Video

[ruecasthix]

I'm assuming everyone has figured out what is going on by now, but then I realize now that when I agreed to aid the Initiative in their battle, I was making an assumption that they had enough competence to could keep the single greatest weapon they have working. This was clearly a rather unfortunate error on my part. This is Ricasthix the dragon, the red one, speaking from the body of a young lady who I am told goes by the name of Rue.

Initiative, I am not going to make any more assumptions about your competence, so I hope you are listening to this. I am a forty foot long, nine hundred pound dragon in the body of a four foot tall, ninety pound human. My skills are not geared towards this situation, but you none the less expect me to plot and execute an elaborate art heist in this state? With this and the previous incident that shuffled around everyone's ages, you are going to run out of the grudging trust and respect you have so far received from most of the rest of us. Do not use the time machine again unless you are sure it works properly, or you can expect to see resistance cells starting to pop up again. The leaders of United Earth will laugh while we tear ourselves apart fighting in the streets.

Did I leave any part of that unclear in any way?

Comments

[whomheloved]

Oh goodness...is Rue okay? Do you know?

[ruecasthix]

I have yet to make contact with her. At the very least, my body is a rather sturdy one, so unless she has annoyed some very powerful people, she should be okay.

[whomheloved]

Good...I'm glad that she'll be okay. What about you, though? Are you managing well? This is probably a very drastic change for you.

[ruecasthix]

I have some experience with a human form, but always with the option to turn back whenever I pleased. It has been a learning experience, to say the least.

[whomheloved]

At least it shouldn't be lasting more than a few days. But even that is a lot, considering everything...

video

[falsehoods]

I doubt they have ever truly understood that device....

[he rubs his chin and looks thoughtful]

[ruecasthix]

They built it, did they not?

[falsehoods]

[He shrugs]

It may have originally been...acquired....from the United Earth.

[ruecasthix]

United Earth having time machines as well is a fairly frightening prospect, but the fact that they have not figured out what we are doing and undertaken a more active campaign of destroying us suggests otherwise.

[treehopping]

[Oh this is awkward, and clumsy. She's much too big and no longer bipedal, there's extra limbs to deal with and strength she can't comprehend. Rue's been scared to move, unable to precisely control herself, literally afraid she'll break something.]

You got my body!

[And oh the dragon sized voice makes her cringe, makes the dragon's body cringe.]

[ruecasthix]

Ah...

[Good heavens is that really what he sounds like?]

I suppose I do. I've done my best to take good care of it, but I'm afraid its gotten a few bumps and scrapes.

[treehopping]

Oh thank you!

[It's a rush of relief, she'd been scared, what if someone got it and they were angry they were a little girl and did... something. She's not sure what.

And oh yes it's weird to hear herself, though not the first time.]

I've um, tried to be careful with yours, I... haven't really moved much.

[ruecasthix]

Probably wise. I'm glad I had already bothered to learn how to walk as a human, but even if I hadn't I wouldn't have caused much damage while trying to learn.

Still, you should probably make an effort to leave the city. There's room out in the countryside to crash into things without annoying anyone.

[treehopping]

I've been real scared of breaking something! Or...

[Someone. She nods shakily, the large dragon head swinging from side to side. Rue wishes she knew how to operate the wings, that would be simpler.]

Okay, I think I can do that.

[ruecasthix]

Just think of it like crawling. Take it slow, and people will generally get out of your way. If they don't, roaring at them will usually do the trick without actually hurting anyone.

[treehopping]

Slow... slow...

[There's a lack of anything more for a while, Rue's concentrating on walking out of the city, one step at a time.

Finally she replies.]

I'm out.

video

[walkingontwolegs]

How do you keep your balance? I nearly destroyed this Shinji's hands while regaining my balance. It's painful. I don't know how humans survived as a race without a tail.

[ruecasthix]

Practice. It takes most humans several years to be able to walk unassisted. It took me several months of falling on my face before I got the hang of it, and I had the advantage of starting with the mind of a comparative adult.

[walkingontwolegs]

I want my real body back. Dragon senses are a lot better than humans' as it turns out. The Darkness Beyond at night is far more deep than it was when I was in my real body.

[ruecasthix]

You have dark vision?

[walkingontwolegs]

[ The expression on Aurican's - or rather Shinji's - face is similar to exasperated befuddlement. ]

Dark vision?

[ruecasthix]

That is...

Can you see without light at all, or just with less light than humans can comfortably see in?

[walkingontwolegs]

I can see without light, but there's a limited range to it. Sometimes if the expanse is long enough, I will see darkness ahead.

This body, not so much.

[ruecasthix]

Interesting. Even as a dragon, I had no such talent.