Slayer x Pyre 1x1

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts​

Mai's gaze flickered to Livia for a moment, before falling asleep. Seeing her seemed to calm her some, and Mai was able to fall back asleep. Niko took the syringe from Livia and sighed. Looking down at Tahra, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "This probably won't hurt love...just stay asleep..." He arched an eyebrow as Livia reached toward Tahra, with the bandages. He looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. "You bandage her eyes, I'll handle the shot" He said, moving further down the bed so he could get at the back of Tahra's leg. Right then, he was thankful that she'd shown him her scale, that way they didn't have to hunt for it. That might've been fun, but it also would've wasted a lot of valuable time. Finding her scale, Niko readied the syringe. "Okay..." He set the syringe against her skin and pressed on the plunger, injecting the serum just above Tahra's heart scale. Once it was empty, he took the syringe out and breathed a sigh of relief.

"There...she should be out of the woods now" He chuckled, looking to Livia and Mai. That girl was something else, she apparently thought of everything. He hoped that she was able to make a fully recovery. They owed her a lot, the intel she'd just given the might save their lives some day soon. Once Sophie ensured Mai was asleep, she relaxed some. The idea that the hunters had a weapon that could kill a dragon by targeting their heart scales were scary, especially given that they knew where Niko and Tahra's scales were more than likely. She couldn't fathom the pain one would feel, taking a direct hit to the heart scale... Her hand went to her chest, as she reminded herself her scale was in tact. It was Kaito's voice that snapped her back to reality.

"Huh...oh" she eyed the syringe in Kaito's hand uneasily, she didn't like needles. However, Kaito needed the shot, and given where his scale was, he couldn't give it to himself. "Sure, I'll..." she reached out and took the syringe from the water dragon. "I'll handle it". She offered the other dragon a nervous smile as he turned around. She pretended the idea of not just seeing, but touching Kaito's bare back was exciting... No Sophie, stop that. She scolded herself internally as she set the syringe against his back, just above the teal scales. Pressing the plunger, she gave Kaito the shot that Mai had said he needed. She hoped since he didn't take a direct hit as Tahra had, that he'd be okay.

"Alright, it's done" she tossed the empty syringe to the side. With Kaito, Tahra and Mai taken care of, Sophie could finally relax some. All she wanted to do now was sleep. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Seeing that, Niko yawned as well. "Damnit Sophie, making me tired and shit..." he shook his head and stood. He picked Tahra up, carefully. "Well, I'm putting her to bed...her actual bed that is" Sophie arched an eyebrow, but didn't object. Livia could sleep on the makeshift cot that Tahra had slept on.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

The fact that Niko didn't snap at her was a good sign, or at least Livia thought so. She gave him a nod of her head as an extra measure just to show she heard him before she finished up with the bandages; her left eye was covered and the bandages extended around her head to keep it in place but the right was left alone. It wouldn't do Tahra any good to wake up only to freak out because she couldn't see from either eye. A whimper left the earth dragon's lips when the syringe was pushed in and her fingers gripped at the futon slightly. The odd feeling didn't take long to go away before she relaxed again. Livia watched her for another moment and found herself breathing a sigh of relief as well. "I...really hope so." Livia couldn't hope for more than the redhead being 'out of the woods' as Niko had said. Kaito couldn't help but chuckle at the wording, wondering if that had been an intentional pun towards the earth dragon or not. Seeing as Sophie was ready with the syringe for himself, he turned to give her better access and kept as still as he could. He felt the pinch of the needle entering but overall it didn't hurt any. Once that was done, a small sigh of relief left his lips as he figured now there really wouldn't be anything he had to worry about. He rolled his shoulders, stretching them out a bit before looking over to the other dragons.

Niko was already picking up Tahra and mentioning getting her to bed, which was probably for the best. The redhead curled up closer to him and a soft, almost purring noise left her lips. It caused Kaito to raise his eyebrow curiously before he let out a soft chuckle. "Well, you two will be cute together too." Whether Tahra admitted it or not, her actions were showing that she did care about them and she most certainly cared a bit more about Niko. As in she liked him, although Kaito wasn't sure she knew just yet. Call it his intuition but he knew she liked Niko. "I think we're all pretty tired after the events of the day. Niko, you should probably stay with Tahra for the time being as a precaution. Sophie and I are in the same room anyway, and..."

"I plan on watching over Mai. You don't have to worry about me." Livia spoke up as she stood to walk back over to where the sleeping scientist was. She was careful to settle cross legged next to her as quietly as she could. Kaito still couldn't say he liked that very much though.

"You should try and sleep as well, Livia. I imagine it's been a stressful day for you as well."

"I'll sleep once Mai shows signs of improvement. This wouldn't be the first time I've gone without sleep due to 'stressful days'. In the academy, our trainers were very strict on us and did all sorts of tests that had us awake for days. I'm actually doing something that I myself want to do now so...it should be easier." Livia's eyes were on Mai as she spoke but after a couple seconds, she glanced up to meet Kaito's gaze. "Really, I'll be fine. There's no need for you to worry over me."

"Well....all right then." Kaito still seemed hesitant about it but he couldn't exactly argue with her either. So instead, he turned his attention to Sophie and made a motion to the hall leading to their room. "Come on, let's get some rest as well." He made a motion for her to go first and figured he'd follow after her once she started heading there.

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts
​

Niko flashed a cheeky grin at Kaito's teasing. "Oh, don't I know it" his gaze switched to Sophie, an then went back to Kaito. "I mean, you two will be to, if you ever make a move water dragon". He winked before turning and carrying Tahra into the master bedroom. Luckily for Kaito, Sophie was half asleep, so Niko's words went right over her head. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Looking to Livia, she spoke. "there's extra blankets if you get cold...bathroom is over there..." She pointed to the door a little ways down the hall. "And the kitchen is stocked, so help yourself...but Kaito is right, you should get some sleep" Livia couldn't help Mai any if she exhausted. Having said her peace, Sophie shuffled toward the bedroom, grabbing Kaito's hand along the way. All she wanted to do was pass out.

Niko wandered into the master bedroom, and sat down, on top of the covers. Leaning back against the pillows, he yawned. This was infinitely better than any cell...or any place he'd slept recently. Settling in, Niko started running his fingers through Tahra's hair again. Kaito's words ran through his mind again, looking down at Tahra he chuckled. "We would be pretty cute...". Though once she woke, he wasn't sure how Tahra was going to be feeling, she'd been pretty insistent on being alone before. Though hopefully now, she understood that being isolated was a lonely and dangerous way to live.
"Night love" he muttered softly, not long after Niko slipped into a well deserved slumber.

Sophie wandered into the guest bedroom, leading Kaito by the hand. Once there, she yawned and rubbed her eyes before grabbing her shirt and peeling it up and over her shoulders. It had gotten hot, maybe tomorrow she'd see about turning on the air conditioning. Looking back, she flashed a sleepy smile at Kaito, one that made it clear in this sleepy state Sophie wasn't fully...there.
Much like before, when she'd been walking around in no pants. "Night Kaito" she said, leaning up on her toes she pecked the water dragon on the cheek before crawling into bed.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

Kaito gave Livia another friendly smile since the former hunter seemed pretty keen on working with them so far. He wasn't going to complain any since it meant they'd have information. He just didn't want to think of that right now. So when Sophie took his hand and led him to the bedroom, he followed along with a small smile. He was still thinking about how his own tease was turned around by Niko and used against him. He somehow didn't mind though since it was a reminder that he really should just tell Sophie that he liked her. Just to see how things could go but...not right now. The poor woman was half asleep and he could easily tell she wasn't herself when she was tired. Maybe it was remembering her pantless in the morning the other day or how easily she just stripped of her shirt now. Which reminded him that he wasn't wearing a shirt either and...oh damn, there went his mind again. "Sophie..." he was going to let out a complaint but really he didn't mind the show. His gentlemanly side did though so he quickly averted his gaze. Only that didn't work since he felt a kiss to his cheek, which just caused the red along to darken. He quickly turned back to her as she headed to bed and another sigh left his lips. "G'night, Sophie." He spoke quietly, sort of wishing she was more...awake even though she was tired. Although he thought this side of her was pretty cute too. With that thought in mind, he headed to the other bed and within a few minutes he was out like a light.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹ ⊹ ⊹
​

The next morning, Tahra was woken up by the sudden smell of food hitting her nose; bacon and sausage more specifically. She ended up sniffing at the air some but didn't move until she realized something very important. First, that she was in a very comfortable bed. Second, the pillow she was using was a lot more defined than she remembered it being. Well, that and the last thing she remembered was being in that facility and that hunter demanding information. There was also some petite scientist that had unlocked her chains...maybe. Things got really fuzzy after that so she wasn't exactly sure what happened or even where she was for that matter. All she really knew was that the pain was gone and she was wrapped around...well, someone. Peeking her eye open, the very first thing Tahra noticed was that she couldn't see out of her left eye. One of her hands moved to feel for it and instead felt a bandage that covered it. As much as her brows furrowed slightly at that, in that moment she noticed exactly how she had been sleeping: not only her arms but also her leg was wrapped around Niko and her head rested against his chest. This realization immediately caused a blush to form on her cheeks and a slew of feelings to wash over her. It really hadn't been a dream then. He had really come for her and helped to get her out of that hell even though she told him to leave her. Tears all too quickly prickled at the edge of her eye and she had to take a few deep breaths to try to ease her from feeling too emotional about everything. No one had ever risked themselves for her before and honestly it scared her. As much as she didn't want to move, she needed to put a little space between them; at least until she figured out what she was really feeling about all of this. Her stomach growled though, pretty loudly too, but that wasn't a surprise either. It wasn't like they fed her or anything. Very carefully she tried to peel herself away from Niko's embrace in a way that wouldn't wake him, hopefully.

