A casual meeting [Private - Oculus / Ask before joining]

If you asked, Azriel would say that he was a very busy dragon in general -

- General, haha, get the pun? -

- he rolled his eyes at this, but appreciated the spark of humour; it didn't come very often. His life was rather full of things to do: there were newbies to train, guards to check on lest they slack in his absence (rarely did this happen, much to his relief), small conflicts along the borders and in the city to handle, finish his book... The list stretched on.

This kind of free time was rare, and he was going to take the chance to wander about for a bit. The day was still new, the sun just rising off into the sky, each step into its heavenly throne illuminating the world a bit more.

He continued into the city, which was waking from its slumber, the cloak of silence turning into the hustle and bustle of things being prepared. Perhaps he would just walk around and observe the city life for now. If nothing happened, he'd just return to the castle for a bit of reading.

The sleepy city was straining its eyes awake as early birds got to their stations, opening shops, starting the ovens and forges, or saying goodbye to loved ones before they headed out for a tour of defense duty. This was a common site that Oculus had watched time and time again. Having to wake up early for meetings at times, he had to get up before the sun rose, some days having barely any sleep as he had to watch over operations during the night. For now, he was just killing time and enjoying the somewhat quiet atmosphere of the air, with a couple of birds chirping as he strolled down a center alley with some shops just starting to open. Noticing that along his path was Azriel, he mentally sighed, wondering if this general was going to go off on him again for having his skyggers purposefully find workarounds in his defenses, and only sometimes telling him of the gaps.

Azriel had to say, he enjoyed watching the city. Being part of them he didn't like so much, not being one for small talk, but observing it from a distance was entertaining, dragons moving about and socialising while the sky behind them transitioned from morning to afternoon and finally into night.

No one approached him, which he was fine with, and he wasn't unused with this treatment. No one approached a dragon of high rank just for small talk, unless they knew the dragon personally, and if you asked, Azriel would say, with a touch of regret in his voice, that he didn't have real friends, not really.

He had been born out of Xoya, opened his eyes in a distant place, and remembered little of his childhood. No friends like those spoken of in stories, no truly happy memories save for the joy of discovering new things. Azriel was sad to say that nothing now truly made him happy, but like the solitude of holding an important rank high up there, he was used to it.

Perhaps he was missing out on things, he reflected, but train of thought abruptly breaking off when he spotted the larger male. Oculus? Oh, that, he didn't talk to him often. His Skyggers were as malicious and nasty as their job, happily pointing out holes in his defenses, some when he investigated turned out to be nonexistent, though some revealing to be small gaps in the armour he built around Xoya that indeed could lead to a breach.

Oculus himself wasn't that bad. Despite his young age (as compared to the rest) he did produce fine Skyggers, almost as good as the previous General of Intelligence, either because he truly was skilful or because he accepted only the best.

This wasn't the time to act all businessy though. They were out of the castle, so he would just... be normal, granted that Oculus would be willing to be the same. Azriel inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement, eyeing Oculus curiously. "Does anything here interest you?" he asked, glancing around. If all else failed, the only thing he would lose would be his pride.

Halting his walk as he heard the somewhat soft voice bounce a question in his direction, a bit of uncertainty tainting the voice. Turning to look at Azriel quizzically, Oculus squinted slightly to try and read the posture of the Herre of Defense. His question was somewhat confusing, causing oculus to pause. It was known that he was very young from the position, and that his attitude towards other generals was... less than ideal. Before Have ‘s promotion, it was pretty well known oculus clashed with Haven, while he held some respect for Azriel, even if he made snarky remarks about his defensive arrangements from time to time.

“Do you mean the stalls, the weather, atmosphere, or something about a new defensive arrangement you made?”he asked, looking at Azriel. Something seemed to be on the older drake’s mind, but it was, he was not sure. Having time to spare, Oculus perused closer to Azriel, stopping in front of him and looking up. “is there something up?”he asked the taller dragon, leaning back onto his haunches as he peered over Azriel, looking for telltale signs in body language that would give something away.

As Azriel's eyes fixed onto Oculus, for the first time being presented with an opportunity to properly take in the other's appearance, he wondered what kind of personality, exactly, was concealed beneath what he showed himself as -- something he rarely wondered, a question not often asked, for not many beings caught and held his interest, not the way the other Generals did. An untouchable General that commanded the fearsome Skyggers, that's what Oculus was, a distant figure as all the three Generals were, their name known but not seen in person often; almost like myths on the battlefield, their power famed throughout the Xoya and beyond.

