Like before, Hanna had followed shortly after his apprentice, his colors much different now that he was no longer painted in such hideous browns and oranges. His cloak was white, which stained easily black and browns at the end, but he didn't care much. The wet and the mud he walked on felt good between his toes, and he enjoyed the walk to town more than he usually would.
He doesn't find Maurice in quite the same situation though, still he was in a crowd, but at the very least not an angry one. He sticks to the sides, hood up, but when they start to clear, he stays, more watching the prince than the poster on the wall.
"Never thought you would see your own obituary, did you?" He's still concealed, at the very least trying to be gentle. He hadn't thought it would take this short of time for it to be released.
Maurice did hear the man approach and due to the little emotional storm inside him, he was all ready to snap at him. No, weird hobo man, his horse is NOT for sale! But that isn't what he asked and Maurice finally broke his staring match with his self to blink down at the robed man.
"What...?" That didn't make sense. The prince tilted his head and something clicked. "I've seen you before." It's that WEIRD GUY. Sayin' WEIRD STUFF. "Did you know anything about--the prince?"
Hanna shakes his head under the cloak, "I didn't know anything about him until after he died, actually. Like most people." He smiles, a flash of sharp teeth if Maurice looks closely enough, "But it's after death that most remember the good things you've done. I think, this way, he can live in the way he wants, in a good light, and enjoy life without being looked at like a figure, but as a person instead."
The words, if one didn't think the Prince was still alive, made little sense. "What do you think?"
Maurice wrinkled his nose. Something about this man was bugging him and some tiny voice inside him was telling him to beware. "If he even did good things." He tightened his grip on Sally's reins. "It says he was burned to ashes battling a dragon. If you ask me, he got exactly what he deserved."
Hanna, who won't have Maurice talking about himself in such a way, throws back his hood and raises a brow at him, his eyes bright and reflective in the light, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, my lord."
His smile reveals more of his teeth, "You have so much more to live for and discover."
When the mysterious wizard threw his hood back, Maurice was launched through a series of three overpowering emotions.
Confusion. Why was he talking like that, why did he sound like that, WHY DID HE LOOK LIKE THAT?
Horror. The curls, the sharp line of his chin, that grin. Surely the way his heart was trying to crawl out of his mouth meant that he was horrified. Right?
And finally.
"YOU!" Maurice bellowed, turning a few heads. Sally didn't even flick an ear. The prince curled his fingers into claws and towered over the mage. "You--you-- it was you! It was you the whole--it was YOU!" He glared at Hanna's hands and looked like he was ready to breathe fire himself. "YOU HAVE HANDS!"
Hanna couldn't help it. He laughed, and laughed hard. That wasn't the reaction he was expecting at all. "Yes, I have hands." He takes a step closer, not at all afraid of the much bigger man, knowing that it would only take a second to tower over him again. He leans even closer afterward, standing on his tip toes so he can speak in a whisper, "In this shape anyways."
And while he had hands in this shape, it wasn't like he wanted to stay in it always. It felt cramped, small and uncomfortable, even if he could move around in it like a second skin after years of practice. "it's not my favorite, but it helps business."
"NnnNNNNNGGGHHHHHHHH!" It was a sort of weird, strangled, internal sound as Maurice shook from anger. And then, just as it had many times before, his temper extinguished itself. He suddenly looked very very exhausted and leaned against the auction house wall.
"It was you the whole time...why'd you follow me? Why'd you--UGH! You saw the altercation with the oil salesman!" And he'd played like he didn't know a thing at dinner. Slithery serpent! He hugged himself and felt stupid. He also couldn't stop stealing glances at the dragon in disguise's grinning face. It was a...very good disguise. No doubt crafted all on his own.
Considering the space they were in, Maurice wondered if it was different from the false dragon he'd made to scare away the guards. The prince cautiously reached out to touch Hanna's shoulder to see if he was really there.
