There was little activity in the Pale City during the winter months, when the blizzards were at their worst and the biting chill of winter was so sharp that there were few who were willing to leave the safety of their homes and risk incurring Salina’s wrath. There were even fewer merchants around when there was so little profit to be made.

It was through these empty streets that a hulking woman dressed in furs stomped with a determination that rivaled the gods of Charon’s pantheon, and fire blazing in her eyes. A wolf-pelt cloak shielded her from the elements, but from the way she moved one wouldn’t think her to be someone so easily affected by the elements. In fact, the cold didn’t seem to impede her at all.

Ak’ka was on a mission.

The barbarian of a woman stomped down the cobblestone path, leaving the impression of large bootprints in the snow where she blazed a trail. A piece of crumpled up parchment was clutched in her hand- another day, another bounty. This one, more personal than the usual kind of danger she found herself in. A rogue mage that had murdered a merchant during a deal gone wrong and disappeared into the wilderness. Dead or alive, the parchment said.

Not that it mattered to Ak’ka. Most anything she brought in for a bounty was already cold and dead anyways.

This one would be no different.

Ak’ka was not a woman who put much faith in hopes and prayers and other soft things that other people clung to when they felt small and helpless. She was a woman of action- she made things happen, rather than wishing for them. But today, she found herself hoping that her luck had finally turned. That after months of searching, she’d finally found the right wizard, the man who’d destroyed her clan and forced her under feet of snow and ice, a prison she could not hope to escape from.

Yes, she would find that mage, whose face was permanently burned into her memory, and the payback would be glorious.

Maybe she would be lucky and this wizard would be the man she was searching for. Maybe not. Either way, she would find him and deliver a pummeling he’d never forget.

Once Ak’ka had started on something, only the gods themselves could divert her from her path. She was so focused that she almost missed the sound of a melodic voice calling out to her, like soft ringing bells, trying to catch her attention.

One of the most difficult parts of beginning her noble mission in a place as quiet and abandoned as the Frostgale in midwinter was just that; when everywhere you look for information, people insist you cannot afford the kind of information you wish for, and when you ask exactly how you can afford it, they tell you to get a job or seek some bounties, and then there are no jobs or bounties, it... tends to put you at a disadvantage. Most had laughed in her face or given her a look of pity, sending her on her way with more questions than they did answers, and certainly no sort of guidance.

So, naturally, when one sees the first opportunity at pursuing a mission... it's hard to resist chasing after it. Quite literally.

Einheria holds her woolen shawl tightly around herself as she dashes down the mostly-empty streets of the Pale City, heels clicking against frozen cobblestones as she tries to keep even pace with the muscular woman storming with all the fury and determination of a god ahead of her, eyes fixed on the crumpled parchment in her hand. It had been easy to miss, initially, but once she'd seen it, she knew immediately she couldn't just ignore a potential chance like this...!

"G-Good lady!" Einheria cries, again, her voice a delicate melody, one that rung so softly the howl of the wind did not hesitate to drown it out, a ghost of a sound threaded in beneath the overpowering strings of winter's loom. "May I ask you a question-- please...?"

She bites gently on her lower lip, lightly-pointed canines worrying her frost-kissed skin. No matter what she seems to say, this tall, imposing woman hardly pays her any mind, as though she was a mere pesky gnat flitting about her shoulder-- a quiet little frog jumping after a princess that couldn't quite be bothered. Oh, goodness, she wasn't annoying the poor lady, was she? What a dreadful first impression to make! She had nothing to her name to even offer to compensate for the burden, either, and she wasn't certain what this proud lady might even wish for! Ohhh, this was truly a predicament... Einheria paused for a brief moment, hesitating on what to do next as the wind whipped around her--

...oh. Right. The wind.

Einheria's cheeks color, faintly, as she quickens her pace, trying to get a few steps ahead of this strange, tall woman, figuring that if she can't immediately catch her attention through her voice, at least she can catch her attention through sight. She nearly stumbles, once or twice, as she dives to stand before the woman, hardly seeming to process what a reckless decision she's made, lavender eyes shining with hope as she gazes up at her.

"P-Pardon me, ma'am," she repeats, her voice only a decibel or so louder, but somewhat firmer, a soft determination dancing around the edges of her tone. "I truly hate to bother you so, but if it is no trouble, may I ask what that parchment in your hand is...? I-I've been looking for work, you see, and I... I cannot help but be curious. At the very least, may I ask... where you got it?"

