Lightning on the Hill [Open]

"GET HER!"

"Don't let her get away!"

"You can't run forever, girl!"

No, no she couldn't. The armored men chasing her were right. Yet, something told her that they would tire out before her wearing all of that heavy metal. She was dressed lightly compared to them; a plain yellow dress that went nearly to the ground with a brown cloak over top, and black boots. She was holding the front of her dress up a bit to ensure she didn't trip as she ran through the field and further away from the town she had recently escaped from.

She had stolen a peach from a stall and had been spotted while doing it: hunger led to desperate measures after all. The armored men, the town guards, had been chasing her since then. She would have gotten away cleanly had that horse and cart not pulled in front of her. As Ai kept running, long white hair blowing in the breeze, she noticed the clouds darkening above her in the sky. Thinking quickly she ran directly towards what was clearly a brewing storm: right up a high hill.

"You won't get away, wench!"

Ai stumbled, running on her hands and the tips of her toes as she kept pushing herself further and further up the hill. She could feel a pain in her side, and her breathing was labored, but she needed to make it to the top. Thunder grumbled and roared overhead, and lightning flashed, bringing a grin to the young female's face. Finally, the top of the hill was reached and she glanced backwards to see the guards still chasing after her and yet lagging behind due to the weight of their armor.

"Didn't anyone every tell you you shouldn't stand on a hill during a lightning storm in all of that?"

"Shut up, wench, and stand still!"  

Seeing as they were nearing the top of the hill Ai began to run again: she didn't want anywhere near them when all hell began to break loose...

Thunderstorms, the herald of the dragon's approach. Or it would be, if anyone knew he existed. He was one of those type of Gods, the ones that where known only as acts of nature. He was a God of thunder, and his very existence created thunderstorms around him. Oh, he could stop it if he wanted too, but he enjoyed them too much not to let them spawn. Thunderstorms where his constant companion, his only friend; and while that was a lonely life, it was a good life, most of the time. The closer he approached, the stronger the winds and louder the thunder peels became. Animals sensed his presence, and would flee in all directions from his power.

And then the lightning hit.

Boy did it hit.

Oh man, did it hit.

Thousands of bolts rained like drops from the sky; he was literally directly above the humans now, and he was dancing through the bolts; they washed across his scales and gave him power, gave him pleasure beyond words. He was in his element, and he was happy.

Oh, was that burning human flesh? Arcing metal, and burning flesh. Interesting. He rolled and danced through the air, turning so that he could glance toward the ground below; noticing the piles of charred flesh and metal that had once been what looked to be city guards? Yes, likely guards, or some sort of soldiers. Delightful. Only idiots would wear metal armor in a thunderstorm, and stand on the tallest hill around.

Oh! More humans.~

A young female, then? She seemed... hmmm. An outsider, likely. She looked thin, and tired, and small. Maybe a thief, by the looks of her posture. Odd.

He should go investigate. It had been a while since he'd felt the ground beneath his talons, but that was likely not a smart form for him to take if he wasn't aiming to kill her instantly. Or crush her, rather. He was extremely large; 100ft from snout to tail tip, 12ft tall at the shoulder, with claws and teeth as long as sword blades and a spiked mane that could perforate steel. Not to mention the constant arcing electricity that constantly danced across his body. Yep, dangerous dragon was dangerous.

No matter, he had other forms.

He rotated and looped mid-air, causing himself to decent like a missile toward the ground. However, instead of impacting the earth, he simply landed like a butterfly on a leaf; his form seeming to vanish and replaced by that of a completely average human, outside of his pale silver hair and electric purple eyes. He stood a solid 6'2 in this form, medium build and wearing clothing completely appropriate for the area, in colors that spoke of high status, and fabric that enforced that idea.

Glancing around, he looked for the young human he'd saw; moving toward her in a manner that was entirely peaceful and almost a bit curious. He made no sounds, yet; he wasn't going to bother if she bolted like most humans did. Speaking in human tongues was... strange, and he didn't do it often.

