Back!
"I think you know why we're here," the TsanNu born rider said with a slight smile on her broad, dark skinned face. Her pale hair contrasted sharply, as did the stunning silk wrap she wore. Her companion was paler, in so many ways, than Calemwen herself. But it was the companion, young Eowelia, who had Searched this House.
"If it pleases the dragonrider," Onnoran said, his forefingers tapping one another, "I would enjoy hearing this with my own ears instead of the whispers I've been getting from the shops."
Calemwen's eyebrow went up and she glanced at Eowelia. The more homely brown-haired girl smiled widely and nodded. "Well, as you know we're still on Search for good riding candidates, and ... there they are." She indicated the sextet of young women who were lined up in a neat little row as they often were at the start of their day. Though they appeared outwardly composed, it was clear that they were to varying degrees distressed, intrigued, and confused by this development.
It would have been only one year before the eldest pair, and particularly Lonnon, would be running the main Fashion House business; work that her father had done but wanted to take a break from. Her training had focused on merchantry and dealing directly with customers of every bent. It was she that Eowelia had first encountered, and pinged her Searching sense. But if she was to stand for a dragon, that effort of her whole life, her whole family's life, would be wasted.
"I see," Onnoran said, carefully. "It is as the rumors I've heard," he turned to his wife, and she tilted her head a certain way - they almost didn't need to speak, this pair. "All of them?" He asked for his wife.
"All of them have been Searched, yes," Calemwen said. Her manner might have been very different for another family, but here, she lowered her head and they saw the smile on her face. "Lord and Lady Akuno-Roth, you must be aware that I myself came from a family such as this, a prominent holding in TsanNu."
The pair nodded, and she continued.
"It was not easy to leave the House, but when I found the dragon that I would come to care for, it was beyond anything I could have expected. And, I would also like to add - I have never stopped working for my House. The dragons that your daughters might bond to could be housed in the Caer, but your daughters themselves could still continue working."
"In fact it would be possible for them to be used for your business," Eowelia stated, a little excitedly - and in Calemwen's opinion a lot too brashly for the formal occasion, "to transport goods or visit other Islands for shows."
It was obvious to her a moment too late that while she spoke the right words, Eowelia really should have allowed Calemwen to say them. But still - of a closer age to the girls before them, Eo noted the spark of interest on the eldest - and the youngest's - face. They said nothing, deferring to tradition and allowing their parents to decide before doing anything.
"We cannot afford all six of them to be gone at once," Gwen said, "but perhaps... two at a time?"
That kindled even more attention, their mother would allow it, perhaps even encourage it? Well then, obviously, it was time for Lonnon to speak.
She carefully bowed, tapped her father on his shoulder, and he nodded briefly. "With respect to my parents wishes, I would go - I will not speak for my sisters, but I am ... interested in this idea of having a dragon and a business."
It was all they could do to stop Liran from bursting at the seams, and Lonnon turned to face her as if to pass the ability to speak.
"I would love to," she said, her voice was the same as her sister's, perhaps a little scratchy. "My elder sisters have gotten to travel more widely than I have, but I would love to see the world."
Without pause the middle sister Gwonnor piped up and added, "as would I, how many new dyes and weaves might we find?"
Thus it was set - eldest and youngest, then as time passed the other girls would be sent to seek a dragon. Whether they came home with one, would remain to be seen...
The one issue that the riders had, however, was rather an odd one. "We need to get them to the right place," Eowelia stated, and her elder companion nodded carefully. "I will find their rider, I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy this task."
Onnoran raised his own eyebrow, similar to the way Calemwen had earlier.
The woman smirked, "at least one of the locations which we can send your daughters is ... well, not on this planet."
The only reaction that garnered, was a deeper intake of breath from the parents. The girls had scattered to decide among themselves what their expectations should be for this venture, how long it would take, and whether they'd come back with a dragon too big to be housed here. Onnoran and Gwen glanced at each other, but since Calemwen's calmness continued, they entertained the idea. She explained where Falas was, how it was different from many other Old World places, and shortly Eowelia returned upon her dragon, with a graceful silver in tow.
While the dragon was graceful indeed.... his rider was completely unexpected. He looked a lot like Onnoran in ways, dark hair and bright green eyes. But their demeanors were so different that Onnoran was a bit taken aback. He was chatty, curious, looked at everything in the room with glittering eyes. And ... that flitter on his shoulder wouldn't shut up. Onnoran wasn't aware that flitters spoke, it was bad enough that one of his business partners had gone somewhere and returned with a squirming box of flighted cats, those things got into everything.
By the time Lonnon and Liran came back into the main sitting hall with their travel bags packed and notes ready to be taken, the girls noticed their father's odd expression. Especially the moment when this Joavan Hauwk (hadn't he heard that House name before? He wasn't certain) saw the girls themselves.
It was probably a good thing that Gwonnor wasn't the one being taken away by this ... man. The way he acted was more suited to the busy merchants in the common House areas of port cities, not the sedate and insular TsanNu. Thus, after the girls had said their goodbyes and gotten instruction from the elder Calemwen, Onnoran stood and looked Joavan in the eye.
"Behave yourself around my daughters," he warned.
Ronal stifled a snicker, but it was Liran who didn't, she laughed until the whole rest of the family was clutching their bellies in mirth.
Next -- **** 2025 I am moving Yakima's dragons off my pages and putting them into a pile for linking purposes, they are not bonded from any of her sites and will be replaced by my own ****
Liran and Lonnon have bonded! (Read on their pages)
Gwira has bonded!
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Other House TsanNu members
Vaeoe and her Troubling Gryphons
Dolls created at Dressup Challenge | If you can't see the fancy font please download "First Order" from somewhere.
Stock from Alumdena, Lockstock; Buildings/bgs from Ashigaru @ Deviantart.com