Dragon Shenanigans

[bearshermark]

WHO: Filthy dragon sympathizers and the people aiding them
WHEN: Dragon time
WHERE: The tower and after, docks/sea
WHAT: Subduing and escorting a dragon!
WARNINGS: Some violence, probably

[Top-level sections in the comments! A small attempt was made to organize threads. Feel free to ignore/make your own if they don't suit]

Comments

Inside the Tower

[bearshermark]

[Preparations or shenanigans happening inside the tower/general popcorning from indoors while the dragon squad makes their attempt]

hermione - open

[reparo]

[There is a dragon (this she already knows) in the tower, above the place where she woke up, the place where she was kept prisoner for - oh, she lost track. There is a dragon, and the general population of Taravast either does not know or does not care, but the people who seem more alert, more awake - people that may have been in touch with the Merchant too? - the decision has been to set it free.

Hermione, having once done a very stupid thing while left with no other choice, deep in the underbelly of Gringotts bank, has one dragon-freeing experience under her belt. Enough to know that this one is not patient enough to listen to its would-be saviours, and definitely hissy enough to attack.

Should she be resting up? Recovering from psychological torture? Eating her weight in something like waffles, or crumpets? Sure. But she thinks better when she's doing something, and not doing something would leave her alone with her thoughts, and she doesn't want that.

So, wand clutched tight, she follows the group back to where the dragon is, ready to do...stuff. Things to it.

Fortunately, she can walk and talk.]

So what's the general plan? There is a plan, right?

[ooc: can match brackets/narrative, whatever you prefer. will also include a catch-all in the actual dragonfall thread for anyone who wants to follow-up the chit chat with some zap zap.]

[bearshermark]

[Eleven turns, recognition vague. She'd been with them in the sewers- a new one of them. The wand she holds seems familiar, too]

..Are you Lily's friend?

[reparo]

[Lily? Has she met a Lily so far? Maybe the witch that helped her get the wand. There is a feeble attempt at a connection, between red hair and Lily and witch so clearly from Hogwarts, but Hermione very stubbornly refuses. She's not dealing with all that right now - there's a bloody dragon!]

Hi - Hermione. [She has two hands, so the one not holding the wand (the left one) goes out for a shake.

[bearshermark]

[Eleven takes her fingers in a brief shake with a stressed smile]

Eleven. She said she had a plan for managing the dragon after it's subdued and hoped to gain your help. The rest of us are going to focus on calming it with sleep spells and distracting it from doing too much more damage in the meanwhile.

Dragonfall

[bearshermark]

[The 'battle' such as it is]

eleven - open

[bearshermark]

Though he's faced many dragons, the unnerving feeling of looking up at the sheer size and strength of them remained. It wasn't focused on him yet- rather adding height to its ice wall.

Eleven breathed, then crossed his arms in a semi-circle. Better to catch it off guard if he could. He raised his arms and channeled the magic through to his fingertips, willing sleep to befall the dragon. Just as soon as he felt the spell end, he reached for the power to try it over again.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now he simply hoped they had enough power to make it work.

[paperbutterflies]

Sizhui's face is set, but his expression is, if anything, serene.

"Are you ready, Eleven? Will you be all right?"

The instrument that Sizhui borrowed is fairly thrumming with energy, so he has confidence that he will do his own part as much as possible. 'Do your best' doesn't quite cut it when it's a matter of a raging dragon, but he's been working hard, to learn and improve and grow stronger.

[bearshermark]

Eleven throws him a smile.

"As ready as any of us can be. Fox will be helping me maintain my magic. Emilia is also working to sleep the dragon. I don't believe music should hinder, so I think this should work.."

His smile shifts to something more contemplative. "And we should have Chu Wanning's barrier to help protect us while we give it our all."

[paperbutterflies]

Sizhui nods.

"Senior Chu is helping greatly, this is his instrument, as well. As to the magic - be careful. Everything has limits, and it will be better to try again than let something happen to you. All right?"

He's not sure how much magic it will take, for something like this, nor how it compares to Eleven's reserves, but... he would rather his friend not get hurt.

[wooden_one]

Since he'd had some concerns about how the night would have turned out he'd forgone the clothes he'd been given to blend in and went with his usual white robes. It made him stand out but it was what he was most used to moving in.

Though perhaps the strangest thing was his weapon: what was clearly a whip but looked like a willow branch.

