After School Swim!

"Ha! Maybe not," he agreed playfully. "They aren't so bad though. It's just that after the Fairies and Pixies split, the people decided that mixing magic was just as bad as mixing blood... Of course we're passed that now," he added as an afterthought. "We're working on getting everyone back together again."

Ciel looked ahead to see if he could spot the house. "Are we really there already?"

"Well that's good!" Ethril said with a soft sigh. "It's always nice when everyone gets along!" Dragons seemed to have the same problem as the fair folk. Most of the dragon's lived and stayed in their own clans and rarely mixed with others. It was how the light clan had been wiped out, because they'd all been together and the dragon hunters had gotten to them. Before anyone could arrive to help, or even knew something had happened, most of the light dragons had been killed.

"Yeah," Fascino's house was large, but ordinary looking. It was the kind of house you didn't look twice at. There was no lawn ornamentation other then the grass, the gate and waist high fence was ordinary, and even the color was a plain white. Fascino didn't believe in over decorating when you didn't have the need to.

"I've got the first story all to myself mostly since Fascino's room, the library, and his lab are all upstairs." Ethril said with a big grin. She squeezed Ciel's hand gently and then tugged at his hand to follow her. "I'll show you my room where I keep my hoard!"

"Alright," Ciel said with a stupid smile. He allowed her to tug him along through the little fence and into the house ((and omg I have no idea what the house looks like inside)).

"I've never even met Master Fascino," he said nervously as he stepped inside. "Is this really okay?" Though he never brought anyone over to his home when he was young, Ciel knew that parental permission was something that everyone else needed. Especially if the guest was of the opposite sex regardless of any circumstances.

"Truly, I don't want to offend. Especially if you're taking me somewhere so private as your bedroom," he added, wiping at the sweat that had suddenly broken out on the back of his neck.

"Eh. Fascino honestly doesn't care." Ethril said seriously. "He's only letting me stay here because he is a friend of my dad's." Ethril shrugged as she lead the way past the staircase in the foyer and towards a door to the left down the hall. "And it's ok to be in my room. I'm inviting you so why would it be private?" Ethril was honestly curious about this. Fascino had explained some things, but not about what happened at home.

The only rules Fascino had given her were to not make a mess and to be home before midnight so she'd get some sleep before school. She'd been adventuring for over a year after all and knew how to take care of herself. "Come on!" Ethril said excitedly as she opened the door and invited Ciel in. Her room was fairly plain since she'd only been around a few weeks. The bed was large enough for three people, in order to accommodate her wings. The floor was covered in a creme colored carpet and the walls had a muted honey color wall paper. There was one window facing the back yard which was not fenced and lead into a grouping of trees.

Ethril had a night stand and a chest of drawers for most of her clothes. Her closet happened to be open revealing a fairly empty walk in closet. Another door on the opposite wall lead into a bathroom. The only piece of furniture that was remarkable in anyway was an ornate and hand carved chest at the foot of her bed. Rubies lined the cover and there were celtic like carvings of dragons playing on top.

"My hoard is in here!" Ethril said happily as she skipped over to her chest. She focused on her light magic and placed her hand on top of the chest. There was a clicking sound and the lid creaked open.

Inside the chest were 2 large scales roughly the size of her hand, several gold chains, 3 phoenix feathers preserved with magic, a small painting of a blond woman and a silver haired man, and a red and black round gem that was cracked. "I keep my honey up on a shelf so nothing will get into it. You want some?" She asked as she stood up to go get her special honey.

Ciel took in the rather empty room. It was much plainer compared to his ornate home. Then again, she said she'd only been there for a short time. She also hadn't been out to town yet, so she obviously hadn't bought any new clothes or the like.

He watched as she opened the chest at the foot of the bed, impressed at how the mechanics of it worked. "Quel magnifique..." He peered inside, eager to see what it was that she had in her hoard so far. As promised, the scales were beautiful, and Ciel had never seen a feather quite as magnificent as those in the chest.

"If you could put it on something, sure, I'll have some," he said in response to her honey question, never looking away from the chest. There were two other items that caught his attention in a bad way. Having spent so much time speaking to Ethril, he could easily conclude the tiny painting was of her parents. If that was the case, then why didn't she have it displayed somewhere, like a bedside table? Or on a dresser even.

