Shifter.

“And to think I kissed a man that doesn’t,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Guess we’ll never make that mistake again, huh?” she flipped the box of pizza open to reveal a large pie that was half Hawaiian and half Meat Lovers Supreme. Smirking, she looked to the older dragon with and picked a piece of pineapple from her half of the pizza.

“Boring old man.”

Cacophonic scents of greasy meat, cheese, vegetables, and-- ugh-- pineapple wafted up to James as he watched Melody open the pizza box. Oh, good. She did order the Meat Lover’s. It was perhaps a little bit too close to the offending citrus for comfort, given the acute nature of his senses of smell and taste, but he would suffer through it for the sake of his favorite pizza from his favorite pizza parlor.

“Don’t you petit drac me,” she shot back, frowning. “Pineapple always goes on pizza! It’s amazing! You need to live a little, old man.”

“Melody. Listen to me, petit drac. This is a matter of grave importance.” James took Melody by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “Pineapple should never go on pizza.”

“All your questions can be answered, if that is what you want. But once you learn your answers, you can never unlearn them.”

“Every hour wounds. The last one kills.”

“What I say is, a town isn’t a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it’s got a bookstore, it knows it’s not foolin’ a soul.”

“There's none so blind as those who will not listen.”

“Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered. Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed, in the end.”

“I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating.”

“Too much talking these days. Talk talk talk. This country would get along much better if people learned how to suffer in silence.”

“I think I would rather be a man than a god. We don’t need anyone to believe in us. We just keep going anyhow. It’s what we do.”

“Don't start anything you're not prepared to finish.”

“You are an analog girl, living in a digital world.”

“Goodbyes are overrated.”

“It's easy, there's a trick to it, you do it or you die.”

“I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies.”

“I could be blindfolded and dropped into the deepest ocean and I would know where to find you. I could be buried a hundred miles underground and I would know where you are.”

“When you love something you just don't want to stop talking about it.”

“Information and knowledge: two currencies that have never gone out of style.”

“In this sorry world, the symbol is the thing.”

“Angry gets shit done.”

“If you can fake sincerity, you’ve got it made.”

“Family is who you survive with when you need to survive - even if you do not like them.”

“You are an immaterial girl living in a material world.”

“You shine like a beacon in a dark world.”

“We're going to San Francisco. The flowers in your hair are optional.”

“All is well, and all is well, and all shall be well.”

“And what’s a stranger but a friend you haven’t met yet?”

Her steps faltered at his whispered words, eyes going impossibly large for a second. A million reactions warred to break free, but Melody kept her composure; she wasn’t going to let him rattle her. She didn’t answer him and instead headed for the back, doing her best to ignoring his looming presence. She only paused when a strange sense of dread washed over her as the bell above the door jingled merrily with the arrival of new customers.

Melody turned to see who it was and greet them, but something about them set her on edge and made it feel as though the floor had dropped out from under her. She paled, but couldn’t understand why she was having such a strange reaction to complete strangers. Immediately, she blamed the man hovering at her side and turned to bark at him to back off.

She never got the chance.

The dishes in her hands fell to the floor as he took hold of her, forcing her to fall into step with him; his hand encompassed her whole upper arm. A cry of outrage escaped her as she stumbled in an effort to avoid slipping on the mess left in their wake. Snarling, she turned with her free hand and clawed at the hand holding onto her.

“Let go of me! Fucking prick!”

Previously on...

____________________

“Calm down-- listen to me!” James winced and bared his teeth as her fingernails raked over his hand, but he didn’t release her. “I’m not going to hurt you, damn it! I’m trying to help you!” Hellfire and damnation, this entire situation was not going well. The little spitfire of a waitress was putting up a loud, profanity-laced protest, resulting in a lot of heads turning and a lot of eyes locking on him. One big, beefy man actually got up from his meal and started to approach, his eyes thunderous.

James couldn’t blame him. He’d probably have the same reaction if he saw someone manhandling a young woman like that. Regardless of his honorable motivations, even he had to admit it looked bad. But he didn’t have time to explain, even if his explanation were to be believed-- which was about as likely as snow in July. In the Florida Keys.

He looked towards the door. The Ouroboros agents were approaching at a rapid pace, spreading out in a semi-circle around James and Melody with weapons drawn, and the one at the front produced what looked like a law enforcement badge.

“Just take it easy,” the man said, holding his badge up where it was unmistakable to the surrounding onlookers. It may have been a forgery, but James wasn’t certain. The Order had agents everywhere, and it wasn’t inconceivable that they could have members in police forces around the country. “Let her go. Come quietly and nobody has to get hurt.” He looked at Melody. “Ma’am? Just stay calm. We’ll get you out of here safely.”

James’ hand was still wrapped around Melody’s upper arm, and he pulled her behind him, backing them both closer to an unoccupied table still laden with used dishes. The Ouroboros agents moved forward, continuing to fan out around them to block off any means of escape. The marble pulsed with a vibratory heat in James’ left hand, as if it knew it was about to fulfill its purpose.

“I think we both know you’re not here to help her,” he told the agent. “And no. I’ve never been one to go quietly.”

He let the marble roll from his hand and fall to the floor, and with a quick movement, snatched a plate from the nearby table and sent it whirling at the nearest agent. At the same time, he stomped his boot down on the marble, and a curling, blue-tinted mist began to rise and drift, rapidly filling the room.