ORIGIN - arecibo message

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For as long as they'd had a constant rotation of family members watching the entrance to Tunnel J, there hadn't been any incidents. Sure, a few false alarms here and there and shadows that spooked any one of them, but none to warrant calling the rest of the family.

It was fair, then, that Svartis called for backup in the form of his sister and literal polar opposite to see what, exactly, Bug was calling them for. Seeing the white stag, he was tempted for a moment to put on a display: maybe some cool snowfall? Permafrost breathed into the air? Or... just cooling down so his breath was seemingly always misty.

That worked. Except, it didn't.

The black dragon landed politely, though a wary few feet further away than was polite. Icy eyes stared down Pride, and he stood as proudly as he could. Certainly not tucking his chin to hide that bite mark on his throat or shuffling his wings to obscure the one on his calf. It was his first time, really, interacting with anyone outside of his family. "You wanted to talk to us?" he rumbled.

'You wanted to talk to us?' That sounded so cool.

@Bone

Bone's landing was less graceful. More a cautious, drop-down-from-hovering thud.

She shook herself, blinking, and gave Pride a nod; she was a little closer than her brother. More trusting. More warm.

"Hey," she offered.

Also--unrelated to temperature--less cool.

Bone glanced at Svartis, and realized that she was probably meant to be playing it much cooler than she was. Oh well.

"I'm Bone; this is Svartis. My brother. I think I ruined our dramatic entrance." Her tone was wry, her humor bright, and she, unlike Svartis, seemed unafraid.

Brave, or foolish, maybe.

Pride took a deep breath, nodding to each dragon in turn. Memories of Dread snarling death still lingered at the back of his mind, and now he was facing not one, but two dragons.

Focus on your message, he told himself, fighting to keep calm. On your question. Svartis was, in a word, terrifying; looming, black, with icy eyes. His demeanor, too, was aloof and cold, and Pride feared what he might do.

Bone, however-... He felt immediate relief, even gratitude, that she seemed both intelligent and calm. Friendly. More-... personable than Dread had been and, it seemed, that Svartis was. Pride gathered himself, a little bolstered by this, and nodded.

"I apologize if I am disturbing you. My name is Pride. I belong to the Seven, in Orion; normally I would speak to Dread about this, but... I wish to ask you something."

A pause, a breath, and he plunged into it. "I know you're being given trouble by the one they call Vargas, and its--family? Its children? I don't know, but I do know that Vargas has explained some things. I have heard--correct me if I'm wrong--that he is asking for gemstones from you and from others. Your stones," Pride clarified. "That you're being threatened. I'd like to show you something, mind-to-mind, if I may. It-... is gruesome, but necessary. It is something that I saw, in person; a creature of great power who entered the cave recently. She destroyed Raheerah with a touch. The dragon," Pride clarified, grimly, pointedly. The dragon who was much larger, and more powerful, than either of you. Or your father. "She killed another Master, and greatly harmed another. And no one stopped her. This seems to be her right, and her ability. Vargas seems to think that if we do not return to the 'old ways,' or some semblance of them, if we do not reach some benchmark he imagines, that she will kill us all."

A pause, to let this sink in, and then: "I do not think it right that he might demand and threaten. But I will be calling a meeting of others in Orion, soon, to ask for discussion on this. For ideas, and to see if others want to cooperate. To agree to offer stones, when asked. The alternative may be war with Vargas and his ilk or, if he is right, some form of magical apocalypse. I'm not asking for a decision now--in fact I hope we can find alternatives to handing children off as soldiers--but asking if you would like to join this meeting. And I ask you, because I do not think Dread could agree without attempting to kill Vargas; and that may, if Vargas is being truthful, put us all in danger."

A pause, a breath.

"Do you--understand? Would either of you wish to see?"

@Svartis

All that cool dragons atmosphere was broken down further as Svartis sniped at his sister, "hey!" He wing-waddled forwards and nudged her snout, muttering, "you ruined our dramatic entrance! We're supposed to look all cool -" Oh, he's still here.

The black dragon's gaze whipped back to Pride, but with a fair bit more meekness than before from the proximity. At least his sister was here and he could try to not look wimpy. Grown as he was, Svartis was still pretty much a kid, albeit one scared straight about stranger danger.

He blinked, and relaxed a tiny bit at the familiarity of the stag's name, at least. Dad hadn't sounded too happy when talking about him, but - it was a household name nonetheless.

Svartis seemed to shrink at the mention of Vargas and his spawn, despite how much he steeled himself against it. His hesitance grew at the - well, notion that a dragon could be destroyed with a touch, and something like Vargas could fear. "I... don't want to see." The notion that they weren't quite so invincible and untouchable - and that the next thing up wasn't either - was enough to spook him. Bone, however - the black dragon turned to her.

It was inevitable death, or - perhaps - a... meeting?

His fins went flat, though he forced himself to draw up and shuffle in place again. "Would... you make sure that we aren't attacked at this... meeting?" Certainly not without their father present, at least.

(Was it selfish that being attacked was his only immediate concern, not attending this meeting itself? It seemed reasonable enough to go.)

@Bone

Bone had never in her life been called upon to make an important decision. She'd never had to consider pros and cons, or weigh intentions, before. She listened to Pride, brow drawn down; she smirked at Svartis as he spoke. But the more Pride went on, the more serious everything became.

