Scene #1221: Talking in Ravnica

Owner	Pose
Yunomi Stadler	THE OUTSKIRTS OF RAVNICA. A chill, but sunny afternoon; the winds are heading towards the city, where the spires spread out into the sky, keeping the smog and smell of industry from the Izzet Quarter away. Sunlight filters through trees that twist and turn, moulded by the high winds that pass through here in the rainy season. Dark red bark rises up, occasionally showing white flesh of the wood through cracks while amber-colored leaves, clinging to the trees in defiance of the winds. There is a distant gulch, where a half-frozen stream meanders through a puzzle of mini caverns and stone arches, but the meadow stretches for nearly a mile around, fall flowers poking up through the still-green winter grass.
Fang	Fang has found himself here in the winter wind among the meadows of Ravnica. He has a training sword in hand, made of wood with metal braces against it to give it proper weight. The former emperor of his people, lost from him in this strange world, steps with ease across the grass. His long hair in a ponytail, barely moves in the wind as he ruffles the sleeves of his shirt and collar. His motions with the sword seem well practiced and trained though out the many years. Each motion precise and each step with it smooth. Though everything has been taken from him, he still holds his memory and he still holds his experience. At least these things were not taken from him, so at least he has the blocks at which to slowly build himself back to where he once was. Not only that, but he has found himself a purpose, to distract himself from his rage and anger. Something to direct himself until he can have his revenge. Which is to train a young man who does not know what he wishes to be in the arts of swordmanship.
Ryu	Ryu is slowly finding his path, thanks to help from people like Fang and the others who have spent time to speak with him. So that's why he doesn't hesitate to meet the dragon emperor out in the middle of the meadow where the bitter wind brushes across his face and chills his cheeks. His eyes squint as he walks up to where he was told to meet Fang. The younger dragon holds the training sword he was given with one hand. The weight he insisted for it makes it heavier than most ordinary swords, but he wanted that because of the weight of his personal weapon, the Bonebreaker. A scarf wrapped around his shoulders is tugged and ruffled by the wind. He doesn't say anything to Fang, either by greeting or otherwise. The only sound is the creak of his shoes and the fingers of his gloves as he shifts his balance from one foot to another. He just stands there, looking ready for the spar, his golden eyes focused on his swordsmanship teacher with the intensity of the most observant of students.
Fang	Fang is going through his final motions as Ryu comes to walk up, but the time the set is done his back is turned to the young dragon. Fang closes his aqua blue eyes, inhaling the cold air, before he exhales gently. Then with an easy turn of his foot, he comes to face Ryu, moving to rest the training blade on his shoulder as his eyes open to look at his student. "Well, well-- I see you made it." Fang says with a grin on his face, with an amused look in his eyes. "Thanks for the scale by the way. It reminds me of one of my own when I could actually take to the skies." He then goes to lower the training sword as he rotates it in his hand. "I'll get there again. Believe you and me. Then I'll show you what real power of a dragon looks like." Fang then changes his stance slightly, more defensive. "But let get this show on the road. You make the first move, show me what you got.. and tell me how things have been while your at it."
Ryu	The cold wind plays with that white scarf, making it shuffle around on Ryu's shoulders for a few seconds longer as Fang speaks to him. He remains silent, and takes up a fighting posture with his weapon. It's more refined now, with his body turned and the weapon held up... despite his preference of weapon, it's a one-handed stance, like he was using a far lighter weapon. Eyes narrow at the notion Fang has about the power of a dragon. Something in the way the blue-haired young man tenses when reminded of it still shows he's not comfortable with the idea. He lets the tension melt out of him again, like he was actively trying to train away a reflex. "The power of a dragon," he repeats, "I don't care about that." He seems to have formed a more defined opinion of it nowadays. He says this right before he advances toward Fang, striking with a quick overhead that feints into a short forward step and stabbing motion with the sword that uses his whole upper body for momentum, liable to bruise pretty harshly if it hits.
Fang	Fang stands ready, even as Ryu comes rushing in. "Don't care huh?" Fang says back with a raised eye brow. When the feint comes, Fang steps back still reacting to it. However its when Ryu suddenly steps in, Fang goes to move to the side to parry away the sword stab. Though the sheer force creates a loud clack between the two wood blades and Ryu causes Fang to wince a bit at how much harder it was for the Emperor to deal with the stronger youth. "You should care. Like it or not. We are what we are." Fang then steps around and goes back into defensive posture once more. "Though I'm not here to preach your ear off. I am sure there is far better people who can do those honors."
