The sweet scent of strawberries hit the dragon like a severe blow to the face, and almost instantly she could taste the delicious fruit on her tongue, purple eyes shining in delight as she altered her direction, taking her to the stand, before grabbing a bucket in her jaws, her reptilian body moving rhythmically through the rows, eyeing up the biggest and most suculent fruit. Her fins fluttered faintly, standing straight up before they slicked down, giving her a sleeker look as she wormed her way down one row, her stride much better now that the large gash on her back leg had healed to what looked more like a healing scar, although other cuts and bruises showed signs of the abuse she'd suffered from the last time she'd accidentally said the wrong thing to her master. Nothing as sever as the gash had been, much to her luck, however.

A delighted smile appeared on her muzzle, as she started using her claws to cut the strawberries from their stems, dropping them into her bucket, while popping an extra into her mouth. The moment the fruit touched her tongue, it was all over however, and instantly she was moving from row to row, grabbing the strawberries, the majority going into her mouth, and only a few into the bucket. She squeezed her eyes in delight, her tail whipping back and forth as she hunted for more, pouncing through the vegetation like a little cat, rather than a small dragon. Giggling to herself, she swiped another handful, putting only a third of it in her box, the others being popped into her mouth, her claws staining a red-purple instead of their usual ivory.

Her giggling only lasted a moment however, before she realized she'd cleaned out the row of the best strawberries. Her head started to droop sadly, before she caught a glance of a strawberry a few rows over, and instantly she dove over the rows (wishing she had wings to make it easier - damn wingless body), dive rolling into the row, and ending up on her back, just beneath the strawberry. Instantly her mouth closed over it, snapping it from it's stem, and chewing it, her eyes closed in bliss. Only then did she pause, her tail whipping back and forth before she fought to get right side up, and back on her feet, a few of the vines wrapped around her arm and leg. After a few harsh tugs she finally broke free, climbing to her feet, before bounding down the rest of aisle, on the look out for more delicious, perfect, ruby strawberries.

[/color]

"speech"/'thoughts'

Liam frowned from his position. His arms hung limply in the air, his legs hooked over a tree branch as he observed with a critical eye each kata Kaotanya moved through. Her head wasn’t in the game today, but he supposed it would be, not when she was worrying about her coronation tomorrow. ”Widen your stance,” he repeated for the fifth time today. When the young dragoness seemed to have barely heard him, Liam sighed, ”Tani.” He called out softly, finally catching her attention with his nickname for her. She looked at him as Liam let his legs released his hold from the branch. He let his body fall backwards to naturally right himself so he landed effortless on his feet, his knees slightly bent.

”Everything comes from your center, your core; no solid foundation and you reveal chinks in your armor. It’s especially important for you, with your blindness. The meditation was the start, so you could find your center in the most stressful situations; now it’s time to apply that. Take your stance.” He instructed as he walked closer, circling her slowly as she took the appropriate stance. Liam stopped for a moment before stepping closer to his charge, spreading her feet farther, pushing on her shoulders to get her to sink lower, pulling her shoulders back, and informing her to twist from her hips. For emphasis that this new stance would work, he gave her shoulder a good shove.

She wavered under him, but her stance held and she grinned suddenly. Liam gave a soft chuckle and ruffled her hair to which she protested. ”See? Refine your movement around your hips. The yoga will make you a lot more flexible and leave you with more areas that you can guard and attack from. Now, go back to the dorm, rest up and don’t worry about tomorrow. I’ll be with you step by step, what Sordia charge goes through her coronation without her Sylvano guardian?” She thanked him and gave him a hug, her lithe arms wrapping around his waist, then ran off to Gods know where. Most definitely not the dorm knowing her.

Liam ran a hand through his dark hair, scratching the base of his neck as he observed his surroundings, unsure what to do with the rest of his day. Technically he was supposed to train Kao from midday until late afternoon with Katswiri taking up her mornings. Today was different, Katswiri had given her the morning off and Liam had started early with her. But with her head not anywhere near being in the game, he might as well have been talking to a wall. Maybe it was coronation tomorrow. But he really doubted it; he’d been raising Kaotanya since her hatching, he’d BEEN there for her hatching. In a way, Kao was his own dragonet, but growing up the girl had never really needed a parental figure.

The thought that he was essentially her parent made the dragon realize that most other dragons about his age were at least close to settling down.

The beast inside shivered at the thought of tiny little annoying brats. Liam felt Beast’s presence stretch within, making himself and his need for freedom known. Liam pulled a tight rein over the Beast, curious how the creature could come out so willingly when he was obviously not provoked. What had caused this change?

Then her scent hit.

It was mixed with the sweet smell of the strawberries, almost overwhelming his senses. His body moved of its own accord, naturally drawn to the most recent object of his…obsessions. When he drew closer, the beast lashed out against his binds, but Liam kept a tight hold on his conscious, refusing to even transform into his own dragon form. He crouched down, looking up at tree, and gave a hefty leap, his arms catching on a low hanging branch. His strong arms quickly, easily pulled himself up, and he deftly and quietly climbed up two more branches until he was seated comfortably with a clear view of the female water dragon he’d been, quite frankly, stalking for the better part of month.

