Tadashi Akiyama | 21 | M | Mentions: Illinto {dir}

"R-Right-! No-! Of course not! Believe me, nobody is more grateful than I am for that...! You're... W-Well, I'm sure you're damn wonderful...! I hope-" He cursed internally at how his voice stammered out the words, his lips quivering as he forced a goofy and lopsided grin through the nerves that were screaming at him to turn tail and run as far away from this death nest of an academy as physically possible.

His fingers twitched back a little, almost hesitant as he regarded Illinto with a heavy amount of caution, before sucking in a sharp breath as he reached out, letting his fingers brush along scales of her snout.

Now, sure.

He'd had his fair share of horse kicks, falling from trees, even the occasional bite from the wildlife. But nothing in all his years of existence could've prepared him for the absolutely excruciatingly agonizing pain that tore its way through his senses.

For a moment, oxygen seemed so much less important in the face of the feeling, his muscles seizing as he forgot the simplest behaviors of breathing or blinking.

The waves of pain washed over him, growing in intensity so vastly it nearly knocked him off balance entirely...

Until it began to ease into a light, gentle throb, more of an annoying discomfort than life threatening pain. His knees felt weak as he managed to regain some of his senses, bringing his hand back quickly as the colour seemed to drain further from his face.

His lines of jokes always came to him with such ease, but in that moment, staring at the imposing form of Illinto beyond the bars, he found his tongue heavier than lead and his brain oddly silent for once aside from the slight fuzziness that had now settled.

Even so... That experience didn't seem all that one sided... His own feelings were tampered down as he took the smallest, shakiest step towards the stable bars, his golden eyes carrying a small hint of concern as he looked over the dragon before him.

"...Well... T-That was certainly... Something. Illinto...? You... Still with us?" He managed to ask with the smallest breath that almost resembled a breathless chuckle, trying to shake off the entire intensity of the situation, his voice barely able to rise above a whisper.

Illinto | F | Mentions: Tadashi Dir. Alucard + Rhyhor Indir.

The stuttering that came from the man was a betrayal of the nerves he was trying to control, not that it wasn’t already obvious to the female. She could smell the anxiety sliding off of Tadashi in spades. If she didn’t dislike humans so much, she might have felt an inkling of empathy for the man. He had been taken here and forced to do this as well, they were almost the same. Shame that none of these humans knew the sordid truth of their bond.

The complete and utter crime against nature that forcing a bond was, it was unnatural and all of her body screamed to pull away from the extended hand, but she forced herself to remain still. Even if it was tempting to flinch or curl a lip to frighten him further, Illinto had no desire in making her rider dislike her. If she had to force a bond, it would be a respectful one, if only to ensure that her rider did not take unnecessary dangers with her. Self preservation was at the top of her motivations.

The faintest of touches brushed against her muzzle and the sharp jolting pain shot through her bones and she recoiled. No sound came from her vocal cords, but her lips were drawn back and the long black snake teeth flexed forwards as she swung her head back and forth in an attempt to shake off the feeling. Her wings were still tucked in close to her sides, the only sound was the small metal trinkets and chains that decorated her body softly chiming together.

Then it subsided, her head thrashing stopped and she blinked her eyes open to look at the human. His small voice rising up through the slight ringing in her ears. Was that concern in his gaze? Her ears pricked up, facing towards Tadashi as her spines lay flat against her spine once more and her face returned to that deathly calm state.

“It will take more than the forging of a fa-” Her soft voice was cut short as she felt the twinge of their curse, she had begun to say false. It was not allowed. “Of a bond,” She corrected herself, coiling her long tail behind her. “To scare me off.” It was not what she had wanted to say, but it was what would placate the rules placed upon her and the other dragons. They must not speak of their imprisonment, forbidden.

After a moment, she stepped forwards and cocked her head to the side, ignoring the other pairs as they bonded. She didn’t particularly care about them, she wanted to find her sister and as a consequence she now had to worry about this woman. At least he wasn’t being arrogant, it was impossible to block out the bickering at the end of the stalls between one human and his dragon.

