Forest of the Dragon

Astellaris:  It had been more than two months since Mila had last seen Alek, though during that time she had visited his cave on multiple occasions, always finding comfort there. It must have only been a couple of days since she last was there, catching up with Itzy and Lili as the women had stumbled into the clearing at the same time. She made her way through the bushes she knew and loved, passing them as she let her fingers brush the leaves as she always did. It was calm, maybe a bit windy that day but she didn't mind it. Soon she stepped foot into the clearing surrounding Alek’s den, immediately noticing a scent she hadn't smelt in far too long. “Alek!” she said quietly to herself, yet there was so much excitement behind her voice to be heard. Her eyes bolted straight to the water where Alek was standing very still, it seemed he was trying to catch fish again. Never had she experienced such pure bliss at the mere presence of someone else. She smiled brightly, ready to reconnect with the man she cared for so deeply as she made her way quietly in his direction. She was sure he would notice her even if she didn’t call out.

OddThomas: The woven basket on the shore was wiggling with fish, their tails flopping out every now and then. Alek liked fish, it reminded him of home and keeping the memories of his small family clear in his mind after all these centuries was something he wanted to have for the rest of his life, however long that would be. He'd already lost it once. But, his inner dragon hated fish. It just wasn't filling enough. So they compromised by hunting in the morning and at night and Alek ate fish for lunch. The seasons were changing and the air was getting cooler at night even if the days were still pretty warm. Neither of the lumber beasts had ever spent a winter in this forest and neither of them were really fond of the cold, so there was a little anxiety creeping in every time the wind had a cutting chill. For right now though, the day was warm and the sun was shining even though it was windy, it was a cool breeze not the biting one like night would bring. Alek hauled another arm-length fish into the basket, half turning to do so and caught a glimpse of Mila. He smiled at her, wiping his arm across his forehead and waded toward the shore. "Hey, you."

Astellaris:  Mila approached the Dragon and his basket of wiggling fish, catching that he had yet another in his arms. She smiled back at him as she replied, “Hey, yourself.” It was clear that the two had left on good terms and Mila could not have been happier about it. Her short tail swayed behind her as she brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face, tucking them behind her ear while coming to a halt a few feet away from Alek. “You’ve been traveling, I presume?” she asked with a chipper tone in her voice, half expecting him to say ye, but being curious what else he might have been up to.

OddThomas: "Here and there." He said, capping the basket and sitting down on the grassy edge of the water. "I guess I get antsy. I like the peace and quiet around here but every now and then I like the chaos of towns and cities. I don't want to be part of it, but I like people watching." He said with a laugh, remember how many times he'd been the center of chaos when it came to the coven. And if he wasn't the center, he was close enough to get sucked into it. The dragon patted the ground next to him. "What about you? Where have you been?"

Astellaris:  She smiled as she knew that feeling too well, she herself had recently grown fond of people watching herself. It was a nice way to get out into the world without having to get too mixed up in it. She went to sit down next to Alek, “I have been traveling too. This time I went further so I could see some bigger cities. I never went too far though, “ she paused and met his eyes, “I always came back in between cities. I came right back here.” she let herself drop to the ground next to him, laying on her back as she studied his face closely. “This feels like home.” she said with a faint smile before closing her eyes and enjoying him being there with her, in that very serene moment.

OddThomas: He was looking up at her, leaning back on his hands and letting his legs stretch out. After fishing, he always had to stretch his knees from crouching. As she sat down, his gaze followed her, moving up to her ears. That was the thing about being in his den and around the coven, he didn't feel strange for not looking human. "The further you go, the more interesting it gets. There are little pockets of places like this, full of creatures." Mila laid down and he shifted his weight away from her, so he could use his hand to brush the drops of water coming from his horn and his hair off his face. Her words about the den sunk into him. He was happy she felt that way, her and Rayuu. At least he wasn't alone. "I'm glad. I like sharing a home."

Astellaris:  Mila’s ear twitched a little as a ladybug had come to sit on it. “Yeah, it is nice not being alone, having a place and people to come back to.” she said before sitting up a bit, leaning on her arms as she watched Alek, she watched the water droplets roll down his face, his back and his soaking wet clothes. “I think we should take a dip!” she said with such enthusiasm that she believed it was the best idea ever. Nothing was quite as refreshing to her as a nice dip in a natural body of water right when the sun was going down. She got to her feet and looked down at Alek who had been trying to get dry, “You're still wet, and it will be fun!” She held out a hand, hoping he would take it and join her.

OddThomas: The ladybug on her ear seemed quite comfortable, fluttering its wings for a moment before closing them over and shifting around. Alek watched it as Mila spoke. She seemed none the wiser as she popped up and wanted to back into the water. She was so small, he didn't have to get up, all he had to do was sit up to be almost her height as he reached out and cupped his hand over the tip of her ear, trapping the lady bug. His fingers slid along her ear as he scooped the bug off and turned to let her waddle onto a leaf on the bush he was closest too. Turning back he nodded to her. He was already wet and he dry off with or without sunlight, so he took her hand and started to slip back into the water.

Astellaris:  In fact Mila had not noticed the little critter crawling on her until Alek gave it a lift off of her. Her senses became focused on her ear as he gently touched it. She remembered the first time she felt this way, the night they first met. He had touched her skin then while helping her in her..’unfortunate’ state. It was like waves of heat emanating from the spot he touched, it was new to her and yet it felt like the feeling itself was older than time itself. She watched as he set down the bug and grinned as Alek took her hand. Mila grabbed it making sure to hold on tight, while she was small she was still very strong due to her genes. She made a break for the water pulling Alek with her, it was her goal to get them both in the water as quickly as possible, hoping to catch Alek by surprise.

OddThomas: "Ooof." Alek grunted as his arm was nearly pulled from the socket by the sudden motion and Mila's strength inside that deceivingly small body. Jerked toward the water, he shuffled through the wet mass until they had come to the last of the stone ledge and hit deep water, sinking. Instinctively, Alek pulled Mila toward him in the water, so he wouldn't lose her in the current created by getting too close to the waterfall. He only let go of her when his head broke the surface again and he wiped his face, shaking his head. "That first step is always a doozey."

Astellaris: Mila felt the cold water hit her skin as they broke through the surface, she was about to turn around to face him as she suddenly got pulled close. Her heart was pounding from all the excitement of rushing in the water that she couldn’t even tell that it had started beating faster as he held onto her. The moment his head popped back out of the water she just looked at him with her big black eyes. She looked at him for a few moments before replying, “It is, huh.” She said so with a mischievous grin as she swiftly dove into the water, grabbing him by his legs and pulling him down with her. Their heads were not that deep below the surface, just enough to startle him but she obviously didn't want to drown him. Her eyes were open as they met his gaze, slightly hazy underwater.

OddThomas: He was about to reply when she disappeared under the water and pulled him down. He barely had a second to take a breath but managed. The water shimmered with the light of the sun above them, the scales of the fish around them were little rainbows and far below them the lake weeds were reaching up with thin, desperate arms. Alek's mass hovered in the water, his legs and arms threading the water slowly. A was a second before his gaze found Mila's, her black eyes against her pale skin were polished onyx in the water. Her gaze was heavy and if he could have shifted uncomfortably underwater, he would have. Seems two months hadn't softened her feelings for him. He gave her a lopsided smile, threw his arms wide then pulled them quickly together, creating a force between them that propelled him playfully away from her. While he cared for Mila, he wasn't sure he wanted her letting those feelings for him grow.

Astellaris:  It was so quiet under the water, it gave her mind time to collect itself. Mila smiled back at Alek right as he shifted away from her. She wasn't bothered by that though, she understood their boundaries and felt like she knew where they stand. She thrusted her arms downward, forcing her head to appear above water again. She took a deep breath as she opened her eyes, running her hands over her face and hair, rolling the water off of her and down her neck as she slicked her hair back.  

OddThomas: Alek stayed under the water for a little while longer. Being away from the coven and the cave had given him space from all the things that had happened but he hadn't actually sorted through them. His last encounter with Mila had given him flashes of succubus power and that made him uncomfortable though Mila herself did not. It wasn't his practice to label everyone based on a single interaction with someone else. That being said, he'd never died before having that outlook, thorugh all the abuse he suffered, death seemed to rattle him the most. Maybe because it had been so slow. Maybe because it had been at the hands of someone he trusted, he didn't know but he couldn't shake it. His head broke the water a little ways off from Mila, tilted up to look at the sky. The sun was much closer to the horizon now and the wind had picked up, taking on that icy edge he hated. At least the water still felt warm.

Astellaris:  Mila watched as Alek appeared above water again. She was just happy, satisfied that in that moment everything seemed perfect and the world was in order. Not long after she lost herself in a thought that she flinched slightly, dipping back lower into the water, only leaving her head above it down to her nose. Mila hated cold weather, and although it wasn't a cold season, her being wet and the wind picking up didn't sit well with her. She crossed her arms over her chest rubbing her shoulders underwater as the cool breeze in her face sent cold shivers down her spine. She watched Alek as he admired the evening sky, not wanting to interrupt him only to ask if they should get out of the water, it was her idea to get in it in the first place.

OddThomas: With a relaxed sigh, Alek lowered his chin and started to swim toward Mila, she was closer to the shore than he was. He had spent most of the day traveling back to the cave and with his fish caught for at least two days he was set and feeling like it was time to get in his cave, start a fire and relax. The wind licked along his wet ears and the back of his neck as he swam and he hated it but managed to keep his instinct to heat himself down. It was a waste of energy in the water with the wind still around. As he swam closer, he could see Mila hugging herself and shivering, the water being pretty clear. "Let's head upstairs." He said, moving to the ledge and pulling himself up. As soon as he was up on two feet he started to steam. The wind picking up in a whoosh.

Astellaris:  She watched Alek come closer, nodding frantically at his suggestion to get out. In truth she was quite thankful that he did suggest it, that way she didn't have to admit that her idea was not well thought through. “Okay, let’s head up then.” She took a deep breath, waiting only a mere second before hastily sprinting out of the water, straight past Alek and headed for the stairs. She really did not handle being wet and cold well. All she could think about was getting inside and getting warm. “Come on, slowpoke!” She yelled behind her as she sped up the stairs, almost stumbling at the last step before disappearing inside.

OddThomas: Mila shot past him creating a breeze of her own and he chuckled slightly. Having warmed himself up and dried off for the most part, he wasn't in the hurry was she was. He stopped to pick up the basket of fish which was now still with the death of all the fish he'd left out of water for too long, then headed up the stairs. Putting the basket of fish down by the door, Alek stopped to look at it. If he was going to be around for the winter maybe it would be best to cover the door, after all, he wasn't the only one that stayed there. It was then that he looked around and found Mila shivering. Taking thick blanket off the bed, he draped it around her shoulders before going to the fire and fitting it with some fresh logs before he lit it.

Astellaris: Mila watched as Alek entered the cave, she had slipped out of her clothes and wrapped herself in a sheet just in time before he could see her standing by the bed. “Thank you..” she said to him with a tender tone in her voice as he draped a heavy blanket over her. This moment reminded her of the night they first met. she smiled to herself a little, being able to reflect on the events of that night with a positive outlook. Mila followed him towards the fireplace, plopping herself down on the ground in front of it as she watched Alek light the place with wonder in her eyes. The cold had somehow snuck into her bones, she was still shivering despite being well wrapped up. She was amazed by Alek's ability to dry and warm himself up at will, wishing she could do the same in that moment.

OddThomas: The soft rustling of heavy fur let him know that Mila had come closer and sat in front of the fire as he reached into the flames to adjust the logs causing them to rise. He took his hand out, careful to shake the embers that clung to him off over the stone. Rocking back, he sat down next to Mila and wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her arm in attempt to warm her up. Her little body shivered under the fur a little too much. He turned his head to look down at her and frowned slightly. He'd seen humans freeze to death and a few creatures as well. His hand slipped along her cheek pushing her hair out of her face so he could see her mouth and eyes, checking for discoloration. He was trying to gauge how cold she was. Would hot tea be enough to warm her up? Or did she need something more.  

Astellaris: Mila looked up at Alek as he caressed her face, her eyes darting back and forth between his, trying to figure out what he was thinking. She shivered even worse as a cold water droplet slipped from her still wet hair and rolled down the back of her neck, causing her to wiggle uncomfortably for a second. “I-It mus-st be great t-to be able to warm yourself up-p-p…”

OddThomas: Her teeth were chattering and when he touched her she seemed to shiver more. Her hair was very wet against his hand, so he pushed the fur off her shoulders and pulled up the sheet, using it to soak up some of the moisture from her hair. In that moment he did not envy the idea that women were more beautiful with long hair. It seemed like a pain in the ass and took him a couple of folds of the sheet to get it to stop dripping. By the time he was done she was going to have to get rid of the sheet to get warm. "Gimme the sheet and just wrap up in the fur." He said. "I can try to warm you up. I've never done it for someone else before."

Astellaris:  It didn't take long for Mila to accept that she would not be able to hide how cold she really was from Alek. She quietly sat patiently as he tended to her hair, her eyes traveling across his body, studying every muscle, every scale and every scar on his body. Before long he took away the sheet and she covered up using the fur. “ Okay, are you sure you want to do it? Will it hurt you?” she replied to him suggesting he might give a shot at warming her up.  

OddThomas: His large hand was pinching the fur closed at her chest as he used his other hand to pulled the sheet away from her body and loop it around his hand into a pile near his side. Swishing his hand free, Alek looked back at Mila. She was swallowed up by the fur with just her head sticking out and he caught her eyes roaming over him. Chewing the inside of his lip, he thought over her question before realizing he had warmed someone up before without much thought to it. "It won't hurt me. I'll start low and we'll warm you up slowly." With one hand on the fur still, he used his free hand to scoop her into his lap so she was facing him. "I'm going to let go of the fur and you can put your skin against mine, alright?"  

Astellaris:  Mila blushed a little as Alek picked her up and sat her in his lap. She was sure how she felt wasn't being reciprocated, but she knew only for sure that there was nothing she could or would do about it at that moment. “Okay..” she said somewhat quietly as the heat radiating from his body had warmed her up some already. She let go of the fur that was covering her and wrapped her arms around Alek’s torso. She pulled herself close to him, her chest up against his. Her heart was beating hard and fast, so much so that she wasn't even able to feel his. It was warm, so warm, but not only warm. She felt a sincere kind of comfort in his warmth, like a warm cloud surrounding her and overtaking her very essence.

