^^ Maximus Decius Aurelius ^^

--- Max ---

"- last night, in the middle of the Glastonbury Circus, another devastating attack, thought to be accredited to the Draconian Front, has taken the lives of 12 humans, at this time, and two Loyalist Dragons, though those numbers are subject to change at any time. The confrontation spiraled out of control around 02:30, and first responders are still searching the ashes of the circus for any survivors-"

I shut off the TV, and nudged my little brother, Raymond Regales. "Stop watching that. You know better. Come on, I've got steaks on the counter." I said simply, and sat next to my plate.

He grinned and nodded. "Yay! Steak!" Then he grew his wings, and simply hopped across the room, perching on his stool.

I tsk'ed and flicked his ear, a sensitive spot for all reptiles. "Stop that! You know better! No transforming, and no ripping your shirts! You know I don't get paid enough to replace them all the time!" I sighed.

He grumbled and made his wings disappear. "No fun being in human form! Why can't I just lay on the roof?" He whined, changing shirts quickly.

"Eat. And you know why. The Laws say so. You can't use your Dragon Form for no reason. Only to protect yourself or others." I snapped.

He grumbled and started eating his steak, angrily tearing it apart and swallowing big chunks without chewing.

I sighed. "Chew. I taught you all this, don't act like I didn't just because you're angry. We are of the Aurelian Clan, you can't act like a heathen! Don't disgrace mother and father, Raymond." I used my biggest trump card, and he flinched, settling down.

"Sorry." He muttered, morosely chewing his steak.

I nodded and pet his hair gently, finishing my own food and gathering the dishes.

As I washed them, he hummed. "Why didn't Mama and Papa come with us?"

"They didn't want to." I answered simply.

"Cause they don't like humans?"

"No... it's... complicated... see, they like humans, but they don't want to be humans. Like puppies. Everyone likes puppies, but they wouldn't really want to turn into one." I explained as best I could.

"Hmm... I get it... so why did I come with you? I'm a kid, but do I get a choice?" He asked.

I laughed softly. "You are 6, and yes, you chose to come with me, you remember that, don't play draconian memory on a fellow Drakon."

He grinned, as I was putting away the dishes. "So we're Drakons... does that mean we're better than regular Dragons?" He asked.

I hummed softly. "Well, we're definitely much stronger and faster, and our dragon forms are much bigger. Physically Superior. But all Dragon's know Latin from Birth, whereas we know Russian and Turkish."

"Why's that?" He asked.

"So inquisitive... well, Drakons come from the Black Sea, not Europe." I said simply.

He grinned. "Is that why you're so salty all the time?"

I laughed loudly. "Aha! So you're learning human jokes! Good!" The doorbell rang softly, and I hummed. "Who Comes?" I intoned, shaking the house.

A female voice responded. "U-Uhm... I'm Lilly Dourest? I was sent to e-escort Raymond to School?" She squeaked.

"That's Ms. Lilly. She's kinda weird, but very nice, and cuddly. And Warm." Raymond nodded.

I hummed and opened the door slowly, giving the tall woman a sharp examination. "You're his escort?" I asked simply.

She squeaked at my deep voice, and nodded quickly. "Yes!"

Raymond picked up his backpack, and smiled around my hip. "Hi Ms. Lilly! This is my brother, Maximus Decius Aurelius. He is a Drakon, like me! He works for la Policia Supernatural!"

She relaxed a bit. "Oh! I thought he was your father! Hello, Maximus!" She held out a hand to shake.

I gazed at her silently, gauging her intentions to largely maternal, and therefore non-threatening. "You may live, human woman." I said simply, and turned to allow Raymond passed me.

He grinned and hugged the frozen woman's waist, making me hum softly. "Interesting..." I muttered, and closed the door.

I looked down at myself, and realized one of the reasons she'd likely been so interested in staring at me. I wasn't wearing anything beyond the tight-fitting trousers I preferred over baggy clothes.

I grabbed a shirt, then pants, and finally boots and socks, and then walked out, finding Raymond and the woman still standing on the curb, her fixing his collar gently, talking about proper clothing practices.

