Camilla and Aurora returned to the guild after a detour to finish their quest, worn out from their long day. Brandy was still there, wiping down the desk as she prepared to head home for the day. "Oh! Aurora, you two back already?"
"Yes, we are." She pulled out 4 pairs of tusks she had removed from the boars.
"Oh, nicely done! I'll quickly go fill out the paperwork and get your payment. Wait here a moment." She scooped up the tusks and went into the backroom. Aurora turned to look at Camilla's tattoo and noticed a small change. The once all-silver tattoo was now tinged blue, the same sapphire blue her eyes possessed.
"Camilla, once we return to our room, we need to talk." Aurora stood with her arms crossed, not liking how the situation felt so out of her control.
"Agreed. I have plenty of my own questions after all." Camilla moved to a couch and sat down, closing her eyes. "Ahhh, this hits the spot." Aurora's lips formed a thin line as she walked over, sliding in next to Camilla and resting her head on her shoulder.
"Are…we doing the right thing? Being here, I mean?" Her sudden question made Camilla look up towards the ceiling. Should we be here, or out there looking for survivors? I feel conflicted. She looked down at Aurora's peaceful expression, then down lower, watching her chest rise and fall.
She blinked, feeling a strong desire towards her friend growing inside her, as if driven by instincts not under her control. What is going on? The feeling spiked, almost making her jump, Aurora right there in the lobby, before it vanished suddenly.
Aurora, who had felt her shifting, glanced up at her, catching the stunning view of Camilla's pupils flickering between round and normal, to slanted and animalistic. She quickly stood up and grabbed Camilla's left arm, lifting the sleeve, and staring at the tattoo again. Now, instead of just the edges having changed, the entire tail was blue as well.
What the hell is happening to my Camilla?! What the hell did this dragon do to her?! "Camilla? Are you okay? Do you feel sick or anything?" She placed her hand against her cheek, but got no response as she seemed to be in a trance.
Inside Camilla's mind, a meeting was taking place between the owner and her new inhabitant. A towering silver and sapphire dragon sat before her as she looked around frantically. "What the- where am I!? What did you do to me!?"
"Calm yourself, child. Nothing happened to you, we are simply in your mindscape." The dragon observed its surroundings. A single waterfall with a small lake beneath it formed the core of the area. A small forest surrounded the area, making it seem like a forbidden oasis, before the rest of the space faded to a light blue background.
"A rather simple but strong one at that. You have a robust spirit as well. Excellent."
"What are you blabbering about? Why are we even here? How are you here?"
"To guide your transition…and to request your help."
"Why should I help some random extinct creature who entered my body without permission?"
"A fair point. How about an exchange of names then? Would that ease your tensions?"
"Haa… Do I even have a choice?"
"Not since you became my apostle. Congratulations. Not many beings can catch the gaze of this mighty TART." Its voice bellowed through the space, echoing in the distance.
"Ok then, Tart, how did you even enter me? Nothing happened with my other two companions when they touched the mural." Camilla was suspicious of his unknown goals.
"That's rather simple. They don't possess dragon's blood." Tart stated this as if it cleared everything up, but only left Camilla with more questions.
I have dragon blood? She stood there speechless, time ticking by slowly, until she felt her body tingle in several spots. The tingle in between her shoulder blades and above her tail bone grew itchy. What the-.
"T-tart? What's happening to me?" Her voice quivered from the fear of the unknown changes happening to her.
"It's your blood awakening in response to me being here. Normally, it would stay dormant with how diluted the bloodline is." The dragon began to glow brightly for a few seconds, its form shrinking and changing. When the light finally faded, in place of the dragon stood a woman who dwarfed even Camilla.
She must be at least eight feet tall! Tart had long silver and blue hair, piercing emerald eyes, and a matching white and blue tunic. Her arms remained covered in silver and blue scales, while two pairs of curved horns came out from her head.
She walked across the sand, her bare feet sinking deeply with each step. She stopped in front of Camilla and sat beside her. "Give me your wrist."
Camilla glared back at her, pulling her arm back to her chest. "What are you planning to do to me now?"
Tart scoffed at her pointless actions, "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to give you my blood to help speed up your awakening." She grabbed Camilla's wrist easily, even as she struggled against her. Tart went to activate a spell when she was interrupted by a loud noise.
BANG
Several cracks began to form through the mindscape, making Tart click her teeth in annoyance. "Tch, I should've moved faster." She let go of Camilla, giving her one last look before vanishing back into the tattoo without a word.
Camilla jolted forward, finally back outside, and nearly collided with Aurora, who wore the widest grin possible. "Missed me that much, huh? I know I'm sexy and all, but please try to control yourself in public. My dear~."
Camilla was about to say something when Tart's voice echoed through her mind. Don't tell her about me yet. "Still joking around, huh?"
"Hmm? What do you mean? I wasn't joking, silly." Aurora leaned forward, their faces drawing close to each other, her gaze turned dark as her eyes narrowed. "I see no need to joke about my true feelings for you."
She let out a long sigh, her eyes flickering downward. "Why do you have to keep tempting me, Camilla?"
"I-I'm not tempting-!" Camilla's face was flushed at this moment as Aurora interrupted her.
"Is that so? How are you going to prove that?" Her alluring tone snapped Camilla's last bit of restraint asBrandy returned, putting an end to the teasing but not her desire. She let out a disappointed huff as Aurora ran over to collect their reward, a small 6 silver coins.
"Camilla, let's head back to the tavern now!" She waved her over, the two leaving the guild and walking down the empty streets. As they walked, Aurora placed her hands behind her head and began whistling a tune.
They continued walking in silence past several crossroads before Camilla stopped moving. "Aurora."
"Yes? What is it?" Aurora spun on her heel to face her.
"You were right. I was tempting you. I acted oblivious, acted not interested. Pretended like I didn't care. For that, I'm sorry." She fidgeted with her hands as she spoke.
"Camilla, you don't need to-"
"No, I do." She slowly walked up to Aurora, kneeling before her, both their cheeks turning red. "I want you, Aurora. As my partner, my life, and my purpose. What do you say?"
Aurora felt like crying, here in front of her was exactly what she wanted all these years, however a devious thought entered her mind. "I'll agree on one condition."
"A condition?" Camilla was taken aback at this sudden switch up.
"Yes. Do you accept?" She repeated.
Why won't she tell me what it is? What game is she playing at? She gave up on trying to understand before uttering a single word. "Yes"
Aurora grinned widely. "Then you just have to do one simple thing. Court me."
Camilla felt her mind short-circuit for a moment. "Court you?"
"Yes, court me. Quite simple, no?" She stretched out her limbs as she turned back towards their destination. "Come along, dear. I wish to get some sleep tonight." Aurora started to walk away when she was turned around by Camilla. "What are-" Her words were cut short by another sudden kiss, one she melted into. They stood there kissing for almost a full minute before breaking it off, gasping for air.
"That's for teasing me at the guild." Camilla then ran off towards the inn, Aurora hot on her heels.