Path would dust more of the sand off her skirt as they walked up the cobbles, the bottoms of her feet picking up dust from being a little wet. She felt a bit of anxiety as they made their way to the bathhouse, especially as she saw guards were already there, and that there was already a crowd of people.

She closed her eyes, and she walked through the middle of them with Dainin until she was behind the guards. The owner of the bathhouse was there. “I am glad that you came.”

“How many more times do I need to do this before you feel we are even?” Path asked rather bluntly.

She watched the woman consider the question. “Tomorrow, at lunch, can be the last one, I think. You can have free baths while you are here, if you promise not to transform again unexpectedly inside the bathhouse.”

She nodded. “I am going to transform now,” she informed everyone in general, with a louder voice.

There was silence, and then Path made herself focus and transform. It came a lot easier this time. The curse acts the same each time, and I’m able to manage my magic better each time I do this.

She closed her eyes as people were a lot more inclined to walk up to her this time and try out touching her. She kept her head up where no one could reach it, and she watched her magic slowly decrease, feeling the tiredness settle over her. Even though it comes easier, it is still so hard to maintain this shape.

“This is as long as I can do it,” Path said softly to Dainin.

“All right everyone, please back up,” he said, shooing away some of the clingier people. Path transformed back, guards helped Dainin by looking a little bit extra imposing. “Thank you for coming to visit us! We enjoy the bathhouse and hope that you will try it.” He walked with Path inside.

It became busy, they were followed by people that wanted to know why she wasn’t a dragon for longer, what it was like being a dragon. Path had no interest in answering any of those questions, so when the woman working the counter waved them to come over to her, Path accepted, and she was all too happy to hide in the storage area there with Dainin until people got bored.

“We really have to do this one more day?”

“They are just interested in you.”

“I know that, and I feel it, and I do not know how to deal with all the attention.”

“You are doing well with it. What do you think of interacting with people who are not afraid of you?”

Path huffed. “It is weird, but I think it is probably nice. I am not sure…”

Dainin patted her knee. “Well, I will talk to the bathhouse owner and see if we can just put a stop to it. I think you are already quite the rumor through town. I am not sure we can stay as long as I intended unless you really want to get used to the people that live here.”

“I am not sure. This place has been nice so far, but somehow I do not feel quite like this is the place for you.”

Dainin looked surprised by that statement. “What makes you say that?”

Path thought about it, “Because the first time you seemed like you were acting without a guard up was when we were on the beach. You have… like, this… face?” she gestured vaguely to his. “Or when we’re alone, sometimes you seem more…” she gestured again. I do not know how to explain these expressions.

Dainin was watching her face and considering her words. “You are saying that I have a formal way of talking to people, but you see a less formal me when you and I are together?”

Path considered that, and then she shook her head, “Like a guarded face. Or an open face. The people here make you guarded.”

Dainin smiled in that way that was cold, “I would not put too much into that; I am likely to be a little guarded with everyone that we deal with because I do not properly know them.”

Path sighed at him. “I do not know. It is just something off that I can just tell.”

Dainin considered this but shrugged. “Well, let me talk to the owner and see how many people actually paid to use the bathhouse tonight.”

“Thank you.”

She stayed in with towels and spare washtubs, listening to the crowd. When Dainin opened the door, “You and the dragon really going to keep hiding?” some voice was asking with a tone of derision that Path did not like, but fortunately she could not hear it clearly after the door was shut.

Enough time passed that Path was thining of peaking out when Dainin finally opened the door and smiled at her, “Coast is clear, and the guards, owner, and I have all agreed you can be done with this now.”

Path smiled up at him and would stand up to come out with him.

They went back to the room; Dainin requested to have dinner brought up to them.

The evening was quiet for them, and Path fell asleep early.

***

Dainin watched Path sleep. Lady of Luck, Goddess of Fortune, is there a way to grant her more time as a dragon each day?

He waited for awhile, searching his feelings for some sort of answer. Then, An Update to Uncharted Waters: Please take Path across the Ocean to the other continent.

He blinked with surprise. Since there was no other information, he decided it would become clearer later. There would be some ship somewhere, needing extra hands, or someone else that was favored of Mysteera that would ask them to do something. He was not sure, but he felt confident he would know it when he saw it.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Since there was no sarcastic update to his quest or othe feeling, he felt comfortable with that notion.

He would get himself ready for bed early as well after covering Path in a blanket. He fell asleep rather quickly.

His dreams at first were nonsense from the day, but then he began to dream that they were walking on the beach, and the crab in Path’s hand grew to ridiculous proportions and began to attack.

***

Path awoke to the sound of someone making a lot of noise, and she realized that it was Dainin moaning in his sleep. He made a vague motion with his arm, as if he was stabbing at something. Dreaming? There was only a little moonlight in the room.

She sighed and climbed out of her bed and watched him frowning and making soft noises. She tried stroking his hair, which after a moment soothed him. But when she stopped and tried to get up, he seemed to press closer to her.

