Spirits of the Earth

Tags to @Rhi-Rhi !

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The rolling expanse of Adela and southern Serendipity spread out limitless below the dragon and her rider. The early autumn gave the countryside a warm, golden hue as the tops of the forest below began to change from green to bright yellows, oranges, and reds. The air was crisp, the sun warm, and the sky clear. Up here, with just the sun and wind and the rider and the dragon, it was the perfect autumn day.

The dragon Lyra soared through the clear air, wings open and gliding smoothly. Her rider, Ashra Blackspire, leaned back, enjoying the direct sunlight and fresh air and the absence of anyone else to bother him.

But red leaves and crisp air and golden wheat wasn't the only thing that autumn brought. Autumn was also brought an increase in raiders across the land. With goods being transported before the onset of winter, and harvests being brought in, and the land ripe, it was the ideal time for bandits and raiders. And that was what they were scanning the land below for now. For the moment, Ashra was trying to ignore this fact, but Lyra broke his peace with her eagle-eyed observation.

"Look. There," Lyra's voice directed Ashra's attention to a scene far below.

To Ashra the caravan of travelers may as well have been ants. Or smaller than ants. And the approaching group was indistinguishable from the first. But Lyra could see what he could not: The caravan of travelers was about to be routed and surrounded by an armed group of bandits on horseback. The caravan had with them only two guards, poorly armed, and ill equipped to deal with the seasoned band of criminals.

That's where they came in.

Ashra would have been happy to stay up here in the clouds. What were all those people thinking, traveling during bandit season, anyway?

"I think that's Serendipity," Ashra pointed out coolly. It was hard to tell from up here in the border lands, but it didn't matter as far as Lyra was concerned. She showed her disapproval of his attitude with a sudden roll through the air. "Okay, okay," Ashra agreed, clutching onto the dragon. "Let's go be heros.

They were, after all, tasked with protecting these people, however poor their travel planning was. So, taking a long loop around to not be exceedingly obvious, the dragon and rider glided down closer to the approaching groups.

Duty was duty. Whether you liked it or not.

Maybe I can throw sweets at them and butter them up! Literally!

Those were Ife's hysterical thoughts as the first cries of "Raiders!" rang out.

And soon enough, she could see them from where she sat in a wagon atop covered crates of goods. She had a good view up there, so she was among the first to see them: a good dozen or so rough-looking men and women on horseback, armed to the teeth with swords and bows and cudgels and weapons she didn't even recognize. They were coming in from all directions, blocking any hope of escape, and Ife felt her heart hammer against her ribs like a trapped thing as the caravan came to a stop. What were they supposed to do? What did people do in situations like this?!

Her eyes darted to to their guards, and she saw that they didn't even bother lifting their weapons. On the contrary, they held their hands up, palms open. Even they knew there was nothing they could do. Resistance would just lead to a blood bath, so it was smarter to let the raiders take what they wanted and hope they'd leave their lives.

I hope they like tarts and biscuits! Ife thought, and rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress. Pastries were about all she had to offer aside from the clothes she'd packed. All that pillaging has got to leave a body hungry, right? Maybe they'll gorge themselves and be too fat to fight...

If only!

The raiders were close now, close enough she could see the details of their faces. They had their weapons drawn, swords at the ready and arrows strung and tracking their movements, daring them to resist. Which they weren't; aside from the guards, they were all merely merchants, a couple with families, and she could see the rest of her party (people she hardly even knew, as she'd just hitched a ride with them!) huddling nervously together.

A man Ife could only assume was the leader rode forward, but he didn't address them. He gave the group a once-over, taking them all in in a sweeping look, and then turned back to his group.

"Take what you can carry," he called out with a wave of his hand. "Women and children included. Kill the men."

What?!

With hair-raising cries, the raiders advanced, and Ife saw their guards spring into action--since surrender was no option, and it was fight or die. One of the raiders rushed to her wagon and dismounted his horse, his eyes on her. With a cry of surprise, Ife scrambled backwards--and fell off the crate and onto the wagon floor with a thud, landing on her back with her legs up against the crate and skirts splayed indecently.

For a moment she lay there, stunned.

But that position also gave her a good view of the sky.

If she hadn't fallen off that crate, she wouldn't have seen the dragon soaring above them, and for a moment she stared up at it with wide eyes, breathless.

A dragon...

They were near the border of Adela, but...could it be? Was it...was it really?

Was it way too much to hope for?

Then the raider's ugly face blocked her view, and rough hands grabbed her and hauled her up and over his shoulder, and though Ife struggled, it was more so she could try to find that dragon again as she silently prayed it had a rider.

The situation below was escalating faster than the dragon or her rider had foreseen. And though Ashra could not hear the words of the bandit captain below over the torrent of wind around them, Lyra did. Take what you can carry... Women and children included!

"Slavers," she said Ashra flatly before turning into a faster dive towards the melee.

Ashra set his jaw and notched an arrow to the great bow he carried. Slavers. Ashra might not like people in general, and criminals less, but slavers were a class of scum all their own. The very notion of trading and selling human lives - despite its legality in both Adela and Serendipity - always sparked a smouldering anger in Ashra. And suddenly he wasn't complaining anymore that he and Lyra had no business in Serendipity.

Lyra broke out of her dive right above the tree tops with a crack! of wind. Two arrows flew from Ashra's bow. The first struck down a raider that was closing in on a mother standing protectively in front of her teenage son; too old to be considered a 'child.' The second sunk into the side of the man who had hoisted up Ife. The man choked, stumbled, then landed face-first in the dirt road, dead.

Dragon fire streaked through the air. It wasn't targeted at the raiders directly. It was too indiscriminate of a weapon for that when there were so many civilians around. But more than half the 'battle' when you fought with a dragon was putting on a show to intimidate your enemy. Truth be told, neither Ashra nor Lyra reveled in unnecessary death. And the greater their fear of the dragon, the less likely that death would be necessary.

The dragon dove again and Ashra leapt onto the ground as Lyra skidded to a landing, knocking over a handful of raiders as tore through the earth. Ashra was on his feet, halberd in hand, knocking down the nearest raider with its blunt end. A short fight ensued, but the raiders' confidence was rapidly flagging from the arrival of the dragon and her rider and they looked about to turn tail and run.

That was when their captain, seeing his men begin to flee, ran across the melee and grabbed a girl, no more than nine, by the hair and pulled her roughly against him. A blade at her throat. "Here now!" the man snarled loudly. "I'll kill 'er!"

Ashra spun, ready to lunge with the halberd, before he saw the girl. Then he froze. Lyra was quickly, and before the captain had the chance to act, she had two more of the raiders pinned beneath her claws.

Ashra's face was a cold fire. If looks could kill, as the saying went, the captain would be struck down right then. The girl was hardly older than his niece, and though she choked back a sob of fear, she didn't cry. Instead her eyes looked imploringly between the dragon and her rider. Ashra's body was tense, poised to throw the halberd into the man's chest, but frozen.

"Let the child go," he said firmly. "Or your men will die, and then you."

The man laughed an ugly laugh. "Oh-ho, will they? Y'think I care? Y'know how much those sister-fuckers are worth?" He spat. But he smiled a vile smile as he said, "But a nice young girl like this, about to bud into a sweet little maid, well..." He sniggered through a toothy grin. "Y'wouldn't dare t'touch me now, Dragon Rider."

Ashra's eyes hardened. He had the halberd ready to throw, though it was heavy weapon. "You won't get far with or without her, raider. A horse can't outrun a dragon, and I wager you can't outrun my throw. Let the girl go."

But the raider knew that he was backed into a corner. He wouldn't let the girl go that easily. And Ashra dared not throw the weapon while the girl was held as a shield, and with a knife to her throat. With his bow, he might be quick and accurate enough, but not with the halberd. But his bow was still slung across Lyra's saddle.

Now, it was a stand off.

There was a wet thunk, and the man carrying Ife choked out a gasp, spasmed, and fell. Ife fell with him, tumbling to the ground and landing with him heavy atop her. With a cry of fear, she struggled beneath him and shoved hard at him, prepared for a struggle--but his head lolled from her jostling, and when she finally had the courage to look at him, she saw that his eyes were wide open and glassy, staring at nothing, and his mouth was trickling blood.

Dead.

It was the first dead body Ife had ever seen--at least, from violent death, not like the peaceful passing away of her grandfather--and she couldn't help it. That plus everything going on around her was too much! She let out a shriek and struggled out from under him, then scrambled to her feet--

And froze.

Chaos had unfolded all around her, fire arcing through the air, and Ife saw the dragon then--there, on the ground, larger than life and knocking several raiders to the ground as a tall man knocked more silly with his halberd. So the dragon did have a rider! Ife didn't dare to move as she watched, eyes huge and mouth open in awe, hands against her chest over her racing heart. It was amazing watching those two, dragon and warrior, but Ife darted nervous looks around herself, looking for an escape route, because she felt rather exposed out there in the thick of things, and with raiders still about! Raiders...who were running.

And who wouldn't when up against a dragon?

Definitely not Ife!

Gathering up her skirts, she turned and bolted, back to the wagon and hopefully out of the war-zone, and she had just reached it when she heard gasps and the familiar snarl of the raiders' captain. She crouched down beside the wagon and turned to look.

Her breath caught.

She knew that little girl. Not well, but she'd talked to her on the trip and had made her a special sweet a few days earlier when she'd cried herself awake from a nightmare, just a little something to give her happy dreams. Gods, she would need all the happy dreams she could get after this--if she came out of it okay. Ife's eyes locked onto the dragon-rider, then moved back to the captain and his hostage, both of them motionless, both at a stalemate.

The little girl's life hung in the balance. Anything could tip the scale toward life or death.

