private Far from home. 1x1 with Illiad Easle

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron had been waiting against a wall watching as Ædriga got fitted, and nodded once she was done, "It's a good looking harness, hopefully she'll be able to get a lot of good use out of it."

Salty nodded, "It's a good piece of work, I assume you're taking care of paying her for now?"

He nodded, "Until she gets a bit more established with the language or if she starts doing solo runs we'll set her up with her own account, which at this rate shouldn't take too long. Maybe by the time we go back to Fillydelphia, which would be convenient."

Salty nodded before turning back to Ædriga, alright, let's make sure you can get into and out of that harness alright, see if there's any other adjustments we need to make.

Provided Ædriga could get out of the harness by herself, Salty would take the harness and set it with Ætheron's, "I'll have these loaded up for the two of you shortly."

With that Ætheron would motion for Ædriga to follow, "Let's see what type of fish, if any you like."

Going back to the griffon Ætheron had talked to earlier, he pulled out a tray that had a few different cuts of fish for Ædriga to try.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Ædriga would take a second to figure out the harness since it was different from just being tied like the self-made was, but she would eventually figure it out, and it wasn't hard for her understand how it worked, there just is the first time for everything, and for her lot of things were the first.

She followed Ætheron outside, staying close to him as usual, she didn't think there would be any fish that she liked more than other fish, but she was willing to try, maybe they had something here that was so different to everything else that she would really be able to tell the difference. The problem was that her kind's sense of taste wasn't as diverse/multifaceted as some creatures, since they had no need for being able to taste every little inconsistency due to their tolerance for poisons, illness causing things and other such. It also didn't help that they didn't really chew their food,  since that meant that the taste didn't really have time to spread in their mouths. So while she could tell the difference between the taste of venison and fish for example, the small differences between fish-species may be beyond her sense of taste. 

She would taste the cuts she was given, really keeping them in her mouth to get the taste, and after going through them all she would just shrug and say "fish is fish." "No say I no like, but like others lot more." 

 

 

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

The griffon looked disappointed that Ædriga couldn't tell the difference between the fish, Ætheron simply shrugged, "Good to know I suppose, no need to look for special foods for you if they all taste the same." He passed a small amount of coins over to the griffon, "Thanks anyway Captain, save some sausage or jerky for me next time you get a shipment."

The griffon nodded as he stowed the coins away, "Will do, come back soon though, I won't be able to hold it for you too long!"

With that Ætheron turned his attention back to Ædriga, "So, anything you want to do while we wait?"

(I'm running out of steam trying to come up with everything, I made up everything about this town on the spot and I think its falling a little flat. You want to try being in charge for a bit?)

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Ædriga thought for a moment as she looked around, but before she said anything, her gaze locked on something among the customers on one of the meat stands, and this wasn't like the stare towards the sea, no, Ædriga looked horrified of whatever she was seeing. At first it would most likely be bit hard for Ætheron to notice what it was that Ædriga was seeing since she was looking into the direction of a group, but with bit of looking, he would most likely notice an earth pony with red mane, a weird sight next to a meat stand by itself yes, but what was more concerning was that the mare was staring back at Ædriga with surprised despise on her face.

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Once Ætheron worked out what exactly Ædriga's expression was, and who it was directed at, he took a more powerful stance, resting his hand on the polearm at his side he leaned down to speak quietly to Ædriga, "What is it? what about this pony so scares you?"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
"That pony is no pony, that pony is dragon like I, big dragon." Ædriga said in tone that told of fear deeper than the one she had felt towards Ætheron in the start, this was instinctual, like prey seeing its predator eye to eye. The mare meanwhile, looked slightly amused for a moment, even though she was too far for a pony to hear what Ædriga or Æthreon said, she then started slowly making her way towards the pair, though she disguised it as just looking around and happening to come towards them, so if Ætheron did something, he would be the 'bad guy'. 

 

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron was doubtful at first, while he had heard of shapeshifters and dragons with powerful magics, he had never heard of a dragon disguising itself as so lowly a creature. Still, he wasn't about to call Ædriga a liar, stranger things had happened. He would move between Ædriga and the approaching mare, taking care to not block Ædriga's line of sight. "Do you want to stay here? Or should we go back to the office? If she is a dragon like you say, I don't know if I could keep her away by myself."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
The mare looked amused by Ætheron's actions.
Ædriga shook her head "Big dragon no hurt us, want look like pony, if big dragon hurt us, others know is no pony." this may have been bit weird to hear considering the terror Ædriga was clearly feeling towards this pony, but it was a good show of how their kind worked, they were very instinctual creatures, comparable to a wild-animal, but they were also highly intelligent, and that lead to situations like this, Ædriga's instincts screamed 'she is a threat, she will kill you, run' but her head knew that it was just her instinct saying that, and that when looking at the situation, it was very unlikely that there was going to be a fight, though there was also a another thing. "And if big dragon want hurt, others no help, too big, I no hurt it, you no hurt it, others no hurt it." 

