What The Heck (Priv/Ayato)

First topic message reminder :

It was.. Hot. Hotter then she expected. Or maybe that was just her Ice Wyvern blood talking. The humid heat was washing over her like a wave over sand, heating her till she was at boiling point. At any moment, Athena half expected to burst into flames. She wouldn't be surprised, considering her luck.


Her feathers were damp with sweat, leaning over each other to press against her back, their once bright cyan colour reduced to a dark blue. Her breaths no longer came out in misty white clouds, no, the air she was breathing out was warm too. Great. The wind brought no cold, and the sand that was swept up from the ground stung her eyes like a thousand bees. Why? You're probably asking. Why, in the name of the Gods, is she out here?

Curiosity.

Yes, it was curiosity that led Athena to the borders of the Ki'Sha. She was wandering along one of their edges, wondering how savagely she would be torn apart of she so much as stepped into their lands. The Ki'Sha weren't like their peace loving neighbors, the Stormcallers, but they weren't very nice either. It was a hard life, only the strongest survived.

Funny, that was rather appealing to her.


If one had looked, they would, have seen a white Wyvern, sticking out like a sore thumb against the sandy dunes, looking rather weakened from the heat, staring into the territory of the Ki'Sha as she paced their borders. A rather strange sight, one might say.

Ayato replied, yelling at the female, "Wow, I must've given you a pretty darn good impression if you thought I'd know what to do! But I suppose we'll have to wait this out! Once this stupid thing is over, I'm going back to the Ki'Sha, and you better have made up your mind by then!" He did hope that the female (he still hasn't asked for her name, but he'd tell her only if she promised to join his Tribe) would agree to do so - at least, if anyone had seen him conversing with the rogue, which would definitely earn him a punishment at best, or a public execution at worst.

The wind continued attacking them with the sand that it had pulled from their resting places, as if intent on bullying Athena into saying that she would join. With a snarl that was audible even against the howl of the merciless wind, Ayato ducked his head down to protect it. When would this hell end? He'd never liked sandstorms, lacking a third eyelid to shield himself from it, or any other defences around his eye to guard them against the small, evil grains.

The heat was suffocating, the wind so fierce that it was as if it wanted him to kneel in submission, but he continued standing firm, even as chaos reigned around him and Athena. If he lived through this, his worst yet, he would make sure to make a little sacrifice to the gods up above. He was positive that he had gotten at least fifty percent more religious ever since his meeting with the rogue, with so many possible endings swirling in his mind. A public trial; a public execution; praise for bringing the rogue; death because of the sandstorm, though how it would kill him, he would love (on second thoughts, not really) to find out.

Athena growled under her breath at the male's words. Considering you LIVE here I'd assume you'd know how to deal with damn SANDSTORMS! she snapped, hissing quietly as an army of the demonic particles attacked her left eye, forcing her to turn her head to the right. At his mentioning her of joining the tribe, she huffed and was about to retort when the storm blew more sand over her body. Alright, alright! I'll join your stupid tribe if it's that important to you! she shot him a glare, but that abruptly changed into a grimace as more sand was spat by the wind into her face. Look at us, she realised. Hissing at each other like cats in the middle of a sandstorm.

Her scales were starting to singe, she could feel it. The grains were eating away at her, nibbling at the ends of her scales and turning them black, and she could feel them starting to work away at the soft skin under her eye. Uh oh. Let this end soon, she begged whoever was looking down upon them. Dammit, I'm burning up!

"Damn, you're right, I'm supposed to be all-knowing and amazing!" Ayato snapped, not really caring that he shouldn't be arguing with a worthless, rankless rogue. Once he had words in his mouth, he needed to get them out. The dragon blinked some evil sand particles out of his eyes, and said in a satisfied tone, "Good to hear that we might have a new dragon joining our ranks. It is, however, not very easy to get in." Ayato didn't say 'good luck' or anything, but warning her about the difficulty of getting into the Tribe was the warmest one could get from Ayato. He tucked his wings tighter to his body, and stepped forward. He wished his wings weren't so fragile, so that he could fly, but even then, he would probably be beaten down.

