Oh come on, I was just jokin' around!

“Wha––?! Of course not, the ink’s all dry, it’s an old tome!” Broken from her trance, Morgan throws her head back to get a look at her distraction. While her pout’s brief, it morphs into a tiny smile. The tactician prodigy is initially surprised, but it morphs into curiosity.“Ah! Sir Xane, I’ve been reading one of Father’s tactic books! Gotta keep my mind sharp and and all.”

Aside from that, there were some notes and strategies concerning trap making too! She’s thankful her Father for including that. Placing a nearby leaf from the tree to mark her page, she folds it closed onto her lap.

“Who knows when we’ll have to use it, ya know?” The last person who fell victim to her traps was…probably Owain, that poor guy, “but oh– wait, did we start settin’ up camp? Want some help?” 

Xane gave a dry laugh. “I’m just messin’ with you. But watch out -- I wouldn’t put it past some prankster to pull somethin’ on you while you’re not lookin’.” He winked at her innocently, then leaned in a little to stage whisper to her. “I’m too innocent t’ do such a thing myself, of course, but some of these other miscreants might.”

He could swear he just saw her reading something different the other day, but he was never sure how fast she was actually running through those old texts. He’d even taken a peek at one of those books once. The one he’d seen was so chock full of long words that he barely got a hint of what it meant before the tactician was shooing him away.

Truth be told, Forseti couldn’t say he was looking forward to yet another meeting. It was rare, if ever, that he could say he looked forward to meetings; they seemed to alternate between dull enough to sleep and everyone has very different opinions that they are very stubbornly defending and they are all wrong. So, when he lands outside the temple and spies some bright red eyes - well. It’s a welcome distraction to say the least.

“Hey!” he called back, and if there’s an extra sparkle in his eye, spring in his step, or flap of his hands as he also races to greet the young dragon - well. That’s between him and himself. Upon reaching him, Forseti bounces on the ball of his heels, as though to drain himself of excess energy. “Yes! Of course I’m back! How’re you?”

His grin falters at the mention of the meeting. “Huh. There sure was, huh…” Forseti trails off, blinking down at the younger dragon. Maybe he’s projecting, just a little, but it doesn’t seem like the kid’s any more enthusiastic about the meeting than he is.

“Oh, they’re always boring - believe me, I know,” he says, closing his eyes as he waves his hand and huffs. A moment later, his hand freezes midair, and one eye cracks open. “Something fun, you say? Well. Oh, what should I do, a boring ol’ stuffy meeting, too boring for kids like you, or something fun, that the others will surely get on my case for later…”

He puts a hand to his chin and taps one foot, putting on a show of this being some great debate, when in his heart, he already knows the answer. “…Oh, who am I kidding. What sorta fun are we talking here, kid?”

It wasn’t as if anyone there really expected him to be responsible, after all. And even if they did, well. Would anyone be able to blame him for trying to keep the kid occupied?

Xane was absolutely thrilled to hear it -- which was clearly evident in the smile creeping across his face.

Oh, he knew Gotoh would say it was bad. But he couldn’t bring himself to care if Forseti didn’t either.

“It’s a tree!” He realized that was a very poor description, and frowned thoughtfully. “...It’s a big tree? It’s all gnarled and stuff. I wanted to try gettin’ to the top...” It was a tough sort of task for a tiny human-shaped being. But Forseti was a larger human-shaped being, and sometimes a whole dragon.

But...

“If you gotta go to the meeting, I can wait. I’ll be okay.” Xane wasn’t really smiling about it, but he was doing his best not to look put out. “‘Cause... what if Gotoh says you can’t come back ‘n’ do stuff? Then I’d be all bored again.”

   Dew had barely finished his job at looting, trying to discreetly walk away when he feels a tug at his clothes. He turns around, expecting the poor soldier he had swindled only to find what looked to be a child praising him. The compliment itself was fine and dandy, but the thief couldn’t manage to grin at it when he could see a few paces behind them was the victim of his plundering.

“ H-Hey! ” he shouts despite himself. After all, there’s no way that guy didn’t have EARS and would probably notice this sooner than he had hoped. Dew forces his hand against Xane’s mouth in a shoddy way to silence him but he knows the damage is already done by the way that soldier is checking his belongings already. Dew mutters under his breath to Xane before freeing his hand, “ Book it and don’t rat me out more if ya want to talk! ” With that, the thief runs off like the wind in the direction of the nearest forest, not sparing one last glance to the enraged older male turning to look at the two boys talking of stealing.

How rude! Xane had half a mind to bite the hand that was clamped so roughly against his mouth. It was sure lucky that this thief guy had backed off so quick--

...Oh. Xane turned around to see the guard who’d definitely heard that exchange.

At least he was nothing if not accustomed to a quick getaway. He was off and running after his new friend the moment he realized what was going on.

