"Pyro, explain," Eric growled, stabbing his sword into the ground. Jay could probably tell that the sword was not discharged of its chakra, suggesting that the gesture only gave the illusion of Eric lowering his defenses. The ash clung to his robes like dust to a ceiling fan, and his tight grip on his sword lessened.
"Yes Pyro, explain at once! You were supposed to come ALONE." One of the original captors growled, the same one who earlier had bopped his companion on the head. This same dragon would stink eye Jay before stating, "Prisoner, is a strong word. I suggest you be careful with your accusations-"
"However natural they may be," Eric retorted. After all, the only part of the story that they had so far seen was Pyro being carried off like some prize. What were they supposed to think?
Pyro heaved a mixture of a sigh and a growl in response to the various demands back and forth. "Listen, I am not a prisoner, and these two are, probably not here to interefere with your plans. Eric wants to see Rita-"
"You're damn straight I came to see Rita you desert bastard!" Eric released and gripped the hilt of his sword, as if barely restraining himself from exploding at this point. " Why didn't you tell me that Rita was pregnant? Why didn't you tell me that she has gone missing? Why didn't you-"
"Shut up Eric!" Pyro's roar shook the ground a little, a few scorch release flares emitting from around him as his chakra soared and Jay's released grip finally produced very visible results. "What do you think I am out here for? Sage's sake, Rita is a sage dragon, she has more responsibilities than being your caretaker."
"Caretaker? Caretaker?! Need I remind you who taught Rita shadow imitation? Need I remind you of our partnership these past 20 goddamn years?"
"Yeah, some partners you have guys have been for the past year and a half. You didn't summon her once even to check up on her-"
"I have already tried that numerous times, nothing!"
"And so what prompted you to finally come, huh?"
Eric scowled, uncharacteristically triggered by the general flow of the conversation. His usual composure greatly whittled, inhibition and the desire to not force himself and Jay to have to fight their way out of the dragon lands his motivations for not right now strangling Pyro until he listened to his entire rant.
"I have given Rita much freedom over the years. She told me that she was going to be away for a little while. That's fine, I can live with that. But a little while became a long while, summons and calls went unanswered, and I got caught up in the Nara Order and fighting that fourth Hokage again. Until Jay here told me that Rita had given him an egg, I was content to let Rita come home of her own accord as she normally does."
Silence, save for the occasional distant blast of a volcano. If the rocks had ears then they preened towards the conversation. As the back and forth continued, the dragons surrounding Jay and Eric seemed to grow increasingly less hostile, less tense.
Eric and Pyro just stared at each other, for a few minutes, before Pyro looked away in concession. "You have changed since joining The Akuatsiki all those years ago. Changed for the worse. Neala saw it, Rita saw it. And I'm beginning to see it now-"
Eric's facial expression only hardened at the statement that sounded to him like an accusation.
"- Still, as you know, Yumei and Rares have been missing for some time now, and you still have nothing on them as far as malice and cruelty go. No dragon sage nor sage dragon leads the dragons of Hell's Basin, plunging this land into a state of orderly chaos. Had the heat of this place been like that of the past, I imagine all that would be left of you would be melted flesh by now. This reduced heat has made this land more accessible to intrusion, and the native dragons see it as a sign of the endtimes.
Rita's father and my father-in-law, Draco, is here trying to re-establish some sort of hierarchy, but there is fierce resistance from some dragons claiming that Yumei will return and execute any and all traitorous dragons. Nonsense he believes, but they are fanatical in their belief, and hold a large part of the Basin under their fear mongering grip."
Eric's face softened, even if the sound of Draco being here was anything but music to his ears.
"He requested that Rita use the knowledge that she has acquired to put down what he sees as a rebellion against his authority; he wants to become the next dragon king-"
"Wants to be unchallenged as the current dragon king," Some dragon from the tower piped up, much to Pyro's irritation. It seemed most of the assembly had similar thoughts.
Pyro paused, in case there were any more thoughts to add, before continuing. Rita came and brought our brood with her, minus the one that Jay has. draco ordered me here as well, and after some correspondence with Ragnar over there-" Pyro would gesture towards the dragon that earlier had seemed to be in charge of the capture trio that had taken Pyro "prisoner" earlier. "I found my way here. If anything, I am a conscript, but I am not a prisoner."