Kaito had woken up earlier than the rest of them again and the first thing he had done was a workout to get himself ready for the day. He had been slacking the past few days because of everything that had been happening but he didn't want to make a habit of it. The red along his chest was completely gone so he knew that whatever Mai had come up with that countered that new weapon worked pretty well. After his workout, he showered and changed for the day since he'd found Tahra's stash of clothes. It was a bit of a tight fit but at least it helped him feel cleaner. Once he was ready, he went to check on Livia ad Mai; the girl was still asleep and Livia was still keeping a close watch over her. She really hadn't gone to sleep at all just like she said but she didn't seem all that worried. So he got her some coffee and fresh water in case Mai woke up and needed it, then went to the kitchen to start working on breakfast for everyone.

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts

Niko groaned and mumbled gibberish under his breath as Tahra awoke and moved away. She almost made it without waking him, but then the smell of food hit him. "Hmmmmm" Niko yawned and stretched, cracking an eye open he noticed that Tahra was gone. He shot up, freaking out for a moment, before he saw her, awake. he breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey...how are you feeling?" he said with another yawn. His back was feeling a bit stiff, so he twisted it in an attempt to crack it. He offered the red head a smile. "Your at least looking a lot better than before" Mai remained asleep, but by morning she was looking less pale. She seemed to be sleeping somewhat peacefully, more so than before. Niko's stomach growled, loudly, and he chuckled. "here's I'll go grab us some food...stay in bed" He stood, cracking his back he wandered out to the kitchen to see who was cooking.

It was Kaito, what a surprise. "Breakfast smells great" He said as he passed the water dragon. Sophie was stirring in her room, the smell of food was once again coaxing her from slumber. Yawning, Sophie stood and pulled on her shirt. She was feeling much more awake today, as she'd had a nice, refreshing night's sleep. Stepping out of the room, she spotted Kaito checking on Mai and Livia. He seemed to be fine, which made her smile. "Morning..." she said as she walked over and checked on the sleeping teen. "She's looking better already", she said with a nod toward Livia. "But I do hope you got some sleep Livia, your no good to us dead on your feet" she smiled at the hunter, before looking to Kaito. "And breakfast smells good" She smiled before going to the kitchen, where she found Niko was raiding the food, Sophie assumed he had two plates because one was for Tahra.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

Tahra had been close to getting away without waking him but in the end, food won out. It had to have. The smell was too good and she felt herself freeze when she saw him stir; her heart started going a million miles a second and she really didn't understand why. Well, she partly did but she was fighting with herself about whether she could even feel the way she was feeling with her job...which she couldn't think about right now. The deadline for that one job was like right around the corner and she wouldn't be able to finish it. Ugh, just thinking about it made her feel down. "Huh?" Tahra focused back on Niko and it took a moment to process what he had said. "I'm...all right? I guess. I can't really remember what happened, I think it's to fuzzy to tell what was a dream and what wasn't. But overall, I'm feeling all right." Tahra repeated a bit nervously, wondering already how things were going to be from here on out. The foot that had been broken was circled underneath the blanket, her toes flexing and a soft sigh leaving her lips. She'd be able to walk. Which meant that the other wounds she'd been given were healed too. Did Kaito and Sophie help in that regard? It seemed probable but she couldn't really ask about it either since he mentioned getting food for them. "But...well...okay." Tahra wanted to argue and say she could get up but the urge faded pretty fast. So she watched him leave before another sigh left her lips. Even though he told her to stay in bed, she really couldn't help it and got up to walk over to her full length mirror. The first thing she noticed was the bandage covering her eye, followed by the scars running along her. A frown showed up on her face right before she pulled off her shirt and pants to look herself over in the mirror. She was still in her matching lace bra and underwear; she took the alone time to look herself over and see just how badly she had gotten hurt. Thank the stars or the gods or whomever was up there that the other dragons were here to help. Maybe...maybe it wouldn't be so bad to think about staying. Risky sure but it just might be worth it.

Kaito paused as he flipped the scrambled eggs he was cooking, two plates already set to the side: one had a good amount of bacon cooked and the other a good amount of sausage patties. He looked towards Niko with a small smile before nodding his head lightly. "Thanks. Most of the stuff is already ready, the eggs should be done in a sec. There's also some juice in the fridge if you or Tahra want some." He assumed the fire dragon was going to get something for Tahra since he had grabbed two plates instead of one.

"Don't worry, Sophie. I'll be fine." Livia repeated the same thing she said the night before, not wanting to admit that she didn't get any sleep at all. She had been too focused on watching over Mai just in case. "I'm more worried about Mai but...she really is looking a lot better now. I can't thank you enough for your help." Livia gave the other woman a small smile before sipping on her coffee some. These dragons so far were nothing like she'd been told and even now with the littlest of things she was being surprised.

"I'll set you up a plate, Livia." Kaito's voice called from the kitchen and the former hunter was about to say he didn't have to; only her stomach growled softly so she realized she really couldn't.

"Thank you." She called back, then continued to sip at her drink some more. All the while she kept her gaze on the young woman in case she stirred or woke and needed something.

The eggs were finally all cooked and set on a third plate that was pushed towards Niko so he could get first dips. "What do you want to drink, Sophie? Coffee? Juice? Water?" As Kaito made the suggestions, he headed towards the fridge since the coffee brewer was right next to it and he had access to all three drinks easily.

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts

Niko offered Tahra a patient smile. "...Well, I'll fill you in one what you've forgotten. Mai, Kaito, Sophie, Myself, and two hunters came to your rescue. Currently, all but on hunter is here, recovering..." he scratched the back of his neck. "Mai was shot in the leg, and she's not out of the woods yet...but given some time, she'll recover. One of the hunters was injured and didn't make it out. Not sure what happened to her..." He shook his head. "...I know its a lot of information to swallow...and we have a lot to talk about" He looked her up and down and smiled. "Aside from all the resuce details..." He wasn't ashamed to admit he liked her, romantically, but right then, he needed to get them food.
So, he went into the kitchen, and started piling two plates full of food, once the eggs were done, he added those to the mix. Nodding t Kaito and Sophie, he carried the plates back, and walked right into the room without knocking. "Hey Tahra I got you s-" he trailed off as he saw Tahra standing in front of the mirror, in nothing but her bra and panties. Niko blinked, and a big stupid grin came to his face. "Well...I could get used to this view..."

Sophie thought for a moment. "Juice is fine, thanks" she called as she fixed herself a plate of food. She then fixed one for Livia, sense Kaito was preoccupied with getting drinks. She didn't want the woman going hungry. She didn't make a plate for Mai, as she didn't expect the girl to wake up. And she didn't, Mai was out like a light and showed no signs of waking. Sophie brought Livia her food. "Here, I grabbed a bit of everything, wasn't sure what you wanted exactly..."

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

The fact that hunters even came to her rescue was quite shocking news and one that Tahra still thought about as she looked herself over in the mirror. Several long scars ran along her chest and torso, just barely darker than the color of her skin tone. The one she was most worried about was the one on her back though; it was fading in color and didn't hurt at all but it looked like a massive cigarette burn of sorts with the way it was so perfectly circular. She could tell though that it was in the process of healing since even as she stared at it, she noticed the way it lightened in color. She'd definitely have to ask Niko about that also. That and the hunters, how Mai was doing, what really happened. Why he was so damn comfortable...that thought caused her to pause, questioning herself for a moment. Clearly he was since she had woken up practically using him as her night pillow. Did he realize that? In a way she hoped not but... "Hm?" Tahra turned to glance over to Niko as he walked in to the room with two plates of food; he trailed off though and it was then that Tahra figured it was because of the way she was currently dressed. Or really lack thereof. She ended up chuckling a little before setting her hand on her hip.

