There was a dragon on the mansion grounds. There was a dragon, a real life, bi-pedal, bat-winged, crocodile skinned dragon on the grounds. He had been watching it for a few days, trying to make head or tails of what he was seeing. He didn't know how he had missed something so large with how many times he had been in and out of the mansion. But there it was, sun bathing like some over grown lizard. Few people bothered it and if they did the exchange was short. A couple of times he noticed it had gone missing. He could only assume that it was not only intelligent but that when it disappeared, it had gone hunting.

Staring at it now he tried to mentally organize what he knew about the creature. From this distance he could roughly estimate it's size, somewhere around 20 feet snout to tail, maybe half a ton. Perhaps less given if the wings were functional and not purely for show. If they were functional, then the bones would be hollow for less weight. Crocodile skin as far as he could tell from a distance, probably a bit smoother if the creature really was built for flight. The spines and the mane however were interesting features. He could only chalk them up to being much like peacock feathers. Less function, more show.

He turned away from the window, preparing himself to go out and meet it. Though he was hesitant to actually interrupt it's sleep. Perhaps he could just sneak a closer look without waking it. With that in mind he headed for the backdoor, closing the door as quietly as he could before sneaking around to come up a bit behind the dragon's resting spot.

He edged closer, keeping his hands to himself for now. Despite his own want to feel the texture of the skin, the webbing of the wings, all the details that made this creature function, he knew it was probably best to observe with his eyes only for now. And boy what a weird sight it was. The wing was thumbed, just like a bats, but the legs were digigrade and more like a chickens. The muscles from what he could see were based a great deal around the legs, neck, and jaw. Made sense enough. Not exactly the build for a herbivore that's for sure. All this wrapped up in a thorny crocodile hide that probably didn't help with the drag during flight but more than likely acted as protection against attack. He couldn't stand it, he had to touch, a little tap on the tail couldn't hurt.

Ryoga began nearly every day the same, as the Sun rose he stirred, moving himself into a position best to bath in it's warmth as it came over the horizon and began to dominate the sky. The light washed over the dragon with limitless energy as his cells began to metabolize the solar rays and power his massive bulk. Like no creature on Earth, Ryoga was the sole predator of the Sun itself.

Sitting atop his cavern home, he looked more like a statue than an animal, his grayed scales giving him a rocky color vs the bright green of the plants around him. His eyes were closed, his mind deep into it's usual contemplation as he allowed his body to warm up to temperature, his awareness at it's most lax during this time. This state of meditation is what allowed the mutant to approach him without recognition, the dragon not caring enough to acknowledge Alex as he came within Ryoga's domain.

The boy inched closer, his curiosity bringing him within arms length of a living legend. Ryoga flared his nostrils as he picked up on the scent of a mortal, but it didn't bring him from his daze, as the creature's only movements remained his breathing. Ryoga's skin though was thick, nearly equal to an elephant's hide but even sturdier thanks to a network of scales that acted as armor, which made feeling something as light as a tap upon his most distant appendage basically impossible.

However he did recognize that someone was near enough to his little shrine that he should greet them. The beast stirred slowly, large amber eyes opening and looking around for who might be near. And then he turned to see the boy near his tail, the mortal had touched him? How rude! To invade one's personal space was especially uncomfortable for the Japanese. He moved slowly, his body like a serpent as he curved around to stare at Alex, his eyes burning holes through the boy. A minute or so passed of him staring down at the mutant, but when Ryoga glared it was as if time stopped and waited for his gaze to pass. Finally he spoke, his voice deep and primal, but laced with the faint hints of an accent very unlike that of an American.

"Is it not considered rude here to touch another without permission mortal?"

The small tap seemed to have awoken the beast and Alex was prepared to make a run for it if need be. However what ensued was not a chase but a stare down, one that reminded him of the first time he had come face to face with a mountain lion. Harsh predatory eyes with a dangerous underlying intellect. And then it spoke, or rather he as the voice was clearly male, in an accent he couldn't exactly place. Asian of some sort but otherwise he couldn't say.

"Is it not considered rude here to touch another without permission mortal?"

