What does it feel like to fly? That is a question that was hard to explain in words. Some things you have to experience yourself to really understand. Rico glided in the air currents of the night sky, his bat like wings only flapping occasionally. Normally Rico was not himself when he shifted to his wyvern form. Feral of mind lacking the light of intelligence behind his eyes.

But practice made perfect and he finally was in control. Up in the sky he felt truly free. His problems and the problems of the world left far below. It was hours before he finally looked down to the earth and folded his wings close to the body. The dragon nose dived until the last moment before flaring out his wings to kick off the edge of a mansion roof.

Not even slowing he folded the wings back in to his body like a bird and landed on the earth with a loud thud and enough force to make it seem like a tremor had occurred. The black scaled creature moved through the garden with his yellow eyes fixated on the object of his desires. A pond with lights in it illuminating the colors of swimming koi fish.

Going to the ground like a bat would he lowered his muzzle to the water and started to drink his fill. Having satisfied his thirst the large horse sized reptile turned to the other thing his body needed, food. Darting his head into the water to snatch up a koi fish in his mouth Rico threw back his head and swallowed the fish whole.

Rico felt a little bad about it honestly. They were beautiful fish. Whatever guilt he felt melted away though as they were also tasty.

Like many at the school, Shelby hadn't been able to sleep. Unlike the rest of that many, she generally tried to work through her bouts of insomnia with a paint brush and a canvas. That meant that she was stuffing herself into a pair of boots and a sweater, gathering up her art supply bag and sneaking out of her shared room well after the sun had gone down. There were a few places she typically went when the mood to paint struck her, and while the garden would surely be empty this time of night, all of the flowers would also be cloaked in darkness. Instead, she headed out toward a pond she'd spotted not all that long ago. She had an image in her head; A clear, cloudless sky with a bright moon hanging in it completely untouched. The moonlight would glint off the water of the pond, shedding light on the foliage around it. There would be the barest hint of life... the various sized Koi swimming about lazily in the--

She froze, only a few yards away from the pond. There was a large shape skulking around the pond, and splashing could be heard. Then the shape tossed what she assumed its head was and ate one of the pond fish.

...Well, there went that vision. Lifting the flashlight she held in one hand, she switched it on and aimed it toward the shape. She tried not to focus the beam directly at it, since that would have been rude. "Oh, uh... hey." She'd never met this particular resident before.. but, after getting at least a partial look she found it easy to switch from wanting to paint the pond, to wanting to paint something else.

"... Mind if I paint you?" Was that a weird question? She was too tired to really care. She just blinked, and set her easel down.

Rico was not expecting any one this time of the night. For one it was late, secondly he was a dragon. That should have been enough to keep anyone at a distance. There existed a deep fear of the unknown in most creatures. Except for this one it seemed. He stopped feeding as a beam of light hit the ground around him just barely illuminating the outlines of his body in the darkness.

Rico did not flinch or even jump at the surprise. And why should he? He was an apex super predator. Letting out a low hiss he turned his head and long neck around to look at the woman. His yellow piercing eyes fixed on her. He inhaled the air through his nose to allow his olfactory senses to process information. She was a female he could see clearly enough. Pale in complexion as if the sun had never touched her.

Making a few clicking sounds as he processed the other smells he finally spoke in a deep almost demonic sounding voice that seemed to tremble and vibrate in the air. "You are brave human to approach me." It felt strange to Rico speaking in this form. It was his first time and like listening to a recording of yourself he found it alien to his ears.

"... Mind if I paint you?"

This woman was full of surprises. Absolutely no fear. He admired that. Standing upright on his hind legs and putting the tail on the ground for support Rico extended his bat like wings out to the side fully. "I am Razakel!" his voice boomed. What he said next was more gentle. Or at least as gentle as his voice was capable of doing. "You may paint me and afterwards I will decide if I should eat you or not."

It was all just a act really. He did not intend to eat her. Razakel was not even his name. But it sounded dark and intimidating so he chose it for a codename. Events in the future required him to adopt a fake personality. Practice made perfect.

It swung to face her, letting out a low hiss at the same time. To her credit she didn't roll her eyes. Then it grated out a response at her in a voice that belonged in a horror film. She really did roll her eyes at the 'human' term as she dropped her paint bag next to her feet and got her canvas set up. Why did it seem like all of the dragons she'd met were really dramatic? Did this one think he was a god, too?

