Give and take... but only what you need

[Anonymous]

It was a warm day in the skies. He had left home for the second time in the past three fortnights. Ryvn began to wonder why he had such wanderlust for the skies. Ever since Kaio, the female dragon who had saved his life in the mountains, had taken him flying, he had had a desire to be above the ground in the clouds, to be truly free. Together, they soared high over the land before lowering closer, and he wondered why before he saw the city. He felt awkward at approaching a city so long after leaving the civilized world. His hair had grown long, his acquaintances from years ago would hardly recognized him. The morning before, he had shaved what stubble he had, the dark brown hair behind him bound up with leather strips to keep it contained. When they landed the guards looked on in shock, but only kept the look when he greeted them as a commoner would. Was he not a dragon rider from Adela? And if so, why was he not bearing the crest of their military, or even wearing armor.

Ryvn and Kaio simply walked into the city, taking in the sights, they needed supplies before going on any further. He had only brought enough food to last him a few days worth of flights. He looked around cautiously, after all, Ryvn was in unfamiliar territory, and such situations always made him quite uneasy. His clothes did not fit in at all. After all, he had to make his own clothes to make up for the wear of being a rider. He wasn't the stereotypical war-mongering dragon rider from Adela, but he did know how much power it bestowed, and he managed to control it somehow. Maybe it was his companionship with the dragon, the mutual safety guaranteed by being in each other's presences. Whatever it was, it was obvious that they were close.

[Anonymous]

Carys took a bite from a fresh, juicy apple, and basked happily in the warm sunshine. It wasn't often she got to enjoy the day, working as hard as she did, so making a delivery to a customer had been a nice chance to get out of the hat shop for a little while and have some lunch. She could have had her assistant do it really, trivial little errand that it was, but she liked to add that personal touch to her business. Of course, she also liked to take a break now and then. While she loved her job, there were times when an excuse to slack off had to be taken, and today was one of those times.

Making her way out of the bustling market, she was greeted with a sight that made her glad she'd decided to take the afternoon off. It was, well, interesting wasn't really the word. What it was, was a great big dragon. A great big, actual dragon, just walking around Arca! Like it was nothing! "What in the world?..." she muttered softly through a mouthful of fruit.

She wasn't usually much of a curious person, but this had to be looked into.

If there was going to be any violence, she reasoned, it would probably have started by now, so she wasn't too scared to get a better look. She sidled closer, trying not to be too obvious about her staring. It seemed to be coming towards her... No, not it, they. As the people between her and the spectacle thinned out, she could see now that there was a man with the dragon, and, well, he wasn't exactly bad-looking.

No, that would be a bad, bad, very bad idea, wouldn't it? After all, he was walking around with a dragon, he probably didn't want to be bothered by a chubby little hatmaker and even if he did, well, the dragon's opinion would probably count for more and she was pretty sure that dragons didn't wear hats and they were getting quite close now, like, very very close, like, maybe she should probably move close and oh gods, why did she have to have a thing for elves?

[Anonymous]

Ryvn spotted a rather plump woman looking at him from a distance. She was staring, and he felt it was boring into him. Curse him and his sticking out like a sore thumb. A dragon and burnished silver hair was like putting a beacon on a hilltop which could be seen for miles around. It screamed, "LOOK HERE!!! HERE I AM!!!" He finally let out a frustrated sigh and turned to one of the stalls, picking up some more food prepared for travelers traveling through. It was right next to the plump hat maker. He tried to keep his mind off it as Kaio tried to keep herself out of the way as much as possible. People were gawking, but neither of the duo cared.

Ryvn did not watch the woman out of the corner of his eye, and, as the stall tender went to gather the food he had ordered, spoke calmly. "You've been watching me for quite some time." He said calmly. "Can I help you?" He asked after making the simple statement. He had never been one to be angry for stupid reasons... He was too controlled for that. Damned military training. Kaio bent her head down low, golden yellow eye inspecting the woman curiously. She snorted and lifted her head before waiting for Ryvn.

Kaio was about one and a half human-heights at the shoulder, her neck making her much much taller. Her wings did not cause much of a problem in the city because they were folded, but the massive tail behind her was causing a bit of a problem for others. It would occasionally twitch, almost knocking someone down. It was almost comical how it was happening. She kept having to apologize to people, though eventually she just curled her tail up and waited patiently. Her scales were like a burnished copper mirrors, mottled with some brass colored at the muzzle. However, she was definitely beautiful amongst dragons.

