Reincarnator RB Dragons, ch 51

The morning sun shone down upon the road and the surrounding trees, making Kevin feel very optimistic and grateful to be back in the outdoors again. Lydia walked next to him with mannerisms that others might not notice, but Kevin knew were telltale signs of a polymorphed dragon. While other travelers, especially adventurers, would be watching the sides of the road and keeping a wary eye out, Lydia spent a great deal of time looking at her feet, the sky, or just staring at nothing with unfocused eyes. 

She wasn’t nervous about anything attacking them.  The reality was, Lydia wasn't in much danger given any normal circumstances. Her mere presence meant that the vast majority of monsters in the world would be able to feel some of her aura, even if she suppressed it, and the odds of attacks were extremely low.

The two of them, Kevin and Lydia, were heading west again, and now, per his promise, Lydia was along for the trip. Since they'd set out from Clearmine, they'd passed a few other individuals and groups heading for the city. Kevin had been cordial, smiling and waving, but nobody had stopped to talk. That had suited his mood just fine; he hadn't been aware that he was going to feel so conflicted and bittersweet about leaving Clearline. 

Clearmine didn’t have a lot going for it.  It was a small city, basically a frontier town, but other than his parents' cave, he'd spent the most amount of time in this life living there and gained a great deal of benefits. He had a feeling now that Clearmine would probably have a special place in his heart for the rest of his life. 

Kevin suddenly wondered if he might have stumbled upon some sort of emotional truth as to why his mentor and master, Alariel, bothered with the place. Kevin wondered if, in another thirty years–if he was still alive–he might also vacation in Clearmine, doing some sort of easy but lucrative work.

Suddenly, Lydia asked, "So, you said goodbye to Alariel yesterday, right?" 

Kevin nodded. "Yes, also to Rock and the other goblins." Over the last few weeks, he'd filled Lydia in on his travels and adventures since he'd left his parents' cave. Contrary to his expectations, she'd been curious and interested.  She hadn't been angry, upset, or jealous, and had just calmly informed him that from now on, if he got into any scraps, she would be there too. He felt strangely touched by the simple message.

Lydia said, "How are those goblins doing now? You hadn't checked on them in a while before, right?" 

"They're fine. Although Bilak was a lot more forward with her interests than before. Until I left, I was half afraid she was going to try kidnapping me and dragging me to marriage." 

Lydia snorted a laugh. Then she looked at Kevin and laughed again. "I shouldn't be so amused," she said. "After all, I'm already far older than most goblins will ever live to be. I suppose for the mortal races, mating rituals can become very strange and very short. Not much time to work with, after all."

Kevin gave her a flat look. "You know I'm a goblin, right? And that means humans in general will probably live longer than I do." Lydia waved a hand dismissively. "That might have been a concern before, but you're a mage now."

"What's that got to do with it?" said Kevin, although he'd already immediately understood what his cousin meant. If he became a sufficiently powerful mage, it should add to his lifespan, which is exactly what Lydia said in response.

Kevin replied, "Maybe," but the dragon shook her head. 

"You don't have any choice in the matter,” Kevin.  “With the potential to live longer if you develop your magic, you will have to develop your magic.” 

He gave her a pointed look. "Since when can you order me to do anything?"

Lyudia gave him a savage smile. "It's not me that will be doing the ordering, goblin cousin. Can you imagine how your mother is going to react when she finds out you learned magic?"

"Oh," he said. Lydia began laughing again. He couldn't exactly be upset at the truth–after all, his family really did want what was best for him, and being pushed into being as healthy and long-lived as possible was not a bad thing.  That was kind of how it always was with Agaraparanamasta

***

That night after their first day leaving Clearmine, after they’d made camp and were sitting near the fire, eating, Kevin broached the subject that had been weighing on his mind, one of the main reasons he hadn't wanted Lydia to travel with him in the first place. A little bit louder than his normal speaking voice, he said, "I have something to say.  Branch, could you join us? This might concern you too."

Almost immediately, the little fairy appeared from behind a tree and sat on a tree limb, holding a piece of honeycomb in one hand and lifting the fingers of his other hand. "I'm right here, boss," he said.

Alariel shook her head. "I still cannot grow used to the sight of one of the fair folk, especially this one, following around my cousin." 

Branch noisily slurped on one of his fingers, gave Lydia a saucy look, and said, "You're a dragon, and you're following him around, aren't you, missy? Pot, meet kettle."

Kevin laughed, and when his cousin glared at him, he laughed harder. Now he felt like they were even for her bringing up his mother so often.  Before Lydia could retort, he waved his hands down in the air and said, "Let's calm down. I have something serious to talk about."

"Something serious? Really? You?" Lydia raised an eyebrow..

"Yes, I know it's a shock," said Kevin. "But this is something Branch already knows, but I need to let you know too. And I was hoping you would not get in my way."

Lydia didn't reply, just raised her other eyebrow. Kevin was very impressed by her facial control in her polymorphed form. Many dragons her age didn't have the mannerisms of their chosen mortal form down as well as she did. 

“Ahem.”  He wasn’t sure how to start.  Even after thinking about the matter all day, Kevin wasn't quite sure how to explain it. Finally, he said, "One of my greatest hobbies, my passions in life," he said, telling a white lie, "is to hunt named or unique monsters and eat them."

Silence rang throughout the campsite, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Finally, Lydia moved her head to the side, and gave Kevin one of the most powerful stares he'd ever seen from her. "You're joking with me, right?"

"No, I'm not. Ask Branch."

"He's telling the truth," said Branch. "It's really disgusting, but also kind of fun to watch."

Lydia blinked and slowly said, "So, you're eating named and unique monsters, and you don't want me to interfere. Is that correct?"

"That's basically it, yes," said Kevin.

Lydia put her hand on her forehead and slowly slid it down her face. "Kevin? You know I'm a dragon, right?"

"Yes," he said.

"And you know that I eat monsters for food, right?"

"Yes."

"And you know that I really enjoy food and I'm an adventurous eater, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why in the world are you asking me not to get in your way, acting like I might try to stop you, when I would probably prefer to help?  To participate?"

She gave him an arched look, and Kevin weakly said, "If you want to try it, I won't stop you. I guess I just misunderstood."

"Darn right you misunderstood," she looked up at Branch. "Have you been helping him find these things?"

"You guessed it, dragon lady!" crowed Branch..

"Well, let's compare notes. Maybe I can help," she said.