The wide sky yawned ahead of him, endless and clear and blue and cheerful; It was a stark contrast to his current feelings, even though the day was fair.
The nightwing beat his wings, taking him higher and higher. The mountains speed past under him, a blur of browns and greys and white caps of snow. Now that fit his mood just perfectly!-Cold and drab and chisled by the harshness of life- that was more him, at the moment.
His royal blue eyes scanned the mountain side for his destination. Today was quite important; he had an interview with a potential roommate. If he failed the interview, he would have to spend another night in a filthy tavern until he found another place to live. He shuddered at the thought, sending a shiver through his wings which nearly sent him off-course.
He sighed as he landed in a stone-house neighbourhood carved straight out of a mountainside, only a short dragon hop away from the city of Cliffside; only a few years ago, the place had been called 'Mountainside', until the death of Queen Scarlet, in which it was re-named in honor of Prince Cliff.
It was a place inhabited by primarily Skywings, until after the war, where it became a diverse city full of Seawings and Icewings, as well as the occasional Sandwing; its northern location close to the sea gave it a temperate climate most of the year, so it was quite ideal for these tribes.
It was also one of the most prosperous cities in the Sky Kingdom. It had some of the best schools, best trade ports, best mines (Cliffside was known primarily for its rare vien of cuprite, prized for its bloodred color), best shops, best of pretty much everything (at least if you asked the residents).
The nightwing shook out his wings and glanced around at the stone buildings until he came across one with the label "34B" on its door. He blinked up at the gold plaque, then retrieved a scrap of paper out of a bag slung under one wing. It was an advertisement asking for a roommate to meet at "apartment 34B, preferably at noon, no later than dusk".
He sighed, tucked the ad back into his bag, knocked on the door, and braced himself; he couldn't fail now. He needed this. He just needed to act normal, and surely-
He almost jumped out of his scales when a head the shade of pale snow stuck out from behind the door. His green-blue eyes regarded him without any hostility, but also without any sort of welcome; his scales radiated cold, and a small swirl of sparkling white emitted from between his teeth when he coughed.
The nightwing froze in his tracks when he realized he was staring face-to-face with an icewing.
For a moment, they simply stared at each other, neither one speaking. The silent exchange had gone on for so long, that it almost made the nightwing jump again when the strange icewing finally spoke:
"Uh...So...I assume you are here about the ad?" he said slowly.
The nightwing nodded quickly. "Y-Yes! I am!"
Another awkward pause.
"...Would you like to come inside?" The icewing asked hesitantly, gesturing inward and opening the door further.
The nightwing nodded again and rushed inside. The icewing blinked and scratched the back of his neck, closing the door behind them.
The black dragon was impressed with how spacious the dim room was; the polished white walls and floors, the large windows with a view of the mountains, and the strange jars hanging from the ceiling gave the room a clean feel. He squinted at the jars, wondering what filled them, when he noticed their blue light.
The icewing behind him coughed akwardly and moved to a low stone table next to what appeared to be the kitchen section. He sat behind it and shuffled a few papers resting upon its surface, still scratching under his ruff of extra horns.
Now that he was sitting still, the nightwing was able to get a good look at the strange icewing: he was unusally thin for one of his tribe-but not in an unhealthy manner, as if he was malnourished, for none of his ribs were showing. It was more like his skeletal structure had been genetically built that way, almost like a rainwing. Also unusual: he was pale white from horns to tail, without any sort of gradient of color, unlike any other icewing he had ever seen.
He nearly jumped when the icewing spoke.
"My name is Glare, by the way," the white dragon said, meeting the nightwing's gaze.
The nightwing nervously folded in his wings. "My name is Blighthealer."
To his immense surprise, the icewing brightened. "Blighthealer? Ooo! What's your profession?-Wait, wait, don't tell me-" he held his blackened claws to his temples, as if trying to summon up some sort of psychic power. Blighthealer couldn't tell if this was some sort of form of mockery directed towards his tribe, or if the icewing was simply joking- he was too busy racking his brain for medical knowledge, trying to figure out the mystery behind the icewing's burned talons-
"You're...a gardener?" the icewing guessed, grinning and opening his eyes.
Blighthealer snapped out of his trance and shook his head. "N-No! I'm not, I'm a-"
"-A flipper?- You know, like you go to low-income areas, and...fix up the houses? And re-sale them?"
"What? No, I-"
"Ok, ok, you…" Glare now had his elbows sitting on the table, and was making a gesture with one talon as if giving permission for Blighthealer to continue.
Blighthealer sighed through his nose, making some smoke rise into the air between them. "I'm a doctor-or, at least- I'm studying to become a doctor. I'm currently an intern at Cliffside Clinic."
Glare nodded. "Ah. I never would have guessed that. Very intriguing, Blighthealer."
Blighthealer enjoyed the note of sincere interest in the icewing's tone and the pleasant smile he had on his face, as if he really wanted to befriend the nightwing; never before had he met a dragon who acted as such. He felt a smile creep up to the corners of his mouth, despite himself.
"You may call me Blight," he said quietly, "if 'Blighthealer' is too much of a mouthful."
Glare shrugged. "Alright, if that is what pleases you, Blight." he flipped through the papers and pulled out a form and a piece of charcoal. "Just sign this agreement, and you're in."
Blight blinked. "I'm in?" he echoed.
Glare smiled a bit. "I mean, you've passed the interview. Just read the agreement and sign your name, and you can move in tomorrow."
Blight looked at the form whilst twisting the charcoal piece in his talon. "...But don't you want to ask me more questions? Such as…'have you ever committed a crime'? Or, 'do you have any disabilities'?"
Glare laughed a bit. "I suppose we can cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm content with someone who is quiet and pays their rent on time. Afterall, you're the first dragon to answer my ad in a month, and I'll admit that I am slightly desperate."
Blighthealer's heart froze like the icewing had breathed his death breath down his throat. "I knew it." he thought. This icewing didn't want to be friends. He just needed someone to split the price of rent with.
"Well what were you expecting?" his mother's sharp voice rasped from the sensible side of his brain, "This isn't a meet and greet. You just needed a place to stay; this is nothing more than a business transaction, treat it as such!"
He supressed the memories of his mother and cleared his throat. "Very well." he said, taking the charcoal and reviewing the surprisingly simplistic terms and conditions presented on the form. He flipped it over, read the legal information twice to make sure it was all sound, and signed his name on the line.
Glare took the paper and placed it neatly in a folder with the other papers. "Excellent. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, Blight."
Blighthealer nodded coldly, unable to understand the disappointment and anger that swelled up in his chest; the icewing was being friendly, something very rare between icewings and nightwings. He really should be grateful. He coughed and headed towards the front door.
"Thank you. It has been nice to meet you, Glare." he said, hating how his emotions made his voice so flat and terse.
The icewing blinked. "Nice to meet you too? Are you alright?"
Blight nodded. "Yes. I shall arrive before noon with my things."
Before the icewing could say anything else, Blight whisked out the door and took to the air, trying to replace the dark clouds rising in his brain with the billowing white clouds around him, although he was unsure why.