He stood stock still, body still tense and ready to run. "I-um...yeah, but honestly I couldn't help myself..."he answered kind of lamely. "I've never seen a dragon up close. Hell, I thought they weren't real and yet..." He gestured to the magnificent beast with a small sweep of the hand. "Sorry for interrupting your nap in any case. I just had to get an up close view. You're utterly fascinating. I mean I've been reading books on and off for a couple of years about dragons, attempting myself to design one that fit the parameter of the myths but it didn't really seem possible. I mean the forces alone to lift a beast of that size into the air would be immense."

He was rambling now, circling around to Orochi's front to get a better look at him. "I mean you have to weigh at least a ton. So your limbs must be strong enough to lift an elephant. Or at least push one over. And those spines, are those decorative, defensive, both? The mane has to be decorative and...Oh god, I'm sorry, rambling. My mind is going a billion miles a minuet." He stuck his hands in his pockets nervously, keeping his them to himself. "I'm Alex by the way. Sorry again for the ramble."

First impressions were generally important, but especially so to Ryoga. He tended to cement his opinion of mortals based solely on their first response to his presence. This mortal had the gall to personally touch Ryoga without permission, however his explanation wasn't without logic. Presented with a one time chance to touch a God, he'd taken that chance rather than avoid it. Rude...but respectful, Ryoga could accept such an explanation. And of course any apologize was honor bound to be accepted, as Ryoga was a truly benevolent creature.

"Your apology is lacking...but I understand your motive." The dragon explained, a large breath of air puffing out his nose as he continued to speak. Of course the man had never seen a dragon, Ryoga was the ONLY one. "Orochi is the only dragon. Remember this moment mortal." The dragon spoke with a staggering presence, his voice nearly strong enough to knock your to your knees, and yet his voice was not that of a monster. "There is no book written about me, at least not yet." This mortal seemed awfully curious about his physical aspects rather than his personality, how odd.

Turning his body fully around, Ryoga was now sitting atop his shrine rather than being coiled up like a snake. His profile was quite power, the sun shining down from behind him and casting a shadow large enough to swallow Alex beneath him. This boy seemed to be filled with endless questions, and though Ryoga didn't care to answer them, proper etiquette insisted that he did just that. "I have never attempted to lift a pachyderm, but I'm certain that I could." He answered the first unusual question, before thinking about his physical appearance. He'd never thought about the spines that grew from his body, they simply did so, much as a human's nails grew. "My body is both magnificent and powerful, far more so than any man."

Finally the boy introduced himself, and Ryoga had realized he'd failed to properly give his own name as well, how rude of him considering he'd just called the mortal on his own mistake. He bowed his head lower as he gave his name. " Yoroshiku Alex, I am Orochi. And I am a God." He said with a proud boom to his voice.

"Your apology is lacking...but I understand your motive. Orochi is the only dragon. Remember this moment mortal. There is no book written about me, at least not yet."

Remember this? No kidding, how would he be able to forget. This was like something out of a fantasy. As Orochi talked Alex was taking in his subtle movements, attempting to understand the layout of his teeth, how the muscles worked together to make this living breathing legend. Part of him wished there was an x-ray machine big enough to truly get a grasp on Orochi's structure. There was only so much of the bone that he could tell from just looking.

"I have never attempted to lift a pachyderm, but I'm certain that I could. My body is both magnificent and powerful, far more so than any man."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the reply to his ramblings. The dragon had quite the ego, but he couldn't blame him. He was an utterly fascinating creature, wholly unique in the world. Though perhaps one could say the same about most mutants, especially those exhibiting physical traits. However, none that he's seen so far exhibited such animal like bodies. Orochi was in a completely different category as far as he was concerned.

"Yoroshiku Alex, I am Orochi. And I am a God."

