FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

After a quick lunch, Asporyx, a nearly black, iridescently green drake, followed his Isle Partner, a matte Blue drame named Elrenlani to the new addition to their isle. The builder teams had just left after pulling a new section of land from the water that looked, roughly, like one quarter of a fairly tall hill lifted up. And it was covered in a quickly grown forest; the trees wouldn't be the greatest lumber, but they were somewhat sturdy and looked nice enough. And for most dragons' needs, though, they'd suffice. Or at least Asp hoped they would. As he looked around, he hmmed, already mentally marking out where the different levels of the terraced garden would go. “Hmm... Think Kastri might be up to helping out, Dria?"

Enoldria, the golden drame-herm beside him, thought for a moment. “Maybe. It would probably be good to get her mind on something else, though she wouldn't give you the consort discount and payment options I am~" Dria said, leaning against him. Asp blinked; consort was... a hefty step-up from just 'drame-friend' in terms of courting. It was, essentially, a declaration of intent. Or at least it used to be; he'd been told the meaning had started to change to be more casual. He... honestly wasn't going to argue it, though, either way.

“Why, what are you thinking, Asp?" Faistyve, a violet drame on his other side.

“That there's a lot of trees to fell... and split in half and notch to build the walls of the terraces. And stakes, I guess... maybe some wooden trellises, too... some plants do grow as vines after all." Asp walked a head, starting up the hill. The slope wasn't... overly steep, but he certainly wouldn't call it gentle. And at this angle, Asp could tell that even while it looked hill-like, it did sloped down almost like it was meant for arena. And where the 'stage' of the area would be, about half the area was covered in what looked like a freshwater source. Asp took advantage of the height, and with a few bounds and pushes off of trees, landed at the edge, sniffing at the water. It smelled clean and fresh. And it was surprisingly deep; Asp could put his entire head under the water without touching the bottom. He could just make it out. He pulled his head back out and nodded.

“Hmm, true..." Dria said. “But I think we'll need you to mark out the individual levels and boxes, too, Asp." Ren made a sound of agreement; this was his specialty, after all.

“Keep in mind we will need paths to the top edges, too. If we are to put an amphibious-like habitat up there... though that might be a bit difficult to constantly traverse, now that I see it it." Ren said. “Well, we can always put more forest up there...maybe hunting grounds or habitats for those species that prefer higher elevations. That does mean we need more expansions, though..." Ren frowned. Asp gave her a light nuzzle on her flank; her wings flared in surprise.

“We'll figure it out, don't worry. There's still your lagoon and... cavern system ideas too." Asp said. “We'll really need to draw it out at some point." Ren and Dria both nodded; while Dria, in theory, had her own isle to manage with her own partner, Srylumdar, she seemed to be planning on joining Asp as soon as possible. Sryl might be joining them as well.

“It seems like, yes. But do you have an idea of how long it will take to lay out how you want it structured?" Ren asked.

“Hmm, probably a full-day's length? Moving all the uprooted trees somewhere will take most of the time. Also, depends on how Dria's able to create the terrace level."

“Let's see, the easiest would be just pulling up sections with two of my limbs and pushing down at the same time until it's level." Dria said; Asp walked around the drame, who spread her limbs out in a sturdy stance. Asp thought he saw her tail try to raise, but the drame seemed to fight that urge. It certainly wasn't a bad stance for her to be mated in, and Asp's eyes did drink in the sight of his consort; she was more solidly built than himself or Ren, though she was shorter than himself by a noticeable amount, maybe a whole head or so; he could lean in and nuzzle along the curvature of a number of her well-defined muscles. Ren's body was more slender, though she was slightly taller than Dria.

“Hmm... Dria-widths and lengths, huh?" He chuckled. She huffed.

“Guess it's what you've got to work with. Could you remove the trees around me, or at least their roots?" Dria stuck her tongue out at him. “Roots are annoying to work around." He nodded, extending his magic.

Asp directed his magic to mix with the trees around Dria and pulled them up; he managed to stack the up rooted trees by the water. Dria focused her own magic, and Asp realized he was seeing her work her magic like this for the first time. He was surprised she was able to work chantless like himself; she pulled up a piece of ground until she was eye level with him, giving his nose a lick after she let the magic drop. It wasn't a lot, but it was a reference he could work with. And with how uniform the trees were... it wouldn't be hard to mark out how things went once he consulted with Kastrimri about how best to make the actual walls: just stacking logs wouldn't work; there needed to be some sort of brace system.

“If you two are done with your consortions," Ren said. Dria blushed slightly and Asp looked back towards Fai and Ren. “Should someone go get Kastrimri or will you just go about clearing today, Asporyx?"

“I'll just clear today; Kastri can always come back. She looked like she needed to rest." The Indigo drame in question had just finished doing experiments for the morning with her mind seemingly racing the entire time, after all.

“Anything we can do to help?" Fai asked, coming up beside him and rubbing her nose against Dria's lightly. Fai, unlike the other two, was just about the same height as him, but her body seemed more lithe and elegant. Asp thought for a moment before he shook his head.

“No, at least not with this. I do wish I had a bit more of a clearing to put the trees, though." Asp said as he looked around. “I guess I could just pile them at the base of the hill; I was planning on leaving a couple of trees between this flat part and the first plots, so they should be able to serve as a brace." Asp looked around. The three drames nodded. “So you three can go take it easy, I guess?" Fai and Dria frowned, but Ren nodded. Even if it was early enough to not be an issue, she was growing 9 eggs he'd sired; she had to get used to not doing too much.

“Some of us can go hunt, I think, then? I imagine you would rather have something other than fish after all this." Ren said; Fai and Dria immediately perked up and nodded; he understood Dria, but Fai surprised him, though she did seem to warm up to him quite a bit the past couple of days.

