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No one else was residing nearby where the dragon slept, nor did anyone wish to. The Lord's home was his own, and as the 'great Tasius' slept, all was safe.
Well, until the branch under him cracked dangerously, making him shift, a narrowed eye opening. "What-"
Craack - CRASHSLAM. Down went the dragon.
Immediantly tinkling laughter floated through the trees, Medeine's hand slipping up to cover her mouth, stifling the noise as she regarded Tasius, one brow raised, blue eyes filled with merriment. She didn't help the male up, instead leaning against a tree, arms now above her head, one hand holding the other's wrist. As usual, she wore a skirt, white, short, flowing, and a longsleeved dark shirt. In her eyes, the dragon was a harmless, silly boy, whom, if she admitted it to herself, she rather happened to like. She HAD almost kissed him the last time they'd spoken, hadn't she?
"Ahh, Lord Tasius, such grace thy always show!"
Tasius grinned. "You're as pretty as ever." Righting himself, he regained his footing, his toes digging into the earth through his sandals. "I've missed you." He seemed... different, and his eyes glanced away, towards the place he had been half-looking. "Missed your odd sense of humor, anyway..." Tasius muttered, his wings folding flat against his back.
Thrown off by his... Nice greeting, rather than his usual rude behavior, for once, she had nothing to say, blinking rapidly a few times, opening her mouth, then shutting it once more. After a pause, she shook her head, eyes hitting the dirt beneath her bare feet, rather than examine his toothy grin any longer.
"Refrain from speaking in such a manner, Lord Tasius! One would almost think us friends!"
A husky chuckle and the blonde pushed away from the tree, brushing past him to walk into a sunlit clearing, her back toward him, a sign of fearlessness, really. Blue eyes narrowed on the dark green stalks of grass, and she stood a moment, debating whether or not she'd sit, stand, or be comfortable and lie down. Stupid Tasius.
"I'm worried." He stated simply, shoulders sagging. Something was on his mind entirely, and he turned, staring at her with his golden eyes. "Something is amiss... and seeing as how you hate the Piper..." His gruffness returned, and his pride stopped him from speaking any more. Shaking his head, Tasius seemed to change his mind.
"Nevermind, I was wrong. Forget I said anything." He turned and walked in a random direction.
This, she was used to, and in a way that he generally disliked, her hand shot out, to grab his forearm, simply to halt him, and she fell into place beside him, willing to walk, albeit at a slower pace.
"I do not care enough for the manipulative man to hate him, I simply despise him. Tasius..."
She paused, frowning slightly, and corrected herself.
"Lord Tasius, what disturbs thee? Thou doth know I will not share thy secrets."
"I know." Tasius' shoulders sagged again, and he walked slower to match her pace. It took a great deal of effort on his part to finally ask the questions that so plagued his mind, and when he did, they came out in a harsh, bitter, and aggrivated tone.
"Am I man, or am I dragon?!"
"Neither, thou art a god, Tasius."
For once she wasn't smiling, although her tone was light. Sense of humor? This time she was serious, although her words were somewhat amusing. Letting go of his arm, she frowned, brow creasing slightly. She tried to avoid asking herself the same questions he was speaking aloud, and it soothed her slightly to know others had these thoughts.
"At least thou art something."
Tasius was about to remark something stupid, but stopped, his lips turning into a kind of quirky smile. "You're something as well. I... appreciate your honestly." Forcing the stoic frown on his face again, Tasius continued to walk.
And suddenly, she was laughing again, choosing that moment to link her arm though his and steer him toward the river bank, away from the box she'd opened. He'd never asked about that, so he might not have known.
"We do indeed make an odd pair, Lord Tasius! What would the others say, mmmn?"
Speaking of others. She was getting tired of their young angst. Tasius, for once, was refreshing. At least he didn't fawn over her constantly.
"To hell with the others. All they care about is hormones. I, however, have much bigger plans." He stopped at the river's bank, stepping away to leap upon a rock, crouching as his eyes so lovingly stared into the sky.
"Have you ever wanted to... fly, Medeine?"
"Anyone without wings wishes to fly, Tasius."
