Who is this guy? (val only)

[Draetrialis]

Draetrialis was in his human form as he walked into the castle courtyard. His sword was sheathed neatly, gleaming slightly, and his bow was in his quiver. He smiled as he looked around, looking at all the people. The dragon was looking for one person in particular, and that was Valerie. He leaned against a tree and folded his arms, his gold-embroidered leather armor shining slightly, since it was dragonscale. "Where are you...?" He whispered, to noone at all, his voice his regular deep growl. He shifted slightly and changed his voice to what it should be in this form, and kept looking around for Valerie. I hope this works... if it doesn't, I'm more screwed than a whore... he thought, saying hello to those who approached him. Some of the women were charmed by him, but he rejected their advances, though they didn't leave him alone. He smiled and did his best to stay in control, and when they left, he sighed. "I guess it works better tha I thought..." he muttered, before looking around again. "But where are you, Valerie...?" He sighed, wondering if this was a good idea after all. After a while, he leaned back against the tree, since he had to stand straight when he was talked to, and he looked around for the last time.

[Valerie]

Valerie walked by in one of the hallways, on her way to the library. But her pace slowed when she noticed something bright in the courtyard that had not been there before. She turned to look and saw there was a person there. Hmm, he must be new, I haven't seen him around here before. But he couldn't get that good of a look before he was swarmed with girls, all falling for him. Wow, its just another weirdo. He must be from a different section of the castle. In a few moments he shooed the girls away. Then she got a really good look at him and immediately understood the reason all of the other girls were swarming him. I can't believe this! I can't be falling for someone who I've only just seen! He may be hot but I know better! With her haunting realization she shook her head and took another look at him, composing herself. But then a question presented itself to her: why should someone that fit and obviously schooled in swordsmanship (since that's what was glittering) be hanging out in a courtyard like this? I'll just go over and talk to him for a few to get an idea of his purpose here and then I'll leave. Simple as that. I can even get to the library before it closes. She composed herself one more time, making sure that none of her feelings were showing before she shifted the bag on her shoulder and walked out through the opening nearest into the courtyard. As she approached the stranger, she noticed he also had a bow and a quiver. So, not just Swordsmanship, but Archery as well? What is he trying to prove? She squinted her eyes against the gleam from his sword. "Hello, you must be new. Which section are you from? I'm from this one."

[Draetrialis]

When he saw Valerie walk up, he smiled. "Well... I'm more of a traveller... I was just admiring the view." He said, doing a formal bow. "And who may I have the pleasure of addressing?" He asked, his melodious voice rather pleasant to the ear. When he rose from his bow, he did a quick once-over, to keep up his act, and smiled a little wider. It's working... thank the gods. Now she can play into my little plan... he thought as he looked over Valerie again, making his face look like he liked what he saw. Maybe she'll actually be more useful than I thought... I hope she doesn't see through my disguise... the dragon muttered, his mind reeling slightly. "And, can I say how beautiful you look?" He said, playing his charm card. The dragon's sapphire eyes gleamed, though it may have been interpreted differently than the pleasure that his plan was working far better than he'd hoped. He leaned against the tree again, still smiling as he held Valerie's gaze. Draetrialis didn't let this break his cover, though, as he kept working out his backup plan.

[Valerie]

OCC -- Lol, you're good, I was trying to find a way to subtlety have her beat him but you beat me....lol, grrr

IC -- "And, can I say how beautiful you look?" Valerie heard the newcomer say. She subconsciously fixed her hair, a reaction that was automatic to anyone who flirted with her. Well it doesn't exactly help that he's hot. I mean, he may be a stranger but I'm starting to think he's not half bad. She took out the water bottle from her bag, determined not to get tongue-tied or dry-mouthed. It happened on a date once a year ago and their relationship didn't last long after that. She put her bottle back into her bag and responded. "I'm Valerie. Now who are you? You little emo kid." She realized she had insulted him before she could correct herself. To cover the slip-up she quickly mended it. "I'm sorry, I always insult people when I'm nervous. And you, definitely give me butterflies." She gave him the best smile she could manage, hoping it would do at least for now. Wow, that was a lame cover-up. Oh I hope that he ignores it. Or better, takes it as the complement I turned it into. To avoid any awkwardness she looked down at her feet and noticed that her dress was wrinkled so she smoothed it, a pet peeve of hers.

[Draetrialis]

Drae laughed. "Oh don't worry. I admit, I do look a little emo, but I assure you, I'm not. And I'm... Trent." The dragon said, coming up with a name fast. I should have come up with a name before, dammit! he swore to himself. "I couldn't help but notice, but what is that mark on your arm? It looks like a claw mark..." he said, deciding that a hunter's history would be best. I seriously need to work on this... oh well, I haven't gotten flayed into dragon steak yet... The thought of being fillet'd by an angry dragoness was enough to make any dragon shiver, but he contained it. "Oh, sorry... I suppose I should explain... I'm a hunter by trade, and I know the look of a claw-wound from most creatures, sentient or otherwise. And if I'm not mistaken, that is from a dragon? And it seems to have shrunk from a larger size, so I believe I am right in assuming that you are a dragoness?" He said, his voice entering a slight teasing tone at the end of his explaination and 'guess' at Valerie's true form.

