Beauty in the Sewer

He cocked his head. Well, she could speak. That was good. She was not completely fried. He poked her gently with a talon, moving her shoulder out of the hole it was digging into one of his wing ribs. He supposed he really should oil his wings and take care of them. It was hard to remember when, down here, they were nothing but useless apendages. He remembered seeing vehicles with leather seats cracked by constant sunlight. That was his wings.

He looked back at the wire. It was still there, and thankfully, she had not pierced it badly enough to have it electrocuting him. He did not dare move his tail just in case. Then he saw her pocket knife. Pointed tips of his claws collected the blade then dropped it - with great care - into her lap. Then he rumbled again in warning. He'd tried to tell her!
 
She took the nudge as a way of being told to get up. Pushing her torso upwards to sit, she cradled her head in one of her hands and mumbled inaudible nothings to herself. She looked up just in time to catch where he was gazing: at the wire. Goddamn that wire and its foreseeable bloodline! Her eyes were still unfocused, so she couldn't see it clearly, but she'd blindly curse this wire out anyway.

Ingrid felt something being dropped in her lap. Her knife. This time she caught what he was meaning to 'say', and she pressed a palm into her face with another groan. It seemed like such an obvious observation now! She'd automatically assumed the wire wouldn't be live-- That was like rule number 1 of fire safety in school!
"Alright, alright! I'm not an expert translator for sewer monster. At least I tried, huh?"

She grumbled, blinking a few times to try and get her eyes to co-operate.
"Can you move it at all? Or is it still wrapped? Hell, have I made it worst??"

The last question was more of a monologue if anything. Leaning forward, Ingrid held the knife in her hands and narrowed her eyes at (a blurry mess that she was assuming was) the wire.
 
He followed her glance up to the wire then looked back down at her. Nope, he was not moving his tail. That was a terrible idea. The wire was still mostly sheathed as far as he could tell, but he was not taking any chances. He could wait until she felt like trying again.

He tipped his head, looking at her upside down. That jolt had apparently messed with her optics. She appeared to be crosseyed, but even as he watched, they were relaxing a bit. Ah, well. They could wait. He did not have anywhere else to go. But he did have one burning question...

Did she have any more sandwiches?
 
Ingrid felt like she was obligated to finish what she started. She refused to be beaten by a wire! Though, as much as the dramatic thirst for revenge bled through her, she needed a minute before she tried again. Or several.

A heavy sigh escaped her mouth, sinking her shoulders. He hadn't shoved her off yet; that was a good a welcome as any. She'd stay there for a little bit to get herself together.
It was surreal. Her fried brain was going positively bonkers on why she wasn't giving into those frequent seconds of fear. Ingrid, from her perspective, felt some sort of-- What was it called? Understanding? Connection? One of those. Every second she stayed alive edged her further down the road of 'not that bad'. It was a long road. Yet progress was progress.

Pulling a knee up to her chest for her arms to rest on, Ingrid mirrored a gesture she'd seen the dragon do multiple times: she tilted her head to the side.
"You look like you're waiting for something. Sorry, electrical work will have to wait for a bit, so I don't lose any more brain cells."
 
He sighed and shifted to make himself as comfortable as possible while he waited. What else was he supposed to do? There was not much he could do from this angle other than keep her out of the muck. The much was always a lot better after a heavy rain. Better as in there was little in the tunnels. Unfortunately, there had only been spats of rain lately, enough to wash in gunk off the streets.

He tipped his head to copy her then looked away and started scraping his claws along the wall. He was still thoroughly stuck, but at least he wasn't alone anymore. Trouble was always a little easier with company.
 
"I can take a hint."

Ingrid mused, stretching her arms and rolling her head around her neck to crack some bones. If dodging death at every corner was going to become a daily task, she might as well own it. With enough sense regained for round two, the small woman pushed herself off and onto her feet.

Her still squinting eyes honed in on the wire once more. Learning from past mistakes, Ingrid pulled a sleeve over her hand so she wasn't directly touching the knife. That would help, right? No skin touching the knife? It was a thick jacket. Another new tactic she had was to jump and cut as fast as she could. And pray she didn't cut herself..Or anyone else.

