Matthew
*100 pushups. 100 situps. 100 squats. And a 10 kilometer run, every single day.*

*After being bedridden for months, Serena had finally gotten well enough to train again. On the recovery process, someone had recommended her this training regiment for now. Grey? Aldeberto? She had forgotten. Oh well. Maybe she should start adding pullups to it too.*

*The uzhi was jogging in a tough pair of overalls, with a white shirt paired with a linen vest. Sweat ran down her translucent skin, turning some of her shirt a light grey. A dagger on her side and several pistols strapped to her belt and in her vest served as protection in case she ran into anything odd. And run into odd things she would.*

*Upon the path she normally took was a dark skinned, blue horned man. A blue oni, evidently. And he seemed to be meditating around a bunch of rocks? Withdrawing a pistol, Serena steadily approached him, though held the barrel down. He didn't seem to be dangerous, but just in case. She walked around him, before wrapping an arm around his shoulder.*

"Hey."
Micheal
*The Oni was oddly cold to touch, almost corpse-like from how still he was. As she spoke, the blue-light emanating from him suddenly went out. His eyes shot open, confused, as he let out a gasp of air almost like his soul was shoved right back into him. He turned his head, his gaze following the woman's arm all the way up until he had locked eyes with her. What momentary confusion he had, suddenly turned to irritability. Ryker had reacted so quickly, standing up as a vortex of air surrounded him to create some space between the two.*"Don't you know better than to wake a person visiting the spirit realm?"*He snapped at her. Even now, he was still trying to shake off the initial shock. It was like his body was in fight or flight mode, but he stood firm and defensively in still trying to gauge whether this person was looking to cause trouble.*
Matthew
*Damn, he was cold. Maybe he needed some soup to warm up. Or maybe a jog.*

*Serena looked to perhaps tighten her grip on the man as her dead stare looked him in the eyes. Before she knew it though, a gust of wind blew him away, and he was out of her reach. The uzhi was surprised, but not overly so, turning to where the Oni was now.*

"....Spirit realm? You're not trying to contact the void dragons are you?"

*Serena's face was mostly apathetic, with the corners of her mouth curling up slightly with entertainment. The pistol in her right hand was simply held at her hip.*

"I'd be suspicious if I found some mage in the 'spirit realm' in the middle of the forest, away from everyone else."
Micheal
*He kept his eyes locked on Serena and gradually shifted it down to peer at her weapon, one he wasn't as familiar with.*"I was trying to get summon contracts."*He said to her.*"If it was my hope to be interrupted in such a way then I may well had done it in the middle of the streets where I'm sure all spirits go."*He summoned his staff to hand and in a flash of blue light, the gems and stones vanished from sight. The initial shock was gradually fading out of him, but whatever progress he had made had now reverted back to square one.*"Am I to assume you have any more business here than me?"*He questioned her.*
Matthew
"Summon contracts? So you're a businessman. You don't look like one though. If you wanted to be undisturbed you could just find a room or house to do it in."

*Serena grit her nonexistent teeth, the grip on her pistol tightening as Ryker summoned his staff. She certainly wasn't looking for a fight; she had just started recovery after all.*

"I would sit down, but I'm still warm right now. I'm no law enforcement, but I'll get paid if I turn in a criminal. You don't look like one, so maybe you can explain exactly what you're doing here?"
Micheal
"A summoner..."*He corrected apathetically.*"My time spent here is meant to be short and undisturbed."*The Oni proceeded to point his staff at her.*"You, on the other hand seem insistent on obtaining information from me that I've already provided. I'd have thought the concept of ritualistic summon contracts to be of more general knowledge, but it seems I've given too much credit."*He set the base of the staff back down on the ground.*"You'd be lucky to receive anything for my arrest. I am unknown here as far as anyone is concerned."
Matthew
*So he was a mage then. Duh. Especially since he had just summoned a staff out of thin air.*

"I don't see any summons around, Mr. Summoner. And I'm a physical fighter. Can't expect us tougher folk to get all that magic stuff, you nerd."

*Serena remained motionless, though the oni could tell her gaze was sharpening, more focused on him as he set the staff on the ground.*

"Hey, money is money, isn't it? Plus, anyone who's dealing with void dragons is the same as a murderer. Basically. Maybe you can summon something to prove that you're not one of them? I'll leave you alone after that."
Micheal
*It would be truthful to admit that he wasn't even sure what she was talking about with these 'void dragons', but the Oni didn't feel like admitting it to someone who couldn't understand something as simple as summoning. His eyes narrowed to slits, more so out of annoyance than anything of this being what he had to put up with. However, in asking him to summon something, he took that as a challenge.*"If that's what it takes to prove something so obvious then so be it..."*He says. The Oni allowed his staff to vanish and slowly approached the woman. Cupping his two hands together, a blue light was able to be seen glowing from them. When he uncovered his hand, a small metallic drake with wings was resting in his palm. The tiny creature seemed to come to life, flying up out of his hand and circling the air as it ascended into the sky. Ryker seemed quite pleased with it.*
Matthew
*The slime tensed slightly as the oni approached her, but soon relaxed as he began to do something curious with his hands. She looked curiously, and when he uncovered his hands, a metallic drake had appeared in his palm. Serena's eyes widened, one hand covering her mouth.*

"It's so CUTE!"

