Saving Mimi : Rise of the All-Mother Scions

Puff the Magic Dragon

3rd POV

Vaylerix opened the door looking to Belinda, stepping back to allow her entry into the room. He inclined his head to her, she could see him, but the rest of the world saw him as a brown haired brown eyed tall model looking man, she saw his ruby eyes, his silver hair, he looked other worldly. 

"Please come in," he spoke with a steady calm voice, that mimicked her accent.

"Thank you," she said as she crossed the threshold. 

"Please forgive the intrusion and lateness of the hour, but this is when I get off work. Do you need anything?  How are you enjoying your stay?" she asked nervously.  

She noticed that the sapphire was still on the bathroom counter top.

Vaylerix nodded moving back into the main part of the room offering her a seat. 

"I need you to take a seat, I am not sure how you will react to the information," he said calmly watching her enter the room letting the door close behind her. 

"However, it looks as if you'll have to bring dessert another time," he chuckled taking a seat across from her on the bed.

Belinda, blushed, she had forgotten about her promise to bring dessert, then tentatively took a seat in the armchair facing Vaylerix on the bed. She took a deep breath. 

"So, what happens next?  Do you tell me a long story all at once, or is this going to be more like a 'question and answer' panel discussion, where I have to keep asking questions to move the discussion along?" she asked hoping that he would just be direct.

Vaylerix raised an eyebrow chucking. He spoke to her in a calm low even voice, "What would make this explanation easier for you? Do you have an idea how you want the answers that you seek?"

Belinda was a little taken aback by the way he spoke, but she didn't want to create a misunderstanding or seem uncouth to him. She paused and gathered her thoughts before speaking. 

"Well, Vaylerix, I am not sure how to phrase this. But how about you tell me your story, and if I need further explanation, I will wait until you finish speaking. Then I will ask my questions that your story may cause me to ask. Is that acceptable to you? " she said feeling her cheeks burning with blush.

Vaylerix chuckled remarking, "Are you always so nervous? I won't say there is nothing to be concerned about, but you have nothing to fear from me." 

He relaxed back against the head board of the bed.

"It's not nerves," she said sheepishly turning her head and covering her face with her hand.

Please don't be a magical creature that can read minds. 

She thought to herself and she continued to avert her gaze.

Vaylerix wore a half smile chuckling as he shook his head, "You're hiding it so well. I'll stop bulling you." 

He paused for a moment before speaking again. 

"It might be easier to tell you what I am exactly, where I come from it is not impossible for someone like me to come into being," he said.

"I didn't feel that you were 'bullying' me. It is not easy to maintain one's composure when they are not accustomed to being in the presence of a person, such as yourself, " she managed to say and half turned to face him and lowered her hand.

"Please forgive my undignified display of weakness, Vaylerix," she said.

Vaylerix chuckled smirking, "I've been around me, so long I suppose I am used to myself. You are not being weak, you are alright, not giving yourself nearly enough credit. Stop being so harsh to yourself. Sure, I look other worldly because I am. It is a simple fact of the matter."

 He sat up and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. 

"My father was a high elf; he was of the court; my mother was a silver dragon, frivolous with a fancy for elves. My father was proper and slightly stuck in his ways, she was exuberant and brilliant. So, once they were joined, it caused some scandal in the kingdom of the elves, mostly it was jealousy. The elven prince wanted my mother for himself and she sort of froze his foot...lucky for him he regained feeling, " he said nonchalantly.

Belinda blinked, her mouth agape.

 "I am sorry, I don’t know much about the anatomy and physiology of Silver Dragons, but how did something as beautiful as you come from a giant lizard?  No offense to your mother, but since you appear to take more after your father's side, how does a high elf find a frost-breathing beast attractive?  Were you conceived by magic?! I'm sorry. That was inappropriate me, it's not my business, " she said out of genuine curiosity and not to be offensive.

Vaylerix laughed shaking his head answering her questions, "I was conceived the old-fashioned way, many dragons have a way of changing form, I assure you as much as I don't want to admit it, my parents made me."

Belinda blushed even more, catching what his words meant. She forced a giggle.  

"I was not aware dragons change forms. Most of our legends about them only ever refer to them as giant creatures, wings, claws, fire-breathing, scales, with fondness of treasures and young virgin maidens..." she trailed off and blushed again.

Vaylerix shrugged lightly and said, "Well they are all of that and so much more, but not all of us breathe fire, we are rather different as day and night, there are evil dragons, and good dragons and not so good dragons. I am something completely different than the rest of them. I am dragon kin."

"So, do you change forms too?" she asked.

Vaylerix nodded tilting his head to the side. 

He said, "Not in here, there isn't room, if you would like to see something like that, it might have to be in an isolated area."

