[OPEN] let the wind carry us

[thisisamazing]

who: Hiccup and YOU
what: Bugs, surveyor stuff, and daily life. If you want to do something specific, hit me up at nekky!
when: Late Jan. through Feb.
where: Around Riverview
warnings: None so far.


[i. Beetles Attack]
[Giant beetles. Sure, no problem, why not. They're on a rampage toward the city, and that's dangerous, but nothing that can't be handled, right? Unlike others, though, Hiccup is not keen on resorting to lethal methods. They're creatures looking out for their own survival, just like anything. Even dangerous dragons back home could be relocated, rehomed, settled somewhere to live in their natural environment.

Hiccup is up in the air on Toothless, trying to steer one of the beetles off-course. The dragon's huge wings flap in the beetle's face area, and he darts away with impressive agility before he can be caught in snapping pincers. From there, Toothless fires off a few blasts of purple fire, leaving smoking spots on the ground, trying to deter it. Sure enough, the beetle does turn somewhat to the left. A success.

Until it suddenly rears back, and catches dragon and rider by surprise. Toothless roars in alarm and Hiccup shouts as the horn rakes across the night fury's body and tears off the prosthetic tail fin, sending them both veering toward the ground.] No, no, no-!

[ii. Even Action Heroes Go to School]
[It's a little sunnier today, slightly warmer than it's been, but the cold has never bothered Hiccup much. It's winter 9 months of the year on Berk, after all - he's used to it. He's found a nice patch of grass in a courtyard area just outside the communal housing building; being cooped up at his desk was not resulting in work being done.

Toothless is curled on the grass, dozing pleasantly in a sunbeam, and Hiccup has fitted himself into the C of the reptile's sleeping body, leaning against one tucked-in wing, looking much more casual today. He's adopted some of the local style, wearing jeans with one of the legs rolled up so as not to get caught in the metal workings of his prosthetic, a sage green hoodie, and a thrift-store sneaker.

There are books and papers spread out all around him - remedial biology, basic engineering, catch-up math, beginner chemistry, and some spiral notebooks that seem to be filled with sketches and notes.] Imaginary numbers... Are we sure they didn't make this stuff up? [He muses to Toothless, who just mrrs in response without opening his eyes.

And then the wind blows one of his papers out of his hand, and he gets up to scramble after it. Maybe help him catch it?] No no no, hey, wait, I need that!

[iii. Dragon Ate My Homework]
[You can't take a dragon to class, not even at university. So, when Hiccup attends, he has to leave Toothless on his own for a few hours. Of course, the dragon is quite smart, and capable of meeting his rider at a certain time of day, so in the mean time, he wanders. On the ground, one might notice, never quite taking to the air when he's alone.

Maybe you find him pouncing on beams of light outside the communal housing building, or possibly he's downtown, sitting back on his haunches and intently watching a fish vendor, tongue flicking out a few times with interest. Hiccup will come to find him at some point, but for now, Toothless is having his own day out on the town.]

[iv. Wildcard!]

Comments

[ i ]

[wildlinks]

Izanagi!

[Switching his fast walking into a full sprint, Yu summoned his Persona from the depths of his soul and raced towards where the boy was falling.

Earlier that day, he had applied to go as a support (at least) to those who are on the field either battling the beetles or trying to distract and lure them away from the city. With only three Personas on him, Yu didn't dare do more than basic healing and protective spells (ice and lightning attacks if he ever gets in danger).

He had spotted the guy trying to lure the beetle away from their spot and he was at the ready with his healing persona for any types of burns and stings. Yu didn't expect for the beetle to do 180, charge and knock the guys down.]

Grab him Izanagi! And protect the dragon with rakukaja!

[Persona's golden eyes glowed as it sent a thick layer of protection to the dragon. Izanagi can't catch and hold it, but perhaps the spell with soften the fall. Izanagi does, however, catch the falling guy and deflects another charge at them from the beetle with his huge sword, sending it reeling back and flies back towards the ground. Guy's safety is more important right now.]