"Nope, just an artist who's setting you are currently dining on."

She bent to dig a pencil out of her bag, moving her flashlight so she could see what she was doing. When the soon to be subject of her most recent painting sat up and cast it's wings out, she glanced up and lifted her newfound pencil in front of her, squinting one eye as she tried to get a grasp of the size. Then came a dramatic introduction, and an equally dramatic threat. Shelby held back a sigh as she straightened and lifted her light back up from her back. 

"Well, I shall endeavor not to disappoint you then, Razakel." She headed for him, intent on getting a good angle and possibly shooing him into a different position. The thought that he wasn't in fact a student of the school, or associated with it at all never crossed her mind. Why should it have? She was just some normal human pretending to fit in among a horde of mutants. He was just another of those mutants she had yet to meet. One who apparently liked fish. 

"Could you turn a little... chin up, so the moonlight hits you better." She squinted at him, one hand on a hip as she pondered on what exactly she wanted to capture in the painting. It would be easy to go with an old staple... the cunning, vicious dragon. Full of spite and fire, possibly with a horde of gold in the background. That seemed generic though... over done. She peered up at him as she chewed on the end of the pencil and pondered. She didn't know him, but from what she could see of him she had a few ideas...

"I'm Heidi, by the way... nice to meet you." With her vision in mind she turned and headed back toward her easel.

"Well, I shall endeavor not to disappoint you then, Razakel."

Again Rico could smell no fear. If anything just annoyance. "Man I really suck at this" He said to her and let a low rumbling laugh escape from deep in his chest. "Cant blame me for trying though." Rico maintained the dramatic position he was holding and watched her set up the equipment. All unknown and alien to him.

"Could you turn a little... chin up, so the moonlight hits you better."

Rico did as instructed and turned a little and tilted his snout up a bit more at the sky. "Like this?" He asked. Ok, now at this point he was feeling a little silly. It probably was quite the sight to anyone if anyone was even watching the scene. Rico felt like a puppy dog performing tricks for people on the street so its master could have some money thrown into a hat.

"I'm Heidi, by the way... nice to meet you."

"Um, nice to meet you Heidi." He said unsure of really what else to say. Or at least nothing witty at the moment. It felt strange to interact socially with others in this form. Normally he ate folks and did not even remember it. Though in truth that was a blessing of sorts. Some details were better forgotten.

"Seriously though, this better not be a puff the magic dragon kind of thing you are working on or I am gonna be pretty pissed." It was a funny thought. But with artists it was a pretty good possibility. Hoping to make the time go by faster he decided to coax information out of her.

"So what kind of place is this? Pretty fancy for a art school." He had no idea were he was and his arrival was purely accidental. In the sky the mansion stood out like a sore thumb. "And why are you not afraid of me?" That was probably the biggest question he had. "Even other mutants keep a distance, but not you, why?"

"Man I really suck at this. Cant blame me for trying though."

She chuckled as he laughed, and nodded when he was in a good position for her. "Nope, no blame in trying. I'm sure if it were anyone else it may have worked, probably." She'd met scarier things than him, after all... and both times the threats to eat her had been a lot more genuine. She tucked the flashlight under her arm, aiming it at her canvas as she finished her rough sketch. Then she stooped and procured a few tubes of paint, picking out the colors she wanted to use.

"Seriously though, this better not be a puff the magic dragon kind of thing you are working on or I am gonna be pretty pissed."

That earned a bark of laughter, and she paused what she was doing. "Oh... oh god no!" She continued to chuckle, imagining just that. "I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy." Well, unless it was specifically requested. Then she'd do it, but reluctantly and with more than a few cringes. "I think this painting will have a little more of an eerie, mysterious nature to it... No googly eyes, I promise."

"So what kind of place is this? Pretty fancy for a art school... And why are you not afraid of me? Even other mutants keep a distance, but not you, why?"

Okay, now that gave her a reason to pause. He wasn't a student? Or at all affiliated with the school, if his question was anything to go on. Perhaps he was visiting? "Well, to answer your first question, that's because this isn't an Art School." She blinked, "It's actually a school for mutants... Kinda like a very specialized boarding school, So they can get a grasp on their mutations. Gives em' a safe place to grow and learn."

