Tales of Gold - Arc I - Beguiling Light [Eteru/Iammelon] [Dropped]

The air was warm inside this rustic restaurant. The soft, amber light that gently lit the room enhanced that cozy atmosphere. The side wall displays large sets of windows that let the patrons see outside. At the moment the last streaks of a sunset receded from the horizon. The purple sky slowly fading into a midnight blue. The traffic was minimal. Leaving the patrons that are watching a calm scenery. The amount of patrons were fairly average tonight. Many were coming off work to get something to eat before going home.

The tables were set with a nice white table cloth. Decorated with flowers and candles that fit with the overall aesthetic of the restaurant. Seated at one of tables was a beautiful woman of dark skin. Her hair shone like onyx. Falling loose down her well sculpted back. And her  gold eyes seem to have a nature of luminosity to them. A woman who carries a friendly and forthcoming air about her. Her overall attire is nothing too fancy, just athleisure pants and a gray jacket. She wasn’t certainly out to make an impression.

It’s clear that she has a fast metabolism when one looks at his dinner. Several large plates with food that somehow all disappear when it reaches her gut. Despite all the food she somehow retains her stringbean physique. At the moment she was calmly finishing up her last plate, the deserts. Sweet flour dumplings stuffed with coconut.

A soft smile was a permanent fixture on her face. Enjoying the pleasant ambience around him. To the soft murmurs of nearby chatter and to the quiet music playing out of the speakers. Warm and pleasant. She very much does enjoy going out to eat rather than eat alone at her residence. Not to say she was lonely of course. Simply a gregarious soul.

The waitress came by earlier to hand her the check. To which he signed her name on it, Naram. Putting one of her credit cards in it including the tip, the waitress came back again to pick it up and go pay what Naram bought.

Naram leaned back in her cushioned seat. Loosening up her muscles to really let the atmosphere seep into him. To say the least she is feeling very comfortable at that moment. Life was good as it has always been for him. Still enjoying the little things no matter how trivial and mundane they were.

As the fellow was resting, if he was attentive he would realize that somebody was approaching him. It was a female Valorian, although she certainly stood out among the various other customers at the restaurant. Most of them were in nicer attire, some more casual and others more formal. The Valorian however wore an outfit that better suited a mercenary. Combat boots, kneepads, and camouflaged all over the rest of the outfit. Probably reinforced as well to take a hit. Not to mention that her hip she had a holster with a pistol in it. Still, it wasn't full on armor, and she had no helmet, allowing one to see her face. She seemed to be searching around the restaurant, before her eyes fell upon Naram.

She was clearly looking for him, as soon after she saw him, the Valorian began her approach. Her careful movements showed she certainly had training to backup the outfit, as even in her brisk walk she was displaying bits of her skillset. She was silent in her footsteps, for one thing, despite her outfit. She moved casually as well. If it wasn't for the get-up making her stand out, she could easily blend into a crowd if she wanted to. All the same, while the Valorian approached Naram, she seemed not to be hostile either. Her hand didn't hover for her weapon, as she seemed unconcerned with needing it.

When the Valorian finally got closer to Naram, she pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. She looked out at the sunset for a moment, "How many times have you seen this particular sun set? It get boring eventually, or keep the charm?"

The presence of the nearing Valorian was known to her. To which she acknowledged it by giving her a welcoming smile. Her eyes still calm pools of gold. Strangers coming to join her out in public is normal to him. Her reputation of being easily approachable made it more simple for people to get the courage to go meet a dragon in soft flesh and not be concerned with the stereotypical possibility of a dragon biting their head off. The set up had caused problems in the path to be sure. Yet she still wouldn’t have it any other way.

She gave a nod as she peered off into the sunset. “Oh? Only once. Every sunset is unique and so their transient nature makes it memorable.” A sunset after all is not just the bright sphere in the sky. But how the light is fracturing through the sky. How it’s bouncing off of heaven and earth. The mood of the atmosphere. Is it summer? Is it winter? Is there a seasonal holiday going on? Is he accompanied by other people? A sunset is a natural picture with many complexities to it.

Admiring the beautiful scene aside his thoughts were directed towards the Valorian. The last few years were fresh on his mind and no doubt on everyone else. That day at the beginning of it all when he stormed to Valai to personally walk up to the High Matriarch to denounce her felt like it was only yesterday. Now looking back on it she felt she was too harsh. And unfair. Omnipo had coerced many people through a variety of means. So it was very like they had some dirty laundry to use as leverage against Valai. She should head back there to mend the rift, especially now the war is over.

