there better be pie at the end of this

[fassa]

So. Friggin’. Hot.

Dean blinked- winced, and squinted. Bringing an arm up above his head to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun, he sat up.

Sand. Lots of it. Dunes of it everywhere.

Ugh, the hell is this place, anyway? He looked down, his other hand curling into the sand. He grabbed a handful and let it slip through his fingers. Really dry. No wind. Some kind of desert, he thought as he picked himself up. But where? Place didn’t feel like Arizona.

The last thing he could remember was Dick- embedding the Bone of Righteous Mortal whatever firmly into his neck, a rippling in the air and an explosion. What now? Did they win? Got dragged into wherever Dick went?

He swallowed, throat dry and parched. He moved forward, still surveying the area. Nothing had changed, it was still 360 degrees of sand. The sun was up above, but he couldn’t tell where it rose or where it was setting. At least he won’t be able to till a few hours later.

Just peachy.

Beachy?

- heh. Would have worked if there was actually sea.

“Sam? Cas?” He called out, voice crackling, trudging forward through the sandy landscape. “Sam!”

Cas had been standing second closest to Dick, but there weren’t any signs of his brother or the angel anywhere. He patted down his clothes as he carried on walking, feeling for weapons, but he hadn’t carried a gun with him. Guns were useless against Leviathans. Almost everything was.

Wait- his blade-

Dean knelt down, ran his hand by his ankle. Good, that should come in useful if he ran into hostiles.

He swallowed again. He had to keep moving, find an oasis or something. He pulled off his jackets (he had a leather jacket over a lighter, green cotton coat) and fashioned his green coat to be draped over his head, using its sleeves to wrap around his mouth. It should do it for now.

Putting his leather jacket back on, he continued moving forward.

[Zaxal]

First, there had been the solo Aragorn whom she had found in the desert during a spontaneous morning ride. Then, Haelyn had called her in to help bring an entire group of strangers to the Weyr from the desert. Nocta was starting to think there was some sort of pattern.

Worry gnawed at her, and she found herself taking Ralelth out to do sweeps over the desert, keeping an eye out for oddities that had to be inspected. Nocta knew that she would be better off with more people to do this. Like any other sweep, keeping an eye out just in case, but that meant telling people what they were looking for, and the problem was that she wasn't entirely sure herself.

She needed to know more. More importantly, she needed to ensure that no one would die in the desert due to her negligence.

Ralelth, sensing Nocta's need for support, had finally stopped complaining about being roused for the short flights into the desert. She simply agreed, waiting patiently while Nocta fitted the harness that would allow them to easily carry passengers before heading out again.

Today, unlike most days, they discovered another person moving below them in the sand, heading determinedly in a line through the desert as they approached. They will be no more prepared than the others.

I know.[/i] Nocta patted her neck as they began to descend, coming in to land far enough away that the sand wouldn't beat against the lost soul wandering alone. They'd barely landed before Nocta was sliding down onto Ralelth's foot and jumping down to the ground with a hurried pace that could best be described as urgent.

The first person she'd found, she'd taken too long and he'd been too sick from the heat. She would not make the same mistake twice. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted, "Hello! Are you lost?"

Crude. I could have spoken to them.

"Yes," Nocta said patiently as she lowered her hands. "But if they aren't used to having dragons speaking to them, it might alarm them. I'd rather be crude."

Ralelth lowered her head, nudging Nocta gently. You worry so. It will be fine.

"I hope so."

[curiositybroughtit]

The first thing Lucy noticed when she woke was that she was staring up at an open sky. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. The sky was still there; the train car was not. Some kind of illusion, maybe?

She sat up, sand falling off of her and into her lap. She sighed. What kind of idiot would cast an illusion of a desert over some of Fiore's best farming country? Well, Natsu might. Or Elfman. Or, if she was being honest with herself, most of Fairy Tail would, if they used illusions. Which they didn't, generally.

Still...it would take a quite a bit of magical power to create a desert as vast as this was appeared.Lucy stood, resisted the urge to brush the sand off her clothes, and started walking. The sun was on her back and starting to become uncomfortably warm. Still, she would be heading in the same direction and would, with any luck, either run into the seat in front of hers, the train car wall, or the mage who had cast this illusion in the first place.

And then she saw it, swooping down from the sky. The shape itself was unmistakable: a dragon! Lucy laughed. Of course, this was a dream! "Well, I might as well enjoy it, right?"

