Draedius Winfel | Male | 25 | Bounty Hunter | M: Vinnie, Freya

Draedius cursed himself for his brief lack of common sense, and hoped that no one would notice him because of it. He had enough trouble already with his father's condition. He couldn't risk being arrested. Besides, he still had the matter of the dragon freer to look into. If she had been in the area, there was a chance that she knew some folks who lived there. The man being interrogated in front of him seemed to have met her, and although he had already insisted that he did not know her, Draedius was still suspicious. The bounty hunter had met some very good liars, and had hunted some down too. From what he could tell from the interrogation he was eavesdropping on, this "Vincenzo" seemed to do pretty well under pressure, which meant it would be much harder for Draedius to find the truth if he was indeed lying.

It was night now, which enabled Draedius to blend more easily into the shadows than he had been able to in the dying daylight. Of course, that also meant that he had to be getting home; the streets were safe for no one, except of course people who owned powerful dragons or had a great deal of influence in the criminal underworld. Unfortunately for Draedius, he had neither. No criminal would side with a bounty hunter; they shifted alliances far too easily. Also, Draedius had sworn that he would never own a dragon as long as he lived. Honestly, he disliked the creatures, and his many bad experiences with them further increased his contempt. The scar he wore on his neck and shoulder was a constant reminder of their ferocity, and unless something astonishing changed his mind, he would carry that grudge to the end of his days.

Now that the day had drawn to a close, he decided to give up his eavesdropping and return home. He was certainly not going to risk his life by waiting for the dragon rustler to leave. Although he was an excellent fighter, even he could not fight off a band of robbers at once. Hoping to get away without being noticed, he decided to use his stealth to edge away. Slinking in silent, careful movements, the young bounty hunter gradually placed more and more distance between himself and the group he had watched. Because of his training and experience as a bounty hunter, he was confident he could leave the vicinity without being spotted.

However, he did not account for the enhanced senses of a dragon. Unknown to him, the Frill Wrym had picked up on his location, showing its discovery by holding itshead high and lifting its frills. He could feel the dragon's eyes on him, but still he held a foolish hope that somehow, neither of the humans would notice. This hope immediately vanished as the Frill Wrym's human spoke up, announcing that he had been discovered, and commanding him to show himself. Draedius was very reluctant to do so, but when the man hinted at the threat of a fight, he stopped. He realized that it would not be very wise to keep going, especially since the dragons had such excellent tracking abilities. Besides, I might be able to persuade them that I'm just an ordinary citizen. If I keep on sneaking out of here, they might think I'm up to no good and arrest me. Draedius argued with himself. Knowing that he did not have much time to act, he stepped out of the shadows and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible, which was hard to do considering his apparel and the fact that he was carrying a crossbow.

"Sorry to bother you. I was just passing through and heard some noises from the area." The bounty hunter spoke, "I've been living in the area for a while, and we don't have much action going on over here so I decided to see what was going on. Sorry if I startled you." He said, not sounding very sorry at all. His plan was to pass as someone who inhabited the place, and in doing so, he was taking a bit of a risk. He didn't know whether they had been in the area before, and if they knew he was lying, then he would be in a pretty tough spot. Since he had never seen the man with the Wind Dancer and Frill Wrym before, and the dragon rustler only once or twice, he figured that it would be best to take that risk.

Vincenzo Q. Ellis || Serpent-Tongue || Male || M: Draedius (Filae, Delingg)

Delingg's bright eyes were fixated on his position, frills flared. He knew for a fact it wasn't just a usual little creature. His nose was sniffing, rhythmically, as the man slowly made his way out into the clearing. He let out a small noise as Vinnie's hand ran over his head in silent praise. There was a small moment of silence.

Filae's amber eyes, however, narrowed as she studied the being that came out from the shaded forest foliage. He was clearly taller than Vincenzo by a good few inches at the very least--thicker build as well. His own amber eyes felt ... odd to her. There was something he was hiding. Granted, there was also something she was hiding as well. But it was an entirely different thing.

She didn't recognize him, neither did Delingg. Vinnie didn't either but she knew that already. She scoffed, lifting her head upward as the man gave some sort of story. Delingg tilted his head, still highly suspicious but almost willing to believe him. Almost.

Vinnie tilted his head for a moment. Just passing through? He waved one hand slightly, looking over his shoulder for a moment or two. He finally spoke. "I mean, I don't really live here either. But it's been one of those days..." his jaded eyes caught sight of the crossbow and something in his head rang a warning bell.

Lovely.

"Right," he finally said, eyes narrowed once again. His lip finally curled before he scoffed. "Because you sound oh so genuine. You're probably one of those other people too. Probably another rustler or something. Good grief, I hate them with a passion. Oh I didn't know, yeah right. How do you not know?"

He gave the man a sharp look. "How long have you been there? There wasn't a whole lot of noise being made."

