Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Yeah." The hybrid answers in a smarmy sort of way, with a tilt of his crest. "The lawn looks great here until you're face-down in it."

The group had made their way through the gateway and into the open lawn at this point, and it was true that lush green grass spread out in every direction on either side of the well-manicured stone path they were still on.There was an ornate dining table laid out in the middle of the lawn, one that seemed very familiar to Darts given the return of a couple members before him, and it was laden down with extravagant dishes of every kind. Savory stews shared room with well-charred cuts of meat, platters of butter vied for table space with multicolored baskets of fresh baked bread, steam rising from them in the lightly cooling night air as if they had been just lain there a moment ago.

"If I know my pupil, and I like to think that I do. The only way a homecoming would be complete would be with a comment like that." The Elder was as Blizzard remembered him, a short, old man with awesomely intimidating presence. Luckily for his student, and much to Darts' relief, the master was smiling at them all widely as he said it, the deep blue x-ray eyes coming to rest on Pryce's face first. "Pryce." He greets, with a respectful bow after taking a couple steps away from the table to personally come greet the Mahogany Gym Leader. The x-ray gaze is turned on the Articuno hybrid briefly as well. "And young Blizzard as well." Another bow, this one an inclining of the head rather than a full bow, as per his status. "Welcome. The Dragon Clan is proud to have you both as guests."

"Ah, do not get hung up on all the formalities of tonight, young apprentice. It is not every day that we get guests to these hallowed grounds, and all I wish is for you and my dear friend to enjoy themselves." Teacher gives Blizzard a kind smile, his wrinkled face showing an ease Darts hadn't seen for a while.

"Ah, my my." A voice deep like the caverns beneath mountains suddenly interrupts the comings and goings. "It seems as though I have you all to thank for returning my dear Iris to me." There's a couple of footsteps as a person approaches the group. Another older man with a smile on his face, though Darts could have sworn he saw him shooting daggers at his granddaughter a few moments ago. "Drayden." The man introduces himself, striding forwards with an extended hand towards the Mahogany Gym leader, a very stern air of formality extending from the man made Darts fix his posture slightly. "Opelucid City Gym Leader."

"Quite right." Drayden says with a hearty chuckle. "You are as wise as the old man says, being able to see that right away. She's a prized treasure of the Dragon Clan... and of myself of course, hohoho... I shall have to give that gate guard a piece of mind for almost losing her..." It might have been Darts' imagination, but there seemed to be a ton of hidden venom lurking behind those words, the old man's bright eyes going as cold as steel. Then again it might have been his imagination.

"Har har har!" Comes a gruff voice floating over to the already assembled patronage near the dinner table. "You should be so lucky, boy." The pirate captain and Elite Four member known as Drake makes his way out of the house and towards the spread holding a luscious looking pig on a platter, roasted with an apple still clenched in its mouth. The older man held the enormous beast easily enough despite its clear weight, his exposed muscles on demonstration beneath his captain's coat as he sets it down. Following after him was yet another Elite Four member, the Kalosian Drasna who quickly swept over to the gilt hybrid while Blizzard was busy coming face-to-face with the man he was here to see.

"Well now, are they taking care of you still at that place you run off to?" Drasna asks Darts pointedly, her vivid green eyes examining him for any sort of harm as she sets another basket of bread, a fresh baked cluster of croissants on the now-groaning buffet spread. Ever since the Snagems had liberated her home region of Kalos from underneath the boot of the monarchy Darts had noticed her take an even more motherly stance towards him. Not a weak stance, more like an enraged Dragalge watching over its cluster of young.

"Yes Drasna..." Darts attempts to explain, holding up two gilt hands to ward off her gaze. "Even though what we do puts us in danger some times...." His red eyes meet her evenly, without deceit. "There's no place I'd rather be."

Drasna notices Pryce coming forwards, and the stately elite gives a courteous bow of her head as he approaches, turning away from Darts. The edges of her kimono rustle slightly as she does so, emitting the sound of bones and talons clinking on the formal ceremonial wear.

"Hello, master Pryce, and welcome to our humble abode. Can I fetch you something? Refreshment, perhaps? The elder had been regaling me with stories all day of the adventures the two of you undertook when you were younger, and I'd love to get a chance to hear some of them from the other side..." She asks kindly, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Drake, for his part, is boring a hole in Blizz with his two eyes, a sinister little smile playing over his features as he watches the young apprentice from across the courtyard. He was leaning against one of the walls around the place, never taking his eyes off the Articuno hybrid.

"So, you're the newest member huh?!" Iris asks Darts excitedly. The girl had finally plucked the courage up to talk to the Giratina hybrid, as intimidating as he looked.

"Well... to be fair I'm still a probationary member..." Darts mentions.

"Aww, that's no fun!" Iris exclaims, sticking her tongue out at him. "Just don't be a fuddy-duddy and get stuck there like...." The Champion trails off as Clair stomps away from the table with a pulsating vein showing in her forehead. "...oopsie." Iris says, hands over her mouth. "Maybe I said too much..."

"Let's just say..." Darts says, rubbing the back of his crest a little befuddled himself. "That sometimes it takes quite a long time to move up from Probationary Member."

"I'll go and talk to her." Drayden speaks up suddenly, from where he had been sitting quietly at the table. There was that look again, or maybe imagined again as he moves away from the banquet table and walks off in the direction Clair had gone.

"I do so hope those get back in time for dinner..." Drasna mutters, moving over to the spread to brush liquid butter on the croissant rolls. "We're just waiting on a couple of last-minute dishes..." Considering the tables were heaving and groaning with dishes and platters of food already, the gambler would have suspected they didn't really need anything else, but it wasn't his place to say. It did seem, however, that they had a bit of a break. And he had to go say hello to his flight instructor anyhow. He subtly nudges Blizzard in the ribs and indicates Drake over in the corner with a jerk of his head. If he was going to make the Mahogany apprentice wait, it was time to take the conversation to him.

Drake notices the pair of them approaching and languidly removes himself from his position by the wall, getting to his feet and rounding the corner of the dojo away from all of the other members of the Clan, his captain's jacket trailing behind him as the two Snagems pursue. He's not running, clearly, he just wants to make it evident that perhaps this conversation should not be overheard.

Darts trails a little behind Blizzard as the two of them approach the pirate, and Drake turns towards them with an enormous grin plastered across his mug. "Well now, little icicle. Yeh've been looking fer me, and now we finally have a chance to talk... What can I do for ye, my boy?" he growls.

"'Shadow council' eh?" Drake chuckles, putting the very words in air quotes with the thick layer of sarcasm in his voice. "I'd say ye'r putting a bit much to the whole thing, but aye we were never much fer meetin' face to face..." He leans against the back wall of the dojo again, his coat trailing around him. He shoots Darts a brief glance before looking the Articuno hybrid full-on in the eyes, the salty dog's gaze one of a tired, old man who didn't want to run any more.

"I got involved with HAZARD as a result of Hoenn's government. They came to me, wanted one of the Elites in the region to oversee this branch of the military that they were cooking up in response to biohazard threats. I didn't really understand why, it wasn't like biological threats were somethin' we dealt with much... but I accepted, it wasn't like I had much else goin' on. In the beginning, it was on the behest of the government itself before the Virus got out of control... but once the outbreak happened we became priority number one in the list of budgeting... we went from having a couple of helicopters an' a handful of crew to a fleet of choppers and the entire army answering to us... Seemed a mite bit suspicious to this sea dog." As Drake talks, there's a far away look in his eyes, he seems to be regurgitating from memory. "An' there's no way the government had the kind of resources they were allocating us."