[labprotocol]

Ky put an arm around Nym and herded him further into the cave. "Tolerate?" Ky snorted. "You're so formal." He led Nym to the nest and motioned for him to sit down before flopping onto the nest himself. "So what kind of nest do city dragons have?" He glanced at Ivan and decided it would probably be best to leave him alone. He sounded like he was still brooding over his last clutch with Ivy. Ky growled under his breath. The humans had taken Ivan's kits before they'd all hatched and the ones who had were still stumbling around blind.

[Flayme]

Nym plopped down beside Ky, and shifted a bit until he was comfortable. He realized that he needed to perhaps loosen up a bit... HE wasn't trying to be formal. He couldn't help the way he talked. He'd picked it up mostly from the chatter his humans had used.

"Well... I suppose I've never really had a nest. Not like this." Nym knew that that probably sounded strange. Where was a dragon to sleep but a nest? The answer for Nym was, just about anywhere. He'd always slept in his full dragon form as well, so that was another change, settling in without being changed back to his true form. It was strange. "When I was first traded to the Fiskes, I was usually told to sleep at foot of my master's son's bed, (Mostly at the little boy's request) just on the floor... I mean of course I had a bed of sorts. It was... Rather like a large pillow." Nym chuckled a bit, realizing how pampered that sounded. Did Ky even know what a pillow was? "But-" He continued. "They eventually decided that I was too large for that room, so I had place down in the great hall by hearth for a quite a few years... Still on the same pillow." He glanced around at Ky and Ivan's cave again. "I'm realizing now how absurd that sounds."

[labprotocol]

Pillow? Ky wasn't sure what that was, but he didn't want to sound ignorant. Something you slept on apparently and Nym said he slept on the same one even when they moved his sleeping spot... so a portable nest. He supposed bed was another kind of nest or something. Ky frowned. "So you've never slept in a nest with another dragon before," that sounded extremely lonely. "Not even your clutch-mates?" Then he grimaced remembering that Nym probably never even met his clutch-mates. He said he'd been bought as an egg after all. "Here," Ky opened his arms "come here."

[Flayme]

"No, no other dragons unfortunately... No clutch mates either." Nym shrugged and gave Ky a somber smile. It was a bit of a melancholy thought, thinking that really, Nym had been simply treated like an oversized house dog for the greater part of his life, but he hadn't ever known any different, so it wasn't anything he ever stayed sullen over for very long. He had his master's two children who had snuggled with him some nights, they'd usually tug at his horns and his tail, but he hadn't minded in the slightest, he'd reveled in the feeling of having sort of contact, any contact he could get... He was realizing now that that was probably absurd too. Being so willingly and continuously in proximity with humans. Nym was sure a wild dragon would be appalled at the thought.

When Ky stretched his arms open, Nym blanched a bit. What the other male was trying to do, he was confused about for a moment, until realized that Ky was beckoning him to come over to him. He flushed a bit, and seemed reluctant, but slowly shifted himself beside Ky anyway, brushing up against him slightly. Why he let himself do it, he wasn't sure... Perhaps it was sheer curiosity at what it would feel like to be snuggled up against another dragon. Maybe he was just craving some sort of comfort after having been plucked up and dragged here. It had been somewhat of a traumatizing day after all.

[labprotocol]

No other dragons? That seemed so strange to Ky. He'd grown up surrounded by dragons. He'd had ten clutch-mates and when they were still little they'd all pile up on top of each other for warmth and comfort. Living in the enclosure was isolating enough, but at least there had been a few other dragons around. His heart heavy Ky snuggled closer to Nym and kissed one of Nym's horns. "Night Nym," he sighed "if you want you can change forms." He hoped he didn't. He liked to cuddle as a dragon, but he always felt like he dominated the smaller carriers. Sometimes that felt good, like he was protecting them, but other times Ky just wanted to be on the same level.

[Flayme]

"Goodnight, Ky..." Nym touched one hand to where the other dragon had kissed his horn. His horns were the one feature that Nym chose to never shift. It helped him stand out against the rest of the human world he was usually surrounded with, and regularly sucked into. It kept a little piece of him true to his feral roots, even if he'd never experienced them, and his masters had thankfully never seemed to protest it. After a moment he let his hand drop back to his chest, and stayed leaned up against Ky.

