Late for a Date

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z marched up to the site of the disaster, the lake that had supposedly turned to ice. He decided it best to keep his human form. At least for now, he could hide more easily than in his true form where his back glowed deathly red at night, like some sort of specter. He'd save that for when Illia arrived. That, and the secret of the lake.

He knew she'd love it. All girls loved water. It was a rule, for some reason, that the gentle ripples of the smooth glassy surface reflecting the silver moonlight was romantic. He knew very well how to be romantic. Before they'd shipped him off to be all good and learned, mother had taught him how to be a gentleman.

"All noble men must know how to be gentlemen," She'd told him. "even if those noble men were still boys."

Z was all grown up now. He was on his own, and had been for a while. Ever since they'd shipped him off, in fact... He wondered how they'd react to him having a Chimera girlfriend. Well, technically she wasn't a girlfriend until the first date was over, but it was still an interesting thought. His parents weren't up for any other species "riff-raff" as they called it. They thought the other species were lowly bred.

It's probably a good thing then, that they didn't care about him enough to find out about Illia. They'd just embarrass her, and who needed them anyways? Parents... He hated his parents...

He looked down at the lake as he waited, imagining it all frozen over with ice. That was cool, but it wasn't nearly as cool as what he would do...

[Iƪƪia]

Illia walked quietly toward the lake, lost deep in thought. Her mind didn't want to settle on one topic for long as countless thoughts flashed through her head. Eventually, she forced herself to settle on one topic: that adorable miscreant that would be waiting for her. She giggled to herself as she remembered how easy it was to attract him.

Closing her eyes, Illia sighed and pulled her jacket back slightly. She had changed into a silver skirt and blouse combo accompanied by a black leather jacket and black heeled boots. The silver of her outfit was similar to her fur color, but not nearly as stunning.

Opening her eyes, Illia beheld the crystal-clear lake that had once been solid ice. That was hard to imagine now. Her eyes trailed across the lake and settled on the boy standing at it's edge. Brushing her hair back, she sauntered up to him.

"Good evening, Z," She smiled as she stopped beside him, "Sorry I'm a little late."

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z smiled in his overly cheesy, carefree way.

"I'm just glad you're here."

He looked down at the water, swirling and making its perennial spiral of cold and warm water.

"It's nice, isn't it? Though, you can't see it well enough at night."

He knelt down by the water's edge then looked back up at her.

"Are you ready for the secret?"

[Iƪƪia]

A sudden wave of curiosity swept through her. She scanned the lake before dropping her gaze to stare into the water's depths.

"Ready," She nodded, looking sideways at him, "Let's see it."

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z looked around, just to be sure no one else was here. He had to be in his true from to do this, and as much as he enjoyed Mikey's company back in detention hall, he wouldn't want to cut this date short. He let his skin loose its shape, then, as he was in dragon form, he dipped his snout into the dry dirt next to the water, and exhaled as hard as he could.

The dirt heated up, fast. Fire spread out over the sand, but with his front claws he directed it downwards, pushing the heat just below the sand at the bottom of the lake. The heat from the fire also made light, and as he pushed the fire down under the entire lake bed, the sand beneath it began to glow brightly, lighting the whole lake from the bottom up, crystal clear waters and all.

"It's not frozen, but I think it's a bit cooler." He said smiling. "Or, hotter. Whatever works for you."

[Iƪƪia]

Illia watched the scene that had unfolded in wonder. She took a cautious step forward, examining the bright lake. She followed the shore for a short while, gazing at the water in awe. Z had been right; she did love it. She had spent plenty of time around this lake, but had never thought that it held a secret as amazing as this.

Turning back toward Z, Illia smiled up at him. Perhaps he was a miscreant, but he was a sweet one. She returned to his side, but kept a short distance between them. She didn't dare touch him; he looked... Hot. As if he could burn her. Instead, she stood slightly apart and batted her eyelashes at him, her eyes shimmering in the light.

"Wow... You were right," She said quietly, a little breathless, "I do love it. It's so beautiful."

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z let his skin cover him back up again. He knew how he looked. That's probably why he didn't like to let his true form show unless he was around other fire dragons. They tended not to burn as easily...

"You think so?" He scratched his head, nervously. He had done it before to water fountains and puddles, but nothing as big as a lake. He guessed until now, he never really had a reason to.

"I could be corny and say something like 'not as beautiful as you', but I don't think it's something you need to hear." He stood up, getting a little closer to Illia. "You already know that."

Had he just said that? Out loud?!? He blushed a little, feeling his skin weaken, and couldn't help but look around to make sure no one else was watching.

"Er... sorry." He laughed. "The heat must be getting to me!"

Argh... Terrible save... Where was that charm when he needed it?

[Iƪƪia]

Illia giggled, sensing his discomfort, she sidled closer to him. Now that he was in his human skin he was much more approachable. Although she could still feel heat radiating off of him, she assumed that it had nothing to do with his true form.