The smell in the air spoke of death; charred flesh was a scent unlike any other. So pronounced that even without a backwards glance she knew the fate of the guards chasing her. Still, she came to a stop nonetheless, far too tired to keep running away. She doubled over for a moment, clutching at her side as the pain ascended to a loud roar: she had been running for what seemed like an hour and the stitch in her side proved it to herself easily enough. As she waited for the pain in her side to subside she focused on evening out her breathing, that was at least until she realized she was being approached.

She stood up straight, eyes a deep gold in color, taking in the appearance of an individual who by his dress alone was of higher status then she could ever be. The colors, the materials, both were worth more than she would likely ever have in a lifetime. Yet, that wasn't what bothered her. No, what bothered her was the fact that this individual had come out of nowhere. He hadn't been with the guards chasing after her on the numerous occasions she had glanced back to see if they were gaining on her. She hadn't seen him in the area as she had been running up the large hill, either, as she led the guards to their doom. No, he had truly just... appeared.

Odd, very odd indeed. Yet, it wasn't enough to make her run. Ai had balls in the proverbial sense, and they were as big as church bells. It often caused her to do things that anyone else, especially a woman, wouldn't have dared. Even now she didn't lower her gaze, or bow, she simply stood and stared with an odd kind of curiosity and fascination. Why was he out here alone? Wearing clothing that any bandit could sell for enough profit to easily feed himself for quite a while?

As this male would near she would begin to notice something else: not only did he have a strange hair color but strange colored eyes as well. Of course, she couldn't judge: she had white hair and gold eyes, which was more than enough to cause her to stand out - which was her problem when trying to steal. She stood out too much to get away with it.

Brave, this one. Or else, totally exhausted and unable to move. There was no sense of hopelessness, no sense of having given up on fighting; he was going to assume it was a mix of the formers. Fine with him, really. He was making the effort to approach a human for the first time in many years, after all, so he wasn't about to be picky. He'd lost his own humanity eons ago, but he never lost his curiosity about them; even after he ascended to divinity among the dragons.

"You are smart, to bring those that chased you here, child."

True enough, not many would have run up a hill like that, storm or no storm, not when being chased. It would make them too slow to escape, usually; not something many would consider.

"Tell me, why did those men give chase?"

A simple enough question; one anyone would ask in this situation, really. He didn't much mind if she told him the truth or not, he would not be surprised if she attempted to deceive him. He was dressed as the royalty of this land would be, or a very rich nobleman, so she would be right to be cautious of telling him anything that would risk her safety.

It took but a moment for Ai to finish catching her breath and for the stitch in her side to begin to subside: leaving behind only phantom pains that would fade as well soon enough. A quick dart of her gold colored gaze showed her that there still was no one else in the vicinity save for this male who was dressed like he should be escorted by armed guards. So, why was he alone? She couldn't fathom the answer to that, yet.

She probably would have turned away and left had he not been such a mystery to her; a puzzle that needed to be solved and figured out. Then he was complimenting her: telling her she was smart to bring the men who chased her here. She expected anger and threats, perhaps to be yelled at and told that the death of each one of those guards was on her head and she would be punished accordingly. Yet, he wasn't doing that: he was complimenting her instead. A look of shock appeared on her face; a clear indication that he had surprised her.

And then he was inquiring as to why the men were giving chase, and the look of shocked vanished and a look of unease took its place. He hadn't yelled at her or threatened her, and yet the way he was dressed spoke of him having some kind of power in these lands. Would he be angry if he heard the truth? Not that her 'crime' could be considered worse than the dead individuals who had been cooked by the lightning. For some reason she felt the need to go out on a limb and be truthful, so she stuck with that.

"I... stole a peach from the market of the local town." Her voice was soft as she spoke, sing-song in nature. After several seconds she would pull from the underside of her brown cloak a bruised looking peach: in truth the thing hadn't been worth what it was being sold for – no one would have bought it and eventually it would have just gone to rot. Yet, stealing was stealing when it came to those in the market. Ai didn't care: she had no home and no food so she was willing to take what she got – or stole as the case was.

