Fantasy Flight of the Phoenix Main

[BittyBobcat]

In Diamond Plaza, everything was in constant motion. People of all kinds wandered the market stalls, coins leapt between hands, and brightly colored banners and flags waved cheerfully in the wind. Peter took the the energetic atmosphere like a fish to water. With a grin on his face and a small, brown bag clutched in his hand, he swam through the crowd's ever changing currents, stopping only when he caught sight of a rather haggard man who stood behind a shabby wooden crate. As he had done every day Peter had seen him, he wore a dirty overcoat in the color of his name (Gray) that covered whatever wings he might have (Peter was beginning to suspect he had lost them somehow, he'd never seen him flying). He took no notice of the messenger, being too interested in whatever book he had his nose stuck in.

"Delivery!" Peter chirped, dropping the package (which made an audible clink as it hit the makeshift countertop). "Payment from Mrs. Robinson."

Gray took a long moment to inspect the bag and it's contents before nodding to himself and fishing out a single coin. "Fee's a gold, right?"

"Silver, sir. I'm not guild certified."

He hummed and flicked the coin over. "The Messenger's Guild is stupid anyway, anyone can cart letters around."

Peter was tempted to argue -he had tried to join it a few times- but he was getting paid double not to. So, with that, he bowed his head slightly in a gesture of gratefulness (there wasn't enough room for the usual accompanying motion -spreading one's wings- but he unfolded them halfway), and turned to leave.

At the same moment, in an alley a few yards behind them, a hooded figure dropped a strange package while muttering an incantation under his breath. They melted into the crowd just as the package burst into flame.

In the blink of an eye, a boom that sounded horribly reminiscent of a firecracker sent balls of flame bursting outward, transforming the plaza into a raging inferno. Cloth awnings, tents, and banners -once dyed in a radiant array of colors- rapidly turned ash gray. Every breath hurt. Yells and screams permeated the air, muffled by the impatient crackling of the flames. Hundreds took to the sky in a blaze of panic and confusion-

Flying. Exit. Peter shook himself from his terrified stupor. He needed to leave. Now.

He spread his wings too far. A single feather dipped into the surrounding inferno. It welcomed the flames as they swept hungrily forward. Peter watched with mounting horror, frozen in place at the sight of his wings being engulfed. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt. It felt... right. As if an itch he didn't even know existed had been scratched. Warm in the sort of way that brought thoughts of thick blankets and roasting food. Just as the fire reached the tip of his opposite wing, it lurched. For a moment, he was convinced that it had frozen in place -that might've made more sense- but no. They had dissolved into thin air, leaving behind orange-gold feathers that shimmered like the flame they were born from.

Behind him, Gray stood among the ashen ruins of his market stall, took one look at Peter's wings, and swore.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Fire. All Arias saw was fire. It was everywhere, roaring around them with the ferocity of a falcon that just lost a race. Paint peeled off their wings, purple flaking off and giving way to a deep red with brighter, glowing cracks, seeming much like a cracking volcano. The slight sting that followed the crackling, melting paint notified the racer that they may have overstayed their welcome in the inferno, yet they didn't leave, shouting a surprised keen much too long after they had been consumed fully by the fire.

Jet? Where was Jet?

Arias was walking blind, the brightness of the fire much too strong for their oversensitive eyes, and the smoke clogging their sense of smell with ash. They called out again, worry strong in the wordless sound. As they walked, the blaze thinned slightly, enough to where it was comfortable to stand. They could just hear someone swearing over the crackling of fire, but they turned away, forcing their eyes open painfully and allowing the world to blur into indistinct shapes as their pupils thinned to slits.

Arii spread their wings, the brighter, reflective skin under the dull scales catching the light. They gave a hard flap to shoo the heat and fire away from them with a hiss of discomfort, singed skin not at all liking the movement. Not moments later did a strong gust of wind all-but flatten them to the ground, the only thing stopping them from moving their digging their toes into the crack of the brick they were standing on.

"Oh, Baby Bird," came a relieved voice, the words more a breath than speech. "Thank the skies—"

All Arias saw was a big blob of black and blue, but recognized the voice enough to know it was Jet and to not jerk away when a light hand wrapped around their wrist and tugged them closer, only for the owner of said hand to hiss in pain.

Yeah, no, on second thought, jerking away sounded like a good idea.

Flame pulled their wrist out of Jet's wrist with a warning hiss, spreading their wings and starting to run past Jet, colors blurring together until they

He let out an indescribable noise of distress, but took off, anyway, flying under the confused flock of other avians in circles to wait for Flame, who—somehow forgetting that they couldn't see shit at the moment, ran face-first into a wall with a surprised squawk. They stepped back and launched themself up the wall—properly, this time—pivoting and leaping off the moment they began to lose speed.

Scaled wings spread and the last of the purple and blue paint flaked off, exposing the phoenix wings in all of their glory, the sight amplified by the fire Flame was backed by.

As they rapidly gained altitude from the hot air and pulled into line beside Jet, Flame worked on relaxing their eyes, sunspots dotting their still-blurry vision. Jet was leading them away from the commotion, trying to find a safe space to land despite the fact that everything appeared to be burning.

 

[Tapfic]

Lan looked frantically through the flames, it seemed most everyone else in the market square had flown above the flame as soon as it had burst. Good, he was glad that they where safe; even if he knew his wings wouldn't be able to carry him far enough above the rising heat to keep him out of danger.

With burning lungs he ran as best he could, ducking between crumbling stalls and burning arch ways as he went- opening every single door he could find to make sure no one was still inside. Until his muscles stung too much to continue their pace, and he slowed.
He had run in a circle, opening doors- waking anyone who had not been roused by daylight nor the explosion- pulling the unaware from their places indoors. Now he was back at ground zero, gasping for breath he couldn't catch.

" Okay! Fine," Lan wasted breath yelling at himself as the flames crept closer " kill me ,I don't give a damn!"
He spoke as though yelling at fire would do anything; it did not. He just liked to yell when he was nervous.

The heat finally caught him, the feathers of his right wing ignited; Lan closed his eyes.

Where he had expected blistering pain to strike across the flesh beneath his plumage, he felt only a soothing warmth. Lan opened his eyes again, turning his head to inspect the damage- only to see his wings had disappeared with the flame that engulfed them; replaced with golden feathers glowing like candle light.

His voice was hoarse from the ash and from running, but he still managed to breath out a quiet " What ? "

 

[Emixlin]

The impact of the explosion knocked Emaliah backward, and her many colorful shopping bags scattered around her as she landed on her back. "What in the world?" she exclaimed as swirling flames leaped into life around her, filling the Diamond Plaza with heat and smoke in seconds. She scrambled to her feet, grabbing at the handles of her shopping in a panic, but the crowds were swarming at her and she was jostled around constantly, trapped in the stampede.