The dragon felt the spell and turned in their direction, but before it could do anything, Chu Wanning cracked his whip against the ground. Then, bursting from the ground, thick willow vines stretched up and wrapped around the dragon. It struggled and with a roar as new roots continued to appear.

He turned briefly to look back at Eleven, his expression was cold and aloof. He wasn't good at offering reassurances so he doesn't bother. Instead he just says, "Focus on what you need to do."

Leave everything else to me. He doesn't say but he's promises it, all the same.

[bearshermark]

Concern for the dragon's renewed rage touched his brow, but minimizing harm to everyone working to subdue it was important. The form of magic itself was an interesting one he didn't have time to ask after now. Eleven met the man's eyes with a nod, then turned back to task with an idle hope that Xunxian could get through to it, help it understand what they were doing- that they were trying to help. But first, they needed to calm it.

He raised his arms and moved through another few spells. Goddess, he could barely tell if it was working. Well enough that he had Fox's reserves to lean on and Emilia's help as well. Already, this was taking more time an effort than he'd hoped. Making allies of strangers in a crisis seemed to be how their group worked.

"..How long can you hold her like that?"

[wooden_one]

If this could be resolved peacefully he would have preferred that. And yet, that wasn't an option right at the moment. Perhaps when the dragon has been calmed.

For now, he kept feeding power into his whip which glowed faintly as willow roots covered in a similar glow continued to come out of the ground, replacing the ones that broke.

He could feel as well, the spiritual energy of Jiuge which was on the hands of Lan Sizhui. If he had it, he could have borrowed its powers to strengthen the willow roots, but he will have to make do.

"I can hold her for a while yet." He will pour all the energy he has into this. He doesn't hope for success: hoping wasn't helpful. He will have to do what he can, eke out every last bit of willpower and just force his body to continue if he had to. And, having thought that, like the pot warning the kettle he said, "Know your limits. If you need a break, take it."

One of the roots snapped unexpectedly and before he could get it wrapped up again the dragon whipped her tail towards them. He throws out a hand and manages to throw up a golden coloured barrier. He grimaces and doesn't apologize (because what was the use of that? Better to just focus on making up for his mistake).

hermione - some options

[reparo]

get thee a broom (open for one)

[Here's the thing: dragon big.

It is big, and understandably displeased. It can fly, albeit for as much as its chains will allow it, and it can knock everyone off their feet with two swoops of its wings. Staying on the ground and shooting spells is just not cutting it, and so desperate times call for desperate measures. She would like to preface this idea with the fact that she hates this desperate measures.]

We should get airborne! [Shouted at whoever is nearest to her.] Don't suppose you've seen a flying broom around?

one spell makes you small (open to lily evans)

[She finds the witch - of course she does, Hermione has kept her in her line of sight for as long as she's been able to, and Merlin she is formidable! - at some point, while there's teams struggling to contain the dragon, to put it to sleep, or distract it from eating anyone. Grabs her arm, and chooses that melodramatic moment to wheeze, out of breath.

Give her a moment, redhead.]

I know - it will take a lot more than making it sleep to get it out of here. If we want to smuggle it, it needs to be...transportable. Yes? [Are you picking up what she's laying down for you??? Help.]

positive reinforcement (open to any; obligatory catch-all)

[She's got an air of Shiny New to her, Hermione Granger. Dressed in ratty clothes, clutching a stick in one hand, a determined look on her face - you wouldn't know that she has no idea what she's doing, following along. But, on the bright side, she is actually capable of following someone's lead, or even - the shock - taking orders.

Have at her.]

[ooc; Again, I can match writing style so whatever's comfortable!]

and the spells that mother gives you don't do anything at all

[lancifolium]

We're going to shrink it.

[ Lily had caught Hermione's arm when the other witch took hold of her, greeting her with a look of exhilarated determination. There was work to be done, and Lily Evans thrived when she had a task to do - and this was one hell of a project.

Transfiguration would have been too complicated - and at best would have left the group with a massive cello, or vase, or something ungainly to try and get to the docks. Leaving the poor creature as it was, just on a smaller scale might be difficult, but it was practical.

Maybe by herself, it would have been insurmountable but the new arrival had left a very good impression on Lily - she could hold her own, which meant she could help. ]

[reparo]

[She pales (a little), a sharp breath escaping her, and the usual trepidation of nerves spears its way through her, when the witch suggests that. It makes the most logical sense. Two witches working together to turn a big dragon into a cup would just be cruely - there will be no objectification, not when they're trying to free it - but shrinking it to a more manageable size is. Logical.

