<p>With all of the serial attacks and shootings the more unstable 'dragons of the world seemed emboldened. Usually it was small mischief including thefts, breaking and entering, perhaps a mugging or two. The advice for everyone to be careful and go about with a group, at the very least a buddy system, was perfectly sound and smart. Eda saw this and fear and paranoia was so strong on some days she didn't even bother leaving her dorm room. But friends from class were able to convince her to go out as a way to help shield her mind. So they went to clubs and danced through the evenings on weekends. They frequented some coffee shops and just conversed about whatever happened to come to mind.<br /><br />Everything had been going so well, that is until one eveing her "buddy" that eveing had seen someone she was interested in and she was left all alone. She smiled and assured her friend that everything was fine and that the school wasn't that far away anyhow, "I'll be just fine," she said to her friend who beamed and bounded off to get to know the other 'dragon better. Both of her assurances unfortunately turned out to be quite hollow. When she was walking back to the Academy a rather dark Pendragon siddled up to her. She was polited but insisted that she was just fine and she was heading back to the Academy. His argument was sound and his emotions were stable and on the happy end of the spectrum as well as stable so she ended up accepting the company on her way back, just to keep her safe.<br /><br />The next thing she knew she was feeling rather groggy and she was strapped down somewhere, somewhere dark and her companion assured her no one would hear her. Eda had tears running down her face as the now chaotic torrent of emotions from her supposed guard washed over her. She was going to die. She was certain of it and became more so when her screams rang out as the very unstable Pendragon began to make slow cuts through her fur and deep into her skin. She felt his elation at each incision and the excited spikes as she let out painfilled screams.<br /><br />She was fortunate that his excitement had made him make a few errors and they weren't as far off of the beaten path as he assured her. An off duity officer and been on her way home when she had tracked the sound of screams to her location. The arden tried to run but the thill's reflexes and training allowed her to incapasitate Eda's attacker call for help. After all was said and done she was carted off to the hospital to let her wounds heal. Three long slices angled down across her abdomen from right to left, several on each arm and even two on her neck. They healed but left hefty scars that showed by disrupting the smooth flow of her fur. After the doctors were sure there was no infection she was permitted to go back to her dorm at the Academy. She never told her parents but the authorities had informed them for her. The came and visited for weeks until they could no longer be absent from work with all of the fronima abnormalities.<br /><br />Now she was alone again. Her friends stayed away, most likely out of guilt and Eda adopted a new attire that covered the scars on her arms and abdomen. The new cloths along with the scarves kept her quite covered and today she wore a long sweater dress that hung down to her knees and the back made into a large eyelet to allow for her wings. Today she nearly had a panic attack in the common areas of Janardan after feeling a series of emotions that were similar to that evening, so she made her way to a coffee shop agian. She needed some caffine and all of the emotions that swirled around the Academy was a poweder keg, and a cool iced coffee was her comfort food. The line at the Raum Fuesemd shop was tight as 'dragons picked up their purchases and went for seats and others came and went. She hated waiting in lines now and whenever somone neared her she flinched, cringed or jumped. "Just need my coffee... that'll make things better." she nodded quickly as the line seemed to move impossibly slow.</p>
<p><em>Hi, hope you don't mind me joining.</em></p> <p> </p> <p>There was calm that taken over this day at Janardan Academy. With all the things that had happened recently, things were topsie-tervie. There was the Ajita Incident, the Frozen Spikes at Aurius, then there was the incident that happened here at the Academy, when a young student spontaneously conjured a dangerous fireball, when s/he was just summoning a small one to play around with. Then, with the Fronima unstable, it was impossible with some of the airships to take flight. Even the Olsenu was grounded. Looks like, for now, the Fronima seemed stable enough, so the treasure hunting gig will continue on, hopefully.