"Well it is my house you know. Wearing clothes can be a hassle at times and it's kinda hot in here anyway. Plus I wanted to see the damage I got....or see it as well as I can." She shrugged at the implication of her left eye. "I'm sure there are plenty of other women with much better bodies than myself though. Especially now that I've got all this going on." Her hand motioned to the scars before another shrug, pretending like she didn't really care about it even though she did. Her stomach growled again and her hand went to cover it as if that would actually silence it while a sheepish grin spread on her lips. "So....what's for breakfast?"

"Juice it is then." Kaito pulled out two glasses, one for himself too since he had wanted some juice. Livia already had her coffee so she should be fine, unless she needed another round. He'd find out though once he went out there himself. He watched Sophie leave the kitchen with the two plates in hand before pulling the juice out to pour it. In the living room, Livia glanced up when the air dragon came in with two plates in hand. One she expected for the dragon herself but the other...

"Oh. Thank you." Livia was surprised yet again because of the kindness the dragon was showing. "I'm not picky about food, I was trained to be able to eat just about anything in the off chance that we were sent on a mission where food was minimal. I appreciate the thought." Even if they were sent to the middle of the woods with nothing but berries and leaves, Livia knew what to eat and what to avoid. It was something that was instilled in all hunters when they first joined. "You know...you continue to surprise me with your kindness. With everything that a hunter's done to dragons, you should have every right to detest me. Yet all I've seen from you so far is playfulness and kindness...and a bit of some dense traits too." The last part was added with a chuckle more than anything. "I can't believe how little I actually knew."

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts​

Niko whistled. "I agree, clothes suck, but this isn't my house, so I'll keep my pants on" he smirked and set her plate on the bedside table. "Kaito made eggs, bacon, the works. I grabbed a bit of everything, wasn't sure what you'd prefer" he sat on the bed and started eating with his fingers, forgoing the use of a fork entirely. Crossing his legs, he gave Tahra a long, lingering look. Kaito's words about men being predators came to mind, and he had to agree, somewhat. A variety of fun and pervy things were coming to mind, and unlike Kaito, Niko wasn't ashamed to admit that he was, on occasion, a bit of a skeeze ball. He chuckled and sipped his water. "Personally, I could stare at you all day and not get bored, but hey" he shrugged and took a bite of toast. "That is likely due to the fact that I am, in fact, attracted to you. Go figure" he smirked and motioned to the food. "You should eat before it gets cold".
Niko was not a man who typically minced words, when he saw something he liked, he took it. When he found someone he liked, he generally fucked her and moved on, but with Tahra, things were different. She was smart, witty, gorgeous...and...he gave her something worth fighting for. What more could a guy ask for?

Sophie took a seat on the bed beside Mai and nibbled on her toast. "Hmmm?" She cocked an eyebrow at Livia's statement. "Well, I was raised to be polite to people in general" she smiled. "My parents instilled that whole, treat others how you'd like to be treated thing into my head from an early age" She scooted the food on her plate around for a minute before continuing. "...A lesson your father didn't deem fit to teach you...truth be told" she looked up at Livia, her eyes held an unusual amount of coldness. "...The only reason I didn't dispose of you from the get go was because of Niko...if he's willing to trust you, after everything he's been through, you must be something special"

She took another bite of food and sighed. "I've never lost anything to you people, as far as I know, my family is off your radar. So you should be thanking Niko, and Kaito, and now Tahra, for the mercy their showing. Because unlike me, they have deeply personal reasons to filet you"

Niko and his scale, Kaito's family, and now Tahra's unlawful imprisonment. Sophie didn't know how they could be so calm with a former hunter around. Sophie sighed and shook her head. "All of that aside...I...I really like you Livia, I really do" she brightened up again and took a bit of her eggs. "I admire you for deciding to embrace what is right, rather than what you were taught..." She offered the woman a kind smile, but as she continued, her expression grew dark once again.

"However, if I thought you were going to harm Niko, Tahra, Mai or...Kaito, I'd suck the air from your lungs and watch you suffocate". She gave Livia a stern stare to convey the fact she wasn't joking, before smiling again. "But, I don't think that will be an issue...you've shown where your heart lies, so I, being the polite person I am, shall treat you cordially" She took another bite of her eggs. "So...yeah, I suppose I am a bit of an air head and the like. But I'm an airhead who can literally take your breath away" she chuckled.

Truth be told, a lot of what she was saying was blowing smoke, as Sophie disliked the idea of hurting people, even those who may be her enemies. That aside, it was kinda fun, messing with Livia. She liked the woman well enough, and could tell that her convictions were true.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

Tahra's head tilt a little when he mentioned keeping his pants on. A part of her mind had already worked on imaging them off but the other part smacked that idea down quickly. She had to remember her place; they were all pretty much in danger anyway but if they stayed with her, they'd be in even more danger. They'd have to worry about more than just the hunters. Yet they all already knew that and had come to rescue her anyway. The second food was mentioned again, all the thoughts she had been having were shot out the window as her stomach growled again. She really was hungrier than she thought. As she walked over to the bed to grab her plate, she noticed the look that Niko was giving her and couldn't help but flush slightly. The flush only darkened when he admitted he was attracted to her and it felt like the plate might just drop out of her hand. Quickly she steadied herself though but she really couldn't stop staring at him now. "I should really be telling you about how it's not a good idea to get too close to me again. Clearly you're not getting it." Despite saying that, Tahra climbed into the bed -albeit carefully to not drop her food- and then scooted closer to sit beside Niko. After a moment of looking at him, she reached for his plate long enough so her legs could move to rest across his lap. Then she set his plate back down on top of her legs and gave him a cheeky grin.

"I guess I'm not really thinking about that right now though either." A shrug was given before a piece of toast from her plate was picked up. "This whole thing that happened made me start thinking about my life a bit. I think...I'm going to leave the agency I work for, which they really won't like but whatever. I've always only had things that I knew would disappear one day; materialistic things like cars, this house, movies. Anything to pass the time but I knew that one day I might have to give up everything and move on to a different place. I've never really had something that I wanted before but..." she paused as her gaze moved downward. "I know that no matter how hard I try to keep you all away, I really don't want you all to go away. I've never felt so comfortable before around others and it's not just because of the fact that you're dragons too. But more importantly than that, I don't want to lose you. Just maaaaaaybe that means I'm attracted to you too." Tahra added a wink at the end of her teasing words, although it should be clear how close she was that was the case. Of course, she wasn't going to admit that Niko would mark the first person she'd ever liked since she tried very hard to keep from feeling those things. "I don't want to leave but...I still don't know if I deserve to have these feelings or even to stay with you guys. This is all very new to me." It was implied he was the first but it could also just be taken as a generalization of how she felt.

Livia kept quiet as the air dragon spoke, going from happy and peppy to dark and cold within a span of seconds. Livia looked unphased by it though and just continued to nibble on her food as she listened. The threat was tossed aside since truthfully, there were much worse things that Livia's been threatened with before. Plus, she didn't fear death so if that's what Sophie wanted to do by all means she could do it. They'd lose out on a great way to get information but again, Livia wasn't planning on saying that to someone that just threatened her. So she just let a small hum leave her lips to show she listened before focusing only on eating. As much as she didn't care, Kaito did as he had walked in during what the air dragon was saying. "Sophie, that was rude of you to say." His voice echoed in the silence of the room, the juice he had for the other dragon set down beside her before he settled between her and the hunter with his own plate of food. "I have no qualms against Livia so I wouldn't have a reason to 'filet' her as you said. She wasn't the one that did anything to my family. Even if they're all a part of the same organization, that doesn't mean they're all the same type of people. You shouldn't lump them all together like that."

"It's all right, Kaito. She's just being protective, I can understand that. Trust me when I say it didn't bother me." Livia spoke between bites as she glanced over the pair of dragons but for the most part her gaze stayed on the scientist still sleeping.

"Whether it bothered you or not is irrelevant, Livia. It was still a rude thing to say to someone that risked their own life to help us. I apologize on her behalf, please disregard the threat altogether. No harm will come to you, I assure you." A look was shot towards Sophie, one that showed he was actually disappointed in her. It didn't matter that Livia was a hunter or not, she had no say in the matter regarding what happened to the dragons and she'd never actually confronted a dragon before. It wouldn't be right to hold her accountable for the entirety of what's been done to them.

"Why do you trust me so much when I worked for them?" Livia's question brought his gaze to meet hers and a small smile grew on his face.

"You yourself said you just graduated from the academy that teaches how to be a hunter. On top of that, this was the only life you've ever known and you were taught to think the way that you do. We shouldn't hold you to what the other hunters have done since all you've shown so far is sacrifice and helping us. Plus, water dragons are known for their intuition; my gut is telling me that we can easily trust you, so I'm going to."