Around Ife, the other travelers were silent, save for the sobs of the girl's mother. No one dared to move, no one dared tempt that scale.

Shifting nervously where she crouched, Ife put a hand on the ground to help balance herself--and grimaced when instead of soft grass, her fingers squished into something soft and gooey. She looked down, and blinked in surprise. It was...

A pastry.

A cherry tart, she'd smashed her fingers right into some of that cherry topping. More pastries were strewn about on the ground, their crate broken not far from them, knocked out of the wagon or thrown out as the raiders searched the wagon for goods. Ife stared at the red on her fingers, at first finding it strangely absurd, all things considered, but then a thought struck her. Equally absurd, but maybe not?

The captain wasn't looking at her.

His back was turned to her at a three-quarter view, and his attention was fully on the dragon-rider.

Maybe...?

The young girl cried out as the captain dragged her backward a few steps, the knife still pressed to her throat as he began a slow retreat. The dragon-rider was there, halberd at the ready.

Maybe she could tip the scale in the right direction?

Grabbing the pastry, Ife acted before she could lose her nerve. She chucked the thing at the captain's head with all her might, and held her breath as it arced through the air--

And landed with a wet plop on the back of his head, where it stuck, cherry goo suctioning to his hair. The captain startled and made a stupid mistake.

He turned his head to look.

Ashra saw what Ife was going to do a second before she acted, though at first he didn't believe it. What was the woman thinking? Surprising a cruel man with a blade to a girl's throat from behind could go either way: he might jump and slit the girl's throat! But Ashra had no time to stop her and - luckily for all of them - when the pastry went splat! on the back of his head, he turned, just loosening his grip on the girl. It didn't get Ashra much time, but in the moment that the raider looked away, he sprang forward, knocking the raider hard across the head with the halberd with one arm while grabbing the girl away from him with the other. He pushed her bodily behind him while the raider stumbled.

The raider captain hissed, looking viciously between Ashra and the woman at the pastry cart. And at the dragon. He was no idiot. Without a hostage, the raider had no chance and he knew it. So, with a vicious snarl, he turned and ran. Ashra watched him for one second before walking purposefully back to Lyra. He took the bow from the dragon's saddle and strung the bow. He sighted the raider as he ran, then let loose the arrow. It struck the man in his back, sent him stumbling forward. Then he was still.

A gasp was released from the crowd. It seemed no one expected the dragon rider to strike a retreating figure. But Ashra had no compassion for slavers. And a man who would take a little girl hostage and snigger about her 'worth' would only go on to enslave others. Once the shock was over, an old man from the caravan ran forward to Ashra, grabbing his hand and thanking him heartily for their rescue.

"You need to hire proper guards," Ashra barked at the man, his expression unsmiling and disdainful. "What did you expect with only two during the raider season?" The man backed away, looking a little stricken.

"Where are you traveling to?" It was Lyra asking now, her voice kind and gentle as always.

"Ravensway," the old man answered. He looked a bit reassured by the dragon's courtesy.

Ashra ignored the ensuing conversation between Lyra and the caravan members. He was looking darkly at Ife, but when the girl ran up to him, Ashra picked her up in his arms, placing the halberd aside. "I saw you, brave little dragon," he told her, his tone suddenly stern but gentle, "not a single tear. That was very good. You keep up that kind of bravery, you'll be a right warrior one day." Children, though he hated to admit it, were Ashra's weakness. Chidlren weren't awful yet. Give her ten years, and Ashra knew the girl would be just as terrible as the rest of them. For now, though, she was still alright.

But then something Lyra said caught his attention.

"We can escort you the rest of the way," Lyra was telling the grateful caravan members. "It shouldn't take more than a week, and we would be happy to stay with you until you've arrived safely at your journey's end."

Ashra's hazel eyes widened at Lyra's offer, but he held back his grumpy response. He knew this wasn't an argument he would win with Lyra. And he knew, deep down, that he shouldn't want to win it. He put the girl down, giving Lyra a dark look. "Alright," he agreed. Then he turned to one of the guards - Ashra wasn't interested in dealing with the people directly. But he spoke loud enough for all to hear. "Go ahead with the group with Lyra. The raiders may return and we should get some miles behind us and this place before nightfall. I'll stay back here and clean up. But I'll catch up with you at your camp."

The guards nodded and everyone started mobilizing. But Ashra needed a word with that reckless pastry girl. "You," he barked at her, pointing with the halberd. "You stay behind and help me here."

Ife had no concept of how badly that could have gone.

All she knew was that it hadn't gone badly--except for the raider's captain, who was now dead.

With a sigh of relief, Ife crumpled, her back against the wagon as she leaned bonelessly against it, all the stress draining out of her because it was over, and no one had died. No one her side, at least, and that was what mattered! As for the dead raiders...

She tried not to look at them, and tried not to think of it. Either way, this had been way more excitement than she had signed up for!

When she had finally collected herself, she pushed herself to her feet and went to join  the gathering crowd, curious as to what was being said--and even more curious to get a better look at their rescuers, both human and dragon alike! She'd never seen a dragon this close before--and this one talked! As for her rider...well...

Once Ife had gotten her fill of eying the dragon, she took to studying the human, and found her pulse quickening. Holding the child he'd saved, they painted a rather sweet picture--and, she had to admit, he was pretty damned gorgeous himself. Tall, dark, and strong--and the fact that he'd just rescued them all certainly gave him extra attractiveness points! Good with children, too? More points for him!

Realizing what she was thinking, and that what she should be doing is paying attention to their conversation, Ife blushed (which was dumb, because it wasn't like anyone could read her thoughts!) and listened in, just in time to hear they'd be escorting them. Traveling with them. Spending time with them, and sleeping with them. Bathing in the same rivers, even, maybe?

Cue more blushing, like some silly maid. Ugh! She needed to rein in her flights of fancy. Like, you know.

Maybe talk to him first??

As the others dispersed, Ife hung back, working up the courage to say something. Like thank him! And she had just worked up her nerve and was ready to gush at the man, tell him how amazing he'd been--he and his dragon--like some mythic heroes straight out of legend! But before she could open her mouth, he barked a command, and Ife faltered, caught somewhere between excitement at being alone with him, and intimidation. He was commanding her to stay with him! To help! Her, specifically! Only he was ordering her like a dog, without any warmth, and was pointing with that deadly weapon of his.

Ife froze, her mouth snapping shut. Her hands went to her skirts, where she kneaded them absently. "Who? Me?" she said, stupidly, because there was no one else near her. But then, not to be deflated, she perked back up again. Maybe he didn't mean to be so rude! He was a warrior, after all! All rough around the edges! And in any case, he'd singled her out for a reason, right?

He probably wanted to thank her for her help! She had helped, after all!

She smiled, and started toward him. "Oh, of course! Certainly! I'll help with anything you need, mister--" She paused and gave him a questioning look.

Ashra didn't wait to see if Ife had listened to him or not. As soon as he'd barked the order at her, he turned to deal with the raiders Lyra had coraled; those that had been knocked a bit too hard on the head or weren't quick enough to run away with the others. Ashra and the dragon made the men completely disarm and hand over their horses. Horses, Ashra knew, were what really made or unmade a raider. Likely the beasts had been stolen anyway. The horses pawed nervously at the ground in the presence of the dragon. But they were not eager to return to their cruel former masters. Once they were disarmed and harmless - at least for now - Ashra sent them packing. In the future, hopefully, they would at least fall back to petty crimes. Ashra had no faith that they'd become upstanding citizens, but as much as he disliked them, he wouldn't kill them now in cold blood.

They were just stupid oafs. Let the hard walk through the wilderness without their steeds deter them from crime for awhile.

When the girl ran up to him again, to look at the dragon, Lyra even offered to let the girl ride her as they went along, and Ashra helped the girl up onto the dragon's saddle. After all, she wouldn't be flying. Once the horses and the arms taken from the raiders were handed over to the raggedy group's guards and Lyra began to shepherd the shaken people on their way, speaking kindly and reassuring them, Ashra finally turned to Ife.

Stupid woman.

Ashra looked her over once, unabashedly. Her look confirmed everything he might have guessed about a foolish Serenian woman who would throw a pastry at a raider. Prim, fussy looking, and useless. He snorted, then without worrying about whether or not the others could hear him, laid into her.

"What did you think you were doing?" he snarled at her. "Do you know how easily that pastry toss could have ended with the girl dead? What if he jumped and that blade had sliced straight through her throat? Do you have a... a danish that could have brought her back to life? What were you thinking? He knew he couldn't get far with her. He was just hoping we'd take his bait. A little longer, and we'd have had her back safely."

He wasn't even listening to her!

Just like that, Ife was dismissed, left standing there like a fool as the man headed off to deal with other things. She let out a sigh, wilting. "Okay, I'll just...start cleaning up then, I guess!"

With a grimace, because that reminded her that her hand was covered in sticky cherry goo, she turned back to the wagon to survey the damage. A good deal of her pastries were salvageable; they'd spilled out all over the ground, food for whatever lucky animals came through here after they were gone. Some, though, were still in  the crate, undamaged if they'd gotten a little more smooshed together. All in all, she estimated she'd lost more than half of her goods.

At least no one had lost their lives.

She paused to fetch her water skin, and used it to wash the cherry goo off her hand. Then she fixed the lid back onto the crate, and turned to wait for the dragon-rider, because the crate was a little too heavy for her to lift and besides, that was what men were for!

She turned around just in time to see him heading back, and  she was just registering his critical once-over when he opened his mouth.

And thoroughly dressed her down.