Ah, that made sense. Humans had this weird thing about not feeding their brethren; and getting extremely angry when anyone took food that was not paid for using some form of currency or trade. It was.. strange, they where the only race he knew of that did that, really. Most had at least least some rules governing the allotment of food to those that needed it. Oh well.

He raised a hand, showing his empty palm and lack of any weapons, being his oddly long and claw-like nails, and allowed his natural lightning to appear; dancing and arcing around his finger tips. After a moment, a large golden coin appeared as well, seeming riding the little bolts and arc of power around his hand for several seconds before he closed his hand around it. The little lightning bolts disappeared, and he held the coin out between two fingers as if he was offering it to her.

"Take, child. A gift, for speaking with me. It will provide for you for a rather long time, I am told. Just take it to any temple and they will trade it for the local currency."

He was being oddly friendly; for him. Something about this child intrigued him, and he was the type to reward beings that he enjoyed. She qualified for the moment, and that was enough to earn a reward. She was free to take it, or leave it, her actions wouldn't change his opinion of her.

Her admittance to stealing resulted in no anger or harsh words as she had been yet again expecting; another odd reaction that kept her rooted to the spot and willing to converse with the finely dressed male. Then he was raising his hands, showing clearly that they were empty. Then she saw it: lightning dancing between his fingertips. She was both afraid and yet mesmerized at the same time: surely he couldn’t be human if he could do something like that. Then a large gold coin appeared; and he caught it in his hand before holding it out to her with two fingers – devoid of the lightning that was there before.

He was telling her to take it, that it was a gift for speaking with him. She had never heard of such a reason to give a gift like that, but she would be stupid to pass it up. She reached out, hesitantly, and took it from him. She would look it over, curiously, and then to him.

"May I ask what your name is? I've never come across such a kind stranger before." Perhaps a normal person would have been worrying about what kind of creature he was, perhaps even running and screaming in terror to arouse the villagers and send out a search party armed with pitchforks and torches, but not Ai. No, she simply wished to know the name of the generous man: as unlike her own species as always.

"I am not your normal stranger, as you have seen. I am the harbinger of the storm; notice it has disappeared. Or rather, it has around us. The world is still, here; peaceful. Is that not strange, or had you not noticed, little one?" He gestured around them, the sun shone down upon them, the breeze was gentle and cool; yet there was almost a wall of grey where the rain started; it was pouring buckets inside of the storm, but it was completely dry here. He was creating a calm zone for them; the sun felt good on his skin and scales, and he didn't wish to bring the child harm by allowing the normal storm to hold to his form.

That being said, the storm was a natural one, or had been, originally; so it was moving on without him. The winds beyond the calm zone sounded mournful, the storm was alive, and it missed playing with him. No matter, he would join it again, soon enough. Another place, another time, they where always waiting for him, somewhere.

"I am... you may call me Raijin. That is an appropriate name, really. My true name is long forgotten, lost to time as things will be. What is yours, child?"

Wait... how had she not noticed that? The lightning had cooked the guards and yet despite how nasty the storm had been she had not noticed that it wasn't touching her – them – at all. Odd, certainly odd. Then again, storms had never bothered her: she had rather enjoyed them when she was a child – falling asleep to their sound as it drowned out so much she would rather forget. "I... I didn't notice, I guess."

Then this stranger was telling her that she could call him Raijin, commenting that his true name was lost to time – making her believe that while she already knew there was more to this man then met the eye, he was also immortal. Yet, there was still no fear response about her. Instead, she simply answered his question, "My name is Ai---."

Perhaps she would have said more, but something, or a group of someones rather, caught her attention coming up the hill from the left. The group was soaking wet and carrying various torches and weapons. They had been tracking her for some time now: hired by her Geisha mother to collect her and bring her back for a very profitable sum. It was enough money to have them out in the world in a storm such as this, not wanting to lose track of their quarry. "There she is! The Geisha mother will pay top dollar for her, gentlemen! Don't let her escape!"

