Orelia waved at Sky and plucked out the item Matsuo had given her. The flight to the place hadn't phased her at all, she'd actually enjoyed it and planned to ask Xikah to take her flying again sometime. It'd been so much fun! "What rumors? The ones about the fact that I met the flock? Yes, in fact I was wondering if you could look at this." Moving forward to place the object on Sky's desk, she glanced up just in time to see Erasmus. He looked so serious and completely devoted to his work, whatever that might have been. Or maybe she was just catching his determination to win a certain harpy's heart.

Slipping out of his office, the nymph moved to stand by Sky's side. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he glanced up questioningly at Xeek and this new strange human. He could only assume that this was the Orelia he'd heard so much about. She didn't seem all that special, but then again, all his thoughts had been haunted by Skyler for a while now. Though that was something the nymph had a hard time even admitting to himself.

'They're perfectly fine, all we need to do is drop them off with the other riders and then we can go off to find Weft again." Watching how the little dragon hid herself against Julian brought a grin to Irian's face. It looked like her bark was louder then her bite. It was quit the opposite with Tempo. What that said about Irian, she wasn't quite sure and didn't really care.

Xikah eyed the bauble as she pulled it out, he wanted it but he didn't want it anywhere near them either. It was a strange feeling for him, but he kept to the more cautious side when anything involved his family. He wasn't sure what to make of it, just what it was and an idea of what it might be capable of doing, but they needed to be more sure. "Sky you can take a look, but can Erasmus look too? He knew about the shiny glow thing the dragon people had. All I know is the words I can sort of read..." He saw the nymph come into the room and he felt another pang, bordering on fear, from when he threatened his cousin. The nymph seemed rather fond of his cousin and Xikah knew how he would react if his Orelia was threatened.

~~~

Skyler's brows furrowed as the news came to he, she was hoping that it was a false claim, but it was only worse to hear that it was true. "So was it a full flock? Was the matriarch there? I need to know just how many harpies we're talking and did any of them use magic or talk about breaking charms? Did you notice any other Mythos-creatures lurking around at the shadow's edges? I'm sorry about all the questions, but it's part of my job, and I have a terrible hunch here." She bombarded the human with questions. She gave the orb a cursory glance, it wasn't a pressing matter to her at that exact moment. In a passive way the harpy had pawned the magic item off to the nymph.

~~~

Watching as the little on gorged herself and growled softly as she did, Julian was able to stroke her neck scales. He understood the need to get the eggs to other riders as soon as possible, the find was outstanding and he was privileged to be part of it and to find himself thrust into the position of one himself. "Alright, that sounds like the best plan. Should we return to Wayhouse and thank them for all their help in this?" Somewhere in between the gentle stroking and the feast, Tuyere was gently snoring, claws death gripped around a small hunk of meat. "Well I guess whatever we do, I'm carrying the little one." He chuckled lightly.

Under the bombardment of questions, the young woman shook her head slightly. "Yes the matriarch was there, and I think it was the full flock. But there was no talk of magic, or any mischief making for that matter. And there weren't any other creatures hanging about either. The Flock Mother just wanted to have her son back," finished the young woman with a shrug. Orelia wasn't sure why, but she didn't mention Matsuo's presence nor the way she'd confused Xikah's mother. It had been quite the experience and the brunette was still trying to wrap her mind around it.

Erasmus listened with half an ear while the flock was discussed. He was busily prodding and probing at the object with both fingers and magic. A small sigh left him when he found out the protections upon the object. "Soulmates can open this, but if you aren't there is a curse upon this object. I'm not sure about the specifics, but it does mention something about beastly appearances and true love being the cure. As for what's inside, it must be something quite special." Even protected as it was he could feel the good magic of the object. What a wonderful gift it had to be.

Holding out the sphere to Xikah, the nymph titled his head to the side with a small smile.

Seeing how Julian was with his new dragon made the young woman smile. Though Irian reached out to gently run a hand over the claw marks on his face. That Tuyere, what a fierce little one. Julian could be that way too sometimes in the right circumstances. The two were going to be a formidable pair when the little one was grown. "We'll go thank the people at the Wayhouse. I'm sure they must be wondering what's happened to us." Smiling a little, she laughed. "She's going to be quite the handful I think." And hopefully she would approve of her for Julian's love. It was something that was very important for most dragon riders, that their winged partners approved of their loves. At least, that was the usual way.

Xikah nodded at the news, he was trying to remember ever seeing the thing when he was still coddled by the flock. It seemed like he should know what it was, but he couldn't quite remember it. If Matsuo wanted Orelia to have it, then there were very few things it could be. Especially if it was meant to be opened by two. "Better if you drop it into my hands or toss it to me then." He had enough brains to know that it shouldn't be touched by more than two people at a time, just in case. Perhaps he and Orelia could ... He didn't want to risk it harming her, but he was still very curious.
Facing his cousin he piped in, "Matsuo was there too. He's the reason we have the shiny mystery."

~~~

"Hmm... Was it just the Matriarch that spoke human tongue, pardon, English? Did the others in the flock seem to chatter at all?" There was the possibility they were speaking Greek or the Harpy tongue, neither which she assumed the human would be able to understand. She wanted to cover all the bases, haring the two cents put in by the half-breed her ears perked. "The Tengu was with them? I'm afraid we don't have much to go on, but this is still terrible news." She looked up to catch Erasmus's eyes, hers were tired but with a twinkle of thought and fear. "I'm gonna go tell the tops what I think is going on, and we can re-gather either at your house or theirs. Your call Era, that is if you still want to go through with this with me."

