but he made himself comfortable curled up by Eun-mi's side. Looking over, she guessed that he was about the size of a medium-small sized dog, not including the tail. Like a corgi or something. She gave a small smile and began to pet him again. "You know, I've always wanted a pet." A low rumble came from Darthun's throat. "Darthun love pet."

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

The large dragon had finally turned his's attention to the group and asked everyone to follow him. Eun-mi brushed herself off as she rose, taking note that everyone else seemed to already be comfortable around the dragon, even though she was quite intimidated by its large size. Darthun grunted and nudged her leg, urging her to follow the dragon. She had heard him mention something about apartments. The thought of moving from her current house to something a lot smaller wasn't appealing. "How am I supposed to work in an apartment? Last time I checked most places don't allow blowtorches..." She pouted, drawing herself into her own mind. Her brain buzzed with questions, and instinctively she reached into her pocket. Her fingers brushed against the ring she had made earlier, it's cool surface bringing a familiar sense of normalcy even through the chaos of today. A second later she pulled out a small notebook, and flipped through the pages. Each page was covered in notes and sketches. She briefly glanced at these until she found a clean page and began to scribble quickly on it. Darthun looked at her curiously as she worked. Eun-mi was absorbed in her work, and it brought a small amount of amusement to the young dragon whenever she would accidentally bump into a wall or another person. With a brief flap of his wings, he rose and attempted to land on her shoulder to see what she was doing. Instead, Eun-mi dropped like a brick. "Darthun, no! Ack!" The sketchbook toppled out of her hands as she crashed to the floor for the...third? time today. The page was now halfway covered in writing. Questions such as, 'Where is the dragon castle located?', 'How are dragons reality and not myth?', and 'Ask about art equipment being set up in apartment' were scratched haphazardly on the page. Darthun gave a shriek as Eun-mi shoved him off her and grabbed the book. She muttered a swear at her dragon and flipped back to her page to continue scribbling, oblivious to the world.

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

Eun-mi looked at each new person and their respective dragon as they introduced themselves and nodded in return. A tingling feeling by her leg caused her to look down and see a small green dragon curling around her legs like a cat. The cute gesture caused a small giggle to escape from Eun-mi's mouth. A low growl caused her to turn her head in worry. Darthun approached the girl and began mimicking Maia's actions. However his rough spines scratched against Eun-mi's legs, and he wasn't very gentle about rubbing against her either. Within a few seconds she fell over again, and Darthun took this opportunity to climb onto her chest and sit curled up, staring at her with a bemused expression. "Pet." he commanded. Eun-mi gasped for breath and she attempted to shove the dragon off. "Ack! Why are you so heavy?!" she said with wheeze. Darthun reluctantly moved and sat down next to her, nuzzling her hand for attention. "Yeah cute," she said after hearing Emma's comment. "I love his appearance but his weight is gonna kill me. At least you're not trying to bite me again, huh?" Darthun simply made a low rumble and closed his eyes. Looks like the dragon was accepting her after all.

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

"Thanks for the first-aid kit." Eun-mi took the box from the blonde girl with a small smile and began wiping the excess blood from her hand. She look over that the three who had just approached her, and the small dragons that seemed happy to be with them. "Seems like you guys are having better luck with the dragons than I am. Although mine probably hates me because I dropped him." She looked over at the man with red hair, and to her surprise the dragon she had hatched was hiding behind his leg. "Oh you're back. Look I'm sorry I dropped you. I was an accident." The small dragon glared at her for a second before giving a loud shriek. It circled her a few times before eventually sitting down a few feet away. Eun-mi tried to hold out her hand as a nonthreatening gesture but the dragon just growled at her. Defeated at trying to gain it's trust, she simply sighed and said, "You're not going to like me anytime soon, are you Grumpy?" I gave another growl and looked directly, at her. "Darthun. Not Grumpy." The dragon's voice was soft and gravelly. The look on confusion on Eun-mi's face made the dragon growl and repeat itself once more. "Darthun." There was a brief pause before the dragon's words clicked in her mind. "O-oh! That's you're name..." It simply nodded. "Well Darthun, I'm Eun-mi. I'm sorry I dropped you earlier." Darthun gave a low growl and then seemed to relax somewhat. It looked like the apology worked. Surprised at this new revelation, Eun-mi quickly turned to the others and whispered, "Hi, sorry, I came in late. I'm Eun-mi. Can I ask who you guys are?"

