Corey shrugged. "Maybe she just has a high tolerance for heat." He glanced over at Xander as she sat up, Calypso getting up and stretching.

"What's really not fair is that Calypso is the biggest dragon here and also the youngest."

Xander grinned, and Calypso snorted and flicked her tail, retreating all the way into the water. Xander moved to sit on her back so she wasn't in the water.

"Try not to take too long."

Faith rolled her eyes and went to wake Lapis.

"Come on, you," she said affectionately, rubbing Lapis's head. "We're going to see if we can't make a run to town, see if I can get those sapphires cut."

We're going somewhere? Lapis asked, opening her eyes to look at Faith.

"Yeah, come on," Faith replied.

Vyren followed behind Corey as he went to go find someone from the wyer and ask. He found an older rider who was laying out in the sun with his dragon, and the man just waved them off with a grin when Corey asked.

"Just be back before the evenin' meal," the older rider said. "Now off with ya."

Corey grinned and went to go relay the news to the others, Vyren flying back because he was impatient with walking.

Faith had managed to get Lapis up and moving again by this point, and they were just waiting for Corey to get back. Faith pushed her glasses up her nose as Corey and Vyren got back.

"So we can go?" she asked, to make sure. She reached into her pocket for a hair tie and pulled her hair back. It would be a pain to brush out later on, if she didn't. "Then let's go!"

"You all go, let me know how it goes," Ryan replied. He leaned up against Yue, who seemed perfectly content to stay in the shade. "I think we're going to stay here for now."

Corey nodded and got up on Vyren's back, settling himself easily before he had Vyren take off. It would be easier and faster to fly pretty close to the town and then walk in.

A short while later, he had Vyren land in a clearing not far from town and slid down. Clouds overhead threatened an afternoon rain, and he waited for Faith before heading into town.

Faith and Lapis kept up with Corey and Vyren easily. Faith slid down Lapis's side when the dragon landed next to Vyren, and she readjusted her glasses again.

It smells like rain... Lapis murmured as she nuzzled Faith one more time.

Let me know if it starts raining, we'll try to be back quickly, Faith promised.

I will, Lapis replied. Faith petted her one more time before going to follow Corey.

It didn't take long for Corey to realize something was wrong. He walked through the main street of town, just looking around at all the shops. One by one, every shop he approached to get a better look changed its sign to CLOSED.

"That's weird," Corey muttered, moving back over to Faith. "I wonder if this is like what happened at the Ocean town."

A villager spotted them and glared at them until his wife tugged him inside, looking at the two riders nervously. Doors remained shut, shutters closed over windows, and soon the place looked like it was all closed for the night, though it wasn't even near dark yet.

Faith saw what was happening and slowed down.

"That was weird," she murmured. "Why are they acting like we're diseased or something? You think it has anything to do with the government being all anti-dragonrider?"

"Probably. Most people believe just about anything the government tells them," Corey said with a cynical snort. "They probably sent out a message that dragonriders are cheats or something, so now no one wants to do business with us."

Shaking his head, he turned in a slow circle, looking at the now-empty town. He could feel dozens of eyes on them, townsfolk peering through curtains and cracks to look at them, or glare. He couldn't tell which. He just knew they weren't welcome there.

Faith looked around again. She almost wanted to go start knocking on doors, to try to get an answer, but she got the feeling that it wouldn't work.

"We may as well head back, then," she said. "I don't think anyone's going to talk to us here."

"Yeah." Corey muttered some very uncomplimentary things under his breath as he turned and stalked out of the town again. He caught one person staring at him as he passed through a window and he snorted bitterly.

Corey, why are you upset? Vyren asked, lumbering over closer. Shall I eat them for you?

That made Corey snicker. No, thanks though. I'll be okay. People just annoy me. Come on, let's get back to the weyr.

Faith, what's wrong? Lapis asked as Faith and Corey left the town. You were barely gone long at all. I still missed you, of course, but I thought you would be longer than that. She nuzzled Faith when the rider went to climb on. Why are you upset?