A small, real smile, and she also tilted her head up, to see the sky. It was late in the afternoon now, approaching dusk, and the sky was tinted with color. She liked it that way, tainted. Purity was no fun.
"Plans, Lord Tasius? We all have plans. They rarely go through."
Tasius smirked. "Ah, but mine will... for I have wings, you see." He unfurled them from his back, glancing down at the water. "Someday... I'm going to leave the Piper and that Fable. They'll all see."
"If thou doth escape, take me with thee, if only for a short while. I should like to taste freedom once more, before they marry me off."
She meant her roadtrip. The blonde had LOVED it. Still, the would attempt to marry her, something she definately didn't want. Her time was running out, really.
"... marry?" Tasius raised an eyebrow, grinning and showing his fangs. "You have to get married?" It was then that he glanced her over, smirking at her attire. "Well, you do look the part..."
Her pretty face darkened, and she actually struck out at him, fist moving quickly toward his jaw. Medeine would not enter into marriage with some dandy of Piper's choosing, nor would she be mocked about such things! The nerve of him!
"Close thy mouth, Tasius! Speak not of what thee know nothing about!"
Jerking aside to avoid her punch, Tasius' eyes widened. She was fast, and he imagined that she packed quite a punch. "I would know nothing about it, considering I've been trapped in a box the last decade..." He muttered, nearly falling off his rock.
Her fist unclentched, and she blinked, shooting him a startled look before hiding it quickly behind false amusement.
"A box, mmmn? What sort of box?"
Absentmindedly, she pulled him safely onto the rock, now on it as well, and sat, wrapping her arms around her knees.
"Wooden, can stretch to any size... I trapped Fable in there." Tasius muttered, dipping his feet in the water. "She deserved it. I didn't want any more kids to come. Wishful thinking, huh?" He grimaced, examining his fingers. "Though I imagine whatever else has been collected in the box has eaten her by now..."
"Ah..."
Clearing her throat, she gave him a sheepish look from below her lashes, cheeks coloring.
"Or... not... Was it beside a cliff...? It opened rather easily and... Well, then Piper came, and we fought, and I left before I got to look inside, and..."
Tasius's wings had flared out, his eyes widening. "You what?!" He cried, this time falling completely into the water. Smoke drifted from his nostrils, and he glanced up at her, eyes completely narrowed. "I..." He crouched in the water now, tail lashing. This wasn't good.
She flinched, bet then to counteract her fear, became agressive, shouting and sitting up on her knees to jab a finger in the air violently.
"It's not MY fault! If thee had put some sort of notification on it...! Or a safer location!"
After a moment, she fell silent again, and slumped down onto the rock, sighing.
"It IS my fault..."
"It's as much yours as it is mine, Mede." Tasius muttered, glowering down at the water. His tail stopped, and he sulked.
"We'll just have to fix it."
A firm nod, and she smiled, getting to her feet, and dusting off her skirt.
"Out of the water now, Tasius, we have things to do."
It seemed, he was no longer her lord.
Nodding, Tasius rose, taking her hand and pressing his palm to hers. "It's about time you called me as I am."
Medeine nodded, still slightly embarassed about opening his box, and squeezed the older teen's hand, turning as she prepared to lead the way to where she remembered the box being.
"So... A decade...? Why?"
"Because a fool succeeded in taking my belongings, and then trapping me because a king wanted it done." He reached down, scratching his stomach. "He was rather delicious, though I wished I'd have caught the fool, instead."
Now she spun back to face him, lips parted in disbelief, eyes wide, and brows raised.
"Thou ATE him?!"
And people thought SHE was a weird person! The thought of Tasius eating a man didn't really disturb her, and her low horrified murmur slipped from her throat.
"Tell me thee did not devour the clothing too!"
"... clothing and all." An eyebrow raised as Tasius stared at her like she was crazy.
"That's just FOUL Tasius! Thou had better have brushed thy teeth!"
Muttering something about uncouth males, she shook her head and turned her back to him, dragging him by his hand further into the foliage.
"Um, okay..." Blinking as he was pulled after her, Tasius looked quite a bit confused, reaching up with his free hand to rub his teeth idly. How was it foul, if he did things that normal dragons did? He remembered there being other dragons that ate knights and the such... how was he any different?
