Wounded by the River

[Winters-Feather]

A wave of sympathy for the creature swept over Akenu. She said nothing about his memories, figuring it was best to leave it alone. Marik landed on her shoulder, causing her to jolt a little out of surprise, but soon settled down.  He nipped at her ear, playfully.
"Ai-ya," she hissed,  making a face at the dragon. It laughed...if you call hiccuping that.
Akenu shrugged at her new companion's question.
"Some," she replied, "My parents don't live here, though. Ah..."

Before the two had knew it, they had arrived at the city's gates. Akenu patiently allowed the guards to quickly examine her bags. Thankfully, the man wasn't wearing his helmet over his mouth.
"I'm a tattoo artist as well as a herbalist," she explained, "My weapons are for tracking and hunting."
The guard nodded, though he eyed Marik with suspicion, to which the woman smiled.
"He's harmless."
He waved for them to pass.

[Rhindeer]

Dai had nothing to show the guards and they were familiar enough with him, anyway. After all, who could really forget a creature with his features? The horn, green hair, ears, tail, and strange legs tended to bury themselves in a person's head.

Once they were past, he smiled brightly and pat the mare's side, his tail swishing contentedly. True, his time in the river had been interrupted, which was a shame because those moments were precious, but he'd found a companion instead! And now that they were in the city, he found he didn't want to leave her. He didn't have enough people to talk to and the odd rules and curfew he had to follow made it difficult to make friends.

"So..." he said at last, looking down and shuffling his cloven hooves. "We're here. Ah, was there anywhere you needed to be? I could show you around!"

[Winters-Feather]

"Oh," Akenu added forgetfully as the guard let them in, "I also do piercing work." The woman hoped Dai didn't mind her practically rattling off her resume; she had to do that to as many people as possible, if she wanted to make a decent living. Though this was Serendipity, a place of art and Renascence; many still found it a bit risque to to bear the things she offered, but the woman liked business here. However, she also liked meeting new people and making new friends, so she nodded.

"Your master's home, you mean?," she asked, making sure that's what he meant. After all, she knew this city well; there was no need to have a tour around that, if that's what he meant. Settling down somewhere and getting the load off of Elyin was more important than that, friends or no. However, the woman wouldn't mind a house call. After all, she could probably set up Elyin in a stable and be assured that no outsiders would steal her things; of course, there was always the integrity of servants to question, but most knew better. Most.

[Rhindeer]

"Huh? Oh...oh, no," Dai said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "He's not home, anyway. I mean, um...well, you could come inside, sure!"

He had hesitated, because he'd never been allowed people over, but if Ashley wasn't home, what could it hurt? What he didn't know couldn't hurt anything and besides, it wasn't like he was doing anything bad.

"You're probably hungry, right?"

[Winters-Feather]

Akenu arched her brow at Dai's awkward response.  She looked at the house with mixed emotions. On one hand, it did seem like a loss for business if he wasn't there, and on the other, it just seemed like bad manners. Better to just stay at an inn. However, the honest woman nodded at his question; she was hungry.
"Maybe it's best...if I wait out here?" she asked, unsure.
I should go.
Was he allowed to bring her in, anyway? The woman wasn't too clear on nobles protocall with their...pets.

[Rhindeer]

Dai blinked at her, head tilting curiously. "Oh. Well, I could bring you some food?" he asked, in no hurry to lose his new companion. It was exciting getting to talk to people and, well, it would be a lonely rest of the day.

[Winters-Feather]

Akenu smiled at his suggestion.  He really was rather thoughtful, and she was grateful for his hospitality.
"Please," she agreed as she leaned against a fence post.
The woman began to pet Elyin's mane,  gently. It was also rude to not accept a good offer when you got one.
Guess business will have to wait a day.

[Rhindeer]

Dai brightened, a brilliant smile breaking out on his face. "Okay! Just wait right there and I'll be back in a jiff!" he said before turning and racing up the steps and being let into the estate by the servants, hooks clicking on the ground.

It wasn't long before he returned. He didn't want to keep the woman waiting on the cooks and he didn't know how to cook a meal himself, either, having grown up pampered and cared for his entire life. So he just grabbed a large cloth napkin and filled it with a loaf of freshly baked bread, some cheese, and a couple apples. Wrapping it up, he headed back outside, tail swishing happily and ears upright because he'd done good!

Beaming at her, he held out his bounty. "It's not much but it's fresh!"

