The next day, the dragon kept her promise. The following morning she spoke with Livia regarding Gwynn and Maoin. It went about as well as she expected it to. The headmistress was fairly stalwart in her silence about the girls whereabouts. She did manage to glean a bit of insight about the girl though. She was heading off on some ship - Livia had given her command of the damn thing. She didn't know what game the headmistress was playing with that, but it left a bit of a bad taste in her mouth. She also managed to learn about where she was heading. It left her in a rather irritable mood, to be honest, but she had said she’d help the kitten and she would.
Now she just had to wait on the kitten to show up for the training session. She had told her to arrive early, and Sorcha was curious as to just how dedicated the kitten was to this whole thing. The dragon, was not by any means, going to go easy on her. She was standing by the lake, dressed in her usual armor, glaive planted in the ground as she waited rather impatiently. She’d make sure to tell the kitten after the training so she didn’t try and get any funny ideas.
The kitten arrived several minutes before the assigned time, eyes seeing the figure of Sorcha standing out in the dark. Dressed in the same dress as the previous day, the black haired girl arrived with a sword at the hip and a small canteen of water since she assumed she would need it at some point. Maoin told herself she would do whatever she possibly could to impress this dragon, and her body would have to be incapable of moving before she gave up.
Approaching the dragon with an eerie level of stealth, the silence was broken as the kitten decided to speak up.
”I’m ready Lady Sorcha.” The girl’s tone was serious, as she was mentally trying to toughen herself up for whatever lied ahead.
“Right,” Sorcha glanced at Maoins sword.
“First things first then. I think it should be obvious you are not exactly all that strong. Your body’s not exactly built for that sort of thing, little one. In a fight you’ll have to rely on speed, agility, and quick thinking to be able to fight foes stronger than you. I have a question for you, little one. How acrobatic are you, exactly? While you are not strong, your natural dexterity and agility would be quite fearsome at taking out opponents with a single hit to their vitals as long as you are careful and attentive.”Sorcha was hoping the kitten had at least some acrobatic ability. She was a cat after all, and should have a good bit of natural dexterity, agility, and flexibility. The kitten didn’t think herself strong, but that was just false on all accounts. As long as she played to her strengths and never tried to simply overpower an opponent, she’d win quite easily.
The kitten nodded as the dragoness looked her over. Maoin had already reached most of those conclusions herself. She’d never be a bull, or a dragon, or a beast of incredible strength. It was a little disappointing, but she had to deal with what she was dealt.
”Before I was turned into a familiar I already had practice jumping around wherever I needed to, and those instincts remain. I was capable of dodging you several times, Lady Sorcha. Although I haven’t received any formal training either.” Truthfully with a small bit of training the cat would find doing backflips and similar easy, and she could already climb all but the most difficult to scale buildings.
”Let me make myself very clear, little one. Had I even been slightly serious in that encounter, you wouldn’t have even had a moment to think about fighting back.” The implications of that statement should have been quite obvious, and truthful. Sorcha hadn’t even been using a fraction of her abilities during that scuffle. It was more of a playful little scrap, if anything.
“One part of being a good fighter, is knowing when best to flee or not engage an enemy directly. There is no shame in fleeing or running to fight another day, as long as there will be no great consequences for you doing so. Retreat and avoiding is always a viable option.”Sorcha grabbed her glaive, pulling it from the ground and running her hand along the edge of the blade and down the haft. For now she would give her the very basic instruction any good warrior should be aware of.
“Another thing – you should always be wary of your opponent’s weapon and yours. Be wary of the reach of theirs and the weaknesses and use it to your advantage. For example, this glaive excels in quick, heavy strikes of both thrusting and slashing attacks.” To demonstrate, Sorcha fluidly swing the glaive in a horizontal fashion before transitioning into a forward thrust.
“However, it leaves one quite open if the opponent is able to get close after a missed strike. It has fairly long reach, but also makes it difficult to use in close quarters where maneuverability is lacking such as hallways or indoor areas.” Perhaps a bit more information than needed, but Maoin should be aware of it regardless.
“Some may think a small weapon like a dagger or short swords are lacking in power, but they fail to see the versatility of such a weapon. With a small weapon like them, it is easier to parry even a larger weapon and leave your opponent open for a likely life-ending strike if they are lightly armored or you could cripple their sword arm, for example. If used creatively with your natural shall we say, ‘cat like reflexes and flexibility’ you could easily even slay a dragon once you are skilled enough and have had practice.”The kitten nodded as the dragon spoke, and despite her serious and relatively deadpan demeanor couldn’t help but wince slightly as the dragon decided to give off a horrible pun and deliver a shit-eating-grin. Although Maoin understood that getting close was possible after a missed strike, it was still a little concerning since she had seen knights use polearms as quaterstaffs or simply as a lever to toss people at that range.
