Beauty in the Sewer

He grunted softly in amusement as she looked in every single corner first only to let out a little shriek when she spotted him. Funny little human. He still watched her with a certain amount of caution, but he did not feel the need to hide from her any longer. What would be the point? She knew he was here and this was his regular spot. And she had helped then come back to ensure his health rather than abandoning him or using the opportunity to capture him. Perhaps this was a weird way of getting him to trust her before attacking, but if so, it was a strange way to go about it, indeed.

"You certainly look relaxed. Enjoy your day off?"

He lifted his head, a bit annoyed by the tone. He did not grasp that she was teasing him, taking it to mean she really was annoyed. He growled and rose to his feet, his tail lashing toward the wall. Well. If she was going to comment on his timeliness, then he would just not waste any of hers! Oh, yes, he knew he was overreacting a little, but he wasn't used to trying to deal with common misunderstandings. It was fight or flee, and he was choosing to flee. He turned away and started walking away.
 
"Hey hey hey! I was only kidding!"
Ingrid spotted his grumpy turn away, doubling back on her words. Maybe it would be good to hold off on the snark for now; if she could help it. By the sounds of uncoordinated steps from behind him, Ingrid had already begun her walking-pace chase.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just happy you're here, is all. I got the fright of my life when I saw a normal person instead of a scary dragon, cut me a bit of slack."
The explanation was joined by a small little rustle of a wrapper. And the small clank of something metal, which paused her trailing for a second as it was scooped back up.

"You prolly only hear how'm speaking, and not what, so please."
Emphasizing the please, she spoke gentler. Gentle, but a little shaken at the press to switch how she spoke so fast.
"Don't go. At least not yet."
 
Her voice sounded so sad. Desperate, even. Who would be so desperate to be with a monster? He stopped, his tail slowly curling around him as it helped to balance his long body. He felt the side of it lightly brush against something soft. His tail had curled around her. How curious. She must have been following closer than he realized, and with his sudden stop, stepped just close enough so the very end of his tail curled around one leg.

He stood still for a long second. His front half had already entered the nearest pipe, so he couldn't turn around. Instead, he shifted to look down his body at her, his golden eyes narrowed suspiciously. Alright, she had said please. He would stay since she asked so kindly. Plus... it was lonely down here, and not much else to do aside from chasing rats and hunting for treasures.

He gave a quiet sigh and started backing up, his movements slow and deliberate so she had ample time to get out of the way. He had amazing spacial awareness as he had to rely on it many times in the blackness, but he still could not help where he needed to put his feet or swing his tail if he wanted to move.
 
The instinct to jerk her leg out in a kick almost took over her nerves. She had watched the tail snake around her leg, and was half expecting him to trip her up out of spite. Instead, she opted to delicately pull her leg up and away, and eventually start stepping back when her pleas were heard.

Pleased that he decided to stay, Ingrid sighed too. More out of relief if anything. It wasn't the only time she'd done this: said or done something to drive someone to walk away, and have to call after them to get back. It was the only time it worked so successfully, though.

Having already turned to walk back, Ingrid now had time to take her eyes off him and route through her bag with more precision.
"I know; I'm a pain. I'll be less of an ass from now on."
 
He got himself turned around and faced the human. He lowered his head, looked at Ingrid closely. He blew softly, the hot air ruffling her hair and amusing him greatly as his muzzle crept closer. He turned his head sideways to better see her then gave her another little wuff of air. He was close enough that if she wanted to, she could reach out and touch him. She was such a sad little thing, and from the sounds of things - and the smell - she had brought him another treat. Maybe... yes, if this treat was as good as the other one, he would show her something. Something she should like.

But first... what was this thing she was hunting for in her bag? He tried to peer into her bag curiously,
 
"Oi. Whether I deserve it or not don't matter."
Ingrid chuffed in matched amusement, shaking her head to 'fix' her hair and return it to its still-very-messy default. She could see him out of the side of her vision while her main focus was the bag. He was close. Close enough that Ingrid could be a risk to him. Another display of not finding her dangerous, and it made her happy. A very wholesome feeling that allowed her a sense of she was doing something right. The dumb modern person inside her wanted nothing more than to just pat his nose, but treating a dragon like a puppy for a few seconds wasn't worth hand loss.

