Nix stepped into Tai'Qui's nursery, instantly relaxing in the warm comfort of the place. The Earth Dragon was standing near the erald-colored Dragon Egg, her brown lips curved in a smile at Inferno's leader's appearance.
"Going to stay and relax for a bit?" Tai waded out of the mud-pool. Her rolled-up leggings exposing her smooth tan calves. "Do you like this color?"
Nix shrugged slightly when she gestured to her new bandana. "The green is my favorite."
Tai motioned with her hand, changing the color to a pale green. "Like this?"
"Yep."
Any further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Deidra. Seeing them at the sa ti always reminded Nix how different the two dragons were. The warm and personable Tai versus the cold beauty of Deidra.
Deidra's cold deanor ward the barest amount when she made eye contact with Nix. "It's nice to see you."
"I'm going to get straight to the point. I want you both to construct Temples in Haven." Nix brought out two scrolls and displayed them.
"Temples?" Tai's stunned expression said it all; she was floored by request.
Deidrea looked even more disturbed. "Nix... That sort of thing isn't done. We'd have to get the Dragon Council's permission to do sothing like that."
Nix shook his head slightly. "This is a private Seed World; the only permission you need is from Inferno. Since we already have a binding agreent, I see no issue."
"No." Deidra's voice sounded strained. "Outside of a few minor benefits, there are no real advantages to Dragon Temples, or else everyone would have them."
Nix made a gesture with his hand, tossing both scrolls to the dragons. "Do it now; let know if you need anything else."
Tai watched the interaction with interest; the normally flexible Nix seed completely unyielding. "Nix... Perhaps you and I should talk in pri..." Her mouth dropped open in surprise when brown flas enveloped Nix; a mont later, they brightened considerably.
Deidra took a step closer and held out a pale hand. "A second Dread Fla?"
Nix watched the two dragons for a mont before switching to his silver flas.
"How's this possible? You have three Dread Flas?" Deidra's voice rose in volu; the cold beauty's continence showed how disturbed she was.
Nix gestured to the scroll that Deidra was holding. "That's actually a Fla Refinent Temple. Both Pon and I Refined our flas there. I probably could have refined the Gemini Fla also, but for so reason, my Dread Form decided against it."
Tai and Deidra exchanged glances, both of them had dealings with Nix's Dread Form. The real problem was that Nix's consciousness seed to sleep when he used it. The powerful creature seed content to rely on only base instincts.
"A Temple where you can refine flas?" Deidra stared at the scroll in her hands. "What was the process?"
"You cast your flas into a cylindrical shaped device. From there, you are sent where you need to go." Nix was drawing conclusions from the experience he and Pon had shared. "I'm not sure what would happen if your fla wasn't ready for refinent."
Tai studied the other dragon; it was obvious that Deidra was going to agree. Dread Fla was the ultimate separation among dragons. As an Earth Dragon, she also possessed Flas, but they weren't nearly as powerful as Deidra's. "I will do as you ask, Nix."
Nix waited for Deidra's answer; after a few monts, she nodded in agreent.
"Thank you for your cooperation." Nix grinned at the two dragons; the refinent Temple had made them both reverse direction. The Inferno Leader opened a breach and quickly stepped through, leaving the two dragons alone in the nursery.
After sharing lunch with Fajii and Hyai, Nix caught up with Del at the Gemini Platform, where she was talking with Pon and Semmi.
"Ready to go, Del?"
"Unfortunately, no. My Father has requested my presence in Fraya'Selene. It shouldn't take too long. Pon said he'd go with you."
The old man nodded. "Semmi and I completed a harvest quest; the turn-in is in Lana."
Nix smiled at the Blonde officer. "Going with us, Sem?"
Semmi shook her head. "No. We're swamped here."
Nix stepped onto the platform and chose the Lana destination. "Sounds good; I'll have the old bastard back in ti for the Chenzo fight in a few days."
The two n stepped off the Lana platform a mont later, nearly running into a familiar face when they did.
"N-Nix!" A short, bald man with a cheerful face stamred nervously, the Inferno Leader's sudden appearance always made Dalton nervous.
"Dalton... What are you doing here?" Nix smiled to lighten the mood; Dalton was soone who usually avoided any contact with him.
"I'm here helping your father!" Dalton bowed slightly, "I was just heading back to Haven to grab so more supplies."
"My father is in Lana?" Nix shared a look with Pon; Rico usually kept his travel limited to Glory, Loki, or Inferno City. The older man preferred the safe environnt of settlents and had no interest in adventuring outside. "Where is he?"
Dalton brought up his hud and marked Rico's location. "He's at the brothel."
"The what?" Nix stared into the empty space where Dalton had disappeared from a mont earlier.