A little thing darted in front of Ak’ka- she forced herself to stop before she barreled into the poor, mousy looking thing, eyes sparkling as if she’d found some kind of treasure. What was with the Good Lady bullcrap? The once-proud orc chieftain had never been addressed with such manners, and the idea that she’d ever measure up to a real princess like the little lady in front of her was ridiculous. Ak’ka snorted, exhaling a burst of icy-cold air from her nose.

“You don’t gotta call me ma’am, little thing. Ak’ka’s fine. That’s what my friends call me. Enemies probably would too if they weren’t too busy screaming in agony.” She said, more amused at the situation than annoyed as she rested one hand on her hips, posture much more relaxed than it had been moments ago. What’s with her weird way of speaking? Must be some royal… they’re like rats around here. Her clothes and fancy trinkets made her look more like a live doll than a person, so Ak’ka figured noble wasn’t that far off.

Most people would have been intimidated by that realization, but royalty or not, Ak’ka didn’t really give a damn. She was surprised to find that human royalty was so… soft, though. The little lady looked she would hardly weather a stiff breeze, much less a hard day’s work. Which, apparently, was what she was looking for.

Ak’ka narrowed her eyes as the little lady pointed to her bounty paper. Was she serious? Maybe she hadn’t put two and two together when she saw Ak’ka- there was only one type of work for people like the brawler. “Nah. This ain’t the kind of work for a pretty little thing like you. If you’re looking for a job, you’d probably do better in…” She stopped as she realized she didn’t actually know what rich folk from the cities did for work, “Accounting and shit.” Yes, that sounded about right.

But the girl held more determination in that small body than Ak’ka gave her credit for, because as Ak’ka moved to walk around her, she only moved to the side, blocking Ak’ka’s path again. It would be all too easy for Ak’ka to brush past her, but she had to respect the lady’s guts.

“Look, I’m serious. This is merc stuff. I dunno if you’re looking for thrills or whatever, but you could get hurt, or killed. I’m sure there are plenty of cushy jobs for you around here that you’d like a lot more.” Her tone, while gruff, wasn’t insulting- to Ak’ka, that was simply the truth. A harsh one, but she didn’t see the point in sugarcoating her words. Especially if they kept the little lady from going out and doing something stupid.

As soon as the woman standing before her gives her name, Einheria is quick to dip into a curtsy, fluid and smooth, wishing to pay her proper respects to her-- she freezes, however, halfway through rising, as Ak'ka voices that there's really no need for formal address. Oh, dear, is a curtsy too formal, too? Is she making her uncomfortable? It isn't like she can take it back now...!

"I... Well, alright. My name is Einheria Vaetki-- it's lovely to meet you, Missss-- Ak'ka."

Einheria swallows, clearly nervous, fumbling for a moment as she tries to stitch the scattered patches of her script together.

"I understand and appreciate your concern, m-- Lady-- Ak'ka," she says, amending her naming conventions for the half-orc woman as quickly as the mistakes spill from her lips. The very last thing she wishes to do is offend, after all, and Ak'ka had told her quite directly that she did not wish for any such formalities, even if Einheria felt a little strange about immediately vaulting into a first-name basis with a woman she'd just met. "But I assure you, wholeheartedly, that I... I would be of at least some use to you..! I-If not to you specifically, a-at least to someone! E-Even if it is m-merc... mercenary work!"

For a moment, some of that conviction seems to fizzle, her flawlessly-maintained posture gently slipping beneath the weight of memories of multiple rejections, of multiple defeats. She bites at her lip again, careful not to draw blood-- a precarious thing, with a dragon's teeth--, fingertips rising to twist at the cuff of her sleeve.

"Nowhere I have looked is wanting for aid at this moment in the season, and I am lacking in enough experience to make myself viable beyond that," she murmurs, an air of embarrassment clinging to the words. It feels shameful, somehow, to admit it-- but just as quickly as she dips her head in mortification, she whips her head back up, snow-white wisps of hair bouncing around as she meets Ak'ka's gaze, slitted pupils alight with some desperate sense of obstinacy. "But I am more than capable in a fight, M-- Ak'ka. So if you would kindly redirect me, or consider my offer for assistance, I would very much appreciate it."