Ryu	Ryu lets out a sigh from Fang's reply, though it doesn't stop him from focusing on the sparring match. "You... Rhapsody... Bahamut... Teepo... even that officer..." he murmurs, looking a little tired as he recounts the people who have repeated roughly the same idea to him with different approaches. It was whittling down his misgivings, steadily, and it might be obvious at this point. "You don't get it," he says, as he circles, keeping at a fixed distance from Fang, "It's not about the pride of being a dragon, or the power, or the glory... I don't want to be Ryu the White Dragon, or a king, or a general." He has a loose stance, more relaxed than the last time, though the sword is kept firmly held so it can't be disarmed too easily. The only thing he has over Fang is physical strength, so his stance is definitely sloppy in comparison. "I've seen the good and the bad of power. I don't want to focus on being a strong dragon, or think myself better than anyone. Because if I do, I know I'll lose sight of all the others that need help. The people afraid of me have lives and families, too, the ones who think I'm some kind of monster out to destroy them. What would it tell them, if I tried to convince them with power or pride? I would just be another monster, trying to exert my influence over them." He steps in toward Fang and does a direct strike, something that would utterly smash the guard of lesser people. It might leave Ryu open to attack afterward, or it might knock Fang for a loop. It depends on how prepared the other dragon is.
Fang	Fang hmphs again. "Helping people huh? Is that what you really want to do?" The teacher asks the student as he watches Ryu come in with a heavy swing. "Hard to help others, unless you can help yourself!" Fang goes to meet Ryu head on. The two sword collide and Fang uses the momentum to pull his hard down, before stepping around and with a swift swing goes to counter by a hard strike to the back of Ryu's body. Though after, Fang has to shake out his own arm a bit. That-- actually smarted. "You have to take care of yourself, before you can take care of others. So if you want to help those around you, you better know yourself inside and outside."
Ryu	THWACK! Ryu is sent staggering forward and lets out a quite dragon-like squawk of a startle... He rolls his shoulders some when he turns to face Fang, making a discomforted face at the sting of the counter hit. It probably hurt just as much to get hit back like that. He readies his stance once more, and thinks on what Fang is saying to him. "So first, I have to..." he hesitates. "I have to accept what I am now." Which, just from the way he says that, seems like it'll still take some time to do. The wary tone he has is very telling. Another advance, and he's doing a horizontal swing with both hands, that follows up to a vertical overhead.
Fang	Fang gives a firm nod to what Ryu says, "Right." The emperor then watches as Ryu comes in. Doing a quick leap back as the swing comes down from Ryu. Watching the edge of the training blade come just inches from his nose. As soon as his heel lands on the ground, he quickly takes a knee and raising up the sword, bracing with his other hand for the sudden downward slam. The two wood blades clack hard, the sound being carried on the winter wind. "Like it or not..." he says with gritted teeth. Fang then goes to try and push up, though he is not as strong as Ryu, so it may turn more into a slight push up and roll away. "..your a dragon now. You don't accept that part of you-- at least acknowledge it.." "..you may become what you hate."
Ryu	Ryu grunts behind the sound of the impacting swords. The sting running through his hands makes his nose wrinkle, a sneer showing on his face. His sharp teeth are visible at that moment, a physical reminder that he's not human anymore. He gets pushed away and has to take an extra step to correct his footing, puffing out a frustrated sigh when he realizes how unbalanced he got from the parry. An unnecessary amount of force, he realizes, if he can't land a blow that strong. The words that Fang says to him ring through his head, things that have occurred to him but seem louder when confirmed by someone else. He nods once, and moves in for another strike, but it's followed up by several more, touch-and-go attacks that use less of his strength and more try to use some dexterity to find a gap in his opponent's defense. He does this with a silent intensity, not pausing to speak again. He doesn't have any way to articulate how he feels now, too confused by the drastic changes to know how to describe it.
Fang	Fang quickly gets back on his feet as Ryu comes in again. With quick back steps, he goes to parry the blows, one by one, including even as he side steps around. However with a slight miss guided step and Ryu's own ferocity. This is where things get a little hairy. Fang makes this misguided step, for even with his experience, he isn't perfect. The step gives Ryu that opening and the wood sword slams into Fang's arm. Fang snarls out in pain at the impact. A mark that will bruise. Those pupils narrow in to almost slits for a moment, with his slightly fanged canine's visible. As Ryu comes in again, Fang goes to block the strike with only one hand to guide the blade, given his other arm which aids in handling the more powerful strikes needs a moment for the sting to fade away. This parried strike, causes Fang to slide around with the blow, before he then sweeps around low, aiming his own blade for the back one of Ryu's knees. The only comment to come from Fang after the impact is a rather simple one, "Your getting better at this. Still need to control the emotions though."
Ryu	Ryu, inexperienced in dealing with another humanoid fighter like this, ends up struck in the back of the knee with ease. The jolt of pain gets a yelp from him that is pure dragon, and he's driven off his feet. He staggers forward again, and uses the wooden sword to prop himself up, while the nerves in his leg tingle in protest of the strike. He smiles over at Fang uneasily, the angry nerve's pain seen on his face. "I'm working on it," he assures Fang, unconvincingly. He rolls one of his shoulders as he stands, and he breathes in. As the pain echoes through his leg, he has to fight past the instinct of turning into a dragon, of gaining that extra strength when he doesn't want to. A phrase thrums in his head and tells him that it's okay, and that he should accept it. It sounds like Fang, and Rhapsody, and Bahamut... and Teepo. A shimmer of white light, and a dragon is lunging toward Fang with that wooden sword, striking with significantly higher strength, letting out a bark of effort that has a background of chiming crystals. This would be the first time he's actually shown this to Fang and it's entirely on accident. However, right after, he freezes, as if horrified by how easy the transition was.
