Dev Tayuun

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"Okay, very funny, haha, we've all learned... something- can you put us down now?!" A plea falling on deaf ears.

"Surely that wasn't supposed to be an earnest attempt at convincing me!" It was hard to believe her eyebrows could get any higher.

"Well I'm not much good at persuasion when I don't even know what the goal is. Much less when I'm, oh I don't know, dangling loosely, malms above the ground?" Ehl Tou lets out a huff overhead.

"I believe what Theoren means to say, is that, p-perhaps some level of explanation is in order?" Alphinaud's much more timid request only earns the pair of them an exasperated sigh, Alisaie's emphatically gesturing free hand and newly half-lidded eyes continuing down a warpath to some unknown conquest.

"Aren't you feeling relaxed? Reinvigorated?"

"HAH! Relaxing!?" Theoren couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter at the absurdity, tail twitching with irritation as she clings to Ehl Tou's claws.

Given Alisaie's insistence, it would be reasonable to assume she'd just brought rain to a moons long drought; not had her brother and the Warrior of Light unceremoniously plucked from the grounds of Camp Dragonhead and flown into the sky.

Another tail swishes loosely above Ehl Tou's waist, amused.

"Just as relaxing as staying holed up in that study, I'd wager." Nobody needs to see it to hear the wry grin that was on Dev's face. "If nothing else, we've certainly solved your fresh air problem." He seems content to simply comment on the fruits of his mischievous labors from his seat on Ehl Tou's back—while keeping hold of Alisaie, of course, that she might taunt their victims at her leisure.

"Yes, because why open a window when a dragon could do it better!" Theoren retorts, sarcasm sharp with annoyance.

"Ah, I believe we closed that when the breeze began disturbing loose papers."

"Alphinaud- we are mid hostage negotiation. Please." He can only imagine the cold spot forming on his back is the target of her glare, but as he's taking a breath to respond, Alisaie jumps in.

"If anyone is in a hostage situation, it's you two and those dusty old tomes! You do realize it's been five days?"

The resulting silence that follows her accusation is telling. Ehl Tou's large wings flapping is the only sound of significant volume left among them, wind rustling through hair and slacked jaws alike. A few seconds pass in the chilled, relative quiet of being midair, before Dev finally breaks into a quiet snicker.

"Mhmm, thought not. Not an onze of self preservation to be seen." He sighs dramatically. "It's tragic, really! To think, what might've happened had we not stepped in?"

"... I hadn't realized our period of research was getting so lengthy." Alphinaud mutters, theatrics not even reaching him, so lost in his thoughts. "Perhaps a change of tactics is in order."

Alisaie's eyes narrow impatiently."And?" Alphinaud flinches, her demand snapping his mind back to the present moment as a sheepish expression floods into the raise of his brows.

"-and a break! A much needed break, as has been clearly communicated." He quickly relents, hands raising as innocently as he can manage while his arms are in the claws of a dragon.

"I still think the means were a touch excessive..." Theoren grumbles from behind him, earning a pleased chuckle from both of the orchestrators. Alisaie throws a self satisfied look up at Dev, whose smirk mirrors the same.

"I'd argue it was well deserved."

---

"Li,-"

"Not my name."

A quick laugh escaped Dev at how quickly he was cut off. He leaned back on the couch, peering over its back to look across the lounge at Cattalia.

They'd slowly been making progress on decorating this room, and despite it still being partially empty, it was already feeling like home. A square of couches on one side for a sitting area, a piano and some awaiting empty space on the other, with a simple bar between them, tucked against wall.

Awash in the warm glow of the chandelier overhead, Cattalia flipped through a furniture catalog, eyeing the empty space next to the piano in hopes that something might jump out at her-- metaphorically speaking.

"What! All the Scions get to call you Tali, but I'm not allowed my own nickname for you?" Dev complains, feigning offense despite the wide smirk on his face. Cattalia scoffs, turning to raise a teasing brow back at him, barely managing to stifle a laugh as she saw his upside-down face half hanging over the back of the couch.

"That includes you, y'know. Besides-" She closes the book, hands resting on her hips with a huff. "You have an entire language of words to pick from, couldn't you pick your own pet name?"

Dev vanishes from Cattalia's sight, slumping longways onto the couch with a long, dramatic sigh.

"I did! Two letters, from our alphabet, as they appear in your name!" He protests, gesturing widely enough that Cattalia could glimpse his hands moving from the other side of the couch. She rolls her eyes, tossing her catalog onto the presently empty bar and resting her forearms on the top of the couch, leaning forward and feigning annoyance as she sighed.

"Remind me again, why I married you?" She teased, the necklace she kept her wedding ring on hanging between them like it new it was a relevant set piece. Dev grinned, one arm wrapping around her neck, the other tugging on her arm with slowly increasing force.

"Because you love me?~" He suggested innocently, still trying to pull her over the couch. Cattalia snickered, a teasing smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Ah, yes, because you never leave me alone. How could I forget." She retorted with a roll of her eyes, before sighing and giving in, rolling shoulder first over the back of the couch, and into Dev's gleefully awaiting arms. He was quick to catch her, and wasted no time nestling her into a comfortable position to snuggle.

"Now why would I ever do that when it would mean parting from you?" He beamed, holding her close and gently nuzzling his forehead against hers. Cattalia's ears fluttered happily, unable to wipe the smile from her face even as she continued.

"You're not helping your case." She returned flatly, raising her brows at Dev expectantly. Seeing such a scene from the outside, one might even suspect that he was the clingy one, but nothing could be further from the truth.

"You don't seem too upset with your circumstances." Dev remarked casually, running a hand through Cattalia's hair with a teasing raise of his brow.

"Oh I'm just seething-" She started to retort, attempting to shift slightly so she could use her arms to further emphasize her point, but Dev only hugged her tighter, smirk widening in the process.

"In fact, I believe you went so far as to marry me about it, isn't that right? Mine in perpetuity and all that?" He continued with a confident wave of his hand. Cattalia groaned, facepalming into his chest for lack of other options.

"That is not what that means!" She counters, slightly muffled by Dev's shirt but still very audibly frustrated by his misuse of words.

"I'm not hearing a no my beloved~" He teased, unaffected by her attempts to change the topic of conversation.

"You're impossible." She finally relented, looking back up at him with a reluctantly fond sigh.

"Oh come on, stick the landing! Is it really so hard to say?" Dev nudged her with his arm, brows raised expectantly, still waiting to hear the words she'd been so carefully avoiding.

"You've asked me plenty of questions by now, how could I possibly know which answer you're looking for?" Cattalia dodged again, feigning ignorance with a shrug and roll of her head, before she looked back to Dev to see him in full carboy pout mode. Her act dropped, narrowing her eyes at him momentarily before breaking under his expert coercion.

"Alright, alright..." She relented, and Dev's pout quickly lit up into an eager smile again. Cattalia's expression softened, leaning into his chest with a light chuckle.

"I love you too, my knight."

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