If the mare was allowed to get close, she would start by saying something in unknown language which sounded like the one Ædriga spoke, before continuing in common "Isn't this a freak show, didn't know someone could fall this low, even if they're a runt." the tone of voice and the demeanor of the mare did not match that of a pony speaking to two visibly stronger creatures, and was more like a predator teasing its prey.

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

On 12/18/2020 at 7:40 AM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"And if big dragon want hurt, others no help, too big, I no hurt it, you no hurt it, others no hurt it."

Ætheron didn't look too sure, but spoke softly to Ædriga, "Ponies maybe not, but the griffons are skilled, have fought dragons before."

Still, unless this new dragon revealed herself to be a dragon, there would be no use in trying to fight, the ponies would no doubt take her side against him if she looked the part of a pony.

Once she spoke in the strange tongue he stepped more fully between them, she may be a dragon in actuality, but in her pony form he towered over her. He thumped the blunt end of his polearm against the dock they stood on, which should attract some attention from those around them, then he spoke in his own native language, while the meaning would likely be lost on them both, often the illusion of withheld information served to confuse his enemies, "Ne plašiš ni jednog malog ponija."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
The mare looked unimpressed "I hope that wasn't supposed to be threatening, I have met drunk stallions who I have felt more threatened by." her body language was relaxed but proud, proving that she wasn't at all threatened by Ætheron. Ædriga spoke too at this point, saying something to the mare with her native language, which seemingly amused the mare "Such big words from someone hiding behind others." she then said something in the same language, and it seemed to hit a nerve for Ædriga, but Ædriga didn't so anything.

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron rolled his eyes, "If you had two brain cells to rub together you might have understood, you wyrm."

He turned away, motioning back to the postal office, "Let's go, this two bit one trick no sense pony isn't worth our time."

He hoped that Ædriga would follow his lead and walk away with her head held high. Nothing stung someone's pride like being ignored. He wished he had thought of that before the mare had approached, he could have told Ædriga to pay her no mind, but it was too late for that now.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Ædriga followed but the mare still wasn't done talking, speaking in condescending tone "See you later, xihuulina tilsin" before turning and going her own way, again it seemed that the mare knew the right words to get under Ædriga's scales, and while Ædriga did follow Ætheron, she didn't do it head held high, the short interaction with the mare had seemingly been enough to lower her spirit quite a lot.

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Once they were in the relative privacy of the postal office Ætheron turned his attention to Ædriga, "Hey, talk to me, who was that? She seemed to know you."

Salty came out from the back and looked concerned at Ædriga's sorry state, but Ætheron held up a hand to silence her before she could interject, allowing Ædriga to speak her mind.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Ædriga shook her head "I no know, only know it dragon like I but big." she didn't know much, or well anything really about magic, so she didn't understand why the dragon had looked, smelled and probably felt like a pony, but she knew it was a dragon, because she could sense its presence, "It know words to hurt I..." she seemed almost ashamed when she said it  "...I no want words hurt I, but I no can stop it, words true." 

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron would draw Ædriga into a soft hug if she would allow it, and simply hold her for a time as he thought of how to respond, "No... no, I don't know what she told you, but whatever she said must have been lies as I don't know a single bad thing that could be said about you. I may not have known you for long, but you are a good dragon."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Ædriga didn't resist the hug, but she didn't return it either, instead she just stood there, and if someone could see her face, they would most likely be able to tell that she wasn't really sure what to do, because while the hug felt good, neither her instincts or mind knew how one should react to it. The same went for what Ætheron said, it not only took her by surprise, but even if she would have had an argument, she didn't know words to argue it, which in this case was better, because it forced her to think about it, and while she still couldn't say the mare was wrong, she realized that it didn't matter what others of her kind thought about her. 

If Ætheron was still hugging her at this point, she would return it by lowering her head against him, and depending on the exact position, this probably meant that she would also have to wrap bit of her neck around him too, but regardless if she could do this or not, she would say "Thank you." to him. It was a weird feeling she had after Ætheron's words and actions, oddly warm feeling, for already warm bodied creature like her it was especially weird since she didn't know it was emotion related. 

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron was still holding her when she leaned in and thanked him, at which point he gave her a light squeeze before releasing her from the hug. Salty would take that moment to speak up, "What happened out there? I've never seen you act so... tender, it's a good look on you."

Ætheron shook his head, "Got to keep a strong presence in front of the ponies so they leave me in peace. There was a pony out there, or rather a dragon disguised as a pony, as strange as that sounds, that recognized Ædriga and tried to demean her, as the dragons here do."

