Irlais listened as Xelin explained, nodding here and there, before finally finishing strapping on the saddle and hopping on with ease as Xelin crouched low for him. He smiled a little and spoke quietly, strapping himself in. "As long as I don't end up somewhere half way across Alagaesia away from you, I'll be fine."
With the modified straps he made, he only had to strap on a thick leather piece on each leg and the rest of the straps would follow, being connected to it now. Took a lot less time to get ready this way. As for what Xelin said to Naixul, he kept quiet, biting his tongue again. He was slowly cooling off.

Irlais just nodded a little, looking around once they were outside of the cave. He held onto the saddle with one hand, having to all ready wipe sweat away from his brow by the time they landed in the clearing. "Phew. . this moisture is bad for the skin you know. ." He said quietly, smiling a little. His hair was all ready starting to cling to the sides of his face and back of his neck.

OOC:
S_V, do you mind if I bring in Lean in a few posts? She's my neutral Imperial dragon.

IC:
Naixul pulled in his wings to enter into a graceful dive. When he was a few dragon lengths from the ground he backpedaled, touching down at nearly a standstill. He padded forward to meet Xelin and Irlais, an almost giddy grin forcing its way across his muzzle.

OOC: Ah, sure, I guess. I don't mind. :)

IC:
Irlais eyed Naixul wearily, confused as to why he was grinning like so but paid it no mind when Xelin spoke to him again. He took a deep breath before they went down and the cold did startle him at first, but he didn't stay cold for long. He could all ready feel himself growing used to it as Xelin explained to him the ways of shadow-porting. He remembered to take into consideration his mental voice when a question popped into his head.
So, that's all there is to it. .? Wow. . it doesn't seem so hard. He gazed around. I bet it would be hell playing hide-n-seek with a shadow dragon. He laughed silently.

OOC:
Sweetness. Here she comes.

IC:
Naixul watched as Xelin sank into the shadow gradually to let Irlais become accustomed to it. The black-scarred-white male followed, appearing a few paces away from the black. He chuckled at the twolegs jest and padded up to them through the shadow world. He abruptly saw a moving shadow, like something flying low to the ground. He moved toward it and stuck his head out. His mouth gaped open at what he saw. It was his friend that he's been talking about earlier, Lean. The ancient black dragoness landed her bulk and gazed around worriedly, her navy blue eyes anxious. Naixul? Please come out if your here. I just returned from a mission and heard of your banishment. she called. Naixul obliged her, stepping out of her shadow so he stood beside her. He nudged her shoulder. Right here, Lee. he murmured. She gasped and jumped. Good lord Naixul you know better than to startle me. she scolded lightly, though her tone was teasing. He snorted and smiled. It's good to see you here. he said warmly, his one good eye sparkling. She chuckled.

- - - - - - - - - -

Lean sighed and nuzzled Naixul's shoulder. Why were you banished, Ni (Nigh)? she asked gently. The young Shadow Dragon shrugged. Galbatorix said treason, but I did nothing wrong. I know I didn't. It's too late now anyway. said Naixul dismissively. She watched as he dipped his head back into her shadow and guessed what he was doing; calling his friends up. She'd smelt their scents on him. One was strangely familiar to her....

After Lean changed into a human, Irlais relaxed by a lot, sitting up and leaning around Xelin. He ended up giving up on that and unstrapped himself from the saddle before standing on it and placing his hands on top of Xelin's head, pushing down as if he wanted to see. When he could, he tilted his head a little, gazing at the one everyone was referring to as Lean with a curious expression on his face.
He listened as the two spoke but when he suddenly felt something in his chest, it made him feel funny again. It didn't take a genius to know what he was feeling through Xelin's link. He didn't know why, but it annoyed him for some reason. He spoke abruptly, interrupting Xelin as he asked about the mission she was on.
"Are you the girl that Xelin dreams about?"

Irlais played it cool, simply acting curious as he leaned his head to the side. He glanced down to Xelin when the dragon looked up to him but didn't say anything before looking back to Lean. As soon as Xelin had gotten the question out, Irlais spoke abruptly again before there was time to answer.
"If you are, then I guess that means you're the one that makes him feel all funny, too, huh? Like right now?" Irlais wasn't exactly sure what feeling that was, but he knew it had something to do with Lean.