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts ​

Niko arched an eyebrow as Tahra climbed into bed next to him, and moved his plate. Once it was back down, on top of her legs albeit, he continued eating, but he kept an eye on the dragon beside him. Such a strange creature, going from desperately pushing them away, to wanting them to stick around. It seemed the ordeal with the hunters had changed her perspective a bit, it had for Niko as well. However, all of this information was dwarfed by the fact Tahra admitted that she liked him as well, the words brought a tint of red to Niko's cheeks. Cupping her chin, he guided her gaze back up when she looked down, and smiled. "Well, thank god, I mean if you didn't like me, sitting like this would be pretty awkward" he chuckled as he leaned up and kissed her on the forehead. Pulling away, he polished off the rest of his food. Wiping his hands on his pants, he scooted a little closer to the earth dragon. "...I know this probably wasn't an easy choice to make...but I'm glad you did" he smiled at her. "Whatever it takes to make this easier for you, I, and the others, are behind you all the way. So if your old employer comes knocking..." he chuckled, "We can handle it". he doubted that there was anything these people could do that the hunters hadn't.

He was just glad Tahra wanted to stick around... He was also glad, no, ecstatic that she felt the same way he did. Leaning in, he pecked her on the cheek, and nabbed a piece of bacon off her plate. Leaning back, he smirked as he ate the stolen food. Tahra was by no means his first, but it was the first time in a good long while that Niko felt a genuine connection with someone. Sex was sex, but nothing held a candle to having an actual connection with someone. Regardless of where this relationship went, Niko was happy to have Tahra around. "So...does this mean I can tell Sophie we're a thing, because she'll want to do that whole 'eeeeeeee I'm so happy for you' thing". It wouldn't be all bad though, if she and Kaito ever became a thing, he'd be making all the obnoxious jokes he could think of.

Sophie jumped when she heard Kaito's voice, turning to look at the older dragon, she scowled as he scolded her Her eyes went to her plate as she seemed to sulk. "You can bet Niko's thinking the same thing..." she muttered under her breath, and she wasn't wrong. Niko had a similar thought, but he also didn't see Livia as a major threat, so hadn't felt the need to voice the small amounts of doubt he had. In time, he figured he'd come to trust the hunter fully, and until then, he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sophie kept her eyes glued to her plate, ignoring the disappointed look Kaito gave her. She'd just been trying to... What was she trying to do...what was the point of threatening someone, someone who could likely beat her to hell and back if it came to a fight.

She shook her head and sighed, she set her food aside, as she wasn't hungry anymore. Sophie didn't know why she didn't trust Livia as easily as the others, it was harder for her to disassociate the woman from the organization hunting them... The others made it look so easy... Maybe she was just being stubborn...? Her gaze moved to Mai. She didn't distrust the scientist... So why Livia? She didn't know why, all she knew was now, Kaito had to think she was petty. Wonderful.

Sophie was distracted from her thoughts as she felt something buzzing in her pocket, pulling out her phone, she saw it was a call from home. Her eyes lit up, standing she answered. "hello?" A small smile came to her face as she walked out of the room. "No no, I'm fine Mom....yes I know that the hunters were out and..." The conversation faded from earshot of the living room as Sophie stepped into the guest bedroom.

Not long after Sophie left, there was a groan from Mai. The scientist cracked her eyes open. Something smelled good...

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

Feeling her gaze being lifted, Tahra bit her lower lip slightly as she met Niko's gaze again; she ended up chuckling at his words and shook her head. There was no way she'd sit like this or even stay dressed -or really not- the way she was around anyone else but Niko. That much she knew without any doubts. It was just really hard when she kept thinking about how she shouldn't be doing this. Hopefully that feeling would die away pretty quickly the more time she spent with the others. The smile on her face grew more from the kiss and she lowered her gaze again just so she could focus on her own food. "Oh, I would love to see you knock some sense into them. They're so stubborn about everything, always demanding things to be done in a ridiculously short amount of time. I don't know how they expected to keep any agents when they're so harsh about their rules." Tahra grumbled a little, feeling more at ease already since she already admitted she was going to leave. The question was how to let the boss man know without him trying to yell and scream about things...a thought for another day perhaps. "Thank you, Niko." Tahra added after a moment of silence, still nervous about how close they were but at the same time she was somehow comfortable too. Niko just made her feel safe and she had a feeling the only reason she slept the whole time during the escape was because of him.

Realizing he was coming closer, Tahra glanced up in time for a peck on the cheek but also a stolen bacon; it was the last bacon strip too that she had been saving. "You punk, I was saving that." Even as she said that, her tone still showed she wasn't all that bothered and was more finding it funny than anything. Niko's roundabout way of asking if they were going to be a couple made her laugh again as she finished off the last bit of her food. The plate was stacked on top of his before she leaned forward; she was closer than before, mere centimeters from his face now. "I think it's safe to say you already know the answer to that but if you have to hear it, then yeah you can tell her that." There was a playfulness to her tone and the smile on her face only continued to grow it seemed. It had been a long time since she felt this good and this happy about how things were going. Did she deserve it? Maybe, maybe not. Right now though she wanted to indulge a little in something she actually wanted. "I think you should keep in mind that this is all new to me though. I've never been in a relationship before, let alone gotten close to someone before." Which should have been obvious considering how hard she had tried to keep them away for a while. She knew what she wanted to strive for though at the very least.

Sophie's voice suddenly speaking up caused Kaito to glance in her direction, only to notice that she had taken a phone call. The word 'mom' made his relax just a bit, both because it was someone close to the air dragon as well as they knew her family was safe. As she walked off, he brought an apologetic look to Livia again and really wanted to say something about her behavior. "Really Kaito, it's fine. She doesn't have to trust me, I never asked any of you to trust me. I'm just doing what I feel is right." And Livia would continue to do what felt right, even if later down the line that meant going against them too. Although a part of her figured that wouldn't happen. Kaito's mouth opened to say something but quickly closed when he noticed Mai stirring. Livia noticed it too and the half eaten plate was set to the side as she leaned just a bit closer. "Hey Mai, are you feeling all right? Do you need anything?"

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts​

Niko chuckled. "I'd be happy to knock sense into anyone you ask love, just point me in the right direction..." he thought for a moment. "Except for Sophie, because she can be downright scary when she wants to be". That being said, a scary Sophie was not a common sight. He hoped Tahra and Kaito never had to see that, more for their safety than anything. An angry Sophie was a Sophie with little restraint on her powers...
Shaking his head, he chased the thought away and focused on the beautiful woman in his arms. A woman who was his, as much as he was hers. He smirked as she scolded him for stealing her bacon. "Yes, yes, I'm a punk. I'm a lot of things, as you'll discover" he winked playfully. She was getting closer now, mere centimeters in front of him.

There were so many things that he wanted to do, but at that moment, he wasn't going to be the perv that most men were seen as. This was all new to Tahra, and he was going to follow her lead. Whatever came next would come only when she was ready. "Don't worry love, I'll teach you all the ins and outs..." he chuckled. "And you, you should prepare for Sophie, because when she finds out, it'll be 'Oh my gosh you two are sooo cute' and all that bullshit" he rolled his eyes. "but don't worry, we can do it back when she and Kaito finally get together". Something he expected to happen sooner than later, if only so Niko wouldn't have something to tease Kaito about anymore. The water dragon also didn't strike him as the type to wait around, much like Niko. If there was an opportunity, one should take it. He looped an arm around Tahra's waist, a thousand and one thoughts raced through his head, all of them fun and kinky things they could get up to. However, he pushed them aside, and leaned in, so their lips were barely apart. "Permission to kiss you, my love?" he arched an eyebrow, and grinned. "And, in case your wondering, I meant here" He chuckled as he tapped her lips with the tip of his finger.

Mai blinked, slowly, as the world came into focus. Bits and pieces of what had happened floated through her hazy mind. Rescuing Tahra...confronting enemy hunters... Sahara getting... Mai groaned again and shook her head. Livia was there...and so was one of the dragons. She looked to the two of them, they looked so concerned. "...I-I'm...fine..." she said, softly in a hoarse voice. Her throat was dry as a bone, though she didn't voice this issue out loud. She didn't want to be a burden... However, her body gave away what her mind could not, seconds after speaking she broke into a coughing fit, one that left her breathless for a split second after. her head still hurt, and her leg tingled in a manner she found incredible uncomfortable. This pain was nothing compared to what Sahara had experienced though...and even that dwarfed when compared to what Tahra and Niko had been put through.

If Mai couldn't handle this, how could she expect to be of use to any of them...? The scientist could feel sleep calling for her once again, but she resisted the urge. The last thing she wanted was to sink into the darkness...and the dreams... She shook her head as she fought to stay awake.

"What...?" Sophie spoke, softly into the phone. The voice on the other line was thick with worry, Sophie's grip on the phone tightened with every word from her mother's mouth. "...H-how could he be missing...i-if he was with father then..." She shook slightly as her mother continued. The air in the room grew increasingly colder, some of it leaked into the outside room, creating a patch of cold just in front of the door to the guest bedroom. "I-I'll be fine Mom...I...I'm in good company..." She stammered in response to her mother's concerns. "...Y-yes, I'm with the fire dragon...and now there's others. A water and earth...we're...we're all..." Safe, for the moment. Though one had to be thinking she was nothing more than an immature child at the moment. The other two were probably getting frisky at the moment...

