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The Dragon Knight (Ren Olvry & AlabasterDragoness)

"No, it's fine," she said. "There's no need for that." She kept glancing around the room until she looked back at Drace. "I'm sure they'll all get along with him." When he mentioned that Valar might have taken a fancy to someone, she hummed in amusement. "Ohh, the timid one? I'm sure she wouldn't know what to do with herself if he started giving her gifts."

She was certainly not going to discourage Valar should he decide to pursue the girl. "Why? I've encouraged you to pursue me, haven't I?" She took his hand into hers as she smiled at him. "I think it might do them good."
 
Likely enough that one, to which Drace gave a small nod. Valar, on the other hand, he knew to very much not be timid; he only still hoped that wouldn't create any sort of issue. At Joanna's next suggestion, though, he gave a little chuckle, gently closing his fingers over her hand as she took it.

"It may indeed; especially if they're both to stay here for some time, having someone they come to like around -- should that happen, of course -- could be a benefit. Both for them, and for how dragons might be seen in the future," he mused. "Seems food is about ready, though, should you wish a bit more; he likely just has a bit of meat and fruit he's found in the area, but it may be a good start for those that came here," he added after a moment, his ears flicking up a little hearing the call from down in the kitchen that food was done.

As Drace had suggested, it was largely just a few rabbits Valar had found in the area, and a bit of fruit, grilled along with some of the tools that had still been left behind in the estate. Not much to work with, one could easily say, but he could make do for now until things were more settled.
 
"Well, should anything blossom between them, I'm sure they'll need help navigating some... differences." Perhaps if there were more relationships like theirs, it would help them in the long run.

When the food was ready, she gollowed him back to the kitchen are where some rabbit and fruit were grilled and prepared. She sat with the group and began to eat.

"So... we're to stay here?" the guard asked.

"Yes. Valar needs help, and you are to treat him as you would anyone else."
 
"Mm... likely so. Not least of all because 'shyness' doesn't much exist back home in Draconus, and it might be rather... fascinating to him, in its own way," Drace mused. Well... they could see, at least, even if just when they checked in here from time to time. The rest would just be up to Valar, and the people here.

If nothing else, they could certainly see now how things might go for a meal time.

Thus, Drace took his own seat by Joanna when they sat at the table, while Valar sat directly across from him, to no real surprise to the knight himself. Nor was he entirely surprised to hear a rather slight huff from one of the guards, though from what he could see glancing over, there likely wouldn't be too much to worry about there, especially if it was only one.

"Ah, yeah, there's still... well, a lot of dusting to do, since nobody's really been here in who knows how long, and probably cleaning some other things off, like the beds... and it seems like there's still a bunch of clothes, though well, they won't really fit me anyway 'cause of the wings... ah, but I guess nobody should really take them anyway, since they'd probably belong to someone else?" Valar once again mused along, glancing over to Joanna for that last question. "And maybe everyone should decide on rooms sooner instead of later? I've got mine all picked out for now, at least, but it seems like there's enough to go around, and it might be best to decide early so we can get those cleaned up, right?" he suggested in turn, his eyes, at least momentarily, pausing on the shyer servant Joanna had brought along.
 
"I see. Then perhaps it would be best if I ask everyone to try and learn Draconic customs and culture so that nobody is taken by surprise."

As Valar explained that he hadn't done much cleaning aside from the room he was staying in and that everyone should choose their rooms, Joanna gauged the timid servant's reaction towards Valar. She noted how especially fascinated she was by him.
 
Hm... perhaps, Drace mused. Just in case would probably be good, in the end, especially if there were more dragons to come that... well, weren't so willing to change and adapt, like he was, or never much fit into Draconus in the first place, like Valar. It could be a thought for the future, at least... for now, though, Drace's own eyes followed some others at the table, noting, much like Joanna it seemed, how two in particular seemed to have caught each other's eyes.

