The Meeting (Private)

[Aerin Vaettir]

(Reserved for Namari)


The sun felt hot on Aerin’s face as he turned it up towards the shining light. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. He pictured what it might look like, the sky. Blue, and not a cloud. In reality there were a few small puffs of white in the sky, but they were not match for the burning ball of fire that sent heat onto the citizens of Avaleur.

Lenore led the way to the castle, staying in her raven form this time. She’d fly ahead a ways and caw, Aerin following along, leaning on his cane. Lenore normally didn’t guide him this way, this was rare, which meant the raven was quite moody today for some reason. Aerin didn’t know why. In fact, in all the days Lenore was moody enough to remain in her raven form and refuse to help him he never understood why. He had only managed to convince his guide to come with him because he was walking out the door without her. The result was a much grouchier Lenore than fifteen minutes previous. At least these spells lasted only a day or so. Aerin wished he could learn the reason, but so far Lenore remained as confusing as any other female.

They reached the gate, entering the castle grounds without any incident. Not that Aerin expected any. The royal family was awfully kind in opening the grounds to the public like this. It still was amazing to Aerin that they did this. He heard wings flapping, felt the breeze produced from Lenore’s wings flutter his golden hair and she settled onto his shoulder. Aerin could smell the flowers and the green earth around them. They were in the garden again. Aerin had expected Lenore to take him directly to Namari, but the approaching footsteps and clanking armor told him why she paused.

“Good day, my lord. Are you here to meet Miss Namari?” The voice asked. Aerin remained silent a moment, a tad surprised by the greeting. My lord? He was a farmer’s son. No nobleman. Goodness did this knight think Aerin was an aristocrat? The idea was incredibly amusing, enough to warrant a laugh, but Aerin kept a mask of perfect pleasantry on his face, smiling.

“Yes, I am. Am I late?” He asked. The knight shook his head, also voicing a negative.

“Miss Namari is waiting just that way.” The knight said, pointing, then looking back to Aerin’s clouded eyes and blushing. Blind men can’t see where others point! Instead of some sort of sharp remark the knight expected, Aerin gave a nod.

“Thank you.” He said, and Lenore leaped from his shoulder in the direction the knight pointed, cawing for Aerin to follow. Aerin limped on his way, wincing slightly from the pain in his leg. Damned pain. At least he had plenty of pain remedies this time. No way would he let his lame leg ruin this. And now the excitement began to boil in him, which he carefully pushed away until now. He was going to meet a dragon today! A dragon! A perfect way to counterbalance the weird stone he accidently summoned last night. He had meant to summon a flower from the Dark Plane, but instead summon a stone that was smooth and egg shaped. The weird thing was, no matter how many times he tried to banish it, it wouldn’t go back. It was heavy like a stone, and wouldn’t break. Had he the sight to see he’d have seen it was pitch black. Come to think of it, ever since he summoned the stone and stowed it away in his office, Lenore had been in her rather sour mood.

But enough of that. He heard Lenore cawing loudly up ahead.

“The heart awaits!” Lenore called. Aerin wasn’t sure what that meant aside from the fact that the raven found Namari and was waiting for Aerin to pick up the pace. Silly bird, going on ahead to meet Namari first.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari, by chance, was in the gardens. She had not forgotten about her arrangement of the day to meet Aerin; no, she had just become preoccupied in making sure everything was done right that day. Roland being busy, she spoke with a Knight and a head servant. Namari would have usually just spoken to Roland, but as he was busy she had to make do. And she knew Walter could be slightly irresponsible, so she asked for the help from the servant as well.

With a huff she rubbed at the back of her head.
"I hope I am not forgetting anything..." she murmured, eyebrows furrowed. The servant looked down at the note in her hand, reading it off.
"I don't believe so miss," she stated, folding up the paper and placing it in her pocket.

Walter watched the paper fold into her pocket before looking up at Namari.

"You don't have to go, y'know," he commented, folding his arms across his chest. One eyebrow raised. Namari opened her eyes, and raised one of her own eyebrows.
"And why would you say that?" she asked, "I want to go. A nice chance to make new friends; for both Benny and I."

