When I next woke up, it was once again to Daimier's mental nudging. The feeling is a gentle one, I’ve come to realize. This time, however, someone in my room was attempting to wake me up as well.

‘Your food has arrived, wake up and eat. That heat really knocked you out, huh?’ Daimier feels very amused, and I see why when I open my eyes.

Surrounding me are four servants plus Sarah, each quietly whispering while trying to figure out how to wake me up. None of them want to risk getting a finger bitten off if I’m not a morning person. They haven’t noticed I’m already awake. Well, most of them don’t - Sarah turns out to be very observant and notices me looking at them before the others.

“Good morning, your Highness.” She greets with a bow, startling the others into action. They quickly bow and mutter their own greetings, before rushing off to roll a wheeled table toward my perch. “We have brought you breakfast, as specified by Prince Daimier.” Peering at the table reveals multiple plates of various types of food - all meat. “Served to you is a variety of meat types, ranging from Animal to Beast delicacies. The chef here will inform you of what type of meat you are eating as you try them, all upon Prince Daimier’s desire to find your favorite foods.” She gestures to an elderly looking man standing by the cart, who bows when my attention wanders to him.

I lower myself to a branch lower to the ground, unwilling to leave the comfortably warm perch but also very interested in the food. I vaguely note Daimier’s smugness at his plan being followed through with perfectly as I study the plates.

“Animals tend to hold the more simple tastes, but are no less delicious.” The chef begins as I struggle to pick a dish to start with. “Due to their high reproductive rates, Animals can be selectively bred to have the best tasting meat. However, Beast meat is rarer due to how long it takes for one to grow to maturity. They have unique tasting meat due to the magical residue of their core, causing the meat to taste as if it had been prepared with the finest seasonings just by cooking it. However, I have been informed that you have enhanced senses that may ruin stronger tastes for you. So,” He gestures to the clear divide between the plates, “I have separated the Animal meat from Beast meat. To your left is the Animal, to your right is the Beast.”

Hmmm, intriguing. Despite my curiosity about Beast meat, it seems it would be best to try Animal meat first. That way I don’t get overwhelmed after just waking up - that would suck.

I lean over to the left side, studying the plates. I carefully navigate my large claws through the plates to grab one with a whole cooked bird on it. I flick my tongue out to smell it, and take a moment to sort through the multiple delicious smells in the room for the right one.

“That would be the chicken. It’s a bird specifically bred and domesticated for the most and best tasting poultry. It has tender, juicy meat.” He informs me.

Ah, just good ‘ol chicken. I used to love it, I wonder if it tastes any different? It’ll be easier to taste - smell, in my case - in my mouth where all the other scents aren’t vying for my attention.

My way of actually tasting food now is a bit… odd. As I’ve mentioned, snakes don’t have taste buds. My sense of taste is completely taken over by feeling texture and smells. I smell via a gland in the roof of my mouth, which means I can at least thoroughly smell my food while it’s in my mouth. I will still call it tasting, though, because calling it smelling just feels weird. Also, I can’t even chew my food - my teeth are similar to a snake’s. Though I have multiple rows of teeth (all on the top part of my mouth, oddly enough), they’re all flexible like a snake’s fangs. They aren’t strong enough to actually chew because of this.

So, rather than eat like a human would, I place the chicken - bones and all - in my mouth and hold it there instead of immediately swallowing like I normally would. I swirl it around with my tongue like I’m tasting fine wine to get a feel for the texture and hopefully rub the scent of it over my scenting glands. It feels really weird to do.

‘I can hear you snickering, Daimier, shut up.’ I ignore the cheeky grin I can feel on Daimier’s face and focus on tasting the chicken.

It somehow tastes better than the chicken in my old life. It has a smoky aftertaste due to it being cooked, but the chicken itself tastes… well, like more intense chicken. Chicken times three. The closest thing I can think of is chicken broth, but not as strong?

I like it, though.

