The Meeting (Private)

[Aerin Vaettir]

Judging from the tone in Walter’s voice, Aerin had a notion that the knight didn’t like Lenore. What was worse was that Aerin could not promise that Lenore would behave herself. He was pretty sure Lenore barely knew the word, but telling that to Sir Walter didn’t seem like a good idea. Besides, Lenore had an iron grip on his hand which suggested that she had no plans on leaving Aerin. Aerin tilted his head towards Namari as she mentioned that they may have to wait a moment. He opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it again when he heard the rustle from the trees. If that wasn’t enough warning that Benny was here, Lenore’s suddenly throwing her arms around Aerin’s waist in a fearful hug definitely was.

Aerin actually stopped breathing when he heard the purring sound. He was actually meeting a dragon! A real one! Something he always dreamt about as a child. He listened to the dragon hurry over, hearing the creature’s head rustle Namari’s dress as it rubbed itself against her. Lenore eyed the golden dragon, one pure black orb peeking out from behind Aerin. She seemed to relax only a tad, seeing that Benny wasn’t that big.

Aerin remembered to breath when Namari called to him. He let out a small breath. He could hear the dragon breathing, so close! He moved to step forward, but was anchored down by Lenore. He paused, then smiled a bit, gently patting her hands and he once more moved, this time the raven shuffling closely behind him. Aerin stopped when he was only a meter or so away from Benny, and after a moment he slowly lifted a hand from his cane and held it out, unsure of what part exactly he was reaching for. Lenore’s grip somehow managed to become even tighter, and was starting to become a bit painful, but Aerin didn’t pay attention to it.

[Namari Lovelle]

The dragon tilted its head as the elf approached; not out of caution, but of curiosity. He knew that Namari would not bring anyone who would potentially harm him, anyhow.

Benny waited for the man to touch him, and was surprised when he didn't. So the golden beast decided to take it upon himself to shove his snout into the man's palm, breathing out a relaxing sigh. His eyes gazing up at the elf.
Benny loved the smell of elves; they always smelled of nature, even if it was only feint. Even when he sniffed Namari, always in her castle, she had a small scent of it.
The dragon purred again, looking down at Lenore and huffing once more.

"Well that's good then," Namari smirked, placing her hand on her hip. "He seems to like you."

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin let out a little gasp as he felt Benny push his nose into the elf’s hand. A second later he let out that gasp in a small breath, and his face became that of pure joy. It was an expression Elle actually carried quite often, but if she were there, she’d say it was more special on Aerin’s face, since he didn’t really express joy beyond a pleasant smile. The elf let out a little laugh, hearing the dragon purr again, feeling it vibrate under his palm. He was honestly surprised to feel fur, he had expected scales.

He let go of his cane, it falling to the ground with a soft swish as the grass parted before it, and placed his other hand against the dragon’s snout. He stood a moment, perfectly still, before he smiled brightly.

“Nice to meet you, Benny.” He said. He trailed one hand past the snout, up a bit before tracing the dragon’s cheek bone. He stepped a bit closer, continuing to trace his hands along the dragon’s neck, the other reaching up to gingerly touch the spikes of Benny’s head. He paused, realizing one of Lenore’s hands was no longer clutching him. In fact, the raven had tentatively let go of her master and was reaching out, gently poking Benny’s nose. She eyed the dragon warily, then copied the pleasant purring sound the dragon made.

“What color is he?” Aerin asked Namari, running his fingers over the fur on Benny’s neck, pleased to feel Lenore loosen her iron grip to where she felt comfortable enough to only cling to his shirt.

[Namari Lovelle]

Benny went to sniff lightly at Lenore's face, delighted about the fact that she sounded just like him. Oh, but she did not look like a dragon; he purred once more with happiness.
It was rare for him to meet new people. These new friends would do nicely.

"Golden," she stated, patting at the side of the beasts stomach.
"Blue eyes. Not much to say other than that. Benny, don't bug Lenore," the Queen spoke, and the dragon stopped trying to get his face into the raven's.
Instead he leaned ever so slightly onto the hand Aerin was touching him with. A dragon that was more of a pet then a wild animal; he loved getting pet.

