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"Sacrifices." Honestly. They weren't his idea. Taneris had never wanted anything from the humans in the nearby villages, nothing but to be left alone on his mountain. But his kind were so rare anymore than even the sight of him flying around the peak and minding his own business sent the humans into a panic, trying to figure out how to placate "the beast" so "it" wouldn't come turn their village into a pile of rubble.

He'd watched them build the altar curiously, wondering what, exactly, they were planning to leave him (just because he didn't ask for sacrifices didn't mean he wouldn't take a nice cow or whatever they deigned to send him.) The first few times, it was simple. Some vegetables, the occasional livestock. Maybe he let it go to his head a little bit when he started taking advantage and demanding certain things. And when he woke up one morning with a human hunter attacking him, trying to kill him, maybe he got a little hasty when he landed in the middle of town, threw the guy's bleeding corpse in the square, and demanded a human sacrifice to stave off his wrath.

Then the dumb bastards actually did it. And he couldn't very well go back on his threat, lest a dozen more stupid hunters decide to trespass on his mountain and bother him.

It had been a month since Soshi came to him that way, when Taneris had flown up the mountain with her, dropped her gently in front of his cave, then took human form and immediately apologized for the trouble. As it turned out, the dragon had a rather comfortable home, and he'd spent that month granting his guest anything she wished for an apology. He had no intention to hurt her, he'd explained, and he'd be happy to return her after a suitable amount of time had passed to make the villagers sorry for what they'd done.

Only, he'd rather started to enjoy her company. And even after he'd left the door open for her to depart several times, she had yet to run, screaming back down the mountainside. It was terribly strange and as the days passed, he longed to ask her why, but didn't for fear he wouldn't like her answer.

He returned from a hunt that day, taking human form before entering the area of the cave that had become Soshi's furnished living quarters, and it was bothering him so badly he felt he could no longer keep quiet about it.

"Why have you stayed?" he asked, abruptly, in the middle of a conversation about something else entirely.

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Ishiko had spent her entire life in the small village at the base of the mountain. It hadn't been an easy life, considering that most of them eked out a living farming or trading with passing merchants. They were not particularly rich or particularly prosperous, but they managed to survive. Furthermore, Ishiko was selected early in life to become a priestess for the local shrine, learning how to commune with the spirits and to interpret the various signs and portents, to keep the spirits happy, and to ensure that the natural order continued.

Of course, then they had realized that a dragon had roosted on the mountain and everyone had started to panic. To Ishiko, even as an apprentice priestess, it hadn't necessarily seemed a portent of sudden doom, but everyone else had believed that the creature was about to swoop down onto them and devour them all wholesale. She'd counseled against drawing conclusions, but her words were brushed aside. They'd started making offerings and then the dragon had made demands and then someone had decided to offer a reward to get an adventurer to go and kill it and "rid themselves of the menace".

It had backfired spectacularly.

The dragon had come into town and angrily demanded a human sacrifice. The furor had been enough to give her a headache, until she had quietly volunteered to be the sacrifice. Her parents had died in a bad winter many years ago. She had no close family. She would not be missed. And further, she did not think the dragon meant to kill her.

As it turned out, she was right. She had spent the last month living with Taneris and quietly adjusting to the new life she had there. As it turned out, he had a human form. As it also turned out, he didn't want to really eat anyone or terrorize people. He wanted to be left alone and that suited her just fine. In fact, she was rather fond of him (or had grown more fond of him). He'd even gone so far as to offer her anything she needed or wanted while she was in his home.

She quite enjoyed it, honestly.

But perhaps his question shouldn't have been such a surprise. She glances up at him with a surprised blink. For a long moment Ishiko isn't quite sure what to say and then she decides that truth has served her well so far; why not keep telling it?

"I enjoy living with you," she says, settling her chin in her hands regarding him with an even stare, "You're very pleasant company and - well. I'm fond of you."

Not the entire truth, but close enough.

"You do?"