"I'll be okay Mom...just...please, take care of yourself...and the others..." She took a deep breath, trying to keep the panic and worry from her voice. "I-I love you too Mom..." she said with a shaky smile. "We'll talk again soon, once you're at the sanctuary...until then...f-fly safe" Sophie spoke, but the line went dead before she finished. She stood there, leaning against the wall, staring at the phone in her hand. "...Dad...Camden..." she shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand, she slid to the floor.
Her father and little brother were both missing, as well as several members of the air tribe. The few remaining air dragons had been operating as a makeshift clan for some years, and Sophie's father was its head. For him to be missing... A thousand terrible thoughts ran through Sophie's mind. She wanted to believe her mother when she said it was just them being extra cautious.

Sophie took a another shaky breath. She couldn't tell the others, they'd want to help, and there was nothing any of them could do. Mai was still recovering, and Tahra...well, she was healed, but the mental scars would be slower to fade. They didn't have time for this... There was no place for Sophie's family drama in this little group. Especially when that drama could spell doom for all of them, and that was the last thing Sophie wanted. She sat in silence for a few minutes before she was able to pull herself together some. She had to remain positive. She was the upbeat one. The perky one, the naive one. She wasn't intimidating enough to be like Niko, nor was she collected enough to be like Kaito. She was nowhere near confidant enough to be like Tahra, and she lacked the same conviction and determination Livia had. Sophie took a deep breath, pushing away her turbulent emotions, she stepped out of the guest bedroom, dissipating the cold air as she went. She was the bubbly naive child of the group, it wasn't her job to be worrying the others.

Seeing Mai awake brought a small smile to her face, but seeing as Livia and Kaito were at her side, she figured they didn't need her. Not wanting to be useless, Sophie headed into the kitchen, where she busied herself with doing the remaining dishes. At least this was something she could handle, and it served as a distraction from her thoughts. Her troubled thoughts... In order to help, she started to hum softly, and soon, she was singing softly. Her voice was sweet, and high, her father had once described is as peaceful as a babbling brook. Her father was also a cheese ball...
The song was an old song her had loved, in fact it was played at her parent's wedding. The Rose had many covers, but Sophie was partial to the original, by Bette Midler. Singing it helped calm the air dragon some.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

"Mm, I think we should definitely wait until those two end up together before telling her then if it'll save us some of that perkiness." Not that Tahra really minded but if it was as bad as Niko was making it out to be, it could be more annoying than anything. Though Tahra really wouldn't complain since this was a first and it meant that she'd be staying with them. With Niko. The thought made a smile peek onto her lips. "Or we could just tell her and let her have her moments. That could also give Kaito a little push too if he doesn't man up soon. I guess it could work both ways." Kaito didn't seem like the type to not go after something he wanted, so she assumed it'd happen soon. It was almost ironic how things were turning out after everything that had happened and it helped to keep Tahra's thoughts away from the negative too. Niko helping Tahra to realize exactly how she felt about him; even narrowing down how she really wanted to be with the group. She knew it was going to be tough to leave the agency but if she had to confront the boss man herself and knock some sense into him, she would. She didn't want to live life with any more regrets than she already had. Before she could think too much though, she felt Niko's arm go around her waist and all of a sudden he was that much closer to her. Red started tinting at her cheeks, only darkening when he asked for permission to kiss her.

"Y-you don't have to ask, you know." Tahra grumbled out a complaint as her heart started racing. Her eye met his and one of her hands reached up hesitantly; although why it was reaching or for what Tahra couldn't be sure but after a couple of seconds, it settled with resting on his chest. "If you want to kiss me, then just kiss me. You are the one that just said you were going to teach me everything, right?" There was a cheeky playfulness to her tone as she regarded Niko, a growing smile on her face. "So teach me, oh masterful lord of fire." She was still teasing of course but it was mostly to cover up the fact that she felt fairly embarrassed right about now. A little self-conscious too, but that was only because of the scars now along her body. Thankfully there weren't as many as she thought and the one on her back was continually healing back to her regular skin tone. Not that she knew eventually there wouldn't be anything left to show she had gotten hit by such a weapon but she also wasn't going to complain either when she found out.

The girl claimed she was fine but both Kaito and Livia knew that was impossible. The coughing fit only seemed to enhance the thought but it could just be because she needed something to drink. "I'll get some water. Have her sip on this until then to help soothe her throat some." Kaito motioned to the juice he hadn't touched yet before he got up to head to the kitchen. He paused right outside the door when he heard Sophie's voice singing and the sound of water running as well. She was cleaning up and singing to help pass the time maybe? Kaito entered the kitchen quietly at first to try not to disturb her, more so with how she was just behaving towards the former hunter. She didn't even apologize to Livia for her behavior, which Kaito didn't agree with but he also wasn't her father. So there wasn't a point in trying to tell her she was wrong for what she did and how she acted. At first, all Kaito did was go and get a cup of water thinking that Sophie would want to be left alone. After it was full though, he glanced over towards the air dragon again. "Are you all right, Sophie?" He couldn't help but ask; he liked the air dragon and if something was bothering her then he wanted to know so he could help her. Maybe there was something she wasn't saying and that's why she acted the way she did towards Livia.

Livia watched him until he disappeared around the corner, then reached for the glass. "Don't be so stubborn, Mai." Livia's voice was soft and full of concern. "If you aren't feeling well still, just tell us so we can try to ease you some. I think more rest will help but so will food and so will this." She made a motion to the glass before shifting closer. "So come on. Lift your head up some so it can rest on my knees and then try to drink some of this. You'll have to eat too but if you're too tired, you can try in a little while. It's mostly whatever will make you the most comfortable but you need to let us know how you're feeling. How else are we going to help?"

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts​

Niko arched an eyebrow at Tahra's cheeky reply, though he'd expected as much. He'd mainly asked to see that adorable look of embarrassment to come across her face, which was immediately covered up by some sass. He chuckled as she placed her hand on his chest. "Masterful lord of fire...?" He thought for a moment and grinned. "I like it" He then leaned in, and kissed her, gently, on the lips. one Hand moved a little further down her back, and the other guided Tahra's hand up, so it was on his shoulder. After pulling away, he grinned at Tahra. "Lesson number one, relax kid, the hardest part is over" The hardest part being asking someone out, though Niko never found that hard. He also rarely dated anyone, given a relationship between a human and dragon could only go so far. "Lesson two..." he took the hand on his chest and guided it upwards, so it rested on his shoulders. "Hand placement is everything" He could think of a few fun places she could put it, but he kept those to himself. He chuckled, but there was a serious light in his eyes. "And lesson three. Whatever happens, whatever I wind up teaching you...it only happens when your comfortable with it, okay?"

He didn't want her thinking she was obligated to do anything with them. These sorts of things came in baby steps. "Alrighty...now with the serious bit out of the way..." he leaned in and kissed her again, this time more briefly. "We can have some fun". Whatever fun meant for Tahra, Niko was perfectly content with having her in his lap.
Mai stared up at Livia with bleary eyes. The hunter...former hunter seemed pretty insistent on her drinking something. All Mai could really see was it was in a cup. She was too tired to resist, so she did as Livia asked and raised her head some so she could drink. It didn't taste like water, but it was an instant relief to the girl's dry throat. Mai's body wanted sleep, but Mai didn't, focusing on Livia's words helped to keep her awake some. However... Mai's eyes darkened a bit as Livia spoke of helping her. "I-I d-don't want your help..." she wheezed softly. She didn't deserve it.

It was her fault Sahara wasn't here. It was her fault the weapon had been developed... It was her fault that Tahra had suffered so much. If she wasn't so meek and useless, she might've done something to stop all of this tragedy. So she shook her head, not wanting to be any more of a burden on these people than she already was. She also wasn't hungry, everything still kinda felt numb, though Mai wasn't entirely sure why.

Sophie faltered in her singing when the kitchen door opened, but it was just Kaito, come to fetch a glass of water for Mai no doubt. Her eyes went back to the sink, and her singing resumed, just a touch more quietly. She didn't know what to say to him, so she opted to say nothing. He'd go back out to help Livia with Mai, and Sophie could finish cleaning... After that, she could tidy up the rest of the house, anything to keep herself busy. However, Kaito spoke to her, which caused the air dragon to jump a little. The music stopped as Sophie tired to figure out what to say. "...Nothing's wrong" She said as she placed another plate on the drying rack. "...Maybe I'm a little on edge, but who wouldn't be given what happened" She didn't look at Kaito as she spoke, knowing that if she did, he'd see right through her.

