Laurence's POV:
Mayloi pounced on my chest as I was sitting in bed with my book and purred as he fluttered his wings then pounced at the book. I eyed him over before smirking and placed the book down. "What?" I asked him. He purred and looked at me innocently as he ran back to my face and licked my nose. I grabbed his tiny body before tossing him to the end of the bed to see if he would practice flying while he was falling. I heard him yelp as he instinctively threw his wings out and moved them quickly, managing to slow his descent a little before he hovered for a second with a powerful stroke of his wings but fell into the bed. I laughed softly and sat the book down on the nightstand quickly. I moved out of bed and caught the sun coming up now over the horizon. I walked over to my balcony doors and threw them open to let in the nice morning chill. I walked out onto my balcony and took a seat at the table. I heard Mayloi's soft pitter patters as he started to come out to me, sneaking up towards my feet. I glanced down at him before scooping him up into my arms as he reached me. I heard a howl go off in the distance from the woods. He looked towards it in alarm then went to try it but it came out a roar. He cackled then looked up at me, giving a playful roar then crawled up my arm towards my shoulder. I laughed softly and rubbed his head. "Mayloi," I purred out and gave his head a soft kiss. He nuzzled his head against mine as he curled up onto my shoulder.
"Daddy," I heard his soft dragon voice purr out to me, his first real words instead of roars and small calls.
"I love you," I whispered as I eyed over his red scales. "My little Mayloi." I gave him a smile and looked towards the sunrise. "You kept me up all night," I teased him. He looked at the sunrise then sat up, fluttering his wings. I heard a soft huff come from him as he watched it then jumped at the railing but slipped, falling off the balcony quickly. A small scream escaped his body as he plummeted towards the earth below. Well... I suppose dragons can't live forever if he doesn't learn how to fly last minute before his death... I placed my feet up in the chair across from mine. I didn't hear a thud after a few seconds, his instincts probably kicking in like they should. Maybe he'll learn not to jump off balconies after this. I heard him calling for me at the bottom, looking for me.
"Come on," I called for him. "I'm not coming down there to get you." A small growl came from him as I heard his wings moving a little, and after about five minutes, I saw him finally, struggling to get onto the balcony as he used his wings and his claws to climb his way up, his wings taking some of the weight as he fluttered them. "Don't jump off balconies again," I warned him as I watched him struggle. He managed to get up, almost slipping again, and as soon as he was up, he collapsed with a tired look. He glanced up at me then slowly crawled towards me, climbing up my chair to get to my lap. I pulled him up into my lap and rubbed his head. "You've had a long day already," I teased him. He grabbed one of my fingers and started to suck on it lightly, his claws wrapping around it as he curled his body up in my lap. I tsked and took him back to the bedroom and placed him on the bed. "Sleep here," I told him and covered him up with the blankets before crawling into bed. I grabbed the book and went back to reading it.
"Daddy," I heard him purr out again, crawling towards me as he kept the sheets on him but his head out. I smiled as I saw him and pulled him into my lap. He quickly became a purr ball and puffed out some smoke, his body heating up like his fire was stirring in him. I put the book away and slipped down into the covers to try to get some sleep again with him. I forgot little baby dragons are hard to get to sleep. He glanced up at me then moved onto my chest and laid down, blinking slowly as another puff of smoke left him. The doors suddenly were thrown open and Thomas walked in.
"Young master~ The sun is up, and the birds are singing. It's time to wake," he told me, going to move the blankets away from me.
"I've been up," I grumbled and let him take the covers from me.
"Would you like to sleep in?" He asked, pausing as he held the covers. Mayloi suddenly growled and nipped at Thomas's fingers, making him yelp and drop the covers back onto me. My sweet little dragon bit the blanket and moved it back up, circling on my chest as he lowered himself down and puffed out some smoke as he closed his eyes.
"I'll be fine enough for breakfast. I'll nap later," I told him and looked towards Mayloi. "Besides... I don't want to miss breakfast." Thomas nodded and scooped Mayloi off me then rubbed his head.
"We'll get you breakfast and put you back to bed," Thomas promised then watched as another puff escaped Mayloi. "Is there a way to keep him from breathing fire? He acts like he's getting old enough to set the castle on fire with a careless yawn."
"Yes... but I don't grow the herbs here anymore... we'll have to get them from the dragon order. I'll send them a letter in request for the herb. We'll start growing it again here." Thomas nodded and kissed the top of Mayloi's head, earning a delighted purr from him.
"Mommy!" Mayloi called out and squirmed out of Thomas's grip so he could crawl up his arm and onto his shoulder. He nestled against Thomas's neck and purred as he nuzzled his head against him, making Thomas laugh. I widened my eyes as I heard what Mayloi called my butler. Mommy!? Thomas isn't his mommy.... If anything, I'm his mommy and his daddy.
"I'm mommy," I told him and reached out for Mayloi. Mayloi looked towards me then at my hands before he gave a squeal of delight and started to race down Thomas's arm, jumping off and into my hands. I saw Thomas look towards Mayloi in amusement, laughing at us.
"Thomas," I mumbled before snatching Mayloi as soon as he jumped at me. "Put me in my day clothes and let's go to breakfast." I stood up quickly and gave Mayloi a small kiss on his head. Thomas nodded and bowed to me then walked off towards my closet for my clothes. Mayloi purred loudly at me then nuzzled his head against my hand before he playfully put his teeth against my thumb, not biting down as he growled. "Hungry?" I asked softly. He licked my thumb then started squirming to crawl up my arm.
"Daddy! Daddy!" I placed him on my shoulder and purred.
