Chapter Text
Once upon a time, in a small village, was a boy who loved to play tricks. Every day he’d go out and find a victim to prank, when he was little they started out small, moving an item somewhere else, hiding things, making jokes. But as he grew so did his troublemaking. Harmless fun became disruptive, disruption became destructive and by the time the boy was a teenager the whole village dreaded when he came around.
The boy grew bolder, declaring himself as fearsome as a dragon as he continued to terrorize the other villagers.
One day, the troublemaker decided to prank a creaky old house at the edge of town, housing a reclusive old woman nobody knew much about.
He was caught red handed throwing tomatoes at the old woman’s house, the crone frowned at him.
“You’re a rude little brat” the woman scolded, “you better apologize and clean up this mess lest you face the consequences"
The boy only laughed in her face.
“Why should I?” He taunted, “I’m the talk of the town! I’m as renowned and feared like the dragons! Nobody can stop me!”
The air shifted, as suddenly the young boy sensed magic fill the air.
“Feared as the dragons you say? Yes you certainly are stubborn like them.” Suddenly, the boy realized all too late that he was face to face with a witch, one who sneered at him. “If you idolize those beasts so much, why don’t you match with them?” And suddenly his body began to burn.
Hands became claws, teeth became fangs, horns sprouted from his head as his lower half grew extra scaly limbs and a tail transforming him into the very dragon he claimed himself to be.
Fire crackled around the once boy, as the town screamed in fear of a fearsome dragon.
For he had gotten exactly what he wished.
~~~
Fire crackles and wood splinters under his claws, the trash of his tail only fanning the flames as they rise higher.
Cackling laughter rings around the space, overpowering the screams and cries of villagers fleeing for their life.
Pulses of red magic flicker in the air, making flames rise and illusions of little spider monsters scurry about and scare off any stragglers before flames spread.
Silhouetted by the glowing flames, the figure of a draconic creature cackles.
Scales a crimson red trail up his arms matching the lower half of his body which is that of a red dragon, spikes on the legs, mighty claws that dig into the earth, he stands far above even the tallest human running away. His upper half resembles a man, brown hair long and ragged, red horns curl on his head, one set pointing up while the other curls back, fangs bare to the world, the dragon roars, shaking the foundations of the buildings that are quickly succumbing to the flames.
007n7 laughs, using his magic to make mighty wings appear on his back, making his form even larger and more terrifying. His pointed ear twitches as he hears the clattering of armor, soldiers had finally arrived to try and slay the beast.
Times up, he flicks one of his claws, and those spiders begin to fade and a few retreat as Seven himself turns.
“You won’t catch me!” He taunts as he gallops away, yelling of soldiers and the clanking of boots against the ground follow, but one swipe from his mighty tail and they fall back.
Seven takes in a breath, smoke and heat gathering from his nostrils, and with a mighty roar he breathes fire in front of the stragglers still trying to chase him. They scream, trying not to get cooked alive, and in the chaos Seven runs, disappearing into the forest like he was never there at all.
His heart races, not daring to slow down until he can’t feel any heat from flames or hear any noise aside from his own footfalls. Slowly, he starts to slow down, until he finally comes to a stop, adrenaline still pumping in his veins, he raises a hand and calls upon his magic, moments later the glyph for the teleportation spell appears, and moments later he is gone.
He appears back on familiar ground, familiar woods and familiar burn marks around him, he looks up at the sky, letting the excitement of it all finally melt away in the cold night air.
The adrenaline settles, his rapid breathing slows, and the present finally comes up to him.
He looks at the cold, dreary cave before him.
Home sweet home.
Seven sighs, and slips inside the space. The inside isn’t much to look at, there’s a dedicated corner for where he attempts to store his meager food, hunting is hard and he doesn’t have the right tools, and in a darker slightly more open corner is a pile of rags, towels, and whatever other winged cloth he can snag from raids. That is his poor excuse of a bed.
Unfortunately he wasn’t able to raid anything from that village before he got noticed, he should improve that summoning spell, if he could figure out how to get them to teleport here after stealing stuff he could scavenge so much easier! Once again he’s desperately missing those tomes in his childhood room.
He wonders if his parents still have them, he wonders how long it will be before they renovate that room into something else.
He wonders if they’ve done so already.
Seven bites back a frustrated growl, padding to another part of the cave, dragging his claws along the edge and leaving indents into the stone.
It itches.
His claws itch, his horns itch, the scales across his arms, back, face. His entire lower half is bulky and feels unfitting, like someone cut off the head of an actual dragon and glued his torso to it.
He hates this. He hates living in a body he doesn’t recognize.
Three long years since that day and he still feels like a stranger in his own skin.
Seven shakes his head, if he thinks about this any more he’s going to get himself worked up, destroying that shitty village was supposed to make those thoughts go away, not return with a vengeance!
“Fuck me..” Seven growls, tugging at the one remaining reminder of his past life, the dark shirt on his back. It was torn, ragged, the shoulder spikes poking holes into it, not to mention the singe marks, the only thing holding up a bit better was his burger hat, but that was squished between his horns and had long since lost its previously bright coloring.
Damn that witch. Damn that old lady who did this to him.
He tries not to think about how his family looked at him, the fear and disgust.
They didn’t even try to help him.
Seven shakes his head harshly, he needs to stop thinking about this.
“Fuck it, I’m going to bed” he declares to no one and makes his way over to his shitty excuse of a bed.
Laying his lower half down, he grabs a bundle of blankets to try and make his upper half comfortable as he fully sprawls out, trying to settle his mind and just go to sleep.
