dragon au catch-all for nophicascounsel
Nov. 4th, 2021 11:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
personalinterestContinued from this thread, just spinning it out into an entire AU now!
Some notes to keep in mind:
- Aymeric drank Vidofnir's blood and is now a member of Hraesvelgr's brood. He spends his time primarily within the confines of Zenith and Asah, though he makes forays to Anyx Trine to visit the dragon colony there. While still considered something of a broodling by his 'sire,' he has every intention of becoming a dedicated guardian of Zenith, just like Vidofnir and Vedrfolnir.
- Has renovated one of the dwellings within Asah for his personal use, which also serves as a secondary residence for Ariane, as well. Is somewhat involved with the local moogles working to restore Zenith to its former glory.
- Due to the nature of the covenant forged between him and Vidofnir, he is incapable of reverting fully to human form (for now). His current form resembles that of a bipedal, gargoyle-esque creature, or perhaps a more draconic version of an Au Ra male. (Art forthcoming.) His entire body is covered in indigo scales, save for his face and ears, and a heart-shaped patch on his chest. Thickness of scales varies depending on placement, but more heavily armored scales are located on back, shoulders, arms, and legs. Smaller, softer scales are in more flexible areas, including his belly. Claws and horns are black, along with his dorsal spines. He is capable of flight but limited to carrying smaller burdens, maximum weight allowance of one (1) adult Elezen.
- He recently gained the ability to shift fully into dragon form, thus increasing his combat capabilities exponentially. Despite the coloration of his scales, he is not ice-aspected. He can breath fire and also has some limited control over Holy spells, similar to other white dragons.
- Is currently in a polyamorous relationship with Ariane and Estinien.
- Is capable of laying eggs and has fathered two broods with Estinien and one with Ariane (technically no genetic material was exchanged, but it counts!).
- Can reproduce asexually like any other dragon through methods similar to real world lizards, most likely parthenogenesis or self-cloning. The process often requires sexual stimulation in order to induce ovulation, though many of the greater wyrms can do so without a partner. Aymeric isn't old enough to do the latter yet.
- More to add as I think of things!
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Date: 2021-11-27 07:34 am (UTC)Ever the picture of humility, even in jest. Though, he is rather proud of how well he's balanced the flavor profile while using unfamiliar spices. He sips what's left in the ladle before setting it aside, grateful for the fact that he even still finds human food appetizing.
It's a shame his broodlings aren't around to sample this meal. Perhaps he'll make some more once they return from their hunting foray in the forelands.
However, his expression falters once Ariane mentions her lack of appetite. "Are you not feeling well, my love?" Immediately, he leans forward, pressing his forehead against her own in order to check her temperature. "You don't feel feverish..."
He draws back, frowning slightly. "Surely, you must be exhausted from your long journey. Why don't you sit and rest for a bit? You can tell me all about the latest news from your travels."
His eyes flick momentarily toward her belly before he herds her toward the couch, a small line of worry creasing his brow. He knows full-well that Ariane is not ill, at least not in the strictest sense of the word, but he does know the source of her discomfort. It's barely been a moon since he sensed the subtle changes taking place within her womb; he didn't think she'd be coming down with morning sickness so soon!
Surely, she has no idea that she's carrying their child? A woman doesn't begin to show until her third moon, which means she can't possibly know, right?
He'll have to break the news to her at some point. But not right now. Right now he just wants to hold her close and pretend that this secret he's been carrying for the past few weeks isn't gnawing away at his conscience.
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Date: 2021-11-27 09:45 pm (UTC)(She's more right than she knows!)
That token protest out of the way, she lets him steer her over to the couch, only to turn and lightly push him down first. She nestles into his lap with a grateful sigh, resting her head upon his shoulder. Now this feels nice, especially after the long flight up here a-dragonback!
"Well, as I said, Vidofnir says hello." She shifts a bit, getting even more comfortable until she has to hold back a yawn. "She and her brood are doing well. In fact, there's a new clutch due to hatch soon. Perhaps we could take ours down to meet them..."
