Bery tapped on the door of her room with the back of her delicate hand. The door opened slowly, and Emary stood there with a blank expression, her eyes cast downward.
The elf feigned a smile. "I am glad to see you are alive."
Bery wrapped her arms around the elven princess. "Even though you say that, I wish you would not say it with those eyes."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Bery shook her head. "There is nothing for you to be sorry about. I'm thankful for everything you've done for me. I will never forget how you bought my paintings."
"You really are too kind for this world. You even brought someone like me to this place."
Bery frowned and grabbed the elf's arm, pulling her down the hallway towards the kitchen. "Don't say 'someone like me'. Someone like you is the reason that I was able to survive with a wage. Now, someone like me is going to repay the favor."
The cat girl didn't give Emary a chance to look at the walls and admire the statues nor the grandeur of the castle. They passed by the corridors towards the dining room swiftly. They reached it to find an awaiting dragoness.
"Don't just stand there like you've never seen a dragon before."
Emary's arm twitched, but it was Bery who came to the elf's defense.
"Please don't tease her."
Valerie nodded and stood up from her seat. The dragoness gave Emary a deep bow. "I am truly sorry for what has transpired. I noticed the forbidden magic when I was arriving back here."
Emary's eyes widened. "What does a dragon need to apologize for? I wouldn't judge you for the actions of your kin anyway…So please raise your head."
The dragoness smiled and righted herself. "It seems that you are more wise than others."
Emary sighed. "Not wise enough…"
Valerie clapped her hands and gestured towards the table. "Enough of these tiresome topics. For now, you should fill your tummy with delicious food. As my kitten would say…"
Emary looked back in disbelief towards the tomato faced kitten in question. For the first time that evening, a genuine smile tugged at the elf's lips. "I see...I understand now."
Bery became even more red, ushering Emary towards her seat in a hurry. "Just sit down, okay!?"
The elven princess took the offered seat, and Bery sat next to her dragon lover, looking towards Emary expectantly.
Silver domes covered the awaiting meal as usual, but when the domes were lifted, the scent of warm soup rose into the air. The hearty smell coated the atmosphere, and a light steam danced.
Emary's eyes widened once more when she looked into her bowl. She grabbed the nearby spoon and shoveled a whole helping into her mouth. The heat of the food didn't seem to bother her in the slightest, yet warm tears dripped from her eyes.
"This recipe…How did you know?"
Valerie grinned. "It's only natural that I would know something like this. Though, I hadn't been in contact with elves since…"
The sobbing of the elf cut off the dragon's words. Each spoon she took into her mouth was met with more sobs. The dam had finally broken, and once it did, it was a violent torrent. Emary's tears fell like the waterfall outside.
Bery wanted to say something, but she was stopped by the petting of her dragon and a whisper into her mind.
"Silly kitten...sometimes it's better to let the emotions flow."
The dinner became silent. It was only after Emary finished her soup that her tears stopped, but her voice came out with more unease than Bery had ever heard from the elf. The shakiness of her words reminded Bery of her own pitiful self from when she was younger.
"Thank you. It's been a long time since I...had this. I'm sorry that I can only display something so pitiful."
Valerie stopped her. "There is nothing pitiful in mourning what we've lost. None of what happened today is your fault, and no one will blame you for it. If anything, it is my fault for allowing a problematic being to exist for so long."
"Valericae…"
The dragon shook her head. "I am simply Valerie. You may also refer to me as Bery's soul mate."
"Valerie!" Bery shouted.
"Yes, kitten?"
Emary broke out into a fit of laughter. Her torrent of tears became a fit of giggles, and the elf nearly fell out of her chair.
"That's the spirit," Valerie said. "You are free to cry as much as you please, but it doesn't suit you to cry forever. Such a face will make Bery sad. For dinner you can enjoy a sad elven soup, but for dessert, you must enjoy the sweet laughter of life."
Emary shook her head with a wry smile. "I see now how you won over Bery. You have a serpent's tongue, don't you?"
"Well, I am a dragon after all."
The trio laughed together, the sounds of their happiness echoing in the dining room of the castle.
///
Bery and Valerie left Emary with her own guest room, giving her some space to process what happened today.
The kitten had no idea of everything that transpired, but she could tell that it was serious. I never saw her make such a sad face before.
Valerie wrapped her arms around Bery's waist. "You can't afford to be distracted right now. Did you not have a painting to show me?"
Bery smiled nervously. She opened up the cabinet where she'd left it and hesitantly hoisted it into the air.
The painting reflected a couple beneath the moon. A dragon held onto a kitten, and their tails entwined. Love reflected behind their eyes. They stared into each other in preparation to kiss, to seal their feelings with an act of love.
Valerie looked lovingly between the painting and her cute kitten, wrapping her tail around Bery's small, thin tail. "The only thing that is better than this is the real thing. A painting is worth a thousand words, and this makes me want to share a thousand words with you."
Bery chuckled, a tingly sensation running up and down her spine. "Emary was right. You do have a serpent's tongue."