Alone.

[love]

Sea water lapped against the soft sandy shore as the tide came rolling in. The sun had disappeared behind the dreary looking clouds, leaving a cool gray aroma. Avalon swam slowly through the lively waters. She surfaced for air, pleased that the sun had gone for the day. The sun was a nasty thing, too her, shriveling her smooth iridescent skin and creating a rough sandy texture of it; relentlessly burning her eyes as the rays fell upon the sea. She sank beneath the surface once more and dipped her fingers in the air above, like human fingers tasting the water for the first time. She let herself drift up, her glossy tail emerging slowly from the water. Her fluorescent scales still glimmered without the sun, reflecting even the faintest of light. She jerked her head up, breathing in the salty air. Her fingers touched the grains of sand on the ground as she drifted onto the shore. The mermaid took a quick glance around then sat on shore, half in the water half out. She liked to take advantage of days like this, without anyone to bother her, without the sun. Her midnight black hair fell across her back and shoulders in waves of silky tresses, blowing in the ever so slight breeze. She closed her eyes, swaying gently along with the waves. Finally, some peace and quiet.

[Desperanza]

The dragon’s flight was easy if not long. He had to cross quite a bit of distance to get himself away from his swamp land and more to the land of life, Ellsinora. The town of Kiyer teamed with life, money, and goods. It was on this day that he had grown bored with himself and unsatisfied with the people that seemed to always wander onto his land at times, searching for he knew what and often times winding up as a meal for the dragon. On this day, however, something happened to pull him from his cave and hollow and now here he flew, approaching the edge of the Dirya sea as he skirted the land that he knew to belong to Kaori. He did not feel like meeting up with the Lord Dragon today for he listened to no one and wished not to be told to shoo from the elder dragon’s land. However the sight of the sea enticed him, drawing him closer as he lowered a bit, skimming the tops of the trees with one nail as he drifted across the landscape before gliding out over the sea.

The turbulent waters lapped with white foam, edging towards the shore and he was aware that he was drifting closer to the Kai ruins. Orlonox already knew of the mermaids that lived in these waters but he rather paid no mind to the fact, dipping a claw into the waters as he glided above the surface. He gave his enormous black wings a flick to continue his momentum forward, flicking his claw, he flicked a fish upwards into the air before catching it within his jaws and swallowing. Fish was a fresh and cleansing taste, something that he appreciated every now and again. It was minimal blood and fish cleaned the pallet a bit. Sighing, the dragon came to drift closer to the shore, settling down upon the sands as his paws sunk into the shifting grains and his tail whipped, flinging a whirl wind of sand through the air before the grains settled again and his horned head lifted to gaze around himself.

His keen eyes sought out any form of life close by and in the distance on a rocky outcropping he could spot an array of colors, a small group of mermaids clustered together upon the rock out in the water. His acid green eyes gazed upon the females before he turned towards the water, not noticing Avalon for now as he approached the edge of the water, his elongated claws swiping the sand as he padded forward and lowered a fore paw into the salty water, letting it wash over his ebony scales as he glanced among the swirly blue and green water. With a huff, the dragon flicked his tail forward to cut the water with the tip of his tail. For a moment, he pondered what it would be like to be human here, to swim within the salty water with a pair of legs instead of four limbs. His head inclined at the idea before he huffed, steam emanating from his nostrils as he rocked back to sit on his haunches with a bob of his nose before he gazed skyward, watching a small group of sea gulls that were fluttering over the water a few yards away.

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[love]

Avalon heard the dragon before she saw him. Her mismatched eyes flashed open, focusing on the beast as he drew near to her. She pressed her lips together in a hard line and slipped back into the water to refresh herself, speeding along the pulling riptides. She followed the dragon, her eyebrows arching up in curiosity. She always believed she would die young. Ever since she had been a sour, dare devil little mermaid she had been taking risks. This was one of them, and if she happened to die right here, right now, she couldn't control it. She refused to be scared of anything, and faced everything head on that fell into her path.

The mermaid was now directly under the beastly creature, swimming in pefect harmony with the beat of his massive wings. She pressed on ahead, slowing as he did. Swimming against the waves was effortless for her, as it was for most mermaids. They were born and raised in the sea, and physically fit to perfection. She did not remember a moment of being out of breath. She came to a complete stop as he did, remaining parallel in the water momentarily before emerging up above the surface. Her nose was just below the water, allowing her eyes to adjust to the stinging salty air. Dragons intrigued her, probably the most of any species.

