Forum Thread

Raven followed and the smile faded from his face awkwardly--he wasn't sure if he was supposed to keep it--trailing a little bit behind her because she said that he would scare the client. It was fair enough since he was known to scare most people that he met. It allowed him to easily avoid conversation, though.

---

she hummed softly as she left through the door of the cottage and continued to recount the things she needed for the customers order a few more times to herself, just wanting to make sure she didn't forget one.
''my client has a tendency to be a little... touchy i guess.....? he's a hybrid with a bit of a uh... human habit with alcohol.. reeks of it actually, so he will on occasion as for a weeks supply of hangover remedies that help with an hangover, but rarely meets up to collect his order a drunken mess'' Adriane said, slowing her pace a bit to walk beside Raven.

Raven turned his head to look at Adriane--he wasn't sure if he was still looking at her weird, but he hoped he wasn't--and nodded solemnly. He didn't speak, for he was afraid that he would say something wrong and mess it up. Adriane was good, after all. "Is it worth it?" He asked after a bit.

---

''he usually pay's pretty good, but i'm not really sure how today's going to go or how much he'll have on him.... beside's he's usually not there when i get to the meeting spot, so he's late when it come's to picking up his order so i charge him however long he leave's me waiting for him to pick his order up'' she said.

"There isn't a set price?" Raven cocked his head a bit in confusion. Is it a bartering-offer sort of thing? He wondered, walking at her pace. He had since stopped trying to walk behind her.

---

''there is, it's been the same since he first asked for the order years back, since y'know... us dragon's and dragon hybrids are basically immortal with a simple human weakness... but anyway, the set price is half human currency and half dragon currency, so around.... a thousand human dollars and a thousand dragon treasure, or at least something that's worth at least that or more, but if he keep's me waiting for let's say.... an hour or two for an example? i charge him a couple hundred more human dollars'' Adriane explained.

"What kind of dragon is he?" Raven asked, now a bit on the edge. He wasn't sure how he'd react to meeting another Shadow Dragon and the last thing he wanted was to find out. She's nice, though. Sure that means she knows nice people? Raven thought innocently, although he knew better.

---

''he's a fire dragon, so don't worry too much Raven okay....? everything will be fine, he's not caused any trouble the past few times i've sold my remedies to him'' Adriane assured, smiling up at him brightly.

"Okay," Raven replied, his suspicion relieved slightly. Raven still knew that if that were the case he wouldn't be there with Adriane, so he kept his guard up anyway. "Where's the meeting point?"

---

''the meeting point's not very far, but it's far enough away so that my clients won't know where i live'' Adriane said.
she once again did one more check in the tote bag and nodded.
''i always get so paranoid that i may have forgotten something.....'' she muttered.

"I could get it for you," Raven offered, looking ahead with his face still. His sneakers scuffed against the hard ground as he walked, looking around thoughtfully.

---

''i'm not missing anything, i'm just saying i end up becoming very paranoid and think i might have ended up forgetting something, i have all the remedies i need for the order'' she said.

Raven only nodded, mildly alerted by her use of 'paranoid'. The word alone brought him tension. He inhaled sharply--not quite loud enough for Adriane to hear--and kept on walking, waiting for them to reach the meeting point so that he could hide in the shadows.

---

Adriane looked around a bit and sighed.
''go hide, we're at the meeting spot.... and it looks like we're here before him, not much of a shocker'' she said.

Raven's eyes locked on Adriane briskly before he swiftly leaped off into another direction and melted into the shadows. It was midday and Raven was easily able to perch in the shade of an oak tree, sitting on his haunches from a safe distance. Close enough to see any twitches, too far to be seen for everyone except Adriane (but only because she knew where he was). He narrowed his eyes and flipped his forearm over. The skin of his arm morphed into the razor-sharp ebony scales that he was terribly familiar with, and he stretched out his claws a bit. They were gnarled and shimmered against the light. Raven looked back to Adriane and thought about the absurdity of the situation as he waited for her client.

---

Adriane glanced at him and gave him a pleading look that was obvious of the meaning.
don't attack the client unless absolutely needed she mouthed, then leaned against the tree that she had stopped next to and sighed, staring up at the sky to see what time of day it was since she didn't have a watch with her.

