Jan 10 17:12:49 110 PA - How to Tempt a Dragon

From Chronicles

Jan 10 17:12:49 110 PA.

KINGSDALE MUSEUM LIBRARY

It's a nice time in mid-afternoon, and Gabriel is off the beaten path of both his normal business of managing a business, and general security. For a man with a new mission, he's on a roll, because there's nothing like gathering intelligence to make sure that the mission succeeds, and everyone survives. So it is that though doused in his neat and crisp uniform, he's emerging from the stacks with two oversized atlases held in his arms as if they were children. They seem to be from a set, at least based on appearances alone. One has gold lettering in a scripty font identifying it as simply: NORTH AMERICA. The other is a bit more detailed: NORTH AMERICA - SOUTHWEST AND NORTH MEXICO.

Leonard is anything but a stranger to, or within, the library, but his place within it could be considered unusual. Rather than seated at a table covered in a veritable avalanche of study materials, he arrives from the much more lush and relaxing gardens.

Gabriel does his best to keep his boots from clicking on the marble floor. Fortunately, manipulating the body is part of the job, so it's not too much of a hassle. After moving to set the two tomes on a nearby table, he can't help but notice the faint disturbance of shadow as Leonard approaches from the glorious gardens. He even smiles and raises a hand in greeting. "Leonard," he says quietly as a library greeting. "Looking for some peace?"

"A brief respite," Leonard responds in a quiet tone. "Peace is generally unattainable for most." A hint of mixed smile forms as he casually approaches the old soldier. "You seem to be searching for something, yourself." The large atlas didn't go unnoticed.

A nod is offered, and a shrug. "Yeah, information." Gabriel leans down - for a short man, not far - and taps the set of atlases. "Our Mexican problem. It's always best to at the very least know the terrain that you're getting into when you intend to make a drop somewhere. Otherwise you could end up in a flat plain with mountain gear, or a mountain in galoshes. Last time I saw, Creel would be in the mountains, but as thing have unfortunately changed somewhat since I've passed through that way?" He offers a full-body gesture of, 'makes sense.' Then, "How about you? Don't you need to know where we're going?"

Leonard lowers his eyes to regard the map. "I will need to be familiar with our destination to transport us there, yes. Unfortunately, maps are of no help in that regard." His head lifts. "The geography of the continent is definitely not what you would expect. Although," Leonard considers, "The mid- and southwest did not change as significantly as the coasts, if memory serves."

"That's good to hear," Gabriel confirms. "If the oceans rose, I'd expect the interior to be more like it was. So, I'm expecting mountains, but I don't remember this particular area off hand. I don't suppose you have any wisdom to offer about dragons? Valeriya is... very sure of herself, and I don't really feel like I learned much from her. Of course, that's what I'll be reading up on next." His left hand is raised, pointed back to the stacks. "But books are no substitute for experience."

"She is confident," Leonard agrees with a soft chuckle, "But she isn't foolish. As for dragons, what would you wish to know? I have had the pleasure to make the acquaintance of one, though he is only newly hatched."

Gabriel smiles. "No, she's not foolish. But she's not patient either, which is my polar opposite. I need to know what makes a dragon tick. What they like. What they don't like. How they think. What hurts them, what they go crazy for. Do they fight on sight, or can they be reasoned with." He spreads his palms, "That, and all of the other things that I'd do if I were working on a mission like this. Know the target, know the enemy, own the battlefield, be victorious. Right now? I'm stuck on that first-hand knowledge. So even a... hatched one would be better than nothing."

Leonard nods, smile curling wry, "I'm well aware of the limits to her patience. At any rate," he segues with a shrug, "Dragons are not so dissimilar to us. They are not beasts, and as intelligent, if not easily more so, than any human. They can be influenced, befriended, annoyed, or reasoned with as anyone else. There are no blatant vulnerabilities of which I'm aware, but neither are there immunities."