Namari smiled cheerfully as she stared at the elf's face; he looked absolutely delighted! Everyone did; excluding Walter, of course, who stood with a monotone facial expression. Eyes still on the two newcomers.
"Don't expect you'll forget this moment any time soon," the Queen teased, moving to stand more beside Aerin as Benny tilted his head to look at the two.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin pictured the dragon with golden fur briefly before dismissing the image. It probably wasn’t that accurate, but he learn long ago not to rely on imagery. It was what he felt and heard that mattered. He grinned, feeling the dragon lean into his petting. Oh yes, Benny was more of a pet. Such a gentle creature he was. He shifted, standing next to Benny’s body now, running his hands along the dragon’s side, feeling the muscles there, the heart beating, the expanding side as Benny breathed. Lenore let go of Aerin, standing in front of the dragon. She seemed timid, but not completely fearful. She blinked as Benny back away from what humans would consider a personal bubble. Lenore had no concept of it, so when Benny back up some, she stood on her toes and sniffed at his face in return.

“Oh no, I’ll never forget.” Aerin replied softly, running a hand along the dragon’s spine till he met the joint where Benny’s wing connected to his body. He continued petting Benny’s side, letting out another small laugh. “I never thought I’d ever encounter a dragon.” He murmured, his delight practically shining on his face.

Lenore eyed Benny a moment, wondering what other sounds the dragon could make. After a moment she opened her mouth, letting out a cooing sound that sounded like a light, high boom. It was the sound of a baby insect based dragon she had once encountered. They had no wings, and had serpent-like bodies, but they still managed to fly, and they tended to have a faint glow to them. Utterly harmless creatures really, but humans seemed scared of them, even with their musical calls.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari smiled widely at the elf; she recalled that she had never seen someone so happy in her lifetime. It was different to her, pure happiness that seemed to be radiating from the elf. Still smiling she looked over at Walter, who was still staring at their surroundings. But he caught Namari's glance. When he did, she motioned to an area in the forest.

Understanding what she meant, Walter complied, making his way into the area.

"Usually Benny's friendly. But I havent seen him this friendly to any strangers in quite some time," the Queen spoke, placing a hand in her hip as she stared at the dragon.

Meanwhile Benny was taking much pleasure at Lenore's sounds. Amused that she had sniffed his dace as well. Deciding to dissobey Namari, he gave Lenore's face a lick from chin to forehead, then let out a delighted noise, ears perking up.

"Benny!" Namari sighed, shakin her head.

[Aerin Vaettir]

As the dragon leaned down closer to Lenore the raven girl blinked, leaning back a bit, but it was too late. Benny’s tongue flicked out and Lenore stiffened as he ran his tongue up her face. When the golden dragon backed up a bit after this little stunt Lenore opened her eyes. They were so wide they were practically black circles. Some of her bangs stuck straight up from the dragon’s saliva, and overall her face was in shock, a priceless look on her face.

After a moment Lenore wiped her face before looking at Benny. She stepped up to the dragon, stood on tiptoes, but found she wasn’t tall enough. So she jumped up, wrapping her little arms around the dragon’s neck, dangling there, and she returned the favor by licking Benny’s face. Of course her lick wasn’t quite the same, what with her tiny tongue versus Benny’s bigger face. She pulled back, still hanging off the dragon, her tongue sticking out, with a few golden hairs stuck to it. She looked to the side and tried to spit the hairs out, but when that failed she let one arm go to try to pick them off, which resulted in her falling off Benny with a little squawk.

Aerin trailed his fingers along Benny’s wing. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he was currently with a dragon. He wondered what his father would say about it. Probably not much. The elf never had much to say about his son. The two males were very different. Aerin’s father worked, created some handy things, and believed in labor. He found magic trivial and a waste of time. Needless to say it was a bit rough when Aerin pursued magic, but considering Aerin’s condition his father didn’t argue too much. Not with Elle pestering the household head.

