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Several Days Later.

Reb'bhek'aran pokes her head out of her room as she hears Courtney head home for the day. Setting her book down, she pads out into the hall and stretches, going about her business without any prying eyes. Even with the Maid here, the privacy has been nice, though she sometimes feels like a prisoner in her room while Courtney is there.

She wanders over to the door to check the locks when she spots a strange backpack sitting against the wall. She nervously glances around, but being a curious sort, can't really help herself from pulling it open and glancing inside.

She flips through the art text books inside, pulling one out to peer at it curiously, then spots the odd spiral ring bound book. Not recognizing it, she pulls it out as well, intent to read through as much of these books as she can until she expects Courtney to return in the morning, retreating with her ill gotten plunder back to her hoard~

An hour later, Courtney runs up the hill to the manor, cursing under her breath. First night she has off enough to be able to leave, and of course she forgets her art bag! As she nears the backdoor, she slows down, definitely not wanting to give any hints that she is anything but punctual. Quietly opening the 'servant entrance' (really just the human-proportioned back door), she makes her way to her room... And then the kitchen... And then the front hallway. Relieved at her bag being there... Open... And missing things...

'Ffffffuck...'

She glances around, uncertain how to proceed. Not exactly a lot of suspects, but... "I need it..." She whispers to herself.

Reb'bhek'aran sits in her room amidst all of her books, flipping through the sketchbook very carefully, examining each piece of art in turn, slightly in awe as she takes them in.

Courtney hesitates upon arriving at the door. Curiosity getting the better of her, she peeks in. 'Well... Great.'

As she ponders what to do, her hand slips from the door handle and she very unceremoniously falls in. "Gah!"

Reb'bhek'aran spins at the sudden noise, "WHO GOES TH-oh! Courtney? I thought you left?"

Courtney rapidly panics herself upright: "S-sorry! Sorry, I just... Just... Well um see..." She blinks: "I-is that my sketchbook? I mean um if you want it I g-guess it's okay er..." She trails off, about a third of her expecting to not see the morning now anyway.

Reb'bhek'aran looks down at the sketchbook still in her claw, suddenly feeling hugely embarrassed at the invasion of privacy she's participated in, "Oh! Oh goodness, it um... I think it is... I mean... I just found it... lying... around... in your backpack... with... your name on it... oh uh... I just couldn't help myself..." She sheepishly lifts the book up back towards Courtney. "I was going to make sure it was back in your bag before you returned... I uh... sorry."

Courtney gingerly takes back the sketchbook, swallowing. "T-thank you. Um." She hesitates, then despite knowing better than to open her mouth... She turns back to Reb'bhek'aran as she clutches the sketchbook to her chest. "Did you, um... did you like it?"

Reb'bhek'aran brightens up, nodding vigorously, "Oh yes! I loved your sketches, and your shading is incredible. I uh... oh right..." She reaches towards her book pile and pulls off the text book she took from the bag as well, handing it back to the maid. "I was going to read that one too, but got distracted."

Courtney blushes at the praise from an unexpected source. "It's, um... Nothing. I-I I am sure a d-dragon like you has seen much better..." She belatedly realizes to take the book, 'An Artist's Guide to Anatomy (Now With Added Dragon Studies)' and smiles genuinely for the first time.

Reb'bhek'aran shakes her head, "Not really. Well, I mean, I've seen a lot of art in books. But nothing with my own eye. Unless the art has some monetary value attached, most dragons say it's 'worthless junk'." She sticks her tongue out as if disgusted. "So this was a real treat! Oh, um, still... sorry."

Courtney blinks: "It's, uh... I-it's okay. I m-mean, it's your place, right?" She knows that's not exactly how it goes but does not want to argue with her employer/boss/someone more up in the food chain. Instead, she gives a bow. "S-sorry."

Reb'bhek'aran looks back at Courtney curiously. "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault... I mean, it's only sort of my place... but don't mind me, I'm just weird..." She glances away towards all her books, then sighs, "Anyway... you can go if you want. I know you just came back for your books and things, and you're supposed to have time off right now."

Courtney feels her heart drop at the words 'don't mind me, I'm just weird'. She swallows, then tentatively steps forward. "Um. Actually I am not really... Need to be anywhere, um." She fidgets her hands on her sketchbook for a moment. "I could... I mean, if that is okay, Mistress, I could s-show you, if you want?" Ignoring the voice that's yelling at her to run away while she can, since the voice telling her someone is actually interested in her doodles is stronger.

Reb'bhek'aran pauses, watching Courtney for a moment before she speaks up again. "...call me Rebecca. You're not here to work, and I don't like all that Mistress stuff anyways. I'd rather go by Rebecca." She swallows, glancing at the sketchbook, "And... you shouldn't feel obligated, but... I would like to hear about your art, if you're willing to share."

Courtney hesitates, then nods: "Reb... Rebecca? I uh... I c-can do that, Mist- er, yeah." She steps half a step closer, uncertain where she should stand or sit.

Rebecca looks around, her room not really suited for human-sized guests. She looks around, "Oh! Uh sit... wherever, I guess? I can move whatever you need too! I've got a bunch of pillows here if that would work. Just... um... whatever works. I don't really ever have anyone in here, usually."

Courtney blinks again, her image of who her boss is rapidly dismantling and rebuilding itself. She looks about the room, the steps over to a particularly sizable pillow. "Uh... This could work?" She glances at Rebecca as though confirming she's allowed to move things, then actually drags the pillow close to the middle of the room not taken over by a dragon. Hesitantly, she sits down.