He didn't have to think too hard about the cracked gem.

"Umm...there's some bread and pastries in the kitchen, I'll go get them." Ethril said as she picked up one jar of honey and left the room to go get said objects.

Under the feathers were two other things. One was a tiny jeweled music box and the other was an odd shaped triangular crystal. The music box had been a gift from Sistra and played the autumn dance festival song that Ethril loved so much. As Ciel looked into the chest for a closer look while Ethril was out of the room, there was a clicking sound.

The clicking sound had come from the little triangle. Slowly a beam of light shown from the triangle and an image of a white haired man appeared. He seemed infinitely calm as he began to speak. "Hello Ethril, my name is White Cloud," The magical hologram began to say in a prerecorded message. "You already know that Sistra is not your mother, and you know that you're not from the Southern clan. It's time you knew the truth." The man seemed to sag slightly in sadness. "Your real mother was a light dragon by the name of Allasaril and your father was a crystal dragon by the name of Ethorim. You had 6 siblings. Your father was the leader of the Northern Dragon clan and a dear friend of mine."

Ethril paused in the doorway of her bedroom and tears prickled in her eyes as she heard the recording playing. She should have known that it would have started playing, the trigger was so sensitive. Ethril should have rushed in and shut the thing off, but sorrow kept her from moving. "When you were three years old a group of dragon hunters attacked your clan. I won't go into detail as to what I found, but you had somehow managed to escape. You were the only survivor that night Ethril." White Cloud lowered his gaze. "If you have questions...come find me in the Crystal Caverns. I'll answer as best I can." And with that the recording ended and the hologram faded.

((Damn you womaaaan! D:<))

Ciel stared at the crystal as the hologram receded. He'd heard Ethril approaching again, but he'd been so shocked that he couldn't even pretend to look away. He'd just been told, albeit accidentally, that Ethril's entire family had been attacked and killed. Her mother, father, and even six siblings. And because she was so young.. there might have been a chance that she didn't even remember these people.

Ciel had been crouching on his toes to peek inside of the chest, but he rolled back onto his haunches when he could finally move again. He brought his legs up and hugged them close to his chest, burying his face into his knees. His hair immediately fell around him to completely block out any light or vision of his face.

When he thought he could hear his friend coming back into the room from the doorway finally, he lifted his head and smiled at her. Tears had long since stained his face, and they continued to roll down his cheeks. He didn't have the heart to open his eyes and look at her. He'd invaded something so private, and not only that. He had never felt so much sorrow for another being in his life.

"Désolé... mon amour."

(( good night :: huggles happily :: ))

It was almost difficult to walk into the room after listening to the recording from White Cloud. She'd heard it dozens maybe hundreds of times over the past few years since she'd gotten it, but each time evoked new emotions. Ethril had eventually gone to see White Cloud, the first adventure she'd ever gone on, and she'd asked many questions about her family and birth clan. By the time she'd gotten done questioning the old mage she felt as if she could remember them. White Cloud had then given her two things. The first being the painting of her parents and the second being the forehead jewel that had been her mothers.

Ethril slowly walked over to the chest. She gently and quietly set the honey and treats down next to Ciel. Almost timidly, she reached up and touched Ciels cheek to wipe away his tears. Ethril looked at her damp fingers and then at the chest. Ethril stood back up and took the final step to the chest and reached inside. She withdrew the triangle and held it in her hand.

Ethril watched the triangle crystal for some time, as if waiting for it to say something else, to tell her that it was all a lie and that her family was really alive and waiting for her. She'd done this many times as if hoping that she'd wake up. Ethril glanced back and down at Ciel and she felt a different emotion building in her heart.

She felt rage.

Ethril tilted her head down and her bangs covered her eyes. Slowly she began to grip the crystal harder and harder until the edges finally broke the skin of her hand and her silver blood began to drip onto the carpet below. Ethril gave into the rage that was filling her and she threw the crystal at the wall. She'd never tried to destroy the crystal before so when the sides of the crystal broke apart and fell to the ground Ethril was momentarily shocked. She was breathing heavily and her shoulders were shaking.

