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(With all of the apologies lately, Daenerys is going to prove to be quite different from the rest. She, for the most part, is looking content, watching something - someone, actually - dipping and diving over her head.)

I was informed that I may acquire wings in time. How might I go about earning them quicker?

(She has long held onto the dream of flight. Now that dream has become a ravenous craving and the young queen longs for it.)

I fall under the control of the Sanguis moon. I had talons, scales, fangs, but sadly I was grounded.

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[ Valmont doesn't have an answer to Daenerys' question; his moonblessing transformation both times has remained the same unlikely combination of rabbit ears and antlers, no wings in sight. Not that he minds too much - flight would be a useful ability, certainly, but having to deal with sprouting wings in addition to all these other parts strikes him as a bit more trouble than it's worth. No, what he does have are concerns. One concern specifically. Specifically, about her username. ]

Would you mind explaining that "mother of dragons" bit?

[ It could be a metaphor, or something. It's probably a metaphor. But where dragons are involved, he doesn't want to be too careful. ]

(Oh did she forget to mention this?)

I have three sons. All of them are dragons.

(She tilts the picture so he can see Drogon flapping happily overhead.)

His name is Drogon and he is my eldest. The other two were named Rhaegal and Viserion. (Her voice is hushed. The use of past tense is painful.)

[ Well. There's a lot to take in from those few short sentences. Daenerys has children. Three children (and isn't that the sort of thing you ought to tell someone by the second date? Then again, none of their dates have been quite what you'd call normal). Two of whom are probably dead, judging by that tense change. And all of whom are... well, the camera doesn't lie. That's not a metaphor. That is an extremely real dragon.

It's a mark of the extent of his affection for Daenerys that Valmont doesn't say anything insensitive right off the bat. Instead, he just sits there, gaping at the screen as he tries to cobble together some words from the whirlwind in his brain. What can he tell Daenerys that won't immediately offend her or her son, but will explain why he's currently this close to running for the hills? ]

...I didn't mention, did I, that the demon who utterly destroyed my life was a dragon.

(Dragons are often monsters in stories, ready to snatch fair maidens, treasure and livestock. It was common, on Valyria, for them to be tamed and ridden daily. The Targaryens had either been given phenomenal foresight via a vision or they had been ejected from Valyria for some foul deed or another. Regardless, when the island was destroyed in an explosion of fire and brimstone, they were safely across the sea on the shores of Westeros.

The last of the dragon-riders. Her ancestor, then, set about conquering and uniting the kingdoms of his new home. Centuries passed and Daenerys is the product of many incestuous marriages. That is how the Targaryens preserved their ability to ride the great beasts...and their Valyrian beauty.

But the last dragon perished long before Daenerys's birth. They were thought extinct. Part of a myth. Until her sons hatched.)

Dragons are like humans. Some are wild and cruel; others are wise and much kinder than you would expect. Drogon is good. I think he would be a fine king for Westeros. His judgement has never failed me.

[ Rationally, her words make sense. One dragon, no matter how deplorable of a dragon he may have been, isn't much of a sample size. It's certainly possible Shendu was a bad apple in an otherwise decent race. The dragons they know may not even be the same race - for one thing, hers have wings, apparently. Perhaps their two worlds merely chanced on the same word for two similar yet distinct species. In all likelihood, he has nothing to worry about.

It makes sense. But it doesn't change the cringing disgust he feels thinking about it. ]

And if you're his mother... that would make you a dragon too, I suppose?

[ His voice is unsteady. ]

I am a dragon because I am a Targaryen. My ancestors have long since held the belief that dragon blood flows through our veins. (But she has no proof of that being the case besides her immunity to fire.) It would not surprise me if one of them found a way to...be...with a dragon.

(They are mad or they are geniuses.)

I earned my title as his mother because he had no other when he hatched. He and his brothers clung to me for comfort and protection. I had lost my son a few days before they hatched. I think they could sense that I had given birth and why would they not think they were mine?

Well, that's good - not the part about - that's obviously horrible - I mean that you're not -

[ He's got no idea what he's trying to say, because honestly, he doesn't know how he feels about any of this. She may not be a dragon in the technical sense, but her ancestors might have slept with them (and the thought of that does set off a full-body cringe), which means that who knows how much of that blood in her veins is metaphorical? And he likes her - quite a bit, if he's being honest - but he can all too easily imagine making one misstep and her dragon son deciding it would be a good idea to protect its mother by roasting him alive.

Dragons. He thought he was done with dragons. ]

Look, this is going to be a bit of a... process, all right?