His movements were silent, always so silent; his very existence had been for the most part to simply hide in the shadows and observe, protect when needed. He was a warrior able to fight when needed, but he was a guardian foremost and guardians were to remain passive until it could be avoided no longer.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them, the deep emerald of his iris lightening to an almost acidic lime, the color bleeding in his sclera and blotting out the now slit pupil. His enhanced dragon vision picked out her form in more detail, noting with some sort of satisfaction (maybe, he wasn’t sure) that her once hideous gash had healed up quite nicely, and other than a few always present nicks, cuts, and bruises, she was relatively fine.

Fine, oh yea. Judging by her surprisingly happy, joyful attitude she was having a very good day indeed.

Liam shuffled in the branch, shifting the photons of light surrounding him, refracting the light beams to shift away from his form. Little by little, his body disappeared from sight with a faint shimmer. He pulled up the illusion lazily, not particularly caring if someone really saw him. Once he felt the light swirl around his form, never brushing him, he began to absentmindedly play with the light, letting certain parts of his form shimmer vaguely in view then disappear. The wind cut through the branches, crisp with the promise of the incoming cold front. The leaves pressed against his form, the only thing that could give him away easily enough.

Her good mood rubbed off on him and gave him the sudden desire to act instead of simply just watch. He called upon his wings, feeling the exhilarating effect as the leathery membranes stretched out. He stood and walked to the end of the branch, allowing his massive wings to easily lift his humanoid body before the branch could bend under his weight. The camouflage slowly flaked away from his body, but he kept the light refracted away from his wings. He never really liked showing his wings around his human appearance, for they gave away he was not a simple dragon.

The ebony wings gently lowered himself to the ground, their massive bulk giving off a large gale with each laborious flap to announcing his presence. He tried to make his face to soften, they’d parted on rather...rough terms last time. But the vague softening of his features would have only been noticed by those who’d known him for a while.

”At that rate, there won’t be much left for anyone else,” he called out, trying to mimic how Kaotanya would tease him, but he failed miserably at it. He picked up a strawberry nearby and sniffed it, taking a small tentative bite. The tart fruit had a distinct sweetness to it and made him grimace slightly. He wasn't a big fan of sweets.

He watched the female dragon, his sharp eyes taking each delicate scale and he even ventured to play with the light on her form, dappling the shadows and highlights brushing her pale scales to bring out her natural dappled hide even more. The shadows and light seemed to undergo an intricate dance with each other, weaving and ducking between and around each other.

She really was a beautiful creature.


Amount:1240
Notes: that first bit was just me having fun, I can’t really do a solo thread between those two and they give me such warm fuzzy feels <3, but anyway, yea NOOOOT creepy at all Liam
Muse: good!
Tune: “Story of my Life” by One Direction
Tags: Natalia/DYZZ

It wasn't often when the water dragon was able to let go and just be herself, naturally playful, sweet, fun loving. More often than not she was forced into submission and obedience with Alex breathing over her shoulder, ready to deal severe blows for even the hint of disrespect. But today, it was just her in a field of strawberries, rows and rows of the yummy fruit. She was about to go after a new batch when a new scent suddenly hit her nose and instantly she froze, the bucket dropping lightly to rest against one of her paws, her playful, violet eyes suddenly guarded and cautious, her body tense and ready to flee, and the fins on her wateresque form standing up, as if to make her seem a little bigger. She knew that scent.

The scent that had been following her way, way too much. The scent of the dragon she wanted to see least of all. No, not least of all. That spot was reserved for Alex. But she still didn't know what to think of the male. She remembered his behavior their first meeting, when he'd shocked her into unconsciousness . . . . but she also remembered the way he'd helped her during their second meeting, his reaction to seeing the gash on her limb. Slowly her fins lowered, laying flat to her body once again, though her body didn't untense, her gaze moving around, trying to find him. Human or dragon. She was about to assume that she had been mistaken about his scent only to catch the very faint shifting of light, a shimmer, and instantly she remembered his disappearing act.

Her gaze focused harder, but the shimmers stopped again, and she frowned, searching desperately for the male she knew was around somewhere, though her nose told him he'd already moved again, at least he wasn't against the tree any more. She barely had a moment to look again before suddenly his camouflage was stripped away, and she saw the male. She tilted her head, sinking back onto her hind limbs as if a dog, her long tail wrapping delicately around her body, her fins flat, her head tilted in confusion as he clearly made his way towards her, At his words though, she was even more confused. Was she teasing him. She paused, glancing around before realizing he might have a point, before watching him take a small bite of his own strawberry, and she bit back a smile, the corner of her muzzle lifting slightly at his grimace.

His gaze turned back to her, and immediately she obediently lowered her gaze, looking down at her paws before tilting her head as she watched the light shift on her form, moving on her own, she didn't get a chance to respond to his early comment as her a paw lifted, watching the dappling of shadows and highlights dance around each other, before her other paw moved to catch the flickering of light. Her gaze went wide as it continued to move, her paws dancing more as she half stood, trying to catch the light he was manipulating in a similar manner as a cat chasing a light. She braced her back legs more, her eyes once more brightening as she she craned her neck to watch the light move more, before moving to try and catch the light again, before finally losing her balance, and slipping backwards, landing on her back again, before finally looking back at him, "Stop, please." She asked, letting her forelimbs fold over her chest, protecting the soft layer of pale scales on her belly, her tail waving against the ground faintly giving away how much she had enjoyed trying to catch the light before tilting her head.