Walter stared for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. Namari was about to speak when he let out a sigh.
"Yes, but... tomorrow..." he shrugged, letting his arms fall to his side. And Namari nodded in understanding. The full moon was near.
"It's tomorrow, not today. It would be good to get out today. Besides, I have most of tomorrow to do whatever I wish."

The Knight pursed his lips, fighting back a retort; this was neither the place nor time to reject the Queens wishes. Especially if there was a chance of her death the next day.

All three heard a noise; they turned their heads, and Namari smiled as she spotted Lenore flying towards them. Aerin was following quick behind.
"What the bloody hell sort of bird can talk..." Namari heard Walter mutter under his breath, but ignored him as she turned to face the bird and man.

"What's that you mean there, Lenore," she called up to the bird with a smile, tilting her head ever so slightly.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Lenore, having landed and settled on a tree branch, ruffled her feather, black eyes peering down at the new strangers Namari brought. She eyed them a long moment as Aerin walked up to the little group. The elf sensed the others. Aerin gave a polite bow to Namari.

“Lady Namari. Pleasure to meet with you again.” He said. He turned his head, cocked slightly at an angle, though his gaze wasn’t trained on the bird above. “And yes Lenore, do let us in on what you mean.” He called. Lenore ruffled her feathers again, letting out a hiss.

“The heart!” She said, using her natural, deep voice. “The heart is a fool!” She hissed again and fell silent. Aerin, head tilted, thought this over. Just like Lenore to answer in riddles. Though she seemed rather upset, and that bothered him.

“Don’t mind her. She’s been put off since last night.” Aerin said softly. Lenore puffed at this, hissing again.

“Dead men tell no tales!” She said, this time using the creepy voice of some old crone. Aerin’s face fell blank a moment. He was troubled by this behavior from his pet, but he didn’t let it show. Lenore paced on the branch till she found a comfortable spot, then tucked her head under her wing. Aerin stood by a moment before facing Namari again.

“So, who have we joining us today?” He asked, hoping to steer attention from Lenore to more pleasant things.

[Namari Lovelle]

(( long post is long lol sorry! ))

Namari raised an eyebrow up at Lenore in slight amusement; but she did wonder what the bird meant. She couldn't quite think of anything. But Aerin did not seem troubled; no, he seemed normal from what Namari could tell. So she said nothing more about it.

She was glad, however, that Aerin moved no further into it as well.
"It will only be us two today actually, I was just speaking to these two to make sure everything would be organized," she smiled, and looked to see the servant woman shaking her head vigorously. Namari raised her eyebrows, not knowing what she was doing. As soon as Walter looked over, the servant stopped.

"Perhaps it would be best that Dawn and I take care of things, and Sir Walter goes with you m'lady. I have no doubt in your abilities, but there is no such thing as too safe."
She was lying through her teeth; Walter pursed his lips once more.
"The bitch just doesn't want me to stay! Afraid I'll mess something up!" Walter exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. Namari sighed. The servant's jaw dropped.

"Why, I never..." the servant muttered.
"Thank you Ms Winchester, I'll be taking Walter with me, good luck with managing while we're gone," Namari quickly spoke, not giving Walter a chance to speak again. Ms Winchester stared, curtly looking at Walter and saying, "With him gone, It'll be a breeze."
With that the servant woman turned around, Walter scowling. He proceeded to mutter, and call out to her rude things while Namari turned to Aerin, a red coming to her cheeks.

"I apologize, Aerin, this is Walter Grace. Walter," she spoke his name more sternly, and the Knight looked over. "This is Aerin Vaettir."
The Knight stared at the man, before nodding.

"Well, I suppose it's best if we get going. Don't want to keep Benny waiting," Namari grinned widely; she was excited to see if Benny would make a new friend that day. It would certaintly be good for the dragon.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin stood by quietly, listening with great interest and amusement as this Walter fellow and some servant woman bickered, resulting in an explosive retort from the man. It seemed something big was going on and there was more than just a little friction between the knight and the servant woman. It was kind of funny, but Aerin kept his face pleasant, not wanting to make the wrong expression and have the man’s anger turned towards him. It was bad enough having Lenore angry.

Namari apologized to Aerin, and he could hear the embarrassment in her voice. But judging from the quick way she replied this wasn’t new behavior for the knight.