Ife stared up at him with wide eyes and felt heat rush to her cheeks and down her neck. She hadn't been scolded since she was a child--much less in front of everyone like this! And she hadn't done well with it then, and didn't do well with it now. Some people snapped back when told off, or bore it stoically, but Ife had never been able to do that. Instead, she withered beneath his words and wished she could just sink into the ground, because it was a little extra scary when it was coming from a large, intimidating man! A man she had moments ago been internally swooning over. Not anymore!

She gripped at her skirts and stared down at the ground, mortified--and even more so because she hadn't thought of what could happen if that went wrong! She'd just acted, not considering the man's blade could have slipped, and a fresh horror rose up in her as the what if played out in her head.

She could have killed the girl.

"I-I...I just thought..." Her voice trembled. "It...it didn't look good, and...I thought...I thought I could help you?"

Gods, that sounded so lame now!

Ashra listened, eyes hard on Ife, at her explanation. If you could call it that! It was all Ashra could do to keep from rolling his eyes. At least he had that courtesy. Just. The expression that was on his face wasn't too much better. His hazel eyes gazed at her with a scrutiny that revealed no sympathy. These Serenian women. She was wilting like a flower without water. She couldn't even make eye contact with him! Any of Ashra's sisters would have thrown his judgement flying back at him, bold and fierce. None of this maidenly sniveling. Ashra Blackspire had far too many sisters - and far too plucky sisters! - to buy into any of this poor, fragile woman nonsense exuding from this Serenian woman.

The rest of the caravan moved on slowly, glancing back at Ife and the dragon rider. Whispers passed between them. But at the dragon's encouragement and encouragement from the hired guards, they moved slowly on.

When they were properly moving, Ashra finally gave a huff in response to Ife's muttering.

"Well, the instinct to act is worth something," he said grudgingly, but it didn't sound like praise coming from him. "But if you can't use that head on your shoulders, you'll do less harm doing nothing. You try something like that again in the future, and the blood will be on your hands if it goes wrong."

Ashra's eyes stayed on her for a moment longer, then he turned to the mess left around them. All together there were four dead raiders. Three nearby: the two Ashra had hit with the arrows and one whose skull cracked at a blow from Lyra's tail. The fourth, of course, was the captain several meters away.

"You can deal with these three," Ashra told her simply, looking at the bodies and not at her. "Take off anything of value from them. Your group can use it. And retrieve the arrows if you can. Then pile'em up if you're strong enough to move them. I'll retrieve the captain and we'll build a pyre."

Ashra didn't wait to hear Ife's response. He simply stalked off in the direction of the fallen captain.

He wanted her to WHAT?

If Ife had been wilting under his criticism, that had her snapping her head back up to look at him like he'd lost his mind.

He wanted her to...to touch the bodies?! Drag them around? Loot them? Retrieve the arrows as in...the arrows that were in them? Her face paled at the thought as she looked, hesitantly, toward where the bodies lay--and felt her stomach reject the idea! It wasn't even a request he'd given her, like, "Please help me take care of this." It was a demand! And what a demand, at that. What was wrong with him?! No! Not happening! There was a reason she was a baker and not a butcher, and it wasn't all because her skills lay in kitchen magic!

But before she could turn to the man and tell him she was in no uncertain terms touching any bodies, he strode off to deal with the captain.

So Ife remained where she was. She hopped up onto the crate to sit, and folded her arms beneath her breasts, because no. He would be looting the bodies and retrieving the arrows and building the pyre. She would play no part in that!

Ashra returned shortly there after, buckled a little under the weight of the dead man slung over his shoulder. The dragon rider was taller than the raider had been, but had considerably less bulk. So when he returned and slung the man down on the ground, his breath was heavy with the effort.

Then he looked around. At the scene that was... exactly how he left it. The three other raiders hadn't moved. Well, he hadn't really expected this woman to move them. But they hadn't been touched at all. Arrows still protruded from the two, and all still wore their weapons. Valuable weapons that would help fend off another attack against the rag-tag caravan if one were to come.

His hazel eyes found Ife. Sitting prim and proper on her crate, arms folded.

Clearly she valued her own safety - not to mention the others' - less than getting her hands dirty. Ashra just stared at her for a moment. Then he asked slowly, almost as if she were slow, "Were you unable to remove the arrows? Or their weapons? You might not be strong enough to move the men, but surely you can do that."

"I can't do that," Ife said, as firmly as she could manage. The man had intimidated her, and still did! But this was a subject she would not budge on! Even then, she was avoiding looking at the dead captain, laying on the ground within her view.

"I can't touch...bodies," she continued, hugging herself a little tighter and shuddering. "I'm not sure why you'd keep me back to handle that! Why not one of the men? A guard? I'm not touching them."

Was she serious? She couldn't touch the bodies? Why did he keep her back? Why didn't he keep back one of the men? She was unbelievable!

"I kept you back," he answered harshly, repeating her emphasis, "so I could make sure you never tried a dumb stunt like that again. Otherwise you probably would have walked away thinking you were some sort of hero."

He snorted, giving her a hard look, then set about taking care of the slain raiders himself. Part of Ashra knew that it was better to just ignore her. Not to pick a fight about it. After all, his surly, argumentative demeanor was why he was out here ranging instead of in some lofty position with the other dragon riders. Not that he'd rather be with them anyway. Bunch of twats. But Ashra couldn't help himself. Between pulling out an arrow and removing one of the dead men's weapons, he threw a look back over at Ife.

"Perhaps you can tell me, though," he asked, "why you are so 'incapable' of doing any of these tasks? And what magical powers you think the guards - or 'one of the men,'" he scoffed at that, "have that you are sadly lacking. Or is it just more important to you to keep your hands and dress clean than help your caravan, or take care of the bodies of the dead. Raiders or not. I suppose a 'lady' like you would just leave them for the vultures and wild dogs?"

"No, I'd leave them to people more suited to working with the dead," Ife said with a frown, and it made sense in her head! "Like you, and the guards. People who have a stomach for it. I'm just a baker! I didn't come on this trip to...to...to loot corpses! I don't think it's so unreasonable for me to not want to get...blood on me or deal with slain men. I'm a baker!"

She repeated that for emphasis, throwing her hands up. "I can't even kill chickens for supper! I can't...I don't do well with blood. I've never seen anyone die before! I'd hoped I never would!"

Her voice rose a little toward the end, unexpectedly, because she'd done a pretty good job of keeping it together, she thought, while the adrenaline was pumping. But now that the battle had wound down, and now that she had a moment to actually process it and talk about it, it was starting to hit her. All at once.

They'd been attacked by raiders, she'd almost been kidnapped, a girl had almost died, and there were dead bodies laying all around.

She clapped a hand over her mouth, sucking in a breath. "Oh. I think I might be ill."

"'People more suited to working with the dead?'" Ashra repeated with a barking laugh as he hefted the dead raider on top of his captain. "And what makes one person - me, for example, or the guards - more suited to working with the dead? Are you trying to say it's beneath you, m'lady?"

Ashra managed to stop short of asking just where she thought the chicken meat on her plate came from if she was so torn up by the idea of killing one, but he managed to bite the comment back. Instead he focused on dealing with the last of the bodies. He only looked up just in time to see her pallor start to change to something distinctly sickly. He straightened up and looked at her with a frown. It was, perhaps, a slightly softer look than his expression had been.

Inwardly, he sighed. Stupid soft thing.

"Go ahead 'round the cart, if you need to," he offered. His tone was likewise softer. Just. And maybe a bit grudgingly so. "You wouldn't be the first. Death's not a pretty sight."

Ife didn't need to be told twice! She scrambled down from the crate and hurried around the cart, and she only just made it there before she emptied her stomach in a most unladylike fashion. People had died! That one man had died right in front of her. And though she hated him, because he was a raider and he'd been carting her off, she still remembered how his eyes looked when the life left them.

Another round of heaving, and soon Ife had nothing left to give. She squatted there for a few moments, panting and waiting for the nausea to dissipate, and stayed there even after it had, because unpleasant circumstances or not, it gave her a break from that terror of a man. Honestly, she couldn't believe him! Expecting her to cart around dead people! Did she look like a soldier?!

With her modest traveling dress, she thought not!

Wiping off her mouth when she'd recovered enough to stand, she took some deep breaths and headed, a little shakily, back over to her crate and leaned heavily against it. "I told you you should've kept one of the men instead," she muttered.

Ashra puffed out a long, exasperated exhale as Ife sprinted to the other side of the cart. He supposed, he thought as he listened to the sound of her heaving, that he ought to ease up on her a bit. As curmudgeonly as he was, the dragon rider wasn't made entirely of stone. The woman had had a scare; a big one. He couldn't really fault her for not having any experience with things like this. Even if people really ought to have a better understanding of how life worked and what kept them safe and what death was. But he could basically hear Lyra's voice in his head telling him again and again about how he didn't always have to be such a grump to everyone. He grumbled under his breath about his uppity dragon as he piled the bodies together for the fire.

But it wasn't that Ashra didn't sympathize, on some level, with Ife and the rest of the people in the caravan. Ashra just didn't know how to show it. And it was so hard, when everyone was always so annoying all the time!

All the same, Ashra grudgingly resolved to be kinder to the woman. After all, she'd shown some pluck throwing that pastry - even if it was absolutely the wrong thing to do - surely that was worth something.

His resolution was tested almost immediately when Ife returned and sulked again that he should have 'brought one of the men.' His eyes flashed, but he bit back his response. He wished Greer were here to deal with her instead. His fiery little sister would lay into the Serenians backwards ideas in a much more dogged and determined way than Ashra's surliness could muster.

"Come on," he said in a tone so forced and awkward in its even marginal niceness, "you can help me collect firewood."

