Scene #1393: First Steps

Owner	Pose
Ryu	Ryan made his way up the elevator, but this time as a dragon. He had some patches on his scales where he's still healing from the battle last night. Gauze patches are taped to his scales here and there, where the scales still need to heal up, just for the sake of not showing himself looking all gross and burnt up to anyone who looks. He had some good healers and helpers to make the healing process go quicker. When the elevator stopped, he stepped off and ambled up to Rhapsody's office in dragon form. It was the evening, after he took some pain killers and made absolutely sure it was okay to walk around. He wanted to visit Rhapsody... and see her true form, if she was still open to showing it. He just didn't know how to ask about it, so he paused at the doorway and awkwardly swayed his tail, waiting to be invited in.
Rhapsody	It was a -big- door. It wasn't so much Rhapsody's office as it was Niv-Mizzet's former lair, shared by the three kits. When Ryan has a look around, he'd notice the door to the Dragon's forge is shut, no heat seems to be wafting out from it. Ryxinel doesn't appear to be around, nor does Sidonia. . . . But it's Sidonia. One may never know where she is. The sight of a dragon entering Nivix never goes un-noticed. Rhapsody was aware that Ryan was on his way up and had darted off to at least clean up for just a quick minute. He would likely notice the guildmaster appearing from one side of the large lair, waiving happily toward Ryu. "Good evening, Ryan! I'm glad you're starting to feel comfortable visiting- .. .Nivix." Pause. Peer. "What happened?"
Ryu	Ryan steps into the room, his tail still swaying slowly. He chooses to close the doors, which seems to be almost effortless for him, despite being a very large door. He then steps through the room, and hesitates only when he realizes he's being scrutinized for his wounds. He nods at Rhapsody in greeting, and then finds somewhere to stand so it doesn't feel so awkward. "I fought a demon that used demons made of molten gold. It splattered me with gold, which hardened on my scales, which they had to remove afterward. Toph helped," he explains, pretty smoothly, "Gonna get jewelery made out of it. Kind of what I was looking for, but I wanted to buy it, not harvest it from demons and my own scales. Might be magical after that, we'll see." Reminded of the process of getting the gold removed, he touches at one of the spots carefully, restraining himself from messing with it. It was just SO ITCHY.
Rhapsody	The dragoness gives a sympathetic wince, "That's kinda rough. I'm glad you're alright, Ryan," she offers, taking note of the now closed doors. "So.." she muses, slowly turning back toward the rest of the room, a huge hoard, and the ram-shackle setup of her desk, office, and other such things. "I think I can imagine why you came, and I'm glad you did, to be honest. I.. just.. I don't know..." She still WANTS to do it, she's just being a bit hesitant because it is something she so rarely does, or in this case, takes the form of.
Ryu	"I'm not gonna force you," Ryan points out, finding a nice spot to sit down and relax since it's unlikely he's going anywhere until she tells him to leave or an emergency comes up. "I'll be here if you want to show me or not. That's all there is to it, really." He's as understanding as he is capable of, complete with his clearly draconic voice sounding kind and warm. His eyes close and he sits there, pondering, until she decides one way or another what she's going to do. He hums that song from the island, before, in case it's comforting for her. The one she sang along with.
Rhapsody	In truth, she was reconsidering for a long moment. Should she? Shouldn't she? What would another dragon think? Sure, once a much wiser dragon had said most people would think nothing of it, but there was an anxiety in her about her lack of scales that was far more dominant than most common sense. She kept her current form so often that it almost didn't feel like it was a shape shift. Then Ryan starts to hum the song from before. Some of the anxiety melts away, some of the weight her hesitation pressed down on her lifted, and after he had hummed it for a short while, she would join in the same way she had before, though her form seems to start to glow at the same time. After a few moments the coat is gone, the clothes are gone, and there's only a bright bluish-white light where the Guildmaster had been standing. The glow brightens and her form starts to grow. The definition of those few remaining scales melts away. Arms grow, legs grow, everything seems to get longer, and only a little wider. When it's all said and done, the light around Rhapsody fades, revealing feathered wings, only a row of blue scales that run from the base of her neck to the tip of her tail, but from the neck up, there's only a pair of blue horns and something that clearly isn't scales. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/v9h1Rdw.jpg (She isn't -that- slender. She'd still be built a lot like a dragon, just a bit more thin than others)
Rhapsody	And her humming slows and halts once she's finished changing.
