[Kiel]

((Continued from Running Down A New Path.))

When Pria landed on a wide rooftop in the middle of the White City, Kiel sat back and released his white-knuckle grip on the harness. Shane didn't wait for either of them to dismount before leaping straight from the dragon's back, shifting mid-air back into her 'kin form so that she landed on all fours with the grace of a spiny-tail.

“Wah. I fig I swawwowd a wug.” His tongue sticking out of his skull, Kiel rubbed at it ineffectually. If he really had swallowed a bug (which was likely, 'cause Kiel totally wasn't as flight-experienced as Lenny), then he hoped it wasn't a poisonous one, but, like, at least he wouldn't have to snack for a while, now.

Waiting for Lenny to dismount, Kiel patted his head to fluff up his hair. “Man, I can't believe I lost another hat. That sucks, it sucks! You totally owe me a new hat, man, for sers!” In answer, the burgundy dragon shook herself, and Kiel almost toppled with a “Wah!” head-first into the rockery that lined the roof garden. “You're so mean, you're so mean!”

Eventually, he was off the dragon's back and hanging over the roof wall to coo and "Wah!" at the many different colours and types of dragons flying overhead and sunning themselves on the city's white rooftops. “Dude, man, how awesome is this? Like, for sers, you know, I never get tired of this.” He'd been coming to Nirim with Zeph almost every weekend for a year, and while the big hairball liked to get straight in and out of the dojo, Kiel usually managed to turn at least some of their visit into a date — that usually involved at least ten minutes of pure ogling. Of dragons, not of Zeph. 'Cause, like, you know.

Yeah.

“I take it you want a return trip too?”

“Like, totally, man. Hey, hey, Lenny, how long you wanna be here? Like, two hours?”

“Hmph. It will be dark soon.” Nirim was totally the opposite of Elysia, or something. “I do not wish to be here after dark. You have one hour.” She said the last to Lenny as well, and then snorted when Kiel pouted like a child. He could totally understand her reluctance, though, 'cause Slythe and his family's dragons were the same. Like, the city's skies were kinda chaotic at the best of times, and while they had pretty good night vision, it was still harder for dragons to see and navigate in the dark. No way he wanted to have a crash.

“Okayyyy, fiiiiine.” Waving frantically with one hand, he tugged at Lenny's shirt with the other. “Less go less go!”

[Aria]

There were as many sounds as there were people in the busy city street, and they were all distracting Aria Opes from her ultimate goal: escape. She could hear the rhythmic pad-pad-pad of her own feet slapping against the floor as she ran, and her pounding heartbeat was drumming through her head in time to her thoughts; get a-way, get a-way, get a-way. Aria concentrated on the sounds made by her pursuers, crashing through the crowded street behind her. Their frenetic footfalls and mingled voices made it difficult for Aria to judge how many people were after her, and she daren’t look back in case it disrupted her pace. There were at least three, of that she was certain.

Teius, Torrence and Nolan Aridou. Three men that Aria knew to be violent and greedy bullies. They had refused to aid her dying mother, so Aria had torched their business (she’d made sure no one was inside; she wasn’t heartless). Perhaps it had been naive to expect them to have forgotten her actions during the months she had spent in Elysia. It probably hadn’t been the best idea to make a joke about their burnt shell of a shop, either. Her lip was still sore (although no longer bleeding) from where the eldest brother had caught her off guard and landed a direct punch, and although she had at first endeavoured to fight, the sight of backup arriving to support the brothers in their attack had broken her spirit. She ran.

And ran, and ran, until the group had fallen far enough behind for Aria to begin to think through the fugue of panic. The roofs, she thought as she skidded around a corner, trying to lose her trackers. I’ll have the advantage on higher ground. Although there was much about the White City that Aria disliked, she couldn’t help but be grateful for how the buildings were built with steps up to the rooftops, to accommodate Dragons and their riders. Her climbing experience, steady footing, and fast pace were enough to get her up the steps to the roof of the building before her pursuers had even turned the corner.

Her sure footing failed her somewhat when she saw the roof was already occupied, however. Aria stumbled in surprise, then sank to her knees, exhausted, with her hands gripping the ground in frustration. She stayed in that position for a moment, breathing heavily, her eyes closed as she listened for signs that she had been followed. To the half-glimpsed figures on the roof, she spared only one thought; Damn tourists. Is nowhere in this city private?

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[Leonard]

Leonard was still in awe. He couldn't believe how amazing this experience was and was still trying to soak it all up when Pria began to shake. For Leo, that was his cue to start getting off. He carefully looked for a way down, but was distracted by the dragon suddenly including him into the conversation.

"An hour? That's fine for me," he responded. Of course there'd be no complaints, since he had gotten so much out of today, already. He nodded with a smile as Kiel tugged at his shirt and made his way down, finally.