He has no lights to turn out, no candles to snuff out or magical lights to dissolve, the only light comes from the moon outside, and nothing hits his large form this deep into the cave.
Unfortunately, he can’t seem to drift off into that blissful state of unconsciousness.
Sleep isn’t coming tonight. It’s practically fighting him in a back alley. He tosses and turns and crumbles up the thin fabrics he managed to plunder from burning buildings and just can’t get comfortable.
Eventually, he just gives up, huffing and resting his head in his arms, accepting this might be another night of no sleep.
He can feel his limbs be uncomfortably stiff, tail curling against his lower body for warmth, claws scratching against rock and cloth uncomfortably.
He feels itchy in his own skin.
He hates this.
How long can he live like this?
Seven’s thoughts pause when something catches his eye, he looks up, out into the night sky, and quietly gasps.
It’s a shooting star,
No, multiple, this is a meteor shower.
The purple trails of light streak the sky, coloring the darkness like a master painter.
For a reason Seven can’t name, he feels drawn to the sight.
He’s never seen something so beautiful.
Before he knows it he’s standing up, sleep long forgotten as he decides to try and follow the comet trails.
It’s not like he’s getting sleep anyways, maybe watching the stars for a bit will help?
Whatever the reasoning, he crawls out of his shitty cave, eyes to the sky, and starts following.
The grass and twigs crunch underneath his claws as he makes his way through the forest, trying to catch glimpses of the sky through the tree line, for a brief moment, the logical part of his brain asks how you even follow a meteor shower, it’s not like they’re going anywhere, but somehow, he just senses they do. The stars are pointing him in a direction, and Seven really is bored enough to follow.
Maybe bored isn’t the exact right word here.
But when he thinks of simpler times, when he was younger and still human, of tugging on his mothers arm begging to go find a clearing so she could talk about constellations more, or when his cousin would make up star signs and draw pictures in the sky with him, or of asking his father annoying questions about the moon and why it changes phases…. Seven just thinks he needs this, a brief comfort of familiarity.
It’s a rare commodity these days.
Sooner than he thought, the forest makes way to a clearing, as he approaches he notices something. There’s a strange glow between the tree lines, an unnatural softness whispering it’s way through the shadows, this place should be unoccupied, no human life for miles.
Seven pushes aside branches as he approaches the threshold.
And what he beholds makes him gasp in amazement.
There’s people gathered, dressed in robes and garments that flow when they walk, lanterns and lights are scattered around alongside intricate decorations covered in stars and similar patterns, tables set cleanly with a feast of foods and drink that look fit for a king, and a pedestal in the center, surrounded by runes and intricate patterns, surrounding a symbol of a four pointer star.
This was a party, some sort of gathering, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it was for the meteor shower. Like the stars themselves were gathered for this banquet.
He freezes, taking it all in, and is hit with the thought that he is interrupting. Maybe on any other day, he’d have jumped at the chance to disturb the peace and cause a scene, lighting fires and destroying anything in his path, stealing whatever he could get his claws on before fleeing into the night.
But for some reason he doesn’t want to. This feels too… different, like if he tried that here he’d be in a worse off position than he is now, it’s a similar feeling, to that old woman and her creaky little hut.
He learned his lesson last time he didn’t trust his gut.
He should leave before he causes a scene by just existing.
Unfortunately for him, he stood around like an idiot for too long, and someone spots him.
There’s a woman looking at him, lighter skin with a white face crest and short white hair that curls over their pointed ears, behind said ears are a set of silver butterfly wings with blue triangles at the ends. They blink at him, before suddenly approaching.
“Welcome! Don’t be shy!” The woman greets him with a smile, silver wings behind their ears fluttering a bit as she looks up at him.
“I-“ Seven sputters, unsure what he’s looking at, is this a fairy? Honestly he’s never met a fairy so maybe? He wouldn’t know what one looks like. What did he stumble into? “I didn’t mean to interrupt, I’ll leave,” he moves to take a half step back, but feels his arm be gently grabbed before he can.
“Nonsense! You were invited were you not? Come and celebrate with us! For our king’s return is an occasion for all!” They gently tug him forward, and he’s a little too starstruck to really struggle.
“In-invited? I don’t think- I was just following the stars?” He explains and that only seems to make the white haired woman’s grin bigger,
“Exactly!” He didn’t know what that meant as he was pulled further into the gathering, those shimmering lights and trailing decorations littered the trees, casting the area in a ethereal glow, music was playing from a band somewhere, people chatting together or in groups, they spotted the two, but to 7n7’s surprise they didn’t flinch away or sneer.
They smiled, some even waved and acted as if he was meant to be here.
That he was welcome.
Something about that made his chest ache, realizing just how much he missed that feeling.
“Xpsa, will you drag them around the entire night?” Another voice approached, and Seven blinked, spotting a man similar to this woman walking towards them. They were dressed similarly to Xpsa, but instead had darker skin and a black face crest, the butterfly wings behind his ears a darker grey with red triangles at the tips. His hair was longer, braided and pulled over his shoulder in a clean presentation that matched their serious expression.
Xpsa let him go, grinning at the newcomer,
“Come now, Aspx, he’d have stood at the forest edge all night if I let him!” She laughed, and Seven doesn’t even have it in him to refute that.
The man, Aspx, shakes his head a moment, before facing Seven, even with that serious expression, he felt it soften a moment as he gave a short bow in greeting.
“Welcome, stranger, we are glad you found us on this night.”
“Uh, thank you?” He isn’t sure what he’s supposed to say to that. Apparently following stars counts as an invite to this weirdo party?
