songerein | { dream faire: part 2

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{ dream faire: part 2 - dragons }

DREAM FAIRE: PART 2 - DRAGONS

Early morning on the fourth day of the five day Dream Faire, something strange is spotted in the distant skies. At first most just think it's a large cloud or large beast flying in the distance, but as the vendors begin setting up for the day, the strange shadow has grown larger and closer. At this point there are reports from the Observatory that one of the large floating mountains usually spotted around the Outer Edge has flown towards the town at incredible speed. At first everyone is excited, thinking perhaps the mysterious residents there have come to join the fun.

Unfortunately, they would only be half right.

At around noon it's all thrown into chaos when the mountain appears directly overhead and thunderous roars rip through the skies as an army of dragons fly off from the mountain and descend down into the town. Though large, those familiar with dragons will notice that they are smaller and sleeker in stature, closer to the size of large wyverns. Without warning they start tearing apart the glittering jewels and gold that decorate the city—but others ignore the treasure to search frantically instead, overturning every wagon, crate, and smashing through doors and windows.

As chaos erupts throughout town, some fae and others who can understand the dragons make a startling revelation. The dragons are not here to just mindlessly destroy the town—they are there to take back their treasure and find their missing clutch of dragon eggs.

This is the second part of our double anniversary event! ICly, this log covers the fourth day of the Faire with the festival portion contained in its own log here. Part one is still active, so don't feel as if you cannot participate in the other log! For general information and to ask any questions, refer to the Dream Notes.

I. DRAGONS

As the word spreads, efforts to fight and repel the dragons lessen and attempts to help take their place. However, with lack of proper communication and the word of the truth spreading slowly, misunderstandings will crop up. Costume effects are still active, so some may find what they're wearing useful in handling the different problems around town.

A. Treasure Salvage. One of the main purposes the dragons are invading the town is to rip up the various gold, jewels, and other priceless relics and artifacts that had been used to decorate the town. Given their enraged state of mind, they're not being very "delicate" about it, but at the very least they haven't started to completely raze the town—yet. Many people will take up arms to try and defend their homes, but those who have heard what's going on can try to help convince people and remove the treasure to return to the dragons. Of course, there are others who are taking advantage of the chaos to try and steal some of that treasure for themselves. If they get caught, however, it won't bode well…

B. Dragon Minions. As a result of all the hostile emotions and desires for revenge, the dragons' magic seeps out via dreamotion and it's so strong that it's capable of influencing those around them. Those who are unable to withstand the overbearing weight of the dragons' rage will become corrupted and side with the dragons. There are no physical changes, just the mindset has changed to follow the orders of the dragons. Since it's not a deliberate spell, one only needs to knock out the "corrupted" individual to break them from the dragon's influence. However, they should be taken away as they will remain susceptible for some time and could be "corrupted" again.

C. Dragon Fights. It's inevitable that there would be those fighting against the dragons, and with many from different worlds and backgrounds with them, seasoned fighters are the first to grab their weapons to fight them off. Given the destructive nature of the dragons, self defense is needed as they get overzealous, especially when the various elemental flames go off. But attempts should still be made to try and calm and work with the dragons instead—and convincing the dragon fighters might be just as hard.

D. Dragon Eggs. What was once thought as ornament eggs, dragon eggs can be spotted rolling around through the streets and other random places such as trees, rooftops, wagons. While some are intact, others are starting to hatch with their little wings and legs poking out and helping their movement. And then there are the ones who have hatched completely. They are small and adorable, but they are a handful. They have very little control over their dreamotion and their powers, which specialize in one of the following elements: fire, ice, lightning, wind, earth, water. The hatchlings are trying to find some tasty jewels to eat, but they are also afraid of what's going on. Returning them to an older dragon will alleviate a lot of the stress from both young and old dragons, and giving a few small jewels or other treasures to the hatchling will help calm them down.

D. Catch Those Leprechauns! Some may recall that it was the leprechauns who not only endorsed and provided much of the treasure, but had asked for assistance in collecting treasure in a strange dreamscape (see Prompt Section III). It soon gets out that they are the ones who stole from the dragons and the dragons are quite keen to exact proper justice on them. Help chase and find these hiding thieves to bring them to the dragons, which will help appease them. Just beware, those leprechauns have magic of their own, such as hiding, deception magic, and conjuring illusions, and will also try to frame anyone as the culprits. They will also try to bribe others to help them, their ability to deceive and charm others is quite effective.