Fang	Fang watches the transformation and his eyes narrow sharply. This time, he doesn't even try to block. Instead he simply goes to spring over to the side to get out of the way of the strike. His hand coming down on the ground to aid with the roll over back on his feet. Fang stares at Ryu for a moment, even as the young boy looks suddenly terrified. Fang stands up straight and rotates his sword around before resting it on his shoulder. "Maybe-- we should call it a break here." He says rather calmly. "You alright?" Yeah. Fang isn't to bothered by the sudden transformation. Though he is concerned by how Ryu is reacting and knows what it was like when they fledged into dragons themselves in his own world. Sometimes it was wonderful, other times disorienting, and then you had those others....
Ryu	The wooden sword drops from Ryu's hand, thumping against the grass. The fearful dragon settles back and falls onto his bottom, just staring onward with a vacant gaze for a few seconds even as Fang spoke to him. He didn't seem to be that responsive, as the sensation of being a dragon was still something he associated with a negative feeling. He felt powerful, and that was terrifying. He turned his gaze to look at Fang, only then remembering someone was even there with him. He tried to respond with words and only managed a little squeaky noise, garbling his phrase completely. It's probably clear how deeply this affects him, more clear than just telling someone, right then.
Fang	Fang listens to the grumblings of Ryu and the words that are more dragon sounds then actual words. The emperor sighs gently and goes to walk up to Ryu, seeming not the least bit concerned about the humanoid dragon at the least. "Hey," His voice was calm, there was a slight commanding tone to it though, as if maybe trying to touch Ryu's draconic mind-- to tap it-- to calm it. "Easy. Nice and easy. No reason to get yourself worked up, alright? Just relax and breath." "You are not going to hurt me or anyone around-- hell-- there is only you and me out here anyways." Fang says with a mild smirk. "Just close your eyes, collect your thoughts, and relax."
Ryu	The white dragon looks at Fang blearily... until that clear voice comes out toward him. It rung through his head. It drove deep into his mind, a command that gave him a much needed reprieve from the tension he once felt. Fang would see it as the dragon sucking in a breath, his eyes glowing and his posture straightening, but his muscles seemingly relaxing some. He slowly got up to a stand and looked upon Fang with a newfound understanding. An understanding for why he was the Dragon Emperor. The iridescent dragon reached out carefully with one hand at Fang, as if a disoriented dragon in a dream trying to see if something was real. Ryu's fear melted away. His disdain, if only temporarily, forgotten. An approving rumble came from Ryu. He didn't try to speak, knowing that he would have trouble doing so. Awkwardly, he was trying to convey his gratitude for whatever supernatural influence had washed over him.
Yunomi Stadler	"Well, you're not the only ones out here." quips a voice from above, and down drops a young woman, resplendant in armor bearing a pauldron in the shape of a dragon's head, a massive frill forming a shoulder guard. Her leathers are in brilliant red and blue, echoing the shades of her bangs. She has a pair of goggles smooshing her bangs up into a spikey wave at her forehead, and she's weaponless, unaccompanied save for a cheerily beepping orb that circles her head. "Good to see you again, Fang." she greets the older dragon, giving a nod. And she fearlessly gives a nod to the white dragon as well. "Hullo." she greets him, and gives a bit of a bow. "I apologize for the interruption. SOmeone reported a disturbance -- I came to check up on things."
Fang	Fang gave a gentle nod of his head, looking at Ryu dead on. Those aqua blue eyes of his still reflecting calmness in it. Fang walked toward him, even as Ryu stretched his hand out, guiding Ryu's hand to rest on his taller shoulder. "Just breath and relax, Ryu. You have nothing to be afraid of and I'm right here with you. Teacher and student. Warrior to warrior." Fang smiles ever so faintly. "Brothers in fire and scale." Fang then tilts his head ever so faintly. "And your welcome, I think." Fang says with a mildly amused grin. "You got to get use to this, learn to take charge you know? Learn your strengths, your weaknesses, make use of that knowledge.. and you'll help others one day-- and people will come to respect you.. not as someone of power.. but as a real person.. " That is about when Yunomi speaks up and Fang goes to look away from Ryu, "Hey. Training the kid here in some sword fighting-- he has a ton of passion.. just a little sharp on the anger." He says with an amused grin and a slight wink. "May even one day give me a real run for my money."
Ryu	Ryu appreciated the stability more than he thought he could...a squeeze of the white dragon's hand indicated he had a lot of physical strength that his human shape really lacked. Once the gesture was complete, he drew his hand away and gave one nod at Fang. There's a look of incredulity when his anger issues are brought up, and Fang would get a big wash of surprisingly fresh breath in his face in complaint, complete with a sparkle of white light. He reacted to Yunomi's presence in a delayed fashion. The easy way she accepted him probably helped him accept her in turn. But he still had no idea who she was, and so he stepped over to her, snuffling at the air and seeming more bestial about his curiosity. Not rude, just cautious in a way you might expect a jumpy animal to be. "Rrrr?" he questions at her, managing the curious tone, despite his inability to form actual words.
