Not To Be Taken For Granite (Private)

Cassius angrily strode down the halls of the Vuari palace with a gaggle of guards following him like flies on a week-old steak. It was at moments like these when he absolutely despised his rank. He couldn't go anywhere without Xiao, his personal guard, trailing him. And the few times he did manage to slip away, like he did yesterday, he always had to come back to face the music. For the love of the gods, all he did was visit a couple shops!

And now, Xiao had figured out that assigning these idiots to him was much more effective than simply lecturing him about the importance of her knowing where he was at all times. He marched into his study and slammed the door. Usually Xiao demanded to accompany him, but luckily for Cass, she was preoccupied with some special training today and the boneheads following him didn't think they needed to follow him into a dead end room. He debated teleporting away just to spite them, but instead he just stared out the window and lamented his situation.

Tharasis was at the palace gardens today, admiring the handy work of all the gardeners. Their intricate cuts and shaping of hedges and bushes, and the like. It was not always he had this much time for himself, either he would be doing his duties as the king, or it would be spent along with his family.

And as he was looking out of the edges of the gardens, looking down to see the grand lower capital. He would catch sight of his son. Cassius. Being escorted by his personal guard, and by the looks of it. Cassius was not at all fond of having someone or in this case a group of guards follow him wherever he may go.

Tharasis thought for a moment... Maybe Cassius shouldn't always have them escort him whenever he wants to leave the palace grounds. He was more than capable of taking care of himself.

Maybe he'll discuss this later with him when they have the time to do so. But for now he wanted to check up on him.

He left the gardens, and once he entered the main palace. Was greeted by the same guards whom were tasked with protecting the prince. They bowed to him, and Tharasis asked where his son was.

He walked down the halls, till eventually he reached Cassius's room. And when he was infront of the door he'd knock three times.

" Cassius? Are you in there, may I come in? " He asked.

Cass sighed and turned towards the door at the knock and his Father's voice. Knowing Xiao, she'd probably already told Tharasis of Cass's "dangerous escapades" and Father was coming to lecture him on the importance of his safety, or gods forbid make that ungainly gaggle his permanent personal guard!

He sighed, "Come in." With all of that in mind, the door opened by itself to reveal Cassius moodily staring out one of the large circular windows. When Tharasis entered, the door closed behind him and Cass turned to face him, "Ah, Father. Come to visit me in my gilded cage?"

" Cage? " Tharasis asked, chuckling softly as he went inside.

" You my son is quite the free drake. You do know you can to do *Anything* you so desire. " He said, knowing that Cassius would not have been able to make the majority of his "Experiments" possible had it not been for his access to the not only the manpower of the tribes research dragons. But also the access to the tribes treasury. Cassius was not bound by

" But I don't think thats what you meant... And I know protective your guard can be. But you must remember that all they want is to keep you safe. " Tharasis went up to his right side. The sight infront of them giving them the lay of the land, aswell as access to seeing the lower capital.

" Say... When was the last time you've went out of the city? " Tharasis could not remember the last time Cassius was able to leave this city. Unless of course, it was with his family when they went to the other tribes.

"Hence the gilded cage metaphor Father," Cass sighed and turned his attention back to the window, his tail twitching unhappily. Of course he knew that others would kill to have everything he had, and he appreciated the access his position afforded him, but still... No matter how much other dragons might envy him, he envied them for- their freedom. "The fact that I understand the reasoning behind it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it."

At Tharasis's question, Cass perked up a little, "It has been a while hasn't it? The last time I left... It must have been Shula's hatchday last year; or was it the year before?" He frowned and tapped his chin, "No, it must have been the year before. Last year was the year she nearly set burned down the east corridor." Of course it wasn't really that bad, but he had actually liked those tapestries. Truly a shame. "Why do you ask?"

" Well I wanted to ask if you want to join me, go out and maybe do some exploring. Just like old times. " He gave him a soft smile. Its been so long since they had some father son time together.

" I have nothing much else to do here. So I thought maybe we can get out for a while, go wherever and check out whatever we want. " Tharasis said.

" Oh and of course, it will be just the two of us. No guards, no one but us and the world. " Now Tharasis was not sure where they would go. But maybe they will just find out as they went.

At the offer, he perked up further, "Exploring? Just us?" It really had been a while since he'd had some alone time with his Father. Plus it came with the added benefit of losing his guards for the day...

"Sure, why not?" Cass grinned, "I haven't been out lately, but I did read about a newly discovered cave system only a mile or two away..."

" Indeed, and I am sure that you must be dying to get some time where your not being escorted by your personal guard. " Tharasis said, and at Cassius's words of a nearby came system. He hummed.