Irlais wasn't paying any attention to Xelin, focusing completely on Lean, so when Xelin pulled the move that he did, Irlais when flailing his arms off to side into the bush with a grunt when he landed. He sat up, rubbing his head and glared a little at Xelin, before crawling out of the bush and taking his place sitting by the big black dragon with his legs crossed. As usual, he placed his chin on his hand and his hand and his elbow rested on his knee, mumbling to himself.
"Well, sorry. . I thought that kind of stuff was a compliment to pretty girls. ."

Irlais let out a giggle as he swatted at Xelin's tail before turning his attention back on the two dragons. He waited for the awkward silence before he spoke up again, speaking quietly and curiously.
"So. . I don't get it. . how come this guy is so bad and he hasn't been taken down yet? I'd give him a good 'one-two' if I had a shot at him." Irlais stuck his hands up when he spoke, but then crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, seemingly determined to do so right at the moment.

It definitely shut him up after Lean and Xelin explained to him about Galbatorix. It also cleared a lot of his confusion up, but in turn made his mind start to race. He spoke out loud, absently to himself but also wanting an answer.
"Then. . why don't you attack from the inside somehow. .? Surely there's a way around his defenses. . maybe something, anything, that leaves him vulnerable at any point. .?"
He looked to Xelin when he asked about Naixul and thought a moment.
". . he left a bit ago to get food, but hasn't come back yet."

Lean shrugged,"If that were even remotely possible, I would have squished him underneath my paw a long time ago." she said and sighed. At Xelin's question she looked up and looked around for the black-scarred-white.

- - - - - - - - - -

Naixul padded forward out of a copse of trees with several birds pierced onto the spikes of his back. Right here. he said cheerily, reaching back to strip his spikes of prey. Once all the birds were on the ground he took three and left the others. There was about ten others, of slightly bigger size than average.

Irlais simply sat there, not moving when Naixul returned with food. When Xelin told them to go ahead and eat what they wanted, he shook his head slightly at him and murmured quietly, gazing up to him.
"I'm not hungry."

Irlais simply sat there, watching, Xelin mostly, as everyone ate. When he spoke, he just shook his head slightly and let his gaze fall, hands in his lap as he absently twiddled his fingers like he usually did when not having anything else to do.
"I'll find some fruit, or something else, later. . I'm just not hungry."

Irlais suddenly lifted his gaze, turning it towards Xelin as if he could hear his thoughts. He hesitated, looking down and contemplating a moment before abruptly standing and brushing himself off. He spoke in a light, cheery tone.
"Well. . I'm suddenly hungry. And meat just doesn't sound that satisfying at the moment. . so I'm going to go find some fruit. Be back in a bit."
And before anyone could object, he bounded off in a random direction.

Irlais was still frozen from the sight he was seeing. He seemed paralyzed, until he just barely lifted his hand and pointed to what he was looking at. It was a large enough clearing. But nothing was there.
Irlais seemed to suddenly realize this as well and his wide eyes flickered in pure confusion as he became frantic.
"What? No!!" He turned towards Xelin desperately. "It was just there, Xelin!! Th-the bodies and the blood was everywhere an-and I saw HIM, I know it was him! It had to of been!" He looked back to the spot where he'd pointed earlier before looking back to Xelin. His voice was strained, desperate, just like his expression. "I swear! He was there. ."

Irlais was trembling between everything he was feeling; frustration, panic, shock. He appreciated the efforts by both Xelin and Lean, but it just wasn't working. What he saw was just too realistic and the image burned in the back of his mind, though he tried extremely hard to bury it under everything. As he watched Lean move back, he waited until she was about fifteen-twenty yards away before he spoke. He still had a bit of panic in his voice, which was still strained.
"Right there. . But..but the bodies were everywhere..and ...and so was. .everything else."

