dear_mun | (no subject)

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canon: middle earth

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Ah, mundane. A fitting title for you, is it not?

[ The dragon laughs, forever amused the most at his own sense of humor. ]

You know far less than you ought of the power you seek to control, here. You would see me bound and trapped, perhaps even in the form of a man, if time were on your side. Mark me now, mundane: it would prove your undoing.

[ There is a pause, then: an ancient being gathering its thoughts before turning them out into the world. ]

Still. Perhaps I shall allow you some indulgences. It has been some time, especially if we count compared to the frailty of your lifespan, since I have been out in the world. After all, what need for it did I have? But I was woken, and so awake I shall remain -- for now, while it amuses me.

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Surely even a being of your great age has not seen or experienced all there is.

That prospect should be more than simply amusing, should it not?

[ says the girl who has spent her life behind walls. ]

That depends entirely on those experiences.

[ She is an elf, of course, but she smells of dwarf. Disgusting. ]

I am content, under the mountain. Or I was, until a thief came in. That is one experience that was not so amusing.

[ Smaug would much prefer to spend his days with his treasure, not rotting at the bottom of a lake, thank you. ]

Does not every experience have some value in it?

[ she is trying to be wise. really. but she's still young enough that it is actually what she believes. she is still learning something new every day.

and she can't help what she smells like! orcs must smell worse. far worse. ]

I see. [ which is the thief is debatable here. ] I do not imagine that it would be.

I was under the impression that that company was seeking a home they had lost. Was this not so, then?

[ frankly, she's more concerned about the world at large than a single mountain. treasure does no good to anyone if they're all dead. ]

If your king were to die before your eyes, would that have value? If I were to scorch your hair, Elf, would feeling it burn have value? Would feeling an orc-knife strip your flesh away from your bones and leaving you bare for the crows have value?

[ Orcs smell worst than most things, that much is true. Still, he's less concerned with her scent now and far more concerned with her words. ]

Thorin Oakenshield sought power and would use the corpses of his companions as a ladder, if it would help him gain it.

[ she doesn't like being goaded with words. she bites the inside of her cheek and narrows her eyes a fraction. ]

I know that you well understood the intent behind my meaning. But to answer your question: yes. In what world do things only hold value if they are pleasant?

[ imagine that scent all over that gold, smaug. if the business in dol guldur spreads (and it will), that just might happen.

tauriel raises an eyebrow, but does not look entirely surprised. ]

The foul-tempered prince. That is not so difficult to imagine. But the intentions of the others seem genuine.

Though you must know that sooner or later, someone--be they dwarves, men or orcs--will come for the treasure. The dwarves may be the least of your problems.

They tend to hold far less value if you can do nothing with them afterward.

[ Smaug is comfortable within his lair -- or he had been. He has no desire to make himself uncomfortable for the sake of experiences that he will not enjoy. There's no incentive for him, not yet. ]

All the better fodder, then. Sheep for the slaughter, paving the way for a throneless prince.

[ Mm, sheep. ]

They will try. But there are no warriors like there once were, no great heroes to challenge me. When they come, they will fall.

[ Unless they come with an offer. A great dragon could change the tide of any war, were he given enough incentive. ]

I will not dispute that. But there are still lessons to be learned from unpleasant things.

[ not until sauron comes a-knocking, perhaps. ]

Is there a curse upon that treasure, that it would reduce him to such cruelty?

[ if oakenshield is just like that on his own, well. the dragon will not be the only one to have issues with him. ]

You believe that greatness is a relic of the past? I am certain that it is not. Perhaps they will fall.

But if the sickness that has begun upon the land spreads, it will reach us all one way or another. My King would hide behind his walls and do naught. Would you be thus?

[ that is precisely what she is concerned about. but she has retained enough sense to not mention that. ]

And what lessons would you have me learn?

[ Ah, smart question. Smaug bares his teeth in a smile. ]

The greed of men and dwarves is its own curse, is it not? It was their mass of wealth that summoned me, a living calamity, unto them; it is that wealth that they seek to reclaim, and the power that comes with it. Even should they reclaim it, there will be others who seek to take it, and others after them -- yet for two-hundred years no blood has been spilled in the name of the treasure of the Lonely Mountain under my watchful eye. Thorin seeks to disturb that peace, as he has doubtlessly disturbed it elsewhere on his quest.

What greatness of the present day would you name, Elf? And what would you call yourself -- surely you know who I am, and why should we not be civil? It has been some time since I have last had such... stimulating conversation.

[ aka he's not going to eat you at the moment because you're shiny ]

I remember a time when the Elves would meddle in the affairs of all, yet now one of their lords would hide. Is that not a loss of greatness? No, I would not hide. What is coming cannot be ignored, not even by a dragon. But I would not fly out to meet it. I can see many things from within the mountain.

