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       #Post#: 410757--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Dragon in the City
       By: Christofer Hayward Date: July 29, 2020, 7:48 pm
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       Kaida breathed in heavily as they entered the building, closing
       her eyes as she drew in the smells and then sighed them out
       again. It smelt like nothing she had ever experienced before.
       The grease from the friers, the flame grilled meat, even the
       cheap condiments had their distinctive smell. It was almost
       overwhelming, enough at least to give her a brief headache until
       she could acclimatise. Kaida rubbed her temple, careful not to
       disturb the cloak over her head, and made a note not to breathe
       in quite so heavily next time.
       Kaida waited quietly for their food but her stomach was not as
       patient and rumbled gently while Calyx ordered. She wasn't sure
       what it was he had asked for but it sounded good and she trusted
       he had good taste. She recognised 'strawberry', so at least
       there would be something familiar. As they moved to their table,
       she smiled politely to the manager and was about to ask some
       more questions but before she could, Calyx had leaned forward.
       Her brow furrowed and she was puzzled, but she did as he asked.
       Her eyes discreetly moved across the restaurant, as though
       admiring the decor rather than the people. She had always been
       good at discreet. Her gaze drifted to the far side of the room
       and for a moment, she thought she spotted someone she had seen
       before, maybe earlier on their way here? No, yesterday maybe?
       She wasn't sure but she had definitely seen that face. Looking
       back to Calyx before the stranger noticed, she nodded her head
       gently in that direction and gave him a quizzical look. Before
       she could ask, however, their food arrived.
       And what a delight it was! For a brief moment, she forgot all
       about their mysterious stranger. She held her burger the way
       Calyx showed her, took a big bite and squeaked as the sauce
       dripped out of the other side. She used her fries to scoop up
       the mess and wriggled excitedly in her seat.
       "Do you always eat this? This is amazing!" Her eyes were wide
       and bright with excitement, and it took all her concentration
       not to get so excited as to draw attention. "I think I would
       like a place like this back home." She nodded and sipped her
       milkshake, her eyes slowly drifting back to the stranger and
       remembering what Calyx had said. She wondered if he had spotted
       them too.
       "Who are they?" She lowered her voice but kept a smile on her
       face, her ears now perked to try and listen out for any sudden
       movement. She kept the stranger in her peripherals, pretending
       to be looking out of the window as she fed herself some more
       fries.
       #Post#: 410773--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Dragon in the City
       By: Calyx Ochoa Date: August 14, 2020, 7:56 pm
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       Calyx couldn't help but smile at Kaida's excitement. She was
       like a child experiencing a candy store for the first time! It
       was amusing to say the least, but his guard had already risen in
       the direction that she had glanced. He didn't want to bother her
       while she was eating, so he ate his burger and fries happily,
       maintaining an awareness of the stranger's location. No one
       would try anything while they were here. It was too busy; Too
       populated. But they would have to leave eventually.
       At any rate, Kaida's excitement was nothing short of adorable!
       She overestimated his familiarity with this world, however.
       "Not all the time. But a few times though!" He said, in
       response to her question about him eating like this all the
       time. 'A few times' was more accurate than he cared to admit. He
       had probably seen the inside of a burger place three times in
       his lifetime. It was far from a regular thing.
       When she said she would like to have a place like this back
       home, he wondered what her home was like. He had visited Dragon
       clans that were largely primal and existed with nature. This was
       how he pictured Kaida's home. But he had also seen clans that
       were as technologically advanced as humans! In reality, her home
       could fall anywhere in between. Fast food restaurants weren't
       necessarily beyond the realm of possibility.
       Calyx had located the one watching them by following Kaida's
       eyes earlier. So naturally, he would notice when she looked at
       him once again. When she asked who he was, he feigned ignorance
       to ensure she didn't panic. But Kaida had never interacted with
       humans before. If this man was familiar to her, she could only
       know him from one place. And if he was alone, that meant he had
       colleagues somewhere, waiting for his signal.
       "When we leave here, we're not going back to the Hotel." He told
       her calmly.
       Wherever he took her, they were sure to be followed. He needed
       to plan this out carefully. He needed to get them into an open
       space with no spectators. But where could he find such a place
       in the middle of a big city? This was going to be delicate. "Let
       me know when you're ready to go."  He said, his voice perfectly
       calm and collected. He was probably going to have to break a few
       rules...
       #Post#: 410774--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Dragon in the City
       By: Christofer Hayward Date: August 15, 2020, 6:20 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       As her stomach filled, Kaida's haste and excitement slowed.
       Chewing on a fry, she let her eyes wander around the room, this
       time to actually take in the scenery. She watched other people
       enjoying their meals and wondered how it felt to be used to such
       food. To not have to hunt or scavenge or steal, she could hardly
       imagine what it must be like. She thought it odd that they could
       just walk into a place, hand over money and have freshly cooked
       food brought to them from a hidden room in the back. Her mind
       boggled at the thought.
       Finding her mouth dry from the salt on the fries, she looked at
       the cup that held her milkshake and peered down into the straw.
       It was bright pink! She glanced across at a nearby table where a
       woman was sipping her own drink, then mimicked her and sipped at
       the straw.
       "Oh!" she squeaked again, her eyes wide with surprise. "It's so
       cold!" Her hands gripped the cup gently as she sipped again,
       letting the milkshake melt and warm in her mouth before
       swallowing it. It was sweet! Not quite like a real strawberry
       but she recognised the flavour enough to enjoy it. It was a
       strange sensation on her teeth, but as she drank more she
       gradually got used to it. What she wasn't expecting however, was
       the sudden ache in her head. "Ah!" Her hands pressed to her
       temples and she shut her eyes tightly as the ache throbbed
       gently for a moment.
       As it subsided, she smiled in relief and returned to the last of
       her fries. "What a peculiar drink..." she uttered, shaking her
       head. "I think it would take me a while to get used to having a
       sore head just to drink such a thing." She snorted lightly in a
       laugh. She truly was enjoying herself but part of her still felt
       worried about why she was here and how she would get home. Like
       an annoying buzzing in her ear, no matter how hard she was
       trying to stay positive she just couldn't shake the sadness that
       was ever looming over her shoulder. She felt almost guilty for
       having such treats when her family were dead, her friends
       probably also and for all she knew, she was the last of her
       people.
       "Where will we go?" She frowned in puzzlement at his statement,
       his calmness kept her from worry but she was still unsure of
       what this meant. Was it because of the stranger? She wanted to
       look over again but instinct told her not to, she didn't want to
       bring attention to the fact that they were aware of him. Even
       without knowing who he was, she knew Calyx thought he could be
       someone dangerous. Another thing to worry about on her list.
       There were many more questions in her mind, but Kaida knew now
       was not the time. She scooped up the last of her fries, finished
       the last bite of her burger and then nodded, taking a cautious
       sip of her milkshake and putting on a calm smile to match
       Calyx's demeanour. "I'm ready whenever you are."
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