He watched as black seeped across her feathers, shriveling it up, eating its colour away. With a huff of defeat, he took off his scarf (rather reluctantly) and tossed it to Athena. He wasn't quite sure what she would do with it, and he wasn't going to waste energy using his ability to shield her. Though he might, if her condition was life-threatening or whatever. Perhaps the soft side that he had tried so desperately to kill was still there.

The sandstorm, he felt, was at least dying down a bit in intensity, though the wind still never ceased its constant barrage of attacks. Bit by bit, the wind weakened, and he walked backwards, testing if he could walk against the wind - he could, but would do so with great difficulty. How far, exactly, did this sandstorm stretch?

Athena huffed unaudibly at the male's words, having the urge to slice his big head open like a berry. Her wing curled further over her face when a particularly powerful blast of sand knocked her a step or two left. This is just not my day. She raised a brow at his warning. I expected so! she shouted over the agonised howls of the storm, tail bending to the will of the wind, creating deep marks in the sand that were quickly covered up.

The edges of her scales and feathers were completely black now, all color sucked out of the once white and cyan blue, burned to a crisp. It was painful, and highly itchy, but she couldn't worry about that right now. At the moment, her main concern was not getting bowled over like a leaf in rain. A string of curses left her maw as Athena displayed her colorful vocabulary, each gust of wind bringing more sand and more swearing. She wanted to beat up the storm if she could, but unfortunately, one can never fight a storm. One must use it, go with it. Hmph. Fat chance of her going with it.

Something came her way and Athena sharply turned her head, catching the object in her mouth. She discovered it to be a scarf, the one the male had been wearing a few moments ago. She raised a brow at him, before she gingerly wrapped it around her lower neck, using the end of it to protect some of her feathers and the vunerable skin beneath her eyes. She nodded to him, a silent thank you as she unfurled her wings, spreading one over his head and left side, to shield him from some of the sand. A fair trade. Her wing was singed, badly, but hers were tough, hardy. They were strong. They could withstand a little battering. She used the other to protect the other side of her face.

As the storm began to loose some of it's steam, the male walked backwards, seemingly to test it's strength. She noticed he was able to move about, although with a bit of a struggle. Few more minutes and this thing might decide to go back to whatever hell it came from! she cried.

Hints of blue peeked through the wall of sand that swirled and tumbled over each other in the dusty air, and Ayato took that as a good sign, hoping that the end of this hell was near - he wanted to bring this female to Scortia and leave her to the Kuz'a to handle, then head home. He winced when he saw the female clamp her teeth around his precious scarf, though spotted no visible marks on it (he'd have to wash it when he got home) as she used it to protect her lower neck. A vulnerable spot, then? Ayato carefully filed the information into a corner of his brain. Quite a colourful vocabulary she had too, Ayato discovered, and decided to join in with a few choice words as well, his and Athena's swearing joined in by the rough growls of the wind.

If he had to admit it, he found her quite interesting. Perhaps, if she passed the Kuz'a's approval, he could drop by to visit her. Not every day did he meet a rogue who could swear quite so wonderfully. It kind of reminded him of Kathyea, but this dragoness, he thought, was much better than his good-for-nothing sister.

When she extended her wings, as if to offer him some protection as well, Ayato hesitated, finding her movements to be almost protective, and instinctively he thought that he didn't need her help, that he needed to prove that he was strong enough to withstand the pain, but honestly, if she wanted to throw the health of her wings to hell, he wasn't going to stop her. He did need some protection from the winds anyway, so he stepped forward, not needing to crouch. His posture was stiff, not quite used to standing so close to another dragon.

They stood there in silence, waiting for the hellish sandstorm to pass. The wind dwindled down to a weak breeze, sand particles still hovering in the air, but soon the sky could once again be seen and he hastily stepped away from Athena, some tension falling away as he regarded the sky. "Let's go," he said, turning and re-entering the Ki'Sha.

Guess we'll have to make a separate topic with Scort to see if Athy is accepted o3o --

Why'd he come back?

