Sansan

image made with Portrait Workshop

STATS
Name: Sansan (Henceforth: Runike Sansan)
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Species: Human
Class: Fire Mage

Appearance: Short and slender, Sansan won't intimidate anyone by her appearance; She looks and acts like a child. Her hair is long and blond, and usually tied back in a pony tail or braid. She insists on wearing a wide brimmed hat and cape, and they're usually bright in colour. Sansan has bright blue eyes and a delicate face. 
Personality: Sansan is full of life. She views everything as an adventure and loves to go explore. As such, she tends to get into trouble. She was brought up in a priviliged household close to the royal family and lacks knowledge of the real world. She is a quick study and will learn quickly. 
Skills: exceptionally good at fire and light magic, makes flower crowns with ease. 

__________________________________________________________

ARRIVAL at REFUGIUM
After the pulling sensation settled, Deux lifted his axe in defense and waited for the surroundings to come into focus. Blinking, he tried to take in what he was seeing. The scenery was nothing like what he'd ever seen before. They seemed to be standing in between huge buildings. In stead of towers they were square and functional. Deux was reminded of the Dwarfen kingdom in the mountains though he couldn't say the places were alike. 
"It's so... closed." Sansan remarked. 
The fire mage had also gotten up. Drained by the use of her power she felt quite cold and the functional lines of the buildings didn't help in that regard. She hugged herself to keep some of her warmth in but couldn't even muster the strength to conjure a small flame.
The next thing Sansan remembered, was waking up in a soft bed. She felt warm again and she snuggled back in the blankets before he head was cleared of sleep and she shot up. 
"Be careful." Deux's voice said from the side of her bed, "You were quite exhausted."
"Where are we?" She asked.
"Apparently we're at the Refugium. We're not even in our own world again. But the people and dragons here are friendly. In exchange for shelter I've agreed to being judged. Someone will come to us and see if we're compatible to the dragon eggs that are currently available and we can, if we are deemed good candidates, choose to bond these."
"Why would we do that? We need to get back. Eeny..."
Deux pushed her back in the bed and said calmly: "Because these dragons can travel to other worlds. It's the best chance we have to find the others again. They're not here. I've already checked with the Visitor Center Front Desk officer and she was quite helpful." he grinned.
"So what now?"
"We stay, be judged and enjoy the luxury while we wait. There are worse places to plan our next move."
Sansan got up again, waving away Deux's arms as they tried to push her down again.
"I'm fine. Let me change my outfit and then we'll go get judged as soon as we can."
"I'll be waiting outside."
It took Sansan only 10 minutes to freshen up and change her robes. She decided red was the way to go. It was the colour of winners after all. The bright red fabric hugged her body and her flame-orange hat would add to her presence, even if it had gotten a bit bent out of shape.
Deux knocked and said: "They're here."
"I'm ready." Sansan called back and went outside. 
Outside her room, a strange being with too many legs and colours that were blindingly bright awaited her. His eyes were kind though and Sansan didn't feel threatened, just a bit nervous. 
"Oh, I see you both have some affinity with magic." Sorin spoke.
"Some?!" Sansan called out as Deux kept her back.
"I'm sure he knows you're far better at it than I am." Deux hushed her.
"Feisty. Well I'm sure we don't mind that. You're certainly welcome to try to impress the hatchlings. You're free to stay as long as you want." Sorin nodded. 

Sansan is waiting to impress at the Refugium's Imperial Luung Clutch

__________________________________________________________

HATCHING
The rocky outcrop overlooking the artificial sea of the oceanic biodome wasn't the friendliest of sands for candidates or onlookers. Most of the next was occupied by the long, winding bodies of the mothers, serpentined around thirteen oblong eggs. While there was sufficient wriggling space for perhaps a handful of candidates to step through the eggs, it was hardly adequate for the impressive turnout arriving on the beach. The eggs had been rattling for nearly half an hour at this point, the little voices inside a flurry of eager excitement.
"They're hatching!" Someone shouted. The sound of shell cracking whipped over the calming ocean song. 
And then. "I... they're twins! Twin girls!"
Two tiny hatchlings peeked over the edge of the outcrop, their eyes gleaming luminous green. First one and then the other scrambled over the edge and made their way down to impress. 
The audible crack of splitting shells shattered from the outcrop, followed by the hungry croons of hatchlings. Kaba drifted down the ledge, cradling a trio of hatchlings in her arms. She deposited them gently on the sand and nudged them forward. The first to leap forward was a bold, dark male, that marched headlong toward Deux, the dwarf. 
The two others bonded and then another climbed down from the outcrop. And while that little Luung hatchling took his time to decide, several other young luungs freed themselves from their eggs and began the clumsy descent to the beach in a wave of browns and yellows. One hatchling was significantly larger then the others - a female - red-brown with very little striping. She raced her siblings down the outcrop and rushed toward the candidates, kicking up sand until she sprang, letting her magic carry her a few inches from the ground. Her jaw was set, eyes narrowed, and she flew straight to Sansan, dropping to the ground at her feet and rising up to place her paws on the mage's belly.
"I'm Runike Tana and we need to save your kingdom!"
"We need to find a way back first," said Sansan.
"It'll be an adventure!"

