Thank you for being a friend
After Ser Adin leaves us alone, I can hear some women say, “Please let us accompany you to your room esteemed guests, your baggage is currently being retrieved from your wagon”
We move for a while and after I hear a sliding noise, Rayla sounds like she’s in complete awe, “Wow...Is that all for us?”
“That is correct esteemed guest. You will also find a private bath outside and indoors. We also recommend the community baths downstairs. They are open from six am to ten pm. Your scheduled dinner time is seven pm, if you need any food or help in the meantime feel free to ring this bell and your personal attendants will attend to your needs.”
I then hear the sliding noise again and footsteps walking away from us.
John sighs, “So, this didn’t work out as expected. At least we still have the doctor's notice for a vacation.”
Scarlet sounds distraught as she answers, “We have been taken hostage. We must remain calm and respectful or else we might get tortured.”
Rayla objects, “Don’t worry this is not a hostage situation. You heard what Ser Adin said, she won’t harm either of you. The only reason she wants to talk to us is because Shara Seleen is Thoma’s adoptive mother.”
“Is this true Rose?”
I nod.
“Did you hear anything about us being in danger when she took you away?”
I shake my head.
“Perhaps you’re right then…Though it is still best to stay vigilant, we’re dealing with the Butcher Demon after all…”
She seems really scared…I’m not sure if this will help but it feels like it might so it's worth a shot.
I then start licking her hands.
“Are you trying to cheer me up, Rose?”
I nod.
“Daaaw… Thank you.”
She moves me upwards and I feel what is probably her cheek rub against me so I start to lick her face too.
“Kikikiki, that tickles Rose. I feel better now, thank you. I mean how could I ever stay in a bad mood with a cute little sister like you? Now how about you take a little nap? This must have been suuuper exhausting.”
I then feel my tail being moved forward and my mouth tickled by it so I chomp down and start to suck on it, falling asleep quickly.
When I wake up again it’s the late afternoon. I’m lying on what looks like mats made of some woven plants while being petted by Scarlet.
“Oh? Are you awake Rose? Good morning.”
“Uhm…Good morning.” I say somewhat awkwardly as I move away from her, “Where is everyone else?”
“In the other room. Just be careful that’s a sliding door, not a pushing door.”
“Huh…” I look at the paper door and carefully slide it open revealing a big room with different decorations and Rayla, John and Sher Aka sitting in it.
“Oki! You’re awake!” Rayla says as she comes over to me and we nuzzle cheeks.
Looking me up and down she asks, “Hmm? Is something wrong oki? Or are you just a bit groggy?”
“I’m fine, I just have some things on my mind.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Yeah…But I think I’ll do it with John.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Do you have some time John?”
Looking me up and down, he nods, “Sure, there is a gazebo outside where we can sit down.”
We then walk out into our own private little garden and sit down at the Gazebo. It’s a bit cold out but there is no wind so it’s bearable.
“So…There is something I wanted your advice on as a friend.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“It’s about Scarlet. I feel very conflicted. On one hand I really dislike how she does things without asking me first or ignores me when I tell her to stop but on the other I…I do enjoy how she treats me.”
John leans against a railing with his arms crossed, “Hmm, what is it that’s making you feel uncomfortable? Is it just that she does things without asking or is it something else too?”
“Well…I also feel like it’s unfair to Rayla if I like her and let her treat me like this. I don’t want her to feel jealous or like she’s being replaced.”
“Hmm…I see where you’re coming from but Rayla is your sister not your girlfriend. She doesn’t have a right to monopolize you as much as she does. If her being jealous is the only thing stopping you then that’s something she has to deal with, not you.”
“I guess that’s true…But…What if my feelings for Scarlet are not real? I…I know that I’m changing John and I’m afraid that this is just something related to that.”
“Think about it this way. If you start bonding with Scarlet more will that make your life worse in the long run if it turns out that your feelings disappear?”
“No, probably not.”
“Alright, try ignoring all the other outside things for a bit. Will it make you feel better if you bond with Scarlet more?”
“Yeah…Probably.”
“Then you have your answer. If you want I can also talk to Rayla about it so she doesn’t feel like she’s ‘being replaced’.”
“That would be very helpful John…”
“...”
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Of course.”
“I…I’m a bit confused now on what or who I am. Before I was just a cursed Human. Now I’m still cursed but I’m also a Dragon and in a way I'm also a baby. Also Scarlet says I’m female but my Human form is still male. I’m just so confused…”
He lets out a deep sigh, his breath turning into a cloud in the cold winter air, “Well, it definitely is fucking confusing. I can agree on that but it also has its positives right?”
“Like what?”
“For example with your sex. You’d prefer being female right? So now with Scarlet you can try exploring that side a little in a safe environment while everyone else still sees and treats you the same as before. As for the baby part it doesn’t really matter right? You’re still the same as you were before, it wouldn’t really change anything if your draconic form was a baby, a teen or an adult. All that changes is that you’re still at Human levels of strength as a baby Dragon, which is probably preferable since it’s less of a change, right?”
“Yeah…I guess that’s true.”
“As for the whole race change thing…Yeah I can see how that would be super scary to go through. But it’s not like you were really Human before. Sure you looked like one but let’s be honest your original body probably isn’t Human or at least not fully Human. Also, it’s pretty cool to be able to breathe fire and have built in armor in the future right?”
“Haha. Yeah, I guess that’s true... John, can I ask you a serious question?”
“Sure.”
“Please answer honestly…Do you and Sher Aka think less of me now that I’m a dragon?”
He answers without hesitation, “No, not at all. We feel the same about you as before, why do you ask?”
“Well…Elves have a bad history with Dragons. Sher Aka got really angry today when Scarlet mentioned something about it and when I told Uli I’m a Dragon she cried.”
“She cried? That’s fucked up man, I’m sorry.”
“Well…She did still accept me but her first reaction was still…Pretty hurtful.”
“I bet it was. That sounds traumatizing. As for us though, I don’t really have any Dragon prejudice but Sherry does. Truth be told she’s not the greatest fan of Scarlet but her opinion of you did not change at all.”
“That’s reassuring…Hey John, thank you for this. You’re a great friend.”
Putting his arm around me and ruffling my hair, he smiles at me, “Heh, thanks. You can always lean on me when you need to, Thoma Ahad.”
“Thanks, the same goes for you.”
“I know. Come on, let's go inside. My butt is starting to freeze off out here and I need to have a talk with Rayla before I forget what I wanted to say. Also you should change into these pajamas they hand out here. They’re super comfortable and it's apparently normal to walk around the town with em on.”
Wandering through the snow we go back inside where I ask Sher Aka to help me with getting out of the formal clothing while John has a talk with Rayla. I then put the pajamas on, they’re really comfy. Sher Aka says they’re called Yukata. After I’m done changing, I take a big breath and go back to the room that Scarlet is sitting in.
Scarlet has a big smile on her face, “Back already? Do you want to get pet by your big sister again?”
A little shy, I answer “Uhm…Yeah I’d like that, thank you sister…”
She looks at me with genuine surprise before getting an even bigger smile on her face as she picks me up with her insane strength and gently lays me down next to her.
She looks me straight in the eyes and says, “This day turned out to be quite the wonderful one thanks to you, Rose.”
“Thanks…Sister.”
She giggles and starts petting me, “You don’t have to force it. Right now this is more than enough.”