“It’s alright. In my experience men who express themselves are the safer types. It’s the quiet ones you have to be wary of.” He said, smiling. Never mind the fact that he himself was a quiet one. But of course if anyone knew half of what he was up too they’d probably be less than happy. Probably scared. But that was work. No need to think of that.

“Nice to meet you Sir Walter.” Aerin said, giving the man a polite bow before straitening. Namari spoke of moving along and Aerin was more than happy to do so. He was quite eager to meet the dragon! A dragon! He was finally going to meet one! He felt as if he’d burst in excitement, yet all the while he kept a pleasant face. There was probably no one else in the world who could rival Aerin and his ability to mask his feelings. He wasn’t sure where he learned this trick, since he had been quite expressive as a child. Perhaps when he tried to maintain dignity as the other children of the village beat him and tormented him after the accident. Who knew?

“Lead on, Namari.” He said, readjusting his grip on his cane. “Lead on.”

(Its fine! My posts seem rather short tonight. >.< Also, do you happen to have a picture of Benny that represents him as best as you picture? I ask cause Aerin's gonna be experiencing this thing through touch and sound and smell so I need the best idea of what he looks like that I can get.)

[Namari Lovelle]

((

For reference, that's Benny. He also has a few spikes on his head and neck. And he's not too big, about 10" tall? a guess lol ))

Namari smiled in relief that the situation was over and dealt with; though Walter still muttered under his breath about the 'servant bitch'.
The Queen began her stride, speaking as she did so.
"I'll admit I'm very excited. Benny hasn't had new company as of late; that I know of. I truly do hope that you have a good time as well."

She walked on towards the front of the castle, looking over to a waiting chariot she had called upon. The Queen smiled.

"I hope you don't mind I ordered a chariot. It's quite a walk, and I wouldn't force anyone to do that," the Queen chuckled. Walter stopped his mumbling as they all went.

"Don't suppose the thing could come down here," he stated. But the Knight immediately shut his mouth when Namari sent him a stern look.

"By any chance, Aerin... well, if Benny likes you, I suppose he would let you ride him. If that would be something you're interested in."
Namari looked over her shoulder at the other elf with curiosity, knowing full well that he probably would.

After all, who would pass down an opportunity to see a dragon; let alone ride one.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin tried to keep up as best as his leg allowed, hoping he wasn’t slowing anyone down too much. Lenore pulled her head back out from under her wing and fluttered down to Aerin’s shoulder, occasionally flapping her wings to keep balance as he walked.

“Well, I don’t know how excited you are, but I feel like bursting. I may not look it, but I’m not exactly capable of jumping up and down.” He said. If he needed anyone to act out how excited he felt he could always get his twin sister to act it out for him. She bounced around on a daily basis. And she looked like Aerin too, so there’s a plus.

“A chariot?” Aerin paused. Things pulled by horses? “Well, I can’t say such modes of transportation care much for me, but I’ve ridden in my share of chariots and carriages. Better in them than under them.” He joked, feeling a tad awkward all of a sudden. Why? And why the need to joke? This was odd, he never really acted like this before. Perhaps he was much too excited and it was making him giddy. Lenore pecked him on the head, and Aerin blinked before gently flicking her chest in retort. The raven cawed, it sounding much like a laugh. Well at least Lenore’s mood was improving.

He continued walking, only to stop dead in his tracks at Namari’s offer. Ride…ride the dragon? Flying through the air ride the dragon? Surprise crossed his features, eyes widened a bit. Ride a dragon? He never even considered the possibility!

“Ri…But…Oh, no I couldn’t…I couldn’t trouble Benny…” He managed to stutter, having not quite overcome his shock at such an offer. But imagine! Riding the magnificent creature! Not like he had any eyes to see though. But the feeling! It was almost too much to picture it. As if he weren’t excited enough before.

[Namari Lovelle]

Walter was the first to look over, one eyebrow raised at the elf who began to stutter about 'Bothering the dragon'. The knight just shoved his hands in his pockets as he stared at Aerin, occasionaly looking over at Namari.

