Suddenly Very Busy (open)

[Julias]

The town was relatively quiet for its size, there wasn't to many people walking around in the streets as Landon made his way past the stores lining the sides of the road. He hadn't been away from the school before, and this was his first time in the city. He was lost and curiously gazing around at the humans man-made objects, he passed clothes shops, restaurants, book stores where a very old leather bound book lay in the window. The old look and style enticed Landon to look but he didn't study it long, he knew that he would have to take care of some business before he did any shopping. He wondered if he could learn to ride in the metal boxes the humans road in, he figured it would be a good skill to learn. He pressed onward past more shoppes, passing a large paneled window he noticed the bright shining sparkles in the window.


His attention was immediately on the jewelery in the shops window, they looked old, very old. So old in fact that he had never seen some of the crafty metal work before, his eyes trailed over every detail of the shining pieces. He longed to have a collection so rare and valuable, he knew his own was small but still had a large price on it. He pulled a small black bag from his shoulder and pulled the cords to loosen the hole in the center, he reached in and pulled out a hefty red velvet bag. He walked into the store, the room was cool and a slight older woman sat behind the glass counter reading a magazine. Landon strode over and stepped in front of her, apparently she had not noticed the ring of the bell on the door. He stood for a moment before he took a single finger and tapped on the glass of the counter, she sprang up and a small "Oh!" Escaped from her lips. Landon smiled sweetly at her and spoke


"Good afternoon miss, my name is Landon and I have some jewelery I would like for you to appraise." She stared at him a moment and offered a small smile, she leaned on the glass and asked


"Ok then Mr. Landon, let me see what you have."she said almost impatiently, he lifted the velvet bag and set it directly in front of her. He loosened the draw strings and slowly slid out the precious metal and stones, the woman's eyes widened as she looked over the pieces of gold and silver. She looked up at Landon and asked quietly


"Are... Are these stolen?"she asked, her face whiter than it was before. Landon laughed at the irony of the question, true they were stolen and hoarded for centuries but she did not need to know such a fact. He spoke innocently and with a well practiced manner


"No miss, these were in my family for generations, they are quite old. They were passed on to me and they have been sitting collecting dust for the past 5 years, I would just like to be rid of these things. They seem quite gaudy to me." Actually the pieces were far from gaudy as Landon had put it, the jewelery that his parents had given him were quite expensive but not the better part of the hoarded treasure. The woman's face gained back her color, she had believed him. She spoke with a sincere apology

"I am so sorry sir, I've just never seen so much brought in at one time. It will take a while to appraise." Her face was a little sad, but she seemed happy to have something to do finally. Landon nodded


"I understand miss, while you appraise these I will go browse around the city, I shall be back in a few hours." He smiled again at her and she smiled back and said


"It might take longer than a couple of hours Mr. Landon." He shrugged and said

"Well whatever you get done today should be fine, ill just leave the rest until your done." He hands her a small piece of paper with his phone number and name, he still didn't know how to work the tiny electronic thing but he was sure he'd figure it out. He spoke after she had taken the information


"Just a few hours, then ill be back... Then when the rest are finished you can contact me and I will be by to pick up the dollars." She cocked an eyebrow at his choice of wording, but she shrugged it off and said


"Of course Mr. Landon, I will see you in a few hours then." She smiled at him, he nodded once more and turned around and left the shop. He then headed left to look at the rest of the shoppes in the town.

[shadow]

What a boring day today. Zeus thought to himself while taking a stroll down the city roads. "I need some fun a challenge maybe; that's it i need something to push my skills to the limit".



And there it was! a Jewry store. "that's perfect"! Zeus's mind pondered how he could steel something and only let one person see him. this will be fun and maybe ill find some pretty stones.


Zeus quickly found a back door and picked the lock.
"ahh the joys of being a clever fox" Zeus thought to himself.
he looked around but didn't find anything really interesting.



There sat the cashier. making a silent approach he drew his sword from his back and pocked her in the back.
"no sudden movements you hear? just then the door bell went off.
"just do what u do and don't mind me " said the sneaky fox.
after some talking the person left. getting back up Zeus saw a small pouch on the table. HM wonder whats in here?
When he opened the pouch it was as if light came out.
it was a wonder-is collection. out of all the beauty on thing stuck out more than anything. it was a rather old neck-less. but it seamed to glow brightly when Zeus was near. this was an odd piece.




