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Things weren't completely right, not yet, but... it was a start. There was progression. There... was hope.

The dragon king was glad for that.

Today, he was making good on a promise – he'd promised Zhijian that he would train, that he would learn how to fight. This was also a promise that he had made to his host. And today, right now, he was making good on both those promises, even if it wasn't with the intended recipient.

No, he very well intended to make up for lost time, to surprise his brother with whatever skill he had managed to gather when it was finally time. He had to make up for it, for the time he'd lost by his doomed first choice for an host. He had much to do and much too learn.

It was about time he finally put himself to it.

”Have I ever used a weapon in my prime, Lindita ? Do you remember ?" The god asked, even as he moved to dodge the hit from the demoness' make-shift staff. She'd been uncomfortable with the idea of this training, at first – what if she accidentally struck her lord ?! - and she was clearly unused to such things, but it was good enough to allow the body to ease back into the steps it knew so well, the stances Illisia had assumed for much of her life as a sentinel. The memories where there, as much a part of him as the night elf was – he only needed to keep that going, to learn how to put it into motion himself.

”I am uncertain, my lord. Mostly, I remember dragon-shape over anything else." The aoide's voice held awe, spoke of a spectacular sight, and the dragon king found himself yearning to be that in truth, once more. ”Why not simply do that ? Claws and spikes would be useful...”

”But what if I cannot shift, for a reason or another ?” That was something he's given thought, actually. He could think of ways that could happen – like, if space was an issue. Sure, he was small now, even in dragon form, but if Tian Yue was any indication... He might not remain so forever. Well, hopefully. ”I want to be prepared, no matter the shape I need to hold.”

”...I hadn't thought about that.” The aoide admitted, clearly embarrassed by her lack of foresight. ”I apologize, my lord.”

”There is no need for you to apologize, Lindita.” He said, finally reaching out with his own staff – he didn't manage a hit either as the demoness, quick on hooves, side-stepped. This felt awkward, really, but maybe because it didn't have the proper weight. Illisia flailing with her branch for his behalf had felt just as awkward. Maybe he should find a simple blade to train with. With edge dulled... Just in case. The last thing he wanted to do was truly harm Lindita... or whoever else he might train with. The divine might not be a problem, if they weren't still caught in-between.

Then he turned to strike again – and did, in fact, hit in the midsection, which made Lindita flinch slightly, but... No, she'd been distracted, light blue eyes open wide, staring directly at some sight behind him. She dropped her makeshift weapon and ran. ”Aysu ! Asyu, you're back !”

The god turned, and saw his servant embrace another – who definitively felt like an aoide as well. The man closed his arms around her, kindly, tenderly. ”It's okay, Lindi. I looked, and looked, but... I didn't find anything...”

The demoness laughed – happily, merrily, as if her world was finally complete, then squeezed him tenderly in her hold before letting him go. ”Foolish elfling.” She spoke in amusement rather than reprimand. ”Can't you recognize your own lord as he stands in front of you ?”

”M-My lord ?! Oh, thank the crown, you're here !” Aysu exclaimed. ”I feared...”

”Okay, okay. Time out. Explanations ? Please ?” Xun Jiang was, indeed, a very confused dragon king. ”Who are you ?”

”Lord... You do not remember ?” Aysu asked, confused.

”He remembers little... But we are lucky to have him back at all.” Lindita squeezed his hand and led him toward their master.

”Y-You're right, Lindi. I just...” He shook his head, then let go of her hand to kneel. ”No, it doesn't matter. I am Aysu, Lord Kawagiri. Lindita and I were the two aoidei who awoke from the sleep spell as you found your first host.”

”Rise, Aysu.” And so the aoide did, watching the dragon nervously, as if afraid he might not be accepted into service once again. ”I go by Xun Jiang now, in this life. Welcome back, then, my aoide.”

He was silent, for a moment, but he looked – no one else was around, and now, with two aoidei who apparently knew something... It was almost impossible not to ask. ”Lindita... Aysu... I think it is time.”

