Salvaging - beware abandoned keeps and dubious chests

Meeth breathed in slowly, the cool breeze playing through her hair as she looked out over the ruined keep and its beach, covered with clams that appeared as the waters shifted, the starlit sky enshrouding the area in a soft darkness, comforting.. welcoming..... A sound had her turning to the dragon next to her, the fires that flickered at the tips of her extremities lighting the area. "Suzaku?" Meeth asked, for the dragon next to her wasn't one of her own, but belonged to her mate, though...as she'd discovered the vast majority of Meiron's dragons were far more independently inclined than her own. The dragoness looked back. "I was wanting to practice my dark magic, but.." She looked out to where her companion was been chased... and to the oddity of a dragon that was 'playing' "And i thought Harvest was weird." A laugh startled out of Meeth at that comment, she'd met that dragon herself and knew what Suzaku meant. "I can stop him?" She asked worried Susaku's would hold Voids far too friendly actions against her. "Nah, She's enjoying the challenge." The dragoness grinned back, as her body started to shift. The large body shrinking, until she only came to Meeth's waist, and distinctly cat like overall, though she still had her crest, wings and sail.. as well as the spaded tail at the tip. "Cat?" Meeth asked. "Its familiar." came the response, and it would be, Suzaku's own rider spent as much time as a cat as he did in his more bestia form.

Void sensed something from next to Meeth and turned away from chasing his new small friend, she was so quick and agile. Bounding, each of his eyes now focused on the small no longer a dragon who was with them, she hadn't played when her companion had but maybe she would now? His jaws opened and he went to huge her, only for Meeth to stop him. "Later, Void." Drooping, he slumped...but he knew that tone.... A weight landed on his head, small claws digging in as the companion landed, her sides heaving as she kneaded before curling up. A niggling thought and he perked up, opening his maw he used his tail-arm to reach inside his tail-mouth to pull out the shiny thing he'd found. Drool covered, yet proud, he held it for Meeth to look at, they were here to dig up stuff; her expression bland Meeth took the offering.

Suzaku glanced that they dragon, her expression completely neutral as he showed of the warped key, he was sweet in his own way, and amusing.... and she could only imagine what her riders mate had gone through to get him to respond to the commands. "Thats a good sign?" She commented, pacing towards the keep, to a screech of birds, raising a warning; this Suzaku ignored. She wasn't interested in them; what she was what lay inside, and yes, maybe the cat form wasn't the most ideal for this, but it was a good way to test her magic, afterall... it took constant concentration to remain this way.

Void and Meeth followed the flame tipped cat-dragon into the ruined entrance of the keep, the birds calls echoing around them in a cacophony... And Void lunged.... new playmates... and the birds scattered..... though only beyond the reach of the dark dragon... the silence that followed pressing... as a scrap of cloth flew past Meeth, the winds shifting direction. "Come look." A voice called from where Suzaku had slipped inside, the massive wrought iron and wooden gate intact.... except for the a portion had rotted. No longer interested in the birds, Void darted, wriggling this way and that to get into the space to join his new friend... Meeth meanwhile walked to the faint outline of a much smaller door and opened it with ease.. so much so that it simply fell inwards, the sound echoing in the empty keep.

Immediately Meeth realized why Suszaku sounded so excited, crates and barrels lay scattered around, as if they'd been in the process of been transported from the Keep to elsewhere, and then been abandoned. Suzaku had overturned one, open and empty clam shells scattering across the stone floor, and not the cat-dragon that was Suzaku was opening another, using her dark magic to shift her paws into hands to be able to open them. Void, the helpful dragon he was skipped over, and used all of his limbs to open another... and then he spotted the chest, distracted he bounded back to Meeth to get her attention as she assessed the contents of the haul. Tugging on her cloak, he all but dragged her to the chest in the corner. Silvered body and a black lid, it lay there, the keyhole visible. But something halted Meeth, and she stared at it. "Suzaku?" The dragon paced over. "Is it me or is there something off about that chest?" Meeth asked, she didn't know what, other than placement. Sensing something amiss, Void halted, going pre-naturally still. Suzaku for her part didn't get any closer. "It could be a ... umm.. what did Meiron call them.... " The cat-dragon closed her eyes, flames flicking across her body. "Mimic?" Her rider had spoken of them in the past. 

Unfortunately, Void's awareness of the something been off didn't last long, and he lunged, picking up the chest and trying to force it open... and the chest did open, but not in the way Void anticipated, the black head opened to reveal deadly teeth and black eyes blinked, a long tongue sneaked out as the chest tried to bite Void... Alas.. for poor Chest, Void wasn't your average dragon, and seeing that the chest was in fact alive, Void hugged it close, and blinked with puppyish eyes at his rider. Chest grumbled. giving up... and he blinked at Meeth as well, he'd of only bitten slightly if they'd gotten too close...

Meeth and Suzaku glanced at one another, and then at Void holding the dragon that looked less like a chest..... that had been close. "No Void we can't take him home. Put Him Down." Void whined........ at least until Meeth pulled out a plush she'd kept hidden for just this reason. Dropping the chest, Void lunged, happy. Chest landed, and with a glare at the dragon slid over to one of the crated, opening it with ease and grabbing some of the stuff and shoving them into his maw, glancing back at the other party and slipping off further into the keep.

With Chest now gone, Suzaku and Meeth continued their search in the entrance way and into the next room; in which they found an actual chest, larger, wooden but gilded with designs... though looking a bit forgotten. The key that Void had found earlier fit, and with a click they opened it to reveal a gleam of purple. Amethyst, stunning crystals of various sizes in its grasp, their colors vivid, a treasure trove.... A head appeared over Meeth's shoulders, as Void looked over the crystals... before losing interest. "How long will those last?" Meeth asked Suzaku. "Ugh..... depends if if can get them to Meiron without the hordes seeing them, maybe you should take them all and we'll take what we need, far safer with you than in the cenote." A smile lingered on Meeths face at that comment, Suzaku wasn't earth, but most of Meiron's dragons were... which meant gemstones didn't last long. 

Now to get the haul back to the fort....