Just a Little Nibble

[Draconian]

Sapphire almost gasped at the kindness.

A shirt? For him? His chest warmed at the idea of the kindness presented and he sighed happily, "thank you," he grumbled again, finally able to crack an eye open, even if it was only slightly. Though, Lyra continued on and he finally opened his eyes at the dread that washed cold through him at the mention of the arrangement.

She didn't want to continue. Sapphire blinked a few times to fight off the wave of exhaustion to look at her properly, not trying to mask the clear despair and worry on his face, though pain from his wound marred his features as well.

"The arrangement was three days," Sapphire protested," there's still two left for you to decide if you want me to be yours as well."

[DragonSong]

Do not give in to the puppy eyes. Do not give in to the puppy eyes.

"Yes," Lyra replied slowly, looking away from him. Her will was strong, but the man had an uncanny ability to look like a whipped dog begging for scraps, despite his bulk. And claws. And tail. "But I was wondering how you might feel about...extending that time. With a few more...qualifications."

She took a breath, then looked back to him, working to keep her expression calm and collected. "I told you I need to be heading home to my mistress at the end of three days, so you have that long to prove that you're serious about this...courtship. Thing." Another breath. "But, considering what happened today, with those vagrants in the alley— Sapphire, you were very impressive." She tried for another small smile. "I was wondering if you might be willing to...accompany me home?"

She quickly held up a hand as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "That is not to say I am agreeing to a—a partnership. Not yet. If you come back with me, you would serve as my guard on the road. And possibly longer. That would also mean that I have more time to consider your...offer." She tilted her head at him. "Does that sound alright?"

[Draconian]

Sapphire gave a noise that sounded like a purr and his eyes drifted closed when he realized that the news was not terrible. If anything that gave him a purpose. He was her guardian of sorts and he nodded though paused while he simply continued breathing - though it was rumbling and not unlike a large cat.

"It would be difficult at first because of my wound," Sapphire seemed almost like a normal man in his semi-asleep state. The driving urge to keep Lyra as his was subdued and if anything his mind, while tired, felt unclouded by the driving instincts to claim his own.  "I would be pleased to keep you safe, Lyra. I have nothing here but you." Which was true. Sapphire had nothing and no one.

Perhaps that was what was driving the need to keep her. Sapphire simply wanted a purpose and a home. He peeled an eye open again to look at Lyra before it closed again and he lifted his wounded arm, having curled up on his side with his good arm against the bed, "You may rest against me, my scales are softer to the touch than they look," and considering a large portion of his upper torso and arms were covered in scales, that could only be a good thing.

It wasn't that late in the day, but the morning had tired Sapphire out completely as well as not having slept the night before.

[DragonSong]

"Oh, I don't think—"

Lyra paused, looking down at him, then sighed and shook her head. "This is so inappropriate," she muttered as she laid down beside him in the bed. Because despite her better impulses, the morning had rather gotten the better of her, too. Thanks to Sapphire she hadn't been injured, but the shock of the whole thing—and her determination to get her errands done while her strange companion slept—had left her feeling fuzzy and drained.

"You're allowed to touch me," she decided on a sigh as she closed her eyes, "but only where you would if we were in public, alright?" May as well start laying down some more of these ground rules if he was going to be traveling with her.

...His scales really were surprisingly soft. And warmer than she'd expected. She made an effort to keep to her own side of the bed, but there was only so much she could do with the limited amount of space. "We can't sleep too long," she murmured, already starting to drift. "I have to speak with...the innkeeper about...meals and...such..."

[Draconian]

In public?

The tip of Sapphire's tail did a little tic-toc and he remembered how she let him hold her hand, so shifting slightly he rolled slightly to be more on his back before reaching out with his good hand to gently clasp one of her hands in his own. "Just a rest," he sighed, taking comforting in the contact.

Maybe she would let him sleep like this all the time.

It wasn't just a rest though, once he had her much smaller hand in his Sapphire was sleeping so deeply it was like he hadn't done so in ages.

[DragonSong]

Lyra could feel him dropping off, felt the way his breathing went deep and even in a way that indicated this was certainly going to be more than a nap, but by that point she was dozing herself and couldn't quite managed to wake either of them up.



She wasn't sure exactly how long they slept, but when she next opened her eyes the angle of the sunlight drifting through the inn's window indicated that it was well into sunset. She blinked blearily, then suddenly sat up with a low curse.

Hoping not to startle her companion, she laid a hand carefully on his shoulder and whispered his name. "Sapphire. I'm leaving, okay? But I'll just be downstairs, I'm not going far."