”My lord ?” the demoness asked, confused.

”Tell me what happened. The first host...”

”My lord...”

”We...”

Xun Jiang waited, silent and unrelenting. If he did not get them now, he might never again get to courage to seek the answers he wanted.

”We have failed you.”

”How so ?”

”We... were late. Too late. You already had found your first host for a few months, as well had drawn one aoidei into your service – a newling, who had served no master before.” She paused.

”We awoke and came as fast as we could... Yet... Yet. A shiver ran down the dragon's spine. ”When we found you, and her... You were...” His voice trembled.

”The host had failed. There was... nothing left of her. Only ash, and the gem, just barely- just barely... !!” Her eyes squeezed shut, and tears escaped from them.

”Gem reduced to the bare flicker of life.” Aysu drew Lindita in his embrace, and the dragon king allowed it. It made him wonder if the pair were simply close, or... more. With Lindita it could be hard to tell, as friendly as she was. ”Lindita returned the gem to the Twin Crown, and I left, in hope I could either find answers, or find another host. It seemed unlikely that He would leave one of His dragons to perish like this... But, it seems like you did not need my help to do that.”

It was so little, and yet so much to take in, at the same time. ”And the other aoide... ?"

”...She had not lived through the fading, lord. She had never lost her master... She took her own life, in grief. We tried to stop her, but...”

”But she blamed herself.” That was easy enough to decode. ”Like you two blame yourselves.”

The pair of aoidei nodded, wordlessly. Xun Jiang shook his head and walked toward them, putting an hand on both their shoulders. ”Lindita... Aysu...”

”Lord.” Her voice wavered. ”Do you remember ?

”No.” He admitted. More than ever, he was convinced that it was better that way – and more than ever, he wished he hadn't left such broken pieces in his wake. The host, and now, an aoide who had likely done nothing wrong. But not again. Never again. ”But I have learned. The matters in between host and god... are simply that. In betwen host and god. It was not that aoide's lack of care that left me to my downfall, of this I am certain.” Ti Lung paused, giving the pair a long look in hope that this would squash any disagreement. ”And I doubt your presence would have changed much. I made a mistake – Illisia was meant to be the one, this I know now. It is my mistake to bear, not your own.”

”My lord...” Both aoide looked relieved, nonetheless.

”Now... Aysu, please follow us. I believe we have much to talk about...”

Ti Lung had awoken from his slumber, remembering little beyond the company of the liontaur and that he found himself needing rest, quite suddenly. Perhaps he had pushed the still mortal body a little harder than he should have – odd, since he usually took great care in keeping up with his own needs, but he could think of no other reason.

But perhaps the rest had brought more than refreshment. In had, in a way, brought restlessness. And in another way, clarity. A kind of clarity the dragon king had not been able to grasp before.

The images couldn't leave his mind. He found himself replaying the moments Glyph and Illisia had lived together. Their love, their devotion, their care for one another, admirable and adorable. That Glyph had not shied away from his own feelings, even when he was certain that the night elf was doomed to not survive his ascension in any way, shape, or form... was honorable in a way many would not have been in a situation like the one they had found himself into. It was something Xun Jiang had always admired, in Forest.

His gentle, lovely lavender eyes.

The soft brown hair, wild and untamed.

That perfectly shaped, pale horn. Would he keep that, or would that be lost as the echoes of his host faded ? Hmm. Either way, Xun Jiang doubted that Forest's form would be diminished by either outcome.

The branches and leaves, giving just the loveliest touch of his own nature to a body that yet wasn't quite his own.

Those lovely smile, those most beautiful smiles, when he was happy.

The way he pouted, most adorably, when the dragon called him tiny.

His gentleness.

His kindness, his want to help and shelter others.

His willingness to take action, even if deep down his core, he was uncertain.

His mind replayed the memory of a kiss, and he shivered. He found himself yearning for it. Wanting for it.

