Rawr, everyone! It's Dragon Tuesday once again. This week has me a little bummed. I was going to finally buy the JNPR tee-shirt when the Rooster Teeth clearance sale started, but it sold out like immediately. And apparently, it's not coming back. Just another reminder of Volume 3. *sigh* I mean, I can't buy the Marvelous Seven stuff, because it should be Marvelous Eight, dammit! Also, if you guys want a Weiss or Blake plush, get it now. The Ruby and Yang ones are already retired and the other two have become limited edition. This has been a PSA from Solora Goldsun.

Today's dragon of the week is Gadzooks from The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D'lacey. I've talked a little about this series and still feel that it's a good read for people who want to see a different writing strategy. D'lacey used a style called organic writing, which meant that he just made everything up as he went. It showed, sometimes in a way that didn't favor the series, but it was interesting nonetheless. Gadzooks is one of the living clay dragons featured in the books, belonging to David, the main character. Zookie, as he's sometimes called, is a writing dragon and had been shown appearing in David's mind whenever he has writer's block to help him along. I wish I had a something like that! Or maybe a dragon to write my agent query letters for me…

Anyway, enjoy!

Ruby walked around the earth barn for her lesson with Ozpin and Penny, stopping short when she also saw the mammoth form of Ragnar waiting for her. The great earth dragon was sitting on his haunches, watching her with steady gray eyes. "Hey, Ragnar," she called.

"Lo, Rrroo," Ragnar rumbled back.

A slight smile came to Ruby's face despite her confusion. Hearing a dragon saying her name immediately brought her back to her dad's small broodery. The deepness of Ragnar's voice made her think of Quake.

"Hello, Miss Rose," Ozpin greeted. "Today, we're going to be testing the armor capabilities of the implant. Ragnar will be helping."

Ruby gulped as she looked at Ragnar, then glanced at Storm, who was sticking close to her. She had a tendency to do that after nightfall, when she knew it was close to time to go in her stall. She was reaching the size of a horse, and was still utterly dwarfed by Ragnar.

Guessing Ruby's thoughts, Ozpin chuckled. "Ragnar isn't going to attack her with his claws. He will simply use his powers to hurl small stones at her. The armor supposedly can spread to block hits in certain places. This is a good time to test its reflexes."

That honestly wasn't making Ruby feel any better. "Um, won't it hurt Storm if the armor doesn't work?"

"No more than a swipe from one of her fellow dragonets would," Ozpin assured her. "Don't worry. Ragnar knows what he's doing."

Ragnar stood up and lowered his head to Storm's level. He quickly explained what was going to happen.

Storm gulped and nodded, asking Ragnar to not hit her too hard. Could she put on the nice metal voice now?

Ragnar let out a snort and nodded at Ozpin.

Ozpin took the implant out of its box. "Let us begin. Storm, if you would."

Storm chirped and padded over, allowing Ozpin to place the plate on her head. She closed her eyes as the cool metal spread across her brow, neck and back. She felt the voice in her head and greeted it enthusiastically.

The light turned green. "Salutations. I am the Physical, Emotional, and Neurological Implant. Designated name: Penny. Powering up." The light blinked a few times as Storm turned to Ruby. "Rider recognized. Hello, Ruby Rose."

"Hi, Penny," Ruby replied. "Dragonmaster Ozpin says we'll be testing out your armor reflexes today."

"Acknowledged. Ready for incoming attack." The light turned red.

"Very good. Miss Rose, take a step back," Ozpin said, moving back a little himself.

Ruby backed away, watching apprehensively as Storm and Ragnar faced each other. The earth dragon growled softly. Then, without warning, a stone zipped from behind Storm. Just as quickly, a clanging noise signaled it being repelled. Ruby saw that, in the blink of an eye, the metal had spread over Storm's right hind leg. She watched as it retracted.

Then, another whistling noise signaled the throw of another stone. This time, it hit Storm square in the forehead, bouncing harmlessly off of the metal plate. Storm shook her head and snorted.

"Good girl, Storm!" Ruby called.

Penny's light turned green. "Storm would like me to inform you that she deserves several apples after this." As she spoke, she blocked two more stones.

Ruby laughed. "Don't worry, Storm. You'll get your apples."

Storm's tail thumped and she warbled cheerfully. Why couldn't she have this thing on her more often? It made asking for treats a lot easier.

After another minute, Ozpin raised his hand and Ragnar took a step back and sat down again. "Things seem to be going smoothly. By the end of the semester, Storm should be able to form more complex thoughts, which will allow us to further test the communication capabilities of the implant."

"Sir, I was wondering." Ruby looked at the metal plating. "Is Storm going to have to test this…in battle?"

Ozpin shook his head, smiling gently. "No, Miss Rose. I won't ask that of you. I simply need the device to be tested for the Festival unveiling. This is only a beta model, after all. If the Council approves the design, we'll be able to make a more combat ready model to use on volunteer Flight Squad dragons."

Ruby glanced hesitantly at Storm and at the green light. "What will happen to Penny?"

