"Ghorrah is back; it seems that she found Kharno and Helsha-ǂ," Fortitude said, peering up at the figures in the distance.

"I see them," Pryce said, following her line of sight. It was too bad that Fathom and Celeste had to go on patrols – they wouldn't be back for quite some time.

"Your heart is beating faster than normal," Fortitude stated, her good wing cupped around her head. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes, and please don't listen to my heartbeat. It's creepy."

Fortitude chuffed, but folded her wing in acquiescence. "Do not worry. Helsha-ǂ can be…rough, but he does not hurt intelligent creatures, and Kharno is very kind; I have never heard of her starting a fight, even if she is very good at fighting."

"That is…good to know. Thank you," Pryce nodded. In truth he was more worried about the complexities of gathering so many allies, but the elder's reassurance did make him feel a little calmer. "I'm going to go get a few things, I'll be right back."

Pryce returned with a box full of items in time to watch as the three dragons landed one at a time. Devotion landed first, and after her came a dragon with verdant green hide and pale green scales, perfectly matching Fortitude's description of Helsha. The herbalist carried a strange sort of bag with him, though that wasn't the most interesting thing about his appearance.

"I can see Helsha's patterns," Pryce murmured in surprise. These patterns came in the form of sprawling stripes, and appeared to be mirrored along the length of his body. It almost resembled the stylized cross section of a flame, if Pryce squinted hard enough. "They're faint, but visible."

"Interesting," Fortitude murmured back as Helsha folded his wings, and turned to silently stare at Pryce, his golden eyes intense and unblinking.

Next came Kharno, an amber-yellow dragon whose hide was like that of an early sunset. She was just old enough that her scales were starting to lighten, though the effect only amounted to a glossy sheen at her age.

«Is that him?» Kharno cried, the dragon stumbled as she landed, her sky-blue eyes focused solely on the human before her. «Ghorrah, why did you not tell me he was so cute?»

«What.» Devotion said.

«What.» Helsha said.

Fortitude snorted before belting out her laughter. «Grahaha! Of course you would think that!»

"What did she call me?" Pryce asked. "I didn't understand the last part."

Devotion sighed. «You're one of the first dragons to meet a crafter, and that is the first thing you say?» she asked drily.

«Yes! Just look at his face! Why is it so squashed?»

"She does know that pointing at my face and laughing at it doesn't need translation, right?" Pryce sighed.

"She's not…laughing…Okay, now she's laughing," Devotion admitted.

«Oh, I am sorry, I really am, it is just that I did not expect you to look so...» Here her good sense finally seemed to catch up to her, and she clasped her jaws shut with a deservedly ashamed expression.

«...I can kinda see it,» Fortitude said in a lilting tone, or at least what passed for one for a dragon, «In an ugly-cute sort of way.»

«Not helping, Jooral,» Ghorrah sighed, causing Fortitude to laugh before telling her about the things that had occurred in her absence.

While the others spoke Helsha glanced around, silently inspecting the ship. «Your name is 'Pryce' correct?» he asked, turning back to the crafter. «My name is Helsha-ǂ. Ghorrah-ǂ has told me many interesting things about your kind. I hope you don't mind if I have a few questions for you.»

"Of course," Pryce nodded, once Fortitude translated for him. "Ask anything you'd like, and I'll do my best to answer."

«Excellent,» Helsha nodded, his eyes glinting with curiosity. «Ghorrah-ǂ told me about how you used mushrooms to make medicine. Would he be willing to trade for the recipe and ingredients?»

"I have no problem with that, but you would need human tools to make the ingredients."

«I see…» Helsha murmured. «And would you be willing to trade for those tools?»

"Sorry, but I don't have them with me," Pryce apologized. "The process of studying, creating, and understanding things is extremely complicated. I could teach you, but that requires a good understanding of Murian, and we don't have time for that right now."

«Hrrm…I suppose that makes sense,» Helsha sighed. «Let's try another topic then. Ghorrah-ǂ says that humans are experienced in growing plants. Is this true?»

