MaryGold

terrified to be known, desperate to be understood
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romance. angst. drama. modern. fantasy. supernatural. adventure. crime. period pieces.


Riverdale, Whiterun

Phoenix Inn

Half Past Midnight

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Riverdale. A lively and very diverse coastal town located in the western country of Whiterun. Its shores bring in people and creatures of the like from every corner of the earth, as it is a common resting spot for adventurers, travelers and merchants all alike. With its many guests and merry, and generally friendly, locals it was a place frequented by many.

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While most of Riverdale was quiet during the evenings, this night, the roar of the town was coming from the local inn. It was a rustic looking place, wood a little bit mossy in a few places with torches dancing with the rhythm of the music that was coming from the inside. "Phoenix inn" was its name, and it was the pride of Riverdale and all of its adventurers that it hosted inside. Most knew of the local place to gather slander, rumors and of course the best drinks in town. The sailors had brought in quite the haul from across the country, bringing with them the finest of ale for all of the visitors in the bar to enjoy. They were enjoying themselves a lot, so they had ended up buying a whole round for everyone. The elven bard was holding her lute in one hand a half-full mug of ale in the other, the alcoholic beverage sloshing out of the cup due to the way the drunken elf was dancing and singing. A couple of orcs were laughing at the silly display, some cheering in a loud drunken voice for the bard to sing some of their favorite sailor songs.

The usually joyous peace was shattered by the scream of a man, gathering the attention and laughs of many. While anyone would recognize this scream as a painful one, many of the bar occupants were too drunk to tell the difference and only a few of them saw the cause of it all. Little did they know this was only the start of a butterfly effect, a chain reaction that would set off exciting and terrible events both.

And it all started with a boy.






 

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It was one of the last places Mizuko would want to visit. She wasn't averse to a good sake from time to time, but entering an inn like this one was something for others to do, not someone as high and might like her. She was a dragon, for goodness' sake, not some dwarf barbarian or a silly fairy bent on becoming drunk on a capful of ale.

And yet she had no choice but to step into the inn, masking the distate she felt by keeping the expression on her face as neutral as possible. Still water, she thought to herself. A lake on a breezeless day. The chatter and laughter, the scent of food and alcholol, the people- and goodness, there were so many!- it was almost too much to bear. However, she was no mere mortal who would shy away from what she wanted.

What could have driven her to such a place? Well, though it was difficult to tell from just seeing her, Mizuko had been plagued for the last few weeks with the same continuous dream: a handsome young boy, and then without warning, a grand palace made of crystal, submerged in water. Why she was seeing such dreams was beyond her, but after a short conversation with an old and frail imp, she had been told of a soothsayer and dreamreader who frequented the Phoenix Inn.

Now that she had uneasily taken her place as the cleanest looking table, she waited, eyes and ears and nose alert. He must be here... he must!

The scream of the man didn't phase her; many men had screamed before because of her. However, the water dragon decided it would probably be best to investigate the source of the scream, just in case it was the man she was looking for.​
 
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Kohaku





"Little dragon ..." Cooed a soft voice, "little prince, oh where or where are you~" The silvery voice began to rise with each word it spoke. A mocking laugh echoed around him, making it impossible for him to pin the source of it. His head swiveled side to side, searching desperately, but the laughter only grew louder, overwhelming him. It shifted from mocking to cruel.

All his senses told him to run, for whatever was laughing at him, speaking to him, was a danger. The hairs on the back of his neck stood when the bodiless voice spoke again, this time with a very flat and cold tone, though it turned terrifyingly singsong toward the end. "I found you, little prince!"

A gush of wind, some powerful force blasted at him, knocking him off his feet. Instantly, he stood back up and ran in the opposite direction of the cruel laugh which only grew louder and closer no matter how hard he ran and how far his feet carried him. He was suddenly shrouded in darkness and lifted off the ground.Though he struggled, something wrapped around his body, from his legs to his neck, restricting his movement and choking him both.

"I found you ..." It breathed onto his face.


Kohaku shot up from his place against a brick wall, panting heavily as sweat dripped from his forehead. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he wrapped a hand around his throat, checking for strangle marks. There was none. The tears in his eyes quickly took his attention the very next minute, though, he immediately wiped them away onto his shirt sleeve, he was more than a little embarrassed. How could a ferocious and mighty dragon cry? It was simply shameful, if anyone saw, they'd laugh at his weakness.

Fortunately, no one was around to see, or to be more precise, notice. The street the alley he sat - slept - in faced a busy street, for the very wall he laid his back against belonged to a busy and bustling inn. Many came in sober and others came out completely drunk. None of them noticed the apprehensive ten-year-old who had been near crying, though. And thank the gods! He was a mighty dragon! A very important factor. The shame would have been unfathomable.

He had been having the same nightmares for almost a months now, and they were only becoming more frightful and vivid. It was not only starting to affect his sleep but his physical state, as if it was real instead of nightmares. However, there were good dreams too, they felt just as real. They involved a palace and a pretty girl who felt familiar but he never met once a day in his life.

Now that he was awake there was no going back to bed, the boisterous noise from the inn made it impossible, anyway. The child stood onto his feet and dusted himself off, he had to look presentable for his kind. He also wiped his face with his sleeve just in case dirt smudges were left, though he had no mirror to be sure, he deemed himself decent looking just as his stomach started to grumble loudly. Again, he was blessed no one had heard. It was time to fill his belly. At last the food in the inn would be cheaper than the lodging.

With his small stature and height, he was able to slip past others and into the bar. However, he wasn't able to get far before someone grabbed the back of his shirt collar, halting him. He slowly turned around as a big man, as ugly as an orc, sat, yet still loomed over him with his large build and height. He was clearly as drunk as could be as he threw coins at Kohaku who caught them on pure reflex. "Get me another drink and keep the rest, kid!" He laughed, fruitily.

Kohaku frowned at the coins, insulted and annoyed both. He tossed the coins back at the man to his surprise. "Get your own drink! I'm not your bell boy, you ugly jiji!" His hands placed themselves on his waist, glaring at him.

"Wh-what did you call me?" He sputtered.

"Ah, I called you an ugly old geezer." Kohaku casually clarified, wanting his message to get through without any misunderstandings.

Before he knew it, he was being lifted off the ground by his shirt, the man held him up high, dangling him as he stood at his incredible tall height. He began laughing along was with his friends as Kohaku struggled to get out of his grip. "Waaah! Put me down! What do you think you're doing?!" The dragon boy growled. How dare he?! His cheeks puffed full of air while he continued to glare his blue eyes at the man.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders?" He brought him closer so that they were face to face. His breath reeked of alcohol and Kohaku visibly recoiled at this. "Hm? I asked you a question boy!" More laughter came from the others surrounding them.

The dragon boy felt annoyed. So, he did what he always did when someone got onto his bad side. He turned his head and bit his arm. If it was any other kid biting, then he was sure the man wouldn't have screamed as loud as he did, his pain could be heard over all the talking, laughter and music of the bar. This was a dragon bite, however, a Kohaku dragon bite. Needless to say, it hurt like hell. And when Kohaku bit someone, he didn't let go so easily, despite the man having already releasing him.