I like Strawberries. I wasn't permitted sweets when I was growing up." If she was being honest, she wasn't permitted much of anything growing up. She was lucky if she got a meal every three days. She had learned early on to not expect food ever. She tilted her head as she observed the man, still for a moment before her dragon form shifted, like water running over her body and finally she lay on the ground in her human form, her eyes still vibrant and violet, her auburn hair spread around her face, skin pale as usual, and a simple pale blue dress lining her frail, delicate frame. She sat up slowly, looking up at him, "What . . . are you doing here? Or, rather? Why are you talking to me? I thought you didn't like me?" She said with a faint frown, confused as she watched him in confusion.

SPEECH"

[/b][/b][/font][/div][/font][/div][/div][/div]

"speech"/'thoughts'

He was prepared for her reaction, having known that since they parted on such bad terms last time she wouldn’t appreciate his company. But he was bored; Kao was running around with some guy, so that left Kats out of the picture to annoy and pester, Keanu and Phallotine were missing. Liam had tried several times to get a lock down on their location, scent them out, but every time he tried to, the beast pulled him back. His duty was to Kao first and with her coronation tomorrow, his Charge needed him more than ever. Coronations among the High Court were never easy to handle alone and he was the only dragon Kao had as a crutch.

So that was he was here, he kept telling himself. Because he had nothing better to do.

He watched with lime green eyes as her fins lowered; she didn’t look like a puffed up cat anymore, but she was still tense, ready to bolt any chance she could. She didn’t appear to look any calmer until he finally showed himself and his obvious dislike when he tasted the red fruit amused her. There was the slightest lifting of a corner of her muzzle, akin to the way Kao’s wrinkled when she was trying to hold back a giggle.

She was pleasantly submissive this time, not nearly as defensive like last and that made a part of Liam…glad, maybe? No, not quite glad...but it made it easier to keep the Beast chained down if she wasn’t provoking him.

He watched her placidly, his face void of anything, as she vainly attempted to catch the flickering lights and shifting shadows he controlled. The small twitch at his mouth upon her fall confused him. He hadn’t really had the desire to…dare he say it?- smile for anyone other than his Charge.

Her rather childish actions reminded him greatly of a playful dragonet, many of the High Court dragonets were outrageously energetic. He wasn’t one to outright spend time with them, but he often was the only one with enough stamina to run the little runts into the ground and enough patience to deal with them. The High Court was not a place for young dragons; even the older dragons were quick to turn prickly after a long day at work. High Court was prime and proper, meetings in the dark council rooms that lasted many sun cycles. They didn’t want to deal with messy youngsters who weren’t quiet.

Was that why this dragon intrigued him so? He’d never really held much of a conversation with her, but Beast had notice a few things about her knowledge of their kind. She had very little, to the point where she thought her captivity was normal, no, rather expected of her.

Stop, please.

Gods, even her pouting reminded him of a young dragonet desperate to get its way, down to the wriggling tail that betrayed her words. He turned his manipulation away from her, allowing the lights to flutter upon the leaves of the strawberries around them. Even in his vast age and his lack of ‘Wind Dragon playfulness,’ Liam was a dragon who, when not on duty, could not sit still during his waking hours. He worked constantly at his light manipulation; the natural filtering of light through the trees was often not natural when he was around. His reason behind his constant activity stemmed from the fact he’d never played, not since Etheria. So the unnatural reserves of energy his kind had that made them ‘playful’ and like the wind they were named after, was used more practically. By constantly working at his manipulation, it had become second nature. The light manipulation ability had only been with him for a quarter of his life, maybe a third at best, and it had started out as an ability that looked far from natural.

He’d cast aside what wind manipulation he’d had in favor for his more advanced abilities, though he kept practicing the bare basics of his wind manipulation, but that was all. At the time, he thought it was smart. It had worked all throughout his Guardianship of Kao. Oh how wrong he was, if only he’d known that condemning those skills would one day come back to bite him in the ass.

By constantly working at his camouflage, he was becoming a better guardian.

Or in this case a better stalker.

He listened passively to her explanation of her desire for the tiny red fruit. Liam’s massive black wings shifted, causing the tightly woven net of interlacing shadows and light that hid the appendages from view to shimmer. ”Not that I couldn’t obviously infer of you fondness for these berries from your actions,” the Sylvano heir mumbled under his breath as a clawed finger pierced an unsuspecting fruit. He brought the red delicacy up to his face and viewed it closely, noting the exact sanguine hue and pitted seeds. He glanced at her as he felt the influx in magic to carefully watch her shift to human form. Her dress was blue, a pale color that nearly blended in with her skin. For the sake of his own eyes, he shifted the shadows upon her form to darken the dress. He didn’t feel like fighting with Beast and the strange, unnatural thought and desire to pin her down and rip the dress form her skin.

He was a gentleman, heir to a great clan, having spent many a cycles among the prime and proper dragons of the High Court. He would not be ruled by instincts, that was Beast’s specialty.

