Orianna, Hell's Legend

And now they wouldn’t get another from her ever again.

The warmth exuding from the now humanoid dragon however stopped the grief from overwhelming them, allowing them to simply enjoy the sensation. Ben grunted softly as they were picked up, thin legs doing their best to gain purchase on her sides. The toddler leaned back a little, free hand that wasn’t holding their bear reaching up to trail a trembling finger over the scales that arched over her brow – over the same golden eyes.

She was definitely still very pretty.

Grey eyes blinked as the woman spoke, nodding in agreement about going further into her lair. They should probably be more wary of a stranger who didn’t have their parents blessing. But they were so tired, and she was so nice – promising to fix them up. Plus, their parents weren’t around to vet her as safe. The Moon Lady had though, so maybe that needed to be good enough. They tilted their head at her name, trying to commit it to memory as their mouth sounded it out as best they could.

“Riiiii-naaa,” the wolf-kin said carefully, before ending with a wheezy giggle. “Pweddy name fo’ pweddy wady.”  Their tone was matter of fact, no room for arguments. Their ears folded at the tips, brow furrowed in concentration as they tried to answer her question. They still had trouble with their name, and their teddy’s, in Common. “M’ Buh-en-kah-eye-el,” they sounded out as best they could, pointing to themselves, “Mma-mma say Buh-ennnee.” The wolf-kin lifted their bear up, tired arm not able to keep it up for very long. “Ted’s Vvvuh-oy-tuh-ek.”

She gently rubbed the pup’s back as she went, doing her best to sense further injuries without word.

“Those are both lovely names. Now where we’re going will be much comfier. I enjoy comfort and knowledge. Those things are my hoard. The pretty shiny things out here…they’re just to stop silly people from going further. But you’ll get to enjoy a lot of the things in my hoard, Benny. You and Wojtek.”

She very much meant it. While Benkai’l was under her care, they would be allowed to touch most of her things. A child needed to have their creature comforts and the necessities. Orianna knew she would need to acquire some specific things for Ben while they were in her care. Food and drink were among those things. She had spells for those things but Orianna was deeply aware that conjured food and drink was no substitute for the satisfaction of the real thing.

As they entered her inner sanctum, Orianna easily jumped large distances as though it meant nothing to her at all. She kept them moving, holding Ben tight until they reached an enormous platform at the back of the cave. The entirety of the cave was comparable to the halls of the dwarves. It easily accommodated Orianna and would even if she went on to become a Greatwyrm.

There were many books, scrolls, maps and more knowledges filled objects neatly organised around the cave. A library so great, it would be a tragedy of the ages if it were to be burned. All across the cave were comfortable chairs. There were entire piles of lovingly kept pillows and blankets. The cave smelled divine. There was a pool of drinking water and a spectacularly large hot spring where the dragon clearly bathed. It was enough to accommodate herself, a mate and any children or friends she might have.

The cave was homey. There was no questioning that the dragon hoarded comfort as well as knowledge. She would never go without and neither would anyone who lived alongside her.

“Now sweet pup, let’s get you and your teddy cleaned and healed. We’ll get you some more clothes and other things in the morning. And we’ll need to figure out where you’ll be able to safely stay and grow up well. If that’s with me, or elsewhere. Do you have any other family?”

Orianna gently put Ben and Wojtek down on a well cushioned lounge, sharp piercing eyes looking them over. With a snap of her fingers, pup and bear were clean. A gentle wave of her hand healed the pup of their aches, injuries and maladies. Another snap and Ben’s clothes and teddy bear were back to pristine condition. Mere parlour tricks for a dragon of Orianna’s stature.

She tried not to get attached to humans, in general. With their limited lifespans, it was all too easy to lose touch for years and then find out they were long gone one day when you stopped by for tea. Dwarves, at least, could be relied on to still be kicking when you visited. Elves too, though they didn’t get many elven visitors in the Northern Sword Coast. Otherwise, most of the citizens were a rotating cast of sailors, adventurers, and traders, passing through the port city on their travels. There were a handful of ships that Missy had helped repair more than once, but they were rare. Still, she found herself having a very pleasant time with Orianna so far, so perhaps this was one human she might make an exception for.

