We had to go our separate ways at the bottom of the stairs, so I did a mock bow to try and be funny. I think they took me seriously, though, as they curtsied back. It was quite a sight to see someone of Soiclupt's height curtsy without a dress. I know I'm from a small village, but even I knew how uptight the Harpies could be. I didn't think they'd be that polite. Maybe it's just that Dragonborns don't care enough about etiquette.
'That would explain why every other species was taught to be extremely uptight in school.' I thought. Apparently any form of etiquette is considered uptight by my species. Goes to show what we are like.
I walked down the hallway while trying to ignore the blue pictures. They were too unnatural looking for my taste. Eventually I reached my room. I entered thankful for an escape from the blue. There's only so much cerulean, indigo, and teal a guy can take, ok?
Having no plans for the rest of the day until six, I set to changing my outfit. That doesn't seem like a difficult task, but with a second pair of wings to hide it takes a bit of maneuvering. Since I am going to be hanging out with Cuuswin, I better get a bit fancy. But nothing too fancy. I don't want to face Soiclupt's wrath. She's scary.
And so I shed my sweaty clothes, took a quick shower to rinse off my scales, and found an outfit. It consisted of a white shirt with a gold jacket that has compartments for Nich's wings to hide. For pants I found some khaki shorts that weren't completely wrinkled. 'Gosh I need to do laundry.'
Seeing as I had another six hours to kill, I found one of my old books to read. It is called "To Hunt a Mumblingbird". It's a book that my school required everyone to read. It speaks about how society kills the innocence of children. The mumblingbirds don't do anything except sing their song, but hunting them means you killed something that was innocent. The author of the book is Reinhalt Luxinns, one of the Rhinoherd species. A rising author and scholar in Merchant City, he has written several books with insight on our society. Though the only one I've read is this one.
Though I've read it several times before, it was a good way to spend the time until I went to the sisters' room. While looking for the room I thought, 'This place is a labyrinth. How can anyone find their way without a map?'
I finally found their room. I was only able to knock twice before the door swung open to reveal Soiclupt in a casual t-shirt and shorts.
Before I could say anything, she spoke first. "Like I said before, don't get any ideas." She pointed her index and middle finger at her eyes before pointing them in my direction. "I'll be watching." And with that she let me in.
I was not expecting what I saw. This room was huge. Walls decorated with pictures of nature that were correctly colored. I'll be honest, that was the most impressive part of the room. 'But that's saying something.' The space in the room was several times the size of mine. The bed in the corner was probably as big as my entire room- and there were two of them!
'I know they said their father gave them a lot of money for the trip, but this is absurd.' While I was slack jawed from awe, Cuuswin walked out through a side room door. If my jaw was slack already then it hit the floor at the sight of her. Unlike the modest gown she wore earlier that was as white as her wings, she came out wearing a white shirt that cropped right at her belly button and a pair of pants that looked to be for working out, but comfortable enough to lounge in. Regardless of what type of wear it was, it fit a lot more tight than her previous outfit. But what caught his attention the most was the braid her hair was put in with jeweled hair pins cascading down it. I suddenly felt underdressed and overdressed at the same time.
I didn't notice it, but apparently I stood there staring for a good thirty seconds before Soiclupt elbowed my side while shooting me a dirty look.
Cuuswin laughed it off. "Hahaha apparently I did something right for this evening." I felt like my face was red, and it wasn't because my scales were red. "Oh don't worry about it, I'm flattered. Now, are you ready for some games?"
Still a bit dumbstruck, I could only nod my head vigorously.
"Great!" Cuuswin cheered, "Soi, grab the bottle, first up is spin the bottle. Take a chance, Dtiedro, and either way you get to kiss a pretty girl~"
'What?'
The ship started spinning. My face felt ready to explode. The ship was crashing. Or was the floor coming closer? Either way I crashed and all went black.
Things were black for a while before I started hearing voices.
"He'll be alright, he just passed out."
"I'm glad, but I didn't mean for this to happen."
"I mean, you were the one strutting your body to tease him."
"Well he seems like a good guy, I thought he deserved it."
"Oh come on, don't think like that. Just because he did something nice doesn't mean he deserves all that."
"I just wanted him to have a good time with us."
"Yes, Cuu, but I think you went too far with it."
I decided to speak out at that moment. "I agree with that voice. Way too much stimulus at once." I opened my eyes to see the sisters sitting next to me. I could feel something soft underneath me, and I realized I was laying on one of those really big beds.
'Man, I should find myself a job that pays a lot. I need to get this kind of comfort more often.' Seeing as my sense of comfort will never be the same again, I sat up and looked at the girls. Cuuswin was looking away, this time it wasn't my face that was red.
The next one to speak was Soiclupt. "So I guess I shouldn't have been worried about you making a move on Cuu. You're too much of a coward to do that."
Dang she's blunt. Out loud, I said, "Ow, my head hurts." It did. I just noticed, but my head had an excruciating pain coming from the back.
Cuuswin was still pink in the face, so Soiclupt answered. "Of course, you did fall and smack your head against the ground."
'Oh. That explains a lot.'
"How about we play a different game," I reasoned. "I don't think my head can take anymore of the teasing." Cuuswin turned as red as a tomato at this point, but she was able to squeak out her agreement.
'I know I said I wouldn't write to you again until I finished the ride to Merchant City, but I felt like I should tell you some things while they were fresh on my mind. I made some new friends on the trip, two sisters. They are very different, but very similar at the same time. I wish you could have met them, Nichdtie, maybe they could've helped you. Soiclupt can't fly either, so you would've had a running buddy. I was told you were an excellent runner before me. Too bad I never got to see it. But you should see Cuuswin. She is so beautiful, though she's surprisingly playful. Apparently she likes teasing me. It stinks because I can't help but fall for her teases. At least she let up on it some after I passed out the first time. And then even more the second time. But it is really adorable how red she gets when she realizes how far she goes with her teasing. In contrast to her pure white hair, the pink adds a nice vibrancy to her appearance. That's why I don't mind the teasing. It's strange. Since meeting them I haven't had any spiraling episodes. I know my trip just started, and I don't want to jinx it, but I've already had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. Soiclupt is a lot less cautious of me now. I find it hilarious because she thinks I won't make a move on her sister. Just because I pass out a couple times doesn't make me a coward! I promise. Maybe. But I swear, I'll try. I might as well, as long as I do it soon. I'm writing this letter the morning after because we stayed up so late playing games and talking. They ended up letting me sleep in one bed while they shared the other. Kind of sad how this is the first time I get to sleep in a girl's room, but I'll take what I can get. As you know, I'm an early riser, so once I woke up I went back to my own room. I sat at the desk and here I am. There's still another two days to this ride, so I'll catch you up when I get there. But for now I think I'm gonna go do my morning stretches. I've gotta make sure your wings stay in tip top shape. I'll write again. From your brother, Dtiedro.'
End of Chapter 3
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