Forgotten Treasure (Open)

[Paranomaly]

The desert could cough up some rather interesting things. Be they trinkets fallen or abandoned from those who tried to venture across the harsh terrain, the regurgitated mementos of a sand worm's past meal, or simply bits and pieces that fell from a poorly made satchel, one could occasionally stumble across quite the valuable item when crossing the sandy plane.

As it was with this, a single ring lying in the sand, recently uncovered from its tomb in the dunes by the wind. It shimmered lightly in the sun that hadn't seen the jewel for a number of years now, a glitter amongst the waves of sand that beckoned anyone who might wish to snatch it up and leave with a lost bit of wealth in their pocket.

[miss_sanguine]

Had he not been soaring low over the sands, looking for a nice bit to eat, Tarik would have missed the glint of gold. As it was, the tiny item caught his eye immediately, and he swooped down to investigate.

Never had he found something like this in Essyrn. His heart leapt at the thought of carrying it into town and offering it to one of the kind women that had accepted his hugs that morning. Wouldn't they be surprised? And it would go well with their other shiny jewelry, most of which was also gold.

Tarik folded his wings in at his sides, staring at the object in question with greedy eyes. I could keep it for myself, too. Except that he couldn't wear it if he planned to transform. It was much too small for his dragon talons. Maybe if he kept it on his nightstand? He could look at it every morning when he woke, and right before bed.

Either way, he quickly went back to his human form and plucked the ring out of the dirt, flipping it over and over in his hands.

[Paranomaly]

"It is quite nice, isn't it.~" A voice said behind Tarik. Leaning forward to view it over his shoulder, Sajeed stood with a grin on his face. "Hello~" he would respond after getting his attention.

"How fortunate that you came along~ Here I thought I had a few more centuries stuck in this desert. But where are my manners, I'm sure you're confused." he said, pacing slowly. "I'll let you ask the questions, however, I've been alone far too long to appreciate monologueing~"

[miss_sanguine]

While the sudden voice made Tarik's heart leap straight into his throat, the sensation of a solid presence suddenly right behind him caused him to cry out in surprise and spring away. He clasped the ring tightly and held it behind his back, wide eyes immediately narrowing in suspicion when he turned to face the stranger.

Okay, this guy had not been there a second ago. He would have been easy to spot from above!

Contrary to what this stranger thought, Tarik had no desire to be near him, let alone ask him any questions. He could only imagine this man was here to steal the ring he had rightfully found.

"It's mine," he said, shifting uncomfortably but glowering just the same.

[Paranomaly]

"Well of course it is! You did find it after all, besides~" Sajeed started, giving a small twirl to cause several of his chains and bangles to jingle and glitter in the desert sun. "I've already my share of metal at the moment anyway~" he said before leaning forward slightly. "Besides if I were to take that from you right now I'd hardly have any idea where to go. If there is one disadvantage of being in the desert... and there are many, believe me, it's the difficulty of navigation, especially during the day time.

He stood observing the man, hands behind his back. He was quiet for now, waiting to respond to whatever Tarik might do, a bemused smile adorning his face. After a moment of this he stretched his arms wide, causing a series of cracks and pops to erupt from his shoulders and back, a sigh of pleasure escaping Sajeed's lips. The movement also accentuated the oils on his his, the sunlight dancing off of his body as if they were freshly applied. After this small maneuver he grinned once more and resumed observing the man, waiting for something to happen, something that many could consider odd, at the very least.

[miss_sanguine]

What did this man want, if not the ring? Tarik didn't understand any of what he said, except that he had no intention of taking the ring for his own. Just in case, he quickly pocketed it in the loose folds of his pants.

Every part of him wanted to transform and fly away. This stranger unnerved him, appearing out of nowhere as he had. Sneaking up on a guy who could turn into a dragon was no easy task! Except this man acted as though he hadn't seen Tarik's transformation, which would have been easily seen to anyone nearby.

He stared at the collection of glistening chains, envy growing despite himself. "Are you lost, then?" he asked, still very suspicious.

[Paranomaly]

Sajeed sighed, lightly rolling his eyes. "You aren't asking the right questions!" he said, moving forward to poke his forehead lightly, "Aren't you curious as to where I came from? Who I am? That's really it? 'it's mine' and 'are you lost'?" he said, crossing his arms a bit.