II. DRAGONNAPPED

While the dragons are focused on retrieving their treasure and missing dragon eggs, some dragons can't help old habits—kidnapping royalty. Whether it's a prince or princess, a few will take anyone who happens to catch their personal interest. It could be because of personality, appearance, or even scent. Once they find their special prize, the dragon will fly them away to their lair, which could be a cave high in the mountains or an old castle tower. Now there's a rescue mission on top of defending the town.

A. Escape Attempts. Not everyone wants to stay a damsel in distress. Although the dragons will leave them in their lairs, no one is bound and is free to move around.

Mirror Mirror. There are a lot of magic mirrors that connect between the various lairs and castles, allowing everyone to communicate through them freely. They might even happen to see fellow captives through the mirror's glass. Tall, wall length mirrors act as doorways, allowing individuals to travel from one area to the other. The catch is once it's used, it can't be used again. But it's better to work together than try and figure out a way alone, especially with everything like a huge maze.
Enemies Everywhere. Beware of other creatures that lurk nearby, from fire salamanders to various imps and large bats. Castles will have stone gargoyles that will come to life while the caves will have stone golems instead. They can all be defeated, but some may find themselves lacking suitable weapons. Fortunately, there is an abundance of magical artifacts and weapons at their disposal. While a bejeweled golden sword may be more decorative and actually useless, it's better than nothing! The creatures can also be distracted by throwing treasure their way. Bonus appearance: those corrupted by the dragons could appear here to guard.
Flying Steeds. The real question is, once they get out of the cave or castle, how do they get down and off the flying mountain? There are a few giant eagles and pegasus around, but taming or coaxing them won't be easy. It's not that they are wild in nature—in fact they are quite intelligent and will understand whatever is being said. They just don't want to get mixed up in whatever trouble is going on—these are dragons after all. Only those with the bravest of hearts will be able to approach…but feeding them their favorite foods could also work. Catch some rabbits or gather some golden apples and maybe they'll help out.

B. Brave Knights. For those determined to save the dragonnapped victims, help has arrived just in time! Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, several hot air balloons that look similar to the ones from Oz descend from the skies, a few flying monkeys waving in greeting. In addition, giant owls wearing gondolas fly in, ready to carry anyone who needs a lift. Giant Butterflies have also been enlisted, so there's no shortage of transportation up to the dragons' flying mountain. But it won't be easy. No matter which method they use, the winds around the floating mountain are strong and stormy, making it difficult to navigate through the skies. Having a partner to help use dreamotion to create more stable winds will help. Once there, the now dubbed "knights" have the following options in trying to save the dragonnapped.

Operation Stealth. Sneak in through a hidden entranceway. Those who are inside the lair or castle can help guide them through, especially if they toss down a mirror to help communicate. Unfortunately they can't cheat and use one of the mirrors from the outside, but once inside they can try to use the mirrors to make it out.
Persuasion. Should they encounter the dragon, it won't be happy. However, it might be possible to persuade the dragon that they're all on the same side and that everything was a mistake. Surely it would be better to have a dragon as an ally than an enemy?
Bribery. Maybe just talking isn't enough. If the knight happened to bring any treasure, dragon eggs, or a hatchling with them, this would be a great time to offer it up and score some big points.
Boss Fight. When all else fails and the dragon is determined to keep their prize, the only way out is to fight. However, although the dragon has the home field advantage, it's also its greatest weakness. Use of the treasure and artifacts will inflict more damage, and threatening to break anything has a strong chance to weaken the dragon until they give up. Bonus appearance: those corrupted by the dragons could appear here instead or to assist the dragon.

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[And this is why Tifa had been so hesitant about ever leaving Eustace's side. Well, no, that isn't entirely true. While she silently lamented that they would be apart for any amount of time, they both made plans with others as well, as they tend to do, so it's only natural that they would end up separating for any amount of time, but for all the days for it to be...

Of course it had to be this one.

When the dragons swooped in, Tifa wasted no time in dropping everything to begin her search through the faire for him. The town has done a complete 180 in a matter of seconds: things had been so calm and peaceful, happy even, and then chaos struck. Throughout her hunt for him, she almost goes toe to toe with the poor souls who have been corrupted, and almost winds up in a battle against one of the dragons themselves, but she is a woman—a knight—on a mission.