How could he have been so blind ? How could he could allowed himself to waver for so long ? Stupid, stupid dragon. It all seemed so clear, so easy to put together now, like a piece that had been snapped into place by an unseen hand.

Illisia had loved Glyph. He, for all intent or purpose, was Illisia. What the hell had been so complicated about that, to allow himself to waver to indecision for so long ?!

And then Forest – beautiful Forest, patient Forest, foolish Forest, who had waited even as he'd been lost inside himself. He certainly didn't deserve the care Glyph had always given him, but he found himself yearning for it, nonetheless.

Well.

This would be the case no longer. He'd become something worthy of that affection, he decided.

That was enough.

No more of this. This... indecision.

He was Xun Jiang, the Dragon King Ti Lung. Indecision did not become him, he decided. He was meant to be bold, daring, he was meant to be a dragon. Dragons were not meant to be indecisive, uncertain creatures. Careful consideration was needed, yes, but this had grown beyond that a long time ago.

He shifted – leaving behind scraps of ripping clothing that did not survive the abrupt size change – and took off. He had much to do, now.

And, well, he had to find Forest.

It had been beautiful, amazing, lovely, perfect in every way the Dragon King could think of, and everything he could ever have wanted. Anything he could ever have wished for. It seemed like his confession could have not possibly gone any better, any smoother, once Xun Jiang stopped being so nervous and finally made the first step that he needed to take. Everything else had just flowed along perfectly.

To be accepted so steadily had been such a wonderful and beautiful thing.

And yet...

Yet now, a few days after the fact, Xun Jiang found himself confused and uncertain, as the magic of Love's arrow faded away from him. Not uncertain about his feelings, no, but with the way he had acted that night.

The feeling, the love he had for Glyph, did not fade – he had cared for the Forest god, had loved him, before even being shot, after all. That love and that care had not been of Desiderio's doing – the magic of the arrow had only helped cement it in his mind, helped root it as a constant that the Dragon King finally decided to act on. Ti Lung had held Illisia's love for Forest close to his own chest without truly noticing that he was, as busy as he had been trying to structure the being they had become. In trying to find endings and beginnings in something that was simply meant to be one single being, the being that was now Xun Jiang had overlooked the obvious. The Dragon King was certain of this, now. If only he had thought of it before so much time had passed... Then certainly it would not have taken so long for him to settle and make up his mind, and Ti Lung and Forest would have not have had to thread each other lightly for as long as they had done.

That was his own folly, and he had no other choice but to accept it, now. At least Glyph had not been too upset at him over it.

This was not where the problem did lay, however. No, now it had been days since he had seen Glyph, and the Dragon King started to wonder if, maybe, he had not been a little too... bold. A little too forward in his attention and his affection. It had felt good to simply let it all out and be, he could not argue against that, but...

Well, usually he had more restrain than that. He was less... passionate, more rooted, than Illisia had been, on her lonesome. Or was he ? It was hard to tell, so hard to tell. It was becoming harder to think of Illisia as something that had not always been part of him, and likewise, it was harder to think that he had once been his own being without the night elven woman's influence.

What if that boldness had scared Forest away ? What should he do, then ? It was a very self-conscious matter there, as most new lovers did end up second-guessing their own actions, either ahead of time or after the fact. Were they enough of this ? Not enough of that ? Were they just right ? Was it possible to actually be just right ? Really, he did not just simply want to love Glyph. He wanted to be as close to perfect as any being, god or not, could be for Forest, the person who could bring him what no one else likely could give him.

Too bad it meant things had gotten confusing again – it was only a different kind of confusing. The dragon sighed as he rolled over, not minding the blades of grass that clung to his still wet mane and body. He found himself staring at the bottom of the lake, the lake that took over most of his personal rooms, watching the fishes that dwelt in it swim back and forth as if such an act might help him find an answer to all the questions that coursed through his mind at this moment.