She sprinted in the direction where she'd seen the dragon land. Her feet dragged in the sand as she topped the dune. Below her, she could see the dragon and its...rider?--yes, there was someone on its back. Well, Igneel had to carry Natsu around somehow, right? There was another person there, too, wearing a green headdress of some kind. "Hello!" she shouted, waving at them. Lucy half-slid, half-ran down the sand dune. "Do you know a dragon named Igneel?"

[fassa]

Nothing could be worse than Hell but this desert would make his Top Ten List of Really Crap-tas-tic Situations he didn’t want to experience ever again- being mojo'd into the middle of nothing but miles of sand and dry heat? It was like waking up to the in The Hangover without any living soul in proximity, and an induced teleportation sickness. And that meant no pooping for a week.

On the plus side, there hadn’t been some kind of gigantic sandworm from beneath the sand showing up to eat him whole, because monsters usually showed up at some point, like that time he encountered a half-human- literally, a vertically-halved human, in the Mojave Desert. He had to wrestle that sucker to the ground and pump a few rounds of silver into its head.

Seriously. It was no surprise he wasn't a religious man; he didn't believe in God. Now, he just thought of God as one sadistic bastard.

It had been an hour since he woke, going by approximation. Five times he had prayed to Castiel, and there had been no answer each time.

Cas, if you can hear me.

Silence.

He kept his breathing as even as he walked- he could feel the sand inside his shoes, the dryness in his breath and eyes, hear the steady thudding of blood vessels in his ear. The sun had dropped just a little, and he now knew he was heading away from the sun, and even the landscape was starting to look different- with more rocky formations reaching upwards. The jacket over his head helped, but he was getting more fatigued, and dehydrated from the heat, but if he could make it to those formations, he would be able to find some shade and maybe even some desert plants.

With renewed vigour, he readjusted the jacket over his head and stumbled on.

This heat though.

God, how he missed his Baby, missed being in her right now. He was rueful for having allowed Meg to take the keys. Having her distract the Leviathans with the impala wasn’t all that necessary-

"...lost?"

Thinking he had heard something, Dean slowed and turned around. Standing just about a few hundred feet away was a woman, and-

- was that a dragon?

He glanced around to see if he was being ambushed, and up on a dune past the dragon, another figure showed up, sliding down to meet them. She looked very much like a highschool girl, one dressed for less harsher climates. Huh. They didn't look like mirages, and he was certain mirages did not make sounds.

The hell? Where did they pop out from?

He readied himself, feet in an L-position so that he was ready to crouch and grab his knife should he need it, knowing better than to take people, especially pretty women in the middle of nowhere, at face-value. And especially one who seemed to have a freakin’ dragon for a pet.

“Where the hell am I?” - cut him some slack, he was too tired to be personable right now.

[Zaxal]

Nocta looked around suddenly as someone else that she hadn't noticed on their initial flyover. She raised an arm in greeting, though she frowned slightly when she asked about the name. "Hello! No we don't!" Rather confused, she added, "Do you?"

Ralelth, more confident in her answer, said, There are no dragons on Pern named Igneel. Though there is an Ignaelth at Benden -- perhaps that is who she means?

Doubt it. Probably another of our strangers.

The other stranger moved slightly, though they weren't walking back towards them. "I'm not going to continue shouting. Would you mind?"

Ralelth shook her head. Not at all. Out loud (or at least where the others could hear them), she said, You are in the Igen Desert. We are Ralelth and rider Nocta of Igen Weyr which is a short flight from here. We would like to take you to the Weyr where there is food, drink, and Healers if you find that you are feeling ill from the heat.

"Both of you," Nocta added, her voice raised so they could hopefully both hear.

[fassa]

Holy Mary Mother of God.

It was in his head. It. Speaking in his head. It was like listening to yourself think, but knowing they were not your own thoughts.

He stumbled backwards in surprise.

Ralelth? Nocta? Igen Weyr? Did he end up in one of Sam’s fantasy books because it sure as hell felt that way right now thank you very much.

"Yeah sure, sweetheart, I’m not that easy,” Dean yelled back when he’d steadied himself, poised for defence, wary eyes looking between Nocta and blondie. “How do I know you’re not going to string me up and feed me to your pet?”

[curiositybroughtit]

Dream or not, at least Natsu wouldn't drag them all across the nearest desert (because she would be dragged into it). Still, Lucy would have thought that a dream dragon would be Igneel, or at least know of him.

