The Chalet Located halfway up a mountainside is a Chalet with a difference. Usually you'd find snow and cold weather up where the Chalet is located, but not here. The abnormal weather up on the mountain is due to the incredibly hot weather that runs through the rocks and into natural springs. Instead of chilly and icy, it's humid and a comfortable warm almost all times of the year. Nearly every morning a soft mist rolls across the gardens of the Chalet and it's handful of holiday shacks, while the clouds fill the gaps in the mountains like pure white cotton candy. The view from either side of the Chalet is amazing. Not to mention the hike to the mountaintop spring is quite amazing, as well as the walk to the eastern spring and the ruins in the west. The only place that is off-limits to the resort patrons is Drayce's personal hot spring, since it's located inside his private property, inside the tall wooden fencing of his Chalet home.
The Interior The original floor plan of the Chalet remains, but some serious changes were made. The first floor stayed pretty much the same, just remodelled to suit Drayce's luxurious tastes, especially the dining room, which admittedly never gets used. The laundry is just a washer and dryer located in the passageway off the side of the kitchen, where the downstairs bathroom was converted into a spa room for winter use. It's barely even a bathroom anymore. The family room opens up with French folding doors to the Chalets garden, which hasn't changed from when Drayce first bought the place. The upper floor was completely converted on the other hand. The first bedroom and second were spared much change, just redesigned to be much more fancy. The fourth bedroom became a library after the walk-in robe was ripped out, which to be honest is more like a historical chronology of Drayce's families past, half the books being in an ancient draconic language, while half the other books are your basic history books, with some novels thrown into the mix. The third bedroom was completely ripped apart, the walk-in closet removed as well to change the whole area into a beautiful music room. This is Drayce's favourite room, and not even Darcy is allowed into it. You must be a very special person to Drayce to be allowed into this room.
The Features
The View
The Garden
Ground Floor
kitchen + kitchen nook, dining room, family room, entertaining/media room, living room, spa room
First Floor
master bedroom, master bathroom, music room, library, spare bedroom, main bathroom
Welcome to your new home. Enjoy.
Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 4:58 am
"What about you? You aren't nearly as pissy as when we left, so I'm guessing you've relaxed some,"
Blinking, a little taken aback by her sudden comment, it took Drayce a moment to formulate a reply. Aine had admitted that she was enjoying herself at this little secret spot of his, a comment he hadn’t actually expected to be so sincere, and it had made him pause mid-chew. Staring at the large piece of crusty bread he’d been stuffing into his mouth, the dragon forced himself to swallow before giving a casual half-smile. "I… Am quite at peace right now, actually." Toasting her with his piece of bread, he stuffed the rest of it in his mouth and leaned back on his hands, eyes turned to the sky. A few chews and the morsel was gone, and Drayce piped up in a lazy tone of voice. "It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to relax like this. For a long time this place was more like a sanctuary than anything else… But that’s a story for another day, pretty bird. I’m far too content to tell that tale." Winking, Drayce absent-mindedly picked at the platter he’d pieced together, wondering silently just how Aine would take that statement.
He had zero intentions of ever telling her about his ex, nor the fact that she wanted him dead.
With enough food shovelled into his face, Drayce seemed to take on a much more content aura than previously seen. It had been a very long time since Drayce had felt like he could totally relax and peek out from behind his wall. He didn’t want to trust Aine so early on in this partnership, but with her no-care attitude, he was finding it very hard to pretend to be this sarcastic, macho dragon he often pretended to be. Sighing gently, the man rubbed his face and pushed a few wayward bangs out of his face. Was he ready to learn to let someone into his world, to risk someone’s life just so he could be comfortable and guilt-free? No, probably not, but at least if he was going to start to tell another living soul about his messed up history, at least it was one that was as equally as immortal as he was. All he needed was time.
A shadow passing over the sunken clearing made the dragon freeze mid-reach towards food.
Eyes going wide, an audible gasp of air was expelled and it took the male a moment to sit up straight and look up to the sky. There were a few clouds, sure, but they were quite wispy. Surely it must have been a cloud that passed over, but that quickly? "Did… You see that? Or are my eyes more tired than I thought." Trying to laugh it off, there was a hint of noticeable panic in his voice. So much for wanting more time before needing to explain this hefty amount of baggage he carried around. A chill passed over the male as the all too familiar feeling of being watched fell over him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as a wash of goosebumps danced across his skin briefly. Forcing Aine to retreat back home thanks to his own problems hadn’t been high on his list of things to ever have to do, but here he was, trying to calmly pack the picnic away into the hamper.