But this is probably the best he’s going to get for social interaction for… a while. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay a little bit longer.
“I’m 007n7,” he introduces. “Uh, just Seven is fine” he looks around a moment, then back at the two.
“Can I ask what… this is?” Seven gestures a bit around, to the tables, the decorations, the lanterns. “Xpsa said something about a king?”
“Our lord has been on a long journey across the stars, he returns today and we must welcome him back with a celebration!” Xpsa declared, folding their hands behind their back. Aspx nodded in agreement,
“His departure from us typically lasts no longer than two years, but he was gone longer than usual this time…” he seems a bit troubled, but Xpsa sticks herself in front of them,
“Which is why it’s extra special to see new faces here!”
Seven just blinked, still unsure how to respond to all this.
This all feels a bit elaborate for what’s essentially a homecoming party. Plus it felt like magic was in the air, plus with the similar outfits, reoccurring symbols, and eagerness to welcome new faces…
Wait a minute-
“…is this a cult?” Did he stumble into a cult thing?
“…technically yes,” Aspx answers honestly, looking a bit uneasy for a moment, “but tonight isn’t a night for recruitment, you were invited, you answered, and you may leave freely and never return if you wish.”
“But as long as you’re here, it would be lovely if you stayed and partied for a while” Xpsa clapped their hands together. Really, confirmation that this is some sort of cult should be enough reason to turn tail and run, but at the same time…
They’re welcoming him. Nobody’s done that since…
It feels too good to be true.
“But, aren’t you worried about me? That I’ll hurt someone?” Seven finds himself genuinely confused, the kindness is amazing but logically this shouldn’t be the case.
He knows what he looks like, he knows people fear dragons. He knows what feelings he inflicts in people.
It’s not anything good.
“Why should we be afraid? If you wished us harm you wouldn’t have been called in the first place” Xpsa hums, answering easily. Her companion nods in agreement.
“Let me assure you, if your presence was deemed a threat you would not have found us in the first place” Aspx spoke with such certainty, he knew it in his bones that this was true. But how? Being ‘called by the stars’ finding this clearing in the first place? This whole thing makes no sense!
Unless… no, of course, this whole place screams of-
“…Fae magic” Seven feels himself tense, he swears to whatever god is listening first this dragon thing if he gets stuck in the fae wildes-
“You’re still in Robloxia” Aspx speaks up, as if sensing his worry. “Our Lord may have been.. exiled… from that plain but its magic is still his to command” that was a bit of a relief to him, at least.
“…does that mean the food’s safe to eat as well?” When was the last time he had a properly made meal? He saw some nice looking meats on that spreading, if he’s allowed he’d take some.
He’s starving.
“Have your fill, all was made by human hands. You won’t be cursed,” Aspx glances at him and looks like he wants to add ‘again’ but keeps their mouth shut.
Seven shouldn’t be surprised at this point that this weird magic cult party could sniff out he wasn’t born like this.
“Oh enough with the doom and gloom! It’s a joyous day! Come dance! I want to brag about dancing with a dragon” a lady in a bowler hat shoved past Aspx and takes Seven by the hand, completely undeterred by any scales or claws.
And somehow able to pull him along despite 7n7 being so much heavier than this petite woman.
“W-wait, I don’t know how to dance!” Even before gaining extra limbs, he practically had two left feet.
“Just move to the music! You’ll be fine!”
And before Seven knows it he’s swept up in the excitement of it all. Music plays, more people come out to dance, the lady who pulled him along
He meant it when he said he couldn’t dance, really, all he’s doing is swaying a bit, hoping he doesn’t knock anyone over with his tail, and just acting as support to any dancers twirling under his arms.
But despite everything, he’s having a bit of fun, unable to help getting swept up in the excitement of it all, he even finds himself laughing as a cultist uses his arm as support to dip back after a twirl.
Music swells, laughter echoes around, and he’s swept up in the atmosphere of a celebration. He feels wanted, he feels included,
He feels like a person.
He isn’t sure how much time passes, he’s just letting himself get pulled around the dance floor and trying not to make a fool of himself, but then there’s the sound of a bell ringing, and all attention is drawn to the center stage.
The symbols etched into it start to glow, and he sees Aspx and Xpsa approach, they gesture towards the sky, and Seven realizes one of the stars is falling towards the stage.
He takes in a breath in anticipation as he hears excited chatter and awe from the people around him.
The purple star descends, a trail of violet behind it like a comet, and as it reaches the stage the light begins to gather into a humanoid form.
And then, like fireworks, the light bursts and Seven hears laughter like that of echoing chimes. He covers his eyes from the light, but when he looks back he feels his breath escape him at the sight.
Where the star once was is now a masked man, wearing a regal purple suit etched in silver trims, star patterns dust the trims in subtle shimmering jewels. Instead of a tailcoat, he sees a pair of butterfly wings, folded elegantly, star symbols for the tips, and above those wings are a set that remind him more of a dragonfly. But his eyes are drawn to the mask, it’s split into two, swirls on the cheeks, and in the center of the crest is a star shape, lining up with crown like spikes, perhaps the mask is his crown, as it frames a jester hat that’s ends float with unnatural ease.
Seven has no words for this fae but ethereal.
The man bows, as if his entrance was nothing but a stage act, his movements fluid, those stars shimmer as he does, and he realizes the man has a star tipped tail that moves with the grace of an agile cat.
He’s stunning and 007n7 is…
Seven is suddenly very aware of how much of a mess he is.
