When we left our heroes ...

Lucafrase, perhaps circling the area over the last few hours in her capacity as a lumberjane (or scavenger of useful wood, if refinement is of no concern) can be heard saying: "What the heck, dust devil? Tornado?! I'm rich!" Her expression falls as the clearing comes into view, and she pointedly sheathes her axe. Looking pained, she lifts a hand in greeting.

"I have heard it said that those things which are hard are often the most worth accomplishing," Shouye Ren says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. Yes, leave it to the Guardian to have a philosophical streak. "May I touch you, to treat your wounds, Amy?" he offers, tilting his head slightly to one side. He lowers his hand to the satchel he carries, lifting the flap of it back in order to be able to access what's inside. His gaze turns to Ying, listening to the questions that he asks of the dragon, and he gives a small nod that seems it might be approval of them. As the other woman arrives near, Shouye turns his gaze towards her, and he inclines his head to her. "Good day," he offers in greeting to her.

Amy looks over as Shouye identifies a newcome arrival. "Lllluuuuuccccaaaaaaa," is what the dragon says, lightly. That greeting is left there, as she turns to Shouye next, thoughtfully. "Yess," she tells him. "Neeeeeeddddd heeeaaalllll. Nnneeeeed helllp...." But really she's sidetracked and distracted by Yewan. Given it's hard to talk, she pauses to think how to answer appropriately. "Cuuuurrrrllllssss. noooooottttt goooooddddd. Loooonnng." That's her hair, yup, more or less. "Meeeesssssssss." Is that how she likes to wear it? Or something else in answer all those questions? "Beeeaaaacccchhhhh."

Yewan glances briefly to Shouye and gives a warm smile to the man. He offers a polite nod to Lucafrase, too. His attention returns to Amy. Mess? Maybe clothing? "What do you like to do on the beach? Lay in the sun? Swim?" Those are the two things typical when a beach is involved, right? Yewan pulls his legs up beneath him, until he's sitting cross legged.

And now we turn things over to our heroes ...



Lucafrase, carpenter, woodworker, occasional magician. Having been present when Shouye and Yewan arrived, each earns a nod and smile. She scrubs her face with her hands and doesn't... like... meeting Amy's eyes. Keeps looking like she'd rather run into the treeline, but. "Gentlemen, greetings. Is one of you a healer?"

Danielle wanders to the forest edge perhaps actually looking for a purple dragon, so is not surprised to find said dragon and Lucafrase. The other individuals are a surprise however and so she offers a greeting " Danielle of Amber"

There's a small nod that Shouye gives to the dragon, and a ghost of a smile to find the corners of his lips. "I will help you as best I know how, Amy," he says softly. "This... will sting, I am sorry," he adds, inclining his head slightly towards her. He withdraws a flask and removes the cap of it before he steps a touch closer to her. He lifts his right hand to lightly touch her hide near to the wound, in order to gentle separate it a bit, and then he pours some of the liquid into the wound. An antiseptic solution, of sorts. With that done, he recaps the flask to tuck it away into his satchel. A clay pot is brought out next, the lid removed, and he dips in a fingertip to get out some of the salve which he applies to the wound. He works thoroughly -- it's not the first time he's treated a wound, to be sure.

There are a couple of points during what he does when Shouye looks over to Yewan where the mage is seated. As he finishes with the salve is one of those times, and he pauses there to watch. The mage lifts his hands to move his arms in a soft circular motion, swirls like moving shadows following the movements and ghosting with them, and he brings his hands to rest with his wrists onto his knees and his palms up. There is a detail there that Shouye seems to pay attention to, but he says nothing. "Touch him not while he is so," he says, his tone a touch firm in nature. He will allow none to bring harm to Yewan while he is present.

He looks to Luafrase, and he gives a small shake of his head. "Not in terms of magical means. But I know how to treat wounds, from experience," Shouye says, inclining his head towards her. He's tended his own a number of times, and Ying's. He glances towards the new voice, looking her over briefly and quiet for a moment. "Shouye Ren," he offers. Then he lifts his free hand to gesture towards the meditating mage. "Yewan Ying," he adds. There are times he is a man of few words.

