Earthslasher swept his wings forward while Rance clung to the emerald dragon's back. It was one of those days, one of the ones he just wanted to run away from the responsibilities that rested upon his shoulders. The dragon landed gracefully, and settled down upon the mossy forest edge. "I'll be back in a while," said the bronze skinned man with a smile as he slid from his friend's back. Once his feet were firmly upon the ground, Rance ran. He let his feet take him where they willed, didn't think of where he was going.

Trees of an age far beyond what any other then the Dragon People might believe towered above everything. Moss flowed up their sides. Leaves and needles hampered sunlight, while also letting it through. Rance loved the smell of everything. It was so different, with the tang of pine needles and the smell of fresh earth, so different then the mountain air he was normally surrounded by.

Rance laughed as he ran full tilt.

He finished the curved basket-like bowl, covering its woven insides with thick, tough leaves so it was water-tight. He tied a thick woolen thread to the loop he'd woven onto its end and tossed it into the gently flowing stream. Not only did he catch clean water, but a few small fish were swept up in the speedy water as well, and Roma smiled, pulling it out and away from the water. He'd called this little clearing home for a few days now, finding no danger to hide from or civilizations nearby to worry about offending in any way. Pulling the basket onto the flat, soft grass, he left it lying there and shrugged out of his robe. It was deep green, and hid away the length of his long blonde hair, which he kept braided to stay out of his way. Lying it on the grass, Roma curled up on top of it, turning his face up to the sky.

He thought he saw a bird. Maybe it was too big to be a bird. A dragon, or a griffin. He liked griffins. They seemed to like him too, and were never hostile when he approached. Smiling a little to himself, Roma closed his eyes and sighed. Tomorrow he would have to move... He wasn't sure where he'd be going, but it would be somewhere... different. Perhaps he could find some warm clothes in a nearby town or village and start toward the mountains. There were so many places he had yet to see, and wanted to check some off his list.

Golden eyes widened. Narrowed. He let out a long breath and crept towards the sound of rushing water. It was a stream, and he'd seen ... something. Rance didn't know what, but he certainly intend to find out. Silent as could be, the bare chested man lowered himself as near to the ground as could be. On the tips of his toes, on hands and knees, he crept forward as soundless as could be. It could have been an animal. It could have been, but it wasn't. No, the thing he'd seen was a man, bare as the day he'd been born. Rance's lips lifted as he eyed the stranger appreciatively.

He stood and stepped forward. Rance brushed off the twigs and leaves that clung to hs dark hair, and deer hide pants. He had foregone wearing any kind of shoes. The dragon bonded looked as wild as he was in truth. "I see ' not the only one whose found the beauty of this area to be relaxing." Rance smiled.

His sleep was light, as it always was. Deep sleep came only when Roma found himself in a safe place, an inn or a cave, or somewhere he knew wild animals or other people wouldn't venture to do him harm. Here, while it was secluded and quiet, he had to be wary. And his catch could easily be stolen by an animal if he wasn't careful. Vigilant, even in sleep, a quick afternoon nap in the speckled sunlight that found its way through the trees.

When something shifted---something large, and odd---Roma opened his eyes and blinked around. He hadn't heard it until it was especially nearby, and then a voice... A human? He gasped, rolling back up in his robe and looking toward the source of the voice. He hadn't quite understood what it said, but it was deep and strong, definitely stronger than his. He found it quickly, however---it was between two large trees near the stream, and the owner of the voice hadn't disappointed. He was indeed large, and strong, and someone Roma wouldn't want to cross, ever. He crept toward his basket. "I'm sorry if I trespassed." He said quietly, an obvious tremor in his voice. Those like this man didn't exactly come across as the gentle, forgiving type.

"Trespass?" Rance laughed, and shook his head. "No, not at all. This forest is free for all to roam, so long as they respect it." Carefully, he stepped forward, just as he would with an antsy animal. The other man was obviously frightened, and out of sorts. Earthslasher's thoughts brushed lightly against Rance's. The dragon scented people approaching, and none of them were familiar. Rance stiffened and glanced about. The clearing was too open, too easily found, and there were those who had no love for the dragon people or for wanderers.

