In a medium sized cave sat Metronome, a large middle aged male dragon. He appeared to be lounging as if his cave floor was made of cushions. He yawned at the newcomers arrival.
After a few moments of careful consideration, Kang decided to approach Metronome, giving the dragon a short, respectful bow from several feet away. "I am Councilor Kang, sir, and well met. I ask to be granted an audience; I am in need of a favor, to help several under my care."
He hoped the title was appropriate to use; he was one of the few sent that could tell the sex of the dragons, but this one could prefer some other title besides 'sir'.
For all intents and purposes, Metronome hadn't heard Kang's address. He took things at his leisure, more than content to make obvious the point that time wasn't a mere consideration of his. He was a creature of Time, and a master of Time.
Slowly, ponderously, he turned to regard Kang with one eye. Then he looked beyond him, hmphing somewhere in the back of his metal throat. Creaking, he stretched his wings, then better settled himself on his rather lovely floor. It was so properly hard, just like he preferred. "Councilor Kang," he mused, trying out the name. "Councilor, councilor, councilor... Ah, yes. Early French, thirteenth century. From conseillier, from Latin consilator, agent noun from consiliare, from consilium. Councilor."
His eyes came to focus on Kang, staring down his long snout at the Draconian. "I am Metronome."
He didn't bother addressing the rest of Kang's statement, instead regarding him with a bored, unimpressed air.
Kang carefully kept his face neutral, despite the annoyance he felt at the pointless etymology lesson he'd just been given. He wasn't sure if he actually had been granted an audience, but he chanced it, and took one step forward.
"Some of those aboard our ship, the Transmigration Nine, have been afflicted with a spell of some sort, coming from a strange clock. It is making them... lose time. They are regressing, and if it isn't stopped soon, they will cease to exist."
Metronome sniffed, drawing his head back, but he made no move toward Kang. "Fascinating, I'm sure. I fail to see what this has to do with me, Councilor Kang." He settled back, bemused. "I am neither a clockmaker nor a dragon interested in the particulars of the lives of those transitory figures such as..."
He tapped one claw on the ground, not so politely looking over Kang's head.
"You, I dare say." He was rarely interested in things with such a paltry shelf-life.
"Yes, most races don't live as long as dragons, and I'm sure Time Dragons such as yourselves are counted amongst the oldest, if you aren't in actuality," Kang said. "All I ask is that you destroy the clock, and allow those affected to regain what time they've lost. We would be in your debt."
Dragons. Sometimes they were so difficult to work with.
"Is that all?" Metronome rolled his shoulders, an impressive grinding of gears and metal creating an oddly melodic tune. "Councilor Kang, I'm not a dragon who is interested in debt. I am a Time Dragon, and time is both everything and nothing to me, but even I don't like to waste time. And you are currently wasting both our times."
His tail lazily came around, tip twitching to some internal rhythm. "The question is not what I can do for you. The question is, Coucilor Kang, what it is that you can do for me."
Oh, so the dragon wanted to play that game. Kang didn't like wasting time, but if that was the only way to get the clock destroyed... he'd play.
He moved a little closer, leaning back against the cave wall and crossing his arms over his chest, "Alright. I don't suppose you eat the same things that the dragons from my world do, being mechanical. We do have some scrap metal and other odd bits of machinery, as well as oil, on our ship if that's more to your liking."
Metronome resumed his tapping, at a slow, leisurely rate. "Garbage and dinglehoppers, the lot of it. Nothing but a waste of perfectly usable space. Feasting the body in excess? Look to the others for that sin of gluttony."
Time Dragons weren't above talking down on other Time Dragons. There could be only one most fantastically awesome being in the universe, after all.
"More than a stomach can hunger," he said irritably, thinking about some long ago disaster in a kitchen and time far removed from then. "Just like an organic, to think of only one thing! Food! Ah, but you spend most your life devoted to locating it. That and sleep. What a waste of time, sleep is."
"A necessity for survival, I'm afraid. There have been times I wished it wasn't so," Kang said. He'd faced starvation once, and he had no desire to repeat it ever again. "I'm curious. Does your kind eat or sleep? And if you don't, then how do you spend your time?"
Maybe he could get Metronome to give him some scrap of useful information.
