Creative Corner

It was another dark night in Crescent City, in the Tangled Wood. The dark streets were illuminated by the neon signs and tall street lights, as they always were. Even the streets, and the high-reaching, sleek buildings were made of jet-black materials. Color only came from the lights. And tonight, light rain was falling, turning the ground into a rippling, blurry mirror.

Leto stood in front of the window of one of the buildings, looking down on it all. There was something about this city. It was the picture of opulence, wrapped in an eternal darkness... Of course, that was ironic. The capital of the Shadow territory, a city of grandeur, and he described it as "opulent." Of course, his eye was drawn the to color and shifting shapes of the light. Always drawn to the light...and yet, also to the shadows. How strange...

"Leto."

The Pearlcatcher slipped his yellow eyes to the side. Behind him, a Skydancer was just coming into a comfortable talking distance. He walked at a cool, measured pace, just like most of the dragons who called this high-end city their home did.

"Are you ready? The last coat's dry."

The Skydancer was a painter who specialized in interpretive portraits. Leto was his subject, and had been assigned to him by his agent. Leto was a student of fine art, after all, and had recently become a model in the field. Presently, he was in a corporate art studio, and the two had been waiting for the previous coat of paint to dry before putting further details into the piece. Inside, the polished walls displayed paintings spaced evenly from one another. Some were abstract, and others were landscapes. There were still-lifes, aspects of nature, portraits... All sorts of pieces were on display, and each were lit with a small sconce, designed so that every aspect of the piece in question could be seen clearly.

"It's late," Leto replied. Then, he turned to look at the Skydancer. "Why don't we save the rest of it for tomorrow?"

The painter's crests rose and stiffened in annoyance as he fitted the Pearlcatcher with an irritable glare. "The paint just dried. We've been waiting all this time for this!"

"And now, it's late." Leto turned again, looking out the wall of transparent glass again. "Just look at how dark it's gotten."

The skydancer scoffed. "We live in the heart of the Tangled Wood. It's always dark -- day or night! And the city's well-lit at every hour, so that's no excuse!"

"I'm tired."

"You have done nothing but sit! That and look out that window," the irritated painter returned.

Leto rolled his shoulders, then stretched his arms and wings. "Sitting perfectly still for so long is tiring." He turned to the painter again. "I know you get excited about your work, but can't we just call it a night and finish it tomorrow? I'm afraid I might fall asleep before I want to if I don't get home soon."

For a moment, the Skydancer kept his glare on his subject. Then, he gusted out a sigh. "Fine. I'll put everything away; we'll finish tomorrow. Get some rest -- you have to maintain your appearance!"

"I know how to do my job," Leto responded, waving a hand dismissively. Then, he gave a calm smile to the Skydancer. "Thanks."

The painter just grunted as he turned to grumble along the way to their work room. Leto gathered his things and walked down the halls of the institute, taking in the artwork as he went, just like he always did. The abstract pieces, and the ones featuring the interplay between light and shadow were always what caught his eye. Just like the rain on the streets... Maybe that's where I should focus my career.

Leto's agent was always trying to help him discover where, specifically, his passion was within the field. All Leto really knew was that he had a deep appreciation for the fine arts. But really, he was still a student, and his agent was continuously reminding him of that. "Just because you have a job doesn't make you a professional. You're lucky you're getting paid, having the experience level of an intern." That was what he always said. Well, it was one of the things he always said, along with things like "you need direction" and "maintain your appearance." Leto thought he already did all that, but apparently, it had to be said just the same.

Eventually, Leto found himself pushing through the front doors of the building, and out onto the street. The lights were getting a little dim and hazy with all the mist that was beginning to pour in, and if you knew anything about Tangled Wood mist, you knew that it was nearly impossible to see through it once it settled in. Also, unlike most mist, it was black. It was visually fascinating, watching the mist curl and churn in the light, but it was dangerous. I'd better hurry home.

So, pulling his coat more tightly around him, the Pearlcatcher began running through the rain and the mist, his feet lightly pattering through the thin layer of water on the ground.