He wrapped his arms around his stomach, glancing to Lean, then to Xelin, before closing his eyes and showing them both what he saw.
There was absolute bloodshed. Dozens by the dozens of men lay in clumps and all over the field, lacerated and burned beyond recognition. The image shifted and revealed a man, nothing but a silhouette, stood only a few feet away and beheaded a man, blood spilling with ease as the body fell limp. The figure turned towards Irlais just as a skyscraper large black and gold dragon raised up behind him, roaring with fury. It brought it's head around, red eyes gleaming and then the image faded as Irlais jerked and opened his eyes, trying to catch his breath.
". .the dragon. . big. . those people. ."

He took comfort and appreciated Xelin wrapping himself around him. He leaned against the black dragon, bringing his arms up close to his chest. His trembling slowly faded as he closed his eyes and watched the thoughts Xelin pushed into his head. He murmured quietly when Lean asked who the 'him' was that he had mentioned.
"Lukia Ursl. A demon of a man. ." Other than those few words, he stayed quiet.

irlais moved his hand to rest against Xelin's scales as Lean mentioned changing back. He shook his head just the slightest before speaking in a quiet voice.
"You're nothing like the dragon I just saw..your size won't bug me..and now that I know you, your size isn't much of something to worry about.." he looked towards Xelin again, waiting until he finished before murmuring. Panic was starting race through him again. Just the thought of him not having control of himself really did scare him. "if what Aziel said was true, then what if he's right? What if it is too late to do anything.."

Irlais gazed at Lean when she changed, eyes growing slightly wide at the unexpected form she took on. He had been expecting the large black dragon. Not the tiny one that was just a little bigger than him. He cocked his head to the side slightly, seemingly forgetting about his fears momentarily. When Xelin answered his question, they seemed to flood back, despite his words. He grimaced, gaze falling, before he mounted himself into the saddle and strapped himself.
He gripped the horn before Xelin raced off towards the cave and thought to him alone.
What if we're getting in way over our heads, Xelin? What if something happens and Lean or Naixul get hurt. . or. .you. That last thought made him cringe, clenching the saddle's horn so tightly that his fingers were turning white.

His grip loosened on the horn gradually, his gaze forsaken and cased down. He was silent the rest of the way back to the cave but when they finally reached he, he'd begun to unstrap himself before Xelin had even stopped. He hopped off, hesitant, before looking to Xelin and attempting a grin. He got about half way there, so it was lopsided when he spoke.
"I'm not going to stop worrying. But I won't worry as much. And as for the treasure. . rubies and diamonds are my favorite." His grin seemed to grow a little.

When Lean spoke, he turned toward her and grinned like a little fool. "You kidding me? Treasure used to be the only thing that kept me sane." But he suddenly grimaced and let his gaze fall. He stopped near the back of the cave, leaning against it and sliding to a sitting position with his back against the stone and his knees to his chest. He seemed a lot smaller than usual.
"Because it's not about the jewels. Not completely. It's about the feeling of succeeding with something as complicated as treasure hunting can be. And not only that, it sharpens your skills. At least, the way I do it. Because of treasure hunting, I've learned how to read maps. I've been to hundreds of places, all over the world, within the past year I've been on my own, away from home. I've met so many people, experienced so many different things, and all of it, the entire package that comes with treasure hunting, has strengthened me one way or another. The money, the treasure, the excitement. . it was all just a plus. But I thought treasure hunting was the only thing in the world that meant anything. Until I found Xelin about a week ago."
He paused, thinking a moment. "Wow. . it's only been a week and a half. But.. when I found Xelin, I found that the thrill that treasure hunting brought me was only a temporary filler. I had a hole in my chest that was deeper. But, to put it simple: It's fun." He seemed to grin, as if that summed up everything in the entire world.

