World Tree MUSH

    Though not happy about it, the city has largely evacuated over to the hills nearby, where they've set up a makeshift shrine to continue their holiday. Kind of dedicated, but perhaps it's very important to them for some reason. Vivian didn't ask.

    The dragon in the mines had stirred some, but not fully awakened before lapsing into a very restless sleep. The motions had been enough to send tremors... surprising, given the size was not THAT big, but perhaps there is something keying in to the motion. Whatever the reason, the tremors had been enough to damage the dam already. Not beyond repair, but it was weakened, and the threat of flooding was definite.

    Vivian had set up something outside the mines to try to figure out how to approach it... such an earnest attempt to SAVE people, huh? She hadn't called in an actual engineer though. Most likely, getting them to move was enough, but... why risk it? The chart clearly shows that the mining had collapsed a portion of the mountain onto the dragon, which was the likely reason it had started to awaken.

  So it is that the princess of Hyrule attends the base camp outside the mines, wrapped in the hooded black robe that disguises her so well. She has her hands tucked into her sleeves, and the hood drawn to hide her features; a scarf wraps around the lower part of her face. Her black war horse is tethered nearby, content to crop the grass and completely ignore the occasional aftershock. Although she has her bow and quiver, she hasn't drawn either.

  "I still think it worth moving this creature before resigning ourselves to killing it. And in any case," she's telling Vivian as she waits, a short distance /away/ from the winged one, as though from distaste, "the thrashing about it will doubtless do if attacked would have laid the dam low."

    There's one person here who wasn't around for the last incident; not that she'd probably have been much use for it with a cricket bat and a determined expression. But Yumi Tachibana can think around a problem, if nothing else, and if 'Sheik' thinks this is something worth putting in effort on, then she's there without hesitating. "So this dragon... it's waking up down there in the mines, right? I'm assuming the tunnels just aren't big enough to haul it out. The bigger question is, how did it get down there to begin with?" It's always possible the collapsed part of the mountain was also where its entrance was, but for there to be only /one/...

Raven was on this planet for... reasons. Maybe she wanted some alone time, or maybe she was searching for some magical artifact. Or maybe she kinda just... ended up here. It was a BIG universe. However, the important thing was that she was near enough...

So when she felt that... A lot of emotion. And then one really biiiiig emotion. It didn't take her long to find the source and, before long, a black raven appeared in the middle of their camp and unleashed a loud, but NOT ear piercing cry(turns out some people have taken offense to that.)

She looked around for a moment, taking a step towards them. "I... sensed a lot of--"

And then stumbled, turning towards Zelda. There was an all too familiar... sensation of 'death' there. "H-hello... again. I... I'm here to help, however I can..." she said a little timidly, her eyes lowered. "There's... something big... here, right? It feels very ummm... mildly uncomfortable and annoyed..."

Temulin isn't wearing armour today. She's wearing a black shirt with matching trousers, they look to be practical working clothes, albeit made from fabrics and in styles uncommon in your typical modern earth. She's also leaning on a cane in one hand, while her other hand is wrapped in bandages. Her pale white hair hangs from her shoulders, contrasting with her dark blue-ish grey skin. "It's wounded and trapped, I don't blame it for being cranky." She says with a smile. "Hey everyone." She glances towards Raven and adds. "Thank you. Sorry about those knobheads."

    Luke had been here before, he helped evacuate the people of that town, and heard of this mysterious dragon hidden inside the mountain, and won't deny he is at least a tiny bit curious about such a creature, thus, a young teen approaches the base camp! The kid seems likely out of place, given his garments, and is flanked by a curious creature, a tall, round feline that looks quite similar to a tiger, with what looks like a thunder symbol dyed on it's chest. The pair seems fairly calm as they approach the others, waving one hand adn noticing a couple of familiar faces, quite intrigued about what was the plan this time.

    Vivian looks up when Zelda speaks, and shrugs. "Most likely, yes. I don't care, myself... my plans often require bloodshed, but I actually prefer to spare lives. Death causes a lot of pain to me." Whether or not Zelda believes that is up in the air, isn't it?

    Yumi asks a good question. "I think it has just been there long enough that... no, that makes no sense. Perhaps something to do with the sealing it started with." She shrugs her wings, and looks to the girl. "Fighting it might be complicated now. I had hoped to kill it in its sleep if we did that, but now we have to ease it out. And slicing through an entire mountain would cause too much damage for my magic, not to mention take forever."

    Raven's comments get another shrug. "I knew the tales were real when I felt similar. It's still asleep, for now. If you are here to find a way to calm it, then fine. I couldn't manage to sway its emotions, myself."