Ingrid also saw the attempts at sneaking a peek inside her bag. Clever: but she was fast in closing it. Finally turning from her hunched over state, she held out the sandwich he'd shown to like the most. She was still a little miffed he only had a taste for the more expensive, but the watch money helped sway her decision to stick with the stuff she knew he would eat.
"If my memory serves me right, this is the exact same one you ate before. I can't stomach any more chicken this month, so it'll genuinely waste if you don't 'ave it."
 
Mmm, this was the good stuff! The sandwich was out of her hand faster than a chicken could blink and in his mouth. He closed his eyes, purring softly as the savory taste traveled through his mouth. So good! There was no food like this in the market he normally frequented, and he dared not try to step outside of the boundaries of safety to try to track it down. It was gone so soon, but not forgotten.

Licking his jaws, he gave his head a little toss then stretched his long, slender body. The worthless lumps of leather that were his wings quivered on his back then stilled. He started walking and stopped at the mouth of a different pipe this time. He looked back at Ingrid and let out a low rumble that was neither growl nor purr. He walked a few more steps and glanced at her, rumbling once more. Then he walked on. If she understood to follow, that would be optimal, but he would not degrade himself into a game of charades just to get her to come.

The pipe was not used as much, and parts were narrower than others, causing him to all but slither through. Ingrid would likely have to crouch a little, but still pass with ease. He did not pause as he led the way along the winding path, knowing exactly his destination.
 
Man, she felt like one of those crazy Australian zookeepers-- The ones that stick their hands stupidly close to big dangerous reptiles. Or those people who punch bear traps to see if they can snatch their hand away in time. Insane occupations she could somewhat relate too; how fun.

Her hand lingered out, before shortly retreating to the safety of her pockets. Being closer than what she managed before, Ingrid got an even better look at him than before. The dragon conclusion was only further solidified, especially when she got a good look at the wings. She wondered, in a hypothetical scenario, if he could fly with them. Provided humanity no longer existed and wasn't a threat. And also providing they weren't so crumpled...Or were they supposed to be like that? She didn't know; she never had wings.

Wait, was he leaving already? The cheek of it! Ingrid scrunched up her nose in annoyance at the departure, knitting her brows to form a most pouty scowl. Was that a growl?? She hadn't even moved! Why did he keep looking back? Did what just happened mean nothing??
Or perhaps she should take a second to consider the idea he was giving a hint.
Ah. Yeah. That would make sense.

Ingrid scurried off to follow his lead down the pipes. It was weirdly shaped in some parts, and Ingrid knocked her head a few times by not watching out where she was going, yet she persisted in keeping pace.
"If this is one elaborate plan to get me to leave, I dunno if I'll either be offended or impressed. It's like you've got the whole place on a map-- I do, and I can't navigate this place for shit."
Some senseless musing for ambience as they travelled, what could be better?
 
He almost chuckled at her comment - or what for him was a chuckle - but he refrained. This place was shit, that was the whole purpose of the place, but he let it go. And he should hope he knew how to get around after living here so long. Still he continued on.

After a while - who knew exactly how long - the tunnel began to grow lighter than just the narrow beams dotting the path here and there, and the pipe grew wider. He slowed and started stepping with care, lifting his tail so it would not drag on the ground. He went a short way like that then paused to glance back. Yes, she was still there. He stepped down into a strange almost room-like area where many pipes met and the grate above was far bigger than usual. It was perhaps 500 to 600 square feet, the floor size of a small house. Big enough to let in streams of sunlight and offer a glimpse of tree branches. He moved aside and looked back to watch her expression and make sure she didn't fall. It was a big step down, and the wonders within this area were unlike any she'd see elsewhere.

The grate above let in the light, but this room was far brighter than it had any right to be because of the glass mosaic swirling across the entire floor and gliding up the walls and nearly reaching the ceiling. These were not pieces of glass-like most mosaics, but glass ground into a fine powder and swirled like sand all around a small slightly raised grate in the center of the floor. It did not move, somehow attached without appearing to be, perhaps some kind of clear glue? And there was no obvious pattern. Nothing but abstract swirls in all colors of the rainbows that gleamed and glittered in the light, the shadows of the limbs above dancing over the surface to keep it from becoming too overwhelmingly bright.
 
