Magnolia
The halls were whiter than the sand outside, a sheltered cream, seemingly never touched by the sun's harsh rays, instead announcing itself in the gold that was seemingly melted into the banding strips that crawled upon the top corners of the hall. Candles melted their waxes slowly, illuminating tapestries of stories that would've been long lost if not for the royals. Dingo had left his workmate in favour for more area covered in a smaller amount of time rather than efficiency if confronted. Whilst having a social was nice, time alone kept his mind busy and helped him focus on keeping his talon-steps quiet rather than their usually loud announcements, no thanks to his prosthetic. It was annoying to think about, at first it clunking loudly on the sandstone, but with practice shuffling his balance and becoming more and more comfortable in it, his movements were slowly becoming more elegant- well, as elegant as he used to be, anyway. 

His talon-steps were quiet, due to his focus, on the red rug that seemed to go on forever, frayed at the ends and neglected to be replaced for a while too long now, left talons curled into knuckles as he awkwardly held his spear. He almost walked by the double-door without noticing it being slightly ajar. Perhaps subconsciously his eyes had been wandering the tapestries on the left, because as part of the hall trailed into a small doorway, he noticed a streak of brighter light leaving the ballroom, illuminating the otherwise dull rug. He raised his brow, a cautious grin touching his eyes slightly. The servants who raced around had no need to touch the ballroom, the ballroom seemingly abandoned for what seemed like moons now.

Sure they would clean and dust, but at max it took about an hour- they had better things to do on their tight schedule.

He approached the double-doors slowly, ear flicking as he tried to listen to what might be happening down to the scamper of a rat that invaded the open space. For a moment he amused himself with the thought of a scavenger going to hunt out the Queen, a legend too funny to not to amuse himself and terrify others, typically dragonets, with. The talon-steps were easily too heavy to be a scavenger, and too quick, but it was fun to think about.

Almost silently, he approached the door, not bothering to use the knob as he used the sides of the door to open it inward- a design made so not to interfere with the festivities held within the ballroom- revealing a dragon seemingly stained in sunburnt dust with a rough appearance about them, one he seemed to faintly recognise from his old mates.

"Well hello~" He cooed, smirking as he advanced, spear ready, "I didn't know the Queen was desperate for rats in her ballroom, I wonder why I wasn't invited," He mused, chuckling softly as he spread his wings so Copperhead's options of escape was limited. Sure- there were the other doors on the other sides of the room, but were usually left locked by the servants. He shifted his weight onto his prosthetic as he raised his spear, forked tongue flicking out eagerly as wishing to taste the surprise of the thief, teeth in a toothy grin.
Elvin
Copperhead jumped at the sight of the sandwing guard- their eyes jolting wide open for only a moment before their surprised expression twisted into scowl- and sharp agitated hiss as he took a few steps back- eyes shooting to the ceiling in thought, and for those that knew Copperhead better than this guard did- they'd know it was a surefire sign he was formulating a lie of some sort- and with a devious grin and lighthearted chuckle as Copperhead took a few steps closer. Their body language seemed to go from extremely tense in surprise- to relaxed, calm- and cool- within the span of seconds. "Moons, you *Scared* Me- I had no idea the guard had such an affinity for stealth." 

Copperhead didn't mind how Dingo spread his wings- the correct choice in a situation like this, was *Rarely* To run- no - he had done this song and dance before, all he had to do was sweeten his words, flash the fake scrolls and empty book covers- and he'd get off scot-free just like every other time. "You? A rat? No... Far too cute to be a rat~ More like- a little sand mouse." He chuckled and bowed his head in a hollow sign of respect. "Unfortunately, though- the ballroom appears to be *Closed*- though that's *Exactly* Why I wandered in- see these?" He opened his bag and flashed the various scrolls and books- though was quick to shut it- hopefully before Dingo could pick something from the unassuming pile. "I'm an author- Working on my next bestselling scroll, I'm *Sure* You've heard of..." He thought of a clever name for a writer- giving away his real name was a big nono in his line of work. "Gambel... I write all sorts of literary works, from recipe scrolls to fiction works for dragonets."