Hell, he could probably see through anyways, but it was worth a shot. Waving a hand, a gust of wind hit the dishes, making them chime as they collided. It was enough to dry them, with the dishes done Sophie busied herself with cleaning off the stove and counters.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

Another saucy comment was on the tip of her tongue when Niko said he liked the random nickname she threw together; the comment was completely lost though when he actually kissed her and her eye widened slightly. It felt like her breath was taken away from her and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Even a tingling sensation was left on her lips and when her hand went to touch them, she could still feel the warmth there. It was an odd feeling but one that she really couldn't say she didn't like. If only because it was Niko. "Relax?" Tahra repeated, bringing her attention back to the fire dragon after realizing she was starting to get lost in her thoughts. That wouldn't do either of them any good when she had been the one to ask him to teach her. A more serious look crossed her features when he went on to tell her what lesson two was. How was she supposed to know where to put her hands? Her mouth opened to ask but closed again when he continued. She'd probably just learn it in time once she got more comfortable with everything. Hopefully anyway. Her head nodded to show she understood everything he was saying while her arms unconsciously moved to wrap around his neck. It brought them that much closer and also allowed her to play with some of the strands of his hair. "And what is it that you want to do for fun, master?" Tahra asked quietly since there wasn't a need to speak too loudly given how close they were; she also continued to play on the nickname she had given him, figuring she could use 'master' and 'my lord' for a little bit just to see how he liked it. She'd seen movies -tons of them really- so it wasn't like she was completely useless to the idea of being with someone; it was just...awkward in a way since she was still processing that this was really happening.

Some relief washed over Livia when Mai listened and took some of the juice. Kaito needed to hurry up with the water though because that what was really going to help the girl out. The way that Mai instantly shot down the idea of her help caused her to glare at the girl. "Yeah?" Livia set the cup to the side and crossed her arms with an annoyed expression. "Well too fucking bad because you're getting it whether you like it or not." She snapped a little and just to make sure she could look the scientist in the eyes, she shifted to sit beside her. "Sahara told me to look after you and I'll be damned if I let your stubborn ass try to sulk your life away after everything that's happened. Until you can be on your feet again and I know you'll be fine, you're stuck with me. Get used to it." Livia stared hard at her for an extra measure before continuing. "So, I'm going to ask you again. What can I do to help you? What do you need right now?" Her voice was far more gentle and soft this time, once again showing the concern she felt for Mai. She was irritable because of everything that went down but she was more so irritated by how little she really knew of what was going on.

Kaito's eyebrow rose curiously from the blatant lie Sophie told him; the only reason why he knew it was a lie was because of how she was acting -which wasn't normal- and his gut. Clearly she didn't want to talk about it though. "Sophie." Kaito's voice was gentle but he was still a little hesitant to try and pester her for information. "There's no reason to keep things from me of all people. I really like you and...I want to do what I can to help you with whatever you're going through. You aren't alone in anything. Any struggle that you're going through, it makes me worried and makes me want to do what I can to make those worries of yours go away. If you don't want to talk about it, then I'll respect your wishes but...please know you can come to me for anything." It took Kaito a moment to realize he had admitted that he liked her somewhere in the mix of things. Right now though she probably didn't want his company. So with his piece said and the notion of not wanting to bother her in mind, he turned to leave with the water glass in hand.

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts​

Niko chuckled as Tahra continued using those nicknames. "Oh kid, you are playing with fire" he said with a smirk. "And seeing as your sooo smart, I'm sure you knows what happens when you do that" Lots of fun, fun things happened, but he pushed through from his mind. She moved even closer, and Niko had to stop himself from simply taking her right then and there. This was not going to be a hit it and quit it kinda of relationship.
Leaning back against the pillows, pulled Tahra closer and kissed her again, after pulling away, he raised a hand and started running it through her hair like he'd done before. "Hmmm, what do I like...well... Long walks on the beach, holding hands, cuddling" he smirked, leaned forward, and whispered a few saucy things he didn't dare speak to loudly, less anyone walk in and hear them. He then sat back against the pillows and grinned. "The question is, what sort of things do you like my love?"

This was just as much about pleasing her as it was him. He'd teach her everything he knew in time, but he also wanted to know what sort of...fantasies that Tahra had. Everyone had them, even Sophie, who would be quick to deny any sort of kink or fantasy. But, he imagined she and Kaito would be having that conversation before long... The thought made him chuckle. It was strange how four dragons not only managed to find one another, but find someone they cared deeply for. The odds were astronomical, and yet. Here they were. For the first time in Niko's life, things were finally starting to look up.

Mai coughed as Livia scolded her. She didn't understand why she'd want to keep someone as useless as her around... But much like Sahara, Livia didn't seem like she was going to be giving her a choice. She was going to continue to care for her... Mai didn't understand... but. The notion brought tears to her yes, because no one had ever cared so much about her. No one but Sahara and her father had ever shown her this sort of concern. "...M-my...throat hurts..." she said softly... looking away from Livia. She couldn't look at the woman, she didn't want her to see her crying...

Sophie paused in her work as Kaito spoke. He wanted to help her...but even if he knew, there was nothing he could do. She didn't want him worrying about her troubles... They were hers to bare and... "What..." she watched the dragon as he walked away. Did he say that he... He liked her...a...a lot...? Her face turned brought red. She was pretty sure that's what he'd said. "...I...like like you to I..." she stammered. Why did she say that!? She went back to her work, not wanting to continue embarrassing herself. She started cleaning again. "...I-I do...c-care about you its why I....I don't..." she sighed. "I don't want you t worry...it...its nothing...". She didn't want him wondering what was going on, or worse... She didn't want him and Niko to go off confronting the hunters again... Her father wouldn't want that either. "...I...I promise to tell you w-when I'm ready...okay?" She paused in her cleaning and wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. She just wanted this nightmare to be over, but even now that everyone was home safe, a new one was just beginning.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

Tahra's nose wrinkled slightly when he called her a kid; Mai she could see but he didn't look like he was any older than Tahra was. Even as she thought that though, her mind started wandering a bit with his implication of the consequences. Not that it stayed for very long since he was leaning back and because of how she was holding him, she was moving forward. The kiss was well received and returned this time with a bit more emphasis since she wasn't as surprised by the feeling it left. The things he named that he enjoyed made her smile a bit before it was replaced by a deep red along her cheeks. Even though he just asked her now what she liked, she found herself unable to answer right away. Her gaze was fixated on his while she tried to process exactly what he had said. "O-oh." It was more said when she realized she had been staring and thinking too long instead of answering. "W-well...I like movies, and video games...hiking too. I don't think I'm quite as romantic as you sound." No where near as experienced either which was a given. "I've never really fantasized about being intimate with someone before since, well you know. I didn't think this kind of thing would ever happen to me but...I feel like that'll change now. If I think of something, I'll let you know." She looked a bit embarrassed as she made the promise so she shifted slightly so she could rest her head in the groove of his shoulder and neck; more just to hide her face than anything else. "How old are you, Niko?" The kid comment was still making her curious so she couldn't help the question as it came out.

"Your throat? All right, just hang tight a sec." Livia nodded and stood up so that way she could get the water herself. Kaito was clearly taking a while, which meant he probably got caught up with Sophie. Which was completely true. He had been on his way out the door but he paused when he heard the air dragon speaking. She admitted to liking him too and the thought made Kaito really not want to leave her right now. Whatever was wrong, it most certainly was not 'nothing' as she claimed it to be. "Hey." Livia's voice brought his gaze to the doorway and she made a motion to the cup in his hand. "Her throat hurts, so I kinda need that." Kaito glanced down at the cup before his free hand came up to rest on top of the opening. A small flash of light blue shot through the cup then he handed it over to her.

"This should help with any other pain she might be having, including healing her throat pretty quickly. Even if it's just because it's dry, this will help now more than if it was just normal water." He explained a bit since he saw the way Livia was looking curious about what he did. She said a quick thanks before leaving without another word, which left Kaito alone with Sophie and no real reason to leave the room. Turning back to her, she seemed to be trying pretty hard to keep herself busy. It only took another moment of thinking before he decided to just go and see how things led. So he walked over to where she was and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Sophie." His voice was soft and gentle, and his chin rested against her shoulder. The way he held her was gentle but solid, pulling her softly against him as a means of getting her attention and wanting to hold her too. "I know whatever's bothering you is not nothing but something much more. You can tell me whenever you're ready but it's not good to keep these things inside. We're all here for you, not just me. Whatever problems you might have are our problems too. I'm not saying we're like a big family or anything-" because they'd be a pretty messed up family, what with the former hunter and the scientist, "-but we have to take care of each other. This is...as close to having a clan again as I could ever get now. Please trust in me, in all of us, to help you if you need it."

All the while that was going on, Livia came back to the living room with the glass in hand and knelt down again next to Mai. "Here. Kaito used his power to make it more helpful, I guess. He said it should help your throat and any other pains you might be having." Livia explained as she held the glass out to the girl. "You can use my legs again as a crutch of sorts if you need to but definitely drink some of this."

