Tibias' cheeks went red with embarrassment at the statement of the two of them looking like women. It was hard to see through his mess of hair that his cheeks were a gentle red. He smiled, then laughed a little and curtsied at the guards. "My, you sure know how to make a person feel welcomed!" His over-grown shirt acted well enough for a skirt as he pulled it out and bent a knee.

Ignoring the incredulous stares, he scampered on into the city walls unhindered. Once in the gates, he glanced around eagerly, finding being so close to so many humans very interesting, almost refreshing. The cart driver was about as engaging as a moss-covered log, and now he had the chance to interact with other humans and possibly emulate them.

"E-Excuse me!" Tibias called out to the first non-threatening person he saw. Who just happened to be a small child about the age of eight. He bent down to her level and smiled to her. "Can you tell me where an inn is?" The girl stared at him for a bit and giggled.
"Just down there! The street! There's a whole district of them." She replied with her small, sweet voice.
"Thank you kindly, miss!" He said, patting her head gently, then standing up and turning to where Ami was.

Tibias could sense the initial frustration in the sentence before he quickly changed it to a decent question. Had he done something wrong? Tibias couldn't tell, but he decided to answer quickly, not wanting to cause more upset to the man who generously took him in as his apprentice. "Y-Yes. It's down that street, there's a whole bunch of them, the little lady said," he cleared his throat, trying to seem more confident and competent. "It shouldn't be too hard to find a cheap room."

The vibrant-haired man walked slowly down the street. A horse and its rider clacked behind him on the flat stones. He hadn't noticed he was walking on the middle of the street, nor did it occur to him that it wasn't a custom to walk in the middle of the road. The rider called out. "Move it! You're in the middle of the road." His voice was harsh and commanding, as if expecting to be obeyed immediately.

"Ah, ah," Tibias said while stumbling to the side with a bit of shock. "So sorry, mister." He was now on the other side of the road, but still in the way of traffic.

"Look, guy, if you can't get on the sidewalk, then I'll just trample you down first for the rest of us who can afford a decent mode of transportation." The man said while pulling back on the reigns harshly, causing the mare to stand on her hind legs and kick the air. Tibias quickly jumped to the side as the rider and his horse trotted off indignantly. Tibias scratched the side of his head and sighed. Maybe everyone was like his employer.

Ägar rolled his eyes. But despite the amusement he portrayed, he felt a bit miffed that someone else had bothered to pick on Tibias. As far as he was concerned, now it was his job. Not some grouchy man who had no idea how to steer a cart. And the way he treated the horse! A shame, really.

Tibias jumped at the sound of Ami's voice behind him. He turned to him and stared wide-eyed for a second, then said. "Oh uh..." cutting the reins? Seemed a bit crude, but the horse did seem to be a bit annoyed with her rider. "Sure." He said simply, not wanting to seem too eager for revenge.

At the praise, a small smile appeared on Tibias' face and he nodded. He could relate to the feeling of the jagged, interrupted flow of the city streets and its layout. He glanced to the left and right side of the street, examining the inns and which one looked least likely to fall apart if he walked in through the front doors. A somewhat moderate-looking, yet still humble. It was quaint. "I'll check in here." Tibias said while slipping through the door.

The woman at the front desk was pretty. Quite large and short, but with a naturally pretty face. Tibias smiled when he saw her and approached the counter. "Hi, we need a place to stay and were wondering what your price is for a couple of rooms." May as well get two rooms just in case.

The girl glanced up to Tibias and smiled back, blushing, then averting her gaze. "I'm sorry, hun, we only have one room left." her accent was adorable with a bit of a warble. Tibias noted her eyes shifting downward as she blushed and wondered why she did.

"Ah. Okay well.. how much is it?"
"Just two copper coins."
"Okay... let me ask Ami!"

He quickly darted out of the inn to report to his employer. "This place is just two copper coins but there's one room." One room... he'd have to take the ground. And he was looking forward to sleeping on the bed!

