𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔩 𝔬𝔣 𝔞 𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫

... i haven’t thought about this blog much less tumblr in months bc hella i ESCAPED and was free as a bird and could do whatever i damn well pleased.

and then suddenly. like one of those random events on neo.p.ets hiccup waltzed into my dreamscape last night out of NOWHERE.

and has forced me to actually look at this again and wonder is it worth trying the RPC again or should i continue staying in my happy corner.

           Varian had kind of hoped { keyword: hoped } that Hiccup wouldn’t pick up on what he said when, basically, stated the brunet’s confession wasn’t romantic enough. but, of course, Hiccup picked up on it and took the opportunity to pin Varian down with it before the alchemist could fully try and salvage both his pride and confidence. was it really so weird to hear Varian call it not romantic enough?                          probably, considering who Hiccup was dealing with.

                                     『 ❝ I just… I mean… oh shut up. ❞ 』

           he ducked his head, embarrassment creeping up on him and painting his cheeks pink. he tried to hide it beneath his bangs and the angle of his head so Hiccup couldn’t pick up on it and have something else to call Varian out on. he nudged Hiccup playfully in the side, no malice or anger in his expression, just a wry smile.            he tightened his hold on Hiccup’s hand a little as the brunet took the lead once more, picking up their paces. it really did feel odd to hold someone’s hand like this. especially like this.as a couple. man, that was going to take some getting used to.

                                     『 ❝ oh please, I sincerely doubt you have a poetic bone                                             in your body, Hic. ❞ 』

           it was nothing but a gentle tease.

    So, yeah, he KNEW the little “aside” from Varian was more or less a general comment on Hiccup’s... LACK of romantic prowess, but his even attempting to resist some manner of jest proved futile; he needed a reaction out of him: something EXPECTED and normal between them, even now that things from here on out would be—somewhat different. The awkwardness that came with a blundering confession was swift to dissipate, having shifted GEARS into an interaction nothing short of regular between them. Gradually, everything was settling into place again.

    —but, it felt... even BETTER, now: like that burst of excitement which had sprouted from his chest would take a long while to ever dull.

    Hiccup was HAPPY with this, he decided. No matter how it came to be.

    An elbow jabbing PLAYFULLY to his side, he let out a fuller laugh than before, and would have shied away from the touch had their hands not been linked (and Hiccup not adamant on maintaining that link). He scrunched up his face at the alchemist, feigned OFFENSE plastering itself across his gape. “What—hey! I can be POETIC. If that’s... I mean, if that’s what it takes to, ahh... woo you, or whatever. I can get creative.”

Despite feeling FULLY ready to take flight,  the moment Toothless’s wings began to move, Rapunzel’s eyes quickly squeezed shut while she held on JUST  a bit tighter,  the idea of falling REALLY wasn’t appealing to her— even though she trusted Hiccup, it was still a lingering fear.    

“one,  two, three”

  she counted in her head.  Cool winds kissed at her flesh as the dragon’s wings continued to move.  It felt a bit harsh at first but then it seemed to dull into something calmer.  

That’s when Rapunzel chose to open  her eyes and when she did,  only a gasp of awe left parted lips.    They were in the AIR, this wasn’t a dream.    Her gaze wandered from Hiccup down to the grounds below, everything looked so far away and beautiful  –   “T-This is incredible!” she laughed.  “I can’t believe this is actually happening!  I think this is probably the best day of my lifeever!”

    This was the reaction he hoped for—he COUNTED on—each time he had the opportunity to show someone this world in the clouds; so easily could it sway in either direction, with either fear consuming all possibilities of JOY, or the very exhilaration stifling any reservations which once loomed. Rapunzel had the LATTER, and the very instant he heard her gleeful bubble of laughter even through the whispering winds around them, his heart was soaring HIGHER than they. Without facing her—where she couldn’t see—his lips shaped a tender smile.

    —that which only GREW when he again twisted to find her out of the corner of his eye.

    He didn’t say anything at first, as there were truly no words to DESCRIBE the situation, the SENSATIONS, of being in flight, but his expression preached all the same. Once positive of her comfort in their position, he softly urged Toothless to increase their altitude. Slowly, GRADUALLY as to not be a shock; they were brought now to the clouds hanging conveniently LOW in the sky.

Needless to say, the stranger’s seemingly carefree approach to the situation did very little to calm Doriane’s nerve. If anything, she was considering waking Spike up so that he could deal with the problem the way he always did, leaving her to do her thing in relative peace.

But, no. There is already enough death and gore in this place, and any more commotion could only attract more unwanted attention. Doriane had a few new scars to prove it.

“You haven’t, buddy, but others have beforehand, so do forgive me if I’m a little on edge.” Doriane’s speech was a veritable snarl, her grip on her dagger tightening until her hand turned white. Though it would also seem that she believed his words; her posture wasn’t as defensive as it was just a couple seconds ago. Even then, it hardly seemed like she was going to relax just yet. “But, you’re right. Live dragons are a bit more fascinating than their bloody remains.”

