Scauldron off the Port Bow! [OPEN]

[Spitnose]

Time and Date:: Snoggletog Day, late morning
Weather:: Hints of a storm brewing, winds cutting in and out.
Previous Threads?:: Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax
(several unRPed meetings in between the two threads)

To say the village was busy would be quite the understatement. Every one was excited for the return of the dragons and gathering around where they would most likely touch down. But the fisher girl wasn't there, and it certainly wasn't because she didn't want to see the dragons.

There was one dragon that she wanted to see, and they wouldn't be arriving by air with the rest. And certainly not landing in a crowd of people. 'Gotta be quick...' She was jogging down the platforms to the docks, not wanting to miss her. Thankfully no one questioned the girl running away from the festivities, no one was really around to notice. Once her feet hit the level layer of the dock, she instantly turned towards one of the smaller boats. She would bring it back before it was missed, and it was no fishing boat so she was sure no one would mind. She easily was able to get the boat out to open water, far quicker than her families boats.

The sail unfurled, and quickly the boat began to rip through the waters. Leaning to the side, she trailed a hand through the water, the little boat turning with her weight to the side. "~Whaaat shall we do with a drunken outcast!" She laughed and straightened up the boat once more. "~What shall we do with a drunken outcast!" She pulled on the lines a bit, pulling the sail taught against the wind. "~What shall we do with a drunken outcast, early in the morning!" Her eyes carefully scanning the water as her course straightened. The waves knocking her about made it a bit of a challenge, but she would not be denied. Not now, not ever.

[[OOC: after about the first several posts, this thread will be open to any one to join! any one is free to join now!]]

[Crystal the Scauldron]

The water's surface was pulled violently as large mass ripped through it. The being even propelled itself faster when it unfurled its wings and used them as oars. Sometimes it even jumped out of the water to fly a short distance, resting their legs for the short burst of time before gliding back into the water.

One thing was sure, nothing would be able to stop Crystal from seeing her friend again. The dragon wanted nothing more than to have someone to care for and vice versa, especially after having failed at finding a mate at the breeding grounds. Scauldron pods usually kept to themselves instead of intermingling with lone dragons anyway.

As Crystal swam through the saltwater, she couldn't help but think of how happy Spit would be, or Tadpole, as she'd begun calling her affectionately. The small human might even be elated enough to wrap her little arms around her nose, something the scauldron couldn't help but fantasize about.

She glanced up at the clouds. Dragons from nearly every species flew above her. In fact, she'd been traveling alongside them for the whole trip back. When she cast her eyes back to the surface, her strokes faltered just a bit. In front of her, the Isle of Berk stood tall. Crystal let out a content purr at knowing this is where Spit's den is; where she lives.

The scauldron dived back under the water and pushed herself even faster. Unfortunately, having been so focused on Berk, didn't see the very vessel she wanted to find, gliding right over her. Crystal managed to find enough courage to pop her head out of the water at the docks. Luckily for her, all the vikings were in the village. She raised her head further when she realized there wasn't a certain human to greet her.

The dragon began to panic. Where is she? She wouldn't forget me... would she? She dove under again, and circled the docks in a frenzied anxiousness, hoping to find the girl. She only slowed her pace when she heard a muffled tune above her.

"~What shall we do with a drunken outcast!"

Crystal opened her wings to stop moving through the water. Was that...? The tidal class dragon cocked her head to the side to hear better.

"~What shall we do with a drunken outcast, early in the morning!"

"Spit!" She exclaimed. Although, all it achieved was creating bubbles that floated to the surface, Crystal still roared gleefully as she reversed her course and searched for the source of the singing. It figures that the one day the dragon gets closer to the village, Spit decides to go the their spot. The scauldron scanned the water above her for the boat the human was bound to be on.

And when she did, she shot towards it as fast as she could, not caring how much noise she was bound to make. Crystal was careful enough to surface far enough away to prevent tipping the boat, before swimming over. Being one of the larger dragon species, Crystal has come to realize her size could easily harm those smaller than her.

In fact, once she spotted the girl, she made sure to move as slowly as possible, even if all she wanted to do was shove her whole head into Spit's side. The dragon made a high-pitch coo and rested her head on the dock, as this was their routine.