"Would you like to see a dragon?"

Roma blinked, moving to the side. He had wanted to stay for the night, but felt oddly watched. There was a strange power emanating from the man that didn't seem to belong specifically to him. Roma dragged the basket with him, dumping the water and the several fish out and into the stream again. Then he stiffened at the prospect of a dragon. "Um... No." He shook his head quickly. This felt oddly like a stranger trying to lure an unsuspecting child away from their parents with the promise of something special, a sweet or a rare animal. He wasn't a fool, and he wasn't a child. "I'll just... be off. I don't want to be a bother." He tied the basket onto his waist and stood upright, cinching his clothes.

Rance reached out, and clamped a hand around the other man's arm. "You won't be leaving just yet." He smiled. "The forest isn't safe for lone travelers, when night falls. "Trust me, you wouldn't be a bother." It wasn't everyday he came across anyone other then travelers descended from the ones who'd stolen the lands from his people, or those bonded to a dragon as he was. This man was different. Rance could sense it. There was a shy kind of energy about the stranger.The dragon rider didn't want to part from it just yet, and so Earthslasher lifted fro the ground to distract the others he had sensed.

The action was immediate, swift. He felt a hand on his arm, clamped like iron, and reacted thoughtlessly---a spark, a crackling strike of electricity, and he was free, bounding forward a bit when the hand reacted and loosened, clasping his arms around himself. "Please don't touch me." He tried and failed to sound stern, the waver in his voice giving away how uncertain he was. Probably not as much as his posture, curled in on himself and shaking a little. "I don't even know you---you could be... something, I don't know... a killer, or bandit. And dragons... they don't like me." He looked through the trees. Someone---more than one person---was nearby. Their little conversation would have to be cut short or both of them would have a fight on their hands. And Roma wasn't a fighter.

Rance shrugged. He shook his hand. That had stung. The electricity had been unexpected, the spark sending a shock through his system. A jolt of understanding. A mage, a sorcerer, a magic user, that was what the other man was. Earthslasher landed with a roar before them, blocking the clearing off effectively against the group who had wandered where they were unwanted. There were some screams, the usual scramble to leave an angry dragon behind.

Rance took the chance to walk forward. He took hold of the stranger again, and this time with both hands. "If I was a killer, I would already have shown myself to be one by now, and the same applies to being a bandit. No, I'm neither of those. In fact, you could say it is my duty to guard people against such things." Unless of course the bandit was forced to become a thief by uncontrollable circumstances.

Roma stumbled back with a gasp at the sudden appearance of the dragon the man was evidently talking about, scrambling over a lifted tree root. It evidently had something else in mind, rather than Roma himself, until he was grabbed again. "N-no, but who would kill someone or rob someone when they obviously have nothing to gain?" He clenched his hands to avoid another bolt of energy---something that could hurt the man more than a simple tingling. "N-no bandit would kill for no money, or food... T-they'd have... my clothes, my basket... My hair, I suppose, if they wanted it... But why waste your time with me? Who are you? I've never seen you here... If you make a habit of keeping people safe, I'm sure I would have seen you somewhere... at some time...?" His resolve was weakening where it was already eroded. He just wanted to collapse into a hiding place and wait until this dragon and his rider were gone, but he couldn't do that. He was being held fast.

Gently, Rance guided the long haired man towards the stream. He did like it, the sound of water, whether it was running, rushing or bubbling, there was magic to it. There was a song, when the water flowed. A song that couldn't be captured or imitated by anyone or anything. "My name is Rance, and I live on the mountains over there." He nodded towards the imposing landmarks with a grin. "I usually don't stray far from them. It's hard to get away from my obligations, but sometimes I do manage to sneak away."

The dragon settled down upon the ground, a sure sign that the intruders had departed. His tail flicked from side to side like a content cat's. Earthslasher was a sure echo of Rance's moods. He did certainly feel content. "Come now, are you always so nervous?" Slowly, he released the blond stranger once more.