Absolute fear and terror flooded her face: the once calm and relaxed female was suddenly filled with unhealthy levels of terror. "Oh... oh no. No.. Not again..." Ai began to back up, eyelids peeling back in terror.

More humans? Wonderful. These... he instantly didn't like. A lynch mob, of sorts; he recognized the term geisha mother, barely; but he knew what they meant. A madame, a pimp, a high class escort trainer, whatever you want to call them; sex shop trainers, all of them. His expression changed for a moment; becoming feral and almost... almost recognizable as disgusted; before his former calm demeanor returned. He had no fear of a mob of humans, least of all humans with basic weapons and no mages to speak of. He was unnerved by the female's change it attitude.

He didn't like it. Not one bit.

For the first time since he'd appeared, he was moving; putting himself between the mob and the female. "Gentlemen. I believe we are at an impasse. It seems that you wish to take my companion with you. I cannot allow this. What say we forget about this little... incident. You will move along, and she will remain with me. Agreed?"

Oh, he wasn't just talking, either. As he spoke, the storm began to close in on them; or rather, only on the mob. Bolt of lightning crashed and exploded over their heads, and around him an aura of electricity and power condensed, until the air itself shimmered with his power. The space around Ai was completely clear, however, and this zone of protection moved perfectly with her forever in the center of it. He wasn't about to see her hurt by his own powers; his control was absolute after all; so the only way she would be hurt now is if he wished it.

The look on Raijin's face shifted – likely in response to her fear – it became feral looking or perhaps disgusted? She didn't have long to figure it out before he was moving to place himself between her and the mob: he was... protecting her? Then Raijin was speaking to them telling them that he could not allow them to take his companion: that they should forget the incident and move on while she remained with him. It was a fine idea in Ai's opinion; and she figured if they were smart they would agree to it.

It hadn't escaped her notice that the storm was becoming closer; as if it were moving in on those who were after her while the lightning seemed to be making its own violent appearance. Ai herself was unaffected by this: like she had her own personal little spot of safe and nice weather where the sun was shining and she was free from being harmed. Ai remained where she was standing, arms wrapping around herself as she watched the mob, curious as to what they would decide.

They weren't, thankfully, as stupid as they looked. They noticed the storm and unlike Ai's reaction of simple curiosity they were terrified. "We... we will leave! Don't hurt us!" They would begin, if allowed, to back up before turning tail and running back towards the village they had come. Perhaps, they would try later on, but for now they wanted no parts of Ai.

Ai simply watched them go, quite shocked and surprised. She had a feeling they would return, but for now she was once again safe. "… Thank you, Raijin.", she would say as she turned her gold colored gaze back onto him.

Ah fear, a wonderfully easy emotion to abuse in humans. He was a little surprised there wasn't a stronger scent of urine on the air; the rain would hide the trails of it from view and cleanse the lands of their filth. He was satisfied that they left when told; so he'd allow them to live for now. If they where stupid enough to try again, he would deal with them appropriately. As of this moment, he was back to being calm, amused, and himself again.

The aura and storm began to die out once they where out of sight, a response to him relaxing fully once more. The rain had died back to gentle patter, more akin to a spring shower versus the raging typhoon of before. Even the local animals where returning now; appearing in their hallows and in the shelter of the leafy trees and shrubs; signaling that the area was once more untainted by humanity. Or the bad type of humanity. His own presence was helping to enforce the purity of the area, in spots the flowers where even growing. He might be a dragon, and a deity of thunder, but he was a divine being, and his presence made nature bloom.

He turned to her, allowing her a rare smile and causing a singular bolt of lightning to appear in the air between them; forming it into a dragon shape and making it dance and loop through the air between them; it was only roughly 3ft long and blue-white, releasing a sound like tiny thunderclaps and roaring softly. Another gift, of sorts; he was attempting to cheer her up some.

"I do not enjoy watching innocents harmed. Less so those that interest me."

