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"Oh, its no problem. I'm actually a white dragon. My powers are ice and wind based."

Damn.

Maximos slapped his knee, not hard, but enough to show small displeasure.

I could've sworn it'd be blue. I guess I at least got the ice right.

He smirked, letting Cruxis continue.

"Your job sounds very important in the world Mr. Maximos. I can't quite fathom what it is, but I can tell that you do not work in a dark and evil profession. Your heart is dark, but not corrupted and evil. I sensed that about you after I met you.

You're a good man Mr. Maximos..."

Maximos was immediately caught off guard. His eyes opened wide and he looked down at his hands for a moment, quitely repeating the words given him to himself.

...My heart...is dark...?

His head rose to meet Cruxis' smile. He had heard of people with this kind of insight before, he was one of them! But it made it no less shocking to meet another, and to hear him revealed.

How did he...?

Ho-

It was about to escape his mouth when....Ryugi returned, and he immediately considered it rude to bring the focus of conversation onto himself.

"Sorry about that. Had some business to attend to."

Maximos gave Cruxis a smirking nod.

Thank you for the story...and your insights Mr. Saint.

And then turned to Ryugi, a bright grin on his face.

Not at all, welcome back, did everything go alright?

Yes! Most very well.

Maximos said with an ear to ear sort of grin. Cruxis, gave him a new sort of opinion on dragons. A new light if you will, it was white with blue flecks, and it showed a sort of just wisdom he had never seen before in there species.

You know, speaking of business.

Maximos stood, up, sort of nervously scratching the back of his head as he turned to Cruxis.

Can you point me toward the lavatory...it was something of a long flight?

In Nocturne's name tell me they dont go in a ditch out back....

Maximos nodded and excused himself. He traveled directly upstairs. And then a minute or two later came down stairs just in time to see Cruxis look at him, then to Ryugi and say something in a language, not at all human.

He smiled, and deep inside made a note to show Ryugi the library he had stockpiled beside his laboratory. Ryugi was, after all, dealing with a man that spent most of his day buried in a book.

As he walked he seemed to be poking at something in the air, gesturing to himself and lipping something to himself. And when he arrived at the dragons as they finished there conversation, he felt entirely encouraged to add something in.

Astonishing...

He said with a grin, like a child first exposed to candy. A well worded child, but still.

Thats very similar to the common dialect found outside, but your vowels and suffix's and prefix's are pronounced entirely different. Dare I say, more proper, which usually indicates and older tongue.

He muttered a few base words. "Stand, Walk, Sit, Talk" in common Draconic. And how he imagined "Stand, Walk, Sit, Talk" would sound if it fit into the scheme of the Draconic he had just heard.

Amazing, if its not offensive for someone from the Lands of Men to speak your tongue, I'll have to practice! Though I've only heard a snipping at the tail end there.

And thats about where he caught himself in a rant. He stopped, scratched the back of his head nervously, and proved that he wasnt completely rude by putting the subject back where it belonged, like setting that priceless vase back on the counter when you realize Grandma is in it.

You tell him Mr. Saint. Our Mr. Kazamaru is far too humble for his own good.

Maximos smirked, and patted Ryugi on the shoulder.

Oh the shadow's spoke.

The Shadows twitched and stirred, there voices panicked and racing, jumping as if warning of something coming even as they obeyed the very thing who's presence they betrayed.

It had just started to speak and Maximos' eye was already on it. He could not see into shadowy realms, or between them. Or any such things, but the Shadow had grown accustomed to the odd feeling of being in touch with the shadows ambient in any room he entered. He could feel them, like extensions of himself.

This felt like bugs clawing at his skin. Like something was touching him. Something off, something that went against the grain. Ryudo might feel, depending on how very often he met other beings with influence over the dark, the shadows tighten and contract. Tensing in the same way Maximos did. They did not deny him, only the channel seemed a bit more clogged than "usual".

"Indeed... His accomplishments aren't anything to be belittled..."

Two...?

He thought to himself, as his eye ignited spilling out details for him. Two things, attached in a way he was not familiar with. One lead, one followed.

And then it was before him.

One must give credit where credit is due...

This man was dark. Creepy. The sort of individual that others cross the street to avoid. He probably had a reputation as someone "scary" or "monstrous" or "mysterious". All familiar feelings to the grinning Shadow. While those emotions made some jump, they endeared him to this being.

Can't you ever knock like a normal person?

Maximos laughed into his hand a bit, looking at Ryugi playfully.

Now what would be the fun in that?

Then looked back at the newcomer, his eyes glancing down around his hands.

Nice gloves.

He said, adjusting the skull knobs holding the draw strings on his hoody, and tugging the waist of his jacket so that it popped the wrinkles out, and incidentally let the skull buttons, and Reaper Skull insignia on his shoulder, show.

What could he say, they had similar style. Which of course peaked his curiousity, making him turn back to Ryugi, just as playfully as before.

Well? Arent you going to introduce me?

"Nice jacket."

It was the truth. Maximos saw the small grin, and returned with a barely noticeable nod. It was a silent. "You too.". There probably wasnt much one could say that the other wasnt thinking at the moment.

Maximos couldnt honestly say he hadnt run into many who wielded shadows. Many who wielded darkness, or unholy blackness, some formed ebon abyssal matter...but few that ever wielded shadows themselves. It appeared its effects on the body were something they all shared. Maximos was pale. He was tall. He was slim, though not as thin as Ryudo. Arian flesh just didnt allow for it.

"Maximos, this is my older brother, Ryudo. Ryudo, this is my good friend Maximos."

"Its a pleasure."

Likewise.

He rolled right in, without missing a beat. It really was strange how brothers could be so opposite. One in white, one in black. One dark, one light. But before Maximos could comment on that, he felt it necessary to not be rude, and to make sure everyone got an introduction.

