A sharp retort of something slapping the ground next to her woke Tessa from her stupor. Curiously, the young girl looked around for a moment, before seeing the source of her awakening. A small photo that laid slightly stuck under her bag. Tessa looked around for a moment, trying to see if someone had placed the photo there without her seeing them. With no person looking as if they had done it, Tessa more closely examined the photo. The photo was of a girl, with a dragon egg in her arm, and a big dragon in the background. Tessa squinted, and examined the girl particularly, ~ Very pretty. ~ Tessa thought, as she stop examining the photo. It wasn't a girl Tessa had seen before, but at least she knew who the probably owner of the photo was. Tessa stood up, and stretched out her arms, preparing herself to look for the photo's owner.

Ruby had stopped running when she saw the courtyard in the near distance and sighed. She saw several people and didn't want to go there but she had too. That picture was everything for her, it was the last thing that reminded her at the valley where her uncle lived. She entered the courtyard and looked around, seeking for anything small and white in the bushes or trees. She covered her snow-white hair with her hood and kept searching mumbling and muttering in herself.

After finishing stretching, she took another look at the photo, before once more scanning the surrounding area. After failing several times to locate the person, Tessa switched her vision rapidly from looking at the girl in the picture, to scanning the courtyard. As luck would have it, after a few tries Tessa managed to locate a girl that at least seemed somewhat like the girl in the photo. Despite the girl hiding her face, it was easy to see the pale complexion of the girl. It also helped Tessa since the girl looked like she was herself looking frantically for something. Raising her hand high in the air, but staying in her position under the tree, she called out to the girl, "Hey, over here! I have your picture!" Tessa yelled out

Ruby heard someone calling and looked up, the wind taking down her hood again and she saw a girl with brown / reddish hair waving at her. She walked to her and saw the picture in the hand off the girl, she smiled and felt really revealed. ''Thank you'' she said with a little smile. When she had her picture back in her hand, she softly touched the big dragon behind her in the picture, then opened her jacket and put the picture in the little pocket there, it could fit right in. ''Thank you again'' she said, closing her jacket, hiding her blue top that she was wearing. She was willing to go away again but somehow she felt like she couldn't go away so without saying anything. She may not be trusting people but that didn't mean she was not well raised. ''If.. '' she started but didn't know what she really wanted to say.

Tessa smiled, brightly, as the girl seemed somewhat ecstatic that her possession had been returned to her. Tessa simply nodded her head, keeping her bright smile, as the stranger thanked her twice. After a moment of silence, the girl stuttered out a meager word, before losing trail of what she wanted to say. Tessa tilted her head to the side, momentarily, as if curious as to why the girl was at a lost of words. After another moment, Tessa's smiled returned, and she outstretched her hand to the girl, "I'm Tessa Lander," She started to introduce, hoping taking command of the conversation would help calm the girl, "It's very nice to meet you!"

Ruby looked at the hand the girl had outstretched to her and slowly took the hand in hers and slowly shook it. ''I'm Ruby Stonesky'' she said, softly almost whispering. ''It's my pleasure'' she said ~ I think ~ she thought behind it but this she wouldn't say to the girl. She looked like a nice girl and did give her her photo back without asking anything in return for it, at least.. Not yet.

Tessa smiled, cordially, as she shook the girl's hand. Tessa retracted her hand back to her side, before looking back over to her place where she had been laying under the tree, before turning back to look at the fair skinned girl, "Would you like to join me under the tree?" Tessa asked, still bearing her apparently permanent smile, "I'm fairly new here, and haven't made a single friend yet, so I've been pretty bored." Tessa ended with a slight chuckle. Ruby seemed fairly nice, if not reserved about her feelings and very skeptic of new people.

Ruby looked at her again and didn't know what to do or say. She saw Tessa knew she was reserved but she knew Tessa didn't know the reasons why.. She then softly nodded. ''That's okay.. I just arrived 30 minutes ago'' she said and waited for Tessa to take her place under the tree.

Tessa smiled, brightly, at her new found friend's acceptance of her invitation to chat and relax under the tree. Tessa turned and plopped herself back down in her original spot, drawing her knees up to her chest, and looked up at the reserved Ruby, before taking her hand and patting an area of grass right next to her, signaling to Ruby to come take a seat right next to her, "So, do you like it here so far?" Tessa asked, already settling in comfortably.

Ruby looked at her and slowly a smile formed around her lips, maybe she could trust this girl? She sat down next to her, fixing her hood so it would normally fall over her back. ''Liking it here?'' she asked and thought for a moment. ''I liked my uncle's valley more...'' she said and looked at Tessa, she couldn't say to much about the valley where her uncle lived, filled with dragon-human's like they probably all were. They all lived there because they felt better in a huge group. ''Do you like it here?'' she asked. She didn't know if she could Tessa consider a friend already but she felt more comfortable around the girl.

Tessa listened intently as the girl mentioned her uncle's valley, and quietly wondered if the girl would elaborate, but it appeared she felt better leaving the subject of her uncle's hang. As Ruby asked Tessa is she liked it her, Tessa answer with a smile at first, leaning back until she was flat on her back on the grassy ground, "Of course I like it here! I've met a few pretty nice people, but you're the only one I've actually got to sit down and talk to." Tessa said as she placed her hands behind her head, but kept her gaze on Ruby, "What was your uncle's valley like?" Tessa hoped she wasn't being too nosy with the question, but wondered if the girl would open up at all.

Ruby looked down on Tessa and the small smile that had formed around her lips got a little bigger, she really started to like this girl and she seemed really curious about her uncle's valley. ''Well.. It's not really his.. It's from Black Opal.. Which is the big black dragon on my photo... The egg I am holding there is her first baby.. It was a male and I was allowed to name him'' she said. ''The valley is the habitat of a lot of kind dragon-humans... Just like we all are here'' she said. ''I've lived there now almost two years and... it is great, I help the dragons and we have a lot of fun...'' she said with a smile around her lips, she opened up completely and felt a little weird but good about it.

