Jarvan awoke the next morning and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Shyvana was still asleep on the bed, her feet still pressed against his. The prince smothered a yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he slowly stood up, slipping his feet from the bed, and then standing, stretching his back. Satisfied with the few popping sounds, he touched his toes carefully, shaking his head to try and clear the weariness he still felt. Shyvana stirred slowly, her feet seeming to search for Jarvan's, their absence not long going unnoticed. Jarvan leaned over and shook her shoulder gently.
"Morning." She murmured, raising an arm above her head as she rolled her head free of the blankets and yawned, revealing long fangs. Her hair was a mess as she sat up, careful to hold the blankets to her chest for once, still bleary eyed.
"Sleep well?" Jarvan asked, grinning lopsidedly as she yawned again. Shyvana nodded, smiling happily, raising her hands above her head to stretch a second time. Despite her earlier efforts, the blankets fell away and she inadvertently managed to flash Jarvan yet again. He blushed and looked away as he slowly rocked to his feet. Jarvan shivered in the cold air as he searched for his clothes. He pulled on a tunic and stuck his feet into his boots, cringing at the ice-cold leather. He grabbed a small towel and his shaving kit and stuck his head out the door, looking left and right. He vaguely remembered a door marked 'W.C.' the night before being down the hall.
"I'll be right back." Jarvan said, slipping out the door. Shyvana nodded sleepily as she fell back onto the bed, her mouth wide open as she fell back to sleep. Jarvan stepped down the hallway, only the quiet 'thunk-click' of his boots sounding through the hallway. He turned the corner and found the door ajar at the end of the hall. He knocked gingerly and waited for any sort of response, but when none came, the prince swung the door open and stepped into the small room. He closed and latched it behind him and set about his business. Jarvan relieved himself, then washed his hair in the basin, doing his best to get as much of the dust out as possible. He toweled his hair off and emptied the basin and then filled it again using the bucket and the pump in the corner of the room. He opened his shaving kit, pulling a small knife, a small brush and a bar of shaving soap from within.
Jarvan used the brush and built up a lather before brushing it onto his face. He carefully rinsed the blade of the knife, wide, narrow and not much longer than the width of his palm, and then usied the dirty mirror to clean up the stubble that had been building on his face. As he shaved the last of it away, Jarvan rinsed the blade and tucked it safely away in his kit. He quickly brushed his teeth then rinsed using a small bottle of liquor. He rinsed his face and emptied the basin, toweling his chin off. Satisfied, he packed his materials up and then headed back to the room. The inn was still deathly quiet, though Jarvan suspected that many of the other occupants of the inn had stayed up late into the night celebrating. Jarvan entered the inn room, only the sound of his boots echoing through the quiet room. He packed his things away and went to attempt to roust Shyvana a second time. The prince sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over to wake her again when she rolled under the covers to the other side of the bed. Jarvan sighed, but put a knee up on the bed, calmbering up onto the edge of the bed, leaning over to where Shyvana lay. He shook her shoulder gently.
"Shyvana…" He spoke softly. "Shyvana."
As Jarvan shook her shoulder, Shyvana rolled back over, ending up underneath the prince, out from under the covers. Jarvan froze, as the sleepy half-dragon's eyes fluttered open, bare inches away from him. She lay there, her lower half barely covered by the blankets, and yawned. Jarvan felt her warm breath wash over his face, the heat of her body radiating up towards him. He looked down, the dragoness's pale flesh nearly pressed again his chest. Shyvana looked up into his eyes and blushed, a smile spreading onto her face and then into her eyes, that spark of mischief appearing yet again.
"You needn't be so aggressive, prince." Shyvana purred, looking up at him with big eyes. "All you need is ask…" Shyvana ran a few fingers along her cheek and smiled. Jarvan began to lower his lips toward hers when a knock came at the door. Jarvan pushed himself off and stood up faster than he thought possible, his face burning. The prince marched to the door stiffly, checking over his shoulder, getting a pouty glare from Shyvana as he went. Jarvan paused, his hand perched over the doorknob. He sighed heavily, giving his cheeks a second to drain of the heat and color before he pulled the door ajar, standing in the narrow gap.
"Captain." Forsythe saluted casually and Jarvan nodded in return. "LT just wanted me to check and make sure you were awake. That's all." The younger man was still blurry eyed, and had a large cowlick on the side of his head. Jarvan grinned as the towheaded soldier nodded and turned away.
