Blood Dragon

The hotsprings were a wonderful sight. It had been years since she saw any. She nods at his words. For a dragon shifter, nudity wasn't a concern for her and so she removed her clothes and stepped into the water. With the fabric out of the way it was the only guarantee that the wound would be cleaned fully.

She submerged for a moment before coming back up for air. The water felt wonderful and the heat helped her aching body. She glances over to him a moment before finding a place to sit in the water comfortably.
 
Scipio scans the area carefully, his eyes surveying everything around him.

He walks around the stone wall for a bit, patrolling. He hears twigs snap from the right of the hot spring.

Instinctively, he draws his sword and holds it at ready. The sword was a pitiful sight, the rust was arguably more deadly than the edge.

"Who is there?" He asks in a warning tone as he looks to see if anything shows itself.
 
Dagger tenses as she hears the twig and then Scipio draw his blade. Her eyes flicker slightly and she moves away from the wall she had been leaning against. Looking around carefully.

She could sense that someone was there but she wasn't sure who or what. Glancing to her clothes on the side of the hot spring, she slowly made her way over to them where her blades were hidden.
 
Scipio listens intently, and turns his back. He gestures subtly for Dagger to yield and stay silent.

Turning back around, he takes out a silver coin and starts flicking it into the air and catching it. He intentionally drops it, and it rolls away from him.

He sees a finger try to grab the coin from his peripheral vision, and turns to the thief. Running towards the bush he hid in, he slashes through it. A faint sound came as the blade pierced the bandits skin.

"Just another coward. Don't let it bother you." He says, picking up his coin again. He dealt with bandits and thieves often.

Turning back to Dagger, he sheathes his sword back into the scabbard. He felt little remorse for petty thieves.
 
Dagger froze in the water as she saw the signal from Scipio to stay silent. Her eyes flicker a bit as she looks around carefully again and watches curiously.

It was interesting to watch had Scipio dealt with the thief in the bushes. This human had such a different way of doing things than what she saw other humans do. It was very interesting to her.

She looks to Scipio as she settles back into the water gently. Her eyes flicker a bit. "What is your story?" She found herself truly curious of him.
 
Scipio leans against the wall again after sheathing the sword.

"I was hungry, so I stole bread from a market. My wife sold me out to the authorities, she got her commission for 5 silver pieces."

He starts, and sits down against the wall before continuing.

"I snuck away from being hung. The crown has been especially strict against petty theft. I learned their habits, and I stumbled upon this village. They taught me how to hunt the hunters, essentially. They said bandits ought be slain, but the crown doesn't need that power."

He was silent after that, and decided to check the thiefs corpse. He found a slip of parchment, it must be a bounty. He hesitates before opening it.
 
Dagger watched him carefully as he spoke. To be betrayed by a mate, a pain that was deeper than any. She felt for him because she understood that pain.

Her eyes flicker again then she nods a bit. "You are fortunate to have everything found the village then." She says.

She watches as he disappeared to check the body. " everything okay?" She asks.
 
Reading the bounty, his heart sunk a little.

"Scipio Vanracht, 50 Silver Reward, Dead or Alive" He says, reading the bounty. He didn't understand, why would they want him? He killed bounty hunters, that was the issue. Didn't he also kill a generous sum of bandits?

"Looks like I need safety as much as you. Hm... not the news I wanted to hear." He says, taking the bounty note with him.

He searches the thief thoroughly, and retrieves three silver coins along with a small steel dagger. He pockets the spoils, and walks back to the hotspring with the bounty in his pocket. He sat on the edge of the hot spring, and took a deep breath. If I have to kill every guard of the crown in the kingdom, so be it. I will not have my innocence denied. He thinks to himself, raising his spirits a bit.
 
Her eyes flicker again as she regard him. Then nodding. "It would seem no one is safe from the guards."

Sighing quietly she stayed in the water a moment longer before swimming to the edge and getting out. It was as if steam was coming off her. Carefully she pulled her clothes back on. The wound didn't look so horrible now and had started to heal.
 