A god, huh? Debatable, but he wasn't here to argue religion. There was one thing he was after and that was mimicking that body for his own constructs. He smirked, perhaps he could play off the so called god's ego. "Wow, a dragon and a god. That's really somethin'. You know I bet a god like you would like a living idol. A small duplicate of your magnificence and power."he said this while leaning down to pick a couple of hand fulls of grass. He rolled the grass in his hands, crushing the greenry, "It's something I'm rather good at." The crushed greenry pulled apart and reformed in a butterfly in his hand, a Queen Alexandria's birdwing because of it's larger size. Easier to see for the dragon perched up there. Plus the male of the species had a rather nice arrangement of colors and patterns.

Ryoga was unlike any other creature which currently lived on the Earth. His musculature and form were more akin to a theropod dinosaur than any other reptile. The only human/mammal feature he retained was a swathe of hair which erupted from the back of his head and neck like a mane of obsidian fire. His wings weren't fully developed though, and still functioned simply as oddly proportioned legs when he walked, a feature which nearly everyone was unaware of. Ryoga was currently incapable of flight, but his bones were light enough that he could jump and glide quite well. His teeth were large and sharp like a predators, but actually quite ornamental considering his diet of radiation.

The boy chuckled a bit, and Ryoga wondered just what specific thing he'd said that was funny, as the God intended no humor at all. "I am more than just something mortal." The dragon commented snidely as Alex began to butter him up for something he could tell, as he spoke of an idol. The dragon had no eyebrows to raise, but the curiousity in his eyes could still be read easily enough. His glare never left Alex's hand as the mutant began to sculpt a living statue from just a handfull of dirt, an ability interesting enough to garner a response from Ryoga.

"Omoshiroi...This is your power as a mutant?" The dragon questioned as he leaned his head forward a bit to stare at the butterfly held in Alex's grasp. Ryoga had a soft spot for natural beauty, and the butterfly was certainly appealing. "Can you build anything you wish?" He asked with interest.

It was thrilling to even have a dragon, a supposed god, impressed with his ability. He dropped his hand, letting his creation fly freely of it's own volition. A couple handfuls of grass and one could have life. He was certain these days it had something to do with the fact that everything had chemical compounds that were at the very least similar to one another. His power was simply a reformatting of those basic compounds. However, this fact made him no less proud.

"Omoshiroi...This is your power as a mutant? Can you build anything you wish?"

"Indeed it is. But unfortunately no I can't build whatever I like, as nice as that would be. I have to know it's build first. Or at least have an impression of it before I can really do anything."he said looking up at Orochi. "The foundation must be laid first after all. For instance," he called the butterfly back, letting it land on his hand, "there's the obvious stuff like, antennae, thorax, abdomen, fore and hind wings. But then there's the internal stuff. Cerebral ganglion, the nerve cord, aorta, hearts, midgut, crop, and so on. The more I know, the better." He said all this whilst pointing out the various parts, careful not to touch the sensitive wings, knowing that the oils from his hands would act like acid to them.

"Obviously I'm not asking to dissect you. I can guess which parts are there and where based purely on your exterior."he said grinning, "But that means I would have to get a really good look if you want a copy of yourself. Or perhaps you'd like something else entirely? I'd be more than happy to give you a show of my abilities.

It was an odd situation, one where most other mortals would be trembling from fear or awe, the full might of a mythical creature staring down at them. But this boy, Alex couldn't seem to do anything but look at Ryoga with eyes of interest, like an artist burning from their muse. The idea of an idol enticed Ryoga's superiority complex, and he began to grow more interested in the mutant before him. The mutant explained his ability, describing how he had to know the subject before he could construct, which made perfect sense.

How could an artist create what it did not know? If the boy needed to know the Dragon God, Ryoga would allow it for the sake of seeing his own likeness crafted before him. However as the boy described body parts he had to know, Ryoga grew a bit confused, his English was good, but not perfect, and he was growing lost. Nerve chordo? The dragon snorted a bit. "Enough mortal, I understand that you must know your subject. You must examine my form if you intend to craft it yes?" The dragon asked, moving the conversation along with his domineering tone.

His serpentine form which had sat comfortably atop his Shrine rose up, as he crawled down onto the soft Earth below, the weight of his form quickly digging into the dirt as he shifted off his home. Ryoga was quite large, especially when compared to the average person, but generally he kept his head hovering about six foot off the ground, in an attempt to maintain a reasonable height for people to stare up at. Closer to the Earth it would be easier for him to watch Alex, but it also showed just how much larger he was than the boy. His wings folded up he still looked the part of a dinosaur more than a dragon, but he would change that in a moment.