She...was hearing words inside her head. Words, inside her head. That was amazing. Lucy had heard about telepathic spells before, but the casting of any spell without circles or other gestures was awe-inspiring. But, well, it was a dragon. And she--the voice was definitely female--said that they were in the Igen Desert, and she could take them to an Igen weyr. Lucy had never heard of a country called Igen before, but water sounded good. Even if it was dream water.

The man shouted at the pair, startling Lucy. His stance reminded her of Erza's, when they were in the middle of enemy territory. He did have a bit of point, though; she didn't fancy being gulped down by a dragon, even if it was a dream dragon. She reached for keys. She couldn't summon Aquarius without water, so Sagittarius was her best bet.

Except she didn't have her keys. Because they were in Magnolia, lying in a gutter somewhere. Because she'd been stupid and left Sagittarius's key at home. Because this wasn't a dream. She took a step backward.

But, wait a minute, if she remembering her lore correctly.... "Shouldn't the dragon have eaten her rider by now, though? Dragons either eat all humans, or they don't." Forcing herself to calm down, because dragons were predators and could smell fear, she said, "I wouldn't say no to getting out of this heat, Miss Ralelth, Rider Nocta," she said. She gave all three of them a bright smile. "I'm Lucy, by the way. Lucy of Fairy Tail."

[Zaxal]

Ralelth shifted, stretching her wings slightly as her tail flicked. Her eyes whirred orange, her faint irritation sounding loud over their bond. It was rare that Ralelth got truly upset by anything, but continued rudeness by the people she was trying to help was starting to get to her.

Ralelth lifted her head and brought herself up straight, facing the man directly. I am Ralelth of Igen Weyr, one of the dragons of Pern. For many, many Turns we have defended the planet from Thread. My hatchlings soar among the fighting wings of three Weyrs. I do not eat people, and I am most certainly not anyone's pet.

Nocta patted Ralelth's leg and looked to the girl who had introduced herself as Lucy. She barely blinked at the oddly-named place, having come to expect it as of late. "Pleased to meet you, Lucy of Fairy Tail. We'll take you soon. I'd much rather not leave him out here to die if at all possible."

[fassa]

Okay, so that was a mistake. The dragon’s eyes had turned orange now, and made itself look bigger than before - past experiences with beasts told him in no way was that a good sign. That, and the additional statements he had communicated telepathically, again. Dean wished it would stop doing that.

He didn’t have much choice in the matter, since he didn’t know anything about the terrain at all. He sized up his options - he could accept being taken back to their settlement, or serve out a possible prolonged death sentence by remaining here. Not that he wasn’t excellent at surviving the odds, but some drink would be really good right now.

“Okay, I’m sorry- uh- Ralelth,” he hastily raised both hands to eye level, signalling a truce; he would play it safe for now. “It’s been a weird day, you know.”

Psychic dragons, for one. Let's hope it couldn't read his mind.

He approached them - Lucy, Nocta and Ralelth, but placed himself a certain distance away from the dragon. Slowly lowering his hands, he wondered how he and Blondie would be extracted, then his stomach started to churn as it dawned on him.

"Wait,” he gestured at the dragon. “Do … I... have to get on... Ralelth?"

He hoped the answer was no, but that hope was sinking like that feeling in his gut. Dean was not a big fan of flying.

[curiositybroughtit]

Lucy edged away from the man, as the dragon's eyes turned a frightening orange. She didn't know what kind of dragon this was, and she was not going to find out first hand.

But the man appeared to have enough common sense to try and defuse the conflict. Lucy watched him approach them, staying a certain distance from the dragon. He did know that she was the one who would (most likely) be flying them out, right?

Lucy rather thought it sounded fun, as long as the dragon's wings didn't disappear in mid-flight. The man didn't share her assessment, and staring at the straps on the dragon, Lucy revised her assessment. "Um, how are we supposed to stay on?" she asked.

[Zaxal]

At his apology, Ralelth relaxed, her eyes returning to a calmer green. Thank you. She didn't ask for much, really, just some politeness when she was trying to help people. She understood they were under stress, but she and Nocta were as well. They would understand once they were out of these stressful circumstances.

Nocta smiled apologetically at the man's apparent discomfort. "I'm afraid so. Quickest way to get home. But I promise we fly safely. I've been flying with Ralelth for almost 20 Turns, and barring a few incidents when we were both young, she hasn't dropped me once. Nor have we ever lost a passenger."

