Croation Rhapsody

[Kieru]

Kieru smiled slightly at his comment and nodded. "It has truly been an honour to grow and travel with her so far." She responded. She watched his overly excited expressions, a bit surprised by them still but they also made her feel a little happy inside at how excited someone could get still simply over the opportunity to assist someone carrying something. It reminded her a little bit of herself and her friends as kids growing up in her village and she eventually caught herself with a reminiscent sort of smile on her face as she watched him.

Shaking the memories away again as Duo finished paying and gave his suggestion of sharing the weight of the box, Kieru nodded and slipped her hand into one side while his was in the other and she carried the water in her other hand and headed out with him, directing their way back to where she had left Drea.

After a bit of silence in the walk, Kieru heard Duo's voice break through again and ask her a question. She glanced over at him with her blank face but mainly keeping her eyes on the path before her and replied. "Drea can hunt... I think I sometimes treat her to things like this a little too often... especially with depleting monetary sources. I promised her I would get something for her today, however, since it's been a while since we've seen any game or water around that's clean enough for her to eat or drink in this steam country."

[Duo]

As they made their way to the roads outside of the building, Duo internally slapped himself for making Kieru hold the pail of water. He had completely forgotten about it. "Hey, when you're getting tired with the pail, lend it to me. We can take turns."

She seemed like she could hold her own, so Duo was forced to think twice of his offers, since he's the type to overly help others. Some people didn't like to have his help, and now that he's aware of the existence of boundaries in helping people, Duo kept in mind to try and be tactful.

"Aaahh..." Duo nodded in response of Kieru's reply of his question. "That's pretty nice of you. Almost like you're spoiling your dragon, heheh." He joked lightheartedly, and for a brief moment wondered how Drea looks like.

"It's so cool that you're able to communicate with a dragon... All animals hate me." Ending that confession with a laugh, Duo was forced to remind himself of the numerous unfortunate events he had undergone when it involves animals.

'I swear, they only started to hate me when Solo came in the scene..'

'You called, fool?'

'Oh. Yeah. I did. Why do animals hate you?'

'What? Where'd you get that idea, stupid? Animals can sense when something's out of the normalcy, which happens to be you.'

'Rather, it's YOU. ......Oh man, her dragon's gonna hate me..'

[Kieru]

Kieru looked at Duo when he mentioned about the pail of water and gave a brief quizzical look before showing a very slight smile. "That's all right. I've got it. Thanks." She said in a plain tone, feeling a little lighter inside at this boy's generosity.

She smiled slightly still as she faced forward, a slight flush of pink in her cheeks as he commented on her spoiling Drea. "I do spoil her a little more than I should. I suppose I just feel thankful to have her around that I want to make her happy. She really enjoys it when I bring things back for her." She said as they walked, her eyes dropping to the ground a moment, thinking how she shouldn't spoil her so much, then looked forward again.

She looked at Duo with an uncertain look at his next comment, wondering why animals would hate someone who seems so kind. She gave a slightly reassuring smile and said, "I'm sure Drea will like you just fine. There are few she dislikes and we usually tend to agree on those we like or dislike. I'm certain that she will see you as I do." She looked forward again and continued walking on as they neared the edge of the city.

[Duo]

Never once in Duo's wildest imagination that a dragon could become close to a house pet, or rather as a sort of companion based mutually on kinship. It's quite amazing, and genuinely admirable, that humans are able to form budding relationships with such magnificent creatures.

"I'm a little jealous.." Duo chuckled. The more he thought about it, the more he wishes to have a traveling companion with him. ...At least, one who doesn't constantly mocking and degrading him inside his head. "You're so lucky. I wanted to at least have a pet lizard or something.."

If the thing doesn't hate him, that is.

Duo glanced at Kieru in curiosity of her assurance that her dragon wouldn't hate him. He automatically smiled at that, and hoped for the best of things to come as they neared the outskirts of the city.

'Feeling optimistic already? You're so easy to please.'

At the sudden voice in his head, Duo immediately frowned.

'This isn't such a good idea, don't you think? She might say such things, but so far, no breathing animals --save for humans-- could tolerate you. This is a DRAGON, you might get eaten alive.'

"Hey Kieru, Drea doesn't generally eat people, does she?" He was forced to voice out to calm himself from such a horrible possibility Solo just presented to him. "N-not that I'm scared or....anything.. I-I'm just wondering how many fangs..she..has.."

