Of Feathers And Flames- A Wings of Fire AU RP

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Alicanto kept his shoulders looped back and his chin lifted as he paced down the colorless hallway, radiating an air of confidence and defiance. He hated this place. More than anywhere in the Den. No matter where he went or how many missions he went on, he could never get far enough away. The smell of chemicals and humans stung his nose and throat, making his mouth feel tainted and dry. The lights that were embedded in the ceiling lit the whole facility in an unnaturally white light, adding to the bleached and lifeless aura of the giant building.
Occasionally, Alicanto passed a few Nightwing hunters in the halls, all of them shooting him a cold look from the corners of their dark eyes. The Cloudwing didn't acknowledge them, only continued unphased through the maze-like building of testing rooms, offices, and hallways.
He stepped out of the large stairwell and onto the lowest floor, deep under the ground. Most dragons in the Den would have shuddered at the thought of even setting foot on this floor of the facility. Alicanto felt the ridge of spikes and feathers on his back rise in apprehension, his crest flaring and making the glowing tipped feathers brighten. This level of the research facility was just as well-lit as the rest, but somehow, it felt darker, as if some sort of dark presence was hanging between the rooms and halls. The doors were more heavily bolted and they didn't have any windows.
Alicanto kept his posture straight, shoving the chilling feeling away as he strode down the halls. Now and then, the sound of a dragon's shriek echoed through the corridors like a lost ghost, sending a shudder down the Cloudwing's spine.
The central office was in the center of the facility, and there was an elevator that ran beside it through every single floor. But of course, the humans didn't care to devise any easy way for dragons to navigate through the halls, and the only way to switch between floors was through the winding stairwells set at all four corners of the building.
Alicanto paused outside the large, swinging doors, hesitating before gripping the handle with two claws and pulling it open, ducking through the low doorway.
Two walls in the room were covered in monitors and computers, papers littering the table tops. Another smaller door was set off to the side of the farthest wall, and there was a stack of papers and clipboards piled on the end of the large table in the center.
An older human was sitting in a chair at the large table and a woman was standing at the computer, clicking something into the monitor on the keyboard. The older man looked up as Alicanto stepped inside, smiling and standing up at the sight of the Cloudwing. Most dragons weren't allowed to be inside the central office, even some of the most privileged Nightwing hunters usually met with their superiors outside.
Despite the otherwise pleased look on the man's face, something menacing glittered in his dark eyes. This was always the hardest part for Alicanto to ignore. He'd seen this human often, and he had no recollection of the professor ever harming him in any way. But something deep inside recoiled at the sight of the older man, and he felt his claws curl slightly into the hard floor, his jaw clenching and his feathers bristling. The professor never noticed.
"Ali, it's good to see you again," the man trilled happily. Alicanto's eyes slitted barely further at the sound of the uncharacteristic nickname the human had insisted on calling him.
"I have another assignment for you," he scratched a hand through his unruly mustache, the only hair on the bald man's face, before turning and rummaging through the stack of papers on his desk and pulling out a thick clipboard, which he flicked across the table at Alicanto.
"You heard about the breakout--how some of the richer dragon hunters were in on it? Well, there was one in particular that was arrested late last night and somehow disappeared this morning. There's still a lot of investigating going on to figure out how, but if you ask me, it's all smoke and mirrors. No one's really trying, and I'd bet you a pound o' Lunarwing scales there're bribes circulating through the whole situation."
Alicanto glanced down at the tiny writing on the clipboard, fixing a bored expression on his face and shoving away the wrenching feeling in his stomach when the professor mentioned the scales.
"What is the mission," he said bluntly. He almost had the nerve to give the old man a stinging retort along with the question, but he knew how things operated in the labs. The nicest thing he'd be asking for was a death wish.
The professor sat back down, reclining in his chair.
"There's already a bounty for whoever can bring the fugitives in. I have a couple of deals made with some fellow scientists who have hunters of their own. Of course, they wouldn't be able to pull it off without some help. They should already be waiting at the truckyard. Your mission is to work with these two to bring in the fugitives in the name of my company."
"And what's in it for me." The words were out of Alicanto's mouth before he could stop them. He'd asked this question a few times before, and usually, the answer was the same. Every now and then, the professor would come up with something more appreciatable than simply allowing Alicanto to keep both his memory and his position, but usually, that's all it was.
And guessing from the dark look that crossed the man's face, that was exactly what he was going to say.
"This is a privilege, Ali, to hunt for the Den's assets. Most Nightwings don't even have this opportunity, and you would do well to remember that." His expression darkened further and his voice lowered. "Assuming when you return, you still can remember it."
The woman at the computer had stopped typing, angling her head slightly as if looking at one of the different monitors, but obviously listening to the exchange.
Same old, same old. Alicanto thought bitterly, dipping his head submissively to the professor.
"Yes sir. I will meet up with the others and bring the fugitives back."
Every word was dripping with tension, and the professor slowly stood up, furiously scraping a hand through his mustache again. Alicanto kept his deep, blue eyes fixed on the blank tabletop.
"Good," the man growled, every note of his previous cheerful manner gone. "Now get out."
Alicanto didn't need to be told twice.
He turned and pushed through the doors, pacing quickly through the halls, the eerie facility finally pressing into the corners of his mind and making his nerves spark anxiously. By the time he reached the stairwell, he was practically running.
The trip from the central office to the front entrance was over quickly, and before he knew what he was doing, he was already in the air, beating his wings furiously to get away from the horrid building.