"I came to make sure you didn't get in trouble, and that you behaved," He returned, knowing that he might get offended, but telling the truth anyways, "Most people would follow after a new hire if they gave them money, don't you think? It was just a security measure, that and I wanted to see how you did on your own." Which translated more of just looking out for Maurice, but he doubted he young man would see it as such. "It's not often royalty has to interact with the common folk, though I could say you did just fine."
When Maurice goes to touch him though, his hand makes a solid connection, Hanna continuing to smile back him, a knowing look in his reflective eyes. "This isn't an illusion. I've shape shifted, and while it isn't perfect, it works." Though he doubts that Maurice would understand 'my essence feels cramped', but that's alright.
Hanna raises an eyebrow, "Yes? But that's your job. You're my apprentice, aren't you?" He pushes Maurice's hand away after quite a few jabs though, some irritation slipping in.
His skin wasn't thick and hard in this form, and he bruised easy, "I have human skin, you're starting to hurt me."
The prince was at the very least smart enough not to start prodding him again. Physically.
"But that doesn't make sense! Your scrolls were atrocious! Why didn't you write them in this shape to begin with?" He dragged his hands down his face. "Never mind!" It was probably some stupid DRAGON REASON. He pushed away from the wall and gazed back up at the poster of himself. His angry pout grew more solemn.
"But...you were right. I never thought I'd see an article on my own death. I never imagined news traveling this quickly beyond your mountain. Hanna, I'm afraid this might have been a mistake. What if she's planning something? You won't be safe!"
He said, to the dragon that blended in to human society without effort on a regular basis. Somehow it hadn't occurred to Maurice that several people in his home town very well may have been dragons. Hidden and forgotten and glad of it.
"That's rude. My hand writing is just fine, and I can read it." He crosses his arms and considers Maurice, shrugging. "I'm not afraid of your mother. If I have to move, then I have to move, but I'm not dying." He's too stubborn and smart for that.
And while he is in love with his horde, his life is more important and he could give it up if it came to that. "I can hide where I want to. It's all too easy."
You should be, was what he wanted to say, but it wasn't a conversation to have in public. The prince sighed again.
"It would be hard to move a garden, wouldn't it?" He found himself feeling guilty for getting distracted instead of doing his errand. Maurice eyed the poster again before reaching up and carefully peeling it off the wall. "I'm taking this. It's a good portrait of me, don't you think?"
"A garden is more important than my life," He returns, quietly, pulling his cloak back up. He didn't often show his face off in town, liking more to be a memory of cloak and shadow, instead of bright eyes and sharp teeth. He was a wizard, but most did not have features like that.
He considers the poster before Maurice takes it, nodding, "It's very...flattering." Even if it wasn't entirely accurate, but he could appreciate it.
The dragon's statement made Maurice wonder. Were gardens sacred to dragons? It would explain why Hanna cried so bitterly at the destruction of his herbs for the prince's sake. He would ask another time. He finally accepted that he would never finish learning things about dragons as long as he worked under his new employer.
He carefully rolled up the paper and stuck one end of it into Sally's saddlebag. "They got the hair right and that's the most important part." He gave his own mane a toss, endlessly thankful for the soap and river he'd been provided with.
Hanna gives Maurice a good look over and nods, appreciatively. "You do seem to take pride in it, so I suppose it's good they did." In any case, Hanna follows along, barefooted, and heads towards the nursery, thinking that perhaps Maurice would like some help finding what he wanted.
"I realized that I had left some things off the list."
He climbed into the saddle just so he could enjoy looking down on Hanna for a little while while they walked through town.
"Saves me a trip then...you were right about another thing." He leaned forward and straightened out the lock of hair between his horse's ears. "I don't know anything about interacting with these people...I might have come home with more than mud on my clothes if it weren't for you."
"Well, they aren't who you usually talk with. It's understandable, but you should try and adapt." He honestly doubts Maurice will get a chance again to be royalty, unless he waits years to come home. Who even knows. He could, it was a possibility, but that decision was all Maurice's.
"Be polite, but not too polite, and never show off that you have money, don't make scenes and keep your head down, and you'll do just fine." Desperate people make desperate moves, even if they are good people. "And always watch your back."
