The Legend of Wyrmrock (Major Mario x Driven to drift)

[driven to drift]

Indeed, Roslyn was soon to become accustomed to the additional presence behind her. She couldn't say she was entirely comfortable just yet, but she was certainly making quick progress. Having an additional human traveler - if only in superficial form - was more familiar and reassuring than she cared to admit to herself. No matter how often she told herself that she needed no traveling companion...it was pleasant.

Roslyn couldn't help but turn her head just enough to catch a glimpse of the wyrm behind her from her peripherals with a quirked brow. He certainly seemed none-too-enthused about the possibility of handling a blade. She hadn't encountered such unvoiced resistance, before. But then again, she'd never truly offered to teach someone, either. The train of thought came to an abrupt halt when he mentioned the use of magic. The lower brow joined the other high on her forehead, creases forming as a low whistle parted her lips. "Magic? Honest-to-goodness magic? I'd say not completely helpless." A good-natured grin quirked her lips upward as she relaxed further into the saddle. Her experience with magic was fantastically nil. Most of the creatures she dealt with were incapable of such feats, or what little capability they had was minute and more of a nuisance than much else.

...but to have magic on her side? That would be a sight to see when the time came!

"At any rate, perhaps I'll give you a basic course in wielding a dagger. Everyone out here should keep one hidden and usable somewhere. Never know when it might be necessary."

There was something about the way Leon said her name that she enjoyed, but she had the feeling that she was nowhere near isolating the reason. She shrugged off the feeling with a faintly awkward chuckle. She hadn't had one of those conversations in quite some time. "About myself...?" Zane snorted softly beneath her as though finding the request ridiculous. "Er...well...I'm afraid I am not that interesting. I do little else besides work and travel. I do enjoy a good swim here or there, or a good ride in the rain on occasion. Zane and I, here, tend to do foolish things when there is little else for us to do," she laughed sheepishly. "I am also incredibly terrible about speaking generally about myself. I usually answer direct questions better...usually."

She cleared her throat, a flush of embarrassment creeping its way up her neck. "What about you? Anything in particular I should know about, especially so I don't drive you absolutely bonkers in our travels?"

 

[Major Mario]

Though Roslyn seemed to be of the sort to believe that what she did on a daily basis or for fun was completely boring or irrelevant, she had managed to capture Leon's attention without trying. Tell a story about riding in the rain on a horse to an elf and they would scoff and move on, but tell a dragon who had never experienced riding upon another creature while feeling so small and they'll listen in earnest. Already Leon's mind swam with ideas as to what kind of fun or adventures Roslyn had gotten into with her trusty steed at her side. Swimming sounded like such an interesting and strange concept that whenever Leon tried to focus on it he found that he had no memories or experiences of it to compare to any of Roslyn's own, should she offer any. At the very least he could imagine Roslyn bathing, but why that out of so many other situations confused the disguised wyrm.

He shrugged it off along with the praise from Roslyn over his magical abilities. If Leon had things go his way, he wouldn't have to use his magic in combat. But Wyrmrock was a dangerous place to be in, no matter how beautiful it was. Leon gave a low hum and a nod of his head in response to Roslyn's lack of things to say further and completely missed her clearing her throat. Had he been paying attention, he probably would have noticed her flush of embarrassment! And then she asked about him! What was there to say?

"Me? Well... Erm, you know the obvious. Copper wyrm, over two-hundred human years old, knows a little magic..." Leon had to rub the back of his neck as he tried to find something interesting. He didn't want to appear boring when Roslyn was anything but uninteresting to him. "I read quite a bit and enjoy looking down at the terrain when flying. There's a lot of beauty out here. The animals are strange yet intriguing while there are plenty of herbs and fauna that can be used for alchemy. I like collecting different plants from time to time. Have you ever tried roasting lavender upon a fire? It soothes the joints!"

Before Leon could continue, no doubt to note something about marigolds and their weed-preventing capabilities, the purewater spring mentioned before soon came into view. The spring stood in the middle of a thicket where rocks and bushes were abundant. In the far distance there was also what appeared to be a crevice of sorts where an underground passage or cavern system laid. But since it was so far away, it was merely a small blotch on the horizon compared to the majesty of the purewater spring. The most interesting aspect of the spring was a large white rock that jutted out from the center and emanated wisps of steam here and there.

