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[Nherva]

The lithe, black, serpentine wyrm descended from the sky, three massive dark shapes in tow. Her bodyguards. There were others hidden among the dunes below that had been sent in advance—just in case. The golden sand glared up at them accusingly from around the ruined temple that was to be their neutral meeting place. They were outcasts because of the war, finding nothing but trouble everywhere they went that wasn't on the main island of the Desolation because Sekkai had won in the end. Without her master, Augari was no less sinister and less willing to take the abuse she not only heard tell of from other Taints of her persuasion, but also experienced herself. She could hardly hunt these days without someone trying to ruin it, whether it be man or dragon. So she, her rider, and a few of her elite—well, mostly her—had come up with a solution, but it involved actually speaking to a leader of Sekkai, face to face. Augari wasn't stupid, and neither was her rider, so both prepared accordingly. Neutral ground, only remote for reasons of keeping nosey eavesdroppers at bay, but with three bodyguards for security had been the agreed upon terms.

Augari cared little if the Empress herself showed or if it was one of her many flunkies more commonly known as the Shadowguarde, so long as she got the results she was looking for. The Tainted Legion may have been beaten, may have lost hundreds of individuals because of Nidhogg's death, but if they didn't comply with their wishes, the chances of a whole new war beginning were shockingly well founded. If they didn’t get a more suitable place of their own, Augari wouldn't have to call the shattered Legion to war. They'd create it themselves. It had been an extremely powerful shock to the Toxic's being when the loss of her Master hit her. She'd been listless for days, without direction or motivation to move her. That was when Lascariel had reminded her what she was, and who. Not to mention that with the right kind of manipulation, she could take what was rightfully hers. It had taken weeks to gather the remnants, but once done, the Toxic held the Tainted throne, her mighty sheathes—both of whom were powerful in their own right if not simply trusted by the Toxic to be as vile as possible—flanking her.

And now she was taking their fate into her own gilded claws. If it worked, it would be the balance she needed to bring the rest of the unruly ones back under her wings. Those that had already forsaken her for Sekkai were no longer in her notice. She could not control them as Nidhogg had, and she wouldn't try. It would waste all of her valuable time she needed to be spending expanding her empire. Oh she could live with Sekkai being the top power, so long as there was a place for her kind. At least until she rebuilt the Legion to its former glory to recapture what was theirs. But, she wouldn't do it by cracking crystals. She loathed all breeds of dragon that were simply Tainted aspects of Sekkaian breeds, regardless of the fact that they were necessary. Tolerating them was necessary, but she didn't have to like them. No, instead she would breed a Legion worthy of the empire she sought in her mind's eye. If bred with the same quality of heart and soul as herself, her sheathes and even her present bodyguards, they'd be far less likely to defect like the wretches that already had.

Her descent halted as she back winged over the sand in the courtyard of the ruined building. Being that it was built for humans, it was too small for her or her guards to fit inside, but the walls that rose around the compound were plenty high enough to give them sufficient cover so they wouldn't attract attention. Landing lightly, the Toxic peered around for signs of those she'd be meeting with. Lascariel waited until the much larger dragons of their guard landed. A hulking Disruption on the left, who's heavy thrum vibrated the ground as he landed, on the right a Bone that looked to be of a Lava origin, with smoldering eyes set in the sockets of an ebony-black skull, and to the rear an Earth-sized Mycotic that appeared disinterested, though his queen knew otherwise. He would likely be one of the first to leap into action if he was needed.

If the Empress and Kyuuen did show, Augari would already be outsized by the Celestial herself. She wasn't taking any chances. If not, she was pretty decently sure that whoever was meeting her would not be small. Once they were all settled, Lascariel unclipped herself from the saddle and slid to the ground, preferring to stand on her own rather than appear as though she needed to hide behind her dragon. She'd never been in a position of such power in her life, but it was the entire reason she'd journeyed to the Murks nearly three years ago in the first place. Power. And this time, it was absolute. The thought always brought a smirk to her full lips.

"Stay behind and be watchful," Augari said, turning her narrow muzzle toward the Disruption, who was no doubt the one she'd placed in charge of the three. "We won't be long." She finished with a low hiss as she turned and followed Lascariel to a shaded place just outside the ruined temple. Augari saw movement in the distant sky and knew it was nearly time. She could only hope her prepared argument would not fall upon deaf ears.

[Seiss]

The things she found herself dealing with… she doubted she would even consider giving most of it their chance in the past. In many ways, it was easier in the before their victory. Now the boundaries and distinctions she had drawn to separate black from white were in shambles, turned black to grey and risk blending into white. She had Basara’s path to follow then, but now she faces the unknown. The most wounding part of it all, was to admit she was searching for her self. If logic did govern her choices, she would have been questioning why she bothered to answer the request leader of a small Taint colony. No, her decisions were influenced by the countless threads, a sense of knowing yet ignorant. It was a chance, an opportunity as much as it was a step into a mine field. The Empress, she surmised, would not be pleased with this development at all.

Dhruva had warned her that it very well be a trap to remove them. Despite his sound warnings, she appeared to see something else the great Fire missed and chose to accept. Her faithful bonded had been forced into so many unpleasant dealings since their ascent to the Shadowguarde. He was angry most of the time, boiling close to violent. Fortunately, the presence of his mate had a stabilizing effect on the Fire. It took a considerable amount of convincing to have him fly with her today. Asara had to reveal all her hand- a rare offering- to her Fire in order to win him over. Dhruva had descended into grim silence and she saw the strength it took for him to concede she might have the better plan. Constantly battling her own dragon with every step she made… where are the threads leading her now?