"Yes, it is. Almost all of the food that we eat has to be grown by someone else, and that includes plants."

«Yes…I can see how that would be necessary to feed one hundred thousand thousand humans,» Helsha murmured. «Does the average human eat more meat, or more plants?»

"Definitely plants. Nurturing animals is expensive because you have to grow food for them too, so most people eat more plants than meat." Pryce wasn't sure if starches and such would technically be considered 'plants', but the Draconic language didn't have a word for such things, so that was an approximation that he was forced to make.

«I see. That is all the questions that I have for now,» Helsha said, and sat back on his haunches to make way for Kharno. «Your turn, clumsy one.»

«I am not clumsy,» Kharno muttered, but stepped forwards anyway. "Ghorrah answered many of my questions on the way here, and if she trusts you then that is good enough for me.» She paused, then added, «...I am very sorry for laughing at you. Will you forgive me if I help you?»

Pryce raised an eyebrow as Fortitude relayed his translation. The apology was incongruously childlike when one considered that it came from a two-hundred-and-twenty-one year old dragon. "Okay, I'll forgive you. Is there anything else that you want?"

Kharno paused, tilting her head in thought. «...Can I pat your head? Your head-fur looks very fluffy.»

"Um…I would rather you not?" Pryce half-asked as he glanced at Fortitude, who seemed to be resisting the urge to snicker.

«Hmph. Maybe later, then,» Kharno sighed.

«You may consider me an ally as well,» Helsha said, and raised his makeshift bag. «Seeing as the clumsy one has nothing important to ask, I would like to make a few trades.» He reached inside and plucked out a brown, ovular pod about 20 centimeters long. Pryce wasn't sure if it was a fruit, seed, or some kind of nut. «I find that the taste of this fruit is quite nice. I am interested in trading it for any seeds that you have.»

"Ooh," Fortitude crooned. "Those have a nice flavor," she said as Pryce accepted the fruit with both hands.

He wasn't sure how it was supposed to be eaten; its surface was so hard that his fingernails barely scratched it.

«You are supposed to eat it like this,» Helsha said, popping a second pod into his mouth and cracking it in two with his powerful molars.

"Yeah, I don't think I can do that," Pryce said, his own experimental bites only leading small impressions into its surface. Before he could get a knife, Fortitude deftly plucked the pod out of his hands, cracked it in two, and handed it back to Pryce.

"Er…thanks." The insides of the fruit were oddly segmented, white, and slimy; in short, it greatly resembled an oversized maggot of some kind, and was about as appetizing.

"I'll just try a small piece for now, just in case it's poisonous to me," Pryce said, for once glad for the excuse. He nibbled on a small piece, which was…actually quite good, despite its appearance. The pulpy flesh had an earthy taste, and was sweet and tangy with a slightly sour note. He kept one segment and reluctantly tossed the rest to Fortitude, who slurped it up with a pleased rumble. "That tastes very good," Pryce said to Helsha, which Fortitude helped translate.

«This kind of fruit was created by a dragon who lived a long time ago,» Helsha explained. «There are many different types, but they are all named Tchouco, after their first creator.»

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"Interesting," Pryce said. He'd have to ask who discovered how to breed plants later. "You said her name was…Choco?"

«Tchouco,» Helsha corrected.

"...Cho-co."

«Tch-ouco,» Helsha said, enunciating the syllables.

"That's what I said."

«I can hear what you meant when you said he could not speak properly,» Helsha huffed to Devotion. «Can you say my name? Hel-sha.»

Pryce could not.

«I suppose I would rather have a second name,» Helsha sighed. «Do you have any in mind?»

"I do, actually, but first I need to explain a few things." Pryce had prepared an array of devices for the sake of communication, and he swiftly retrieved the camera to take a picture of Helsha. "This is a photograph," he said, holding up the resulting image for the dragons to see.