Safe, she was safe again. The humans had left, having been too scared after the show of power to stick around. She was truly safe. Okay, so... perhaps Raijin was exceptionally powerful and likely dangerous to her health if he truly wanted to be. But, that did nothing to stop her from feeling like she could trust him, and feeling as if he wouldn't harm her. In fact, she was pretty sure the storm not touching her had been his doing: him protecting her from his own power.

He turned back to her and smiled. She watched as a bolt of lightning appeared in the air between them and changed into the shape of a dragon. It caused a smile to form on her face: especially at the noises this lightning dragon was making.

He commented to that he did not enjoy seeing innocents harmed, let alone those that interested her, and she was quite surprised she did. She saw herself as nothing special; even her abilities as a thief were minimal at best. Yet, here he was a powerful being saying that she interested him. It was hard to wrap her head around.

"I wish there was some way I could repay you for your kindness. It's been.. a very long time since someone has bothered to be kind to me." She was willing to do anything, really, to pay him back for such kind deeds. He had protected her when he hadn't needed to, had given her a gift that would provide her with enough food to keep her from having to steal for a while. Yet, she felt as if there was nothing she could give back in return to make up for it.

"I desire no repayment, truly. If you are willing to trust that my words are true, I would tell you that your very presence is payment enough. I do not interact with groundlings and mortals often, and to find one that is both interesting, and not afraid of me, is a rare occurrence." He used his hands to direct the dancing dragon, making it move in complicated and amusing ways for her entertainment. He rather enjoyed her enjoyment, honestly; so spending a minute fraction of his power to make her happy was worth it.

"I am curious, however. They chase you because you escaped from you owners? I was never one to approve of slavery, really; it was prevalent even when I was mortal; and my family fought against the practice. Or... I believe we did. Memories are fickle, I retain few clear from the time before I became dragon-kin. I used to by out the contracts on slaves, set them free in droves; but the humans realized that there was something different about me; as I never ran out of currency. I can create gold and jade and such, you see; so I never run out when I need it. They decided I was a witch, or some sort of demon, even though I did nothing but make their lives better; and attempted to have me killed. I took that as a sign that I should avoid mortals for a time. I still come to the ground though, peek in on humanity and the other races. You lead such short, fleeting lives, yet accomplish so much through sheer numbers and perseverance. It was stunning to watch, at times. I saw you as I danced through the clouds, and there was just something... I do not know what. You caught my interest. I am glad I met you, child. This has been an interesting experience."

The dragon was dancing; the very sight was amusing and entertaining to watch and brought her a great deal of amusement. She was back to being completely calm now, shown easily by her very relaxed stance. She remained quiet while listening to Raijin speak: he said that her presence was payment enough if she would believe him – which she did, strangely enough. She listened to him speak, listening to him talk about his past was rather enlightening: it made her feel like perhaps he trusted her enough to open up to. Then again, she was human only in the sense of being: she didn't react mentally like one, at least most of the time.

She felt no need to hide her past from him; not with all that he had done for her already. "When I was about six years old some men showed up to the village I lived in with my family. They brought with them an evil woman; a geisha mother. Her house had been burned recently, and the majority of her girls killed. She was looking to restock, in a manner of speaking. She saw me, with my odd hair and odder eyes, and wanted me. She was willing to pay of course, and my family needed it because I had two brothers they needed to provide for. So, they sold me. I didn't know right away; but I heard less then a week later that the woman had taken the money back that very night, and had her thugs she had brought with her burn my family's house down with them inside."

She kept her gaze on the dancing lightning dragon which was keeping her calm as she retold her story. "I started out as her servant due to my age, and as I grew older she began training me to become a geisha. When I realized what it was she expected me to do – how my life would be more than just strict teachings of posture and grace and manners, dancing and the arts... I fled. She caught me the first time; brought me back and beat me. But I escaped again. This time she has raised the price on me even higher... I'm sure those men will be back eventually."