       ‘ woah ,  woah !  hey !! ‘  the wrap slightly unravels and ramses pulls back ,  fast to fix it - ‘ if it’s not real then why are ya touchin’ it ?! ‘

       what a weirdo ,  trying to undress people without permission !  heck ,  it’d be nice if his body really was wrapped for nothing more than mystery ;  rather eerie curiosity than what gruesome horrors might be exposed ,  and what even worse misunderstandings might spawn from the sight .  

       drawing distance between them ,  a high whine creeps into the boy’s voice as he grips protective of the once pulled-at wrap .  ‘ i’m not faking anything … !  even if they get dirty i can change them —  i do change them !  why do i have to go outside anyways ?  if you mean out by myself to a village or something ,  no way !  isn’t walking around the garden enough ?! ‘

“I’m provin’ it’s fake, silly! If there ain’t anythin’ underneath, what’s the point?”

The strange human had been too quick to pull away, so Xane hadn’t seen a thing. How boring. He considered trying again...

“I guess you could stay in the garden, but what kinda use are you gonna be to that princey guy?” Xane cocked his head to the side and propped his hands on his hips, still staring at the boy curiously. “I can stay here, ‘cause I’m a dragon. But you ain’t gonna be useful if you stay inside all day!”

❝ you’re making me repeat myself, ❞ Elrean grumbles.  he taps his left foot, loudly, impatiently.  he hates repeating himself, just as much as he hates Xane’s other tried and annoying antics.  in any case, his disdain should be immediately clear, no matter how stupid Xane may or may not be.

❝ you don’t get rewarded for nothing.  i’ll help you find whichever atlas you’re looking for only after you clean up your little mess. 

❝ is that clear??  on-ly.  af-ter. ❞ 

“Al-right, grumpy pants. Guess that’s good enough.” Xane unceremoniously plopped down onto the floor, and gave Elrean a dramatic eyeroll that he was sure the mage could see. He expected that was the closest thing to a promise that he was going to get.

Elphin likes the courtyard, and he has no reason to disagree with Xane’s clear choice of just waiting for Perceval to find him, so he follows quietly behind the dragon.  he can see Xane is red, but past that it’s unclear…  he wonders if he could recognize him even on a better day, should he see him in the coming weeks at all.

at least he seems companionable.

❝ i admit i have a passing curiosity of dragons, though i’m certain your life would be completely different from the ones in my world, ❞ he says.

❝ i know Lady Fae to be a divine dragon, and that there are fire dragons, while the Lady Idunn is a mage dragon, informally named, in her past, as the demon dragon…  which are you?? ❞

“Eww,” Xane complained, making a face that Elphin likely couldn’t see anyways. “A ‘demon dragon’? Don’t lump me in with those feral guys. If I was anythin’ like that, some human would’a come cut me down years ago.” It only figured that humans from other lands would have pretty much the same story to tell.

“...Nah, I’m a divine dragon. You got nothin’ to worry about from me.” He was already onto the next topic, uninterested in holding a grudge over something so minor. It wasn’t Elphin’s fault that humans as a collective didn’t know this stuff. “I’m sure hopin’ that the dragons ‘round you have a different story...”

      ⇉

                 ❝ Of course I won’t!! ❞ Azelle replies.  He eagerly takes the other’s hand and shakes it, to prove it.

                 ❝ It’s not like things matter here like they did in Jugdral.  He’ll just be grumpy for no reason… ❞  Azelle pauses.  If they keep going, and Arvis hears word of something he’d done that he’d never do…  They’d both be neck-deep in flame.  Or this guy would – Arvis would just hold Azelle by his ankles until his face turned blue, probably.  …Is it still worth it??

                 Yeah, totally.

                  He takes his hand back and gestures to himself.  ❝ Azelle Velthomer, younger brother to Duke Arvis.  There’s 7 years between us.  If my brother is without Valflame, it’s because it’s getting mended at the smithy – he never goes anywhere without it. 

                 ❝ Got it?? ❞  He winks.

                                                                                                           〔 🔥 〕

Xane gave Azelle’s hand a good shake before releasing it, and a wink to mirror his own. “Thanks, kid! I owe ya one. Arvis ain’t gonna catch me today, heh.”

That man was so much fun to impersonate -- Xane would’ve lost a great source of entertainment if Azelle had been a little more stingy about it. That, and he might have come across some bodily harm if Arvis heard about it... but Arvis would have to catch him first.

“Don’t think I woulda pegged you as that guy’s brother if you hadn’t said somethin’. ‘Course, I never was good at tellin’ humans apart,” Xane added, with a shrug that would likely come across as unapologetic. “But hey, you’re already doin’ better than him -- he still don’t think I’m a dragon! What sorta nerve, huh?”

i feel you there u_u i had to go into social isolation too and it bites, it really does!!

i don’t do anything 3h related mostly because i’m not interested