"It will most likely be stored," Ozpin said. "If the final device is a success, the beta version will probably be put on display at one of the museums as an important part of dragon history."

For some reason, this answer left a bad taste in Ruby's mouth. Was it really right to just throw Penny to the side after everything was over?

"Remember, Miss Rose," Ozpin urged when he saw her change in expression. "Penny is a program. She's no more or less sentient than the voices that some people install on their Scrolls. You don't have to feel guilty."

"Okay, sir." Ruby thought she saw the light turn yellow for a millisecond, but it could have been her imagination. "Is there anything else?"

"That should be enough for today," Ozpin said.

"Gotcha." Ruby looked at Penny. "Thanks, Penny. Detach, please."

The light blinked once. "Acknowledged." The plate fell from Storm's brow and the light went out.

Ruby smiled up at Ragnar as Ozpin picked up the plate. "Thanks for going easy, Ragnar."

Ragnar rumbled and nodded his head once. He then turned to Storm, asking her if she was adjusting to her stall.

Storm snorted loudly. She hated the stall! She hated being away from Ruby!

Ragnar gently assured her that every dragon had to go through this. He had been put in a stall during his adolescence as well. Eventually, the dragonets would be allowed in the big stables, where they'd be able to come and go as they pleased.

Storm tilted her head and looked around the grounds surrounding the earth barn. She supposed it would be nice. What if Ruby wasn't able to come back, though? What if something happened, and Storm didn't know about it?

Ragnar touched his muzzle to her shoulder. Ruby would be fine. His partner would be protecting her whenever she wasn't with Storm. Ozpin could be trusted. Ruby would be safe.

Storm blinked. "Rrrr. Rrrrrrr." She sighed and shook her head.

Ragnar let out a huff of laughter, assuring her that she would learn to speak eventually. It wasn't that hard once one grew older and mastered the use of their muzzle and tongue.

Ruby hugged Storm around the shoulders and kissed her scales. "You're trying so hard, girl! I bet you'll be talking before any of the others!"

Ozpin smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised. She's certainly bright." He checked his watch. "Well, you should probably put her to bed soon. Goodnight, Miss Rose."

"Goodnight, sir!" Ruby chirped, leading Storm back toward the individual stalls.

Once the girl and her dragon vanished from sight, Ozpin's smile faded. He pocketed the implant and turned to Ragnar. "Danger is coming, my friend," he murmured. "I got word from Vale that people from the White Fang are looking for young Blake and Pit."

Ragnar growled deeply, his gray eyes shining with anger. "Bad," he snarled.

"Yes. Very bad." Ozpin ran a finger over the implant in his pocket while touching his dragon's leg with his other hand. "I don't know how much longer we'll be able to protect everyone. Whether it's the White Fang, the Council, or whoever was trying to steal the implant, it seems that we're going to be getting the sharp end of the spear no matter where we turn."

Ragnar lowered his head and gently nuzzled his partner's shoulder.

Ozpin sighed. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you." He stood there, allowing his dragon to comfort him for a few more minutes, before straightening up, putting on his regular, stoic face, and beginning the walk back to his office.

….

Nora awoke to see Ren getting out of bed and walking toward the door. With a silence that most wouldn't expect of her, she slipped out from under the covers and followed. Once in the hallway, she approached her best friend and touched his arm.

"Hello, Nora," Ren murmured, not needing to look at her to know who it was.

"Hi." Nora smiled up at him. "You wanna be alone, or can I come with?"

Ren's lips quirked upwards. "You can join me if you want." That was one thing he always appreciated about Nora: Though she could often be overbearing, she was hyper-aware of Ren's need for alone time and was always quick to ask if he wanted privacy.

At the moment, though he had a lot on his mind, he was honestly happy to have her bouncing along beside him as he entered the courtyard. Her hand was clasped easily in his. It was a gesture that had been common ever since they were little.

"So, what's up?" she chirped. "Having trouble sleeping, or are you thinking about something?"

"Both," Ren sighed. "A lot has happened lately, and it seems that there's been little time to process it."

Nora made a noise of agreement. "I still can't believe Blake was in the White Fang." She kept her voice hushed as she said this. "I mean, I knew that we'd be dealing with bad guys and other stuff as Dragon Riders, but I didn't think it would be in our first semester, you know?"

"Exactly. We already have enough to worry about, especially our team."

Nora squeezed his hand. "Still worried about Guang?"

"I'm always worried about Guang," Ren muttered. "Professor Goodwitch has been giving us extra practice sessions, so that we can work on figuring out how long he can hold his breath. She says she's going to teach me how to hide his gill deficiency from a casual onlooker if it starts to become externally obvious."

"Do you really think the Council will try to cull him over something like that?" Nora wondered. "I mean, from their perspective, it seems kinda dumb to kill a dragon who has bonded with a Rider and only has one small problem that can be dealt with."

"They likely wouldn't cull him outright," Ren said. "I've been doing research on the subject. Dragons that are deemed unfit to bear Riders are usually grounded and put in whatever therapy stables can be found. However, if there aren't any with openings, they're put right into the pit fights, which is an eventual death sentence anyway."