But the Queen took it another way. No, Namari grinned with surprise at the man's reaction. She knew he was excited; but it seemed that with every offer she made, the more he shook where he stood in delight. "Nonsence," she stated, standing next to the carriage door which had already been opened.
The grin was still on her face as she added, "I'm sure it would be a pkeasure for Benny; I'm the onky person to have ridden him in his entire life."

Walter looked to Aerin one more before continuing to walk, and hopping into the carriage. He wished to waste no time at all it seemed.

"Its onky if you wish of course. I'm sure many would be petrified to ride a dragon!" Namari chuckled. She knew that Aerin would probabky not pass up an opportunity as this one.
A curious man would never pass up the opportunity, at least.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin stood by quietly a moment. Ride a dragon. The idea had pretty much blown his mind. Would it be possible? What would it be like? It would certainly be a story to tell Elle! He tapped his cane gently against the ground before smiling at Namari.

“Well, why don’t we wait and make sure he even likes me first?” He said. Yes, that was a safe place to start. Perhaps later on, should the question be posed to him again he’d accept. Yes, he’d probably accept. That brought up the question of how exactly one rides a dragon, but he’d deal with the details later.

He approached the carriage, gently running a hand down the doorway to the carriage. How he hated riding in these things when he and Elle traveled here. For once the twins agreed on something. Both hated the cramped feeling of the carriage. Of course Aerin felt more uncomfortable, hearing the horses hooves clap and stomp their way forward. The faster they went the more Aerin sweated. He never realized how much he hated the sound of horse hooves. It caused a great deal of anxiety, being housed in that carriage for days. This time it’d be a quick trip though.

He worked his way into the carriage and sat down, long fingers draped comfortable over his cane. Lenore shifted into her human form, though this time she wore no dress. In fact this time she wore nothing at all. Perfectly comfortable in her nakedness, she darted into the carriage and, after a look or two, sat by Walter, swinging her legs, pure black eyes fixed on the knight. After a moment her head slowly tilted, eyes trained on Walter’s weapon. Her leg swinging stopped a moment.

“Lenore, don’t.” Aerin said sternly. When Lenore became quiet she was going to do something wrong. Lenore pouted, legs swinging again. She glanced at Aerin, and a look of worry crossed her face, before she looked down to her lap.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari hopped into the carriage, taking a place next to Aerin. She carefully smoothed out her dress, before knocking on the wall of the vehicle. And thus, they began to move forth to their destination.

The Queen was still smiling about the fact that Benny would be meeting new people today. She knew it would be very good for the dragon, and perhaps Aerin as well. Not to mention it excited her to see someone anticipating meeting her dragon so much as Aerin seemed to be.

Walter was taking no notice to Aerin; only Lenore, whom he was in a staring contest with (or so it seemed to him). But her eyes averted him, moving to the sword at his belt. He furrowed his eyebrows as her master told her not to. Once her eyes moved to her lap, Walter slowly looked at Namari with one eyebrow raised. But the Queen paid no attention, just continued tosmile as she sgared out the window.

Cautious, Walter placed his hand at the top of his sword to prevent Lenore from touching it.

"Aerin, I don't suppose you've been to much of Avaleur at this point?" It was more of a statement, as her head turned to look at the elf beside her. "The ride to Benny shouldn't be too long."
Her smile could only grow bigger, knowing that soon he would probably be jumping out of the carriage just to se the dragon.

She couldnt blame him. It was a rare sight to see a dragon.

The knight across from them paid no attention. He was only here for work after all; seeing a dragon was no big deal to him. No, Walter was busy casting sideways glances at Lenore, uneasily. He had never seen anyhing like her of course. And the way she had eyed hjs weapon definitely made him mord nervous.
Not tk sah he felt endangered by her; just uneasy.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin turned his face towards the window next to him, eyes shut. It was nice to feel the sun on his face. It had to be one of his favorite things. It was something he could feel regardless of where he was, and it was warm and comforting. Today felt like a beautiful day.

Lenore continued to swing her legs, but after Namari boarded the carriage she stopped and hugged her knees, seeming to glower at the ceiling. Her gaze shifted to Namari when the queen knocked to signal the start of the brief journey. She stared at the queen a while before letting out an annoyed tsk sound and glaring at the floor. Aerin tilted his head in Lenore’s direction. She was extremely put off today. This was the worst he ever saw her, and he had no clue why.