Ryu	Once the song picked up, all Ryu did was sing in tune with Rhapsody. The sound permeated the room, and when it was done, he opened his eyes... he had seen the light through his eyelids, so he knew he was expecting her dragon form. When he saw it, though, he blinked slowly, seeming confused for a few seconds. Then he stood up and walked up to her to reach out gently with one of his hands at her. And touch her on the nose, just to show his appreciation for her in a way he can't show with his face.. "So this is who you are," he murmured, as if seeing this side meant he had seen her entirely for who she is. "This is beautiful, Rhapsody," he assures, and then his hand hesitates, lowering again. "Thanks for showing me," he remembers to say, embarrasedly shuffling his feet and looking down at the floor, because it was the first thing he should've said. He tries to maintain a proud posture, but remains an awkward creature even in dragon form.
Rhapsody	Despite the comments and appreciation shown, Rhapsody would still seem incredibly timid about holding the form. Her eyes had been locked on something on the floor, some random space that simply was not letting go of her sight. "Thank you," she manages, barely above a whisper. Interestingly, her voice pitch hadn't changed very much at all.
Ryu	Ryan starts to really understand what it felt like to her. So he stepped up to her and would reach to hug her as best he can. He holds the hug, hoping that it'll make her feel better. "You can turn back if you want," he worries.
Rhapsody	The hug actually causes a small shiver. She doesn't try to resist it, at least, "I.. I know. You came all this way, though, so, I can hold it for a little bit," Rhapsody manages before an arm lifts and finally gives the other dragon a light pat on the back.
Ryu	"Hey." Ryan steps back and reaches to touch under her chin and try to look her in the eyes, if she allows. He'd look very serious. "Hey," he urges gently. "This is who you are. There is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be afraid of... if anyone tells you that it's wrong, then they aren't trying to understand you. You're the Guildmaster. You're Rhapsody of the Union. Just like I'm Ryu of the Union. I believe the dragon that helped me find pride in being a dragon myself is a strong being, someone worthy of respect." "I will help you find your courage, like you helped me find mine, if you want me to. Okay?" His eyes glow with an anticipation and an empathy. "You don't have to stay in that form for me," he adds, "It would hurt me to think someone was hurting themselves for my sake. Especially the person I care about more than the whole Multiverse."
Rhapsody	If it were part of being a dragon, it's likely that Rhapsody would be a 'white' dragon turning red, right now. She does manage to glance up for a short moment, gives a small smile as best she can with that muzzle, then her form starts to glow again. A few moments pass, and she'd be back to 'normal'. Once back, she seems to regain her composure quickly, straightening her jacket. "I really appreciate that, Ryan.." she says, "It's just been really hard... Everyone tells me I shouldn't worry about it.. I .. I just don't know.." its not a sensible thing to be so anxious over, she just is.
Ryu	Ryan steps back and lets his arms rest at his sides while she's turning back into her humanoid shape. He finds a place to sit down, watching her while she talks. He shakes his head slowly when she expresses more uncertainty about it... "People can tell you that it's okay all they want. That's what people do. You have to find a way to believe it yourself, that's when you can be proud of it." Because that's how it worked for him. He was forced to find a way to cope or risk hurting people with his fear. "I can't promise if it will happen quickly, or at all, because it's your job to figure out what to feel about it." He shrugs at her. "Figure out why it makes you feel that way. It could be a good first step."