The shadows in the wind the Taints below sighted only belonged to two dragons. One was a strange silhouette of a large distinctive Fire, and the other trailing a distance above and behind was of smaller frame, elegant wings slender, and two pairs of them stroking a silken rhythm. Beneath them, veiled by the swirling sands was a tiny shape- a rider upon the back of a dun desert horse. The closer they drew; it became obvious that the oriental equine wore a helm mask of skull, white, no mistake it was fashioned from the bones of an airborne predator. The flaxen Fire landed first, a good distance away from the ruins, weight and force of his powerful hind legs rousing a wave of sand in his wake. Gusts from extensive wings pummelled a shallow crater beneath him. He bore no outward signs of aggression, but the hostility was evident in the deep lines etched into his snout. Sceathers and crown raised, silvery eyes flickered to his flank, waiting for the horseman to catch up and align his horse to the dragon’s breast.

The horse armoured in sun washed bones and leather armour cantered a strident pace by the Fire’s unhurried advance. Its rider, like Dhruva’s between his shoulders, were garbed in similar swathes of sandy cloak, high collars and masks that concealed their faces beneath their eyes- twin pairs of jade. The stray strands of inky locks escaping their hoods were of the same obsidian tint. Duplicates. Smooth dunes of sand behind them rippled in an ominous slither, whispering the presence of a waiting creature that lurked beneath.

Three visible hulking Taints were stationed on the other side of the ruins. Disruption, Bone and Mycotic. All first and foremost impressive in size and physical strength. Green eyes analysed the choice of guards their contact made with a critical curiosity. Size, strength and intimidation. The lone pair of Toxic would have to be their appointed leader. Black against the pale sand, the shade did nothing to conceal her abysmal form. A flicker of recognition entered the flaxen Fire’s gaze. He remembered them, the pair of Toxic who lead a rough wing into battle. They were young then, and young still, today.

Without command, the horseman halted his steed by the courtyard entrance, while the Fire preceded a few more steps forward towards the Toxic pair. His rider slid off his shoulder, perched briefly upon his extended wrist before dismounting in an agile leap onto the sand. Asara had replied them with a tiny letter that consisted of a word and the Shadowguarde initials. They had no idea who was answering their request. “Toxic. We remember you,” Dhruva’s low resonant voice made the fine grains of surface sand quiver, “And you claim to lead the Taint now. Interesting letter you penned. You have lured my bonded out- it better be worthwhile.”

A short muffled laughter behind the barrier of cloth, so lacking in warmth, from his human made the flaxen fire lift a disinterested brow. Mercurial eyes remained burning into the viscous gold of Augari’s. “Apt description, mine,” a trace of amusement followed the bemused glint in her emerald gaze. “Augari and Lascariel. Dhruva is the dragon and Asara, his rider. Mine is quite right. You seem to have an interesting proposition for us. Pray tell what it is that you desire.” Bright green sheen upon the edge of a thirsty emerald blade turned her unsettling gaze almost predatory, a light summoned to reflect the less merciful shadow beside her conscience.

[Nherva]

Augari's five eyes gave a lazy blink, synchronized despite their number and placement, as the Fire landed a little ways off, another dragon and an equine rider riding up soon afterward. Her brightly colored, forked tongue flicked out like that of a serpent at the site of the horse and her stomach gave a quiet growl. That wouldn't go over well, but a prized horse would make a decent meal for the Toxic. She'd have to go hunting when this was over. That is, if the Sekkaian's didn't ruin her appetite. "So the Empress and her gilded companion sent avatars after all," she said quietly, her words really only audible to her rider, who stood in wait as the others approached. Though, a low hissing growl arose when she recognized the Fire. She could not forget the ballista that had nearly shorn a giant hole right through her delicate wing membrane over the Zavan swamplands barely a year before.

Lascariel reached out and touched Augari's shoulder and silenced the growl with that simple touch because it caught her off guard. Only her rider dared touch her scales and not come away with a terrible rash from the vile plant oils that coated them. But to Augari's credit, when Dhruva finally spoke, she simply slinked to the ground into a comfortable mound of coils, appearing…very relaxed, despite the circumstances. "You have not been forgotten yourself," the Toxic said, her voice clear as pristine bells as it left her narrow black maw. At least she wasn't so insignificant as to have gone unremembered to the Fire pair. That had been the point. When actively fighting in the war, she had wanted her enemies to remember her, and fear her if possible.

"It is," Lascariel spoke as Dhruva continued, before Augari could answer with something so juvenile as 'or you'll what?' and completely shatter their matured appearance. Though she felt no tug in her bond with the dragoness that suggested she'd been interrupted. A relief at least. "We believe our proposition will not only benefit us and our…ilk, but yours as well, if you'll hear it," she said, stepping forward, her skirts swirling over her feet like bloody water as she stepped forward and away from Augari, if anything to show that she was unafraid. That she didn't need to hide in her dragon's shadow. Lascariel at least, had never feared the responsibility her power-hungry nature thrust upon her, and it was the same even with Nidhogg gone. At the same time, Augari also did not fear. She wasn't stupid, but she was very rarely afraid.

Augari looked back, her sinuous black neck curving over her body as she looked at the three massive bodyguards she'd brought with her. They were there just in case, not to intimidate or glower over their meeting. She gave a sharp, wordless hiss and the Disruption grumbled to himself and the other two before all three backed away a bit more, allowing them their space. "No doubt our former kind is giving yours a bit of…trouble these days hmm?" Augari asked, her velvet voice dripping with amusement. She knew how many of her own had defected and now begged at the Academy's ivory walls to be let in again, sulking around Nyushi like the mangy, useless lizards they were. The irony of winning the war and now being besieged by former enemies parading as friends couldn't have gone unnoticed by the Empress's Shadowguarde.


