Venom's Story: Fire At Will

Venom knew better than to actually show up at Nuranys's funeral, but he sent enough roses to drown the kid's coffin in. It was the least he could do for someone who had died in a misguided attempt to protect him. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the bounty hunter, to his continued suspicion. He should have killed her rather than letting his pride get the better of him, but... well, it wasn't as if she'd actually cause him any damage. The wound from her expensive and damaging bullet had closed in seconds, leaving not even a scar.

Nuranys's blood had tasted exquisite. He couldn't even be disgusted with himself for licking it off his tail. He at least had to give the priest that much.

And, he thought once he'd cleaned himself up and burned the ruined coat, perhaps the pointless mission which had caused his death to begin with deserved to be honored. Even if it was pointless, it wasn't as if he had anything else to do, and his money would hold out for another few months before he needed to take another job. Actually, didn't those dragon-hatchery places cover the expenses of candidates? Another way to make his money stretch a little.

It only took a few minutes' research on the internet to find out enough about this "Bipedra" of Nuranys's to make him chuckle to himself. If he did want a dragon-companion, someplace like this would be a good place to start. He doubted a single one of them would complain being bound to a freakish killer like him. The fact that he still didn't think bonding was a good idea hung around in the back of his mind, but mostly he ignored it. This was interesting, and worth investigating. At the very least, it would keep him clear of Star City and its immediate environs for a couple weeks.

As it even turned out to be somewhere he'd been before-- albeit briefly-- he didn't even need any help getting there. Hunting down someone else with a mental image of somewhere at Cy Dragonstake could have drawn attention he didn't want. Cy Dragonstake: as he recalled, it was home to some rather nefarious characters, as well as some rather... amusing ones. There was one name he remembered, tied to hatchings and candidates.... He grinned as he remembered. If he had needed another reason to go, the chance to test out a humorous rumor he'd heard would be that reason.

Packing took no time at all-- since he couldn't return to Star City until things had calmed down, he couldn't pick up anything from his apartment, and he didn't want to buy anything with credit in case his transactions were being tracked-- and he could see no reason to wait. Waiting would either bring police, more bounty hunters, or simple boredom. With an image in mind, a backpack of his few current belongings on one shoulder, and guns holstered at back, thigh, and ankle, he left Driolo behind for Cy Dragonstake.

Finding the person he wanted took a little time, but finally he found the face that matched the name. "Are you Tenken?" he asked dispassionately. At the wary nod, he smirked faintly. "I'm here for the bipedra."

"AAARG, NOT ANOTHER ONE!!"

Venom grinned toothily. Completely worth the trip.