The voice was light and airy, yet strong and demanded attention.
" Listen it was your driver's idea, not ours." Cal spat back at her.
" Yet you chose to get in."
" It worked out for everyone, our map is shit."
" Watch your language you log."
" A log? So the sophisticated lady can't think of an insult huh?"
" Okay, you two play nice," Tanen interrupted, placing a calming hand on his friend's shoulder." We are very grateful for the offer from your driver ma'am, I'm sorry about my friend Cal its been a long journey so far so he's just a little grumpy."
" It's alright, I believe we are all a little tired. Please feel free to pull the blinds to let the light in if you wish." Lady Vayle explained. The two could barely see her hands moving around, motioning to the sides of the small space. Cal moved to pull the string of the blinds.
The bright light quickly flooded the space of the wooden carriage giving him and Tanen a look at the lady who sat opposite them. She sat tall and straight. Her heart-shaped face held a straight face at the two of them clearly looking at their appearance as well. The green eyes were bright with life and excitement that her face didn't show. A mask. Long wavy sandy hair was sprawled over her shoulders and touched the bench she sat on, parted in the middle to allow her a long copper coloured horn that sprouted from high on her forehead, it was pointed and probably fairly sharp. She wore clean purple robes with long sleeves. The robe covered in a rose or flower stitching in a light baby blue was very clearly only the top layer of her outfit as he could barely make out a white lacey layer near her sandaled feet.
" Well, it's nice to put a face to the voices I've been hearing." She said a polite smile gracing her pale face.
" Yeah, same to you Lady Vayle," Tanen replied happily while Cal faced out the window grumbling something about a "rich bitch".
" Please just Vayle, Lady is much too formal and this is clearly not a formal place nor situation," She replied.
" So you're a hybrid as well. That's so cool!" Tanen exclaimed." Can I ask what you are? I've never seen a horn on someone before."
"It's quite simple really," She giggled as she began explaining." I'm a unicorn hybrid, my family is one of the few unicorn families left that we know of."
Cal let of a gruff chuckle at the thought of unicorns, that's a joke if he's ever heard one. But before he could snap at her Tanen jabbed his elbow into the taller man's ribs effectively rendering him writing against the side of the carriage.
" That's so cool, I heard legendary hybrids are super rare. Can't believe I'm seeing one in person." Tanen said leaning forward to talk, his grey eyes bright with curiosity.
" What do you mean you've never seen a legendary? " She asked, her eyebrows raising at his statement." There's one beside you."
She pointed to Cal who was still recovering from the attack to his ribs. The silence was thick. There was no way. Tanen grew up with him all his life, there was zero chance his best friend was a legendary.
" I'm not a legendary, I think id know that." Cal spat at the young lady in disbelief.
" But it's true I can sense your magic, you don't exactly hide it," She responded to him quickly." You're a dragon you overgrown lizard."
" A dragon? My best friend is a dragon and I didn't know this?" Tanen practically yelled.
" What?! I am not, how could I be something I didn't know I was." Cal responded, anger clear on his face.
" Did your parents never tell you, you might share some features with regular lizards but you are anything but ordinary," Vayle explained as Cal seethed in anger in his seat.
" No, they didn't, they left a few years ago to go find my dad's friend." He replied trying to calm his haggard angry breaths. This was too much.
" You'll stay at my home till we have this sorted then." She huffed, her green eyes meeting amber eyes. " You need to learn your background, dragons are hard to come by even by legendary standards, and you need to learn how to control and use your magic."
The two men across from her had no words. One in shock of finding his true heritage and the other shocked to find out about his friend's true mix. A dragon. A species known for strength and loyalty, there were four main types; earth, fire, ice and sky dragons. The four types kept separated for most of history, not because they hated each other, no, they just preferred to be solitary nomadic groups. Still, no one knew why, only dragons would truly know the reason, Cal being an obvious exception.
" So do you live in a mansion or something?" Tanen asked trying to break the silence. Vayle looked at Tanen clearly shocked he spoke. Must have expected the ride to remain silent the rest of the way.
" Yes I do," She replied." But it's not full of maids and butlers like most, it's full of those I consider family away from family. They're more hybrids of high class."
" A house full of hybrids?"
" Yes?"
" Well... sorry, but most would consider that to be odd." Tanen attempted to explain, scratching his neck at the awkward sentence.
" Well I believe we are all equal really, so we all live together," Vayle responded softly." Some humans do stay for a while but leave for work and the like."
" So like an inn for hybrids and humans alike?" He asked.
" Yes exactly!" She exclaimed as the mask shattered for a bit before she quickly coughed and it was back just as strong." It's exactly that, I just don't get any money as everyone pitches in on food and money.
" Alright, you two quiet down yeah," Cal grumbled, his head dipping as he was falling asleep a little after noon. Tanen and Vayle just kept their voices down as the steady bumping of the carriage lulled the large man to sleep.