Work Text:
Today is the day, Anemone thought, as she did every day. Before the ordeal with Darkstalker and Turtle, Anemone thought Tamarin had to like her - after all, she was a princess, who wouldn’t?
Now Anemone was scared. Tamarin might think she’s the worst dragon in Pyrrhia. Or… second worst, when Darkstalker was in the picture. Still, everyday, today is the day, Anemone would think. Turns out, it was never that day.
Tamarin’s clawmate, some SkyWing who Anemone know (didn’t bother to remember, in reality) glanced over at Anemone when she appeared in the doorway and rolled her eyes. “Tamarin’s in the library,” the russet dragon told her, writing something down on a scroll. Anemone huffed and glanced at the story scroll in her talons. It was the next in a series Anemone knew Tamarin enjoyed. She had gotten it as quick as possible. Would Tamarin know she had actively seeked her out? Should she just leave the scroll here?
“Do you need anything else, your majesty?” the SkyWing asked dryly, looking up from her paper again. Anemone bit back a scathing comment and left the scroll on Tamarin’s hammock before she stalked out of the cave.
-
Ostrich wasn’t in the living cave when Anemone got back from her classes. She was glad. No matter how much she was trying to befriend the small SandWing after pushing her around so much, it was hard to be around her for a long time. She wasn’t annoying, not most of the time. But Ostrich knew about Anemone’s crush on Tamarin and she wasn’t in the mood for sharing the day’s events.
Nothing, Anemone thought grabbing her homework from her bag, Just like yesterday and the day before that.
Anemone began to read through the history homework. It was something about a couple of IceWings involved with Darkstalker’s parents. She wasn’t really paying attention in class - Tamarin was in it and she had spent most of the time tuning out Webs’s rant and watching how interested Tamarin was in all of it.
Anyways. Some niece of the queen and a would-be royal, blah blah, whatever. Anemone sighed and wrote her name on the paper, about to start working when she heard someone approaching her cave.
“Hey Anemone!” Tamarin said, smiling. Her pale eyes were bright against her deep blue scales. Anemone was too busy staring to answer. “Come on, I know you’re in there.”
“Uh, sorry, hey,” Anemone muttered. She took a breath. “What’s up?”
“Well, someone gave me a scroll, and my clawmate told me it was the next one in Legends of War.”
So that was what it was called. Anemone blinked. “And?”
Tamarin grinned. “Read to me?” Anemone smiled back. She couldn’t resist that smile.
-
Anemone couldn’t take it anymore. Tamarin was so pretty all the time and it just wasn’t fair to Anemone! She couldn’t get any work done!
And, alright, part of that was definitely Anemone’s fault. She had been gettings more scrolls to read to Tamarin, and it had become a daily thing. It took up a few hours, but it was so worth it. Tamarin was worth it.
Anemone buried her head in her talons. She was laying in her sleeping pool but she couldn’t sleep. She wasn’t tired, and she was stressing over the project she had due in history tomorrow.
She stood from her pool, trying to take quiet steps as she left the cave. Ostrich mumbled in her sleep, but didn’t wake up. Technically, there was a curfew, but the founders were always asleep. Everyone wandered around after dark once in a while.
Anemone was tempted to go to the underground lake, but Tsunami sometimes slept there. And wandering the tunnels wasn’t an option too - she wasn’t in the mood to run into anyone. She just needed to get the restlessness out of her.
The caverns opened up after a while, making way to the exit. The large ledge outside was warmer than the school, but there was a chill from the constant breeze. Anemone took a deep breath. She still wasn’t tired, but it felt nice to just sit and breath fresh air. Tamarin loved it out here, mostly in the mornings.
Anemone sighed and closed her eyes. “Moons, I’m such an idiot…”
“Hey,” someone said from right next to her. Anemone started, wildly looking around. Then a familiar blue-and-gold pattern appeared. “What’re you an idiot about?” Tamarin asked, blinking her soft eyes. Anemone took in a sharp breath. So unfair.
“Oh, uh, nothing. Just took way too long on my history project,” Anemone replied, glad Tamarin couldn’t see the blush on her cheeks.
Tamarin nodded. “Any reason why? I know you don’t pay attention in history, but it’s just a short essay.”
“Um, no,” Anemone lied, fidgeting with her talons. She considered for a moment. This could be her chance. “Well, there’s a dragon I really like in our class…”
Tamarin smiled. “Really? Who?” She leaned forward, ears perked. Anemone froze.
“It’s… not a big thing, you know?” Anemone laughed nervously.
“It sounds like it is!”
“It’s not, I swear! It’s stupid,” Anemone repeated. Her heart was pounding. Could Tamarin hear it? She could hear a lot of things.
“Okay,” Tamarin relented in a sing-song voice. “Are we good for Legends of War tomorrow? I can’t wait to find out what Coyote did this time…”
Anemone smiled, brushing her wing against Tamarin’s. “Yeah, of course. See you then.” Tamarin nodded, watching Anemone closely for a moment. Well, not watching, but it felt like she was. Anemone cleared her throat. “Uh, goodnight.”
“Night,” Tamarin sighed, relaxing back into camouflage. Anemone stared at the space where she once was for a moment and then turned to go back into Jade Mountain.
With an almost-pleasant ache in her heart, Anemone made her way back to her room.
Someday it would be her day. But it wasn’t today.