I thought you didn’t like- ”I don’t,” he quickly cut her off, his words meant more as a distraction of his thoughts. He looked back at the fruit, shaking it from his claw and wiping the juices on his finger onto his dark wash jeans. ”But he does and it’s quite exhausting fighting him. Don’t think you are special though, I was in the area. I’ve been training all morning, so my will against Beast is rather flimsy at the moment.” He gritted his teeth against the flux in strength as Beast pressed against the iron hold over him. Electric sparks raced down Liam’s form and his camouflage fell for a moment from his wings. The sparks streaked across the inky leather membranes, getting lost in the smattering of blue between the webbings of his wing’s fingers. Liam quickly weaved the light and shadows back into a protective net to hide his wings. The enemy could be anywhere; he didn’t need to be the one who gave away Kao with his strange coloring. At least in human form, Kao’s wings were white so none suspected her of being royalty. Him though, it was obvious he was not a fire dragon and his wings were black.


Amount:1034
Notes: raaaaambling again. And damn Liam, no tact at all
Muse: good!
Tune: “Story of my Life” by One Direction
Tags: Natalia/DYZZ

Natalia wasn't expecting for this dragon to appear from nearly nowhere. Sure, she wouldn't have ben against company (for the most part) in the strawberry fields . . . but with this male, she never knew what to expect. One moment he could appear almost decent. The next he acted like he was ready to kill her. Her fins lowered slowly as she watched him, relaxing a bit more when he finally came into full view, before watching his issue with the fruit, having to repress a giggle before it might get her in trouble. She kept her body low, naturally submissive at the moment, not seeing him as to much of a threat . . . yet. She knew how quickly he could go from being okay to being as scary as Alex . . . no, not that scary. No one was more terrifying than Alex. Of course, it wasn't long before he had started to shift around the light, using it to dapple her body, and before she could resist - in a cat like manner - she was pouncing after it - only to end up stumbling and falling to her back. She tilted her head as she saw his mouth twitch, but didn't mention it. It wasn't like it could have been a smile. She probably had simply bothered him and he was biting back a sneer. Yes, perhaps that was what it was. Her eyes followed his light manipulation, though, finding the power interesting, and a tiny smile danced on her features as she observed it this time - careful not to chase it again.

She was surprised when he actually listened to her, having expected him to ignore her, but instead he even responded upon it, making a comment about her fondness being obvious, though it was mumbled beneath his breath. Their close proximity meant she heard, and instantly her head ducked, a blush stealing across her face shyly, turning the blue of her facade to an almost purple hue. As she shifted to human, she tilted her head as he shifted shadows to darken her dress, glancing down at the now darker blue, though she chose not to comment about it.

She flinched when his voice cut her off, frowning in confusion when he made a comment about not liking her . . . before her confusion increased. Who was this 'he' he was taking about. "He? Who is he? And I know I'm not special . . . there's no need to point it out." She spoke softly, looking away from him, missing his actions with his wings. A small hand brushed through her hair, tucking it behind her ear before she let her hands fold in her lap again, "Regardless, no offense meant, but having your company wouldn't make me feel special anyways." She said quietly, slowly looking up at him, "It just makes me nervous to be honest. I don't know what to make of you . . ." She admitted.

"SPEECH"

"speech"/'thoughts'

Liam was used to others being wary of him. All his life he’d grown up with a warrior clan, and as heir to the throne and one who’d shown such great promise as a Guardian from the very beginning, he’d learn the art of tactical intimidation to the point where he couldn’t bring himself to NOT intimidate someone. It was just part of him to be intimidating. He was supposed to deter someone from trying to harm his Charge with just one look. He was a being that technically supposed to just simply exist. There were very few times that the dragon really had to act on his Guardian duties. Now that wasn’t to say he couldn’t fight; he’d fought plenty of times. The reasons behind the fights were just not related to his Guardianship.

Why did her being so reserved around him, so ready to flee or cower away, irk him so? Why was he following her? He constantly told himself it was Beast’s will, but even on the new moons when Beast was the most silent, he still found his thoughts plagued by this dragon.

She was speaking again and Liam let a sigh leave his lips. He glanced around them, extending his senses to be certain there were alone. Only Kao’s lingering scent was present and that was fading quickly. Liam allowed his camouflage to drop around his wings, revealing the massive inky appendages. He let them stretch out behind him and rolled his shoulders to loosen the tense muscles there. With having to concentrate less on his camouflage, he could focus more on keeping beast at bay.

"Don’t let anyone tell you that," the Wind Dragon stated simply. "Everyone has something different about them that makes them, them." Liam brought a leathery wing forward, inspecting the scars on the webbing that could only be seen up close. "You are special in the fact that he has caught your scent. And he likes it. Ever sense I met you, that side of me, the side I call Beast, has been clawing at his binds, desperate to be free."

Liam returned his wings back to their original position, folded at his back. Even then, the wings seemed to dwarf his human form. They were much smaller than his dragon form, but at nearly twenty feet when full spread, they were much larger than the average. "I do not think we’ve properly exchanged names and titles. I’m Liam Sylvano." He purposely left out his full name, even though he suspect she knew little of other dragons and the vast houses and clans in each species.

Amount:429
Notes: ugh, muse flat lined, I g2g to work though
Muse:okay
Tune: “Story of my Life” by One Direction
Tags: Natalia/DYZZ

The young dragon was naturally reserved, but more so in the face of a male . . . and she'd seen the size of the dragon in front of her. Even as a human he was larger then she. But as a dragon. She felt like an earth worm being compared to a t-rex. He was massive . . . and she was breakable. So she was being extremely cautious in this meeting, especially after their last meeting when she'd been just a tad too provoking. Having seen how large he was . . . she had no desire to anger him this time around. When she spoke, she glanced up as he sighed, her expression showing confusion by it, tilting her head faintly to the side, her hair falling to the side in soft, floating whisps before he dropped the camouflage on his wings. Her eyes stared at the massive appendages, watching him stretch them out, roll his shoulders. His focus on them, not on her. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like . . . to be able to have wings. To be able to fly from danger . . . one could only run so fast. She was a bullet in the water. But on land . . . when Alex took to the air, he could catch her with ease. And just being around water meant she was violently assaulted.