I hummed, and nodded, patting his head. "You must maintain a proper dress in human form, brother, same as keeping your scales shiny. After all, to look shabby, intentionally or no, would also disrespect our family name." I chided him gently.

He nodded. "Yes, Maximus. I understand."

The woman blinked at me slowly. "Your voice sounds different..."

"I have decided I no longer require you to be afraid of me." I said simply, and looked at my watch, one of the only human devices I used regularly. "Grrrrrrrrrrrr... Stupid human! The drive to the station takes 11 minutes! There's only 12 minutes until I must arrive! Don't make me late!!!" I snapped at the air, growling.

She blinked. "Your ride to the station is late?"

"Indeed... I specifically ordered him to arrive early!" I growled.

Raymond tapped my hip. "Stop growling, brother, your teeth are sharpening."

I hummed and nodded, fixing them. "Yes, you're right. I must remain composed." I sighed.

The woman smiled. "I can give you a ride, if you like? It's on the way to the school."

"No, if I miss this checkpoint I'll be cited for avoiding my duties and then tagged Rogue." I shook my head.

She blinked slowly. "Oh! I'd no notion!"

"Mm. It's very strict." I nodded, and absently fixed Raymond's hair, combing it all back so that his spikes would harm his enemies.

She tsk'ed and combed it to the side expeditiously. "I'd appreciate if you didn't ruin my hard work! It looks much more adorable to the side!"

"Adorable? He isn't adorable. He's a Drakon, a Drake of the highest order, and he must assume an Awe-Inspiring look, so as to terrorize his enemies!" I growled.

She narrowed her eyes. "He will do no such thing! Fighting is strictly prohibited on school grounds! He will be well-behaved, and it's my job to make sure of it!"

I hummed. "I see... holy ground... Raymond, should you need to duel to defend our honor, wait until you leave school grounds, and crush your enemies into the dirt. But make sure not to damage public property. Remember, we are guests in this country, and we must adhere to their laws." I said simply.

He nodded seriously. "I understand."

She glanced between us, and sighed. "Oh dear. You're royalty, aren't you? Royal dragons are always more trouble..."

I chuckled. "I like your human, Raymond. She is intriguing. Go forth and conquer!" The bus pulled up, and screeched to a halt.

He grinned and followed the woman onto the bus, showing his identification to the driver.

A police cruiser showed up as it drove away, and I narrowed my eyes as the driver exited the vehicle, gazing at me warily, her hand on her weapon. "Name and identification, please?" She asked simply.

"Maximus Decius Aurelius, Badge Number 091-12-6632 NTF, Non-Natural Task Force." I held up my identification.

She blinked slowly, and activated her Walkie. "HQ can someone run a badge number for me? I've got a suspicious man, says he's NTF, but I've never seen him."

I sighed mentally and settled in for a lengthy situation.

"Go ahead." The other side answered.

"Right, he said 'Maximus Decius Aurelius, Badge 091-12-6632', and he has the matching ID, but no Badge."

"Gimme a mo... aha! He starts today! And he's late... Maximus, Sir, may I ask why you are not En-Route to the Station?" The man on the other Side spoke up.

"No way he can hear you clearly-"

"My transportation Checkpoint has yet to arrive. He is very late. I am very displeased." I said clearly.

"Huh." The female officer huffed.

"Gimme a mo... ah! Damn, the person assigned to your Transportation Checkpoint has been delayed, a civilian rear-ended him... I'll get another En-Route quickly."

"Why don't I take him? I'm going back anyway." The female asked.

"... Maximus? Would that be acceptable?"

"... Acceptable... confirm checkpoint?" I grumbled.

"Alright. Checkpoint received. You are cleared for approach to the station. Detective Duval, bring him to Bay 7. Maximus, so you're informed, when you arrive, we'll do a full physical, and then you'll be good to go! Begin Route."

I hummed and put my ID away, then gazed at the woman officer. "Let us begin the Route." I said simply.

She nodded and got into her cruiser. I entered the passenger seat slowly, only to find it incredibly cramped for a man of my size. At 7'4", I wasn't really designed for small, cramped spaces.

