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"Fine," he said, eyes darting prom each individual treat. They paused on what looked like flaky squares with gaps on the top displaying some type of red filling. Solis pointed at one, turning to Ophelia. "I've picked one. Now pick one of your favorites. I wish to try that as well."
"Could you get me one of the raspberry pastries, please, Mr. Walker?" Ophelia requests as she pulls some money out of her basket. "And one vanilla scone." The man nods and neatly wraps the pastries for her. She finds the correct amount of money and hands it over before receiving the food.
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Solis stares at the food before looking at the man and thanking him. He was the one who prepared it after all. He then smiles at Ophelia, thankful to her. How he found such a woman still amazed him. And she had called him… her friend.
Ophelia hands over both pastures to Solis before leading him away from the booth so they don’t get in anyone’s way. “You are going to love those. Mr. Walker makes the best patties in town.” She does a little baking herself that hasn’t turned out bad but her skills don’t compare to Mr. Smith’s.
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Solis looked at the treats laying in his palms before shrugging. "If they're anywhere near as good as what you make, I'm sure I will," he replied. He tore off a small piece of what Ophelia had called a 'vanilla scone' and popped it into his mouth. It was sweeter than what he expected, but still plenty good. The airiness was quite the satisfying texture. He grinned at his friend as he was dragged along. "It's nice," he said with a small hum before handing Ophelia the rest. It was then time to try the raspberry flavored one. It was more of a golden color compared to the pastry before and more fragile. After they stopped to the side, a bit of the filling made his fingers sticky as he carefully ripped the treat. Shoving a small portion into his mouth, Solis found that he prefered this to the one before. It was sweet with a hint of bitterness of the raspberries. The pastry itself was buttery and sweet. "Oh my stars."
Ophelia smiles at his words. “I appreciate that.” It’s always nice to hear that someone enjoys her cooking. She leads him over to where a couple of barrels are set up. They can sit here for now. She hops up onto the barrel and takes a seat, smoothing out her dress. Turning her head, she watches as he takes a bite of the vanilla scone. “Not your preference?” She asks, taking it from him when it’s offered. Different people have different tastes so it’s not like she’s going to hold this against go. Amusement sparkles in her eyes as she watched his reaction to the raspberry treat. “Is it really that good?” She giggles, delighted by his adorable reaction. Now that she knows he likes raspberries, she’ll have to make him some jam or some other raspberry pastries.
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Solis nodded. "Both are good," he said, handing Ophelia the rest. "The scone was quite sweet and the raspberry one had different tastes at once," he thought aloud. He hummed in satisfaction as he watched the crowds wander by. "I've really enjoyed this."
Ophelia rewraps both pastries before tucking them into her basket. “I’m glad that you enjoyed this. It was fun having you come to the village.” Smiling, she looks over to him. “Will you come visit me here sometime? I leave in a little house out by the border between the forest and the village. The goats may be upset if you open the gate but they wouldn’t harm a fly. Just please be wary of the cow. She has a temper. So do the horses. The sheep and the pigs and the chicken are calm.”
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Solis gives Ophelia a sharp grin. "Sure I will. I'd be happy to," he replied. He wondered if the animals would sense he wasn't human. Perhaps not. None of the humans had seemed to anyways. "II'll be sure to watch out for that," he added.
Ophelia smiles at his agreement. "It will be nice to have some company that doesn't come from my animals." While, yes, she does love her animals, they aren't great conversationalists. "Where do you live, Solis? In the forest?" She asks curiously.
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Ophelia smiles at his agreement. "It will be nice to have some company that doesn't come from my animals." While, yes, she does love her animals, they aren't great conversationalists. "Where do you live, Solis? In the forest?" She asks curiously.
The dragon nodded. He didn't add on any further explanation as he didn't want her to find where he truly lived. The other dragons would have both of their heads. And quite literally at that. Shaking that thought away, Solis smiled at Ophelia. Not that she seemed the type to, but it made him happy knowing she didn't see him as an animal.
Noting how reluctant he is to tell her details, she drops the subject. She hops off of the barrel and takes ahold of his hand. "Come on." Smiling, she tugs him along one of the pathways. Looking around at the busy village is always fun. People are always milling around and doing something interesting. "There will be a festival in town tonight. Would you like to come?"
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Solis hummed in thought. He cast his spell early in the morning. He would have until the morning to do as he wished. "I am willing, though I don't want you spending any more of your money on me today," he said, a bit of a joking tone in his voice.
Ophelia's face heats up as she nods her head. She has spent more money today than she usually would in a week. "No more money." Well, no more money that she'll let him know of. "There will be games and dancing and a band from a bigger village will be coming to play."
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Solis smiles, showing his teeth. It was still kind of odd that they were now flat in his mouth. "Sounds exciting," he said. And he meant it. He then starts to wonder about what games entail. Hopefully something he could make sense of, unlike dancing. Music was a nice thought though.
"Would you like to stay here until the festival starts or do you need to head home?" Ophelia asks, not wanting to keep him here if he has something to attend to. A few of her chores still need to be done but she should have plenty of time to complete them later.
