Beauty in the Sewer

Claudius gave her a stern look and grumbled. There were plenty of things that fell which could never be returned, could never even be hoped to be reused in some instances, but this was not the case with this one. This one was worth more than money. This one was worth sentiment. It was a memory, and memories were precious. They had a duty to at least try!

He gave her a little nudge with her nose, half urging her, half pleading. It wasn't like he could march up there as he was and hand over the ring. There was no chance there, but she was a normal, walking, talking human with connections and the ability to research. She could find them!
 
The ability to argue without uttering a word was an impressive feat on its own. The ability to win was even more so. Returning lost stuff was always good, makes people happy, yadayada-- But did he realize how much effort it was for her?
...Not much, really. More than enough to have her protest though.

Holding his stare and frowning, she wanted to give a reason not to. She wanted to explain that even though the names were on there, there could be tons of couples who share em. Maybe they'd come to the conclusion the ring meant nothing, and true love is priceless? Or some disney crap like that.
Instead?
Ingrid groaned in defeat, dropping the ring back into the bag and closing it.
"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do. No promises, though."
 
His eyes narrowed, this time in pleasure, and his rumbling purr rose from his chest. She was a good human! He gave her another gentle nudge in thanks then backed up to give her space. Now that his quest was complete, he did not know what to do. He felt... sad that it was already over. For so long, he'd had no objective in his life save the ones he made up for himself and to survive. There had been no real point. Not really. Now his first quest was over, and it was like watching a light dim.

Still, he'd accomplished something, and that left a warm spot in his heart. Someone was going to benefit greatly from this.

He looked down at Ingrid and waited patiently. Now it was time to either do something or talk or something. He was not sure. He'd already provided this evening's entertainment. Now it was up to her. Maybe she would tell him about the new smell.
 
"Better be happy. I don't go outta my way to be a good samaritan often, y'know."
He should be thankful he had a way with not-words. If not, selling it would still absolutely be on the table somehow.

Ingrid pocketed the bag in the inside of her jacket for safety and went about looking for a suitable place to sit down. As she did so, it would be best to give a warning for even more unpredictable visiting times- She didn't need any more people, or dragons, nagging her about anything.
"So, listen: I may be even weirder with the times showing up. It'll still be around now-ish time! Just...A little later."
Kicking some bits and pieces aside, Ingrid found a dry spot and promptly rooted herself down into it.
"My stupid-ass sister decided to not take a hint. And tracked me down. Like, who does that? Who purposefully goes out of their way to find where someone lives, after OBVIOUSLY being given a hint to leave???"

Yeah, Ingrid.
Who would do such a thing?
 
He tipped his head, frowning in a way only a lizard-like face could as he listened to her. He lowered himself to the floor and half curled in front of her. One paw rested on the other, and he studied her studiously. A sister. He had not even given a single thought to whether or not she had a family. She had never mentioned them before now, and he hadn't thought to wonder.

He huffed softly, blowing back her hair. Indeed. Why on earth should someone track a member of their family down? Except perhaps to show that they were concerned and worried and perhaps even frightened for them. Other than that, no reason at all to go out of your way and through much hardship to find someone.

There were times he wished he could talk in his beastly form. Oh, he'd figured out how to say a few words, but he only ever tried it when alone, and they sounded terrible! Not to mention, his vocal equipment was not exactly set up for human speech, and trying to get out even the simplest of sentences required oral gymnastics that no one would ever want to know about.
 
Ingrid curled her hands into fists, pulling her knees up to her chest to rest her head on them. All talking about it was going to achieve was her getting riled up. With that in mind, she couldn't help it. She hadn't spoken to any of her friends since she lost her phone, and after the depressing reality that they never bothered to reach out anyway, the two sewer companions she'd made were all she had to talk to.

"I just would rather be left alone most of the time. Not by everyone-- And like, I don't want her to disappear from my life completely, I just only want to see her when I......Wanna....
That doesn't really make me sound like the greatest sister, does it?"
It wasn't fair to Amalie in some ways, but Ingrid refused to take her into account after she'd rudely invaded her life unexpectedly.
"I dunno. It's weird. I don't hate her at all, I just don't particularly want to see her. Or any of my family for that matter. I've got other things to worry about."

Since she was providing most of the talking in the conversation, it gave her the opportunity to speak her thoughts out loud where she wasn't interrupted, but also having them heard. It was nice. Sure, the dragon didn't sign up to hear her woes, that was just tough luck.
 
