Two Rulers for One. (Open, Stormcallers.)

First topic message reminder :

Messengers were going to every Stormcaller within the tribes territory. They made sure to get the important letter from their new king and queen, that was to be given to everyone. The letter simply read:
To all Stormcallers.

As some of you may know, we have been made rulers of our tribe. As such, want everyone who can to come to the palace so we may meet everyone, and discuss some plans.

Sincerely,
Solarlight and Darksky

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And old dragoness push the door to one of the palace’s bedrooms open. She looked around, trying to find the two dragons she knew were there. She sniffed the air, quickly noticing the scent of those she was looking for. She finally looked to see a purple tail around the corner. She walked around to find the two head dragons she was looking for, Solarlight and Darksky, and  each reading their own book.

“Good to see you two are keeping up with your studying.” Both twins turn to see the older dragon, and quickly ran up and nuzzled her, with both saying ”It’s good to see you, Yian.” The dragoness looked between the two, smiling.

“It’s good to see you too, my little dragoons. You seem to be settling in well.” Sky just shook her head.

”Not really, but we’re trying.” Solar then looked behind the older dragoness.

”Anyone else come?”

“They’re already in the meeting chamber, my ruler.” The male half just shook his head.

”Please, of all dragons, could you not call us that. It just sounds weird coming from you.” Yian chuckled a bit at the white scaled dragon’s reaction.

“Very well. I must say, the letter I assume you sent to literally everyone near the Tempest was fairly well written.” Both twins smiled before asking the dragoness to head down so they could get ready.

Azriel's enthusiasm, which he attempted and visibly failed at concealing, was not because of some great love for architecture, but rather because he was genuinely interested on the vast information that the Palace would offer. Certainly, this would be of great value should there ever be a need to lay waste to the Stormcallers - not that he intended to, but he wasn't the Kommandant here; and who knew what fate had in store for the Xoyans? Biting his tongue, he let Oculus and the twins misinterpret his enthusiasm, not attempting to correct them. If this would contribute to his being less suspicious, he would do it; Oculus believing in his enthusiasm for architecture was tipped in his favour and yet not, making his casual image more believing; but at the same time was a prologue to the teasing that would undoubtedly ensue when they got back. But enough of that.

Similar to Darksky, he was unhappy with Solarlight inviting the oversized bat and his son to tour along with them, but hid it well, hiding his sentiments behind an impassive mask. He spared them not a single glance, only nodded to Solar to lead the way, as if the invitation hadn't been uttered at all. The Kommandant's extremely inconvenient presence merely complicated things further; Darksky would be more nervous, harder to connect with, while Solarlight would be on guard. It was very hard to be positive about this, Azriel thought irritatedly. Oculus was probably no better off, his dislike for the Kommandant quite well-known. The saving grace was that the oversized shadow had said very little, and Azriel hoped it would remain that way.

I never was notified that Az posted and I have been waiting and waiting xD I am a derp. Also not much to post on as Occy being silent

The only new expression that came from Oculus was a nose flare, as he watched the Twins invite their Kommadant and his less than agreeable son. However, he would make no comment as he would watch and wait for the twins, his tail flicking behind him impatiently. Patience for these sort of things never was his forte. He would watch the twins and then look at Azriel, then back at the twins. While he wanted to voice his impatience, he knew he would never hear the end of it, and probably receive a wonderful glare from the giddy Azriel. And as fun as it was to be lectured about manners for an entire flight back to the Xoyan empire, he would rather avoid it this time.

Solar quickly realized his offer wasn't the best idea. Heck, even Sky seemed to disagree with the idea. Ok. h]He may have screwed up. As the pair began to lead the way, he was already mentally apologizing to his conjoined sister about it. She was quick to apologize, as usual, but she made it very clear that she didn't like Solar's offer to Haven. It wasn't that she hated him, or his son, it was just that they both creeped her out. Especial Abaddon. His face, or lack there of, just freaked the black dragoness out from he horns to her talons. Well, nothing she could really do now but just not stare at his face.