((Derps out a response :| ))

[Seiss]

OOC [*tosses return derp response*]

The Air that was part of their little escort remained airborne high above, pale coloured body fading in and out of the blinding sunlight. Far enough for most projectiles to reach but close enough as their liege advised to monitor the proceedings below. Their cruising course remained undisturbed even if they sighted additional Tainted company lurking behind the rise of sand. The latter guard below, one that appeared so harmless upon her equine mount was the true spearhead of the guard, and her dragon sunken underground would be the wind beneath her wings should she choose to fly. By way of the duplicate’s sharp, focused observance of the private exchange, it wasn’t just the Shadowguardes’ safety the guard was after.

The pale Fire stared at the multitude of golden eyes with expression wiped carefully empty when she acknowledged him in return. Augari sounded as though she was making a polite exchange. Unexpected, unusual and most of all, it roused his suspicions more than it settled him. White lips curled, flashing the roots of ivory fangs when she moved. Her current intentions proved harmless, as the black serpent slithered to a lax pose on the sand. So entirely off. When a viper did not behave as it should, the Fire knew better than to trust the creature’s outward disposition. He had come with no true intention to make peace, but only under his rider’s persuasion. They are enemies until they proved with their own spilling blood and seizing hearts that they are not.

So the dragon had the fire, while the girl held the voice between their bond; or so their behaviour told. Charisma, the girl did not lack and while her bladed verdant gaze remained uncaptured by the younger’s fresher emeralds, Asara could see exactly how she could gather herself support from a band of Taints. Peeking jewelleries from beneath her hair, the bold forward step she took, her dress of liquid wine, the distinct inking in her skin most striking around her eyes- pride, greed, thirst for blood and no doubt high seat. Cruelty? Yes, perhaps, if the inking in her skin did not already suggest. Concealed under generous swathes of sandy cloak, hood and mask that concealed her person, she exuded no prey’s stature, but like a seasoned panther blending still to fool an encroaching quarry.

Was this overconfidence, or did the girl prepare herself for assassination attempts? They never questioned their identities, saw no need to separate truth from deceit. If Lascariel dared to chance a few more steps forward, she would be placing too much faith in the Shadowguarde’s goodwill. One strike, her dragon might not have enough time to save her. Asara fought for Sekkai, but she had never been a saint. True she kept her word arriving with no more than three bodyguards, though to an unpractised eye she only had two; but sometimes when a foe dances so deliciously close, and the repercussions were minimal, she wouldn’t hesitate to bite an exposed jugular.

The Toxic rider’s more… diplomatic approach did make the decision of listening easier. The Toxic’s mild taunt, however, received naught but an extended moment of weighted silence, filled with hollow hush of rolling sands from sweeping winds. Silvery eyes shining overhead hardened, while his rider’s gaze remained impassive, bemusement betrayed only when she spoke, “Your former kind giving us trouble?” A slow shake of her head as a morbid sense of beguilement cutting through her eyes expressed half her disagreement. “No. The Taint had always been Taint, and the untarnished remain the same with their own weaknesses. Some of us are more… giving, more susceptible their sentiments. The trouble did not begin with the Taints entirely. The untarnished bear their own roots. Surely you must know none of you would be able to cross our boundaries without the grace from our tender hearted. Not for long.”

A rumbling growl of displeasure followed from the pale Fire’s chest. “Speak. Mine already asked once what it is you want. I am voicing the question twice. Should you feel the need to dangle a tasty treat you think you may have caught, we will leave you with your mice.” He didn’t care if the Toxic was attempting to show some grace by warning her own guards off- her actions were all false pretence in his eyes.

“We are here now.” Dagger edged eyes traced the Toxic rider’s form. “It would be a waste of our long trip if we did not hear your proposition, no? Speak without fear- you have come far with both mettle and perhaps, folly- there will be no bloodshed if you do not entice. My second question for you, younglings is where does your loyalty truly lie?” Her promise had nothing to do with first strike. If they exposed themselves, then they were allowing themselves to be slain.

[Nherva]

Lascariel stopped and stood her ground. Though she had stepped forward as to show that she did not fear the Sekkaians, she was no fool. She would not step too far from the shadow of her dragon and their guard, lest an opportunity be taken on her life. For all the Fire pair knew, they weren't anywhere near as cruel as Nidhogg and his forces that he controlled by simple tendrils of thought, but they were certainly just as smart for assuming that they were. She also was not willing to bet that the remaining Legion would avenge their fallen leader so soon, before they even had a chance to prove their taking the seat of power would be worth it. Of course, she hoped the Shadowguarde pair realized that should they not even hear what needed to be said and took their lives to prevent further uprising, that they could be instigating just that. After all, if Lascariel and Augari were to be taken out of the picture, the power vacuum that was left in Nidhogg's wake would start again, and something even worse could take their place.

They weren't all that bad, Lascariel thought with a small smirk that tugged at the corner of her mouth that disappeared mere seconds after it appeared. Augari, meanwhile, listened with amusement to the reply wrought by her statement of their defects. It confirmed that not all the Sekkaians trusted those flocking back to their arms, which was only practical. Nonetheless there were those that would accept the Tainted back with nary a questioning glance as to their loyalties. Shame those were so trusting. The fact that the Tainted, redeemed or not, were making their way into Sekkaian territory without being killed on sight was the reason they were here. Because it wasn't right that some were so accepted and others were harried like vermin. Fairness wasn't necessarily the ultimate goal, but if they didn't respond to the tactic of offered help to free them of the burden of unruly Taints claiming redemption, then they weren't below making it sound like a plea.

