Twisting and Turning [Private/Lespernii]

(1/5 relationship posts to go.)

It was mid day. Xia was crossing a beautiful garden, enjoying the smell, her eyes scanning the beautiful bushels of sweet smelling plants. She, herself, seemed like something from the garden. As if a flower had simply risen from the ground, grown legs, and walked away. Of course, this seemed a little crazy, wouldn't it? Xia always enjoyed being out with nature. However, she hated being cooped up underground. She liked exploring the open worlds, her mind free to wander. The gods seemed to talk to her most in scenes where she has been most at peace.

She walked over to a large stem full of sunflowers, admiring their texture and bright beauty. Ah, sunflowers. Such flamboyant and bright plants. They had many uses, and Xia most greatly appreciated them for their prideful gesture, defying the sun with their bright yellow petals and dark seeds. Taking a quick sniff, she let out a sigh, her breath blowing the flowers.

Raising her great head, she turned towards another patch of flowers. It was around spring time. The time when flowers would start to bloom, and young animals would come out to play. Truly, Xia's favorite time of the year.

A gentle breeze would blow through the garden, carrying with it the rich smell of nature's most beautiful children.

Never had she thought she have to rise above the grounds of Haven to see the light of the sun. The feeling was completely new to her, very refreshing. In just one visit outside, she was enticed by the beauty and warmth.

The air within the lush forest of gold and green was fresh and alive with the distant scent of many aromas. She could stop here and list all the flowers she could smell, but that would take her all day. The purpose of her ascending to above ground was to relax. Anyone could get lost in this forest if they were not from Haven. Lespernii carefully weaved herself between the trees, just taking a casual walk. She tried to ignore any itches or sparks of inspiration in her mind right now.

Then she came across another dragon. A larger one. It made her froze, but she quickly settled herself when it was just Xia. Her features really did make her seem like she was part of nature, the way her appearance seem to blend with the trees. Like she was a former forest spirit turned into a dragon and living within the realms of reality.

Lespernii huffed a sigh. She really wanted to meet this queen personally, without any hindrance from other dragons. But only a few would dare to risk walking upon the surface. Perhaps this was the moment she needed.

With that, she marched forward. Stopping to smell the flowers?

(Freaken march forward like a beast :3)

There was a soft pounding of dirt behind her, before a voice spoke up. Xia turned to see who it was, the wind causing her flower frill to vibrate some. At first, she didn't recognize the dragoness, but soon realized it was the same one she had met at the signing up for combat practice. They had seemed nice there, and it appeared as if they were taking a casual stroll through the garden, which Xia could always appreciate.

With a kind smile, Xia nodded. "I dislike the enclosed spaces of the haven. I much prefer to be out here, in the wilderness, even if I might suffer because of it." she said, referring to any humans that would dare to wander this deep into the territory of the dragons.

"I also like to be around the beauty of nature. It helps me to relax." she would say with a patient smile at Lespernii. "Might as well unwind before that combat practice, huh?"

I see, she replied, nodding to the large dragoness. Although Xia was not the first she heard from that Haven can be somewhat bland due to artificial light and how... dim it was, Lespernii knew very well what she meant. Haven can be a crowd, filled with the worthy and the foolish... she looked up into the trees. Through the specks of dancing and blinking lights of the leaves, she could make out the sun. She felt... elevated. Like all the cold and prideful thoughts have immediately left her, to free room for the sun to sink within her. Lespernii closed her eyes for a moment and crooned, the breeze brushing over her snout gently like a blanket, filled with the aroma of wild flowers.

I... have never felt like this before, she admitted aloud. But the beauty of it all suddenly diminished when Xia reminded her that there would be combat practice. Fighting. Lespernii imagined only destruction. How the blades and claws would ripple across the feeble tree trunks and strip them naked of their leaves, their bodies bare to be lashed and whipped by the blades they called 'peace'.

Lespernii huffed a sigh before stopping next to Xia, looking at the flowers she had taken interest into. It is certainly beautiful... a place worthy for us queens.

Xia would watch as Lespernii would join her. Lespernii really seemed like a rather nice dragoness, with good intentions, if not a bit sassy. Of course, Xia had only just met her. It would be nice to get to know the young dragoness. When Lespernii mentioned that she had never felt like this before, it made Xia blush a little, but her frill concealed most of this.

Looking up at the sky, which was nice and blue, beautiful, Xia tried to think of some questions to ask Lespernii. The dragoness mentioned how nice it was out here, and Xia certainly smiled, agreeing with her.