His only shirt is torn at the edges and dirty, his hair is knotted and singed at the edges, he probably reaks because it’s surprisingly hard to find soap while you’re in the middle of burning buildings and scaring off soldiers, he’s probably covered in dirt and leaves and is filthy.
He doesn’t belong here.
But before he can even consider if he can teleport away or something, The king looks at him.
They lock eyes.
The eyes of the mask are pure white, like freshly fallen snow, but they shine like stars in the night sky, how the face moves on the porcelain he doesn’t know, but Seven feels drawn to every little subtle shift on his face. He sees him, he’s looking right at him, and Seven feels like he’s being scrutinized.
And then, the fae smiles at him, and Seven feels like he just got blessed by an angel.
“Welcome, Welcome! Your king has returned! And I’m so happy to see you all once more!” The faerie addressed the crowd, and the various cultists cheer and applaud. Seven can’t even bring himself to snark internally, he’s too caught up in his voice. Rich and calm, but carrying a showman’s tilt, soft but powerful enough to be heard across the room, it demands attention without sounding forceful, like a gentle nudge to look and listen.
The fae is looking at him again,
“And to those new faces who found themselves here tonight, I welcome you with open arms! Feast and be merry, for your king decrees it!” He spins with a flourish, butterfly wings unfolding in a dazzling display of purple, blue, and star patterns.
Oh stars he’s ethereal.
If he thought this gathering was lively before then it has suddenly become energized, maybe the party has truly begun now that the important figure is here.
Laughter echoing about, music and dancing, food and drink being shared among a community that reminds him of those close knit villages where everyone knows everyone.
It’s warm and cheerful in a way that makes his stomach twist.
And once again he feels like he’s intruding.
He stayed for the main event, maybe he can just grab some food and leave?
Nobody seems to notice as he slowly creeps to the edges of the gathering, approaching the forest that would return him home to his dreary cave and shoddy blankets.
He finds himself pausing as he remembers what he’d return to.
Cold. Silence. Nobody but himself there.
His stomach twists.
He doesn’t want to leave yet. He wants this warmth a little longer.
But he doesn’t think he deserves it
But before his mind can really spiral, a voice cuts through it like an ocean breeze.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving already? I’ve been so looking forward to chatting with you.” Seven flinches from the sudden addressing and looks to the side.
And the leader is standing right there, well, more like floating. He’s hovering off the ground, so he can be more level with 7n7, he’s not even using his wings, that’s just some sort of magic!
“Uh” Seven says dumbly, unsure how he’s supposed to respond when some handsome cosmic fae king comes to talk with you. He just looks between him and the trees for a moment, before focusing on him.
“I uh, maybe? I’m not really good at parties…” true enough, but even being a giant dragon centaur thing doesn’t stop him from feeling awkward. The faerie frowns floating up just a bit, he’s not even flapping those wings of his can he just levitate!?
“Is something the matter? If it’s within my power I’ll correct that, this is a day of celebration and joy! It won’t do for a guest to feel so uncomfortable”
“Uh- no it’s not that I just…” he rubs the back of his neck, claws digging into ruby red scales. “…everyone’s been so nice but I can’t help feeling like I don’t belong here. I-it’s not anyone's fault but mine, honest” the king still frowns, but floats up a bit more to be eye level with Seven.
“You answered my invitation didn’t you?” The fae hums, smirking just a bit, “if you are here, it must be the will of fate. Why would you not be welcome to stay as long as you wish?”
He makes it sound so easy.
“I don’t know, brains are stupid sometimes” he chuckles nervously, the fae doesn’t laugh along but does smirk a bit wider,
“Then let us talk, if that pesky anxiety hasn’t faded by the end then I’ll lead you out of the woods myself.” He lands, boots crunching against the grass, for some reason Seven expected the landing to be silent. The man’s tail sways as he continues to observe 7n7, he feels uneasy, but doesn’t make any move to leave.
He really does want to talk to this handsome fae king… when would he get this chance again in his life?
“Perhaps you’ve heard it by now, but let me introduce myself properly” the fairie places a hand to his chest, and his other does a flourish as he gives an extravagant bow, somehow moving with more grace than should be humanly possible.
“I am Noli, Fae of the stars, and king of the Void Cult.” He sits back up, and looks at Seven with a smile on his mask, “and who do I have the pleasure of speaking with tonight?”
How the hell does he respond to that!?
“Uh, 007n7, dragon..?” He doesn’t have a title, and for some reason he is blanking on any cool nicknames or things he was called by screaming villagers. “J-just 7n7 or Seven is fine, uh, your majesty?” How the fuck is he supposed to adress a fairy king? What if he offends him and gets cursed again? Double cursed? Is that a thing? He’d rather not find out!
“Seven,” Noli speaks the name with a softness, like he’s testing it out on his lips, he chuckles a bit and smiles at him. “You don’t need to use formalities for me, it’s a pleasure to meet you, fierce dragon.” gently, Noli takes one of his claws, and presses a soft kiss to his knuckles. The spot is slightly warm where his lips once were, and Seven feels his face flush brightly.
Scratch cursing him, this guy might just kill him!
“S-sure” he squeaks, sounding like an absolute loser in front of someone this suave.
Noli doesn’t let go of his hand, but does gently shift his hold to lead him back to the party.
“Come now! Let’s not linger in the dark, tell me all about yourself, Seven, I want to know all about it” Noli declares easily, and Seven finds himself following on instinct.
Or maybe he just wants to bask in this warmth of acceptance just a bit longer.
