Ariel Eberhart from 'Plumed Serpent' this time...
"I heard about what happened in Portland."
"I'm surprised that not everyone has," the young woman replied, sipping gently from the glass of wine in her hands. "The Grimm is big news as it is, and considering what happened that day…"
"There's a reason we stay away from the rest, you know that. No one would have believed that it was you and your father that night – like the Grimm, the rest of our world believes us to be practically extinct too."
"Maybe," Ariel Eberhart replied, setting down her now empty glass, "But that doesn't change the fact that that isn't how it should be. Once we were feared, and warriors sought us out to test themselves. And now – do you know how much trouble I had to go to in order to make sure that my father had the satisfaction of dying at the hands of a worthy opponent? We have diminished in a way none of the other wesen have."
"Maybe so, Ariel, but it was the only choice we had. We may be rare today, but when we still celebrated as dragons, we were rarer still. Fading into the background has allowed our species to survive and start to develop a significant population."
The dark-haired woman rose from her and moved towards the window, scowling. Looking out of the window, she aimed her glare at the gently falling snowflakes. "I hate the snow," she murmured. "It's like nature itself is laughing at us."
The man sighed. "Ariel…"
"Fine," she said harshly. "I'll leave the argument for now. You told me you had something to give me?"
"Follow me," the man replied.
He walked up to the far wall of the room, and with a click of a button – Ariel couldn't spot where it was – it seemed like the ground opened up below him. Following him into the newly revealed secret basement of the house, she found a lair not unlike the one her father had made his last stand in.
"Not even I have been able to escape some influence from the humans," he explained as they walked further in. "And considering it's supposed to be the season of giving…"
That brought a slight smile to Ariel's lips. "You were always easily swayed, William," she said. "I'm surprised that you haven't become wieder yet."
William blushed lightly. "To tell you the truth, Ariel, I have been considering it," he muttered bashfully.
"Same old William. You never change."
"Regardless of that, here we are," he said as they reached what looked to be a wall of pure stone. Another quick press of the button, and the wall opened slowly.
The glitter that emanated from behind the wall would have blinded most people, especially since it came as a surprise in the darkness of the basement. But both Ariel and William were dämonfeuer, and their eyes had evolved to withstand the light from the glitter of treasure hoard in the inside of a cave.
William darted over to his hoard, and grabbed a few items from it – a richly studded gold crown and a statue made of delicate bronze wires. He walked over to Ariel, closing away the rest of the treasure in the process, and handed them to her.
"You did tell me that you had to rebuild your hoard after you left Portland," he said as a way of explanation.
"Perhaps human traditions have their advantages after all," Ariel mused, bestowing him with one of her rare true smiles as she accepted his offerings.
The two of them climbed back up to the main house in silence. It was only when the entrance to the basement was closed that Ariel finally started up a conversation again.
"It's getting rather late, William," she said, looking out the window once again. "I should leave before it gets too dark and I'm forced to use my fire in order to return home."
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Ariel," he replied. "We can continue this discussion then."
"Of course," she smiled. And just before she left, she quickly darted over to kiss him on his cheek.
William waved goodbye, a bright blush on his face, long after she disappeared from his line of sight.
I hope you guys liked it! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)