RP:Jade Persuasions
He'll not hear the end of this from Satoshi, there's no doubt.
But as emerald coils entwine securely about jade, the thought is only a pinprick worry in the back of his mind, soothed by the gentle rustle of scales caressing scales. Scales once viewed with pride for their brilliance and flawless maintenance now feel coarse, distorted, and pitted in comparison to the velvet smoothness of the jade ones they embrace, great care taken in his touches for fear of damaging their pale perfection. How can he, a creature tainted by Chaos' touch, be permitted to share his presence with this masterpiece?
Sensing the black unease lapping at Emiur's mind, the light-scaled female lifts her head and regards him with a golden eye, quizzical. Where Emiur's feathered crest extends back off his head in a fierce ruff, hers flows like liquid color down her neck, the delicate curls of feathers framing a slender serpent's head with a rainbow shroud. And those precious metal eyes stare out from among them now with a searching look, questions silent but potent within their depths.
::You're thinking it again.:: Matter of fact as ever comes the crisp, clear mental-voice of the Jade.
::I am. Forgive me.:: Unable to lie, even if he desired to, Emiur dips his snout in apology. A slender, black forked tongue from his companion darts out to caress his cheek in reassurance.
Her voice, however, is stern despite the affectionate gesture, ::I will forgive you when you cease such thoughts. I chose you, if you recall.:: Her pale coils tighten about his own in a couatl's version of a hug.
Emiur's head falls lower with a nod before he brings it under the Jade's chin in a nuzzle, once more producing that musical rasp of scale over scale. ::I recall...::
It had been a day like any other, spent flying endless patrols over Gualon as the Eyrie had been assigned to do since the Time Lord's return. Emiur's eyesight, damaged long ago, was never as keen as the gryphons or wyverns he flew investigation missions with, but as a couatl, and thus a natural psion, his ability to sense the emotions and brush the thoughts of the city below made him invaluable as a scout. As such, Emiur had frequently accompanied the patrols day and night in hopes of discovering priceless tidbits of information concerning activities of the Leech--as the Foxling dubbed Vuryal.
Emiur had been tireless in his efforts, determined to deliver tide-turning news to Satoshi, and thus further earn the Foxling's adoration. If couatls could smile, such thoughts would have drawn that expression from Emiur then. Praise from the Ice Queen is a thing hard-earned, yet cherished by himself, being vain to the core--much like the little queen. He'd seen that spark of arrogance in her mind the first time they'd met, when she'd chosen to spare the chaos-crazed couatl rather than slay it. He'd seen that well-veiled look of awe she'd run across his emerald and rainbow form. There, there had been a being that carried great pride in herself while still being able to appreciate beauty in another, despite it being buried by the madness of Chaos. It had been that appreciation that stayed her hand, although Emiur doubts Satoshi would ever admit it, if she was even aware of the reason herself. More than likely, she's written it off as a spur-of-the-moment decision, a gamble that's played off in her favor and won her a loyal couatl companion for life.
Such loyalty had Emiur then flying endless circuits above Gualon. Recently he'd been sensing the presence of something large... something with that same warped, tormented mind as the other dangerous underlings of the Time Lord. A mind not unlike Firewing's had been, as if it'd touched Hell itself at some point, and was ever on the verge of falling into complete madness. As yet, however, the couatl has had no luck identifying its source. Even his psionics could not fully penetrate the mayhem and malice below, mental-fingers always sent glancing away as if they've tried to grasp at a glass bowl. Frustration had been steadily growing in Emiur's mind with each passing day he had been thwarted from unearthing this mystery pawn until he was radiating tension in nearly palpable waves.
That day, the vexation had reached a degree that caused his flight companions to give him a wide berth. While Emiur, like any couatl, is not a physically violent creature, he's still more than capable of making a soul regret crossing him. The Eyrie scouts had no wish to tempt him to barrage their minds with horrific images, crippling emotions, or--worst of all--block out all thought and feeling entirely. And so, little by little they've ranged farther afield, leaving Emiur in the center of their expansive flying circle. The glimpse of wyvern hide and flash of gryphon wings only briefly showed themselves among the distant clouds, with minds even further withdrawn, as obvious sign of their reluctance to be near the brooding couatl.
Lost in searching, Emiur wasn't even aware of his abandonment. Only the pleasant silence of the airs around him. No yammerings of beast minds ever dwelling on instinctive thoughts. When is it time to eat again? Which Wing member would make a worthwhile mate? Does my Rider want to see how quickly I could dive toward the ground? For a mind both aged and learned, Emiur found his Wingmates' endless musings distracting, silly, and most of all... beneath him. But now there was silence. The blessed silence of there being no mind but his own nearby.
As if to mock this thinking, the couatl felt the feather-light touch of a mind brushing across his own then, accompanied by a ringing laugh silent to the world, but clear within his head. Wings flared out to bring himself to a sudden stop before pivoting to allow Emuir to hover as he searched the grounds far below. Nothing but swamp and the distant movements of animals among the plants and water.
Again the brush came and that laugh, that time with the faintest whisper of a word. ::Silly.::
Whirling around midair, Emiur scrutinized the clouds left, right, and behind. Nothing more than the churning of the winds. Not even a sparrow disturbed the airs beyond that. His Wingmates are far from range by then.
