Alice leaned back, resting against Mr. Skellys sternum. The suns already set, huh?
The two were sitting next to each other on the ground of a living room. A few leather cushions decorating the floor and a waist-high table were the only pieces of furniture in sight. Mr. Skelly raised his brow. Oh? Were in soone elses ho, but you want to do the naugh
No. Alice straightened her back, sitting upright. The top of her head collided with Mr. Skellys lower jaw, cutting off his words. I an, its nightti, but Vur and Tafel havent contacted us yet. Do you think they forgot about us?
Dont be silly, Mr. Skelly said. Vur probably forgot about us, but theres no way Tafel wouldve. You know how dragons areeverything they do is slow and relaxed as if they have all the ti in the world. I wouldnt be surprised if Vurs initial eting with his grandma took several days.
Alice pursed her lips. I did hear that dragons slept for years at a ti.
See? Mr. Skelly asked. Our party mbers wouldnt abandon us. You worry too much.
The bath is ready, a voice said from a doorway leading outside the living room. Sorry to keep you waiting.
Alice and Mr. Skelly exchanged glances. Now that I think about it, Alice said as she climbed to her feet, do skeletons even take baths?
Mr. Skelly shook his head.
Its because water probably softens your bones, huh? Alice nodded. Makes sense.
What? No, of course not, Mr. Skelly said. We take showers. The only point of a bath is to relax in hot water and play with bubbles, but we cant feel anything. Showers are much more practical for a skeleton.
***
Tafel rummaged through her bag and pulled out the coin that Vur had used for his match against Alora. She flipped it over and sighed. It really was the double-headed coin that she confiscated from Mr. Skelly. Her brow furrowed, and after one glance at Aloras pitiful state, she opened up a portal and tossed the coin inside, removing all evidence. It was her duty as a wife to support her husband after all. But it was also in her best interest to not fool a dragon, but Vur was a dragon too, so in the end, she made the best choice. After internally justifying her decision, Tafel closed her bag and hung it on the belt on her waist. Hey, Vur, she said. Are we forgetting sothing?
Alora stopped rolling around on the ground, lifting her head up to stare at the duo, her cheeks streaked with mud. Right! Forgetting sothing like declaring how many rounds there were supposed to be! Its best two out of three!
Vur clicked his tongue. Sore loser.
Hah!? Alora jumped to her feet and glared at Vur. Im not a sore loser! Youre not a forgiving winner!
Vur shrugged. If you dont want to be my lackey, then thats okay too. He puffed his chest out. But I won and you lost.
Aloras eye twitched. What kind of dragon do you think I am? Im an honorable dragon, and honorable dragons keep their promises! Even if you dont want to, Im going to stick so close to you and do everything you could possibly want for the next fifty years that youll be rendered completely helpless without by the ti I leave. You got a problem with that?
Um, I do, Tafel said, raising a hand.
Alora snorted. Youre not my boss. She pointed at Vur. He is.
No, shes your boss too, Vur said. Treat her words like mine.
Aloras face spasd before she closed her eyes and exhaled. You got it, Boss.
Tafel whispered to Vur, Dont you feel bad for tricking her? Like even a teensy bit?
No matter what kind of match we had, I wouldve won anyway, Vur said, placing his hands on his hips. And thats because Im a dragon. Dragons never lose.
Im a dragon too, Alora said.
Vur blinked before turning to Tafel. Lets go back to Grandma.
Youre just going to pretend you didnt hear ? Alora asked as she followed after the couple. Really? Hello? You there? Wow, fine, be that way.
Ah! Tafel stopped midstride. I rember now! We forgot about Alice and Mr. Skelly. She bit her lower lip. But they werent waiting outside the cave when we left. And I got distracted by the talk about genies. She tugged on Vurs arm. Do you think theyre mad at us?
Vur humd and rubbed his chin. Ive never seen Mr. Skelly get mad before, he said and paused. But Alice is always mad. Thats why shes called the berserk librarian, right?
Alice would smack you if she heard that.
See? Vur asked. Always mad.
Maybe shes only mad around you, Tafel muttered. There are tis when you can be very frustrating.
Vur tilted his head. Huh? Like when?
Like now! Dont ignore , Alora said, sticking her head between the two while wrapping her arms around their shoulders.
Tafel flinched at the soft feeling pressing against her back. Alright, she said. The first thing youre going to have to do if you want to follow us is wear clothes. She opened up a portal and retrieved the previous robe from before. Here.
Alora stared at the fabric in Tafels hands. Her nose twitched as she resisted the urge to set it on fire. She sighed as she released Vur and Tafel, grabbing onto the robe. You shouldnt humiliate your lackey like this. Itll reflect poorly on you if you make wear silly things.
Its not silly, Tafel said, glaring at Alora. Right now, you look like a human, and humans wear clothes.
Alora rolled her eyes as she wrapped the robe around her waist and tied a knot with its sleeves to keep it from falling, turning it into a makeshift skirt. There. You happy?
No! Wear it like a normal person!
Alora let out low growls as she untied the robe. You say that, but Ive never worn human clothing before. Whats the normal way to wear this? Arms probably go in the sleeves, huh? Oh, that makes sense. Euck, clothes suck. It feels like soones touching all over.
Youll get used to it, Im sure, Tafel said. She sighed. I wish Alice were here. I need a slightly normal companion around or else Ill go insane.
Its not like youre normal either, Alora muttered. I cant believe shes brave enough to order around a dragon. Im going to slip centipedes into her bed while she sleeps.
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