"You truly aren't the brightest, are you? For a second I thought you actually had an idea as to what it was you have uncovered. It's not just some trinket lost in the sand. What you have is my ring. A key to my power. Sir, you have found what many people dream of, you have found a djinni." he said with a low bow, though some of the superfluous flair he had added made it hold a touch of irony. "I don't suppose you know what -that- means, do you?~"

[miss_sanguine]

Tarik liked this man less and less with each word he spoke. His scowl deepened, brows drawing together as a finger came to touch his forehead. Were he to feel more threatened than annoyed, he'd have given that finger a good snap with his teeth.

What did he care who this man was, or from where he came? Those were questions asked to those with whom one wanted to converse. Tarik most definitely did not feel like having a conversation with strange, glittering men in the middle of the desert. I could eat him and no one would know any different.

And then there were the insults! He bristled under their weight, suddenly ready to defend himself.

"It's mine, not yours," he repeated, since the guy didn't seem to understand. "And I don't," he added, shifting a little in discomfort. "Know what that means, I mean."

[Paranomaly]

"Wow" Sajeed replied simply, bringing a hand up to his chin lightly as he re-evaluated the man. "Really? No idea? Well then the easiest way would be to demonstrate, wouldn't it?" he said with a grin, turning and taking a few steps away.

"If you were to have a wish right now, what would you wish for? Anything in the world, what would it be~ Just make sure to start with 'I wish'~"

[miss_sanguine]

Anything in the world?

He'd heard of genies in old stories who could grant the wishes of those who found them, but genies resided in lamps. This guy claimed to come from a ring, which made no sense at all. Still, he couldn't help and immediately think on the hopes that had always sat in the back of his mind.

He wished his father hadn't left. That his mother hadn't died. That he never had to worry about being alone again.

"I wish you would leave me alone," he finally said, scowling despite the deep-rooted fear he had of this strange man. No guy would come to someone in the middle of the desert and claim to be able to grant that someone a wish; not without having some ill-intent, right?

[Paranomaly]

"Sorry, the only way I can leave is you give up the ring. I can not get far away from it, sad to say. Why else would I be randomly in the desert?" Sajeed said, still standing and observing the man. "Besides that's a rather unimpressive wish, you just came from my not being here, barely know know who I am and are already tired of this new reality. Life is about change, my friend, trying to keep the world a constant will make things stagnate and rot."

The entire time he was speaking he kept the same confident smile about him, not seeming phased at all by the man's apparent dislike of him. His spoke energetically and quickly, seeming to relish the simple act of interacting with another being.

[miss_sanguine]

What was with this guy? He claimed he had no interest in the ring, that it rightfully belonged to Tarik, yet he said he wouldn't leave unless Tarik gave it to him. Part of him wanted to throw the ring and run, but the memory of its shining glint kept it firmly in its place.

The longer the self-proclaimed genie insisted on staying with the Tarik, the more Tarik wanted to run. Now he felt more uncomfortable than ever, and he didn't know how long he could keep up his tough-guy act.

Fine. He won't listen to me like this? Let's see how he likes my other form.

Scales immediately erupted all over his body as he began to transform. His limbs stretched and thickened, his entire figure grew larger and larger until a huge tail burst from his back end. In moments he stood there a dragon, and he roared his disgruntlement at the tiny man in front of him, making sure to show all of his teeth.

[Paranomaly]

Sajeed looked up at the dragon with surprise, certainly having not expected the sudden change. It wasn't exactly terror, but the self proclaimed djinni seemed at a loss for a moment. He coughed lightly, crossing his arms before trying to regain his more relaxed and bright composure, but still a bit shaken by the change.

"Got secrets too, eh?" he said with a grin. "That's alright, though it doesn't really change much. You'll find this isn't so much a problem of will, but of physical limits. I can't venture away from you, so scaring me isn't going to do much good~"

[miss_sanguine]

Nothing phased this guy! Tarik stared at him, growling half-heartedly under his breath. Not many people could face a dragon that had once been a young boy moments before. Usually they ran for their lives, or fainted, or any other desired things.

In his more powerful form, Tarik now noticed that this stranger had an odd smell to him. A mix of cinnamon, sweat, and some other thing that tickled the inside of his nostrils. Not unpleasant, but definitely different. He edged closer and took a deep sniff, then shook his head to rid himself of the scent.

<If I can't scare you away, what can I do to get you to leave?> he asked. Did he really have to give up the ring?