Although she supposed training was meant to deal with that. Although the kitten did have one question about this entire scenario.
”Wouldn’t it be better to just throw the dagger at them, lady Sorcha? Since they can’t really block with a polearm?” The kitten seemed to be more curious than anything else, and was expecting some sort of retort.
“Oho, clever little kitten are we?” Sorcha mused.
“Indeed, if you had the natural dexterity and marksmanship to throw a dagger at someone it could very well work. However, then you would be out of a weapon would you not? And if you are against a heavily armored foe such tactics would not work so well, would they? If you try such things then you need to make sure you have your main weapon as well as knives specially meant for such tactics. Making them small and sharp would greatly help in wounding or hindering a lightly armored or unarmored foe. Anymore questions?”The kitten listened to the dragoness speak … wearing everything she currently owned, the black haired girl hesitated only a minute before shaking her head. The woman had a point, and the cat hadn’t really ever fought an opponent she would describe as heavily armored.
Well, she had. But the suits had put her to sleep since she was too busy being concerned with being hit by her mistress. For a few seconds, the black haired girl’s eyes drifted off before the girl shook her head to clear it and then nodded to indicate she was ready to begin.
“Alright, then let us begin.” Sorcha hefted her glaive. She wasn’t going to go easy on the kitten. She wasn’t going to hurt her, of course, but she wasn’t going to let her of easily either.
“Let us see how well you can dodge an opponent that is at least somewhat serious, little one. If you manage to avoid five strikes without one so much as grazing you, I’ll consider you having passed for now and we’ll move onto the next part. To make things simple, I won’t be using my wings or anything other than my natural strength. Ready then?”That was the only warning the kitten would have before the dragon commenced the training. The dragon closed whatever distance might have been between them within a blink of an eye, thrusting the glaive forward towards the kitten, following it up by turning her body slightly and making a quick horizontal slash to the left just in case the kitten decided dodging to the side would help. For the most part, the dragon wouldn’t press the kitten hard. That training would come after the kitten had a good grasp of her abilities.
The kitten was glad she was short, because rather than try to dodge to the sides the cat chose instead to dodge downwards in a limbo-like fashion, tail going between her legs in an effort to help her maintain balance. She hadn’t been exactly prepared for the situation, but she’d do her best to prove herself to the dragoness.
”Mrew!”By ducking, the kitten had easily managed to avoid both blows. If she had been quicker she could have easily landed a blow on the dragon, but she made no attempt too. With dexterous hands, the dragon spun the Glaive around, and slammed the butt of the weapon right into Maoin’s stomach. It wouldn’t be enough to permanently injure the poor kitten, but she’d feel it and there would most definitely be a bruise. The dragon sighed, took a few steps back to let the kitten recover for a few seconds.
“Again. Watch my movements. You have keen eyes, you should be able to read a foes moves fairly easily.” The training continued much as the same before. Surprisingly, the kitten was skilled. More so than Sorcha thought to begin with. She was far from perfect, but she was by far better than any common man or servant. Her reflexes were good, and she did manage to for the most part avoid the easier blows, though she definitely had trouble with any sustained attack. Eventually however, the kitten succeeded – right when Sorcha had almost decided to call if off for a bit. She had gotten progressively better, and the dragon had progressively gotten more aggressive. That was the only way one could learn, after all.
The dragon spun, spinning like a top as the Glaive hit air. The kitten rolled backwards as Sorcha’s attack transitioned into an overhead slam. Maoin managed to avoid it by moving to the side, if only barely.
”Hm…not as bad as I thought.” Sorcha said.
“Congratulations, you’re not completely hopeless, little one.” The dragon chuckled, giving the kitten a small smile.
“Have a small break. We’re continuing soon.”Maoin instinctively rubbed the various bruises that ran across her body from that short training session, lifting up the flask of water and taking a few sips of it. The dragon’s attacks were probably held back to avoid actually killing her, but they still hurt. A quick look down her dress revealed a growing black spot on her stomach where the first strike had landed. Sitting down, the girl decided to take advantage of the break and wipe off the growing pool of sweat from her forehead.
The next day would be horrible. Eventually though the girl’s breathing returned to being normal, at which point she stood up and nodded towards the dragon to show she was ready for whatever else she would be doing.
Sometime in the afternoon, the kitten found herself gasping for air as she lay face down on the ground near the lake. Her dress was soaked with sweat to the point she considered taking it off, her muscles felt about as sturdy as a twig with a brick dropped on it, and she swore every bone in her body was on the verge of breaking - no, shattering - into some three hundred pieces.
The black haired girl’s eyes looked up towards the dragon with some combination of respect and hatred as she looked around for a second and lowered her head back down to the ground, wondering if the beast was satisfied.
Sixty Push Ups, each of which was done to the slow pace of Sorcha’s “up, down” commands.
A four mile run, done twice because the first time just wasn’t fast enough apparently.
