*The return or the Imgflipper no one asked for* Reality is, Tora's scared AF about Xeno.

Alwayzbread: *falls from the sky*

"Right," [Xeno nodded,] "Your current problem."

Alwayzbread: its not a problem

"Falling from the sky and getting burned alive sounds like a problem."

Alwayzbread: not if you’re me

[Xeno shrugged, making a little fire dance behind Alwayzbread.] "To each their own, I guess?"

Alwayzbread: *runs back in the tree* no...i dont know what you’re tryna teach

[The fire vanished once more, though Xeno jumped into a tree next to him.] "I'm trying to say maybe you shouldn't have to jump out a plane and be on fire every day."

Alwayzbread: yeah but i dont do it every day

((Yay lore-)) [Xeno nodded.] "Sure I do. You act cocky and push others away while being scared of something, physical or mental. Like a lobster."

Alwayzbread: how do you...know that?
*did I ever tell you alwayzbread knows a bit of sorcery, like..potions an d stuff*

((Is Alwayzbread scared of fire cause fire killed Charlie?)) [Xeno shrugged.] "You do something similar every day. I know people like your type."

(Yea, plus his past and stuff) alwayzbread: not exactly

*If you did, I prolly didn't remember.* [Xeno smiled, her eyes almost seeming to glow.] "I read people like books, my friend."

Alwayzbread: ..yeesh... by the way, from earlier, its not the fact I’m on fire that scares me...its the sight i cant stand

"..."

Alwayzbread: ugh...sam rif? Isnt he a scientist? I didn’t think...unless...no, no way

[Xeno closed her eyes, her smile fading to a sadder one.] "Some accident involving fire, I guess? Burning buildings..." [Xeno's smile faded alltoghther.]

Alwayzbread: i dont wanna talk about it, i don’t remember much anyway

[Xeno gave Alwayzbread a look of concern. She sighed and looked around for Tora, who was probably hiding in a bush.]

Charlie: way...
Alwayzbread: ...i...eh it’ll be fine

"Are you really?" [Xeno's 'soul-searching' look returned to her face.]

*smiling* Alwayzbread: yea it’ll be fiiiiiinnnne

[Tora turned around from where she was keeping a safe distance from Xeno. She took a step back.] "Xeno..., I think there's something you should investigate..." [Xeno was nowhere to be seen, but whoever they were, they were close.]

Alwayzbread: ugh....*sees a plane he fell into the turbine of* oh its falling *it lands on him and explodes*

"Do any of us wanna talk about traumatic experiences? No. Which is why you ended up like that. Insulting people who seem more in sync with their emotions than you like, because deep inside, you relate with them." [Xeno leaned back, looking directly at the sun. She didn't seem to mind a very bright light.]

Alwayzbread: i don’t remember much anyway

((Therapy with Xeno 101)) [Xeno eventually tore her gaze away from the sun and back to Alwayzbread.] "If you ever do remember, It's gonna hurt. Very bad. I should know."

Alwayzbread: thats why i jumps out a plane turbine

"You remembered or your trying to remember?"

Alwayzbread: i dont want to remember..so this is what i do

"If you spend all your energy running from the past you won't have any left to develop any strength, Alwayzbread." [Xeno looked at her paws, and sighed.]

Alwayzbread: ....no..no i cant..i dont...

[Xeno stared at Alwayzbread directly. She seemed to gaze into his soul.] "That means you have to let yourself be stabbed and beat by the past. Then you can embrace the future. It'll hurt like hell, it always does. But you can hold the pain, it'll be better than running from said pain. People strong of the soul can bear blows from heaven and not flinch, and if you do flinch, get back up again."

Alwayzbread: ...*remembers something* no...no no no...

[Tora yelped and started backward, wildly gazing left and right for a place to hide as she saw the falling plane. It should have caused her death as it exploded, but Tora was protected... by a firey dome very intense in color, which dissipated when the smoke cleared.]

Alwayzbread: *gets out of the crater* yeesh...someone whos dead doesnt like me today

[Xeno lept from one branch to the one Alwayzbread was sitting on. She put her paw on his shoulder.] "It's okay."

*his skin got ice cold..despite it being like...sunny af at noon*
Alwayzbread: no...nooo...

[Xeno held on, even though she disliked cold temperatures. She said words of encouragement to him.]

*ice explosion despite alwayzbread’s ice abilities being gone for a while*

((Me: O f*** better pay attention this is lore time-
[Xeno glanced at the shaken Alwayzbread.] "Want emotional support?"

Alwayzbread: no...but i will be back soon...i gonna have a chat with the one who did this...

[Xeno shrugged.] "Here's hopeing for the best."

*he flies away*

*multiple hours later*

[Xeno was still sitting in the tree, stargazing. Her paws held fire, with which she idly played cat's cradle.]

*alwayzbread returns*

((Xeno's therapy might have screwed up somewhere-))
[Xeno lept from the tree, narrowly avoiding the ice. She gritted her fangs and climbed the tree again, returning to Alwayzbread's side]

*hes like...a dragon? Hes still alwayzbread sized but hes a bit more dragon-y*
Alwayzbread: ...i have a friend to “visit”

[Suddenly, by Tora's side, there was another figure, probably female with an agile and lithe body type. The fire mostly hid them, but one thing was clear, from their stance to the fire that ever circled around them: they could be a threat, not just to Alwayzbread, but to Tora as well.] "What kind of person?" [It was a female, just by her voice, which was the voice of a leader, one could tell,] "I might know them."

