Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! Except Casey... you can have the unnamed witch in the first chapter.

Previously in DRS:

"Phase two is complete... It won't be long now until I have them all dancing to my tune and the wind dragon eating out of my hand." She spoke quietly to Jack of all that conspired. Jack laughed "Ha! The wind loser is already wrapped around your finger!"

"I have already completed two phases of my plan and I am currently inside of the monk's temple. It should not be long before I succeed in my plan. I cannot tell you anymore... for even the walls have ears. And Fung is suspicious of me. I will be meeting with Spicer every night around this time. Send crow there. I'll be back home soon." Chase smiled broadly. It wouldn't be too long now before the monks would finally fall before his beloved daughter. Chase chuckled at his daughter's brilliance. "Such a proud papa you are, human..." His beast growled. "A proud papa indeed." Chase muttered.

The monks woke up earlier than usual... something was being cooked in the kitchen, and it smelled pretty damn good. As they got closer they saw and hear Casey cooking up breakfast. She was humming a tune and cooking happily, after a few minutes she had a large breakfast spread on the table and the monks were eating and praising her cooking. In reality, Casey actually was fine with cooking; she was actually pretty good at it, obviously. It was one of the few truths she had told the monks. Not that she really cared!

"Whoa! Hurry up you guys, a new Wu is ready to activate... This one is the Third arm Sash, That's your Elements Wu, Clay..." Dojo slithered in to the kitchen. Casey inwardly cringed at the sight of the Dragon's form... To be forced to stay in such a small form for so much of your life... Her inner Dragon thought that was the worst kind of punishment... Though her father was indifferent to the well being of the true dragons ( as he had to eat them in his soup...) Casey (who did not have to drink the soup as her dragon form was a part of her powers by her birth right,) was a bit more merciful towards the creatures. She felt connected to them in a way, maybe it was her dragon half that felt this or maybe it was because of her element that made her feel closer to these beasts, she didn't know. But when looking at Dojo in his tiny form, shaking and covered with painful looking blisters and welts, she felt something close to or what she assumed was the emotion known as sympathy...?

With out a word, Casey took a small bowl she had filled with a mix of what she had made for breakfast and bits of beef, which she had read from her father's scrolls, most dragon's loved. She set it in front of him and gave the tiny dragon a small smile and for a mere second something that almost seemed to reveal her dragoness nature flickered in her eyes for the Dragon to see, before it vanished completely. She had read that Dojo had once been a wild Dragon, free to roam the skies as he pleased do what ever he willed... That was until he was made a cruelly unfair offer, one so low that her own father wouldn't sink to.

He had been cruelly tricked in to helping the Xioalin side. His memories of being free had been erased and replaced by false ones. Her inner Dragon was saddened by it to some extent. She felt for the Dragon, honestly, she knew how she would act if she had been forced to give up her freedom and be a figurative baby sitting blood hound, like Dojo was. She would kill her jailer in cold blood and slaughter all who followed him without a second thought or remorse. She, on a certainty level, admired Dojo's self restraint for not doing so, or perhaps it was because Dojo had yet to find out about the true cage he had been placed in, that saddened her. Either way, she knew that in this mission of hers, she would try her best not to harm the dragon at nearly any cost. Being tricked in such a way by anyone was a punishment that neither Casey nor her father, would ever wish upon anyone... not even on their worst enemy. Dojo deserved at least some true happiness in his life time; he had suffered far too much already, even by Young standards.

Dojo looked up at Casey in awe and even a bit of shock. He had seen that look in her eyes; it was so familiar and sad. It was very dragon like... But no, if Casey was a dragon or had any dragon-ish thing about her, HE of ALL people would know, right away. He mentally shook his head and gratefully ate his meal, it was delicious! He gave the girl a wide smile before finishing it happily. "Alright gang, let's get going!" Kimi looked up at Casey, "Hey why don't you come along with us Casey?" the rest of the monks nodded in agreement. But Casey shook her head, "No, ya'll go ahead! I'd just get in your way! I got lots of cookin' to do today. Besides... My stomach's still whirlin' from that last ride!" Casey spoke in her thick southern drawl. The monks frowned a little, but they didn't argue with her. Dojo slithered outside as the monks hurried to help clear the table.

