“I had been finding that no one really knew what I was talking about when I spoke of them. at first I thought it was just that they did not know the dragon god’s in this world.” He waved at her as if to say ‘but if you a worshiper of one does not know.’ “well until that more powerful person is found I am left here living by skills that I never had planned to use for much of anything.” His eyebrow raised at the talk of going to the dragons for help. He had never thought that there were dragons to go ask for help in the frist place. Red Mother and Blue Father were just God’s not flesh and blood so he would have never thought to talk to them in the flesh. The Pearl dragon was just his grand sires title not what he really was. He too had been human once so Alex never thought of him as a full fledge dragon, just another were dragon.

With a raised eyebrow he listened on to her talk of not going and seeing different types of dragons. “your telling me that this world still had full blooded dragons? Not just mages that call themselves dragons and take the form of them?” His eyes shifted from the gold to a deep teal with lighter teal flakes in them. “you seem to know so much, can you tell me all the color in this land and what they are like? And if it comes down to traveling half way acrossed this world just to find a way home I will.”

"I've heard rumors that a Dragon War is starting to rise, It would be... unwise to delve too deep into things till it's known to be safe. As for the dragons themselves. They can be classified between those that are lawful and good, the Metallic Dragons of Bronze, Silver, Copper, Brass and the powerful Gold dragons as well as the more chaotic and evil Chromatic Dragons of Blue, White, Brown, Green and more evil and powerful of the Chromatic Dragons... Red Dragons. Metallic Dragons never do anything truly vile, and if they devour or attack most beings it's because they are defending themselves, and possibly that foe was evil in nature. Chromatic Dragons are the opposite. They raze villages to the ground and consume all they see before them if they want. Most of the reasons are to show their power amongst the others of their color, to prove they are more worthy of being feared. This is all a generalization, as there are those rare moments were a Dragon doesn't follow the inherent nature of it's Color, but it's almost unheard of with Chromatic Dragons."That's why I ran."All dragons have some ability to take human forms. But you will rarely see a Chromatic Dragon do so as it could be seen as being weak and leave them open for an attack by others of your color."

Alexandria quickly realized that she was rattling on, just talking without truly thinking. She had noticed multiple times during her explanation that a few passerby's gave her a weird look for doing so with the rumors of the war on the horizon. She wasn't even fully sure if that rumor was true, but had a feeling something was going to happen in the near future. "I am sorry for that. Even if it was an over simplification of each; I went a bit overboard with that explanation. It appears that dragons are vastly different here then from were you are from. I hope I didn't not overburden you with details on this." Alexandria then heard what she was waiting for this entire time out of the pub, a soft rolling of thunder from the distance. You'd think I'd hate that rain... She looked up at the sky.

“A dragon war? As in Dragon fighting Dragons?” his eyes shifted from teal to silver, which while it might have been a bit unnerving it was also rather beautiful. “that is not going to go well for the villagers and town folk below them.” looking to the sky he looked back around them to see where he had lead them. nearby he saw the sign of a fish jumping over a falling star and smiled. “I think it might be better if we talked about dragons and war in a more privet place. For now I hope you like fish.” Taking her hand as the frist of the large drops started to fall he pulled her into the Fallen Stars fish house.

Along one side of the well light room was a counter with small crates of fish ready to be bought. The selection was not as well stocked as it would have been in the morning. Along the back wall was a simple kitchen set up where the fish that had been bought could be cooked up for the customer. Around the room there was only a few people eating and most of them had their heads down and were not looking at who came in. “not what I usually would get for a dinner but it works and with the rain I don’t know how far we are going to get before we look like rats fallen off a boat.” Walking over to the fish basket he picked up one and smelled it, putting it down he picked up another one. After a few disappointments he found two that he liked the smell of.

“how do you like your fish cooked?” he asked as he payed for the fish and moved over to the kitchen half of the eating house.

"Believe me, I fear for many peoples lives if that were to come." She replied before being led in the Fallen Stars. It was rather quiet, very few people chatting away as they entered. It didn't seem to bother her as he began to examine the fish carefully, small conversations picked up again. "I rather like the rain. It never hindered me being out, even if it was as if the land would flood." She admitted as he settled on two. She noticed the glances of a few as they entered the other half, hoping for a quiet meal this time.

