Waves lapped gently at the shore. He could hear it. The rhythmic lull of the tide was something he lived with and lived for. It was part of him and he a part of it. It was the heartbeat of earth and a bond he never wished to be broken.
It was peaceful, serene, and so quiet on his little section of beach. The sun was bright as it beat down upon him, yet still pleasant as he lay against a small group of rocks smoothed by the waters of time.
With his head turned he stared out at the water, watching as the waves slowly rolled in. There were seabirds above calling to one another on their daily search for food. This was his own little slice of paradise, a place to sunbathe and relax, a place to forget about all the little niggling worries in his thoughts. Today was his day, and it would be a day of peace, of naps in the sun and some lazy swimming. Purely content, he stretched his arms high as his mouth opened in a wide yawn that pleasantly cracked his jaw and neck.
Her breath came quickly but, she tried to keep each one even as her feet pounded along the uneven terrain. She was glad to have this break in her work to leave the mainland and take this vacation here on Yoreiq. It was the only place where The Runner's Society did not serve the public and Jypsei relished the opportunity to have her own obstacle course without having to compete with a fellow runner.
The terrain on the isles was versatile, perfect for training in different elements and environments while all in one place. For Jypsei who had been recently injured and placed on a hold to rest and recover, it was heaven. Granted, she was definitely going to get into quite a storm of trouble once she returned back to headquarters as her leave had never been fully approved, at least not to where she had ended up going. Headquarters liked to keep close tabs all of its runners, even those that were on temporary leave, such as young Danzer.
Bursting out of the jungle and onto the beach, Jypsei did not even stomp to adjust her footing as her boots slid in the warm sand. She was so focused on her running in fact, she did not even notice figure laying out in the sand until she tripped over him and went sprawling out in the sand perpendicular to the man. A pained groan escaped her lips as she laid there, trying to catch her breath and quell the pain of her injury flaring up again.
"Stupid log," she growled, mistaking what she had tripped over.
Settling down and letting himself sink into the sand, he was unbothered by the sounds around him. In fact, he took them all in as a form of relaxation, to listen to the sounds of the island. His hearing didn't extend quite far enough to hear her approach, though, until it was far too late.
Opening an eye just as he felt a sharp kick to his ribs as she tripped on him, he groaned at the sharp, unexpected pain and ended up rolling onto his side as she fell to avoid her boot digging further into tender skin. Thoroughly startled, though, he sat up quickly to assess the seemingly stealthy woman laying face down in the sand.
Tilting his head to the side, words slowly came from his mouth in his distinctively mixed accent, "You're not hurt, are you?" A hand came to touch at his side, pressing lightly to test for anything broken on himself, though he was pleased that nothing pained him so.
Coughing and spitting out sand, Jypsei was not aware of what had tripped her until it spoke. She gasped nearly chocking on the remaining sand in her mouth even as she attempted to surge to her feet. A sharp, shooting pain that raced up her newly healed leg sent her sprawling once more though.
With wide eyes she backed away. "It's a talking log," the runner muttered as her eyes darted about before resting on the "log" that had tripped her up. Realizing that it was not a log but in fact a man only served to embarrass her and make her angry. Her lips pursed tightly as she glared ahead.
"What the hell do you think you were doing laying out in the sand like that? Trying to get me killed, you lazy bum? Honestly," she huffed rolling her eyes while she struggled pitifully to regain her footing. Her leg was having none of it though especially in the ever-shifting sand.
Listening to her mutterings, it was difficult for him not to chuckle at her misfortune. He could only assume that she was having a very, very bad day to think that a log would actually be talking to her. Her quick turn to lash out at him verbally, though, startled him and had the shy man immediately averting his gaze. It was hard not to noticing her floundering and struggling, though, as she kicked up more and more sand to dig herself a hole on the beach.
Standing up gingerly to get out of the way of the stuff being slung around, Kanoa brushed himself off as he pondered her "insults" as he saw them. "I wasn't trying to get you killed," he said, a bit disturbed that that was her first thought of him, though he didn't quite understand the flexible meaning of the phrase. "I was just sunbathing like I always do. This is...my beach," he said, motioning out towards the wide expanse of sand and trees far ahead of her. "Why do you...think I'm a bum?" he asked curiously. It didn't even dawn on him to offer her help as she flailed about. In fact, he genuinely feared she might purposefully hit him if she got the chance.