Whoa. Ak’ka had never been curtsied at before like she was proper royalty, either. The little lady- Einheria, and if that wasn’t just the most fitting name for a dainty little person like her- stopped midway, frozen stiff like she feared Ak’ka’s wrath for nearly slipping up. It was kind of cute how it almost seemed to physically pain her to talk to someone casually, like a person and not a title.

She thought the mention of merc business would scare little miss Einheria off, but despite her anxiety, she almost seemed to double down in her conviction. Hell of a lot of guts in a tiny little package, Ak’ka had to admit, but it only made her job harder. “Look, I like your gumption, but I don’t think you’re gonna find many folks looking for… what are you? A princess?- A hairdresser?”

She fell quiet as Einheria explained her situation, that no one had been willing to take her on. She must have been really hard-up for cash, if she was willing to- or thought she was willing to, at least- do dirty work for it. The furrow in her brow only deepened as Einheria looked back up at her, tears brimming in those cat-like eyes, still refusing to be deterred.

“You’re a stubborn one.” Ak’ka said. She sized Einheria up, trying to figure out if the girl really did possess any fighting prowess or if she was just trying to blow smoke up Ak’ka’s ass. The most telling sign was the hands. You could tell a warrior from a wannabe if you paid attention to their palms, the hard-earned callouses formed from practice, or the scars from mistakes that turned into lessons. Einheria’s dainty hands held none of those.

“What, are you a mage or something?” That would explain a lot if she was. Looks could be deceiving when it came to magic users- their strength was invisible. It made them slippery and tricky to deal with, but Einheria didn’t look like she had a bone in her body capable of lying, based on the way she fumbled and fidgeted and desperately tried to convince Ak’ka that she could be useful to someone, if only they gave her the chance.

Ak’ka shifted her weight, reconsidering the girl’s plea. “I have a feeling that if I tell you no, you’re just gonna go out and find someone else to latch onto, aren’t ya?” She asked despite already having an idea of what Einheria's answer would be. “Look, you’ve got spunk. Can you back it up with skill? This ain’t an insult- I’m going after a wizard. I need to know you won’t beef it in a fight if I bring you along with me.”

All Einheria can do as Ak'ka attempts to surmise what she might be is blink, dark lashes fluttering against icelike skin in quick motions. Princess? Hairdresser? Hm, were those truly the easiest assessments for strangers to make of her? Goodness, perhaps she needed to reconsider her approach to others-- or perhaps it was her apparel that projected such an aura...? Either way, it wasn't as if she could change that in this moment...

"Your words flatter me, but I am hardly of any royal title. I am merely my father's daughter, and little else beyond that."

And such was true; she bore no titles, no illustrious command or history, she was merely the lone child of a dragon up on the mountain-- a dragon who loved her dearly, and whom she adored in turn. She falls silent as Ak'ka continues to speak, waiting for the appropriate time to speak up as the half-orc woman surveys her, assessing her capabilities, as if... considering her-- a flash of hope! A chance, perhaps!

"I assure you, Ak'ka, that I know very well what I am doing in a fight," she insists, tilting her head up so she can meet Ak'ka's gaze directly, that same sense of seriousness a cold flame in her eyes. "My dear father taught me much of combat for the day I would one day step out into the world alone. Spells come more naturally to me, but I am well-instructed with a lance as well; he made it abundantly clear that it would not do to only know how to defend myself with magic alone. Combat in close-quarters is combat anyone should be at least partially educated on."

Einheria pauses, then, biting her lip for a third time-- perhaps the babbling was a bit excessive, but...

"...Either way, I promise you, I would not be a burden by your side. I would be pleased to offer what aid I can in hunting this wizard beside you."

“You’re messing with me.” With the way Einheria was gussied up there was no way she didn’t come from some kind of money, no matter what she said. Exactly how hard up was she for cash? But the answer wasn’t really any of Ak’ka’s business, so she didn’t ask. But she couldn’t help but wonder who the little gal’s father was, that she would speak of him so fondly. Those kinds of feelings had been lost on Ak’ka since childhood- her old man had been six feet under for a long time, and Ak’ka hadn’t thought of him since.

Really, she hadn’t.

That kind of weakness wasn’t for chieftains.

