Yashashī
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After the intruders where put in storage, Iro was able to talk more clearly than in the brief warnings and alerts we had over the next few days.
The security may not of gone down yet, but I have no opinion on the outside world yet, and Iro hardly leaves in the first place other than to stop me from hunting something that I'd regret. Judging by how I'd eat anything smelling a little too magical, and how those attackers looked full of energy, he is probably right about that.
So Iro and me now rest on the heating rocks, tracing and recharging the runes in my scales. He seemed rather limp and droopy beyond that, his warm-scaled form hugs to me. It reminded me a little of when I was still gaining self-awareness, and would cling to him when something startling happened. While the emotional states where different, it has the same desperate grab for reassurance that I had needed for the first few days, and still do when I finally can conceptualize things like death, suicide, and loss.
"Atzapar," started Iro as he worked, "was my patron at the Academy of Unique Magic and Practices. By presenting how my rune and litho-crafting skills
had never been seen before, he helped sponsor my time at the Academy." My master finishes the "Tahi" and "Rua" runes on either side of my neck before continuing. "He sponsored the research and publication of my work, and taught me about how to survive in that crazy new world where I was the foreigner. Nothing during those years breached anything between instructor and student, but I would of been lost among the classmates that seemingly where more impressive than my 'silly little scratches in the sand' where to the rest of the staff at first." Iro uses both claws for the intricate "Ka" chain on my back.
"Atzapar taught me about having a personal name that is not an iteration of my ancestor's names, How not provoke Western and Northern dragons. I would of still been confused and still desperate to find out why I was so strange. That I actually was more than someone too distracted by writing on body to help my family." My master closes his eyes for the moment as he lets me get some of the runes on my belly with my tail. "The only problem was, I did not know how his help left me reliant on him with how isolated I was. I was too young of a dragon to notice the wrongness of it, but now I know he was making sure I'd have no one but him in my future. There was no where to go other than to help his studies on Tattooing and subduing dragons of his own kind."
The eastern dragon hugs around my neck, and it felt much better than when that one home invader did. "his praise and positive reinforcement worked wonders... to bring me further to his side, and to research what I never should of. Things like planting suggestions or compulsions, and not knowing it was more than theoretical when I found that poor wyvern strapped belly-side down on stone slab. Atzapar had not realized I could and would sneak a peak at his personal testing of my ideas. As my mentor and his assistants started to paint runes for altering the mind on those wings, using them like canvases as the wyvern whined and begged, hardly able to defend himself if it meant the lifting claws would do more than just squeeze those membranes. My mentor had simply ignored all protest and continued writing a spell onto his victim. One you are not ready to hear yet at all." Iro is working faster and precis by now, down to a rhythm in recharging me.
"The worse part was seeing the dragon I trusted misuse my findings in a way that went against how I was raised and taught. So of course I'd help this victim get away. I simply touched the wall, and messed with the symbols on the magic circle and on the walls, turning the stone floor of the lab into some very grabby quicksand, making sure that no one could magic their way out as Atzapar and his goons ended up neck deep in suddenly hardened rock and under a layer of draining runes like you saw me use earlier this week. I was angry and irrational and made sure he saw me glaring angrily down at his trapped body, magic being drained out of him and the floor threatening to crush him, without going that far with how much he had made feel for him before that. All he could do was roar and demand I stop as I unstrapped and sent the very thankful wyvern out of there as fast as he could go." Iro is grabbing a rock now and squeezing it into dust.
"As for Atzapar, I sort of went overboard for what he did. I half-crushed him in solid stone and pushed down on his head, feeling cruel and karmatic as I think I actually convinced him I was going to suffocate him down there. Maybe I over reacted, but how he had treated me and comparing it to that test subject put everything into perspective." He grins like I never saw him before, like a successful predator. "He was unable to answer when I asked why should I stop if he was able to go so far with an un-consenting subject, and he could not tell me why if he could strap someone to the table and write horrific, mind-altering runes on someone who could not fight back while also screwing with my own emotions. So I got to enjoy a few minuets of making an experienced wizard cry as I shoved him down to just his nose and above sticking out of the floor. And I will never forget how satisfying it was to see fear in his eyes I think he actually realized what I was getting at, or those muffled screams where a proud dragon afraid of choking" My master chuckles as he gets closer to finishing my recharge.
"And that is when one of his assistants had freed themselves quietly and slipped a collar onto my neck, one that not only shocked me literally, but disabled the enchantment that lets high altitude dragons like me breath safely at low elevations. I basically had to lay on my belly as my now former mentor was able to free himself and just smirk down at me. I expected him to get physical and flinched deeply when he got close to my face. But all he did was pick me up by that collar, letting me hang there in front of him for who knows how long." He lays more limp against me again, body curled up against my side and head between my shoulders. He is done helping me at the moment, but with how is eyes are glazed over, he needs my help now.
"I.. can't say much more right now... And I am sorry for such a long and winding talk you may not get fully. Lets just stay here or the night." I had been silent, and still am as I touch my nose in concern against my master's gold chest scales, starting back. "Its your turn to be the growing familiar, Master Iro," I joke with him, getting him to chuckle a second time today. "Tell me or don't tell me tomorrow. I am not sure what all this even means, but you know I am here."
I fall asleep by the time he does.
-To be continued in part 2?
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I am sorry for taking so long to update or if this is very awkward. I am at least keeping to my promise to write no matter what. I am too sleepy to explain better, and will try to latter today iif I can.