Roma wasn't fool enough not to see what Rance had on his mind. But leaving didn't seem like much of a viable option, no matter how many times Rance said he'd take off if Roma asked. When the rope flopped onto the ground, he managed a bit of a smile and toed it away. "Um... no thank you..." He muttered, crossing his legs and covering himself as well as he could. Normally he felt perfectly secure under only his robe, but now he felt... studied. Visually groped until Rance looked at the sky. What was he thinking? Roma was curious, yes, but not so much as to ask. He looked at the dragon instead and bit his lips.

Branches creaked as wind rushed through them, creating a sound like waves by passing through the leaves. Earthslasher reared up to bat at the branches like a cat. Rance shook his head and laughed at the sight. Dragons were surprisingly feline behavior sometimes.

"I suppose I should have expected that answer. But, by no means does it make my disappointment any less." He didn't glance at the other man. Didn't even move from his spot on the ground.

Roma sighed, looking down and covering his head, curling up and pressing his face into his knees. I just want to go home... But of course, he couldn't. He didn't have a home anymore. That was a sad little reality he had to keep in mind while he found his way to various towns and villages, sometimes cities, and sold his cute little weavings to people that seemed mostly to take pity on him. Maybe he looked like the kind to be pitied. He glanced sideways. "Why are you away from your mountain, then?" He asked. "If it's where you live, why travel down here and endanger yourself? Your... dragon?" He glanced up at the creature nearby, acting oddly. Or was that its usual act?

Rance sat up, and dug his fingers into the forest floor. The moss was so soft, compared to the rocks of the mountain. The difference in texture, the difference in the air, was amazing. "Ah, well sometimes I need to get away from my duties, to refresh myself. Otherwise I would run myself down, and putter out like a flame without fuel." He glanced at Roman, and dared to inch closer to the blond man. It was a struggle not to reach out and play with those long golden locks. Earthslasher grabbed a branch from one of the trees, and settled down to gnaw at the thick thing like a dog with a bone.

Roma was staring at the fire, half entranced by it. Rance didn't quite seem like the kind to completely overpower him, do whatever he wanted. Though he had given Roma the chance to be left alone, he doubted the man would do so willingly, but wouldn't go so far as to attack Roma. "What do you do?" He asked, a small bead of curiosity forming that he just couldn't quite combat. The dragon didn't seem interested in brainlessly attacking him, perhaps because of Rance, so there was the faintest sense of security in that.

"I..." For the first time, Rance hesitated. Golden eyes looked away from Roma, to the trees and the mountain towering above everything. To tell the truth might very well to lead to more trouble then it was worth. Not for a maybe romantic encounter. "I help take care of the lands my people's lord oversees. I am in fact the leader of the border patrols." He hated fudging the truth. "Checking this approach to the mountain is partially why I came this way." Hiding the truth of who he was, Rance hated it but could see no way around the necessity of it.

The corner of Roma's mouth twitched up in an almost-smile that seemed a little too tired to fully form. "I see." He muttered after a few minutes, stretching his legs and crossing them at the ankles. "You must have seen some of my people if you come this way often... Well, maybe not recently..." He hummed, and it sounded almost like an attempted giggle that fell much too flat. "You travel by dragon, I take it. So you can see a pretty fair distance."

Rance shifted closer and leaned up right against Roma. "Oh more then a fair distance, but I've never seen anyone like you before. Even so..." He smiled and stood up, dragging the other man along with him so they both had left the ground. "Would you like to see?" The clan leader looked hopefully at the younger seeming man. This was one thing he would probably eventually force Roma to experience, the flight of a dragon and the wonders one could see from the sky. Clouds were nearer then ever before, turning into mists as you passed through them. Thousands of water droplets, suspended in the air like jewels... Rance had always wanted to show that to someone who had never experienced it before.

Roma's eyes widened drastically, gasping when he was pulled up and onto his feet. His knees were admittedly shaking and weak, and standing directly in front of Rance he was definitely smaller than the man. "N-no, I'm... I don't like heights, they terrify me..." He stiffened at the prospect of being in the sky, a creature with claws and teeth and wings beneath him, the earth so far away, so easy to fall. He blinked hard and stumbled at a sudden rush of vertigo and shut his eyes hard.

