Avengaea Pre-Bonding Ceremony RP

06/09/2010

JKat:

The changes in the bonding system at the Complex, in the face of protests by concerned parents, had in turn heralded an influx of new sign-ups for asandae children to potentially bond. Reports that a relatively small proportion of kits actually bonded had helped, as the Complex had made an effort to have a very solid and comprehensive system of classes, and the best public mixed-species curriculum this side of Navale. The school was open to every applicant -- provided they were here to find a bond.

The new rules had been announced maybe a month ago, and following them had come an increase in the flow of candidates arriving -- for the first time in years. More than that, though, it had heralded a huge influx of kits. Twenty-seven new young Asandae had supplemented the twelve already enrolled (most of whom had been at the Complex all through its lull years), and over the last three weeks the complex had gone to a small, comfortable community to a large one with almost everyone a stranger to one another. Classes had remedied that, to some degree, but most of the candidates, at least, had arrived or returned within the last week or so. The logical end point, of course, had been to throw a party.

The kits were overjoyed, of course. Banners had been draped on the wall in colorful swoops and swirls, and snacks had been set up along low, lustrous tables in the large mingling and gathering room beyond the dorms. The doors to the outside flung open to let the warm breeze in, and the evening light lent the room a honey glow. When night really fell, the doors would be closed, autumn coming close enough to lend a chill once it got dark, but for now the view was bright, the tall foliage over the wall visible and verdant. The cushiony floor of the party room had been cleaned and refreshed, feeling to bare feet like moss underfoot.

The sun hadn't set yet when the party was to start, and a few eager kits, tempted by the wonderful-smelling not-quite-junkfood had been trying to find their way in for some time now only to be shooed patiently away by the human-formed adults who had helped Aloia set up the dressings. They would have to wait. The candidates had been invited to enter the party room first.

Dray:

Despite the fact that Orlinton had been to Avengaea and had stayed in the bonding center for some time, the party was an entirely new experience. Currently in anthro form, the brown and green dragon stood in a cluster with his friends -- all seven of them that had arrived to the planet with him -- but he was only half involved in their conversation. The dragon, now fully grown since his last visit, was keeping an eye out for familiar faces. Belaria was one of them, and he was tempted to go over to meet her, but for the moment he allowed his eyes to roam over those gathered in the party room just inside the courtyard.

StarFyre:

Ansel, making sure to walk those couple of steps in front of Kinsi so that her tail wouldn't hit him, had to brace himself slightly before he took those final steps into the room, though at least he didn't freeze solid like he had done in the dining hall earlier that week. He was in beast form, still, since the sun hadn't set, and was eyeing the fading light with a bit of wariness. While he appreciated the fact that he'd be able to be in human form for part of this, shifting in the middle of a conversation could be a bit... awkward. Flikk was walking alongside Kinsi, though with some space between them to account for her tail, and had a change of clothes in hand for Ansel. He was looking better after his time at the complex, less thin and drawn, but he still tended to tire easily and wasn't entire looking forward to a long evening party.

Xalia:

Belaria entered the room with Jelnai, her newfound friend. They'd run into each other in the halls on the way here and decided to come in together. In truth Belaria was relieved because she was feeling so nervous after all this time waiting that she wasn't sure she'd have the nerve to come in by herself. She looked around, her eyes scanning over the others present. Her eyes scanned past a dragon and then came back, there was something familiar about that dragon but she couldn't put her finger on it. She shook her head and continued perusing the room, trying to quiet the butterflies in her stomach. "Gah, don't be nervous, the kits will like you better if you're yourself," she said aloud, though more than half to herself.

Dray:

Perched upon one of the seat-like nests that had been tidied up for just this event, Mullen was confined under the weight of a dog-sized black mass of fluff and huge puppy-eyes. He had sorely wanted to wave down Aloia, knowing that she would be a friendly face, but the fuzzbaby had been adamant that he stay with her -- or else. Mullen, not being so much a coward as a cautious man who knew the extent of Magpie's diaboliary, had conceded the point. He made do with waving to the older half-Asandus. Magpie, for her part, was watching the other candidates with wide eyes. They weren't wide and innocent, so much as they were wide and predatory. She seemed uninclined to make a move to speak with anyone, for which Mullen supposed he should be thankful.

Shard:

Arick was in awe of all the things he'd been seeing while here. He wasn't sure that 'here' was even a place that he could reach with the ship... And his friends and family were on that ship... somewhere above.

Xalia:

Kinsi, grateful to her friends for being careful of her tail, (now that she'd been away from her own kind for this long she was beginning to wonder how she ever managed with it before this the way it swung back and forth as she walked!) looked around a little apprehensively as they walked in. She could sense Ansel's tension as it mirrored her own. Kits were probably unpredictable and since her shifting was as well... She tried to give Ansel a reassuring smile when she caught his eye, but she didn't trust her voice for words just yet. She'd shifted once unexpectedly since coming to Avengaea but fortunately she'd been alone and managed to revert fairly quickly. Still, she dreaded a shift taking hold of her here...

Shard:

There were so many people, and he'd heard earlier in another part of the complex, music was still popular - and probably even legal - here... Arick's four hands started patting out a rhythm on the nearest table.

jess:

Jelnai was excited; the party was going to be so much fun! She couldn't wait to meet more of the kits. She stuck close to Belaria's side though; the human seemed even more nervous than Jelnai! When the girl spoke, Jelnai's ears twitched, and she patted Belaria's shoulder. "You'll do great! One of the kits will love you, for sure. You'd be a great friend to any of them; you're a good friend to me, and we only just met." The pan-thar tried not to flash too much teeth when she smiled; some people, she'd noticed, got rather intimidated by a grin full of fangs!

Phoenix:

Things sure had gotten... crowded over the past while. It seemed, almost literally, that every time Lanithro returned to the complex from his family's house in the city, there were new faces around to be bewildered at. But not uncomfortable. Every new kit around him was a glow of warm, safe Asandus essence, and though he still worried and fretted and kept his eyes on dark corners, the feel of the complex around him was paradise. All the new novos, on the other hand, he wasn't sure what to make of. At least they didn't feel like Caetrae, but that was really all hat could be said for them. And this "party" thing. What was that all about? *They* had held celebrations of Their own, of course... which had usually gone badly for Lan. He was sure he had no reason to be worried, but still looked a little uncertain where he stood off to the side, unobtrusively, with his bond and necessary translator, Shijet, leaning against his legs.