The mist was thick now. Despite the number of evenly-spaced street lights, Leto could only see the faint glow of one if he was close to it. The rain was getting heavier, too. He wouldn't be able to get home very easily at this rate. Besides, it was extremely dangerous to be out when the mist rolled in, especially if you weren't a Shadow dragon. And, well, Leto's element was Light. He blew out a light sigh, looking straight up at the mist and the rain. Guess I have to find somewhere to wait this out...

It would take some time for the weather to clear, so Leto figured he may as well find someplace comfortable to hole up. Honestly, the mist might not abate until the morning, but that wasn't something he wanted to think about. He was going to have a hard enough time as it was explaining why he didn't get much rest to the painter and to his agent. Again, he sighed. Nothing I can do about that, though. So, he began squinting at the confused, colored lights lining the street: neon business signs obscured by the mist. Hopefully, he could find a hospitable establishment. And as soon as he did, he made for it.

It was a set of stairs leading below street level with a tarp overhang. Above the cover was a neon sign advertising the place as the New Moon Lounge. It seemed to be open. So, after shaking himself off and ringing out what he could (the doorstep was equipped with storm drains) the Pearlcatcher turned the door's handle, and walked inside.

As could be expected, given the city the place was in, the New Moon Lounge was modern and high-end. It seemed to be styled into a circular floor plan, with a glossy, black floor, and stark white walls. The bar was in the center, and nearly surrounding it were more, curved walls, so that there was an inner and an outer circle. In the outer ring -- as far as Leto could see -- cut, square, black marble tables were set up for guests, with either backed stools surrounding them, or set between large, upscale booths. There were some dragons sitting at these, and some meandering about. A bit of light chatter was in the air, too, but every dragon here carried an air of dignity and self-importance. These were the elite.

A Nocturne was behind the marble-cut bar, and behind him was an assortment of drinks on display. Some of them even glowed, with varying colors and degrees of brightness. When the bartender motioned him over, Leto felt some warmth come into his face, realizing that he'd been standing around rather stupidly as he took all this in. Trying to regain as much grace as he could, he walked over and took a set.

"Your first time here?" asked the Nocturne.

"Yes," Leto replied, trying to hide his embarrassment. He quickly recovered, however, by throwing out a compliment to cover his faux pas. "You have a unique and beautiful establishment here."

"We try," the barkeep responded, a bit of pride coming into his face. Then, however, a bit of a smirk pulled at his mouth. "You came here to get out of the rain, though, didn't you?"

By now, Leto's embarrassment had faded, and instead, he gave a light, sheepish smile and a shrug. "The mist, actually." His sheepishness left him. "But I'm still glad that this is the place I came into. You modeled the floor after the name, didn't you?"

"Heh! Observant! But that wasn't me; I'm not the owner. I just work here."

"Ah."

The Nocturne adjusted his position to display their selection of unique beverages. "So, can I get you anything?"

Leto waved a hand. "No thank you. I still have to get home once the weather clears up. There's no use exchanging one type of fog for another, if you know what I mean."

The Nocturne chuckled in response. "Yes, I understand. Well, if you're not going to order anything, then why don't you take a look around? Maybe you'll make a new friend. Ah - just don't go into any of the private rooms in the back. Even if they're not in use, you can't be in there unless you rent one."

The Pearlcatcher nodded casually, but gratefully. "Thank you. I think I will."

Then, he got back up and began strolling about the establishment, looking around as he went. Most of the dragons here seemed to have come in groups, or met up at the lounge. As he walked by, they would pause in their conversing and look over. He gave them a polite nod when they did this, then found something else for his eyes to rest on. Indeed, the main part of the lounge was a circle within a circle, but in the back, a single, wide hallway reached further back. The restrooms, kitchen, and rentable private rooms were all this way. Mildly curious, and without having anything better to do, Leto decided to have a look at them.

The kitchen was easy to distinguish, and not just because of the double, swinging doors. The sounds reached Leto long before he saw those. The stretch of hallway was fairly long before he reached those doors, and they were on the left side of the hallway. So, he stayed to the right. The restrooms were through openings on the right side of the hallway, with layered walls for privacy's sake. Further down the hallway were the private lounges, and at the very end was what Leto assumed was an office. There was no window in it, and there was a metal sign displayed above it which read "employees only."

