Wings of a Messenger

[the_five]

Who: A visitor and EVERYONE
What: Oh no it's a dragon
When: Friday, October 10th
Where: Just outside the castle
Rating: PG-13

In the light of the early afternoon, a winged shape appears in the sky over Paradisa. What might appear to be a bird grows into something of a far larger scale, fanned wings casting a shadow over the city and the green hills as it wheels about. As it turns, the light catches on it's scales, reflecting back brief glints of brilliant gold, like a thousand golden coins. It's unmistakably a dragon, but it does nothing besides circle for a few minutes. People in the town panic and clamor for cover regardless, but the dragon's eyes are on the castle.

Not long after, it sweeps low, trees and plants bending under the gust of wind the wings create as it lands with surprising lightness on the stretch of road outside. Lifting a horned head, the dragon peers at the castle and then begins abruptly to glow. The light grows in intensity until it's far too bright to even look at, enveloping the entire form of the dragon, which begins to warp and shrink.

When the light fades at last, a woman stands on the road. Dressed in a white gown trimmed with gold, blonde hair falling long and loose over her shoulders. Pressing a hand to her chest, she takes a deep breath and starts forwards...

Comments

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena's in the middle of town when panic strikes, and at first, she helps those who are caught up in it to find shelter. Soon, however, she notices where the dragon's attention is focused and the ninja finds herself a victim of a different kind of fear and panic. Dragons and castles don't always mix, and her friends are in the castle...

Her Uncle...

Reassuring those around her they're safe but to find shelter just in case, the ninja puts her stamina to the test by taking off at full speed towards the castle--that strange light guiding her for a moment until she has to close her eyes and turn away, still running. Realizing how foolish that is, she finally comes to a stop and waits for the light to fade before looking back.

Only for her jaw to drop at the sight of the blond woman ahead of her. Where the hell is the dragon? That lady can't be...? Can she?

"Hey!" Sheena calls, breaking back into a run. "Hey! Stop! I want to talk to you for a minute!"

[the_five]

The woman stops immediately, turning calmly to face Sheena as she sped towards her. While her body language reveals no concern or readiness for a fight, it shows just slightly on her oval face, her eyes more wary than any other part of her.

"Yes?" she asks, her voice silky and even, but wavers a moment as she adds, "do you live here?"

[yay_heiress]

London had been gawking in awe at the dragon from the window of her castle room, having paused in the midst of organizing the odds and ends she'd accumulated. The light had been a glorious, and the bright light had been too much for even her shades, and it forced her to look away.

The sudden disappearance of the dragon had been somewhat confusing. One minute there was a giant golden dragon, and the next minute it's gone, and in its place is a beautiful woman who appeared to have excellent taste in clothes? Weird!

It's just a few short minutes before London is emerging from the castle doors, glancing at the woman and looking around for any sign of where that dragon had disappeared to.

"Did you see that?" London asked the strange woman. "That dragon looked like it could have eaten the whole castle!"

[therealrisette]

Rise hadn't been in the best position to see what was going on outside, and yet she couldn't help but notice. Even without summoning her Persona, she could sense something huge outside. Huge and, somehow... familiar...

It's not the kind of familiarity that comes from true understanding. More that she's felt something like this presence before, and it's just enough to make her curious. Especially when the presence fades... unmistakably still there, but much smaller than before. She has to actually summon Kanzeon to get a general feel for where it might have gone.

Once she manages to get at least a vague sense of the direction to go in, the petite girl cautiously steps out of the castle. The feeling leads her to a strange blonde woman in a white gown. Someone she knows she's never met before. This is weird...

"Hello?"

Her greeting is very tentative, and she keeps a safe distance. But she's mostly just curious about this newcomer, who doesn't feel at all like any of the regular townspeople.

[the_five]

She gives London a kindly amused smile.

"I think a castle would make a poor meal. Too rocks between one's teeth," she says in a rich voice.

[the_five]

The woman gazes at Rise assessingly. She can sense the slight fear and knows the reason for it, even though she was hoping to avoid startling people by landing far away. She had no way of knowing for certain if the castle was even occupied, but this answer the question at least in part.

"You don't have to worry. I mean you no harm. Tell me, are there others here?"

[therealrisette]

Rise gives the woman a bit of a strange look at the question. Of course there are others here, it's pretty obvious just from the natives...

But then, she realizes the woman might not be referring to the people in town.

"You mean in the castle? ... Yeah."