“I mean, I don’t think I’m all that interesting. But if you really want to know” In a burst of confidence, he does return the smile, smirking at Noli in nervous confidence. “I’m sure I can find something to impress you”
Noli lets go of his hand, and spins to face him a moment, clapping his hands together once.
“Well don’t keep me waiting in anticipation, my dear! Someone like you must have boundless stories to tell” he turns back around, walking normally, but already Seven feels himself relax. Noli just seems so easy to talk to, he can indulge a little bit.
Before he knows it he finds himself talking about whatever comes to mind, which would be his magic. Noli lights up hearing he’s a mage, and before he knows it they’re talking back and forth about spells he’s come up with and his general interest in the art of spell crafting. Noli returns the enthusiasm with knowledge of his own, and Seven can’t help but think this is way better than reading a book.
Noli floats around him, snapping his fingers and showing off some cosmetic effect spells that sparkle or shimmer like the cosmos. Seven returns the favor with a few of his own spells, summoning fire in his palm that burst into sparks like a firecracker, he even shows off a smaller version of his spider summon, and Noli picks it up and lets it crawl around his hand as he laughs in delight.
Seven can’t help but grin along with him, feeling giddy he managed to pull that sound out of Noli.
“Have you tried the food yet? Robert always does an excellent job” Noli walks alongside him, unfazed by the height difference
“Oh, not yet, I’ve wanted to. I just uh, don’t know where to start?” He does genuinely want to try the food but there’s so much! Plus he’s a bit self conscious that he’s going to end up eating like half of the tables worth of stuff,
He really is hungry.
Noli does glance at him, and he’s suddenly self conscious of if he can see his ribs or not, he’s not exactly underweight but- look his cousin has always been the better hunter of the two, and that was before the sudden anatomy change.
“Well that won’t do, come then, you have to try the roast beef, Robert is a miracle worker, truly!”
Once again, Noli took him by the hand and lead him towards the buffet. Glistening meats and fresh baked goods line the tables, he sees dishes of all sorts; savory steaks and birds he can’t quite identify, bowls full of fruits and vegetables that look impossibly fresh, various baked pies and pastries that smell straight out of the oven, and desserts of all sort covered in nuts and cream that smell sweet and delightful.
7n7 hopes he’s not drooling, fuck he’s hungry.
“Youre looking at that pheasant like you haven’t eaten in days” Noli chuckles, and Seven feels his cheeks warm up,
“Uh, something like that.” Seven mumbles, and he can feel Noli frown next to him.
“I know I said you can leave at any time, but I’m going to insist you eat something before you go.” He smirks again, grabbing a plate and offering it to him, “I’d rather my guests leave better than they entered.”
“That’s- you don’t have to do that” he really doesn’t think the effort is worth it for him.
He takes the plate regardless, and feels a little less awkward when he spots Noli grabbing a big slice of cake for himself.
Apparently cosmic fae royalty are foodies.
He fills his plate with a small variety of things to try, casserole, sweet potatoes, some things he isn’t sure what they are but smell delicious. He hasn’t even reached the desserts yet and wishes he had a bigger plate.
It’d be embarrassing but he wonders if he can take any of this home? No, this is like some important ritual thing, probably shouldn’t take it away from here.
He and Noli continued to chat between bites of food, Seven noticing Noli insisting he try various things, pointing them out with his own utensil before scooping up a bit and offering it to him. And usually it didn’t take much probing for him to cave and try a bite, the guy was probably just making sure he didn’t leave hungry.
Seven is choosing to not feel embarrassed or guilty about that, he has to eat a lot more than he used to… and frankly even before he sometimes forgot about meals.
He needs to think about something else.
Instead he focuses on the conversation. Noli has brought the topic back to magic again, specifically types of location spells he’s used to track celestial bodies and find them in the sky.
Noli has a real way with words, he’s going on and on about stars and celestial bodies he visited on his journey, and Seven feels absolutely gripped by his descriptions. Half of this stuff goes way over his head and makes him wish he had some sort of astrology tome to reference, but just listening to him talk on its own feels relaxing in a way.
He doesn’t even realize he’s finished his plate until Noli is suggesting he go for seconds.
“Oh uh, no thanks I’m fine” he already feels embarrassed about the large portion he had before.
“Really now? You barely made a dent into the platter, it’s my party and I insist you eat your fill”
“If I ate my fill half of the table would be gone” Seven deadpans, and yet Noli breaks into a laugh, it rings like bells, he feels his tail lightly thump against the forest floor at the sound.
“Alright, alright, I’ll concede to that, but seconds would be more than fine you know.” Noli tilts his head towards the table. “You haven’t tried any of the desserts yet, and I saw my favorite little chocolate pastries out today. You simply must try one before I steal them all!”
It only takes a little more convincing for hunger to win and Seven fills his plate again.
Conversation starts up, and somehow they’ve gotten to the subject of clothing.
“I never really got to dress up all fancy,” Seven rambles, “the seamstresses in town had limited skills and supply, plus I liked my stuff, it let me move and kept me warm. This one was one of my favorites because of the design stitched in, I’ve never been able to find that again.” He gestures to the torn short he has on, forgetting how dirty it must look.
“I think you’d look revenging in gold” Noli hums, “it’d shimmer against your scales like the lights reflected in a river. Or perhaps blue is more of your color? I have a few belts I think you could pull off” Noli compliments, and Seven feels himself flush.
“Oh no no, I couldn’t- I don’t really… decorate my scales” both because he doesn’t have the means or opportunity… plus he never really thought of his draconic features like that…
“If you gave me a moment, I could fetch something for you to try” Noli hums and Seven shakes his head.