"I am not partial to any certain way of cooking fish. I tend to enjoy it regardless." That was one thing she was glad for is the abundance of fish within the area. It was a meal she would gladly take over anything else, but it was also because that's what her family tended to dine on regularly in all manor of ways. The thoughts back on that unnerved her, as she remembered that Chromatic Dragons had gain a hierarchy and if that was ever revealed, it could spell panic to the cities and towns on this world. I will not follow their rules blindly.

“war is never as glories as the bards make it sound in their songs. Things happen out there that can make a man fear the shadows.” And the little kids that come running up to him at his front door. He mentally sighed as he thought of the wounded service men returning home after the war and seeing their children run to them only to flash back to the moment before the IED took the young child that carried it to kill the men. He had seen a few of them after the last battle in the middle east, hollow eyed sitting at the corner of the streets and pulling in on themselves as children run by laughing. Flakes of brown colored his eyes as he remembered. “the rain can be nice when you have a warm place to go after, where you can sit by a fire and drink a good hot drink.” He said not really thinking on what he said.

Turning back to the cook he told her how to prepare the fish then turned back to smile at Alexandria. “I like mine in an odd manner. They have grown accustomed to me making an order so they know how to bread it.” Before she could ask what he meant by breading it he pointed to the lady as she took the chopped up bits of fish and tossed them into the flour. “the Flour there has a mix of spices that I pay for and then she will toss it in a small vat of pig fat. Not exactly how I would have done it in my homeland but it is as close as they can do it here.” The brown faded from his eyes as he lead Alexandria to a corner table away from the others in the room. “she will bring it out to us when its ready.” He had grabbed two tankerds of a brown liquid that did not smell like beer, ale or rum.

She waited until they took their seat before starting to bring up a question, letting him lead and talk for the time being. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she'd prefer to stay in the rain, also that she wouldn't be cold from it in the first place. "You seem to have a story about those fearing shadows. I'm sure we all do to some degree. War is never a kind mistress, even to those that revel in the thrill of going into battle. We all gain scars, some that we do not show upon taking the field of battle." She looked at the tankard, wondering what sort of drink this was. "But the field of battle isn't only extended to fighting. Politics can turn into a gruesome affair as well."

“I have worked with those that were returning from a brutal war. One where the enemy would use children to carry spells designed to exploded and destroy both the child and all around them.” shaking his head sadly he went on as he took a sip of the Mulled Cider. “some were so bad that any child, even their own that came towards them would have them so scared they could not move. The mind healers could do nothing for them but lock them away where they would not see children ever again.” His eyes tuned a deep blue as they slowly seemed to spin. “I would work with them and try to make them able to deal with kids. But some never got better.”

At that moment a older lady walked over and set the breaded fish in front of them with a try of vegetables as well. “its good to see you tracker.” She smiled kindly at both of them. “I hope you two are having a good evening,” reaching out she pulled a splinter of wood from between the hood and jacket. “though it looks like you got into a fight resently.”

"I cannot say then that I understand the pain or suffering any of them could of gone through." Alexandria looked at her drink, taking a deep breath as she took a drink of it. She looked up as the older lady approached them, glad to see an accepting face. "Life in the city can be bother adventurous and good I guess." Giving the lady a warm smile in return. "Thank you." She bowed her head slightly as she looked down at the meal that was placed before them. It smelled delicious, a new take on her favorite meal.

Alex smiled sheepishly at the older woman and shrugged. “it happens when adventures think that a red head is fair game for harassment.” The woman shook her head before turning and walking to another table to check on how they were doing. Turning back to Alexandria he took a piece of carrot and fish and popped it into his mouth. “What do you think of the Mulled Cider? Some of the best I have tasted here in Waterdeep. But then she usually does not serve drinks here, she tells the person asking to go over to Gold Serpent street and pick up the drink from the tavern there. I found out that she offers the Cider if you pay into the harvest of the apples that are shipped here.”

Looking around he saw a few faces that he knew on sight but did not know the names of the people. one of them was his usual drinking buddy, he frowned. Last he had heard the young man had been off to make his fortune, now he looked like he was at the end of his rope. Alex would have to find out what had happened, later.