Rhapsody	"Little steps," Rhapsody says, taking a seat not far away, dragging her chair out from the desk that is just at a random spot in the den. Considering the desk and chair have wheels and everything is wireless, its easy to move around. "That's what Niv always told me, and I've tried, it's just something I've had trouble with for a long time." Why? She ponders, trying to think about it, "I've felt this way as long as I can remember..."
Ryu	"Then you'll have to think back. If something caused it, you have to find out what that was..." Ryan would frown at his own advice, but his muzzle doesn't really allow for that much expressiveness. One of the downsides of being a dragon. He settles for a discontented rumbling. "Ask your friends, your allies. Retrace your steps and read old records. Stuff like that." He nods once, lightly. "I don't know what would force you to be afraid of that form, but it might've been something bad... so you have to be ready for what you find, or remember."
Rhapsody	It takes a moment, but Rhapsody would acknowledge the idea with a small sigh, then, "You're right. I just... I've been scared of what I'll find out. You're right, though. I'll see what I can find out from Sidonia and Ryxinel. Maybe I'll even ask Thianel. He'd have a better idea than anyone else, I think."
Ryu	"Remember, you gave me a home right nearby," Ryan says, gesturing in... entirely the wrong direction, apparently still getting a hang of the layout. He presses his hand to his chest, "I promise that I will be around to talk to, at the very least, no matter what you find." Like a knightly vow, the way he says it.
Rhapsody	That really seems to help with Rhapsody gaining both her composure again and a bit of determination regarding the whole issue. "I didn't forget. And I'll be sure to remember it, too, Ryu. Thank you." It's only at this point she realizes something, considers, then, "So... do you ever change back?" she's mostly wondering cause her offer to have Ryxinel adjust Ryan's gun still stands.
Ryu	"Oh." Ryan blinks a couple of times. "Yeah," he replies, "I can switch at a whim. When I'm in Ravnica, I prefer to be in this form, just because what this place means to me. Except when I have to like... cook anything, or clean anything, or type on my computer's keyboard..." he trails off, as if there's more to it, having listed things off on his fingers. "I accidentally tore the handle off my oven. It wasn't really built with strong dragon claws in mind, I guess."
Rhapsody	A blink, then, "I can have your quarters 'reinforced' for a dragon if you want, Ryan. As long as your comfortable staying in that form, there shouldn't be any issues. It's like I've already said, keep your signet around and you won't have any trouble. Besides that, I think you're one of the few other dragons in the Izzet besides myself and my family."
Ryu	Ryu waves his hands urgently, "N-no you've already done so much," he insists, "It's good training, it helps me do certain tasks more delicately." He hunches his shoulders some, holding up his hands toward her. "What I have is fine."
Rhapsody	A light laugh, then a nod with a smile, "Alright, alright, I wasn't going to insist," she says, now in a bit of a better mood it appears. "I hope the room is fine. If you need something other than a bed, you can ask for that too. Dragons don't usually do well with sheets and blankets.."
Ryu	"I got a bunch of pillows for that," Ryan tells her, "Works well enough. Feels a bit like a pile of gold, but not as firm or expensive," and then he nods a couple times. If his tone is anything to judge that by, he is not joking. He reaches up to touch one of his horns, and says, "I guess I'm lucky these aren't very pointy, huh?"
Rhapsody	"Honestly, I was wondering why they looked kinda... cut off," Sounds like Rhapsody wasn't sure how to mention it, but since Ryan brought it up, may as well ask. "Did you do that or..?"
Ryu	"N-no, no, I wouldn't do that," Ryan replies, reaching up with his other hand. "They were like that when I first got changed. Not sure why. Actually, I'm a lot smaller than the stories say dragons were, too." He looks at Rhapsody inquisitively. "Do you think the horns'll grow out...?"
Rhapsody	"They should.. but even though you're a dragon, we are different kinds. So, maybe they will, maybe they wont? I can't really say for sure. That's a question for Union medical or someone that is better with biology than me. Izzet are more about the tech-sciences, not the living ones."