The grounds of the Mansion had proved to be quite beautiful and enjoyable as Orochi's life in America began, but a God never settled for just one indulgence. He had seen pictures of New York's various parks in some of the literature he'd read, and decided to enjoy the taste of the sun admist the famous greenery he'd seen. Calling in a favor to be driven to the park on a truck, Orochi had spent hours sitting still, his wings outstretched to act as solar panels as his cells fed upon the light. The grass, the bushes and trees, all of it created an enjoyable ambiance, a comforting scent for his nose as opposed to the stink of the city full of it's humans.

As the Sun set, Orochi's eyes opened, his body beginning to stir once more. He had no intention of returning to the Mansion just yet, instead opting to enjoy some time in the chilled park as the light began to dim. Curling up behind some bushes and a tree, Orochi found sleep overtaking him as his cells focused on metabolizing the radiation he'd soaked in. Time passed once more as the dragon rested, before an odd scent and the chill of the sun vanishing behind the horizon woke him. His dark form rose up, his size impressive and majestic as he poked from his little nap spot. Emerging from the brush to step into the open could only be described as a scene of something that could have happened millennia ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, massive predators dominating the world in a struggle of predator vs predator.

No predator from this modern world could compare with Ryoga, for he was not just a beast or a dragon, but a God. However, what Ryoga found himself standing above was not of this time but another. The slender creature before him shared some similarities in form, almost enough that perhaps the two creatures were related in some distance sense, but he felt no companionship with the dinosaur. Though it reminded him of a dragon, the scent around it did now. The dragon's throat rumbled and his voice broke the silence of his emergence. "What are you little lizard, and why do you smell of death." The dragon questioned, not caring if he received an answer or not, his curiosity peaked by the dinosaur before him. Unaware that this creature was in fact a mutant, Ryoga presented himself as a larger beast, his jaws pulled back to reveal the wicked fangs he sported as he observed the deinonychus before him in the coming night.

In recent months Amber had undergone a metamorphosis of sorts, changing from something that was essentially an exceptional human to something all together more. Some might say she had become a monster; a creature that was not all together human and no longer all together alive. They would be right. But far from feeling shame or fear at some a change, Amber had embraced it. Not quite dead and yet no longer fully alive, she could only be called undead. Once that would have disturbed her greatly but that was a long time ago. Lich was the word she had found and that word felt right. Ancient undead wizards who had used their dark magic to die and be reborn, extending their life forever as one of the undead. Perhaps by strictest sense she was no wizard, but was not the ability to take on a myriad of different forms a sort of magic all its own? However others might argue, lich was the correct identity to assume, she was certain of it.

Among her recent changes was a reduced sensitivity to the environment around her. Neither cold nor heat effected her like it once had and that allowed her a greater freedom to roam at night wherever whim happened to take her, even in the middle of winter. She had spent the entire day out, not an unusual occurrence, hidden in her smaller forms, before making her way to a nearby park as the sun set. While in human form the sun remained her enemy but perhaps that was only fitting for a lich.

Once in the park she returned momentarily to her human form, the cold winter air barely biting at all, before undergoing a second shift too that of her deinonychus form. It was and always would be her favourite, more her true form than her human form ever had been. She stretched her long neck, reveling in the strength of it, and let out a trilling shriek. She would hunt this night.

It was the smell that caused Amber to turn around, something foreign and yet there was a strange hint of the familiar in it, almost as if it suggested a home that she had never before experienced. What she saw upon turning around was nothing short of stunning and could only be described as a dragon. She stood still, staring up at it her void black eyes searching.

"What are you little lizard, and why do you smell of death."

How did one answer such a question especially when one couldn't presently speak? Instead she grinned, rows of razor sharp teeth gleaming, and fluffed her patchy feathers. Yes, she smelled of death because she was death.

Ryoga felt some primal sense of satisfaction in this situation, the larger predator reigning over the smaller, though he had no interest in trying to eat or even attack this creature. He didn't need to eat, and rarely did even for the enjoyment of flavor, and this lizard smelled of rot, he doubted it possessed any taste he wanted to know. The smaller creature, clearly some sort of dinosaur showed off her own teeth, and fluffed her mockery of feathers. If Ryoga could smile he would have, as his eyes watched Amber's attempt to respond to him.