The question hit her like a rock, hard and cold. She looked at him now, this young, clearly less-then-patient boy with nothing to give back, nothing to owe.  He wasn't obliged to help her, and yet he did, made sure she didn't end up dead with the vultures pecking at her eyes. She wondered why. As she gazed at his face, she contemplated the harsh life of the Ki'Sha she had heard so much about. Was he really.. Compassionate? Had the Ki'Sha taken that away from him to make him into what they wanted him to. Never in her life would she thought a member of the Ki'Sha would stick their neck out for her.

As she spread her wings, the male seemed to flinch away, as if any sort of contact were alien to him. Humph, that makes two of us, she thought as her wing shielded him from the storm. She bit back a winch as her wing began to collect sand in it's scales and even in her scars, collecting in the faded flesh and turning it coal black. Thankfully, the male stepped forward into somewhat-safety, and her efforts didn't go to waste.

The wind gradually began to slow down,losing its breath,  and with it,  the angry clouds of sand, reduced to just drifting through the air. As the male hastily stepped away, Athena hurriedly placed her wing back on the ground, sick of leaning on her right,  since it was going numb from the weight. "Let's go," he said, and Athena nodded.  She glanced up at the heavens,  saw a cloudless sky, and shook her head, following him. As she walked, he peeled the scarf from her neck. She grunted a warning and then tossed it to him.

As she passed over the border, she spoke.  It's Athena,  by the way.


(Yes, I suppose so! Should Athy go alone to her or do you want Ayato to accompany her? I'm nervous for this by the way xD Go on Athy! XD)

Athena?

The fact that this female - Athena - suddenly threw her name out like that startled Ayato, and made him wonder if she was giving him her name out of gratitude, or because she thought that it'd be good to swap names, now that they were possibly going to be in the same Tribe. "...Ayato," he said after a while, his eyes still fixed on the sands in front of him. Once again, he caught sight of another Ugaan patrolling. 

This one allowed a cheerful smile (fake, so fake) to spread across his face, which quickly sharpened into a suspicious glare when his eyes landed on the taller dragoness next to him. Ayato snapped before he could respond, "Possible recruit," adding when the Ugaan twitched involuntarily as if to protest, "though I think she can whoop your butt quite easily, don't you think?" before continuing on. "Yes sir," came the mumbled response, and the Ugaan slunk away, clearly embarrassed.

As they walled in silence, sand shifting and parting underneath the weight of their steps, Ayato couldn't help but wonder about her past. Athena (it felt so nice to give a name to the rogue) had a lean, honed body, with recent and old scars stretching across her whitish-blue scales, marking her as a warrior who'd gone through several fights. 

Fighting what, exactly? Defending herself against mates vying for her attention? Athena was actually quite pretty, with captivating blue eyes, but her personality was decidedly not docile or feminine. He liked that, though. Athena...which rank would she decide to join?

He asked just that. "Which rank are you most interested in, if you're accepted? There's a high chance of you starting off as Shemscaluri, who are pretty much the slaves of the Tribe, but it depends on your heritage, really. Perhaps, if your battle skills are good enough, you'll skip Shemscaluri. 


Vuuaan are like craftsman, whereas Syaans are tasked to create weapons and the like. The Luuiaans are the gatherers of the Tribe, while the Ugaans are hunters, led by the Aliugaans, who are more war-focused and put more of their energy into the Royal family. They have to claim lands and protect bothers. Nftari practice magic, and they act as priests, educators and healers."

Then he paused, and continued, as if deciding to just educate her while at it, venturing on to mention higher ranks, "Safyz'as are known as the Great Shamans, and are one of the highest ranks one can achieve through pure merit alone. It is also one of the most independent ranks, as Safyz'a are allowed to work freely without having to ask the Kuz'a for permission. 


The Kuz'a is the leader of the Tribe, and is always female - she is believed to be the a from the gods, and all orders from her must be followed. The Grog is the mate of the Kuz'a, though them and the Irem, sons of the Kuz'a, are considered lesser beings as compared to the Lekuz'a, who are the daughters."