However his words startled her, especially when she realized that he was speaking to her. Immediately she shook her head, "Alex says my only purpose in life is to serve him. That was why my parents sold me to his family. I'm nothing with out him. And I'm nothing with him. Just a pretty, and obedient pet." She mumbled meekly with a soft shrug, before tilting her head at his next words. there he went again, talking about this he. The . . . 'Beast'? But this time her eyes were wide with obvious horror at his words, and immediately she was standing, shaking her head as she held her hands in front of her, "There is nothing special about me . . . . What ever side of you that you are talking about . . . . make it forget all about me. I'll get in trouble! He'll kill me if I attract the attention of others!" She squeaked, backing away a few steps. As he introduced himself she stood frozen, clearly uncertain with the new information she'd been given about this apparent other side she had, and very hesitantly she spoke, her voice quiet, "My name is Natalia Starr." She glanced up slowly, her eyes bleeding into the purple color of her dragon, the color standing out, almost neon against the pale palour of her skin. "Pleasure . . . to meet you, Mr. Sylvano." Instinct had her using respect with his title. Between Alex and his father they'd made sure she'd refer to them by their names only in public where someone might overhear them. All other times it was 'Master' or another respectable title. To show her position in the world.

The man before her might not be her master . . . but she had the feeling that it might be a good idea to use respect with him . . . anything to convince him to make that other side of his forget all about her . . . anything to stay on his good side . . . anything to ensure Alex will never hear about these conversations . . . There was another long pause before she looked back up at him, tucking a strand behind her ear, her violet eyes guarded and cautious, "None of that explains why you're here though . . . . If you really don't like being around me . . . then why are you here?" She mumbled meekly.

"SPEECH"

"speech"/'thoughts'

Liam could feel her gaze upon his wings. Mistaking her infatuation with them for their color or strange appearance rather than her just plain wonder for them in general, he spoke, "Every dragon family has certain traits. Among my clan, majority of us are wyverns and my family in particular is known for having dark skin. It’s why I hide them, they give away my clan and blood too easily." He shifted the light to partially hide the appendages again, letting a filter fall over them so they appeared hazy and disconnected from his body.

Liam blinked at her sudden outburst, smelling the sharp tang of deep ingrained fear. The Beast rose against his bonds, thrashing desperately, wanting to rise and drink in the smell of her delicious fear. Liam took a step back, slamming back against the bonds that held the Beast down. He turned his head away, snarling in his concentration. Never before had the Beast been a sentient being. He’d just been a fail-safe, something to fall upon that was okay with mass murder, mass slaughter. He was the animal instincts most dragons had lost over the millennia in favor for a more sophisticated human look out on life. Natalia had changed that, there was something about her that drove his animal instincts wild. And because Liam could not control his animal side, it had developed into a separate sentient being, almost like Katswiri, minus the soul.

His grasp slipped for a moment, his green eyes slowly bleeding away to black. Blue sparks of electricity raced down his spine, arching across his lifted wings. The Beast turned his head to look at Natalia, a snarl twisting his lips as he fought against the physical restraint Liam still had over his change. And quite suddenly, the change stopped. A great shudder passed over Liam’s body and the tension left. He blinked and his eyes were a deep emerald again.

Liam allowed himself a moment of weakness and slowly lowered himself to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Beast coiled beneath the surface, under his skin, waiting for another chance to snatch control from him. Liam swallowed thickly and passed a halfhearted glare at Natalia before letting it drop. "That was Beast," he rubbed a calloused hand over his face. "In short, Beast is my animal side, the side I can’t control. Do you think it will be easy for him to forget you?" he murmured.

He knew he couldn’t forget her easily.

”I told you, I was in the area training," he grumbled as he shifted his position, resting an arm on a raised knee. "You can think of the rest," he said tiredly. If the Beast liked her enough to grapple for control with no provocation like last time, then yes, one could figure out he was here because Beast wanted to be. . "It was easier to come here consciously on my own terms rather than fight him," he admitted quietly. He didn’t want her to know that not only was the Beast intriguied by her, but he too. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at her, "You can stop with the master crap, by the way. You aren’t going to scare me away with vague threats by your ‘master’ and I can definitely tell you that he would be twenty kinds of stupid to try to harm me," he ground out.

Amount:521
Notes: no idea what’s going on xP
Muse: okay
Tune: “Story of my Life” by One Direction
Tags: Natalia/DYZZ

Her t stared at his wings when he spoke, listening but not able to tear her eyes from the appendages, "What's it like?" She asked suddenly, "To fly? It looks so wonderful. To be part of the air . . . ." She shook her head slightly, looking away from the wings as he shifted the light to make them look hazy. Of course at her next words she was startled when the male stepped back, turning his head and snarling. She froze as she watched him, uncertain of what was happening, before suddenly he turned towards her, snarling and looking at her with black eyes. Her eyes bled violet in immediate response, watching the blue sparks, watching the male before he suddenly shuddered, and the tension left, eyes green again. SHe knew what she'd witnessed even before he said anything, even as he gave her a half hearted glare. Her gaze dropped when he asked if it would be so easy for his animal side to forget her, deciding not to response as she wasn't quite sure what to say.