[thisisamazing]

[It all happens really suddenly. First they're tumbling from the air, Toothless' tail fin ripped down the middle, and the next... A large figure catches him, his prosthetic gets pulled off his leg, still hooked into the saddle rig where he had been trying to get the tail fin to open up, to catch the air again. Hiccup is blind with panic, struggling against Izanagi's hold, stretching out an arm toward the falling dragon. His own safety is nothing compared to his dragon's, in his mind.] Toothless!

[The dragon lets out a screeching roar as he falls, wings wrapped around him in a protective layer. The magic cushions the fall more, and while 1700 pounds of lizard still hit the ground fairly hard, he's on his feet in moments, roaring, firing off another purple blast of flame at a beetle leg that strays too close.]

[wildlinks]

[Izanagi's grip was tight enough that even wriggling around wouldn't make get him to drop Hiccup. Yu takes a good look at the dragon to make sure he too isn't injured, but when it fired another set of flames, he decided to take a cover behind a boulder.

His persona brought the guy and Yu helped him sit down, behind the cover.]

Are you alright!? Are you injured? [Did the beetle get him? Yu didn't have crazy healing capabilities right now, but he could do some basic healing.]

[thisisamazing]

[He nearly falls on his face struggling when Izanagi finally puts him down behind the cover of a boulder. His dragon is grounded, firing off another shot at the giant insect, though it seems to be deterred by all the action - it's slowly lumbering in the opposite direction.]

I'm fine, I'm- Toothless, let it go, bud! [Toothless' ear fins perk for a moment, and the snarling stops as he scampers to where the two humans are taking cover, trilling almost sadly. The wild look in Hiccup's eyes seems to calm a little as the dragon shoves his head at him, and the viking wraps his arms around the scaly neck.] It's okay, bud. We're okay.

[He glances back over at Yu.] Thank you. That was- What was that?

[wildlinks]

[Yu sighs in relief when he sees that the guy is fine. Peering over the edge, he looks whether or no the beetle will attack them again- he wants to be prepared and not taken by surprise this time. But with the beetle flying away, they can relax.

For now.

He sits back down-] It was no problem at all. I'm glad I managed to catch you in time.

[Yu looks over at his floating friend with a smile-] This is Izanagi, my persona. He is something like- a summon? [A persona one summons from their soul, but that will be even harder to explain.

He looks over at the dragon-] Toothless huh? You alright? That landing was rather rough. I have some summons with me that can heal if you'd like to.

[thisisamazing]

[Hiccup watches it go for a moment, lips pursing. He hates to make it someone else's problem later on down the line, but... They're grounded for the moment. He looks back to Toothless as he listens to Yu speak, checking him over for any tender spots; it's a little hard because Toothless keeps nuzzling against him, fussing in his own way.]

I've taken my share of falls, but- I'm glad too. Sorry, I just- Toothless. I panicked. [The two of them are clearly close. Hiccup cares very little about his own injuries (though thankfully he has none right now) when his dragon might be in danger.]

A summon? Is it magic? I've never seen anything like it. [Though he's slightly more acquainted with magic these days.] Mm. What do you think, bud? How are you feeling?

[Toothless mrrs out a sound that obviously means something to Hiccup, even if it's not a distinct sound, and flops down with his head in his rider's lap.] He's just a little bruised up, I think. Dragons are sturdy. It's just his tail fin I'm going to have to fix...

For Dave;

[thisisamazing]

[After a quick text exchange over the network, Hiccup is set to meet with Dave to go over some of his work for the Perimeter Guard. Honestly he's always a little excited to see and try out new gadgetry and bits of tech, and in this case, he can bring a useful perspective to the table, having done quite a bit of surveying work out there. Hiccup is interested to see what Dave has come up with, as far as a better compass goes.

He's come prepared. A leather satchel slung over his shoulder contains sketchbooks and pencils in case his ideas are welcome, and Toothless pads along at his side, ever-present, as they walk up to the building that houses most of the offices for the Guard-adjacent teams. Since there was no mention of doing any field testing just yet, he's casually dressed, just out of a biology class - jeans with one leg rolled up, a green hoodie.]

Let's see, that was... Wall R&D, I think. C'mon, bud. [They head inside to go find the right place; Toothless mrrs a little, a low rumbling noise, almost rolling his eyes. He's always less interested in nerd shit. He's a dragon, he gets a pass.] Yeah, yeah, we'll go out to the lake and do what you want to after this.

