RP:Iscattiva Meets A Fellow Paladin

Kelay Way, Outside the Tavern

Eliason moves wearily toward the tavern, feet plodding heavily upon the well-marked path. The young paladin's armor is dirty and dented and his hair is disheveled. As he walks, he mutters to himself. If one were inclined to listen, they would get the impression that he is quite irritated by something that has kept him up all night.

Iscattiva is not a creature easily missed, stretched out as she is along the side of the road opposing the tavern, her immense, golden bulk obstructing traffic. The young dragon is oblivious to the irritation of a handful of marketbound farmers however, her attention invested in eagerly barraging a milkmaid with endless questions about her occupation. Given so rarely she receives attention of an innocuous manner, the maid can't help but oblige, even though she's taking frequent steps backwards in an attempt to chat and carry-on her work at the same time. This puts the poor girl directly in the young paladin Eliason's path, a collision imminent and hastily noticed by the golden saurian, her foreclaw reaching out to try and halt the girl. "Ah! W-wait! Stop, please!" But a dragon's claws rushing toward you are terror-inducing for most, causing the maiden to shriek, drop her buckets, and flee with skirts in hand, leaving a downtrodded Iscattiva behind. "Not again..."

Krice ventured through the area from the west, dressed in the same outfit as usual (black button-down shirt, black loose-fitting Hollow-equivalent jeans; katana strapped to his back) and looking frightfully pensive. It would come as no surprise if the warrior bumped into someone on his way by.

Eliason is sleep-deprived and quite irritated by the night behind him. As such, his attention is not on his surroundings. It is only the shriek of the milkmaid that causes his eyes to rise from the path before him. The first thing that he notices is the frightened maiden nearly colliding with him in her haste to escape the dragon. The second thing he sees is the rapid approach of a large dragon's foreclaw. With a very unpaladinlike curse, he casts himself to the side with a clatter of armor and quickly unsheaths his sword, turning to stare at the dragon with wide eyes.

Krice also was drawn from his thoughts by the sound of that screaming maid and his gaze shot up from the ground, a blink returning the focus to his eyes. He abruptly halted and came to realize that he was mere metres away from a dragon, plus a sword-wielding paladin whom he could barely see beyond said dragon. There was no bloodshed, he could tell that much. As the seconds ticked by, the warrior came to realize that the dragon wasn't showing signs of aggression or anger; though, he was by no means a dragon expert. Ultimately, he chose to give the reptilian female a wide berth, walking along the northern flank of Kelay Way under the lips of the store roofs. He glanced toward Eliason on his way by.

Iscattiva's collection of horns rattle with the weight of the sigh she exhales, a gusty affair that kicks up a thick cloud of dust upon the road. While it obscures Eliason and his drawn sword from view, it also serves to further the dragon's misery as the dust induces a fit of coughing and sneezing. Rising to her paws and thus her considerable height, the Golden rears her head above the cloud as nostrils are rubbed roughly in hopes of banishing the offending dust. Unfortunately for Iscattiva this leaves her in an easily misinterpreted pose by the time the dirt settles, arranged as she is on three powerful legs, neck arched back, tooth-filled maw wide, and talon raised before the paladin. It's almost like a picture straight from a storybook. Until Iscattiva blinks amber eyes, startled, and blurts out, "Good sir! Is there danger about?" The great golden head whips back and forth in search of a maurading party, crew of assassins, or other such threat--Krice is given a particularly close look as he walks behind her, "Might I be of service in defending the town?" Naive as always, Iscattiva.

Eliason coughs and splutters as he is suddenly engulfed in a cloud of dust. The last thing he had seen was the warrior looking at him from beyond the dragon. But now, all he can see in through the shroud of dust is the dragon rearing up as if to strike. Eli draws up his shield and crooks his sword-arm in a battle ready stance, still unsure of the best way to face such a foe. His meager training had not prepared him to face a dragon yet. That's lesson 47, he is only on 32... Then the dragon speaks, bringing about further confusion to the acolyte's eyes. He had heard that dragons were cunning, but he had not expected such deception. He calls out in response, "Do not try to trick me, foul beast! I cannot simply stand by as you terrorize innocent milkmaids within this town!"

Krice was thankfully out of the broader reach of that dust cloud and didn't cough too much as a result. With Eliason and Iscattiva occupied by each other, in a standoff that the warrior obviously felt would threaten neither party, he continued onto the east.

Iscattiva dips her head down to peer between her foreclaws in search of the 'foul beast'. When none is found, Eliason's words begin to dawn on her. "Oh..." Head still held low to the ground, the Golden twists her neck so that her eye is level with the paladin in his defensive stance. Like a cat's, the eye's pupil is slitted, a line of black that has contracted to a near sliver as she stares at Eliason. A ridged eyelid descends slowly over the amber surface in a thoughtful blink. "I apologize, sir. You misunderstand me. I did not intend any terrorizing. The young lady was in danger of walking into you. I wished to avoid that, so as to prevent her spilling the milk she'd worked so hard to acquire." Said milk is regarded, now a thick puddle of pale mud, the sight causing the dragon obvious unhappiness. Further her head drops until it is resting upon the ground beside the spilt buckets. "I failed, however..."