She caught something muttered about a Mimic, and tilted her head curiously.

"You're not far off. A mimic is a creature that can change its form to mimic real objects. A few exceptionally powerful ones can mimic people. They can be ridiculously common in some places so you'll meet quite a few adventurers who will poke things with sticks, or cutlery or their own weapons before picking it up. I've...certainly been guilty of it a time or two."

She smiles at Missy and adjusts her grip on the wheel. Once again, Missy's appearance catches her eye. The dark hair, the blue eyes, pale skin and sharp features. Gorgeous.

Paying more attention to her own inner workings, she can feel a certain pull towards the woman. Orianna was aware of her attraction to Missy but this was more than that. What did Thassa have in mind? Dragging her toward a random woman seemed odd...although it wasn't entire random was it. Not when Missy's cart had broken down in the same spot, multiple times.

Orianna looked up again and noticed the scenery changing. They were moving onto the open road, and Neverwinter would show up on the horizon soon. She felt saddened at the thought of leaving Missy's side so soon. Odd, everything considered.

She loosened her grip, moving her hand down Orianna’s arm to take her warm hand and bring it to her lips, planting a soft kiss.

“Thank you, ne fiest esc simalis,” the timelady hummed, relaxing now that the potion was doing its job. “That helped immensely. Tell me, darling, how do they look so far? Are they at least going to be cool, after all of this?”

"Cool isn't the word I'd use. I'd say they'll be utterly gorgeous when this is over."

She rubbed circles over Missy's belly, her magic feeling the bubbles of magic pop as though Orianna was actually touching them. It was interesting to differentiate between magically feeling the sensation and not feeling it at all physically.

She stretched a little, wiggling her fingers to make sure they were all still there.

“How long was I out?”

Since they’d made sure to magically seal the room before the experiment had started, she had no idea what time or day it was. She could probably figure it out, if she thought really hard about it, but time on Toril ran slightly differently than in the tardis or on Earth or Gallifrey, so it was more math than she felt like doing right this moment.

"You were honestly very peaceful in your process. You were out for a few hours...maybe around four. Your regeneration energy came to the surface and made you glow. I could see it moving around under your skin. Fast at first...but slower as the potion finished its work."

Orianna continued to trace the pattern along Missy's face, smiling gently at her partner.

"I'd theorise that your pool of regenerative energy was expanding as a result of the potion. No more terrifying than rain taking a dam from holding a puddle to being completely filled to an unknowable depth from the surface."

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Missy's forehead, trying to maintain the softness of the moment.

She continued listening but frowned slightly at something else they said.

“When have I ever not been honest with you? At least, when it comes to the Bond?”

She might have lied before about other things, like when she’d done something stupid and was trying not to get in trouble. But she would never lie to Ori about the Bond. She honestly doubted it would be possible to.

“As for madness,” she winked, “been there, done that, don’t plan on doing it again.”

She realized they were trying to be serious, though, and quickly dropped her teasing smirk.

“That’s a good idea - using my feline form to our advantage. Hadn’t occurred to me yet.”

Missy paused, letting herself enjoy the warmth of Ori’s embrace as they gave her a squeeze. She contemplated the plan they laid out, considering it.

"I'm not accusing you of lying Ne Fiest esc Simalis. I'm just asking for more communication. To tell me when things change, no matter how small. We haven't been in a situation like this before. It's in our interest to make sure we're both on exactly the same page. I apologise, I should have worded that better."

They hummed at Missy's explanation of the traditional Gallifreyan set up. It wasn't THAT bad of an idea. However, Orion believed more needed to be done to ensure the ruler didn't become corrupt. More needed to be done to ensure the average Gallifreyan citizen got what they needed to live a good and happy life.

"Nothing I'd recognize as a bonded need," she answered, puzzled. "And you're right, it usually does. At least, in my experience..."

She thought about the bonded needs she'd had in the past, remembering how each one had felt like an urge; not impossible to ignore, but not easy to either. The longer she had gone without satisfying the need, the stronger it usually got. But they had always been present immediately after regenerating. If Ori was going to have one, it should have been noticeable by now.