Gen entered the deserted truck yard, shifting his scales to blend into his surroundings. He paced silently to an empty cage, leaping a top as the tall man from the lab barracks entered the yard, closing the garage door behind himself. Gen remained soundless as the man approached, the garage door still creaking shut by the time the tall man had reached the cage, their eyes locked. Gen reached for the man's glasses with an invisible talon, removing them in one swift motion.
"Ah-ha. You won." The man said dryly, frowning as he extended his hand with an expectant air. Gen shifted silently, feeling reassured when the man continued staring at where he had been standing. Gen dropped the glasses into his palm.
"Thank you." The man flicked the glasses over his eyes, his brows raised slightly as he adjusted his gaze. "Project 14A."
OH.
Realization seemed to crush Gen's mind, an incredible, increasing pressure forcing him to flinch back as the man walked away.
Project 14A, Project 14A-
He glanced up at the man, who didn't look back, disappearing behind the garage corner. A car door slammed shut a few moments later.
He wanted to pursue this man. He wanted to-
Gen straightened, his gaze both shifting and sharpening as his thoughts were drowned by reality. He had a mission. He wasn't allowed to focus on other things. Priorities.
August Tobias.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Gen entered the deserted truck yard, shifting his scales to blend into his surroundings. He paced silently to an empty cage, leaping a top as the tall man from the lab barracks entered the yard, closing the garage door behind himself. Gen remained soundless as the man approached, the garage door still creaking shut by the time the tall man had reached the cage, their eyes locked. Gen reached for the man's glasses with an invisible talon, removing them in one swift motion.
"Ah-ha. You won." The man said dryly, frowning as he extended his hand with an expectant air. Gen shifted silently, feeling reassured when the man continued staring at where he had been standing. Gen dropped the glasses into his palm.
"Thank you." The man flicked the glasses over his eyes, his brows raised slightly as he adjusted his gaze. "Project 14A."
OH.
Realization seemed to crush Gen's mind, an incredible, increasing pressure forcing him to flinch back as the man walked away.
Project 14A, Project 14A-
He glanced up at the man, who didn't look back, disappearing behind the garage corner. A car door slammed shut a few moments later.
He wanted to pursue this man. He wanted to-
Gen straightened, his gaze both shifting and sharpening as his thoughts were drowned by reality. He had a mission. He wasn't allowed to focus on other things. Priorities.
August Tobias.

Ight, sorry, I'm exhausted, good night

 

[-Shade-]

Gen entered the deserted truck yard, shifting his scales to blend into his surroundings. He paced silently to an empty cage, leaping a top as the tall man from the lab barracks entered the yard, closing the garage door behind himself. Gen remained soundless as the man approached, the garage door still creaking shut by the time the tall man had reached the cage, their eyes locked. Gen reached for the man's glasses with an invisible talon, removing them in one swift motion.
"Ah-ha. You won." The man said dryly, frowning as he extended his hand with an expectant air. Gen shifted silently, feeling reassured when the man continued staring at where he had been standing. Gen dropped the glasses into his palm.
"Thank you." The man flicked the glasses over his eyes, his brows raised slightly as he adjusted his gaze. "Project 14A."
OH.
Realization seemed to crush Gen's mind, an incredible, increasing pressure forcing him to flinch back as the man walked away.
Project 14A, Project 14A-
He glanced up at the man, who didn't look back, disappearing behind the garage corner. A car door slammed shut a few moments later.
He wanted to pursue this man. He wanted to-
Gen straightened, his gaze both shifting and sharpening as his thoughts were drowned by reality. He had a mission. He wasn't allowed to focus on other things. Priorities.
August Tobias.