She giggled softly, and began driving. "Sorry about stopping you like that. We don't get too many Giants in this Area."

"I am not a Giant." I said simply.

She blinked. "No? Ogre?"

"The notion Offends me." I stated softly, so as not to spook her.

She hummed. "I can't think of anything else your size."

"I'm big for my Clan." I shrugged a little, my shoulder bumping the doorframe.

She chuckled. "You're big, alright. Ah well, we'll see during your physical."

"You will not be present during my physical, as I'll be very exposed." I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh... right." She blushed, her freckles blending with her reddened skin.

I chuckled and looked forward. "Indeed."

"So... did you hear about that showdown last night? Two of our officers, both dragons, plus 16 civilians... and only one of theirs died. Shame." She sighed.

"Had I been on the force a day sooner, none of them would be dead." I tsk'ed, glaring out the window. "Such a waste..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, like you'd throw down with five Rogue Dragons."

"I would 'Throw Down' with a Legend, little girl. There is very little in this world that is a challenge for a being such as I." I hummed.

She blinked. "Oh!... so you're a Demigod?"

I shrugged. "Not exactly."

We pulled up to the station, and she ceased her questions as we passed the security checkpoint, and entered 'Bay Seven'.

I climbed out of the tiny car, and approached an elderly drakon in a lab coat. "Axum Titus Melodious, good to see you, sir!" I grinned.

He laughed softly, his elderly features looking ten years younger with a smile. "Maximus Decius Aurelius, as I live and breath! Come, come, this way! The normal room won't be big enough for you anyway, we'll have to use the Hangar." He nodded.

I bowed my head and followed him easily, happy another drakon lived here.

We entered the Hangar, and I stripped, folding my clothes swiftly, then allowed him to check my human body for flaws.

He found none, and so he stepped away. "Alright. Go ahead and Shift." He nodded.

I leapt upwards immediately, almost 80 feet in the air, (assisted by my wings,) and released my true form.

My feet touched the ground, then my knees unbent, making my spine scrape the roof a bit. My body stretched the entire length of the 600ft hangar, while my tail remained curled up, so my abdomen and neck could fit. I stretched my tail gently, out the opened hangar doors, and he chuckled.

"Just as big as your father, boy, yes indeed." He muttered, and grew wings, then began examining my body for any wounds or flaws that would restrict me physically, like Rot-Scale, or Mites.

After about two hours of examination, (I was very large, so going over every foot of scales was taxing on the elderly Dragon,) he finally nodded and looked up at my jaws. "Do you have a smaller form? I know your mother is fond of a Albanian Drake form?"

I nodded slowly and shifted into a much smaller skin, a 50ft (nose to tail,) Albanian Water Drake, my favorite Sub-Species Form.

He nodded. "Perfect. And unless the situation calls for it, this is the form you use when you have to shift, not your actual form."

I grumbled, but shifted human, dressing in the human clothes. "Yes yes, I understand." I growled softly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hmph. Anyway, let's go pick you out a partner." He led me out of the hangar into the station, and began introducing me to people.

Most smelled of fear around me, which annoyed me and clogged my nose. After each one, I snorted, shaking my head to clear it, and gravitated back to the only person who didn't seem to be afraid of me, the small female detective.

"She can't be your partner, Maximus, she's a Detective, not a Task Force Agent." Axum sighed the seventh time it happened.

She blinked at us. "I can get on the task force if I take him as a partner, right? I've been trying for years."

I grinned. "See? She's willing and driven, and she isn't scared of me. And she'll likely take care of the things I don't understand, like driving."

She raised an eyebrow. "You can't drive?"

"I cannot." I shrugged honestly.

"Hm. Alrighty then." She shrugged back.

I grinned at Melodious. "See, Melodious? Perfect human. And she's not sexually attracted to me at all, so there's that problem solved."

"We just call him Doc... and how did you know I wasn't attracted to you? That's pretty specific." She raised her eyebrow again.

I shrugged. "Your adrenaline and hormones stay perfectly level every time I come near you." I said logically.