[Anonymous]

Move, woman! It seemed like Carys was rooted to the spot. The man was quite attractive, but also deeply, deeply suspicious: a dangerous combination. Well, not as dangerous as the presence of a great big dragon, of course, but that went without saying. When he spoke to her, she blinked stupidly for a few seconds before blurting out a response.

"It's nothing, really, nothing, nothing at all, it's not even a, a thing, really, don't worry about it because it's really nothing... Just round these parts, we don't get very many..." What the hell was she saying? Oh, this was embarrassing. A reddish tinge spread from her cheeks, making its way across her face and, she was certain, clashing horribly with her hair. "At least not the big ones... It's, um... Well, it's not my place to be asking, really."

She was just a craftswoman, after all. If anyone should be questioning this man, it should be a guard or an official of some sort, she supposed. And, well, what could she do? The very idea was laughable. Blushing all the way down to her cleavage by now, she turned to go. "Sorry to bother you..."

[Anonymous]

Ryvn smiled slightly as he got the food, paying for it and putting it into the saddlebags. "It's allright. I don't mind questions. After all, I have nothing to hide." He said calmly. His body was marked up a bit, two marks on either cheek and then two on his shoulders marked him as favored by dragons. "Well, if you're afraid of Kaio here, you don't have to worry. Well, that is of course you make her angry." He added as he turned to the hatmaker. He pulled his hair out of his face again and grumbled to himself.

"I really need to cut this back soon." He grumbled to himself. "Anyways, I assume a proper introduction is in order. My name is Ryvn Kesler." He said holding out a hand for her to shake. Kaio watched the two, then lifted her head as the guards began heading their way. They stopped by them. "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to come with us." Ryvn raised an eyebrow. "What, I'm being arrested? I'm only passing through." The younger of the two guards reached to his sword. "Don't give us a reason to arrest you, stranger." Ryvn just shrugged. "I didn't step out of line, I just stated that I was passing through. Let's make a deal, if you can beat me in a hand-to-hand sparring match, we'll comply to your terms, but if I win..." "Then we let you go." The guard said. "Hardly sounds fair. You're messing with a trained guard here." Ryvn laughed at that, setting his sword with the saddlebags. He turned to face the man. "you don't know what you're getting yourself into.

Ryvn's blue eyes were fierce. He stood up from  his kneeling position in front of Kaio, then turned around to face the guard. The older of the two guards was going to be keeping order in the match. And now, apparently, they were drawing a crowd and Ryvn could hear all of the bets against for the muscular guard. He grinned as he watched the guard. There was only one rule: don't be put on the ground. First one to the ground was the loser. Ryvn stood ready, watching the man as he threw punches into the air. The guard stepped forward and threw a punch at the waiting Ryvn. He simply sidestepped to the right, waiting for the other punch, of which he also sidestepped. He circled his opponent, frustrating him with his lack of offensive. "You're a coward!!! You won't throw a punch!" The man shouted angrilly before throwing another punch. He was stunned when he felt nothing but air and then a hand pounding into his gut while another hand grabbed his wrist. As he looked down, Ryvn was crouched low, in a very strong stance, and with little effort, flipped the man onto his back on the cobblestone pavement. Ryvn backed up, put one hand straight up over a balled up fist and bowed to the guard. "Victory is mine." The crowd was speechless.

[Anonymous]

"Ah..." Carys was about to respond to the man's introduction when they were interrupted by a pair of guards.  She stepped out of the way, trying desperately to look like she didn't know him. The last thing she needed was to get arrested too as a co-conspirator in whatever he was up to. She had a business, and a reputation to uphold! He could have been the most attractive man in the world, and she still wouldn't risk losing her beloved job over him. No matter how lovestruck she got, there were still some things that she could be sensible about.

She didn't stick around to watch the fight. Whether he won or lost, staying would be asking for trouble of the sort she didn't want. She slipped easily through the crowd, people moving aside to let her through so that their view wouldn't be obstructed by her enormous hat. Soon she was clear of the throng, and walking quickly in the direction of her shop. So long as he didn't follow her, this might be nothing more than an interesting anecdote down the line.

Oh, how she hoped he wasn't up to shenanigans. She'd just finished repainting her shopfront and she'd hate for anything to happen to it.

[Anonymous]

Ryvn watched as the two guards just huffed and walked off. More than likely they were just going to tell him he needed some kind of papers to stay here for more than half a day. Hmmmph, the nerve of them. He walked off  further down the road, looking for a place to buy himself a new cloak. His old cloak was worn and tattered, pretty much shot in terms of being useable. As he walked down the street, he realized Kaio had wandered off after the woman, oddly in the direction he was going.