"Tell him to meet me downstairs in about thirty." Jarvan called after him. The younger man paused and nodded, disappearing down the steps towards the second level where he and Isaacs had been bunked. The tavern was on the ground floor and Jarvan could barely hear the bustle of miners and farmers coming in for breakfast. Jarvan closed the door and turned around, leaning against the frame, sighing. This is going to be the death of me. He opened his eyes and found Shyvana staring at him, propped up on her elbows, freely exposed. The prince glanced away nervously, grinning sheepishly. He heard a bit of a sigh from Shyvana as she sat up in the bed and began to pull her clothes on.
"Tease." Shyvana murmured as she started picking up armor and clothes from around the room. Jarvan grinned sheepishly, make a scene of rummaging through his bag.
"Water closet is down the hall to the left, just around the corner." Jarvan said, making sure his gear was in order as he packed away his shaving kit.
"What's a water closet?" Shyvana asked. She had her boots and her waist armor on, but she hadn't gotten her chest, arm or shoulder armor on yet, just the light tunic that she had just pulled over her head. The garment had been one of the other soldiers, so it was loose on Shyvana and the large arm holes did little to hide her chest when she turned to the side. Jarvan blinked a few times, realizing what exactly she had just asked.
"Uh…" Jarvan murmured blankly. "It's a bathroom?" Jarvan said searching for the proper term. "You clean yourself and uh… relieve yourself there." He said, scratching his head.
"Oh." Shyvana said. "A toilet?"
"Yeah, that." Jarvan said, shaking his head. Shyvana grinned at him, kneeling on the bed, and leaned forward on all fours, giving Jarvan a clear view of her cleavage. The prince caught himself staring, and upon looking up into her eyes, she could only grin at him. He turned and dug through her pack briefly, and then tossed her a towel. "Here," Jarvan said, standing up. "Use that to towel yourself off." He also tossed her a small bags he had procured from one of the younger soldier's things. Jarvan looked down at the small black kit; it looked like it belonged to Shore. "There is a tooth brush, some paste and a small bottle to rinse. Oh and some soap."
"What's a tooth brush?" Shyvana asked, looking at the prince with a quizzical look. Jarvan paused. He sighed heavily, his shoulders sinking, and then gestured for her to follow him. She looked at him for a second before falling in behind him. Jarvan proceeded around the corner to where the water closet was and then pushed the door open and gestured inside.
"Go ahead and take care of anything you need and I'll explain the rest." Shyvana looked at him for a moment and as she pushed her way into the room and pulled the door shut behind her. Jarvan sighed when she did, shrinking down against the door jamb and letting his head hang for a moment. He opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside, the air sticky with the morning humidity. Fog had rolled down off Mount Targon in the night and settled low in the village. Jarvan could barely see the cobbled street below, pondering how long the fog would hang around. If it was going to stay this thick for a long while, he didn't think they would be able to track the dragon at all, much less find and kill it.
Jarvan sighed, thinking back to the night before. With Katarina Du Couteau and her own escort, the man by the name of 'Talon' on their tail, getting back to Demacia without incident could prove challenging. Jarvan hadn't exactly thought about what they were going to do after tracking Kampf down, but depending on where their search for the beast took them, it could lead them north to Piltover or even the icy barrier mountain that formed the southern border of the Freljord. Those were the closest mountains if Kampf decided to head directly north. Jarvan dreaded where the beast could be if he headed north-east towards the Ironspike Mountains. They were closer than any other mountain range but it also took them dangerously close to Noxus, which wasn't something that Jarvan really wanted to risk with his company's dwindling numbers. He wasn't sure how quickly Katarina and Talon could summon reinforcements, but it wasn't something Jarvan wanted to find out.
The prince sighed, leaning against the railing. He had been slaying monsters for most of two years, and he had slain his fair share of humans, Yordles and other creatures of the sort in his time wandering Runeterra. Most of the enemies had been bandits and the like, but he had also dueled various champions from the many different regions he had visited. Many had been draws, and even a few losses, but Jarvan had been learning with each fight and he had found himself winning more and more of the duels. He had grown tired and headed south for the great barrier. That was where the first tragedies had struck his company and the prince had come into contact with the beast, Kampf. Jarvan had a personal vendetta against the beast, and while the prince knew Shyvana and Isaacs did as well, he had concerns about Forsythe and Quinn.
