Inadi said
“Oh come on there Hakuren, there isn't a thing alive in this world that isn't against getting tickled every once and a while. And besides that, its the fastest way to get something to laugh. So why don't we just get this little guy and...” Inadi reached for the dragon and was suddenly gripping air and parts of Lesley's hair. The little dragon moved away from the boy's left hand and seemed to be very against being touched.
“Then, by all means, be my guest.” the ice mage said with a laugh.
One of the main reasons Hakuren had suggested tag in the first place was because the little one would have voluntarily joined the fun. With it being made of clouds, it could easily avoid any incomprehensible and unwanted contact, thus slipping through the lightning magician’s fingers without a worry in the world.
Several unsuccessful attempts of grasping the dragon followed, made by the same individual, the only profit he earned being the chance to have a good feel of the lovely buns of Lesley’s behind. This experience likely scarred the young man for life, but the situation wasn’t a complete loss. After all, Hakuren and every other witness now had a piece of splendid blackmail material, the first having the pleasure to jot this memorable moment down in his notebook, whilst the downcast Inadi was busy cleansing himself. It should be noted that the item was quickly placed back in the inside pocket of the green-blue-eyed youngster’s coat before Sihma’s return, thus discarding the possibility of the second noticing the first’s actions.
As hilarious as the scene worthy of a best-seller doujishi was, the uke’s foolishness had gotten the baby fluffy reptilian quite upset. Realizing that the critter would most likely cry or throw a tantrum, Hakuren placed a clenched fist in front of his mouth, with the pointer finger pressing to his philtrum, being the only one to go upwards and then bend back into the cluster, and thought of how to lift the little one’s spirit. He himself had never been overly exposed to children, unless we count all those people who had the years but not the mind to not act as a child.
While he took the ~time~ to remember a few of those fading moments still in his memory of the sunny days he had met Shirounmei and Alen, those pesky little kids, who always ended in some sort of mess on their so-called “adventures”, dark clouds formed in the cave and rain came pouring after. The dragon had began to cry, its wails being reflected by the stone walls, making the air vibrate. The humans, who had been laughing at the small being, were now angrily asking the rest to make the thing laugh or at least stop the downpour.
‘Ah, how half-witted they are.’ was the thought with which the black-blue-haired man commented on the happenings around him before returning to the memories and formulations he had left behind.
If Lesley had been awake, creating a rainbow would surely make its eyes sparkle and a further elaborate show of ice mirrors and colourful blasts would definitely entertain it. However, Panther had yet to awaken. Truly, he was a sounder sleeper than Sleeping Beauty herself. Then perhaps a parade of little birds made out of flames could do the trick of distracting it or make it giggle. With the current weather conditions, this feat was impossible. Jasper could always fall over herself, but it had to be something more eye-catching. Maybe a bowling ball roll could grab its attention and halt its tears?
While he was busy contemplating on the matter, Hakuren did not give the smallest sign of noticing Harper’s desperation. He did not even mind the state of his surroundings. The aura around his body was so cold that the drops of water turned into snowflakes the moment they came near and whirled around him, proving ammunition in case it was needed.
The atmosphere dropped rapidly, making the rest of the group shiver and some of the already formed puddles on the ground freeze, yet it could not be said for certain whose fault it was for this sudden change of temperature. Regardless of who or what had been the cause, he did not register this sensation, due to the effect of his power, yet he did snap out of his inner world when Harper dubbed him “it” in the game of tag and started running away, only to slip on the ice and tumble down like the klutz he was.
Just as it had been predicted, the magical creature was affected by seeing an adult make a mistake and stopped crying, but still appeared rather discontent. It rose from its newfound spot on Leila’s head and floated to Inadi, its tormentor. Giving the Earthling the most monstrous glare something so cute and cotton-candy-like could, it let out a ferocious rawr, which, albeit adorable, blew away several of the guests of Nowhere, namely Ace, Leon and Inadi. Pleased with the results, the dragon retreated to a corner of the cave and happily curled up, in order to take a nap.
“And that’s where tickling dragons gets you.” Hakuren pointed out, despite knowing it was obvious. Standing in his place, hands comfortably resting in the pockets of the long black coat, the mage observed as his comrades slowly lifted themselves to their feet, groaning and complaining all the while.
Ace said
”Maybe you guys should just let it sleep. That's what its been trying to do anyway." Slowly she sat up, rubbing her head. "Afterward, when it wakes, it'll probably be happy... I mean aren't babies happy after naps?" She then laughed a little. "I'm sure a lot of you guys could use one as well after all the fighting."