Letting it sit for now so that the matter wouldn't simply be suggested in front of everyone, he waited while the guards themselves finished up first and made their ways off for now, Valar himself momentarily glancing off after them before the black-scaled dragon got himself up and started gathering the dishes. And, soon enough, was pausing to glance to the curiously timid servant himself.

"Wouldn't be a problem if I asked ya to give me a hand, would it?" he asked, putting on another friendly grin. "Something like... help me with this and I help clean up whatever room ya pick out? Well, unless ya wanna take the one I've already cleaned up a little, I don't really mind too much," he suggested with a little shrug, before seemingly musing a little on something. "Or, well... why not the room next to mine? I've already been around the place so I know about where everything is, you're the one who actually knows how to clean stuff up well... I may as well at least help out. And well, not just 'cause you're pretty," he added -- quite shamelessly, in fact, to a slight sigh from Drace.

"I can't say I'm surprised that he's already at it..." Drace quietly suggested with a slight smirk after leaning a little closer to Joanna, so that only she'd hear.
 
The timid servant glanced up at Valar and nodded when he asked for a hand doing the dishes. "Of course." She began to scrub the dishes when Valar went on about where she might possibly stay until he suggested for her to take the room next to his and added that she was pretty. She blushed furiously, inching a shoulder over her face to try and hide how red her cheeks were turning. "Thank you..."

Joanna chuckled to herself as she and Drace watched the two interact. "Are there any males that aren't like that, regardless of their species?" she whispered back. "Poor girl was also created as a homunculus by some emperor who craved control more than anything else. But that emperor has long since passed. Who knows what he did to her while she was under his care."

"My name is Emilia, by the way," the timid woman added, mismatched eyes peering up at Valar.

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With a quick little nod, then, Valar went ahead and helped gather up the rest of the dishes and things from the table to get them cleaned off. His ears flicking up a little when she spoke next, though, another little grin spread across his face on that note, his eyes meanwhile curiously wandering to just how red her cheeks seemed to be -- something he was quite unfamiliar with when it came to dragons, though he could guess what it meant.

"Mm... well, besides not much being left alone, she won't have anything to worry about from Valar. If he's anything, he's not a threat," Drace offered. "He is also, however, very much not shy about saying what he thinks. Though perhaps... we should let them be for now," he suggested with a little smirk, starting to get up himself to let the two have just that.

"Valar. Though, well... I guess you would've caught that earlier," Valar meanwhile replied with a little chuckle. "Nice to properly meet ya, anyway," he added regardless, a friendly grin remaining on his face. "And... now that these're about done, let's head up to the rooms. I can show ya where mine is -- well, long's none of the others went and took it since they left -- and see about getting some cleaning done for yours for now," he suggested.
 
"I can see that," Joanna said. Once Drace suggested that Valar and Emilia should be given some space, she quietly followed behind him to wherever he decided to go to.

"It's nice to properly meet you, too," Emilia responded. She followed behind Valar to the rooms where she wrung her hands slightly and kept her eyes on him to evaluate his every movement. As she was wary of any man that took an interest in her, she tried to keep some space between them as she had been taken aback by Valar's straight forwardness. She did, however, hope that she could at least be friends with him.
 
For Drace himself, as he lacked any other real ideas of where to go... back up to Joanna's old room seemed a fair option, both for somewhere to go, and to, perhaps, make sure nobody else had taken it in the meanwhile. For Valar, then, he went ahead and led the way himself, easily enough noting the bit of space Emilia took. Cautious, perhaps, along with the apparent shyness? He could only guess, ultimately... though it didn't really change much how he'd act.

"Here we are, then. It's still, well... a bit dusty, since I haven't gotten around to a lot of it while I've been busy a lot with outside this place, and sure, the bed's a bit of a mess since I can't really figure out how to get it to look like it did when I got here... but well, it's a nice place for me, at least," he suggested with a little chuckle, opening the door to one of the somewhat more spacious rooms in the estate, though he didn't head inside, at least yet; instead, glanced around a little toward some of the nearby rooms, one of which had the door hanging slightly ajar. Effectively taken by one of the others, he could only guess.

