Sephear
Believe in the you that believes in cheese
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- 14
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- Age 31
- Alabammer
- Seen Jun 4, 2023
Doran Aiwyn & Jion: Uncomfortably Posh
"So, the grand capital Issathon for all to see in it's 'glory'. Maybe here we'll have our answers, if not there's plenty of time for pondering and learning out in the wider world." Doran squinted at the sight of Issathon, the opulence of the castle a surprising contrast to the 'castletown' within the outer walls. He felt waves of unease lapping at the edge of his mind and laid a hand on Jion's flank, hoping the reflexive actions wasn't overstepping his bounds. "Aye, I'd prefer to stay out here myself, too many self-satisfied politicians and bureaucrats in there for my palette. But you and I, we're an occurrence that deserves investigating, and there are few things I could ever imagine holding my curiosity more tightly."
Doran's passage into the city was rather uneventful. He drew a fair count of eyes, but much less than he would have expected on any other day. Luckily dragons were seen around Issathon regularly enough, and with the influx of tamers from the King's announcement he and Jion were no particularly surprising sight. Glancing about at some nearby market stalls, the ranger was sorely tempted to try replenishing a few supplies and finding some of the things he'd have no way of procuring himself out in the wilderness. It would have to wait though, either he'd be in and out of Issathon quickly, or the king would likely be providing shelter if he were kept for any length of time.
It was a real struggle not to fidget with Jion's disdain for cities constantly filtering bits and pieces into him, but composure was something Doran held in very high regard and he managed to keep his as he walked through the city. The inner walls were, of course, maintained even better than the exterior. The guards weren't as much of an improvement, but they didn't exactly go out of their way to slow him down either. They'd already let in their fair share of tamers that day, and it didn't take more than a glance at the ranger's tag-along to guess why he was there.
"Alright that's far enough stranger, you here for the posting like the rest?" The guard only held his spear at half-attention while he regarded Doran, the other guard simply stared. The masked man held up a flier he'd snatched while passing through another town after leaving Radyn, it was quicker than getting himself back into a state of mind for speaking to other people.
The guard who spoke earlier nodded but his gaze didn't soften even a bit. "What's with the mask? Is a hood not enough? A call for apparent dragon tamers doesn't mean we start letting in every character with a lizard at heel when they aren't even brave enough to show their faces in civilized society."
Doran stowed the announcement in a pocket and nodded. "My apologies, but after wandering so much I prefer to keep my face hidden in unfamiliar company, it's one of the few things that's truly mine. I have no intention of showing it if I don't have to, but if his majesty should ask of it after I arrive I won't hesitate." At that moment the fact that he wore a mask may as well have been meaningless, the visage beneath it was equally blank as it gazed at the guards.
The guard squinted suspiciously at the man who was adamant on hiding his face, and his grip tightened around the haft of his spear. After a tense span of seconds the guard relaxed and stepped to the side of the gate. "You may as well head on in, his majesty would prefer all his guests to arrive in a timely manner, and it's not like you could exactly pillage the castle anyways."
The masked-and-hooded head nodded and Doran strode through the gate, resisting the urge to chuckle when he heard loud stomping behind him and knew the guards had been made to scramble further out of the gate to make room for Jion to pass. His smile grew a bit wider when he heard the jingle of armor as the guard who hadn't been speaking hustled to get around Jion and in front of him so he could "lead" him to the castle. Despite the short-lived enjoyment Doran quickly grew uncomfortable once again walking through the wealthier parts of the city. He couldn't help wondering how few of these people knew anything about hard work or even how to take care of themselves, and Jions distaste of their surroundings only sharpened his own.
The tense trip from the inner gates to the castle was utterly uneventful, and when they finally arrived it only took one glance at the main entrance to guess what was next, though he should have realized it sooner. "As grand as this city and of course our glorious king's castle are, it was certainly built for people, I assume to have somewhere to keep the companions of today's guests?"
"Yeh, 's right." The man answered bluntly. Doran raised an eyebrow under his mask at the man's manner of speech, no wonder his partner had been doing all the speaking at the gate, perhaps he only got his job through connections. Or he was just a strong man who could swing a sword but not write a letter and was actually appreciated for his skills by someone in all the pomp and swagger of the nobility. Either way, the ranger saw no reason to attempt further conversation with the man, so he stopped at the stairs to the castle's main entrance and waited for permission to enter. Doran's guide made his way up the steps and spoke quickly with the two much-more-ornately-armed guards watching the courtyard from the door before stepping back down to Doran.
"Ol'right, I'm to lead your beast to the stables, one'uh those gentleman up those stairs'll be takin' ya to your room until the king calls ya."
Doran nodded but cleared his throat when the man began to walk away too promptly. "Thank your for your assistance sir, but I would recommend not calling her a beast again. She's well aware you meant nothing by it, but dragons are no simple animals, and from what I gather they don't take kindly to being treated as such." When Jion reinforced Doran's warning with a growl the man only nodded quickly before resuming his path to the dragon stables, now walking much further in front of Jion than before. The dragon's unease grew much stronger when she separated from Doran, but she was just as curious about their bond and the summons as he, so she followed the guard dutifully.
It didn't take long for one of the guards up the stairs to gesture at Doran and he made his way up the steps to the entrance, both guards this time were very brusque in ushering him in. The one who stayed behind seemed in quite a huff, some sort of pain and anger showed very clearly in his eyes during the brief moment Doran glimpsed them. The ranger didn't waste a moment entering his room as soon as the door was open, thanking the guard, and closing it. The relief at finally being to himself was compounded by how comfortable the room was furnished. Certainly it wasn't so ostentatious as to make him feel like an honored guest, but it was still much more than he expected.
After so much time by himself in the middle of nowhere time and again Doran loved the thought of a comfortable bed whenever he could get one, but he also wasn't in the least comfortable sleeping in the castle. He was far too on-edge for the bed at the very least, so he made do with setting up a rather plush chair so that it was facing the door but not directly in front of it. He fiddled with his positioning until he sat in a way that he could fall asleep without damaging his neck, but could get up in a moment's notice were something to disturb him. Once he felt he'd made the best he could out of the accommodations he closed his eyes and rapidly drifted off to the strange state of half-sleep many people who sleep outdoors often acquire.