Orochi stirred as the sun began to rise beyond the horizon. A creature of daylight, his body craved and thrived upon the energy our star shone upon the Earth. The air was cold, but he had hungered for a daybreak to enjoy on the ground since he'd left his home in Japan. Would the light here in America feel different than that in his homeland? Would it taste different? Ryoga's unique body fed upon the light like mankind fed upon rice or bread. The sun broke across the horizon, and not caring for anything but the embrace of warmth he was to receive, Ryoga let his wings extend and broke the morning silence with a thundering roar.



His dark scales and flesh drew the light in, his cells eagerly soaking in the energy packed photons. A unique mixture of melanin, crystalline spines, and mutated mitochondria drunk deep on radiation, and began to process energy for the dragon man, his body warming as it awoke from a months long torpor. If Ryoga could grin, he'd be smiling right now, enjoying a healthy breakfast. He flapped his wings a few times, testing out the chilly air against his flesh as he kicked up a gust rich with snow and frozen dirt. Winters were cold here as well, something he had experienced before but the air was vastly different to that of Japan, his nose could smell the difference, and his flesh could feel it, even beneath his scales.



His Mother had encouraged him to come to America, to meet and learn from various other peoples, to broaden his horizons. He'd met two of these...mutants yesterday, two women. Evelyn and Amelia, both respectable and experienced with this place. Though the dragon was loathe to humble himself before them again, he'd have to thank them for bringing him to this large Mansion. It wasn't as comfortable or well built as his home in Japan, but it was a home that welcomed him, and he appreciated that. Of course taking in a God was also an honor for them, so in a way he'd already repaid their kindness by simply choosing to live here. This city, this country even were not yet aware of his presence, of the great honor of harboring a god. Perhaps a tour of the city was in order today. He'd have to find one of those two girls and ask them to escort him. The dragon reeled back in his wings and took a statuesque post, letting himself feast upon more solar energy as he drifted into thought.



Ryoga still wondered if coming here was the right idea, American's were not like the Japanese. They lacked the discipline and dignity of his home, and their world was laced with greed and individuality. He'd read of some events in this city, including their history of violent crime. How low-blooded and barbaric, to let it's citizens do as they please this way. No member of Ryoga's family would dare oppose him, order was easy to keep when you were an Earth bound deity. Perhaps he'd have to find some servants in this country as well, especially considering the lack of amenities designed for him here. He sighed though, his Mother had wanted him to learn humility, to be able to understand and truly interact with those less grand than he. But how could a God connect with humans? They were just so...so...mundane.



Ryoga was beyond them in every aspect, he didn't need to eat food, or sleep as much as they do, he had a majestic form and power enough to cull them like cattle. How does a God understand an ant? Perhaps this was the lesson his Mother meant for him, to learn how to better understand those that worshiped him. A God should be able to connect with his congregation, yes perhaps there were lessons to be learned here. Ryoga would have to meet some of this city's inhabitants, both mutant and man. His eyes opened as he stared towards the horizon, there was a purpose for him here in this city, and it was time to start figuring it out.

James rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes. It was early, good. He had time. James walked to the mansion entrance after pulling on his tracksuit and trainers. As always James would start his day with a run, made of steel. Operation Steel had been working well.

He cracked his knuckles as he made his way to the metal fence which went all the way around the mansion grounds. The cool morning air was clean and the the temperature woke him up properly. At the fence he lay his hands upon the bars, willing the steel to take its effect.

James tried not to shiver as the cold feeling ran up his skin, starting at the palms of his hands. Just as it reached his collar bones he pulled away, a few quick taps against various parts of his body confirmed it had worked. James bounced up and down a couple of times, testing the new weight and set off.

Okay, fifteen minutes this time. Faster..faster faste-

There was a roar, louder than any he had heard before. It vibrated through his body. James looked to his right slowly. There, nestled in the middle of the mansion grounds was something that looked like a cross between Godzilla and Alduin.

James had seen lots of mutants in his time since coming to the mansion, but none of them compared to the majestic lump of scales ten meters to his right. At first it inspired a paralyzing fear, James found for a good fifteen seconds he could do nothing but stare, looking like a fool. Then his senses returned to him and fear was replaced by something close to a scared-yet-giddy awe.

