Her last trip to the mainland had not exactly...gone well.
But she didn't want to hold that against the entire continent--and La'marri was supposed to be a generally more accepting place. Which seemed to be true, from the variety of people she saw around her at the festival. She kept to her human form, as it was simply more convenient for navigating most places built with humanoids in mind. Even so, she usually found that the colors in her hair and feathers often made her eye-catching, even back home. But here, in a place that was all color and light and music, she almost...fit in.
So many thing to see, to smell, to hear--it was a festival for all the senses, and Melisma found herself glad to get lost in it as she traveled through the merchants' stalls collected in the town square. She was so absorbed in the generality of her surroundings that she forgot to pay better attention to her immediate surroundings.
"Oh!"
She nearly walked flat into a broad chest, then found herself being steadied by the stranger as she reeled back. She had to tilt her head back to see his face, already apologizing, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I...was going..."
As she saw him, was able to process the wings, the horn, the tail, her eyes went wide with realization. She didn't even need his scent to know what he was, and the reality of it threw her.
She clapped her hands to her mouth. "You're a dragon!"