To Catch a Unicorn [DragonSong]

[Juno]

"They'd certainly take you more seriously," he offered, though he was uncertain how seriously with how innocently adorable she looked still in human form. He shook his head and tried not to think about how he was continuing to betray her trust in him. Perhaps there was a way to make it right before it all went wrong.

"But they'll probably want to talk to you now instead of about you. Think you can handle that?"

[DragonSong]

Bella nodded, though her expression seemed at odds with the answer. "I can handle it," she said, almost trying to convince herself more than him.

She gave her head a little toss- a rather equine gesture- and the weight of her horn shifting on her human head made her frown and repeat the motion in an attempt to get used to it.

[Juno]

Kynton shrugged, a little doubtful in her confidence as he watched her head loll about with the weight of her horn. "You sure about that? You haven't done this before, right? Could always go back, nobody would ever have to know you can...do this if you don't want them to," he reminded her, gesturing at her vaguely.

[DragonSong]

She nodded again, a little more firmly this time. "No, I can do this." She straightened her shoulders and offered a smile. "Let's get on with it then."

[Juno]

Kynton rolled his eyes playfully for her enthusiasm, almost able to forget for a moment that this wasn't going to be just a carefree little stroll through the countryside. "Well you look good. For a non-human human at least," he offered, lifting a hand to tap his own forehead that was bare of horn.

Gathering up his things he moved to lead her to the door only to find a man waiting just beyond the doorway with an unpleasant curl to his lip. The stranger's eyes widened at the sight of Bella, for he'd been told to expect a small, deer-like creature instead of the woman within the room.

"That the unicorn?" he drawled, gesturing to Bella and readjusting the pack slung over his shoulder.

"Um... Yes," Kynton answered, moving a little more to put himself more squarely between the her and the man. The stranger didn't seem bothered by it, though, simply craning his neck to look at her anyway.

"Hm. Name's Nigel. You two'll be coming with me. Mister Renwick sends his regards," he informed them, turning without offering a handshake or any niceties to lead them through the halls so they could be on their way as soon as possible.

[DragonSong]

The unicorn tried not to wilt under the man's stare and she shuffled a little closer to Kynton. She shot her friend a rather wide-eyed look as the stranger seemed to expect them to follow him and almost instinctively latched onto his arm.

"Well then... I suppose we're on our way," she murmured.

[Juno]

While a little surprised by the contact Kynton fought hard not to shrug her off instinctively. He could only assume she was nervous, he couldn't exactly fault her for that as much as the touching made him tense. "The sooner this is over the better," he whispered, following after the man but finding a question still lingering on his tongue.

"How... How long will this take?" he finally managed, a little startled when the man whipped his head around quickly to make sudden but firm eye contact. That he couldn't manage, averting his eyes after only a moment as the man gave a gruff chuckle.

"Just a long day's walk, could be there by sundown if we keep a good pace. As long as little miss there doesn't need too many breaks." Nigel faced forward again as he opened the front door for them so they could be on their way.

It was hard for Kynton to admire the beauty of the estate's grounds bathed in daylight, his mouth set in a hard line of thought as they made their way to a more worn path that eventually connected to an established dirt road.

[DragonSong]

Bella's hand slid down from the death grip she'd had on Kynton's arm to clutch at his hand a little more gently as they started to walk.

She flinched a bit when Nigel looked back at them again, dropping her eyes. For some reason this human made her uncomfortable.

She kept quiet as they followed him along, eyes only occasionally flicking up from being fixed on her feet.

[Juno]

Kynton relaxed a little more once she'd released his arm and he'd warmed up a bit better from the sun being out and bathing them. Realizing they probably weren't going to get any privacy to talk anytime soon he decided to just ignore the man that was taking them to Featherfall.

"Are you still feeling alright? With the clothes and the walking?" he wondered, brow furrowed slightly with concern and hoping she wasn't too uncomfortable with it all.

[DragonSong]

Her head snapped up, a little startled, and she blinked at him before she collected herself to answer. "Oh- yes. I'm fine." She smiled and nodded quickly.