OddThomas: His legs were stretched out in front of him when he pulled her into his lap. Shifting a little on his butt, Alek brought one leg up and bent the other so he could sit up a little straighter and wrap his arms around her back under the fur. His scale started to ripple like fire trapped in glass and lifted a little. His already above average body heat went up an notch as warm air started to build under the fur between them. He rested his chin on the top of her head and breath out slowly as a means to regulate how quickly he was getting hot. Focusing on not flash drying like he did with himself, made him only vaguely aware of her heart drumming against his chest.

Astellaris:  She laid her head to his chest as he rested his chin on her head. She enjoyed the heat, it felt somewhat natural to her like she had felt that way before, yet she could not remember when or why. Mila began humming a song to herself, it was the only song she actually knew and it was somewhat of a core memory for her. She didn't know where she had heard it but it was dear to her heart. Closing her eyes, Mila’s tune slowly dimmed down as her consciousness began to fade.

OddThomas: After a moment, when she stopped shivering and started to hum, Alek stopped giving up any more heat than he did naturally. He lifted a hand from her back and started to stroke his fingers through her hair and the song started to drift off. It wasn't long before Mila was dead weight against him, breathing evenly with sleep having settled in. He tucked the blanket in around her, gathered his legs under him and walked them both over to his bed and climbed in. With her still on his chest, he settled his head on the pillow, his feet sticking out from under the fur and put one arm behind his head, leaving the other on the back of her shoulders. He'd been travelling a lot and sleeping just about everywhere. Now that he was home he wanted to sleep in his bed. He wasn't sure if he'd actually made a good bed or if it was just being home and with the warmth of someone else but he was incredibly comfortable and was soon asleep too.

Astellaris:  Mila slept as she was peacefully carried over to Alek’s bed, being allowed to stay asleep and lay on him. His natural heat would continue to soothe her as her breathing slowed and her heart's rhythm changed. It was as though something, or rather someone, else inside her had awakened. This wasn't unusual for her. While it didn't happen every night or even every time she fell asleep, this was a somewhat regular occurrence. Mila was still fast asleep and so was Alek, but something else was happening entirely. Mila’s head shifted and one of her hands moved and laid on top of his face, gently caressing his cheek with one finger resting at his temple. A slight reddish glow coming from the tip of her finger as the air around the two began to shift. Reality itself seemed to be distorted and the cave they were in twisted and turned. Mila’s body began to change. It started with her skin, her scales seeming flipping all across her body, starting at her toes and traveling all the way up to her horns like a wave. Her Horns grew out of her skull and became a lot larger, her tail started stretching and her back began to tear open as two tattered wings spouted from the openings. scars started to reveal themselves all across her body as her clothes began to disappear and reappear as something different entirely. All of this was happening as what had previously been Mila was starting to straighten up and push herself up and onto her hands, her head starting to lift and her eyes opening. Only this wasn’t Mila, not anymore. She shared the same face, same hair, same smell, but it was not her. The creature opened its eyes, looking around to find herself propped up on top of Alek. She seemed surprised, not expecting him to be there. She looked around once more, realizing she was in a dream. not just any dream, not her own, Alek’s. “Where are we?”

OddThomas: The deeper into sleep, Alek got, his arms fell away from Mila's tiny body. He was used to sleeping in one position with someone sleeping on top of him. The feeling of a finger and some soft power against his skull touched scales and tingled against them. It wasn't an overly invasive power and sort of washed over him like a warm scent causing his head to turn to the side and expose his cheek and long, corded neck. The chains that had been screwed into his horns so long ago jangled quiet as he shifted then settled again, his chest rising and falling slowly. Alek didn't dream often and he was glad for that, most of his dreams were vicisous memories of his family being slaughtered, his dark years with the wizard, or of Suka. He had the rare bright dream of Amara or Rayuu but they didn't last long. With his physical body laying still under a shifting Mila, Alek's eyes opened to a lush green forest. It wasn't his forest, he knew because the scents were different but this forest was fresh in his mind, the one he had rested in before returning home and one he had found long before settling in his own cave. A soft warm breeze rustled the trees as the scenery unblurred through his vision, eyes opening and closing rapidly before staying opening. With grunt, Alek sat up on his elbows, there was something on his lap. He looked down the line of his stomach and found parted thighs over his hips. Confused, his eyes travelled upwards, this body was barely covered by cloth, and more so by red and black scales. Panic flared through his chest as he caught the fluttering of tattered wings but when his eyes found the face of the woman on top of him she wasn't the succubus he was expecting... or was she. Beside him, his hands had tense fistfuls of grass, his shoulders burned with tension as his inner dragon was bristling with the need to attack but Alek was frozen in confusion and panic.  

Astellaris: She looked down to find a confused looking Dragon, “Ahh, so this is the reason why she has been shutting me out.” she straightened up a bit, her chest bouncing back as she leaned on her hands. “You must be Aleksey.” Her voice was sweet, not like that of honey but rather like that of a sweet rum. It was lower than that of Mila, the pace was different from Mila’s and the expression was not the same, yet it was Mila’s face and Mila’s mouth that spoke those words. It had been a while since Mara had come to the forefront. Mila had been keeping her down for what Mara suspected would be Alek’s safety. Despite Mila not consciously remembering Mara when she wakes up, her inner self always knows she is there. Mara flutters her wings, stretching them out before meeting Alek’s gaze. She smirked as she leaned forward and into Alek, stopping only a few inches away from his face. “Pleasant seeing you here, I’ve been waiting desperately to meet you.” she said so with an almost eerie tone before licking his cheek softly. Her aura was strong far beyond that of Mila, her power simply ran through her veins unstopped.Though strong, it wasn't a threatening one at all.  

OddThomas: Alek blinked at the sound of the voice and finally his vision started to clear up. He was looking at Mila but... not. Her voice was deeper and far more sensual then how Mila usually spoke. He was staring up at some dark version of Mila as a familiar power floated around him. He knew that feel of unabashed sexuality and his inner dragon was low to the ground, growling threateningly. It didn't matter to the beast that the power was soft and inviting, inching closer and closer to parts of his mind that rarely focused on sex and sensuality. Alek shifted under Mara, trying to pull himself slowly out from between her legs. His heart was still beating in a panic. He'd barely managed to escape the last succubus. Mara's sultry words fluttered through the fog of his mind and when he blinked again she was inches away from his face. His exhale was shaky and quickly sucked back into his lungs when he felt her tongue on his cheek, body reacting in opposition of the panic and anger his two minds felt.  

Astellaris: Mara felt his panic filling the air, noticing his hips shifting beneath her, trying to get out. She squeezed her thighs together tightly, keeping Alek pinned beneath her. “You don't have to go anywhere. There's nowhere to go dear.” She switched from being on one side of his face to the other, whispering into his ear, no, through his ear. Her words would pierce through alek, it wasn't him she was talking to now, she was speaking to the dragon within him. “Don’t you think we can all benefit here? You know who I am don't you? You can feel it.” Her voice echoed through Alek’s head as she spoke. Stretching her wings out and snapping her tail she continues, “You have what I need, and I can give you what you need.. Release. Ill make you a deal..” A deal was something surely she had gotten from her father Asmodeous. It is very like a child of hell to offer up a deal in order to get what they want. “You let me prove to you that I won't harm you or your.. human. And in return I will give you the hunt of your lifetime, A promise to let you hunt and kill me, IF I should end up hurting you despite my promise not to.” She knew it was up to not only the man, but the beast just as much. There was no way she could attempt what was best for her and Mila if there couldn’t be some resemblance of harmony and agreement. She moved back a bit, giving the dragon time to ponder with his other half. Should they agree to trust her, she would explain everything to Alek, that the dragon would not have already.

OddThomas: Her thighs squeezing down on him and her not wanting him to go anywhere only made the panic worse, it got bad enough that his breathing was ragged, hitching his chest as it shuddered under her. He swallowed down that panic when her words seemed to melt into his ear and pour like liquid promises down into the inner plane where his dragon resided. The beast was flexing, bristling, pushing against his human skin, testing the bonds of their compromise and feeling as though his human was too paralyzed by panic to really protect them. If he had to rip through the succubus, he would, without hesitation. The show of the inner dragon was on Alek's scales, pulsing with heat, flexing open, lifting away from his skin and his hands were stretching into talons, digging into the earth. However, with each word she spoke, that sultry power poured down into his body and tickled senses he hadn't indulged in months. The dragon scoffed at her offer for a deal, flattening against the floor and stretching his wings with a wiggle, like a cat ready to pounce. A growl bubbled through Alek's throat at her offer, his chest flashing red like lava cracking through the earth as black ash started to etch across his broad chest and shoulders. She kept speaking, her words bringing forth memories of the dragon's old mating habits, ravenous and brutal. The inner beast lowered his wings slowly, his attention piqued at the idea of hunting a succubus of finished what he had started the night they died-- but this one would submit. The human wouldn't be able to keep him inside and allow them to die. Alek breath out slowly, the heat in his chest bubbling down an octave allowing her power to seep into his skin and bones and loins. He groaned to feel blood rushing between his legs, and he shifted again, trying once more to get free and get away from the increasing need to give in. The moment she started to move back, Alek took his half clawed hand and gripped her shoulder, shoving her off of him and rushed to his feet. His body was pulsing with sexual need, his inner dragon licking its chops at the prospect of being able to devour the succubus and leave her as nothing but ashes and an egg. Alek paced, nervously glancing at the dark Mila as he argued with his inner dragon.  

Astellaris: “Alek?” It was Milas voice, seeping through the barrier of Mara's takeover. “Alek are you there?” She called out to him, in her voice a wish for him to approach her or answer. “It’s me, Mila.” Her tone was soft and sincere, just like it had always been. she wanted to explain to him. who she was, and what mara wanted from him. “I know this is hard for you.. “ She stepped closer to him, reaching out her hand to him, “But please, take my hand. Take my hand and everything will be explained.” Mara had invaded Alek’s dream, and since they were in his dream and Mara was the one in control of it, able to manipulate it, she would use her ability to show him a glimpse in her past. If Alek took her hand, she should be able to show him within the flash of a moment a piece of her mind, who Mara is, why she existed and furthermore, what she needed from him. Mara had been Protecting Mila, to do so however meant that she wasn't able to feed as she needed. It left even Mila vulnerable and weaker than she should be, they did after all share the same host body. Mara would show him that in Order to protect both Mila’s needs and her wants, she was willing to go a far more difficult route of feeding. She would step into his dreams regularly, indulging in intercourse with him there, leaving Mila for the Most part out of it, and at the same time protecting Alek. It was her need to feed, and her want to keep Alek near but more importantly safe. All it took was for Alek to trust her and take her hand in that moment for him to understand. If he agreed, a bond would be created. The two would be linked in a way that was dependent on their trust. Should their trust fail, the bond would be broken and Alek would be released from it.

OddThomas: Alek's near frantic pacing stalled when he heard Mila's voice. He was completely unaware that he was dreaming. It hadn't quite had a moment to click yet that he was not in his forest, no where near the looming slab of stone that made up the ledge to his home. Knowing you're in a dream gives you power in it but Alek was completely unaware, living in this moment as if it were true and in a sense it was. His brows furrowed to the center of his forehead, the scaled face of Mila that had been darker a moment go had softened somehow with just the shift in vocals. "You have no idea what you're talking about." His voice was hardening and deepening with anger. His inner dragon was whispering, "Let's eat them." Shut up. Alek turned squarely to Mila, standing rigid, fingers flexing at his side, looking down at her offered hand. "I know what you want. I've been here before and I died because of it." He took a step forward. "You're signing your death warrant trying to align with me and my dragon. I know where this ends and this time it won't be me that dies. I won't be able to hold him back." His mind sped through his time with Suka, the memories flashing on the canvas of the sky behind his head. They met in a tavern night after night, and she shared her power with him. He had taken it in in doses, even built up a resistance to it to some degree. There were days when he didn't take in her power at all. Then one day he took too much and foolishly held off finding any sort of release elsewhere. When his protectiveness of Suka got mangled against his dragon's need for release he'd attacked someone he also counted as dear to him and then someone else until finally he laid hands on Suka and was forced to make a choice between his life and the lives of countless others should his dragon get loose in that moment. He died that night and if it hadn't been for the phoenix feather in his pocket he wouldn't have been there to tell Mila about mating in the first place. His dragon was the monster he warned her about and this was a downward hill to the same place. "I'm sorry, Mila, I can't."

Astellaris: Milas voice distorted, it turned to one darker, angrier, Mara. It echoed through the Forest and made the trees surrounding the pait bend. Her wings unfolding and stretching across their full span as they abruptly lift her off the ground. “Who do you think you're talking to? You have no idea the mistake you're making!” Just as the demon was getting ready to dive toward Alek, she fell from the sky and landed on her feet, her fist hitting the ground with a loud thump as she did so. “Enough!” It was Mila’s voice again, “I will not have this. I just won’t.” The demon's body began to shift, fading back into what was Mila’s appearance while the female straightened up and began walking toward the dragon. “My dear, I am sorry you are so hurt.” She said this while placing her hand on Alek’s cheek, not feeling afraid or threatened by the grumbling coming from inside the man she loves. It wasn’t Mara's powers or any other power for that fact that was radiating from her palm, It was Love, in its simplest form, seeping into Alek’s skin. “I respect your decision, do not fret.” Mila smiled, tears filling her eyes as she could feel his pain, his regret. “Let’s go for a walk?” She let her hand slide from his cheek down to his arm and letting it rest in his hand, gently pulling him along as the green forest around them began to bloom again, birds chirping and a soft, comforting breeze blowing leaves across the ground. She walked slowly, almost as if in slow motion as she led Alek through the trees.

OddThomas: The reaction from the succubus was one his fear expected and cold fear spread across his shoulders as his mind started to drift back to that night. It was as if he could already feel himself rotting away again. Even subconsciously, he was rubbing the fingers of his right hand together, feeling raw bone and dead skin and nothing left of his muscles but sinew. His heart was thudding his chest as Mara rose into the sky and his inner dragon was so close to the surface his chest was pulsing with fire and his parted lips were leaking smoke. Then something changed. To Alek it felt the same as when he was fighting Lili and finally got a hold of his dragon again. Mara had gone up in the air and Mila had come back down. Even though Alek recognized the changed he still flinched when she reached for his cheek, his entire body stiffening as he sucked in a breath. When her skin touched his, she was warm and loving. What coursed through him wasn't the power of a succubus. She wasn't trying to trap him or twist his mind or fog his logical brain with the powerful need to fuck so he let out a breath, his eyes following her hand as it slipped down his arm to his hand. The same fingers that felt rotting and dead before were back to their normal feeling as they curled around hers. He lagged a little behind her, trying to get his heart beat under control and his inner dragon to let go of its rage. Mila was not Suka. Not every human is bad. Not every wizard is evil. He kept repeating the mantra in his mind, bombarding his dragon with it. "Where are we going?"