Dray:

Orlinton noticed that Belaria had paused to look at him as she scanned the room and, heartened by that, raised his paw to wave at her. His muzzle, covered in short peach fuzz, wasn't quite capable of a grin, but he dipped his head in a nod of greeting. Excusing himself, he wandered over in her direction, eying Jelnai as he came closer. The second looked more like him than a human, and he wondered if she might happen to be a daemon, or, more likely, some off worlder whose species he wasn't yet familiar with. ::Nice party,:: he psied to them both, bowing as he greeted the two women. Orlinton was always a gentleman. Well, almost always.

Xalia:

Belaria blinked as the familiar-looking dragon moved over to meet Jelnai and her. She smiled tentatively though at his comment. "I suppose...I admit I'm a little nervous..." She trailed off, still trying to place him and not sure if he intended her to introduce him to Jelnai or not.

StarFyre:

Treya darted into the room, panting slightly from her run. She'd lost track of time while reading a book, and Ansel and Flikk had apparently gone on without her, and, and, and... ... She really hoped the gathering hadn't progressed too far along already.

Dray:

(( Xalia and jess )) Orlinton cocked his ears askew for a moment, then, eyes going a little wider, apologized: "Oh, you probably don't remember me -- I'm Orlinton. Orlinton Filidechiroptidae," the last name spilled out of his mouth in a fountain of syllables, probably irreplicable. "I was studying at Sanctuary quite some time ago. Well..." he paused, fluffy brows knit in thought. "I suppose two years ago. It's been much longer for me, though: world hopping does strange things to a dragon! I was one of the young offworld kits that was hoping to bond. We shared one of the geography classes, I think?"

Shard:

Arick thought he heard something about food. "Fillet de chirupp doday?" he chuckled to himself. It wasn't often that he misunderstood things like that.

Xalia:

(( Dray and jess )) Belaria's eyes widened with recognition and she smiled genuinely for the first time that evening. "I knew you looked familiar! Nice to see you again! Orlinton, this is Jelnai, another hopeful."

StarFyre:

(( Shard )) Treya saw Ansel and Flikk over by Kinsi, and starting to head towards them, but paused as she spotted the... four-armed blue-skinned man? Curious, she snuck up on him and watched as he tapped away at the table, and asked, "What are you doing?"

Shard:

((SF)) Arick glanced up to the voice, and grinned. He still wore his metallic shades - everywhere - so she probably couldn't tell his eyes were crinkled and smiling. "Drumming! Want to join me?"

JKat:

Moments after Treya's hurried arrival, one of the Complex's aides was sent to fetch the kits in. Coming back, it was apparent that they had been waiting for him -- the colorful mass of kits of various sizes and ages swamped the upright fellow and ended up leading the way in a mass of wing-bumping and half-playful jostling, and he shrugged his helplessness to Aloia across the room.

There were representatives of every type among them, even the double varieties of cascatans, though in the roil it was hard to tell head from tail or makanan from niteshan. Of the lot of them, the tallest would be eye level with a human and the smallest, probably able to land a devastating headbutt in a sensitive area. Most ranged in the middle of that spectrum -- and all of them looked various shades of excited. The knot of young asandae began to diffuse into the room, some milling shyly among their species peers, some beelining for handfuls of humanoids.

StarFyre:

(( Shard )) The shades were just this side of creepy, Treya decided, but she smiled back at him. "What's drumming? I've never done that before."

Shard:

((SF)) Now THAT was something Arick had heard too many times before! "It's music, I don't have any other instruments on me," (two of his hands patted himself down comedically) "but my friends make sounds... Does your world have music?" He almost dreaded the reply.

jess:

((Dray and Xalia)) "Hi! It's very nice to meet you." Jelnai caught one particular phrase from Orlinton's introduction, and was curious. "Dragon? What sort of dragon are you? I haven't met many, so I hope you forgive me for my curiosity?"

StarFyre:

(( Shard )) Music? Music... ah! Treya grinned in sudden understanding, "I've heard of music, before! I've never heard any, though, except when I was a kid. There's really not much time for making music when you're trying to survive on your own."

Shard:

((SF)) Arick's heart sank into his first stomach. "Well, ... yeah, there's a lot of that going around these days." He paused, and looked around for someone that looked 'official' - it was weird, because normally he'd be looking for those folks to *avoid* them.

StarFyre:

(( JKat, Xalia )) Ansel twitched in surprise as the kits boiled into the room like some living river at full flood. ::Looks like the kits are here.:: he finally forced out, then looked back and up at Kinsi. ::Ready to do this, or shall we cling to the edges of the party and watch for a bit?::

Dray:

(( Xalia and jess ))Orlinton bowed before the pan-thar a second time, though he didn't go so far as to take her hand to press his muzzle across the back -- he enjoyed playing up the dashing man around ladies when he could, but he was certain that with so many representatives coming from different worlds, some customs might seem too forward. At the pan-thar's question, he chuckled and shook his head. "Well, that's complicated. My grandfather was born on Avengaea, but the rest of my family is scattered all over the Nexus. I'm probably the best specimen of mutt that you're going to meet outside of the Selamputo family." He raised his brows in Belaria's direction. "You look like you haven't aged a day, Belaria. Studying seems to be good for the mind." Just then, a crowd of kits came bowling out of the dorm hallway, and Orlinton was distracted by their colourful, darting mass. A surge of nerves took him, though he managed to master his expression of optimistic interest. If a human like Belaria looked the same as last he saw her, he was worried about the kits.

Airy:

((Xalia and Dray)) Galasthornen slid into the room as quietly as he could, and then glanced around, hoping to find someone that he knew. The crowd wasn't tremendously huge, but somewhat disconcerting nonetheless. He caught sight of Belaria and Jelnai, and walked over.

