Unlikely Friends

Writers: Curious, Halyonix
Date Posted: 17th February 2024

Characters: Islyn, Y'rim
Description: Islyn meets a dragon for the first time.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 4, day 28 of Turn 11

They had been traveling north along the coast for the greater part of the morning, keeping the shores to their left as Quiroanth winged her way towards Sunstone Hold. Or, at least, as close as they could get to it before the green dragon tired. As valiant as green dragons were, they could not fly for the same uninterrupted length as bronzes or golds, but at this point, Y'rim was quite ready for a break.

}: This place is far too small to be Sunstone, :{ Quiroanth commented as they approached a small cothold on what looked like a jutting tip of land.

Y'rim looked down at the map he had. **I think this is Avian Point. That should be our last waypoint before Sunstone.**

Quiroanth sighed. }: And how much further after this? :{

**I'm not sure, Quir love. But we can stop if you want.**

}: No. I'll circle once so you can see the place and then let's go to Sunstone. I want to try fishing in the bay there. :{

Y'rim chuckled. Ever since her conversation with one of the brown dragons at Barrier Lake, Quiroanth had been obsessed with trying to fish by herself. Hopefully there would be a spot to rest and play once they neared Sunstone.

Quiroanth circled once while Y'rim memorized the points of the cothold and then angled north again. Y'rim had just settled himself in for another hour of flight when Quiroanth said, }: Oh! I see something, something much bigger than a cothold, :{ and she began pumping her wings purposefully. A few moments later, Y'rim could see the rising of a Hold and smiled. A rest soon!

}: I see a person! :{ the dragon said after another moment. Sure enough, ahead of them on the beach, someone was walking. }: Let's ask them if this is Sunstone. I'd hate to have passed it up. Or have to keep flying on! :{ Y'rim quietly agreed with the sentiments. Quiroanth angled her flight to intercept the person on the beach.

Islyn should have been with an escort. It would have been proper for her to be with an escort. It would be proper, polite, cultured, ladylike - all of those things that she was supposed to be at the cost of all else. Yet an escort was company, and the young woman wasn't sure that she _wanted_ company right then. It was a day where the routines of Sunstone Seahold began to wear on her in a way that she couldn't quite put words to. The sort of day where the concept of a solitary walk on the beach produced such a siren's song that not even she could resist.

Yet her walk was not destined to remain solitary for long. Islyn took a step backward as the dragon angled down, hands tightly gripping the soft, light blue material of her sundress as her lips parted ever so slightly. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. When she closed her mouth, it was less to be polite and more because she suddenly feared that she might vomit if she didn't.

There was a dragon in front of her - a real, actual dragon!

Islyn had seen dragons flying overhead, of course. Everyone had. However, she had never been lucky enough to see one up close. An overwhelming sense of enchantment and excitement washed over her.

Later, she would probably come back to her senses. She would realize the potential shame in having been spotted on the beach without an escort and feel stupid for practically drooling over some little green. At that instant, she didn't care. There was a _dragon_!

"Hello!" Y'rim called brightly as Quiroanth landed neatly on the sands with barely a shift of the grains. Perfect Quiroanth! Able to judge her landings and leaps so that no one got dirty or buffeted by the winds. "I'm Y'rim, this is Quiroanth," he introduced. Quiroanth arched her neck coquettishly. Her faceted eyes whirled a welcoming light blue, nearly the same color as the dress the girl was wearing. "Is this...are we near Sunstone Hold?" Y'rim asked.

Islyn's mouth suddenly felt very dry. She swallowed in an attempt to combat it before trying to coax her mouth into a smile. The young lady was so frozen that it was difficult at first, but when she allowed her gaze to wander away from the rider and toward the dragon, it came quite naturally. She was outright beaming by the time she nodded. "Yes, the Hold's right over there," she said, gesturing back the way she came. It was followed by another half second of wide-eyed staring at Quiroanth before she abruptly dropped into a curtsy.

"I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten my courtesies," she said. "I'm Islyn, of Sunstone."

As Y'rim slid down Quiroanth's flank, the green dragon mimicked the bow of the girl, snaking her sinuous neck low and gracefully. Y'rim lightly thumped Quiroanth's arm. **Don't scare her now,** he teased.

The dragon shuffled her wings. }: I won't. She seems very polite. Can we rest here a moment before going on? I wouldn't mind a short break. :{

**That sounds like a good idea,** Y'rim agreed. He took a step towards Islyn and said, "We're out sweepriding, learning the area. We just moved to Barrier Lake a month ago so we haven't seen everything there is in the territory yet. But we've been flying for a few hours and Quiroanth needs a short rest. Maybe you can tell us about the area? Anything we should be looking for?"

A giggle burst free from Islyn at Quiroanth's bow. She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop it from going further, but it did nothing to prevent the odd fluttering in her chest or the wild grin pulling at her lips. It was a fight to force it down enough to keep herself from looking absolutely insane. Even so, she did just that before finally lowering her hand.

"What a lady you are," she said, that note of awe still present in her voice.

With that, she forced herself to turn her attention to Y'rim. She gave the politist, most detailed, matter of fact description of the area that she could. Once she was done, she hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "If it isn't presumptuous of me... Your dragon. May I touch her?"

It probably was presumptuous. Oh Faranth, she was probably overstepping _severely_. Yet with the green right in front of her, she found that she couldn't help herself.

Y'rim looked at Quiroanth to see what she thought but the dragon was already taking a step forward. At that, Y'rim burst out laughing. "She wants to meet you as much as you want to meet her!" he exclaimed. Quiroanth, ever the considerate, made sure that her wings were tucked close and her movements very predictable. She didn't want to scare the youngster. Y'rim stood back, letting her approach freely, a soft smile on his face as he watched. When she was close enough to be touched, Quiroanth lowered her head slowly down, inviting Islyn to reach out.