Roma closed his eyes and let himself be led---as he always did. It was easy for others to have control of him, and apparently this man knew it. He, like everyone, figured that out within moments of meeting the young man, who could never fully find the courage or resolve to stand up for himself. He looked up to where the man---Rance, he called himself?---pointed. The mountains. The mountains he wanted to cross, to see what was on the other side. Curiosity had always drive him, after all. He swallowed and stepped back when he was released, crossing his arms and turning to face the water.

"I... Yes, I am." Roma stumbled over the words, feeling his face grow warm and visibly flush. "There... is a reason I'm alone..." He was afraid. Others were afraid. He wasn't cut out for life among others because he was far too shy. People would peg him a 'demon' if he dared practice his power. He had quite a huge list and there was no way he was going to list it all for this basic stranger and his pet dragon, who was keeping Roma on edge and jumpy. Every dragon he had ever come across took one look at him and either attacked him or snapped at him.

A large golden eye opened, and the dragon tilted his head to peer at the blond man. He snorted, and let his head fall again. Earthslasher didn't know what his friend had in mind. The green shifted, and dug his claws into the earth. The habit was how he'd earned his name.

Rance turned to face the other man squarely. "And what reason might that be? Won't you tell me?" He leaned forward and smiled seriously. A person who chose a life of loneliness? And one so easily swayed to do as he was told? The clan leader was intrigued.

Roma stared at the dragon's sharp claws. Claws that could rend him in a second, so effortlessly. He didn't like the look of those claws. Huge. Glass-like in their curled, jagged sharpness. "N-no." He said, shaking his head studiously. "I don't want to tell you." He looked down, at the ground as if something incredibly interesting were there instead of slightly muddy grass. "It's not unusual for someone to prefer to be alone, is it?" He asked suddenly. "Many do. Many like their lives as a solitary sort." His voice wavered, and Roma snapped his mouth shut.

Rance lifted a finger and pressed it against the other man's chin. Soft skin. This one hadn't seen too much hardship then, despite the fact that he preferred to travel alone, and to be alone. "I'm not one to be frightened easily, or turned away by anyone. I'll find out sooner or later why you it is you're so insistent on keeping this information tucked away." Rance glanced at Earthslasher. The dragon slid to his feet and used powerful claws to topple a dead tree. It took only a few moments for Slasher to have piled up a few of the branches. The dragon breathed a plume of fire on it, and settled down by the warmth with a sigh of satisfaction.

For his part, Rance tugged the stranger along as he approached the fire and the dragon. With a warning glance, he walked away and started rummaging through one of the packs slung across the dragon's back. From it he pulled some meat and bread. Enough for two. Later Slasher would go on the hunt, but not yet, not with someone new in the vicinity. Rance shook his head and grabbed some wood. He cleaned the branches and sharpened their ends, before stabbing them through slices of meat and sliding them into the fire. "Well, I hope you'll stay for food. Even you must have a hard time refusing such an offer."

Roma didn't react the way most would---run away from one's fears. His joints went slack and that let the stranger, Rance, to lead him effortlessly, more effortlessly than he would have originally. He crouched near the fire and turned his head away when Rance gave him a hard stare. As if he would run. He wouldn't with that domineering dragon around. There was no way he would be able to get away. He was more or less at the mercy of the man. A strong, no doubt fast, no doubt intelligent man. Roma would stand little chance because he refused, for the most part, to show his power, what he could do. He could use it against a human, but a dragon? He doubted that.

When Rance returned, he looked down and curled up on himself, arms wrapped around crossed legs and basket on the ground alongside him. "I don't..." He sighed, then looked at the fire that had been started easily. Something he could do. "I'm Roma." He muttered after a while of staring into the dancing flames.

Rance settled down. "What was that spark earlier? Is that what you're trying so hard to keep secret? That you can use magic?" He snorted, much like Slasher had done earlier. He shrugged his shoulders and watched the crackling flames, the meat slowly darkening. It smelled delicious. Of course he could have caught fish, but he had come prepared to be lazy. This was to be a holiday after all. A time reserved for fun and exploration.

"It is nice to know your name, Roma." He wondered. Was there a reason for such long hair? The other man certainly seemed to take care of himself, and to be comfortable enough with who he was, when alone.