She hummed. "Interesting."

"I agree." I said simply.

She nodded. "I like him, very honest and direct, not shifty at all. And that is actually fascinating, all sarcasm aside. So doc? We're good here?"

He shrugged. "Whatever. Fine. Then go get your badges from the Armory."

"What about a gun for Maximus?" She asked.

"Oh he isn't going to need one. He probably doesn't even know how to use one." Melodious waved a hand dismissively, and moved towards his office at his own elderly pace, namely 'however damn fast I please' as he put it so... eloquently.

I shrugged at her incredulous look, and walked towards the armorer, a booth in the back, protected by several inches of bulletproof glass with steel mesh implanted in it for extra shatter resistance.

I placed my ID in the tray, and it closed, opening on the other side. The microphone lit up. "Name and Badge number?"

"Maximus Decius Aurelius, Badge Number 091-12-6632 NTF, Non-Natural Task Force." I said clearly into the mike.

The person on the other side nodded, though I could barely see them. "Supernatural Designation?" They asked in Latin, so as to avoid being heard by unfriendly ears.

"X-T-O-1, Drakon, Turkish Obsidian, 790ft length, 1,000ft wingspan, first language Turkish, however my Working Form shall be an Albanian Water Drake, White in color, 50ft length and 100ft wingspan." I spoke clearly again in the same language.

They nodded and wrote something down, typing in my stats, and then hummed, speaking in Latin again. "Relations?"

"Several, one dependent, Brother, same type, Raymond Regales Aurelius, 6y/o, he's already listed?"

They nodded and typed some more. "Last question, any magical artifacts you haven't registered, or plan on using for your work here?"

"I have a knife I use often, made from one of my shed talons, if that counts. Also one of my scales was sectioned into a Kevlar suit for my partner? Though the size needs to be adjusted." I nodded.

"Alright, acceptable... and you're done! The paperwork has already been signed, so I'll have your badge in a few minutes. I'll call you back, sir. Next?" They switched back to English.

I stepped back as the small detective, Duval, got her paperwork fixed.

She walked back over after a few questions, and I hummed. "You need a bigger car." I said simply.

Her eyes widened slightly, and then she laughed loudly, patting my arm as if she was thanking me. After a few seconds of this confusing hilarity, she stopped, giggling softly. "I suppose I do. Thank you, that just tickled me."

I hummed and approached the thick glass window when I was called, accepting my new ID, and also my badge, which were both now encased in a leather wallet. The freshly etched brass amused me, and I grinned, tucking it into my pocket.

I pushed the gun back into the tray, and the person chuckled. "You realize you're required to have this in your vehicle, at least? If not on your hip." They asked.

I grumbled and handed the smelly metal to Duval, who chuckled. "Don't like the smell of lead?"

"It's the Salt-Peter that annoys me so. Gunpowder. It is rather... offensive, to a sensitive nose." I shrugged.

She nodded and accepted her own new badge, having returned the other, though she kept the Detective Shield. "What's up with this, eh? I thought I wouldn't keep this?" She inquired, and the person shrugged visibly.

"Cap'n says you're not getting demoted, just reassigned. You're still on the clock as a Detective, you just gained a Supernatural side-kick." They said simply.

I hummed. "I'm not sure I like being called a Side-Kick."

She grinned. "Good. Not many people would. Ah well, I worked hard for this shield anyway. So, what's the first job?" She asked me.

I blinked. "I wait until a supernatural situation occurs, and I'm called to handle it?" I shrugged slowly.

Doc whistled gently, and I looked over across the room at him. He waved, and I walked towards him, curious.

He handed me a communications device. "That is your Com unit, don't lose or break it. The Dispatcher will request you to go places that have reported supernatural incidents or situations, and give you your orders." Then he handed me a thin book. "And this is the codes for the different situations, to expedite the process. Clear?"

I nodded. "Clear." I began reading swiftly, memorizing the words and numbers easily.

He switched it on, then placed it on my collar. "Good. Now get to work."

The speaker crackled to life, and a feminine voice spoke over the frequency.