Author's Note:

I've been going over the stats for Aimless. And let me just say… wow. Just… wow. I never expected this story to get to this point.

Twenty-two chapters in, past the second story arc, with over 30,000 views and two hundred reviews! This has far exceeded anything my other fic has ever accomplished. For a "Trapped in TV Land" type of fic, that sort of performance is just amazing.

I am truly, truly grateful to you all for not only helping Aimless get to this point but also motivating me to start taking this project more seriously than when I first started it last March. Aimless has so many more chapters ahead of it, and I do not doubt that you readers have placed a variety of expectations on this project's value as a source of entertainment. So whether you are looking for a deconstruction of the stereotypical "human fic", a well-developed post-DotD, a good portrayal of SpyCy, an immersive read, or just something different, I will do my best not to disappoint.

Anyway, in the wake of Donald Trump's landslide victory on November 8th, a fact that inspired both anti-Trump protests as well as rampant bigotry against minorities in the US, I'm giving you guys something more lighthearted to enjoy. I hope y'all like it.

Disclaimer – Seriphos is owned by Riverstyxx, who gave me permission to use this OC. He is featured in her stories "Residual Darkness" and "Tears of an Oracle".

Timestamp key: "D" for days, "W" for weeks, "M" for months, "Y" for years, "EM" for early morning, "LM" for late morning, "EA" for early afternoon, "LA" for late afternoon, "EE" for early evening, "LN" for late night, and "AD" for all day. Note that the Realms follows the sexagesimal system for keeping time, just like Earth. (In other words, 60 seconds per minute and 60 minutes per hour.)

Snip category key: There are four categories of snips. "Settling In", "City Life", "Beyond the Wall", and "The Journey Home". All four represent parallel storylines that take place within Aimless, and other than "Settling In", each snip category has at least two subtypes. Those subtypes aren't listed due to potential spoilers.

Enjoy!

City Life – Threads of Gold

Chapter 23: Boop!

"Time is a game played beautifully by children."

- Heraclitus

[3D/LM]

Every dragon in the Realms had something to say about the Apes.

Sometimes the Apes were called belligerent. Sometimes they were called unclean. Oftentimes they were simply savage—a species of heartless, sadistic beasts that gleefully murdered dragons for no reason aside from sport.

Over the decades, Seriphos heard these assertions again and again, in hundreds of variations. None were flattering; many painted the Apes in an evil and horrific light. Justifiably so, when one thought of the hundreds—the thousands of dragons, young and old, butchered in the wars long past. As a matter of fact, multiple times he had witnessed the Apes' brutality up close. Years ago he himself experienced the agony they could inflict on an innocent soul firsthand, when they brutally murdered his parents and the only dragoness he ever called a sister.

Seriphos almost wept when he first learned how many died trying to protect the city he loved from the furless ape. He lost several friends that day, people he knew long before he became a Dragon Knight. Sudden losses, all of them. If it weren't for the Guardians' direct commands, he would have attacked the furless ape the instant he saw him defile the pristine cleanliness of the Temple with his brown, dirty feet. There were no words to describe the astonishment and outrage he felt when they ordered the furless ape—that monster—detained indefinitely inside the Temple. In an unused residential room of all places! On the fourth level, too! Ancestors, why didn't they just execute the damned thing?

Thankfully Terrador ensured the furless ape lived under tough, uncomfortable security protocols. Four guards were to secure the prisoner at almost all times, one of whom had to be an earth dragon—a dragon with enough skill and experience to encase a target within solid rock in a split-second. The job entailed full nine-hour shifts, with rotation occurring every three hours on an individual basis. He needed twelve people for this unenviable task.

Azeroth the Infinite bless his soul! Clearly his old mentor lived up to his reputation for pragmatism. Even if the guards couldn't kill or maim or torture the furless ape, any escape attempt would swiftly and painfully end in his capture. As soon as Terrador outlined the details, Seriphos volunteered for a position on the fly. Being an earth dragon and an accomplished Dragon Knight, he was more than qualified for it.

Seriphos flew at the job with enthusiasm and passion lifting his wings. Once the Ape was blindfolded, he pulled the damnable creature by the chains. He stumbled, tripped, and fell multiple times along the way, but Seriphos and his three colleagues did not care for his trouble or his incomprehensible profanity. They dragged him across the stone tiles when he couldn't keep up. Shoving the blood-soaked adolescent into his room felt incredibly satisfying.

When the four of them slid the door shut and took their places around it, Seriphos braced for action. He'd done guard duty before, back in his old settlement or during his assignments near the border. An Ape always did something. Prisoners would always leap at the doors and screech. They would swear revenge, shake the knobs, shake the bars, and swipe at the nearest thing hoping to draw a little blood. Insane savages, prone to violence. That's what they all were. This Joshua was no different—he had massacred tens of people before he was brought here. A Guardian Candidate had died protecting Warfang from him. For sure the furless ape would do something the moment they released him. The temptation was there—his door did not really have any locks.