[Draconian]

There was a few moments between waking and sleep where he was back home. He'd have to wake up for his shift soon and stand vigil, gently shoo away attentions and those who would distract him for a moment. What would happen if the fire went out? Tragedy. Discipline.

Sapphire side the sweet voice of Lyra turned his attention into a thin wire on her voice. Leaving? His eyes snapped open and his pupils turned into slits, his nostrils flared for a moment while his tired brain processed what she meant and the rest of the words.

Not leaving forever. Right. She still had use of him, still wanted to keep him around. With a little bit of effort, Sapphire sat up, moving a hand over to gently check the bandage on his arm. "I can follow you so you don't get hurt," he whispered shimmying off the bed and rolling his good shoulder, being perhaps a bit too close to her so that his hair tickled her cheek and his arm might have brushed some of her torso. Totally accidentally on purpose.

"I will even wear that," he pointed to the shirt like it was some awful piece of clothing, and then paused, "I will need help though my arm is ... painful." And then he knelt down so that if Lyra chose to, she could help clothe him. Sapphire tried not to smile at his scheming at getting her close and innocently putting her hands on him. Every little touch and gaze was like taming a beast.

[DragonSong]

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Lyra tried to protest, but he was already getting up. She bit back a sigh and told herself that she did not shiver as his arm brushed against her side. She took a small step back, trying to reestablish some semblance of propriety--not that there was anyone around who would really care, but it was the principle of the thing damnit.

"Sapphire, I've seen you wear shirts before, you're not fooling me," she laughed lightly, shaking her head when he pointed to the shirt in distaste. "You may not like them, but I'm afraid they're the social convention.

When he asked for her help dressing her instinct was to refuse. But...well, he was only hurt because he'd been protecting her, and it honestly had been a fairly nasty cut...

"Fine," she acquiesced with a sigh, gathering up the shirt and moving to help slip it on over his head, carefully threading his arms through the sleeves before she gave it a light tug to let it settle right. "Here, hold still," she ordered, taking another step into his space--and out of propriety--to tie closed the lacing at his throat.

"There." She looked up, and when her nose nearly brushed his forced herself to take two sharp steps back. "Well. Ahem. Ready then?"

[Draconian]

Sometimes he wished this society wasn't quite so prudish. Maybe once they were out into the forest he could be more comfortable. Sapphire paused while Lyra helped him with the shirt, eyes closing and ignoring the pain moving his arm caused. It would take time to heal. Could he protect her in this state? He doubted it deeply.

That would remain his secret though.

The simple task of tying the lacing at his throat made him smile ever so slightly, his eyes drifting closed before he reached up to touch it like it was some sort of precious gift. Something that was so simple to her meant so much to him. She didn't have to tie the knot to make him more presentable, but she did.

"Thank you," he said softly, brushing the back of his hand against hers when she pulled away and he stood up and looked down at her, pushing the hair away from his face. "I'm ready, Lyra," Sapphire purred, " lead the way." His fingers itched to take her hand, a driving impulse that he resisted though is fingers twitched to do it. Then there was a rumble and he felt his stomach clench, "Ah, is there any food we can eat while we're not in the room?"

[DragonSong]

"Oh!" Lyra laughed, shaking her head at herself. "Of course, we'll eat before I talk to the innkeeper. I'm sorry, I didn't even think--when's the last time you had a proper meal?"

She moved toward the door, gesturing for him to follow, and slipped out into the hallway and then down the stairs to the main floor of the inn, which was largely taken up by a hearth set in one far wall, and something like a tavern room occupying a majority of the rest of the space.

She wrinkled her nose a bit. It wasn't exactly the nicest place she'd ever stayed, but she was the one who'd insisted on traveling discreetly. With everything happening back home...well. Best not to draw too much attention, that was all.

Of course, the massive, scaled man trailing along behind her didn't exactly help with that. Ah, well. At least he could hold his own.

"Here." She procured a table and waved politely to get the attention of one of the serving girls weaving her way through the room. "They hardly have a wide selection, will a stew serve?" she asked, turning her attention back to Sapphire.

[Draconian]

When was the last time he had a proper meal? The question floated around in his head while he followed Lyra down to the dining room quietly, making sure to keep his tail tucked close so that he didn't accidentally knock anything to smash it into a wall. When she found a table he sat obediently, curling his tail around his foot and looking at her through his messy mop of blue hair.

"Ah, yes, of course." He nodded to her about the stew, "I ate a rabbit," Sapphire answered her question, nodding his head to upstairs indicating he'd meant to answer up there. "Do you like the food here? I've never had it." Polite dinner conversation was a thing, right?