"I missed you, Tadpole." She purred so loud, she worried the boat would start vibrating.

[Spitnose]

Now out to sea, the girl stared with excitment. Where would she come from? Would she be alone or have found another Scauldron? She was so giddy she barely heard the waves breaking around her.

"~Way-hay up he rises!" She certainly hadn't been expecting the dragon to surface behind her, still scanning the horizon. "~Way-hay up he rises." But she figured it was best to check every side. And good thing she did, because she was just in time to see a head break the surface. She halted her song, grinning and let the sail fall as the ropes no longer supported it. So she had gone to far, and laughed a bit. The smaller boat began to rock as the scauldron got close enough for her head to rest on the deck, taking up most of the space. She rested her head against Crystal's nose, petting alongside the large scaly nostrils. "By the Gods, I missed you more!" She crouched down grinning wide. "I never got why every one got so sad around Snoggletog, but now I get it." She closed her eyes, letting herself be engulfed in warm dragon breath. "It was hard, I didn't tell any one though. My family wouldn't get it." She opened them again slowly, before shooting up to her feet once more.

"But you're back! I was so worried you wouldn't come back." She sniffed a bit, the thought of it alone was enough to make her sad. "I know it seems silly..." Her hand found a home gripping at the fabric of her sleeve. "But you're back!" Her grip on the sleeve lessened as her expression became cheerful once more. "How was it!? Were you scared? No, you wouldn't be dragons do this every year... but.." She gnawed her lip a bit. "This year we both had something new." Each other. She didn't have to say it, they both knew it.

But she put her hands back on her nose, grinning. "I... I was wondering if you would maybe want to come to shore with me." She was a bit shakey, the idea had been in her head for a while. And she was ready, she wondered if maybe the feeling was mutual.

[Crystal the Scauldron]

The reaction from the girl was all Crystal could've hoped for. Her wet scales no doubt felt extremely cold to Spit, but that made the contact all the better.

"By the Gods, I missed you more! I never understood why every one got so sad around Snoggletog, but now I get it." The scauldron easily picked up her friend's change in demeanor, and cooed to try and cheer her up. "It was hard, I didn't tell any one though. My family wouldn't get it."

Crystal listened quietly to the young viking. From what she's heard from other dragons, usually the humans don't pour their feelings out to just anybody. She followed Spit's eye-level as she jumped to her feet. "But you're back! I was so worried you wouldn't come back."

The sniffle caught Crystal's attention most. Was she really that sad when I was gone? She thought. "I know it seems silly..."

"Tadpole..." She soothed, moving her head closer.

"But you're back!" Spit changed once again back into the cheerful young viking Crystal loved to see. "How was it!? Were you scared? No, you wouldn't be dragons do this every year... but.."

A guttural laugh escaped the scauldron's throat. "Always so many questions, Tadpole?" This was another thing that always brought the dragon back to the girl; her curiosity. Something that makes Crystal curious herself.

"I was scared, but not because of the travel.." She started, trying to word it correctly so Spit wouldn't worry. "I kept thinking... what would've happen if you hadn't been here when I came back." She huffed a long, slow breath, glad to get the insecurity off her chest. Surely Spit will understand, right?

"This year we both had something new."

"New is right." Crystal had never had a friend. A loyal one at least. And seeing Spit's face light up every time she broke the surface of the water in their meetings proved that she'd never get tired of seeing her.

When the girl's fingers found the scauldron's nose once again, the aquatic dragon couldn't help but run her tongue up the side of her face, ignoring the fact she probably left a ton of saliva.

"I... I was wondering if you would maybe want to come to shore with me."

Spit's voice was unsteady, giving away her uncertainty on the idea. The scauldron casted a sideways glance at Berk's docks, and then followed the paths alongside the cliff-face to the human nests. They seemed small... breakable compared to the dragon. If she went up there, something was bound to be broken.

And let's not forget the other humans. Crystal, having every reason to hate them, already trusted Spit. And though one girl couldn't vouch for the entire village, the dragon was sure if Spit could live with them, they weren't all that bad. But seeing herself amongst the crowd sent shivers from head to tail.