One room. One room. Ägar's lips twitched into a faint frown at the thought, but could see no other option. The price was dirt cheap, and the inn actually looked rather clean. Or at least there was a noticeable absence of digested food on the stoop. Eyes sweeping over the small building doubtfully, Ägar could see no complaint other than the whole 'one room' thing.

((I was going to post. o 3o I had plans for the first night.))

"I-I can sleep on the floor! Or even in the hallway!" Tibias said all too eagerly. He clenched his teeth and swallowed hard. The thought flickered past his mind to actually sleep out in the hallway, and that it was a good idea. He would be able to sneak out and change back into a dragon, stretch his wings, fly around, actually hunt for food. His stomach roared defiantly at him for not eating. He gulped hard again and put a hand on his stomach, not wanting to seem like he needed to eat again at his employer's expense.

"I should go grab some food..." he said. "Uhm... I have just a few coins left so you don't need to bother with lending me any for now." Had he told Ami he was out of money already? He couldn't remember. His stomach's needs were prominent in his head, pushing aside any other thoughts.

He thought about going inside with Ami, but decide against it and said. "Excuse me." He ducked away quickly and made his way to the courtyard of the city. It was busy, very busy. he glanced around at everyone, then took to the side of the wall where there weren't very many people loitering around. A sense of urgency rose in Tibias, he needed to get out of the city walls and change. He hopped onto the wall, grabbed a rock, and pulled himself up fast and straddled the wall, then toppled over and fell to the ground silently.

Tibias crawled into the thick lay of forest and found a spot that was hidden well from the front gate. He decided that it was a perfect spot to change. He closed his eyes and focused on letting go of his human form and reverting to his dragon shape. The process stung. His joints shifting, his bones growing and skin stretching. He grew several feet taller and longer until he was finally back to his normal size. He glanced around, checking that no one was watching, then set about hunting for food. The forest was thick with game, he would eat well tonight.

He climbed onto the largest tree just above a large stag. He stared at it with his keen dragon eyes, a wild excitement had taken over his body. Rahu's tail flicked happily as he shifted a bit on the limb, preparing to pounce on his prey. The deer leaned down and pulled on a patch of long, thick grass. Just as it grabbed a hold of the blades, it was knocked over and killed instantly. The dragon leaned over his meal and began to tear strips off of it and eat other parts. It seemed the decent thing to come back to the room with dried meat so he wouldn't seem as though he were taking his generosity for granted.

Another deer was nearby, just as large, if not larger. Rahu took care to drag the carcass away and hide it before resuming the hunt of another meal. The deer walked past, suddenly wary of everything around it. Rahu stared at the creature, waiting for it to drop its guard. The moment didn't come fast enough. Rahu's patience wore thin and he darted out after the deer, who turned tail and darted through the forest, leading the phoenix dragon on a chase. The deer fled out into the open, right into a line of humans. They all jumped out of the way in fright and some screamed. Soldiers and hunters came to defend the civilians from the attack. "Why is a wild buck running into the open towards humans? There are no hunters in the forest." Said one soldier. A hunter agreed with him and decided to check it out.

"No..." he hissed under his breath. Rahu retreated back to where the deer carcass was and picked up the left over strips and put them in his mouth. As he ran, he exhaled a delicate stream of fire to gently cook the strips of meat, trying to simulate dried beef. he made it to the wall just as some one shouted they found dragon tracks. Rahu hopped up, changed into a human, straddled the wall, and stumbled over onto the other side, landing on his back and coughing with pain. He took the strips of meat from his mouth and waved them to dry as he got up painfully and walked back to the inn.

When he got in, he approached the desk, asking where Ami had gone. The small, plump girl instructed him where it was and waved bye as he took the stairs to his room, then knocked on the door. "A-Ami?" He called out with an uncertainty.

"Shopping," he said plainly while skirting into the room quickly before Ami changed his mind. It was clear he had woken him up from sleep, he could tell by the familiar rasp in the voice when some one had just been forced to wake up. "I found some food that I think would taste good." He put the strips of meat on the table, one strip still steaming. Tibias brushed away at the waft of air before it went noticed.