Amy looks up and rumbles out a "Daaaaannnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiii," as she spies the other woman. She'll let everyone do their own greetings though. It's hard enough to speak. As she's asked what she does on the beach, that brings a flash of amusement. She nods her head, dragon snout moving up and down, but then she adds, "Ssssseeeeeeeeexxxxxxxx." What does she do on the beach? Well, you did ask. She doesn't get to say more though, because Shouye is warning her it will sting and then dousing a wound with alcohol. Owww. Yup, it stings. That brings a roar from the dragon along with a tail lash, though she's got /just/ enough presence to not snap at Shouye and though she trembles all through her, she doesn't otherwise move. Her eyes close and open a couple times, her wings nearly unfurling. Then there's a definite whine.

Lucafrase blushes, madly. *Ahem.* She finds a reason to be gathering useful or attractive lumber, piling it for later retrieval by... donkey, probably.

As the salve is applied, the dragon slowly seems to relax, it numbing the pain. There's a perk to ears, and Amy's wings furl back up naturally. The whine stops, abruptly.

The Guardian raises an eyebrow slightly at the dragon's answer to what was done on the beach. Other than that faint lift of one of his eyebrows, his features remain carefully neutral, and his gaze turns back to the wound he had been treating. He very studiously holds his attention there and adds a smidge more salve to the corners of the wound, and he is quiet. There is but a brief glance towards the tail that had lashed out, but he didn't seem concerned it would hit him.

Satisfied with that wound, he makes his way to the other wound, examining it a bit closer. He retrieves a small scrap of cloth to wipe off his fingers, then takes out the flask again. He uncaps it, and his attention holds to the wound rather than looking to anyone or anything else. "Brace yourself, Amy," he says quietly. And this is the only warning he offers before pouring the liquid on the wound to rinse it just as thoroughly as he'd done the other one. The flask is capped and tucked away, and the salve is brought out again before being liberally applied to this wound as well.

Amy hears the warning and freezes, so she doesn't move as the alcohol hits. She does however roar again and her wings unfurl. A step forward this time, so that poor Shouye has to work to get that salve on. As it starts in, the stinging eases and Amy relaxes once more. There's no whine this time, but a grumble mutter that doesn't quite reach a roar. She turns to give Shouye a baleful look indeed, but then settles back on her haunches. As for Luca's blushing, that gets a blink from the dragon. But just a little one. Then back to Shouye, with a bit begrudging, "Taaaannnnnnkkkkkkkssssss." She neglects to mention that she'll remember this. And she is generally the healer. "Luuuuccccaaaaaa, okkkaaayyyy?" she asks then, worried about the other woman.

Yewan jerks ever so slightly as the dragon roars. He settles again immediately after. But the pattern of the shadows drifing around him like curious dark fog changes. Jitters a little bit, where it had been smooth moments before. He stays in the meditation, and after several long minutes, the drifting shadows smooth out again, flowing around him, almost invisible against the ambient shadows. There's a pattern there, not unlike a circulatory system.

Lucafrase returns from gathering likely pieces of lumber? "Oh fine, fine." She points. "Sideboard." A different pile. "Chest." A third. "Tall cabinet." A nod, a tradesman's nod. "... just keeping myself busy while the skilled professionals handle it. Out from underfoot." She exhales, admitting: "... waiting for inspiration to hit, you know? Like during a bath. Hands moving, mind occupied, 'how do I reverse the effects of a poison like that?' Hoping it'll just--" here she mimes something striking her forehead!

Shouye Ren's touch with applying the salve is gentle, and he moves with the step the dragon takes. There is a long glance that he casts towards Yewan, his touch pausing as he watches the mage for a long moment before seeming satisfied, and then he turns his attention back to the dragon. "Easy... it will be over soon," he says softly, a soothing tone to his voice. Wounds hurt to start with, no need to be rough and make it all the worse. Once he's finished with applying the salve, he wipes his fingers off on the scrap of cloth before folding it up, and it as well as the jar of salve get tucked back into his satchel. Then he flips the satchel closed before stepping back from the dragon.

"You are welcome. I am sorry to have caused you more pain, Amy. It was necessary The wounds should heal better for you, now," he says softly, inclining his head towards her. He shifts his weight then, moving to step back from her and give her space once again. He's done what he knows how to do. He looks to Luca, and he tilts his head slightly to one side, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "The moment when the pieces fall together," he says softly.

Amy ruffles her wings, and the motion moves through her whole dragony body. She settles down on her haunches, listening to the words spoken oh so quietly. Quiet for her, at any rate. "Pooooiiiiiisssssssooooonnnnnnnnn?" she says, repeating Luca's word, of course. She tests the feeling as she stretches in a very dragon way, nearly feline. Then she circles once more, before she settles with most of her inside that rock den, her head resting atop her forepaws again. "Heeeeaaaaalllllliiiiinnnnnnnnggggg." When this is all said and done, she's probably going to want to drink an entire bottle of rum.