“Okay, sorry, no, I am not accepting any gifts tonight. You’re very generous, but we just met, I couldn’t accept that” he’s putting his foot down. Food is one thing, jewelry or clothing is another. Noli looks a bit disappointed before shrugging.
“Ah, fair enough, but if you change your mind I could absolutely spoil you” he smirks in devious delight that only seems to grow when he sees Seven blush in embarrassment.
“Though I do feel compelled to ask, what about your hair? It’s awfully long” Noli floats to his other side, a hand briefly tracing his dusty brown locks.
Seven internally cringes are how gross it must feel.
“I uh, don’t really do anything with it. It’s more of a hassle really” he shrugs, and Noli tilts his head,
“Oh? How come?”
“I haven’t been able to cut it for… I think it’d be three years now?” Seven answers, tail flicking a bit. He hadn’t had the chance to steal any scissors, not that it’d help when he fucks up with his fire breath. “It was long before… but I don’t really have much in the way of a hairbrush, the claws work fine but it’s impossible to get out knots, I’m worried about matting too…” he grumbles quietly as he gets lost in thought. He rolls a bit of the scorched strands between his claws. “It’s a mess I know,” he grumbles. “If I knew I’d be stumbling into a party I’d have tried to clean up a little” he could have found something to clean up his shirt, maybe tied his hair back so the mess was less obvious.
“Oh there’s no need to look formal, this is for fun and all” Noli waved a hand dismissively, but glanced back eagerly as he leans in a bit. “But~ If you’re that concerned about appearance I could help with that”
Ok food is one thing, this feels like another. Seven squints at him suspiciously a moment, an ear flicking.
“What are you suggesting with that comment, exactly?" He wants to hear what Noli has to say. The fae smirks, as if hoping for this answer.
“You found your way here, would it not be fitting to send you off a little better than you arrived?” Noli insisted, he was apparently very stubborn on this point, does he just want to dress Seven up like some sort of doll? He supposed there was appeal in trying to dress up a dragon. He isn’t sure how he feels about that.
Seven wasn’t sure he could dissuade him, this guy probably had centuries of patience over his own. So, with a sigh, he conceded.
“Okay… what did you have in mind?” He swears if this guy insists on some sort of dress up or spa day thing he’s just going to start running. But instead, Noli’s request is simple.
“Let me cut your hair.” Noli states, an easy smile on his mask.
Seven blinks.
“That’s… it?”
No silks, no gems, no golden jewelry. Just a haircut.
“Well I’d love to do more but you’ve made it very clear you wouldn’t accept it. I rather like chatting with you, 7n7, and wouldn’t want to scare you off by being too overbearing.” Noli tilts his head a bit, wings fluttering a bit, is he a bit nervous that he’d still say no?
Seven opens his mouth a moment, then closes it, thinking. He looks at the scorched ends of his uncombed hair, barely washed beyond maybe a rinse in a stream, when will he get a chance to properly care for it? When will he get the chance to properly groom himself?
Finally, he sighs.
“If it’s really not any trouble… then fine. Go for it”
He swears he sees Noli cheer.
“Wonderful! I promise you’ll look stunning when I’m done with you~” he claps his hands together, already grinning like the cat that caught the cream.
“Hey hey! No funny business! Just a trim, okay?” Seven insists, this guy is more stubborn than he is!
“Oh fine, can I at least comb it out too?” Noli leans in a bit closer, this guy is so lucky he’s handsome.
“A comb and a trim” Seven nods.
“Can I convince you to let me wash it?” Noli’s smirk is a bit wider.
“I’m starting to reconsider this all together-“ a small puff of smoke trails from his lips,
“Okay okay fine! Just a comb and a trim!” Noli huffs, but concedes.
Somehow, this leads to Seven being led by the hand by some sort of fairy king out of the party, only a brief detour for him to ask someone to fetch scissors and a comb, and to a much more quiet area.
The stars still twinkled above, meteor showers still shooting overhead, and Seven’s ear twitched as he picked up the sound of running water.
And he realized Noli led him to a stream, the night sky reflected beautifully off the running water, and somehow the hair care stuff Noli asked for was there already.
Seven noticed there looked to be a bottle that probably had some shampoo, but frankly, if Noli didn’t get pushy about it he might actually accept the offer to wash his hair too.
It’s really been too long since he had some proper soap.
“Okay, darling, sit down just over there by the water, get comfortable, and I’ll do what i can about that rats nest of yours”
“Good luck with that” Seven grumbles, but does as he’s told. The rocks and gravel are cold under his scales, and even laying down Noli has to stand to reach his upper half. But at least he doesn’t need to lean over.
Noli looks to hesitate a moment, as is unsure where to start, for some reason the baffled look makes him chuckle.
“Are you getting cold feet on me, Noli?” Seven taunts while removing the burger hat. Noli huffs, almost pouting, as he lightly glares.
“No no, I’m just trying to think about how to tackle this. Your hair is a lot different from mine. Far less curly.”
Seven didn’t even think he had hair under that hat! The more you know. Noli must get over his Hangup as he picks up the comb and starts to comb out a section of his hair.
Seven hissed as the comb tugged against a knot.
“Sorry about that, you weren’t kidding about this being bad” Noli did sound apologetic, at least. He continued on, regardless. Seven felt tense before, this sort of closeness felt like a lot, but as Noli continued to brush and tug and tease out knots Seven felt his shoulders relax, he could feel that Noli was being gentle, yet thorough, he was really taking this haircut thing seriously huh?