She fiddled with the cap of a paint tube, pondering on his second question. "In regards to your second question, well..." The cap came off, but some paint gushed out and ended up on her fingers. She scowled at it for a moment before continuing.

"There are a lot of reasons, I guess. I can't pick just one." Abandoning her brush for now, she set about smearing the paint around on the canvas with her fingers. "First and foremost, it's really S#$%y that people have done that to you, and second if I allowed myself to shy away from everything that looked different than me, i'd lead a pretty miserable existence.... And, well..." She struggle to find the proper words to describe how she felt.

"Okay, forgive me for waxing poetic for a moment, but 'Everything has its beauty, but not everyone see's it'. That's a quote from a really famous artist I admire... he could take the most normal things and turn them into something else with just a few minor changes." She paused to peer at him, then moved to a different shade of paint. "Other people may see something terrifying, and shy away, but I see something entirely different. I want to learn more."

Laughter was not something he heard often. So when she did Rico found it made him feel good. They say laughing is suppose to be therapeutic. Good not only for the mind, but the body. In this case Rico would agree. 

"I think this painting will have a little more of an eerie, mysterious nature to it... No googly eyes, I promise."

The idea of being immortalized in a painting in a foolish manner did not amuse Rico. If anyone was going to make a fool of him he preferred it be him. At least then he could play it off as being intentional. Being eerie and mysterious sounded appealing. Rico liked to think of himself as being that way these days. It was all part of the image and personality he was trying to build.

"It's actually a school for mutants... Gives em' a safe place to grow and learn"

Those words are what stood out the most for Rico. He had heard talk of the school and it stirred mixed feelings. "Interesting...." He said lowly in thought, the end of his tail twitching briefly. "I suppose they are lucky to be here. But its a large world out there. Many are not so lucky."

"I suppose such luxury's are only allowed to the rich and higher class. Would explain why this place is so noble  estate like." This time his voice held a bite of venom to it. He held some kind of ill feelings to this place. Feeling more then likely based off of rumor and conjecture.

There was a question on his mind but he let it fade away for the time being as he listened to Heidi. She was clearly having trouble answering his question at first. Rico did not understand at first why. Fear was pretty self explanatory. But why seemed the harder part to explain.

'Everything has its beauty, but not everyone see's it'. That's a quote from a really famous artist I admire... he could take the most normal things and turn them into something else with just a few minor changes. Other people may see something terrifying, and shy away, but I see something entirely different. I want to learn more."

Listening to her express such emotion in words caught him off guard. It was his turn to find the right words to express. "We live in a world of heroes and villains. Monsters and slayers. A world of masks were nothing is as it seems. Underneath the mask is our real selves. Then there is the mask we wear. The one that the world sees us as. In my case...." He went quiet but finally decided to say it bluntly.

"I am not something you want to learn more about. It never ends well when anyone try's." He was no longer interested in talking about it and decided to ask the question he was holding back to put her on the defensive a bit more and less inquisitive about him. "So what is a human doing at a mutant school? You a teacher?"

"I suppose such luxury's are only allowed to the rich and higher class. Would explain why this place is so noble estate like."

"Well, actually that's not so much the case." She started, unaware that he viewed the school in a negative light at the moment. "The school does look pretty grand, but that's all it is, really. A grand appearance. There are quite a few students who came here without a dime to their name, simply because they had nowhere else to go. I'd say it's a little closer to a charity, than something strictly for the wealthy." She pointed at herself, smiling pleasantly. "Heck, I came here as broke college kid." 

She paused. She'd been about to elaborate on her circumstances, but decided against it. If she told too much of her actual history, it would probably blow her cover story at some point.

"We live in a world of heroes and villains. Monsters and slayers. A world of masks were nothing is as it seems. Underneath the mask is our real selves. Then there is the mask we wear. The one that the world sees us as. In my case.... I am not something you want to learn more about. It never ends well when anyone try's."

"...Woah... uh... well, sure, I guess. But I mean it's not like I'm about to ask you twenty questions or anything, just like, friendly chatting." She blinked at him owlishly, caught off guard by his answer. "Like, yeah... most of that is true. There are definitely a lot of bad people, and a lot of good people... but there's also a bunch of regular folks shoved in the middle, just trying to be... well, normal." She paused, with a frown settled on her features. "And.. well, it might not be my place to give you advice, seeing as you barely know me and all... but you shouldn't let yourself think like that." She'd been there once... a dark place, where it felt like everything would be better if she just pushed everyone away. She still struggled with that mentality from time to time.

