Voice testing, planning to go to outer_divide

[forbiddenfriendship]

[Hey look, it's a viking! A viking who just happens to be accompanied by a very large, very dangerous dragon, plodding along beside him like a puppy dog]

I suppose I should be thanking you, for not wanting to send me to this place when I'd end up in their Ragnarok. [Hiccup's face clearly shows that he's not really feeling at all thankful, though] So thank you, I guess, for making this somewhat less horrible.

About the people there, though, uh...how exactly do they feel about...dragons? [Toothless rumbles softly, and looks up at Hiccup, tilting his head to the side] Back at Berk not attacking dragons his still a new thing, you know... [Toothless's ears flatten, and he growls, looking around as if searching for Dragon Attackers. Hiccup quickly reaches out to grab his head, muttering reassuringly to the dragon] Hey, it's okay Toothless. I won't let anybody hurt you. [Yeah. Right. Hiccup, the Viking who can barely hold an axe will protect Toothless.] Well. Somehow...

Comments

[knightofcourage]

[Good with monsters dragons? This looks like a plus in Emil's book.]

If it's important that your friend stays with you, say so. Although it'll help if Toothless is good around people, even if someone's being aggressive.

[forbiddenfriendship]

[A new person! Toothless watches him, wary. Does he have any weapons? Toothless doesn't like weapons! Not unless the humans holding them are friends. Are you a friend? Toothless watches closely]

Oh, he can be friendly. Just...not so much if people threaten him. [Or Hiccup] People and dragons didn't exactly get along where I'm from until just recently. I think it still takes him a while to warm up to people he doesn't know. It's okay Toothless, he's not going to hurt you.

[Toothless's ears flick up, and he tilts his head at Emil.]

[knightofcourage]

[Emil does indeed have a sword strapped to his back, but it's not going anywhere. No need, clearly.]

No, I won't. I travel with some monsters myself, dragons and others, so I understand. As far as I can tell people get more nervous about bigger monsters - or dragons...but if it happens enough times, things can get better.

[forbiddenfriendship]

[Toothless evidently disagrees. Suddenly he growls, his ears flattening against his head and his pupils transforming into slits.]

It's your sword - he doesn't like weapons. He thinks you'll use it against him. [Toothless's growl deepens, and Hiccup smiles awkwardly at Emil. Please don't think his dragon is evil?] I promise, he really is normally very friendly...

[knightofcourage]

[Emil looks worried for a second, but - very slowly, doing his best to broadcast a nonthreatening image (and hey, there are occasionally advantages to looking scrawny) - he tugs his sword out of his scabbard and places it on the ground, then steps away from it with his hands raised.]

I don't mean any harm. Do you see?

[forbiddenfriendship]

[And just like that, Toothless perks up again. No weapons are good!]

See, it's okay Toothless. He's friendly. [He gives Toothless a scratch, and the dragon purrs softly] He'll let you keep it once he gets to know you. [And Toothless seems intent on doing just that, crawling closer to sniff Emil curiously]

And was I imagining things earlier, or did you say you travel with dragons and monsters?

[knightofcourage]

Yeah. I do.

[Emil reaches out to stroke Toothless's head.]

They're not with me now, but sometimes I can befriend them.

[Too weird to explain. Just mentioning the surface facts should be fine.]

It's just something I can do. I've never seen anyone else who tried to befriend them, not like this...how did you two meet?

[forbiddenfriendship]

[Friends with monsters?! Who would...well, Hiccup can't really judge, can he? Maybe they're just...nice monsters. Maybe. Hiccup hopes.

And now he's going to shuffle his feet (or foot, seeing as his artificial one isn't so good for shuffling), and start making awkward gestures.] Uh, how did we meet? Funny you should ask that, since that's a long story. Long long story. Too long for telling, in fact! How'd you meet your monster friends?

[...okay, so maybe Hiccup doesn't really want to admit that he shot Toothless down from the sky. It's not exactly something he's proud of - not anymore.]

[knightofcourage]

It starts with an alliance. Usually we fight, and I defeat them before forming a pact. They battle with me, and I give them food and a place to stay...it goes on from there.

[forbiddenfriendship]

...You make friends with monsters by fighting them? [Okay, even though that's weirdly similar to how he and Toothless met, it's not what Hiccup was expecting. Even Vikings don't try to make friends with people by fighting them. Vikings just try to make people dead by fighting them]

[knightofcourage]

Yes. They wouldn't listen to me if they thought I was weaker than them.

[Maybe that's a little weirder to humans; he's just gotten used to it. Whoops.]

[forbiddenfriendship]

Of course. Monsters only respect proper Vikings. Why am I not surprised?

[At least that's different from him and Toothless. If Toothless wouldn't make friends with anyone weak...well, he'd definitely never be friends with Hiccup.]

[knightofcourage]

What do you mean by Viking?

[forbiddenfriendship]

You haven't ever heard of Vikings?! [Now there's a blow to the ego. Vikings were Hiccup's whole world, and now someone has just casually asked 'what's that'?] Err, well they're a people. A very sturdy, stubborn kind of people.

[knightofcourage]

Well...I'm not sturdy, or stubborn.

[forbiddenfriendship]

Well, Vikings do also like to solve their problems through liberal use of an axe, so you do have that in common.

So if you're not Viking, what are you?

[knightofcourage]

Me? Well...

[Ask the hard questions, why don't you.]

I'm just me, Emil.

[forbiddenfriendship]

Emil? Well, I'm Hiccup. [Yes, Hiccup. It's a Viking thing.] But if it's just you...don't you have a people?

[Being the worst Viking was hard, but at least he still was a Viking...]

[knightofcourage]

I have a family.

[He says this carefully, because there are a lot of ways one could interpret "people" in his case.]

[naturalstrikebomber]

[This one feels quite nicely about dragons. Except for One, but the One isn't here right now, which this one likes quite well thank-you. This one doesn't even mind the other-him, because, well, it's him. Another dragon. What's to worry about?

[No, what this one has Great Issue with is the soft-squidgy-thing-with-sharp-sticks that is there. The viking. And they're walking. Together. What is this travesty.

[Which is why this one is watching them from up high and the shadows.]

nnnggrrr ...

[forbiddenfriendship]

[Hiccup doesn't spot the other dragon, but Toothless certainly does. Another dragon, just like him? And the other dragon's looking at Hiccup, with angry eyes.

Toothless growls, baring his teeth. The other dragon had better stay away from Hiccup!]

What it is, buddy? [Toothless just growls again, and Hiccup tries to look for whatever it it's that set Toothless off. All Hiccup can see though, is darkness.]

[naturalstrikebomber]

[This one growls back, a low rumble of warning accompanied by a curl of his lips to reveal his own teeth. His ears are low, his wings held close and tense. What is this other dragon doing, walking with one of them? They kill dragons. Traitor. Traitor to dragon-kind.

[This one lowers further, his claws unsheathing. He's not sure if he could win a fight against another dragon exactly like him, but the sight of the two of them together is making his hide prickle.]

ssssssssssssssst.

[forbiddenfriendship]

[And now Hiccup can see what Toothless is looking at.]

Another Night Fury?! [Hiccup gapes - he's never seen another one, apart from Toothless. Ooooooh and it doesn't look happy. Really not happy. This could...not be good.

Hiccup holds his hands out - see, no weapons? - to try and show the other dragon that he won't hurt it. Toothless though, growls again and steps forward, teeth flashing.] Woah, Toothless! We want him to think we're friendly, don't we? [Hiccup smiles at the other dragon. An incredibly nervous, trying-not-to-worry kind of smile.] It's okay, we don't want to fight you.