old friends new lessons

What his reasons were she did not know, but her best friend and parent and mysteriously taken off on her without warning. At first she stayed in the woods waiting for him to return. She was scared though, scared of the woods, and scared of the beasts that dwelled within them.

Yudi's magic had worked in decreasing her natural size back to small enough to fit on Alex's shoulder. She couldn't wait to surprise him, but he was just nowhere in sight.

She eventually decided to head to the city of Draconis both because maybe Alex was there and because she was too terrified of the woods alone. Though the city was also kinda terrifying in its own right.

As soon as the baby dragon made into Draconis chaos erupted. People were trying to kick the creature who many had lost friend and family too. The guards rushed towards her trying to trap her. The female elf Meliys came to investigate what all the commotion was about. She was delighted to see a familiar dragon without its previous owner around. She rushed in and scooped up the young yellow dragon. She then explained to the guards that this was just spell on her dog so she could scare trespassers away. Being home to the largest magic collage in the world the guards had no reason to doubt her and continued on with life as usual.

Yudi was happy to see someone familiar and purred in her savior's hands. She was taken back to the familiar home and set atop a wooden counter. While the elf sat down in a chair and pondered what she was going to do now, the tiny dragon began sniffing around for something to eat.

Night came and Yudi slept in a make shift bed mad of wheat and veggies the dragon refused to eat. When Meliys woke up the next morning she found her humble home trashed and the little yellow dragon still poking her head in every nook and cranny for any sign of some meat. Meliys grabbed the dragon by the tuff of its neck and began yelling at it. When she finished she tossed the dragon none too lightly into a small room and locked her in. Meliys left to the market district to buy some meat for her troublesome new charge.

Yudi desperately looked for a way out. Never had she been treated so ruffly before and the yelling had scared Yudi so much she dumped her load. The elf didn't seem to have noticed it at the time and Yudi didn't want to find out what would happen to her when the elf did.

A week passed of abuse and testing? Meliys played with the dragon like a toy poked it with needles and subjected it to all sorts of magic and potions. Yudi had tried to escape but was met with severe punishment every time she tried. Yudi eventually gave in for fear of the continued pain should she continue to resist.

A open maw loosed a hiss at a reflection in the water. A paw swiped at it, making the image disappear. The dragon turned his head away from the pond he stood at, a growl rumbling in his throat. He'd been watching Meliys for some time. It was no secret to the dragons that she wanted to know theirs. Now the she-elf had gotten ahold of a hatchling that shouldn't have been anywhere near Draconis.

Aelato Verimthrax paced back and forth across the pond. In the last Meeting, he had warned of what he had seen. But most had been younger, arrogant dragons who didn't think any creature, especially an elf, could come to take a dragon hostage. Not even a hatchling. Some had shared his concern, though. It was well known amongst them that Meliys usually got what she desired sooner or later. Aelato sat in thought. He could just fly into the city and take the hatchling back...

But the citizens of Draconis would surely retaliate. Maybe... Aelato decided to change his form. As he thought of the spell that he needed, his bones began to crack and shift. Gradually, he became smaller in size until he was at the average height of most bipeds. He looked down to see that, in appearance anyway, he had become human. Not exactly the dragon's first choice, but it would do. Aelato looked at his reflection in the pond. Something was missing... Clothes! That was it. With a mutter, he cast a spell the produce some clothes for him, which he quickly put on.

Aelato made his way to Draconis and to the house of the she-elf, Meliys.

Meliys heard a series of knocks at her door. She cracked the door open just a little bit so one of her eyes could see out. She saw a human who didn't appear to care what the latest fashion fab was. She wondered if it was someone from the homeland who managed to get through Draconis's rigorous screening process to become a citizen of the wealthy and over populated city. "What do you want, I'm busy!" She spat.

It took all Aelato had to keep calm and put up a friendly face. "Oh, I'm just on an errand. I wonder if perhaps you can point me in the direction of someone who might have... things that are hard to come by."

"Things that are hard to come by?" Meliys repeated aloud. "You look like as outsider so your probably don't know this but Draconis is full of things that are hard if not impossible to come by in Megalo just go to the market district and you'll find something." With that the door was closed and Meliys went back to testing Yudi's blood samples.

He had opened his mouth to respond, only to have the door closed in his face. Clearing his throat, Aelato knocked on the door once more.

Meliys open the door all the way this time with a scowl on her face. "I told you what you want and I'm busy so scram." She said impatiently.

"Yes, I heard you the first time. But you were some quick to send me off, I could not ask my next question." Aelato leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell me, the marketplace... Would they have, say, dragon scales?"

Milys was about ready to sent a fireball into this guys face especially after he leaned against the door frame. When he mentioned dragon scales though her expression changed to one of great thought.

The conclusion she came to was that this was some person who had been there the day she grabbed Yudi when the foolish dragon had been running around in the street. Perhaps he was testing her lie and planned on killing her dragon for revenge of some lost loved one or to get her in trouble maybe in exchange for her house. Black mail maybe even.

Her other idea was that he was some wealthy person from Megalo looking to genuinely buy some dragon scales for magic uses no doubt. If she was in his position she too would want to know for sure if the dragon in the street had really indeed been a dragon. It could be a once in a lifetime chance to either get items of unimaginable magical significance and usage or just plain unimaginable amounts of money. It would explain how he got through the screening processes and after all those with great wealth always crave more.

"If someone offered the right price perhaps one might turn up." Milys finally said playing along with his subtle little game.

Aelato watched the she-elf carefully. He smiled when she finally responded. "I should hope so. Else I'd have to take up residence here in Draconis." He glanced over his shoulder and looked around. "And by the looks, I'd say you don't need anymore setting up shop."