Salty came around the counter to Ædriga's side, "Aw. Just say the word, we'll take care of that meanie for you, make them regret ever crossing your path."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Ædriga shook her head, looking rather serious "No, dragon hurt many if you try hurt dragon, I know, dragon like I but big." this was one of the things she did'n trust the others with, there was no messing with her kind, she would know, she was one of them "And I no think dragon know I, we, dragons, many like other, dragon know others like I." basically she was trying to say that she wasn't unique, most like her just ended up dead "Big dragon look like pony, why? big dragon no want others find it, like I no want others find I." "Big dragon no like other dragons, and I other dragon." the situation may have been unpleasant, but her mind had still been running the whole time, and since to her bigger dragons threatening and insulting her was very much normal, she had focused more on what wasn't normal, the dragon being here, and the dragon trying to blend in as a pony.

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Salty took half a step back at Ædriga's refusal, but rebounded with all her usual charm, "Alright then, but if you ever need help, you can always count on us."

With that she turned their attention over to their harnesses, "Your packages are all loaded if you want to get out of town already, headed back to Ponyville it looks like."

Ætheron would make sure Ædriga was alright before getting up and heading over to his harness, "A bit more packages than usual, Ædriga already on the payroll? Or are you guys paying me for all these packages?"

Salty chuckled, "She's fitted for a harness right? Next time you two get to Phillydelphia or Canterlot she'll get the payment in order, likely Canterlot as I think she'll need to be made a citizen first, just like you."

Ætheron rolled his eyes, "Face the bureaucrats again? The manticores make more pleasant company."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Besides the previous situation bothering her a bit, Ædriga was fine, she was wondering how many others of her kind were here, she had hoped none, but there was at least one, a fact that she wasn't too happy about. She again didn't take part in the conversation but she did listen while proceeding to get her own harness on and just generally get ready to leave. The extra weight didn't really bother her, she may have been small, but she was still a dragon, and was stronger than she looked.
She did look at Ætheron curiously when he talked about the bureaucrats though, because while she had no idea what that meant, his way of saying it was interesting to her, as it seemed to be very specific type of dislike, and she wasn't sure how to read it.

It was a weird situation to know that you were being talked about right in front of you but not understanding everything, and thus not being fully sure when it was no longer directly related to you, but she didn't really necessarily mind, since it gave her the chance to learn by listening, and it felt good to know that someone cared enough about her to talk about her.

 

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron, seeing that Ædriga had already gotten ready to leave, hurried to get his own harness on. That done he led the way out the door.

"Safe passage!" Salty called out behind them,

"Safe harbor," Ætheron said back with a wave.

Provided they didn't run into anything, and Ædriga didn't stop, Ætheron would lead the way until they were out of the town, stopping at the edge of the forest. "Well, if you're going to go through this forest, you ought to know how to navigate it. Do you think you can lead the way back to Ponyville?"

He would pull out the map and pass it to her if she needed it. 

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
They wouldn't run into trouble in the town, the mare was gone, nowhere to be seen, but Ædriga would still be visibly vigilant, scanning any crowds they passed with her senses to make sure the other dragon wasn't close to them. 

She nodded and took the map, glancing it quickly before giving it back, she only wanted to check where exactly Ponyville was since she hadn't yet learned the exact locations, but rest would be handled by her good sense of direction, which was a normal thing for her kind that allowed them to navigate both in air and on the ground, she of course didn't know the science behind it, but she just kinda felt the direction. (like some birds for example). She would then start heading to the right direction. 

She decided to try to start a conversation, both to kill time and to train her pronunciation "I like forest more over city." she didn't yet understand the differences between village, town and city, so she used the word she found the easiest to say "Forest little like where I from, I no like where I from, but I like forest, I know forest." it was cozy, reminded her of home...the good parts about home

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron was pleasantly surprised when Ædriga started up a conversation of her own accord, "The forest huh? It certainly has it's charms. I don't like the city much either, too many ponies in too little space. I prefer open fields though, like the one between the forest and Ponyville, plenty of space to run freely and nowhere for someone to hide and ambush you. Centaurs are meant to run free, which is why I've never really settled down." He thought for a moment before sending back a question, "Do dragons roam much? Or do they typically stay in one place their whole lives?"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Illiad Easle
Ædriga though for a moment "Little both." "We find cave, take cave, stay cave, but when we find other, more good cave, we take other cave." she then explained, her kind tended to stay in place for long times at a time, but at least in the homelands, when a dragon got strong enough to make their way deeper into the homelands, they took over a new cave and settled in there. "I want take one cave and stay, no want many caves." it didn't necessary need to be a literal cave, but that was the only thing she currently knew had the qualities of a cave.

[Illiad Easle 3,128]

@Catpone Cerberus

Ætheron nodded as she spoke, already he was thinking of a few nice caves that he had found in the forest that she might enjoy. Perhaps she'd make a more literal hoard if she wasn't inclined to continue traveling with him, or if she outgrew being able to help the Pony Express. "Centaurs like to keep moving, stay in one place for a season or two, then move on. We don't tend to collect much in possessions, far more in knowledge and memories. That's why I haven't bought a home for myself. Everything I own I carry on my back and in my mind."