Xalia:

(( StarFyre )) "I don't know..." replied Kinsi, her eyes wide as the sea of kits flooded the room. "Maybe you can dive in and I'll paddle over when things look safe?" She chuckled, but even her chuckle sounded nervous.

StarFyre:

Flikk had split away from the two youngsters a little before the kits had come boiling in, intent on finding himself a quiet little corner in order to curl up and maybe nap a bit. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't here to bond, even if he'd been taking a few of the classes to pass the time.

Airy:

((Xalia, Dray, and Jess)) "Hey guys," he said, somewhat embarrassed for being late. "Hope you don't mind me hanging out again." He gave a slight bow to the unfamiliar dragon, but before he could say anything in greeting the kits entered the room.

Galasthornen's heart rate picked up a bit. This is it, he thought as the kits began to make their way through the crowd.

Shard:

Arick's gaze around the room ended when he spotted numerous little dragons walking around. They were so much more adorable than the ones in his universe! "Hey, look," he said to the girl, Treya.

Xalia:

(( Dray, jess, Airy )) Belaria opened her mouth to respond, the start of a smile in her eyes, but closed it, the sparkle in her eyes dying as the kits flooded into the room. This was it, what she'd been waiting for and dreading all this time...she took an unconscious step backwards wishing she could at least be up against a wall so she had something to lean against.

JKat:

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy)) The knots of hopefuls each got their eyeballings, but one of the first to be approached was the trio of Orlinton, Jelnai, and Belaria, around the same time that Galas was arriving. To be more accurate, the clump of friends and supporters Orlinton had drawn the kits' attention. The juvenille, human-formed asandae were a novelty, at least, though no one yet had seemed to recognize their aged peers.

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy)) The asandus that approached them was a little askan, fairly young, and following him some distance beyond were a pair of makanans and a larger Old cascatan, the latter of whom looked a little uncomfortable. A few more kits watched the group from afar, but didn't seem eager to approach yet. The Askan stopped some distance off from Orlinton's family, and gave a puzzled look-over to the half-grown Askan there. Her Makanan companions came up on either side of her, and one headbutted her lightly, but it was the Cascatan who looked to the novos themselves. "Hey," he called, to the novos proper, watching as Galas joined the group, "I've seen you guys around in classes! I think, anyways. Right?" He looked at Orlinton and squinted, his muzzle wrinkling in concentration. One of the Makanans looked over too, and then the Askan, distracted from their curiosity about the other asandae.

StarFyre:

Treya's eyes widened as she stared at the flood of kits, and she took a small step backwards at the sheer /number/ of the creatures that were flooding in. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but this topped anything she could have dreamed up on her own.

Yakima:

Asher had to be woken up by Tiaos and nearly dragged, after a bit of fussing over his appearance (which included some new cloths for the party), to the party. Here, Asher met a bit of a surprise in the form of Tayenden and Jarel who had come to see him after hearing about the events - from Tiaos of course. The niteshan lead the three elves into the party just as the kits were being released...

StarFyre:

(( Xalia )) Ansel shot Kinsi a partly annoyed, partly amused look. ::You're the big one, here, you dive in first.::

Xalia:

(( StarFyre )) Kinsi colored and flashed Ansel a rueful smile. "Maybe we can wait here for some of them to approach us? That seemed to work for them," she said, gesturing to the group that had approached the dragon and his companions.

StarFyre:

(( Xalia )) Ansel gave a nod, then clung close to Kinsi's legs now that neither of them were walking. ::Sounds like a plan to me! I'll just stick right here, let you take the brunt of the onslaught.::

JKat:

(( StarFyre, Xalia )) In another part of the room, other novos were getting recognized. A string of asandus youngsters, headed by a makanan on the larger side, beelined for Ansel, Flikk and Kinsi -- well, Ansel and Kinsi now. They wouldn't have to dive in -- the flood was coming to them, or at least a good part of it! Ansel in particular had the eye of the Makanan in lead, though his compatriots appeared to be along for the ride, and Kinsi found herself eyeballed and then broadly grinned at by a Piralan youngster and a couple of others.

(( StarFyre and Xalia )) "Hey!" called the Makanan, trotting to a stop with his wings partially outstretched and looking down at Ansel. "You're a novo, right?" One of his friends, a new cascatan, thwapped him with a wing-flap. "Uh -- sorry, I don't mean to be rude. My friends and I had a bet -- oh wait, that's no better. You are a novo, right, though?" he finished, getting frowned at fiercely by his cascatan companion.

Xalia:

(( StarFyre and JKat )) Kinsi gave Ansel a playful bat with her tail and then the kits were upon them! She flashed Ansel a decidedly mischievous grin when the kits seemed more interested in him than her, but then she noticed the Piralan youngster eyeing her and gulped. "Hi there..." she trailed off, not sure what to say when she was just being eyeballed and grinned at!

Airy:

((Jess, Xalia, Dray, Jkat)) Galas inched forward a bit to get a better look at the kits that had approached the group. Some of them seemed a little nervous to approach, but considering the gravity of the choices that they were all about to make, the Elf wasn't surprised. Then... perhaps these dragons were more comfortable bonding than the dragons he was used to- even the Nexus born ones. "I've been to a few classes," Galasthornen put in. He actually had sat in on a few, but probably not enough for the kit to recognize him. Belaria, on the other hand, had probably seen the youngling before. "I'm Galasthornen," he said to the rest of the little group. The group of bonding hopefuls was somewhat intimidating, but Galas did his best to look and sound friendly.

Yakima:

"Well this is interesting," Tayenden mused to Jarel. The other elf laughed. "Yes, well, I've never seen this myself. Hontori came from the Nidus..." Tugging the younger elf's arm, Jarel directed Tayenden off to the side to avoide the kits. "Good luck, Asher!" "Some support they are," Tiaos sighed then gave the rather overwhelmed elf a slap on the back. "Don't worry, Asher, I'll stick with you! Now lets go meet the kits!" And thus was Asher dragged toward the wave of colorful kits by the human-form niteshan!