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Solis stuck of his tongue a moment in thought. He hummed before asking a single question. "How far exactly do you live from the village?" If she lived far enough, he could stay, but release his magic for awhile. Then, he would have the time to stay a bit longer. It was somewhat curious why he wanted to stay with this human. She had been kind to him, yes, but that shouldn't matter in the long run. He should be with his own kind. Keyword being should. Not required.
Ophelia turns and points past the houses and towards a small hill. "Beyond the hill. My house is in a cluster of trees. Right outside of the forest." It would be hard to see her house from the village unless one was standing atop a roof and knew where to look. She enjoys the privacy. It allows her more freedom than living in the village would. That's part of the reason why she doesn't have many connections in the village. No one really knows or understands her. She turns back to him and fixes him with a curious look, silently waiting for him to explain.
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"Good," he says with a nod. "I can go back to normal for a while. Restore more magic before tonight," he explained as he stood from his spot. Dusting off his clothes, he turns to Ophelia again. "Lead the way," he added with a small smile.
She carefully brushes the dirt off of her dress before leading the way down one of the paths. "How does your magic work?" She asks curious, wanting to know more about him. Magic is an interesting subject and she'd like to learn more about it.
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Solis was surprised by the question at first. Of course she would want to know. He simply grinned at her and winked. "You'll see soon enough. It is also not wise to talk about it with so many people around," he said, brushing a few stray bangs out of his face.
Ophelia childishly sticks her tongue out at him before turning onto the path that leads to her cottage. “I am going to want a straight answer sooner or later so I hope you have one prepared,” She says with a grin. How nice it must be for him to be a dragon instead of a human. She’s naturally curious about all of that.
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The dragon chuckles at the woman's actions. She acted like a small child at points. It was quite endearing actually. "You will get one, I assure you. Just not out in the open," he promised. It was quite nice to be out into strange territory. And so easily as well. The human he was being lead by was strange as well. She didn't fear him, in fact, she seemed to enjoy his presence for that matter. And… he returned those feelings. It confused him as to why. Did he want to learn more about the other species? Was it the promise of trying new things? He really couldn't say. There was only the small tug at his heart towards Ophelia. He'd have time to make up his mind before long. He wasn't necessarily needed in the group constantly. Just that he return every now and again to avoid suspicion. There was a small downside though: He would have a new smell on him. The other dragons would be able to tell. If he went back, he would simply bathe in a pond and sun dry before finishing the trip.
If he left, what would Ophelia think…? That he abandoned her? He pushed all the 'what ifs' aside and focused on his footing.
Ophelia hums quietly as they make their way down the dirt path. It’s rather nice to have company. The people in her village don’t quite like her as much as she hopes for. An unmarried woman of her age living alone outside of the village is scandalous. They cast her strange looks and often go out of their way to avoid her. It used to hurt but she’s grown to accept it. It wasn’t until she met Solis that she relieved how much she wants a friend. His companionship makes her all the more grateful that they met. It’s nice not to be alone anymore. Loud mooing and clicking and neighing and baaing snaps her out of her thoughts. The animals can see them so that means they’re close. She looking around, smiling when she sees Fritter, her cow, grazing in the pasture accompanied by Lily and Georgie, the goats. Molly, the sheep, stands off to the side. The chickens and pigs are all in their pen. A few cats lounge around and a large scruffy dog is on the porch. Flowers burst from the sides of the house and along the path. A lovely garden is off to the side. She opens the gate and steps up to the small but charming cottage. It’s not much but it’s hers.
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"You did not mention you kept other pets as well," Solis noted, observing the cats and single dog. He bit the inside of his cheek lightly, worrying his true form would scare the poor creatures off. "I will say that your home is quite nice. Quaint but beautiful in its own way," he added. It was fairly nice compared to the other homes he saw in the village. Mostly for the privacy reason and the nature around them. Walking after Ophelia, he rolls his shoulders to stretch.
"Well, they are not exactly mine. I just feed them so they stay near my house. The brown tom cat is Happy, the white she-cat is Pearl, the black tom is Jester, and the calico she-cat is Willa. The dog is Monty," Ophelia points to each animal in turn. "Thank you, I appreciate that." The compliment delights her since she takes such pride in the upkeeping of her home. "Would you like to come in for a minute or do you need to go ahead and rest?" She doesn't want him to exhaust himself.
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"Either is alright with me," he said calmly. He technically had several hours left in the transformation, but if she were to insist he rest, then he would. But a bit further away from Ophelia's creatures she kept. He didn't want to risk them running off to get away from him. He could understand how they would be afraid
"Then why don't you come inside for a few minutes? I made some tarts and strawberry jam last night." She gestures for him to follow as she leads the way into the cottages. The cats meow and run up to her, begging for food. Monty barks and hopefully wags his tail. She pulls out pieces of bread and passes them out to all of the animals.
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Solis nods and walks in slowly after Ophelia. He watched the cats pick and nibble at the bread and the dog immediately tear off a decent chunk. It was a sweet gesture, but he wondered if bread was actually healthy for them or not.
Ophelia steps into the house and heads straight for the kitchen. A pot of chicken and rice sits on the counter. "Make yourself at home," She tells Solis with a smile before grabbing a couple of bowls and filling some of them with the mixture and then the rest with some water.
