Leander shifted slightly, snuggling as close to Talis as he could. His blue eyes fluttered slightly, and a yawn escaped his lips as he fought the fog of sleep wrapped around his mind. Gradually the dragon became aware of just how sore he felt. It was a good kind of sore though, and the memory of how he'd gotten that way made Leander smile. He lifted his head to press a shy kiss to the other dragon's lips.

"Thank you, Talis." He couldn't say why exactly he was so grateful. Leander felt like something momentous had just happened, and it had ... but in so many more ways then he could even explain to himself. It was hard to imagine actually leaving, like he knew he had to. Harder to imagine that morning then it had been the day before, and the one before that.

Leander shifted, Talis looked down at him, suddenly afraid the other might be cross at him. He hadn't even asked, he had just taken the little dragon's body and dominated it completely. The shy kiss dissipated all of Talis' fears that the other would hate him now, that slow, easy smile spread across his lips when Leander thanked him. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll draw you a bath, a warm one will help the soreness." Hesitantly, slowly, Talis slipped from Leander and the bed to head into the bathroom that belonged to his room. He got a towel and hung it on the rack for the other, and then began to fill the tub up with warm water. Well perhaps a little hotter than a human could stand, but he was sure Leander could handle it. It was the temperature Talis usually showered at. As the tub filled, he stepped out of the bathroom and just leaned in the doorway, looking at Leander. Wondering how different things would have been if they had met under different, better circumstances. This couldn't happen again. Talis couldn't do that with Leander again. Especially not in this place. He had no money at all to show for the two nights he had spent with Leander.

A content, somewhat tired, smile made Leander's lips curve up at the other dragon's words. A bath sounded wonderful right then. When Talis shifted away to put his words into play, Leander fell against the mattress with a small sound of protest. It was cold all of a sudden, and kind of lonely without Talis right beside him.

Shaking his head, he watched curiously as the other dragon went about preparing the thing humans called a bath. Such a to do, for a miniature hot spring held in porcelain. Leander stood smoothly, or tried to. His feet didn't seem to want to work very well. His legs wobbled a bit but he managed to make his unsteady way into the bathroom.

Suddenly getting into the bath was a little daunting, but somehow Leander managed to clamber inside. The heat was welcome, eliciting a pleased sigh from the sore dragon. "You're so nice to me, treating me like a treasure ..." He felt bad for not being able to do the same. Leander's mind wandered slightly, searching through memories of precious stones. Bringing one to Talis would make the other dragon happy, wouldn't it? The other man had mentioned not having much of a hoard of his own, so that piece to start it all off was going to be a wonderful present. Decision made, Leander was finally able to truly relax, letting his limbs fall softly into the water. Only his head remained out of the warm liquid, and his blue eyes stared up at Talis with gratitude.

Talis watched as Leander moved, inwardly he winced at how stiff the other's movements were. Perhaps he had gotten a bit too carried away last night? Still, Leander seemed perfectly at peace with it. Talis was ready to catch the other if he happened to slip or get to wobbly on those legs. Then Leander was sliding down into the water easily on his own, that easy smile was on Talis' lips again. "Silly, you are a treasure. The most important treasure in the world." Talis knelt down next to the tub, resting his arm on the edge. For a moment he looked thoughtful, and then he began explaining to Leander in great detail various things about the modern human world. Things he thought the dragon ought to know.

Though a lot were things the other would or should experience for himself. He explained about electricity and indoor plumbing. How the toilet and sink worked as well as other important things. The water had gone cold by the time he was done explaining things, and it was past time for Talis to begin his day's work really. "You can come watch me dance again if you want, but we won't be able to spend the night together again." He pulled the towel from the rack and held it out to dry the other off when he stepped out of the tub.

Leander laughed at being called that, shaking his head. He didn't deny it though. A warm feeling in his heart had begun a slow burn, it was a flame really, and it was there because of Talis. When the other dragon began explaining about humanity, he listened about their wondrous discoveries, though the price at which they'd come saddened him, and tempered the happiness he felt whenever he was with the other man.

