Scene #1213: Dragon Christmas

Owner	Pose
Ryu	Let's just overlook the fact that neither Ravnica or Ryu's world are worlds that really celebrate Christmas centrally, because neither knew it existed before the Multiverse got involved. It's an excuse for Ryu to show up and talk to one of his... Ryu paused as he was walking through the Izzet district, realizing that he was seeing Rhapsody as a friend already. Despite everything, she has had an effect on him, and in his madness to think of something to bring he hadn't thought about the mild warmth he felt at the idea of giving something to her at all. He looked down at the casserole -- a Wyndian-styled dish, something with chicken and savory herbs -- in the glass dish he was holding, smiling down at it. After that, he went about locating Rhapsody, asking around in a mellow tone that lacked the awkwardness he usually showed. He was comfortable today. Today was a day that made him feel like he belonged. He could accept feeling cozy for just this one day.
Rhapsody	At first a few of the first people Ryan would speak with would seem surprised at how casually he was asking for the Izzet Guildmaster. Thankfully, however, there were a few within the Guild that knew that their leader had a lot of friends outside of the Guildhall. Rhapsody's sister, Sidonia, is the one to catch sight of Ryan walking about. She'd look a lot like Rhapsody, except blue. Very very blue. And with a lot more scales. She wouldn't say much, only to have him follow her.
Ryu	Ryan was only a /little/ awkward and uneasy to the ones who were surprised he knew Rhapsody. He was reminded she was some kind of political leader, so it made him feel weird, getting smiles and some reserved insistence... until Sidonia found him, he smiled at the similar dragon... but remained silent. As they walked, he silently marvelled at how similar the two of them were in appearance, blinking slowly at the sight. He didn't ask where they were going or anything of the sort, and once they started walking he fell in step almost exactly in time with Sidonia, making his military training very obvious.
Rhapsody	Sidonia was a talk softly and carry a big stick, sort. She was sometimes refered to as 'The Bodyguard you Don't See' when regarding the guards Rhapsody had. Yunomi was the one offten called the Bodyguard You Do See, but she also doubled as a loyal member of the Izzet League. As she leads them both, Ryan would find himself going up an absolutley massive elevator in the center of the spire. Why so big? Consider for a moment who Rhapsody's father was, and the idea of such a giant elevator may become obvious. The elevator goes up at a fairly rapid rate and once opened, there would be a long hall, leading to a pair of equally massive metal double doors, openend, to a lair inside. If Ryan would turn to look for Sidonia after looking down the hall, he'd find she's simply vanished...
Ryu	Ryan is fine with silence. Having experienced a fair share of cold personalities over the years, Sidonia's behavior didn't really bother him, nor did it ruin the smile on his face. As they went up the elevator, he found himself staring around it in bewilderment. He'd never met Niv, so it takes him a minute to realize why it was such a large construction. When the elevator stopped and the obvious destination was before him, he turned as if to thank Sidonia... and his grinning mouth in mid-gratitude closes slowly, as bewilderment flows into his features. He looks around the elevator, over his shoulder, up at the ceiling. One can almost see the huge question marks over his head. He is obviously not used to the ninja disappearing act! Shrugging, he decides to accept it for what it is, and head down the hall with the casserole in his hands. He steps into the lair, humming a little folk song from his home country as he goes. The kind of sweet music that would be played during the winter festivals. It doesn't occur to him that he's been led to what may be the personal guildmaster quarters or something close to that, just that Rhapsody is likely to be there.
Rhapsody	She is, in fact, beyond the massive open double doors. The moment he'd slip by them, a small, and rather ancient looking goblin, would go bounding past him. If Ryan kept an eye on this creature, he'd see that it has ran straight toward the Guildmaster, currently at a large desk with a LOT of papers on it. Thankfully, she isn't even looking at any of the stacks. She is, instead, working at a computer terminal with the Union Logo plastered across it's side. The comotion from the goblin causes her to look up, blink, then "Ryan! Why didn't you say you were coming?!" she calls out before getting up to rush over toward him. "Oh no.. what did you bring?" she asks, acting mock-moritified before taking a breath, "Ooooh that smells good, actually.."
Ryu	Ryan was not in the least bit sorry for showing up by surprise. When she looked up from her work, and scrambled over to him, he helpfully held the dish out to her. It's even got a plate and some utensils for eating it if she really doesn't want to go all the way to a kitchen to start eating the casserole. "Wyndian chicken casserole," he answers her, and then he takes a sniff in of the very delicious casserole's savory smell and smiles brightly over at her. "A lot of people talked to me about me being a dragon, but you... you're the closest anyone's gotten to making it feel normal. You're my first real friend in the Multiverse, so I had to get you something nice. This is a Wyndian tradition." "Was... was it too much?" he wonders, worriedly.
Rhapsody	There may be a blush, but if anyone blinks you'd miss it, "No no, no! I'd be happy to try it. Thank you, Ryan. I'm glad I've been able to help you out," she says gladly before accepting the dish. "I'm sure Siddy and Ryxinel would love to try it too. You probably saw Sidonia on the way in, Ryxinel is over in the Dragonsforge," she explains, motioning toward one side of the den. A pair of closed doors are there, but if Ryan paid attention he could probably feel the heat coming from that direction."
