The 'Dragon Defender'

Feeling Flighty

"So what have I missed while I've been gone?" Plasma asks me as we make our way back out of the caverns. "Not too much," I shrug, my hands clasping loosely behind my back as I fall into step beside him. "The training has been going well. I think we're about ready to introduce real swords."

"That's going to be... interesting," Plasma chuckles. "Do we even have enough swords?"

"I have plenty back at the Sanctuary," I assure him. "Sometimes if I run into dragon hunters I'll prig a souvenir."

"Oh, so you're a thief?" He questions, his tone light and playful. "What do you plan on stealing next?"

"I don't intend to make a habit of it," I laugh, lightly pushing his shoulder. "I have to disarm them. Sometimes I'll keep hold of the weapons, that's it."

"I see," Plasma hums, still visibly amused. We're exiting the caverns now, so I raise my hand to shield my eyes from the sunlight, squinting as I let my eyes adjust.

"Nice day for a flight," Plasma comments, also bringing up a hand for protection against the sun. "Yeah," I agree, lowering my hand at last. "Didn't you just get up from resting, though?"

"As if I would turn down a flight with you," Plasma chuckles, as if it's a silly thought. "Besides, you said yourself that we need to catch up."

"I did," I nod. "Shall we, then?"

"Oh, one more thing before we do..." Plasma reaches into his pocket, pulling out some dragon nip. "Um, I remember you liked the taste, and I suppose I owe you some back, so when I passed an island covered in dragon nip I thought I'd grab some for you. Unfortunately I don't exactly know how to bake cookies," he chuckles, running his free hand through his dark hair. "I understand if you don't want it, though."

A smile reaches my face, so I adjust my mask. He was thinking of me?

I brush aside my contemplation and accept the dragon nip. "Thank you, that's very sweet of you. I'm definitely going to enjoy this."

Plasma's chest falls and I can faintly hear him letting out a soft, held breath. "Great. You're welcome. Now..." Plasma gestures to the open skies. "Shall we?"

"We shall," I agree, putting the dragon nip away in my satchel for later before we both morph and take off.

"So tell me about what else you've been up to the last few weeks," I encourage as we gain altitude. "What do you usually do on your travels?"

"The main goal, officially, is to search for more Morphwings," Plasma explains. "I'm expected to bring back any of our kind that I meet, if possible. This way we know that our species will survive."

"I see," I nod, swooping over to keep up with him. "And what about unofficially? You have a different intention?"

Plasma doesn't respond immediately, getting a few wingbeats in before he speaks. "... Well... I'm clearly not human. But that doesn't mean I don't find them fascinating. I've learned about other dragon species and what differences there are between us and them, but humans are just so... so complex. And I want to study the more harmless ones. I want to learn everything I can about their cultures and history and-"

"And myths?" I chime in knowingly, making him laugh. "Absolutely. Did you know the humans are polytheistic? They have an entire pantheon of deities!"

"Do tell me more," I encourage him, watching how he grins at the permission to ramble. His face practically lights up as he recalls all he's overheard.

"Well, the king of their gods appears to be named Odin. I've heard him referred to as the Allfather. He's god of war, wisdom and poetry. He sacrificed his own eye for knowledge. Apparently he also had a nice beard, because I always hear the humans use it as an expletive. And he had this horse with eight legs called Sleipnir, and I think his adopted son Loki gave birth to it. Loki is also some kind of monstrous creature called a Frost Giant, but Odin took him in and now Loki is the god of mischief and pranks. I think he also gave birth to a giant wolf called Fenris. And then there's Thor..."

I can't help smiling as Plasma continues eagerly listing off the gods and their various feats and points of interest. He seems so unbelievably fascinated and engaged with all the mythos he's overheard. His purple eyes are wide with wonder and glowing warmly under the sun's light, his tail whipping the air as it sways leisurely behind him. My own tail can't help following suit.

Plasma briefly looks my way, then pauses, covering his words with an awkward cough that sends small tufts of smoke out of the corners of his mouth. "Uh, sorry, I got a bit carried away there..."

"I was the one who asked," I point out. "Besides, you looked like you were enjoying yourself."

"I doubt you're very interested, anyway."

"I'm not," I admit. "But you are, and that's good enough for me. Besides, you make it interesting."

"Heh. Thank you..." Plasma glances away for a moment, then turns back to me with a sincere, warm smile. "Well, I've had my turn; what would you like to talk about, Indigo?"

"I don't mind, really," I hum as I try to think of a subject. "Has there been anything else going on here recently?" Plasma prompts. "Stuff with your family? Or Adriana? I know you two are close."

"Not much of note," I shrug. "She's mostly been gushing about mate stuff since she and Asher are still very excited about having moved in together. I'd have thought the novelty would've worn off by now, but to each their own."

Plasma laughs at this, nodding in agreement. "I always figured I'd feel differently if I ever found someone."

"According to Addie, I should already be there," I roll my eyes. "She seems to think I can't talk to anyone without wanting to date them."

"Anyone?" Plasma jokes, to which I laugh and nod. "Yep. Every time I talk to you, it's all I hear."

"Heh..." Plasma looks away again, probably checking there aren't any human ships sailing around in case we need to hide in the cloud cover. "... Is, uh, is she right?"

"Of course she isn't," I assure him quickly, figuring he's weirded out by the suggestion. "It's just Addie being Addie."

"Right, right," Plasma nods. His voice is quieter now, so I have to strain a little to hear it over the wind. "Mhm... is there anybody else, then?"

"I'm not looking for anything like that," I shake my head. "Are you?"

"I'm... not necessarily looking," he replies slowly. "I don't feel like that's the kind of thing you can look for. But I'm open to the idea."

"That's understandable," I hum thoughtfully. "Hey, there's an island just up ahead, do you mind if we take a quick break? You caught me just after a training session, so..."

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Plasma nods. "Sorry, I didn't really think before dragging you out for a flight."

"Don't worry about it, I've enjoyed myself," I reassure him, gliding down to land.