When the finally reached the area, she jabbed a finger at the open box, her expression troubled.
"Well, go take a look."
"... oh." Tasius muttered, walking up to the box and shoving the lid aside, staring down into the eerie blackness. It wasn't long before he tapped twice on the inside of the box, reducing it and the lid to a small size. Retrieving the lid, he fit it on easily, before shoving it into his pocket.
"Hmm..."
"'Hmm...?' WHAT, Tasius ?!"
"It's nothing." Tasius muttered, curling his toes and glancing around. "But we'd better split up... cover more ground looking for this... thing."
Sounding irritated at his reflective manner, she folded her arms across her chest, tapping her toes on the ground anxiously, eyes now resting on his pocket.
"Thing?"
Now she raised her head, frowning.
"I thought it was just Fable...? What... Thing?"
"There was something much darker in that box..." His head turned to look at her stoically. "And you let it out..."
"Yes, yes, I KNOW I let it out! But HOW do I get it back in?! And what in the hells of this realm was it doing in thy box?!"
Oh dear, that stubborn stance, the glare. She wasn't moving until she got SOME sort of an answer.
"You think I know?!" Tasius shot back, glaring right back as he shifted his legs apart, grounding himself should she try to attack.
Instead, she simply made a 'hrmph!' noise, and spun on her heel, retorting.
"It IS thy damned box."
Then she was off, stomping though the trees, pissy.
"... whatever," Tasius muttered, huffing out a lick of flame as he walked off in his own direction, deep in thought.
Right on cue, Medeine's girlish scream rang out. One, if she hadn't of been scared to death, she would have laughed scathingly at. Mede was no screamer. The girl was frozen, staring at a giant web inbetween two large oaks. This wasn't what had shocked her so badly, no. It was the three skeletons attached. Worse, because they weren't quite skeletons. Instead, brittle flesh clung to bone, the fluids having been sucked out. Dear lord.
Stiffening, Tasius whirled around and launched right to where Medeine was, grabbing her by the back of her dress and yanking her back, mouth open to give a nasty retort. "What on earth are you screaming about-" His eyes caught the web, and he stared at it, snorting.
"Well, I suppose we've ... found it."
Well, until the branch under him cracked dangerously, making him shift, a narrowed eye opening. "What-"
Craack - CRASHSLAM. Down went the dragon.
Immediantly tinkling laughter floated through the trees, Medeine's hand slipping up to cover her mouth, stifling the noise as she regarded Tasius, one brow raised, blue eyes filled with merriment. She didn't help the male up, instead leaning against a tree, arms now above her head, one hand holding the other's wrist. As usual, she wore a skirt, white, short, flowing, and a longsleeved dark shirt. In her eyes, the dragon was a harmless, silly boy, whom, if she admitted it to herself, she rather happened to like. She HAD almost kissed him the last time they'd spoken, hadn't she?
"Ahh, Lord Tasius, such grace thy always show!"
Tasius grinned. "You're as pretty as ever." Righting himself, he regained his footing, his toes digging into the earth through his sandals. "I've missed you." He seemed... different, and his eyes glanced away, towards the place he had been half-looking. "Missed your odd sense of humor, anyway..." Tasius muttered, his wings folding flat against his back.
Thrown off by his... Nice greeting, rather than his usual rude behavior, for once, she had nothing to say, blinking rapidly a few times, opening her mouth, then shutting it once more. After a pause, she shook her head, eyes hitting the dirt beneath her bare feet, rather than examine his toothy grin any longer.
"Refrain from speaking in such a manner, Lord Tasius! One would almost think us friends!"
A husky chuckle and the blonde pushed away from the tree, brushing past him to walk into a sunlit clearing, her back toward him, a sign of fearlessness, really. Blue eyes narrowed on the dark green stalks of grass, and she stood a moment, debating whether or not she'd sit, stand, or be comfortable and lie down. Stupid Tasius.
"I'm worried." He stated simply, shoulders sagging. Something was on his mind entirely, and he turned, staring at her with his golden eyes. "Something is amiss... and seeing as how you hate the Piper..." His gruffness returned, and his pride stopped him from speaking any more. Shaking his head, Tasius seemed to change his mind.