At that moment, if someone asked Seriphos what he thought of the furless ape, the Dragon Knight would have called him dangerous. Too dangerous to be left alone where he was, even with four guards watching over him. He would have called him cunning. A sly, crafty little bug who wouldn't hesitate to kill them all and escape the moment they grew too complacent.

But if Seriphos was asked the same question three days later, there would only be one word coming out of his mouth…

Different.

.

.

.

Through Seriphos' entire career in service of the Guardians, Joshua was the most docile and well-mannered Ape he had ever guarded. After they shoved him inside, the primate did not open the unlocked door for hours. He did not vandalize or ruin the fixtures in his room. He did not yell, he did not shout, he did not scream for their blood. The furless ape even thanked them whenever they brought him food and drink, all arranged on a tray served by Copeland, the only leopard on this team. The first time this happened, Seriphos wondered if there was something wrong with his earholes.

The furless ape did open the door himself during the first night. The halls were dark, dimly illuminated by glowing crystals infused with the element of Fire. The guards were all half-asleep, their determination to stay awake and protect Warfang from this hairless menace replaced with monotonous boredom. With nothing to see except empty corridors artificially illuminated with crystals, unused rooms long shut with sliding doors covered in thick, grey films of dust, and a lavatorium filled with a disgustingly acerbic stench, even Seriphos succumbed to this like any other. Any prisoner would have taken this chance to slip away into the shadows. From past experience, any Ape would have welcomed this perfect opportunity to kill a dragon or two.

But not the furless ape, no. Seriphos couldn't recall how long the deadly monster they were supposed to keep inside the room had been poking his legs, his shoulders, until he finally drew the full, undivided attention of the only dragon guarding him. And for what? Someone to accompany him so he wouldn't get lost finding the lavatorium and making his way back.

That was one of the most un-apelike things he had ever seen from an Ape. From anyone held under indefinite detention, now that he looked back at it. Such behavior opposed every stereotype, every belief the Dragon Knight held for this ugly, furless primate.

A few hours later, the little girl who arrived with Joshua stood in front of them. He did not know how she found the room, but there she was, demanding to be with the furless ape. By then, the airstreams have long resonated with her renown as a child prodigy. An electric dragoness whose raw talent with her Element exceeded even the Purple Dragon's. Not desiring another big incident, they gave in to Kilat's… passionate request and let her in. "Just don't cause any trouble, Tiny Wing," Seriphos cautioned her. "I do not want to regret this."

The little girl surprised him with a hug, her forepaws and only wing wrapping awkwardly around one of his legs. "Thanks! I promise you won't." She practically bounced, skipped, and hopped all the way into the room, almost as though the prisoner inside was her hatchday present.

Seriphos did not completely close the door behind her. The Dragon Knight kept a watchful eye on Kilat. He refused to believe a sweet child like her actually cared for this furless ape and still sought out signs that she'd been enthralled, bewitched by some unknown spell or artifact to break her master out. Although his worries turned out to be a huge waste of time and energy by the time Cynder herself arrived the next morning and—to everyone's surprise—gave the child prodigy her permission to come and go as she pleased, more doubts sprung up from the observations he made that night.

Kilat dashed to the furless ape the moment she saw him and knocked him down. Seriphos then watched her lick and nuzzle the primate's face. She rubbed herself against his body, marked Joshua with her scent, and clung to him like he was the most important person in her life. He saw the love in Kilat's eyes, and he knew it was the real thing. He used to see the same eyes before, in his parents, whenever they looked down at the carefree boy he'd been decades ago. A young Earth dragon oblivious to the trials, hardships, and rewards waiting for him in the long flight ahead. Seriphos found it difficult to process the relief and happiness on Joshua's face, even more so when he kissed the child prodigy on the forehead and nuzzled her in return.

For all the wisdom, all the life experience he gained during his long life, Seriphos could not pinpoint the exact moment he started viewing the furless ape in another light. The other Apes simply never did any of those things, let alone shower a dragon with love and respect and receive that same unconditional love in return.

More than once he wondered if they actually had the right person. Was this adolescent really the one who killed a Guardian Candidate and brought one of their Saviors to the brink of death? When Cynder appeared for a visit, his body language indicated nothing but adoration for the Savior, and the concerned tone in his voice when he asked about her mate's condition was completely sincere. Was he truly and honestly responsible for everyone who died that day? Or did the entire city of Warfang peg him wrongly?

"Hey."

"Hey!"

"Hey, listen!"

"…huh? Kilat, what do you want?"

Morning.

Third day since the furless ape's incarceration in this room.