It's nothing, Faith replied, getting comfortable on the dragon's back. I'm fine. Let's just go back to the weyr.

Vyren flew back to the weyr, to the spot they'd left Ryan and Yue, and landed again. He let Corey off before he went wading into the water to go have a good time.

Corey sighed and sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him, determined to relax. For a bit at least.

"How did it go?" Ryan asked as Faith and Lapis landed as well.

"It didn't," Faith responded as Lapis cautiously moved over near Yue to curl up.

Yue hissed slightly at Lapis, and Ryan laid a hand on her side, gently urging her to just ignore the younger dragon.

"What to you mean?" he asked. "Were they not able to work with gems that large or something? Or did they really just turn you away?"

"They closed their doors and shut their windows," Corey said with bitter amusement. "They treated us like lepers, basically. Pretended we weren't there, or something, while watching us. They clearly don't want to do business with us."

"Thought that might happen." Xander jumped off Calypso's back as the dragon laid half in the water, half-out again. Xander was soaked.

"Sorry, she decided to go fishing for shiny things." Xander sighed, with a hint of amusement. "So I have extras if anyone wants some. There's pretty good pickings along this coast, I guess 'cause no one else picks it up."

"I might take a look at the shiny things later," Faith replied. "Did you find anything good?" She wasn't surprised that nobody thought to go diving around there, there were usually no water-based dragons to go diving in the first place.

"Couple pearls, two diamonds, a ruby, an emerald..." Xander trailed off for a moment, going through her pockets. "Oh yeah. And this." She held up a skull, about as long as her hand from heel of palm to fingertip. It was like a dragon skull, only much smaller.

"That's interesting." Corey walked over to investigate it, ignoring Calypso's low rumble. He figured she just didn't want him near her things, but he was just looking.

Faith blinked.

"Okay, that's just creepy," she said. "Clearly, it's a skull, but what is it?"

"Dunno. I don't recognize it from anything. There's nothing else with quite this same skull type." Xander blinked when she realized Corey was looking at her funny.

"Not like I had anything better to do than study animals," she muttered, embarrassed. "Anyway, this skull type and shape is unique to dragons. As far as I know, anyway."

Corey nodded after a moment. "Well, we can always ask someone back at the weyr." He glanced up at the sky.

"Speaking of, we should probably be going soon. It's just about sunset, so dinner will be served soon, I bet. And we still have to talk to someone about the town."

Faith nodded.

"Getting back sounds like a good idea," she said. She nudged Lapis, urging the dragon to her feet.

Ryan nodded as well, but he didn't have to say anything to Yue. The white dragon got up on her own and nudged her rider forward a bit.

Xander pocketed the skull again and slipped back onto Calypso's back. She was soaking wet and she could feel the sand scraping against her skin already. She was not walking.

"Meet you over there," she said before Calypso submerged, completely vanishing into the still water with her rider.

"That's kind of creepy, how stealthy she is," Corey grumbled. But he started walking too, Vyren following after him.

"Agreed," Faith replied. "But you know, it would have been interesting to take them back to the mountains with us, but I don't know if they have any way to actually get there short of walking the whole way." She paused. "And I don't think our eyries are big enough for an ocean dragon."

"We got a few ocean dragons back home," Ryan commented. "They pop up along the Frozen Coast sometimes, but they never stay more than a day or two."

"I'm pretty sure one fully-grown ocean dragon is about as big as the eyrie," Corey said, shaking his head. "No wonder they live under water." He paused.

"You know, we never did go down and see their eyries. Damn."

"We can ask them when we meet up for dinner," Faith replied. "It's probably an underwater cave half-full of air or something. Somewhere to keep pretty shiny things and still be able to take a rider there for longer than a minute."

"Would make sense," Corey agreed. "But we can ask." He looked around to see if he could find a rider around to ask, but everyone just seemed to be heading inside to eat. Oh well. Maybe after dinner he'd find someone...