Time to learn him something...

[zhilbar]

Warily entering the Nexus just long enough for Naoko to lead him over to the dimensional locator, he dropped in a scale and got the coordinates. The girl wanted to be the one to input them, but he'd do it himself.. Can't let the vassals do everything, right

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[zhilbar]

He really should be paying more attention to her, but at the moment he's just making sure not to hit her with tail as they go down the tunnel. Keeps trying to convince himself that this is all wrong, he must have been mistaken, this isn't home at all.. And when he turns into a cavern littered with goblin courses he can ALMOST manage it. Except the curve looked so familiar..

Going a little bit further, nearer to his own clutch's teaching chamber, he tries rationalizing, figuring what could be wrong with his sense of recognition, "Just wanting it to be more righ- Dear BAHAMUT!Older!Zhil is going to be so embarrassed about that one

[mistressnaoko]

Naoko was more disturbed by the way he spoke about the so-called big boss than the roach itself. Bosses behind ones like these were one of two kinds: the quiet, immensely powerful kind, or the one that blew their own trumpets. The latter was easy to handle, the first not so. She decided to ask the roach less threatening questions.

"What's happened out there? How long has it been since dragons danced the skies?"

[zhilbar]

"...What? Oh, man, you really DON'T know any of this, do you!? Haha, you expect there to be DRAGONS on the Blood Isles!? This is DEMON land, baby! I've been here for three hundred years and met folks that've been around off and on for MILLENNIA, and not a one of them's ever remembered a time when demons weren't in charge! The closest you're gonna get to dragons is Darastrivaeralar.. You're really gonna see her, ain't you? Oh, come on, bring me along! I want a piece of this lunkhead when she fries hi-GURK!"

And Zhil's paw had closed, with predictably fatal results. "That was enough." He's totally not looking away to avoid Naoko's eyes, no. There's just.. something REALLY interesting about that sandstone outcropping! Yeah, that's it!

[mistressnaoko]

Naoko gently touches the arm that held the now-dead roach. She said nothing, merely trying to reassure by her presence.

[zhilbar]

He hadn't stopped squeezing when the roach expired. Nor when it was crushed to a disgusting paste, for that matter. Zhil did NOT like that thing, and was sincerely pissed off at what it said!

It took Naoko's touch HUMAN COOTIES HOOMAN COOTIES oh wait I'm not supposed to know about that yet to bring him back.

"..At least now we know who to talk to.." He's trying for an upbeat voice.

And failing miserably.

[mistressnaoko]

She smiled softly, seeming not to take notice of the hidden despair in his voice.

"Yes we do. Would you like to clean your claw first before we move on, dear one?" her voice was gentle but eager; she fought hard to keep a devilish grin off her face. This seemed... fun. Not his despair, but the thought of facing a large foe.

[zhilbar]

Ohh, he's not despairing. Not yet, at least. But that's beginning to sound more and more tempting...

"...Yes. Yes, I would." He tries to hide the squishy bits from her with his body, even as he reaches up to one of the stunted tree-branches and wipe off as much of the gook as possible; no sense showing off something gross! (Well, not to grown-ups.)

Okay, that's about as good as it's going to get- "Seems we've a long way to go. Shall we continue?" He didn't pick up on the forced-down grin, but she certainly seemed more energetic.. and why were her eyes sparkling like that?

[mistressnaoko]

Naoko's not perturbed by the squishy bits; she's seen far worse being one of Celeste's daughters, but she was more worried about the confrontation up ahead. She was looking forward to a good fight after being inactive for so long, but Zhilbar's depression was far more worrying.

"Dear?" She looked up at him.

[zhilbar]

That's not to say that she LIKES them, though.

"Hmm?" He turns his head toward her, still a little preoccupied with trying to psych himself up enough to continue. "What is it, Miss Naoko?"

[mistressnaoko]

She looked at him carefully before shaking her head.

"It's nothing. Let's keep moving," she turned and began walking ahead.

With an almost unnoticeble flick of her hand, two throwing daggers dropped into her hands. She held them with the blades facing upwards, against her hands, so Zhilbar who was behind her could see them clearly, but not if you were looking at her from the front. The blades shone dimly in the light, almost pulsing. Now THESE were magical daggers.

[zhilbar]

((Aww, now you've got ME curious! *Pouts*))

"As you wish.." Now if only he knew the venerable usage of that term! Oh, well. He flicked his wings in the equivalent of a shrug, stifled a gasp for the stabbing ache that reminded him exactly WHY he shouldn't do that.. and followed along, figuring she expected the next attack from the rear.

Which, of course, gave him plenty of opportunity to notice the shiny new accessories! This helped ease his mind considerably, as a matter of fact; magic made EVERYTHING better. It's a Fact!

"Miss Naoko.. Just what do those do?" Do they have nifty enchantments? Can they extend twenty feet in an instant, or maybe shoot lightning? Ohhh, now THAT would be cool!

[mistressnaoko]

Naoko looked behind her, stopping for a moment. Realising he meant her knives, she held them up to light, so they glistened dangerously.

"These? These are my own daggers. They can cut through most anything, though dragon scales and Godskins are among those it can't touch. They'll return when I call them, and they are always faithful," she smiled, holding the daggers almost lovingly. Of course, she didn't tell Zhilbar that the daggers were the weapon forms of her twin phoenix Shikigamis.

[zhilbar]

Naturally. Baby Zhil would have no clue what she was talking about, although the adult version would be quite interested to know about her practicing onmyōdō!

"That does sound useful.." His voice has a certain awe and envy to it, not to mention sounding a good bit lighter of heart than before. Miss Naoko could probably gut one of those demons on her own, yeah! He doesn't have to worry quite so much about one getting to her before he can...

By now, the trail has led out across a broad expanse of what once was forest, now standing deadwood in the few places the trees had not fallen! It would be several more hours to the Cave, and night was falling.. They might want to turn in reasonably soon.

[mistressnaoko]

Naoko looked around her. Night was going to fall soon, and they had best look for a place to shelter. While she could have gone on, she wanted the dragonling's wounds to heal, and a night's rest would do wonders, or at least that was what she hoped. She wondered if he was hungry.

"We'll need shelter, dear one. It'll be night soon," she let the way into the forest, running a critical eye over the deadwoods. Sukina would have wept to felt the trees, but it looked like they were long dead anyway.

[zhilbar]

He's a child, he's always hungry. Still, he's also used to going about a week between meals at times; there's still some food being digested in there, he'll be good.

A useful thing, as this place seemed to be uttely lacking in wild game! "All right, Miss Naoko. We can do shelter.." Beginning to pick up some of the medium-size logs and pile them against the trees, it looks like he's getting the start of a very crude but reasonably effective three-walled enclosure...

Right up until he accidentally tags one of the side walls with his tail, and it comes tumbling down. Blast it! Don't bug Miss Naoko about it, just put it back up again...

[mistressnaoko]

Naoko smiled at the sound, letting him build the shelter while she scouted around. There were no other entries but the one they had come into, and there were also no food. There was a small stream though, but she did not trust the water.

Instead she walked back to the shelter when Zhilbar was just finishing the final touches after he'd hit another wall down.

"Looks good, Zhilbar," she announced, not wanting to scare him.