A few moments of anticipation hung in the air before she sprung up and gave a second, more forceful tug with her small blade. There was a fainter buzz that was drowned out by a cracking snap. She still backed up with a stumble, but there were no strings of distasteful words this time. Just the silent sound of Ingrid holding her breath and hoping.
 
The instant she started moving, he went completely still, watching her. She stood and returned to looking at the wire. Still with the knife? But this time protected. He tensed. He jumped in surprise when she suddenly leaped into the air and slashed. He scrambled forward a few steps then stopped. Wait... he was a few steps forward. He looked back. His tail was free! He stood still a second. Then bolted forward, talons scraping the stone as he propelled himself forward.

When he reached the junction not far away from where he'd been stuck, he stopped and used the space to look himself over. His tail was slightly singed and missing one scale near the tip, but the spike that had gotten him in this mess in the first place was still intact. He sighed in relief then looked around. Wasn't there something missing?

He padded back to the pipe he'd come from and looked down uncertainly. Was the human alright? He hesitated, really not wanting to go back to where he'd been stuck for a couple of hours. He waited uncertainly until he heard breathing. She was fine. He considered waiting, but his old fear resurfaced, and he retreated into the darkness once more. But he owed her. He was not so beastly that he did not recognize that. He owed her.
 
The burst of movement made Ingrid jump out of her skin. So much so, that she almost dropped her knife into the murky depths of the ankle-deep waters. That was close-- She sure as hell didn't wanna lose anything down here.

Ingrid shook herself off and grinned at the now snapped wire triumphantly. She was pleased with herself. Trial and error was a very underrated method. Her gleeful self-absorption was ended abruptly as she spotted the frame of the recently freed dragon move away. There was no light aside from what minimal rays the place offered, so all she really saw was 2 seconds of shifting darkness.

"Wait! Wait a second! O-Oi!!"
Too late. Once she rounded the corner out of the pipe, he was gone. She was half-convinced this thing had some supernatural abilities to sink through the floor. It...Wasn't a possibility she was going to rule out.
With her time up, Ingrid shoved her hands into her pockets with a grumble, and traversed her way back up the path she came. Welp, back into reality she climbed, right into the loud crowds and unfriendly faces at each turn...
...Y'know, in comparison, the sewer was sometimes better.
 
He stayed down low for the rest of the night and the next day. He owed her. He owed her a lot, but what could he do to show her that he realized that? He was a sewer monster. It wasn't like he could bring her a bouquet of flowers to show his thanks.

Hmm, that was not a horrible idea.

He went through his things, trying to think about what she might like. Or at least could use. Like and use were synonymous to him now. He picked a drawer and went through everything. Then another. Then another. Finally, he found something he thought she might like. He found a canvass bag he'd rescued from the water and washed off then placed the items inside. It wasn't exactly a neatly wrapped box of roses, but hopefully she'd understand it was his attempt at saying thank you.

He still didn't trust her. Not by a long shot. But a debt was a debt. She could have left him, but instead risked her life to try to save him.

When he estimated it was about the time he'd seen her last evening, he cautiously returned to the junction but hid down one of the pipes to watch and wait. Would she return?
 
Much to her dismay, Ingrid had to take time to tend to the things she'd set aside in her monster-quest. Ever since she came to the soul-crushing realization she had dropped her phone at some point and hadn't noticed, she'd have to see her boss in-person to affirm her case in having the rest of the week off. Ingrid had mastered the sleazy art of looking ill and frail, but her act almost worked too well. It could have been the janky walk from her scar that refused to be ignored, the wild glint of 'seen a ghost' in her eyes, or the faint musk of sewer--- Whatever it was, it gave her a lot more time off than she was expecting. Ahh, extorting money off of an already struggling small business with paid sick leave, given to you by taking advantage of people's kindness; was there any greater feeling?

