Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (Koh & Hadrian)

[Hadrian]

"Well, you seem very pleasant, Koh. I hope you find something delicious to eat so that we can converse again. And you are quite right. All magic is dangerous. That is why I've come to Zeltiva to learn. The University is quite prestigious and they do preach safety first." He paused, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Were you here through the winter? I should think it would be too cold... Perhaps you hibernated somewhere safe?"

[Koh]

He too was enjoying the conversation, but being asked about his winter nights, he frowned. "I do not remember much my winter. I was able to bask in the sun enough to wake some days, only to eat, and be taken in by the colds at night. It was only to great luck that I myself was not devoured by some creature of the forest." Koh remained still for a moment, stuck deep in his own thoughts, "I really should leave this place. For my better being. But I've too many memories here." He ended up speaking, seeming to speak his thoughts. Suddenly he broke out of his trance, staring back up at the man, "Of course, not much to mind there." he added, trying to shrug it off as if it something irrelivent.

[Hadrian]

"That's probably... not a safe time for you to be here," he agreed thoughtfully, trying to put himself in a Dhani's shoes -- so to speak -- as Professor Rochlas was teaching him. "But I understand why you wouldn't want to leave. I'm graduating at the end of the spring term and I should leave, but I might stay a while, even if it means I end up in a rut..." Distracted from the potential danger by his thoughts, he found himself having a conversation with a snake-man who had him pinned to a tree. That was strange, even for a student of magic.

[Koh]

He shifted a bit, his tail reaching behind the tree as he continued to try and keep eye contact with his new found friend. "You do what you have to." Koh said with a sharp toothed grin, "If you acted on what you needed, you'll never enjoy getting what you wanted." After a minute of his tail searching he found what he was after, dragging what seemed a bundle of belts and cloth, "I really should stop leaving things around. So many thieves and sometimes worse around these days." He said as he held the items up before grasping them in his hand.

As he slipped the things on, belts stretching or pulling at one another revealing it to be a strangely designed coat, he asked another question, "So." he paused for a minute before his head appeared once more out of the opening of the coat. "What are your thoughts on Dhani and Zith?" He finally ended, speaking the name of two dangerous races, one of which his own, his curious nature condemning him to stare on at the man as his arms slipped out of the sleeves of the coat.

[Hadrian]

After sharing his abode with a nudist Nuit, he wasn't quite so uncomfortable with the Dhani's public changing. It made sense when he put it into an anthropological context that sentient beings whose bodies were capable of such transformation would be more proud of their capabilities and less caught up in purely human proprieties. He thought that was a wonderful thing, but wasn't sure he would be comfortable running around as the gods had made him. "I find both cultures interesting and would eventually like to meet them on their own terms, but so far I haven't made them the priorities of my cultural studies. When they told me to think practically of the future, I began to focus on places where I might learn the most to further my magical career."

[Koh]

Koh shook his coat until it took better form of his body, while at the same time, coiling up as though around an invisible rock, stretching as he did so. "You're probably uncomfortable with me like this by now." he said, slight fatigue being heard in his voice. No longer was he blocking any escape points, no longer feeling the need to. His form seemed to shift a bit the first second, then in the next few, he seemed to be geting shorter, his scales becoming a more fleshy color, and the scales over his head seeming to split into hairs.

After about thirty eight seconds, his form resembled more that of a human. His eyes did not alter in coloration, and his arms kept some of the scales on the top of his hands, the rest of his arms being covered up by his coat. He smiled, still larger then Hadrian but much less intimidating. "See. you're the kind of person I like!" Koh said with a point of his finger and continued smile, "Sure, we might be scarier and more well known for our carnivorous acts but that doesn't mean we're evil. Though you may want to be careful..."

Koh paused for a moment to jab Hadrian a bit with his elbow with a continued smile, "Some of us would be glad to eat you alive, or in some cases sell you off as a slave." He said this seeming to group both Zith and Dhani together, "After all. You're thin enough to look like a baguette! Plus I'm sure you have a decent enough head to make a good Miza." With this he laughed, attempting at a slight bit of humor, pausing for a moment to see how he would react.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian watched with interest as scales gave way to skin for the most part, and tail for legs. His head cocked to the side, wondering if he shouldn't spend a little more time studying morphing while he was at school, or at least making it a priority for future study. Isikais obviously knew how, though he had kept it hidden. Perhaps in Sahova... He wondered why he hadn't thought of it before! If he could morph into a shape similar to a Dhani, then the Dhani would accept him. If he could morph into the shape of a Zith, then they wouldn't kill him as soon as look at him. He tried to bottle up his excitement and refrain from bolting to the registrar's office to immediately extend his academic career into a focus on morphing. "I apologize for staring, but shape-shifting... it's interesting to me. I'd rather not be eaten or sold into slavery," he admitted. "I suppose I'll just have to make myself dangerous enough to keep dangerous people at bay." He smirked his way into a grin.

[Koh]

Suddenly Koh acted, wrapping his arm around Hadrian with a cheer, a strange metal feeling coming from under the coat sleeve, "Not dangerous enough buddy!" He exclaimed with excitement in his voice. He was not usually this excitable but it had been a while since he had a chance to speak with others without feeling much of their fear. Suddenly, Koh raised a finger in front of them, fearing a bit for his new friend, "Do be careful though. Sight is not the only sense you have to trick."

Suddenly Koh released Hadrian stepping back a bit, "Ah. Sorry about that. Natural urge to get close to people and wrap around them." He said with a wave of his hand trying to shrug off the fact that he just started acting like Hadrian was prey. "Hey. Maybe we should go find a place to eat or something?" He said gesturing towards town with another smile.

[Hadrian]

Oddly enough, Hadrian was working on what he called 'touch discipline'. In his native culture, there was the idea of personal space. Not so in every other culture, and so he was trying to get over instinctive reactions to touch. That might have been easier if he had any sort of a love life, but that was a whole other can of worms. He felt something harder than flesh run along his shoulders and assumed Koh was armed as well as naturally dangerous. Noting Koh's advice regarding danger and the need to seem dangerous with a nod, he scratched at the back of his head. "If you promise not to make me lunch, then I think we can go to the market for something to eat," he allowed. There were no public restaurants in the city, which he didn't quite understand. Sure, there were the food shortages, but it was also a port city with an amazing harbor and he didn't understand why they hadn't learned to stock up with food to last them through the season of dangerous storms.

[Koh]

Koh crossed his arms and seemed to think for a minute. "I haven't seen any guards nearby. If you were going to end up as lunch, trust me when I say, you'de already have," he said, laughing at the end hoping that the information brought at least a little comfort to the man. He shuffled around in his coat a bit, grabbing a hood and dragging it over his face. His eyes were no longer visible but his smile still remained, "People fear Dhani. It's what they do. Anyways, perhaps you would like to lead? Or do you not like the idea of a snake behind you." With this his smile widened, finding a little hilarity in his own words.