A Matter for Magic [MadEmperor, Imperfect_M]

[DragonSong]

Kiara chuckled a bit and shared a pointed look with Grav. "Not always by choice—we wouldn't even have been here if not for the red caps."

Dane whistled lowly and shook his head. "Red caps? I hadn't even heard about that part."

She shrugged. "It was...unplanned. Like—well. Like pretty much everything we do," she laughed.

[MadEmperor]

"Yeah," Grav laughed. "We don't seek out danger as much as we trip and fall face-first into it. Though, I mean, I guess looking for trouble is pretty much exactly what our job is. Might as well find it before it finds us, right?" He smirked like the cocky adventurer he was.

Dane chuckled, "Yeah, I could never do what you do. Can't swing a sword to save my life anyway."

[DragonSong]

"Neither can I," Kiara snorted. Kit huffed a laugh in agreement. "Hence the daggers," she added with a shrug."

Dane chuckled, nodding, then tilted his head at them. "Well...I don't have any talent with a blade, but I've been told I'm a rather good dancer. May I?"

He extended a hand to Kiara, who merely blinked at it. "Ah..."

"Oh." He started to withdraw his hand with another little laugh and a slight wince. "I'm sorry, I should've realized, you two are--?"

"Er, no." Kiara shook her head, not sure where to look, what to say. "No, we're--we're not. It..."

She glanced at Grav a little helplessly, then abruptly looked away again and got to her feet. "Well, I mean...there's no harm in a dance, right?"

That didn't have to mean anything. It was just enjoying the festival. Right?

[MadEmperor]

"Go. Have fun," Grav chuckled. He didn't realize he wasn't quite so okay with as he had thought until Dane was already escorting her to the dance area.

Jealous? Who's jealous? Why would I be jealous? We're just friends. Just. Friends.

For now.

No! Not helping!

He glanced at Kit, wondering if the dragon could read him as well as he read her.

[DragonSong]

"Right. Okay." Kiara took Dane's hand with a friendly smile. "Thanks."

"Oh, it's my pleasure," the tin smith apprentice assured her as he led her out to the other dancers. The tune playing was a lively one, and though Kiara didn't know the steps the way the rest of the townsfolk seemed to, it was easy enough to cheat her way through, especially with a competent partner to lead.

Kit watched them for a few moments, then glanced sidelong at Grav, more curious than anything else. "So. He seems nice," the dragon noted in a slow, bored drawl, far too innocently.

[MadEmperor]

"Oh, let it rest already." He groaned, running his palm over his face. "You'll know when I figure myself out enough to know how I feel."

"You really want us to rush into that without thinking too?"

[DragonSong]

Kit chuckled but relented, "Alright, alright. I'll drop it." Letting his muzzle be pillowed on his crossed front paws, he glanced sidelong up at the swordsman and added, "You're right--you shouldn't rush yourself. But for what it's worth...maybe consider if you'd be looking at her like that if she had never said anything."

Privately, from his own observations about the two over the last few weeks, he rather thought Grav would. But maybe these things were simpler for dragons.

It did not occur to him in the slightest the irony of his feeling so smug and mature at his grand total of seventeen years, which was young even by human standards, let alone dragon ones.

[MadEmperor]

That... was a good question. Would he? It certainly wouldn't be out of character. He probably would have before what happened to him. Was he overthinking whether or not that made him different?

Grav was more conflicted than ever. "I... I think I need to lay down," he lied, standing, "Tell her that, okay?"

He didn't wait for an answer; he just left for the healer's house.

[DragonSong]

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sure." Kit lifted his head slightly to give him a concerned look. "You don't...do you need anything?" he asked, a little awkward if genuine. Seemed he and Kiara were more alike than probably either wanted to admit.

[MadEmperor]

Grav shook his head. "Nah. I'm good."

By the time Kiara returned to the room, he was asleep.


With the festival over and their wounds healed, the pair set out west. Their destination was the Terrin Mountain. Well, alright, Arca to use their meager reward to at the very least get some cheap body armor for Grav. Then to the mountains.

[ OOC: Continued In ]