He doesn't mean to sound so incredulous with that, but it's apparent the answer has caught him off-guard. Nobody has ever called him pleasant company. And being fond of him? If it wasn't Ishiko, who he's come to trust at her word, he'd surely think she's mocking him or trying to play him for a fool.

"I..." The words die somewhere on the way out, and he's left watching her looking rather lost. "I apologize. That sounded rude. I only meant that I've never... had anyone say such a thing to me."

Dragons don't seek companionship, really. Even if he'd ever tried to find a mate, which he hadn't, she would have stuck around long enough to bear children, then been gone with them. This also explains why Taneris has absolutely no idea how to respond to her now.

"You as well." A beat. "That is, I have enjoyed having you here. I was merely curious."

"Really?" Ishiko quirks an eyebrow at him. She's usually fairly calm, all things considered, reserved, but friendly. Willing to speak and talk and chat and she (for the most art) seems to enjoy Taneris' cave (or lair or whatever you wanted to call it). She'd even taken to trying to organize it a little and set up a small shrine to her goddess so she could continue her prayers (mostly for the good fortune of the village she'd left behind; even if they were a bit dull, they didn't deserve to be cursed or face famine).

"I... suppose dragons don't socialize that much, do they? I've never really thought about that," her lips quirk in one of her tight-lipped smiles. Being open does not come to her easily (at least in broad, emotional sweeps). Not since she was a child.

"But I am glad that you've enjoyed my company. I don't think I want to leave, at this rate. You've been... very kind. You have a good heart, Taneris."

Truthfully, she doesn't want to go anywhere. She'd like to stay with him. The alternative seems... dreary by comparison. To not have him in her life anymore? She feels she would be lesser for it. Even after only a month of having known him. So after a pause, she pushes on.

"I think... my life would be lesser with you not in it. That probably sounds foolish, coming from me, but... it's true."

She really is beating around the bush a little in order to get to a central point.

It's a testament to how fond he is of her that he hasn't thrown a fit about her reorganization efforts. Even provided her some nice things he thought she'd like, for her shrine or for her living quarters. Anything, really, to make her happy.

"Yes. I have. Very much." It's usually easy for him to be blunt, but he's found it strangely difficult with Ishiko. Particularly when it's a conversation like this, one of them that makes him think about her happiness, and how it brings a stirring of warmth to his blood. And a cold, dark, sick little feeling when he thinks about her being unhappy. Her leaving to go home.

But then she says it, the thing he's been hoping she would say. She doesn't want to leave. And oh, so much more. He has a good heart? Her life would be lesser without... oh, earth and skies, she does mean it, doesn't she?

Now, suddenly, he has no problem being blunt. A little desperately blunt, really, like he's afraid she'll think better on it if he hesitates.

"Then stay with me," he says. "You don't have to leave. You could stay here. Forever, if you like."

Oh. He's gone and said it (or part of it) without her having to. That's... well, maybe it was what she was aiming for, because a smile spreads over her face - something a bit more open and radiant than her usual, tightly controlled little things. She's not an ice queen, but she does tend to be... reserved. So the broad smile is all the more unusual.

It's probably because she feels like her heart is going to burst. It's just - she's happy that he's invited her to stay. It feels official now and she springs to her feet and darts forward to throw her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Forever is a very long time," she says, although her words are a bit muffled from where she's burying her face against his chest, "But I think I will. Stay, that is. If you're serious - but if you're joking, I'll be very upset."

As if the temper of a human girl could ever threaten a dragon. Or maybe this one does?

His powerful arms wrap around her immediately, and he holds her flush to his body. A palm splays at the back of her head and his fingers tangle with her hair as he embraces her tight.

"I'm not," he says. After a beat, he quickly corrects that vague answer. "I'm not joking. Ishiko, I would never - I want you to stay."

Now that he's said it, it feels much easier to accept, this thing he's been arguing about with himself for nearly half a month now. He leans down and very carefully presses a kiss to the crown of her head, little more than just a brush of lips, but that's how humans did it, wasn't it?

