gameofmana | [log] Sword of the Skeleton

The corner of his lip twitches up a little. “Well, they sometimes get information in them out of nowhere, if that makes you feel any better.” One more mystery in this place, but what else is new?

What’s more interesting to him in the moment, besides, is the offer. “That…. Would actually be really helpful for me. I’ve never been to this place, but, from what I’ve heard, it’s pretty decently sized. I doubt you’d have trouble moving around in it.” Besides, if he’s honest… having a giant dragon as a traveling companion is kind of kickass. For all his aloofness, Tsukishima is still a teenager, after all. This is amazing.

“Is it alright if I ask why you need mineral deposits?”

That bit of information caused Skyfire to blink and tilt his head a bit, a curious expression on his face. "That is definitely interesting. I might try and look into that later..." It's less depressing than totally empty books left to rot on a shelf, but that meant he couldn't use a few to write in and replace them with new books later, at least not until he figured out what was going on.

"It would certainly be less worry than getting used to my new size in here at least." He gives Tsukishima a half smile. "You may ask all the questions you like." He might not always answer, but Skyfire doesn't mind curiosity.

"Mostly I need mineral deposits because I need something to eat soon." Pausing he adds "Granted, any kind of metal or mineral would do, but I've found it's generally less trouble to collect what I need myself rather than try and trade for it." Not that he really had anything of value to offer to trade with at the moment anyways.

The idea that this is a creature that lives off of metal is- all Tsukishima can do is stare, the idea is so out there. He feels like he shouldn’t be surprised; there are literal plant people. Maybe it’s because of that, he recovers a little quicker and shakes his head. “Well, I’m going into the cavern to find a sword by some sort of skeletal creature… So I think you won’t have any problems finding metal.”

Belatedly, something occurs to him, and he gives a slight bow of his head. “I’m Tsukishima Kei, by the way.”

That little tidbit of information about skeletal creatures surprises Skyfire a little, but after the attacking pumpkins the other day, he thinks he really shouldn't be. "Skeletal creature? ... This is going to involve a fair bit of fighting isn't it?" Not that it will stop him from helping out, he just wants to be prepared if it does.

"My name is Skyfire." He tries to mimic Tsukishima's bow of the head, but it's painfully obvious that Skyfire has no idea what he's doing when it comes to greetings with all these new people.

A certain deadness in his eyes says that Tsukishima knows, but he doesn’t say anything about it. It seems unwise to antagonize something much bigger than him that thinks metal ore is a fine dinner. Instead, he shrugs. “It’s why I didn’t want to go alone. I was thinking I could sneak past things and make a run for it if all else failed, but I figured it would be better to have someone who knew what they were doing with me.”

Anyway, that’s just getting repetitive. “Do you need to get anything? I was planning on waiting for people to find the note I was going to leave, but if you’re ready immediately, there’s still plenty of daylight left today…”

Skyfire considers his words and looks thoughtful. "Do you have any kind of protective gear or a weapon then? It's all well and good to not want to fight, but sometimes you need something to defend yourself with." He had claws and strength, but a human needed something to boost their defenses.

"Tomorrow morning might be better to set off..." While Skyfire wouldn't give too many humans 'rides' it seemed the safer way to handle things if he didn't have any kind of protective gear, or even if he did. "... It would give us time to get you used to being up on my back without getting hit in the face with my wings."

“Well, I do have knives…” That is to say, they have an excess of kitchen knives after a… minor event, but hey. If he’s going to use anything, it might as well be the spares, right? “The only protective gear is from the town’s shop, but things can get expensive, so I haven’t been focusing on that.”

Before he can explain much more on that, however, Tsukishima has to pause as the statement really gets through. “Wait… You’re alright with being ridden?”

Skyfire nodded and grimaced slightly at the thought of a human running into something dangerous without at least some protection. They'd have to find him something to wear later, though the lack of money made things a problem.

"Well, as long as you don't expect me to do it all the time or act like a horse..." He huffs softly, offering a small smile. "Since you don't have any kind of armor and we don't know what to expect, you'd be safer on my back until we know what we're dealing with." Skyfire wasn't above taking things from whatever attacked them, and in this place? Who knows what they'd wind up with.

He nods. “That… That makes sense.” As much as Tsukishima is fighting to keep cool and collected, there’s no hiding the slight tremor of interest in his voice. Of excitement. Riding a giant dragon… Who wouldn’t be excited by that? He draws himself into another respectful bow. “I’ll be in your care.”

Although, now that he’s thinking of it- “If it reassures you at all, in exchange for the sword I’m looking for, the person I was speaking with in town agreed to trade it for something that offers magical protection. I had it looked over by someone else, and it seems to check out, although I can’t confirm it for myself with how little I know about things here.”