“No, I haven’t. I really only travelled around the shopping district and the garden here. You can’t really spend time sight-seeing when you’re busy…or blind.” He said, shrugging. “Plus, I’ve been a tad hesitant to explore ever since someone tried to mug me. Criminals in this city aren’t very gentle.” Aerin said, laughing a bit, reflecting back on how absolutely terrified he was when that day occurred. Good thing Delliks popped up to save his hide.

“But a nice man came and saved me from any real harm. I’ve met quite a lot of kind people here.” He said softly, turning his face back to the sunshine. On the whole Aerin encountered many more good people than rotten.

[Namari Lovelle]

(( terribly sorry for all of those typos in the last post! lol I was on my tablet, and I didn't notice them until now ))

Namari still took no notice to Lenore; only to Aerin, listening to him speak. She was rarely in the company of another elf. Especially one that did not know her position. So to be able to speak to him as a normal person was practically a blessing.

Walter's attention, which had been on the Queen and her new companion, quickly turned to Lenore as she stared at the Queen, then tsked. He was growing more and more uncomfortable around the... he didn't know what to call her. Was she even a her?
He couldn't see how she could be threatening. She looked like a child. And yet, the way she was acting was making him uncomfortable.

It was laughable. A demon feeling threatened by a little girl; or bird.

Namari winced slightly when she heard of the attempted mugging. But she expected no less. Crime was going up after all; and crime in Avaleur was always violent, and large. There was always a problem.
But one thing put her mind to rest.

"Avaleur is lucky. Despite its crime rate, there are enough warriors, enough good people that are willing to take the law into their own hands when needed. It's how Avaleur has always worked, really," Namari shrugged, fixing the sleeve of her dress without an arm.

"Though I do hope you don't have to deal with that again..." she said rather sheepishly. Aerin had not been there for very long; and yet he was already subjected to the wretched of Avaleur.

As Queen, it hurt her confidence a tad.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin absently tucked his hand into his robe-styled shirt, and pull out a few hunks of dried meat. They had a strong spiced smell to them. Lenore immediately perked, eyes staring. Aerin offered the meat in Lenore’s general direction, and the naked child stood and darted over to the other side of the carriage. She grabbed the treats and squeezed her way between Aerin and the window, wanting to hog the window seat, thus rudely shoving Aerin closer to Namari. Aerin adjusted accordingly, reminding himself to scold the raven later.

“Well it is a good thing. I imagine I would have suffered more than a cut cheek and sore leg had the man not shown up. I don’t expect too much trouble. My sister is much stronger than I am and well trained. And she’s trying to find me a body guard of sorts.” He said. He hoped Elle wouldn’t find any luck. The idea of some person following him day and night made him a tad uncomfortable. Sure he had Lenore to follow him around, but she was a pet. Something he took on willingly, didn’t have to pay, and shared a close bond with. He really only had Lenore and Elle to truly trust.

“Though she won’t ever admit it, Elle tends to worry as much as our mother in regards to my health.” He said, smiling. She was a good sister. He loved her. After all, he did get run over by a heavy carriage in order to save her. He half wished he could let Namari meet Elle, but the other half knew that the whole thing would be a total disaster. Elle didn’t much care for society and its rules, and who knew what she’d do in Namari’s presence? She already pestered Aerin relentlessly about Namari, and all she knew of the woman was that Namari was a female elf.

Aerin jumped a bit as Lenore plunged her hand into his shirt again to find more treats. He placed his hand against her chest to push her back.

“Lenore, you know better than that…wait, are you naked?” He asked, looking surprised and he ran his fingers up and down the child’s bare back. Lenore was just walking around naked in front of Namari and the other man! Aerin sighed and set his cane aside.

“Honestly Lenore, you have about as much shame as Elle.” He said, pulling the outer robe-styled shirt off and placing it around Lenore, leaving him in his white undershirt. Lenore grinned at Aerin, giving a child’s giggle. Aerin smiled. “There’s my perky girl. Are you finally out of that sour mood yet?” He asked. Lenore made no reply, but she seemed to be in brighter spirits as she faced the window again. Aerin sat back again.

“I’m glad. I thought I was going to have to deal with her wrath all day. It’s a rather scary idea when you think about it. She is my guide and she helps me quite a lot in my work.” He said, folding his hands back into his lap.