"I'll get you something soon," I promised. He nuzzled his head against me quickly and gave a soft moan as I felt his claws curling into my shirt.
"Daddy~" I purred and rubbed his head to comfort him. He relaxed a little then gnawed at my shirt as I rubbed him. Carrying my favorite outfit, Thomas came back out and sat it down on my bed before he glanced us over and reached for Mayloi.
"Young master, if I could set him aside..." he whispered. I nodded and placed Mayloi gently on my pillow. Thomas started to undress me, taking my shirt off before I heard Mayloi coming for us with a whine. I laughed and looked towards Mayloi.
"Wait," I told him and held up my index finger towards his nose. He looked at my finger then playfully went to pounce at it, giving a small growl as he got excited. I laughed and tapped his nose lightly. "Wait." He sneezed then fluttered his wings as he gave me a weird look then sunk down onto the bed, watching me closely as he licked his red scales on his paw. I smirked and turned back to Thomas to let him finish dressing me.
"I think he's getting better at understanding," Thomas said and laughed as he slipped my new shirt onto my shoulders, buttoning it up. "His vocabulary has expanded too. It wasn't that long ago that he wasn't saying anything~ I bet you're pleased at his progress."
"I'm very pleased. Especially since he hasn't had much of a teacher. He's learning communication skills on his own."
"We should start teaching him more words," he suggested. "He's got mommy and daddy down, but you need to teach him who to say that to." He pulled my shorts up then sat me down, starting to put my socks on.
"Maybe you should assign a tutor to him," I teased. "You are my head butler."
"I could ask my wife," he suggested. "She wouldn't mind teaching him words, but she might earn the mommy title from him."
"You can ask your wife. She'll probably enjoy it," I purred out.
"I'll have her teach Mayloi during your music lessons," he said calmly then nodded. I felt Mayloi tackle me from the back, crawling up my shirt with a purr. I laughed and looked towards him. He's not very patient when he wants my attention.
"He's hungry. Let's get him to breakfast," I told Thomas. He nodded and got my shoes on me, tying them.
"Of course, young master. We don't want him to find out that we taste good," he said then laughed as he helped me to my feet. Mayloi yelped and got onto my shoulder, curling up as he looked down at the ground. I laughed and dragged Thomas with me as I walked out of my room. Thomas smiled softly as he watched me and helped me towards the morning room where Paris and Richard were sitting close to each other, their chairs scooted closer than usual. Dante had his arm around Reuben's waist as he fed him small grapes from the bowl in the center of the table, and I could see Victor watching his new werewolf curiously, looking fascinated by her. Baylorik glared down Mayloi as soon as he saw him, but he relaxed as he petted that little she-devils in his hands, feeding her fish. Vlad was being tortured with a hug by Rose off to the side like she had chased him down to get the hug. I smirked as I took my seat and eyed the people in the room over. Val let out a small sound for our attention as she walked in.
"I'd like to let everyone know that I finished planning the celebration ball, and Laurence- I would like to see you after breakfast to go over the plans. You're all welcome to join us if you want to know anything further besides the date and that its formal attire." Richard nodded then gave a playful look at Paris before he growled and leaned in towards his neck and licked it.
"I think we're good," Dante said before Richard pulled back and looked towards Val.
"I've got the piano, right?" He asked curiously.
"If you want it," she told him and took a seat at the table with Alex. "You're welcome to scoot the piano player out of the way when you want to play something for everyone." Richard nodded then smirked.
"Alright... I'll play one or two songs at the ball, but I'll spend it mostly with Paris if you have someone.... It'll be our first ball together where we don't have to hide," he purred and kissed Paris's neck. "I'm going to whisk you off your feet and dance with you all through the night~"
"Well it's a great thing I like dancing with you," Paris purred out to Richard. Richard laughed then bit down into Paris, marking him as he tugged Paris's chair closer, making their chairs hit each other. Paris let out a small moan and crawled into Richard's lap slowly. I watched as Richard wrapped his arms around Paris's waist and started to drink his blood greedily, moaning at the taste. Thomas sat a glass of blood down in front of me along with my plate of breakfast and Mayloi's bowl with his fish inside. I heard a growl rip from Mayloi's throat as he leapt off my shoulder and landed by the bowl, starting to bite into the fish viciously. I laughed as I eyed Mayloi over and gave a smirk. He's hungry. Poor guy. He's been wanting fish probably since last night. He scarfed down the first one, tail and all before he looked up at me and licked his teeth then bit into the other fish in his bowl, taking slower as he calmed down and began to purr. I tsked before looking at the others before taking a sip of my blood.
"Dante, maybe we should go out and celebrate tonight," Reuben whispered to Dante. Dante purred and fed Reuben another grape.
"You want to go out tonight?" He asked him and leaned over, kissing Reuben's cheek. "I'll take you out."
"Take me out," Reuben whispered and gave a small smirk. "We'll go horseback riding."
"Midnight horseback riding?" Dante purred before he smirked. "That sounds romantic. We'll go out tonight to explore the land under the moon." He kissed Reuben's neck and laughed. Richard pulled his fangs out of Paris's neck then kissed Paris deeply before he gave a moan and gripped Paris's hips. He suddenly shoved Paris back into the table, pinning him down on the surface as he got over him and their breakfast was sent into the floor.
"Someone want to stop them before they have sex in front of us?" I asked and eyed Victor over. Victor frowned as I looked his way then sighed as he got to his feet and went to pull Richard off Paris but earned a snarl as Richard bit his hand then went back to Paris with his bloody lips and kissed him passionately. Victor narrowed his eyes as he held his hand then exposed his fangs, going for him again with a hiss.