Many drunks howled with laughter, some gave concern looks that only deepened as the man continued. "Agh! Get him off me! God damnit!" he cried, flailing around, desperately trying to shake the boy off.

In his attempt to shake him, he backed up and knocked over someone's table by falling onto it.

 
Kukiko "Kookie"
As the bar was filling up with adventurers, travelers and sailors of all kinds, on the counter of a bar was a lone wineglass that was filled with a clear liquid almost up to the brim. On first glance, it would seem to be completely empty, but on a closer inspection it gave off a white light. If inspected even closer, then a very small female would be shown. She had long white hair that was kept in a neat ponytail that dangled over the edge of the glass. Her small fair legs were crossed, but also hanging on the edge, with her elbow matching the same and her bottom hanging loosely above the clear liquid. She was dressed in white, matching white wings that looked closer to snowflakes placed on her back as they happily fluttered behind her, leaving a trail of dust on the counter that looked more like glitter. In her hand was a very small mug made out of tree, though for most it would barely hold a drop of alcohol, for the pixie chilling in the wine glass, it was like any other mug offered in the bar.

"Woooo~!" The pixie called out as she gulped down her glass of alcohol before scooping up some more from the wine glass she was sitting in. It was impossible for them to charge her for a drop of alcohol and even more so to give her one, so they had ended up giving her a glass, and prepared as she was, Kukiko had brought her mug because most inns didn't keep some in her size. "Man, this is the best bar I've ever been in!" She happily laughed as her pale skin gave away the redness in her cheeks, drinking more of ale before scooping up some more. "Man, I forgot how much I get to drink when I'm first in a bar! And it's so cheap too! If only I could bring some home!" The pixie called out happily before a sudden yell caught her by surprise and almost caused her to dunk into the glass of alcohol.

Blue eyes traveled around the inn to try and find the stick in her mud, glaring at a man holding up a by that had currently put his teeth into the bigger male's arm. In short, it looked hilarious. It was like a new rendition of David fighting Goliath; only this was much funnier. If she wasn't mischevious enough sober, under the influence of alcohol was even worse. A grin matching her sudden mood switch spread across her small features, hand raising itself out from the glass as she conjured up a snowball. Unlike the mug, this one wasn't meant to be her size; it was double if not even triple her own body and it went flying straight into the large man's face.

"Bull's eyes!" She laughed loudly, hanging over the glass with her elbows now, feet dangling inside the glass with barely enough space to not get wet. "Hey, ugly!" Kukiko called out to the big man. Obviously, the pixie had no clue what had happened and neither did she care, she always took the little one's sides, and a bar fight was a great excuse to throw snowballs all around. "Why don't you pick on someone your size?!" She called out before flying out of her wine glass and conjuring another snowball, hitting his face once more. Kukiko took the short trip of flying over, somewhat unsteadily because flying and being drunk wasn't such a great idea, before taking a small glance at the boy that had bit the other. "You doing alright, kid?" The pixie asked as she hovered in front of him, dusting off her white kimono. "I don't know if you're ready for it, but there's going to be a fight now, better not sit here otherwise you'll get squished!"

 
Inukami Byakuya
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Byakuya was no stranger to Inns. While he did not frequent them, he had, on occasion visited a few when he was with his brothers, usually as a way for them to bond and relax after a long day. He didn't like the atmosphere of most Inns, everyone was loud, drunk and usually, a fight or two erupted, ruining everyone else's evening in most cases. The only reason he tolerated them before is that he was with his brothers, even if he thought they would be better served getting a head start on the next day's tasks, instead of getting drunk and singing songs with strangers. So why was he here then?

His brothers weren't with him, they were back at home, probably goofing off and ignoring their duties (a thought that made his blood boil). And he certainly didn't come to drink himself into a stupor. He was here because he felt trouble brewing. It was a nagging feeling in his gut, gnawing away at his mind. So naturally, after finishing up prior obligations, he headed off to do some detective work. And what better place was there to gather information than an Inn? With all these strange characters funneling into one spot from different places, he was sure to learn something.

So imagine his lack of surprise when he heard a man screaming and swearing as he entered the bar. Honestly, it made him shake his head, but when he saw why an amused smile graced his face and a chuckle escaped his chest, which nearly grew into a full-blown laugh when the little creature threw a snowball at the already-injured man. Stifling his laugh, he only hoped that the man wouldn't hurt the two of them, though if he had enough alcohol in his system it was likely. Maybe he should intervene before things get out of hand? Not that they were ever in-hand, to begin with.

"Perhaps you should let go now," Byakuya spoke to Kohaku as he approached the two. As he got closer, however, he began to wonder if his worry was for naught. He could smell Kohaku, a scent unlike anything else in the room...no, that wasn't right. Through the booze, food, and vomit he could smell something similar to the boy but different as well. He didn't know what it was, he only knew that it was unlike anything else. Perhaps coming to the Inn wasn't such a bad idea after all, eh?
 
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Even as Mizuko made her way to the commotion, the scent her nose caught informed her of what she would find at the end. For the first time in a long time, she felt a sort of apprehension. There was another dragon here... but not just any dragon. This one had a familiar scent, one she had never encountered before, yet still resounding in her, like a stored away memory brought back into the light.

She was just about to spot the owner of the scent when she paused in her step, sensing the snowball that flew inches from her, striking the rather large and ugly man. Mizuko just caught sight of a tiny creature flying over to the object of her search. Violet eyes widened as she took in the sight of the black haired boy.

"You-" She paused as someone passed by her. Another scent, a youkai. This inn was certainly clustered with all sorts of people, yet not the one she was supposed to meet... and instead someone she had only seen in her dreams.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, hearing what the youkai mentioned to the boy. Deciding it was her turn to step in, she did so. "Young dragon, do not just bite any filthy thing, you do not know where he has been." Yes, she would recognize a dragon's scent anywhere, especially seeing it was very much like her own.

Shifting her gaze, she looked to the large ugly fellow. "And you!" Her hands raised; the water from the snowballs that had hit him rose away and quickly formed into needle like objects, each facing him. "You will not hurt this boy, otherwise you will be screaming once more." She smiled, an almost predatory look in her eyes. "And it will hurt more than this boy's bite.​
 

Kohaku






Kohaku blinked his eyes once when hearing the impact of the iceball hitting the man's face and the grunt that followed. Next to come was an unfamiliar smell, something he never smelt before nor saw. It was a small girl with wings, no, it was a pixie! His eyes lit with curiosity before more special smells approached, first being a yokai, though he wasn't sure what type. The yokai man spoke, giving him the best advice he had heard that night. Instantly, his fangs released the flesh it had sunk itself into. "Bleh, bleh, yuck!" he spat, wiping his tongue off onto his sleeve.

Slowly, his blue eyes shifted away from the old man and to the newcomers. The white-haired girl the size of his hand and the cool looking yokai with a peony underneath his eye. Blinking his eyes Kohaku thought of the right words to start with. "Bar fight or not, I won't be squished. I'll have you know I'm a dragon!" He placed his hand on top of his chest as if to strengthen his point. A dragon getting squashed by a bunch of drunks in a bar? Ridiculous! Such a thing had never been heard of and it would never be either. Dragons were divine beings above any silly drunks in a bar.