"I’m going to say this once and once only; if I ever say we need to leave somewhere, we’re leaving. No questions, no arguments. It’s for your own safety, Aine. You’ll learn why one day." The use of her actual name instead of some kind of bird related nickname was hopefully all that Drayce needed to convince his feisty companion that he wasn’t messing around. He knew full well there would most likely be a fight this time around, and to be honest he couldn’t blame her, especially after bringing her to what was supposed to be a quiet, secluded area. Hamper packed up in a completely undignified manner, Drayce got dressed hurriedly before whistling in a ridiculously high-pitched tone. The sound only lasted a second, but by the time Drayce had his shoes on and basket in hand, a very large, very fluffy black animal was running down the steps towards the two. No longer the size of a mere wolf, Darcy was in full on protective mode, and as large as a pony. "Darcy, guard us and guide us home. Something isn’t right.." It was all Drayce was willing to give away at this moment, regardless of whatever questions Aine might have voiced. It was also the last the dragon spoke, opting to stay silent and pale-faced on the rather rapid walk back to his chalet.
Did he care if Aine would be angry about this sudden departure? No, not if it meant potentially saving her from a needless and bloody death. There would be plenty of time to make it up to her, plenty of chances to give her a proper day out without the fear of being attacked. Just, right at this very second, he was preoccupied with keeping himself - and Aine obviously - alive and well. Everything had been going so beautifully that afternoon too. He’d even allowed himself to relax and let his old self seep through a crack in his armoured wall. Maybe that had been his mistake, maybe letting himself get comfortable around someone new so quickly had let his guard down. Buying Aine hadn’t really been something he’d planned to do, he wasn’t even sure why he’d gone to that place to start with, but yet it felt like it was something he had to do. Like something had drawn him there. Not one to believe in fate or any of that bullshit, he’d convinced himself he’d go buy someone for company, for entertainment. To break the monotony that was his immortal life.
But there was only so much self-convincing someone could do before the truth shattered the illusion.
By the time the male got to the gates of his chalet, he was on the edge of panic. Fingers worked their way quickly through violet hair to pull it up into a messy sort of bun, flyaway strands of hair dancing in his face as he ushered Aine inside to safety. A hushed command to guard the house was given to Darcy, the beast of a hellhound bounding off to the boundaries of the chalet compound with little more than an understanding growl. Drayce knew he was most likely over-reacting to the situation, but he had gone years without even a hint of that things darkness. To have it show up when he was finally on track with his life, finally getting his act together and getting to do what he wanted, it was surely no coincidence. Muscles in the man’s forearms twitched, his neck ropey and tensed as if it was recalling a multitude of pain and anger, Drayce had to suck in a deep breath before he could finally speak to Aine in a voice very unlike his usual smooth tone. "I need you to stay in the chalet grounds for a while. This isn’t a request. You can call workers over from the main resort but you cannot leave until I say so. Do not disobey me. Please." While the please was a quick afterthought, the dragon had to make sure the woman in his care understood just how serious he was about this matter. Even his eyes had reverted to their bright violet dragon colour, slit pupil and all. Silvery wisps of smoke ghosted from his nostrils as he took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart as they walked back inside the wooden chalet, the door firmly shut and hastily locked. As strange as it was for a dragon to reside inside something wooden, the chalet wasn’t as flammable as it appeared to be. Drayce wasn’t an idiot, he had safety precautions set up long ago.
With little left to say to Aine besides mumbling "Order what you want for dinner, I’m not hungry." on his way to the stairs, Drayce shut himself inside his bedroom. There wasn’t much he could do right now besides watch his windows and wait to see if it had been a trick of the eye and a huge misunderstanding, or if danger really was on it’s way to his quiet mountain retreat. If things came to it, he’d end the threat once and for all, but that required losing his one shred of dignity that remained, and falling into the same category as her. But, if it meant protecting Aine and giving her the life she needed… Drayce supposed that he could put aside his selfish ways and swallow his cowardice if it became necessary.