There was a dragon. In real life. In front of him. If someone said to him, right now. 'Guess what? We found a way to pull things out of computer screens and make them real!' They might have even got him to believe them. Apart from the fact that they were at the mansion...a place for mainly mutants, so what else could the dragon be?

It could only be a mutant.

The thought saddened him a little, maybe he would have preferred the 'pulling things out of screens' explanation. All thoughts of going for a run forgotten, James walked towards the dragon slowly and cautiously until he was only a couple of meters to its left. The dragon wasn't looking at him, but he assumed it would notice him before long. Maybe introducing himself was the best idea? Could the dragon even talk?

"Erm...Hello?" James asked cautiously. Normally, walking towards possibly dangerous reptiles wasn't one of the teenagers favorite pastimes, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he passed up the chance to meet a real life dragon. It was practically every gaming nerds dream. James was no exception to this rule.

Masque was awake earlier than he really wanted to be.  His sleep schedule hadn't yet normalized since coming to the Mansion and that resulted in many nights where he was up far too late and many mornings when he was up far too early.  Maybe it was time to just admit the fact that he was suffering from insomnia.  There were no nightmares, at least not normally, it was just a complete inability to sleep regular hours.  He'd sleep for 2 or 3 hours and then just toss and turn for the rest of the night.  Or he'd just not feel tired until 3 am, fall dead asleep and be awake 4 hours later.  It wasn't fair but then when had his life ever been fair?

Climbing out of bed, Masque grabbed his sketchbook intending to go outside and draw.  His art was his passion; it gave him peace in a world that was all too often far too chaotic and full of fear and hate.  If only more people had the opportunity to follow their passions instead of wasting it on hate and jealousy the world would be a far different place.  Before stepping foot outside his room he stood in front of the mirror changing his skin to a startling cobalt with ruby red streaks going through it.  It was his favourite part about his power, the fact that he was his very own art project that could be painted differently every day.  His control wasn't yet perfect but he was working on that.

Once he was satisfied with his appearance for the moment, Masque stepped outside.  It was early yet and thus quiet as he walked down the hall and opened the front door to the outside.  Of course it was still chilly and he couldn't wait until the warmth of summer came back but at least now days he had proper clothing without holes and that was a marked improvement from his recent past.  The intent was to go and find a nice quiet place to sit and draw.  That intent was rather unequivocally distracted by the sight of what could only be described as a...dragon?

Masque stood and stared, utterly dumbfounded at what he saw in front of him.  First there was the fact that dragons didn't exist...did they?  Then there was the absolute majesty of the creature that he found before him.  He had to be dreaming, right?

"Erm...Hello?"

So utterly distracted by the sight of the dragon, Masque hadn't even noticed that there was anyone else around.  He shook his head, trying to free it of the cobwebs and think rationally again.

    

Ryoga let the various aspects of the morning wash over his form before he was pulled from his meal, by the voice of a mutant. The dragon craned his neck to the right, letting one eye focus on James as the boy spoke to him. It seemed Ryoga's form had stuttered the boys mind, as all he could mumble was a hello. But a greeting was still a greeting, manners were apart of the dragon's mentality. His voice was unique, words mixed with the low rumble of something prehistoric as he spoke. "Ohayou little human." A bit of Japanese escaped by habit, but the dragon's English was more than good enough to hold a conversation. "Come to greet the morning sun as well? Or perhaps you've come to greet a God." The dragon laughed a bit as he turned, his limbs hitting the Earth with heavy thuds as his form faced down James.

Ryoga's eyes just then noticed the oddity of the boy, his flesh...was not the peachy or cream color that most of the human were. No, this human was colored like steel. So this was one of the "mutants" that he was told about. Humans with mysterious and powerful abilities, interesting. "You are one of the American mutants I've heard of yes?" The dragon questioned, his amber eyes glaring at James with powerful intensity. However Ryoga was one to suffer from tunnel vision, his senses noticing another human, slightly shorter than James, but really they all looked alike to Ryoga. The dragon let his eyes move towards Masque, gauging him as well. "I see another mutant comes to meet me as well." Masque's flesh was a striking color compared to the gray of Jame's metal skin, so mutants could have various types of flesh, interesting.