Their little family is still almost impossibly prolific by dragon standards, but in its own slow way the rest of Dravania is seeing a minor baby boom in the wake of the peace treaty. Without Ishgardian dragonslayers to threaten their nests, more dragons are finding the conditions acceptable to bear eggs of their own and slowly replenish the numbers lost to the war.
"What else... ah, they needed my assistance for a trade with the Vath. It's easier to send someone like me because of the incense they burn all around the place, you know, the one that repels dragons."
Honestly, after this trip she understands how a simple incense blend can keep dragons at bay! It was doing an awfully good job at repelling her too this time. She doesn't think she's ever been so grateful for fresh air as she was when leaving Loth ast Vath, her stomach sour and a headache threatening to bloom within her temples.
"Oh, and a couple younglings were recently returned from the city— friends of Ehll Tou's. They were quite impressed with the Firmament!" She smiles fondly up at him. "You know, we should pay a visit there soon. Very soon. You need to see how far it's come!"
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Date: 2021-12-02 05:44 am (UTC)She pushes him down against the sofa before crawling into his lap, almost in the manner of a rather demanding cat. Not that he minds, in the least. He draws a nearby blanket across her shoulders, keeping one arm wrapped loosely about her waist. The heat radiating off his body should keep her sufficiently warm, but old habits die hard.
"I suppose it's a good thing that Estinien has already taken the older ones to go hunting in the forelands. That means fewer broodlings I'll have to chase down and round up myself. I swear, those moogles are becoming a bad influence on our children!"
He doesn't mean it. Mostly. It's true that his latest brood has developed a particular fascination with the moogles of Asah, and they take great delight in emulating their more playful, prankish nature. Now, if Aymeric could only convince them to stop distracting the workers from their labors and contribute to the reconstruction efforts...
He reaches up to smooth one hand against her hair. Luckily, her trip on dragon-back must have blown away any lingering traces of the incense, else Aymeric would be sneezing and tearing up from the foul odor. "Oh, I know quite well! I'll never forget the day you came home after treating with the Vath and you fairly reeked of that foul incense. I couldn't bear to come near you until you had bathed thoroughly and washed the scent away."
As if to emphasize his point, he presses his nose against the crown of her head, drinking in her scent. The familiar scent of carnations and other wildflowers greets him with a warm familiarity, and he sighs softly as Ariane finishes her account. "I would like that very much. It's been so long since I paid a visit to Lucia and Francel. And Marcelloix and his family, and the children of the New Nest, of course..."
His hand moves unconsciously to press against the slight curve of her belly. It's far too soon for her to be showing, but he can sense a faint spark of aether not her own flickering within her womb. And it will surely grow stronger and stronger as her belly begins to swell in the months to come.
"We should probably make this trip sooner rather than later," he says, trying to steer the conversation in such a way where he can break the news to her gently. "Between your duties here and in Ishgard, I think you've been working entirely too hard! You should take the opportunity to rest and relax for a bit, don't you think?"
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Date: 2021-12-03 04:15 am (UTC)Ariane plants a playful kiss on his chin. "I know you, Aymeric de Borel. If business doesn't find me, it'll find you. That's not to say I'd turn down a vacation..."
She trails off, looking down at his hand. Coincidence, surely? Just a convenient place to rest it. Certainly she never seems to keep her hands off his belly for long when he's full of eggs. She's reading too much into a small gesture, finding intent where there can't be, because it reflects her intention to tell him. Still...
The whole ride home (at least, the part of it she was awake for,) she had been turning over and over in her head the best way to break the news. Should she ease into it, or just tell him straight away? Shall she present it with a bardly flourish, or is the news itself sufficiently dramatic that it needs none? Would it be best to wait until after dinner? Somehow, it hadn't occurred to her until now that the best way to say it might be not to say it at all.
Ariane smiles, the meltingly soft smile of a heart that's full to overflowing. She folds both of her hands over his and pushes it a little lower, closer to her womb. Looking up into his eyes, she holds his gaze and scarcely breathes, watching for the spark of understanding...
