What do we do now?

You sigh in relief, tossing the brush into your bag as your recline against your headboard. You have a feeling you'll need that brush again in the future...

"Finally done," you inform the dragon. She nods, seemingly satisfied with your efforts.

"So, what should we do now?" You cross your legs beneath you, hoping that the dragon has a plan.

"My home is quite far from here - I will not fly there, as I'm certain I would be attacked. We should attempt to secure a mode of transportation."

"I've already packed a few things - it should only take us a few days to get to the nearest city. We can try to get a cart there."

Nightwing nods. "Then we should depart immediately."

You frown at her. "Hold on, neither of us have had anything to eat in at least eight hours - we should at least have breakfast before we go."

"Fine. We eat, and then, we depart."

You nod, and immediately set about preparing food. Yet another marvel of Elven engineering helps with this effort - a refrigerator. Powered by magic, it keeps food at a perfect temperature to prevent it from spoiling - and you have the only one in this shithole. Everyone else here is too fearful of Elven technology to get one.

You make a regular and a generous helping of scrambled eggs - chances are, Nightwing's appetite is closer to that of a dragon than a human.

You call for Nightwing to join you in the dining room as you set the table. She stares down at the scrambled eggs as she sits in the chair you pull out for her, seemingly confused.

"What...is this?"

"Scrambled eggs - you should be able to digest them, right?"

She nods, and you teach her how to use a fork before sitting next to her and eating your own eggs. You're far too hungry to wait for her to start eating.

You stretch when you finish, and realize that you haven't asked Nightwing if she likes them yet. You turn to face her, and-

"Holy shit - how did you finish all your eggs already!?" Her serving was at least twice yours, and it's gone in the same amount of time! Even more shocking is just how clean it is - there's no sign of her being a messy eater, despite how quickly she must've scarfed them down.

Nightwing shrugs. "I was hungry."

"Yeah, I can see that..."

"Is...is all human food like this?"

"How d'you mean?"

"Does all human food taste this good?" You can't help but chuckle a little at the question. She crosses her arms as she glares at you.

"It is a serious question - do not attempt to mock me!"

"I'm not mocking you - it's just that, well..." you shrug. "Compared to what a real cook could do with less, this is nothing."

Nightwing's eyes widen, and she has to struggle to hide a smile. Despite her efforts, you can see her excitement in her tail, which begins to swish around energetically.

If the bright, golden blush she's sporting is any indication, she's quite embarassed by her behavior. You decide to cut her humiliation short by putting the dishes in the sink and getting your bag out of your room.

"Alright - how long do you think we'll be walking for?"

Nightwing seems relieved by the change of topic. "Do you have a map?"

You place the map you packed on the table, and point out where you are, marking it with a pencil that you give her. As she figures out the route you'll take, you make a few sandwiches and wrap them in paper, stowing them in your bag as rations.

"So it looks like we'll be walking for about five days," Nightwing informs you. You double check what she's scrawled on the map, and you nod, impressed.

"How'd you learn how to read a map?"

"At home, we were taught how to navigate while flying with a map," she explains. "It's a similar vantage point."

"I see..." You pull out your compass, grateful that your father **** you to learn how to read a map and use a compass when you were younger. Once you have your bearing, you pack away the map and clip the compass to your pants.

"I'm ready if you are."

Nightwing simply nods. Before leaving, you say a quick goodbye to your mother.

The two of you step out into the light of the day together, and begin your five-day journey.