Thirst Quenching

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

Sitting in a booth in a local bar, Red sat behind the screen of her laptop, getting some last minute work done for a client off in America for a website. Her time had been divided between her personal work and her job, and as much as she hated to admit it, her job had to come first.

Finally sending off her email with the finalization, she took a few minutes to organize some of the notes she had made about the dragon Ancaladar. It helped to have a physical subject to take notes on, as artist's rendering, which wasn't always the most accurate. So having her own notes would be much more accurate.

Finishing that too, she closed her laptop and ordered a beer. She was starting to turn that age, where alcohol would become more appealing. She had never been a heavy drinker, only having a small interest in the stuff when it was forbidden. But now that she was old enough, and staring a mug in the face, she wasn't sure it would be the thrill she had expected. Still, what better place to give one a try? Putting her computer away in her side bag, she took her first sip of her beer, nursing it slowly.

[Soren O'Conan]

Soren walked into the bar, ignoring any looks that may have been directed at him. He knew how he looked. The bottoms of his tennis shoes weak soft sounds with every step he took. After walking and hitchhiking across part of Europe searching for all the supernatural lore he could find, the soles were nearly worn out. His black tshirt was slightly faded for him having owned and having to handwash it after use many times. Soren's jeans were also slightly faded and were ragged at the ends of the legs with rips at the knees from various scrapes and falls he had had.

So far Soren's quest for knowledge had been met with little success. Few supernaturals he had met knew anything of note and even fewer were willing to share. Of everything he had learned, only one terribly useful fact had been gleaned from one greedy daemon who had nearly cleaned him of his funds. The daemon had directed Soren to what he had referred to as 'Gods Palace on Earth' which was a reference not terribly understood by the elemental.

Soren purchased a beer and shifting the small pack on his back that contained the bare essentials such as two extra sets of clothing, a first aid kit, and his notes on supernatural lore, he searched about the bar for an empty booth. Finding none, Soren settled his eyes on the next best thing which was a booth that was occupied by one lone female with a laptop and a nearly full mug of beer.

Soren walked over to the booth and smiled slightly at the woman "Hey.. mind if i sit here? all the other seats are taken?"

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

Red pulled her attention away from her drink, which was fairly easy considering she hadn't fully developed the taste for the alcoholic beverage, and turned to look at the stranger. The place had filled up rather quickly, and she rathered it be him than some loud drunk, part of the reason she had avoided bars before.

"Of course." Red smiled, moving her drink closer to himself so that he could sit at the other side of the booth. She always found booth seating more comfortable, it allowed for the feeling of isolation, compared to the open seating of a regular table. One could feel as if their conversation was more private, rather than being shared with the rest of the building.

The first thing she noticed about him was his striking blue eyes. They looked almost too bright to be human, which caught her off guard slightly. Still she refused to show it, checking her side to ensure that her computer was still in her possession. Red had worried that one of these days she would leave it behind, or worse have it stolen. Her life's work was on there after all, and the last thing she wanted was to loose it all. That's why she found it crucial to constantly back everything up, from having a solid state drive to uploading everything onto a cloud server on a daily basis. Anything could happen, after all.

[Soren O'Conan]

Soren flashed a brief smile at the girl "Thanks." After she moved her things a bit he set his mug down and dropped his bag. After putting the bag inside the booth he slid inside and stretched his arms out a bit.

Reaching into his pack, Soren pulled out his laptop and the three journals he had written lore in. Firing up the mac, he prepared to convert the written words to a computer file and back them up with the others. Sliding the mac to the side a bit, Soren looked at the three journals. Each was labeled for the lore contained within. The top journal was labeled daemons. One of his favorite subjects, Soren found himself slightly disappointed that he had found no new lore on the race.

Replacing the journal within his pack, sighing, Soren looked at the next one labeled other. It was also empty. All cases he had come across involving the other various supernatural races had come up fruitless with little information he did not already know. Soren rubbed his temples. This last journal was the only one containing any new information and it also happened to belong to the largest file he had digitally as well.