He took a moment to admire his surroundings, first was the sky. It was a different world, in a new realm, with a completely new sky to explore. If that wasn't enough, it was filled with dragons going about their business. Lenny had to stop himself from calling out 'incredible' every five seconds.

The city around them was no less impressive. The architecture was distinctly different from what he was used to. The streets below were filled with people walking about as if the dragons above them were no big deal.

"People can get used to anything, can't they?" Leonard commented to Kiel, though he wasn't sure he'd get what he meant. It was a conversation starter, but it looked like they might not get the chance to chat peacefully. As Leonard watched the crowd he noticed what looked like a small angry mob rushing through the crowd. Their angry shouts were a bit, too far off to make out over the crowd, but the distinct sharpness of their calls and grunts as they rudely shoved people out of their way and rushed onwards told him everything he needed to know. It was trouble.

As if on cue a figure began to climb up onto the roof. As if by instinct, Leonard raised up his hand to cover his face and turned away slightly while bringing up his wings to conceal him further. 'Hide your face from trouble.' Those were the words he lived by.

It only took a moment for him to realize that this tired woman (out of breath, on her knees, and with what looked like the beginnings of what might be a fat lip) was the one that the men were after. Well, he didn't know for sure, but he wasn't going to risk it. He finished turning around completely to face his back to her, hoping he had hid her face from her in time.

He quickly began to untie his left hand wrap. He hadn't planned on fighting today, but he had wrapped up his wrists, ankles, and stomach in cotton wraps to help him sweat more while running. Plus, it didn't hurt to do a little shadow boxing every now and then to keep his punches sharp. He took off the wrap on his left hand and began tying it around the bottom half of his face. He secured it in face from his chin to above his nose, just under his eyes as fast as he could. It was far from perfect, but it was the best he could do on short notice. He offered no explanations to Kiel or Pria as to what he was doing as he turned back to the woman who had just arrived. It was risky to try and become even a makeshift version of 'The Lost' (Leonard's do-gooding alter ego) in front of someone, but to be honest Leonard didn't think of Kiel as much of threat to his secret identity. Pria, on the other hand was another story.

He finished his makeshift disguise by taking out a spare hair tie and pulling his hair back into a long pony tail. He let out a sigh under his breath as he approached the newcomer.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he finally said to her.

"You look like you could use some assistance," he added. He didn't know her circumstances, but one woman being chased by a group of men didn't sit right with him. Of course she could have been a thief or some kind of criminal, but if that were the case he would deal with her himself, or at least try to. He'd have to confirm what was what as things developed, but he knew for certain that he could not simply do nothing.

[Kiel]

“Hey, hey, did you cut yourself or something, man?” Kiel was such an open person that he just couldn't grasp the concept of someone wanting or needing to hide their face, so when Lenny started tying a bandage around his head, he leaped to the only conclusion possible: That, like, the dude had somehow cut himself shaving or while they were flying, and that any second now, the Anyelos was gonna lay into him for getting him hurt. “It's not my fault, okay?”

But the dude didn't start yelling. Instead, he was all, like, wandering off toward some chick who'd clattered up to the rooftop. He totally must have seen something Kiel hadn't, 'cause as far as he could tell, she'd decided to take a nap. “You look like you could use some assistance.”

Pria had been ready for teleporting away, but was suddenly lunging forward to flop her head over the roof side to get a better look at something she'd seen. “Like, um.” Hopping forward to check out what she was looking at, Kiel saw the same group shoving through the crowd, his hair sticking into his eyes like sharp needles. “See, like, this is why I wear a hat, you know? You owe me a hat! But, like, what the heck are they looking for, anyhow?” 'Cause, like, they were peering around like they'd lost something.

“My guess would be her, given that she raced up here so desperately.” The dragon glanced at the Dracovari by way of indication, and as he turned his head to follow her gaze, Kiel's jaw dropped.

“Dude! Like, dude, you're that chick! You're that chick!” 'Cause it totally bore repeating, you know? “Ahhhh, you're the chick, the chick!” 'Cause his brain had short-circuited for a second. He really hadn't expected to ever meet anyone from that disastrously awesome expedition again, you know? Like, ever. “You were pretty cool, man.” And that was way plenty for him to be on her side, no matter what.

Pria agreed. As she shuffled around to face the stairway, just in case those guys from the ground level realised where Aria had gone, she bared her teeth. “I assume you brought your weapons, Ezekiel.”

“Wahahahaha, for sers, man.” First his dad and his gramps, then Zeph, had drilled into him that he shouldn't go anywhere, ever, without some kind of armament, you know? Plus, he'd learned the hard way, so he always had his katana on him. Or, like, he had, but Zeph still hadn't fixed the blade after those snake-worm things melted it with their acid-spit, so he only had his hook swords and, like, a few throwing knives. He wasn't nearly as good with those as he was with his katana. “Dude, I miss my katana.”