He spoke again, once again repeating he was in the area training. But she still wasn't sure why he'd stopped at her, but judging from the reaction the Beast just had to her, she wondered if it was part of the reason. "I'm sorry," She said quietly, "If my presense is bothersome to you." She said, not quite sure what else to say. She flinched at his next words though, looking up at him before sighing quietly. She hesitated before slowly walking towards him, silently pulling up the sleeve of one of her arms, a discoloration seen on her skin. Stopping in front of him, she refused to meet her eyes as she held up her arm, the inside facing up where the scars - clearly carved with a knife - could be seen against her skin, reading 'Property of Alex Camarra'. "That was my punishment for the first time I tried running from him, when I tried to get away. He caught me almost two days later, just when I had thought I was safe. He's not an idiot. He wouldn't dare attack others, especially males. I'm not giving you warnings . . . ." She looked up at him, her gaze submissive, half dead, nearly given in except for the faintest spark of a fire that she never allowed Alex to see, "I'm the one who will be punished. I'm the one who is at risk for even speaking to you now. It's not a game. The situation I'm in. I don't have a family. I didn't have a childhood filled with love. I'm not spreading crap. I'm trying to protect my own skin. You saw me, the day I had the deep slash in my leg. Would I really have done that to myself? You call it 'Master Crap' but that crap is the honest to good truth . . . ." She bit her lip before forcing herself to actually meet his gaze, her violet settling on his green sadly, "I was raised from the time I was three to be a punching bag, sexual item, and pet to Alexander Camarra. And that is the unfortunate truth."

She dropped her gaze then, turning around to walk away, speaking quietly over her shoulder, "I don't care if you believe me or not . . . . it's not going to change the facts." She quietly picked up a strawberry, squeezing it a tad to tight as she plucked it, her finger tips tinged red as she popped the fruit into her mouth with a quiet shake of her head, "I don't care if anyone believes me or not. My chance of escape died with Allison Bliss." She said quieter, and for a moment her skin rippled, briefly shifting to the pale blue of her scales, her body following suit until she'd returned to her dragon form, not sure what to expect from the male now, and feeling a little safer in the form that had more strength and tougher scales. She couldn't understand why he refused to believe she spoke the truth. One look at her dragoness form and one saw the signs of abuse. Ripped fins - some pieces actually missing. Scars criss crossing, some more visible then others. small areas where scales had been broken and were slowly having to regrow back. Her tail wrapped around her body, her fins laying flat against her back, head, and legs. She remained silent as she used a claw to pick up more sweets in silence, have expecting him to leave in disgust for continuing her 'tall tales'.

SPEECH"

"speech"/'thoughts'

And there he went again, putting his foot in his mouth. Not that he really cared . . . Did he? Why was he even thinking about it if he didn’t? Ugh, this was way too confusing. This GIRL was way too confusing! For the first time in his life, he wanted to fly to the highest heights and scream away this building emotion, whatever the hell it was. Well, not first time. He felt that way with Etheria much too often. This girl was so different from his first Charge and yet so different. She was bad for his health. His Beast was out of control and his was spending more time than he should stalking her and not nearly enough time sleeping and tending to Kaotanya.

The words mocked him, the tiny little letters carved into her arm. The Beast snarled in his confines and Liam had the sudden unrepressible urge to leap forward, grab her wrist and present the brand to himself so he could flay it off himself. And it shocked him that the desire was mutual, it was not just the Beast would wished it so.

She turned away from him, and he was glad. His whole body was shaking in anger and the effort it took to hold back Beast. She shifted into her dragon form and he almost followed suit but remembered just how much he dwarfed her. He clenched his hands into fists as she spoke of escape. Before he could stop himself, he spoke, "I could take you," He snapped his mouth shut. No, she’d shoot him down faster than he could blink. He needed her trust first. He thought back to when she gazed in awe at his wings. He looked over his shoulder and dropped the camouflage fully, letting the wings half unfolded and arch above him. "I can show you," his wings shifted silently, lacking feathers like Kao and Kats to make a sound, "flying that is. It’s not something I can explain. No, you have to . . . feel it to understand."


Amount:345
Notes: that’s it Leelee suck it up!
Muse: okay
Tune: “Story of my Life” by One Direction
Tags: Natalia/DYZZ

She looked up, trying to read the expression on his face, in his eyes, to see what his reaction had to be to the scarred words. Did he believe her yet? Did he think it was still a joke. Instinctually she seemed to know it was not a good reaction he had, and it was proven by the way his body shook in anger. And in that brief bare moment, her dragon reached out from where it lay dormant inside, building up strength from the recent increase in beatings. Instinctively her dragon seemed to coo to the male's, to calm down the beast who appeared so angry about the situation she was unfortunately in. It may have been all done mentally but she didn't like seeing him so angry, and she knew from experience how an angry dragon could be unpredictable. The brief soothing didn't last long before her dragon retreated to grow dormant once more, to finish building up the strength her most recent punishment had zapped from her.