Yes, Something was definitely strange about this first regeneration together.

"Guess we'll find that out as we go along too," she said. She would have shrugged, but she didn't want to throw them both off-balance.

Orianna had never been more grateful that they were currently empty nesters. The restriction of the clothes she had on now made her want to crawl out of her own skin. Perhaps this new body was more sensitive to certain stimuli?

In any case, being completely naked sounded like a great plan at this moment. No kids to accidentally scar for life, and her wife to appreciate her new body. What bliss.

"Come on, you better direct us back home. We're in serious need of the comforts of home."

She felt a bit awkward under Orianna's scrutiny, unsure where to look; it was as if her golden gaze could see down to Missy's very bones. Missy settled for glancing between the scenery, Ori's face, and Arrias perched on her shoulder. All of them were nice views, if she was being honest.

" 'Get in, get out, don't get killed' does generally sound like a good plan," Missy agreed, nodding at Ori's suggestions. "I'm willing to try those weapons."

Again, a thought somewhere in the back of her mind pinged at this conversation, but she couldn't yet figure out why, so she ignored it.

Orianna turned her head to look at Missy over her shoulder with a cheeky grin.

"The city is made out of a combination of ships and normal buildings. Unlike Neverwinter, we've yet to explore every nook and cranny in the place. But we have found some interesting spots."

She turned back to the front, while Arrias remained facing Missy. Orianna supposed their positions signified the split in her thoughts right now. The need to charge forward and get away from the Magisterium, and the fascination with the curious woman behind her. A woman with no daemon and who had some sort of shield against Dust.

The village came into view, and Orianna felt a small sense of relief. This was where she could maintain the facade of business. She didn't have to be careful about her secrets due to personal conversations. There was no guarantee that Missy wouldn't go running back to the Magisterium if she found out they killed the Hierophant. Even with the recent discoveries.

"There's our first destination up ahead. We can get your supplies there."

Grey eyes opened lazily once more as the dragon started to speak. They blinked and tilted their head before a small smile broke out on their face and their tail started to wag gently. A wheezy giggle came out as the dragon mentioned keeping their bear safe too. They really liked this scaly puppy!

Already feeling better from the excess heat, the wold-kin placed a tiny hand on the stone floor and struggled to push themself back up to their feet. They wobbled a little once upright but soon recovered and toddled over to the large creature, lifting their free hand as they grew close. The toddler hesitated for a moment before they gently placed their hand on her nose – a small whine escaping them as the warmth of her scales soothed the wounds on their palm.

“Fank yoo,” Ben said quietly, patting her snout, “A’noo moon wady wood ‘elp.”

Orianna took a deep breath and with a great deal of effort she managed to take a humanoid form, and gently scoop the pup into a hug. It was a far cry from a proper human disguise, but humanoid enough that it would be easy for her to interact with the pup. She still had her horns, golden eyes, claws and some scales placed in aesthetically pleasing patterns; but, she otherwise had the pale skin, dark hair and proper shape of a human.

Her warmth remained however, and she let it encompass the pup comfortably. Orianna knew the pup had to be cared for. They didn't seem to have anyone else. She picked them up and adjusted them so they were cradled to her front with their teddy.

She'd never been, of course. But the Magisterium had maps, and books, and she'd been taught the basic geography of the Sword Coast as a child.

"And you think we might find some clues there? To both of our mysteries?"

She listened as Orianna listed off the supplies they would be picking up. She'd figured on needing to change outfits, so the mention of new clothes was no surprise, and the adventuring pack made sense, if they were going to be on this quest for a while. She hadn't been expecting the bit about weapons and possibly running into bandits, though.

"I've never had a reason to use one before," Missy admitted, shrugging sheepishly. "My people are not soldiers."

She thought for a few moments.

"A sword is a classic choice, I would imagine. Could you teach me to use one of those?"

She had never held a weapon, but remembered watching the Magisterium guards training in the campus courtyards from time to time over the years. The swords they often carried fascinated her more than any other weapon she'd seen them wield.