~~~

Shifting the little one to the crook of his arm he gently grabbed Irian's chin and kissed her. "Don't worry about them sweet, I can stitch them up and I should have some troll ointment tucked in my bag. That stuff does wonders for healing, although I still get some odd side affects, pointy teeth for one." Even though his eyes were empty sockets there still seemed to be a soft glow of love emanating from them. "Well let's get going, my dear. These eggs won't deliver themselves."

"Just her yes, and I don't understand why this is all such a big deal!" Turning worried eyes to her harpy tengu, the brunette moved to place an arm around his waist. This frightened her, and reminded her all too much of what had happened earlier that year. Whispering to Xikah, Orelia could feel herself beginning to quiver in fear. "Do you think this ... That this is going to be like when the werebears ...? " She couldn't even finish the thought. Remembering the events had Orelia quavering in fear.

Erasmus listened quietly, but took out one of his daggers and sharpened it with a rather frightening grin. "My house is hidden far better then theirs, and we have room to spare to gather troupes of our own if need be. Besides, I've wanted to show you my home for quite some time now Sky." Such a fierce look the nymph wore! Though his demeanor softened as he spoke with the harpy and reached out to smooth a hand over her wings in an attempt to soothe away her fears. He wouldn't let anyone harm her. Not even if it meant his life.

As Julian placed a kiss upon her lips, the young woman relaxed. She's not truly known it, but she'd been worried that his love for her would shift and change with the arrival of his dragon. Irian had feared to be replaced in her love's heart. "You know it doesn't bother me Julian. I love you, weird side effects and all." Grinning at the mention of delivering the eggs, the red head reached out to help the ghoul stand and then quickly clambered up to Tempo's back. Extending a hand, she helped Julian climb up also. Tempo lifted off once everyone was secure and headed towards the wayhouse.

Xikah's eyes connected with the nymph's and he nodded. Pulling Orelia closer to himself, he lowered his voice, "More reasons why I didn't want you meeting my family. The Were-bears were a surprise, what follows the flock is familiar, and I know that. Used to throw rocks and taunt them when we were Afterhatches. Xeek stupid when little, "Still not too bright now." His cousin piped in. He stuck his tongue out at her. "Demons and other nasties, magic scavengers. Use the skills of others to get where they want." He tried to explain without sounding fearful. He didn't like the idea of the follows any more than Sky, and she was the one who remembered, he was more worried about his parents taking what was his.

~~~

Skyler stood up, rubbing a hand to her forehead. "Kick the panel under the right drawers on the desk, then flip the switch. I still keep my own weapons close by too." She told Erasmus as she headed off to tell her bosses what she was doing. The small stow-away under her desk was something she had installed earlier in her career, keeping the sai's close and the small bound book closer, just in case.

Turning up the stairs she nodded at a few of the wandering eyes that watched from the cubicles, sending a few into scrambles. Getting to the top she was met by Daisy who was trying to get back down the stairs, her larger form was banging into the rails and her tail was biting at the walls. "Did you still want to go with plan B if it ever came up? Well it came up, send me a note if you're still interested and I'll send you more information." Skyler mumbled as she jumped over her friend.

The door was open but she still knocked, "Sir, I need you to listen to me this time. Things are all interrelated and they're about to get worse. You need to see that the warning signs have been around and the bells have been ringing for some time now. If you can't organize a counter, despite the political red-tape, then there are those of us who can."

~~~

The wind whistled in his ears as everything zoomed past. Holding tightly with one arm to his love and the other around the young dragon, he suddenly realized that his responsibilities had grown twelve-fold. Julian was certain that he could pull the juggling act, but he would need to crack down and take things much more seriously. He felt Tempo slowing as they made their way back to a now familiar looking clearing. He leaned in and kissed the rider on her back, knowing that when they landed he needed to send a message of his own.

Wrapping her arms around her harpy-tengu, Orelia moved so her head nestled up against his neck. The brunette shivered and trembled with the fear she felt. To calm herself, she buried her hands in his feathered wings and closed her eyes. She wasn't a fighter. There were few reasons for her to even think of harming another. Orelia still felt horrible guilt for haven taken the life of that werebear, but she'd had no other choice at that time ... Not really.

"I want to go away, and hide. Can't we both just find a nice safe place far away?" Pleading quietly, Orelia knew that Xikah would probably at least, hopefully, consider the idea. It was cowardly, in all probability, but she couldn't deal with the thought of losing him.

