"I'm far from friendly, but sure, let's go with that." Nikolas flared his nostrils to release a huff of smoke from them. He was contemplating on just leaving and heading back to New York or hanging around here. He kinda wanted to shift into human form to just hang out under the stars, but he was still wary of this stranger—Runner. Nikolas might've been the one to initiate the interaction, but that doesn't mean he trusted him.
((neither do I. How does one feel like a forehead?))
"Mind telling me what direction New York is in?" Runner asked, ceasing his spinning to lock eyes with Nikolas. "I would like to see this hostility first hand. It intrigues me."
Was it dangerous? Yeah, probably. Was it stupid? Of course. But what did he have to lose? It's not like he had anything to really live for. He'd spend his whole life, well, everything he can remember, alone, endlessly wandering. Maybe he'll find something in New York that will make him want to stay.
(Would Tess be in New York, still?)
( "razzmatazz hop skiddily-doo" )
(i'm getting there)
((Yes, Tess is in New York))
Nikolas stared down at the now still dragon in front of him, quietly thinking to himself. At length, he finally said, "I'll take you. There's a house that provides a place to stay for wonderers or troublemakers or whathaveyou." He didn't fly away just yet, tipping his head to the side to study Runner as he waited for an answer. The twins might not care—Hell, they're almost never around—and neither would Tess. Bringing in strays was a common thing in the house.
"Do I have to be in a house?" he asked, his nose shriving up at the thought. "I can't imagine it being that danerous. Besides, I give off no magical energy when I'm in human form."
((I'm surprised you haven't bumped this))
"Maybe," Nikolas said, "but I'd rather at least stop by before wandering the streets. That's where my coffee is." He huffed an amused breath, glancing up at a particular constellation with a sparkle of fondness in his eyes.
(I thought you wanted this to die, tbh)
"Well, then, lead the way," Runner said, gesturing with his tail in a general direction. "I have no clue where New York is from here."
((I was just getting to it. Slowly. Eventually))
Nikolas bobbed his head in a nod, then turned around and headed towards New York, innately knowing where it was from how many times he's gone there.
Runner trailed Nikolas, slithering through the air like an eel to pass the time. He wasn't used to going this slow, but if what the guy said abut New York is true, he should probably stay with the massive firebreathing dragon. Could come in handy.
"How far away is it?" he asked, already beginning to grow impatient.
(I just read through this again and realized how fucking weird it would be to see a guy just chuck a pan into a bush for no apparent reason)
((shush. People have their things. Runner's just a little different))
Nikolas rolled his eyes, then let out a slow breath as they flew, darkness skittering from his throat and clouding around him and Runner, enveloping them both in a growing blanket of black mist. Nikolas couldn't see anything, which was a good thing. "Alright, Mr. Impatient. But you owe me for the cost." Though they didn't feel anything as they flew, the mist was transporting them from shadow to shadow, bringing them closer to New York by the second, traveling miles in a blink of an eye.
"Damn….someone faster than me," Runner said, his surprise evident in his voice. "You have to teach me how to do this."
"Not sure I can," Nikolas grunted, stretching his stary wings out to glide along the steady current the darkness created. "It's just a thing I can do, and it's taxing, especially with more cargo," he added as he swung his head back to look at Runner.
"I'm as light as paper," he said, his nose scrunching up indignantly. "Literally. There's a reason why I'm so nimble. Besides that, moon and night dragon's aren't that different from each other, so I'm pretty sure I'd be able to learn how do to that shadow jumping shit."
Nikolas rolled his eyes and faced forward again. "It's not weight, it's mass. The more mass to transport, the higher the cost to my magic. And I won't be the one to teach you, though. People working on instinct are bad teachers." The darkness skittered away, and Nikolas swooped down towards the open expanse of fields, the lights of NYC not far away. They were in the outskirts of the city, away from most people and safe from suspicion—the twins had spelled this area to hide any magic from the normals.
Runner followed close behind, although his eyes were on the city skyline. "Hm. I always imagined it looking way more impressive than that."
"It's not all that amazing as media makes it out to be. Mostly dirty street rats, crime, and everyone calling everyone different kinds of assholes. Maybe the occasional egotistical suit-and-tie and pencil-skirt." Nikolas circles around a large farmhouse that had a barn and pasture not too far from it, looking for a good place to land.
Runner, who was much smaller than his companion, laid down next to the field and switched back to human form. He stretched his arms out with a loud yawn. It had been a while since he had stayed in dragon form for that long.
Nikolas eventually found a place to land, and he, too, switched into human form, though he didn't even wait until his dragon feet touched the ground before he switched.
Deep-set, slightly mono lidded eyes the color of a full moon during a cloudy night; blackish haze seemingly drifting over the irises at random times. Surprisingly pretty and long eyelashes. Wavy and medium-length hair that falls into the eyes at almost all times dyed a starlight silver with the natural black roots. Lean muscle roped through a thinner body, though strength is clear in the solid torso. Rather sharp, narrow, and prominent features, such as jawline and cheekbones. Pale skin littered with both faint and raised scars. A height of exactly 6 foot.
That was who now stood before Runner, dragging a hand through his hair and messing it up so some silver strands fell into his eyes.
"Y'all pay for this land?" Runner asked, looking around with big eyes that captured all of his surroundings. He, in contrast, had a very round, boyish face that falsely portrayed a sense of innocence. He was round 5'9", with a stocky torso and thick, strong-looking legs. All of his body was layered with a thin covering of fat that gave him a more approachable appearance than his newfound friend/accomplice.
"I help a bit with my racing, but the twins are the ones who pay for it." Nikolas shrugged nonchalantly, then looked around as if searching for something—or perhaps someone. "I need to check in on Tess, she isn't doing so hot. You can either tag along or wander around, your choice. She's a dragon too," he added, just to let Runner know that there was yet another one of them. He left out the bit about her being the complete opposite of them both, however.
"I think I've had enough wandering in the past 9 years," he admitted, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I'll go with you."