"I'm beat. When are we going back to the hotel?" Aduri, human formed like him, had all but collapsed onto one of the benches bolted into the sidewalk of one of Madeska's many streets. He'd been giving her a tour of the city (or rather, he'd been touring the city with her... he'd visited the capitol only a handful of times while he'd still lived here) all day, and the sun was setting between the towering sky scrapers. They'd have to catch a ride back to the hotel... he wasn't sure he trusted walking or flying after dark.

The scent of food, however, was emanating from the restaurants that lined this strip of street, and Elsie didn't think he could survive a trip home without food in his stomach. Such was the fate of eating only once in a very long while: when he got hungry, he could eat an entire horse... literally! "Wanna stop for food, first?" He asked, leaning back on the same bench as the young dragoness. "I'm starving."

"No kidding! I think you're making me starve, just putting out that much thought on it." Aduri stretched where she sat, grunting with relief as she felt her back pop. "Sure, why not? I could use something." She swung off of the chair and up, then dusted imagined bench-grime off of the back of her green suit. With a quick tip of her hat, she added, "Where to, captain?"

"Land ho?" Elsie grinned, rubbed his scraggly hands together. "That way," he pointed, down the street. And they went.

The inside of the place he'd chosen was lowlit, with a seperated lounge. The air there swam with the smoke of a number of different kinds of cigarettes, but a spell contained the smell, so the diners wouldn't have to deal with it. Elsie and Aduri exchanged a look. The Fire dragon shrugged, causing Elsie to grin. Nothing like experiencing the whole thing, right? He could almost hear her asking. She was probably thinking it at him.

They passed from clear air into the lounge's hazy light, and Elsie managed to stave off a coughing fit. He never was partial to smoking... it made him feel weak. Aduri didn't seem to mind, at least. She chose the two of them a table, a booth at that, seated one down from a group of Chy's that conversed quietly, all in their own biped forms. She beamed at the Cockatoo-looking waitress that fluttered over to them, and ordered a couple of drinks. The dragoness had taken a liking to Chy-brewed beer, even if she couldn't stomach a lot of it. Elsie added food to the order, then watched as the waitress swooped off. Hopefully their food would be as quick in arriving.

"Agh, hey!" His bond's sudden cry brought his thoughts back immediately to Aduri, as he felt a wave of shock and anger emanate over their mental link. "You bugger!"

"What?" the Harmony Chy asked, blinking through the smoke, across the table, at a fuming Aduri. She was glaring over the side of their booth, both hands clamped over the restaurant-red vinyl booth-back. her short hair was standing up at odd angles, an obvious sign of hat-head. Hat head... her hat was missing!

"Give me that back, you little imp!" Aduri hissed, reaching down over the other side, into the booth behind them... the same one that the group of other Chyriths was sitting at.

"Whaaat?" Elsie asked, shumping around the table, peering over the booth-back at the group of Chy's. Most of them were staring at the situation unfolding, now, their conversation interrupted. A little bat-anthro cackled at Aduri from under the group's table, hat packed firmly over his white-haired scalp. He wreaked of Dark breed... and by the looks of him, he was probably still an adolescant. He didn't remove his eyes once from Aduri's angry violet ones, though he couldn't seem to stop himself from belting out those retarded, air-sucking scree's of laughter. Elsie snorted and tried not to laugh.

"Club, you idiot, give it back," another Chyrith ordered the mischief maker. He said it with tired irritation, the kind that parents or baby-sitters get with trouble children. Elsie spared him a glance. He had greyish hair, too, though it looked more like it had turned that way from too much stress. He glared at Elsie briefly, then gave the Dark under the table a light kick. "Stop acting stupid," he added, though he didn't sound exactly hopeful that the younger Chy--Club--would listen.

"Yeah, give it back," Aduri repeated, now leaning over the back of the booth completely. Her sense of manners were out the window, at least, at the moment. She humphed down at the Dark and made a face at him, then looked over at Elsie. "Well?" Are you going to help? she asked via their psionic link.