You are mistaken in thinking I am not a dragon in truth. (She refuses to be saddened by that; it has meant everything to her over her long journey.) Perhaps I am too much of one. When my son was born, they say he had the scales and the wings of a dragon. Magic may have corrupted him and that is why he couldn't survive, however I must keep in mind that I am immune to fire and my sons recognize me as one of their own.

(His unease doesn't miss her notice and she softens, murmuring:)

You have no reason to fear me or Drogon. We are without family or home. He will be the very last of his kind on Westeros. While I can keep him here, at least we will not be alone.

[ You're not making him feel too much better there, Dany :| Though at least if she's immune to fire, maybe he can hide behind her in the event her son ever gets the urge to fricassee him.

That said, he can tell that she's trying to put him at ease, and he exhales, slowly. ]

I'll do my very best to take your word on that.

[ He means it. Even knowing about her... unconventional family tree, he can't bring himself to want to push Daenerys away. Drogon is a different story, but if he can be civil around Valmont, Valmont can at least promise to be civil around him. Anything friendlier than that will take a lot of working up to. ]

(She is being honest. Hiding anything from him would feel wrong at this point. He has to make the decision whether he accepts her or not.)

I care about you. (She shouldn't. She should avoid those emotions, yet they haunt her nonetheless. When he had been a ghost, she had felt...desperate.)

I've lost many of those I love - some were dear friends - and I don't want to lose more.

[ I care about you - and his shriveled heart blazes with such sudden warmth that for a moment he's not sure a dragon hasn't decided to incinerate him after all. An attack of feelings is preferable to that, he guesses, but only barely. ]

Look - last month's incident was highly unfortunate, but rest assured, I'm not planning a repeat anytime soon. And if you think I don't care about you as well, I'm afraid you're very much mistaken.

[ He can feel some of that heat creeping onto his face, and thinking about how he must be blushing right now just heightens his embarrassment. He's with you, Dany. Feelings. Who needs them. ]

(She tries to hide a smile, but she isn't entirely successful. He is a handsome man with more kindness than he knows. Daenerys wants him to know the truth so he can make an informed decision about her. Lying would be easy...

Lying might make him really happy. But she can't do that.)

Then don't fear me. I won't hurt you. I would rather injure myself.

(Those she holds dear are protected. For the most part.)

[ Hearing that he had any amount of kindness in him would probably send him into an existential spiral, so maybe it's for the better that she doesn't mention that particular thought out loud. As for the rest... ]

I can't say I'd be too fond of either of those options.

[ Now he too cracks a smile, crooked but genuine. ]

Allow me to make a counter-proposal. What do you say no one gets hurt, except our enemies?

(Kindness can be viewed as a weakness. She tries to value it - admire it - but sometimes letting certain things remain unsaid is best. Safer.)

Neither am I. I dislike pain (of that variety) greatly.

(Daenerys tilts her head, amused.)

Point them out to me and I will see it done.

Edited 2019-11-27 16:13 (UTC)

[ Meanwhile, kindness is just sort of a foreign concept to Valmont. It wasn't a quality he was raised to value, and he certainly hasn't had much use for the stuff in his career as a crime lord. He wouldn't have thought he had any capacity for it at all, and he would have been fine with that, but being around Daenerys occasionally makes him feel... well, different. ]

In the event that I acquire any within this world, I shall let you know immediately. Otherwise, I extend an open invitation to deal with my existing enemies, should the powers that be ever deign to let us return to our own worlds.

[ There's really no reason for him to still be so bitter about being yanked into Prismatica, considering the fact that his life's better here on basically every level, and even he knows it. But it's a matter of pride, if nothing else. ]

I shall do likewise. There is no reason we should face our foes without support. (Because of what she has experienced, Daenerys fears that he too will shove a knife into her back. Or her front. However she is trying to be brave and move forward. What other choice does she have? Other than curling into a ball and avoiding all company, of course.)

How would I fare in your world?

[ It's a fair concern. For all that he gets outraged when others betray him, Valmont isn't above a little backstabbing himself, should the opportunity arise. That said, he's never done it to someone he actually cares about (and whether or not he's willing to admit he cares about anyone is a different story). ]

You? You'd run circles around the rest of them. For one thing, you're a good bit cleverer than the bunglers I normally work with.

[ Said with almost a trace of fondness, which he doesn't seem to notice. ]

And as you seem to have settled into this world quite handily, I doubt the technology would pose a challenge. You'd have to keep that son of yours out of sight, I'm afraid, though; the general population of my world isn't aware that dragons exist.

[ He shuts his mouth just in time to not follow that up with Lucky them. ]

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