"I think some lady was desperate for money and her husband was gone or something, she was practically begging us to buy them for so cheap." He beamed quite proudly at his own lie. It came smoothly to him, since he spent most of his life practising. Had he his tail, it would be thumping. "I've had a few strips and I'm full, you can have the rest, Ami." He lied again.

Tibias took a moment to examine the room, deciding it was quaint for him, but wondered about Ami's taste in it. "What do you think?" he asked him, gesturing towards the room in general.

Seeing the nod and look of approval, a feeling of pride came over Tibias. His cheeks turned red and he recalled what the desk girl had done and mimicked her by casting his gaze down and turned his head a bit. 'Perfect!'' Tibias thought, praising his ability to copy humans so well.

"Y-Yeah. It is time to get some rest. I am more tired than hungry," He wasn't used to going to bed hungry, let alone sleeping as a human after a long day of being one. "Shall I sleep out in the hallway, Ami?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Ooc; I'll reply when I can, but so much crap is going on I don't want to write. D;

Tibias nodded and quickly left the room, closing it behind him and turning around. Behind him was a man who was around his apparent age. He was commonly clothed and laying on the floor. Tibias tilted his head and quirked a brow. "Hey, what are you doing? Are you sleeping out here too?"

The man turned around and glanced at Tibias. He was clearly sleeping, but Tibias had woken him. He didn't appear frustrated or grumpy, instead he smiled lopsidedly and replied. "Yer. There was only one bed and my master wouldn't let me sleep in the room." His voice was raspy as well and rough. Almost dry-sounding. Maybe he needed some water to parch his dry throat.

"Master," Tibias repeated curiously. "Like... your employer?"
The man's eyes opened a bit more as he examined Tibias with a quizzical look on his face. After a moment of silence, the man replied. "Yeah. An employer. You can say that."
Tibias beamed. Another working man! Maybe he could learn a few things from him and become more human-like. It was fortunate he found some one of his social status just laying around.

"How much work do you do? What kind of work do you do?" Tibias asked eagerly.
The man, yawning and scratching his unmentionable places, replied. "Just the normal stuff. Hauling heavy things, fetching him whatever he needs-" a loud bang was heard at the door behind him. The man flinched and glanced behind him, then continued in a softer voice. "Shutting up when he wants peace and quiet."

The disguised dragon nodded, taking notes. Is this what he would have to do? He decided to ask Ami later. "Do you always call your employer 'master'?" Tibias asked.

The man laughed and nodded. "Well, calling him by his name is disrespectful!"

Tibias gulped. He had been calling Ami by his first name the whole time. Maybe he should stop that.

When the door shut behind Tibias, Ägar took his chance. Fumbling from the bed he stumbled over to the window, heart pounding as the scent of fresh air pervaded his nostrils. The moon was rising now, blanketing the town in filtered light. Curling his long fingers around the window sill he heaved himself up and through. Crouching on the small ledge outside, creaking ominously as it was, Ägar had to smile wolfishly.

The man had since fallen asleep and Tibias watched him. Humans looked so peaceful when they slept. A smile crept across his lips and he stood up, finding he wasn't tired at all. He glanced to the door, then snuck downstairs and opened the door leaving the inn. He stared out into the quiet streets, which he found very strange compared to the day-time when everything was too busy for him to even walk around without getting into some one's way.

He sat down on a bench that was near the inn and glanced to the sky. It was refreshing to watch the stars. It brought about peace to him. His eyes closed and he leaned his head back, letting it thunk against the wall behind him. "I didn't get much time to stretch earlier today... I wonder if I sh-" Tibias stopped mid-sentence, feeling like he was being watched. He glanced around and saw a pair of eyes set on him. He stood up slowly, returning the stare from the pair of eyes, then quickly made it back into the inn.

He closed the door behind him and darted up the steps and down the hall until he reached the door. He glanced down to the sleeping worker and laid down. Suddenly, sleep looked a lot better for the time being. He closed his eyes and forced himself to dream.

Ägar had not expected the unknown man to return his look, though a smile tugged at his lips at the thought. How odd it had been to see a figure scurrying through the courtyard beneath him, heading out into the city. Keeping track of the man, Ägar had traced him to the bench not too far off.