The woman handed her a stick with sacks of flour attached to each end, and was instructed to do squats with it over her back.
Maoin complained at this point about needing water, at which point Sorcha sent her swimming laps around the seemingly freezing lake several times to ensure she was well hydrated. She had hesitated at the water’s edge before being shoved in some ten feet by the dragon’s powerful arms.
Climbing a three-story tavern some twenty times to improve her dexterity. The walls were flat and had no handholds.
Instruction in dodging thrown objects of various methods through the one tried and true method of practice.
Then doing the same in turn, while sprinting to simulate an actual combat environment. Sorcha was very capable of blocking thrown objects with a glaive.
The worst and final one was trying to remove the armor from to dragon while she was wearing it, without being seen. Failure was met with a solid thwack of the glaive.
The bruises and aches and pain ran across her body, and the training had ultimately destroyed her hold-the-emotions in idea, the kitten letting out some tears as she still tried to catch her breath. The girl wasn’t sure she would be able to get up if the dragon wanted her to.
Well, if there was one thing Sorcha was sure of now, was that the kitten was definitely serious about this. Sorcha smiled, chuckling softly to herself as the kitten lay on the ground, obviously exhausted. The dragon walked over after making sure her armor was back in place, taking a seat next to her, running a hand gently through her hair, running her hands over her ears.
“You did well, little one.” She smiled down at the kitten, helping her sit up and letting her lean on her if needed.
“I apologize for putting you through that, but I had to make sure you were serious and knew exactly what sort of thing you would be getting into. Rest, for a bit, and then we can get to that pampering you promised me~” She was honestly greatly looking forward to that bit. Being pampered
by a loyal subject was something any decent dragon would enjoy.
The kitten laid on the ground for a few more minutes, too exhausted to lean into or even pull away from the pets the dragon was giving her. Like a sack of potatoes, the girl simply leaned against her teacher and focused on breathing slowly.
Truthfully, the cat wasn’t in the mood to pamper anyone. It was part of the reason she’d been tossed out, and wasn’t worth anything, was it? But if the dragon wanted her to … the girl eventually responded as she gasped out for air.
”... I … don’t … have … anything … to …” Tears streaked down her face a snot dripped down her nose, not from sadness but rather from the gradual degradation of a person as they exercised themselves too much.
“Shh, little one.” Sorcha replied in a soft voice.
“Deep breaths, in and out. I’m not taking no for an answer. I was promised pampering and if I need to I’ll buy the materials myself, but for now, rest for a little while longer little one. There are things we need to talk about after a hearty meal. Nothing better after a hard day of training.”The kitten nodded against Sorcha with what seemed like the remainder of her strength, breathing in and out deeply and closing her eyes as she just tried to focus on relaxing and recuperating her strength … the black haired girl fell into the dreamless sleep of an exhausted person, unable to keep herself awake any longer. There were no nightmares like the previous night, as her mind was too tired to waste energy on panicking about another person.
“Maoin…little one?” Sorcha spoke in a soft voice before sighing, standing and lifting the kitten with ease.
“I didn’t tell you that you could fall asleep did I, little one?” She walked back over to the edge of the lake…and dumped the cat into the water at the edge of it. It was shallow and she shouldn’t have any problem getting out, though Sorcha was ready to pull her out if she didn’t.
The cat woke up as her body hit the water, screaming something incomprehensible as fear filled her veins and she arrived on the shore, coughing up a bit of the water that she had accidently swallowed as she lowered herself down to her hands and knees and tried to collect herself.
Maoin simply gave the dragon a look akin to betrayal, but managed to keep herself quiet to prevent a fate like a few days ago from occurring as her eyes drifted towards the grass submissively. At least she wasn’t overheating anymore.
“Little one, I never said your training was over. Even if you are exhausted you should never allow yourself to let your guard down if you are somewhere unfamiliar. Granted, exhaustion could easily make you an easier target but sometimes sleep would be more deadly than any blade.” She knelt next to Maoin, helping her too her feet and steadying the kitten if she was having trouble standing.
“Now, You promised me pampering, and I would very much like that. You said you have nothing to do it with? You are a top class servant, and even if you have nothing I am certain you could come up with something simple enough to please a dragon in this situation.” She released the kitten, walking over to the water’s edge and stood.
“Now, get to it little one. The afternoon is drawing to a close and you should get as much rest as you can before tomorrow so it is best to finish sooner rather than later.”The kitten’s legs shook as she was lifted to her feet, but eventually she managed to focus enough that the majority of problems were quelled. Looking at the legend before her, Maoin tried to figure out what she was going to do here. Being called a top-class servant filled her with a little pride in spite of herself, and she wasn’t going to allow inadequate care.