Ryoga laughed, lifting his head high off the ground as he watched the two mutants before him. "Very well! Know that I am Lord Orochi, an Earth bound deity born of Japan! Now honor me little humans, and tell me who you are?" The dragon took a deep breath, giving his name honorably to the two before him and awaiting their response. His body rested, with his wings closed up and pulled to his body, changing his appearance form a dragon to something more like a dinosaur, but still majestic and breath-taking as the sun shone brightly upon his gray scales and dark flesh.

As the dragon turned James could feel the vibrations, the dragon must way an awful lot, then again it was a dragon. He had half a mind to bolt, run for it before the mass of scales could eat him in one single bite. But that wouldn't do, he had walked up to the dragon after all and it would be rude.

 It seemed the dragon was Japanese, the word Ohayou rung a bell, where had he heard it? Anime, probably. What did it mean? Good morning? Yeah, that was it. The dragon could talk and it was well mannered, if not a little frightening.

Come to meet a God? Did I hear that right? Maybe a little big headed too, but then again, if you had grown up as a dragon, who wouldn't be? "Yes, I suppose you could say I came to greet the sun. Then I noticed you and was surprised I hadn't seen you around before." The 'because you are so hard to miss' part was left unsaid. James was usually quite socially awkward, but he didn't feel at all stiff or nervous while talking to the reptile, maybe because it was a dragon? He didn't know.

James was about to reply to the dragons question about being a mutant but apparently there was someone behind him...turning he saw a figure, slightly shorter than himself. Somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place the colour. The lack of facial hair was what gave it away, it was the mutant he had escaped the brawl with...the one with stony skin.

He turned back to the dragon, who's booming laugh resonated through his body.

"Very well! Know that I am Lord Orochi, an Earth bound deity born of Japan! Now honor me little humans, and tell me who you are?"

Hmm, James knew a little about Japanese etiquette but had never used it in real life, deciding to play it safe he just went with a respectful bow and stated his name. "My name is James, I also live here at the mansion." He turned his head towards Masque slightly, watching from the corner of his eye to see how he would introduce himself.

There was a dragon in front of him.  A real live actual dragon.  In front of him.  If Masque hadn't known any better her might have thought he was dreaming but when he looked away and then looked back the dragon was still there.  Apparently this whole mutant school thing enhanced the weirdness far more than he had originally thought.

The dragon apparently even spoke and didn't that suggest that it was probably a mutant rather than a dragon?  A mutant dragon?  Probably that made more sense than something being born out of the realm of fantasy and being dropped into the world as he knew it.  Picking up on the fact that it was Japanese and following the cue of James, he bowed towards the dragon as well, the gesture slightly awkward in its unfamiliarity.

'Greetings Lord Orochi my name is Masque,' Masque wrote the letters in large bold black letters upon his arm.  Flowing out from the letters and quickly extending across his torso and onto his neck and head bright orange and red flames appeared to overlay and intertwine with the patterns all ready there.  How else did one pay tribute to a dragon than with images of warm flame?  If the bow had been awkward then at least he could offer the dragon beauty.

It was only after the dragon had been properly met that Masque turned to James.  'Hello James.  I didn't know you lived here.'  The words appeared after the previous words disappeared.  They were no less neat although this time not accompanied by elaborate art. The smile he offered was genuine, however and he couldn't help but be thankful for the lack of angry mob this time around.

The human made of iron was first to respond to Ryoga's words, stating he was in fact here to see the sun but was more interested in Ryoga himself, an expected outcome. If the dragon could smile, he would have, his ego freshly shined by the two boys staring at him in awe. "I have just now come to live at this Mansion." He answered James statement about having not seen the dragon before. Of course from here on out, everyone would see Ryoga, and be humbled by his presence. The two boys seemed to notice each other as well now, but both remained fixated on the dragon God.