Ak’ka raised her brows in disbelief at Einheria’s insistence that her dad trained her. “I didn’t think you fancy folk were so keen on getting your hands dirty like that- oh, wait, you say you’re not rich.” She sure as hell was fancy, though. At least there was common ground there- Ak’ka’s old man had trained her too, before his untimely death and life became her only teacher. She still had faint memories of him bringing her deep into the mountains, where they would beat the ever-loving tar out of one another until one of them passed out from their injuries. Ak’ka was usually the loser, until she got strong enough to start taking punches. Those were good times.

“Trainin’s different than real life combat.” Ak’ka said, but her mind had already been made up on the subject. It was either tell her no, and have her find someone dumber and weaker that would just let her dumb ass get killed, or Ak’ka could keep ‘em eye on her. The real world was a good teacher- either Einheria could hack it, or she couldn’t. “Fine. Let’s see what you got then, hot stuff. You wanna take your shot at it? I’ll give you a chance.”

She motioned for Einheria to follow her, off in search of a wagon leading out of the city. She didn’t actually… know exactly where the wizard was hiding, so her brilliant plan had been to walk around where he was last spotted and start smashing shit until she drew him out. It seemed like Einheria was book smart from the way she talked all educated- street smart was a different story- but maybe she’d be able to come up with some better strategy.

Einheria cannot help but tilt her head at Ak'ka's insistence that she must be messing with her; has she done something to project a sense of disingenuousness? She harkens back to those fables from her earlier centuries, when she was still a hatchling barely able to grasp the common language, all those stories of birds who'd sing too loudly, their gentle chirping sweet deceit-- stories of fair sirens whose songs would lead sailors to doom. Oh, perhaps it's the excessive chattering that's doing it! She should truly keep that in check, then; the last thing she wants to do is come across as too forthright or too overbearing, overloading this poor woman with information before she has a chance to process it. Surely, that is the issue.

"I do not believe we were ever wealthy," she muses quietly, though she does furrow her brow, as if she isn't totally sure. It isn't as if she was ever aware of how much coin her father carried, after all-- all she knows is that she has hardly a Solar to her name. "I have little to my name, myself, though-- no more than the lance I carry and the coin I save for reserves."

She-- very, very carefully, minding her teeth-- bites her tongue, falling silent as Ak'ka continues talking, staring up at her with big, hopeful eyes as the half-orc seems to mull it over. She nods when given a cue, to indicate her understanding, but she does not speak; not until the word "fine" leaves Ak'ka's lips, and pure joy and relief lights up Einheria's face like a particularly vibrant bonfire, excitement kindling in her delicate features with all the heat and passion of embers spitting from flame-licked firewood.

"Oh! I promise you will not regret this, M-- Ak'ka!" she chimes, her voice a sonorous bell, too melodic for the subject, too delighted about the idea of a manhunt. Gratitude nearly brings tears to well up in her eyes, but determination keeps them at bay as she summons her lance in a flurry of ice and snowflakes, the polearm materializing in her hands. "I will not hold you back! Oh, I've waited centuries for a journey like this..."

The last words are softer, almost a whisper, but she's hardly paying them much thought as she follows after Ak'ka, jubilation alive and well within her.

"So, may I ask where the wizard in question was last seen? Or where he dwells? Where are our hunting grounds?"

Ak’ka had to give it to her- Einheria definitely got points for enthusiasm, even if she walked and talked like a proper lady with a stick up her ass. She still wasn’t sure she believed the little lady’s story about not having any money, but it wasn’t her place to judge. All she had to do was keep the girl from getting hit by any nasty spells if it turned out she was all talk. At the drop of a hat this hunting mission had turned into a bodyguarding one. Ak’ka guessed that was alright with her. Most of her people would scoff at the idea of protecting the weak, but Ak’ka saw it as her duty to make sure little gung-ho idiots like Miss Einheria didn’t get themselves killed.

Besides, who knew? Maybe Einheria would surprise her. Wouldn’t be the first time Ak’ka had met someone unassuming and been proven wrong.