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts​

Niko thought for a moment. "Hmmmm, I'm...twenty...t...no..not three. I'm defiantly older than that uh..." he blinked, had he really forgotten how old he was? It seemed silly, but age wasn't much of a factor in Niko's life. He'd been dealing with adult problems, and vices throughout most of his life. Thieves don't care if your fifty or five. Cops couldn't care less either...and the hunters... He shuddered for a second. They certainly hadn't cared. "Lemme think..." he'd been on his own since day one, however, he knew he was around ten or eleven when he'd been picked up by the hunter. Yeah...eleven, it had been eleven. He only knew that because he'd heard some scientists commenting on how young he was...

He knew he'd spent six years with the hunters... Six, long painful years or torment abuse and experimentation. That put him getting out around say...seventeen he supposed? He met Sophie not long after...and she was younger than him. She was twenty one... Niko thought for a few minutes before he spoke. "...I think I'm around twenty five or six...pretty sure its twenty five though" he looked down at Tahra. "...To be honest I never really kept track before. Age meant nothing where I grew up...I only knew after I got caught and..." he sighed. "The hunters and scientists were always reminded me of how young I was...of course that didn't stop them from doing...everything they did" he reached up to scratch at the skin around his scale. "And I know I spent six years in that hell hole..."

Twenty five felt right though, and it raised another thought, and question. "You know..now that I've thought about it, I realized something..." He chuckled. "I don't know when my birthday is...go figure" he looked down at Tahra, his hand continued running through her hair. He rather liked doing that, he found it relaxing. "How old are you, kid" he said in a teasing tone. He figured she was around his age, or younger. He doubted she was as young as Sophie though, who was only twenty one.

At the moment, Sophie was bright red, because Kaito had wrapped his arms around her waist, and his head rested on her shoulder. "I-I...I f-" For a moment, she forgot how to speak. Form words and say them Sophie, come on, she thought to herself. How could she think clearly when Kaito was so close to her... She could feel his breath on her neck as he spoke. "I...I'm f-fine, really" she said in a shaky voice. She couldn't keep lying with him this close. He clearly knew something was wrong...

And everyone would know too, within moments of seeing her. She shook her head, she didn't want to drag everyone into her family's problems. This was...her little home away from home, and she didn't want to lose that. "...It's...it's nothing..." she kept repeating to herself. Her missing father and brother were nothing.
The thought made tears form in her eyes. Her mother had told her to keep hr distance and go about life like normal, but she couldn't. Kaito wanted to help, and he couldn't...
Sophie didn't know what to do. She shook slightly in Kaito's arms as silent sobs escaped her lips. She wiped at the tears running down her face. "I don't know what t-to do...t-there's nothing I can do..."

Mai watched as Livia walked toward the kitchen, and then came back out with a glass of water. Maybe it was just her hazy brain, but the water looked like it was glowing... She shook her head, that was crazy Mai. As Livia sat back down and explained, she cracked her eyes open again. Maybe it wasn't crazy...water dragons could enchant water. She supposed that made Kaito a water dragon. Interesting... Seeing the glass being held out to her, Mai lifted a hand and took it, though her group was shay she managed to hold it. Tilting her head and using Livia's lap as a crutch, she managed to take a few sips of the water. It instantly cooled her aching throat, which Mai was thankful for.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

Niko didn't know how old he was? Tahra had a hard time keeping track sometimes also but if she really thought about it she'd remember quick enough. If only because she knew how old she was when she lost her brother. She stayed quiet to give him time to properly think about it but even when he spoke again, he didn't sound completely confident. Either way whether it was twenty-five or twenty-six, he still wasn't that much older than she was. Her expression grew a bit more grim when he mentioned how long he'd been in captivity; in a way, she really wanted to try to go back to that place and cause some serious hell for doing that to him. Given her encounter with them though, it might not be such a good idea. At least not for a while. "Hm? You don't know when your birthday is?" Tahra acted surprised for a minute before she let out a soft chuckle. Anything was better to talk about than those hunters so she was glad that topic didn't stay for very long. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't really know mine exactly. I mean I know the month and year but I never knew the exact day or anything." Not that it was ever important for her since she never celebrated her birthday. There wasn't a point to do it when she was alone her whole life just about.

A small huff left her lips, along with a growing pout on her face when he called her a kid again. "You know, I'm twenty-four. You can't call me a kid if we're just about the same age." Though truthfully she didn't completely mind it either, at least not as much as she thought she would. "So, since you don't know your birthday I have a suggestion." Carefully shifting so that she could look him in the eye again, she gave him a small but bright smile. "You should make one up. Or maybe the day that you escaped those hunters, that could be your birthday since that's the day you got your freedom back. I can't say that I ever celebrated mine or anything but...it might be nice just to do it at least once with as close to family as you can get. I think it might be fun."

There she went again, claiming she was fine when it was really the opposite. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something really was wrong with Sophie. Kaito stayed quiet and let her gather her thoughts some, keeping his gentle hold on her. When she finally started crying though, he knew he couldn't really just let it go. "Sophie." What exactly was she trying to figure out? Just telling him she didn't know what to do wasn't going to be helpful to them at all. Straightening up some, he carefully turned Sophie around so that they could be face to face. One of his arms stayed around her waste while the other hand came to gently try to wipe away some of her tears. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong, Sophie. What are you trying to figure out? Sometimes it's good to let others know so you can have a fresh insight on things. It makes making decisions easier."

Livia made sure her hand stayed by the glass in case it was needed as the girl drank. She waited until it seemed like Mai was done for now and then moved the glass out of the way. "There's plenty more so don't be shy about drinking what you can. Do you want to try to eat a little something? It doesn't have to be eggs or bacon or anything, I can see if there's something else I can make for you."

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts ​

Niko chuckled. "Make up a birthday...hmmm, I never thought of that...". Birthdays had never really been a thing for him. He never knew his family, Niko had been raised on the streets, moving from place to place, gang to gang. At one point, he'd found a gang of dragons, which he stayed with for some time, however, he suspected that one f them had turned him over to the hunters. It had never crossed his mind that his birth should be celebrated. Before meeting Sophie, there was no one around to even care that he existed. And now, he had Sophie, Kaito, Mai...he supposed he could count Livia. More importantly, he had Tahra. He smiled. "I kinda like that idea..." he wondered what date he should pick. As Tahra had said, the day he was freed would be a good one... "I don't know what day I was set free...Mai's father wasn't clear on that"

He only knew the years because the scientist had been keeping careful records. He chuckled as Tahra spoke about being called a kid. "Hey, your younger, that makes you a kid...sorta" he chuckled. "Besides, for all I know, I could be much older, like, thirty or something" he smirked at the earth dragon before kissing her on the forehead. He thought about a date for a moment. "...Do you know what day we got my scale back...or...maybe..." he chuckled. "Maybe the way we saved you should be my new birthday huh?". He smirked. "It does mark the day the best thing that's every happened to me was saved".

Sophie sniffled in Kaito's arms, her slim frame shook in his arms as she rested hr head against his chest. "...I...I...m-my...my father is...missing..." she said, meekly. "...he went out with my brother...Camden, and never came back. Mom's worried...everyone is worried. She told me not to worry, to stay here but I...I..." she hiccuped. "I'm scared something happened to them..." she looked up at Kaito with teary eyes. "...I...I don't know what to do. I don't think there's anything I can do". She rested her forehead against his chest and took a shaky breath, as she spoke and grew more upset, the air grew heavier and thicker.

Mai drank about half of the glass before she stopped. Her throat was feeling a lot better now. Now, it was her stomach was what was hurting. It growled loudly as Livia asked if she was hungry. A tint of red came to the her cheeks. "I...I am hungry..." she said softly. She didn't care about what it was, she just wanted something to eat.

 

[pyreshadow]

Livia Hayes, Tahra Casey, and Kaito Iwasa​

"I highly doubt you're thirty but...maybe I should just be calling you old man then." If she was the kid out of the two of them, it only seemed fitting that he'd be the old man. She could play on that, no problem there. A grin was on her lips as she thought about it and the kiss he gave her made her just snuggle up more against him. As if she actually could but it looked like she did. Her hand slipped down from around his neck and her finger started to trace lightly against his chest. It only paused when he mentioned potentially making his new birthday the day they saved her. A mix of a pout and embarrassment spread across her face as she shifted slightly to look up at him. "Nu-uh, that won't do at all. You saved me yesterday but we officially got together today, which means should we still be together like a year from now or whatever today would be our anniversary. You can't have your birthday be the day before, it has to be more meaningful. The day you got your scale back could work though." The red on her cheeks grew even darker when she realized she was already thinking that far into the future; how much she actually wanted that to happen was surprising to her. "I-I mean, really you can pick whatever day you want. I'm just saying." Tahra added quickly before once again trying to hide her face from him.