Seriphos arrived early for his shift. The wind dragon he relieved looked excited to get out and go stretch his wings. As he left he murmured how cramped the hallway was, almost claustrophobic. The silence was driving him mad; all the gnorcs who guarded Joshua took their jobs so seriously they never spoke at all. Seriphos shook his head. Why the apprentice volunteered for this task in the first place was beyond him. He knew what this job required coming in. If he couldn't take it after just three nights, then he might as well go back to one of the Guardians and discuss his resignation. A life in Warfang couldn't stamp out the eccentricities of a dragon hatched and reared in Skylands, it seemed.

The Dragon Knight walked over to his spot next to the sliding door. As per routine, he slid it open—just a little bit—to watch Joshua and Kilat inside. Despite the doubts wrestling each other in his head… despite Cynder herself being lenient—extremely lenient, if she ever asked for his opinion—towards the two, he could not bring himself to trust them both. His desire to place even the slightest bit of faith paled in comparison to decades of experience and discipline. Fortunately, nobody minded his vigilance. Either their charges didn't care for it or they thought it was just the way Seriphos did his job.

He took a peek.

The furless ape sat cross-legged, back reclined on one of the walls. His eyes had glazed over into a trance, blinking once every couple minutes. He'd been at this strange form of meditation for three days straight now. Seriphos supposed it was an excellent way to pass the time. There was virtually nothing to do or see here. And this deep in the rock, a window simply wasn't available. Seriphos knew he would've gone crazy in his place. At the very least, he and the three other guards had the other eighteen hours of the day to look forward to.

Kilat, apparently, decided to stay. In spite of her freedom, the little girl slept here, spent all day with Joshua. Seriphos never bothered asking the dragoness, but if he had to guess, she was probably there to guard her brother—that's what she called the furless ape the other day—from any harm. It was endearing, and it raised his respect for the little girl. Had the Dragon Knight been thirty years younger, he might have found this act of "guarding the guards" amusing instead.

Her routine mainly consisted of sleeping, at least for the past couple days. She would wake up ahead of Joshua and give herself a bath like any other dragon would. When she was done, she'd start nudging or shoving the furless ape until he woke. Then the two would argue like a pair of prepubescent siblings before Joshua acquiesced and permitted Kilat to bathe him. Joshua always resisted these baths, yet in the end he always gave in to the dragoness.

Seriphos found the whole farce amusing. The furless ape would massage Kilat's entire body while she was at it. He would trace circles or some pattern he couldn't recognize along her shoulders, her wing, her horns, her tail, and the pads of all her paws. The child shuddered at every stroke, obviously enjoying his touch. Didn't Joshua realize this was, in a way, her reward? How stupid of him. Maybe he liked it? If so, he should admit this to himself and start requesting for longer baths instead of wasting time with pointless arguing. The little girl seemed to enjoy grooming him, so she would probably like the idea.

When Kilat finished, she would curl up around Joshua and doze off. Joshua himself would lean back and relax almost immediately after, entering a disturbingly catatonic state of meditation. Together, they would sit quietly for hours and hours, interrupted only by mealtimes and visits to the lavatorium.

"I'm boooooooored!"

Not today though. Doing nothing but sleep for two days in the row made the little girl restless. She needed to get out, stretch her wings—her wing, poor girl—and do something outdoors. The skies above Warfang were clear today, portending a nice, wonderful time for anyone out there, in the open.

And the furless ape knew this too. "Then why don't you just get the f*ck out? It's probably nice and sunny out there. A lot of dragons are lounging around. Lucky bastards." Seriphos bristled at the statement. He knew it was true. How would heknow? How did he know? "Don't waste your time here. Go out and see what the Temple has to offer." He grumbled, "At least one of us is free."

"No way! I'm not leaving you alone in here."

"I won't be alone." He pointed a finger at a surprised Seriphos. Ancestors, he didn't think the prisoner would notice. "Look, he's watching."

"He's one of your guards, stupid!" Kilat shoved her horns at Joshua's face. "It's his job to watch us—I mean you! To watch you!"

"Maybe, argh, I don't know, m-maybe for once we'll actually have a conversation, while you're out there." He eyed the Dragon Knight, "Isn't that right, uhhhhh, errrm…. What was your name again?"

"It's Seriphos," he humored him.

Joshua paused. He didn't expect to hear him speak. A few seconds passed before he recovered and grinned at the child prodigy. "See, child? I'll be just fine. Seriphos will keep me company."

The Dragon Knight said, "Yes. We will spend my entire shift talking about all my friends you killed."

He grew pale. "Eep!"

Seriphos bared his fangs. "Remember this, monkey," he snarled at the ape. "I'm not here to engage in idle conversation, and neither are the others. We are not friends and you are an enemyto everything our Saviors fought to protect."

Gibberish shot out of Joshua's mouth in fast, indecipherable stutters. The Dragon Knight ignored them all and sent murderous glares at the adolescent. Later that night, when he returned to his quarters in Talonpoint Keep, Seriphos would look back at this moment and realize he had no reason to entertain the furless ape, let alone reveal his name or his feelings. Why did he speak? He never established any sort of rapport with anyone he guarded.