Risky. New.

There is something in the witch standing in front of her that projects confidence, in her own abilities and the probability of doing this. Hermione reminds herself of how many spells and curses she researched last summer, before they all went on the run for Harry. If she could enlarge the inside of her own purse to hold so much inside it, she can shrink a dragon. Especially with help.

The moment passes, colour back in her cheeks, and she nods.] Right. We should do it in rounds - it's too large a creature to shrink it to the size of a cat with just one spell. But maybe focused, a string of spells? Wards as well, potentially, to lock it into place - something that we can finite later.

Dock/Sea Escort

[bearshermark]

[For any toplevels concerning escorting the dragon to the docks/out to sea!]

zuko (open)

[elfuego]

[ It felt good to get out of there. He worried about the dragon, but he trusted the rest of them enough to conclude nobody wanted to hurt it.

There was no time for dwelling now however as he moved through the streets of Taravast, heading for the side of the city that yielded to open water. The skirmish in the tower had caused quite a crowd to mill in the streets and it wasn't long before he ducked into an alley, looking for a building to climb.

Above the streets, it was easier to get to the docks quickly and it was easier to drop down and surprise the few guards that stood between him and the small boat he spotted.

Darting quickly towards the vessel he untied it from the pier and got it ready to sail, looking over his shoulder towards the tower he had come from while he worked.

Somebody better deliver. He couldn't let that dragon get hurt. ]

[weifinder]

( Wei Wuxian is trotting at the heels of the two guys who are in fact in charge of the dragon, and it's his idea to be here to try and play some good ol' music as reinforcement after having watched the earlier efforts, conserving his flagging energy as much as he can. After all, the dragon needs to be safely out to sea—further than the ship had been when Arche had shoved it out of port, aflame. )

Haa! Our ride?

( he says, not really stopping so much as leaping into the readied boat, looking back to the men responsible directly for the dragon at present. )

[scrapgege]

[Xie Lian looks a little out of breath, but his power is replenished, mostly, and he's holding the jar very tightly to his chest. Still safe and uncracked.]

We should go quickly. She's not very happy.

[wooden_one]

[Who could be happy to be kept in a jar?

He keeps that thought to himself though as he joins the others on the raft. For some reason no one besides Xie Lian will know, when his eyes land on Xie Lian his ears go red and he looks away with a scowl.]

Stop speaking nonsense and just go!

[He's extra snappish right now. But also, he dismisses his willow vine whip with a brief flash of golden light. Tianwen wasn't particularly useful in this setting.]

Xie Lian (open)

[scrapgege]

[Who better to give the dragon in a jar to than someone who is used to transporting souls in jars? Plus, Xie Lian has the advantage of being extremely durable.

He has, however, the distinctive disadvantage of having the absolute shittiest luck in the world. So while he is pretty fast on his feet, it seems he just keeps running into patrols of guards and has to duck away at the last possible minute...

And he's starting to be pretty low on energy. He can make it to the seaside, but it'll be a trial.]

... Alright, not this way, then. I wonder if going by the roofs might not be a better idea.

[wooden_one]

[He keeps Tianwen summoned even as he lets Jiuge disappear after the dragon had been subdued. He had seen the dragon become shrunken though had only caught a glance of the person who took it as he fended off some undead witches.

Afterwards, unable to just leave things as it is, he'd run in the direction he thought he saw Xie Lian leave in.

It took a little while but eventually he did catch up...though perhaps it was because Xie Lian kept getting slowed down.]

Over here! [He shouts it before sending Tianwen out with a flick of his arm, the end of the whip flying over Xie Lian's shoulder to strike a guard behind him.]

[scrapgege]

[Xie Lian blinks as he realizes someone is here to assist him and quickly runs in the direction of the cultivator.

He's seen him around, he thinks, oh and yes, he remembers now, they've talked a bit about cultivation methods before. He certainly looks powerful enough.]

Thank you! I keep running into them at every corner and I can't seem to shake them... plus, I'm running a bit low on energy, so I have to conserve it in case I really need it.

[wooden_one]

[He swept out his arm once Xie Lian passes and cast a barrier in the alley, blocking the path of the guards before he follows after.

He scoffed.]

Is that all? If you need spiritual energy then just borrow some. [He holds out his free hand because, you know, he can offer? But he also scowls,] I don't want to drag around dead weight. [He says even though no one asked.]