    Finally, with Temulin and Luke arriving, Vivian hmns, "This should be enough... though it looks like you aren't ready for combat, Temulin," she tsks toward the knight. "Let's get this underway then. We're to avoid a fight anyway. The quickest path is through here, unless our friend here found a faster way last time." She nods to 'Shiek' lightly. "What happened to you, bird-rider? Pick a bad fight?"

  "I will reserve judgement on that observation," Zelda murmurs, lifting her head and regarding Vivian with quiet disdain. She has seen the other willing to deal tremendous destruction to further her own goals. Would the potential of lost lives really make her hesitate? "It is irrelevant... for the moment."

  Her gaze flicks sideways to Yumi, and while she doesn't smile, there's nonetheless a slight loosening of those shrouded shoulders. The girl has a good head on her shoulders. She's always a welcome ally, even in an unusual situation like this one. "It sleeps in the mine, Tachibana Yumi. Part of the tunnel has collapsed upon it, and that is, as Vivian has said, the source of its anger and pain."

  Although Zelda glances toward Raven, it's no more than half a glance spared for the girl's stuttering. "We are here to work," she says, simply. "If you cannot even speak with us, then perhaps it would be safer for you if you left. This may turn out to be dangerous work, yes? If that beast--" And she inclines her bow toward the mountain, "--loses control, well. There is a reason we ensured the village was evacuated." Idly, part of her hopes that they did all leave. Just in case. "There is a dragon slumbering inside that mountain, and part of that mountain has collapsed upon it. It is in pain. I wish to ease its suffering, before the throes of its agony destroy the dam that is built upon the side of this mountain. I do not wish to slay the beast unless it becomes clear that there is no other reasonable alternative."

  Her attention swivels back around not to the rest of the group, but to Luke, briefly, along with a faint half-smile. Nice boy. Good at crowd control. The smile fades. "Luke Gray. That is your name, yes? Good. When you evacuated the village, they did all accompany you, yes? There are none left behind, in the event that I am unable to keep the beast subdued?"

  Temulin earns a faint inclination of her head, although there is a certain distaste in the motion. The bird-rider has proven herself reasonably... sort of... honourable, even if her methodology leaves room for improvement. Even still, ew. Dark magic. But the princess does appear genuinely satisfied to see the warrior there. Temulin does have a good head on her shoulders, if nothing else.  This time, her attention does return to the rest of the group.

  "I do not know that we are equipped to move the mountain, but perhaps we can lessen the beast's suffering, that it might upset the people living here less. Now that there is no immediate danger of loss of life, I can, if you are willing to try, attempt to keep the beast subdued. I cannot move it, and I cannot excavate it, but perhaps I can soothe its pain and communicate to it that we wish to help in whatever way we can."

  Beneath the shadow of the hood, a brow rises. "Is that acceptable?"

    Well, Raven is someone Yumi doesn't recognize, but apparently knows Zelda; she gets a light nod of greeting from the redhead. Temulin, on the other hand, looks like hell warmed over. "Wow, are... are you alright? I've got some painkillers in my backpack, if you-" Here she stops herself, frowning. "...oh, but they might not even work the same for someone that's nonhuman... crud. Uh... is there anything I can do to help?"

    Blink. Wait, Yumi, you're forgetting something.

    "Oh, um, hi, I'm Yumi, by the way." Introductions /before/ concerned fussing, Yumi, /before/.

    As Vivian urges them to get moving, Yumi considers things. "We can't wake it up any faster, because that will just mean more thrashing. At least until we can talk to it, but that's still too much risk. Hmm... Is there some way we can communicate with it while it's still mostly asleep? Are any of you telepaths, mages that can touch dreams, something like that...?" She's certainly adapted quickly to the world of the supernatural.

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> Wondering if it could be communicated with in a way that doesn't wake it up. @TEMULIN: Fussfuss worryworry.

Raven looked down. Imagined the size of the thing she felt. She gave a shudder. "Nope. Nope nope. Nooooope. I am not going to try and sway that thing in any possible way. Knowing my luck, I accidentally make it very hungry and it thinks I'm a blueberry muffin."

Then Zelda spoke up, her eyes lowered. Then, softly... "If..." she started, clenching her hands. It's what she wanted to do, right? To help? To help herself learn to control her emotions, her powers. "I... Can possibly ease its pain. I wouldn't begin to imagine I could heal its wounds. Not on something that size. But... I should be able to reduce its pain. So long as NOBODY touches me while I am doing it," she adds quickly. "And umm.... If it comes down to it... I should be able to teleport myself and others out in the event that it's needed."

She managed to say that entire thing while looking over, around, at the feet of and literally EVERYWHERE but the eyes of zelda. Yeah. Mayyyybe talking to a goddess of light and all that was a wee bit intimidating.