Making a short hum she then looked over to the Valorian. “And having company is more so. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Name’s Naram” She is aware that his face is known all the way to Hadast. But that didn’t mean she should drop the common courtesy of introducing himself. Otherwise it would come off as arrogant to expect people to always know who she is.

The Valorian seemed unimpressed with his answer. It couldn't be told if it was out of disappointment at the answer or simple apathy, never caring about what the answer would be in the first place. She just seemed to size Naram up again, and shrugged, "All the same to me. Would've expected somebody with far more experience than me to see it that way too. Guess not however."

She gave a nod, "So you are, good. I came here to meet a Naram, good I picked you out correctly." She was clearly not interested in returning the courtesy of introducing herself. And in fact, under the guise, Naram could tell she was quite guarded overall. On the physical side, she glanced about occasionally, as if checking to see if she was being watched or for anybody trying to listen in. There weren't any, for that matter, the rest of the restaurant was minding their own business. And mentally, if Naram checked, she was also quite guarded there. And there was even the signs of somebody else protecting the mind of this Valorian. Subtly, but it was noticeable for one with experience.

All the same, the Valorian didn't seem to be an agent of the Matriarchy back on Valai. She lacked any royal markings that would designate her as an agent of the Matriarchy or a member of its military, and she was also clearly not a member of the Bloodmoon Mercenaries, who also had their own distinct ties to the Matriarchy. She seemed to be an independent mercenary, and not here for the apology.

Instead, she spoke calmly, "I am curious. What are your thoughts on the president, Tyfrondor? Does he have your approval, or do you have any critiques?"

A trace of a smirk went up in the corner of her lips. Her mannerism is a classic. “To each their own.” It made him thought of the reasoning behind her subtle combative nature. But chalk it up to the common Valorian bluntness. They have a strong warrior culture after all.

It’s just that she wondered if she was prodding her to test her reactions. For whatever reason she doesn't know yet. If anything she remained chill about it. She knows plenty of Dragons and Anubite Ghosts that would have been triggered by that.

Added with her guarded front and wariness. She got that old familiar inkling. One thing for certain is that she was not here for some idle chat. Her next question narrows the range of the potential demographic quite a bit.

Giving a short tune in thought she responded, “He has my blessings.” Pausing to take a sip from her drink she continued. “Seems like people continue to be interested in my thoughts toward him. Especially now with the war’s end.”

She peered out into the horizon. Thinking back on those fresh burning memories. “I’ve always been that sort of hermit who exists on the outskirts of society. Even when our nebula had been besieged multiple times by forces that came from beyond the precipice, all there is written of me is of Naram, the Wanderer or the Sage if I had been a little more proactive. Not in any of them is my presence noteworthy to warrant even a small chapter in the history book. Not one of those who bared their fang against us did I ever detest them. But this war, what Monrio did and who followed him. It pulled me into the heart of it. This time my presence would come to write entire chapters. And it will surly be about Naram the Dragon. ”

Crick.

A hairline fracture went across the glass that Naram was holding. She took a breath when she realized what she did. With a brush of her thumb the crack sealed. “In a way. A part of me is not at peace with the President's choice in showing mercy. Monrio is now probably out there on his yacht drinking cocktail. Despite that, I know it must have been hard for Tyfrondor to stay true to his ideals and strove for unity over justice.”

She look back over to the Valorian. Calmer now. “I’ve seen the same inner light in his eyes after he dethroned Ikrian'izos. When I confronted him a little afterwards I asked what his dream was. He told me. And I said, if you stay true to the foundation of your dream as you bring it into reality. Then you shall have my blessing forevermore. Since then, he did just that, he never betrayed what he believed in a time of tribulation.”

The Valorian remained quite calm and stoic as she listened, it was hard to tell if she got to hear what she wanted. She did give a nod of acknowledgement however, so he had listened, and responded calmly, "Good that you approve of Tyfrondor in such a way. I could certainly agree with your assessment that Tyfrondor is admirable for staying true to his ideals. Quite special in that way, I would even say. A very harsh look at Monrio, but one I can also see the merit in. He did do quite the sin in striking at Tyfrondor's supporters in such a way... But that is a talk for a different day."