Thankfully, the people quickly found their bearings and took flight to the air, and soon Emaliah was one of the only people left on the streets of the plaza. She finally found her balance and reached for her shopping bags, filled with shiny new clothes and jewelry, but jerked her hand away when she saw that the flames had spread to her expensive items. "No, my new dress!" she cried with disappointment. She poked at the burning bags, but the shopping was unsalvageable. There was only a diamond bead bracelet that had bounced out of its packaging and landed nearby. She slipped it around her wrist sadly and spread her wings to escape the fire--

Emaliah screamed in terror when she glanced back and found that one of her precious, gorgeous butterfly wings was lit up with flames! She flapped the wing frantically, but the fire only spread further and soon engulfed her full set of wings. "STOP IT!" Emaliah wailed, frustrated tears sliding down her cheeks and ruining her freshly-done makeup. She wasn't thinking about the pain--or lack of pain, really--only the unimaginable horror of being a wingless butterfly, or worse, a disfigured butterfly.

She pulled herself into the air and turned to assess the damage, then nearly dropped back to the ground when she saw her changed wings. Her previously velvety-black forewings were now a breathtaking, cardinal red outlined in black, with yellow speckles. Her yellow hindwings glowed with newly-red spots. Both pieces of her wings had lengthened into sharper, elegant tips, and continued to burn brightly against the blinding sun.

She stared. "This is... incredible," Emaliah breathed.

 

[spiralingheretic]

It was only Harlow’s second day in the Kingdom of Amethyst. She’d ditched the pirates back on a set of smaller, unnamed isles where they’d been hiding from the authorities after their latest heist. Things were a bit slow while they hunkered down and she’d gotten bored. Harlow decided to do a bit of island hopping, not before making off with as much loot as she could carry without it slowing her down.

Excitement thrummed through her as she entered Diamond Plaza that morning. There was so much going on. Drifters from all over Aerynthis in one place: merchants selling their wares, street performers collecting coin for song, and pedestrians with all manner of wings. How far she was from dusty farm life now! Harlow managed to nip a few pocket-purses off passersby as she explored. Enough to pay for a few more nights at the inn where she was staying, in any case. She stopped at a stall of a glassblower, marveling at the artistry. Next she bought herself a steaming hot mince pie for lunch and charmed a fortune teller into a free palm-reading.

She was just about to wander over to where the blacksmith had set up shop, having lost her trusty dagger while she was on the run, when the explosion hit.

Her first instinct was to take off with everyone else in the plaza, but she realized with everyone taking flight, no one was watching her. So she quickly slipped behind the nearest merchant’s counter and rummaged through their things until she found where they kept their gold. She slipped as much as she could into her knapsack, not missing that the flames had crept nearer.

Harlow thought she was in the clear as she made her escape but failed to notice that the tip of her wing had caught fire. As she tried to rise above the wreckage, a strange sensation caused her to falter. She looked back, and felt her stomach sink when she saw her wings aflame.

Though she dropped back to the ground and tried to smother them out by rolling on her back, the flames persisted. I’m done for! she thought. Odd that this is how it would end. Odder still that she felt no pain. She looked back and when she gasped she started coughing because of the smoke, but even through her watery eyes she could tell that what she saw was no illusion.

Her wings, previously monochromatic and a bit dull if she was being honest, had changed to a gorgeous red.

 

[AncientBird]

It was another day helping out in the inn for Juniper. Various people, travelers, merchants and weary soldiers off their shift all came at this place, either wanting to lend a room for a day or two or just to get themselves their drink. No matter what, if anyone is familiar with Juniper, they would likely to see her working around, interacting with people with a big smile on her face... However, it had been several days that her face was dull and in unease. She barely talked and smiled to anyone anymore and seemed like she wanted to finish everything and got out of there... And if one was familiar with this inn enough, they would had known that she had been like this since that night... The night her dear stepbrother Merlin was dragged away from the inn.

Not many guests were staying in the lobby of the inn, so Juniper left the works to the staffs and got up stair. The girl fetched some a water jug, a loaf of bread and some cheese and went into a door. Stepping inside, there was a man sitting next to a bed, which had a bigger, bulkier man lying in it. The man in the bed had bandage wrapped half of his head and in many places of arms and torso.

"Papa, Papa Duncan..." Juniper said, greeting both man and laid down the food she brought on a small table next to them. "How are you Papa Duncan?" Juniper asked as she also sat down next to the bed. "Better, still sore but I think I will be fine." Said Duncan, Juniper's step father who was gravely wounded during the night the intruders came. His face showed that he was in no better mood than Juniper, possibly even worse. "You'd better ask the same question to your father... I don't think he has had any actual sleep since that night." Added Duncan as he nodded toward the leaner man next to him. It's Joseph, the inn's owner and Juniper's birth father. "Papa! I told you to get some rest! You stayed up all night again, didn't you?" Juniper nagged with worry in her eyes.

"I'm fine" Said Joseph. "I dozed off once in a while, beside it's hard to have any actual sleep when he moaned every time the pain killer wore off and called Merlin's name every time he's dreaming." Joseph said. Juniper looked back at her stepfather who seemed even more troubled knowing that he had caused his spouse his sleep. "I'm sorry... If I hadn't... Merlin wouldn't have-" Said Duncan but he was cut by Juniper. "No, Papa Duncan. It wasn't your fault... Those people struck you off guard." Juniper spoke as she laid her hand on Duncan's.

She then looked at Joseph. "Papa, I... I have been thinking these past few day... We have hired more staffs to help and Papa Duncan had become significantly better." Said the girl, uncertain of what she should say next. "What is it, dear?" Asked joseph. "...I... I want to go after Merlin." Jun said.

Her word brought fright to the face of both men. "Jun, no! What are you thinking?!" Said Joseph. "I can't bear waiting around anymore... There is no word from the guards. I can't find myself letting them get away with Merlin like that. I need to know..." Juniper replied. "Oh, my sweet buttercup, I know how much it pains you that we lost Merlin... We all do. But you can't go after these 'poachers'... I know well what they do with phoenix, and they will get you too if you try to stay in their path." Duncan said from his bed. "Yes, Jun! Don't be reckless, losing Merlin was bad enough, we don't want to lose you too!" Joseph added. "I refuse to believe that we have lost Merlin!... Not until I see it with my own eyes..." Juniper declared.

"Please, for the sake of us and yourself! We wouldn't be able to live if something bad happen to you." Joseph pled as he saw how determine Juniper was. Looking at the sorrow in their eyes, Juniper's heart softened. She started to cry. Joseph pulled her into his embrace... They had to go through this once before, when Juniper's mother passed... "We will go through this together again, dear..." Joseph spoke softly. Juniper nodded in her father's embrace as she felt another hand placed on her shoulder, coming from Duncan who had pushed himself up from the bed. "Even if I don't share blood with you, you are always a daughter to me Jun. I will be supporting you and your father to the rest of my life." Said the man. Jun replied him with a soft smile and wiped away her tear.

