Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 5, 2012 22:54:31 GMT -5
Despite the cold winds that brought on the grey clouds above, Tayva found herself with her back on the ground, gazing upward as the birds were flying south for the winter. Their camp had already been set up, Talon having wandered off to go find himself a decent meal in this abandoned wilderness. With the change in temperature, most living things had hurried off in search of shelter for the winter weather that was to come, leaving the possibility of a good hunt rather futile. While being a cold-blooding being himself, the dragon's inner flame kept him warm despite the chilly winds, the ability to spew fire at will keeping him from having to hibernate like the rest of the creatures.
Watching the birds fly away, Tayva wondered if she could ever join them in the skies, to fly about in such a carefree way. Sure there was Talon, who could carrying the Draconian on his back where she wished. But it just wasn't the same. To be able to fly on her own would mean almost absolute freedom, to no longer be dependant on the ground underneath of her to go where she wanted. The laws of gravity would loosen its grip on her every day life, and she could be free to explore the world on her own, if she so wished. Of course there seemed to be no such way to do so, for she did not possess any method to fly. As far as she could figure, she possessed no magical ability to grant herself what she wished, nor would she ever.
Her heart only grew heavier with the feeling of abandonment, the fact that Kyrian seemed to have vanished from her life as quickly as he had come. She wasn't sure what she had done wrong to drive him away, but being abandoned in such a way made her feel rather empty inside. It seemed as if the dragon's hope to get her back to her happier carefree self was not to come true. Or so it seemed...
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 11, 2012 15:24:24 GMT -5
Delight would be an understatement. Craig was pleased with how things were going for him lately. Yes, dealing with Supernatural creatures was a difficult thing and he'd nearly lost his head a few times, but the scientific knowledge he'd gleaned from these encounters had been extraordinary. He'd managed to collect several samples and what was better, he couldn't decide which was most useful. His success with the Repti-rat, a name that had been bestowed on the result of a splice between rat and salamander genes, had been promising. However, more tests needed to be done on the creature. A business meeting in Vancouver served as the perfect excuse to take his creation on a test run in a wilderness scenario. The thing had been introduced to the buzz of cities, but never been out in the wild.
The day started crisp and Craig dressed warm for the weather, donning solid black slacks with long black socks that were designed to keep one warm in adverse climates while still looking dressy. A maroon colored button-up with a tailored black jacket and black satin tie covered his torso. He tucked a pair of syringes into his recently-improved black jacket. It was now designed with an insulation system that padded the syringes he had gotten into the habit of placing there while also keeping the temperatures down. A BOSS black leather belt tied his outfit together and he made his way out of the door, holding it open for his three-foot tall rodent (which he'd recently named Nibbles) to make it's way to his new car's door (he'd lost his Lexus the last time he'd gone to Canada but had bought a new one with a recent pay raise). Craig locked up his home behind them and made sure to close the car door for Nibbles as he passed by to his car door. Craig started the engine and they were off.
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It was a long drive and Nibbles did well for most of it. After the initial reaction of gnawing on the floor mat, he ended up passing out in the passenger seat. By the time he woke, Craig had arrived in Vancouver. Craig performed well at a business meeting four hours later and shook hands with a bunch of people before going to a hotel and renting a room for two nights. He then drove out northeast in an effort to find some more rural areas. It was time for his trials to begin.
He knew when he'd arrived. It was a small turn-off on the right and Craig slowed his vehicle to pull in carefully. He drove until he had an urge to turn left at a weed-festered stop sign and continued for another 15 minutes. Craig pulled the Lexus over smoothly. No one was coming by here, he was sure of it. He let the excited animal out and let it wander around and go to the bathroom and then they began hiking it northwest, not aiming for anything in particular. It was a great day for this.
Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 11, 2012 15:39:24 GMT -5
The faint sounds from the highway were barely heard from where Tayva was, but the sound of a car pulling over caught her attention. The small girl slowly got to her feet, wondering who'd be stopping in this area. Surely whoever it was had some better business than being out in the same area as a hunting dragon. However humans seemed rather oblivious to such things from what she knew.