Kilat stuck her tongue out. "I told you! I tooold yoooouuuu!" She turned around and strolled away, shaking her head. "Ancestors help me, Joshua, are you hoo-mans this stupid sometimes?"

Joshua straightened his back and pouted, "Fine, Kilat! Fine. You are soooooo right. Seriphos and I won't have a conversation. I'm just going to sit here, by myself, and pract—I mean get engrossed in self-reflection. But Jesus f*cking Christ, you're the one who's being stupid. Cynder lets you sleep with me! Isn't that enough for you? You're wasting too much time."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Ya-huh."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Ya-huh!"

"NUH-UH!" Kilat blew a dragonfruit.

They glared at each other. Joshua's green eyes were stern, demanding. Like a superior officer demanding obedience from a subordinate, a parent disciplining a child, or… an older brother, simply looking out for family. Seriphos had seen these eyes all his life. Meanwhile, Kilat possessed a piercing stare. It embodied her defiance. It left an impression she would go as far as physical violence to get what she wanted.

Finally, after a long, awkward moment, Joshua Renalia deflated. "Okay," he sighed. "You win."

A grin formed on her muzzle. "Yep," she said. Her posture straightened, all smug and happy. "I always win."

He groaned. "If that's what you really want to do, then go ahead. Stay here. You're the one who's bored anyway." The electric dragoness walked over and snuggled against him. Joshua ignored her and crossed his arms. "God, I'm just trying to help you. I mean, you don't have to—you shouldn't be my f*cking shadow…"

They did not talk for at least half an hour after that. Kilat had shut down practically anything the furless ape had to say, so he left her alone and returned to his trance-like meditation. Seriphos went back to his thoughts. The little girl was as stubborn and ignorant as any of the other prepubescents he's seen scampering about the Temple. As amazing, as admirable her loyalty was, the Earth Dragon found her annoying. Had he been in Joshua's place, he would've sent her rolling with a single swipe of his paw, encase her in rock, and give her a yelling she would never forget for months. He did not understand how the furless ape could deal with this sort of thing every day.

Seriphos imagined how life would have been if it was… more normal for him. If he met a beautiful lady he would eventually call his own, and had hatchlings with her. The thought made him chuckle. Ancestors forgive him; he would never have the patience for rearing a child. Seriphos would be a terrible father.

Kilat's voice reached his earholes. He returned to his observations, watching the child prodigy nudge her companion. "Joshua?" she called. She put a paw on his stomach and pushed. No response from him. She clambered on him and sniffed his face. "Jooooshua?" Nuzzled it. "Yoohoo!"

The act broke his trance. "What now?"

She giggled. "Uh, I'm still bored?"

Joshua closed his eyes again. This time, he paid no attention to her. "We talked about this a while ago, Kilat. I'm not repeating myself again. Just go to sleep or whatever."

"But I can't sleep. I just… I just need to do something."

He grumbled, "Not my problem. You're the one who wanted to stay."

"You're so mean today," Kilat humphed.

Joshua ignored her. After a minute, the dragoness walked away. Her body coursing with the boundless energy of an electric dragon, she started pacing the room, with her head bowed down. "What to do, what to do, what to do… I don't know what to do…"

Another minute passed before she stopped. She suddenly perked up. Her tail began to wag. "Oooh! I know." She faced the furless ape. Seriphos noticed the mischievous smirk on her snout.

"Hey, Joshua!"

No reply.

"Joshua!"

"Goddammit, Kilat!" He opened his eyes. "I was about to make progress here! What do you—

Kilat smashed into Joshua, her horns colliding with his belly and the soft organs within. "Boop!" she chirped.

"OW!" He screamed at her. "The f*ck was that for? I—

She suddenly bit his elbow. It did not go very deep, but from his viewpoint at the door, the Dragon Knight saw a little blood trickling out of the teeth marks. He recognized it for what it was: a love bite.

Joshua recoiled, "Oh my god!" He glowered down at the twitchy dragoness, her wagging tail, and her bright smile. He was fuming. "Damn girl, f*cking biting me like that all of a sudden." He reached down. "What's gotten into you? I ought to—

Kilat jumped away at the last moment…

"What the hell—

…and slammed her horns again, this time hitting his right side. "Boop!" The two of them rolled on the floor for a bit before crashing into the thick cushions they slept on. Kilat stood right on top of him.

"Kilat—

She licked his face. "Got your nose!"

For the first time since they put him in that prison, Joshua snarled. "Goddammit, Kilat!" He wrapped his arm around her. Rather, he tried to, for the electric dragoness easily escaped. "You're beginning to piss me off."

"What're you going to do about it then?" She challenged. "Hmmmmm? You can't even catch me."

Joshua wiped her saliva off his face. He rose to his feet. "That's what you think!" he said, before charging her.