~a few hours later-near sunset~

Adriane soon stood leaning back in front of the tree and as she waited, playing with a little three by three rubix cube, bored out of her mind since her client was late.
''this is really annoying... he's never this late..'' she grumbled, but soon perked up to the sound of a twig snapping to see a surprisingly scrawny looking tanned male in a sort of formal attire, even though the white button up shirt underneath the black suit jacket had a few buttons undone at the top it was still a sort of formal attire, with charcoal black hair with bit's of dusty grey mixed in stumble around a tree.
he looked up at her with fiery crimson red eye's and chuckled grinning a little.
''your always here early.... why is that? why not just take it easy for once and wait to around when i get here'' he said with a rather masculine voice that didn't seem to even match how he looked.
she clicked her tongue and put the rubix cube away, crossing her arm's as she looked up at him.
''you've wasted my time enough as it is you drunkard, your almost six hour's late, that mean's you have to add five hundred extra to the fee with the deal we agreed on'' she demanded, her patience slowly crumbling away.
he raised an eyebrow at her and tilted his head.
''oh~ did i p--- someone off...? well i just simply lost track of time....... can you blame me for wanting to hang with the ladies down at the club in town for a little while?'' he questioned, straightening as he stumbled over a bit.
Adriane brought her hand up and a staff shot up out of the ground, which she spun in her hand a bit before she held it out with both hand's.
''aw.... your no fun.. but, you do realize i'm a fire dragon hybrid right...?'' he asked innocently, putting his hand on the staff before it swiftly ignited and turned to ashes, falling to the ground in a cloud of soot.
she yelped and shook her hand, clutching a small burn that was left on her hand.
he swiftly moved forward and grabbed her by the neck, though not enough to strangle her or cut of her windpipe, just as his hand shifted to a scaly clawed hand, then put his other hand against the tree, which took Adriane by surprise as she stared up at the other dragon hybrid with wide eye's.
''hmm~ how about instead of that extra five hundred dollars.... i give you a nest of egg's instead...? and your still young... so that would mean you haven't had any hatchlings..'' he chuckled, looking her over a bit as he slightly tightened his grip around her neck.
she grabbed his hand and tried to pry his hand off of her neck, gritting her teeth.
''get off me.....!'' she snarled.

Raven's flesh bubbled with anger as he apparated to the tree above Adriane. He leaped down and grabbed the hybrid by the wrist, flipping him over and slamming him onto the ground. He was taller than the hybrid and used this as an advantage; Raven picked him up by the neck like he had done to Adriane and bared his sharpened, gritted teeth. His claws dug into the soft flesh of the hybrid, but not quite hard enough to draw blood.
"You'd force the hand of such a kindly young nature dragon?" Raven growled, his crimson pupils flitting. "Much less one that's half your age? Even the Death dragons treat their mates with devoted care!" He huffed angrily and threw the hybrid to the side, sending him flying into the nearest tree. He wasn't going to kill him--not in front of Adriane. He walked back up to the hybrid and pressed his forearm against his chest, pinning him against the tree. "I do think the extra five hundred is a solid deal."

---

Adriane fell to her knee'e and clasped her hand's around her neck, coughing a little bit.
the man coughed and gritted his teeth, growling quietly under his breathe as he glared up at Raven, but smirked and raised an eyebrow.
''did i harm someone's little girlfriend...?'' he questioned, then shifted to his hybrid form before he punched Raven square in the face, knocking him back a couple feet, then stood up.
he had the same colored scales that matched his hair, and instead of a normal looking dragon's tail, he had one that looked like an Ankylosaurus's clubbed tail, and he even gained muscle mass and grew a few inches in height.
''kind of strange to see a death dragon here with a nature dragon.... let alone here in a nature dragon's domain...'' he grumbled, swaying his clubbed tail as he watched Raven to see what he'd do.

If he had been in a calmer mood, Raven would've taunted the dragon and made a statement on his persistence, but he was far too infuriated and fell into a silence that was just as intimidating. Years of training let him know almost immediately that he was faster than his opponent and Raven quickly drew the conclusion that it would be a brisk fight, especially since he had the hybrid in a shaded area.
The only obstacle was keeping him alive. He threw his backpack to the side and it sunk into the shade. Raven had grabbed his daggers in the time that the backpack was in the air and held them loosely at his sides, eyeing his opponent up and down.
Who fights for someone they treat like crap? he thought spitefully as he raised his blade and feinted right, transporting to the tree behind the fire dragon and hurling a blade at his ear. He yanked on the chain that was attached to the handle and pulled it away as it sliced, jumping into the shade of the ground and digging the blade into the fire dragon's tendon before he could even turn.
He changed his grip on the blade in his right hand--it was his poisoned one--and took a minute to think as he teleported to the branches of a tree. He figured that it would be better in the long run and that Adriane probably wouldn't mind if he mildly poisoned one of her clients. Raven swiftly switched into his hybrid form and transported to a lower branch, wrapping his spiked tail around the hybrid's neck and holding the poisoned blade against his cheekbone so that even the slightest movement would cut.

---

the fire dragon hybrid hissed but stayed still, gritting his teeth and pinning his only ear back.
Adriane soon got up and walked over, reaching into the hybrids pocket as she took his wallet and rummaged through it, taking what she needed and a good bit extra for what he did and, just for good measure, pulled his credit card and snapped it in half, then stuffed both halves into the wallet before dropping it onto the ground.
''keep your treasure.... i got enough of a payment from your wallet and a lot more.. and consider this batch of hangover remedies your last..'' she spat, pulling a smaller bag that had the order and sat it down, then made sure she had her stuff and put the load of cash she took from him and put it in the tote bag.
''you little twerp...!!!! my credit card!'' he yelled.