The shadiness of the city fitted Ori and Arrias perfectly. They could blend in, and walk around as though racism against Tieflings didn't exist. In fact, despite the watery nature of the city, there were more Tieflings there than Ori had seen anywhere else. As she was about to speak she was caught off guard by another of Arrias' soft tail slaps.

"Share with the rest of the class, damn you! We're not on our own anymore," Arrias scolded.

"Hey! I'm allowed to think before answering. Damn!" Orianna protested "In any case, I wasn't heading to Luskan with the intention to find answers. It's a good place to disappear for a while, but with the way that city works and the number of secrets it hides...we might find a lead or two. At the very least it will give us the time...and the distance from Neverwinter to sort ourselves out."

Orianna paused for a moment as she assessed what Missy had said about her weapons experience. She turned around to face Missy, and began walking backwards as she looked the other woman over. Missy was on the shorter side, very slight and likely didn't have a lot of physical strength. Missy would need an agile style, and hopefully she had a tactical enough mind to adapt to whatever situation she found herself in.

The late afternoon sunlight bounces of the tiles and makes the tiles seem to glow worth the mosaic of patterns showing cities atop crabs with different types of water dwelling races around each one. Some more human than others. Mum told her when they come up to the surface that people are scared of things that don’t look human and will take them away forever. So she needs to pretend to be a human to make sure she isn’t taken away.

“LADY MASIE! YOU’RE SAFE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!” A woman in a green chiton dress runs over frantically. “WE’VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU YOUNG LADY.” She says with a stern expression her black hair matched her pretty black eyes. Masie had once seen a pretty crystal that looked like her eyes once and she wanted to get some for her Nanny because it looks like her eyes.

“Sorry Nanny, I dropped the music box and had to find it… Lady Ori helped me find it she’s my new friend and she is a good swimmer.” Masie replies with her head down showing she was truely sorry. Nanny was her very best friend and seeing her worried and upset about looking for her made her feel very upset. She didn’t want to make her friends upset. “I won’t go away again without telling someone where I’m going again. I’m sorry for making you worried.” She says solemnly.

“I’ll hold you to that promise young lady as you are- you have responsibilities and you need to make sure that you can be with your parents to do those responsibilities. Your mother and father are worried sick they are talking about sending the guards to look for you. We need to take you back to them right now.” Nanny says sternly she suddenly eyes Orianna and says, “thank you for looking out for Lady Masie I will take her to her parents right away. If you would like a reward you can come back in an hours time and the ah our delegates will be able to see you. I’ll personally escort you to them. They will need to make sure their daughter is safe and sound before allowing you into their house.”

"No, no, no."

She hands the Nanny the necklace and the music box.

"Thank you Masie, that's very kind of you. But I don't need a reward. Sometimes we do good things because it's simply the right thing to do. This is one of those occasions. Keep it, and maybe one day if I see you when you're all grown up, I'll see the necklace and know it's you."

Orianna smiles gently at the little girl, and then looks over at the Nanny.

"She mentioned seeing an orb with wrong magic while I was under the water earlier. I'd recommend having a magic expert look her over, just in case. Have a good day both of you."

Orianna offered one last smile, and a wave before heading back to the shore. Hopefully she'd fulfilled whatever purpose Thassa had in mind for her now, and she'd be able to go home. At worst, she supposed she could sleep in the reef tonight.

When she reached the shore, Orianna walked into the water without hesitation. She was quick to swim out towards the reef, glad that the water would feel reassuring regardless of where she was. It wasn't long before the tugging sensation she'd felt on her right foot earlier that day returned.

Benkai’l stared as the large dragon moved its head towards them, grey eyes wide with awe and mouth open in a tiny ‘o’ as the scales on the massive creature's body shimmered different colours. They were so pretty. As were the golden eyes gazing down at them.

The wolf-kin tilted their head as she spoke, confused at her question, before they let out a small gasp of horror and shook their head vehemently.