The child ghosted his fingers, slipping just underneath it. Almost touching. In one fluid move, she went to the wall, kicked off of it, and landed behind her companion. Immediately, she bit his leg. Another love bite. "Boop!"

"Don't play games with me!" Joshua thrust his hands down. He missed. Kilat stood in the center of the room, quietly waiting for him to notice. He eventually did and realized he was out of reach. She looked as happy as ever. "I swear, when I catch you, I'll smack you so f*cking hard…" He approached from the left, and she reacted with a quick, forward dodge to the right.

It was a feint. "AHA!" Joshua suddenly pivoted and lunged. His right hand—his only working hand was almost upon her golden scales. His fingers brushed against them, and the furless ape seized his prey. "Finally got you, you little—

Sparks of electricity flashed in the room. Kilat blurred and all Joshua caught was an after-image. The child herself appeared on the far side, discharging yellow thunderbolts as she stopped. Kilat stuck her tongue out. "Nya, nyaaa!"

He reacted badly to her taunts. "Grrrrr!" He lunged at her, taking three steps before leaping, aspiring to tackle her with just one arm outstretched. She pivoted and blurred into Volt Tackle in a brilliant yellow flash. "Boop!" She reappeared right behind Joshua and struck his posterior with her horns. The furless ape flew further into the air and crashed on the floor harder than he should have. His forearms were scraped, covered with specks of blood.

Kilat landed on his back before he could get up. "You're terrible at this game, Joshua." With a giggle, she bit his ear.

"I didn't want to play with you, damn it!"

He tried multiple times.

"Boop!"

"Get back here, you brat!"

But no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't catch her.

"F*ck."

"Boop!"

Kilat dodged his feeble attempts easily. She danced around him. Twisted her body, squirming, contorting to avoid his grasp. Whenever he came close to touching her, she always vanished in a flash of light and electricity.

"Boop!"

The ape developed more dark and purple blemishes on his furless skin the longer this game went on. Teeth marks and puncture wounds appeared everywhere on him: his arms, his legs, his neck, his own face. All the product of love bites and headbutting.

"F*ck."

"Boop!"

Radiant and cheerful, the dragoness had such an innocent, carefree smile. She was enjoying this. Joshua did not. His face had formed a persistent frown. His eyes betrayed his desire for vengeance. The ape's body language shivered from an irritation so great he wanted this done and over with.

Then she shoved her muzzle on his nose. "Got your nose again!"

"F*ck!"

Another failed attempt.

"F*CK!"

This time she caught his entire hand in her mouth. Realizing what that meant, Joshua yelled promptly, "Oh no you don't, girl!" He reached for her. "That isn't—oh no, not again—

"Boop!"

"F**********CK!"

Seriphos didn't know what Joshua said, but chances were high it was profanity. Every species had their own curses, their own way of insulting others or expressing frustration and anger. Watching the little girl play with Joshua, the Dragon Knight couldn't help but laugh. Ahhh… Boop. That brought back memories. Every dragon played boop at least once in their lifetime. It was virtually impossible to find someone who had never experienced the joy and rage of this game. Hatchlings, prepubescent drakes, adolescents, and even young adults all played it.

For such a traditional pastime, the rules—simple as they are—were a little foggy. A player said "Boop" every time they poked their target with their muzzle—and historical precedents for all variations of poking had long been recorded in oral history. Seriphos remembered all manners of poking. Players would resort to headbutts, to love bites, to nuzzling, to licking, to paw swipes, to tail whips, to anything really. It simply depended on who were playing the game.

Sometimes a game of boop brought dragons together, strengthened their bonds, their relationships with another. Sometimes the game was used to enhance their combat skills, an improvised method of training for those who had no access to the Temple, its arena, and its training golems. Sometimes it was used to resolve conflicts between two groups, settling heated contests of dominance. As Kilat was demonstrating this very minute, the use of Elements was not forbidden in a game of boop. If the Dragon Knight recalled correctly, the Elements made things much more interesting.

Fire dragons naturally employed the Comet Dash to strengthen their pokes or collapse the distance between one player and another in an instant. Electric dragons had the Volt Tackle. It was faster than Comet Dash and carried the potential to stun nearby players for a split second. Ice and Earth dragons could create walls or lock other players in place. Seriphos couldn't recall any instance of a Wind dragon playing the game—pretentiousness and elitism seemed to be a Skylands thing—but he could very well imagine the immigrants as untouchable, capable of blowing other players away or speeding themselves up by several notches.

He peered into the room. Joshua Renalia's mouth heaved profanity after profanity. Beads of liquid had formed on his forehead and arms. Odd. Was that sweat? Did the Apes sweat from their entire bodies? Not their paws, like dragons or felines? The Dragon Knight lifted his paw to his nose. A pungent, cheesy odor wafted into his nostrils. Typical smell. Not too distressing. Very tolerable. Was this why the Apes smelled like they bathed in dung all day? The Apes placed zero value on personal hygiene—a sharp contrast to this furless primate in front of him. Living for years without bathing and reeking of old sweat? No wonder they stunk!

