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

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.

Solarlight and Darksky scoured through the library, trying to find some books on elemental magic. The pair figured it’d be something good to know, plus they already tried finding books on how to rule and failed. As Solar looked for the book, Sky held up a fiction with her magic, mostly just following her brother’s lead.

Really, they were in the large, knowledge filled room trying to figure some things out. Neither one the twins really knew what to do. Sure, they spoke to a leader, but Athena was just as green as they were. On top of that, they still didn’t fully understand their duties. It was the main reason they created the advisor rank, but no one had taken it up yet.

As the Solar and Sky continued looking, a familiar voice came to their ears, greeting them as “Royal Magesties.” The twins both gave an odd look. They still weren’t use to being referred to like that, and it was honestly weird to hear. The twosome’s weird looks turned to smiles when they realized who it was. Solarlight then spoke with a happy tone.

”Hey, Caramina. Sorry for strange looks.” Sky then spoke with a quieter voice.

”Yeah. We’re s-still getting use to this.”

Cara wondered what Solarlight and Darksky were looking for, scouring through the library like that. Advice on how to rule a kingdom was the only possible answer she could think of, with their new title as Rulers of the Stormcallers, Cara thought as she saw Darksky lift a tome with magic. She couldn't blame them if that was the case, nor would she judge, seeing that she wasn't any better than they were. Though... If she were an adviser, maybe she could offer some insight, even if she had little experience. She really wouldn't mind helping out. What exactly was stopping her?

Ah. The responsibility. And the possibility of messing up, she thought grimly, but kept her smile as she greeted them.

Cara certainly didn't expect the weird looks, and worry rose within her like a wave of water. Had she done something wrong? Her heart was once more set at ease, though, when the twins' expressions morphed into smiles. Her own widened when Sky spoke, glad that the shy one felt comfortable enough around her to speak. "Ah. That's understandable," she said sympathetically. "How are the both of you faring? First few weeks as Ruler been tough?"

The Solar and Sky were glad that Cara seemed to understand the odd looks. Then she asked how they had been. Neither twin quite knew how to answer the question. If they were honest, the past weeks had been mostly awful. They had searched for useful books, which failed, but thankfully things had been mostly uneventful. After a short pause, the two started speaking.

”Well, to be honest, not great.”

”Yeah. W-we haven’t found any useful books on ruling. Mostly just how other tribes work which he found fascinating for some reason.” Sky never really liked learning how tribes and dragons worked. That was more something Solar liked. She never understood it, but noticed a hint of annoyance sent her way by her brother. The male just shook his head before speaking again.

”Anyway, we haven’t been able to find anything that was useful. But other than that, we still don’t entirely know what we’re supposed to do.”

The pause that followed after her question told her enough, and she eyed the newly crowned Rulers with a sympathetic look in her green eyes. No crown sat on either of their heads, she realised suddenly, but then again, they didn't seem the flashy type, for which she was grateful. They looked... Normal, no different from her or any other Stormcallers. They were dragons. And they were having trouble with their new role. Something in her ached to help, yet she was held back by a little niggling doubt at the back of her mind.

Failure.

But at least they were humble enough to seek the help of books, she thought approvingly. Picking up on the faint hint of annoyance in Sky's voice, Cara's lips twitched, watching the two with some amusement and a bit of envy. Oh, she was like that once with the former Ruler, Rihzome her brother... "Knowing how other Tribes function is actually an important asset in ruling... Though, what you're really looking for is a set of instructions on where to start, right?" she guessed. "Whether to get to know your citizens better, or improve on a problem, or something else that you're missing." Cara shrugged to further emphasise the point that she was merely guessing, so that Solar and Sky wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"Hm... Have you tried to have discussions with citizens regarding their home here? You may not be able to see any flaws right now, but others may, if you get what I mean? Speaking to them may provide you with a better idea of where to start," she suggested, her feet tapping thoughtfully against the ground while her gaze wandered. It transferred back to the twins as she continued. "Maybe you should also think on what kind of Rulers you two wish to be, the image you want to cut. A strict and unapproachable figure on the throne? If so, get a crown and start dealing out punishments." Cara laughed to show that she was joking, but her point still stood. "Though, you two seem the humble kind, and speaking to citizens would further reinforce that image."

The pair closely listened as Caramina began speak, with Solar giving his sister a slightly smirk when the green eyed dragoness noted the importance of the knowledge he enjoyed. When the dragoness gave her guess at what the twins were trying to find, both smiled and nodded as Solarlight responded with ”Yeah. That’s pretty much it. We don’t really know where to start. Or I guess this would be continue?”

