Abel heaved a laugh, wiping away a singular nonexistent tear from his eye with his fingertip, “oh boy, you have never had a drink, have you?” 

Allen paused at the yelling, looking at who had yelled at him before looking around him. As far as he could tell there was no one around that could have been possibly called a dragon. At least he was sure he was the only one.

It wasn’t often that Roderich ventured away from his cave on Treowa, but despite the fact that he insisted he wasn’t lonely, he often was. And the one person he frequently visited was fellow siren, Franziska.

By the time he reached her territory in the Orvunos waters, he was exhausted from the swim and feeling rather grumbly. Looking about in the water, he finally called out. 

The past several weeks had left Roderich deep in thought. He’d had many an odd encounter with land dwellers by now, all of them leaving him very confused. One in particular though continued to haunt his memories. 

Ivan’s personal grotto had been his sanctuary for as long as he could remember. 

Growing up in a fairly small pod, he’d never really had any privacy. When he was young, the adults of the pod were always hovering around him, as if they were scared he could shatter if left alone for too long. When he grew older, his three siblings were born, forever clinging to his side. Whenever he could, he’d slip away into the ocean alone to his grotto and spend hours in peaceful solitude. As time went on, he’d gather the various things he’d find across the seabed, hoarding them in neat piles.

He didn’t return as often anymore, his new house offered him a separate bedroom from his siblings and granted him the privacy that he’d coveted in the past. But today was different - he’d left behind the toys of his childhood in that grotto and he was determined to bring them back. However, he was wholly unprepared to find someone else inside of his private sanctuary.

Roderich arrived at the party fashionably late, as anyone who knew him would expect. He’d blame it on his knee if anyone asked, but really he just hadn’t been in a hurry to arrive.

As he entered the foyer, he paused, spotting a familiar face; or at least he thought it was familiar. With everyone wearing masks, it could be a bit hard to tell. Still, he’d recognize Franziska anywhere, and so, approached, with his normal slow and limping gait.