[Graded]Escaping Boredom

[Kabu]

It was a fairly stormy afternoon and Eiko couldn't help a grunt as she sat up in bed, staring out the window of her hospital room, watching as the rain poured down. She had been planning on going out but obviously that wasn't going to be happening.. she had been ordered to stay inside until the heavy rain let up and as a result she was finding herself unbearably bored for not the first time. Even her usual doctor was busy with other patients so she was alone for the time being and she had finished up the last of her books so she didn't really have much to do either, hence her current boredom.

With a quiet sigh she stood up and stretched, whistling for Fuu to come to her and beginning to walk as she felt the sugar glider settle down on her shoulder. "Alright, let's go." she spoke to the little creature, taking a moment to scratch his head. She exited the room and immediately paused outside the door, having to realized that she hadn't thought about what she was doing or even where she was going. There wasn't really much to do in the hospital...

Suddenly feeling a bit mischievous she turned and headed down the hall towards the exit, her plan being to take an umbrella and sneak out so that she could at least find something to do. After all she could sneak back right away and what could possibly go wrong? The worst thing that could happen was that she got caught but with her current state of boredom.. she was very well ready to risk it.

[Willoria]

Misaki had spent the better part of her day checking on patients. She was trying to get back into the swing of things at the hospital, primarily caring for patients and had found the younger ones more receptive to her after her changes. Some were a bit scared of her, but most of them were fascinated by her wings and her tail. She was making her way down the hall, having come up a back set of stairs, with her head down and staring into a file when she suddenly bumped into someone.

Almost immediately Misaki recognized the girl. "Oh goodness, I'm so sorry, honey." she said as her mind took in the girl's appearance. She had spoken to her dear friend Etsuko about Nakajima Hayate at length, and the heartbreak he had caused her. When she had heard some time about about him taking a girl in, adopting her, she had been more than a little shocked, though obviously the real shock came when the man had gone missing.

But here in front of her was the girl. For the sake of Etsuko, Misaki had taken an interest in the girl's situation, checking her file from time to time and checking up on her, though she had never actually met or spoken to the girl before. She reached down to help the girl up, even attempting to pick up the displaced sugar glider and place him back on the girl's shoulder, assuming he'd allow it. "You alright?" she asked, her tail twitching behind her and wings folded behind her back.

[Kabu]

Over the years Eiko had grown used to all sorts of little mishaps but she certainly wasn't expecting to run into anyone this time. Judging by the voice that she heard it seemed to be a woman who bumped into her, a woman that seemed to be incredibly nice and friendly. "It's okay. I'm alright." Eiko spoke, taking the woman's hand as she helped her up. Really it was more by reflex as she had gotten more than used to being accidentally bumped into at this point. She was a bit more worried about Fuu but he seemed to be fine as he allowed the woman to pick him up and place him back on her shoulder, the little guy letting out a chirp to signify that he was okay as well even as he stared at the woman, noticing that she looked a bit different from the other humans that he had been around thus far. It didn't seem to bother him though as he simply yawned and leapt up onto Eiko's head where he curled up and soon enough began dozing off.

She stood in silence for a moment, considering her next course of action. It seemed that her original plan of sneaking out was going to be a bust but she didn't particularly feel like going back to her room either which left her in a bit of a tough spot. She did know though that they couldn't just keep standing in the middle of the hall."Oh yes, I'm Fuyuki Eiko. I'm really sorry for being in your way!" she spoke to the woman, having decided that first of all introductions and apologies were most definitely in order.

[Willoria]

Misaki grinned as the little sugar glider chirped and she reached out, very gently scratching the top of his head with a nail briefly before he climbed up on Eiko's head. "I know who you are." Misaki admitted to the young woman before her, reaching out with a hand to touch her cheek gently with a silver scaled finger. "I'm Ishiguro Misaki." she sad as her hand dropped to her side. "And you're not in my way, I was on my way to check on you actually." she added, smiling at the young woman though she knew she couldn't see it.