“If I'm staying here, definitely feel like I need to do something, so hunting works! I think there's... no, those might be too close to the ring for now." She meant the ring of land surrounding Primarc's Isles that had perpetually yellow-and-orange trees called the Golden Leaves. For most dragons, the pollen they gave off only promoted health and virility and/or fertility, maybe a mild enhancement of their libidos. In Asp, though... its effects seemed to be amplified quite a bit due to his specialist nature as a Toxinist: his body produced a unique toxin that was intertwined with his biology. And his toxin interacted with various herbs and plants in different ways. “I wouldn't want any meat we got to be essentially dosed with pollen, after all."

“You sure~?" Dria purred. “I dunno, I'm kinda curious what it'd feel like, at least." Asp chuckled and he bumped his nose against Dria.

“Maybe when we get an antidote to it made; if Asp does wind up mating here in the next couple of days, I think it's best for his emotional and mental relationship with mating, and whoever his partner is, if he's as normal as possible." Fai said; Violets were experts in mental and physical health and Fai seemed to have embraced that role. Probably because of her psionic and empathetic abilities... and her borderline-perverse interest in dragons interbreeding, or at least the resulting magics.

“Ah, yeah, I hadn't thought of that." Dria looked at Asp with concern. While he had had a number of moments most drakes would consider fun over the past couple of days, almost every instance of it had been for a reason that wasn't exactly for pleasure. First, he'd been used to show off a drake's anatomical quirks and for a lesson on oral sex. And then, Ren's heat, which he'd apparently jump-started, which, unknown to most anyone, he was pretty sure, that one had gotten... weird and, while he had enjoyed it, it had brought out a frightening aspect of himself. Finally, a sample of sorts to test out a few theories, apparently. Asp did have to admit: he was filling a bit... used and conflicted. Ren did blush a bit, as well, likely remembering their mating.

“I'm sure I'll adjust..." Asp said with a small smile, but Fai shook her head.

“Not a risk we should take." Fai seemed to putting her talon down. Dria nodded.

“Alright, let's go hunting, Fai!"

“And I will get out of the way and prepare a place to cook it properly; do you mind if we use some trees you already have stored, Asporyx?" Ren asked; he shook his head.

“Nope, we should definitely have more than enough lumber." The three drames left and Asp looked around, trying to imagine where to start. He went to work, starting just a bit up the slope and using his magic to uproot and lay the trees on the ground. The ones he left standing between the slope and the flat ground seemed to handle the load well enough, though he did start to get a little worried. So, halfway up the hill, he skipped another couple of 'layers' of trees and piled up the trees there as well.

Each isle section was a hexagon; in Asp's mind, he split it up in six equal portions. Starting at the left most corner, he numbered them in a clock-wise rotation, and the terraced garden and plots would take up the first two and then about half of the third one; that'd be plenty of garden space. Asp thought he might even be a bit hard pressed to fill all of them with herbs, though he had been wanting to research flowers. Asp wasn't sure this was enough space for a proper farm; maybe for some supplementation, though.

By the time Asp cleared the last tree... he'd decided to clear the trees by the water source as well. This much use of his magic was starting to test his focus, though; he hadn't noticed when Dria showed up. Just as he was about to start on the clearing he was already half-designing as a lab, he found himself snout-to-snout with her. “...Hi."

“Hiya. Come eat... love? Gonna have to workshop that." Dria said.

“Not stud?" Asp said; she had been calling him that, but she shook her head with a blush. He did accept her invitation and walked with her back towards the clearing.

“N-no. I really don't want you thinking that all I want from you is someone who'll put eggs in me." She whined. “Even if I am eager to see if I can handle you as well as Ren, I also know the past few days have been difficult."

“Just how much has she said about that?" Asp asked, raising an eyebrow. “And... somehow, I never got the feeling you meant 'stud' in that way, Dria. I don't mind it. Though, I might stick to 'love' or something." He admitted; if they were properly on the road to mateship, he did guess this was typical conversation. Dria, to her credit, blushed when he said that.

“Well, if it ever does bother you, let me know right away! As for what she's said... well, that she did finally manage to take your knot. And had been quite bloated. Oh, and that you'd bitten her. Didn't think you'd be into that~"

“I didn't either. I'm still not, honestly. Sure I am, that is. And wow, surprised she shared all that."

“Hey, whatever works you for you two~ I could definitely see it given her guarded stance towards males. And you beat her in a fight." Dria said, her tail wrapping around his a little bit as they walked. “I am curious about how she might get on with Sryl, though. I think he's more her type, at least physically. Not that she seems to find you hard on the eyes." Asp shrugged at that. He didn't really know the red-orange drake herm all that well... and Ren was hard to get a read on even now. She had a tight hold on her emotions, and Asp saw some of his half-sisters in her, at least the ones who were the Matriarch's daughters. She used a mask of formality to keep herself distant.

“It seems to, but it's a... scary feeling to feel so possessive and aggressive."

“And yet you have no problem dueling a drake, and if you win, turning him into a herm and putting him in a magical chastity situation?" Dria seemed a little amused.

“Nope; that's all done in the name of retaliation and self-defense." Asp had no hesitation in his answer. “And I don't want to do it, but I'm not going to hesitate." Dria nodded. “With Ren, it'd be different: I wanted to be... rough. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't all because of my frustration and her heat."

“Well, I doubt any drame hates a drake who can get a little excited and eager~" Dria gave the side of his muzzle a lick. Asp thought a bit more on it. “That help a bit?"

“... Yeah, I guess it's not a bad feeling, like you said. Besides, I seem to have found a drame that I can let my softer side out around." Asp purred, squeezing her tail with his; Dria blushed, hard.