Finally, I swallow the chicken whole and nod my approval to the chef. I consider the remaining options as I notice the small serving sizes. I assume this is so that I can try as many varieties as possible before getting full - as afterwards I won’t need to eat for another month. Unless I continue burning calories by getting the snake zoomies on the road. Which I can totally see.

Nothing else on the animal side grabs my attention immediately. So, I pick up a random plate and look to the Chef for his knowledge.

“That one is the cow. They are bred for the best beef you can find, sporting a chewy texture meant to be savored.” The chef explains reliably.

Ah. Beef. I never liked it before, the texture always bothered me for some reason. Maybe it’ll be different now?

I go through the same process of tasting as the chicken - however I don’t get to the ‘wine swirling’ bit as I’m immediately hit with disgust.

You know how I said the chicken was chicken times three? The beef is the same. And, considering texture and smell is all I can use to gauge taste, the texture is that much more overpowering.

I don’t like wasting food, though, so I quickly swallow the beef so I don’t have to taste it anymore. The good thing about not needing to chew is that you don’t have to force yourself to either chew or spit up something you don’t like - swallowing it gets rid of the taste just as efficiently and with less waste.

I can feel Daimier cringe at the taste as well, which confuses him. Apparently he likes steak, and it never bothers him like it does for me. Man, the way bodies differ is so interesting - I bet he could eat the same steak and I’d like it just as much as him when we share the feeling. Weird.

I shake my head at the Chef, and he nods in understanding. He then takes a few dishes off of the cart and places them on the shelf below it. “If you do not like beef, you will not like these meats.” He reasons.

I nod, just glad I won’t have to taste something like that again. Despite that horrid experience, I decide to try something new and look over the Beast meats. I notice a lot of interesting variety, including meat with weirdly vibrant colors. Assuming that if it were poisonous I wouldn’t be served it, I pick up a plate of fish-looking meat that sports a deep blue color.

I ignore Daimier’s passing thought about how it was predictable that I’d choose something blue.

“That is the Tunafo. It is a Tuna Beast that has been bred to have the elements of water and nature - giving it a crunchy, vegetable-like aftertaste.”

Ooo, I like the sound of that. Seafood was one of my favorites, and vegetables - though I can’t digest them now. Perfect!

I immediately place the fish in my mouth, and fall in love.

It tastes exactly like that one dish… I forget the name of it, but it had fish, rice, and vegetables. All of that flavor is in one slice of meat! The chef said it would be crunchy, but it feels soft on my tongue. I can’t chew it so I can’t validate his claim. The taste isn’t overwhelming at all, though it definitely would be if the fish had seasoning or came with a whole dish.

I’m actually hesitant to swallow it, I just want to keep tasting this for eternity. Maybe I could just keep it in my mouth? I rarely open it anyway since I can’t speak.

‘You’re being ridiculous.’ Daimier says, despite enjoying the taste himself. ‘We can get you all the Tunafo you want. Try some other meats, maybe you’ll find something better.’

‘Auuugh. Fine. I do want to try more dishes.’ So, I swallow the amazing fish before nodding enthusiastically to the Chef to express my love for it without words. Daimier feels very amused.

‘Don’t you have anything better to do?...’ Apparently not, considering he’s just sitting on an incredibly comfortable couch in his room, eyes closed so he can easily watch through my eyes.

‘Hey, I’m waiting for you to finish so we can go out to town. Not that you should rush, I’m enjoying this as much as you are.’ Literally, considering we practically share bodies now without any weird possession bullshit. Actually, I wonder if we could control each other's bodies? I don’t see why we would need to, though. And Daimier agrees that would be a bit too weird and invasive.

“Well,” the Chef grabs my attention with a smile, “If you like the Tunafo that much, may I make a suggestion?” I nod, eager to hear from the professional. He points to a dish, “This is the Pengwui. It’s an exotic Beast bred for the tastes of nobles. It has the elements of water, nature, and ice. Its taste bears a resemblance to chicken and fish.”

How interesting. Never thought I’d try penguin before - at least, that’s what I think it is. Exchanging mental images with Daimier reveals that a Pengwui is similar to a penguin, except domesticated and bred to be larger. The main physical difference is the chicken comb on its head, feathered wings, and white color.

