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.
The dragon nodded. He didn't add on any further explanation as he didn't want her to find where he truly lived. The other dragons would have both of their heads. And quite literally at that. Shaking that thought away, Solis smiled at Ophelia. Not that she seemed the type to, but it made him happy knowing she didn't see him as an animal.
Noting how reluctant he is to tell her details, she drops the subject. She hops off of the barrel and takes ahold of his hand. "Come on." Smiling, she tugs him along one of the pathways. Looking around at the busy village is always fun. People are always milling around and doing something interesting. "There will be a festival in town tonight. Would you like to come?"
Solis hummed in thought. He cast his spell early in the morning. He would have until the morning to do as he wished. "I am willing, though I don't want you spending any more of your money on me today," he said, a bit of a joking tone in his voice.
Ophelia's face heats up as she nods her head. She has spent more money today than she usually would in a week. "No more money." Well, no more money that she'll let him know of. "There will be games and dancing and a band from a bigger village will be coming to play."
Solis smiles, showing his teeth. It was still kind of odd that they were now flat in his mouth. "Sounds exciting," he said. And he meant it. He then starts to wonder about what games entail. Hopefully something he could make sense of, unlike dancing. Music was a nice thought though.
"Would you like to stay here until the festival starts or do you need to head home?" Ophelia asks, not wanting to keep him here if he has something to attend to. A few of her chores still need to be done but she should have plenty of time to complete them later.
Solis stuck of his tongue a moment in thought. He hummed before asking a single question. "How far exactly do you live from the village?" If she lived far enough, he could stay, but release his magic for awhile. Then, he would have the time to stay a bit longer. It was somewhat curious why he wanted to stay with this human. She had been kind to him, yes, but that shouldn't matter in the long run. He should be with his own kind. Keyword being should. Not required.
Ophelia turns and points past the houses and towards a small hill. "Beyond the hill. My house is in a cluster of trees. Right outside of the forest." It would be hard to see her house from the village unless one was standing atop a roof and knew where to look. She enjoys the privacy. It allows her more freedom than living in the village would. That's part of the reason why she doesn't have many connections in the village. No one really knows or understands her. She turns back to him and fixes him with a curious look, silently waiting for him to explain.
"Good," he says with a nod. "I can go back to normal for a while. Restore more magic before tonight," he explained as he stood from his spot. Dusting off his clothes, he turns to Ophelia again. "Lead the way," he added with a small smile.
She carefully brushes the dirt off of her dress before leading the way down one of the paths. "How does your magic work?" She asks curious, wanting to know more about him. Magic is an interesting subject and she'd like to learn more about it.
Solis was surprised by the question at first. Of course she would want to know. He simply grinned at her and winked. "You'll see soon enough. It is also not wise to talk about it with so many people around," he said, brushing a few stray bangs out of his face.
Ophelia childishly sticks her tongue out at him before turning onto the path that leads to her cottage. “I am going to want a straight answer sooner or later so I hope you have one prepared,” She says with a grin. How nice it must be for him to be a dragon instead of a human. She’s naturally curious about all of that.
The dragon chuckles at the woman's actions. She acted like a small child at points. It was quite endearing actually. "You will get one, I assure you. Just not out in the open," he promised. It was quite nice to be out into strange territory. And so easily as well. The human he was being lead by was strange as well. She didn't fear him, in fact, she seemed to enjoy his presence for that matter. And… he returned those feelings. It confused him as to why. Did he want to learn more about the other species? Was it the promise of trying new things? He really couldn't say. There was only the small tug at his heart towards Ophelia. He'd have time to make up his mind before long. He wasn't necessarily needed in the group constantly. Just that he return every now and again to avoid suspicion. There was a small downside though: He would have a new smell on him. The other dragons would be able to tell. If he went back, he would simply bathe in a pond and sun dry before finishing the trip.
If he left, what would Ophelia think…? That he abandoned her? He pushed all the 'what ifs' aside and focused on his footing.
Ophelia hums quietly as they make their way down the dirt path. It’s rather nice to have company. The people in her village don’t quite like her as much as she hopes for. An unmarried woman of her age living alone outside of the village is scandalous. They cast her strange looks and often go out of their way to avoid her. It used to hurt but she’s grown to accept it. It wasn’t until she met Solis that she relieved how much she wants a friend. His companionship makes her all the more grateful that they met. It’s nice not to be alone anymore. Loud mooing and clicking and neighing and baaing snaps her out of her thoughts. The animals can see them so that means they’re close. She looking around, smiling when she sees Fritter, her cow, grazing in the pasture accompanied by Lily and Georgie, the goats. Molly, the sheep, stands off to the side. The chickens and pigs are all in their pen. A few cats lounge around and a large scruffy dog is on the porch. Flowers burst from the sides of the house and along the path. A lovely garden is off to the side. She opens the gate and steps up to the small but charming cottage. It’s not much but it’s hers.