Ryu	Ryan lets his hands settle at his sides. She may find the casserole is still warm to the touch when she grabs it, and there are some suspicious scorch marks on the underside of the dish which might leave some soot on her fingers. Like, perhaps, an open flame was used to keep the food from getting cold on the way over. Letting out a sigh of happiness (and a bit of relief) at having his gift of food accepted, he then turns to look for a place to sit, perhaps in a chair made for people that Rhapsody would interview in this room. He distractedly looks over toward the Dragonsforge, blinking once in that direction. "Sidonia doesn't seem like much of a talker," he says, amusedly, "What's Ryxinel working on?"
Rhapsody	The Guildmaster would set the dish on another table not far off. Most of the furniture in the room just doesn't really seem like it belongs in a massive dragon's den and just seems to be scattered about randomly. "Sidonia's always sort of been that way. She's my sister first, but she takes her job protecting me really seriously, so, don't worry. The fact she saw you and led you up here rather than just watching you is a good sign. As for Ryxinel? Mizzium, he's been practicing how to make it a lot. It irritates him that father could make about 5 to 10 ingots in an hour and he can only get one or two good ones in the same amount of time."
Ryu	"Metallurgy?" Ryu murmurs, seeming to take an interest when she explains what Ryxinel is up to. That Sidonia is warming up to him is accepted, until such a time as he actually talks to her for more than a brief few seconds. He looks to Rhapsody and, with a relaxed and curious tone, he asks, "So what is Mizzium, anyways?" He looks off toward the door, fascinated by the idea of a new metal. He does, after all, have a custom-made sword, so it's not a huge stretch that he has a dabbling interest in exotic metals.
Rhapsody	There would be a chair near Rhapsody's desk, so Ryan could take a seat if he wanted. "It's a really really complex alloy." she begins, taking her own seat again. "Niv has the equation for it engraved on one of the walls in the Dragonsforge. I couldn't even begin to tell you what it's made of, honestly. It's one of the strongest metals we have in Ravnica. There's a transparent version of it too."
Ryu	The chair is, in fact, what Ryan is sitting in. He settles there, staring off at the door as he thinks about what's happening behind it, trying to imagine what process is required to make Mizzium. He looks over to Rhapsody after that, and smiles at her gently. He makes sure the goblin fellow isn't there, for what he's going to ask about. "You said something that got me thinking, when you visited me in the hospital. You acted like we... approached being a dragon similarly." He means the shame, though for different reasons. "Why is that?"
Rhapsody	That causes her to go a bit quiet for a moment, maybe pondering, or maybe considering, "Well, you don't seem very fond of being in your draconic state and, well, I don't take my true from very often myself, Ryan. There's ... a reason but it's not one I go into very often."
Ryu	Ryan maintains his smile, nodding in agreement to her assessment. He really doesn't like being a dragon, not just yet. Right now, though, he's curious about the similarly-minded person. "Will you tell me the reason...?" he wonders, "Don't feel pressured, though. It just seemed like something we had in common, so I wanted to understand that part of you." He eyes the casserole, in case she doesn't feel like talking, so he can salvage the interaction with dishing up some food.
Rhapsody	She was, actually, glancing toward the same thing, considering the distraction, but finally she decides it wouldn't hurt to let someone know. Ryan was kind enough, and if they had this much common ground, she figured it couldn't hurt. Rather than saying anything, she just rolls up the sleeve of her coat and sets her arm down on the desk. "What's missing here?" Nothing? It just seems like white skin.. ... wait.
Ryu	Ryan looks at her arm, not quite understanding her question. His stare remains for a few seconds... then he would reach out to very gently touch the skin with his gloved hand, as if slowly realizing. "Oh." He pulls his hand away, and all of his cheeriness fades away almost immediately. "My gift was really insensitive, wasn't it," he says, referring to the scale that he gave her.
Rhapsody	That actually gets her to shake her head without hesitation, "Quite the opposite, really, it meant that much more as a result, Ryan," she explains, shaking the sleeve back down over her arm. "I was born this way, Ryan, there's nothing that can be really done about it. The ones you can see," she starts to explain, tapping one of the scales on her head, "Stay in place because of an enchant my father cast on me."
Ryu	"O-oh." Ryan's cheeriness returns and, because he's embarrassed, his cheeks go a little red. He isn't sure what to think after that... he did something not as Ryan Bateson, the soldier, but as Ryu the Dragon... and it turned out better than he expected. He clasps his hands in his lap and looks to her a little more seriously, asking, "If you ever feel like showing someone your ..." he pauses to search for a way to say it, and decides to just use her words. "Your true form, I'll be around.
Rhapsody	He earns a nod, and perhaps a small smile, but not much more in regards to it. "When the time is right. I .. just don't take it very often. You've met someone that's seen it, though." A sigh. "During some of my training with Jeannette Thompson I lost my temper, and in front of Bahamut, too."
Ryu	A little nod is given return to Rhapsody. Ryu accepted her explanation, smiling at her for a few seconds after that. Feeling the topic getting a little awkward, he stood from his seat, and walked over to dish up some casserole for the both of them, going back to cheerily humming his little folk tune. "I had to go out of my way to get the herbs from my world, but I think it was worth it," he explains to her, in regards to the food.
Rhapsody	When Ryan stands, Rhapsody still seems to be thinking about the moment she described. When she gets food set in front of her, though, that snaps her out of it, "I'll admit, the only food I've had outside of Ravnica has been at Union HQ so I'm a bit curious.." she says before giving the dish a try. Pause. Consider. More pause. "This is delicious!" Huzzah.