An Aspiring Adviser [Private - Solarlight and Darksky] - Topic Ended

First topic message reminder :

Caramina rarely concerned herself with the current affairs of the Stormcallers. She had never seen any need to do so, nor had the wish.

But what if? The dragoness found herself thinking suddenly as she strolled through one of the many winding corridors that curved around the Twilight Palace, taking a route that had long grown familiar to her. The marble floor was cool against her paws, pristine and elegant, their shine untouched by time. What if? As a citizen, she had no obligation to tangle herself in the web of complications that involving herself in current affairs undoubtedly encompassed, and even if she wanted to, she had no idea how. But with the new rank that the new Rulers, Solarlight and Darksky, introduced, it was a possibility.

Well, she'd consider it. It wasn't like she was running short of time, anyway, Caramina thought as she arrived at the Library, the doors swinging open at a gentle push to reveal her favourite place in the whole world. Shelves seemed to unfurl away from the entrance, their bodies bursting with books. A high ceiling allowed some sunlight to creep through as gentle rays, giving the room a warm radiance to it. Armchairs littered the large space, comfortable, plush and promising a well-spent, relaxing afternoon.

And then her gaze fell upon Solarlight and Darksky.

They were browsing through books, seeming to be searching for something. Their presence once more brought to mind the matter she'd planned to mull over later, especially since this would be a good chance to volunteer herself as adviser. She stood at the entrance uncertainly, the doors falling closed behind her with a click. Realising that it'd be rude to not greet the new Rulers, she went over to do so. "Greetings, your Royal Majesties," she greeted with a teasing smile.

Solar looked surprised when Caramina said sorry. He smiled, simply saying ”Don’t be. It was still fun.” He did however notice that the Advisor didn’t seem to get any calmer about what had happened. The twins eyed each other, seeming to have one of their quiet discussions. Sky then looked at Cara, still seeming sore, and told her ”If it makes you fell better, we’ll go.”

"Aaah... I'm glad that you did. Though, it came at the expense of your physical wellbeing..."

She frowned.

"Yes, let's," the dragoness said, relieved, and started off towards a frequently visited destination, taking a well-trodden path. She walked at a pace slower than she was accustomed to, out of consideration for the twins and their bruised selves, but, having taken a shortcut, the journey was short. She gave a quick, light knock on the door, as she always did, and Inisha's face when the door opened was nowhere near surprised.

The wyvernness gave the two - no, three - a quick once-over, shaking an exasperated head upon seeing their less-than-optimal states. She beckoned the both of them inside, and glanced, inquiringly, between Cara and the twins.

"Them first," she said, and Inisha obliged.

The scroll appeared once more.

Which part hurts the most? Any bruises?

The twins frowned a bit when Cara still seemed guilty for what happened. It wasn’t her fault, but the dragoness sure seemed to think it was. At least she seemed to perk up at the decision to go to a healer.

The twins followed their friend as she lead them through a familiar path. Solar then looked over at Caramina. ”So how do you know this healer?”

Soon, they came up to the a door that the dragoness seemed to be leading them to. She soon knocked and the healer revealed herself. Darksky shyly recoiled a bit, pressing her wing against her side and tugging Solar back a little. He looked at her for a moment, but the turned to the healer and simply smiled. The pair then walked in when the wyvern beckoned them, though Sky was clearly more reluctant.

Once inside, Solarlight asked what the healer’s name was, but soon heard Cara tell the wyvern to check them first. Inisha then asked where the pair hurt. Solar looked at Sky, saying ”She probably has it worse, so check her first.” This just made Sky stiffen. Neither twin enjoyed healers, but Solar really wasn’t comfortable around them at first for some reason. Granted he still warmed up the them quicker.

The question was unexpected; according to her experience, rarely did one ask how another had come to know a healer. Quite unfortunately, no one paid much attention to them, only remembered them for their abilities. She peered at Solar curiously as she answered, "She's an old friend who helped me in my time of need, and still does. I bring my injured friends - and occasionally myself - here to ease her boredom... busy her hands. Do you know her?"

Noting the darker twin's reluctance, Inisha arched an eye-ridge, but did not comment, only retreated deeper in the room to make space for them. Cara came in last, and shut the door behind her without being told, long used to Inisha's preferences, and sat down on the edge of the only bed in the room, waiting.

The name's Inisha, the wyvernness answered via the scroll, and added, I won't hurt either of you. A simple, but necessary statement - to anyone who knew her, the fact was a given, but Darksky's discomfort was apparent, and being silent wouldn't benefit anyone.

