So... I'm finally back. Really sorry about the wait, all my responsibilities just kind of rushed me all at once. I apologize for the long (what, month and a half?) wait, and this chapter isn't long either, but it's something right? I hurried to finish it today so if there's any grammar mistakes let me know and I'll fix them.
Chapter Ten:
"I think I missed you."
Nalene wasn't sure who was more surprised: her or Smaug. Her face felt so hot she was sue it had morphed into a tomato. Her fingers dug so tightly into her dress the cuts on her hands seared, but it was impossible to care, not when Smaug was all but gaping at her.
She was eternally grateful she'd at least had the luck to blurt something like this when he wore his human face- she was getting better at reading the minute facial expressions that slipped past his usual facade of disinterest. Of course, the expression he wore at the moment was far more than a 'minute expression.' He was shocked, and doing a poor job of concealing it.
His eyes, which he generally kept in a distrusting squint, stared back into hers in a rare display of uncloaked emotion. Golden fragments and amber swirls- Nalene was very familiar with his eyes- but she had never seen this look in them. He was almost vulnerable in his surprise; the planes of his face were lax, the usual twist to his mouth had softened.
Her fingers clutched the dress tightered, and, unable to hold his gaze any longer, she looked away. A plate beneath her foot caught her eye: decorated trim with a floral theme, mostly red and golds, one side was slightly chipped-
There. The swirl of embarrassment and surge of definitely not affection dimmed. She raised her face back to Smaug he too had banished any openness from his expression. In it's place he'd reaffirmed the usual confident look, the look that said nothing would phase him.
Except something had phased him, she knew inwardly. She had phased him. It only took five words.
He wasn't so far above the world as he thought he was, she thought, for a second seeing him in a new light.
The sentiment startled Nalene. Fiery memories flashed through her mind, reminding Nalene very clearly that Smaug was the farthest thing from weak, from human. He was dangerous. He was evil. He was-
He was smirking.
The sight shook her from her thoughts, and she zeroed in on his cocksure features. His arms were crossed against his chest, and he was watching her smugly.
"I'm not surprised," he scoffed. He even said it with enough confidence that Nalene almost forgot the blatant shock he'd worn earlier. Almost. He was lying, Nalene knew, but since when had he been so bad at it?
"Humans are social creatures- drawn to others. Drawn to power," Smaug explained with a pause. His head tilted to the side, his gaze locking onto her's like a serpent's cold stare: dangerous to look into, dangerous to look away from. "You being attached," he uttered the word carefully, like he'd carefully selected it and had to deliver the term just right, "it's only the expected course."
"Attached," she echoed, unsure whether or not to argue otherwise. Was she attached?
I think I missed you.
Apparently.
It was hard enough keeping her secrets from him already. Trying to convince Smaug that she was not 'attached' would be too much.
"Yes," he repeated stubbornly. "Attached."
Nalene wondered who he was trying to convince.
"You're right," she admitted. "It's been a while since I've had other company."
He sneered, but there was no energy to it. "Of course I'm right." His arms recrossed, a tense and defensive gestures, but Nalene was drawn to the shifting of muscle in his forearm. Sometimes he looked very human.
"You were asleep for a while."
"Hardly. I have slept for decades before. A few days is nothing." He huffed. "I didn't think it would cause more problems."
"More? There are others?"
"No," he quickly said. "None that concern you."
Nalene thought that sounded a lot like 'they all concern you.' Who else could they concern, after all. Nonetheless she nodded, and flippantly added, "None of my business then."
He blinked, nodded back, then turned, his posture dismissing her as he headed a few feet away, perusing his treasure. He halted at one particular mound of gold and selected a large shield. With his back turned to her she couldn't see his expression, but Nalene could see one hand reach out to stroke the shield, running down the curve of it with an appreciation and gentleness she hadn't seen before.
Of course he'd caress a hunk of gold, she snipped inwardly.
Nalene could go back over to her own amassed stacks of treasure, but instead she watched him put the shield down and start walking again. He only made it a few feet before he stopped again choosing a handful of coins from underfoot. As he bent to pick them up the collar of his shirt shifted, exposing new skin. To her silent embarassment her eyes immediately zoomed in on the skin, and she gasped.