"...I've got a better idea." Crystal turned her body to be parallel to the vessel. "I might not be ready to go as far as go up there, but I think this'll make up for it." She motioned her head to her body. "Let's take a ride, Tadpole."

---

(Hehe. Spit's covered in spit)

[Spitnose]

She kept the dragons head close, her warm breath and damp scales a soothing sensation. Sure the wet made the cold air colder, but then the steady warmth that surrounded her with every breath made her feel like she was wrapped in thick winter furs. She smiled sheepishly at the mention of her questions. "I just get so excited." But as she spoke of the trip, Spits attention was glued to every detail. So they both had worried about each other, and it made her happy that her feelings where not one sided.

"What a big tough dragon like you worried about little me." She said in a mocking tone, gently tapping the snout before her in a fake punch. She sighed and leaned back a bit, taking time to look Crystal over, instead of resting on her. What came next made her laugh and cringe at the same time, eyes squeezed shut as the wet tongue left a thick coating of drool. "Eeeew. Dragon spit!" Still laughing she shook her head, trying to rid it of excess dragon spit. Maybe this was karma for all the times she ended up spitting in someones face while talking, times ten.

But her attention was drawn away from the gooey drool dripping from her cheek now. She began to chew her lip, as the response took a while longer than she had hoped to come. Maybe this had been a bad idea, maybe she shouldn't have said anything. She looked at her feet, but then words she was not expecting game. "Better?" She blinked a bit, what could this better idea be? Her eyes grew wide with each word of dragonese that reached the girls ear. She grinned wide, staring. "I...you... by the Gods, are you serious?" She looked along the ridge of her back, thin spines between dense shoulder muscles to carry large wings. "Yes! That is way cooler! Let's do it!"

Looking over the offered back, she blinked. There were only a few spots where spines wouldn't be a problem. But she seemed to forget that both the wood beneath her feet, and the dragon at it's side were in water. As she went to step she rocked, and dropped between the two, coughing a bit in surprise. "Woah! Okay. That's one way to get you're fish slime off me." She turned it into a playful tease as she tried to grab hold of, well anything at this point. "You're too big jeez." But where her neck connected to her body, it dipped lower into the water and Spit took this as her chance. "Oh man you are way bigger than a Nadder." Even here it took her more effort to pull herself up, carefully avoiding back spines. She paused a bit. "Not big in a bad way though..." She didn't know if dragons got sensative about their size, and figured she would offer the statement anyways.

Other than climbing onto the back of a dragon, none of this was anything like her experience with Fern and Nima. Even Crystals muscles felt different underneath the slick scales, and she did't have a saddle to help her get into place. A mix of excitement and nervousness filled her to the brim. "I can't believe we are doing this." She was panting a bit from the effort of pulling herself from the water onto dragonback, hair plastered to her face. "You're the best thing I ever caught." She patted the part of neck now before her. She grinned at the thought, even though it was very likely the opposite of who caught who.

[[hehe I know right, also I think this is probably now okay for others to join if they want to! :D]]

[Crystal the Scauldron]

"Yes! That is way cooler! Let's do it!"

Crystal watched Spit splash into the water. She was split between wanting to make sure she was okay, and laughing at her clumsiness. So instead, the scauldron extended her wing as a make-shift seafloor underneath Spit, just in case she was hurt and couldn't swim.

"Woah! Okay. That's one way to get you're fish slime off me."

The dragon had to admit for the first time since meeting Spit, she was glad of her huge size. Watching the young girl struggle for a good grasp was the most entertaining thing she'd ever seen. "Oh man you are way bigger than a Nadder."

Crystal shifted her wing upwards ever-so-lightly to give Spit the nudge she needed to get out of the water.

"Not big in a bad way though..."

"Water dragons like me don't need to look good like those bird-brains. Besides, they spend far too much of their time preening themselves instead of something more productive." The scauldron rolled her eyes as she thought of the last nadder she'd met.

"I can't believe we are doing this."

Crystal spun her neck around and crooned at the girl's eager smile. Having a smaller being on her back was a new experience as it was, but knowing it was a human, and her new friend, no less, made the scauldron purr uncontrollably, probably causing her body to vibrate underneath Spit.