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi's ears perk up, and she gives a friednly grin. "Maybe I could get some instruction in swordplay sometime. You guys were really going at it." she replies kindly, and she blinks as Ryu comes to inspect her.... but she's used to dragons. "Hello. You must be Fang's student. My name's Yunomi, I work with Rhapsody and the Izzet." she introduces herself friendly-like, and offers an open palm, cupped slightly. "How do you do?" Hey, animals communicate best by smell, right? She smells like the tangy fires of forges, metallic smoke and grease, like leather conditioner and salt and sweat... and bagels.
Fang	Fang can only smirk at the snort in his direction. He shifts his weight slightly, the training sword going back to rest on his shoulder as he stands there. Yeah, Fang was a Dragon Emperor and he was treating Ryu in this current moment as he had treated many who were first time fledged-- and having troubles with it. Sure he picked fights, won fights, and seemed maybe to many at first glance like a bully, but he did care for his people. Just behind the rough scales and hefty flames. There was rules in his world-- rules that didn't overly apply here in this one. That was something he was learning and learning still. Fang chuckles at Yunomi and that smirk remains. "Training lessons from me? Really? You are the one who protects a guild master. I'm sure I can learn more from you then you can from me." Though he watches how she interacts with Ryu and snorts softly. "..he isn't a pet you know.." Maybe it was the cupped hand deal or maybe Fang's dragon sense were prickling a bit. Who knows. He then goes to plant the edge of the training blade into the ground and rest both hands on the hilt. "That and he doesn't have talking down real well. His name is Ryu. You may have heard about him from Rhapsody-- or even myself when I was talking about the kid with the blue hair." Fang then raises an eye brow. "We'll probably eventually work on the speaking deal once he grounds himself a bit more as a dragon. Got to learn to walk and fly first before you can breath fire and talk." Was that like some saying in his clan? More mysteries of Fang's world.
Ryu	When Yunomi introduces herself as someone who works with Rhapsody, Ryu almost seems like he smiles brightly, the way his face shifts suggesting that. The beak-like structure of his mouth made it hard to really tell emotion on his face, though. He would lean in to sniff at her hand, after she holds it up to him, but halts when Fang makes a crack about him not being a pet. The dragon's face actually turns red around his snout at that point. Embarrassed! He instead reaches out, somewhat awkwardly, to grab Yunomi's hand and give her a handshake. He nods in confirmation of Fang's remark about being unable to speak, but the way it's said makes Ryu look over at the other dragon warily. Even though he's been relaxed some, the idea of spending too much time in this form still made him uneasy.
Yunomi Stadler	"No, most dragons I know make terrible pets." Yunomi grins, and she curls her hand around Ryu's, and gives it a shake. "However, it's hard for me to gauge where they can reach with a forewing or forehand." she replies to Fang. And she purses her lips, and leans back on one foot, considering. "So, there's no like, draconic language like in Sk.. Skyrim?" she inquires. "I know that where General Paarthunax in the Union is from, the dragon language doesn't always translate easily either. He's always repeating himself in a common tongue." And she looks at Ryu. "Hey, don't be embarrassed. At least one of the dragons I met tried to /eat/ me before talking to me normally."
Fang	Fang can not help but bark a laugh when Ryu gets all embarrassed. There was then an evil grin on his face, but he keeps himself from harassing Ryu to much like this. "Yeah-- I know. One step at a time, you know?" Fang then huffs out to the side. "Ryu, come here for a second." He may as well help the kid get back to, well, his normal form. However that works, but he has maybe an idea on how. For his clan, they didn't ever revert back. Once your fledged, that was that. So it was just getting those use to the fact they went from being on two legs, to four legs-- had a tail, could breath fire-- all that sort of stuff. The Dragon Emperor then looks over to Yunomi, "Draconic language? I know in my world, we dragons spoke the same tongue as everyone else. Just in a different way. Though given how many dragon cultures are in the Multiverse, it be hard to tell what works best for Ryu. That is something," Fang looks at him once more. "he'll have to decide on his own. Like many things.." Then there was a momentary frown of a thought. Fang may not be saying it, but something was bugging him.
Ryu	Being assured that it wasn't so bad may have worked better if Ryu didn't hear that the other example tried to eat her. The horrified look in his eyes for a second showed he didn't really get the humor of that at all. He shrugged it off soon after once he was told to come back over to Fang... so he released Yunomi's hand, and turned to walk over to stand near the other dragon. His head tilted. "Rrf?" he wondered at Fang, uncertainly. The height difference is probably funny to see. The white dragon is shorter than Fang is. It's also clear that Ryu doesn't have any wings, so if he has any capacity to fly in the future, it isn't immediately obvious how that would be possible. He was pretty easy to command, lacking some of the willpower he might've otherwise had because of the disorientation his dragon form placed on him.
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi catches the frown... but she rubs the back of her head, and doesn't comment on it. Ryu is Fang's student... and unless there was unneeded brutality, there wasn't any reason for her to step in more than she has. She does, however, examine Ryu's body, out of curiosity, lipspurisng and eyes rising, comparing and contrasting against the dragons she knows, folliwng a mental checklist.