[Aria]

From the little she could hear of the brothers below Aria gathered that she had successfully eluded them. Still, she wasn’t about to let down her guard just yet. The brothers were intelligent (they were the three most proficient Viridis in her district, after all, even if their bedside manner left something to be desired) and were not likely to give up so easily. Even now, as she knelt there like a fool, they were probably seeking assistance from the many witnesses milling around the streets. Perhaps these bystanders on the roof would serve as witnesses. Perhaps even now they were calling the gang up to the roof top--

”Excuse me, ma’am. You look like you could use some assistance.”

Or perhaps not. Aria breathed a small, shaky laugh at the man’s words, amused and, embarrassingly, relieved. Apparently she had stumbled upon a couple of gentlemen. Well, that could work in her favour. Aria looked up to put a face to the voice, but was able to only partially satisfy her curiosity. She raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of a man so curiously attired – was he hiding some disfiguring burn, or a face that was twisted and scarred?

But curiosity could wait. She needed to figure out her next move, and be ready to make it. Aria stood up and stretched her arms high above her head, as if she hadn’t just half-collapsed in front of two strangers.

“You think? Yeah, well...” She said, trailing off as she surveyed the roof and those upon it. Let bandage guy think what he wanted. Aria was more concerned about the other man and the dragon, who were looking down at the street below. The female ‘varian frowned. “Are they looking to attract attention, leaning their heads over the edge like that?” She had no intention of reprimanding a dragon, or a possible bonded, so the winged man became the target of her irritation. ”If this is your idea of assistance, you can--”

Surprise claimed her words when the object of her scrutiny turned his head. It seemed cruelly apt that it would be Kiel, who was an all too recent reminder of the very expedition she had returned to Nirim to forget. Aria still wasn’t sure what she thought about Kiel – he had the kind of temperament that usually irritated her, but somehow she was still glad to see him. Perhaps it was the whole-saving-her-life thing that was obscuring her perceptions.

“If you keep calling me a chick, then I’m going to start calling you pink eye, Kiel.” Aria said wearily. She didn’t mind him forgetting her name - in this instance that might even be best, should the brothers come asking about her – but she wasn’t too fond of some of his colloquialisms. To the dragon, she showed more respect, bowing her head towards her in acknowledgement of her presence. She wondered about the great beast, and was about to inquire about how and when Kiel of all people had acquired a dragon when she heard the footsteps. The brothers were coming up the stairs. They’d found her.

---
OOC: Feel free to GM the brothers and co as much as you want. Or if you need me to do the talking/action for them, let me know and I’ll edit. I’m off to write up an NPC wiki entry for them now...

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[Leonard]

---

OOC: For me, I'd prefer it if you control them at first, especially for the talking parts. At least until I get a feel for them first.

---

The woman was a bit abrasive, but there was something quite endearing about a woman with attitude as well. However, Lost gave up on the idea of asking her straight out about why she was being chased. He surmised that a strong natured woman like her could easily lie to garner support. Of course there was the chance she didn't have to lie, and further more it was also possible that she wouldn't lie, but the slim chance that she would threw doubt onto any answer she would have given. He concluded that it would be better to interrogate one of the men chasing her.

The Lost felt his heart sink when he heard the next words to follow. The two knew each other, which meant that his identity was in jeopardy. He made a mental not to interrupt Kiel if he tried to say his name. 'A simple 'Actually, I prefer to remain anonymous when trouble is concerned,' was what he thought he might say. Though it might not be necessary right at the moment. Kiel seemed like a decent fellow, who wouldn't betray him... That is if he would understand what he wanted from him. The guy seemed to be in his own world half the time. He also thought about using his other alias, Knuckles.

Lost Lenny fretted over this matter a great deal internally, but remained as composed as possible with cotton wraps tied around his face. He was about to say something when he noticed the men coming up the stairs. He sighed audibly. Things had somehow developed into something troublesome, so quickly.

He moved to the stairs, standing on the top step and blocking the way. He stood tall and proud, spreading his wings with his fists on his hips.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" he called out, projecting authority as if he owned the building they were rushing up onto. In reality, he didn't even know if it was Kiel's or not, but it didn't much matter since he didn't actually state that this was his property.

---

[Kiel]

I don't mind GMing NPCs. Just let me know if I get it wrong. ^^

---

“Wahahaha, Aria.” If she thought "pink eye" was an insult, she'd never met the guys who called him "runt" all his life. But then, he realised, “Wah! Like, wait, wait, they're not pink!”

“Yes, they are.” Even as she joined in on the teasing, Pria followed Lenny's lead and moved to block the rooftop behind him. Her butt was a big enough obstacle that, even if Lenny hadn't totally looked like some kind of scary bandit, the threesome would have trouble getting by.

Kiel didn't ask why the two of them were sticking up for a total stranger.

