Phoenix Phire

Nix stepped into Tai'Qui's nursery, instantly relaxing in the warm comfort of the place. The Earth Dragon was standing near the emerald-colored Dragon Egg, her brown lips curved in a smile at Inferno's leader's appearance.

"Going to stay and relax for a bit?" Tai waded out of the mud-pool. Her rolled-up leggings exposing her smooth tan calves. "Do you like this color?"

Nix shrugged slightly when she gestured to her new bandana. "The green is my favorite."

Tai motioned with her hand, changing the color to a pale green. "Like this?"

"Yep."

Any further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Deidra. Seeing them at the same time always reminded Nix how different the two dragons were. The warm and personable Tai versus the cold beauty of Deidra.

Deidra's cold demeanor warmed the barest amount when she made eye contact with Nix. "It's nice to see you."

"I'm going to get straight to the point. I want you both to construct Temples in Haven." Nix brought out two scrolls and displayed them.

"Temples?" Tai's stunned expression said it all; she was floored by request.

Deidrea looked even more disturbed. "Nix... That sort of thing isn't done. We'd have to get the Dragon Council's permission to do something like that."

Nix shook his head slightly. "This is a private Seed World; the only permission you need is from Inferno. Since we already have a binding agreement, I see no issue."

"No." Deidra's voice sounded strained. "Outside of a few minor benefits, there are no real advantages to Dragon Temples, or else everyone would have them."

Nix made a gesture with his hand, tossing both scrolls to the dragons. "Do it now; let me know if you need anything else."

Tai watched the interaction with interest; the normally flexible Nix seemed completely unyielding. "Nix... Perhaps you and I should talk in pri..." Her mouth dropped open in surprise when brown flames enveloped Nix; a moment later, they brightened considerably.

Deidra took a step closer and held out a pale hand. "A second Dread Flame?"

Nix watched the two dragons for a moment before switching to his silver flames.

"How's this possible? You have three Dread Flames?" Deidra's voice rose in volume; the cold beauty's continence showed how disturbed she was.

Nix gestured to the scroll that Deidra was holding. "That's actually a Flame Refinement Temple. Both Pon and I Refined our flames there. I probably could have refined the Gemini Flame also, but for some reason, my Dread Form decided against it."

Tai and Deidra exchanged glances, both of them had dealings with Nix's Dread Form. The real problem was that Nix's consciousness seemed to sleep when he used it. The powerful creature seemed content to rely on only base instincts.

"A Temple where you can refine flames?" Deidra stared at the scroll in her hands. "What was the process?"

"You cast your flames into a cylindrical shaped device. From there, you are sent where you need to go." Nix was drawing conclusions from the experience he and Pon had shared. "I'm not sure what would happen if your flame wasn't ready for refinement."

Tai studied the other dragon; it was obvious that Deidra was going to agree. Dread Flame was the ultimate separation among dragons. As an Earth Dragon, she also possessed Flames, but they weren't nearly as powerful as Deidra's. "I will do as you ask, Nix."

Nix waited for Deidra's answer; after a few moments, she nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Nix grinned at the two dragons; the refinement Temple had made them both reverse direction. The Inferno Leader opened a breach and quickly stepped through, leaving the two dragons alone in the nursery.

After sharing lunch with Fajii and Hyai, Nix caught up with Del at the Gemini Platform, where she was talking with Pon and Semmi.

"Ready to go, Del?"

"Unfortunately, no. My Father has requested my presence in Fraya'Selene. It shouldn't take too long. Pon said he'd go with you."

The old man nodded. "Semmi and I completed a harvest quest; the turn-in is in Lana."

Nix smiled at the Blonde officer. "Going with us, Sem?"

Semmi shook her head. "No. We're swamped here."

Nix stepped onto the platform and chose the Lana destination. "Sounds good; I'll have the old bastard back in time for the Chenzo fight in a few days."

The two men stepped off the Lana platform a moment later, nearly running into a familiar face when they did.

"N-Nix!" A short, bald man with a cheerful face stammered nervously, the Inferno Leader's sudden appearance always made Dalton nervous.

"Dalton... What are you doing here?" Nix smiled to lighten the mood; Dalton was someone who usually avoided any contact with him.

"I'm here helping your father!" Dalton bowed slightly, "I was just heading back to Haven to grab some more supplies."

"My father is in Lana?" Nix shared a look with Pon; Rico usually kept his travel limited to Glory, Loki, or Inferno City. The older man preferred the safe environment of settlements and had no interest in adventuring outside. "Where is he?"

Dalton brought up his hud and marked Rico's location. "He's at the brothel."

"The what?" Nix stared into the empty space where Dalton had disappeared from a moment earlier.