Moving to do as he'd been instructed, the nymph pondered how to gain the harpy's affections. No, he couldn't worry about how she felt for him. A war was brewing though, and Erasmus felt hi heart clench painfully at the thought of going into battle without telling Sky that his heart was hers. A determined look plunged into his green eyes as he stood. Glancing at the pair holding each other, he felt a tab of jealousy. Turning away from them the blue skinned man went to wait at the bottom of the stairs in a tucked away, out of sight, corner.

Immersed in her own thoughts, worry filled and wandering, Irian only came back to reality when she felt Julian's kiss. Smiling softly to herself, she relaxed noticeably as Tempo landed. The dragon shifted his head to look around at his rider reassuringly. He was certain that Julian's love for her was as constant as the stars, and told her so. The red head still worried though. Troubled brown eyes turned to peer at the ghoul and his dragon over her shoulder. "H-have your feelings for me ... changed, now that you have Tuyere?" She'd worried about it so since she'd seen them together.

Xikah wrapped his wings around them, creating some privacy behind the dark feathers. He cooed gently trying to calm them both down, things were moving too quickly in the wrong direction. "Yes. We'll find a nice place to hide, but we need to fight to keep it. I keep you safe. I keep you happy." He desperately wanted to make it so she didn't have to worry about anything. He wanted her to paint her little windows.

~~~

Skyler bounded back down the stairs, lumping the last ten or so, her wings opened slowing her descent. Things went exactly as she thought they would have, but she was hoping that they would at least listen to reason. For better or for worse, she was put back on the battle field and that had her thinking back again when she would fight along side Erasmus and the others. She had missed those times and was glad to know that she would be fighting again with the nymph at her side, for some reason it made her feel safer and better knowing he would be there.

~~~

"My dearest, if my feeling have changed they have only grown stronger for you. Without you I would be just another wandering undead with mild ambitions. But now I have you to help me grow and to keep me alive as we raise this fire-cracker together." he faced her with that stunning smile that somehow managed to reach the eyes he didn't have. Shifting the sleeping monster in his arms so that she rest in the crook of his elbow, he grabbed out for Irian to place a gentle kiss on her forehead and hold her close; this seemed like a position he would be taking often. His body was cold again and the dragon complained lightly in her sleep.

"Love, could you hold onto Tuyere as I send a message to my board?" he was already trying to sift the dragon into her arms as he asked, his other hand now reaching into his pockets for something. Pulling out a jaw bone he examined it and nodded. "Messenger come forth your leader has need of you." he spoke as he placed the bone on the ground. Slowly bones started rising from the ground to complete the figure, "The dragon rider of Tempo has found one such cache of what she was searching for. As her consort I will continue to aid her as she travels back to deliver onto the other riders this bundle of newly found eggs. After which we will continue with finding Former Senator Weft and possibly putting the unease at the border of the Southern Living and the Undead there at ease. I convey unto you the urgency of which this message needs to be delivered and I need not remind you that we are working together towards a common goal of finding allies for our realm." He went all official for the deliverance of his message and until the skeleton had shambled out of sight did he drop the airs of a high politician.

Letting out a breath of air, the young woman looked up. "I can't fight, I don't know how!" Clutching the harpy tightly, she felt warm tears rolling down her face. "I can't fight and I know you will which terrifies me, because I'm so scared of losing you." Orelia had been planning on learning how to fight, but there had been so much more to think about. Moving into the new apartment together, keeping up with school, and finding a way to live together. She didn't want to lose that!

Reaching out to grab Sky, Erasmus pulled her close with a long sigh. Telling her how he felt was possibly the hardest thing he would ever do. They'd fought so many battles together, but this seemed like the most dangerous of them all. "Skyler, I love you." Tilting his head down he pressed a soft kiss to her lips before pulling away with a grin. "But don't you go breaking my heart before battle, tell me later." He didn't want to let the harpy go. Really it was no wonder why Xikah had gone crazy earlier when his Orelia had gone missing.

Smiling with relief the dragon rider shifted to wrap her arms around Julian. Pressing a kiss to his cold cheek, the young woman wondered how she could be so lucky. Giggling lightly, Irian remembered her parents reaction to Tempo and how very strange it would be the first time she introduced her undead love to them.

But that was for another time. Gently taking up the dragonling into her arms, she slipped off Tempo's back to watch as Julian sent his message. A strange sight to say the least. Though by now things like shambling skeletons and shaky zombies were beginning to be a regular occurrence in the dragon rider's life. "It shouldn't take long to deliver them Julian. Just a few wing beats into another world and dropping off the bag, then we can go find Weft." She was looking forward to meeting the undead draco-lich. Maybe with his help they could figure out the disease that kept killing dragons so quickly despite their efforts at saving the race. Though in truth many of the new dragons brought to Indure fared much better then their native brethren.