"If it is the form of a God you need to understand, then behold Orochi!" He roared as he lifted himself up, putting his entire weight onto his back legs as he extended his wings outward, the hide between each bone not dark enough to blot out the sun, but casting a dark shadow around Alex, as if the mutant had been swallowed up by the beast. Though Ryoga wasn't truly capable of flight, his wings looked as if they could carry him wherever he chose.

"Enough mortal, I understand that you must know your subject. You must examine my form if you intend to craft it yes?"

Alex nodded excitedly. Yes, yes that's exactly what he wanted. Part of him knew that it was strange that he was excited over another mutant show him their body. But really, who could pass this up?! Orochi, sentient mutant or not, was a flippin' dragon! There was no way he was going to walk away without at least trying to get a closer look. And boy was he gonna get one.

Orochi moved from his perch to the ground, standing before him a good 6 feet, maybe more, tall. Not terribly tall mind you but his size was only bolstered by everything else. Up close he could start to make out the layering of the scales, how the mane fit along his body, the placement of the spines. It was amazing.

"If it is the form of a God you need to understand, then behold Orochi!"

And out flared the wings and Alex felt like a wide-eyed child again. He couldn't help the small laugh of happiness that bubbled up from his throat. Orochi certainly knew how to put on a show. He edged closer again, hands firmly in his pockets to keep himself from touching. The wings look almost exactly like that of bat wings, thin but sturdy structures to push against the wind, and hold all that up was the bone scaffolding. The muscles containing all of this were impressive, weaving down the arms into the shoulders and pectorals. From there he could follow it to the legs, less chicken like than he intially thought and more theropod.

He laughed a bit at the realization. "Dinosaur. Your build is that of a dinosaur. Like a t-rex or raptor, I knew those legs looked familiar. Birds have similar ones but...you move more snake like than that. Your spine is way more flexible so...more bones? But that wouldn't help with flight at all, not unless...mmm, maybe..." At that point he was mumbling to himself, puzzling over the structure against what he already knew about the animal kingdom. He walked back and forth practically underneath Orochi, looking but not touching. He moved back, hand on his chin now before circling around the dragon inspecting his back.

He wished he had more time to look him over but he was sure Orochi wasn't that patient. Besides it was a first time build, he had plenty more chances ahead of him to try again and perfect it. "Alright, I think I have a good idea now. I'll be right back I need more material than grass."he said before jogging off to gather whatever organic litter he could find around the house. Fallen tree branches, leaves, food from inside, anything organic and technically dead. He piled up the material in front of Orochi like a odd sacrificial pyre.

Ryoga was an odd mixture of features that didn't quite belong together, all merged into one truly magnificent animal. A man carved of granite and forged by fire into the ultimate beast, an actual factual dragon. His skin was thick and leathery, like the hide of an elephant, and atop it was a layer of scales like the skin of a massive crocodilian, armor impervious to all but the more powerful weapons of the modern age. The form of the legs and skeletal structure was quite avian though, like the dinosaurs from the time before man, Ryoga was built for power.

Thought flight was currently beyond him, he could easily out manuver any normal man save indoors. Alex brought up the word dinosaur, a term Ryoga was not unfamiliar with, ancient powerful creatures which ruled the Earth before mankind did, destroyed by the power of fire if Ryoga remembered correctly, a meteor strike which clouded the world in ash and wiped them from history. A scene which sort of fit that which had born Ryoga's genes long ago, the human genome warped forever and burned by atomic fire. The boy began to go off on a tangent once more, so Ryoga took the moment to take back control of the conversation.

"Yes, I know this word. Dinosaur, massive animals which once ruled the world. A fitting comparison, as if I was old royalty born anew." The dragon was smiling internally, loving whenever he was compared to something he thought was majestic or powerful. Ryoga waited as the mutant paced beneath and around him, the dragon feeding on his admiration, each second he looked at Ryoga was worth all the effort of being dramatic, the stares of impressed or fearful mortals were like a drug to the Japanese serpent.