Astellaris:  “Wherever you want.” She replied to him with a sweet voice, the usual smile on her face practically audible in her tone. She halted letting Alek catch up to her so they could walk next to each other wherever their path might take them. At this point Mila was radiating peace, naturally since that was all she wanted for the dear Dragon. She held his hand tight, lending him a constant reminder that she was there and she wasn't going anywhere. While she was in a calm state overall, something from before was bugging her. “Do you want to tell me about those images I saw before? That was Suka, am I right?” She wanted to give him some space to deny answering her question if that was not something he could or would talk about at that moment. They kept walking through the forest, seeming aimless but it wasn't a place they were looking for anyway.

OddThomas: Since waking up here, Alek found himself looking around again. This wasn't his forest but it was familiar as if a distant memory had grown up around them. In a far corner of his mind he wondered how he'd gotten there and what Mila really was. Was she a succubus or was he simply projecting? Was he dreaming or was this real? Had he been truly lucid he would have been able to see the quirks of the world around them for what they really were, but the lavender sky seemed normal and right, the dusty yellow trees and grey water of the stream rushing alongside them all seemed normal and natural. When Mila stopped walking, he did too, standing beside her now. His inner dragon had given up the fight. His human vessel was too wrapped up in being logical and justisified to allow him to eat the little something, so he lay down, huffing, waiting. Alek was humming in thought as to where they would go when they simply started wandering aimlessly again but he stopped dead when Mila mentioned Suka, his hand squeezing hers, almost painfully as he stared down into her face, his voice a little frantic. "What images?" What had she seen. He hadn't told anyone about Suka, even if she had told Itzy and Arya her version of the events.  

Astellaris: As Alek stopped, so did she. She tilted her head slightly, she usually did that when she was thinking. “I saw memories of you with suka. At a bar, in your cave, sharing her power in seemingly bliss.” She paused for a moment, her eyes staring right into his as she grabbed his other hand. “And then the day you died.” Mila held on to him, no matter how hard he would squeeze her hands she would not let go. It was as though she could feel his sorrow, his trauma, not able to explain it. She continued her question, “What happened to you Alek?” Nothing and no one could explain the connection between the two at this very moment, it was not something that needed explaining. This was just a moment between two people, sharing what lies close to their heart.

OddThomas: Alek was looking down at Mila watching the way her long ears angled downward and her pale hair fell around them. He didn't know what it was, but he was really into her ears. Maybe it was because they were so long she couldn't hide them, the way he couldn't hide his horns. But he was snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes meeting hers as she spoke about what she saw. Again, he should have questions, how and where she'd seen these things but in the confines of a dreamscape her answer was completely logical. Hearing about that day, hearing that he died, coming out of someone else's mouth made him almost deflate. His heart sank all over again, body going slack in her grip and his head dipped. The events of that day spiraled out of his head and flashed behind him again, painted on the lavender sky like projection onto a screen. He still held guilt for attacking Lili and not being able to hold his inner dragon. He could still feel the raw sexual power that had been churning in him for days with no release and his dragon's ancient habits turning that sexual energy into rape and rampage. Things happened so quickly that night, people got hurt because of him. Until this moment, Alek had thought that what haunted him the most was the face of Suka as she hovered over him, forcing her power through him while he lay half dying and feeling her draining his soul out of his body. But the truth was, the moment he closed his eyes against and tried hard to forget was the moment her eyes melted back to that dark purple, refocused on his haggard face, the moment he felt her stuck into a horrified breath, then get up and run away. That's when the loneliness set in. When he realized he was alone and couldn't even feel his own dragon anymore. He had sacrificed part of himself and was going to die, alone, in the woods, not far from a home he hadn't even made his yet. Alek swallowed all the emotions that came up from just the thought and shook his head, even though he answered her honestly. "I lost control of my beast and put a lot of people in harm's way and I paid the price."  

Astellaris:  Mila stood and listened, fastening her grip around his hands, functioning as an anchor for him to hold onto, to keep him here in this space and not letting him drift off into those horrid memories. She had taken in all the information his inner mind was willing to share with her, locking it deep inside her heart. “What happened was not your fault, my dear.” She said to him softly, wrapping her arms around him as she felt him deflate in her embrace. Holding him tight to her heart a chilling feeling crept up her spine, it was Mara trying to front. Mara’s voice chiming in, not speaking through Mila’s mouth, but rather echoing throughout the dream, “We can help him Mila. We can help him bring distance between his worst nightmares and himself. You need only let me show you.” It was rare for Mara to try and front at the same time Mila was in control, the shivers it created almost sending Mila to her knees herself. “What do you mean we can help him?” Mila asked, speaking to no one but aiming it at Mara. Through a short lived shared memory, Mara showed Mila a vision of what they could do in order to help the dragon. Though Alek could not see this vision, he could witness Mila’s expression changing, shifting from terror to one that was full of hope. Mila took a step back, looking up at Alek searching his eyes for a possible outcome. “Alek, I can help. I know it is a heavy burden to ask of you..” She stepped up closer, cupping his face in her hands. “..But please, Aleksey, let me help you.” Her words seeped deep, melting off her tongue as she brought her forehead against his.

OddThomas: She was so much smaller than him and in this moment he felt like helium and she was the only thing keeping him grounded, keeping him from being swept up in the nightmare that crept into his mind nearly every night since that night. Her slender arms wrapped around him and her words sank into his soul. No one else knew how he felt about that night, except for maybe Rayuu. He suspected she knew everything, saw everything as she traded her human life for his in the twilight of the morning. When he woke in her ash, he had felt so much closer to the little fire-bird, close enough to know that speaking too deeply about that day would only render dark consequences for both of them. So he kept to himself, something he was good at. So good, in fact, he rarely shared any part of himself with anyone, other than the parts they needed from him. He and Mila sank to their knees and Alek sat back on his heels, his forehead resting on her shoulder for a moment before he lifted his head and looked at her. In Rayuu's arms, he often felt the protective aura he felt in the arms of his sister or his mother but Mila felt different. He opened his mouth to thank her but that dark voice echoed around them. In the real world he would have looked around for the source but here, he contiuned to stare at Mila watching her features as she interacted with the voice. It wasn't until she moved back from him and searched his eyes that he made sense of the words the voices around him shared. "Help me?" It should have saddening to find that the idea was foriegn to him. Mila cupped his face and he felt himself nuzzling into her touch, the warmth coming from her wasn't like anything he'd felt before and he found himself craving it. Her forehead came to rest against his and he closed his eyes. There was a large part of him, a large scaley part of him that didn't want any part of this, that believed if he would just give in and let him kill the succubus his heartache would heal. There was another part of him that believed, like all things before, only time would heal his heart of the broken trust. Alek took Mila's thin wrist softly in his hands and pulled his head out of her grasp so that he could think without that overwhelming warm burning into his bones. He wanted to be rid of this heavy feeling on his heart and the only other way he knew how to do that was to hibernate. Maybe, it was time to try something else. "Okay..." He said tentatively.  

Astellaris: She smiled in relief as Alek agreed to let her help. Giving him a kiss on the forehead, she started to shift back into Mara’s true form. She took a step back as once again her body’s features changed. Her scales flipping, revealing her blackish-red sheen, her horns and tails growing, clothes changing and lastly her wings crack out of her back. She opens her eyes and they are now no longer Mila’s normal big black eyes but rather Silver orbs, staring right at Alek. Taking a few steps in his direction she spoke, “We will help you fade your fears to the furthest part of your mind. '' Grabbing his face and cupping it once more, she continued, “This won't hurt.. but it will cost a price.” Mara stared into his eyes, finding determination in them. “In order for me to do this, it will take a lot of my power, as I am not simply manipulating but rather overwriting your memory, forcing it in the background by bringing forth a new one.” She pulled Alek’s face closer, only stopping about an inch from his lips as she whispered, “ I will have to feed. Those are the conditions.” She waited long enough to hear him say the words before pulling him into a kiss. The very moment their lips touched the scenes from before of Alek and Suka flashed over the sky once more, this time taking up the entire scope of the horizon. Mara could feel his pain and fear rush through his body like wildfire and she was connected to him. She took note that this was the first big step he needed to take, forcing down this memory. Her arms wrapped around his neck, tightening her grip as the two melted into one another. Something was happening, the dream started distorting again. The trees stretching and twirling in every which way before reforming, but these weren't the same trees as before, these were the trees surrounding the dragon's cave. They were now in a new memory, a memory of the day Alek and Mila first met, only much earlier in the day, when nobody else was in the cave.

OddThomas: Alek's eyes closed when Mila kissed his forehead. When his eyes opened, she was standing in front of him, not much taller than him even though he was still kneeling and her skin was flipping over, her entire appearance returning to that succubus form that had been straddling him when he woke up. Aleksey sucked in a sharp breath and every muscle in his body tightened with the need to scramble away. Uncovered like the always were, his chest, arms, and stomach were a taunt bunch of muscles as he watched Mila's soft features melt into something darker and more sultry, even her mouth seem to plump and curve. His heart was ramming against his chest, making it hard to breath. Without thinking, Alek was on his feet but before he could go any further, Mara had hold of his face, pulling her down to him. Still tense, he bent down slightly and let his eyes peel open. He was met with silver eyes, narrow and sultry, not Mila's large curious black eyes or Suka's purple eyes. His own golden eyes danced across her face. It was Mila's face, only with dark scales and longer horns, and the eye color change. His heart was still pounding but this was Mila who hadn't done anything to him. The word feed shot through his mind like an icy bolt and his mind immediately started to unravel back to the days when he fed Suka. A mix of emotion rose up in his throat, like the memory of the feeling of needing sex so badly there was no doubt in your mind you would die without it and yet, Alek had always managed to keep his wits about him. Well not always, there was the one faithful night when he lost control and the memory started to flash across the sky again, becoming more clear with his rising panic. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. He'd said he'd take the help so he nodded and squeezed out the word, "Yes." Mara's mouth covered his immediately. For a long moment they remained frozen with their lips pressed against one another with the vivid, graphic image of his decomposing body laying against a rock, eyes half lidded watching Suka run from him, spread across the sky. His inner dragon was flapping his wings, roaring wildly in need to know what the hell his human counterpart was doing. Then the feeling of the succubus power started to sink in. The dragon stopped roaring and squinted suspiciously at the succubus. Women were vessels for eggs. Alek had gone ages without so much allowing himself or his dragon near a woman in that matter until Suka came along and the dragon had not forgotten the gratification it had brought, what this feeling had foretold of. His muscles began to unwind and his arms wrapped around her lower back, picking her up off the floor to meet his height as his lips finally parted for her. Pulse pounding in his ears, it was easier to swallow past the lump in his throat once his inner dragon was on board. Lowering one arm under her backside, the other moved to wrap his long fingers around her neck, his thumb pressed under her chin as the kiss intensified. He lowered to his knees, then finally lay Mara gently on her back, never breaking from her. The deeper their kiss, the more he felt the warm breeze of his glade wrapping around them, the more he felt the thoughts of Suka fading into the warmth of his home, the few days ago when it had truly become his home, the place he shared with the fire-bird, after finally fixing all the damage that had been done to it.

Astellaris: As their kiss grew more and more intimate and their arms wrapped around each other wholly, the air surrounding them shifted. It was as though a cloud of pure sensuality was forming all around them, engulfing them as they lay on the ground. With their lips glued together in passionate kisses, Mara ran her hands along his back, one finding its way into his hair, sliding up the back of his head before making a fist, tugging at the dragon's hair. Her other hand ran her sharp nails down his back, making sure not to draw blood or damage any of his scales along the way. A slurry of moans and panting ensued, the two of them driving into each other as Mara's powers chimed in. Her powers were not like an energy that she could just inject someone with, they were softer in nature, surrounding its subject with a cloud like essence filled with pure lust, longing and passion. Mara began untying the hem of Alek’s belt, semi-aggressively undoing the tie and tugging at his pants. Her own clothes slowly beginning to fizzle away, dissipating into nothing while she locks lips with the dragon.

OddThomas: On the ground, Alek shifted his weight between one hand which he placed on the ground by Mara's head and his knees which were planted in the ground behind her ass. Leaning into her, his chest hovered over her own as he began to feel the air around them becoming heavy with sensuality. Her power felt more natural, drawing his mind back to the first time he'd ever been with woman. Though it had been in a pile of hay inside a wagon cage, the lust and attraction between himself and the gargoyle had created an air similar to this one just not as strong, this air was heightened, strenghtened by Mara's power but felt far less invasive than being jolted. It simply sunk into his skin, brushing across him like eager hands, enhancing the feel of Mara's small hands moving across his back and neck. The tension had eased out of his muscles and coiled into a building sexaul aggressive as if all the stress and worry and panic and emotional lag he'd been carrying over the last few months was finally melting into a potential pleasurable release. Mara's sharp nails were felt moving up the shaven back of his head to his gather a fist full of his hair, and then down his back, rattling long his scales like wagon wheels over cobblestones yet leaving a trail of heightened touch. Alek groaned against her mouth, finding himself leaning more into her, wanting to press his body along the line of hers but before he could get that low her hands had made a play for his belt. He often wore a wide cuff around his hips, hard leather with many leather straps, only two of which actually held the cuff to his body. The rest, while able to help him hold many tools really served no purpose other than comfort. He was used to straps and ties and cuffs and restraints, they were part of his past that passed for fashionable yet were part of a darkness he couldn't seem to let go of. Giving a reluctant groan, Alek shifted his weight onto his forearm, letting go of her face and reaching down with his now free hand to his belt to stop her from going any further. His eyes opened then, his mouth peeling away from her own and he looked down to find she was as naked as she intended him to be. The dragon licked his lips, passing Alek's pink tongue over his mouth and catching it in the corner with a hiss of need. He blinked and shook his head, uncertainity biting his nerves. There was a small voice in his mind asking him why he was willing to take this risk again but it was outnumber by the voice of the dragon and the another voice whose belief was that no one person was like the next.  

