COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 19: Stranger Danger (2/4)

          I couldn't find a fitting song.

(But then again, have I ever found one?)

Cobs is ten votes from 1.6k! P.S.Y.C.H.E.D.

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          Káel couldn't believe his luck. A tense truce with Vera had willed her to play Truvius like a puppet and although he hadn't caught a syllable of what she'd told his roommate, Truvius had followed her to shop for clothing without a word of protest. This left him with a few timid glances and priceless window of privacy to remove the tattoo plaguing his palm. 

          He pinched at the tight knot Vera had made, cursing the rough fabric while he bit at the knot to loosen it. They were almost at the little shop, Káel's boots carelessly clapping against the stretch of stone, while the luring scent of fresh food faded to a dingy tang of stale puddles and waterlogged vines. He liked the solitary chill alleys had; it sure beat the crap out of thick crowds of chattering students.

          He finally loosed the bandage, working at unwinding it while he cooked up a plan to get Soren not to talk about the symbol to anyone. Hopefully his pockets were heavy enough to seal the information broker's lips to the head administrator, possibly leave change for a scoop or two on Ray. 

          "Oh look," Phantom said, pulling Káel's attention as the man motioned around a corner.

          Káel pulled back into the scape of his physical surroundings, casually tossing his gaze to the side and jumping at the black mass of waxy scales and spikes that was curled up at the foot of Soren's door. 

          He gave the creature a little more room, fixed with timid curiousity to the leathery black wings tucked back to blanket it as it watched him with half closed amber eyes.

          It was a picture perfect dragon.

          And it was also in his way.

          Puff let out a gasping warble at the dog sized kin, bounding past Káel to stop before the black drake's snout and roll onto his back with a snort. Despite the show of friendship, the dragon before them pressed the fluffy dragon down with disinterest, its gaze lifting up to Káel with a distinct stab of blame to its fiery eyes. 

          It didn't like Puff's approach one bit, and Káel had taken the liability in the dragon's eyes.

          He stiffened as the dragon let out a hissing grunt, its thin neck stretching away from Puff's playful bats until the door it guarded cracked open, showing off a taller guest who's mossy green eyes lingered on Káel with a soft glint of surprise.

          In the window of silence he acknowledged Káel's presence, dipping his gaze to the dragon at his feet. "Nel, are you a doormat?"

          Káel gave the sighing dragon another foot of space as it wiggled out of the way, curiousity pulling him to scan the stranger's leathery garb for clues that would bring him to Soren's small shop. But the black and weathered attire was as empty as his laxed face, starved of any clues, spare an equal serving of curiousity dished in his direction.

          He pulled off a nervous smile as the stranger stepped back into the small frame of wood to let him through, every fibre of his discomfort saturated by the unwelcoming atmosphere he'd fabricated in his mind. He'd certainly interrupted something, or at least popped in on the tail end of a private conversation. But the beaming smile Soren shot him quickly cut his discomfort down to size.