lazybox | [Dragon AU] Once more into the breach

[Dragon AU] Once more into the breach

Military work. An obligation to any dragon who wanted to live peacefully - to have even a chance of living to old age. Most humans regarded it as a way for adolescent dragons to burn off their hormonal urges relatively safely, especially the males.

The dragons themselves knew that the reality was a bit more complicated. Young dragons had a need to claim territory, but with their own populations dwindling and human populations surging, there was very little territory left they could claim. And with most matings chosen by genetic matches, there wasn't a need to impress potential mates anyway.

So they sent their young to defend human territory instead. It had the side benefit of making the humans think they were tamed, safely under control, and so it protected their kind as a whole. Human technology, quick to develop, could easily spell the end of dragons entirely if their kind was seen as a threat, instead of allies.

By the time they hit puberty, most dragons knew this. It didn't mean they didn't chafe under it, especially those with more stubborn and independent personalities. The dragon seated in a human chair, trying to ignore how his shoulders itched under the shape-changing magic, was a particularly magnificent example of that.

The flight commander's office was small, especially for a facility designed to accommodate dragons, and even though his human shape fit inside perfectly well, Asch couldn't help but feel caged in. Part of it, he knew, was the lack of windows, which itched at him more than it would even most other dragons. Claustrophobia and large creatures didn't get along well.

Military dragons were appointed flight partners for their term of service; sometimes it was more than one, depending on how lucky the human was. Dragons could restore themselves with magic and recover from injury much better than their human counterparts - a benefit to shapeshifting, certainly - but sharing that healing outside of a pair bond was difficult. And true bonds were rare these days.

All the better, as far as Asch was concerned. He wanted this section of his life over with as quickly as possible. Not that he hated humans - just the opposite. He found them endlessly entertaining and innovative... Outside of the rigid structure of the military.

Inside of it, well, he'd already had a face-off with the commander about the length of his human form's hair. The bright crimson, at least, had gone un-commented-on, as many humans knew that bold colorations were critical points of pride, but being forced to keep it short as well...

Well, it simply wasn't happening. He was already going without his ornaments and usual loose clothes, not to mention going along with the polite cultural requirement of maintaining an entirely human form. For this, the first meeting with his assigned partner, he could manage polite, even if it chafed.

And did it ever chafe. Asch flicked his eyes up at the commander before returning his attention to his dull human-shape nails. He'd at least made a good impression by being early. And he was good at most of the actual tasks the military required of their dragons - a fast, strong flier who could easily bear a rider, skilled at magic, not afraid of violence. For his skill, they were willing to let some things slide.

But not everything. And one of the things they weren't going to slide on was 'no solo operations.'

He really hoped that whoever came through that door was tolerable, or the next couple of years were going to be hell.

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Asch smiles slightly. "I don't know, some of the things humans have invented for music are amazing themselves. Synth boards and the like." It's a rare dragon who appreciates technology like that. He settles the last lamp, the tiny pink one, near the display of feathers with a fond look - unlike the others, it's close enough the surface that if the magic holding it aloft does fail, it'll just bump down to the table instead of potentially shattering. "My mother has a three octave set - with halftones - but I just have the single scale in major, and then the little one."

"So your whole family is really into music? Now I really wish I had my violin with me." Soma sighs. "I used to play when before I enlisted. Figured I wouldn't have much chance or reason to here, so I left my violin at home."

He wants so badly to ask about the feathers and the tiny pink lamp, but he figures if Asch wants to tell him, the dragon will offer the information unsolicited. Just because things are on display doesn't mean the stories behind them aren't personal.

"Not so much my father, but my mother played these when she was younger, and my brother focuses as much on music as he does on anything, so I suppose it counts." He reaches into the crate and pulls free two large containers of extra, mostly-clear oil, ducking under the ropes to set them beside the desk. When he comes back, it's time to set the lid back on the crate so he can sit back on it to open the other one. "I like the violin. My magic mentor was a strings musician, she could play nearly anything under the sun."

