Sliding into her leggings, Kiralise nodded. Dragons were not beyond caution, but Lixia's sudden willingness caught her off guard after she had been so wary to assist the dragon-child. Vayne's vindictive nature was hardly unknown to the Council -- often ignored at times, she felt -- and as she had traveled, Kiralise had heard many sorrowful accounts of the black dragon's wrath. The last thing she wanted was to lead anyone to their deaths, but she couldn't lie that she would have appreciated Lixia's company. Dragons were... difficult companions at times; for one, they couldn't accompany her into a settlement, so they would have to rest in the wilderness. But the dragonslayer had a thirst for nature, and unlike most mortals, dragons were nearly always capable of feeding themselves. Any company, she felt, would have been welcome after spending most of the year in isolation, and more importantly she had a thousand questions for the black dragon. If Lixia knew something about Veyenias and her relationship with Vayne, then Kiralise wanted to hear it. She pulled on her top, shifting so that it fit snugly, and then reached for her boots. Earlier, she had been eager -- desperate, even -- to pursue Vayne, but now she wasn't certain. She had been hunting the dragon for years, and Lixia offered a shortcut to him. Yet, for perhaps the first time since she set out on this quest, she felt there were more important things to do. The revelation gave her a moment's pause. Truthfully, she had put her revenge on as high a pedestal as eating and breathing, but now, the opportunity to face the black dragon once more seemed less appetizing than ever.
She frowned, wondering if she just wanted to spend time with Lixia, rather than go on a hunt.
The dragon's next question made her stop. Guilt and anger sparked within her, making it hard to focus on putting on her boots. Veyenias had been the mother she had never had -- or rather, the mother that had abandoned her. When the red dragon first told the story of her human parents, she hadn't cried. Such a young mind, after all, couldn't grasp the motives of parents who would forsake their daughter to the care of a dragon. But as she had grown older, Kiralise had begun to ponder. Veyenias had only told her the barest facts of her birth parents, although there were times the dragonslayer felt Veyenias had known much more. The color of her skin had led her to believe they came from the more temperate lands, rather than the Talresse Desert where most of the humans were dark-skinned. Yet it was mere speculation: she had never been told their names nor their profession, or why they had made the decisions that they did. With Veyenias providing for her, however, it had been easier to ignore, for it meant she had never wanted for a mother. Her father, on the other hand, had been an enigma. She had known of Vayne's relationship with the red dragon for years, but had never truly been aware of how close they had been. It was not until his horrendous act that she had even met him. Weighed down by her thoughts, Kiralise was sluggish to tie her bootlaces. Yes, she had never thought of him as a father, for he had never been part of her life. In this, could she have really expected him to care for her? She restrained a sigh, finding the idea of accepting him as her father to be putrid when she thought of what he had done to Veyenias.
He could never be a father figure, she felt, after what he had done to her.
"I never thought much about it..." she murmured, knowing she was beating around the bush. It was an uncomfortable question to confront, and Kiralise wasn't certain what to say. The black dragon didn't believe he owed her his love, and considering his heinous acts against Veyenias and the world at large, the idea of being associated with him was sickening. After attaching her armored tassets to the waist of her leggings, she procured her enchanted armlets and slid them snugly on to her upper arms; the tingle of the magic fortifying her strength was felt immediately, and she rolled her shoulders to evaporate the sensation. She pulled on her gauntlets, then, flexing her palms to get comfortable in them.
She still wondered what it would have been like if Vayne had loved her. A pang of emptiness stabbed at her heart. She shook her head slowly.
"I don't think I can." she said, seeming hesitant in her answer. Sucking back a breath, she procured a comb from her bag and preened her hair hastily before tying it back with her hairband once more. Dressed, she stood up and shrugged her bag over her back. She looked to Lixia, wanting to move on from that drab topic before she said anything she would regret.
"I'd love to have your company, although now, I'm not sure where I'll go. I was headed for the western provinces, although this changes my plans..." she said. She looked the dragon over.
"Do you... want me to travel on foot, or could I ride on your back?" her question was delivered somewhat squeamishly. The art of dragon riding had been extinct ever since the few remaining dragons had largely turned away from the mortal societies many centuries ago to live among themselves. In the generations since, only a precious few had been able to ride one. Dragons were a prideful species and some of them thought it denigrating to be used as a means of travel, meaning that riding one was a great honor. Even Veyenias -- Kiralise's only experience in riding a dragon -- had been reserved about it.