"I'll make you happy," he says. "It's all I want to do. I'll do anything you ask me to if you'll only stay."

A part of her feels very safe like this, wrapped up in his arms, cheek nestled against his chest. Ishiko knows that this isn't quite "him". That his real form - his true form - is a dragon. Scales and wings and hide. She's fine with that. She knows that she's caring for (affectionate, in love with, whatever you want to call it) a monster.

Well, she doesn't think of him as a monster. Far from it.

"You make me happy," she murmurs, "Being here makes me happy. You... make me happy. So that's all I need you to do. Just - be who you are."

She tilts her head up, finally, to look at him, eyes searching his face, as if she's looking for a sign of something behind his eyes. The dragon hiding behind the man.

"And - you don't have to always... wear this shape."

She's happy with him. And not just staying with him, but with him being him. Someone in the world cares for Taneris because of what he is and not in spite of it.

Boy, that's going to take some getting used to. He can't quite wrap his head around it even as she says it to him, and he watches her in open wonderment as she looks him over.

"I... don't mind," he says. "It would be awfully crowded in here for you if I didn't. But... thank you."

He slides his fingers up through her hair, a playful little gesture of affection. "I was afraid I was scaring you, without this shape."

Ishiko ducks her head slightly as his fingers brush against her scalp, a smile dancing across her face. Somehow, it feels like there's a weight taken off of her shoulders. Like the tension has finally snapped and she can stop worrying. It's liberating.

"You don't. I mean - I'm not afraid of you, you know? You're kind and gentle and I... Honestly, I enjoy seeing you as you are. You're a dragon and that's wondrous!"

She's enthusiastic about it and after a moment, she reaches up to brush her fingers against his cheek and the line of his jaw in a gentle, easy touch.

"No matter what, I want you for you."

"You want me," he echoes. "Truly..."

He still sounds disbelieving. Humans don't want dragons around at all, in his experience. They certainly don't want them, in any sense of the word. But here is Ishiko, saying as much, and she happens to be the one and only human he's ever trusted.

"You want me," he says again. "I never thought..."

After another few quiet seconds of mulling it over, he smiles at her touch on his jaw, and clasps his hand over hers.

"I have never thought of courting a human before. But I will do it, for you." He's thinking something along the lines of what he's already been doing, except the gifts will be more meaningful, and she'll understand the thought behind them.

"Unless you would rather skip that part." He's entirely kidding. Or he thinks he is, anyway.

"Never thought that a human would want you?" She finishes for him with a little snort. It's not a dignified sound, which is a bit of a difference for her, but she can't help it. The thought is amusing. Then again... she never thought she'd find herself pining for a dragon. So the feeling of surprise is mutual (although she seems to be on firmer footing than he is, at least for the moment).

His declaration of intent makes her smile again and she rises up on her toes to press a kiss against his cheek, although she wouldn't mind catching his lips in the least, and she wraps her arms around his neck, clinging to him as tightly as she dares and pressed close against his chest.

"I think you already have me," she says, rather matter-of-fact. She's always been practical. This is just an extension of that.

"So you don't need to win me over. Although I wouldn't mind it..." She pauses and shakes her head, "But I don't think we need to go through motions just for the sake of it. Do we? As to skipping - well, what happens if we do skip it?"

She feels her cheeks grow a bit flushed at the thought. She grew up in a farm village. She knows very well what comes after the courting is over.

It's no doubt amusing how easily Ishiko can fluster him. That kiss on his cheek turns his skin nearly as red as his dragon scales, as does the admission that he's already won her affection. Then she plays along with his remark about "skipping," and she likely feels his knees turn to jelly for a brief moment.

"If we skip it..." He blinks, looking at her with something akin to shock and awe. "Well. I... would not want to pressure you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. But generally, once I had courted a female, I would..."

It occurs to him she's blushing. She doesn't actually need him to explain how this works.