"Of course you didn't," she growled sarcastically from her place on the ground, glaring up at his towering figure. "So you own this whole beach? Like I'm going to believe that. No one owns a beach. No one claims ownership on a beach. How stupid do you think me? And you are a bum! Lazin' about, making people get hurt, not even apologizing for the trouble you've called, and on top of that not even offering help!"
Jypsei howled in frustration and threw the first thing she got her hands on in his direction as hard as she could. The something turned out to be a stick that landed with a dull thump at her feet as it was too ungainly to have traveled far given her place on the ground. She shook her head angrily and focused once more on trying to get herself back on her feet. The runner still had not really seen the stranger's appearance for what it was as she was too blind with her ranting to pay much attention to the "bum."
"No, not ownership," he protested, frustrated with the lack of understanding between himself and the very pissed off woman on the ground. Flinching at her accusations and the sight of the stick she'd thrown but failed to make contact with him, Kanoa cautiously stepped around her so that he could stand in front of her and out of range of her kicking feet. "I'm sorry that you tripped over me, but I don't know how you didn't see me there," he said, scratching at his head a bit, still confused about why she would even want an apology from him at all.
"Look," he sighed, crouching onto the balls of his feet as he extended a wary arm to her. "Here. Please let me help you up, I never meant for you or anyone else to fall over me. Honest... And I really didn't mean that I owned the beach." He smiled nervously there, unsure how he might wipe the slate clean between them with her so upset over even the way he had said something. "I just... This is one of the places I stay a lot. A lot of the locals know that I'm out here. They generally don't mind, but... I can go find somewhere else to be if it bothers you that much."
She growled, smacking his hand away as she finally awkwardly pulled herself up to her knees and then weakly to her feet. Her lame leg bent at the knee slightly so that she was placing all of her weight on the other side.
"I don't care what you do," she huffed shaking her head with a sneer. "Just keep out of my way! I have enough troubles without you causing more for me." Her breath heaved within her breast as she wiped furiously at her jaw to wipe away tiny grains of sand that had stuck to the sheen of sweat upon her face.
Jypsei shook her head again and mumble under her breath how unbelievable she found the entire situation all the while cursing and blaming the strange-looking man for his part in her humiliating fall and bruised pride.
He was confused about her continued frustration with him. In his eyes, he'd done all she'd complained that he wasn't doing before: apologizing and offering to help her. Now she was smacking him, pushing him away to do it on her own, and it was an odd feeling to have now that he felt unnecessary.
"Alright, I'll keep out of your way," he assured her, stepping away to head further down the beach closer to the water's edge. If she wished to wipe her hands of him, then he had no reason to continue to hold her attention. "You take care!" he called with a friendly wave as he settled himself to sit in the sand and gaze out at the water.
"You do that!" she barked, trying to stomp her way down to the beach. Reflexively she added, "thank you," before she could stop herself. "Damn it!" Jypsei cursed as her feet gave out from under her in the soft sand.
Grumpily she half-dragged, half-crawled her way to the water's edge and firmer sand where she could wet her hands and splash cool water on her face and neck. The runner could not believe how angry the crazy log had made her. After all how dare he ruin her training. How else could she be expected to return to fit enough shape to work if she was constantly interrupted? It simply was not fair.
Trying to ignore the sounds of struggle behind him, Kanoa couldn't help but peer at her from the corner of his eye as she came closer and started what he thought was some crazed, seawater-drinking action. He was confused about what she was doing, most seemed to understand that you don't drink the water, but then he realized she was just splashing herself down with it.
"You know," he called to her teasingly. "It's going to be difficult for me to keep away from you if you're just going to follow me."
Jypsei glared, hating that she was being teased. "Oh just shut-up you big freak! You can always leave any time you like." She let out a sound of exasperation, splashing the water harder and wincing as it stung her eyes. It was all its fault anyway. The more she thought about it the angrier she got until she was surging to her feet and limping down the beach towards the "log."