Now that I think about it, aren’t those characteristics of a Great Beast? It’s definitely a hybrid. It has its own species name unlike Beasts who just have their element in front of the animal they resemble. It also has multiple elements. So does the Tunafo.

‘Normally, yes. In most aspects, these Beasts would usually be considered Great Beasts. However, they were selectively bred from Beasts and hybridized for their taste and ease of raising. So, they’re considered Beasts purely because of their docile behavior and selectively small cores.’ He pauses for a moment - and I can feel him studying my thoughts - before continuing. ‘You don’t know how Beasts and Great Beasts come about, do you?’

Huh. Now that I think about it, I don’t. I just assumed they were different species or something, like how there are different species of Big Cat but they’re still all cats.

‘I’ll tell you, then - Creature Biology is something I have an actual interest in. The terminology is Core Evolution - the theory that animals evolve into Beasts, and Beasts into Great Beasts over many generations. We don’t know how exactly it starts, but sometimes an Animal will birth children that absorb magic for the first few years of their life. Then, depending on the magic they absorb the most of, they develop a core over time and grow features related to their element. Depending on the species, this can take only months or years. After that, their core is stabilized and they become the first generation of Beast.”

Feeling as if this will take a while, I pop the Pengwui meat into my mouth to taste while I listen to Daimier’s explanation. He seems rather excited to share his knowledge on this, and I’m rather interested.

“Any subsequent child they birth is born with a core, as the mother absorbs the magic for it instead of the child. This leads to a slow power increase across generations as each mother absorbs a slightly larger amount of magic for its child. Then, there’s two different paths the evolution can go. At a certain point, magic takes over the gestating process and allows for completely different species to mate together and birth a child. This creates hybrid Great Beasts, like you. On the other hand, you have a Beast who continues mating with its own species and instead starts to gather more than one element into their children once a certain threshold of core power is met. These Beasts simply turn into an evolved, better version of their species - like a Phoenix.

“Once a Great Beast is born, the species can only expand if the first generation is female. The female will birth its own species, no matter what it mates with, meaning a male cannot sire its own species - as the mother is who draws in magic for core formation. It simply would not be able to draw in enough to form a proper Great Beast - though some small physical traits can be inherited from the male. The only way a male can sire its own species without mating with the same species is if the female is already close to birthing a Great Beast on its own. Because of how long this process takes, there are very few Great Beasts residing here - and even less consistent populations of a single species.”

Interesting! It’s similar to evolution in my own world, but with magic. That also explains why there's so few Great Beasts here. Perhaps the continent I came from had a higher concentration of magic, or the creatures have lived there for more generations to produce Great Beasts?

‘There could have been a very strong predator that forced the remaining population to evolve quickly.’ Daimier suggests thoughtfully.

‘That sounds terrifying.’ I imagine what could possibly forcibly create so many strong Great Beasts, and why I never met it - where it could be. Sounds like one of those theories you purposefully ignore to stay in blissful ignorance.

‘You’re being dramatic, it’s just a theory.’ Daimier says in amusement.

‘Hush, let me be dramatic.’

I ignore the feeling of him rolling his eyes and properly focus on tasting the Pengwui meat. I halfheartedly noted the softness of the meat while listening to Daimier, and I’ve just been basically fidgeting with it this whole time. I focus on my sense of smell and get a whiff of it. It tastes very similar to the Tunafo, but with an aftertaste of chicken. You’d think the two tastes would conflict, but it’s actually quite good. I still kind of prefer the Tunafo, though. I think it would depend on my mood, especially since I tend to over indulge on foods I like until I no longer like them. Though, does that even apply now that I don’t need to eat multiple times a day? Probably not.

After that, I dive head first into trying the Beast meat, interested in the sheer variety. Daimier even confirms that this is nowhere near every meat available - apparently, with the lack of wars, humans have focused heavily on selective breeding for many purposes. There’s also a lot of different types of egg - which Daimier has promised to get for me - and milk. Though plants don’t have magic cores, they’ve been pulled into the selective breeding frenzy as well. These are mostly made for consumption but some houseplants are bred for beauty as well.