"Your father and I have a mutual friend, she asked me to keep an eye on you while I was on shift, I work here at the hospital." she explained, keeping Etsuko's actual name out of it, knowing the woman wouldn't want anyone to know she still cared to know if Hayate and his family were alright. "You know... I bet you're feeling cooped up in here, hm?" she asked. "Why don't we go out." she added, turning and looping her arm through one of Eiko's and leading her along towards the door.

Having Eiko on her left side, her left wing stretched out protectively almost like another arm and barely touching Eiko as it seemed to shield her. "So who is your little furry friend there?"

[Kabu]

Eiko tilted her head very slightly to the side, blinking in surprise as Misaki offered to take her outside. She very much still wanted to go out but she had thought for sure that that plan had gone up in flames. so she was admittedly surprised to realize that her initial plans were still on, and even better was that now there was no risk of her getting in trouble as she wouldn't be sneaking out. Of course she couldn't simply admit that she was about to sneak out so she was going to keep that much to herself.

It took a moment to recover from her surprise enough to attempt to answer but just as she opened her mouth to do so, Misaki had already taken her by the arm so she just simply gave her a small smile, nodded, and walked alongside her, letting herself be led along towards the door. "His name's Fuu. Dad gave him to me right before he went missing." she answered the woman as she asked about the little sugar glider sleeping on top of her head.

"Seems like the rain's let up a bit." she quietly spoke as they reached the door, noting that the pounding sound of the rain had lightened. It now seemed to be just safe enough to actually go outside without any risk, though it hadn't gone away yet by any means. These suspicions were soon confirmed as they stepped outside, as the streets now seemed to be much more livelier than they had despite the pitter patter of rain still dotting the streets.

She was wondering just one thing though.. what was it that seemed to be brushing up against her? She felt as if maybe she should ask but it wasn't really bothering her and it even felt somehow comforting so she was just gonna let it be. "Where are we going?" she decided to ask instead, looking up towards the woman out of habit, not quite used to this blindness thing yet.

[Willoria]

"He's cute." Misaki replied, concerning the sugar glider, but fell silent otherwise. She felt a bit bad for accidentally bringing up the mess with her father, she couldn't imagine the girl was in the best position. Her father was missing still, and she seemed to have very few people checking in on her. Only name Misaki had ever routinely recognized was one of her own clan, a girl named Izumi. That and Etsuko but the woman never actually stopped in fully, she only came in long enough to talk to Misaki about her. Misaki hadn't told her this yet, but she couldn't help but think it wasn't healthy considering Etsuko's former attachment to Eiko's father, but while the man was a missing, it didn't seem like too big of a deal.

Misaki sighed quietly as they walked out, glancing over at Eiko as she spoke up again, speaking of the rain and again to ask where they were going. "Well even upon letting up, the rain seems a bit much for some of the better places... but I know of a good place." she told her. "It's mostly a sushi, fish, and veggie sort of place. Does that sound good to you? Or would you prefer a barbeque kinda place? We could do either one." she offered, grinning down at the girl even though she couldn't really see.

[Kabu]

"Sushi sounds good, I've never really been a big fan of barbeque." Eiko replied, at the mention of food finally remembering that she hadn't actually eaten yet that day other than a small meal at breakfast so she was pretty hungry. At that point they walked for a bit in silence, though soon enough it was broken once more as Eiko had a sudden thought, and this seemed like as good a time as any to mention it, mostly as she couldn't think of anything else to talk about and since she had gone blind she had found herself growing iincreasingly less comfortable with extended silences.

"Hey Misaki.. you said that you were an Ishiguro right? Umm.. do you happen to know a girl named Izumi?" she asked, having just recalled what the woman's last name had been. She knew that it wasn't right to pry but she also knew that Izumi didn't have the greatest relations with the rest of her clan and she couldn't help but to worry about her. Of course she was probably worrying for nothing and she could have just as easily talked to the girl herself about it when she stopped by but she could never actually bring herself to mention it at all as she figured that it was probably hard to talk about and she didn't want to do anything to upset her.