Ife looked up, and relief spread visibly across her face, relaxing some of the tension in her features and making her perk a bit. Oh! Fire wood! Now that was something she could do, collecting sticks and things and not handling bodies.

"Yes! Of course! I can do that!" she said, latching onto any excuse to get away from the carnage--and to escape the man's disapproval. She didn't like how stupid and useless he made her feel, and though she would rather be back with the rest of the caravan and away from him, maybe she could win a little...respect or something, at least? He had saved all their lives, and for that she was eternally grateful! All the same, she couldn't believe she'd practically swooned over him earlier.

But she also didn't want to be on bad terms with him, especially if he was going to be traveling with them for a while.

Pushing off from the crate, she hurried over to Ashra, straightening her skirts out as she went. "I suppose we'll need, er, a lot...?" She grimaced, not wanting to think of what the tinder was for.

"Yes," was all the answer Ife got to her question.

Ashra led Ife off the path and into the forest in silence. He knew, as they collected firewood, that he should keep his mouth shut. Clearly interacting with this woman would be easier if neither of them said anything! Though, truth be told, that was usually how Ashra liked his interactions with other people. Almost no one ever seemed to have anything worthwhile to say anyway.

But Ife's words and attitude continued to grate on him as they tread through the forest gathering wood. 'You should have brought a man.' 'I'm not "suited" for that kind of work.' All her, in Ashra's mind, backwards and sexist comments kept playing back in his mind and from time to time he threw her, seemingly unprompted, a surly glare.

Finally, Ashra couldn't keep it in anymore.

"You know, you're only doing yourself a disservice with that attitude of yours," he told her, trying and mostly failing to keep the acid judgement from his tone. "It's just lazy to limit what you can do - or what you think you can do - because you're a woman. You limit yourself, plus all the people dumb and prejudiced enough to believe you. What about that girl back there? You want her to think she needs a man to do things for her?"

If Ashra questioned whether or not it was his place to tell this strange woman who to best serve her gender, he didn't show it!

Ife had collected a good armful of dry tinder, and had just finished stacking it in a pile near the corpses, ready to head out to scavenge for more, when Ashra spoke up.

Gods. And she'd been quite enjoying the silence, and instantly missed it. The man was just so damned negative! Was he trying to upset her? And after experiencing such a frightening trauma? Normally, she didn't think of herself as having a temper, but her nerves were frayed and he was just...he hadn't stopped picking at her since the first words he'd said to her!

With a frustrated huff, Ife tossed her last stick down onto the pile with more force than necessary, causing a domino effect that made the entire pile tumble over. Whirling on Ashra, skirts flaring, she glowered at him.

"What attitude?" she snapped, and instantly regretted it. Just because he was being nasty didn't mean she had to be! That was just rude--especially when she was trying to prove she didn't have an attitude. She took a deep breath.

"I don't have an attitude about anything. And I'm not lazy. I work hard. I just know the men here are stronger than me, because they're guardsmen! They're used to dealing with fighting and things, and I'm not! But no, instead of asking them for help, you keep the baker back and then get all surly and mean and nasty when she can't do all the things a guardsman can because she's never even seen fighting before! It's almost like you did it just so you could yell at me and make me feel stupid!"

"I didn't say you were lazy. And I certainly never asked you to fight! You did that all on your own." Ashra snapped back. While Ife may or may not have a temper, the same could not be said for the dragonrider. And when the stacked wood so far collapsed in a domino effect, he just dropped his armload of firewood on the fallen pyre then turned on Ife.

"I'm sure you're a very good baker and that's fine. I wouldn't ask a baker - any baker - fight unless it was absolutely necessary. What I asked you to do was unarm dead bodies. Dead. You don't have to fight the dead. But you said you couldn't do it because you were a woman. I fail to see how that has anything to do with your ability to gather the supplies that your caravan needs. And saying that you can't do something because you aren't a man, that is lazy. Is that the message you want to send to that little girl back there?' He gestured in the general direction the caravan had gone. Ashra knew that he should just shut up, but this woman was just so annoying. "I kept back 'the baker' because she was the one who endangered that child, something I certainly didn't ask her to do! And did it occur to you that maybe I didn't keep any of the guards because the rest of your caravan needs those guards? Should everyone else go on with less protection and risk reprisal from the bandits just because the 'baker' doesn't want to touch a dead body?"

Ashra turned back to the pyre, turning his back to Ife, and began rebuilding the firewood around the heap of dead bodies. He was going to have words with Lyra about this volunteer work. Stupid, backward-thinking Serenians!

"Of course I don't want to touch dead bodies! I've never even seen a dead person! It's...it's gruesome!" Ife said, throwing up her hands. "Maybe it's not a big deal to you, seeing as how you killed them all without batting an eye, but it is to me! I'm not a soldier! A bunch of people just tried to kill us and then I saw them die and--and one of them died on top of me! I was looking into his eyes when he..."

She covered her mouth with her hand, feeling queasy again as the memory flooded back to her. She had to pause and take a few deep breaths before she could open her mouth without feeling something other than words would spill out.

"I'm just saying perhaps men are more used to this sort of thing," she said with a huff.

"You're unbelievable," Ashra declared as he finished arranging the wood for the pyre and finally lit the mound. The flames slowly licked up the side of the small twigs on their way to the larger branches. In other circumstances, Ashra might actually admire Ife's stubbornness and tenacity. But right now he was too busy thinking that she was stupid, and that he was right. And wishing that he had held somebody else back! Was she going to be like this the entire time? Why couldn't she just say, 'Oh, you're right, I hadn't thought of it like that! Next time I'll think twice about what I can or can't do and maybe challenge myself more!' It was so easy! She'd grow as a person. Be more self-reliant, stronger, more independent.

If only she'd just listen to him!

"And if you think those men were going to kill you, you would have been in for an unpleasant surprise," he snorted, turning and began collecting the valuables they'd taken from the raiders as the fire started to take. "But next time, I'll be sure to ask after everyone's constitution before intervening. 'Sorry, excuse me, you all seem like you're in a bit of a jam,'" he said in an overdone polite tone, dripping with sarcasm, "'but I don't want to make anyone feel queasy or uncomfortable. Is it okay if I help you out here? I'd hate to upset any delicate young ladies.' Shall I start that way next time?"

He didn't wait for her answer before throwing the collected goods into Ife's cart. "Come on, if you didn't like it up to now, you're really not going to like the smell if we stick around here."

Then Ashra hefted the weapons they'd taken from the raiders in his own arms and added them to the cart, with her pastries and pies. He didn't seem too concerned about how the bloody and soiled weapons would mix with her wares. Maybe he didn't think about it. Or maybe he had thought about it, and did it just to spite her. He'd never say.

Ife stared at Ashra as he mocked her, and then spun away from him, tugging at her hair in frustration.

"Oh! You are SO RUDE!" she shouted, surprising even herself. She had always thought of herself as patient and mild-mannered, but in record time, this man had pushed her to the edge of her patience and beyond! Maybe if she hadn't just a horribly traumatizing experience, she would have been able to tolerate him better without succumbing to his taunts, but her nerves were frayed, and his insults just poked and prodded those exposed nerves in a way she couldn't ignore.

"You're absolutely insufferable! And mean! And you keep twisting every little thing I say! It's like you just want to be mean to someone and--"

That was when her eyes fell on the cart, and she noticed exactly where he'd tossed those bloodied weapons.

Whatever pastries hadn't been wrecked in the raid were now officially destroyed.

Ife's mouth dropped open in horror, and she turned on Ashra and pointed at the cart, his warning about the growing fire forgotten.

She didn't even have the words to say what was wrong with this picture. She just.

She couldn't believe this.

Ashra actually laughed at Ife's outburst as he walked around to the front of the cart and gave the ox a swift smack on its rump. The beast made a groaning noise at being woken from its respite, then slowly began to trundle down the dusty caravan road.

"Oh yeah, I'm awful," he agreed. "And you're such a sweet little peach of a thing. I really admire how you rise to every challenge that comes your way. It's inspiring."

He said all of this while walking the oxen down the street. He never actually turned around to see the gawking Ife staring in horror at her cart.

"Come on, then," he called back, his voice no longer taunting, but not exactly 'nice,' either. "We'll get you back to the rest of your group and you can spend the rest of the days until we get to Ravensway avoiding me." However the last bit came out, he meant it in some form of genuine... kindness, maybe. In truth, Ashra sympathized with the shock Ife had. And he didn't actually want everyone to be 'used to' dealing with death and violence. He didn't really like it himself. But the whole point of being a dragon rider was so others wouldn't have to deal with it. But the woman just made it so hard to actually be sympathetic to her! At this point, Ashra wasn't sure he knew how to make anything come out kindly instead of gratingly.

Stupid dragon. This was all her fault. 'We'll escort you all the way to Ravensway,' he parroted his dragon's voice in his head, scowling to himself. He was going to have a word or two for Lyra once they got back with the others.

And now he was leaving without her.

Just taking the cart and leading it along, without even waiting to see that she was coming.

Without even looking at her.

Without even noticing what he had done.

With another frustrated tug at her hair, Ife took off after him. "I look forward to that," she said between breaths, because she wasn't used to running, and she had to run to catch up. She fell into stride near him, but kept just a little behind him. Not out of some sort of respect for men or whatever nonsense he might believe, but because she just didn't want to walk beside the rude brute.

"Because yes. You are behaving in a most awful manner. Did you even see what you did? You just destroyed my goods! Whatever the raiders didn't ruin, you just did! I really appreciate it, that was very kind and thoughtful of you." And despite it, she couldn't even muster up the energy to be as angry about that as she felt she should be, because this entire situation was so exasperating, it didn't even surprise her that it had happened!