The slick thief seemed rather pleased with their little lie- and seemed to cling to it with bold confidence. "Perhaps if you have one of my scrolls or book- I'd be happy to sign it for you~" He had to do his best to not seem like he was in a hurry- if he tipped this guard of even a little bit, the jig would be up, and he'd be in a stronghold prison cell- so he began to appraise Dingo, his eyes gliding up and down, taking not of the peculiar... Potentially valuable prosthetic limb- though that would be a particularly difficult thing to steal most certainly- but he *Did* Love a challenge. "Perhaps you could do the honors of escorting me back to my group? I didn't mean to be a rulebreaker- but I saw such opportunity in the quit confines of the ballroom- I couldn't help myself, I'm sure you understand." He tried to do a voice- but his vocals were rather coarse- he tried to play the part of the sheltered - potentially aristocratic scroll-snout writer. 

Eugh- his best option was maybe to flirt? It was - worth a try - sometimes dragons fell for the simplest flatteries- and it would be curious to know if such practices would work on even a member of the esteemed stronghold guard. Copperhead flicked his tongue from his maw for a moment. "Perhaps you'd like to catch a dance in that ballroom with me someday, hm?~" He raised an eyebrow, internally cringing at himself - but anything was worth it to get away with a few extra scales- though that wasn't to say Dingo was rough on the eyes- just, Copperhead didn't really do relationships- especially with someone in a field directly opposed to his.
Magnolia
He watched as his expression quickly changed, Dingo being quite amused as Copperhead tried to flatter him. Dingo always liked an ego boost, though it was the friends he had made that prevented him from becoming thick-skulled, and his leg to blame for him to have a wry amount of trust. He raised his chin as Copperhead bowed his head, a critical and amused look on his face.

He tilted his head at the bag, lowering his head slightly to examine the contents. It seemed truthal, especially at first glance- and that was all he was given, seeing how promptly Copperhead shut it. "Gambel, ay? I've been followin' your scrolls. Your last one, The Rattlesnake's Cackle, was quite a catcher, my nephew enjoyed it." He lied through his teeth, trying to bait Copperhead into his trap. "Lil' sucker made he read it to him." He continued, trying to force admiration in his eyes. "I'm sure an autograph wouldn't hurt, my fine friend." 

He listened to the pleas of innocence from him, which only made his smile broaden. "Of course~ curiosity is sure to break boundaries at times." He mused, tapping the blunt end of the spear on the ground, the door closing with a soft *Clink* As he pushed it back with his tail. His surprise at the request was admittedly unexpected, though took the ask gracefully. 

"Why wait another day when you can do it now?" He asked, using his teeth to grip his spear and taking his talon forcibly, his talons loose enough for Copperhead to slip back if he wanted, though it made for a perfect opportunity for eachother to steal off one another.
Sam
Dingo wasn't subtle in the least bit that they were enjoying the flattery- a part of Copperhead hated it just my principle, but the other part of them- the one that wanted to get out of this and get back to their little hole in the sand hut - didn't mind- not in the slightest. I suppose he should've guessed that someone working in the stronghold would have a head the size of dragonflame cactus.

Shit... He couldn't tell if Dingo was calling their bluff, or if there was actually a sandwing author named 'Gambel' - but judging by the permanent smirk on Dingo's face- the thief had already been caught- though, it never hurt to continue playing along just in case... The only question was if the guard *Was* In fact bluffing- if Copperhead, well- now *'Gambel'* - made the wrong call, chances were they were going straight to the stronghold prison- which was conveniently a jump, flap, and a fly away from the ballroom- greeeaaat going Copperhead- now what do we say? Uh- hm, did this guy really seem like the type of dragon to read- let alone read scrolls to their nephew? No- not really, and if he couldn't recall- then... He could always say he had just written so many scrolls he didn't remember, or alternatively - that someone else wrote the scroll under his name - yes, that was definitely the play. "Ah, I'm sorry- I don't quite recall writing that one- seems I might have someone using my wonderful name to sell their scrolls- or maybe that one just slipped my mind, I've been writing since I was a dragonet, so- it's possible I just *Forgot*- silly Gambel., right?~"

The two seemed to be playing off one another- Copperhead certainly having just as much of an ego, if not a bigger one based their obviously pleased expression- to them it was a verbal game, so it was only natural they'd take pride in every careful decision they made. "Maybe I'll send that nephew a real copy of one of my scrolls to make up for this... Inconvenience. It'll come with that autograph free of charge!" What if he asked for one of the scrolls he was currently carrying? You know- all of the blank sheets of paper and books without pages- no no, he'd just say they were all a 'work in progress'. 