“Maybe a couple of them~!" Dria winked. Asp tilted his head, unsure of what Dria meant. But by then, they were in the clearing where they joined everyone for a considerable meal of Deerflame-roasted meat. And afterwards, everyone who had their own isles to return to left. Given all the work Asp had done with the trees, tiredness caught up with him, so he gave Ren and Fai each a light nuzzle before heading back to his garden area. He figured Fai would stay with Ren as another precaution.

He checked on his garden, which seemed to be coming along nicely. And he set up a couple of bowls to steep overnight. At some point, he'd really have to look into getting barrels made so he could make a bigger supply of his Deerflame tea. He also took out the stored... Properties Reader? Asp wasn't sure what to call the rune formula, and decided to try it out with a bit of the dried Deerflame he had left. There was... a lot of info that took some parsing to figure out what it meant. And while the glyphs that displayed the info glowed, it was kind of a strain to read and pick out specific information. Asp figured he had to wait until morning, then, and sighed as he put it away. He turned back towards the 'nest' platform to lay down and lament that he didn't have a writing tablet... and reflect on how weirdly lonely he was feeling, but he almost jumped out of his scales. Ren and Fai were making themselves comfortable on the platform, Ren looking at him expectantly.

“You sure this is alright? I'm likely to wake up... indecent." Asp said.

“And that is why I will sleep on that side of you, Asporyx." Ren stated simply. “To prevent any accidents or misunderstandings. Or awkward situations." Asp was... honestly too tired to ask any other questions. And given how lonely he'd felt a moment ago, he realized it'd be hard for him to go back to the “secluded researcher" part of his life. He nestled in between them, hugging Ren close with a wing while Fai rested her head on the base of his neck.

===================

Kastri and Dria all but woke the three of them up, both by landing just by the 'nest' and by actually waking them up. They had at least brought breakfast with them, but then Kastri and Dria pulled Asp over to the terraced garden zone. He certainly had to admit that they had a point: it was going to take quite a bit to get things going.

“... Whoa..." Kastri said when she saw the cleared land and the piled trees. Asp did guess it was... overwhelming, but it's not like they had a time limit. “... Imma get Nyfe; if Asp has to work on his pollen problem, we're gonna need someone who can move trees around easier than us at least." These trees had been grown to be about three-adult dragons in length. Asp blinked and tilted his head. “What, you don't need to work on that?"

“... Yeah, I guess I do." Asp said. “I can think of a few things to do, at least."

“After you at least map out what you were thinking!" Dria said. Asp nodded and went over to the spot Dria had raised up.

“I'm thinking the plots will run length-wise, but be double this width. And a couple of logs in height. I did want to ask about trellis work between the levels, too" Asp said while Kastri looked at the slopes.

“Hmm... kinda like a waterfall of logs with the pools being where the garden and fields go?" Kastri asked. Asp blinked and tried to imagine it.

“That sounds accurate, though there would be paths left to get to the top." Asp said. “So they're not continuous."

“What about those lines of trees?" Dria asked.

“Let's see... some plants do grow better with some shade, so... maybe leave the second section's trees? Where it's likely to be cornered" The drames nodded and Kastri took off to go get Nyfe. Dria gave him a kiss before she went off to start working; she seemed to want to mark out where the plots would go.

“You can't rise and harden it until it's braced?" Asp asked.

“I could," Dria called back. “But if you want to keep the soil the same density, it's more like I have to hold it, not harden it. And I figured you did want the soil to be the same?"

“Yeah, I did. Thanks!"

“Oh, you'll owe me a lot of thanks, stud~" He certainly had to agree between this and the table that she'd help carve. He went back to his personal garden, tilting his head a bit when he saw Fai there.

“You really think any of us wanting you working with that pollen?" Fai asked. “At least I can keep the effects somewhat at bay. And knock you out if you get overwhelmed." That last part frightened him a bit, but she wasn't wrong. “Plus, Ren let me borrow her writing tablet and some paper. She's out fishing for now, by the way." Asp nodded and pulled out the specimen chest. Fai cleared her throat and he looked at her and she motioned with her head to bow. Asp had forgotten about that, but he did as she said; he felt her head push against his, nose to crown. When she pulled away, he went to work while she went about recording any findings.

In short... it wasn't much. While the herbs they had gotten already would work to counteract the normal pollen when mixed together, when Asp's toxin was mixed in via his saliva (never mind his other fluids), the pollen's effect was enhanced too much. Asp did create his combination formula on a stump and tried out combos with quick grown versions; they showed a bit more promise. Fai told him the Shiverbolt and Dramebane child plant would probably be quite popular after they read its effects, Asp couldn't get an accurate read at how strong the effect would be until he grew proper versions of it. Quick-grown plants, like trees, hadn't matured their properties, well, properly, so they weren't as potent. The other herbs Li'red had suggested had some side-effects that made them less popular, and their hybrid outright killed a drame's fertility, according to the readout Wryt's device had. That combo was immediately burned far away from Fai, at her command. The different parts of the Golden Leaves trees didn't bare anything new either, though combining the seeds with the new Shiverbolt/Dramebane hybrid made a variant of the tree that only enhanced drakes. Asp was about to burn that one, too, but Fai convinced him to try it with the one that made him impotent. The final result was something that was... mostly ornamental; the pollen did still enhance virility and production, but it didn't enhance their libidos near as much. It would also encourage healthy clutches.

“... They really should've continued with this research," Asp growled. They were close to, essentially, the best version of the tree even for specialists.