Leto walked to the private rooms to see what they looked like on the inside. The first one he came to was open a crack, and he was about to push his way into it when he heard voices coming from within. Curious, he halted, and worried about interrupting, he listened to see if he should bother letting them know that the door was open.

"You need to control your impulses," one raspy, masculine voice was calmly saying. "You can't just bring any dragon you like in on our operation."

"I cleaned up that mess," another voice responded, a slight edge to her tone, "He won't be bothering us anymore."

A tightness came into Leto's chest. This conversation was a lot more serious than he thought. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but what these dragons were talking about...sounded deadly... He knew that he should try to walk away, but dread and curiosity kept him in place. Just what had these dragons done? Maybe... Maybe he was just assuming the worst. Maybe this was all innocent, and he was just misinterpreting it.

"It's not that simple." The raspy voice spoke again. "This last one was the son of an officer in Umbra. He was a spy. We don't know how much he was able to relay to his father, but now he's dead...and that looks very...bad for us. We don't have enough leverage to keep them quiet. None except for you..."

Leto leaned in, putting his ear closer to the crack in the door. He was now crouching right in front of it.

"W-... What are you talking about?" the feminine voice asked, fear now tinting her tone instead of anger.

"I'm sorry."

There was a muffled, strangled scream, some shuffling, a thumping clatter, and a snap. Then, the ruckus was over. Leto felt icy on the inside, shivering in fear at what he'd just heard. That was all he had time to notice before the raspy voice spoke again.

"Take her to the freezer. I have to set up an appointment with Umbra to deliver our...apology."

Leto's panic suddenly spiked as he realized heavy footsteps were coming towards the door. He was still shaking, and his muscles didn't want to respond the way he silently ordered them to. At first, he stumbled backwards, then he scrambled onto his claws and dashed down the hall for the restroom to take cover. He didn't bother to listen for if he'd avoided notice, instead continuing his ruse while working to calm himself by washing his hands and splashing some water over his face. He focused on measuring his breathing. Then, he listened...and he didn't hear anyone coming after him.

Leto gusted a deep sigh. Okay... I'm okay... They didn't know I was there... Now, more than ever, Leto wanted to go home and get some sleep. He wanted to forget about what he'd heard here, and he wondered if he would ever visit the New Moon Lounge again. Probably not. He didn't want any trouble.

Having gotten his nerves back down, Leto walked out of the restroom and around the curved dining halls of the lounge. He didn't look around this time. Despite his casual steps, all he wanted to do was get out of the establishment, even if the weather hadn't cleared up yet. Maybe he wasn't thinking clearly, but he knew that he was in danger in here, as opposed to only possibly in danger out there. The exit was in sight now.

"Hey, Pearlcatcher!"

Leto stiffened a little at the call from behind, but he quickly recognized the voice as belonging to the Nocturne bartender from earlier. He forced his body to relax as he turned to look at the dragon.

"I don't think the weather's cleared up yet," the Nocturne informed, somewhat amused.

Leto managed an uneasy smile. "I've stayed here as long as I can. I won't get any sleep if I don't get home soon."

"Well, alright, if you're sure. Have a good one, then. Come again sometime!"

Leto managed to force a nod, but he really didn't want to come back after what he'd heard. Despite having calmed down a little, and being able to portray with fair accuracy something he wasn't feeling, Leto was still rather shaken. He pulled open the door and hurriedly climbed up the steps back into the rain and the mist and onto the street. Once there, the Pearlcatcher wasted no time in hurrying down the road towards his home. It would take some time, but he wanted to pretend like nothing was wrong -- to forget everything he'd heard. His place of work was closer, but the painter had probably already left. Even if he didn't he really didn't want to go over why he'd returned instead of going home like he'd planned.

The whole way home, Leto thought he saw things in the shadowy mist. They were only tricks of the darkness born from his own fear, he knew, but he still started at a few of them. The Pearlcatcher longed for the light to chase away these obscuring mists.