Are you awake? But his eyes were not open.

She wondered what he was dreaming about. She wondered if she should wake him up. He looked peaceful now.

She yawned, Well, whatever, I can sleep here. She laid down along his back, her feet near the head of the bed, and she closed her eyes.

***

Dainin awoke feeling cold. He patted around for the blanket, and his hand pressed against something soft and warm.

In the pale morning light, his eyes got wide. He froze. He could feel warmth at his back, breathing. What… he slowly turned himself.

Bundled in his blanket was someone with long green hair fanned out over the bed by the small of his back, her thighs near his head, laying in a curled position. “Path?!”

She moaned, “What?”

“Why are you here?”

She poked her head out of the blanket she had completely stolen from him, “Sleeping,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But why?”

“You were dreaming.”

He felt his face flush. “Go back to your bed.”

“Why?”

“Because it is your bed?”

She yawned, “You don’t like to get up this early. Why are you awake?”

“You stole the blanket, and I got cold.” He started to sit up, but she put her arm over him, laying on him with her breasts against the middle of his back, her head resting on his hip. She put the blanket over him. “Path,” he complained.

“Move again, and I’m going to bite your side.”

“Why?”

“I liked listening to you breathe and it was warmer here. I have been cold a lot since becoming a human. I thought you did not like to get up this early.”

Dainin did not know quite how to take this situation. He felt too awkward trying to imagine explaining to a dragon how things like propriety worked when things like that were probably far from her mind. Or at least, he had seen no evidence that she was thinking about improper things. Under her form, she is a dragon. I would not feel awkward about this at all if she was a dragon right now, except she’d be able to push me around with just her paw. He sighed.

“What?”

“Just thinking you are a little difficult,” he said with a feeling somewhere between amusement and pouting. He started to sit up, and then squawked as she bit him on the side. “Path!”

“I said I would if you moved.”

“You gremlin beast, if you are going to be a little cuddly creature for warmth, then at least let us both get comfortable.” He rolled to push her off, bundled her in the blanket she stole from him in his sleep, and laid with her back to his chest, spooning her so that they were both facing the same direction.

She huffed. “You pick me up too much. Next time I go dragon, I am going to pick you up and wrap you in a blanket.”

He huffed, her hair tickling under his chin and near his lips. He smoothed it down.

They both went back to sleep. Path was right about one thing. It was warmer.

The next thing that woke him was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” he called groggily.

“Elene? You really asleep still?”

“Yes,” he grumbled, but would slide off of the bed, walking toward the door.

He felt disheveled as he opened it. “Mr. Knight, you do know it is almost lunch time?” she brought his covered breakfast into the room, inviting herself in. “How’s the rib?”

Dainin yawned, “Don’t even feel it any more.”

“Good good, Path, let me see your tongue?”

Path sat up, still bundled in the blanket, and opened her mouth when Elene came in. Madge trotted in as Dainin tried to close the door. “Are you stalking us?” he asked tiredly.

“No, but Rayale the Great God of Life has asked me to join you on your latest quest.” She pats Path’s shoulder, “Looks like it healed up nicely.”

“I just received a quest update last night to cross the ocean,” Dainin frowned. “The uncharted waters became literal.”

Elene shrugged, “I have had the quest for two days. I expected an update once I found you, but I am disappointed to say that there is not.”

Dainin sighed. “Well… if it is all the same to you, I would like to wait a day or two before I poke this quest too much. We have clothes and jewelry commissioned for Path.”

“We are getting on a boat and sailing?” Path said a bit skeptically. “What is on the other continent?”

“Elves that look like Dainin here,” Elene said.

Dainin huffed. “Well, I am not an elf, so only somewhat. But yes, Path, it does look that way. Do you not want to?”

“No. I think it might be interesting, but I have never been on a boat before. I used to fly and swim.”

Dainin nodded, and decided not to tell her under what context he seemed to get the update.

Elene nodded, “Well, I think that is fair. I am going to unpack into my room just down the hall. Did you know you have armed guards I had to talk into letting me even see you?”

Dainin looked at Path, “There was a dragon incident.”

Elene stared, but then she shrugged. “Well, it will be interesting, right Madge?”

The cat chirped at her. It had invited itself to their cold breakfast without anyone noticing.

Dainin sighed.

Elene only chuckled and headed down the hall.

Path yawned. “Well, since bratty kitty ate our breakfast, what can we have for lunch?”

Dainin smiled a little, she looked a little cuter bundled in the blanket like that with her hair messy as it was. “I will go find out.”

There was some ready-made roasted meat with bread and a fancy cheese that he brought up. Path seemed quite into the combination of meat with cheese.

“What were you dreaming about last night?” she asked as he sat with her at the table.

“Sometimes I relive fights I have had in dreams, I think is all that it was.”

“Is it normal for things to attack ships the way that the crab creature did?”

“I don’t think so.”

She nodded. “Good.”