[Kieru]

Kieru listened to his wish with a straight face as she stared forward, walking towards the edge of the city and entering in a vast and empty field. "I'm sure you'll find one." She said, attempting to be encouraging.

At his next question, Kieru gave him a quizzical look with a tiny hint of a smile. She let out a slight breath of air that could be considered similar to a single chuckle if it wasn't so quiet. "Drea is usually friendlier than I am." She said with a slight smile as she continued to walk through the field as the darkness closed in around them in the night.

As they walked, a large black shadow could be seen, seeming to grow larger than normal as the two approached. Drea woke up to the sound of Kieru approaching and slowly stood up and stretched her wings out, her large dark eyes casting a light glint in reflection from the moon that could barely peak through the heavy air here in Evnae.

'What is this?' Drea asked Kieru as she saw a strange person beside her helping her with a box. Drea jumped onto her feet and charged over to the two quickly as she picked up the smell of meat inside the box and stopped right in front of them, lowering her head with a light growl to the box in between them. 'It's meat! Finally! I'm starving! Open it! Open it!' Her voice rang in Kieru's head, her wings twitching slight but mostly tucked back to the folded position and her long tail moved side to side a bit in excitement.

Kieru smiled as she picked up Drea's voice, asking about Duo then stopped as Drea charged over to them excited. She stood there with a smile and pet the dragon's large head that was now between them, chuckling slightly at the voice only she could still hear so far.

"Drea, this is Duo. He helped me to carry your food here, so be nice." She said as she placed the bucket of water down and opened the box for Drea.

[Duo]

Duo is, honestly, quite nervous when he walked together with Kieru, reaching a clearing. He didn't noticed the black shadow at first, mistaking it as being a part of the night's skies or something as they walked closer to it, until it freaking moved.

He screamed internally. That is one HUGE form. Duo's jaw fell open and his eyes grew wide as he watched this dragon standing up and stretching its wings. It was so huge, Duo almost dropped the thing he's holding.

'WHAT...THE...'

His chin was so high up right now to see its face that his neck hurts. The thick braid of his hair behind him also prevented him from tilting his head up too high since it was stuck against his back of the head and neck there.

"Good....God..." He heaved in both shock and admiration when Drea opened her eyes. Comically, Duo literally screamed like a girl when the dragon suddenly began charging right at them, only to stop right in front of them to smell the box they're carrying. Good thing he didn't accidentally dropped the box as he screamed before, but now he wanted to drop it so badly to have a dragon nuzzle so close to his peripheral being.

When Drea growled, Duo screamed like a girlier girl again and quickly faces Kieru. "I'm scared!!" He announced as if it wasn't obvious enough.

He followed suit when Kieru had placed the box on the ground and was about to go his unmanly way to run the heck away, but that's when he noticed that Kieru's actually petting it. Duo stared at her for a short moment with widened eyes when suddenly he was introduced to the great scary being. The only response he could come up with is,

"...H-H-Hi......" with a weak waving hand. "H-hope the meat's enough for y-you.." 'So you wouldn't need any extras from me...'

[Kieru]

Kieru almost wanted to laugh when Duo let out a girlish scream. She held a faint smile as her eyes remained on Drea, who still blended in fairly well with the darkness surrounding them apart from a faint glint of moonlight peaking through the clouds that glistened slight on her scales.

As soon as the box was opened, Drea shoved her head inside and pulled out the first chunk of meat, throwing her head up and back then releasing the meat into the air and catching it in her mouth.

Kieru watching Drea's playful way of eating with a smile then looked back at Duo again. "Don't worry about Drea, Duo. She's very friendly. Since you helped me carry the box here, she'll even be thankful to you, I'm sure."

Drea suddenly paused as the listened to the two talking then immediately shoved her face up towards Duo, staring him straight in the eyes as she swiftly pushed out her wings, making a sound of wind behind her. This boy is so timid. She said to Kieru as she took a sniff of his scent.

She eyed him carefully for a moment longer before turning her eyes towards the box with more meat in it and lunged at that for another slab of meat.