She followed closely sniffing, then prodding her way into the woman's mind. "You smell of magic..." Kaio said, bringing her eye down to stare at the woman, blinking a few times. Her tail twitched like a cat ready to pounce. She was curious, but also cautious. It kept her in check. She did not get too close. She knew that, of course, there would be people here that would be looking to kill or capture a dragon, so she always had to be on her guard. Kaio also knew that Ryvn was not to far, making sure that she was allright. He could be out of sight, yet closer than one would think. It was how he had coined the nickname shadow.

[Anonymous]

It wasn't long before Carys had the urge to look behind her. It would be too easy to just walk away, wouldn't it? Sure enough, it turned out the dragon had been trailing her, and horribly close. She turned and walked faster, feeling a strange pressure in her head. She was probably getting a migraine, what with all this stress. It would be just like her...

A strange voice echoed in her mind, and she stopped stock still. Was she going crazy? Or... She turned again, sharply this time, and the dragon was right behind her, its eyes level with her face. Her breath caught in her throat and she backed sharply up against a wall. Oh. Oh gods, it was going to eat her. It was going to eat her and then she would be dead.

[Anonymous]

Kaio heard the woman's thoughts. "You're odd, and I'm not going to eat you. I am just curious. You are a magic user, yes?" Kaio watched the woman, no intent of harming her. She had allready eaten a few days before, so she wouldn't need to eat for a while. Ryvn carried his new cloak, following where he had tracked Kaio to. He walked up along her right flank, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Kaio isn't giving you any problems, is she?" He asked, smiling, her head lowering and pressing against him.

Ryvn put the cloak in the saddlebags and looked at the woman. Kaio then spoke again, her feminine voice coming through. "Ryvn is no troublemaker. He never has been" She said with a yawn before sitting down, tail curling around in front of her. Kano heard it too and smiled. She was always sticking up for him when others wouldn't. That's why they were friends.

[Anonymous]

"Magic? I... I am an enchanter, well, it's the hat that has the magic really, I just use it, it's far too much effort, really, don't know why I bother..." Carys babbled nervously, attempting and failing to flatten herself against the wall. She got far too chatty when she had no idea what the hell was going on, but why was she telling this to a stranger, and a dragon, no less? She trailed off when the man approached, turned her attention to him and snapped, "I don't know yet, ask me again when I'm getting arrested!"

Not a troublemaker? He'd got into a fight with city guards within moments of meeting her! She didn't exactly class that as something an average, peaceful citizen would do. Maybe things were different wherever he came from, but here in Arca that just wasn't normal. "Really? Well then, what was he doing just waltzing in..." She shook her head and turned back to the man to begin her rant again. "Then what were you doing just waltzing in..."

She threw her hands up in frustration. "Gods, which one of you do I bloody talk to?"

[Anonymous]

Ryvn laughed. "Either one of us. Kaio's better with words." He saidwith a shrug. Kaio looked at the woman again. "Ryvn isn't your average citizen." He laughed. "We also..." "Have a knack..." "For finishing each other's statements." He said as their voices melded together. "I'm sorry we're different, it's seemed to get us in to quite a bit of trouble without us meaning to." He replied to the hatmaker as she spoke of the dragon and her getting arrested. He looked up at Kaio and blinked. "So you're a magic user too? Ah... a pleasure then."

Ryvn always enjoyed meeting other magic users, in fact, he practiced a bit himself, but only in times when it was needed. "Magic is two things to me... the greatest weapon in my arsenal, and the greatest tool of my trade. After all..." He said as he adjusted the saddle and bags. "Why spend days mining for ore when you can pull it out in a few minutes to half an hour." He added. "I'm a smith by trade in the southlands, in the mountains."

[Anonymous]

Carys relaxed a little, detaching herself from the wall into a more comfortable, if still vaguely unfriendly, pose. The pair seemed less malicious than simply oblivious to the world around them, which she couldn't blame them for, really. Gods knew she could be out of touch sometimes, and that was without a psychic friend to keep her perpetually distracted. The fact they didn't mean to get her into trouble would be cold comfort if they did, though. She'd still have to be careful not to get pulled into anything too crazy.

"Well, it is nice that we have something in common, I suppose," she replied, looking a tiny bit doubtful but unable to refrain from mentioning her own work with pride. "I'm something of a crafter myself, actually, specialising in fine hats. Oh, but don't look at this one," she spluttered, holding her hands up in embarrassment to obscure the sorry mound of feathers and sparkles. "It isn't much of an advertisement."