Suddenly, a loud exploding noise could be heard, so much that it made the ceiling quaked. "What was that?!" Joseph asked, looking up. "I will go check it outside real quick, Papa." Jun said. The man seemed reluctant but he eventually nodded in agreement. "Be careful out there, Jun." Said Joseph. Juniper pushed the windows opened. She saw that people all around the town had flew up into the air in panic... Something terrible had happened, but Jun couldn't see it from her inn. Without wasting any more time, the girl opened her bright red wings and in an instant she flew off the window, shooting up high into the sky with her great speed.

From up there, Jun could see that there was an explosion not so far away, spilling fire everywhere. She gasped in terror.

 

[LindsMagee]

As per usual, Tempest was working in Vasilissa’s bookstore in the diamond plaza. Today was different though. Not only was Vasilissa allowing Tempest to leave the store early to check out the new tents throughout the plaza, but today felt different to Tempest too. It was as if she was waiting for something to happen, holding her breath, she could taste this feeling on her tongue and feel it in her bones. She didn’t know why though, considering it was just any other average day. She buzzed with excitement, awaiting the end of her shift and counting down the minutes util she could explore the various new fabrics, jewels, books, and everything else around the plaza.

Finally, Vasilissa came down to take her place and the two said their goodbyes, Tempest hurrying out the front door of the bookstore. Once outside, Tempest looked in awe at the colorful tents surrounding her, each one seeming to beckon her more than the next. As she started to take a few steps from the front of the bookstore, she briefly noticed a hooded figure in the alley to the right of it. Though the figure seemed to give Tempest a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, she kept walking towards the bustling tents deeper into diamond Plaza. She did not get too far, however, as an explosion rocked through the Plaza. Being caught off guard by the explosion, everything went black for a few seconds. Slowly pulling herself off of the ground with a cough, Tempest started blinking her eyes and shaking her head, trying to get through the confusion clouding her head and the ringing echoing in her ears.

Slowly standing and swaying a bit on her feet, Tempest looked in horror at the bookstore, flames crawling all over it, windows shattered, books everywhere. With barely a second to think, Tempest sprinted into the burning building, careful to avoid touching the flames as she searched for Vasilissa. "Oh god oh god oh god" Tempest repeated like a mantra, spotting Vasilissa's charred body on the floor of the bookstore, flames dancing dangerously close to it. She quickly grabbed Vasilissa's body and dragged it out the door and onto the street. Tempest hadn't even noticed the flames creeping up her wings, turning them into a deathly obsidian color riddled with blue and silver feathers, painting a illusion of what looked like blue flames over her back.

Tempest knew Vasilissa was dead, knew it in her mind, but her heart was telling her she could heal her with her blue flames if only she tried and believed hard enough. So that's what she did, she tried and tried and tried, each use of the flames filling her own body with the pain of scorching heat, but she couldn't stop. Starting to feel faint and overwhelmed with the pain of trying to heal her caretaker and friend, Tempest began to shake, weakly calling out for anyone in the market "Help, someone please help she's going to die". Oblivious to her newly activated wings and her surroundings, Tempest was solely focused on trying to heal Vasilissa despite the fact that it was a hopeless feat.

 

[BittyBobcat]

Gray had seen that kid once or twice in his month on the Kingdom of Amethyst. He'd scarcely even noticed him, only remembering him because he was cheaper than most messengers. He expected him to be just like any other kid -stupid and a bit of an annoyance, but normal. What he certainly didn't expect was, after putting out the flames that had begun eating at the edges of his overcoat, to look up and see that stupid, annoying kid was a phoenix.

"Well fuck, isn't this just nostalgic," He grumbled under his breath

Everywhere he looked, there were more. They were blurred by flame and smoke, but they were undoubtedly phoenixes.

By now, most people had cleared off to other tiers, and those that hadn't... He averted his gaze at the sight of a woman crying over what he could only assume was a charred corpse. Surely the king's forces would be arriving soon, but it would take time for them to organize and deploy, and even longer then to gather dirt or water from the surrounding isles to extinguish the fire. Gray had a few minutes.

Thank the skies he hadn't sewed his coat's wing-slits shut.

His wings popped out with a flourish. They began to flap with a familiar low hum, not fast enough to lift off the ground, but enough to send reflections bouncing across the plaza and give him a glittering backdrop that he hoped would be enough of a signal to get the phoenixes to notice him. At the same time, he walked in front of the kid and stuck his hand into the nearest tongue of flame. His wings, formerly cold beneath his thin overcoat in the chilly air, glowed even brighter as heat siphoned throughout his body. A small patch of ashen ground made itself known as a circle of fire about a yard in diameter went out.

From there, Gray wordlessly expanded. He systematically walked the circle's edge, putting out flame after flame until he had created a sizable landing space.

"Hey, Runt!" He shouted next closest person, a short boy with golden owl-like wings. "Get over here!"

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet glided in wide, sweeping circles, massive wings leaving an ample slipstream for Flame to fly in and follow. They were sort-of brainlessly flying, meaning they were not expecting the warm air under them to abruptly falter, prompting a squawk and for them to tuck one wing and send themself into a spiral to regain their sense of balance, muscle memory taking over and their racing-brain screaming at them to look down to see what terrain they were dealing wit—oh, right, everything's on fire.

Well, not everything. A circle was rapidly clearing in the fire, seemingly the product of some dude with bug wings.

They glanced at Jet, tilting their head as their eyes met.

He dipped down with a short huff, folding one wing in and spiraling down in a tight corkscrew. The wings of the people below had caught his attention, firey and glowing faintly, just like Flame's. Pulling up a few feet from the ground, the fire spluttered under the force of the wind his wings made, quite a few going out and some being pushed into the ground to choke on their own smoke.

Jet dropped to the ground after a moment of maintaining a rough hover, landing lightly on his feet with his wings tucked passively behind him, carefully away from the fire. A screech-sob, however, drew his attention away, and he traced the sound to a... someone. They were a corvid of some sort, black wings with brilliant blue iridescence and...

Sitting in the middle of a fire.

So another Phoenix.

As Flame landed behind him, half-in half out of the fire, he padded over to the person currently sobbing over a dead body. Yikes. Jet used his wings to clear the fire, flapping lightly to suffocate it.

Eventually, he got to them, careful not to touch them (he'd learned that lesson a long time ago, even though he kept ignoring it in favor of yanking his mildly self-destructive child out of blazes). He crouched down to perch on the balls of his feet with his legs tucked up under him, humming lowly. "There's nothing you can do—could have done—the fires were too hot."

His voice was soft and quiet, barely audible over the rapidly-quieting roar of the inferno.

Jet resolutely ignored the fact that he was overheating, resisting the urge to fluff his feathers and shake them out to cool down... though, he could hear Flame using their wings to clear the fire, grumbling under their breath.