Not wanting to get caught where she shouldnt be, the girl got to her feet, hurrying over to a nearby tree and clambering up the branches. She wanted to see who this person was, but didn't want to get caught in some sort of ambush without the protection of her companion. Moving from branch to branch, she slowly made her way over toward the parked car, watching from the safety of the canopy as the man stepped out, letting out some strange-looking rodent.
Her bag slung over her shoulder, the Draconian was obvious to the fact that one of her books was peeking out, slipping from the bag and dropping to the ground, by the stranger and his odd pet.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 11, 2012 19:31:10 GMT -5
A thump disturbed the peaceful morning and Craig's head snapped to his left. A mere few feet from him lay a black leather book and his curiosity immediately peaked. He reached and picked up the book, looking it over. It had gold on the edge of the paper and looked sort of like a family Bible. He opened up the pages to somewhere in the middle and found it was most definitely not a Bible. They seemed like notes. Scrawlings traced the edges of the page and drawings were not uncommon as he leafed through a couple of pages. Then he spotted his name. He stopped flipping through pages and fumbled to get back to the page that had had his name. He read only a few lines, but it was more than enough. This had belonged to the Draconian he was due to re-meet in about two months. He looked up, above where the book came from. "Alright, now. I know this didn't come from anywhere." Craig announced to the tree, feeling a bit neurotic. "Care to make yourself known?" he asked, though really anything less would be intolerable to him.
Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 11, 2012 19:40:29 GMT -5
Tayva glanced back at her bag, realizing that the book had slipped out far too late, and had given away her position in the safety of the trees. In her attempt to get a glance at the man who was calling back at her, she lost her balance, her back slamming against the trunk of the tree in an attempt to remain where she was. Unfortunately it also caused for her foot to slip, and her entire being to fall out sideways from the tree.
In a last minute attempt to save herself, Tayva just barely managed to grab hold of one of the branches she fell against, her body dangling helplessly from the rest of the branch, her lower half visible from the canopy that had been sheltering her. Shifting her hands, she did what she could to remain in the tree for as long as she could.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 11, 2012 19:47:11 GMT -5
Craig heard shuffling around in the tree and thought, at first, that the culprit was going to try and get away. This idea was quickly shot down as a pair of legs quite erupted into sight from within the tree's thicker branches. A voice came down and Craig smirked. It was merely a girl, likely out here over some break-up. His smile quickly faded, though, as he remembered that the book in his hand was very clearly the property of a girl he met back in China.
Craig lifted the book, suggesting it was the topic at hand and pointed to it. "This doesn't belong to you unless you're Red. How did you get it? Where's Red? Have you done something to her?" He rattled off a few questions at once and stood, legs spread firmly, a mark of distrust on his face as he waited for the person to show their face.
Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 11, 2012 20:18:03 GMT -5
Tayva was unfamiliar with the name the man was firing off, especially considering her mind was elsewhere. In particular, the attempt to keep herself from falling to the ground. Her split focus got to the best of her soon enough though, and as quickly as she had appeared through the canopy, she fell to the ground, flat on her back.
Apart from the rather painful fall, the girl didn't suffer any major harm, though her back surely hurt like hell. As she opened her eyes, she found herself in the presence of her accuser, who was shaking the book she had gotten in her face, causing the girl to blink.
"Ugh... The book..." Tayva started, trying to get up off her back, with great discomfort. "I got it out of a police auction. It was found at a crime scene in a hotel in Europe." she started to explain, wondering who this girl he was talking about was. Unless of course she had been the victim of said crime.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 11, 2012 20:28:26 GMT -5
Craig's face betrayed the shock from her words. "A police auction?" he repeated dumbly. "A crime scene at a hotel in Europe, you say?" He mumbled. He looked down at the book, feeling numb. So she's dead, Craig mused at the book. He looked at the girl. "Nasty fall. Are you okay?" Craig asked, still considering the book. How much had she paid for it? Did she know the value of it? Maybe, just maybe he could get her to sell it to him.