The walk was nothing short of boring. Boring, yet useful. The time spent walking in relative silence let her nerves settle for what she was being led to. She didn't think it was anything hostile or bad in the first place; irrational thinking was a compulsory step to her thinking. Ingrid silently hummed to herself and lolled her head back to watch the ceiling go by-- Which meant the slow increase in light was the first thing she noticed.

Blinking and squinting her eyes, Ingrid moved her head back forward to see her draconic companion stepping down into somewhere bright. She couldn't see just yet; her eyes were struggling to adjust. Ingrid rubbed a sleeve over her eyes whilst she hopped down, complaining about who could have possibly hit the light switch.

"Jeez, where are we, sewer-way to heaven? I didn't realize you collected suns down h...Here.......Woah."
Dropping from a whine to an awestruck whisper, Ingrid, at last, got to see what she'd been led to. Her sleeve hovered over her mouth, leaving her eyes as tellers for her reaction; and they said everything. They spoke of wonder and childlike amazement, with a priceless air of shock.
Her words weren't half as descriptive or intricate, however.
"....Jesus tap-dancing christ..."
 
He purred softly, his draconic face shifting into what was the closest thing to a smile as he could get. He moved to a small area by the wall and laid down, stretching out as he watched her. He had so hoped she would like this! It was his own special place, but he wanted to share. Just once, with one person. That was all he really needed. He had been terrified she would be disappointed, that she would think it not worth the time to walk here, yet the light dancing in her eyes and the little smile playing at her lips said otherwise.

The wind picked up briefly, and a soft whistle sounded from above as it played over the grate. The tree branches danced and rustled, casting twisting shadows over the glass. It felt as though some great magic was about to be cast.
 
The entire atmosphere was dressed up in a cloak of peace and tranquility. That, and a small tinge of guilt, if not something akin to it. She was so excited by something so small as a pretty room; she felt like she should feel silly for it. That she should give it a 'that's cool', and be unswayed by it.
But she wasn't.
Ingrid didn't feel silly. She circled the room with an outstretched hand to let the light catch at her fingertips. She let herself smile in delight at the colors. She let herself, for a moment, zone out to a place far more pleasant than her mind. A state she stayed in until she'd went around far enough to find herself where the dragon was sitting.

"Safe to say you have a knack for finding nice things. This is...Really cool."
Ingrid confessed with a defeated, yet no question content sigh, sitting down beside her scaly tour guide.
"Kinda makes what I had for you look lame in comparison."

Another confession, this one sounded faintly disheartened. Ingrid swung her bag off her back to place it in front of her, and buried her arms (and head) inside.
 
She thought it was cool! That was a good thing, right? Cool was good? Her tone said it was, so he was satisfied with that. Then her expression faltered, and he looked over at her as she commented about what she'd brought.

He tipped his head and whined softly as she practically dove into her bag. But... that was not the point. Did she not understand? What she had given him... yes, the sandwich itself might have been a small token in comparison for some, but it was sustenance, something of which there was very little down here, and what he showed her was just a shiny thing.

But it went far deeper than sandwiches and glass rooms.

She offered him trust, friendship, and hope. He returned the offer of trust and tried to bring her just a little bit of the light that she brought him. No physical item could ever compare with that, no matter how exorbitant and extravagant it may be. Still, he curved his neck around to watch her.
 
"It, uh, ain't too much. But I assumed you liked picking up shiny things from the watches and all."
Ingrid reappeared from the depths of her possessions, to pull out a silver tin. There was no label, the small scratch marks suggesting it had worn off with age. It rattled with every little movement made, only coming to a silence when she placed it on the ground.

Ingrid looked between him and the tin, wringing a hand around her wrist. She wasn't too sure how well her gift would fare as it was something she'd only recently rediscovered, but it was something.

"This is my, uhm...Tin. It's got alotta coins in it."
Ingrid started, gripping the top and shaking it a few times for emphasis.
"They're not money coins though. They're just bits of metal I've picked up that all happen to be about that size. When I was younger, I used to think it was cool to do these sorta magic tricks. Like pulling 'em out from behind peoples ears, or stupid stuff like that. Most of the time I still sorta.."
Tracing a finger across her knuckles, she attempted to mime her usual tick of running one of the metal shards between her fingers.
"....." She stared at her hand for a good twenty seconds, then shook her head to get back to the point. No one cared about your weird habits Ingrid, just give him the present.