"Richard, Paris," Val hissed. "Your younger siblings are in the room." I noticed Vlad looking at them with wide eyes with a scarred look as he shook his head slowly. Richard pulled back from Paris's lips slowly, looking down into Paris's eyes with the most loving look I've ever seen- like two stars destined to be locked together in the night sky for the rest of eternity. Paris's eyes shined of desire as he caught the look in Richard's eyes. They're my favorite... If it wasn't for me... they wouldn't be here. Richard slowly started to purr before he leaned in for another kiss.
"Paris," he whispered softly. I could hear the pureness of his love in his voice, the need to be with his soul mate like he would perish without Paris by his side. "I love you~"
"I love you too," Paris whispered and leaned in for another kiss. This is so golden to get to witness them. Richard gave him a sweet kiss then pulled back, giving Paris a small kiss on his neck.
"You're all I'll ever need," he murmured to Paris. "I'll always love you... for as long as my stone beats in my chest."
"Really?" Paris husked out and looked to be eating up what Richard was telling him. "I love you so much," he husked out. Richard gave his neck another kiss then nipped at Paris's ear.
"You're the stars to my sky," he whispered then wrapped his arms around him. "I'll fight anyone that tries to tear us apart from each other. You're mine, and I'm yours~"
"You two are so adorable," Reuben whispered and blushed. "But we're trying to eat at this table. Save that for the ball."
"Go get a new table," Richard purred out and kissed Paris again. Victor growled then snatched Richard off him, throwing him down into the floor.
"Look, you can't have sex on the breakfast table," he told Richard and frowned.
"Or dinner table," Val added on. Richard narrowed his eyes and went for Victor, but Victor started to smirk slowly and started for Richard, exposing his fangs. In a flash, Victor had Richard pinned against the wall, his fangs embedded in Richard's neck. Paris frowned and teleported in front of them before pulling Victor off and exposed his fangs at him. Victor snarled and bit down into Paris instinctively, moaning at the taste before he ripped out a chunk of his flesh, but he was thrown into the table by Richard as soon as the smell of Paris's blood entered the air. Growling, Richard stalked towards Victor with a dark look, exposing his fangs angrily.
"Keep your fangs out of my mate," he snarled and was over Victor in seconds, slamming him into the floor.
"Richard," I hissed out and looked towards Thomas before gesturing with my eyes towards Rose and Vlad, to tell him to get them out. Thomas nodded and walked over to them, giving them a kind smile.
"Hello~ Why don't we go play with dolls?" He asked and gave Rose a cheerful laugh. "We'll take Mr. Kitty with us." He reached for their hands and led them out quickly, telling them he'd get them cookies. Richard stomped down onto Victor's chest then went for his throat, grabbing it before Victor groaned and struggled to get free.
"Richard!" He said quickly, panicked. "Stop."
"Dante," Val whispered and gestured for him to stop it. Dante nodded and got to his feet.
"Richardo," he said calmly as he approached him then pulled him off slowly. "Victor doesn't mean any harm. It's alright." Richard clenched his jaw as he watched Victor rub his throat. "Let's get you and Paris some more blood." He sat Richard down in his seat then gestured for Paris to sit. "Paris." Paris frowned before sitting down obediently and rubbed at his neck. Dante picked their glasses off the floor then sat them down in front of them as he bit into his wrist and poured his blood into it. "Here... drink up you two," he purred and pulled his wrist back as he got both glasses half full. Paris eyed the glass over before smirking and took it quickly before sucking the blood down greedily. Richard watched him with a purr then leaned over and kissed Paris's cheek as Victor got up and glared at them. Richard took a sip of his blood then finished it off before he looked at his wrist and bit into it as Paris finished his and offered his wrist to Paris, rubbing his head. Paris purred and held the glass up under Richard's wrist.
"Thank you," he purred out. Richard laughed and gave Paris a sweet kiss on his lips.
"Anything for you~ I love you, my sweet mate."
"I love you too," Paris whispered and gave a smile before drinking Richard's blood in the glass. Richard watched him then pulled him out of his chair and put Paris in his lap. He held him close and purred. I heard Mayloi sniffing at the bowl then pull away from it as he finished off the last bit. His stomach had gotten plump from all the food he ate, having swallowed every single piece of it. He looked up at me then licked his lips clean with a loud purr before he sneezed, accidentally spitting fire and getting the table with it as the spark started to catch onto the wood quickly. I widened my eyes before I quickly put the flames out. I better get DT for him quick... I'll have to do that after Val tells me about the ball arrangements. Mayloi sniffed at the charred wood then laughed as he rubbed his head against the table and rolled onto his back, showing off his plump stomach as he rubbed his head against the wood. I laughed and poked his stomach to mess with him. He let out a small laugh then squirmed as he got back onto his feet and rubbed his scales against my hand as he stood up. He sat back on his hind legs then reached out for my fingers with his front claws, giving me a cute look. I smirked and picked him up quickly before placing him on my shoulder. He nuzzled against my neck as he latched onto my shoulder then licked my neck with his rough tongue. I laughed and rubbed his head to please him. He gave a sweet moan from the feeling of it and melted against me, tilting his head so I would rub under his chin.
"Daddy," he said happily and nuzzled his head against my shoulder.
"Yes?" I asked and gave his head a kiss. He purred then as I kissed him. I could feel his belly warming up on my shoulder like his body was wanting to produce more fire to spit. I tsked and got to my feet.