Both of them bowed to Ryoga, a comforting sign of humility and manners, to which the dragon returned the bow, lowering his massive head to their height. A rare moment to have a dragon bow to you, though it was a return gesture, not one of submission. His head rose again, as James introduced himself. So the taller male was James, a resident of the Mansion. The smaller male intrigued Ryoga more though, speaking no words and instead writing upon his own flesh. The dragon's eyebrow raised, the amber orb burning a hole into Masque as Ryoga read his words. This Masque was the first to properly address Ryoga, stating his godly name, but he wrote the introduction instead of speaking. Was he that intimidated? Or perhaps a mute of some type? The dragon's voice rumbled low in his throat as he spoke, enjoying Masque's greeting but curious.

"Your skin is most intriguing Masque, but I wonder has my presence left you unable to speak?" The dragon inquired, turning a simple question into statement of self sycophancy. James and Masque didn't seem to know one another either, Masque writing a statement for him as well. So it would seem this Masque was some type of mute, an unfortunate disability, but so long as he could see the dragon's greatness it didn't matter.

Greetings exchanged, the dragon rose up more, standing on his hind legs and opening his massive wingspan, his back turned to the sun this was another opportunity to feast upon the sunlight as well as show off his truly magnificent appearance. He however didn't ignore the two before him. "I was told this Mansion is also a school, you two are students of the school then yes?" He asked, holding still like a statue as his body cast a massive shadow across the yard.

Orochi seemed to like the greeting, that was good. To James' surprise the dragon bowed back, although it didn't seem like a bow of mutual respect. Almost as surprising was the detail of the flame which Masque spoke with, that was undeniably an interesting power.

James nodded at the other mutant, "Yes, I've been here a while." It was a shame him and Masque had last met under such dangerous circumstances...it had been pretty horrible and wasn't an experience the steel-skinned teenager wanted to experience a second time. Either way he smiled, not wanting to seem like a prat.

Mentally slapping himself James stopped thinking about it, there was a dragon to consider after all. Orochi started speaking to Masque, complimenting his skin and asking if his presence had left him speechless. Definitely big headed, maybe a little delusional. Again, this was a dragon at the end of the day.

Then Orochi backed up onto his hind legs, wings outstretched. A shadow fell over James, making him feel even smaller than before. He couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a way of showing his physical superiority or simply born out of narcissistic tendency. Either way it was as equally mind blowing as it was frightening.

It made James consider something, could the dragon fly? His wings sure were big, but so was the rest of him. In contrast with the rest of his body, they looked a bit small. He would have asked but Orochi asked them a question before he could.

James nodded. "I am a student here, yes. May I ask, why are you here of all places, Smau-Orochi." Well, he had managed that one. It was just a slip of the tongue. James bit his lip, well. If the dragon tried to eat him...nah, he'd be fine. Steel is too chewy, that plus he doubted the dragon wanted stomach ache.

Well the dragon certainly did appear to have a high opinion of itself, but then it was a dragon so perhaps that was to be expected.  It wasn't as if Masque had any great experience with dragons given that this was the first one he had ever met and, previous to just a few minutes ago, he never would have expected such a majestic creature could ever exist.  Maybe being a dragon meant you had a right to such an inflated ego, perhaps it was just part of the package that was Dragon.

'Your presence is majestic,' Masque agreed.  So far the creature had been nothing but polite but it seemed for the best to keep things formal and respectful.  Stone skin or not, he had a feeling if the dragon wanted to make a snack of him he could probably do so without much difficulty.  'However it is not yourself that has rendered me unable to speak.  My vocal chords do not function and so I communicate through written word.'  

When Lord Orochi stood and extended his wings there was no doubt that it was an impressive sight, one of the most impressive Masque had ever witnessed.  He committed the site to memory, determined that he should draw such beauty so that those who could not experience it for themselves could at least be given some hint of its stunning awe.  

'I am not a student but I do live here,' Masque wrote.  Not wanting to ignore James even if there was a dragon around, he turned to the other mutant.  'I am glad to meet you in better circumstances this time.  May we never have to deal with such horrible violence again.'  He shuddered at the memory, unable to help himself.  Next time, if there was a next time, he'd be better prepared.