"I don't even remember..." She said with a bark of a laugh. "That night. All I remember is fire and running." Ethril grit her teeth together and she felt like breaking something else. "This is why I don't want people to know!" She screamed at the broken pieces of the crystal. "I don't remember so why should people feel pity for me? Why should I mourn for something that I'll never know?" Her heart was racing and she grabbed the painting of her parents with her uninjured hand.

Ethril was half tempted to throw that too, but in the end she set it down back in the chest. She fought to get control of her breathing again and only succeeded in hiccuping. In a daze she went over to Ciel and laid down behind him. She curled around him to try and comfort them both. Her tail came up and curled up against him and her wings were laid across the floor. "I'm sorry Ciel. You weren't supposed to find out. I should have destroyed that stupid message years ago." Her eyes were closed as she tried to find comfort in laying curled around her friend.

Ethril's rage ebbed away leaving her feeling completely drained for the second time that day. "Please don't cry for me Ciel. Enough tears have been shed today." Ethril whispered tiredly as she looked at her still bleeding hand. Ethril felt too drained to heal it, but she should at least bind it to keep the blood from getting everywhere. She had her mother's blood, silver blood. Blood so filled with light magic that it would glow in the the dark of the night. "I have nothing, and yet I have everything." Ethril whispered. "I have no family, no clan, no one to love me...and yet I have my wings, my magic, and my freedom. I have the chance to rebuild what I lost. So don't cry for me my araria" Ethril said, her dreary mind falling into her own language. "Sel leanich tur da frarem"

"The sun will always rise"

((In reality what she said was "Rise always does the sun", but the grammar sounds off in english...and Araria means both "Beloved" and "Person of great importance" ))

Ciel didn't move when she wiped his cheek for him. He only opened his eyes. He was surprised that he was even able to speak when she returned. He'd lost his parents as well, but he at least got to know them-- to learn from them... In truth, times of him crying were few and very far between. The most recent time he could remember was when he found his parents that night...

Regardless, he'd always been rather cynical.. If he ever felt bad for someone, he'd usually just yell at them for being stupid enough to be sad and try to make them feel better through rationalization. (i.e. If you hate it so much than do something. No one can read your mind, moron, so take action to fix it!) True, it usually worked, but he was pretty sure that sort of logic wouldn't hold in this situation.

He watched, a bit worried as Ethril squeezed the crystal in her hand. He was terrified when she started shouting and threw it. His heart sank when he saw her take hold of the tiny portrait, but he was relieved when she put it back. Enough that he let out an audible sigh. Ciel listened to her words as she wound around him. He couldn't make out the last bit that she said, but it sounded familiar almost. Like something he'd heard when he visited the dark elves of Lankota. He couldn't remember if there were dragons there, or what the dark elves' relation was with them.

Even still, he seemed to feel what she was saying. It made his heart ache a bit less, but not enough. He placed his hand over it and tried to pull a bit of the natural air in his body through that area. It always tickled a bit with an odd pressure, but it eased him without fail. His face was still wet, but he wasn't actively crying any longer.

He reached down to caress Ethril's head where it lay next to his leg. He had crossed them when she came to curl around him to make things a bit easier. He still didn't say anything, but there was a reason. They'd spoken about such sad things twice already in the same day. He did want to let her in on his life a bit more, but he didn't want to upset her anymore than she had been already.

"Miss Ethril," he called to her, still absently stroking her hair. He'd settled into running his fingers through it in a more comb like fashion. Having it done to him was always relaxing. "You know.. I lost my parents, too." He took a moment to get his thoughts and words together correctly. "I did get get know them, yes, but it was short lived." He smiled then. There were only fond memories of his mother and father. They'd been a happy family in the little French house he'd grown up in. The years he got with them never felt like enough though.

"They're wonderful people, as are most of the parental units I've met in my day. I'm sure yours are too." He stretched his neck a bit to peer inside of the chest again. "And they are quite a lovely couple," he added with a faint smile. He might have sounded odd, referring to them in the present tense, but it was something he always did. The dead had left, yes, but they were still alive in others' hearts and minds. Besides, if Ethril didn't want people knowing, he probably shouldn't use the past tense for her parents especially.