His eyebrow raised a bit as Alex said he'd seen enough, as if there was ever enough time to truly enjoy Ryoga's form. The mutant intended to leave and fetch more raw material with which to scuplt, but Ryoga had one more little move to show off before the boy left his gaze. The dragon took a breath, and braced his feet into the Earth before flapping his massive wings. The gust was more than enough push an unsuspecting person down, but here it had been to simply show off how strong Ryoga was.

As Alex collected the various dead or decayed pieces of nature he could find, Ryoga found himself amused at how the boy's power must work. So he used dead material to sculpt living things, how poetic. Nature always made use of it's resources, and even if you were weak, nature would make use of you in death, feeding the strong. Ryoga enjoyed the thought as Alex finished his little pile.

"Be sure that you sculpt well little mutant, A mockery would displease me." The dragon warned.

The gust of wind used by Orochi to show off nearly knocked him off his feet. Thankfully he was able to catch himself and laugh it off. It only bolstered his eagerness to mimic Orochi's powerful form. He wouldn't be able to make it as large as the real deal of course. He didn't eat nearly enough for that, he didn't think I would be possible. However with only a single insect as a construct today he was sure he could get it at least up to 40 pounds if he could find enough material.

And find it he did. A lot of it was branches that had been neglected to be picked up or those he had broken off from trees nearby, but there were leftovers from the kitchen, trash and other such things.

"Be sure that you sculpt well little mutant, A mockery would displease me." The dragon's voice had an underlying threat to it that he was pretty sure wasn't going to be followed. However he wasn't looking to disappoint. No, if he was right in his thinking, Orochi was about to be very, very impressed.

"Trust me sir, I'll do my best."he said sitting down. First time creations took a bit of time and bigger ones could leave him tired. "I'll be going slow, so you'll be able to see the show for yourself." Closing his eyes he concentrated on the material first, breaking it down, making the pile shift as if it was breathing and then collapsing on itself.

From there taking the microscopic pieces and bending it into bones. From the claws up the skeleton was revealed, carefully carved with a hollow structure like bird bones. A lot was guess work, attempts to blend what he already knew and what he had witnessed today. Next the internal organs; heart, lungs, stomach, brain, eyes, and so on. From there the nervous system spread out, followed quickly by fat and muscle to hold it up.

At this point the heart was beating in it's new ribcage, lungs expanding for the first time, but was quickly hidden by more layers of muscle. The first layers of skin wrapped the body, then more and more, slowly filling out the details till the scales became hard and thick. Spines were shaped from the skin as well as the mane, as the last remaining details to work out.

By the time Alex opened his eyes 15, maybe 20 minuets had passed, and just as he predicted he was tired. Ah but the creation was completely worth it. Before him was a practically perfect 40 pound replica of the 1 ton dragon. He scooted forward on his knees to inspect his work, opening the small dragons mouth, stretching out the wings, just looking over everything. He gave a breathy laugh, tired but overjoyed at the success, looking up at the supposed god, "What do you think?"

The mutant promised his best, and the God expected nothing less. To make a sculpture of anyone was both an honor, but a responsibility, as a poor mockery would serve as nothing but a direct insult to the inspiration. To insult a God would be in no one's interest, save that nasty bone woman he'd rather forget, but it would seem this mutant had more than enough talent to please the Dragon.

Ryoga's eyes widened as he watched the boy's power at work, the various pieces of natural debris he'd gathered morphing into something wondrous. It might be quite unlikely that Alex could correctly guess Ryoga's internal anatomy, but genetically he did still possess some human features, coupled with other features which fit the general knowledge of reptile anatomy, meaning that Alex's guess work was enough to construct a functional and magnificent mini-God.

"Sugoi!" The dragon slipped into Japanese for a moment, before correcting his language and praising Alex with proper speech. "Magnificent! Your work is exceptional mutant!" The dragon lowered his head to within a foot of the little creature, his large brilliant eye glued to the micro version of himself, watching it's every gesture.
While it was certainly an impressive piece to anyone, to see himself sculpted at a fraction of his large size was greatly amusing to the dragon.