Words seem to pour from her, ragged and edged with... something. Hurt? No, that was not the right word, not quite. She was running away from something, not that that came as breaking news to him, but this was the closest he'd ever come to hearing what it was.

He listed, his head cocked slightly, his golden eyes never wavering from her. There was much he could say about this, much he could try to advise her in, and for once, he was glad speech was so difficult. It aided him in resisting the temptation to try to fix things. Eventually she would need to face things, to face her family, her sister, and her own callous selfishness, but not just yet. Right now, talking was what she needed and listening was what he could give her.

Claudius gave a soft grunt, more to let her know he was listening, a bit like some people said, "uh-huh."
 
"It's all up in the air. It's hard for me to sympathize even when I know I should. A sorta sick level of self-awareness: I'm so aware of what I do is shitty, that I know it's pointless changing it, so I find excuses even though I know I know."
The longer her string of words got, the more confused with herself she became. By the end she wasn't sure what she said even made sense to her, let alone an outside opinion. God, no wonder therapy didn't work out: the notes must've looked like a toddlers Christmas wishlist.

"Eh. It doesn't matter too much."
Disregarding everything she said with a nonchalant roll of the eyes, slumping back against the wall from her hunched over position. She stared absentmindedly into space for a little bit, before looking back at her draconic friend.
"We gotta get you some flashcards or something to communicate. I think we've seen why I shouldn't be left alone to talk for too long."
 
A soft, rumbling purr was her answer. He thought he did just fine in communicating with her, and he did not mind listening. It sounded as though she needed someone to listen. But, as it happened, he was getting stiff from laying here so long.

He rose and stretched, starting with his neck and rolling down to the tip of his tail. Then he shook himself and slowly started walking. He didn't have anywhere in particular to go, but it felt good to move. He glanced back toward Ingrid, inviting her to tag along, if she wanted.
 
It'd hardly been an hour! Where did he think he was going??
Ingrid stirred the second he saw him rising to his feet. Despite the understanding vibe she was getting off him, she couldn't help but feel like he might be leaving early because of her. She was unloading a lot. No one wants to hear that, especially from her. Ah, one of the many pitfalls of caring about someone: caring what they think, and in turn overthinking yourself.
The feeling didn't go away when it was deemed safe to follow, either.

Trotting up beside him, Ingrid took her usual stance of looking up at the ceiling while walking. For some reason resting her head back helped her not think as much. Blood rushing to the back of the skull, perhaps.
She could never do it without feeling bad. It really, really did suck he had to stay down here. Him and Claudius. All because people were stupid, and people were cruel.
...She could kind've understand the fear of the dragon. But he wasn't vicious! She'd seen more scary animals be kept as pets and put near children!

"I wish you didn't have to stay down here," She started, eager to deflect the conversation off of her. "That's probably obvious for you. Like, 'no shit Ings', but I guess I'm speaking for you too, yeah?"
 
He could tell his moving upset her, but he couldn't reassure her that it wasn't because he didn't want to listen. In truth, laying on the cold, wet concrete hurt his joints. When he moved, he felt like a stiff, old man instead of a young being. He shook himself slightly and kept going, his steps slow and careful to not hurt her.

Her words slowed him even more, and he looked down at her. Up There? He didn't know. He picked up his pace again and looked up through the grates as they passed. A whine escaped before he realized what he was doing. He hadn't been Up There in the daylight in so long... An involantary shudder shook his frame. He didn't know what he would do up there.
 
Call her cynical, but Ingrid expected a more sure response. He couldn't possibly enjoy being trapped down here. Despite up top being awful in its own unique ways, some things made it better than being here. Admittedly, those 'things' were scarce enough to make them seem moot. Deciding which was better between above and below was a hearty game of which pile of trash shines the brightest?

"Hmph. I see your point. It's not the best. But I gotta ask-- If you could find a way to sneak out of the city, get away from everything, and up and leave-- You would, right?"
It was another question unintentionally geared towards one answer. Ingrid didn't mean to push a bias: it was another bad habit.
 
He looked down at Ingrid, his expression clearly unimpressed. He saw what she was doing. And... as much as the fantasy appealed, he had to grudgingly admit that much, there were way too many other factors. How was he supposed to hide? There were people everywhere, roads, planes, eyes everywhere. Go to the middle of the Amazon jungle? He couldn't think of many other places where he could actually hide.

