Down the River

The Colosseum, Midday

A heavy sun beats down on the outside of the Colosseum, citizens and travelers going in to get seated for an upcoming preliminary match. Many wares and fares of food are being harked to all those passing by.

However, underneath a poster of a scarred mul woman with a clenched fist with a tagline 'The Crucible' is that of a glittering silver scaled, muscular makari, splayed out on the cobble stone ground in the shade.

"And you say I am the dramatic one, hatchling," a metallic voice coming from an upright halberd scoffs at the supine Sunblade.

"Issss... too hot..." Skielstregar whines.

"Ugh. Get up. I'll have you know I had to deal with a lot of hot things in life, and this is at the bottom of the list. Pathetic." The weapon has no eyes, but they'd surely be rolling.

The silverscale's tail sweeps out, and knocks the weapon over. Falling with a clatter and a gasp, it rolls it to chomp down on the tail visciously.

The silverscale doesn't flinch.

A ruddy sith-makar cheerfully steps across the street, bouncing on his feet. It was not hard to tell who the mass of silver was - even from afar. "Tch, this one is jealous of Malefic, if Silver is not topping the hot stuff list." The Dragoon rumbles with amusement, before stopping near the large sith-makar.

"If one drinks hot drinks, the weather will feel less hot." The draconian suggests to Skielstregar, before pulling out a waterskin and unceremoniously pouring it all over the poor body. "Should this one drag one to the river? Perhaps by the port where they pour the salt and ice from the fish crates?"

Malefic says something or another, but their maw is full of silly lizard man tail, and comes out as nothing more than muffled sound. Skiel, on the other hand, samples the air before perking slightly. "Ssaa, but thisss one iss not fond of warm drinksss?" he opines. Spotting the waterskin, the massive makari readily splays out for the cooling reprieve. It's so hot outside that apparently it doesn't even instantly freeze like it normally does. That doesn't stop a massive sigh of relief coming from him. "Thisss one thanksss you. Peassse on your nessst, Dragooon." There's a chuff, and a tail slap against the ground, which dislodges the sentient halberd. "You are welcome to try to drag thisss one."

"Throw him in the river," Malefic barks from the ground.

GAME: Aelwyn rolls strength: (8)+2: 10

Aelwyn clicks his teeth, leaning his hip. "This one does not enjoy cold water either, but sometimes it is required, even if it tastes tepid." Rolling his shoulders, he steps around the large makari and gauges the best way to approach. "This one will never have a proper duel with either of you if one gets defeated by a bit of sun." He grins.

Finally, he -carefully- attempts to give Malefic back to Skielstregar, without not getting bitten, until he finally finds the best target. The tail. Hoisting it over his shoulder, he then attempts to drag Skielstregar towards the river.

GAME: Skielstregar rolls acrobatics: (4)+5: 9

"Tepid..? Isss good for soul...!" Skiel retorts. "Thisss one can deal with sun, they enjoy the sssun. But isss too hot for revel in the sssun."

Malefic is picked up. The axehead turns to Aelwyn. The maw opens. He's going to get bit! "Let me at him," the weapon gnashes at the Dragoon, before being placed near Skiel's hand, only for the maw to clamp down on one of his horns.

"Ow." With a large trunk of a tail to hold, it's like trying to haul a hunk of solid ice. Skiel skids a few feet. A few more feet. ".... okay okay thisss one will rissse..!" he grumbles, lifting himself on his hands, but can't get his legs under him, and has to do an odd half walking handstand, knocking his head against the ground a few times from the weight of Malefic. "Buh! Okay...!" he scrabbles.

The snapping of maws makes the ruddy sith-makar recoil slightly. "Tch, this one always thought Malefic was the more logical, gentle one." He says with a tilt of his head, a disappointed look on his face.

Then Aelwyn inhales sharply - expands his chest and attempts to hide how much of effort he had to put into the act. It was a slow progress. He had experience hauling heavy things around - but not one with speaking weapon and half dead makari. "Tch, it is fine! This one is able to carry one all the - hnnh - over!" He calls out.

