forum mj and ice's excellent roleplay adventure

Started March 31, 2022 by @larcenistarsonist group

tune

Kaz lay quietly for a while, eventually dropping off to sleep as well, laying on his side with the blankets pulled close around his body.

(timeskip?)

(aldjks yeah that sounds good)

When William is slowly roused from his sleep by the sun shining directly on his face, the first thing he notices is the fact that instead if the lush mattress of the bedroom, he's laying in grass. "What–" He grumbles sitting upright as he takes in his surroundings. Hes in the gardens, and not a section for recognizes. There's tall bushes and well sculpted trees, the sound of a stream mixing with the morning birdsong. He's still in pajamas. He doesn't remember waking and taking the trip there.

When Kaz awoke, he woke up alone. Just like the morning before. He frowned, sitting up and looking over to the bathroom to see if perhaps Will was in there? No…so where? He went over to the closet and quickly got dressed, brows gathered. The library again, perhaps? But he really wasn't sure where his Martyr could have gone to. And why?

William slowly sits up, blinking away the sleep in his eyes. His fingers tighten around the grass he's laying in, careful to keep it rooted to the ground. Strange… Hoping to see the palace, Will raises a hand and allows a loose tendril of a tree to wrap around the limb offered. Gently, the tree lifts him from the ground and into the canopy. To his relief, the palace isn't too far. He must be off the main path, just a little bit. Before he can descend, a sharp chirp catches his attention–too guttural to be a bird, too young to be a threat. Something dark and black shifts in the leaves beside him, his heart dropping with a prayer that his final moments won't be spent in a treetop clad in ill-fitting pajamas.

Kaz headed first to the library, frowning still. This was strange. Twice in a row, Will had somehow left the room without Kaz awaking? The emperor was not a heavy sleeper. There was no way Will should have been able to leave without Kaz somehow hearing him and waking up, even a little bit.

Will stares into the canopy, stilling his breath and gripping a sharp branch for balance. Something shifts again. The Martyr's heart stutters in his chest. Something lunges. A strangled cry escapes William's lips as he stumbles backwards. He can't find the time to scream as he falls from the tree–but instead of hitting the hard ground he was bracing himself for, soft grass that had rapidly overgrown had rushed to meet his falling form. Something small lands on his stomach. Will eventually musters the courage to look.

It's a small little reptile–shining black-green scales, wide marble eyes, and two wings, one of them looking crumpled and lame. A dragon.

(!! Tadpole!!)
(sorry for the waittt)

The emperor opened the doors the library, and did not see the Martyr inside. Not at first glance, anyway. So he began to move through the library, moving in a smooth pattern to figure out where Will could be. If not in the library, then where would the Martyr possibly have gone?

(TADPOLE!!! akdhsj and no worries my guy!!)

Staring directly at a dragon, William is about four seconds away from screaming, but Will considers himself to be somewhat put together and resists the urge to shout. "Hello?" He days in a meek voice as the dragon inches closer to his face. "My name is William and you're a dragon–" He cuts his sentence short with a sharp inhale as the small creature extends its neck, sniffing at Will's face. "Kazimir…?" He calls, though the chance of the Snake being near is grim.

(fghbjdfhbg Will is so scared of this itty bitty baby–)

Kaz combed through the library, checking each nook and cranny and little spots to hide. But he didn't see Will anywhere at all. He left the library, pausing for a moment as he considered. The garden? Is that where Will would have gone? Perhaps. He wasn't sure where, but that was the best place to check.

(alskdfj this is the first dragon he's ever encountered, give him a break–)

The dragon licks Will's neck; he's convinced that this is what the cold kiss of death feels like. Every muscle of his body tense, his eyes screwed shut, Will waits for the end to come. Except. Well. It never does. Carefully, William opens an eye, allowing himself to breathe, albeit rigidly. "You haven't killed me–" Will says almost conversationally as he slowly wriggles away from the dragon's hold. The dragon playfully hops away, stumbling over its foot. It tilts its head, blinking up at William with the largest, brownest, sweetest eyes– "Holy shit. You're adorable."

(skjdhfbjs also I'm just. picturing Tadpole with that like, Tiktok audio that's like "i only a baby, i just a baby")

Kaz's pace picked up a bit as he moved through the halls, eyes narrowed as he came to the garden doors, throwing them open and stepping out onto those carefully kept paths. Where had WIll gone? And why had this happened for two days in a row now, that Will had vanished from his room without waking Kaz?

(Tadpole is THE most baby ever and I love him)

The dragon once again bounds over to William, and the man has to compare the reptile to the energy of a puppy. He laughs as the small dragon leaps on his chest, huffing a little bit of warm breath right into his face. Will brings his hands up to scratch at the dragon's chin. Too engrossed in his new favorite creature, Will doesn't heat the footsteps approaching.

(hhhhh same)

Kaz eventually did find Will, and he looked down at the human with a slightly amused expression on his face. "Did you make a friend?" he asked, crouching and examining the little dragon with a raised brow. "And…where have you been? I woke up and you were not there."