If he were an outsider listening to himself, he'd have been thinking, 'Wow, are those memorised from the books?' and yes, yes it was. But most were rephrased

"Ayato.." Was the reply, after a few moments of silence save for the sound of footsteps on sand, and the soft breeze that was the remainder of the storm. It was as if the desert had awoken, had a tantrum, and then went back to sleeping in the cradle. Unpredictable and confusing, just like children. Which is why Athena never became a mother. Kids meant one word: trouble, and she got herself into enough of that already.

Ayato.. It was an unusual name, but a nice one, rolling off his tongue like water off a mountainside. If it had a meaning, Athena wasn't sure what it was, but if she were to bet all her gold -of which she had none- she would have said 'sarcasm.'

Athena stiffened when she caught sight of another dragon, her shoulders quivering with anticipation of a fight as the cheery smile plastered onto the male's face quickly melted into a glare at the sight of her. Before he could even open his mouth, Ayato told him she was a 'possible recruit.' At this, the male shifted slightly, obviously in displeasure. Before he could verbally express his disagreement, Ayato proceeded to tell him she could probably 'whoop his butt,' at which Athena had to bite back a smirk. After uttering a weak 'yes sir,' the male took his leave and they continued their little trip.

He's no omega here, is he? Ayato was clearly high on the totem pole, well respected in his tribe. Or at least, it seemed that way, by the titles they addressed him as. They never talked back, uttered a word of protest when he stated the facts. Clearly, Ayato was not one to be trifled with, and Athena could respect that. She glanced at him now. If the females here were anything like the ones she'd encountered in their travels, they would probably be throwing themselves at his feet. And who could blame them? Strong, well respected, and.. Dare she admit it, he wasn't exactly unpleasant to look at either.

Athena was brought back from the world of thoughts when Ayato asked her about her rank choice. Her feathers flicked at this. She wasn't familiar, by any means, with the Ki'Sha rank system, let alone what each one meant. Thankfully, her new.. 'Ally,' seemed happy enough to give her a brief overview. He listed several ranks, each one with strange names but descriptions she was familiar with. I need to learn to speak their language, she realised. Some of them probably don't speak Universal. Crap.

At the word 'slaves,' Athena's eyes would narrow slightly. Apart from that, it was the only indication of her displeasure. I am no one's slave, she thought, but said nothing. As Ayato described his own rank, Aliugaans, her feathers would lift slightly in interest. So he is an important ranker, she thought. Impressive.

There was a brief pause, which gave the warrior enough time to absorb the information before Ayato began to educate her about the more important ranks, listing names that if she were a hatchling would have made her squint in confusion. She was familiar with the Ku'Za rank, and had heard of the Irem, but apart from that, the words were alien to her. How does he know all this? She wanted to ask. Years of learning, probably.

After a brief pause, Athena spoke. Anything leaning to battle or war-focused ranks would be my thing. I could settle for Ugaan, though, if I couldn't get any of that. She shrugged, and then looked at him, studying his face for a few moments. You really know a lot, was all she said.

This was it. She was joining a tribe, or well, maybe. Such a strange feeling it was going to be, being a part of a community, having duties and the like. Such things were so alien to her now. So, how do I get in? she asked, once again fixing her blue eyes upon him.

Ayato noticed Athena's shoulders, tiny, aggressive quivers shaking them, and tilted his blue head, the half-scowl / half-commanding expression that he had worn like a mask in front of the brown-scaled Ugaan shifting into a knowing smirk. "Ki'Sha will give you plenty of things to work that aggression off. Keep it though, it suits you. Just don't show it too excessively." He lapsed into silence right after explaining the Ki'Shan ranks to Athena, as if tired out by the brief conversation. His attention focused forward, he noticed the first of grey buildings pricking the sky with their tips, like needles to a blue cloth. They were nearing the city. The castle stood the tallest, an imposing figure cutting into the vast expanse where white clouds with grey underbellies were strewn across its glassy surface, partially obscuring the blistering sun. Funny how they had been attacked by a vicious sandstorm only moments before, only to emerge and see that everything else was peaceful. Which reminded him.

