Falling, running, gliding, I'm going through these cityscapes.
My mind is running with me, alongside me, almost as if I hadn't had anything at all
I run past others
Some blow smoke in my direction
I'm wondering where I'm going,
What I was running from.
I can never seem to remember.
I take a breath and a man welcomes me in. The fire is warm.
He sits down with a drink and calmly questions my activity
And all I can remember is a past memory.
My body, decomposing amongst forest pine
My skull, mossy and cracked
Like cobblestone walls of an enchanted kingdom
Birds stand and make nests on my abandoned and empty shell of what once was my skull
Crystals form on it and my skin glows at night
It's iridescent and impeccable to describe
But I can remember it like yesterday even so.
I remember before I had become this monument of old.
I was at war with a winner I do not ponder to recall
They slashed and destroyed whilst I used strength and noise
They caught me and controlled my hands whilst undergoing a mind worth of stone and death, attempting at stopping me from stabbing them in vital places.
Cold. It was cold
I remember it was something like winter
Feeling as if I had no center
I lost.
I recall before losing
I threw a blow
A blow that blasted them out to a wall,
Where they laid unconscious and unrecognizable
They woke up later on, to find their victory was true
And to mock their opponent that was once snarling and scratching. Biting at their scales. Teeth bore and pupils slit.
How they glowed with anger.
How they profusely smoked with hatred.
Amongst everything I remembered, something I did not recall was what started this whole war with snowflakes flaring at our flames; our nostrils blowing and puffing with as much smoke as a whole burning town would contain and create.
" Hey, how'd you get those scars, hmm? " The man seemed to question without words but looks and glares of concern and confusion instead.
Silence watching with a gleaming smile, I broke it's teeth with words.
" I used to be a legend, you see. A dragon. You probably will not believe such a statement anyway but you were staring and asking without using sentences or questionnaires. I hope you don't mind my answering your minds wandering wonders. " He glared while I stared, the fire roaring at our feet.
His drink was lowering and his eyes were wandering around the room, searching for something to be spoken for.
" Name? " I said, turning to him and looking into his eyes with no fear, no emotion
" . . . I am merely taking you in for a bit until you have more breath. You needn't know my name, as I needn't know yours. " He said with a cold, raspy and unnecessarily deep voice. I thought to myself, 'how could a guy welcome someone in and be so cold and disregarding?'
" Well. . I apologize for asking. I will give you mine however. I see no problems with you knowing my name. After all, it's not like I'm some heinous criminal. I'm Diaval. " I replied. He looked at me strangely, as if he had recalled knowing that name. Suddenly it was like I has been punched, and I remembered a fragment of the fight I had seen -
Blood. There was blood. Guts had been spilled and scratches with blood had formed along with tears and screams, yells and sparring.
Had I hit my opponent and made their guts spill, or had I been hit? I couldn't tell
Apparently I had been hit.
I looked down and I had been slashed
Torn
Ran through with claws sharper than a thousand swords.
I recalled their eyes.
They had heterochromia, and one eye was red. The other seemed to be white.
Their teeth glistened but had a yellow tint to them.
An uncommon trait found in dragons.
They seemed to have a scar, deep deep scar on their mouth that stretched from the top lip to the bottom and then to the chin.
I don't remember what made them so upset.
But I do remember the hatred that slicked off their scales like rain.
They weren't. . . The sweetest enemy I had ever encountered.
" How come you keep staring off? You thinking of things? " The man said with curiosity.
" How come you expect an answer and yet give none yourself? " I said smiling, before laughing a little. The man had a look of embarrassment and a sorted expression that kind of spoke like – 'ugh, how annoying', but he didn't actually ever say anything like that. Or that at all.
" No but actually haha I keep remembering things. You keep staring off searching for things to speak about. So how come you think you have nothing to be spoken about? " I said, looking out the window. The man looked at me. Looked away. And then proceeded to be judgemental before speaking.
