Lovey found herself walking along the borders of the scorched dragon lands, her rage and fears climbing with every step. She was taken from her training with Asherk for some experience outside of the gardens, although her control of fire was still wanting. Still, the fiery dragoness considered Lovey's progress to be acceptable considering the few weeks they had been training already.
In her company was Scarlet, Zoonzu, and two more dragons around Scarlet's size. One was a vibrant shade of blue with a green left arm ending in claws sharper shinier than the right's, with three horns on her head. Two were on the left and curled five times while the one on the right stretching the the base of her forehead. She was in good, athletic shape, although it didn't reach Scarlet's level. The other was a bright yellow with a stomach painted in shades of deep lavender that acquired an orange shade the higher it went. Her multitude of horns were on the back of her neck, giving the impression of having very long hair, as static as they may be. A long, droopy fin decorated the top of her head, preventing her from resembling a victim of male-pattern baldness. She was very large and heavy set for a dragon, making Lovey wonder how one could become fat just by eating fruits and vegetables all day. Despite this, the fat didn't prevent her from moving around as easily as anyone else and flying quickly. In fact, she had a slight speed advantage to the group...relatively speaking. Zoonzu still had the advantages because of her gargantuan size.
"So why did you take me back to this place?" Lovey asked Scarlet. "And how come we took Zoonzu and these two I've never seen before?"
The two dragonesses snorted smoke from their noses, indicating their displeasure.
"I'm going to make you learn how to use tact and diplomacy when talking, instead of being super aggressive all the time like some spoiled brat crying for a new toy."
The two dragonesses covered their mouths, muffling their laughter, even though they still made it extremely obvious.
"I don't cry like that!" Lovey complained.
"Yes you do," Zoonzu teasingly butted in. "You like to sleep us in those whines."
Lovey's face contorted in confusion. The blue dragoness sighed and rolled her eyes. "You mean 'slap us with that whining'."
"Oh yeah," The giantess smiled. "That's what I meant."
"Guh. She's so annoying," the blue one complained.
"Cobalt, why do you pick on her? You know she's 'inverted," Scarlet said. "It's not her fault she mixes words, and I'd say she's gotten a lot better than before."
"But she's so absent-minded. Last time we took her along she SAT on the ones trying to start a war!"
"They deserved it!" Zoonzu stated matter-of-factly.
" 'N what 'bout that tiny gal there? She's the tiny newbie what's been yellin' a lot, eh? Grabbed even the attention of the Pueric Mother," the yellow one said. "Ah believe that she'd be a nuisance to us 'ere as much as she is at the home."
"Why does everyone say I yell?" Lovey asked.
"Because ya do yell."
"And why do you have the accent of some country bumpkin?" the pink dragoness added. She pushed out her lower jaw and started to walk like a cowboy. "Them's thar one of 'em fancy furmers ah reckon? Gots tah take care 'o 'em pigs 'n cows, yeah?"
Zoonzu snorted with laughter.
"Ah don't take too kindly to those that make fun of mah accent."
"Then don't be starting insult wars and you won't get retaliations."
Scarlet stopped and turned to face the two. "You two, stop your bickering." She pointed at the yellow one angrily. "You, Stremlin, stop patronizing her." Then she pointed at Lovey who raised her arms in reflex. "And YOU, stop escalating the situation. Stop complaining and being angry about everything. We're all well aware of your unwillingness to make do with your current situation, but you shouldn't blame us for it. We're only trying to help you as best as we can."
"I...Fine..."
"Good," Scarlet nodded. "Now the first problem we have is a classical case of territorial control, except it was escalated with proclamations of inheritance."
Cobalt rolled her eyes. "Always the inheritance." Her sharp, narrow muzzle grumbled. "Why is it always the same thing?"
"Ya know how it goes." Stremlin explained. "Just get in, share the ahdeas, 'n then we're out. Maybe you'll get to fight this time."