"Nevermind, I was wrong. Forget I said anything." He turned and walked in a random direction.
This, she was used to, and in a way that he generally disliked, her hand shot out, to grab his forearm, simply to halt him, and she fell into place beside him, willing to walk, albeit at a slower pace.
"I do not care enough for the manipulative man to hate him, I simply despise him. Tasius..."
She paused, frowning slightly, and corrected herself.
"Lord Tasius, what disturbs thee? Thou doth know I will not share thy secrets."
"I know." Tasius' shoulders sagged again, and he walked slower to match her pace. It took a great deal of effort on his part to finally ask the questions that so plagued his mind, and when he did, they came out in a harsh, bitter, and aggrivated tone.
"Am I man, or am I dragon?!"
"Neither, thou art a god, Tasius."
For once she wasn't smiling, although her tone was light. Sense of humor? This time she was serious, although her words were somewhat amusing. Letting go of his arm, she frowned, brow creasing slightly. She tried to avoid asking herself the same questions he was speaking aloud, and it soothed her slightly to know others had these thoughts.
"At least thou art something."
Tasius was about to remark something stupid, but stopped, his lips turning into a kind of quirky smile. "You're something as well. I... appreciate your honestly." Forcing the stoic frown on his face again, Tasius continued to walk.
And suddenly, she was laughing again, choosing that moment to link her arm though his and steer him toward the river bank, away from the box she'd opened. He'd never asked about that, so he might not have known.
"We do indeed make an odd pair, Lord Tasius! What would the others say, mmmn?"
Speaking of others. She was getting tired of their young angst. Tasius, for once, was refreshing. At least he didn't fawn over her constantly.
"To hell with the others. All they care about is hormones. I, however, have much bigger plans." He stopped at the river's bank, stepping away to leap upon a rock, crouching as his eyes so lovingly stared into the sky.
"Have you ever wanted to... fly, Medeine?"
"Anyone without wings wishes to fly, Tasius."
A small, real smile, and she also tilted her head up, to see the sky. It was late in the afternoon now, approaching dusk, and the sky was tinted with color. She liked it that way, tainted. Purity was no fun.
"Plans, Lord Tasius? We all have plans. They rarely go through."
Tasius smirked. "Ah, but mine will... for I have wings, you see." He unfurled them from his back, glancing down at the water. "Someday... I'm going to leave the Piper and that Fable. They'll all see."
"If thou doth escape, take me with thee, if only for a short while. I should like to taste freedom once more, before they marry me off."
She meant her roadtrip. The blonde had LOVED it. Still, the would attempt to marry her, something she definately didn't want. Her time was running out, really.
"... marry?" Tasius raised an eyebrow, grinning and showing his fangs. "You have to get married?" It was then that he glanced her over, smirking at her attire. "Well, you do look the part..."
Her pretty face darkened, and she actually struck out at him, fist moving quickly toward his jaw. Medeine would not enter into marriage with some dandy of Piper's choosing, nor would she be mocked about such things! The nerve of him!
"Close thy mouth, Tasius! Speak not of what thee know nothing about!"
Jerking aside to avoid her punch, Tasius' eyes widened. She was fast, and he imagined that she packed quite a punch. "I would know nothing about it, considering I've been trapped in a box the last decade..." He muttered, nearly falling off his rock.
Her fist unclentched, and she blinked, shooting him a startled look before hiding it quickly behind false amusement.
"A box, mmmn? What sort of box?"
Absentmindedly, she pulled him safely onto the rock, now on it as well, and sat, wrapping her arms around her knees.
"Wooden, can stretch to any size... I trapped Fable in there." Tasius muttered, dipping his feet in the water. "She deserved it. I didn't want any more kids to come. Wishful thinking, huh?" He grimaced, examining his fingers. "Though I imagine whatever else has been collected in the box has eaten her by now..."
"Ah..."
Clearing her throat, she gave him a sheepish look from below her lashes, cheeks coloring.
"Or... not... Was it beside a cliff...? It opened rather easily and... Well, then Piper came, and we fought, and I left before I got to look inside, and..."