"It certainly is. And thank you for the compliment, but I am no queen," Xia would say with a sigh, glancing down at the beautiful flowers lain out before her.

Lespernii's ears perked to her comment about not being a queen. She could not control herself but to chuckle. Nonsense! We are the queens of Pyrrhia, the bringer of life, ones who bear the eggs for generations to come. Even after saying that, Lespernii could not help but be curious as to why she even said that. She scanned her features, the ever green body reminiscent of the lush green forest. Xia certainly was a beautiful queen, one which Lespernii feared she could not rival with. Then again, Lespernii did not know what was making her wishing to talk with Xia. To be with her all of a sudden. She reasoned it was the need for companionship with a greater female. Probably a dragoness to show that she was not alone in a way...

Xia had a soft heart. Lespernii could almost sense how delicate it was with the way she spoke. Normally, she would have scoffed at those with such hearts, calling them weak and far too generous. But Xia...

There was something a bit strange with the kindness she was exerting. Like it was pushing away all those thoughts from her mind. Lespernii shook her head from her thoughts before it could give her a headache. Why do you claim yourself as no queen?

It was a rather peaceful experience. Being out here, and being able to speak to another dragon. It was a sensation that Xia had been prevented from having, simply because she had been living as a nun for all of those years. But now, she would be able to enjoy the company of other dragons. Especially ones so nice, such as Lespernii.

Sunlight would peak above the trees, as if it was spying on their conversation. The flowers would shiver, as if they were grateful that they once again had the light of the heavens to give them life.

When Lespernii asked why Xia didn't think she was a queen, the princess would let out a sigh. "I have lived life as a nun for so many years. In the presence of god, things such a beauty do not matter. On the outside, anyway. But I do think anyone can be a queen on the inside." Xia would say, with a smile up at the sky.

Lespernii smiled at her reply. It was what she believed in as well, that even the queens have to prove themselves to be worthy to bear life within them. Not all of them, was all she said. Her mind went back to seeing their tiny healer, the way she acted and spoke like she was all high and mighty. There were instances where she wished they know their proper places. But fools like her cannot be convinced or helped.

You are... soft, Lespernii said to Xia, the last word foming quietly. She felt her head beginning to flush a little but shook away that feeling. And your words carry warmth. Perhaps you have yet to see the world from my eyes. Us dragons, brought down upon the level of humans and engaging in this war. She sighed, looking around the forest. Beauty is only a delicate shell. The pride of the queens us what we all are within.

A tiny bird would land on a nearby branch. The wind would sway, but yet the bird would remain, firmly planted in the twigs. It ruffled its feathers against the harsh winds, letting out a soft caw. It was an eagle, from what Xia could tell. But considering her size, it looked no larger than the average chickadee would towards our eyes. Its beautiful feathers would reflect the sun, and it would seem to blend into its backgrounds.

Then when Lespernii mentioned humans, Xia would tense up, before looking up at the sky. She would bite her lower lip, seeming to contemplate something. Harsh memories came flooding in, especially when she thought of humans. She seemed to be in deep thought.

She turned to Lespernii, and, in reply, said something quite peculiar. "Ah yes, that blasted war. Such pointless fighting, derived from fear...." she would pause again, staring blanking over at some branches, before slowly continuing. "Tell me, Lespernii. Have you ever heard of a dragon named Alphonse?"

Lespernii craned her head, absorbing the warmth and the breeze their air brought. She lost track of time and knew not how long she had ventured out on the surface. Their old home was ransacked by the humans and they were forced to live underground in hiding. To her, it was only a luxury to be able to come out to the vast forest that can double as a garden.

A cocktail of flower aromas blasted over her, and she thrummed. The sensation betrayed only by Xia commenting about the humans. Then she asked if she knew of another dragon. Alphonse. My apologies sister. But I have yet to meet one with such name. I know little of the names of dragons, for my focus is on my plants and honey. You are still more than welcome to visit.

This news caused Xia to be slightly upset, but she quickly shook her head. What had happened had happened a long time ago. It was over now. She thought. Besides.... but before she could finish her thoughts, she decided to distract herself by talking to Lespernii about what she had meant when she asked her if she knew anything about Alphonse.

