Suddenly Dragons! (Spins, Jaden, and Monk

[lithle]

JadenMine? JaaaadenMine. Wake up. Don't be afraid anymore - Passith is here for you. The voice and the euphoric feeling that came with it, pulled Jaden out of a restless sleep. Those people, the bad ones, they took me, but I came here. You are here. Jaaaaaden.

He rolled over onto his side, blearily, convinced he was caught in the tangles of rare good dream. Squinting in the dimness of the barracks, he managed to make out the vaguely dragonlike shape looking at him through rainbowed eyes.

To his credit, he didn't scream. He didn't even slide down the steep slope into panic (Passith was lucky he hadn't tried to actually climb on top of Jaden or fear may very well have overcome euphoria).

Jaden, aren't you happy to see me? You should be happy now. I came to you!

Sleep and the confusion from it was fading. There was a tiny gray dragon here. Passith. His tiny gray dragon. He could be assured of that much, the warmth of Passith's love for him was undeniable. And he felt much the same, dizzy with affection.

"Passith?" he hissed in the dark, "How did you get here!"

I came here! From the bad place!

This was all too much for Jaden, he gathered the small dragon into trembling arms, and called quietly to Spins.

Ten minutes later, he, Passith Spins, and a very confused guard were in M'onk's waiting for the man to be woken and brought to the room.

[nozomi]

Natai did not go with M'onk to this particular meeting. His mild-mannered granddaughter all but lived as his shadow, a trailing pair of large eyes and gentle words to soothe whoever felt M'onk was something darker and lurking behind that wide smile. They were probably right; despite his good cheer and chortles, M'onk did some very bad things when he needed to. Although when awoken by a guard saying things along the lines of "Shards, shells, and little green dragons, Overseer, there was a random baby appearing in the prison barracks", he tended to try to keep her away.

A prisoner. With a dragon.

Arriving with a distinct lack of smiling on his aged face, M'onk shoved himself into the room, leaning heavily on his cane. The harsh expression faded somewhat when he saw it was Jaden, and not some ax-murderer, who held the dragon, and that it was one of those small atypical colored ones. M'onk rather enjoyed the grays - he found them pretty, and small, compact, useful.

"I was unaware of any humming." M'onk cleared his throat, moving closer to the trio of humans and the new dragon. "Have you fed the little creature yet? Someone ought be sent for food. The boy is little. He needs food." Oh, look at that, an indirect order from M'onk, but he smiled at Jaden, soft and small. "My dear boy, I'm quite afraid I don't know either of yours names. I am M'onk. Who might you three now be?"

Yes, Spins, you officially count. Congratulations! The overseer now has your face in his brain!

[lithle]

The first thing one did when finding their lifemate on the hatching sands was feed said dragon.

However, Jaden had found his lifemate while in a dead sleep, in the middle of the prison barracks. Food had not been the first thing on his mind, indeed, it hadn't even occurred to him. And Passith was doing his best not to distress his (very panicked) rider and thus had done his best not to think about his growing feelings of starvation.

Food would be nice, Jaden. Delicious, tasty meat?

And Jaden, still accustoming himself to having a voice in his brain, softened into a smile. Well, until he looked at M'onk. Then away. To Spins, he said, "He is hungry."

Which, truth be told, was Spins role in this whole thing. Jaden was half a step away from a panic attack, fear almost increased by this sudden, unexpected precious thing that he was afraid they might try and take from him. Spins was, well, interpreter. And rock. He kept a hand on Jaden's arm.

"Food would be good," Spins said to M'onk. "I'm Spins. My buddy here's Jaden and the dragon's Passith. Jaden says Passith says that he came from a place where the 'bad ones' took him."

He sounded remarkably sane, his usual impatient twisting barely worth noting. But, his mind was actually occupied for once and touched, unexpectedly, by grief. He was worried for Jaden of course. But he was also aware that he'd lose his friend to this dragon, that Passith would take Jaden out of the prison and away from his protection.

"He was supposed to be a candidate. It's not like he's not allowed to have a dragon." Spins added, not quite sounding aggressive, but certainly sounding firm. He was, admittedly expecting a fight.

