Sunset hung heavily over the thief-run city of Dausk, the time when the city truly came alive. Race was meaningless within these walls; the inhabitants were bound by something stronger than outer flesh. The majority of people who inhabited Dausk had something to hide or something to run from, and those who didn't were either merely passing by or the offspring of those who were running and hiding. Or, in some rare cases, they were the very things that were being hidden. It wasn't the most savory of lives, but it wasn't boring either; or so most would think.

In a town of thieves and rogues it was no surprise that the majority of shops that lined the Dauskian streets consisted largely of taverns and pubs. Very few of those shops sold the usual merchandise, but -for those who knew the right places and people- rare and fine wares could always be found. From weapons to unusual artifacts... The local thieves guild had just about everything, but what couldn't be found in their inventories could always be stolen for a sum.

Yet, among the usual shops and pubs, other and more unique buildings existed. The most well known of these was the Blue Imp: one of the few tattoo studios located on Velaphim and the only one who used the rare and, in some cases, illegal inks such as Neon. The Blue Imp had existed for decades, rising up with the start of the original thieves guild and all the local rogues were branded by its fine ink.

Zauralo Mathale was born and raised in this city and, like everyone registered to the Thieves' Guild, was brought to the Blue Imp on his 13th birthday. Official registry into the Guild meant you were given a working name and a small brand. Zauralo left his Coming of Age ceremony as "Absinthe", as the neon green absinthe leaves on the back of his neck clearly stated, and with a new love of body modifications that would become his way of life in the passing years.

It was a reaction that no one truly could've expected, for most youths who endured brandings with inks as painful to endure as Neon were scarce to return for another tattooing at the Blue Imp...but Zauralo would return many times in the next five years. During those times, he expanded his CoA tattoo into a full back design in pure Green Neon and adorned himself with many other simpler designs before finally becoming a tattoo artist himself on his 18th birthday.

Tattooing was his passion, there was no denying that...but there was also no denying Absinthe's increasing boredom. While Absinthe remained outwardly happy with his quiet life, those close to him could not help but notice the young adrenaline-chaser's growing restlessness. It was Absinthe's best friend, a fellow tattoo enthusiast and rogue dubbed "Talon", who to the necessary steps to take Zauralo from the Blue Imp and onto greater things.

The last rays of sunset were filtering through the Blue Imp's windows, fading away into the neon blaze that was night in Dausk. Zauralo was leaned forward, working his last job for the day: the second session in a tattoo job he was doing for a close friend of his. Talon was reclining easily before him, her arm outstretched so that he could finish the brilliant red tattoo she had requested: a long, serpentine dragon coiled about her arm with wide wings out-stretched. Dragons had been a passion of hers since childhood...one that had only flourished upon encountering the vampire Sianthyst and his dragon bond, Eimin.

Now more than ever, dragons filled her thoughts. She would never be able to bond a dragon, her line of work was far too risky...but a dragon bond might be exactly what Absinthe needed to break him free from his rut in life. Talon had been keeping watch on various agencies that allowed commoners without official training to bond with young dragons (unlike the bondings in distant Dragolera) and one, the OAC Dragongry, was finally accepting applications. All that was left was to send Absinthe along, but would he even want to go?

A soft but faintly reproachful cough brought Talon out of her uncertain thoughts and returned her to the present, bringing with it the realization that Absinthe was finished and adding the protective gauze to her arm. Flashing a beautiful yet bashful smile to her friend, Talon pushed herself into a full sitting position and stretched out the kinks from her lean form.

"So, are you going to tell me what you've got on your mind or what, Talon?"

As always, Absinthe's words were filled with a playful and mocking sort of arrogance. It was the sort of arrogance which could either be endearing or infuriating and Absinthe luckily managed to lean on the more endearing side of infuriating.

"Well," Talon laughed awkwardly as she spoke "I suppose there's no better time to tell you than now." Despite the faint laugh, Talon's words still managed to dull the playful edge on Absinthe's fangy grin though it didn't fade entirely. Instead, his absinthe green orbs darkened a degree and he shifted to make it clear that Talon had his undivided attention. "You're bored here... There's no use denying it, Zaur, I know you too well to overlook it...but I think I've found something that'll help, if you're willing to take a little trip."

Absinthe was silent as she spoke, taking Talon's advice and not bothering to argue her words. She was right: he was bored, unbelievably so. Time after time he'd found himself questioning how it could be possible that a town so famed for its trouble and chaos could manage to leave him so discontented, but it had done it somehow and he was left dreaming of more interesting things than spending the rest of his eternity doing tattoo work. So, despite his uncertainty about Talon's news, he couldn't help but also silently be thrilled.

"So, go on...spill the beans...what is it?"

Talon smiled brightly to Absinthe's response and, with a nod, leaned over to grab her knapsack while she spoke. "You know how I told you about that strange vampire and his dragon?" Absinthe arched a brow but nodded. "Yeah, how could I forget? He wasn't sure what to make of this vague reference to her adventure nearly a year past, but it definitely had his interest soaring to new heights. "Well I've been keeping tabs on dragon-related agencies ever since, and one of them has recently sent out an announcement: they've got a special sort of bonding open for an endangered breed of dragons, one that I think you'll be interested in." As Talon finished speaking, she found the object she'd been searching through her knapsack for and smoothly removed the small and somewhat battered scroll from her pack as she awaited Absinthe's response.

Sitting in a dumbfounded silence for a long moment, Absinthe weighed the intensity of what his friend had just told him. Open bondings were nearly impossible in Aesthrae as they could occasionally be fatal to unprepared minds...so the chance to join an open bonding was one that Absinthe would not be able to pass up. But there was something in Talon's hesitant silence that made Absinthe believe there was something more than just an open bonding awaiting him. "Well," he prompted anxiously "Go on..."

Talon's smile widened into a grin at the desirable response and nodded smoothly as she continued. "Of course, there's no publicly open bondings here on Aesthrae so you know that that means you'll be planet hopping." Absinthe needed only to nod for Talon to continue. "So here's the part I think you'll like... The dragon that is seeking bonds are called 'Tattoo Dragons' and their bonding process requires being tattooed." Talon laughed with pleasure as she caught the spark of happiness light up within Absinthe's previous skeptic orbs. "So you'll do it then, Zaur?"

Chuckling happily, Absinthe nodded. "How could I pass up a new tattoo experience?" Talon was beaming on the inside and out, pleased to see the renewed vigor with which he was approaching the subject. For too long she'd watched her friend moping about in his boredom. He needed an adventure. "So, how am I going to get to the bonding ceremony?"

"That's where this comes in...hope you don't mind teleportation too much." Absinthe was 'magically dumb' as Talon often called him, but spells and the manipulation of magic was anything but foreign to Talon. This was going to be an adventure for Absinthe in many different respects.