Time passed by rather uneventfully once she took care of that. She noted down the location of the encounter with far less urgency, and spent a lot of time just...Staring at her walls. Ingrid's room was littered with papers all over the floor, all in some way crumpled after being walked over so many times with routine pacing. The only furniture was a small bed tucked into the far corner, and a desk by the window. There was no light: save for a lamp on the shoddy table that served as said desk. The walls were too covered in papers, spaced out based on what connected with what. Some were neatly strung together with care, and some looked like they'd been torn and lashed out at. The place offered her no peace, as details of her supposed madness decorated every inch like a sick museum. It was also the place she spent all of her time. All trash in the center room of the apartment was there only because it was put there to save dirtying her chaotic safe-space.
It was the safest place she had. A place with her and her thoughts.
The two things that didn't have the opportunity to hurt her.

Before the transcended beyond the concept of time, Ingrid felt like it was close enough time to take a trip to the sewer again. In all honesty, she wasn't feeling too good. Her stomach was on fire and her head was being cruel. But she had to see if he was alright; he didn't stick around long enough for her to check if she caught his tail. Part of her was worried that's why he left in such a hurry. Donning all of her sewer-essentials, she made her way down the manhole and into the pipes with no extra thought on it. It had only been a few days, but it was beginning to become normal.

Not having the patience to play hide-and-seek today, and not having any light aside from a crappy pocket torch, Ingrid called out with the same attempted softness she'd been holding this whole time. Albeit far more strained and sluggish sounding.
"Hey, big guy! You around here? I got you another sandwich-- This one was a little...Uh....Cheaper. But it's still edible."
 
She did not smell well. He heard her long before he smelled her, and he smelled her long before he saw her. She smelled wrong, like an injured animal, but if she was injured, why was she down here? He puzzled over these thoughts for only a moment before turning his attention back to her. She was carrying something that smelled like food. Oh, that was nice of her! But if his nose had any say in the matter, perhaps she should be the one eating it.

He waited for several moments, watching her suspiciously. There was nothing new as far as he could tell, except that she was calling for him. He moved forward a few steps and allowed his claws to click on the stone. His head stayed low, only inches above the filth in the tunnels as he watched her and waited for her to see him.
 
'Glad to see him' was an understatement. Glad to not be forced to wander, and glad he was still willing to make himself known. Ingrid felt the ghostly presence of a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Having something to look forward to let her feel something. It was something close to happiness, but not quite; like off-brand happiness that was cheaper and sold under a different name to avoid copyright.

She took one step forward in his direction, just to let him know she'd seen him, then went about holding the food out. Like she said, it wasn't the same as last time, but anything had to be better than whatever down here had to offer, right?

"Here. I don't know how long I'll be able to stay, but I wanted to at least give you something. And...To just see if you were still alive. You left in a pretty big hurry."

The hand that was holding the torch swayed from its pointed position on the floor. Seemingly subconsciously, the arm holding the light had abandoned its task altogether in favor of wrapping itself around Ingrid's stomach. She was convinced it was just temporary pain like a cramp, and it would pass soon. It had been over several hours.
 
He slowly extended his neck, sniffing suspiciously. Hmm, it smelled inferior, but still good. Yet, as good as it smelled, he still felt he was taking it away from someone who needed it more than he did. He lifted his head with a quiet grunt. Thank you, but no thank you.

He took one step forward, his head swaying slowly as he eyed her. Then he twisted his neck around and used his teeth to retrieve the bag hanging from his spine on his back. Still, he hesitated, unsure, then reached forward and offered her the bulging sack.

The bag ticked. When she opened the sack, she would find watches, watches of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. Some were kids' toy watches, but at least a couple were high-end rolexes. All of them had been washed and cleaned, and many of them (the real ones) worked still.
 
The refusal resulted in a grumble from Ingrid. It seemed he had expensive taste. Too bad for him: she could only just afford what she got today so if he wasn't going to eat it, she would. At that thought, she looked down at the sandwich and grimaced in disgust. She really didn't feel like eating right now...So....She'd eat it later! Yeah..