[nozomi]

Spins.

Ah. Yes. M'onk had seen some notes about a 'Spins' and a Candidate of 'Jaden'. Spins happened to be a murderer - fabulous. M'onk raised his eyebrows to Spins and his defensive attitude before looking back to Jaden. THe scared young man happened to be the dragonrider - not the friend speaking for him. Oh no. "Well," M'onk waved his hand to the guard. "You heard him. Go get food."

The guard hesitated only long enough for M'onk to look at him instead. Then, he hurried. Once the guard went out of sight, the bronzerider once more turned his attention back to the trio. Most firmly? Jaden. "Of course. Your name was on the roster V'tya set out. Young man, I am not about to hurt you, your dragon, or your friend. Please understand that. My main concern is finding out about the other dragons of the clutch, and whether or not the criminals Impressed. -The outlaws."

M'onk looked down to the hatchling, and a soft, genuine smile crossed his face. "Does your little partner know what happened? If his brothers and sisters survived and bonded? It's very important if he could tell us." The old man paused. "I assure you, there is no wrong answer."

[lithle]

When M'onk spoke to him, focused on him, even though the words were reassuring and the man himself far from threatening in appearance, Jaden shrank back toward Spins, clutching Passith closer. Passith was a small dragon, and new hatched, but he was still beginning to get heavy. Not that Jaden would be putting him down anytime soon.

He was shaking, just a little, and he kept his eyes downcast except when he looked at Spins, his shoulders positioned in a submissive slump. He was a big man, broad and strong looking, but he still managed to look fragile. Scrawny, lanky Spins was the powerful one here, watching M'onk frankly through eyes that promised at least the potential for violence.

Yes, he was a murderer. One on (sort of) good behavior since reaching Warden's but a murderer none-the-less. He'd killed for Jaden before. He'd never succeed here, now, but he'd sure as hell go down fighting, should the situation suddenly require it.

"He'll ask him." Spins said. Apparently, while Jaden's mumble was to be translated for M'onk, he didn't need M'onks words translated in turn.

"Passith?" Jaden murmured against the dragon's hide.

Don't be so scared Jaden! He isn't going to hurt you. I am here. Your friend is here. We will not have you being scared. We are going to make it better. The dragon nuzzled against Jaden's neck, then fell still as he tried to think. Already, the time before Jaden was strange to him, fuzzy and distant. There'd been need, and his hadn't been there. He'd wanted him. He hadn't been there. It was difficult to think of anything beyond that.

You weren't there, mine. So I left. I wasn't looking for anyone else. There was, I remember a little girl.

"He wants to know about dragons, Passith." For his part, Jaden was desperate to please M'onk, to give him the information he wanted.

They were there when I was an egg. Algonquith. She was there. By the little girl. With a lady. I didn't want to stay mine! I didn't look. It was bad there. Blood. I remember blood. People blood.

Jaden turned then, relaying the dragons words in a low whisper.

Spins rubbed the new grayrider's shoulder and leaned in to listen. "Passith says he didn't want to stay. He didn't look around much. He says there was a little girl. And a dragon he calls an Algonquith. He says he remembers the others as eggs," he might have hesitated then, if he were anyone else, but he wasn't, so he just kept talking. "Says it was bad there. Lots of blood."

[nozomi]

M'onk got the hint. It took a few minutes,, but he did, and looked to Spins instead. Jaden becoming furthher upset would do no good at all and so Spins would be the one on the other end of that gaze, and that smile, although both became strained at the mention of human blood.

"Will you please thank young Passith for the information. Even if he did not look around much, it is very useful." M'onk sat down on one of the cots, his hands on his cane and leaning on it. The older man never claimed to be the Warden, and never tried to be stronger then he felt. "So, a child. A child and an Impressed dragon. I will see what children were not found after the breakout. And the dragon..."

M'onk frowned, eyes closed. "Even if just one of the whole clutch Impressed, they will need food, and it will grow large. Right. ... yes. Well, young men, while I dismissed titles, the dam and goldrider of the clutches will probably wish to meet you." One craggly eyebrow lifted, though he did not open his eyes. "Do you feel up to it, once he's fed?"