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Some of the meats taste godawful, like the Panthera that tastes like toothpaste mint and chocolate. Which may sound good to some, but I hate mint. Or the Magmalander that tastes burnt and slimy despite being perfectly cooked. Others taste amazing, like the Clamba that practically melted on my tongue with a taste of buttered popcorn. The Foxica has a pleasant warm burnt taste to it like roasted marshmallows but without the sweetness. According to Daimier, that one is supposed to be spicy - but I can’t taste spice anymore. There is a weird amount of meat that tastes like sweets. I suppose humans everywhere generally have a love for sweets.

There are a lot of them that I have no particular opinion on, especially the regular Animal meat. They are all basically a more intense flavor of the animals I’m used to such as pigs, trout, and deer.

I spent a good hour or so just trying out food. It’s… honestly, quite nice. I have always wanted to try new foods - mostly because the food I normally ate at school and home didn’t appeal to me. Well, technically, I just wanted to try new things in general. Explore the things around me. My parents…

Well, they don’t matter. Not anymore… Fuckers.

Daimier distracts me from that line of thinking when he stands up, ‘Time to go! I’ve been through this town when we stopped on the way to you, so you can decide where to go. I’ve instructed Sarah to lead you to the entrance of the hotel so we can meet up.’ I feel my mood brighten at the reminder of how thoughtful Daimier has been.

I look up as Sarah bows, noting that the other servants have already cleared out. “I have been instructed to lead you to Prince Daimier, Your Highness. If you do not mind.” She repeats what Daimier just told me. I wonder if she knows about our telepathic bond, it seems - no, it isn’t according to Daimier - common knowledge here. I nod to her and reluctantly leave my warm perch to follow her out.

We got to the front before Daimier since he had to go down multiple floors. Apparently, they have a runic version of an elevator, which is neat. Though I’m curious on how it works, Daimier claims to have no idea. Which is fair, I don’t know how my old world’s elevators work either.

Sarah stays by me silently while I study her stiff posture out of boredom. She must be trained to be overly proper or something. When Daimier arrives, she bows politely and excuses herself.

Daimier, in a rare showing of emotion (outwardly, at least) grins up at me. He looks happier than I had ever seen him. This thought triggers a line of thought in Daimier about the things making him happy in this moment - he slept very well thanks to a comfortable bed and my feelings of warmth from the heat lamp, he feels all of my happiness from trying new things which boosts his own happiness, and he’s got a Great Beast bonded to him that’s strong enough for him to have no worries. That last one is a lot of confidence from someone I’ve known for a couple of weeks, but considering our deep mental connection I can say I’m starting to feel similarly about him. Not about the protection part, considering I’m perfectly capable of that myself, but his companionship and company is very appreciated. He’s done, nor thought, anything to make me distrust him.

“Where do you want to go?” He asks with excitement. Apparently my feelings of happiness and interest over things he’s known his whole life is very entertaining for him.

I look around while recalling what I’ve seen on the way here. I can’t read any signs, so I don’t know what type of buildings and stores are there. Well, I didn’t until Daimier peered into my memory and read the signs for me. Which is a very weird situation. I finally settle not on a building, but a pretty looking public garden.

Daimier nods, “Let us go then. I spent time there myself when I was here last, it is very serene there.” And we set off.

We, of course, get a lot of stares. Between my giant ass Great Beast body and Daimier’s unique silver hair outing him as royalty, it's really no surprise. Though people seem more inclined to avoid us than try to talk to us, which is all the better in my opinion.

We chat as we go, Daimier deciding to switch to mental speak while we walk and carefully avoiding giving away that fact to avoid looking weird in public. I, however, think caring about what people think of him is weird - he’s a Prince. Why does it matter?

‘The King insists I keep a certain reputation. Though we are technically at an indisputable high status, a bad reputation can lead to dissent among the commoners and end in disaster.’ Daimier recites monotonously, as if rehearsed.