"Though since the rooms're about the same anyway... wanna go ahead and pick yours out, then? Then I can try and help ya out with cleaning it up and all," he suggested, once again putting on a friendly little grin.
 
Emilia sighed as she was shown Valar's room and giggled slightly from his explanation of how he hadn't done much with his room. "Well, I can show you how to fix the bed," she said. "It doesn't take much." letting her hair cascade over one shoulder, she squeezed past Valar and began to smooth out the sheets before turning back to him. "I saw that the room next door is unoccupied, so I can go ahead and take that one."

She tried her best to not show that she was uncomfortable in a man's presence when she was alone. She never spoke of what happened to her with her creator, nor would she speak about what led her to serving Joanna's uncle before he passed. It was something she couldn't bring herself to even dwell on.
 
Could she, then? To that, Valar's ears flicked up a little in interest, before he quickly enough slipped a little over to the side so Emilia wouldn't have to squeeze in too much. Wandering along a little way into the room after her, the dragon curiously watched for now, just to give a nod and small grin when she suggested she'd take the next room over. Then, exhaling a small, thoughtful hum, he glanced off to the doorway for a moment, before his eyes returned to the woman herself.

"Then... I did see a little room that had some leftover stuff for cleaning. Y'know, brooms and... well, that sorta thing," he mused. "Since we've got our rooms picked out now, I guess we should probably pick some stuff out from there, instead of, well... shoving the dust off by hand and kicking it away like I'd done in here so far?" he suggested. Though, especially since it had been two days since then, the dust had well since settled, if nothing else... though it would be clear enough from the small layer still on the dresser, and the little patches here and there on the floor.

"Oh, and... since I've gotta ask, what do ya think of the glowing eyes and all that I've got? Not gonna be too weird if ya ever go out when it's dark out, is it? 'Cause well, I can't exactly turn 'em off, and I don't wanna spook people too much while I'm out here somewhere completely different. Unless ya ever like going out at night? There are a few nice spots I've found around here," he suggested.
 
Emilia giggled as she imagined Valar kicking and pushing dust away. "We should go get them so you we don't kick the dust everywhere." She was about to go locate the room when he asked her about him glowing. "I wouldn't mind. At least I won't be taken by surprise." Pinning her hair behind her ears, she found the room with the cleaning supplies and pulled out the items she needed.

"Um, please don't tell the queen or your commander... but I have reason to believe that they're sleeping together. They never left his room yesterday and the queen kept answering the door wearing only a robe. And she has that look in her eye like... you know..."

Not that she would know if Valar had ever slept with anyone.
 
With another little nod, Valar went ahead and led the way along to where he'd found that little room for now. A few supplies... well, he'd let Emilia get, since she was the one that actually knew what she was doing. When she spoke up next, though, his ears curiously perked, and he could hardly help but let out a little chuckle. It seemed he wouldn't be the only one who'd had such thoughts, then, albeit for rather different reasons.

"I kinda figured that when he brought her along to meet me a few days ago, to be honest," he admitted. "Never really seen him look that embarrassed about anything, and they seemed a bit too comfortable together to just be a queen and her knight, y'know?" he suggested in turn, before exhaling a thoughtful little hum.

"But, well, I'm not gonna say anything; long's their happy is what matters, right?" he added, putting on another friendly little grin. "I probably can't really say too much about it anyway, since I'm starting to flirt with a human myself. And yeah, I'm not shy about admitting it... or about very many things, really," he suggested, giving a little chuckle. Whether she might take well to it, he wasn't certain... but he'd always found no reason not to at least try.
 
"I see. But he never came across as anything but... stoic, maybe, whenever I saw him. But was he really embarrassed?" Of course, she wouldn't know as she only really saw him with Joanna whenever they retired to their rooms. "And... I noticed she tried to keep her voice down throughout the day yesterday."

