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Post by Ashe on Jun 4, 2024 22:47:41 GMT -6
Laevi x RillOnly the users participating in the breeding may post in this thread. The room can look however you like, within reason.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 4, 2024 23:08:14 GMT -6
"So, you said you were here to meet an old friend?" It had been a while since Seveth had been to the canyons. Well, getting kicked out of your building will do that to you, he supposed. It occurred to him, now that he was here, that he could have just come and stayed here... But no, he thought that might have been too much of a shock to San's system. And it wasn't a very convenient place for humans to live, what with it being a place for Draconics and all. "I... am," said the Draconic he was speaking to. Rill, she'd said her name was -- a pretty name, at that. She inclined her head, squinting at him. "But... Why are you here?" "Day trip!" Seveth replied cheerfully. "Oh, if you're worried about me hanging around in case you want to take your buddy home, I'll make myself scarce. Not like I can stay the night anyway." 1
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Post by Noa on Jun 4, 2024 23:16:53 GMT -6
"And you're sure you don't want me to come along?" Opal asked. She was lounging on her back, neck arched to one side, glancing at him with one blue eye gleaming with amusement. "Pretend to be your intended, fan the flames of jealousy a bit?" "Stir the pot a bit, more like," Laevi retorted. "Be honest. You just want to come along because you're bored." "That's because it's so boring here," Opal replied, no heat in it. She shifted slightly, trying to make herself comfortable. Her indolent sprawl wasn't what Laevi had pictured when he thought of well-off Draconics, but he supposed if one had never worked a day in their life... ... Not that he could complain about her conduct. Not when she was the one who had taken him in while he was getting back on his feet. Technically it was her household, but she had been the one that brought him here, and the one who had talked her family into letting him stay. 2
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Post by Linyü on Jun 4, 2024 23:22:14 GMT -6
Rill sputtered. "Th-That-- I'm not-- That's not... Are-- Are you laughing?"
Seveth tried to look like that wasn't what he was doing, and failed. Well, okay, he wasn't trying very hard. "I didn't know Draconics were so delicate about that kind of thing," he said. "I feel like I've met some who were pretty blase about it."
"I knew I should have gone somewhere else," Rill muttered under her breath.
"Ah, wait, wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! Plus you already paid the deposit, right? Come on, stay, stay!" Seveth rose to his feet, chasing after Rill as the Draconic headed towards the entrance. She stopped, turning her head slightly to regard him... then huffed in a way that sounded an awful lot like how Chai sounded when it was amused. Seveth crossed his arms, but he could only smile wryly. "Now you're the one who's laughing, aren't you?"
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Post by Noa on Jun 4, 2024 23:26:21 GMT -6
Opal wasn't the first one to pick him up, but she was certainly the most free-spirited of Laevi's string of benefactors. And possibly the youngest, now that he had thought about it. He had been a lot of things -- a live in housekeeper for a busy researcher, a companion for an old and ailing dowager, even a third for a mated pair looking for something interesting to do. But as far as he could tell, Opal had picked him up on a whim, and treated him as something between a close friend and a new pet.
Which was why he absolutely could not let Rill meet her. Literally any of his other benefactors would have been easier to explain. If Opal insisted, he would have to find some way to convince her not to come along, but... Fortunately it looked as though she was already letting the idea go. "Go on, have your fun then. But I want details when you come back," Opal said.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 4, 2024 23:34:50 GMT -6
"I just didn't think you would change your tune so quickly," Rill said. "Do you need the money that badly?"
"Don't even get me started," Seveth said with a groan. But when Rill started walking for the entrance again, he scurried to get in front of her. "It was just a joke! If you're really that upset about it--"
"I'm leaving to meet my friend," said Rill. "I'll be back later."
"Oh," said Seveth. He blinked. The urge to ask to come along warred with the need not to make Rill angry enough to actually change her mind about canceling her stay.
After a moment of silence, Rill said, "No, actually, maybe it would be better if you did come along. Maybe you'll come in handy... somehow." The way she said those last words, it felt more like she was talking to herself than to Seveth. A heavy weight seemed to settle over her, and Seveth frowned slightly.
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Post by Noa on Jun 4, 2024 23:39:41 GMT -6
"Of course," said Laevi amicably. In truth, he wasn't sure how much he would tell her, but there was no reason why he couldn't spin a tale if she wanted to hear one. And that was if he came back here at all. It was a nice place, but if she started prying into his affairs... Well, he'd cross that bridge if they came to it, he supposed.
With those parting words, he slipped out of the cavern and through the halls, until he emerged at the cliffside entrance. From there, he made his way from the finer, more residential part of the canyon to a district of shops and eateries. As he walked, he tried to marshal his thoughts -- figure out what he would say to Rill when he saw her. He tried, in vain, to formulate some sort of script, but it was impossible for him to come up with her responses.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 4, 2024 23:44:33 GMT -6
"Not that I'm not happy that you're letting me tag along, but... What is it you want me to do, exactly?" Seveth asked. Wanting a stranger there when you met up with a friend was pretty odd. It was one thing for Seveth to invite himself along, but for her to want him to be there... Something didn't seem quite right.
"You've got magic, don't you?" said Rill, scrutinizing him.
"... Yes," said Seveth. He didn't like where this was going. "I'm, ah, not very good at using it though..."
Rill seemed to be debating the merits of explaining further. Seveth waited, but ultimately she gave herself a sharp shake and said, "If he tries to run, see if you can slow him down."
"S-Slow him-- Wait, this isn't a hit, is it?" Seveth said, startled.