Ah, so that was it. He'd met plenty of the like in his time; killed plenty as well. He wasn't above letting a storm rage out over the dens of perversion these humans ran; they where a disgrace to all sentient creatures; selling their own people against their will in such a manner. He tolerated it when it was voluntary; he believed that one had the right to do with themselves what they wished; but only when it was of their own free will. Coercion, via force and other means, was not something he condoned. It was why he was being so completely peaceful and allowing her every chance to leave, if she desired. He did not collect 'pets' or toys, he merely took the experiences he gained and treasured them as long as he was able.

"I see. A terrible situation, then. I do believe that coin I gave you would pay for the bounty on your head; however..."

He paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully. He rarely offered more than a coin or trinket, some advice if asked; however... he felt as though he wanted her to remain in his company. He rather liked her, which was odd as she was still a perfect stranger; but then again, he was an odd being.

"I would not be against you traveling with me, for a time. It would keep you far away from them; and I can provide you with anything and everything you would ever require. You would be free to leave whenever you wished; I do not believe in 'holding people hostage' as the saying would go. If this is to be the end of our meeting, then I would be content as well; as meeting you has been a rather interesting diversion."

He said that the situation was a terrible one; and in truth it had been. Yet, she had also learned a awful lot that she wouldn't have otherwise. Her parents had been poor, exceptionally so, and the classes along would have been something they could never afford. "The experience wasn't without its benefits; I did get a chance to learn things I wouldn't have otherwise been able to.", was what she truthfully settled on saying.

She looked down at the coin in her hand he had given her; thinking about what he told her. In truth, yes, she could... and yet that would leave her with nothing. She felt she shouldn't have to pay for her freedom; she shouldn't have been sold to begin with. However, she was pulled from her thoughts at his suggestion. He was offering to allow her to travel with him; and stated that he would provide her with anything she would want or need. She would also be free to leave at anytime: he wouldn't hold her hostage if she didn't want to be there.

She didn't mull over the idea long, or any at all really, before a grin spread across her face and she nodded her head. "That would be... wonderful. Truly. But, wouldn't I slow you down?" She couldn't help but think how much faster than her he had to be: or how he could likely go longer than her without food or water or rest. Still, if he was willing to put up with her then she was more then willing to go. In fact, she was practically bouncing in place in her excitement.

Well, she didn't run in fear; nor even question his motives. Her concern was a valid one, if he planned on traveling as he normally did, she would have slowed him down considerably. Not that it was much of an issue; not for a being like him. He was immortal after all; a few decades of slowing down was nothing to him. He allowed the dragon bolt to vanish, bringing his hands so that they where level with his chest, palm flat and facing upward. A small jade carriage, the type drawn by horses that an emperor would sell their soul to own; in miniature of course; appeared in his hands.

"You are correct; in a normal situation it would cause me to slow down, as you put it. However... I have other means of travel, ones that would be more conducive to your survival and comfort." He shifted so that he was kneeling, setting the little toy-sized carriage on the ground, where it would begin to move on it's own until it was several meters away from them. Once it was clear, it began to grow in size until it was large enough for them both to settle into comfortably; as well as large enough to carry and supplies they would ever need. Once it was full size, ethereal horses made of what appeared to be lightning appeared, fully harnessed to the carriage and ready to go. They seemed to solidify as they waited, taking on the appearance of normal, abet very large, draft horses; complete with the normal horse noises.

"As I said, I have other means of travel. This is one of them. I believe it would be the most comfortable for you, as you would be protected from the elements this way. Flying with me can be... well, an interesting experience; however not one that is entirely pleasant for most humans. If you wish to accompany me, we shall use this."

The dancing dragon disappeared and Ai found herself a bit sad to see it go: she had been rather entertained by it. However, something else appeared inside; a miniature jade carriage. Raijin put it on the ground and she watched in amazement as it moved away a bit of a ways and then grew larger until it would easily accommodate the both of them. Horses likewise appeared; bigger than any she had seen before. She gasped in amazement and joy, a smile reappearing on her face once more.