"See, you get it- ehe..." They were surprised by Dingo's forwardness- and in truth, the only time they danced was when they were drunk, high, or... Both... They'd never danced sobber- but I guess there was a first time for everything- even if they had no clue what ballroom dancing looked like besides from that one time they snuck to the stronghold as a dragonet to watch all the rich dragons dance- they still fondly remembered looking through those teeny tiny windows- so it was time to make the dream of dancing here a reality- even if it was for perhaps all the wrong reasons. 

He accepted, firmly gripping Dingo's talons with a confident smile on his face. "Be warned, I spend most of my days in a library- not a ballroom, so I guess you'll have to show me how to dance- oh and how awkward with music. Sure you don't want to sing a tune?~" Maybe he could at least get a laugh out of this brute's attempt at creating the vocals for string instruments- though he'd have to hide his overflowing amusement if the reality came to pass.
Magnolia
He snorted at his excuse, his grin widening at the creativity of it. "Indeed very silly, Gambel." He said, realising how slick he was with his words- carefully chosen not to falsify nor to accommodate the truth. For a moment, he was glad his workmate wasn't here. They often drew the fun out of anything, and it was nice to be abit rebellious sometimes, especially when confronted with a careful, obviously skilled thief. "I'll make sure to... 'swipe' one off ya at the end of this ordeal." He remarked with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes at his excuse for being a bad dancer, "Please, I couldn't be graceful if I tried. Not with this clunky thing." He said, words muffled slightly with his spear held by his teeth, glancing down at his prosthetic. It was clear he was pretty self critical, eyes furrowed in contempt with a mixture of grief before he pulled himself out of the clouds, if not for his spear, his jaw would've been clamped for a moment or two. Somewhat probed by 'Gambel's' words, and unwilling to fall under his challenge he sung a few notes- admittedly, they were flat and rough around the edges, and perhaps a bit crooked- but he wasn't about to let his fun with the 'scroll-writer' fall flat, even if it didn't benefit him.
Sam
Okay- Copperhead thought, now he was just being cocky with his choice of words- 'swipe' har har, real clever- who did this dragon think he is? Talking to the great, literary genius - Gambel, in such a tone. A grin crept up his face. "Tsk- sorry, but those are all work in progresses- Can't let you leak my content before it hits the shelves, can I?~" He chuckled- for some reason- this wasn't *So terrible* As they had thought it'd be- plus, Dingo seemed maybe cool enough to get paid off... Maybe- since he made it painfully clear he knew about the stolen goods. 

"Touche - I suppose- though it doesn't seem to hinder your... Unique character." The thief gave a sly grin and a quick eyeroll as the two danced with the grace of a scavenger without a head. At the sound of Dingo's tune- Copperhead chortled happily - seemingly pleased - though quickly moved a free talon over their mouth due to their failure to conceal the honesty in their amusement, but couldn't help themselves and simply shrugged. "You're absolutely dreadful- remind me not to hire you to do any singing." There was a playful undertone to their voice, shaking their head in an exaggerated manner.

"Don't know if we're doing it right- but- I think we're doing pretty good so far- we haven't- tripped over each other's talons so- that's a plus... Definitely the best dancer I've ever been with- though, I guess I don't really dance sober- so this is a first for me." Did he *Actually* Like this dragon? Pft- no way, he was just falling for the character he had been playing- maybe he could've been an actor or something- either way, Copperhead wasn't the type to get along with many individuals- and even if it was all a rouse - at least they'd go to jail without regrets this time. "When I was a dragonet..." The two did a rough pirouette that definitely needed some work - "I used to come watch the stupid dances they hold in here literally *All* The time- All those fancy princesses and regal noble gentlemen- felt like they were living the lives in the storyscrolls I read- er- write now- of course." He nodded as if affirming himself as a writer. "Never figured I'd ever be on the ballroom floorone day..." He gave a skeptical, playfully judgmental raised eyebrow. "You're not exactly the prince of my dreams, but I guess you'll do *For now*." 

In truth- they felt the dance was coming to an end- which totally sucked, but- whatever- they had their fun- and they would have to face the music- hopefully not sang by Dingo- sooner or later.