Path did not wake at dawn the next morning either. She was starting to fall out of the habit of going hunting each morning since she had been spending more time with Dainin. Either that, or I getting so worn out each day from taxing my magic so thoroughly that I am sleeping a lot.

She watched Dainin sleeping for a little while and then went over to the window. She saw the market was busy like it had been the day before, and she also saw that the front door to the Voyager’s Lantern had guards posted near it. I suppose Dainin is right about my impulses, even if it feels right at the time, I perhaps need to consider where my impulses go.

She was not looking forward to the idea of more people coming over to touch her body and look more closely at her. Dainin said that hand slapping was called clapping, and they did that because they were pleased. She looked out at the sea. That had never happened before, perhaps because she had spent most her time startling and lightly terrorizing humans around her home, and so…

She huffed. I guess dragons in Myraduil interact closely with humans all the time. She sat on her bed. She heard breakfast getting set outside the door to the room, and she decided to go and bring it in. It is a little interesting to get to know them. Now, how shall I wake up Dainin that makes up for his putting me on display?

***

Dainin was tired after all the fighting and traveling and dragon drama. He was dreaming of collecting sea shells on a beach, showing the prettier ones to his mother, and feeling pleased as she added them to a necklace she was making.

Then he felt a weight on top of him, and he woke up, blinking. “Path?” he grumbled, she was laying on top of him. He tried to move his arm to adjust her off of him, since he was lying on his side, but it was trapped against her body and she had tucked the bedding in on both sides of him and was holding him. He became conscious of her breath on his ear.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I’m awake,” he said, squirming a little beneath her, not willing to just turn roughly to the side on dump her off of him in case she fell out of the bed.

“I know.”’

“So… get off?” he asked as she leaned closer to his ear, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

“Why? Your face is turning pink this way.”

“Path,” he complained, “This is no way to wake me up.”

“Why not?”

“You can just call my name, I will wake up.”

“Probably true, but this seems more interesting.”

“Path, you cannot just tease me because it is more interesting.”

“Why not?” she leaned in, and whispered it, sending a shiver down his spine as he braced for her to do something truly monstrous and lick his ear or something else.

“Because… it is awkward?” he actually wasn’t sure what to say to that.

She hummed. “I also think it is awkward when I think about random people’s hands patting my scales. I also think I should get to do whatever I want with my hoard.”

Then she did it, she licked his ear. He squawked. He knew she was going to do that. She cackled and tried to clamber off the bed, but he struggled free of the blanket and caught her about the middle. “Oh no you do not,” he said, pulling her into his lap. “No way you get to escape unscathed, you monster.”

She squirmed as he held her close. He rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her ear. “Feels intense, doesn’t it?” he asked as she got rather tense in his lap. “I think you underestimate how sensitive an ear is, because you’ve gone all this time with now one teasing yours,” he put his nose to the top of her ear, breathing out.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She began to flail, so he had mercy on her and let her go. She was all blushed when she hopped out of his lap and turned to face him. She clearly did not know what to say, and that pleased him. “Is that breakfast?” he changed the topic as he saw it on the table behind her. It left his own heart thumping like wild.

She huffed as he got up and came to the small end table and pulled out a chair for her. She came to it, and he scooted her in. “I was thinking today, I would take you to see some of the craftspeople do in the city. You clearly like some of the interesting things that humans make.” He watched her settle down to consider that, and he avoided, only narrowly, breathing out a sigh of relief. Every day that passes, I feel that I am finding her easier to understand and a little easier to manage. He dished her some toast with some of the scrambled eggs and smoked fish on it so she could eat it like an open-faced sandwich before doing the same for himself.

“So, something like jewelry making?” she asked with a tilt of her head as she ate her food.

“That seems like a good place to start. I will find out who a jeweler is and request that he allow us to watch him at work for a few hours.”

Path put down he toast, “Are you expecting me to pick some profession and work?”

Dainin could not help but laugh, “No. However, if you acquire a hobby, that is fine with me. I expect Mysteera will help to make a way for us, since she has asked me to look after you.”

She picked up her toast again. “I doubt I will like any human things enough to do them.”

“Yes, that is your usual stance to things.”

He was gratified to see her pout at him a little for implying that she was predictable. “I am not wearing shoes.”

“If the cobbles are smooth enough on your feet, I am not going to demand that you wear shoes, but your feet will get filthy.”

She shrugged. “It was fine when I had my true form.”

He had no argument for this.

“Do we really have to stand in front of the bathhouse later?”

“It was the easiest way I could think of not to get us thrown out of the city or placed in some sort of jail cell for disrupting the peace and someone’s business.”

She huffed. “It seems like a lot of work for something that hardly lasted ten minutes.”

“Then next time, don’t surprise people,” he suggested.

She grumped but finished her breakfast.

He took her first to the tailor shop to see if anything was read for her yet. “Sorry, not yet, but I expect to have much of it done tonight,” the man reassured them.

“We were just being optimistic. Is there anything we can assist you with?”

The tailor looked at Path’s bare feet. “I have heard some rumors about some shapeshifting?”

“I am a dragon,” Path said, “But I am spending some time as a human with Mysteera’s knight.”

Path looked at Dainin, as if expecting him to react to this, but he just smiled and nodded to her. The tailor seemed not too surprised as he heard this confirmed, though maybe a little surprised it was so openly admitted to.

“Would Lady Path be like the dragons that have been slowly moving into coastal towns and guarding it?”

“No, I think we are more just visitors than prospective new guardians. Certainly if something comes up while we are here, we will assist, but I expect we will leave after a little time,” Dainin said.

Path looked relieved.

The tailor cleared his throat, “Good to know! I see there is the same gown from the day before. I have something we can provide if you have coin, that we can use ties to make it more customized to the fit.”

“That would be nice, but as you have witnessed, Path is fussy about what she will let touch her skin, so let’s have her inspect it first.”

It was a green dress, so that was in its favor, but plain, made for someone a little shorter than Path, but that was fine because of her bare feet. Path rubbed the fabric with her fingers and then nodded, “This will work.”

After she emerged from behind a screen with it on, the tailor would cinch in the waist and the back with a ribbon. “There we go. Do you want me to repair this other dress?” he raised a brow at how roughly the fabric had been treated.

“As much as possible would be appreciated. I also want to introduce Path to a jeweler who might show her how that works. Do you know of any here that would be friendly to that?”

“Yes,” and he gave directions for one just a short walk away. “Thank you!”

Once they were outside, “Did you bring your hoard jewels with you?” he asked as she twirled a few times, noticing that the skirt floofed out.

“I keep close track of them,” she said evasively.

He took that to be affirmative.

“I am not giving jewels to the merchant,” she said, tone sounding slightly defensive.

“I bet you will.”

“No,” she said flatly, immediately.

“This is what you always say.”

“I do not.” And then she blushed.

Dainin chuckled and then had to side step as she leaned in to bite him on the shoulder.