Xikah gently pushed away a tear on her cheek, he never knew what to do when she started crying so he just pulled her closer. He was cooing gently and purring into her ear, his dark feathers encompassing them both. "No tears, no tears. I love you, I keep you safe. If you need we have frying pans. Sky is skilled in magic too, she can help us. I ask her. No tears, love, no tears." He repeated himself. Sometimes he wished he had sat down during those lessons to learn himself, but he never wanted to sit still or stay at the nest for too long.

~~~

Her eyes fluttered lightly as they broke the kiss. "Era.... not now... please? Can this wait until we get to your house? Please?" With his sudden admission of his feelings she could feel her own heart cracking. She had always brushed his flirting aside as part of him and never thought it could be serious. She had done it for so long as a protection to herself, to keep her own heart from breaking time and time over. The harpy had seen how he flirted with just about everyone else and she ha thought that she wouldn't have been able to keep his attention long enough. And now with the nymph speaking his heart, she felt like she had been slapped across the face. She wanted to sit down and talk with him and explain things and cuddle into him, but her practical side (which was most of her sides) knew this was not the time and their would be time later for it all. She nuzzled into his shoulder, "We can talk this over at your house..."

~~~

He had a crooked smile turning to her. "So, how do I look? Dreadful?" he asked before they stepped back inside the Wayhouse to share their story and to give their thanks. "And remember, I'm not entirely sure that Weft is where we think he is. But there are only so many undead dragons flying around, so there's a good chance." It was going to be great meeting up with his old friend and having him meet his love and the dragons.

His words began to reach Orelia despite the fog of fear and worry that had settled down so quickly in her mind. The little sobbing sounds she made began to fade away as Xikah tried his best to comfort her. Reaching up with her lips she pressed a kiss to his cheek with a small smile. "No more tears now, my bird-man." Putting her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes and let herself relax. She knew nothing would happen to her, and that Xikah would do his best to keep himself safe as well.

Reluctantly the nymph bobbed his head up and down. He was impatient and wanted to know her answer now! Though Erasmus knew that Skye was right. It wasn't the right time or place, there was still so much to think of and plan. "Alright love, I'll hold you to that." Winking at her playfully, he pressed his head against hers for a few moments with a smile before pulling away. Extending a hand to her own, he waited a few seconds to see if she would grasp it. Either way, the blue skinned man planned on returning to the reception area where he knew Xikah waited with his Orelia.

"You know you're never dreadful to my eyes." Laughing a little, Irian shook her head slightly as she followed Julian to steps of the wayhouse with Tuyere cradled in her arms. Already Tempo seemed to be showing quite the fascination with the little one. It was all too sweet! "We'll find Weft, of that I'm sure. And ... I hope you realize this, but I think Tempo already has a crush on Tuyere." A loud huffing sound resounded in Irian's mind, making her laugh again.

Their wing fort slowly separated and folded back on it's self, resting finally at Xikah's shoulders. He smiled, holding her close for just a moment longer. It was times like this he wished he didn't have a family to make him fear for others, and it was an entirely new feeling for him at the same time. Before Orelia, he only had himself to worry about, but now he had his love. And he was both happy and terrified with this realization. "I'm coming to class with you when you return. I protect you."

~~~

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly before letting go. Even if they no longer worked in the same building, and he had promised his love, she still thought that they had images to uphold and she wanted to explain things before she took the leap herself. The harpy was all nerves, not only did they now have themselves to work out but there was still the ever looming danger of those supernaturals that wanted to harm others. "I hold to my promises. First let's get to your home, you said it was the safest place you knew."

She walked back into the reception area, right into her cousin unfolding a cocoon of feathers from around himself and Orelia. Skyler arched her brow but didn't make a comment, instead turning to Erasmus. "Did you find my Sais and my spell book? I'm going to need both of those eventually, hopefully not anytime soon."

~~~

Julian couldn't help but smile at that. He really hadn't thought of how Tempo would react to the new dragon, it all happened so fast. But he was happy that the older dragon was taking to the baby so well. Now if only the tiny firecracker would interact nicely when she woke up. A thought struck him as they entered the building, "I'm going to need to pick up some more body foods if I'm to be warm enough for Tuyere, she didn't seem to like my cold touch."

She knew if Xikah went to her classes she'd become completely distracted. Circumstances made her realize that she didn't want him away from her side for even a moment. Now they just needed to figure out how to make it happen. "Alright but you have to promise not to cause any trouble." Inwardly she was thrilled at the prospect, which made a wide grin pin itself onto her cheeks.

For a few moments he simply grinned coyly at the harpy before finally turning serious once more. Moving away to grasp the weaponry, both magical and not, the nymph handed them over with a slight bow. "It won't take long to get to my home, I got a witch to create a portal stone for me. Cost me a pretty penny, but it's more then worth it." They would just need to slip outside to find a tree. The stone was small, portable, and very powerful. That was why it was spelled work for it's owner only. Erasmus only noted absentmindedly what Skye's cousin and the human girl were doing, for his attention was all for Skye herself.