Dr. Nidhogg's Academy of Dragonology

"Well, whatcha waiting for?"

@Lost Shadow

A voice behind her made Eun-mi jump. She had been so wrapped up watching the others in the room that she hadn't heard the man approach from the tunnel. It appeared as if everyone was getting an egg that would hatch into a dragon. She had watched a few of the others wander around before picking up a random egg, and then having that egg hatch in their hands. "I guess we just pick one...?" she muttered to herself. She watched the man who startled her briskly walk into the stacks of eggs, stop at one, and take it. Within a few minutes the egg had hatched, and he was proudly holding a baby dragon. Eun-mi shrugged and began her own adventure of finding a dragon egg among the hundreds of those there.

As she walked, Eun-mi marveled at the incredible colors and textures the eggs had. There were eggs covered in bright green swirls, and others had sparkles that glistened as she walked past them. Every once in a while she would hear a quiet chirping coming from somewhere around her, but she ignored it as she continued on. Her hand brushed up against the shell of a brilliant red egg covered in small black bumps. It's surface felt warm and waxy, and she carefully picked it up from the shelf.
"How about you, little egg?" The egg gave a warm pulse as she spoke, glowing brightly for a second before turning dark. Eun-mi waited a few minutes for it to begin hatching, but the egg remained still and silent. She returned it to the self and picked a golden egg with a shell that felt like velvet a few rows down. It wiggled once in her hands before also going still like the first egg. With a frustrated sigh, Eun-mi continued on into the maze of eggs.

'Chirp chirp...'
It was that sound again. Eun-mi stopped and looked around. Where was it coming from? Once again, she heard that sound, and followed it down another aisle. Left, straight, right, straight, left... The chirping was becoming louder. Eventually she stopped in front of a section of eggs with dark colored shells and listened. Nothing... and then, 'Chirp chirp...'
She looked up towards a rough blue and violet egg sitting on the top shelf. It looked like a large odd piece of rock to be honest, jagged and sharp chunks of earth clung to its sides with small flecks of light purple dotting the surface. Looking up, she knew she couldn't reach it, but a brief search nearby provided a ladder which she quickly climbed with ease. Once at the top, she looked at the egg with curiosity. "I wonder if this one will hatch? Might as well give it a try." Gingerly she placed her hands on the egg. From it's core there was a glow, and this time it didn't fade. Eun-mi picked it up and then let out a sudden yelp. The damn egg was so heavy! How did the others manage to hold theirs so easily? This thing must have weighed at least 20 lbs! She felt the ladder rock underneath her and then suddenly she was falling. The egg fell out of her grasp and landed with a loud THUNK on the stone floor. Groaning as she sat up, she looked over at the egg. There was now a large glowing crack reaching from top to bottom. Panicked, she rushed over to check on it. The crack began to pulse as the egg shook violently. The chirping from before got louder, and more cracks began to form. She watched as a foot burst through, and then another, and then within a few minutes a spiky blue baby dragon was sitting a few feet away from here. Eun-mi marveled at it's design; the head and body were covered with spikes, it had thick powerful limbs, and the short bat-like wings on its back had a translucent membrane. Slowly she reached out to touch it, which it suddenly gave a shriek and bit her hand. Blood began to form from the wound and the creature quickly scurried off. "Ow! Hey! Come back here!!" She chased after the small dragon, but soon lost it in the stacks. Irritated and confused, she made her way to the open center of the chamber. Her hand hurt, and she tried to wipe the blood off on her shirt but it just kept coming. With a sigh, she looked over at the others in the room and muttered, "Man, I was definately not expecting this to happen today..."