[Winters-Feather]

Akenu nodded as Dai energetically ran off into the house.
He's such a kid, she couldn't help but to think with a smile.
A kind one, though. She hope he was being treated all right- she still didn't understand what 'being a pet' was.
As she waited, she drifted off in her thoughts as she petted Elyin.
So far off was Akenu that she didn't notice he was approaching until her mare's face tilted to face him.
"Oh," the woman said, dumb foundly as the boy returned with food. It was so much!
"Thank you!" she exclaimed.

Naturally, Marik was just as excited about the food, and tried to snap at it, though Akenu drew it back, tearing off a chunk of bread and throwing it in the air for him to catch. Satisfied, the dragon took the food down to the ground and began to munch. Next, Akenu started to feed Elyin by presenting the mare with an apple. She would give her the rest, save for one; apples were a treat. If Dai could be so generous with food...
She frowned, suddenly bothered by something.
"Why doesn't Ashley take you with him to places?" she asked, "He doesn't always leave you here?"

[Rhindeer]

Dai had brought along his own apple, quite hungry after a day out and about, and he leaned back against the fence and watched Akenu feed her friends. Her question got his attention and his ears perked up curiously.

"Hmm? Oh! No, not always. He takes me sometimes. Sadly." Dai frowned, tail twitching. "I don't like it when I have to go. When we go out there we have to travel and ride horses for hours..."

He gave a long-suffering sigh and took a bite of apple. "I get all sore and sweaty and there aren't always baths and my hair gets all tangled and gross. It's awful. I mean, I do like riding horses! It's a lot of fun. But hours of it? I don't know how people do it."

And there was never any time for proper pampering, either! He was too exhausted by the end of the day to care for his hair or tail, much less admire himself, and overall the experience was unpleasant. Dai loved nature, but he enjoyed it most when he could leave it and return to the comforts and pleasures of a nice, posh home.

[Winters-Feather]

Akenu listened to Dai in surprise. So... him staying at the house... was most likely because of his own choice? She couldn't help but to give a smile at the thought of Dai being a domestic house 'pet'; she was starting to see out why he used that crude word to describe himself.
With those legs, she thought as she munched on her bread, I'd imagine it would be tough.
The woman  looked towards Elyin as he took a bite out of his apple, not knowing he was finished speaking.
"I love it," she simply replied as she ran her hand through her own hair as she turned to face him again.

Her eyes widened a bit as his lips continued to move.
"What do people do?" she asked, sheepishly.
Akenu tapped her right ear, out of the habit of reminding customers over and over to please turn around when they spoke to her. It was amazing how many times they forgot. Just like she had forgotten to pay attention to the kid's face.
Pay attention, the woman scowled herself.

[Rhindeer]

Was she not paying attention to a word he said? She'd even started speaking while he still was and now she was acting like she'd zoned out completely. Dai stared at her, frowning, brow slightly furrowed. Was he boring her? Oh jeez, he hoped not! He knew he didn't have a lot of wild stories, given he was a homebody and all, but...ouch. His ears drooped, confidence a little shaken.

"Huh? Oh, um, I was just saying, I don't know how people--"

Dai froze then, sudden realization dawning as she tapped her ear. He'd found talking with her a little...odd, at points, like something was off about her, and now...?

His eyes widened. "Can you hear?"

[Winters-Feather]

Akenu stared at Dai and shook her head. It took him a while to figure it out; most people got it within a few minutes if she didn't tell them, though half of them were too embarrassed to ask her about it.
"Not really. Sorry," she said with a sympathetic grin, "But it's okay."
The boy looked sad that she had 'ignored' him; she felt a little guilty.

The woman smiled as she took another few bites of her food, almost done devouring the whole loaf. Marik tried to steal some more, so she threw him another piece.
Greedy, she thought, though not unkindly.
"He's my ears on the road," Akenu explained, a hint of pride in her  voice.

[Rhindeer]

At least she didn't seem upset about that! Dai relaxed a little, ear flicking idly as he watched her feed the dragon--and not without caution, either; the dragon was small and cute and all, but it still had teeth and claws and instinct, like a feral cat. Dai loved animals but with it also came a healthy respect for what they were capable of.

"Ohh," he said in response, still watching Marik. "How'd you get a dragon, anyway? That one's young, right? Aren't you worried he'll get...bigger?"