The blue eyed dragon shivered in the cold water, and started climbing out. When Leander heard the dark haired dragon's words, his slippery feet made him lose his balance. He fell to the ground with a crash and a groan, limbs splayed about haphazardly. Leander didn't move, but simply stared at the ceiling instead. He didn't want to be just a face in the crowd watching Talis dance ...

When Leander fell, Talis moved to catch him. Missing by only centimeters. He flinched inwardly and was quickly lifting the other up into his arms. He held Leander close and tight. "Are you alright?" He nuzzled the man in his arms gently and slowly set him down on his feet, before wrapping the towel around him. "You should be more careful." There was a slight frown on his lips, concern in his voice, and a fear that Leander might have greatly hurt himself in those golden eyes. Talis gave Leander a brief inspection to make sure nothing was damaged, that his lover wasn't hurt. Talis blinked, was it really fair to think of Leander as his lover? It had been one night, but Talis didn't like thinking of his life without Leander in it. Those arms wrapped around the other dragon and he pulled him close, holding him tightly. "Things are complicated, and I know you don't understand, but we just can't be together every night."

Leander sniffed slightly, even as he was picked up and held close against Talis. Once upon his feet again, he peered up at Talis with a hint of hurt and confusion in his blue eyes. What he saw in the other dragon's eyes had some of the hurt fading away, helped along by the caring way Talis wrapped up Leander to keep him warm. "I didn't think you wanted to spend any other nights with me. You said we couldn't spend nights together again..." Talis was right, he didn't understand. Sighing slightly, the smaller dragon shifted to tuck his head under Talis's chin, pressing his lips against the other man's throat in an apologetic way.

"Leander, you are the most important treasure in the world. I want to spend every moment with you, but I can't. I have...obligations." It was the only way he could say it without telling. Leander really didn't need to know what this place was, what Talis really did. "Besides, you can come and visit me, we just can't be together every night." He held Leander gently, reaching up to run a hand through the other's hair softly. "Please, trust me." He spoke the words softly, and placed a light kiss on the top of Leander's head. "Now I have to get to work, and you should go call upon your kin. Be with them when you can't be with me, and be glad there are still dragons in this world." Slowly, he began to pull away from Leander.

Reassured by the other dragon's words, Leander pulled back and smiled up at his lover. "I trust you Talis. Especially after what we shared last night. You .. you're a treasure too in my eyes." Blushing slightly, the younger dragon's eyes fell to the floor. He gave Talis another quick hug, and then he was pulling on his clothing again and hesitating by the doorway. Leander didn't want to leave yet, though he knew Talis probably had a lot of work to do.

Talis shook his head slightly. "I'm not a treasure." But he smiled sweetly at Leander, watching the other get dressed. Talis didn't move for his own clothes until Leander hesitated by the doorway. He slipped into his own clothing, a different outfit than last night, but just as revealing. He moved to Leander, and kissed him softly for a moment. "Will you come back to watch me dance?" It was a dangerous game Talis was playing at. Certainly Leander would find out the things Talis didn't want him to find out if he kept coming back, and Talis would be punished in some form for continuing to invite Leander back. Especially if Leander asked to spend the night with him again, Talis wouldn't be able to tell him no.

All he could do was nod as he tried to catch his breath. Talis did tend to steal his breath away it seemed. "I'll come back to watch," murmured the younger dragon at last. He smiled, and hugged Talis quickly, before walkign away. He could feel eyes on him, but he was too happy to care as he sauntered away.

Once he was sure the coast was clear, on the far outskirts of the city, he flew back to the mountains ins his draconian shape. The stones were singing. With each beat of his wings, the dragon heard more songs calling out to be sung. One rang clear, so much more beautiful then the others. Leander tilted his wings and dove into the cavern, crawling through the tunnels left behind by others, to reach that tone. He started singing to match the song, and soon he had found a beautiful gem of white.

