(:P)

Elenors nostrils flared, and she turned her gaze back to the other dragon's eyes. This... Kona. If she was to be believed. Was that a scent of sorrow she could smell? Could see in her eyes? Why?

This is why no one trusts you. Because you don't trust them, she thought angrily to herself. Just... go with it, for once.

"Uhh," she crunched up her snout, scrabbling around for something to say. "Hi then... Kona?" she finished awkwardly.

Huffing a cloud of smoke he proceade to go back to the street where he first was. He was mad at the female dragon to have 'wasted his time'. Deciding that she was just another looser Skaaul didn't let the whole interaction bother him any longer.

( Open to interaction)

Ember smirked. At last. "I'm a friend of the master crafter Tsun. I collect his materials for him while he's much too busy working on his statues and jewelry and whatnot. My business is of utmost importance," she said with a flair of authority.

It was true. Or at least, mostly true. Tsun knew her aliases, and he was a dear friend to Swan. But much of the time he rejected using her stolen items to sell.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

Elenor's eyes widen. An important mission! A delivery to an important dragon! This could be her chance.

"Wait!" she blurted. "Important business... do you need an escort? I can do that. If there's any trouble I could sort it out and make sure the materials are aquired and reach their destination."

She really, really hopes Kona will say yes. This was her chance to get back into society! To be... normal. That word was really starting to get at her.

Ember almost panicked. Another desperate dragonet clinging to her tail? That was the last thing she needed. After what happened with Swan...well, that ended badly enough. But...maybe an escourt would make her look...less suspicious.

"If you think you can handle it," Ember said breezily, "then I suppose you could tag along."

Yes! This was it! The path to being... ugh, she had to think of better words than 'normal'.

Take control of yourself, she scolded herself. You're acting like a naive little child. This is one of the reasons why you defected. Get it together.

Heck, even her thoughts sounded like her old instructors. But who said what didn't matter - she had to get it together.

"Affirmative," she said clearly, only loud enough for Kona to hear.

She folded her wings tighter into her body, ducked her head and let her shoulders slump. Then she curled her tail out of the way and let herself sink a little closer to the ground. Concentrating mostly on her sight and hearing, she flanked Nora at a slightly more inconspicuous distance. Her training was paying off well - now she was less likely to get noticed, and had more oppertunity to gauge threats without others knowing.

Ember looked behind her. "What are you doing? You look like a depressed salamander," she snorted. When she had first met Swan, she was loud, tall, clumsy, and overly hyper. This dragon was so opposite of that, it was hard not to notice.

"Come up by me, closer. Relax your wings. Stand taller, and try to look less pained." Ember sighed. "It will be less obvious if you walk with me like equals. But make no mistake, I'm in charge here." She tried to hide a chortle, half wishing she could slash this dragon's pretty snout. "What's your name?"

Elenor frowned. "Doing this makes me look like a fearful, weak, grovelling little dragon. If I look relaxed and equal to everyone else, then others will treat me like someone worth a challenge. I know what I'm doing, and my place - but don't tell me how to do what I do."

And that is the main reason why you defected, she thought to herself. Talking back to your superiors. Classic Elenor.

And of course, there was the avoiding-questions thing again. Yep, this was obviously why she defected.

Ember barked a loud laugh. "The world is a scary place full of monsters, little dragon. They'll snatch you up and eat you for supper if they think they can. You're a treat if you're weak and a threat if you're strong."

She kept her pace, turning forward again. "Believe it or not lemming, I know what I'm doing too."

Elenor struggled to hold in a string of curses. "That's the point. They only think they can. A treat can hold more surprises than a threat."

She kept her mouth shut after that. No more talk, or the mission could be put in danger. This stubborn master was just like all the others - no need to get worked up about it. Let Kona think she was a lemming, a treat. Elenor respected the hidden wisdom beneath this dragon's stubborn exterior, but her arrogant nature only made her ignorant. Elenor would never behave like that - not for a second time.