She turned away from him then, wrapping her arms around herself, shifting forms into the dragon form as she took a soft breath before freezing, her head whipping around to look at him with wide eyes when he spoke, offering to take her. She was silent, confused before suddenly his camouflage dropped fully, wings unfolding, arching. Her eyes were instantly drawn to them, I can show you, flying that is. it's not something I can explain. She was still silent, listening to what he offered. Very slowly she looked up at him, hesitantly shifting back to her human form, her eyes still the vibrant, bright violet as she slowly walked towards him, lightly touching his arm, her gaze surprised, "Truly? You'll take me flying?" She asked, not quite sure if she should believe it. Just then realizing she'd placed her hand against his arm she quickly with drew it, folding her arms across her chest, careful to hide the brand once more, though she kept her eyes on him shyly, not quite ready to meet his gaze yet, "I . . . I shouldn't stay out long . . . I get in trouble if I'm not back to make him dinner." It was easy to notice she didn't say anything about having to go 'home'. That place was her home. But she couldn't ignore the fact she wanted so desperately to fly. Slowly she nodded, "Please . . . take me flying?" She breathed softly, knowing that if Alex were to catch her now, she'd likely be murdered before the week ended. But it didn't matter. She'd willingly give up life, just for one chance to fly - to feel free. Even if for just a brief moment.

SPEECH"

"speech"/'thoughts'

How could one little dragon be so annoying and so captivating at the same time? He could literally floss his teeth with her puny body, yet this annoying little female had him running after like a lost puppy. She could rile the beast up within in a matter of seconds and bring him back down in even less. Liam’s eyes hungrily took in her vibrant dragon form when her back was turned. What the beast had first admitted as being not unpleasant had turned to appealing.

Ugh things had been so much easier when he was just hiding in the shadows playing Guardian.

"Yes," he admitted, "I will take you." Liam rubbed the back of his neck with a calloused hand, trying to avoid looking into those impossibly bright violet eyes. If he did, he didn’t know if he could keep the Beast at bay. But the bastard appeared content, knowing that to take her flying, he’d have to hold her. So in a way, the Beast was winning.

Damn him. Life was just supposed to be following Kao around until she released him of his duty. Then he would fade into the shadows forever. Or continue to watch over Kao even after she’d relieved him. Speaking of his duty. He should be back at his dorm, resting up for the long flight to his realm they would take the next morning. This was a bad idea. At her quiet breath, his resolve broke and the Beast nudged him forward. Liam took a slow, tentative step towards Natalia. "May I?" He asked, arms slightly open, wings poised to take flight. He didn’t dare chance his dragon form. Beast might take control. And Liam was no fool, he knew she was terrified of his dragon. Not that he blamed her, after all, that was the purpose of his dragon’s physical appearance.

Amount: 310
Notes: blah blah
Muse: okay
Tune: “Story of my Life” by One Direction
Tags: Natalia/DYZZ

Natalia wasn't entirely sure why the male seemed to keep finding her, or why he seemed unable to stay away. Every time she turned around, it was like he was there again. In a way she'd found it oddly appealing, but at the same time, it was terrifying. Should Alex ever learn about how often this male found her, or how often he seemed to watch her . . . Alex wouldn't be happy, at all. In fact, his reaction would be entirely too scary. She didn't even want to imagine it. Though she had the sneaking suspicion that this male here would help her.

She looked at him, still surprised he'd be willing to do anything for her when it was so clear that he was determined to make her believe he absolutely hated her. She looked at him as he seemed so awkward about it. He stepped forward then, his arms opening, as he asked permission to pick her up. Natalia hesitated briefly before slowly nodding her head, giving him permission to pick her up, even as she looked nervously, "Just, please, don't drop me, Okay?" The young female requested, taking a few steps closer to the male, before holding her arms out to him, "Thank you, Liam, for taking me flying . . ." She added, looking up at him, and for a brief moment, her lips tilting up into a smile.
SPEECH"

[/b][/b][/font][/div][/font][/div][/div][/div]

"speech"/'thoughts'

The surprise decorating her pretty face was hard to hide from his perceptive glance. He always found it amusing, ironic even; he could so easily label and identify emotions that other displayed, but could not apply himself to those feelings. He even had trouble faking emotions, unable to apply the correct facials expressions to certain emotions. That was why he was best when he was cloaked in his camouflage; no one could see him. He wasn’t Nocte, the Ancient Shadow Dragon he’d heard Katswiri talk of occasionally lately, but he was pretty well adept in his shadow play for a dragon that had no true connection with it. It was more a connection with light if you looked at it closely. When Liam used his powers to hide away, he just simply disappeared. There was no grand show, no inky shadows to swallow him up, no lights to flare in someone’s eyes as he bent the light rays away from him. He just quiet literally disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The air around them was tense in the moment she hesitated. Liam didn’t quite feel awkward standing there; he’d never been one to feel out of place before. Except maybe that first day in class when he’d instinctively cloaked himself to observe the class from his position behind Kao. She’d promptly scolded him when the teacher was vaguely frightened at the abrupt disappearance of Liam. This time he would admit there was a vague prickling feeling along his skin, not quite like the feeling of being watched, as he stood there, arms open, waiting for her response.

