Having Tea With A Dragon [M4A] [Roleplay] [Fantasy] [Dragon] [Strangers to Friends]

Transcript

? ?? ?? ?? Hmm.

.. ?? ?? ?? ? It's not my guess lingering at the bounds of my domain.

Don't be shy. You may enter. ?? ?? You.

.. are. ..

different to what I pictured. Ah, I don't mean that to insult you. It's just you're a little.

.. Well, when I picture a nation's strongest, my mind quickly goes to the strong, battle-scarred warriors with the table manners of a toad, and a glare which could put the weak-hearted into a coma. You're a more soft-looking, more approachable.

Don't take that the wrong way. You're a much better candidate for having tea with than the boorish type I was. ..

Hmm. .. expecting.

Come, sit. I wasn't sure when you're coming, if at all, so I haven't started the kettle yet. I'll go do that while you get comfortable.

Ah, before I do, what type of brew would you like? I've got green, herbal, black, uh, gold, and uh. ..

Hmm? Ah, the gold tea is a special type brewed from the shimmering golden roots of a tree with a name, uh. ..

With a name even I would have trouble pronouncing. Ah, no, no, it's not made of little gold, mind you. Simply, the tea it makes glows with the healthy golden light which is said to warm whoever drinks it from the inside.

I haven't tried it myself. The stuff's quite rare enough that I've been reserving for a special occasion. I certainly wouldn't mind brewing some up for a day like today.

You'll take some, then? Ah, delightful. This might take me a moment.

I must refer to some brewing instruction. You'll come watch? Well, I can't promise it'll be a specially stimulating conversation as I must focus a great deal.

But I cannot stop you. Let's see, uh, where did I leave that jar? Oh, could you reach that for me, dear? I would fly, but I don't enjoy showing off while I have company.

Thank you. Now, let the kettle boil over a high flame for two minutes. That gives us time to chat for a moment.

Ah, you like my kitchen? Well thank you. I work very hard to get all of these implements up the mountain.

It's not what you expect, no? Like any other creature, we dragons revel in comfort and fineries. A hollowed out cave filled with nothing but gold is an appealing idea for someone with the intent of stealing said gold, but is highly impractical when you set out about creating your own lair.

Really, I would have lived in a regular house if it weren't so flammable. The cave does solve that problem wonderfully, and the height of the mountain makes it an unappealing track for adventurers. You're surprised it's so small for a dragon, huh? Ah, you may be thinking of regular dragons.

Very technically, I am a half-dragon. We half-dragons are innately humanoid, only able to take on draconic form for brief intervals. Regular dragons, well, they are the opposite.

They can take a human form for a short while, though even then they still retain some draconic features. Common folk don't much care to learn the difference, so I can understand where the confusion lies. Oh, would you like any milk or sugar in your tea? The instructions say to put it in the cup before the water.

No? Ah. I would not have guessed, though.

Enjoying this exotic should be enjoyed in this entirety. Not that I would have judged you otherwise, of course. I can respect that not everyone shares my taste.

Hm? The reason I called you here? Ah, that part can wait until we have the tea.

Speaking of, I believe it to be almost ready. All right, four portions of fruit in a teapot, one in each cup, and there. While it steeps, I have a question to ask.

Have you, human, killed a dragon before? Answer honestly. I'm not so much of a hypocrite that I would get angry over this fact.

I've killed my fair share of humans, after all. You have? May I know which one? It's a challenge to keep in contact with my kin, and with how frequently dragons are dying I find it difficult to determine who is dead and who is, well, still alive.

Hm. The Thunder and Ice Dragons of the Northern Mountains. Huh.

I've known about the Ice Dragon. It's been a frequent patron of mine. The Thunder Dragon is quite the surprise.

Can't help but be marginally impressed. Both were quite formidable, was I had heard. Hm? What do I mean by patron? Well, as a house dragon, I have a much easier time asking for a human than a regular dragon.

Thus, I act as a broker, purchasing human goods and selling them to dragons. Or, well, most often dragons. Other magical beings sometimes contract my services.

Dragons have plenty of human objects they desire. A dragon cannot raise a town every time they want something. Lord know they try.

Thus, whenever a dragon hears of a luxury item or rare merchant good, it's my job to track it down and buy it for them. You would think it pays well, but with how stingy my kind can be, they pay incredibly close to market. So the profit margin is meager.

Hm. I would say the tea is steep well enough. Let me just pour it and we can go sit down.

Hm. Quite radiant, is it not? Certainly a worthwhile tea for this occasion.

Now, to discuss. I specifically called for a strong human to talk with me today, which is why you're here. You see, dragons are a dying race.

On average, they produce offspring every. .. once every hundred years.

Yep, one is slain every year. Sometimes two. My kind, the half-dragons, we cannot even reproduce and the rate at which dragons and humans bond close enough to create one is shrinking.

Currently, I'm only aware of four other half-dragons to be alive. Many humans think they would be better off without dragons, and maybe they would be. But I'm not just doing this out of my wish for my draconic heritage to survive, no.

Dragons are becoming restless. Any day, they could decide to lash out, wipe out as many humans nearby as possible to attempt to secure a safe living situation for themselves. If enough dragons decide to do this at once, thousands of humans could die.

Dozens of dragons too. I want to stop this. Put an end to the killings of each other's people.

And that's where you come in. A human, one who has killed dragons before, negotiating with a half-dragon who, right, .