Elsie sighed. "You shouldn't be so posessive about your stuff, people steal stuff all the time around here."

"But I made that!" She countered. From under the table, Club screeched another cackle. One of his buddies started laughing, now, too. Aduri glared venemously at the two offenders, then did an about face and gave her bond the large-watery-eyes routine.

Elsie rolled his own eyes in exasperation. "Alright, fine." With that, he slipped back around the booth and made his way to the next table... just as the waitress returned, an anxious frown tugging at her nares.

"Is anything the matter?" She asked, headcrest ruffling with worry.

"No, nothing." Elsie waved the question off, grinning as Aduri spluttered. He glanced from the angry Avengaean to the strangers, and... well, he couldn't help it. "Can I get a pitcher for these folks?" he asked, almost before he'd realized it. Aduri was still spluttering.

The cockatoo blinked and tilted her head. It obviously wasn't the kind of response she was expecting. "Oh... sure. Yeah. A minute." She fluttered away.

Elsie turned back to the group, most of which stared at him. Club was still making shrill, taunting noises at Aduri, but the dragoness was too busy staring at Elsie, too, to give him more then a frustrated side-glance. "So who'm I buying for?" The Harmony asked, all grins. ----------------------------------

Five of the six Chyriths talked amiably enough. They'd all squished over to allow Elsie and Aduri to sit with them, and Club had given the Fire dragoness her hat back as suddenly as he'd taken it. The Avengaean glared pointedly at him for a few minutes before allowing herself to be involved with the rest of the conversation, but then slipped in well enough. The sixth of them, inscrutible in his obvious gas-mask, said nothing, and caused Elsie more then one nervous glance.

The grey-haired man (he wasn't nearly as old as he'd first appeared, Elsie decided) was the leader of this impromptu pack. A Dream Chyrith... no wonder. They seemed the kind of breed to be able to hold anyone together... anyways, his name was Reverie, though, despite his name, he was as clear-minded as any. He introduced Elsie and Aduri to the rest of them. Club, of course, was the mischevious Dark Chyrith, the youngest and newest member of their pack. "Found him outside of an abandoned den," the Dream explained, while the bat-anthro-formed Dark nodded along. "I think his parents left him up on the surface... he seems kind of... off." (Club burst into snickers by this point, while the offworld pair stared at him. 'Kind of' had nothing to do with it.)

The effeminite man sitting next to Reverie was nothing if not a Water. Elsie had had dealings with them... a former supposed significant other being one of them... they were all a tempermental lot, though this one seemed more subdued then usual. He was introduced as Calisto, and nodded demurely at the pair of them when Reverie said his name. He'd been with the Dream almost from the start, though the leader didn't say much more about him.

Between the Water and the Dark, a grey-skinned elf sat, black, tattoo-like spots grazing her head and bare shoulders. She stared off through the smoke emitted from her cigarette... or maybe it was something else... and hardly looked over when Reverie mentioned her name. Dilirium, the Dream said, was, as usual (or so he said), sky-high. The Chyrith--she was a Light, (something that Elsie found surprising)--giggled lightly as a streamer of smoke curled into a series of circles, then finally gazed over at the pair of them, glassy eyed. "....Hey." She said, and grinned rather vacantly. Aduri blinked at Elsie, a mental question mark forming. Sure, Chyriths were different from her own race, but she hadn't expected a... well, a Light of any breed to act so... so... questionably? Elsie shrugged at her, and went back to the introductions.

"Plica," Reverie introduced the quiet, grim-looking woman, "had been with us for only a short while."

"What else am I supposed to do, with my forest burned to the ground by those red-neck shits?" the human formed Earth-Chy rumbled, hunching over an empty glass. When the waitress returned with their drinks, and a bowl of buffalo wings for Elsie, Plica grabbed her glass as if she were trying to ring its neck. "Chaos for the fun of it... little god-damn shits." She took a swig from her glass and wiped her mouth on her tan sleeve. "That's why we're all here," she added, giving the pair of them a piercing glare. "Displaced, misplaced, nowhere else to go. Whatever."