‘But you don’t have to worry about the King’s opinion anymore, do you? Wasn’t that the whole point of seeking me out?’ I reason.

Daimier stops walking. Apparently those simple words were enough to scramble his thought process. ‘I…’ He trails off, unable to put his thoughts into words.

But I can see - or hear, whatever - his thoughts. One look, and I completely understand.

His whole life, he’s learned to take everything the King says in with no question. To listen but never ask. He’s always been forced to remember and follow every single thing he was told to, for his entire life. To act even while in private in fear of the King finding out that he slipped even for a moment. These past weeks are the most he’s been himself in… ever.

There is a lot for him to unlearn, if the King’s words no longer hold meaning.

I send him my feelings of encouragement, ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll help you. It won’t be too difficult to spot and point out his influence and encourage you to be yourself instead. It may start out slow, but I will help you.’

‘I’ll help you, too.’ Daimier states immediately. I notice his thoughts flash to his memories of my own thoughts - how they tend to wander to my past life in a way that worries him. Something that I didn’t notice myself until I saw his memories of it.

‘Alright. We’ll help each other.’ I tell him, recognizing that I may have some issues too. Even if I really hate facing them.

Oh, I see the garden! Wow, there’s so many colors.

Glancing at the different plants, I notice that there are a lot of plants that I don’t think would be possible in my old world. At least not from what I’ve seen. Flowers that glow, barely noticeable as the morning sun rises. Plants with brightly colored pollen floating in the breeze like confetti.

Despite the amazing variety of plants, it looks… off. As we get closer, I understand why. The plants are neatly trimmed, bushes showcasing geometrical shapes, the flowers in neat rows side-by side. It’s all so organized. It’s unnerving.

‘You don’t like it?’ Daimier asks, confused. He, apparently, likes the organization. It looks satisfying to him. Though he asks me, he already knows the answer as my eyes linger on the stiffness of the flower coordination. ‘I guess the neatness can be kind of unnerving…’ He considers, looking at the garden through both his own eyes and mine - looking for a difference. ‘Especially from that high up, where its more clear to see.’

I no longer want to look at this garden.

‘Alright, let’s go wander the merchant district and find a shop you may be interested in.’ Daimier immediately directs, feeling my discomfort.

The merchant district is just a street over, so we get there quickly. Daimier makes sure to point out shop signs to me, reading them out loud for me. Most of it isn’t any interest to me, what with most being clothing or food shops geared toward humans. Even if I could find clothing that would fit me, it would probably feel restricting in this form. I’ve gotten used to the freedom of no clothing, especially since they don’t provide any practical use anymore. I can regulate my body temperature just fine with my fire magic.

Hmmm, I may not need clothing, but… Perhaps a change of style could help Daimier with his self-discovery? I remember that clothing was a big thing for expressing yourself in school. Anything from T-shirts depicting various bands or fandoms, to accessories peppering one’s skin.

Briefly, I catch Daimier’s interest in ear piercings from my memories - but he quickly waves the thought away in favor of thinking about clothing. ‘Actually…’ He starts, but doesn’t finish as he gets lost in thought. From him, I get flashes of the reason why he wears what he does now. Apparently, wearing silver and red is necessary for the royal family as it’s the color of their insignia - I personally like the colors but he despises them.. And all of the clothing filling his wardrobe is stiff, hard to move in. Very uncomfortable, and I can feel that feeling intensify from him the more he thinks about it.

I immediately begin herding Daimier over to the shop he pointed out as a clothing shop. This boy needs a wardrobe change ASAP. I will not allow him to be unable to properly move and die because of it.

I feel a sense of warmth from Daimier at the thought, before he willingly walks into the store. Though I can’t follow him, I can easily look through his eyes to see him and help. Especially since he seems a bit lost.

Luckily for me - as I know nothing about fashion - he’s swept up by a male attendant who quickly gets to work helping him.

“Welcome, Your Highness, my name is Edward. How may I help you?” He bows briefly before giving Daimier his undivided attention.

