An Inn on the Road to Selevea [DragonSong]

[MadEmperor]

Grav looked her way; it wasn't hard to imagine him perking up his ears like a dog. Or, well, a frisky kitten. 

He sheathed his sword smoothly and walked over, saying, "That's... actually a very good idea. I don't want to tire my arms out anyway."

He watched closely, but not so closely that he wasn't paying attention to their surroundings. Occasionally he would turn to investigate a sound yet, as most animals avoided dragons, there were very few such instance. 

"What kind of salve is that? It smells... kind of nice, actually."

[DragonSong]

"Maybe kitten was a misnomer," Kiara chuckled as he got closer. "I suppose you're more of a puppy, really."

She shimmied her way to the dip in the join between Kit's wing and shoulder and answered, "It's sylvanleaf, mostly." She said it easily, as though she hadn't just named a near-mythical plant: the sort of plant that supposedly only grew in places where the boundary between mortal and faerie realms was thin. Shrugging, she carried on, "Some lavender in there too—that's probably what you're smelling. I mostly put it in there to keep it a little less abrasive. Alright, see this?"

She gestured to the tear in Kit's wing. The dragon grumbled beneath her. "I don't care for playing role model here," he muttered.

"Your wing is getting stitched either way, my love, no way out of it," Kiara replied easily. Looking to Grav again, she continued, "The salve I used mostly numbs the area, and kills off any fever before it starts. Alcohol works in a pinch to do mostly the same. Then it's just stitching."

With the ease of long practice, she set about dipping the needle through Kit's wing. Though her voice was blithe, expression neutral, there was the barest tremor to the hand she had pressed against her dragon's neck—and every time Kit winced, she murmured softly to him in a language that wasn't Common, but definitely wasn't Adelan either, stroking the edges of his scales.

[MadEmperor]

Grav would have been embarrassed by the comparison to puppy but he had heard it before. He couldn't help it if he was excitable! 

Besides, there was a certain mystery about her that intrigued him and that was already taking up his thoughts. Where had she traveled? What language was that? What was it like riding a dragon? Grav had a lot of questions but was afraid he'd annoy her by asking all of them. 

There was one, however, that seemed important: "How did you two end up crashing, if I may ask?"

He would have asked Kit directly, but the dragon wasn't exactly talkative. Did the creature not trust him enough or was he just not as sociable as his friend? He supposed time would tell. 

[DragonSong]

Both Kit and Kiara went very still. It was a reasonable question--and if he was to be traveling with them he was owed an answer--but neither seemed all that inclined to address it.

After a moment though, Kiara sighed and continued working on Kit's wing as she replied, "Dragonhunters. They followed us from the Thunderblacks."

Kit growled quietly, lowering his head onto his forepaws once again and closing his eyes as she neared the end of the tear in his wing. Kiara stroked his neck lightly. "They had their own dragons. I think they were drugged, brainwashed. We led them through a storm, lost them somewhere back east, but..."

She finished stitching the wound closed and tied off the thread, then slid down from Kit's back and moved around to the dragon's head. She pressed a kiss to the ridge above his brow, and Kit gave a low, rumbling croon that echoed through his chest, leaning just slightly into the touch.

"Anyway." Kiara patted his cheek and turned to Grav, quirking an eyebrow. "How'd you end up out here then? Where're you from, puppy?"

[MadEmperor]

Dragonhunters? He had heard they existed, that was about it. Hunting intelligent creatures for parts didn't sit right with him. But he supposed he had been close to doing something similar if the day had gone differently. It seemed he had a lot to learn about what right was. 

He answered without hesitation. "I'm from Griffonbeak, a small-ish port in Featherfell. I've always dreamed of setting out on my own to see the world, and not just taking goods from port to port like my father. I wanted to explore, to discover things no one has ever seen, to meet interesting people, visit my ancestral homeland, and maybe even commit some great heroic deed that gets me written songs about." He chuckled at how silly that sounded out loud. 

"So when I found out I was good with a blade, I knew I had my path.  I trained night and day, challenging what skilled opponents I could find in order to get better. But it wasn't until I was finally good enough to defeat a sellsword they call The Red Crow that I felt the time was right. So I gathered my supplies and headed out to test my luck on the road."

[DragonSong]

"And just how long ago was that?" Kiara asked, smiling lopsidedly. "Discovered anything yet? Met some interesting folks?"

She might have been teasing, but there was no hint of it in her voice. She could hardly judge him for seeking more, could she? Aside from maybe some visions of grandeur, her own story wasn't really all that different. She'd wanted to see the world--and she was luckier than most to have a companion that made that so much easier.