Irlais listened to Lean as she spoke, but as she did, he seemed to grow irritated almost instantly. But he didn't understand why. That's when he heard Xelin's thoughts and instantly locked his eyes on him. Something seemed to click inside him and he quickly looked away before turning his attention back to Lean, standing as he spoke, a hint of anger in his voice that gradually grew the more he spoke.
"Don't you think that's kind of self-conceded? Just because a dragon's scales are almost priceless, you make it sound like that's all they are: money. You're right, completely and utterly, about the bond between he and I. It is a treasure to treasure, all in itself. But that has nothing to do with his scales."
He was fuming now, but he didn't understand it. He was angry and he felt a faint buzzing in the back of his head, like a sort of strange energy. He felt it start to tingle in his fingers. It wasn't adrenaline. It was too strong. But none of this really concerned him. His anger seemed to be controlling his words and actions. "Scales are pieces of art. But they should not be what a dragon is branded as, no matter how luminous or dull, no matter how white or dark, no matter how strong or weak, they are. Scales are scales. And they don't mean anything when it comes to who a dragon is. I don't care how wealthy I am to have his scales. They mean nothing if I don't have him!"
And then he froze as the buzzing ceased and he finally understood why he was as angry as he was. He hadn't been staring at Lean when he'd spoke. Near the beginning, yes, but just like her, he'd been looking at Xelin. But without realizing it. And now he seemed to shrink back into himself and tense completely, turning around so his back was to them to clamp a hand over his temple. It was pulsing erratically. It hurt, worst than just a headache. It was painful and forced him to keep his eyes closed.

Irlais ignored Lean, even though the anger he'd felt only moments before had dwindled to nothing. He began growing irritated again, though not at any of the others. It was more because he didn't know what was wrong with him, or why he'd said those things or sounded so angry. When Xelin came up and laid down beside him, he turned slightly, letting his hand fall. Then he abruptly turn fully and wrapped his arms around Xelin's neck the best he could in a hug, eyes closed and brow furrowed.
He was only partially happy that Xelin hadn't realized that part of what he'd been saying was to him, because of the things the dragon had been thinking. He momentarily thought that maybe that was why he'd been so angry, but even something like that wouldn't have gotten him so fired up. . something was definitly not right. But he didn't want to bring it up. . not now. He was still trying to get over the fact that he'd been so mean. .
After a moment, he opened his eyes and eyed Lean as she had moved away. His own pang of guilt beginning to form. He thought only to Xelin, but spoke aloud to Lean.
I'm fine. .
"I'm sorry. . I didn't mean. . I don't know. .why. ." He paused, letting go of Xelin before letting his gaze fall. "I didn't mean to say any of that. . I don't know why I did. . I know you didn't mean it like that Lean, I'm sorry. ."

"Enaru." Irlais murmured through a small, restrained smile as he sidelong glanced at Xelin. "That's a word in my race that translates to 'idiot'." He put his arms behind him as he leaned against the stone wall of the cave, keeping his head down. The strands of beaded bangs, which he usually kept behind his ear now, fell and clicked as they swung into one another. The expression on his face wasn't exactly easy to read.
"Your scales are amazing. Besides, shiny is so overrated these days. No offense, Lean." He grinned a little, glanced to her, before looking back down. "Black is the new everything. Dull is the new shiny."

Irlais's head snapped up the second Xelin finished speaking and he took a step forward, as if to move between them, raising his arms like it just dawned on him.
"Hey! It's going to be getting late soon. . maybe, we should, you know, get some rest. . so we can practice more tomorrow!" Irlais refused to look either dragon in the eye, instead looking toward the entrance of the cave as he saw the beginnings of a sunset. His timing had been impeccable. He hadn't actually known it was that late. He glanced to Lean and Xelin, but looked away just as quickly as he made his way to the mouth of the cave, looking out over the island as he spoke. His back was to the two, so they couldn't see the sorrowful expression on his face. His voice sounded cheery, despite it.
"So. . what will we do tomorrow anyway, Xelin? More Shadow-porting? Or maybe. . a little flying practice. .?"

Irlais was completely silent until he sat down beside Xelin and leaned against the dragon, knees partially drawn up with his arms against his chest. He absently played with the swirling shape on his hand, running his thumb over it as he thought carefully of how to answer Xelin's question. When he eventually did respond, his voice was soft, barely above a whisper, and he lied down, onto his side and wrapped his arms around his head.
"Goodnight, Xelin. ."
He didn't know what was wrong with him. He couldn't answer Xelin truthfully if he didn't know. He felt like he was being torn apart inside. But he ignored it, pushed it down. He closed his eyes. But knew he wouldn't sleep tonight.

