dragonofthelake | open post

Prompts here. misc threads can also go here

[When Sherry transports them to his lair Edelgard needs but a moment to reorient. However what grounds her isn't exactly pleasant; especially considering what they're about to do. She can tell. The way the air is cut off, the feeling of water surrounding them — it brings her back to her childhood. The cells deep under ground, and the trickling of the aqueducts.

The emperor stays rigid; guarded. There is some solace to be found, however. The lavish furnishings and the open floor plan stands as a comforting bit of solace that makes such an environment not totally unbearable for her. If revisiting her demons means freeing her body of what they did to her? Then so be it.]

It is quite lovely.

You can relax. I don't have bad intentions toward you, and this is one of the safest places you'll find yourself. Nobody can reach us.

[ Sherry indicates she should follow him. ]

I eat human food so I do have something to give you after I take what I need.

["Nobody can reach us," just makes a paranoid thought process spiral to "nobody can save you". Should Sherry decide to hoard her, her blood, or want to keep her away from the world because of her blood he could certainly do so.

But he's helped her before. Her suspicion is unwarranted, and she knows better. But it's difficult to shake such a visceral instinct like self preservation. So she follows him without hesitation.]

There's a theory that most people with crests gravitate to sweets because using the power within is a high energy process.

[In fact to that effect most mages are sweet friends too.]

[ Luckily for her, the dragons in this world aren't the kind to kidnap princesses. ]

You're saying you like desserts.

[ Sherry doesn't dislike them so he does have his own small collection here. In fact, since he eats like he's still in his draconic form, a 'small' collection might not be the best adjective. ]

I have some.

[Okay, okay. He got her. At least acting indignant is better than acting threatened. Her shoulders draw in and her expression turns a bit sharper.]

Those weren't my words, but I will not decline them.

[Sweets are viewed as a childish preference, so she is unwilling to outright admit her fondness for them.]

Would you have shared the view if you disagreed with them? They're meant to be liked.

[ Sherry's approach isn't so different, only he'll defend his right to enjoy what he enjoys while only slightly admitting to his enjoyment. ]

But none of it is fresh. I don't cook.

[ Don't = Can't. ]

I have no room to judge. I don't cook either.

[Between trying chop vegetables with an ax and her excitement making any flames hotter than they should be, well... She's not really allowed to.

Edelgard will obediently follow Sherry wherever he has to take them.]

[ She's led upwards in his lair, into a room that's lined with stone counters. A large, futuristic computer stands at the end while books and miscellaneous equipment are placed in organized areas.

There are no screaming victims waiting to greet her. ]

Don't be discouraged if the first try doesn't work. It's part of the process, too. I need to see what you react to and what doesn't make a difference. Have a seat.

[The sterilized environment is a far cry from the dark basement dungeon lined only with braziers. There are no cells, no rats, and no one in black robes and plague doctor masks to tower over her. The contrast helps her nerves, and the computer certainly catches her attention. Her world had printing presses banned for such a long time that they aren't even close to such technology.]

Ah, yes I am... familiar with that part.

[She was nine when it started. How long did it take for them to get it right? Until Edelgard was fourteen, roughly. Without protest she'll find herself a seat and look down at her hands to consider if she should remove her gloves.]

Edited 2022-08-02 12:36 (UTC)

[ Sherry mistakes the look as one of hesitation. She's putting a lot of trust in a stranger, there's no doubt. Her willingness to come today possible speaks of an eagerness she isn't willing to admit to herself.

He approaches but stops just short of her. ]

I didn't bring you here to hurt you.

I know. These are just unsightly.

[So she's hesitant to show them, but if she's going to have her blood drawn she rather it just be from the spots it was taken before.

After removing her gloves and rolling her sleeves the marks of her past will be revealed. Slices on her fingertips for drops of blood, gashes on her palms for more. From the wrist up it's precise scares. Too clean to be from battle. Lines upon lines of evidence of bloodletting. Smaller scars from the infusion needles are also evident.

Edelgard will wear her scars from battle exposed, but these? Not these. She wears long sleeves and gloves even in the summer.]

No one should have to look at them.

[ Sherry's eyes widen, but it's from shock instead of disgust. As a dragon, it's true that he's drawn to beautiful things, something she may have noticed as even the furniture outside of the lab is often infused with precious jewels, but scars don't disgust him. Maybe it's because he hasn't often cared about the appearance of other people.

Perhaps surprisingly for someone who seems a bit dangerous if not cold, Sherry also doesn't mind touching. Hands reach out to grab hers, raising them for a better look, the shock shifting to one of anger. For a moment, the slits in his eyes expands and look even less human.

The person that matters most to Sherry was used as an experiment and though his 'curse' meant no scars could be seen, Sherry had been the one to help him move past the emotional pain well enough to see his emotional scars. In this, in her, he sees Cliff, and it's enough to make the dragon want to take over. ]

Dragons are responsible for this?

[Edelgard flinches when he touches her, but doesn't recoil enough to yank her hand back. It's weird... to feel skin-to-skin. Though the texture of him is lost to her. Such a nuanced sensation gone from all the scarred tissue. She can feel temperature and pressure, but more than that is difficult to decipher.]

No. The history between the dragons and who did this to me is quite muddled. With the past purged by the dragons — books burned and banned alike — it is hard to know things for certain. But there is a group, one that works in the shadows, that has been opposing them for quite some time. They did this to me to make me their weapon.

Both the dragons, and Those Who Slither in the Dark, have been manipulating us. The dragons halting all formal interactions with other nations and scientific advancement, the dark mages stealing the faces of other and making them dance like marionettes. We have been forced into a caste system relying on the dragon's church for governance all while assuming they were our peers. We have been tangled in their silent war for over a thousand years, and that is why I had planned to rebel against them both when I was released from that dungeon.

I can't heal scars.

[ She hadn't asked him to heal them, he knows. She just as likely had no plans to ask him. It seemed as if there was no plan to display the scars at all. Sherry laments the fact to himself. Draconic magic speeds up the healing process, meaning it heals what would otherwise heal naturally. Scars don't heal.

Releasing her hands, he turns to head toward his supplies. ]

But I find their actions a lot worse than I'd ever find a scar.

It's kind of ironic, actually [she replies with a mirthless laugh.]

The new crest they gave me actually has healing properties when it's activated.

[ Sherry wishes irony could mean anything but 'still really not fair'. As far as a dragon can be, Sherry is a scientist. He works on creating new magical items that interact with living things, be it human, elf, dragon, or otherwise. Why did so much suffering get inflicted in the name of science?

He doesn't laugh. ]

If you're really ashamed, I can make something to hide them. A full body is too much, but if it's only hands, it should be possible.

[Gently Edelgard folds her hands in her lap.]

Let us just focus on what we're doing for now.

[No point in hiding her forearms if she's just going to kick it at forty.]

I wouldn't prioritize it.

[ Time to get things prepared. Drawing blood is the first step that needs her involvement, but he needs to get the data tables ready. ]

But if dragons were involved at all... I hate how humans won't clean up their own messes. Even if I'm not like your dragons, if they won't step up, I can.

I know you might argue this is not a matter of kindness, but of pride, but I cannot accept it from you. Not... not yet.

[Maybe... maybe if she finally slays the shadow that stole her uncle's body and walks around in his skin... Maybe then she can accept such a thing.]

It's not a limited offer.

[ Unless she does something to lose his trust, Sherry has no reason to retract the help later on. His tone implies that he won't even push it further. It's out there, she has the option. Now, he's focused on the bigger picture. ]

texts from last night overflow;

random scenario;

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horror meme;

family meme;

hurt/comfort, angst;