Fang	Once Ryu came over to Fang, those aqua blue eyes seeking the others in thought for a moment. He could only cross his fingers this would work. "Alright Ryu, I think enough dragon fun times, huh? Lets get you back to the blue haired kid. That way you can give some proper introductions, huh?" Fang inhales deeply and this time he places his hand on Ryu's shoulder. Nope. No fear at all from this once dragon now stuck in a human-like form. "I need you to close your eyes and focus, Ryu. Revert back to your previous form with a soft exhale and once you do so, open your eyes again, alright?" Fang then slowly goes to remove his hand away about then. His eye only glancing over to Yunomi. He'll get back over to her in a second.
Ryu	Ryu looked at Fang with some confusion, as the commands were given. He shrugged once once the hand was placed on him, and looks over at Yunomi in that same confusion, like he's not seeing what the deal is with this... then he reverts back. With a sparkle of white light and his body turning into a white silhouette, he morphs back into human form. "Fang, I already know how to do that, it was the first thing I learned," he says, smiling with a great big amused grin. He's quite relaxed now, though, the words from before still having an effect on him. He turns to regard Yunomi, and introduces himself, "My name's Ryan Bateson. Or Ryu, if you want a nickname, though it's a little strange to call myself that whether or not I'm a dragon. You might've heard me over the Union channels already."
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi gives a small smile as she watches Ryu turn back to a human, and she makes an approach, offering a hand again. "Nice to meet you in person, Ryan. You've probably heard me blathering on the channels. The Union has some of my dearest and oldest friends and family." she smiles. "So, is your callsign Ryu, or do you use it to differenciate between your human form and your dragon form?"
Fang	Fang gives Ryu a small shrug, "Hey. I just want to be sure, you know?" He smiles and then steps back, "Besides-- taking care of you like this kid, its going to give me a bad rep. People may think I'm getting soft and becoming less of an ass." The dragon emperor seems amused by this, before he then looks over at Yunomi, "Take care of the kid, yeah? He may need some stuff to eat after all that. Nice big helpings of sheep or steak." Fang then gives a wave and starts to walk off. Whelp. It seems the Dragon Emperor is done with his lessons for the day. Now onto whatever he is off to go do.
Ryu	Ryu grabs Yunomi's hand to shake it. Curiously, his clothing materialized back onto him when he changed back, so his glove creaks when he grabs the offered hand. "Ryu's the callsign I'm using, yeah. I got the nickname a while ago, before I actually was a dragon. It's a coincidence and... it stuck, so I've used it for years now." He shrugs, pocketing both of his hands. He smiles off toward Fang as the older dragon wanders off, giving a wave as a goodbye. After that, he looks over to Yunomi, and his brows raise. "Steak?" he asks, with all the eagerness and hopefulness of a hungry dog. He even has to restrain the urge to drool a little.
Yunomi Stadler	"Steak sounds good." Yunomi gives a grin, and she tilts her head. "C'mon, I know a place that specializes in huge portions," she states, and begins to walk. "So, what'd you do before you were a dragon that warranted a callsign?" she inquires with curiosity, pushing her goggles a little further back.
Ryu	Ryu has already warmed up to Yunomi! He follows along with the Izzet researcher, his boots thudding against the ground as he walks. He perks his brows again when he's asked about his nickname, and gives it a moment's pause to think about it. Having told the story before, he considers how to explain it, visibly troubled by the story behind it. "I was in a gang," he begins, "We all had nicknames. Mostly it was Worens, so they had nicknames like 'Claws the Moon,' things like that. They couldn't think of something for me until a drug dealer moved into town and started ruining our reputation... and I found the dealer, and beat him unconscious with my bare hands. I was a lot angrier back then. They called me Ryu because it scared people. Dragons are seen as monsters where I'm from." He knits his brow. "I'm starting to wonder about that."
Yunomi Stadler	"Is that so?" Yunomi inquires, gently. "Well, if it's any consolation... where I'm from, my kind can be pretty malicious." she replies, and points to her ears. "I'm not human myself." she adds, and enters into the city via a large gate, with a goblin waving her through, but eyeblaling the blue-haired teen suspiciously. "'Claws the Moon' sounds like a bit of a badass name, though."
Ryu	The goblin gets an almost instinctual frown and a disapproving look from Ryu, as if its status as a dragon snack in other worlds resonated with him. Mostly he didn't like the look he was given. He continued his conversation with Yunomi without pause, though, not sparing much effort caring about what one goblin thought. "So what are you, then?" he asked, on reflex, smiling at her with a bright cheerfulness. Perhaps he's found some common ground with someone else, which he's starting to enjoy. "Oh." A beat. "I forget how that guy got that name. I think it was because he had a scar on--" He halts, and his awkward smile probably finishes that for him. "Yeah uh. It wasn't as badass as it sounded, most of the nicknames weren't, but people outside our circle didn't really know unless we told them."
Yunomi Stadler	"Aaaah. /THAT/ moon." Yunomi gives a grin. THe sounds of the Tin Street Market were coming up faster and faster. Yunomi looks back, and she fully drops the 'humany' look that she wears for outsiders, sprouting her full, round, soft and fuzzy ears and the brown tail that looks like the end was dipped in ink. "I'm a tanuki... err... shape-shifting... chubby fox-dog thing." she explains, pausing to rub the side of her head. "A lot of people don't know about them. Kinda disheartening... but dragons! Man, everyone knows about /dragons/, but they differ from place to place." she replies with a small grin.