A long day's walk though...well, she'd be getting a lot of practice having two legs.

[Juno]

Kynton nodded, smiling some but still having a very serious look in his eyes as he contemplated something else. "If it gets to be too much I can carry you the rest of the way. I know all of this was very sudden for you, I'm sorry."

[DragonSong]

Bella crinkled her nose and shook her head defiantly. "I'm not an invalid," she pouted. "I'll be fine."

[Juno]

His eyes widened in surprise and a small, embarrassed hiss escaped him before he could catch it. "I didn't mean to imply anything like that, Bella. Just...it's an option. If you get too tired."

Kynton huffed moodily but gave her hand a small squeeze of reassurance, though it was more for himself than for her.

[DragonSong]

She chuckled quietly and gave his hand a squeeze in return, her pout gone in an instant. "I appreciate it. Thank you."

[Juno]

He relaxed to see she didn't seem mad anymore, the mere thought of it being enough to set him on edge was a little concerning. He really had taken to the whole ensuring her happiness thing quite well. Maybe too well. He felt to responsible to her now.

By the time they'd traveled north to the border of Featherfall his limbs already felt as though he'd been walking all day. The sun was a great help to his stiffness but the small buffets of wind were making him tense. Walking through nearly the whole of the province he was feeling so tired once they'd arrived with the sun nearly set and the chill of the mountains above the darkened estate seeming to roll down to them far too easily. He prayed there would be a nice fire. Well if he was even permitted to stay, he hoped he could at least on the grounds of helping Bella get settled. It was a far stretch but he needed time to convince this stranger they were meeting to let her go. Or if that failed, time to formulate a plan of escape.

The wait after Nigel knocked upon the great doors seemed an eternity but eventually a pale young woman answered and allowed them in with a polite smile. He passed them off with such a rush or quick words, his business apparently done as he left them with the girl to escape to his own borrowed quarters to settle in for the night. Neither Lucas or Akakios would have ever expected the man to travel without rest, something he realized had barely been afforded to himself and Bella the night before. "I'll take you to my master," the woman explained calmly, not wanting to assume the vampire's intentions with such precious cargo.

The halls were too dark for Kynton's liking, bathed in shadows and still somehow managing to feel like a long pit of darkness despite the many torches upon the walls to light their way. He scowled grumpily as they were led up a quiet staircase, the rooms at the top seeming far too quiet for such a large house. Either everyone was asleep or the rooms were empty, and if they were empty... Things truly seemed far too clean, shiny, and perfect for that to be the case.

For all the darkness he hissed softly when a door was finally opened to a room bathed in light from a roaring fireplace. "Mister Renwick sends a gift for you, sir," she greeted him, though Kynton had to fight a scowl from his face at the words. His eyes were quickly drawn to another pair that looked up from across the room, a little unnerved by the smirk that curved the man's lips.

The servant bowed slightly to her master before being dismissed with a wave of his hand and leaving with the door firmly shut behind her. Akakios stood up in a way that managed to both be casual and eager all at once. Kynton tensed to realize he was a good bit shorter than the man they'd been brought to, his odds of merely overpowering him looking bleaker by the moment.

There was a particularly predatory look in the vampire's eyes as he looked at Bella, his dark eyes unmoving from her as he crossed the room. After a few moments, though, his features softened and he held out a hand in offer to the unicorn. "What a pleasant surprise. And who might you be?" he asked, tone gentle as though he were talking to a child he didn't want to frighten.

[DragonSong]

Oh no.

She did not like this.

It was dark, and close, and something smelled...off. Unnatural. Life too long lived. Something.

Bella squeaked and ducked behind Kynton at any little sound, clutching at his arms as she peered around. She was exhausted from walking all day- how did humans manage with just two legs?- not to mention slowly growing more and more scared.

Then the man was in front of her and she had to swallow a whimper, resisting the urge to take a step back. "B-Belladonna," she whispered, eyes wide.

