His harsh and dismissive response was expected, however the firm knock to her shoulder was not.  Placing a foot behind her to brace herself as she stumbled just a tad, Archane narrowed her eyes at the half-breed as her foot slid back in the dirt.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b300b3">"Do that again, and you'll regret it."</span>Her tone was sharp with a poisonous edge as she gave her one and only warning, cold eyes glaring daggers at him in a moment of weakness.  She remained calm for the most part though, keeping a lid on her pesky temper.  This was going to take some convincing, and shoving his face into the dirt may not be the best way of doing that.<br/><br/>Turning to follow after him, Archane opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a heavy stone hitting the man's back.  Her eye twitched in annoyance as some pea-brained imbecile called out from the crowd, yelling insults at the hybrid.<i>Dragon filth</i>, he said.  Turning her head to stare out at the crowd, her violet eyes drifted over the townsfolk in contentment, finding herself disgusted by their vacuous gawking.<i>They</i>were the filth.  So easily swayed by the opinions of many, with no original thought in those puny little brains.  Either that, or they were just spineless cowards, choosing to let fear rule them.  Did they not realize that Dragons used to roam this Earth before they even existed?  Did they forget it was those ancient beasts that created fire for mankind?  Gave it as a gift so they might have light and warmth in the dark, winter days?  Yes, they were fearsome, dangerous beasts that now were a threat to mankind's existence.  They were prideful, vengeful creatures with a nasty temper.  But it was<i>Man</i>who betrayed them first, turning on them in fear and greed as they realized what massive power the Dragons possessed.  Or at least, that's how the stories were told.  Tales as old as time, passed down from generation to generation of Dragonkin.  They were meant to teach the younger ones not only to fear Dragons, as they were dangerous creatures, but to respect them as well.  Archane was sure there were misconceptions and falsehoods in those mythical tales, so she didn't believe in all of it.  However, every story was born of some kind of truth.<br/><br/>As she stared out at the crowd, lost in thought, Archane didn't notice the stone flying towards her from somewhere else in the crowd.  Not until she noticed the sound of a sword unsheathing, a subtle but all too familiar sound, and turned only to see a flash of silver, and the remnants of a shattered stone.  It all happened so fast she could only blinked, impressed by the speed of this nameless man.  How he had noticed where the stone was coming from with his back turned was lost on her, and even more impressive was how precise he had been with that sword of his.  Something she would love to get a better look at herself.<br/><br/>The crowd went silent after that, not daring to let loose another insult or throw anymore objects at the two of them.  Obviously they knew what this man could do, and feared for their lives if they were to get on his bad side.  It made her wonder if he frequented this town often, and if so, why come if they hated him so much?  Did they have reason to fear and hate him so?  It wasn't as if she was judging him based on what he was though; she had been the target of such detestation herself, along with the rest of her people.  However, not every person was good.  That was the same for every creature.  It didn't matter what one may look like on the outside, no one could know someones true intentions.  No one could see the heart that lie beneath someones skin.  Still.... despite her knowing she had to be careful, Archane knew he was her best bet at completing her quest.  He stood the best chance of helping her defeat the Dragon.  It wasn't as if one came across a man that was half-Dragon everyday after all.<br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b300b3"><br/>
"Thank you."</span>Those were two words the young Dragonkin did not say often.  They felt foreign falling off her tongue, though he deserved to hear them.  He didn't have to stop that rock from hitting her.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b300b3">"Won't you hear me out at least?  I don't ask you to make promises you cannot keep... Only to listen."</span>A light breeze blew threw the town, turning up dust and blowing her pale pink locks back from her scarred face.  Starring at the back of his head, she followed after him, refusing to take no for an answer.  Stubborn and bull-headed, her mind was made up.  There was no dissuading her now.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b300b3">"I'm afraid I won't leave until you do."</span>