Frolic

[unfinishedtales]

I don't think this snippet is going to go anywhere. But Unfinished Tales has a real dearth of random snippets that don't go anywhere. So here goes! (Nowhere.)

---

"I want to frolic," Kalena said, rolling onto her scaled back. Precious metals and gems shifted beneath her weight, clinking together, coins skittering over gilded objects. She twisted her head to fix one eye upon me.

"Frolic?" I looked up from the jeweled cup I'd been polishing. "You can't frolic."

"Why not?" She arched her serpentine spine to pull her wings free, unfurling them. More coins slid off the hoard, tinkling as they struck the stone floor.

"Because you're a dragon. Dragons do not frolic."

Kalena snapped her wings to her sides and rolled onto her stomach, stretching her forelegs before her. Foot-long talons carved furrows through the front of her hoard. "I thought dragons could do whatever they want," she purred, still watching me.

"Well ... all right," I conceded. I dipped my rag into the jar of polish while she smiled at me, baring a mouthful of long pointy teeth. "So you can't want to frolic."

She snorted. A puff of smoke drifted from her nostrils. "But I do want to frolic."

"You don't even know how to frolic."

"Yes I do!"

I buffed the edge of the cup before setting it down. "Then show me." I folded my arms, looking at her. "Go on," I said, encouragingly. "Frolic!"

"All right! I will!" Kalena turned to face the mouth of her cave. She half-lifted her wings, and set one foot forward delicately. She gave her body an undulating shake, then raised her neck into a question mark shape. She shook out her wings again.

"Come on, now," I said. "I'm waiting."

The dragon glared at me, curling one forefoot into a fist. An unfortunate platter crumpled within her grip. She snorted out a thin jet of flame.

"Very fierce," I said, approvingly. "But not frolicsome."

Kalena sighed and flopped back onto her hoard, creating a small wave of gold and silver away from her. "So I don't know how to frolic," she admitted. "But I could learn, I'm sure."

"Look, sweetheart, dragons don't frolic. Unicorns frolic. Fairies frolic. Dragons brood and hoard and toast villages."

"But I'm tired of brooding and hording. What's the good in being awesome and powerful if I can't do what I want?"

I sighed, and started to buff a tarnished silver statue that was lying on its side. "Why don't you find a nice village to toast? Make you feel better."

She glared at me with swirling eyes. "This must be some new definition of 'good' I'm not familiar with."

"You're not supposed to be good! You're a dragon."

Kalena gave a fiery sigh, blackening the cavern wall nearest her. The hoard gleamed in the burst of firelight. "But I want to frolic." After a pause, she added, "And gambol."

Exasperated, I threw up my hands and went to get a fresh rag. Whoever heard of a gamboling dragon?

Comments

[jordangreywolf.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee! Even if this never "goes anywhere", it's certainly gone somewhere already. =)

[unfinishedtales.livejournal.com]

Fair enough -- it made several people smile. :) My work here is done! *zips off to the next random snippet*

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

*frolic* };)

Just give her some dragon-nip, she'll frolic real fast!

[unfinishedtales.livejournal.com]

Kalena watches Tuftears, taking notes, her forked tongue sticking out one side of her mouth as she concentrates.

[jamesbarrett.livejournal.com]

That was a mightly fine piece of nowhere that went. I'm abducting that dragon. She's far too cute to be kept away from me like that. -Frisk

[jamesbarrett.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, and since my Muse is a Fairy, she can teach the poor thing to frolic. She'd think it was a blast. -Frisk

[unfinishedtales.livejournal.com]

*narrator throws down his rag in disgust.* "Sheesh! And everyone's just encouraging her!"

:)

[jamesbarrett.livejournal.com]

That's cause we love her and we want her to be happy. :) -Frisk

Gamboling Dragons!

[level-head.livejournal.com]

Oho! Indeed; such creatures pretend to far more prudence.

===|==============/ Level Head

Re: Gamboling Dragons!

[unfinishedtales.livejournal.com]

Kalena pouts. "I'm not pretending to be Prudence! I don't even know a Prudence."

Re: Gamboling Dragons!

[level-head.livejournal.com]

Better that you did that than me; perhaps Prudence is on my side for once. ];-)

===|==============/ Level Head

[brennabat.livejournal.com]

Clearly being surrounded by gold and its inherent glitter does not produce the frolicsome effect in reptiles. In some cases gold itself causes frolic, such as with various shades of shady human. Pixies seem frolicsome with their pixie glitter dust. Perhaps dragons are weighed down by worldly things, and are in need of kidnapping a philosopher and or a theologian -- who I suppose are not as heavy in worldly things.

Maybe something about the negativity stealing gold brings upon the dragon, and how negativity brings sadness, sadness defeats joy, how joy is a main ingredient to frolic (consult your doctor before use), and talking like a Jedi makes me want to delete this post. :D

[unfinishedtales.livejournal.com]

Perhaps dragons are weighed down by worldly things, and are in need of kidnapping a philosopher and or a theologian -- who I suppose are not as heavy in worldly things.

Kalena perks up. "Ooo! Now there's a thought! Hmmmm .... " *goes to look for a map and the nearest temple, whistling off-key8