"That's...almost entirely backwards to what I was taught. Always wear your finest, always make eye-contact, uphold the royal reputation by using only the best manners..." He coughed a little. Maurice's manners had been far from good since he showed up on the dragon's doorstep. "It can't be that hard...it would be like...a play! Almost. That's exciting! Is that how it is for you? To be human shaped?"
"When you're in a den of lions and you're a lion yourself, then yes. Display your strength to keep others at bay. Your royal reputation is upheld by your royal army, and it can sometimes only be as strong as you are. If you don't intimidate, then someone will go for your throat, not for your knights." If he were dragon shaped, his tail would be swishing. Instead, he just walks a little more stiffly, wishing for his usual shape to help put his points in motion with gestures.
"These people are different, it's a whole other world here, and you blend in, or you stand out. I don't think you're ready for the next one so soon after your...'death'." And he'll shrug, his shoulders aching for the feel of wings. "A little bit...just, I use the 'stand out' method, but people are somewhat fearful of me, so it works."
Maurice rather liked being compared to a lion...but he wasn't sure what that made the rest of town. He raised a brow when at Hanna's apparent reputation.
"I can see that...how many people have you turned into newts?"
"Huh? Oh...none," He responds, shrugging, "You don't have to show power to be powerful." Hanna flashes a rather toothy grin at his apprentice, his eyes flashing underneath his hood.
"You just have to make people slightly uncomfortable. It all depends on how you do it."
The prince was almost disappointed. Almost. If Hanna didn't fling around spells at common folk, surely he wouldn't turn him into anything! That train of thought was promptly derailed when Hanna flashed a grin at him. Maurice tightened his grip on the reins.
Uncomfortable was right. He was by no means repulsed by the sight of dragon's eyes and sharp teeth set into the man's face but something about it made him squirm. Somehow, even with the mage feet below him, Maurice still felt like he was in his shadow. Was it hot out here? It was hot out here.
"It's not something you can teach." And truth be told he knew that most people could tell there was something off about him, but it wasn't common knowledge in myths and legends for dragons to take the skin of humans, so it made it all the more easier for him to blend in.
"Most folks out here are wary of wizards though. They aren't made to be like court jesters like you would find them in a castle." Magic was powerful, and dangerous, and any commoner would know that having that puts you a step above everyone else. It wasn't natural, and something to be feared. "I'm pleasant enough though, so I get good business."
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theattic2014-11-09 08:06 pm
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He doesn't find Maurice in quite the same situation though, still he was in a crowd, but at the very least not an angry one. He sticks to the sides, hood up, but when they start to clear, he stays, more watching the prince than the poster on the wall.
"Never thought you would see your own obituary, did you?" He's still concealed, at the very least trying to be gentle. He hadn't thought it would take this short of time for it to be released.
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"What...?" That didn't make sense. The prince tilted his head and something clicked. "I've seen you before." It's that WEIRD GUY. Sayin' WEIRD STUFF. "Did you know anything about--the prince?"
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The words, if one didn't think the Prince was still alive, made little sense. "What do you think?"
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His smile reveals more of his teeth, "You have so much more to live for and discover."
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Confusion. Why was he talking like that, why did he sound like that, WHY DID HE LOOK LIKE THAT?
Horror. The curls, the sharp line of his chin, that grin. Surely the way his heart was trying to crawl out of his mouth meant that he was horrified. Right?
And finally.
"YOU!" Maurice bellowed, turning a few heads. Sally didn't even flick an ear. The prince curled his fingers into claws and towered over the mage. "You--you-- it was you! It was you the whole--it was YOU!" He glared at Hanna's hands and looked like he was ready to breathe fire himself. "YOU HAVE HANDS!"
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And while he had hands in this shape, it wasn't like he wanted to stay in it always. It felt cramped, small and uncomfortable, even if he could move around in it like a second skin after years of practice. "it's not my favorite, but it helps business."
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"It was you the whole time...why'd you follow me? Why'd you--UGH! You saw the altercation with the oil salesman!" And he'd played like he didn't know a thing at dinner. Slithery serpent! He hugged himself and felt stupid. He also couldn't stop stealing glances at the dragon in disguise's grinning face. It was a...very good disguise. No doubt crafted all on his own.