"You're the best thing I ever caught."

The dragon didn't say it aloud, but she wholeheartingly agreed with Spit word for word. Not that she needed to tell her anyway. They both shared the feeling.

Barely wading through the water, Crystal rounded the side of the boat and pressed her nose against the bow. She was sure Spit wouldn't want to leave it out in the middle of the coast without having it anchored down.

"Hold on Tadpole." She told her passenger sarcastically. The dragon knew by now humans had no claws to latch onto things, and it didn't help that Spit's previous attempt to climb on her back was unsuccessfull.

Having never had a rider before, Crystal had to experiment how to swim in a way that kept the girl dry. First, she instinctively push her tail down to thrust her forward, but immediately used less force when she thought what the effect it had on Spit.

[Spitnose]

Perched on the dragons back, she grinned wide, brushing her damp hair aside. She was so excited, but couldn't help and chuckle as she spoke about Nadders. She never really heard dragons talk about other types of dragons, and this reaction was very amusing.

Before long though, her eyes met Crystal's as she turned her head around. "Oh gosh, earthquake!" She laughed and clung on as the water rippled from the dragon purring. She rubbed the scales nearest her leg. The first bit of movement jolted her, Spit had almost forgotten about the small boat. She had bigger things to deal with now, much bigger. And she found that they weren't giving it much attention anyways.

Three words, that was all that she needed. She lowered herself down as much she could between two back spines, arms gripping one in front of her. Legs she couldn't do much about, hopefully her tight grip would be enough to hold her steady. "Okay. Here we go!" Adreneline pumped through her, energy bursting from every inch of the young viking. She was on a dragon! Finally! However it didn't last long. The first pump of the scauldrons tail caused enough force that she was knocked into the air, hands slipping from the surprisingly straight spines. "Ah! Crystal! To much!" She was airborne for a momment before slamming back down. She groaned a bit and grabbed the spine a bit. "O-okay that ... neugh." But despite the pain she laughed a bit. "This is going to take some getting use to."

[Crystal the Scauldron]

"Ah! Crystal! To much!"

The scauldron halted the moment the yell broke through the air. Turning her neck around once more, she caught sight of Spit grabbing one of her spines in case they propelled forward once again.

"O-okay that ... neugh." Crystal panicked. "Spit!" She craned her head so she could smell the girl for any major injuries. "I'm sorry! Are you hurt?" The scauldron's nose blared, trying to take in as much air as they could. Luckily, she couldn't find anything amiss, save for the fact Spit began to laugh.

"This is going to take some getting use to."

Sighing gratefully, Crystal tried to think of another way for her friend to ride without getting bucked off. Her neck was out of the question. For the most part, she kept dipping it in and out of the water, and she didn't want Spit to be getting cold when the wind chilled her wet skin.

And then an idea. If she were to ride on her head, and wrap her arms around her nose horn, perhaps it'd be a good enough grip she wouldn't slip off. Plus, she could easily stabilize her neck while swimming, and keep it above the surface without a problem.

With her large head already in front of the young viking, the dragon motioned her forward and looked up at her own forehead. "How about you see everything from my vantage point, hey Tadpole?"

[Spitnose]

Shaking her head a bit, regaining what little balance she had upon the dragons back she offered a grin as her hair was puffed by the sniffing. "Nah I'm tough." But her legs were a bit on the sore side, nothing major and it certainly wasn't going to stop her from trying again.

Sneezing a bit, Spit let go only for a moment to rub her nose and blinked a bit. Crystal seemed to be thinking about it. Her head tilted ever so slightly as she watched the dragon. But as the Dragonese reached her ear, she laughed a bit. "See what you see? Sounds fun!" And like many dragons Scauldrons had the curved nose horn, a perfect grip for her hands. Not at all like their much smaller back spines. "Let's do it!" She wrinkled her brow in thought for a moment. "How do I get up..." There wasn't exactly an easy way to get on a dragons head, and she didn't want to hurt her with flailing limbs.

She figured the obvious option to start, would be to stand up. A few slow movements of her legs, arms waving a bit to keep her stable and she was standing. "O-okay! Uh now what." Her face was scrunched in determination not to fall into the water again.