Adjusting the housing

Several unnerving hours with all sorts of guests, both uninvited and invited - I get so bored of answering the same questions over and over again that I doze off. Every now and then I catch myself lowering my head to sleep, then rush it back up to stay awake. There's close to no way they didn't notice. So they either didn't care, or they were dumber... Ah. I am just annoyed, am I not?

But, who wouldn't be?! Well fine. I can respect the generals coming over, they were dragged along by my brother anyway. But what about all those others?! "Are you getting married now?" "How long have you been together, I didn't notice" and "Can I look at the ring" were thrown across the room. Not a single variation of them, just plainly the same.

In my annoyed state I whisper: "Just make sure it gets back to her without scratches, alright? And no, I actually don't know how to answer most of these questions. The point we got together at? No idea, it kind of developed over time. There was no real moment, in fact, we never actually talked about being a couple."

As soon as I spoke these words, I knew I made a mistake. A grave mistake. I opened more room for questions. Damn it! Now I can't even think straight because of all these people talking.

Cia:" Alright guys, I think he is tired. Call it a day for now, okay? Also - I want to look at the ring a bit more."

Ha! No matter what you say, these wild people will never- what? They apologized and headed off. How did she tame them? Do they have a secret code?! Seconds, or maybe even minutes of thinking later, I notice that I wasn't talking to her at all.

Ce:" Thank you, it got pretty intense there."

Cia:" I know. It's gotten to be a ritual at this point."

Ce:" What did?"

Cia:" Annoying new formed couples."

Ce:" They are quite proficient."

Cia:" Sure they are, but if you would just speak your mind they would leave you alone, you know."

Ce:" It seemed impolite..."

Cia:" How is being tired impolite?"

Well she got a point. Our little bird friend drained more of my mana than thought, feeding it proves quite exhausting. At least it will be, until it matures. Mature Cryophoenix are able to feed off thermal energy itself, which is why it is mostly seen in winter regions. Because they make it to be winter.

But for now, it has to feed on my mana in order to survive. Or Cecilia's, but it was better for me to do it.

Ce:" Do you still want to stay up? If you want I can sleep in the guestroom, so you can play with Saphira."

Cia:" She seems tired, so am I. We can just head to sleep here."

Ce:" Wait, how will little Saph sleep?"

Cia:" In our bed?"

Ce:" It might be too warm, let me go grab something."

Cia:" Where-"

I didn't quite get the rest, I was too fast in leaving. I headed off to the armory, passing by a few late-time miners and a group that seemed to be celebrating a birthday. The cake said 23, but it was decorated like a child's. A joke, I suppose - they seem to be laughing.

Distracted as I was, I ran right into the headsmith Polka.

Ce:" Ah, sorry. I wasn't looking."

Polka:" Don't worry, I am not a smith for nothing. If a light guy like you could offend me that easily, how would I manage with all these soldiers?"

Ce:" With skill, of course. But that's not what I was here for. Do you have spare armor lying around?"

P:" A few destroyed ones from the recent attack, why?"

Ce:" Can I take a look?"

P:" Sure, who am I to stop people from looking at trash"

Honestly, this guy was really cool. He opened a small wooden door for me, then told me directions to find the things I was looking for. After hitting my head on the ceiling several times, I start ducking as far as I can. Leprechauns are amazing...ly small.

The armor I searched for was buried under loads of swords, helmets and other equipment like hammers. With a feeling of an upcoming idea, I keep the helmet in my hand and look at it. If I bend this helmet to be a bit wider, it might just be the perfect size for Saphira. With the helmet in hand I work my way back to Polka.

Ce:" Is it alright if I take this?"

P:" That helmet? Sure, but the original owner always wined about the warmth, so I suggest leather or something to fix it."

Ce:" No, it's fine really. Thank you."

P:"..."

Quickly I head back to our apartment, whilst bending the helmet open. I open the door and find both of them to be asleep already. And blocking the entire bed at the same time. In order to keep them sound asleep, I lift Saphira a bit and put her into the helmet. Works seemingly fine.

After looking for a place to sleep for about a minute, just before I was about to leave Cecilia turns around - a devilish grin on her face.

Cia:" Next time, you listen to me until the end, okay?"

Ce:" Sure..."

Cia:" Now come here and sleep, you might need to feed Saphira again."

Ce:" Wasn't it my turn today?"

Cia:" She doesn't seem to accept my mana, lets talk about this tomorrow - yawn - Not it's time to sleep"

With the place Cecilia made, I was forced to sleep directly next to her. Really close, for the record. Somehow keeping my cool, I manage not to let her notice. Or at least she didn't show it. Surprisingly, I was able to sleep well - even with the excitement.