[Desperanza]

The dragon’s nose drifted higher into the air. As a dragon, his size was enormous, especially compared to the humans and fairies, mermaid, practically any other species for dragons were indeed the largest. True dragons anyways. As he gazed out towards the birds, he huffed, his front paws folding together, the claws lacing together as he watched the sea gulls dive and drift closer to the beach. He grinned, his acid eyes gazing towards the fluttering creatures and as the flock drew closer, his neck stretched with a huff. Quite suddenly, his paws whipped out, snatching a handful of seagulls from the air and encasing them within his paws, cawing and screaming as they pecked and attempted to break free. He huffed, rolling his eyes as the rest of the gulls scattered wildly in fright and he closed his paws together to a sickening crunch for the handful of five birds that he had caught easily within his paws. The sounds were cut. The birds were dead, crushed mostly.

He lifted his paws to gaze upon the forms that now lay dead over top of his paw and he smiled. It was a simple snack for it took a lot to fill a dragon’s large belly and yet, they did not seem to eat large meals but instead they snacked quite often. He had eaten a small fish which had been nice and now, a handful of sea gulls like a handful of popcorn. He inhaled slowly before he blew softly against his paw and a spout of vibrant jade green and yellow fire spouted from his muzzle, sizzling the birds and scorching away the feathers on their hides, leaving quite literally grilled bird hides. He grinned in amusement and popped one into his mouth with a crunch before swallowing as he emptied the rest into his mouth with a tip of his paws before he lowered his paw back to the ground and came to gaze around himself instead with a huff.

Within moments, he heard the screams and shouts of the mermaids at the rock, frightened and unnerved by the dragon’s ‘hideous and blood thirsty’ acts that defiled and ruffled their tail fins and he chuckled quietly as they leaped back into the sea and left the rock empty but after a moment, the surface was broken. There was a flash of raven hair, mismatched eyes, and the top half of a face within the water. He lifted a paw and touched the edge of the water, sending ripples towards her face as he gazed out at the mermaid with an arched brow, inquiring as to why she was staring at him. He did not mind speaking with her, or having her come closer though he could not guarantee whether she would not wind up as a meal or not. Now, he was not unreasonable. He would not simply pluck her from the water and eat her, he would want to speak to her first for he was curious and he did not often see mermaids for when was he ever here to see them? He gave an amused glint to his eyes at the thought and sighed, “Why do you stare at me so, mermaid?” he muttered with a rumble as he gazed down at the female, his head snaking for a better look at the creature, “You enjoy watching me make a meal?” he inquired once more as he eyed her curiously.

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[love]

His voice sent shivers down her spine. Avalon lifted gracefully above the surface just enough to hide her chest but reveal her mouth and neck. She looked him straight in the eye, not feeling to threatened. She took a deep breath and blinked the water out of her eyes to get a clearer look at him. "I don't see many dragons, around, I can't help being curious." She shrugged slightly, drifting closer, "I don't see much of anything anymore since the human's pathetic war." Her eyes rolled gently in their sockets, "Although, the Kai ruins never fail to impress me. It used to be so beautiful."
She never really had thought about what happened that day. She'd been near the wedding at the time, slinking underneath the shimmering waters. Avalon examined him once more, eyeing the creature before her. "So what brings you here, dragon. I thought maybe you beasts would be out destroying something, terrorizing humans as your reputation suggests?"

[Desperanza]

The dragon huffed, his eyes watching the mermaid with intent curiosity as he gazed upon the form of the mermaid, awaiting her reply. As she lifted further from the water, her neck and head now showing his eyes traveled along her raven hair, the color that matched his own black tresses, when he was human though his scales too were black. Her eyes were dazzling, multiple taunting shades of blue and green. Her neck was teasing, leading in a feminine sweep towards the rest of her body. He sighed, turning his head slightly as he gazed upon her with only one eye for a moment before he righted his head once more and he nodded curtly in return to her reply at his words. His body shifted and he gave a grunt, rolling his eyes, “I can imagine that nothing much of interest may happen here. The war is throwing the humans into a strange frenzy, like those silly bird things oh what the hell are they called? Chickens.” He grinned at the thought and his reptilian tongue swept his muzzle for a moment at the thought, chicken was rather tasty too, especially when he roasted it just right.

He pulled his thoughts from his food however and returned his thoughts back to the mermaid, arching a scaled brow thoughtfully for a moment as he looked upon her for a moment before he rolled his shoulders with a small rumble and he gave a faint growl before he gave his nose a brief and sharp bob, rolling his eyes at her words, “Hmmph. You creatures are so stupid sometimes. And stereotypical as well.” He muttered though he pondered the idea of romping around, threatening and frightening everything in sight, like Godzilla. He rolled his eyes at the thought and chuckled before his eyes turned to her once again with a lash of his tail at the thought, “Is this what you think then? You think that all we do is terrorize humans and creatures alike? You think that we terrorize and wreck their towns and bring them pain and fear?” He muttered with a rather amused expression for a moment before he shook his head with a huff, steam lifting into the air once more as he lowered his head closer to her as she lifted further out of the water and he gazed at her with piercing wicked green eyes.