". . . I do not trust easily. Especially strangers. But you. . . You seem to be different and talkative. You make me remember things as well. But anywho, my name is Xochitl. It's fine if it's not pronounced correctly. If it's too difficult, " Xochitl was interrupted by my voice speaking his name perfectly. He paused, looked at me and thought about how strange that was.
" Hm. . . You are a strange one, truly. Back to what I was saying, yes, I'm Xochitl, and I'm 24. I work as a scroll keeper. . . Or a librarian. Either way. " Xochitl said with a smile and a small laugh.
" I'm diaval, I'm 23 and I – unfortunately am a hunter. But I tend to be hunted. Because I get a lot more valuable things with hunting then the others do and they normally see me and I'm known for things I find or find me, and I get attempts all the time of people trying to steal from me. " I said, looking away and laughing a tad. Not a sarcastic laugh, just a small chuckle. I looked back at him for a small moment and then at the floor before speaking again.
" So, you tied yet? Or are you severed? Perhaps 'lone? " I said with no seemingly obvious expression.
. . .
Silence. He took a very long moment to respond.
" The last time I tried being tied, " He pulled on the shirt's collar a tad and revealed that he had a deep scar on his neck, perhaps made by someone mixed. No, not both races. Mixed as in hybrid.
" They gave me this. " He looked away as I stared with a sense of sorrow for how that would have felt, being betrayed by his own love, or someone he seemed to have thought he loved.
" I have a feeling you're going to ask about how that occurred. " Xochitl said after fixing his collar once more to how it was before.
" It's pretty simple. They put their body against mine, was going – or acted as though they were going to kiss me, and then they put their hand on my neck, and slashed me. Thankfully I didn't bleed out and burn up. "

《 ☆ When someone says they were going to `` Burn up `` Or someone they knew burned up, that's another way of explaining death. When someone dies, instead of decomposing, they burn up and turn to ashes and dissolve wherever they died. ☆ 》

" Jeez. . . I'm so sorry. " I replied, processing what I had just heard. ' To tell someone you love them, and scar them, – how could someone ever be so cruel? ' I thought to myself.
" Yeah. So what – or who were you running from in the market(/city ish place) in the first place? Someone trying to steal? " Xochitl questioned with genuine confusion.
" Yeah, someone heard I had a type of rare-ish crystal in my 'bookbag' and tried to pickpocket me. They failed, so I started running. I didn't feel like fighting, so I ran instead. Not the first time. " I said, laughing. At this point, Xochitl's drink was empty and he had been holding it for a little while of talking, nothing in the cup anymore. He went to another room for a moment to put the cup away. The fire was calm but still big, and it was still evermore warm. The rain pitter-pattered at the window and soothed my thoughts. During our conversation, by the time I had asked if he truly had nothing to talk about, that's when it started to rain lightly. He came back and I greeted him with a smile.
" Well, I should probably be on my way, hmm? Thank you for the hospitality, it's deeply appreciated. And the talk was lovely. I'll remember you. " I said with a warm smile, standing up. He stood up as well and went to ask something, but paused. I questioned what he was going to say to myself, and I almost started walking, but stopped myself.
" Did you have something to ask? " I said with a gentle tone. He was quiet for a moment before speaking.
" Are you going to stay in town? Or are you just passing through? " Xochitl replied.
" I was going to pass through but stay for a bit beforehand. Why? Haha, shy guy got attached easily? " I said jokingly and laughed. I walked to the door with him and stopped outside it.
" Do you need a place to stay? And argh, don't laugh at me! " Xochitl said with embarrassment. I smiled brightly and I nodded. I went out to the market after bidding Xochitl goodbye and I got anything I needed and returned. In coming back to Xochitl's place, and proceeded to find a room. After doing so, I set my things out and went to talk to Xochitl. Hours passed and it was late. Going to sleep, the stars seemed to form images. Stories.