When the script was switched, and he was offering her something, she was beyond bewildered. Unlike him, there wasn't too much hesitation in taking it; unless there was a rabid possum inside she should be okay.

The weight was more than she expected, and it almost toppled her over, but she managed to keep it in her grasp and keep herself standing. Inside was...So many watches. Like, insane amounts. Not the kind you'd find in a sewer either; no, some of them were working! Ingrid looked between the dragon and the sack a good number of times to make sure she understood. Was she being given these? They certainly weren't hers, so it wasn't a return.

"What's all this about? Why've you given me a pawnbrokers inventory?"
 
He grumbled softly and lowered his head to her level, tipping his head to study her. It appeared as though she was confused. It was a gift! He did not think she would want a rat to eat, so he'd given her a bit of treasure. That was nearly his entire collection of watches. He'd kept a pawful of his favorite ones back and given her the rest. That was years worth of watches saved from the sewers and trash over the years. It was amazing what ended up in the sewers and trash. He'd cleaned and saved these lovely treasures. The work was as much a gift as the items. Would she accept them? Or was she trying to throw them back at him?
 
"Are these for me?"

He wasn't trying to take them back. And he wouldn't have dragged them out here for nothing. Was he trying to pay her back for yesterday? Was gratitude a concept that he understood, too? Ingrid held the sack close, wringing her hands around the opening. It was cool and all, but how did she say thanks? Words didn't seem to be a concept that was understood as far as she could tell. It was the first time she was going out of her way to try and not be rude- go figure.

"........."
Ingrid thought over all the ways she knew people said thanks. Waving? Nah. Shaking the bag?? She'd risk breaking something. Bowing? Eh...It was the best she could do. Much to the protest of her injury, Ingrid slightly bowed her head and upper torso down awkwardly, feeling foolish at best.

"Thanks, bud. I appreciate you tryin'. I just hope you didn't kill anyone to get these."
The last thing she needed was more criminal evidence inside her house.
 
A soft, rumbling purr emanated from the dark being, and he arched his neck proudly. She liked his gift! She liked it! Good. She seemed completely overwhelmed! At least, that's how he took her hesitation to mean, though he wasn't sure what was up with the bowing thing, but oh well. Maybe that was how she said thank you.

Well. That was that. She really should go get some rest. He started walking past her, scales scraping softly. He needed to go down one of the other pipes and go hunting. He was hungry.
 
Purring was good. She followed a page of someone who had a cat, so she was sure of it. Though, whatever noise meant what, it all was some variant of terrifying rumble. Even now; it still gave her that little nudge of 'uh oh' whenever she heard it.
But it was hard to be scared of a dragon who just gifted you a sack of watches.

Ingrid leaned to the side a little to let him pass, taking note of the features he held. Dragon was the right call to make when deciding what the hell he could be. Dragons were mythical, yeah, yet it was the most fitting category.

Before he got too far though, Ingrid suddenly spoke up.
"Hang on-- Your tail!"
Ingrid tried to get his attention, shifting the sack to be held with one arm as she pointed to the space behind her. Where a tail would be if she, too, was a big scaley sewer dragon.
"Before, did I catch your tail? Did I cut you?"
 
He stopped and bristled as her sudden cry startled him. He looked back at her with an irritable grumble. Was this human somehow unaware that it was rude to scare someone? Especially someone down in a dark sewer? His tail flicked, conveniently resting near her, though that had not been the intention.

Her blade had caught him, but the scale had shield him. There was a slight scratch on one scale leading to the soft patch where the next scale was missing. His tail scales were small, however, and grew back in time. It was no great loss or damage.
 
"Don't give me that look. You ran away after I called after you last time."

Ingrid 'argued' back with a huff, but the still present smile on her face suggested she was far less irritated then she seemed. With the tail close enough to inspect, she leaned over and shined the lower-than-low quality torch. Apart from a missing scale, everything seemed to be okay. No obvious scarring or damage. She hadn't completely sliced off the tip of the tail which was what she was dreading.

"Good enough. I was afraid I'd have to tape something."
 
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