"How much did you pay for it? I'll pay you back for your trouble of keeping it, but this belongs to my friend. I'll even give you extra for holding it for me." He pulled out his wallet seriously. "What's your name?" he asked so he would know what to tell Red when he saw her again in two months if she wasn't actually dead. He extended a helping hand to the girl to aid her in getting off the ground, but was sure to keep the book tightly in hand behind his back out of her reach.
Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 11, 2012 20:40:30 GMT -5
Tayva looked at the book, before looking back at the man who was now offering her a hand to get up onto her feet. Slowly she extended her hand out, and took his in her own, lifting herself up onto her feet. Her back was still quite pained, and it would take some time to recover. She hadn't realized that the book had belonged to his friend. It must have been rather painful to have lost a friend.
"...I'm sorry for your loss. I do not know if she is still alive, but you may have the book for free. I would just like to copy a few things out of it still for my own notes. I only wish I knew the owner more, we would have probably gotten along well together."
Of course, she was closer to the girl more than Craig would have known. The girl Red's notes were too detailed to be from a normal human, likely another Draconian like herself. She had always wanted to meet another Draconian like herself, but it was very hard to do so with their rarity.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 11, 2012 20:52:12 GMT -5
Craig's face softened. "It would mean a lot," he said. "Of course you can copy some notes from it. Red always loved writing stuff down or doodling designs. A very clever woman, that one." Craig shrugged remorsefully and extended the book for her to take. "What are you doing out here, anyways?" Craig asked.
Craig suddenly remembered his pet as it bounced into view. His cheeks burned red and he looked at the girl, unsure of how she would respond. Just seeing this creature could cause her to start asking questions; questions he wasn't sure he'd like answering. His case was hopeless, too, however; there was no way someone could see something so extraterrestrial and not ask questions. Meanwhile, the rat was wandering off, probably looking for some small creatures to eat or a place to go to the bathroom. Craig smiled weakly. "Heh. That's just, uh... my pet." He explained pathetically, hoping she wouldn't make a big fuss but doubting he'd have such luck.
Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 11, 2012 21:00:40 GMT -5
Taking the book in thanks, Tayva flipped through a few pages with a small smile. She was happy to lend the man a help, especially if it came to the woman that he had lost. Of course before they could continue further, the large rat that he had brought along with him came and left his view, the man suddenly struggling to find some sort of excuse.
"I was just out camping. And don't worry about your little 'pet'. I've seen weirder." Tayva explained with a sheepish grin. Of course the weirder things that she referred to were the dragons that she had learned about, Talon in particular. As if on cue, the ground rumbled slightly as the dragon made his way toward the pair, having realized that Tayva was no longer alone, and could have been in trouble. The last thing he wanted was for his bonded to be harmed once again.
This caused Tayva to pause and turn, and for it to be her turn to have some explaining to do. "Uh...so yeah... this is sorta what I meant..." she started, cheeks reddening as the dragon poked his head out from the trees, reptilian eyes looking down upon the two.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 12, 2012 22:40:09 GMT -5
Craig wondered at what the girl had said. She had seen weirder? It was hard to believe, looking at her. She appeared to be your average girl; slim, brown hair, pretty face. The only thing hinting at anything else was the book she had dropped; Red's journal. If she'd read that, she surely know of Supernatural beings or at least Dragons, if nothing else. Perhaps that was what she had meant.
Just then, a loud thudding came towards them and the trees behind the girl shook, seemingly pushed aside. Craig couldn't help but think of Jurassic Park's Tyrannosaurus Rexes. However, when the creature behind the commotion showed it's face, it was definitely not a T. Rex. Craig had seen this sort of creature before; unmistakably Dragon. He looked up at it, impressed all the same. Dragons were a hard species to get used to due to their sheer size and formidable appearance. Fortunately, Craig wasn't nearly as petrified as the first time he'd met a Dragon. He smiled at the creature and bowed respectfully to communicate his peaceful intentions. The girl started blubbering and told Craig that the Dragon was what she had meant.
