And Onward We Go [Stella]

[Kuja]

Slumping against a tree in an uncharacteristically graceless manner, Kuja let out a frustrated sigh. He hadn't learned nearly as much as he had meant to, his only thought by the end of things had been to get out of there as fast as he could. Luckily the Silver Dragon had managed to track down another one of those portals, and they leapt into it willingly. On the other side, he had expected to see Gaia once more, but instead found himself in another unfamiliar place. On top of that, it was night time with the full moon looming high in the sky. His dragon gave a concerned coo as it curled up next to the Genome. Kuja gave it a reassuring pat on the nose, and the cooing noise turned into a low purr of content.

"Perhaps this place will be more...fruitful." There had to be more than simple magic to draw. "We can rest tonight, and carry on in the morning." Shifting uncomfortably as he sat, Kuja looked around cautiously. There was not a soul in sight. His tail had cramped up under his clothing, and he allowed it to relax and uncurl from his waist. He let out another sigh, this time of relief, and raked his fingers through his tail almost lovingly. In all honesty he hated the appendage, but if he was going to have it it would look good. It was still a part of him, after all. The white fur was easy to untangle, and he worked out the few knots it had acquired carefully. After it was combed through, he smoothed it out delicately before pulled it into his lap.

He changed his attention to his hair at that point, which had managed to tangle itself quite nicely in his dash to escape from the vile planet he had just occupied. His eyes narrowed as his hand caught in a particularly tough snag, and he slowly picked it apart as he attempted to damage his hair as little as possible. Adjusting his feather once he had completed his task, he draped his arm over the Silver Dragon's neck and leaned on it a little more heavily. He hadn't felt this tired in a long time. Those teenagers had exhausted him.

Kuja allowed his eyes to slide closed, hearing everything around him in startling clarity now that he wasn't paying attention. Insects chirped around them, the breeze ruffled the trees' leaves and grass, and he could even hear something taking cautious steps towards them. Turning his head slightly, he watched as a feline-type creature crept towards the unprotected flank of his dragon, and he frowned. The Silver Dragon wasn't fooled, however, and flicked its tail at the animal in warning. Glowing eyes opened tiredly as it turned back towards the creature, and it growled threateningly. The feline screeched in fear, and bolted off into the night.

Letting out a manic-sounding laugh at the sight, Kuja settled comfortably against his mount once more. Should have thought of that last time. However, now that a bit (a tiny bit) of excitement had passed, he was wide awake. The Silver Dragon drifted off into a light slumber, and Kuja looked around at the new scenery. They weren't far from a city. It kind of reminded him of that bright place on Gaia. Treno? That sounded familiar. Though these buildings were much taller, and he could feel the energy emanating from this new place. "Perhaps there will be more here." he mused quietly as his long fingers stroked the feathery head of his dragon. "It feels...different."

As he contemplated what kind of power this new place held, he relaxed a little more against the Silver Dragon. Eventually, without meaning to, his eyes slipped closed and he drifted off into a light doze.

[Stella Nox Fleuret]

"I still don't think it's a good idea Stella."

Stella sighed even as she pulled her boots on her feet. From her position on the comforter, she looked at her maid, who was more like a mother to he, and zipped up her footwear. "I know Elise, but I have to go.", she said softly. Almost instantly she got a forlorn nod from her maid's head. Pulling on her second boot, Stella stood up straight and went to peer in the full length mirror to the side. Smoothing here, patting there, she quickly got herself looking appropriate. "You look lovely dear, you shouldn't ever have to worry about that." Giving her maid a slight smile, she turned to the shorter woman to wrap her arms around her in a hug. "It'll be okay Elise. If something bad happens, I can easily defend myself." She felt the older woman squeeze her before she was released. "I know...I just worry." Giving her a pat, Elise tried one more way to dissuade her from going. "What if Prince Noctis asks for you?"

