Xaviers!

Will started "No, because of genet...."

He paused. "Wait, that doesn't exist yet. OK, maybe you'll just put people off either way," he joked.

"Yeah... I know you. I was warned about not spooking the humans," he said, sighing.

"Doesn't it bother you? Playing 'normal' for the ignorant masses?"

"Oh, yeah, all the time. But it irritates me more to be isolated, so, you know. You find a balance.

And you hope that people get over it when you swing too far in one direction or the other, but that's never a guarantee."

"Well, I'm not in much danger of getting any weirder than being a flying lizard that breathes fire... sometimes accidentally. "

"Then you're probably golden," Will grinned. "Just be you."

"And I'm awesome. So that's easy," he grinned back.

"So! Can you shift into whatever or just objects?"

"Oh, I have a lot of high-level control over my shifting. I can simulate most things with a decent level of clarity."

"So basically any shape you want?" he asked, sounding impressed.

"I mean, for the most part, yes. To be fair, though, I've had a lot of time to work on it."

"Born that way?" he asked, not knowing Will was older than dirt.

"Not exactly, but I'm the kind of guy who throws myself into practice, without thinking of the consequences."

"Consequences are overrated anyway," he grinned, "I mean, you only get to live once so why worry?"

Will smiled a tight-lipped smile. "I'm not sure I'm fully on board with that one, pal. You have to live with the consequences, which can be tough. Or you don't live with them."

"Well, okay, I... don't actually take it that far," he admitted. "Even a mighty dragon has limits."

"They're probably farther than you give yourself credit for. But finding those limits invariably means going past them, at times."

"Trust me, oh great sage. I've gotten myself in more than enough trouble to know that much."

"Such as?"

He thought for a long moment, tapping his chin with a clawed finger. "Okay... Back home there was this guy called Boulder. Made of stone. Huge jerk. Anyway... and this was before I got my powers... he was throwing his weight around by intimidating this poor kid when my buddy Goblin and I decided to teach him a lesson. I got his attention by bouncing a rock off his big, dumb head and started running. Goblin had used his powers to dig a hole... he can create these little goblin things, hence the name... and fill it with mud. I tricked Boulder right into it."

"We laughed about it for days... up until his folks sicced the cops on us and we found out Boulder had fallen over trying to climb out and almost drowned. Naturally, our parents were furious and it was no small miracle that they managed to talk his parents out of pressing charges."

"If that's the worst trouble you ever get in," Will said with a smile, "you're doing just fine."

"Whoever said that was the worst?" he asked with a roguish grin.

"Something you can't talk about?"

"I can't. Let's just say I went somewhere I shouldn't have and got caught."

"That's happened to me to, on a few occasions. Quite big moments, if you ask me."

"I can see how your abilities could get you into places you shouldn't be, whether or not on purpose."

"Sometimes, yeah. Other times, I'm just an idiot. But I suppose that goes hand-in-hand."

"There's a fine line between idiocy and bravery my friend," he grinned, "Or was that bravery and stubbornness?"

"The three are all very interconnected, though I think I'm not quite as stubborn as I am the other two."

"Yeah, I think I'm in the same boat," he laughed, "With a side of impatient."

"Well, keep your head up -- and don't be afraid to ask for help if you get in too deep over your head."

"I feel I should say something about mighty dragons not needing help, but no dragon-man is an island."

"And I'm not good enough to shift into an entire island," Will added, laughing. "We'll muddle through, somehow."

"Just think of how much you would have to eat to do that if you could. That would be like a B-movie," he chuckled.

"I didn't see it myself, but there was apparently an alternate universe out there where I, like, became a whole planet or something. Like Ego. Not good for the sanity, apparently."

Drake appeared not to know entirely what to make of that.

"I wouldn't think so. Seems like something no mere mortal could bear."

"It's a good thing I'm no mere mortal, then, eh?"

"I have to say, you're pretty down to earth for a god," he teased.

"Not a God, myself. I just work for 'em," he laughed back.

"You're a priest?" he asked.

"Not exactly. Nor a missionary or anything of that nature. Just spiritual and connected, I suppose."

"So you're a religious immortal. No offense, but that seems like an odd combination... unless your religion has no afterlife."