For a long while Nym didn't sleep at all. He didn't shape shift either. He simply stayed quiet, trying to match his breathing with Ky and Ivan's, and contemplated the steady rise and fall of Ky's chest against him. He kept still and let the twilight outside pass into night. He still couldn't quite believe that he was here... But, at least he felt safe. Safer than he had expected he would at least.

[labprotocol]

(Goodnight. Thanks for RPing with me :D)

[Flayme]

((Oh! Nighty night! It was lovely to RP with both you and Poppy today. :3 I'll be around around tomorrow evening!))

[Poppy]

((School is terrible but I'll be around again tonight as well~))

Ceral was curious about Ivy's comment. For the most part, Ky had left him alone, but maybe that's because he'd brushed him off at first. He was sort of just pissy his first day here, but he'd simmered down slightly, not enough that he was willing to go out of his way to do what he was really here for, however. He was sure he could fend for himself if it got too heated, still, but he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that because he wasn't the most versed in that whole thing unless it included verbal arguing. He'd see how it would go, and for now he was just content enough that he got all of his necessities without having to go out of his way to get them. It was much easier to, say, get food here than it was in his caves. Swimming after fish in the narrow caverns wasn't always a success.

When Ivy left, Ceral nodded in goodbye. He felt like maybe he should follow after her, to maybe see where she was going to at least keep it in mind for the future (in case he might ever need her help for something) but after crawling out of the water himself, he'd changed his mind and settled for resting at the edge of the water instead, a comfortable place - if only he had the caves above him too. It felt odd sleeping outside, and he didn't particularly like the caves that were here, but Ceral had gotten used to it in the days that he'd been here.

He kept his eye on the trio not too far off for a little bit through the night until they left, just a little intrigued about what they might've been talking about earlier when he and Ivy were busy swimming. When morning came around, Ceral found himself closer to the small group's cave, making his way through some brush to somewhat keep hidden until they all awoke. Ivy said she'd protect him from Ky if need be, but the guy didn't look too bad. Ivan seemed alright by the looks of it, and Ceral had yet to learn who the new face was. Settling beneath some kind of outgrown bush outside of the cave the three were in, Ceral watched the unusual door with interest, his tail flicking anxiously as he wondered how he should approach them if they were to come out. The more dragons he had on his side, the better.

[labprotocol]

Ivan woke the next morning to find that the three of them had twisted together during the night. He purred snuggling deeper into Ky's side as he used Ky for a head rest. Ivan's arm was draped over Ky and Nym and half conscious he started to trace lazy circle's on the latter's shoulder.

The nest was warm and smelled like roasted pine nuts and rain and something unique that was purely Nym. The sea dragon couldn't quite catch hold of it though. He found it oddly pleasant and comforting despite only knowing Nym for less than a day. There was a fourth scent, fainter and coming from outside the cave. His pregnancy had made his sense of smell overly sensitive for the last few weeks. Ivan gave Ky's smooth forehead a morning kiss before extracting himself from the nest. Ky hummed and snuggled closer to Nym. Ivan smiled down at the two.

He still wanted to make sure that Nym was okay. He didn't know how much Nym knew about the Facility or his purpose there or anything related to dragons honestly. He wasn't even sure Nym knew anything about carrying a clutch. With that disturbing thought Ivan left the cave, sniffing the air gently.

He shivered uneasily. He could smell another dragon nearby and his carrier instincts were working themselves up. Logically, he knew that he had nothing to worry about. The facility wouldn't allow any type of savage behavior that might harm a clutch and he wasn't in the wilds where dragons fought for mates. This wasn't the wilds were dragons took pregnant carriers hostage so that when the carrier went into labor and was too tired to defend themselves the other could take the kits and raise them as their own.

[Poppy]

Ceral liked to pretend he didn't know why he was here because it was amusing. His owner had told him straight off the bat why he had been put into this facility, and Ceral had stared, laughed, and promptly gotten in trouble but it was worth it to see the look on his master's face. Cave dwellers probably weren't the best kind of dragon to breed with in terms of usefulness. Sure, they were pretty and curious creatures, but they were also terribly lazy (hence why Ceral was basking in everything currently just being given to him and hated getting stuff by himself) and wouldn't make for a good pet, or whatever the deal was, in the end. He supposed with strict training their demeanor could possibly be changed, but Ceral couldn't see himself changing anytime soon for anyone, not even for these dragons in the enclosure he was with. He'd been trying to figure up ways of getting out of here. He couldn't fly, and the walls were obviously an obstruction, but he half wondered if he could dig his way out..?