"Sure, you gotta do things at your own pace, but eventually you should try to open up. I mean, i'm not exactly a shining example of that... pretty damn antisocial, actually... Kind of feel hypocritical now... but... look. I guess what i'm trying to get at is that ultimately the only one you hurt with that type logic is yourself. Don't punish yourself for something you can't control." 

Her face turned a little red as she trailed off, and she scratched at the back of her neck. Why was she trying to play counselor for a mutant kid she'd just met? She wasn't at all qualified for it, and she barely had her own life under control for @#$% sake!

"So what is a human doing at a mutant school? You a teacher?"

It was her turn to be stunned, and she shifted nervously on her feet. "Human?" She chuckled nervously and fixated on her painting. "Why would you assume I'm a human? This is a school for mutants." On the inside she was panicking. What had her fake mutation been again?! It had been so long since she'd last had to tell anyone! Crap! 

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that ultimately the only one you hurt with that type logic is yourself. Don't punish yourself for something you can't control."

While she had said many great things it was these words that sparked a response. "Really?" He asked in almost arrogant cocky way. "So when I lose control and go feral from time to time and rip folks apart and devour them I should not blame myself? This is not some fairy tale world were all story's have happy endings. Not for me. What I would give to have a normal life, to be human at least for a day." Rico had heard of stuff being sold on the street that could do that for him. But he was still unsure on it.

"Why would you assume I'm a human? This is a school for mutants."

Rico would be lying if he said he did not find her cute at the moment. Acting all innocent and naïve. Still it seemed a pretty important secret so he would keep it and hopefully she would keep the whole him eating folks thing a secret as well. Even though that was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to his secrets.

It was his turn to act naïve. "Oh really?" Rico said with a attempted air of innocence. "I guess my nose failed me then. Strange really....." As the deep words trailed off Rico shifted his head a bit to allow his yellow piercing eyes to fix on her. "I normally take pride in my sense of smell. Even better then dogs. I can smell cancer. I can smell when a diabetic is about to have an attack. I can smell seizures before they happen. Even a child who is a mutant before there powers have even started to surface."

Returning his head back to where it was in the pose he added. "I guess I am wrong this time. Perhaps I should enroll in the school and become a student?" He allowed himself a chuckle and shake of a the head. "Such a ridiculous idea....." At least he thought so at the moment. Rico thought about his new employer and just how pissed that would probably make him.

The thought of that big greasy cockroach throwing a fit made him smile. Especially in that top hat of his.

"Really? So when I lose control and go feral from time to time and rip folks apart and devour them I should not blame myself? This is not some fairy tale world were all story's have happy endings. Not for me. What I would give to have a normal life, to be human at least for a day."

She paused, paintbrush hovering over the canvas as his words fully settled in. Specifically the go feral and devour them parts. She hadn't been expecting that. Nope. To say that his admission caught her off guard was an understatement. 

... Hadn't he threatened to eat her if her painting turned out crappy?

"Um..." She swallowed thickly, jerkily getting her brush going again. "...I'm Sorry." His nose, seeing how it was so sensitive, would probably easily be able to pick up on the fact that there was fear present in her, now. She'd taken him at first glance as a student, and then as some kind of visitor to the school. Now she was wondering what exactly 'feral' meant, and if she could come up with an adequate enough excuse to hurry back into the school before he could make good on his previous threat. What was with her and running into people who wanted to eat her?! Was pink some sort of mutant delicacy?!

"...I didn't mean... well, I didn't mean it like that. I guess I shouldn't have opened my mouth without knowing you better. It was wrong of me to just assume..." Which, now that she knew he wasn't just talking about how he looked, she did feel bad about it. She was half torn with guilt, and half with a fairly justified urge to flee.... If she ran for it, would he chase her? She wasn't very fast. Maybe she shouldn't turn her back, and avoid eye contact or something?

"Oh really? I guess my nose failed me then. Strange really..... I normally take pride in my sense of smell. Even better then dogs. I can smell cancer. I can smell when a diabetic is about to have an attack. I can smell seizures before they happen. Even a child who is a mutant before there powers have even started to surface."

