In all his years, Maurice had never seen anyone or anybeast so upset over dead plants. Now that he's thought about it, this might actually have been the first time he'd seen a garden up close in person. With his employer in such a sorry state, he couldn't help but comply.
The optimism he was beating into himself disappeared momentarily for disapproval.
"You introduced yourself to me when you were trying to kill me, so I didn't think that deserved an introduction from myself. But, you know. You could just as me what my name is."
Maurice cringed again. He did that a lot, he found, in the dragon's presence. Maybe it would get easier. He'd seen the dragon cry over dead plants after all and there was no taking that back.
He fumbled with his gloves again but refused to look away. "Before this morning I didn't know you had one...I mean." He looked around. "It's not like you have a mailbox..."
Yes, he was serious.
The prince coughed and raked his hair out of his face. He was sorely missing his royal bathtub. "What do you want me to call you?"
Hanna raises an eyebrow. "Who, perchance...Sends mail to a dragon, my lord?" He really has to wonder, because he hasn't really ever gotten mail, and he's sure he never will.
"And just because there is no one around to name me, doesn't mean I don't have a name. Your horse has a name, and my parents gave me a name, just like yours did." Irritably, he rises from his mourning, tail flicking back and forth. "So, my name, is Hannacross, but you can just call me Hanna."
Maurice was fast to throw his arms up in a shrug. He'd only just learned dragons kept entire hoards of scrolls! Maybe he subscribed to Mage Monthly? Playdragon? He didn't know!
The prince made a face. Hanna's not a dragon's name! But...well. Who said? He also quickly added 'dragons have parents' to his ever growing list of Things He Did Not Know About Dragons.
"Okay...Mr. Hanna." It sounded weird after three long days of just calling him Dragon and several other rude names that he'd been smart enough not to say out loud. He couldn't stop himself from adding an honorific. This dragon was his boss and his landlord. "I introduced myself to you as a Prince of Gallus...but I don't think that's the case anymore...since I'm ashes and all now."
He glanced at the mess of horse tracks scattered across the dragon's entry way.
"Just Hanna," He corrects, heading back into the cave to start to remove the runes on the mouth of the cave, "And you aren't nobody from nowhere. You're my apprentice of sorts, which is a rather honorable position if you've ever been around to older countries." His mother used to tell him of some that worshipped dragons, but most of those places were long gone.
"And speaking of...you look a little worse for wear. What's happened to you?" He gives Maurice a good look over while he starts to scratch the runes off the walls and floor, dust falling. It was a very good thing that the cave was so thick, or else it wouldn't last so long with the runes he's has to carve into it. "You looked so proper when you arrived..."
Just Hanna...how strange. But he'd seen stranger. Maurice followed him and hugged his arms to his chest as he considered his new lot in life. The Queen's men disappearing in the dust cloud had finally made it real. There was no going back now. He nearly bumped into Hanna when the dragon stopped to clear away his morning's work.
"An apprentice..? I thought I was just a maid." He certainly wasn't going to complain because that sounded much nicer to him. But then his sorry state came up and the prince dared frown at the dragon. Was he mocking him or honestly clueless? He was a naked beast after all, no matter how well furnished his home was. "It's hard to find time to clean up when I'm being worked to the bone...is there a river nearby? That's what outdoorsy type people use, isn't it?"
"I have no use for a maid. A maid cleans, they do not write. Or alphabetize." Finishing his work, he looked down at his human and sighed, not sure what to say.
"I never said you had to work yourself to death. I asked you to write, but you don't seem to know what breaks are, unless you fall asleep on your work and don't do it at all." He comments, well aware that he had been sleeping the other day once he had come in with the hand print of ink on his face, "And there is a lake that is rather secluded. I can take you there if you'd like."
It was slowly becoming almost infuriatingly clear that he'd been denied such basic things simply because he hadn't asked. The prince opened his mouth to explain that their castle servants rarely got breaks but he didn't want Hanna to dislike him for his family any more than he felt he already did. And also because Maurice had assumed Hanna might eat him if he didn't work until the dragon relieved him. That wasn't a concern now, was it?
Maurice's life had become very, very strange.
So he shut his mouth before saying, "Please?" Another thought. "Soap?"
What else might he get by being bold enough to ask? Only time would tell.
"I....Am not sure if I have any. I can't exactly use it." He returns, though he holds up a claw as a signal to wait and goes to search, looking through potions. He comes up with one, returning after putting quite a few in a separate bag for Maurice to carry, "Here, does this suit you?"
It was sweet smelling, but also a little earthy, like herbs and apples, perhaps? Maybe pear. "It's not exactly soap, but it don't harm you, and it smells good." Which he figures is good enough. Dragons only really need their claws and teeth to clean themselves, or at least his scaley breed do. "Did you need anything else?"
The dragon's apprentice waited where he was told, and when Hanna returned, he accepted the potion with a furrowed brow.
He'd never held a potion before and warily he brought it close to his nose to sniff. It was nice! Probably the nicest thing he'd smelled since Hanna's weird cinnamon breath. Which he was not going to comment on.