The world did not revolve around one particular individual, no matter how tragic their lives were. As he regarded the sky with his eyes, he thought that the clouds were like his thoughts, numerous in number and random in position, and the sky his mind. He did wonder many things, the most recent of which was "Which region was Athena birthed in?" She had glossy white feathers with a blueish sheen to it as an outer covering (pretty, but fragile and not providing much defence), and the only Tribe that he associated such colours with were the Kaamil. The fact that she seemed to be melting under the heat of the hot Ki'Shan sun also pointed him towards the possibility that maybe she'd been raised with the Kaamil. He had no concrete evidence to prove this, though, and he wouldn't ask such personal questions. Another thing he wondered about this mysterious female was her heritage - rich or dull? Clean or bloody?

He could literally feel aggression rippling off her in dangerous waves when he mentioned the role of the Shemscaluri. She did not seem the type to willingly bend to someone else's will, but if she defied the Kuz'a's orders, even once, she would likely be put to trial - or executed. "Ugaan. I can train you, then, if you ever achieve that rank. But you will have to learn how to keep your tongue in check. Remember, the Kuz'a's words are law - and the Ki'Sha didn't earn their reputation by being merciful. You will find that we are the opposites of the peaceful mudlickers who call themselves Stormcallers."

He slid his eyes towards her. "I get my way around by knowing as much as I can, stupid," he said. "And do you think I can tell you that? Duh, of course I can't."

The face Ayato wore when addressing the Ugaan one was enough to make a hatchling cry. Cold, mean-looking. When he noticed her tension however, the scowl seemed to melt, a smirk taking it's place upon his face. Uh oh, she thought. What's gonna come out of his mouth now? At his words, her feathers bristled visibly, but they froze when he said 'it suits you,' and then gave her some advice. She raised a brow slightly, but nodded, deciding to take in his little tip. 'Don't show aggression too excessively.' Humph.

Ayato's eyes trained themselves on the horizon, no when Athena followed his gaze her brows show up. The city.. It was beautiful, from what she could see, the castle rising up like a dragon over it's prey. Dominating. Eerie. Like a slumbering giant. Athena's tail swished. She had pictured a.. Less flattering settlement. A tad smaller. Seemed she was wrong. It speared the clouds like a spear speared flesh, sharp and calculated. Some artitecture.

It reminded her of the pictures she'd drawn as a child, with stone and occasionally flint, etching little marks with her stubby wing-hook into the rock, drawing a castle similar to the Ki'Sha's, with a city cowering beneath it, the King sitting on the very tip top to survey his kingdom. Once, Athena had wanted to be the princess of her own story, and for a while she was. Now? She looked upon royalty with bitterness.

Athena turned her head slightly to peer at Ayato as he spoke again, warning her to keep her mouth shut. Athena could do that. But all the time? Having to roll over and show her belly for a queen, no matter how powerful, was belittling and her pride would take a hit. However, if Ayato wasn't exaggerating, stepping out of line would get her killed, and Athena wasn't ready to die just yet. I'll keep my mouth shut then, she nodded, grumbling inwardly. She wasn't arrogant, but she wasn't exactly an 'of course, your majesty, your grace, your elegance,' dragoness. She was more of a 'we're on the same level' type, but that didn't apply here.

She decided to put his advice into practise, biting back a comeback at the term 'stupid,' despite her pride urging her to defend herself. She raised a brow at his next sentence, and sighed. Fair enough. She gazed at the city for a few moments. Its beautiful.

Ayato just loved how easily Athena was riled up, reacting to almost every word he uttered, whether it be physically - the bristling of her feathers - or verbally, lashing back with her own retort. It was fun, if he had to admit it, but if the Kuz'a did not deem this female worthy, then he would forget about her. Though, it would be quite hard to forget such a unique individual - or such a sharp tongue. He rolled his eyes. The Ugaans had always tried to hide it, but they always had feared his wrath and his short temper - Athena was almost the same as he was, except with less experience under her belt. He wondered how hellish the lives of the Ugaan would be if Athena joined their ranks.