It was suddenly very hard to breath. Islyn has to remind herself to do so, for fainting in front of a dragon would be entirely unacceptable. Her rider too, she supposed.

The young woman slowly reached out to rest her hand on Quiroanth's forehead. A stunning smile erupted across her face when contact was made. "Hello," she softly murmured. "I haven't- I've never met a dragon before."

Quiroanth made a soft trilling sound, something that felt happy and welcoming. "She says it's nice to meet you," Y'rim supplied. He wasn't sure if Quiroanth was actually going to talk to the girl -- dragons were usually quite picky about who they spoke with -- but he wouldn't press his dragon. She'd say something if she wanted and if not, Y'rim was happy to interpret. "Do dragonriders not stop at the Hold?" he asked, curious about how she'd never met a dragon. Maybe dragonriders just came and went so quickly without lingering. That seemed plausible.

Sparks of warm delight bubbled up within Islyn. "It's nice to meet you too," she said.

It was a sweet moment that was doomed to be brought to a premature end. Y'rim's question brought her back to herself, reminding her of propriety, manners, and everything she was supposed to be. The way she was supposed to be acting.

Islyn's smile slipped from her face as she dropped her hand back to her side. A generically polite expression took its place. "Riders visit from time to time, but I generally stay within the confines of the Hold proper, as a lady aught to." Blue eyes warily slid in the direction of the Hold. "You... Won't tell anyone about meeting me here, right? I haven't done anything _wrong_, but... It isn't... I would like to prevent the spread of rumors."

That loss of a smile had Y'rim furrowing his brow in confusion. "Rumors?" he echoed. No, she hadn't done anything wrong by touching Quiroanth unless...unless she wasn't supposed to be on the beach at all? Maybe that was it. "Are you not supposed to be _here_?" he asked, motioning to the beach.

Islyn's arms moved behind her back, one of her hands grasping her wrist. She squeezed tightly as she tried not to let her anxiety show too plainly. "It's not exactly... It wasn't proper for me to be down here without an escort. I do apologize, and I shan't do it again, but I would appreciate it if word didn't get out." She was already fairly lowborn for someone of her aspirations. Rumors of impropriety were a hindrance that she simply couldn't afford.

**I had forgotten how...particular Holders could be,** Y'rim remarked to Quiroanth, though now that Islyn had used words like "proper" and "rumors" and "escort", the greenrider understood exactly what sort of trouble the girl could get into for being here. "You didn't do anything wrong," he said, knowing that others might see it differently. "I won't tell anyone, promise."

}: There goes my plan to ferry her back to the Hold, :{ Quiroanth said with obvious disappointment.

**Right?! Ugh.** So that Islyn didn't realize that dragon and rider were having a conversation about her circumstances, Quiroanth shoved her head forward, obviously demanding to be touched again. "She really does like you," Y'rim said, hoping to restore at least _some_ brightness to the situation.

Islyn's shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you," she murmured. "I - I appreciate it."

An echo of her earlier smile returned at Quiroanth's request for further attention. She reached out to place her hand between her headknobs, gently massaging the soft green hide. "I like her too," she said.

"So," Y'rim said, seizing on the moment, "maybe you can tell us about the Hold while we have you here! That way Quiroanth can get in her pets and I'll be learning about our destination."

Some of the joy that had managed to make its way into Islyn's demeanor drained out. For the sake of propriety, she clung onto the last dregs as she said, "There's not much to say. Sunstone's a seahold, so you can watch the ships come and go, but it isn't proper for a young woman to get too involved in that. Overall it's just... Typical hold life."

The words got about five seconds to settle in before she turned back to Y'rim with a new sense of urgency. "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" she hastily added. "Sunstone is a good Hold. We're good people with proper morals and values. Sometimes it just... Isn't as perfect as it could be."

}: Oh, she sounds just so unhappy! :{ Quiroanth whispered. }: Is she trying to fit into a place where she really doesn't belong? Would she be happier somewhere else? :{

Y'rim didn't have the answer to that and wasn't about to start making assumptions about the life of someone he had just met. But he did quietly agree with his dragon that Islyn definitely didn't like something about her hold life. "Ships are fun to watch," he remarked, trying to lighten the sudden somber mood. "But look, if we're keeping you, we...we can part ways and I won't tell anyone and you won't get in trouble and we'll find another reason to come back and visit you! If...if you'd like that." His words came out a little rushed, as he was trying to figure out how to instill hope but also not cross a line.

"You're not keeping me! I'm just..." Islyn paused, looked off to the side, and muttered, "Being kept." She looks down at her shuffling feet for a moment before peering back up at Y'rim. "You'd come back?" she asks. "It probably should... I could go back, if you'd be willing to see me again. Because I would like that very much."

It was Quiroanth who answered for them both, interjecting her voice in Islyn's mind. }: I would come see you, :{ the dragon said. She angled her head so that one faceted eye was level with Islyn's face, happy blues and greens swirling within the depths.

Islyn gasped. She was too slow to keep the tears from forming in her eyes, and even if she could have stopped herself from grinning widely enough to split her face in half, she wouldn't have wanted to. "Yes," she said, reaching out to gently rub the green's eye ridges. "I would love to see you again, Quiroanth. I-It would be an honor to be your friend, if you'll have me."

"Then it's decided!" Y'rim said brightly, clapping his hands in delight. "You'll head back, we'll follow from a different angle so you don't get in trouble, and then the next time we're out here, we'll come visit you!"

"Thank you," Islyn said. "I'll look forward to seeing you again, then."

With that, she turned and headed back home - back to reality.

Last updated on the February 23rd 2024

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Unlikely Friends