The Vuari has built many mines since they started the construction of the lower capital, and the repair and improvement of the upper. Leaving behind many either abandoned, forgotten, or simply incomplete mines. All having their own risk.

" What else do you know about this mine? We have many mines all over this mountain areas. And the last thing we want to explore is a mine that is about to collapse the second we accidentally knock down or break a support beam. " Tharasis sounded, although the curiosity to explore peaked his interest. Especially since its something new, they shouldn't have to risk their lives at something they were unsure what consequences would be dealt to wrong actions or mistakes.

Seeing that Tharasis was serious about this, Cass rolled his shoulders and let a slight grin cross his features, "Indeed Father. I appreciate the sentiment of guards, but they can become rather... Irritating after a while to say the least. But I suppose that's what I get for annoying Xiao."

His grin turned slightly rueful as he crossed the room to one of the large bookshelves and, after a minute of scanning the titles, pulled a very thick tome bound with a dark blue leather strap. He carried it back across the chamber and let it fall onto a table with a hefty thunk, "This is one of the books delivered not long ago, 'A Geographical Study of the Etcan Mountains: Unabridged', truly a fascinating book. Did you know that the Etcans are quite possibly the oldest mountains on Nuira? But anyway-"

He flipped open the book, humming absentmindedly as he paged through it for a moment before making a small noise of triumph and pointing to the page, "Here it is: 'The Ý'mmr Caverns developed in thick. millenia-old limestone strata capped by a layer of sandstone, which has made the system remarkably stable. They are suspected to include more than 200 miles of passageway; new discoveries and connections have added several miles to this figure over the course of the past week. The limestone strata..." He trailed off, muttering to himself until apparently finding what he was looking for: "...It is in these underlying massive limestone layers that the dragon-explorable caves of the region have naturally developed. During the reconstruction of the Vuari capital, Ý'mmr Caverns were explored in hopes of discovering sturdy stone. However the sandstone walls were quickly discovered to be an non-viable building material and as such operations were soon abandoned over 50 years ago.'"

Cassius looked up, a claw still poised just above the text, "There's more, but it's mostly about the structure and formation of the caves. According to the dragons who re-discovered it, there are some reinforcements from when we attempted to turn it into a quarry; but the cave itself is already quite stable."

" I see... " Tharasis listened to his son explain. He would take a moment to ponder, before he would look back to his son. A gentle smile on him.

" Well, i guess we know now where we're going. " He said to him.

"I suppose we do. Well-" Cassius stood, carefully rewrapping the heavy book and sliding it back onto the shelf before turning back to face his father, "Do you have anything to finish up? Or can we retrieve some supplies and go?"

" Nope, and I don't think well be needing any supplies. " He said to Cass. Walking to the door.

" Though I would suggest bringing a map... Though I would not know if you have any. I guess now we don't want to spend the entire day rummaging through our architects archives to find it. " He walked out the door and stood outside waiting for Cass to join him.

And when all was set and ready, the two drakes would find themselves at the outside of the palace, in the gardens.

While it serves its purpose of giving more beauty and a place for one to stroll around and take breaks. The middle area of the gardens were particularly wide enough to accommodate 10 or so dragons. Enough room to also serve as an area where one can take off from. And while there were plenty more areas one can take to the skies. Tharasis personally found this area more... to his likening

"Of course we need supplies Father!" Cassius said, somewhat aghast at the idea, "And of course we should get a map, that's rule number one in the "Sovereign Guide to Wilderness and Urban Exploration". Out of every 5 adventurers, 3 get lost. Even if it's just for a short while!"

Cassius grabbed a different, mush older, book back the shelves and flipped through it until he got to roughly the middle. A few more page flips later and he seemed to find what her was looking for. Should Tharasis catch a glance at the pages, there would be a highly detailed map of what looked to be some sort of mine, complete with numerous notations and other such details about "unstable patches" and "dead ends due to prolific plant growth". But nevertheless, a spare piece of parchment suddenly lifted off a nearby table and drifted over to Cassius; who then took it and set down on top of the older book, carefully tracing a basic copy of the detailed map and jotting down most of the warnings and notes over the course of about 6 minutes and 27 seconds.

"There." he said, blowing on it to dry the ink before flicking a claw and sending the scroll over into his half open messenger bag, almost as if it was born aloft by an invisible breeze. "Now, I have most of my portable arcane supplies already packed away, but I believe it would be wise to stop by the kitchens to secure a loaf of waybread and 2 canteens. I know, I know; but if we're in the Caverns longer than we expected, it would be nice to be able to have lunch. And plus- The most common issues encountered in exploration is dehydration." By now it really just sounded like Cass was reading directly from a book, but he wanted to make sure they wouldn't be caught off guard.