"At least you've got each other," Elsie suggested, digging into his food but still trying to be helpful. The Earth snorted and returned to glaring into the golden depths of her glass.

"S'true," the last Chyrith added, speaking for the first time. His voice was muffled through his headgear, his gaze inscrutable through the chromed goggles.

"That's... Stake," Reverie nodded at the Chyrith at the end of the table.

Aduri blinked and looked at the masked Chy. She couldn't keep her mouth shut... "Like beef?" she asked, surprised and a little amused. She hadn't yet gotten used to the naming systems here... and while names based on nouns and verbs and the like had seemed quaint, this was pushing it.

"Like Mis-" the Chyrith corrected, his voice muffled. He raised one hand from his lap--it was covered with a rubber glove, and offered to shake the Avengaean's hand. Aduri took it, carefully, and the masked Chy gave it one quick shake.

"Mis...?" Aduri asked, casting Elsie a look.

"Mistake, you know. Never was wanted." The gloved hand withdrew. The Chyrith's face remained unreadable behind his mask. "You're not from around here," he finally said, somehow addressing Aduri only.

The Fire dragoness shot Elsie another look, this one a little nervous. "No, I'm from offworld. Elsie bonded with me on Avengaea."

"Married?" Reverie asked, looking only a little surprised.

"No," Elsie said, grinning, "mentally linked. I met Aduri, here, when she was still a kit, and she liked me, and she decided to bond her mind to mine."

"Why?" The masked Chyrith, Stake, asked. His tone held all of the gentleness of an interrogator.

"Because," Aduri said, shrugging, "I wanted to be part of the project. And I'm glad I did it. I wouldn't have gotten to come all the way out here if I didn't."

Dilirium giggled softly from the corner, though no one paid her any heed. Reverie tapped at the side of his glass repeatedly, watching the pair of them. "But... you are a Chyrith, am I right?" he asked of Elsie. "You're not arrogant enough to be a real Calyon. Besides, you wreak of Harmony."

Elsie blushed, but nodded his head. "Yeah."

"What made you go offworld?" Chyriths were notorious for their lack of otherworldly interest. Most of them, despite the availabilty of technology, preferred to live in primative dens, out in the wilds of the continent. Most Chyriths didn't even think about the other continents on the planet, let alone other planets.

"I... had to get away," Elsie said, not enjoying the questioning.

The Dream seemed to realize this, and nodded a little. "Fair enough. I know how it goes. I can't stand breed politics, you know?" The tinkling noises of his fingers on the glass paused, "Get fuckin' sick of them. That's why we're out here, anyways. Give people who get the short end of the stick a chance to hang around."

"Rehab," Stake interjected, but didn't move in the slightest, or follow up. Elsie wondered if he'd just imagined the Chyrith speaking.

"Maybe not that," Reverie said, chuckling. "I know that it's better to be around other folks, though, when you're in a tight spot." The tapping of fingers on glass began again.

Elsie felt something constrict in his throat, hearing those words. If he'd stumbled on this group a few years earlier, he'd have felt at home enough to never want to leave again. Rejects... that's what they were, really. But then again, that's what Elsie had been.

You're not a reject, the silent reproach came from beside him. Aduri flicked his leg with one hand, though she didn't look over. You're with me. We're a good team.

I wasn't thinking 'reject' the same way you're thinking it.

I don't care, the Fire psied. You shouldn't be comparing yourself with these weirdos.

"Are you back in Chytonia to stay?" Reverie continued, after a pause. Both of the newcomers shook their heads. "No? Just visiting? When are you leaving, then?"

"Couple of days, really. I'm just taking Aduri on a tour. She wanted to see where I came from. We're heading back to Star City after that." Elsie, and having been working his way through the nest of wings, mournfully eyed the remaining bones. "I don't think I'll miss this place much."

"It sucks, don't it?" The mufled voice of Stake piped up again. "We should come with, shouldn't we, Rev?" His head turned in the general direction of the Dream, who looked surprised.

Aduri gave Elsie a little tug on his pants-leg. I don't like where this is going, she psied. She'd been emanating distrust the entire time they'd sat together.