"And the Rider is just left in the dust too, I'll bet," Nora grumbled.

"No, they're offered a new egg in most cases. However, many refuse to take another dragon. The pain of losing one is usually too intense to allow for another bond." Ren shook his head. "I already know that I wouldn't be able to replace Guang, especially if I knew he was in a pit somewhere."

Nora hugged her friend's arm. "Don't worry, Ren. If anything bad happens, we'll go rogue and live in the wild. It'll be awesome!"

"Going rogue isn't something to joke about, Nora. Most rogue Riders are imprisoned for life when caught, and their dragons are killed on sight."

Nora glared up at him. "I'm not joking. At least you and Guang would have a chance that way. Also, there's Jaune and Twiggy. They're in danger from the Council too."

"Still, let's not talk about going rogue until there are no other options," Ren urged. "Remember, Ozpin is known for protecting dragons and their Riders. I'm sure he'd be able to pull some strings for us. I've heard rumors that he has several Riders in his employ who aren't quite rogues, but who are far enough away from the Council to be safe."

"So, secret agent Dragon Riders?" Nora grinned. "That sounds even cooler!"

Ren chuckled despite his worries. "Always looking on the bright side," he murmured with a fond smile.

"Hey, one of us has to!" Nora stood on her toes to tap his nose. "Boop!"

This was enough to banish the rest of Ren's nervous thoughts, at least for the time being. His smile widened as he ruffled Nora's hair. "Thank you, Nora."

Nora giggled. "For what?"

"Just…being you, I guess," Ren murmured as he started walking again.

Nora felt herself blushing, and was suddenly very glad that it was dark out.

The two walked for a few minutes until Nora noticed two figures approaching from the direction of the arenas. "Hey, it's Sage and Neptune. Hi, guys!" she called.

Sage waved as they approached. "Out for a late-night stroll?"

Ren nodded. "Needed to clear my head. There's a lot going on with our group, after all."

Neptune snorted, rubbing a towel through his wet hair, shivering as the winter air hit the parts of his body he hadn't dried completely. "No kidding." Ever since Blake's big reveal, Sun had been incapable of talking about anything else. Maybe I should've been born with an extra set of ears, he thought mournfully.

"Swimming lessons?" Ren gave Neptune a sympathetic look.

"Yep. I'm able to beat down most of my panic attacks at this point," Neptune said proudly. "It still sucks, though."

"Would practicing with other water dragons help?" Ren wondered. "It would give you a different experience, and maybe make you more flexible."

"I think Professor Goodwitch said something about switching dragons in one of our next lessons." Neptune shuddered. "I really hope I don't get Barracuda…"

"I heard something about switching dragons too," Nora remembered. "We may be training other people's dragons for a week, or something like that."

"Within our own teams?"

"I'm not sure."

"Can we continue this conversation inside?" Neptune asked, wrapping his towel around his neck as another breeze caused him to tremble.

"Right, sorry." Ren led the way back to the dorms. The four ended up sitting down in one of the common areas near the kitchen. "I'll make some cocoa. You should sit near the heater, Neptune."

"Want me to help?" Nora asked.

"Not after what happened last time," Ren said firmly. "Don't worry, I'll put marshmallows and whipped cream on yours if there's any in here."

Nora pouted, but didn't try to follow him. "Okaaaaaay."

Sage raised an eyebrow. "What happened the last time you were in the kitchen, Nora?"

"You don't want to know!" Ren called over.

"He's exaggerating." Nora waved a hand dismissively. "There was a minor accident."

"You set the stove on fire."

"Just one part!"

"If by 'one part,' you mean the entire top of the stove, then yes."

Neptune curled up on the sofa near the heater, sniffling quietly.

Sage took the towel away and wrapped a blanket around his teammate's shoulders. "You're going to start having lessons in the indoor pools tomorrow. Why don't you ask Professor Goodwitch for a key? You'll catch a cold if you keep practicing in the arena."

"Okay," Neptune muttered, leaning into Sage's side. "Thanks again for the help, dude."

"It's what I'm here for," Sage said with a slight smile.

Nora giggled. "You're like the team mom, huh Sage?"

"He totally is," Neptune agreed. "Kinda like Ren, huh?"

"Yep!" Nora chirped. "Who do you think is the team mom for Team RWBY?"

"Weiss," Sage remarked. "I saw her lecturing Yang on table manners just yesterday."

"Omigosh, that sounds hilarious!"

"It really was."

Ren eventually returned with four mugs of cocoa, which they sipped contentedly for the next hour before finally returning to their rooms, their minds just a little calmer than before.

More character interaction time! Yay! The next few chapters, especially thirty seven through forty, are going to delve even more into the personalities of the dragons and their interactions with everyone else, so stay tuned!

If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

For writing tips, prompts, top 10 lists, and fandom rants from yours truly, check out my blog at soloragoldsun dog wordpress dot com.

Peace out!