"Val, I'll be back later today. I have to go to the dragon order," I explained to her. She nodded as she eyed me over.
"O-okay, let me know when you come home. We'll discuss business then." I heard Mayloi sneeze, the air by my face lighting up quickly as he sneezed fire then sounded like he was laughing. I tsked and used the shadows to take me to the dragon order's castle and started walking towards their garden to borrow some herbs. Mayloi jumped off my shoulder, and I heard him take off running as he hit the floor.
"Mayloi, get back here," I warned him with a tone. I heard him pause before he came back to me and purred, crawling up my pants leg.
"Daddy!" He called out, fluttering his wings a little. I grabbed him and placed him back on my shoulder.
"Don't leave me again," I warned him. He curled up on my shoulder and purred softly as he nuzzled his head against me. He curled his claws into my shirt, holding onto it as his stomach heated up a little again. I gasped before rubbed his head before tsking. He's a handful. He relaxed slightly then licked my hand as he purred to me. I smiled before I made my way into the garden and searched for DT. As soon as I entered it, a bunch of small dragons came rushing up to me from inside the bushes, growling loudly as they made spitting noises like they were trying to get me with fire, but a girl said something in a hushed tone and stood up with a basket from where she was picking DT.
"Excuse me sir.... Who are you?" She asked me and frowned. I noticed a scar running down her face like a dragon had gotten her with it's claws. "You're not a part of the order here."
"Just a friend. My name is Laurence. This is Mayloi and he's in need of DT," I told her and rubbed his head. "So, I decided to pay a surprise visit." The girl glanced Mayloi over then nodded.
"You must've gotten him from us.... Go ahead and pick a few pieces. I'll provide you with a young plant that you can take home with you," she told me and then laughed a little as she walked up and reached out to pet Mayloi who sniffed her hand and shied away.
"Thank you," I purred to her. People at the order are very generous people~ I gave her a smile before looking towards Mayloi. "She's okay," I whispered to him. He looked up at me then leaned his head out slowly, sniffing her hand before he clung to my shirt and watched her closely as she laughed and petted him.
"He's rather cute.... He's tame, that's for sure. These rascals aren't though," she told me then giggled as Mayloi immediately broke out into a purr at her touch and tilted his head. She smirked and started to rub under his chin before he collapsed on my shoulder with a heavy sigh and started to slip off me with a dazed but pleased look.
"Well, he's been babied," I purred out before grabbing him and slipped him into my pocket. She nodded and gave me a sweet look.
"You didn't raise him with a sibling, did you? Most don't. They try to eat each other sometimes when they get a certain age and fight over gold," she hummed out then looked at her basket before she pulled out a handful of DT and held it out to me. "Here~ so he doesn't burn your home down."
"Well, I have an older dragon," I grumbled before giving her a thankful look and took the DT. "It's very difficult sometimes. My eldest just got a mate," I whispered.
"It's close to mating season.... It's a good thing you're getting an actual plant while you're here. I'm sure that your eldest will provide you with little hatchlings," she told me then went towards a few seedlings that had cloth bags wrapped around their roots. I heard Mayloi cry out in my pocket, squirming as he whined.
"Yeah... hatchlings... I hope it's only one and I can easily get rid of it," I told her and followed her.
"We take hatchlings off people's hands if they can't take care of them or need to get rid of them. You could bring it here, but I imagine that your eldest and his mate will get angry with you," she said calmly, looking the plants over.
"No... they wouldn't like it at all," I sighed out and placed my hand in my pocket and stuck it in Mayloi's mouth to let him suck on it. He fought for a few seconds but gave in, curling his claws around my finger as he started to suck on it and curled his body around my hand as he got quiet. She picked up a seedling then held it out to me.
"This is the healthiest and oldest we have," she told me and grinned. "You should be able to plant it easily enough." I nodded and eyed it over.
"Thank you," I purred to her. "This will be a big help. I used to keep DT at my castle... but I eventually didn't need it until now."
"That's understandable.... You wouldn't have needed it unless you had one quite so young as the one in your pocket. I'm sure you know how to use this and grow it if you have an elder dragon, and you used to grow it. Make sure to give that little one lots of care and love~ You don't want him to grow up and ditch you for gold one day. They do it to their masters if they aren't trained properly at that age, and then they become feral."
"I know. I'm a very good dragon tamer," I assured her. "I kept one until the fire started to eat him alive." She frowned a little then nodded.
"It's sad when they go out like that," she whispered. "There's a really pretty red dragon here that reminds me of yours. She's been alive for a very long time. We think she could be immortal.... She doesn't get sick."
"That's amazing. I suppose I'll be the judge of that," I told her. "I don't plan on dying."
"Are you immortal?" She asked me and frowned. "In a world with dragons, I guess that wouldn't be impossible for some people to be immortal or live for long periods of time like them." She eyed me over then put her hands on her hips. "Why are you so little? You don't talk like you're that young... and you said you have dragons and have raised a couple of them."
"I am immortal. I'm an immortal child," I whispered softly to her. "I've been a vampire for a very long time. For many winters.... Terrible winters," I mumbled. She widened her eyes.
"Vampire?" She asked me quickly. "They exist?!" I felt Mayloi's teeth graze against my finger, but he sucked a little harder at my finger, a small whine escaping him.
"You're living around dragons," I whispered to her. "Haven't you figured out that anything can happen?" She laughed then.