Nodding as they entered the building, she smiled. "Dragons need warmth, especially when they're young. The only exception are the ones who live within the waters, or fly above ice." There was a certain magic to them that kept them warm. Shifting closer to Julian, Irian found a happy sigh leaving her lips. "I'm glad you know, that you have Tuyere. It ... it's making me think silly things." Actually that had been him calling himself her consort. It had thoughts of marriage slipping trough her mind, making a furious blush color her cheeks. Besides, the undead probably had very different opinions of such things.

Xikah smiled, all sharp teeth, "Me? Trouble? Kekekeee" He cackled slightly at that, "Maybe I can take class for cooking, maybe I teach food class?" The harpy-tengu could not stop smiling. He knew she would be safe with him, even with the thought of the Flock looming. And worse the things that followed, but for now he was happy and had pushed those other thoughts back. The opening of the door and the tail end of a phrase caught his attention and caused him to look at the two as they entered. "The dead man is back!!"

~~~

Taking her things back she flinched at her cousin's comment. Looking over, there was indeed the dragon rider and her undead companion. The rider seemed to be holding something in her arms, a closer inspection yielded no extra help, it still looked like a small red thing and some meat. "Irian and Julian, was it? Welcome back to the WayHouse, although I'm sorry as we no longer work here as of something rather recently. But still, perhaps we can still be of assistance?" Still trying to be helpful despite the change of jobs. She slipped the sais into her belt and tucked the spell book discretely away inside her shirt.

~~~

Julian looked around, it didn't seem like much had happened since they had left everyone, but as was the nature of bureaucracy. There were times where he would enter his own offices to see the undead busy scuttling about and knowing that no actual work was getting done, and yet other times he would enter to see absolutely no signs of movement but he knew those were the times the most was done. He could feel the changes here and to hear the harpy girl from before announce her recent cessation of her job made sense. And there was still the one who called him the "dead-man" although it wasn't quite far off from the truth. He couldn't help but roll what would have been eyes.

"Err, yes. You would be correct in accounting for our names, Miss. We had just returned to, well, give you our thanks." He beamed one of his pearly smiles, unable to contain his pleasure.

She laughed along with him as she backed away. Even so, one hand remained wrapped around the pale haired man's waist. "Cooking class? You could probably sign up for that." And Xikah would actually be able to pay for it now that he had a job. Things were going to get easier on that front at least!

Orelia sighed as the harpy burst out with his description of Julien. "Xeek, that wasn't very nice!" Because Julien couldn't be dead, not really, if he was walking around talking with everyone.

Era was silent for now as he prepared the portal stone to his home. The blue skinned man placed it onto the ground and murmured a few soft spoken words over it. Soon a light emanated from the little pebble, spreading wide until it looked to be a door, suspended in mid air. He looked to Sky, and pointed at the floating lights to show her their transportation was ready.

She nodded as the bureaucrat spoke with a smile all her own. The redhead slipped a hand trough his arm while cradling the dragon against her protectively. "Yes, thank you for helping us with this. You have no idea how much this means to us." Finding more dragons, knowing that at least one of them had hatched for her love ... It was all so amazing, and wonderful.

Xikah suddenly found his attention torn. There was the small red wiggly thing in the new woman's arms and the beautiful glow of magic near the nymph. He lifted his hands in a grabby motion and shuffled a bit in place. "Orelia... The dead man and his dragon lady have a baby monster." He whined, he wanted to play with the tiny thing and for some odd reason he felt compelled to feed it. "But Era has a shiny door..."

~~~

Seeing the sleeping dragonlet held against Irian's body brought a smile to her face; just knowing that they had one she felt that they had already succeeded more with their mission the she had with hers. Turning to see the floating lights and glowing door, she knew they had to be on their own way soon. Skyler's smile still remained, and softened a bit at Erasmus, to whom she nodded. "Well I am glad things have gone in your favor. I think it's best if we part ways soon, this area may not be the greatest of locations come the next few days. For your safety I will let you know, a flock of harpies and a single tengu have made their way into the area, and I am unsure if you are familiar with those that often breach the barriers that are weakened in the Flock's wake." She started moving closer to the blue male and his magic door, her hand reaching out slightly.

~~~

His smile was almost threatening to expand beyond the normal parameters of a natural smile, stretching at the corners, but his joy could not be contained. Julian could not remember when he was this happy last. "We won't be staying in this area long, ourselves. We still have to deliver the rest of the eggs and continue our search for a former senator, and friend of mine. And sir," he looked at the bird man "please, I'm 'undead' not just dead, there is a huge difference."

Rolling her eyes Orelia took hold of the harpy tengu and began tugging him towards the door and away from all the tempting things and people in the building. "I think you've had enough excitement for today Xeek." The brunette's statement was firm and brooked no argument. Job or not, the white haired man was going to get himself into a whole world of trouble. Not that it was a new situation. As she tried to maneuver around the dragon lady and Julian, she muttered a soft apology for Xikah's behavior.