StarFyre:

(( JKat, Xalia )) Ansel turned his head to stick his tongue out at Kinsi when she thwapped him with her tail, then realized that her attention was suddenly elsewhere. Ansel's eyes went very, very wide as the flood approached them, and then at how the Makanan stopped and eyed him. It was a /liiiiitle bit disturbing/, to be eyeballed by something larger than he was. The social ineptness of the Makanan, however, had him relaxing a bit in amusement. ::I'm a novo, yes. What's this about a bet?::

Dray:

The anthro-formed mutt grinned and inclined his head towards Galasthornen, eying the elf and suspecting that these three must have formed some kind of friendship before he'd arrived. He remembered clearly the feeling of kinship between novos, from his last visit, and was glad that the spirit of meeting and greeting hadn't been lost.

As the kits surged forward and broke towards the quartet, Orlinton noticed Belaria's taut expression, and cast her a sympathetic grin. She looked exactly like he felt. He nudge her with one of his two tails -- the non-bladed one -- and nodded to the kits briefly. ::Don't worry, we won't miss out on another one.::

Dracothrope, from near by, pointed out some familiar faces. "Well look at that!" she cried, throwing her arms up. "Hey, you guys! Long time no see!" Beside her, Marimianu, the human-formed Niteshan, and Saroto, the red-haired Askan, looked on over the kits with mingled expressions of shock, glee and surprise. They hadn't been expecting to have aged quite as much as they realized they were, now!

Orlinton flicked his ears at his caretaker, then grinned at the pack of old friends. It was shocking, just seeing them looking so... so young.

JKat:

((Dray for Mullen/Magpie)) Mullen and Magpie were getting some odd looks. From the outside, it was hard to decide what to make of them -- a middle aged human man, and an adorable fuzzy creature. Were they a bonded offworld pair, like the pale half-Asandus man and his bond? Was the daemon-like creature a candidate, a companion, or a pet? They weren't getting approached, for the time being, though one or two of the kits who had been there forever recognized Mullen.

((Dray)) It ended up being Aloia who wandered over. Her eyes were on the main of the party, her air watchful for any kits that might be lurking around the edges or novos that might be feeling excluded. She paused beside the nest Mullen and his little companion had claimed and smiled at the familiar face, the crows-feet around her eyes crinkling. "You look comfortable. Hello again, Mullen." She hadn't had a chance to greet the man yet, the preparations and registrations and classes having been gobbling up every last bit of her time.

Dray:

((JKat, for Aloia)) Magpie had been watching the aged woman's approach with a certain unnerving air. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't seem to blink. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that her tail was flicking so rapidly that the fluffy brown fur had become a tangled puff-ball. Whatever the case, she said not a word as Aloia came to stand over the two of them. It was Mullen who replied ruefully, "try sitting with a fifty pound weight on your gut and saying that again." His smile, however, was genuine. "It's been far too long, Aloia. This is Magpie. She's a little... shy -- oof!" An ankle had found its way into said gut, as Magpie scrambled into a seated position. She eyed the older woman more cautiously, now, but again, didn't say a word.

JKat:

(( Shard, StarFyre )) Arick had gotten attention the moment the kits had flooded into the room, his percussion catching some eyes -- and ears. With the cacophony that was bound to take over the room, music hadn't been piped in, but a beat was always welcome. Arick and Treya found themselves being approached by a trio of kits and eyeballed by a few that were shyly still milling the middle of the room. A Piralan child headed the group, flanked by an Askan who looked a little older and one who looked much younger, and a little further behind followed a watchful Niteshan. "Hi," the red asandus grinned, looking back and forth between Arick and Treya brightly. One of the Askans, the larger one with a bright blue pigmentation, raised a wing in a wave that encompassed both of them.

jess:

(( Airy, JKat )) "Hi, Galasthornen," was all Jelnai had time to say to the elf, before she was distracted by the arrival of the kits. She was about to comment on the sheer number and variety she saw, when a small group of them headed towards her group. Some looked almost as nervous as she and Belaria, and that made her just a little less nervous. After all, this was a new experience for everyone. Nervous was normal! She answered the Cascatan as well, though her eyes glanced over each of the kits, "I have been in several classes too. I'm Jelnai."

Shard:

Arick was positively amazed by these little kits. They came in so many colors and shapes - and varying degrees of fuzziness. "Hi," he said to the one which spoke, and gave a nod to the others.

StarFyre:

(( JKat )) Treya watched as the kits approached her and the blue man and made varying motions of greeting. "Hello," she said with a little wave of her own and a small smile. They were fascinating, and she couldn't help but move a bit closer, peering at them closely as she took in the differing appearances of them.

JKat:

(( Yakima )) A grown-up Niteshan was not precisely a novelty, but a grown-up Niteshan wearing Guard insignia and dragging about a novo was a bit exciting. Tiaos's efforts to get Asher met with some kits in turn met with immediate success when they found themselves knee-deep in the larger group of kits that held the middle of the room, either because they were shy or because they were busy socializing with one another. Asandus youngsters scattered, some laughing, and one called, "cool, a Guard!"

(( Yakima )) They finally met with a group of kits that shifted in number, and Asher found himself the subject of scrutiny of a couple of Niteshans and an Old Cascatan. "Hey, you're an elf," the Niteshan child who was taller pointed out helpfully.

Xalia:

(( Airy JKat Dray jess )) "Aska knows I've been in plenty of classes," Belaria blurted out without thinking then tried to smile tentatively at the kits, hoping they wouldn't think her rude.

JKat:

(( Phoenix )) Lanithro was a tough case, and one that Aloia was keeping an eye on. The young man was timid, understandably, and his situation reminded her strongly of Cacopheny's. She could only hope his story would end up as bright.

(( Phoenix )) It wasn't in her to interfere just yet, though. Lan had his little bond, who would no doubt be a hit among the kits -- and indeed, even as the horribly scarred young man made the newer youngsters shy, the ones who had been there longer and grown used to Lan's unfortunate state were bolder, and here, the setting was social enough that Lan found himself approached -- not last, but it took a little time. It was two young Askans who arrived first, apparently herding a younger Makanan friend forward. One of the Askans, a yellow-tinted one, nudged his even yellower friend, and the Makanan smiled shyly at Lanithro and Shijet. "Hi," the youngster greeted, waving a wing to both Lan and Shijet.