"Oh! I wasn't expecting you to change in front of me.  I would have believed you if you simply said 'yes,' since I saw your reflection in the mirror.  Sorry.  Do you have siblings?  A mate and family of your own?" she asked hesitation hanging on the word 'mate.'

His expression turned serious as he watched her. "I have no issues with becoming several different shapes, the dragon, the elf, the in between. There aren't very many like me," He closed his eyes shaking his head. "Mate, family, not here, and not for a very long time."

"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," she said. 

And without thinking about the consequences, she stood up, crossed the short distance from the chair to the bed and wrapped her arms around him and embraced him to her chest. 

Lightly, she stroked his beautiful silvery, silky hair and softly whispered, "I am so sorry."

Vaylerix opened his eyes looking down at her feeling her arms around him, her fingers through his hair. He sat there with her holding him. 

"Belinda, you didn't do anything wrong. My past is exactly that, I am the one who is here disrupting your normal way of life," he said as he raised an eyebrow looking to her, he placed an arm around her back wondering what was on her mind.  

He wanted to comfort her while she was comforting him. 

"This is strange, but nothing to worry about," he said.

She felt the weight of his arm on her back, and slowly her mind registered his words, she released him from her tight embrace and attempted to step back from him. 

"Forgive me.  It's just that I felt your loss, your sadness, and loneliness... I only meant to comfort you, as I would've wanted someone to do for me if I were the one in your position. Should I leave? It would be best if I left now. I am going to go," she said after her brain finally caught up with the series of events.

In her haste to exit the room she tripped just in front of the door.

Vaylerix sighed shaking his head, he was up on his feet catching her before she hit the floor. She was safely seated on the chair before she could tell what was happening. 

"Now that wasn't necessary," he said.

It took her a moment to understand why she wasn't covered in carpet burns. She looked up at Vaylerix.  She could feel a single tear escape her right eye. 

"I am so sorry.  But I am grateful that you kept me from hitting the floor.  So, did you freeze me mid-air then put me in the chair?" She said shaking.

She stared at the floor because of the embarrassment she felt over the situation.

Vaylerix stood next to her. 

"I didn't freeze you midair, I caught you and put you in the chair, you were so embarrassed at your attempt to comfort me that you insisted on fleeing, the carpet was a little off and you tripped, what kind of man would I be if I let you leave here in such a state?"

She paused to consider his words. 

"An average man. But you're not a man, you are a male, but you are the offspring of a dragon and an elf. You're better than a man," she said quietly.

She sheepishly looked up at him.

Vaylerix laughed hard shaking his head raising an eyebrow, he said, "Actually, I am really rather awful...or not; depending on the day, I am like any other man, and not in a lot of ways. Don't give me too much credit or too little. I am the i***t who stepped through a portal without assigning any destination that I knew."

She blinked her eyes at his words.

"Now who is not giving himself enough credit? You didn't have to catch me, especially if you were as awful as you claim. You might have actually said and/or done something to Jordan tonight despite my plea for you to not. I think you are wonderful, even if you were not so extraordinarily beautiful, you are witty, intelligent, and you have a delightful soul," she said feeling her cheeks again burning with blush.

Vaylerix shrugged lightly with a half smirk. 

"I might have to admit that you saved her because my father would have removed her tongue. She was insulting. I am a jackal, but even a dog might have his day. My soul is something of a torn sheet that might have a few holes and a lot of spots." He flashed a bright smile "You're blushing deeply, but that is a different sort of reaction. I tell you that I am an elf-dragon, and you move along as if it is an everyday thing. So, what world have I come to?" he asked.

"Well, I am not sure my answer will satisfy you. But this is Earth. We are the third planet from the Sun. We are in the Milky Way Galaxy.  The nearest star to us, excluding the sun, is called by our scientists Alpha Centauri. Like I mentioned to you, there are all sorts of myths, legends and folklore about dragons and other magical creatures.  In the Asian Traditions some dragons do travel between the various realms and are immortal.  Dragon can be benevolent, or very malevolent, like you mentioned. True most of our modern tales of Elves portray them as aloof, elitist and ethereal creatures of great beauty.  It is said they too have their own realm where they are immortals. You happen to have come to a time and place in history where people are both ignorant of history yet scholars of fantasy.  I happen to be well versed in reality and fantasy, so thus my reverence and belief," she said with a wry smirk.

"That and I saw you in the mirror. I can’t deny what I have witnessed," she said.

"There is that, it was my fault for not using a better cover I was cocky. I thought that humans would believe anything. Humans often are susceptible to magics," he chuckled, "See an arrogant dragon elf."

Belinda joined his laughter. 

"So, you ended up here by accident.  Where will you go after the third day? I can't imagine that you would want to stay here. You could go so many other places far beyond and far better than this unyielding hell-hole," she said trying to refocus the conversation away from his self-deprecating remarks.  