"Remember that one who froze all that water? Apparently she has a thing for attacking random people, and I managed to piss her off by getting in her way." Temulin explains to Vivian. 'Sheik' gets a nod in return, casual but not upset, and she turns towards Yumi. "Don't worry about me. I'm doing much better thanks to Raven here patching me up. It just takes time to recover from getting your body as beat up as I got mine even with magic healing." She smiles, "Though that reminds me I should stock up on healing potions."

When it comes to the dragon, she looks up at the mountain. "If we have to wake it, I should be able to talk to it, as long as it's inclined to do any talking." She doesn't explain where her confidence comes from.

    The teen approaches Zelda, being the person he is most familiar with in the group, waving again and nodding, "Yes, that's my name." he says, before facing the others, offering a bright smile, adn another wave at Raven, "Right, I am Luke, and this guy here is Dynamo." he explains, pointing to the 'round' tiger, who stretches, nods and seems to release a couple of electric sparks, weird critter. The question gets Luke's attention, quickly turning back to Zelda, "I think so, I went back with Agni to search for any person that might have been behind, but found no one back there, the others said everyone made it safely." 

    The big cat seems to decide to walk around the people, simply sizing them up, purring loudly as it moves, clearly just being curious. The mention of teleporting others seems to get a curious glance from the pokemon, as if it understood what it was said. The mention of the person that froze the area gets Luke's attention, blinking at the mention of how dangerous she might be, pondering if he was lucky he just got some glaring from the two times he saw her.

    "Empathy, I can provide, much like the raven here," Vivian says, gesturing. "Unsurprising, Raven Troupials were often considered great mages in my world." Obviously this raven is not the same world. "And I believe our leader here may be able to help." Wait, leader? Zelda is now leader. Truly Vivian is villainous!

    She eyes Temulin. "I see. She did seem very... feral. Much like the White Crow... unrelated to Blight Crows." She isn't sure if she mentioned that's what she was, but just in case. "You don't look like you are in a position to fight, so we should all guide her."

    Luke is also doing introductions, so Vivian does. "I am Vivian, by the way. I found this dragon but I couldn't deal with it myself. My more powerful magics sap the life from the area and damage the land, so it would be reckless of me to use them here." So bluntly honest.

    She's helping by going into the mines though, and has even marked the path. Apparently her wings don't make her claustrophobic. It's easy to see what happened too. Zelda saw it the first time, but the cavern the mines broke into is large enough to hold a slumbering dragon, mildly in pain, and the breakthrough collapsed it partially to pin one side under tons of rubble.

  "Mm?" A wry look is shot toward Yumi when the girl busies herself with fussing over someone she hasn't even met, yet. Zelda only shakes her head. That's the girl's way. "I do not think she is in any immediate danger, Tachibana Yumi." Her statement is amused more than chiding. "And she seems to require no aid, in any case."

  Zelda, however, is a telepath. Zelda also doesn't say a word about it.

  Her eyes flick sidelong, considering Raven's words; Zelda folds her arms thoughtfully. "I do not know if my skills will affect the beast one way or another, and I do not wish to try until I can be certain that I can keep its emotions and mind subdued. I am not prepared to do that until we are all, in turn, prepared for the potentiality of its awakening."

  "Mm. Good." This, to Luke. "Then we may do as we will, and be not afraid of the consequences of our actions. Or so much, anyway." Carefully, she reaches out a hand for Dynami to sniff, watching the beast curiously even as her attention settles back on the problem at hand. "I suppose we might draw lots, or perhaps take turns, in addressing this dragon? If we do not begin soon, it will solve our problems and wake itself up."

  Those blue eyes -- Yumi might be relieved to note they're still a pale summer-sky blue, and not the hard, crisp colour of an autumn sky -- flick back to Vivian, and a single brow raises, very slowly. Oh, she's the leader, now?

  "Fine." Zelda doesn't actually sound particularly happy about that, but neither does she sound like she's going to argue. Not worth it. "Let's go, then. Those who think they can soothe the beast, with me. Those who think they can control the damage or the fallout... remain. And those who are capable of battling such a creature, if we should lose control -- with me, as well."

  With that, she turns on her heel and marches for the mineshaft, not yet looking to see if anyone follows. She does, however, radiate authority. Yumi would recognise it -- royal authority; the command of someone who expects to be obeyed.

Raven blinked and followed after Zeldo, her eyes lowered. 'I didn't say you could do it, i said I could do it..." she grumbled. "I wouldn't be controlling it, just dampening its pain..." As they walked into the darkness, she held up her hand. But there were torches, so she lowered it.