[dragonring]

[Dave is always very introverted, so staying inside isn't something new for him. But being in a new place where he knows pretty much nobody? And not having his lab from home? Yeah, that has made the working hours go up quite a bit. He isn't really complaining, because he likes having projects to work on, especially considering all the resources he has here. They truly let him do whatever he wants, huh?

That doesn't mean he doesn't do other things, of course, like playing games, reading, and having the obligatory coffee trips. In fact, he's coming back to his office with a venti in hand and stops in his track when he sees who is also approaching his door. See, big black rumbling creatures are hard to miss...]

Youuuuu weren't kidding about that dragon.

[He means hi.]

[thisisamazing]

[Apparently they meet Dave outside the office, just on his way back. Hiccup is probably early, they flew over just after his class, so it makes sense. Still, he feels a little sheepish about it all the same. His hand rests comfortably on the side of Toothless' neck and he wonders briefly if it's not cool in this place to bring a dragon to a meeting, but, well. They pretty much go everywhere together.

He laughs a little, is about to reply when Toothless jumps slightly, green eyes widening as he looks from Dave to Hiccup. He's confused about something, creeping forward to peer at Dave, sniffing.] Toothless, c'mon, what's up with you, bud? [He looks from Dave to Hiccup again and lets out a little roar.]

Sorry, I don't know- he's usually so calm around people here. [At least he just seems confused about something and not hostile.]

[dragonring]

[When Toothless jumps, so does Dave, and he takes a step back when the sniffing begins.]

Good dragon, niiiice dragon...

[He puts his hands up - well, more like one hand and one coffee cup, but the point still stands. His dealing-with-dragons resume isn't exactly the best, but the beast seems to be behaving, just confused, and Hiccup is a good guy as far as he knows. If the dragon was dangerous, the city would know, right? Right.

Still, the ring hanging on a chain around his neck and under his shirt feels extra heavy right now.]

Riiight. Maybe it's- I don't know, the coffee smell? Is he angry? What does he even eat with no teeth?

ii.

[hylights]

[Zelda was on her way back to the communal housing herself, distracted by the book she was reading. It wasn't proper to walk around with her nose in a book, she knows. It's so difficult though to put it down when it talks about such interesting concepts as the creation of the railway system.

As it is, she doesn't notice Hiccup and Toothless until his shout of dismay. Zelda suddenly looks up, blinking, and sees the paper go fluttering past.]

Oh -- I've got it!

[She runs after it a few paces and manages to snag it out of the air. Lucky, too: there was a puddle nearby it could have landed in. Turning back to Hiccup with a smile, she pauses when she finally notices Toothless sprawled on the grass behind him.]

Goodness. Is that your dragon?

[thisisamazing]

[The relief is obvious on Hiccup's face when Zelda catches the fluttering piece of paper from the air, before it can meet disaster in a puddle. He could have redone it, but now he won't have to, and that'll save quite a bit of time. He jogs up to her, holding out a hand for the paper.] That was a nice catch! Thank you. It's due tomorrow, and my professor is so strict! [He lets out a breathless laugh.]

Oh, yeah, that's Toothless. [His tone takes on a fondly sarcastic note.] Being no help at all.

[Toothless cracks open an eye to look at them, and then stretches out luxuriously, letting out a rumbling mrr.]

[hylights]

[She overcomes her initial surprise - that's a real dragon there - and finally tears her gaze away to look at Hiccup again. Handing the paper over to him, she grins a little.]

This is an assignment then? I can see why you wouldn't want to lose it. What is it for?

[Peering over Hiccup's shoulder again, she's intrigued by Toothless even in such a lazy state.]

Toothless... I don't know why, but I was imagining dragons as being much bigger.

[thisisamazing]

One of my classes. At the university. I'm trying to get caught up on the basics still, we don't have a lot of this knowledge where I come from. [Like math, and science. Imaginary numbers and letters as numbers still feels like it was all made up.] It's all really interesting though.

[He laughs a little, moving to gather up the rest of his loose papers and put them under a book to weigh them down.] A lot of dragons are a lot bigger than he is. Some are a lot smaller than him, too. It depends on the species.

