Orlaith was in the same room she liked visiting, as she was playing with something she had found in one of the other rooms. She was laying down as she rolled the gem in between her paws. Unbeknownst to her, this was a valuable gem called benitoite, it was shiny, and blue looking. The young cub had no clue how valuable the gem was, but it was hers, and she liked to roll it between her paws to see light shine upon it from different angles. The feline could play with this gem for hours on end, without ever getting tired. She made sure to guard it safely, knowing that other gembounds might want her shiny toy. Orlaith had never seen something so unique in all her life, but of course she just hatched. She was young so there was much to see, and much to experience. For now, all she was focused on was her shiny gem toy.

@Dread

Dread had his ledge high, high above--nearish the ceiling of Monoceros. At the moment Orlaith started toying with her gemstone, he was trying to figure out how to block the land-approach. He'd been unable to fit on the narrow ledge that wound up to his den for quite some time, and he saw no reason to leave the ledge intact: if he could break it, to prevent others from reaching his den without his carrying them, well--then why not?

He'd been flying back and forth for some time, now, inspecting it; and he finally thought he knew how best to approach it. He hovered, staring closely at the walkway--then swept forward, a deafening roar echoing from his jaws, tail lashing forward for the ledge with a powerful burst of magicka.

His tail hit stone, the magicka vibrating... but nothing really happened. Frustrating. He eyed it again, and wondered if his idea would even work. With another roar--this one childlike, of frustration--the great dragon turned and swept down.

It was time for a break. Time to look for old allies in Orion--the Seven--and get his mind off of this damnable rock. He'd hunt, maybe; look for Envy, ask if they had any more shinies for him. Visit the Tower, and peel some of its quartz away, again, for himself.

Orlaith's tawny fur was easy to pick out against the dark Orion rock--a large cat, far far below, playing with something. The dragon was not particularly social, but as he spotted her his wings billowed back, finger-bones spreading, the leather between them arcing. His body rocked backward as he dropped, so that he landed on his hind legs some hundred yards away--then rocked forward, landing on his wings.

For a moment, from a distance, he simply watched the cat--trying to figure out if this one was food, or if it was someone who could speak.

@Orlaith

Orlaith was playing with her valuable gem until she heard a loud roar echo in the room. She turned to the source of the sound, only to see a large dragon drop some ways away. Her eyes widened in fear, but her childlike curiosity urged her to greet the large winged lizard. Picking up her valuable gem, which of course she didn't know was valuable, Orlaith carried it in her mouth as she walked towards the beast. The small cub made sure not to get too close, then she sat down putting the shiny gem at her paws. The gem then shined under the lights of the ceiling, but she kindly focused her attention on the lizard. "Hello sir. My name is Orlaith Clawvale!" She looked kindly at the beast, but her ears flattened due to fear, and respect for the dragon. "I'm a gembound, and I'm learning to control water. I was playing with my new object, but I'm not exactly sure what it's purpose is. May I ask what your name is? You sure have very strong wings there." If it was any indication, her small size and childlike way, should have shown Dread she was only 1 cycle. Orlaith was being as kind as can be. She didn't want to upset the dragon, and at the same time she wanted to have a decent conversation with him. The cub hoped that this lizard wouldn't harm her, as her object shined under the lights of the ceiling near her paws.

@Dread

The dragon was not a conversationalist on the best of days. His vocabulary was limited, his intellect more comparable to finely-honed sharp instinct than to any bookish thoughtfulness. As a result, the stranger's sudden spate of words left him baffled.

Dread blinked, shook his head rapidly (as if to clear it from these stray concepts) and, very briefly, considered. He'd gathered that she could talk. That was about all he could take from this interaction thus far--that, and the fact that she had a shiny. Can talk, he thought. Don't eat. Unless she steals. Then eat.

As for the gem, well--obviously that drew the dragon's attention. He shuffled forward, his massive bulk thudding over the ground, his forelimbs kicking up dust. The long and muscled neck twisted down so that he could view this orb more closely; his head tilted this way and that as he tried to get a closer look at it.

Almost at once he decided that he wanted it. His head tilted back, jaws snapping open, his magicka--fuelled by greed--pouring up. A torrent of roaring fire guttered out into the air, over Orlaith but at a quite safe height, nowhere near the tiger. Still, it was impressive, and a moment later he rocked back down, staring intently at the cub.

"I AM DREAD!" he half-screeched, half-bellowed. He then glanced from cat, to gemstone, to cat. He rather preferred the gold one on the cub's chest, but White had told him long ago that he couldn't peel the gemstones from Gembound. As frustrating as that was, he'd learned to make do.

"I WANT THAT!" he added, and it wasn't a demand so much as a (loud) declaration. Even he, the rather socially oblivious predator, felt a flicker of remorse at the idea of merely stealing from one so small.

A flicker.