Oblivious to Einheria’s mental turmoil- though she wasn’t so unobservant that she missed the glinting fangs in the girl’s mouth this time- Ak’ka uncrumpled the paper that had been clutched in her fist in a death grip, carefully smoothing it over. The paper held all the information on the bounty. She’d read it enough times to understand the important parts. The wizard’s name, his abilities, where he’d last been spotted in the Coldwoods. Most importantly was the hefty number in bold numbers down at the bottom, which she tapped with a calloused finger for Einheria to see. “Won’t be that way for much longer. Check out the price on this guy’s head. We’ll be swimming in it if we can pull this off. And don’t worry, I split even. Fifty-fifty. Money don’t matter to me.”

Einheria damn near started jumping for joy at Ak’ka’s acceptance before summoning her spear with a little bit of magic, the air growing colder around her as she did. Ak’ka’s eyes momentarily widened in surprise, but the shock paled in comparison to what she felt when she heard Einheria’s comment about waiting for centuries. She whipped her head back around for a double take, checking the girl for pointed ears that she might’ve missed, only to find none. She knew elves lived for a long time, which was why they usually ruled or whatever, but she was pretty sure that humans didn’t, unless she’d missed something big during her nap under the ice.

That was when she put the pieces together. The fangs. The proper attitude. The long lifespan. The need to be invited along before coming on an adventure. All of it had clicked in her mind. “Wait, you’re not one of them blood-sucking vampires, are you?” She asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the lady who was trailing behind her like an excitable little duckling. She’d never met one of them in real life before, thought they were myth just like every sane person out there. It was just her luck she now had a little undead creature to look out for.

Maybe she should’ve been freaked out by what she’d just uncovered, but Ak’ka could only manage light indifference. Sure, it was weird, but Ak’ka didn’t judge. She shrugged, cracking her knuckles with an audible popping sound as she returned her mind to one of her favorite things- glorious combat. “We’re searchin’ the Coldwoods today.”

"Oh, my," Einheria gasps as she looks over the number for the bounty, eyes twinkling. There's a shadow of guilt, there, swirling beneath that sparkle, both at odds. "You would truly split it evenly with me? Are you certain? I do not wish for you to lose out on too much because of me... but if you are certain, then I owe you my deepest gratitude."

It almost feels too good to be true, really, that she'd stumble upon a woman as generous as Ak'ka! As hard as her edges may seem, as sharp her tongue and all her planes, perhaps there's a sweetness there that Einheria hadn't initially detected-- the very notion has her heart singing with joy, a smile lighting up her face as she follows along after the half-orc, twirling her lance around in one effortless, excited gesture. She falters, briefly, however, as Ak'ka seems to catch onto her whispered comment.

"A vampire?" she echoes, tilting her head ever-so-slightly at Ak'ka's question, lilac eyes wide with surprise and the tiniest flicker of amusement. That ember quickly kindles into a full giggle, as sweet and painfully dulcet as the rest of her, before she looks back up at the half-orc once more, a tiny, knowing smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "No, no, I am hardly some undead creature; they call my kind dragons."

She says it so casually, easily, as if she's merely announced that she's a half-elf, her tone never shifting from that cheerful melody for a second. It'd be easy to assume she's merely jesting, but there's those too-sharp fangs, the reptilian slits of her pupils, the opalescent scales that glimmer on the height of her cheeks, pale and obscured just enough by her hair to merely seem like a strange choice in makeup or something of the sort-- all traits that are, on their own, mayhaps just a bit strange, but add up to that unusual sum altogether.

Einheria merely smiles up at Ak'ka for a moment longer before walking along after her, nodding at the information she's been given, tapping her fingertip against her chin as she muses over it.

"The Coldwoods? Right, then! We have a bit of travel ahead, in that case. Shall we?"

“Yep. Fine with me. Fifty-fifty.” Hell, Ak’ka would be willing to give Einheria more if she was really that strapped for Solars. For Ak’ka, this was less about the money and more about answers, if there were any to be found at the end of this road. Part of her wondered if she’d ever find the man she was searching for, but she had to push that doubt aside. Worrying about a problem didn’t do anything to fix it- if this wasn’t the wizard she was looking for, she’d just go out there and try again the next day, and tear these mountains apart stone by stone until that coward came out of his hiding place.

The little lady giggled at Ak’ka’s guess, and the half-orc soured. It wasn’t that funny, but Einheria seemed to think the idea was laughable, leaving Ak’ka feeling like her smarts had just been called into question.

“... You’re a what.”