Alicanto raked his gaze over the truckyard, searching for the dragons he was supposed to meet with. The idea of running a mission with other dragons made his lips curl in disgust. Why did the professor think he couldn't handle the mission alone? He'd done it for years, and a couple of fugitives weren't going to be any bit of a challenge, let alone one that required him to have to drag a couple of test projects out to the desert to stop one car. Sure, going after the rebel transports may require some help, but they weren't to that phase yet. Alicanto could handle the fugitives on his own. After all, he was the greatest mercenary in the Den.
The silver Cloudwing angled his wings, circling the truckyard again. He watched a lone car pull away from the truckyard, swinging out onto the streets of the Den and driving away.
Alicanto glanced back at the yard, trying to find any sign of the dragons. Something flickered on top of one of the empty cages, a spark of color that shimmered briefly on the air. The silver Cloudwing folded his wings in and swooped down into the truckyard, rearing back and flaring his wings to land in the center of the courtyard. He paced toward the empty cage, staring at the space where the flicker had been, hoping to spot the shape of a dragon or a glint of scales.
"When they said I was working with another dragon, I think I would have expected something more than a lazy Rain-" he broke off, stopping with one talon still lifted as the dragon shimmered into view.
This hunter was definitely not a Rainwing.

@_-Captain BRM-_
@Little Baby Bean, do you want to bring Ajax into the truckyard now?

 

[Yukiko]

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

View attachment 3537240

Oh, sick. This actually helps me picture him SO much.

 

[Yukiko]

In case anyone was having trouble picturing Sage because my description wasn't the best, there is my pic of him.

 

[Yukiko]

Oh, sick. This actually helps me picture him SO much.

Thanks! Yeah, that's why I drew him was so it was easier for everyone to picture lol

 

[-Shade-]

Where would Robin be at in this? Sorry I'm just jumping in.

You could probably drop him in on King and Pheonix

 

[Little Baby Bean]

Alicanto raked his gaze over the truckyard, searching for the dragons he was supposed to meet with. The idea of running a mission with other dragons made his lips curl in disgust. Why did the professor think he couldn't handle the mission alone? He'd done it for years, and a couple of fugitives weren't going to be any bit of a challenge, let alone one that required him to have to drag a couple of test projects out to the desert to stop one car. Sure, going after the rebel transports may require some help, but they weren't to that phase yet. Alicanto could handle the fugitives on his own. After all, he was the greatest mercenary in the Den.
The silver Cloudwing angled his wings, circling the truckyard again. He watched a lone car pull away from the truckyard, swinging out onto the streets of the Den and driving away.
Alicanto glanced back at the yard, trying to find any sign of the dragons. Something flickered on top of one of the empty cages, a spark of color that shimmered briefly on the air. The silver Cloudwing folded his wings in and swooped down into the truckyard, rearing back and flaring his wings to land in the center of the courtyard. He paced toward the empty cage, staring at the space where the flicker had been, hoping to spot the shape of a dragon or a glint of scales.
"When they said I was working with another dragon, I think I would have expected something more than a lazy Rain-" he broke off, stopping with one talon still lifted as the dragon shimmered into view.
This hunter was definitely not a Rainwing.

@_-Captain BRM-_
@Little Baby Bean, do you want to bring Ajax into the truckyard now?

I will probably try after I eat dinner.

 

[Harmonylight]

Lemme know how it is tmr. I can't even remember how old I was when I saw the first Avatar, so no spoilers, but let me know if it's a good movie

Omg it's SO good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's hilarious, sad, sweet, amazing, and the cinematography?!?!?!?! James Cameron is a magician. It literally is unbelievable. Everything looks so unreal and yet flawless at the same time.... if I could step through a portal of metal and glass and screen and end up in the world of Pandora, I would gladly do so. It's insane there. The colors are so striking, the dialogue incredibly engaging and witty, the characters impeccably thought out, and the plot?! Don't even get me started!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The way the water ripples makes me feel as though I'm swimming through it myself, and the incredible imagination and creativity that was used for all of the exotic creatures beyond brilliant..... like- omg it's INSANE!!!!!!!!!