A purr started in Ethril's chest as she felt Ciel's fingers comb through her hair. It tickled at her memory for a moment, but nothing came to the surface. Sistra had combed her hair to sooth her, Shadow had combed her hair once...but there was more and Ethril knew there was more. It irked her that she just couldn't remember. Ethril sighed and her eyes drifted closed with each lovely stroke of Ciel's fingers.

At the mention of his parents, Ethril opened her eyes slowly. "What were they like?" She whispered remembering to speak in English at the last second. Sistra had always been like a a mother to her, and the adults of the southern clan had treated her with as much love as any birth member. Even so, Ethril had grown up knowing she didn't fully belong; knowing that her family was not in the southern clan. As a child she had been obsessed with learning about different parents and how families interacted with each other. Eventually she realized though that her obsession was actually hurting Sistra. Sistra had always thought of Ethril as a daughter.

"White Cloud said my parents care deeply for me." Ethril said softly as she remembered the stories she'd been told of her lost family. "Fascino told me that my father is a wise and patient man." Ethril smiled at that. Fascino didn't give compliments often and he had always been honest when talking about Ethorim. "Sistra told me that my mother and father were trying to reunite the dragon clans." She closed her eyes as each story filtered into her tired but relaxed mind. "One of the elders from the Southern clan told me my eldest sister Ruby is a great warrior." Ethril began to smile again. The smile started out timid and sad, but soon grew into a full happy smile. it was nice trying to put stories and faces to people that she knew loved her.

"Your family sounds lovely," Ciel sighed. He noticed his fingers getting a bit tangled since her hair was damp and decided to put out a bit of air to try and dry it more quickly. "What are my parents like?"

He didn't smile, but he felt a bit warm inside. "Well, I look a lot like my father. The only difference is that his hair is much more tame. Us "airy" people have such fluffy hair-- I don't know how he got it so straight...* He was always talented as well. I was a slow learner, but he was able to teach me things in just a few weeks."

Ciel noticed that Ethril's hair felt considerably less damp, so he stopped blowing on her with his hand. "As for my mother... Well she is very different. She's always been quite stern with me and is a very strong woman in general. Surprisingly, she is an earth Sprite. That's probably why such an awful thing happened." He smiled then to combat his sadness. He was determined not to make their afternoon any worse. "As I've told you, air and earth don't mix well. Birds are a real problem for any earth users."

*((HINT, HINT))

Ethril gently and lovingly wrapped her tail around Ciel's waist to comfort him as he began to describe his parents and what had happened. "I'm sorry Ciel." Ethril would have cried, if she didn't feel like she'd used up all her tears already. "Losing someone that you know and care about...I wouldn't wish it even on my enemies." Even dragon hunters had people they cared about. It was just...instinct that made them want to kill dragons.

Before she could say or do anything else, Ethril felt her stomach grumble at her. She blushed in shock and smiled apologetically at Ciel. Being over emotional tended to make her hungry even in the best of cases. It was a good thing she'd gone and gotten the treats before all this started happening.

The only problem she had now, was getting said treats. She didn't want to uncurl from around Ciel, she was just too comfortable, and the treats were near her feet on the other side of Ciel. With a mental sigh Ethril decided to try and ignore her momentary hunger. Her hand twitched slightly and she was brought back to the reality that her hand was still injured. Although the bleeding had stopped, the pain was starting to set in.

Ciel chuckled when he heard her stomach growl. It had been quite some time since lunch, and they never did get to enjoy their snacks. He reached over to grab the tray. He imagined it was much easier for him to reach it. He was a tad startled when he tried to hand it to his friend.

Ciel hadn't noticed that she cut her hand earlier. The way things progressed, he just hadn't paid attention to his hands. It must have happened just before she smashed her crystal against the wall.

He frowned and put the tray down beside her head. "Mon dieu.. I didn't know you hurt your hand, mon amour.." He took it gingerly between his fingers, trying his best not to jar anything. "Ma~ Can I get you something maybe? I'm lousy at healing things, but I can do first aid if you need the help."