When he got home, however, everything was relatively normal. The mist was still about, and the rain had only lightened a little bit, though. Still, the stairs leading up to his apartment were the same as they had been when he'd gone down them the previous morning, and all the sounds of his neighbors were the same as every other night, albeit a bit quieter, given the hour. It's alright, Leto. See? What happened back there... You got away from it. Everything's okay now. Leto reassured.

He carefully slipped his key into the keyhole of his front door, and quietly unlocked it. In his heart, Leto was still wary, but he acted like everything was normal as well as he could, quietly shutting and locking his door behind him without hurry. Just to be safe, though, he checked every window to ensure they were all locked. He did so at a slow pace, trying to convince himself that he was calm. And then, after getting ready for bed, he climbed under the covers, curled up, and tried to get some sleep.

Leto didn't feel like he'd slept for long when he began to rouse. He felt oddly...cold. What really hastened his awakening was the resistance he felt on his limbs when he tried to move them. The Pearlcatcher awoke with a start, first looking at his bound arms and legs, then noticing that his mouth had been bound shut. As he found that his wings, too, were tied together, he also began taking in his surroundings, looking around wildly in a panic.

He wasn't in his apartment anymore. He didn't know where he was. All Leto knew was that he was resting in the corner of...someplace. It was a room of some sort...and it was dark. Leto shuffled around in the quiet darkness, to what end, he wasn't sure. He wanted to unbind himself, and find some way to escape, but that was proving futile. After some time, all the model could do was curl up and began quietly crying to himself, afraid for his life. What will they do to me?

After some time, Leto heard a click from the other side of the room, making him jump and snap his attention to the direction the sound came from. He didn't have to wait long, as the sound of a turning doorknob shortly followed. Then, a stream of light. At first, it was blinding, and made the Prealcatcher squint. The dark shapes of dragons coming toward him were unmistakable, though, especially as they were accompanied by the sound of their footfalls. As the dragons removed the binding from his mouth, Leto's eyed adjusted, and for the first time, he saw the room he was in. It had no windows or vents, or decor of any kind. There was only one, nondescript door at its far end. And now, there were other dragons with him. One, who had freed his muzzle, was a Mirror. The other, who was standing in the doorway until just now, was another Pearlcatcher. He was coming towards them.

"Leto." The art student's stomach clenched at hearing this stranger speak his name. The other Pearlcatcher continued. "You know why you're here, don't you?"

Leto could feel his muscles begin to quake a little as his fear crept through him. His wide eyes were fixed on his light, dusty-colored, Shadow-eyed counterpart. Initially, when his jaw moved, no sound came out. Then, Leto quietly managed, "I... I heard someone at the New Moon Lounge...kill someone else."

The other Pearlcatcher's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Oh? Is that all...or are there some details you're not telling me?"

The Mirror half-growled, half-hissed threateningly, looking like she was about to attack the defenseless art student. Leto blurted, "Wait! I-I heard a name!"

That seemed to calm the pair down a little. The other Pearlcatcher motioned with a claw. "Go on."

"I...I don't really remember... Um... It sounded like the name of a group of some sort... Uh- Umbra. Someone was talking about 'Umbra.'"

The other Pearlcatcher tilted his head to the side a little. "Does that name mean anything to you?"

Leto shook his head in adamant refusal.

For a stretch of time, all three dragons were quiet. The Mirror was watching Leto, and the other Pearlcatcher seemed to be thinking through some things. Then, steadily, the dark-eyed Pearlcatcher began chuckling softly to himself. As it became louder, he began shaking his head. Then, he looked back to Leto with a look that was somewhere between calm, amused, and sinister. "You poor sap... You hardly know anything about what's going on. You know only just enough to be a threat. The boss will want you silenced, and well, that's our job."

Leto's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he unconsciously pushed his back into the wall he was against. Quietly and a bit shrilly, his voice asked, "W-what?"

The other Pearlcatcher shrugged. "You know someone was killed at the New Moon Lounge, and that somehow, there's a connection to the syndicate, 'Umbra.' That's enough to make business bumpy, and our boss doesn't like it when operations don't run smoothly. The dragon we work for doesn't like loose ends. Loose ends get tangled too easily, see? They get caught on things...and make the whole thing unravel. When that happens, it's just a mess..."