The pair led the group down the nice looking hall until they reached some large doors. The two had already agreed on the first spot to take their guests. Somewhere they knew very well. Solar then looked back at the group of Xoya. "Well, dragons. We figured we'd start with an room we know best. This is the Twilight Palace's Library." The two headed pair then opened the door, revealing the vast, well lit room. It was filled to the brim with books, scrolls, and even some important artifacts, all held on ornate shelves. There were some Scholars studying, and a few hatchlings either trying to find anything interesting, or listening to a Scholar or two.

Azriel caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eyes, but was unable to ascertain what exactly it had been - but knew it had come from Oculus, who had probably confined himself to show his emotions only through the smallest actions. Unsurprisingly, the latter chose to remain silent, but Azriel knew he was not alone in his displeasure at the turn of events. With the twins leading, Azriel was free to cast his gaze around, though kept an impassive expression should the Rulers look back. The place was certainly spacious, and far grander than he'd initially thought. The floor was clean, polished... Which meant the Palace was obviously well-maintained, and was not as vulnerable as an uncared-for building would be.

He knew what to expect when the twins opened the doors, yet the sight still amazed him, though his expression didn't change save for a small pleased smile. So this was the famed library of the Stormcallers, storing knowledge beyond measure - knowledge that probably was vastly superior compared to all other known libraries in Nuira. He cast his gaze around, disguised as an appreciative one - a genuine emotion, but not his true purpose in looking around. Windows dotted the walls at regular intervals, as expected of a room, and the place had a very high ceiling. That was about it from where he stood.

(I'm not actually sure what the palace looks like, so yeah XD)

Oculus walked with his paws barely making a sound against the ground as walked behind the twins. His tail never made contact with the ground, and his talons were lifted up so that his pads of his feet would be touching, to further decrease the sound of him following the new leaders and Azriel. His movements were fluid, his eyes ever observant of their surroundings, peering into corners and around doorways, analyzing differences in shadow darkness to hint at anything being behind the area. While a trap would highly be unlikely from the twins, this would be the time for one. An unsuspecting party, all the major heads of the Xoyan in one location. He would have his guard up, and use the stereotypical Skygger attitude of remaining silent and seeming unamused. The facade would make things seem simple and easy going, as a small smile would be plastered to his maw, even a small twinkle in his eye as he would smile and nod at anyone who made eye contact with him. All the while analyzing, preparing, making contingency plans and escape routes.

Despite all that, he did take a moment to observe all the books in the chamber, seeing the polished library and all the old knowledge stacked freely was something one could read about, but never really understand till one visited it in the flesh. Oculus blinked at Solar as he referred to him as simply dragon, as the same as Azriel, not bothering to give formal titles, but he chose to ignore this for now. He glanced at Azriel and inaudibly chuckled as he saw the look of bewilderment on his face. Books were interesting to read, but only on an occasion while overlooking a lake as the sunset in his opinion. He knew Azriel was a bookworm, and if he didn't have manners, would have probably been drooling. "It seems you have left Azriel wordless, no small task in the least." Oculus chuckled as he moved to stand next to Azriel, purposefully now throwing on an overly friendly attitude as he literally leaned against Az, putting a paw over his shoulder. "Azzy here absolutely loves books, like ones about nature, especially plants." He smiled innocently at the twins, just waiting to see how Azriel would respond.

(Sorry for the delay.)

Both Solarlight and Darksky smiled as they watched the dragons’ reactions, particularly Azriel’s. A few hatchlings ran by under the adults, seeming to be playing or something like that. It was interesting to see the not-so-noticeable reactions of the Xøya. It was funny to hear what Oculus had to say about Azriel’s silence, but while the twins laughed at the comments Sky didn’t quite trust the Skygger. In all honesty Solar didn’t either, he just wasn’t really worried. Plus this one at least seemed ok.

Soon, the sister of the pair nervously spoke up. ”G-glad to see the l-l-liberty is that impressive.” Solar nodded at her comment, and quickly said ”Almost every record we have is either here or in the archives. Anything: from history to fiction, magic to science, draconic species and behavior. Info on the tribes. It’s all here.”

Haven moved forward, still shouldering Stormcallers out of his way. Hissing a shouts of anger followed in his, and his son's, wake. His scales glittered with color as the light reflected off of them, Haven surprisingly was a rather handsome dragon... Just large... Scary... Deadly...