Vinnie rubbed his face for a moment.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The words were flat and quick.

Draedius Winfel | Male | 25 | Bounty Hunter | M: Vinnie, Freya

Draedius was not at all happy about being in the open. He was used to living in the shadows, using them for cover and protection. Without that kind of protection, he felt a bit vulnerable but managed not to show his discomfort, however much he felt it. As someone who often had to go undercover, he was used to hiding his true self. This situation was no different. He put on the guise of a friendly local, and at the same time got a closer look at the man and his dragons. The Frill Wrym didn't seem like much of a threat from what he could tell, apart from the fact that it was the one who noticed him in his hiding place. The Wind Dancer on the other hand appeared to be more so. To him, it looked more aloof and mysterious. He didn't quite trust it, and decided to keep a watchful eye on its position, just in case it attacked him out of the blue. He had dealt with a few dragons that had done it before, and he was on his guard.

However, it seemed that he did not need to so alert and ready for battle. The owner of the two dragons was apparently very friendly, and from what he said, it sounded like he was actually buying the story. Of course, he could always be pretending to believe Draedius, but as the bounty hunter had no reason to think that the stranger would, this scenario did not occur to him. In fact, he felt rather hopeful at this man's apparent willingness to believe him. Perhaps I can get out of here faster than I thought. I guess it seems like I won't be discovered after all. He thought, feeling almost certain that he could escape without raising suspicion. Of course, he should have known better. Both his experience and training taught him that he could not trust outward appearances, but in his desire to get away from the situation, he had forgotten this important detail.

Draedius quickly remembered this when the stranger suddenly became unfriendly. The sharp change in both body language and voice made it clear to him that his plan had failed. How did it fail? It didn't seem like he was pretending. He was looking at something...the crossbow. Realizing his mistake, Draedius felt like slapping himself. The crossbow! Of course he noticed the crossbow! What kind of person would be foolish enough not to notice something like that?! Still trying to keep an innocent air, he listened to Vincenzo, becoming gradually more and more uncomfortable. Obviously this person was not going to listen to him if he attempted to fall back on another story. But what else could he do?

"Who are you and what do you want?" He could hear Vincenzo ask. Multiple answers immediately appeared in his mind, all of them complete lies. Unfortunately for Draedius, it didn't seem like the man standing in front of him would be very quick to believe a lie, especially since his previous one had been discovered. This put Draedius in a difficult spot. He could tell the truth about being a bounty hunter and eavesdropping on their interrogation, but he didn't know how Vincenzo would react. He still wanted to ask some questions himself, but his desire to get out of the area was even greater. After a quick inner argument, he came up with a plan.

Vincenzo Q. Ellis || Serpent-Tongue || Male || M: Draedius (Filae, Delingg)

Bingo.

The lie was subtle but the crossbow had definitely given it away. Now the man was trying to hide his past in some sort of cryptic mumbling sentences under the guise of supposedly being mysterious. Real original. His jaded eyes, reflecting the hollow silver moonlight, seemed flat and dull as the man rambled on for a moment.

Lies. Everyone had them, everyone fed them to everybody else. It wasn't terribly surprising for Vinnie at least. Filae's own suspicion grew as the man grew more uncomfortable, her glittering amber eyes staring--unmoving, unwavering and unblinking--at the mysterious man.

It wasn't until he pointed out the fact that this area was rather dangerous that Vinnie's own sense of unease began to grow. He... he was right. It wasn't the greatest idea to stay put and it definitely wasn't smart to just attempt to head back. That was already too far away. Brilliant.

Filae's nose turned upward in distaste. "I'm not staying with that filthy human." Her words were condescending and full of disgust. "We don't know where he's been and we definitely don't know what he's up to."

Delingg, reluctantly, let his frills lower. "We've got nowhere else to go, unfortunately, Filae. The more we risk, the more... well... the more it's going to end badly for us. We've already gotten in enough trouble as it is."

Vinnie, silent for the most part, finally sighed--a touch reluctantly. "Look, straightforward, right out of the bush--I don't trust you one bit but my chances of taking you out if you decide to try anything... uhm... funny are greater than taking on a gang of criminals," his words were also calm, thoughtful and almost seemed recited, as if relaying a message. "So you'd best lead the way."

Filae's talons sunk into the earth, wings poised tight as her tail lashed from side to side. It was evident she was not happy with this decision by any means but she remained silent. If the man attempted anything? It would be his end. She didn't care. The human she had decided to take care of couldn't hardly figure out who was a threat and who wasn't. So, obviously, it was up to her to make sure he lived a long life.

If this man attempted to cut it short?

He would be missing a few inches, if he was lucky. If not, he'd gain six feet worth of dirt above his head.

Filae would make sure of it--and the amber-eyed glare she gave him reflected that very thought as she reluctantly picked up pearlescent claws to trail after the mysterious man.