I Know My Target {DragonSong}

[Lowen Thorn]

"Well, not exactly," he said. "This is my natural human form. We all look like this in some way or another, as you might've seen with Chorin. But-"

He closed his eyes and a sudden transformation ensued, his hair, eyes, skin, and build almost grotesquely shifting with lurching bones until he sat there, someone entirely different. He took the appearance of a young mage approximately Rory's age, a little more than handsome, with brown tidy hair, sharp blue eyes and a fair complexion.

"It takes a little bit of my strength," he admitted, his voice still the low, monotone shade that felt a little awkward with his new appearance.

[DragonSong]

Rory's eyes widened and she pressed back against the seat of the coach, shaking her head.

"No. Nope. No no no. Please don't do that," she implored, blinking rapidly.

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus snickered. "Close your eyes, I'll change back."

He didn't wait much longer than a second before he reverted back to his natural form in the same bone-churning process.

[DragonSong]

Rory placed her hands over her eyes, biting her lip as she waited.

Gods, that was just...unsettling.

"Are you done?" she asked after a few moments, chancing a glance through the gaps in her fingers.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Mhm," was his confirmation, though strands are brown were still a little noticeable in his silver hair. It was amusing enough, at least.

[DragonSong]

Slowly, Rory dropped her hands. "You're laughing at me," she accused, glowering at him.

[Lowen Thorn]

He grinned, and stuck his hands up in defense. "I'm not!"

[DragonSong]

"Yes you are," she retorted, though she was smiling a bit despite herself. This was actually sort of...normal. It felt nice.

She huffed and tossed her hair dramatically. "That's some way for a guard to treat his mistress," she sniffed, mock prim.

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus snickered, attempting to cover his smirk with his hand but it was a mostly failed attempt. "Well, we never went over the rules of this arrangement," he retorted. "How would you like me to treat you, Mistress Rory?"

[DragonSong]

"Oh, ew." She crinkled her nose at him and shook her head. "No no, not like that. Just...Rory. Rory is fine, I was only teasing," she said quickly, blushing just a bit.

She'd been at school so long she'd almost forgotten what it was like to actually have people address her that way-- even if he was only being sarcastic.

[Lowen Thorn]

"As you wish," he smirked. "How much longer, Rory?"

His eyes shot back out of the window.

[DragonSong]

She shot him a quick look. "It's a two day trip, and we should stop to rest the horses soon. We can sleep in the coach, it'll just be a little...cramped."

[Lowen Thorn]

"Ah. Right."

He had almost forgot. A two day trip. Two days of just sitting and talking, and apparently sharing the same sleeping space with his mistress. Things were a little easier when he was just killing people for a living.

"What do you mean cramped?"

[DragonSong]

"Well..." She gestured around them vaguely. The coach was comfortable enough, but it was clear that the only place they could really sleep would be the floor, as the seats weren't wide enough to do so safely.

And with two of them, it would be an incredibly tight fit.

[Lowen Thorn]

Oh.

Epirus nodded and sighed, understanding. "Well, when we stop for the night just make yourself comfortable. I'll keep watch from outside of the wagon."

[DragonSong]

Rory glanced at him, then huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. It may not be the most comfortable, but I'm not going to kick you out to sleep on the ground. We'll manage just fine, it'll just be...tight."

She shrugged and looked out the window again, evidently unconcerned.

[Lowen Thorn]

"As you wish," he said absently. There was really no sense in arguing. Probably best to protect her from inside the coach then out, anyway. At least the trip had been calm up until then.

[DragonSong]

The coach continued to trundle along at a steady pace, and Rory found herself starting to drift off. When they eventually stopped for the night, the slight jolt of the carriage coming to a halt jerked her out of her doze and she sat up quickly.

"Wha-- where--?" she started, looking around, then she remembered where they were. Yawning, she pressed a hand over her mouth and murmured, "I'll go take care of the horses. I think there's a blanket in one of my bags, mind seeing if you can find it?"

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus had stayed awake through the journey, at least to the point of stopping. A small smile formed on his lips when Rory snapped out of her drifting. "Not a problem," he said before moving over to her bags. "Be careful out there. Call me if you see or hear anything."

[DragonSong]

"I will."

She stepped down from the carriage and set about untethering the horses and moving them off the road so they could graze, the coach itself settlemjust far anough off the path that they wouldn't be immediately noticeable to anyone passing in the night.

Setting up a quick barrier for the horses, Rory turned and climbed back into the coach, yawning. "If we keep up with this pace, we should reach the manor by sundown tomorrow."