“My understanding is that they wanted the libido enhancement properties." Fai said with a sigh, nuzzling him a little in sympathy; Asp did relax slightly from it. “I mean, dragons aren't the most... carnal species. We're normal, comparatively, with our lifespans, but still. Dria might be an exception, I honestly never wanted to know how much of her flirting and teasing's a defense and how much of it was actually her being horny." Asp could see that. “But hey, we could, eventually, grow a tree here that has a pollen that might counteract the effect, so it's at least a path to pursue." He nodded. “And good news! You seem to be, uh... not as effected as we feared. Still wouldn't want you working alone for too long, though, Asp."

“That's good, at least." At some point, Ren seemed to have been by, bringing food. Asp even vaguely remembered nuzzling against her in greeting. He hadn't been fully absorbed, but they'd made an effort to not distract him for too long. Asp did blink when he noticed the scent of smoke on the air. “Uh... do I need to be worried about fire?"

“Oh, Sryl's helping waterproof the terraces, apparently. Something about scorching the wood makes them more resistant?" Asp shrugged. “Anyways, I take it we're done for the day?" She asked; he was putting away the sample cases and it seemed like they'd worked most of the day away.

“Yeah... now comes the waiting game. I'll test the hybrid... Drameshiver? As it grows and gets more effective." He said; he'd already planted a fair number of the new seeds.

“I think the name Drameshield would be more... effective of a name." Fai said. Asp tilted his head. “I mean, it protects a drame from her biological urges and from having eggs, in theory. I'm sure you'll still want to test it?" Asp nodded. “Hmm... maybe with Nyfe? I doubt Dria would want to take it. Ren would be another option after your clutch is laid." Asp blinked; he started to notice Fai getting as distracted by this as he got, which made him smile, but part of him also said that they probably shouldn't get stuck on the topic. For both of their libidos' sake. He bumped his nose against her shoulder.

“We gotta wait for it to grow... and for them to lay." Asp said with a chuckle.

“True! We could ask Kastri, but I don't know what she thinks about you... plus, I'm curious what a Green-Indigo helix born with a specialist parent might be like..." Asp gave her a light nip to keep her mind from wandering much farther. “Besides, who knows if it'll stand up to your enhanced biology anyways?" Fai quickly said. Asp blinked; that would certainly be something to worry about. “Maybe Dria will just have to be our tester's partner..."

“Come on, before you start thinking about that in earnest." Asp said. Fai huffed, but nodded in deference to that. He led them to check on the progress of the terrace garden. When he got there, he was fairly impressed. The team of Dria, Kastri, Nyfe, and Sryl had gotten a whole section complete and the sight was pretty impressive.

They seem to have come up with a terrace consisting of two layers of logs that had slots for whole lots that connected the levels and braced them. And there was lattice work made of the branches that had been stripped from the trees. Nyfe had also cleared the flat area of trees like Asp had planned to, but they'd built a raised, four-Dria lengths long and three-Dria widths wide... Asp thought it was a house-shelter, but it was just two walls with a post that held up a roof of branches. That was where they found the four of them resting; Dria was completely zonked out and Kastri wasn't much better. Asp and Fai quietly approached the shelter.

“Are the logs... yeah, they're polished, too." Asp blinked and ran a talon along the slightly scorched, hardened walls when Fai said that.

“Oh yeah, that was me." Nyfe said with a yawn. “Do you not know about reinforcing plants with our breath magic, Patrician Asp?"

“No, I don't; I had planned on working on propagation, but I might have to learn hardening first for the duel. Quick-growth traits only strengthened my combat seeds so much."

“Oh, yeah, about that..." Sryl spoke up. “I did go to the sparring class yesterday. He's able to draw water out of plants, too." The red-orange drake-herm said. Asp tilted his head and nodded.

“I think my Dragonvines can withstand that... it might actually make them even harder to break, honestly. Those things were hard to cut after they'd dried out. I think it was a property of the Quick-Growth trait." Asp said; he'd added that trait early on and one of the times he'd been attacked, it'd taken the drakes responding to the incident a couple of hours to tear through the vines that'd trapped his attacker. Sryl nodded with a yawn of his own.

“It's not difficult, though... it might be a lighter dragon ability." Nyfe said sheepishly. Asp only shrugged.

“Won't know until I try. Rest for now, you four did a lot today." Asp said; Nyfe nodded. He did frown a bit. “Though, I am worried about letting Dria and Kastri sleep this late..." Fai giggled. “What?"

“Oh, nothing, just sounds like something a brother or dad would say... not their consort." The dragoness laughed. Asp blinked and huffed.

“I'm only Dria's... I think. And she might be Dria's? I don't even know how all this works." Asp said; regardless, he tried to nuzzle Dria awake. All he got was a claw hitting lightly against his face and pushing. Kastri couldn't even be roused that much. Asp sighed a bit.

“They can always tire each other out later," Sryl said. Ren giggled from behind Asp and Fai; he blinked and turned with a raised eyebrow. She looked perfectly composed.

“Anyways, any problems?" Asp asked; Sryl shook his head and Asp nodded. “Hmm... well, looks like we've got guests this evening, Ren."

“Indeed; it is a good thing we got the new expansion or we would probably be hard pressed for nest areas or tripping over each other." Ren said; she was examining the structure and nodded a bit. “This seems quite useful... maybe we need a bigger one as a storm shelter, just in case?"

“I... hadn't considered that. It does sound like a good idea, Ren. At least until we get the cave system. And even then... we will need some way to protect the entrances. I'll ask Li'red of any plants that can do it." Asp said.

“No leather or stone gates?" Fai asked; Asp shrugged.

“I'm unfamiliar with stone gates; leather would have to be replaced." Asp said. “Anyways, we should all get some rest and relax. I think we might be able to finish this tomorrow... maybe; I don't want to push Dria." The golden drame was snoring slightly, after all.