Then again, if he could find a place to properly hide, what kind of life would he lead? How would he feed himself? Hunt? Hunt what? As far as he could remember, he'd never been out of the city in his life! And he had no idea how to hunt anything other than rats and wounded pets. Not exactly noble opponents.

Still... He heaved a sigh. It would be nice.
 
There wasn't any need to look at him: she could feel the unamused glare. Again, she figured the possibility would have been a little more well-received. Ingrid was free to walk about, and even she'd love to get out of this wretched hole of a city. She didn't consider what would happen after: just that she'd be away from here. That was bonus enough.

"I'd wanna live somewhere quiet."
Ingrid declared, as if she'd been asked.
"Middle of nowhere. Not like, stranded or anything-- Close enough to buy things, but far enough to not have neighbors. You probably don't have to deal with it lower down, but people are LOUD. Constant shouting all the time. I'd love to not have to deal with it."
 
He couldn't help a quiet snort and flicked his tail so the tip brushed her arm. Indeed. People really were loud. Very loud. With their constant need to talk and ask questions and explore and pester people for answers. Such a scourge.

Not that she was like the rest of them.

At all.

In any way.

His soft growl could have been a chuckle on a human as he turned down a side tunnel and used the corner to stretch his back as he pressed himself tight against the wall in a slow moevement. There were a couple of disconcerting pops and cracks from his back as he continued on his way.
 
It simultaneously grossed her out, and made her want to crack her own bones when she witnessed others creaking their skeleton back into working order. It did remind her though: what was the deal with his back? Thinking back to the entire event before she'd met up with Claudius was...Unpleasant to think about, but she was still worried about what might be infecting him. A reoccurring itch that only happened at certain times.

"Is, uh...Is your back okay? From a few days ago, I mean."
The dip in jovial banter was a small, but present change. She still kept her eyes firmly set on the ceiling- As if afraid looking would warrant a similar reaction to a few days ago.
"With the itching, 'nd that.."
 
His back? Oh, that's what she meant. The itch that had nearly driven him mad. He was sorry she'd had to see that. Hmm... see that... should he? No, that was insane!

Pulling himself back to the question at hand, he stopped and slowly lowered himself down, shifting onto his side as much as he could in this small area so she could clearly see his back. Scars riddled his back from where he'd bitten and torn at it in the past. The scars were slowly healing as time went on, but still clear.
 
Hesitant at first, Ingrid eventually looked over his back to observe the damage and maybe find a cause. Lots of scars. Gnawing, scratching, all types. It wasn't nice. Both him and Claudius were littered with them. She only had the one wound to concern herself with-- These two were covered in em.

However, she didn't nag. She simply hummed in concerned disapproval and nodded once.
"Right. Fair....I'm sorry there isn't much more I can really do. If I knew what was going on, I could find something to maybe fix it."
She'd long since decided she was a middle ground between above and below. If she knew what could fix it, she'd find it. Even if she had some not-nice methods of doing it.
 
He rolled back to his feet and shook himself off to clean off, careful not to splatter her. Then he turned and gave her a gentle nudge. He wished he could thank her better. Thank her more. He wished he could tell her how much her help meant to him. He wished he could tell her... so much. There was so much he wished he could tel her.

He stopped at another junction, this one slightly raised and dry, and faced her. She was a sweet girl. Annoying, a bit self centered, and ambitious while somehow being completely nieve, but she was sweet under all that. Besides, he couldn't really blame her for her faults. Something had hurt her, and thus it wasn't a shock to fight back.
 
The nudge was met with a quiet snicker, and a playful shoulder nudge back. It was insane to know this was the same monster she'd repeatedly vision snapping off her hand or something. Granted, he still could, but she'd be willing to bet her bottom dollar he wouldn't. For a big scary dragon-- He was soft. And somehow, the bastard managed to be the one with the more common sense out of the two of them.

"Man, you know how many boots I run the risk ruining down her? Had to throw out some sneaks once because they were soaked through."
Learning to appreciate the drier spots was all part of the experience, she guessed.
"You okay?"
He'd stopped. And he was looking at her. Ingrid stopped too and cocked her head to one side. This was usually the part where people said something important.
...Or, reveal a back-full of spikes and horns, in Claudius's case.
 
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