Cataclysm: Dragonborn

Chapter 8: Reveille

Jarvan awoke the next morning and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Shyvana was still asleep on the bed, her feet still pressed against his. The prince smothered a yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he slowly stood up, slipping his feet from the bed, and then standing, stretching his back. Satisfied with the few popping sounds, he touched his toes carefully, shaking his head to try and clear the weariness he still felt. Shyvana stirred slowly, her feet seeming to search for Jarvan's, their absence not long going unnoticed. Jarvan leaned over and shook her shoulder gently.

"Morning." She murmured, raising an arm above her head as she rolled her head free of the blankets and yawned, revealing long fangs. Her hair was a mess as she sat up, careful to hold the blankets to her chest for once, still bleary eyed.

"Sleep well?" Jarvan asked, grinning lopsidedly as she yawned again. Shyvana nodded, smiling happily, raising her hands above her head to stretch a second time. Despite her earlier efforts, the blankets fell away and she inadvertently managed to flash Jarvan yet again. He blushed and looked away as he slowly rocked to his feet. Jarvan shivered in the cold air as he searched for his clothes. He pulled on a tunic and stuck his feet into his boots, cringing at the ice-cold leather. He grabbed a small towel and his shaving kit and stuck his head out the door, looking left and right. He vaguely remembered a door marked 'W.C.' the night before being down the hall.

"I'll be right back." Jarvan said, slipping out the door. Shyvana nodded sleepily as she fell back onto the bed, her mouth wide open as she fell back to sleep. Jarvan stepped down the hallway, only the quiet 'thunk-click' of his boots sounding through the hallway. He turned the corner and found the door ajar at the end of the hall. He knocked gingerly and waited for any sort of response, but when none came, the prince swung the door open and stepped into the small room. He closed and latched it behind him and set about his business. Jarvan relieved himself, then washed his hair in the basin, doing his best to get as much of the dust out as possible. He toweled his hair off and emptied the basin and then filled it again using the bucket and the pump in the corner of the room. He opened his shaving kit, pulling a small knife, a small brush and a bar of shaving soap from within.

Jarvan used the brush and built up a lather before brushing it onto his face. He carefully rinsed the blade of the knife, wide, narrow and not much longer than the width of his palm, and then used the dirty mirror to clean up the stubble that had been building on his face. As he shaved the last of it away, Jarvan rinsed the blade and tucked it safely away in his kit. He quickly brushed his teeth then rinsed using a small bottle of liquor. He rinsed his face and emptied the basin, toweling his chin off. Satisfied, he packed his materials up and then headed back to the room. The inn was still deathly quiet, though Jarvan suspected that many of the other occupants of the inn had stayed up late into the night celebrating. Jarvan entered the inn room, only the sound of his boots echoing through the quiet room. He packed his things away and went to attempt to roust Shyvana a second time. The prince sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over to wake her again when she rolled under the covers to the other side of the bed. Jarvan sighed, but put a knee up on the bed, clambering up onto the edge of the bed, leaning over to where Shyvana lay. He shook her shoulder gently.

"Shyvana..." He spoke softly. "Shyvana."

As Jarvan shook her shoulder, Shyvana rolled back over, ending up underneath the prince, out from under the covers. Jarvan froze, as the sleepy half-dragon's eyes fluttered open, bare inches away from him. She lay there, her lower half barely covered by the blankets, and yawned. Jarvan felt her warm breath wash over his face, the heat of her body radiating up towards him. He looked down, the dragoness's pale flesh nearly pressed again his chest. Shyvana looked up into his eyes and blushed, a smile spreading onto her face and then into her eyes, that spark of mischief appearing yet again.