That's just because Club stole your hat.

I like my hat. Aduri countered.

In the meantime, the group of Chyriths had begun talking amongst themselves, leaving the offworlders out of their conversation. Elsie caught fragments of their talk: travel and Star City were mentioned, and he even thought he heard something about bonding. Finally they subsided, and the pair of them were allowed back into the fold. Reverie cast Elsie a very serious look. "When, exactly, are you leaving?"

"Er..." Elsie looked at Aduri, who shook her short, fiery-haired head, then at the grey-haired Chyrith. And he told him. Aduri made a small noise of frustration from beside him. Elsie ignored it.

"We'll be coming with you," Reverie replied, his voice lacking any hint of a joke.

"What?" Aduri asked aloud. Reverie turned his eyes on her only, and repeated, "we'll be coming with you. I, for one, think that it would be interesting to do a little travelling offworld. I never have been, and none of the troupe has, either. You two could show us the ropes, as it were." "Oh no," Aduri said, shaking her head and raising her hands in protest. "I don't think so. No." "We'd be willing to pay a fee, if that's what you're worried about." Reverie looked back at Elsie, then at the both of them. Why are you so set against it? Elsie asked his bond in private. He couldn't see any reason for the trouble...

Because, Aduri retorted, still holding her hands up, These guys are like... just creepy. I don't want to hang around with them for the entire trip back!

Well, once they're in Star City, they'll just blend in with the crowd, and they can go wherever--

Elsie didn't have time to finish his sentance. Aduri interrupted him, her own voice furious... and... was that a touch of envy? Oh no, I know what you're thinking. You can't hide it from me. I can already see that you like these guys, and you're not just going to abandon them on the deck. You'll take them wherever they want--

Well, yeah, that's what they're asking--

Don't interrupt me! Aduri all but glared at him. You're already taking them in, and we've only been here for a few minutes! They aren't your pack! I'm your pack! Mariette and Demulcei are your pack! We're your friends, these people are just a bunch of rejects--not like you, real rejects, and they'll just cause trouble! You're above that! You-- "Must be nice to have a private conversation in the middle of a crowd," Stake interrupted her tirade, arms crossed over his bare chest. "Mind not staring daggers at me, girl?"

Aduri, who'd directed the full brunt of her rage at the Chyrith who dared break her train of thought, was anything but abashed. "This is serious, we can talk whatever we want."

"And we'll do it." Elsie added, his face set.

"What?" Aduri spat, swinging her head back at him. Elsie pointedly ignored her gaze, instead nodding to Reverie. "We'll show you around Star City, if you want. It's not much different from Madeska. Just... not as many Chyriths, or Calyons, for that matter."

"Wonderful," Reverie replied, smiling genuinely at the Harmony Chyrith. "Here, write down when and where we should meet you, and it'll be all set." He produced a rather old-fashioned pen, and shoved a condensation-ringed napkin towards the Chy. Never mind that tickets to go offworld were insanely priced, especially on such short notice. Apparently that wasn't a factor. Elsie gladly wrote down what was needed, ignoring the furiously beating waves of anger that Aduri kept heaving at him. She'd just had too much to drink, anyways...

"So we'll see you there," Reverie finally said, tucking the napkin into a pocket. "Nice to meet you, Elsie. Aduri."

"I feel ill." The Avengaean muttered, standing, then exiting the booth. "C'mon, we're going back to the hotel." She all but dragged her bond out of the lounge, her fist balled around his hand enough to hurt.

"Y'all come back now, y'hear?" Stake called after them, his muffled voice yodelling after them as they exited the building.

Once outside of the restaurant, Elsie and his bond rode home in utter silence. They were both crammed into the back of a taxi, but at the moment, it felt as if they were on opposite sides of the world. And that was when Elsie realized that she'd cut him off. Aduri, of all people, was blocking their bond like an unwanted draft. He felt... bad. Though, he had to admit, he still didn't feel wrong about inviting the other Chyriths... how could he not?

Well... maybe he'd be able to console her once they reached the hotel.