"Oh, Ishiko," he murmurs. "You're saying you want to sleep with me." It's more like he's telling himself that than her. Because he still can't wrap his head entirely around this.

Let it never be said that he can't put two and two together. Despite not being exceptionally shy, this is still really the first time that Ishiko's ever fallen in love - let alone contemplated sleeping with someone. So vocalizing it is a little difficult. She looks up at him, cheeks still burning, and nods, not bothering to hold back the laugh that spills out of her.

For a woman who's usually meditative and reserved, that's a huge admission. Possibly of nervousness, but there you are.

"That is exactly what I'm saying - I meant it when I said I wanted to stay with you and... I want to be with you," her voice drops as he she looks up at him and she reaches a hand up to brush a few strands of hair out of her face.

"I know - I know we've only known each other a short while, but I do want this. I promise you, you're not forcing me, you're not making me do anything-!" Her voice rises again; she needs to get across how she feels and - well. Yelling seems to help get it out.

Oh. Well. It's good that he hasn't badly misinterpreted this. As stunning it would be for him to misinterpret any of this bare honesty from her, he wouldn't put it past himself. Living in solitude on a mountaintop did not give one an excellent grasp on reading social situations.

"Yes," he says, laughing a little with her, particularly when she starts raising her voice. "Yes, I understand. I want this too. I would be happy to... to give myself to you."

His lips brush her forehead again. It's still not entirely clear if that's his full interpretation of a kiss, or just how he likes to give one.

"Shall I come to your bed? Or you to mine?" Hers is a proper bed. His is a pile of rocks in the other, wider section of the cave that accommodates his true form. Again, he thinks he is joking.

Ishiko's heart is hammering away in her chest. She's come this far, admitted her feelings, and they're slowly moving closer to something that seems larger and more significant. More than that, it's a slope, and it feels like she's accelerating, starting to lose control, and its an exhilarating, frightening feeling. She's not sure if she likes it or not, but she chooses to stay the course. To push on.

She means what she says, after all. And a part of her, a small part of her, fervently hopes that somehow another part of this can be made to come true. But she keeps that wish close, wrapped tight. It can come later.

For now, he's offering her a bed and she finds her cheeks starting to flame up again, pale skin lit up by the rush of blood to her head. She glances away and then up at him again, as she seems to find her determination. Ishiko takes a step back, gathering his hands in her own and giving them a determined squeeze.

"...I would like to go to yours," she says after only a moment of hesitation, "If you'll have me."

She won't take it back. Can't. She wants to love him as he is. Not in a form that he only takes because it makes other people comfortable.

His first instinct is shock, and then to ask her if she knows what she's implying there. But he stops himself. Of course she does. As she said, she wants this, he's not forcing her, he's not making her do anything. She's been very clear, and there is no further need to question her.

Taneris cracks a smile that looks just the slightest bit mystified, but that fades quickly as he answers her.

"I will have you," he says. "But under one condition. You will tell me if I hurt you, and ask me to stop, if you want me to." He squeezes her hands back. "So long as that is clear, then the dragon will have you, my pretty maiden."

Her first response to that is a short, sharp inhale, and then a determined nod, a smile threatening to break over her face. She feels oddly excited at the prospect (and nervous and full of a strange energy that makes her want to move, to touch, to do a thousand different things).

"Of course," she finally blurts out, "I will. I know I will. But I trust you, Taneris. You won't hurt me."

She gathers her courage and steps forward, sliding up onto her toes to plant a small kiss against his lips, "It's - I've been thinking about it, you know. Just - it sounds kind of silly to admit, doesn't it?"

Ishiko's weight shifts and she takes one more deep breath. "Will you... change? Now? Or should we wait?"

He leans down to meet her kiss, then provides her another of his own. He can't help but grin at the idea that she's been imagining this. "So have I," he says. "But I dared not say anything first. I'm glad you're so courageous, Ishiko. Now, come."