“Oh, uh.” Daimier uncharacteristically stutters, unsure as he clears his throat and gathers himself. “I need a wardrobe change. My current clothing is uncomfortable, and I do not like the style of them.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place!” Edward declares happily, a genuine smile on his face. “We can set you up with something comfortable AND stylish! Now, tell me, what colors do you prefer?”

Daimier takes a moment to think about that. He hasn’t had much of a chance to explore what he likes, but… His first thought is my collar, that he finds himself liking the style of - despite it conflicting with the color of my feathers.

“Well, I’d like to match my Bonded’s collar, but I’m not quite sure how to word its design…” He says, not sure he can properly put the collar’s complex design to words without mentioning galaxies - which this world has no word for. The design was simply labelled as ‘night sky’. Which, considering how similar the night sky is to a galaxy, is pretty accurate. Though, considering Daimier is using this as an excuse to show me off, the ease of description isn’t actually important.

Daimier feels a bit embarrassed at being caught, but he stands by his want to show me off - he thinks very highly of me. Understandable considering I’m his ticket to a new, better life.

“Oh, of course! Are they here now? I could take a look at the collar so I can get a better idea of what you’re looking for.” The attendant glances around as if he could spot me somewhere in the building.

“Yeah, she’s outside. I can show you to her.” Daimier informs him before leading him outside.

Having known they were coming, I immediately wave at them when they exit the building. The man looks at me in shock for a moment, definitely not expecting me. After a moment, he speaks, “My… What a beautiful creature you are! What’s her name, Your Highness?”

Daimier’s look of pride changes into embarrassment at the question, “ I… haven’t thought of one yet.”

Edward tsks, “Not good, not good at all. You simply must give her a good name, such a beautiful being deserves one - pronto!” He proclaims with confidence. Which is surprising, considering the nervousness most people show around royalty. He must be used to dealing with people of higher status.

“I’ll… work on that.” Daimier says, mind drifting off with the topic of names.

Edward nods in satisfaction, before walking up to me. “May I?” He asks, gesturing to my collar. I nod and lower my body slightly so he can better see my collar.

He gently lifts the moon charm to observe it and the pattern on the collar. He hums to himself as he examines the runic pattern. “Well,” I mentally nudge Daimier to pay attention to the professional, “I won't be able to replicate the runes - not my specialty. And I’m not quite sure what they do, anyway, best not to copy runes when you don’t know what they’ll do. But! I’m very familiar with this pattern, it's quite popular. It’s meant to mimic the night sky, after all. Yes! I can do very good work with these colors, indeed.” He rambles softly, not directing his words toward anyone in particular.

Daimier nods, “Good, shall we continue our discussion then?”

“Of course, Your Highness!” He exclaims energetically before bowing to me. “I apologize that you cannot fit in my establishment, I hope you don’t feel left out over it.”

I wave him off, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t let people know we can speak to each other. The power of underestimation, and all that.’ I tell Daimier before he can reassure the man that I can still see within the store. Paranoid ass that he is, Daimier immediately agrees. He also insists that he may be paranoid but he is not an ass, which I can agree with.

They head back inside into an office to discuss Daimier’s options and his preferences. He decides he wants a whole wardrobe, and that all of it should be combat suitable and comfortable. No flowy bits, breathable fabric, all that.

I open my own eyes, distracted from Daimier’s point of view as I hear yelling. Looking at the source, I spot a little boy across the street looking at me - presumably yelling at me.

“Get outta here ya ugly monster! Shoo!” He yells, pulling back a slingshot I hadn’t noticed and slinging rocks at me with it.

I follow the rock as it soars through the air in an arc, hitting my head before bouncing off and hitting the ground - where many other rocks lay. Apparently he had been doing this for a while, but I hadn’t noticed as the rocks don’t even register to my strong scales.

Glancing around the street, I notice people watching - from a safe distance. There’s a wide gap around me and the boy, and despite being on opposite sides of the street there is no one between us. Even the carriages have stopped, the drivers too terrified to get between me and the boy. A majority of the crowd look concerned and terrified for the boy, but none step in to stop him. Looking back at the boy, I study him to try and figure out why the hell he thought this was a good idea.