"The Cider is among the best I've had. I can see why they are cautious about who gets to drink it. If everyone could try then the supply would surely dry up quickly." Letting herself take a bit of the food, her eyes widened just a little bit. "This... is fantastic. Of all the dishes I have had none have come close to this." Pray Izzella doesn't hear me say that. "Fish has been a popular dish for me, I eat it whenever the chance arises. I believe I have found a new preparation I can enjoy to the fullest."

Alex smiled as his eyes his eyes turned golden. “I can teach you how to make it if you get a place here in town that you can cook at. My land lord will not allow much to be cooked in the fire places.” He sighed and ate a few more pieces, closing his eyes in happiness. He did not speak for a bit as he just enjoyed the food and drink. “he says that it is a danger to his building if we cook on the fires in the rooms. We are only allowed to heat water for baths.” Not that my neighbors take many of those.

“so where will you be looking for lodgings tonight?” as asked the question not because he needed to know just to keep the conversation going. He did not realized that he had been wanting some one to talk to for some time now. Maybe they might be friends as time passed. Already all thoughts of hunting her and bringing her to the men was gone from his mind. That small part at the back of his mind knew he would have to pay back the money they had given him as a retainer fee, but he was not to worried. He had enough set aside that he could live a month or so on what he had without a job. But he would be looking at lean times.

"That is such a shame, There is so many amazing things to be had with the proper means to cook." Alexandria smiled as she took another bite, "At least they allow heating water for that. I could not see going for so long without bathing. After doing so much, It is almost necessary that I tend to my own needs occasionally. But that is getting off topic I suppose." She rubbed her neck nervously, before shaking her head to keep her thoughts straight. "I was going to look for lodgings near the north part of the city. When daylight hits, I want to go take on this job quickly to start earning myself come coin. I do not plan to stay within the city for long, if I am able to succeed in my goal of obtain coin to begin my journey eastward."

“It is, in my homeland I had a nice little kitchen that I could cook whatever I wanted to cook, I got to be pretty good at cooking, or so I have been told by my friends back there.” His eyes once again shifted to the deep blue. “and as for baths,” he shuddered. “Some of the others in my building seem not to know what a bath is. They seem to have a layer of grime on them that hides all the pock marks and scars. I am surprised that I don’t have a lice infestation, along with bed bugs. I had some fleas in my rooms till I found some Herbs that seemed to drive them off. Some of them were large enough I was afraid that they were going to take out cards and start playing for crumbs.” He snickers at his joke, and then hoped she would understand that it was a joke. She had never heard of the Roaches in New York being the size of small dogs.

“so where are you trying to go that is East if you don’t mind?” if she was heading eastward maybe he could tag along with her and they could find a dragon that could help him get back home. Once he met a dragon if they could find one that did not take offence, or think him after their hoard, he could show that he was partly one of them and then they might help him. His eyes once again turned Teal.

"Playing cards for crumbs. I'm sure you could bargain with them for a good show somewhere within the city." She smirked slyly, "But I know little of playing cards, only that of Tarot. Pray we never see a deck of those laying around." She grumbled before shaking her head. "I could not honestly tell you were I am headed, for I have no destination in mind. Anywhere but here, that is all I can say for now." I'd rather not start a commotion, people may believe there is a reward out for me.

“I do not think I could have gotten them to go with me to show them off. Don’t get me wrong I had thought f that. I once heard of a lady that had breed flea’s to do circuses acts.” Taking the last bit of veggie he pointed to the last bit of fish. “do you want that or may I have it?” he said before nibbling on the veggie. “you do Tarot? Had not seen anyone using those around here. The last fortune teller I saw had a deck of Dragon Anty that she was using for that propose. I once had a friend that did Tarot, she gave up on trying to do a reading for me when the cards never read the same.” I would love to see what you made of it, not that anyone has ever gotten a good reading on one of us that I know of.

“do you think you might head towards those dragons you talked about?” something about the way she moved made him think that she might be concerned about those that were looking for her. “I have not traveled far from Waterdeep and don’t want to try on my own. I may fight well in a tavern but when it comes to some of the big stuff out there I don’t think I could take it down all by myself.” In dragon form I could, “ I don’t know enough of the local fauna to know what is hostile and what is not. for all I know I would think some dangers animal is friendly and get eaten. I need a local and we seem to fight well together.”