“No, no, no, no,” they said quickly in that adamant way only a toddler could. “No’ scawy. Scawy!” They pointed at her leg towards her scales, indicating they had meant ‘scaly’ and not ‘scary’. Grey eyes looked back up as a lopsided and toothy grin broke over their face. “Scawy puppy no’ scawy, siwwy puppy.”

The child giggled at the absurdity of the very idea, but the sound soon turned into laboured coughing. Their face quickly went red as they struggled, the force of the wet hacking sending them onto their bony butt. The fit passed and they were able to somewhat breath again, though their short puffs were gasped and the air they sucked in rattled around their lungs before they wheezed it out.

They were exhausted. The wolf-kin couldn't begin to fathom how long it had been since the explosion. How long it had taken them to make the trek to the Moon Lady’s mountain top shrine. How long they had spent inside the secret cave that had opened for them. How long they had further travelled to get to the dragon’s cave. All they knew was that they were tired. That their muscles were aching and sore. That the palms of their hands and soles of their bare feet were covered in scratches and blisters from near constant walking or running in both forms. That the mild burns on their back and arms and legs from escaping the fire in the smithy still throbbed even now. That their once white undergarments that had been their fresh pyjamas were signed and scorched and torn, as was the teddy bear they held steady fast in a tiny fist. That they were cold and miserable and hungry.

And most of all, that they missed their Mama and Papa.

However, her amusement quickly turned into concern. This pup smelled wounded, and sick. She could also smell their sadness...no, not sadness. The scent carried too much weight for simple sadness. No, this was grief. Something had happened to this poor, sweet pup. Their parents could be missing or worse...and Orianna had the feeling it was the 'worse' option.

She moved her giant head forward, scales shifting colours and her golden horns gleamed. Two medium horns formed like eyebrows and went back to end just over her two long horns at the back of her head. Then there were the four medium horns, two on either side of her long horns. The formation looked like a crown. Fitting for the queen of her vast territory.

The heat of her would reach the pup first. Orianna hoped it would comfort the little humanoid. She needed them to feel they were safe around her. She would bring them further into her lair, past the gold and 'treasure' to her den. She could look after them and heal them there.

They didn’t notice the fox jump onto the bed, flinching and stalling in their bandage wrapping as she laid her snout on their arm. The werewolf remained frozen for a second before continuing to cover their wrist and hand in the white fabric. They could feel the pain start to leave their form, shoulders losing some tension as their injury ceased throbbing. What wonders a shower and some medical treatment could do.

Once they’d finished and tied off the dressing they reached over with their uninjured left hand and gently scratched the fox’s forehead between her eyes.

“Thanks Ember,” they murmured. They enjoyed the moment for a few more seconds before they nudged their furry friend. “Go on, go settle down for sleep. I’ll be turning in soon too, don’t worry.”

She looked up at them as they urged her to settle for the night. She could at least curl up. Her new jacket was warm, and these beds were softer than anything she'd slept on in months.

The Fox Fairy jumped over to her own assigned bed and paced a few circles before curling up, facing her friend. Her head remained high, and it was clear she was watching Ben. Orianna would not be attempting sleep until she was certain Ben had curled up under the covers themself.

As they took care of themself, she took the time to puzzle over their abilities. They were of magical descent obviously, and seemed to have sustained magical wounds of some sort. There was no clarity of which community they'd come from though.

Ori hoped that one day she'd have the privilege of holding her own child like this. Hopefully in happier circumstances. A trip to the beach perhaps, with a swim out to the reef.

As she looked for the park, she thought about what Masie had said.

'...home but not like home, there is no crab.'

A crab. A city that has built itself on a crab. There were whispers of such a thing from the krakens. Something about Terra Kona. Orianna knew it existed and was aware tritons were a large part of it. She'd never seen the crabs personally, and wasn't sure she'd have the pleasure of meeting them.

If this girl was a triton, she came under her mother's protection. It was rare for Thassa to show any favouritism towards her worshippers. For her to have brought Orianna here to Masie, this girl had to be something special.

She eventually found the park, and saw the house Masie had described. So that was Terra Konan architecture. It was beautiful, and grand. She turned her head towards Masie.