forum Romance?

Started June 22, 2020 by @ElderGodSwimwithGamers group

tune

Archer hauled his bag over his shoulder. Now having done things with his hands and only slightly haunted by the memory of that moment, he walked up to the drakes. Most of them seemed to be in the river, bathing, drinking, grooming each other-
Wait, grooming each other? These things act so much like mammals it’s almost disturbing.
Laying in the water, two drakes- female and male- seemed to be licking at each other’s eyes and around their mouths. The prince pulled out his trusty notebook and started making observations. Was it some sort of courtship, since these were drakes of the opposite gender? Maybe, or it was simply a social rite one does as a sign of friendship or something of the sort. He would ask, but suddenly Sebastian came up in his thoughts again for some reason, and besides, he had matters to attend to.
He finished scribbling and put the notebook away, spotting the Zenpiri sitting on the shore of the river. His amber eyes flicked around, whether out of impatience or nervousness Archer wasn’t sure. Maybe both. In any case, he seemed to relax as the prince approached.
”Where is the other human?” the Zenpiri rumbled.
“He went to get food for the journey,” he said as he bowed. “He’ll be here soon.”
The drake pawed the ground. “Other zunthos reported recently that humans with sharp things and hard skins were in the area. They seemed to be moving in our direction.”
Archer’s breathing quickened, all other thoughts driven from his mind. More knights. Could he convince them to join to? That depends… They may not be in the mood for diplomacy.
“We’ll need to leave soon,” he said, almost to himself as much as to the Zenpiri.
“Of course,” the drake swayed his tail. “When the other human comes, you may choose your mounts and we will depart.”
He glanced up. “Thank you, Zenpiri,” he smiled. “We would appreciate a faster mode of transport.”
He seemed to nod, silent. Archer bowed and went to the river. Managing to find a space that wasn’t crowded with drakes, he bent down to wash his face. Then he rose, internally preparing himself for what was to come.

Sebastian found it was harder and harder not to think of the prince. He had no idea what lay ahead, or behind them, that was causing Archer so much worry. Yes, he knew there would be challenges, but he trusted himself, the prince, even the drakes to be able to deal with them.
The knight made his way out of the forest, looking around once for Archer. When he spotted the prince, he made his way over with a nod.
"I have the food," he said after a moment. Now was no time for frivolous thoughts, so he simply cast them to the side. Even if they would nag occasionally, push their way forward, Sebastian ignored them.

Archer nodded back. “Thank you,” he said stiffly, immediately putting up an emotional guard around himself. “The Zenpiri has informed me that there are more knights in the area. Will you be ready to leave soon?”

Sebastian stiffened some at the mention of the knights, nodding again.
"I will be," the knight confirmed. This was… concerning, to say the least. It seemed it would be sooner rather than later Sebastian would have to do something to protect the prince's name. He wasn't going to let it be tarnished before the prince was completely ready to reveal his findings. Sebastian might not have as much time to prepare himself for that, but he knew, in the end, he'd still be able to do it.

“Excellent. When you are, you can pick a drake to ride, or…” he stopped before he could say, or we could ride the same one, if you don’t feel comfortable. It would not be a wise choice of words.
If they were lucky, the drakes could be fast enough that they wouldn’t encounter the knights at all. Then again, the Zenpiri didn’t say how many there were, if they were on foot or on horseback, how far away they were from their position, if they seemed to know they were here or if they were just coming this way by coincidence…
Huh, was he getting too comfortable with dragons’ vague language? Probably.