"I just didn't think vampires did, but it makes sense." She smiled at me then went to tell me something, but I heard a dragon growl by my pocket, having crawled up my pants. Mayloi let out a quick growl, holding onto my fingers tightly as the other hatchling threatened him with a snarl. I frowned before pushing the smaller dragons off and hissed at them. They hissed back at me then looked towards my pocket angrily, snarling as a black one flew up and latched onto my pants by my pocket and tried to get inside to get my Mayloi. I saw Mayloi's back claw come out of my pocket, kicking at the other to keep him out. "Stop that," the girl hissed and clapped her hand quickly. "Get down. Ignore the new dragon." The black dragon looked at her then snarled but hesitated as Mayloi kicked at him again. I grabbed the black dragon and dropped him quickly. Trying to hurt Mayloi... they should be ashamed. The girl glared them down then hissed something in dragon quickly, watching as all the hatchlings shrunk down to the ground as they avoided looking at her. She pointed towards a door then and narrowed her eyes, snarling again in dragon before they started to scamper off for the door, bringing their tails close to them. I smiled as I watched them leaving.
"Thank you," I told her and gave her a smile. "Mayloi hasn't been around dragons near his age." She nodded.
"I think they were jealous of the attention he was getting in your pocket," she told me and sighed. "Plus, he's a new dragon in their territory. I'm terribly sorry about them. They were with me so that they wouldn't try to take gold from the others. They like to take things, especially shiny things."
"Well they're really young and can't help it," I told her and chuckled.
"Yes, but the older ones have tried to eat them for it," she told me and giggled. "I found that black one in Ruby's mouth this morning. She's that red dragon I was telling you about. He had gotten into her nest and she tried to eat him."
"That sounds terrible. I'd adopt him but I already have a black dragon," I told her and laughed.
"He's a handful anyways. He's the leader of that little group that tried to get your little sweetheart," she hummed out. "May I see him? I could tell you if he's healthy or if you need to watch out for something in him. I take care of most of our hatchlings."
"Oh, I can assure you he's really healthy," I laughed out but took out Mayloi slowly to show him off. She smiled as she saw him and giggled, looking him over. Mayloi looked around and held onto my hand before he licked me then started to suck on my thumb, fluttering his wings.
"Has he tried to fly?" She asked curiously. "He looks a couple of years old but not many. I'm sure he's been trying to put air under those pretty wings."
"He fell off my balcony this morning and managed to fly back up to me," I bragged and gave him a huge smile. She widened her eyes.
"That much already? Has he tried since?" She eyed his wings over like she was trying to figure out how strong they were. Mayloi shifted as he noticed her looking and flattened his wings against his side, giving a small growl as he gripped my thumb with his claws.
"He's an off and on boy... just a few minutes ago he discovered he's got fire." She nodded and laughed.
"He's probably a handful," she said and giggled. "Good thing you came for DT. He would've burned you out of house and home and maybe have set you on fire."
"That would have been terrible," I whispered. "To be on fire." She nodded and eyed Mayloi over then rubbed his head, making him purr against my hand as he sucked a little harder, curling up as he closed his eyes in happiness. I smiled softly as I watched him. She pulled her hand back then gave me a smile.
"Would you like to meet with our leader? He's here currently. He just came back from taming a dragon in Germany," she told me and giggled. "I'm sure he'd like to meet you, mister vampire."
"I wouldn't mind meeting him," I told her calmly. "My name is Laurence," I told her sweetly and put Mayloi back inside my pocket. She nodded and giggled.
"Yeah, I think you told me that," she said and glanced towards my pocket before she walked past me. "Right this way, Laurence." I heard Mayloi growl a little from my pocket, but he curled up obediently and held my hand with his claws.
"Oh.... right.... sorry," I whispered and laughed as I followed her. I must be getting too old to remember these little things... that's terrible. She smiled at me and took me away from the DT and through the halls towards a grand room where about twenty people were walking around with either small hatchlings on their shoulders or dragons following them from behind. I could see older dragons up in the rafters laying on the beams underneath the ceiling, raising their heads as they saw us come in. A large stone table cut into a circle with the middle hollowed out sat in the center of a room with a large fire pit in the center of the hollow, and I could see a man sitting at it, calmly eating a large piece of mutton as a few dragons sat by him, nuzzling him with their heads. That must be the leader of the order... I should thank him for Mayloi. I gave him a huge smile as I walked up to him and held out a hand.
"It's an honor," I told him calmly. "My name is Laurence," I told him calmly. He glanced up at me then sat his food down before he wiped his hands off on his shirt and took my hand, standing up. He shook it then smirked.
"Laurence.... I think I remember something about a Laurence. Abbott was sent to you, wasn't he? To train that dragon of yours. How is that by the way?" The dragons gave me jealous looks as they eyed our hands over then nudged the man from behind, trying for attention but he ignored them. "My name is Eric."
"He's being more obedient," I admitted. "Thank you for sending him especially with this little guy," I purred and pulled out Mayloi to show him. "This is Mayloi," I purred. "The hatchling you sent me." He looked at Mayloi curiously then laughed.
"Oh, it's that little egg. I wondered what he would become," he said then reached for him. Mayloi's eyes widened and he latched onto my hand more firmly, but as soon as Eric touched him, he started to relax and let himself be picked up. "He certainly likes you," Eric hummed out, looking Mayloi over as he rubbed his head to make him calmer. "You've turned out to be a healthy young dragon...." He examined him and ran his fingers over Mayloi's wings, making him flutter them as he adjusted himself in Eric's hand and curled up.
"Well of course he is, I've been taking care of him. I've had a red dragon before," I explained to him. No wonder Eric is a leader... all the dragons here are fawning over him. Maybe they're attracted to him magically- or something else is going on here. Eric nodded then picked Mayloi up to his face to look at him.