Ralelth bowed her head somehow modest and proud at the same time.

Nocta followed Lucy's gaze towards the harness on Ralelth. "There are straps that will keep you tethered to her, and straps you can hold onto. The harness is fitted for two -- should work for the both of you. I can go without." She smiled up at Ralelth. "She won't let me fall."

[fassa]

Dean didn't like the recommendation of being strapped onto the side of a freaking giant flying lizard.

Fear of flying wasn’t irrational; Sam’s fear of clowns was irrational. With planes - something goes fucking wrong, you spend the rest of the time falling waiting for an impact that would . Not something Dean particularly liked thinking about when in flight.

It hadn’t always been this way till Sammy ran off to college and he had this one case involving a private jet and since then, he wouldn’t even take a plane from Wisconsin to Michigan.

But being tethered to the dragon - he imagined it would be the equivalent of being tied to the top of the jet, a full on experience with velocity in your face. He was torn between hoping to pass out midway so he didn't have to imagine the free fall all the way to the ground, or not passing out so he'd slip off the dragon and wind up dead. At least having been in this desert for the past hour, he knew he wouldn’t be peeing in his pants, because that would be embarrassing.

Suck it up, Dean- you’re a grown ass man with two chicks.

Yeah, and a dragon.

“So, uh, any in-flight entertainment?” He chuckled rhetorically to hide his nerves, and approached Ralelth, surveying the harnesses, and when she allowed it, he tugged on them to check how sturdy they were. Not too shabby, he thought, only feeling a teensy bit better.

He turned to Lucy, offering to help her up. “You wanna go first, Luce?”

[curiositybroughtit]

"Sure," she said. "As long as we don't fall off, it'll be fun." Lucy accepted his help in getting up, and it was a good thing too. Dragons were tall; even with a boost, she had to clamber up, grab a hold of the harness and swing a leg over Ralelth's back. It wasn't that different than mounting a horse, really.

The straps were a different matter. She fussed with them until she managed to get them into something resembling the way Nocta had them arranged earlier. Was this right? Lucy wondered as she tied what she thought was the final one in place. Well, one way to find out. "Need a hand?" she asked the man, holding out her arm. And then, as a sudden thought occurred to her, asked, "You...don't get motion sick, do you?"

[Zaxal]

Ralelth held still under the man's inspection of her harnesses, snorting in slight amusement at his nervousness. In their time as Searchriders, both she and Nocta had dealt with many nervous people who weren't used to flying and were afraid of heights. It usually wasn't the most hopeful beginnings for a future dragonrider, but it certainly hadn't stopped many of them from Impressing and going on to be fantastic.

At this point, the relative normality of someone afraid of flying was almost a welcome reprieve.

She held still, lowering just enough to help Lucy scramble up onto her back. Nocta watched with amusement as the man who had been all business faltered at the idea of flying, clearly uncomfortable and trying to ease it. "There's nothing like flying dragonback."

She stepped forward next to him. "Best way to mount up is to stand on the back of her forefoot. She'll lift you up to a better position herself without someone else having to lift you up." Ralelth pushed her foot out invitingly, turning her head enough to get a good look at him to see if he'd go for it and trust her. Nocta lifted her head to look up at Lucy. "It looks good from down here, but I'll double check your straps once I get up there. Good job!"

[fassa]

“As long as we don’t fall off,” Dean repeated dryly after Lucy, thinking of the lyrics to Alanis Morissette’s Ironic as he helped her up.

“Motion sick? Me? Nah, I’ll be fine,” he said, waving a dismissive hand just as Nocta stepped to his side. Dean doesn’t get motion sickness - only a crippling fear of being so far up from the ground. He flashed a faux charming grin, “Don’t worry ‘bout me throwing up in the air.”

Noticing Nocta now standing next to him, he turned to face her and nodded at her instructions. She seemed alright with an earnest affability, with nothing to indicate ill-intentions. Easy on the eyes too.

He removed the coat off his head to put it back on under his leather jacket, and taking a deep breath, he heaved himself up onto Ralelth with the aid of her foot. “Uh, thanks,” he said, after he had taken a moment that he was, in fact, on the back of a dragon. Sammy would have a field day listening to this one.

He looked back at Nocta, who was still on the ground. Despite himself, he spoke, “Nocta- was it? You sure you’ll be fine without the harnesses? I mean, I could probably hang onto your back.”