«...So this is what you spoke of,» Helsha murmured to Devotion, his eyes fixed squarely on the image in question. «It is indeed difficult to believe without seeing it for myself.»

Pryce held the image up to Helsha. "You can have it if you want."

Helsha blinked, then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. «What do you want in return?»

«He does not want anything in return,» Fortitude clarified, though Helsha still seemed wary for some reason. «It is not difficult for him to make a photograph,» she added, and only then did the herbalist accept the gift.

He stared at it for a few moments before tucking it into his bag for safekeeping.

«Can I have one?» Kharno asked, her blue eyes shining bright with curiosity. «Wait…» she fidgeted in place before settling on a regal pose. «Okay, ready!»

«Why did you show me this?» Helsha asked, ignoring Kharno as she doted over her new treasure.

"Because that helps you understand this," Pryce said, and opened a textbook to show an image depicting the cross-section of a plant stem. "If you look on the inside of a plant, you'll see tiny little structures that support the plant and give it strength; those are called xylem."

Helsha stared at the picture, golden eyes wide and shining. «This is…the inside of a plant?»

"Yes, you can see for yourself," Pryce said, sliding the outer membrane of a choco fruit underneath the lens of the microscope. "Those rectangular things you see there are the xylem of the plant."

Helsha stared into the eyepiece, apparently transfixed. Fortitude took the opportunity to explain how microscopes worked.

«Using glass to bend light,» the herbalist sighed. «I never imagined something like this would be possible.» He lifted his head away from the microscope, begrudgingly allowing Kharno a turn to use the device.

"Is it alright if I name you after these structures?" Pryce asked.

"Xy-lem," Helsha said. He seemed to mull it over for a moment before nodding. «Acceptable.»

«Can you put other things into this microscope?" Kharno asked excitedly. «Like a scale or a wing-»

«No time for that,» Devotion snorted. «We would be here for days if he showed you everything.»

«Oh, alright,» Kharno chuffed. «What about my name? Can you say Kha-rno?»

Pryce sighed. "Kharno."

«...Mmm…close enough,» Kharno said unexpectedly.

"Really?" Pryce asked.

"Not even close," Devotion snorted.

Fortitude shrugged. "It is her name. Let her decide if it is good enough."

«When can someone teach me human speech?» Kharno asked, her eyes narrowed. «It is very annoying to not be able to understand him.»

Fortitude tossed her head in the negative. «No time for that, we need to gather more allies before the solstice.»

«Yes, about that…» Xylem said. «I strongly suggest speaking with Yantha and Karoth next.»

«The twins?» Fortitude asked, blinking in surprise. «Why them?»

«I told Qnaro to speak to them, but they're somewhere at the end of his list. The twins are also close enough that you might be able to reach them first, and that will let you reunite with Callan sooner.»

«It is a good idea,» Fortitude commented. «Callan may be planning on coming back here in two days, but it's possible that Qnaro may have been delayed, or perhaps they had a change of plans. Intercepting them would help make sure she comes back to the ship before the other humans arrive.»

«Then I'll go meet the twins tomorrow, and I'll stay until Qnaro arrives,» Devotion said. «If he's already left then I'll just bring the twins back here so they can meet Pryce.» She paused and let out a long sigh. «I am not looking forward to having to explain this all over again.»

«Well, I would not mind repeating things to others,» Kharno pointed out. «I have already been doing that these past few days with the news about Callan.»

Fortitude tilted her head, humming thoughtfully. «Perhaps you can visit the twins instead of Ghorrah,» she suggested to Kharno, who nodded eagerly. «You can return to the Plateau instead, my wings,» she added, nudging her partner. «Rest there for a day or two, and keep your eyes on the situation. Staying there for a time will help draw out this trespasser of ours if he thinks you aren't here.»

«...I suppose you are right,» Devotion sighed.

Fortitude translated this idea for Pryce, who seemed a bit doubtful. "Can she be trusted with finding Callan?" he asked, casting a doubtful glance at Kharno.