He managed to derail her train of thought again, and she squinted up at him, clearly confused. Well, confused, and even more worried. He could smell the mutant gene? Holy $%#@! She laughed weakly, unable to form a proper comeback for that. What could she even say? 'Oh! Yup! Your super smell power is totally off this one time! What a fluke!'

"I guess I am wrong this time. Perhaps I should enroll in the school and become a student? Such a ridiculous idea....."

"Well, actually... it's not such a bad idea." She focused on her painting, feeling a little more secure of herself when she was painting her image of him, instead of the one she was now vividly imagining gobbling her up over and over. "If there is anyone, or anything that can help you with... control... chances good that you would find it here."

She glanced at him over the rim of her glasses, partially obscured by pink bangs. "Every case is different, yes... and I've only been here a short time compared to others... but that is one of the main things focused on. Control."

"...I didn't mean... well, I didn't mean it like that. I guess I shouldn't have opened my mouth without knowing you better. It was wrong of me to just assume..."

Everyone was guilty of assuming something at one time or another. Rico knew he was guilty of it so he held no ill feelings towards her and said as much. "I told you I am not something you want to learn more about. It never ends well when anyone try's. Its not so much that I am anti social. I just don't want to hurt anyone that does not deserve it. You seem.... really nice. I do not want that.,,, Would not allow it. If I pose a threat I would give you fare warning to get somewhere safe before my humanity is lost." Humanity seemed the right word. It was not like he could say mutanity. Rico did not even believe that was a word.

He let out a sigh that sounded more like a rumbling purr deep in his chest. "You are to trusting though to just blindly approach me. It is both a strength and a weakness. You were lucky tonight was the first time I learned to control my more primal side. It would not have ended well otherwise." He chose to spare the details for a reason.

After the remarks of his smell he could not help but notice the look on her face. "Its complicated." Was all he could think of to say. Its not like he could smell a baby and tell they were a mutant. It was more of a time window. The subtle changes in the body the months before the gifts surfaced. Rico always summed it up to smelling bio chemistry changes. He was no scientist, but it made sense so it was as good as any explanation.

"Every case is different, yes... and I've only been here a short time compared to others... but that is one of the main things focused on. Control."

Rico had mixed feelings on it. "I don't know. This mansion looks pretty intact. I find it hard to believe they help us learn control. But I will think about it."

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." He let his lower jaw hang down in an attempted smile.  "Robert Frost...... I like quoting others. It makes me seem more intelligent then I really am." Turning his head Rico stuck his tongue out at her playfully. It was a silly attempt to make her laugh again. 

The quote describe his situation at the moment well though. He was stuck ins some pretty dark woods with debts and promises to his new boss. Perhaps when those debts were settled he could think about coming back to this place. Or they would probably come looking for him as the artist would probably tell everyone about there meeting.

"I told you I am not something you want to learn more about. It never ends well when anyone try's. Its not so much that I am anti social. I just don't want to hurt anyone that does not deserve it. You seem.... really nice. I do not want that.,,, Would not allow it. If I pose a threat I would give you fare warning to get somewhere safe before my humanity is lost."

So... he could tell when he was about to lose control of himself? That was reassuring, slightly. Some of her fear toward him lessened and she relaxed a little. He mentioned that he would warn her ahead of time should such a thing happen, and that was even more comforting. He was a dragon with good intentions, it seemed. "Well... Thank you, for that." She got back to painting, nearly finished with the dragon himself. She still had the background to work on.

"You are to trusting though to just blindly approach me. It is both a strength and a weakness. You were lucky tonight was the first time I learned to control my more primal side. It would not have ended well otherwise."

She flushed red and paused again. "Now wait a moment, I'll have you know that I approached what I thought was a student, on school property!" She was embarrassed, to say the least. Yes, it had turned out to be different than what she had expected, but that was totally not her fault! It's not like she just walked up to some imposing figure out in the city! She wasn't completely dense! "I didn't exactly expect to walk into this situation...." She paused, grumbling further under her breath as he moved again. It was a good thing she'd already gotten the majority of his likeness done. "Not that i'm complaining, really. S'not every day I get to paint a dragon in real life."

"I don't know. This mansion looks pretty intact. I find it hard to believe they help us learn control. But I will think about it."