[Willoria]

Misaki couldn't help a grin as she was asked about Izumi. "I know her." she replied as they walked, leading the girl along towards a good sushi place. "I try to check on her and that boy of hers, Tokaido, every week or two. The clan isn't fond of her for her lineage, and the clan isn't fond of me really for my own choices. They've never been too fond of my fascination with dragons or where it's led me." she added, her tail twitching behind her as they walked, almost as if in agitation.

"She's been a good friend though, helping me out when she can. And I've noticed she seems to visit you pretty often herself, you two must be close." As they got closer to food there were many good smells permeating the air, and soon Misaki turned, leading Eiko along, into a small restaraunt and to a table. "They don't cook here, but they make some amazing sushi and have some of the freshest foods you can think of. In fact, the only warm things they sell are soups and tea." she said with a grin still as she leaned back in her chair, her wings wrapping slightly around her shoulders just to get a bit more comfortable.

[Kabu]

Eiko couldn't help but blush as Misaki mentioned how close she and Izumi must have been. Oh that was likely the understatement of the century.. if only she actually knew. "Yeah, we're very very close. Closer than you might believe." she responded, pretty sure that she was doing a horrible job of hiding how embarrassed she was as everything that had happened between the two girls came to mind. "Yeah, we're definitely very close." she repeated, taking a deep breath. She wasn't sure why her thoughts had suddenly went in that particular direction.. perhaps she was much more dirty minded than she liked to believe.

"So you're fascinated with dragons huh? I've read a bit about them myself and they do seem like interesting creatures." she spoke after they took their seats, wanting to distract herself from her own embarrassing thoughts. "What did it end up leading to?" she asked, tilting her head to the side after placing Fuu on her lap, the little guy seeming to grumble in annoyance before going back to sleep. For the first time in ages she wished that she still had her sight back, she felt as if she was possibly missing out on something very interesting, fascinating even. It was just a gut feeling that she had and she wanted to kick herself for not being able to actually see it.

[Willoria]

Misaki really shouldn't have found the question so amusing, but she did. She pulled her tail through the chair with a sigh so it would rest on the ground beside her as she answered Eiko's question. "Well, I have wings, and scales..." she started, her tail moving under the table and coming up to rest on the girls lap. "And that you feel is my tail." she said with a laugh. "Uh, careful if you decide to feel around it, there are some sharp pointy bits on it." she told her, still grinning even as she felt her tail touch the little fuzzball that was Fuu.

"I made a new friend just the other day actually who chose to take me where the dragons are in the mountains, they've decided to allow me to learn from them, perhaps even take one on as a summon companion one day. I'm pretty excited about that." she added as the server came over and she paused a moment to order. "Green tea, and a bowl of raspberries please, fresh." she said, ordering her drink.

"I'm gonna need more time to think on food." she added as the waitress turned to look at Eiko.

"And you, dear?"

[Kabu]

Finding herself a bit curious as to the actual feel of Misaki's tail, she gently began rubbing against it with one hand as she listened to the womanspeak, somehow enjoying the feeling of the scales that adorned the tail."This is actually really amazing. I wish that I could actually see it. It's pretty cool too that the dragons seemed to have accepted you." she spoke, fascination clear in her voice as her lips curved into a small smile. Oh how she wished that she could actually see the transformation in it's entirety. It was several moments before it seemed that she finally had been satisfied and she removed her hand, moving to rest it on Fuu's head.

She tilted her head to the side a moment, turning in the direction of the waitress. "Just some green tea for now please. I'm going to need a bit of time to think on anything else." she responded to the waitress before turning back towards Misaki. "It's been a while since I've had anything outside of that hospital slop. You get used to it after a while but it's never quite as good as having a fresh meal around other people." she spoke, grinning as she took in the sounds of the few patrons besides themselves. "It's especially nice to get out and simply be surrounded by others every once in a while. It's kind of funny actually, I never really appreciated all this until it was too late." she added on, part of her wondering when it was that she had become able to talk about these things so easily. It was strange but yet strangely satisfying.