(No worries! I knew you were working from your tablet. I understood. ^.^ )

[Namari Lovelle]

The Queen chuckled, eyebrow going up; Aerin certainly did not seem like they type of person to want another person looming over his shoulder to protect him, especially not a bodyguard.
She had to agree with his train of thought; though at the same time she agreed with his sister. Especially if he had already had trouble within the city walls.

Still Walter stared at the girl, weary. And slowly becoming a bit more weary of Aerin. Exactly how long had Namari known this man? He forgot if she ever told him. And the two new acquaintances seemed rather odd.
Walter did not like it.

"Oh come now," Namari smiled, chuckling ever so slightly. "I don't think she'd ever do anything to sabotage you, even if her mood was sour."
The Queen did not know this for sure, as it was only a guess. But who would be spiteful to someone whom needed them?

"We should be getting there rather soon," the Queen continued, her eyes curiously wandering over to Aerin's face. A smirk dancing on her lips.
She couldn't help imagining the man shaking with joy as he touched Benny's snout for the first time.

[Aerin Vaettir]

“Perhaps she wouldn’t be terribly mean about it. She might lead me in circles around the city for hours until my leg is howling with pain.” Aerin replied, patting Lenore on the head, who was now completely ignoring those around her, staring out the window with big, shining eyes. “Though she did lead me to you Namari, so I suppose I can’t complain too much.” Aerin added. It was true. He got to make a new friend who was a fellow elf, intelligent, pleasant sounding, kind…actually now that he thought about it, he seemed to have many compliments for Namari. He never really had this many for anybody…

A look of excitement crossed his face as Namari announced they’d be reaching their destination soon. He couldn’t wait! Also he very much wanted out of the carriage. Being squeezed inside was uncomfortable, even if he was so close to Namari.

Odd…I kind of like being close to her. I don’t really like being close to anyone. He thought. He mused over this a while, unsure of what it really meant.

(Sorry for the mega short post.)

[Namari Lovelle]

(( No problem at all! Mine are probably going to be short as I get back into the swing of things anyways haha ))

Walter raised an eyebrow, tilting his head at the elven man. Eyes slightly narrow. Namari took no notice in Aerin's closeness, or the way he was speaking. Walter did. But like any good Knight, he kept his mouth shut.
"Well it was the castle; something probably caught her eye," she mused. Such a large garden with many glittering decorative pieces; it made sense that Lenore might be attracted to it.

Namari looked out the window; they were close to their destination. Excitement grew inside her. She did not get as many chances to see Benny as she would hope. In the moments she did, however, she got very ecstatic about it.

After a moment of peaceful silence, the Knight finally spoke up.
"What is... Lenore, anyways?" Walter asked the elven man, gazing at the girl once more. He caught himself from saying she was a thing. He would probably get a glare from all three of them if he had.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin gave a small nod in agreement to Namari. Gardens were colorful as a general rule, and Lenore loved colorful things. Especially if they had a shine to them. But he wasn’t so concerned over that right now. He was still thinking over his comfort around Namari, a new feeling entirely. He was drawn from his thoughts when the knight across from him spoke up. Lenore turned to Walter as he spoke her name.

“What is Lenore, anyways?” Lenore mimicked perfectly in Walter’s voice. She then gave Walter an unsettling grin, before turning her attention back outside.

“A raven with a human form. I don’t know why she can shift, and only shift into that of a little girl. I’ve had her for quite some time and still have much to learn about her.” Aerin replied. “Don’t let her form fool you. She’s much older than she lets on.”

Lenore snickered at this but said no more. Aerin could sense that Walter didn’t much care for Lenore. Maybe even himself. But perhaps that was what he was there for. Protecting Namari. He wondered again what it was Namari was part of, and considered asking Walter, but figured he might not answer or be as vague as Namari herself. Besides, it was sort of fun guessing. His money was still on councilwoman.

[Namari Lovelle]

The demon knight shuttered as she mimicked his voice; that thing was not just a raven. It couldn't be! And if it was, it was a cursed one. And now that he knew that she was older than she looked, he grew more uneasy. So much so that Namari could now notice.