However, friends or not (friends? Was it possible for such a thing to happen? To him?), if she as much as flicked her tail in the wrong direction, he would educate her. In public, whether or not it cost him... Cost him what, exactly? He didn't need her. As much as he enjoyed being in her company, he didn't need anything from her: Her approval, or whatever. He would not throw away his life or rank for her. Would he? But honestly, now was not the time to suggest such things. He didn't even know when such thoughts had snaked their way into his mind. A strange shadow crossed his face, quickly gone. "I'm not going to save your butt if you're stupid enough to talk back to a superior," he said to Athena, raising an eye-ridge when she didn't snap back at his remark, instead coolly giving him a calm response. Training yourself already?

They trudged forward, eventually stepping into the city, the sands giving way to pavement, worn by years of paws pressing against it in the steady rhythm of walking, marching or running. Curious stares followed them, but Ayato met them all with a cool glare, which quickly had their heads bowing and turning to scurry away. It would do them no good to invoke the wrath of an Aliugaan - and Ayato was famed or his short temper.

Ayato was infuriating. He knew just how to get her feathers in a twist, which was both impressive and very much annoying. He seemed to know where to poke the bear, where to nip at her nerves. Or perhaps that was just his personality. Blunt and calm about it. Ohh, that irritated her, because Athena knew that no matter how much she responded, how mean her remarks were, she'd only be fuelling the flames. Don't give him any satisfaction, she urged herself, although it proved incredibly difficult, dealing with this male. still, there was a part of her that almost enjoyed the banter between them, if one could call it that. There was perhaps a bit of scorn thrown into some of the remarks, an incredible amount of ill-temper on her part, but it was.. Refreshing, somehow.

Athena knew there was a chance she wouldn't be accepted. A prominent one, actually. If she got kicked out, she knew Ayato would dismiss her. That was fine with her. Still though, it would be a bummer if that were to happen. She hadn't developed an attachment to this male, had she? Dear gods, no. She enjoyed his company greatly, but she wasn't going to throw herself at his feet and proclaim their ever-lasting friendship, nor would she risk her life for him. Still, he was the first dragon in a while who didn't scoff or cry 'rude' at her brash and bold personality, her forward way of doing things.

At his words, Athena flicked her tail slightly, but again, kept her mouth shut. Understandable. I wouldn't either. And she meant it. She was a stranger to him, just as he was to her.


The sand transferred to path, enveloping them into the city. Athena tensed, eyes darting everywhere, awaiting some sort of protest or even an attack from the dragons around her. She was not in friendly territory, by any means. However, those that looked their way were quickly met with a cold glare from Ayato that sent them packing rather quickly.

Slowly, Athena adjusted her posture so she was more neutral rather then tense and aggressive. She didn't want to appear she was looking for trouble, so she 'kept her head down,' as her mother would have said, lowering her feathers and keeping herself from appearing stiff and ready to snap.

Got tired waiting for Scortia to post on Audience, so... --

"I would say that I'm quite surprised you earned the Kuz'a's approval," Ayato was saying. "Most are rejected; few are ever let in. Perhaps there's something special about you? I can't tell, though." He made sure to squint at her in a most annoying manner, a (fake) thoughtful look inching onto his face.

They were wandering about, at Ayato's insistence to show her about ("I'm bored, plus, I don't want to see you mess up on your first day here. What kind of impression would I give everyone, bringing in someone so incompetent?" and had subsequently received a smack) and educate her on Ki'Sha's rules, mannerisms and religion. "Even if you don't believe it, it's better that you pretend you do," Ayato advised her, adopting a very knowing manner, and even looked at the sky in as mysterious a manner he could manage.

"Oh, and you'll be training under me, so when you arrive at the barracks, just say that you're here with the permission of the Aliugaan Ayato." He smirked, as if satisfied with making Athena acknowledge his rank, then explained, "it's absolutely necessary to say my rank, or it's considered disrespectful and the others won't hesitate to correct you. I've seen a newbie boldly call Yk'skez by his name, and things weren't pretty after that."

(Haha okay)

Well, that had been.. Interesting.