"That's fine. Thank you anyway. I would love to come to your garden and see all of your beautiful plants sometimes." Xia would say with a kind smile, tilting her head to one side. "The reason I asked about Alphonse was.... well, he was my caretaker, back when I was but a hatchling. He disappeared around the same time I did, though, roughly 17 years ago." she would say with a sad sigh.

My apologies, Lespernii replied, bowing her head slightly. She was normally this loyal when she was with Baldi, for he was the only other dragon that had her respect. Now, it was almost the norm for her to speak formally as such. Not only Baldi, but Rii and Xia as well. Then again, she had her fair share of those whom she wished nothing more than to scorn at.

It is only now that I decide to truly walk into the light for others to see. For so long, I have been cooped within my den, tending to my garden and focused on my projects. I know so few, yet most have my... respect. She subconsciously inched herself closer to Xia, almost sensing the warmth of her scales. If they were scales at all.

The sun pierced through the clouds again, blinding her for a moment in its light. With a croon, she craned her neck and let it warm the sensitive spot of her neck, under her chin and along her chest. The forest is surely beautiful... a glade of emeralds and rubies. Almost like yourself even. She said with a small smirk.

A deep crimson red would appear across Xia's face, flooding into her leaves, turning them a greenish pink color, at Lespernii's compliment. She was not one who was used to compliments. After all, she had been alone for all of those years, with a very awkward social life, and very cut off from the rest of the world. And she had been here, she had been too young to understand, or even experience, anything like this. Flirting was definitely something she wouldn't know how to respond to.

Taking in a deep breath, Xia would look away from Lespernii, not completely turning her head, but just enough she that the dragoness couldn't see her blush. "Well..... I certainly thank you for the compliment. But a nun like me..... I'm not sure I could say the same about myself. she would say, but because of her lack of knowledge on the subject, she wouldn't know what to say next. She tried going with what she had been originally planning.

"So... I barely know anything about you. Would you like to tell me more?" she would ask, politely changing the topic. Not because she wasn't interested, rather, just because she didn't know how to react to it.

(Man Sly you're eager to have babies, aren't you? XD)

(*Kindly reminds Lesp that this exists*)

Humble...

Lespernii smiled at how she addressed Lespernii's compliment towards her. There were prideful dragons like Lespernii, and those who are too soft. It got her curious as to what kind of training Xia had while she was away from Haven. Something like this should not have sparked her curiosity. But being a dragon isolated from others and cooped up in her work, Lespernii hardly knew much of the interactions or companionships others dragons had.

Of course, Lespernii responded to Xia. My name is Lespernii. The scholar of Haven and the seedkeeper. My work is mostly on... the plants we see around us, and honey. She would then pause to see if Xia took any interest in what she said.

Xia would listen with a slow nod, watching Lespernii with cautious interest. She was polite and disciplined, thus, difficult to tell if she were bored or not. However, genuine curiosity sparked on her face when she heard that Lespernii worked with bees, and thus, honey. It really came as quite surprising, considering how tiny bees were, especially compared to Earth Dragons. And, despite it might sounding a bit rude, she couldn't help but ask how that was possible.

"That is quite interesting! Though, how many bees do you have? It must be quite a lot to produce a sufficient amount of honey!" pondered Xia, blushing a bit that she had suddenly spoken out with more curiosity than she should have. Clearing her throat, she continued in a calmer matter. She had gotten a bit excited there, conversing casually with Lespernii.

"Does it taste good? The honey, I mean. I've never tried it before, as I never really encountered any bees out in the wild. Any hives, anyway," Xia would admit, looking down at her paws.

Le bump~

She did not think that Xia would be the type to take an interest in work, especially if she rather enjoyed the company and peace of nature. Her work as akin to nature as well, and it was worrisome that some dragons could see it as the seedkeeper breaking down the natural beauty of things just to understand the dull and bland parts that make up the beauty. This can somewhat lead to them thinking she could create abominations, thus labelling her a witch.

But not Xia. Lespernii was a little relieved but was taken aback at her sudden curiosity of her work on honey. Even after Xia finished her questions, surprised or calmed, Lespernii allowed some silence to absorb what she heard. She... never really had anyone to take interest into her studies. Or even asked what she was working on. She then chuckled. I work with many bees, though I do not count them. Their hives are only from my den, but I do sometimes take a queen bee to another glade within haven and allow her to build a hive there. And yes, I need many bees to produce the honey I require for medicinal use... among others.

