Rules and Roses
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Meanwhile in a country far far away, a beautiful woman with dark blood red hair looks out of the window, fidgeting nervously with her jewelry. She lets out a long sigh and turns around only to find a stranger in her room.
“Who are you? How did you get past the guards?”
“It was quite easy. I just stepped out of your fireplace. As for who I am…Shouldn’t you be able to feel it at this point?”
The woman gets a shocked expression on her face and kneels down, “My apologies your Majesty, I was not aware that the king of fire would be visiting.”
Changing back to her usual appearance, Ifrit waves her hand dismissively, “Oh please, no need to be so formal, in a way you’re my descendant after all. Just call me Ifrit. I’m here to tell you that your daughter will be delayed for up to a few years.”
Looking up, she asks concerned, “What? Why? Is she hurt?”
“A little but that’s not why she is delayed. She is delayed because she is making your wish come true.”
“My wish? What wish?”
Theatrically gesturing with her arms, she answers, “The one you have been carrying for so long. Rejoice! I have answered your prayers. I assure you, you will be overjoyed if she comes back home.”
Dropping the polite act, the woman asks, “What do you mean with ‘If’.”
Ifrit shrugs, “Well, I’m not clairvoyant. So she might die on the way. But don’t worry, I'll tell you if that happens.”
Getting up from the ground, Scales blood red scales start to cover her body, “What!? If there is even a small chance of Scarlet dying for whatever this wish is then I don’t want it!”
“Oh Ruby…You can’t take a wish back. Things have already been set in motion. Just sit back and don’t intervene. Let nature run its course.”
Ifrit then smiles, winks at her and disappears in a pillar of flame, leaving a stunned and distraught woman behind.
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The next day during breakfast, Rayla sternly tells me, “Thoma, we need to talk about something important, are you okay with a discussion like that now or are you still too tired?”
“Uhm…I’m okay. What do we need to talk about?”
“Well, now that you’re not Human anymore you’ll have to follow some new rules.”
Sitting down, I ask, “Okay? What new rules?”
Sher Aka speaks up, “For starters, you must never ever tell anyone that you are a dragon unless we tell you it’s okay first.”
“Why?”
“Because, while adult dragons are usually left alone due to their immense strength, it’s not the same for young dragons. If people find out that you’re essentially a dragon baby they’ll try to kidnap and sell you.”
John adds, “There are also a lot of people who have deep resentments against dragons so it’s best you just don’t tell them.”
“Can I tell Uli?”
Rayla thinks for a second and answers, “Yeah, that should be fine.”
Sher Aka adds, “Also, if someone asks you about your race you can’t just say Human anymore because that won’t work. You’ll have to say that you’re mixed, if they ask further questions just tell them your grandma was a lizard Beastfolk.”
“What about our clients though? I’ll have to update my guild card, right?”
“Shoot, you’re right oki…I didn’t think of that. Sher Aka do you have any idea how we should handle that?”
“Well…I’m sure if we explain the situation to the Guild Master of the next guild we go to we’ll figure something out. Especially if Shara Seleen puts in a good word for Thoma Ahad.”
John interjects, “We could also just not tell them. His card already says, ‘Probably Human’. That’s a good enough descriptor right?”
“The problem is if we don’t update the guild and we get found out, Thoma Ahad might get demoted or expelled. Also, we already will have to report a dragon as a new member anyways so Thoma Ahad will naturally fall under suspicion as well. Especially if Scarlet insists on calling him her sister.”
“That’s true…I guess we’ll just have to handle it when we get our next job.”
I then ask, “So I'm not supposed to tell anyone and if they keep asking tell them I’m mixed. Are there any other rules?”
“Yes.” Rayla answers, while looking at me with a determined look, “I don’t want you to wander about alone anymore. It’s not safe. Even when we’re on the job I don’t want you to split off from us without at least one of us going with you.”
“But isn’t that going to be super inconvenient for both me and you guys?”
“Yes but we need to do that because what’s even more inconvenient is, if even just by accident someone presses into the spot between your shoulder blades, you’ll become a little blind baby dragon without any way to contact us. You’re so small and squishy in that form that you’d probably die if someone accidentally stepped on you! So until you learn how to transform back on your own you’ll have to be near us.”
I hate being a burden so much...
“Hmm okay.”
“Also this is less of a rule and more general advice but you should avoid places from now on where only Humans gather. There is probably a good reason why there are no other races present.”
“Isn’t that what we’ve already been doing?”
“Yes, but I wanted to make it clear that you are a target to them too now. Hmm…Let’s see is there anything else…Oh yeah! Don’t accept free things like food or drinks from strangers. Also, if someone tells you that we told them to get you then don’t believe them unless they have some proof on them. It’s a trick to make people believe they’re trustworthy when they really aren’t.”