His head lowered, closer to the ground and the height of Amber's own form, his voice rumbling deep in his throat. "How intriguing, if I did not know better I'd think you some kind of little American dragon. But that is not the case, you're some type of living relic." The dragon sniffed, his nostrils filling with the foul smell of death. What was this little dinosaur? Some type of mad science project? Another mutant? This land was certainly proving more out of the ordinary than his everyday life at the compound. "So little dinosaur, the question remains, why are you here." The dragon began to move, his large form circling around Amber, his heavy steps breaking the silence as he stopped speaking.

Ryoga would have been more surprised had he seen such a creature in the city, at least here in the park there was some semblance of nature. In fact this park was sort of like an island in an ocean of cityscape, so maybe this was the only ground such a creature could survive? Though such a creature couldn't live here without being quite famous could it? Or maybe Ryoga, being a God was the only one lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it, such a thing would be fitting for him alone to enjoy. The animal was clearly incapable of speech like Ryoga who was a God, not a beast, but she was at least more appeasing to look at than all the humans in this city. "Well no matter, I have no reason to interfere with you little dinosaur. Do as you like little lizard, and be thankful you got to witness an Earthbound God." Ryoga said with oppressive pride.

Looking up at the dragon before her, Amber wondered if awe was the feeling lesser beings felt when she shifted into one of her more impressively sized forms. Her Allosaurus, surely, would inspire awe in anyone. Awe was not the emotion she felt looking up at the creature before her, although it was undeniably impressive. Were she anything other than who and what she was then surely that would have been foremost in her mind. She wasn't like others. Respect, perhaps, was accorded this creature but not awe. Awe implied something above her, which this creature was not.

"How intriguing, if I did not know better I'd think you some kind of little American dragon. But that is not the case, you're some type of living relic."

Amber inclined her head at the creature and let out a chirp. Living relic. She liked the sound of that. And American dragon was not so far off from reality. Some might very well say that dinosaurs were the dragons of ancient history.

"So little dinosaur, the question remains, why are you here."

How did one answer that question? She had just as much right to be there as the dragon did. Perhaps unstated within the question was whether or not she was a mutant as surely this dragon must be. There was a time when her clothing would always be near at hand within easy acquisition should she feel the need to shift or speak but that happened less and less often now days. Certainly it wasn't near at hand now and she'd have to go all the way back to Sanctuary to get properly attired. Not that it bothered her any to go without, even in human form, but it bothered others. Something about modesty; a useless human dysfunction.

Amber wasn't yet ready to shift back to human in any case but it seemed prudent to express the fact that she was more than a mere animal. Fortunately there was snow on the ground, not much but enough for her purposes. Dragging her taloned foot along the ground she wrote the word MUTANT and below that her name AMBER. She then looked up at the dragon expectantly.

"Well no matter, I have no reason to interfere with you little dinosaur. Do as you like little lizard, and be thankful you got to witness an Earthbound God."

Well, the dragon certainly did have a high opinion of itself. Then again, perhaps she wasn't one to talk. After all, she was a lich and that meant she was Death.

The little dinosaur continued to stay in Ryoga's presence, and responded intelligently, perhaps it was just a clever animal, but Ryoga was quite certain the creature before him was more than a beast. After all, some might see his form and assume he was an animal, but his intelligence and personality were that of a creature above man on the totem pole of existance. The final confirmation that Amber was more than a big lizard came as she began to write out a message to Ryoga.

She used her unique foot to write a message into the snow, Orochi tilted his head low, letting his eyes read Amber's words. English, a language he could read. First was the term mutant, which Ryoga had guessed could be an explanation. So this creature was a mutant, a human who had become an animal. Interesting, he wondered if she was born this way. If she was born as a creature, perhaps she was not actually a mutant but had been told as much. Her second word was a name, a woman's name. So that was this creature...girl's name. He spoke the girl's name, letting the word roll from deep in his throat. "Amber...so you are a woman. Konbanwa, I am Orochi." The dragon returned his name in exchange of hers.