"I'm... not sure how much use I would be against something like... this. In combat, however. I don't really... I've been a pacifist or... trying. And I do not believe I could hurt something like that." As they walked, she would try to walk besides Temulin, sticking near the dark knight. "I haven't... seen you in a while, Luke. Have you been well?" she asked with a small smile.

    "If the thing wakes up," Yumi says to Raven, "It's not us getting out safely that worries me. I don't want to be the reason that dam comes crashing down." She'd really, /really/ rather they not just kill the thing in its sleep, but if the dam is at risk of breaking...

    Don't think about it, Yumi. Not unless the moment comes down to it.

    Temulin, meanwhile, assures the redhead that she is okay. "If you're sure," Yumi replies dubiously, hooking her thumbs in her pockets for the moment. Zelda is a telepath indeed; Yumi knows that fairly well. But she's not sure how subtle the princess's telepathy is. If the dragon is jarred awake, that's worse than not doing anything. "If there was some way we could remove the rubble, that'd be good, but that runs the risk of... ugh. I keep thinking of plans that would be ideal instead of plans with what we have on hand." The girl shakes her head, falling into step with Zelda.

    And definitely not glancing at big ol' Dynamo every now and then. No sir. Not doing that at all.

    (it's /adorable/)

    The pokemon trainer seems to be thinking even as Zelda makes the call over who should go in the cavern or not, but eventually, he realizes that he is better at fighting than... damage control in any case. Dynamo stretches and yawns lazily, as if noticing someone thought he was cute, and wanting to give a little display, and glancing around at the gathered. After a moment of Luke's hesitation, the round cat approaches him, and bumps at the trainer to go further in.

     Luke chuckles a bit at it and pets the eager fluffball, "I think I might do more good in combat than staying outside, so I should go inside... seems Dynamo wants to see that dragon in any case..." he considers asking for info on the dragon... elements or types but thinks that might be weird, so he waits on that, perhaps he can figure it out once he sees it. Raven addressing him makes Luke grin, turning to face her, "Hey!, been doing fine actually, exploring around a bit, talkign with some friends." he replies, "Hope you have been fine?" comes the reply, even as he and the round cat move to follow the others.

"By the way, since I forgot. I'm Temulin, of the Dotharl Tribe, miss Tachibana." She smiles, leaning on the tips of her toes to get to eye level with Yumi, and then stumbling almost immediately as she's not in shape to pull those kinds of shenanigans. She manages to catch herself, but a pained 'oww' escapes her lips anyway. She follows the others anyway, a bit more careful now. "I really shouldn't be getting in fights like that without asking for payment." She mutters to herself. "You don't need to stick so close to me Raven, I'll be fine." She lies.

    It's a BIG dragon. The head is visible, sleeping, and the wings partly so. The rest vanishes deep into the darkness. Vivian holds a torch up to see better, then lowers it to replace it with a light sparkle of starry lights, giving the area a better look. The dragon is red, by the way. And slumbering still, though obviously restless.

    "Personally, this thing seems much like the old enemy of my people," Vivian states. "But... the less we can parallel what happened in my world, the less likely it will Blossom, and you won't have to deal with a place full of people much, much worse than I am. I can provide some magical support in some ways, but anything major will require me to... drain your life force. We should avoid that, as some of you are in no condition for it." She looks at Temulin again.

    Sigh. "All right, where should we start with this? I think if it ended up down here it would know a way out..."

  "If the beast wakes, escaping will be the least of our concerns," Zelda comments airily. "I imagine we will have an extremely angry populace of an entire village demanding compensation for their destroyed homes, workplaces, and livelihood." She sighs. "There may or may not be pitchforks and torches involved, at the end of the day. So. It would behoove us to wake the beast gently..."

  Dust sifts underfoot as the trail leads down into the mine. The lower the party ventures, the warmer the mineshaft, heated by the humid, rank breath of the dragon. It stinks of rotten meat and possibly worse things. Aside from wrinkling her nose, Zelda offers no comment on how bad it reeks, because boy, does it ever reek.

  "My family has had some skill in telepathy," she adds, oh-so-casually. "I can try to reach the beast's mind as gently as I can, if that is amenable. It is possible I can communicate what our purpose here is, and prevent the creature from thrashing."

  She glances back over her shoulder. "I am willing to offer what assistance I can, Temulin of Dotharl. I, too, am trained as a healer... you need only ask. Although what effect it may have in light of your abilities, if any, I do not know."

  "If I may," she begins, to Vivian. "Perhaps I can touch the beast's mind."

