((Sorry, would have replied soon, but I had a crazy weekend!))
What came around the corner was not what they were expecting. A human, even shorter than she, came into sight with a giant grin on her face and a equally giant bat on her shoulder. Iris, upon seeing the open curiosity, relaxed. Upon seeing the bat –however- she tensed a bit. What the heck was a giant bat doing on her shoulder!? Didn't those things sleep during the day? And why was it perched so obediently?
When she asked what Shaka was, Iris was jolted for a moment away from her thoughts. She looked to Shaka with a bit of confusion at first before she realized something. She had forgotten that not many people saw a jungle cat wandering the streets of modern cities. His wide paws with hawkish talons were made for treading mountains and not cobblestone, after all. To not come off as startled, Iris forced a smile at first until it felt natural.
As the shock wore off, Iris replied with a bit of laughter, "He comes from the islands of Yoreiq; it's a breed that has almost been killed into extinction. Someone had brought him over as a trophy before the numbers almost were all gone."
She really doubted that this girl was a distraction while mercenaries descended from above. If she couldn't trust this to be a friendly person, then she would have to lose faith in everyone around her. To believe otherwise at this moment would mean to give up on everything. After all, she looked candid enough with emerald green eyes dazzling with wonder in the few rays of light.
Shaka shook his head and growled deep in his chest. Iris shot him a glance as if trying to discern what he said before she added, "Oh, that was before Shaka took his head as a trophy."
She shrugged nonchalantly and rose for her newcomer. After brushing herself off, she walked the small distance between them and put out her hand to shake. She knew that humans did that kind of thing to say hi. It had been a while since she had been in a huge city, but she had remembered at least that much. And, as always, something she hadn't expected happened when she did come into town. This time, however, was pleasantly different.
"But my name would be Iris. I'm just a traveling bard performing in town this next three weeks," genially said Iris, "And this is my partner in crime: Shaka."
Iris turned her attention to the small creature that had growled at them earlier. It was a dragon! Not a giant bat after all . . . It had been a bit disconcerting seeing a girl with a giant bat popping in. For some reason, seeing a dragon instead made a lot more sense. It was actually cute up close, but had a wicked intelligence behind its eyes. Dragons were not pets, but regal creatures. Sure, this one is small now. But when it got big it would get bad. In the meantime, it was interesting to see such a small one cling so tightly to a human girl.
"And who do I owe the pleasure of this meeting to?" inquired Iris lightly as she tried not to her own curiosity get the better of her.