That would suit Talis, he thought.

Talis let Leander slip away, and his body tensed slightly. He waited a few minutes before he exited his room to begin his day full of work. He was almost certain the manager would come yelling at him sometime today, but that probably wouldn't happen until later. When the midday business slowed down and it was almost time for Talis to get ready for dancing, so he had a few hours of servicing before he would get screamed at. Though he couldn't but wonder if the manger would just scream at him. The man had been known to get violent at times with his 'employees'.

Light flickered through the crystal as the dragon began to sing. It took a few moments for his voice to resonate with the diamond's tone. In fact, it took much longer then it should have.

No one had ever taught Leander how to shape diamonds with his voice, and certainly not how to pull one from the mountainside. At least he knew the basics, that was more then his younger clan mates could say.

The three other dragons had moved through the caverns, drawn by his song, to watch in fascination as the blue eyed dragon sang to the stone. They had never been taught how to do such a thing.

Leander began to explain what he was doing quietly, as best he could. "Before you can sing, you must listen. Each stone is unique, and has a voice of it's own. What you must do is try to match the tone with your own. Only then can you make the stone fall from the earth, or shape it into a sculpture."

He'd heard the words so often, spoken in his mother's crooning voice. That wouldn't happen anymore. Shaking his head, he continued his slow work. A small chime rang out, and at last the diamond fell. It was small, yes, but well shaped and glad not to be obscured by dirt anymore, or at least Leander got that sense.

He cleaned it, then gather the stone up into his claws, along with another. He remembered how humans loved the pretty gems, maybe he would be able to sell one to get new clothing. Leander knew he would be spending more time in his human form.

Soon he was taking flight, headed towards the human city once more. The dragon landed, taking his human shape, and then ran down the slope with a glad smile upon his face. It didn't take long before Leander was walking into the entertainment place he'd first walked into, under the wrong impression that it was an inn. He fiddled a little with the gems he held in his hand, hidden within the pocket of his breeches. He couldn't wait to see if Talis would like the stone he'd found to help the other dragon begin a hoard anew.

It was evening, not quite time for him to take the stage, and he was done with all his daytime clients. So Talis stood behind the bar serving drinks, mostly because he was bored, and he made very good tips doing that. The customers in this place seemed to love him greatly, and he wasn't entirely sure why. There were prettier dancers here, prettier 'employees'. It probably all had to do with his attitude. Outside the bedroom he acted as if he couldn't care less about these people that tossed money at him. Inside the bedroom he acted as if he always only had eyes for them, as if they were the most important thing in his life. It was a lie of course. The only important thing in his life was Leander, and before Leander, there had been almost nothing. There had been several things, people in his long life, but they were all gone now. None of them had been dragons.

Golden eyes blinked as Leander slipped into the establishment, Talis saw him, but wasn't sure Leander had seen him. It was dangerous, he needed to stop this. Inviting Leander back night after night but he just couldn't help himself. Those eyes caught sight of Ricardo, the club owner and manager, the man motioned for Talis to follow him. Most likely to a back room or the manager's office or maybe even to Talis' own room. It was almost time for him to change and dance. With a sigh and an expression of indifference, Talis set down the glass he had been wiping and moved to follow Ricardo. Ready and expectant of whatever punishment the man was going dole out upon him.

The dragon glanced about and smiled when he saw a familiar form. He began to follow, without knowing that Talis was also following another. Leander couldn't wait to see how the other dragon would react to having the beginning of a hoard again, though small that beginning was. It was still much better then nothing at all.

His fingers danced across the hard stones as he walked, buoyed by the fact that he had begun to teach others how to sing, and that he was about to see Talis again. There was so much to tell the other dragon about his day! Though disappointingly, the pale dragon knew that he wouldn't have very much time to spend with the busy dancer.