[Anonymous]

Ryvn shrugged. "It's good to take pride in one's craft. After all, if you don't, who will?" He said before looking to Kaio, who was distracted elsewhere, watching the road. He turned down that way, but when he didn't see anything, he shrugged and looked down, tapping some of the dust of his boot. "Magic, or enchanting in your case, is an artform. I've only met a few people in my travels who could use magic." He added before looking back at Kaio.

Ryvn turned back to the woman and shrugged. "I guess we should be going. We've raised too much suspicion here in the city." He said before hearing the clanking of boots. Kaio growled, then took off into the evening sky. Ryvn would have to defend himself, but he wasn't going to fight. His weapons were in the saddlebags, so they wouldn't have any reason to suspect him for anything. He turned to face the guards, seeing the one who had been humiliated earlier. His eye twitched once and twice with annoyance. As he turned to face them, he removed his tattered cloak and revealed his tunic, in which he had embroidered his crest, the symbol of an independent dragon rider. That caused the soldiers to stop dead in their tracks, then turn back, the one who had been humiliated, infuriated.

[Anonymous]

"To be honest, I don't much care for it. I want to create beauty, you know, and the enchanted hats are just so ugly most of the time, that's not what I want to make." She couldn't help rambling, she just had to give her well-worn opinion on the subject, even if it wasn't particularly wanted. The news that they would be leaving pleased her slightly, however. That meant there was less chance of her getting spotted with the pair.

Except it didn't. Just as she was mentally celebrating her escape, a couple of city guards rounded the corner. Running wouldn't do any good, since this would be the second time they'd seen her with Ryvn, and she wasn't exactly difficult to identify. There weren't many chubby, horned makers of fine hats in the city, after all.

Carys shot the two guards a plaintive look as they turned to leave again, hoping that they might pick up on it and come to the conclusion that she really wasn't with this guy. She was pretty sure it wouldn't work, though, and made a mental note to let her assistant know that they might have some visitors later. The display hats would certainly need to be put away somewhere safe.

[Anonymous]

Ryvn sighed as the soldiers left. The woman's opinion about her job was something she was certainly entitled to. He turned back around. "My job is more about practicality than beauty, but it does not make that which I create any less pleasing to the eye." He said as he looked up to see Kaio swoop down and land. "It is time for me to take my leave... Though I must at least inform you why the guards were after me. I have a history as a soldier for Adela.... What they don't know, is that I quit, I deserted... They don't even know I exist anymore." he said as he lifted himself into the saddle, lowering his goggles.

He was ready to leave... Ryvn had taken the hint from the guards. Kaio's wings spread open, and the guards that had run off came forward, watching the stranger prepare to leave, the dragon's wings whipping up a breeze as they opened.

[Anonymous]

Carys wasn't really sure if she wanted to know what the man told her, but she couldn't exactly not hear it. She could have sworn the guards just weren't too keen on having a dragon wandering around the city, but him being an ex-soldier from Adela probably made it worse, if that was possible. Now she was fraternising with potentially suspicious foreign operatives. Wonderful.

She waved half-heartedly as he prepared to leave, not wanting to be rude. The guards had returned to the scene, which wasn't a good sign for her. She was sure that the moment Ryvn left, they'd want to talk. It wasn't like she could run, either; she wasn't the athletic type and it would just make it look worse for her when they'd drop by her shop later. She'd have to deal with it now.

As the wind picked up, she felt her hat lift slightly off her head. Her horns kept it in place, but she held onto it anyway. It was just good sense. Too bad it was only kicking in now, when she could have used it earlier.

[Anonymous]

In case there was any doubt, Kaio relayed his message to the woman before her wings flapped once and kicked up a cloud of dust, obscuring their escape. The dragon's ascent was surely a sight to behold. Her copper scales reflected the setting sun and made it look as if she was on fire, each individual scale a glowing ember from the sun itself.

One day gone, another week of travel ahead of him.

(Okay, I'm sorry this role play was so short, our characters didn't quite mesh good enough... plus, he was in kind of a hostile environment. D:)

[Anonymous]

((No probs. Could be fun to follow up though if I get an idea for it. :P))

Carys shielded her eyes and squinted into the sky to watch the dragon fly away. Too bad it was just a tiny bit too late for her to avoid trouble. The guards strolled up. "Ma'am? We'd like a word."

Damn.