Orochi paid some attention to the conversation between the two, or at least what James spoke aloud. It seemed they'd met before, but were unaware they both shared a home, which with the size of this Mansion could be understandable. As Orochi took the moment to spread his wings, it seemed to further enforce his image to the two, both of them staring up at his form as he clotted the sun from their eyes. If he could the dragon would have smiled once more, but instead he simply remained still while continuing to speak with the two mutants. Masque responded by confirming the majesty of Orochi's presence, the dragon glad to see Americans were not blind to ignore his glory.

However Ryoga's form was not what had left Masque mute, but he was just naturally without speech. "Unfortunate, but it seems your lack of speech does little to hinder you." The dragon exclaimed as the conversation continued. The steel boy, James then grabbed Ryoga's attention by letting slip another's name instead of his. Smau? Who was Smau? Who else could cloud Jame's eyes for him to confuse Orochi, a god, with this other person? The dragon's eyes became glued onto James, his fiery eyes giving off enough pressure to be palpable. "I came here at my Mother's request, to learn of the mutant community and the world outside Japan. But more importantly, you would do well to remember my name and mine alone. Who is this Smau and how does one confuse them for myself?" He inquired, unaware that James was referring to Smaug, the red dragon of Tolkien's fantasy epic "The Hobbit".

Orochi had read that novel before, though his pride left him too shortsighted to realize the simple mistake James had made. At the moment, his awareness became too focused missing out on Masque telling him he was not a student, but still a resident of the Mansion. The dragon felt the stiffness of his body slowly becoming uncomfortable so he flapped his wings once, creating a gust of air towards James and Masque, showing that his wings were strong, but perhaps furthering the misconception that he might be able to fly, an embarrassing topic for the Japanese dragon.

Masque shuddered, well that was to be expected. James had been trying hard not to think about it, although he was pretty sure he hadn't hurt anyone seriously. Besides the woman he had hit in the head, maybe? Truthfully he had been trying his best to not think about it, a large amount of people had probably died.

"Mhmm," James nodded, here they probably couldn't be in a safer place, in all honesty. "Amen to that." He replied with a smile. As he finished speaking, James felt the dragons eyes burning into the back of his head. Oh, it seemed Orochi picked up on his mistake. Turning around he stuck his hands in his pockets while rocking back and forth on his heels nervously.

Orochi didn't sound upset, though. Had he really not made the connection? Smaug? Who hadn't heard of Smaug? Tolkiens dragon was hardly known for his good personality, what with the whole superiority complex and insane levels of selfishness. Then again, maybe the dragon mutant wasn't so big on reading? Its not like he had fingers to read with.

"Sorry, my mistake. Smaug, hes a dragon. Large with lots of gold, big wings...breathes fire. Hes in a popular book called 'The Hobbit'" James said this very cautiously. There was a chance the big guy would take it as an insult, or a compliment. He guessed it was a 50/50.

Not like Orochi needed an ego boost. However, if said ego boost meant the didn't get squished, that was okay.

"Unfortunate, but it seems your lack of speech does little to hinder you."

Masque inclined his head by way of affirmation of the statement.  It was true that his lack of a voice rarely hampered him.  There were certain things he would never do because of it, but over the course of day to day life he rarely felt its loss.  It was rare to encounter those who couldn't read and he was fortunate to have been gifted with a power that helped to compensate for his disability.  'I make do with what I have,' he wrote.  

It was hard to imagine a dragon having parents just like the rest of them, let alone parents that encouraged learning about mutants.  Then again, why shouldn't a dragon have parents?  Maybe Orochi wasn't so different than them after all, despite being the majestic creature he was.  

Smaug was, of course, a dragon that Masque was well familiar with and he knew to be compared to said dragon wasn't exactly complimentary.  He looked towards James, hoping he came up with some sort of explanation that wouldn't cause the dragon to decide he'd be a tasty snack or something equally unpleasant.  He was pretty sure if it came down to it there wasn't a whole lot he could do to defend him from a dragon nor did he really want to put that to the test.