Quite casually, and as if he had no regard for personal space, Aelato slipped past Meliys and stepped into her home. He looked around, genuinely admiring the home. After all, it wasn't everyday that the dragon came to the city and saw the inside of the buildings. He then realized how odd it must look for him to be reacting this way to what must be an ordinary place.

"The, uh, homes in Megalo aren't nearly as nice as this. At least, not for the poorer people. Anyway, I'm looking for a particular kind of dragon scale. One from a newborn. They're the rarest, I hear."

As much as Milys was looking to earn an easy fortune she did not want the stranger coming in. She'd lose control of the situation if he spotted the dragon then it wouldn't matter what is true intentions were either it weaved with her own or she was going to have a dead body to deal with. She was about to grab rebuke him out of her home but it was too late as the young yellow dragon as big as a kitten walked into the room with a trill which Milys didn't really know what that meant.

Milys slammed the only entrance and exit to the home shut and stood in front of it like a guard. "Well I suppose now your true intentions will be revealed. I'll warn you I graduated from the mages collage here. If you plan on buying new born scales then I'm willing to hear your offer but don't even think about trying to take some without paying." Milys said in warning.

Yudi observed the two from a distance. Her trill earlier was just her surprise and curiosity towards the stranger. She wanted to get closer but feared both humans. Though something about the stranger smelled funny. She couldn't put her nose on it, but it was both foreign and familiar. Still though Yudi hung back especially since Milys didn't look too happy. The look scared her and she wanted to either run away or curl up in a ball. She did lower herself to the ground to look smaller out of reaction.

Aelato purposely ignored the small dragon, pretending not to see or hear her. Instead, he turned to look at the she-elf again. "My, my. A mage? Just my luck, I happen to be studying magic myself. But tell me, have you a name? I don't think my master would see me back without the name of the one who provided what he needed." He found a chair and sat himself upon it.

"I'd like to see these scales and proof they came from a dragon before I make an offer, of course. You know how it is." His gaze moved around the room he sat in, occasionally looking to the she-elf. He knew she was smart, that one slip would expose him.

Milys was most confused. This man was either dumb, blind, deaf, all of the above, or some other mixture of those three. "Let me just" Milys said raising a hand with a finger pointed up which just served as a distraction for her left hand to shoo the dragon away. Through her peripheral vision she could see the dragon took the hint.

Now that the coast was clear Meliys had to think about how to precede. She sat down across from her guest. "So who is it exactly you represent? Meliys asked."

Aelato shifted slightly in his chair. He hadn't actually planned that far ahead. After taking a moment to think, he smiled and replied, "A research facility in Anthropinos dedicated to studying dragons. They hold a frail hope that they might find some way of killing those wretched beasts."

"Oh?" Miliys asked skeptically. "As someone also interested in the ways dragons work I'm curious as to why I haven't heard of this. A research facility in a well known city can't be kept that secret or hidden. Can you provide me with proof of its existence? You sound like your just a messenger perhaps we should go back there to set up this deal in person. I'll bring the scales with me and they can verify the authenticity there. how does that sound?"

"A simple explanation. We haven't gone public with it yet. As you might image, word would spread quickly. We wouldn't want those dragons finding out. So only a select few know about it, for now. We could arrange a deal. But, I think I should go ahead with the scales. And then contact you again when we know they're real."

"Very well one moment." Meliys said leaving for a moment and coming back with a few dragon scales. "These satisfactory?" the elf asked a little impatient to get this over with.

He took the scales and looked them over carefully. In his mind, Aelato fought to keep from revealing himself, knowing how the she-elf came to get these scales. He looked up and nodded with a smile. "Perfect. But.. could you tell me how you acquired them? My superiors will want to know as well."

Meliys thought about this for a good while. She decided he already should have seen the dragon and was prepared for what came next. He also clearly wasn't intelligent enough to know anything about magic. "Yudi get over here!" She yelled out. The young yellow dragon rounded the corner of a hallway and walked up right next to Meliys feet and looked up at her expectantly. Meliys awaited the strange strangers reaction.

Aelato feigned surprise when he saw the young dragon come into the room. He looked down at her and then, with a glance to Meliys, slid off his chair for a closer look. "A real dragon? And alive, no less! How on Tedranog did you come by a baby dragon?"

Meliys didn't believe for a second the man was truly surprised. Then again faking it didn't really make any sense. It was probable he was just mentally challenged. "A man came by acting a little strange and had a dragon following him around. I managed to purchase it for ridiculously low price. He clearly didn't know how to take care of it anyways. I have no love for the beasts but their useless dead." Meliys picked up the dragon and held it in her hand. The dragon was terrified by this action worried she had done something wrong. Meliys never picked picked her up or reached towards her unless she was going to test her or punish her.

"Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable." he said as he stood up. "Well, uh... I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"Meliys." she said with a frown

"Meliys," he repeated slowly. How hard Aelato tried to keep from doing so with any trance of hatred for the she-elf. On the outside, he smiled again. "Well, Meliys. Now, I believe, we can begin to discuss a price." He sat once more, looking at Yudi with outward awe and hidden concern. I will get you out of here... Aelato spoke to the young dragon in their tongue with his Telepathy.

"Now your speaking my language." Meliys said sitting down across from the stranger. "Any your name is?" She asked on idly wondering why Yudi was suddenly looking around panicked.

Yudi had not been raised with dragon and didn't learn her native language. When she heard the strange language in her head she looked around frantically to try and find where the voice came from. It sounded so weird being spoken directly into her head. Eventually she gave up and covered her head with her paws as if that would prevent it from happening again.