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dragonologist-phd · 7 months

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Owlcatober Day 19 - relaxing

Piper and Daeran spend some time relaxing and indulging in their favorite, most hated hobby.

also on ao3

Daeran sweeps into the library with a book in his hand and a long-suffering expression on his face. He sighs deeply as he settles down in a plush armchair with the air of a man steeling himself for some utterly dreadful yet vitally important task.

“I must say,” he proclaims without preamble, “this last gauntlet has been one of the most grueling things we’ve faced thus far. Please tell me you’ve provided enough wine to drive the memory from my mind?”

Piper is already reclined on the long chaise she’d dragged into the library specifically for the purpose of these meetings. Her shoes lay discarded on the floor, and her legs dangle off the edge of the armrest as she lies with her own book propped up on her stomach. With one hand, she flips through the book’s pages, while the other holds a glass of rich, sweet wine.

“Help yourself,” she says, gesturing to the bottle on a nearby table. “Heaven knows we need it. The first time around was painful enough, but the follow-up…”

“Oh, it’s ludicrous!” Daeran begins immediately. He wastes no time in filling his glass to the brim with wine and takes a long drink before continuing his tirade. “From the very start- after all the trouble Frederick’s affair caused him in the first novel, he starts off this one by trying to legitimize the bastard? What an absolute fool.”

“And a rubbish king, to boot,” Piper comments, taking a sip of her own wine. “Without Mariella, absolutely nothing would get done. I’m glad she at least got to have an affair of her own in this one, even if she did have to kill the fellow in the end.”

“Let’s not forget to credit Katyana, as well. She had a better head on her shoulders than either of them, even whilst being poisoned. Although I must say, I do wish she would stop trying to exile Princess Celine. I quite like her.”

“The hedonistic noblewoman who tries to seduce half the court? I’m shocked,” Piper comments wryly.

“Are you trying to claim you don’t feel the same?”

“Not at all- she was a delight. I was pleasantly surprisedby Lady Georgette in this one, too- you owe me ten gold, by the way, seeing as she married the rich baron and not the soldier.”

Daeran scowls over his wine. “That marriage barely lasted a fortnight!”

“It still counts, and a bet and is a bet. Though even I couldn’t have predicted that she would end up as the madame of a brothel. Quite the career change, and I must say- I do like it for her. I think she’ll do well for herself.”

Her words are rather suitably punctuated by the jingle of gold as Daeran sourly empties his coinpurse, but he pauses before handing them over. “How about another wager, instead? Lady Lenore and her new lover Lord Nysus…do you think they shall wed?”

Piper nearly spills her wine as she jolts up in indignation. “I should hope not! She may be insufferable, but she can do better than him.”

A grin creeps onto Daeran’s face, and he subtly tucks his gold away once again. “Oh, I don’t know…he has some intriguing qualities. Didn’t you read Chapter Eight?”

“The one where he watches her take a bath?” Piper shakes her head emphatically. “I nearly fell asleep. Even Mariella and Frederick had more chemistry than that!”

Daeran leans forward as she speaks, smiling quite evilly over his wine. Piper knows what he’s after, and she knows she should probably take her winnings and leave it…but as a storyteller herself, this is a matter of pride. With a huff, she says, “Fine. Fifteen gold that by the end of the third novel, Lenore has kicked Nysus out of her bed. And her bathtub.”

“Deal,” Daeran says nodding firmly. “I, for one, am looking forward to more of this Nysus. I do so appreciate a classic scoundrel, and if I am forced to read this drivel then I am determined to find my enjoyment wherever I can.”

Piper rolls her eyes as she settles back against the chaise. “You’ve your own free will. Nobody is forcing you to read anything.”

“But what else am I to do?” The protest is rather dramatic, in Piper’s opinion, but Daeran shows no sign of relenting. “Go on with my life, never knowing the fate of our Frederick and Mariella? Unthinkable. You have put me in the most odious of traps. I’m doomed to a lifetime of overblown prose and monologues of devotion for the foreseeable future.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Piper says, turning back to the book in her lap, “their fates aren’t looking very bright, now that Katyana has defected to Cheliax.”

Daeran points an accusing finger at Piper, the wine sloshing in his glass. “Not another word! How many times must I say- these nights are for discussion, not reading ahead.”

“Fine, fine.” Piper puts her book to the side and props her chin in her hands, her eyes glinting. “Can we discuss how Lady Georgette is definitely going to sleep with that pirate soon?”

By the time the wine is finished- both the initial bottle and the second they procured from the kitchens- Piper and Daeran have thoroughly bemoaned every relationship set forth in the novel, and have placed three more bets as to their outcomes.

An absolute waste of evening, Piper knows. She’s looking forward to the next one.

(yes, all referenced plot points come from a real show, one which my sister binged a while back and which i was forced to learn about through association. congrats (?) to anyone who recognizes the source material!)

#ch: piper #pwotr #owlcatober 2023 #they're so silly and terrible i love them #daeran arendae

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spyridonya · 1 year

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21 - collapse and 40 - pet for Kadira, Lann and Daeran?

Send me a number and I’ll write a micro story using the word or phrase - 43: undone (10 sentences)

21 - Collapse

The words on the page become unfocused, the light not quite so bright as the tiefling fights off a yawn despite not wanting to put down her pen from her work. Between one yawn and the next, she finds her head tipping down to the expanse of the Hall's meeting table, her forearm as a pillow and her lashes drifting lower and lower.

The commander nearly jerks to full consciousnesses when someone lifts her out of the chair to carry her princess style out of the room and through the hallway. However, it's only for a moment. The weight of her lashes feel so heavy and the warmth of the body feels so good, she doesn't fight.

Fingers brush over a warm scaled shoulder and the tiefling smiles and continues to smile as she's carried to her room, to her bed, and finds herself placed in the middle of it. It's almost instantly a body presses to her right side, seeking her warmth, an aasimar's face pressed against her neck.

The last thing Kadira remembers before falling asleep is the shift of weight in the bed, and a second body is pressed to her left side, touching her face gently with warm human hands as covers are drawn over them all, soft and safe.

40 - Pet

Their sleeping arrangement settled into two variants: Kadira or Daeran occupy the middle of the bed (Lann won't because he's worried about his horn).

Tonight it was Daeran's turn with Lann pressed against his form and Kadee curled up besides him, her tail tangled between their legs.

The count keeps his vigil despite twice the comfort and intimacy surround him, when suddenly a shape lands on the bed with a thump, causing his heart to leap to his throat.

He watches in the darkness as that delicate shape crawls on top of Kadira (who snores so softy) to survey the room.

The shape meows.

Without hesitation, Tiger pads off the tiefling to sit on Daeran's chest, turning once, then twice, in a circle before curling on top of the blonde man and begins to purr loudly.

Sourly, the aasimar finds he would rather deal with his otherworldly parasites in this moment as he stares ruefully at the cat.

In response, Tiger tucks his head under Daeran's chin, continuing to purr for the rest of the night.

#answered ask #wonda-ch #character: lann the mongrel #character: daeran arendae #character: knight commander kadira

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