Will finally sits up from the grass, pieces of it stuck in his dark hair. "Good morning," he says softly. "I didn't know you had dragons here." Said dragon nips playfully at William's hand. With a smile, he scratches at its chin. Will sighs, folding his legs under him as he slowly stands. "And I have no idea how I got here, Kazimir. It was just like yesterday–I awoke and I was not in bed." The dragon chirps and Will, feeling pity for the poor creature, bends over to lift it up, holding it like one would hold a newborn.

"We do." Kaz said, eyeing the small creature. "They are usually larger than that, though." the dragon aside, he frowned a little as Will told him that he did not know how he had gotten here. "That is strange. I shall inquire about placing some sort of tracking spell on you. Perhaps you are somehow sleepwalking in the night?" though that still did not answer the question of why Kaz had not awoken. The emperor was a light sleeper, and he knew he would have awoken had the door been opened or closed at any point during the night.

William shakes his head. "I don't sleepwalk." He chooses to ignore the part about placing a tracking spell of sorts on him. That's a topic to breach another day. "Perhaps somebody put a cruse on me?" It's mostly a throw-away suggestion, nothing to be considered seriously. With a shake of his head, William returns his attention to the dragon in his arms. "I'm keeping him." He looks back to meet Kazimir's eyes. "The dragon. Have you ever had a pet?" The dragon snorts as punctuation.

Kaz frowned at Will's words, more concerned with that then about the dragon, until he fully processed the idea. "I do not know about a curse. That seems– did you say keeping him?" he raised his eyebrows, gaze flicking from Will and then back to the little dragon, shaking his head a little bit. "I have not had a pet this lifetime, no."

"Well, say hello to um." Will quickly scans his surroundings for a name. Grass, trees, wildflowers, a pond that reminds him a little of the ponds at home. They were home to dragonflies, snails, fish and frogs… "Tadpole… Tadpole." The Martyr presses the tip of his nose to the top of the dragon's scaly head. A breeze flutters though, chilling William through his loose pajamas. "Let's go inside."

Kaz frowned at the little dragon. "You are not bringing a dragon into my palace, William." he replied, shaking his head. "I will not allow that."

"His name is Tadpole, Kazimir," William sniffs, holding the dragon a little tighter. "And he's coming with me whether you like it or not." Is this something really worth digging his heels in for? Probably not, but Will couldn't care less. He made a little friend and that friend is now apart of his very soul. "We have an unbreakable bond and you'll kill me if you try to separate us."

Kaz sighed, shaking his head. "You are being dramatic, Will, you will not die if you are separated from him." he eyed the creature again, eyes narrowed. "It will burn things, and I would prefer my bedsheets stay unmarred by flame."

"I'd like to see you try to take Tadpole away from me," Will says firmly, turning away to guard the small dragon from the Snake. "And he's just a baby dragon, what's the harm he could possibly do?"

"William, he's a dragon. Baby or not, he is a dragon, and he will damage things." he replied, watching Will and shaking his head a little bit. It was early, and while Kaz was often awake at this time anyway, he disliked being outside this early. People were going to think this entire encounter strange, if anyone saw. And if anyone saw, the entire castle would find out sooner or later.

"Why do you not let me have any fun? Tadpole is a well-behaved dragon and I am not going inside without him." Another cold breeze chills the area; Will glances over to the palace. "I'm sure breakfast will be ready by now, yes?" With that, William pushes past Kazimir towards the path.

"You just met him, how would you know if he is well-behaved." Kaz countered, but he did not try to stop Will from heading back towards the palace. "And yes, breakfast would probably be ready by now." he moved to walk beside Will, eyes narrowing when he spotted the little dragon curled in Will's arms, but he did not say anything else about it.

Tadpole the adorable creature coos softly, though it really sounds like a low gargle. He's warm in William's arms as they approach the palace. He remembers vaguely owning a pet or two in a past life, but a dragon would have to be the first. "Did you say my clothes would be ready this morning?" William asks the Snake. "I'd rather not arrive at breakfast in pajamas–" He nods at the guard who stands at the entryway for the garden, their confused look fairly amusing.

"They should be." Kaz replied. "We will head to the tailor's first, then, so that you may try them on and ensure they fit properly." he opened the doors to the garden, holding it for Will. Once they were both inside, he led the way through the halls. The clothes would likely be done by now; the tailor had sent a message yesterday that they would be. If they were not, well, that could be dealt with when it happened.

William nods in conformation, following the Snake through the corridors. The garden door they went through had not been one William's familiar with, which is mildly infuriating but not an important topic for now. Eventually, they do come across a hallway that looks exactly like the rest of them, but this time somewhat recognizable. There's an open door leading to a room covered in yards and yards of fabric.

Kaz led William into the tailor's room, clearing his throat to draw the man's attention.

The tailor looked up, eyes widening when he saw them. "Oh, good morning!" he exclaimed, standing and bowing quickly to Kaz, gaze moving to Will. "Are you here for your final…fitting?" his voice trailed off as he spotted the little dragon in Will's arms, gaze flicking nervously from Tadpole to the yards of fabric around the room, clearly concerned.

William nods, finding a soft cushion laying on the floor to carefully set Tadpole down on. "I suppose." With a sigh, William moves to stand on a short step. He has to retie the drawstring holding his borrowed pants on his hips. He looks from Kazimir to Tadpole to Kazimir to the tailor.