Her tail swept back and forth behind her as she left the palace, the only sign of her relief to be out in an open space. For once, the glaring sun was welcome on her dusty scales. Athena breathed in the fresh air and felt the last of the tension leave her body.

She was a Ki'shan now.

She felt strange, as if she was floating rather then walking. She felt lighter than air, her limbs felt like jelly. She hadn't been a part of a tribe for so long, her last one was full of fanatic crazies, that it felt strange to know she was with one, with a rank and everything.

I would say that I'm quite surprised you earned the Kuz'a's approval," Ayato was saying. His deep voice dragged her out of her own mind and into the real world. "because most who are foolish or brave enough to try joining our ranks are rejected within a minute of being in her presence. Perhaps there's something special about you? I can't tell, though." After he spoke, he squinted at her, and Athena huffed, feathers prickling indignantly, betraying her brief burst of frustration. "Perhaps it was my gorgeous face that won her over," she joked, voice dipped in sarcasm.


At Ayato's insistence,  they were now walking around the streets, with his voice droning on about the Ki'sha's practises, rules and regulations, the usual, so she wouldn't 'mess up on her first day. (The sound of her wing colliding with his face was so satisfying) Athena listened, eyes going to his every few moments to show she was listening. Regarding the subject of religion, she felt reluctant to fake believing in whatever the other Ki'shan did, but decided that she'd told worst lies. She nodded, although her neutral expression melted into a glare when he had the audacity to even look at the sky in a 'thoughtful way.' She bit her tongue, but she made sure he felt her eyes burning daggers into his skull.

Ayato always knew how to get a rise out of her, somehow. It was very annoying. Deciding that two could play at that game, Athena once more schooled her features, adopting a polite look of quiet indifference to his attitude. "Oh," he suddenly added, making her raise her head a bit. "And you'll be training under me, so when you arrive at the barracks," oh, she knew where this was going. "Just say that youre here with the permission of Aliugaan Ayato." His smirk made the knowledge she'd be acknowledging his rank even more maddening.

Somehow, somewhere, she found the strength to keep a spiteful comment from slipping out, and even her feathers did not twitch, she forced them to lay flat against her back."Alright," she said smoothly. She loomed at him and tilted her head as he told the story of an unfortunate, bold youngster who had called an Aliugaan by his name, and that it 'wasn't pretty after that.' "Im assuming he wasn't able to walk for a few days?" She said.

"So, how will you train me?" She asked, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them. "As in.. Will you test me on my general skill? Or will we just hop straight into training Mr up?" She felt a tad stupid, but her jaws had betrayed her. My body is commiting mutiny,she thought darkly.



(I'm on my phone so no access to colors for the dialogue. Sorry!)

I'm used to doing posts on the phone, so I understand the struggle xD --

The sun was no different than the usual, a bright orb hung up high in the sky that cast its stifling warmth onto the unfortunate mortals down below it. The windswept sand dunes around them rose up in bumps of sandy yellow, stretching on and on, though the view was partly obscured by the occasional temple or home. Sometimes, they passed by statues, stone artfully shaped into dragons, capturing a moment and holding it there forever. Or as long as the stone could last, at least.

"You have a rather high opinion of yourself," Ayato observed wryly, rolling his eyes at her, before flicking his gaze back to in front of them. She was amusing. Truly, it had been a while since he had found another who could amuse him so well, he thought as they continued on, footsteps not in synchrony, a bit like an irregular heartbeat.

He could feel her gaze on him as he raised his to the sky, an exaggerated look of knowing wisdom resting on his face. Ayato knew that she was trying her very best to bite back a remark - what for? he wondered. Of course, he didn't keep his eyes on the sky for lone, curiosity drawing his gaze back, and he peeked at her at the corner of his vision, noting the blank indifference that she had worn to challenge his. Tch.

Ayato huffed. "Close," he said. "He was given a public lashing. Couldn't talk for a week. The Ki'Sha are ruthless with their punishments," he warned. Be careful. Finally Athena's self control slipped, a snarky remark exiting her maw. He only shrugged. "General skill," he responded. "I need to see where you are, so I'll know which group to put you into."