Zeus took it and ran leaving the old lady unharmed.
Zeus ran for miles all the way back to his den in the woods.
this beauty is mine now and i will find the secrets it unlocks.

[Julias]

Landon heard a door behind him open to quickly and someones foot steps sprinting down the street, he turned back just in time to see a figure running with his velvet pouch still full of his jewelry. Anger stung him quite quickly but he quieted it with a calm breath, he walked back into the store and saw the old lady on the phone talking to the police.


She noticed him, she had tears in her eyes and a small blood stain on her back. He wondered what had happened, with a swift move he exited the store and started walking to where the person had ran. He walked for a mile or so until he came to the forests edge, he knew he wouldn't be able to track the thief in human form. He walked through the brush and into the woods, he waited until the woods cleared a little before setting his clothes and bag aside.


He turned quickly, letting his human skin fall and his dragon form come to the light again. He took a moment and sniffed the air around him, he caught the scent of the thief in a second and took off with long strides into the forest. He followed the scent for a couple of miles until he came upon a fox's hole, his nose shifted over the entrance. He knew it was the thief home, he took a long breath and roared into the fox's hole and stomped his feet with all of his weight. He spoke then into the fox hole with a loud dangerous voice


"FOX, GIVE BACK WHAT YOU HAVE STOLEN FROM ME OR PAY FOR YOUR MISDEED." He sat back then and waited patiently for the fox to appear, he wouldn't harm the creature if he gave back his things. He breathed a puff of smoke from his nose and played with the leafs in the trees with his tail waiting for the fox to show his face.

[Erzbet Bathry]

Erzbet was laying on a branch lazily, in panther form. Her tail was twitching. She hadn't been in panther form what felt like eternity. She'd been a good girl for the longest time. She kept on her human skin, trying to be a good girl. But the human skin was miserable. Wimpy flesh, tiny teeth, brittle nails... there was a reason humans did not survive long in the jungle.

Erzbet was interrupted by something running by. She jumped up immediately, a low growl slipping out before she could stop herself. Her yellow eyes flashed. She looked around and caught a flash of something diving into the ground. She tilted her head to the side, just as another bigger form came through. She crouched low, eyes narrowing. Part of her, the more humans part she'd been ordered to use since she'd arrived, told her the dragon wasn't necessarily there to kill her. But the other part, the panther part that had kept her alive in the jungle, saw a big predator.

Erzbet jumped to another branch as silently as possible, ready to fight or flee. As smart as fleeing was, it had been a long time since she'd fought. The rush was better than anything the humans could come up with. She dropped onto another branch, keeping her eyes on the dragon.

"FOX, GIVE BACK WHAT YOU HAVE STOLEN FROM ME OR PAY FOR YOUR MISDEED." The fox had stolen something? She didn't remember anything being in the creatures hands, but it had been just a blur.

"What was stolen from you?" Forgetting what she'd been told, she spoke openly while in panther form. It scared people, or so she'd been told. On the other hand, this was a talking dragon. If he was scared of her, then he was not nearly as intimidating as he looked. She walked forward slowly, calculating.

[Julias]

Landon turned his head and spoke angrily

"The fox has stoeln my precious jewels!" He turned back then and stomped the ground rapidly, vibrating the trees around him. He roared viciously into the hole again, he reared back then and dove both of his claws into the dirt, tearing up the ground quite well with his claws. He dug faster and faster, following the small foxhole. He dug for several minutes before he slowed. The hole he had dug was 6 foot deep and 5 foot wide, he breathed heavily as he spoke.

"I hate this town." He heaved and sigh and got up and moved from his hole. He layed in the grass and heaved another sigh.

"I will find that fox again" he grumbled angrily to himself.

[Erzbet Bathry]

Erzbet had never been one for material possessions, so she didn't understand his fury at losing jewels. They were pretty, but they were just rocks. She never saw the point to them. But it wouldn't be smart to tell this to a dragon ready to kill because he lost them.

"That's unfortunate." She remarked. She never could get the sarcastic tone just right. Yet another complexity of human languages. She watched him dig the hole, surprised by how fast he was.

"I hate this town." She had to nod her agreement. "I much prefer the jungle myself." She said quietly, though she had no idea why she was speaking. SHe usually didn't speak to anyone. Maybe it was the freedom of finally being in her panther skin again. She didn't feel quite so helpless when she had claws and teeth on her side. The dragon muttered something about finding the fox. "I think it will be a while before the fox is stupid enough to show himself to you again." If he was a coward, it might be never. But then, maybe he would come to gloat.

