Jason stiffened and his tail curled around tightly around his left leg,and he gently patted his hoodie pocket as little Shade moved a bit with worry he could feel through the fabric. Jason so wanted to say he wasn't,that he himself wasn't worth this but kept silent,having to bit his tongue with a fang sharply. He could tast the sweet tang of his dragon and human blood,sweet and strong.

Ash's face went blank and cold, like a door slamming shut. "Would this be considered payment for finding Sweetfinger?" he replied in a voice dead of emotion. The dwarf snorted. "Yeah. Sure, whatever. But, I want a serious answer, Prince."

Ash was still for a moment. "Yes," he murmured, his voice so low it was barely audible. "He's worth it."

"You know Mab will tear you apart for this."

"I know."

The dwarf shook his head, giving Ash a look of pity. "You an' your problems," he sighed, putting the glass under the counter. "Worse than the satyrs, I tell you. At least theyre smart enough not to get attached."

Ash's tone was icy. "Can you find me Sweetfinger or not?"


"Yeah, I know where he is." The dwarf scratched his nose, then flicked something away. "I'll send someone out to find him. You and the dragon whelp can stay upstairs until he shows up."

Ash pushed away from the counter. His face was still locked into that expressionless mask as he turned to Jason. "Let's go."

Jason nodded,following. He gave Ash his space,feeling guilty as heck. He gently scratched Fatespeaker under her little chin as she poked her little frozen snout out a bit. After a quick moment she slunk back in silently,hiding the the crimson and evergreen fabric.

As they made their way across the room, no one stopped them. The other patrons either ignored them or gave them a very wide berth. Which wasn't surprising; the cold radiating from the Winter prince was palpable.

Ash motioned him up a set of stairs in the corner.

Jason did as Ash motioned,wings folded close.He felt his own leftover dragon ice in his grow slightly colder at the cold radiated off of Ash.

Upstairs, Ash led him down a creaky hallway, past several wooden doors with strange noises coming from beyond them, until they came to the last one. Inside, a tiny room greeted them, with two simple beds along opposite walls and a flickering lamp in the far corner. The lamp was actually a round cage atop a gilded stand, and the light made desperate squeaking noises as it flitted from side to side. Ash shut the door, and the click of a lock was audible before he leaned back against it, looking utterly exhausted.

Jason gently knelt down and let Fatespeaker and Shade hop out of his hoodie pocket,their icey talons silent as they landed and looked up at him. He stood and turned to Ash,his expression guilty as he came over and gently put a hand to his shoulder. Fatespeaker came over and rubbed against the Ice Prince's leg a bit,purring a soft sound of a bubbling river to help. Shade came over and clung to Jason's leg in a slightly desperate way.

He offered a smile, but it was obviously fake. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Get some sleep," he murmured. "I don't know if we'll get another chance to stop after this. You should rest while you can," he told Jason.

"Will you? You need to rest as well." He said,his tongue faintly red from his blood,but he swallowed to get rid of the color. "Rrrrr~?" Fatespeaker squeaked,looking up at Ash with glassy eyes tinted purple.Her little body smooth and graceful as she sat next to his foot.

He didn't respond. Instead of answering, he asked a question of his own. Well, a few questions, actually. "Am I too late? Did you move on, as I meant for you to? That would be...fair. I won't contest your decision. So don't try to spare my feelings, please--just tell me now whether or not you can still love me, after everything I've done to you. Can you?" He whispered. He must be pretty worried...