"What? No! Just... Just trip him or-- No, you know what, forget I asked." With a sharp sigh, Rill stalked out the door, leaving Seveth to hurry to catch up with her.
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Post by Noa on Jun 4, 2024 23:49:29 GMT -6
It had been long enough since they last saw each other that he wasn't confident in anticipating how she would react anymore. His own fault -- but he had been young, and foolish, and hadn't known what to do with himself. Granted, running away to become a wandering leech probably hadn't been the answer, but these intervening years had given him the room to figure himself out.
At least, he had thought they did. Now that their reunion was fast approaching, suddenly he wasn't so sure. His mouth felt dry, and try as he might, he couldn't come up with a good way to explain... or even to greet her, after all this time. Did he want to explain? But he probably did have to, after disappearing like that...
All too soon, he arrived at the designated meeting place: a little eatery carved into the rock between two much bigger businesses, from which the scent of spiced meats wafted.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 4, 2024 23:52:45 GMT -6
Rill sure was in a hurry. She didn't slow her pace even a little, and Seveth had to jog to keep up. Sometimes he had to break out into a full run, especially once they reached a busier part of the canyons, where there were more Draconics. You would think a bigger crowd would slow her down too, but it didn't seem to, and in the meantime he was ducking and weaving between scaled bodies and fighting for his life.
He nearly ran right into her when she finally stopped. "Rill?" he said, a little uncertainly; maybe he really had lost her, and this was just another Draconic that looked like her. He was a little ashamed to say it, but if they had similar enough builds and coloration, he couldn't reliably tell some Draconics apart.
But she wasn't listening to him -- if this was Rill, anyway. She was staring at a figure a few meters away.
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Post by Noa on Jun 4, 2024 23:58:38 GMT -6
The scent brought back memories. The shop wasn't the same, but the meats they served were just the sort that the two of them used to eat together. It was cheap and unpopular fare, over-seasoned to mask the low quality of the meat, but they had acquired a taste for it all the same.
It had been a long time since he'd come to a place like this.
Should he head in first? Or would it be better to wait for her out here? He still hadn't thought of what he would--
"Rill?"
The sound of a voice calling her name brought Laevi out of his thoughts, and he looked around hurriedly for the source of it. Turning, he caught a glimpse of blue -- and then there she was.
He could have said any number of things. It should have been easy. He never had any trouble talking to strangers. And yet, all words abandoned him now, and all he could do was stare at her.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 5, 2024 0:04:37 GMT -6
Following her line of sight, Seveth spotted a tall Makiyan who was also standing frozen in place. His pale eyes were wide, and maybe Seveth was just imagining it, but the rest of him seemed to have paled too. For friends, they didn't seem... very happy to see each other. For a long moment, nothing happened. Rill stood there, staring wordlessly.
Then Seveth heard Rill breathe in sharply and, steeling herself, walked towards the Makiyan with wide, deliberate steps.
"You look well," she said. The tone of her voice was complicated, as if she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Seveth wondered whether he was going to regret tagging along this time. It was clear that this was more complicated than she had initially made it sound, and it didn't feel like the fun kind of complication. "I'm surprised you agreed to come. I half expected you to stand me up."
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Post by Noa on Jun 5, 2024 0:10:19 GMT -6
Laevi had hoped that his wits wits would return to him, but in the end it was Rill who broke the silence first. He was surprised, but... maybe he shouldn't have been. While he was spending his time drifting from one cave to another, she had evidently done some maturing of her own.
Her words stung, but they were no less than he deserved. "The thought did occur to me," he said -- in jest, on reflex, only to regret it as soon as the words left his mouth. Even without seeing her reaction, he knew it was the wrong thing to say, and it wasn't at all the tone he had hoped to strike. Shaking his head, he said, "I didn't... I didn't mean that. It's... good to see you again, Rill. You... look well too." That, at least, was the truth. Now that he had seen her staring him down, he realized he had been afraid that she wouldn't be angry at him.
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Post by Linyü on Jun 5, 2024 0:15:21 GMT -6
Seveth winced as the Makiyan spoke. Even he could recognize an 'open mouth, insert foot' moment when he saw one, and he knew the feeling all too well. Beside him, Rill had stiffened at those words. Seveth braced himself for her to snap at him, but the Makiyan managed to say something else -- something less aggravating -- before she did.
It wasn't mollifying enough though. "Do I," said Rill. The uncertain edge to her voice had hardened into something bitter. "Am I well enough to be worth your time now?"
... Ohhhh no. Seveth had been hoping it wasn't this, but... This was some kind of old flame, wasn't it? He supposed 'friend' covered that kind of thing too, and it was certainly easier to say that than to explain your entire sordid history to a stranger. Not that he didn't like reading a good drama, but it was way more awkward to have a front row seat in person...
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Post by Noa on Jun 5, 2024 0:23:06 GMT -6
If she had still been raw with hurt, confused and abandoned, that would have been hard for Laevi to deal with... But if Rill had been wholly indifferent, that would have hurt too. Hurt worse, maybe.
Still, hearing what she said to him, he knew he had to explain somehow. "That's not why I came," he said. "I thought-- Look, let's go inside first, hmm? People are staring." Old habits kicked in, and his voice gentled, the way that it did when he used to coax her into his antics... or when he smoothed over the ruffled feathers of one of the many Draconics that had taken him in. It was a lot of things: force of habit, a peace offering, a way to buy himself more time. It certainly wasn't because he wanted to eat. Any semblance of appetite had completely fled from him, and he doubted he could taste anything right now, no matter how much spice this place used.
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