He thought to say more to Byakuya and Kukiko when he halted. His nose finally picked up the scent of another dragon through the booze, vomit, and sweat. In fact, his eyes saw her first. She not only smelt like a dragon, but he had a nagging feeling he had smelt her before, somewhere long ago. Still, whether he knew her or not, she had a magnificent energy surrounding her. An energy and look that awestruck him. He had completely lost what he had been planning to say.

And then, she scolded him, he winced slightly at that. Though, she was absolutely right. He was already regretting biting the stranger for the taste it left in his mouth was a bad one. Kohaku didn't have time to feel bad because he was able to witness her awesome power. His face completely lit up like fireworks as the man's turned pale. She controlled water, like him! "Wow, I -"

Rising from their seats, the drunken men who had been sitting at their table glared at the group. "You!" the apparent ringleader, pointed his glass at Kohaku and the man down before staggering backward slightly. "You picked the wrong table to mess with!" While he was drunk, his friends weren't so much. Ironically enough, they weren't just average adventurers, their build said they did a lot more than adventure around. "AGHH!" He charged forward, raising his glass, ready to smash whoever was in his way.

Slickly, Kohaku held out his foot and tripped the man, making him fall and his glass smash against the head of another.

 
Kagemaru
"I am but a shadow, and as a shadow, I shall be the darkness so there can be light."
It was a miracle that Kage had found the way to the rustic bar that was filled with loud chatter and music, laughter from several drunks and slander from the women sitting across from his table. He was sitting alone, an empty glass in front of him on the wooden table that looked like it would collapse any moment. The only reason the masked man had found his way over to the bar was due to needing a place to stay for the night, traveling at night wouldn't be a problem, but the ship he was suppose to take had nothing, but a drunk crew that were hanging out in the bar, drinking themselves to death. The information came from their uniforms, similar to that Kage remembered the sailors had on, which forced him to wait out for all of them to sober up. Loud places like the bar was a perfect way to ward off Kage, forced human interactions with others, he hated it. Thankfully, the quiet man never drew attention to himself. He hardly moved, the mask catching most people's attention, but whoever talked to him were ignored and most didn't bother to try beyond a few minutes.

He had been about ready to go and sleep, figuring the sailors were planning on drinking the beautiful night away, but instead his attention was caught by the sudden scream of a large built man. Eyes fastened upon the scene, watching as snowballs flew across the room with a small light following it shortly. Whatever flew was too small to see from a distance, but he guessed it had to be a fairy or a pixie that had been hanging around in the bar. The bite escalated to a full-on bar fight when the large male fell and broke, a table that belonged to a group of drunks that did not take it lightly. A woman appeared with long black hair neatly put up in a ponytail, using the snowballs, which were now puddles, to create needles of water that pointed towards the poor fellow who was still on the table. Kage couldn't help, but to sigh at the entire situation. It meant more noise, something he would rather avoid, but when he watched a man charge over at the woman from behind, Kage decided to act.

Without making a single sound, Kage appeared behind the woman and grabbed the man that was throwing a punch at her from behind; he held firmly onto his arm before tossing him across the room, making him fly out the window. "Watch your back," he spoke softly to the woman before disappearing in black smoke, reappearing behind the boy as he blocked a mug that was supposed to get smashed on top of the boy's head. "Be careful, your enemies are many," Kage spoke to the boy before grabbing the aggressor and then tossing him away as well, crashing the poor man right into a shelf that was filled with unopened bottles, though tons of them fell out of place and smashed on the floor. The poor bartender's face turned white, a silent scream escaping him, due to the noise that was spreading like wildfire inside of the bar. They were all screaming for a fight, drunk idiots brawling among themselves for no reason as mugs flew left and right, glass shattering on either furniture or someone's body.

"So noisy. . ." He sighed to himself before disappearing into the black smoke again, reappearing behind a man as he jumped up and kicked him, forcing him to fly out the same window that the previous man had. "I must take out the trash," he whispered before peeking out the window to see another gang appearing. He sighed yet again, wondering if he would have been better off in the room he had rented for the night.

It was going to be a long night.
 
Inukami Byakuya

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It seemed to Byakuya that things had escalated rather quickly. Exactly what he had hoped to prevent was beginning to occur now and it was a little irksome to him, but he expected nothing less in such a place. A frown graced his face at the number of people who were beginning to fight, all over a boy and his teeth, albeit the boy claimed to be a dragon. That would actually explain the strange scent he couldn't identify. "I suppose that makes you a dragon as well?" He asked, nose twitching ever so slightly as he spoke. They definitely had too similar of a scent for her not to be. This whole night was shaping up to be something else. What was even more confounding to him was that shinobi of all things showed up! If only Shinji were here, he'd find this all too funny.

As interesting as this was, and as much as he would like to talk to the two of them, this bar fight wouldn't allow that to happen, and things had gone too far for people to be talked down now. He did feel a bit bad for the owner of the building though, this entire place would be trashed pretty soon. "This is why I hate places like these. I don't think I'll need to do anything, it seems like you all can take care of the entire Inn if need be." Two dragons and a ninja were more than enough for these clowns. He'd only jump in if things got out of hand, Or at least that was what his intentions were. But things rarely go according to plan, do they?

Almost immediately after he finished speaking a glass bottle was smashed over his head, shattering in the process. "Ah' got ya....! Bar fight!" The person responsible for it, an obvious drunkard who decided to waste his last few coins on his drink, cheered. "Ah wait...my drink...you bastard..!" His cheerful cry turned into an angry growl with a glare to match.

Of course, his growl was drowned out Byakuya's own, which sounded like it may as well come from an actual dog itself. Blood and whiskey dripped down Byakuya's face as he turned around and grabbed the man by his shirt, lifting him up and, following Kage's suit, throwing the man out of the window. "I did not come here for this!" He growled, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. The liquor was finding its way into the cuts from the glass and the burning it was causing made it a little difficult for him not to be upset.
 

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"Of course I am a dragon-"

And just like that the conversation came to a halt. Everything was taking place much too quickly for the water dragon. The leader of the ugly man's group had gotten up, readily and stupidly threatening them all. Before she could do anything, it seemed he and his cronies were already attacking and failing to actually succeed. Seeing no more need to use her water needles, Mizuko allowed the water to dissipate, but even as she did she heard someone speaking.

Whirling around, unable to contemplate how she didn't sense someone so close, she only caught the glimpse of the man before there was simply smoke left behind. What is this? Shadow youkai? She tried to catch a sniff, but in all the ruckus and spilled alcohol, it was hard enough to pick out her own scent. She didn't know the others here who seemed to have joined the fight, and for the time being, they were not her concern.

He was though. The young dragon, the one from her dreams. She had come here for information, and despite the filth and ruckus she was currently in, she had succeeded- she had found more than she had expected.

"Young dragon!" she called, her voice raising over the rest of the brouhaha. "We should leave, this is no place for us!"
 
Kukiko "Kookie"
Dragon? Kookie didn't want to be rude so she decided against exclaiming that out loud, but no matter how she looked at the boy, he looked just like a human kid. Surely, there was some added spice to him since he had been stubbornly hanging onto the man's arm, but if that made him a dragon was beyond the Pixie. Her kind lived in the forest, or in case the mountains, far away from anyone but her own. Dragons, humans, elves and orcs were all new for her to encounter, so who was she to judge what made a dragon. . . well, a dragon? And it wasn't as if dragons were born to be adults! But poor kid, he had to get the short end of the straw to look like that in his human form, or maybe he was a baby dragon. Another train of thought the drunk Pixie found better to not share.