Aerin leaned his head against Benny’s side, listening to the dragon’s heart pump. He paused as he heard something. A rumbling. For a moment he thought it was Benny’s stomach, but realized he heard it behind him. Aerin pushed back from Benny a bit, trying to listen. What was that? Lenore glanced at Aerin, but she heard nothing. There was nothing for any of them to hear, save for the male elf. The rumbling seemed to break up, and Aerin realized there were words now. Was there someone else here? He could hear Namari and Sir Walter speaking softly a ways off. They didn’t sound concerned over anything. Could they not hear it? Aerin strained to hear it, his smile having faded now, though both hands still remained on Benny.

“…where…it…” Aerin heard some of what was said, and he tilted his head. What was that? The voice sounded like a deep growling, and it was unnerving at best. And could no one else hear it?

“WHERE IS IT?!” This time it was loud, and this time it sounded like it was directly behind Aerin. The elf jumped, gasping a bit, and whirled, dropping his cane and pressing his back to Benny, eyes wide and color draining from his face. The voice sounded so…angry! And so uncomfortably close! Aerin put a hand out, half expecting to touch someone but no one was there. Lenore wasn’t freaking out…in fact the raven was watching Aerin, head tilted and concern on her face. Was nothing there? But…but he heard it…

[Namari Lovelle]

Benny was completely delighted; being pet by a new elf that smelled so nicely of flowers and forest. Having a new little friend thing - he still did not know what to make of Lenore's species - the dragon purred.

Namari was rather pleased; sending Walter off to gather Benny's saddle, she was happy to be causing a dream of someone's to come true. Especially someone in such poor luck as Aerin, to have lost his eyesight at a young age. The Queen could not imagine it.

But when her eyes returned to Aerin, his head tilted, she realized his mind was elsewhere. Which was odd, seeing as how he was acting earlier about meeting Benny. Namari was about to question this, but had no chance; as Aerin jumped and twirled around, so did she. But no one was there. She had not heard a sound.

Benny lifted his head slightly up, away from Lenore to look at Aerin. The golden beast tilted his head, and began to sniff the air. Had a forest critter scared him?

She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Aerin, taking a small step forward.

Meanwhile, Walter had emerged from the thick line of trees, a saddle fit for a dragon on his shoulder. He seemed to struggle with it slightly; the weight pulling him down. But as he came upon the two Walter stopped, watching as Aerin twirled around. His hand shot to the hilt of his sword, looking where Aerin did.

Just like everyone there, he did not hear nor see anything. But Walter was not one to take chances. He dropped the saddle, slowly unsheathing his sword, eyes narrowed as he moved closer to the group.

"Aerin," Namari murmured, another step closer to the elf. "What's wrong?"

[Aerin Vaettir]

There was a faint rumbling, and Aerin could practically feel anger pulsing at him. But from where? From what? The growling faded. There was only the sound of the breeze, Benny’s relaxed breathing and heart beating, a step or two from Namari or maybe Lenore, and the sound of a carefully unsheathed sword. Aerin jumped a bit when Namari spoke.

“Uh…” He managed, but fell silent again. He realized he was nearly gasping, and the hand that was held out was trembling a bit. He quickly pulled it back, pressing it to his chest, feeling his heartbeat pounding. He was still pale, and looked both confused and scared.

“Didn’t you…hear…?” He asked, but knew the answer already. Namari sounded concerned for him, and no more. She heard nothing. Walter did not say a thing. Lenore, who was able to hear things beyond Aerin’s ability, sat by without a squawk of alarm, and Benny, who Aerin assumed had the ability to hear beyond his own skill, was calm. Nobody heard it. Only Aerin heard the growling, angry voice. Was it in his head?

After a moment or two he let out a shaky laugh before running a hand through his hair.

“How foolish I am. I must be too excited or something. I thought I heard…something.” He said softly, trying to brush off his fear, though not doing a good job of it. His face took on one of pleasant calmness, though he felt anything but. “Do forgive me for alarming you Namari. And you Sir Walter!” He added, “I’m rather embarrassed to say I’m not myself today it seems.” He said, smiling pleasantly. Lenore tilted her head, and the look on her face said she was rather unconvinced by this little performance. She could feel her master’s distress, and it was puzzling and distressing to herself. She did not know where the source of his discomfort came from, which made it impossible for her to fix.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari looked over at Walter with uncertainty; was Aerin telling them the truth? There was no reason to lie about it. Not to mention, neither Benny nor Lenore seemed alarmed. At least, not to any noise.

