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Post by Mantis Shrimp on Dec 22, 2020 0:27:07 GMT
A shadowy figure stands in the center of a circle of dragons. It turns and grins at them. "Welcome, dragons, one and all! It is time for the giving of gifts! You have received instructions and prepared gifts for one dragon who agreed to attend. Each dragon shall receive one gift. You will not know who prepared the gift for you, and you may guess who gave it to you once you have received it if you wish." The dragon stepped aside, revealing a pile of presents wrapped with paper decorated with colorful patterns so you can't see what is contained inside. A small tag with a name written on it is attached to each present. The shadowy figure circles the presents, looking at each dragon in turn. "Who wishes to be the first to open their gift? It can be any dragon, and the next dragon shall be the one who gave the gift to the previous dragon."
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Post by Bronzewing on Jan 4, 2021 19:30:17 GMT
Carmine stepped forward, looking at the other dragons- this was strange, and the old champion wished to know who the shadowy one was in the center. Running her claws absentmindedly over the scar over one eye, the SkyWing gave them a nod. "I must admit, I don't remember agreeing to attend." she spoke in her normal, overly formal tone. "But I don't mind what happens, as long as it's not a fight. If we're opening gifts... She looked down at the pile, wondering if any of them were for her- or if for some reason she had been dropped here in place of another dragon. Was there another Carmine out there that signed up for something that she had no part in? It was rather fascinating, that she had to admit. She had seen many things, but never a festival such as this.
At least she had remembered to bring something. It was a tad macabre of a gift, but she liked it- and had even cleaned it up for the ceremony. Luckily whomever got her item appreciated it just as much as she liked finding it.
I'll volunteer to go first. she said, folding up her wings and tensing up her body in case it was something to worry about. Who knew what was stored inside the expertly wrapped box? Vipers? She didn't like to admit her paranoid nature at times, but after her days in the arena who knew what would happen? Life had a way of surprising dragons, and most definitely her. Again her claws raised up to the scar over her eye- she was immensely lucky she could even see out of it.
Taking the box, she placed it on the ground and cautiously started to peel open the paper with quick flicks of claws, whatever substance that was holding it together folding away from her claws. Reaching her claws inside, not feeling any movement, she gained a bit more confidence before pulling out the shell.
This was not what she expected, and she spent some time admiring it. She had never been by the sea where these shells were found- and therefore had never understood the curves and thin patterns featured in them. It was rather pretty, and she turned it around with delicate claws- it was definitely on a higher caliber than what she had brought. Were these common somewhere? Did dragons see these often? Turning it around one last time, she placed it on the ground as not to break it. I have no idea who could have brought something such as this. she said. Definitely somebody with access to the water? A SeaWing, possibly, or even any dragon that got close to the water. Definitely not something common to the Kingdom of the Sky. Looking around, she scanned the dragons for any hints of smiles or interest on their faces. She would of course like to guess whomever gave this to her before they were revealed- but she didn't have a clue, and so she dipped her head down.
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Post by Mantis Shrimp on Jan 12, 2021 19:21:36 GMT
Mantis watched nervously as the scary-looking Skywing took his present from the pile. I hope that she'll like what I got her, they thought. They hadn't been sure what Carmine would want, and he'd thought about it for a long time until he finally decided to get her a cool-looking shell at the last minute. It had taken him a bit to find one he thought was suitable, but he thought it was worth it. It was larger than most of the shells he normally saw on the beach, with lots of spikes along it. She opened the present, and Mantis studied her face hopefully. She took some time turning the shell in her claws, and then put it on the ground. Mantis's heart sank a bit. Did she like it? He hadn't been able to tell if she'd been happy or dissappointed by his present. He fidgeted nervously as Carmine looked at all the dragons around her. "I have no idea who could have brought something such as this," she said. "Definitely somebody with access to the water? A SeaWing, possibly, or even any dragon that got close to the water. Definitely not something common to the Kingdom of the Sky." Mantis tentatively raised a talon. "I-I brought it for you," they said quietly. "It-it's a conch shell, you can use it like a horn if you want to," He walked nervously over to Carmine and picked up the shell. They brought it to their mouth and blew gently into it, and a loud, clear note sounded. "I'm not sure what you'd want to use it for, but I thought you might like it." They smiled nervously at Carmine, and went over to the center of the circle. It took him a bit to find the present with his name on it, because it was smaller than the other presents. Why is it so small? They wondered what was inside. Returning to their spot in the circle, they held up the gift so other dragons could see it. With shaking claws, they opened the package, wincing a bit as the paper tore. After a bit of struggling, they realized that trying to keep the paper intact was pretty worthless. It would just dissolve in water, and what would they even do with a piece of decorative paper? They tore open the rest of the package, and a tiny golden object fell into their talons. Mantis stared at it for a bit, unsure of what to say. It was an earing. A golden earing with a polished, cloudy white crystal dangling off of it. Mantis looked up at the surrounding dragons, unsure of what to say. Someone had given him treasure. Real treasure. "Th-thank you," he stammered. "It's beautiful," There was a lot more they wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words to say them. Nobody he'd ever known had given him anything. Even the one dragon who liked him. This dragon had never even met Mantis before, but they still gave them something beautiful. They smiled, then looked at the other dragons carefully, thinking about who had given it to him. He didn't know anything about the other dragons, even if they'd have access to this kind of thing where they lived. Mantis shook his head wordlessly and shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't know who gave this to me. But thank you again." He lifted the earing to his ear, realized they didn't know how to put it on, and put it down next to them.
Word count: 589
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