[Julias]

Landon sighed again, his large head swinging back again to look at the panther behind him. He spoke rather suddenly forgetting his manners

"Im sorry I forget my manners, My name is Landon, what do they call you?" He move folded his wings in then, swinging his tail around to his right side. He kept an eye on the fox hole just in case he popped out again, Landon was quick with his tail so he knew if that fox popped its head up it would get one heck of a smack. He didnt let his plan show on his face, he put a small smile of his scaled face and watched the panther intently. He wasnt sure about her yet, she seemed rather suspicious showing up when he just lost his jewels. He kept that in the back of his mind as he sat in the grassy shade, he wouldnt judge someone because of something that had happened to him.

[Erzbet Bathry]

"Erzbet." She replied quietly. She glanced at the fox hole he was watching so intently. All this fuss for pretty rocks? "Do those jewels have any...sentimental value?" She asked, genuinely curious. She knew human relied on money to get by. She relied on her wits and survival instinct. Even now, when she was supposed to be spending the majority of her time in human form, she didn't see the point of the obssession. The richest people wouldn't last a day where she came from.

[Julias]

A the smile wavered for a moment, Julias spoke without thinking

"Those jewels were hoarded from old villages man years ago when my Father and Mother were only as old as I am now, they have collected quite the large collection in their time." He nodded to himself and continued

"The jewels held no sentimental value of any sort except that they were mine and the fox hath stolen them..." he looked back at the hole again, knowing that the fox would not show his face again. Looking back at Ezbert he spoke kindly

"Dragons are very fond of the treasure we hoard in our lairs, even if the jewels hold no value to us they are quite shiny and very interesting to look at." He chuckled lightly shooting small plumes of smoke from his mouth, the end of his tail came to his mouth immediatly.

"Excuse me." He offered emarassingly, he stood then and shook the dirt from his scaly body. His large form shook slowly as the dirt sifted from his scales and body, His large wings spread once then came back throwing air onto himself. A large plume of dust erupted from his body, he stood on his hind legs. His large head broke the canopy of trees above him, he could see over the tree's and into the city. He looked down and using his large claws he patted them together watching more dirt float from them, he needed to take a bath. He asked Ezbert curiously

"I would stay and wait for the fox but I dont think he will be showing up anytime soon." He offered another small smile as he landed with a heavy thud, his claws hitting the grass and dirt.

"I was thinking about taking a trip to the lake to clean off the rest of this dirt in my scales, would you like to join me?" His large crystal blue like eyes peered at her, he kept his gaze on Ezbert with intent curiousity.

[Erzbet Bathry]

Erzbet tensed as smoke came out of his mouth and he shook his large wings. And the villagers thought I was dangerous. Every predator instinct was telling her to fight or flee. It was only the weeks of living in civilization that told her he couldn't help his size. He spoke about dragons hoarding treasure. It seemed like a silly practice to her. "Bicornes care very little for material possessions." She said, glancing at the hole the fox went down.

When he mentioned cleaning his scales off, she thought about the offer. It would be difficult to not see him as a predator unless...but that option wasn't very appealing. Still, it would be nice to not have to fight animal instinct the entire time she was in the same vicinity as him. She sighed. "One moment." She climbed up the rest of the tree.

With a grimace, or as close to a grimace as panthers can get, Erzbet changed into her human skin. The predator was safely concealed behind flimsy pink flesh. She wore a dark long sleeved shirt and nearly black skinny jeans, all form fitting. It didn't feel nearly as good as fur. Her long hair hung loosely behind her. Fortunately, even in human skin she had supernatural grace and agility. She jumped down from the tree and looked up at the dragon. She was still uneasy, but the urge to pounce had dimmed.

"Alright." She said. The soles of her feet weren't as tough as paws, but it felt horrid to stuff her feet into shoes. She would survive sore feet if it meant she could keep them bare. "Let's go." She'd heard someone say that she was beautiful in her human skin. She thought they were insane. Who would choose an awkward 2-legged gait over the sleek grace of a panther? Who would want nails and teeth that chipped over claws and fangs? Humans were crazy.

