The time for departure had come upon them, rousing a flurry of movements from tamers and dragons as they readied themselves for this next step. Cairene glanced around at each pairing, so taken by their appearances that she didn’t notice Asmara’s shoulder leaving her touch. The suspended hand found its way to her lips, and covered them each time her eyes introduced something new to be in awe of. Colours of the sun and sky, land and sea, and the elements that danced between them, were all accounted for in winged form. Of these magnificent creatures, a most valiant one was the first to take flight. Its tone was an aspect of purity, lighting a beacon along the path towards their new futures. The image glittered within her green rings for longer than she could afford to hold them there. Soon, Asmara’s fussing turned into demands for attention, reminding the young woman of Merrik’s instructions, and that the time given to honour them was nearly over.
They may have been one of the last to touch the skies - the titan Methuzar spared them that honour - but once they were released into the compound, the pair wasted no time in getting acquainted with their new dwelling. On fleet heels and three of Asmara’s fours, they travelled from the meadow to the spacious longhall, and made a quick stop at Obsidian’s door for the directions to their suite. Theirs was a short walk away, four doors down from his and two away from the bathing rooms on the opposite side. To see their names on a plaque was a welcoming touch that filled them with a sense of ownership and belonging. For Cairene, it would be the first time she had let her roots break ground, and her excitement was quick to overflow. The little lady pushed her weight on the heavier door, and struggled against it, until a hidden budge of encouragement from Asmara forced it open.
The interior was exactly how she pictured it, and more. After an initial sigh of wonder, she clapped her hands together excitedly and strode into the centre of the enormous room. Her eyes followed the succession of light fixtures blinking on from one side to the other, in a rhythm that matched her throbbing heartbeat. A new portion of space was revealed each time, including the staircase connecting the lights below to its lights above, and an area especially designed for Asmara’s needs. The moment they pooled into a golden platform, the Amethyst dragon whined in clear approval and leapt to it in a flash. Cairene giggled at the way her dragon hurriedly scuttled towards it, as if there wasn’t a thing in the world that would keep them apart. She could feel the waves of longing and admiration coming off her, however, the dragon made it a priority to circle the hexagonal dish, carefully scattering her clawful of gems into it. On the third round, her body curled into the decadent bedding, and continued to swirl a few times in its centre, eventually slowing to a peaceful stop. The sound of her contented hums vibrated in Cairene’s chest.
“I’ll just have to look for some other dragon to help with my bags!” Asmara snorted opposingly, and Cairene laughed, “Oh, develop a humour, you grumpy lady!”
She spent the majority of her free time unpacking and adding her own flair to the already lavish abode. The previous resident had good taste, so it didn’t require further decorating. What impressed her the most fast became her favourite feature: watching over where she lay was a gorgeous depiction of the Amethyst dragon. Its profile was carved to perfection, wearing a horn of ivory and a single ruby in its gaze, and between each golden braid of its wing-boning, a glittering mass of ore fragments pieced together the shape of her silver span. She traced each detail with a finger and hummed a sigh. A piece of her wanted nothing more than to lay in its luxurious sheets and dream about these new memories of hers, and the slow unravelling of her dragon’s. “People to meet! Up, up, up!” The reminder coaxed her into a steady walk towards the common grounds, and at every path that branched off of hers, a new mystery was listed in her mind, which she was determined to sort through and explore later. There were voices emanating from within the ring of oaks, and Cairene chuckled in amusement at the one that stood out for its roguish manner and content. By the time his account had ended, she arrived to the sight of those gathered, some already helping themselves to the food.
“Hello, my fellow tamers!” Cairene sang as she made her way around the table. “Pardon my delay, the living quarters are just gorgeous,” she spaced the two words farther apart with dramatic effect, “you have to see what Asmara and I have done with our little niche!”
She floated towards the nearest chair, settling into it slowly like a practiced landing, crossed her ankles and observed the setting. “Oh my, the selection we have here is quite impressive!" Leaning closer to the young woman next to her, she whispered, “and the food looks delicious, too!” Cairene tittered into a glove, and had properly turned to ask for a name, when she suddenly gasped. Without pausing to consider the woman’s personal boundaries, the Tamer of Vanity was off on her whim, stroking and admiring a handful of crimson. “Your hair... goodness, how that red shines!” She raked her fingers through it, picking at the locks, and speaking into each handful. “With some work, I can make that colour ten times brighter so it screams: ‘fire!’. Maybe add a little more volume to give it some lift without looking too thin. Go for that airy, flowy look,” her words came out fast, not allowing for a reply. “What do you think?” The question was rhetorical, of course, since Cairene was now helping herself to bigger and bigger handfuls, and fashioning them into piles around the side of the poor maiden’s head.