Any number of things, though nothing in particular comes to mind. Age is meant to bring wisdom, but it should not mean we cease to learn.

[ she can't deny the truth of his words; and she doesn't. greed is terrible. and anyone can be stricken with it.

she frowns, but otherwise appears calm, if a bit contemplative. ]

Greed in any being is a curse, I agree. Men and dwarves are surely not the only ones who may be affected by it. I cannot see how such wealth could satisfy anyone, even if it were shared. The want of more would be a powerful call to them.

I had thought that all they wished was their home. Tell me, if they allowed you to keep the riches in exchange for the return of their home, would you grant them Erebor?

[ not that she thinks that will ever happen. oakenshield is like a man obsessed, and now she can't not think that the reason for it is a glittering gem moreso than a home that was lost.

she looks squarely up at the dragon, and inclines her head slightly. ]

My apologies. I am Tauriel. I have heard of you, yes. Though I did not imagine I would ever find myself having such an.. interesting conversation with a dragon.

[ for her sake, she hopes the shine never wears off! ]

I do not know what to call it, to be frank. My King does not represent the entirety of my race any more than Oakenshield is for his own. I believe there is potential in every being for greatness--good or ill. Whether anyone does anything with it must be their choice.

[ she frowns once again. ] What do you see from your perch? Evil stirs in Dol Guldur. Would going to the source and eradicating it not be the most effective thing to do?

[ whoa.

okay cyrus be cool. just because this guy is a) much bigger than you, b) probably older than you, and c) not bound to a pathetically puny human shape like you is no reason not to be cool. ]

There is something to be said for spending some time outside one's lair every once in a while, I've found.

[ nailed it. ]

[ Ah. Smaug's pupils widen, just a bit -- this being certainly smells of dragon, despite his appearance. ]

There are several things to be said, certainly.

[ In comparison to his early tone, he is much more curious and almost friendly, now; there's no use in showing just how much more powerful he is, because this other dragon is currently in a man-shape and therefore not even remotely a threat. As a result, there's an almost amicable Smaug, eyeing the other with interest but, thankfully, not hunger. ]

If you have opinions on the matter that I have not considered, I would hear them.

[ well. that's certainly a load off. ]

The world of humanity spins on at the speed of sound compared to the likes of us. It's best to keep an eye on them...to make certain they don't stray too far from their place.

[ he chooses his words very carefully, speaking with honesty but without any indication that he might consider humanity a threat to his survival. he's already at enough of a disadvantage, here. ]

And while you may curse the form of man as some kind of trap, I find it more of a boon. [ he gestures to himself, speaking with a little less honesty this time but who's going to know? ] It does afford me a number of insights and opportunity, after all.

[ They are proud creatures, dragons. Humans were a threat to Smaug, too -- it was a Man who eventually struck the final blow, not an Elf or a Dwarf. And yet- ]

No human has approached my lair in two hundred years. It was a disgraced Dwarf and his company that dared, and their lives are longer than those of Men. They are easily reminded of their place.

[ Fire and death are excellent memory jobs. His tail twitches, head tilting to examine the form Cyrus has found himself in. ]

You walk among them. Are they that unruly, that a dragon must go among them like a common thief? Would they dare try to slay one of us?

They are. [ something he's had to learn the hard way. ] They would dare, and they have tried.

But rarely are they so clever as they think. Perhaps there's little pride to be taken in walking as a common thief, but for all the cunning and guile they believe to possess, never would they assume that the great dragon they seek is amongst their number, finding the right moment to strike.

[ Well. Now he's just angry. ]

They have no right.

[ Smaug snarls, tail lashing, fire burning in his chest. ]

Your strike will help you regain your pride, when you choose to unleash it. They will know that they have angered the wrong being.

[ hmm. cyrus decides that maybe it is in his best interest not to elaborate on just how much he's profited by living with humans and is not particularly in the mood to do any striking at the moment. ]

They will. [ maybe. ] And then leisure will be mine once more, as I am meant to take it.

[ but for now, convenience (and safety from byrne) wins out. ]

[ Smart move. ]

With only the most foolhardy to bother you.

[ Smaug breathes deeply, head tilting once more. ]

You and I are not of the same lands. Where do you hail from? What do they call you, when your wings block out the sun above their homes?

[ in his native lands, his kind is often called voile d'étoiles, gaurik beltza, or simply drac nocturn for his species' black scales and tendency to hunt at night. but despite his instincts, he knows nothing of that legacy, only the one he's forged on his own. ]

I make my home in the mountains of Vandalia, in a land called America. The people there have many names for me, but I generally prefer the dire dragon of Shenandoah.