When he said that he wouldn't say anything so long as they were happy, she nodded. "My thoughts exactly." But when he said that he also couldn't say anything as he flirting with another human, she cleared her throat. "I'm not wholly human... I was created in an alchemy lab... and... I might be older than you..." Perhaps he would understand this, as hardly anyone else did.
 
Chuckling lightly to that question, Valar gave a small nod in response. It was rather new for him just as well, were he to be honest... even for as long as he'd known his old commander. Especially given everything he'd now heard from Emilia, though, the dragon had little doubt that Drace and Joanna were... together, in some way. Though to him, that was just their business; it didn't ultimately change what he was doing here, so he saw no real reason to focus much on it.

To her next admission, though, the dragon exhaled a slight, thoughtful hum. Created, was she... he'd vaguely heard of such things, especially coming from a family of magic users, but apparently seeing one here now... well. "What was that they'd said at least once before, then... 'homunculus'? I guess they had told me to be cautious around one and all, that they look normal, that sorta thing..." Valar idly mused, before giving a small, dismissive shrug, glancing back over to the woman with a friendly grin. "But well, just ask the commander; I don't always take warnings too well, 'cause I like to see things for myself first," he suggested with a little chuckle.

"So, far's I see it, that doesn't really change anything, since you're still a person, right?" he asked... though he wasn't much looking for an answer there. "And I was the youngest outta my troop, so you being older doesn't make any difference to me," he added, before briefly sticking his tongue out... that glowed much the same color as his eyes. "'Sides, you're talking to someone that's got enough magic in his family to glow like this. If either of us is the 'weirder' one, it's probably still me."
 
As Valar asked if she was a homunculus, she nodded. "Yes. I don't usually tell others because they see me differently and wonder why I'm so different." When he told her that he was still a person, she smiled. "Thanks. Hardly anyone says that."

But he said that he was stranger one of the two, and she couldn't help but frown. "You're not strange..." she said, almost giggling from from him sticking his tongue out. "You're your own person." Of course, it helped that he was starting to make her feel comfortable around him. "But I would say I'm the stranger one. I'm from a kingdom that doesn't even exist anymore. My creator has been dead for centuries. I... I've felt empty, I suppose. Going from master to master until I was brought in by the queen's uncle."
 
Something like that... well, he supposed so. But just as Valar had said, it didn't make any difference to him, really. When Emilia spoke next, though, another small, thoughtful hum escaped from the dragon. She'd said 'older', sure, but... centuries? It was... perhaps a bit much to consider, for him, but he could manage, one way or another.

"Then... you've at least seen a lot, right? Y'know, different places, different sights..." he mused, giving another small grin. "I mean, I'm not gonna say... that I know how someone should deal with that sorta life. Not knowing where to go, not staying anywhere for long... well, most I've done is run off from the family occasionally, 'til Drace finally picked me up and had me train as a scout, since nothing else I'd trained in was working. 'Course it's nothing close to what you've lived through, but well... it wouldn't be so bad to have someone at least stick around, right?" he suggested.

"So... I guess to start, what's something you wanna do? Maybe even something ya haven't been able to do before?" he curiously asked. "If ya still feel empty, then... just gotta try and find things ya like, right? I can even try and help with that."
 
"Well, yes," she said. "I used to be paraded around after I became acclimated to being outside the palace walls. And that was when he felt like taking me outside." She was about to start sweeping the floor when he told her that he liked to run off from his family until Drace recruited him. "Yes... it's nice to have someone who stays around."

When asked what she wanted to do, she shrugged. "I've never really thought of that. But I would like to take a nightly stroll." It felt to have someone who wanted what she wanted, but she willing to give it a chance.
 
So she never had been out much, had she? Well, he could do a few things about that. "That's definitely a start. 'Sides, I like going out at night anyway; it'll be nice having someone else around, then," Valar suggested with a little grin. Then... cleaning, at least a little. He supposed he should at least try and help around with that, even if he wasn't exactly... knowledgeable or skilled at it, really. Though with growing up spending most of his days outdoors, he doubted he could really be expected to be anyway.