“That’s not a good idea, Ace.” he told her
“This place is probably pretty cold, judging from the puddles. I won’t get affected, but if you all sleep in this freezing atmosphere, there’s a good chance you could die.” As always, he spoke casually, as if he was idly badinaging or table talking with friends.
“Or catch a cold, at least. Besides, there’s no telling when the parents will come back and I’m sure none of us want to meet them up close and personal.”
Inadi said
“Yeah, let him rest! And while we're at it, maybe we can learn what makes him happy too! Maybe a nice cake! Or he could like to go up the mountain side and get a good view of the sunset! Whatever it takes to make this damn thing laugh the better!”
“You reap what you sow.” Hakuren threw a comment in the air, not particularly aiming for the young man, who had just flashed out his emotions like a blinding red traffic light.
Jasper said
"I agree, we should get some rest. I think enough damage has been done for today and I'm sure the baby wouldn't be too happy about being disturbed again."
Jasper’s voice was weak and did little against the magician’s previous statement. If they allowed this opportunity to slip by, it could spell the end for their mission, perhaps even to his chapter. Whilst she took her leave from her place next to Inadi, whose wound she had busily healed the best way she could, the lightning caster continued lashing out his feelings, like an exploding hot spring geyser.
Inadi said
“This is why I hate this place! You never know what something is or what it can do! There is no comfort zone! No safe haven! Nothing is known, and if you don't know something, you can never be prepared for it! Damn this whole stupid quest and damn that little puff ball for doing this to me!” Inadi yelled as he held his arm out towards the dragon and went back to yelling at the pain in his arm. It was wet, cold and exposed to the elements now. At some point here he knew he was going to pass out to the pain, and he felt that the faster his consciousness slipped away the better. At least the pain would slip away as well.
There was a moment of silence before a smirk broke the serenity in the space without words.
“Heh”It had been Hakuren. Each step he slowly took forward his black shoes made a tapping sound on the floor below him, never once losing balance. The young man was smiling, but it was different. This was not an wholeheartedly friendly expression. It was something else. Neither entirely teasing, nor pitying, nor mocking, nor sweet, it was a mysterious light smile, but not peculiar enough to be compared to Mona Lisa.
“Knowing everything and being able to be prepare for anything. Where’s the fun in that?” he asked, an icy flame playing in his eyes.
“To dwell in constant safety. In a never-changing state. That is a very forlorn way of living. A life of nothing ever being new and unknown is monotone and grey. It’s secluded and stoops you lower than a sheltered little snail.
In fact, not knowing anything about something is the best. It gives you two options. To learn or to ignore. Chose the first and you’re progressing. Chose the latter and you could be considered an idiot or a genius. Whichever comes first. No matter which one you pick, you’re making a decision, so you’re actually progressing nonetheless.
The more you learn, the more unknown things sprout up. Complaining that you don’t know anything and wanting information to be served to you on a silver plate, so you can examine and sort it, is the same as saying you no longer wish to learn. In other words,” he halted only a few steps away from Inadi, bent down a bit and said, eversmiling.
”you’re a coward.” Then he lifted his torso back up and continued
“Heh, and don’t get me wrong. Being a coward’s actually pretty handy. Not feeling fear is a mark of an idiot. But being afraid to get out of your comfort zone and tackle the problem is a very pathetic type of cowardice.” For a short moment, he halted his speech and it was as if he had finally finished, when he spoke again with a sigh:
“Ah, well, it’s not like you can change, can you?” and slammed the bottom of his staff into the ground, whilst still holding the object. A huge ice pillar sprouted out of nowhere beneath Inadi, elevating the human upwards.
Turning around, Hakuren waltzed off towards the dragon, leaving his comrade at a great height from the cave’s floor.
“Oh, little dragon~” the ice magician called, making a few miniature pieces of ice make a crackling sound around the critted, so as not to disturb it too much while waking it up.
“That mister over the on the pillar was a big meany, wasn’t he? Well, the awful mister said he’ll apologize to you by being a chicken~” With that, Hakuren turned to face the pillar’s direction and used his magic to cut off some of the ice around the top edges, in order to give Inadi a sense of the gravity of the situation.
“Now, Inadi, make like a chicken and cluck!” he said in the most friendly manner possible ( ^ ^ )squishing his eyes together like an anime character, yet when he opened them there was an icy cold spark within him and he added
“Make like a chicken or we’re playing “Pin the icicle on the Inadi”.”