He'd look into it eventually. Unless the walls went through the earth some degree, surely he could dig his way out if he wanted, right? Ceral's focus shifted when he caught sight of one of the dragons exit the cave, and his sharp eyes blinked with interest at the large figure. Ceral didn't even know how the poor guy could function. Even if he were to ever give into the whole clutch thing himself, Ceral didn't see himself giving up the eggs or kits easily. He hadn't a clue as to how long he was supposed to be here, and was now thinking about how many times some of the carriers here might have already previously been bred in the past.

Pursing his lips, Ceral straightened from his spot under the bush, shuffling out and stopping a few feet away from the other. "Hi..." he said nervously, unsure of how to properly greet. He'd wanted to play with Ivy cause he'd been bored, but actually introducing himself like this was a bit awkward. "I saw you and um... the other two, yesterday. Figured I'd come over?" Cool, that sounded friendly enough.

[labprotocol]

Ivan smiled surprised that the elusive dragon was finally speaking to one of them. "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you." Ivan eased onto the ground and patted the grass beside him. "I'm Ivan. Ky and Nym are asleep, but they should wake up soon."

[Poppy]

Ceral had to admit that being around this particular dragon made him more at ease, even more so than he'd been with Ivy around. "Yeah, Ivy told me about you guys." Ceral moved forward warily, his scales hands flexing for a moment as he sat down a little bit away a from Ivan. He didn't want to get too close, not just yet. He wasn't sure why despite the calm the dragon gave off, but instincts were a thing for a reason.

"I'm Ceral," he replied easily, curling his tail around to his front and flicking the end to and fro. "I must say, it's nice to see faces here. Before Ivy, I'd only ran into that Ky once. It's very unusual in these habitats."

[Flayme]

(( Aha! I'm back for the evening! I hope you two have had lovely days so far! :3 ))

Nym had always been a sound sleeper, meaning once he'd finally slipped into slumber the evening before, he'd stayed peacefully dormant for the entirety of the night, and most of the early morning as well, if the sun's lofty position in the sky meant anything. It was the sun actually, that was forcing him to wake up. It was intruding the otherwise dark nesting cave underneath the peculiar door, painting a stripe of light across the floor and hitting him in the face.

Nym shifted and blinked a few times at the abrasive light, and then slowly moved to try and sit up. He was instantly made aware however that he was rather entangled with Ky. He blushed a bit as he realized that he had been basically plastered against the other dragon's chest, and pulled himself away. He tried to be as gentle as he could manage, as he didn't want to disturb Ky more than he had to. He straightened up, brushed himself off a bit, and then finally realized that Ivan was gone. Nym glanced around and figured that he must have already left the cave and gone outside.

[labprotocol]

Ivan watched Ceral's tail flick with silver eyes as he processed the dragon's words. Maybe Ceral only needed to get used to the habitat and the other dragons. "Where are you from?" Ivan assumed that Ceral had been a wild dragon like himself. He wasn't as awkward as the city dragon. The poor horned dragon didn't seem to know much about his own kind.

Ceral's wings looked perfect for swimming and Ivan hoped that Ceral was another water dragon like himself. Maybe a distant cousin or something.

------------------
Ivy had woken up and was on her way to eat breakfast when she heard Ivan and Ceral talking. With a smile she slipped into the trees and slithered over to the branches shadowing her favorite dragons.

[Poppy]

((Same to youu! I get most of tomorrow off after 4 hours of work in the morn, so I'm so psyched.))

"I'm wild, if that's what you mean." Ceral paused and frowned. "Well, I kinda got caught recently, but I don't plan on abiding by the rules for long." His owner might have an advantage over him right now, but Ceral was determined to see his home of endless caverns again, even if it killed him. He'd heard of pet dragons, the companions, and it made him a tad sick to his stomach to think about having to live with a master that way. There was nothing that could be compared to being a wild dragon, and similarly nothing that could be compared to once being wild and now stuck in this place.