"He doesn't seem like a troublemaker.... Does he react to gold?" He asked me curiously and pulled out a gold coin from in his pocket. Mayloi looked towards it quickly, and I saw his eyes flash gold as his eyes landed on it. Before I knew it, he was about to fall off Eric's hand as he reached out for it with a small growl. I laughed as I watched him.
"He's a little troublemaker," I told Eric. "Not as bad as some of the hatchlings here though." I sat down the plant in my hand and eyed them over.
"No... he's definitely not as bad," Eric said then pocketed the gold coin, making Mayloi narrow his eyes. "Here," he held him out to me to give him back. "I'm relieved to see that he's alright. We sent him to the right person." Mayloi looked towards me then nipped at Eric's finger before he leapt for me, landing on the front of my shirt and clung to it. I placed him back in my pocket and gave Eric a smile.
"I'm grateful for him. He's very entertaining to have around and keep me company." I smirked and eyed over the other dragons in the room then curiously.
"Mhmm.... Would you like to meet Mayloi's mother? She's here currently- She's one of mine," he told me and smirked. "My favorite girl actually."
"Sure. Mayloi might be surprised to find his mommy isn't my servant Thomas," I laughed out softly and rubbed Mayloi's head. He raised an eyebrow before he whistled and a red dragon leapt down from the rafters, landing down beside him as she purred and nuzzled her head against him.
"Hey girl," he whispered then rubbed her chin. "Someone is here to see you. Look," he told her and pointed towards me. She looked at me as her gold eyes flickered over me then landed on my pocket like she could smell Mayloi. She leaned over and sniffed my pocket before she gave a small growl. "Be nice," he warned her. "That's your child." She puffed some smoke out at my pocket then pushed me onto my butt, trying to take him out. "Easy," he said quickly and put his hand on her shoulder, moving her face away from my pocket. "You can't eat him." She growled and puffed out some more smoke, eyeing my pocket over as Mayloi poked his head out curiously. He saw her then quickly shrunk back into my pocket, hissing. I stood back up slowly and eyed her over. Well if anything will eat me it just would be a dragon trying to eat its child in my pocket.... Eric rubbed her head then whispered something into her ear before he looked towards my pocket and made a small noise, sounding like a hatchling calling out. Mayloi poked his head back out and looked towards Eric in confusion, watching as he did it again. The red dragon snatched him up quickly and hissed before she jumped up into the rafters with him, hunkering down as she held him in her jaws. I could hear Mayloi calling out frantically for me, his voice trembling like he was scared. I frowned as I eyed them over.
"Eric," I whispered. "She stole my dragon from my pocket. She's not going to eat him... is she?" I asked. Eric frowned as he watched them.
"No.... I don't think so. She would've swallowed him by now. I think she's realizing it's hers. He's still young enough to be in her nest," he told me then growled something out in dragon, snapping his fingers towards her. She lifted her head up with Mayloi and growled back. "Bring him back down here. You don't want to have to share your gold, do you?" He asked her and frowned. "I'll punish you." She gave a small hiss but jumped back down with him, dropping him on the ground. He squeaked as he hit it then raced for my feet, curling up by them as he watched her and spat fire her way. She puffed smoke back at him and growled. "Behave," Eric muttered. "We have two guests, and you're making me look bad." She looked away from Eric and growled lightly. I laughed as I watched her before I scooped Mayloi up and placed him on my shoulder before I gave his cheek a kiss.
"You're fine," I whispered to him. He relaxed and purred at me before he nuzzled against me.
"Daddy~" He purred sweetly. Eric laughed softly then looked at his mother.
"Go terrorize the hatchlings. I'm sure they're running around somewhere," he told her, watching as she gave a purr and started to stalk off to go find them. He looked at me then glanced at the DT plant then at me. "I take it you came for DT?" He sat back down in his seat and gestured for me to sit. I sat down before nodding.
"He's getting to where he likes to catch things on fire now," I told Eric. He laughed then eyed Mayloi over.
"Trouble," he muttered then looked towards a girl that sat down a plate of food in front of me. "Thank you." She nodded as she sat down a small bowl with some fish in it, and before I could react, Mayloi was off my shoulder and snatching the fish out of it with a growl. I laughed as I saw him before I looked towards her.
"Thank you," I purred before I started to eat the food that was generously given to me. I looked towards Eric with a grateful smile. "If there is anything, I can help you with then all you have to do is ask." He nodded to me and smirked.
"I won't hesitate to ask," he told me then finished off his mutton quickly. "If Mayloi becomes a handful, we can always send someone to help you with him. You seem like you have it under control thou-" Mayloi sneezed and spat up fire, causing the wooden bowl to catch in flames as he shook his head and groaned. He looked at the bowl then giggled as he perked his head up and watched the fire. I frowned before smirking lightly.
"Can I get a bowl of milk for him?" I asked lightly to Eric and pulled out the DT I now had on me. Eric nodded and frowned before he pushed the bowl into the fire pit to protect the table.
"Yes, let's get that nasty fire taken care of," he told me then looked towards a nearby girl. "Get a bowl of milk. We need to administer some DT," he told her. She nodded and ran off quickly as Mayloi playfully spit some more fire at the table and watched curiously as the stone table didn't get eaten up with flames. I smirked before grabbing Mayloi and gave his head a small kiss. He looked up at me and broke out into a loud purr, licking my hand. The girl was by my side quickly, setting down a bowl of milk and looked towards Mayloi with a frown. I placed the DT in the milk and stirred it in before giving it to Mayloi.