This third journal was labeled dragon in bold black letters on top of its grey cover. He took out his reading glasses and put them on then Soren opened it and flipped through the pages of notes briefly. Sighing, Soren looked up at the girl across the booth and smiled. He had been working hard lately and could use a little conversation with a normal human being.

"Hi.. Im Soren, Soren O'Conan." he reached across the table to shake her hand. "What are you working on?" Soren smiled again.

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

As the newcomer began to set up his work on the table, Red couldn't help but steal a glance at the three journals that were stacked onto the table. Though the first two weren't that interesting, the word 'Dragon' on the third seemed to leap out at her from the cover, causing her to try and grab a better look. Before she could however, the man introduced himself.

"I'm Blair, but most people just call me Red." she replied, giving him another smile before extending her own hand, repaying him in kind. "I was just doing a little research, on the same thing you are it seems." she replied with a slight smile, pulling her computer from her bag once more, and setting it on the table. A blessing in disguise perhaps, the two could have the opportunity to share some knowledge between one another, but the depth of his knowledge was not certain to her. Whether or not he had seen a real dragon, as she was, was not certain. And that was something she wasn't quite ready to give away.

Fortunately none of her notes made any real reference to Ancaladar, rather left her work and diagrams untitled, as to protect his identity. "Do you suppose I could look at what you have so far when you're finished?"

[Soren O'Conan]

Soren smiled at the mention of her name. It left a passionate feeling resounding within him and he desired he liked it. He noticed her looking across the booth at his work. When she mentioned his research, specifically his research on dragons, he tilted his head slightly and smiled again. That research had been gathered through much hard work and effort, but it seemed a fair trade for some he may not yet possess.

"In answer to your question, Red, if i may call you that, yes, i have met a dragon before. Two, to be exact." He paused surfing through his files to be sure his facts were on target "One I encountered after months of tracking down dead ends and false leads." Soren chuckled slightly at the memory of how frustrated he had begun to grow towards the end.

Soren's eyes began to wander about the screen of his laptop as he spoke of his second encounter "The second dragon I met in a most interesting castle. I was able to speak with the creature briefly before..." Soren's words trailed off, not exactly wanting to speak of the unpleasantness of the memory in which he had been called to watch the noble beast be slaughtered and eaten as if cattle.

Soren smiled again, wishing the unpleasant memory away "I would love to show you my notes, however, i feel you would little understand them. They are not quite organized and are a bit more than confusing." he paused briefly and began again "But if there was a question you have for your own research I could search the lore i possess for an answer and vice versa." Soren reached up to brush a stray strand of ebon colored hair from his eyes as he finished speaking.

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

Red didn't exactly ask whether or not he had a dragon, but his apparent trusting in revealing this information to her was quite astounding. "It's taken me many years to find some kind of evidence that they weren't just myths." Red started, beginning to dig through her own files once the computer had finished its start up.

Her dreams had been fulfilled only a week ago, yet she couldn't help but remain in the euphoric state of the revelation. After all, over a decade of dreaming had finally come true for the girl, and the added bonus of being racially tied to such a species was an added bonus, something that she wasn't going to forget.

"I've already found their existence for myself, but any accurate notes I can get my hands on would really help my research. Most of my stuff is just an archive of the world's lore on dragons, as well as one live example." she started, before thinking back to the second story he had told.

"Wait... how could you talk to a dragon? I thought only a certain race could communicate with them?" she questioned, not wanting to give away her race just yet. She wanted to be able to trust him a little more, as she pushed over her laptop, with the index on lore, and the notes she had taken on Ancaladar, having ensured his name was on nothing.

[Soren O'Conan]

Soren listened as she spoke and nodded at some of the things she said. Normally, no, he would now have been able to communicate with the creature, as he neither spoke nor understood the dragon tongue. But, the explanation for how Soren had 'spoken' with the beast was simple. As Soren was aware, some supernaturals possessed the ability to communicate telepathically and to read the thoughts of others. It was through this that Soren had been able to communicate with the dragon.

