"Boys are nasty, ruthless things! Don't ever trust them. They always have a second motive."

~Strangers POV~

The old house creaked very often as I walked along the floorboards. This place felt off. It was evident by the rotting bodies of people I found so far. The smell was putrid. I manage to find a room were I have more clear evidence of what I was searching for. I reach out to take a closer look before I heard the footsteps above me. I went on guard immediately, knowing I wasn't alone anymore...

~ An hour prior. Willows POV ~

"PANCAAAAKES ARE READY! GET YO ASS UP!"

I was abruptly awoken from my sleep as jenn shook me. I swat at her hand and grumble loudly.

"I'm up, go away...jeesh..."

She giggled and went out of the room. I yawned and stretched. Sliding on my bra and such. My coat fits neatly over my black shirt. Finally latching on the gemmed brooche Jesper gave me. It was a goodbye gift. It was absolutely beautiful. The deep blue gem would sometimes glow under certain emotional circumstances. A teal for love. Or a bright red for anger. I never understood why he gave me this specifically, as it was part of his most prized possession. But nonetheless I'm thankful. I head out of the room and make my way tiredly to the dinning room table.

"Two or three sleepy?"

She held out a pan with a decently stacked amount of pancakes in it. I take off only two onto my plate. As she shook her head, taking the rest onto hers.

"Not really hungry huh?...I heard a lot of thrashing last night. You had a bad dream or something?"

She asked inbetween bites of pancake and bacon. As I shook my head and picked at my food.

"No no...just...a lot on my mind is...all."

I finished off my food quickly. Standing up and making my way to the door. Jenn choked a bit on her bacon.

"You can't -ACK- leave so soon! Cmon, we've got soo much to catch up on!"

I glanced back her way. A solemn look in my eyes.

"It'll have to wait. I've got a time limit. And this bounty won't complete itself sitting and chatting for hours on end."

Before I gave jenn the chance to shoot a snarky remark, I left the house quickly. As soon as I was outside her house and the door was shut, my wings shoot out and take me into the sky once more. Flapping as I was now on the lookout for possible hide outs of this...gang. What purpose did they have to hit this hot spot? Questions continued to spiral aimlessly in my head for a while as I searched above the forest. Until I come across a weird looking home. And a familiar smell I wished I didn't have to smell.

"Aw fuck...this place wreaks of death..."

And knowing my curious natured self, I started to fly down closer to the building. Which also looked abandoned and attacked at as well. Holes in the walls that weren't made by decaying wood. I land infront of the entrance. And immediately opened the door and stepped inside. The floorboard sagged and creaked. But whats worse is, it felt hollow. I had to be careful. As I step further inside, I looked at the dead rotting corpses. They looked eaten into...the flies buzzing about around the place. It was a might feast for these guys.

"Yikes..."

I spoke aloud to myself. At least five dead bodies in the room itself. Seems like a bigger home. I continued inside the building, getting past the dead bodies to a slightly opened door on the left. A flight of stairs down. I take a short breath. Before my ears perk up. A new smell. Someone was here...

"..hm.."

I slowly began my decent down the stairs. Before I accidentally slipped on one and had to catch myself. In doing so, there was a loud scurry in the downstairs room by where I was. My hand immediately stays on the hilt of my sword. As I moved further around, it got more dark. My steps were as quiet as possible. The smell got stronger the more I moved around. Before I make it to a room that had a heartbeat. The room sounded small. As the person inside had their heart pounding a bit faster. I paused infront of the door. Before kicking it down and rushing into the room. My rapier was flung from its hold as the tip of the blade pointed at a male dragon. Who happened to be purple. There's a few feet distance between us.

"You've got five seconds to explain what you're doing here." I hissed from my maw. As the male drew his weapon out as well. His eyes had on goggles. As he stayed in a defensive stance.

"I don't have to explain anything to you just yet tall lady. You can't barge in and order me to do anything on zero reason to."

I narrowed my eyes towards him. My tail flicked. He had a rather attractive figure. But I couldn't get distracted.

"Okay...well...my reason for wanting you to explain why you're here is simple. So I can determine whether to kill you or not. I'm not in the mood for games dragon. Talk."

As I take a step closer, the male growls and steps closer too. But there was hesitance in it. Like he really didn't wanna have to fight me if he didn't have to.

"Only if you tell me why you would have to kill me. I don't see why. I wasn't doing anything wrong." He rebuttled. His hand moves up to his face and moved up the goggles. Revealing deep blue eyes. Similar to my own. My eyes relaxed for a split second. Before I shook my head and took a step back.

"...because if you don't confirm why you're here, I'll assume your part of a homicidal gang of purple dragons like yourself. And that'd mean I'd have to kill you."

His eyes widened a bit. As he shook his head vigorously.

"No no! Definitely not! That's just insane! I'm not part of a gang...I'm here to do personal business stuff. Or ah, well, I'm a paranormal investigator." He flicked his tail, which bumped the wall. It was sorta big. Similar to my own dragonish tail.

I held my rapier out still, but my figure relaxed a little. It was easy to tell if he was lying. Because there would have been hesitance in anything he had said. I perk my head up and tilt it to the side a little.

"You're a what now?"

"Paranormal investigator. I look into ghosts and spirits and stuff. The ooga booga stuff."
He moved his hands around to mimick a scary ghost, saying "ooooo" to emphasize. I slowly lowered my weapon. As he soon did so as well. Well...this was awkward.

"Ah...so you're not familiar with a purple dragon gang of some kind?"

"Don't be racist."

"I'm not! I can't help but assume when they're going around literally killing people and you're in a building with a bunch of dead bodies! And you're purple!" I almost set away my rapier. But it was fully lowered. Which made me lean down less. My ears touch the ceiling and press against it a little. Which made the stranger have to look up more to me.

