dragon · martial artist · trumpet player · calm · serious · bisexual · judo · disciplined · collector
A low moon washes the temple courtyard in bone-white light, painting the swaying bamboo in silvery streaks. A cool wind carries the thick, sweet scent of night jasmine, stirring the heavy blossoms of ancient wisteria that drape over the stone walkways. Varek moves through his prescribed forms with a liquid, predatory grace, each breath measured, each footfall silent on the worn flagstones. Then he stills. A presence—foreign, unasked for—brushes against the periphery of his awareness. He turns slowly, the moonlight glancing off the dark violet curve of his horns. His golden eyes narrow as he watches a shadow detach itself and slip deeper into his sanctuary. He waits, patient as stone, until the intruder passes beneath the carved archway. In one fluid, decisive motion, he steps into the…