-===================-

“And... it's set." Asp grunted, Dria nodded from her perch slightly above him and slipped down, admiring the dragons' past couple of days of work. Three tiers of terrace on three different sections, complete with latticework between each level. The gold drame leaned against him with a yawn and he draped his wing over her, kissing the top of her head. “Looks good, Dria~" He purred.

“Hmm... thanks, stud~" She purred right back.

“And thank you everyone for the hard work, when this is all over, I'll treat you all to a feast." Asp said. “At least when I get enough points for it." The other dragons nodded. Ren and Fai had spent the day making sure they had plenty of food, water, and Asp his neutralizing tea.

“Then better hurry up with that anti-measure for the pollen or you'll have three gravid dragons to feed." Sryl said. Asp nodded. The stone for the table hadn't arrived today, thankfully; Asp would've felt bad if Dria got right to work on that. Ren did bring out a sizable amount of food for those working now; it was close enough to sundown that eating wouldn't be odd. Asp gave her a nuzzle in thanks as the others dug in; she nuzzled back before pushing for him to go eat.

“Yeah, I'll have to figure out how to talk to Li'red and get all sorts of herbs and flowers to try."

“He'd understand if you met him at night, wouldn't he?" Dria asked. Asp shook his head; he doubted that. “Though, Lytrina might take issue with it." While there wasn't an official curfew, the Citadel did have quiet hours. “And speaking of night... might stick here tonight."

“I shouldn't leave Wryt alone; he might not get to sleep. He's still trying to build new formulas with all the revelations the other day." Nyfe looked at Asp and Kastri pointedly; he looked properly abashed and Kastri just let out an innocent whistle.

“Given the stone should be here tomorrow... yeah, make sure he gets some sleep. Kastri, what about you?" Asp said. She'd been staying with Wryt and Nyfe.

“I'll go; Nyfe might need some help if Wryt's too deep into writing formulae." She said. The two of them take off, though Kastri looked a little unsteady. She'd spent the past two days breaking down the trees and splitting them in half alongside Nyfe. But she was more a magic-user than Nyfe; the more physical aspects had taken their toll. Asp did look to Sryl; the drake-herm just shrugged. He didn't seem like he cared much either way.

“Well, let us use the rest of the day... and given who all is here, we should plan the isle's future expansions." Ren said. Asp took note, and besides Fai... yeah, that made sense. There was a good chance Dria and Sryl would be moving here, after all. The five of them settled in the shelter by the... Asp guessed it was a pond. Ren put the writing tablet she had between them; she'd sketched a pair of hexagons. “So... desires?" Ren said.

“Well, your lagoon. I'm not sure how big you want that to be." Asp said.

“Hmm... I think two additional tiles would be optimal, here and here." She'd put two hexagons opposite the top most one. On sides... 6 and 5 from Asp's personal division system. “And... ultimately, the cave system would be at least two, maybe three..." She put three more hexagons surrounding the higher hexagon.

“Well, if I'll be here... I would like some veggies and wheat fields." Sryl said. “And an orchard, I guess?"

“An orchard would be good along the top of the caves, I think." Ren said. “I had thought an amphibious habitat up there, but then I realized that it would be a hard trek for anyone who lived there to keep doing every day." Fai and Dria nodded.

“Let's see, if we're thinking of others... besides the lagoon, if you don't mind sharing, Ellie," Dria looked to Ren when she said that; Ren shook her head. “Then we should probably get at least one amphibious habitat... if we put it between a couple of grasslands we make to fields... here and here..." Dria marked along the cave system. Asp and Ren nodded.

“Let's see... we could put a slightly lower pair of tiles here." Asp said. “If we make them woods or an orchard, just more 'forest' for us for others. And we can have another cave system there for storage..."

“I do wonder what kind of land we need for housing..." Dria said.

“I think there'll be a class about that in the second cycle." Fai said. “However, the primary land'll have room for enough to start you out, I imagine. You might lose the forest and field there." Asp nodded.

“That terraced garden's huge, it'll be more than enough for me if we use that for exclusively herbs." Asp said. “...So what are we up to, points wise?"

“... Let us see, if we keep it all bare instead and terraform it ourselves..." Ren said, writing the figures down. Fai kept wincing as the total went up and up. “... A lot... the lagoon alone would set us back 120 thousand." Ren sighed. “And the cave system tiles would be close to another 200 with a rough estimate. That does not include the fields or the storage caves."

“We don't need those last ones, honestly that was more an aesthetic idea." Asp said with an embarrassed tone. “We could probably have storage beneath the garden." Ren shook her head, though.

“I had thought that area would be used for dens. If your virility does not decrease, Dria and I will likely be rather large. As well as any other drames that come here, and the less we have to fly, the better. Though, we could put a ramp up to the second story... It would cut into the available workshop space... but that would be a good idea." Ren muttered. She was writing notes on a new page given they were talking about the cave system. “Yes, if the workshops are all on the ground floor... storage would make sense there..." She muttered; she leaned against Sryl, who flared his wings in surprise. Ren didn't seem to notice, though. Asp, Fai, and Dria all took note of this too. “Yes, alright, that works out... Good idea, Asporyx."

Asp just nodded; he hadn't realized Ren had been worried about this. “Well, we can figure out the order to buy them later." Asp said with a slight yawn. Ren nodded.

“True, you and Enoldria seem ready to drop." Ren motioned to Sryl and Fai; Asp wouldn't have minded if they'd stayed, but he would've been lying if sleeping curled up with Dria didn't seem appealing. The golden drame had already curled up against him, so he carefully maneuvered them further into the shelter and curled around her. Fai did bring him some of his tea, too, for the morning. He gave her a half-awake nuzzle in thanks before sleeping.