"Tsk, tsk," Kookie chuckled. "I guess this is going to be one hell of a bar fight then!" She laughed before she watched as her half-melted snowballs retreated. The water that they had produced turned into sharp needles that pointed at the ugly man that was resting on the broken glass and wood. The woman, a pretty one too, was threatening the poor guy that had gotten a big enough blow to his ego already, and judging by her words, she guessed that she either knew the boy or they were of the same kind. Everyone stood up for their own; even Kookie knew that. Her threat seemed to work, but not on the poor drunken guests that had their tables and drinks broken. As the Pixie had anticipated, the entire situation escalated into a full-on bar-fight. However, she had not expected for the whole bar to start fighting among one another.

Normally, they would just start cheering and banging their mugs against the tables, but everyone was so drunk in this establishment that it only took a few seconds before mugs, bottles, chairs, tables and people alike began flying across the room. "Woah!" Kookie called out as she narrowly dodged glass shards from missing her. If anything, the adrenaline did wonders on sobering her up. Fortunately, everyone was too busy fighting the ones they could see to bother with her. Unfortunately, no one could see her, so they weren't mindful about some of the smaller more fragile ones. One drunken swing that could knock out an orc was plenty to break several of her bones, which was a great cue for her to leave. She heard the female mention something about leaving too, which was why Kookie flew over to the open window someone had "opened" for her, only to see another group of men arriving. Unlike the others, these were armed. Oh, this was bad. Did they alert the town's guards?

She flew back, looking at the boy and the lady, flying in front of them so she could be seen and heard despite all the ruckus. "You cannot leave through the front door!" Kookie informed them. "The guards are--!" before she managed to continue her sentence a fist swung and hit her, thankfully, not at full force, but it was plenty to send the small Pixie flying across the room. It would have been much harsher for her small body had she collided into the wall instead of the back of someone's head. She still felt it though, back hurting from the impact and wings fluttering to try and shake it off. "That hurt. . ." she whined as she tried to stand up, but only fall back down onto the shoulder she had ended up landing on. Kookie reached a hand onto her arm, finding the light blue color that would be her blood. Dammit, she was bleeding too?

This bar sucked!

 

Kohaku






Under normal circumstances, Kohaku would never take orders from complete strangers or most people in general. But the older female was a dragon and one that deserved respect. Not to mention, she was totally and utterly right. The place went from rowdy to obnoxiously loud and things were getting too messy for his taste. He had only entered the tavern for a meal to settled his grumbling and hollow stomach. Now that he had all but erupted the place into a huge fight, the hunger he once felt became less important to satisfy. Especially with this new dragon.

Still, if the young dragon did want to stay it would be to watch the yokai man and masked man fight. Watching them left him more than a little impressed with admiration. They were so awesome! He wanted to show off his own skills too because as a dragon, he had many skills up his sleeves. But duty called. And when the bigger, probably stronger, dragon made a command, Kohaku was sure to obey. It wasn't every day that one met their kin, and Kohaku wasn't going to miss the chance of knowing her because of some stupid bar fight because of stupid people.

"Don't worry, I'll lead the way out!" Kohaku chirped, giving Mizuko a confident grin before grabbing her hand, prepared to lead her out. That was, however, before the pixie came in trying to warn them about one thing or another and then she was all but swatted away. His gaze followed her light as she flew across the room and hit the wall. The sight of it made him wince and feel anger toward whoever hurt her. Sure, he didn't exactly know her, but she had picked his side and was the first to come to him when the ugly man picked on him.

His eyes sharpened before his gaze pinned on the fist that knocked her away. Biting him was out of the option, he didn't have the time and there was no way he'd ever risk getting that foul taste in his mouth again. Instead, he willed the water needles that Mizuko had once used to threaten the other man to stab into his fist. A proud smirk marked his face as he watched man howl and fall back onto another. To rub salt into the wounds, Kohaku stuck his tongue out at him.

"Okay, now, the exit is right - " Kohaku paused in his tracks as he came face to face with a group of men who immediately recognized as the authority of the town. Their freshly pressed uniforms and stern looks on their faces spoke volumes. Unfortunately, the one who seemed to be in charged looked directly down at Kohaku.

"Hey, kid, do you know who started this fight?" His voice was intimidating, but it wasn't enough to put this great dragon under pressure. Even more so when the culprit was himself and he would never sell out the other instigators.

"Ano ... mou ichido itte itadakemasu ka?(Um ... could you please say that again?)" Kohaku tilted his head innocently. When in doubt, feign ignorance.

The leading guard huffed. "Foreigners." Or so he thought.




*****



Meilin





Humming folklore songs to herself softly, Mei strolled down the dimly lit streets of Whiterun. In her arms, she held a fairly sized porcelain vase with red lily flowers painted onto it. Just by the look of it, anyone could tell it was priceless. Anyone would wonder why she'd a small young woman such as herself would carry it out in the open a night where thieves and trouble lurked around everyone corner. The vase was simply too large to fit into a bag and the young woman Zhao Meilin wasn't one you messed with as she was tougher than she looked.

And tonight she was too overjoyed to care about anything else as she held the vase close to her. As soon as she completed the mission of handing the vase off at home, she would finally be recognized for her skills as a spirit detective. To anyone else, it may seem like nothing, but to Mei and the Zhao clan, it was a huge deal. The vase she carried wasn't an average priceless vase, but one that sealed in an evil spirit. It had been holding the horrible creature for decades and not long after it had been lost. Dealing with spirits was the Zhao clan's forte, as they worked underneath King Yama himself. Needless to say, they had been searching for the vase trapping the evil spirit inside for years.

That search had come to a halt. As soon as the location of it had been discovered, Mei left home and retrieved it. It was a tough task, but it had been done. Returning with the item and the creature inside would surely gain her the respect of not only her family but the big man in the spirit world too. Being among the youngest of her family made it hard to breakthrough and have her abilities acknowledged. But bringing back the vase would change all that.

The sound of boisterous laughter and music and what seemed to be yelling halted her. The small woman turned to look at the rowdy inn, it seemed a fight was breaking out inside. Mei couldn't help but shake her head at the sight of the place. While she was a very lively and merry woman, the bar wasn't her scene and she wouldn't risk breaking the vase by heading inside. She'd simply have to find another place to stay for the night before catching one of the boats to sail home.

"You're my little ticket to success," Mei cooed to the vase, resting her cheek on the top. There was no way possible she'd ruin her chases by putting it at risk. In fact, it had never been safer than it was now. In her arms.

That thought was erased from her mind not long after. The noise of shattered glass caught her attention, but not fast enough, not a moment after a man came flying at her, knocking her small body to the ground as he collapsed on top of her. Being squashed by his large figure was the least of her problems because as soon as his body knocked into he's the vase flew out from he hands. Now that she was on the ground, underneath the heavy weight of a strange she regained her senses just in time to watch as the vase shattered against the ground.

Silence. Mei couldn't breathe. She couldn't believe her eyes.