”Please sit and relax Lady Sorcha …”The dragoness would hear the tearing of cloth from Maoin’s direction as she ripped a piece off the already damaged dress. Washing the strip off, the girl returned and used some water to start scrubbing down her teacher, kneeling as she worked. Once Sorcha was well bathed, the kitten started massaging the woman’s back as she waited for the hair to dry.
The kitten was obviously a little nervous about something as she worked, as her movements seemed to lack some of the confidence they had previously.
As the kitten started to work, Sorcha took a seat next to the water's edge.
“Hmm…you’ll have to get you another dress more suited for traveling, won’t you?” The dragon said with a contented sigh. Ooh, she hadn’t had a good massage in a long while. It felt absolutely divine – the kitten definitely knew what she was doing.
“Try and get my wings too, little one. They are a bit sore and rarely get the proper care these days…do be careful though, they are rather sensitive in places ever since I lost my scales.” She could tell the kitten had something on her mind, though. It was easy to tell from the way she moved and seemed rather hesitant in the way she worked.
“If you wish to talk, little one, we have all the time in the world right now.””I-I just don’t have my equipment, Lady Sorcha!” The response was fast and a mere half truth. Was the dragoness really so perceptive to be able tell something was bothering her that easily!?
The cat continued working for a minute, moving her hands down to Sorcha’s lower back as her arms screamed out in exhaustion. In spite of herself, her animalistic features showed some signs of happiness.
Finally, the girl gave off a more truthful statement.
”I-I’m just wondering if this is worth anything. I mean, I might be a top class servant … but that doesn’t protect anyone, does it? It won’t keep her safe or with me and …” The girl stopped herself from talking more as she suffered a mild identity crisis.
This training wasn’t her. But it had made her stronger and more useful than any pampering powers someone could have.
“Little one, I am certain Gwynn appreciates you more than she let on.” Sorcha replied.
“No skill in this world is invaluable. Being able to take care of people when they can’t take care of themselves is always going to be a needed skill, even if you don’t realize it and if she doesn’t realize that then she is a fool.” Sorcha leaned back slightly into the massage. Oh dear norns that felt lovely. She should have Luna give her a massage sometimes. Or massage Luna. She could do it. There was nothing that could possibly go wrong with either of those things!
“But something tells me she does, little one. Now, the wings.”The kitten listened to the dragon as she worked, gaining back some of the confidence that had gone missing. She just hoped the woman was alright … and the Radiant Queen of the Heavens seemed to be enjoying herself. Before the girl could start doubting herself again though, she was ordered to work on the wings.
It was a bit of an odd experience to say the least, but the cat felt like she was getting the hang of it as she worked the muscles gently towards the base and gradually went outwards. Soon that was done, and the girl started to run her fingers through Lady Sorcha’s hair as she worked it into fine braids. The kitten’s fingers worked with great precision despite shaking slightly from the exertion from earlier.
Soon enough she was done. That was all she could do without a proper kit.
”I-I’m sorry. I don’t have anything else I can do though, Lady Sorcha.” “Ooh, this will be enough for now little one. I greatly needed that, thank you.” The dragon said with a soft smile, reaching out and petting the kitten on the head.
“Now, I’m sure after that you must be starving. What say I treat you to something and maybe we can take a visit to the bathhouse afterwards hmm? I still have something I want to discuss with you.” The dragon stood, picking up her glaive from where it had been resting on the ground.
The kitten hesitated for a moment, not wanting to rely too much on this woman for aid. But a rumbling stomach encouraged her to take up the other ladies’ offer, the black hair shifting as the girl nodded. Whether she decided to go to with Sorcha or sit at Lady Sorcha’s table, she’d be begging for food either way.
”T-thank you, Lady Sorcha.” A quick look downwards showed her completely destroyed and dirtied dress, and the formal servant blushed as she looked at it. This was going to be embarrassing if they even went somewhere halfway decent, but this was the only piece of clothing she had.
“Ah, don’t worry about the dress…I have something you can wear for the night!” The dragon said with a small smile.
“Though I still don’t really get you mortals’ silly obsession with clothing. Now, come along. We should hurry before she gets back from class, heh~” The dragon gave a mischievous smirk as she walked over to the kitten.
“Now, keep your arms and legs inside the confines of the flying dragon at all times, and try not to have a heart attack!~”Before the kitten could even say anything, Sorcha grabbed the kitten, lifting her off the ground before soaring into the air and heading off towards Luna’s dorm. The kitten let out an upset meow, but she gripped tightly as she watched the ground pass beneath them rapidly. Aside from the terror of suddenly being grabbed, it was a surprisingly relaxing experience as the girl watched the ground pass, amazed.
The dragon barreled through the window, which she had always made a point to keep open when she was out and about. Who needs silly human doors anyways? She slowed enough to land with a quiet thud inside the room, careful not to make sure she didn’t accidentally run into Luna. After taking a quick look around and making sure that Luna was not present she walked over to the wardrobe.