Ricardo led Talis into the hallway that led to the bedrooms. They went to the end of the hallway though, and there Ricardo grabbed Talis by the arm and shoved him against the wall at the end of the hall. So now Ricardo's back was to the approaching Leander, and he loomed over Talis angrily. The Spaniard was glaring at the dragon, and Talis merely stared back with a calm, cold look.

"Two days, no money in two days. What's gotten in to you boy?" He still had a tight grip on Talis' arm, but not tight enough to bruise. He couldn't risk damaging his main money maker. "This is a business, you'll work double tonight, to make up for the money you lost the past two nights. This happens again, I won't be so lenient with you." He released Talis arm, drew his hand back and slapped the golden eyed dragon hard across the cheek. With enough force that Talis' head turned all the way to the side and if his back hadn't been pressed to the wall already he would have stumbled back some. Talis hadn't made a sound, but Ricardo seemed satisfied.

The club owner turned and shouldered past Leander, glaring daggers at the blue eyed dragon as he past. Talis stood there, rubbing his cheek. The had print would most likely be gone by the time he took the stage, and if not, make up could cover it. Those golden eyes had found Leander, the expression in them a bit unreadable, but that easy going smile had found Talis lips. He was quiet though, not quite sure what to say to Leander. He was ashamed, but only because another dragon had seen him get bullied by a human. A mere human. Talis hid that shame well though, it didn't show in his features at all.

Leander watched wide eyed as the human treated Talis in such a horrible way. How could the other dragon let himself be handled like that, and by a human? Even in their weaker forms, they were stronger then the humans. It was a simple fact. Even more so then this, the words the human spoke sent a feeling of shock through Leander, so much so that he couldn't find it in him to react when the man shouldered roughly past him.

"I got you into trouble, didn't I?" So Talis had been supposed to be working when he'd spent time with Leander. The blue eyed dragon was beginning to understand why the other dragon insisted that they couldn't spend each night together. He wanted to help Talis, but Leander didn't know how.

Shaking his head slightly, the younger dragon moved forward, hand held out with the diamond he'd sung plainly visible in his palm. "I-I sang a stone for you, to start a hoard again." Though if the human man saw the precious stone, Leander was sure the human would steal it away.

"No, I got myself in to trouble." He moved forward, towards Leander. When the other held his hand out with the diamond in it, Talis reached for it. He took the stone and held it gently, peering at it closely for a moment before he placed it back in Leander's hand. "It's a beautiful stone." His hands moved to take Leander by the hips and suddenly Talis was crushing his lips against Leander's. Hard and passionately, need and desire. For a few moments, Talis couldn't stop himself, couldn't break the kiss. Slowly he managed to pull away. "You're far more beautiful though, but I would be honored to accept your gift." He touched his lips to Leander's forehead, there was no place to hide the gem though. No place Ricardo wouldn't find it and though Talis could give it to the club owner, he certainly would not. It was a gift from his lover, it was important and special. "It needs a special place, the special gift from my lover. Could you keep it safe for me until I can find a special, perfect place for it?" He spoke the words quietly, but sincerely."Humans are greedy and I dare not keep something that precious here where one of them, especially the one you just saw, might find it."

Leander couldn't decide whether to smile or to frown. He wanted nothing more then to sweep away Talis's troubles, but he couldn't think of how to do so. The human world was a strange one, full of rules and obligations that made no real sense. Talis had gotten too caught up in it, and now he was catching Leander like a butterfly, though the net was the other dragon's lips. Instinctively Leander pressed himself close, shifting and tilting his head to let the other dragon do as he willed with him.

The moment ended all too soon, to Leander's mind. There was no time to regret, not with the tender gesture and words Talis spoke. In a way, Leander liked such things even more then the more passionate side Talis showed. It let the pale dragon see that the other man cared. "I understand." Leander smiled. "I wish I could show you the caves where I got it... Won't you come and fly with me some time?" He was nearly oblivious to the double entendre of his words, nearly but not quite. Either way, it would be wonderful to show Talis his mountain home.