She made sure not to make any sudden movements as she approached Darksky - slowly - and looked over her, scanning the female for open wounds that would first have to be cleaned before being sealed with magic. Seeing none, she began to work methodically, passing a hovering paw over each bruise. Darksky would feel a cool sensation bloom across each injury, slightly stinging but otherwise numb; for the small ones, this would fade quickly, but the bigger bruises would maintain that sensation for longer.

If there were no problems, she would turn towards Solarlight and do the same, before proceeding over to Caramina.

Darksky flinched as Inisha started healing her, but soon began to relax. The ness may have kept her eyes closed, but it helped her not get too stressed out. Though some of the bruised areas still hurt, Sky seemed to be a bit more comfortable, if still shy, around the healer.

Solar, on the other paw, began to show his dislike of healer. The usual easy going male tensed as Inisha approached, and it was pretty clear he had taken the worse beating of the two. Once the healer started though, Solarlight quickly became more at ease, and even asked about the magic Inisha was using. Soon enough, the pair stood up, feeling much better, and Solar said ”Thank you.”

"Thanks," Cara grinned when Inisha was done, then admitted honestly, "I don't know what I'd do without you, honestly. Or where I'd be."

You would still be here in the palace, because there are plenty of other healers out there to attend to your needs, was the amused reply on paper. But it is no problem. I enjoy your company. It staves off boredom, which I find is a particularly persistent foe.

"Ah, that's good. I'd hate to be a bore to the one individual who not only patches me back up, but is also one of my few friends..." She gave a quiet sigh.

You are nowhere near one. Don't worry.

Cara smiled again at the reply, and Inisha turned away, facing the twins now. The paper wiped blank, new text scrolling across its surface. Before you leave, I'd like to ask. What do the both of Your Majesties have against healers? There was no spite, only curiosity. Cara sauntered over, catching the question, and tilted her head slightly in a silent question too.

The twins simply watched Cara and Inisha as they "spoke." It was interesting to see, but it was also a surprise to here Caramina say she didn't have many friends. It was a surprise to both Solarlight and Darksky. Cara seemed fairly confident, and not really that shy. It made them curious, but Solar suggested they stay quiet for now, which Sky didn't complain about. But then, Inisha's scroll came to them.

The healer asked why the pair seemed to have something against healers. The pair looked at each other, seeming to discuss something. Sky then nervously spoke up. "W-well. Part of m-mine is I j-j-just... get nervous a-around dragons." Darksky then nudged her brother, who surprisingly didn't seem to want to say anything. The male finally sighed and spoke up, but his voice showed his dislike of the subject. "And, as far as both of us go, other healers have had a tendency to ask too many... personal questions. It was nice to not be asked about... everything... for a change."

Caramina couldn't help but give a miniscule frown at the twins' distrust, somewhat indignant on Inisha's behalf - spending precious healing magic, even on admittedly minor injuries, only to have it returned with obvious wariness was kind of rude; besides, Cara would have never taken the Stormcaller Rulers to an unreliable Healer (though the Healer in question didn't seem to mind.)

But, trusting that the twins had their own reasons, she did not display any further signs of discontent nor said anything, only watched and waited for their explanation with equal parts curiosity and equal parts expectation.

After hearing Darksky's stuttered explanation, the newly-appeared words on Inisha's ever-present scroll read:

I see. In that case, I think you are fortunate to have an outspoken brother by your side - I think you know better than anyone what the duties of a Ruler - or Rulers - entail.

Then, after a pause -

No offence intended.

Her eyes darting over the words, Cara smiled slightly, amused by her friend's unchanging bluntness.

To the other twin, Inisha offered an explanation of her own -

There are very few who like to work in silence - most prefer to talk, you see. Fills up the silence, puts the patient at ease, unless they're particularly disagreeable or disinclined to speak. It isn't too uncommon for the Healer to drop a question or two, especially since we are a particularly curious lot... Though I can see how it can get uncomfortable for you.

Anyway, feel free to come here as often as you like. I don't ask many questions besides the usual, and I know what kind of questions to avoid.

Sky nodded at the first of Inisha's words, and her apology to the shy dragoness. The dark scaled female then smiled, replying with "N-none taken."

Both twins then read with interest as Inisha "wrote" out her answer. Solar in particular was quite interested in what the healer had to say. It was true, healers had a tendency to ask a lot of questions, but Inisha seemed to understand why the pair would be hesitant about them. The mute dragoness then said that the pair could come back as often as they liked, which got a smile from both of them. "Thank you. We'll definitely take ya up on that. And sorry if we offended you any with our unease."