Clay walked up behind her and placed his dishes in the sink as Casey washed them, "That was a might fine breakfast..." Clay drawled. Casey smiled at the cowboy earnestly, "Well, I thank you kindly." Clay smiled and cleared his throat awkwardly, "You know, you ah, haven't seen the whole temple yet and well... I was uh, wondering if ya wanted to, that is..." Clay looked down at his boots, "If ya have time, later tonight... If ya wanted to... Go walk through the gardens... with me?" Casey looked up from the dishes and up at the cowboy. He was blushing heavily, and had a small very shy smile on his lips. "I'd like that, Clay... Alright, I do reckon that I will..." Casey had no idea why she said yes to him. But she did. What was it about this cowboy that had her doing things she would NEVER normally do? Clay smiled widely, "Alright... I guess I'll see you when I get back." Casey nodded as Clay walked away with his head held high, feeling like the luckiest man alive and muttering his own version of the Country song Sold:

Well I went down to the Grundy County auction
Where I saw somethin' I just had to have
My mind told me I should proceed with caution
But my heart said go ahead make a bid on that

And I said
Hey pretty lady won't you give me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call
Yeah I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man I gotta have her
She's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice
I'm sold to the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten I know
She's got ruby red lips blonde hair green eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-byyye
Well the auctioneer was goin' about a mile a minute
He was takin' bids and callin' them out loud
And I guess I was really gettin' in it
Cuz I just shouted out above the crowd

And I said
Hey pretty lady won't you give me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call
Yeah I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man I gotta have her
She's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice
I'm sold to the lady in the long black dress
Well she won my heart it was no contest
With her ruby red lips blonde hair green eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-byyye
Yeah we found love on the auction block
And I hauled her heart away
Now we still love to laugh about
the way we met that day

When I said
Hey pretty lady won't you give me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call
Yeah I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man I gotta have her
She's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice
I'm sold to the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten I know
She's got ruby red lips blonde hair green eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-byyyyyyyyye heeee

Hey pretty lady won't you give me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call
Yeah I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man I gotta have her
She's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice
I'm sold to the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten I know
She's got ruby red lips blonde hair green eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-byyyyyyyyye

Yeah we found love on the auction block
And I hauled her heart away
Now we still love to laugh about
the way we met that day

When I said
Hey pretty lady won't you give me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call
Yeah I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man I gotta have her
She's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice
I'm sold to the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten I know
She's got ruby red lips blonde hair green eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-byyyyyyyyye heeee

Casey smiled to herself, she had a date... with a cowboy, a Xioalin cowboy of the element earth... It wasn't her first date... not really she'd technically been a "couple" with Panda Bubba, the Bean, and a few other evil males of the Heilyn side... but it had never been anything serious. None of them had lasted more than maybe a month... and none of them had ever made her feel the things she was starting to feel with Clay... She was only lost in those thoughts for a few moments before she was torn from them when Ria came up next to her.

"Hey, that was a pretty good breakfast." Rai started off a little awkwardly. Casey only smiled, shyly. Rai put his dishes in the sink. "So, um, I was wondering if later on tonight, you might want to, I don't know... come sit out side with me by the pond? I was thinking around midnight, so we won't be interrupted." Rai, was bolder than Clay, and Casey didn't miss his true intentions. Even though it made her sick, she had a part to play. "Sure... I'll meet you out there, later." Rai nodded confidently and strolled away whistling.

Ria jumped on Dojo and spotted Clay's Texas sized smile and he was still looking in the general area of where Casey was. "Still thinking about breakfast my man?" Ria teased Clay about his love for food all the time, it never bothered the Texan, and he always got Ria back with a real zinger. Clay's smile never dimmed, "I'll have you know, that I'll be spending tonight with Casey. I asked her to walk in the gardens with me and she said yes." Clay boasted. Rai scoffed, "Well, I asked her to sit by the pond with me around midnight tonight. Sorry Tex, but the girl is mine."

Clay scowled then chuckled, he knew what he had seen in Casey's eyes when he asked her. She was being shy, but he knew that she really liked him, not Rai. "Casey only said yes to you cuz, she's a good hearted gal and didn't want to hurt ya. Trust me partner, that little lady wants me." Rai scowled back at Clay. "You willing to bet on that?" Clay frowned, "Ya, I am. What are the wages?" Rai gave his friend a half grin. "Alright, we both go on the dates we have with her and who ever gets the girl first, gets to keep her AND I'll bet you fifty bucks that she'll pick me." Clay gave Rai a confident grin, "You got yourself a deal and I'll match you second wager, fifty says the girl wants me." The two shook hands determined that they would win the bet and get Casey on their arm.

Unknown to them the Casey herself with her sensitive dragon abilities, had heard every word. A sadistic smile graced her lips as she finished washing the dishes. Her plans were going just perfectly…

*Dramatic evil music!*

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