Looking up from the snow, his eyes refocused on the girl's saurian body. "So you can still understand speech but are unable to do so. You are the second mute I've met during my time in America." Was being mute a common disability caused by mutation? It would make sense, the word mutant was generally a negative term in science, so it was likley most mutants suffered some disability in return for their powers and differences. Ryoga bellowed, a powerful primal version of what others might call a purr, or Amber's own chirping sound when excited. So he was even more perfect than a mutant who was similar to himself, how interesting these mutants were. "You mutants are very intriguing creatures." He spoke, showing with his speech that he didn't consider the term applied to himself.

At the dragons introduction of itself Amber once again inclined her head towards it, a gesture of affirmation and mutual respect. Now, perhaps, it was time to assume her human form. It was a grudging fact that her human form had its uses. Its senses were dull, its reflexes slow and its muscles weak. Yet, with it she was able to communicate with words and was able to utilize technology and other inventions that simply wasn't possible in any other form. Balance had been the focus of her life for years, the balance between the hunter and the human each with its place and each with its strengths and weaknesses. Adaptability was one of the things that made her superior.

Shifting forms never took long but it was horrific for anyone watching. Bones moved in unnatural ways, scale and feather melted into flesh and bulges came and went in unnatural ways. It was also a painful experience but it was the sort of pain she had long become used to. In less than a minute the deinychus transformed itself into a human woman, or at least humanoid for in truth she looked more like a walking emaciated corpse than a living human. Her skin was a dry yellow-grey stretched thin over bones visible beneath the surface and her hair had the texture of straw.

Getting up off of the ground Amber bowed to the dragon properly, void black eyes never leaving those of the dragon. Respect but not subservience was offered. She didn't bother to cover her nakedness because what was the use of shame and the cold night air was barely felt.

"Greetings Orochi I am Amber and I am not mute only limited by the vocal chords of the forms I choose to call my own. As for being a mutant,' she smiled up at the dragon, "it is a word that is most easily understood. I am a mutant but I am more besides. As you say you are an earthbound God so do I say that I am a lich and that means I am Death."

Though she could not speak, Amber's show of respect kept Orochi friendly and interested, signs of respect feeding the dragon like bread fed mankind. The night went from interesting to very interesting though, as the creautre before him began to mutate and change, her body crunching into itself like a collapsing star as the girl morphed from reptile to human form. Ryoga's eyes widened, captivated as Amber shifted. However as she became an oddly withered and corpse like woman, Orochi made a move of his own. Though Ryoga was a creature of arrogance and self importance he was also Japanese. And the Japanese did happen to take manners and modesty fairly seriously.

The Dragon rose to stand on his feet, his weight shifted as his wings extended outward, closing around Amber and creating a screen to hide her from the chilled world outside the shadows he cast. The girl, now in the form of a mortal took a moment to bow again, her eyes meeting Orochi's. The dragon did not avert his gaze, but it would be plain to see that he was attempting to avoid looking at her body beneath the neck. Amber introduced herself, with speech this time, and went on to state a title as nearly impressive as Ryoga's own, maybe even more impressive in some circles.

The dragon snorted and spoke, pointing out Amber's lack of clothing. "You are aware you are nude by human standards, yes?" He asked, curious if the girl perhaps had clothes somewhere else, or didn't realize they were gone when she shifted. Ryoga was nude himself as well, he was not a man though, but a God, and clothing himself was well beneath his concern. This girl Amber though, still had the form of a human so his upbringing caused him to expect embarassment from her. Either way, more interesting than her naked form was the statement that she was Death. Death was a serious title to lay claim too, and Ryoga wondered what made her believe so. "I did smell death upon you little woman, but that is an impressive title to claim as a name." What power did this woman possess that would let her believe in such a claim?

A curious reaction that the dragon should be so concerned with Amber's modesty that he should try and cover her nakedness with her wings. What use was modesty to a dragon, or a god for that matter? Modesty was a human trap and it was something she would have expected from humans but not from this creature before her. Perhaps it came from having a voice along with the body of a dragon; human convention meant more when one was bombarded with it constantly. There was a time, after all, when such convention had mattered to her as well.