"Okay...fair point...but still. I'm not part of this gang you're talking about. I'm here to do my own job. There's something here and I'm determined to find out what it is."
He lowered his weapon, sheathing it. I decide to do the same. Usually I'd never let my guard down this easy but...something about him felt different. It wasn't violent in the slightest. It was actually an attraction. Gosh he was cute...but this is very unprofessional of me to think this.

I blink a few times as he turned his back to me and looked at the blood on the wall. His outfit didn't look like he was part of a gang. Anything but actually. I step a bit closer, relaxing the tension I felt in my body. It was natural that I wanted to stay on guard but...my heart was telling me different.

"What do you mean by that? Like if a spirit or ghost was in this building?"
I glance at the blood. Unsure what he could get from this. There wasn't a body in the room with them.

"No, not just this building. But around this whole place. I feel this negative vibe being here. Around this village. Do you not feel it?"
He asked, his side glance made me almost jump where I stood. I shook my head slightly. Trying so hard not to stutter right now.

"No. I don't. How do I know you aren't fucking with me?" I narrowed my eyes again. We are still strangers. Trust naturally won't come immediately.

"Uhm...I don't know...you'll just have to trust me on this. My name's Cadmus Corvus by the way, what's yours?"
He looked my way once more. A small grin on the side of his face. I had to keep my heart from beating fast. What a strange name. Unique I should say.

"...I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. I'm Willow Topaz. Professional bounty hunter at your service."
I gave a little courtesy bow. Proud of myself for the introduction I gave him. He stood back up and looked at me with a blank expression.

"I don't usually talk to a lot of people so. I haven't heard of you before. Bounty hunting isn't a pretty job isn't it? You get paid to kill someone, usually a criminal or anyone really?" He did look a bit concerned when he asked that question. As I take a step back and look his way blankly like he did earlier.

"Yes. I get paid to kill a target. And I don't get the money if I don't meet the clients demands. Sometimes they want them alive. But majority wish for death upon those I have to hunt down. Morals are out the window for me with this job."

I spoke monotonous as he gulped. I knelt down a bit so I could be more comfortably eye level to him. Which he seemed to appreciate as he kept eye contact with me.

"Well my job is almost similar to yours. I ah...have to kill possesed people to release the evil spirits possessing them. Or monsters of the sorts like werewolves or vampires etc etc. So..." His claw rubs the back of his head. Before giving eye contact once more. I swear I could feel my face heat up everytime he looked into my eyes. Good lord why do I feel this way?

"Ahem- so what are you suspecting is here? Or well...besides the gang, going around killing people?" I tilted my head. Cadmus began walking past me and towards the door leading out of the room. Talking as he walked, while motioning for me to follow.

"Its something more dangerous than a mere angry possession. There's a spirit of some sort here. But I can't place my finger on what yet." He walked up the stairs as I followed easily behind. They creaked a lot as we walked up. I felt my foot slip through one as a loud crack of the wood made cadmus look behind him.

"You okay?" He asked as I was pulling my foot out from the dark hole the stairs had it in. As I look up and gently nod.

"Yeah yeah...damn height gets me into some trouble..." I grumbled, as he chuckled in response. We begin heading past the dead bodies and out the door of the abandoned place. Although, once we stepped foot outside, I looked at cadmus and he was a straight foot taller than me! My tail curled up behind me as I felt my heart beat heavy.

"I know the feeling. So glad I can make it comfortable for myself to go indoors. Sounds like you can't." His blue eyes look back my way, and I had to look off to not show I was totally gushing over him.

"Right, yeah. I uh...can't."

I gather my barings and look his way seriously. Gotta focus damnit.

"So...besides a dragon gang killing things. You're suspecting there's more of a reason for the corpses looking how they do. I suggest a trade off."

His eyebrow raised. Immediately clearing my throat, I set my hands behind my back.

"If you can help me keep an eye out for the draconian gang. I'll help you in any information I come across on this...creature or whatever may be killing people here. Deal?" As I said the last word, I bowed down and held my hand out for him to shake. A hopeful grin. He paused, looking at my hand. Before a wide smile forms, his fangs poking from his lips as he grabbed my hand and shook it roughly.

"You gotta deal! The more help the merrier. Easier for me to find and set that poor lad at peace." I felt my face flush red at his willingness. Slipping my hand out from his and clearing my throat. A gentle chuckle leaving my lips. How charming and dorky he was...all the more strange why I find myself attracted to him.

"Should we find a time to meet up? Say every couple days?" I asked, fixing my posture. Finding it so unusual to have to look up at him. It was so very strange to have someone taller than myself. It felt...refreshing.

"Yeah. Where though?" He sets his claw on his chin. His fins on the side of his face wiggled slightly when he did it. I felt my ear flick.

"Why not here? Obviously not inside but...here." I point to the ground. As he shrugged.

"Yeah sure. Sounds good to me. I'll see you in a couple, Willow."

Tha-thump Tha-thump.

"S-See you." I watched as he placed the goggles back onto his eyes. Spreading his deep purple wings out and flying away. A sense of loneliness hitting me as he did so. Her tail was swaying like a dogs when his owner gives a treat. I spread my own wings and fly back towards Jenns home. I couldn't focus all the way there. Once I landed infront of the door, I sighed.

"Why him?"

I quickly enter the house and rush past jenn before she could get a word to me.

"I need sleep thanks goodnight!-"

The door roughly shuts as I had to calm my fast breaths. Taking my stuff off and hopping into bed. Jenn says through the door, "I'll talk to you in the morning then?".

I lay in bed. Wondering what the hell happened today. Falling asleep lost in my own thoughts.

I can't get attached. I just can't...right?