Ultimately, the answer was an obvious one – he needed to find Glyph, figure out how he had felt about the whole thing. From there on there would be two options – Ti Lung could either apologize and promise to be a little less direct, or... promise to keep being just as forward and sweep Glyph off his feet. He had to remind himself that this could, of course, be a possibility... Illisia on her lonesome had been quite the roller-coaster at times, and Glyph had seemed to enjoy it, had he not ? Maybe... Xun Jiang really was not sure. He had not kept that close of an attention when Illisia and Glyph were having more private moments, wishing to leave them some sort of intimacy, as they had grown closer and closer.

But could it really be that easy ? Well, he certainly hoped it could be ! But he couldn't help but be uncertain. So far, he certainly had a very good track record of messing up and making things confusing, did he not ? Especially the messing up part.

Maybe he could seek out Love, see if Rio could help, but... No, this was personal, and he preferred to try to tend to it himself, first. He would seek help only if he needed it. The Dragon King felt like he had certainly bothered Desiderio more than enough at this point ! There was the possibility that it was all in his mind, that he was over thinking everything again like he often tended to do, and he saw no need to make himself come across as more of a fool to Love as he already must have done.

No, he would seek Glyph out and talk... As soon as he had the faintest idea as to where Forest was, which could be easier said than done, really. He could be anywhere, really... Well, anywhere with vast amount of greenery, and preferably forested areas. Still, there were many forests around the pantheon... and Xun Jiang knew that Glyph could sometimes reach very far, immerse himself in his element for weeks, or even months on end.

Still, he wound find Forest. He had to. He had to make sure everything was alright, at the very least.

He had gone to the market, earlier in the day, to seek out a gift for Glyph, but had found a young host instead. Certainly not time lost, of course, and something in him had flared when meeting Shaig and Lunn – mostly the former, thanks to the current circumstances. Uncertain, shy, awkward... It all made him want to protect and shelter the troll even more.

Obviously, he had not denied his nature – both host and god were safely relocated to his own rooms, resting and likely being fussed on by Lindita, no matter if he wished for it or not. The demoness ended up fussing after everyone, and such a thing was simply inevitable.

Ti Lung would be lying if he tried to claim that he wasn't happy to have a distraction to keep the aoide from fussing over him constantly, through he understood why Lindita felt the way she did. Not many aoide had lost their deity twice, after all. He understood, but still wished the demoness could stop treating him like if he was made of glass.

He knew himself much stronger than that, even if he had yet to prove it.

But now that Shaig was settled, Ti Lung wandered toward the market again – he had a gift to find, after all ! It needed to be something special. It needed to be perfect, and with their close relationship being so new, this was somewhat of a challenge.

But now he was looking forward to that challenge, to overcoming it.

There were things that Xun Jiang knew that he wanted his gift to Glyph to be – something easily carried, since Forest was always on the move. Something to remind him of them both when they were apart. It needed to be something durable, since Glyph wandered the woods more often than not. Anything too delicate might easily break, which certainly wasn't quite what he looked for !

His instinct was also to play with his lover's influence – different essences of woods that he could identify and enjoy, and perhaps shells for him... And, for practicality, he would certainly like if it included a vial, that could be filled with wellspring water, so that Glyph could have access to some whenever he might need it. It could be used for many things, after all, and Ti Lung could certainly think of scenarios where such a thing could come in handy.

Clothing was out of question, not only because of the complexity, but because Glyph had more or else forgone clothing since changing. It could still be useful for holding court, maybe, but anything big enough to properly fir his lover would need to be custom-made completely, and he did not have that kind of time.

Jewelry was his second idea, and the one the dragon was currently leaning toward. Something Glyph could easily wear, something that would not get in his way, something that could be easily carried without needing pockets. A bracelet might get in the way of his movements, so a necklace was something he finally decided on.

With that decided, well, he still had his share of things to figure out. His attempts to craft such a thing had resulted in disaster, through he had acquired a fair amount of base material in the process - pretty blue shells the same shade of his eyes, and many essences of wood coming from already fallen branches. He carried the whole in a bag, just in case he found someone willing to work with these materials... Which was another problem in itself.