</p> <p> </p> <p>Pendzez, a white pendragon with silver wings, walked along the gravel pathway as he slowly made his way to the little coffee shop for a drink. Shen recently called him to do a search at the Machina Ruins, so he would need some coffee in him before he departs to the Ruins. He was dressed in his treasure hunting attire, as always, wearing no shirt, but a long gray scarf, that covers his mouth and silver trousers that have yellow/orange flames that start from the bottem of the legs, going up to the knees. As he approached the little shop, he opened the door and entered, standing behind a female Khell in a line, turning back to notice two others joining behind him. He looked back to face what was in front of him, however, as he looked at the female in front of him, he noticed that she was a bit jumpy, like she was scared of something. Taking a deep breath, he though of words to speak. "<strong>Excuse me miss, are you ok?</strong>"</p>
<p>Eda hadn't been paying attention to the conversations of the other 'dragons around and nearly jumped out of her fur when she was adressed by the pendragon behind her. After letting her heart rated settle she smiled a bit uneasily, "Yes, I'm... I'm alright, just dealing with some things is all..." her eyes bounced over the other patrons and glanced up at the light. It was well lit, no dark corners or overly obscured areas. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment and took a breath. <em>Not everyone was trying to fulfil their depraved desires</em> she told herself <em>some 'dragons were actually kind and friendly</em>. She nodded slowly swallowed before speaking agian, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you. Had a panic attack earlier..." she closed her eyes and groaned, "and apparently today my brain to mouth filter isn't working very well." The line shifted and she carefully stepped so as not to contact anyone even keeping her wings tightly furled.</p>
<p>Pendzez politely listened to the female as she spoke. He did find it odd to be jumpy when dealing with certain things. However, it wasn't in his position to ask on what she could be focused on that would be making her jumpy. She seemed to be scared rther than nervous, to his observation. He turned back to being silent, another patron in a line to receiving his coffee. Oh the line, being so slow.</p> <p> </p> <p>He looked again to the female as she spoke again. She confessed about a panic attack. It was then that he seemed convinced, yet from her voice, he detected that something was bothering her, like something happened that scarred. However, he remained silent, not wanting to upset her. He stepped forward a step as the line moved. "<strong>It's ok. I can understand panic attacks. I should know, I'm a Treasure Hunter. The names Pendzez Zazkex</strong>"</p>
<p>She smiled a bit and moved up a couple of places and glanced back and offered a hesitant smile, "Mine's Edapona... I'm an empath... well mostly. Nice to meet you Pendzez." she pulled at her sleeves and then made sure her scarf was covering her neck and smiled as she finally reached the front of the line, "Large iced coffee please," she asked politely and the person behind the register looked almost relieved to get a littler appreciation, "I'll get his too..." she offered and at the same time wondered what was comming over her. <em>He was so nice... he asked and atleast acted concerned</em> she argued with herself <em>it can't hurt to be nice to him besides it isn't dark out and there are tons of people around</em> she took a deep breath and took a long drink of her iced coffee and looked for a seat.</p>
<p>Pendzez smiled and gave a little nod in acknowledgement. The two exchanged names, he knows hers, and she knows his. Fair trade to say. He moved forward in the line, finally, it was his turn "<strong>Large black coffee, with cream and three sugars.</strong>" He waited for a few minutes and his coffee was served to him. He nodded and took the large cup of coffee, following the female Khell as she looked for a seat. "<strong>Mind if I sit with you, Edapona?</strong>" He wasn't pushing anything on her. Being a gentleman and of a friendly demeanor, he was just asking politely.</p>
<p>Eda scanned the shop for an open table and blinked a little startled at him, "With me? Oh, yes I suppose if you'd like. I know that I'm not the most pleasant to be around." she offered a smile but still managed to look nervous, her ears standing upright and quivering slightly didn't help the appearance either. She kept reminding herself <em>he's just being nice, you know there are still Arden about that are just friendly</em>.</p> <p>She nodded and hopped to it as a seat cleared. She moved to sit with her back to the wall and motioned to the other seat. Now and again she'd see a face that looked semi-familiar and her eyes would go wide until they's face her fully and then she'd shrink down into her seat again. Despite that things weren't going to badly. That was until a 'dragon pulled some keys out. They jingled slightly sounding very much like a small tool rattling against others. She clamped her eyes shut and sipped her icy caffinated beverage between breaths, but couldn't hold back the moisture that squeezed through her shut eyes, "He's in jail..." she repeated over and over again almost like a ward to calm herself. Ofcourse with her nervs on overdrive she got a bit warm and she undid her scarf letting it drape over her shoulders and the three raised ridges beneath the fur on the side of her neck now visable.</p>
