Sera x Nyrieal

Nyrieal had been rather pleased with himself over the past few days. Finding a suitable location had taken some searching, but he'd eventually settled on a broad, grassy shelf between two gently sloping hills, overlooking a winding river. Rocky outcrops bordered one side of the clearing, while a handful of trees provided shade without obstructing the view. It was peaceful, sheltered and, most importantly, beautiful. Nye had spent quite some time admiring the scenery before deciding it would make an excellent place for a nest.

The gemstones had been his favourite part. He'd searched along the riverbanks and through exposed seams of rock, collecting clear crystals, pale pink fragments, deep green stones and several larger pieces that caught the sunlight in particularly pretty ways. Arranging them had been almost as enjoyable as finding them. He'd placed smaller stones amongst the grass, gathered others into little clusters around the nesting area and positioned the largest pieces against the surrounding rocks. Every placement had been considered carefully, and he'd gone back to adjust several of them more than once. He wanted the finished display to be impressive. Not that he was trying too hard, of course. He simply had an eye for these things.

His attention eventually wandered from his handiwork when he spotted another dragon approaching across the lower slope. She was considerably larger than him, broad and heavily built, with a sturdy frame and a rather formidable presence. Nye watched her for a moment, his tail giving a pleased little sway behind him before he realised she might actually be coming towards the clearing. His confidence faltered. He shook out his mane a bit to fix any imperfections, checked the arrangement of the gemstones one last time, then tried to look as though he'd been casually standing there all along.

Sera slowed when she noticed him. Her green eyes passed over his pale scales, spiralled horns and long, flowing mane, lingering briefly before moving to the decorated clearing. She approached without any particular enthusiasm, her heavy steps carrying her through the grass until she was close enough to inspect the gemstones. Nye straightened as she looked around, waiting for some indication that she'd been impressed.

Instead, Sera gave a rather unimpressed huff.

"What's this supposed to be?"

Nye's ears lowered a fraction. "A nesting spot. I put it together myself."

"It’s a bit much, isn't it?"

He glanced towards the gemstones, then back at her. "I thought it looked nice."

Sera made a slow circuit of the display, occasionally lowering her head to examine a particularly large stone. She wasn't especially interested in the arrangement, or at least she made a convincing effort to appear that way. In truth, she found the whole thing rather amusing. The little dragon was clearly proud of his work, and the way he kept watching her for a reaction was difficult to miss. She wondered whether he'd spent all those days collecting stones specifically to impress her, or whether this was simply how he spent his spare time.

Either way, she wasn't going to reward him with an enthusiastic reception.

Nye followed her with his eyes, trying to resist the urge to explain the thought he'd put into the arrangement. He'd chosen the colours to complement the surroundings, after all, and some of the larger crystals had taken considerable effort to find. He was quite proud of those. But Sera's expression made him reconsider offering any more information, and he settled for adjusting his posture, letting his mane fall neatly over his shoulders.

Eventually, she stopped near the nest and looked out across the river. The location was lovely, even if she wasn't prepared to say so. She lowered herself onto the grass with a heavy shift of her weight, barely sparing the gemstones another glance.

"Well, at least it's somewhere to sit."

Nye blinked, then glanced at the space she'd settled into. "I suppose it is."

"Don't sound so surprised."

He quickly looked away, a little embarrassed by how pleased he'd become over such a small concession. Sera noticed the movement and privately found it rather entertaining. He was certainly an unusual little thing, all pretty scales and carefully arranged mane, with an ambition that seemed to be wrestling rather unsuccessfully with his shyness.

Nye eventually gathered enough courage to settle nearby, leaving a comfortable distance between them. He wasn't entirely sure how to proceed, but he was relieved she hadn't simply turned around and left. Sera, meanwhile, stretched out in the grass as though she'd been there all afternoon, maintaining her thoroughly unimpressed expression.

She might have been enjoying herself.

He wasn't going to find that out anytime soon.