When he woke up, Dria was draped over him and on her back. Asp was a little surprised how comfortable he was. He did have to move, though; the drake carefully got up and drank the neutralizing concoction before looking over at the still sleeping drame. Asp blinked, though; she was half exposed, some of her length on display and the tanned flesh stood out against her darker underscales. He wasn't that surprised, admittedly; his own length had slipped out at some point in the night, he just hadn't thought Dria had been dealing with a similar problem.

He stepped forward, leaning in and sniffing lightly before licking at his consort's length lightly, feeling her swell beneath his tongue. Asp smiled a little to himself as he kept going: while she did taste a bit dry, Asp didn't dislike her taste or her slightly metallic scent. Before he knew it, he'd coaxed her full length out of her slit, and, curious, he swallowed her length. Her warmth filled his muzzle and she let out a quiet coo in her sleep... Or at least she gave no indication she had woken up. Asp figured that was for the best; this was his first proper attempt at this. He let his dexterous tongue slowly explore, pulling against her barbs to tease them up like he remembered Ren doing in class. He felt his saliva coating her, but it was starting to feel overly wet in his mouth and he swallowed around her. Dria let out a proper moan at that, which only prompted Asp to start to swallow and suckle against her, taking care to clean her length of his saliva while his tongue ran along that full, pulsing length in his muzzle. He felt at the edge of each ridge with his tongue, too, and he flared his wings when she started to leak out her pre. The thin liquid added a slightly salty taste to the dry one. Asp's nostrils flared; he picked up the scent of further arousal, so he could only guess her slit was drooling beneath his chin.

He shifted, suddenly quite aware of his own length aching slightly between his legs. But he focused on the squirming, moaning drame beneath his muzzle; he'd figured out she was awake by now. “A-Asp, I'm getting close..." She whined. He just nodded and redoubled his efforts, which made her wings flare out and her hips push into his muzzle. He suddenly felt her hot flesh throb in his tongue's hold; he hadn't really thought about it, but he was suddenly confronted with his muzzle filling with her seed. He blinked a few times, slightly confused thoughts aside, but drank down each rope of her seed until she was drained. “M-Morning, stud~" She purred quietly; already her length was retreating back into her slit. Asp was never so jealous before: his knot would've kept him out for a while still.

“Morning, Dria," He said, nuzzling at her belly. He went over to the waterhole to wash out his mouth while Dria seemed to rest for a few moments. He came back over to be greeted with a kiss.

“Didn't like my taste~?" She tilted her head; Asp shook his head. It, at least, wasn't unpleasant to him, he decided.

“Wasn't sure if you wanted to taste yourself."

“Wouldn't be the first time, now... what to do about you~?" Dria purred. Asp shook his head but she huffed and bumped her nose against his. “I'm kidding, only half of me's not all worked up. Plus, I'm not about to leave you high and dry after that, not when you seem to be doing it because you want to_~_ So... how does my stud want his drame?" Asp's only answer was to pounce ontop of her, drawing her into a deep kiss while pinning her on her back. Dria purred encouragingly, her tail wrapping around his tightly to pull his hips down and line him up; he felt his ridges pressing against her scaled slit. A pull back and roll forward had him pushing into her with a moan from him; she let out an enthusiastic purr into their kiss and her tail squeezed on his. She had her foretalons against his chest, catching against him and pulled against him. Her hinds squeezed against his hips as Asp felt the drame-herms walls squeezing down on him, which only made him tense and his length swell slightly thicker and jump inside of her while working inch after inch in.

“Ren wasn't kidding, you're huge~" She trilled out. Asp just grumbled, pressing his muzzle against her as he pulled his hips back. Dria's wings flared and she whined: his ridges and barbs pulled at her walls in a way she clearly enjoyed; her muzzle hung open almost drunkenly, an expression he hadn't seen on her. It was adorable... and only made him growl playfully in her ear. She laughed a bit, but seemed to get his message, curling in against him a bit to brace herself and his hips started to roll in a proper rhythm. Asp groaned, feeling her squeeze down on him in rhythm and her arousal made a mess of his length. “S-so much better than a tail or tongue," Dria groaned out, resting her head back; she ground her hips up against him, her weight pulling his hips against her harder with her ankles.

“I-I'll take your word on that," Asp groaned; she drew him into another kiss and he picked up his pace with a low growl. He felt his knot swelling up slowly, and he could... well, it wasn't the roomiest fit inside the smaller drame, but he could push himself to his base over and over. Dria started to huff and wiggle as his knot got thicker and thicker, spreading her wider each time he pushed to the base. She was panting harder, her brow furrowed even as she let out happy trills. Asp realized those trills were in time with whenever his pre shot up against her womb and he broke their kiss to focus. Just as she did, though, she let out a loud, groaning roar in his ear. Her dramecum drenched his length and her convulsing walls locked him in place between her massaging, clenching walls. His wings flared out when his hips rhythm made his knot tugged against her.

“D-don't you dare pull out~" Dria growled. “I-I want my stud's cum... I wanna risk getting pushed into heat and his eggs~" Asp, who had... somehow... forgotten about all that, though the sudden images of Dria, needy with heat, and... somehow a simultaneous fantasy of her gravid form showing off for him did pop into his mind. It was the final push he needed; his knot felt like it ballooned up to it's full-size all of a sudden and he felt his length throb, twitch. He felt the built up pressure break and his seed rush through his length before shooting into Dria. The first hit of the heavier fluid made her wings flare out wider and she moaned out. Asp pressed his muzzle against her neck, panting a little while his body tensed in a rhythm matching her own. Dria's moan turned into a coo and she nuzzled against him with a lick. After a few moments passed, though, Dria wiggled and huffed.