Vandalia. [ It's a foreign word -- it almost sounds like somewhere the Elves may hail from, but "America" is a far more foreign world still. ] I have been to many places, yet yours is new to me. It is a good name, however, that they call you.

My home is in the mountain they call Erebor, in Rhovanion -- a region of a land often called Middle Earth. My most common name among the peoples there is Smaug.

[ Bard would make a jest at frailty of lifespan, but even knowing what is to come and his role in it, he is cautious, and undesirous to provoke the beast just yet. Laketown has enough problems as it is. ]

I would see caution, lest in your self-congratulation you fall.

[ You will fall, but that time is not yet. Beware Laketown, wyrm, your next trip will be your last. ]

Self-congratulation?

[ His tail lashes, the rumble in his voice louder -- he knows your scent, Bard, recalls it from the lord Girion despite almost two hundred years of dilution. The emeralds in his horde no longer carries it, but Smaug has an excellent memory. ]

Ever do men and dwarves seek to cast untruths upon me. I have congratulated none, simply given the lady a warning that she ought to heed.

[ There is a proverb on pride, but he imagines a dragon of such considerable age will already know of it without Bard, who is squishy and fragile, mentioning it. Instead his hands twitch, and he longs for the black arrow in his quiver, the iron bolt that is tied to this dragon's fate. The cold metal and weight would be a comfort in his hands. ]

And still, I would say to you caution, for with all their frailty, they posses yet powers that even the wisest among us do not fully understand.

[ He hears tell of Ainur, minor gods and others greater still, that are brought about on strings by 'frail' mundanes. A dragon seems small in comparison. Even one so fearsome as Smaug. ]

[ Whether he knows it does not mean he listens to it. As far as Smaug is concerned, his pride is earned. Funny, how that's always how it seems to go. ]

And yet they choose to do this with us. Perhaps they do not truly understand the power they hold.

[ smaug people make you have sex with bilbo you don't even know ]

[they are alike, she and him. or, they used to be. in another life she had felled one with a horn that is no longer there. but nevertheless, there is a pull she feels that is not unlike the one she had felt for Celaeno.

unfamiliar yet...she knows. as ancient beings always know, but as mortal bodies do not understand.]

No matter your longevity, your mundane has you trapped all the same.

[ This is no woman or Elf, despite what appearances may suggest. Like the hobbit-thief, she is a scent that is unfamiliar, but unlike Bilbo, the Unicorn radiates power.

She is a creature of light. Smaug is a creature of fire, one whose whim can work for Light or for Shadow. Now, it works for him only, and he is curious about this being and the power he can sense from her. ]

Many cages are only in the mind. I may be subject to her will, but if it is also my own, is it truly a trap? If our interests align, it is no true prison.

[her fingers ghost at the mark on her head, brows furrowing in thought.]

It's an illusion of freedom; you are free until they want more from you, and then you are at the whims of their magic until they grow tired or no longer hear your voice. But even then you are trapped, stuck in the pull of shadows just as my people remain stuck in the rise and fall of the tide.

[WOW CRYPTIC MUCH it's how you know she's not really a human go figure......]

You belong elsewhere, not here.

She will not want more from me, if she knows what is good for her.

[ It's growled, but it is a lie and Smaug knows it; he is not the being with the power here, even if his writer decides to do nothing more with him. ]

As do you, though I cannot say that your land is a place I have seen. As do your people, I would venture to say.

[ Oh...!

A dragon. How nostalgic. ]

There is no dream you long to return to that you would take this waking so favorable?

[ Flattery will get you everywhere. Ish. ]

Those who would take what it is mine are here, and so what chance do they have? Erebor will keep, though truly, if the choice were mine alone, it is where I would remain.

Yet here we all are. The conversation, at least, has been somewhat enjoyable.

[ Clever mundane. ]

Mm. I understand. If your enemies were taken to this realm, you would prefer to stay and take this ground as battlefield. I am mistaken?

...I suppose that conversation is not an unpleasant way to spend time with the appropriate company.

[ The topic choice of most people rarely catch her attention. ]

[So what if you're way bigger than he is. Lockheed's dealt with big types before. Nice to see a fellow dragon mind, even if this one isn't the most pleasant.]

Yeh 'now, for a 'ragon yeh kinda rude to yeh munie. 'hough mine's kinda in'de'cis'ive. Bu yeh gotta get out 'here an' see stuff! Lotta fun to have. Sides eatin' 'umans an' stealin', anyway. Some 'umans are 'eally nice. 'emale ones are kinda 'retty. Fer 'umans, anyhoo.

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