Yakima:

(( JKat )) Feeling a bit on the nervous side, and wanting to glare daggers into Tiaos' back, Asher managed a grin at the young Niteshan. "Yes...from the world called Sentra." Not that Sentra was special but he had since learned that their were many other species of elves from other worlds out there!

JKat:

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) One of the kits in the center of the room exclaimed upon looking over and seeing Dracothrope, and several more kits started milling their ways over to the group -- one or two because they were starting to ring a bell and _that_ was shocking, but most simply from curiosity. It was a huge group of novos-and-friends over that way, anyhow.

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) A Piralan grinned at Belaria in companionable humor and said, "Hi, Bel." He was Itaro, one of the long-time students here, and beside him was a new kit, a curious orange-tinted Askan. Itaro nudged him with a wing. "This is my cousin-in-law, Nellisu, he's from the north. Who are your friends?"

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) The Old Cascatan peered in the meantime up at Orlinton for a moment longer, then over at Dracothrope and co, and then back at Orlinton. "You look like... huh. Are you a novo?" One of his Makanan friends nudged him with a tail and nodded, "of course, idiot, he's the one who's been here forever. One of the ones." She looked at Galas, much more interested in the elf, and the little Askan that seemed glued to her side looked up at him too.

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) The second Makanan was grinning at Jenai, but introduced herself to the group en masse. "My name is Waniti and this is Tenita." The two Makanan females looked remarkably similar. "I think I've seen you around, in History," she told Jenai.

(( StarFyre, Xalia )) The Piralan leapt up onto one of the nest-seats and draped herself across the raised, padded couch-edge. Of the nests, each one large enough for five or six humanoids to curl up within and shaped so that the edge was a perfect seat and the middle, a comfortable dip. She nodded to Kinsi companionably, though a feeling of restrained excitement underlied her apparent nonchalance. "Hi! I'm Laetora. Who're you?"

(( StarFyre, Xalia )) The awkward young Makanan drooped momentarily and watched the piralan find a comfortable seat, shifting and wishing he'd thought of that. "Well, one of my friends doesn't believe me that you talk. But he's dumb, he doesn't know how to use his psi."

(( StarFyre, Xalia )) "He's not _dumb_," contradicted the little New Cascatan. "Really, come on, Laitu. He's just no good at psionics. There's no need to be mean about it."

Airy:

(( JKat )) Galasthornen noticed that two of the kits were staring at him, and he smiled at them. Nice to see that some of them were interested in him. After hearing about Belaria's experience of having to wait for so long, he had become slightly worried. If he didn't bond during this ceremony, his leave wouldn't be long enough for him to him to wait for another one. If he was going to bond a dragon from this world, he would have to do it now, or never. "Hello," he said to the two of them. His manners demanded that he greet both of them with the Fenda:soan handshake, but he held back. He didn't want to be intimidating in any way... not that his small size would really allow for that. "What are your names?"

StarFyre:

(( JKat, Xalia )) Ansel watched as the Piralan leapt into the nest-seat and greeted Kinsi, then turned his attention back to the Makanan. He had to smile a bit at the Makanan's awkwardness. ::Well, I can talk.:: Ansel responded. He'd gotten those sort of comments too often from humans and humanoids at the Clan to be too bothered by it. ::A xenodragon named Snaedis taught me how to speak while in my beast form, and much fun she had while doing it, I'm sure. I know I didn't.::

Phoenix:

(( JKat )) The sudden swarm of color and life that was the arrival of the kits brought a smile to Lanithro's scarred face, the feel of their untainted presence suffusing him with rightness and pleasure. Even though they were young and vulnerable, the shadows were not so dark in their presence. Some of the faces Lan knew as classmates and some were stranger, but they were all welcome. In fact, he was so content and, yes, even *awed* by the mass that he forgot this meeting, this "party", was supposed to be about socializing and meeting the kits on a more personal level than someone who sat beside you and helped you go over your classroom notes -- not that Lan could even do much of THAT, considering the awful language barrier, although Shijet with his translations and any Asandus with psionic ability did their best to help Lan along.

JKat:

(( Dray, for Magpie and Mullen)) The woman had enough years on her that she could judge a character, though children were sometimes hard to read. She chuckled at Mullen's assertion, as the man didn't seem to be in any real discomfort. "Shy, huh?" she asked of the fuzzbaby, trying to draw a response from Magpie.

Phoenix:

(( JKat )) If the trio of kits hadn't approached first, Lanithro might just have stood there in a happy daze all evening (until he noticed it was getting dark outside, anyhow) and not even minded no one was talking to him. But the gleam of opal-gold pelts and the wave of a silver-spanned wing broke the hypnosis, and his return smile was practically beatific. 'Hi' was of course a word he knew by now, so Shijet didn't need to translate for him to answer with his clumsily accented, "He-lo."

(( JKat )) Shijet didn't share his bond's awe, but he was still not far from being a newborn and if there was one thing a kid liked, it was other kids! The little dragon grinned toothily, his tail swishing a jaunty rhythm behind him. "Hiya! Wow, there's a lot of you now! Huh, Lan?" He looked up at the halfbreed man, who chuckled and nodded agreement.

Xalia:

(( JKat Dray Airy jess)) Belaria smiled in recognition, shaking her head at her own silliness. "Itaro! I'm sorry, I'm so nervous I didn't recognize you at all." She glanced at her friends, who all seemed to have their own groups of kits, but did introductions anyways. "This is Jelnai, Galasthornen, and surely you remember Orlinton?"

Dray:

(( JKat ))The Cascatan seemed quite familiar, though Orlinton was having trouble recalling his name. The Makanans, too, for that matter. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him with the other two, though. "I'm back for round two," Orlinton supplied and nodded towards Dracothrope and co. "Saroto and Marimianu came back with the rest of us, though I'm the only one who's looking to bond... I think." He cast a look towards the group, dubious. Dracothrope was worse than a crazy cat lady when it came to convincing dragonets to live with her. Luckily, she treated her charges with better respect than said comparison!