"My apologies for making you uncomfortable. I hadn't expected one of your nature to be bothered by my lack of clothing. I'm afraid my clothing does not change with me and it is back at Sanctuary at the moment." Looking around, Amber spotted a nearby tree of appropriate size and went to stand behind it. "Does this help your sense of modesty?"

"I did smell death upon you little woman, but that is an impressive title to claim as a name."

Amber was well aware of the weight of her claim and yet how could she claim anything else? Who else could say they were both living and dead but she? "Perhaps not death in the traditional sense. I do not wield a scythe nor do I choose who lives and who dies except when I hunt. However, I am not truly alive. Death clings to me, follows me and surrounds me. You can see it and smell it and what you cannot see with your senses are the deeper truths. The things that so affect the living only touch me faintly. Intense cold or heat, breath and blood are but a shade of what living mortals need worry about. Perhaps, then, it might be more appropriate to call myself a child of death rather than Death in truth." If the dragon looked closely he would see that her breath only came once in every four breaths that a truly living human might make.

The girl seemed confused by Ryoga's actions, meaning she cared not for her own modesty and he need not care either. She assumed he was offended or embarassed by her nudity, which made the dragon laugh. A heavy laugh that only faded as he began to speak in response. "You are mistaken woman, modesty is something humans have. I mistakenly assumed you would be bothered for me to see you unclothed." The dragon took a moment to reign in his wings again, the majestic limbs folding up entirely and once more assuming the appearance of legs as he let his weight fall forward onto them. "I was born this majestic, not once have I dared to hide my form beneath the clothing of a man. But even a God has manners." He explained.

Even for a monstrous mutant dragon weighing in over a thousand pounds, the Japanese sense of manners and modesty affected his mannerisms. "Furthermore I find the human form unimpressive, the flesh you wore before would do more to stir me than what you are now." The dragon finished, his words basically saying Amber's human form was entirely dull to be seen, even the nude. "So you are able to assume the form of deceased life?" He asked, curious about her previous form. He could see the girl's body was withered and frail looking, but to be both dead and alive was not as interesting as being able to shape shift into a creature long since gone from this world.

This mutant Amber was almost like the child of a God, Ryoga remembered various legends about people touched by deities of power and death. The scent of it following them in their daily lives. But this girl was a mutant, a mortal creature born with special abilities. Somewhat disappointing that her true form was that of this frail little creature and not that of the beast he met only minutes ago. "How fascinating that your form, looking so frail and weak to me now, can claim to be stronger than a normal person's to the elements. With snow on the ground, and chill in the breath you don't even shiver. Impressive indeed little woman, you are perhaps the most interesting mutant I've met so far." The dragon complimented, though somehow his voice still sounded as if he was looking down on her, especially compared to his tone when she was still a deinonychus.

It was a somewhat unusual, if not unpleasant sound, to hear a dragon laugh. To hear that he was more concerned with modesty for her sake than his improved her opinion of the dragon. Humans could be such funny creatures when it came to those things that simply didn't matter beyond their limited lives and such was a given even though she had been born in a human body.

Given that there was no one else in the park to concern herself with, Amber walked back out from behind the tree. It was something of a challenge looking up at the dragon without also having to try and look around tree branches. "I am able to assume the form of deceased life," she agreed with. "Specific deceased life. Dinosaurs; some might consider them to be the dragons of the Mesozoic Era. If the human form is unimpressive and I grant you physically it is, it nevertheless has its uses. Could you, for example, for all your great majesty operate a computer? Or read a book? What this form loses in physical prowess it gains back in other areas."

If Amber caught the change in tone from the dragon, she didn't choose acknowledge it. "I can assume many forms, each to fit its own role depending on my needs at the time. This form, for all that it was the one I was born in, is one I rarely have need of except to speak or for use of human technology. The one you saw before, if I could be said to have a true form, that would be it." Such a shame to be trapped in one single body but she didn't speak those words aloud. How would a dragon react to the suggestion that it was in some way lacking? An interesting question but not one to pursue while she lacked both size and natural weapons.