Alwayzbread: hm? *alwayzbread is still on fire*

[It must have been Xeno, her figure more prominent as she stepped through the fire. Something peculiar happed as she did so: the fire seemed to go right back into her body, like a sponge. Xeno's clothing was a mix of armor and casual clothing: a sleeveless, turtleneck like shirt, shorts, boots, and gauntlets better suited for a war-mech, and a necklace with an adorning choker. And if that wasn't enough, she had a halo, tall ears, and a long, eastern-dragon tail.] "As I said, I might know them. Probably, no, definitely not on friendly terms."

Alwayzbread: *while in flames* heh, I’m assuming charniva is still alive sooooo

[Xeno blinked in surprise at the name, her gaze, vibrant oranges and reds, beautiful but threatening at the same time, flickering from Alwayzbread to the forest beyond.] "I just saw her last night, reading to her kid. She'd probably be the last person to kill someone with a plane though...it's more like Charniva to choke someone with her dreamcatcher ribbons. She told me that, she also told me about a jackass named Alwayzbread, said he's a jerk to Astro, but she guesses he has a few redeemable qualities..." [Xeno continued to talk before turning her attention to Alwayzbread.] "Do you know your on fire?"

Alwayzbread: *no longer on fire* ...wait...fire??? *runs up a tree* GET IT AWAY RIGHT NOW!

"Correction: you were on fire, but you're fine now." [As Tora shrank into the background, Xeno pulled her to her side. Tora whispered something to Xeno, but Xeno shook her head.] "I'm pretty sure many people would be scared of being on fire, your no exception." [As Tora held out her arms, fire circled around them, almost like she herself was made of fur and fire.] "You can come down now."

Alwayzbread: ok thanks...*comes down* also charniva thinks i have redeeming qualities? She says that like i tried to kill him

[Xeno snorted.] "Kind isn't a word I'd use to describe her unless you're talking about the relationship she has with her kid."

Alwayzbread: anyway

[Xeno grabbed the picture and looked at it carefully. She handed the picture back to Charlie, apparently not being startled by a ghost.] "Half-dragon? I know some of those."

Alwayzbread: dragon? *a memory*
Sam rif: now to give you and upgrade...young one..*updates DNA*

[Xeno shrugged.] "Charniva says you have the strength to fight for your beliefs. She said that's a very rare thing to have. She might not sound like she means it, but I do know when she means something and when she doesn't."

Alwayzbread: tch...she was always the kindest..despite some occasional problems hehe

[Xeno looked down at Alwayzbread, the fire vanishing.] "How'd it go...?"

Alwayzbread: no clue...

*he destroyed the lab*

"What kind of 'inhumane' thing are you scared of becoming?" [Xeno lept from the tree, causing a burning effect that quickly diminished as walked forward. It was the first time she was at her full height, an impressive seven feet.]

Alwayzbread: *realizes fires nearby and backs away* idk...
Charlie: this
*shows him a blurry pic of some sorta dragon*

"So you have employed your second line of defense: forgetting things." [Xeno stretched in the tree, her dragon-like tail curling in an arch.]

alwayzbread: well if i became a...something thats not human, you know I’m gonna forget it

"Someday we all gotta be fine about whatever the hell we went through, cause we're gonna die. And we can die with regrets." [Xeno yawned and stretched, her claws unsheathing once more, but soon retracting.]

Alwayzbread: ..die with regrets?

"Charlie and I see through your bullcrap. You are a mess inside." [Xeno shrugged, looking back at the ashes of the list. She picked it up, and the list would reform itself.] ((One of her three interesting abilities: Heal or rebuild things burned or damaged by fire/ a source of heat.))

Charlie: the list!
Alwayzbread: *grabs it and throws it in as convenient black hole* what list?

[Xeno sighed.] "Gee, I dunno, the list you are scared of us seeing. That you threw in a convenient black hole."

Alwayzbread: idk what you speak of

[Xeno forced herself not to snark or offer her therapy.]

Alwayzbread: anyway

[Xeno gave a rueful nod.] "Yeah. You wanted to travel the world. You wanted to tell the girl you liked your feelings. You wanted to save someone from a fire or from drowning. That kinda stuff..." "Sad thing is though, many people die with regrets."

*checks bucket list*

Alwayzbread: the last check mark..

-remember

Alwayzbread: ...*burns it* no

[Xeno watched as the list was burned] "Yeah, you got something."

Alwayzbread: pshhh nah

[Xeno glanced at the bomb with minimal amusement, looking back to Alwayzbread.] "I mean you're like a crab in the fact you use a hard shell to protect yourself, in reality, you're a soft mess under that shell."

Alwayzbread: as if

"I'm on Charlie's side. Your scared of something. You're a crab."

Alwayzbread: yea...a bomb handed crab *he has bombs for grabs dont ask*

"Then why'd ya burn the list? Something you don't wanna do?" [Xeno took a step closer.] "Something your scared to do?"

Alwayzbread: cause i completed the list...duh
Charlie: lies