"Listen you, I know what this is all about. I'm just some tourist here for your amusement. I'm actually trying to do something. I have a job. I have a livelihood and your little prank or whatever you want to call it, threatens everything. So just stay out of my way, you got that!?" she shouted, punctuating her point with a poke to his chest.
She certainly had spark, he had to give her that. Kanoa stared with open curiosity as she fussed and hollered, distractedly trying to remember the last time a human had yelled at him so and the occasion: a mistake of theft a long time ago. "What is it you're trying to do?" he finally asked, not bothered and completely unmoved by the rude gesture of her poking and pointing at him. "I'm afraid I don't really see what running on a beach will accomplish. Are you running away from someone, perhaps?" he guessed.
For several long moments, Jypsei could do nothing more than sputter unintelligible cursies before she was once more able to regain her composure if only slightly. "Running away?! Do you know nothing you simpleton?" She postured herself so that she stood at her full height, her chest puffed out in indignation at having to deal with an uppity local.
"I am a messager runner for The Runner's Society. Not that you would understand but running is my life and livelihood and thanks to you my morning is completely ruined! Hope you're happy now!"
He was unfazed and not intimidated by the smaller human's antics. She seemed overly aggressive, but he had yet to see a reason for her anger and frustration with him. "Yeah, I've never heard of that," the dragon admitted. "Though that does sound like a very tiring way to live. And for a human no less."
Kanoa's eyes flickered briefly, looking her over as he wondered how a female human could make a living by running. It seemed entirely illogical. "Does your mate run as well, then?" he guessed, not able to think of a reason she might do such a thing of her own accord.
"Mate?" she hissed acidly before letting out an aggravated growl. "As if I would limit myself in such a mediocre manner. I don't have a mate and I run alone. But don't think for one second I can't take you on just because I'm some human woman. I've got my eye on you freak. You're not pulling a fast one on me anytime soon, you got that?" Jypsei screeched in his face while jabbing him in the chest with her forefinger.
He frowned for the way she continued to yell and posture. He stared at the finger that was touching him and took a slow step back to avoid it. "It was just a question, no need to be so defensive. You should be nicer when you're trespassing, you know. You're the stranger here and I don't think the locals would take it well if they knew you were harassing me," he warned her, the threat entirely empty because he was certain nobody would want to interfere with a dragon's quarrel when they already did their best to give him a wide berth.
"And you should be more careful of who you make those kinds of threats to. You're lucky I don't care enough to fight with you. Now go on, shoo," he dismissed, waving his hand to direct her further up the beach.
She gasped and sputtered, completely aghast at his daring to shoo her. "I am not an animal, you can't treat me like this! You can't just shoo me away like some naughty cat! I am a human being and deserve respect same as everyone else!" Jypsei made a cry of disgust, spinning on her heel to leave him. But she did not leave soon enough before she was casting one last barb his way, "as if you could fight me. Bet you couldn't even catch me."
It seemed odd for a human to be picking a fight with an unknown creature. Kanoa had never announced what he was to her but he doubted that the information would give her any pause now. "A fight with me would probably kill you," he spoke, quite sure of himself but holding no real threat to her. He did not wish to fight as much as she seemed so willing for it.
"I'm certainly faster than you, I wouldn't press your luck. You never know when you might actually need my help," he warned her, eyes wide and blinking as he stared after the strange little human. "Hopefully you've at least learned to look where you're going from now on."
"Don't bet on it!" she shouted back to him without turning to look. "Fool," Jypsei continued, muttering to herself as she tiredly limped further down the beach, "thinking that a TRS runner could ever beat. Even injured and healing I'd still always win. Islanders," she huffed grouchily, kicking out at some driftwood angrily. "Fools, the lot of them! Good riddance! Like I ned that kind of idiocy in my life, thinking he can best me and cause me trouble. Lounging about like worthless slug, causing me trouble. I swear if I see him again," the woman threatened privately before letting out a sound of disgust and frustration.
The dragon watched, stunned as she retreated down the beach at a pitiful pace for someone who called herself a runner. He winced at the name calling and the fact that she dare insult the people of the land when they had no real relation to him earned her a glare to her back. No, he was not amused.