 

[spiralingheretic]

Harlow wasn’t an idiot. She knew what the sudden transformation of her wings meant. Phoenixes were legends, and many of the pirates had told stories about chasing them across the world. On occasion, she herself had daydreamed about the fortune such a prize would bring her. Now she was the prize.

“Shit,” she said, to no one at all.

Across the plaza, a building collapsed and brought Harlow back from her trance. Escape now, worry about the ramifications of this… development later. Right so, flying up and away was not really an option. Once she was above the smoke line she would be a sitting duck. Pulling her kerchief up to cover her mouth and nose, she scanned the plaza for an escape route on the ground.

Only, what was that, over there?

The unnatural shimmering caught her gaze and Harlow narrowed her eyes to look at the person casting reflections across the square with their wings. A man with dragonfly wings, but instead of the typical coloring, they gleamed red and gold. There were a few other figures nearby, other phoenixes, she guessed from their wings. Her instincts screamed at her to go to them, that there was safety in numbers, but she hesitated.

Being in a group would create an even bigger target, make them easier to spot, easier to catch. Harlow was good at being on her own, and she was good at running. If she could find another way out, she could keep on running forever.

That was a big “if,” though, and Harlow wasn’t too stubborn to admit it. The man with the dragonfly wings seemed to absorb the fire with his hands, creating a safe zone. He was her best shot at escape right now.

Harlow began carefully making her way over, past the flames and the wreckage.

 

[LindsMagee]

Tempest knew Vasilissa was dead, but her hands had a mind of their own as they tried and tried again in a fruitless attempt of reviving her. Her blue flames grew smaller and smaller, only a whisp of healing at this point. Her brain told her she needed to stop, it wasn’t logical to do this and would only make her feel worse the longer she sat there, she also needed to conserve her energy and gauge her surroundings. Get a grip.Tempest told herself, but couldn’t pull herself out of this haze. That was until a muffled voice pierced through it.

"There's nothing you can do—could have done—the fires were too hot." It said. And that was enough for her to snap out of her stupor. Slowly picking up her her head and removing any ounce of emotion from her face, Tempest withdrew her shaky hands from the body and turned towards the direction of the voice. It belonged to an intimidating person, a man crouching next to her. Though they were tucked behind him, Tempest could see parts of the person’s large wings, obsidian black-like hers, with a faint iridescence that held her attention for a moment. Slowly, she dragged her eyes to the person’s face, blinking rapidly as the fog in her head finally began to clear. She stared at him blankly for a moment, before looking around herself and seeing another person clearing the fire around them with their wings.

Fire.

That’s when Tempest noticed the sweat covering her body and began to realize just how scorching it felt having been so close to the flames surrounding her. Thinking she must be burned somewhere because she had touched the fire briefly at some point, she looked over herself before extending her wings. For the briefest moment her eyes flashed with shock as Tempest observed that her wings had new silver and blue streaks throughout them, feathers rippling like blue flames as she moved them. This was new. Tempest had no idea what this meant for her, mind going a million miles an hour. She couldn’t be a phoenix, could she? No, that couldn’t be the case, this had to mean something else. Being a phoenix was far too rare and far too dangerous, and she would have known, wouldn’t she? Right now the only thing she knew was that she had to leave, had to get out of the plaza away from the flames and the destruction and Vasilissa’s body.

So she slowly attempted to stand up, her legs buckled the first time and she fell onto her knees, her hands against the ground to support her. Shit, she thought, realizing how dumb she was letting her emotions about Vasilissa get the best of her, making her waste her energy on saving someone who was too late to save from the start. However, the second time she attempted to stand, she made it up fine—if only a little wobbly as she took two steps from the body.

Now she truly began to assess the damage to the diamond plaza, observing the rubble of the tents and buildings, and the fire eating its way through everything. Though she wanted to leave as soon as possible, she didn’t have a plan or supplies, let alone anywhere else to go. So, for the time being Tempest remained still, standing in the middle of a burning market with two strangers, wondering what she should do next and making sure to keep her mind clear of the loss she just suffered, she had just regained her composure and wasn’t going to lose it again any time soon.

 

[AncientBird]

Hovering in the air, Juniper soon was joined by her father Joseph, fluttering with his Bronze-winged Jacana's wings. "My goodness! What just happened?!" Joseph exclaimed. "Explosion... The plaza is burning!" Juniper said, looking at the scorching flame, making its way through the place while people flew away for their life. Suddenly, Juniper reminded herself of something.

"Wait... Papa! Didn't we just have Milly go shopping at the plaza in the morning?!!" Juniper asked about one of the inn's staff when unfortunately was sent to the plaza in the morning. Joseph face paled down immediately. "Oh no! Milly! I totally forgot about her!" Juniper looked back toward the place engulfing in flame. "I will go find her, I am the fastest around here. Perhaps she might get out of the harm in time. You stay here looking after Papa Duncan and prepared for any emergency." Said the bronze hair girl. "Alright, be careful out there, Jun." Joseph nodded and flew back inside the inn.

Juniper the dashed off, heading toward the plaza in haste. Her bright carmine wing beat and glided, making her cut through the air like a darting arrow. Juniper flew past many citizens flying away in the opposite direction. Juniper looked around to see if Milly were among them, but suddenly, she noticed something. Several citizens flying past her seemed to have some unusual glow and color on their wings, they radiated and eye-catching, something Juniper had seen once before... The night when the boiler exploded and Merlin's wings transformed after it got into contact with flame...

"Phoenixes..." Juniper muttered as she looked around. As the entire plaza was engulfed in flame, surely many people with hidden phoenix's form must be activated by it...

Just before Juniper let her thought clouded her, she heard a familiar voice calling for help. The girl looked to the source and she saw a River Lapwing girl curling on the top of a building, away from the flame below. "Milly!!!" Juniper called as she flew lower toward the lady. "Miss Penna! Oh my goodness, am I seeing illusion now?!" Milly said while also sobbing in fear. "No, it's really me. Are you hurt? Why didn't you fly up." Juniper said as she landed and kneeled down next to the frightened girl. "I... I am scared... I was shopping and then... Then... There was loud noise... And and... Fire everywhere, I... I..." Milly spoke jerkily. "Get a hold on yourself Milly! Your panic is gonna make me panic too! Everything is gonna be fine... Just take a deep breath." Juniper said

Milly got some minor burn on her clothes and skin but nothing serious. She was probably too terrified to take off and could only get up on this roof and curled there. Once she started to get calmer, Juniper helped her gathered the baskets and products she purchased, which oddly enough were still in good shape. Just as the two finally got up on their feet, Juniper noticed more phoenixes down on the street where they started help putting off fire. "So many phoenixes here... Aren't they afraid? Their heads are being targeted everywhere..." Juniper muttered softly.