(( JKat )) Speaking of Dracothrope and co, the two returning Asandae were making some exclamations of their own upon seeing familiar faces. Well, Saroto was, at least. The red-haired Askan flagged down some of the milling kits, greeting them with some enthusiasm. He was pointing towards Faraway Firescale, who, older now and more certain of himself, practically preened under the attention. Marimianu had taken a seat with Shonshiarnath, one nest over from one another rather than sharing their space. Tanjoubi, feeling a little out of place, stood nearby Denique as the two human-formed dragons watched the gathering with quiet amusement.

Xalia:

(( JKat StarFyre )) "It's a pleasure to meet you, Laetora, I'm Kinsi," replied Kinsi, her years of having good manners hammered into her overtaking her nervousness. She glanced at Ansel but saw the others talking to him and decided to keep her attention on the Piralan for now. The air of excitement about the kit was infectious and she found herself grinning and her tail lashed back and forth rather exuberantly, coming close to whacking Ansel again.

JKat:

(( Shard, StarFyre )) The little Piralan leaned in a bit, stretching his neck up so that he was almost eye-level with Arick, his bearing jovial. His Askan friends ranged from his sides, one popping over to a nearby snack table, but the Piralan stayed and asked, "you're a musician, right?"

(( Shard, StarFyre )) The watchful Niteshan slowed as she approached from behind, and her eyes slid from Arick to Treya. In front of her stepped the Askan who hadn't beelined for snacks, his pigmentation a dusty purple. "Hi," he greeted in return, peering back at her in a kind of facsimilie of how she was eyeballing all of them. The Niteshan behind him grinned.

Shard:

(( JKat )) Arick grinned even more widely, "I certainly am!" He straightened up and looked over his shoulders quickly though, more out of habit. He leaned down and whispered, "and I'm an outlaw too, I hope that doesn't ruin things."

Dray:

(( JKat, for Aloia )) Magpie seemed to have finally gotten Aloia gaged for harmless, for she shortly answered the woman with a tiny nod. Her eyes, huge, took on a liquid quality, much like an overwhelmed puppy. Mullen watched Magpie's transformation with utter and complete skepticism, and considered warning Aloia of the act... however, he knew that Aloia could hold her own despite appearances. He quirked a brow up at her, and grinned. For her part, Magpie managed to stutter, "N-nice to meet you."

StarFyre:

(( JKat, Shard )) Treya grinned in amusement as the Askan returned her scrutiny, completely unbothered by it. "What's you're name?" Giving into a childish urge, she poked the Askan's nose lightly with a finger as she asked the question. "I'm Treya."

JKat:

(( Yakima )) "I've never met an elf from anywhere before," the Niteshan replied with a shrug of his translucent wings. "I mean, I don't think I have anyways." The other Niteshan piped in, "you smell like you've got magic. Elves must be like, humans upgraded." She giggled, and the first Niteshan giggled too.

Yakima:

(( JKat )) Asher laughed a bit. "A little magic, yes. My magic is still developing. It's late." He paused, not really wanting to get into all of Sentra's blackened politics. Looking around at all of the other kits he felt himself backing up a bit, only to back into Tiaos who grinned and shoulder-bumbped him forward. Well, he was stuck in this croud apparently.

jess:

(( JKat )) Jelnai looked at the grinning Makanan, Waniti, and what had to be her sister, Tenita. They looked so much alike, they had to be related. She smiled back, then paused when she heard Belaria introducing her to the kits she had been approached by, and she smiled a greeting to them as well. Then she replied to Waniti, "Oh, yeah! I remember seeing you in History class. It's one of my favorite classes."

JKat:

(( Phoenix )) The Makanan grinned in nervous excitement back to Shijet, then to Lan, then Shijet again -- he seemed shy but pleased, adding a rapid nod but no words. His yellow Askan friend laughed and replied for him, "Like you wouldn't believe! It's getting kind of crowded. I mean, we've been here a month," he nodded to indicate himself and the other askan, a little golden female, "but Tanu just arrived. And almost everyone else. I've seen you around, right?" He looked between the bonded pair.

(( Phoenix )) "And you're half Askan, even," the other askan child pointed out, her eyes a little big. "I've never heard of a half-asandus coming to bond." She spoke to Lanithro, obviously not realizing the language barrier.

(( StarFyre, for Flikk)) In the quieter corners of the room, there were few kits. Most clumped in nervous groups, or flowed around candidates -- but to be fair, not all were inclined that way. A young Niteshan hid alongside one of the nests, looking despondent; a couple of other youngsters lingered near the doors to the dorms. Some kits were unsure about bonding, or were simply too new to know anybody, and most found solace in the nests or the snack tables.

(( StarFyre, for Flikk)) Another figure had found solace in the nests, too. The best dark corner in the meeting room was one by the doors to the dorm hallway, and it conveniently had one of the large nests in it, the perfect size to function as a bed for a sleepy creature. Flikk had no doubt found it in his tired search, but now, someone else had found it too. A weight hopped up onto the edge of the nest -- and then stopped, startled, as the lone kit realized that the space was occupied. "I'm sorry," he said automatically, startled by the big blue dragon. "Are you a novo? I'll leave you alone." Which was really too bad, the kit thought, disgruntled. This was the best place to hide from the masses of way too many people.

StarFyre:

(( JKat )) Flikk gave his own small start of surprise as the kit jumped up into the nest and woke him out of his little nap, then shook his head at the other's question. "Don't worry about it. I'm not a novo," he responded quietly. "I got sent along because I was doing too much, and collapsed." He shifted to make room in the nest for the kit, sensing the other's reluctance to face the crowds. "You can stay if you like, I don't mind."

Phoenix:

(( JKat )) As the asandae started responding, Shijet gave his bond's pantleg a merry yank. Obediently, the halfbreed folded his lanky self to the mossy-like floor and gave the child his ear. Shijet repeated things in a murmur, though the young asandae would still be able to hear him -- and probably wonder why Shijet was saying things in double! Shijet didn't specficially speak Demonic, after all -- as he would say, he just spoke everybody's language. He understood everyone and everyone could understand him.