'He's one of the most well known dragons,' Masque added.  Well known was good, right?  Almost like infamous.

Masque claimed to make do with what he had, a human statement if there ever was one. Ryoga was no defeatist, he didn't make do, he thrived and if that wasn't enough he'd take until he was satisified, which was well within his right. However Masque was polite and respectful, so he did indeed make do well enough. The dragon however still didn't appreciate being confused for some other individual, his burning stare drawing James' attention to him.

Ah, Smaug, Ryoga knew this character. A red dragon from the work of Tolkien, a famous fantasy author. Ryoga remembered those works from some time ago at the compound. Smaug was a petty creature, paranoid and self obsessed, though this was the idea of a dragon crafted by a human, easy to see how he'd cast a majestic creature as the villain for his diminuative furry heroes. The dragon remained silent for a moment, his facial expression difficult to read for lack of human features as he stared at James. Masque seemed to want to help James, writing a message to help appease Orochi for his fellow mutant. Masque's proper respect for a God again impressed the dragon considering it was from a non Japanese.

"Smaug was a red dragon, a glorious creature who claimed an entire kingdom for a throne. I remember this character indeed." The dragon's voice was loud and oppressive, as if when he spoke the world around him went quiet to listen. "I enjoyed the works of Tolkien, save for his portrayal of Smaug. The audacity to have a mere man fell a God." Ryoga snorted, as he remembered how easily the dragon Smaug was felled, a thought that both irked, and sort of intimidated him. But that feeling was miniscule and locked away.

Ryoga flapped his wings gently, stretching his muscles and getting the blood flowing. "So tell me little mutants, what is life like here. I was born of Japan, but I am curious how you live here, at this Mansion and in America." The dragon asked, his mood improved and returned to a state of friendly but abraisive curiosity.

James got the impression that Orochi wasn't happy with him, or at least wasn't happy with his mistake, the dragons glare was boring holes in his body. It was a little frightening. Orochi seemed to get it though, who Smaug was. Interesting, James wondered how the dragon read books. It was a funny mental image, the huge dragon wearing a pair of undersized specs, peering down at an undersized book.

As for Smaug getting killed by a mortal man, yes that made perfect sense. All things considered. Plus Smaug wasn't a god. And neither are you. James thought in the back of his mind. He would have said it out loud, if he didn't think that the dragon attacking him would have ended up with Masque getting involved. this guys inflated opinion was a tad irritating, nothing annoyed James more than people who thought they were better than others, or more deserving at least.

James had to remind himself that the guy was a dragon, that plus he had probably been led to believe that he was a god, after all, what other possible explanation could there be? Orochi brought his tone back to a more friendly one, that was reassuring.

Okay, that question was a reasonable one, but also quite broad. How do you answer that? "Well, There are a load of differences, I suppose you will get to see them better than most people who ask that question. Considering you will be living here."

James decided to leave the differences thing to Masque, he was older, or at least James assumed so.

Masque wasn't about to say anything in the defense of the Tolkein dragon Smaug, not when there was a real dragon complete with giant teeth right there in front of him.  Having stone skin would probably make him a less appetizing snack than, say, if he had regular soft fleshy skin but he wasn't about to risk the wrath of a dragon.  Not when he didn't have anyway to defend himself against said dragon.  If only his power allowed for some actual offence that went beyond 'my punches kind of hurt more than usual.'  No use wishing on stars, however.

Masque was pretty sure that the dragon wasn't a god but that was another thing he wasn't about to bring to light.  Angering dragons didn't seem like the best plan if one wanted a long and full life, after all.  Proper respect, now that seemed to be something that was working and so that was a plan he was going to stick with.  He shot a glance over in James' direction, feeling just a little bit nervous with the prickly dragon.

'I've never been to Japan,' Masque wrote.  'Although one day I hope to go.  Life here is interesting.  With so many different people around and most of the mutants, you never quite know what to expect from day to day.'  That was one of the very first lessons he had learned upon moving to the Mansion.  Large groups of mutants tended to live far more interesting lives than might otherwise be the case and those bits of interest weren't always for the better.