Nodding along and listening intently, Gabriel's brow ends in a mild furrow even as his fingers rub at his chin. "Well, that's good, really. Best victories are the battles you don't have to fight. Like I told Val, though, the dragons I know like to curl up on mounds of treasure and... well, they never really filled in the rest of those stories. Just curled up and amassed treasure. I don't suppose you know why that would be, for a creature more intelligent and durable than either of us? Waste of a life, really." He thinks for a short while. "Is there any particular reason that a dragon would be covetous of one pile of loot? Or if it could be told there was something better, would it move on?" Yeah, weird guy with the guns always trying to talk people down. Strange world.

"That depends on the dragon, I suppose. They are ageless, as far as anyone is able to measure, so there are no time constraints to their plans." Leonard considers further. "Well, a younger dragon might covet wealth, or, more importantly, the domination of others. Not that elders don't, but their designs would be much more grand than a single village. I certainly hope that it's a younger creature we're dealing with, for many reasons. One is that it may be much easier to get its attention and divert it elsewhere."

Gabriel's eyebrows perk. "So. Not that I want to read too much into anything, but if sitting on one set of.. opals, was it? Sitting on one mine does seem a little short-sighted and childish. Which could be either a good thing, or if it behaves like a petulant child, a very, very bad thing. I'll need to read more about that, too. Children with power and nothing in their lives ever having told them 'no' can be very dangerous." A glance is made back to the stacks, before he asks another question. "The leather fellow, Dante. He and I were speaking just yesterday and actually, right about where we're standing. His worry is a dragon's ability to teleport, more than anything. Is that something that your, ah.. traveling talents can stop, if need be?"

Leonard shakes his head, "Stop, no." A moment of thought. "Divert, however, may be possible. It's not something that I've attempted with a dragon, but it is feasible. Still, entrapping it would still be difficult, if that is what we decide is necessary."

"It sounds like trying to entrap a dragon would be a poor idea, to me," Gabriel advises. "I'd prefer not to take part in pissing off something so powerful by detonating a bomb in its face. It *will* regenerate, even if it takes time, and it might remember faces and places. If we could simply offer it something better - not an offer of a threat, but a genuine offer - that would be better for everyone, including the townsfolk."

"It would," Leonard nods his agreement, "And I believe that is Valeriya's intent. Forcing it away is a last resort, at best, and a fatal effort in futility, at worst. The question then becomes, what do we offer the dragon that it would find more appealing?"

Gabriel thinks on that, then chuckles, "The obvious thing would be someone else's treasure. Perhaps even someone else's treasure, owned by someone we don't like!" He smirks and keeps his voice low despite the mild amusement. "I don't suppose they like anything other than treasure. Though if this truly is a young one, or even a young adult, material goods might be its apex of greed for now. Hell, maybe you and Val could offer it promises of future excitement more than sitting in a mine bathing in low-grade gems."

Leonard can't help but chuckle at that. "Obvious, but amusing... and possibly effective. Unfortunately, we won't have the opportunity to learn its motives until after we hold a conversation."

"No, we won't. But if we took some time to research alternative treasures of various sorts?" Gabriel gives a mild shrug, then runs his hands through his graying hair. "Then we'd be prepared for potential diplomacy. The town waited this long... what's the harm in the four of us doing some searching first? The kind where you don't necessary end up getting shot at or bitten. That can't be the only opal mine on the continent. Since the deal was to get rid of the dragon, I wouldn't think that Valeriya's reward would suffer, either."

"Of course. It rarely hurts to be prepared. Generally, it's the inverse," Leonard nods. "I will also undertake some more specific research. Perhaps I can discover other alternatives, should we not find any other easily-acquired treasures lying about with which to barter." His attention drifts towards the shelves. "In fact, I may as well begin my search while I'm here."

Gabriel nods once more. "As good a place as any, Leo. I'll sit down and get the lay of the land. You need anything, just swing by the office, if I leave before you do."