"My kind does nothing they do not wish to do." Metronome puffed his chest out a bit, coughing as it to clear his throat. There was nothing in it, but sometimes one did things for effect.
This affect was rolling into needless lecture zone. "How do I spend my time? Partaking of the refined things I doubt you have patience or appreciation for on a level even close to approaching mine. Eons of experience allow for a perspective and depth to understanding that none, outside of a few Dragons of Time, will ever come close to comprehending. How do I spend my time?"
He laughed, another oddly measured, concise sound on his part. "Fielding questions from greater minds to live and die than you will meet in a thousand of your lifetimes."
Maybe that was a bad choice of words. Kang just nodded, though, and shrugged, "I might surprise you. As well as being a Councilor on that ship, I am the Lord-Governor of the nation of Teyr on Krynn. What sorts of refined things?"
Kang paused, thinking. "Just because I consider something to be refined doesn't mean that I partake in it myself. I fully admit that I tend to prefer the simpler things. When I think of refinement, I think of elegant balls, fancy outfits, gold and jewels, and wines; books as well. Out of all of those, I do like books, though, especially ones about history."
That gave him an idea. Dragons tended to hoard, and not always material things.
"You must know about nearly every world out there, with your experience."
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He hoped the title was appropriate to use; he was one of the few sent that could tell the sex of the dragons, but this one could prefer some other title besides 'sir'.
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Slowly, ponderously, he turned to regard Kang with one eye. Then he looked beyond him, hmphing somewhere in the back of his metal throat. Creaking, he stretched his wings, then better settled himself on his rather lovely floor. It was so properly hard, just like he preferred. "Councilor Kang," he mused, trying out the name. "Councilor, councilor, councilor... Ah, yes. Early French, thirteenth century. From conseillier, from Latin consilator, agent noun from consiliare, from consilium. Councilor."
His eyes came to focus on Kang, staring down his long snout at the Draconian. "I am Metronome."
He didn't bother addressing the rest of Kang's statement, instead regarding him with a bored, unimpressed air.
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"Some of those aboard our ship, the Transmigration Nine, have been afflicted with a spell of some sort, coming from a strange clock. It is making them... lose time. They are regressing, and if it isn't stopped soon, they will cease to exist."
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He tapped one claw on the ground, not so politely looking over Kang's head.
"You, I dare say." He was rarely interested in things with such a paltry shelf-life.
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Dragons. Sometimes they were so difficult to work with.
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"Is that all?" Metronome rolled his shoulders, an impressive grinding of gears and metal creating an oddly melodic tune. "Councilor Kang, I'm not a dragon who is interested in debt. I am a Time Dragon, and time is both everything and nothing to me, but even I don't like to waste time. And you are currently wasting both our times."
His tail lazily came around, tip twitching to some internal rhythm. "The question is not what I can do for you. The question is, Coucilor Kang, what it is that you can do for me."
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His tapping stopped. "It's your move, finite one. This is your tale to author, not mine."
He was blatantly uninterested in telling Kang what he presumed he clearly must already know.
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He moved a little closer, leaning back against the cave wall and crossing his arms over his chest, "Alright. I don't suppose you eat the same things that the dragons from my world do, being mechanical. We do have some scrap metal and other odd bits of machinery, as well as oil, on our ship if that's more to your liking."
Reply
Time Dragons weren't above talking down on other Time Dragons. There could be only one most fantastically awesome being in the universe, after all.
"More than a stomach can hunger," he said irritably, thinking about some long ago disaster in a kitchen and time far removed from then. "Just like an organic, to think of only one thing! Food! Ah, but you spend most your life devoted to locating it. That and sleep. What a waste of time, sleep is."
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Maybe he could get Metronome to give him some scrap of useful information.
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This affect was rolling into needless lecture zone. "How do I spend my time? Partaking of the refined things I doubt you have patience or appreciation for on a level even close to approaching mine. Eons of experience allow for a perspective and depth to understanding that none, outside of a few Dragons of Time, will ever come close to comprehending. How do I spend my time?"
He laughed, another oddly measured, concise sound on his part. "Fielding questions from greater minds to live and die than you will meet in a thousand of your lifetimes."
Reply
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That gave him an idea. Dragons tended to hoard, and not always material things.
"You must know about nearly every world out there, with your experience."
Reply
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