Rebecca nods, flopping back down to crane her neck over to be able to see in the sketchbook, "I've read a bunch of theory books on art, but not tried it myself. How do you get inspiration? How do you get those ideas down on paper? How did you get so skilled at it?"

Courtney feels a moment of panic when Rebecca looks at her sketchbook over her shoulder, but manages to suppress it. "I, uh... I've kinda always drawn. I see things in my mind and want to put them on paper I guess?" She considers: "And, er, practice. I doodle a lot." The girl seems to finally relax, if only slightly, talking about her passion.

Rebecca seems a bit fixated on the sketches, letting out a sigh, "That's so amazing... That you can just make this stuff happen like that."

Courtney glances up: "You... you really have not seen art like this before, have you?" She doesn't feel quite as intimidated by the dragon now, or at least, right this moment as they're talking about art.

Rebecca shakes her head, "I always thought it was so neat, you know I wanted to be an artist of some kind... But I don't know if Dragons just don't do art... Or if we can't. So I just study it instead. But that's not the same."

Courtney feels a bit of a tinge in the back of her head. "Er... Perhaps bold of me to presume, Rebecca, but why the hell not? You can hold things in your, er, claws, right?"

That part that's trying to tell the gothy girl to stop, has apparently been bound and gagged.

Rebecca scrunches up her snout, "Well, yes, but..." She trails off into a sigh. She seems to be about to say more, but slowly draws back, thinking better of it before she just adds, "It wouldn't be proper..."

Courtney blinks. She did just verbally overstep, didn't she. "I understand, Rebecca. And I apologize." She turns her attention back to the sketchbook, forcefully changing the topic: "I guess I kinda just draw whatever I feel like. No real rhyme or reason to it..."

Rebecca turns her attention back to the drawings as well, "And it's all just for you? Do you share it with others or... oh, I really shouldn't have pried..."

Courtney smiles, perhaps just to herself: "Mostly because it's fun for me. I do put it online, but no one really pays that much attention... the process itself is fun."

Rebecca laughs, "That's good!" She pauses again, seemingly intent to test the boundaries between the two of them, "Can I ask uh, what else you do for fun? If you hadn't had to come back to... you know, 'work'..."

Courtney blinks again, having not exactly expected that: "I uh... well, I... read a lot, I guess. Hang around on the antisocial medias of the internet. Wikiwalk." She gives a small inward sigh and adds in her thoughts: 'Anything that doesn't involve other people.'

Rebecca nods, still trying to focus on the sketchbook, and not how awkward she feels trying to talk to someone, "Ahh, yeah, yeah... me too... well, reading that is. I read a lot... too..."

Courtney nods as she flips through the sketchbook. "It's... it's fun. Relaxing. And learning things..." She trails off, uncertain what she is even talking about.

Rebecca watches each page carefully. "It's... quiet." She lowers her voice, "I like the quiet. Thank you for showing me your sketchbook, Courtney. I... I know this was probably weird."

Courtney comes to the end of the sketchbook, feels awkward for a long, long moment, before starting to get up. "It's... i-it's okay." She stands up before turning around and giving the dragon a small smile: "Y-you know, maybe you are not quite as scary as I thought."

Rebecca winces a little, but laughs. "I'm supposed to be all big and scary, though. I just don't like to be."

Courtney blinks. She then muses on a thought, which she then voices. "Well... maybe if it just us, you don't have to be? I promise to not say a word of this."

Rebecca smiles, "Ha... I'd like that. It means I could be a little more comfortable at home too."

Courtney looks around, giving a small shrug: "I guess... the way this arrangement goes, for the next quite the while, it is where I live as well, isn't it? At least, spend sizable amounts of my time..."

Rebecca nods, glancing towards the door out into the hallway, "You shouldn't be afraid here. I mean, it's not like I'm going to eat you or anything like that!" She laughs at the obvious joke, but glancing at Courtney makes her stop short, "You... didn't actually believe that I might eat you, did you?"

Courtney winces at the direct note hitting home. She taps her fingers together: "I... might have?"

Rebecca frowns, "A-ahhh... oh. Those stupid rumors... I'm sorry, Courtney."

Courtney now feels a rather intense blush coming on her face: "I wonder... what else I might have... misunderstood, now."

Rebecca manages to smile once again, "Well... if we're going to try to be a little more open... you can feel free to ask, of course. Not just job questions, but anything that comes to mind. I won't be offended."

Courtney nods: "I will keep that in mind." She then blinks and turns back to Rebecca: "...not that I need to say it I guess, but goes the other way too. If you have questions. About, er, art and stuff."

Rebecca taps a claw on the floor, debating with herself, "I... might have to take you up on that."

Courtney smiles at that. She then holds her sketchbook to her chest as she gives a small curtsy: "Will that be all, er, Mistress?" She gives just a bit of a wink as she says the title.

Rebecca blinks, then sticks her tongue out. "Go on! Get out of here and enjoy your night!"

Courtney giggles despite herself: "I will see you in the morning, then. Have a good night, Rebecca." With that, she gives another nod at her boss-dragon and makes her way out, her mind running three thousand miles a minute at what just happened.

Rebecca waits a moment as the quiet solitude of the manor returns, managing a smile as she feels just a little less lonely.

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