Taking her by the hand, he leads her back deeper into the cave. Her own portion is a small chamber near the entrance, generously sized for a human. His, though, is what one would properly think of as a dragon's den, a massive chamber piled up with rocks and mounds of dug-up dirt and torn scraps of things and shiny things that he's found and brought back. Daylight comes in from a hole high at the top of the chamber, but he's also decorated with strung-up torches, which flicker against the dark walls and ceiling to provide decent enough light to see by.

It isn't that she hasn't been allowed back here, but just that there isn't much to bring her here. He looks a little bit like he wishes he'd cleaned before bringing her along, too.

But the moment passes quickly, and he leans in for a tender, somewhat nervous kiss and a gentle brush of her hair out of her eyes. When he pulls away, his eyes are glowing, orange light like flickering flames within the glassy orbs. Then he steps away, and the human form falls away to shadow, then growing into his tremendous true form. His body is covered in glimmering red and orange scales, his wings leathery and orange as well. He is not large enough to fill the entire chamber, fortunately for Ishiko, but certainly too large to fit into her own chambers, around 20 feet long from snout to tail.

He can still speak, a voice that sounds like a deeper version of the human form's echoing as though directly in her head. "Here I am. And all yours, my Ishiko."

Ishiko follows on bare feet, feet padding over rock, her hand gripping his as tightly as she dares. Now that the moment is fast approaching there's a touch more nervousness about her, but she refuses to let it get to her. She refuses to let it frighten her off from the man - the dragon - that she's come to care for so deeply over the last month. She's going to see this through, because she loves him. Because she wants him.

His chambers are not quite a surprise, but they are certainly large. She spends a few moments taking it, nodding slowly as she cranes her head to peer up at the hole, far above. Then her attention is drawn back to what's important - Taneris. His kiss is returned slowly and gently and then she backs away, as if to give him a bit of space. Her hands are clasped in front of her, fingers interlaced. She's squeezing them tightly, hardly daring to breathe as he starts to change.

She's seen him like this before, of course, when he came to take her from where she was to be "sacrificed", but since then he's rarely spoken to her as he truly is and the sight of him still absolutely takes her breath away. There's even a thrill of fear that runs up her spine, very aware that he could hurt her - kill her - quite badly if he wanted to. But she knows in her heart of hearts that he won't do that. That he'd never dream of it.

"Oh, Taneris, you're... incredible," she says, the words bubbling out of her as she steps in again, his voice still echoing in her head.

"Beautiful-" She's close enough to lift her hans and place them against the underside of his massive jaw, scratching him under the chin.

"You are so beautiful."

Ishiko has always been quite courageous about his true form. It's partially the reason she was "sacrificed" to him, after all. But he's still not used to having someone actually marvel over him, rush up and want to touch him like this. He lets out a sound almost like a purr, and leans down to brush his chin against her fingers.

"Thank you." He doesn't really care about looking impressive or beautiful, but if it pleases her, then... well. It feels quite good, in that sense.

He's obviously strong enough to kill her without even trying, but the gentleness in his motions and touch is apparent. He lifts a clawed hand and curls it slightly around her back in a semi-embrace, showing off just how gently he can touch her.

"I forgot how small you are, like this. So small and yet so pretty, and brave. I thought so the moment I saw you."

The touch of claws against her is both frightening and incredibly invigorating. Her spine straightens and then she leans into the embrace, pressing herself up against the scales and hide with a low laugh.

"I was frightened, at first, but even then, I think I knew you wouldn't hurt me. And I got over my fear very quickly, of course."

She smiles from where her cheek is pressed against him, "And even then, I thought that you were... wonderful. Like this. There's something about you, you know - it feels ancient and powerful and somehow still young. I want to be able to feel your scales and to bask in the heat of your body."

Ishiko laughs, short and sharp, "And now here I am - it all feels like something out of a story from long ago."