Ethril's stomach grumbled again when she saw Ciel move the food over to her. Ethril winced slightly as she began to sit up. She had to curl her hand awkwardly so that she would press the palm against the ground. Unfortunately even that small amount of movement was enough to open up the fragile scab and for more of her silver blood to drip down her hand. Ethril glanced at the silver drops in the carpet. The spots that had dried already were giving off a gentle glow.

Ethril blushed even as she grimaced when Ciel examined her hand. "T-there are some bandages and healing salve in my bathroom." Ethril told him as she pointed with her good hand at the partially open door across from her closet. "Sistra made the healing salve so a little of that and I'll be as good as new in no time."

Now that she felt the pain in her hand, Ethril felt horrible for the tantrum she had thrown. She shouldn't have lost her temper like that; her anger had resulted in her injuring herself. That was one of being a light dragon, Ethril supposed. Sometimes her instincts and emotions just pushed her over the edge and she stopped thinking about what she was doing.

"All right dear, you wait right here." Ciel got up from his spot, taking care not to stumble over Ethril's tail. He was a bit nervous stepping into the bathroom. A girl's bathroom-- anyone's bathroom-- was an odd thing. He'd only been to Patrick and River's, and they were the best of friend's.

He blushed at the thought of the implications. But he was on a mission. He checked a few places for these things: the toilet, the sink, the cabinet under the sink... He sighed when he stood and saw his own face. Of course it would be in the medicine cabinet. He swung open the tiny mirror and grabbed the things he needed.

He returned, triumphant in his quest and knelt down beside his friend. He did as he was told, adding just a bit of salve to the cuts on her hand. Carefully, he wrapped up her hand, concentrating with all his might. Finishing up, he smiled at her.

"Ma~ I think I'm done, dearest."

Ethril closed her eyes and laid back down on the ground while she waited for Ciel to return. She felt horrible for being so stupid as to injure herself! On top of that she felt so tired from all the ridiculous outbursts she'd had during the day. This was not how today was supposed to end!

She smiled warmly when Ciel returned. Ethril would have been more then happy to bandage her own hand, having had practice doing things one handed, but she was grateful for Ciel's care. She waited silently and watched as he wound the bandage around her hand, hiding her injury from sight. "Thank you Ciel." Ethril said with a smile as she carefully prodded the palm of her injured hand to make sure the salve was already numbing the area. She sighed and relaxed when she felt no stinging pain. In a day the wound would be healed enough to safely remove the bandages. In a week there would only be a scar.

"I'm sorry for all this ciel," Ethril said shyly as she looked from her chest to the dried silver blood and where the broken crystal was lying on he floor and then to her hand. "Sometimes my anger gets away from me." Ethril rubbed the side of her head with her good hand. "How about we get to those snacks?" She was already feeling better and now that she was sitting up she felt less tired.

With her non dominant hand Ethril reached for the jar of honey and stared at the lid for a moment before wrapping her tail around the jar and then using her hand to take the lid off. Thank the goddess for tails! "There's a spoon and knife on the tray if you want to spread the honey on the bread or pastries!"

"Don't worry about it, mon cher," Ciel said with a smile as he reached for a bun. There seemed to already be something drizzled onto it, so he figured it deserved a chance on its own. He scrunched up his nose after taking a bite though. It most certainly did not deserve a chance on its own. He quickly smeared some honey on the top of it. A second bite proved much better.

"Tell me, dear," he started, having finally gotten the situation under control, "What's your favorite pastry?"

Ethril waited, like a good host, to let Ciel make the first choice of the treats. After he'd made his choice she picked up the second jar of honey and opened it. This particular jar of honey was her favorite. Back home there had been a bee keeper she'd saved from a demon and to thank her he sent her a jar of honey every now and then. This flavor was particularly sweet.

Ethril had to hold the jar with her tail as she slipped two fingers in. Usually she ate her honey with her right hand, but what with it being bandaged up she was forced to use her left hand. Using her left hand meant not eating as daintily as she usually did so some of the honey ended up dribbling down her hand and onto her wrist.

Without really thinking about how other people ate honey, Ethril began licking and sucking on her fingers happily. Within seconds she was shivering in pleasure and almost mesmerized by the flavor of the honey. If it were possible for her to get drunk off of honey, she probably would.