It really seems like Yewan is ignoring those around him. For the moment, anyway. Concentrating when within the meditation is a good idea. He is silent up until the point the Guardian is done tending to the purple dragon. He doesn't open his eyes, but the shadows mostly subside. His voice comes, quiet, contemplative. "Sex. On the beach. Think about what that is like," he says. He looks perfectly calm. He might be talking about reading a book or a rock. "Imagine it. The kiss. The slide of skin upon skin. The way it feels. How alive it feels. The sensation upon your skin as it is touched." Not a single hint of a blush. No signs of embarrassment. No hesitation even in speaking the words.

Lucafrase's colorful cursing fades into the early evening. If the axe she whips out isn't a clue, the *vigorous chopping noises* make it clear she's decided, in the moment, to work out her frustrations on a tree! (Not, we collectively hope, one near enough to injure anyone via falling...)

Danielle is appraising yewan carefully "Right idea. Phrased much better than I would have though. hopefully it works"

After stepping back a bit further from the dragon, Shouye tilts his head faintly to one side as he regards her. "Do you have hunger or thirst that need sating?" he asks, a note of curiosity to his voice. He likely doesn't have much in the way of food or drink with him that might sate a dragon, alas. Shifting his weight, he steps back from the dragon and... stops. Because Ying is speaking about, of all things, sex. What...?! Since when does that happen? Some part of his brain might be quietly breaking right now.

Shouye Ren forces himself to breathe. And equally forces himself to maintain a grip on the control that he's been fighting to keep ever since arriving here and finding himself to be lacking the bond with his mage. He's quite still for a long few moments, attempting to keep his thoughts on... well... things other than what Ying is saying. But the words have a way of burrowing into a person's brain, they do. He turns and quietly steps over towards where Ying is seated, completely ignoring the bit of warmth that had crept to his cheeks. Nope. Not thinking about it.

Amy's eyebrows would hit her hairline, if she had either. She looks over at Yewan as he speaks, her attention on him, listening to those words. The dragon doesn't blush, nope. She doesn't move either, just stays there, staring at Yewan. Oh, she knows Dani's there, and Luca. And even poor Shouye. But Yewan quite definitely has her attention. She rumbles softly, the sound definitely not threatening. Softer. There's a little bit of a flicker around her, a hint of power, but there is still a dragon at the moment. Amy shakes her head though. "Strrrrrraaaaannnnngggggeeeeeeeeeeeee"

Yewan tilts his head toward Danielle in something akin to acknowledgement of her words. Imagery is important where shape shifting is involved. Poor Lucafrase's tree chopping is entirely ignored. For the moment, at least. For the moment, the only thing he's focused on is the purple dragon. Audibly, at least. Perhaps even magically. With his eyes closed, he doesn't notice poor Shouye's reaction at all. No, he continues speaking, though. "Think about it, Amy," he says, having heard her name from the others. "Remember what it feels like to have two arms and two legs. No tail. No wings. Hair on your head. Clothing moving against your skin. Remember what it feels like to have that clothing slide off, one piece at a time." Well. She had said her favorite place was the beach, and that the thing she did there was sex, so... Yewan's skin remains clear of anything resembling a blush. His dark grey eyes open, like roiling storm clouds. He sees Shouye's blush and looks faintly amused by that. "Remember what the wind caressing against your skin feels like. The sand cradling you."

Yewan rolls with advantage -1 at difficulty 15, using no talents or gifts.
The result is a failure.

Amethyst rolls with advantage 0 at difficulty 15, using occult.
The result is a success.

Yewan rolls with advantage 0 at difficulty 15, using occult.
The result is a failure.

Danielle smirks slightly " Perhaps we should switch to thinking of dancing or eating. others might have less compunctions about such things, though they are both slightly less visceral and pleasing"

Each step that Shouye Ren takes is smooth and measured, and he stops once he has come to be a step to the side of where Ying is seated. His dark gaze turns towards the forest of trees, scanning them as though with perhaps an expectation that some vile beastie might come crashing out of it. Or maybe that's just a hope that one will. Either way, his gaze only breaks from the trees to look towards Amy when that flicker of power happens around her. He watches her for only a moment then before his gaze turns back to the trees. Looking off in that direction, he brings his hands both to rest at the small of his back, the back of his left hand lightly resting against the palm of his right.