With another purring noise, he nuzzles her with his snout and lets his claws fall away from her. "In those stories, the dragon was always a monster and the maiden was always unwilling," he says. "I prefer this version, I think."

With that, he steps away, over to a corner of the chamber without explanation. He leans down and snatches a draping length of something in his teeth, then tugs on it until it comes free from a pile. It seems to be a long bolt of fabric, a little dirty from being in a dragon's lair, but perfectly soft. He brings it back for her and lays it out on the ground beside her, hoping to provide a slightly more comfortable place for her to lie than on a bare pile of rocks and dirt.

Then he lies down beside it as well, his body long enough to curl around three sides of the makeshift bed, and he taps his claws to coax her to come closer to him. "Here. To me, my pretty maiden. I want to watch you undress."

"I much prefer this version," Ishiko responds with a low laugh, "It seems better for everyone. Especially the maiden - although probably for the dragon, as well. Seems like he'll be much happier without a lot of weeping and crying going on around him all day," Her smile is teasing and then she follows him. She watches with curiosity. Despite the bit of dust and dirt, it looks like it'll be comfortable enough - although a part of her wonders where on earth he dug up a giant bolt of cloth like that.

It's soft, though. She steps over and settles her feet on it, letting her toes sink into it with a quiet little laugh. Of course, Taneris is asking after something else and that makes her cheeks light up again with another blush. She quickly pats at her cheeks with her hands and laughs, "Well - alright-"

Despite the burst of shyness, she starts to it with a bit of a will. Piece by piece she begins to strip down for him. She slides her dress off of her - first one shoulder and then the other - and allows it to fall to the floor so that she can step out of it. Beneath it, there's her small clothes. She had been wearing stockings, but she took those off ages ago. So in the space of a few moments, she's left bare-skinned and facing off against a dragon. It isn't much of a show, unfortunately, and she can feel the whisper of a breeze against her bare skin that makes her shiver.

She's well-formed underneath it, of course. She's of farm stock, but she's also a bit willowy. Not really boyish so much as slender, but with strength in her limbs from a life of both study and hard work. Ishiko resists the urge to cover herself, staring up at him with a little half-smile.

"I hope that I'm not - that you still think I'm beautiful."

She's a bit self-confident.

"Agreed," says Taneris, with a sound that might be a chuckle but sounds a little more like a staggered roar.

Once he has her makeshift bed set up, he curls up to watch her disrobe. He is entirely unfamiliar with human female garments, so he may as well be watching her disassemble a complex machine as he watches her take off the dress and underclothes (his own human form's clothes are an illusion he's made for himself... this makes him think he should study how humans actually wear clothes.)

He lets out a huff at her remark. "Of course I do. I have always thought you were beautiful. Now I can see it down to your very skin."

His clawed hand slides behind her again, and he leans down to nuzzle her with his snout. His scales are hot against bare skin, like there's fire beneath them, and snake-soft rather than jagged or rough.

"I must admit." His tongue grazes the curve of her jaw. "I am not... versed in how to bed a human woman, in this form. This will be a learning experience for us both."

The compliment he gives her is enough to make her blush all over again and, despite that urge, she leaves her hands at her side - in fact, she spreads them as he leans down to nuzzle at her with his snout, wrapping him in a sort of hug, fingers curling against the smooth, heated scales. He feels... warm. Hot, even. She wants to curl up against him in her bare skin, just to feel him close to her. She wants to nestle against his chest and listen to the beat of his heart. So many things she wants to do, but... it might have to wait.

Especially since they're having this conversation. She stifles a nervous laugh and shakes her head, "Neither am I. Learning how... dragons and maidens do this sort of thing wasn't really covered in my training."

Her head tilts back, a low sigh on her lips as his tongue, long and wet snakes against her jaw. Her eyes lid, starting to feel the low thrum of arousal spread through her. Her hands slide over his throat, trying to find sensitive spots where she rub them against his scales.

"...we'll have to teach each other."

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going AFK for a while!

me too as it turned out!

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