@Orlaith

Orlaith almost flinched as the dragon's long neck lowered to look at her object. Then not to soon after the dragon breathed fire into the air. Orlaith crouched a little, even though the fire did not come anywhere near her. Once it was over she would straighten up, but what was even more surprising was he spoke his name. So the lizard's name was Dread, and he really wanted her shiny toy. Well, Orlaith wasn't really doing anything with the gem, and Dread could probably do more with it than she could. Orlaith may have been intelligent and sophisticated, but she wasn't selfish. Plus, Dread kinda scared her. The tigress tilted her head at Dread for a second, than spoke. "Well Dread, I'm honestly doing nothing with it but moving it between my paws. But if you really want it, then you can have it. I hope we can be friends though? It would be nice to be around someone as strong as you." With that she put her nose to the gem and started to scoot it closer to Dread until it was right in front of him. Then she backed away from it as a sign that he could take it. Her curious golden eyes looked up at him, wondering if he would answer her question. Orlaith was a young cub, and though Dread was a little scary, he wasn't all that bad. The big creature deserved kindness.

@Dread

The dragon watched the blue gemstone raptly, his eyes never leaving it as Orlaith rolled it to him with her nose, nor as she backed away. He waited for a beat--either polite, or too fascinated by its shimmer to move--and then abruptly lunged forward, snatching the benitoite in his hind foot. He scurried back, sparing the tiger cub a glance, though it wasn't clear if he was just looking at her or ensuring she wasn't about to try and take the stone away.

Once it was securely held beneath his foot he relaxed, some, standing on feet, stone and wings, watching Orlaith and listening dutifully to her words.

"FRIENDS?" he asked, and snorted (in thought, not in mockery), twin strands of smoke rising from his nostrils.

He thought about this--hard. One could almost see the gears turning in his head. He was thinking about Glory; was Glory a friend? What about White, and that thing that'd healed him, and Envy? Asimona, and--yes, she was a friend, and Glory too, he supposed. At length, he spoke again. "YES.." But then he hesitated.

He wasn't-... sure. He'd better ask, just to make sure he wasn't getting everything all wrong, here!

"--WHAT IS A FRIEND?"

His voice was still, of course, loud and toneless--more a screeching bellow than mere conversation.

@Orlaith

Orlaith was kinda surprised when Dread asked what a friend was. So she thought for a moment how to put the definition of friend into words for him, but it didn't take long. "A friend, is someone you can trust Dread. Someone who accepts you for who you are, and helps you when you need it. Someone you can talk to." With that her small paws walked over closer to Dread then she sat down again. She gave him a warm smile. "I'm your friend." Hopefully Dread would understand. She wasn't sure if Dread felt any warmth in his life, but she was determined to show the big creature that there are good gembounds such as herself. And if you want, you can tell me where you live and I can see if I can find more shiny things for you! But that one was really hard to find, not sure if I can find another like it." She hoped that wouldn't disappoint him, but there had to be more shiny gems in the caves.

@Dread

Dread listened.

The dragon was not an empathetic creature, and felt none of the warmth, kindness or gratitude that another in his place might have. In fact, he took it all for granted, and rather blithely took mental note that this cub was now his "friend" before peering at her closely.

"I live high," he told Orlaith, his tone of voice at last dropping to something at least resembling reasonable. For a moment, he studied her, mentally debating--did he bring her to his den, and show her where he lived? Then she might steal! ...But she could also bring more shinies. He shook his head, again as if clearing it from errant thoughts, before speaking further. "Yes! Bring shinies. I can show! Bring you there?"

He looked over his own back, nodding up high and behind him, into the distance. It wasn't clear, from here, where he was nodding to--but the direction seemed clear enough.

@Orlaith

Orlaith wondered how high Dread lived. Though it didn't matter, she was a feline, and in time she would learn to adapt to high places. Apparently Orlaith's new friend wanted her to bring more shinies,and show her where he lived. This would be Orlaith's first time travelling with a dragon, but there was a first time for everything. "Sure, you can take me there! When I know where you live, while I'm exploring the caves, and can find shiny things for you while I'm exploring." The tigress knew it would take a keen eye and some work to find shiny things for her new friend, but it was worth it if it kept him happy.

@Dread

The dragon listened, and gave a sound that could only be described as a contented rumble. It was a sort of sound that might be made by combining a reptilian purr with an approving "hmm." One great hind leg lifted, arching up beneath the wing, his head turning to face it--and he placed the blue gemstone gift into his mouth. Then he curved his head the other way, still tucked beneath the same wing, to briefly scratch behind his head. Apparently this was satisfying, as his eyes half-closed and the spines along the back of his neck raised up, then laid back down.

Dread then turned, speaking past the gem in his jaws.

"I 'ill pick you up, an' 'ake you! But we have to walk in the 'unnel." Although he didn't explain, he found maneuvering tunnels with his wingspan difficult, if not outright dangerous. Though it took much longer, he'd found that walking them was far safer.

Dread then turned, taking off at a run--and for a moment it might have seemed as though he would leave Orlaith behind. But he simply needed a running start (or a steep drop) to get airborne; a clumsy bumbling shamble gave way, as his wings tore at the sky, to a low, uneven glide, which then became a graceful banking. Keen ember eyes picked the cub back out and he swept down, hovering briefly to pick her up in his now-free talons, carefully gripping her at the scruff and supporting her body with his other massive foot, so as not to drop or harm her. For a dragon, he was surprisingly delicate.

He didn't bother to tell her not to fall, or to hold on--both of those were in his hands, after all--or, well, feet. A moment later, all he'd left behind in Orion was a stray drift of stale air in his wake.

exit Dread;
@Orlaith