She nods. "Soon."
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Date: 2021-12-03 05:10 am (UTC)"Then I will simply inform Lucia that our next visit to Ishgard is purely for pleasure." His lips quirk into a wry grin. "I am certain that whatever business might need my attention can be delegated to other qualified individuals."
In other words, Lucia will handle it with her customary aplomb, as she has always done.
As Ariane's hands fold against his, Aymeric's eyes widen, lips parting with a soft exhalation of breath. She already knows? But how?
His fingers spread wide against her lower abdomen, pressing gently for a firmer contact. She's not far along enough for him to feel a physical presence, but he swears he can sense that spark of aether flicker a little brighter, almost as if in response to his touch.
"I know," he says softly, his voice wavering with too many emotions to name. "I've known for a while now, but I was trying to find the right moment to tell you..."
He nuzzles against her hair, huffing a laugh. "Ariane, my love. You're going to be a mother!"
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Date: 2021-12-04 04:02 am (UTC)"Oh, Aymeric..." She can feel her eyes grow hot with the threat of tears and turns, hiding her face in his chest. There's too much raw emotion inside of her right now; it has to get out somehow, but she would hate for him to think she's upset when that couldn't be further from the case.
"'re a dragon," she mumbles against his skin. "Thought it wasn't possible..."
That's why she hadn't had the charm on her ring renewed when it wore off; if anyone had needed contraception at the time it was Aymeric, anyway, as he swelled with eggs time after time. Enough time passed to seemingly prove her right, and with the dragonets and everything else to keep her occupied it had slipped her mind up until she realized she'd missed her cycle.
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Date: 2021-12-05 01:29 am (UTC)This should be a joyous occasion, and yet Aymeric cannot suppress the thread of worry worming through his thoughts. It was an unprecedented situation, after all. As far as he was aware, there had never been any offspring produced between humans and dragons, though that could simply be because there had never been a union between a human and dragon before!
(He still doesn't know whether Hraesvelgr and Shiva ever coupled, and the great wyrm has never once given him a straight answer.)
"I know," he says, endeavoring to keep the tremor of fear from his voice. "I didn't... think it was possible, either. There are no records of humans and dragons producing offspring..."
But Aymeric wasn't a "true" dragon, was he? He was a man, once, and a trace of human blood still flows through his veins, as it flows through the veins of all his broodlings. Would his human half breed true? Or was Ariane carrying some half-formed abomination that would not survive to term?
It was the latter thought which frightened him most of all: that whatever was growing within Ariane would prove too powerful, too unwieldy for her frail human body to contain, and thus neither would survive the ordeal.
But he can't voice those thoughts just yet, not when Ariane is still reeling from the news. He could very well be over-thinking the situation, as is his wont.
Even so, the thought of losing Ariane due to his own selfish choices is one that doesn't bear consideration. Drawing an unsteady breath, he forces those thoughts to the back of his mind, endeavoring to stay present with Ariane in this joyous moment.
"But you know, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?"
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Date: 2021-12-06 05:35 am (UTC)She can't even say he's wrong to worry about her. Pregnancy is a risky endeavor under normal circumstances, and she has fears and doubts of her own. It's not her own survival she questions as much as whether the baby is destined to make it to term. Is she getting her hopes up now only to be carrying some sad, misshapen creature that won't survive the light of the outside world? Would the fates possibly toy with her and Aymeric so?
No, no, no. She inhales deeply, letting the warm dragonfire-and-incense scent of him steady her nerves. Vidofnir hadn't seemed alarmed, had she? Lightly amused, if anything. Whatever her alien senses showed her, it must not have been amiss. They can do this. They will do this, and at the coming of spring they'll greet a perfect, healthy, beautiful girl or boy. It should be impossible, but when has impossible ever stopped them?
Ariane lifts her head, and though her cheeks are a little damp her smile has scarcely dimmed. "Ever the trailblazers, you and I. So... how long did you say you knew?"
She won't hold his silence against him. She assumes that, like herself, he was reluctant to speak before being absolutely certain. Wholly understandable.