A smoky figure rose from the fractured porcelain pieces and disappeared into the night sky. The woman could only assume it was the spirit. The one that had been sealed away for decades. She had just released it. "Wait!" Mei called after regaining her voice, she attempted to crawl out from beneath the unconscious man, but then another body flew out and fell on top of them, doubling the weight and nearly flattening her.

That was it, gathering all her new found strength from her blinding anger, she pulled herself from beneath the two men and stood on her feet with a huff. They had come from the bar, the reeked of alcohol and the broken tavern window was enough evidence for her. Mei quickly ran inside, light on her two feet, she kicked down the man who blocked the entrance with one swift kick. For such a small person she carried great strength, especially when angry.

Scanning the bar she looked for the murderers of her vase and her dreams of recognition with it. "WHICH ONE OF YOU JERKS THREW THOSE GUYS OUTSIDE!?"

 
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Inukami Byakuya

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Byakuya sucked in air through his teeth, wincing only slightly. Whatever had just hit his head had caused the stinging to increase. He almost growled again, believing that someone had thrown something at him but he paused when he saw the pixie on his shoulder. "Oh...hello." He greeted her, head turning slightly in order to get a good look at her. "Ah, you're bleeding." A frown grew on his face. "You should not be here, it's far too dangerous." It sounded more like a decision than a statement, one that, while it was probably correct, he had made on his own.

As he approached the exit door he could hear the screaming of a woman asking about who had thrown someone out the window. He flinched, swallowing a bit. He did throw someone out earlier, that person had deserved it, but he wasn't the first and only person to do so. Still, it could have been him. "I am responsible for one of those men lying outside the window." He admitted, raising his hand. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience it may have caused you. Allow me to step outside and we can discuss a way to reimburse you for any damages that might have happened." Anything to get away from being potentially stabbed, hit in the head with another bottle or worse. Plus he had an injured Pixie on him, who reeked of alcohol.

But maybe he wouldn't have to worry too much about it now. The Peacekeepers of the town were here, so maybe instead he could discuss it with her over a meal and things would die down? First things first though..."I need to make sure this little one does not bleed out." He pointed a finger at the pixie on his shoulder. "And perhaps avoids any more drinks for the night."
 

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Just as she had said the words, she heard the small yet clear voice of the little pixie, warning them that they couldn't leave from the front door. She would have scoffed if she hadn't seen that what the little winged creature had said was true.

"How unfruitful," she murmured to herself. She had found what she wanted, or rather, whom, yet it seemed her path was being forced to an end because of some ridiculous and rather disgusting people who clearly did not understand that their place was so beneath her that an ant underground surpassed them.

Her hand curled around the boy's tightly, watching the police as they spoke to the young dragon. Violet eyes narrowed as she heard the tone in the man's voice- who did he think he was addressing the young one in such a manner? She would have put him in his place if she hadn't heard the boy speak. Her lips twitched, the hint of a smirk growing upon them.

"A waste of space began this fight, but I shall be the one to end it. Watch closely, young dragon!" She flicked her free hand- pure water from the melted snow rose and wrapped around her waist before taking hold of Kohaku's hand, like a living being. She need to use both her hands, but there was no way she was going to separate herself from him. This was the best she could do in this moment.

Both hands now free, she lifted them simultaneously, and as she did, all the water, beer, as well as any other liquid in the room rose up like a wave. Mizuko smiled, her eyes moving over everyone before she brought her hands down. The wave of liquid crashed down, not caring who was in its path made its way for any opening in the building.

Suspiciously, not an iota of water seemed to splash our intrepid heroes... at least the ones inside.

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The fight had been none of Aki's concern. In fact, he had been regretting stepping into the inn for any reason in particular. Truth be told, he was simply hoping for a night's stay before heading off goodness knew where. But the way things were headed, he doubted there would be any sleep to be had. At the first sign of trouble, the white hair kitsune stood up and made his way outside. Did anyone see him? Not at all. At five tails, Aki was quite proficient in illusions; making himself invisible was a cinch.

There were dragons in there as well- he was better off out of there anyway.

He paused once he was outside, just in time to see a young female being knocked over and essentially squashed by one of the brutes from inside. That wasn't his first concern, however. His lavender eyes were immediately drawn to the shattered vase and then the smokey figure disappearing in the night sky. He lifted a hand, ready to send a ball of light to consume whatever darkness that was. The sound of another man flying out and landing on the girl gave him a pause.

This time he might have helped her out, but it seemed to him that she hardly needed any aid. A smirk crossed his lips as he watched her free herself from the men and promptly kick down the door. There was obviously more to this little lady than met the eye.

His nose twitched as did his ears. "I would recommend not standing there." Without warning he had made his way to the young woman, grabbing and pulling her away from the door, just in time to be saved from the barrage of water, alcohol and goodness knew what else. Water barely splashed there feet as Aki was now in the air, lifted up by two blue tinged white fireballs rolling beneath his feet. The girl of course was secure in his arms, safe from the evil of the dragon within.

 
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Kagemaru
"I am but a shadow, and as a shadow, I shall be the darkness so there can be light."
Drunken fights were close to boring, if Kage was going to be honest about them. They were much more of a hassle than an actual fight, only a few sidesteps were plenty to keep a punch from getting contact, which in turn was enough to knock the assailant off his feet. Eyes hidden behind the dark mask took a glance around the bar, watching as more and more idiots were getting involved in a simple fight that should not have started in the first place. Drunken rage was one thing to be feared and avoided, which was what Kage had in mind, though the fools in the bar had a different thought. One man from behind wrapped his burly arms around him, laughing in victory as two others appeared who must have thought they would be able to bash away at Kage.

"Gotcha! Stupid man! No one can stand up against Rocky Wildhart!" The man holding him shouted so loud that he could have sworn it hurt his ears more than the scent of his breath did. Kage sighed loudly, watching as the two grinning sailors begun approaching him while hitting their fists as if they thought they would be able to land a single hit. Simple-minded fools, this was why Kage despised places like these. It was against his better judgment that he had entered the establishment and now he knew not to repeat the same mistake.

"Let's smash off his mask first! Don't worry, after we're through with you; you'll have a better reason to wear it!" One of the approaching men smirked before reaching out towards Kage's face.

Okay, that's enough.

Kage disappeared in the same smoke as he had earlier, this time reappearing on top of the tall man's shoulders.

"Wha--?!"

He did not manage to say anything else as Kage jumped off, using the added leverage he had to jump down and land on the one that had dared to try and touch his mask, before kicking his friend. This time, not out the window, but instead, through the entire wall. The man that he was currently standing on top of gave off a groan before Kage stepped off of him, but only to listen to the man's panicked screams as the floor itself began engulfing him into it. On closer inspection, it was not the floor, but the shadow that the man was creating that was swallowing him whole, dragging him down until the man and the shadow disappeared altogether, not a single trace was left. The sounds of his pleas for help had drowned in all the ruckus that was currently in the bar. Kage's eyes shifted over to the man that had grabbed him, who was standing there with a mixed look of shock and horror in his dark eyes, which met lit up slitted amber ones underneath the mask that had not been visible earlier. In Kage's shadow was small tendrils, barely noticeable, though disappeared after reaching a certain height, but reappeared only moments later.