Stella hesitated. What she was doing wasn't bad...she had simply gotten in contact with a servant of her father's that was loyal to her and asked for any updates on the situation between their fathers, currently in Tenebrae. Still, Noctis might not approve, and so she had done it in secret. "Simply tell him I'm out." Elise finally looked defeated and simply nodded her head. "Okay dear...I still don't like it." Stella could understand where the older woman was coming from, she really could. But she thought she had to go. And so she gave her older mother figure one last show of affection and left the room, trailing down until she got into the cab she had requested from the local taxi place. Stella hadn't wanted to take one of Noct's cars, preferring to remain more low key. The car she had gotten was perfect for that. It was quite...rough looking. But...she supposed she shouldn't be picky.

She asked him to take her to the small town outside of the city limits. Unfortunately for her, he refused, telling her that he would take her as far as the city limit and she would have to find her own way. Thankfully, Stella was wearing more practical footwear, so when he did indeed drop her off, she struck out toward the town she was supposed to meet her loyal servant. The glance toward the setting sun caused her to speed up. If she had to stay the night in this little town, that would be alright, but she would want to let Elise know. If she didn't, she had no doubt the older woman would let her have it.

And so she started walking. If Elise did know this current situation...she would still get all holy heck about it. That was why Stella was hoping to make it to this little town without anything happening upon anything of danger. The more time went by, the faster Stella went. Until something caught her attention. She had decided to take a short cut across the field, when she came upon a sight she didn’t think she would ever forget. Unfortunately, she was right on top of the man sleeping beside what looked to be a dragon. Oh…no. Stella stopped dead, her eyes glancing up to look at the dragon, who had spotted her and seemed to be getting its feathers…or scales ruffled. With a gulp, Stella took a step back.

Elise would not approve…

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Words:; 767
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Kuja
Location:; RANDOM COUNTRYSIDE
Outfit:; I shall make one later...
Notes:; :3
Listening To:;[/b] Ellie Goulding - Lights

[Kuja]

A low growl filled the air, and Kuja's lips twitched. It seemed like the Silver Dragon might eat well after all. Though the giant beast didn't move from its spot. It was shifting a bit, causing Kuja to get pushed around a little, and after a short while the Genome opened his eyes. A girl? An attractive blonde stood in front of the pair of them, staring at the agitated dragon. Without moving from his spot, Kuja's eyes slid sideways to take in the sight of his friend. The glossy feathers around its neck had raised up to make it look more threatening, but if it was really going to attack...well it would have happened already.

Taking the time to study the young woman in front of him, Kuja tilted his head curiously. Did she come from the city? "Hello." he eventually called out, before he remembered his tail was still in his lap. "Stand, Silver Dragon." he whispered under his breath. As the dragon rose to its feet, Kuja did the same and used the beast's size to hide his tail moving back around his waist. His clothing covered it perfectly (which was why he wore it, after all), and he stepped around his mount with a reassuring pat. The feathers automatically lowered at his touch, and he smiled at the woman in front of him.

"Don't worry, he won't attack unless I tell him to." Giving the dragon one last slap to the neck, Kuja stepped away from the imposing beast. To prove his point, he turned away from the blonde and pointed to the ground. The Silver Dragon growled once more and flicked its tail before gracefully lowering itself to the ground. Glowing eyes stayed trained on the pair of them, and Kuja took a step closer to the woman. "My apologies if he frightened you." he said smoothly. The dragon didn't have a gender, but he found that people tended to relax a little more if you made the creatures seem a little more...human.

Kuja looked around thoughtfully before taking another step closer. "I have to admit...this place is very different than any I've been to." Not that I've been to very many...yet! "Though one thing I do know is that...it isn't generally safe to travel alone...at night..." It was said with a kind smile, though in the back of his mind he was already considering how he could use this young woman. His head tilted again curiously as he watched her. "Do you know the area well? I'm new here..."

He decided on the 'innocent' act as he clasped his hands behind his back. Hearing a thump behind him, he smirked and looked over his shoulder at his mount. The Silver Dragon stared back unflinchingly as it brought tail down once more against the soft ground. A giggled escaped Kuja as he covered his mouth with his hand and moved back to the dragon. "Aww...he's feeling left out." Looking at the blonde, he waved her over. "You should come say hello. He really is a good dragon." His tone was low and soothing as he ran his hand over the soft feathers. Underneath, its skin was hard as armour, but the feathers made it more aerodynamic while flying. "My name is Kuja." he offered, all the while wondering what he could obtain from this new world. Perhaps the blonde could help him with that.