Astellaris:  Mara stopped fumbling with his pants as she felt him pulling away, placing his hand on hers. “Hey, it's okay..” Mara spoke with a soft voice, not quite as soft as Mila’s but far softer than the one she otherwise spoke with. One of her hands fell gently to her side as the other came up to caress his cheek, her silver eyes glowing back at Alek’s golden ones. She was calm, not agitated by his hesitance or upset by his doubt, simply trying to live in the moment. She could try to guilt him into letting her feed, reminding him that it was essentially Mila he would be leaving drained and extremely weakened, without her even understanding what was wrong. But that wasn’t in her nature. Instead she would show trust, trust in him and trust in the process. then that's what it truly was, not just to manage his fears but also build a relationship. Mila was the one Alek knew and trusted, Mara was completely new to him, aside from her looks, close to a stranger. “My name is Mara.” She spoke realizing that he had in fact not yet actually spoken with her. “Mila and I are the same person, just two different sides of it. Like a coin, it has two sides and yet it is whole, one not being able to see the other while it's flipped up.” She smiled, giving him some time to think, it was not her goal to rush him into anything he did not want. She did however need to swallow, her thirst was starting to burn in her throat like burning metal running down it. Her body could tell she was drained from shifting the memory, feeling the survival instinct to feed and replenish her strength but Mila held Mara in check. She hoped the dragon would not notice and if he did, that his actions would not be impacted by it.

OddThomas: Alek stared down at the woman beneath him. Her voice was soft and patient making him feel almost like a virgin again. His hand slipped out from under hers and sat back on his heels with her legs still spread on either side of him. Reaching down, he gripped under one of her knees and lifted her leg over his hip until her thighs closed and her hips twisted slightly. At the moment, his mind and body were moving in two different directions. His hand on her thigh was moving idly back and forth on her bare thigh, tracing subconscious patterns and just living in the feel of her warm skin under his hand. Meanwhile, his eyes remained on her face as he tried to make sense of how he'd gotten into this position with Mila. Then Mara told him her name and explained her existence to him. That panic started to flare again. She was so like Suka when they first met. It explained that threatening aura he felt around Mila that had him pulling back and yet... He couldn't put his finger on it but this was a different situation. Sitting up a bit more, Alek put both hands on the top of his thighs and looked down at her. "Mara." He said her name more to himself than anything else as if committing it to memory and searching for an answer to unasked question at the same time. As she lay under him, he could feel her hunger like the rumbling of an empty stomach but this was more like the air around him began to caress his bare shoulder with a gradually growing need. Alek leaned over, placing his palms flat to the earth on either side of her head as his mouth brushed along her neck. The almost living pulse of sex in the air was already in him and he knew all too well the consequences of not dealing with this sort of need in a timely matter, however--- "Alright, Mara. If you and Mila are the same why does she look like a different creature? Why are you split?"

Astellaris:  She watched him closely, fighting the distraction of his touch against her skin, it was maddening. with each stroke along her thigh it was like her hunger for him got amplified. She leaned her head back, elongating her neck as Alek came closer, brushing up against her neck. “We are Milara..” she exhaled in a soft moan as his lips adorned her neck further, “Daughter of Asmodeus, One of the seven demon kings,the mortal sin of lust.” Her nails digging into his back as she struggled to keep herself somewhat composed, enough to tell the story. “Our mother was a Minotaur from a small village. She gave her life defending us as the town folk tried to kill us. She died right before our eyes… we were three.” Her head jolted forward in pleasure, allowing her to sing her teeth almost gently into Alek’s shoulder as she continued, “We were not able to cope with what happened that night, so our personality split in two and I was created. In Mila resides our childlike innocence, the sweetness and the good, she resembles our mother more than our father. In me resides our trauma, the abuse we have suffered over the years by the hands of mankind, i hold all the power of my fathers daughter, and so i resemble him more. I am our protector. I shield what is left of our innocence from all harm. Until the day we are ready to become one again, to be Milara once more. The mila you know does not know of me. she does not know who we are or what we are, as i can not communicate with her when she is awake.” Mara’s sharp breaths turn into sultry moans as she can feel her energy level slowly rising. “I need you to tell her who we are, what we are. But you may not under any Circumstances tell her why we are as we are. She needs to learn this on her own when she is ready.”  

OddThomas: Her soft moan washed over him with an encouraging edge. Watching her arch and give him her neck had his body lowering closer to hers, pinning her legs closed under his waist, his thighs pressed against her backside. He was holding back, for sure, still a little tentative about getting swept up in the allure of a succubus even if this was completely different, and managed to keep himself from getting hard just yet. Having her telling him this story was helping him focus but he couldn't help but let a growl of need slip out when she dug her nails into his back, his hips pressing hard against her. One hand started at her shoulder and slowly trailed down her body, fingers sweeping over her hip and lightly brushing along her stomach, while his mouth continued along her neck to her opposite shoulder. The tip of his tongue drew a hot line along her collar bone. Her teeth grazed him and with a moan he returned the favor, turning his palm flat against her stomach so the tips of his fingers brushed the top of her pubic bone edging toward the center of her body where her thighs were tight. How he was managing to internalize any of this information was beyond him, but her words were clear in his head, even as he his hand wedged lower but his body kept her legs closed. Lifting his head just enough to put his mouth behind her ear, he said, his voice husky with sexual desire, "I won't tell her about your why. I will tell her everything else." Though his words were pretty basic, swimming in the cloud of sexual energy made them come out as if he were trying to seduce her with everyone.

Astellaris: Mara’s ear twitched just as Alek spoke to her in his trivial yet still sultry voice. Him having agreed to convey the information was like a bond of innermost value. His trust and her ability to lay hers in him was like a turn on for her, boosting her powers and strengthening the magnet-like attraction between the two. Mara began to fully indulge in her need to feed and at the same time, it wasn't only that which kept her longing for him. She was starting to understand why Mila fell for this dragon, he was truly something else. As Alek’s hand inched further down heading between her thighs, Milas hand had found its way back to Alek’s pants, feeling a drive, a plea for her to continue what she started. She carefully slipped her hand down the front of his pants, reaching for his not yet fully erect member. as she felt it in her hands it was like waves of ecstasy running over her body. Her mouth still busy, trailing its way with kisses back to his mouth for their lips to lock once more.

OddThomas: The little twitch of her ears tickled against his face, his tongue flicking out to dance across the soft skin. Her taste burned across his tongue like sour candy, not that he had ever had sour candy, but you get me. Craving more, Alek leaned up and allowed the tip of his tongue to trace the length of her downward drooping ears to the tip, his teeth scraped across her skin, a moan vibrating softly into her ear. Leaning up put more space between his heavy body and her legs, so when his hand pushed lower, he was able to get her to open her legs a little bit more for him, palm covering her pubic bone as his finger slide across a sensitive nub between her lips and lower. His head no longer clouded in darkness and slowly starting to become hyper focused on Mara and the suggestive possibilities swirling in his head. Looking down the light of her body, as she reached for his belt again, a hunger like nothing he'd ever felt before swirled in his gut where the knots of trepidation had once been. She had to crunch a bit to reach down for him, pinning her breasts tightly between her slender arms and her stomach was taunt. Feeling her fingers brushing across him made him shudder and hiss in pleasure, and he came alive in her hand, no longer able to hold back. Sitting up, Alek gathered Mara in his arms and pulled her up with him, sitting her on the tops of his thighs with her legs spread around his hips. His head lowered to her collarbones, mouth trailing a hot line down to the curve of her cleavage. He spread one large hand across her back and held her up as the other slipped back between their body, his rough fingertip almost magnetizing back to that soft spot between her legs.  

Astellaris: Mara basked in the moment, soaking in all the sexual tension and bathing in the need to find release. Moans pouring out of her as Alek’s fingers find their way between her legs and playfully slithering between her lower lips. “Aleksey…” a soft whisper of his name escaped her lips, not calling out to him, just worshiping the name of the one she was sharing this pleasure with as he moaned into her ear. Mara’s fingers wrapped tight around his member as it grew harder and larger in her hand. She slowly began to pump her hand in an up and down motion, turning the angle of her wrist slightly with each time she came back down. As Alek pulled her close, he lifted her back from the ground, setting her atop his thighs, their sensual touch never breaking as he trailed her chest with kisses, her hand still tightly wrapped around his length. She leaned into his spoils more as she lifted her butt slightly off of his legs, their lips locking while she wrapped both her arms tightly around him before slowly coming down on him. His member pushing steadily and slowly inside her, sharp breaths and soft exhales leaving her lips as she gasps out in pleasure.  

OddThomas: The sound of his name swept over him giving him a vivid recall of her hands smoothing down his back while her hands were very vividly on lower on his body. The feeling of her fingers moving up and down his shaft with a slight twist had him groaning, his fingers kneading into her back as he held her up to him. Sitting up let his belt fall away and his pants were loose around his hips. When Mara sat up in his lap he lifted up on his knees slightly and let his pants fall down a bit further, his timing was pretty on point because she lowered herself, holding his now throbbing member as she sheathed herself over him. His moan was muffled as she brought her lips back to his. Hungrily, almost greedily so, Alek kissed her, his hand moving from her back up to the back of her neck, pressing his fingers into her skin just below her jaw from the back. With all the will power he had, which at this point wasn't much, Alek managed to stay still and steady until Mara's body pressed squarely back to his and he fully buried inside of her. Ripping his mouth away from hers, Alek growled out, "Fuck." His hands moved to her shapely hips, lifting her up slightly as his hips started to grind up into her.

Astellaris:  As Alek lifted and then thrusted into her, Mara’s wings flapped heavily while she arched in pure bliss. Alek’s moan dripped into her ear like hot honey. She began to sway her hips, moving in harmony with Alek. Her pelvis warm and moist, pulsating from the inside as she seemed to be sucking his Penis in deeper with every movement. She used her tail to stabilize and push herself forward leaning over Alek. She shifted her weight so that he would be able to slowly lay down and find himself laying on his back, Mara mounted on top of him, similarly to how they had first awoken in this dream. It was almost artistic how they had found themselves back in this position, gaining each other's trust and affection. Her moans grew louder as she continued to grind on him, the pace exponentially increasing as the two melted together. Feeling him throb inside her, Mara’s body naturally began to produce even more lubricant, tightening its walls around Alek’s shaft, heightening his senses. Meanwhile her Powers began to spew, filling the air with a sweet aroma as her life force continued to increase.  

OddThomas: Enjoying the feel of being inside of her, his pleasure only increased to see her arching away from him, giving him a beautiful view of her curves and cleavage, drawing him in. As her hips began to sway and move with his thrusts, Alek lowered his mouth to her chest and captured one of her nipples between his lip and grazed it with his teeth. The tip of his tongue circled her soft bud, gently stroking it while his hand came up and cupped the other breast, massaging it gently. He didn't stop as she pushed her hips forward and shifted them down to the ground, his legs simply went out from under him and stretched out under, and he lower back slowly, still gripping her hip with one hand until her knees met the ground. Crunched forward, Alek shifted from one nipple to the other, his hand wrapping around her waist, holding her still as he started to thrust harder into her, the feeling of her tight walls gripping him heightened and flooded the air around them with his growls of pleasure. After a few minutes his hips slowed to piston-like thrust and his mouth came away form her breasts, looking up at her, eyes roaming slowly up her long neck to her face. "Mara…" It was nearly a question. With the realization that he needed more than just mere attraction to get this point with anyone came the creeping cold chill of fear. He'd opened himself up already once before. His inner dragon growled low, warning that if he didn't finish what would be pleasurable for both of them the next few days wouldn't be easy. Alek closed his eyes and pushed the thoughts down, gripping Mara's hips with both hands and refocusing his attention on the immense pleasure he was getting from both inside and outside of her.  

Astellaris:  Mara looked down at him, her hands now propped up on his chest as continued to move in unison with him, slowing her pace as he did. “Let yourself fall, Aleksey..” Her voice was like a lasso, pulling his thoughts back into the moment, flooding his mind with pleasure. As his thoughts returned to her she dug her fingernails into his chest, feeling him throb inside her, his penis twitching, inching closer to merciful release. Her shimmery scales which adorned her body glistened as single drops of sweat rolled down her curves. Mara moaned, looking deep into Alek’s eyes as she picked up the pace again, Her panting grew heavier and faster as her movements quickened, matching the tone Alek set. She could feel him Lust, it wasn't like he didn't have any on his own, she only amplified it and crystallized his wants and needs which were already there in it. Even the dragon inside Alek had to be in perfect harmony at that moment for the two to be able to join this effectively. It didn't matter what his reasons were for being on board, as long as he was.

OddThomas: His chest flexed under the press of her sharp nails pinching his scales. He hissed in pleasure, his hand moving up from her hips to her sides, thumbs brushing against along the under line of her breasts. Mesmerized, his gaze followed that errant bead of sweat down the curves of her body. With a groan of need, Alek leaned up and swept the broad, flat of his tongue along the line of her body that the bead of sweat had followed. His mouth was alive the fireworks of her taste as he moaned against her skin, slowly laying back down, his hands easing down her curves to her thighs. As her pace began to pick up, one hand swept over her thigh and spread across her lower abdomen so that his thumb could draw small fast circles against her clit. The dragon's chest was rising and falling quickly, his breath picking up to a pant as he pulsed inside of her. The sensitivity against the feeling of her warm, wet opening was maddening, his free hand moving over the curve of her ass and pushing her hips back and forth a bit faster.

Astellaris: It was intense, extreme even how well the two worked in harmony. Maybe it was the fact that Mara was a succubus and could read into his thoughts, however if that was so she did not do it consciously. With every small circle Alek’s finger danced around her bean, her body grew more impatient. While it was true that the mere experience of intercourse would be enough to feed her, what was really going to give her life-energy and power a boost was his semen. It being part of what was needed to create life itself made it a powerful agent for her. She hissed in excitement and jolted forward, leaning into Alek with a kiss, her tongue gently licking his bottom lip before slipping into his mouth. Their tongues intertwined as she started lifting her ass up higher with each thrust and coming down harder, increasing the impact. “Alek.. I-” The last whisper that could leave her lips mid kiss as her body tensed up, her insides closing in on themselves, squeezing Alek’s penis inside her.  

OddThomas: When she leaned forward, he kissed her feverishly, his hand on her ass sliding between her legs from the back, feeling the warm wet fluid leaking from her and dragging it back further, pressing the tip of his finger to another delicate hole that had gone thus far untended. His thumb slowed its circles over her clit and applied a bit pressure. They continued to kiss with his hands cupping her lower body, aiding in lifting and lowering her on his throbbing member, her backside bouncing off his thighs with heavy smacks. When her lips broke from his, his head dropped to her shoulder, now addicted to the taste of her and wanting more. He licked, bit and sucked along the curve of her neck and shoulder, his thrusting picking up pace with her hips. Hearing her breathy, promising words, he growled against her skin, knowing he was coming to a head as well. Her orgasm squeezed him like a fist willing him to drive over the edge, but he continued to thrust into her, working against the tight pulsing of her walls and milking her orgasm for all it was worth, fingers speeding up against her clit. He wanted to feel her shudder before he hit a point where he couldn't take it anymore. Alek's entire body tensed up as he emptied himself inside of her, a long groan of pleasure escaping through his clenched jaw. She would be left with his finger prints on her ass cheek and the inside of her thigh but after a moment, he exhaled and laid back, peeling his fingers off of her. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Astellaris:  She moans out loud as they reach their peaks together, Alek filling her up physically on the inside as he does metaphysically on the outside. Shivers run down her body, fizzling out through her scales as her back arches. “I.. need you.” She moved back closer, laying her arms around his neck as she pulled herself to him. Her orgasm reached its max as she leapt into Alek’s lips, kissing them deeply and passionately. She bit his lip before pulling back slowly, still staying close to his face, “Never let ‘sorry’ be your first word after such delightful euphoria, my love.”