“Aha, she’s not here, great.” The dragon grinned in a mischievous manner as she looked through the few dresses Luna had.
“See anything you like, little one? Don’t be shy or anything, you can erm, borrow, anyone you want!”The kitten looked around for a moment, eyes widening at the expensive clothing. She relaxed eventually though as a simple dress came out, only a few times more ornate than the one she was wearing. The black dress went just past her knees. Finding the most private spot in the room, she was still well within the eyesight of the other woman.
The girl’s eyes drifted down towards the dress, than up towards Sorcha. Then back to the dress.
”Lady Sorcha could you … turn around … please?” There wasn’t anywhere else to change, and flushed cheeks made her embarrassment plain to her teacher.
“Whaaa?” The dragon seemed completely shocked at the idea of even thinking of looking away.
“Perish the thought! You’ll be training without any clothes on next time so you might as well get used to it!~” The dragon smirked in an impish fashion.
“In fact, lemme help!~” Before the kitten could do anything, the dragon moved swiftly over to the kitten, pressing her body against the kittens, either not realizing she was doing it or not caring as she started trying to ‘help’ disrobe the kitten from her tattered dress.
The cat simply stood there, seeming completely stunned at that suggestion, and then letting out a small
”L-So-Eeep!” As the other woman began to help her out of her clothes. Her face was completely red though as she now stood in front of the other woman, completely naked as she tried to cover herself as her eyes darted over to the clothes she had picked out.
”Lady Sorcha could you please …” This dragon was aggressive at least.
“Nonsense!” Sorcha impishly grinned, as she grabbed the dress Maoin had chosen.
“Lemme help!~ ” The dragon proceeded to help the kitten into the dress in any manner possible.
After a brief struggle, the kitten surrendered as the dress and other clothing was placed onto her, the girl still trying to collect herself briefly afterwards. Looking up into the dragon’s eyes, it was rather obvious the predatory creature was enjoying the discomfort this was causing her. The kitten decided she wanted to get out of this room as quickly as possible before anything else could happen, eyes looking towards the floor as she poked her fingers together nervously.
”So … dinner?”After a few seconds though, Maoin’s face would lower into a frown as she remembered the time her owner did this entire exchange to her … it was embarassing at the time, but looking back it was a fond memory. A memory of an interaction with a person she missed so much …
“I know a great place. You’re a bit overdressed for it I think, but you’ll be the prettiest flower in the room I think. Come on then!~” Before Maoin could even think about saying no, Sorcha once again grabbed the kitten and dove out of the window once again. This time, Sorcha took a bit of time flying to their destination. She very rarely had a partner while flying, after all, and it was a refreshing change of pace.
She climbed in altitude, soaring over the campus high enough to see the entire school and city beside it.
“So, Maoin, how do you like flying, hm?” Sorcha asked, as she held onto the kitten.
“You’re lucky you know, very few people get to see the world from up here.” Before Moain could properly respond, the dragon twirled and dove a few feet before leveling.
To say the dragon was in a bit of a high spirits, was an understatement. It had been quite a long time since she was able to train with someone in quite this way, and admittedly it was quite the refreshing experience.
The kitten placed her feet on the ground as she was eventually released, dusting off Luna’s dress just slightly. Her legs still wobbled from the workout earlier, and they screamed at her as she tried to force them to move again after that short break. The cat led out a slight pout as she eventually responded to the dragoness.
”It’s a nice view, Lady Sorcha. I’m used to being picked up anyways, and I’m not terrified of heights … although could you consider a less dramatic finish to your rides?” If the legend had intended to frighten the girl, it would become apparent the attempt was ineffective as the girl calmly stretched and a slight grin crossed her face as she remembered the thrill ride.
“Oh? Haha, most people get a little frightened.” Sorcha said with a grin.
“But I’ll keep that in mind next time!~” Translation: The kitten was going to regret those words.
“Anyways, come on.” The dragon started walking down the street towards the less…well off area of the city, leading the kitten towards a noisy sounding tavern. One could hear the loud carousing going on within the walls all the way out on the street.
Sorcha walked into the tavern, making certain the kitten as following her. As soon as she entered she’d find the place reeked of both alcohol, and was loud with the lively and idle chatter of a number of patrons. The décor was obviously inspired by northern Germanic peoples. Sitting near the entrance was a group of men playing cards, a heavily built dark skinned human immediately noticed Sorcha and grinned.
“If it isn’t the oh so mighty dragon of Beowulf.” He chuckled in a lively fashion, throwing down a handful of cards – and judging from the reaction of everyone on the table he had just won the hand and the pile of money on the table.
“Hei, Kirwen.” The dragon gave him a bright grin.
“Haha, back again for another round? ” “Ha, you still think you can outdrink a dragon, hm?” She grinned; tail swishing in a lively fashion.
