(Thanks!)
Ophelia smiles softly at him. "It is a pleasure to officially meet you, Solis." It's nice to put a name to the face. "Only a few minutes, right past those trees." She gestures for him to follow her as she leads the way towards the forest. "We will be there before you know it."
Solis nods and follows behind Ophelia. The trees were all the more gorgeous from his new perspective. Plus it was even better to have a guide to the somewhat new world. It was quite odd as well how the forest seemed to be less wild the further away they got from the clearing. At one point, the ground was less grass covered and clear of bushes and shrubs. And then, he saw it. The village where the woman in front of him probably lived. Just feet away. It was still quite small even human sized, but seemed nice enough.
Ophelia hums quietly to herself as she walks through the forest. The birds chirp loudly and a few rabbits hop across their path. They reach the village a few minutes later. A couple of kids run around and play while their parents work or shop at the market. She smiles and picks up a stray ball, throwing it over to them so they can continue with their game. "What do you think?" She asks, leading the way towards the market. That's where all of the action will be.
Bump…….
Solis looked around curiously. All of the laughter and chaos was kind of endearing in a sense. It was a haven of life. The dragon watched Ophelia toss a ball towards some children and he smiled. It was amazing how she had invited him into her own life so quickly. "It certainly is lively," he replied with a small chuckle.
(Thanks for letting me know!)
Ophelia smiles once they reach the market. As usual, it’s buzzing with life and exited chatter fills the air. “Yes, it is. We may not be as big or as wealthy as many of the other villages but we do have wonderful people to make up for it.” Everyone knows everyone and the community is friendly with their own. Now, strangers, strangers are a different story. People are afraid to welcome the unknown into their lives.
Solis was about to mention that the town seemed quite small for such a large amount of humans, bud didn't want to bring down the mood. Instead, he just followed Ophelia closely as to not get lost in the crowd. He noticed a few looks cast his way as if they were unsure of him. It made him nervous knowing what he was. Keeping this to himself again, he let the colorful goods being sold take his attention.
Ophelia takes ahold of his hand and pulls him along so that he doesn’t get lost. “Is there anything you want to look at? Most booths sell food but a few sell toys and furniture and other items.” Looking around, she has no trouble ignoring the strange looks that she’s receiving. She’s used to the looks. Being her age and unmarried is considered strange.
Solis stared at their intertwined fingers for a moment before looking back up. "Not anything in particular. I really wouldn't have the slightest of ideas of what would be good," the dragon admitted. Taking another glance at the crowd, he noticed the village people were looking at Ophelia strangely as well. Was it because of him or… something else?
“Hm, we should start with John Walker’s booth. He seeks pastries and you seemed to like the muffins from earlier,” Ophelia decides after a moment before leading the way through the crowd. After a moment, they arrive at a booth that’s selling all sorts of baked goods. Anything from cookies to pies to cakes. “What do you think? I don’t have much money on me at the moment but it should be enough for a few things.”
"Oh, you don't have to do that. I thought you were simply going to show me, not spend your resources on me," Solis protested. The treats did look good, but he didn't necessarily need them. He also didn't want to be seen as someone who could be easily bribed with food. "It does look great though," he assured the man at the booth with a smile.
“Please, allow me to do this. I get to eat these wonderful foods often but you have never tried them. We are friends now and as your friend I want you to be able to have some pastries,” Ophelia insists, gesturing towards the display. “What would you like?” Everything is delicious so whatever he chooses is guaranteed to be good.
Solis narrowed his eyes into a light glare. "Only if you agree that we share them," he said, completely serious. Ophelia had said her village wasn't the most abundant in currency. He wanted her to have her fill of food. Dragonkind didn't have to worry about "money" or "paying" for things. They had a mutual respect and were able to share the supplies properly. It only made sense that Ophelia take part.
Ophelia sighs quietly but nods her head in agreement. She doesn't want to argue with him and this is a far compromise. "If it is all the same to you, I will be taking my share back to my house instead of eating it right away." Due to how harsh winter was later year she's gotten in the habit of squirreling away any and all food that she doesn't immediately eat. "Pick something out," She prompts him, gesturing once more to the display of pastries.
"Fine," he said, eyes darting prom each individual treat. They paused on what looked like flaky squares with gaps on the top displaying some type of red filling. Solis pointed at one, turning to Ophelia. "I've picked one. Now pick one of your favorites. I wish to try that as well."
"Could you get me one of the raspberry pastries, please, Mr. Walker?" Ophelia requests as she pulls some money out of her basket. "And one vanilla scone." The man nods and neatly wraps the pastries for her. She finds the correct amount of money and hands it over before receiving the food.
Solis stares at the food before looking at the man and thanking him. He was the one who prepared it after all. He then smiles at Ophelia, thankful to her. How he found such a woman still amazed him. And she had called him… her friend.
Ophelia hands over both pastures to Solis before leading him away from the booth so they don’t get in anyone’s way. “You are going to love those. Mr. Walker makes the best patties in town.” She does a little baking herself that hasn’t turned out bad but her skills don’t compare to Mr. Smith’s.
Solis looked at the treats laying in his palms before shrugging. "If they're anywhere near as good as what you make, I'm sure I will," he replied. He tore off a small piece of what Ophelia had called a 'vanilla scone' and popped it into his mouth. It was sweeter than what he expected, but still plenty good. The airiness was quite the satisfying texture. He grinned at his friend as he was dragged along. "It's nice," he said with a small hum before handing Ophelia the rest. It was then time to try the raspberry flavored one. It was more of a golden color compared to the pastry before and more fragile. After they stopped to the side, a bit of the filling made his fingers sticky as he carefully ripped the treat. Shoving a small portion into his mouth, Solis found that he prefered this to the one before. It was sweet with a hint of bitterness of the raspberries. The pastry itself was buttery and sweet. "Oh my stars."
Ophelia smiles at his words. “I appreciate that.” It’s always nice to hear that someone enjoys her cooking. She leads him over to where a couple of barrels are set up. They can sit here for now. She hops up onto the barrel and takes a seat, smoothing out her dress. Turning her head, she watches as he takes a bite of the vanilla scone. “Not your preference?” She asks, taking it from him when it’s offered. Different people have different tastes so it’s not like she’s going to hold this against go. Amusement sparkles in her eyes as she watched his reaction to the raspberry treat. “Is it really that good?” She giggles, delighted by his adorable reaction. Now that she knows he likes raspberries, she’ll have to make him some jam or some other raspberry pastries.
Solis nodded. "Both are good," he said, handing Ophelia the rest. "The scone was quite sweet and the raspberry one had different tastes at once," he thought aloud. He hummed in satisfaction as he watched the crowds wander by. "I've really enjoyed this."
Ophelia rewraps both pastries before tucking them into her basket. “I’m glad that you enjoyed this. It was fun having you come to the village.” Smiling, she looks over to him. “Will you come visit me here sometime? I leave in a little house out by the border between the forest and the village. The goats may be upset if you open the gate but they wouldn’t harm a fly. Just please be wary of the cow. She has a temper. So do the horses. The sheep and the pigs and the chicken are calm.”
Solis gives Ophelia a sharp grin. "Sure I will. I'd be happy to," he replied. He wondered if the animals would sense he wasn't human. Perhaps not. None of the humans had seemed to anyways. "II'll be sure to watch out for that," he added.
Ophelia smiles at his agreement. "It will be nice to have some company that doesn't come from my animals." While, yes, she does love her animals, they aren't great conversationalists. "Where do you live, Solis? In the forest?" She asks curiously.