Abbadon was first to come up to the group, just barely hearing the mouse noise the one named Glasoc made. Abbaddon huffed, flicking his tail back and forth. Haven came forth, his eyes set on the Twins from the very beginning he started moving toward the group. His eyes pierced them like bullets, his lips twisting up in a dangerous sneer. Abbaddon glanced back and forth between the dragons that held the conversation, both Haven and he not saying a word. They didn't need to, any glances, snorts, or huffs from the two males would indicate exactly what they would be feeling about a certain topic. Neither Twins have heard the chilling voice of either Royal Dragon.

They started to follow the Twins, Abbadon and Haven sticking near the back of the group, talking among themselves for quite a bit, taking in the scene, the disgusting stench of rainwater and the dragons who lived here. Haven noticed Oculus' failed attempts to try to keep his talons from clicking against the ground as they neared the library. Any dragon that passed the small Xoyan group would get a fright as the King himself would pass soon after the two others would. Haven gave a low growl and even if he was near the back of the group it still made the ground tremble, such low vocals and such little space.

Yes, the palace was quite extraordinary, but to Haven or Abbadon, the Xoyan palace would always be much grander for it was five times as large with some (kidnapped) special architects to make it. He entered the library staring down his nose at the twins. His held was held high and his wings half way open, pointing forward. A sign of power and authority back in his Kingdom. It showed who was in charge, his size nearly doubling at this posture. Ever since he laid his eyes on the twins, his eyes have never left. Abbadon could sense that Azriel was staring at the books like a hatchling stares at candy. His eyes moved to follow Azriel's to the thousands upon thousands of books that lay before them.

The two stood behind the group still... Silent as statues.

Haven and Abaddon would be poor at stealth, Az observed silently. The two made no effort to silence their steps, or made failed attempts, and the oversized father even gave a growl midway through their passage to the library, though it caused only very minor tremors in the ground; having been used to worse, Az kept his balance and walked on, indifference in his eyes. He was clearly neither intimidated nor impressed, only annoyed at the unnecessary show of power. So inelegant, yet not really surprising.

But it was interesting that his act managed to fool even the supposedly keen-eyed General next to him. While it was very true that he loved books—particularly ones pertaining to nature—he knew when to put his personal feelings aside. The library was bursting with valuable information, and he was certain that the knowledge they held was not just about simple things like trees and plants—perhaps something more deadly in nature, should it be possessed by the wrong dragon.

Seeing Oculus's shift in posture in his peripheral vision, Az neatly stepped away from Oculus at the very last moment, at the same time avoiding the paw. He focused on Solarlight as he spoke, and at once his suspicions were confirmed. The library was a treasure chest waiting to be stolen, and the twin did not seem to be making any effort to hide it. He only nodded to show that he was listening, lifting an eye ridge to prompt them to continue.

So they did have information here about different tribes, and not under guard it seemed. Was it because the Stormcaller assumed their pacifist attitude maintained peace, or did they trust their magic to protect them? These were all curious questions which Oculus would have liked to know, but he knew his title alone was making their hosts anxious. Considering the two walking bricks behind them, Oculus figured intimidation from him was not needed, and instead just smiled as he listened to the twins. As some hatchlings would run under him, he would genuinely smile, his tail flicking about to create a few more obstacles for the young innocent. Oculus would turn his attention back to the rulers, and even as the grumpy GoD who seemed to be oblivious to his ploy was stealing his role of the usual silent type. The bubbliness attitude he was trying to portray was beginning to grate even on his nerves.

"It seems you have quite the collection here. Quite an amazing feat to feature all these books, and possibly keep them all in order." Keeping talons off the floor, he took a few steps, careful of the little ones under him, to seemingly look around the room.

Solar was quick to take notice how what Havan was doing. Maybe the ruler thought they were ignorant of Xøya, or if he hopes they did, but he knew what the larger dragon was basically saying. He was showing that he was in charge. The twins had already turned to face the Xøyian, and the white male was quick to tell his sister about it. For once this whole tour, Sky didn’t look nervous. The pair sat and looked up at the Kommandant, mimicking his own posture so he would know what they were doing.