Her goods? Ashra hadn't really thought about what was in the cart when he hauled the loot from the raiders in there. But whose fault was that? If she'd just been cooperative and less... less... childish!, Ashra would have been able to put everything away with a clear head! Plus if she didn't want her goods ruined, she could have put the loot in the cart herself! Like he asked her to in the first place!

Ashra gave a frustrated exhale through his nose. He was just here trying to help!

The dragon rider glanced back at Ife. She was exhausting! Letting out a long sigh of exasperation, or maybe a groan, he turned to look back at her.

"I'm sorry about your goods," he told her, sounding more worn down than apologetic. But it was clearly something of a white flag. He was sorry that her goods were ruined, that was true. But Ashra wasn't entirely convinced it was really his fault! "You're right, I wasn't thinking. You can keep some of the gold from the raiders as compensation. Fair?"

Maybe, Ashra thought, giving in was the easiest way to get this woman to shut up! The sooner they were back with the others the better!

"It's not fair, but it'll have to do," Ife said with a frown. "I don't really have much of a choice, and this will really put a dent in my--wait. Gold? Did you say gold?"

Now she picked up her pace to catch up with Ashra so she could walk beside him. "I mean. That is to say. I suppose it'll have to do. It's not like I have much of a choice, since you did ruin my goods, and...how much gold are we talking about, anyway?"

Ashra gave a derisive snort of laughter at how quickly Ife's tune changed. 'Gold? Did you say gold?' Well, everyone was the same in the end, weren't they. When it came down to brass tacks. Or in this case gold coins.

He choked back any barbed comments to that extent, and turned to look at her. "How much were your goods worth?" he asked. "Remembering, of course, that many goods were ruined and whatever you keep will come out of the communal pot, as it were. But I don't think we should downplay the importance of pies, so! You tell me."

Well, he mostly kept out his barbed comments.

Oooh, now he'd gone and done it.

Ife shot Ashra a dark look. "Do you eat bread, Ashra?"

"Oh, can't be picky in this lifestyle," he answered airily, clearly trying to avoid the point she was clearly driving at. "I eat pretty much anything."

But he glanced over to see her dark look, not that he really needed to see it to know it was there. "Alright," he asked her, "how much gold do you need to get a few sacks of flour and yeast, so you can go about the selfless act of feeding the world with your bread and pies?"

Wait, hadn't Ashra decided to stop fighting with her? He was pretty sure that only a minute ago he'd offered to compensate her for her wares as an actual act of goodwill. He actually... well, he had actually... felt badly for her, hadn't he? Why did all of that go out the window the moment she opened her mouth!

Ife stared at Ashra and lifted both hands, fingers clenching in a throttling motion, before she let out a loud, exasperated huff of I just can't EVEN with you! Her frustration was becoming a transcendental thing! Words, at this point, were just too limiting an expression!

"You...you...!" She let her arms drop with a frustrated sound, then pointed at him. "You know what?! Forget it! I don't need your gold! It's all...it's all covered in blood and death anyway! So keep it. I can make do without you and your attitude. And I will!"

Ashra made a scoffing noise.

"Don't be stupid. It's not my gold. I won't keep any of it, if that's what you're thinking. Everyone else will take what they need, and you should, too."

For a moment he was able to leave it at that, but before he could help it, he was also saying, "Plus, I'm sure some pies would really lift everybody's spirits."

Why did he have to do the thing where he almost seemed like he could be halfway decent, but then in the next breath was awful?! Ife threw her hands up in aggravation.

"You know what? They might! They might have lifted some spirits if someone hadn't come along and ruined what wasn't already ruined by being an inconsiderate oaf! You know they're more than just pies, right? They're magic! Some of those would have lifted someone's spirits, literally! Likely someone who really needed it! That could have really helped tonight after the horrors everyone saw, but what would I know about anything!"

Ife picked up her pace, trying to get ahead of him now.

Well, of course he didn't know they were magic pies! How would he ever have guessed that they were anything other than what they looked like? Ashra thought it was a pretty unfair thing to be upset about. She never said they were magic, did she? She couldn't really expect anyone to guess that!

Ashra huffed, and let her walk on ahead of him for the rest of the trip back to the others. He stayed behind with the oxen, keeping the beast moving. By the time they'd caught up with the rest of the caravan, they were setting up camp for the night. With the dragon Lyra amongst them, there was little fear of the raiders returning now.

Lyra was talking amicably with one of the elders in the caravan and looked up to see a very huffy Ife storm in followed by a rather grumpy looking Ashra. "I see you thoroughly charmed the lady," she quipped at her rider when Ashra came up to her.

The dragon rider was about to make a choice response when the little girl who'd been caught up in the confrontation saw Ashra and ran headlong to him. He put aside his grumpiness, sweeping up the girl as she ran at him and holding her high up in his arms.

"Oh ho, there! It's the little warrior miss!" he laughed as he swept her up. "Didn't have any more problems with raiders while I was gone, I trust? Not with a brave thing like you around to chase them off?" The girl blushed, looking down and shaking her head fervently no. Suddenly possessed by a thought, he asked, "If I give you something, you promise to take care of it and learn to use it?" he asked her. The girl's eyes widened in excitement and she nodded her head even more fervently than she'd shaken it before.

Ashra gave some directions about the plundered weapons to the guards then walked the girl over to Lyra's saddle bags (though she hated them called that!).  Setting her down and found a short wooden sword he'd been making for his nephew. But he'd have time to make Merrin another one. He handed over the sword to the girl with a serious look, her eyes even wider now, "This isn't a toy, do you understand?" She nodded and took the wooden sword with a look of awe. "You learn to use that, and you won't have to wory about raiders."

While Ashra putzed about with the little girl, Lyra moved over to Ife, whose cart was having pastry-smeared weapons loaded out by the two old guards. "I hope," she started cautiously, "that Ashra wasn't too much of a grump with you?"

At least he wasn't a total grouch to the little girl.

Ife watched from where she was helping set up the fire and cooking for the night, frowning. He was such a different person, now! And while she happy he was capable of some kindness, and that that little girl loved him (she had to admit it was kind of adorable--something about seeing rough, rugged warriors turn into puppies around children), it was also so frustrating. Because she knew--she just knew!--no one else in her camp had seen the side of him that she had.

They'd just seen the hero. The hero that's good with children.

Little did they know he was terrible around adults.'

She got the fire started, and then rose to her feet to check on her cart. May as well check up on the damage, since it looked like they were almost done unloading the weapons. Arms folded, she watched, grimacing at the sight of those tools of death smeared with her loving creations. What a juxtaposition...

Lyra's voice surprised her, and when she turned, she was surprised yet again at the sight of the dragon. This was very new to her! She'd never actually interacted with one before, and for a moment she was struck with sheer awe and unable to speak, only able to stare.

At least, until she realized what Lyra had said.

So he wasn't just a grump at her, was that it?

"Oh, don't get me started," Ife said with a dramatic sigh, latching onto the chance to tell someone--even a dragon!--just how awful the last hour or so had been and how unfair everything was. Because she actually did want to get started! "He was terrible. He was rude and mean and insulting at every turn. I know I made a mistake! He took every opportunity to point that out. But he just--"

She took a deep breath. "Is he always like that?"

Lyra couldn't help but chuckling at Ife's description of the events. It was a good-natured sound, though, not so different to the ringing of a deep, bass bell. The dragon glanced back at her rider, who was thankfully still busy with the little girl, showing her how to use the wooden sword. Lyra was sure she'd hear all about the encounter again from him later on.

"'Is he always like that?'" Lyra responded, her voice clearly amused even if her reptilian features were harder to read. "Well, no, not always. But often enough that I'm not surprised by your story. He likes kids," she nodded towards the pair now training outright with wooden swords, "but most of the time he doesn't, ah, play well with others. That's why we're always out ranging instead of back at the Keep with the other dragon riders. Though I think it suits us both."

Lyra twisted her long neck to look into the back of the cart at the smooshed remains of jam and pastry and cream and puff. "I suppose he did this, too?"

Ife followed the dragon's gaze, and gave a soft "hmph!" in response.

"Who else?" she said, trying not to grimace at the sight of all those smooshed goods. So many hours of labor, all gone in moments! "He seemed almost apologetic--at first. Then the sarcasm and insults started slipping back in among the almost-sorries."

She cast a quick look Ashra's way, watching how he trained with the little girl, and then looked back to the dragon. She let out a small sigh. "He had a point, though, buried under all the nastiness. I did make a mistake, and I didn't realize how badly it could have gone. I wasn't thinking! I just saw the child in danger, and him at a standstill, and all I could think was what if the man got tired of waiting and just offed the girl? I panicked! I know I did wrong now and I admitted it, but he seems intent on having me pay for my mistake forever. And worse, I really wanted to like him! He's a hero! He saved my life! I really do owe him that, even though he's been awful, and--am I being unreasonable?"

Not that Lyra had any idea about the details of their arguments!

The dragon listened to Ife's worries with calm, patient amber eyes. She blew a puff of steam out of her nostrils in a gesture that might have been like a snort.

"No, you're not being unreasonable. Ashra can certainly make such things... difficult. I wouldn't take it personally."

She tilted her head then to look directly at Ife, and something fierce joined the calm, warmth of her mannerisms. Not quite a threatening fierceness,. "Don't give yourself a hard time about the girl," she told her firmly. "You acted the best you knew how. And you didn't just watch on helplessly as the child was threatened. We never know how things might go. You should be proud of yourself for acting."

Ife cracked a smile at that, feeling a little better. Weren't dragons supposed to be super wise? Even smarter than humans? Besides, they were also just amazing and so she supposed the opinion of a dragon trumped the opinion of a grouchy, rude man.