[Juno]

Akakios stared her down curiously, not really registering her fear as something to acknowledge even though he could practically sense it flowing off her in waves. "My, what a pretty name," he praised gently, finally bringing his eyes up to meet Kynton's again. "And you?" The vampire hadn't even realized yet that his gift was just Bella and not the pair of them. He could tell there was something different about Kynton, his eyes so different from any he'd ever seen in a human's body before.

It made the snake-man's skin crawl and he had to bite back a hiss as well as fight himself down from baring his teeth at the man before them. Angering him probably wouldn't help him get Bella out of the situation. "Kynton," he ground out.

"Are you married, then? Or mated at least?" Akakios raised a brow and gestured between them curiously, guessing at the reason for Kynton's defensive posture and Bella's with hiding behind him. It only made the younger man wide-eyed as he struggled to tell the truth while also wanting to preserve his place at the unicorn's side.

"Not... Not exactly." Maybe he would take pity on them for simply being in their predicament together.

Akakios was certainly one to dig up the truth in time but he was also one to make rather bold assumptions. The vampire laughed a rather carefree laugh at Kynton's bewilderment that was mistaken for embarrassment. "Oh come now no need to be shy, you're among friends and you don't even know it. I assure you it's in your best interest to be honest here." He simply wanted to hear the words from them himself but he didn't even realize how the snake-man was struggling.

There was that predatory grin again but Kynton's face fell and he was suddenly paralyzed and it was all he could do to turn to Bella wordlessly for help, eyes pleading with her despite how he had absolutely no right in this situation to ask it of her.

[DragonSong]

Bella nearly fell over at the question. Married? Mated? Cheeks very red, she almost started to shake her head, but then Kynton spoke up. She looked from him to their "host" with wide eyes.

Should she play along? Was that what he wanted?

Could he stay with her if she did?

Slowly, she murmured, "Kynton...is my- my mate."

[Juno]

Akakios watched them like a hawk, enjoying the way they struggled with it and so very sure that he'd been right. His lips turned up in a slow smile at her confirmation, humming thoughtfully as he looked between them. And then he just laughed, finally relaxing his posture.

"Well aren't you quite the pair? You must tell me how that came about someday," he insisted lightly, moving away easily to no longer cage them back against the door. In a small way he was certain he'd already won and felt no need to physically keep them from leaving. He'd already decided he would keep them and keep them together, even if they were just to be his possessions.

"So all the way from Whitesands? That's quite the journey on foot, but I assure you Featherfall is much nicer and very worth the trip. You'll be taken care of well here. I assume you're probably tired from your journey, hm?"

Kynton relaxed slightly once the vampire had moved away, no longer paralyzed by fear or silently terrified that something ill might befall them. He didn't trust the man, not one bit, but at least he wasn't being outwardly hostile. And he was tired. So very tired. It was okay to let his guard down a little, right?

He shakily reached to hold Bella's hand, squeezing it lightly in silent thanks for saving him from potential disaster. "Yes, very. Is there anywhere we could sleep? We've been walking all day." Maybe he would take pity on them for that.

Akakios frowned slightly, a little worried that Lucas had rushed them over just to leave them worn out, but he supposed some good rest before he saw what they were really all about as magical creatures would be acceptable. They would have plenty of time for that, after all. "Certainly. I'll have a proper room prepared for you but my servant will take you to something temporary, just a guest room I'm afraid."

The young woman from before poked her head back inside now that the coast was clear and she'd been summoned back. "Downstairs or upstairs, sir?" she prompted him quietly.

"Upstairs." He waved his hand dismissively for them to follow her before returning to his seat at his desk. "We'll get you rested and fed, then we can talk again. Sleep well," he bid them.

Kynton was in no mood to linger, grunting his thanks and turning with his head downcast to follow after the servant in total silence. He didn't want to speak again until they had more privacy, though he didn't realize there really wasn't such a thing as total privacy in the vampire's home.

[DragonSong]

Bella clutched tightly at Kynton's hand, pressing herself close against his side. She was quiet, eyes flickering around warily.

"Kynton, I don't like this place," she whispered, practically glued to his side now. "I don't want to stay here..."