Yeah, that made a lot more sense than Ak’ka’s guess. She knew a little bit about dragons- mostly stories that were passed around the clan in awed tones, almost respectful of the powerful beings that slumbered away in mountains. There was a hierarchy to these things in the heights of Frostgale, where the strongest thrived, and dragons stood atop them all. Even Ak’ka they were nothing to be messed with, that their elemental might was enough to split mountains and cause blizzards that razed the lands.

She just didn’t think that they would be so… shrimpy.

Ak’ka raised her eyebrows at Einharia’s cheerful statement, considered this for a moment, and shrugged. She could roll with the punches like the best of them, and Einheria being a dragon of all things didn’t change their mission any.

“Guess I should’a expected that.” She grunted eventually before continuing onwards. “But ain’t your kind supposed to have wings? And be… mighty?”

Oh. Right. Travel. The Coldwoods were a long ways away from the Pale City. Thankfully, it didn’t take Ak’ka long to find a cart that would be willing to let them hitch a ride for a couple of solars. Ak’ka climbed in the back, gesturing for Einheria to follow. “Might wanna settle in, Dragonling. It’s gonna be a bit of a journey.” She kicked her feet up on the side of the wagon- any protests from the cart owner were met with a stony glare that shut him up real quick- and pulled out a flask from inside her coat before taking a swig. The sting of hard liquor burned her throat, but it was not enough to warm her core.

Ak’ka scowled. It felt like nothing could break the chill these days.

She wiped at the side of her mouth, glancing down at her new little companion. “Want a swig?”

Einheria pauses, briefly, at the way Ak'ka's expression seems to pinch with her laughter, as if she's jumped to the conclusion that she's being ridiculed-- ah, for all her care and caution about the minutiae, she really isn't careful where it counts, is she...? As habitually as ever, Einheria bites at her lower lip, worry flashing across her face as she reins in her cheer, not wanting her excitement to veer into condescension. Ak'ka is a potential friend, after all! A potential friend isn't someone she wants to chase off so soon!

"Well, most dragons are capable of adopting a humanoid form," she begins, extending her hands out and slowly sweeping them downward in an explanatory gesture. She taps the gathering of iridescent scales on her cheek as she continues, signaling one of her less human traits. "It depends, from case to case, but a lot of us maintain aspects of our more draconic features even in human form-- merely not the more significant things. I... lack the capability of adopting my draconic body at the moment, unfortunately. To put it simply, I am... trapped in this human shell. So there will be... no flight for me for some time."

A fragile smile pulls at the corners of Einheria's lips at that, though it doesn't linger long-- the sorrow that pulls at her expression over her condition is clear to see, even if she makes light of it, won't let herself or her companion dwell too long on the subject. She merely follows along as Ak'ka goes searching for a wagon willing to take two more passengers, offering a sweet smile and a flutter of those long eyelashes to any cart-driver who would spare her a glance, delight quickly lighting up her pretty face as soon as one of them agrees.

The way she settles within the back of the wagon stands in stark contrast to Ak'ka's own positioning-- she crosses her legs at the ankle, her hands folded delicately in her lap, shoulders set and posture straight. The only thing that causes her to falter is the flask Ak'ka pulls from her coat.

"Ah-- what, precisely, is that?"

To be honest, Einheria’s story about how dragons worked flew in one ear and out the other. The basics of it were easy to grasp- they either appeared human, or they didn’t. And Einheria was only human for now… though it would have been badass to watch her turn into a towering beast and raining ice and hellfire down on the wizard. Oh, well. Ak’ka could dream. She was still thinking about it as she relaxed in the cart, utterly at home as if she owned the thing while Einharia was perched like a pretty little porcelain doll on a shelf. She tilted her head to the side, blinking in confusion as she asked what was in it.

Ak’ka stared at her.

“What else? It’s alcohol. Booze. Spirits?” She asked, even more confused than Einheria seemed to be. “You can’t tell me you’ve never heard of alcohol before.” She took another long swig of her drink, downing maybe half the flask in one go. She frowned at it, shaking it to test how much liquid was in there. She really needed to invest in a bigger flask. “What did you live under, a rock or something?” She laughed before realizing that probably wasn’t too far off the mark. Didn’t dragons live under mountains? That was a rock… a big rock.