In his opinion she could be knocked down a peg or two for all the venom she spat. He almost let her leave peacefully, but she didn't really seem to like peace, did she?
Kanoa shifted to his larger form slowly and took his time stretching and unfurling his wings to greet the bright sun beating down upon the private stretch of beach. In his true form she was much easier to spot far away as she was, so he took to the skies at a leisurely pace to go after her. It would only be a few moments before he was upon her anyway, but he stayed high and enjoyed the sun and wind as he played with the currents rolling above her chosen path.
The blue dragon dipped to glide lower and lower once he'd decided on how to punish the little human. A good swim might help calm her fire.
With a short, barking laugh of a roar to warn her Kanoa dove at last to pluck her from the sands, his claws a complete cage around her waist as he hoisted her back up into the air with a few powerful flaps that whipped sand into a flurry around them.
He didn't want to punish her too terribly, really he only wanted a bit of fun. He stayed fairly low as he flew her out, circling back to the beach once only to taunt her with it before rising up to hover with her a bit higher above the depths. With a triumphant roar he released her all at once from his grasp. The blue dragon craned his neck with hopes of enjoying the satisfaction of what screams and splash he thought would follow.
To say that Jypsei was surprised by the sound roar behind her was an understatement. She attempted to somersault herself out of harm's way instinctively but between her healing leg and the disadvantage of being small and on the ground she was easily scooped up by the dragon. Jypsei let out a hoarse shout at suddenly being airborne while struggling to no avail to escape the beast's claws.
With a growl she adjusted her grip on the amused dragon's forepaws to have something to hold onto on the off chance the nasty serpent suddenly decided to drop her and dash her upon the rocks as many an eagle had been known to do with its prey. It was but moments later when her desperate, quick-thinking saved her life as she was suddenly released.
Jypsei released one of the paws, swinging herself to the other so that she could use her own momentum to pull herself up the creature's leg and still further up towards his back. She scuttled up as fast as she could, relying mostly on the strength of her arms to carry her as she was sure that at any moment the dragon would whip around with his great head and chomp her in half for being so bold. She had every intention of locking herself upon his neck in relative safety until she could plan a proper and safer escape.
The lack of a scream was the first sign that something was wrong, but the light tugging of her weight hanging upon one forepaw had his head turning sharply to watch, stunned as she managed to successfully scale him instead. Kanoa bellowed a confused call as he turned and tilted his head to watch her. He didn't dare try to shake her off once she had a fierce hold upon his neck to reward her determination and the unusual manner through which she'd managed to entertain the dragon.
With no saddle he was certain the ride would be bumpy, though, and he wondered if he could give her a fright worthy of the fall he'd had planned for her. Folding his wings a bit he straightened out and allowed himself to plummet down towards the water only to snap them open again and have them flying straight with a few mighty flaps.
Turning sharply this way and that he tried to keep an eye on her as he circled around and back up into the sky to do it again. And again. And again. With each recovery he gave a roar of frustration that she was still upon his back and he began to question the unusual strength of what he had assumed to be a human female. Kanoa was determined, though, and kept her away from the shore so she would have to swim if she chose to let go. It would be a fitting punishment after all, at least for the trouble she'd put him through.
Jypsei clung onto the dragon with all her might, her knees locked in tight against his foreshoulders and belly pressed flat against its neck so that his dips and turns did not suddenly unseat her. She understood what he was up to but that did not make her at all thrilled with the experience of having her stomach drop into her throat with each of his dives. She refused to become dinner though and clung on all the tighter.
"Quit it you giant lizard!" she finally shouted over the wind rushing past her ears and making her dizzy. "I know you can understand me and unless you suddenly wish to be drenched in the contents of my stomach I order you to cease and desist. I have no qualms about it!" Jypsei already felt her innards curl, forcing her to swallow dryly before she accidentally made good on her threat. She may have been a woman who spent her life tumbling and leaping from building to building but that did not mean she lived for the thrill of repetitive falling and constant whiplash that the dragon seemed intent on giving her.
Her persistence, while annoying, was impressive to him. Her shouting got his attention, but her threats left a lot to be desired. It would take much, much more than that to upset him when she so aggressively denied him what he wanted.