And looks on concern as the large silvery makari stumbles around. "... perhaps this one should just carry Silver anyway?"

"I am the more logical one!" Malefic opines, releasing briefly to get a word in before chomping down on a pauldron to get dragged along.

"More like prideful," Skiel mumbles, attempting to get himself righted, but Aelwyn keeps going, dragging him forth. It'd be too dangerous to get up without knocking something or someone over. And the looks he was getting was amusing at best, and concerning at most. Perhaps it was just a makari the softskins woulnd't get? "Thiss one can walk...!" More walking on hands to keep up.

The edge over the road where the river is slowly approaches. "You needn't carry thisss one..! Thisss one can get up now!"

Malefic lets go, cackling to themselves. "Muahahahaha! Yesssss! Carry the hatchling to his demise!"

Aelwyn was not the one known to half-ass things. Except when there were better asses to half. "Do not worry, Silver! The water is near, the relief is here!" The Dragoon calls out. "And tch, Silver is no hatchling. His scales are far too respectable to be still soft and polished." The draconian clicks his teeth.

Then the edge of the river nears - and instead of dragging the larger makari over the beach, he instead aims for the ledge to knock him over into the water. Malefic and all.

(it is what friends do)

"What isss near?" Skiel cranes his neck over a shoulder, eyes widening as he tries to scrabble out of the hold. He doesn't have a good purchase, and long limbs can't get close enough to get out. Up to the ledge he goes, and has just enough time to dislodge Malefic and toss the weapon on land. "Wait no, Dragoon Aelwyn thisss one was just being silly! We needn't need to go to sssuch drastic measures- Aelwyn!!"

In one last act of defiance, the large tail sweeps out to try and knock Aelwyn off the ledge as well, before the silverscale plummets the fifteen or so feet with a roar. And a titanic splash of a quarter ton of muscle and equipment erupts in a geyser from the Tormwar river.

"This one is concerned! One was definitely suffering!" Aelwyn cheerfully calls out - and there was quite the effort to try and hoist the large makari over. It leaves the draconian to try and catch his breath - long enough to not notice the tail sweeping at him. "What-" He begins and then he is also over the edge. "GAH!" He cries out.

And far more subdued, and perhaps more aesthetic, splash follows the massive cannonball splash from before. People pause from the river's edge to look at the sound. Explosion?

Cackling from up on high is none other than Malefic, gleeful from the carnage as others gather around, wary of the sentient weapon as well as whatever the two makari were doing. "Most magnificent!" decrees the weapon.

Bubbles burble forth, turning into a motes of ice before Skielstregar breaks the surface with a gasp, paddling and panting. "Alright!" he barks, dead silver eyes scanning around for his friend. "Thisss one will get you!"

From up above, a concerned citizen wonders aloud. "Should... we call the Watch?"

Malefic quips to them, "No, this is funnier."

GAME: Aelwyn rolls athletics: (9)+5: 14

Aelwyn also takes a bit of bubbling, before he breaks the surface with a gasp. It's the booming dead voice that alerts him to Skielstregar's intentions. "One cannot complain - of the heat!" He calls out, shaking his head rapidly.

But just for the safety's sake, he turns around and starts swimming his way towards the shore with one arm, holding his glaive out. "Let us talk this one over chilled cream, won't we?" He says, with a splash of his tail.

GAME: Skielstregar rolls athletics: (11)+25: 36

A spray of water fans out, Skielstregar having whirled around to face the retreating form of Aelwyn. There's a certain gleam to those dead eyes that the Dragoon has seen before far too many times in a fight. He suddenly drops under the surface of the water, save for the splashing as the silverscale powerfully breaststrokes towards the Dragoon, large tail acting like a rudder and paddle as its almost like being chased down by a shiny alligator!

A hand reaches out for an ankle, attempting to pull Aelwyn under the surface to be face to face with a viscous, yet happy and joyous grin, of Skiel's warbled underwater laughing.