Eliason stares at the dragon, waiting for the inevitable attack. Is it possible that she could be telling the truth? Slowly his sleep-deprived mind tries to remember exactly what he had seen. Carefully, he lowers his shield, though his grip upon his sword remains firm. "You were not attacking her? You are not trying to deceive me?" Eyes warily remain on her as he awaits her answer. "If I was mistaken, then I apologize for my words and actions."

Iscattiva watches the shield being lowered while also noting that the sword remains at the ready. Now is not the time for careless movements, Iscattiva. She can almost hear her father's words ringing in her ears, reproaching her for her constant missteps and social blunders. With great care and pointed slowness the Golden draws her head up and back, granting herself room to bring a forepaw up to press against the layered scales of her chest. The odd gesture is explained with her response to Eliason's question, "I swear to you on the honor of Cyris and all He blesses that I do not deceive you, sir. Nor should you apologize. I have seen enough of my... less savoury Kin to understand such a reaction. It is best to err on the side of caution, I imagine." Suddenly realizing she's rambling, the young dragon dips her head sheepishly and quickly blurts an introduction, "I am Iscattiva, daughter of Rhavid, paladin of Cyris. It is a pleasure."

Eliason : The dragon's sworn oath to Cyris is enough for the paladin to ease his defensive posture. With a sigh of relief, the man slips his sword back into its scabbard and allows his shield arm to completely relax. With a shake of his head, Eli dismisses Iscattiva's forgiving words. "I can honestly say that I have not met any of your kind, only rumors. But a paladin of Cyris should be treated with much more respect." He pauses and lowers himself in a bow before speaking again. "I am Colin Eliason, Paladin-in-training to Arkhen."

Iscattiva returns the bow by dipping her upperbody low and mantling her wings, the gesture done with enough eagerness that her right wing accidently clips the hanging sign of a shop and sends it swinging violently. Looking once again abashed, the dragon tries to cover her actions with words. "You are one of Arkhen's followers? It is a pleasure indeed! I have not had the joy of crossing paths with many others of the Faith since leaving my broodhome. ...I fear faith is a dying element in these lands." The last remark is said low, tone miserable and confidential as the Golden voices a worry that's been growing in her breast for the past two months.

Eliason jumps at the sound of the sign being knocked so loudly but offers a grin at the dragon's reaction. His face grows grave, however, as she speaks of the loss of faith among the residents of Hollow. "I fear that you are right. There is a growing number of unbelievers about the land. But, take heart in the knowledge that there are still many of us about fighting the good fight. Many times it seems to be a futile effort, but the Divine keeps us strong. We may not always prevail, but it only takes a few of us to keep the balance."

Iscattiva, growing progressively more conscious of the troubles of her large size in such a small space, draws her wings in tight against her sides and curls her tail around before settling down, for all the world looking like a giant golden cat at rest upon the road. While she's trying to be careful about her enthusiasm and subsequent overlarge gestures, Iscattiva still nods excitedly in agreement to the paladin's remark. The motion causes her horns to clatter together and sends a ripple of metallic ringing down her back as scales click off one another. Even when trying to behave, it'd seem the young dragon is still noisy and unable to remain perfectly still. "Your words give me heart, sir Eliason. I am glad to know there are others that carry the same determination and belief. I had begun to fear I was alone, as the only other of my faith has fallen to darker influences, if whispers are true." She means Redovian, a man she'd hoped to join and aid in bringing light back into the realm. "Do you know of others I can seek out? I wish to lend myself to causes of the Divine wherever I may, but I have had little luck in finding them."

Eliason squints his eyes as the rattling of Iscattiva's scales pound against his growning headache, but attempt to cover the gesture with a nod. "To the north of here lies another city known as Larket. Near the river there is a Paladin Training Center where I take my training. Most of the faithful find their way there from time to time. You should seek out Lady Valiana. She is my mentor and is quite adept in the ways of the Divine. I am heartened to know that Cyris is still drawing champions for himself. I also had heard rumors of his last champion, though I find myself wanting to discount them." There is a hint of sadness at the idea of another righteous man falling from the faith. The idea is more disheartening than the acolyte will admit.

Iscattiva turns her head to look toward the north as if she could see Larket from here. The city's name, and that of the lady Valiana, are murmured softly to herself so that they're committed to memory. "Mayhaps there are other followers of Cyris there as well," the Golden says quietly before turning to look back at Eliason. The scaled and spiked edges of her lips quirk upwards slightly in a draconic attempt at a smile, although the expression is too toothy and too similar to a snarl to work well. "I thank you, sir Eliason. You have given me heart. I will seek out this Larket and Valiana, and in doing so hopefully locate others of the Faiths."

Eliason offers another low bow to the dragon, though the showing of her teeth is a little disconcerting. "I am happy to have met you, Iscattiva. Perhaps one day I will have the honor of fighting at your side. Until then, I am happy to have made a new friend. If you ever have need, you need but call upon me."

Iscattiva resists the urge to bow back, just barely. She's caused enough accidental damage as it is today. "The same to you. Iscattiva Rhavidsdottir will not balk when it comes to defending those that need it." Nodding firmly at this, the dragon gets carefully to her claws, being especially mindful of the passer-bys and horses around her as she begins to step backwards. "While I regret startling the young lady, I am glad that it has resulted in my meeting you. I pray we meet again soon. Until that time, may Cyris' light keep you free!" Unless Eliason has anything further to say, Iscattiva will launch herself into the air, using one powerful stroke of her wings to get airborne enough to not topple the people below.