[hylights]

I've heard of the university... we didn't have anything like that at home either. I had a tutor, but it's not the same thing. [And very likely not the same content, either.] What sort of things are you learning?

[Very relevant to her interests. She watches Toothless for a few more moments, taking it more details about his shape and size. Nodding at the comment, she returns her attention to Hiccup.]

Much like other animals, then. The only dragons I have heard of in Hyrule are from legends, so I never really thought of them as having different types in the way same way birds can be different.

[iii. Dragon Ate My Homework]

[likeacoupon]

[Willa doesn't go to school in Quarantine despite being the right age for it. She's gotten her GED and she doesn't see a point in having more education than that. Everything she needs to know, she knows. Of course, she's done scams to get money from colleges but that's different from actually attending school.

During school hours Willa is around the city, trying to come up with schemes that she can run on those here. Today is a basic pick-pocketing day though she has to first find the right mark.

She pauses when she sees what looks like a dragon, watching a vendor move fish. It looks like it might be useful as a distraction. Curious, Willa walks up to toothless, her eyes flicking between the dragon and the fish. She hasn't ever seen a dragon before but she can work with this. He's acting a little like a dog.]

You want the fish? I bet you can go get it. Just hop right over there.

[thisisamazing]

[Toothless is almost too interested in the fish vendor's movements at first to react to Willa. Clearly he's hoping he'll be charming enough, just sitting here with big eyes and a swishing tail, to be tossed a nice snapper or tuna.

After a moment, though, his ears cock up, and he tilts his head, turning to look at the person talking to him directly. He's not exactly fluent in human, but he does recognize the word 'fish', and his tongue flicks out a few times. Looks from her, to the fish vendor. Maybe she will give him a fish!]

[likeacoupon]

[Willa looks over at him with a frown.]

Come on. Go get it. Cause some mayhem.

[She has no idea if the puppy-like dragon will be able to understand her so she gestures towards the fish, hoping that he gets the idea that he can bounce over there and grab it.]

Don't you want to eat?

[thisisamazing]

[After a moment, leveling her with a curious stare, Toothless starts taking exaggeratedly slow steps toward the pile of fish, while the vendor's back is turned. He lets out an inquisitive little 'mrr?', glancing from the fish and back to Willa, leaning his nose toward the dangling tail of a tuna.

If a human says it's okay it's fine, right? Clearly.]

[likeacoupon]

[The human absolutely says that it's okay.

Willa waves a hand towards him as she creeps near the lock box that she's seen the traders put their cash in. She just needs Toothless to cause a ruckus and she can swipe the box and make her getaway.

It's a very good impromptu plan and even if she gets caught she can drop the bock and disappear into the dense afternoon crowd.]

[ wildcard ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki drops in, a parchment rolled up in his hands. He doesn't make a habit of dropping into places unannounced (unless, of course, it is his intent to rattle the person). Loki values personal space and he has never shaken off the feeling of being unwanted. He knocks on Hiccup's door and waits outside patiently, rubbing his fingers together. ]

[thisisamazing]

[Hiccup is quick to answer, and he breaks into a smile when he sees it's Loki. There's a smudge of charcoal on his cheek, and all over his fingers. Behind him in the common room of his floor, Toothless is sprawled out, and the table is taken up by a large map. It's a bit of a mess.] Hi! Hey! Come on in.

[He moves aside to let him, and laughs a little sheepishly at the state of the room.] Sorry, it's kind of a wreck in here.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Well. You live with Valkyrie. Either way, he doesn't comment on the mess, easily side-stepping it with ease. ]

I have the plans for your dragon's loft.

[thisisamazing]

[She's definitely responsible for part of it. Hiccup certainly isn't the one filling the trash can with bottles.

Toothless cracks an eye open when he hears the word 'dragon', and stretches out like a cat, apparently now interested in the proceedings.]

Oh! For a loft? [He goes to start folding up the map he was working on to clear some space on the table.]

[dothelokimotion]

Mm. We can build it elsewhere or on the roof if that's easier. Personally, I recommend finding yourself a better location. There are a few houses available with large "yards" of greenery.

[ He doesn't get why those are optional or come with the price. He's never understood New York's urban jungle, though the logistics of it are clear. ]