“They're not, they're not!” he chirrupped, putting himself between Aria and the dragon's tail to help block the three mens' view of her. He didn't draw his swords yet, just 'cause he knew 'Vari tended to take that as an invitation to fight, but his hands hovered at his back ready to yank them out of the criss-crossing sheath at his back. “Wahhh, I miss my katana, man, for sers.” He figured Aria would have more sympathy than Lenny and Pria had, since, like, you know. She'd seen the result of the snake-worm's melting attack when he waved the remnants about on deck, totally making a drama out of his grief. "Look, look! Look what that thing did to my katana! Wahhhh, my katanaaaa!"

“Yes, you can help. You can get out of my way.”

“That woman, she's here. Yes? Several people saw her run this way, so unless your dragon gobbled her up—” The other two snickered as if he'd just told the funniest joke, like, ever, but Pria totally took it as an insult. Her head lunged forward, her body curving back on itself so her spaded tail was stuck in the air right beside her head as she bared her fangs.

“Hey, hey!” Kiel darted forward a couple of steps, then drew up short when he remembered he was meant to be shielding Aria. “You take that back!”

“Oh, dear, my apologies. I meant no offence,” the Viridis back-pedalled. Kiel found himself staring at the dude with his head tilted to one side, suspicious. Most Viridi had wayyyyy more respect for life than that, so, like, what the heck had Aria done to piss them off, you know? “You'd be doing us all a favour...”

[Leonard]

"Woman...?" he asked with a tone of sincere confusion in his voice, despite the fact that he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"And, what exactly do you want with this woman?" The mummy man asked the group as he eyed them down. Lenny was at a distinct disadvantage of not knowing what was going on. He needed information badly, but he didn't just get it from what they said. He studied their body language and facial expressions, trying to read their whole hand, not just the cards they threw away.

The man who had been talking was as far up the steps as he could be with out stepping through Lenny. He had good posture, standing up right and tall. He looked angry, even while he was apologizing to the dragon.

Of course he was first to speak again, "We want to make her pay for her crimes!"


"What exactly did she do to you to get you this fired up?" Leonard asked wondering if he had the right to intervene.

"We don't have time for this! She's getting away!" the man screamed putting a foot on the top step to be face to face with Leonard, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. The makeshift Lost held his ground and kept a neutral expression on his face.

"S-she burned down our clinic! She could have hurt people..." A young looking man peeped out from behind a few others on the steps. He was hunched over, almost cowering. He held his arms in front of him, pressed desperately to his chest. He seemed uncomfortable, and just didn't seem the type to lie.

"Could have...?" He picked up on it. "You mean she didn't?" Leonard pressed the point.

"N-no one was inside at the time... B-but.… there easily could have been," the timid man responded quickly, but with uncertainty in his voice. As he did, he slowly shrank behind the man standing before him, hiding away from Leo's cold stare.

"Quite the coincidence, that there wasn't," he pressed again.

"You're right, it's just arson. Oh, well... We'll just go back home and start turning away all the sick and injured people of the city. All is forgiven," a third man spoke up, the one the timid one was hiding behind. He shrugged as he talked, and the infliction in his voice showed that he was obviously being sarcastic.

"The Hel, it is!" The first man barked, right in Leonard's face, while griping his shirt tighter.

"What exactly do you plan to do with her when you catch this... Woman?" Leonard continued his interrogation with out missing a beat.

"Thanks to you and your damn questions, we won't catch her!" The first man barked again, he raised his fist like he was about to attack, but he stoped at the last second and eyed the dragon behind Leonard wearily. He adjusted his footing nervously and stayed his fist, but he didn't lower it until his brother called out to him and he turned from Leonard to look to him.

"Don't worry, brother," the third man to speak called out.

"I had some of the guys circle around and make sure no one would get off of this roof," He explained.

He then looked to Leonard.

"We plan to take her out for a nice night on the town. You know, show her a good time," He said sarcastically once again.

"We're going to beat. Her. To. Death..." The older man said as he slowly turned back to face Leonard. He glared straight into Leonard's eyes, and Leo knew he wasn't bluffing or exaggerating.

Leonard agreed that she should be punished, but no one had actually been directly hurt by her. Killing her was excessive, but Leonard knew that the wrath burning in the man leading the others would make him deaf to any pleas for mercy.

"I can't let you do that," The Lost said quietly and calmly.

"That so...?" The man gripping his shirt by the collar responded, mimicking his calm attitude despite the fact that he was obviously seething with rage.

Still gripping his shirt with one hand, he raised his other in a fist again and pulled it back. It was a telegraphed move, Lost had been preparing for. Before that punch could be thrown, he sprang into action. He stepped his right foot back to move into his stance, while bringing up his arms. He grabbed the wrist of the arm holding his shirt, and held in place, while he brought his other arm in for a fast short right hook. The punch landed hard on the mad man's elbow. The punch easily dislocated the joint. In some of the underground arenas his master took him to for practical training, Leonard found out the hard way that some Dracovari were 'mightier' than they looked. One punch from some of them, and he'd be out, but it didn't matter how strong they were, because their joints were equally as weak. That's because joints are nothing but gaps.