She isn't going to rest, isn't going to stop until she knows that he's safe. They have spent too many days, too many weeks trying to claw their way out of the depths of their despair, all because Tifa had been too weak to protect herself, and she's spent so much of her emotional energy in trying to push back those feelings of inadequacy that she can't let this be the thing that sets them back. She doesn't even need her armour to think that—her husband-to-be, her Erune prince is here somewhere, and while he is perfectly capable of defending himself, she isn't going to sit back and let him do it alone.

Not this time.

But somehow, on her journey through the town, she's ended up with a red dragon hatchling that broke free from one of the supposed "ornament" eggs. How she wound up with it, she has no idea. She tried to shuffle it to safety but it followed her, and when she attempted to hand it off to someone else, it burped fire in their direction. So...

Here she is, running through Reverein with a small dragon clutched in her arms like it's a cat, until finally—]

Eustace! Thank god, I've been looking everywhere. Are you...

[She sees him at the end of the road, and Tifa rushes over just in time to see that ice cube soar through the nearby window?????]

... okay?

[ .......??????????

Is he holding a dragon too?]

Edited 2022-09-20 02:36 (UTC)

[Yep.

He's still holding onto this baby dragon that is now crying snowflakes primals please and when he looks up at Tifa's voice, he looks more frazzled and relieved than usual. Though that relief may be less about seeing Tifa again (which to be clear he is) and more about the prospective help that's finally relieved.]

No, I've been trying to—wait, you have one, too!?

[It's rare for Eustace to express any kind of surprise or exasperation, but his voice definitely went up a little at the sight of the red dragon in her arms.]

[The smile she gives him is sheepish and apologetic, like she's just been caught doing something so terrible that she can never come back from, and as his baby dragon starts to cry, her red one stares at it for several moments before it starts to wail, too.]

I—I don't...

[What!? She doesn't what!? Tifa hangs her head in shame as the dragons' wails grow louder and more shrill, and he'll be able to see the heat radiating off of hers in waves.]

It was following me, and I couldn't leave it!

[She felt so bad! Look how small it is!!!]

Edited 2022-09-20 19:31 (UTC)

[AaaAaaAahh now they have TWO crying baby dragons.]

Nevermind that, we need to calm them down before something happens.

[Tifa steps a little closer to him, cautiously of course, because she isn't sure if the two dragons will get along or if it will only make it worse, but it's a little easier to talk this way rather than shouting over their shrill cries.]

Any ideas? Everything I try feels like it just makes it worse...!

[She even leans down to pick up a ruby jewel from one of the many piles of treasure littering the streets, but it burps another ball of fire and slaps it away with its claws, sending it flying right back into the heep. So instead, she tries to gently shake it and cradle it like it's a baby (not that she's ever really held one before) and...

It's crying slowly dies down into little squeaky sobs...

...

......?

Tifa looks at Eustace with round, wide eyes.]

[The little dragon wailing in his arms doesn't seem to register that the other dragon has appeared, and Eustace stares when he realizes the red one has quieted down.

...

.........

Without a word, Eustace looks at his dragon and... Instead of holding it out like a cat, he...brings it close and holds it over his shoulder so that he can gently rub its back between the small wings.]

...There, there... I know you're hungry but you need to calm down so you can show me what you want, okay?

[Sniffle sniffle hiccup!

It...seems to be working???]

[Tifa watches him for a moment, her gaze going somewhat distant as he shifts to hold the dragon the same way she is, and she imagines... for a fleeting second... what it might be like if he were holding a...

Her own dragon burps as she rubs at its neck, and a little wisp of smoke billows from its mouth as it hiccups and sniffs.

She's almost afraid to say something about how it worked, or anything at all, out of pure worry that it might provoke them somehow, so she's silent as she nods to Eustace to grab his attention, and then she begins to walk...

But the moment she takes a step away from the small pile of treasure, the dragon breaks its silence to shriek again. It flaps its wings as if trying to stop her from moving, or to push her back towards the jewels and coins, and so Tifa does, stepping back until her feet are right up against it, and it... stops... and stares down at the heap...]

Eustace...?

[She looks to him for help, and hisses across at him.]

This is what I meant!