Just as he'd expected. Not a wink of sleep. He knew, right away, when Xelin finally came to. And after a few minutes, he realized he was waiting for him to wake up too. With a small, quiet, and almost lifeless voice, Irlais murmured without moving.
"I'm awake. . I never slept." He had to strain to sit up when he finally did. He hadn't gone a full night without sleep in. . heck, even he didn't remember. With a deep sigh, he turned towards Xelin and sat with his legs crossed, smiling weakly. There was the tiniest hint of fatigue starting to show under his eyes and the grin slowly faded, as he found it actually hurt to force himself. He looked down a little and closed his eyes, thinking. "So. . is Lean going to stay and practice with us today?"

Irlais on the other hand saw the look Lean held in her eyes when he turned to look over his shoulder. And he knew what it was. He glanced to Xelin when he nudged him and spoke, ignoring him for the moment. He spoke quietly, another small smile on his face as he looked back to Lean.
"Of course there's a reason for you to stay! Neither Xelin or I want you to leave. . and if you don't want to, well, that's reason all in it's own. Train with us, Lean." Then he looked back to Xelin, a small half-grin on his face. "Because I'm not taking a nap. I'm tired. But I'm awake. I won't dare waste a day of practice." Then he jumped up, stretching his arms high over his head, then leaning forward slightly and popping his back. When he stood up straight again, he ignored the feeling of nausea that over came him and went within just a few seconds. He smiled as if he was fine, looking around at the others. "Come on. . let's get in a little battle practice. All four of us."

Lean sighed at Irlais's words, then shifted and heaved her bulk to her paws. She smiled now, her navy blue eyes showing slight excitement. Come on youngsters. Let me show you how its truly done. she growled softly, her head lowering in visible challenge. Come and play with an elder of your race, Xelin. she smirked, her eyes twinkling at him. She backed up to let him out of the cave, nudging Naixul awake as she passed him. I bet I could take on all three of you with ease. she challenging lowering into a defensive crouch, baring her teeth. Naixul grinned at her, his one chocolate brown eye gleaming.

- - - - - - - - - -

Naixul lowered into a crouch as well, baring his teeth and waving his tail from side to side. He'd sparred with Lean before, and knew that she wasn't as big and bulky as she seemed to be. Don't underestimate her. If you do, you'll find yourself pinned under her paw faster than you can say 'Shadow Dragon's breath black fire'. he warned. He silently circled around her, never making a single sound until her was beside her left thigh. Then he growled and sprang, using his wings for extra lift so when he came down, he landed on her hip.

Irlais watched Naixul attack, his own excitement growing as he quickly got onto Xelin and absently strapped himself in. "I've never thought of that. . what could a dragon possibly want?" He wasn't asking anyone in particular, just any of the others who were listening. He reached into one of the various pouches on his belt, pulling out to of his rune stones and clutching them tightly in his hand.

"Scales!!" Was the only thing Irlais yelled before Lean's tail attacked Xelin. He quickly latched onto the horn of the saddle, huffing a deep sigh once after they had landed in the underground realm of shadow-porting. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten her tail! He looked to Xelin, nodding only slightly as he tried to think of what to do. He had earth and water in his hands right now. . He needed to let them recharge real quick. He shoved both back into his pouch and pulled out fire and air. An advantage to having an air rune stone, despite his element being air, is that, like the other rune stones, he can make the element any where he wishes. With limitations, of course, but because Lean was right over them, it wouldn't be a problem. He just hoped they worked where they were.
If only my water was working, I could create Lightening with all three of these. .
He raised them both in a single fist so they were touching, chanting something under his breath.
Above, the earth around Lean would start exploding uncontrollably. They explosions were so large, if Naixul didn't watch, they would hit him as well. Irlais felt this, because of the magic coursing through him and pulsing as it exploded above Xelin and him. He hesitantly brought his hand down, in awe. His rune stones were stronger down here. But then another thought occurred to him: he hoped he didn't actually hurt them. When the explosions stopped, Irlais looked down to Xelin and nodded a little.
They work. . very well.