Breaking the ice [Nightrode, Sven]

[Sven Vellyn]

Sven watched as the dragon was taking in what was happening. Just like him, Nightrode seemed alert and thinking fast. He hoped the Toxic Hell wouldn't think too fast and jump to an undesirable conclusion, though.

Sven was pleased with what Nightrode said next. Another postive step. "Better than having enemies. That's for sure." As the feathered crown relaxed on the dragon, so did Sven's nerves. He let his hand go limp as Nightrode pushed into his hand. He felt the smooth scales and ran his fingers over his nose horn and towards the middle of his head. Sven brought up his other hand to caress gently underneath the dragon's chin. He made sure not to hit the sweet spot though, he was talking with this dragon, after all.

Nightrode asked again for confirmation. "Of course I do. If I didn't I would have left already and let you be. And honestly, I think you do need a friend right now. I can imagine Noah abandoning you has been rough for you. You could do with some good company."

Sven realised he might want to avoid the subject. He didn't want to lose what he had just accomplished. He decided to flatter the dragon. "Your scales are very pretty up close." It looked like he might have shed recently, but he couldn't be sure. He decided to play stupid, just to bring up some conversation to distract the dragon from sad thoughts. "How do you keep them so shiny?"

[Nightrode]

The mention of his old friend made the dragon shiver momentarily, his heart wavering. Noah and him... had been through a lot. Although none knew of each others pasts, they could tell that they had been through rough times, both of them. Perhaps that was what had glued the two together so well in the past. However... those times are gone. They always will be, and perhaps, they are meant to be. The prospect of a new friendship blooming started giving Nightrode the strength to look forward. For once, the dragon didn't feel raptured with hate and misery.

The second hand on his chin caused the dragon to give a quiet sigh through his nostrills, causing warm air to hit the boy's clothes. His massive and majestic wings drew closer to his body, and to the ground, as he relaxed the large limbs and let them drop onto the floor, pushing the fresh snow away. Having his scales praised made him open his eyes all the way again, looking at the boy with large, black pupils. Flattery was one way to make the prideful Nightrode remember his old attitude again.

"Oh, I got those from my mother... She had the finest red you've ever seen-- well, compared to any other dragon. My red is still the best." He boasted with renewed pride, as he gave a vain smile. "Not to mention, I recently shed my old scales... They grow tight after some time, so I have to rub them off on trees and rocks. This frozen landscape seems to be too efficent with that, though... There have been some times where a frozen branch managed to cut in. Rather embarressing. As strong as I am, it seems my scales aren't as tough as I'd like them to be..." He whined, looking away for a moment. However, his head didn't move away from Sven's hands, as the dragon desired the attention.

After a moment of silence, Nightrode lifted his head subtly, just by his nose, tilting his mouth upward. Blinking curiously, and with a foreign sweetness that he had previously only shown Noah, the dragon gave the boy a few, tentative, licks over his cheek. His tongue was fast and barely moist, mostly looking like a soft, fleshy object. Now he knew how the boy smelled by his skin, a scent he promised himself to remember.

[Sven Vellyn]

Sven smiled and continued to stroke the dragon as he replied to the dragonologist's questions. He admired the small, smooth scales, that did seem to be a lot finer than other kinds of dragon hide that Sven had experienced. Nightrode admitted he had a bit of difficulty shedding in the poor weather. "Oh, you poor thing." Sven said sympathetically. "Well I think your scales are pretty."

Just then, Nightrode moved himself slightly, pivoting his head upwards. Sven was curious as what he was going to do, until the Toxic Hell flickered his tongue on his cheek. It was slightly ticklish, and not wet like he was used to when it came to dragon licks. Sven appreciated the sentiment - moreso that he didn't have to be covered from head to toe in goopy dragon saliva for once.

Sven was curious. "Your tongue is different to other dragons I've seen. It's a lot narrower and longer... I find that interesting. Do you use your tongue for anything special?" He caressed the dragon's head in a soothing manner.

He forgot he was supposed to try and be supportive, and instead his natural desire to learn more about dragons was seeping through. After all, he had had only one close-up encounter with Nightrode before. It wouldn't be enough to learn everything about this particular species.