Cobalt moved her lower jaw left and right. "Maybe. My arms been itching for a good 'bout of fighting." She lifted her left arm and flexed her fingers, reflecting even more sunlight.
"So they're here to be our combat insurance?" Lovey asked Scarlet.
"Yes. Them and Zoonzu, but Zoonzu is the backup." The red dragoness fumbled her fingers together. "Think of her as the 'secret weapon'."
The group, after half-an-hour of walking, met up with the 'warring' tribes of dragons trying to claim a large portion of land with a visible, enormous entrance to tunnels below.
"They're fighting over a tunnel," Scarlet noted. "That must mean there's plentiful jewels in there." She approached the two tribes and stepped in front of hem. "Whats going on here? Why are you two fighting?"
Two of the more elderly dragons stomped forward, tossing their comrades to the side. The first one, of the left tribe, snarled, as though attempting to intimidate the red dragoness despite her clearly being apathetic to the demonstration.
"What're Lovie Dovies doing here?"
"We heard that you were going to start warring with each other here for some tunnels."
The right dragon interjected. "WE were here first! We saw the tunnel, and it's gems are ours!"
"Ha. She was right," Stremlin laughed in her friend's ear.
"This land has ALWAYS belonged to our tribe!" the left stated.
"Since when?! You lot have NEVER been seen around here ever! It's only when we discovered these tunnels that you've been trying to take control of them."
"That's because we didn't know about the gems, but this land is still ours, and thus the gems are ours!"
The talking devolved into a loud brouhaha that aggravated Scarlet.
"Dragons, keep your calm. Lets try and understand this rationally. No one wants a war that will ill everyone. If you're all dead who will profit from the gems?!"
The yelling became murmuring between the tribes ho turned to face the dragonesses angrily.
"If we all die, then you get to take these gems from us," the right dragon stated with a threatening undertone. "You'll pretend to 'help' us, and then you'll just sit back and watch."
"Yeah. The idiot is right, for once. What's to say you won't try to pit us against each other while you just sit by and watch?"
"Things are getting tense," Cobalt noted. "Maybe we should get to fighting them?" she grinned.
The tribes started approaching, unaware of Zoonzu, but then they all stopped in place suddenly. Lovey Dovey had stepped between them and the dragonesses, and the elder dragons exploded with laughter.
"What are you doing there, tiny one?" the left laughed.
The right lifted his hands to 'protect' himself and spoke with mockery. "Oh, maybe she'll eat us with her tiny teeth!"
"HEY!" Lovey bellowed. "You two stupid idiots are dragons, aren't you?"
"STUPID IDIOTS?!" the two elders bellowed with fury.
"If you want to take control of the gems in there, why don't you have a series of fights between each of you? Each victor takes a portion of the gems in there towards their tribe. It's clear you don't want the tunnels for anything but that."
"Why we abide by those rules?" the left dragon asked.
Lovey put her fist on her hips. "Because you either get some or you get none."
"And how are you going to stop us?"
Lovey displayed a passive, blank expression accentuated by wide eyes. "Me? Why, I can't do anything. I could never beat you all back and destroy the entrance of the tunnels." She pointed to Zoonzu with both arms. "Zoonzu, on the other hand..."
The colossus stomped forward, nearing the tunnel, and raised a fist in the air. "Should I smash it now?" she asked.
The other dragons gulped and backed away.
Lovey gestured for her to wait. "You see," Lovey continued. "With the few moments I spent with you, I learned that you're very simple minded and love to fight. Why take away what is in your nature?" Lovey clenched her fists. "Instead of removing something completely, redirect it. Since you guys like to fight, the have duels and contests of strength. No one dies and you all get to punch each other as hard as you can!" Lovey cheered.
The other dragons pondered the idea for a moment.
Lovey looked away from them and checked her claws. "And the ones who prefer to war or cheat are clearly cowards who fear the other group," she spoke casually. Her eyes illuminated with the idea. "Hey, that's a great idea for game! The one who punches the other the hardest wins!"
"I like that idea!" the left chief shouted.