Perhaps Aerin was being true to his words.

The Knight slid his sword back into the hilt at his side, placing his hands on his hips. He sighed through his nose, more alarmed about what Aerin could have heard than how the man himself was doing.

"That's quite alright," Namari turned back to Aerin, smiling softly. She wondered if he was well enough to ride Benny now.
"Do you think yourself fit to ride him?" she decided to ask, patting Benny on his side. The dragon purred, but still stared at Aerin with curiosity.

"If not, we could try another time," the Queen added, a small frown upon her face. Just what did Aerin think he heard?

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin blinked, looking a tad surprised for a moment when Namari mentioned the ride. He remembered that she had offered to let him ride the dragon the day before. How could he have forgotten? He also realized that he was still pressed against the dragon. He cleared his throat a bit and stepped forward, giving Benny a little distance, though the dragon seemed to hardly mind.

“Ah, yes. That,” Aerin said softly, turning to face the dragon again, stroking his side. “will be a bit impossible I’m afraid. I can’t really ride a horse due to my leg. More specifically my hip. It was completely shattered in my accident and I’m not capable of really rotating it anymore. I think riding a dragon would be out of the question.” He smiled again, though it looked a bit sad.

Lenore, having moved on from her master’s distress, stood and wandered over to where Walter stood, eying the saddle the knight had brought. She bent, head tilted, looking it over with great interest. She reached out to touch it, pulling the long sleeve of Aerin’s outer shirt back so she could. After a moment or two she stepped over it and sat in it, looking rather small in the adult sized saddle. She grinned and opened her mouth, the sound of a horse whinny coming out passed her lips.

“Thank you for the offer though,” Aerin added, smiling a happier smile towards Namari’s direction. “It is very kind of you to let me meet Benny. I rather like his company.”

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari frowned, rubbing a piece of her dress's cloth in between two fingers. What to do, what to do. She wasn't about to just let Aerin walk off without this opportunity - hip or no hip! She never let her lack on an arm control what she did and did not do.

Though admittedly it was a bit different. But Namari was headstrong.

"Why don't we ride together then," Namari stated firmly, a grin creeping to her lips.
"You could wrap your arms around me, and you'd be fine. The saddle's good for two; at least, smaller sized folk like us."
Certainly she could never do the same with the burlier Walter.

Benny paid no heed to the conversation, purring as he tilted his head at Lenore, staring at the girl in the saddle.

Walter had been staring at Lenore as well, uncomfortable around the thing. But his attention was turned right back to the two elves immediately when Namari said her suggestion.

"M'lady," he began, taking a step forward and furrowing his eyebrows. "I don't think that's wise... I can't guard you from down here."
A small excuse that was partially true. Walter was not worried about bandits or thieves trying to harm the Queen while she was in the air. No, it seemed the perfect opportunity for Aerin to do something if his intentions were harmful.

"Then take out your demon form and fly," Namari stated, looking at Walter sternly. The Knight shut up.

She turned back to Aerin, eyebrow raised slightly. Perhaps he had used his hip as an excuse to not ride Benny; maybe he didn't want to ride the dragon after all. But Namari thought it was worth a shot.

"So what'll it be? We can go home now if you'd prefer that," Namari stated, brushing at Benny's side absentmindedly.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin remained silent a moment, stroking Benny’s side, thinking over Namari’s suggestion. He had to admit, the idea of flying with Namari was attractive for multiple reasons. The first which being that there was no way he would be confident enough in flying on Benny alone. Having an experienced rider would calm him greatly. Plus, he’d be close to Namari.

Why would that matter?

Well, he didn’t know. Today was just a weird day. But the idea of being so close to the woman was nice. Arms wrapped about her form…

What in the world are you thinking? You have no idea what her form even is!

Oh for heaven’s sake…

Aerin quickly dismissed all other thoughts, finding them confusing. And they seemed like thoughts that’d complicate things. Sir Walter saved Aerin from replying immediately, stepping forward to voice his doubts. Aerin dismissed this as he mused. If he said yes, getting on the dragon wouldn’t be terribly difficult. He could use his magic to lift himself up and onto the saddle. And he did bring extra potions for pain. Gulp a few of those he could probably dance the elvish wedding dance his village did. And get high out of his mind in the process. Not like he hadn’t done that a few times, either from overdosing on his own potions or testing out new ones. A little fact he kept from Elle and everyone else.