"That's amazing.", she said softly, amazement clearly lining her voice. She moved closer to the carriage, looking at it curiously. As she did she allowed her mind to play with the idea of flying; she had never been afraid of heights, but she would take his word for it that flying like that would be an uncomfortable experience.

"Where did you plan on traveling to next?", she asked curiously. She didn't really care where they went: she had no home and no place to go back to, so she only could go forward now.

"Call me a wanderer. I have no set path, normally. I follow the winds and the storms. That is the nature of the thunder dragons; we haunt the realms of thunder and lightning. Most find a nice mountain range they can cover in storms, others follow the roaming monsoons and typhoons. Myself, I prefer to just go with the flow. I've done the sedentary dragon lifestyle, and it bores me. I never needed to keep a hoard of gold and jewels or whatever most mortal races believe we do, since I am able to create it from scratch when needed. A perk of my status, you could say."

He waved at the doors of the carriage, causing them to open gently; revealing the sparse, but lavishly adorned, interior. The inner walls where upholstered with linens and silks, obviously padded by something that even from this distance looked like would be soft and comfortable to the body; with bench seats that where passed and overstuffed in the way that would make for comfortable travels. Small cushions and pillows sat in the corners, allowing for more comfort via their very presence. The carriage only seemed to open from one side, as against the other wall was what looked to be a table attached to the wall and folded upward to be out of the way. On the outside was the classic drivers bench, empty and giving the impression of being decorative at best; it was obvious in a way that couldn't be explained that no driver was needed for this travel. The windows shimmered in a way that spoke of crystals, not blown glass; they where made of a special clear quartz crystal that would allow the light to enter, but keep the inside cool and comfortable by blocking the heat; as well as make it impossible to see inside of the carriage from the outside. Privacy, a safety measure for them both, really.

"The choice remains yours, Ai. Enter if you wish to stay with me; if not, I shall take my leave. Take your time, I am a patient being. I do not wish for you to regret your decision by acting too soon."

He was a dragon... a thunder dragon. She had been wondering and doing a little bit of assuming, but now she had clarification. Of course, this didn't change her opinion of him at all. In her lifetime she had seen humans do some horrible and nasty things to each other, yet in the very short period of time she had known Raijin he had only tried to help her, and had even protected her from those who wished to return her to a life of hell. She didn't care what he was: species didn't determine if someone was evil or not, their heart and actions did.

So, Ai simply smiled and reached up to remove her cloak: she had no intentions of wearing the heavy thing inside of the beautiful carriage. It was a quick pull of the bow and she caught the thing before it hit the ground, leaving her in just the yellow dress she wore beneath. She pulled her hair over her shoulder to keep it out of her way, and then folded her cloak over her arm. "I have no set path either.", she would respond with a gentle smile before turning to walk the few feet to the carriage and step inside: unknowingly to her revealing the exceptionally beautiful patch of dragon scales on her back. She never knew they were there given they were in a place she couldn't see: so she had no idea what was hidden within her blood.

Once inside she took a seat, folding her cloak over her lap gently: she always took the best care of the things she owned because she owned nothing more than what she had on her. So, she had to ensure that they lasted.

No hesitation, a conviction in her decision. He liked that, he really did. It was refreshing; humans tended to be waffling little creatures, they rarely showed any sense of conviction when it mattered. Sad, really. He allowed himself a genuine smile, he was rather fond of her already, and the idea of spending a few years with her company gave him a sense of peace in a way that was different than his normal; it was a remnant from his own humanity, fiercely clutched and buried deeply so that it would not fade entirely. A companion was something dragons rarely had; outside of a mate or clutchlings, and he wasn't interested in either. Even if he was, she wasn't his type; so there wasn't that problem to worry about.

A glittering of light caught his eye as she walked past, sharp vision locking to it instantly. Scales? What in the heavens? Those where dragon scales, he couldn't mistake that even if he wanted to. How could she have scales like that?

Oh.

Oh.

That suddenly made perfect sense.

She had dragon blood; dilute and weak, but it was there.