"Anyway! I already have too many. And I found these when I was looking around, so...They're there if you want 'em."
 
He stared at her a long time. He could tell how much the tin meant, and he did not take it away from her, but trying to turn it down now... that was not an option. The rumbling purr rose up from deep within his chest as he lowered his head to examine the tin. One claw reached out and delicately touched the tin, scooting it lightly across the floor toward him. He would treasure this more than any other treasure he had.

His muzzle turned toward her once more, and he nudged her shoulder gently, a touch of genuine affection, the first he had given in years. He laid down then, his body in a loose coil around hers, like a ring around a gem, and he turned his attention to the lights playing across the glass once more. His paw rested next to the tin, one claw touching it possessively.

Solitude. Peace. Quiet.
 
He stared at her for a while. She stared back. Did he not like it? It was a poor gift. There wasn't anything else she should have expected. Ingrid was fully prepared to take it back if no interest was shown, along with bruised feelings, until the sound of a purr slapped the self-doubt silly. She needed to stop fluctuating from thought to doubts tirelessly. Ingrid got all the assurance she needed from the affectionate nudge, and it was more than enough to ease her ever-moving mind.

Ingrid propped herself up with her arms so she wasn't leaning on his wings, but she'd moved close enough to occasionally feel scales brush her elbows with each breath he took. It was a comfortable kind of silence that fell this time. A silence that was made up of appreciation. For the place, the presents, and the company.
It was nice. And she wished it could stay that way. But her words would not be ignored-- Not even by herself.

"I feel like a better thank you is needed. Not for anything specific, just...In general. You haven't said a word and you've somehow been the, uh, person? Person. Person I've felt the least....Angry around. Not angry angry, like mad, more like...I dunno. Some sort of angry. I won't go into detail: I just wanna thank you.
Makes me glad I decided to get chased down and beat up a few days ago. As glad as someone could be."
 
He grunted, a sort of laugh almost, and tipped his head slightly to look at her. Yes, getting chased and beat up was a delightful pass time. One that everyone should consider getting into. Although, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was glad that had happened. Not glad she'd been hurt, but glad that it had ended up with her here with him. For however long this would last, he was grateful.

His tail rasped across the smoothed glass as it swung around, the tip flicking slight, then stilling as it came to rest on her knee. It was a very casual act, almost like a cat not realizing when their tail touched something. He knew it was there, but he was content to let it stay.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him he had not had anything other than her little sandwich to eat, and that was nothing to a big dragon. He ignored it for now, but the growling slowly built in volume.
 
Smooth criminal. The parallels drawn from him to a housecat did cross her mind, and made her snicker to herself. She wasn't sure which one would be more dangerous: housecats were unpredictable. None of them ever seemed to like her. Good, they stink anyway.

Ingrid knowingly looked over at the stomach rumbling. Ignoring it never worked for too long. It was like ignoring a fire alarm: it only got worse.
"You still hungry? 'fraid I don't have anything left on me. I think the only edible thing on me right now is tictacs."
 
Well, there was one other eatable thing, but he wasn't going there. Instead, he stood and stretched. Leather creaked and groaned, scales rustled like iron leaves, and joints cracked. He yawned at the height of his stretch, his teeth gleaming brightly. Then he shook himself all over and started walking. Time to find food. He still watched his steps, making certain his tail did not drag. Most of the glass had long since worn smooth, but he learned the hard way that some edges took longer to wear down than others.

He stepped up out of the mosaic room and wandered down the pipe where he'd come. Now... what to eat? More rat, he supposed. Strange how one delicious sandwich could make something he'd almost come to enjoy suddenly seem absolutely disgusting. Or he supposed he could check out whatever the restaurant dumpsters had to offer.
 
Speaking of alarms, the silent one that screeched 'time up' had set in. Ingrid scooted forward when she felt the form behind her rise, taking the chance to crack her spine back into working order from slouching too much. Then, it was off towards what she hoped was the exit.

Following behind, Ingrid grunted as she hoisted herself up out of the room and back into the pipe. He was already well on his way. Hunger was probably one of the primary driving factors for him. She couldn't relate.
"Suppose I just follow you to find the way out, yeah?"

A rhetorical question. There wasn't any other option she had, unless she wanted to play a hearty game of labyrinth with herself.
 
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