Name: Runike Tana
Gender: Female
Color: Cinnaspin
Genes: cinnamon, pinstripe, spider
Hatchling Height: 11" at shoulder
Hatchling Length: 6'4"
Personality: Tana wants to become a fierce warrior and defend the kingdom, just like her bond! She'll throw herself into the fray at the slightest hint of danger and can be quite confrontational in the day-to-day. She has a strong sense of justice and speaks her mind loudly and vociferously. Tana is deeply protective of those she holds dear, and as a rather social dragon, she likes her friend circle to be wide and varied. When she's not practicing her skills or in the throes of some battle, Tana loves daydreaming about her future adventures.
Abilities: Telepathy, Verbal Speech, Drifting/Wingless Flight, Lifespan Alteration, Heat Resistance, Air Manipulation

ADULT
Runike Tana and Oneya Uji effortlessly switched battle formations and completed the training. In the past years both of them had grown considerably, had developped horns and sprouted a luxurious mane of hair. Their colouring remained mostly the same with Tana being a soft dappled peachy brown and Uji being darker brown with bright yellow spots. 
"I want to go on an adventure." Ujji proclaimed once more.
"Me too." Tana added her two cents.
"It's always adventures with you two." Deux smiled. "With you three." he amended after he spotted Sansan's eager look.
"Isn't it time we go look for the others?" Sansan asked.
She'd been thinking about going back home from the moment she'd impressed. Not to stay put. Now that she had knowledge about the many worlds around her, she could nevermore stay in one single place. But Eeny, Quart and Nill were still out there somewhere. Maybe they were stuck and hadn't been as lucky as the two of them had been.
"We go find your princess." Tana nodded, not even pretending to phrase it as a question.
"We have no way of knowing where they ended up." Deux protested.
"All the more reason we should return home and look for clues." Sansan insisted.
Deux knew he was fighting a losing battle. He wasn't against going home. It was a deep-rooted fear that they'd only return to ruin that kept him from going along with the other three. What if some other threat had laid waste to the little kingdom of Edenburght? What if they returned and had to learn about the others' demise? What if they returned and found no clues?
"You think too much." Uji commented, "It's better to just go see."
"We'll know what to do afterwards." Tana added.
And so it was only a matter of days later that the four of them appeared right where they'd left their home. The tower stood tall but looked forlorn in the wintry emptiness of the leafless trees and the white snow on the ground. They'd tried to go back as close as possible but it seemed like a month had to have passed in the least. 
"People will be worried." Deux remarked.
"People will be overjoyed to see us return." Sansan amended. 
"There is nothing living close by." Tana told them. She'd used her air manipulation power to sense if anything stirred closeby.
"Let's look for clues." Sansan said.
It took the remainder of the day but they found close to nothing. Someone had dropped a sword. Maybe one of the others, maybe someone who'd come looking for them. It was hard to say. The two dragons had given up looking for clues long before and were busy playing in the woods under the guise of practicing their powers. 
"Let's leave a message and head to town." Deux finally suggested, "This is no place to spend the night."
Sansan shivered and had to agree that sleeping in a warm bed would be better than camping out in the middle of winter. She raised her wand and quickly scribbled a note across the spire.
"For those who come after us: We're safe. Sansan and Deux."
Deux looked at her, not knowing whether to be impressed or disapproving about her defiling the wall.
"They called it graphiti at the Refugium." Sansan shrugged, "It can be a form of art."
When they appeared into town, people dropped their things but none went running. Both Sansan and Deux were astonished by the lack of response. That is until they reached the castle and got word that both Eeny and Quart had returned a few weeks prior. Both had since left again, promising to search for their missing team-members. They'd left a message that they were stationed at a place called the Vella Crean should the others return to the Castle before them.
"So what now?" Sansan asked.
"We go explore the Vella Crean." Tana said.
"We go find them." Uji said simultaneously.
"We leave a message we can be found at the Refugium and that we shall return to Edenburght every Thursday from now on." Deux amended.
"Fine." Uji sighed, "Be responsible."
"Works for me." Tana shrugged and did a little loop in the air.
"Seems like a good idea." Sansan agreed.