[Valerie]

OCC -- Lin helped me write some of the witty remarks and the part about the Fey

IC -- "Oh, this? This is nothing..." Valerie said. There was an undertone of warning and threat. "Just be glad you're not on my bad side. The Dragon I had a run in with was just an all-show no-threat lizard who seemed like he was high on something, possibly steroids." She tried to stop herself but that set her off, and her rant on Draetrialis uncontrollable. "I mean, all I wanted was a little fun, but instead he cheated and used this stupid invisibility spell or what ever it was and started flinging shadows at me, completely juvenile! He might have been attractive if it weren't for the fact that asshole was arrogant and has wings that look like an over-sized fairy who placed last in the beauty pageant." She raised her voice, realizing something. "And if any Fey heard that last comment, take no offense since I was just talking about that bastard who tried to kill me yesterday. And trust me, compared to you, you guys look like Gods!" Any Fey that were around smiled and continued on their way. Her voice dropped back down to normal and became sweet. "I'm sorry I ranted like that, but I just hate that bastard who thinks he can beat anything. Obviously it would be better if he was more charming and sensitive like you, Trent. And he'd probably have more friends instead of being a grouchy anti-social hermit."

[Draetrialis]

Draetrialis's mind was roaring in fury at hearing all the Valerie thought of him. He managed to keep his cool, outwardly, and he asked, somewhat sarcasticly, "Well, what can you expect from male dragons?" He quickly ran through some sentences before he said, "Invisibility spell? Hmm... how big was the dragon? Because if he were larger than 20 feet, an invisibility spell wouldn't completely hide him... just based on what I've seen from dragons duelling each other and using said spell." She has a lot of nerve saying all that about me... good thing she doesn't know who I really am. he growled to himself. The dragon adjusted his sword, his black armor gleamed a little before he rose from the tree and smiled. "Anyway... What element do you use?" He asked, looking around again as some more girls walked up and tried to talk to him. He quickly shooed them away, saying that he'd talk to them later. Don't see through the disguise... I really would rather not be flayed into dragon steak... the silent plea ran through his mind. He shifted his weight to his right leg, causing him to lean to one side, like an elf of legend.

[Valerie]

Valerie took another sip of water to help clear her throat. "Well, the only reason I think it is a spell is because of nothing else I know...though I do have to say I've never seen a Dragon like him either. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter what he did as long as I can kick his ass when I see him. But it also helps if he tries to insult me, then he might not get away at all next time." She smiled, pleased by her devious thought. "Maybe I'll chop off his wings, or a limb or two." Her mood quickly changed as she stored her plan into her head for later and came back to reality. "Element? Oh, Master of Air." She saw some girls come up to him to flirt so she did so right back, even though he shooed them away. "I just love flying. Are you a Dragon too? If you are maybe we can take a flight together sometime." She pulled and twirled a piece of her hair on her finger, one of her flirty-est moves. I hope this will redeem myself. That was a rather un-cute rant back there and this may be my only chance to still seem cute. I hope his Dragon form is as hot as this one, then a date or two may be underway.

[Draetrialis]

The dragon screamed in his mind, You heartless...! We'll see who loses their wings! "Well... yes, I am a dragon... but there's a slight problem..." he said, looking down. "I've been cursed, and as such can no longer enter my draconic form..." Drae smiled and looked back up, in time to see Valerie play with her hair. "I suppose one reason I've taken up hunting is so I could find a way to break my curse." He shrugged and added, "All I know is that the curse is undetectable... and one of the side effects is insanity... so I had to craft this ring so I don't go nuts..." He raised his hand and revealed a gold ring, a ruby in the center in the shape of a dragon's wing. If she senses that this is a polymorph ring, she'll figure it out, I'm sure... "Don't ask about my element... I actually don't have one. I'm a rarity, since I have limited control over all four, but I can't fight using any of them." The dragon muttered, leaning against the tree, yet again, and folding his arms. "But, I feel content with this form... it took a while to get used to not having wings, but it doesn't bother me much now." He sighed, looking down.

[Valerie]

"Aw, that's horrible! Who cursed you? Ah well, it doesn't really matter now does it? The damage is done I guess...oh, interesting ring!" Valerie said, looking at Trent's hand as he held up his hand to show it to her. "Interesting, huh. I wonder why that design looks familiar..." She stared at it for a moment, thinking about where she'd seen it before. "I know what it's from! Its from my book!" She reached into her bag and pulled out the book she was currently reading. She flipped through a few pages and pointed to a picture. "There, that's it!" The picture was an exact match of the ring he wore. "Except, that' weird; in this book, the ring is supposed to be a way to shape-shift. It allows a poor man to transform into a handsome rich prince so that he can marry his love. But that's funny, you said it keeps you from going insane..." She took a close look at him, trying to figure out which source was telling the truth. "Oh well, the book must be wrong, for you don't look like someone who needs to transform for some reason. And anyways, its really unfortunate of your curse, I'd rather have that Old Bat bastard, Drae, to have your curse than you, Trent. Then maybe he wouldn't have bother me and gave me this scar." She said sweetly, mending her dilemma.

