iridescentfrontiers | And I thought they smelled bad on the outside

And I thought they smelled bad on the outside

(In retrospect, maybe it wasn't the brightest idea trying to climb this mountain while a blizzard warning was in effect. The warnings were obvious and it's not like Mikasa ignored them at all; in fact, it's what had her decided to prepare that much more through thicker coats, climbing gear and the like.

But prepared as she may be, the weather was still garbage. Strong winds, lucky if the temperature hits 0* Fahrenheit...and yet she kept trudging forward. It's tradition that she make her way up to the peak, one that she and her parents shared for as long as she can remember. Now she makes the trip alone, even more determined to complete it because of that fact. It's reckless and even downright stupid, but she has to try, Mikasa tells herself. For their sake...

Of course, a year's a long time between these annual treks; that's plenty of time for things to change or certain individuals to make said mountains their home...)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[If Adrian knew someone was on the mountain right now, he'd call them a dumbass for coming up this far. He'd call them an even bigger dumbass for coming up this far in the middle of a blizzard, because Mikasa is going to find that she has a lot more to contend with than just a hard climb. Sometime during the storm, an avalanche of snow had caused one side of the mountain to virtually be completely ripped off, leaving no real spaces for anyone to climb. Just a narrow lip that led in a circle up and around the icy rock-face. It was the only way she could go, and it passed by a huge, open cavern set into one side of the mountain.

Not a bad place to rest out of this blizzard and get your bearings.]

(Oh, for the love of...

Okay fine, there's really nothing she can do about the avalanche. Fierce determination is one thing; reckless abandon is another. Begrudgingly, Mikasa is forced to go through a narrow path that hugged the mountainside, insisting she stay close to the side unless she wants to learn how important guard rails are.

The cavern is a welcome reprieve, at least, and one she absolutely welcomes as stepping inside gets her away from the unforgiving winds. She slumps against the wall of the cave, finally lowering her goggles and her hood to catch her breath. She's been going at this for a while now, so maybe she should build a fire and get some rest? She's setting her knapsack down to rummage through her things as she ponders the thought, unaware that someone already called dibs.)

[Normally, the occupant of this cave wouldn't let a little snow bother him...but this level of blizzard meant that he would be spending his day inside away from all the ice. He thrived in warmer, dry places, and everywhere right now couldn't be further from warm or dry. So it's not going to be the cold that wakes him, but the eventual scent of smoke from a foreign flame entering his cave that causes him to stir.

Assuming she decides to stay long enough for that, that is.]

(And she does! Mikasa does head further into the cave to keep away from the harsh winds, but not deep enough to realize there's another occupant. By now, the fire's all set up and the girl had some of her thicker clothing drying on the cave side. It feels like she spent too much time out there, if she can still feel the cold even in here, even right now, but at least she's be able to get some rest, right?

Hopefully.

The big guy might first catch sight of her eating some dried foods, trying to relax after such a long climb. She still has a ways to go and that's what really bothers her...)

[Ha...ha...

While she's busy tending to her fire and snacking on her rations, a pair of amber eyes flash briefly in the darkness as they watch her, trying to gauge her intent. It seems like she's simply a passerby and not intending to take the cave for herself...but this creature was of a grumpy sort and didn't simply welcome visitors into his domain undue.

He'll give her a moment to let the chill leech its way out of her bones before he shifts among the shadows, not yet showing himself but allowing a deep, rattling growl to issue from his throat to see how she'll respond.]

(Today is just her lucky day, isn't it? It'd be one thing if a few bears were hibernating in here, but that wasn't a bear. No no no, Mikasa would want bears by comparison.

She goes still once she hears that growl, eyes immediately scanning the darker depths of the cave. She missed the beast's eyes just a moment ago, so the rumbling is enough to suggest she's being watched.

No sudden movements, Mikasa. Slowly, she sets her rations down on the ground. She checks her climbing equipment, the pair of picks the closest thing she has to anything resembling a weapon and even those are beyond arms' reach. She's pretty calm, all things considered, and certainly aware of the disadvantage she's in.)

[THere's a long moment of silence between the growl and anything else happening, and ultimately the next thing that does occur is heralded by a voice as the hidden dragon hunkers his body down against the cave floor, eyeing Mikasa warily.]

Bit far out from town, aren't you.

(A dragon. She stumbled into a dragon's cave. Wonderful.)

I'm making my way up the mountain.

(Once he does come into view, Mikasa does look back at him, staying seated and calm and she totally said she's doing a dumb thing with a straight face.)

[He pulls his lips back in a grin, but with the way it shows his rows and rows of glistening fangs, it looks more like a grimace or a snarl than anything else.]

In the middle of a blizzard? You must be brave.

Hm. I'd expect you to call to call me crazy like everyone else has.

(Because yeah, they totally did. Not that she let that stop her any; their disapproval isn't gonna slow her down.

Even if their concerns were extremely valid.)

Or to drive me out of your home.

I mean, I also coulda just eaten you before you knew I was here. I haven't really been able to leave to hunt in a while.

[As if to punctuate that, he drags his tongue over his jaws, teeth shimmering in the firelight.]

Yet you haven't.