She didn't know why exactly, but she felt hurt when he made such remarks.

Vaylerix leaned against the wall tilting his head over towards her. 

"I've seen some of the outer rings of hell, or the abyss, it is not this nice and the toys do not get such good food there...I meant what I said earlier," he chuckled, "Enough about me, so this Planet Earth is not that bad."

 He relaxed stretching.

"Again, I don’t think of you as my 'toy.' If you understood how truly offensive that statement really was, you would have ripped Jordan's tongue from her mouth. So please don't refer to yourself as that, even in jest. You didn't answer me fully.  What will you do once you are paid for your coins and have no further reason to stay here?" she said trying to cover her angst and sadness at the thought of him leaving never to be seen again.

Vaylerix shook his head with a slight shrug, and asked, "Am I supposed to have plans?"

"I didn't think of that. Of course, you can do as you please, you're as free as the wind. How stupid of me to project human standards on you," she said this time blushing with embarrassment again.

Vaylerix chuckled. 

"It is so easy to get you blushing and embarrassed. Really you shouldn't take me all that seriously. I am not sure what I am going to do, I  haven't tried to open a portal to where I am from, not sure if it would work either, this world is saturated with magic. It's like no one on this planet even uses it, or they do and it is all wrong...I can sense the lines that are here, the radiation and the light. I can work things here that I can't work back where I am from," he said.

"I am not one hundred percent clear on what you just said, but I gleaned from it that you're not sure your magic works here. Ok. Well, if you are planning to stay around here after I pay you, you may want to find somewhere else to stay, living in a hotel can be pretty expensive, though convenient.  I think there is a gem shop that could appraise your gems and hopefully give you a fair price for them. But there I go again, stop me when I overstep the boundaries. If you need assistance, I can do my best to advise you and help you out. Even if you don't want to linger here, I will help you however you need," she said trying to be serious.

Vaylerix pushed off the wall looking to her, "So, you want to help me, well if I am going to stay I should acquire an inn or a home of my own."

"I do want to help you. How can I help you Vaylerix?" she said standing up to meet his gaze. 

She moved closer to him. Wait for him to direct her.

Vaylerix sighed "I don't want to make you my slave. You have been put through rather strange events. I have no idea what to do, I mean I think I could simply conjure the things I need."

"Whoa, I said nothing about being a slave. Think of me more as a "Gal-Friday," I mean, personal assistant, I guess you might consider it a valet... whatever. The point is that I am willing to help. But hey, conjuring, if that works out for you, fine. Just know that I am available for whatever you require..." she said only to realize too late how opportunistic and suggestive her words sounded and turned a deeper shade of crimson again.

Vaylerix blinked, and said, "That sounded over dramatic making me sound like a creep. An assistant, I could use a squire, valet, something like that. As for the magic that is here, I can feel it, there is a lot of it, so much so that no one even notices at all."

"Oh, I don't know what is wrong with me. Stupid, stupid girl. Why can’t I just say the right things, ever? I did not mean to imply that you were a creep. I don't find you creepy at all. I am concerned that you might find me to be off-putting. I will understand if you have no use for me after our transaction in three days. Would you like me to leave now?" She asked halfheartedly.  She hoped that he would ask her to stay and talk some more.

Vaylerix rolled his eyes and sighed,  "Really you need to relax, you trip over my words and your words...Stop being so uptight, you got off a few good jokes and I have popped off with my arrogant attitude. Belinda, please take a deep breath and don't worry so much about every little detail of every little thing that you say, if you do that you be apologizing every time you open your mouth. Please stop."

"So, you're not put-off by me? You don't want me to leave?" she asked trembling.

Vaylerix shook his head, and he said, "Why would I be put off by the one person who agreed to help me? I would be an i***t if I were to get rid of you. I mean I don't have this ID that you speak of, I don't have the things that I need to exist here other than magic, I know nothing about this place and you do...so if I am in hell, might as well have a tour guide, better than last time."

"You can think of me as your guide, your minion, your pet, even your 'toy,' I don't care! Thank you for the chance to assist you," she made shrill, squealing noises as she bounced up and down in excitement.  

Then she again didn't think about consequences,  threw her arms around Vaylerix and hugged him again and,  intending to plant a kiss on his cheek, the inertia from her haste and bounce threw off her depth perception and she over shot and planted her lips on his. She immediately pulled back her head and buried her now ruby red face in her hands, but she didn't say 'sorry' because truth be told she wasn't.

Vaylerix stood there hugged and then kissed. He laughed when she buried her face in her hands. He raised an eyebrow watching her antics.

"Please forgive me and my over exuberance. I only meant to kiss your cheek," she said looking at him calmly, but still red in the face.