(Okee dokee. Let’s get to the good stuff.)
There was a hum of conversation and a wide range of sweet smells in the marketplace. At first, Rvan and the fire protégés Millie’s throughthe marketplace together. However, something caught Thalia’s eye. Thalia grabbed Kyle’s hand—and after quickly making Nula and Gregory promise to continue to show Rvan around—and ran off somewhere. Nula got distracted by some rat skull necklace a shady hobo was selling and faded in the crowd. Gregory found a small stand that was selling T-shirts with his dragon form printed on it. The puggy boy told Rvan that he was going to get some money from his bank account so he could buy one of those T-shirts for everyone on the fire elemental team.
Rvan was left completely alone in the crowd.
And Rvan was absolutely terrified. He had a loose hoodie on, because, well you know, he's TER-RI-FIED of crowds. He could barely stand without someone judging against him. Rvan ended up stumbling near a water fountain and almost falling in. He had to sit down. He looked around, and saw a familiar head of hair walking by. It was platinum white hair. Rvan's eyes widened.
Skylar needed some air. Why did her mother look worried this morning before the press conference? Her mother never looked worried. No, Sorina Serideen was a woman of elegance and perfection. The woman that had left the house this morning with a haunted blue eyes and a shaky breath was not her mother.
The woman accused of sleeping with another man other than her father did not exist. She couldn’t.
Skylar sat down on the rim of the fountain she didn’t care if reporters were snapping photos of her in the distance. She needed to cool down.
Rvan just stared at her as she sat down next to him. Like a few feet from him. Close enough to reach out and touch her arm. He blinked. He consciously felt his shadows coming out of him, trying to hide. He tried frantically to shove them back inside himself.
Skylar suddenly felt the familiar nagging sensation of being watched. Skylar tried to ignore it she sat by the fountain, but eventually Skylar turned her head and—
Oh gods! It was him. The boy she had seen die countless times in her nightmares. Her former target and foe. Rvan the shadow—
Wait a minute. How long had he been sitting there staring at her with his mouth agape?
Skylar narrowed her eyes at him. “You know a picture would last longer,” she said coldly, letting a puff of cold white air come from her mouth. Her mother had trained her to greet men that looked for to long just like that.
And then he went entirely shadow. Rvan flipping couldn't help it, he turned into a shadow out of pure fear of the girl, "Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry," He replied frantically from the shadows.
Well, that was…unexpected, Skylar thought. She had been expecting a smart-alec response. That’s certainly what her boyfriend, Jay, would have given her.
“Um, look, Ryan. It’s okay.” She said, trying to sound a little kinder. She reached out with one hand into the spot where he had previously been sitting and felt nothing. Kindness had never been her strong suit. She was to busy trying to be the strongest like her mother wanted to develop the skill further. “I’m surprised the Council let’s you walk around freely. The fire mentor must have “donated” (she added visable quotations when she said that word) a lot more money than to the Council that what was publically announced.”
Rvan slowly, AND I MEAN SLOWLY (#ThreeTimesNowSlowly), turned into his half-shadow form, a few feet away from where he used to sit, and even further away from Skylar, "…It's-It's Rvan," He replied shyly.
Skylar frowned. “You do realize that they’ve calling you Ryan all all of the news channels right? Have you just not felt the urge to correct them?”
Real nice, Skylar. Real nice.
"I'm on the news?" Rvan asked quietly. He wasn't used to so much publicity. Originally, only his parents and close family friends knew him. Now it seemed like everyone knew him.
“You are the first shadow draman in history. Of course you are on the news.”
"…The first?" Rvan asked hesitantly. There had to be others. Could he really be the only one? He supposed it made sense, considering he was in with the fire protégés, but… wouldn't his parents have told him?
Skylar sighed and watched a mother give her five-year-old daughter an ice cream cone. Nothing like her mother, She thought quietly. “You really don’t know anything do you?”
(You can think quietly? WOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH lol)
Rvan looked at her, coming out of his half shadow form, "N-No." He immediately looked away and started twindling his fingers.
“Did your family just not bother to tell you?”
"I- uh- My parents sheltered me a lot before they died," Rvan explained, tried to hide the red in his face. He could basically feel the awkwardness dripping from his voice.
“That was unforgivably cruel of them.” Skylar said very seriously. Her mother may be strict, but frankly her mother had to be tough. If she hadn’t taught Skylar about the lust of men and evil of the Council and sheltered her from them instead, Skylar would be dense less without her mother. It made to Skylar now why Rvan was so scared and so unaware of the ways of the world.
"…I mean… They weren't cruel…" Rvan mumbled. His parents had loved him.
Skylar wanted to argue Rvan, but it occurred her that she might very well be terrifying Rvan and probably not her place to argue with someone about there dead parents. His face was still bright red. Skylar glanced at her watch. She had an hour of free-time left in her schedule. She glanced at Rvan who was helplessly twiddling his fingers. Many his parents were content with Rvan being let in the dark, but Skylar certainly wasn’t. Even if it did mean helping her opponent.
“Well, Rvan today is your lucking day because I happen to be an expert on the world of dramans.” Skylar grabbed Rvan’s hand and started walking. “And you are going to learn about it whether you like it or not.”
Forcing a child to except the hard reality of life.
Her mother would be so proud.
Rvan was sure he turned a brighter red as he felt her hand touch his and she pulled him up, "W-What?" Rvan scrambled to his feet as she tugged him through the crowd. Her hand was warm. Rvan felt his face get hotter.
Skylar tugged Rvan through the crowd, ignoring all of the prying eyes. She knew exactly where to take Rvan: the memorial dedicated to Deviros and Natalia. After making a few turns between a few towering skyscrapers, Rvan and Skylar arrived at the memorial. The memorial was flashy to say the least. (I can explain more about its appearance later if you like) but the key structures in the memorial are the eight stachues (or however you spell that word). The two stachues in the center are of Deviros (picture a big powerful black dragon) and Natalia (a human woman). There are three smaller stachues on each side of Deviros and Natalia. To the left side are stachues of a fire dragon, water dragon, Earth dragon. To the right are stachues of a ice dragon, thunder dragon, plant dragon.
“Do you know the ancient lore about us dramans, Rvan?” Skylar asked in a non accusatory tone.
Rvan looked over the stachues. The stachues were very large and intimidating, and he was sure the stachues were built by very strong people. After all, stachues needed to be carved and sculpted, so stachues took a lot of work. Stachues were also very beautiful. You see, stachues could be made of many different types of material. Stachues could be made from marble. Stachues could be made from granite. Stachues could be made from glass. There are many types of stachues.
(Literally I love you my sister)
Rvan looked at the statues in awe, "My parents didn't really teach me of much draman history. I know that we were created by Deviros and Natalia."