Kaito held on to Sophie softly, his hand gently running up and down her back like his mother used to do to soothe him when he was a child. Not that he felt Sophie was one but he just remembered how much it helped, so he figured he'd try. Finally the air dragon opened up about what was wrong also and it felt like his heart sank a little. Her father was missing...and her brother. With the hunters on the prowl now more than ever, it was no wonder Sophie was so worried about it all. "I'm sorry." Not that it was any consolation but he truly felt sorry at the moment for what was happening. "I'm so sorry, Sophie. I...can't even imagine what that must feel like." His family was taken in front of his eyes so he really didn't know how she must feel. He knew enough though. "Sophie, just take a few deep breaths okay? I know it's tough but it's going to be okay." Kaito leaned down slightly to place a kiss to her forehead. "Let's talk to Niko and Tahra about this. Maybe there's something that we actually can do? I know your mom said to stay here but if all of us go together, it should be fine. We're safer in packs and I don't want anything to happen to your family."

Livia couldn't help but to chuckle when she heard Mai's stomach growling. An 'I knew it' was on the tip of her tongue but she refrained from saying it. "All right, I'll whip you up something real quick. Just hang tight." Livia gave the girl a smile before she was quick to get to her feet and head to the kitchen. It honestly felt like she was intruding on something though because she heard the last little bit of Kaito's words; needing to talk to the other dragons about something and staying in groups. Livia purposefully tried not to pay attention since it didn't involve her so she just threw together a plate of the breakfast items and high-tailed it out of there. "Here you go. It's still pretty warm too." She sat back down next to the scientist and held the plate out along with a fork. "Do you need help eating?"

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts
​

Niko chuckled. "Oh, look at you, have you decided where you'd like to spend our one year anniversary too?" He smirked. Before, he never thought so far ahead, he lived to day to day, doing the best he was able. He never thought about the years ahead, mainly because he didn't think he'd live long enough to see them. With his scale fractured, he knew he wouldn't live as long as a dragon should, which usually went far beyond a human's lifespan. But now, not only did he have his entire scale in tact, he had a beautiful woman and...dare he even think it, a family. It wasn't a clan, seeing as the clans of old were never comprised of dragons with different elements. But, he trusted Sophie and Kaito, and Livia and Mai were an unforeseen, but welcomed change. It was nice, having people in his life he could rely on, and trust.

Smiling down at Tahra, he relented. "Alright...the day I got my scale back works for me...assuming you remember what day it was" he sure as hell didn't. It was weird to think this time next year he'd be celebrating a birthday. Then, a thought hit him. "Since I'm picking a new one, doesn't that mean you should too?" he cocked an eyebrow at her. Seeing as she didn't know the exact date, he felt Tahra should pick one. Whether it matched her birth month or not wasn't important.

Sophie found it harder and harder to breath, but Kaito's back rub was helping her to calm down some. Just having him as close as he was enough to take her breath away. It was the kiss to her forehead that finally got her t stop though, she went stock still as she felt his lips against her skin. She stared up at him, shock, embarrassment and uncertainty danced across her face. She blinked. "I-I..." she sniffled and wiped at her eyes. She couldn't believe he'd just kissed her... It was the first time any man...aside from her father, had kissed her. Naturally, any kiss from her dad had been a kiss good night or goodbye... The thought brought a small smile to her face, she could hear her father's voice now, telling her not to worry so much and smile more. "Your smile lights up my world little one" he'd say as he tickled her... She sniffed, and then, she giggled, softly. If he was here...it he knew that Sophie was interesting in a guy...

He would've pulled the whole over protective father thing in a flash... She took a shaky breath and the wrapped Kaito in a hug. "...I'm sorry...I...I just..." she didn't want Kaito and Niko putting themselves in danger for her... She wasn't sure what they could do to help her father, all she knew was at that moment, all she knew was she wanted to go home. She already knew Niko would be all over the idea of combating more hunters... She sniffled. "I just don't want you guys to get hurt...e-especially you" she said, peeking up at Kaito.

Mai's stomach continued to growl as Livia smirked down at her. If she could she would've turned away, but the girl lacked the energy to move much. However, eating on her back didn't sound very smart. When Livia came back out, she'd find Mai, attempting to sit up. It was slow going, an clearly exhausted the girl, but she managed to force herself into a sitting position. At least this way she could hold her own plate. Seeing the food made her mouth water. She was pretty sure she could handle eating on her own. "I-I ca-can do it" she said softly, her voice sounded less raspy than before.

 

[pyreshadow]

Tahra Casey and Kaito Iwasa​

"No, I was just saying that as an example. Like a possible future, not that I was actually thinking that far ahead." Well, she was a little but not in that depth or anything. That still didn't stop the pout forming on her face though. It didn't stay for long as he agreed to use the day that he got his heartscale back for his new birthday. A soft hum left her lips in thought for a moment until she finally nodded her head. "Yeah, it was the nineteenth of September. That's the day we went in to get your scale." It was also the day before something was due for the agency but this had been far more important than the agency. Although she really needed to contact them as soon as possible to get off their radar too. She didn't think too long on that though when Niko suggested her doing the same. Her brows furrowed at the thought before she gave him a warm smile. "I like being a spring baby, it's ironically fitting for me given my element." Tahra chuckled slightly, then tilted her head a bit in thought some more. "I suppose I could pick a solid day in the month. I've never bothered celebrating before though so I never thought about doing that." As she spoke, Tahra leaned back on the bed itself until her head was resting over the edge. Then she moved her legs up into the air and did a sort of backwards flip to get off of the bed so that she could head for her closet.

"I think I still like the month of April, so I'll pick maybe the thirteenth cuz I like that number." Her voice sounded a little muffled since she was looking for a shirt but once she had it, she headed back over to the bed. She knew she should be resting right now but she really couldn't until after the thing was taken care of with the agency. "I have to make a call now, the earlier I do it the better. I...want to stay in bed with you longer but the more I postpone it, the more chances of agents being sent after me for not completing my work on time. So...I kinda need to make that call." Though it was obvious she didn't want to. Despite the urge to stay in bed, she slipped into form-fitting dark blue jeans and a black tank top with lacy edges to it. She wasn't going to walk around the house without being appropriately dressed unless it was just her and Niko; not that she was uncomfortable with it, she just didn't feel like dealing with anything that Sophie might complain about. "Do you know what the others are thinking about doing from here?"

Kaito was still patient as Sophie cried against him, trying to gather herself it seemed. He just continued to run his hand along her back and hold her close. Her apology was waved off but her reasoning for not wanting to do anything caused a small sigh to leave the water dragon's lips. "Sophie." His voice was gentle still and one of his hands reached out to cup her chin, lifting her gaze to his. "We just risked life and limb to save Tahra from the hunters' grasp. It's not just her that we would do that for either, I'm fairly certain we all want to protect one another since we're so few and far between now. If you're worried about me personally getting hurt, just remember that I can heal myself better than the rest of the elements given that I'm a water dragon. Tahra might be a close second in that regard with her being earth but that's besides the point. If you want to do something to help your family, let's talk about it with Niko and Tahra so we can come up with a plan together to try and help them. We can easily watch each other's backs."

 

[StarryKnights]

Niko Medina and Sophie Stolts​

Niko pouted as Tahra moved and got up. He'd been content to sit in bed all day, and truth be told, Tahra should've been resting. He hated to watch her go, but loved watching her leave. "You know, you ought to be resting" he said with a concerned voice. He knew Kaito's powers had healed her injuries, and thanks to Mai's shot she wasn't in danger of losing her scale... Still though, Niko didn't like the idea of her being up and moving. However, he knew that the longer she waited, the harder it would be to cut ties with these people. They were probably going to have to move, just t be safe. It was going to suck, leaving all this shit behind... You want some company while you make that call?" he asked as he crawled out of the bed. Standing, he stretched, popping his back, loudly.
Tahra's last question made him shrug. He had no idea what Sophie and Kaito wanted to do now.

Best way to find out was to ask them. Sophie had managed to calm down some, though she still didn't like the idea of Kaito and Niko confronting the hunters again. Knowing they had a weapon that could drop a dragon in one hit made her stomach twist. She knew they'd watch each others backs...but what good was that against that monster of a machine...
"...O-okay..." she said, softly. She relented, knowing that there was nothing she could say to convince Kaito to let this go. A part of her was happy, the rest was scared. She was happy because she'd be seeing her family...but... She didn't want to think about what could happen if they ran into hunters. She wiped at her eyes, trying to hide the fact she'd been crying. She wasn't doing a very good job.

Mai picked at her food, lost in thought. She wasn't sure what they were going to do now. It wasn't like they could hide here forever, they were bound to be caught. She looked to Livia, she wondered what the former hunter planned on doing now. They would both be hunted down and killed for their betrayal. She imagined Sahara had... Thinking of the other hunter made Mai lose her appetite, she set the plate aside, pulled her knees up and rested her head on them. "...Livia...what are going to do now...?" she asked, looking to the other woman.