"Are we just going to sit around and do nothing all day?" Astrid asked, pushing her bangs off her forehead.
It was such a lazy day at the Edge. The sun was surprisingly warm, leaving the dragon riders half asleep. They were all sitting on the deck of the clubhouse, letting their legs dangle over the ledge. Their dragons were playing in the arena, feeling the need for exercise.
"Do you guys remember the first time the Speed Stingers attacked? When we had that huge blizzard?"
Everyone looked at Snotlout. "What?" He asked, confused. "We where sitting in the academy listening to Hiccup's stupid lessons."
"And the point is?" Hiccup said.
"We were going to play twenty questions," he said. "Why don't we do that now?"
Fishlegs cleared his throat. "I have a feeling that will get violent."
"I have a question," Tuffnut said, raising his hand. "How do you play-"
"I seem to recall you asked that last time," Snotlout said, taking control of the situation (and looking pleased about it). "Twenty questions is when you think of something, and I have twenty questions to guess what it is."
Silence at the clubhouse.
"What he means," Hiccup explained, "is that, I think of Toothless. Astrid has twenty questions to ask me about what I'm thinking before she has to guess."
Tuffnut looked confused.
"I don't get it," Ruffnut said.
"Let's play a demonstration round," Snotlout suggested. "I'll be the thinker."
"Okay," Astrid said.
Snotlout thought for a moment, then said, "Fire away guys."
"Is it an animal?" Fishlegs asked quickly.
"No. Nineteen more."
"Is it a person?" Astrid guessed.
"Yes," Snotlout said, nodding.
"Is it a man?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes."
"Does he live on Berk?"
"Yes. Sixteen left."
"Is he someone we talk to everyday?" Fishlegs said.
Snotlout thought for a moment. "Some of us do."
Astrid grinned. "Is his beard spectacular?"
"Yes!"
"Is it Stoick?" Hiccup and Astrid guessed at the same time.
"Yes!" Snotlout shouted. "You guys actually got that."
"Still confused," Tuffnut called out.
"Snotlout was thinking of Stoick, and Astrid, Fishlegs and I had only twenty questions to guess that he was thinking of Stoick," Hiccup explained, wondering why the twins couldn't just see what was happening.
Ruffnut shrugged. "Stupid name."
...
"Is it an animal?"
"Why do you keep asking that Fishlegs?" Astrid laughed, covering her mouth in attempt to hide it.
It was their fifth game of twenty questions. Snotlout went again, followed by Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut.
"Because a dragon is an animal, so if you're thinking of a dragon species, that's your category," Fishlegs defended himself.
"Well, yes, it is an animal," Astrid confessed.
"Stormfly!" Snotlout shouted, pointing in the direction of the arena.
"No," Astrid sang, smirking. "Eighteen questions."
"Is it a dragon?" Hiccup asked, trying to narrow it down gradually.
"No."
There was silence for a moment before Ruffnut started. "Do we eat it?"
"Yes."
"Yak!" Snotlout shouted again.
"No!"
"Stop wasting questions!" Tuffnut shouted back.
"You have fifteen left," Astrid taunted.
"Fish?" Fishlegs said.
"Yes."
"Salmon!"
No."
Hiccup sighed, feeling annoyed with Snotlout for guessing randomly. "Haddock?"
"Finally," Astrid said. "I was hoping you'd get it."
"Wait," Tuffnut said. "We won?"
"We weren't even close to twenty!" Ruffnut complained.
"How about I go?" Hiccup suggested.
"That's probably a good idea," Fishlegs supported.
Hiccup thought for a moment. "Ready."
"Is it an animal?"
"No."
"Person?" Astrid asked.
"No."
"It's a thing," Tuffnut said, sounding spooked.
"Do we use it in everyday life?" Astrid grilled.
"Some of us," Hiccup answered mysteriously.
"A stylus!" Snotlout exclaimed.
"Nope."
"Way to waste a question," Tuffnut chided.
"What are we at?" Fishlegs groaned.
