Dealing with Dragons (Glob!) [M]

[DragonSong]

She dropped her eyes. "You found me naked and bleeding, running for my life." Though she wanted it to be there, the bite had left her voice. "Tell me, what do you think happened?"

[DaGlobster]

"I don't need to tell you. We both know," Merradin said, and he frowned a little.

"I can never relate to that feeling of being completely powerless," he said, taking his eyes away from her as he stepped out in front of her, to fully face her.

"But what matters is that you've survived. Through sheer strength and wit, you made it out."

[DragonSong]

Slowly, Elora lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. The simple action still made her heart jump and her gut clench in anxiety, but she forced herself to hold his gaze.

A very small, dry smile quirked at one corner of her mouth. "It was a lot of luck, if I'm being honest," she murmured. "And I certainly wouldn't have made it without your help."

She finally dropped her eyes, still feeling like a hunted animal but now....well, a little less. "Thank you for that. Really."

[DaGlobster]

Merradin offered her a bigger smile, and then playfully shooed her.

"Go on, back to your bath, then. Enjoy it," he said, and he returned to the kitchen.

[DragonSong]

She nodded slowly, that tiny smile lingering a few moments on her lips before she turned and made her way back to the bath.

This time she allowed herself to enjoy it, pretending she could scrub away all that had happened over the last few days with soap and warm water. Her mind drifted, flashes of memories she desperately wanted to avoid playing behind her eyes, but at least this time it didn't send her into a completely panicked spiral.

[DaGlobster]

After around twenty minutes, Merradin came back out of the kitchen, wiping his brow with a hand towel as he casually made his way to his bedroom, seemingly ignoring the naked Elora in the bathbasin.

"Enjoying your bath?" He asked as he passed, intent on fetching something from his room.

[DragonSong]

The voice snapped her out of her own head and she gave a rather girlish squeak, ducking into the water in an attempt to preserve some modesty.

"Wh-wha- warn a girl, will you?" she exclaimed, trying to cover panic with irritation. Grumbling to herself and watching him warily, she added almost grudgingly, "It's...quite nice. Thanks."

[DaGlobster]

"I apologize, my home isn't quite designed for privacy," Merradin said, although he never once looked at her, offering her her privacy as he went about his business. He came out of his room with a bottle of wine.

"Dinner will be ready soon."

[DragonSong]

"Right. Ah, thanks." She waited until she was sure his back was to her before springing out of the bath and snatching up the robe again. Her pale hair hung heavy and damp around her shoulders and she cautiously followed the sound of Merradin's footsteps out of the room.

"Hey, uh... Could I ask you something?" she ventured cautiously.

[DaGlobster]

When she followed him into the kitchen, she'd find him in the last few steps of making an exquisite meal comprised of buffalo steak and some kind of vegetable stew. The kitchen itself could make a master chef cry, such was it's beauty and variety of equipment, complete with magical amenities to make cooking even easier. There was also a large door that presumable led to the cellar.

He looked over to her as she entered.

"Ask away," he said, throwing some spices into the stew.

[DragonSong]

"Well..." She clutched the robe a little tighter around her body and tilted her head, looking over the kitchen. Surely he couldn't be who she'd thought he was, not living in a place like this.

There was just no way. Right?

She cleared her throat. "Um, there's...stories, where I come from. About...a dragon called Merradin. The Lightning-Eater." She gave a nervous little laugh. "There's no way- I mean, that's not you, right?"

[DaGlobster]

"Hm?" Merradin hummed.

"Of course that's me," he said nonchalantly, turning to fully face her, leaning an elbow against the kitchen counter.

"I... I introduced myself as Merradin, didn't I?"

[DragonSong]

Her jaw dropped.

"Oh my- holy gods!" Blanching, she backed up a few steps. "B-but- I thought- I wasn't even sure you were real!" she exclaimed. "D-did you really-? Oh my gods!"

[DaGlobster]

"One thing at a time," Merradin said, standing a slightly bemused look on his face even as he held a hand out for her to calm herself.

"Do you need a glass of wine?"

[DragonSong]

"Gods yes. Please." She nodded quickly, casting her eyes around to find a seat. Failing that, she just sort of sank down onto the ground.

[DaGlobster]

Merradin was quick to pour her a cup of sherry, followed by one for himself, before he joined her, sitting down on the ground in front of her and offering her a glass.

"I assume you have questions?"

[DragonSong]

She chuckled wryly, voice hoarse, and took the offered glass. "Just a few."

Elora blinked up at him. "Did...did the stories really happen like they say? Did you really..." She swallowed nervously and trailed off, not sure how to frame the question.

[DaGlobster]

"Did I really...?" Merradin started, taking a sip of his wine.

"Is this about the dragon knights?"

[DragonSong]

Eyes wide, she swallowed and squeaked out, "Yes."

It would be just her luck to have been rescued by yet another creature with a grudge against Adelan knights. Maybe the hospitality was a ruse, a ploy to gain her trust before the torture began.

[DaGlobster]

"Oh, that spotty incident," Merradin said, sighing with exasperation.

"I let the Adelans capture me. Not that I made it easy for them, but ultimately, I entered their ranks because I wanted to," he said, placing a hand on his chest.

"I wanted to know what it was like to have a human rider. However, I wasn't quite cut out for the military life. It was... too constricting for me," he said. He took another sip of wine.

"So I decided to leave. The Adelans disagreed with my point of view, quite ready to throw some chains on me so I could be disciplined. Having reached an impasse, I had to--"

He cleared his throat.

"Assert myself."