Azriel couldn't help but feel his gut clench in apprehension as each step brought the two Generals closer together, though his posture betrayed nothing of the inner emotions brewing in his heart. Each step he placed, the way he held his head. No show of confidence, no display of power, acting as if he were only normal. He looked at Oculus, expression blank. Polite.

"Anything but the last one," he said in his soft, mild voice. "I was referring to the stalls. Surely something here must have caught your attention and brought you out?" He cast his gaze around him, quickly flitting back to meet Oculus's yellow one at his question. A bit of true emotion graced his features then, an eye ridge lifting slightly. "Oh? No, why do you ask?"

The other general of the Xoyan seemed to just passively look at him, before making motion to the stalls. One thing that Oculus had learned early on was politics was act all nice and that there was usually a ‘favor’ or demand behind their actions. What or why Azriel was going for was not known to the young General of Intelligence. Funny really. The Benesl of Intelligence not knowing something that kitty sppear to be trivial. The response from Azriel was soft spoken, only making him all the more suspicious. Whether his suspicion rose from his profession or his age, he waited for Azriel to response fully before speaking.
Cocking his head off to one side, he replied in a somewhat confused manner. “The only thing that caught my eye was a nice walk through the alleys. I have no use for trinkets, and meals are better caught fresh than hung up for sale.”. Shifting to a more balanced position, even slightly bent his knees to relax in a standing position and keep blood circulating. “I ask as I find it... different... that you would approach me outside of a meeting without discussing of the holes in your wall or to bicker about a spion sneaking in and out without forewarning.” he replied somewhat bluntly, not quite sure what Azriel was up to, as to him, a normal conversation with each of their positions considered seemed, foreign at the least.

Oculus did not seem too keen on conversation, Azriel noted, a bit sadly. Or maybe it was a topic that the other was not interested in. Either way, it wasn't really his problem, as long as both kept the conversation light and easy. Obviously, that was a fantasy... or was it? Azriel did wonder. Yet another question he hoped to find an answer to. Life was so much more fun when there were things for him to find.

"Oh. You have a point," Azriel acknowledged the General's words, watching as Oculus shifted to a more comfortable position. So he didn't fear a physical attack from Azriel... but rather the possibility that he would attempt to trick Oculus into doing his dirty work? Once again, the answer was uncertain. What a pity. But life would be boring if everything were confirmed.

He eyed Oculus, gaze narrowing slightly in something similar to disbelief. "Not everything in my life is centered around my work. Is yours?" Azriel pondered the chances of Oculus saying yes, what it would reflect on the male if that did turn out to be the answer.

Azriel seemed to be in some sort of funk, one that Oculus couldn’t quite figure out as to what was the issue. It felt different, but at least he wasn’t a complete ignoremous like the supposedly general of offenses, who somehow managed to figure out how to put one pawmin front of the other and receive the position for Kommadant. Politics. They disgusted him. As Azriel spoke on about his life not being centered around work, and then him questioning him about his life focus. “Life isn’t all about tree books. And work plays an important aspect to ones life, and for the tribe. But of course I do things outside of work. I have fun hobbies like...like...” pausing as he tried to think things up, he hit a barrier. Being so young, he had spent almost every moment working to get to where he was, even if he got a bit further than planned. He wanted to say spar or train, but that revolved work. He could have said flights, but most flying was to gain more knowledge about their s surroundings and attack strategies. As he slowly realized the pause was getting a bit too long and telling, he clapped his jaw shut as he felt a bit flustered, before responding. ”I enjoy watching sunrises and sunsets, as well as taking peaceful walks along waterfronts.”

Azriel didn't need to look into Oculus's eyes to know that the general was suspicious of him. After all, his decision to strike up a casual conversation had been rather abrupt. At the other dragon's remark about tree books, he debated the pros and cons of letting some emotion break through his neutral expression. In the end, the only reaction he allowed was a little sigh, nothing much, and watched as Oculus struggled to answer his question.

Fun hobbies, huh.