Another kiss was pressed to Leander's forehead. "I would love to fly with you." If only Leander truly know how badly Talis wanted to fly, especially to fly with another dragon. To fly and maybe even do the aerial mating dance. A beautiful dance. For a moment Talis shivered and then he touched his lips to Leander's cheek. "The first chance I get, I will fly with you." But that chance, it probably wouldn't come for a very long time. Talis took Leander's hand and led him into his bedroom. He needed to get changed for the dance, and he didn't see any reason why Leander couldn't spend the time it would take changing with him. Talis wasn't looking forward to after the dancing. Ricardo said he would have to work double tonight, that meant far more clients than usual in one night. He could handle it, he had the stamina for it, but he didn't want to do it at all. It was only Leander he wanted to do those things with now. For half a moment Talis frowned, then his face was a mask of indifference. He was certain Ricardo would make him work double tomorrow as well. He probably wouldn't even get to dance tomorrow night. "I might not be dancing tomorrow night." He spoke the words softly, almost carefully.

[COLOR="RoyalBlue] Leander smiled softly. He couldn't help but do so when his heart fluttered against his chest every time Talis spoke. The other dragon was wrong. Leander couldn't imagine any treasure greater then time spent together, a time which wasn't cut short as he was tugged along into the other man's bedroom. He settled down to watch as Talis began to prepare himself for that night's performance.

He couldn't wait to see the other dragon dance. It was almost as beautiful as he thought the dark haired man's flight might look like. Though then, Leander imagined, Talis would look magnificent, majestic and mesmerizing. Those thoughts froze and slipped away quick as they'd come into being. "So you aren't working tomorrow?" That was after all Talis's job, wasn't it? [/COLOR]

The skirt and half top Talis pulled on was black, as most of his things seemed to be that color, but were decorated with silver bells and silver discs. They tinkled and jingled as he moved. The costume looked and most likely was a belly dancer outfit. The dance tonight would be more in that style. "No, I'll be working, I just won't be dancing." He moved towards the bathroom, to inspect his face and see if the hand print was still there. "Dancing isn't the only thing I do, I also serve drinks sometimes, and give special one on one service to the very important customers. Anything to keep them happy and coming back. Sometimes all that means is I dance privately for them." Private dance, it was the best way he could word it. He truly did not want Leander to know what he really did. He winced lightly as he gingerly touched the hand print on his cheek. It was fading but not as fast as he would have liked. Talis reached for the make up to hide the marking.

His eyes followed Talis's movements as he spoke. It was fascinating to watch the dragon dress, and those bells made Leander want to sing along with their chiming.

When the import of Talis's words finally slipped into his mind, he sighed. He was disappointed to know that the next day his time with the other man would be even briefer. "It seems like you're pretty important here." Important and cherished, by the customers at least. The human man from earlier, why thinking of him actually had Leander making a small growling noise at the back of his throat. It was so unusual for him that he stopped immediately with a sheepish face. He didn't like thinking of anyone harming Talis, and he didn't know what would happen if he found out that was the case. Probably jump in to protect the other dragon...

"I'm not important. Not really, but the customers seem to prefer me over most of the others." He shrugged slightly, grimacing a bit as he covered the hand print with the make up. Soon he was jingling his way back out of the bathroom to stand close to Leander. "It might be a good idea if you didn't come to see me tomorrow." Talis frowned deeply, as if the very thought was very upsetting to him, and it was really. He was sure his words would upset Leander and he really didn't want to upset the other. He reached out to hug him gently, to hold him close. "I won't have much time for myself tomorrow, so I really won't have time for visitors. No matter how badly I want to see you." He nuzzled Leander gently.

His face fell, and the usual spark in his blue eyes seemed to fade a little. He wanted very much to see the other dragon again the next day... Instead of speaking, he reached out to hug the other man tightly. Leander didn't know very much about Talis, hut he trusted and believed in the dark haired dragon without questioning anything. Really, Leander was naive and setting himself up to have his heart broken, even though he had no idea what was truly going on, or rather because of that.