OddThomas: The sound of the forest buzzing to life was what always woke Alek in the morning, like a soft alarm of nature. It was always in the morning twilight when he opened his golden eyes and turned his head to watch the colors of the rising sun change the hues of the forest. This morning, when the buzz of the forest started, Alek groaned against it. It sounded like the buzzing of a saw right in his head. Lifting his hand, to rub his forehead, it brushed along Mila's side, causing him to crack one eye open and look down. His large hand smacked down onto his forehead as his head fell back and he let out a deep breath. His body was still tingling with the after effect of having an intense orgasm and the object of his dirty dream was sleeping peacefully on his chest. He felt like a pervert. Wincing a little, he tried to ease out from underneath her without waking her up and pulled the covers back around her small frame. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Alek rubbed his face against the flickering images of his dream. He could still hear Mila's soft voice calling him to take her hand and then things jumped forward and backward again, is guilt compounded with visions of Suka, making him believe he was simply conflating Mila and Suka after having gone quite a while with no affection. Speaking of affection-- Alek's head slowly swung around the cave, peering into the slipping dark and sure enough the little firebird was nowhere around. It was going on a week now and he was starting to worry. Pushing off the bed, Alek crossed the room to the kitchen and pumped some fresh water into his hands to wash his face and wash out his mouth after chewing a few mint leaves.

Astellaris: Mila knew the sound of the forest coming alive only too well. It was where she spent every day since the day she was left alone by herself. This day however, similarly to the last couple of months, she wasn't alone when the sun came peering in, she was in company. Though her recent home had come to be the Dragon’s den, she had never actually slept there, in one bed, with the dragon, alone. Surely it was her deepest desire as she had loved Alek for a while now, however, what she was about to wake up to was something she did not expect. Feeling the movement beneath her, Mila slowly began to wake up, hear hears already active, listening to the sounds from the forest as well as picking up the rustling of the covers and footsteps leading across the room. She opened her eyes slowly, glancing over the edge of the bed before realizing she was naked underneath the covers. The moment she took note of it, the events of the last night came back to her. She only remembered being cold and wet, then Alek warming her up and then.. nothing. Tiredness must have gotten the better of her. As she thought about how she got into bed, her mind got interrupted by an entirely different question, where was Alek. It took her only a few seconds to catch Alek’s scent, prompting her to sit up and turn around, looking across the cave until she saw him, standing in the kitchen. A smile immediately crept across her face as she laid eyes on him, blushing a little before calling out to him. “Good morning!”

OddThomas: Mila's chipper 'Good Morning' ran up his spine. Because his back was covered in scales, he couldn't get goosebumps and instead his scales lifted up slightly in a ripple and then flattened again. Even happy her voice still brought him back to the forest in his mind where she held out her hand for him. For a moment, he made a fist on the sink, wishing his mind would stop haunting him and looking further inward to see if maybe his inner dragon was taunting him for his mistakes with women. The dragon was still sleeping and seemed more peaceful than he had been in a long time. Strange. Though his brow furrowed at the sight, Alek schooled his features into a soft smile and turned around to look at Mila on his bed. And just like that --- the smile was gone. His eyes unabashedly roamed her naked body as the feeling of complete familiarity with it washed over him. The gold of his iris seemed to glimmer with heat in the morning twilight; he could practically feel her skin on his. Grunting, Alek looked away from her, rubbing a hand along his stomach, above his belt as the image of her straddling him and melting into something more sultry burned across his brain. "Hellscapes..." He mumbled to himself. The second attempt to look up at her and smile worked much better. "Morning, Mila." But his gaze was sort of far off, looking in her direction but not quite looking at her. "How'd you sleep?"

Astellaris: Alek’s hesitation to look at her or even say good morning didn't go unnoticed by Mila. Feeling like a fist crushing her heart she grabbed the bedsheet and covered herself with it before turning her face away from him. She didn't want him to see how hurt she was by this simple yet painful act of his. “I slept fine I suppose.” Her words practically drooping from her lips as she went to get up. As she stood, she noticed that her body felt different, it was as though she had just woken from a year of sleep, replenished and so full of energy that she had never felt before. Apparently, this newfound energy and power was still underestimated as she went to hold on to the railing of the bed and by accident broke right through it with her hand. Shocked Mila looked up at the damage she caused as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her eyes opened wide as she felt the sting of the cut on her hand before looking down at it in silence, watching the blood run down her forearm.

OddThomas: Guilt hit him like a fist in the gut when Mila snatched up the sheet and mumbled an answer to him. They hadn't even really slept together... like that... and it was shaping up to be awkward. At least, he was pretty sure they hadn't. He still had his pants on and he did remember her being naked and cold last night. His mouth opened then closed, not sure how to soothe the situation, so he eyes fell to the floor. The sound of wood whining under force made his head shoot up and the bed post Mila's small hand was wrapped around cracked and splintered, slicing her hand. Alek was across the room with Mila's hand in his before he could even process it. He plucked a few splinters free of her skin but there was one that was embedded a little deeper than his bulky fingers could reach. Lifting her hand to his mouth, her blood was warm over his lips and he licked at the wound, sweeping his tongue over her skin. She was warm and light and touching her skin brought a vivid scene across the back of his closed eyelids. 'We can help him, Mila.' Alek heard the voice of another female ringing in his ears. 'I need you to tell her who we are, what we are. But you may not under any circumstances tell her why we are as we are. She needs to learn this on her own when she is ready.' Mila's blood slipped past his lips as his tongue pulled back into his mouth and with it came the bright, colorful, explosion of realization that he had not been dreaming. Well, he was dreaming but his dream was as real as this moment, invaded by Mila's succubus power: Mara. With a grunt, Alek pulled back from Mila's hand and looked up at her. "Mila, we need to talk." With a gentle tug of her hand, he wanted to lead to her the sink and tend to her hand while he confessed his dirty dream and held up his end of the bargain to Mara.

Astellaris: She watched while Alek took her hand in his, tending to her wound as his mouth found its way to it. She didn't say a word, still processing the interaction with him as well as what just happened. Staring at her arm she zoned out, a feeling of having felt this way before creeping over her as her tears dried up, leaving her with a blank expression. Alek’s words kind of passed through her, she heard them but wasn't paying attention. It was only when he held her hand leading her towards the sink that his words echoed in her mind, sinking in. Talk? What was he going to talk to her about? He didn't say he wanted to talk, he said he needed to. It must be important. Her expression changed from a blank one to one of worry as she absentmindedly followed him to the sink.

OddThomas: At the sink, Alek lifted Mila onto the counter then began to pump water into the sink. While he tried to find the words to explain to her what happened last night, he wet a rag and cleaned her wound. She was free of splinters now so by the time he was done cleaning blood off her hand and arm, the wound had closed. The power shared between himself and her other half during the night would have sealed her up like a zipper without leaving a scar or even a shadow of evidence that her little hand had been damaged in the first place. Dropping the rag into the sink, Alek's large hand curled around Mila's. He was staring at her palm, searching for a place to start before he looked up at her face. Laying her hand in her lap, Alek stood to his full height. "This is probably gonna sound crazy, Mila, but you were in my dreams last night. Not just you, but your other half too." Alek hesitated, then reached out and let his fingers gently caress her cheek in attempt to bring to her the same memory recall that touch had done to him. "You're part succubus, Mila, and she calls herself Mara. She wanted me to tell you she's there. She's always been there, protecting you. She wants you two be whole again."

Astellaris: As she followed Alek’s hand with her eyes, she realized that her hand had healed. There was not even any noticeable scar left. However, before Mila could think too much about it, Alek’s words hit her like a brick. In his dreams? My… other half? His word kept coming and coming, not giving her the time to process one information before being jumped by the next. “Wait, please..hold up.” She interrupted him right after he could say his part about Mila and Mara becoming one again. She hopped off of the counter and held her hand, looking at it with confusion written across her face. “What do you mean my other half? And who is Mara? Who is becoming whole again?" She paused for a moment looking up at him, her eyes searching his for an answer or even a reply before she continued. “And what's that about me being in your dreams? You dreamt of me?” Then the feeling of his hand previously on her cheek hit her, she laid her own hand there, caressing her cheek in silence as the feeling of familiarity washed over her. She couldn't quite place it but something about it seemed so very familiar and comforting to her. Grabbing his hand quickly she placed it back on her face while looking him in the eyes, partially covering her mouth with it as his words echoed through her head, forcing back split seconds of images from that night. she couldn't remember enough to make out what exactly was happening, but she now felt more than anything that she needed to listen to what Alek had to say.

OddThomas: Mila held up her hand in his face causing his verbal vomit to cease for a moment, giving her the time to breath he hadn't really considered while trying to figure out how to even say any of this. When she hopped off the counter, he took a step back and rubbed his palms down the front of his pants in subconscious attempt to calm his nerves. She was frantic as his words scrambled her brain and he could relate. He wasn't sure he understood what he was meant to help her understand. When she asked him to repeat himself, he simply said, "You." She was staring up at him, searching his eyes and he knew she would only find mild confusion and worry there in his golden eyes. Mila snatched up his hand and brought it to her face. The heel of his palm covered part of her mouth as his fingers curled under her jaw. His hand was large enough that he could palm her face but the sensation that shot through his arm from her holding his hand and his fingers caressing her face wasn't an urge to palm her face. Alek stepped into her, looking down in her face as his palm brushed across her mouth. It was the same mouth from his dream, though in his dream it had been rosier and he knew what it looked like after being kissing viciously for a long time. His thumb passed over her mouth at the thought. There was a pause, Alek slightly mesmerized by her mouth as the memory of kissing her tingled across his lips. "She was in my dream, your other half. Then you were. You're more aware of her when you're sleeping, your subconscious knows she's there but she needs your waking mind to know it too, so that you can be whole again. I agreed to help you become whole again because you two offered to help me forget Suka, forget dying."

Astellaris: Mila closed her eyes, taking in the full sensation of his hand on her skin, his thumb brushing across her plump lips. As he kept explaining, the images in her mind became more clear, adding some voices to the jumbled up memories. Her stomach dropped and a sickening feeling came over her as she heard Alek talk about Suka and dying, like waves of sadness, rage and disgust these feelings burned across her skin, making her temperature rise before she took a deep breath, calming down again. “I see now..” She didn't remember everything from that dream but now she could sort of grasp an idea of what had transpired, though she did not remember the part where the two had sex. “How am I.. How are we helping you?” She looked up at Alek, meeting his gaze, something in his eyes was different, softer and yet burning. Likely her own face would be flushed, she was warm to the touch and so was he, their temperatures matching and the aura surrounding them both felt increasingly familiar and safe. Her heart was pounding, standing so close to him, his fingers on her mouth as she spoke and still, after all this time and after apparently having slept naked and alone in one bed with him, the small creature had butterflies.

OddThomas: That cold, hollow feeling that shuddered through his body when he thought of Suka and that faithful night wasn't that intense for once. It just couldn't seem to out weight the feeling of warmth burning down his arm from where his hand rested on Mila's face. He took a step closer, chasing the feeling of that warmth over the cold as he recalled Mara twisting his memories away from that night and drawing them back to more serene things while their bodies intertwined. Seemed like Mara would be the one to teach him that sex was a great distraction from a lot of things, as she had actually managed to help him stop thinking about terrible things and only focus on her. Though he was no virgin, he had never had his mind so clouded that even the thought of being touched was triggering and they had overcome that at least for a moment in his dreams. Now he stood before Mila, caressing her face and completely drawn to her mouth, with not even a whisper of her succubusness triggering him. She was a different person. Her split personality or power didn't make her dangerous. In fact, Mara's gentleness and caring in his mind had calmed his nerves so much. It helped just to be told his fears were valid. Alek then realized he hadn't allowed himself to open up to anyone about how deep his trauma had been, not even Rayuu. Mila and Mara had been able to see his thoughts, the ones he struggled to put into words, and soothe them. For a moment, Alek had drifted back to that dreamscape but his eyes soon refocused on Mila's flushed cheeks and the feeling of her pulse increasing under his fingers. His heart, too, had began beating a little harder as he felt his dragon stir under his skin. When his spoke, his voice was a little lower, huskier, "By crawling into me and pushing back."

Astellaris: Mila blushed, unable to break eye contact with Alek as she was fully mesmerized by the dragon. Never did she believe she would or even could feel this way, this way that she watched all the silly little humans fuss over so much. Her thought cut short as Alek replied, “Crawling into you?” she subconsciously took another step closer to him, her body almost pressing against his as she laid one of her hands on his chest. Was it just her or did Alek seem to be feeling some type of way as well? She could practically feel the air burning around them, fiery like the emotions she was feeling in that moment. “W-What do you mean inside you?” Her big black eyes glistened with purity and.. and something new. Was it true love? Was it lust? Longing? She wasn't sure.

OddThomas: When Alek finally blinked, albeit slowly, it felt like forever since he had done so. Breaking the intense stare between himself and Mila, whose face kept toggling back and forth between her own and Mara's, allowed him to think more rationally and with far less innuendo. At least for a second, before her realized there wasn't a breath of air between their bodies anymore. Her hand was on his chest, his hand on her face. His heart was one hard thump after another under hand. Quietly, Alek sucked in a breath, his tongue running over his lip before speaking. "Uhhm. My dreams. My head." Mila's shiny black eyes were pools of polished onyx, endless. Somewhere deep in his mind he knew he was doing a shit job of explaining what Mara needed him to convey as he felt himself getting lost in those eyes, swimming after a suggestion of something that might not have been understood by even Mila herself.

Astellaris: She could feel Alek’s heart pounding with her hand on his chest, almost certain that hers was beating just the same. As he told her about being in his head, she thought about those memories she saw, putting things together that those memories must have been from the time she spent in Alek’s dream. Not only did hope that he was feeling the same way she did, but she hoped that he would accept those feelings as the memory of him telling her to be just friends crossed her mind. She was unsure of what to do, every part of her body was longing for him, she wanted nothing more in that moment than to kiss him but remembered the conversation they were still having. As she bit her lip gathering her thoughts she said, “Then maybe if I learn to daydream, I will be able to communicate with my other half.”

