Elijah quirked ar brow and smirked slightly. "Yes," he confirmed, then pushed himself up so he was sitting up as well, though he didn't dislodge Ali from his lap. He was sure to keep a respectable distance between them, leaning back on his hands so their faces weren't so close.
Ali slipped off of his lap, but stayed in the bed, smiling at him. "Well then, what are we waiting for? I want to go get my book. I'm gonna need you to stay somewhat quiet, though, 'cause I'm not technically ever allowed in the library again." She made a face, rubbing the back of her neck. "You start one fire, and suddenly you're a hazard to all things paper. Which sucks, because I really do like reading."
Elijah, crossed his legs and gave Ali a 'oh really now?' look. "You do realize I can do quiet better than you, correct?" he lightly teased, surprising himself with the playfulness. "And I'm pretty sure that fire and paper don't mix well, so they do have a somewhat valid point." He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees as he added before Ali could argue, "But I'm not defending them. Banning you is a bit extreme."
"Good. Because defending them is siding with them against me, and that's blasphemy." Ali stated solemnly, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at him. "And excuse you, you can not do quiet better than me. I'm the quietest person ever." Completely false, but they both knew that.
"Says the one talking more than me," Elijah stated plainly, a brow delicately arched in amusement. He made it a point to not speak anymore, just to prove his point. And it was surprisingly easy. Then again, dragons weren't exactly the most talkative creatures. He's had plenty of practice with staying silent, most of his conversations with Ali consisting of certain snorts, grumbles, other noises, and a variety of gestures.
Ali huffed, wrinkling her nose at him and rolling off the bed, complaining. “That’s so mean. Not all of us are creatures that don’t even talk much to begin with.” She said, dragging her fingers through her messy blonde locks, well aware she was just proving his point. “I’m gonna go get my books. With it without you.”
"And yet there are others quieter than you in this very palace—excluding me," he pointed out, getting off the bed as well. He searched the room for his shirt and armor, sighing softly at the thought of putting that dreadful weight back on. He felt much freer when he didn't have that burden weighing him down. It was curious, how he complained about that weight but he didn't mind the weight of Ali over him. Perhaps there was a reason for that, but he wouldn't dwell on it. He found his shirt and tugged it on, his back to Ali so the tattoo down the column of his spine was visible to her.
((I believe we forgot about his tattoo, as well as his earrings, bull nose ring, and scars on his back and tummy))
Ali, mouth open to argue with him, paused as she turned around. The tattoo had caught her attention. And before she could really think about it, she was stepping over quietly, fingers finding the tattoo before he'd fully pulled his shirt on. "Was this something that happened with the change?" She asked, trailing the tattoo with her fingers. "Or did you get it done?" She pulled her fingers away, lifting them to help tug down his shirt before stepping back, eyes still on him.
Elijah tensed some when he felt delicate fingers on his back, then relaxed and closed his eyes when he remembered it was just Ali. Curious Ali. He waited until she had stepped back, murmuring a small 'thank you' when she helped pull down the shirt even if he was fully capable of doing it himself, then turned around to face her. "I had it done when I was training. Rest of my class didn't understand why, and I wasn't inclined to tell them. Turned into a game between them." A flicker of an amused smile. "I earned quite a bit of money the day I left."
Ali let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Leave it to you to turn something as simple as a tattoo into a money-making opportunity. You're channeling your inner dragon of mythos, huh?" She teased, tapping his chest and then leaving her hand there as she looked up at him. "That's my Eli. What was training to be a knight like? You remember I told you about how I had wanted to be one when I was little, figured it would be more fun than being a princess."
Elijah grinned cheekily, head tipping slightly as he gazed down at her. The action caused his grey-blonde hair to fall into his blue eyes, though he didn't seem to notice. "Not my fault they started making bets and said I got to take all the money on wrong answers." He looked off to the side, hand unconsciously coming up to lightly curl his fingers around her wrist when he thought about her last question. "Lot of fighting, weapons training, and being in close quarters with a bunch of haughty men."
"Mm, sadly, I don't think you'll get much of a change here. Though, you're welcome to 'keep an eye on me', which may or may not include bunking in here every once in a while." Ali said, gold eye sparkling happily. She reached her free hand up, brushing his hair back out of his face, before letting it slide down to his shoulder. "Least you got some money out of being the subject of gossip. I would have gone and blown it all on food immediately."
His eyes mirrored hers, sparkling with a hidden smile. He didn't hesitate as he wrapped his arms around Ali, resting his chin on her head as he pulled her against his body. "I still have all of it," he murmured, eyes drifting around the room but not really seeing anything, "And I might take you up on that offer." After a moment of silence, and some slight hesitation, the air around them chilled significantly. The hidden slits he put into his shirt compensated for the large icy blue wings silently sprouting from his back, the white membrane creating a thin fog as he wrapped them around them both in an extra hug.