But now was not the time to comfort the Knight. After all, Namari felt he was being a bit too protective. Her grin grew larger as the carriage slowed to a stop.

"We're here!" she stated, happiness flowing through her voice. Walter was the first to get out, hand resting on his sword hilt just in case, eyes scanning the area.
"Don't see Benny," he spoke, Namari hoping out right after him.

"He's probably just hiding. As soon as he smells me he'll be here," the Queen stated, looking around before looking back at the carriage, waiting to see if Aerin needed any help.

They had stopped at a clearing, with grass up to ones knees and trees surrounding. On some trees were claw marks; Namari could recognized it as Benny marking his territory.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin felt the carriage begin to slow, and his heart picked up in excitement, beating just a bit harder, a tad faster. Lenore, sensing this, glanced at him, before sitting back against the seat, no longer interested in the window now since she’d be joining the outside world again soon. Aerin smiled as Namari exclaimed they arrived, the excitement evident in her tone. This just made him that much more excited.

As the carriage rolled to a stop, Walter was the first person out, having darted out of the carriage a bit too quickly in Aerin’s opinion, and he half wondered why, listening to Lenore give her deep, gravelly laugh at the knight’s discomfort. Namari stepped off and Aerin managed to work his way out of the carriage, Lenore assisting him a bit. The elf was rather glad to be out of the carriage. It reminded him too much of travelling across the country to arrive to Avaleur, as well as a few other unpleasant memories. Oh well, it’d have taken half the day to get there if he walked.

Aerin felt the tall grass, and he absently swiped his cane slowly over it, listening to the swishing sound it created. Lenore spotted a butterfly, and she ran off a few steps, chasing it, before she halted in her tracks, spotting the claw marks. She stared for a moment before glancing around uneasily. She did not seemed to be as thrilled as everyone else to be in a dragon’s territory. She slowly backed up to her previous spot next to Aerin and gripped his hand, a soft, rumbling sound coming from her throat. Aerin blinked before giving a small chuckle, which he cut off quickly.

“Lenore? Don’t be unsettled, I’m sure Benny wouldn’t hurt you.” He said, a tad confused by the raven’s behavior. Had she even ever met a dragon? She was curious by nature, so he figured the idea of meeting one would excite her too. He received his answer by Lenore’s response.

“Unsettled…unsettled…” Lenore echoed in Aerin’s voice, before she opened her mouth wide to mimic what sounded like a rather large dragon growl, followed by the sound of jaw snapped shut. Aerin thought this over a moment or two. Lenore only ever mimicked sounds she heard before, so she clearly must have been close to a dragon at some point.

“Ah…you were almost eaten by one?” Aerin asked, but received no answer. Namari and Walter would probably guess that yes, she was once almost killed by a dragon by the look on her face. Aerin patted Lenore’s head. “Well, if it scares you too much, you can always stay by Sir Walter.” Aerin suggested, Lenore turning her gaze at the knight.

[Namari Lovelle]

Walger grimaced, but nodded, not wishing to be scolded. "Sure. As long as she behaves."
The knight folded his arms across his chest, looking around with squinted eyes. He did not believe anyone to be dumb enough to attack anyone here. But he knew it was possible.
"I suppose we might have to wait a moment," Namari began, looking over at the other elf. "I hope you don't mind."
The elf had no time to reply; a rustle was heard in the trees, and sure enouh, the head of a dragon popped out. At first it looked curious; but upon its eyes landing on Namari, itlet out a delightful purr - like sound. It galloped over, bent its head down and rubbed it into the Queen's torso, ignoring everyone else. He was taller than the four persons there by a few feet, with golden fur covering his body. Spikes lined his head and neck, ending at his wings. He hsd rather stumpy legs with claws at the end.

"Benny, calm yourself!" She laughed, pushing the dragon away slightly. He backed away, eyes turning to the attention to the other three. Walter he knew, and didn't exactly care for. Aerin was much more interesting, and he could smell that Namari and he were thesame species.
Lenore, however, was the most interesting of all. She did notsmell human. And did not look entirely human. Was she a new play buddy? Benny was excited for this.

"Alright Aerin," the Queen smiled, her eyes landing on the elf. "Comeon up. I think he'll let you pet him now."