Maybe it was true, that human saying, about the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Aine wasn't trying to reach his heart, but she was much happier when he wasn't being so cranky and nasty all the time. She put that thought away to ponder on later - if she kept him stuffed full of food, would his mood stay the same? She'd have to try that out. The phoenix went back to her own meal, more interested in her stomach than conversation right at the moment, and didn't notice the shadow that passed over them. Even if she had, there was no reason that she knew of to care about it and would have summarily ignored it.
Instead, they nice day out after all the days of putting up with his miserable, cranky butt was ruined. Of course, Aine had no one to blame but the dragon himself, considering his behavior and the fact he hadn't told her anything at all about himself. She didn't much care that he used her name and how serious his tone was - he was bullying her again and she was angry enough to argue with him, but he wouldn't listen. There were no questions directed at him, other than 'what the hell he thought he was doing', and an angry silence fell over her as she stalked after him. The phoenix had no reason to believe anything was wrong and after his moody attitude all week, she assumed he was simply being an a** because he could be.
And then he actually forbade her from leaving the damn house and walked away. Bristling angrily, Aine could have spit fireballs if she had felt like it, she was so ticked off at him. She hated being bossed around, he knew that, and hated even more putting up with his attitude for no reason whatsoever. She'd tried to be nice to him, putting up with his sulky mood and pouting, and he didn't give half a damn about her after all. So the phoenix decided that she'd do as she pleased, like she should have been doing all along - he was treating her like some stupid pet that he could toy with and do with as he wished, without considering her at all. Tossing her head, she ignored the hellhound whining at her. Like she was seriously going to sit around the rest of the day, doing nothing like she had every other day, while he went and sulked again. Was she supposed to just sit around and wait for him to decide to pay attention to her? That was what it seemed like to Aine and she was not going to put up with it for another day. Not even another hour.
So the pissed-off immortal stalked right out of the house, ignoring Darcy's attempts to keep her inside. He wouldn't hurt her to keep her there and that was good enough for the phoenix. She was done with Drayce's attitude and treatment of her.
There was nothing at all amiss outside and she huffed, stalking along the path and planning to go to the resort instead of sitting around the chalet like a stuffed doll he shoved back in a closet. It was warm and sunny and Aine was much happier as she headed down the stone path, humming to herself. She might not even go back at all, if he couldn't appreciate her after a week of dealing with his moods, then he wouldn't appreciate her at all, she decided, a firm nod accompanying her private thoughts. He'd had his chance - Aine had had high hopes that they would get along, or at least compliment each other's lifestyles enough that it wouldn't be bad to stay with him. But no, he'd gone and ruined it, he'd had enough time. She'd have her fun today, go back for her beloved platypus later, and take off on her own again. Satisfied with her decision, Aine had a smirk on her lips as she enjoyed the walk, the sun warming her skin.
But not as nicely as the hot springs had.
x x x x x
Status: // Irritated and crankyxxxLocation: // back to boredomxxxCompany: // all alone now
Drayce had hidden himself in his room and locked the door, drawn the curtains, and turned off all the lights. It was a childish move, then against everything Drayce had done lately had been childish, so it wasn’t exactly out of character for him today. But it was out of character for him to panic at this level. His irrational attitude towards letting Aine out was seemingly within his current level of sanity, or at least, as much as Aine had seen, yet there was something much more intense than his last requests. He had straight-out forbidden her to leave, and he’d actually assumed she’d listen, without following up on his actions.
This had been the part that was most out-of-character for Drayce. Why drop such a severe threat if he wasn’t going to follow up on it?
It was the sheer panic that had gripped him in his very soul.
Curled up on his bed, Drayce had never felt panic like this in years. The last time he had felt something as close was when he had been reborn and was desperate to find his family after that event. Hand clutched to his chest, one raking through his violet locks, Drayce focussed on taking deep breaths to calm down. Aine couldn’t see him panic like this, it would destroy every illusion he had built up. His show of power, his egotistical wall he’d built up, it would all be destroyed if she found out. His whole charade would be broken and he would be back at the beginning, recovering from the pain and heartbreak She had caused.
The man was so worked up he couldn’t even hear Darcy’s desperate woofs and barks, the hellhound trying it’s best to keep the redhead from leaving the grounds. Not wanting to hurt the female but wanting to please his owner, Darcy did everything he could without transforming into his bigger, angrier form, and it had accomplished nothing. Whining and pacing in a circle at the gates, watching Aine walk off towards the resort, Darcy did the only thing his canine brain could think of; get Master. With a small whimper, the dog trotted off back to the house before breaking out into a run. Giving some warning barks as he rushed up the stairs, he sat by Drayce’s bedroom door and wined. Not getting a response, not even a yell to be quiet, he upped the ante and gave a few soft woofs.