“Keep it up one of these days and I might actually be impressed by your stubbornness.” She chuckled, grabbing the man’s hand, giving it a firm shake.
“Alas, not today I am afraid. I have…a bit of business with a friend.” She motioned to Maoin.
“I’ll take the usual. Tell the cook extra alcohol as well, I just got done whipping this kitten into shape, nothing better to unwind then a nice strong drink.”“That so?” The man, Kirwen grinned at Maoin.
“Little lady, you’re lucky being trained by this dragon in particular, heh. Your usual table’s ready-” “Hm…that will not be necessary. Somewhere in the back, a bit more quiet would be welcome. I have important business to discuss with the kitten.”“Hm? Alright then, what’ll it be svart kattunge? I’ll make the chef know to make it extra hearty for you. Training with this thunder head can’t be easy, heh.” “Tsk, that lip of yours I’m surprised you managed to live to half your age. One of these days I might forget I don’t eat humans any more, heh~”“Well, if you’re the one doing the eatin’ I don’t think I’ll mind too much.”“Tsk, unfortunately for you I already have my eye on someone else. Any eating will be of the not so fun sort~”“Break a mans heart again,” He chuckled before focusing back on maoin.
“Right then, sorry. Gotta give ol’ thunderbutt,” Sorcha clicked her tongue in a derisive, though she seemed more amused than anything.
“a bit of trouble. What’ll it be then?”The kitten was rather surprised by the atmosphere, but simply watched silently as the dragoness and the man seemed to toss back and forth a friendly and probably well-repeated banter between them. Maoin winced slightly at the ‘thunderbutt’ comments, eyes drifting over to Lady Sorcha and half expecting her to jump on the man and throw him into the lake.
Apparently that was just for cats though, as eventually the black haired girl lowered her hears to adjust to the loud noises and gave off a weak smile.
”Something with fish in it, please.” The girl really wasn’t sure about the atmosphere here, and expected for the ale to taste about as bad as it smelled.
“Alright, fish it is! There should be a table near the back a bit of a ways off from all the rest of ‘em, you’ve seen it. Where any important business I take care of gets done. It’s yours for the night.” “Thank you, Kirwen. Come on then, Maoin.” Walking into the lively room, Sorcha passed a number people, giving a small hello to a number of them. It seemed like she was at least somewhat well known around here, and judging from the look of a number of them they all seemed to at least have some northern Germanic ancestry in them. It didn’t take long for the dragon to find the seat Kirwen mentioned, and Sorcha took a seat, motioning for the kitten to sit next to her.
“Tsk, Maoin, don’t much such a pouty face. Try and relax a little. After a day of training like this it’s good to let yourself relax, or you’ll be nothing but stiff and stressed tomorrow.”The kitten nodded, taking a brief look around and trying to relax a little. It’s just … this is the exact sort of place that Lady Gwynn would have enjoyed going to. Maoin really wished she had taken here more … maybe she would have stuck around a bit longer if she had, and she would have been loved back, and …
The cat shook her head, chasing the thoughts piercing her mind away. Deep breaths. It wasn’t Lady Sorcha’s job to deal with her emotions, and the girl tried to force herself to appear a bit more into the location. Eventually the noise stopped hurting her ears quite as much, and they began to perk up a bit more due to their nature as they caught various conversations going on around the room.
”Sorry Lady Sorcha …”The girl wasn’t sure how to continue this conversation, but eventually a reply formed.
”You … seem to be well known here?” It would be apparent the girl was just trying to make conversation though.
“Hehe, I suppose you can say I am a bit of a celebrity in more ways than one.” The dragon chuckled.
“Let’s just say a lot of them hold me in high regard and I may or may not have won an eating contest and got free alcohol for life here, hehe~” She shook her head with a mischievous chuckle.
“For a human, Kirwen can eat and drink on par with some gods I’ve met, but never mind that.”The cat nodded as the dragon told her story, a little bit of admiration filling her eyes. Maoin still wasn’t sure why the scaled beast gave her the time of day, much less spend nearly all of it trying to make her into a slightly more powerful cat. On top of being awesome … she also seemed to be a good person, and easy to talk to.
How was she supposed to even compare? The neko thought for a moment that it was entirely possible that every human lifetime the dragon picked someone up off the streets to see what they were like. The black haired girl’s eyes drifted away from the dragon after a few seconds.
”Knowing you, you probably drink the entire house’s stock, don’t you? They probably regret that contest, Lady Sorcha.”Sorcha blinked at the suggestion, a bit surprised the kitten even said that before laughing.
“Haha, I think they more than enjoy my company, little one.” She said with a grin.
“Not every day they get to dine with a dragon, and I don’t drink all the time. Besides, Kirwen is a nice fellow and knows where proper respect is due and also that a little fun isn’t a bad thing.” There seemed to be a bit more to that statement then Sorcha seemed to say, but whatever it was she didn’t elaborate.