Tessa smiled through the entire explanation of valley. It honestly sounded like a wonderful place, and Tessa wondered momentarily if she would ever get to see something like that. She had always been raised in cities, or large communities, "That sounds like a wonderful place, Ruby. I'd really like to see that place sometime!" Tessa said, turning her gaze skywards now, as she still conversed with her new friend, "So, what did you name that baby?" Tessa asked, still very much curious about Ruby's life.

Ruby looked at her with a smile. ''Maybe in a vacation or when we can go home for a weekend... if you want to.. And if Black Opal accepts you, if not than I'll stay with you in the house my uncle used to live in when he wasn't accepted yet.. Black Opal is ruling like a real dragon, she mostly is in her dragon form too'' she said with a little smile. ''His name? His human name became Gawain, his dragon name is Excalibur'' she said with a smile. ''He has a mark on his right feet that almost looks like some kind of a sword'' she said with a giggle. ''He really is a cute boy, almost five years old.. I used to dragon-sit on him'' she said with a smile. ''Do you miss your family?'' Ruby then asked slowly, looking at Tessa.

Once more, Tessa listened intently as Ruby opened up to her, smiling the whole way. The more Ruby mentioned Black Opal, the more Tessa wanted to meet Black Opal face-to-face, "Those are awesome names!" Tessa admired for a moment, silently jealous that she didn't have a more prestigious name. Tessa smiled even more brightly as Ruby went into detail about Gawain, evident that Ruby held him in high regard. When Ruby poised her question to Tessa, Tessa's smile disappeared for a moment, as she mulled over the question, intent on giving an honest answer. Finally, Tessa turned her head back to face Ruby, with a slightly more serious look on her face, "I can't say that I really miss them, but I guess it'd be good to see them, again." Tessa said, somberly. After a moment of letting her answer hang in the air, a smile gradually came back to Tessa's face, "What was your uncle's name?" Tessa asked, with a smile. It was as if her entire mood had changed with a blink of an eye, from somber to giddy.

Ruby felt the change in Tessa's mood and looked a bit somber as she saw her new friend sad. She closed her eyes and pulled Tessa in a hug, so suddenly that she was surprised herself but kept Tessa like that for a moment. ''I am sorry...'' she whispered and looked at Tessa then, seeing her mood change back to giddy and quite happy. ''My uncle? His name is Arthur'' she said with a soft smile and saw a string hair from Tessa falling over her cheek. She softly placed it back to where it belonged and smiled. ''I can see that you would love to meet Black Opal and I bet you would love to see Gawain and the other dragons'' she said, she was still looking at Tessa now again with a smile.

Tessa was surprised as she was pulled into the hug, but hugged Ruby back as she hugged her. Tessa smiled faintly as Ruby showed her concern at Tessa's melancholy attitude about her family, but Tessa simply nodded her head, preferring not to go back into the subject. Tessa was surprised once again as Ruby moved a piece of misplaced hair on her cheek back to it's original place. Tessa gave a shy smile, as she looked at her new friend. It seemed that Ruby had definitely warmed up to Tessa, becoming more and more comfortable as the situation went on, something Tessa definitely was happy about. Tessa nodded her head as Ruby continued to talk, sitting herself back up in a sitting position now, "Of course! I'd like to meet Arthur as well. It seems like you have all kinds of interesting people in your life!" Tessa exclaimed, very visibly showing her excitement on the topic. After a moment of letting her comment hang in the air, Tessa spoke up once more, looking at Ruby with probably her happiest smile yet, "I'm glad we met, Ruby!" Tessa said, this time initiating the hug with Ruby, pulling her in close before letting her go.

Ruby didn't know how to respond on the surprised look on Tessa's face after she hugged her. And how more she looked surprised when she put back the piece of hair. Ruby smiled some and nodded as Tessa said she would love to meet her family. ''Yes.. They are wonderful..'' she said and felt a little sad, but she tried to not show that. When Tessa sat up again and pulled Ruby in a hug once more, saying she was glad to meet her, Ruby felt better again, closing her arms around Tessa for a brief moment. ''You are a very nice person Tessa.. I am.. not good with trusting people, even new people like me... Dragon-human I mean...'' she said with a little smile. ''I hope that we will become very good friends'' she said with a smile.

Tessa smiled as Ruby revealed she was not good with trusting people, attempting to settle her emotions, "Don't worry, it's fine! Trust always takes some time." She said, confident in here statement, "I don't hope we become good friends, I KNOW we're gonna become good friends!" Tessa added, with a small chuckle, "You're a nice person, too, Ruby. I enjoy you being around." Tessa turned her gaze now towards the courtyard, idly watching as other students traversed the yard, and spoke amongst themselves, "It's nice to know I finally have a friend here, now." She added, speaking softly now. After a few moments of silent appreciation of their situation, Tessa once more spoke up, "Would you like to go grab something to eat, Rub?" Tessa asked, testing out her new nickname for Ruby.

Ruby looked at Tessa and smiled about her confident in how they were gonna become good friends. She was very happy to have a girl around her that was so positive. She just knew she could learn a lot from Tessa, plus she was a really beautiful girl. Ruby smiled as she looked at the other students and then looked at Tessa again. She asked if she wanted to grab something to eat, and she called her Rub. She smiled and nodded. ''That would be great...'' for a brief moment she stopped and thought. ''Tess'' she then finished her sentence with a nickname for Tessa herself. She didn't know how, but in the short hour they had talked, she had started to trust Tessa so easy that she almost would be afraid of losing this again.