The light-colored Pearlcatcher was shaking his head at the shame of such an instance. Then, he gave a smirk that was almost friendly to Leto. "That's why he has dragons like us, who tie up and cut off the loose ends." His wording was beginning to panic the art student, as he realized he was already tied up. That meant that the only thing left for them to do with him was...

He began desperately struggling against his bonds while the other Pearlcatcher continued. "It's also our job to get information out of dragons, but that part's already been done. So, all that's left is to get rid of you. You don't have to be so afraid, though; the boss wants this handled quietly and quickly, so it's not going to be a gruesome end or anything. It's just going to look like a terrible accident -- something the authorities aren't going to chase. Nothing flashy or nefarious-looking... Something that could happen to anyone. And it was so misty the night you disappeared... What a shame. Maybe if you were a Shadow dragon, you could have seen where you were going. He died so young..."

"It really is a shame," the Mirror added, sounding and looking far less casual and much more sinister than her partner. "You're very pretty."

"Yes, but he knows too much," the other Peralcatcher sighed. Then, he looked back over at Leto, who was currently trying to pull his hands free from his wrist bindings, but with much less gusto than earlier. Instead, his energy was beginning to go towards crying. "We have until tomorrow... We'll have this all sorted by then, Leto. Don't worry; we'll pick the perfect death for you. If you have any ideas, let us know. You're an art student, right? You're creative."

How do they know so much about me?! Leto thought in frustration and despair. The duo, meanwhile, began to leave. And when they shut the door again, the room was once more filled with darkness.

There were so many unknowns. How these dragons know so much about him, how he was so easily taken from his home, the frightening speed of this group's response time to his learning more than was good for him... They were efficient. Leto was certain of it now: he'd stumbled upon the private dealings of a large criminal ring. And now, he was doomed to pay for it... His life was over. Even if he somehow survived this ordeal, he couldn't very well return to his job and studies. Even his name was too risky to keep. They would find him again, and all too easily...

Leto wondered if his associates were safe. His agent, the painter... Even that Nocturne bartender, or his neighbors at the apartment complex... What if he had unwittingly put them all in danger? And then there was the obvious one: Leto himself. Right now, at least two dragons were planning his demise.

I wonder how they're going to kill me. he dismally thought. They want it to look like an accident... The mist helps with that, especially since I'm a Light dragon. They probably already thought of that... I... I wonder if it'll be an overdose of something... Leto shivered, his stomach turning even at the thought.

No... I don't want to die! I have to get out of here... The captive looked around again, but it was too dark to see anything. Then, he noticed that the pair had forgotten to muzzle him again. Hastily, he began gnawing at the leather which bound his wrists together.

As he thought about it, though, Leto's chewing began to slow, and then he stopped altogether. He realized that even if he managed to completely free himself from his bonds, there was no hope of escape. Not only did he not know where he was, but even if the two dragons had no allies nearby, he couldn't possibly defeat them in combat. Leto was no fighter by any standard, and he would have to face two dragons, who were probably combat-efficient, by himself. It was hopeless... Or, at least, that plan would have been.

Determined to live, Leto began to get past his hopelessness, and started brainstorming. He couldn't overpower his captives, so he would have to outsmart them somehow. He would be a model prisoner... No, no, that had likely already been tried in the past, and had failed miserably by poor souls these dragons had already killed. Their aim was to kill him -- making that easier on them wasn't going to change their minds. That was when he realized how he should go about this.

Leto thought long and hard in the quiet darkness about what to do about his situation, wishing he knew what his captors planned on doing in order to kill him. It certainly would have made it easier to plan. So, instead, he mapped out as many potential situations as he could in his mind to prepare for what might lie ahead. And as he did, his quiet tears returned.

After a time, the door opened again, and in stepped the Mirror and her Pearlcatcher partner. Leto's wide, wet, tired eyes snapped to the pair, filled with fear.

