Dances for Dragons

Ariel beamed. He was going to show her his dragon! She'd always wanted to see one up close, and Estevan was going to give her a chance to! Between his warning and the common knowledge that Wyverns were vicious, ill-tempered, and unpredictable at best, she knew she should by all means be afraid, or at least a little unnerved, rather than as excited as she was. But honestly? People said the same thing about Dark Magic, and while she had believed it for the longest time, now that she had been forced to use it, she had learned that it wasn't THAT much different from Anima; it was only dangerous if the person controlling it was incompetent. Surely, the same applied to Wyverns, and if Estevan could handle his without scarring, he had to be competent.

She jumped forward, hooking her arm in his. "I'm Ariel," she said. "And let's go right now. My companion told the others I'm busy, so I don't have to be back at the wagons until tonight. What's her name?"

Grinning like a fool as he walked with the newly introduced Ariel, Estevan took a moment to appreciate her simple, yet enchanting beauty. What a happy turn of events! He hadn't expected her to leap into his arms like that, but he wasn't complaining. There were quite a few things about the young dancer's appearance that attracted him... but in the end, he decided her eyes were her most striking feature. They were so bright and earnest... the kind you could lose yourself in.

"Ah, now there's a story behind that one!" Estevan chuckled as Ariel inquired about his mount's name. "You see, my wyvern's scales are a brilliant scarlet colour, while her underbelly is a soft orange. When she flies against the backdrop of a sunset sky, she blends right in. It's like natural camouflage. I've never seen anything quite like it in my life. She's beautiful... And the funny thing is, I think she knows it. She's always been a competitive girl, ever since she was a hatchling. She'd scrap with the other wyverns over the smallest things, and wouldn't bow to anyone. So, because she rules the dusky skies as well as the wyvern pens, the men took to calling her 'the Sunset Princess,' and the name stuck. It's a fitting name, though perhaps not as pretty as yours, Miss Ariel."

Chivalrously glancing away so as not to look upon the blush he knew his remark would provoke, Estevan spied what appeared to be the local drinking establishment, given the large sign depicting a frothing tankard of ale hanging next to the door. No doubt Julio and the rest were already inside, getting sloshed. In fact, wasn't that-

With a start, the wyvern rider recognized his squadmates, who had seated themselves next to a window and were currently in the process of draining the town's alcohol supply. He could make out the form of Julio, evidently deep in his cups as he swung his arms around and laughed, probably recounting some outlandish tale of his own exploits. It was too late to guide Ariel down a different street and thus avoid detection, nor did he wish to alarm the girl by suddenly adopting a brisker pace. He would just have to keep moving and pray his comrades didn't notice. Unfortunately, the instant Estevan had settled on this course of action, Julio abruptly swiveled his head toward the window at the worst possible moment.

Their eyes met, and Julio's jaw dropped. Estevan smiled and gave him a coy little wave of acknowledgement, then turned his attention back to Ariel, in the hopes of distracting her from the uproar his friends were likely to raise.

"How long have you been interested in wyverns for, Miss Ariel? If you don't mind my asking, of course. Is it a recent thing, or...?"

The Sunset Princess, huh? That was certainly an unusual name, but Ariel chose not to comment on that. Warhorses and Pegasi had strange names sometimes, too, and it did make the Wyvern sound very pretty. It was evident that Estevan was very proud of her, too, making him more eager to show her off to Ariel. It was good fortune on her part, and the longer they walked towards the stables the more excited she became. She wondered how true the tales of the beasts' ferocity were. As a performer, she knew well the value of embellishing the truth, but on the other hand everyone always said the same thing about them. She couldn't wait.

Estevan seemed to notice something in a pub across the street, promptly turning back towards her and asking her a question. "Well... you know how most little girls get into horses? I just... got into Wyverns. They're pretty cool, but there's also a sense of mystery to them because civilians aren't normally allowed near them." She leaned to a side, looking past him to see a man in similar armour coming out of the pub. "...is that a friend of yours, Estevan?"

Drat!

It was with a crestfallen expression that Estevan received the unwelcome news that Ariel had noticed his unruly squadmates, inwardly cursing his ill fortune. Refusing to even look in the direction of the tavern for fear that he might betray the slightest hint of recognition, the young knight shook his head slowly. The last thing he wanted was to introduce that idiot Julio to Ariel. What would he tell his comrade? That he was taking this girl to see his wyvern? There were only two possible interpretations for that statement. One was a serious breach of protocol, while the other was a serious *and* embarrassing breach of protocol.

"No... No, certainly not. I-"

"ESTEVAAAAAAN! YOU DASTAAAAAARD!"

Wincing at the rather extreme volume of Julio's shout, Estevan nonetheless made a half-hearted attempt to conceal his affiliation with the inebriated soldiers by feigning ignorance: "Ahaha... You know, it's the strangest thing. My name is really quite common, you know. Why, there are so many Estevans in my company, we can barely keep track of them all!"

It was a thoroughly unconvincing bluff. She wasn't going to buy that. He had to get her away from here.

Switching tactics, Estevan gave Ariel's arm a gentle tug, urging her forward. "Anyways! Let's not keep you in suspense any longer than we have to, eh? Come, it's just a bit further to the stables..."

The armoured man came lurching out of the pub an towards them, slurring Estevan's name at an uncomfortable volume. Ariel didn't believe for a second the two weren't acquainted, but she paid it no heed. The knight was very obviously drunk, and Ariel had had plenty of uncomfortable run-ins with drunks. "Oh, is it?" she said when he mentioned the stables, and let him tug her further, "That's great!" As they continued on, she looked over her shoulder nervously. "...is your friend going to be alright?" she asked, slightly concerned for the stumbling and disoriented man. "I didn't know Wyvern Riders drank... it seems awfully dangerous."

She knew better than anyone what effects alcohol had on motor skills and balance. As a dancer, these were skills Ariel needed, so she made it a point to only drink if she knew she wouldn't be performing for a while. Of course, as a Dark Mage she had to keep her wits about her, so she also wanted to be sure she wouldn't be fighting for a while before drinking. Combined with the times, that meant she didn't drink much. Laura and a few others could definitely put it away, though.

"Oh!" she suddenly said, perking up. "Is that it? Is that where your Wyvern is?" She pointed towards the large barn they were approaching. She suspected it contained stables, judging from the strong scent in the area...