She let out an airy chuckle. "You'd be surprised then at how many times this place catches on fire or someone explodes a room. There are a lot of kids here who don't exactly have a perfect grasp on their powers. Heck, there are repairs being done almost constantly!" She giggled again, envisioning the wall in Saph's room that still had bits of alarm clock embedded in it.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost...... I like quoting others. It makes me seem more intelligent then I really am."

Laugh she did. The fact that there was a dragon currently sticking his tongue out at her was too much. Somehow he managed to look imposing and silly at the same time. Like a lion with it's tongue poking out. "I guess we have that in common then. The quotes thing that is." She started filling in the background, switching back to her fingers to add in texture. 

"Now wait a moment, I'll have you know that I approached what I thought was a student, on school property!" Rico could not help but chuckle and play dumb a bit. "Oh yes...... that's right. Guess that means I'm trespassing. Terrible security this place. I just glided right on in."

"Not that i'm complaining, really. S'not every day I get to paint a dragon in real life."

"Not likely to do get the chance again either. Not often my kind appear in the world. Guess my variant of mutation must be getting thin in the X gene pool. Nothing a good tussle between the sheets cant fix. That is one good reason I do not think this place can teach me control. Nobody would know how." The talk of dragons and real life got him thinking. "You know I have a friend in the Mexico region doing some scholar work. Old school English fellow. A bit eccentric, but he has a good head on his shoulders."

"The mans is quite obsessed over dragon myths and legends. He is rather confident that as long as mankind has existed, so have we. He makes some interesting points I guess in his books. Currently he is looking for some lost temple in the jungles that holds tomb of Quetzalcoatl or was it Kukulkan?" He paused in thought at that. "In any case it is a dragon god that once ruled over ancient man and is prophesied to one day return."

Rico did not take anything to do with prophecy seriously. If his friend found anything in the tomb Rico doubted it would be a sleeping dragon god. Probably just bones if anything. Still that would make his friends career and validate everything he has been saying and writing in the scientific community.

He was glad she laughed. And like before it made him feel pretty good. Moving his long neck he took a look at the painting. As Rico examined it his breath would wash over her hot and ranch with the smell of fish. "Well lucky you...." Rico said. "I guess your off the menu tonight." While he found his humor funny a lot of the time it went to the dark side from time to time. "Guess you don't need me posing anymore." Without waiting he walked into the man made pond and rolled over onto his back.

While it may have seemed big at the time it was only big enough to cover the dragons main torso in water. His tail and legs were out along with his long neck. "Swanky pool you got here." He said to the artist and started to lazily pick between his teeth with a talon on his wing joint. Whoever the groundskeeper was they were probably going to be pretty pissed in the morning when they found the garden trampled, fish eaten, and the pond defiled. But such was the way of dragons. At least that is what the old stories said.

"So tell me some funny stories of these school escapades. You must have a lot with all the students having trouble controlling there powers. Cant be any worse then what happened to me. I blacked out once trying to control my shifting and woke up hours later in central park naked as a wee baby. Would not have been so bad had there not been this lady jogging by with her dog." He paused. "That got loose off the leash." he paused again. "And proceeded to chase me through some bushes. Low hanging branches don't exactly tickle."

"Was not funny at the time. But it is now."

"Oh yes...... that's right. Guess that means I'm trespassing. Terrible security this place. I just glided right on in."


She had to give him that one. Though, it wasn't like there was a whole lot they could to to up security on the sky itself. Still, she let out a soft laugh at him. "That is certainly a valid point, I suppose."

She listened as he went into a story about dragons, genes, and a friend he had in mexico. It was actually rather fascinating. "Well, it would certainly be hard to disagree with him on the theory of it. Genetic mutations have been around for ages, and it would make a lot of sense for the majority of myths and legends to be based off of actual, real people at some point in time." She thought back to the Dragon Lord she'd somewhat befriended all those years ago. How was he doing now?

"You know, when I first moved here there was a dragon from Japan residing here at the School. Where he cam from the folks around him thought he was a living god, and he carried himself as such. I wonder if your friend would ever be interested in meeting a living depiction of what he's currently seeking after?" She smiled. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen him around lately... I wonder if he went back home?"

She sighed, but was quickly moved on from the thought as Razakel moved closer to spy at the painting.