"I like you," she said at last, "and not just because you told me what I needed to hear. Though I really do appreciate the second opinion! Do you like sweets, by any chance? Er, can dragons have sweets? I know dogs can't have chocolate or almonds or anything like that, but I'm afraid I know very little about what you can and can't eat!"

"Oh, thank you very much, but I can't say that I'm partial to them," Lyra answered, chuckling at being compared to a dog in this particular context. "But maybe if you have something unspoilt, they would do more good for the children than for a dragon. It was a grim day, but Ashra and I are accustomed to it; something sweet might go a lot further for all the poor people here who aren't."

Lyra's amber eyes blinked, peering into the wreckage of the cart.

"Well, if there's anything left. But if you want to make something new," was she smirking there? it was hard to read expressions on the dragon's face, "I can at least make a cooking fire for you. But you might have to adjust the time for dragon fire."

"That's what I told Ashra!" Ife said, once again feeling quite validated! "I told him sweets weren't unimportant, and that they could cheer people up, and he mocked me! Multiple times. Ah, but I've probably complained enough!"

Turning to the wagon, she raised onto her toes and peered inside. "Everything's definitely ruined, but I did bring some supplies with me to make more. I definitely don't have all the ingredients for everything--I'll have to stop in town to get those--but I can at least make some honey cakes. If you could make a fire, I'd really appreciate that!"

Because so help her, she was going to prove that she and her pastries had value here!

"Making fire is my specialty!" Lyra answered happily. Without notice, she lumbered away to collect some firewood for Ife's cooking fire and returned a few minutes later with her jaws full of scrap wood and logs. She set the wood down a reasonable distance from the cart.

"Hope this will do!" she said brightly. "We'll turn this into a nice, hot cooking fire in no time."

And with that, Lyra took in a long breath and let it out slowly. But when she exhaled, her breath was alight with fire. The wood caught instantaneously, but instead of burning green and new, the wood turned to brightly glowing coal and crackling flame by the time the dragon had finished her breath. The perfect cooking fire.

That trick, of course, caught the rider's attention. Ashra glanced darkly over. Oh, he did not like this at all. He gave the girl a pat on the head and told her they'd resume training tomorrow and paced over to the dragon and the baker. He didn't say anything, just leaned against the cart, arms crossed, and watching.

While the dragon went to collect the wood, Ife went to work collecting what she'd need to make those cakes. They would be rudimentary, and definitely not her best work, given what she had to work with, but they'd still be good--and she could still imbue them with some magic that would make them that much better!

Of course, that involved climbing up into that messy cart to get everything!

By the time Lyra returned, Ife had collected what she needed. She'd brought down her bags of sugar, salt, and flour, and her jar of honey, and had borrowed eggs and milk from some of the other travelers. Worked well for her purposes that one of the groups had a cow and chickens with them!

She was getting everything set up when Lyra returned, and she smiled at her when she saw all the wood she'd brought. "Oh, that's perfect!" she said.

And it was even more perfect when she got it burning, and the fire came roaring to life. It was far better than her own meager efforts would have been!

Already feeling far more cheerful now, Ife opened her mouth to thank the dragon and get to work--

But movement just in her peripheral caught her attention, and she turned--to see Ashra there.

Leaning against the cart and looking like a dark cloud come to rain on her good time.

But right then, Ife was feeling emboldened because she had the backing of a dragon. Ashra's very own dragon, at that! She stared him down for a moment, expression stern, and then abruptly stuck her tongue out at him and flashed a cheeky smile before she turned back to the fire.

Childish, yes, but it felt rather good!

"Thank you, Lyra!" she said, loud enough that her voice would carry to him. "You've been such a wonderful help. Now, it's on me not to let your efforts go to waste! Here goes!"

She summoned her magic then and went to work, and if anyone had looked, they would have noticed she had no bowls or utensils--because she didn't need them! With a flick of her hands, magic drew the ingredients into the air, siphoning out the correct portions while she directed the process like a conductor, setting them to mixing. Eggs cracked, the shells cast aside, and went to join the growing ball of sugary dough floating in the air.

And when all that was done, she made little slicing motions with her hand, and the dough was chopped into smaller and smaller pieces, before she sent them floating over the fire, slowly rotating.

Ashra said nothing, just watched Ife work, arms crossed and leaning against the cart. Though of course he had to roll his eyes when she stuck her tongue out at him. What a baby! As she set to work, though, Ashra’s interest was piqued. Though he would never admit it! He watched the flour and eggs and sugar hover in the air and join together as if by magic. Well, not as if by magic, but  by magic indeed. The dragonrider hadn’t had many interactions with mages, but when he had they had been one of two sorts: grand and pompous and full of prideful notions of their own importance; or simple and woodwise, hermits living in the forest and using the herbs and plants they found their to weave their spells. Ashra was a little dubious of both types, but neither were like what Ife was doing now. But he kept his interest carefully on the inside. Outwardly, Ashra looked somewhere between surly and unimpressed and bored.

“You know they're more than just pies, right? They're magic!” He repeated the Ife’s words from earlier in his head. Well, how should he have known. He hadn’t seen the witch working her pastry arts then, had he?

Despite his jabbing thoughts, the dragonrider said none of them aloud. It was possible - indeed it seemed probable, considering Lyra’s occasional warning looks to him - that he was simply better behaved under the watchful eye of the dragon. Or perhaps he was simply better behaved when there were so many more eyes on him in general. After all, a 'hero' has to set a good example. Who could say?

But finally he opened his mouth to say, “That’s a nice trick,” in just an ambiguous enough way that it wasn’t entirely clear if it was a jibe or a grudging compliment.

"It's not a trick," Ife said as she watched the bread bake, mindful of Lyra's warning that dragonfire burned hotter. "It's an art, and it's work. But it's not a trick, as it's something I am legitimately doing on my own."

Ooh! She hadn't meant to get so defensive, but gods almighty! Why did every word that came from his mouth aggravate her so? Probably because he was just aggravating. Did he realize that about himself? No matter! She quickly tempered her mood before it could bleed into the magic and ruin the batch, but she really hoped he could just keep his mouth shut!

Ashra held up his palms to Ife, but didn't move from his place and his countenance did not change considerably.

"Okay, okay," he said in a way that made it clear Ashra thought she was overreacting. "Just a turn of phrase." Then, ignoring a warning look from Lyra, he crossed his arms again and added, tongue-in-cheek, "That's a nice 'art-and-work-you-are-legitimately-doing-on-your-own.'"

Ife grit her teeth. This took concentration and effort, and he was making it an effort yell at him!

"Can't you just say anything nice for once? Ever?"

"What?" Ashra responded, eyes widening in innocence. "That was nice. I said, 'Nice work.' That's nice."

If Ashra was going to say anything more, he was silenced by a piercing look from the until-then-silent Lyra.

"It really is impressive," the dragon finally chimed in. But when she said it, there was no doubt it was genuine. "Maybe my grumpy rider here should test it. See if it lightens his mood."

Ashra opened his mouth to protest, but a look at the dragon left him scowling, but silent.

...Maybe he should test it.

Ife gave Ashra a sidelong look, eyelids slightly lowered and sly. She had been ready to outright deny him any of her pastries at all, since he was being so mean about everything, but maybe she could teach him to respect her art in yet another way! Since he was sooo keen on making fun of it and calling it useless.

Let's see how useless he thinks it is when he gets some terrible itches he can't scratch in public!

Ife smiled after a moment, and nodded. "That's a great idea!" she said, and with a flick of her fingers, she set one of the pastries apart from the others. While the bulk of the pastries were imbued with calming, soothing effects that would lift the spirits, in Ashra's special pastry, she thought about itches, and how she would love to see how such an attractive, put together, grumpy butt handled that!

The pastries were done just a moment later, and Ife floated Ashra's fresh-from-the-fire sweet over to him. "Cheer up," she said with a sweet smile.

Ashra did not particularly appreciate being spoken about in the third person when he was standing right there. And he especially did not like the budding friendship between his dragon and this insufferable woman. That was the last thing he needed. It was bad enough that they were stuck with this caravan for the next handful of days. Nothing good, he would swear by it, would come from an alliance between Lyra and Ife.

Of course, he couldn't say any of this. Because it would be admitting already that the girl got under his skin! And that Lyra could get his goat! No no, Ashra Blackspire would play it cool. Ife's antics were far beneath his concern. He had to oversee the safety of all the people here, afterall. Much more important.

If only that smug smile of hers didn't grate on him so much!

To give neither of them the satisfaction of getting the better of him, though, Ashra took the cake from Ife. He would never admit it aloud, but it did smell good. And magic or not, he wasn't unhappy to have a warm, fresh cake to eat. He couldn't let Ife know that, though!

Ashra bit nonchalantly into the cake. It tasted wonderful; light and sweet and flavored with honey. But he kept his expression neutral. He chewed, took another bite, but nothing happened. Ashra eyed Ife, feeling rather smug that he would be able to tell her that the cake hadn't worked. So much for her 'sugar magic.'

As he looked at her, though, he slowly felt something change. Suddenly he was distracted by the curve of her neck. How smooth her skin was. The way her hair fell in wild, tight curls. Before he knew it, he was imagining knotting his fingers into that hair and...

Ashra shook himself out of it, looking alarmed. And concerned.

Suddenly, he felt very uncomfortable. But he wasn't itchy at all.

"It's... it's very good," he fumbled awkwardly, trying and failing to recompose his expression to a disinterested neutral. "You're right. I feel more... uh... cheerful already."

It was an effort not to watch Ashra too intensely, and without a doubt Ife failed it. She stared at Ashra expectantly, a wide grin on her face, and it took every inch of willpower not to bounce in place because he so had this coming! His (mild!) suffering would be sweet, indeed!