She continued to stare the pair down for what felt like hours, the air thick and heavy not only from the stench of the various corpses littered about. Then slowly, surely, Doriane’s posture would relax ever so slightly. She even put her dagger back where it was, though her hand was still on the handle. “Then again, neither you nor your friend there strike me as having death wishes,”Doriane grumbled, gaze briefly turning to the still slumbering Spike before focusing on the pair again. She’d then move to pick up her journal, eyes still on the strangers, closing the book and then stuffing it into her bag. “Be glad my own pal’s asleep. Even with a full belly, he’s almost always itching for a fight. I’m not sure I’d have held him back, too.”

“And he isn’t my dragon,” she’d then state, almost in a matter-of-fact kind of way as she pointed a thumb at the sleeping dragon. “He’s just my partner. The day he becomes anyone’s property is when he’s dead and his head’s mounted on a wall.” Surprisingly, her voice had taken a more jesting tone at the last line. Not in a joking manner, though, more along the lines of stating an impossibility. “But that’s beside the point. I’m gonna assume it’s not every day that you run into a scene like…” Doriane momentarily paused, looking around the blood-and-amber mess. “… Well, like this, no? Only reason I can think of why you’d stick around. Most not-crazy people would’ve turned around and left the moment they came upon a literal bloodbath.”

At the very least the situation isn’t as tense as before. Doriane even let go of her dagger’s hilt, now standing in a more aloof position.

“… So, uh, name’s Doriane. My buddy over there is called Spike. Nice to meet you, I guess?”

    She was the one retaining the hostile attitude, now, PERSISTENT on her own defensive even as both rider and dragon melted into an air more casual than before; frankly, Hiccup swore approaching her was no different than approaching the apparently blood-thirsty dragon himself—he felt a twitch of instinct to hold out a hand as was NECESSARY in befriending those in the wild. Who was the spitfire here, if not the young woman all but GROWLING in his face while the dragon nearby simply slumbered?

    But, well... the LOGICAL side of himself emerging into his desire to answer with another quip had him BITING what was already prepped on his tongue. He instead, with SHOCKING silence, shook his head at her aggressive words, and though his own demeanor displayed in entirety his PASSIVENESS, he did not let his guard down. The focus of his stare kept dipping to her readied weapon; one step ahead, the viking was already thinking of the best ESCAPE should she decide to attack.

    Only to let out a soft exhale of RELIEF when that tension dissipated—at least to the tiniest degree.

    “Well, sure, if you want to, ahh... get into the TECHNICALITIES of calling something yours, fine. He’s NOT yours. But, umm... y’know, he is YOUR partner, apparently, so that still is some form of... yours?” There was the prominent SNARK he had been holding back, expressed before Hiccup could even think to stop himself. He gave her a look bordering on pathetic, head swaying to one side, but gradually did a smile—maybe an attempt to DISPEL the lingering aggression—slide across his lips.

    Because she offered an introduction, then, and he was more than a little eager to find some FRIENDLY grounds upon which they could both stand. Which wasn’t really helped by his attitude, but... He feigned ignorance to the pointed stares his night fury was casting his way.

    “Doriane, huh? Yeah, uhh... s-sure; nice to OFFICIALLY meet you, too.” He moved one pace forward, caution still at his heels, and offered his hand for a proper shake. “Hiccup. Sorry for STARTLING you but... Well, Toothless here and I don’t typically just—ignore DEVASTATION when we... see it.” Smell it, more like.

  He sounded unusual — that much she could tell. What she didn’t know is why. Anna was so absorbed in her own worries, her anxieties about embarrassing herself, not setting the example she demanded of herself… the common ( and constant ) concern that she would not be good enough, that it didn’t register that Hiccup could be just as nervous. She didn’t stop to think whether he might not want to dance with her, or whether the thought of it made him uncomfortable due to pressure and so on.

   — She may be a princess, but she rarely felt like one.

  Of course there was the castle, the servants, the expensive meals and clothes. Anna was truly grateful for it all. Still, she wasn’t the heir. Pressure relief number 1. And secondly, the gates were always closed, so there was barely anyone around to see her acting like a princess or the feisty goofball she was at heart. She knew none of the guests that had joined them in their celebration today, and worst of all? She didn’t even know her sister that well anymore. A painfulrealisation, to feel so estranged from one’s own family.

  So when Hiccup seemed to hesitate at her inquiry ( as she’d wondered out loud if he wanted to dance ), Anna couldn’t connect the dots. She simply waited for a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. At his comment about not selling herself short, her only response was a SMILE — a genuine, rosy-cheeked smile. It was as close to a compliment as she deemed herself deserving. However, the smile soon changed into a look of confusion, as she tried to figure out why the other had emphasised her having ‘a whole two feet’. Didn’t everybody?

  No, not everybody. That much became clear when he removed her confusion deftly by following his statement with one that was hard to ignore. “Wait! What?” Instantly, the Princess’s eyes shot down in search of evidence… and she found it. One leg and one extension. She wondered why she hadn’t noticed before, but more importantly, she wondered if he could forgive her for taking a peak. Subtlety wasn’t her strong suit, at least not most of the time.