Straightening out, he glided lower and lower until they were zooming just barely above the surface. He gave a determined roar, tilting his head to try and get a good look at her and glare his best dragon-y glare. Then, he dropped.
Folding his wings he angled down into the depths. If she wasn't going to let go then he was going to wait her out until she could hold her breath no longer.
She proud to not give him the pleasure of hearing her scream, but Jypsei knew that even if she had tried no sound would have escaped her lips with the speed they were descending. Her very breath was stolen from her lungs so much so that the moment they hit the water she as already desperate for air. Her eyes slammed shut as the water engulfed them both, and she was shocked to realize that the new silence was deafening after the wind that had shrieked against her ears just moments prior.
Jypsei kicked off the dragon, fighting for the surface but her limbs felt as if she was trying to swim through sand instead of water. A thin trail of tiny bubbles escaped her as the last of the air in her lungs was expelled as her eyes fluttered slightly open and closed before finally closing. She would not remember anything beyond that as she passed out and her body began to rapidly sink back down to the ocean floor.
Kanoa smirked for the sudden lack of human weight upon his back. Curling around in the water he peered up to watch her swim but noticed the sudden way she seemed to struggle to make it all the way up.
When she started to sink was when he moved up again at last. His game was over and there was no need to let her drown over his lesson.
Scooping her up as he rose to the surface the dragon unfurled his wings in a rush of water and glided her safely to shore. It was only there, with her body resting in the sand, that he returned to his human form. Once he determined she was still alive to some degree he sat back off to the side to just wait until she might wake again. After all, the punishment wasn't complete unless he could rub it in her face how well he'd outsmarted her.
When Jypsei came to again it was a flurry of flailing and harsh, wet coughing that expelled the last of the salty seawater still lurking in her lungs. She groaned as she finally stilled and rolled wearily to one side. "Stupid useless dragon," she cursed weakly. "The least he could have done was eat me if he was going to be such a prick about it all. At least then I would have been put out of such misery. But noo he had to be the worst dragon in existence that can't even manage to catch and keep his prey after half-drowning it." She rested against the cool sand, unwilling to get up as long as her limbs still throbbed from their previous ordeals.
Kanoa watched over her until she came to, an odd sense of relief overcoming him to see her breathing and talking again even if that was just to scorn him. "I was only teaching you a lesson," he said simply, shifting to uncross his legs and lean closer to study her.
He realized he hadn't exactly said he was a dragon before but figured she was smart enough to put the facts together. "I saved your life because I got what I wanted."
Jypsei groaned as an unfortunately familiar voice sounded beside her. "Not this loser again," she whined in pain. "Excuse me but a lesson? I really don't need your snark right now because there was this dragon who tried to tenderize me up and then season me with saltwater and I'm really not feeling your bullshit right now. So if you could kindly just flake off that would be much appreciated Mister Pretending-to-be-a-Hero-From-Big-Bad-Dragons."
Kanoa just blinked at her, his jaw going a little slack as she carried on with her impressively wicked tongue. "Well, then," he mused, sitting back down and studying her for a few moments more, a slow smile curling at his lips. "I wasn't giving you snark. Just the truth."
He shrugged and gestured out towards the open sea. "And you're fine if you can talk like that."
She growled in anger at his remarks before scooping up a fistful of sand and tossing it in his direction, hoping that he would be unfortunate enough to get some in his eyes. "I hope it comes back and eats you, asshole! You're an idiot and deserve to suffer from causing others to suffer under your idiocy. Now if you really have nothing better to do with your time than piss me off, kindly leave before I recover enough to get up and grind your ass into sand!"
Narrowly turning his face away from her thrown sand Kanoa could only glower at her as she carried on. Somehow he felt compelled to sit there and let her vent her frustrations at him even though they were also about him. "Dragons don't eat people," he scoffed, rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of the idea. At least, nobody in his family had ever done that.
"And where am I to go? This is my home. You're the one trespassing," he pointed out. Kanoa made absolutely no move to leave. Instead, he got quite comfortable resituating himself in the sand and idly playing with the pendant around his neck instead.