OddThomas: Alek's eyes were drawn down to Mila's mouth as she bit her lip. His thumb nearly passed over it once more before he pulled his hand away from her face and curled his fingers away as it dropped to his side. Blinking again, this time a bit faster, he exhaled over her head and stared as her words sank into him. Alek stepped back from her nodding. More and more of the night was coming to him and he felt that panic winding up in his veins. Mila was a succubus... and a minotaur but a succubus still. Was what he was feeling right now just left over from his roll in the grass with her succubus side? Or was that feeling that flooded him true? He had thought he knew what true feelings were without the pull of succubus power but the truth was, he didn't. Sex complicated things. Especially for a person like himself who was just as split at the woman before him. His dragon had a one track mind and he had always been so afraid to lose control of that side of him that he had never allowed himself to explore the humanity of loving someone. The moment he had opened up to someone he had paid dearly for it. Mara was Mila, soft and sultry but more than that, caring. A few weeks ago, Mila had come to him confessing feelings for him and he had all but dismissed her for many reasons, some his own, some due to weariness of her idea of love. Feeling a little antsy, Alek shifted his thoughts back to Mila. Focusing on her and her connection with her other half calmed his thoughts of fear. "That's a great start, Mila."

Astellaris: Mila stood there silently, watching the dragon pull away, her heartbeat drumming in her ears as she looked up at him, not knowing what he was thinking but knowing for sure that something was wrong. It was as though she could somehow feel his feelings, but not quite, more faint and like a vague idea of what he might be feeling. She felt strange about it, she just watched him for a few moments, her mind trapped in thought as she observed his mind wandering through his eyes. Looking at him her eyes trailed off, noticing his lips then his breathing. As if naturally her breathing started adjusting so a pattern much the same. Perhaps it was Mara taking note of the tension and knowing subliminal techniques to calm the both of them down, to make them feel more in tune. Reaching out to him, grabbing his hand but not stepping closer she says softly, “Thank you.” Though her tone was not forceful, it was surely sincere. Her eyes wandered across his face, not sure where to settle or if she was about to cry. She could only feel a wave of big emotions flooding her as she thanked Alek for helping her get this far. Afterall, she wouldn't have gotten here if it wasn't for him. She half expected him to pull away and distance himself from her, having an understanding of the position he was in. It wasn't his job to help her anymore than he had already, and Mila was ready to accept that, and let him, should that be what he desired. “..For helping me. For helping me answer questions I didn't know I had.”

OddThomas: Alek's heartbeat had taken on a sort of panicked lilt, but he was nowhere near a full blown panic attack just yet. As his thoughts shifted away from his own fears the panic simmered and settled with the help of mirrored breathing neither one of them seemed to give any conscious thought too. Feeling her hand in his, Alek opened his fingers wide and lifted his palm face up to look down at her small hand. His scales rippled like the flickering of flames, his warmth higher than most but apparently tolerable since he hadn't had anyone recoil from him before. His thumb crossed over and lay on the back of her hand as she spoke. There was a long pause between her thank you and her reason and he lived in that silence just watching her hand in his while soft, fuzzy memories of his dreamscape ran through his mind. After his own pause, Alek looked up, meeting Mila's gaze, saucer sized polished onyx reflecting her always sincere emotions, once more and gave her small half smile. "You're welcome." He stepped back from her, letting their hands fall away as his body's usual morning needs began to come up from under the dizziness of his lingering dream. His stomach grumbled and his mouth felt gross. So, he turned his head from her when he spoke again, "I could use some breakfast."

Astellaris: It could have been as if scripted. The Morning rays shining into the cave, blurring Alek’s outline as replied to her. She could not really see his face through the shine, however she could hear the tone in his voice ringing. Since she had woken up that day it was almost as if every syllable that came from, was amplified, like an emotional echo to her inner self. Her eyes only blinking as her hand fell back to her side, but not before lingering in the air a moment longer. She watched as Alek stepped back, his shift causing him to cover the sun completely, allowing her to clearly see him again. A soft smile brightened her face as her eyes narrowed in on his face. It took her a few moments to acknowledge what Alek was saying, the hand he just held now reaching for her chest as she felt her heart thumping. “Breakfast sounds right just about now.” letting her hand fall back to her side she turned to see her now dried clothes across the room, walking towards them without saying a word more.

OddThomas: He nodded when she agreed to breakfast and turned just as she did to get clothes, to head outside into the morning air. He didn't have door or anything covering the opening to his cave but still, when he stepped past the opening, it felt a little fresher. Aleksey took a deep breath and held it before moving down the stone steps and around to the pond. Dropping onto his ass, Alek let his feet fall into the cool water and leaned back on his hands. The grass under his palms was still damp with morning dew and as his head fell back, he took another deep breath hoping to settle the waves of emotions rolling through him. Even though, Mara had offered to help him push back thoughts and feelings about Suka they were still raw on his nerves but now they were tangled up with other emotions as well. The dragon was happy to latch onto the left over feelings of sexuality from their shared dirty dream, but Alek was more swept up in the feelings of protectiveness he had for Mila being knotted with sex and fear. He wanted trust that her intentions were truly to help him but couldn't shake the insecurity of letting anyone in right now. His head dropped, chin to chest, eyes moving across the water, following the shadows of fish just below the surface. Pushing forward, he slid into the water and immediately his dragon growled low and deep protesting a morning of fish. Alek smashed the serene surface of the water. "I really don't feel like watching the light go out in some animals' eyes, you ass."

Astellaris: Mila picked up her top and slid it over her head, noticing that it seemed a bit tighter now than it had before. Has her chest grown a bit? She Looked down at herself,. kind of just staring at her breasts for a moment in wonder before refocusing and grabbing her skirt. While slipping into her skirt she looked over at the burned down fireplace, her eyes then finding the sheet from last night. As she finished up and tied the skirt at her waist, she started walking towards it. Reaching for the sheet a flash of a memory became present in her mind. Gripping the sheet her knees weakened and she sank to the ground with the sheet in her hand. The memory of Alek holding her and warming her up, how he touched her face to check for her temperature, the way the fire was crackling in the background and the smell of wet fur and..that of Alek filling the room. It was as if she was right back there with her eyes closed, leaning against the dragon, feeling the vibration of her own humming. “It was nice, wasn't it?” A second voice chimed in, echoing through her memory chamber like an all surrounding mist. “What..Are..Are you Mara?” Mila asked timidly getting up off her feet and looking around as Alek and herself faded into smoke, though her physical body was still sitting on the ground by the fireplace in the physical cave, with Alek just outside. “Oh no, dear. WE are Mara. I am you, just a different part.” She kept turning around in circles frantically looking for the source of this voice, but only feeling the entire cave swirl into a smudged fog of what it should be. “Why can I only hear you now? What's going on with me?”

OddThomas: While Mara was finding out more about herself, Alek was arguing with the part of himself he truly felt he could not reconcile with sometimes. All the stupid beast wanted to do was eat meat and fuck things. While Aleksey had discovered a firm attraction to anything presenting as female, the dragon was not of the impression that since his human half didn't care about procreation, he didn't particularly care what sort of hole it fit in. How the conversation had spiraled from not wanting to eat fish for breakfast to sexual preferences, Alek didn't know but he was done with the conversation, throwing his hands up in defeat with a huff. "You're impossible. You know that?" The dragon huffed out smoke at him. "Well, be that way. But I don't think you're safe to be left roaming right now so..." He dove into the water, swimming across the pond to the waterfall and pulled himself up behind it. The cave behind the falls was full of chests, trunks and gold. The only way he could be more of a cliche would be to shift right now and spread himself out greedily with no desire to leave. Instead, he filled a small pouch with gold and silver and tied it onto his waist before swimming back. Back on shore, Alek lay in the grass, staring at the sky. It was a beautiful morning but beyond the canopy the clouds were fat with rain and greying at the edges. "How about we go eat a tavern out of supplies?"

Astellaris: Her limbs twitching, Mila slowly started opening her eyes, looking around the cave as she propped herself up on her forearms. “What happened?” After a few seconds to collect herself and sitting up more, she glanced over to the cave entrance. It still seemed like morning so she could not have been out for long. Rubbing her face she mumbled to herself, “This is absolutely not how I envisioned my morning to go.” She got to her feet, straightening herself out and brushing some dust off her ass as she felt a knot in her stomach form. “I wonder if Alek ate already..” Making her way to the entrance, she left the sheet she had picked up draped over a chair. As Mila stood at the top of the stairs, she could just watch as Alek walked back out to shore and laid down in the grass. For a moment she closed her eyes with a smile, enjoying the morning sun on her skin and stretching out her arms above her head, until a cool breeze swept over her skin, forcing her arms to retract in an unpleasant interruption of her stretch. Really, someone who is stretching should not be interrupted and even mother nature should be aware of that. Her quick frown shortly thereafter turned into a more neutral expression as Mila made her way down the steps and began walking towards Alek who she could now tell was admiring the sky. Tucking her hair behind her long pointy ears, she came to a halt a few feet away from him, lifting her head to look up at what he was seeing.

OddThomas: Tilting his head back a little, Aleksey could look up the line of Mila's body as she stood near him. His lips curved up slightly looking up at her. He wasn't sure why but he had a thing for her ears, the way they gently sloped downward and twitched slightly depending on her mood. 'Hi', he mouthed before rolling over and hopping up onto his feet. "So, apparently I -- we can't stomach any more fish, so I was thinking of walking into town. Would you like to come?" As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to take them back as he remembered their last trip to a town. Almost immediately though, his thought process ran toward Rayuu, hand slipping into his pocket to feel the feather he always kept on him. It was warm but faint. He hadn't seen her in what felt like forever. Each time she came to the forefront of his mind he worried a little bit more. His fingers brushed along the feather's edge in his pocket as he looked around the glade. There were a lot of memories in this forest, some good ones but mostly there was a dark cloud that now hung over the place. It wouldn't have surprised him if Rayuu felt that so deeply she couldn't bring herself to come back here. Maybe it was time for him to move on as well. It wouldn't be the first time. Aleksey's golden eyes refocused on the reality in front of him, Mila. He wondered if she would want to come with him to find his fire-bird adopted sister. That could be something to talk about over a meal.

Astellaris: Mila looked down at Alek, her smile reflecting his, as she replied, “Hey there!” She watched him get to his feet whilst listening to his inquiry. For a brief moment Mila herself was reminded of the last time they went into town, her smile fading a little bit but not for long. “I’d love to.” She chimed as she held out her hand to him with a wide grin on her face. As she held out her hand like that, she remembered Rayuu. Her warmth and her thoughtful chipper self, wondering where she might be right now. Focusing back on Alek as she began walking, she once again glanced down at herself and observed her chest. “I could use some new clothes too.. Mine are a bit…My.. uh..” She wasn't quite sure how or why she was saying this. Even more curious was the fact that Mila actually was feeling some form of intimacy awareness. This is something she had learned about, but not fully felt before.

Diitzy: It has been told since the beginning of time that every story begins once the reader opens a book. What if the reader was actually the main character of the story? Would you be the hero? Maybe your heart doesn't beat to the rhythm of the drum of the savior's heart. Does that mean you are the villain? Some say when the clock ticks time will only reveal the truth or you'll meet a unique storyteller that will guide you to the truth you are seeking. If that's the case, then it just takes one simple act of intention. Wish it, and so shall it be. Among the magical forest rested a willow oak tree and at its core erupted the soft lavender bubbles which began the story of the teller of all stories. The hole was just small enough for a fox volcanically spewed the magical bubbles overflowing in a female-like structure. The woman had a pointy black hat with a development of a black robe silking away across her skin. Beside her were a book fairly large for her frame and the moment the woman could open her eyes the book flung open. The quill to her hat lifted and it began to write. Of what you may wonder? Only she could tell you, with a glance or two she spoke in harmony. "When darkness was that was known light awakes. Now, why would we be here book?" The quill froze and the book moved from the earth's floor to her waist. "Forest of the dragon? I see no dragon." The figure began to walk through path. "Perhaps we are in the wrong story."

OddThomas: Alek grunted with the effort it was taking to get the felled tree off the floor and righted once more. He and his inner dragon were having a disaggreement... again. In the wake of his gigantic tantrum the tree had come down. Lately, each time something happened to the forest, there was a strong pull in his heart and the feather in his pocket fluttered softly. "I'm sick of being here." Alek said softly, as he leaned against the tree. His inner dragon snorted. "Some help you are." The great beast didn't much care where they were, as long as he was fed. At least that's how he liked to brush it off but they were both longing for their little adopted sibiling and the ocean. Alek closed his eyes, the bright horizon of his childhood home rang with the sound of Rayuu's laughter. As he took a deep breath and sighed, the tree gave way and sent him to the ground, smashing his shoulder off the bark. He groaned again, this time in pain and rubbed his shoulder. "It's time to go."

Diitzy: The quill launched to writing this time it was in hues of amber and sunset orange. "What is this?" The woman that was given no name yet for this story glanced down at the writing being formed. "Seems there is someone with a story here." The written words glow to the thunderous beat of a beast, perhaps a dragon. Though it wouldn't be safe to predict a story without properly reading it from start to finish. The girl curled her lips in a smile the feeling of holding off from her predictions and accepting the unknown was far more adventurous. "I'll let you lead the way." The woman looked up at the book as the small orange thread dripped to the ground leading to the source. "Sick of being here?" The long purple hair hung over her shoulders as she stared up at the tree. Clearly on the opposite side of the one named Alek. Wouldn't be that shocking to think a tree could talk. The woman remembered a story she once experienced and still would argue that 'the giving tree' was the storyteller all along. "Some help I am? It's not my fault you chose this life. Maybe you should have been more rooted in your previous life." The voice chimed. The book swung to her left and was writing all along, but froze to the memory of Alek's memory of a phoenix. The ink couldn't bare to right it which made the unique woman raise an eyebrow. "Now that's pretty odd. Say, tree. Who is it you were thinking about? Seems to have quite the part in your story."

OddThomas: Alek's hearing was normally very good but he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts and those of his inner dragon, it didn't register to him that the soft voice was from someone else entirely. That is, until the tree fell over again and revealed a small woman with a large hat and a long purple hair. Her floating boat caught the dragon's attention for a moment before his golden eyes returned to her small frame, the black silk she wore shifting in the breeze that crept through the trees. "Oh." Alek said, a little startled. "Hello."