That white right eye of his looked at, and into Ryudo. And Maximos, smiling, asked.

And who may I ask, are you?

Now he had just been introduced to Ryudo so to suddenly ask him who he was might seem out of place...to all those who did not know something else was there. Something Maximos could clearly see. He could even poke it, in the same way he'd poke any shadow. But he refrained, hoping it would get the gist that he saw it, and not be so shy.

There were alot of sciences going on here. Magical, mythical, spiritual, factual. Maximos could see that with or without his magical eye. It was a complex hook up and if he analyzed it, maybe placed more focus on the Magic Sight, Raven had taught him, traced leylines and such. But why?

That was far too work for a man on vacation.

He smirked and nodded.

A pleasure Lethe.

His eyes looking more at the spirit form of the being than the shadows twirling about. Either way, his focus was, where Lethe was. Then it released, the glow faded to a pale ignition. Like a flashlight pressed up to your hand, but purest white.

And yes, yes indeed.

One sweeping answer, kindly delivered to both beings at once. Separate but the same, just like them. A smirk of "Not bad yourself.", was what the situation called for.

Maximos had never seen a bond like this before. He didnt want to kill the magic of finding something new by dissecting it into a thousand forms of vision. He would remember Ryudo, in likely the same way Ryudo might remember him.

But there was that bag in the dragons hand.

Well!

Maximos said, looking to Ryugi then Ryudo and back.

Far be it from me to hold up your business. Would you like some privacy for this Ryugi?

Of all people, he knew the value of a well placed secret or two.

Sure thing!

Maximos said.

He was a victim of captive agreement. I meant he couldnt exactly say no, where would he go? What would he do? He was stuck. But in the same vein he really didnt mind, it was a nice house. It was warm, and...

His eyes shifted to Ryudo and back to Ryugi.

We can get to know each other.

Shadow people arent very big on words. Maximos knew that. He was, deep inside, expecting a long awkward pause until they got back. But he cared too much to let that bother him.

Have fun you two!

What is suddenly so important?!

This was going to be a quiet afternoon.

Maximos watched Ryudo's gestures, his body language, the look in his eye. Some things just simply did not require magic. In response, Maximos took a step back, sitting just a bit farther from the fireplace than previously. As if clearing some imaginary room for Ryudo to sit. A silent welcome as it were.

The small gesture, in his mind, removed all the tension and awkwardness that might be. As it seemed both men had just wordlessly agreed they would each share with the other there own brand of kindness, and manners. And while words may not be shared, this encounter need not be unpleasant.

A moment or two after Ryudo left Maximos slid the arm of the backpack he wore off his right shoulder and looped the back around placing it on the ground quietly. There was a jostle here, a shuffle there, the soft rubbing of fabrics and things together in the confined space of the bag. You could tell Maximos was consciously trying to be quiet so as not to disturb the dragon before him. Then after a few seconds, with a quiet rustle he pulled a book from his backpack, holding it precariously in his left hand while his right shoved random items of clothing and such back into the back and closed it.

The book itself had a navy blue hard bound cover, with something written in gold text etched onto it. With the angle, and the way Maximos' hand held the book as he folded his legs and layed it on his open lap, it was hard to tell.

And he read.

As Ryudo thought mulling over the contents of his mind, Maximos read filling his mind with more to be sorted out on some later date. There was the occasional, half smile, with a quick breath of a laugh, but otherwise he was silent. Though, every once in a while he would peer up from his book to check on the dragon in front of the flame. He would make sure nothing had moved or transpired while he was lost in his text world.

He took careful note of what Ryudo was doing. Not because he did not trust him, but because he was curious. The way the dragon stared at the fire...into the fire...through the fire. The magics at work pouring over his eyes, it was curious.

I'd better not pry...

After ten minutes Maximos could tell Ryudo was the type of person who did not speak often, if he spoke at all. And that when he did speak, it had great meaning and was probably very planned and thought out. He was reminded of a fairy tale he read which in one scene had these large living tree's who met for a council regarding a war. The trees took an entire day to make the smallest decision and when asked why, one made a comment about it taking very long to say things in there language so they only speak of things worth saying.

That was Ryudo. Maximos smirked. And when the silence was broken, Ryudo's words fell with the proper weight exactly where they needed to be. Maximos' ears twitched, he looked up, with a "Huh?", look on his face.

"Is it within your power to accurately predict the movements of the flame, Mr. Maximos?"

But his brain quickly digested the last page he read and then moved to clear the blur around the jostling words in his brain that were Ryudo's question. He wanted to answer at face value, a yes or no. But there was depth and weight to this question. Ryudo was curious about more than just seeing fire. To hears that werent listening, or a mind that wasnt near the dragons advanced level, the question would have fallen unanswered in its truest sense.

Maximos would not disappoint. He placed a finger in his page, and then closed his book, taking a quick glance at the page number before his eyes turned toward Ryudo. More specifically his back, and then moved to the flame. Letting its oranges and reds reflect in his eyes.

Why yes, Mr. Kazamaru.

He responded warmly with a smile you could hear. That was the answer, but to actually do it would be far far more strain than he thought was necessary at the moment.

But only by a couple of seconds.

That was the face value answer. Now came the depth. His had to arrange his words so as to answer the question, while at the same time not appearing so blunt and obvious that he betrayed the shadowy nature of the question itself.

I'd like to think we all have choices, that the events of a day, a week, or even an hour from now are as shifty as beach sands. But our next breath? Our next heart beat?

He smirked to himself, remembering a fond old memory. He simply could not, or did not want to fathom a world were nothing even the continuity of life was a toss in the air.

Who was it that said, he who fails to prepare...prepares to fail?