The drunken man, sobered by his panic, began running away, but only made it a few steps before one of the tendrils had grabbed his leg, halting his movements. The masked man didn't spare him a glance as he got tossed to the opposite side of the bar, the big man knocking down an orc before both of them crushed another wall and a sound of a splash was heard, which he guessed had to mean they both landed in the water. Kage brushed his shoulders before the tendrils vanished and then readjusted his mask and the yellow slitted eyes disappeared, leaving the holes dark once more.

"Bothersome," he sighed as he thought of making his exit when the guards of the town appeared and tried their best to calm down the establishment filled with holes, broken windows, alcohol and whatever else that had happened in the bar fight. The fight itself seemed to have calmed down with the guards' presence, though Kage could spot a few brawling amongst themselves with a few guards trying to break up the fight to the best of their capabilities. It was mildly amusing watching six human guards climb on top of a female orc that had not gotten over her rage yet. The guards were questioning the boy that Kage had warned earlier, with a seemingly angered woman standing next to him before the door suddenly slammed itself open again. It was not drunken rage, but it was anger as a young brown-haired female scanned the entire establishment with pure outrage filling her brown eyes, demanding for those who threw someone out the window to come forth.

One man did, though Kage doubted that the two of them had been the only ones to toss someone out the window. It had been a bar fight, someone tumbling out the window was not out of the question, and there were plenty of strong inebriated creatures underneath this roof to do the job. Kage decided to not admit to it, as he wanted no more trouble and would rather just quietly disappear like the night did when morning came; but his got ruined as his eyes fastened themselves on the liquid that began moving away from his surroundings and instead gathered up behind the black-haired woman and the boy. It did not take a genius to know what would happen next, as the liquids gathered themselves to create a wave before it came crashing down towards them. It was his pure instinct that made the Lunar Cat teleport himself out of the wave's way and instead showed up behind both the boy and the woman, watching as the guards and drunks alike were washed out of the establishment, through the open door, holes in the walls and windows.

The only ones standing were themselves and the man that had admitted to tossing someone out the window, and a faint glow on his shoulder that Kage figured to be the Pixie, though her light seemed dimmer than it had been before. Whether or not they were all going to the same place, they all had the same purpose at the moment. They had to get away. Otherwise, the authorities would put them all in a jail cell, which was justified, now that the woman had attacked all the guards and left a few standing, suggesting an alliance between them.

"Let's go before the guards' returns," Kage spoke up to all of them as he let his presence behind the boy and the woman be known, finding little reason to hide it now that they were all stuck in the same boat.




Kukiko "Kookie"
Kookie held onto her arm in an attempt to stop the light blue blood to escape from her. A bleeding Pixie was a terrible thing, due to their small body sizes, wounds were almost always an mortal injury. A bar fight had been the worst place for the small creature to be in, and she was lucky that she had not broken and bones in the impact with the fist that had swatted her away like a fly. "I'm fine," she spoke to the man whose shoulder she had landed upon. Another attempt was given for the Pixie to stand up, but she ended up collapsing again, while it did not look like a strength draining try, she was panting and the natural glow she gave off was dimming itself down due to her energy being drained from the injury she had acquired. It had done wonders of sobering her up though, the drunken fun she had earlier in her glass had all, but disappeared now that it had turned into such chaos.

The guards finally stormed the place and quickly brought peace back to the establishment that got filled with alcohol, blood, and testosterone, though there were a few women here as well that had stayed for the fight. Unfortunately, they were all too busy trying to find whoever had begun the brawl instead of helping those who had gotten injured, though Kookie was used to not being seen due to her small size, right now, she would have loved some help. The guards had only had a few moments to try and calm down a few persistingly angry costumers before an even more hostile outsider kicked in the door with a shout that caught everyone's attention. It seemed as if she was ready to tear off whoever's head that had thrown someone out the window, judging by some dirt that Kookie saw on her clothes, she figured that the poor brown-haired girl had turned into unknowing collateral outside of the bar fight. The man that she was currently lending a shoulder of, admitted to tossing someone out, and with him distracted, Kookie could not help but think it was the perfect moment for her to try and fly away. It was her drunken stupidity and a bit of pride speaking, not wanting to ask for help, even though she needed it.

She barely managed to lift up her legs as her wings fluttered all they could to try and lift up her weight, but it was far from enough as she ended up slumping back down. Kookie was happy the man was willing to help, though a bit too stubborn to admit it out loud, before the sound of water caught her attention. It was not until the wave headed in their direction that Kookie realized what the source of it had been, her small hands clung into the fabric of the man's clothing, expected to be washed away, though not a single drop had managed to get her. Carefully, she opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings, seeing that a few others were also standing while the rest where being washed away from whatever exits the bar had to offer. The "water" that had got gathered was far from the usual color, which suggested that a lot of alcohol and whatever else was mixed in with it, which made her chuckle a bit. It seemed as "keeping her away from any more drinks for the night" had gotten a whole new meaning.

The suggestion that came from the masked man was a welcomed one, as she also wanted to get away and find a way to stop herself from bleeding out. Her glow had become a bit fainter, but she was still going strong. If Kookie could, she would have frozen the part of her arm to stop the bleeding, but in her current weakened state where she could not even fly, it was something that was bound to be unsuccessful and a waste of the little energy that she was clinging to desperately. "Let's go," Kookie said to the male as she gave his hair a gentle yank to grab his attention. "The guards will only return, and whether or not you're guilty, they'll bring you in with the rest," she added to her reasoning of leaving, hoping it was enough for him to move, as she was somewhat stuck on his shoulder at the moment.
 

Kohaku






And watch closely he did.

The young dragon didn't think twice before obeying the orders of the older, and clearly more experienced water dragon. The very water dragon whose name he had yet to receive or even gave his name to. And still, he felt not only safe, being able to trust her, but also felt as if she wasn't a stranger to him in the least. For whatever reason Kohaku felt that way, he did not dwell on it. Instead, his focus was on her, curious as to what she'd do next. Would she really take out every single one of them on her own?

Even the shadow masked man and the yokai man, whom he just figured out to be an inuyokai, hadn't taken them all out yet. There was no need to mention they were strong, and obviously skilled., especially from what he'd seen from the masked man. He was a sight to behold, to see him in action, it left Kohaku in awe as soon as he saw the shadow powers. He himself had an urge to also show off his own power. Sadly, that was out of the question, as he was weak and with his lack of control it would easily ruin everything including himself. So, her was anticipating her next move. Then again, she was a dragon, so, her skills could not be held to the others.

Touching his hand to the cool wiggling water rope around his wrist, he paused when seeing the wave of water, if you could call it that anymore, she had created from the liquids in the bar. Kohaku's jaw dropped, but he quickly closed mouth and braced himself for the impact of the water. It never came. Watching in wonder as not only furniture floated out the holes in the buildings but people too. Ha! To think he ever doubted her power for even an instant.

"This fight was over even before it began," Kohaku smirked proudly. Even if more guards came along, he was sure that they could take them on easily. However, he was still starved and needless to say, he was in no mood to fight any more weaklings. He was keener on getting to know the dragon at his side and eating meat. "This place is a dump, well, I guess it always was, but, yeah, we should go!"