  The Princess of Hyrule kneels in the dust like a commoner, and bows her head. Although she murmuurs something quietly, it's difficult to say just what the words are. They shift and flow like water. That sense of the divine attending Zelda's presence only heightens. There is a faint light from beneath the hood, so faint it could be imagined in the flickering shadows of Vivian's torch, but Yumi would recognise it for what it is... and standing so close, Yumi might hear one soft murmur amidst the rest that is still identifiable.

  Dragon. It's a gentle voice, at first, a welcoming touch to the beast's mind. Dragon, please wake.

  And then the voice changes, subtly; gains depth, wisdom. Age. Power.

  Everyone can hear it; the ringing of something divine in their very minds, at once like Zelda's physical voice, and also at once nothing like it; power disproportionate to the young woman's fragile appearance.

  O, Great Wyrm, please waken. We wish to soothe your hurts and mend your wounds. We wish to find you a better place for you to rest. This place is no longer safe for you. Will you heed us?

  The princess does not move, knelt almost double, one hand braced flat on the ground; the other clasped to her heart. Her head remains bowed down, not physically looking at the dragon, and hiding her features as well. She might seem like one in a trance, from how steady and unmoving her breathing is; how motionless she is.

    ...

    Yumi, don't giggle. Don't giggle, Yumi. The scaly lady just tried to lean up and look you in the eye, don't-

    It goes from 'kind of adorable' to 'oh shoot she's injured', and the look on Yumi's face shifts to concern in a heartbeat. "Whoa, hey, take it easy. You don't have to push yourself on my account. It's nice to meet you, though." There's a moment or two of silence, a side glance or two of concern, but the au ra seems to have the problem managed, so she'll leave it at that. "...getting into fights for charity, huh? Seems like a lot of that going around." She doesn't sound disapproving at all; in truth, if the girl had anything more than 'some skill at swinging around bats', she'd probably be right there too.

    (nevermind the fact she's already been shot protecting someone)

    Yumi lets herself drift over more towards Luke and Raven for the moment, listening curiously. There is, however, a brief look of thought on her face, before she glances at Vivian. "...if you need to, you can borrow some from me. I'm not superpowered or anything, so if I can help that way, I don't mind. I can always take a few days off school if I have to. Long as I can hobble out of here."

    Then Zelda starts talking. Or rather, starts Talking. Well, this will either work, or it won't... There might be a little tension in Yumi's posture now.

Raven nodded to Luke. "I've been doing wonderfully. I've been staying in the Mushroom Kingdom. the princess there has allowed me to reside there for the time being while I go over their kingdoms library. It is absolutely fascinating, I have never seen so many books," she said with a content, dreamy sigh. "I've been studying their magic and history especially, it's really quite fascinating. I think there's a... errr..." She trailed off as she remembered WHERE they were and WHAT they were doing. "R-right. We can discuss it later."

She then glanced to Temulin and gave her a little more space. She just... wanted to be near her since... Well.... zelda was scary. And Temulin wasn't.

Her eyes went wider at the sight of the dragon. She couldn't help but stare. "It's... massive. Possibly the second biggest creature I've ever seen..." she whispered in awe.%rThen shook her head to Vivian. "Don't touch my life force, please. It... would not end well I imagine..."

And then the wrod of Zelda. It sent a chill down her back and they might notice her lower her head and pull her cloak tighter around herself and move a bit closer to Temulin... As if the dark knight could keep her safe from... that. It chilled her to the bone...

    Luke is glad to chat with Raven during their short walk, seeming interested at the mention of magic, opening his mouth to speak when Raven remembers the situation at hand, "Right... yeah we can speak later." he says softly, sticking close to Raven, while his pokemon seems content to stay besides Zelda. Both pokemon and trainer come to a halt as the dragon comes into view, with Luke standing there, mouth agape for a few seconds, while the tiger steps back a bit, moving closer to Luke and Raven, more specifically, standing in front of Luke.

    Unfortunately, Luke really does not know much about this kind of... stuff, so he tries to be quiet while Zelda speaks, but the mention of 'life force' gets him to glance back at Vivian, blinking a few times, that does not quite sound good. "Same I guess... if I can help that way.". Dynamo baps at Luke with his tail when he says that, "What, I can't fight, if Vivian needs my help, I'll offer it." he says softly. The two go still when they hear Zelda's 'VOICE' focusing their attention at the dragon.

Yumi's concern gets Temulin to shoot her a look. "Don't." And then more neutrally, "I am an adventurer, not a charity shop. I don't know what I was thinking." She stays near Raven, offering what shielding she can. She even pushes herself and calls upon the darkness that powers her to suffuce her aura in the hope that it may shield Raven. "I think I'll pass." She informs the princess. "Appreciate the offer, though."

When Zelda goes like that, full goddess voice. She closes her eyes, and mutters a string of words. "Hear. Feel. Think." She says softly, mostly to herself, though she's look at and addressing Zelda. "That's what She said. You remind me of Her."