"Drea," Kieru began, with a smile and a slight mocking tone, "don't scare him too much." She said as she watched Drea throw the meat in the air again to catch it. She then smiled slightly at Duo again. "You really have nothing to fear, Duo. She likes to intimidate new people sometimes but so long as you're a friend and not an enemy, she won't actually hurt you."

[Duo]

"B-but I know for a fact that even FRIENDLY animals HATES me!" Duo's voice almost cracked as he said so. Well of course it is, he's currently imagining that slab of meat Drea swung in the air and nabbed with her jaws as himself.

"Eep!" He forced his lips to shut thing when he almost screamed again the moment the dragon shoved its face towards him, staring him under her glaringly bright eyes. His shoulders jerked a bit in surprise and his eyes shut close immediately when Drea did something with her wings, the sound she made jumped him out of his skin.

"Is she taking a whiff of me?!" He asked Kieru unbelievably, already bracing himself if he were to get eaten right then and there. He was so scared out of his mind that there were tears welling up in his eyes as he stood frozen there, unable to move. Except for his tongue, that is.

"Y-y-yeeaahh, she's REALLY good at intimidating me now, I want to crouch into a ball and cry." Mostly because even if he meant to be a friend, animals automatically sees him as an enemy. His thoughts went straight to Saiya's pet fire-lizard, that thing must be part dragon, and it completely loathes him even though Saiya had said that the fire-lizard is generally very gentle and had never attacked anybody before.

That's proof enough that even dragons aren't immune to his curse of animals hating him. "Uh.. K-Kieru, I uh.. I don't know how to break this to you, but uh.. S-somehow I don't think Drea's just intimidating me, she just hates me. She will. In time. Like every other breathing thing on this planet, save for some humans.."

He wanted to scratch the back of his head if he could, too bad he's frozen stiff. "And I wanted to run away so badly right now but my feet won't move. So uh, if I'm gonna die the next second, please find a girl named Milly and tell her that I love her."

And that was the best last words he could think off when he's shaking so much out of fear of dying.

[Kieru]

Drea finished the last slab of meat then lunged happily for the bucket of water on the other side of Kieru and drank it as fast as she could. It had been a long time, it seemed, since they'd been able to find any fresh water due to the lousy quality of air in Evnae, so Drea was quite happy right about now.

She was amused at how Duo was so frightened and admitted his own fright of her intimidations. As soon as he started talking about her really hating him or really will hate him shortly, Drea slowly grew angry. She stepped around Kieru, her body curved around the human's as she stared at Duo and lowered her head towards him with a slight growl.

'How dare he assume such things of me when he doesn't even know me!' She complained in annoyance to Kieru.

Kieru's expressions fell at the same moment that Drea's mood changed and she looked on Duo with a cold gaze. She glanced over at Drea as she spoke to her, then looked back at Duo. "Drea is just annoyed that you are assuming such things of her without giving her a chance. She may enjoy intimidating others, but she does not want others to think so poorly of her just because she is not a human."

She watched Duo for a moment before continuing. "I agree that you should not judge her to be so senselessly violent before actually getting to know her. I have already repeated a number of times that she is very friendly. She and I share a sense of justice and would not senselessly harm an innocent person."

[Duo]

And now they're both angry. Duo can't really miss the growl of the dragon, and the glare of the woman. 'See!! I knew it!!' He screamed in his mind, finding out that his tongue is unable to move by the cold gazes the pair is giving him, and was forced to gulp down that lump in his throat in order to even say something.

He was just opening his mouth, about to speak, when suddenly the demon in his mind laughed.

'Reminds me of the time when that teal-haired chick from before does the same thing to you, eh? Judging you before even knowing you, bahahahah!'[/i]

The colour in Duo's face drains. His lips seemingly beginning to close by the lack of muscle strains leaving his face. Suddenly, his face expression changed drastically and his eyes gazed right through them.

'You know I'm right. Hell, I'm always right. I don't get it, on why you're fighting so hard against me. You know I'm gonna win in the end, right?'

'Th.. That's not true! I'm fighting because I know I can't loose!'

'Mhm. Charming. Okay, listen here, kid. You see that girl with the dragon? Yea, the one who's lecturing you right now? Yep, I can see a lot of weaknesses in her, she thinks she can hide it, but it's totally apparent how imbalance she is--'[/i]

THUMP!