Kohaku turned on his heels and blinked when seeing the woman that was standing there before was gone. He figured she must have been washed away along with the rest of the bozos. He peeked out the door and found that the streets weren't as loud as before, but, he knew it wouldn't be long before it was. "Where should we go?"




*****​



Meilin





"I am responsible for one of those men lying outside the window."

That was more than enough of a reason to deal him a blow. If they wanted a fight, she would be sure to give him one. Her fury nearly made her deaf to the fact that there was an injured person near him. However, she managed to catch it over the cracking of her knuckles. Brown eyes softened and followed his finger to the dimly glowing light on his shoulder. Upon closer inspection realized it to be a pixie. Mei had encountered many creatures before in her line of work, but it was her first time coming across the little creature. She had never expected her first time to see the magical creature, bloody and injured.

Almost immediately, all the anger she had once felt was gone and was replaced it with reason and concern. Revenge wasn't the answer or something wise and annoying like that her father would say. Not that she always followed through with that advice, but she would for now. She had a soft spot for the sick and injured, and with her powers, she would be more than able to heal to the pixie girl. It would be an easy task seeing the type of injuries she had sustained.

"I can help with that, and afterwards, we can talk." Mei huffed, blowing a strand of long brown hair from her face as she placed her hands on her hips. The tensity in her petite frame had dispersed, leaving her shoulders to slump.

Mei had thought to say more before another voice had caught her attention, advising her not to be near the door. Of course, she had no idea what on earth he was speaking of for her focus had been entirely on the little pixie. "Hu-" There wasn't enough time to get a single word out before he was pulling away from the door and close.

Firstly, she was surprised which only led to her blinking in confusion, what followed after was a flushed face of embarrassment at the closeness, not long after came the annoyance. Who was this stranger and what did he think he was doing? Just because she was foreign didn't mean she was naive. "Hey! Let me g-" But it was the water that grabbed her focus. Or was it water? It wasn't even a clear completely clear and clean color, she could have all but been washed away and drowned. "Oh, no! Wait! Don't let me go! Don't let me go!" She instantly and panicky reacted, grabbing on tightly to his shirt, her hands creating small fists as they raised in the air.

That had been a close call.

Watching the murky water wash out of the building, she sighed in relief that she was not in that doorway. "That was disastrous," Mei breathed. It wasn't until the water level had gone down that she finally properly addressed the stranger. When looking at him, she quickly figured he too wasn't from Whiterun.Naturally, her first instincts were to let go of him, which she almost did until remembering they were not on the ground. So, alternatively, her grip on him tightened.

"I think it's safe now, thank you for the save." She paused, "Can you put me down?"

 
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Inukami Byakuya

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Byakuya had watched the liquid in the room gather and form a wave with an odd look on his face. It was quite the sight, sure, he was impressed by the amount that the dragon had gathered in such a short time, and even more so that she used it to wash away their would be apprehenders. He was also grateful that not a drop of it landed on him, he did not wish to reek any more of alcohol than he already did. But he had to admit, he felt bad and was a little worried about washing away the authorities. It was more than likely that they would arrest everyone involved even slightly in the rumble, so it might have been for the best, but he wondered if it would end here.

The tugging on his hair by the pixie snapped him out of his thoughts, however, and he nodded his head. "You are quite correct. I am not keen on being held for a night." He chuckled and made his way out of the bar, stepping over a few of the unconscious men on his way out. He did stop before the two dragons, bowing his head to Mizuko. "Domo Arigatou," He thanked her with a slight bow of his head before answering Kohaku's question, "I have a place we may go to for the time being if you've nowhere else to go."

It was spoken to the Pixie, both dragons and the "Shinobi" of course, as well as the woman who'd seemed ready to fight him. While the dragons could potentially flee to the sea or any body of water nearby, he didn't know about the others. Even worse, if they were planning to stay the night here the bar fight had ruined any opportunities of that happening. The night had turned out to be an interesting one. A bar fight led to meeting a drunken pixie, two dragons, what he believed to be a shinobi, a very...aggressive woman and what appeared to be a Kitsune friend of hers.

Oh, how Shinji would get a kick out of this.
 
By a silent unanimous decision, it seemed as if the Motley Crew had decided that Byakuya's place was probably the best place to go... and the sooner they left, the better. Mizuko didn't waste her breath talking, giving the others a curt nod, grasping Kohaku's hand tightly before running. Which direction his house was in? She didn't know, but for now they needed cover, and fast. Word would get back to the police of what had transpired and she wasn't going to have a burden of people being shoved behind bars on her head.

As the group began to skedaddle in the direction of Ye Olde Forest, Aki watched, still holding the girl and still in the air, eyebrow raised and curiosity in his lavender eyes obvious. "Two dragons, a youkai, a pixie and a..." Well, he wasn't actually sure, and that was slightly infuriating.

"A moment please," he muttered, hearing the girl speak, though the mutter became a little snicker when he felt her hold on his kimono tighten. "Are you really sure?" Before he could be smacked- girls liked doing that sort of thing- he let himself down, though further away from where the disgusting liquid has touched the ground. Once he was stable, he careful set the girl on her feet. "Here you are, Ojou-chan. Now, if you don't mind, I will be off to see what those silly people are up to. It is better than staying here, where people will immediately pin the blame on a kitsune." He looked to her, a smirk on her face. "I would suggest you come as well, they are the reason for the escape of the spirit you had held captive."
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The fleeing from the inn came to a stop when Mizuko realized that the little pixie still needed to be helped. They had all run faster than would have been possible for most races, and they could probably have continued, but this place looked as good as any to have a rest. It was secluded, had enough trees and rocks for cover, and most of all there was a beautiful stream which would be able to replenish the others as well as rejuvenate both her and Kohaku.

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"We should rest here before continuing," she said, finally speaking up. Her eyes shifted to Byakuya and the pixie. "She must be taken care of-" Her nose twitched and she turned around abruptly, catching the scent of a human... and a kitsune. She couldn't see them, however, and that was not causing her any joy.

"Show yourselves, now!"

"Arara... she found us, did she?" There seemed to be a shimmer in the distance which instantly disappeared. In its stead was a white haired kitsune with five tales and a girl with dark hair.​
 
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Meilin



“Ojou-san?” Mei questioned. While Meilin was not completely fluent in the Japanese language, she wasn't completely foreign to it. After all, with the line of business of her family, traveling was a common part of the job, especially over Asia. Her brown goldish eyes narrowed at the five tailed kitsune, she couldn't help but assume he was being totally mocking. Maybe it was the tone of his voice or the smirk on his face or his previous comments, but she felt a hint of irritation. He was mocking her, wasn’t he? “Mei will do, but if you must call me something else, at least bump it up to Hime-sama.” Of course, she was just joking, almost bitterly.

Still, whether she liked him or not, Mei followed the Kitsune into the woods. She wasn't as fast as him, being human and short both, but she was faster than the average human, being light and quick on her feet. Unfortunately, Mei had to rely on him to lead the way as she couldn't see too well in the dark, but, she could sense and see the energy rolling off the figures in the darkness of the forest along with every other living beings lurking around. However, they were clearly the most brightest, having the most and powerful energy.