Lascariel's gaze hardened at the Dhruva's words. If it was straight business they wanted to get down to, then so be it, she didn't have time for banter anyway. "We are not here to entice any form of bloodshed dear Shadowguarde," she said, sounding respectful, though her blood heated with the low amount of respect at least the dragon seemed to have for their position, and the risk they took. They had both expected as much due to their age, but they didn't get where they were by being young and stupid at the same time. "Merely to propose something that might in turn benefit us both, remaining Taints and Sekkaians," she said.

Augari chimed in, her own displeasure coloring her words, "We are outcasts, unable to enter any cities or towns for the simple things that we need because of what we are, even if we make no move to harm or destroy. It's rather annoying you might say," she said, making it sound like less than it truly was. "And clearly your people who you've fought so hard to defend are upset by our kind showing up every now and again to get what we need from civilization. They might feel a little…perturbed by the fact that your guard aren't doing their best to keep us away from them, though it is difficult to stay away when so much of the world is now yours." The Toxic stated truth, no doubt that the pair before them could deny. Surely their ranks were hearing of that plight from other cities around the world.

"What we want is a place to call our own. The island of the Desolation cannot sustain us, so banishing us all there is out of the question. We and our Sheathes cannot control what the others do out of hunger, and your people will suffer. All we ask is for a place of our own. A city we can build to stay out of your business and you out of ours," Lascariel continued. "Obviously we can't force you to comply, but there will be consequences if those of more dangerous minds are left to roam."

"And unless you plan on hunting down every last one of us over the course of several hundred years…a daunting task…your people may rebel. Take heed to our words Shadowguarde before you dismiss us. Make no mistake, we care not if the future of Sekkai becomes difficult because our kind was left to decimate your cities and towns for their livelihood, in fact, it would bring us great amusement to see your citizens rise up in anger against you because of our kind. We are offering a solution to a foreseeable future that you may or may not wish to avoid," Augari added, the weight in her words evident.

"As to where our loyalty lies…that should be obvious. It is to ourselves and those who do not bid us ill…of course," an airy hiss escaped the Toxic at the end of her sentence.

"What say you?" Lascariel asked calmly, "Or shall we let you discuss it with your Empress first," she tried to keep the disdain from her voice for the woman that commanded the whole of their enemy. The first black mark against her was her inability to show for something of clear importance to her nation, when the Toxic and her rider were the first to step up for their people…however vile they might be.

[Seiss]

So rigid her past training and the war had made her. It made her a destroyer, focused her intent to purge the Taint, that even now her default calculations ran along removing the Toxic pair permanently. They were young, but they were raised and trained by the Tainted legion. While Nidhogg no longer possess direct control over them, he had still etched himself in their minds and these young were shaped to his desire. These pair could walk and function alone without the guidance of another- another fault that added to strengthen the motion that they should be erased. If the situation had been different, perhaps Asara might consider them valuable. She understood the multitude of possible results if the Toxic pair was terminated, but her plans were never that simple. The question remains, whether or not she should grant them the chance.

She observed the Toxic pair with a contemplative focus, never missing the slight nuances in their gestures or the fine fluctuations in their voices. Faded and grey but clear to her attuned senses, Dhruva’s seething anger roused easily to the slightest brush. Her disappointment and weariness filtered through their bond, but despite how much the Fire cared for his chosen, this- facing the Taint, the very kind that robbed him of half his soul, was much too soon. Asara sensed it and knew for her sake, he must back away or risk severely destroying the fragile cease fire. From beneath sandy cloak, a gauntlet hand lifted, cruel claws touching the flaxen Fire’s foreleg in a soothing gesture. Dhruva retreated a few steps, fire stirring in his heavy exhales. He was sorry, sorry he couldn’t stand beside her as she had hoped he would. Mercury eyes met her verdant pair with tangible weight of his apology. My flames, you know, will not abandon you. A guttural sound, defiant as well as a warning tore from the Fire’s throat, spat at the Toxic pair. He did not wait to see if the dark Toxic retaliated, but spread his wings, threw the sand into the air and rose to the sizzling sky with angry downbeats of expansive wings.

The padded sound of shod hooves filled the silence of fading wings as the armoured equine pranced a tight circle under the guidance of its rider. The Fire’s apparent departure meant they were the closest guard the human Shadowguarde had and the horseman wasted no time in cloaking the horse. A basic, perhaps flimsy armour that could hardly last if the Toxic decided to spit. Dhruva’s absence did nothing to faze his bonded. She stood with an unwavering confidence, unbending against the odds that seemed to stack against her. Her stare was intent, yet distant as she listened to the words the Tainted pair before her delivered. Their request was absurd to anyone who had sense in them, but nothing changed in her gaze to suggest such.

“A tall order. You desire a piece of land from us to crown yourselves its sovereign. None of us will accept your ‘proposal’, Toxic. You gift wrap your demand poorly,” she said plaintively. “You have only illustrated one possible outcome and you have assumed the variables unchanged, to draw me a possibility that will paint yourselves as a useful picture in my eyes.” Their words did have more than a grain of truth in them, but the Toxic pair was not the only solution to their problem. Dhruva might have blown a fuse when Augari dared to suggest the Shadowguarde were not doing enough to defend Sekkaian land, but the careless insult was simply disregarded by his bonded. She would keep her silence on the matter. Their post was a great burden on her shoulders, but she was not afraid to paint themselves black to achieve the end she desired. A title was just another subtle tool.