"Gaaahdesss, damn it!" the man screamed in pain, not expecting it. Despite the pain, he had gotten his punch out, but the impact that had dislocated his elbow had staggered him so hard, that the punch had no form at all. The tall proud man's stance crumpled from the pain as he screamed.

"Big brother!" the timid man called out in shock.

"You sonna'va..." the man in front of the timid one screamed in protest as he and the other men began to rush the stairs.

---

OOC: Sorry for high jacking the thread for a bit, and the npcs, I wanted to get to the point were Aria could post if she felt like it, and also to where Leonard could decided that he would fight .

[Aria]

As her new companions went forth to confront the brothers (joking along the way, with no obvious hesitations about helping – an observation that would remain in Aria’s mind and cause her no end of confusion upon further reflection) Aria stayed put, evaluating her options before getting involved. She crouched and assumed a position that would both hide her from the brothers’ already severely limited view, and would allow her to spring into action if need be. Whether that action would be fight or flight, she wasn’t sure. Usually there would be little question; on Earth, her instincts were to fight, every time. But since moving to Nirim, and then to Elysia, she had found that guts and will just weren’t enough to face the dangers of the world. Sometimes a strategic retreat was not cowardice, but common sense. It was something Aria was still struggling to learn. Aria wanted to confront the brothers herself (hiding behind the others was all sorts of embarrassing), but she honestly didn’t fancy her chances against them, especially if her apparent protectors bailed on her. So she waited, listened, and considered.

"S-she burned down our clinic! She could have hurt people..."

Well, damn. Surely they wouldn’t want to help her now. Making a sly escape whilst all were distracted began to seem like the most appealing option. Aria made her made her way to the edge of the roof, bent close to the ground, sacrificing speed for silence. She was prepared to scale down the side of the building in whatever way possible. It wouldn’t have posed much of a problem for her – had there not been men prowling around the edges, clearly on the lookout. Aria swore under her breath and retreated before she could be seen, returning to within hearing range of the others.

To her surprise, it seemed she was still being defended. Did bandage guy have some sort of death wish, riling up the brothers like that, or was he just that altruistic? Not that she was complaining; not when it was working out so well for her. As the sparring became a little less verbal Aria stood up to get a proper view of the action, then prepared to get involved herself (with escape no longer an option, she wasn’t about to show herself up by standing on the sidelines). She had no weapons, and very little combat experience – but it appeared she had assistance. Perhaps that would be enough.

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[Kiel]

Kiel was starting to feel like he was watching some kind of throw-and-catch game, you know? Like, Lenny, then those guys, then Lenny, then those guys, then —

“S-she burned down our clinic! She could have hurt people...”

“Woah, dude, whaddaya mean, burned down? Like, with flames and everything?” Kiel's eyes lit up for a moment at the rebellious act, but then that whole thing about hurting people sunk in, and as Lenny protested Aria's innocence some more, Kiel turned to ask her if it was really true.

Except she wasn't behind him any more, so Kiel flopped about on his feet in search of her. “Ah!” There, by the wall, using Pria's huge butt for cover. No, wait, she was coming back...

“Ummmmm. Like. Why did you burn it down, man?” His voice was hushed, though, because the fact that that guy had protested that she could have hurt people meant she hadn't, and Kiel was all for the forgiveness, you know?

Actually, the way they were acting, those guys freaked him out way more than sticking up for a pyro ever could. He hated bullies. Like, of anything and everything that he could ever possible hate, bullies was right there at the top of his list.

With the gytrash.

“You son of a—”

The second the guy lunged at Kiel, the fight was a done deal. Kiel yanked out his hook swords, and then threw himself into the fray with a battle cry that probably sounded more like a pig stuck on a fence.

[Leonard]

The men rushed the stairs, most of them trying to put the hurt on Leonard and Kiel, almost adamant about not taking on the dragon. Thankfully, because of the stairs, only a few could get to them at a time. With Kiel and Leonard at the top, the stairs quickly became choked with men. Leonard stepped in, pressing his guard against one that was coming straight for him. The man had swung, but hadn't expected Leonard to charge in so close. His punch landed before it could fully extend, losing most of it's intended power. The man gave up on swings and just tried to hold Leonard back, as he pressed forward. The timid one, however didn't rush to attack. He came up besides his brother, who had fallen back behind his allies.

The timid one hesitated for a split moment, prompting his brother to scream, "Do it!"

With a wince, the younger brother gripped the eldest's dislocated arm and popped the elbow back into place. The eldest screamed out some words Leonard hadn't heard before, though he imagined that they were explicit. It was god to soak up the culture of where ever you find yourself wandering. Perhaps it was a bit naive of Leonard to rely on dislocation when up against someone who ran a 'clinic'. He hadn't had time to digest that information, though he did pick up on it after the fact. He should have pressed his advantage when he had the chance, and couldn't help but beat himself up over the rookie mistake. Hindsight is twenty, twenty, but what was important was what he'd do next. Otherwise, he wouldn't have to worry about about beating himself up, since this unruly mob surely would help him take care of that.