"And you said ancestral homeland--so you've never actually been to Connlaoth?" she asked curiously.

[MadEmperor]

Grav sighed lightly; he should have known his answer would have brought it up. It wasn't that he avoiding talking about it, but it wasn't exactly a fun subject. 

"I was adopted at an early age by a Serenian couple. I was too young to remember what my birth family even looked like. My father told me he and his crew rescued me from a ship that had been attacked and that there were no other survivors."

"I don't expect to ever find out who I would have been or if I have any family out there. But that's okay. Despite dreams of leaving, I liked my life and felt entirely at home with the family that accepted me as one of their own. It's just... the life of a sailor or a merchant isn't me. I needed something different, something more."

"I haven't been on the road more than a couple of seasons. And, well, I've met one interesting person so far, " he concluded with a soft smile, made melancholy by his story. 

[DragonSong]

"...Well." Kiara cleared her throat. "Don't know if it's worth anything, but--sometimes the family you're born to isn't exactly a prize."

She paused awkwardly, then, being slightly allergic to sincerity, gave him a friendly punch on the arm. "So! Connlaoth!"

She shot him that crooked grin as she strode passed to move around to Kit's other side and check the wounds on his flank. "We'll probably be parting ways before you get that far north, but I wish you luck! They don't much care for my kind around there." She wiggled her fingers lazily to indicate "my kind", and a few sparks jumped into the air. "Nor Kit's, come to think of it."

"Yes, because we've been so well-received everywhere else," the dragon harrumphed.

[MadEmperor]

Grav shrugged. "That's part of why I'm in no hurry to get to Connloath. Growing up Serenian has kind of turned me away from the Connloathian ideal. I doubt I'll feel welcome there.

Kit would probably hear them first, footsteps from the trees accompanied by the smell of humans. 

Grav had been about to say something else when he suddenly reached for his sword and turned toward the nearby treeline. "It seems I'm not the only one who was interested in that reward."

Three men came into view; they were better armed than mere villagers, perhaps adventurers like Grav but more likely outlaws judging by their gear. A man with a leather eyepatch, the apparent leader, stepped forward. 

"So the Connloathian is not only not dead, but a dragon lover to boot? May wonders never cease." The man smirked threateningly, his companions training crossbows on Grav and Kiara. "Step away from the beast and we'll let you two live."

[DragonSong]

"Case in point," Kit sighed theatrically, turning his head toward the newcomers as they appeared from the trees.

Kiara was in front of the dragon in a heartbeat, dagger drawn and raised defensively as she eyed the three men up and down. "Interesting thought," she replied to the man with the eyepatch, smiling bright and eyes hard. "Counteroffer: you turn around and we don't fry you to a crisp. Sound fair?"

Kit heaved himself into a threatening crouch, head low and wings just slightly flared to make him seem a little larger as he growled.

[MadEmperor]

Grav was already in a defensive stance when he added, "Or sliced, diced, and served with a side of noodles. Customer's choice."

The eyepatched man sneered, not amused. "Do wisecracks ever work for you?" 

"Not really," Grav admitted. 

The man continued. "Hrm. Well, don't say we didn't give you a chance."—he raised one hand and made a gesture to signal his men to attack—"Kill them."

A pair of crossbow bolts flew. Grav was fast, beginning to move even as the man gave the order. His blade flashed through the air and he smoothly deflected the bolt headed his way. He had to assume Kiara could deal with her own projectile as he rushed forward to meet the enemy head o. 

[DragonSong]

Kiara shrugged at Grav as the man in the lead sneered, saying under her breath, "I thought it was funny."

Annnnnd out came the crossbows. Of course.

"Some people have no sense of humor," she lamented as she spun away from the bolt that would have struck her shoulder and replied with a projectile of her own--a throwing knife that she pulled from her boot in a flash. The blade landed in the shoulder of the man who'd shot at her, who reeled back with a cry of surprise and pain.

"Idiots." Kiara rolled her eyes, falling back to Kit's side as the dragon shifted and drew his wings in protectively. "Did you think you can take a dragon? All three of you?"

The second archer sneered, and her stomach dropped. Oh dear...

"No. We didn't."

Kit snarled as half a dozen--more, damnit--new outlaws melted from the trees around them. "I hate stealth magic," Kiara muttered.

Eyepatch looked down his nose as Grav approached and the rest of his forces materialized around him. "Maybe you want to rethink our offer."

[MadEmperor]

Grav frowned. 

Three isn't that ridiculous.