[Willoria]

The waitress simply nodded and left to get the things the pair had asked for. As Eiko finished inspecting Misaki's tail, the woman let it drop to the floor with a smile on her face. "Honestly there are a lot of things in this world that we all take for granted, and we just never seem to realize how much we take for granted until it's too late. I have a friend who has regrets about her severed ties to her clan... and another who has regrets about her feelings for... for a man." She hesitated as she almost said 'your father'. The last time Eiko needed to know about was the fact that Misaki had originally begun looking in on her because someone who was technically one of her father's ex's had asked her to. That was just some drama for her father to deal with if he so chose, and Misaki certainly wasn't going to expose Eiko to it.

"Honestly in some ways I regret all the changes I made to myself, sometimes I miss looking normal or not getting stares every time I went somewhere. But frankly... at the same time, I like the changes I've made." she finally said, smiling as the woman brought them their tea. She poured it for each of them, being kind enough to lead Eiko's hand to the cup if she'd let her, and giving a cautious warning about it being hot. All of which gave Misaki a bit of a chuckle. "I love our village, some of the people are just too thoughtful." she mentioned as the woman left, before dropping two little raspberries into her tea with a little 'plunk'.

"I know you've been stuck in the hospital for a while, and maybe no one has wanted to ask for fear of upsetting you... but I admit I lack their tact and sensitivity sometimes. Have you given any thought to how you'll adapt when you're out of the hospital? I mean, will you attempt to learn how to be a shinobi without your eyes? Or are you planning on some quaint kind of retirement?" she asked rather bluntly, sipping carefully at her hot tea and smiling at the touch of sweetness the berries added to the natural bitter taste of it.

[Kabu]

Eiko gave the waitress a small smile as the woman guided her hand to the cup, wincing as her fingers wrapped around it. It certainly was hot, much more than she had grown used to. She very carefully dragged it over to her and slowly lifted it up to her lips, taking a sip and letting out a quiet sigh at the refreshing taste. This was definitely a nice change of pace, though Misaki's question admittedly caught her a bit off guard, causing her to blink in surprise. It took a moment for it to fully sink in but once it did she gave Misaki a small smile, setting down her cup after taking another sip of the hot tea. Admittedly she was happy that someone finally asked the question. "Honestly? I have thought about it, and while I would like to keep going, I don't really know if I should. It's been a lot harder trying to come to a decision with everyone treating me like I'll break with any kind of rough treatment." she responded, pausing a moment as she thought of how to continue. "It's not like I don't appreciate the worry but I'm losing confidence, and I've never really had all that much to begin with." she finished, letting out a quiet sigh at the end. Admittedly she was still a bit surprised that the question had finally come up but more than anything talking about it really did make her feel a bit better.

"It's a relief to finally get that off my chest." she added on, taking her cup back into her hands and lifting it up to her lips once more. "I'm actually really happy that you asked. Ya know, I haven't told many people about this but more than anything what I really want to do is become a teacher, just as my birth parents had been. I feel like maybe I can at least do that much even if I never actually go back on the front lines again." she spoke once more, revealing the truth of the long held dream that she had honestly almost forgotten about while she had been wallowing in her own pity.

[Willoria]

Misaki raised both eyebrows as the girl spoke, and not just because of her waning confidence. What really caught her eye was how much this little girl actually reminded her of Etsuko, the very woman who had asked Misaki to keep an eye on her, a woman whose heart had been broken by Eiko's adopted father so me time ago. The girl knew nothing of her involvement in the situation, or at all and Misaki couldn't help but think that introducing the two just might be perfect, but not to show her how much the woman had helped from the shadows.

