"You're able to hold a human form quite well," Allium complimented,
already knowing that it was a requirement for the Royal Guard to be
able to retain one.
-----
Raven and Adeline sat in the living room talking softly. Raven was
sprawled across the couch in a half-transformed mix, his horns,
tail, and eyes transforming to that of his dragon-like form.
Occasionally a few dark scales popped up on his arms or cheekbones,
but it disappeared when he regained focus. "Hey, where's Rogue...?
Or Matthew?" He looked around curiously.
Vincent laughed a little and rubbed his forearm.
''it's easy to do honestly'' he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
there was a click from the front door as it was unlocked and soon
Matthew entered through the front door, wearing a red and black
plaid long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans as well as his hair
being brushed out and less messy than before.
he glanced over at Raven and Adeline and waved, kicking his shoes
off at the door before taking his gym bag off his shoulder.
"Hello~" Adeline greeting cheerily, Raven only waving back. She sat
comfortably with her legs criss-crossed, leaning against the side
of the couch. "Would you like some green tea? It's still hot," she
offered, cradling a small handleless teacup. Raven idly picked at
his nails, still a bit of a stranger to Matthew.
------
Rogue sat on the back of a park bench, serenely tearing off bread
and tossing it to a flock of pigeons that had gathered around him.
His mind wandered to the strangeness of the situation--after all,
some ice dragons used to hunt pigeons and feed them to their young
or use their wings for medical purposes. He whistled softly, an old
melody devoted to the Frostwalker.
he smiled and sat his bag down where it wasn't in the pathway, then
walked over to where Adeline was sitting.
''that sounds wonderful after working out at the gym'' Matthew
said, carefully taking the cup before he went over and sat in his
recliner, contently taking a sip of the tea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
a bush near the bench rustled and soon a flash of blue shot towards
the flock of pigeons and soon caught two, one in each paw, by the
head and finished them off with a quick snap of they're necks, and
with a swift swipe of his tail he managed to do the same thing to
two more just as all the remaining pigeons scattered in fright.
the creature soon gathered his catch into a pile while ignoring
Rogue at first before he froze, ears swiveling back in his
direction as the Frostwalker's old melody finally clicked in his
head, causing him to half turn and stare at Rogue with wide solid
icy blue eyes with lighter blue pupils.
"It's quite soothing," Raven agreed softly, Adeline flashing him a
subtle but encouraging smile. He had been a rollercoaster ever
since Adriane helped him out, but she was happy to help him through
it.
-----
Rogue's whistling lingered on a note and faded out slowly as he
realized what was happening. He froze and stumbled back, falling
onto the chair but quickly scrambling up to peek over it. His
pupils slit for only a split second as he stared at the dragon,
recognizing the breed but noticing the notch in his ear and the
lack of wings. His eyes narrowed slightly, questioning whether or
not he really recognized the dragon, but he skimmed the park and
stood up slowly. "It's not safe to be out in the open like this,"
Rogue uttered, cautious.
''agreed'' Matthew said, leaning back and relaxed in his
recliner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
the dragons eyes widened even more and perked it's ears forward,
sitting up like a meerkat as it stared at him in disbelief.
it gathered up the pigeons it caught and scrambled over to the
bench, going behind it next to Rogue before setting it aside before
changing forms, kneeling there as he looked at Rogue with a crooked
grin before tackling him and giving him a nuggie.
''i thought it was you! long time no see cellmate'' he said,
laughing a little.
Rogue laughed and beamed, driving his elbow into Glacier's ribcage
only heavy enough to knock him off. "I didn't think I'd ever see
you again, much less in the more human areas!" He replied, his
jubilance seeming to light up everything about him. "When did you
get out?" He asked, overwhelmed with questions to ask his old
friend.
Glacier rubbed where Rogue drove his elbow into him and sat up.
