The Dragon's Match

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＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

"I should warn you," Aëghan told her, his brows furrowed with what she thought was mild concern- which in itself was surprising as the male hardly ever seemed concerned with anything- and his eyes piercing, "Dellanae is somewhat unconventional."

Lillian's brows raised at that and she made a broad gesture with her hand to their surroundings. "More unconventional than this?"

Around them sprawled the helter skelter array of settlements. Together, they stood upon a wooden platform raised high above the forest floor and it consisted solely of vines and flexible branches that bounced with each step they took. It had taken several moments for Lillian to steel her courage to ascend via the makeshift pulley system. Aëghan had to coax and cajole her to stand upon it, much to her chagrin. She was not particularly fond of heights and hardly trusted the machinations of the fae who had built the contraption and operated it. If she wasn't so consumed with her trepidation, she would have found the experience humbling and marvellous, but right then she could only latch onto the Dravolese's muscled forearm as their perch lurched with her abrupt gesture.

"Unfortunately, yes." His gaze dropped to where her fingers curled into his flesh, his expression unreadable, and an answering flush swept over her. It was not an unwelcome look, and she had been on the receptive end of that same intense stare several times. Lillian had caught him often during their walk through the forest simply looking at her, especially when she wasn't turned towards him. He appeared to catch himself after Lillian snatched her hands away and curled her fingers at her sides, and he grimaced when a ruckus permeated through the wooden slats of the door they stood before.

The house was built around the large trunk of the tree, interwoven into the boughs of protruding and lush branches. The roof and awnings were contrived of vines and a thick, grassy plant that webbed intricately through the other to form an interconnected pattern that was both wildly unsymmetrical and appealing.

When Lillian peered into the branches of the neighbouring pines, she discerned a network of rope bridges that connected each corresponding platform to the various cone-shaped houses. Flightless fae and one or two humans could be seen utilizing these as they convened on various settlements for whatever purpose they harboured.

The entirety of the contrivances that the fae had constructed amongst the grand trees of the forest reminded Lillian of a bird she had once read about in a book from her father's study that resided in tropical regions, that was able to procure a nest of such beauty and skill, adorned with pretty blooms and artefacts to add to its design in order to attract a mate.

Presently, she hovered as far from the edge of the platform as possible and pressed her shoulders far back, an amused look crossing Aëghan's face when he noticed her hesitance to linger beside him.

Shooting him a glare, her fingers curled against the ledge of a window she was now perched against. "Would you care to elaborate?"

His grin was unapologetically careless. "Perhaps it'd benefit those relentless sensibilities you harbour to stay away from any drink she offers."

"Who's there?" a voice hollered from the other side of the door before the barrier was thrust open to a barrage of debris falling upon them all. "Who's pestering me at this time? Is it- oh, it's just you, Aëghan. Have you come to ask me for more herb to smoke? Because I don't have any to give you, you smoked me dry, young man- oh, hello, dear."

Lillian hadn't known what quite to expect at the prospect of meeting Dellanae, but she hadn't quite expected... this. On top of a proficiency for loose words, the fae was remarkably young with an abundance of wild, buoyant russet curls that did not seem well acquainted with a thorough grooming if the dried leaves and twigs protruding from their depths were anything to go by. Her large, golden eyes took in Lillian with a keenness that was startling, and then suddenly she was being hauled inside Dellanae's establishment with remarkably large fingers that curled about her wrists.