InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I did it all for the cookies."

Celebrimbor Helyanwë (suntdracones) wrote in st_margarets,
@ 2016-02-12 12:42:00

Entry tags:

character: ashton hartley, character: kane reilly, location: hydra dorm

Thread: Game Set Match
WHO: Kane & Ashton
WHEN: The night of THIS
WHERE: Foyer of Hydra dorm

Despite what some people may think - like that silly nymph! - Ashton was in better spirits since Barclay woke up. There was still a lot weighing on him, the upcoming confrontation with the Dragonslayer and Ashton's bothersome conflicted conscious about going forward being one of his biggest stressers. He also vicariously felt the pressure from Barclay's lack of magic power. But overall, with Barclay awake again, alive, the dragon was doing more social things like talking to new people who interested him in some way. Kane was the lucky recipient of the dragon's attention.

Chess had been one of Ashton's favorite games since he shifted into a human for the first time. The old man in Iceland who fed and clothed him had taught him how to play to pass the time, and when Ashton was sent to the Academy, he honed his skills with his wicked cleverness. Ashton was merciless and had built up a reputation in the school for being hard to deal with. Most people avoided him. That was how he liked it. But when Kane said he could hold his own in the game of chess, Ashton was eager to test the demon.

He had a board laid out in front of him on the coffee table between two chairs in the Hydra dorm foyer. Students filtered in and out, to and from their rooms and the rest of the grounds. Most Hydra students were quiet and not in any way rambunctious. Hydra was one of the more subdued and thereby dangerous Houses on campus. Like people avoided Ashton, they avoided Hydra unless they had a reason to be there. Kane was invited, and Ashton was expecting him. The dragon in human form and black human clothes was seated, fingers steepled together and resting against his bent knees. The board was already set up and Ashton had already chosen to be black. Now all he needed was a worthy opponent.

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suntdracones
2016-03-16 05:46 pm UTC (link)

"Hm," Ashton grunted and that was all the response he gave to Kane's explanation of the ranking system as he absorbed that information and processed it, comparing it to what he knew about the demons and half-demons who existed in the Academy.

As far as lust went, the dragon had experienced it plenty. Not many knew, but dragons had a trigger spot. Their scars, the starburst designs that Ashton wore in human form behind his ears, they were sensitive in a way that could immediately illicit a strong sexual reaction from the dragon. It had been something discovered by accident when Trent was still attending the school. It had almost been Trent's demise. Now, Barclay used it to tease Ashton, and Ashton had more control over it than before - especially after Claire had tried to use the marks as a way to get him to mate with her during her heat cycle.

Ashton was capable of lust without so much as a brushing stroke of the marks, however. The singular nature of dragon mating habits limited this desire to only one person, and Barclay had filled that primal need - for the foreseeable future. Ashton didn't like to think about his life after Barclay grew old and died. His witch would expire long before the dragon even looked a year older on the outside.

Frowning at the board, Ashton lifted his gaze to look at Kane, a bit surprised by the question. Surprised and offended. He was merely the mightiest of all creatures at the school! Why didn't the demon already know this? He huffed, chin tilting at a haughty angle that the dragon was easily able to fall back to. "I am a dragon."

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theyloveme
2016-03-29 03:30 am UTC (link)

Kane created lust and he encouraged lust and he felt plenty of it himself. It was necessary to his way of life. He could live off human food for a time, but the longer he went in between energy feedings, the more harrowed and exhausted he got. It wasn't as necessary as a vampire thirst for blood, but he did need it, and he craved it. At least his way of curing his desires were generally more fun and slightly less dangerous than eating people.

That being said, Kane knew what disinterest looked like, and he could sense when flirtation wouldn't be welcomed. His sense of self-preservation was untouchable. Flirting was fun, but the only thing that got as much interest from him was curiosity. This place did not seem to be boring in the slightest. As long as odd and interesting people filled the hallways, it would keep his attention, at least until he could leave. Ashton was difficult to read and get a vibe off of.