Leonard noticed the man he was pressing had poor footing, due to being pressed back into his comrades. With one strategically placed step in, he kicked out the man's footing and with a light push to the side, he sent the man over the side of the stairs. The man let out a short scream that was cut off by a loud crash into some poor merchant's cart.

"My lettuce!" the merchant screamed, while the thug groaned on the flattened remains of the cart.

"Take them out with as least effort as possible, without getting careless. Use that stamina you built up to last all twelve rounds! Use the 'ring' to your advantage. And, most important keep your damn guard up!" Leonard could almost hear his master screaming at him the lessons he thought him. "That's how you take out multiple debt collectors!" he could have done with out remembering that last bit, in his head, but there it was, forever scarred into his psyche.

He brought his guard up just in time to block the next man's blow, again picking up on what was important from what going through his head. Glancing over the shoulders of the man he was pressing, he counted only five or six men on the stairs. That plus the guys 'sent around back', Leonard came to the realization that this fight would be a long one if Pria decided not to intervene.

[Kiel]

Pria was kind of jammed, though. Like, with Lenny and Kiel in the way, she couldn't really set fire to anything without burning them, too, and while she totally seemed to like setting her Bonded on fire for pissing her off, she was a Rutilus just like him. Friendly fire was not cool. She was kinda relegated to just swinging her tail around menacingly, taking some lucky shots at the heads that were taller than the rest. She wasn't a guy dragon, so she didn't have spikes on her tail, but, like, at least two guys nearly lost their heads -- for sers!

A couple of guys eventually got past Lenny. One had a butterfly knife and a wicked grin, the other a bloody butcher's knife. Like, it literally looked he'd walked right out of his shop to join the fight, man, for sers! “That's way creepy, man, it's creepy!” Kiel didn't give the butcher a chance to attack him, pivoting and swinging his hook swords to snag the bloody knife and whip it clear across the roof. “Whoops! Aria, grab it, grab it!” 'Cause, like, he was pretty sure it had just landed wayyyyyy to close to her for comfort, man.

Losing his knife kinda made the butcher hesitate a bit, but the butterfly dude wasn't nearly so wimpy and came at Kiel with a roar. “Sheesh, Aria, what the heck did you do?! I mean, like, I know what you did, but what did you do?!”

And then, when another group of guys trickled up a second entryway, he yelled, “Pria! Like, Pria, dude, Pria!” Incoherent as always, but, like, Pria spotted the guys and knew what to do.

She placed her big butt right between them and the rooftop, drew back her head and roared.

[Aria]

“Woah!” Aria couldn’t help but cry out as the butcher’s knife seemed to hurtle towards her. Her movements at least were more controlled, allowing her to dodge the bloody instrument. It skidded to a halt somewhere near the edge of the roof, where the burning light of the slowly setting sun glinted across the blade as if to say “Look at me! Aren’t I shiny? Pick me up!”

Aria responded to Kiel’s encouragement with a mutter (“You don’t have to tell me twice.”) before running over to pick up the knife. The weight of the weapon in her hand made Aria feel more secure, as did the competence of her two self-appointed protectors. The female ‘Varian was suddenly certain that everything was going to work out in her favour. It was this arrogance that had her smiling somewhat smugly as she ran back to the others.

She dismissed Kiel’s query with a dry laugh - she was confident that there would be time to explain later should she choose to. The butcher was demanding her attention, besides. He seemed to have regained his confidence as he didn't hesitate before swinging several punches her way, no doubt hoping to get his knife back. Aria tightened her grip on the knife as she dodged, and managed to at least remain holding on to the weapon even when punches she couldn’t avoid completely glanced off her shoulder, bruised an arm or clipped an ear.

Her chance to fight back came when Pria roared and the butcher faltered, giving Aria an opportunity to respond to a punch with a swipe of the knife. The man recoiled, clutching a bleeding bicep, and Aria jabbed the knife his way, daring him to have another go with a smirk upon her lips that belied the aches of her body.

She was so focused on her fight that she didn’t notice her most desperate captors conspiring together by the edge of the roof. Had she looked their way as she threatened the butcher with his own knife, she would have noticed the eldest brother going through the motions of what most ‘Varians recognised as a basic summoning ritual. Even if she had looked at that exact moment, however, it likely would still have been too late to do anything about Nolan Aridou’s actions, even if she had been able to make her way past his brothers.