And oh, look at him, being so smug and nonchalant! Come on, Ashra, take another bite...sometimes it took a few bites to kick in...

And then, there it was.

Ife could see the very moment when it hit! She saw the way his expression changed, from smug to distracted to concerned, and she had to bite her lip to hold in her triumphant giggle.

What's itching, Ashra?! she thought in delight, and if he hadn't been such an ass to her earlier, she might have felt horrified at her own sadism! You want to scratch it, don't you, BUT YOU CAN'T. Not in publiiic! That'd really ruin your surly image!

Twirling a kinky strand of her hair innocently as he got out those stuttering words, Ife beamed at him. "Are you? Oh, that's wonderful to hear! You look strange, though. Is cheer a foreign feeling to you, or...?"

"Um, yes, I guess must be," Ashra muttered in answer to Ife's toying question. But his eyes strayed, following her fingers as they twirled one of the tight curls of her hair. He was silent for a moment, watching her and looking distinctly uncomfortable. Then without realizing it, he suddenly found himself looking at her lips.

Oh gods, what had happened to him!?

Ashra tried to recall the grumpy, annoyed, frustrated way she'd made him feel earlier. But it kept slipping through his fingers. She hadn't really been that bad, really. He'd been too mean to her. Sure, it had been foolish throwing that pastry, but she'd been so brave doing it. And her defiance to all of his suggestions - and really, hadn't he been awfully pushy? and rude! - well, he liked a woman who stood up for herself. He liked...

Suddenly Ashra's expression changed and he shifted nervously. "Well, very good. I think it will do everyone good, a bit of sweets. I, er," Ashra tried to make his voice all business, tried to make it surly, but didn't really succeed. "I should go talk with the guards about the night's defenses. Nice trick," he concluded, trying to salvage himself a little, with a wave to the fire and the cooking cakes.

Then Ashra hurried away. But he didn't run off to find a private place to scratch. He went directly to the old guards to sort out the defenses that suddenly seemed Very Important!

Lyra, who knew the rider nearly as well as she knew herself, watched curiously as he fumbled around before quickly taking off. Very peculiar. She turned her head to look suspiciously at Ife.

"What did you do to him?" she sounded, for the moment at least, more curious than angry. Though she might have been a tiny bit sterner than before.

Ife couldn't help it. The moment Ashra was out of earshot, she dissolved into giggles. She clapped one hand over her mouth to muffle the noise and hugged her belly with the other as she doubled over, laughing so hard tears sprang to her eyes. Gods, it was so mean, and she felt a little guilty for it, but it wasn't like it'd last long! Just a little something to nip some humility into him!

It was Lyra's voice that brought her back. Trying hard to stifle her laughter, she looked up at the dragon and flashed her an impish smile.

"Oh, don't worry! It's nothing serious! I just may have given him a bad cases of The Itchies," she said, biting back a snicker. "I don't think my happy magic would work on him, he's so set on being a skeptic! So...just a little something to make a believer of him."

Straightening up, she smoothed out her dress and added, in case Lyra was concerned, "It won't last long! Maybe just a couple of hours."

Of course, that was true...for a spell that worked correctly.

And she cast a look in the direction Ashra had gone--and then blinked, because there he was, talking to the guards as he said he would, and...not scratching. Not even squirming.

That was odd.

If it was possible for a dragon to properly frown, Lyra would have been frowning at Ife. Despite her earlier sympathy with the woman, the dragon did not seem amused by what Ife had to say.

"I thought you were trying to convince him that your magic was a gift to be used to uplift people," Lyra reminded her sternly. "That seems like a strange way to do it."

Lyra's long neck turned to watch Ashra talking with the guards, then she looked back to Ife, perhaps a little closer to her now than she was before.

"I know my rider isn't always the most friendly of people, but he did save your lives today."

Perhaps Lyra was being too stern, but something about the way Ashra was acting... She didn't think that it was 'the Itchies.'

Ife's mirth quickly faded under Lyra's chastisement, the truth of her words hitting her--and making her feel guilty.

He did save their lives, at risk of his own. And he didn't have to. And despite how cold and mean he was, that...that did show he wasn't without compassion.

And this...did definitely stray from what she wanted to use her magic for...

Fighting meanness with meanness...

Gods, she'd lost sight of that, hadn't she? Stooped to his level, given into his taunts.

Her shoulders slumped, and she glanced down at her feet. She had definitely not thought this through at all, getting swept up in the cycle of petty anger and bickering.

"No...you're right..." she said quietly, deflated. "You're absolutely right. I...I was angry, and..." And she had no excuse for what she'd done.

"We all get angry. We all make mistakes." Lyra's tone was more gentle now, seeing Ife's change in demeanor. Humans. Always so temperamental and fickle in their emotions and moods. Well, at least these two were!

"It's no reason to ruin the rest of the sweets. You still can help out making everyone else cheerful," the dragon added warmly, nodding to the cakes still hovering near the dragonfire. "It'll be good to make everyone feel warm and happy before they settle in for the night."

Lyra had to resist telling Ife that she could always go apologize to the rider. She had a habit that Ashra frequently complained about of talking to humans like they were children. From Lyra's perspective, she thought they ought not act like children if they didn't want to be spoken to as such! But she decided to play it safe for now.

"This is true," Ife said, as with a flick of her hand, she drew the other pastries from the fire and let them hover in the air as she looked for a clean place to set them. "Maybe I could even offer Ashra another. A...good one. It probably won't cancel out the itchiness, but at least he'll be happy about it."

And then she winced, realizing how terrible that sounded. "Actually, cancel that. That just sounds way worse than what's already going on with him."

Ashra couldn’t help it. He was listening to the guards concerns, or trying to listen, but he just couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering back to Ife. Ife working over her fire. Ife talking with his dragon. The way she moved. The way her face lit up when she spoke. The smell of the honey cakes wafted through the air of the camp. It was a comforting, warm smell on its own - even without the magic - and Ashra felt increasingly drawn to it.

Drawn to her.

“But what about the night watch?”

Ashra heard the question from a million miles away, his hazel eyes following every move of the sugar witch. When it finally occurred to him that the question was directed at him, he looked back at the two aging guards with a start, finding both of them watching him expectantly.

“Er…”

“Well, will it still be enough, havin’ just one of us keep the watch?” one of the guards asked in a tone that made Ashra suspect he was repeating the question. “We’re just two an’ we can’t both stay up all night. Should we recruit some of the men, then?”

“Oh, yes,” Ashra answered, trying to shake his mind back into the right mode. “Yes, that’s an excellent idea. Can’t have anyone falling asleep on the job. Lyra and I will take the first watch. But you’re right, we should recruit some of the men. Best to have three or four on the rest of the watches, until we can be sure those raiders won’t return.”

The two old men might have been replying, but Ashra’s gaze and attention were already sliding back to Ife. What was wrong with him? He felt… good, and uncomfortable. It made him uneasy, uncomfortable like an itchy sweater that just doesn’t fit quite right. And yet…

Suddenly Ashra realized the guards were looking at him again.

“Right, well, you two find some volunteers,” he said, trying hard to sound authoritative and put-together, “you know the party better than I do, so…”

The men exchanged glances. They could see easily enough where the dragon rider’s attention was. They’d been young men once. They shuffled off to find recruits, but the older of the guards paused as he went. “Still unmarried, that one. Best of luck, lad.” He clapped Ashra heartily on the shoulder, then trundled off.

Ashra stared open-mouthed at the man's back as he walked away. What did he mean?!

While Ashra dealt with his own problems, Ife put the final touches on her good pastries and went about distributing them. She had made sure to create at least one pastry per person, with a few left over, and most in her company accepted them. A few declined, because they were more into savory than sweet, but she hoped they would help those that did accept them. It wouldn't erase the trauma of the day, but it would at least make it easier to cope with! A little positivity to light up the darkness!

She was coming to the end of her rounds as she approached two older guardsmen and offered them their sweets--and there was something different in the way they looked at her, and at each other. They grinned, exchanged conspiratorial glances and approving nods, and it all left Ife feeling strangely confused.

"...What? Is there something on my face?" she asked, those looks making her abruptly self conscious, and she wiped at her nose and the corners of her mouth just in case. But one of the guards laughed and clapped her shoulder.

"No, lass, don't worry about it. We were just admiring you. It was a brave thing you did today, you know. Anyway, you can give my pastry to the dragon rider," he said, patting his belly. "I don't need anymore, but I'm sure the lad would appreciate it!"

Again with the sidelong glances! Ife's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "If you're sure...?"

"I'm positive. Go on. Gods know the boy could use a little more meat on his bones!"

Sigh. That was exactly what she didn't want to do. She didn't want to deal with the prickly brat. But, she supposed she'd eventually have to. She could just avoid him the entire trip, but that sounded immature, and someone had to be the mature one here. If she avoided him while everyone else loved him, that would just make her look surly and asocial! As unfair as that was!

Bidding the pair a good evening, she turned with the rest of her sweets--packaged up in paper and bundled into a sack--and headed for Ashra, who was standing some distance away.

She took a deep breath before she approached him from behind, bracing for the awful. And then she cleared her throat loudly to get his attention, so she didn't startle him. "Ashra?"

Ashra was oblivious to the scene between Ife and the guards. He'd been determinedly looking anywhere else! since the guards made their little observation. He wasn't interested in her! She was a spoiled, whiny, girly...

The dragon rider actually jumped when Ife called his name from behind - and so close! - whirling around to face her. For a moment he just stared at her, mouth partially open. Finally he pulled himself together, sort of.