Rance rolled his eyes and slid the smaller man into his arms. It only took a few steps and a jump before they were both settled upon the dragon's back. The clan leader laughed as Earthslasher shifted, all the while cradling Roma close. "That will have to change. You'll see, the sky isn't so frightening once you see it from above, once you're part of it." Wings unfolded, and powerful limbs shoved them all up into the air. Rance tightened his hold on the reluctant passenger. "Go on then, open your eyes."

Roma actually fought back this time, but didn't get much in the way of escape. In fact, he was lifted up and onto the dragon's back and became still, clasping for some kind of hold and not quite trusting Rance to hold onto him. He pressed back hard when the wings began working, feeling strong muscle under him begin to contract and release as the dragon's wings worked, lifting them off the ground. Gasping, Roma clasped his eyes closed and forced himself back against the man that was holding him fast. "Can't... Can't open..." Roma felt as if his voice were being whipped away. The air up here was cool and damp but he couldn't force his eyes open. As far as he knew, he was still on the ground.

Rance laughed a little. He used his legs to make sure neither of them fell, tightening his hold on the dragon's back and savoring the wind rushing by. It was so beautiful! He couldn't understand why anyone would be so frightened of flight, not when upon a dragon's back. But ... Roma didn't have the bond with Earthslasher that Rance did. The blonde man couldn't be sure of the dragon like the clan leader could. "If you do, we'll land sooner," said Rance at last. It was the only incentive he could think of which might work.

Open his eyes? How could he do that? The wind was too swift, and cold, and as long as he kept them shut tight he could imagine the ground was just several feet below. But if it meant ending the flight sooner rather than later, Roma managed to force one eye to crack open and bring up a hand to shield himself from the damp air. They seemed to be in the clouds, giving the air nothing but a foggy appearance because of their speed, but the dragon must have come to a free spot, because they were suddenly in dry, warm air, opened up from every angle, and he could see mountains far off in the distance, a green sea of trees and brown earthy patches below. He gasped, feeling his heart seem to flutter in his chest. There was a sudden burst of unchained freedom, followed by a crashing terror that pulled Roma around to cling to Rance, bury his head against his chest. "Okay, okay, I saw, go back down, please please..."

What a disappointment. The reaction wasn't at all the one he had expected. There were no cries of joy, but rather it was fear, and panic. So sad, Rance was so sad that Roma couldn't feel as he did about flight, about the bright blue sky and the misty clouds. "Alright, calm down. Close your eyes again if you want." He lifted a hand to press it against the other man's head, while with the other he pulled Roma closer. As close as he possibly could.

Earthslasher tilted his wings just so. The wind stopped whipping past them as the dragon slowed. The forest sailed past, and swept closer. The clearing came into view. Rance jerked back as Slasher swooped down. He slipped both arms around Roma. He reveled in the warmth, the closeness of someone other then another of the dragon people, bound by the whims of their great friends. That was why he left the mountain. Earthslasher landed, and settled down smoothly upon the ground ... Yet Rance didn't let go.

Roma's stomach lurched as they suddenly descended, giving him a weightless sensation that took his breath away and wouldn't give it back. He felt lightheaded, strangely lightweight as the dragon landed steadily on solid ground. Finally, solid ground. Solid ground and a solid human. After a moment, Roma managed to persuade his eyes to open and his grasp on Rance to lessen just a bit. "Don't... don't like... heights." He mumbled shakily after finding his breath. "J-just... next time... Next time start smaller..." He barely liked to climb a tree, let alone dart up into the clouds. But if he could get over the fear he would have loved to do it again. That feeling of absolute freedom, no matter how brief, was still with him, and it still made his heart pound.

His fingers slid across Roma's back, pressed softly against the fabric. It was such a flimsy barrier, blocking what had been exposed to the sky earlier. "Next time? Does that mean you want to spend more time with me? That I can help you conquer your fear so you can truly know what flight is like?" Excitement crept into his voice. Rance smiled.