[He's not so surprised when the red dragon kicks up a fuss.]

I know, this one is doing the same and they seem to eat the gems. But I tried holding a few out to it and it kept refusing them—it must want something different.

However—

[The moment he tries to set the dragon down so it could pick it out on its own, it screeches and clings onto him like a cat. Literally one of its claws is grabbing onto his right bangs.]

...This has been my problem.

[WHICH IS WEIRD HE WOULD THINK IT WOULD WANT TO BE WITH THE GOLD???]

Oh, no! Please don't do that.

[It's loud, it's shrill, and it's extremely dangerous, but Tifa can't help but feel sorry for it, and she rushes over with her own still in her arms to gently coo at it and try to gently peel it from Eustace's head before it can wrap itself around him. It screeches at her, but ultimately allows itself to be taken, and now...

...

Ah. She has two dragons in her arms.]

The poor things are probably just scared. I'd say we should look for their mothers, but... we need to calm them down first. [Which, yes, she knows that this is what they're trying to accomplish.] If we're going to be walking through the city, we can't—

[The red one screeches quietly at the blue one and blows a little blast of smoke in its direction while the other swipes its claws!? Are they... fighting?

THIS IS ESCALATING TOO FAST.]

No—I mean you're right, but this one is definitely hungry, it's refusing to leave the area—hey, knock it off!

[He's just going to take the blue one back because rude?? Don't fight??]

[Is this what having twins is like? Not even the dogs are this bad with each other...

So she's grateful when he takes the blue dragon back again, and now she finds herself at a loss... which is saying something because it's rare that she ever is when it comes to... well, in their case, animal raising. Tifa was foolish to think that having helped raise thirteen dogs and a cat would have at least given her some experience, but these dragons are the definition of bratty.

She's never going to say that out loud, though.]

But it won't eat, and it won't leave...

[Her hands find her hips as she tries to ignore the way the red dragon slinks up her braid and on top of her head where it digs its claws in to stay up.

...

She sighs.

And makes her way towards the gems that are lying in the pile, and just scoops up a handful of as many as she can carry, and offers them up to the dragon, and in her sternest mother voice that she only ever saves for the younger dogs, Tifa speaks to the blue dragon.]

There's no reason to be so picky. It's either these, or nothing at all.

[... Maybe some tough love is the way to go???]

[The blue dragon has nestled back into Eustace's arms, but it's hissing at Tifa—no, the red dragon??—when she approaches. It then turns its head away as if in defiance, but then something sparkles in the pile. Because Eustace had to hold her, he hadn't been able to grab that many at a time for it. But With Tifa, there's a larger variety and that sparkling has its attention...

"...Coo!!"

With a happy sound, it noses through and picks out—]

...A diamond. I should have known.

[Of course it would go for the most expensive one—and it just...swallows it up like candy.]

[Tifa's not deterred by the hissing, although she does hear the red one returning the sentiment in kind, but she only keeps her eyes fixed on the blue dragon as it rifles through the stones in her hands and picks out...

The diamond... The rarest of them all. She didn't even know she had one in her hand before it sniffed it out like it knew exactly what it was looking for.

And Tifa can only sigh.]

Well, there you go. At least this one's a little easier to deal with, so we can—

[She's interrupted again by the high-pitched baby roars of the one on top of her head, and it tries to swat at the blue dragon... is it......jealous??? Mad that it took the diamond and now it wants one too? It crawls down from the top of Tifa's head with a surprising amount of speed and noses its way through what's left in her hands before it gives a discontented growl and looks at Eustace instead.

...

.....

Its nose is twitching as it sniffs around for something...

........

And its eyes land on his coat pocket where he's keeping a certain little trinket tucked away.]

[Eustace is mostly paying attention to Blue here, mostly to make sure it doesn't try to fight Red. At the very least it seems a bit more content despite only having one diamond—he had been afraid it'd want more.

But his attention is diverted when he feels that stare...............and his eyes narrow in a glare.

Don't even think about it, brat.

He is deliberately shifting Blue so that it's up against that pocket, shielding it.]

We should figure out what it wants—trying to find another diamond will be difficult, however.