A bit annoyed, I answer, “If you have more rules you need to start writing them down ane because I won’t remember much more.”
“Nope, that's it for now.”
“Phew. By the way, shouldn't we leave some breakfast for Scarlet?”
“Oh yeah, you were already asleep back then. Scarlet is gonna sleep until her wings are healed. She said it will take about a week.”
“Is it even possible to sleep that long?”
“It sure looks like it is.”
“Hmm…Do you think she’ll mind if I look at her a bit while she sleeps? I’ve never seen someone like her before.”
“I don’t think she’ll mind at all.”
“Do you mind if I go watch her then?”
“Not at all, go ahead.”
“Okay!”
A bit excited, I approach Scarlet. She’s really big and a bit ferocious looking so it’s pretty thrilling to get so close to her. I know she is a nice person and not a monster but it still feels like she could wake up at any moment and just eat me whole. If I remember correctly she is really warm and her scales feel very nice. She probably won’t mind if I pet her scales a bit…This feels so nice…
After petting her for a bit I look at her giant tail. “Woah…” it’s probably longer than her body. Better not touch it though despite how tempting it is. The spine is pretty sensitive so it would probably wake her up. I circle around her further and come to her head, it’s the size of my torso. Her breathing is really calm but I can still feel the power behind it. Getting closer I also notice how pretty she is despite her ferocious face. Even her scent is really nice, I’m not sure why but it makes me feel at-
“Booh!” Scarlet says, suddenly opening her eyes, causing me to stumble backwards and fall on my ass.
“Kikikiki, did I scare you?”
“Yes!”
“Kikikiki, sorry about that. It was just too tempting. Did you want to talk to me?”
“No, sorry for waking you up, I just wanted to look at you up close.”
She grins at me with her sharp teeth, “Pfft. Sure, go ahead, I don't mind.”
Looking down, I twiddle with my thumbs a bit, “But… Since you are awake now, can I talk to you after all?”
“Sure.”
“I just wanted to say that I feel really flattered that you see me as your family and I think you’re really nice but I don’t see you as my sister. At least not currently. How about we start off as friends first?”
She starts to smile and gives me a toothy grin, “I refuse. If you don’t see me as your sister I’ll just have to earn your affection. How about I start by bestowing you with a new name.”
“A new name? But I already have one.”
“Thoma Ahad doesn’t make sense anymore. I’ve found you after all so you’re no longer lost.”
“Wait, you know what that name means?”
“Of course I do, I’m fluent in Elvish, Draconic, Dwarven and Uni. And that old name of yours just doesn’t work anymore so from now on your name will be Rose.”
“Rose? What does that name mean?”
Raising an eyebrow, she says, “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a rose before.”
“I don’t think I have. What is it?”
“Kikikiki, something beautiful and pink just like you, Rose.”
“Huh… I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with a new name.”
“You will be, it just takes time. Is there anything you want from me, Rose?”
“I don’t think so, no.”
“Then I’ll go back to sleep. Feel free to cuddle up to me any time.”
“Uhm, okay. Nighty.”
She closes her eyes again and almost instantly falls back asleep.
“Rose, huh…”
I walk over to Rayla and ask, “Ane, do you know what a rose is?”
“Nope, never heard of it.”
“Hmm, I’ll ask Sher Aka then…Sher Aka?”
“Yes?”
“Do you know what a rose is?”
Giving me a smile, she answers, “Yes, it’s a type of flower native to the south.”
“Huh, what does it look like?”
“Hmm…Do you know the puffy dresses noble ladies wear?”
“Yeah.”
“Imagine just the puffy part and then think of it upside down on a green thorny stem, that’s what it looks like.”
“Huh…Do they… Look nice?”
“Very much so. Nowadays they have been bred in all sorts of colors which all convey different meanings but originally they are either red, white or pink. Now that I think about it, the pink ones have the same color as you do in your draconic form.”
“Huh…”
Showing genuine interest, she asks, “Are you getting into gardening perhaps? Or flower decorations?”
“Oh, no. It’s just…I talked to Scarlet and she said that because she found me, Thoma Ahad is not a fitting name anymore. Which is why she gave me the name Rose.”
“Hmm, it is a very pretty name. But you won’t find many men with a name like that. It is almost exclusively a girl's name.”
“I see…Well I did tell her that I’m not comfortable with a new name but she insisted saying that I’ll get used to it in time. Also! When I told her that I don’t see her as a sister she just took it as a challenge!”
“She does certainly seem to have a bit of a forceful personality... But so far I do believe she is doing it because she thinks it’s what’s best for you. Even if that might not actually be the case. It might be good to be patient with her for now but set clear boundaries of things you absolutely don’t want.”
“Okay. Thank you Sher Aka.”
“You’re welcome.”
"Do you mind if I stay with you a little?"
She motions me to sit down next to her, "Of course not, you're always welcome."