The younger brothers clapped their boss on the back in a gesture of insidious congratulations as a roar sounded from the sky, announcing the arrival of a Dragon whose red scales glittered as it approached. The creature’s huge mass cast a shadow over the rooftop as it hovered, mentally conferring with its summoner. Aria gasped - not at the sight of a dragon (nothing new in Nirim) but at the thought of it being directed to attack her. Her confidence fled just as suddenly as it had arrived, and with wide eyes she watched the new arrival warily.

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[Leonard]

Of course, some of them got past Leonard's wings, despite his best efforts to seal off the roof. He hadn't known there was another staircase, either. Thankfully, those who were armed were more focused on Kiel, who was also armed. The arrival of a dragon was heavily upsetting, but Lenny wasn't ready to give up. Things looked grimm, but there was no backing down, running away, or giving up. If they lost here a woman's life would be forfeit. He would just do what he could, and trust in his allies to even the odds.

He sent out a barrage of punches in a fast and sharp combo. The hits landed, striking around the man's guard. His stance was so full of holes it was easy to bring him down. Though physically strong, he was obviously an amateur. While he was pulling back into his stance, from the punches he had thrown, another tried to jump him. He gripped Leonard around the shoulders, holding him close. He was obviously trying seal off his movements, but Leo was used to dealing with clinches. He just began to use improvised hooks to the body. As he did a third man came at him with a makeshift club of some kind. It seemed Leonard could do nothing but eat the blows from the man as he worked the other man's body. He pulled his wings away, knowing the club could do serious damage to them, and buried his face against the man who was clinching against him. This way, his head would be less of a target for the club wielding man. He couldn't strike high with out striking his friend. The fool decided to try anyway, swinging for the back of Leonard's head. Seeing this, leonard pushed up out of his stance, raising his shoulders, still with the other man's arm around them, trying to restrain him. The club struck the man's arms, weakening his grip enough for Leonard to break free. As he did, he slugged the man who had gripped a hold on him, to finish him off. He brought his arms back just in time to block a swing of the man's club. Even though he blocked the blow, the damage dealt was severe. His bare arms receiving the harsh impact of the club left a nasty reminder that he shouldn't leave home with out his guards.

He wouldn't risk taking another blow and charged in to extreme close range. This way the man couldn't swing at him with out his arms striking against him. Of course, he instead just raised his arms to strike with the end of the club, but Leonard reached up and grabbed the man's arms. This was the best Leonard could manage, a deadlock, but it wouldn't last much longer, with more thugs stepping over those Leonard had just dropped.

[Kiel]

Dude, like, Pria's roar had some serious echo there, man. Like, “Wahahaha, you go, girl!”

The burgundy dragon's tail whumped into the grass and then swept back, taking a bunch of screaming girlies with it. (Well, like, they weren't actually girl girls, you know, but their screams sure sounded like it!) “Much as I'd love to take credit, Ezekiel, that really wasn't me.”

“Ummmmm.” Pausing mid-swing to glance skyward, Kiel gulped. Like, his inner Kiel wanted to squeal with delight and yell, "Dragon!" Like, even though he had his own now, he was still kinda gleeful about seeing them, you know? But then the Kiel that was all battle-hardened a bit more experienced in fighting was like, "Oh, crap, oh, crap, oh, crap!" 'Cause, like, dragon, man, for sers!

Red against red. Pria leaped into the air, her tail crashing into the rooftop for leverage and her massive wings creating a rush of air that would have made him lose his hat if he hadn't already. The other dragon had the altitude advantage until she cleared the rooftop and teleported above him, swooping in to clash claw-to-claw. It was totally epic, man!

But then Kiel's attention was drawn back to the fight by the crack of a fist into his eye socket. He “Wah!”d and staggered back, almost reflexively turning his momentum into a backwards rolie polie to come out swinging. In his peripheral vision he could see Lenny getting all, like, clubbed and stuff, so he was making an effort to get over there without leaving Aria behind, but there were so many people here wanting to knock her block off, it was, “Crazy, this is crazy!”

[Aria]

Kiel wasn’t the only one who spent a little too long watching the duelling dragons. Framed by wild hair blown free of a hood, the pale eyes of the female ‘Varian spoke of awe and gratitude; sentiments that Aria would not verbally express. Only the whisper of a perception prevented her from receiving a black eye of her own as instinct bade her backwards, hurried steps carrying her away from the sideways punch and the man following bodily in its path. Her sudden movement was too much for her sense of balance, and Aria soon mirrored her attacker in his graceless tumble onto the ground. The impact hurt, but it didn’t concern Aria as much as seeing the youngest Aridou brother sprawled before her. The other two surely weren’t far behind.