Roma rubbed his hands together and stared at them. By a once-over, they didn't look as if they'd worked a day in their life. But he had worked each and every day, very hard, to sustain himself and keep the natural areas he called a temporary home looking as pristine and beautiful as they looked when he arrived. "Perhaps." He muttered simply, and reached back to pull his long braid over his shoulder, running his hands down the length of the gold rope.

He nodded simply. The fire was rather warm, somewhat unnecessary to be so close to, especially with the warmth of the day still pressed in around them. Roma made a steady effort not to look at Rance, however, or the dragon nearby.

With a roll of his eyes, Rance reached over and grabbed hold of the braid. It was long, thick and silky smooth. The dark haired man had never seen anything quite like it. Most of his people ran to dark hair, browns and blacks with some dark reds thrown into the mix. This hair was different, so much brighter. He lifted the twisted strands to his golden eyes with fascination. "You know, there aren't very many people with your coloring in these parts." This was Dragon territory. Most steered clear of it unless invited, or if they belonged to the people of dragons, either through birth or adoption.

Roma gasped, the sudden move Rance made stiffening him and making his head jerk to the side when he pulled the braid. Grimacing, Roma moved back and wrenched his hair out of the steely grasp, wrapping it around his other shoulder, further away from Rance's obviously very grabby hands. "Well... I did say I was only moving through..." He muttered shakily. "I know I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere. I've come to terms with that..." He blinked his eyes hard, turning them away and glaring at his handmade basket as it sat on the soft grass alongside him.

Rance shifted forward, falling to hands and knees. He crept forward. "Oh I'm sure there's somewhere you belong. " The man lifted one tattooed forearm. Quick as a snake, he placed his hand firmly atop Roma's as he leaned forward, his lips brushing against the other man's ear. "You could belong here, at least for a little while. For as long as you wish to be, if you decide it." Rance could sense Earthslasher's amusement, and part annoyance. The holiday he'd been searching for, the adventure, had fallen right into his lap. Rance grinned and pressed his lips quickly against soft skin before backing away to lounge by the fire, too warm for most considering the heat of the day.

Roma gasped and his heart leapt. Maybe he expected this---no, he had. A stronger, more sure of himself man knew when he could take advantage of someone, especially when they were not only reluctant to use their power, but absolutely terrified to. Nonetheless, Roma struggled back and shook hard, curling up into himself and feeling that awful terror overflow, making tears spring to his eyes and that choking ball form in his throat, hard to swallow, harder to talk around if possible at all.

Rance glanced at the cowering man. "I did say if you wanted, Roma. The decision rests with you. If you ask me to, I'll leave this place and find a clearing of my own to relax in." Though there were tears in Roma's eyes, Rance didn't move an inch. No, in fact he didn't move precisely because of that. If he had, it would have gone against what he'd said. Slasher shook his head. To his mind, most humans were far too careful of each others feelings when it came to mating. It was all a matter of survival after all, no matter the genders involved.

With any one of his people, Rance would have thought the same. But Roman wasn't one of them. The man needed to be treated with more care, certainly in the initial stage of things. "The meat should be ready soon."

He was numb for a moment, not to say his heart wasn't racing in his chest, still pounding against his ribs. He sat forward slightly, raising his shoulders and wiping his eyes against the soft fabric. "F-forgive me if I'm not exactly... receptive to a near stranger's advances." He muttered bitterly. "And if I... lack faith in people... larger than me." He glanced up to where Rance was. He was definitely a big man. Much stronger, physically, than Roma. Much faster. And he had a dragon. A dragon! A creature built for speed, and vicious attacks. Both could kill him easily if he said a single wrong thing, made a single wrong move.

The water sparkled. There was a sheen to Roma's tears that reminded Rance of that. He leaned back and let himself flop against the ground. Such a blue sky. He itched to fly. Roman would probably refuse to go, and though it tempted Rance to snatch him up and drag him along, he knew it would have been the wrong decision. "Everything's ultimately in your control. You could tie me up and do whatever you wanted. I wouldn't stop you." He grinned and laughed when a rope went sailing through the air and thumped to the ground at Roma's feet. Earthslasher apparently wanted to see his friend put in his place.