Diitzy: The quill resumed writing the moment the two could set their eyes on ech other. The small frame glanced at the being in front of her and looked over to her side. "I think he was talking to you." The quill paused flicked back and forth in gesturing a wave but continued to write. The female turned her head back. "-It- never really likes to waste time, but hello. You must be the dragon!" The quill launched and smacked it's feather against her nose. "I know, I know. Don't read a head, but look at those eyes. Clearly he's a dragon." The woman laughed. "You must be home sick if you are sick of being here. Everyone gets homesick. " The would crawled over the tree to get closer. "Don't be scared. I'm harmless unless the story doesn't want me to be." She straightened her hat back up that merely fell back to it's original place. "Something tells me you are stuck in your story and that's what brought me here."

OddThomas: Alek's eyes shifted from the woman to the quill as it waved at him. Though his forest had been filled with all sorts of strange creatures, this interaction was crawling to the top of the strange list. Lifting his hand from his sore shoulder, he gave a two fingered wave at the quill though he was wondering if it could even see him. There were no obvious eyes on the feather but maybe it could sense him in some way? See like dolphins or bats? Then, upon his inner plane, his dragon stomped and shook the plane, blinking Alek back to reality just in time to see the woman lean up into him. His head jerked back, pulling his chin in as he looked down at her. She didn't linger long and was soon away but his inner dragon was not happy with his lowered situational awareness. Her words slowly sank into his mind. "Homesick? Yeah, I guess..." A low rumble shifted in his chest. The dragon wasn't so keen on sharing with a stranger while Alek thought really nothing of it. Once more his eyes shifted between the woman and the book, this time her words replayed in his mind until something started to click. "Stuck in my story..." He said, musing to himself. Yeah, he had felt pretty stuck lately. "I suppose so."

Diitzy: With the dragon within the shell fleshy skin before her shaking around it's reality, so did the quill in mimick . The girl didn't even look behind as the book swung to the other side of her like a rotating camera filming a scene to a movie. "You aren't like most dragons. Usually they are one soul. Looks like you two are split. How fascinating! Oh Mr. Dragon!" The woman yelled at Alek's stomach. "I know you don't trust me but trust in the process not all stories are made to have a horrible ending!" The book swung around as it's frame that once was a hollow black empty frame shifted and rippled into scales. "Looks like this is your story then Alek. It's a pleasure to be your story teller. If it's one thing we wish is to guide you through the next chapter in your life." The book flung over her head and skimmed violently through an empty page as it started to write 'O for Onward, the Dragon Aleksey's way". The girl launched her elbows at the tip of the book and dangled from it's hover. "So what's the story so far? Why did it make you stuck? Who made you stuck? Where do we need to go? When shall we go? Are you ready to go now?" The words skimmed across the page in black and faded. Seemed everything the girl spoke only faded. She doesn't truly know your story afterall.

OddThomas: Inside, his dragon had the same head pulling reaction to her getting close as Alek himself. His narrowed gaze rolled up toward his human counter part and he snorted once more, this time with dark smoke rising from his nostrils. Alek shrugged. It wasn't like she could touch him. So she was in his space? He took up a lot of space. Then the book started to move and figdit and became shelled in scales not unlike his. A cover page rotated to the front of the book and this apparent story was named after him. Then every word there after was faded. Alek's brow raised slightly looking down at the book and the woman now hanging off of it. "Uh-uhm..." Those questions were deep. It was a lot to process, a lot to share. But he did know the answer to one quesiton. "Yes, I'm ready to go now."

Diitzy: "I wonder why you don't share... shy? No. that's not it. All knowing and doesn't believe I can accept the truth? Hah. Nah. Only one thought that and he had 12 something disciples write in the name of him and that story let me tell you ends with a huge imagination of many people that can't really imagine the truth. No..I think you aren't processing and accepting what's happening to you." The woman lowered to her feet and with those words processing and accepting if made his mind start to think just like the word stuck then that means she's clearly on the right narrative. The woman would start to grow and form more in reflection of the stories growth if she were right. We all grow in time. "Slow down there speedy. Looks like you have some explaining to do." The quill moved to point at him. "Don't be so quick when your heart and mind aren't set in one motion. That makes a short story with a lot of missing pieces. How am I suppose to help if I don't know why?" The lady lowered to the ground crossing her legs. "Are you missing a piece?"

OddThomas: Alek was definitely not shy. He didn't really have a concept of being shy. He hadn't really lived a life where being shy was an option. The woman went on talking about more things he had no concept of. Twelve disciples? Sounded like a long, twisted story. When she stopped hanging off the book she started to grow then stopped when the quill pointed accusingly at him, making the half dragon looking man blink. She sat down and Alek went to pick up the tree again, trying to get the roots back into the hallows it had left when it fell over the first time. Once it was in place, leaning a bit but still standing, Alek let it go and nodded to her question. "That's why I have to go."

Diitzy: The quill and the lady exchanged looks at each other when Alek tried to restore the tree to its natural roots. "This piece must have a big part to your story." It was then for the first time in Alek's presence the lady moved to book and grabbed a hold the floating quill. She started writing though for a chatter box she was silent in the the process. Whatever she wrote only showed with the tree before him sinking back down into the earth and stretched in growing roots in waves weaving in and out of the soil. Not only did he fix the tree, but the storyteller felt the need to write it's appreciation by regrowing it to the next growing phase in its life. "Where do you think the way is you must go?" She looked up from her book and the quill slid from its hands returning to its scripture. "Some say go right, others say left. I've heard of up and down, forward and backwards but one thing is for sure whatever say you go. You are right."

OddThomas: He doubled back from the tree as it started to shift and situate itself in the ground as if it had never fallen over in the first place. Once settled, the tree seemed sigh and stretch its branches to the streams of sunlight glittering through the branches of other trees. Alek patted the wide trunk then moved down the roots, watching as the woman wrote almost furiously in the book and then stopped. Reaching up, he laced his fingers behind his neck and looked up through the tangled branches above him. Flying was always great but it would be a long walk to get out of the dense forest. "Forward." The dragon mumbled before his eyes lowered to the woman then over her head in the direction of the cave that been his home for a long time. Yet, he couldn't think of a single thing worth the trek back. There was nothing in the cave he couldn't buy or remake. "Welp, come on feet." The dragon said, looking down at his half bare feet before turning slightly from the woman and the book and making his way through the natural path in the forest.

Diitzy: "Is that what you are calling me!" The teller wiggled her nose. "You know most people don't even understand the power of naming their storyteller and you have the audacity to call me Feet? FEET." The quill motioned in a way that would make you think it was chuckling. "Shut up you!" She turned to the quill who flicked in a flip and turned its feather way in a shrug and began to write the dragon's movement. The lady stumbled behind crossing her arms over her chest in a puff to her lips. Though a storyteller never misses a moment, she turned to look at the vibrant tree Alek just restored as it glow in a light yellow shimmer that perhaps only a few have the mindset to see. Seems this main character has quite the soul and he doesn't even truly know his worth. By the responses she was given seems his mind is too far lost in the thought of finding this missing piece to realize his worth. Maybe the missing piece he's in search of knows more. The lady chuckled to herself. Plot twist. They are always fun. "Are you seriously walking ... don't you fly or something? Dragons have changed since I last checked. "

OddThomas: "Feet..." Alek said, mid stride pointing down at his own feet. "My feet. I was talking to and about my feet. " He chuckled to himself as they walked down a well hallowed path through the woods. It had taken some time to get out of his own forest and past the tavern and brothel he used to frequent. It had become a place he didn't really care to visit just in case she visited it as as well. During the first leg of their walk though, Alek had explained to the story teller than he did fly, he just preferred a wider more open space to shift in and with the dense canopy of his former forest he would have to walk pretty far out before he could do that unless he was just in front of his cave. He did not, however, tell her that the biggest reason he refrained from shifting before they left was because his inner dragon was feeling suspicious and aggressive. So the walked. And they talked and they walked more. Until his green forest shifted into an open plain and then back into another golden red forest. Where the vibrations of life were a lot stronger.

Diitzy: A storyteller can be many things, anything you wanted them to be, they'll magically be what you desired. However, this little storyteller was stumped about what Aleksey truly needed. There were three things she knew, he was homesick, he was stuck, and he held on to very deep information in she was not allowed to know. All of which was exciting to see unfold on their own. A deep sigh of relief rolled against her bottom lip knowing she wasn't named to be feet. She remembered a story of a penguin that had a little hop to his step. She wouldn't mind being named after him, but she couldn't recall his actual name. Plus, it's never good to collide two stories that had nothing to do with one another. The walk was blissful and quite beautiful. Though she on the other hand wasn't one to walk forever on her own two feet. Halfway through the journey, she ended up crawling on the floating book, which the quill didn't quite like. The quill continued to write of the voyage but purposely scribbled angrily close to her feet which would make her step around to avoid the line it was on. In which the quil ended up making the girl twirl as it sketched the image Alek provided of his flying preference. "Fascinating but you don't strike me being a dragon this angry. Not all dragons are mean blood thirsting creatures or maybe they are. I like to think they are misunderstood. Maybe that's relatable." She crouched down to show him the illustration that flung around right to his view. "So are we going in the right direction?"

OddThomas: Alek slowed his stride as the trees started to thin out. That was usually a sign of a clearing coming up and you never knew what you could find in a clearing. This one had the faint outlines of a caravan so he stepped off the path and started through the thicker concentration of trees around the clearing. It was always better to be cautious of strangers. As he stepped off the beaten path, he said, "I'm not particularly angry but my inner dragon and I are not one being. I suppose we're more like two halves." He stepped over a fallen log and kept moving, pushing low branches out of his face and holding them to make sure they didn't fly back at her. "When I was a child my mother told stories of dragons. They were, in fact blood thirsty creatures, but my mother and father changed that." The earth had began to slop a bit, so he was easing down the ridge when she asked if he was going the right way. Stopping in his tracks, Alek looked back at her. "Um... I guess that would depend if we were going somewhere specific..."

Diitzy: The teller loved a good family tale. Her body was now at the middle crease of the floating book on her stomach, kicking her legs in the air as Aleksey told the story of his beloved mother and father. Such a true love story. Made her stomach fill with butterflies to know they are still alive in such a cruel world. His tale flashed before her eyes and the living quill made sure to write every single word. "So you are the miracle child on an adventure to find your home. So you lost your parents? Is that who we are looking for?" The girl rolled back to her feet. As the voices emerged in the distance. They weren't alone. Though the voices were filled with laughter and song, even if you listened closely you could hear the strings of a guitar playing in the background. "Oh? what's this? Someone is having a party. You think we are invited?" Before he could answer the storyteller flung from the book to the ground and darted off to the source of it all. There circled around the campfire was a group of gypsies. Just as she came into their view her body merged with a short tiny female in ragged clothes that matched them to camouflage her surroundings. The laughter felt welcoming until she decided to pull a piece of meat from the pig they were roasting. That caused the merry energy to come to erupt in silence as they stayed at her. "What the hell do you think you are doing, Theif?" The largest and laziness of the group rolled to his feet, clenching his cup of wine and reaching for a nearby club.

Andromede: The high fae female flitted through the treetops, bow and quiver strapped to her back, scanning the forrest floor as she went. It was only a short distance between her own court and that of their allies, but the grounds between were frought with danger. One such as herself faced little threat against a singular foe, but precious few traveled these woods alone and for good reason. The treetops were the safest bet, and the natural fauna there were undisturbed by her kind for the most part. Her white silk gown rippled through the air as she hopped from limb to limb, a mere flash to the naked mortal eye, only stilling as her attention was caught by two travelers happening upon a caravan of wagons. Their scent caused her to pause and inspect from overhead, peering down from a safe distance, mostly hidden by leaves and branches. The disruption of their music by the seemingly small female's actions was only further incentive to remain silent.

OddThomas: Alek shook his head at her question. His parents, his sister, they were dead. There was nothing of his home to go back to but he didn't really want to get into that now. He preferred to remember the good things, like the stories his mother told. They didn't linger on it long. Before he knew it, she had hopped off the book and run into the clearing toward the laughter and the music he was trying to avoid -- mostly because they smelled very human. Thick concentrations of humans were not always that welcoming. "No! Wait!" He called after her, stumbling on the hill and falling to his hands and feet trying to climb up the side of the damp hill to catch up to her. He scrambled, got to his feet and nearly broke the tree line in time to see her snag a piece of meat from the spit and be confronted. Inside, the dragon huffed; good riddance. Alek frowned at the beast, ducked his head and emerged from the trees behind her. "She didn't mean any harm and she isn't a thief." He said to the crowd. He could feel the eyes of the people darting to the horns on his head and his scales. The larger man huffed at him, in a a similar fashion to his inner dragon. "She takes from us and you say she isn't a theif!"

Diitzy: Did their momma ever tell them that sharing is caring? The storyteller could tell them a tale or two, but she blinked a couple of times to the overly large men as she stated right after Aleksey tried to reason on her behalf. "I mean clearly it won't kill you if you share a bit. I mean.. have you seen you?" The teller slowly lifted the piece of meat to her lips and began to chew which was immediately followed by spitting it out and gagging. "Clearly you don't cook the way you look." Which only angered the giant behemoth of a man to slam down his club at her, but missed. Seemed he wasn't clearly fit either. "Next time I stop by cabbage corp I'll bring you one. They have amazing health benefits. Behind them, the book was behind Alek in a stilled hover as the quill lifted from the page and shook itself left to right in grief. Seemed the girl had an act of doing stupid stunts like this. "A THIEF WITH MOUTH, I SHOULD ROAST YOU LIKE THIS PIG." The teller shook her head and tapped her chin. "I don't think I taste that good. Probably taste even worst by your hands." Her voice sounded just as angry but yet had a lighthearted coy attitude to it. She turned back to Aleksey. "THESE are the people you are searching for? Interesting. I figured the missing piece would have a bigger meaning. Well. This became a bad story." the lot of the group started huffing at every word she was saying. Almost like her presence was just amplifying their anger. They started grabbing weapons from pitchforks, to flaming sticks, and all the usual things for an angry horde. "It's hunting season already?! I thought it was fertility month. Man, I really should have asked where we were in the seasons." She thought to herself as they all darted at her and she leaped back to Aleskey's side. "I don't think they are friends like you friendly dragon." She finally remarked as they all yelled. "KILL THE THEIF AND THE HORN ONE." Let's not forget the one hidden in the branches. The ruffels made the men with arrows start firing randomly. "LOOKS LIKE THERE IS ONE MORE. GET THEM ALL"

Andromede: "Godsdamnit," she mumbled to herself as she slung the bow from around her and knocked three arrows, firing them among the aggressors before continuing her journey through the branches, making a circle around the group in hopes that they'd lose sight of her. At least the gypsies weren't the most organized assembly of criminals she'd encountered, at least not from what she could tell at present. Then again, their kind thended to thrive in chaos--fucking humans.