"To see a living creature constructed from mere debris, how interesting. Is it alive? Or merely an imitation?" The dragon questioned, his attention captivated, but not with Alex himself, his gaze focused on the little Orochi before him.

"Sugoi! Magnificent! Your work is exceptional mutant!"

Alex was pleased by the joy the dragon got from seeing a miniature version of himself. The miniature gave a little roar, sounding rather like a cub and showing off the rows of shiny sharp teeth. It acted more on instinct than any true intelligence. He could have implanted Ace or Mary in the construct but for this one, he wanted to see it grow it's own personality.

"To see a living creature constructed from mere debris, how interesting. Is it alive? Or merely an imitation?"

He gave the question a little thought before answering. "It's somewhere in-between that. It feels pain, reacts to sensory input just like any other creature. But it doesn't need to eat and breeding probably wouldn't work. It's mind is it's own but is a part of me. If that makes any sense." He watched as the little creature spread it's wings, flapping a few times but...it wasn't getting off the ground. That was cause for concern, he rushed to check his work, look for errors, all the while trying to gather sensation data from the new construct. Something was wrong with the design! But how could that be, he copied Orochi almost exactly. "How?...Orochi, sir, you can fly right? I hate to be any more intrusive than I already have but something's wrong..."

The little dragon roared, and Ryoga laughed loudly, finding the little simulacrum quite endearing. It immitated his form and function, but in a way that he felt honored his own magnificence. The mutant explained his power, and how the creature was torn between being alive and being mechanical. So it was like an extension of the mutant himself, an avatar of sorts. The boy's power was certainly on the border of magical or divine, as many Gods throughout history worked through animal extensions of themselves.

Ryoga puffed up a bit. "I need not eat either, yet another feature this miniature shares with it's inspiration." Though that statement wasn't correct, as Ryoga did eat, but in a way completely unlike any other animal living today. The little dragon flapped, but found no flight with it's wings, just as Ryoga couldn't with his. A secret shame he tended to keep to himself, especially here in America among strangers.

The dragon's eyes narrowed as Alex stepped into territory best left untread. "Do you imply that my form is flawed?" The dragon growled, his friendly tone quickly replaced with the more domineering one he showed when angry or annoyed. His head dropped down a bit, matching Alex's height but the size of his eyes made Alex seem small at best. Ryoga however couldn't simply change his attitude towards Alex this fast, the boy had constructed the creature dutifully.

A puff of air escaped Ryoga's nose as he calmed down a bit. "Flight...is difficult, perhaps the little dragon's size inhibits the flight more than predicted." He tried to word his statement to avoid mentioning that flight was actually beyond him as well, his wings not quite large enough yet to support his mass, though gliding was something he could accomplish with enough height or speed to build momentum.

Alex stiffened when the dragon lowered it's head to his face. He was already pretty beat from this creation, he didn't know if he could run from the god. He shook his head at the question, not wanting to anger the beast any further. Even so he was filtering the information the new construct was feeding him. Everything felt right, no misplaced bones or muscles, nothing construction wise.

"Flight...is difficult, perhaps the little dragon's size inhibits the flight more than predicted."

He relaxed, slowly, letting out a little sigh in reply. "Maybe...Though it should be the same, the wingspan is the right match for yours I'm sure of it." He was again talking more to himself than the would-be god. At his command the smaller version of the dragon spread it's wings so he could get a better look. Checking the length of the wings to the length of the body, then the girth of the muscles. Then double check and triple checked and the same error kept coming up. "They're too short. Either that or the muscles are too weak." Sitting back, it was easy to see the disappointment on his face.

"I'm sorry Orochi...He's not as perfect as I'd hope." Looking up at the dragon all he could do was shrug and hope he was forgiven. He figured that the actual dragon would be upset by such a glaring imperfection in the replication of his form. "I'll get it right next time." At least he hoped, if only because the smaller dragon seem quite frustrated that it couldn't leave the ground even though it had wings.