"What was it, miss?" Milly asked. "No, nothing... Say, Milly could you fly back on your own now?" Juniper asked. "I... I think so." Replied the staff. "Good, well I want to scour this place a bit, to see how the situation is going... Can you fly back to the inn and tell my Papa about this?" Juniper said. "Yes, Miss Penna... But wouldn't it be dangerous?" Asked Milly. "I will be fine. I will just fly high enough and away from the flame." Juniper replied smilingly.

Milly nodded, and with her basket secured in her arm took off and headed away from the plaza. Juniper looked back to the fire and the phoenixes below. The event sounded skeptical for her... The situation sounded too dire for it to be just a freak accident... Yes, someone boiler could explode, but flame engulfing the entire plaza? This sounded too much for a coincidence to be true. Not to mention many phoenixes were revealed in this incident as well...

...If her suspicion came true... Sooner or later, someone or something is going to come for these phoenixes... A chance too good for her to abandon... Perhaps this might lead her to find out whatever fate befell on Merlin. The words of Joseph and Duncan echoed in her mind... Should she being doing this? Against her fathers' will to see her staying safe? But her temptation and her anxious over her lost stepbrother overwhelmed her mind. Juniper then took off and glided over the burnt plaza.

 

[Emixlin]

Emaliah was trembling with excitement as she twisted and turned with her brilliant new wings, shimmering in the light. This was better than she could've ever imagined. Her boring, black and yellow wings had transformed into glowing, red masterpieces! She would make a great model. She could already see herself strutting down the catwalk, her marvelous wings spread wide behind her, reflecting the spotlights focused on her figure. She'd wear a close-fitting, red dress to complement the wings, and the crowd would go wild for her. When she got home, she would invite all of her father's favorite guests for a private aerial dance show. They would love her, and her father would--

She paused, stilling in the air. Wait a minute.

Emaliah took a second look at her flaming wings. "Am I a... phoenix?" she whispered to herself. She'd heard a myth about phoenixes when she was little, but always thought it was just that - a myth. Phoenixes were extremely rare and much was unknown about them. They had gorgeous, crimson wings and special magic abilities. They could die and come back to life. And... they were hunted for their magic properties.

Emaliah was vain, not stupid. She paled in realization, eyes darting around to see if anyone was watching her. Most of the crowd in the plaza had risen above the fumes of smoke like she did, although she'd flown a few yards away to dance around a bit. Thankfully, it didn't look like anyone was giving her a second glance (although she felt a twinge of disappointment at the lack of attention). They were all too busy gossiping to each other about the cause of the disaster.

I have to find my daddy, she decided. He'll know what to do. But for the time being, Duke William Bryce Rousseau II was stuck at his meeting with the royals of the Kingdom of Amethyst. She had no idea how to get to the castle, where the meeting was being held, so all she could do was hide before a hunter spotted her.

She looked down at the ground and noted that the worst of the flames seemed to have gone out, and that the heavy smoke would hide her well. Emaliah gave the clear, blue sky a wistful look before reluctantly dropping down to a safe corner of the plaza.

The heat was stifling on the ground, and faint moans of pain reached Emaliah's ears once in a while as she slowly made her way through the smoke, keeping her wings tucked as close to her body as she could. It was difficult to see (and breathe) through the gray haze, but she quickly stumbled upon one of the only people left in the streets of the plaza.

She nearly turned and ran, but then she spotted a set of enormous, shimmering red wings on the back of this very tall person. She froze. Is that another phoenix? Stripes of gold ran down their wings, glowing faintly. It has to be. Emaliah approached them cautiously, then jumped when another person came into view through the thick smoke. They were even taller than the phoenix, with the largest set of wings she'd ever seen in her life. A girl stood nearby, appearing to be upset for some reason. Her wings radiated silver and blue in the firelight, almost like flames themselves. A... another phoenix?

Emaliah felt relieved. She'd be safe in the midst of two phoenixes like herself - they must know how to hide. She carefully made her way over to them. "Um... hello," she called out, unfurling her wings slightly. "I think I'm a phoenix, and I don't know what to do."

 

[Tapfic]

Lan's eyes went wide with realization. Fire- glowing wings- not burned to smithereens.

" God fucking damn it," he muttered, voice turned scratchy by the ash he had been inhaling. Well, he wasn't dead but- being burned up would have at least been simpler than... well this. Being a legendary gold mine of magical energy to be hunted down until- well however long he was supposed to live now- It wasn't exactly a dream come true believe it or not.

An unnatural shimmer caught his eye, and the boy turned to see a tall man with insect like wings- their fiery patterns and intense reflections gave Lan a pretty good idea of what the guy was.

"Hey, Runt!" he called "Get over here!"

Lan made a face equal parts anger and annoyance at the name; but began to make his way over regardless. Mostly because there was no fire in that direction, courtesy of the annoying mystery phoenix man.

" Runt? Seriously? That's how you talk to strangers?" He paused to cough a couple times.
" What the hell is wrong with you? " The spiel he was preparing died as he came closer.

It seemed his efforts weren't enough to save everyone from the inferno. The burnt body lying in the street was proof enough of that.
Lan swallowed his grief, and forced himself not to look at it. Now wasn't the time to wish he had done better; now was the time to get the fuck out of the city before guards showed up.

Looking around, it was obvious that there where quite a few phoenixes here- all with wings that seemed to hold flame beneath them. Fire wound into the very fabric of what created them, and seeping out in bright reds and blues that would shine and flicker.
Well, this was worse than Lan had originally thought- this many legends in one place was bound to attract all kinds of trouble; even if they didn't stick around long enough to get caught.

" Why are there so many of you? " exasperation strained his voice as he asked the question to no one in particular- it was most likely rhetorical considering he hadn't yelled it.

 

[BittyBobcat]

His eyes stung, his lungs were screaming, and he was still packing more and more flame away. Gray winced at the burning pain that was setting in throughout his body and quickly stuck his hand in the nearest solid object, a partially destroyed building, and allowed it to channel out. The energy bucked like a bull, but -with a significant force of will- it flowed slowly into the stone bricks. A wispy string of steam swirled away from his hand and joined the still-gathering cloud of smoke surrounding them. Dire as the situation was, he released a small sigh of relief when he returned to an acceptable temperature (admittedly, he was still quite warm, but he was no longer in danger of bursting into flames) and stepped back from the stone, which now had a shallow hand shaped dent in it.

A glance around the area told him he hadn't even gotten close to putting out the entire fire, but it seemed that everyone who could had left or made it to safe ground. Which meant they needed to get moving. Now.

