Desert • Flower | TaeJin || BOOK 3#

VIII. First words to be spoken

He winks repetitively with a feeling of tiredness. He takes a deep breath, somewhat accelerated as he opens his eyes and focuses on where he is. He has no idea, he has never seen a place like this before. It looks like a nobleman's house, but he hasn't been in one like it. The colors, the way it is built, he doesn't even remember how he got here. He sits on the futon and rubs his face with his hands. Her petal-soft palms generate a shiver in him.

"Eunji Are you okay?"

The dragoness slowly emerges, instead of being covered in scales, is covered in tiny petals of corrugated, billowing ruffles. The dragoness gives a faint hiss, shrinking back. It is one of the few dragon breeds that has no whiskers, its snout is flat with a soft coat of fur of the same pink color, its fangs are also very small and blunt, but insanely white. The dragoness approaches in embarrassment and rubs her head against him. The man gives her a loving hug as he caresses her.

"Easy, it's okay, I just wanted to know if you were okay" He gives her a small kiss and continues to look around. "Do you know where we are? were you able to see it yourself, what could have brought us to this room?"

His head hurts, he still feels the sun trying to roast his whole body, he fears the horse has died. He was so weak when he lost consciousness that he doesn't know if the animal walked too far and brought him here or what happened. He tries to get up without success, his legs are very weak and his skin still feels hot. It is unbearable.

"Oh, you've woken up!"

He suffers a terrible convulsion and on impulse he pulls himself back very quickly. Taehyung a tilts his head, surprised by the gesture. He didn't think he would react that way to seeing him come in. It is natural that there is a bit of fear, he brought it unconscious, panic is imprinted on his face. The pink-haired man manages to reach the door behind him and although he can't open it, he is willing to break it with the help of his dragon. Taehyung gives him a fascinated look. It's covered in petals, just as he imagined it would be! He clears his throat and approaches with slow step, Seok beside him doesn't allow a gentle image; his dragon is not the friendliest sight when you're just awake.

Or when there is another dragon present he is very suspicious, he tends to growl at anything that approaches Taehyung, knowing it could hurt him.

"I introduce myself: I am Kim Taehyung. Owner of most territory in the western area of the Korean Empire" He politely introduces himself and the other continues to look at him distrustfully. "I found you in the middle of nowhere riding on your horse, although I think it was rather Seok who found you" He corrects himself with a nervous smile. "I brought you because I saw you badly injured."

"I... I'm Kim Seok-Jin... and..."

Jin is silent for a moment looking around, Taehyung is a very accommodating person.

"And I..."

He doesn't know what to think, he is very nervous. Taehyung remains a few steps away.

"You don't have to explain to me what happened, at least not now" Hurries to say Taehyung. "You can stay here and recover a bit and then go on your way if that's what you want. I guess you were traveling too light Where were you headed?"

"I wasn't... heading anywhere specific, I was getting away from al... something very very uh... I just... wanted to find somewhere else to be." Jin doesn't stop stuttering he does it over and over again it's almost complicated to understand what he's saying. Taehyung takes a while to process all the words, suppress the repeated ones and give logic to what he explained. Jin is so nervous of Taehyung that he doubts it's because of the dragon, he's not even looking at him.

"Good! How I told you, you can stay as long as you want or as long as it takes you to recover, as you prefer" Taehyung says kindly and smiling. "It's enough for me if you tell me what you were doing before."