So, Cassius floated a couple other packets and jars of outlandish materials- Were those snails?!- into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and followed Tharasis out. One short pit stop at the kitchens later and Cass was humming slightly, putting the supplies (which really shouldn't have fit) into his bag as he followed his father out into the gardens. "Aaah," Cass looked up and smiled, inhaling the mixed scents of blooming flowers and ripening fruits, "This is nice. I had almost forgotten it was here..."

" If you say so then. " Tharasis said to his son as he watched him take an old looking book. As evident to its rather, very roughen shape. He walked back in, wanting to take a better look at what Cassius was doing. And seeing him flip through the pages, had Tharasis raising a brow.

" Now what is- " he cought glimpse of a page, the page which contains a detailed map of what Tharasis would guess to be their cave. system. He pondered if Cassius was going to take that book with him. But seeing him take a piece of parchment, with his magic.

Tharasis remained silent as he watched his son trace over the map from the book to the parchment. And while it took Cass 6 minutes, it gave Tharasis enough time to call down one of the servants who were passing the hall. Informing the small drake of where they were going in case Xenithe would ask where they had gone.

When the servant left, he turned back, and just in time to when his son had finish his piece. An almost exact copy of the map on the book, though much more rougher and simple. It still does its job of showing them all the needed information they could ask.

" Good, then I suppose we can- " He was stopped once more, and before he could speak his son would beat him to it. And Tharasis would have a small smile on him when he'd listen to his son explain. As if he was some form of wise little drake. And when he was done, Tharasis would simply nod. Though his nod was genuine, knowing his son was right. And though the sight of jars filled with... Snails? ( what in the world could Cassius be doing with snails... ) Tharasis non the less decided to ignore the odd looking jars filled with all manner of things.

A trip to the kitchen would see Cassius stuffing more items into his bag. Which Tharasis would give a face of ( What on earth is that bag made of? ) look, and for a moment we wanted to ask if it were the result of Cassius's experiments. Or maybe it was a product of his magic.

Finally. They were out into the gardens. And Tharasis had to agree. The flowers, the smells, it truly gave a scene of both beauty and tranquillity. Accompanied by its silence, with only the winds breeze and the distant sound of footsteps coming from the patrols of guards. If one wanted, they can easily meditate here.

" Forgotten? Cassius. You and your mother always came here when you were a hatchling. " Tharasis said, his voice sounding a little surprised.

Cassius gave Tharasis a curious glance, "That was this garden?" He took a second look at the garden and closed his eyes; breathing in the floral scents of the garden, listening to the gentle trickle of the little decorative fountains, hearing the soft gurgle of the small creek running under a picturesque bridge near the furthest edge of the garden, feeling the current of the gentle breeze tying the whole scene together.

A few seconds later, Cassius opened his eyes again, the normally dull yellow glow brightening intensely for an instant before returning to an approximation of their former appearance. If Tharasis was watching carefully, he'd be able to tell that the glow was slightly stronger than normal; but he probably wouldn't be able to tell why. On the other hand, the reason was apparent to Cassius as he immediately got a headache akin to a brain freeze and, wincing slightly, had to take a second to catch his breath.

When he looked up a second later, his mind was filled with crystal clear recollections, so completely filled that a tangible pressure began to build; just before it got too painful, the cold feeling intensified and seemed to drag the pressure, and the accompanying memories, out of his head and into the garden. There, multiple shimmering see-through specters of a much younger Cassius, a younger Xenithe, and the occasional Shula, appeared to both Cassius and Tharasis. The specters were doing a variety of activities; in some, Cassius and Xenithe were painting, or reading, or planting seeds, or playing hide and seek. In one, Cassius was hiding when a much younger Shula ambushed him; there was no sound, but one could almost imagine Cassius's squawk of indignation as he was bowled over by his younger sibling. Cassius's memories were on display for all to see.

"Interesting." Cass walked over to the nearest one, younger Cassius reading a book almost bigger than his entire body, and poked at it curiously, but his paw just passed right through. 'Well, it could have hurt less, but this is fascinating,' he thought as he glanced at the book's title, mentally taking a note to re-read it sometime, 'Could come in handy when the city guard are trying to piece together the scene of a crime...'

"It seems that the past is just as immutable as it was before, if only slightly more visible now." Cassius chuckled, slowly walking out to the center of the garden; all the while watching the specters. Of course it would take him weeks to fully develop the correct spell to replicate this effect, but it seemed like it might actually be worth his time. Many of Cassius's ideas came like this. Whatever dimensional residue was trapped in his mind sometimes seemed to just- reach out and channel a bit of his magic in new and unusual ways. So far, they had just been odd little things like this and no major problems; but there was always a possibility that it could reach out again and do something harmful. Cassius always had to be vigilant when things like this happened.