Tasius's wings had flared out, his eyes widening. "You what?!" He cried, this time falling completely into the water. Smoke drifted from his nostrils, and he glanced up at her, eyes completely narrowed. "I..." He crouched in the water now, tail lashing. This wasn't good.
She flinched, bet then to counteract her fear, became agressive, shouting and sitting up on her knees to jab a finger in the air violently.
"It's not MY fault! If thee had put some sort of notification on it...! Or a safer location!"
After a moment, she fell silent again, and slumped down onto the rock, sighing.
"It IS my fault..."
"It's as much yours as it is mine, Mede." Tasius muttered, glowering down at the water. His tail stopped, and he sulked.
"We'll just have to fix it."
A firm nod, and she smiled, getting to her feet, and dusting off her skirt.
"Out of the water now, Tasius, we have things to do."
It seemed, he was no longer her lord.
Nodding, Tasius rose, taking her hand and pressing his palm to hers. "It's about time you called me as I am."
Medeine nodded, still slightly embarassed about opening his box, and squeezed the older teen's hand, turning as she prepared to lead the way to where she remembered the box being.
"So... A decade...? Why?"
"Because a fool succeeded in taking my belongings, and then trapping me because a king wanted it done." He reached down, scratching his stomach. "He was rather delicious, though I wished I'd have caught the fool, instead."
Now she spun back to face him, lips parted in disbelief, eyes wide, and brows raised.
"Thou ATE him?!"
And people thought SHE was a weird person! The thought of Tasius eating a man didn't really disturb her, and her low horrified murmur slipped from her throat.
"Tell me thee did not devour the clothing too!"
"... clothing and all." An eyebrow raised as Tasius stared at her like she was crazy.
"That's just FOUL Tasius! Thou had better have brushed thy teeth!"
Muttering something about uncouth males, she shook her head and turned her back to him, dragging him by his hand further into the foliage.
"Um, okay..." Blinking as he was pulled after her, Tasius looked quite a bit confused, reaching up with his free hand to rub his teeth idly. How was it foul, if he did things that normal dragons did? He remembered there being other dragons that ate knights and the such... how was he any different?
When the finally reached the area, she jabbed a finger at the open box, her expression troubled.
"Well, go take a look."
"... oh." Tasius muttered, walking up to the box and shoving the lid aside, staring down into the eerie blackness. It wasn't long before he tapped twice on the inside of the box, reducing it and the lid to a small size. Retrieving the lid, he fit it on easily, before shoving it into his pocket.
"Hmm..."
"'Hmm...?' WHAT, Tasius ?!"
"It's nothing." Tasius muttered, curling his toes and glancing around. "But we'd better split up... cover more ground looking for this... thing."
Sounding irritated at his reflective manner, she folded her arms across her chest, tapping her toes on the ground anxiously, eyes now resting on his pocket.
"Thing?"
Now she raised her head, frowning.
"I thought it was just Fable...? What... Thing?"
"There was something much darker in that box..." His head turned to look at her stoically. "And you let it out..."
"Yes, yes, I KNOW I let it out! But HOW do I get it back in?! And what in the hells of this realm was it doing in thy box?!"
Oh dear, that stubborn stance, the glare. She wasn't moving until she got SOME sort of an answer.
"You think I know?!" Tasius shot back, glaring right back as he shifted his legs apart, grounding himself should she try to attack.
Instead, she simply made a 'hrmph!' noise, and spun on her heel, retorting.
"It IS thy damned box."
Then she was off, stomping though the trees, pissy.
"... whatever," Tasius muttered, huffing out a lick of flame as he walked off in his own direction, deep in thought.
Right on cue, Medeine's girlish scream rang out. One, if she hadn't of been scared to death, she would have laughed scathingly at. Mede was no screamer. The girl was frozen, staring at a giant web inbetween two large oaks. This wasn't what had shocked her so badly, no. It was the three skeletons attached. Worse, because they weren't quite skeletons. Instead, brittle flesh clung to bone, the fluids having been sucked out. Dear lord.
Stiffening, Tasius whirled around and launched right to where Medeine was, grabbing her by the back of her dress and yanking her back, mouth open to give a nasty retort. "What on earth are you screaming about-" His eyes caught the web, and he stared at it, snorting.
"Well, I suppose we've ... found it."