"Ah, here's that spring. If you've got any empty bottles on you, I'd say it's a good idea to fill them up with the water here," Leon commented in a breathless whisper. He remained silent for a moment before he roused himself off of Zane's backside. "Right! Before I forget!"

The disguised wyrm landed on the ground beside Roslyn's steed and walked through the bushes to get to the spring. It was like a sacred grove with how wonderful the spring looked, and as Leon reached the very edge he would notice a few odd herbs and plants growing at the water's edge. One was familiar, a sort of yellowish-white tulip, so Leon grabbed it and crushed it between his hands before dipping the powdery chips into the water and lathering his hands up with them. With that finished, Leon would crouch next to the spring and, before Roslyn could wonder what he was doing, he took off his simple leather clothes and waded into the water as nude as the day he was born (probably).

Though he had expressed little desire to clean himself up before, being with a companion had made him self-conscious and thoughtful. And so Leon was there to bathe. It probably would have been a good idea to warn Roslyn of that beforehand, but luckily the water was up the disguised wyrm's waist and masked him pretty well. With a goofy, carefree smile on his face Leon turned around and waved to Roslyn.

"Do you need to bathe?" he asked, innocent.

 

[driven to drift]

The casual way in which he announced his age still boggled Roslyn's mind. As a human, she imagined she could never appropriately fathom living anywhere near that long. Her lifestyle certainly wasn't conducive to anything close to it; the life expectancy of hunters wasn't particularly fantastic. As fascinated as Leon was with what Roslyn assumed boring, she was damn-near as fascinated by him. Flying...that was something of dreams. When she was still young, she used to ride bareback and extend her arms at a gallop with her head back towards the sky and pretend she was soaring through the skies. It seemed as equally amazing as terrifying and yet all the more unimaginable. Everything about Leon was unimaginable, really. And yet there he was, disguised as a human, riding on the back of Zane behind her.

The corners of her lips tugged upward at his interest in plants, about to voice that she had not, in fact, tried lavender for sore joints, when the spring came into sight. Just looking at it caused her to exhale a relaxed sigh. Zane slowed to a halt and his tail swished lazily behind him. Roslyn dropped the reins and nodded at Leon's whisper. "Definitely have a few empty bottles and those that need to be emptied..." she muttered to herself, about to dismount, herself, when Leon beat her to it. The disturbance caused the stallion to turn his head and follow the odd "human" the same way his rider did. Roslyn's brows furrowed and her mouth opened...before closing abruptly as she politely turned her head away with an uncomfortable flush the very instant she realized what Leon was doing.

...it really had been a long time since she had a traveling companion.

It wasn't until the majority of the splashing sounds of the water receded that Roslyn slipped from Zane's back to Leon's innocent question. She couldn't help but laugh slightly before rubbing the back of her neck. She would have to continue to remind herself that he was much more unfamiliar with the etiquette of humans than she realized. "Perhaps a rinse wouldn't hurt, but...a word of caution, though: most humans have a...penchant for modesty, so-to-speak. A fair warning before any future disrobing would be appropriate." Her tone was good-humored and punctuated with a light laugh, nonetheless. She proceeded to undo the straps of Zane's saddle and bags, freeing the beast from the restraints and carefully setting the equipment off to the side. She gave the stallion's haunch a pat before crouching down to carefully remove her boots as he nosed his way towards the water.

"At any rate, I say we enjoy this little break. Get cleaned up, relax some. Never know when the next reprieve might come." Despite her own mention of a warning, she set her boots to the side and removed the belt with her blades to join her boots. Soon following was her chest plate and the shirt beneath it, revealing the tied straps of cloth that more-than adequately bound her fairly-ample chest. Scars, mostly old and well-healed, could be seen interspersed amongst expanses of smooth skin, a particularly sizable one starting from her right shoulder and disappearing vertically beneath the wrap. Her pants were next, which left her in a pair of fitted shorts cut high on her thighs. There were occasions when practicality outranked modesty, and that was one of those times. Riding in wet clothes was unpleasant; riding in damp undergarments was far-more doable and short-lived. And besides, she didn't imagine she had much to worry about with Leon...right?

With that done, Roslyn leased her hair from its restraints, tousling the long strands as she slowly walked towards the spring's edge. She waded in and immediately sighed before easing completely down into the water to, ultimately, float lazily on her back. Her gaze was skyward, drawing a thought that made its way to her lips. "So, Leon...what's it like to fly?"