exaomori | dragon dragon dragon

[At a certain point, Shura has to wonder whether or not it'd be worth just handing over the keys to her shitty little shanty apartment to Billie. It'd probably be less work than having to redo the seals she had on the windows and door. Eventually, it was probably going to be some petty thief or maybe something worse breaking in to her place, but whatever, Shura would deal with that if she needed. Anyway, it doesn't matter, seeing as the most important things she has to worry about (a dumb lion and a dumb baby dragon), went with her to pick up whatever shitty grub was available, and that's probably most likely a Billie sitting at her table, being rude and not even giving her a heads up that she was going to be invading. Or at least a timely one. Or maybe she did give her notification in a reasonable way and Shura was just drunk when she did it. Whatever it is, Shura's just going to start grumbling from the moment she walks in and sees Billie.]

Can't you just wait until I'm back like a decent person?

[No one in this room is a decent person, but that's beside the point. Shishi doesn't seem too bothered by the intruder(s), and the dragon, masked by whatever flying cat charm Shura keeps on, is happy to glide from her shoulder to the nearest surface to check Billie (or whoever else) out.]

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Since when do I look like a decent person?

[ Billie's been waiting long enough that she's gotten into Shura's stash of alcohol, pouring herself a glass and idly playing catch with Red, throw the bottle's cork and having the little dragon catch it midair, only to bring it back. Shura arrives mid-catch, leaving Red to chirp cheerily and land at the table with the cork, offering it to the other dragon as a greeting.

As for the shifting, she picks up the glass she oh-so-helpfully pulled herself and lifts it towards Shura in a mocking little toast. ]

Hello, there. Was wondering where you got off to.

[Aconite is just thrilled to see her buddy Red and trills as she lands on the table. This may or may not be the best thing to happen to her ALL DAY, and she'll accept the cork very gracefully for a baby dragon, cautiously sniff it before chomping it. Behind her, Shura cringes. Yeah, that bottle was going to have to be finished off--Shura doesn't want to find out if dragon spit is just as caustic as blood.]

Some of us have to work, you know.

[Shura hadn't asked to be knighted, but work was work in the end, and going underground was way too much work. But Billie has the right idea, a drink was probably a good idea. Shura will go to rummage up a glass for herself, not at all worried about being a good host to her intruder.]

Don't tell me you expect to be fed. The damn lion eats enough as is.

Tch, nah. If I wanted food, I'd have brought some. [ Anyway. ] No use complaining, though. You could have said no to the knight thing.

[ Billie points out before downing what's left in her own glass and pouring herself another. Once Shura finds her own glass and joins her at the table, she'll do her a solid and pour her a glass, too. ]

Personally? I'd rather go back to being a corpse than end up a knight of the people. [ She says those last words in the most drippingly sarcastic way possible. ] So what was it today? Helping old ladies cross a street? Sad kittens in trees?

[Shura will take what small dignities shitlord Billie affords her; she's too tired to do anything else. As soon as she sits her ass down a the table, Shura will quickly down a good deal of her glass, which may or may not be a good indicator of of just what kind of old ladies she had to deal with.]

Pain in my ass either way. [She leans back, leaving her glass on the table for a moment to give herself a chance to stretch her arms up over her head before slumping back down in her chair.] My luck's bad enough that I'd end up running into half of this crap anyway.

[Though Shura calls it bad luck, it really is just being unfortunately observant and being a half-decent person most days...]

At least I get paid most days doin' it like this.

See, now there's the important part.

[ Getting paid. Not that Billie hasn't done her share of "good deeds", it's just all of hers are done behind a mask, not allowing the general population or even the city's leaders — save for one werewolf, in particular, who's good at keeping his mouth shut, anyway — ever figure out who she is. Better that way, in her opinion.

But Shura dinks and so does Billie and when she sets the glass down on the table again with an audible clink, she leans forward. ]

So I take it you'd turn me down if I offered you a more fun kind of job, Miss Hero?

[ew gross, billie, why would you ever say that. Shura's mouth curls in disgust, too tired and too sober to deal with this crap.]

I don't think I'd take any job from someone callin' me Miss Hero

[Shura says flatly, making a cutting motion with a hand. Honestly, she should throw her out for that remark alone, but that would probably be more effort than she wanted to put in to anything that evening.]

Aw, don't be so grumpy. Some people would like to be called a hero! [ Some. Not Shura, though, and Billie knows that. ] But fine, fine, I'll cut it out.

[ There. She'll relent, leaning back and settling in her chair again with a chuckle. ]

Look, I'm serious. I've been working on something over on the coast.

Those people ain't all right in the head.

[Naturally, Shura doesn't really believe that Billie is capable of cutting it out, but it's probably the best she can get in the moment, so she'll take it.]

But the coast? I ain't a sailor or anything like that, you know I'm not gonna be too useful for a boat.

Look, it's a very special boat.

[ Technically, it has a similar shape! Sort of! ]

I'll give you the directions to it and you can drop by sometime before the month is out, take a look, alright? Don't make any final decisions until you do.

What, you plan on making a trip or somethin'?

[While Shura could use a vacation, she's not entirely sure that she and Billie have the same definition. Meanwhile, while Shura Doubts, Aconite takes off with the cork, gliding off the table and skittering across the floor.]

[ Aconite takes off and Red chirps and immediately follows, gliding down to the floor and prancing after. He'll try to catch up and pounce, to wrestle the cork away from her. Billie only gives the two little dragons a quick glance, making sure of where they've ended up, then she turns back towards Shura. ]

Sort of. I don't intend to stick around in one place once my little project out that way wraps up. Saying anything more would spoil the surprise, though, you know?

[Shura only gives the dragonets half a glance as they tumble away to wrestle. Her little shanty shack might not be child-proof, but most everything breakable had been put away by now. They can play until one of them bites too hard or whatever it is they want to cry about.]

You know you're not makin' this sound any less suspicious.

[But Shura doesn't expect anything not-suspicious from Billie.]

Fine, sure. If the city doesn't catch fire again, I can probably make my way over there in a couple days.

[At this point, Shura would be more surprised if the city didn't catch fire.]

Great. [ The comment about suspicion only earns a grin, nothing more. ] That's all I can ask for.

[ There's not much Billie can do to lend a hand with the fire not burning down around Shura's ears, unfortunately, and so she doesn't even offer. She's helped out in the direst circumstances but the piffly day-to-day is of no interest to the assassin.

It's with that possibility that Billie will finish off one more drink before pushing her chair back and standing. A glance back and a sharp whistle brings Red's attention to her and then she makes a sign with her hand. Without a sound, he bobs away from the other dragonet and leaps into the air, wings snapping open so he can fly up and land on her shoulder. Once there, he curls up around her neck and she closes her coat partially around him.

Not magical camouflage but no one's going to get a close enough look at Billie to figure out what's around her neck. ]

Until then, Shura.

[ And she'll take the window out, naturally, vanishing in a swirl of shadows as soon as she's past the sill. That's also the last Shura will see of her for those few days, since one could assume she made her way back to the city-state situated on the shore, Didymos. It won't be until the other woman finally makes an appearance at the location she'd been given that they'll meet again and that place happens to be...

Well, a huge goblin workshop, for one. Shura will find herself being interrogated at the entrance and perhaps even argued with up until Billie appears behind the two in charge of the door and startles them. ]

She's fine. I asked her here.

[ Thankfully, the two goblins seem less inclined to argue with her than they were with Shura. With muttering, they step aside and go back to their own usual business. ]

dragon dragon dragon

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