Then she stepped towards him, nervously but still somewhat trusting, holding her own arms out as if ready to be swept into a hug. Her words caused his lips to twitch. "Don’t thank me just yet," a positively roughish grin appeared on his face, the stone mask coming to life, as he leaped forward as quick as the snakes mythology said his wyvern form came from. He scooped Natalia into his arms, an arm hooking up under her knees and tilting her into his awaiting arms. Electricity danced through his muscles as they seized up and he bent down at his knees. Using a massive impulse to give himself a temporary boost in power, his wings snapped down as he leaped a good clean ten foot into the air. The wind rush around them, leaves from the plants below whipped from branches due to the backlash of wind. For a moment, the wind roared, his great leathery wings beating so hard they sounded with a sharp crack as they rose quickly in a straight line upwards.

A part of him, the long buried playful Wind Dragon side, took pleasure in his attempts to make her cling to him. A dragon of his size, whether or not in human form, needed a powerful, rapid take off if there was no cliff or anything of reasonable height to aid him.

Just as suddenly as him grabbing her and the take off was, the ascent leveled out and slowed greatly. His wings were suited for long distance gliding, which fortunately for her, gave a smooth effortless flight. His wings were no longer hidden, visible in their great glory. The charcoal webbing was speckled heavily with cobalt blue and tiny smudges of starlight. He was a dragon built for the night; his form literally vanished from sight without any effort in the midnight hours. The wind teased them and Liam closed his eyes briefly to feel her sweet caress, like a mother welcoming her child home. She swelled beneath his wings supporting him effortless and smoothing out each languid flap so the precious cargo in his possession would feel no turbulence. The ground below them was not nearly as far as Liam liked it to be, but he would rather not fly too high for Natalia’s first flight, content with the tree tops skimming just a few mere feet below them.


Amount: 664
Notes: haha, classic Dean smirk in that ‘rougish grin’ moment. It melts me into a pathetic puddle each time
Muse: okay
Tune: “Home” by Switchfoot
Tags: Natalia/DYZZ

Natalia wasn't the sort to have a vast understanding of others, but she was beginning to pick up on some of the small things this male seemed to do, to reflect. He wasn't quick to emotion - or at least expressing emotion (she'd definitely never agree to a game of poker with him. She didn't even want to consider what she'd end up losing, as she doubted anyone would be able to get past his poker face). But she wasn't quite sure if it was a lack of being able to show emotion, or a lack of emotion in general. Occasionally he'd do small things that made her think it was former. The slight smile. A tone that hinted at annoyance. But, then again . . . she just didn't know enough about interactions in general to make sense of his behavior. Especially the behavior that seemed to influence him to pop in on her (or perhaps stalk her would be more accurate).

Instantly the young water dragon had hesitated at his offer as he stood still, arms open and waiting for her own response. What was she suppose to say as an answer? Could she trust him to let him take her up high into the sky . . . What if he pulled a stunt like Alex had did. Take her up high and drop her . . . No, this was Liam, not Alex. She moved towards him, accepting his offer, though at his words, and the sudden grin, her somewhat trusting expression faulted to change to a much more nervous one, before he leaped forward sudden - and quickly. Instantly she was scooped up in his arms, and she jumped as he snapped into the air with a large boost of power, and more electricity. Eyes wide, she let out an ear-piercing shriek as she clung to him, arms wrapping tight around his neck as her face half buried itself in his chest, started by the wind rushing past them, tangling her hair in it's frenzy. Each sharp snap of his wings causing her to jump slightly and cling to him tighter.

And then suddenly the ride seemed to taper off and smooth. She was hesitant about unburying her face, before slowly looking around, the wind now dancing through her hair, rather then fighting with it. Blinking, she felt her heart rate slow down to a more normal rhythm as her eyes widened with astonishment. Flying. She was really flying. She glanced around before taking a glance down at the world below them, and almost immediately her heart rate picked up, her tiny hands clutching at his arm as scene below changed to a snow covered forest, the height dramatically increasing before the sudden memory of falling through the clouds, heading towards the snow encrusted ground invaded her thoughts and panic started to well up. Her eyes snapped closed, forcing herself to focus on Liam. Liam. This was Liam. Not Alex. Liam. She could trust Liam, right? He wasn't going to drop her. He wasn't going to drop her.

Fingers suddenly touched her chin, tilting her head up, and her eyes snapped open, startled and nearly glowing purple in her pale face as she looked up at Liam, forcing her attention to remain on him, not the drop below them. To him, it would probably just seem like she'd suddenly realized how high they were, not that she'd had prior experience to being dropped from miles in the air. A flash of the memory of the stinging pain almost broke through her concentration before she banished away by focusing on his features. The way he closed his eyes at the feel of the wind, the way it whipped through his short hair, even the way he held her safely in his arms. He wasn't going to let her fall. Her gaze then travelled to the wings she hadn't really ever seen before (he kept them hidden so often, and the one time she'd seen him in dragon form she thought he was going to eat her). Her eyes widened at the charcoal appendages, taking in the speckling of blue, the pricks of color that seemed to mirror the stars. So dark, a startling contrast - especially compared to her unnaturally pale coloring. "Your wings . . ." Her voice was barely a whisper over the gentle wind swirling around them, but easy to hear thanks to their close quarters, "I don't think I've really seen them before . . . . . They're beautiful." She complimented, her tone taking a shy touch, a pale pink staining her cheeks before her gaze dropped away from him entirely, focusing on the clouds around them. Truth be told, seeing him like this, up in the air, the memory of that grin from moments before . . . He's . . . . truly gorgeous. She realized for the first time.

SPEECH"