“You are sunk in a plight your ancestors left you with. Their intent was to destroy us. The unforgiveable deeds they commit leave us nothing but foul impressions to know you by.” Her gaze flickered towards Augari’s abysmal form, sharp as freshly forged daggers. “Do you deny the thirst for violence, cruelty and power bred in you? If we wanted to silence the wandering Taints, this opportunity you provide me- I could have replaced you with a less… independent creature and lead them from the shadows myself. You are shaped the way Niddhog wanted- a poor choice of a leader none of us wish to see crowned. I can offer power, riches and garner the loyalty of the Taints for someone who is suitable to be my mask- I doubt any would decline.” She allowed her words to fade into murmurs against the heated rise of whispering wind, hooded and concealed face canted in a slight movement, appearing almost thoughtful.

Wry humour coaxed a short laugh from behind her mask as she shook her head. “But none of that.” If their war did not come to an end, she would have taken the chance to employ her plan had the Toxic pair come forward then. Asara would never have hesitated to strike. “I refuse you for two reasons. One- allowing you your own sanctum will draw an absolute line between Taint and the untarnished. They are one race regardless of the creature that caused the divide between them- they are dragons. When we turn our backs on you, the divide will eventually lead to another war.” The Shadowguarde much preferred to see Taints milling around, terrorizing villages than to be blind to them all. Knitting the Taint among the Sekkaians was yet another safeguard for them, one that maintained itself without additional effort on her part. Sentiment is a weakness and strength of all sentient beings. “Two- you may know how to lead a flight, or a wing, but your disregard for the Desolation proves you know little about ruling. It is a wasteland, yes, but had you known to reclaim it, it would have prospered for you.”

Turning, she stepped back into the blinding sun, towards a half shattered wall. A gauntlet hand slipped from the dark folds of her cloak and she scraped a steel claw on the wind worn surface. The Toxic pair raised the possibility of a rebellion- she knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Peace never lasted long without a price. They had only scratched the down payment. “On the contrary, Toxic, a rebellion might prove beneficial. It is a natural shuffling of hierarchy. Who is to say our people wouldn’t end up squandering you of your forces for their cause? Where will that leave you, I wonder?” faint bemusement tinged the low tenor of her flowing voice.

She assumed a posture of repose, leaning her lower back against the severed wall. Electric eyes fell on the Toxic when she hissed the pledge of her loyalty. Dark lashes lowered and her gaze slitted. “Here I was, considering extending the offer of returning Nidhogg to you for a price… are his followers so faithless?” A pause that felt like a weight of cleaving blade behind naked necks thrummed.

The light shrug of her shoulders shed the tension as a cloud’s shadow passing overhead. “It is beyond my authority to grant you land. I am inclined to believe she will not approve either, especially when you know nothing of sustaining it. Tell me now, do you intend to lead with fear and the gilded promises? Confine the Taints to the land you are granted? Rebellion will rise among you faster than you can control. Sekkaians are not the only sympathizers- know that. Some of you prefer our side.”

[Nherva]

((uhm, I feel like I might have royally screwed this one up XD let me know if I misinterpreted anything or something stupid like that D: ))

Augari's eyes narrowed on the Fire as he leapt into the sky. Her muscles tensed, but she waited in painful patience for a blow to strike. Already she had followers that approved of her rule, and should she be stricken, they would retaliate in one way or another. Fortunately, it seemed attack was not what the Fire had in mind, and the Toxic relaxed as the rider began to speak, responding to their plea and their argument.

"Do not mistake us for fools," Lascariel almost snapped, but managed to keep her tone fairly even. "The outcome proposed is not the only one we see Shadowguarde, and you mistake us if you believe we wish to be useful in your eyes. That's not our intent," her frigid green eyes watched the other woman like a predator vying for territory with another. "Perhaps the intent was once to destroy you, and for some it still is," she confirmed at the mention that Nidhogg's influence was bored into some of them as though it were nothing more than pure instinct. "But you cannot assume that we will lead under the same motive and that all of those beneath us will wish you harm now that they all have their own motivations rather than that of one being. We do not deny what we have been trained for and learned, but you cannot sit upon your high horse and pretend as though you were not taught the same in regards to us," Lascariel bit back. She was no fool to think that just because the Sekkaian's were not Taints that their training was any less an attempt to hone their troops to kill, maim, and conquer.

At Asara's comments on the Desolation, Augari actually could not repress the growl that emanated from her throat, "You do not know the root of what lies in that place Sekkaian. What has tainted that land will forever persist as it rots and festers. If there were even the smallest amount of hope for that island, it would be several centuries before it was livable," she made her distaste for the place known. Wyrmlings starved to death before they could even become viable soldiers in the first place. Some of them fought and killed each other just to eat. The same could be said for the adults there as well.

Lascariel cut her off before her anger could make her appear as though she had no control and continued. "You say that giving us our own space will draw a clear line between us, yet, that line is already there. If you will not offer us a sanctuary, fine, then I'd like to see our kind let in amongst yours. Erase that line if it is such a bother to you. Eliminate your impending future war if that line be crossed," she said, knowing it would be impossible for the Sekkaians to simply allow the remaining Taints to become part of their own. "You say our kinds are the same, yet clearly you realize they are not." She crossed her arms over her chest as she emphasized her point. To think that this was a pathetic attempt to appear accommodating was being so easily tossed aside was not sitting well. They planned to build their own nation anyway, so much for being diplomatic.

"Do not believe you know us for the foul creatures you've been used to," Augari said, drawing herself up from where she lay. "For all the things you accuse us of, remember that you know nothing of what is left. What numbers we truly have to our beck and call," she glanced briefly at her three massive bodyguards, then back to the human, one eye always on the sky, where the Fire had retreated to for whatever reason. He was not the issue, and until he made himself one, he would be fitfully ignored. "Should we have desired to continue fighting, we would have, make no mistake. Consider this a courtesy Sekkaian. We did not have to ask," her words were followed by an airy hiss.

