"I don't mind treating you special. Though I'll stop it if it makes you uncomfortable." He said as he made himself a sandwich out of some of the meats that were there. He ate silently.

Cain paused to consider that. What exactly was it about the special treatment that bothered him. "It's not that it makes me uncomfortable, but....why should you treat me special when I'm not?" he said quietly and he stared down at the floor in the corner to his left. He didn't want to look anywhere near Kirin when he spoke, nor when the other man would inevitably answer with some simple lines that he was special. But they were just words. Cain wasn't special and he wouldn't easily be convinced otherwise.

Kirin was silent for while as he contemplated his answer. He had to make sure that he said the right thing. After a moment responded. "You are special, and I know to you those sound just like words. But I want to be able to show you how special you are." He said watching him as he spoke.

Cain stared into the depths of a piece of bread he was systematically crumbling rather than eating. Despite his earlier thoughts, Kirin's simple words did make him feel better. He was stubborn though and still not sure being told he was special was enough. He didn't want to be special if there was no reason for it, no meaning behind the sentiment. People weren't just special. He shook his head, finally looking up from this bread crumbs. "Show me? How can you show an unimportant human like me that I'm special?"

"By treating you that way. Confiding in you, like I did last night about the marriage proposal I was sent. Talking to you helped me know what I needed to do. If that isn't special I don't know what is." He said with a smile. He looked down to see he had shredded a piece of meat as he had thought and then spoke.

Cain sighed. He supposed Kirin was right. The other man had been treating him as special from the very start, but it still didn't make himself. He didn't want to stop pushing or or accept that as the best answer though. "But why? You can't just smile that lovely smile and expect me to smile back and accept things. I'm not that kind of person. I want to know why I'm this kind of special!"

"You make me feel, normal, like I'm not the king. When I'm with you it's as if I'm not the ruler of an entire kingdom." He fell silent for a moment. "With you I feel as if I can truly be myself. Not what everyone expects me to be." He finally said.

Hugging his arms closer to himself, Cain gazed at Kirin with soft gray eyes. Now Cain couldn't help it, he did feel special even if it wasn't the answer he had been expecting. "Do I really make you feel that way? I'm not even trying," he said hesitantly.

"you really do make me feel that way. It's been awhile since I have felt that way." He said with a soft smile. "It is good to feel that way again." He takes a breath. "I have meetings this morning. You are free to explore the castles and the grounds.But I would ask that you not leave the grounds."

"I see...I'm glad that I'm...special then," Cain said, looking down again, but this time because he felt his cheeks heating up. He shouldn't be blushing like a teenaged girl just because someone made him feel wanted, especially another guy. It was strange and Cain had no explanation for his reaction. He nodded his head once. "I understand. Don't worry, I don't have many other places to go." He looked up with a brief smile, then busied himself with cleaning up the mess he'd made of the food in his worried state.

"If you would like I can take you out and show you the market place when I am done with my meetings." He said as he cleaned up his mess as well. He truly enjoyed spending time with Cain. "Though we'll have to take a guard this time." He let out a slight chuckle.

Cain just shook his head. "I'm fine by myself, really. You don't have to hang around me unless you really want to," he said before standing. He was pondering what to do for the morning. Maybe he would just sit out on the balcony and write in his journals about this place, or he could explore. He thought he was take it easy though. He shrugged one shoulder, then added another comment. "It's no fun with a guard lurking around."

"True, but such is the life of royalty." He said standing. "Besides I enjoy spending time with you." He called for a servant and soon the left over food was taken away. He stretched, not wanting to go to his meetings. He would rather spend the day with Cain, no matter what they were doing.

"Yes, you've said that," Cain said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they went to the market later after all. "I'll see you after your meeting then?" he questioned as way of saying good bye. He could tell Kirin was lingering, so he was trying to encourage the other man to do as he was supposed to, but Cain only hinted subtly of course. He didn't want to seem like he really cared.

"I will see you later, if you get hungry you know where the kitchens are." He said as he turned to leave. Don't get attached, it will only end in heartache. He thought to himself as he opened the door.