"Did you make this?" Maurice didn't bother hiding his awe. He took the bag and could only wonder what on Earth this dragon was making all these potions and spells for. Was he bored? Was he working toward some grander plan? Was someone paying him? That would be silly. No sane man would approach a dragon like the town baker with a catering order! Whatever it was, he was thankful because now he could finally get rid of the stench of the road and the ink stains all over him. He could only hope a good scrub against some rocks would get some of the ink out of his new clothes.
He rubbed his chin and dared to ask more. "That brush and mirror you promised..."
"I did! That's what I do, among other things." He thinks a moment about where he actually put that brush and mirror, leaving the room to go find it again, and returns with the items, holding them out for Maurice as well.
It was redundant at this point, but that sure as hell didn't stop Maurice from saying, "I never imagined..."
He never imagined a lot of things.
But with all his bath thangs in tow, he beamed tiredly up at his keeper, all kinds of ready to not be disgusting anymore. That prospect alone was enough to keep his spoiled attitude at bay. And then he wanted to sleep. He'd never gone so long without sleep in his entire life, not even when he'd been sick as a child.
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wolfintheattic) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
theattic2014-11-09 08:06 pm
no subject
"I'll try, Dragoouuurrssir. I'll try, sir."
no subject
"You introduced yourself to me when you were trying to kill me, so I didn't think that deserved an introduction from myself. But, you know. You could just as me what my name is."
no subject
He fumbled with his gloves again but refused to look away. "Before this morning I didn't know you had one...I mean." He looked around. "It's not like you have a mailbox..."
Yes, he was serious.
The prince coughed and raked his hair out of his face. He was sorely missing his royal bathtub. "What do you want me to call you?"
no subject
"And just because there is no one around to name me, doesn't mean I don't have a name. Your horse has a name, and my parents gave me a name, just like yours did." Irritably, he rises from his mourning, tail flicking back and forth. "So, my name, is Hannacross, but you can just call me Hanna."
no subject
The prince made a face. Hanna's not a dragon's name! But...well. Who said? He also quickly added 'dragons have parents' to his ever growing list of Things He Did Not Know About Dragons.
"Okay...Mr. Hanna." It sounded weird after three long days of just calling him Dragon and several other rude names that he'd been smart enough not to say out loud. He couldn't stop himself from adding an honorific. This dragon was his boss and his landlord. "I introduced myself to you as a Prince of Gallus...but I don't think that's the case anymore...since I'm ashes and all now."
He glanced at the mess of horse tracks scattered across the dragon's entry way.
"It's just Maurice. Nobody of Nowhere."
no subject
"And speaking of...you look a little worse for wear. What's happened to you?" He gives Maurice a good look over while he starts to scratch the runes off the walls and floor, dust falling. It was a very good thing that the cave was so thick, or else it wouldn't last so long with the runes he's has to carve into it. "You looked so proper when you arrived..."
no subject
"An apprentice..? I thought I was just a maid." He certainly wasn't going to complain because that sounded much nicer to him. But then his sorry state came up and the prince dared frown at the dragon. Was he mocking him or honestly clueless? He was a naked beast after all, no matter how well furnished his home was. "It's hard to find time to clean up when I'm being worked to the bone...is there a river nearby? That's what outdoorsy type people use, isn't it?"
no subject
"I never said you had to work yourself to death. I asked you to write, but you don't seem to know what breaks are, unless you fall asleep on your work and don't do it at all." He comments, well aware that he had been sleeping the other day once he had come in with the hand print of ink on his face, "And there is a lake that is rather secluded. I can take you there if you'd like."
no subject
Maurice's life had become very, very strange.
So he shut his mouth before saying, "Please?" Another thought. "Soap?"
What else might he get by being bold enough to ask? Only time would tell.
no subject
It was sweet smelling, but also a little earthy, like herbs and apples, perhaps? Maybe pear. "It's not exactly soap, but it don't harm you, and it smells good." Which he figures is good enough. Dragons only really need their claws and teeth to clean themselves, or at least his scaley breed do. "Did you need anything else?"
no subject
He'd never held a potion before and warily he brought it close to his nose to sniff. It was nice! Probably the nicest thing he'd smelled since Hanna's weird cinnamon breath. Which he was not going to comment on.
"Did you make this?" Maurice didn't bother hiding his awe. He took the bag and could only wonder what on Earth this dragon was making all these potions and spells for. Was he bored? Was he working toward some grander plan? Was someone paying him? That would be silly. No sane man would approach a dragon like the town baker with a catering order! Whatever it was, he was thankful because now he could finally get rid of the stench of the road and the ink stains all over him. He could only hope a good scrub against some rocks would get some of the ink out of his new clothes.
He rubbed his chin and dared to ask more. "That brush and mirror you promised..."
no subject
"Alright, if that's all settled, we ready to go?"
no subject
He never imagined a lot of things.
But with all his bath thangs in tow, he beamed tiredly up at his keeper, all kinds of ready to not be disgusting anymore. That prospect alone was enough to keep his spoiled attitude at bay. And then he wanted to sleep. He'd never gone so long without sleep in his entire life, not even when he'd been sick as a child.