"Right, tell that to the villages burned and slaughtered by dragons in the north," she spat with a sneer. "I highly doubt the people there would agree with you as they spent their last breaths loosing blood-curdling screams."
Finally struggling to a sitting position, Jypsei could only glare vilely from her exhausted place in the wet sand as she caught her breath. Her bones ached now that her body was remembering their existence and she was not in the mood to care much more about propriety not that she had truly cared all that much to begin with.
"I don't care where you go just piss off already! And what a lousy home it is too! Not a shelter in sight and nothing but blasted sand in every fucking nook and cranny." Hissing, Jypsei looked down at her tunic and tried to shake the fabric out with irritation. "Miserable place with miserable buggers," the woman muttered darkly while still trying to rid herself of endless amounts of sand.
Her descriptions were...upsetting to say the least. Kanoa narrowed his eyes at the moody woman. He wasn't oblivious to the terror some of his kind caused, but... "Those aren't my people. I'm a protector, I don't torment or slaughter your kind," he explained coldly, not realizing his slip and admission of being something non-human.
He rolled his shoulders a bit, confused by the odd woman. If she was so upset with his "home" without even seeing the best of it why did she even linger there with him? She clearly didn't want to be there. It made him curious if he'd truly caused her some injury she was hiding. "The water is most of it anyway. The sand, the beachline is more...a front door," he offered.
"My kind?" Jypsei hissed, immediately picking up on the slip in speech but drawing the wrong conclusion. "And what exactly makes you so fucking superior to me, buddy? What you think because you're a fucking crab living in the sand like some freak of nature that you're special? I hate people like you, superior assholes who think they've got a better edge on the rest of us. Well you're wrong! You're wrong about all of it! You're not better. You're not superior. And you sure as hell deserve to be mauled by that dragon. In fact I hope he takes his time with you and I get to see it. I can't stand people like you. You're vile and pathetic!"
Amused, Kanoa just stared blankly at the angry woman, uncertain what he'd said to upset her so much in the first place. She clearly had some strong opinions prior to meeting him.
Looking around pointedly he shrugged again and shot her a knowing smirk. "There's no dragon here now, I wouldn't hold your breath." He waved his hand in a shooing gesture, though it was more to goad her than anything. "You should probably get on your way, you're kind of ruining my sand with all your...flailing about," he pointed out with a wrinkle of his nose.
Jypsei sneered in disgust before finally struggling to her feet. "Heathen," she spat, intentionally kicking sand at the idiot to further ruin it for him. "I hope he comes back and chews you all up just out of spite!" She managed to storm ahead a few steps before her leg gave out and she flopped back into the wet sand moments before a wave came and slammed into her. A resounding screech echoed across the beech as she loosed her rage at not even being able to exit confidently. Defiantly she grabbed a chunk of sand, molded it into a wet ball and chucked it into the sea.
Kanoa watched her little tantrum with interest, amused that she somehow felt it necessary to continue mussing up the beach. He climbed up casually, calmly walking over to her and crouching beside her as the surf went back out again.
"I think the sea is angry with you," he pointed out, cocking his head slightly to study her. "Let me help you get back so it doesn't swallow you up." It was more a statement than an offer though as he reached out to try to pull her up by her arm.
She sneered with disgust as he dragged her to her feet once more. Jypsei would have loved to slap him but she was up before she had the chance to. "Maybe it should just swallow me up then," she stated heatedly. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with idiots like you and people-eating psychotic dragons! This day is completely ruined and it's entirely your fault! All I wanted to do was go for a run and instead I've been assaulted, drowned, battered, beaten, and accosted! Unbelievable!"
Once she was up he gave her shoulder a gentle pat before moving his hand away, not particularly affected by her complaints and whining. After a moment's reflection his lips curled in a small smile at his thoughts, though, his pale purple eyes suddenly sparkling with mirth.
"Are you such a weak-minded person you'll let those things stop you from going for a run?" he questioned, mildly surprised that such an outwardly emotional woman would claim such a thing. "If that's the case you're very lucky you stumbled over me, I'll help you return to the village."