“Aren’t you a king? How do you know how to do this? I figured maybe you have some like, Royal barber or something.” He finds himself asking.
“I prefer to keep myself well groomed, I don’t trust anyone but myself to cut my hair” Noli answers, switching the comb out for scissors as he carefully cuts out a mat he can’t brush out. “But Aspx is very good at styling my hair for events.”
“So you don’t wear the hat all the time?” Seven hums, Noli laughs,
“No, but it’s one of my favorite accessories.” They fall into easy conversation again, Seven’s tail slowly swaying from the content rhythm they fall into. Noli is careful to not bump his horns as he works, brushing out knots, cutting off scorched hairs and mats. It makes Seven lower his guard, maybe that’s why he feels a bit more bold with his questions.
“I’m curious, does your cult live here? I never heard of anyone living in the forest, thought it was the middle of nowhere.” Seven asks,
“Hm, yes and no, where we are now is close to my little kingdom, but it’s likely still far off from where you wandered in.” Noli hums, snipping away at scorched ends,
“What does- oh, portals” Seven blinks, he probably could have figured that out himself if he looked a little closer, teleportation magic is his specialty after all. Then again, he isn’t an expert on the fae version of it.
“Correct! As long as you entered via a forest and had an invite you would end up here, and when you leave, you’ll be returned to where you entered in the first place.”
“…that’s pretty cool, actually” Seven smiles a bit, biting back a wince as the comb snags another tangle. “I’m pretty familiar with most magic, I experimented a lot when I was younger. Wish I brought my notebook with me, had to freehand my spells for a few years now” he sighs, “illusionary spells are what I’m confident in, used to use a lot of fire spells too but… well, it’s redundant with fire breath”
“A fire dragon! I could have guessed from the scales, but I’ve been deceived before” Noli hums, “so, do you travel around often with your teleportation?”
“A bit, yeah, I really liked the idea of exploring the world, snuck out a lot once I perfected it, mom would scold me for avoiding my studies because I was off two villages over.” He chuckles at the memory.
“My dad wanted me to study a lot, had a natural gift for learning and he wanted me to get into some fancy school in the capital. I never slacked off though! I just found the regular stuff boring. I’d research more spells and sketch out ideas in between my school work. Honestly, all the reading is probably why I need glasses” he jokes, and feels his tail thump against the ground when he hears Noli laugh alongside him.
“That does sound awful boring,” Noli hums, snipping off more charred hairs and brushing it out. “what do you do for fun now?”
“Destroy villages” Seven shrugs, “nowhere near where I live, but the destruction is cathartic in a way. I’m seen as a monster anyways, can’t change that, if they’ll attack me for existing better to have their fear be deserved” it gave him a little control.
To his surprise Noli didn’t even seem slightly upset about the admission, instead he chuckled.
“Oh how I missed those days of reckless abandon and chaos, a shame I’ve been a bit too busy nowadays to really cause some good trouble” he hummed, “used to do it all the time in the past, but the powers at be are real spoil sports and kicked me out of the Fae Wildes” he huffed, a hint of something more bitter in his tone, but that didn’t stop the comb from its rhythmic movements.
“I think I did hear something about being exiled…” it was said so casually he didn’t really ponder it further. Noli sighed,
“Couldn’t return home even if I wanted to, but I like my little community here. Not nearly as vast as the kingdom I used to rule, but beggars can’t be choosers” he hummed, tail curling around slightly,
Seven wasn’t sure what to say to all that, the king thing was more than a title? Noli was kicked out of the fae wildes? Does he miss it? How’d that happen? But all Seven could bring himself to say was,
“I’m sorry.”
Noli actually paused, his wings twitched once before he spoke.
“What are you apologizing for? It was long ago.” He pulls away from his hair, just looking at him.
“But you still got kicked out of your home? Even if it was deserved, it still sucks.” Seven would know what that feels like, he didn’t loose a kingdom or subjects, but he lost his family that day.
He can’t forget how they looked at him before he fled.
Noli was still quiet, as if unsure how to process the empathy, but slowly he went back to teasing out knots.
“You’re a strange one, Seven.” Was all he said, a slight sigh in his voice.
They fall into comfortable silence, Seven closing his eyes as he falls into the rhythm of Noli’s movements. As more knots are untangled he feels himself relax more and more into the combing, relishing in the movements.
Noli must notice as he hums a bit in a delight, deliberately combing over sections that have already been detangled just to watch Seven lean into the contact.
“Do you think you’d be agreeable to getting your hair washed?” Noli leaned in and asked, smiling a bit at how relaxed Seven has gotten, “it’ll make cutting it easier” he adds,
Seven does consider it, and concludes if Noli was trying to trick him or something he’d have done so by now.
Screw it, he wants to feel a bit more clean, even if it doesn’t last.
“Sure, go ahead.”
He lets Noli guide his upper half forward, lounging a bit on rocks and gravel so his head can reach the stream. Seven sees the fae pull off his gloves, revealing rich purple skin underneath, and rolls his sleeves up a bit. If Seven finds himself staring he keeps that information to himself.
It’s less comfortable than before, and Seven shivers when he feels the cold water make contact with his head.
“Sorry darling, can’t change the water temperature I’m afraid” Noli hums, and Seven finds himself grumbling.
“Can’t you warm it up with magic?” He whines,
“Now where’s the fun in that~” Noli laughs, and Seven finds himself willing to put up with a bit of cold water. He gets used to it, and thinks it’s all worth it once Noli starts lathering in the shampoo.