Cain waved bye to Kirin, nodding although he'd already turned his back. He went back to his new room and pulled out the journals and went back to sit on the balcony. There was a chill to the morning air, but it was a pleasant one that he didn't mind. Opening the journal that was only yet half filled, he pondered where to start. Finally, he decided to start at the beginning. Hunting to prison, prison to assistant, assistant to 'special'. Soon he found himself drawing Kirin under the guise of needing to explain what these dragon people looked like. He focused on the wings, shading them roughly with his graphite pencil to simulate the texture of the scales.

He was getting attached. He knew it and it bothered him, but one couldn't just stop being attached to people and safe places. What was he going to do about this whatever relationship he had with Kirin? He didn't know where it would lead yet, but he supposed this was just a new sort of travel.

Kirin did his best to stay focused during the meeting, though it was horrendously boring. It was one that he really didn't need to be there for, but he had to be there as it was his "duty". His mind kept wandering to Cain. Sometimes he got the feeling that Cain cared for him, was attracted to him. Other times, he felt of is Cain was putting up walls. It really frustrated him not being able to tell. It was after noon when the meeting was finally over, for now. Kirin stood and stretched. He then went to find Cain.

There may have been much to write about, but it wasn't long before Cain had run out of things to say and draw. Boredom was never something good for someone like him who was used to being in constant motion. He shaded his eyes and stared up at the sky. He wanted to be outside doing something that was him, except he didn't want to go wandering around in strange places.

Finally, he abandoned his journal on the balcony and climbed over the edge of it. There were no trees nearby he could jump into, likely because it needed to be clear so Kirin could fly from there, but the building materials were roughly hewn and covered in strong brown vines with multicolored flowers that he found easy to hold onto. When Cain had made his way to the ground, he looked around. Where to? Traveling secretly like this was easier than going through the halls. With no direction in mind, Cain decided to walk around the castle. He kept near the walls. He just wanted to see the whole place from the outside.

Kirin returned to the room just as Cain went over the wall. He couldn't help but smile. The young man was adventurous. He decided to let him explore on his own, he did trust him not to wander outside of the grounds on his own. He headed into his bathroom knowing a hot soak would do him good. He started the tub and soon sunk into the scented water.

The feeling of being outdoor rejuvenated Cain as he walked. The palace was large and he guessed he was only half way around before his mind started to wander. He enjoyed the feeling of walking and part of him wanted to walk all day. He could easily walk out of this kingdom and go back to his life of travel. He wasn't sure if that's what he wanted though. He wondered if Kirin was back from his meeting. Would he be worried at Cain's absence? The question made Cain sigh. He should get back. Traveling wasn't the right answer, at least not right now, but he kept the option open in the back of the mind. For now though, he hurried back to the place under the balcony and climbed up the same way he had left.

Kirin at this point had finished with his bath. He came out of the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He noticed Cain wasn't back yet and he started to worry a bit. Had Cain left? That caused an ache in his heart. Though he could sort of understand if he had. Kirin spotted the journals and knew Cain wouldn't have left those behind.

Cain looked around and saw no one, so he finished climbing up onto the balcony. Maybe Kirin wasn't back after all. He gathered up his journal and flipped open to the page he had last been writing on. The left side of the page included his drawing of Kirin, then on the right side, he had drifted into the realm of thought and worry, using the journal more as a personal diary. He walked into the main room, still reading over his words and not paying attention to anything around him as he read.

Kirin watched Cain relieved to see he had returned. He sort of hates himself for doubting Cain. "Did you enjoy yourself?" HE asked still only in his towel.

Cain jumped, realizing that he was not alone in the room. He nearly dropped the book before he turned to see Kirin barely two feet away from him. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the other man, dressed in no more than a towel. "W-what? Wait, did you know I snuck off?" he managed to stutter. He had to force his eyes away from Kirin and chose to stare at the floor. He knew he was acting ridiculous and he didn't even know why.

"Yes, but I am also pretty sure you stayed on the grounds." He said trusting his feelings on this. "And if that's the case it's totally fine." He smiled. He wants so much to reach out and touch Cain's hair, but he doesn't feel they are at that point yet.