Lascariel glared at her dragon, unsure if the beast actually knew that she was displaying her hubris. Augari wasn't stupid, and there had to be a reason for it. But for the life of her she didn't know why she'd resorted to it so early. She continued off of it anyway, "If we had taken land for ourselves and begun to build without Sekkai's consent, would you not have attacked us to prevent such a thing? By doing so you'd have re-ignited the tinder that lies beneath the sentiments of war. Many of our own would easily rise against such rudeness—if the war was truly to be over," she shrugged.

"Strike at us and place someone in our position, you would be no better than He whom you believe to have defeated," Augari added, for Nidhogg was the truest form of a puppet master as one could ever hope to discover. If the Shadowguarde was so easily inclined to create a figurehead for the Tainted Legion that she controlled, then she was no better than the Master of Puppets himself. At least those that followed Augari would follow her because it was their choice to follow her. Not because she forced them. Though, she could be very persuasive.

Taken slightly aback at the sudden knowledge that Nidhogg was still alive, not dead as they'd assumed, the Toxic blinked calmly. They could keep him for all she cared. She enjoyed having her own control over her own actions and thoughts, and while the thought of him coming back to smite her from her throne was slightly intimidating, if the Sekkaians had him, they wouldn't just frivolously toss him back so that things could be as they were. She scoffed, "You have no authority to grant us land, but you have the authority to return your greatest enemy to the seat of his power? Do not assume we care to be subjugated to his desires so badly that we would want him returned," her words stung in her own mouth even as she spoke them, the whispers of the Lord that had been with her since she was in the shell retaliating even as she spoke. Truly she was torn between her loyalty to him and to herself, but that didn't have to be known. Breaking away from Him was her first step to being what she had become.

"We were all something else once," Lascariel added quietly. "Just because your kind views us as thoughtless, bloodthirsty heathens doesn't mean we do not know how to cultivate and prosper in a land that can actually sustain itself. Nidhogg may not have cared for such things, but we are not the same. We are aware that there are those of us that prefer your ways," she said, bowing her head ever so slightly. "They are not our concern, only yours." They at least had divorced themselves from the idea that any of those once-Taints that wished to return to Sekkai would be salvageable. "But do not forget, there are those among you whose sympathies lie with us." She added darkly. Just as how the Taints and the Sekkaians were from the same stock, the sentiments went both ways. Even during the war there had been those that avoided the fighting for being unable to decide what they truly believed in. The Toxic pair hoped that with their rule, that those certain misfits would finally have an actual set of causes to choose between, for mindless killing and Tainting of those pure was not on their list of reasons to remain separate from Sekkai.

"But," Augari said, lowering herself near her rider so that she could mount when she was ready, "If our requests truly fall upon deaf—or in your case as you claim—powerless ears, then we are finished here," she finished. She offered no threats or promises, only schemed inwardly. If Sekkai would not allow them their place, then they would take it regardless. If they had to fight tooth and nail just to get that damned, festering swamp to turn into something livable again, they would. Because they would sooner die than become part of Sekkai—not that such a thing would be offered. Their influence would spread and they would not be outcasts forever. Not if they could help it. The pair hadn't expected it to be easy, and they had expected to be turned down outright, all that was left was to do it anyway in a place where they wouldn't be bothering anyone openly enough to cause a fuss. If their attempts were thwarted, they wouldn't have to sound the call for war. Those drums would sound themselves. There were too many left that simply wanted to be left in peace, for they had suffered just as much from the talons of their enemies.

"They would not be confined," Lascariel answered, "But they would have a place to call their own, territory so that they didn't have to fight you and yours just for a place to sleep." She rested her hand on Augari's jet scales for a moment to pause, "You fought for your freedom and well earned it," she added, swinging her leg over Augari's saddle and taking her seat. "Expect that we will do the same if need be. After all, we are one race regardless of the creature that caused the divide between us initially," she echoed the Fire rider's earlier words. Because if they were truly the same, then they had just as much a right to vie for their freedom as the Sekkaians in any way they could, even if they preferred to be an autonomous nation.

[Seiss]

OOC [PSH it's good! <3
I hope this makes sense x3x *collapses on bed*]

A tiny, less serious half of her laughed at this entire slow progressing exchange. What a bother for something she could have easily simplified, but no, she had to test the girl and her dragon. She lifted a brow at the girl’s barely contained fury. Asara had yet begun to insult them, simply assumed a blind sight to the entirety of their plight. “If I did mistake you as idiots, I wouldn’t be standing here enjoying the joust now, would I?” Oh but how could they tell? She didn’t seem concerned that they couldn’t, either way. “No, perhaps I would, but that is terribly dull.” She met Lascariel’s chilling gaze with an oddly cheerful light in her stranger green, not scorning or laughing, but perhaps telling that she might have pulled the girl’s leg some. “No, many individuals have countless motives. You are absolutely correct, and that is what I count on.” Natural flow was definite and unfailing if only one could read.

“But do you?” She canted her head, questioning, genuinely curious, perhaps even expectant. “Do you wish to be useful in our eyes?” There was more in the collective noun. Asara had ignored the title the Toxic rider addressed her with from the very beginning, though she did nothing to correct the Toxic rider. Shadowguarde was a mere policing station, but the Sekkaians were the souls, the ones who truly mattered. She lifted a halting hand from between the folds of her cloak when Lascariel turned the blame apparent accusation around. “Let’s not talk about my upbringing, shall we? I am a poor example,” she said, bemusement stained with mild bitterness. Terribly poor example, she was. Lascariel had perhaps only half idea of what she had been conditioned for. “I know, however, that you meant our militia. But you simply cannot compare yourselves with us and say we are the same. We fight to protect. You were commanded to destroy. There is a cost to everything. To protect we have, of course, destroyed. The difference is in the root. Nidhogg struck first with you as his pawns.”