"Try to relax a little?" He didn't quite make the connection that the way Tsukishima was reacting was because of excitement, instead he mistook it for general nervousness and fear. Sighing softly he adds "I don't need to be bowed to..." Skyfire didn't think of himself as anyone special and was very uncomfortable with the way some people tried to bow and scrape around him when he first encountered humans. It was weird then and still weird now.

"It does help... sort of." He considered things a moment "Though not having it for this trip seems like a poor idea, I can't fault the one owning it in wanting a trade for their product. It just means we'll have to find something that you can use for the interim. It doesn't have to be anything too great, but I would feel better if you had some kind of protection."

Eying the room with a critical look, Skyfire offered a suggestion. "Shall we move this outside and see how well you can handle sitting on my back? I have a few ideas for some better temporary protection for you, but I need to think on it for a bit. We may as well try and figure out if you sitting on my back will work at all." Hopefully he didn't get motion sickness or something of the like.

The request to be calmer and not bow is a surprise to him, and he doesn’t have time to go over what the problem could be before the conversation is moving on. He listens to everything patiently, nodding. “I’ll see what I can find for myself as well. In the meantime, lead the way.” It’d be better to get Skyfire out of the way first anyway, considering how large he is and the difficulty Tsukishima would have moving past him.

It’s while they’re in the process of doing that which gives him the time to think over the dragon’s request to him, and he soon makes the connection. “By the way.. I’m not nervous. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Skyfire nodded at the request to 'lead the way' and started to work his way outside, the way he moves through the place makes it clear that while he's not used to being inside such a place, he is getting better at navigating it.

They were close to being outside when Tsukishima made the connection and clears up Skyfire's misunderstanding. "... Oh. Sorry..." When they finally step outside, Skyfire heads over to a clear spot with 'soft' ground. "You're the first in quite a while that hasn't been... Humans... Humans don't seem to like me all that much."

Well, he can’t say he’s surprised by the revelation Skyfire reveals. Even regular giant creatures with a lot of teeth and claws are treated with a bit of fear back where he’s from. A dragon is even more cause for concern. However, following after him, Tsukishima just shrugs.

“We’re already in an entirely different world, with a bunch of strange races I’ve never seen before. You’re not actively trying to do hurt me, so…” As long as that keeps up, things should be fine. That’s the view he’s going with, for as long as he can manage it. It’s sensible, which is as good as he’s getting in a place like this.

That revelation gets a chuckle out of him and he gives Tsukishima a wry smile. "That is very true. Too bad that view doesn't apply to the natives here or at home."

Skyfire pokes at the ground a bit and looks around, figuring that this spot was as good as any. There were no rocks and the grass would add a bit of padding in case of a fall... Not that he wanted him to fall off, but better safe than sorry.

"Are you ready to try getting up on my back?" He looks at Tsukishima with a tilt of his head, contemplating the best way for him to get up, finally shifting a wing for him to use as a ramp to climb up.

Idly, he wonders how much that’s true. What sort of things are the locals around here desensitized to? They hadn’t even batted an eye at a giant pumpkin causing havoc in their backyard. Would a giant dragon really be all that different?

It’s something to figure out another time. For now, he carefully approaches Skyfire and tentatively sets foot on his wing. Tsukishima would never count himself as the heaviest person around, but he’s still a tall teenage boy. “This doesn’t hurt or anything, right?”

While it might be true that the locals here might be desensitized to some of the more unusual things, at the same time, Skyfire wasn't ready to take too big of a risk yet by just walking into town. After all, being used to something wasn't the same as being friendly or welcoming to it.

"Relax, it's fine. As long as you don't start trying to pull out feathers or fur on purpose, it's not even slightly bothersome." Even at his reduced size since arriving here, Skyfire was sure he'd have no issue carrying a human. He was still made of metal and synthetics, no matter how organic he seemed at first, or even second glance.

Skyfire chuckled softly. "Who knows, you might even manage to help me work out the kink in my neck."

For a second, a smirk flickers across his face at the bit of humor. “I’ll let you know if I feel anything,” he responds before pressing on forward. It’s not a smooth journey, as unused as he is to walking on the structure of a wing- hard bumps in some places and softer thinner sections in others- but it’s a lot steadier than he would have first thought. Definitely not like the fragile wing of a bird as he was first imagining. After a point, he settles down onto his knees so that he doesn’t go tumbling off, coming up to Skyfire’s back.

Now…. the question is what way is best to settle himself up here? Kneeling down on Skyfire’s serpentine back, Tsukishima surveys his options. There’s no real way to sit behind the wings, not in any way he would say is advisable, and he could sit further up in front of them… But, as he cranes his neck to look around, it might get in the way of his front legs. Maybe… He adjusts himself right at the wings, stradling what he can of the before carefully lowering himself forward to grip Skyfire’s mane. “Does this feel too uncomfortable?”