"She can be trusted, even if she does not look like it," Devotion admitted. "It would be better to send her to the twins instead of the Plateau. She is better at talking than I am."

"Alright," Pryce nodded. "I'll trust your judgment."

Fortitude nodded and relayed their decision to Kharno, who visibly brightened. Turning to Xylem, she asked, «Is there anyone that you could convince to join us?»

«Unfortunately not,» Xylem huffed. «I have not left my territory in a long time. Qnaro is one of the few dragons who I am on speaking terms with. The others are too far away; your attention is better spent on those closer."

Devotion cocked her head at this. «Then what will you be doing in the time before the solstice?»

Xylem glanced towards Pryce and gestured to his bag. «First we will determine what other fruits Pryce deems valuable, then I will go home and prepare to trade with the other humans – once they arrive, of course.»

"Alright," Pryce nodded. "What would you want in return?"

Xylem shook his head upon hearing the translation. «I assume you have seeds from your land.»

"Ah," Pryce said, furrowing his brow. Many scientists had expressed concern about contaminating an ecosystem with foreign crops, but in the end simple pragmatism won out – a settlement needed to eat, after all, but he did feel that it was important to warn the draconic botanist about this danger.

«I know what you speak of,» Xylem replied, surprising Pryce.

"You do? How?"

«I have nurtured seeds from other islands before. Some have escaped my control. I will be careful.»

"He means small, nearby islands," Fortitude added to her translation.

"I see," Pryce murmured. "Give me a few minutes to gather my things; then we can trade."

[JOURNAL ENTRY]

Day 97,

I've moved Horizon as close to 22.5 degrees north as I could get it. Tomorrow I'll have Fathom replace the message he found with another one, detailing our location to Callan in the event she goes to check up on her message while we aren't there.

To summarize tomorrow's plan:

Fathom: Patrolling North

Celeste: Patrolling South

Devotion: Going back to the Plateau to keep an eye on things

Fortitude: Sleeping on the deck / guarding me

Xylem/Helsha: Going back home to prepare for the arrival of more humans. He has promised to return in a day or two

Kharno: Seeking "the twins" Yantha and Karoth in an attempt to intercept Aurum and Callan

Xylem has introduced me to a few fruits that dragons like to cultivate. These plants/fruits were named after the dragons who created them long ago (presumably via selective breeding).

I've given Xylem the seeds of a few staple crops and fruit seeds in return, as well as information on how to grow them. Any fruits on the ship have long since spoiled, but he still seemed quite excited to go home and begin planting.

Choco pods(?)

Long pods ~20 cm in length. A white, spongy inside is revealed once the tough outer layer is removed, which has a rather nice tangy, sour, and earthy flavor – quite tasty.

I can see this becoming quite popular back home, though Xylem has expressed that the trees are rather picky about their environment. Even if we could grow them in greenhouses, the supply would be unlikely to match the demand.

Coffee beans(?)

A fruit resembling a large bean ~5 cm in length. Dragons consider it to be very flavorful, and it is a popular cooking ingredient.Unfortunately, these beans are too difficult to chew for a human such as myself.The coffee beans have an aromatic scent. Perhaps it could be made into some sort of tea?

I will attempt to make it more palatable once I have verified that the choco pods have no ill effects on the human body.

Scalefruit (Translation)

A strange yellow-green fruit that has a strikingly scale-like pattern. Washing this fruit resulted in the 'scales' falling off on their own, revealing the delicate (and allegedly delicious) interior.

Its creation was allegedly a product of the work of two dragons working together over the course of many decades. Apparently the battle for the naming rights ended in a draw, and so the fruit was named after its distinctive pattern rather than any particular dragon.

Exceedingly delicious, according to all dragons present. It certainly smelled very nice, but I could not try it without invalidating the sample test of the choco pod.

Silata

A rather fragrant and fresh leafy plant, Silata is a common cooking ingredient.

Apparently quite easy to grow.

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