"Well lucky you.... I guess your off the menu tonight. Guess you don't need me posing anymore."

His breath blew her head in an a frantic gust, and her glasses fogged over temporarily. She gave a short, sharp laugh and attempted to shoo him away with a hand. "Well count my lucky stars!" She stuck her tongue out at him as he moseyed back over to the pond and flopped in it like a large, lazy cat. She was comfortable again, or at least as close to comfortable as she had been before. His attitude and sense of humor really helped to calm her nerves back down. 

While he got started relaxing and picking his teeth, she gave her work a critical once over to see if there was anything further she could add.

"So tell me some funny stories of these school escapades. You must have a lot with all the students having trouble controlling there powers. Cant be any worse then what happened to me. I blacked out once trying to control my shifting and woke up hours later in central park naked as a wee baby. Would not have been so bad had there not been this lady jogging by with her dog. That got loose off the leash. And proceeded to chase me through some bushes. Low hanging branches don't exactly tickle. Was not funny at the time. But it is now."

With a snort, she attempted not to outright laugh at his story. It was a hard fought battle that she ultimately lost. The image all of that information formed into in her head was just too funny! It also brought up a few questions, though. What did he mean by shifting?

"Well, again, I haven't been around very long time so I missed quite a few of the entertaining things. Most of the stuff i've seen personally has been on the light side of funny. For instance, I know a guy who sometimes can't control the force he outputs. Every morning he sends his alarm clock smashing through a wall and has to buy another. I think he's on like... number 75 since I've met him?" She smiled edging around the easel while wiping her hands on her paint stained t-shirt. She chose  rock not terribly far from the pond-not-pool and plopped down on it so she could talk to him distraction free.

"There's also a kid who makes bubbles when he sneezes. They're not normal bubbles, either.. really hard to pop. He's allergic to cats, and there are like a dozen or more feline type mutants here, so ever other day this kid goes into sneezing fits and explodes half a wing with bubbles." Saph complained about that one pretty often, seeing as he always seemed to be the one on duty when the kid had his episodes. "I've also heard rumors about some spider type mutant once fixing furniture to the ceiling with web, and some woman who accidentally kept knocking people out with her eyes all the time."

She chuckled, crossing her arms around her ribs. "..So... you can shift out of that form?"

Well, it would certainly be hard to disagree with him on the theory of it. Genetic mutations have been around for ages, and it would make a lot of sense for the majority of myths and legends to be based off of actual, real people at some point in time."

While Rico had argued with his human friend about it before he could hardly argue against it now. One person saying it was one thing. Another neutral party saying almost the exact same thing was another part entirely. At this point Rico could not say much. But he was a firm believer in, "It is what it is." He was a believer at this point. Mutants had to have existed in the past to have created such stories.

"You know, when I first moved here there was a dragon from Japan residing here at the School. Where he cam from the folks around him thought he was a living god, and he carried himself as such. I wonder if your friend would ever be interested in meeting a living depiction of what he's currently seeking after?"

That caught Rico off guard. For the longest time he thought he was alone. If there was any creature that could teach him anything about being a dragon it would have to be her friend. It would have to be something he asked in the future though. Personal information was a two way street. You had to give a little to get a little and Rico was not eager to push on the matter and close that door by being to eager. So he remained silent and listened.

Rico listened to her stories with a lower jaw hanging open in a smile more then likely invisible to her. He had a few things to say about the bubbles story being disgusting but chose to remain silent until the end.

"..So... you can shift out of that form?"

The dragon watched her movements and took advantage of the subtle social cues he picked up."Maaaaaybe." Rico said playfully and adjusted his long neck so he could sip up some water and spit it out in a stream in her general direction. "I can turn human in appearance given the proper...... incentive." He was flirting at this point. But as far as he was concerned flirting was harmless. Even best friends between sexes could flirt for just pure harmless fun. He had done it before and so he did it now. But then again it was socially acceptable back home and he was not home. He was in America.

"I am a bit jealous. You have way more interesting stories then me." It was the truth. The stories he had to tell did not often have happy ending. "This country is a bit of a new start for me. It is familiar. Yet different." He said and moved his wings in the man made pond he was lying on his back in causing ripples on its surface. "I was born here. Not raised." Rico decided to feed a little information as he lowered his guard.