She heard them before she saw them. Her former opponent was dismissed with a grunt from Nolan (and a stammer of apology and appreciation from Torrence) as they approached with heavy (and faltering) footsteps. Aria didn’t want to see them, looking down at her in the manner of victors. She looked instead at her surroundings at ground level. Her wildly darting eyes saw Kiel, fighting amongst the horde of men that had swarmed up the second staircase in Pria’s wake, and by the first staircase bandage guy seemed to have run into some trouble of his own. Nothing she could do much about; they’d just have to deal with it on their own. Unless…

Seeing the youngest brother still struggling to get up, Aria began to put an impulsive, half-baked plan into action. Gripping the butcher’s knife in her right hand she scrambled towards Teius even as he attempted to stand, and swiped the blade across his calf. A cry of pain, and the youngest brother was back on the ground again, allowing Aria to grasp his shirt collar with her left hand and pull him towards her. Were it not for the knife she held to his throat, they would have looked for all the world like lovers cuddling up against one another, breathing heavily in the heat of love. The pained, frustrated expression on his face, and the triumphant look on hers also detracted from such an image (or added to it, depending on one’s romantic notions).

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll slit his throat.” Aria stated loudly, levelling her gaze at Nolan, the only brother with any real authority. The Aridou brothers froze, and Aria smiled grimly as she checked on her captive, then looked meaningfully at the remaining fighters. “Now. Call off your dogs.”

Fugitive and head hunter fought a silent battle of wills, their expressions fierce, even as the middle brother panicked quietly on the side-lines and the youngest voiced his discomfort with increasingly crass language. Finally, as Aria carefully pressed the blade close enough to Teius’ neck to draw a few beads of blood, Nolan gave into his brother’s entreaties, turning to address those on the rooftop.

“Alright!” Nolan grimaced, his tone almost petulant as he projected his brusque voice over the sound of fighting. ”Stop! I bid you all, stop!”

Over half of the men on the roof paused in their actions, some going so far as to drop their weapons, some staring at the brothers in disbelief, or voicing their irritation. Not all of the men obeyed the call to halt, however - there were men present who cared as little for the brothers as they did for Aria, and a few who had joined simply to participate in a fight. The situation was still dicey, and Aria knew it. Her determined expression began to falter as the faults in her plan began to become glaringly obvious. She couldn’t—wouldn’t hold onto Teius forever, but she couldn’t let him go until her situation improved. To be honest, she was having trouble believing she was even in such a situation.

“Now let him go, -censored-.”

“That-- that’s not how this works, Nolan. First, you leave me-- us alone. You walk back down that staircase there with all your little friends, and then I’ll let your brother go.”

“Or, I call your bluff.” The eldest brother spoke bluntly. Aria’s eyes widened at his words, and Nolan smirked at her tell-tale expression. “You’re not going to kill him, you stupid little –censored-. I can see it – panic, in your eyes. So, you’re going to let him go, now, or my brother here-- ” He paused to clap the quailing Torrence on the shoulders, making the younger man buckle. “Is going to inflict such pain upon you and your friends that you’d wish you’d never been born.”

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[Kiel]

((Ack. I totally forgot about Shane! Can we pretend she was fighting alongside Kiel all this time? And that I'm not a total idiot?))

---

Nirim's White City had been designed to accommodate dragons as much as the 'Vari who lived there, but Kiel really didn't think the architects had had dragon fights in mind when they decided on what materials to use and how. Like, the local white stone stood up pretty well to claw marks and those huuuuuuge butts, accidental swipes of tails and the odd rough landing, but, like, having a pair of dragons trying to knock each other out with their tails or rip each others' wings to shreds with their claws just, like, totally wasn't in the plan, you know? All he could hear at one point was the clash of metal and fists, Shane's snarls, and the roars and crumbling stone as Pria and the other dragon used the nearby buildings as, like, launch pads and missiles.

Pria was a red, so she had the skills to back her up in a fight, but so did the other dragon -- and it wasn't even fighting fair! “Ezekiel, get your friends. I will take us from here.” But before Kiel could relay the message, he heard a voice yelling for them to stop, and turned his head mid-swing to see -- “Dude, Aria, like, wahahahaha!” Even though, like, this probably meant there'd be a price on his head by the end of the day too. Like, “Wah... Zeph's gonna kill me, man, for sers.”

But things turned bad pretty quick. So Kiel slapped the flat side of one of his hook swords to Nolan's neck from behind, and tapped him gently as Shane growled at Torrence's heels. “Like, you don't know her, man. Like, she's pretty tough, you know? Like, you shoulda seen her fighting off those snake-worm things, man, like, they were crazy scary, you know? Wahahaha! And, like, she might not want to kill you and all, but, like, I'm pretty sure Pria's hungry.”

“Eurgh. Why do I have to eat him? He looks stringy!”

“Yeah, but, like, you could wash him down with, like... stuff. So, like, you should totally let us go, okay?” As he said it, forgetting to internalise his conversation with Pria, he tried to catch Aria's gaze and jerked his head for her to move into the centre of the rooftop close to Lenny, repeating the gesture at Lenny. He'd do the same, and then, like, they could shove their hostages away and let Pria snatch them up in a swoop-teleport move that would, like, totally save them all.

Like, right?