Pon cleared his throat loudly. "Well... I'll do my turn-in after we find your dad, gotta make sure he's safe."

The duo progressed down the ice-covered street, both obviously seeing the same thing. The streets were bare of any customers, the shops were open, but most of them were empty. Steady chopping noises proved that everyone was waging an ongoing battle against the encroaching ice.

Nix whistled softly, the warm air instantly creating a cloud of vapor. "Yeah, I get that it's cold." The Inferno leader and his companion were the only ones not bundled up. "But these people seemed to have lost heart."

"Why does Dalton get so squirrely around you?" Pon had noticed it before but hadn't commented. The Inferno Cobbler was actually quite personable, at least until Nix arrived.

"Hung him up by the neck with my flame strands and then tossed him out a window." Nix slowed for a moment, "I think that was the order."

Pon grinned at his friend, who spoke as if he were sharing a cookie recipe. "Is that all? Strange that he still remembers."

Nix nodded in agreement. "I know, right?"

"That must be it." Pon pointed to a large square-shaped building with iced-over windows. "Tell the truth... Did you ever expect you'd be visiting your dad at a brothel?"

The Inferno Leader chuckled. "Wonder what he's doing here."

Pon laughed suddenly. "Sure you want to find out? Could be traumatizing for you."

Nix walked past the men chopping ice next to the entrance; they were doing a fairly good job at keeping the business accessible; however, the large Bay window bordering both sides of the double-doors was completely frosted over.

The two men stepped into the welcome warmth of Ravine's House of Pleasure a moment later. The jingle of metal like a ringing bell drew both of their attention.

Pon stared at the red-haired woman who hurried by them without stopping. "Nix... What the hell?"

Nix recognized Dalton's work. He often took requests for specific types of shoes. The woman had on cowboy boots and brown leather chaps. "The spurs are a nice touch." A handful of other women could be seen bustling about. A large floor-to-ceiling mirror had been set up; they would stop in front of it and model for the blonde woman sitting nearby. "Darsi!"

"Nix!" Darsi grinned when she noticed the Inferno Leader. She offered him a quick hug before poking him in the chest with a slender finger. "Thanks to you, I'm working at a brothel."

Nix laughed at the woman's expression. "What would your mother say?"

"Knowing her, probably that she had expected this to happen one day." Darsi pointed toward a black door on the opposite side of the room; there seemed to be a lot of foot traffic going in and out. "You're Dad is in there, along with Vooni and her wyvern friend."

"Aja is here?" Nix headed toward the black door with Pon on his heels. Aja was part of Vooni's fire team; the dragon descendent would have made sure that Rico was protected. The Inferno Leader opened the door, freezing in place for a moment when he spotted his dad.

Aja was wearing something that looked like it had been taken from a Victoria Secret catalog. A sheer red outfit that clung to her well-muscled frame, it stopped well above the knees, a fact emphasized by mid-thigh red stockings and a garter belt. Nix cleared his throat to get their attention, not wanting to startle his dad when he was pinning up alterations.

"Pon the Magnificent!" Aja's scarred face smiled crookedly at the new arrivals, "and Pon," she added when she saw who accompanied him.

"The fuck is up with that greeting?" Pon stepped past Nix, doing a great job of pretending he hadn't come in to get a closer look at Rico's work.

"Sorry," Aja apologized. Even though she knew the Inferno Leader's real name, in her head, she always called him 'Pon the Magnificent.'

Nix struggled to keep the wide grin off of his face. "Looks like your busy, Dad."

Rico had a handful of pins in his mouth, pulling bits of fabric as he snugged up the fit. Unlike his son, Rico implemented several real-life techniques to his craft. The result spoke for themselves; nearly everything he made resulted in a [critical crafting] message.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around Nix from behind, squeezing him tight before letting him go. He turned to see Vooni's smiling face. "Looks like the band is back together. Where are the boys?"

Vooni shook her head slightly. "Could you imagine Nunzo and Omak here? They'd never get anything done."

Nix brought up his hud, he'd been notified when the Lana quest was updated, but he hadn't bothered to check it out. He considered his options as he perused the description. "Going to put a request in, Dad. Put the other stuff on hold for now."

Rico removed the pins from his mouth and motioned Aja to a curtained-off corner where she could change. "What do you need?'

"Uniforms for these women, we'll need something warm, maybe wool or tweed." Nix watched as his dad pulled out a sketch pad and started drawing. "I want them to be easily recognizable when they are walking around. Let's aim for casual/elegance."

His dad glanced up from his sketch pad. "Conservative then?"

"Yes, Dad... Conservative." Nix ignored the chuckle from Pon. "Have Dalton match it up with some nice boots."