"Hmm?" Ethril was pulled out of her honey induced day dream by Ciel's question. "umm." Ethril looked at the tray and pointed at one of the little pink pastries. "I think those are my favorite. They're strawberry flavored and taste good with honey." Ethril finished licking the honey off her hands and then reached into her personal jar again for a second helping. She shivered again from the flavor and her eyes glazed over.

Ciel looked on in a state of surprise. Never-- never-- had he seen someone enjoy a food so absolutely. To the point of shivering? Completely unheard of. He was rather amazed at the spectacle actually. Especially since Ethril seemed to be so refined.

"Ma~" he called out. He tried to smile while he spoke to her. It wasn't really hard since he found it so funny though. "You weren't lying, were you? Honey seems to take the number one spot in your heart!" he added with an actual laugh.

He finished off his honeyed bun and reached for another. He put some thought into his choice this time, picking what looked like one of the many bonbons he'd stolen in his youth. He delicately popped it into his mouth and bit down. He nearly melted when he felt the candy inside.

"Ah!" He made quick work of the chocolate so that he could savor the wonderful flavor that had graced him. "Strawberry bonbons! Si merveilleux!"

Ethril grinned and continued to lick her fingers happily. "I can't help it!" She said in apology. "Even when I was little honey has had this effect on me!" Sistra had tried to explain it to her, about how light dragons tended to be extremely sensitive to one flavor or scent. It had something to do with a light dragon's mating ceremony or something. Whatever it was, Ethril was thoroughly addicted to honey. She could live without it, but she wouldn't be happy about it.

Ethril looked at her honey covered hand and wrist and sighed. She was never this messy when eating with her right hand! She carefully began licking the smeared honey off of her skin. Each time the taste filled her mouth she would shiver. A couple times she had to actually bite her tongue to keep from moaning. It was just so dang good! Without realizing it Ethril actually became drunk on the honey for the first time in years.

The last time it had happened had been back in the Southern clan and Pyronim had given her some honey as a birthday gift. Being unable to resist the gift, Ethril had grudgingly accepted it. She'd eaten the entire jar. Ethril couldn't remember what had happened exactly, but apparently Pyronim and succeeded in secreting her away to the oasis so he could watch her clean off. Ethril knew nothing had happened past him helping her clean the honey out of her hair.

Ciel giggled, watching her again. He'd retired to just popping bonbons. He'd try a cake or something when they actually ran out. For right now, he was content to recollect in his childhood. And watch his friend shiver in delight. He could tell she was struggling to remain inaudible, but he predicted she would fail rather soon.

If they were still friends, he'd have to get her some spiced honey from home for her birthday. A lot of course since their jars were so tiny. He laughed at the thought of it. He'd probably be better off just making it himself at this human size of his. That way he could make a few suitably sized jars for his golden lady.

"Don't eat too much," he teased. "You just might explode.. or start leaking from the ears!" He laughed hard enough that he had to lean back against her dresser to keep from falling over. He could more than imagine her dripping honey from every orifice on her face. Probably from stuffing in too much at once.

Ethril felt so warm and fuzzy at that moment, the sweet and sticky honey slipping down her throat, that she forgot to keep in a gasping moan. She looked down at the jar and tried to count how many times she'd dipped her fingers in. Ethril figured she had dipped at least 5 times by now if not more. Her tongue flicked out and licked her lips for any remains of the honey that she'd licked off her fingers and hand. It was pretty obvious that the level in her honey jar had gone down.

Ethril smiled goofily up at Ciel as he commented about not eating too much honey. "sur right." Ethril said, her words extremely slurred now as she tried to align the lid back onto the jar. She frowned and began growling at the jar as the lid kept slipping or kept going on crooked. With a triumphant laugh Ethril was finally able to screw the lid onto the jar correctly. But then she stopped and pouted at the jar. She still wanted more of her precious honey, but now there was something blocking her!