She then reached for her knapsack and pulled out a small sample of her honey in between her claws. It was brown in colour, compared to the generic gold she had seen. Pure honey, directly from the hive and obtained from the nectar of the same flower. She then settled it on the ground before Xia before breaking the lid, allowing its sweet aroma to enter her snout. Taste for yourself.

Xia looked down at the glistening golden substance, tentatively reaching a claw forward. She dipped a claw in, tasting it. She made an expression. It wasn't one of disgust, nor love. Rather, it was one of tasting something peculiar for the first time.

"It has a very sweet taste," she said, looking down at the glistening gold jar. "It's certainly something special. You said you use it for medical uses. What do those include?"

Many things, she answered with a coy smile. Honey did possess many uses, even beyond that of healing, but for now she would concentrate on the healing aspects of honey. Burns, ulcers, infections and many more.

Lespernii watched as the large queen had taken some of the honey on her claws and lapped it a bit. Judging from the curious expression, it seemed she had not had the leisure to know of its existence. Lespernii thought should she would need to explain everything about honey to her, but then wondered if she could… in some way… ‘convert’ her in a sense. She decided to test it with her first question, but before another quick glance around the forest to ensure they were alone.

What does the taste remind you of?

Xia licked her lips of any remaining honey that could have been there, and looked down at Lespernii with a curious expression and a tilt of her head. Why, wasn't that an interesting question? It certainly wasn't that kind that the young adviser usually expected to hear. But it did raise the question. What did it remind her of. Of course, Xia wasn't transparent. She was an intelligent dragoness, and the tips of her ears had turned a little bit red. She couldn't quite explain it, but she knew that, in some way, Lespernii seemed to be attracted to her, though she couldn't quite tell what or why that was.

"Hmm..... I'm not sure. Sugar, I suppose?" Xia said, with her ears getting a little redder in embaressment. She couldn't quite tell if that was the correct answer or not. She knew it was multiple choice, but still....

The answer came as somewhat of a surprise to her. Normally when she posed such a question, she would expect others to state how sweet it was. But to just leave it as the taste reminding her of sugar... it was unexpected. However, she noticed the redness of her ears when she was asked to describe it.

Lespernii did not take any note of it. But Xia was hiding something, something related to her emotions perhaps. Or the honey could have reminded her of something that she did not want to reveal. She decided not to push her, but carried on. There are many answers. But they are all sweet nonetheless. If we disdain the bitterness of herbs and remedies, they come to me for alternatives. Such is my work. Lespernii capped her honey and placed it back in her sack. What were you duties, when you were away for training, consist?

Xia thought about this for a moment, her tail twitching with concentration. She had never really considered her job as a nun anything more than natural cycles, that was, until she had decided to come back to her family. Now, her job mostly consisted of helping out around the tribe, and preparing things such as festivals and gatherings, as well as settling any conflicts, as one of the royal heads, next to her adopted brother, Baldi.

"Well, I tried by myself, with only the spirits to guide me. I would often meditate for hours, and perform rituals to help the forest. Sometimes I would encounter humans, since I often wandered the countryside, but they never bothered me. It did intrigue me how such small creatures could cause such a mess." the dragoness would say with a chuckle. It seemed so silly.

It was especially silly since humans had almost kidnapped her when she was an egg. To think, humans could actually lift up a roughly twenty foot tall egg, that weighed nearly 5-7 tons.

(*Hint Hint* U know what to talk about next ;3)

(Lol ask her about the hoomans. ;3)

Her response was of no surprise to her. Consultation with the spirits. Although Lespernii had yet to see them with her own eyes, it was not the only supernatural phenomenon that she heard of. She could not help but smile. Something that was rare of her outside of smirks at how foolish the other dragons were when they tried to make a stand against her. It was good to hear that she was helping the forest. After all, the Earthwings somewhat represent life and nature. Was it not natural for them to preserve such beauty so all could co-exist?

Even them...

Humans. She stiffened when Xia mentioned she encountered humans. They did not bother her? Perhaps because they were far ill-equipped to fight or capture her. The joy diminished from her expression and was replaced with gritted fangs and a quiet growl. They are like nothing more than rats. Greedy and always wanting, with not even a seed to give. It pains me to think they are even at our level. What they create are abominations! They take from mother nature to create more destruction. They even steal us, dead or alive, for their ill-fitted desires. And for what they did...

...I will never accept them.

Lespernii noticed her voice rose harshly in the end. She took a step back and took a breather, calming her nerves. What were the humans like to you? She asked calmly, brushing one of her claws over another.