[Fortunately, Tifa doesn't take notice of the staring contest as she busies herself with trying to fix her hair with her free hand as the dragon perches on the other. It eyes Eustace a little longer, but as soon as Blue is shielding the gem that it's sniffed out, it turns its attention to the gems in Tifa's hands again. It picks up an emerald in its mouth, reconsiders, and gives it a toss to the floor. Then a ruby, but it doesn't want that either, and tosses that, too.

There's a lighter blue gem—aquamarine—that it finds, and although it's small, it makes a happy little screeching sound and gobbles it up, but it's already searching for more.]

They seem... okay right now...

[Though she doesn't know how long this "peace" will last.]

I could just grab another handful that they can pick through while we look around. Try to find somewhere safe to take them... Maybe look for their mothers.

[The red dragon squeaks, almost in a sad way, as it looks up from Tifa's hand at her through its beady yellow eyes, and for as much trouble as they are, she can't help smiling down at it in an apologetic way.]

No. Not me...

[...It's really the owls all over again...

And don't think he didn't notice the kind of gem Red took. He's still glaring at it, but now Blue is cooing and nuzzling his neck.

...

.....]

Let's keep moving. We're bound to find a dragon who can at least take them off our hands.

[Except the owl was only one bratty child instead of two....

On the way, Tifa grabs another small handful of what she can find. It isn't much, and it's mostly the gold coins which neither of them seem particularly interested in, the red one even taking some in its mouth and tossing them away with a screeeee! but contrary to what it seems to be hoping for, Tifa doesn't oblige by picking up more. These dragons are like scaly, ice and fire-breathing cats...]

If we can manage.

[She arches a brow when she turns to glance at Eustace, and she tries not to smile.]

Looks like that one's taken a liking to you now...

[A small sigh.]

It's just happy it finally got to eat something.

[Probably.

...

Hopefully.. He doesn't need a dragon attached him especially a baby one. Last thing he needs is to make the dragons angrier.

But then he glances at Red on Tifa...and moves closer alongside her.]

Yours seem attached to you as well.

[She'll echo his sentiment with a huff of laughter, and she jingles the gems in his direction, drawing the attention of both dragons.]

Only because I've got treats. You know how it goes.

[The dogs are always such suck-ups when either of them has food, and the fastest way to any animal's heart is to bribe them with treats. Apparently, that applies to dragon babies too.

She lifts her finger to let Blue sniff at it, and it chirps back.]

They're kind of cute... when they're not crying.

[Don't let this thought get away from her!!!]

[Oh no.]

Don't even think about it.

[She fixes him with an innocent look, and Red trills and chirps at him as well, as if in on whatever it is they're talking about.]

What? I didn't even say anything.

[Was she thinking it...? Maybe a little, in the furthest back of her mind.]

I know some people have dragons here, but I don't think I could ever handle having one of my own. We could be friends, though. Isn't that right?

[She turns to Blue and wiggles her finger at it, and it joins in on the chorus of little screeches.]

[Sigh.]

I suppose it's better to be friends than enemies...

[And Blue will nod enthusiastically, but Eustace looks at Red with a more thoughtful look.]

Gran had a small red dragon as a friend.

[There's a name she hasn't heard in a long time, and Red looks at him, its big yellow eyes blinking with curiosity as it chirps happily from Tifa's arm.]

See? Not all of them are bad.

[These ones just needed a little snack and some attention which... isn't so different from someone else she knows when he gets grumpy—]

What was that dragon like?

[He muses a bit at the memories... And it occurs to him that it's been some time that he's seriously thought about them. He's never completely forgotten about them, but it has been a year or two (depending how he wants to consider time) since he's seen them.]

Vyrn is...a very loud and spirited dragon. Loves to eat apples...and is always by Gran no matter what. He likes to boast himself as Gran's best friend.

[It's rare that she ever hears him talking about things from home so casually, but it's nice to hear. Refreshing, even. Something so simple like Gran and dragons, but even the two that are curled and coiled around them seem interested. Or maybe, just like her, they find the sound of Eustace's voice soothing as they've started to calm down since they've begun their walk through the town.]

Sounds sort of like a wolf I know.

[Maybe Eria isn't loud or quite as spirited, but she'd definitely boast about being Eustace's favourite any chance that she gets.

She giggles and tosses a small coin into the air so that one of the dragons can snap it up in their jaw.]

Was he big, or like these guys?

[They look at her now, and it's like they know they're being talked about with the noises they make at her.]

baby dragons into rescue time 🐲

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