Ethril glanced at the tray with pastries and she giggled when she noticed the edges of her vision blurred. Her head felt very fuzzy and Ethril felt as light as air. Very slowly and precisely Ethril set her now closed jar back onto the tray. She then began to inspect her cheeks and lips with her fingers searching for any more honey she'd missed. Once she was sure her face was clean she began to examine her hand, wrist, and then her shirt. She'd done well enough not to get honey on her clothes or the floor around her, or in her hair for that matter! Ethril smiled in pride once she had completed her examination of herself.

Ethril looked over at Ciel and grinned happily at him. She was swaying slightly and rhythmically thanks to the honey buzz she was experiencing. Without a word Ethril went to her hands and knees and stretched much like a cat. She wrinkled her nose and then crawled over to Ciel where she curled up with her head in his lap. She mewed softly and wrapped her arms around his waist in a lopsided hug. "Sur the greatest my araria!"

"Pfft~" Ciel had to bark out a real laugh when she struggled with the honey jar. It would appear as though she was drunk! And very much so.

He hadn't been paying too much attention when she started inspecting herself for what he assumed was honey. He was a tad busy choking on his candy from his uproar. He managed to cough it up just in time to see her stretching like one of the many beasts he'd seen back at home. "Lovely," he chuckled as she lifted her butt in the air to stretch out. It was all too funny. He couldn't even keep his eyes open, unable to conceal his mirth.

He had to assess things again when he felt a sudden weight on his lap. He stopped laughing and looked down to find a certain dragon all curled up again, her head rested neatly against his leg. He was taken aback when she made an adorable sound and wrapped her arms around him.

"M-ma~" He felt his face changing color as he stuttered to even speak. She called him that odd word again. He'd have to ask what it meant when she wasn't high on honey. "Dearest, are you quite alright?" He reluctantly bent down, ignoring the blush that stained his cheeks. "Really, amour, please tell me if I need to get your Fascino in here." He smiled, embarrassed at his concern.

"There won't be any need to come and get me." Fascino said where he was leaning against the doorway. He was holding a rather large and old book against his chest with one arm and was pinching the bridge of his nose with his other. He'd just gotten back from a faculty meeting back at the school and had been looking forward to long and pleasant hours of reading through the book he'd ordered months ago. His mind had been only his work when he'd heard boisterous laughter coming from Ethril's room.

Having gotten used to the young light dragon sulking day in and day out, the laughter had come as a surprise to him. He'd arrived in the doorway in time to see Ethril plop herself quite comfortably in Cie's lap.

"Fascino big grumpy head!" Ethril mewed out as she nuzzled against Ciel's chest. She glared bleary eyed over at Fascino and tried to make a shooing motion with her hand. "Kala me ru araria seme." Ethril said with another flick of her wrist (Leave me and mine alone).

Fascino sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Tur shu ra ru'tu." (Do as you want). Fascino looked up at Ciel and was silent for a moment as he looked the boy over. He then looked at the glittering and slightly glowing spots on the carpet and he sighed again. "You're welcome to stay, just keep it down. I have work to do." He then spoke to Ethril again. "When you're clear headed again, make sure you clean up the carpet. Even silver blood stains."

And with that Fascino left. "Seeee?" Ethril slurred. "Big grumpy lumpy head." She continued to hug Ciel around his waist and purred happily, her tail flicking back and forth in the air. Ethril closed her eyes and continued to nuzzle and hold Ciel close to her.

Ciel had felt a certain discomforting scrutiny when Fascino had given him a once-over. He wriggled a bit under the man's gaze and was relieved when he looked away. He already had no idea what it was they were saying, so he didn't know what to say. He couldn't even think of the words to use in order to introduce himself.

He let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding when Fascino finally left the room. Even still, he honestly had no idea what to do. He had what was effectively a drunk woman in his lap. Clinging to him. And nuzzling him. He wanted to touch her, sure, but he wasn't entirely certain if he should. He'd been raised as a gentleman-- being in her house was already too much for him to bear.

"Miss Ethril," he begged, placing a hand on the upper part of her arm, "please try to compose yourself? I don't know how to handle this properly," he admitted, a slight sweat on his forehead. "And I wouldn't want you doing something you'd regret," he added, lowering his face again to make sure she could hear him properly. He shook her the little bit that he could manage with her tight hold on him. "S'il vous plaît?"