“Quite frankly the only thing that I frighten is anything and everything that wanders into my swamp home and shows up on the menu.” He returned with a grin as he lifted his head once more, casting a glance out to sea for a moment before he returned his gaze to her once again with a curt nod, the spikes along his spine lifting briefly at the mention of ferocious dragons before they smoothed over as his thoughts shifted towards swimming instead and his eyes gave a spark of interest at the thought once more. The thought that the mermaid would know that he shifted stopped him though as he still wanted to uphold his image as a fierce and killer dragon, and he didn’t trust her yet. She was lucky that she was even still alive but he had come to her home after all and that wouldn’t be quite all that respectful. When people showed up on his doorstep well then, they gave the chance to live into his hands but here, he offered her the respect of staying alive at her own home. His tail lashed however, and he huffed steam once again, his wings shifting at his back as he glanced across the water before looking to the mermaid once again, “Well now then, fish woman, tell me then what fascinates you so much about dragons.” He commanded quietly as he inquired her thoughts once again.

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[love]

Avalon sank into the waves, eyeing him with interest. Her sharp jaw line hardened and her eyes narrowed. "Stupidity comes in many forms. If everyone thought you were sweet and adorable, wouldn't that be shaming? Your reputation reeks of fear and that keeps others away, usually. I can't help the way I am. I'm quick to judge. Although, I do not think that's all you do. I've never encountered a dragon before, I've just heard rumors and myths from other mermaids, or the fairies and humans. Only half of them seem to be true, you haven't eaten me yet."

She dunked under the water for breath. It became sickly to her if even her head stayed out for to long. She didn't know how the other mermaids went onto land for hours at a time, when she couldn't remain out for more than a half hour before it came unbearable. Plus, why did she need to go onto land? She had the entire ocean. Everything she's ever needed, and more. Although, it was probably just a mental thing.
The mermaid surfaced and blinked the water out of her eyes. "Avalon, not fish women." She replied, "And as I've said before: I've never seen a dragon, let alone spoken to one before. I can not help but to be interested."

[Desperanza]

The dragon huffed, puffing steam from his nostrils as he gazed down at the mermaid for a moment, inclining his head. His tail lashed and his wings shifted as he pondered her remarks. His paws shifted against the sand that shifted and slid about, falling in around his claws as he gazed out across the ocean, his eyes thoughtful before his acid green eyes turned towards the mermaid once again, his nose lowering closer to her this time with a slight grin, “Hmmph. And perhaps I am pondering what you would taste like for lunch.” He replied with a curt nod, lifting his head once more as he shifted himself before settling again as he rocked back towards his haunches before stilling himself, inhaling a deep breath of salty sea air before he exhaled once again with a flick of his tail, “I could say that most mermaids are stupid and feminine. They sit there cooing and brushing their hair and trying to seduce men on ships. The little tramp like creatures never seem to have a brain but you, you do not seem to fit in. You are beautiful, just like nearly all of them seem to be and you seem to carry a lusting tone that would drive any human man crazy and yet, you also show yourself in the face of danger. I enjoy eating your friends for dessert, except for all the hair that they come with.” He wrinkled his nose and snorted, his spines lifting slightly for a moment before settling himself again with a shake of his head, “I would rather just eat the fish right out of the ocean.” He muttered with a curt nod at the thought.

The dragon fell silent for a few long moments as he looked across the water, thinking. He thought that he could come to enjoy this place, coming to swim here in his human form now and again and yet he missed the wicked, poisonous waters of the swamp itself. The boiling temperatures and the fact that his horde of treasures were hidden down there at the bottom of the swamp also enticed him right back to his land again. He did not stand to protect anyone like Kaori stood to protect whatever wildlife wandered around his property and Orlonox did not need to worry about protecting his treasure for anyone that attempted to reach it would be boiled alive and poisoned. There was no way. He grinned at the thought, tasting acid. His tongue lolled in his mouth and pressed against the tip of his muzzle but he refrained from letting the acid spill forward as he knew that the mermaid would not appreciate being sizzled alive, not that he felt pity if he killed her. Sighing, the black dragon shifted and leaned forward, his paws shifting once more as he came to look upon the mermaid once again but now, he was silent, having nothing more to say to her.

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