The pair then looked at Oculus, hearing his response. Solar chuckled a bit before becoming more relaxed and answering the Skygger. ”It can be. Thankful not everything’s here. That’d be a nightmare.”

Haven glanced down at the smaller dragons, giving a snort, red dust slipping from his open mouth. It smelled of death and decay. His features changed, seeing the adorable pair mimic his own posture. "Lift your wings a bit," He said softly, bringing his own wing forward to gently tap their left wing higher. "Stretch your necks higher and point your noses to the sky. Your subjects will see you if you do that." Haven paused, glancing at his son who sat quietly, gazing around the room with bored eyes. Abaddon never seemed to like reading, only to write down his own discoveries. He was a hands on dragon, hence his... Face.

Haven gave a chuckle, seeing his own subjects "Ooo and ahhh" over all the books. Haven didn't feel the need to intimidate any more than he had already, giving his mark and standing his ground even on enemy turf. His tail flicked back and forth, and like father- the son's tail did the same. Haven broke his eye contact with the twins, looking up and at all he books. Interesting... His large head swiveled back and forth. No guards? All this information and no one to protect it? Giving a small huff, he let it go. There MUST be something here to protect these books... If not... They were fools.

While Az could chatter away as much as the situation required, and pull it off perfectly, that didn't mean he wouldn't welcome a break when there was one; he allowed himself to relax as Oculus took over, but only in mind, his external facade remaining as calmly confident as ever.

With his inspection of the library done, minimally disguised as a casual appreciation for the grand structure, Az allowed a slightly bored look to cross his face, a little prompt for the twins to carry on. Once more he saw movement at the corner of his eye - hatchlings, and he looked over, concealing surprise at the sight.

It seemed that the normally stoic General had an affinity with hatchlings, treating them with a sort of softness that no other adult had been lucky enough to receive, as far as Az knew. He filed the observation into a corner of his mind, not to wield as a weapon against Oculus in the future, but for his mental profiling of the other. Odd that he would be showing this part of himself while in foreign lands, though.

What was it about the Stormcallers? Even Haven was advising, correcting the Rulers' posture - though that could also be seen as a play of power on his part, to show or remind them that he was more experienced in being a king, which he technically was.

He gave a mental shrug and waited for the conversation to move on.

"That would be quite a nightmare, to organize all those pages and keep them protected from the elements. Say, where else do you keep your books? Some hidden safe?" he asked nonchalantly, still glancing around occasionally. Oculus would take care to make sure to not step or move around, considering the tiny balls of scales running amock below him. He would glance down occasionally at the hatchlings, before refocusing on the twins, finding it somewhat amusing that the twins got the courage to make a stand and a posture, even though it was their own territory. Maybe the Stormcallers weren't all pushovers after all.

The twins held their posture until Haven surprised to two. He actually helped them. Maybe seeing them stand up like that made him see them as worthwhile, or at least not just some dragons who would be pushed around. Either way, the pair adjusted themselves as he suggested. They may not use the stance under normal circumstances, but the advice was nice for when they’d need to use it.

After practicing the stance for a second, the pair eyed Oculus again, and noticed Az’s quietness. Solar then answered the Skygger, with Sky still not comfortable enough around the dragons to speak. ”Magic is a big help with keeping these books in pristine condition, and it was honestly a good thing when we were hatchlings. There’s also a public archive where most of the other books are stored. The rest.... They’re just to dangerous to say where they are.”

Huffed, listening to the twins speak. Dangerous? Preposterous. Haven got up, the large male weaving in and out of the bookshelves. He snorted, hatchlings nearly being squashed underfoot. Hatchlings were not allowed around the adults in a study area back at home. They had their own section which was sound proof so they could squeal and talk all they wanted. Fire proof and damage proof, it was a good system.

Abaddon narrowed his eyes at the twins, even though his father seemed so keen on helping he twins he knew it was a power surge. He watched Haven saunter away, his tail whisking around a corner of a bookshelf. Abaddon never cared to be in other territories. They were all less than the great Xoyan kingdom, but Haven persisted on him coming. Why? Abaddon didn't know. Haven was very... Shady about the whole deal.