Jypsei sputtered in disbelief. "Weak-minded?" she hissed furiously. "Any one of those things is enough trauma for a single person to handle, nevermind all of them at once! How dare you accuse me of being weak and simple when you're the cause of all this, when you stood by and did nothing but laugh as it happened. Is this how you islanders treat foreigners?"
She let loose an angry cry of frustration as tears welled in her eyes. Jypsei hated nothing more than being accused of being weak. She had always been so independent and strong and self-assured. But, between the weakness in her leg from the fall and now her unlucky morning it was all piling up on her to be too much. "I don't want your help!" she declared, though the statement lacked her earlier conviction. "I don't need anyone's help." Angrily she struggled to brush sand and tears off her face while attempting to back away from him. There was nowhere for her to go here she could escape her own personal hell but at least if she left she would be the only one to see it.
Kanoa didn't understand her sudden, strong emotions. He'd certainly never encountered a female to behave in such a way before or outright lie so obviously and as amusing as it had been he was ready for the "game" to stop. It unsettled him to see her so upset and not understand what had brought it on, not even able to connect his actions with her behavior.
"It wasn't really a question," he pointed out gently, shrugging and shaking his head. "I didn't laugh at you, but you clearly need....assistance. I don't want to see you struggle just because you made the mistake of coming out here on your own."
"The only mistake I made was stumbling over you," she hissed and sniffled. "Fine!" Jypsei sneered and crossed her arms over her chest in frustration and exasperation. "Take me back then. It's the least you could do for the hell you've allowed to happen to me. And don't tell me nothing happened or you couldn't have stopped it when you are entirely to blame!"
She grunted after her tirade, attempting to take a step forward and feeling fire race up from the arch of her foot straight to her hip the moment her foot applied pressure to uneven sand. Jypsei cried out sharply as her leg completely gave out beneath her and she fell forward towards the poor man she had been tormenting nearly all morning with her screeching. She toppled towards him, her hands grasping forward to latch onto anything in hopes of catching her self before she ate dirt for the hundredth time in the past hour.
The dragon breathed a heavy sigh, fighting the urge to roll his eyes for her persistently sharp tongue. At least she was observant, or pretending to be. He was at fault for toying with her and making a game of getting her to be quiet and show a little respect. The trouble was, he felt no closer to either with her and it frustrated him for some reason. Who was she to walk into his territory and be upset with him for her own mistakes?
He hardly had a moment to ponder it, though, before her cry drew his attention and he saw her careening toward him. Without hesitation he caught her by cuffing her upper arms, gripping her firmly for a few moments with the briefest worry crossing his eyes as he tried to right her on her feet again. "Can you stand? Walk? You can ride on my back if it pains you," he offered, eyes flickering quickly to glance down at the foot she was favoring.
Jypsei leaned heavily into him as she tried to regain her balance and brace against the fiery sparks of pain that raced up and down her leg. A soft whimper dragged from her lips as she rested her weary head against his shoulder. The pain refused to lessen though and only continued to throb steadily on. Each breath was just this side shy of a full on pant with the effort she was straining to remain still and upright.
The time for stubbornness was quickly passing. If Jypsei did not swallow her pride and seek help then she could damage her leg for good. The entire point of being on this little "vacation" had been to rest and heal. To take things easy so that she could strengthen her body and return to the Runners's life. Pushing herself too soon and too early as she had been doing was taking its toll.
"I cannot bear the weight of walking," Jypsei hissed through gritted teeth. Her face was heated as humiliation filled her belly in an oily pit of frustration. She despised having to ask for help and now not only that but she had to admit weakness to this man she had done nothing but repeatedly scream at. "Are you really willing to help?"
Guilt coiled in Kanoa's chest for her complaint, his eyes still studying her leg curiously. Had he injured her? Perhaps he'd played too roughly in trying to teach her a lesson, but the thought struck something deep inside him all the same.
"Yes," he murmured distractedly, tilting his head to peer up and down the beach towards the nearby villages before turning them towards the one she seemed to have come from. If she could hardly stand without falling over he did not trust her strength if she tried to hold onto him. "I will carry you... I'm sorry you are injured," he apologized sincerely, a sad glint in his eyes as he reached to scoop her up with an arm under her knees and another around her shoulders.