"We've decided on something. Come on; we have to hurry for this to be believable," the light-colored Pearlcatcher stated, no-nonsense this time. Only a light bit of his casual air reentered into his tone and face as he told his victim, "Good news, kid: you get to die at home."

"No- Don't touch me!" Leto's trembling voice pleaded, shrieking a little at the end, as the Mirror reached him and he curled away as well as he could.

She snarled in irritation. "Stop squirming!"

"We don't want to risk it in case the coroner detects it later, buuuut... If you give us too much trouble, I do have a good sleeping agent to keep you calm," the Pearlcatcher lightly threatened.

Though Leto still trembled, and his movements were stiff, he obliged a bit more with the duo's demands after that. A bag was tied over his head, and the dragons took him a winding and unpredictable way back to his apartment. They flew him to his window, and somehow got inside. The bag was only removed once they were all in the bathroom.

The criminal Pearlcatcher blew out a lightly-annoyed sigh as he looked around. Then, he rested his eyes on his trembling victim. "You're a shower guy, aren't you?"

Indeed, the bathroom was not outfitted with a bathtub. It did, however, have a nice shower.

"What are you going to do?" quietly asked the fearful student's quavering voice.

"You're exhausted," the other Pearlcatcher began, laying out the scene with grand gestures, "and you come home to get some rest. But you're cold and wet from the downpour you just came through. So, you decide to take a nice, relaxing bath...and fall asleep in the water. You slowly sink in...and you drown."

"Now, I brought up that your coughing reflex would wake you up and you'd get rid of all the water in your lungs that way," the Mirror put in.

The elder of the two Pearlcatchers gave his partner an annoyed look. "But you're young and healthy, so we just have to find a reason why you weren't able to get out of the water." He gave Leto a cunning, proud grin. "So, I suggested a little thing called 'sleep paralysis.' Sometimes, when a dragon wakes up, or while he's going to sleep, he can't move or speak, and even hallucinates. That will easily be the conclusion the coroner reaches."

"Please," Leto pleaded, visibly shaking, "You- you don't have to do this! I promise, I won't tell anyone what I heard! I'll just forget about all this... I'm not a threat to anyone!"

"Too late, kid," the other Pearlcatcher replied, shaking his head and firmly taking hold of one of Leto's upper arms. The Mirror took up the other side. "It's not personal. You just know too much."

"No! Stop!" Leto shrieked, flapping his now-unbound wings and trying to cement his feet to the ground as he was forced towards the sink.

"Quiet down, or we'll have to paralyze you ourselves!" snapped the Mirror.

"I'm sorry -- I'm sorry -- please- Please don't do this! Oh eleven, why?!" panicked Leto, his volume lower, but his struggling just as desperate as before. He was beginning to sob, too.

"The plan still works with the shower," grunted the Shadow Pearlcatcher, "The base is deep enough for someone to drown in. We're not going to trust you to lie down, though, so you're going to have to drown in the sink."

They reached the intended murder device, and the Mirror stopped the drain and turned on the water while Leto quietly bemoaned his fate, continuing to beg for his life and struggle free. Once the sink was full, however, both accomplices grabbed the back of his head by the mane and roughly shoved his face into the water, being careful not to let any splash outside of it. Leto struggled for several moments, desperately trying to pull away...and then, gradually, he fell limp.

The light-colored Pearlcatcher sighed as he and the Mirror pulled Leto's body up,
and got his head out of the sink. "Goodbye, kid. Real sorry this has to happen to you."

"Why do you ever care about our victims?" asked the Mirror as she unstopped the drain in the sink. She was still speaking when the two hauled the student's body over to the shower.

The elder Pearlcatcher shrugged. "Just because I'm a hitman doesn't mean I can't be a nice guy."

"Heh. Sure."

The two placed Leto's limp form into the shower's base, positioning him so that it looked like his body naturally slumped from a sitting position to laying down. Then, they turned on the shower and closed the door.

"Think this'll work?" asked the Mirror as she and her accomplice headed for the window.

"Now really isn't the time for doubts. The kid's dead, everyone's going to buy the story, and we don't even have to tell it. We didn't get to be of this caliber by messing up, right?"

"If you say so."

