Akira

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A K I R A .+. Warrior .+.

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Crossbones would simply not let up at the gates of the royal guards and soldiers. A rather particularly perturbed shadowy-colored fae in dark armor scowled at him.
"Please, I promise I won't be any bother," Crossbones tried again. "If I could just see her once more again. Ah, I may even have something for her she could use-!"

"The answer is NO." Athena growled at him. "How many times must I say, Commander Ashahina must rest from her battle! Now leave! Before you are forced to!"

Crossbones looked a bit crestfallen, but he persisted, that is until the gates opened to let out another royal guard. "Won't you please let her know I was here then? And I...had some...kind words for...her..." Crossbones's wandering eyes widened, following the lovely feathered skydancer that just left the gates. His throat had no air, and his jaw loosened with no words left. Athena looked at him and then at the light and beautiful skydancer casually walking away to the nearby tavern for soldiers. She had a smirk on her face, unseen.

Crossbones' eyes lit up like a fire which was suddenly fed sulfur. "Wwwoah now-!~ Who is that sweet angelic creature?~"

Athena did not hint at anything. "That is Akira." she simply said. "Newest among the ranks. Still young, but very skilled in combat."

Crossbones' eyes fixated on Akira, and disregarded anything else around him. He finally breathed again, his smile wide as a toridae. "Not too young to drink it seems though. Oh, excuse me please!~ I must do something about this lady stealing my breath from me so quickly.~"

Without another word, he slithered and slipped his way over to the tavern and took a seat right beside Akira. Akira hardly moved over to accommodate, and quietly guarded his mask beside him as he sipped a mixed nectar. Crossbones made it rather easy to be noticed however, smirking at the skydancer with a flirty gaze. "Hello there.~ I hope you don't think me rude to ask if I could buy you a drink?~"

Akira looked at the drink in his claws and held it up a little, silently looking back with some confusion.
"Oh-! Of course you already have one!" Crossbones chuckled. "I meant the next one.~ Or your meal.~ Surely you need a break from the training you must go through.~ You know. Stretch your wings a bit, unwind.~ All that?~"

Akira gave a small but beautiful smile, scoffing a bit and sipping his drink. Crossbones gleefully smiled back. "Great steaming geysers, you're just as gorgeous with a smile as without!~ Do you know that?~" Crossbones then ordered a drink of his own, with mint to freshen his breath. "The guard at the gate told me of you. Mentioned you are rather new among this kingdom.~ But she did neglect to tell me, " he took a sip and smirked with a soft glare. "that you're a thief."

Akira's smile vanished and his eyes appeared most wary. He looked to Crossbones with doubt. "Yes, it's true." Crossbones insisted. "Did you not notice that you stole my very breath, my very heart from me?~" He grinned, sliding closer. "I could hardly stand on my own legs over there when you walked out.~ Why, I felt like a little helpless bumble, a mere mith with the rings of my heart captured under my snout. I ought to accuse you of enchanting me, how dare you, you gorgeous heavenly thing.~"

Opening his mouth to speak, Akira was suddenly stopped, interrupted by Crossbone's insistent flirting. "And a fire dragoness no less!~" He scoffed, smirking with a look of admiration. "Oh, most impressive too!~ I would not have guessed, were it not for your eyes.~ Being this close, they look like smoldering ashes from a dying blaze, glowing ever so warmly but quiet.~" He slid closer, nearly nestling into Akira's shoulder. "Being this close too, I can feel a warmth there.~ So small and shy, and fickle.~" He sipped from his drink and sighed. "But I like that.~ Ladies exhibit stronger heat are difficult to appease.~ But a thief like you, I might consider a proposal of reciprocity...involving some gold.~" He chuckled handsomely. "Unless of course, you'd rather return from me what you stole.~"

Akria gave a small airy chuckle himself, a little flustered and flattered a male came up to flirt with him. Crossbones looked more patient and fascinated, leaning on the wood and eyeing him, while relaxing and sipping his drink. "What say you, Akira?~ Thief of beauty?~"

He finally spoke, preening some of his feathers a bit and leaving his own drink alone. "You're quite funny. Never knew Imperials could be funny."

Crossbones froze mid-swallow, upon hearing Akira's soft, but clearly male voice.

"A dragoness I am not. Still meant you to come here...to of me court?" Akira smiled calmly, eyeing Crossbones with his sultry fire-eyes.

Promptly, Crossbones darted his head away to spit out his drink in total shock. His face flushed with enormous embarrassment and apprehension. Bolting back in his seat he stood with his eyes wide and his mouth agape. "You-! You-! You're not-!? Ah-! Oh! Goodness ME!" He grinned very tightly, overwrought and mortified. His white scales might as well have fallen right off!

"Aheh, if you'll excuse me, I need to retreat into my pyramid of disgrace and humiliation yes excuse me-!" Hastily, Crossbones folded his wings around himself to hide his face and body, leaving only his tail sticking out. It was jagged but still, while he screamed, muffled well by his thick wings around him.

Akira blinked, puzzled by his odd behavior at first. Then chuckled a bit, hiding his amusement with another sip from his drink. "You are not the first to make mistake me for a dragoness." he smiled. "I am sorry I stole from you.~"

Crossbones poked his head out from under his wing and threw his hands up, fixing his mane. "Ah-! Haha! No worries no worries! You gave it back immediately just now! Good on you!" He nearly wheezed before getting up and slamming his treasure on the wood bar to pay for his drink that he didn't even finish. "Thank you for that! Pardon me and my words, huh? Best of luck to you in all you do, and uh," his body was seemingly being pulled by some unnatural force away, at a hurried pace. "well! GOODBYE THEN!" Faster than a jackalope outrunning a dust storm, Crossbones bolted away, and did not look behind him.

Akira smiled, watching his dust trail behind as he left. He finished his drink with a silent look of interest. "Time will heal you, funny Imperial. When you are return, I should await another laugh again...hm.~"