The kitten nodded, a slight grin infectiously running across her mouth as the dragon’s excitement seemed to fill her just a bit … but then her expression dropped as she spent more and more time thinking about a response of her own. What was she going to say? “Oh, my mistress abandoned me and now I’m living off charity. Impressive, eh?” Eventually her tail stopped moving and her ears dropped flat against her head as she simply found herself staring at the table, feeling a little empty inside.
Before the kitten could think much on it though, Kirwen made a convenient timing with bringing out the food, placing it on the table in front of them in a variety of plates, trays, and delicious smelling food. A variety of pork, sheep, steak, and a few vegetables were sat on the table along with a few mugs of strong smelling alcohol. Obviously, these were meant for the dragon. The fish meant for the kitten though, was nothing short of impressive. It was easily at least two feet long, cooked to absolute perfection and smelled delicious, with a side of some salad and a few other vegetables on the side.
“Ahaha, the chef said he’d wanted to cook that fish for a while! Fished it up out of the lake over there, the biggest one he’s caught in ages. Shoulda heard the tale of the fight he said it put up when he caught it. The man’s a irredeemable liar but he can certainly spin a good story.” Kirwen laughed heartily.
“Thank you, Kirwen. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”“Anytime, thunderbutt.” The dragon promptly threw a small piece of fish at Kirwen, who merely laughed and walked off with a friendly wave.
“Now, you’ve had fish before I am sure, but you’ve never had fish like this I can guarantee it.” Sorcha promptly picked up a large piece of steak and practically inhaled it in quite the unrefined manner, mouth unable to fully fit the entire thing causing her cheeks to bulge in a rather comical fashion.
The kitten listened as the two sung their praises about her meal, the fish that was nearly half as tall as her sitting on the plate. It smelled nice, sure. And this was certainly a treat from the dragoness …
”Thank you, Lady Sorcha.” Maoin lowered her head respectfully towards the teacher before taking her first bite of the meat, her sharp little fangs piercing into the cut.
The cat’s ears perked up a bit as she took a bite, thoughts clearing from her mind. God, she was hungry after that workout. The girl’s world became consumed by eating as she mannerly destroyed the creation in front of her, somehow not spilling any of it as she worked on devouring it. The strong flavors filled her senses, a pleasant distraction to what was there previously. Sorcha would see her tail wind up slightly as it landed on the table, as if eager to do it’s own little dance.
“Delicious isn’t it? May not be all fancy like you’re used to, but there’s nothing better than a good hearty meal straight from the northern lands.” The dragon reached for a mug of ale, chugging it in an almost comical fashion before slamming it on the table.
The kitten nodded slightly as she watched the dragon with slightly wide eyes. Truthfully, she shouldn’t be surprised considering her teacher’s bragging about being able to consume enough food and drink to keep the population of Paris well fed … but watching her down that foul smelling drink in only a few seconds was impressive. How did anyone even tolerate ale at all? The cat finished up the last few bites of her meal, then stretched as she felt the pangs of exhaustion anyone felt after a nice, big meal. Although after a few seconds, the girl lowered her hands into her lap and looked up towards the dragon nervously, fidgeting slightly. It was rather obvious she had a question to ask.
“If you have a question, little one, do not feel nervous about asking.” The dragon said, taking sheep leg and biting into it.
The kitten waited a few seconds before gathering the courage to ask. She didn’t want to pester the dragon, but the longer she stayed in here the more and more she was reminded of Lady Gwynn and the more and more the memories hurt.
”... did the headmistress tell you anything … about Lady Gwynn?” The cat didn’t question that the conversation happened because Lady Sorcha said it would. Surely Livia mentioned something important to such a powerful beast.
Sorcha chewed on a piece of mutton, thinking over her answer.
“Little one, may I pose thee a question?” She asked.
“After I give you these, albeit very short and good lessons…what will you use your skills and any possible information I have for?”The cat looked up towards the dragoness, wondering where this was coming from. For a few seconds, she kicked ground slightly as her tail dropped to the floor beneath her. Was it possible she wouldn’t be given this information? What did the dragon want to hear? It’d be pointless to lie, wouldn’t it be? It became rather apparent that the cat was starting to become nervous as her eyes watered slightly, and a couple seconds later she averted them to the table in an attempt to hide them.
”I … I don’t know. I intend on finishing my training with you though … I’m done with being weak …” Well that answered the first part of the question … but the second … ?
”If I can find her … I’d go after her. So long as it wouldn’t be fruitless, Lady Sorcha. I’m emotional, not stupid.”The cat fidgeted a few seconds before finally looking back up into the dragon’s fierce, red eyes. The girl murmured something in a very low voice as she tried to hold back her tears. She started to fail.