Aelwyn was a good swimmer! Not the greatest. Not perhaps even excellent - not a whole lot of sea or river to swim where he spent his time - but definitely good. Which is why he was confident about his escape; and more than shocked when pulled under the water.

"Gurblg!" A set of bubbles come out from his mouth when he is pushed under the water along with his flaming glaive; the latter bubbling violently. Wide eyes, he reacts by instinct - and baps the larger makari on the snout, trying to struggle free and back towards the shore! Jokes and fun aside, this water was ruining his silk loincloth.

"Bwahahahahaha!" Skielstregar laughs underwater, it doubling as he gets a whack for his efforts. His prey is released temporarily, before the silverscale dives under Aelwyn and rises, placing the Dragoon on his back before he briskly swims to shore.

He walks out on the bank, holding Aelwyn piggyback. Skiel coughs, expelling water from his lungs before clearing his throat. "Hah! Ahhh, thisss one needed that!" He plops the soggy Dragoon back onto solid ground. "Thank you for joining thisss one!"

When Aelwyn is hoisted over Skielstregar - he adopts a different tact. He moves his legs underneath him and takes hold of the other's horns - and then rides the large makari with wide teeth.

It was glorious few moments - before he gets dropped onto the sand with a loud grunt. Hissing and growling, he rolls over and back onto his feet. "It... was this one's pleasure..." He coughs, then straightens, hand constantly adjusting his soggy loincloth.

"Feeling better now, Silver?" He flashes his teeth.

Skielstregar doesn't mind being the steed- as most folks tend to be smaller than he- before snickering and helping Aelwyn to his feet. "Sssa! Much better!" he beams. "Thanksss! Thisss one isss not sssorry in the slightest!"

He looks around briefly, peering up above to the nearby bridge. A confused citizen with Malefic in hand is being bullied. One can hear in the distance, "Throw me at the silver one!" Wanting to be rid of it, they toss Malefic down, the halberd twirling head over haft before landing with a ker-thunk! in the sand, haft side buried. "Most excellent!"

Aelwyn walks over and briefly slaps Skielstregar on the shoulder. "Very good. The water is the source of life, after all." He flashes his teeth - then quickly holds up his soaked loincloth again. "Come to TarRaCe and this one shall cover one in ice cubes and sparkling water."

Then he hears the voice from afar - and he stares blankly as the halberd flings himself down onto the sand - before he turns to look towards Skielstregar. "... was that safe or necessary?" He asks.

Skielstregar beams, a deep rumble in his chest belying his joy. "Sssaa! We can go there, much walking to do, sun can dry you off!" He ponders briefly, tapping his maw as a hand scoops Malefic up. "... thiss one thought water isss always sparkling?"

He looks at Malefic at the question. Malefic looks back. Both answer in tandem. "No." "Yes!" Skiel rolls his eyes, slotting Malefic onto the frog on his back. "Anyways- thisss one is much more awake now! But much of their belongings need dried, we go to TarRaCe!"

Aelwyn looks blankly at Malefic - then shakes his head and moves to slap Skielstregar again. "Ah, hatchling..." He starts. "There is much one can learn about sparkling water." Or rather, sparkling wine. Plenty of it.

"The long walk of wet clothes and burning heat is more than welcome!" The ruddy sith-makar brightly exclaims. "... and we can find something for Malefic to gnaw on!"

Skiel guffaws, returning the smack with one of his own. A heavy, thudding one on Aelwyn's back. "Thisss one doess have much to learn still!" he chuckles in a rumble.

As if to answer Aelwyn, Malefic turns in their frog, lightly biting down on Skiel's horn. The silverscale shrugs, throwing an arm around Aelwyn's shoulders as he starts to walk back onto the main roads and off the beach. "We needn't worry about that. Let usss be off! And you can explain why you sssmell of... burnt oil, on the way!"

"This one does not know why, but this one finds burnt oil gives character!" Aelwyn rumbles with a flash of his teeth and bumps his hip against the far much larger makari. "If one care sto, this one can share." He flickers his tongue out, before he walks on proudly.

Even if he was kind of squished/collapsed under the weight of the arm.

-End Scene-