DISTRACT Is Super Effective! [Open]

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

She sneezed and the fishing rod in her hands briefly jumped in her grasp.

Astrid huffed out a grunt, a hand relinquishing hold on the line as she indignantly rubbed under her stubby nose with the back of her finger while her blue eyes dully leered at nothing in particular off-screen.

That sneeze. Someone talking smack about her?

Disregarding this fleeting suspicion, she shrugged it off, merely readjusting her grip on the handle, and settled posterior more comfortably on the moss-covered boulder beneath her.

Within the encompassing towering stone walls of what appears to be a lost oasis, Astrid engaged in fishing on these familiar grounds taken from her memory of a memorable location somewhere on the outskirts of the Viking's home village -- the exact place she stealthily pursued after Hiccup and discovered Toothless subsequently. 'Course, for Hiccup and his dragon, this secret watering hole served as a base where they established their bond as well.

Today, though it just served as a relaxing getaway for one of the female's less than energy draining hobbies. Or so she thought? There's a sudden reflection of a figure on the waters pristine surface and it was impossible not to notice she now has company.

Astrid blinked a moment, then pursed her lips and turned her head to look up sidelong at whoever approached her with a stare clearly of "Hey, don't scare the fish."

Comments

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

Hay Lin simply laughed while smiling back, used to occasional bouts of teasing by now.

"Ooh-a dragon and trainer! I'm used to dragons, actually; as for the trainer...good friend, or...?" Again, Hay Lin left her question/statement unfinished.

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

"Y-You could say that. Yes, I know them very well." Astrid replied, meekly scratching her cheek, eyes downcast for a moment before she shot another glance at Hay Lin. "Oh then Hiccup will be pleased to know that, I'm sure."

This girl seems kind of cool. Maybe she should be more honest. "Okay, so he's not that dim-witted, but he's kind of, say..." What's a nice word. "special. In his own way."

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

"...Hiccup?" Hay Lin bit back a second bout of laughter, not sure whether to be amused or feel sympathy for the boy but had to admit - as far as names went, it worked out in some way or another. Unless that was the name of the dragon...

"Ahh-special, huh? I'm sure we'll become really good friends! I take it he's onboard?" She could tell already - Astrid would rank very high on her list of friends.

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

Special. Astrid began to reconsider how she worded that brief description of Hiccup. Did she use too high of praise?

"Hiccup," she confirmed and she let Hay Lin snicker to her heart's delight. Frankly, the reactions amused Astrid, too. "Yeah, he's... somewhere around here. His dragon is Toothless, so you'll probably see them together."

She threw up her arms and stretched out her muscles after sitting in one place for an extended amount of time. "You will likely run into him. Short, thick hair, looks like he hasn't eaten a thing in weeks..."

Astrid suddenly felt a little nasty and she slapped her hands down on her knees and looked Hay Lin directly in the eyes, serious-like. "... just so you know, he really likes it when you hiccup as you say his name or he'll get offended. It's a form of compliment and it's how he makes friends."

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

As Hay Lin listened to Astrid's description of Hiccup, she was almost surprised that she hadn't run into the boy or Toothless yet. If the dragon was in plain sight, then she should've at least seen him a few times.

"Weeks, huh? If my Grandma was here, she'd fix that within a matter of days. We run a restaurant back home - called the Silver Dragon; our house is right above it!"

Hay Lin's eyes widened a bit and she sweatdropped as she looked Astrid directly in the eyes, blinking a few times once more while listening intently. "...Okay. Not sure I'll be able to do that all the time, but maybe after the first few times I run into him?"

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

Believe her, Hay Lin, Toothless is hard to miss. As far as dragons go, he is a giant kitten. But Hay Lin doesn't need to know that little detail right now.

Astrid nodded firmly. "It doesn't have to be perfect. He's pretty lenient. ...I hope. I can't be sure what he'll do if someone forgot and he was in a bad mood."

She coughed into her fist and averted her eyes. "...but you didn't hear this from me."

Anyway, as you were saying, Hay Lin...

"Heh, nice title. Restaurant, you say?"

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

"Right..." Hay Lin tilted her head for a moment, the look of confusion on her face at Astrid's latter comment vanishing to be replaced with a smile.

"Thanks! And, yeah - the Silver Dragon. It's not super big, but we make do with what we've got as a family. I miss them, but at least I've got a few of my friends here.

"But, enough about me - I almost forgot to ask about what your world's like, Astrid! Obviously you've got dragons around, right?"

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

Well that was easy to convince her. Don't worry, it's just one of Astrid's mischievous schemes she conjures up every so often when she's in an interesting mood. But she honestly has good intentions with the implication of Hiccup and Hay Lin meeting each other. Dragon enthusiasts unite!?

Astrid frowned, heaved a sigh and shrugged. "...I can't tell you everything about my world, given the truth that I've never ventured far from my island..." She paused, then lifted a hand and gestured around them. "Well... for starters, you're standing in a place not far from where I lived."

A place of great significance to Astrid, that is.

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

"That's okay. Whatever you can tell me is good enough!" Hay Lin reassured Astrid, looking around the area the two were sitting in for some time.

"If we were at your world, your home would be a few acres or so from this place? Interesting...!"

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

"Yep. My house is parked in the village there. Fairly large village, but you can't miss the wooden Nadder head display out front." A grand display of the proud Hofferson house.

Astrid held her head up in high esteem for her clan. "Oh and a Nadder is a Deadly Nadder; it's a breed of dragon in my world. I take care of one."

Just ask her something and she'll do her best to answer concisely.

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

"I think my Dad would have a fit if I had to take care of a dragon!" Hay Lin laughed lightly while impressed that Astrid took care of...a Deadly Nadder; obviously, she must've known a lot about it to look after that breed of dragon.

"What kind of breed is Toothless, anyway?" A pretty concise question from Hay Lin, one she'd been thinking about for a while.

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

With Hiccup's dragon knowledge and guidance, it wasn't long before her scaly arch-nemesis in Dragon Training became her precious winged partner.

And realizing just how much she missed her Nadder, there was a change in Astrid as her shoulders slumped forlornly, but she quickly straightened. "Night Fury. It's a rare breed. Black, soars incredibly fast in the skies. Literally unmatched in flight."

"...Uh, what's up with your dad?"

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

Due to Hay Lin's abilities regarding the air, she could also tell how much Astrid missed her Nadder. Of course, she wouldn't quite reveal that much about herself. Not yet.

"Oh, really? Incredibly fast and unmatched, huh?" The Guardian inside her was tempted to take that as a challenge of sorts, but the girl only saw it as a way to get to know the dragon better.

"Nothing; he's just one of those types who understands dragons but when it comes to looking after one..."

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

Astrid nodded, folding her arms. "Toothless is a nimble guy."

She paused then added, "Gluttonous, but nimble, surprisingly."

"Funny, that sounds awfully like Hiccup's father. The Chief is used to kill-- taking them down so..."

[guardian-haylin.livejournal.com]

Hay Lin laughed lightly at how Astrid worded a few ways to describe Toothless. "Gluttonous and nimble - that's a first.

"Ohhh...taking them down. Got it." She nodded ever so lightly while realizing what Astrid had meant to say. Despite Hay Lin's easygoing at times nature, she wasn't blinded regarding the harsher points of life.

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

Astrid shrugged, tilting her head back to look skyward.

"Yeah. Humans and dragons initially didn't coexist, especially my people and our island nestled in the nest's vicinity. There were many raids on our village... and accidents."

Old village, lots and lots of new houses.