Once he's up on Skyfire's back, Skyfire twists his neck around to try and still manage to speak somewhat face to face. "It's fine, but are you comfortable like that?" He paused and started to shift his wings a bit, trying to settle them in a position that could act like 'railings'... Without knocking Tsukishima off of his back or getting feathers in his face.

"We might have to see if we can find some leather or rope to make you some grips to put your feet in..."

“I don’t think there’s any way for this to be immediately comfortable, honestly,” he replies simply, trying not to react too poorly as Skyfire’s wings suddenly move. A pity he’s a regular high school student from 21st century Japan; they don’t exactly teach leatherworking as an elective. Although now that he’s thinking about it…. This would probably cost too much if they tried to figure things out in town, but- “Maybe we could ask one of the others in the tree if they know how to make something to help with this, if you were interested. But for now, I think so long as I grip tightly enough and with the help of your wings, I won’t be in danger of falling off so long as you don’t do anything ridiculous.”

"You might be right about that... This was certainly easier to do on occasion when I was larger..." Skyfire wasn't a stranger to giving a human the odd lift, and he had ideas on how to make things easier... but lack of materials was a problem.

"I wouldn't worry about it much. If we end up doing this on more than this occasion, we'll figure it then." He shifts a bit and starts moving slowly, trying to see how having Tsukishima on his back affects his ability to turn... without accidentally flinging him off.

"You up for a ride around the area to see how well this works?" Because better safe than sorry, right?

Having Skyfire move is definitely an experience. Despite the fact that his school and team have been teased on being “country boys” by Kuroo, he’s never really ridden any animals in his life before. So just this alone- the shift of powerful muscles beneath him, the constant small movements that aren’t anywhere smooth unlike a bike- is fascinating.

The downside is that, with no equipment, it’s all on him to keep his balance, although the position of the wings helps a little bit. “Yeah, I think it’d be for the best before we head out anywhere,” he agrees, still adjusting himself a little bit.

"Tell me if I move too fast, or if I shift in a manner that causes you to loose your grip? This is the first time I've actually done something like this without any kind of rope or harness..."

Skyfire is clearly a bit unsure about this, but he's still willing to give it a try. While he had given the odd human a ride before, it wasn't 'bareback' and when he was much larger. Depending on how observant Tsukishima is, he would eventually realize that Skyfire isn't quite as organic as he seems. His breathing is too regular, and some of the muscle movement may seem 'off' from what one would expect.

When Tsukishima seemed settled, Skyfire would start to walk slowly in the direction of one of the more open fields.

It’s definitely hard to ignore the strange shift of something not organic beneath his body, all the more telltale whenever he has to grab on tighter or straighten his position and there’s something sturdier than bone beneath his fingertips. Less flexible.

It raises up a lot of questions, but Tsukishima tries to keep them to himself for the time being. It’s something to ask later, when there aren’t more important things to focus on. For the rest of the afternoon, he focuses on working with Skyfire to find the exact right seating arrangement for both of them, pointing out if something doesn’t feel right or ways for either of them to improve. Only when the two of them find something that works does he call it quits for the day. So by the time the next day comes, he’s…. Somewhat confident that they’ll be alright.

Still. On the way to the caverns, he insists on walking there. His body will be sore if he stays on Skyfire bareback for too long, he’s pretty sure, so it’s better to stretch his legs out when he can. A good thing that it doesn’t really take that long before the cavern opening is looming before them, and he adjusts his sports bag that he’d brought along. “I’m pretty sure this is the place.”

It's easy for Skyfire to tell that Tsukishima has questions, but he won't pressure him into asking. While he's more than happy to answer nearly any question, he's aware that not everyone is comfortable asking said questions.

After they separated for the night, Skyfire spent some time looking around and scrounging for supplies. Managing to find some old canvas and some rope of questionable strength... but it would do as something to pack anything up they collected to haul back.

Even if he has no issues with Tsukishima walking for as long as he wishes, he does offer to carry his bag... since it weighs nothing to him. When they actually got to the cavern, Skyfire tilted his head and tried to get a sense of just what sort of task that they had in front of them.

"What are we looking for exactly? I don't want to accidentally bypass it or destroy it..."

“Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘the walking dead’?” Tsukishima asks, even as he presses his hand along the stone and peers into the darkness. To his surprise, it’s not that far from what he can see to get into the cavern itself- just a couple of steps downwards before everything opens up into enormous areas composed of plateaus and steps, all made of that same deep green rock. “It’s a walking skeleton, apparently. They wear armor and have swords, and it’s the latter that the person in town was interested in getting. I asked, and apparently they’re no bigger than most normal humans, so…”

Nothing compared to a dragon, is what he’s saying.

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Do we want to do a bit of a time skip to get them to the adventuring part of things?

sounds good to me

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