As their friend continued, she noted something that the twins hadn’t even thought of. See what the citizens say needed to be done. With all the worrying and trying to figure out what they were supposed to be doing, neither head had thought of going and talking to the citizens. Before either twin could respond, Cara continued, saying that they should think of how they wanted to be seen. While the pair did laugh at the joking response the dragoness gave, she had a good point. Sky and her brother didn’t want to be remembered as for angering the other Stormcallers, being tyrannical, or even just for the twin-headedness. They wanted to be known as good Rulers. Solarlight soon spoke up again, sounding much more confident than before.

”You know, that’s a really good idea, and a great point. We were so caught up trying to figure out what to do, we sorta lost sight of some things.” Sky then smiled, and quickly added her own thoughts.

”Yeah. I’m glad you brought it up, Cara. It’s easy to lose sight of things like that when you’re worried about... well... all of this.”

Solarlight then began thinking about something. He had noticed that Cara seemed to be thinking of something earlier, but couldn’t tell what it was. He looked at Sky, silently asking her something. He then looked back at their friend, seeming to have something to say.

”Cara, I noticed you seem to thinking of something. Would you mind us asking what it is?”

Caramina didn't miss the somewhat smug smirk that Solar sent his sister, and couldn't help feeling a bit apologetic towards the latter. She had acknowledged the value of knowledge on how other Tribes worked, not to spite Sky, but only because that was what she believed. She relaxed slightly at their smile, glad that she'd pinpointed their worries accurately. "Hmm..." she said thoughtfully. "It's a bit of both, I'd say. You start in the area you prioritise most, and you continue the work of your predecessors. It doesn't matter which comes first; what truly does is the mark you leave upon the Stormcallers. Which is like, a combination of all your contributions. Do I make sense? I feel like I'm rambling."

Solarlight and Darksky seemed to be genuinely taking in her words and considering them, not just listening for the sake of entertaining her. Her gaze softened, and she felt warm, especially as they complimented her. "Glad you think so," she responded cheerfully. "Forgetting is fine, we all mess up occasionally. Just a part of life," she shrugged. Then, noticing that Sky was speaking, perked up.

"No problem. But take it easy," she said. "I'm quite sure there's no rush." And that was that, she thought with amusement. The end of her adviser career... Admittedly it wasn't even that bad. And then Solar launched a question that made her hesitate. Great. How should she answer this...?

"Erm. I guess I was just considering signing up for adviser...?"

Solarlight and Darksky each gave Caramina a smile when she said she felt like she was rambling. They both knew how it felt. They had done it to other dragons before, including each other, but this was different. It wasn’t what either twin would consider rambling. Cara’s answer was what they needed. With this in mind, Sky was quick to tell her fellow dragoness ”Don’t worry. You’re not rambling.” The pair were also glad the the scarf wearing dragoness seemed happy with them being honest, but her response to Solar’s question soon surprised them.

Caramina was thinking about being an advisor, or at least signing up for it? The twins only seemed surprised for a moment before they turned to each other, having another silent talk, and then looked back a Cara with smiles on their faces. She didn’t seem very confident about actually signing up for the role, but from what they had just seen it seemed to suit her. Solar then spoke up again with a friendly voice.

”Why don’t you sound so sure about it? Seems like you’re already pretty good at it.” Sky simply smiled and nodded in agreement with her body mate.

Maybe it was arrogance, maybe it wasn't, but Sky seemed to feel comfortable enough to speak up more about Cara, who felt honoured and flattered. A small flush showed on her pale cheeks at Sky's reassurance, relief mingling with a sort of pleased happiness. "I'm glad," she said honestly.

But the nervousness that seemed to be visiting her rather frequently during this conversation made its unwelcome reappearance again when the twins visibly had another silent talk, their heads turned towards each other as they shared their thoughts. She waited with no shortage of apprehension for the final result, feeling as if she were awaiting a verdict. Her tail fell limp against the floor and she tried to tell herself it didn't really matter--

--Oh. She blinked once, twice, and shook her head slightly, not in denial, but shock. She hadn't expected-- Not so early in-- Hadn't she been too casual-- What! Her thoughts were a jumble in her head, and she stood there in stunned astonishment, words failing her. She managed a small nod, but still looked somewhat uncertain. What if the twins were just saying that to be nice? Finally, after another half a minute, she collected herself, and said clearly, "I had thought there would be better options. Someone more serious, with previous experience. And... thank you."

