Saul inhaled deeply and held his breath when the woman backed away from him. This was it… and his heart was racing. Suddenly, for a split second, he was back at Aster Dell. The weird static feeling in the air creeping over his skin as the fairies on the hill prepared to call down their lightning. The dewy grass underneath his feet, causing him to slide as he ran after Andreas. The slick feeling of blood on his hands after–
With a jolt, he was back in the odd, oval room with Melissa. And she was changing. His eyes widened, and he scrambled back in shock. Knowing it was coming and seeing it happen were two completely different things. Saul had never seen anything from the likes of her before. But at least… at least she didn't look like a Burned One. The closest resemblance was her black dress-turned-robe, but he could deal with that.
"O-Oh," he stammered, his heart still racing. "No, I've… I've never heard of them before. Or seen one… wow…"
Mythrius didn’t notice Saul zoning out as she morphed. Sure, she smelled that something was off emotionally, but it was obscured by her own pain. She would just have to keep an eye on him.
Then, when it was over, she saw his shock. He’d never seen any shapeshifter like her, that much was obvious. It was a relief, in a way. It meant he wouldn’t be biased. He wouldn’t be an easy ally to Edwartiel.
Mythrius chuckled at his words.
“We, Ahkrethians, are rather secretive about ourselves. Some of us have been hiding among humans for millennia. Though, I only started recently. Ahkrethians can also morph into dragons. It is our full form, our ‘beast’ form,”she said with an amused smile. That smile faded after a moment.
“Drāgod’n Vol have four forms, unlike the Ahkrethian three. Their true form, human form, full form, and a strange ‘shadow’ form which I only vaguely know of from an ally of mine father. Their full form is an amphibious serpent with wings. Some are small, some are large,”she added, her tone much quieter.
Saul's eyes were wide as he struggled to comprehend everything the woman in front of him was saying. It made sense and also didn't. He was just relieved that she looked nothing like the blackened, mangled Burned Ones that he'd fought for what felt like half of his life.
"I, uh, I can tell," he replied hesitantly. "Uh, would you mind… turning back now?" It wasn't that she was scary to look at, but he would much rather talk to a human than an Ahkrethian at the moment.
Mythrius’ amusement slowly faded as she saw his expression. He was struggling, that was clear. He was unnerved, that was even more obvious. For some reason, it upset her. Without her family, she was utterly alone.
She nodded silently and morphed back into a human. The process was almost identical to her first morph, except she was shrinking instead of growing. Then, Mythrius moved to sit down again. She wasn’t sure what to say now. Would he help her? Would he even know how to help her?
While Saul wasn't the best at reading facial and body language, he could tell that he had upset her. That alone made him feel guilty. He knew what it was like to feel alone, drifting in the world with nothing to hold onto and no one to help. He was in that situation now. And even if there were people that wanted to help him, the Specialist man didn't know if he'd even be able to accept it. Melissa was very brave to ask him… because Saul likely wouldn't have had the courage if it was him in a similar position to her.
"I'm sorry I upset you," he finally said. "I didn't mean to. I have a lot on my mind right now, but… I want to help you. I'm not entirely sure how I can, but I want to help you."
Mythrius sighed at his words and nodded in acknowledgment of his apology. She then took a deep breath before speaking.
“I have much on mine mind as well. I am sorry for overwhelming you. Yet, I am also grateful for any help you can give me,”she said.
She looked down at the table, becoming lost in thought as she tried to figure out what they could do to solve her dilemma. Unknowingly, her arms were positioned so that they framed her ample bosom in a perfectly alluring way.
Saul offered a flat smile before glancing down at his interlaced fingers. "I'm not overwhelmed… it's different than that. But I'm not sure how to say it. My friend is much better with words," he added quietly. "And people. I'm sorry if I offend you at all. I don't mean to, honestly. Just let me know what I can do to help."
Then he lifted his gaze up to her again, and much to his embarrassment, his eyes momentarily snagged on her breasts. He couldn't help but notice how perfectly framed they were… but he caught himself staring and quickly looked down at his hands.
"So, where exactly are we?" he asked, looking up at Melissa again, quickly changing the topic and making sure to only look at her face. "Can you move between worlds?"
Mythrius nodded in understanding. Even though she wasn’t quite sure how he was feeling, she knew that sometimes it was difficult to articulate thoughts into words. She also understood well that some folks weren’t good with people. After all, her brother Ghar’Teus wasn’t the most sociable individual.
Mythrius didn’t notice his gaze until she smelled embarrassment. Then, as she looked up, she caught Saul moving to look down. At first, Mythrius didn’t understand what was going on, until she realized the ways she had her arms sitting. He had been staring, is what happened. Mythrius had to suppress a burst of laughter. She didn’t move her arms.
“This is one of the few Sanctuaries I have left that Edwartiel does not know. And, yes. Mine home realm is not Earth, nor is it your home realm,”Mythrius answered.
Saul observed the nod and was glad that she understood. It wasn't easy for him to describe things or speak effortlessly. He honestly communicated better with spars and swordplay than sit-down conversations.
"Is there any way he could trace you?" the Specialist asked. He wanted to cover all his bases, and speaking of which, he continued diligently avoiding looking at her breasts.
Saul hesitated for a moment. How did she know? How did she find out? Did she know it was the Otherworld that he was from? Could she bring them there? Did he want her to bring him back? Farah's help could potentially be useful. But… but the way that he had left…
"I'm not going to ask how you figured it out, but you're right," he admitted. "I'm not from Earth."
“He can sense mine thoughts, and his senses are as keen as mine. Also, his kin are amphibious. Which means that mine sorcery, mine overall connection with water, is a beacon to him. I cannot be near him without him knowing I am there. That usually means I cannot be in the same village or city as him, whether it is his senses or his spies that find me,”Mythrius answered.
Mythrius appreciated Saul’s gentlemanly manners regarding her breasts. It was nice to meet a man who actually had some sense of propriety. Though, it was also just slightly disappointing, mostly because he wasn’t the most charming man, from what she’d seen so far. But, she could make up for what he lacked easily.
So, at his comment, she shifted. Just a simple change, and one that she often did anyway. She sat up a bit straighter, and set her arms on the table, part of her arms somewhat tucking under her breasts. It was comfortable for her, but also a little more… showy.
“I can smell it, simple as that. Folks from one realm will always smell differently than those from another, even if the difference is subtle,”Mythrius explained, despite his refusal to ask.