Pon cleared his throat loudly. "Well... I'll do my turn-in after we find your dad, gotta make sure he's safe."
The duo progressed down the ice-covered street, both obviously seeing the sa thing. The streets were bare of any custors, the shops were open, but most of them were empty. Steady chopping noises proved that everyone was waging an ongoing battle against the encroaching ice.
Nix whistled softly, the warm air instantly creating a cloud of vapor. "Yeah, I get that it's cold." The Inferno leader and his companion were the only ones not bundled up. "But these people seed to have lost heart."
"Why does Dalton get so squirrely around you?" Pon had noticed it before but hadn't comnted. The Inferno Cobbler was actually quite personable, at least until Nix arrived.
"Hung him up by the neck with my fla strands and then tossed him out a window." Nix slowed for a mont, "I think that was the order."
Pon grinned at his friend, who spoke as if he were sharing a cookie recipe. "Is that all? Strange that he still rembers."
Nix nodded in agreent. "I know, right?"
"That must be it." Pon pointed to a large square-shaped building with iced-over windows. "Tell the truth... Did you ever expect you'd be visiting your dad at a brothel?"
The Inferno Leader chuckled. "Wonder what he's doing here."
Pon laughed suddenly. "Sure you want to find out? Could be traumatizing for you."
Nix walked past the n chopping ice next to the entrance; they were doing a fairly good job at keeping the business accessible; however, the large Bay window bordering both sides of the double-doors was completely frosted over.
The two n stepped into the welco warmth of Ravine's House of Pleasure a mont later. The jingle of tal like a ringing bell drew both of their attention.
Pon stared at the red-haired woman who hurried by them without stopping. "Nix... What the hell?"
Nix recognized Dalton's work. He often took requests for specific types of shoes. The woman had on cowboy boots and brown leather chaps. "The spurs are a nice touch." A handful of other won could be seen bustling about. A large floor-to-ceiling mirror had been set up; they would stop in front of it and model for the blonde woman sitting nearby. "Darsi!"
"Nix!" Darsi grinned when she noticed the Inferno Leader. She offered him a quick hug before poking him in the chest with a slender finger. "Thanks to you, I'm working at a brothel."
Nix laughed at the woman's expression. "What would your mother say?"
"Knowing her, probably that she had expected this to happen one day." Darsi pointed toward a black door on the opposite side of the room; there seed to be a lot of foot traffic going in and out. "You're Dad is in there, along with Vooni and her wyvern friend."
"Aja is here?" Nix headed toward the black door with Pon on his heels. Aja was part of Vooni's fire team; the dragon descendent would have made sure that Rico was protected. The Inferno Leader opened the door, freezing in place for a mont when he spotted his dad.
Aja was wearing sothing that looked like it had been taken from a Victoria Secret catalog. A sheer red outfit that clung to her well-muscled fra, it stopped well above the knees, a fact emphasized by mid-thigh red stockings and a garter belt. Nix cleared his throat to get their attention, not wanting to startle his dad when he was pinning up alterations.
"Pon the Magnificent!" Aja's scarred face smiled crookedly at the new arrivals, "and Pon," she added when she saw who accompanied him.
"The fuck is up with that greeting?" Pon stepped past Nix, doing a great job of pretending he hadn't co in to get a closer look at Rico's work.
"Sorry," Aja apologized. Even though she knew the Inferno Leader's real na, in her head, she always called him 'Pon the Magnificent.'
Nix struggled to keep the wide grin off of his face. "Looks like your busy, Dad."
Rico had a handful of pins in his mouth, pulling bits of fabric as he snugged up the fit. Unlike his son, Rico implented several real-life techniques to his craft. The result spoke for themselves; nearly everything he made resulted in a [critical crafting] ssage.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around Nix from behind, squeezing him tight before letting him go. He turned to see Vooni's smiling face. "Looks like the band is back together. Where are the boys?"
Vooni shook her head slightly. "Could you imagine Nunzo and Omak here? They'd never get anything done."
Nix brought up his hud, he'd been notified when the Lana quest was updated, but he hadn't bothered to check it out. He considered his options as he perused the description. "Going to put a request in, Dad. Put the other stuff on hold for now."
Rico removed the pins from his mouth and motioned Aja to a curtained-off corner where she could change. "What do you need?'
"Uniforms for these won, we'll need sothing warm, maybe wool or tweed." Nix watched as his dad pulled out a sketch pad and started drawing. "I want them to be easily recognizable when they are walking around. Let's aim for casual/elegance."
His dad glanced up from his sketch pad. "Conservative then?"
"Yes, Dad... Conservative." Nix ignored the chuckle from Pon. "Have Dalton match it up with so nice boots."
Reviews
All reviews (0)