The two were gone before much longer, leaving the room undisturbed. Several, long minutes passed with only the light sound of the shower disturbing the silence. Then, the dragon within lifted his head.

Leto turned off the shower, got out, and dried himself off. His plan had worked: he'd not necessarily given his captors what they wanted, but gave them what they expected. He nearly had drowned in putting on that show for them, too, but he'd survived.

Kind of. Despite his accomplishment, Leto was still melancholy. As he left the bathroom, he looked about his apartment. All of it... He would have to leave his whole life behind. It just wasn't safe to be 'Leto the student of fine arts and model' anymore. He'd have to leave behind much of his appearance, too, or it would be too easy for him to be found again. The one possession he would take with him was his pearl. He would leave no note...and he hoped that everyone would understand. Of course they wouldn't, but he still wished them well.

There was the matter of what he would do with this information, too. If he was starting a new life, he may as well use it for something good. I could go to the Sunbeam Ruins... There are a lot of judicial-type dragons who live there. Maybe they can give me a new start and use what I learned here. Besides, he was one of them, both in element and in breed, being among the two kinds of dragons created by the Lightweaver herself.

As the dragon formerly known as Leto went to collect his pearl, his thoughts turned to what was perhaps the most basic fundamental of an individual's identity: what name he should now go by. Well... I've always gone by 'Leto,' but... he thought, taking up the iridescent sphere, and thinking about the other name his parents gave him. There's always 'Jonas.'

And so died Leto, the student of fine art...and arose the one who would become Detective Jonas: bane to the criminal underground.

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Did you enjoy this story? I'd love to hear about it! Also, I do own a writing shop, if you'd like to purchase a piece about one of your own dragons. Enjoy the rest of your day! :D

@ZannaDragon @Gilamon @onionbulb @Reigaia Pinging you guys since I thought you'd be interested in this story, given your interest in DePero's or because you've expressed that you like my work in general (or because you used to own this dragon, in the case of one of you in particular.) Also, here's Jonas himself: [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=7665813] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/76659/7665813_350.png[/img] [/url] And here's what he looked like during the events of the story (scry only): [img]http://flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=11&bodygene=1&breed=4&element=8&gender=0&tert=2&tertgene=7&winggene=1&wings=5&auth=dee62fea991e1b14a25b01aa3795841e2268955b&dummyext=prev.png[/img] [center][u]Art[/u][/center] I also figured I'd make a place on here for his art. This first piece actually inspired a lot of his background as a student of fine art and a model for painters. Again, this is an interpretive portrait (like the one the Skydancer in the story was painting of him), so even though what Jonas looks like in my head (humanoid form) is different from what's depicted in this picture, I'm still calling it as the Skydancer's interpretation of Leto as a Harpy or something. That's right -- you get to see the painting! (Unfinished because it's lacking the iridescent sheen and the White Smoke gene, but as you recall, the Skydancer was unable to finish it. In fact, story-wise, some of it had to be finished off of memory, but he wanted to do his best because he feels terrible about not treating Leto better the last time he saw him. Leto was presumed dead after he went missing.) Though, really, this piece was drawn by the original owner, and was that person's vision for what Leto looked like. And I think this picture looks awesome! It looks like an oil painting... So, that's what inspired it. [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/art/2286389#post_29608508][img]https://pre08.deviantart.net/293e/th/pre/i/2017/243/3/0/leto_by_toru_kaze-dblximn.jpg[/img][/url]

@Cryoluxa

That story was awesome! I love that leto/jonas has such a interesting backstory now, and you even managed to incorporate the art i drew into it.
You are seriously talented (well written stories are my addiction) and thank you for showing me this! If you decide to write more about him i'd definitely love to hear it.

@Gilamon

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I thought you might, since you liked DePero's story so much. Thank you for your compliments. ^_^

@Reigaia

Thank you very much! I'm so happy you like it. :) And wow, such nice compliments! I'll definitely keep you in the loop for more of his exploits, should I write them. He has a bit of a bio on his regular page, if you're interested in that. He's also mentioned in a short story I wrote prior to purchasing him from you. It takes place quite a ways into the future from this one, even though I wrote it first.