"Ah, now I'm even more disappointed for leaving it behind. Maybe I can have it shipped here later." The idea of playing for Asch makes him feel warm inside. The dragon would appreciate his music more than anyone else here.

"What's your family like? If you want to tell me, anyway."

"It's the four of us, plus my uncle and his adopted daughter. Luke and I are egg twins." Which might explain to Soma why Asch is so small - it's rare for twins to survive the egg, and when they do there's usually complications. "Mother and Uncle are different-clutch, so they're actually fairly close for siblings of that sort. She was never enlisted, but my father is a Career - sorry, slang for someone who actively pursues position in human militaries."

He stays standing by the desk, running his fingertips through the assortment of feathers there - there's a few blue-green ones, smaller than most of the red, mixed in with the rest. He doesn't really feel up to discussing his mother's illness with a stranger, so he moves on. "Father isn't particularly close to the rest of us; most of my memories of him growing up are distant and stern. But my mother is one of the warmest, most caring souls I've ever met." He drops his hands to one of the smallest red feathers, the same shade as his own, chuckling. "People like to say I take after him, and Luke after her, but neither of us are as extreme as the contrast between them. Luke's too soft for true military work, though, he's training in salvage and rescue."

Egg twins... Soma does indeed understand what that means. Now he knows why Asch is such a small dragon, but that doesn't mean Asch isn't strong. Soma has seen how strong he is. And now he understands what those feathers are: mementos of Asch's family. Definitely not to be touched without an invitation; Soma won't even go near the desk unless he has to.

"I bet I'd really like your mother and brother, though. I hope I get to meet them someday. Maybe Luke will end up working with our unit sometime on a rescue mission."

"Then you'd get to suffer the Fabre Confusion along with everyone else," Asch replies, amused. "They have a bit more freedom when they're off-duty than we do, but so far I think Luke has mostly used it to explore the human city they're close to. What about yours?"

Fair turnabout is fair, after all.

Soma falls silent for a minute, weighing things in his mind. For once, the perpetual smile falters. His last name is common enough, but has Asch ever questioned that it matches the name that so many dragons have come to hate?

"I don't speak to them much anymore," he says slowly, avoiding eye contact with his partner. "My father insisted that I enlist, and if it wasn't for me wanting to work with dragons I would've just taken off for good. It's not like you guys need human medics, like cats and dogs need veterinarians, and I didn't want to be an ambassador because of all the political crap. So this was my only shot at working closely with your people."

"That bad, huh," Asch says, tonelessly and not really a question. He won't push - things are strained between him and his father and he doesn't especially want to talk about that, either. Thankfully, there's an easy change of subject offered. "I might go to the Embassy when I'm older, actually. It's interesting, even if the politics are a pain in the ass, and having worked with humans beforehand is one of the requirements."

Soma's grateful for the change in topic, though it will take time for his smile to return. He won't be at all surprised if the rifle and handgun issued to him tomorrow have his family's name on them.

"I don't think I could put up with all the ass-kissing and manipulation in politics. You're more patient than I am. I just... want to befriend any dragons that will trust some weirdo human, that's all."

A snort. "You have a very different impression of me from most people. The dragon idea of patient is far from the human one, and an ideal I can hardly be said to uphold."

"Well, you're willing to put up with politicians and I'm not, so that says something."

Soma sighs and leans back against the wall. He wants to sit down but he won't dare settle on Asch's hammock without permission.

"I'm glad I got you as my partner, Asch. You might have a reputation on base for being difficult, but you've been a lot kinder to me than some of the other dragons would be. It's not just humans who think I'm weird."

No, but there is a chair at the desk, which Asch waves him towards almost absently as he works to extract a large, ornate wooden box from within the crate. "It's a place where I might be able to do some real good."

Once the box is free, it'll be more clear that it's magical as well, faintly glowing in Asch's hands as he takes it over to set on the desk as well. "Don't touch this one, the protection magic on it will give you a nasty sting."

"I wouldn't touch anything without your permission anyway." Some riders might think of their dragon's property as their property, but Soma's not like that. He wants Asch to trust him. "Can I show you something of mine when you're finished?"