She’d wanted to help Einheria loosen up a bit before a fight, but if Einheria didn’t know what liquor was, Ak’ka wasn’t gonna be the one to introduce it to her. She was irresponsible and reckless as all hell, but she wasn’t fixing to be the one to experience a drunk Einheria for the first time. “Eh, probably ain’t your thing anyways. If you wanna learn how to loosen up and have a little fun, you don’t need alcohol to do it.”

Gods knew that Einheria looked like she could use a way to relax, especially since it looked like they would have nothing but time on their way to the Coldwoods. Their cart was already bumping out of the city limits, but they wouldn’t get to the forest for another couple of hours. This was the part Ak’ka hated most about any mission, the waiting and the travel. It was all just so boring. At least she wasn’t alone, even though Einheria looked like she was still about to spontaneously combust from the nerves. Ak'ka could fix that.

“For starters. You don’t gotta sit there with that rigid posture if you wanna relax. And you can tell me more about your old man. We got nothing but time right now.”

"O-Oh!" she chirps, realization dawning on her face. So that would explain the heady aroma of the liquid, the almost dizzying scent of it lingering in the air-- so this was the Fabled Liquor. Einheria had never tasted any herself, but she'd certainly read about it-- fancy wines and significantly less fancy dwarven ales, spirits made from strange fruits and wheat and hops and other things she's only ever seen faded drawings of. Her father had loved some particular kind-- something called mead, she thinks? Made from honey? It sounds kind of sweet-- but had openly forbade her from drinking any, keeping any bottles he brought home rather carefully stowed away.

Hm, she certainly hopes mead doesn't expire-- she's not sure how kind seven hundred years would be to her father's beloved liquor, otherwise. Perhaps she'll have to set aside some Solars to buy him a bottle or two, for when Miss Skuld and her finally manage to awaken him. It'd be nice to give him something to smile over as he blinks awake from such a long, deep sleep.

"Ah, there is no need for such disbelief, Ak'ka, I do in fact know what liquor is," she adds quickly, dispersing her thoughts with a quick and practiced smile. She certainly doesn't want Ak'ka to think she's merely a foolish and inexperienced hatchling! "I merely have never sampled any myself. Ah... perhaps you are correct, though, and I should wait to try such a thing on my own time. My father always insisted that I should wait for a proper time for such a thing, anyway."

Speaking of her father, the moment Ak'ka gives her an opening to start chattering away about him, Einheria's eyes practically begin twinkling, little lavender stars whirling in place as though she's waited for this opportunity for some time. She hesitates for only a moment, carefully adjusting her position in an endeavor to assume that "relaxed" posture Ak'ka mentioned before she speaks.

"You... would really wish to hear about my father?" she whispers joyously, delightedly, clearly happy for the chance to talk about the person she loves most. "Oh, where would I begin...? He's an adventurer, so he would go out on lengthy journeys and I would be by myself for a while, but he would always come back with so many trinkets from his ventures... and the stories...! I could not leave our home myself, but when he would tell me about his adventures, it practically felt as though I had stepped out on that venture right by his side...!"

Well, that had definitely opened the floodgates. Ak’ka nodded along as the dragonling talked about her old man, a dragon adventurer apparently, with an excited gleam in her oddly-colored eyes. Ak’ka guessed that explained why she had some combat training, at least.

“Sounds like a good man.” She said, finishing off the rest of her flask in another gulp. “Must care about you a hell of a lot. You trying to follow in his footsteps with all this?”

Come to think about it, did Einheria’s old man even know she was out here running around like a little vigilante? She was real young looking, and Ak’ka had shit all of an idea if she was even an adult or some teenager with a lot of spunk running around trying to be like her dad.

“Does he even know you’re here?” She asked. “Or is this a running away situation? Not my business if it is, just hoping to avoid a dragon raining hellfire… hell-ice on me because his little princess slipped out of the house.” But it actually might be fun to try fighting one, if she could swing it. She spaced out for a moment, dreaming about what it would be like on top of one of the mountains of Frostgale, wrangling a giant, scaly lizard in a glorious battle of kill or be killed…

But challenging a dragon could wait until after the wizard.

“Not like I care if he knows or not. A little teenage rebellion is healthy, ya know? I probably gave my old man plenty of heart attacks back in the day. You may not know it lookin’ at me but I was a little hellraiser.” She let out a laugh remembering her days as a kid swinging a hammer around and breaking people’s kneecaps before they could wrestle it out of her hands.