"You did not mention you kept other pets as well," Solis noted, observing the cats and single dog. He bit the inside of his cheek lightly, worrying his true form would scare the poor creatures off. "I will say that your home is quite nice. Quaint but beautiful in its own way," he added. It was fairly nice compared to the other homes he saw in the village. Mostly for the privacy reason and the nature around them. Walking after Ophelia, he rolls his shoulders to stretch.
"Well, they are not exactly mine. I just feed them so they stay near my house. The brown tom cat is Happy, the white she-cat is Pearl, the black tom is Jester, and the calico she-cat is Willa. The dog is Monty," Ophelia points to each animal in turn. "Thank you, I appreciate that." The compliment delights her since she takes such pride in the upkeeping of her home. "Would you like to come in for a minute or do you need to go ahead and rest?" She doesn't want him to exhaust himself.
"Either is alright with me," he said calmly. He technically had several hours left in the transformation, but if she were to insist he rest, then he would. But a bit further away from Ophelia's creatures she kept. He didn't want to risk them running off to get away from him. He could understand how they would be afraid
"Then why don't you come inside for a few minutes? I made some tarts and strawberry jam last night." She gestures for him to follow as she leads the way into the cottages. The cats meow and run up to her, begging for food. Monty barks and hopefully wags his tail. She pulls out pieces of bread and passes them out to all of the animals.
Solis nods and walks in slowly after Ophelia. He watched the cats pick and nibble at the bread and the dog immediately tear off a decent chunk. It was a sweet gesture, but he wondered if bread was actually healthy for them or not.
Ophelia steps into the house and heads straight for the kitchen. A pot of chicken and rice sits on the counter. "Make yourself at home," She tells Solis with a smile before grabbing a couple of bowls and filling some of them with the mixture and then the rest with some water.
The dragon hummed as he scanned the humble abode. It certainly was… homey. A bit small in some areas, but it didn't need to be big to provide for a single human. He assumed the other doors were likely a restroom and bedroom. Not having much to do with himself, Solis sauntered into the kitchen area to be met with another pleasant aroma. It smelled more savory than the baked goods. Like meat. His mouth watered despite having a sandwich, muffins and whatever that raspberry thing was. All from Ophelia. He leaned next to the doorframe, watching the woman for a minute. She was quite the rarity. Kind and altruistic.
Ophelia packed a basket carefully with the bowls before packing another with hay, seeds, and a sloppy looking mixture. “I’ll be back in a moment.” She heads outside and offers the bowls of chicken, rice, and water to the cats and dogs. The hay goes to the cow, horses, goats, and sheep. The sloop is for the pigs and the seed of for the chicken. With the animals fed, she heads back inside and puts the baskets away. “Are you hungry? I don’t have much but help yourself. There should be some tarts, bread, jam, and ham somewhere.” Her food supply is running rather short but she’s hoping to sell some wool in the next few days so she can afford much purchases.
(Just so you l know, I'll be gone until Monday!)
Solis bit his tongue. Of course that chicken and rice wasn't for him. He needed to get himself together. "Not really," the dragon replied. It was mostly the truth of course. His dragon instincts became eager at the thought of something rather than sugar to fill his stomach. He had eaten a fair amount within the last hour or two. If he did get hungry, he could always dart back into the woods and catch his fill. Perhaps he could transform again and bring back berries for Ophelia as well. It was a nice thought.
(Thanks for letting me know!)
"Are you sure?" Ophelia asks, not wanting him to go hungry. She doesn't know much about dragons but she assumes that their diet would consist heavily of meat. From what she knows, all he has eaten today is sugary foods. While the treats are delicious, they just aren't that filling. She glances over to the roasted ham sitting on the counter. Only about half is left but it should be more than enough for a couple of sandwiches. She takes out a knife and begins to cut off some slices.
Solis nods as he watches Ophelia do as she wishes despite his reply. He raised a brow, quite liking it however. Kind and stubborn. It was quite a good mix. Humans would take advantage of that though… Perhaps that was why he wanted to be around her so much. To protect an innocent soul. "I am sure."