"For now, I have a different reason for talking to you. I am involved in another group, also interested in staying on the outskirts of Iammelonian society, but intent on supporting the Union. Giving it boosts from the outskirts, fixing problems that may be overlooked by a national government, such as the Union's. Things that Tyfrondor cannot handle, thanks to having more larger scale interests to focus on. I am not asking you to join, but I would like you to meet with another member, to ask for your help in a few matters. For the sake of unity and peace, without disrupting the delicate work of reconstruction the President must handle."

She remained very guarded, giving this offer despite still not giving her name to Naram. She didn't seem to hold any malice towards him, seemed more to be a simple indifference. A well trained messenger.

“As you wish.” It was rather particular in how she chose to describe the action as a sin. Yet she chose to not press on that. She could already grasp the overall sense of what is going on here. Yes, she is a trained messenger. One that would be good in not revealing too much to the people they relay the message to. But there’s a fine difference in being composed and being natural. And she was failing the latter. Not that she won’t bite the bait to see where the line leads. “I don’t have much problem with that.” Leaving out pointing out the fact it’s working outside of the government which is suspicious. “Beside, the very least I can do after all is hear out what this person has to say.” A smile spread over her lips.

The Valorian slowly stood up, and then gave a nod, "Very well, I am glad you have decided to at least hear her out." Despite the words, her tone and demeanor were quite unchanged. So she either didn't mean it, or she simply was very careful with giving much away. It was hard to tell, with how guarded she was even now. All the same, she made a gesture towards the exit, "If you would please come with me. This location is a fair bit too open for the tastes of the one who would like to meet you. She is not one who wants to be seen in public, for a variety of reasons. I will bring you to the proper meeting place." With that, the Valorian mercenary walked outside the restaurant, headed to its parking lot.

Waiting in the lot was a resting car, a hover vehicle. It was a simple design, colored a simple paint of red. Besides the color, there was very little remarkable about it, and so it was certainly something that could easily be lost in a crowd of other such vehicles. The Valorian got into the driver's seat, and motioned for Naram to get into the back. The windows were tinted, so what was inside couldn't be seen until Naram opened the door.

And when she finally did, she would get quite an interesting sight; an oddly snake-like Watrike. And it was odd, for if Naram had seen her fair share of Watrike, this one would have never come up. Watrike had a fair degree of physical variation, with their various races that each fell into their own niche. But this wasn't one even Naram would recognize, it was new. The snake looked to Naram and smiled, gesturing for her to get into the car and then close the door, "Come, come. This one has much to speak about."

Naram’s gold eyes rest on the Valorian. Like herself she was fairly calm. More So than one would expect from someone like her. People tend to instinctively feel when there’s a dragon hiding beneath soft flesh.

Typically her kin only learn this advanced skill to interact with those who are smaller than them. And only for a short amount of time. All the while they never conceal their life force. To do so is undignified and disgraceful for they never want to be mistaken that they are like the softskins.

For Naram that is a different story. Many years were spent in refinement and restraint. Eventually there came a point where it led to her becoming indiscernible from even the most plain of softskins.

A shameful prospect in many youthful eyes of her kind. A sentiment they were not afraid to vocalize. Especially during the time when she expressed her blessing to Tyfrondor. Those who have wanted her to denounce him turned around to discredit her word. Claiming that she wasn’t a true dragon. Too corrupted by the stench of softskins.

This line of thinking is by no means unique to her. It’s the root why most dislike Tyfrondor. And the very brazen use it against the Three Ancient Black Dragons. Believing that their mutated scales is proof of their corruption. Thus they aren’t true dragons.

Naturally, a lot of the gatekeeping occurs in Golden Dragons.

Those thoughts aside she stood up from her chair to follow the Valorian after tidying up her table. She made a short humming sound when she was brought over to an inconspicuous vehicle.

She is aware of the serious nature of this. But she couldn't help but find the scene playing out before her a bit nostalgic.It’s not the first time she was led out to meet an often shady individual in a vehicle, often in fine clothing.

Who was waiting for her inside was fairly interesting. But not something she would consider abnormally so. They live in a technological society where it’s not all that hard to do modifications to the body. Of course this is more common among humans, more so in the Zantium sphere. Watrikes are less inclined to modify for obvious reasons. Improbable, but not impossible.

Regardless this was a neat occurrence to see to the end. Giving a smile in return she got inside the vehicle. Closing the door as she does so. “So it seems. You got my attention.”