<p>The ardan smiled and nodded. He followed the Khellin to a open table, but he kept a little distance between himself and her, so that he didn't spark another panic attack. As he followed the female, a table became free. She moved to sit down, himself sitting down on the opposite side of the table, facing her as he took a sip of his coffee, before looking back up to the female. "<strong>Thank you</strong>" he said with a smile.</p> <p> </p> <p>He took another sip of the dark liquid as he gazed up at Edapona. He saw that her eyes shut and heard her mutter something. He was now concerned. As she removed her scarf, he saw three scars on her neck. Did something happen to her? "<strong>Um, you sure you're ok?</strong>" he asked as he examined her neck.</p>
<p>She nodded quickly and finally her breathing slowed and her fingers extended to run across her eyes. She opend them again only slightly, "I'm sorry, Pendzez. I... just some things remind me of..." she paused, "... You don't want to hear about that." she swallowed and took a long drink from her iced coffee wiped her eyes again. "So where do you go to find your treasure you hunt for?" she wrung her hands slowly as her brow furrowed slightly feeling quite embarassed about putting Pendzez through this.</p> <p>She took another long drink and the loud rumbling tell tailing the end of her beverage, "mmm.. just a moment I'm going to go for another. You need one?" she raised her brows and fidgeted with the straw of her empty drink, her eyes bouncing over the room quickly and back to the arden across from her.</p>
<p>As a gentleman of course, he showed concern for the female. It was common for someone to worry in some way for another. However, she didn't not complete what she had to say. Despite this, he did not push her to finish. Instead, he nodded and kept to himself about the matter. Some things are better left unsaid for another day. H asked about his treasure hunting gig, he took a deep breathe then spoke, "<strong>Oh, everywhere, really. When ever we pick up a signal, we locate it, which pretty much leads to anywhere.</strong>"</p> <p> </p> <p>He finished his coffee, looking up at Eda with a smile. "<strong>Yes please, but you willing to pay for mine? I can give you my share</strong>" While he was happy to let the female pay for his, he didn't want to impose anything.</p>
<p>Eda shrugged slightly, "If it makes you more comfortable," she plopped the straw into her mouth and chewed it like one would expect a farmer to chew on a piece of straw, "But it's only coffee, it isn't a car." she smiles slightly her eyes actually focused upon the arden at her table, and she was still for a moment, calm, "Besides, it's the least I could do." She let her eyes moved down to her hands which were still wringing her fingers a bit more, "I'll be right back," The morning rush was over and the shop had cleared out some. The line was only a couple of 'dragons deep before too long, a fraction of the time of her previous wait she had the coffee's ordered and was on her way back to the table. Her wings relaxed some by now as well, but she still twitched away from in advertant contact but didn't spill a drop. She sat down the coffee infront of him and moved to her seat relaxing into it taking another sip, "Ahh... better..."</p>
<p>She didn't seemed bother to get his coffee. Well, if she wanted to, even though he was happy to pay for his and not bother her to, he let her. Besides, maybe it would have been fair trade of his kindness. Before long, she had returned with the two coffees, one for him and one for herself He happily took a sip of his coffee, looking up to the female "<strong>Thank you.</strong>" He gave a quick glance out the window before he turned back to the Khellin. '<strong>So, what do you do, Edapona?</strong>"</p>
<p>The thill looked upfrom her beverage, finding it was easier to stay calm if she simply focused on Pendzez, "Oh, I uh... I'm a student finishing some things at the Academy. used to have an internship but after everything that happened...well tjey terminated me." she sighed and her hand went to her neck. Eda's fingers absently ran over the scars and sje went back to staring at her coffee.</p>
