On the Beach of Dreams

[MadEmperor]

Grav smiled with a loving warmth. "Oh, yeah, she's the best. I couldn't ask for a better Mom. I mean, Dad's great too, but she did most of the actual parenting. I don't resent him for not being here more, but he just wasn't that big a part of my childhood."

He smiled at her. "I'm... glad you stuck around."

[DragonSong]

Kiara returned the smile with the tiniest hint of color in her cheeks. "Me too," she murmured, reaching over to take his hand and give it a light squeeze.


Kit really didn't take much convincing to help them heat the water--and true to her word, Kiara only used the barest thread of her power to help shape the flame. It still left her panting, which was mildly concerning, but she hid it quickly.

"Well, at least I didn't ruin your mum's water buckets," she chuckled lightly, rolling her neck to work out the kinks that seemed to pop up from the new tension she got from using her magic.

[MadEmperor]

Grav watched her carefully, measuring how the magic affected her. He didn't seem to notice her panting, or he knew she would downplay it even if he asked.

"Well, let's get this water to the tub so you can wash up and help Mom cook." He grinned. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

[DragonSong]

"Yes, gods," Kiara agreed with a laugh. "And I can't tell you how inviting the idea of non-camp-ration food sounds right now."

She washed up quickly and returned to the kitchen to assist Grav's mother; she really wasn't much of a cook herself, but she could follow directions and hold things, so she was at least better than nothing.

[MadEmperor]

Grav's mother cooked up a small feast for her guests, probably more than the three of them could eat. He hadn't been kidding about his mother's tendency to stuff her guests till they burst. As such, she kept Kiara busy until Grav returned from his bath.

Finding the table almost set, he grinned. He looked much more himself without the armor and cape. "Oh my gods, that smells amazing."

[DragonSong]

Kiara was laughing at something his mother had said when he returned, and she glanced over at him with that smile still on her face as she said, "Doesn't it? Gods, i am so ready for any kind of food that hasn't spent half its life at the bottom of my pack."

She put a gently steaming dish on the table, then glanced up at his mother. "Um, can I do anything else?"

[MadEmperor]

"No, dearie, you two can go ahead and get seated while I sit the pie on the sill to cool," she said as she pulled the pastry from the oven.

"Ooo... you're going to love mom's blueberry pie." Grav beamed at Kiara. His brow furrowed as he counted four place settings. "Wait... is Dad supposed to come home today?"

His mother smiled. "He could return today, yes. Though more than likely he'll be a couple of days longer."

He looked at Kiara. "Nice. We won't have to wait too long."

[DragonSong]

"Right. That's great." Kiara smiled, but her voice was a little less...present than usual.

It was striking her just how nice this home was, how much Grav had here. How much he stood to lose by gallivanting the countryside with her and Kit, getting dragged into alchemical plots and fae politics and who the hells knew what else.

[MadEmperor]

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is this... making you think of your mother?"

He could only imagine what it must be like for her to be reminded of what she had lost and of what she could have had. But he hoped a taste of normalcy would be more uplifting than sad.

[DragonSong]

Kiara gave him a quick, slightly sad smile. "A little," she admitted quietly. With a quiet laugh, she added with a bit more humor, "Guess I'm just wishing I could've introduced you to some family who wasn't...y'know. Fae. And like that."

She rolled her eyes, screwing her face up dramatically. Hopefully that would be enough to answer his questions, and he wouldn't keep probing. Though he had a habit of being annoyingly perceptive when she least expected it.

[MadEmperor]

"Yeah, well, we can't choose who we're related to, so I can't hold that against you, " he chuckled lightly.

He slid a chair out for her like a good boy. "M'lady." He smirked playfully.

[DragonSong]

Giggling, Kiara dipped into a half curtsy. "Thank you, kind serrah," she said with a roll of her eyes, but she was smiling. Damnit, the man was charming, even when he was being a goof.

Glancing at the fourth place setting, she cocked her head and asked, "Do you always do that, then? Leave out a place for him when it's getting close to him being due back?"

[MadEmperor]

"Yeah. Though we don't always have extra food cooked for him," he answered as he moved to sit by her. "That would just be wasteful."

"He's almost never home by his earliest estimate. His magic can only help him predict storms so much," he explained.

His mother returned and took a seat. "My Verran is many things, but a master mage isn't one of them."

[DragonSong]

"Still, the fact that he can predict storms at all is pretty impressive," Kiara noted, adding with a wry chuckle, "My own magic never seems to be very practical--more trouble than it's worth, really."

Outside, Kit had moved a little closer to the house so he could curl up beside it and peek in the open window every so often. Kiara grinned and quickly tossed him one of the fish Grav's mother had given her for just such a purpose. Kit snapped it out of the air with an appreciative rumble.

[MadEmperor]

"That's too bad. Though," she chuckled, "mine's nothing to shake a stick at either. I can only seem to heal scrapes and shallow cuts."

She smirked at her son. "Which, I admit, was incredibly useful with this little danger seeker. I swear, the number of times he came home all scraped up... Not crying though, not this one; he was always grinning like an idiot."

[DragonSong]

Kiara chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. Not exactly a habit you grew out of, is it?" she asked with a small smirk in Grav's direction, eyebrow quirked.

Outside, Kit chuckled lightly and put in, "A habit that seems contagious, mmm?"

Kiara rolled her eyes at him, but he was talking, which was a good sign. The dragon tended not to speak aloud to people he didn't know--though she supposed this was something of a unique case.

[MadEmperor]

Grav chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Well, no... I guess I didn't."

His mother smiled. "I came to terms with that a long time ago. Not that I don't worry, but I wouldn't change his brave heart for the world."

He blushed crimson, at which she cackled. "Okay, okay, enough mushiness. Eat, eat."

[DragonSong]

Remaining mushy for just a moment longer, Kiara caught Grav's eye for a moment and agreed, "Neither would I."

She laughed and tucked into her food with gusto, thanking his mother effusively between bites. Gods it had been so long since she'd had a home-cooked meal--she seriously doubted that anything made in her father's Autumn palace counted as such.

"I can't believe you grew up eating this," she chuckled to Grav when she was nearly done with her plate. "If I had regular access to this kind of food, I don't think Kit would be able to get me off the ground."

[MadEmperor]

Grav, too, ate with a fervor, enjoying every bite with a sound of pleasure. It had only been a few months since his last meal at home, but it felt like so much longer.

He laughed at the image her comment left in his head. "I told you she was an amazing cook, didn't I?"

His mother beamed, her heart warmed by the praise. "You're free to have seconds, but do save room for pie."

[DragonSong]

"As much as I want seconds, I feel like I should hold out for that pie, thank you," Kiara said with a smile. Standing to clear her plate--and toss Kit another fish--she asked, "Can I, ah, help with the dishes or anything?"

It really had been so long since she in just...just a normal, domestic setting, she found herself a bit adrift, not sure what to do.