Which is exactly why there's protection magic on the box in question, but Asch is nice enough to warn him first. After all, the enchantment is escalating. "Of course. It might be a bit, though, I've still got this to unpack." He nudges the duffel with his foot as he crosses back over to the crate.

The next thing he pulls out is a matched set of seven books in a case, with a belt securing them in place for travel. That also goes over to the desk, followed by a hinged leather case about half the size of a typical briefcase. Both have runes impressed in the leather, though neither reacts in Asch's hands the way the first box did.

"Are those spellbooks?" Soma isn't sure just how dragons study magic, if they have print materials or if the traditions are primarily oral. Since humans don't possess the ability for magic, sharing that knowledge is pointless.

He just wishes he could help Asch with unpacking. But since he can't, he takes a moment to go into his room and retrieve the long case from his bed, bringing it back and setting it on the floor beside his feet.

"Not quite in the way you're probably thinking. My magic is intuitive, not formulaic, so there's only a few standardized spells that are at all useful for me." He undoes the belt from the batch and slides them to the back of the desk while Soma is getting whatever it is from his room, the flat case underneath the whole set. "They're more like textbooks of principles."

"I see. A human could read all those and know them by heart, but that doesn't mean they would suddenly know how to cast spells."

Maybe it's good that humans can't use magic. Bad enough that they were able to develop weapons that outmatched the dragons. Once again, Soma feels a twinge of guilt for something that isn't remotely his fault.

"Well, if you want to take a short break, I brought what I wanted to show you...." Maybe Asch won't care, but Soma is proud of his custom sword. He opens the case and lifts out the long blade, the slender blue and silver weapon gleaming in the light. It's obviously well cared for and extremely well made, and Soma handles it as if it's an extension of his own body.

"No, and to know them all by heart is a work of years, which is why these volumes are more like reference material." A human might be able to gain a deep understanding of one or two disciplines within their lifetime, but nothing like a dragon's longer lifespan enables.

He leaves the setup on the desk to watch as Soma unwraps the sword, his eyes focusing in on the keen blade. "Not many people use swords these days," he says, reaching out and not quite touching the blade. "It's beautiful."

"I have really good scores in marksmanship, but I like to have something that doesn't need ammo, too. So I had this custom made." Soma flips the weapon around, offering the hilt to Asch. "You can touch it, I don't mind."

"It's stupid to rely too much on any one thing," Asch agrees, taking the hilt gently. He levers it a little before stepping into the relatively clear area between the desk and the far wall, doing a couple of carefully contained fencer's strikes. The weapon isn't quite balanced for him - he's sure it's custom - but it's still lovely to handle. He raps his knuckles gently on the blade before offering it back. "That's enchantable quality if you ever found someone willing to do it."

"Maybe a perpetual sharpness enchantment, but I don't know anyone who knows that kind of magic. At least I know how to maintain the edge in the meantime."

He takes the sword and places it back in the case next to its scabbard. There's no lock on the case, just a pair of latches, but he trusts that the security on their door will keep anyone from bothering their things.

"Do you have any physical weapons besides your own claws and teeth?"

"Not with me. I've got a big of swordsmanship training myself, though." He starts back over to his duffel as he talks, unzipping one of the side pockets. "I didn't bother to bring anything like that, though, most dragons disdain that sort of thing so I wouldn't have had any sparring partners."

Or so he'd thought, anyway. He reaches into the pocket and starts pulling out long metal pieces and sliding them over along the hammock. They're clearly too big to have fit in the duffel.

Soma shakes his head slowly as he watches Asch pull out those pieces of metal. "Let me guess... enchanted duffel bag, too? Is everything you have magical in some way?"

He's starting to wonder if this is part of why humans wanted to control dragons so much. Having even indirect control over magic would be tempting for almost any human. There were so many potential applications for such power.

"Hardly. Storage enchantments have the potential to mess with the other ones, there's nothing magical in here." He flings a couple of wheels in that direction and then leaves the duffel to go assemble it. It's quickly clear that it's one of those wheeled clothes carts like in hotels or laundromats.

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