The Dragon Rider's Chronicles

"Well, you'd be the first person I've told. Honestly, I've never been out of Ventenadana before and most of the time I did not even get to leave the Royal House. So I've never really been able to speak about it for obvious reasons." Ardra pulled the back of her shirt down and sat up. "It doesn't matter though. It's just simply a nuisance since the muscles themselves were ripped quite a bit."


----


"Have at." Kestus could care less about the elves' training; he was trying to figure out why on earth they had given them the kitchen without giving the all the necessities.


From the couch, Neera snored softly. She laid face down with her head turned outwards. Her left arm and left leg hung off the couch and she would occasionally move in her sleep.
 
Kenzo pause for a moment before gently forcing her back down onto her stomach sgain. "Wait...you're still so stiff...let me try one last thing."
 
"372 . . . 373 . . . 374 . . . 375 . . . 376 . . . 377 . . ."


The swing of the sword was therapeutic to Sanz. The heavy weight on his frame, the leather grips beneath his palms, the brief *sheen* as metal cleaved through air. It wiped away the demons of battle, and replaced it with methodical, simple work.


"389 . . . 390 . . . 391 . . ."
 
"....fine...." Ardra excepted being pushed back down. "I wonder when Draconas will come and get us." She wasn't really in the mood to go anywhere tonight.


Kestus finally finished his list and began working on a pasta dish with some added spice. He wanted to make something simple tonight and see if the others could handle his cooking.


A louder chortle of snoring came from the couch as Neera fell off the couch in her sleep. The fall however did not wake her up and she laid on the floor just as comfortable as if she was still on the couch.
 
Kenzo focused his earth magic into his palms and rested them in the center of her back. "Typically I use my earth magic to strengthen my swords, but if I use it in the opposite sense, it should relax your muscles." He took a slow, deep breath as he concentrated his efforts. "I've never used it in this sense before, so bear with me, please." He closed his eyes and let his magic work.
 
".....okay.....that....feels.....amazing...." Ardra laid without moving. She quickly reminded herself to pay him back somehow for this later. "You'll have to....do this....more often." It was a pretty amazing feeling and it was making her almost fall asleep.
 
Kenzo was glad she wasn't facing him because he was quickly reddening as he once again worked on shaking off unnecessary emotions. The more he examined his current situation, the more uncomfortable he got. He kept his eyes closed as he combined his two efforts into one: he was now employing the chi point massaging from earlier, using his fingertips on the chi points, and infusing them with 'soft' earth magic. If this didn't relax her muscles, NOTHING would.
 
Ardra smiled. "Yeah, definitely going to have you do this more." She looked back at him and a confused look crossed his face. "....why are you blushing?"
 
Kenzo nearly jumped out of his skin when she caught him blushing, and hastily threw his hands up in front of him defensively as he stared her in the eyes. "Ah...what? I'm..." He ashamedly grabbed his sugegasa and left the room, muttering "...how inappropriate...foolish thoughts..." to himself as he walked out into the kitchen where the others were. He'd been so hasty that he'd forgotten his shirt.
 
Sanz raised an eyebrow as Kenzo left the room shirtless, though he said nothing. Nothing besides the expected anyway. He hadn't even flinched when Neera fell flat on her ass off the couch.


"814 . . . 815 . . . 816 . . ."
 
As Kenzo strode out into the lobby he gave a quick glance from under his hat's rim at everyone present.


Kestus seemed busy taking inventory and maybe cooking?


Kenzo inwardly resonated with Sanz. good to see another disciplined warrior.


He stopped when he reached Neera, asleep on the floor in front of the couch. Realizing that she must have fallen off, he stood there staring at her while he inwardly decided what to do...his good nature was starting to win, but his current flustered state was interfering with rational thought processes...finally he shook it off and slowly knelt down (trying to avoid waking up both her and his wound), picked her up, and placed her gently back onto the couch.
 