“No, no! No need to go home,” Aerin said quickly when Namari casually suggested they leave. “That’s alright. I’ll take you up on your offer. I’d love a ride from Benny.” He said, his happy grin returning. A ride on Benny. He couldn’t even fathom what it would be like.

Lenore stepped off the saddle and walked back over to where Namari stood. She looked up at the Queen for a long moment before tilting her head.

“Safe?” She asked, using an old man’s voice. She pointed to Aerin, then to Benny, then took hold of Namari’s dress skirt, before repeating the word. “Safe?” She wanted to know if her master would be in safe hands. She wouldn’t be able to keep up with Benny, and being far from Aerin made her as nervous as Walter being far from Namari.

[Namari Lovelle]

(( Aerin is just way too freaking adorable LOL ))

Her grin grew wider; the Queen was looking forward to giving both Benny and Aerin this experienced. Showing Benny new people, giving Aerin an unforgettable experience. It made her very excited.

But in surprise she looked down at Lenore as she spoke the word safe. Pointed to Aerin. Then Benny. And took grasp of her skirt. Spoke again. The Queen smiled softly.
It was a reassuring thought to her that Aerin was clearly being looked after by Lenore.

"He'll be safe," Namari spoke, a sort of softness in her voice. "I'm a good rider. And Walter can fly fast if need be. Everything will be fine."

She smiled at Lenore, before giving a nod to Walter and looking at Aerin.
"But let me know if you need or want to stop. Flying on a dragon can be a little exhilarating after all."

Walter took the saddle once more, beginning to put it on the dragon. Benny purred in excitement, wagging his long tail slowly back and forth.

[Aerin Vaettir]

(lol I think so too. He’s becoming one of my favorite characters ever. I’m glad you like him so much!)

Lenore looked at Namari a little longer before releasing the woman’s dress. She still looked concerned though. Lenore shrugged out of the shirt Aerin gave her and quickly shifted into her natural raven form. She gave a harsh caw before fluttering over to Aerin, landing easily on his shoulder. Aerin didn’t flinch or react, since Lenore’s perch on his shoulder was very common. He reached up to gently scratch under her chin. Lenore made a gurgling sound, which to many others sounded incredibly strange, but Aerin knew it to be Lenore’s sound when she was pleased. It was her favorite spot to be scratched.

Aerin stepped back and out of Walter’s way as the knight stepped up to saddle Benny.

“I’ll be sure to let you know if it comes to that,” Aerin replied to Namari. He did wonder if he’d be overwhelmed. It was hard to tell considering the things he went through. He supposed accidently summoning some creature from a dark place was a tad different than riding something high in the sky. He’d be at Benny’s mercy. And Namari’s.

“You know Namari, your name sounds incredibly similar to the word ‘farewell’ in my native tongue,” Aerin piped up randomly, stroking Lenore’s black feathers. Lenore let out a cooing sound, shifting in her spot on Aerin’s shoulder, before staring at Walter with her black beady eyes.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari raised an eyebrow, tilting her head in interest. "Oh? That's quite peculiar. In my country, having a name similar to a word is a sign."
She quite hoped not; saying farewell to anyone did not exactly seem like a good omen.

But Namari did not think of it in this way. In fact, she just smirked.
"Perhaps this is saying farewell to your calm way of life," the woman joked.
Walter moved the saddle back and forth to make sure it was secure, before moving back and nodding to the queen.
"All set," he said, eyes avoiding Lenore; feeling the stare she was giving him. It nearly made him shiver.

"Well then! Do you need any help getting on, Aerin?" Namari asked as Benny lowered himself onto his belly, letting Namari slide into the front of the saddle. She looked at her newly found elf friend with a smile. Namari's arm was stretched out slightly so that he could take it, in order to get on easier.