”Not now, Darcy.” Giving a happy wuff, it was a start, but still no open door. Sitting in silence for a few moments before pacing in a circle again, the hellhound knew Aine was getting farther away from safety, so he went all out and started barking at the door. It took a few moments, before he got the desired outcome and the bedroom door opened and his disgruntled Master appeared. With a worried whine, he pushed his way into the room and jumped straight onto his Master’s bed, a very rude and very uncharacteristic action for the hellhound.
Staring at his companion, Drayce placed his hands on his hips. Darcy never barked at his door, let alone jumped on his bed. The hellhound was always very well behaved, what was going on? ”Darcy, what the hell buddy. This isn’t like you.” The look he received, Drayce was sure that Darcy had just sassed him with a ‘yeah this isn’t like you either’ look. Sighing, he rubbed his face. ”Yeah yeah, okay. Pot calling the kettle black. Why aren’t you watching Aine?” A pitiful, almost shameful whine was the response he got, as his hellhound laid down on the bed with a look that spoke of ‘I’m sorry, I tried, but…’ followed by another whine. Straightening up, Drayce frowned. Darcy would never disobey him. Ever. He would follow every command he gave, so for him to be here, looking pitiful…
”Darcy, did Aine leave?” Another whine, this time a lot more pitiful than the previous one. ”Darcy, did Aine head towards the resort?” Violet eyes watched his hellhound jump off the bed and walk up to him to sit at his feet. Hands balling in anger, Drayce looked to the ceiling of his bedroom and sighed angrily. She disobeyed him, how could she? Did she not realise that…
His train of thought cut off rather quickly. How could Aine realise she was in danger, if he’d never explained it to her? By trying to hide his past, he’d let the headstrong redhead do what she wanted, just like he should have expected. His own panic over what could have just been a cloud in the sky caused this to happen. Groaning, there was only one answer to this, and it was to be flat out honest with Aine. It wasn’t what he wanted to do, and the thought made his stomach knot angrily, but if it kept them safe and her in his home with him, then it had to be done. He wanted the phoenix here, in his house, not at the resort with the endless stream of others she could play with. He could keep her safe here, keep her in a life of luxury and supply her with endless fun. At least until that blasted woman ruined it all.
”C’mon Darcy, let’s go find her. She’s a strong woman, she won’t come back, but let’s give her the option. It may work out best for us if we show her she has a choice, even if it may end with one or both of us dead.” Sighing, the male quickly brushed out his hair and tied it back into a ponytail at the base of his head. Pulling on a simple steel grey knit, he straightened up his dark blue slimfit jeans and slipped on a pair of basic black converse. He wanted to look as inconspicuous as possible, even if it was difficult with his current hair colour. Shame he was too vain to get a wig. Tying the last shoe, Drayce grabbed his house keys, resort keycards, shoved his phone into his jeans pocket, and left the house in a light jog. ”Lead me to her Darcy.”
It took them a few moments to spot the redhead walking down the shaded trail to the resort, and the dragon was suddenly glad he’d made a lot of the direct paths to his house twist through the forest in places; unless you knew where to go, good luck getting to his house. Signalling Darcy to go up ahead to not totally surprise Aine, he allowed the redhead a few moments to vent a little at Darcy trying yet again to stop her before he called out. It was a risky move, and one that would end up in a shouting match if he wasn’t careful, but it had to be done.
”Aine? Please, I need you to wait a moment. It’s important.” The cocky tone to his voice was gone, a gentle, almost velvet sound replaced it. As much as he hated his actual voice instead of that suave playboy tone he’d adopted, he figured it was the only way she’d take him seriously now. Walking up to her, but not close enough to intrude in her personal space, Drayce sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. ”Look, I… First up, I won’t stop you going to the resort. I just ask you hear me out for a minute.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he looked to the redhead and felt the panic rise in his chest again. He never thought he’d ever have to reveal his past, but if this was to work, she needed to know the danger in his life. ”I have something I need to explain. It’s not something I was ever going to reveal, for your safety and because of my own ego, but… I think it’s time I spoke about it. Keeping you in the dark isn’t going to keep you any safer.” Rubbing his neck again, he turned his gaze to the sky above, allowing himself to look vulnerable for the first time since he’d found Aine.