”... I’m sorry. It’s not your job to put up with a stray’s emotions. I just feel lost and scared and frightened …” The girl silenced herself before she said anything else. The dragon had probably lost all respect for her. It was rater obvious by her failed attempt to start looking tough again as she straightened her back and wiped her face off with a napkin.
“Everyone your age does at times, little one.” Sorcha replied.
“Let me ask another question. Why do you want to go after her? You’ve spent your entire life being dependent on her and while that certainly isn’t a bad thing, perhaps you should learn to walk on your own.”The kitten looked down at her feet, wondering what she should say here. Maoin’s body fidgeted a few times as it seemed like she thought of something to say, stopped, and then eventually came up with an answer she was satisfied with.
”... she’s always run away from her emotions, and she’s going to get hurt eventually. I know I need to be able to walk on my own … but I’m hers. I won’t do anything so drastic if something like this happens again but … if I’m going to be abandoned, I at least want her to tell me to my face. I can’t picture myself with anyone else and it feels like a part of my soul is missing, but if she told me she didn’t want me at all anymore …”The kitten sniffed a few times before lifting the napkin to her face again.
”... I’d live with it. And I’d learn. I’d miss her … I already do. I’m not sure if I could ever trust myself with another master … but no matter how this goes I intend on getting stronger. I can survive either way.”Ah, this was such a familiar situation Sorcha could hardly stop from laughing. The dragon merely grinned, wrapping an arm around Maoin with smile.
“Well then, Little one - I have some good news, some bad news, some possibly worse news and a drink with your name on it.” She shoved a mug of strong smelling ale into the kittens hands as she released her, grabbing another mug.
“I was able to get something out of Livia, at least. Not much, mind you, but something. Livia has given her both a ship and a crew, and has asked Gwynn to look into something for her. Something about Atlantis, she wouldn’t give me any details.” The dragon put the mug back on the table, reaching for a fish of her own and practically inhaling it.
“The bad news, is that she hinted that it could likely be extremely dangerous. Worse news, she said it was also quite difficult to get to her without aid of a magical artifact of sorts. That means if you want to find her, you’ll likely going to have a difficult time without it. She refused to tell me exactly what it was, however so I am clueless as to that.”The cat nodded. Atlantis? How was she supposed to get there - by swimming? She looked at the mug of ale, frowning slightly as her eyes glanced over it.
”... what do you think I should do, Lady Sorcha?” It was obvious Maoin wanted to go after her owner, but with only a messy and ruined dress, a set of underwear, and a sword currently to her name magical artifacts weren’t exactly in her budget.
“Whatever you want, little one. Of course, if you go after her you’re going to need help.” The dragon said.
“And I happen to be…free, since Luna is going to be helping a friend with something all next week, so I should be able to do just that.”The kitten looked up towards Sorcha as she made the offer. With Lady Sorcha’s help surely anything would be possible! A bright smile crossed the girl’s face.
”Thank you Lady Sorcha!” The black haired girl ran around the table, giving the dragoness a big hug before returning to her side. The ale was completely untouched, but the girl’s animalistic features suggested that she was really happy.
They lowered a few seconds later out of embarrassment though.
”But … but I don’t have any adventuring equipment … like cloaks or anything …”“Tsk, I’m an old dragon with more than a few relics lying about.” The dragon commented.
“Now, finish eating and you can go home. We still have a bit of training to go over tomorrow, so you need your rest.”The meal was already finished, but the girl’s eyes drifted over the drink the dragoness had purchased her. Taking a deep breath, the girl drank the entire foul substance in a few loud gulps before setting it down with a face scrunched up in disgust. How did Lady Sorcha even drink something so unrefined? It didn’t take long before it began to hit her system though, the cat looking towards the dragoness with a silly grin but not saying anything at the moment.
Eventually, Maoin rose back up out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Sorcha, giggling softly as she found something incredibly funny.
”Lady Sorcha … you so pretty.” It was rather clear that some combination of the drinks and the day’s exhaustion had sent the girl into a bit of a delirium.
“Well someone’s a lightweight.” Sorcha chuckled, wrapping a wing playfully around the kitten.
“But you can’t have any more and we’re going home.”Maoin pouted, beating two fists slightly against Lady Sorcha’s arm playfully.
”But Lady Sorcha! Can’t we play a little?” The kitten started rubbing her head against the dragoness’ arm in as cute of a manner as was possible, then looked up into her eyes intensely.
”And something tastier? I can take more, but I like sweet things!”Well, it had been awhile since Sorcha had someone being quite this attention giving. Not that she went around asking for it, but it stroked a certain ego that any dragon had.
“Nope, we’re going home.” Sorcha stood from her seat, giving the kitten a pat on the head and grabbing her wrist, pulling her out of the tavern.
The kitty pouted as she was dragged out, looking far too dejected for the circumstances. But eventually the dragoness managed to get Maoin back into the safe hands of Katherine, where the girl promptly fell asleep.