The pause was natural, but the silence stretched longer and longer as Oculus tried to find an answer to Azriel's question. Unable to help himself, he fired back, "Life isn't all about work," a teasing note entering his voice, quickly banished when he realised he was probably getting too informal. Triumph lit up his eyes when Oculus snapped his jaw shut, but he made no other comment on it. "Could you recommend me a spot suitable to watch the sunrise... or sunset?"

Staring at Azriel with his jaws clamped shut to mask his flustered state as best as he could, he stared at the other dragon as he was observed, knowing that this was probably amusing to him. His tail lightly flicked back and forth as he fidgeted ever so slightly. His comment to get under Azriel's scales seemed to have no effect on the dragon, as his long silence was clearly picked up on. "I do what is necessary for the good of Xoya." Taking a deeper breath to steady and chill his nerves, he cracked his neck and then looked back at Azriel, much more collected. "That depends. What sort of setting would you be looking for?"

Azriel smirked and tapped his tail against the ground, waiting for Oculus to break the telling silence. When he finally did, Azriel found himself believing what the other male said. After all, Oculus did seem the kind to work hard for his tribe without really sparing any thought for himself, and Azriel stifled the urge to tell him to get a life. "Yeah, yeah," was the response he settled on. He eyed Oculus, deciding not to tease him any more, and said, "Setting? I don't care about the details, I just want a place to clearly see the sunrise or set and all of the sky's colours, with minimal noise around me."

The smirk on Azriel's maw made his eye twitch in annoyance.  Oculus knew that Azriel was playing him and he was getting flustered with it, but wouldn't dare show it as he had an appearance to maintain.  As the other general described the scene he wanted to see, Oculus snorted once in amusement.  "You can see pretty colours in the sky as long as there are clouds in the air when the sun rises or sets.  Maybe if you took your nose out of those books you'd see it.  But, I suggest just finding a rock or mountainside to perch on if you wanted to get the most, and it would be more isolated, too." Looking at the other general, he tried to study him to see if he could peck at the armor and get under his skin. "So tell me, what do you do for fun besides reading words on paper, or greeting the things that created the paper on the book?" Letting a small smile crack on the outskirts of his maw, he waited to see if it would go over the other general's head, or if he could fluster him.

It was second nature for Azriel to watch others closely, and this tendency worked in his favour especially as he noticed telltale signs that Oculus wasn't as composed as he was desperately trying to appear. The telltale eye-twitch did not go unseen, and it only made Azriel more amused, but the amusement dissipated at Oculus's comments. He huffed, trying to gather a refute when the general paused to observe him, but wasn't fast enough; Oculus launched another jab at him, and the tapping of Azriel's tail against the pavement became agitated now as he shot back, perhaps a bit too hastily: "You say 'pretty colours' as if that's all I care about. No, I want somewhere to sit in silence and think; the 'pretty colours' you mention are just bonuses."

Now it was his turn to falter at the question of his hobbies, and he had to soften his gaze to prevent it from turning into a revealing glare. His claws curved into the pavement as he said as coolly as possible, "I devise traps." He looked closely at Oculus's smile, trying to decipher it. "And... I... Yeah, that's all," he finished, regretting speaking at all. He should've thought his words out more carefully. He hurried on, "So, you say you prefer meat fresh. Are you particularly skilled at hunting?"

While listening to the other general speak, he couldn't help but smile as he watched Azriel become more agitated on his questioning. Payback was fun, and while no master of political skill, he did see the fun in the verbal battling. He remained quiet as the other male spoke, and he decided to ignore the male's question for now as he went on the assault. "If all you wanted was someplace to sit in quiet and not look around, then why not just sit in your office with locked doors?
And yes, I am quite well aware of your traps, seeing as you walk into your tree traps almost daily. Must be a pretty good trap if the trapper keeps walking into his own traps, no?" he said 'innocently' with a 'complimentary' attitude and smile.

This was revenge, and Azriel knew it. While it was worth it to make the other General loosen up, it came at the cost of his dignity... Ruffled by Oculus on the offence, he refuted in a condescending tone, "Ah, here speaks one who is clearly not acquainted with the stuffiness of offices. My room is located closer to the ground than I would have preferred." He eyed Oculus with a glare, not bothering to hide his annoyance now as he spoke with more than a little scorn, "As if I walk into traps for fun. I need to check them, see if they're functioning, or if they work in the way I planned them to. First-hand experience, always the best." He tried to turn the tables, "You ignored my question on hunting. Hiding something?"