She stared blankly at the paw, and snorted laughter. "Did you roll for that-? It's more like-..." and when they'd removed a hand, she demonstrated: slapping her own palms lightly, one to the other. "Like that. But good job anyway." She didn't explain the 'roll' thing, instead eyeing her die. Diem knelt, setting the little glowing gator down; it chirped and wandered a few feet off, then laid there lazily.

She opened up the wooden box, sliding the die in amongst the others, and amongst the pen, pencil, notebook and so forth. "There we go." The case was snapped shut, her familiar picked back up, and she fired another weird skull-grin at Yanyue.

"I'm down! I mean--yeah, let's do it! If you don't mind? And since it's a favor, is there anything I can give you in turn?" she asked, smiling at Yanyue. Fair play was her watchword; she didn't want to be asking for things and giving nothing in return! But... Forge? Was it the one she was thinking of? They were close to there... right? The caves had always been a bit of a maze to her; without a map in front of her face, she wasn't sure where to go. Not to mention all the fractured memories that had not, by design, made it here. But when she thought of 'Forge,' her mind conjured up fear, purple skin and lots of teeth.

Fuck it, she thought. This is an adventure!

@Yanyue

Diem spoke a bit oddly, Yanyue thought, saying many phrases with words that should make sense but did not, but Yanyue did not mind. They thought she seemed pretty cool, really. They beamed at the praise, not minding the correction at all, especially since they had made Diem laugh. Their head tilted as Diem put something away.

"I'd be happy to bring you there!" the dragon proclaimed, then paused, thoughtful.

Finally, Yanyue had their answer, "I dunno."

"I mean, I'm pretty happy, I have everything I could want. I even have Freedom!" the child proclaimed, referenced their collar, though it was contextually unclear.

They reached for their magic, but it drew away from them. The little noodle pouted briefly, but then they were quickly back to their prior enthusiasm. "It was a gift, it lets me fly! A little bit, at least. And only when my magic cooperates. I love it." They stretched their neck to show off the gift physically instead. The dragon in flight looked like... Yanyue, actually.

"Isn't that cool? I'll need to improve with magic to get it working even better, but that's okay with me! I love magic," Yanyue proclaimed cheerily.

Yanyue began to walk, since flying had failed. "We'll need to go this way," they announced. "...Wait, can you fly? You do have wings," the child wondered abruptly.

They stopped walked, and instead promptly turned pleading eyes upon Diem Dark. "Diem... Do you think you could carry me while flying? I'm pretty light! I could give you directions, too!" And maybe the child would even convince Diem do some cool stunts! Diem seemed the type to enjoy that sort of thing.

Cool things, that is.

@Diem Dark

Diem was just as enthusiastic about the collar, in turn. "Oh, cool. Wait, is Freedom its name-? It's, like, enchanted, right?" She bent down, leaning in to peer at it. "Magic's frigging amazing, isn't it?! Congratulations!"

Yanyue's question, though, gave her pause. She turned, flaring out one black wing and eyeing it. "Feathers. ...Huh. Uhhhhhhhhhhh. I'm gonna say... no, for now? I've never tried 'em out before and I don't want to smash face-first into the rock. Unless you're okay with, like... going really slow and probably landing any time there's rocks anywhere nearby. As in--I could try when we're in a more open space?" She sounded unsure, but also like she hated to disappoint the little dragon.

In the meantime, she cradled her familiar in her arms. "I gotta carry this little guy, too, though. So..."

Diem paused, staring off into the middle distance as she desperately tried to think of some way to make this work. "Maybe if you sort of hang on around my neck..? But you'd have to steer clear of my wings. Or you could carry this one, and I can carry you in turn. But--I mean, is there open space on the way there?"

She could see it now, in her mind's eye. Flaring out her wings, leaping into the air, arcing gracefully into a harsh belly-flop directly on the stone below. Or careening wildly out of control into a tree.

...She'd rather play it safe than make that her first experience with flying.

@Yanyue

"Yes!" Yanyue beamed at Diem in answer. "It's enchanted! That's the word," they agreed. "I love magic," they happily said the word not for the first time, even in this conversation.

The way the other considered her wings was a bit odd. Diem didn't seem newly hatched, not like Yanyue, and she had clearly come from somewhere. Surely, the other was aware she had wings, even if Yanyue had taken a moment to notice?

Yanyue gasped audibly at the idea of having wings but never trying them out. "Well then, you have to try them out! I don't mind slow," the child proclaimed earnestly.

"Yeah, there's plenty of open space in the next cave over, where we're going. Less rocks, more... sand. Lots of sand," Yanyue informed Diem.

"I don't mind being around your neck if you don't mind!" they decided after a brief consideration, lifting a paw like about to try to climb up Diem, before hesitating and putting it down. Their paws didn't really have claws for climbing, and even if they did, it would probably hurt to be climbed on like that.

"Can you pick me and put me there? I'll figure out a way to arrange myself!" Yanyue told Diem.

@Diem Dark

'Yeah, there's plenty of open space in the next cave over...' Diem waited until Yanyue had finished speaking, and offered a short, enthusiastic "Hell, yeah," in response. Then she knelt. It took a moment to reshuffle everything: to offer her glowing, ethereal alligator hatchling out to Yanyue (as if, somehow, one could carry light... and yet, Yanyue would find that they could); to settle her Dungeon Master box onto the floor; to then lift Yanyue like a scarf around the back of her neck and carefully balance herself as she stood straight with the box returned to her arms.

"You good?" she asked.

The back of her neck was a strange place to be. It was a relatively long neck, for a humanoid; one that arched up and forward, a hunch that might be difficult to cling to. It was well-muscled, almost horse-like or draconic on its own, but covered in that thick, somewhat greasy black mane hanging tangled like mythical Kelpie hair.

Diem didn't move yet, though. The front of her wings--the part that rose up from her shoulders--might bump Yanyue as she walked; or they might slip and fall. She wanted to make sure they were comfortable before she started off!

@Yanyue

Yanyue had a glowing light-lizard huddled on their neck, how cool! It was almost like having cast the spell themself. And now, they were were carefully picked up and place on Diem's neck.

The young dragon carefully arranged themself, sort of draping over the neck forward and partially curled behind it, while being careful not to touch the wings or the shoulder connected to said wings at all. "I think I got it!"

Diem now had the oddest combination of pirate parrot and scarf. Except, well, a noodle-y dragon. "Onwards!" Yanyue proclaimed with glee.

[Exit Yanyue?]

@Diem Dark

Diem set off. It wasn't fast, and it was a little awkward, what with a glowing alligator hatchling (occasionally chirping) along with a wooden box in her arms, but it was cheerful. She hummed to herself now and then, and the vulture's skull-like head turned this way and that, often gazing up and around her in absolute awe.

Now and again she asked Yanyue if they were 'good,' but other than that, she was committed to a journey.

exit Diem Dark