[Chen-Qi]

After spending so much time within the city looking for not just Kaldea, but Arianwen, as well as a few other of the dragons that had disappeared through the battle a year and a half ago – Chen gave up the Zhuxi position of New York. How could he commit himself to such a position when so many of his own people disappeared? He took in a breath and sighed. He started walking through the rubble of the Satinus Ruins. Kicking a stone ahead, it jumped a few feet forward and then fell into nothingness.

Chen had no idea how to cope with so many lost, and more than that, he felt useless now. He wasn’t sure how to deal with all of this anymore. He wanted to help those he cared about, he wanted to keep them safe, but lately that just wasn’t working. So rather than moping around he decided to move into the city and permanently start looking for them. Sure he missed his random meetings with Nuying, but he was certain she would understand should she had known the circumstances and situations.

So with a deep breath he jumped down past a rock, and let his hand feel down it. His hair was a long brown and he’d let his chin get stubble as well as the top of his lip. It was more in part because he didn’t remember to do it, but the humans he saw on a day to day basis said he was okay. So he pushed his hair out of his face and behind his ear and then moved further down through the rubble. He’d been there too many times before, and he was certain that he wasn’t going to find anything new, but he was going to try regardless.

[Zira Perandera]

She'd already been there. For how many hours, Zira had no idea. The place looked like a ruin from her own land. There had been plenty of them, but most looked far more beautiful and alluring than this heap of rubble. Her dark eyes had scanned and surveyed the area ten times over and each time, she'd half expected Arianwen to randomly show up. Why, she had no idea. It wasn't like she had the thirty times that her gaze had swept across the area, focusing on every shadow, rock, and ruin. There were traces of the battle still left over. Still empty bullet shells from all types of artillery. Still giant draconian footprints deeply embedded into the soil, cracks in the concrete, crevices in the earth from the whites, blacked areas of ash and smoke imprint from the reds, overgrown weeds and plants spurred on by the jades, and concave dents of ground from the pressurized balls of air from the blacks. Zira herself could almost see, hear, smell, and even feel the battle that had occurred more than a year ago here. It was unsettled and unnerving. It also probably wasn't the wisest decision to come here. Unruly, feral tainted still called this place home. Some just wouldn't leave. It had been the only place they knew and they refused to depart. Zira was used to animals in the jungle though, even this was a new kind of one and the animals weren't just mindless beasts, but part two-legger.

The Zongshi gazed longingly about the place, sighing and seemingly giving up for the evening. She'd been out here since sunset but not a single trace of her valkyries or valkyres had been found. They'd done their best to carry any and all their dead away from this place for a proper funeral in their own way but some had been forced to be left behind. It was likely that they'd been taken by the enemy and only Kuan Ti knew why. She could only pray that their souls were at rest, knowing that they'd help bring down the abomination known as Satinus Technologies and all of its infernal wickedness.

Hugging herself tightly, the young woman closed her eyes and bowed her head. A prayer was whispered, the sound barely making it past her delicate lips. She prayed that Arianwen and all the others who had been captured were safe and able to hang on long enough to be rescued. Lengthy, dark cocoa hair curtained her face for a moment, until a small, summer breeze toyed with the tresses and a noise of tumbling rocks had her suddenly alert. Her hands dropped away from her, revealing the cobra tattoo upon her right shoulder, which she'd gotten not long after having entered the city a few days ago. It was still a little sore. And while the light blue tank top and dark bluejeans might not have been the proper armor for a battle right now, Zira went into a defensive stance, sandaled feet slightly apart and fists raised like one of the teachers of the aerie had shown her. Humans had no claws nor fangs, so they relied on weight and force. It felt odd.

To her surprise, it wasn't a tainted or one of the psionic scum but Chen-Qi. Her eyes went wide slightly, brows rising. "Chen..," the silver murmured, relief obviously flooding her system as she relaxed, hands dropping. "For a moment, I thought you were one of them."