*The mercenary looked up to the sky as the tiny dragon began to fly, circling in the air. Serena had always had a soft spot for tiny creatures, and was currently captivated by the current summon.*
Micheal
*Well it definitely wasn't the reaction the Oni was expecting, he didn't even consider that the small drake could be seen as such. Gradually losing his initial annoyance, he cleared his throat.*"Yes, well I suppose it is *Cute* In a way."*He said.*"I prefer to keep it in its dormant form for the convenience of travel."
Matthew
"In a way? You summon this thing and say it's only cute *In a way*? That's one of the most adorable things I've ever seen! Dormant? You could get so much from having it about!"

*Serena looked at the oni, her expression changing to one of a young teenage girl.*

"You could totally pick up girls with something like that! Or at least get favors with them!"
Micheal
*Ryker merely blinked. It seemed he was temporarily rendered speechless by her words and it took a moment to figure out what she was on about.*"I... Suppose I could...?"*He said slowly.*"But what would be the benefit of that?"
Matthew
"...The benefit?"

*The uzhi looked at him, stunned. Why did he even summon a drake at all? For testing?*

"I knew it. You"

*A finger was pointed at the dark skinned oni.*

"Are a nerd who spends all day in his room and can't pick up girls."
Micheal
*For a brief moment he looked taken aback by the accusation. If he had any lack of self-respect, he'd have engaged with this tomfoolery. However, he knew better than that. His staff returned to his hand almost immediately and he planted it against the ground forcefully.*"Enough of this."*He said in warning, the atmosphere becoming all the more colder around him.*"You asked for me to show you a summon and I did. If I hadn't already shown enough of my abilities to you, I'd question the audacity you've shown interrupting my work here. I'd say it's about time I begin asking who you are and what you're doing out here."
Matthew
"Sounds like I hit a sore spot huh. And what's with the secrecy? You part of some underground society or something?"

*The hand lowered, Serena almost completely uncaring that the air got colder. She still held onto her pistol though, aware that the mage was now prepared to use frost magic. It looked like he would fall to a single shot though; while his magic prowess seemed incredible, his build was nothing spectacular.*

"I'm trying to stay warm, so could you not make it so cold? Anyway. I'm Serena. I'm a mercenary. And I'm running my 10 kilometers. There. It's easy. How about you try?"
Micheal
"I begin to tire of all these mercenaries..."*He muttered.*"My business is none of yours. I'd rather keep my own plans to myself and not share with someone who doesn't know when to hold their tongue."*Despite the woman's request, it seemed as if the forest was becoming breezier and Ryker had a small look of satisfaction regarding it.*"I'm unsure of what you mean. The change in weather is no doing of mines. I suppose you may have my name at least. Ryker Dusken."*He introduced himself, this time without the usual bow.*
Matthew
"Yep, definitely antisocial. Maybe you need a drink or two to let yourself go, you know? You're acting like you have a stick up your ass."

*The mercenary realizes what she says, and pockets the pistol.*

"Sorry, that one was a bit harsh. Ryker huh?"

*Of course a loner like him would be named Ryker*

"Not looking to snoop into your business. I don't even understand most of it."
Micheal
*He rubbed his temple in mild irritation before eventually letting out a tired sigh. The air around them seemed to warm once more as the Oni couldn't even be bothered to make a retort.*"I suppose there's no better time to take a break than now. I've been spending the whole day searching for a contract to suit the vessel I had created."*He said as he looked up towards the sky. How much time has passed since he had entered the spirit realm?*
Matthew
"Breaks are good. Might as well take mine now. I think I'm at the 5 kilo mark anyway."

*Sitting down on a nearby log, the uzhi pulls out a waterskin out, sipping on it.*

"The whole day? Since when did you start? You were as cold as a corpse when I found you. If you weren't glowing, I would have thought you had passed away."
Micheal
*It seemed like he would be stuck with this Uzhi. Despite having much better company in mind, he had been talking to the dead all day and their conversations were most usually full of depression and desperation. At least this one holds more interesting traits even if it simply served to annoy him.*"Dawn."*He says to her. The Oni conjured a wooden chair for him to sit in and sat back in it.*"But that has nothing to do with it. I am naturally that temperature. I thrive in the cold."*He explains.*"Perhaps my visit to the realm has lowered it a bit, however, I am unaware of the changes that occurs when I'm not within my own body. Traversing the realm is as close as one can get to death without passing, I suppose."*While he was talking, the small metallic drake had flown its way back down and landed on his shoulder. He casted a side eye to it and dispersed it into mana.*