[Draetrialis]

Drae laughed. "No. The book is right, but I had to modify it. In fact, I had to deplete the ring before I could insert the new spell." He said, shaking his head. "It took a long time, because it was my will against my mind... and it sucked." He added. This is actually working!! Haha! She is going down... The dragon was really pleased with himself. "Wait... did you say Drae? As in Draetrialis? The invisiblity 'spell' isn't a spell! That is one of his natural abilities, along with summoning shadows via enchanted gems." The dragon didn't like giving away the secret to his powers, but he needed to keep up appearances. "You said you haven't seen a dragon like him? That's because he isn't a normal dragon... he's a Shadow Dragon. On the other side of the world there is the Darklands... where the sun rarely shines due to the cloud cover... that is where Shadow Dragons reside... but, I don't know if there are any left out there..." he explained, a slight tone of sadness in the last statement. He sighed and was mentally shaking himself for letting his true emotions escape him.

[Valerie]

"Wow, Trent. I didn't know you knew so much about that bastard and his ilk. How do you know so much about it? Invisibility and shadow-charms, great, makes me want to fillet him even more." Valerie said that flatly. She was starting to have a greater respect for what Drae could do and was thus getting more angry with herself. All I have to do is imagine it and keep my voice cheery. She envisioned herself taking off his large Bat wings with Air Power, MUCH better. She composed herself and began talking again. "Well either way, I can't believe how much you've suffered to make your life better. Where did you grow up? I grew up in the slums, pickpocketing and such for a living." She reached into the pocked on her jacket. "Oh yea, here's your watch back. See? Pickpocketing, something you never forget." She smiled sweetly at him again, hoping he'll just think of it as a joke and not take it personally. One of the oldest tricks I know, I love that one...its entertaining watching people's reactions.

[Draetrialis]

Drae laughed and took the watch. "Awww. What's better than a beautiful, sexy thief?" He said, and laughed again. "All I know about Draetrialis' past is that when he hit 20 feet, he was driven out of the Darklands and had a run-in with a griffin, which gave him his scar, and about 10 years ago, he learned all of the languages here, Griffin included. And now, because he thinks he's the last Shadow Dragon, he is the ice-cold 'Bat Bastard' you see him as." He explained, deciding not to say he killed his mother. What is this feeling...? he thought, feeling warm and fuzzy. Oh no... I am not falling in love with her! his mind was reeling and the dragon shook his head, hoping Val would misinterpret it. "I hear he has a massive trove of gems and weapons hidden somewhere... most of the gems are set to summon shadows though, if the rumors are true." He said, deciding to give up that bit of information. No... I cannot be falling in love with her... she wants to flay me alive!! No... never... The dragon's mind was in total chaos.

[Valerie]

Valerie blushed as Trent complimented her. She listened to the rest of his story about Drae before she spoke. "Thank you for the compliment." She blushed again, having brought it up. But her facial expression hardened a little when she thought about Drae. "So that's why he had a scar...I was vaguely wondering, but not caring much. Seeing as I was fending for my life. So he thinks he is the last of his kind. That's funny, with that someone could almost feel sorry for him...but I still think he's the same arrogant bastard he was before. I just now can add that he doesn't know how to get help or how to confide in someone." She shifted her weight, uncomfortable with her new way of thinking. There is no way, I can feel even remotely sorry for that bastard! Either way it doesn't matter, I shouldn't be thinking so much of Drae right now since I've got a different hot boy in front of me. She shivered, having had an idea. "It's a little cold out here." She shivered again, chilled by an uncontrollable chilly wind that went by. This may be stupid and obvious but I still find it fun watching the guy take off his jacket or something and try feverishly to get his girlfriend or whatever warm.

[Draetrialis]

Draetrialis smiled and breathed into his hands, creating a small fireball. Thanks to the magic in the ring, it appeared to be a normal flame. "Here..." he whispered, contorting the flame into a ring, large enough to encircle Valerie and warm her, but not small enough to burn her. He maneuvered the ring around the dragoness. "Better?" He asked. Again, his mind was in total chaos as he struggled to figure out if he really is in love with the girl in front of him, or if he is just being insane, like his supposed curse is supposed to make him. "I don't want you to freeze..." he murmured, and this is the first honest statement that fit both Trent and Draetrialis. He smiled and parted the ring, allowing himself in, and he managed to stablize the blaze, so that he could wrap his arms around her. "This should feel much better..." he whispered in Valerie's ear, a small smile on his face. Man... I have to be going crazy... but I think I do love you, Valerie... but, this can't be happening... it is just impossible! his mind was slowly starting to settle, if only a little.