There were many jewelcrafters in the market – gods liked to look their best and the mortals had noticed – but most of it, while perfectly lovely, weren't what he was looking for. Most worked with metal and gems, acquired from who knew where, and had no knowledge of working with anything else.

He'd found a pair of lovely focals from one seller, one amber and the other a light blue, covered in runes, as well as small bottles that would contain just enough wellspring water to be potent without getting in the way. The seller had been happy enough to barter with a jar of wellspring water, as words of it and it's effect had spread along the mortals.

Now he only needed to figure out someone who could put it all together...

He was just about to give up for the day when he noticed a stand that had been empty, earlier – the woman was still busy unpacking, but the pieces she had on display caught the dragon king's eye quickly.

They were mostly made of shells. Perhaps she would be willing to work with other natural materials ?

”Good evening.” He said as he came closer, making the woman behind the stand look up from her boxes. She had finned ears, he noticed now – clearly not human.

”My, you're an odd one.” She mused, making the dragon quirk an eyebrow. ”But the same could be said for me, in this place. Could I interest you in something ?”

”Actually, that is already done.” Was the amused answer. ”I see you've worked with shells, here...”

”From my homeland, yes. Which piece caught you eye...” She hesitated, and gave the dragon king a look that he knew well. She was trying to figure out which gender he was.

”Actually, I would be interested in a custom piece.” Ti Lung simply continued, side-stepping the potentially awkward moment completely. ”Would you be willing to work with wood, as well ?”

”Possibly. You tell me what you have in mind ?” The short woman asked, teal eyes inquisive, then widening as Xun Jiang pulled out the materials. ”By all heavens, I havn't seen anything like that in years !” The shells had caught her attention first of all, but the wood also did – as she found herself caressing the soft bark with wonder.

”All the trees back when im from were wan and sickly... These are beautiful essences.”

Wan and sickly, hm ? ”I would like to know more about where you are from, miss...”

”Neith. But business first, yes ? Oh, this piece has such wonderful grain... It would make lovely focus points.”

”I was thinking this focal, with that bottle hooked to it. I'd like for it to be able to be corked and uncorked easily without being fragile, is that possible ?”

”That's doable.” She mused, studying the focal. ”A few jump rings should keep everything together nicely. When do you need this for ?”

”In about a week to a week and an half.” The dragon answered, and hoped that would be enough. He had yet to find anyone else willing to even try it, and this woman did catch his attention... Glyph would certainly want to hear of an hailing area that he could revitalize, as well.

”Also doable.” She clicked her tongue in thought, as if she already had an idea. ”And in payment ?”

”Am I assuming too much by thinking that you might be new ? I have never seen your stall before now.”

”I only arrived here a few weeks ago. I came seeking the gods for my people, and I hear rumors...” She sounded sheepish at that, and Xun Jiang only smiled. Yes, the cat would be out of the bag soon enough, but he did not want to intimidate her by letting her know that the piece was for a god, commissioned by another god. She needed to take it all in first.

”Well, this piece is intended as a gift. My lover has a large realm of influence. People will see it, and likely ask where it's from. More practically, through, I can supply you with whatever you need to be properly settled, be it food, water, or clothing.”

”That'll be handy...”

”If I like the outcome, I will likely get a matching piece for myself. After that, whatever material is left over you can keep to do as you like with.”

”Now that's just using a woman's feelings against her.” She smirked, clearly amused. ”Well, alright then. I believe we have a deal, mister... ?”

Ha ! The right guess. ”Xun Jiang” He returned everything to the bag, carefully bundled, before handing it over to her.

”I should have the beads shaped in two or three days, depending, then we can work out a design proper.” Neith nodded.

”I will come, then. Until then, I will leave you to finish setting up.” He had jumped the gun, yes, but it had been worth it.