Considering the space they were in, Maurice wondered if it was different from the false dragon he'd made to scare away the guards. The prince cautiously reached out to touch Hanna's shoulder to see if he was really there.
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When Maurice goes to touch him though, his hand makes a solid connection, Hanna continuing to smile back him, a knowing look in his reflective eyes. "This isn't an illusion. I've shape shifted, and while it isn't perfect, it works." Though he doubts that Maurice would understand 'my essence feels cramped', but that's alright.
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He was busy tapping Hanna's shoulder again and again, his face a mixture of puzzlement and awe. Just where did the dragon's abilities end?
"Looks perfect to me." Jab jab jab. "Perfect for writing your own scrolls."
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His skin wasn't thick and hard in this form, and he bruised easy, "I have human skin, you're starting to hurt me."
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"But that doesn't make sense! Your scrolls were atrocious! Why didn't you write them in this shape to begin with?" He dragged his hands down his face. "Never mind!" It was probably some stupid DRAGON REASON. He pushed away from the wall and gazed back up at the poster of himself. His angry pout grew more solemn.
"But...you were right. I never thought I'd see an article on my own death. I never imagined news traveling this quickly beyond your mountain. Hanna, I'm afraid this might have been a mistake. What if she's planning something? You won't be safe!"
He said, to the dragon that blended in to human society without effort on a regular basis. Somehow it hadn't occurred to Maurice that several people in his home town very well may have been dragons. Hidden and forgotten and glad of it.
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And while he is in love with his horde, his life is more important and he could give it up if it came to that. "I can hide where I want to. It's all too easy."
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"It would be hard to move a garden, wouldn't it?" He found himself feeling guilty for getting distracted instead of doing his errand. Maurice eyed the poster again before reaching up and carefully peeling it off the wall. "I'm taking this. It's a good portrait of me, don't you think?"
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He considers the poster before Maurice takes it, nodding, "It's very...flattering." Even if it wasn't entirely accurate, but he could appreciate it.
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He carefully rolled up the paper and stuck one end of it into Sally's saddlebag. "They got the hair right and that's the most important part." He gave his own mane a toss, endlessly thankful for the soap and river he'd been provided with.
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"I realized that I had left some things off the list."
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"Saves me a trip then...you were right about another thing." He leaned forward and straightened out the lock of hair between his horse's ears. "I don't know anything about interacting with these people...I might have come home with more than mud on my clothes if it weren't for you."
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"Be polite, but not too polite, and never show off that you have money, don't make scenes and keep your head down, and you'll do just fine." Desperate people make desperate moves, even if they are good people. "And always watch your back."
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"That's...almost entirely backwards to what I was taught. Always wear your finest, always make eye-contact, uphold the royal reputation by using only the best manners..." He coughed a little. Maurice's manners had been far from good since he showed up on the dragon's doorstep. "It can't be that hard...it would be like...a play! Almost. That's exciting! Is that how it is for you? To be human shaped?"
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"These people are different, it's a whole other world here, and you blend in, or you stand out. I don't think you're ready for the next one so soon after your...'death'." And he'll shrug, his shoulders aching for the feel of wings. "A little bit...just, I use the 'stand out' method, but people are somewhat fearful of me, so it works."
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"I can see that...how many people have you turned into newts?"
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"You just have to make people slightly uncomfortable. It all depends on how you do it."
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Uncomfortable was right. He was by no means repulsed by the sight of dragon's eyes and sharp teeth set into the man's face but something about it made him squirm. Somehow, even with the mage feet below him, Maurice still felt like he was in his shadow. Was it hot out here? It was hot out here.
He looked ahead again and swallowed.
"You'll have to teach me."
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"Most folks out here are wary of wizards though. They aren't made to be like court jesters like you would find them in a castle." Magic was powerful, and dangerous, and any commoner would know that having that puts you a step above everyone else. It wasn't natural, and something to be feared. "I'm pleasant enough though, so I get good business."
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