He didn’t realize it since he had worn gloves earlier, but Noli has claws, and the subtle points scratching against his skull feels incredibly nice. Gently kneading away the tension with every scratch and pull.
Oh he is really comfortable right now. If he died right here he’d call it heaven.
To his surprise, he gets so comfortable a deep rumble starts to come from his throat, Seven knew he could purr, but didn’t think he’d feel cozy enough to do so in front of somebody.
Noli hears the noise and smiles to himself, continuing to scrub in the suds.
“Like being pampered now do we?” Noli playfully teases, and Seven just grumbles, lightly smacking him with his tail.
“Sh-shut up” he grumbles between purrs. Noli just laughs, washing out the suds with gentle precision.
Seven’s more surprised he didn’t fall asleep, he feels Noli start to comb his hair again, hears the snipping of scissors, and sits up when directed so Noli isn’t leaning over the whole time.
Cutting the rest of the scorched ends takes much less time with his hair wet, once it’s all gone his hair is only about an inch shorter all around, it’s still way longer than he’s used to, but Seven can’t bring himself to care right now.
He’s just focused on the warm breeze Noli cast to help dry his hair.
Seven isn’t really paying attention, just closing his eyes and basking in the warmth. He feels a bit like a lizard laying in a sunbeam… that does sound nice though, maybe he should try that sometime?
“And… done! Lovely work if I say so myself” Noli hummed in pride as he finally stood back, and with a wave of his hands summoned a hand mirror and offered it to Seven, “but what do you think?”
Seven accepts the mirror, and gets a clear look at himself.
His hair is a cleaner shade of brown, without the scorched ends he can see clearly the full color. It’s smooth, clean, and isn’t a rats nest.
He feels a bit more like a person.
That makes his chest feel warm, his eyes start to water.
He feels Noli put a hand on his back, maybe he noticed his behavior change,
“I think you should try braiding your hair around the horns sometime, it’ll make you look regal” Noli offers, and Seven just chuckles a bit and hands back the mirror.
“I think I’ll stick with my hat. Thanks”
And yet, he can’t stop running his fingers through his hair, it’s so much softer now, and he doesn’t feel the crunch of burnt hair or tangles.
“Are you sure you don’t want any gifts to take home?” Noli presses, and Seven just gives him a deadpan expression. Noli backs off, thankfully.
“Can we head back to the party? I want to try those fruit pastry things.” Seven asks, and Noli looks delighted he was the one who brought it up, once again he gently takes his hand, when’d Noli put his gloves back on? And leads him back to the warmth and noise of the gathering.
Noli is still by his side, but he finds himself pulled into conversation with other cultists, or listening in as Noli has discussions with Aspx or Xpsa, who apparently aren’t concerned with him overhearing anything.
Not like he understands half of what they’re talking about, sounds a bit like delegation work to him.
But he finds himself smiling, laughing along to jokes, even showing off a few of the illusionary spells he knows to anyone who asks.
He doesn’t even realize how much time has passed until he notices the party winding down, the food has been eaten, drinks drunk, and people are tired and starting to clean up. Guess it’s time to go home, various faces he’s become familiar with bid him farewell, even Aspx and Xpsa looked to want to send him off, but Noli insisted he’d do it himself. Knowing he would be remembered, that even for one night he made a good impression, it felt warm.
Why does he feel so hesitant to leave this warmth?
“Oh what a shame, it seems our time to part ways has come at last” Noli hums, but smiles at him, “it truly was a delight to meet you 007n7, you’ve been wonderful company tonight~” Noli winks at him, and Seven feels his face flush.
“Y-yeah, you’ve been great- I mean the party has been great- I mean” he shuts his mouth, shaking his head and trying to find the right words.
“Thank you, this has been… I won’t forget it” is what he settles on, smiling softly, yet genuine. He swears he sees Noli blush a bit before hiding his mouth behind a hand,
“You flatter me Seven~” Noli walks with him to the edge of the forest, apparently not wanting to part ways just yet, but inevitably, they reach the edge of the gathering, the lights dim and music faded, and the faerie king turns to face him.
“You’re welcome to visit us at any time” Noli waves, his tail swaying. He puts a hand over his chest and leans towards him. “Or, simply call my name, and I will answer”
“I’ll remember that,” Seven promises, and even though Noli insisted on no formalities, he feels like he should do so. Seven takes in a breath, and bows.
“Thank you for inviting me. I.. I think I really needed something like this.” Even if it’s a cult, even if it’s a trick, even if he regrets this in the future.
For one night he felt like a person again.
When he sits up he sees Noli smiling, soft, no regal edges, just real.
“Until we meet again, fierce dragon.” And with that, they part ways Noli waving him off as Seven strolls through the forest. Even as the light fades, and the trees fade into familiar flora he associates with his little home, that buzz of warmth and connection still thumps happily against his chest.
The cave is still cold, the bedding still dreary, but the air is warm from the buzz of the party still following him. Seven smiles to himself, padding over to the sheets laying himself back down onto his bed.
He had fun tonight.
He ate good food, met good company, he even got cleaned up a bit.
Cult or not, he was glad he was invited.
This experience might give him the strength to continue on for just a bit more, if only to try and find warmth like that again. Seven settles his head into his arms, looking out the entrance of the cave into the night sky.
The stars sparkle like the light in Noli’s eyes, and if he strains his ears maybe he can hear that bell like laughter in the distance.
He feels sleep call for him now, welcoming like a warm embrace, and his eyes slip shut as he answers willingly.
And for once, his dream is peaceful, and shimmers like stars and rings like bells.