Solarlight and Darksky both looked at Casa with warm smiles. Neither thought she’d be that surprised at the brother’s words. It was really surprising that the usual confident dragoness was acting so nervous. Sky then spoke with a slight surprised, but sincere, tone.

”No problem Casa. And it’s the truth.” Solar smiled at his sister’s response, flicking the pair’s shared tail as he tried to see if the dragoness was still nervous. He then spoke up.

”And there may be dragons that more experience or serious, but not many are as willing as you.”

"Ah," Cara said lightly. She could understand why no one would be too keen to take up the job. "I hate to say this, but don't you realise my lack of experience may be dangerous? I could advise you two wrongly. Not saying that you can't think for yourselves and judge what is best, just that... You know. I'd be useless." She finished with an exasperated shrug, grimacing a little. "Could you tell me more about being an Adviser, though? When are they needed, what kind of things do they have to provide advice for? Do they accompany you two on alliance meetings and stuff?"

Solar and Sky both just stared at Caramina, both surprised at what she said. Solar couldn't wrap his head around why Cara was so unsure with herself, but Sky was a bit more sympathetic. She was shy, and lacked confidence around most people, so she somewhat understood what Cara was going through. The dragoness sighed before looking at Cara and speaking.

"Care.... Anyone, no matter how experienced a dragon is they can make mistakes. And you said you were useless, but you really helped us just a minute ago. That's not what I'd call useless." Solar simply smiled as he listen to his sister, glad that she was willing to speak up.

The elongated dragoness then asked what was involved in being an Adviser. Solar thought for a moment, then quickly spoke. "Well. An Adviser would be needed mostly when we're talking with other leaders, and dealing with issues here. As for what kind of advise.... Telling us if we're doing something that would be a bad idea, making sure we make and sign fair deals, and stuff like you just did. Reminding us of thing we should know when we're over doing it. And I would say coming along to alliance meeting would be a good thing, but not required."

Cara bit her lip, evidently still worried despite the reassurances of the twins. Her shoulders seemed to sag ever so slightly at Darksky's sigh, but her voice was firm. "But," she countered, "the amount of mistakes one can make varies. I'm glad I helped, I really did, but what if my advice isn't consistent? As in, I'm 'useful' only in certain situations, and am a waste of space in others." She shrugged helplessly, her eyes cast down to the floor.

Despite her convictions that she would make a poor adviser, she still listened intently when Solar spoke. "Right and wrong," she murmured to herself after Solar was done. "What could go wrong, I wonder? A great many things that I can't imagine at the moment." A wry smile tugged at her lips as she asked, "Are you two nervous? About being Rulers, I mean...? Seems like you two have more responsibility than a mere Adviser does."

Solar looked at Cara as she lowered her head after saying she would be useless at times. Darksky and Solarlight soon walked next to her, and Solar tried to reassure her. "Hey. Any Adviser would have to deal with the same thing. No dragon is good at everything. Even me and Sky are better at different things, and we're always around each other."

Caramina then asked the Solarlight and Darksky if they were nervous about being the Rulers of the Stormcallers. The twins eyed each other with nervous looks. The pair then sighed as Sky responded with a worried look. "Y-yeah. It's just... we hardly know what we're doing." Solar then jumped in, just as worried as his sister for a change. "Rihzome didn't really give us any time to even shadow him or anything."

Cara saw some truth in Solar's words, and seemed to relax a bit, her expression looking considerably less downcast. Yet she remained somewhat unconvinced, some scepticism clouding her gaze, shadowed with lingering doubt. She shrugged and said vaguely, "Only time will tell if I prove to be useful or not." Caramina paused, then said, "You two do realise how lucky the both of you are, right? Like Solar said, no dragon is good at everything. Each has their own unique set of strengths and weaknesses, which is why we need others to assist us in areas we're weak in, and vice versa. But they're not always available. You two are joined, and also share an understanding deeper than the shallow one an Adviser could offer his Ruler."

She smiled wryly at their reactions. "I can tell. Why else would the both of you be seeking the help of books?" she said, amused. At the mention of Rihzome, however, her gaze grew distant, and the sigh that escaped her was a heavy one. She wondered where he was now, but quickly snapped to the present, deciding that the twins were of more importance at the moment. "You don't need to shadow him. Why not do things your own way instead, in your own style?"