She glanced at Svartis as he asked his question, and then looked to Pride.

Decisions... not for others, no. She didn't know what to do, or say, about this meeting; whether to offer to come, or to talk to Dad, or what. But Svartis' question was a good one and her own answer would likely depend on how Pride replied. That being said, she realized that even if he said 'yes,' that he could guarantee it, that they couldn't trust that.

"He can't fly, anyway. As long as there's no army there, no magic waiting, no trap? We should be fine. Can you promise that?" she asked, pointedly.

And then, mulling over what Pride had said, she decided--"Show me."

Nothing was more important than the truth.

Svartis' words reassured him further, and he had to smile, a little. Posture went, then, from stiffly tense to at least a little more relaxed. The black dragon's question, though, had him tilting his head thoughtfully. He could lie, of course; but that could backfire if Vargas betrayed them.

"I do not know Vargas well enough to trust him. I do not think he means to betray, but I cannot guarantee it. Ahh-" he nodded to Bone, as she spoke; "the forum certainly has high walls that you could use? And I can check it, myself, beforehand. I will also instruct the Seven to block any attack, by whoever the aggressor may be. But I of course cannot and would not demand that you join us; but your input would be valued."

The white dragon--she wished to see, then. Pride looked at her, briefly, at her pale hide and bright eyes, and decided that despite his past encounters, he liked this dragon. Not that he disliked Svartis, exactly--he didn't; but he'd seen few dragons in his life and this one was--different.

He closed his eyes, then, and--almost reluctantly--tried to link his mind to hers. He had to fight, to manage, but when he felt the sudden opening of her mind to his, he spoke aloud: "Brace yourself." The words were quiet.

And then, he showed her everything, in a summary of short flashes: Raheerah, his vast wingspan sweeping through Orion, his flames torching the buildings, his screeches of agonized rage. The humanoid being in Polaris. Her hand to his snout, and his writhing, screaming, flailing, his dissolution. Jupiter's death. Tenzin's fate. And Vargas, as he'd shown Aure: Vargas, agreeing quite bluntly that yes--he was afraid.

Then Pride opened his eyes, taking a breath and letting the straining link slip shut. He nodded to Svartis, then; but gave Bone a moment to process what she'd seen.

@Svartis

Svartis gave a quiet hum of thought - Vargas couldn't fly, sure, and neither could the monster that'd attacked him. Staying up high would be a safe bet. The walls - or the tower. Wary yet, the black dragon nodded - those terms were good enough for him.

Like Bone, he'd never had any decision-making put on him. Dread usually decided when family dinner hours were, and when they were going to go for a flyover of Monoceros - among other things, when the kids weren't going about their business. He wasn't a dictator by any means, but just the leader of the pack and their father. Lords and being reduced to mere Oil wasn't on anyone's minds often.

Pride shared with his sister and nodded, and Svartis huddled closer to her - meaning to be a reassuring presence with a low rumble and snout pressing against her chin. "You alright, sis?"

@Bone

She went still.

No one had ever touched her mind before, not like that; it was a new magic, and a fascinating one. She wanted to learn more, but right now, her thoughts were swept away on black wings.

Raheerah captured her, in that moment, her emotions and her thoughts. He was like them. He had been like them. A dragon, black, like Father; four-legged like her, like Mother. Vast, yes, but roaring as Dread often did, demanding, breathing flame. And-... he had been in pain. His demands, his agonized cries-... And then, the true agony, later, in Polaris.

She blinked, gaze wholly absent, then closed her eyes and shuddered as she felt Svartis touch her. Her wings drew in around herself.

"He was like us. He was one of us," she near-whispered, her voice soft.

It didn't impact, one way or another, the Vargas story. The meeting. It seemed, somehow, distant and unrelated to all of that. She opened her eyes again, and looked to Svartis. "We should bring Dad," she said, quietly but with a surety to her. "We should bring everyone." She leaned closer, then, words for only her brother's 'ears': "In case we are betrayed. We can spread out, a little... Or some of us can wait in earshot, maybe." She pulled back a bit, and looked to Svartis. "We should probably try and break this to Dad. Ask him about it."

Bone turned to Pride, blinking. "When's this meeting, then?"

Pride looked between them. He had little more to say, though he pitied the dragon her obvious, if veiled, distress.

"In two days," he responded quietly. "At the forum, in Orion. I'll look for magic traps in advance, and of course Dread is welcome. Tell him-... Tell him we're trying to make peace, if it helps. Tell him... We'd all like to stay alive."

@Svartis

Svartis pressed closer, sitting and awkwardly extending a wing over Bone's shoulders. He was here, even if another dragon wasn't.

But, his sister managed to bring herself back down, and he withdrew his wing, if only for the awkwardness having it up held. He nodded gently. "That sounds like a good idea," he whispered back, "Blight can hide and watch..." (once they told the kid to stick to the shadows, at least.) But, it was rude to discuss plans in front of a guest. Svartis looked back at Pride.

Making peace was - fair. "We'll," Svartis glanced at Bone, and at the stag again, "we'll try to break it to him." Taking her words for his own, of course. How creative.

@Bone

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