The Fyreborn Islands, Saturday, Fandom Time

[glacial_queen]

So after a week like the one they'd had, Karla's desire for a cheerful day at the beach had grown to something akin to need. In fact, she'd sent Jaenelle and Lucivar early to set up so that by the time her guests arrived, they could just pile into a Coach and go.

Which, in fact, was exactly what they did. Kyle barely had time to boggle at SaDiablo Hall (or the portal or even Warren's wings), before Karla and Holt were herding them into the Coach and leaping up to catch the Opal Wind to the Fyreborn Islands.

By the time they arrived, Jaenelle and Lucivar had set up the picnic--packed by Mrs. Beale and more akin to a movable feast--including a veritable mountain of small green berries to eat and share with the wildlife.

What wildlife?

Oh, you know. Just dragons. Just your usual, every day, average dragons. Pony-sized--not counting wings and the tails. Didn't anyone say, Kyle?

In Kaeleer, dragons were real.

[NFB, for those who know who they are]

Comments

[wwiii]

"You know," Warren said, fairly casually as he took in the mountain of berries, "I almost think the pickleberries are harder to wrap my head around than the creatures we're going to be sharing them with?"

He'd eaten a pickleberry before. It hadn't been bad, but it had certainly been weird.

He was still kind of trying to wrap his head around the experience.

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

Kyle... had no response to that.

He might be swaying in shock a little. And staring with his mouth open.

Because, okay, he was a geek, and he'd DM'd games with giant flying lizards and even though she'd told him, he'd thought Dinah meant something along the lines of Komodo dragons and...

whoa.

[wwiii]

That sway was met with a faint smirk. And possibly a light ruffling of feathers. Just because.

"You get used to things like this after a while," Warren offered, stifling a laugh. "Kind of. Even I think the dragons are a big deal."

And he was the guy with the wings. For the sake of perspective.

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

Kyle gulped, shutting his mouth, and gave Warren a sheepish smile. "Dude. How? I mean-- look at them!" He waved, trying not to stare, whispering a little, not sure if they could hear him. "They're amazing! How do they even fly? They're supposed to be too big to get airborne. This is incredible."

[glacial_queen]

Karla laughed and popped a few more in her mouth, chewing gleefully. "I don't know what you mean. They're delicious."

She sent a few spiraling up into the sky with Craft and one of the younger dragons swooped out of his dive to catch them, then grinned and held one out for him to nibble.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was determinedly not thinking of all the badness over the last two weeks, and shucking off her shirt and shorts to let the sun hit her skin. And casting hopeful glances at Kyle, in case he felt like taking off his shirt too.

She beamed and waved at the dragons as they came in sight. "Hi guys! We brought food!"

[wwiii]

"Between you and me? I don't think physics has much to do with it, here in Kaeleer."

Which didn't explain how Warren got off the ground, really. He was technically too big to get airborne, too.

"But just the fact that they exist kind of puts a few tickmarks in the 'I do believe in magic' column. At least for me."

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

"Even hearing about what Karla can do, and getting buzzed with Raven, I was kind of just-- not thinking about it too much? Or my brain would hurt." Kyle gave Warren a disbelieving grin too, because, seriously. Karla's boyfriend had wings. How criminally awesome was that? "And why would the pickleberries be weird? Are they cursed or something?"

Anything was possible!

[wwiii]

"Your friend seems to agree," Warren laughed. He was still a tiny bit antsy coming to Kaeleer at all, but it was difficult to freak out too much when everyone seemed so at ease. And honestly, the dragons were awesome enough to be effectively distracting, too. "I'm a much bigger fan of honey pears, though."

Even if he generally ended up wearing more than he ate.

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

Kyle finally took off his shirt (to a wolf-whistle from Dinah), and got into the water, giving the dive-bombing (wave-whomping, Dinah had said?) dragons a dubious look of speculation.

[wwiii]

"No, not at all," Warren replied, shaking his head and picking one up. "They're just a bit of an acquired taste, is all."

He tossed the berry Kyle's way.

"See for yourself?"

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

Kyle had been dared to do stuff by enough other college guys to not flinch, even though he was internally bracing himself. It didn't help.

"Aauuugheeeeeuugghgghh...!" Kyle's face twisted like Silly Putty and he managed not to spit it out, but he was pointing out Warren in clear guy language of, Oh, you will pay, you bastard. You will pay.

[wwiii]

Warren actually spoke enough guy language to get the gist of that point!

He was too busy stifling a laugh to really worry about it too much.

"I did warn you, didn't I?"

He did! And he was totally popping a pickleberry into his own mouth, while he was at it.

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

"How do you do that, when you know?" Kyle asked, hacking, and trying to scrape his tongue on his teeth. "Water. I need water. Cripes. Did they do that to you when you got here?" Cruuuuel. He'd have to find someone to pull that on.

[wwiii]

"Yeah, Dinah did," Warren grinned. And it was entirely possible that Karla's cookies had managed to break him in for pickleberry moments. "Like I said, acquired taste. Everything else is pretty awesome, though. If there are honey pears, we're going to have to make a flying dive to even have a chance at them."

That was him being ambitious, really. He didn't stand a chance.

[glacial_queen]

"You're not going to argue with a dragon, are you?" Karla asked, leaning against Warren's shoulder and chuckling a bit. "I'm pretty sure that's just a bad idea all around. Though I suppose they'll be okay with you liking honey-pears better. Less to share."

Though then he'd have to share honey-pears with her.

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

Kyle sat down and stripped off his shirt, looking at the food hungrily. "Which ones are--" Dinah was chowing down on something, and he gave her puppy-dog eyes. She rolled hers and handed over a few slices. "MMMMMMmmm. You weren't kidding." He looked around, eyes still wide, licking juice off his fingers. "So you've been here before?"

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

"Oh good," Lucivar drawled. "I was worried we'd run out."

[wwiii]

Fortunately for Karla, she was right at the top of the very short list of people that Warren was willing to share honey pears with.

"And really, when they look at it like that, my liking honey pears more is like some kind of boon. I'll eat the sweet, sticky things, and they can have all the pickleberries they want."

Really. Warren wouldn't be heartbroken or anything.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

She stuck out her tongue at him, and said, "Lucivarrrr. You really think the dragons want pretzels? That's all I've got in my bag."

[wwiii]

"I... Yeah, to Kaeleer. A couple of times. Not to here in particular, though. This is my first time seeing dragons."

Warren shrugged an especially dismissive sort of shrug. The one that kind of begged Kyle not to dig for too many details about his last visit here, or anything.

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

Kyle caught it, but wasn't sure what to make of it. He wasn't going to be pushy guy, though. He swallowed another bite of pear, and filed that reaction away, though. "What do you like best about Kaeleer, then? Anything I should ask to see if I get to come back?"

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

Lucivar--who was also shirtless, it must be noted--leaned against one of the rocky outcroppings and gave Kyle a sardonic look right back. "Welcome to the Fyreborn Islands, boyo," he said. "Word of warning. The fruit bites harder than the dragons do."

Yeah, okay, so he'd seen Warren already give Kyle a pickleberry. Someone thought he was funny.

[wwiii]

"What, this isn't amazing enough?" Warren quirked a wry little smile. "I've heard there are unicorns, too, but I haven't seen those, yet."

... Beyond that, he really didn't have much to offer, Kyle.

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

"Pretzels?" Now Lucivar was looking confused.