    "Be my guest," Vivian gestures. "I will do what I can to soothe it as well, but in this position, my empathic abilities are limited. I never developed them as much as some Swans do," she admits. And she does help in that manner, but not before answering others.

    "Yumi," she says bluntly. "You do not want to offer to do that. It is extraordinarily painful, even when I don't want it to be. I usually use it as a means of /crippling/ an enemy, even if the effects are temporary. As a side effect, you age decades in an instant, and the shock to your system is immense. Though some people might enjoy seeing themselves aging in reverse as they heal, I suppose."

    To Raven, "There are bigger." Vivian doesn't go into more detail on that. "But rare." And to Temulin, "Charity is not a bad thing, if you can afford it. By the look of it, the cost was higher than you expected. I prefer safer ways of making money, like singing."

    Finally, as the pulsing of telepathy reaches out... and the pulse back gives vague impressions. Pain, annoyance, sorrow...? The last one resolves a little more, making it clear that the dragon was WANTING to stay asleep. And then, subtly deeper, a sensation of obligation. It may cause devastation when it wakes, but apparently it is not... hostile?

    "Odd, I was under the impression this was sealed to prevent calamity."

  For a brief moment, nothing exists but for the Goddess and the Dragon. Even the Princess is no more than a flicker of... sensation? A distraction. What little of Her Grace's mind touches the others is at once intimately familiar, so very like Zelda, and yet also wholly foreign. There are also snippets of -- dream? memory? Great and terrible battles, the fires of war, the black blood of demons splashed across her face; Hylia's rage and defiance, and her vow to protect her people at the cost of her own life. The choking stench of smoke, and the taste of blood in the mouth, of ash.

  She was not always a goddess.

  But her mind is wholly on the dragon, now. She does not heed what splinters of memory escape her, that the others may or may not see, hear, feel; taste and smell. 

  Stay your anger, O Great Wyrm. Hylia's command is soothing, but there is no mistaking the steel behind it. It is dangerous for you to sleep. Waken. Please. Whatever your obligations... we -- I -- wish to aid you in them. They will kill you if you destroy this mountain, but I wish to save you.

  Slowly, like one in a dream or a daze, Zelda -- Hylia -- pushes herself to her feet. She brushes grit from the knees of her robe like an afterthought, stalking toward the dragon; finally reaching up and placing a small, warm hand on the scaly hide. It's so terribly small held up against that colossal bulk. She looks fragile, if not for the power that radiates from her.

  And the light. There is a soft light thrown from beneath the hood, though her face is turned away from the others, facing the dragon.

  My power is broken. It was sacrificed in an age that even myth does not remember. But what remains to me, I wish to aid you.

  That sensation of divinity, of latent power, grows.

  Waken. Please. Allow me to attend to your wounds, that you might be free once more, for whatever it is you wish to do with that freedom. It is far better than the sleep from which we never wake.

    Wince. The sharp look from Temulin stings. But she's right; even if Yumi can't help herself, foisting that much concern on the knight is on some level insulting. There's a soft, "...sorry. It's like a reflex. Can't stop myself sometimes."

    Surprisingly enough, though, she doesn't flinch from Vivian's harsh warning. It does put things in perspective, but her gaze is steady in meeting Vivian's. "Alright, only as a last resort. But keep it on the table as a last resort. I'm not a stranger to pain, and if that's what it takes, I'd rather that than seeing people die." No 15-year-old girl should have a look like that in her eyes, but it's there.

    But now, though - now Zelda is pushing herself to the brink by dipping into Hylia's existence inside her. The girl with the cream-orange hair turns herself, watching with an entirely different sort of concern. She's seen the princess do this before; heck, the princess has done this /for her/ before. She knows where this tends to end up.

Raven is very thankful she's inside the dark energy... thing, of the dark knights. It makes it a little better. But only a little. "I... have a book about an ancient, evil dragon that was sealed away.... I haven't finished it yet, though," she mumbled.

Thoe memories, however.... The demons splashed on the ground. Those... Zelda could be... Zelda may be someone she needed. Someone she had to have, to defeat her father. But... She was a purity that Raven... It could be dangerous. She made a mental note to approach her during more... neutral times. That power, that... divinity. That sensation. That echoes through her. Making her feel more and more... Not frightened. So much as unworthy to be near her presence. She had the instinctive desire to kneel or flee. Instead, she backed away until she was at the back of the group and keeping as far as she could back, while still being a part of the group...