Duo's fist is secured tightly and his face is now thrown back as he staggered to find his balance. He just punched himself, square on his own cheek. Now, he's just standing there with his upper body doubling over, his palms on each of his knees, and his long braid slides over his back and fell over his shoulder.

"I.....have some serious mental issues.." he whispered under his breath, meaning it to be as some sort of explanation to Kieru on why he did what he just did, but it came out so slow and faintly he decided that maybe it's best if she didn't hear what he just said.

Pulling his upper body back up with a deep inhale, Duo breathes out through his lips, seeming not to care about the colour of his cheek beginning to darken or the crack on his lower lip, and locks both his hands behind him.

"I'm sorry!" He bowed lowly to a full 90 degrees and his braid follows with a bounce. Pulling his body back up again, the crack on his lip seemed to have leaked a bit of blood out now, but he's smiling again. "I was born stupid. I automatically assume such things without much of a thought because it's been going on and on in my life that I thought it's natural for everyone to hate me eventually."

He then nodded his head slowly, "Yeaaa, that was stupid." His metallic blue eyes darted right towards Drea, "I forgot you have feelings too, sorry. And you're a female too, god what the heck have I done-- I feel awful, I can't even-- I'm sorry!" His hands are very animated as he said things; pinching the bridge of his nose, hanging up in the air in defense, everything.

[Kieru]

Kieru's expression softened slowly as she noticed Duo's expression change and the colour leave his face. She began to grow a slightly concerned expression and was about to move towards him to snap him out of whatever trance he seemed to be lulling in before he punched himself.

Kieru's eyes widened in shock, and even Drea took a step back in surprise as they saw the guy in front of them suddenly punch himself. Kieru stared at him, rather perplexed towards that sudden action. Kieru was about to move towards him again, but was stopped by him mentioning having mental issues, then was stopped again from speaking as he suddenly stood back up again.

Kieru's eyes immediately locked onto the wound on his face and was about to speak, when he suddenly bowed with an energetic apology. Surprised still at this boy, who then followed into another type of explanation with a smile on his face, she stood there with a blank stare at him, rather dumbfounded.

Kieru and Drea looked at each other for a moment after he had stopped talking, both feeling the same sense of shock from this boys actions, and starting to laugh suddenly. Drea's laugh sounded more like short bits of low growls, matching the rythm of Kieru's laughter as the two looked back at him again.

"It's okay, since you understand now." She said with a smile and an incredulous look on her face as she looked at the boy. She slowly lifted a hand and brushed her hair back, looking at Duo still. "It's been a while since I've laughed like that... around another human. She finally said and Drea nudged her slightly right after that. Kieru then turned her smile back towards Drea and placed a hand on her.

"Unfortunately, Duo," she began, looking back at him again, "I don't have a first aid kit to fix that wound you just gave yourself. I could use the water in the bucket here and use a cloth to wipe the blood, though, if you'll let me." She said, gesturing then to the bucket of water that she had brought for Drea, that had only a little bit of water left in it.

[Duo]

Duo, quite clueless and rather cautious of how they would react, could only blink his eyes rapidly when he made the connection that they're actually laughing. Both of them, Kieru and her dragon.

The sight startled Duo in a way, mainly because he has never seen someone laughing with a dragon before, much less being in-sync with each other. "Whoaa.." The sight made him smile automatically, and he had to let out a voiceless chuckle by how utterly contagious laughter is.

Plus, when something totally confusing, serious or just plain negative is going on, ending it with a synergistic laughter will always smooth everything down.

"Eheh.. I'm-- ..yeah..." Duo was about to comment on something, but decided that he can't voice it out, so he ended it lamely. One of his hands is at the back of his neck nervously, glancing at Kieru and Drea respectively with that goofy grin of his.

Once he was informed that Kieru rarely laughed, Duo blinked at the young woman curiously. He was about to ask her something relating to that, but then noticing the dragon nudged her and Kieru began stating out her concern of his wound.

"What? ...Wha, oh, this?" Duo pointed to the cheek he just punched and laughed briefly. "Ahahah, it's okay, it's okay! You don't need to do that. I...deserve this." He ended it with smile. Stretching his lips like that kind of hurts with it bleeding, but Duo just can't help it. A smile is always worth the pain.

"And um... thanks." It's rare for Duo to feel awkward, but he does indeed shows it, unfortunately, by that shuffling twisting foot of his. "F-for allowing me to meet your dragon-- I-I mean Drea. She's... she's cool. A-and for not completely hating me, I guess...heh.."