Kilat's tail wagged rapidly. With her butt raised and chest kept low, she looked ready to pounce. The grin on her muzzle spoke volumes for her. Seriphos watched her stage another attack on Joshua, use Volt Tackle to zip past him diagonally, and boop him from behind. The furless ape had apparently figured this out, turning around at the last second to seize the child's body. To her credit, Kilat pivoted on the spot and slapped her tail on his face. "Boop!"

"OH COME ON! Jesus-Mary-Joseph, that wasn't f*cking fair! Don't use your f*cking tail!"

Kilat blew another dragonfruit in reply and went on with the game, unimpeded. Joshua was becoming more agitated by the second, and he had been putting more and more effort into catching her. Seriphos grinned at the agonized expression on his face. The sheer frustration of your target slipping past your claws every time you attacked. The Dragon Knight had experienced this multiple times before, and many of those had been Electric dragons. Pesky things. Volt Tackle was the most hated technique in his heyday, and judging by that grumpy scowl, narrowed eyes, bared teeth, and dilating nostrils, the furless ape looked like he would agree with him.

Behind Seriphos, the noise of steel blades being removed from their scabbards reached his earholes with a pitched shing. He turned and saw Copeland and Balagog—a gnorc swordfighter—staring back at him, their eyes glimmering with concern. The two of them trembled, but Copeland did the talking, "Seriphos, what's going on in there? Is the furless ape… is he…?"

He waved a dismissive paw at them. "They're fine," he said. "Don't worry about it."

"But all that yelling—

Seriphos snorted. "The little one started a game of boop inside."

Copeland and Balagog looked at each other. They shrugged. It's a dragon thing, their gestures said. They sheathed their weapons and returned to their posts. "Just call us if things get out of hand," said the leopard, obviously disinterested.

The fourth guard on duty, an electric dragon, approached him. Coulombrin was a Dragon Squire, recently promoted up from senior fellowship just a few lunar cycles ago. He looked up to Seriphos, who mentored him when he officially became a Temple apprentice instead of pursuing civilian life outside. It had been his final test, and their relationship echoed what Seriphos had with Terrador. "A dragon's playing Boop with an ape? You're pulling my tail!"

"SShhhhh! They'll hear us. And no, I'm not. Come, see for yourself."

Seriphos stepped aside for Coulombrin, who peered into the room. The Dragon Knight watched his muzzle pop open, eyes bulging from hilarity. He resisted the urge to laugh. "Pfffttt, the furless ape's pathetic. He'll never touch her. Ancestors, she's abusing Volt Tackle like it's nothing. That move isn't easy to do! How, h-how large are her mana reserves? It's insane. I can't pull that off multiple times in succession without spirit gems in my pouch."

Another few seconds passed. Coulombrin clearly enjoyed the show. "Oh wow, look at her go. This monkey's not giving up at all. What a fool. He's the worst player I've ever seen. My son can boop him multiple times over." The electric dragon jolted back, and turned to Seriphos. "Remember the good old days, Seriphos? You used to be quite the killjoy, always showing up when we least expected it."

He grunted, "Someone had to bring you and Novus in line."

"But he was a bully. You've always despised bullies."

"And you were kids with talent. Look where you are now, Coulombrin. You're a Dragon Squire in Talonpoint Keep. It took a lot of work getting there, didn't it? Novus left for civilian life after failing his apprenticeship test twice and I haven't heard from him since."

The electric dragon shook his head. "Ancestors, you never change, Seriphos. You'll never get a mate that way."

Seriphos did not answer him. Coulombrin stopped waiting for his reply and returned to the game Kilat and Joshua were playing. "I'm surprised you're letting this go on, though. The old you would shut this down immediately."

"That's because I'm being considerate. As long as they don't take things too far, I am perfectly content with letting them get away with this."

"Are you sure it's not because Lady Cynder and Master Volteer are giving them special treatment?

"I'm a professional. Dragon Knights uphold high standards of competency and objectivity."

"If you say so." He turned to watch the game between Joshua and Kilat. "Wow. The ape's trying to predict where she's landing Volt Tackle." He suppressed his laughter. "And he's failing miserably."

Seriphos guessed the same. He could hear all the cursing coming from inside. Joshua was no longer subtle about it. He yelled and screamed in frustration as though someone stole his favorite toys and crushed them all in front of his face, one by one. The rage in his words were clear. Still, Seriphos had nothing to worry about. The furless ape wasn't really livid at Kilat. He was simply… a sore loser.

"No wonder you're always watching these two. They're entertaining."

"I'd like to say, 'thought-provoking'. The furless ape, his behavior, and the love he's shown for the child so far are giving me plenty to think about."