He was punched across the floor by the right one who raised his claws in victory. "I WIN!"
He was, in turn, punched in the gut by another dragon on the left and keeled over, and so the idea repeated over and over again.
"Very impressive," Stremlin applauded. "What got ya the ahdea ta do that?"
"They like to fight, and with what I was taught, fighting comes natural." Lovey shrugged. "Why take away what someone likes if it's in their nature? Just redirect it more constructively." The group looked back to see the dragons still punching each other. "And, uh, maybe get a referee for them."
Lovey was lifted in the air by a single, long claw of green, and she found herself incapable of moving.
"That was quite impressive," Cobalt said. "And here we thought that the only thing you had going for you was emotional instability."
"...What?" There was a sense of betrayal in Lovey's words.
"Cobalt, curve your negativity," Scarlet ordered.
The blue dragoness nodded. "However, these were the simple minded ones. Not every dragon you encounter will be as one-tracked as they are, and I do believe we are going to encounter such a group!"
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Aw, and here I hoped that would be a fun surprise. Oh well. It's probably my favourite next to Unsounded.
8436543
Huh. Alright then. "Puer" means "boy" in Latin. I thought "pueric" was meant to mean "boyish," as some kind of joke about manliness... or "puellic", girlish, as less of one.
Funny coincidence, I guess, that's all.
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I noticed I do this a lot. My subconsciousness likes to do this. I didn't even know 'Locus' was a real word until I randomly searched for it online.
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Stetit puella,
rufa tunica;
si quis eam tetigit,
tunica crepuit!
As the fire red,
she was red incandescent.
A face as bright as fire,
her lips a flowering rose.
Yeah, it happens. I read about a guy once who reproduced the entire plot of Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire and nobody noticed until it was lying on the shelves.
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I don't know what a Nobokov or a fire is. (:B)
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You might have heard of Lolita. He wrote that one.
8436586
Not heard of that either.
8436615
Dude, get yourself an education. Most famous Russian-English novel of the 20th century. Holy shit that thing is creepy. It's utterly infamous for being the most faithful portrayal of a pedophilic relationship from the perspective of the abuser that was ever written. Banned for decades because of that - it's not even pornographic, but it's so horrifyingly realistic you'll feel dirty after reading it.
8436622
Ah. That's why I've never heard of it.
I'm interested in fantasy and sci-fi, and maybe fantastical if the tone is right.
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Huh. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you've never read him - most people haven't - but I'll admit that I'm a bit surprised you've never even heard of the guy. He's actually just that famous, on a level with a James Joyce or an Ernest Hemingway.
8436650
I've heard of Ernest Hemingway but never James Joyce.
I think you mean escalating.
8436830
THERE we go. I couldn't remember the right word.
Was that supposed to teach her anything? All they did was threaten violence. Also, why is the story referrung to her as Lovie when from her viewpoint? If from anothwr dragon's pov it would make sense, but she hates what's happened to her and has spent hardly any time with them. Plus if they're actually ttying to make her feel welcome and not provoke a possibly fatal meltdown, shouldn't they be calling her something else?
And on the subject of names, that brings up some questions regarding the peurics themselves. How do they normally come about? Are they born, recruited, summoned, or created/transformed into peurics? How do their names come about? Are they normally called by whatever their name was, are they given/assigned a new name, or are they gained via appearance/personality/actions? Because "Lovie Dovey" doesn't fit into the established themes for dragon names very well at all, its more a pony name.
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Even from her viewpoint I use 'Lovey'. I've noticed, when I use the original name, that people get confused for some reason. It's baffling. To prevent that from occurring again, I just use 'Lovey' and will occasionally slip 'Oliver' in, unless you meant something else, in which case it won't take long to fix.
I've established that the Lovie Dovies aren't regular dragons. They like to be more 'colorful', for lack of a better term. I can develop on this in the next chapter if you want.
As for the Pueric Mothers, I was planning to explain that tidbit in the next chapter which would also cover Oliver's 'blocks', as one would say.