She shuddered slightly, the feeling strange but not unwelcome. If the words ‘my flame’ had come from anyone else, she would have issues with them. But from Elijah, the had always sounded sweet. “You promise? If I go take a nap, will you come with me?”
"I'll be in the room, yes," Elijah said with a nod, glancing over at the side of her head as he ceased in his movements after feeling her shudder. Though a dragon at heart, he wasn't about to jump into the bed with her at the first hint of suggestion. He would have her make that decision.
“No, I mean-next to me.” She said quietly, barely audible. “In bed. You’re-it won’t be exactly the same as it was, but…sleeping next to you was always what made it easier.” She admitted, keeping her head tucked in the crook of his neck to hide the light flush on her cheeks.
He pursed his lips as he looked back up at the wall, thinking. "Very well," he murmured, knowing that she wouldn't sleep if he didn't agree to it. It would be slightly strange, but he figured he could get used to the feeling. "You'd just have to wait for me to change out of my armor. Not exactly the most comfortable clothing to lay in," he added with a hint of humor, curling his fingers against the nape of her neck, not actually grabbing her.
She snorted, warm breath puffing against his neck, before she lifted her head again. "Yeah, you probably aren't very comfortable right now, either, huh? Gods, these dresses are horrible too, if it makes you feel better." She offered, smiling softly down at him as she leaned slightly against his fist.
He offered a hint of a smile, dropping his hand so they both folded around her upper arms, his elbows hitting the floor as he did so. "Not exactly, but who am I to ruin your happiness?" The corner of his lips twitched up in amusement as she commented on her dress. "I can only imagine, but you don't seem too fond of them, so I'll say they aren't worth the fuss."
"You would look stunning in a dress." She teased, brightening even more at the sight of his tiny smile. "Far better looking than I could ever hope to be. You have the height for them. I'm too small to pull of the elegance my father wishes I could. And if you aren't comfortable, you should say something. I can let you up, you know."
"You have your own form of elegance, Ali," he said, eyes sparkling at seeing how bright she was, "I, however, do not, and will not ever put on one of these things." He playfully pinched at the cloth over her shoulder, letting it go after a second. "And yes, I know. But I'm fine. Comfort isn't exactly a luxury that a dragon typically has to trifle with."
She made a face at him, the expression not lasting long before she was smiling again. “My elegance is more tripping over my own feet. And are you sure I can’t convince you to wear a dress?” It was obvious she was kidding, messing with him instead of actually wanting to put him in a dress. “Yeah, yeah. I can stand if you aren’t comfortable. I don’t mind.”
"How about," he said pointedly, shifting just a bit as he rose his brows up at Ali, "you get up so you can take a nap. I don't want to be looking after a clutz of a woman that is perfectly capable on her own because she's tired." He avoided the subject of the dress altogether, knowing she was joking about it.
“I function fine when I’m tired.” She said, wrinkling her nose as she complained. Secretly, she was scared that the nightmares would still be there to greet her. That even with Elijah finally there they wouldn’t leave her alone. “What if, instead of sleep, I sneak into the library? I’m still banned but there’s this passage behind a bookshelf in the back…”
"Ali," he pressed, reaching over to lightly poke her side—not the burned side. He gave her a look. He didn't know about her fear, but he was still worried about her. Not being able to sleep wasn't a good thing, especially if it's a recurring thing. He wasn't going to let her get off the hook that easily. "At least half an hour," he said, "and then you can go to the library."
She squirmed away from his finger, pulling a face again as she stifled the small laughing noise that threatened to slip out. "But I want to go to the library now. I don't want to sleep." Reaching up, she pushed her hair back out of her face, shaking her head and just causing it to fall again. "Reading is more fun."
"But sleep is more necessary," Elijah insisted, then tipped his head to the side with a vague expression on his face that was like amusement and joy. "Don't make me carry you." He had used to carry her around to make her do what she had to do but didn't want to—like sleep. He remembered picking her up and depositing her into a cliff with soft moss so she couldn't get down to not sleep, then resting his head on the same cliff as he rested against the side of the cave and let her use his head as something to sleep against.
"You wouldn't." Ali challenged, placing her hands on either side of his head to prop herself up some. "You've got a human body now, remember? It doesn't work the same." It seemed she'd forgotten, at least momentarily, that she was small enough near anyone could pick her up. And that humans could still carry things and people.
He tipped his head back some more to meet her challenging gaze with one of his own. "Try me," he said slowly, eyes alight with an icy spark as he reached up to lightly put his hands on her waist, getting ready to lift her up. Even as a human, Elijah was still bigger than her, and could easily pick her up and carry her around, especially with how he was used to carrying around his armor.
“You’re so much smaller now. Bet.” He’s also still over twice your size. She ignored the definitely right voice in the back of her head, almost wanting him to pick her up. She had missed that. Everything about him, but certain things were missed so much more.
He didn't say anything, just lifted her up as he stood up. Once he got to his feet, he lifted Ali up into his arms, bridal style, and stared down at her with a slightly arched brow, as if to say 'you were saying?' to her. She almost as light as a feather to him, barely weighing anything as he held her. "Bet taken."
"Dammit." She huffed, a small frown/pout drawing her eyebrows together and lips down in a slightly adorable and slightly funny expression. She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning into him as she looked up at him. "I could have you excommunicated from the guard for this." They both knew she wasn't serious. She had finally gotten him back, after plenty of work and sacrifice from him, and sleepless trapped in a tower on her part. Letting him go now was something she'd never do, even if it cost her her life.
Elijah looked down at her with a knowing expression, though the emotion was minimal—as was usual for him. "Do it," he dared softly with a twinkle in his eyes. He didn't bother to wait for a response from her as he looked around and said, "Room?" He might need a less conspicuous route to her chambers, due to her being in his arms and getting carried. He might not know everything he needed to know about knights, but he figured it would be slightly frowned upon.
Ali didn't respond to the dare, just let out a 'harrumph' at him as she uncrossed and crossed her arms again dramatically. "Take the back halls. Down that way, and to the right. There'll be a tapestry of a really big worm, and behind that, is a passageway." She said, snuggling into him despite her faux-grumpy expression.
He glanced down at her as she snuggled against him, then diverted his attention to where he was going as he followed her instructions. His stride was swift but steady, his footsteps echoing through the halls as he walked with a constant rhythm. "Should I ask about the worm?" he murmured, looking back down at her with a raised brow.
"I found the tapestry down in the catacombs while exploring, and thought it was hilarious." She stated, as though that was a very valid reason to hang up a tapestry of a giant worm. "It's this knight fighting a worm, right? And in the background there's a woman just…cradling a small horse-thing like a baby. It's great. You'll see what I mean in a minute."
"Hm," he hummed, adjusting his grip on her so she was slightly closer to his chest. However, he didn't hold her too close because of his armor. He didn't want to make her too uncomfortable, and metal and leather wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world to be leaning against. He reached the tapestry they were talking about and halted with a blink. "Huh," was all he could say.
"See! It's incredible! Look at all the torches!" She said happily, motioning to the tapestry, which was just one big mess of….mess, honestly. "And the frog in the bottom! I love frogs. They're so tiny and jump. Not as great as dragons though. Or, one dragon. You're the second dragon I've known, and definitely the best."