”I… If you… Look, with respect, can I ask you return to the house by dark? After today I can understand if you’d want to find a room at the resort for tonight, but… If you return, I’ll explain everything. Then maybe you’ll understand.” Pulling some keycards out his pocket, he offered them to Aine. ”These are my spares, they’ll allow you access anywhere. I do have access to the resort cameras, and I’m only telling you because I need to keep an eye on the public areas. Everywhere private is just that; private. There’s some gift stores, exotic, beachy clothing stores, and your typical resort buildings. Enjoy yourself, and I mean it. Enjoy it.” Returning his hand to his pocket, he turned to walk away. ”I do home you’ll come home tonight, but again, I get it if you don’t. Go have fun.” And leaving the redhead with the keycards, Drayce turned and headed back home. Darcy hovered for a moment near the redhead in hopes to get some pets, before following his Master home. The house had no defenses except for the hellhound, so he knew where he was most needed.
Down in the town at the base of the mountains, where Aine and Drayce had stopped before trekking up to his home, a shadow passed overhead. The townsfolk didn’t notice, and kept on with their lives. Finding refuge in a series of caves on the other side of the mountains, a giant black creature shifted to a humanoid form. A female, one with hair so black it shimmered with sapphire undertones, and eyes of beautiful crimson. She was beautiful, unnaturally so, and she had used it to her advantage over many centuries. Her most memorable time was many centuries ago, and she’s nearly gotten the biggest payoff in her life. The honour in her clan it would have given her would have been worth the bloodshed and betrayal, but the universe had had other plans. She’d promised the last members of her clan revenge on those that almost wiped them out, and she demanded retribution. All it required was to find Drayce, and give him an ultimatum; wed her and sign over his clan rights and riches to her, or face a permanent death.
Halfway down to the resort when Darcy appeared again, Aine frowned. She knew if the hellhound was there - there was the stupid dragon. She easily noticed the change in his voice, his posture, but she didn't much care at the moment, pushed too far. It was good he kept a distance, since the phoenix might otherwise have tried to burn him. Giving him a flat, angry stare, she crossed her arms stubbornly and didn't look the least bit inclined to do as he requested. In her opinion, he should have been groveling a whole lot more, since currently it was none in her eyes, and actually saying 'sorry'. Instead he told her to 'go have fun', which seemed incredibly dismissive and patronizing to the woman. Like she was going to be appeased by 'having fun' and then come back to get treated like crap again. If she hadn't been a bird, she would have growled at him in irritation. Instead, Drayce's words were met with a stony silence, the only gesture her snatching the keycards out of his grip angrily. That should have made it obvious to the dragon he wasn't even close to being forgiven, if she felt like it at all.
Aine was as old as he was, or older. She certainly was just as stubborn.
Left to her own devices, how kind, the phoenix continued her walk to the resort. Save for a few brief trips that week, she hadn't been there or explored much and was planning on thoroughly spoiling herself. Of course, the staff knew she was important, even without the keycards they knew that the owner had a girlfriend or something up at his place. So she got to do as she pleased, soaking in a hot tub for a bit before getting a massage and spa treatment - it wasn't as if her skin needed it, but Aine enjoyed the feeling of being pampered and it wasn't as if it hurt either, so who cared? Maybe she flirted with some of the staff there that caught her eye - but who cared about that, either? Drayce had told her it would be tit for tat if she brought someone to the chalet, but he hadn't paid her any decent attention for a week, so she sincerely doubted he actually cared what she did. Maybe his ego would, but Aine was long-past giving a damn about men's egos, human or otherwise.
And he really should have known better than to expect her to return at dark. It was certainly a sign of how angry she was, leaving her platypus at the chalet and not coming to get him for the night, but that was exactly what Aine did. The poor thing was left on her bed in her empty room, while the phoenix claimed one of the suites for the evening and settled in with television and snacks. She was completely and utterly done doing as Darcy ordered, suggested, or hinted - a week of putting up with his crap was more than enough, and then the ruined day? Hah. "He knew what he was getting when he bought me," she muttered to herself angrily, stretched out on the bed in a fuzzy robe and nothing else. He knew she wasn't some obedient little pet to sit around like a dog and do whatever he said.
She wished she had set his hair on fire.
x x x x x
Status: // Irritated and crankyxxxLocation: // back to boredomxxxCompany: // all alone now