Era waited impatiently by the door, and finally had enough of it. Once he knew that Skyler had finished her good byes he reached out to grab her hand and made an attempt to guide her trough the portal. It was about time they left. At this rate people might already have begun to make their way towards his home with no one to greet them. The chaos which might have ensued made Erasmus grimace in anticipation.

"Thank you all, but I do believe we should take our leave. Everyone seems quite busy." With a smile, she nudged Julian lightly and tilted her head towards the door. They really did need to deliver the eggs. Not only that, there was going out to find Weft, wherever he was. The Dracolich was sure to be an interesting person to meet, and Irian looked forward to the experience.

Xikah let himself be pulled past the baby-dragon. "But 'Relia... baby monster" was the only objection that went past his lips. The idea of going towards the shiny, pretty, magical glowing door was still very enticing. And the fact that his human-girl was leading him only made the deal sweeter. That and the idea of all the magic trinkets that the nymph might have laying about his house. He grinned at the prospect of meddeling with said trinkets.

~~~

Taking hold of his hand, she rubbed her fingers lightly over his knuckles. The door way was just shimmering with magic and she was getting nervous in anticipation. There was going to be plenty of planning and organizing, not to mention a specific conversation with one particularly handsome blue-skinned man. Skyler's stomach was aflutter with nerves, and her head dizzy with over analyzing. "Lead the way, Era. was all she could manage to say.

~~~

"Alright, well should you ever find yourself in need of help from the formerly living, send word to my offices and I will see what I can work out. It is only fair that we reciprocate the aid you have given us." He felt that in the situation he needed to extend an offer of help. After what they had done in helping to locate the clutch they now had in their possession.

Looking to the dragon rider he was ready to get going himself. "Well, my dear, are we ready? It seems that we still have a great deal of work to get done this night. To your people first, we should take the eggs as quickly as possible to find potential riders for them. And then once things are settled to your standards we can make our way to finding Weft." He reached out to take back Tuyere, he couldn't help but want her to be close to him. Even if he was cold as the dead.

The blue skinned nymph squeezed her hand in return as he nodded to the undead politician. Soon Erasmus was slipping within the light. It swirled about to envelop the pair, then moved to take in Orelia and Xikah soon after. They disappeared, along with the luminous portal, only to appear once more in an entirely different place.

The stone Era had used was in his hand as he looked up at his secluded home. It certainly wasn't anything like the kind of place you'd find in the city. Rather it was a tree of enormous proportions which had grown, windows, doors and all, from a seed the nymph had planted himself. It had been given to him by a friend many long years ago.

"Welcome to my humble home," stated Erasmus with a smile. His guest would certainly marvel over the pond and it's little waterfall, stream included, along with the tiny nature fae flitting about joyously across the clearing and into the nearby forest.

The young woman rolled her eyes and simply tugged the harpy into the glowing portal of light. As soon as they'd exited it, her eyes widened. It was such a magical place, with little glittering faeries and majestic old trees covered with moss .... There was so much to inspire there!

Turning to Xikah, she grinned happily. "It's so beautiful here! Too bad I don't have my paints." Orelia would have wanted to paint her beloved harpy-tengu amidst the trees, an opportunity she'd never had before.

The dragon rider listened halfheartedly to what Julian was saying to the others. Her attention lay entirely with the still sleeping Tuyere, in making sure that warmth surrounded her and that she was safe and sound. If anything happened to the red dragon, Irian would never have been able to forgive to herself.

Soon the pale undead man had returned his attention to Irian, making her smile as their hands brushed together. Once the little one was safely ensconced in his arms. "Tempo's waiting outside." She could barely contain her own excitement at the thought of bringing home more dragonlings to populate the skies.

Xikah squawked in surprise, it was nothing and everything like the picture Erasmus had hanging in his office. The light breeze ruffled his feathers and he just wanted to jump into the air and start flying around. Chasing after the fae, swooping down the waterfall. It was incredibly peaceful here too, and for once Xikah didn't want to shake things up and cause mischief.
"I can get you paints Oriela, I can find and make you paints. Many things make pretty colors when smooshed." He wanted to make his human happy and he remembered some bugs that he had squashed before. I was sure some of those could be found here.

~~~

Skyler had the same feeling that her cousin did, she wanted to stretch her wings and fly about. To see everything, to take it all in, to feel the wind through her feathers. Why didn't she ever accept Era's offer to come to his home before? It was gorgeous. Her wings fluttered in anticipation of flight, she couldn't stop them from shaking.

"Era... it's magnificent... Come with me." Suddenly she tightened her grip on his arm and her wings shot open. A few heavy pumps and they were airborn. Soon she was looking down on everything, she could see her cousin and his love down below, there was a pond and a stream, it was even more beautiful from above. "This place is beyond words, everything just screams of peace and life before humans. Is this place even still on Earth?" She gasped at the movement below her, there were small beings living in the forest, barely discernible from the trees themselves. She felt like she could spend a life time here and still not explore all of it's secrets.