“You look different to the others. They are graceful and groomed.” Illinto’s statement was not made with insultive intent, simply the facts she was observing. “You look sincere.” She added after another beat.

Valencia Corbis-Strix | 22 | F | Mentions: Akuryo Dir. Other dragons Indir.

She could barely hear over the pounding in her ears, it sounded like her heart was thundering away where her brain should be. All she could see was the sickening creature before her, its feathered head mocking her terror as it spoke down to her. Her mouth suddenly parched of all moisture, it felt like cotton was stuffed under her tongue.

Valencia tried to focus on the words that danced around her head, what was this dragon talking about? Were they not here to help? They had dedicated themselves willingly to help the humans, why is this dragon so bitter? She just about caught the moment where the dragon shifted from insults to almost praising her for being almost competent by comparison to the other humans brought into the stables to bond.

Then she felt that boiling hot sensation on her skin, she knew it wasn’t truly there but it felt like sticky fresh blood had been splattered across her skin again. The sound of bones being cracked and the thud of a body falling to the ground followed by a guttural cry and the beat of wings. The scent of singed plants, burning wood and ash.

As if sensing her regression into her own mind, Akuryo let flames begin to flicker from between his teeth, causing her eyes to grow wider with pupils blown so wide someone might have suspected she was intoxicated. She felt like a fawn caught by a wolf, cornered and being toyed with except this wolf was enormous and had so many more ways to kill her.

Then came the sound of clattering, so abrupt and so out of place that Valencia felt the snap back to reality. Her eyes blinked furiously and she took a stiff half step backwards as she processed what had just happened. Her heart was still beating ridiculously fast and her senses were on high alert but she couldn’t smell that place anymore, just the fresh hay of the stables.

Akuryo raised his head to look down at her and she tipped her head back to keep eye contact with the beast before her. She kept her stiff, straight posture, her muscles taut and prepared as she always was. Her muscles could give some of the men here a run for their money if they weren’t covered by her light armour, it probably would have been commented on by now.

This creature was a horrific image, the ghostly white head, the flames, the crown of feathers flexed in a display towards her. Even its voice was unnerving.

“I am Valencia Corbis-Strix, head guard of the second royal brigade, previously charged with the protection of Prince Alucard Fraiser. I am the top combatant of my squad, a strong candidate for your bonding.” The reflex of relying on her script from training and work came from her lips, her stance fixed into a strict position as if someone had stuffed a branch down the back of her spine. Her voice was formal and curt. Perhaps her achievements meant nothing to this creature, perhaps he would not care.

“I do not fear death, but I will not roll over and allow death to take me, nor you.”

Tadashi Akiyama | 21 | M | Mentions: Illinto {dir}

"Ah- So... You can tell? Pffthaha! Who am I kidding. Im sure even a mackerel could. I'm not of nobleblood like most of these guys seem to be... Those clothes they wear, thats probably worth more coin than what someone like me will ever see in a lifetime." Tadashi chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as he allowed his golden gaze to run over each of the others who were currently undergoing their own bonds.

"...It's... Weird being out here now. I'm pretty used to having an entire farmland to goof around in. But I suppose that won't... FLY, here-" He tried to lighten the mood with one of his god awful puns, flashing a lopsided grin as he pointed finger guns towards Illinto's own wings.

He was groaning internally.

Even he wasn't immune to the absolute ridiculous feeling he felt when telling his jokes. He knew they were bad. But they were so bad, sometimes it just happened to make them good.

He shifted a little on his feet, letting his fingers guns down a little.

'What the hell do i do now...?! I just cracked the WORST joke to a bloody dragon of all things-! Won't FLY here-!? Stupid-!!' He bumped his forehead lightly with a loosely curled up fist, before glancing back up at Illinto through the overhanging locks of his bangs, his gaze meeting hers through his lashes as he waited for...

Well. He didnt know exactly what to expect here. He'd never even seen a dragon before, and now here he was bloody talking to one.

Would she scold him? Tear him to shreds? Eat him alive?