"You're a Draconian," Craig concluded. His eyes traced up to the Dragon. "It's an honor to meet you both. My name is Craig." The man beamed a genuine smile after his introduction, reflecting a cheerful disposition. "How's your camping been going?" he asked teasingly.
Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 12, 2012 22:46:54 GMT -5
This was definately a first for the girl. Not only was the man not fleeing for his life, but he had come to a rather quick conclusion of what she was, as if he had already known it. Tayva rubbed the back of her neck, looking down at the book once again. Perhaps his friend that had wrote this book was another Draconian, like herself. She wished that they could have met, but it appeared that would never be the case.
At least he wasn't reacting negatively though. "My name is Tayva, and this is my friend Talon. It's a pleasure to meet you. As for our camping, we only just set up yesterday. There's been very little wildlife out, what with the weather. So things have been fairly boring for the most part." Tayva started, smiling at the man who introduced himself. Glancing down to the book once more, she regarded Craig. "I take it this friend of yours was one of my kind too? It would explain a number of things after all." she added in question.
Whoever the girl had been, she seemed rather interested in the anatomy of dragons, their ability to fly in particular. The very thought of the ability to fly made Tayva's heart flutter a bit, but she had always imagined that such a gift was only meant for more magical beings than herself.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 12, 2012 23:25:31 GMT -5
"The pleasure is mine, Tayva." Craig replied. He listened to her question and nodded. "She was Draconian, yes. A decent sort of girl, too. Last I saw her, she had requested that I aid her in gaining the ability to fly... a bit of an obsession for her, I think." Craig wasn't sure if he should've added the last bit, but figured it could do no more harm now. If Red was dead, then he could tell stories about her all day long and it wouldn't make a difference. It was tragic, really. She had been quite the character and completely charming. He remembered how the first time he'd met her, he'd pretended to have a gun and had even gone so far as to use a cheap Chinese accent. He nearly chuckled from thinking about it.
Craig lifted a pack of cigarettes from his pocket; a not-quite-new addiction. He flipped the lid open and plucked a cigarette from the pack before placing it in his mouth. Before he closed it, he extended the pack towards Tayva. "Care for a smoke?" he offered. He waited a few moments in case she wanted one before placing the pack back into his left suit pants' pocket. His hand came back out with a mostly full book of matches. He quickly pulled a match free and struck it on the back. The friction sparked up the match and a flame enveloped the tip quickly. He loved watching matches do that. He brought the match to the cigarette casually and took a drag from his smoke, exhaling pleasantly. "Are you from here?"
Post by Tayva Aschaund on Dec 12, 2012 23:33:58 GMT -5
Tayva turned down his offer of a smoke, never having cared for such habits herself. She was not one to have an addictive personality, steering away from the temptations of smoking and drugs. Alcohol she had no problem with, though she did not drink heavily, not having the income for such luxuries. Neither did she have the luxury of going into town more often, for Talon disliked having to shift into a human. And she hated the idea of ditching him.
"Well I could see where she was coming from. Being around a powerful being who can already do so is rather tempting." Tayva explained, wondering how exactly the man had planned to help his friend in her quest to gain flight. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to be a mechanic, no signs of oil or grease to tell such a tale. He had to be something different all together, but what kind of person could grant another flight?
"To be fair I've always wanted to experience it for myself. Not just on the back of a dragon, but rather to be able to glide about on my own accord, without any sort of aid." she added, glancing up at the sky with a smile. Talon moved his head forward slightly, sniffing the smoke coming from the man's fire stick. He wrinkled his nose, proceeding to let out a puff of smoke, as if trying to compete with the strange human that was talking to his Draconian.