"Alright," He turned to face the small crowd gathering behind him. The runt wasn't kidding, there was a fuck ton of them. "We don't have time for formalities." Gray shot a slight scowl in the owl-kid's direction. "You're phoenixes. Big surprise, I know." His wings tucked away behind him, flapping a few times to properly fold behind his jacket. "And I'm sure you have a ridiculous amount of questions that I'll have the displeasure of answering later, but right now we have to get out of here. Preferably without a whole flock of hunters on our tails." He cast a sweeping glance across the ragged, ash-coated people standing before him. "If you're smart, you'll be splitting off into small groups and heading to the docks. My airship is currently the only one there with a thin tail bit toward the back end. We can regroup there."

"Runt and Blue," He pointed toward the short boy and the woman who was crying a short few moments ago. "Get enough soot on your wings and nobody'll give you a second look. That goes for you too, Scales." He turned to the seemingly normal avian and his dragon-winged companion. "You four should be safe to fly." Gray spun on his heel and did a quick mental headcount. Three. Still an uncomfortably large group, but it was getting better. "Everyone else, hide your wings under your clothes. You're grounded." His hand gestured toward the thick pillar that remained mostly unburnt (fortunately, the people in this kingdom seemed to have the foresight to treat the wood in case of fire). "There's only one non-flying way out of here. There's a gap between the main-pillar and tier, and it's got a ton of support beams coming off it. We should be able to climb down them."

He took a few rapid steps toward the tier's edge. Looking down, he saw the pillar rising out of a deep abyss (presumably going all the way down to the whale's back) surrounded by a nest of thick, wooden support beams that splayed chaotically outward. Just as he had promised, they were close enough to reach relatively easily (which didn't stop him from uneasily wondering what would happen if he fell). "Oh, and one more thing," Gray added. "I'm a hell of a lot more likely to get recognized than any of you new phoenixes, which means I'm heading out alone. Don't follow me," He growled with a pointed stare across the trio. With that, he began his descent.

Peter gulped as the man disappeared beneath the platform's edge. It was comforting having someone who -at least seemed to- know what he was doing around. Well, fine. He could take care of himself. Pete wrestled his wings under his dusty, wool jacket and hissed in pain as a sudden stinging burst through his wrist. Instantly, he brought it to his face to find that being a phoenix did not, apparently, protect him from fire. His wrist had an angry red splotch burnt across it that enveloped a half of his hand.

It was fine. He was fine.

Still, he hated the idea of running into trouble while alone, functionally flightless, and with one hand mostly out of commission. So he, reluctantly, made his way toward the other two phoenixes. "Hey... I'm- uh, I'm Peter. I guess we're kinda stuck together...?" That sounded a bit more rude than he'd thought it would. "Not in a bad way, I mean- well, sorta in a bad way-" He forced himself to pause for a moment to think though his next sentence. "Sorry, let's just get going."

 

[Emixlin]

Emaliah grew increasingly shocked as more and more people appeared in the smoke. 4... 5... 6... 7?! And nearly all of them phoenixes! One of them was sucking away the fire, which she was grateful for. It was agonizingly hot on the ground, and she wished desperately to be back up in the cool air with the others. Curse these wings... although they were quite pretty. Too pretty, she supposed. A blessing and a curse.

As Emaliah waited for everyone to gather together, she wiped at her sweaty forehead with disgust. She was the daughter of a noble; she couldn't afford to be sweaty and shiny in front of all of these foreign people. She needed to make a good impression for her people back in Gildaneth. She found a sizeable piece of broken glass nearby and glanced in it, gawking at the sight of her ruined makeup. Ew! She looked gross. Emaliah wiped at the runny mascara on her face and patted at her hair, now frizzy from the heat, until she was somewhat satisfied with her appearance. Then the man putting out the fire began to speak.

After he gave everyone instructions (perhaps a bit rudely) and vanished into the abyss, Emaliah reluctantly slipped her wings under her expensive white cardigan and took a good look at her new "grounded" group. She had to travel with a young boy and a lady with short hair. She grimaced inwardly - how uncouth this woman was. It looked like Emaliah would be the only proper adult here (although she'd only just turned 18 that day).

The boy came and greeted Emaliah and the other phoenix. She giggled lightly at his flustered comments. "I'm Emaliah Belle Rousseau," she introduced herself, giving them a curtsy. "I'm the daughter of Duke William Bryce Rousseau II from the kingdom of Gildaneth. It's a pleasure to meet you... although perhaps I would have preferred different circumstances." She looked askance at the woman, as if she expected her to hiss expletives at them.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet offered a soft smile that had an undertone of grimace for the corvid, letting out a soft squawk as Flame grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him to the main group with a "you'll overheat, moron".

Which—fair.

He was drug backward by his kid, listening absently to the—obviously older—phoenix speak. Flame was most-definitely not listening to the given useful information. Instead, they hissed at the homeless-looking phoenix, wings already mostly covered in ash, fangs bared.

Unfortunately for them, Jet stopped them from taking off, hissing quietly in their ear with a sense of urgency he doesn't have the habit of taking. "Arii, I think it'd be best if we listened... at least for a little."

They gave him a Look in response, clicking their tongue irritably. But they stayed. At least, for the moment, wings folding in to their sides as they took in what the older magic-fire-bastard was saying. They were flying, at least... not that they'd follow his orders, anyway.

They gave a half-roll of their eyes and moved to comply, though, covering their dorsal side probably the best idea, anyway. Idly, they listened to someone who sounded pompous at best speak, "accidentally" flinging some ash in her general direction while they did a convincing impression of a small bird having a dirt bath in a patch of thick, paint-like soot.


Jet grimaced at the heat, looking over to the other two who were going to be flying with them. "Do either of you two need help?"

 

[Tapfic]

Again with calling him runt? Lan's brows nit together, but he bit his tongue ; for now. That prickly ass of a dragon fly would get an ear-full when he saw him again. Right now wasn't an optimal time for swear-ridden lectures.

With an overly dramatic groan, Lan knelt over a still warm pile of ash and began to smear it over his feathers- muttering obscenities under his breath all the while. Mostly about how long it was going to clean all the ash from his wings, some about the dragon fly phoenix.
Considering he didn't have very much experience being highly valued magical game, he reluctantly decided to listen to Mr. Fuck You and group up with these other guys, hopefully they wouldn't grate his nerves quite as much.

"Do either of you two need help?" came a voice from above him. Lan looked up.

"Holy fucking shit," The man had to be at least seven feet tall, that was two entire feet taller than Lan. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Thinking a little longer he decided he did know how he felt about it, he did not like it. Why would anyone ever need to be that big?

" I mean- No, I'm good, " the correction was hasty, and cut short by Lan turning his head to get a look at the others.

He assumed Blue was the girl with blue highlights in her wings; she seemed to have been crying recently. Scales must have been the draconic person currently rolling in ash. Wait- why was he in the group with the tall ones? Not that he had any sort of issue with tall people, he told himself, he just wanted to know.

His eyes skimmed over the other group- a kid, some snotty rich girl, and another lady- noticeably less snotty. The observations where brief, as he didn't really have any desire to know them all right now. That could be saved for when they were in less of a time crunch.