"As I am sure you are aware of, some supernatural beings, such as dragons, possess the ability to communicate telepathically and read another's thoughts." Soren paused to take in a breath before resuming talking "When I met the dragon, I attempted to make contact with it. I could talk to it and i could tell that he understood me perfectly. The problem was, I could not understand him." Soren chuckled slightly. The memory of being so frustrated of finally finding a dragon he could speak to yet could not understand.

He cleared his throat to rose him from his own daydream which constituted a short pause in his speaking "And then i felt a presence at the edge of my mind. It felt large, intelligent, yet frightenly foreign to me but I knew it must have been the dragon, attempting to communicate mind to mind, so i let it in." Soren's eyes moistened and his voice choked up slightly as he got to the next part "At first he asked me to free him, even though he knew I could not."Soren sighed "The one thing he asked was that his memory, his bloodline, not be forgotten. I had only roughly 20 minutes with him but they are 20 minutes I shall never forget.."

Soren bowed his head slightly "He told me of his hatching, showed me the memory of when he first learned to fly, when he first caught a deer on his own.. Balthazar was an amazing creature, and I shall do my best to immortalize him in words, even if i cannot in the flesh.." Soren rubbed his temples. The memory always tugged at his heartstrings. Soren had never flown, probably never would. But even if for a brief moment, he had known what it was like to be a dragon, and he had loved every moment of it.

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

"...I see...I am very sorry for your loss." Red replied, at a loss for words as he told the saddening story. As much as she hated such sad endings, they were all too true in the literature of myth. Especially in many of the stories involving dragons, where man sought to kill the dragons, and were praised for it. As much as she hated these conclusions, it seemed to be a conclusion that would occur through time itself. If only she could find a way to change it, and make humans see that there was no need to kill the supernatural.

"I have heard many things about Hunters, about people who make it their life's work to rid the world of what they don't understand. Perhaps if such ignorance didn't exist in this world, then we could all live together for the better." Red theorized. She could only hope that she never encountered a Hunter, fearing the loss of Ancaladar. It was one thing to lose someone who you knew for a brief time, but for someone you had such a deep connection with, it would be unbearable for the girl.

[Soren O'Conan]

Soren shrugged, gathering all of his emotions up and locking them back away "Its not like i knew him for very long. It was only 20 minutes, after all.." Soren put his notes on dragons away "But he showed me what it was like to fly and I will never forget that. Dragons are magnificent beings, though even i must admit they tend to be rather flawed, personality wise." he admitted.

Soren rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Hunters do not make it their mission to destroy what they do not understand, they merely make their mission to rid the world of all the human murdering supernaturals we know to exist." he took a sip of his beer "They see themselves as protectors of a race that otherwise cannot protect itself. I have seen how some angels, gorgons, and shapeshifters treat humans in my travels. They view themselves as a above us, better than us. And so as a human would not hesitate to kill an animal they hold in similar regard, some supernaturals treat humans in the same way."


Soren sighed "Most hunters are from generations of families who have spent centuries studying supernaturals. Of all humans, i feel hunters know the most about them." he shrugged "but hey, those are just the wandering thoughts of a rootless drifter of a boy. What do i know?" Soren leaned back in his booth, closing his mac.

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

"Perhaps what you're saying is true, but I cant help but feel that they have spilled the blood of many innocents at some point. To have the power to hurt someone is one thing, but to have it and not use it maliciously is something else. Not all Hunters may be bad, but neither are all supernaturals. To kill someone because you think they could harm you is the problem I have."

Of course, Red knew that she wouldn't harm anyone, and neither would Ancaladar, without a very good reason at least. Though she didn't have the power to really hurt anyone, and even if she did, she was too kind to cause another harm. Ancaladar certainly had the strength and power to do so if he wished, but she knew him well enough to know that he would not harm an innocent being either, unless he needed to defend his life. Soren's words were true however: if anyone knew more about the many supernatural beings of the world, it would definitely be a well-trained Hunter.