Ryu	"Ohhh. I know what tanuki are. They don't really... talk where I'm from. Also they try to eat people, so you've got that over them." Ryu explains this with a straight face, apparently not intimidated by her explaining that. He looks up at the ears with some fascination, and that soft smile that seemed sad thanks to the slightly tired look he has. "Dragons are known everywhere because they're huge jerks or egomaniacs or just big and dangerous, from everything that I've seen," he says, a little dour about the examples he's been presented so far. "People like Rhapsody and her siblings seem rare compared to the dragons at the Rookery or people like Bahamut or Teepo." He shakes his head slowly.
Yunomi Stadler	"Well, they have reason to be. Most dragons are top-dogs, either apex preditors or literally nothing above them but gods." Yunomi points out. "And to have survived long enough to get to that point is a huge accomplishment. I've met very few /young/ dragons." Yunomi gives a grin, "But most I've met are pretty OK. I pretty much called Fang out on being a jerk when we first met." she shares... and then she gives a slight smile. "Niv-Mizzet, Rhapsody's father, /used/ to be really full of himself. He was the only surviving dragon in Ravnica." she explains. Tin Stret's market is bustling with life. People are selling all manner of animals and components and delicious looking morsels. Humans and goblins and all manner of other folk -- even a very tall, winged woman with coppery hair and a very stern expression -- walk the market. ANd it smells like deep-fried everything. "Eh, the tanuki where I'm from in Japan are mostly helpful, but I have distant relatives, I'm told, who ate humans or burried them in sand."
Ryu	The blue-haired dragon named Ryan watches with rapt attention, weaving through the crowd to follow along with the tanuki. He doesn't get distracted with the many tasty sights and sounds simply because he knows Yunomi is leading him somewhere that he'll get plenty to eat. "So I guess I haven't worked up those centuries of pride and ego yet, huh," he remarks, seeming skeptical about the whole thing. He's actually joking about something, which is rare for him to do at all. "So some tanuki are helpful, and others let their power go to their heads?" he inquires, somewhat rhetorically. "I wonder if that's the same where I'm from. I don't think we ever see tanuki when they aren't attacking someone. We usually figure they're just another kind of chrysm beast, like mantraps and imps."
Yunomi Stadler	"You've got time." Yunomi reminds him with a grin, taking a sharp corner and going down a flight of metal stairs. "Chrysm beast? So, sort of like a magical dangerous monster type in your world?" she inquires, her eyebrows raising as she takes a few steps backwards to espy the blue-haired guy with a grin, and she lifts a curtain and slips inside a hole-in-the-wall place. And it smells steamy, and doughy... and full of /meat/. Once inside, the place has bright red and gold walls depicting trees and birds and all manner of beasts, and there are several tables and wooden chairs. Yunomi glances around -- most of the tables are occupied, so she begins to head to the back.
Ryu	Ryu follows her into the little restaurant, glancing around at the way the place was decorated. He seemed most curious about the beasts on the walls, trying to puzzle out what they were supposed to be and if there were any that varied from things in his world but still seemed to be those animals. He follows her into the back room, his hands remaining firmly pocketed the whole way. "Yeah. When a chrysm refinery overflows, animals get polluted and turn into these monstrous things. If the spill is big enough, it can wipe out towns that aren't prepared enough for it. I spent a while hunting them as a part of the military, it's what my sword is designed to fight. Cuts right through the shells and hide of the more durable ones."
Yunomi Stadler	"Sounds pretty useful. Careful, I might recruit you for a Pan-Pacific Defense Corps mission." Yunomi jokes, giving a wave to a portly bartender, who has four arms and no discernable mouth. He cheerily burbles, and grabs a pair of menus as he makes his way towards them. "My dad's a military man. He hunts the undead... well... more like diseased corpses left behind when a virus goes through a body." Yunomi states as she sits down. "Recently he's actually gotten to relax a bit." The figure crosses the floor on two pillar-like legs, and leaves the menus with the two. They're hand-written, with price in 'UCREDS' 'CCREDS' and a strange symbol with strange symbols following under it.
Ryu	Ryu looks at the peculiar bartender with more than a little surprise, evidently unsettled by how odd he looked. He didn't say anything, and tried very hard not to stare, instead settling into his seat. Once he had the menu, though, the only thing he could think about was browsing through it for his meal. He checks what there was to eat, and settled on something quite a lot like a steak dinner, though some of the ingredients confused him, as he expected they would. "Egh," he sounds out at the explanation of what Rick does. "Sounds like a tough job. I can't imagine having to do something like that as my main job, I'd lose my appetite for fighting pretty fast. That, or it'd hollow me out, I think. I've seen how undead fighters look after a decade or so at it, most of them don't talk much." He shakes his head. "So what do /you/ do, exactly?" he wonders at Yunomi.
Yunomi Stadler	"AH... you don't want this, this, or this. And if you're going to order the combo four, you'll want three portions, they're tiny." Yunomi states. "Eight is mislabled, that's actually cow. Like, a real cow. Not seacow or cloudcow and definately not one of the gascows. Cow. Moo. And you have to tell him you want it rare or else he burns it." Yunomi advises, and she flips through a few things, and she takes a deep breath. "... my dad has a good reason to do what he does, and I hope that someday, I'll be as strong as he is... and be able to help others in return." she replies, and then she purses her lips, glancing up over her menu. "My area of research primarily involves mana transferrence and creation, alteration and composition of temporary and high-output low-upkeep biological transfer lines. I'm also in charge marginally of security and relations, educational workshops on martial arts, and every so often hop out with a couple of guys in massive metal suits to fight giant monsters from another universe with toxic blood." A human waitress with pure green eyes smiles, and pours water for the two, followed by a minty smelling, thick, hot mixture. Yunomi sips from that.
Ryu	Ryu looks overwhelmed when she explains the menu to him, and he tries to remember. It's quite likely he'll order something strange anyways, unless she orders for him... well maybe not, but he struggles with it some. He's not a quick-witted creature, with some things. The way he creases his brow at her shows some mild uneasiness when she says she wants to be as strong as someone who fights horrible things for a living. He looks down at the menu again-- He looks up at her in utter befuddlement as she explains her vocation to him. He blinks a few times, trying to process all of that. Big words, a lot of technical-sounding stuff, it's only the last part he really gets and nods at. He awkwardly looks up to the waitress, nodding at her in gratitude when drinks are poured. He sips at the water lightly. "Do you have... hobbies or is that all you do?" he asks, moving past the parts he couldn't really understand pretty smoothly.
Yunomi Stadler	"I also write and illustrate a Multiversally popular comic book with a monthly release." Yunomi replies, and gives a sheepish grin... then frowns. "I keep busy. I don't get to see my dad or my biological father as often as I'd like, but most of my friends are busy too... but they know that if they needed me, I would be there in an instant to help." she smiles. The waitress draws out a pad, and looks expectantly at Ryu, then Yunomi. ANd Yunomi rubs the back of her head. "Aah.. I've got this, Ryan. Can we have the E7, the G4, the P2 in tripple portions, combo eight and a side order of the fried tubers, seasoned. Thanks, Klaata." The woman replies in a metallic sounding voice: "Always glad to see the Izzet being unexplosive."
Ryu	"I'm a little jealous," Ryan admits to Yunomi, after the waitress has gotten the order down. "All I have going for me is that I'm okay in a fight, and that I can turn into a dragon." He gives a sheepish smile back at her. He finishes off his water after that, and coughs once, giving a look around the room at what activity there might be elsewhere, curious about this odd world. "It sounds to me like you already found some strength," he mentions without really thinking about it, distraction in his voice.
Yunomi Stadler	"Hey, when I got here all I had going for me was living in a sock drawer and the ability to change shapes." Yunomi replies wryly. "Everything else I've developed. I made friends who helped me, the same way that Fang's helping you." Yunomi replies, downing more of the minty drink. Around the room there are humans, goblins, strange looking people with dark b lue skin, and even a mechanical servant. There's a pale man with red eyes and wearing a lot of black robes with a carafe with some sort of amber colored liquid. A pair of men, one wearing blue and red, the other wearing black and white, are playing a three-dimensional, globe-shaped version of chess with one another. A young person who looks more fish than human is studying some records at a table, and the bartender is gleefully blurbing, through a set of organs framing his face, about the local sports team possibly changing their name to something absolutely radical -- The Bills. There's flashes of a cook through a window, who peers out and narrows its eyes at Yunomi, then sets about prepping for what looks like a very large meal.
Ryu	There's a look on Ryu's face, mild discomfort showing there when the word 'friend' is used. "Fang's my teacher," he murmurs a little insistently. He turns to look at Yunomi after that, smiling at her. "You think he's helping me...?" he wonders, not really realizing the improvement is that obvious. "I know Rhapsody is, it's hard to tell with Fang or the others I've run into."
Yunomi Stadler	Yunomi leans back a moment, and she takes off her goggles. She looks at them a moment, turning them this way and that in the light. "Teachers can be friends, too. The best teachers will call you out when you're wrong. They'll guide you, and give you the tools you need to carry on. And when it's down to the wire... they will have your back." she states, and she sets the goggles on the table, and takes a deep breath "... and deliver the hardest lessons when you are at most need of a friend." "I... don't know you as well as I know Rhaps. Or even Fang. What I do know is that in spite of the fact that he's a bit of a jerk, he seems like an all right guy."
Ryu	"I know that much. He likes to pretend he's tough and formidible and ferocious but..." Ryu shakes his head slowly, his arms crossing as he tries to think of a way to follow up on that. "He got lodging from someone, and he was thinking of how to repay them. He went looking for a way to help someone out when they were helping him. He's not selfish, or at least he's really good at hiding it. And when he talks to me, it's like he wants me to improve." He sets his finger down on the table, "But he still has that tough guy act, and my training is still a transaction and not out of the kindness of his heart, not exactly." He replaces his hand into his armcrossed position.