He pulled up short as the rest of the band materialized around them. He wasn't so confident that he thought they could take them all. He hoped Kiara had a plan, because he sure didn't. 

"I've been told thinking isn't my strong suit. Besides, I don't negotiate with people who want to kill me friends." Kiara could tell he was stalling. "Unless, that is, you're brave enough to fight me one on one."

Eyepatch continued to sneer confidently, his men drawing slowly closer. 

"And why on Earth would he do that, pretty boy?" one laughed 

"How can he lead you if he's afraid of a 'pretty boy'?"

[DragonSong]

Kiara watched Grav's back, trying to judge the distance, how fast it would take her to cover the gap and back him up. If Kit had been in top form, she would have faced the fight without a second thought, but with him grounded and unable to still summon up a proper flame...

But then Grav seemed to be...baiting them?

No, no. Just the one.

Pretty boy. Okay, so they were those kinds of idiots.

...Well. Fuck it. May as well go all out. The only other option she could see would be to hoof it, and Kit wouldn't make it far. Not with how many ranged weapons she was clocking.

So she darted forward to take ahold of Grav's arm and made a show of trying to pull him back, saying in a just-a-bit-too-loud "whisper", "Grav, no, you'll be killed!"

Lowering her voice to an actual whisper, she added, "I hope you're as good with that sword as you say you are."

[MadEmperor]

"Don't worry. He doesn't look that tough." His acting was an exaggerated version of himself, not that exaggerated either.  "Like a kitten, really. I mean, an ugly one, but that's not his fault."

He was sure, though, that he could take the one. Maybe even two at once. He just hoped she had a plan for the others. 

Eyepatch twitched in irritation; he was this close to accepting the challenge. "This man really is an idiot if he thinks it's a good idea to mock me."

[DragonSong]

"Grav, please." Kiara tugged his arm again, looking around theatrically.  "Don't do this alone. We can—we can take them together!"

She let her voice warble a bit, as though the idea terrified her. If they could get Eyepatch to play along, to face Grav alone...

She needed to think. They could do this.

[MadEmperor]

Grav laid on the brave idiot routine even thicker, adopting the clueless arrogance of a foppish noble. "Fear not, Kiara.  This ruffian is no match for my blade. If he had any skill, he wouldn't be hiding behind so many me."

Eyepatch frowned angrily and took a step closer. "Fine. If you're so eager to die humiliated, you have your duel."

"We shall see who dies today." Grav, too, stepped forward, his forward in a one-handed grip. 

He had never actually taken a life before. He prayed he didn't hesitate when the time came to do so. 

[DragonSong]

Kiara stepped back, clasping her hands over her mouth and hoping she looked terrified enough. Her mind was racing, and once she felt Kit's heat at her back, she started planning.

Can you keep them distracted without drawing fire? Just...look intimidating.

The dragon snarled, rolling his haunches and drawing a few nervous looks from the gang of outlaws who were no eagerly watching Grav and their leader circle one another. On it.

Good. Keep it up, but be careful.

You too.

She shot him the briefest flash of a smirk. Aren't I always?

Kit made a low, rumbling sound that she recognized as a chuckle, but most would probably assume was a growl. He flared his wings out, earning a few muttered curses and crossbows aimed in his direction, but no one actually fired.

And Kiara vanished, ducking behind his bulk and fading into the trees as silently as she could manage. Okay. There's...eight. Plus Eyepatch. Okay. Okay, we can do this.

She just had to hope Grav and Kit would serve as enough of a distraction without getting themselves hurt...

[MadEmperor]

With their leader otherwise engaged, the other outlaws took up strategic positions around Kit. A quick order from the second in command sent two of them to find "the girl," and they stepped into the trees. 

Grav's expression, meanwhile, hardened into pure determination as he took the initiative. He practically danced forward, blade flashing towards Eyepatch like a bolt of lightning. He may be kind of an idiot but he was a quick idiot. 

[DragonSong]

Eyepatch caught Grav's first strike on the broad side of his blade, with the sort of quick grace that implied many years of practice. He did give a quiet grunt that might have been surprise--the kid was fast, credit where it was due.

But he was bigger. He shoved Grav back and came at him with an overhead swing, aiming for his sword arm.

Kiara, meanwhile, was leading the two who had been stupid enough to follow her into the trees just a bit further. Just far enough that the quiet, choked gasps when she sent two more throwing knives into their throats went unheard by the larger group.

She didn't like killing. But these bastards had threatened Kit--and if she didn't get this taken care of soon, whatever happened to Grav was going to be on her head.