Huh. This tiny boy is wearing leather armor that is definitely too big for him - he’s not even wearing the pants as the chestplate covers his entire body. What the hell?

Honestly, at this point the yelling from the child is getting on my nerves. The rocks don’t bother me, I don’t even feel them, but holy shit his voice is ear-piercing.

Finally, Daimier storms out of the building, immediately spotting the boy and marching over to him. He snatches the brat’s slingshot away from him, before swinging the weapon up and bonking the brat on his head.

When the kid starts to cry, Daimier berates him before he can start whining. “What the hell made you think that was a good idea?!” He asks incredulously, mimicking my own thoughts. “That is a Great Beast you are harassing, one that could eat you in one damned gulp - and that would be the most merciful thing she could do! No one would be able to do anything about it, either, not only because she’s strong enough to kill everyone in this village with a single breath of flame but also because she is my Bonded. I would fully endorse her eating you if not for the stomach indigestion your stupidity would surely cause!” He goes off on the kid, who shrinks down with every word - eyes twitching between Daimier’s silver hair and the royal insignia on his shirt.

“I - uh - Y-Your Majesty I - I diden… Didn’t know it - she - was yo-yours.” The child whimpers quietly, the only way I can hear him is through Daimier’s ears.

“That is not the - why did you attack a Great Beast in the first place - Bonded or not?!” Daimier continues, flabbergasted. It’s not like he cares about the kid, he just genuinely wanted to understand what would drive someone to make such a stupid decision.

“Uhm… I tought it - she - was attackin tha town? No one was stoppin ‘er so I did… tried ta…”The kid stumbles, trailing off at the end as if he wasn’t sure if he was saying the right thing.

“You - seriously? You saw a creature sitting amiably in front of a store, bothering no one and no one bothering her - a creature who wears a collar, might I add - and figured you should attack her? Where are your parents?” Daimier’s voice lowers in bafflement as he asks a very important question.

On que, a woman bursts out of a nearby store, rushing toward the pair. She immediately kneels next to the kid and bows low in intense reverence, grabbing the kid’s collar to force him to kneel with her. “I’m very sorry for whatever my son did, your Grace! He’s a rather slow child, please don’t hold it against him!”

Well. That kid must have a reputation for getting into trouble if the mother immediately assumed he did something wrong.

Daimier - confused, annoyed, and wishing to get back to his day, waves her off. “It is fine. Do try to teach him better about Bonds and Great Beasts, he attacked my Bonded over there with no provocation. If he does that to one with less patience than mine, he will have worse than a talking to waiting for him.” He gestures over at me, still curled up in front of the store and watching.

The mother looks terrified when she spots me, realizing exactly what her son had gotten into. She bows even lower, forehead touching the ground. “I’m very sorry! His father died fighting Beasts, you see-”

“Yeah, no, no need to feed me your sob story.” Daimier interrupts, once again waving them off. “I am going back to my shopping. Do not let it happen again, or I will let my Bonded deal with it as she pleases. I know from experience that the smell and sound of someone burning alive is not a pleasant one.” Daimier, apparently done with this bullshit, promptly walks away from the incredibly terrified mother and approaches me.

“Are you alright?” He asks, despite knowing I’m perfectly fine.

I roll my eyes and nod, earning a smile from him. “Good, you heard me. If anyone tries that again feel free to roast them.”

I sense his desire to ensure no one bothers me again, and decide to go along with it. I nod and dramatically tilt my head up, breathing a tongue of flame into the air. Not enough to hurt anything, but it makes the watching crowd jump. Daimier smirks proudly, patting my shoulder as he passes me to return to the shop.

Well, I’ve learned something new these past few days. Daimier really likes threatening displays. Reminds me of a few species of Great Beasts back at the other continent.

Daimier gives me a playful mental shove when the visual of a peacock-lion creature pops up in my mind. He claims he’s offended, but I know he enjoys the banter.