''the human world is packed with pigeons so i decided it was worth
coming here, and i got out only a month ago so i've not been out
long, but it's definitely great to see you again Rogue!'' he said
cheerfully.
Rogue grinned--choosing to dwell among the humans for something as
simple as pigeons seemed like something he would do. He stood,
leaning on the bench to help him, and stuck out a hand to offer
Glacier some help. "Where are you staying right now? We've got to
catch up," he insisted, still a bit shocked that he was able to
meet someone from his past again.
Glacier took Rogue's hand and stood up, rubbing the back of his
head as he gave him a sheepish grin.
''i'm... kinda camping out in the tree nearby.... but if you have a
place i wouldn't mind bunking with you, i'd jush have to get my
backpack out of the tree and get a bag out of it to carry my
catch'' he said.
Rogue perked up, beaming at the opportunity--for once, he had
something to offer. "I'm staying with a group of other hybrids,
although I haven't known them for long... They're quite nice
though! Come on, I'll try to put in a good word for you," he
insisted, his canines sharpening briefly from his excitement.
his grin faded and he sighed, a little hesitant about being around
other hybrids.
''Rogue you know how i am around strangers, hell you had first claw
experience how that went when you got locked up in my cell all
those years ago'' Glacier said.
"Oh, shoot. Well..." He pursed his lips and sat back down on the
park bench, resting his chin on his fist as he thought. Rogue had a
tendency to make quick decisions when he got excited. I guess it
wouldn't be good if they knew who I really was, either, he
thought, knowing that most hybrids wouldn't want a fugitive in
their household.
He snapped his fingers and brightened, "Okay, okay. How about this:
I know someone who can help us get a human house somewhere in the
same forest in exchange for a couple of favors, but it'll take some
time for me to get it sorted out--we can live there together, like
old times. Until then, you can take shelter in my room in the house
with the other hybrids... although you might have to sneak around a
bit, but that's what you're good at!"
''i don't want you to go through all that trouble Rogue.... besides
i eventually warmed up to you, i honestly need to try and break
that problem... and since you know them and said these other
hybrids are nice that might help me somewhat warm up to them'' he
said, smiling a little.
"Okay, if you're sure! I haven't known most of them for too long,
though... they'll play nice as long as you do," Rogue told him in
full honestly, rubbing the back of his neck and thinking about his
bad encounters with Crystal.
Glacier thought for a moment as he looked at him intently before
sighing, crossing his arms and tilting his head while giving Rogue
a rather annoyed and un-amused look.
''you've never told them about you being in prison have you.....''
he muttered bluntly, obviously figuring out why he suggested
getting a human house and him sneaking around a strangers house til
then.
Rogue coughed and looked away awkwardly, unable to meet Glacier's
intense gaze. "Here's the thing, right," he started. "I don't
really know them that well, again, and I don't think a lot of them
would be alright housing a fugitive. Besides, I'm reformed! There's
nothing like, uh, trying to bury your past, ya feel me? Worst case
scenario I know another dragon in the same area as them. I've
gotcha, buddy, no need to worry." He smiled crookedly, not wanting
to mention that the other dragon had literally been part of a Royal
Guard.
"Besides, it's not like you know about my past. It's not necessary
to my character, y'know?"
Glacier simply listened to Rogue ramble on and raised an eyebrow at
him, then facepalmed and grumbled under his breathe before flicking
him on the forehead.
''you could've just lied and say you had been released dummy...
that'd cause way less trouble'' he said.
"What causes even less trouble, however," Rogue said, instinctively
grabbing Glacier's wrist to push it away, "is not even mentioning
it at all. They didn't even ask, anyway." He perked up and whipped
around, looping his arm with his old roommate's as he did so.
"Enough bickering. Let's get out of here--this city is full of too
much human activity for my liking."
Glacier huffed and muttered something under his breathe, his
backpack appearing in his hand, and grabbed a plastic bag before
packing up his catch.
''lead the way then'' he said.