When the glow of Lan's wings finally dulled under the coat of ash, he stood- flapping them once to make sure not too much would be dislodged during flight.

" Anyways- Introductions, my name's Lan; end of introduction, " he gestured with one hand as he checked his pockets. Coin pouch- check, now ex-boss's business card- he didn't need it; but check, a handful of candy some grandmas gave him this morning- check, he poked his finger on something- a sewing needle for some reason? Check.

Wait a second; what about his stuff- and his house- and the grandmas that came to see him all the time even though he asked very politely for them to stop because no one should spend that much coin on hard candies for someone they mistook for a child three years ago and didn't know how to tell them he was in fact an adult. Did he just have to leave them all forever now?

He liked his stuff damnit. It cost a lot of money- and those poor grandmas, what if they thought he died in the fire?

Lan made a face and tapped his chin as he thought.

 

[spiralingheretic]

Harlow snorted as the older phoenix barked directions at them. She was not interested in being bossed around, thanks. However, she did feel she made the right decision in coming over; she might have discovered the exit on her own, but it seemed unlikely, as she was unfamiliar with the area. Plus, you know, a free ride out of here.

Just her luck, though, she had been stuck with a kid and… ugh, the blonde. Harlow was pretty sure she’d spotted the girl preening herself with a bit of broken glass. Already Harlow had a headache. She briefly considered ditching the two of them and making her way on her own, but she doubted the phoenix with the dragonfly wings would appreciate her showing up without them, and fwoop, there goes her free ride. Plus Harlow knew first-hand that the right people having trust in you (however misplaced) was more valuable than gold.

She let the other two make their introductions first, carefully tucking her wings inside her shirt (not an easy task when you had a wingspan like hers). The kid, Peter, sputtered a bit as he introduced himself. Poor guy looked pretty frazzled. At least he didn’t seem so shell-shocked that he would slow them down, and his priorities certainly seemed to be in order. Harlow could not say that about their other companion.

The girl, Emaliah Belle Rousseau (good lord), looked at Harlow as though she were something she might find on the bottom of her very expensive shoe. Harlow was very familiar with that look, and it didn’t bother her anymore. She’d be more insulted if the girl saw her as a peer. Her introduction was about three times longer than it needed to be, citing her father (was Harlow supposed to know who this guy was?), and her homeland. Rich people loved to do that, give out free information like it was candy at a parade. This habit had served Harlow on multiple occasions, but at the moment she just found it annoying.

Harlow barked a laugh at the last comment er…Emaliah made. “No kidding, princess.”

Hmm, might as well have a bit of fun.

As she introduced herself, she mimicked the blonde’s accent. “Oh but where are my manners. Allow me to introduce myself.” Harlow made an exaggerated curtsy. “You may call me Harlow Seaver. I hail from a nameless shithole over yonder,” she continued, gesturing in a random direction. Could be that way for all she knew. “Surely you’ve heard of us? My family is incredibly influential in the potatoes and carrots trade.”

Harlow rolled her eyes, not giving time for a response. "Alright now that the pleasantries are over with, I say Pete here has the right idea." She took a few steps to look over the edge of the pier and smiled to herself at what she saw. Oh this would be easy. Not much different from the rafters of a ship.

There were only her companions to consider. Harlow shot them a grin. "I do hope neither of you are afraid of heights."

 

[AncientBird]

With her wing beat and and glided, Juniper arrived in an interesting scene where she saw many assumingly just transformed phoenixes gathering among the flame. Juniper darted toward a building which was too high to be engulfed with flame. She still had to be careful and not get caught in the smoke for too long or she would be at risk of passing out. Slowly, the bronze hair girl crept toward the edge of the building and watched all the phoenixes gathering down below. What exactly were they doing? From her superb eye sight, she could see that they seemed confused and unfamiliar with each other... Still, they gathered around a seemingly older phoenix with a dragonfly-liked wings. Juniper couldn't make out of what they were talking.

Soon, the group began to spread out in smaller groups, each started to went their separate way. Some began to dust their wings with ash to conceal their glowing wings and some hid them under cloths, assuming they were leaving by foot. This made Juniper even more curious...

Soon, the older phoenix left and headed down to the abyss. Juniper never went down there before, not that she had any chance to explore down there anyway since it was mostly forbidden by her fathers to go. However, since that phoenix seemed like he's the one arranging the gathering of these newly converted phoenixes in the first place, he would be the one Juniper had to keep her eyes on.

Trying not to alert the other phoenixes, Juniper descended down the building crept around, avoiding the flame as much as possible. The smoke and dust made the environment pretty dull and hard to see through. Juniper coughed from the smoke a few times but it seemed nobody had yet to realized of her presence... She hid behind a charred stall that had flame already went off and waited for the other phoenixes to leave... Then with her swift movement, slipped into the same entrance the phoenix went through.

"You have gone insane, Jun... Totally crazy, I can't believe it... Merlin would have been thrilled if he was here though." Jun muttered quietly to herself as she descended into the darkness.

Featuring: BittyBobcat

 

[LindsMagee]

In the midst of wondering what to do next, an older phoenix, one with beautifully reflective dragonfly wings, flew into the mix. Tempest quirked a brow and briefly glanced toward the boy near her as the man called him runt, he did not seem to find that nickname very pleasing. Though she desperately wanted to part ways from the group and leave on her own, Tempest figured that being independent was not the safest option in this situation. Especially considering she found out she was a God damned phoenix and lost a close friend about two seconds ago.

When the man barking orders left, Tempest noticed a boy with black hair observing the burns on his hand and wrist, face flashing with pain. Once they were all safe and rested, Tempest made a mental note to offer to heal the burns for him, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to do it to the best of her abilities now.

Silently, she began scooping up handfuls of ash and covering her wings, wincing at the small burns on certain parts of them. Guess I got too close to the flames, she thought. And though she could just use her illusions to appear as if she did not have any in the first place, she did not know if she was strong enough to use her abilities after wasting her energy on trying to heal someone who was already dead. She only hoped she had enough strength left to fly to the dragonfly man’s ship and ignore the pain flying would surely bring with her injured wings. Tempest grimaced thinking about how dumb she was for letting her emotions get the best of her, usually that never happened. No point dwelling in it now though, for her and the others their best chance of survival was to stick together, think logically, and act quickly.

Before she was done covering her wings, the two people who saw her crying, the man and flame was it? Tempest thought she heard the man refer to them that way, looked as if they were about to make a break for it before the taller and older one stopped the pair. So I’m not the only one itching to separate from the group, she thought. Her mind also briefly touched on the idea that this phoenix could be leading them into a trap, but this seemed to be their only option at this point, so fuck it she decided she’d follow his lead.