[DragonSong]

Lyra snorted, quickly raising a hand to cover her mouth. “It’s…passable,” she chuckled after a moment, absolutely tickled by his attempts at casual conversation.

Damn. She’d taken a liking to him that was steadily growing; while not inherently bad, it certainly wasn’t a helpful impulse.

She ordered them some food before returning her attention to her companion, elbow on the table and her chin propped on her hand. “So…you’re a hunter. Or you were, back—back in wherever it is you come from?” She hoped prompting him to talk about himself might serve both to keep him distracted and also offer her some more information about her strange lost puppy.

[Draconian]

Sapphire pondered for a moment, eating as politely as he could, careful to open his mouth an appropriately amount so he didn't startle or scare anyone. Would Lyra scream the first time she saw him like that? Would she hate him?

"I wasn't a primary hunter, no." he whispered, looking away but not elaborating further, seemingly unwilling to explain just what he did. He went quiet, continuing to eat the food and rather pleased with the taste. Sure rabbit was good but this had some interest flavours and a different texture. "What do you do?" he looked at his arm and motioned to it, "do you do... People... Fixing?" Sapphire pondered then what the word was for when people were wounded and went to a Healer for humans. People Fixing seemed right.

[DragonSong]

Lyra propped an elbow on the table—very unladylike—and rested her chin in her palm as she watched him with a bemused sort of smile.

Not a primary hunter, huh? What exactly did that mean?

She laughed quietly and shook her head at his question. "No. No, I'm not a healer. I...well." She frowned a bit, trying to think of how best to explain. "I serve as lady-in-waiting to Lady Petra Stark. That means I tend to her, ensure her household operates smoothly, occasionally take care of the less savory aspects of politics that a proper lady shouldn't be dealing with—"

She cut herself off, then laughed and shook her head again. "Never mind. It will probably be easiest for you to see for yourself when we return to Connlaoth."

[Draconian]

(No need to pick this back up if you don't want to! I just thought it would be fun to go back and reply to these poor things I've abandoned. <3)

Lady-in-waiting. Sapphire scrunched his nose while he turned the word in his head. After the explanation he decided it wasnt a proper name at all. "None of that sounds like waiting," he commented, continueing chewing on some stale bread while they waited for their meals. It was wholly unattractive and his mouth did open too far a time or two while he did his best to discreetly remove the food from his teeth to not frighten his companion.

The rest of the bread remained uneaten, despite his hunger, and he gave it a look like it, delicious food, had betrayed him. "So, lady-in-waiting'ing is... you doing someone else's job?" He questioned, one ear flicked up and his head tilted to the side. Lyra deserved to be taken care of. Doted upon. "Perhaps you are a red here, taking care of an Opals other duties," he said under his breath, mostly to process the information in terms he fully understood.

"Do you... like it?" Idle conversation was difficult, he found and he stared down at the table.

[DragonSong]

"I...do." Lyra found herself hesitating over the affirmation, as though her mind wasn't quite caught up with her voice. "That is...Petrin and I have known each other since we were girls. She's very dear to me—I like helping her. I wish to do everything I can to support her."

There. That was true, and it didn't feel so complicated as acknowledging whether she "liked" her duties or not.

"What about you then? Your people?" she asked Sapphire with a small smile. "You said you were...a hunter? A guard? Did you enjoy that work?"

[Draconian]

Liking your job was a foreign concept.

Sapphire frowned slightly at the table, half afraid to look up at the companion he'd attached himself to. Her question brought his blue eyes to hers and he almost sighed at her smile. She was beautiful and every time he looked at her he just wanted to scoop her into his arms and drown her in affection.

"I was a hunter, I would get food for my tribe." Enjoy it? He looked down at his hands on top of the tail and his tail gave a little flick at the end, "I don't think I did. I was good at it though - It didn't get me Chosen - but perhaps that was because of my colouring. Sapphires aren't known for being good Fathers." Which was untrue, but a lie he told himself to ease the sting, he drew his fingers over the blue scales on the backs of his hands before he looked down and away slightly.

"I could provide for you," He said sheepishly, like he hadn't been spending the time since he'd met her to convince her to keep him, "Perhaps not with... Money but with everything else."

[DragonSong]

"Sapphire." She sighed and punched the bridge of her nose. "It's not a question of you being able to provide. I'm sure you're quite competent. It's...human courtships are typically more complicated than that. Well." She huffed and sat back, folding her arms. "I suppose it is for some. I...have to consider quite a few factors when looking into...a partner."

God. There were so many things he said that hinted at a life that was so foreign to her own she couldn't even make sense of it. How could she explain this to him?