Temulin listens, unlike Raven she isn't bothered too much by Zelda's divine spark. Not because she doesn't recognize the power, but because she recognizes the power as benign and not directed at her. There's a mild tilt of her head when it is mentioned that power is broken. Curious but she doesn't mention it. Instead, she turns to Yumi. "Do not do anything too drastic to save my life. I am of the Dotharl tribe, we are the undying ones." She then turns to Vivian and shrugs, "I'm not in the business of doing charity." She lies. "I am an adventurer, not a hero." All the while, she keeps her place in between Raven and Zelda.

    Luke feels a bit... out of place, just standing there, watching Zelda do.... something, not quite sure what it is, just feeling a bit on edge, nervous even. But he only gets faint impressions at best, only some of the words reaching him. Still, he really can't quite see what is making Raven... scared?, slowly moving to approach her. The pokemon seems far more uneasy, ears splaying, a faint growl at the images of war and violence in it's mind, fur on end as some energy builds on it, retreating to stay next to Luke, uncertain on how to act.

    "If you say so," Vivian responds to Temulin first, while murmuring it instead of saying it loudly. A faint stirring below says all she cannot... because it makes the cavern rumble.

    The dragon is willing to wake, but can't move without tearing down either the cavern, the dam, or both. Pinned as it is, there's no option but to go back to sleep, but the sleep is so restless that will eventually cause either or both as well. There's a definite feeling of tiredness though. Apparently the nap isn't over?

    Sigh. "You two..." Vivian gestures to Luke and Raven. "See if you can clear some of that rubble away. The rest... I am not sure. This is not a problem I am used to solving. Any attempts at all would be good."

    Then she turns to Zelda. "I think you've done enough. I get the sensation it can do the rest if we can free its claw. Unless you want me to just cut it off, but I think that would be an extreme solution for something that bears no ill will."

  Tiny stones clatter and jump underfoot as the whole of the cavern shifts. It's enough to suggest that wakefulness is returning to the pinned dragon.

  Thank you. It's a sigh of gratitude, like a summer breeze through the mind; sunlight and the scent of the plains. Keep still, if you are able. We will free you as best we can, and once free, I will do what I can do mend your hurts.

  Zelda doesn't move, but instead keeps a gloved hand braced against the dragon's side and her hooded head down, as though she were regarding the cavern floor.

  She'll wait there for the others to free the dragon. Until they do, all she can do is marshall her strength, because she's probably going to need it. She's never tried to heal something quite so... large.

    Undying? That's a curious thing to call yourself. Yumi's not sure what to make of it, so for the time being, she accepts it as it is.

    And right on cue, there's Zelda coming down from the Hylia high. She still seems to be vertical, but there's that hand braced against the dragon... and, well, the others here are probably a lot better-suited to shifting rubble than she is. So, the schoolgirl goes with the problem she knows she can help with, and sets about jogging her way over to Zelda. "You doing alright?" The rough part's still ahead, after all.

Raven glanced to Vivian, and gave a nod. "I'll do what I can..." she mumbled. She'd examine the destructions, and then begin getting to work. IT wasn't... too hard. her magic allowed her to pick up things many, many times her size and weight, so she began to pick up larger rocks and move them aside with ease, then smaller ones. She was very careful as she moved them, not moving too many at once, and ensuring that she supported the area around as she worked. Perhaps she'd have a future as a member of construction

She liked this. IT was calming. Easy. Not dangerous, much. It allowed her to not think about the scary comrade. "Like this?" she mmumbled. "Luke, if you could... stay on the opposite side and let me know if you see any shifts I may miss? I would appreciate it."

Temulin doesn't quite have the strength to shift rock right now, so instead she ignores Vivian's mutter and gets some kind of flat bread wrapped around smoked meat out of her pack, it's a simple meal, and she approaches Zelda, stopping her darkness now that Raven should not be quite as exposed to Zelda's more sacred side. "It's not much, but if eating something would help. You can have this." She smiles towards Yumi.

Luke Gray snaps back at Vivian's suggestion, glancing back to the nervous electric type and trying to help calm it down. He reaches for his belt, and presses a button, a flash of red light, and a tall, reddish orange, black and cream creature appears, easiest way to describe it might be, bear like, with longer digits, closer to a hand. He points the pokemon to assist with the rubble, might not be quite as good as Raven, but should manage to help at least a bit. When Raven asks for his help, he moves to the opposite side, looking at the pile of stones, "I will.".

    "You should rest," Vivian offers. True, she could try to take out the wounded and weakened group right here, but... she doesn't. Instead she perches and watches, seeing Raven and Luke coordinate there and glancing at Temulin. Something to eat. A good idea. "Reminds me of my adventuring days," she says whistfully... then frowns, a frown that deepens into a scowl before she's distracted below.