His eyebrows went up in question at the haughty look and tried his very, very best not to smile. It wasn't too difficult to control that considering instead his full attention was on the fact Ashton just gave him. He leaned forward on the chess table, dark eyes arrested, intrigued. "A dragon," he repeated. He'd never met a dragon. He knew they existed, in a general way, and heard stories about them. Kane was amused about sitting across from one of them and having no idea; how his mother and sister would laugh about this later. "That's incredible. I've never met one of your kind before." He thought they would be, well, bigger of course, but he assumed the shapeshifting was merely part of the magical package. Otherwise it would be difficult to have one stay there.

"How did you end up here? I thought dragons were very secluded." It seemed more like myths than reality, he wasn't even aware how many of them still existed in the world. "I'm doubly honored now by offering the game, it's not every day I can say I bantered with a dragon."

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suntdracones
2016-04-06 06:27 pm UTC (link)

"Of course you have not." Ashton sniffed. Dragons had once existed in higher numbers, but were still a rare sight, even in their prime before the humans turned to industrial things with the discovery of electricity and so on. Ashton himself had only ever met two other dragons in his life, and that in itself was amazing. But in the novelty was also loneliness. Ashton was still far behind, development wise, compared to other dragons his age. Those dragons had at least one parent to teach them before sending them away into the world to make their own lairs.

Ashton's eyes narrowed at Kane when he began asking questions. It helped that Kane played to the dragon's ego by saying how honored he was. That alone may have smoothed the conversation over, making Ashton more conversational and willing to share. "A Dragonslayer sent me here." Ashton fingered the armrest of his chair, tension in the angle his long fingers made against the hardwood. "It was that or he take my life. I chose to live so that I might grow strong enough to take my revenge."

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theyloveme
2016-04-08 01:38 am UTC (link)

Kane was completely spellbound by Ashton's explanation. There were few things that he loved like a good intrigue. Now he could go home and tell them about meeting a dragon, playing chess with him. He'd probably make it a little more exciting than that, but still. This was a great way to start his time there; maybe there were going to be a few things worth experiencing in this place. He was a captive audience and therefore excellent for the ego, clearly impressed by the dragon's entire existence.

"Well he's going to come to regret that one of these days." What kind of a slayer spared the life of its prey? Unless the man wanted the dragon to get strong enough to be a real threat. Unlikely. Those days were long gone, when honor and challenge was worth death and glory. "You look very strong already, but obviously this is only your human form." Kane made a move on the chess board, his smile warm. "Dare I ask if a humble demon such as myself could ever see you as your true self? Or is that a very private request? I apologize if it is." He was very good at reading people. Vanity and pride, oh that was something he knew all too well.

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suntdracones
2016-04-12 12:01 am UTC (link)

"Hn." Ashton turned his head away. The thought of proceeding with his intentions of slaying the decedent of the slayers who killed his parents had become complicated these days. Ashton disliked being in Blake's debt, but the man was responsible for bringing the magical item that had brought Barclay's mind out of the trees and restored him to his body - restored him to Ashton. Ashton didn't fully trust the intentions of the Dragonslayer, but the fact remained. Blake had saved Barclay's life.

Fortunately, Ashton didn't need to think on it for long yet, because Kane was asking another question. Dark green eyes flickered back to the demon, hostility in them. "I am not for yours or anyone's entertainment!" Ashton huffed, pupils narrowing to slits as the dragon magic worked to undo the glamour holding his eyes to human shape. But then Ashton gave a small tight smile. It was only natural, he supposed, for a person to desire to see the most magnificent species to still grace the planet. Ashton so loved to be admired. But he had his pride.

"But... perhaps one day you will get lucky." Ashton leaned forward and moved another piece on the board. In fact, if Kane was ever watching the treeline in the late hours of the night, he might catch sight of the black dragon rising into the sky.

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