A third time delivered touch and laughter, and more words. ::Who is above whom now, Shieldless Mind?::
Realization dawned on Emiur along with a feeling of cold dread. Above. He had let a stranger approach him from above, unnoticed and unchallenged. With the expectation of having talons enclose about his throat, as he deserves for the blunder, the couatl turned his gaze higher... and beheld beauty beyond his reckoning. For in the airs over him hovered another couatl, a female, a creature slim, pliable, and smooth as a young Willow branch. Scales of pale jade covered her from delicate snout to whip-thin tail, so expertly woven together that they appeared to be a single flexible hide and not countless tiny fragments. Wings long and slender were extended out from either side, held splayed wide before Emiur's eyes so that the sunlight poured through and illuminated their pale rainbow feathers in a dazzling array. Somewhere deep in his mind he took note of the fact that she positioned herself here strictly to have the sun as a backdrop. A maneuver he's pulled himself many times to make an impressive entrance.
The laughter came again, as clear as bells, and Emiur found himself suddenly aware that his thoughts have not been shielded in the slightest. All his musings about this female's beauty had been laid open for her to read as readily as any book. Too long had Emiur been out of the company of his own kind, and thus fell out of practice in maintaining his mental barriers when near their keener scrutiny. Having read his thoughts, the Jade female couldn't help but twine about in the air, coils doubling over themselves and encircling wisps of cloud so that she appeared both endless and ethereal as she danced with delight. ::Such thoughts, when we've not even been introduced,:: she taunted in playful tones, ::Emiur.::
Even thinking back on it now, Emiur still cringes at the memory. It was the mark of a truly careless couatl if another was able to pluck his name from his mind with ease. Yet, the female seemed amused rather than disappointed by her success--albeit partial success, as she only managed to obtain his use-name and not his True one, for even a foolish couatl closely guards that title.
Head lifted and feathered crest splayed to improve his appearance, Emiur regarded the female closely. Eyes alone are not used in his inspection. He had made a fool enough of himself with thoughts produced by his sight. No, instead it was his mind that searched her then. His probing mental-touches flitted across a mind's barrier as smooth and flawless as the female's scales, no purchase offered for him to dig in and discover her character. But the surface was also as clear as glass, a fact that permitted him to glimpse small pieces of information within: while not a hatchling she was only barely beyond adulthood, her psionics were impressive but not without flaw, inexperience would make her vulnerable to the lands so far from her home, and curiosity for the unusual would spell her downfall if she continued to pursue it. As she has now, Emiur discovered with surprise, seeking out this strange, solitary couatl who flies with gryphons and guards snow foxes. He may call her 'Ling', if he desired a use-name. Withdrawing then, Emiur dipped his snout in formal acknowledgement of their introduction.
::My apologies for stray thoughts. It has been long sin-::
::I know.:: A light of amusement danced within her eyes.
Emiur resisted the urge to coil inward on himself at that revelation. She knew. Just how much had she read in him?
::A great deal. You've led a fascinating life since touching Chaos.::
With a surge of strength, Emiur climbed the distance between them and set himself before the female, head reared back high upon his neck to tower over her. When he spoke, his mind's voice was firm and smooth as a polished stone. ::That will do with all that, if you please. I have apologized for allowing my mind to become lax and intrude upon your own when your presence was not known to me. I ask that you do not remind me of the shame repeatedly.::
The female's eyes widened in golden surprise and she brought her coils closer together in unspoken deference to the male before her. ::I apologize. I did not mean to upset you, it was purely in jest. Jest I took too far in my delight at having found you.:: In response to the questioning sensation that came from Emiur at that, she added, ::The skies sing of you, couatl like no other. Fly with me? So that I might learn more of what the clouds have whispered?:: A dip of her wings carried the Jade forward and down, her serpentine form entwining itself around Emiur's, held at a distance that barely prevented them from touching while still being enticingly close. As quick as that, she flew away into the cloudbanks, Emiur only hesitating a moment before giving chase happily.
His curiosity, delight, and eagerness was a potent mixture, enough to travel the distance between Gualon and Frostmaw, where one of his feathers resides in Satoshi's hair. The kit, buried in paperwork at the time, found her attention ensnared and, naturally, she sent an inquiry through the bond between herself and the couatl. The only answer she received was the mental equivalent of a pat on the head before a wall was drawn up between them. And so Satoshi returned to her work, miffed at the brush off and amused at Emiur's sudden detachment--she could have sworn she caught the vague images of a pretty little winged-serpent in his company. "Have fun, Scales~."
Emiur draws closer to Ling at the memory, his coils completely enveloping hers like a blanket of emeralds. That had been two months ago. He hadn't left her side since, duties abandoned and companion left waiting. Frequently, the Foxling had tried to contact him and even track him using the feather, but he'd kept the barrier firmly in place, only allowing through hints of reassurance about his well-being to keep her from tearing the lands apart in her search. The barrier unfortunately doesn't work two ways, as he's had to feel Satoshi's impatience and unease endlessly.
Sensing this, Ling nuzzles lightly as his jawline. ::You're fond of her, are you not? And she is worried? You should return.::
Scales clatter softly with Emiur's heavy sigh. It's been a repeated conversation between them, her insistence and his refusal. ::In time. She can manage without me, she has many that are devoted to her and will ensure all is well. She worries, for me and others, although I do not think she could ever admit it. The feeling is too new a thing for her these days but she'll learn. You are what I am devoted to now. You, and them.:: As one, the pair of couatls look down into the ring formed by their woven coils, where five viridian eggs lie nestled warmly.