(That could be for any number of reasons. Playing with his food, the thrill of intimidating someone, he could just want something from her...

Though Mikasa's normally steadfast, the cold isn't making her look as brave as she feels, the rough shudder leaving her rubbing her arms and wishing the fire would do more for her.)

...I'd share what I have, but I doubt that's enough for a dragon.

Keep your dried stuff. As long as it doesn't snow for the next month, I'll live.

[He's survived on less before...no, he's more interested in the human that's wandered in. He's interested in how she's just speaking to him and hasn't drawn a weapon or even tried to run away yet.]

Tell me then...what are you expecting will happen?

I'm not sure. You're not trying to eat me, you're not shooing me out...I think you're surveying me as much as I'm surveying you.

(And right now, keeping up the banter seems like the best option. Chances are he'll only get aggressive if she does. Even then, a lack of proper weaponry and exhaustion from the climb would only get her killed.)

The blizzard is keeping you locked in; if it's dangerous for me to climb, it's especially dangerous for you to fly, so my best guess is you'd rather have the distraction than the meal.

Hmm, you're smarter than you look, then.

[The dragon seems to settle a bit as he says that, a long, spiked tail curling around his claws.]

Looks like you got me. Guess it doesn't take much to realize that if I wanted to eat you, I woulda' done so already. Then again, maybe I'm just the type who likes to play with his food.

I can't promise I'll be very entertaining.

(The banter does help keep her mind off of the cold some, but only so much. Her arms tense as the frigid reminder of her own human resistances leaves her wondering how much more resistant to the weather the dragon is.)

Not when the climb has worn me down this much...

...so why are you climbing the mountain, anyway?

[He knows humans can be stupid thrillseekers at times, but even this is a bit much given how bad this storm has gotten.]

(Mikasa goes silent for a moment.)

It's an annual tradition for my parents and me to climb this mountain. They were travelers and this was their favorite location; mother would swear that the best sunrises and sunsets were at the peak. They took me along one day when I was little and came to enjoy it as much as they did.

...They were killed in a mugging a few weeks ago. I may not have had the chance to say goodbye, but I know they wouldn't want their remains in a cemetery. I'm going to bury their ashes at the mountain peak so they can always be someplace special to them...and somewhere I'll visit every year.

Of course, the blizzard makes this almost impossible, but I'm not about to let that stop me.

(Except that it did and here she is, freezing and waiting for her clothes to dry while confiding in a dragon who only partially doesn't want to eat her.)

...Sooo...it's for sentimental reasons.

[He never said he was the most tactful or, dare I say, emotionally competent dragon. It's a miracle that he has yet to say something more offensive than he already has.]

Yes.

(Honestly, she was expecting something more offensive than that. Calling the gesture stupid, laughing in her face...there's still time for it, she supposes, and she still braces herself for it.)

Have you ever thought about the fact that maybe your parents would resent knowing you got yourself killed on a mountain just to spread their ashes?

[He doesn't really care, persay, but he just can't understand why she'd risk so much for something like this, sentiment or no.]

...

(The girl is silent after the accusation. For all of her skill and determination, Mikasa can be pretty reckless when she's emotionally charged. What happened is still fresh in her mind and she tried to work through it as best she could, power through this one task and take some proper time to figure things out afterward.

Of course, she doesn't have much of a choice now. She's made quite a bit of progress during a blizzard and either progressing or going back both sound like bad ideas. This might've been avoided if she were patient, but damn if she doesn't get headstrong sometimes.)

[The dragon snorts, his eyes squinting when she doesn't respond. And for a long moment it seems like he's done talking, too.]

...you might wanna take a step back, real quick.

What is it?

(Not that she waits for an answer before complying, getting up and moving out of the way as best she can. It's a bit unexpected, coming out of the drawn out silence. Still, at least he's tolerating her presence. That's more than she expected.)

[It's good that she just moves without him having to explain, because he wasn't going to anyway. The moment she's out of the way enough- or enough for him to...care- he takes a breath and exhales sharply over her small, barely lit fire, breathing a huge plume of flames overtop the kindling. It sets everything there sharply ablaze, and though it's probably not going to burn that brightly forever unless she has more kindling to feed into it, it's more of a heat source than it previously had been.]

You'll die with a wimpy fire like that. Just sayin'.

(It's a good thing her instincts told her to get out of the way; dragon fire is nothing to mess around with! And thanks to that, the fireplace is far more impressive and warm. Unfortunately, so is her coat. Mikasa has to scramble for a moment to put it out, ultimately stomping it out as best she can. They're in a little too deep into the cave to get some snow, but it's not...totally wrecked.)

...Thank you.

(He still helped and that's more than what she was expecting. She'll worry about the damage after she's taken advantage of the stronger flame. Her bag was untouched and she can set a few things to help it last a little longer. Worst case scenario, she can toss her coat in there, too.)

[Adrian snorts, his lips pulling back from his fangs in something of a lizardy grin as he tucks his claws beneath his chest while she beats out her coat.]

Don't worry about it. That's got character now, too.

[He can't really talk though, as someone who doesn't wear clothes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And I thought they smelled bad on the outside

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject