Scene #1355: An Argument Between Dragons

Owner	Pose
Ryu	Ryu has been doing a lot of thinking. Recent events have forced him to rethink his negative thoughts on being a dragon, and rethink his whole approach to being one at all. He's even formed his own particularly strong opinions of what a dragon should be, influenced by the power of other dragons that have shown them how they could positively interact while still seeming proud or powerful or wise. So Ryan isn't in a sullen mood now. Instead, he's on an island with an easily-accessible warp gate. It's a little-known vacation spot, but that's not why he picked it. He picked it because it doesn't have a population that can get in the way should a fight break out. He picked it knowing that the demand he's going to make is unlikely to be answered with acceptance. The young man stands in the sands of the beach, staring out into the waves. His mouth is set into a frown and his hands are in his pockets. The sunlight beats against his face, something he doesn't really care about. His shadow is cast in a way that suggests it's around noon. There's not a single cloud in the sky. He looks ... surly, for someone that's standing on such a nice beach. It's not even too hot or too cold! He didn't bring his sword or his gun today.
Teepo	A little known vacation spot, and a letter from Ryan. No real instructions or information, just 'come here'. Maybe he wanted to talk to Teepo about something important. Maybe he's finally realized how stupid it is to be afraid of his powers. Wouldn't that be amazing! Mind, Teepo's not going into this blind. The less information was in a letter, the more likely it was that someone ELSE had sent it rather than Ryan and was trying to draw him into a trap. Thus, as he arrives at the spot, he isn't quite as unarmed as Ryan is. He looks ready to jump in retaliation until he sees Ryan. But even though he relaxes some, he isn't quite completely off his guard. He keeps a few arms-lengths between himself and Ryu at first, in case it's someone disguised as him instead of actually being Ryu. Still, his voice is even as he offers, "Hey. Got your letter. What's up?"
Ryu	Ryan turns to regard the other dragon, his frown still there. His hands pull out of his pockets, the distance already telling him that the more openly draconic of the two is wary. He turns to face Teepo, his eyes narrowing for a second, while he thinks about how to answer that. His entire form is stiff, like someone who is afraid of, say, a fight. "You need to stop using your dragon form the way you do," he says, deciding to be more reasonable than his nature really wants him to be. He was always a good person on the inside. "That form isn't some toy or a new sword. It's part of who you are, and what you're doing is showing EVERYONE that you're prideful but also selfish. That you love the power. Dragons should not be selfish. We should not act like that. You are right, we have power, but that means we have a duty to use it correctly so we don't crush the weak or the innocent underfoot." "So stop using that form."
Teepo	Teepo's surprise is visible. He blinks when Ryu begins his spiel. Though he at least has the decency to wait 'till the end of it before he says anything. Of course, if there was any thought that it was out of respect, that ends up thrown out the window practically the second Teepo speaks. "...Whoa, this got heavy quick," he mutters, raising a hand to rub at the back of his head. Sigh. "What put this flea in your ear, anyway?" he inquires. Crossing his arms over his chest, he continues, "And anyways, you don't even USE your power, what gives you the right to tell me how to use mine?" All things considered his tone's pretty civil, but there's a dark scowl there on his face.
Ryu	Ryan is not a fan of when his words, something he has stewed over quite heavily, are brushed off that easily. The dark scowl is met with a simmering fury, and that fury doesn't go away. It's an angry dragon before Teepo, complete with glowing eyes. "I had to kill dragons who thought they were higher than others by some kind of divine right," he explains, at least being honest about it. He tensely mulls over how he's going to say this next part, glancing at the ocean, one of his hands tensing. The fury is still there, but it seems he is good at suppressing it for people he knows are good in some capacity. "I need you to stop using that form," he says, not really good at explaining the 'why' of this. He's terribly socially awkward, not giving his exact feelings on it. Too focused on what to do to fix the perceived problem. "Please." It's not terribly convincing, what with his temper plainly visible.
Teepo	"You're not givin' me much to go on," Teepo replies. "You're just tellin' me what to do. An' you know that doesn't work with me." At least he's honest about it. But Ryu would know he's serious. Never having been one to agree with a lot of authority figures, Ryu presenting himself as one isn't exactly endearing the other dragon's instructions. "Besides, it's true. Of all the people that got hold of these artifacts, all the people who might've handled 'em before us, it was US they triggered on. That DOES mean we're better. Is it divine right? Sheer willpower? Just bein' too damn stubborn to give up?" He shrugs. "I dunno. But SOMETHIN' thought we were better than the masses." "Maybe you didn't want it. And maybe you feel like it's a curse," Teepo continues. "But not everybody is you. I'm not you. I waited too long to have the power to change my life. Waited too long just sittin' there in a corner, not being able to do anything but take the lumps that life gave me. I have the power to change that now, and I'm not givin' it up." He's not going to say how much Ryu's glowing eyes actually unsettle him. He knows about Ryu's temper; it's one of the few things about the blue-haired man that he truly fears. But at the same time, he's just as committed to this as Ryu is. He's not going to let ANYONE kick him back to 'powerless peon'. Not even Ryu.
Ryu	Ryu glares at Teepo. This glare holds for a disturbingly long time, something that would preface a fistfight in any scenario back home. The white dragon stares at the other dragon before him, and the glare turns into a glower. The fury remains. He wishes he could think of a way to say it to make Teepo understand the horror that he feels about fighting him, but instead he comes up blank, and the awful fact of the matter is that it's because he's not sure he wants to develop that kind of understanding. So he approaches Teepo. If the other is not fast about it, the blue-haired young man would go for a closed-fist punch right to his face, the force of which is much higher than anything that a normal human could bring to bear. He's trying to knock Teepo on his ass, the draconic growl rumbling from Ryan at that moment making it clear that diplomacy was only an effort he made to avoid wanting to do this to someone he knew.
Teepo	And this is why Teepo wears those stupid-looking gauntlets. The fact that they're weighted means they have more defensive power behind them. Which is a particularly good thing here, given Ryu's hard punch. He had just enough warning, seeing that approach, to raise his arm. The punch impacts the weighted gauntlet instead of his face, but still he winces at the impact. The punch does indeed push Teepo to the sand on his rear. He doesn't stay down, though. Teepo's a speedier fighter than he is strong. He may not be able to overpower Ryu, particularly not like this, but he's not going to take this sitting down. Planting a hand on the ground, Teepo kicks his legs into a spin, and gets to his feet. "HEY!" Teepo barks once he's on his feet again, raising his hands in front of his face in a half-hearted fighting stance. He's not really sure what's going on, but he knows he doesn't want to get hit like that again. "What the hell was that for?! What's your problem?"
Ryu	Ryan is not a hand-to-hand fighter. He knows this. Not in his human form, at the very least. The thought occurs to him to use his dragon form, but it would only prove a point. He approaches Teepo with a sloppy stance, fully ready to hit the other dragon again. What Ryu lacks in the speed Teepo has, he makes up for in brutish power. He is physically strong, and that shows when he goes for another swing to try and get through the other dragon's defenses. "SHUT IT!!" he roars, having past the point of talking this out. The other dragon frustrates him a great deal. But he isn't so furious that he'd beat Teepo unconscious. For someone who doesn't use their fists often, he hits very hard.
Teepo	Whatever's upset Ryu, it's something to do with him, and Teepo knows it. He needs to be careful. As high-strung as Ryu is, Teepo's aware that he's also the only other dragon from his world that he can really depend on for information. This is a delicate situation, as much as Ryu's raging around like a bull in a china shop at the moment. Letting Ryu calm down is probably the best course of action. But it doesn't look like that's going to happen just by letting the situation ride. Whatever this is that's made him upset, getting it out is the only real way he's going to calm down. Let him exhaust himself, then when he calms down, try to talk to him. But Teepo's not going to just let Ryu beat him up. This time Teepo's ready for the strike. He again raises his gauntleted arm, taking the strike there. He grunts at the impact, wincing. Ow. He's really not made for blocking. Still, Ryan needs a punching bag, and Teepo-- likely being the source of his frustration anyway-- is a good target. "That's right," he coaxes. "Get it out, Ryan."
Ryu	Ryan is angry. He is angry beyond reason, and it's from so much of his stress. From being turned into a dragon and his world being overturned. From not knowing how to handle it. From one of the few childhood friends that he could completely relate to becoming a dragon too. He wasn't angry at Teepo because of how the other dragon handled being one, but because of the idea of having to fight his friend eventually because of a difference in opinion. He didn't want to have to draw blood in a way that could never be apologized for... so he was doing this. Something petty. Something Teepo could understand. And he didn't stop. It was strike after strike, and he picked up speed, letting out a howl of emotion at the other dragon... but as it went on, he could feel his desire to lash out draining away, leaving only the ideas he had formed over time. The strong, well-thought opinions about himself and the dragons of his world. When this happens, there's a snap of light like the glare from the sun, and instead of a young man taking out his aggression, there's a dragon taking one last swing at Teepo, growling deeply. He's telegraphing it so much that he knows that he's going to get dodged or blocked, having lost the spirit to do harm and only coming down from his overwhelming fury just then.
Teepo	'Guard breaking' is actually a thing. Teepo finds this out the hard way as Ryu's aggression continues. It isn't long of this and his arms ache, even with the gauntlets. Each strike becomes harder and harder to block, and he's forced to dodge to give his arms a chance to rest, so they'll stop their complaining. Teepo hasn't seen Ryu's dragon form. And he's never seen the effect that it causes. Expecting a spell of some kind, he makes to dodge back... except it's a dragon swinging at him. He's in the air when the swing comes... and it's really hard to change directions in the air. "Whu-- aah!" The strike hits him in the side, tossing him down the beach, body tumbling through the sand. Finally he stops flipping through the sand, coming to rest on his stomach with a loud "Mmf!" He doesn't move.
Ryu	The strike gets through, and the target of his pent-up aggression is sent sprawling on the sand. The white dragon hesitates, tensing up. A worrisome rumble rolls through him... he doesn't feel disgust at himself, but more fear that he did more harm than he realized. Ryan steps over to Teepo, and crouches some, giving the prone former soldier a curious nudge with a hand, very gently, on the shoulder. He knows he didn't knock Teepo out, because of the sound he heard on impact with the sand. He knows it'd take more than that to knock out another dragon, he's SEEN this guy in a fight. And then he speaks. It's in a mellow voice, almost soothing, not quite human. It matches the strange and almost holy appearance he has. "I'm sorry," he says, and then he hesitates again, realizing he can speak. And realizing that he just feels normal now. "I didn't mean to do that," he says, genuinely apologetic about reverting to dragon form at that moment.
Teepo	Really, if it wasn't for the concern for his safety, Ryu might find this comical. Teepo's tumbling ended with him literally going facedown in the sand, arms and legs sprawled in an 'X' shape. So the beach is going to have a Teepo-shaped imprint in it for a while. When Ryu nudges the downed dragon-in-human-form, he might see something. Teepo's shoulders are shaking. He's laughing. Getting his arms under him, Teepo raises his face out of the sand, spitting the stuff out and wiping his mouth. "DAMN, Ryan!" It's amused tone. He shifts, turning over to plop onto his rear, legs splayed out in front of him. He leans back, supporting himself on his hands, still laughing. "Don't this beat all? I didn't think you had it in you, I really didn't." He pauses, to look at Ryu's dragon form. He's quiet as he regards the reptilian form, shifting again to cross his legs tailor style, and prop his elbows on his legs. "...Y'know, I don't think I've ever seen you like this before."
Ryu	Ryan isn't sure whether he did real damage to Teepo or not. The laughter catches him off guard, making a confused 'rrrr~?' noise come out of him in quite the bestial way. Seems he has stranger emotional cues as a dragon. He soon sits down on the sand nearby, though, figuring the fight was pretty much finished. It was then that he stared at Teepo thoughtfully, seeming... at peace now, like there was nothing to be angry about. "I never felt okay in this form before today. I guess... I just stopped caring whether it was evil or not." He waggles a finger at Teepo preemptively, "I did listen to you, but it was all the other good dragons I saw, too." He does consider Teepo a good dragon, if not one he entirely approves of, apparently. "I was so worried that I would be evil, or seen as evil, that I didn't see it for what it was. Being a dragon is a blessing, or a gift, or... luck. Something to be appreciative for, not afraid of. Something to be proud of. Power that I got that I could use for whatever I want... and I realized that meant I could be the person I wanted to be before the world beat us down." His voice conveys that serene smile he sometimes shows to people. He seems much more mellow now. "Thank you, for helping me see that."
Teepo	Teepo sticks his tongue out at Ryu at the finger-waggle and the comment following it. Though he doesn't seem too upset about it. He's just kind of a brat. Which is... proooobably part of the reason that Ryu doesn't really approve of him. However, he does nod as Ryu explains his point. "And see, that's all I was trying to show you," he agrees. "I don't care if you use it to be a knight, or a hero or whatever. That's not my bag, but if it's yours, hey. Who am I to judge, y'know?" He raises a finger into the air, to punctuate his point. "BUT! You can't help anybody, much less yourself, if you let the opinion of the people in our world bring you down. Especially since... really, in the grand scheme of things in this Multiverse? Our world's just one world." He raises both his hands now, spreading the fingers to indicate something vast. "Sure it's our HOME world. But it's just ONE world. One tiny world in one tiny section, in a literal infinite. So what they think really doesn't matter." Then he shifts, to rub one arm. "Also ow. You hit like a truck." Though he sounds amused.
Ryu	Ryan can only seem cheerful at the amusement Teepo shows. He doesn't really get why it'd be funny, but his eyes light up with a friendly glow that... actually hasn't been seen by Teepo for a long time. Before, he just seemed awkward or hesitant. "You're right. I should focus on doing this right, and maybe if I do, I can fix that opinion of dragons. If I find the right times to use my strength, the right times to talk..." He nods slowly. Then he gets up to a stand and examines his claws and his tail as if for the first time, the differences between a human shape and this one quite distracting now that he has the presence of mind to think about them. "Even if I don't hate it anymore, this form still feels weird. I guess it's like learning to walk all over again, if that makes sense. Is it like that with you? You looked like you fell into it pretty naturally."
Teepo	Teepo stands as Ryu begins to examine his dragon form. Dusting the sand from his pants, he notes, "Right. You just gotta know what you're capable of. Once you got it figured out, you can be the person you wanna be." He isn't particularly trying to sway Ryu in his direction. Though he knows there's a very distinct possibility that they'll end up fighting for real at some point... Eh, he's just not gonna think about it. "Well..." Teepo replies regarding his dragon form, "It feels weird yeah, but you get used to it. Also, I was looking for it, so it might have done something different when it manifested in you, since you weren't. Then again..." He pauses, fire erupts around him and then freezes, shattering and revealing his dragon form. "...I have these massive arms-- front feet? Actually I dunno which they are. But they help with balance." Pause, and he considers Ryu. "You ever tried running like that?"
Ryu	Ryan chuckles at the idea of running, one of the few things that amuse him. Just because he imagines tripping over himself trying. He looks down the length of the beach, and then over to Teepo, considering the idea of sprinting in their dragon forms. "Race you around the island," he says, "Go!" He doesn't give Teepo much time to react before he's off like a bolt down the sand. He runs a little awkwardly, but the sheer strength his compact form has drives him forward in huge leaping steps. He could probably catch up to a car if he really booked it. Teepo might want to get moving, or that white dragon is going to disappear over the horizon!!
Teepo	"Huh, wha?" Teepo blinks as Ryu suddenly sprints on ahead. "Hey!" Though he grins and sets off after the other dragon. It probably looks a little weird to those who don't really know what's going on, but Teepo's never really been in the business of caring what people thought. As for his running? With his large arms in this form, there's just no way he's going to be able to not rely on them for running. He runs faster like this, in a palm-walking type run that's somewhere between a gorilla and a legitimate four-legged creature.