Scipio looks away while she dresses, more occupied with the thought of being a criminal with a bounty.

"What is our next move, or refuge? The thief managed to get close to us, even in this place. We cannot stay much longer..." He says, carefully contemplating every nook and cranny of the land for a safe place.

He slides down against the wall into a sitting position, and glances at the wound. It was scabbing already... she was a fast healer. He also noticed that she had faded scars elsewhere, but didn't ask about them.
 
She glanced to him as she ran her fingers through her long hair. "First it would be good to have your blade tended to..." she braids her hair up and looks to him. "We can travel together. There is a place to the south that I know not many hunters dare travel to and the few creatures there usually leave dragons be and if you are with me ,they will leave you be."

Looking to the sky then to him again. "Getting there is the trick because I can not fly the entire way or we will be tracked easier." She shrugs a bit.
 
Scipio glances at his blade, and nods. With a sharpening stone it could be a lot better, but he didn't have one. They could visit a blacksmith for that.

"Then we walk." He suggests. The woods weren't dangerous during the day, not usually.

"We will visit Trolac before leaving, he is the blacksmith. This blade will be like new." He says whilst standing up.

"We could easily camp within caves for safety, not many bounty hunters seek their prey far from town."
 
Dagger smirks a bit. "Not many are brave enough to do so." She shrugs and starts walking back with him towards the town.

"We'll get any supplies we need as well before leaving. " She pulls a pouch of gold from her belt. "I will tend to the buying."
 
Scipio chuckles, "The less blatant proof of wealth on the road the better. Thank you though... We will need some basic provisions."

He reaches out a hand to her to help her up from the ground, although his face looked more stoic than content. He was obviously still pissed off at the bounty.
 
Accepting his help , she moved carefully, strapping the bag back to her belt under her shirt and out of sight. "What are you more angry about, the fact he got that close or the fact you have a bounty on your head to begin with?" She questions.
 
"I don't know... but anger won't help me survive."

He starts walking back to the village, his head racing with thoughts. Dagger seemed so inquisitive, it almost made him uncomfortable when she asked questions. Still, she was very calm and it helped him to not worry as much.
 
Dagger nods. "Yes anger can get you into a lot more trouble."

She keeps at his side and follows quietly. Call it a gut feeling or years of experience but something was telling her that they needed to get out of that village quickly. Waiting would only be worse. It wasn't a good feeling and usually they were right.
 
Scipio walked casually through town, making sure she kept close.

He walked to the porch of a building with a horseshoe emblem. Walking around the porch he saw the forge.

"Grindstone touchup." He says, laying a silver piece on a table. A man turned around, bulky and chiseled. His eyes were set in his face, and shined a bright blue.

"Ahright. Always nice to see you, sir." The blacksmith answers, he must have known of the bounty. Trolac usually greeted him by "Si" or "Scip" on a casual day. Scipio hands the beastly man the eroded sword, who set to work sharpening it. Loud scraping noises filled the air immediately.

"Ye have a pretty lass with you. Pretty red locks, remind you of...." The man stopped his words abruptly, and Scipio nodded silently. His tongue nearly slipped and mentioned his wife, but Scipio didn't care.

"She is a very respectable lady... although she shares my attitude." He says, walking to the man and showing the bounty on his head. Trolac nods, understanding they are being hunted.
 
Dagger kept silent as she watched the blacksmith work. These trades men always interested her as each one had a different way of working the metal. Such a deadly skill they knew.

She arches a brow at his words but didn't say anything still. She had learned that her being quiet here has worked well so far.

It was hard for her to not show her open curiosity of things as usually, as a dragon shifter, she avoided humans and their villages at all costs. This was the first time she had really been in one if years. Much has changed it seemed.
 
The man finishes the blade, and sands off most rust that was built up. Handing it back to Scipio, he also patted him on the back.

"Thank you." He says before walking out of the forge and off the porch. He walked to a stand selling bread, and gave the lady tending to it a silver coin. "Ten loaves, please." He requests, and she hands them to him in a burlap sack.

"Is that all we need?" He asks Dagger, who he assumed followed behind him.
 
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