"You know, I have a friend who is a medic like me, she's also a great fighter when it comes to Taijutsu though. In fact she's best at Taijutsu really, and she was once a teacher at the academy. She used to teach Genin when she was a Chunin herself, before she started working here at the hospital. She's a Special Jounin now, but I think you two should meet. I swear you remind me so much of her." she mentioned, in the back of her mind wondering if the girl would recognize the name when she finally spoke it. But at the same time she figured she wouldn't, would Hayate have really told her about Etsuko? It didn't seem likely, after all they had only ever just been friends until he rescued her, and from what Misaki understood the romance had pretty much ended after that day. He had saved her life, kissed her, and broken her heart in less than forty-eight hours.

"Her name is Miku Etsuko." She finally said, turning as the waitress returned to ask for a food order. "Hm... I'll take cream cheese sushi rolls and... a monkey brain." she said, grinning as she realized how weird that would likely sound to Eiko, if she wasn't familiar with it that is. But Misaki loved it... a large mushroom stuffed with crab meat and deep fried with a wonderful sauce drizzled over it... it was just amazing to her.

[Kabu]

Eiko tilted her head, blinking in surprise at Misaki's words. She reminded her of someone else? It was the first time that she had ever heard someone say anything like that about her. Still though, it was a good opportunity, she could expand her social circle and perhaps the woman would have something to offer her, though the latter was only a whim. "I would love an opportunity to meet with her sometime. She sounds like a wonderful person." she responded after a moment, unable to help a small smile. Now, she had no idea that the woman Misaki was referring to was one of her father's past loves. Hayate had never actually told her much about his life prior to adopting her, other than his childhood, and even that she didn't know much about other than anything concerning her birth parents.

"Miso soup and tuna sashimi, large order please." she said, turning towards the waitress and placing her own order, though not before raising her brow and giving Misaki a look at the strange item that the woman had requested. It certainly didn't seem like anything that she had ever heard of, and she had to wonder just what something with a name like 'monkey' brain could possibly be like.. and she was actually afraid to ask and find out.

A few silent moments passed when she suddenly let out a quiet sigh. "Hey Misaki.. after our meal, do you mind taking me somewhere? I want to climb up one of the mountains but I can't go by myself, it's too risky." she finally asked, fully prepared to hear that it was too dangerous. Still though, she had to ask anyways, it had been a while since she had felt the mountain air and honestly she was missing it.

[Willoria]

Misaki was overjoyed to hear that Eiko was open to meeting Etsuko. While she knew it might bring a little sadness to the woman, she also felt it could provide some healing. One thing she knew the woman to be was caring, and a wonderful teacher.

As Eiko asked to climb the mountain, Misaki grinned. "Of course!" She answered. "In fact, I think I can set up a surprise for you up there you'll love." She added, thinking of her new friends on the mountain. She couldn't help but to think Eiko might love the dragons nest, specifically the younglings. There was a lot of fun to be had with the little tykes, and Misaki was certain the dragons would allow it.

[Kabu]

Eiko blinked, once again surprised as Misaki so eagerly accepted her request. She hadn't actually expected a positive answer, much less so quickly, but she was glad for it. Honestly after everything that had been happening she was growing increasingly thankful that she had met this woman, one of the few people that were actually helping her more by treating her like she was still normal instead of coddling her. "A surprise huh? I'll definitely be looking forward to it, It's been a long time since I've actually been out there. A change of scenery once in a while should do some good for my mental state, plus it'll help me in learning to get around, with the different terrain and all." she responded with a slight grin, the other benefit of an outing having just come to her mind. With her being blind it would definitely be useful for her to learn her way around using a different location , rather than what she had grown used to.

[Willoria]

As Eiko agreed to it and the food arrived, Misaki grinned. "Good, I think you're really going to like it." she said as she leaned back and looked down at her food, sipping carefully at her tea as her mind began to work over something else.

"I feel like I should be honest with you about something, Eiko." She suddenly said, setting her teacup down and looking at the girl a moment. "The reason I know you is because I've worked alongside you in the hospital, yes, but a friend of mine asked me to take a special interest in your case. She's worried about you." She wasn't sure if the girl would care about any of this, or have any idea what it really meant.