How do you not hear a voice that you want to hear? How do you not listen to the words? Shouye Ren tries, but it's an impossible thing to do. He attempts to at least appear as he ought -- a Guardian at ease who waits for the monster's arrival. He might not have the bond with Ying anymore, but it doesn't change his role at all. He is what he was trained to be, first and foremost. He doesn't look to Ying himself, no... not with what Ying speaks of, nor with the burrowing of those words into his brain. Ying might be the death of what little sanity remains to him, at this point. He says nothing.

Amethyst takes a 50:50 chance. The result is: Pass

Amy flickers again, that slight surge of power. Then the dragon snaps, not at anyone, but teeth chomp shut. "Stop," she says, gaze going to Yewan. "Pllllleeeeeaaaassssssseeeese stooooooppppp." The one word clear, but the rest notso much. There are a few rumbles as she says more, but it's not decipherable. She shakes her head and moves out of the rock den, wings unfurling. "Huuunnngggggrrryyyyy," she adds to the list. Great. A hungry dragon. Because of course. But she's not listening to Yewan any more, mutinously stubborn. It might be impacting poor shouye - but Amy may be made of sterner stuff. Well that, and she's a dragon.

Yewan's mouth curls up into a wicked little smile, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Why? What better way to ground one into their body than through thoughts of sex. Done right, there is nothing more stimulating than being intimate with another." Oh dear. This is definitely not the Yewan that Shouye will remember. Never, ever was that Yewan at all prone to wicked tendencies. His eyes track on the Guardian and watch him as he stops and stands oh so very still, so very casually. And a slightly demented chuckle sounds from him. But he does stop speaking of sex. Perhaps it is because of Amy's request. Perhaps it is because of Danielle's. It's certainly not a result of Shouye's reaction. That had been far too amusing. He waves a hand at the dragon. "Some other imagery next time," he says. What imagery to use though, that is the question. His attention returns to Shouye. "Shouye. Did that bother you, my friend?" He pauses. "Since when are you so ... shy?" It's a side he is, apparently, not used to!

Danielle hms as she looks between shouwe and Yewan, perfect strangers, having an intimate conversation but she is the granddaughter of brand, despite not having spent much time with said elder, so she ignores it and speaks with amy "what are you hungry for?"

When the dragon snaps out to stop, Shouye Ren slightly lowers his chin, his eyes closing at the same moment. There are definitely things he doesn't want to think about, but there are things that he has to think about. He remains silent and still, even as the dragon announces she's hungry. Yet at that point, he does open his eyes and look back out amongst the trees. He's still trying -- and failing -- at not listening to Ying's words. So many things the same, and so many things different. This place isn't home. The past is gone and lost, and it can never be brought back. Nothing can be the same again.

One of his eyebrows lifts slightly when Ying addresses him, and he half turns his head to look towards the mage. "Perhaps it is simply some part of the effects of the bond betwixt us being broken, Yewan," he says quietly. He doesn't really think that to be the case, but he's unwilling to admit anything else in this moment. He gives a faint shrug of one of his shoulders, and then his gaze turns back to the trees. Every inch the trained Guardian. Whether or not he's managed to nudge all of the pieces of the puzzle together or not, it's hard to say for certain.

Amy looks over to Dani now that yewan has stopped his sexy talk. "Foooooddddddddd," she says. She starts pacing, which doesn't get any wildlife to startle because they're already hiding from the dragon. "Meeeeaaattttt," she adds. Cause that should help poor Shouye out, right? "Fllyyyyy. Hhhhhuuuuuunnnnnnttttt." That's definitive at least, Amy's wings fluttering gently for a moment, and then harder, as she takes to the air. Just hope she doesn't have to land any time soon. She circles once, and then bugles out a call. That does flush some wildlife a little ways off, and Amy roars as she heads that way. Huntin!

Oh yes. That should help out brilliantly. Yewan lifts his right hand, and props his chin atop it, with his elbow atop his knee. He looks curiously at the man. "No, I don't think so," he says, his tone thoughtful now. All the amusement drains from him as he studies the man. The woman and dragon are paid little mind in this moment as his attention remains upon Shouye Ren and the broken bond. "Tell me. How did we meet?"

Danielle watches amy fly off for a moment watching to see that she does indeed fly off and not crash "This is taking longer than I'd hoped. None of us have really figuired out how to control it here, but i believe at this particular moment three is definitely a crowd


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That purple dragon was around, and there were terrible roars and screams from the woods outside of town. Someone should do something about it, before it eats someone!
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