An apologetic smile was given, showing that she felt bad for having not caught his scent or heard him earlier. Perhaps she was just a little on edge and maybe even a little absent-minded. Not the best things to be for a leader of the wings.

[Chen-Qi]

Chen had noticed the scent a while ago, but when he popped his head up to greet her she looked too sad for him to say Hello. Surely he needed to make himself known, so he walked up wind and made a bit more noise. This was what the two friends knew of each other. He’d known her lifetimes ago, and was quite content in the fact that she had found her way through this part of the world. Letting the two meet once again. However, she’d seen his fall from Zhuxi. In truth a reason why he didn’t stay around the Aerie was because he felt he had no honour anymore. After all he’d lost countless friends, he couldn’t find a single one of them, and here he was. Doing the same thing over, expecting a different result. Insanity was the term for that.

“Sorry Zi,” he said softly. “However, the Gods only know how much I would give for myself to be in any of their positions just to have them in mine.” He said sadly. He shook his head out, and took in a deep breath. He might have lost his honour, but he wasn’t pathetic. He had to keep something to him.

“Have you come back to retrace your steps for the hundredth time?” He asked as he came to a stop and looked up at her. Pushing his hands into his leather jacket’s pockets. He dressed like anyone would. Some could look at him and say a poor Latent or a well fed human. He liked to stay the boundary in case he needed to play one or the other and it was all depending on the situation. Here he always figured he was a poor Latent looking for something to sell off, and make a quick dollar on.

“Care if I join you in the… search?” he said, almost putting in the word useless. If he said it out loud then it’d be too real, and he couldn’t deal with that. Instead he corrected himself, and gave his old friend a smile.

[Zira Perandera]

Her frame went lax, though not unguarded, and her eyes softened even more at the man's words. It was sad to see him in such a way- hopeless, defeated, but not faithless. Not just yet. Zira lowered her head and her gaze, allowing those soft brown orbs to fall along the evidence of battle and peril. "I have," she whispered the answer. Even as she lifted her head and settled her sights onto the environment about her, one could tell that she was still in deep thought. "I keep hoping that something that wasn't there before will surface. I've scoured every inch of this place fifty times over and still there's nothing but.. remorse."

The woman shook her head. She'd actually appreciate the company. It felt too lonesome out here, like limbo, and already this place was too much invested with ghosts. She could still feel them around her. Zira was more of a spiritual dragon and she claimed she could feel presences, good and bad, that pertained to either the deceased or the sways of the gods. Maybe she could or maybe it was just all in her head. Either way, the idea put her at ease sometimes, as if she knew there was evidence that someone or something was watching over her and her kind, if not merely the world.

When Chen had retired from his role at Zhuxi, it had been a sad day. Zira had been proud to serve him but could understand why he deemed it necessary to allow someone else to lead. It was a momentous, rare occasion for any dragon to withdraw from the position. No one was ever removed unless a stronger contender rose as the successor. For Chen-Qi to have actually stepped down, it must have taken a lot of grief and uncertainty. Zira was likely one of the few people that still believed in him though; she just couldn't help back to his feet like she wanted to.

"I know those that did not die and were unable to retreat are still alive," the silver told him with a defied look, as if she denied any other reasonable notion. "I know that Arianwen and the others are still here. Somewhere. And if they are, we will find them. To doubt is to give up, amigo."

She lifted a hand and settled it upon his shoulder, giving it a small, comforting and hopefully reassuring squeeze before it would fondly linger and slip from his frame, drawing itself down his arm intentionally and then pulled back to her own side. It was a manner not only of affection but admiration, though it wasn't even borderline attraction. Their friendship ran deep and like any best friend, Zira hated seeing the man in such shape.

"Have you at least eaten well? Do you have good shelter? Is there anything I can do to help?" the ebony female asked, obviously concerned for the silver's health and well being. "I've decided to stay in the city for a while. I'd like to be of some use here, as well as to better know my enemy in case another assault needs to be launched."