"Have it, I am good." She had finished with what she had, and felt good for now. She wasn't sure if she should try to explain what she was referring to. Few decks were not cursed, but those unfortunate to run into those magically empowered decks could face horrible fates. In her silence of thought, he asked the other question. "A partner in travel sounds like a grand idea. I'm sure going on my own wouldn't be bad, but to have company can easy the quiet and loneliness." She sighed, "Maybe we can find those dragons." I pray they accept me. "But I must say one thing, Do not think I am easy. Our fighting styles are compatible but I am not looking for that sort of partner."I'm haven't even considered that in my lifetime. She hoped he realized what she was referring to, and not oblivious to that fact in her speech.

Snagging the last piece of fish he smiled and slowly nibbled on it as he sighed. As he listened to what she had to say about partnering and not being interest in being bedfellows he blushed, a hint of orange seepend into his eyes. “I would never think of that, you can find your own lovers or bed mates.” His voice wavered as he spoke. “I only look for some one that I work well with that I could trust to not kill me in my sleep. I have found I can tell more about a person by the way they fight in a tavern brawl then by what they say, and you would not try to kill me unless you had a good reason to do so. I only look for a Shield Brother not a Shield Mate.” Infact I would not look to you as a Mate, I don’t think you would be open to leaveing this world for me anyways. standing he waved to the cook and offered his arm to her.

“I have not been looking for a Shield Mate in this world for I don’t think any would want to go to my home world if I found a way back. And that is my main goal at this time, to find a way home.” Stepping out into the rain he looked up into the sky and let the rain wash over him. the light from the torch barely caught the flick of a second lid slide over his eyes to protect them from the rain as he looked up. Looking back down at her he smiled, the color of his eyes muted with the lid. “now that we have covered that, to save you money would you like to come back to my place and crash in my rooms? I have enough blankets to make up a second bed on the floor and you can have the bed.” He wondered if she would open up a bit more once she was out of the open.

"To leave this world. I doubt that would be even possible for me." She muttered aloud without realizing it, having followed him towards the rain. She was to a point, taking what he said to heart about it. It should be my choice, not that of birth. "My coin is limited, It's a choice between room and food. I do not want to be a burden upon you just so I could save myself some coin." I am still not sure if they are following me or not. Do I want to truly put this man in harms way. He is strong, but how would he fair in battle against any of my kind?

“do you need magic to live? I know my world is rather light on the magic, I know a few small spells that I can barely do there are easy here. I believe that if I took an elf home they would suffer from that lack of magic, their lives cut a lot shorter then it is here.” He did not realize that she had been talking quietly as if to herself when he made the comment. “do not worry about being a burden on me. I have put away some money to live on if I don’t have work. And if we are going to be helping each other go east then we might as well stat getting used to each other’s sleeping habits.” His eyes had settled to a gold green she had not seen in his eyes before this. If not for the gold they might have been any humans eyes.

Leaning in next to her ear he whispered. “and we can talk of things that others around us might not like to hear but one of us might be interested in.” he was referring to dragons and them going to war.

"I do not require magic."You do not need to know the full extent of my magic however... not yet. When he finished speaking then whispered to her, she came a realization. That conversation was put on hold and she knew he'd question her knowledge sooner or later on it. "Alright, To avoid the ears of those that do not need to hear it then it may be best if I accept your offer." She looked around, noticing the barren streets due to the rain. People run like rats when the smallest drops hit the ground. But at least I can understand with this being a bit heavier.

Smiling he took her hand again, tucking it into the crook of his arm and lead her down the street into Trade Ward. After a few twists and turns he led her to a simple building that looked to just be starting to lean on its neighbor. “home sweet home, only place in this city I felt was not trying to over charge me for the rooms that were in offer. I don’t like living so close to dock and south ward but there is a nice little book store just down there a few doors.” He pointed down towards the docks were a sign hung over a door way with a quill and book painted on it. Checking the area around he opened the door into the stairway of his building and then led her up the tight stairs to the third floor landing.