It was still slightly odd to see a human, or at least human shaped woman not care about her modesty. Women in general seemed to be very concerned with who observed their naked body. Ryoga cared not though, the female form of most humans mattered littel to him as his interest was so far above the usual human drivel. Amber went on to explain she could only assume the form of dinosaurs, ancient extinct reptiles from Earth's prehistory. The girl used the term dinosaurs as well, meaning she could shift into multiple creatures, how intringuing.

The last string of words from her mouth though, sounded slightly insulting to the dragon with delusions of godhood. Could he use a computer, or read a book? Of course he could, such things were beneath his greatness. A growl rumbled in the depths of his throat as he glared at her, his eyes pressuring her. "Careful what you say Amber, the presumption anything is beyond a God comes off as insulting." An emphasis was on that last word, showing how serious the dragon took anything he might consider offensive to his honor. "I need not operate these things like a mortal does, I have servants and worshipers for that."

She continued on to explain that she could indeed assume many shapes, confirming his earlier thought. Some might be surprised to hear Amber's claim to the form of an extinct predator being her "true" form, but Orochi understood. Humans were weak, frail, stupid beings. Their lives ruled by their weak emotions and fears, but a creature such as that dinosaur? The power, the ferocity? Ryoga could respect that, just as he enjoyed his own form, wrought with primal vigor and deific power. "Then a God shall compliment your true form. Though I dislike the smell of death, it was certainly beautiful."

Luckily Amber kept her thoughts to herself, perhaps in part to learning how easily Ryoga could be offended, and how easily he rose to anger when offended. Though if she had spoke of being stuck in one form, Ryoga would not have understood the thought. There was nothing one could hope to strive for more than Godhood, and he was born with it.

Amber had to fight the smile that threatened at the words of the dragon. Mostly, she succeeded. Well, apparently his ego was somewhat fragile though in some ways she could understand. What must it be like to be something so majestic and powerful and yet also be so limited in ways that mere humans were not. It must have been a truly aggravating experience.

"My apologies," Amber replied with a formal inclination of her head. "Of course one such as yourself must have followers to take care of such menial tasks for you." Amber didn't bother to ask where such followers might be and in so doing point out the fact that there didn't appear to be any at all. After all, angering the dragon didn't seem to be the smartest of choices and besides, they had a sort of kinship in their natures and surely that had to count for something. If, that is, the dead required kinship at all. Something to consider.

"I accept your compliment," answered, "and extend the same to you. Of course you are aware of your own majesty, but I suspect you don't mind it stated plainly that you are most beautiful and powerful." There was no need to acknowledge his comment about the smell of death; death was something almost universally feared and distrusted and she was comfortable in that fact. Nor did it cost her anything to so compliment the dragon. After all, if she was able to make such an ally, dancing around its high opinion of itself was well worth the potential benefits.

Amber's apology showed that Ryoga's ego was easy to work with once you saw his pattern, arrogant men, especially those with a god complex loved to be sated, and her immediately apology was just that. The dragon responded, his tone powerful but respectful. "I accept your apology. If we had met in my home in Japan you'd have seen my servants, I was never without them in my home." He explained, giving more information about where his inflated ego sprang from. Ryoga hadn't quite realized it, but his ability to interact with the world here in America would be vastly different, both because of the different culture and his lack of worshippers to do things for him.

The dragon chuckled a bit, a unique bellowed noise formed from the mixture of a human action and that of an ancient creature sharing an ancestry with Amber's own deinonychus form. Of course she accepted his compliment, who turned away the praise of a God? "Of course you do Amber, and a God never turns away praise." It seemed Amber had a good instinct for how to manipulate Ryoga's mood to her advantage in a conversation, something she herself was aware of and Ryoga was too arrogant to care about. A friendship between the dragon and anyone was a rarity, even back at his home in Japan. God's didn't make friends, they found servants and tools, but here in New York that might change, and an attitude like Amber's would be very helpful and turning Ryoga into an ally.