Yunomi Stadler	"... yeah. My training wasn't either." Yunomi replies wryly. And then the food arrives. Rare roasts sliced thin and rolled with a spicy compote in the middle of them. Golden fried potatoes smothered with mushrooms and gravy and covered in a dusting of hot spices. A huge platter of slabs of meat that smells like it's fresh off a fire, charred and peppered on the outside and rare on the inside. Golden rods nearly a foot long, crisp on the outside -- one was broken in half, revealing an oozing yellow inside that looked like molten cheese, and a pile of waffles covered in fried fingers of... something that smelled close enough to chicken to count. Klaata required a hand bringing it all to the table, and the jovial, side-of-the-head-mouth-organed bartender was eager to bring it over, reaching over and giving Yunomi a pudgy-fingered high five, and he waddled back to the bar. Ryu's glass is refilled. "He has a lot of pride in what he is... and probably a lot of anger. That is one thing I know paticularly well." Yunomi wryly responds, pulling over the plate of waffles and almost-chicken-fingers. "And I know of few teachers who don't want their pupils to improve... you wanna know something funny?"
Ryu	Ryu smiles in that sad way, and then lets his expression fade as the food arrives. As it's all set before him, he eyes the food hungrily. He has to stop himself from reaching out to grab some of it with his gloved hands, instead removing his gloves and setting them aside before he begins eating. Those roasts never stood a chance against the power of his jaws and the cutting edge of his teeth. He looked up at Yunomi quizzically when she prompted him, making sure to pay close attention to whatever she's about to say. Even though he's stuffing his face full of food. Strangely, spicy food doesn't seem to bother him at all... perhaps attributed to the fact that he can breathe fire, something easily intuited by the way smoke puffs from his mouth and nose while he's eating.
Yunomi Stadler	"Ryan's my middle name. My dad gave it to me as a last name before he adopted me. Kinda attached to it." Yunomi states, folding a waffle taco-like around the chicken, and she watches with amusement as Ryu digs in. She gives a grin. "I kept it as a legal middle name -- where I'm from, often times you didn't have a family name, let alone a middle name." she grins. "Eat up. You're a growing dragon."
Ryu	Ryu smiles around his food, happy to just chow down. He doesn't have a BIG appetite, necessarily, though he can scarf down food pretty quickly if he doesn't slow down to actually enjoy it. He figures this out somewhere halfway into his eating, pausing to take a drink of water. "Funny coincidence," he agrees. "Ryan's a pretty common first name where I was born," he goes on, "Must've been four of them around my age from the town I lived in." He lets out a sigh, relaxing in his seat, his hunger tension having faded away. "Thanks for this, Yunomi," he murmurs, showing a very warm and simultaneously sad smile. "For bringing me here."
Yunomi Stadler	"Hey. We all need friends, accomplices, helpers... after all... I was nothing without my friends when I first started." If you need crash space..." she ventures. "I can ask Rhaps . Thaniel pretty much goes along with whatever I come up with. It'd be no problem to get you digs in Nivix." she smiles. THere is already a very large portion of the waffles and cheese rods gone. Yunomi is brushing crumbs off on a napkin.
Ryu	"A place to stay? In Nivix?" Ryu looks pretty surprised by the suggestion, complete with wide eyes! He thinks on that, looking down at his food while he does so. "I'd like that. If you can convince Rhapsody." The bashful smile he develops after that is quite the sight. "I don't really have much besides a temporary bunk at a Union base," he admits. "It'd be more of a home than that."
Yunomi Stadler	"Oh. I'm sure I can convince Rhapsody that it'd be a good idea." Yunomi ventures, and rubs the back of her head. "You just have to keep in mind that things can get loud in Nivix... explosions. Oh. And one more thing..."
Ryu	A few more nods after that, and Ryu is waiting for Yunomi to elaborate on what she means. He stuffs the last of his food into his maw while he waits for this.
Yunomi Stadler	"You might need some remedial classes. The Izzet are full of mages and scientists. I wouldn't want you accidentally wandering someplace that might get you hurt." YUnomi gives an embarrassed smile. "How's your chemistry?"
Ryu	"I'm pretty good at keeping my nose out of stuff that I know I don't understand," Ryu tells Yunomi in an attempt to reassure her. "I'm also a dabbling mage so I can pick up on what might blow my arms off better than someone who has no idea how to use a basic illumination spell." He demonstrates by making a small ball of light. Much like the way he transformed back into a human, it's a soft white silhouette that's hard to really see the depth of, but it doesn't glare. "But if you think I would need the classes..." he trails off, suggesting he's open the learning about chemistry if it's needed.
Yunomi Stadler	"Smarter than most would assume." Yunomi gives a friendly smile, and finishes that thick, minty-smelling drink. She watches with amusement, and then gives another grin, and straightens herself, picking her goggles up, and she reaches into a billfold and leaves a pile of coinage on the table, giving a wave to the bartender, who whistles back to her. "Well. We'll take a look. It's nice learning from one another, and I wouldn't mind having another pair of hands around my shop if all else fails. But we'll see what Rhapsody says." she grins. "I've got lunch. You can buy drinks next time."