Coloumbrin nodded, "I can't say I disagree with you. Better than wasting away looking at the same wall all day."

"Boredom is good," Seriphos replied. "If you're bored, that means you're doing your job and you're doing it well."

"Eeeeeeehhhhh… easy for you to say. You're—

The telltale flash of Volt Tackle shone from the tiny opening in the door. Instead of being followed by Joshua's cursing and Kilat's teasing, Seriphos and Coulombrin heard a distinguishable thud coming from the wall. The Dragon Knight, being a skilled earth dragon himself, felt ripples emanating from the wall, spreading through the bedrock.

Joshua moaned, "Oooowwwwwwwwww….."

"That hurts…!" Kilat followed, likewise.

Okay, that was different. "I'll handle this," Seriphos said to his colleague. His claws found purchase on the sliding door and he slammed the entire thing open. "What is going on in here?" he spoke gruffly, infusing it with the authority of a fearsome Dragon Knight and all the power it implied.

There were no words to describe the scene in front of him. Joshua and Kilat were on the wall. The furless ape had his head pinning down the dragoness's underbelly. "Mmm, nnngggh, ugh!" She grunted as she squeezed out from underneath him and rolled away. In doing so, she also pushed Joshua away and he, too, rolled onto his back. Seriphos did not know what to think about the bleeding forehead, but it corresponded to a red stain on the wall. He was already astonished, seeing the cracks spreading from the point of impact.

"Oh my f*cking god," Joshua groaned, hands clasping his head. "Jesus Christ, someone give me the number of that f*cking truck…"

Kilat took one look at Joshua. Her smile widened and she started prancing. "Ancestors! I didn't know you can do that, Joshua!" She jumped around and ran in circles, performing a cute, celebratory dance. "Again, Joshua, again! Do it again! C'mon. Do, it, do, it, do, it, do it!"

Coulombrin nudged Seriphos. "You have any idea what just happened?" He gestured at the two with his wing. "Obviously the ape caught the dragoness."

"By some ridiculous luck," concurred the Dragon Knight. "He then hit his head on the wall. But I don't know how he managed to damage the rock. The furless ape is pathetically weak."

"Me neither."

Before their conversation continued, Kilat finally noticed the two adult dragons. She trotted over to them, with a wide grin on her face. "Hello there!" she chirped, her words fast and speedy. "Hey, lookit. Joshua just used electricity! He covered himself in lightning like I always do and appeared in front of me before I could do it myself and it was all fwoooooosh. Next thing I know, he booped me and we just hit the wall over there." She twirled in place. "I don't know how he did it. But it's so amazing." The little girl was so proud of him. "I never expected him to boop me, too!"

Seriphos trained his gaze at Coloumbrin. He was trembling, and had a paw raised to his muzzle. "I… I… I don't know what to make of this. He, t-the furless ape can use Electricity?" He looked at him and the other two guards behind them, in the corridor. "Azeroth. I, I-I-I, I need to take my lunch early. Sorry, guys." Immediately the other dragon absconded, making his way to the mess hall in the lower levels of the Temple.

"Hey, Mister Knight?"

Seriphos gazed down at Kilat. She tilted her head. "Is there anything wrong? He looked frightened all of a sudden."

It took a lot of effort for Seriphos to keep himself calm, talking to her. "No, Tiny Wing. Nothing is wrong at all. He's just scared he'll be last in line again."

"Oh!" Kilat accepted this explanation at face value. Thank goodness. "Okay, then!"

Seriphos himself turned to leave. "By the way, please keep things down. We're trying to do our jobs here and we don't want anyone knowing where the furless ape is. Master Terrador's orders."

"Ooooooooookay. We'll try to keep it down!" The child prodigy returned to her surrogate brother. "Joshua? Joshua? …Oh, your head! I'm sorry. I suppose I took it a little too far. Are you okay?"

The Dragon Knight closed the door behind him, and shut the two out. He fell on his knees, paws shivering from the discovery. Joshua Renalia, the furless ape, can use Electricity. He can use an Element, just like a dragon. Seriphos couldn't believe it himself, but that was the truth. Joshua had successfully invoked Volt Tackle to catch Kilat.

He didn't believe the rumors coming in from the rest of the city. He attributed the tales of Joshua's ability to fling away globs of Cynder's poison or freeze flying icicles in place to nothing more but fearmongering. Seriphos may not have seen him employ the Electric element, but Kilat's genuinely excited reactions were enough for him.

The fact it looked more likely that Joshua really did kill all those people at the Gates occupied Seriphos' mind much less than the fact he could use multiple Elements, just like the legendary Purple Dragon himself. What did that mean? What did that mean for him? For Warfang? For the Dragon Realms in general? The Dragon Knight recalled how Cynder and all the Guardians save for Cyril gave him special treatment and were exceptionally lenient with his imprisonment, in spite of the incident three days ago.

That meant they knew this.