"Aw, you're really sweet," She said, still grinning at him.

She swung her hand forward and catching his, intertwined their fingers.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z squeezed at her hand a little, staring at the water. It was bubbling now from the heat, but it would cool down soon enough, and then everything would be dark again.

"Thank you, I try." He replied, shyly.

He looked up into the sky, and saw the moon through a gap in the trees. It was crescent shaped tonight, lying on its back and pointing its twin points up in the air.

"I'm not that hot, you know."

A little strangely worded. Maybe he should try that again...

"I mean, my scales only look hot. They're only a little warm, not much."

That sounded a little bit better.

[Iƪƪia]

Noticing how soft-spoken he seemed now as opposed to in detention, Illia wondered if maybe she was coming on too strong. She had a habit of doing that.

"Really?" She responded, "Then I won't keep such a distance between us next time."

She pulled away from him and stepped lightly to a nearby tree that laid on it's side. She brushed the dirt of off it, for there wasn't much, and took a seat facing the lake. Leaning back, she scanned the water, all of which was clearly visible from this spot. Looking toward Z, Illia patted the spot next to her, offering him a seat.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z watched her move away, a little concerned.

As a rule, he was a fighter, not a lover. Sure, flirting wasn't past his limits, but to actually like someone... Well, let's just say Illia was the first person who ever gave him any real attention.

It was confusing, but he thought he liked it.

When she sat down, he felt a little more confident. He could do this, right? She was just a girl. She wasn't going to bite him or anything, right? Right?!

Yes. He just had to keep telling himself that. This was real. This was real, live attention, from a real, live person. He sat down next to Illia gratefully, his naturally carefree smile showing just a hint of his churning uncertainty.

"Oh come on," He laughed softly, looking out at the water fleetingly before staring into Illia's deep green eyes. "some of the kids here are real monsters when they aren't pretending to be human. I'm guessing you aren't a fluffy little Chimera..."

He didn't know why, but he was thinking horns for Illia. Maybe she had horns in her true form. And he just had to wonder... what color was her fur? Even if she had fur, that was.

[Iƪƪia]

She laughed out loud, and leaned forward, resting her head on her hand.

"No... I'm not some adorable little kitten," She agreed.

She was quiet for a moment. She wondered if he was like her. Since Z was a fire dragon, perhaps he didn't like the cold. Well, she wasn't that cold. Only her fur felt a little chilled. And her breath. She looked sideways at him. Maybe he was one of those people put off by someone who had more than one head.

Only one way to find out, Illia decided.

She spun her entire body around so that she was facing him.

"Would you like to see?" She asked.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z only smiled his usual, good-natured and goofy smile.

"Sure."

He was a little nervous, but only a little. He had been to social gatherings before his parents had shipped him off. He knew what kind of things were out there all wrapped up in their pink human skins and looking so normal. Still, he braced himself. He didn't want to look surprised and put her off. He did have a tendency to write people off.

But hey, there were some weird people out there!

Almost jokingly, he added, "but if you're a giant squid monster, don't expect me to overlook it."

[Iƪƪia]

Illia smiled back, hoping that her nervousness didn't show. She pushed herself up and strolled several feet away. She decided it would be best to put a little distance between them. Stopping under a sliver of moonlight, she turned to face him and inhaled deeply.

She let her skin loosen and almost immediately she had four legs once again. She shook her head as her silver fur glistened in the pale moonlight. Habitually, her snake-like tongue darted out, making sure that no one else was around. She then fixed her bright, red eyes on Z, her second head which grew off of her tail twisted around to face him as well.

(OOC: Okay, that was like, the first time I spelled tongue correctly on my first try!)

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z didn't react at all. It was almost as if the transformation hadn't hit him. The silver fur, the red eyes, the two heads and the horns. He knew she would have horns.

Well... he was worrying for nothing! He laughed, letting his apprehension fade away.

"I um, have to admit! You had me scared!" He wiped at his eyes. "I thought you were going to be a giant squid!"

He pushed off the fallen tree, at once standing and walking towards the huge form if Illia. She was cold. Just a little cold. But she was the color of moonlight, and her fur looked so soft to the touch. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"And to tell the truth, I like the, uh.." He looked over her flank, grinning slightly, "...other head."

He waved at it, then faced Illia's main head directly. Her breath was cold on his skin, but he didn't mind. Cold had never really bothered Z. Something about his core temperature keeping a constant, roaring flame of several thousand degrees. It was a good thing he had thick scales, or he would actually be as hot as he looked.

He let loose control of his skin, bowing his head slightly to Illia.

"We make quite a couple, don't you think?"

He was talking about the exact opposites they were. Fire and ice. A movie-made romance straight from Hollywood. Disney would be clamoring for the rights!

((ooc:rofl. I do the same thing!))