“So, uh... stud... almost empty there?" The drame asked; she sounded really embarrassed. Asp blushed; the force of his release had subsided, but the amount was still going strong. His knot kept his seed inside of her, so some of it was forced into her womb just to make room. A few moments later, Asp felt lighter and Dria wiggled her hips about and pushed her hips up against his. “N-no wonder Ren's got nine eggs... I'd probably be full if I was in heat, too," Dria purred.

“D-doesn't help she's smaller, too." Asp admitted; it took the groggy Dria a moment before her eyes went wide.

“W-wait, she said managed to take your knot? Ooh... yeah... I'm gonna have to do some positioning to take you that deep~" Asp groaned and huffed.

“What, you want that many eggs, too?"

“I want as many eggs as my stud wants to give me~" She purrs. “A-at least I hope I do... we'll have to see how our first clutch goes... make sure I enjoy being gravid~" She winks. Asp felt the last remnants of his release jet out of his length when his body reacted to the image she put in his mind. She laughed and gave him another kiss. “But I also don't want you to hold back... even when you have a neutralizing agent for the pollen. I want my stud as he is, at his full power~"

“Ju-just remember you're saying that." Asp said. “N-now, stop with all the gravid and breeding talk or we'll never get untied." The drake growled. Dria giggled and rubbed her nose against his; this seemed to be her way of saying 'yes'. She rested her head back. “You alright?"

“Oh, yes~" She purred. “H-honestly, though you're not supposed to be mating right now..." Asp had completely forgotten that. “I was getting worried... you would be getting pent up again soon. I think both Fai and I were worried, too, that you'd wait until then to mate with someone... though I maybe getting a little hungry~ Plus... there were still some silly doubts in my mind about me being a herm."

“Oh, definitely silly there, Dria~" Asp purred. She nodded.

“I am a little worried about how it might effect my drake side, though." Dria admitted; Asp hadn't thought of that. “But it was also something we'd have to find out eventually. And Fai was curious." Asp rolled his eyes a bit and hmphed.

“She seems really curious in general."

“Well, yeah... most drames are here to find a mate. And she's important to the Violets, so she's being careful about who she chooses. Just be yourself around her, Asp." Dria said, her talon trailing up his neck and brushing against his jaw.

“You're not going to mind sharing like that?" Asp raised an eyebrow. Dria scoffed.

“I'd be a hypocrite if I did. Even if I did bring to bring other drames into our nest, like Kastri. Besides, drakes are limited. I'll see it more as a badge of honor if my mate is also the mate of someone important." Dria huffed.

“Someone important? Who are you planning on sharing him with?" Fai asked; she only seemed to have heard that last part of their conversation. Both Asp and Dria looked towards the violet drame; Asp discovered he could still be quite embarrassed given their situation. Even the bawdy Dria was blushing and hid her muzzle behind Asp's head, putting him squarely in Fai's line of sight. His knot had shrunken a bit, but not quite enough. “Dria..."

“Fine, fine... I did say if you wanted him, I wouldn't mind sharing, Fai." Dria said quietly. Fai's wing flared and she blushed. “But I know you've gotta be picky, so I'll keep him all to myself for now."

“Th-there's still Ren, too. Hormones during a gravid state do get all sorts of wonky." Fai countered.

“Oh, that's a given, but they've got a different... dynamic. Not... entirely sure what's up there." Dria stuck her tongue out at Asp. Just for that, he gave a tug of his hips and popped his knot free of the drame. She whined. “So empty." She muttered as he eased his weight off of her.

“So... uh... Morning, Fai. What's up?" Asp said, somewhat unable to look at the drame.

“Oh, well, just wanted to let you two know there was breakfast. And that there's a raft approaching the isle. I think it's got your deliveries on it. We were... slightly concerned about that roar we heard, but we did also guess what'd caused it." Fai said quietly. Asp nodded and stepped out of the shelter; Dria seemed uninclined to move for a few moments. Asp thought for a moment.

“One of the cave's rooms really needs to be a bath... a heated one..." Asp said. Fai nodded in agreement, though she used a wing to point to the ocean. He sighed in agreement and nudged Dria to get up and move so they could both wash off. Thankfully, it was easier to wash another dragon than it was for them to wash themselves without contorting every which way; the two of them groomed each other fairly thoroughly before swimming through the ocean around the isle to the beach. Back home, Asp had used waterfalls to clean off. Dria had apparently had baths that had to be filled (and it was just as annoying as it sounded, particularly on dry days when they couldn't get a lot of moisture out of the air). They arrived on the lagoon's beach just as the delivery raft did.

“Li'red!" Dria was surprised to see the Verdant.

“Good Morning, Drame Dria." Li'red said with a bow. “And to you as well, Drame Fai and others." Fai was saying something to both Ren and Sryl.

“Elrenlani, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Verdant Li'red. I am Asporyx's isle partner."

“And I'm Srylumdar, though most just call me Sryl. I'm Dria's partner."

“It is certainly nice to meet you both. Asp had mentioned he'd bring you by the shop, Drame Elrenlani, but circumstances have conspired against us. So I'd figured I'd head up the delivery team."

“Oh... how bad is it?" Asp asked.

“Well, it's mostly a rumor about bad blood, but Bertuzza may have stopped by and given me the more specifics. Congratulations to you both, by the way." Li'red said.

“Thank you, Verdant Li'red." Elrenlani said with a bow of her head. “And thank you the assistance you have offered Asporyx in this manner."

“Speaking of... any progress?"

“Not really... beyond making a Golden Leaves variant who's pollen isn't quite so potent for most." Asp said with a sigh. Li'red nodded; Fai brought out the notes they'd taken and offered them to Li'red.

“Hmm... as I feared. And it's a shame Deerflame is so tricky... trying to make a variant of that with this... Drameshield, is it? Would seem the most likely solution." Fai made a curious noise and Asp sighed.