[Winters-Feather]

"Huh?"
Akenu narrowed her eyes as she tried to read Dai's lips. It was kind of hard to do it when  he kept his attention on Marik, which was frustrating.
Dragon, anyway...one young...worried...bigger?
Akenu shook her head as she bent down to pick up the curious little creature in her arms.
"He's harmless," she explained, hopeful that this was the answer Dai was looking for.
Akenu could sense his nervousness, which kind of amused her. Some people were weary of the little dragon at first, especially at inns, but they had quickly grown accustomed  to him.

The woman offered Dai a mischievous grin and motioned towards the dragon, mimicking petting.
"Do you want to...?" she asked.

[Rhindeer]

"Huh?" Dai's eyes went wide and he flicked a quick look between Akenu and her dragon, ears erect and tail still.

"What? You mean--? Oh, no! No, no! That's okay!" he finally got out with a nervous laugh, waving his hands and shaking his head. He had tolerated the dragon while it was perked on top of him, frozen stiff, not daring to move in case it decided to bite an ear--or his neck. So the thought of actually willingly reaching out and touching it? With all those little needle teeth? No way!

Still chuckling, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I'm sure he's very nice! But, uh..." He bared his own flat, human teeth and motioned at them. "Teeth."

[Winters-Feather]

Akenu chuckled at Dai's fear of Marik's teeth, but she respected it. It did hurt a bit when he playfully bit her at times. The woman had been meaning to grind his teeth a little, but she didn't really see a reason to. Besides, they hunted a lot, and he needed his teeth as a weapon. As Akenu stood up to stand next to Dai, branches from a nearby tree started to shake. Marik's ears pricked up as he watched a squirrel jump from branch to branch and raced down the tree. Akenu inwardly moaned and clicked her tongue as the dragon flew off into Dai's master's yard. She let out a cry, but he ignored it.
Oh, great.

The dragon was going to lose interest in the rodent soon, and Akenu dreaded what kind of mischief he would be up to afterwards. He usually was civilized when they were in the city, but of course he would lose some of his decorum when presented with a little more freedom and greenery.
I spoil him too much, the woman thought ,With any luck he'll just be stalking things in the yard... Please don't break anything...
 Akenu apoligetically turned towards the unicorn with a concerned expression. It seemed that her animals kept on causing him all sorts of trouble.

[Rhindeer]

It was that awkward moment of knowing something disastrous was about to happen, but being unable to do anything about it so instead you just watched.

Dai had no sooner spotted the squirrel when the dragon took off through the yard. He let out a gasp and bolted to his feet, ears up and tail swishing.

"A-ah! He'll hurt the flowers!" he cried and started into the yard, froze when he realized he wouldn't know what to do if he managed to catch the dragon (and would be too nervous to touch it, anyway! He loved animals, but he also respected their power and ability to hurt him!), and did an awkward dance from hoof to hoof as he weighed his options.

Master wouldn't be happy if the plants were damaged; he paid a lot of money for their upkeep.

He also wouldn't be happy if Dai brought people onto his property without his permission.

But the flowers!

And he was away on that business trip, anyway! So if the servants didn't know, who would know?

He spun around in a half-circle, indecisive, and then finally turned to face Akenu, tugging on his ears anxiously. "We have to go get him!"

[Winters-Feather]

Akenu moaned as she clutched her headscarf and bit her lip. Her eyes frantically danced across the lawn for a sign of the dragon as she let out a whistle after another.
If Marik causes any trouble, I'm going to have to pay Dai's master, she grimly thought. Not only would it just cause damage, but it would cost her a pretty penny as well as her reputation.
Stupid dragon!

Akenu turned towards Dai, who seemed equally upset. After lip reading his words, she nodded and sprinted off into the gardens. The woman didn't need to be told twice; she wanted to avoid disaster just as much as he did. She made a bee line towards the gardens in the back, where she found a red faced gardener looking around him wildly. Akenu groaned, though ignored him as he turned his attention towards her. Instead, she tried to focus on finding the dragon, her keen eyes looking for a rustle in the bushes or up in the trees.

[Rhindeer]

Dai dashed after Akenu, light and agile on his hooves--and then let out a loud groan when he saw the gardener.

Oh, gods!

"Please don't tell master!" Dai said as he ran past and didn't wait to see whether he agreed or not. Part of him was afraid to know the answer.

He caught up to Akenu and looked about the garden wildly, searching for any sign of the dragon but seeing none. And then, looking up, he noticed it: an open window leading into the estate.

His heart stopped. What if...oh dear gods, what if the dragon went inside.

Eyes wide, he turned to Akenu and tugged at her shirt, then pointed, silently, up at the window.