She seems less uneasy now, but still a little on the cautious side. If that's what she meant, why would this woman want to know about the others in the castle?

"Wait, but... where'd you come from?! Do you live in the town here?"

[yay_heiress]

"Huh, good point," London responds with a shrug. "So, are you new here? I haven't seen you before. I like your dress!" She gasps, as if suddenly realizing something. "We could talk about fashion!"

[the_five]

"No," she answered, glancing back at the walls of the town, then back to Rise.

"I have traveled many miles from the northern continent, but once...I lived here."

[the_five]

Her smile widens, chuckling softly. "I thank you. I designed it myself."

In a manner of speaking, anyway. Her human form was a carefully crafted transmutation and illusion.

"I have come seeking others who once live within these halls, as I did."

[yay_heiress]

"So you're not new here?" London asks, tilting her head in confusion. It's an expression her friends back home are very used to.

[therealrisette]

"You mean you left?"

She'd heard of people leaving the castle after being brought here, but none of them seemed to come back. Not that she knew of, at least. But after hearing that this woman apparently used to be another resident of the castle, Rise lets her guard down completely. That would mean they're the same, and she still doesn't sense any real danger from her.

"How did you get all the way to another continent?!" No wait, forget about that, there's something else that concerns her. "... I hear it's pretty dangerous out there, too..."

[ninjainviolet]

The woman's calm demeanor does more to halt the ninja in her tracks than anything physical she could have done, and skidding to a stop, Sheena stays still a moment to catch her breath.

"I--" Okay, still catching her breath. Taking a deep one, the young woman manages to finally manages the ability to speak. "Yeah, I live here," she answers, totally caught off-guard by the question. Remembering why she had stopped the woman in the first place, she looks around, her brows knitting together.

"Where did the dragon go?" she asks, once again peering at the woman, her eyes searching.

[the_five]

"Not far."

She tilted her head as she asked, "does it's presence concern you?"

[the_five]

Wings help, she would have answered, but she addresses the second one instead.

"Nostos is dangerous and unpredictable everywhere, but if you refer to the castle which dominated that part of it, know that it is dead."

[the_five]

She shook her head. "Not for many ages."

[therealrisette]

Rise blinks, eyes widening in surprise. She hadn't expected that answer at all.

"Wait... there's another castle there?!"

Even she knew that the residents had long since figured Paradisa was alive in some sense. So hearing that a castle is 'dead' isn't exactly surprising. But the idea that there could be more of them is.

[yay_heiress]

"Have yo been hiding all this time? How come I've never seen you around? And I'd notice an outfit like that.

[the_five]

Rise's lack of knowledge doesn't entirely surprise her. Most of them had put great distance between Paradisa and themselves, and Paradisa itself preserved it's secrets.

"No longer. And in my passage here, I discerned that the one in the mountains to the east has fallen as well, though I'm not sure how long ago. My slumber has been a long one. But that is why I have come. If his castle is barren, then Melios must also be free as I am now. Is he among you?"

[the_five]

"I traveled far away from this place, along with the others I had come here with. It is they I search for," she said, smiling warmly.

[yay_heiress]

"There are more of you? Oooh! Do you all have fabulous dresses?" London's easily distracted by fashion. But there are plenty of other things that interest her.

[lord_wizard]

Felix hadn't noticed the light, but the wave of magic was impossible to miss. The power was palpable, but the feeling of it was alien to him. He did not think it could be Vanyel or Duke or even Howl. So, curious, the wizard descended from his tower and out to the courtyard, eyes searching for the causing and finding only the woman.

"You. I have not seen you here before. Did you just arrive?"

[the_five]

She gazed at Felix, impassive, pausing to answer due to his clipped tone, but she couldn't afford to quibble over manners.

"I have just arrived, yes, though not for the first time. I once dwelled here, long ago. I see the castle has seen fit to find new lords to fill it's halls."

[the_five]

She could only chuckle. "Only one other wore them, if I recall. Although if Melios occasionally chose skirts over leggings I would not express terrible surprise."

[radiantwingedone]

Well, this is both new and not new at all. Dragons of this sort - Duke is a bit stunned as he spots the creature flying out a window, but he's more intensely curious than anything else.

Which is why he's outside in time to catch the light and shape-change. Okay, so that's also vaguely familiar.

He isn't sure if he's relieved or disappointed that the woman doesn't appear to be krityan.

"... So no one runs in fear, I'm assuming?" Because large creatures tend to be frighting. To normal people, at least?