"I know it's a rough question but... did your father ever talk to you about any of his friends?"

[Kabu]

Eiko tilted her head to the side, more than a little confused at the sudden reveal and subsequent question. "Actually he hasn't. He hasn't actually shared much of his life with me, other than his childhood." she replied, shaking her head while trying to figure out what it was that the woman meant by bringing this up. Of course she was a little shocked that Misaki had been specially asked to watch over her but she was more shocked that someone she probably didn't know seemed to be worried about her that much, which at the same time made her more than a little happy. Though there was also the chance that it could be someone she knew, though for some reason she was fairly certain that that wasn't really the case.

"If you don't mind me asking, who was it that asked you to take an interest in me?" she asked, setting down her own teacup and looking Misaki in the face, as silly as doing so must have seemed considering her condition. She was curious though, and the meaning of that question was nagging at the back of her mind. Could the one be someone that her dad had known at one time? And if so.. could it have been someone that he was especially close with? There were a bunch of followup questions but none seemed particularly important for the time being.

[Willoria]

Misaki sighed a moment, staring down into her tea as she thought over her answer. She poured herself more, dropping another raspberry into it as she thought things over. "I know a woman who was close to Hayate..." she started. "They met when he was on mission a very long time ago, she was an instructor at the academy, when she left she started working at the hospital more. At first she just had a crush on Hayate, even saved his life with Iijutsu on a mission when he was impaled... and then she was captured. He came to save her, even claimed to be in love with her, and not days after they got back, he told her it was all lie. That he didn't love her, he loved someone else. He devastated her." Misaki finally looked up and at Eiko's face a moment.

"If Etsuko knew I was telling you all this, she'd be pissed. She feels these are the sorts of things a girl shouldn't need to know about her own father. But I think you have a right to know that despite all that, she's done what she can to make sure you're cared for and taken care of. She's a good person, a great teacher." She paused, waiting to see how the girl would react, and praying silently that it wouldn't hit her too hard.

[Kabu]

Eiko fell silent as Misaki told her story, and then still as she processed the information that she had been presented with. It was admittedly pretty tough to swallow that Hayate had done something so horrible, especially to someone that he owed his life to, though somehow it wasn't entirely unbelievable. Yet, it was heartwarming to know that despite how her father had hurt her so deeply, that the woman in question was going to such lengths to make sure that she was appropriately taken care of. It was a thought that caused her lips to turn up into a small smile, though it fell just as soon as it appeared. With this, she had to wonder what else she should know that her father wasn't telling her.

She remained silent for several moments, pursing her lips as if deep in thought before finally taking a deep breath. "I'll admit that it was a bit difficult to process.. but thank you for telling me about this. I wish that I could thank her for going to such lengths for me despite how horribly my father had treated her, though I'll make sure to keep this just between us. She really must be an incredibly wonderful person and, regardless I can't wait to have a chance to meet her someday." she finally responded, looking directly towards Misaki. She was honestly surprised with herself for having taken such a reveal so well, but at the same time it really made her feel warm inside to know that there was one more person out there that seemed to care for her.

[Willoria]

Misaki smiled as Eiko was far more accepting of the information than she thought she'd be. "You'll get to meet her." she assured her. "Etsuko is the woman I mentioned introducing you to before. She was an instructor at the academy, she's a medic, and she's a good taijutsu user. Probably the combination you need to get you help on your life as a shinobi." She said, smiling as she truly hoped this would turn out well.

After some time, about the time Misaki looked down and realized their plates were empty, food was gone, she grinned. "Come on, time for that other surprise." she said suddenly, leaving money on the table and taking Eiko by the hand. "We have quite a trip."

It would take them a couple hours at best, Misaki leading Eiko, helping her avoid holes, roots, and the like. "You ready for this?" She asked as the land began to level out, and the air around them had the faint sound of wings, and a touch of wind.