[Chen-Qi]

Chen knew how she felt all too well. There was nothing here but memories and remorse. He drank it in almost every day. He wouldn’t admit that he made it his routine to come around here almost daily. He knew that was too pathetic for a dragon like him to admit. Zira might have been a grand friend of his, but he did still have some sense of dignity.

“I know we will find them one day, but I’d enjoy that to be along the lines of a human’s lifetime or span of time. I’m tired of living so long and having to wait so patiently,” he said as he slammed his fist into the wall. “We shouldn’t have lost our kin,” he grunted. Even though he knew that the ones that were lost knew exactly what they were getting into. They knew all that was going to happen at the end of that fight, there were no surprises, there were no unknown twists and turns in that fight. No, they all knew the consequences. The only ones that were living that now were the ones what were utterly unaccounted for. They were somewhere in this city, not dead, but barely alive. For he knew if they were alive they would return.

The hand on his shoulder startled him. He looked over at Zira and gave a kind and gentle smile. It was weak, but it was genuine, and that was all that he could offer to her. “Yes, I have shelter, and I have food,” he nodded slowly. “I had already had a place here before I stepped down. I merely have become more established,” he sighed. When she asked if she could help he felt his pride hurt, but he decided to ignore that. It was Zira, and she wasn’t doing it to be condescending. “No I don’t need anything. I’m quite already set off on my own.” He said with a small nod.

What surprised him was that she was going to stay in the city. His brow raised and he looked over at her. “But the Aerie…” he said softly. “Don’t they have need of you?”

[Zira Perandera]

The dark-skinned woman frowned as Chen let out his frustration and voice his thoughts. It was sad to see how the mighty had fallen and Chen-Qi had certainly been mighty. Still could be if he'd pull himself out of this slump. Zira had no idea how though. She would have to think heavily on it, hating to see her friend like this. "It was a battle, Chen," she told him softly but being utterly adamant in her words. "Battles always cause loss; otherwise, they wouldn't be such things. At least there were casualties on both sides rather than just one. At least we can think Kuan Ti for that."

And then they could simply prat to Kwan Yin that mercy would be shown upon their kind, even if none had been given to their enemy on that night.

Nevertheless, Zira was at least glad that the former Zhuxi had told her that he had food and shelter. It didn't feel like he was lying, for by Xihe, she would chew him up and spit him out for such a thing, especially about something so important. An equal nod was given as Chen claimed he was well and good on all terms, save for the obvious. For that, she was glad and thankful. He seemed surprised when she'd mentioned she was staying in the dwelling called Romford though, as if that was highly unexpected of her.

"Not at this time. I left orders to my second in command to have everyone run weekly time flights, exercises, and precision courses in case we have need of them again, which I'm almost certain we will. There has been talk of a new brood moving in to not just our territory but Storm Height's as well," Zira explained, her visage and tone becoming more and more serious as she went on. "I learned that the separate settlement of the two-leggers that live outside of these walls were attacked and rather savagely, without warning. A scout had flown close to their area and came back with the report that the village was in complete and utter ruin, set ablaze and with obvious evidence of battle. Though it was more like a slaughter, he said. Bodies everywhere but it looked as if not all of the villagers were dead. I later learned that most of them had came here to seek refuge and I intend on getting close to them to find out any details of this new brood. I'm uncertain if it's an aerie. It could just be a band of rogues wanting to make trouble for everyone." The silver scowled and leered over at nothing in particular, obviously upset about this turn of events. While she had every reason to disdain humans and their ways, she didn't believe in slaughter. "I'm going to have to take my time though," she sighed, returning her sights back to him. "I still have much to learn about this world of theirs. A number of the members back at the aerie told me all they had learned in their experience of living among this city and its people but there is still much I don't understand and likely never will."

It was just how things were.