Her smile widened as his wings wrapped around them, and she nuzzled into him, careful not to upset his head. She felt safer than she had since she'd been taken from him, protected underneath his blanket of wings and in his arms. Eli was home, to her. "We can build pillow forts." She decided, hooking her arms around him best she could and holding on to him. "Cuddle until we fall asleep. I can steal snacks from the kitchen, like muffins. Blueberry muffins?"
Elijah chuckled and fully enveloped them both with his wing, settling them against Ali after a slight hesitation. The membrane was sensitive, so should she move even just a tiny bit, he'd most definitely feel it. But he didn't pull away, just continued to hold her. "Some knight I am," he murmured, "I'm pretty sure I swore to protect you, not build forts or cuddle on your bed."
"Aren't forts supposed to keep princesses safe and protected? And what better way to be there if something happens, than to already be right by my side?" Ali asked, the practiced silver tongue of a royal spinning something so simple and frivolous into something that made sense. "Besides, my mental health needs protection as well, and cuddles are perfect for that." She huffed a small laugh against his chest, shoulder shaking slightly with the movement.
He shivered slightly as her shoulders brushed against his wings, and he shifted them just a bit so they didn't. It was a seemingly insignificant amount that he moved them, hardly noticeable by Ali, but just enough to remove the stimulating contact. Elijah rolled his eyes, head following the movement, and tucked his face in the crook of her neck. He barely noticed how well she fit in his arms, against his chest—it was as if the sorcerer that had helped him become human knew something he didn't. "Fine, you win," he murmured, breath fanning over her skin as he spoke.
She stilled as his breathed fanned over her neck, resisting the urge to shiver as he had, though she hadn't noticed that movement, too caught up in just being held like this. Ali tilted her head to the side just barely, enough to give him a bit more room for his head without losing the ability to breathe. "I always win." She joked softly, tapping the back of his neck to a steady rhythm as she spoke. "You should know that. Except for that race, but to be fair, you can fly faster than I run."
Elijah chuckled, the sound a soft rumble echoing in his chest. "Touché." Then his eyes sparkled some and in a spark of spontaneity, he added, "And you should know that you never challenge a dragon to a race without limitations. Loopholes are our forte, and you gave me plenty." He felt warm, being wrapped up in her embrace, but… not too warm. He didn't feel overwhelmed with the heat, didn't think he needed to pull away to chill back down. It was like this every time they got close, as if they altered each other's natural temperature and balanced it all out to a comfortable level.
Elijah's chuckle and words had her laughing softly. "I'll keep that in mind, in the future. Especially now that you've got a human form, and can tell you to keep your wings down. You're never gonna win another race." Ali said surely, fingers moving to play with his hair as she did. "No more loopholes." She snuggled into him a bit more, relishing in the feeling of a normal temperature, endlessly happy to not feel like she was a yam being boiled.
"Your ignorance is amusing," he purred surprisingly playful still. But he didn't let…whatever this was… go one much longer. "Books, Ali," he murmured, pulling his wings back and lifting his head to look down at Ali. "We don't have all day, and I'm sure you're just dying to set some books aflame." His eyes gleamed at that, ready to brace himself for a playful beating.
Ali slapped his chest, sticking her tongue out. "I didn't mean to light them on fire. I never do. It just keeps happening. And I'm not ignorant, I just know I could kick your ass in anything." She said, reluctantly stepping back from him. It was nice to see him like this, though, comfortable and playful. It made him light up.
"Uh huh," was all he said, in answer to both of her statements. He stepped away from Ali to get to his armor, beginning the meticulous process of strapping it all to himself. Some parts were trickier, and some parts were even harder to do, but he didn't ask for help. However, just because he didn't ask for any didn't mean he wouldn't accept some.
After a few moments of watching Elijah put on his armor, she sighed, stepping over to help him. Even if she had never become a knight, some of the knights in the palace had taken pity on her and taught her various things. How to put on armor was one. She didn't say anything, just helped him adjust and settle each piece, occasionally reaching up to brush her hair back from her face. Her fingers were gentle, even if it wasn't necessarily needed. Gentle, but quick with a practice that had come from suiting up armor time after time.
Elijah murmured a thanks when he was all set, smiling down at Ali before it turned into a slight smirk. "All set for our library trip?" he asked, just barely cutting off the addition of 'and burning books?' He knew she would get all huffy puffy again about it if he brought it up a second time. Elijah mentally shook his head with amusement, then combed his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it a bit from their nap and downtime afterwards.