~~~

"Then let us make haste! The other riders will be elated when you show them your find!" Suddenly a thought crossed his mind making him frown. "What are they going to think of me and Tuyere?" Having a dragon was a new thing for him, he was used to people constantly judging him for who he was and the decisions he made, but he wasn't certain that he wanted to have his new baby judged the same. She was a firecracker with life, and he was the undead president.

Tuyere squirmed a bit in her sleep, the transition from Irian's warm body to the cooler one of Julian's was causing her to stir. Getting closer to the older dragon, however she settled down again. Julian waited for Tempo's rider to get up first before following her lead and sitting behind her on his back.

She giggled lightly at his words while trying not to show just how very happy Xikah made her. It was a very futile attempt. "You'd do that for me?" Amazement suffused her words and made the brunette's eyes sparkle as she moved to hug the harpy joyfully.

A wonderful breeze swept trough the clearing, suffusing the whole area with the scent of the surrounding forest. It was engrossing, so much so that Erasmus nearly didn't hear Sky's words. He couldn't miss the feeling of his stomach lurching uncomfortably as the harpy took off with him in her arms.

A bout of laughter escaped the blue skinned man before he knew it. The sight of his home from the air was breathtaking! So many things were made apparent which he'd never been able to notice before."Yes it is, though it's been hidden from humans by magic. That's probably why it's such an idyllic place." His stomach twisted at the thought of the conversation they would soon be having. It was the most frightening thought; maybe Skyler wouldn't return his feelings at all. Even the view of his home, usually so calming, paled after that.

The redhead waited until they were both settled comfortably upon Tempo's back before speaking up. "They'll give you a chance, no need to worry. Dragons are very good judges of character. They'll trust Tuyere's decision in picking you." Powerful wing beats lifted them up into the air and trough the clouds until the world they knew disappeared below them.

When they descended once again, they were upon Earth no more, but rather they flew above a medieval-esque place filled with obvious signs of magic. Tempo veered off towards soaring mountain tops and backwinged to land in a large grassy area near a series of large caves. Two or three dragons lazed about with their riders nearby.

They stood with shouts and raced over to greet the new arrivals. "Hey what did you bring for us?" That was the ever exuberant blue haired Prudence. His dragon was an elegant orange scaled creature, who had a surprising temper.

She laughed and slipped from Tempo's back gracefully with the precious bag holding the eggs held tight in her hand. Wordlessly the blue eyed woman held it out, and tilted her head up to smile at Julian. "And that man is my love, Julian. He was just accepted by Tuyere and is the president of the undead."

A shy looking young woman shuffled forward to peer up at the man with an endearing uncertainty. "H-hello, and welcome." Arabella's dragon was an overconfident green, who was always encouraging her to open up and e more adventurous.

"Yes!! You can follow me and I can show you which flowers smear nice and which bugs go smoosh and which ones bite! I know some and I can squish more for you!" He bounced on his springy legs. Skyler and the blue man had gone up, so he figured they could go their own way too for a while, at least until they got yelled for. He loved seeing his human this happy it made him feel warm inside.

~~~
She took in his words as she continued to take in the scenery. So they were still on Earth somewhere, just magically tucked aside. Her mind was whirring again, thinking of strategical things. She almost missed the uneasy tone in his voice. "Oh Era, I'm sorry I should have asked you first if you were alright with heights and flying before I whisked you up here. We can head back down now, it make take a bit longer than getting up here did, I don't want to drop you or suddenly have us both crash. I really am sorry I should have thought this through before hand." they slowly started descending back towards the tree's base. She couldn't believe that she had just put them both in a situation like that, it was dangerous and reckless of her. Had she not been able to support them both she wouldn't have been able to forgive herself.

~~~

The place was as impressive as it was foreboding. He never really felt at home near old castles, even at the capitol building he had round and colored lights installed that gave it more of a Vegas or city feel than the stone-wall fortress it had once been. But this one had the added intimidation factor of more dragons. And the magic, he couldn't forget the magic; it left a tingle feeling as it traveled through his body. Another thing that just set him more on edge, not that he would show it.

Plastering his cheesiest politician smile on as they descended into the clearing, he waved to those down below. Landing was easy and now he was even closer to the other dragons. People came rushing up to meet with Irian and her curiosities, one being him. His smile was that of a perfect toothpaste commercial, but never reaching the voids of where his eyes should be. There was just something about this place that he wasn't comfortable with. It was probably just the idea that he held no sway here.

"Greetings dragon riders! It's a pleasure to meet you, and especially considering the circumstances! I would like to be able to meet each of you in due times to discuss the matter of raising a dragon... of which I have no experience. And would now be a good time to ask about finger foods?" He tried his campaign approach in greeting these people, he was in their grounds and he was a visiting figure head of a poorly cast group of peoples. Julian was being honest in asking for snacks of his liking. Tuyere was starting to squirm more in his cool grasp.

Her little eyes opened and she squinted heavily at him before screaming her baby dragon wail for food. With no immediate response she began gnawing on his arm, taking small chunks of really dead flesh off. Jewely-ann you taste bad. I want fresh meat now! Feed me! She was demanding him, and he practically melted in joy of his baby dragon awake again.