“I’m fine, thank you” Tempest responded to the taller man who asked if she and runt needed any help. The short one spoke up, saying Lan was his name. He seemed to have a mind that went a million miles an hour. Though she didn’t think introductions would be useful because everyone would want to part ways soon, she spoke up and said, “I’m Tempest”. Before stretching out her stiff wings to get ready to take off. There were other phoenixes near them, but tempest decided she’d pay more attention to who they were once they were all safely in the airship.

 

[BittyBobcat]

Peter snorted. While he wasn't exactly keen on insulting his apparent new companions the second he met them, but even he had to admit that Em's introduction was a bit over the top. Not to mention, he was never fond of nobles (he was yet to meet many people who were). Still, he wiped the grin off his face quickly with a nervous cough and an awkward glance at the noble. No use pissing off a potential ally (even if it was in a terrifically funny way).

Fortunately, the opportunity to laugh at something less insulting came along just a few seconds later. Afraid of heights? "Hell no," He chirped with a proud puff of his chest akin to a loud bird. Climbing the main pillar was child's play. Peter had done it a thousand times before on dares or when his wings were tired. He'd even used it to deliver a message to one of the more aristocratic levels (the guards had turned him away when he'd tried to fly in). The disorderly mass of support beams were as familiar as the wind in his feathers.

Peter leapt onto them with a careless fluidity. "Try to keep up." He smirked and began to scramble down with practiced ease. Despite the statement, Peter stopped every few seconds to glance into the shadows behind him to make sure they were there.

Hundreds of feet below them, Gray climbed with considerably more difficulty. He ducked under yet another beam, narrowly avoiding smacking his head for the third time in the past handful of minutes... and then promptly slammed into the one behind it as he hopped to the next. Biting back a curse, he rubbed his now bruised forehead with a scowl. In the small moment of pause, he heard a mutter. It was too quiet to understand the words, but he could feel the hairs rising on the back of his neck.

He reached for the dagger in his inner coat pocket and pressed his back to the main pillar. In a low but firm voice, he growled into the empty air, "Who's there?"

 

[Emixlin]

“Watch it!” Emaliah shot a glare at the phoenix bathing themselves in ash, tossing some of it in her direction. She brushed it off carefully, frowning at the faint stain on her white cardigan, and turned back to her group.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as this Harlow person mocked her introduction. How dare she?! And the potatoes and carrots trade; really? Even she could've come up with something better than that (if her kingdom weren’t already in the far more extravagant topaz trade). Her initial impression of this woman appeared to be spot-on: Harlow was of the vulgar, primitive breed of people with little regard for their self-respect.

Emaliah gazed longingly at the other group, who was preparing to take off into the air. The two men were intimidating with their massive wings and tall figures, but that only meant they would serve as better bodyguards for Emaliah. Here, in the grounded group, she had no one to rely on. Honestly, all of the phoenixes here were a huge disappointment. They didn’t even recognize her standing as the daughter of a duke! Thankfully, she only had to go along with them until her daddy returned to retrieve her.

"I do hope neither of you are afraid of heights," Harlow said. Emaliah was surprised when Peter hopped straight down to the support beams and took off unhesitatingly. She hastened to follow, not wanting to be bested by a little boy (or worse, the unruly woman). It looked like the support beams might be tricky to maneuver, but Emaliah was certain she could make it to the docks with perfect beauty and elegance.

She jumped down and landed reasonably safely on one of the beams, then began the tedious climb down to the next tier. The haphazard placement of the beams forced Emaliah to think carefully before she took each step - she didn’t want to slip and have Harlow laughing at her. But the other two were fast, so she did her best to keep up.

Emaliah looked ahead to see if Peter would be alright, considering his age (and the alarming speed with which he was moving). She didn’t bother checking on Harlow; that crude woman could fall into the abyss and she wouldn’t bat an eye. As a matter of fact, perhaps she would celebrate. She smiled to herself at the thought.

Then Emaliah’s fingers, unaccustomed to the weight of her body when she was normally supported by her wings, slid from a beam and she dropped.

She let out a short scream as she fell through the air, wings straining against her cardigan, and she landed with an awful thud on another beam. She grasped it tightly, breathing hard as panic coursed through her. I almost died, she thought, astonished. Her side ached from the impact of the landing. She grimaced. There would probably be an ugly bruise there for a few days.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Flame barely glanced up at the outburst, and didn't even react to the introductions, flaring their wings and giving them a hard flap to have the ash cake on.

The walking lamp post, however, bobbed his head whistling an odd sound that had Flame looking up at him with a perked brow. "You can call me Jet... or Dr. Kadoshi, if you like." Jet turned his head to his companion with another odd whistle, and they shrugged in reply. "And that's Flame."

Jet nodded, briefly pausing to ensure everyone else had covered their wings before spreading his own.

And holy shit. Somehow, his wings looked so much bigger than they should, absolutely dwarfing his already massive figure. With a stroke and a half of the giant appendages, he was airborne, right from a standstill. Ash and soot flew, kicked up by the wind from Jet's wings that flattened the blaze near him and gave Flame enough wind to get in the air with a quick jump and a few flaps of their wings.

They apparently didn't deem it worth their while to reply, though, as they were wing-to-wing with Jet and didn't seem too interested in speaking at all.

Though, it became increasingly obvious that Flame's default speed far outranked Jet's, as they switched to circling around him, wingtips whistling sharply with their speed.

 

[Tapfic]

Lan watched with quiet amusement at the dragon kid's exchange with the blonde, serves her right for... well she didn't actually do anything to him yet- but he bet she would annoy him eventually; so it was fair.

He didn't show much outward interest in learning the other three phoenix's names; Tempest, Flame, and Jet; Lan decided to call him Dr. Kadoshi sense he was given the option- but if he told you he didn't repeat each one of them seven times in his head to avoid an awkward situation later- well he would be lying.
The moment of amusement was over when Dr. Kadoshi opened his massive fuckin wings to take off.

What the fuck? What the fuck?
Lan looked in awe and disbelief at the entire airship of a man.
What god did he manage to piss off in order to end up in this group? One of the guy's feathers was probably taller than Lan's whole body!

Deep breath in, and out. It was okay; he was fine. He wasn't going to hold any animosity for Dr. Kadoshi over a few inches feet worth of plumage- he told himself whilst clenching his fist.

It took a few flaps, but eventually Lan's soot covered wings hoisted him into the air. He didn't seem too strained now- but it wouldn't be long until his wings started to hurt; they best hurry and get this over with.

"Okay great, we're all buddy-buddy and ready to go; now lets get to the docks," he sounded as annoyed as he looked- turning to start on his way without waiting for the others. Its not like they couldn't catch up with him anyways- Lan thought he heard a girl scream, but it was so brief he couldn't be sure; and opted to ignore it. Maybe some side effect of too much stress in a singled day.

He closed his eyes for a moment and promised himself he would relax later. Maybe clean something, that sounded nice.