Like a Distorted Mirror

As soon as Quie said he was a bad liar, he stopped leaning on the table to stand up straight. "I'm not lying! Why would I be lying?" The problem was he responded very fast, which only made him sound even guiltier. It took him an extra few seconds to process more of the sentence. "Also, I'm not some kid! Why are you calling me child?" Although his voice was slightly raised, he didn't seem like he was going to attack. It seemed he was too busy being defensive to even think about it.

The dragon slumped back down in his seat with a huff, his arms crossed again. A pout had appeared on his face, and he most certainly seemed like he was sulking. It seemed the over dramatic flair managed to find its way through to the copy as well. He acted a bit like a child who just got scolded. Then again, the original also acted like that when he sulked, even as an adult.

He continued to sit with a sulking expression, even as Quie talked more. There was no more comments about whether he'd be accepted or not. Probably because he didn't want to be caught in the lie anymore than he had been. At being asked if he was bored talking to Quie, all he did was grumble and mumble. "Maybe I am..."

It took him a bit longer before he finally turned back to Quie with a curious look. "Arm wrestling? What's that? I know what those individual words mean, but not in that combination." There were still hints of sulkiness, but his curiosity outweighed it.

His head had perked up a bit as his interest was caught, but he slumped again as Quie calmly said he had been acting like a teenager. It wouldn't be an inaccurate description, since he is a teenager. His body was physically that kind of age, and his mental age followed along with it. It didn't help the one he was based on inclined towards childish tendencies as well. But, instead of full on sulking this time, he just grumbled quietly to himself.

For a while, the dragon observed Quie as she placed her elbow on the table. He listened keenly to the words she spoke, but attempted to not show his interest outwardly. It seemed like a weird game, and at first didn't seem that fun to do. What was the point in a game where you didn't even get to punch each other or something? He had assumed that 'wrestling' meant there would be, well, wrestling. Well, he could at least pass the time a bit.

The copy would place his arm on the table to mimic Quie's. Except there was a problem. He had placed the wrong arm on the table, so he wouldn't be able to grab Quie's hand. For a moment, he looked very confused. How could he grab her hand if... Then he realised, a look of embarrassment flashed on his face. He promptly pulled his arm back then placed the correct arm on the table. The look on his face just said 'don't even mention it'. The copy would grip Quie's hand, and although it was decently firm, it was still a bit loose. "Alright, let's get this over with." There was a sound of disinterest in his voice. He only had peak human condition strength wise, plus it was clear he wasn't properly braced for arm wrestling since he had just written it off. Once they started, his hand would more than likely hit the table very fast.

The dragon didn't really react to Quie as she slowly pushed his hand to the table except look a little bit disappointed. Coaxing him wouldn't have worked, but to show the game could be taken as a show of strength, the young dragon wouldn't have been able to refuse that challenge and would've tried harder next time. But as the current situation stood, he wouldn't be interested to try again.

He pulled his arm back to him, slumping where he sat again. Even if he had put no effort into it from the word go, he hoped it would've provided a bit of entertainment in the least. "Didn't seem you tried that hard either..." He grumbled, mostly to himself, but it'd be easy to hear him. "It was boring." That time, he spoke a bit clearer and louder now that he wasn't grumbling to himself.

Being asked about whether he thought it would be more aggressive, he rolled his eyes. Very typical teenage move. Of course he thought it would be more aggressive. Wrestling was fighting with another person, and it sounded like it'd be fun to do. He thought perhaps arm wrestling would be similar, but evidently not. He couldn't hide the disappointment that crept in. "Well yeah, 'course I thought it was gonna be more aggressive." He huffed as he crossed his arms, looking more off to the side rather than directly at Quie.

With that, the dragon narrowed his eyes a little at Quie. It wasn't a particularly outright aggressive look, though. "Oh really? How about we give it another try then." His tone also carried little aggression. It would be much better to describe it as a challenge... It would seem he took Quie's claim as a challenge, and it almost immediately made him competitive.

He listened to Quie to look at her, but he had a defiant look in his eyes. It matched well with the competitive tone he just had. The young dragon didn't quite yet know he should respect the elder dragons in the clan he was related to. In short, he didn't respect Quie. Not before she proved deserving of his respect anyway. For him, respect didn't come from behaviour. It came from might. This would only be the case for now, with time he would learn to respect others not for fighting. But at this current time, he was a young aggressive dragon who didn't feel respect for others yet.

But then he perked up, an excited look in his eyes. "Really?" He tried not to respond so quickly, especially in an excited tone, but he just couldn't hide it. Since he had arrived to the islets, he hadn't gotten the opportunity to have a fight. He didn't particularly care with who, he just wanted to stretch himself a bit, so to speak.

The dragon stared for a moment, his eyes now had a keener focus than they had before. Up till now, he hadn’t really challenged anyone, or been challenged. Even if the challenge wasn’t the aggressive fighting he craved, this would be his first. His pride told him he couldn’t turn away from it... and an easy defeat would be unforgivable.

He did not flinch or turn away as Quie stared him into the eyes. All he did was flash a grin. For some, they’d think the young dragon was just enjoying himself. But the look and behaviour he displayed were all a result from a competitive nature that carried from Liun. Confident, yet focused.

The copy placed his right elbow on the table next to Quie’s, this time he had placed the correct arm on the table and had gripped Quie’s hand with little delay. Compared to earlier, his grip was more firm, and his arm was better braced for arm wrestling. Although it wasn’t as braced as it could be, partially because he was still a little disinterested, and he had no idea how arm wrestling would actually work. The copy would pull a grin oh so familiar as he looked at Quie in the eyes. “I’m ready.” His voice carried enthusiasm that he couldn’t hide. Not that he attempted to.
As prepared he would like to think he was, it would be unlikely he would win this first round. Quie had the experience, and the young dragon was not fully prepared for how this game would work. It was his first time doing it after all.