The dragon was curious though, so he knew more about the girl, and she was polite and humble enough to respect a God. But why was she here? The park was cold, and mostly empty, what would a woman want to do here? Though Amber was certainly different to the usual woman he'd interacted with. "I am curious Amber, what brings you out into the park, it's a chilly night and totally empty save for us? Do you come here to enjoy the solitude or something else?" Perhaps the girl needed to come here to enjoy her time in her saurian form.

"I think I would be curious to see this home of yours in Japan," Amber answered. "I have spent time in Brazil but I admit to little travel outside that." Of course her time in Brazil was not of her own free will, not pleasant and barely remembered but now didn't seem the time to mention that. She had been captured and brought there in order to participate in battles to the death against exotic animals. She managed to escape but in so escaping spent many months trapped in her deinonychus form with no knowledge of her human nature until she was forced back human by the shock of almost killing an adapted.

"You are the one and only god I have ever met," Amber replied with a smile, gazing up at Orochi. "I should think gods upon earth are not so common an occurrence." In truth, she couldn't say she even believed in gods, at least not in the way that was so commonly understood as universally powerful creator spirits. As great creatures of myth and legend, however, perhaps claiming to be a god wasn't such a stretch for such a creature after all. No more of a stretch, at least, than claiming to be a child of death.

When questioned about her presence in the park, Amber couldn't' help but smile. This, she was certain, was something the dragon could probably understand. "Sometimes I come here to hunt. Other times simply to get away from humanity. I confess, I do not have great fondness for my human form with its inferior senses, weak muscles, slow reflexes and soft skin. It may serve its uses in conversation, but beyond that why should I choose this body when I have so many other choices and all of them superior in various ways?"

Amber paused for a moment, considering her next words. "I have a form close in size and scale to your own although lacking in wings. If there were prey of appropriate size in this city, I might suggest we hunt together. It is rare I get to hunt with a pack." It was also one of her fondest desires to do so. Something deep inside her desired it and it was a desire she knew would probably never be completely fulfilled.

The dragon would smile if he could, of course his home Japan was wondrous. The compound was funded by his various servants and underlings, and was a magnificent Japanese mansion, expanded and upgraded with the latest in modern comforts. "Perhaps someday you will, I intend to return in the future." The girl explained she had visiting Brazil, a large forested country in South America he believed. Ryoga didn't know much of South America, nor it's jungles, having spent his entire life concerned with Japan and recently North America.

Ryoga had never met another God either, his world always centered upon himself. He couldn't be the only God, but his status as a foreign God brought upon by a more recent event in history might be why. "I am the only one I know of, but I would be interested to meet another." Ryoga wondered what another God would be, what sort of magnificent form it would take, to be able to compare to his own. Perhaps all Gods were dragons, and he was simply the first of this modern era. That thought brought great joy to his inner thoughts as he conversed with the dead girl.

The girl seemed proud of her presence here in the park, explaining she came to hunt. Such a mundane activity, but hunting for your own food was an honorable action, and one he would not look down upon. "An honorable past time." He responded about hunting, before the girl went on about disliking the human form. Ryoga too disliked humans, such fragile creatures. No power and no grace in this modern era, concerned only with greed and wealth made of cloth. "You understand well, perhaps even more so than myself. I was never cursed with the human form and it's frailties. My home in Japan was filled with those who admired how mighty and powerful I was. You are lucky to be able to enjoy a form...so similar to a deity." His last words were strained, comparing Amber's form to his own was hard for him to do, his pride loathe to admit anyone might have similarity to himself.

Ryoga listened as the girl told him of a form as large and mighty as himself. He was certain she was exaggerating as nothing could stand equal to him, but the dinosaur of old were truly mighty beasts, perhaps not as majestic but just as fierce. However her offer to go hunting was mildly surprising, as suggesting things to a God was a bold statement. He took no offense though, and laughed a bit, before speaking. "I am certain that hunting with a dragon would bring you great joy, however I need not hunt. I do not eat like mortal creatures." He was proud of that fact, his lack of requiring physical nutrition was another sign of divinity. The wise men of old made due with mist and dew, and Ryoga, a modern deity could get by with just the strength of the morning Sun. "But perhaps one day you should visit a land with bigger game, I sense your enjoyment of the hunt can't be sated by this city of men."