Forsythe was young, and there was much he hadn't experienced in his short lifetime, much of it spent in training at the Demacian Martial Academy and then on the field of battle, and Jarvan had already lost too many of his men to put Forsythe at risk. It wasn't that he didn't trust the young man, Forsythe had shown almost prodigal level of intensity and ingenuity when it came to weapons and his training, but he also showed the reluctance to kill. Jarvan frowned. He respected that in a man, the desire to kill shouldn't come naturally, and hesitation on the field of battle could cost you your life. Jarvan suspected that Forsythe might turn to some other trade when they returned to Demacia.
I wouldn't blame him after this journey.
The other young one, Quinn, was more of a quandary than anything else at the moment. Jarvan could tell she was young, much younger than even Forsythe or Shyvana, but she also could take care of herself. She was cautious and even jumpy, which was a good thing considering her chosen trade. It wasn't often that you came across someone like that, and Jarvan saw some potential in her. He wondered if she had the stomach or skill for open combat, but if the Demacian eagle trusted her, Jarvan suspected that he could as well.
A rare and dangerous creature, Demacian eagles were dark blue birds of prey, native to the forests of Western Valoran, mostly dominated by the Demacian Kingdom and its outlying towns and villages. The birds had been nearly killed off due to their usefulness as scouts during the Rune Wars, and they were now close to extinct. Many had developed a morbid hatred and fear of humans, though Valor seemed to trust Quinn intimately. If she proved herself and showed herself useful, Jarvan could easily secure her a place at the Demacian Academy if she so wished.
As Jarvan was mulling over all of the possibilities that were to come, Shyvana poked head out the door. "Jarvan?"
The prince glanced over his shoulder and pushed himself off the railing, steeling himself for the task ahead of him. "Right, let's see here." Jarvan followed her into the small room and paused, the stench of burned hair heavy in the air. He sniffed a few times, wondering exactly what had caused that but it was fading rapidly through the open window. "Do you still have that kit I gave you?" Jarvan asked, leaning against the door. Shyvana nodded as she handed it to him.
"I did everything I could on my own." Shyvana said, grinning. Jarvan nodded sagely as he inspected the kit again, seeing what was left inside. He pulled the toothbrush and the small tube of paste out and applied just a bit to the brush. He handed it to Shyvana who sniffed at the minty paste.
"Ah…. Hmmm…" Jarvan said pausing. "Bare your teeth and then… brush them?" Jarvan was struggling to think exactly how to explain brushing one's teeth to a dragon who seemed to know very little about human society. Shyvana was having trouble with the motion, but she seemed to understand the concept. "Like this." Jarvan said, demonstrating the motion. Shyvana did as he did and soon she was managing on her own. "Now you can rinse and spit the residue into the toilet." Shyvana did as she was told, scooping a bit of water into her mouth with her hand and rinsing.
"What was that stuff?" Shyvana asked, smacking her lips, eyeing the tube. "It's tasty."
"It's not for eating, but it's called 'mint'." He said with a smile. "I'll treat you to something like that when we get to Demacia."
Shyvana nodded, a hopeful smile on her face. "Now what?"
"Now comes the hard part." Jarvan said, thinking out how exactly he was going to do this. "Washing your hair." He said. "You …ah… might want to take your tunic off for this part." Jarvan coughed nervously. Shyvana grinned slyly and blushed, doing what she was told and shucking the tunic. She tossed the garment at him and Jarvan snatched it out of the air and hung it on the back of the door. Jarvan drew a bucket of water from the pump and motioned to the basin.
"I'm going to slowly pour this water over the back of your head." Jarvan said. "Do your best to scrub the dust from your hair." Shyvana nodded and bent over the basin, letting her hair cascade over one side of her head. Jarvan slowly poured the water down, Shyvana gasping as the cold water hit her neck. She shivered, and Jarvan watched as goose bumps rose across her body. Jarvan's gaze followed the curves of her back and down from there, the skirt pulled tight over her rear. Jarvan blushed and forced himself to look away, watching as Shyvana scrubbed her long, ruby red hair. Jarvan emptied the bucket, impressed at the amount of dust coming to rest in the water of the basin. Shyvana tugged much of the remaining water from her hair. It remained plastered to her skin along her neck, and clung to her front as turned to Jarvan.