Roma froze, biting his lip. A denial was on his lips, but he swallowed it before he could speak. "Um... Well... Yes. It has to be better than whatever I've been doing now." What had he been doing now? Wandering, catching fish, selling his flimsy little creations to little kids that needed baskets to collect their flowers or to single women that needed a carrier for river water. He wasn't even near a town now, and had to be in dangerous territory. And if danger presented itself he'd be forced to use what power he had locked away.

Rance smiled, laughed a bit. "What have you been doing?" Slowly, he slid from Slasher's back and reached out to help Roma join him upon the ground. When they were both there, firm footed upon the forest floor, he slid his hands up the blonde's arms. "How exactly have you managed to get here safely? Dressed only in this." The clan leader plucked at Roma's robe. It was such a nice green, a lush color. He did love green, because it was the color of his dragon's scales.

Roma's legs were shaking, weak under him when he had to put weight on them again. He pulled at the end of his robe, poking his finger through a small hole. "Well... I lost the belt a few days ago... and the final button... I normally wear only this and when it needs to be repaired, I take care of it. But since I've not been in the presence of a town for quite a while... Well, it just... began to grow thin." He felt oddly self conscious now. Perhaps because it was more than obvious that Rance wanted to look beyond the fabric he was inspecting.

The clan leader backed away to give the other man room. Just enough to make sure Roma didn't feel so imposed upon. When was the last time he had been able to simply admire someone else, without wondering about how the clan would view the match? Wondering if the person he chose was strong enough to remain with him, to keep him by their side and he them. There would be no challenge for a dragonless man... Most though of the bondless people as less then themselves. Rance wanted to change that. "I have something in my pack. Giving it to you wouldn't be a bother."

Roma twisted his robe tighter around himself and swept back his hair, untangling the braid and sweeping his hands through it. The wind had made it go crazy, and it was all over the place now. Studying the man, Roma tilted his head and knitted his brow. His normally soft, gentle expression took on a serious, critical tone. "What...?" He asked cautiously. He knew there was little to be distrustful of, but that didn't stop his caution.

Golden eyes were drawn to golden hair. Rance took a step forward. Unbound, the locks shifted and shimmered n the light, more so then when it had been bound. It didn't matter that everything was a in disarray, in fact he liked it much better like that. "I only want to give you clothes, that's all. Nothing more. It's the least I can do after giving you such a scare." As he spoke, Rance move to Earthslasher's side and started rummaging through one of the packs. He returned with a long tunic in his hands, long on him and certainly long enough to be decent on the other man. It was much richer then a jaunt in the woods warranted, a deep red color with gold embroidery across the edges. The thread looked like flames, edging up the red background.

Roma watched the man carefully, twisting his hair over his shoulder obsessively, and admittedly curious. He studied the item when it was produced and shown to him, running a hand down the fabric. "I... That's... it looks expensive... I don't know if I should wear it, not out here..." Not where branches, trees, and shrubs could tear it, grab at it. "It looks... more... more like something a noble would wear. He studied Rance carefully. Who was he, really? Someone that could afford this kind of fabric and gold thread, definitely.

The dark haired man shrugged. "Wear it, don't wear it. I'm still giving it to you." To prove it, he shoved the cloth into the other man's hands. Then Rance walked away. He slid down to the ground, and leaned against his dragon's back. Crossing his arms, the clan leader sighed. It would take a long time to win the other man over. Time he didn't have. There were important matters to take care of up on the mountain. The mountain ... Inevitably, there was trouble brewing, heading their way. Why couldn't everyone live in peace?

Roma gasped, taking the cloth before it fell to the ground. He backed away, slipping behind a tree and quickly sliding his robe off, replacing it with the tunic. It was softer than his robe, cooler, and lighter. And it actually closed in the front. But it barely made it to his knees and that was a bit strange. His hands kept working to pull it down as he bent to pick up his robe and reemerge, pulling his hair out from between himself and the cloth. "Okay... Thank you." Roma looked from the dragon to Rance, and smiled a bit. He couldn't help the feeling, it was nice. Nice to be cared about, no matter the reason.