[Aerin Vaettir]

“Does it? I suppose parents must select names for their children carefully then.” Aerin replied, wondering how different elves from Namari’s country were from elves of his own small village. “I guess it is a good thing we never considered farewell a bad thing from where we come from.” He added. He smiled at Namari’s little joke, mostly finding it amusing how everyone assumed Aerin led a calm life. He supposed he did. If you omitted the antics of his sister and the things he did when in his office with the door closed late at night. Other than that, things were calm.

Aerin shifted a bit nervously when Walter announced that Benny was saddled. He listened to Namari mount the dragon.

“I don’t think so, I should be able to get on well enough.” He replied, stepping up to the dragon. He paused, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial, popping the wax seal and draining it. He pocketed the vial, moved again to touch Benny, paused once more, before drawing another vial and draining its contents. He half considered taking another before deciding he didn’t want to risk getting high. He reached out, touching the dragon till he found the saddle, completely missing Namari’s offered hand, mostly because he didn’t see it, and partly because he hadn’t brushed against it yet.

He slid his hand along the saddle, gauging how wide it was as well as how long from the back of the saddle to Namari herself. His pinky brushed the fabric of her dress before pulling back. He didn’t want to feel up Namari. Granted, being blind gave him free reign over other’s bodies for some reason, a trick others seemed to allow him. They apparently thought since he couldn’t see he could grope his way about them without him having any wayward thought or something. It was a tad bizarre, and Aerin tried to avoid it. He didn’t think invading ones personal bubble was necessary. He figured out his space to sit in the saddle, realizing it would be a bit snug of a fit, before he shut his eyes, using his levitation magic to lift himself up and into the saddle. Once seated and settled he reopened his eyes. “Alright. What next?” He asked, keeping his hands to his sides. If he was to hold onto Namari he’d let her guide his hands.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari reached behind her with her arm, gently taking one of Aerin's hands and sliding it onto her chest. She figured he would wrap the other one around as well; seeing as she only had one arm she could not take the other hand. Then she watched as Walter put the reins on Benny.

"Just hold on tight and enjoy the breeze," Namari smiled. "And let me know if you want to go down. We won't be flying too fast, or too high off the ground. So there's no worry there. And I can get a tight grip of your arms if you feint from panic, or something."

She doubted it would happen. But being blind, she assumed Aerin would be more nervous than most of things going wrong.
Namari also wanted to make sure Lenore knew that Aerin was in safe hands.

Walter passed the reins to Namari, whom gripped it tightly.
"Ready, then?" Namari asked, making sure that the man was not having second thoughts.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin circled his arms about Namari’s form, hoping his pounding heart wasn’t hammering the woman in the back. It was a mix of being nervous, excited, and being in such a close proximity to a woman. He hadn’t really ever shared space like this before, and he was glad she guided his hands. Otherwise he had no clue where to place them. Aerin was always well known for his distance. And being a devil worshipper, but that was irrelevant.

“Considering my condition, I don’t think height really matters to me.” Aerin replied. They could fly two feet off the ground and he’d never know the difference. “I’d have to ask not to do too many rolls in the air. I don’t fancy the idea of falling off.” He said, smiling a bit. He waited a minute, hearing Walter walking, before Namari asked him if he was ready.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” He said, his excitement beginning to rapidly outgrow his nervousness.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari chuckled; no rolls in the air today. Not for a first time flier. She remembered back when she had first begun riding Benny; thinking she was ready for a few tricks.

She was not, and ended up having motion sickness.

"Alright then!" the Queen turned her head to face forward, a big grin on her face. It was as if she were riding the dragon for the first time!
Walter backed up, hands on his hips in frustration. This was a bad idea in his mind. "Be careful, m'Lady."

Namari gave Walter a nod before turning her attention back to her horse. She gave him a slight pat on his side before gripping the reigns tightly, giving a firm but gentle kick into Benny's side. The dragon stood now, but crouched ever so slightly as he began to stretch out his wings. the dragon purred with delight; he was a worker. And flying around two beings on his back was a good way to satisfy his working needs.

Then it took not time at all; with one push of his strong golden wings, they were in the air. Namari with a huge grin on her face as Benny began to move forward, claws of his feet nearly touching the leaves of the trees below them. Wind rushing through fur and hair.

"I've missed doing this..." she murmured to herself absentmindedly, remembering how it had been months since she had last ridden Benny.