Aspirant

She's content, but she's lonely.

Starfall Dragonry is a nice enough place. People, dragons, and all manner of other creatures are in no short supply. Alstroemeria loves to listen more than anything. She doesn't immerse herself in the crowd, but stands off to the side, listening and smiling to herself at the interactions. Here, she goes mostly unnoticed. On Icarus she, the colour of spring flowers and fiery sunsets, would most certainly stand out among the earth-and-sky tones of the other draks. At Starfall, her colouration isn't an oddity at all. She blends in happily, sometimes making conversation, most often not. Alstroemeria feels like she belongs, whether or not she decides to converse.

Still, she finds herself wishing. As she mingles with the bonded pairs of Starfall, she feels the unmistakable twinge of loneliness in her heart. As a youth, she was content in her solitude, neither bitter nor pining for a Pairing of her own. But she sees how the Paired of Starfall interact. There's so much unspoken love and trust, deeper than anything she can fathom, between the Paired. Alstroemeria always looks for the best in others, and she feels love for many. But the depth of a Mind-Pair - a bond - is something she, without experiencing it herself, can't hope to understand.

So she, despite her anxieties about standing out and her attachments at Starfall, leaves her home behind.

Acicade Castle is unfamiliar to her, yet strangely nostalgic. She barely remembers Castle Dun Keiba at all, much less Icarus itself, yet she drinks in the scent of the air and the warmth of the day like she's coming home. The stone walls are surrounded by dense forest that smells like pine and loam. On the Landing Flats, she softly makes her intentions known. The Knights and their draks nod and allow her to pass. Alstroemeria is not a threatening presence - some, in fact, stare in awe at her as she passes. She shrinks into herself a little, hoping she can find the Deep Cavern quickly and settle somewhere she can blend in. Though she feels the sensation of arriving at a long-forgotten home, she still sticks out like a proverbial sore thumb.

In the Caverns, she meets the clutch-mother. Waikiki is her opposite in appearance; Alstroemeria is like a burst of dreamy watercolours, while the forest drak seems to have been carved out of the forest itself. But Waikiki isn't interested in Alstroemeria's appearance. This other drak is here as an Aspirant, and only smell can tell her whether Alstroemeria is worthy. Curled around her clutch protectively, the forest drak stretches out her neck to discern Alstroemeria's scent.

Alstroemeria waits as the clutch-mother considers, eyes closed as if deep in thought. She wonders what she smells like. Flowers, probably. Her species won't be a problem; Icarus has a long-standing tradition of draks Pairing to others of their kind. You don't have to be a human to be an Aspirant. Still, Alstroemeria worries.

When Waikiki opens her eyes, there's a smile behind them. Simply, quickly, she nods. Alstroemeria feels her heart leap in her breast.

She's content, and soon, she won't be lonely anymore.