98 You're My Favorite

It was not long after breakfast that they bid Rena goodbye. She stopped them from immediately leaving though and asked them to wait a few minutes.

When she came back, she had supplies for them. Mostly food. And then she told them to keep safe and waved them off.

"She was nice, huh?" Arrion whispered it into Dawn's ear as he helped her up onto Zyph's back. He had pulled her so she was practically sitting in his lap.

She would have rolled her eyes at him, but right now she understood the desire for closeness. She wanted it too.

"Yeah." She answered him. "Though… I have to wonder… exactly how old is she?"

"Who cares? None of our business, sweetheart."

Dawn smiled as he buried his face in her hair. Oh, she had missed this feeling. Even him just randomly touching her was nowhere near as annoying as it had been. Nor was his habit of sticking close to her whether she protested or not.

She happily leaned back into his embrace, letting herself relax into him. She did not care that several of their companions were staring. What did it matter? Her husband was snuggling up to her and she was enjoying every moment of it.

She calmly just told everyone they were setting off and got Zyph to start walking. Well, actually he started running – even though she had really only wanted him to walk, she had been a bit too enthusiastic. The griffon shot in front of all the others, and scampered happily. Dawn did not mind too much; she felt a bit embarrassed about messing up like that but she rather liked the fact that Arrion reflexively gripped her tighter in order to help steady her.

At least until Zyph went to spread his wings. Dawn did not want to fly in Nix'Ryl. It would be too eye-catching. It would be one thing if her husband were to take on the form of a small bird but her bid-cat was quite huge.

She went to pull him up short, but her husband beat her to it. One of his hands released her, instead patting the creature and he whispered quietly to it, falling into the language of druids. She had no idea what he said but whatever it was it worked.

Zyph settled down, and even seemed quite happy to do so.

"What did you tell him?"

"That we would take him for a flight after we get home. And that right now he needs to calm down."

"You always did have a way with him." Dawn patted Arrion's hand. Then she gave him a wry smile, "He's almost more yours than mine."

"Not true. He loves you." Arrion pecked her cheek, "He respects me, trusts me, likes me, and like all animals holds a certain level of admiration for me. But he absolutely adores you. Almost as much as I do."

"You are downplaying how much he likes you. That certain level of admiration you speak of makes animals do nearly anything you ask them to. And he doesn't listen to me as well."

"That's just because he can understand me better. If you could speak to him, darling, then he would obey you over me any day." He laughed, "Zyph is attached to you. And sure he is more attached to me than just a wild animal is, but he doesn't view me as his master. That is still you, always will be."

Dawn smiled, "You know it wouldn't even bother me if he did like you more. Animals tend to, after all. Your druid aura does that, I think. The only animal I need to really like me is the one holding me."

"Did you just really call me an animal?" He placed his chin on her shoulder, and looked at her playfully.

"Oh, you don't really mind." She lifted her lips and slanted her eyes as she looked at him, "Especially when I say you are my favorite animal."

Before he could answer her, Miria interrupted them, "Your Majesties, can you please refrain from flirting so publicly? I know you must be very happy to not have actually lost your husband, my Queen, but you should at least not be quite so obvious and… loud. You are getting quite the stares from everyone here."

Dawn blinked and almost agreed, as she was a bit embarrassed that exactly what she had said had been overheard but Arrion beat her to it. Without batting an eye, he just turned and smiled innocently at the cleric, "When have I ever refrained from teasing and flirting with my wife? *I* certainly can't remember a time."

Dawn just let out a sigh and then gave Miria a slightly apologetic look, "Sorry, I can't really stop him." A bit quieter she whispered, "Not that I would want to…"

Arrion burst into laughter, as he happily buried his face into her neck.