Letting Emilia otherwise lead when it came to cleaning, the dragon exhaled a thoughtful little hum when it seemed to be about done, glancing a little around the room now that it was actually clean... though how long that had taken, he couldn't really say. "Phew... well, that should mostly cover it for now, right?" he suggested, seeming to muse on something as he glanced toward the door. "You think we should maybe... mark the doors or something? Make sure folks know where we're staying, and all that?" he asked, lifting a hand up to show claws that, while short, could at least do the job for that sort of thing. "Then maybe we can go out and look around the place a little? There's the gazebo, at least, but I dunno if there's other stuff to see 'round here."
 
Emilia helped Valar quickly clean her room before he suggested they mark the doors. "Perhaps so. I would hate to walk in on someone sleeping." Seeing his claws, she undid the ribbons around her wrists and held them up. "Or we can use these so that there isn't any damage? I'm sure the queen would appreciate that." Quickly tying each ribbon to their respective doors, she turned to Valar and smiled.

"Alright, let's go see this gazebo."
 
"Hm? Ah... yeah, I guess so," Valar submitted with a little nod. It would be a bit less... permanent, he mused, but well, as long as it marked their doors so nobody else came in, he supposed it was fine. Watching as Emilia did that quickly enough, he gave a small nod and grin to her suggestion, starting to lead the way out to hearing an occasional bump or other such sound, from some of the others starting to deal with their own chosen rooms.

Back down the stairs, back out the front... much like the vines and the like around the estate itself, there were still definite hints of lingering plants and the like around the gazebo, but it had been cleaned up reasonably well in the couple days he'd been out here. It would still need a little work in time, he was certain... but it was still reasonably spacious, and had plenty of benches that still appeared to be in fair shape to sit.

"I'd kinda thought about it before, but... ya think there might've been a little of a garden 'round here? Seems like there's still some color here and there, but a lot of it kinda... got covered up by the vines and weeds and everything else," he mused, glancing around a little to where he had seen a few hints of such.
 
Following Valar down the stairs and out the door, Emilia glanced around at her surroundings as she went around. "Maybe there's a a small garden in the back? But the vines might have gotten rid of the flowers and whatnot." Well, they would likely have to plant more, but it shouldn't be much trouble if they all worked together.

"May I see where you cleared the vines?" she asked.

Meanwhile, Joanna was clearing some dust away from her room as she let Drace sit on the bed. "Oh, how will we explain this to Sebastian?" she said playfully. "He will be worried sick!"
 
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Perhaps... it could be a starting point at least, Valar mused. Still, with a small nod, the dragon wandered along to about where he'd cleared most of the vines and the like... besides, at least, the ones that had been growing over the gazebo itself, and a little bit through some of the slats that could still be seen here or there. "Yeah, a lot of it was about over here. Though well... they were kinda all over the place over the building and such," he replied with a little chuckle, leading over to where some of the brunt of them had been, never minding the hints here and there around the outer edge of the gazebo.

For Drace, then, he gave a curious little hum at Joanna's statement, a slight smirk appearing across his face. "And what about? Are you perhaps intending to stay a night here without telling anyone?" he suggested, giving a curious little tilt of his head in turn. "I admit, I'm rather curious how all this turns out myself -- and not just with Valar -- but I'll leave that choice up to you."
 
Emilia stayed behind Valar until they reached the gazebo. "I can see that. But it's amazing how much you've cleared by yourself over the past few days." She admired the gazebo for a moment before she slipped in. It felt somewhat cozy to her as she looked over at Valar. "I can see why the queen enjoys sitting in one so much."

Joanna chuckled. "Why? Is spending the night a problem?" She sashayed over to Drace and slipped onto his lap. "Valar should be fine so long as he's not too forward with Emilia." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she peppered his cheek with soft kisses.
 
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