(( JKat )) Words thus relayed, Lanithro gave the asandae another smile both embarrassed and pleased, a bit of color briefly touching his pale cheeks. When he spoke back to Shijet he kept his voice equally low, for he knew the Caetran language was often as hard on asandus ears as it was on his own tongue. His gold eyes and attention stayed on the others, though, happy and humble. "Yeah, we've been in the classes for a while now," Shijet agreed for both of them, grinning. "He's Lanithro, and I'm Shijet. It was my idea for him to be a novo, actually. He didn't get to grow up with you guys around -- I mean, you know, asandae. And he just feels so *good* and *happy* with you around it seemed like a good idea!" This declaration made Lanithro blush again, his smile turning sheepish. Certainly couldn't deny it, though!

JKat:

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) A confusion of exclamation followed Orlinton's words, as some of the kits who had drifted over made the connection. "No way!" someone said; another, rearing up on his hind legs pointed out all of the familiar faces to some of the newcomers. A good proportion of the twelve kits who had been at the complex for a few years had found their way to this group, and there was a great babble as old friends went over to Dracothrope and entourage to meet and greet and marvel and catch up. The Old Cascatan stayed at Orlinton's location, though, and even sat down. "You are much, much older than I remember, Orlinton," he said. The youngest of his Askan friends stayed alongside him, having not yet said a word. He seemed to be one of the newcomers, and a little confused by all of these goings-ons.

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) "Ahh, Orlinton!" Itaro exclaimed, and raised a wing in greeting. "Goddess, he HAS changed though! Thanks, Bel. You got all that, Nell?" he asked his friend, who nodded and added, "gosh, there's a lot of you!"

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) The other kits, the initial group that had come to that side of the room, stayed intact and had indeed gathered another Old Cascatan and a Piralan. They caught Belaria's introductions. In the meantime, Galas found himself introduced in turn to the kits in front of him -- Tenita was the Makanan, sister of Waniti, and paying more attention to him than she was quite properly paying to Jelnai; the Old Cascatan boy, who had just arrived; and Aluetti, the big Piralan girl. "And that's Itari, and Nellisu," pointed out Aluetti, indicating the other Piralan who was talking to Belaria, and his Askan friend. "I don't know the ones over there," she gestured to the kids that were eyeing Orlinton.

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) Waniti laughed. "Goddess, but there's so much of it, though, right? I learned most of what they're teaching us in my old school," she let the Pan-thar know, her air just a little bit superior. "I mean, the classes here are nice and all, but every time we get new people, we have to go over some of the old stuff again, you know?"

(( Dray, jess, Xalia, Airy )) Tenita snorted and smacked her sister with her tail, telling her, "oh you're just being all whiny, you LIKE when they have to re-teach stuff because you know it all already!" before turning back to Galas. The Old Cascatan, Wevai, laughed.

(( StarFyre, Xalia )) "Beast form?" asked the New Cascatan, leaning in. "You've got another form?"

(( StarFyre, Xalia )) "Anyways, this is Diliga," introduced Laitu a little ironically, flapping a negligent wing at the proper New Cascatan. "And I'm Laitunis." The tables had been turned; he was being the polite one!

(( StarFyre, Xalia )) At the nest, the piralan and the offworlder were exchanging the vibe of excitement. Laitunis's own tail was thumping against the filling of the nest, and she was grinning her mouth full of sharp baby teeth, and, in turns, trying to keep hold of her look of nonchalance. Really, it was pretty confusing. "It's good to meet you too." She paused, and then went on, catching her stride again from a moment of uncertainty. "I'm new here, well, pretty new. I'm from the desert. Where are you from?"

Dray:

(( JKat, for Old Cascatan and Askan )) Orlinton reached a paw back to scratch his somewhat flattened ruff of green feathers, feeling somewhat sheepish. "I grew up, while Shonshi' and the rest kind of stayed the same," he indicated the group behind them. "We left for Ampil and stayed there for about a year, and then took off into the Nexus -- I didn't realize that time might pass differently in different dimensions than it did on Avengaea!" Inclining his head to the Old Cascatan and the little Askan that had come along, he re-introduced himself for the newcomer's sake. "I'm Orlinton Filidechiroptidae -- but you can call me Orli', if you want." His voice trailed off, obviously hinting at a return of the introductions.

Dray:

(( JKat, for THE HORDE )) Dracothrope was having a grand time trying to pick out those Asandae that were familiar to her. Unlike Orlinton, she was unabashed about asking for names again. "You know, Denique here and the rest of us have been all over Novinitu at one point or another! Mostly to Ampil and once or twice to the Nidus down by central Novinitu. We've never explored the Horn, though I hear there are some good vacation spots--" She felt a jab at her back by somebody's elbow, and restrained herself. "So where are you visiting from? I never *did* stay long enough to take classes, you know!"

StarFyre:

(( JKat, Xalia )) ::Uh huh. At night, I'm a human.:: Ansel answered with a grin, ::I'm Ansel, by the way.:: Right around then, he had to duck as Kinsi's tail passed by overhead. It was too much for his beast. It had been taunted by that tail for days, and Ansel had held back the urge as best as possible, but now... he hadn't been expecting it, and what he couldn't expect, he couldn't deny. Quick as a flash, he spun about to watch the tail move, crouched, and then pounced!

JKat:

And outside, the sun dipped below the horizon. It had been behind the trees for some time, and the sky still held brightness, but the sun had definitely gone down.

(( Dray, for Magpie and Mullen)) Aloia wasn't born yesterday, but she also tended towards giving kids the benefit of the doubt. She gave Magpie an appraising look, and then smiled warmly. "It's good to meet you too, Magpie. I understand you're the novo here? I'm glad you've got Mullen here along with you, he is a fellow who knows what's what when it comes to bonding. Have you had a chance to talk to any of the kits yet?"