“I think this once was a guild hall but I am not completely sure. The way it was built you would not want it for your home but for shops its even more confusion.” He unlocked the door and lead her into his room. To the left of the main door was a wall with a large stone fireplace in it and a second door. to the right was a sideboard with cupboards and drawers below it. On top was a pitcher of water and a large basin. Directly in front of them was a small hide window and a screen that covered what looked to be a small tub. The room had three chairs that did not match but were of good repair if a bit over loved. “welcome to my humble home. I can promise you this, it is vermin free. No mice or rats have been within my walls since the first week I moved in. the fleas fled with the introduction of this,” he gently touched a bundle of leaves that hung from the rafters. As he touched them a sweet yet musky aroma filled the air. “take a seat any where you wish, if you need the necessary it is down the stairs and out the back door.”

"Depending on how long we are here, I may have to check the book store out." She was glad to see such a place nearby. It was too long since she found something to read. She was glad how quiet it seemed, and how few people were around as he opened up the led her inside. She listened carefully to him, taking a mental note of the guild hall in case that could be useful for a later time. "It's quiet nice." She replied honestly about his home, taking a look around. "I'm sure if there were, You wouldn't hide such a fact from me." She put her axe down in a location that was out of the way, not wanting it to get in their way. "I shall keep that in mind." Taking a seat, she glanced at him.

"So, You still have more questions for me to answer? I will try my best, but I must tell you I am not an expert on such facts." That's only half true... I'm an expert on what I was taught, which negates the other side of the conflict.

“you like to read? Not a common thing I have found with fighters, mages on the other hand are avid readers. I enjoy reading but don’t always find books that interest me. The writers here just don’t seem to be that involved with their subjects. I got a history once that I just could not read. He wrote it like it was cut and dry but that is not really history.” He shrugged as he smiled at her. “maybe I am to much in love with bardic tales to really understand history.” The last he recalled a teacher of his once telling him after he had complained that the author had been to dry in his writing.

“I would have no reason to hide the fact from you.” He looked over at her ax as he spoke. “in point of fact I would worry that you would use that on me if I hid it from you and you awoke to find one dinning on a crumb on your chest.” he was pleased that she found his home nice. A part of him whispered that he was preening for her but he dismissed it. Why would he preen for a human who would freak out when she awoke to him in dragon form? Not that he went moon mad like the Were-wolfs of this world did, he just had to take his dragon form for a few days a moon cycle.

“the questions I have are more of what have you been hearing that you fear a dragon war?” he said in a low tone. He did not want any of the neighbors to hear him, one never knew what might be heard at that moment between sleep and waking that would stick. Walking around the room he lit the few wax candles with a flick of his finger. It was a small magic that he felt he could explain away if she asked.

"Hit you, maybe. Attempt to kill you, definitely not." She didn't bat an eye to him using such magic, putting her hands to her knees while she took a deep breath. "Bahamut and Tiamat are the deities of opposite sides. When you worship one, You hear thing as they could affect you. Rumor is beginning to spread that Chromatic Dragons are amassing an army that could be used to try and take the Metallic Dragons directly. If such a thing is true, that does not bode well for anyone." They ARE amassing but to say that now would be worse then speculation. "With my faith, I plan to travel and learn what I can. If such a thing happens to be true and a war is on the horizon, then I must steel myself for what may come. Even those that do not see or experience the war will know. Despite which side wins, it can only end in a cataclysmic event that will change the face of everything we hold dear."

“why would they be amassing?” the green flowed into silver within his eyes as he sat down and looked over at her. His fingers slipping under the edge of his fingerless gloves, rubbing hard at the skin below. “from what I had been told of dragons they never work well with each other so how could they be amassing an army? Do they have humans they command that will fight for them?” then a thought struck him and his eyes seem to swirl faster. “would they hire bands of humans to fight their wars and then kill them off?” he had heard enough stories from the Pearl dragon to know that there were many a dragon out there that would promise to pay a set amount of their hoard to get rid of something and then brake their word and just eat the human, not that he could wrap his mind around eating human. “Should the Metallic dragons be warned that these rumors are flaying about or do you think they already know?” his words were coming faster and his accent was growing thick as he tired to fight the worry down. She knew what was going on and seemed not to be so worried as he was, but then did she really know what a dragon was like when it went to war?