    The rocks are clearing off the claw and reveal the dirtied, battered scales. With Agni's muscle, and Raven's telekineses, it manages to ease the claw out as the dragon stirs and opens an eye. It feels... grumpy though. Irritated. But it is not in a combative mood, and more just wants left alone. Slowly it begins to recede INTO the rocks behind, slithering backward with a sleepy yawn. The motion is still enough to cause a few tremors, perhaps damaging the dam, but it has the sensation of fading quickly.

    Vivian mutters, "Good job." She doesn't seem too pleased, a fact that is obvious if contradictory. "Thank you," she adds. "It is rare I can work by saving people. Yumi, you should learn some way to protect yourself if you are going to keep showing up to these situations. You have some faint talent for Wird, perhaps it could be developed if you work hard at it... but that level of talent, you'd be more useful with a sword."

  Although she remains upright, hand planted firmly on the dragon, Zelda's hooded head is bowed towards the ground as though she were in great contemplation of the grit beneath her boots. Tiny pebbles clatter and jump with the dragon's restlessness. The stale air is almost stifling.

  Stone shifts. The wyrm retreats into the rock, finding a crevasse that it can somehow fit through. The princess lets it go, wavering on her feet.

  She lifts her head, one shaking hand reaching up to throw back her hood; when it does, there's a faint golden light about her. Her hair seems in that instant more blonde; her eyes the crisp, dark blue of an autumn sky, rather than their properly pale blue. There is a thin trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth; except blood shouldn't be casting its own light -- it's radiant, the blood of the Goddess, and it's probably like a slap in the face to anyone with an enhanced sense of smell.

  To her credit, she stays on her feet.

  Tachibana Yumi. Hylia's regard is the warmth of the sun, but the sun is fading. I may have to impose upon you for just a little while longer. Zelda's mental 'voice' is unsteady as Hylia's powerful regard fades. As her consciousness returns, eclipsing the goddess, her words fade from the minds of the others. By the time she sounds herself, her answer is directed solely towards Tachibana Yumi. Will you help me back to Snowpeak Garrison? I do not think I can manage it myself.

  She wavers on her feet, half-turning toward Temulin as the Dark Knight approaches. Something twists in her expression, but she forces it into a faint smile. "Thank you." Her voice is a dreadful rasp. "I am certain this will help. I am sorry if my... power... discomforts you. It... cannot be helped."

    Temulin gets a return smile from Yumi; anyone willing to offer food to Zelda at a time like this is A-OK in her book. Because, of course- and there she goes. Yumi is right there at the princess's side, propping her up carefully. "I got you. There's a bag of snacks back at the garrison with your name on it, too." There's a little quirk-nod towards Temulin; a silent 'I'll hang onto it for her, pass it here', with her free hand held out.

    As she's shouldering the princess's weight, however, Vivian addresses her. Blink. Minor talent? Yumi looks a little surprised... but then seems to realize what Vivian is talking about. "Ah, it's... I'm not really sure what it is, but it's pretty much only a magical sense. I /am/ training to use a sword, though..." Here the girl falters. "...well, no, that's not accurate. Better to say 'it turns out I already know how to use one'. I've got some, uh. Memory issues. I can explain another time." She shrugs. "I carry around a cricket bat for the time being, though."

Raven let out a sigh of relief as the dragon retracted. "That... actualy wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Is... it done?" Was that all that was needed?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. She smiled. Welp. Today she met a dragon. Ish. I mean, sure, it barely noticed her. But still, DRAGON! She glanced to the others and nodded. "So then... if anyone needs any h elp getting here, I could probably teleport a few of you back home before i head back out," she offered. Well... She felt pretty good about herself. She helped!

She couldn't wait to tell Peach she met a dragon.

Wait. Was that weird?

Temulin wordlessly hands the food to Yumi, to pass on to Zelda later. When it comes to the power, she smiles. "It's too similar to something familiar to discomfort me." She says with a tone of 'don't bother asking for clarification.' "Please take it easy." Says the dark knight going on a minecrawling expedition to a dragon while recovering from severe wounds. Then, a glance to Raven. "If you could teleport me home that would be great, I don't think that's in the cards for some reason."

    Luke seems to visibly relax as well, just glad that the... situation seems to be coming to an end, perhaps a bit surrpised even. He makes sure to recall Agni back to his side, same as Dynamo, and even tries to take a picture of the dragon if he can, certainly something to talk about later!. He smiles back to Raven and nods, "Sure, I wouldn't mind." he says, not that he was particularly tired, but, why refuse such an offer!. He reaches to pet the fire bear a bit, praising it for a good work. "So Zelda did it, that's great!." part of him wishes he was more useful, but mostly just glad it ended like this.