Scratching his cheek with an index finger, Duo then lets out a short chuckle, "Eheh..! It...makes me feel kind of special. To be like...one of the few humans who heard you laugh. You totally should do that more often." Feeling rather bad for only talking to Kieru, Duo then turns his gaze towards the large black dragon nearby.

"And Drea, thanks for...not having me for dinner. I mean, I get weird hallucinations when I get scared, you know." He then spins a finger around at the side of his head to show he can be a complete loony sometimes. "Wow, I have never spoken to a dragon before. This is just epic, whoa. You can understand me?"

[Kieru]

"Are you sure?" Kieru asked in response to Duo declining her offer to clean his wound. "Isn't it better to at least clean off the blood?"

When she was then thanked for allowing him to meet Drea, Kieru smiled slightly again. "It's no problem. Drea enjoys meeting new people from time to time anyway." She said, turning her smile towards Drea at that.

"We've no reason to hate you, Duo." She said then, turning to look back at him again. "I don't know why you have experienced such hatred from others, but from what I have seen of you so far, you seem to be a good person."

At Duo's comment of Kieru laughing, she blushed ever so slightly, facing away from Duo a bit and towards Drea. "It's... only natural... that it should happen at some point during my progress..." Kieru said, trying to shake off the slight feeling of embarrassment towards that.

As Duo turned his attention to Drea and thanked her for not eating him, she let out a bit of an offended scoff and faced away. She then looked back at him as he mentioned having hallucinations when he's scared. When he asked if she could understand him, Drea simply gave a nod.

"She may not be able to talk, but she can definitely understand what others are saying. Her main line of communication with other humans is through me." Kieru said, then looked over at Duo again.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" Kieru asked him then, after confirming telepathically with Drea if she was okay with that.

[Duo]

"Sure I'm sure~" Duo waved at her to calm down. "Plus, I can do this." He then curled his lower lip inwards inside his mouth and simply licked the blood off. It might look disgusting to some, but Duo finds that his own spit heals his cuts much faster than any oils or water.

Duo smiled still with his lower lip in his mouth at Kieru's comment that he seemed to be a good person. "Thank you! I could say the same about you!" He said after he's done with his lip. Inwardly, he promised himself, that there is no way he'd tell anyone of the reason why people hate him.

"Nooww, don't be embarrassed about that. Laughing is natural, and it heals too." He nodded sagely at that, since the fact did reached him deep. Duo then turned to Drea, since the major reason of it all is to see the dragon with his own eyes.

It surprised Duo that Drea actually nodded at his question. "Whoaa.." he breathed out of his mouth in awe. He reverted his attention back towards Kieru when she explained that Drea communicated with others is through her.

"Seriously, that is so cool. So like...you two have telepath or something..?" His hands are very animated as he pointed to the both of them and swishing it around to point at the other.

Then suddenly, she asked him the final question that shattered his voice box. "WHAT?! Like...like flying..?!"

[Kieru]

Kieru's eyebrows lifted slightly as Duo sucked in his lower lip to lick off the blood. The action surprised her a little but she didn't remark on it apart from a quiet sigh. Kieru then smiled slightly as he thanked her and said that she seems to be a good person also.

Kieru's small smile remained as he spoke about laughing being natural and healing. Her smile widened just slightly and she lowered her head a moment as she let out a small breath. "I can agree to that." She said as she looked back at Duo again with her small smile.

Kieru and Drea were both a bit amused that he seemed so surprised and animated at them. "Yes." Kieru responded "Sharing our thoughts is one of the ways we are bound as dragon and rider."

Kieru's looked surprised at him by his outburst with maintaining her small smile. Drea had taken a step or two back at his outburst. Drea then lowered herself more to the ground and Kieru placed a hand on Dea's head, smiling at Duo. "Yes... flying. Drea doesn't mind. She actually tends to prefer flying during the night." She looked over at Drea as she spoke about her then looked back at Duo with a small smile.

Kieru then proceeded to climb onto Drea's back and held her hand down, leaning over a bit, for Duo to take her hand and climb on with her. "Come on." She said, her expression becoming slowly more and more relaxed as it usually is when she and Drea are alone together as opposed to how she is in front of other humans.