Dray:

(( JKat, for Aloia )) Magpie flicked one ear down, looking slyly at Mullen. The human cast back a look that clearly read, "don't even start with me." It was as clear as day between them that the fuzzbaby was thinking about making a crack about his familiarity with bonding, but Magpie was too busy playing at innocence to follow through just now. Instead, satisfied that her jibe had been made clearly, if privately, with her victim, Magpie replied, "not yet, ma'am..." She scuffed at the nest, tearing up little bits of moss with her sharp claws.

StarFyre:

(( JKat, Xalia )) Ansel had a brief moment, mid-leap, to regret the impulsiveness of his beast, as it mentally grinned at him, yawned, and left him to complete the leap as a human. It must have been a truly odd sight, to see his muzzle and tail slowly slip back into his body, his hind legs to crackle and shift, paws becoming feet, his chest flatten from a beast's barrel to a human's more 'flat' shape, his shoulders and front legs shifting and rotating into position, but Ansel wasn't thinking about that. Ansel was thinking /Oh dear lord Kinsi's going to _kill_ me./ as he landed, a naked human, on top of her tail.

Shard:

No matter how interesting the little dragonets right in front of them were, Arick looked up sharply when a naked guy lept through the air ....

Dray:

(( StarFyre )) ...And Dracothrope, getting a very clear view of the transformation, managed to be stunned speechless for once tonight. A moment later, there was at least one person at the party guffawing more loudly than the general hubbub of a pack of eager kits!

StarFyre:

Treya had to giggle at the sight of Ansel flying though the air, then glanced around for Flikk, her eyebrows climbing as she noticed that the mercenary was nowhere in evidence. "Ohh! Ansel's going to kill Flikk!"

JKat:

(( Shard, StarFyre )) "An outlaw?" The Piralan's eyes went wide and round, and he seemed to fluff up. He put a paw over his mouth, hushed himself from his rather loud outburst. "Really?" the youngster whispered. "What did you do? Did you... did you kill someone?" The little Askan was just arriving back from the snack table at that moment and she yelped as she overheard, dropping her bright green snack.

(( Shard, StarFyre )) The askan, thusly nose-poked, wrinkled her muzzle and pulled his head back -- eliciting a bark of laughter from the Niteshan still a few feet away. The askan shook his head and composed himself, spreading his wings a little and announcing, "My name is Componu, Componu Asteris." He paused... and then reached a paw out and poked Treya right in the belly, right back.

Xalia:

(( JKat StarFyre )) Kinsi opened her mouth to respond to Laetora but instead gave a loud squawk as something landed on her tail. Before she could respond, in fact, before she was even aware that what landed on her tail was Ansel and /naked/ she shifted and squawked again, this time from the beak of a red parrot as large as Kinsi was. So Ansel promptly found himself sitting not on a draconic tail, but on a splay of red tail feathers! Kinsi flapped her wings, thus both buffetting and concealing Ansel's nakedness as she tried desperately to hold onto herself and take control of the parrot form that had taken control of her!

JKat:

(( Shard, StarFyre )) The niteshan behind the pair happened to catch the magical transformation, and stood up, laughing, the tip of her tail twitching. Componu looked startled, swinging his head around to see where Treya and his niteshan friend were looking. "Goddess, what is HE doing?" the askan asked, startled.

Shard:

(( JKat )) Arick watched the chaos over the heads of the dragonets, but then turned his attention back. "Nah, nothing like that. It's... it's the music, it's illegal where I'm from." He glanced away - now probably wouldn't be a great time to introduce a young creature to the idea of manufacturing exotic drugs...

JKat:

(( Yakima )) "Oh, that's alright, everyone's gotta learn sometime, right?" the female Niteshan piped up brightly. "At least you have magic. Watch out for daemons, though, don't let them take it!"

(( Yakima )) "Oooooo," added the other Niteshan eerily, and the two broke down into giggles again.

(( Yakima )) When they had finished, the male youngster perked up again, flipping his tail from side to side idly. "So what's your name? I'm Justoi, and this is Taleabutor."

StarFyre:

(( JKat, Xalia, the WORLD )) Ansel gave his own squawk of surprise as Kinsi shifted under him, and tried to scramble free of the buffetting feathers and off the splay of red tail feathers. He wasn't really doing a good job of it, though, and his cheeks were turning bright scarlet -- not so much at his nakedness at the fact that /everyone and their dog/ were staring at him with jaws dropped or laughing uproariously.

Yakima:

(( JKat )) "Yeah, Tiaos warnned me about them," he said, gesturing to the Niteshan behind him who was watching. Of course, he hoped Jarel had warned Tayenden about them...he glanced a moment at the other two elves off to the side who were sharing comments about the Ansel's change. Well, he figured those two could take care of themselves. "My name is Asher," he told them, nodding to them both. "Asher Wren."

StarFyre:

(( JKat )) Treya laughed at the stomach-poke, and retaliated with a poke between Componu's eyes. To the askan's question, she responded, "That's Ansel. He shifts from beast to human when the sun sets, and from human to beast when the sun rises. He doesn't have any control over it. I guess he just didn't expect the sun to set right then."

jess:

(( JKat )) Jelnai didn't react to the slightly superior tone Waniti used; she would know more about her own world's history, naturally, and was therefore entitled to "flaunt" the knowledge when she could. "That makes perfect sense; I'm just glad to have a chance to learn a bit about your home! We don't have any written history on Malnev, that I know of, so learning about yours is making me very curious about my own. Someday, I will find a way to learn more. And explore. I want to explore Malnev; I don't think anyone has gone to explore the whole planet, just to see what's there." She heard a commotion across the room, but there were so many others in the way, she couldn't make out just what had happened. She hoped no one had been injured!

Airy:

(( JKat )) "Wow," Galasthornen said once all of the dragonlings had been named. "There's so many of you. Are you all planning on bonding?" The Elf glances around at the novos, and wondered if all the young dragons would be able to pair off with someone. "I'm new to this style of bonding," he added. "Where I come most hatchings are private, and a lot of the time, parents don't let their children bond until they are adults. Are you all nervous?" Galasthornen realized that he was sounding alot like Beha Rehn, had to try to stop himself from seeming like he was more interested in digging for information than he was in getting to know the young dragons. "I'm a bit nervous myself," he said with a chuckle.