That meant they were wracking their heads trying to divine some bigger, some greater meaning behind the furless ape's arrival.

That meant they were hoping Joshua was an isolated case, not something happening to the Apes as a whole.

Ancestors. Merely four years have passed since Malefor's death in the Burned Lands. Was there another danger lurking in the darkness, just beyond the horizon?

These questions were too much for the Dragon Knight. He rose to his feet, and shuffled away from the door. "I'm okay," he reassured Copeland. "I'm okay." He wanted to get out of there, too, but he couldn't leave. His discipline and training refused to let him.

"I'm just… I'm just going to stay over there for a while." Far away from the door. That's it. No more observing. Not for a few days.

Author's Note:

I meant it when I said Aimless has many more chapters to go. Enough snips have been planned to keep this story going for a lot longer than the endgame, and so far I have been able to arrange in a spreadsheet the publishing and chronological order of the snips up until Chapter 63. Yes, you read that right: this fic has a goddamn spreadsheet to help me keep track of the story.

With all the jumping around I'm doing, it had to be done. That said, I wonder if you guys are curious about the timeline. Let me know if you want to see where a snip is placed, in terms of how many days or months or years have passed since the "Gates of Warfang" incident.

Okay, so, replies to reviews...

Cutie Kyuubi – Whoops! You're right. I corrected that as soon as I saw it.

Protonix – Nope, not at the moment. But someone will eventually figure out the truth. It is inevitable. Never heard of a Ghostbusters/Spyro crossover though…

LunarWalker – I feel your pain. Youtube and FFN are my only sources of entertainment and when you're updated, there's only so much you can follow. Anyway, next two updates (including this one) will be more lighthearted and shorter, too, so the effort shouldn't be that much. Thank you again, and I'm glad you're still reading my fic.

Djax80 – Yep, he managed to do it, despite all odds! Oh, and super minor spoiler for y'all: the post-hearing brief that happened after Background Check resulted in another stalemate. Heh, what a surprise!

Bizzleb – I did not realize I bookended the chapter with Joshua and Kilat's relationship. He didn't get to take the full advantage of his "water break" but at least he managed to keep it from spiraling down. I can't picture him telling Kilat the real truth, though. He already considered the true Fourth Wall here, and even he can't fathom the idea. So long as he cannot comprehend the fact he is a fictional character himself, then why would he come up to her and confess?

And Skylands will definitely play a role here in the future. Skylands is a species-diverse dominion run mainly by Wind Dragons with a superiority complex. Expect more curveballs from them as the updates keep rolling out.

Joshua getting his bearings was a long time coming anyway. It will be necessary for the "Journey Home" category of snips, which focus entirely on all his efforts to learn more about the Unknown Element and find a way back to Earth. As for Classic Spyro references… ohohoho… there's going to be something so much more than a plain reference in the future. It's already been planned. I just don't know when it's going to come out.

The job will help him, but Joshua needs to do a lot more to win his freedom to live in Warfang as he pleases. Sparx is okay with the revelation (he does have quite the ego). Cynder… that'll require another snip in itself. Maybe two.

Wretched Abyss – Joshua didn't use the White Isle to explain anything, actually. Read again. Skydancer's role, though, is rather minor in the grand scale of things. Her interest in Joshua is strictly professional, and her job is geared more towards diplomatic relations between Warfang and Skylands. Like Councilor Udina in Mass Effect. Thank you so much for your feedback.

Sol1234 – Had to shatter common sense along the way, but at least he got out of it! Good deeds… expect that to start happening later on. Those things tend to happen by themselves.

V-SxC – Wow, you're really going to wait for SpyCy to get hatchlings? You're going to be waiting for a long time, then…

InfamousVenous – Thank you so much for the comments! Honestly, I'm already surprised at the attention this fic's getting, but hey, gotta keep going and strive higher. I could not have done this without you and my reader base. You are all awesome!

Anyway, I started the story to make jabs at the fanfiction community in general, so that's a mainstay for all Joshua-centric POVs. Got to live with it, dude. Sorry.

Knowing Joshua, he'll mess up any attempts to square things away with Spyro. But hey, it's the journey, not the destination. *wink wink*

1v1 facetime with Volteer on human tech and culture… I expect something like that to happen at some point, for sure. Joshua will get friends later on too, so that conversation is definitely coming.

Aguywhogames – Thank you so much for your review, dude. I really appreciate it. And did you mean "named" Joshua? As in, your name is Joshua too? Oh boy. XD Well, honestly… Joshua Renalia was based on a real person. I'd think he would hate being called "Josh-O" too. It's pretty stupid.

Folwod – It's fine, man. iRL takes precedence first. Anyway, I'd like to thank you so much for your review. I don't exactly know what brought you to Aimless, but rest assured, I will do my best to keep you entertained. BTW, good job finding me in that place. I knew it would have happened sometime, but I still never expected one of my readers to actually find it. Good job? XD