[Julias]

Landon laughed openly at her first comment, his large body rumbling with the noise. He spoke after a few more fits of chuckles

"That may be true for you Erzbert but dragons have an eye for treasure, we guard it with our lives." he watched her sigh before she moved into the leaves of the tree above her out away from his view. His head tilted to one side as he pondered what she was doing, suddenly she jumped from the tree and landed on two feet. He looked down at the now human girl in front of him, his mouth teased with a smile before he spoke.

"Well there is no need to walk Erzbert." He kneeled down, his knees and elbows meeting the soft dirt beneath him. He lowered his wings and layed himself flat on the ground so she could climb on. His head twisted around to her on his right side, his large sapphire eyes level with her head. He spoke softly as to not hurt her human ears.

"Climb on, we can fly to the lake and I can change there after I clean these scales." he set his head down on the grass and waited for her to climb on, she seemed hesitant to stick around him in this form. He knew he was large and rather bulky for his size but he didnt think he looked that mean. He pondered his own features and spoke to himself inwardly 'And I still have a lot of growing to do...' his eyes moved to Ezrberts human form, he wondered if he should play a small joke of the girl. His mind trailed into what kind of joke to play, he held back a wry smile on his large head.

"

[Erzbet Bathry]

Erzbet stared at the dragon for long moment, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. She was virtually helpless in this form, completely at the dragon's mercy. She grit her teeth and shook her head. She couldn't think like that anymore. This was civilization. Beings didn't assume the other was going to attack them. It was difficult to not compare her strengths and abilities as a fighter with everyone else. It was what she'd grown up doing.

"Walking isn't that horrible." She mumbled, walking towards the dragon. It wasn't just the dragon-part that bothered her. She'd never gone any higher than the treetops. She wasn't outright afraid, but definitely cautious. Up in the air she'd be even more helpless. Despite her teachers' best attempts at teaching her sophistication, you couldn't unteach over a decade of living in the jungle.. She climbed on to Landan's back with a grace that made her look other than human.

She never could look completely human. Her eyes were too bright, her nails too long, her teeth too sharp, her figure too graceful...the list went on. "Have you ever flown with someone on your back before?" She asked , partly for conversation's sake, partly out of nervousness.

[Julias]

Landon chuckled lightly at her first comment, she seemed wary of flying? He held back his smile until she had gotten onto his back, he felt her bare feet climb his wing nimbly. Her cat-like gait in her human body making it rather easy for her. He felt her slid into the crook behind his neck, He turned his head forward his smile coming to his face slowly. He almost laughed when she asked if he ever rode with anyone on our back, he kept a strait face as he turned his head back to her and said

"No.." With a shrug of his shoulders, He tuned back and pumped his wings once shooting up into the air. He spoke loudly so she could hear over the rushing wind

"Hang on!" He laughed openly knowing her nails were probably digging into his hard scales right now, he came to a glide slowly coming to an even keel with his wings. He spoke with another chuckle as he asked

"Are you alright back there Ezbert?" He turned his head around to finally look at the girl, he hoped she wasn't to mad at him.

[Erzbet Bathry]

Erzbet grit her teeth and hung on for all she was worth as Landon took to the air. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting terror take over for a few agonizing moments. She'd never been one to let fear get the better of her, so she forced her eyes open. Her long hair was whipping around her face, tickling her face. Her stomach was churning unhappily. She felt the faint nausea of motion sickness. How pathetic.

F...Fine." She stuttered, willing it to be true. She looked down. The ground was too far away. She held on tighter, the scales rubbing her skin raw. He was laughing. If she wasn't focused on not falling off, she would've been furious. As it was, it was all she could do to keep her eyes open. "Are we almost there?" They couldn't land soon enough.

[Julias]

Landon looked at the girl clinging to him, she looked scared. He spoke softly and said

"Yes, were here." He glided down, angling at a slow easy drop as to not frighten the girl. The lake was in sight, the glide picked up pace they floated down to the water. His nails touched the waters top skimming along the top leaving a long ripple in the water. They came to the bank were the large rocks extended over the water, he softly came to a stop on the flat long piece that extended to the waters edge. The drop to the water was about 15 foot high, his feet stopped moving as he came to a calm stop. He lowered himself to the ground and looked back with a frown, he spoke sincerely

"I'm sorry Ezbert, I promise you were in no danger that entire time." He offered a small smile, but returned to a frown. He didn't mean to frighten her, he wondered how he could apologize. His wings laid like a slide for her to get down from, he hoped she wasn't to mad.