Even generations removed, dragon blood was stronger than human, and it would manifest in small ways; usually a patch of scales, or oddly colored and shaped eyes. Rarely anything more significant than that. But she hadn't mentioned anything, nor did she respond as a dragon would.

Maybe she didn't know? It was possible; that was a difficult to reach spot; and it would make sense that her former master wanted her so badly because of what she was. Humans with dragon blood where collected as pets and conquests by some humans, they used it as a way to claim they had tamed a mighty dragon, even if the person they 'owned' was so far removed from their dragon heritage that they had no abilities and where just normal humans outside of a patch of scales or dragon-shaped eyes.

He would wait to say anything, for now. He didn't want to scare her, and after a few weeks of traveling together, she would know him well enough to know he wasn't lying to her, nor the cause of why she was suddenly growing scales. Although, being near him, with his, well, aura, would likely cause her dragon blood to start to awaken after a while; so he wouldn't be able to put it off for too long. Oh well. He'd ease into it; make sure she wasn't overwhelmed by this revelation. They had time.

He waited for her to settle down, then joined her inside; the door closing on it's own once he was sitting himself. The carriage began to shake gently, much as it would if the horse began pulling it, however instead of moving along the ground, it began to gently ascend; he never said they wouldn't be flying places, he just gave them a different way to do so.

Raijin joined her in the carriage, the door closing behind him. This was the first time she had ever been in a carriage and actually wanted to be: the previous few times had been when traveling with her Geisha mother over long distances to visit clients that were a bit of a distance away. Of course, even her Geisha mother couldn't afford something as comfortable as this carriage. Now, she was quite excited at the chance to do so: a chance to see things and travel in a comfortable method.

And then she began to notice something as the carriage moved: they weren't just traveling on the ground as she had been expecting. No, not at all. They were beginning to ascend into the air. Instead of being scared, or freaking out, a huge grin simply spread across her face as she looked excitedly out of the window. "Wow...", she would simply utter as she watched the ground grow further and further away.

"This is amazing...", she would say softly as she kept watching, unable to tear her eyes away from the window and the beautiful sight of everything. "It reminds me of when I was a little girl: I used to dream almost nightly about flying. I'm not sure how, exactly, because I could never see myself, I could only ever see the very tips of what looked like wings. I was always sorry when I woke up in the morning..." She didn't mind telling him of such things; already she felt comfortable enough to share little bits of herself with him. She felt like perhaps he would understand: telling a human something like that would often result in laughter or scorn, but something told her that Raijin wouldn't act in such a way.

Yep. Definitely dragon blood. That was a common dream among those with dragon blood in them, flight was one of the greatest joy of being a dragon, and one that was so powerful that it was a literal genetic, generational, and powerful enough to effect those long removed from the last ancestor with the ability.

"This is a good way to enjoy the trip; but there is little to compare with the sensation of proper flight. One day I will show you. For now, this will suffice." His caution was justified, beyond the windows the clouds where already darkening around them; he was a literal walking thunderstorm. It wouldn't effect them while they rode within the carriage, but it would make flying outside a headache to anyone but a proper dragon.

"Tell me dear, these dreams of flying. Do you remember anything else about them?"

Ai thought about the question Raijin asked her for several moments: it had been a while since she had last had that dream. Then again, It had been a long time since she had last had a proper nights sleep without having to keep one eye open. "I remember... that I started out as human and changed into something else. I couldn't see myself, though. For some reason I never looked. I just felt... free. Giddy and happy. Like I had discovered some great secret that only I knew; something that no one could take away from me. In my dream I was going to see someone; someone from my family... My great great grandfather. But, it never made sense because my parents told me he was dead, died before I was born. Yet... I could see his face; like a mirage in front of me guiding me to him."

She sighed softly. "After I was sold to that woman the dream happened more and more; always the same thing. Sometimes I'd wake up and just lay there with my eyes closed hoping that for once it wasn't a dream: that I could really fly away to someplace safe so that that woman couldn't get me."