[Kabu]

"Well, with that being the case I really can't wait for a chance to meet her. She seems like the perfect person to help me get back on track." Eiko responded with a small smile, sincerely hoping that meeting with Etsuko really would help her out.

For now though, it was time for a different trip, they were going to head up the mountains where Misaki seemed to have a surprise waiting. Still curious about what it could possibly be, she let the woman take her by the hand and carefully stood, nodding towards her as they walked out of the restaraunt and towards the mountains.

It was a bit slow going as they had to be extra careful due to the treachorous footing that Lightning country's mountainous regions seemed to possess. It was a bit tricky for her to navigate but thanks to Misaki helping her to avoid the perils of nature, she managed to remain relatively unharmed and within a couple of hours they managed to reach what seemed to be the top as the land began to level out. Curiously the area was also filled with the faint sound of wings and a touch of wind. Obviously there were some kind of creatures up here but what?

"Where are we?" she asked, both excited and a bit nervous about what it was that was waiting for them.

[Willoria]

Though Eiko couldn't see it, Misaki was grinning ear to ear, and she didn't even answer the girl. She didn't have to. Suddenly a great red dragon landed in front of the two, looking down at them. "Sister... you bring a guest?" he asked, his voice deep as rocks grinding together.

"She's a friend, young, determined, I thought you might like to meet her, Big Brother." Misaki replied, grinning as the red dragon started at Eiko, looking her over.

After several moments in silence, he spoke again. "I'm Rikuto, protector of this clan, tell me, child, what is your name?" he asked, waiting for her response before leaning down and resting his snout on the ground, laying out. "Sister, help her to see, hm?"

Misaki nodded and moved to Eiko. "Don't be nervous." she said, taking Eiko by her two hands and walking her forward until she would be able to feel the warmth of Rikuto's breath on her feet. Then Misaki rest her hands on the red dragon's snout. "He's allowing you to touch him, to feel his face so you can understand what he looks like."

[Kabu]

Eiko blinked in surprise as she felt something landing in front of the pair, or rather someone, a someone who from the sound of his voice was likely rather old and experienced. What was more was that whoever it was, he and Misaki seemed to be rather friendly. Wait a second.. she thought to herself, the pieces beginning to click, though she wasn't entirely sure at the moment.

It was several moments later that she was addressed personally, the dragon introducing himself and asking for her own name in return. "I'm Eiko, Fuyuki Eiko. It's a pleasure to meet you." she responded to Rikuto. She was honestly a bit more nervous than before now that she knew she was speaking to the leader and protector of a clan but she was managing to hide it, or at least she felt as if she was managing to stay cool.

Anyways, at that point Misaki took her hands once more and they gradually approached the great dragon, the warmth of his breath eventually enveloping her feet, and at that moment her hands were placed on his snout. Almost instinctively she began feeling around his face, making sure to remain careful. "You're.. a dragon aren't you?" she asked, the overall shape of his face and the roughness of his scales being somehow pleasant to the touch. "This is my first time meeting one.. It's amazing." she muttered in awe at the realization that she was not only standing before, but having an opportunity to touch a dragon, one of the mightiest creatures known to man..

[Willoria]

Rikuto chuckled as she investigated his muzzle and face. "Yes, child, I'm a dragon. So my little sister there didn't warn you hm?" he said, turning to look at Misaki. "This must be a hell of a surprise then."

Misaki simply nodded. "She was so fascinated by my scales I thought she should meet you, and the others. She's close to Izumi as well."

Rikuto sighed, nuzzling against Eiko's hands a moment before finally standing and groaning as he stretched. "So another who would love to interact with my children hm? We could use more friends, but most of the mountain is gone right now, your Sister-In-Scale took them on a hunt." he told her, turning to Eiko a moment. "Here child." he said, nuzzling her as he laid down again, guiding her towards his side. "Sit down against me, rest. You'll find scales are not as uncomfortable as you may think."