At the Toxic’s gnashing when she mentioned the Desolation, Asara found one of her curiosities about these younglings confirmed. Nothing significant yet, for this was just one dragon rider pair. They disliked the Desolation. Truly it wasn’t surprising for the filth that permeated the island. “Perhaps I don’t. But I’ve yet to see you try and fail,” she stated simply. There was no malice, no derision in her tone to suggest she was taunting, for she was not.

A noisy exhale, clearly of exasperation disturbed the veil under her eyes. Her arms under her cloak pulled back and rested against the broken top of sandstone wall. “You assume much. Have you any idea how insulted many dragons would be if we decided to label them all the same? No, they are not the same. I said they are one specie, one race. It is already happening, Lascariel. Tiny steps, but we are merging and it wouldn’t do to stop it.”

“Bite me,” her tone flat and dry, electric gaze hooded when she cast her deadpan stare at the Toxic when she claimed to be less of a beast she was. “But we do, Toxic. The remnants will always retain pieces of what was. Just as you retain Septys’s mutation from Nidhogg’s influence. Come now, why do you sour this with threats? We do not fear numbers. If we did, we wouldn’t have survived the war. If I did, I wouldn’t have come with two legitimate rider dragon pairs for guards.” One pair short. Asara understood the courtesy the Toxic pair extended by bothering to ask and despite the dragon’s insolence, the little prideful lifting of her tail simply glanced off the Shadowguarde’s indifferent stand. She was not here to dominate them, nor come to play inflate the bullfrog; though she was sorely tempted to swallow them whole.

And there the Toxic, along with the Taints always had the misconception that she was the shining white knight. Out to guard her honour and unblemished hide. The comparison with Nidhogg had no effect on her. Asara had no interest in ‘rising above’ the Tainted wrym. She observed carefully, the ploughing thirst of some predator scenting blood, searching for the weakness that was a desire for their dethroned lord. Just the slightest uncertainty, the jarring that was so subtly reflected on their bodies and she was ready to pounce. “Toxic, I never said I have the authority to return anyone.” A trace of enigmatic smile drew the corners of her eyes. She waited for them to ready for leave, far from swayed when the Toxic scorned her rank. Waited for the rider to say her piece.

“Yes. So you will,” she agreed. The cloaked Shadowguarde straightened and turned towards the temple ruins, her pace measured, her gaze cast to the ground to watch her own feet mark the sands. “Wrong again, Toxic. I said I had no authority to grant you land. I never said I couldn’t tip the odds in your favour. Did you expect me to tell you hopeful lies and bid you wait? I suggest you write another letter addressed to someone else if that is what you prefer. Power is so much more than the seat of a throne, the exalted station. I believe in swaying crowns.” The shadow of a broken arch sucked her greedily underneath its cover. There she turned and faced the Toxic pair who were ready to depart, resuming her wait once more.

[Nherva]

((I feeeeeel like this could be betterrrr ;n; ))

The longer they stood and traded blows with words, the more useless this endeavor was beginning to appear. Lascariel tired quickly of useless prattle, and the conversation felt as though it was slowly devolving into that. It was time to agree to disagree and depart, more than likely. She would not feel like a mouse on a string while the cat battered her within an inch of her life just before finally deciding to end it. Augari's irritation was clear, burning hotly within their bond, and the woman had to use a very steadying hand and yank of thought to keep the Toxic from making good on that invitation to "Bite me." The strangled hiss from that jerk on her invisible reins was all that betrayed the dragoness's desire to take that bait.

Augari turned her head to Lascariel and growled, speaking low to her rider, "This is a waste of time. We didn't come here to have a battle of wits."

"No, but we've extended the courtesy. We tried to be civil, despite everything," Lascariel murmured back. She ignored the infantile comment of Nidhogg striking first, like a child screaming to its mother that his brother started it. She could have argued that they were being blamed for something that had been beyond their control, but she left it alone, realizing that they would lose their battle of words if they only continued to take the bait. If anything, they'd covered their asses trying to take a more politically civil approach rather than just attacking and taking land that the wanted to rebuild what they'd lost. And they'd be sure that word got out about it. Not every one of their witnessing bodyguards was there to fight if need be, even though he appeared to be the most threatening of them all. That was why they had chosen him, even if he was a blundering fool on the battlefield. People and dragons all over Sekkai would know that Augari and Lascariel had taken over the remnants, and they would know that their empire would offer an alternative to submitting to Sekkaian rule. One that didn't entail the slaughter of innocents and tainting of dragons, unless that was in one's motives of course. Freedom, in a sense, would be what would draw the divided to their empire. It would be a complicated hierarchy of terror and strength, but only the strong would be left. The weak could cower beneath the wings of Sekkai if they wished.

Then, the Toxic rider looked back at Asara, "Perhaps we have sorely misjudged you," she said, feeling an impetuous twitch of muscle from Augari, though the Toxic remained still. Her rider didn't go into any more detail as to what that statement meant. "Though your words are well-played to say the least, we seem to have gone off on a tangent. Do you, or do you not have the ear of your Empress, or whomever does have the power to offer us what we desire? It is a simple question. If not, then we will seek out other means. If so, then tell us your terms." Lascariel said rigidly, making it clear that she wasn't going to bake forever in the desert sun just to be told no would be the answer all along. Though their arguments could continue indefinitely, the futility of continuing had revealed itself to her.