The brunette smiled indulgently and turned to peer into the forest. "We just need to figure out what to put them in. Then maybe I could try using one of the feathers you molt as a paintbrush." Orelia tugged at her hair thoughtfully. It could do just as well, if not better, she was sure.

"I want to paint you." She'd never done that before, and wanted to so much all of a sudden.


With a shrug of his shoulders he dismissed the apology easily enough. It really hadn't bothered him; other thoughts on the other hand plagued Erasmus. Their descent only brought the conclusion to their earlier conversation ever nearer. "That's not what bothers me," mumbled the nymph at last.

Irian shifted nearer to Julian with a nervous kind of smile. Arabella was skittering away fearfully without a word, leaving Prudence to deal with this unusual character. He shook away blue hair from his eyes with a frustrated sound. "Nice to meet you and all, but these eggs need to be taken care of. Make yourself at home though, and get some food into that dragon of yours!" It was easy to see how very hungry Tuyere was.

The dragonet gave him the creeps. Irian could see it easily enough when she glanced to the young man's orange scaled dragon. "Don't mind them Julian. They'll get used to you." Tempo snorted before pushing himself from the ground to flit into the air gracefully.

With a gentle tug, Irian guided her love towards the furthest part of the clearing where steps had been carved into the rocky mountain side. A cavern's darkness called in an inviting way to the young woman as she smiled. "Tempo went to catch some fresh meat, meanwhile we can get comfortable in my home. The others are still working on getting that rocky looking castle back into shape, so here's where I stay in the meantime."

Xikah was excited and then frightened by the idea of being painted. It was the ultimate form of flattery to have his likeness painted. And it was by his human-girl too who painted tiny windows that he liked so much. At the same time he was worried that he wouldn't be able to hide in the human towns and buildings with his Orelia. His face was moving between happy and upset but mostly confused. Never before did he want to just give up and sit down.
"But but but.. won't they know it's me in the picture. They will know that I'm not a human when I follow you at school. They will trap me like they did Sky." He was all frowns now, he didn't want to go to the circus. He wanted to stay with his Orelia.

~~~

She directed their downward direction closer to the large tree, she figured he would have some sort of balcony or ledge on his house that they could land on. Hearing him upset made her feel bad. "What's wrong then Era? Wait until we land first, I need to concentrate to make sure we don't crash the last ten feet or so." Skyler could see a small deck popping out from the leaves, that's where they were going to make touch down.

~~~

He would have felt dejected had he not been completely absorbed by little Tuyere gnawing on him arm and complaining. "Of course dear. Everyone gets used to me eventually, although they tend to get used to me quicker after I've eaten. I hate to ask but there aren't any graveyards nearby are there?. I'm not really keen on grave robbing, it reminds me of my freshly dead days, but I'm going to need to be warm to keep her happy." He bopped her on the nose to stop her from trying to take more out of his arm. She snapped at his finger and grumbled, but stopped her teething. Her toothy attitude towards things made him think. He followed her lead absorbed in thought before he asked."Was it me they were uneasy about, or Tuyere, she does seem to want to eat anything or attack anything she can't eat." He could see where it wasn't a desirable trait in a mount, it had certainly weeded out a few of opposing candidates for office.

Laughter bubbled up from her lips as she shook her head. Reaching out, the brunette smoothed a hand over the harpy-tengu's feathers. All the while her mouth turned to forming words carefully so her love could hear the truth in them ."Xikah, they'll just think I've added a few features to your human form. People will never be able to imagine that they have the truth before their eyes ... It won't even cross their minds." A soft smile crossed her features as a playful breeze tugged at her hair and clothing, frolicking around the pair. "It never did in mine, until the masquerade."

It seemed like an eternity since then. Her world had shattered to pieces, then been reformed. All because of that one night. Nothing had been the same. It was something the young woman was grateful for, despite how much more dangerous her world appeared to be sometimes. With time it wouldn't be so, once she knew how to deal with the supernatural with more ease then she could muster at the moment.

He waited to speak until his feet were set firmly upon the balcony of his room. Dark blue lips lifted up in a smile as he turned to face the harpy who'd quite literally carried him away. "I'm afraid of what you have to say, concerning my confession earlier. I know I said it didn't matter, but going int battle without knowing seems so much worse." And there lay the bald truth of the matter set out starkly for Skyler to see.

The redhead bit her lip as she thought of some graveyard or other which no one would mind having turned into a buffet for her undead love. At last she remembered a battle field, already somewhat picked about by carrion eaters. It wasn't near per say, but it would do. Of course, it was still relatively fresh and the only reason she now knew of it was because her dragon had been gossiping with the others, mentally. He let out a snort, but remained silent.

"Will a battlefield do? As for Tuyere ... Yes, it did bother them. Hopefully she grows out of it, if not we'll deal with this habit when the time comes." She hoped for Julian's sake that the little dragonet would learn that munching on her rider was not well viewed by most people.