OddThomas: Alek closed his eyes and sighed. This was not going well and it wasn't something that would be repaired. They were riled up, so she was riled up and his inner dragon kept begging to eat someone. "You're not helping," Alek mumbled to himself, feeling the heat of his inner dragon boiling to the surface. It made his scales brighter, rippling like a reflection of fire across his skin. Just as he was getting his dragon under control the woman with the hat turned to him, causing him to blink back into reality. "I don't know these people." He said, confused at her accusation. As the people started to grab weapons, he grabbed onto the back of her dress, jerking her back toward the woods. Arrows flew down from the tree tops, startling a few in the back and they returned the arrows with a flurry of their own. This was getting out of hand very quickly. "Come on book." Alek said, turning, woman in hand and making his way down the hill again with haste.

Diitzy: "YOU NEVER TOLD ME WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR ALL I KNOW I SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR A GLASS SLIPPER!" The storyteller yelled through the gust of wind from his speed. "Oh, now we are going backward. See! I knew you weren't going in the right direction I knew it!" The book did flip back around when Aleskey called to it like a happy little puppy coming back to its newly found owner. "You know what would be insane?" The teller hung from his grip swinging back and forth like a swinging satchel. "Oh I know, I know!" She snapped her finger and the quill came to her fingers as the book came to her chest she clung to the book and began to write while being gripped by her dress. "What if they weren't human? What if they were a pack of giant cyclopes and instead of pitchforks they had magical snot that burned like acid!" As she wrote the humans behind them grew into massive giants and it began to shower giant balls of snot that burned giant creators scattering around them one of which would knock the next tree the hidden fae would leap to. The storyteller tapped her chin and looked up at Aleksey. "OH and a magical rainbow bridge for us because you don't want to fly!" She scribbled as he started feeling a staircase emerge below him leading him into the clouds. "Now we have some spice to this bland story." She giggled and the quill tugged out her grasp angrily circling her as the book swung away from her. Even though they were climbing altitude that didn't stop the newly transformed horde from coming straight for them.

Andromede: The tang of magick struck the air mere seconds before the men running about below began to shift into a horde of one-eyed giants with a bad case of the sniffles. As the tree she aimed for disentigrated into ash before she could make contact, she very quickly deduced that sinus issues plaguiging this group of cyclopses was rather detrimental to the environment, as well as one's overall health should they make contact with it. VERY narrowly, she managed to shift mid-air and tumble to the ground, rolling down the hill after the mouthy little thief and her defender. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" she hastened down the aisle of trees before following them up...a flight of fucking rainbow stairs? As a member of the fae, she was no stranger to magicks, but this was something else entirely. Once she'd gained her bearings she loosed a few more arrows, aiming for the grotesquely large and singular eyes of the extremely pissed off monsters that she had no particular qualms with mere moments earlier.

Diitzy: It was once said that if you truly desire something it starts off with a dream. The rumors far and wide would argue if they were truly real or not. For this wandering soul, she only hoped it was more than just a mere dream. Felt more like a memory, the rushing water that moved the ripples among the lake of the Dragon's den. Fish would circle and leap into the different ripples hoping to grab their next bite to eat. Reminding the one in the green hood with the orange flicker of fire rolling off her shoulders that clearly she couldn't spearfish. The sun's rays shimmered off the leaves from the highest branches. Though the light bared a brighter color to everything around the unique creature that stood in a pile of freshly tall grass that covered her knees. "Aleksey?" The voice was so familiar but held more meaning as she stood before the den. It felt empty and ever so longing, like someone who thought of the other almost every moment they inhaled their next breath. It's true she left the forest and only harbored so much pain for the phoenix. Though deep in those forest lines held a dragon she held very dearly to her heart. How real could this dream take flight? Only the possibilities of the unknown could truly tell you.

OddThomas: Alek blinked, then blinked again. There was a hazy sort of bright fog around everything he could see. The world around him seemed unstable as he looked down to his hands and the counter of his kitchen below them. His scaley fingers flexed then opened wide. Looking around, he was back in the cave although he remembered falling asleep somewhere else, or maybe that was the dream and this was him waking from it? He couldn't be sure. Instead, his head whipped around to the sound of a familiar voice, a voice he hadn't heard in far too long. His body moved before his mind really caught up, leaving him stumbling against the entrance of the cave. Even when he caught himself, he felt heavy, almost drunk in his movements. "Rayuu?" He called from the top of the landing, his head swinging, feeling loose and heavy on his shoulders, scanning the clearing below him but the world wa haze of shapes.

Diitzy: The sound of the one who was the dragon she knew so well echoed through the hollowness between them. Almost in an enchanted hologram, the phoenix's head shoot up to the tip of the den where a figure emerged, yet she couldn't see. It was almost like her mind was drawn behind her by the two life forms forming into one of her memories. The day Alek taught her to spearfish. -"See, if you just stand still and let them swim between your feet. It takes patience, Rayuu.-" The ghost-like girl hunched over the shoreline watching the other figure in the water launch down to pull a fish out of the water with his bare hands. The memory made the phoenix's heartbeat ache. She knew much more than most creatures, and she could safely say people take moments like that for granted when she held onto them forever. She wanted to turn back around and climb to the cliff of the den. Though it felt like cement to turn around. "Aleksey." She called again and the memory-like mirage dusted away like sand and the girl could finally turn around. Only to see another memory starting to form of the time he took her up to his home on his back for all the times she lost energy and needed to heal. The phoenix tugged against the restraint holding her back as she pushed forward. "Can you hear me? Aleksey!" Push forward, the little firebird fought against the unknown fog

OddThomas: Her voice echoed in a distance he couldn't measure. His home in the forest had never been this distorted before. "Rayuu?! I can hear you. I'm coming." The air hear was heavier. Moving seemed to take all of his concentration but the dragon, in his half human form, lumbered toward the stairs then paused. Dropping off the side of the ledge would have been faster but there was a large part of him that didn't trust himself to fall somewhere else in this strange world. His foot met the first step and it felt like such a long way down. The next step was even further. And so it went as if the were going down stairs from heaven to hell. The forest around him kept flickering in and out of focus until he touched the grass with his half bare feet. Alek collapsed to all fours as if he had been running through mountains with nothing but the lungs of a human man. He was heaving, crawling on all fours toward the sound of her voice. "Rayuu?"

Diitzy: The illusion flickered away to the vision of Alek on all fours just below her feet. The shaking of her breath shivered against her lips. "Aleksey?" She lowered immediately to her knees to him, almost afraid to reach for him. The sight of him out of breath stuck a nerve within the phoenix and that was fear. A phoenix gives unconditional love, it's born of untouchable love between life and death. For one like her to give such a gift of what she created to be is more than the definition could possibly give meaning. This dreamland of distortion shifted crackling away like an earthquake. She launched down to embrace the real him and yet the earth shifted him away as if it was keeping them apart. Her embrace was only met by the dragon skull of one the worst memory she could remember as a phoenix. The one she should have never remembered at all thanks to someone that was long forgotten. The sight of the skull ignited the phoenix in fear. The lashing flames extracted from her shoulders, normally they would form wings but instead, it was four wip-lashing chains. Dreams tend to reveal our darkest fears and that's how nightmares are born. 'Where were you, Rayuu. Why didn't you save me?' The voice was twisted in Alseksey's tone but it wasn't the dragon she adored so much it was something darker. Something both characters weren't aware of in either story. "But, I did save you Aleskey..." Rayuu's voice scattered through the land and was followed by a corrupted tone. 'You let me die. You only saved me because they wanted you to, if you ever did care about me why did you leave me without saying goodbye' Seems the fears of the phoenix had grown to its own entity in the timeframe they have been apart.

OddThomas: She was so close now. Her voice washing over him. Alek lifted his head and could see her face under the hood even through the haze. Witha grunt of exertion, he went to move himself to his knees just as Rayuu reached for him and seemed to disappear behind a wall of smoke and fumes. Alek coughed, waving his hand in front of him and found the will to get to his feet. The wall of smoke solidified in front of him but cracked when his heavy fist fell upon it. He could hear her muffled voice on the other side and while he couldn't make out what she was saying, the pitch of her voice was one of fear and regret. The dragon spread one hand on the wall of smoke, reared back the other arm and launched his fist into the wall over and over again. It shook, cracked seemed to refuse to crumble but he managed to make a hole when a piece of smokey glass fell away and he heard the bad rendition of his voice taunting her. "Rayuu!" His fist landed again, square on the broken chip, cracking it further. "Don't listen to that thing. Follow my voice. Rayuu!" His knuckles were starting to bruise, flecks of skin peeling off as they were tangled with the cracks. "Itzy!"

Diitzy: With every strike of Alek's fist, the dark entity was aware it was only a matter of time to capture the attention of the phoenix. The skull in her hands went up in flames fizzling away as she could feel the weight upon her shoulders pull her down clutching the decaying grass below her. 'You were replaceable Rayuu. I don't even think about you.' The thunder rippled in the glass sky above them mirroring the crack that Alek had intended in the wall of smoke between them. -Rayuu-. The warm voice pierced against her heart and her mind was taken back, her eyes rolled to her shoulder to the busted wall. "Alek. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." The phoenix cried covering her head, she wanted to follow his voice. Her body was unable to move at this time. She could feel the earth beneath her molt and crawl over her like decaying maggots. After the moment came the entity knew this vision would no longer serve its purpose it formed something else, it dragged the wall to the center of the land which formed into two halves, one of a shadow-like dragon form of Alek circling around the phoenix and the other the mutated phased phoenix from when Rayuu broke her nature vow of order in balancing the past, present, and future. (The time when 'she-who-shall-not-be-named' unlocked Rayuu's memory of Alek's death). This shadow appeared to be the final blow straight by Alek straight to its chest as the entity now focused its attention on Alek. "You forgotten about me didn't you, Alek? After everything, I've done for you. You didn't even realize I was gone did you?" The figure shifted into the first memory he had of Rayuu with the frog on her head when she finally became calm after the awaking of her first phoenix.

OddThomas: Alek continued to pound on the wall. The more it crumbled the more deteremined he was to get through it. His little sister was on the other side of that wall. Rayuu, without much effort or even really trying or knowing, had managed to fill the hole in his heart left by his little sister. While he was deeply aware that Rayuu was her own person, she was the only person in all the years that he had lived that made him feel some kinda way; mostly warm. He had to protect that all costs, protect her at all costs. Just as his guilt started to rise about having not gone looking for her sooner, the wall shifted and world around him started shift and darken. Alek backed away from the wall as it moved around, then doubled back against a ragged pheonix started to emerge in front of him. It spat his insecurities at him in a sort of dark, electric version of Rayuu's voice. For a moment, Alek squeezed his eyes shut, his fists clenching at his sides. He could feel the haggard Pheonix circling him, it's heat born of rage. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." He said softly, but firmly.

Diitzy: A phoenix has more gifts than it will ever display. There was one that everyone in existence knew very well. They are born from the ashes of their previous life. That was known, what wasn't known is the labyrinth in their minds of everything they've seen from the past, present, and future. Furthermore the emotional and mental experience from what they've seen. Rayuu listened, she heard his words and the haggard Phoneix held it's wicked smirk till it slowly ashed away. It seemed that Alek's voice was clearing the fear, the giant shadow-like dragon lifted its giant face and launched down into Rayuu like it would swallow her whole. Till it too turned to ash and the phoenix could be found on her side curling into her chest. "I thought you would forget about me like everyone else. Move on, find love, become everything I already knew you were the day we met." The chiming melody of her tune slowly brought back the dreamland realm together pulling him to her as the vision of their first home restored itself.

Diitzy: The storyteller only watches, sometimes she would participate in your story, but she doesn't see any joy in lingering in the mazes of dreamlands while you slumber away in your deepest sleep. So she wandered and lingered seeing her favorite characters lay in their homes. "One is a cave below two realms and a den of a very enriched forest that lives to tell many tales. The cave even some girl named Alice could never find was home to a mystical moon-flamed phoenix and a howling hound. A phoenix who believed she was just a chapter to everyone's story and a hound, who just found his story by simply knowing his name. Just above it adjacent was a dragon's den.

"Ale--- Oh what was his name" The storyteller turned to her pet quill who blobbed in her studder and looked over at her flinging in toss in the air as it wrote 'Aleksey'. Whom she did meet once upon a time. The Storyteller floated off to the sleeping dragon in his human shell and the quill returned to its story. "A dragon under a mask of a man who just wanted to live and be known for what he lives by. Who--" The storyteller paused as a giant black portal opened along the edge of the forest that caught her attention. "Who I fear might be in trouble."

She raised her hand against the frame of the entrance to the den as she leaned peering to the figure that dropped into the forest. "A true storyteller will always share the truth, and if it's a lie then it will be written between the lines. I can't say for sure what I should share, but I can at least try." The quill hovered over with its giant book as it began to write with words lined in gold. This brought the forest to rot in a large wave directly to the being that had entered the forest.

Which awakened the phoenix shooting her golden eyes wide open. "Alek. Something is wrong. The forest!" The phoenix launched from the bed taking her hound's hand. "We have to go to Alec!" The storyteller peeled away from the den as she dropped back into her giant book that vanished. This was no longer her part to tell the story.

Judge: Ever since learning his name and being free of purgatory Axis had vivid, first person dreams about people and places that felt so familiar. He could never place them and they were all but shadows when he woke up. When Rayuu was with him, he dreamt of a small village and idle tasks. He watched himself fetch water and milk cows and patch thatched roofs. He heard singing and childrens' laughter and playing. He heard birds chirping the sound of horses drawing carts.

When she wasn't around and in the time before he reunited with her, his dreams were blood and bone and fire. He dreamt of war and genocide. Over and over he dreamt of an old man begging him to save her. He felt the man wither to ash in his arms. He felt the burning of his flesh. Then he felt a spearhead pierce his heart and blinked himself awake in purgatory. Each time he was so startled to be back in that hellscape that he jolted awake.

This was the first time, since sleeping with Rayuu that he dreamed of war and blood and jolted awake in a cold sweat. His was barely coherent but Rayuu was speaking. Not really registering what she was saying, he did register the panic in her voice. Rolling out of their bed of leaves and tree roots behind her, Axis ran a hand through his hair and blinked himself more awake.

"Who?" Was all he managed as he was dragged out of the cave. Alek... Alek... Oh the dragon she was always talking about. They booked it to the back edge of their land and scrambled up the deep roots of the tree that brought them down into their own home coming out into the Moors. Axis hoped Rayuu knew where she was going because he did not.