The first days of being in the care of the dragon Dirdos were relatively quiet, with him questioning her on her heritage, and insisting she tell him everything that happened after he had seen her. But he made it difficult to hold a conversation when he demanded an answer to a question halfway through her talking, she would end up side-tracked, and talking about something entirely different. Thus, it took her three days to tell him everything that had happened, and he had been fascinated to learn about the breeding process Daemon had taken on.
Dirdos had been highly amused when Daemon had tracked them down on the third day and had shouted that her month with him be postponed, but Dirdos had her, and he wasn't about to let her go until the very last second.
The demon had been expelled from the cave and hadn't come back, leaving her alone with Dirdos once more. He was a very physical being, and he seemed to take great enjoyment in touching her, stroking her hair or running his hand down her arm, though she had set very strict rules for how he was permitted to touch her.
He had seemed amused by that, his cold statement after her rules had sending chills down her spine. "If I decided to have you, there would be nothing you could do to stop me. You are better off just ensuring I do not take us down that path as I doubt you would survive a single night with me."
The threat had her immediately changing her tactic, and instead of simply enduring him, she worked to keep him busy and distracted. She set out his hoard in neat piles, ordered him to sort it all and when he was done, she said that it didn't feel right and so they sorted it all again. That worked twice more before he figured out her plan and she had ducked to avoid his slap.
His collection wasn't just jewellery, he had a massive collection of weapons and had delighted in showing her, enjoying her practice with the weapons. He was a lethal sparring partner, giving them hours of hard training.
She had thought Uzo, and the twins were skilled, they were nothing compared to Dirdos.
The thought of Uzo had resulted in her muscles locking in place and he had scored a deep cut on her side, but she didn't care, and he demanded to know what was wrong with her.
She had told him that she had lost someone close, and he had insisted that she tell him. She had refused, and he had gotten angry but let it go when she still refused. Finally, he forced her back into the sparring and he was brutal with her, leaving her unconscious on the floor.
After that, he had shown her more interesting things, his collection of thrones from kings and a disturbing collection of clothing, many of which were covered in blood or having burnt sections, others having large tears where his teeth had torn them. She had wanted to ask him how many people he had eaten but decided not to. Instead, she drew him into sorting the clothing that had all been thrown carelessly into the room. It was clear he favoured women over men due to the number of women's clothing that was thrown into the room, but she wasn't about to comment on that either.
Instead, she did whatever it took to keep him busy, and she was glad when the end of her visit with him was coming to a close.
It was only one month a year. She could deal with that so long as he kept his hands to himself.
***
He had decided to leave her alone for a time on her last week of her visit with him and when he had returned, he had brought with him a Drow man who was looking distinctly confused and ruffled, a wooden instrument in his grip and his silver white hair a wild mess. It appeared that the dragon had kidnapped him out of some event, as he was dressed in a very well-tailored suit with shiny black shoes.
His eyes were wide as she approached, the Dragon shifting into his humanoid form with a malicious grin for the poor Drow.
"What's this all about?" she asked of the dragon.
He didn't reply, only reaching for her and pulling her into his side as his crimson eyes bore into the Drow.
"Play," he said simply.
The Drow knew better than to argue. He lifted what appeared to be a violin to his shoulder and before she could register the situation, Dirdos had pulled her into a dance that was slow and intimate, forcing the violinist to change his pace to match.
He might be an overbearing jerk at times, but he certainly knew how to impress a woman when he wanted too, though the thought disturbed her. She had to wonder if he was attempting to court her.
Regardless, she allowed him to lead her, and it was pleasant to simply have him not breathing down her neck. Between steps he tapped into something and with a lick of flame she was suddenly wearing a massive, and magnificent black gown with him in a formal suit with all the trimmings. He didn't look particularly comfortable in it, but he certainly looked good wearing it.
The dress made her feel elegant, and she stepped into the dance with more energy, allowing him to draw her closer and closer, though she knew she was tempting fate in doing so. The hours dragged on as the violinist played song after song until he was eventually forced to repeat the songs. Sensing the dragon's irritation, she smiled when his eyes narrowed.
She didn't want to get the man killed, so she was the one who pulled him into the dance as though the song was one that she liked. It shocked him and his glare was more playful than angry as he took back control.
The song ended rather suddenly, but it wasn't Dirdos who had put an end to it, his arm tight around her waist and his fingers squeezing hers gently. Rather, it was the violinist's head falling to the ground with a meaty thump.
They both looked around, still for a moment as they took in the sight of Alez, his sword glistening red and smiling at them delightedly.
"It took me quite a while to find you," he said conversationally, eyes flicking between the two of them as Dirdos lowered her hand, but his grip tightened on her waist.
"Who are you?" Dirdos asked with a lethal tone to his voice.
"Alez Dracshageph."
"Leave."
She had to look between the two, comparing them in silence. Dirdos had no horns, but he didn't have horns in his dragon form either. Alez was a dragon of some form too, and she thought his dragon form must have horns, or she was entirely wrong, and the horns made no difference in their human state.
"Just hand her over, and there will be no issue," Alez said, but it only made Dirdos laugh though there was no humour in the sound.
"Aren't you Megara's pup?" Dirdos taunted.
Alez seemed to take offense at the term used to describe him. "Your insults fall on deaf ears, old man," Alez snarled.
Dirdos finally let her go, turning fully to Alez and as he did, the illusion that had them dressed so well faded so that they were back to their normal attire, and Dirdos was back to being armed.
Etani stepped back at his command, but she was more than ready to defend herself should the need arise, allowing the two larger-than-life men to fight it out.
Alez was a good foot shorter than Dirdos, and looked a lot smaller when it came to muscles; but she was a good indication that size and mass did not always equal defeat.