"You have sixteen."
"Is it used in a bedroom?" Astrid yelled, certain she'd hit a score.
"No."
"Is it used in a house at all?" Fishlegs said, broadening the spectrum a bit.
"No."
Everyone was silent. "Are you the only one who knows what this is?" Tuffnut complained. "Because, that's unfair, and-"
"Actually yes," Hiccup exclaimed.
"It's in the forge! Right?" Snotlout asked.
"Yes."
Again, silence. "Things in the forge that only Hiccup would know," Astrid whispered. "Oh! A bellow?"
"No," Hiccup grinned. "You've got ten."
"Coals?" Fishlegs guessed.
"Really Fishlegs?" Snotlout said in disbelief. "Way to waste a question,"
"No, it's not coals," Hiccup said, shaking his head.
"A hammer!" Tuffnut shouted. "Cause that's used in everyday life. Especially in my house."
Ruffnut punched him.
"We've already determined Hiccup is the only one who uses it," Astrid said, exasperated.
"Oh. Right. Sorry."
"Eight left," Hiccup warned. It was the closest they'd got to reaching twenty.
"This is driving me insane," Snotlout murmured.
"Is it dangerous?" Astrid asked, hoping to narrow it to something more obvious.
"Yes, if you use it incorrectly," Hiccup answered.
"A sword!" Tuffnut yelled. "That's dangerous."
"Tuffnut!" Astrid screamed. "Don't waste questions!"
Fishlegs was laughing hysterically. "This is way too funny."
"Six left," Hiccup warned again.
Astrid rubbed her forehead. "I'm drawing a blank."
"A weapons rack?" Snotlout said, nearly giving up.
"No," Hiccup groaned.
"There is nothing else in the forge," Snotlout argued.
"Yes there is," Hiccup sighed.
"The wheel thingy! The thing you sharpen swords with!" Astrid guessed, her face lighting up.
"Yes!" Hiccup shouted. "Finally!"
"That was close," Fishlegs said, smiling.
Snotlout leaned back on his hands. "I'm too tired to think. I think I'm going to take a nap."
"So we're not playing anymore?" Ruffnut whined. "I like this game."
"I think we'd better stop," Hiccup said, looking towards the sun. "It's getting late, and we should go check on the dragons."
"I'm too tired to move," Snotlout groaned.
"Twenty questions surprisingly wears you out," Astrid agreed. "I'll go with you Hiccup."
The rest of the gang lay down on the ledge, their legs still dangling over the edge. Astrid sighed. "What a day," she whispered, taking Hiccup's hand.
Hiccup squeezed hers back. "I know," he said. "First we had a Thunderdrum problem with the Night Terrors, then we went exploring, then we played twenty questions. We deserve a long rest."
Astrid laughed. "Yes we do."
They continued walking to the arena. "Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day for exploration," Hiccup said. "New islands, new dragons-"
"Why don't you take a break tomorrow?" Astrid suggested. "You've been flying out almost everyday. Maybe we should continue working on our huts and keeping the Edge functional."
Hiccup shrugged. "Fine. It's just, Toothless and I found this island farther north that was teeming with Monstrous Nightmares. We wanted to see what was making just them live there and not other dragons."
Astrid shrugged. "Probably because they were mean to other dragons who tried to nest there. They all seem to act like Snotlout."
Hiccup laughed. "Probably."
Astrid joined him in laughing. "Just stay out of the saddle for long periods of time, okay?" She asked.
"Promise," Hiccup answered.
"Do you know what I'm thinking?"
"Do I need twenty questions?"
Astrid grinned. "Probably not."
Hiccup leaned towards her. Astrid grabbed his head and kissed him, feeling the warmth of the sun cover them both.
Hi! Just a random idea I had after listening to my sister and my cousin playing Twenty Questions while we were hiking. I have a little handheld electronic Twenty Questions game... It's so much fun. It always asks the dumbest questions though...
Thank you for reading, I hope you all have a wonderful day.