"Eat that," I told him. Mayloi sniffed the milk and backed up from it quickly, looking confused about it's scent but gave it a hungry look. "It's fine," I assured him. He looked towards me then at the bowl before he cautiously walked up to it and sniffed it again then licked at it. He melted at the taste of the milk and started to drink it greedily, crawling into the bowl with it. I laughed softly before looking towards Eric.
"I told you he was a handful," I whispered. He nodded and laughed as he watched him.
"He's going to throw a fit when he realizes he can't spit fire," he told me and smirked. "Their faces are always funny when they realize they've been tricked." Mayloi finished it off quickly and licked the bowl clean before he curled up inside the bowl and called out to me, looking up at me. I smirked and nodded.
"He's going to be so adorable when he gets upset," I whispered. He licked the bowl one more time before he jumped out and raced across the table excitedly then picked his head up like he was going to spit fire at the table then blinked a few times before he growled and went to do it again, but it failed. He sunk his head down and whined, trying it again before he whipped around and glared at the bowl, attacking it as he snarled and bit it. I bit my bottom lip as I watched him. Poor guy. He's figured it out. He kicked the bowl off the table then growled before he glanced at me then at the DT in my hands before he hissed and went for it. I widened my eyes before placing it inside my pocket and pointed at his nose. "No!" I told him sternly. He reared up as he saw my finger then sat up on his hind legs, hissing. I hissed back at him and smirked. He hissed back and growled, narrowing his eyes then reached out towards my finger with one of his claws. I tsked at him before tapping his nose. He yelped then sneezed before he started to cry out and got off his hind legs as he looked at me. He came towards the edge of the table and whined. I leaned in and gave his head a small kiss. He quieted down a little as I kissed his head then pouted as he sunk his head down. I smiled softly at him.
"When you're older, I'll let you have your fire back," I promised. He looked up at me then jumped for my chest, latching onto the front of my shirt before he snuggled up to me. I purred and rubbed his head before looking towards Eric and gave him a smile. He smirked at me then reached over and rubbed Mayloi's head. Mayloi glanced at him then crawled up to the top of my shirt and slipped under it, poking his head out once he was inside. I gave him another kiss quickly and purred. He squealed in delight and licked my chin, fluttering his wings happily. I looked towards Eric then. "I love dragons," I purred out. He laughed and nodded.
"Wait till he gets bigger and he's picking you up and taking you places," he told me and smirked. Mayloi licked my chest and purred happily as he curled into my warmth, his body making my chest hotter than usual. He's going to be a big help at keeping me warm. "He certainly likes being held. He's going to get upset when he gets too big for that." Eric shook his head and laughed.
"I know," I whined out and laughed. "He'll end up sitting on me." He laughed at the thought and nodded.
"You're going to have to break him of that when he gets about the size of a dog," he told me and eyed Mayloi over. "He must really love you," he murmured softly as he watched Mayloi purring with his eyes closed as he licked his claws in my shirt.
"I would hope so," I said softly before giving a small smile. "I don't want him to end up eating me." Eric laughed and shook his head.
"I don't think he's going to eat you. He's been with you for a few years and hasn't seriously tried harming you. I imagine he's going to be possessive over you though."
"That'll be fun," I purred lightly.
"He might eat anyone that tries to come near you," he hummed out and smirked. "Call you treasure and all kinds of things like that."
"I bet you get called that all the time... treasure," I teased him. He laughed.
"Coin, treasure, diamond, jewel... all kinds of things," he told me and glanced back at his dragons. "I had to teach them to share me."
"It's impressive all these dragons are here and not trying to kill each other."
"It took a lot of work," Eric grumbled. "It's not as easy as it looks. It took years- many generations- just to get to this point. We still have problems too, but we've been established here for a few centuries. My ancestors had it rougher than me- trying to get dragons to get along. After a few generations, we managed to get the young ones to get along in a more friendly environment for them, and that's really what did it- raising them together and teaching them when they were young so they would teach their own children later. This is the product of lots of hard work. We're great at what we do because of it though. I was raised around dragons since my first breath of air. I think there was a dragon present when I was born actually."
"Well I wasn't born near one," I told him and smirked. "I'm a little jealous."
"You should be~ I've had at least one dragon around me since I was little. They really love me because of it. My oldest was my father's dragon before he died, so he knows me since I was an infant." He reached behind him and touched a larger dragon's leg, rubbing it.
"No wonder why you're a leader," I whispered. I gave him a small smile before I started to finish my food, remembering it was there.
"Yeah, I'll be doing this till I grow too old to move," he told me and laughed. "At least you have a few dragons in your life. It's wonderful to keep them around. They make great friends. Isn't that right?" He said and glanced towards one of the dragons. The dragon let out a purr and quickly was in his lap in his human form, curling up against him. Eric pulled out a gold coin from his pocket and gave it to the boy and smirked, watching as the boy started to rub it against his face and moan. I eyed Eric over before smirking. What if I turn him? He wouldn't ever grow old then... He ruffled the boy's hair and gently kissed the top of his head. "Go check on Ruby," he whispered and nudged the boy out of his lap, watching as he obediently took the coin and left after the red dragon. I gave a small smile as I watched Eric.
"You're a great guy Eric," I whispered. He looked towards me then grinned.
"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself. Mayloi definitely thinks so." He glanced towards Mayloi who had started to fall asleep against me in my shirt. I nodded before giving a smile.
"I'll have to stop by here more often to visit you," I told him. He nodded.