“Most plants seem to have a predictable, logical pattern to them when I use my alchemy with them. Deerflame is weird, though. It's effects are all over the place, often inverting the properties. Or sometimes negating them. Or just changing them all together." Asp said with a frown. “It's like it's an herb that doesn't know what it wants to do. I can try combining them later and mixing with my toxin, but I don't have high hopes for it. It's likely to be something even more potent. Or do something weird entirely."

“And we already know it doesn't negate the pollen since you take it regularly anyways." Li'red said. “I suppose we could try heat-inducing and fertility enhancing herbs... just don't go combining them with your toxin or go serving them to any drames here, Asp."

“Of course not!" Asp said; Fai and Dria's looks did slightly concern him, though. Fai looked very intrigued by these and Dria was looking at him almost hungrily. Sryl gave Dria a nip in his stead, though. She went off to eat; she'd also been eyeing the longer-than-Asp sized block of agate that had been delivered. A couple of elementalkin were helping unload the raft while Ren directed them, it seemed.

“Anything else, Asp?" Li'red asked.

“Well... what do you know of Meke blossoms?" Asp asked. Li'red raised an eyebrow.

“Tired of studding already? An extreme measure, though, to get out of it."

“Well, yeah... or no... that's still complicated. But it's for something else, honestly." Asp said; he told Li'red his plan after a moment's thought.

“Ah, so that's the rest of it. It certainly sounds like a headache, but it's not a bad solution you've come up with. And fairly you; you've considered a number of angles most wouldn't have thought of." Li'red said. “I can track it down, but it won't be cheap. Will you just want the plant or the seeds?"

“Both!" It wasn't Asp who said something, it was Fai. “S-Sorry, but after seeing what Asp can do... I am curious what else we can make that blossom do. Besides, its effect is temporary... for Asp's idea, we'd need to make it a permanent thing. If his toxin can't manage that, then something else..." She sighed; Asp gave her a light nuzzle and she nuzzled him back. “Sorry, it's just... a dangerous precedent, I think. And I'm worried this might change Dilorphus's view on herms and make him more likely to assault them. Or just make him angry." Fai said.

“All of that's very possible, even probable, Drame Faistyve." Li'red said. “But it does sound like something needs to be done. Think of it as this Drake Dilorphus's second chance, just with some stipulations. I do imagine putting a strict minder on him would make it better. A drake or herm, maybe. One that doesn't mind a herm." Li'red seemed to let an implication hang in the air.

“Hmm... I'll think on that. I think a few other drakes here don't mind herms, though Dria might've made them a bit wary."

“Yeah... there's that Blue-White helix, right? And Dilorphus is a blue..." Asp said; Fai's eyes went wide.

“Oh yeah! Marinolok!" Fai said. “If we make Dilorphus his assistant..." She nodded.

“So... Asp, you just need the Meke blossoms and the fertility enhancers and heat-inducers?" Asp nodded.

“And... honestly, anything fertility and heat related, I guess. There's a solid chance I won't be able to go back to the Citadel for a while. Definitely not until I get the Meke blossoms grown." Asp said with a sigh. “And given what they do, I gotta do the slow-quick grow method, I think. I would hate for something to go wrong and we really damage Dilorphus's body."

“Alright then, it'll take a few days, I think. I don't have Meke on hand. Or a supplier for it."

“... If you've got any connections with Violets, tell them Faistyve's said it's okay, Verdant Li'red." Fai said. “It's a pretty closely guarded secret, but we're supposed to breaking those walls down, right?" Li'red nodded and watched as Dria pulled the large agate block off the raft with her magic. Asp told her to set it up in the shelter for now.

“And if you ever just want to stop by, by all means." Asp said. “Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go with Dria." Asp said, giving a bow to his mentor before he went with the golden drame; he did stop and pick up the alchemy kit by the dragon-made handle; it was heavily latched at the bottom to keep it closed. She set it down where they'd woken up... After Asp created a carpet of moss.

“Alright, stud~" She purred, though she was looking at her project before her more than him. “Just what has this 'alchemy table' of yours need?" Asp was opening the kit to determine that.

“Let's see... alright." Asp directed Dria, who used a combination of her innate and breath magics to carve the block to his specifications. The spaces she carved out for storage were used to reinforce the walls and counter of the desk. Around the edge of the counter, they put a lip, though Dria did exercise some creative freedoms and add her own touches. Instead of flat and plain, she made it almost geometric after the functional height. Asp directed her to making a large writing desk area as well as raised spots where he and Wryt could put in heating elements later. On the other side of the writing lectern, he planned on creating a stronger combination formula. He was even thinking of combining it with the analysis formula that Wryt had designed.

The indigo drake in question showed up not long after the desk started to take shape. And was studying the combination formula that Asp had made: it was fairly simple, to Asp. It broke down things to their elements, at least that's how the glyph was described in the book he read. He linked them with a straining and weaving instructions, which created the combined product. Wryt just looked... peeved at that.

Wryt went about carving the runes into the table with Dria's help after some experimentation with the analysis formula. The result was three-and-one formula: Asp could put up to four things into be broken down and then combined. The space where the new combination appeared was also an analysis formula that connected to the writing formula. Asp could, effectively, record the analyses of his experiments. And the analysis formula's results had come a long way, apparently because of Asp's combination formula: the information was much more ordered and readable, at least. With this, and the heating elements in place, Asp could really work in earnest.

Now, it was only a matter if he would get the amount of time he needed... and re-prioritizing. While the pollen was a problem, the fact that he and his friends were, essentially, grounded from the Citadel was a much bigger one. Asp hoped it wouldn't take too long for his punishment idea to come together given they had no idea when Dilorphus would manage to be able to make his move.