Augari straightened, and if her jaws allowed her to smile, she'd have been wearing a wicked one at the mention of swaying crowns. At least there was that small piece of common ground between them and the Shadowguarde. They were all playing an intricate game with important pieces all in place, to be moved in whatever ways they could be moved. This was one of those situations that could be tipped in the Toxic pair's favor, if they played all their other cards properly in the eyes of the right audience. Things suddenly got much more interesting. "You aren't wrong," Augari said to her mention of power being more than just a station. She had learned quickly in the span of her short life that which Lascariel had already known, and she'd been playing pieces together and toward a goal ever since she'd gotten out of her training and into the war at large. She wouldn't allow herself to become subservient to the wishes of this Shadowguarde, but she'd hear the terms regardless. "We are not unaware of the responsibilities involved. Otherwise we wouldn't be here," she added, then allowed a few more moments for the woman to answer Lascariel before she simply took off without an answer.

[Seiss]

OOC [Am so sorry ;__; this crappy post finally!\

The façade wore off, when she was marginally satisfied with what she gleaned from how the Toxic pair presented themselves so far. Sharp eyes observed the fluctuations in voice, posture, movements and expression with the keen intent on scoring the soft innards of either tough or poisonous shell. From like looks of it, it was likely the latter. The unusual turning of her mind had already imprinted the Toxic pair’s presence into her mental web, but it was not enough. Not yet. Lascariel’s ambiguous statement and poorly concealed harry earned only the barest shift in her gaze.

The serpent Toxic’s delight, she did not miss. Beneath her cowl, her expressions remained a clean slate. It appears the Toxic pair was confident they were the Taints’ next Crown. They established just that, as the first pair to come forward, or even consider approaching any authoritative figures of Sekkai. There wasn’t much to gain in this meeting for them- not with how they behaved. It was neither assassination attempt nor the wily intent to gain favour. They made the first step, in a relatively… positive direction.

“Come again in a week’s time and I will have your answer.” She stepped out of the arch’s shadows, motioning the identical rider and her horse forward.

The horse snorted, dancing sideways, refusing its rider’s reins. It couldn’t see in the darkness of the skull over its head, but it could still scent the dragons ahead. Under the rider’s firm hand however, the wary equine trotted forward. It couldn’t possibly know what will come after- its demise not from an enemy’s hand. The rider halted by Asara’s side, swinging out a leg with practised ease for a smooth dismount. A small surf of sand sprayed from her landing. Then she moved to the horse’s head and slung an arm to secure it. The soft ringing of a drawn and sheathed blade was unbroken in the single motion Asara took to cut the animal’s throat. With a strangled whiny, the equine collapsed in a heap, spraying sand when its weight hit the power soft ground.

“I would have brought a cow, or something bigger, but well, they are insufferably slow.” The Shadowguarde dusted off the grains casually, providing nothing to explain her action or intent. “You must be hungry with your barren lands. Consider it… a small gesture of… good will.”

Harmonious sweep of dark cloaks skimmed like ghostly brushes over sand. The Shadowguarde and her identical crossed paths once as they made their way around the fallen animal, leaving the Toxic pair behind. A white shape above emerged from the sun’s glare, plunging like a wilted petal from the morning star. Dhruva landed among the dunes to fetch the pair and didn’t waste a moment longer in the desert. Great spined tail sweeping a graceful turn, the male Fire took off, stirring a little sandstorm in his wake.

------

Within the week, the closed discussion the Shadowguarde had with the Empress was concluded. The Fire pair set off for the Sea of Sand once more, with less fire, less demand for blood in Dhruva’s system. Years of suffering the Taints have caused couldn’t be so easily erased, but at least, where there was an obliterating loathing before, reason opened the possibility of transition to acceptance for the Fire. For his bonded’s level headed approach to the Toxic Taint, he was grateful and proud that one of them had the mind to consider Sekkai’s wellbeing before her emotions. Asara had always been, however, and he knew how it cut sometimes to choose reason above emotions.

The sun’s heat bore heavily down their backs as they stood waiting by the ruins. The searing temperature was no burden to the pair, however. Dhruva readily absorbed the energy to his core, while expelling excess by radiating back warmth. He sat like a great towering Sphinx, natural dignity filtering through every pore. Beneath the eve of a crumbling monument, Asara lurked in the sparse shadows, still as the structure. She was in similar, nondescript garb as she was the last time, save with the cowl lowered from her nose to reveal a pale face and stray raven hair. Verdant gaze remained vigilant as a lazing cat’s.

When the Toxic pair arrived, and Lascariel dismounted, Asara finally left the cooler shades, stepping forward to meet them. “Fair winds, Augari, Lascariel,” her greeting was perfunctory, unlike the last. She was the proper representative today, and placed her station’s duty before any prowling games. “You should think of something to call yourselves. The term ‘Taint’ is rather inappropriate now that you are free from such a… disease, no?” Arms folded beneath the dark cloak, already dismissing her most recent suggestion and focusing like a predator denied its prey, to the matter at hand.

“The Empress has spoken. You are aware of the Dead Plains, yes? That piece of land that joins your past territory with ours will be open to you and your kind- a neutral ground. We will not be withdrawing our control from it completely, however. The people there will not be abandoned. Before you protest, you might find this arrangement to your benefit. The soil there is poor. You are aware, I am sure. Sekkai will be making efforts to better it. In addition, there are already plans for a hospital to be built- it will be open to you as well,” she paused for a brief moment, observing the girl. “We expect you to meet us halfway. We will provide aid, as long as you remain… peaceful. Cooperate with us to help restore the land and you will have earned the right for us to share. Once you’ve proven yourself capable in managing those who follow you and the land you occupy, the rest can be discussed later.”

While his bonded spoke, Dhruva watched Augari with a schooled expression. There was a remnant shard of anger, translated onto his prideful posture, but that was all. He greeted the Toxic with a silent focus of his silver eyes and remained the silent guardian.