Neera did not wake up at all. She just curled up into a ball on the couch and stayed asleep. Kestus flitted back and forth, singing old fairy chants and cooking at the speed of light. He kept muttering something about there not being enough spice for his taste but he could not put more in for fear of charbroiling someone's mouth.


Ardra was so confused; why had he stopped? Foolish thoughts? Inappropriate? She giggled when she thought of something. What if he was just nervous around girls? She mentally stored that for reference and use in the future before walking out the door behind him.
 
"998 . . . 999 . . . 1000."


Sanz let out a short pant and set the blade down. A thin sheen of sweat had broken out over his arms, forehead, and neck. Within a few moments the extra weight strapped on had been set aside, leaving a loud *thunk* as it collided with the floor. He sheathed the massive blade and set it aside, sitting down on the other end of the couch, away from Neera. He could hear the fairy flittering behind him, completely engrossed in whatever he was cooking.


"There . . . that was refreshing."
 
Kenzo stood next to the couch, arms crossed. He didn't notice that he was staring down at Neera. Not that anyone else could tell, because of his hat obscuring their vision of his face. He was lost in thought, trying to piece together the conversation they had had a while ago. As Ardra had said, there was definitely something about his clan's destruction that neither he nor Neera were aware of...what had happened? What was the truth about his clan's eradication...?
 
"Question for you people." Kestus flew over with a small apron with flames over his frame. "How spicy do you like your food?"


"Food?" Neera bolted up. "Did someone say food?!?!"


"....some things never change." Ardra commented. "....spicy is great Kestus."


"....but spicy foods...." Neera looked sad.


"What?" Kestus asked.


"....you'll see." This was her only answer.
 
"I'll eat it regardless. I've learned not to be picky."


Sanz looked over at the young woman who had perked up instantly at the sound of 'food'


"Enjoy your nap?"
 
"Spicy is fine with me, if it tastes as good as it smells," Kenzo said. He hadn't had a proper prepared meal in years, seeing as he'd spent that time wandering the coast of Ventenadana.
 
"....well I like making most things spicy. Tonight, it's sweet and spicy chicken. Mostly spicy though." Kestus grinned.


"I was asleep?" Neera looked at Sanz, confused. "....I thought that we were still down in the canyon. Guess I was dreaming."


"....Kenzo...." Ardra giggled, hiding it behind her hands. "You left your shirt off."
 
Kenzo blinked at the comment as he realized that she was right, and pulled his hat brim down slightly to hide his reddening face while he quickly strolled back to Ardra's room, returning in a minute with his shirt on this time.
 
"Yes, yes you were. Hell, you even fell off the couch and didn't even so much as stir in your sleep."


Sanz shook his head and leaned back, one hand on the pommel of his blade.
 
"....well....dig in people." The amount of sweet and spicy chicken on the dish was perhaps a bit superfluous but Kestus had no idea how much these people would eat. "Just keep in mind that it has a kick to it."


Ardra giggled at Kenzo's quick exit to get his shirt. It was becoming clear that she was going to have fun teasing him.


Neera dove for the food like her life depended on it. After getting a double portion, she began chowing down on it.
 
Kenzo got himself a plate of chicken and stood next to the couch again, giving the food a taste. After his first bite, he stood there for several seconds before digging into the rest of the food. "Spicy as hell, but goddamn delicious," he muttered as he ate.
 
Sanz had already pulled up a plate and eaten it. And gotten seconds . . . and thirds . . . when all was said and done he had devoured five plates of the stuff. He had a knack for spicy food.


"Satisfying."
 
Kestus flew in a happy twist. "Yay! Then I shall cook from now on!" I shall get close to these men, because the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!


Neera collapsed onto the couch, her stomach stuffed. "....this is when I'm glad we're in separate rooms. Might want to call the fumigation squad later."


Ardra sighed. "....Neera....why weren't you born a guy? Seriously?"
 
Sanz looked over at the fairy flittering around without a care in the world.


"I won't say no."


He was polite enough to not say so . . . but a part of him agreed with Ardra regarding the young woman beside him . . . he was on the verge of calling her "girl" rather than "young woman" at this point.
 
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