On the Beach of Dreams

[MadEmperor]

"Oh!" Imira laughed, smiling over at the dragon. "I'm so sorry. Would you like a piece too, Ser Kit?"

Grav chuckled. "Careful, Mom, or he'll gobble up the whole thing."

[DragonSong]

"He'd take two, if you'd let him," Kiara agreed with a chuckle. Kit huffed again and brought his head closer to the window so he could exhale a puff of warm air that thoroughly tousled her hair.

"Kit!" She shoved his head away, laughing, while she tried to sort her curls out with her other hand. The dragon snorted, pleased with himself, and settled back again.

"A piece would be lovely, Miss Imira, thank you," he said politely, as though nothing had happened.

[MadEmperor]

"My, my, such a polite young dragon." Imira smiled, going to cut a piece for Kit, and for herself.

"Suck-up," Grav teased with a smirk.

She returned to present his plate to Kiara. "Just be careful with that dish, okay? Enjoy."

[DragonSong]

Kit grumbled in Grav's general direction, but settled into a happy crooning when Kiara held the plate Imira had given her to the window ledge and let him lap up the piece of pie.

When he'd finished, he dipped his head to Grav's mother and settled himself into a comfortable position with his legs and tail tucked in comfortably, again much like a cat. Albeit one the size of two wagons strung together.

"Thank you," Kiara said again with a smile as she laid the plate safely on the table. "We don't get food like this often--if it's not whatever Kit's hunted for dinner, it's usually tavern fare."

[MadEmperor]

"Well, so long as you're here, you'll eat well." Imira smiled warmly. "It's the least I can do to repay you for bringing my boy home in one piece. Even though something tells that wasn't the only close call, not with his talent for finding trouble."

Grav shot Kiara a nervous glance.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to grill you for more details," his mother assured. "Your father, on the other hand, will want to know everything. So be prepared."

He sighed, "Yeah, I figured as much."

[DragonSong]

"Ah...should I be worried?" Kiara asked with a nervous little smile, only half joking. "I promise, only about half the trouble we get into is my fault," she added with a quiet laugh.

[MadEmperor]

"Nah. Don't worry. Dad may have been disappointed that I didn't want to follow in his footsteps, but he actually ended up encouraging me to take my own path," Grav answered. "He did at my age. Younger, in fact."

"You certainly didn't learn wanderlust from me," Imira chuckled.

[DragonSong]

"Well, I'm looking forward to meeting him," Kiara said with another quick smile in Grav's direction. "Ah—maybe Kit and I should clear off for a bit when he gets in though? In my experience, people don't usually react well to an unexpected dragon on their property."

[MadEmperor]

"That might be a good idea. We should be able to see his ship in port before he makes it up here," Grav admitted.

Imira nodded. "Yes. I'll give you a shout when I see him in port. That should give you time to clear out.

"Either stay in range of Kit's link, or check in every so often so I can tell you when I've explained the situation."

"Link?" His mother raised one eyebrow.

[DragonSong]

"Oh. Ah, yeah." Kiara rubbed at the back of her neck. "See, Kit and I can talk mind-to-mind. I'm not actually a beast speaker, but we forged the connection when we were both really young. But Kit and Grav can, ahh...also talk that way? I mean, I'd read about dragons forming those bonds spontaneously, but I'd never actually seen it before—the Adelan military usually requires months of conditioning from their riders."

She glanced at Grav, not sure exactly how much she should say. "That's a good idea. We'll stick close, just don't wanna shock the poor guy too badly."

[MadEmperor]

Imira nodded, understanding. "A very handy ability, I'm sure."

"Oh, definitely," Grav answered before yawning. "Yep, food coma on its way."

His mother laughed. "Okay, okay, you two are probably tired after so much traveling. Besides, I have dishes to clean. Go, relax for the rest of the evening."

Carefully and more than a little awkwardly, she asked, "Since you two are... a thing... do you want to share a room or are you... ah... not there yet?"

[DragonSong]

Oh no.

Kiara made a soft choking noise rather than an actual answer, snapping her head around to look at Grav with rather wide eyes. Sure, they tended to sleep close together, but that was because campsites were usually crowded with a dragon involved. They hadn't actually had occasion to share a room since...well.

There was a vague corner of her mind that admired how accepting Imira seemed to be of the idea--she highly doubted her father would have responded the same way. But then there was the fact that Grav's mother was asking so politely if they were sleeping together and--

"I-I'll help with the dishes!" she said abruptly, scrambling to her feet and moving to gather up plates, face red.

Outside, Kit was making a sustained chuffing sound that translated as hysterical dragon laughter.

[MadEmperor]

Grav's face was even redder as he palmed his face. "Oh my gods... I can't believe you just asked that..."

Imira sighed apologetically, not meeting his eyes. "Sorry kiddo... it's just, well... no, never mind. I don't want to make this any more awkward. Sorry."

Grav chuckled uncomfortably. "No. I get it. I have a reputation. I just... she's different, okay?"

His mother smiled softly; her boy was growing up. "You must really like her."

"I do." He smiled.

[DragonSong]

Ferrying plate back to the sink to be washed, Kiara couldn't help overhearing snatches of Grav and his mother's conversation. She bit her lip against a small smile, that strangely giddy, fluttering feeling swooping through her stomach for a moment.

She cleared her throat quietly in the doorway to alert them to her presence. "Ah—if it's easier, I can bunk out with Kit," she offered with a little smile. "We're pretty used to it."

[MadEmperor]

"Oh, no, no, no. No guest of mine is sleeping outside, not one that can fit inside," Imira said vehemently, in a tone that suggested refusal would be a grave insult to her honor as a host.

Grav nodded in agreement. "I can always sleep on the floor if I need to."

[DragonSong]

"But—" Kiara stopped herself with a little huff and a shake of her head. "Alright, alright," she chuckled, hands raised in surrender. "But no one needs to sleep on the floor—I'm perfectly content with a couch if that's what we've got."

[MadEmperor]

"If you're really intent on not sharing a room, I'll take the couch. Guests get preferential treatment around here. You'll just have to accept it." His tone was teasing, but perhaps a little hurt by her insistence on being separate.

His mother just had to make it awkward, didn't she?

[DragonSong]

"Well, I mean, I don't mind sharing a room," Kiara muttered, just a bit awkwardly. "I just wasn't sure if that was...y'know. Proper, I guess?"

[MadEmperor]

"It doesn't bother me." Imira shrugged. "And that's all I'm going to say."

She slipped out to let them discuss the subject privately.

Grav smiled. "See? Not an issue. She, ah, tries not to get involved in my love life."

[DragonSong]

Kiara huffed a small laugh--sounding rather reminiscent of Kit--and muttered, "Must be nice." She was fairly sure that the only reason her father tended to leave the subject of her love life alone was because she'd never...really had one, in all honesty.

"So. Um..." She scuffed a foot against the ground. "I mean, we've shared a bed before. It doesn't have to be weird."