  Nevertheless, while the lobster-like colour gradually drowned from her heated face, the smile returned once again, and Anna locked her eyes on his. “I would be honoured.”

    It was LUCKY for them that Hiccup’s missing limb wasn’t a sensitive topic. Of course, even if it was, his demeanor poised him at far too laid-back to take any OFFENSE by her reaction; the surprise and not at all subtle check for EVIDENCE was naught but innocent curiosity, after all, and within mere seconds of knowing her, even one self-conscious would have to be aware she meant NOTHING by it. She acted on impulse, Hiccup noticed. Such a CONTRAST with the newly crowned queen: regal, reserved, forcibly POLITE even when she didn’t want to be (a few people here hardly deserved that courtesy). Princess Anna was... different.

    And, frankly, it was a GOOD different. He could tell she behaved TRUE to how she felt—that there were no AIRS or MASKS on display (or, if there were, they constantly slipped with each laugh and abrupt exclamation). In a room full of people putting on a show, it was REFRESHING. He counted what blessings Thor offered that, of all people to run into (or CATCH, in this case), it was her.

    Because even if she was the princess, such a title was far from defining her.

    He found that rosy flush across freckled cheeks wildly ENDEARING.

    “Yeah, uhh—it’s kinda hard to spot, since you’re not typically staring at someone’s feet when you’re talking to them. No problem. I’ll regale you with the MIGHTY tale of how that happened”—though unnecessary, he jerked his head down to the prosthetic—“when I’m not trying desperately to get the dance steps RIGHT; we’ve got all evening for that, don’t we?” Not to imply the princess would waste away her time with him for the rest of the night, but worth the INVITATION, nevertheless.

   “Before you say ANYTHING, just”—the small viking claimed a large breath, filling his lungs to the whole of their capacity, and released it on the tail of his statement while he cast his friend a hesitant glance—“D-DON’T… say anything—?”

   He had, after all, been making some EFFORT to slink away entirely unnoticed—village in shambles (not the worst it had been, however), its people PEEVED, and a father and mentor even MORE so, the looks they gave him all but permanent in his mind—but there was Sundira, of everyone. Always hot on Hiccup’s tail when he knew he was up to something, which… well, was more or less ALL THE TIME.

   Though the foreigner (sort of; he was kinda CONSIDERED that in comparison to the families who had been here for generations beyond count) seemed not nearly as IMPOSING orhostile as a cranky viking chief would be in the face of his son’s disobedience, Hiccup couldn’t help all but FLINCHING at his blocking his path. Caught in the act, literally. He gave him something of a pout (eyebrows knitting and lips pursing tight), before fiddling with the dagger tucked in his belt.

   —All the while not thinking a tiny knife wouldn’t be enough to kill the dragon he downed.

    “ WELL, THERE’S FAR MORE HERE THAN JUST DRAGONS. ”He chuckles,cradling TOOTHLESS’S head within his arms. He continues to allow the beast to rest his head in his lap while he muses. Indeed, if it was dragons they both have seen, he wonders if where Hiccup was from, there were any other mysterious creatures and monsters that roamed.

     Foxes that could disguise themselves as humans. Man-eating, plate-wearing imps that lived in the rivers. Ice maidens who could kill a man just by having them hold their child! And not to mention, KAMI and other powerful spirits that were the sun and the moon, like his own grandfather. “ WHAT ABOUT YOUR PLACE? ” He pipes up curiously. “ Are there giant skeletons where you come from? Have you seen yokai? Are there firebreathing chickens? ”

    “Well, ahhh... y-yeah. Yeah, I suppose there are—other things.” He lifted his shoulders in a LAZY shrug, and having previously paused in his doodling, went back to running his choice TWIG through the dirt at his feet. Within a sheepish exhale of a laugh, “When I was little, I actually—I used to think there were TROLLS living in our forests, but, umm.... It’s not like I ever FOUND any, so—”

    He was given PAUSE at Kubo’s next words—at the apparent list of odd creatures existent in his own part of the world—and, slowly, Hiccup’s eyes roved up to discern his honesty. Rather, discern if he was just trying to get a REACTION or these things actually existed, but... Seemed like he was genuinely curious about their possible dwelling elsewhere.

    The whole “giant skeletons” thing was only MILDLY horrifying.

Toothless allowed his human to re-position his head as needed, a timid whine escaping his maw as he laid his head in Hiccup’s lap. Ears lay flat against his neck as he fidgeted his wings anxiously, the warmth of his companion’s touch soothing the ache in his broad chest ever so slowly.

Though there was a moment of intense sorrow that overcame the night fury, remembering what he’d done and the agony of trying to fight it. He began chuffing rapidly, a coughy-like noise followed by more fidgeting of his body.

Toothless was crying…

    Now, he understood. Now, as that head burrowed into his lap and his entire frame SHOOK with heavy breaths, Hiccup was better able to discern the “what” that was bothering his friend, and even the mere THOUGHT of the tragedy forged a nauseating churn in his stomach. He bit on his lip, soothing movements along Toothless’s jaw now purely MINDLESS; he was, in a way, comforting them BOTH.