Halting a little later after the others, her forehead bumped into Aki’s back when he stopped. “Ah ..” She hissed and rubbed her forehead soothingly before moving to stand beside him and getting a clear look at the group. It was more than a little peculiar to her that they hadn’t said a single word to the two of them, yet alone acknowledge them, though, they were close behind the entire time. The dark haired woman, holding the child’s hand, changed that by calling them out to the two, Mei and the fox. “Eh?” Meilin’s eyes blinked in confusion. They were clearly in the open. “I wasn't hiding. I never hide.” She was more of the type to jump in to situations, like she had back at the bar.

A huff could be heard from her as she crossed her arms over her chest. The night was not going well for her. But her line of thoughts went adrift when she was reminded of the injured pixie. “Like I said earlier, I can help with your little friend.” Her facial expression softened as did her body language. “I’m Zháo Meilin.” Announced the small young woman only a moment before approaching Byakuya, stepping on the top of her toes to clearly look at the bleeding mythical creature. “Let me take her,” Mei did not ask, but stated as she scooped up the fairy and laid her down in a bed of soft green leaves instead.

It had been a while since Mei had used her chi for healing on anyone besides herself. But she was no amateur when it came to using chi either. Mei closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. Focusing, and gathering her energy, she made a yin and yang circle with the movements of her now gold glowing hands, radiating with chi. Then she lowered them to the pixie, illuminating her with the light of chi, mending her wounds, easing her pain and returning her energy, slowly, but surely.




Kohaku




With the forest as their cover, Kohaku had never felt more safe than he was by the cool stream while also being hand in hand with the obviously more experienced female dragon. While it was dark in the forest, it posed as no problem for the young dragon. In fact, his wide sea green eyes appeared to even glow in the dark of the woods. He could see just as clearly as if they were in broad daylight. And he was more than a little certain everyone else in their party could too. All except for that human woman with the glowy hands.

Admittedly, Kohaku was mesmerized by her technique and even let go of Mizuko’s hand to try and imitate her. Maybe he could get glowly, radiating hands too if he followed her example and then he could heal too. He felt bad that there wasn't much that he had did at the bar, besides start the fight in the first place. One could even say that he was the very reason they were all out in the forest, hiding from the authorities.

When he tried one and two more times, making yin and yang circle, even making a fish and cat, with his hands, he gave up with a sighed. “I warn you, you better not do anything funny to her or else.” The dragon boy glared and meant every word. It was true that he had only met the pixie a few hours ago, but she had done a lot more him than people he had known for years. To be honest, everyone in their party did. He felt blessed. Though he was a divine creature, he felt very blessed. Yet, the other woman did not reply to his warning, in fact, he wasn't even sure she had heard him at all.

His grumbling stomach called his attention away from the pixie and newcomers to their party. “I’m still hungry.” He mumbled to himself, too embarrassed to take it up with anyone. How could he? He was supposed to be a great and powerful dragon. Kohaku had survived years all on his own, depending on others now would be shameful! Wouldn't it? The second grumble of his stomach made him consider letting go of his pride for a moment. Immediately after, he felt mortified with himself for thinking that at all. Exhaustion and hunger were screwing with his brain.

“Ahh, that stream is loud.” Kohaku coughed, trying hard to pass it off. “Eto, eto, are you hungry?” His sea green eyes landed at the masked shadow man. “I noticed you had to stop your, ano, drinking and stuff because of the fight? As a matter of fact, we should all get something to eat. We deserve it!” He was starving.
 
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Kagemaru
"I am but a shadow, and as a shadow, I shall be the darkness so there can be light."
Kage had kept to himself as they had moved out of the city. He had not cared much for where they went, having no real destination on his own, he had figured that sticking together with them was the safest bet in a place that he did not know. The morning sun had hidden beyond the horizon, blessing them with the darkness of the night. It would allow them to move more discreetly, allow them to blend in with the shadows and mix in with the crowd without attracting too much attention to themselves. He hadn't said a word as they moved out, watching as the young dragon and the older dragon were holding hand and the pixie didn't look too well, but she was resting on top of the inugami's shoulders, and Kage felt as if he had no reason as to speak up about the matter. He had noticed the kitsune and human that had followed them out of the troublesome city, but said nothing. They didn't appear hostile and he had no reason to call them out, though the female dragon had a different mindset and ended up demanding they reveal themselves. Now that he thought about it, they hadn't introduced themselves to each other at all. He only knew them from their scent and appearance, though the masked man was far from one to begin introductions.

The human took care of the pixie while the young dragonling was doing his best to mimic her hand movements. Chi, huh? It had been a while since Kage had seen the technique, but he recognized it. It was an old Chinese custom, so she was from China? Interesting. He let the woman, who introduced herself as Zhao Meilin, take care of the pixie with her healing Chi, and instead his ears tuned in on the sound of the dragonling's grumbling stomach. Usually, Kage wouldn't care much, but the dragonling was reminding him of a certain someone too much. It stung a bit to remember, from the years of memories that Kage had, there were few that bothered him. He didn't reply to the boy, but instead held his hand out and waited for the young dragon to do the same. "Both," Kage spoke up and waited for both hands to be reached out before a small ball of shadow connected between the two of them. It didn't take too long for a bowl of steaming beef udon to appear in the boy's hand, chopsticks placed over the bowl neatly as Kage withdrew his hands.

"Eat up," he told the boy with a hint of a smile beneath the mask before he disappeared, though shortly reappeared on top of a thick branch in a tree, leaning up against the trunk with a soft sigh. He took a glance down at rest, one leg dangling down and a mysterious shadow moving rhythmically with the limb. "If anyone else is hungry, I don't mind providing food," Kage added nonchalantly, keeping his eyes open for their surroundings.




Kukiko "Kookie"
The walk had been long for the poor pixie, though she had clung to Byakuya's shoulder, while holding onto her arm. Honesty, pixies were too frail if she could complain about it. She was panting, somewhat struggling to keep her consciousness going, though she was sitting down and leaning against his neck. She didn't notice much before a pair of hands scooped her up and moved her away from Byakuya, unable to resist even if she wanted to, before she was laid down on some leaves instead. It was weird, but she felt rejuvinated by a warm glow. Usually, the warm would make her weaker, but this time it wrapped around her gently like the winter would. Kookie's wings fluttered from the energy that returned to her body, the wound on her arm closing itself as her glow returned. The pixie found strength to sit up, eyes blinking to look up at the rest and then the woman that was currently healing her. Who was she? Oh, what did it matter when she was healing her.

A light blush spread to the pixie's cheeks, her glow turning light pink for a few moments before she cleared her throats. ". . . Thank you," Kookie gratefully muttered to the human. She was no fan of owing anyone anything, and she was less of a fan of politeness, but some words had to be said no matter how reluctant she was. "What happened to the bar?" Kookie asked before attempting to fly up but failed. Another attempt was given to try and stand up, but the pixie fell back onto the leaves. She may have gotten some of her energy back, but she was not ready to fly around yet. If only there were an ice cube she could have snuggled into, regain her strength with the coldness of it. "Where are we, anyway?" Kookie decided to ask as she hadn't paid much attention in her weak state, though she did notice the two new faces that had joined their little runaway crew. "And who are they?" Kookie added to her previous question, small hand picking itself up from her side to point at the kitsune and the human that was healing her. She wasn't about to complain, but of course, she would be curious.
 
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