Master of Dragons Exploration

"I... I don't know." Ryuu whispered, he was scared. If this boy was master of dragons, what would that make him? There could only be one. Jiro was leaving, wouldn't Ermes leave too if he was no longer her Master? But still he felt drawn to the baby. Like he knew he had to pass it on. Whether or not he wanted too. "I am just... Scared."

"You have nothing to be scared of, Ryuu," Jiro said. "So you won't be the Master of Dragons anymore. Will that really change anything? Other than your title. It's like you've made an army of dragons to follow you. And if you've got a few serving you in the castle, I can't see them leaving just because your title is gone. Not if they're truly loyal to you, not just your title."

"Perhaps," Ryuu said, knowing the choice had already been made for him. He slipped away from Jiro, he was still invisible. He got closer to baby Ryuu. He had heard the mother call him that, though he wasn't sure why she would have. He looked down at the baby, who was peacefully sleeping and placed his hand over his tiny fist. "It's your turn now, little Ryuu. I will help make sure you do a better job than I did. Good luck, Master of Dragons." He said, the birth mark on his palm of a dragon faded and transfered to the baby.

Jiro watched him from the shadows. He looked down at the boy who would grow up to be his master. He knew he'd made the right choice. Drake was going to need him. But for now, it wasn't Drake that needed him. It was Ryuu. "How do you feel now? Relieved?"

"Drained." Ryuu said honestly, pained as well. Depressed and not as he felt he should feel. "Can... Can we just go?" He said and looked over at Jiro. He didn't want to linger.

"Yes," Jiro said and took his hand to pull him away from the baby. "Let's go." He wasn't going to force Ryuu to be there any longer or think of what would one day befall that baby. He just wouldn't.

Ryuu went easily, he wasn't going to fight it when he badly wanted to leave. "Have you spoken with Ermes yet? Tell me of it if you have, distract me."

"I have," Jiro said. "I did as you said. And I said what you said. And I didn't let her talk me out of my decision because I have a good point about why we must stop." He took Ryuu outside and in the darkness spread his wings, stretched them out, and let them rest while he waited for Ryuu to mount.

Ryuu climed on, but instead if sitting g upright he put his face in Jiro's fur between his shoulders and held him tightly. This would be one of the last few flights together they would have. "How did she take it, are you going to remain as friends?" He asked, speaking into the cats fur.

"We are," Jiro assured him. "She took it about how I expected. But my fur isn't singed," he joked. She hadn't lit him on fire so that was a very good sign. He could feel that Ryuu was being clingy as he took off to fly him back to the castle. But he wasn't leaving for at least four years. So they had time left. Not a lot but enough.

It wasn't enough, not really. Not for Ryuu. "I'm very glad, I will take care of her for you and I won't let anyone mistreat her. I promise." He meant it as well.

"Oh I know that you'll take care of her," Jiro said. "A little advice. This time around, don't drag your feet about saying something to her because she might get stolen from you again."

"I'm sorry, what?" Ryuu said, confused. He hadn't expected anything like that from Jiro. He didn't even really fully get it. "Stolen from me? Is she going to leave me too?"

Jiro chuckled. He had to. Because he'd decided to approach this as a positive thing and not get all hurt over it. He had no right to, he felt, as he fucked it all up in the first place. "Do you love her?"

"I am not sure that I can feel love in the same sense any more." Ryuu said honestly, because it was true. He knew he had feelings and he wasn't going to lie about that. "But that doesn't mean I don't feel for her. Nor does that mean I would do anything to betray our friendship, Jiro. You're too important to me."

"I know that," Jiro said. "But she isn't mine anymore. You know that. I can't lay claim on her and if you step up and decide to do so yourself, I cannot blame you. I'm not saying I want to see you two being lovey with each other. Not right now. Not this soon. But in a little bit I wouldn't even remember who I am let alone my history with her. And by the time I do, well it won't matter much. I've made my decision. So now it's time for you to make yours."

"She deserves better than a shell of a man, Jiro..." Ryuu said, leaving his face in Jiro's fur as he started to cry. For all the things. So many things. It was overwhelming for him right now. "I don't know that I can love her more than I do or if that will be enough."

"Well I can't decide that for her. And she told me off just recently for deciding what she deserved. You say that to her and she's going to tell you off as well. So I'd advice not going with that line, okay?" Jiro was really, really lucky she'd not lit him on fire and he knew it. She would probably not do that to Ryuu. But angry women and all...

"I think in this I get a say too." Ryuu said and choked on a laugh. He couldn't help it. He could imagine how Ermes would be and he honestly wouldn't be surprised, he'd badly want to laugh but that was a bad idea. "We will see, we both know she has a habit of talking people into corners."

"Well, maybe don't let her talk?" Jiro suggested. It could be done. He'd never learned how to stun her into silence but maybe Ryuu had ideas that he hadn't had. "But those are just my thoughts on it. Either way, she's not going to leave your side. But if you let things get awkward, she might want to. So don't let that happen."

"I will try. But we also are well aware that I am a failure in all things." Ryuu chuckled but it was true. He didn't actively try to fail either. That was just his luck.

"Well, you're not the Master of Dragons anymore so maybe you've passed the poor luck onto Drake? But you do have one thing going for you here. You've seduced a woman before. Successfully. I think you can probably do it again given how half the women of the village are infatuated with you. Even the married ones." Jiro thought that even if Ryuu didn't have a shit ton of things going for him, he had his charm.

"Hm. I don't understand it." Ryuu admitted, but he also didn't want to think about if he passed on bad luck or not. That was just worse. He was already having a struggle.

"Seriously? You really don't see how you appeal to women in a big way? Like not at all?" Jiro was stumped. Majorly stumped.

"A face is just a face...." Ryuu said, it wasn't like a big deal to him. It wasn't something he understood. "If I was covered in warts, they wouldn't look at me twice. So no, I don't get it. Beauty is skin deep."