Once the twins and Caramina left the healer's home, Solar looked over and commented "Hope that explanation was good for you too. Never meant to offend." Sky just looked confused, not sure what her brother was getting at. Then again, she wasn't as good at reading people as he was, so she may have missed something. Solar the elaborated. "Noticed the look on your face when Inisha asked about us."

Oh, it's fine. Given your past experiences, it's only natural you feel that way, Inisha said dismissively, flicking her tail as if to emphasise that it was alright. And besides, I've been treated worse. I've developed a bit of a thick skin. She gave a wry smile, then inclined her head in a goodbye and ushered them out, Cara promising the healer that she'd visit again as soon as possible before Inisha shut the door.

Cara blinked in evident surprise, wondering how Solarlight had managed to catch sight of her slight frown when she knew it had only been a very shallow, near-imperceptible crease in her face. "Well, we're all good," she reassured them nonetheless. "Like Inisha said... or wrote. It's understandable why you felt the way you did. Moving on, what's our next destination?"

Solarlight smiled at Caramina's answer, with Sky following suit. Their friend then asked where they were going next. The pair eyed each other and nodded. Darksky then, in her usual quiet voice, spoke up. "We were thinking about seeing how Glasoc is doing. He volunteered to train the first group of Guardians." Solar then piped in. "I wonder if they can understand him yet?"

They would soon come to a seemingly random part of the palace, spying an old, scarred wyvern seemingly leading a young dragon. The pair then stopped as the wyvern made some hand motions that seemed to shock the the dragon next to him. "But... they've done nothing wrong. Why would I...?" "This'll be interesting," Solar then remarked.

"Is that so? Interesting." That'll prove to be quite a challenge, considering how he can't speak, but perhaps it will work in the Guardians' favours if they can communicate silently. "I wonder how much progress they've made," she mused, looking over at the twins. "Which depends on when they started. Speaking of which—were these Guardians specially selected, or did they sign up for it themselves?

When they arrived at their destination, an unremarkable part of the palace, Cara spotted only one—she assumed—Guardian. Where are the others? Are there even any? While she had not spent enough time around Glasoc to understand his gestures, the dragon evidently did, but did not react well to the message. "What, exactly, did Glasoc tell him to do?" she asked in a low voice, directing her question to the twins.

Solar looked over at Cara, smiling a bit. "They're all volunteers. Glasoc may has approached some, but none are forced to." They then continued watch the interesting display as the guardian in training continued to look shocked. Sky then looked over to Cara, who asked what the old Scholar was saying. "Ok," she started in a hushed tone. "It's a test. Glasoc told the other dragon to take in someone for no reason."

After saying this, the younger dragon eyed the elder wyvern. "No. I'm not doing it." Glasoc looked angry for a moment before smiling and patting his head, then signing something to the recruit. "What do you mean don't tell anyone? What was...? Oh." The wyvern then walked over to Solar, Sky, and Care, giving the twins a quick nuzzle. He then signed something to them. "Yeah. Caramina here is our first official Advisor." The wyvern then nodded with a slight, non-threatening growl towards Cara.

Cara's gaze briefly broke away from Glasoc and his trainee to glance at Solar, and she returned the smile, saying, "I am relieved to hear that," before her eyes moved back to the two. Her mind spun through endless possibilities as to what Glasoc must've said, to put an expression of such shock onto the younger one's face.

She considered Sky's words for several moments, pursing her lips in thought before she at last said, Wouldn't it be better for the trainees to practice on each other first before trying it out on an actual civilian? They need to learn how to deal with hostile ones who don't want to come willingly, too. Or have they already been trained beforehand?"

She blinked at the introduction done for her, raising a protest almost immediately: "H-hey! I'm—not an Advisor! Or... At least, not yet...?"

She sighed.

"Nice to meet you, though, Glasoc," she said anyway, extending a paw towards him to be shaken.

Solar looked at Cara when she asked about the Guardians' training. The male thought for a moment and answered her quickly. "Yeah. Glasoc's been working with them."

When Cara let out her protest the mute wyvern let out bit of a laugh before signing to the twins, causing them to give him a crossed look. Sky then looked at their friend and translated. "Glasoc said we can be a bit over eager sometimes. He also said it's nice to meet you too." Glasoc nodded in conformation of what Sky said. Solar was then quick to add "And we're not hatchlings anymore Glasoc." The old Scholar laughed a bit more before walking back over to his trainee.