Ceral was able to sense Ivy, simply by smell; did he still smell like Ivy? He liked Ivy, truly, but his mind just wasn't focused on baring right now, and he felt like if he didn't put out, she'd get bored of him. "What about you? Are you wild..? Or, were you?" Ceral smiled awkwardly, trying to keep his gaze on Ivan's face and not his large abdomen. He didn't seem too uncomfortable by it, but Ceral imagined it wasn't fun. "I lived in the caves. A cave dragon or whatever. Being up here on land is odd."

[labprotocol]

(I had a good day, thank you. :D)

Ky mumbled groggily as the warm body beside him moved away. He sat up and rubbed a hand through the mess his hair had become, frowning. Why did Ivan insist on a "proper" sleep schedule. Ivan was such a morning bird and it drove Ky crazy. Personally Ky was more of a night person. He liked to stay up late and watch the way the moonlight shifted over cooling stones and silver lit trees then spend a lazy morning wrapped up his mates arms. He blinked and watched as Nym moved away from the nest. Ky rolled his eyes, so Nym was a morning person too. Great. "I'm cold," Ky whined. He wasn't really, the habitat was quite warm during the day, but he was annoyed that both of his sweet carriers had abandoned him.

[labprotocol]

Ivy leaped down from the tree and landed next to Ivan. "Morning!" she threw her arms around Ivan from behind and rubbed her face against his neck in greeting.

Ivan rolled his eyes and shouldered her off. "Quit that! Ky will be furious if I smell like you." His silvery gaze moved to the little cave dragon and twitched his nose. "He'll already be annoyed that you marked Ceral."

"Yeah Ivan's wild. He's only been in captivity for a year or so, right?" Ivy said, crawling over to Ceral and rubbing his cheek in greeting as well, before scooting back to what she hoped was an appropriate distance. "He said he lived in this huge lake filled with schools of fish and surrounded by pine trees."

Ivan rolled his eyes. "I can talk for myself. Thank you very much."

[Flayme]

(( Ah yay for days off! I won't be out of class and off of work until mid afternoon tomorrow, you lucky duck. Haha. ))

Quietly, and somewhat cautiously, Nym moved to the entrance of the cave, ready to ease the door open. He wasn't quite sure why he was being so careful, or what he was expecting... It wasn't as if this were an authentic forest full of wild creatures and snarling beasts... And if it were, he realized that it would be him who would be considered one of those dangerous predators. He was supposed to be a winged, toothed thing, that was meant to reside somewhere near the top of the food chain. Nym however, had never considered himself a ferocious animal before, and thinking about it made him chuckle softly. It was somewhat of a comical idea, him out and about, snapping after deer, and fish, and other things.

"Cold-?" Nym whipped around again, a little startled to suddenly hear Ky pipe up at him. He hadn't even realized that the other dragon had woken up. "Uh-" He hesitated and smiled sheepishly. He couldn't understand how Ky could possibly be cold either... Nym himself was feeling rather overly warm. "Well, the sun is up... Perhaps venturing outside would warm you up?" He glanced back to the door and pressed on it slightly. He could hear Ivan, (His voice was already becoming familiar to Nym.) and another couple voices that were unfamiliar to him. It made him anxious, and admittedly curious at the same time.

[Poppy]

((Eeek class. The semester is over for me next week, so ready lol.))

Ceral jumped a little when Ivy revealed herself. He watched her with Ivan warily. He wondered if her clutch-mate, Ky, would actually do anything with her trying to cuddle all over Ivan like that, but until they came out of the cave he guessed things would be alright. Ceral's face flushed a little at Ivy's contact and he tipped his head. "Are you marked forever once you're marked? My kind doesn't mark each other." Ceral's kind was more promiscuous, and there was no need to mark carriers, even if they were carrying. Cave dragons were different. "Oh really?" he continued, looking back to Ivan when he heard Ivy mention where he was from. "So you're like a water dragon?

"I'm from the caves. My kind doesn't come out, kinda isolationists. Nice to meet someone with an affinity for water still." Ceral easily settled into the grass, rolling onto his side comfortably as he tried to make himself at home. Okay, so he knew people now. That was a step in the right direction. "You've been here for a year?" he went on, his tone surprised at the fact. Just thinking about being kept up in here for a year made Ceral that much more willing to do what he could to get back home. A year was a long time, and there was no telling what his 'master' had in mind for him. "A year is... it's still a year."