"I confess I underestimated you, my darling." She chuckles, her eyes bashfully downcast. "I went to Vidofnir because she's, well, she's older, she's more experienced... I thought a dragon could tell, and yet it didn't even occur to me to ask you! But that does explain why it seemed as though you had something on your mind lately."
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Date: 2021-12-08 03:43 am (UTC)He needs to be strong for her, and for their child yet unborn. Ariane has always supported him—as both the Warrior of Light and as his lover. And he intends to support her during what may be the most important ordeal of her life.
His lips part as though he meant to answer her question, but words aren't forthcoming. A look of guilt flits across his features, but eventually he says, "Nearly a moon has passes since I first noticed a change in your aether. Or, rather, the spark of aether growing inside you, similar yet distinct from your own."
He draws her close, resting his chin atop her head. It's difficult for him to look her in the eye now that his subterfuge has been revealed. At least, this way, she can take some comfort in his closeness.
"Insightful as ever," he murmurs against her hair. "I should have known better than to think that I could hide my worries from you forever. Truth be told, I should have said something sooner, and for that I apologize."
He draws back, just enough to that he can look Ariane in the eye once more. "You spoke with Vidofnir? Did she... offer any counsel on the matter?"
The anxiety gripping his heart begins to subside. If Ariane had already spoken to the great wyrm, then surely most of her fears have already been laid to rest!
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Date: 2021-12-14 03:44 am (UTC)Her eyes widen when he says nearly a moon. She hadn't even suspected it for half that time! Perhaps she ought hold his silence against him after all, just a little— but almost sooner than she can think that, he apologizes, and she simply doesn't have it in her to be cross with him.
(Though Estinien had better not have known and been sitting on it too. Honestly, these men!)
"Not much, but I can hardly fault her for not answering questions I didn't ask," Ariane admits with a somewhat sheepish expression. "I was— rather overset by the news, even though I expected to hear it. I simply didn't know where to begin!"
She gives his hand resting on her belly a gentle pat. "I daresay you know the feeling." That storm of emotions, the everything, all at once she had confessed to Vidofnir.
"But if it makes you feel any better," (it certainly makes her feel better!) "she didn't seem to be concerned. She didn't say it in as many words, but I believe she's happy for us."
She snuggles into his chest with a yawn, her eyes drifting shut. Contented. Hope he wasn't planning to get up anytime soon. "Perhaps we might stop at Anyx Trine first on our way to the city, and barrage her with questions until she shows us out."
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Date: 2022-02-10 08:16 pm (UTC)Already, a plan was forming in his mind. So long as he had an objective to work toward, he could focus his energies toward more productive efforts rather than wallowing uselessly in anxious fretting.
However, it did bring to mind another issue, one he had long since kept buried deep within the darkest recesses of his heart—to petition Vidofnir for a draught of her blood to offer to Ariane. Perhaps, in partaking of dragon blood, her body might be strengthened against the strain of bearing a possible dragon spawn.
But such an endeavor still carries its own host of risks, namely, an insatiable craving for dragon's blood that could drive one to madness. Furthermore, depending on the strength of Ratatoskyr's essence flowing within her veins, Ariane might very well find herself irrevocably altered, much like Aymeric himself.
He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that a part of him yearned for Ariane to be joined to him thus—to share his long lifespan as a fellow dragon, as his true consort. To see her clad beautifully in scales of purest white, to see her shed the fragility of a soft, human body...
Closing his eyes, he carefully puts that selfish thought away as he leans his chin comfortably against Ariane's head. No, best not to give voice to it, especially now. The choice must lay with Ariane, and if she has yet to broach the topic, well... then surely her heart has not considered it a choice at all.
"Tomorrow, then? That is, if you're feeling well enough for it. I daresay we should also call upon Estinien to give him the good news." He smiles against her hair. "Though, I suspect he may already be apprised of your condition."
And why wouldn't he, given the strength of his connection to Nidhogg? Surely, Estinien had to have known for as long as Aymeric himself!