"If you'd like.... I don't mind. I would love to see what Mayloi becomes." He told me and leaned back in his chair. I felt Mayloi shift against me before he slowly started to slide under my shirt more as his body relaxed with each breath. I reached into my shirt slowly before taking him out and placed him in my pocket.
"I've got to get going," I told Eric and gave a smile. "I'm needed somewhere." He nodded then got to his feet.
"It was wonderful to have you, Laurence. I can walk you out if you'd like." He smirked then pushed his chair in. I picked up the plant before getting up and pushed my chair in.
"That's fine. I don't need to walk to where I'm going," I told him. He nodded and crossed his arms.
"Alright. May our paths cross again, Laurence," he told me and gave me a kind smile before he turned away from me and started to pet one of the dragons waiting for him. I nodded before taking a step into shadows and stepped out of them into the breakfast room- where I had last been.
"THOMAS!" I yelled. He came through the doors quickly and frowned as he saw me.
"Young master, where have you been?" He asked and pulled a few pink bows out of his hair. "Little Rose has been making me play with her. I just managed to get away."
"Here, I want you to plant this and take good care of it," I told him and held out the DT plant. He took it and glanced it over.
"Of course, young master.... You went to the Dragon Order, didn't you?" He asked as his eyes lit up in recognition of the plant.
"Maybe," I told him and smirked. "Maybe I went someplace else." I looked the bow over and laughed softly. Rose likes bows? He nodded and then bowed.
"I'll plant this right away," he told me then started to walk off. I heard Mayloi cry out in my pocket, poking his head out as he heard Thomas finally.
"Mommy! Mommy, mommy, mommy!"
"That's right.... we're home," I told him and pulled him out of my pocket before I placed him on Thomas's shoulder. He broke out into a purr and licked Thomas's cheek before he made a laughing noise then jumped towards me, landing on my head where he hunkered down and started to playfully eat my hair. I tsked and tried to get him to stop before he made my hair a mess. I heard him laugh before he crawled into my hands and glowed lightly. Soon enough, I was holding a small toddler with bright fiery red hair and cute golden eyes as he giggled at me and clapped his hands. Thomas laughed a little and shook his head. I slowly pushed him into Thomas's hands and took the plant.
"I'll plant this," I told him calmly.
"No young master~ Here's your kid," he told me and gave me back Mayloi as he stole the plant and took off.
"THOMAS!" I yelled and widened my eyes. "TRADE!"
"BUT YOU'RE DADDY, YOUNG MASTER!" He called back to me. I could hear him laughing from in the hall as he walked off. I blushed before looking down at the naked toddler. What do I do with it? He squealed in delight and started to giggle as he reached for my face, making grabbing motions with his little hands. I gave him a nervous smile before holding him against my body and carried him off to go find Thomas. I found him outside in the garden, planting the small bush in the flowers to conceal it and make it look like it was a part of it from the beginning. Looks like he's trying to blend it in to trick Mayloi... He glanced up at me as he heard me coming then smirked. "Yes, young master? If you want help with him while I do this, you have a couple of choices like Val... or Paris... or Reuben. There are plenty of your friends who could help you."
"But Thomas... He calls you mommy," I whispered and held him outwards to him.
"I can't. My hands are dirty," he told me and showed me his dirt covered hands. "Ask Baleen."
"Baleen?" I asked softly before I gave it a thought. "Okay." I walked off then to go find someone else. No way am I letting Baleen help. He's busy learning.
"Young master, if you wait, I'll finish and come help," Thomas said softly, watching me go. "I just can't touch him while my hands are covered in filth."
"I know," I whispered to Thomas. I'll go make Dante help me. He'll have to know this someday. Mayloi tugged lightly on my hair as he giggled softly and kicked his feet a little.
"Daddy~" He purred out and gave me a cute smile. I gave him another smile.
"Let's go find a temp mommy," I told him and started off into my castle. Maybe I'll come across Richard. I could hear my piano faintly playing, giving him away for where he was as Mayloi curled my hair around his fingers innocently. I smirked and used the shadows to get to Richard quickly.
"Richard," I purred out before placing Mayloi in his lap. He stopped playing quickly in shock and looked down at the toddler in his lap.
"What is this?" He asked me and then widened his eyes as Mayloi giggled and started to clap his hands then reached for Richard. "H-hey...."
"Don't you want one?" I asked Richard and purred.
"Want what?" He asked and slowly started to push at Mayloi. Mayloi gripped his hand and giggled, chewing lightly on his fingers.
"A baby," I purred out.
"He's so cute," Paris purred from on top of the piano and eyed Mayloi over. Richard stopped pushing at Mayloi as soon as he heard Paris and frowned.
"Children are a lot of work," Richard said softly then looked up at me before he sighed and picked up Mayloi, bringing him up against his chest. Mayloi purred sweetly and giggled, touching Richard's cheek with a happy look as he babbled. I laughed softly before starting to sneak away. I'll just leave Mayloi in the care of them and go find Val... "Laurence," Richard hissed suddenly. "Don't you dare leave your responsibility with us."
"I thought you two could babysit for a bit. Bu-bye," I told them and took off running.
"LAURENCE! GET BACK HERE!" I heard Richard chase after me. "I CAN'T TAKE CARE OF THIS KID!"
"I'm just a little boy~ Yes you can." I laughed evilly before disappearing through the shadows and ended up at Val's door. I knocked on it calmly and laughed. Alex answered it and looked out at me then frowned.
"What do you want?" He grumbled.
"I've got to discuss ball plans with Val," I explained and marched through the door. "VAL!" I yelled and smirked as I found her out on the balcony. Perfect place to discuss our plans for the ball.