The scar was just below his collarbone, an imperfection on the otherwise unmarred skin. She only caught a glimpse of it before he adjusted his shirt, hiding it again. The movement seemed unconscious, and seconds later he was rubbing his hands through the coins again. There was an empty look on his face, a blank and hypnotized expression.
"Where did you get that?" Nalene hardly recognized the concern in her voice as she asked.
There was just a slight jerk as he tore his eyes from the gold to her, but it was enough for Nalene to know she'd startled him. She wondered if he'd been so spellbound by the gold to forget her so easily. From over his shoulder he paused and squinted at her. "Get what?"
His annoyed tone made her pause, and her mouth hung open as she wondered whether or not to continue.
But the curiosity was nagging at her.
"That," she gestured weakly towards his side. "Your... scar."
He stiffened, and he turned towards her, opening his palm and letting the coins slip through his fingers, hitting the ground with a clink clink clinkclink. He took a deep breath, and Nalene couldn't read the expression on his face. Guarded, maybe, she thought. Angry? His strange reaction made her curious, and now she definitely wanted to know where the scar came from.
"How do you know about that?" His eyes narrowed. "Spying on me?"
"I wasn't spying," she defended. "It's hard to miss."
He glowered. "You should not have been looking." Again his hand came up to his chest palm resting over the spot. "A violation," he hissed.
It was times like these Nalene did her best to remember her upbringing. Polite. Charming. Collected. "You spend most of your time a naked dragon," she ground out. "I didn't realize you possessed a sense of modesty."
"I possess many things."
She peered past his defensive stance towards the region of his chest where she'd seen it. "I haven't seen any other injuries on you..." Nalene trailed off, watching his face darken.
"It's none of your business-"
Was nothing in this mountain her business? Her concern?
"- and I want you to know you smell filthy."
Her eyes widened incredulously. What? Had she heard him right? Nalene waited for him to correct himself, to apologize, to realize she'd misheard. When he didn't outrage grew in her. How dare he, as if she smelt! Did he think her some sort of uneducated commoner?
His smile was almost kind. "You do," he assured her, apparently finding her horror amusing. "Your senses won't notice it but those bandages stink. As does the rest of you too, but not half so bad."
"I- How...I..." she stuttered, caught between mortification and fury.
"It's time you got some new ones." He beckoned her over. "Come here."
She did the opposite, stepping back. "I do not smell," she finally managed, glaring at him unrestrained.
"You do," he repeated. "Now..."
She sniffed forcefully, and turned her cheek. "Well I don't have any more bandages anyway."
Seconds later she heard a tearing sound. She looked back to see Smaug finish ripping strips from his shirt. Then, arching his brow, he came and offered them to her. She gaped when he held out the bandages to her, a smug look on his face.
Fuming silently, she snatched them from his grip. The audacity... to imply she was the unhygienic one here... Breath in, breath out. "Thank you. I appreciate your sacrifice," she said tartly. One of them, at least, still had manners.
He turned towards the bandages in question. "Yes. You really are rushing to make use of them."
Her fingers unconsciously dug into the new bandages. "I just got them seconds ago," she protested, "I'll use them when I want."
"And get yourself sick before then? No, we'll do this now," he decided in a smooth voice, closing the distance between them with a quick step. He snatched the ribbons of fabric from her grasp and pried her hand forward. At first she was too startled to object but when he caught inspected the stained bandages and grunted in disgust she returned to her senses.
Nalene yanked her hand back but was unable to escape his grip, so she snapped her head back to glare at him. "I can do it myself-" she began, irritated with his manhandling.
"Be quiet," he snapped, pulling her hands back toward him.
His lips curled into a disgusted frown as peeled the bloodied bandages away from her palms. The touch pulled her from her protests. How long had it been since someone had touched her.
The old bandages were discarded and they fell on top of an especially nice plate. She could almost hear Smaug's grumbles about the bandages soiling his treasure, but when he said nothing she turned back to find him intently wrapping her hands in new bandages. There was a faint furrow in his brow, and every few seconds his nose would twitch. Maybe she did sort of smell, she silently conceded, eyes flickered between his hands and face.
It wasn't until much later that she realized he'd evaded her original question completely. Where was that scar from?