"Eh, what? I mean, do you need something?" he asked too quickly, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck. It was clear he was trying to compose himself, but also that he was utterly failing. Just to be this near to her put him in almost physical agony. What was wrong with him!? "I mean, uh, can I help you... with something?"

Ife grimaced a little, because his obvious discomfort and the rubbing of his neck confirmed that the itchy effects had still not worn off. Erk. How long would it last? It should have worn off by now!

"No," she finally said, and scuffed at the dirt with the toe of her shoe. "I..."

Sigh. Lyra was right. Just get it over with, Ife. Swallow your pride.

"I actually just came to apologize," she said, looking anywhere but at him as her face burned with shame. "See, I, uh...I was really frustrated with you, and I thought I'd get back at you by pranking you, and...er...it really should have worn off by now! The itchiness, I mean. Um. You probably hate me even more now, and I don't blame you for that! Your behavior before was unwarranted, but on this matter, I understand if you're angry!"

Wincing, fumbling over her clumsy apology, she thrust the bag of pastries at him. "These are for you. Real ones. The happy-making ones. I promise they're not laced with any other effects! Maybe the happiness will counter the itchy spell? I'm not sure, just...I'm sorry. Honestly. That was really immature and cruel of me."

"'Itching?'" Ashra repeated dumbly; his slightly wide-eyed look hadn't quite warned off yet, and he looked at Ife in confusion. What did she mean, 'itching?' But in truth he wasn't thinking too much about that. She was so close. He could reach out and touch her, and for some reason he wanted to reach out and touch her! He was especially distracted by the area where her neck curved into her collar bone. Her skin was so smooth there and he just wanted to...

What was he thinking?! Surely he didn't want to do that! Then he realized that Ife was still talking. It took him awhile to understand just what she was saying, but once he understood that she'd meant to curse him with itches or something, he quickly broke, waving his arms.

"Oh, no! I mean, you didn't. I don't... Itchiness? I guess you messed it up," he said after a bit of verbal fumbling, and even managed to smile. A charming smile? He hoped so. What? No he didn't! He tried to look serious again, crossing his arms. But he looked uneasy as Ife continued.

"No, really, Ife, I'm sorry, I should apologize. Even if what you did was dangerous, I never should have acted that way towards you. I mean, all that violence today, it's a big shock and, well, obviously I know that it's a big shock for you... when you're not used to that sort of thing... And even if we disagree on some views, well, it was stupid of me to be so sharp with you. I... I'm sorry."

And that was not something that Ashra said often. And it showed, because by the time he got that fair, he was kicking a little at the dirt and looking at his feet. He didn't even notice the other cakes, the 'good' ones, that Ife was offering him.

She messed up? So he wasn't itching at all? Ife's brows knit together in confusion as she watched him, and listened to him fumble over his words. Really? Because he certainly seemed very distracted by something, like it was difficult to hold onto his train of thought--and that wasn't the most bizarre thing about his behavior!

It was the weird staring. The charming smile? SMILE? When did he ever smile at her?! She didn't think him capable!

And then the granddaddy of them all: he apologized!

He apologized, and he wasn't even upset about the fact that SHE HAD JUST ADMITTED TO TRYING TO CURSE HIM.

Her eyes went wide as she stared at him, her mouth dropping open as he looked as his feet like a guilty child. No. No way. Really? Her head spun. He had gotten short with her for far less! Why was he taking this so well?!  Maybe he was just in a bad mood earlier? But this felt weird. Really, really weird. "I have just stumbled upon your evil doppelganger" weird.

"I...huh." Maybe he was mocking her? Or maybe Lyra had spoken to him and so he was trying to try? "I see. Ah. Well. Thank you, then. Um..." She didn't know what to say to any of that! "Very good, then! So, we're good? All that nastiness behind and all that?"

Ashra wasn't really looking at his feet. His eyes had crept up to Ife's ankles, the hem of her dress. He was having a hard time focusing on what she was saying. Somehow suddenly having her so near simultaneously put him in some sort of physical agony and yet have him a rush of excitement. Maybe there had been something in those cakes...

Gradually he realized, though, that Ife had been talking. And maybe she was waiting for a response.

"Oh, what? Yes, yes, water under the bridge. Of course. But really I can't apologize enough. I mean. It's my job. If nothing else, being so rude to you,  it was just, well, unprofessional."

Unprofessional? What was he talking about? But Ashra had some sense that when the conversation was over, Ife would leave, so...

"Lyra and I always pride ourselves on being very professional. After all, if not then what would we be? Just a madman flying around on a dragon."

Oh god. Stop talking, Ashra, stop talking. But somehow he couldn't.

"Not that we're mad. I mean, not usually anyway." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck again. "Um, did you say that you still had some of the good cakes?" he asked in a desperate attempt to stop his babbling. "I hope you saved one for yourself. You deserve to s bit of a lift, too."

...Er.

Yeah. Ife was getting the vibe, more and more, that he was taking the piss! Or something! Either way, this new Ashra was...kind of creepy! He was waaay too nice and weirdly awkward after being such a horror! A confident horror. What was with these over the top apologies and rambling about things that made absolutely no sense?

Crossing her arms over her chest, Ife scowled at him. Might as well cut straight through the bullshit to the heart! "Are you making fun of me?"

Who knows how long Ashra might have gone on if Ife hadn't stopped him. For that, probably, he should have been grateful. What was he doing? He was acting like a madman and he knew it, but when Ife asked that question, he looked up at her in a sudden, open-mouthed look of surprise and, was it?, hurt.

"What? I'm not, just because -"

He faltered, suddenly he felt very vulnerable. Here he was, trying to be nice to her, here he was, having all these feelings, but just trying to be nice and - Oh, did she know? Could she tell? Questions like 'know what' and 'tell what' remained unanswered at the back of his mind. Ashra didn't dare answer them.

So after half a moment, his surprised look turned into a more familiar scowl. "Look, I was just trying to be friendly," he finally answered. His tone, he could hear, sounded something like a little boy who'd been accused of being too sweet and wanted to show how tough he was, but he pushed that out of his mind. "If you're determined to always make me out to be the bad guy, though, well..."

But Ashra couldn't think of a clever way to finish that, so he just scowled again. "I have to go set up the watch," he said finally, turning on his heel and stomping away from her. The bag of cakes left abandoned on the ground.

Once he was turned away and walking away from her, Ashra felt a like he could breath again. But he also felt like he was going to throw up. And his heart was pounding so loud in his ears it may as well have been a drum. What was wrong with him?

And there Ife was, left feeling even more confused than before!

It had been pretty straightforward previously. Ashra disliked her, and liked to give her a hard time. That was annoying, but easy to deal with because she at least knew what to expect from him. This, however? This threw her for a loop, and she stared at his back as he stomped off with her mouth hanging open. His exasperation was more familiar, as was that scowl--and yet also completely different than before. Was that petulance he was displaying?

Was he pouting?

Whaaaaat?

As soon as he was out of earshot, Ife threw her hands into the air with a frustrated huff because she didn't know what was going on anymore, turned on her heel, and snatched up her bag of pastries. She marched her way back over to Lyra and let out another huff to announce her presence.

"I don't even know what's going on with that man anymore!"

[[OOC: Sorry for such a short post after so long!]]

The dragon had watched the entire exchange, and she was left just as uneasy about it as Ife was. So when the baker marched back over at her, Lyra blinked her bronze eyes at Ife. "No," she said slowly, turning her gaze back to Ashra, who by her trained eye was clearly sulking, "neither do I... He's not usually like... that."

Lyra turned her head back to Ife, looking her over anew. A new thought had occurred to her. Hmm. Ashra did like to argue and strop and complain. So maybe... "Maybe he likes you," Lyra finally said plainly, in that objective way that only a non-human could really manage.

[Pshht! No worries! <333]

"WHAT?!" Ife yelped as her cheeks went hot, then realized that came out rather too loud and shot a worried look Ashra's way. Looking back to Lyra, she stepped in closer and pitched her voice to a whisper.

"What? Like me? What on earth would give you that impression?"

Lyra's wings lifted and fell in what might have been the draconic equivalent of a shrug. "I may be wrong," she stated with a light matter-of-factness. "But he is acting very oddly."

In fact, in that moment, Ashra had finished talking with the guards and was moodily pacing the perimeter of the camp. That, actually, wasn't so odd. But Lyra caught the dark, self-conscious look he cast back at the girl and dragon.

"Then again, humans have never entirely made sense to me."

"I'm human and this doesn't make sense!" Ife whispered, tugging at her curly hair in budding distress. She felt like she'd just taken a dive into Opposite Land. What were they, five years old again? That age when a boy pulled a girl's hair and her mother soothed her tears by telling her it was just a boy's way of saying her liked her?

Still holding her hair, she stole another look at Ashra, then looked back at Lyra. "What am I supposed to do? We're not five anymore! That sort of childish logic doesn't work anymore!" she said, completely forgetting, in her panic, that Lyra was not privy to her thoughts.

And that, you know, she was a dragon who'd never had her hair pulled by a boy.

Lyra's head tilted in a curious look at Ife... and maybe a slightly amused one. "Don't worry, little baker," she told her, with the vaguely patronizing tone she usually reserved for Ashra, "I may be wrong. It isn't logic... childish or not. Just a guess based on a hunch based on instinct. Probably nothing reliable. I should have kept it to myself."

The dragon looked back across the campsite at her surly, stalking, sulking rider. She wondered if she was right. Ashra always enjoyed a challenge, after all. Well, maybe 'enjoyed' wasn't the right word. Rose to?

"Hmm." For a moment, it seemed as though Lyra had forgotten that Ife was still there. When she remembered, it was as though she'd just heard the last question. "I think you should go to sleep. You've had a trying day. Ashra and I will keep watch over the camp. You can rest easy."