[Soren O'Conan]

Soren nodded. He agreed entirely with part of what she said. Pointlessly spilling blood was exactly that, pointless. He would never agree that every supernatural should be hunted down and killed, because that was not what he believed. While a lot of supernaturals took advantage of the weaker humans, not all of them deserved to pay for the sins of just a few just as not all hunters could be called murderers of the innocent.

Soren tilted his head slightly "You do have a point but honestly, how do you think hunters find supernaturals? They search local murders and disappearances and then they set traps usually. Most supernaturals who die by the hands of hunters are either careless or murderers." he decided to stop there, feeling no more needed to be said.

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

Red frowned, but said nothing more. As much as she wanted to argue the point that someone innocent could just as easily walk into a trap, she didn't feel much like talking about the subject any more. It was just far too depressing to talk about people being slaughtered. Looking at her beer, Red looked a bit quizzicle. She had finished if off, yet she didn't feel anything. The stories of getting drunk on alcohol seemed to be mixed, but she didn't really feel anything. Perhaps something stronger would work.

"Anyway, let's talk about something happier. What do you do for a living?" she asked, ordering a few shots. The waitress returned with four shot glasses, full of hard liquor. She brought one up to her noise, sniffing the drink before taking a sip. Red made a face at the bitterness, before bringing it to her lips, downing the contents all at once, as she had seen other people do.

That time she definately felt something, a light buzz at the back of her head. She blinked a couple of times, glancing at the three remaining glasses. "You know, I've never tried this stuff before."

[Soren O'Conan]

(-kills self- sorry this post sucks so bad. The original was erased just as i finished XP)

Soren nodded, glad to drop the morbid subject. He eased back in his booth, smiling. The more he and Red spoke, the more at ease he became. Soren could not remember the last time he had felt so relaxed around one particular person in so unfamiliar a setting. It was not exactly something he was used to. In fact, the last female he had had the pleasure of sitting down with, sharing a drink, and holding an intelligent conversation with it turned out had been under orders that specifically asked her not to eat him. Saved by that mysterious patron of his yet again of course.

When Red asked him what he did, Soren hesitated a moment before answering. He tried to think of a way in which he could describe the fact that he was unemployed without making the benefits he revived from his patron look to suspicious and spotty. "Well," Soren began,"I am not actually employed in the obvioussense if the word. You see, i have a patron who is interested in the research i am doing and has offered to fund my efforts by providing me with the basic necessities of life while i gather this information. Of the current amount of information i have gathered is sufficient, then at the beginning of the week i receive a payment for my efforts that gives me just enough to make to the next week."

Soren chuckled to himself, thinking of all the times he had failed to gather enough data to full his quota and found himself going hungry for a week. "its not the easiest life, but I'm being paid to do something I love and that's more than one could say about many." Soren took a sip of his beer before speaking up again "but, were you serious, saying you've never drunk one of these before? Even I've drunk my fair share and i can't be much older than you, if at all." He smiled, half expecting what she had said to have been in jest, but knowing he would not be surprised of it had not. Reaching over, Soren took oneof the shot glasses and downed it with hardly a thought. The liquid burned going down but left him feeling warm in the pit of his stomach.

[Blair Von Drake / Red]

"I'm only barely legal across the ocean." Red started with a small smirk, taking another shot, her face less contorted this time at the taste of alcohol. Though the age restriction here was more lax than most parts of the world, it was something that she had never really bothered to take advantage of before. It was something she could do without, what with the expense and all.

"That sounds interesting. It makes me wish I could get paid for my own research, though thats mostly for my own purposes." Red added, looking at the last two shots that remained before her. Her cash flow wasn't that stable either, completely dependant on whether or not there was a client that needed her expertise to do a job. "All I do is create website for people that request it. It's not a stable job either, but it allows me to travel around the world whenever I want, because I never have to meet the client in person, or work in an office."