"Empty the basin and we'll repeat." Jarvan ordered. Shyvana nodded and poured the water from the basin out into the toilet. She bent back over the basin, this time letting herself rub up against Jarvan a bit more than he felt necessary, the damp spot on his tunic reflecting that. The prince took a deep breath and ignored it as emptied the bucket again. He watched the water till it ran clear from her hair and satisfied they had gotten most of the dust out, Jarvan hung the bucket up and Shyvana wrung her long hair out.
"Here." Jarvan said, holding the towel up. "Hold still." Shyvana blushed and she looked at him from under water-soaked bangs and giggled. Jarvan rolled his eyes and tossed the towel over her head and scrubbed it around, drying her hair.
"Ah!" Shyvana shrieked, giggling still.
"Hold still!" Jarvan hissed, a grin spreading over his face as he did his best to dry the dragoness's head as she tried to duck away. Shyvana bounced off the wall and ended up pressed against Jarvan. She snaked her arms around him, holding on as he continued to run the towel over her head. He paused when she fell silent, her arm tight around his torso, letting the towel rest atop of her head. Shyvana blew air out of one side of her mouth, blowing her hair out of her eyes.
Shyvana looked up at the prince, glaring at him with the one eye she could see from. "That was mean." She pouted, the spark of mischief bouncing in her eye. Jarvan grinned sheepishly as he pulled the towel from her head, dragging her head to the side and receiving an annoyed grumble. Jarvan snorted and burst into laughter at the sight, Shyvana's hair standing on end, tangled about in every direction. He nearly fell over because he was laughing so hard and Shyvana stood there, glaring up at him with fierce magenta eyes. "What!? What's so funny?"
Jarvan gestured at the mirror as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still struggling not too laugh, a hand pressed over his mouth to suppress the laughter. Shyvana turned and looked. She squeaked in horror and burst into giggles, the sight surprising her. She laughed right along with Jarvan till they were both sore in the sides.
"Here." Jarvan said, helping her towel off the rest of her hair. It fell to just below her hips, so it took some work and when they were finished, her hair was almost as much of a mess as it had been before, sans the dust. Jarvan chuckled at her as Shyvana pouted at him through the mirror.
"I'll get you a brush for it as soon as I can." Jarvan said, trying not to chuckle. Shyvana turned and pressed her chest up against Jarvan, standing on her toes, to get as close to him as possible. Jarvan did his best not to smile as Shyvana put on her best menacing expression.
"You did this just to make fun of me, didn't you?" Shyvana said, her frown threatening to break into a grin. Both corners of her mouth twitched.
"Did not." Jarvan responded, looking away from her breasts, pushed up against his chest. "Here." He dumped the tunic on her head. "We need to get dressed and head down to see about breakfast." Shyvana pushed off from the prince's chest as she sighed and nodded, pulling her hair free of the tunic as she tugged it over her head. She followed Jarvan from the water closet as they made their way quietly back to their room. Jarvan tossed the towel onto the bed with the small kit and gestured Shyvana over. She moved closer, her eyebrow raised.
"Turn around." Jarvan said, twirling a finger over her head.
Shyvana blushed as she did as she was told, facing away from the prince. Jarvan reached around her neck, gathering as much of her hair as he could in a bundle behind her back, only two short lengths falling over her collar. He separated it into three strands and set about something his mother had taught him long ago. Jarvan layered the left most strand over the middle and beneath the right most strands and carefully pulled the lengths free of the others. He then layered the middle strand over the right most, tucking it down between the other two. He continued the pattern, switching back and forth, layering the hair back and forth, till he reached the last foot of so of hair. Jarvan used a short length of cord to tie off the last of it. Shyvana looked over her shoulder and then over the other shoulder, trying to look at the braid.
"That should keep it out of the way while we're fighting." Jarvan said with a smile, pulling on a gauntlet.
Shyvana nodded, grinning. "Where'd you learn to do that?" She pulled the thick braid over her shoulder and stroked it, smiling as she did. "It's soft."
"It's just something my mother taught me." Jarvan said with a grin. "I used to do it to my own hair when I was training."
"Thank you." Shyvana said, grinning.
"Now come on, let's get something to eat, I'm famished." Jarvan said as he helped Shyvana into her armor as she struggled with the latch for her chest piece. He finished putting on his own armor and tossed his cloak around his shoulders. Shyvana did the same, pinning the cloak around her neck with the Demacian pin she had received from Jarvan. She tossed her pack over one shoulder and nodded to Jarvan. Jarvan pulled his own pack onto one shoulder and grabbed his lance. He pulled the door closed behind him and together they made their way down into the tavern.