[Kabu]

"Thank you. I really could use the rest." Eiko nodded before doing as she did as she had been told, taking a seat and leaning against the dragon's side, honestly a bit surprised at the welcome. From what she had read, dragons were proud creatures that didn't particularly take to strangers intruding upon their territory but then again there was the very likely chance that it was different between clans, much like with any other species.

She couldn't help but to let out a deep breath as she let herself relax, her nervousness seeming to seep away by the moment. "You were right Rikuto, this actually is surprisingly comfortable." she muttered under her breath, part of her wondering how scales could be so comfortable and pleasant to the touch, though in fact Misaki's had felt the very same. The feel of them brought a rather strange comfort, one that was fairly odd to think about.

She was unable to hold back another deep breath as she let herself fall further into relaxation. "I love the mountain air, it's one of my favorite things. It's just so crisp and being up here feels so freeing." she quietly spoke, in a state of complete relaxation that she could rarely find these days.

[Willoria]

As Eiko settled in to rest and Rikuto relaxed, Misaki moved to sit against Rikuto's chest but a few moments later she could hear a light chirping. Turning she looked up Rikuto's side to see a pale blue dragon come crawling over Rikuto's red scales and sliding down until it landed on Eiko's lap. Misaki couldn't help a giggle and even Rikuto chuckled.

"Sorry about that, young one. That is one of my youngest offspring, he hasn't been named yet, he hasn't quite learned grace in his step just yet either." he said, turning his head and watching as the little dragon sniffed at Eiko. "In fact, he's young enough he's blind as well. Your blood runs warm while ours runs fairly cold in comparison, it's possible he's intrigued by it."

"I love the younglings out here, all their curiosities...." Misaki said as she leaned against Rikuto's leg and watched the little dragon sniff at Eiko carefully, chirping as he did so.

[Kabu]

Eiko had to admit to being a little surprised as a baby dragon just fell onto her lap but her look of surprise quickly changed into a small smile. She tilted her head to the side as she laid a hand on the little dragon's head, gently petting it. Shewas surprised at how much different his scales felt and even at how easily she held him, she had imagined that even baby dragons would be relativity big. This was definitely turning into an educational experience. "He feels so light and tiny." she spoke, unable to help a giggle as the little dragon sniffed and chirped up at her. "Hey there little guy. It's nice to meet ya." she spoke to the little dragon, unsure if he could understand her or not since he was still young.

For a while she was preoccupied with poking at the baby dragon on her lap. Only a few moments together and she could already feel a growing attachment to the creature, as had Fuu who had crawled out of her hair at some point and curled up on her lap, occasionally sniffing at the dragon and lightly batting at him with a tiny paw. "I could certainly get used to this.. " she muttered, her lips turning up into a small smile.

[Willoria]

Misaki watched with a small smile as the little dragon crawled around on Eiko before curling up on the girl almost like a cat would. He even seemed to accept the little sugar glider, nuzzling at it as he tried to understand the critter before giving up and curling up and falling asleep. "I think he has the right idea." Misaki said.

Rikuto sighed quietly and let his own muzzle rest on the ground. "Why don't you two rest, sleep? When everyone gets back I'll wake you and you can play with the younglings more."

"Sounds good, Rikuto-sama." Misaki replied, settling in in the curve of the dragon's neck for a nap, knowing it was going to be a good day. It was always a good day when spent playing with the dragons.

[Kabu]

Eiko yawned, nodding as she relaxed further against Rikuto's side and let out a content sigh. She actually hadn't gotten much sleep that day and was beginning to feel a bit drowzy. Fuu himself also seemed to be following the lead as well as he curled up next to the baby dragon and fell asleep, twitching in delight as Eiko scratched him behind the ears. She was glad to see that he and the dragon seemed to be accepting of each other.

"Thank you for today, Misaki." she muttered under her breath as she let herself be taken to the land of dreams for a short while. It so far had definitely been a good day and she had a feeling that maybe it was going to be getting even better from there.