Eternity Bound (Prequel) - A Pre Yona of the Dawn Fanfic

Chapter 9 - A Special Occasion

And... I want to know about him...

The Seiryuu's face lingered longer in her mind. Sitting on the edge of her bed and carefully brushing out her hair, Nari braided the ends together and tied them with a ribbon.

Rising to her feet, Nari lightly tapped the toes of her shoes against the floor to ensure they wouldn't slide off, then she closed her eyes, twirling in place and vigorously willing a smile onto her lips. "It's okay, "She steadily inhaled, then exhaled — breathing away her worries. "Because today is going to be another perfect day!"Pumping her fist in the air, Nari resisted another cough and rubbed her dampened brow under her bangs. "Off to work!"

Darting from her room, Nari hummed to herself while she made her way down the hall along with her fellow servants — many of which paused to greet her and strike up a conversation on their way to the dining hall. Eventually, she found herself gathering a bit of a crowd.

It still felt like a lot to try and get used to her newfound "popularity," and it was also... overwhelming. Nari smiled nervously at all of the servant girls, trying to keep a flow of separate dialogue with each of them.

Upon arriving at the Dining Hall, Ji-Yeong was there to greet her in the usual spot — eyes coolly rested shut whilst she leaned back on a pillar with arms crossed over her chest. Immediately, Nari excused herself from the crowd and bounded up to her friend with a bright smile. "Good morning, Ji-Yeong!!"She exclaimed, rocking on the balls of her feet energetically — nearly falling into her friend when she involuntarily swayed a bit too far forward.

"H-Hey!"The older girl blurted, cheeks heating with embarrassment while she rested her free hand on her hip. "Yeesh, you're even more bouncy and clumsy this morning than usual."She said, running her fingers through her bangs. "You really need to get your bangs fixed."She added, turning to enter the dining hall.

"Sorry, sorry!"Nari said with another giggle, straightening her feeble posture and following behind her friend with an unfaltering smile.

"Anyway..."Ji-Yeong sighed, the pair walking to fetch their food. "What're you going to do next week?"

"Do?"Nari tilted her head, confused. "Um... work?"She replied, following her friend towards their usual table. "Why?"

Ji-Yeong's brow twitched slightly. "Do you even know what next week is?!"She exclaimed, startling her companion, who immediately jumped. "It's the day King Hiryuu descended from the heavens!!"

"N-No way, that's actually documented?!"Nari's jaw fell slack with awe and her eyes rounded.

"Yeah, King Hiryuu documented it himself!"Ji-Yeong grinned, looking down at her friend. "It's in the castle archives. You should check it out if you get any free time."

"I-I just... can't believe I didn't know sooner. The dragons never told me-!"Nari was stopped short when she bumped face first into someone, squeaking and stumbling back in surprise. "I-I'm sorry!"

When she looked away from Ji-Yeong's direction to see who she'd bumped into, Nari was startled when the first thing she saw was the young woman's flowing obsidian mane. Then, when the dark-haired female turned to face Nari, her deep grey eyes that'd been previously hidden by her bangs framing the sides of her face came into view.

"Oh, it's alright!"A small but warm smile spread upon her features, long black lashes fluttering slightly when she blinked curiously. "It's my fault; I heard you mention the dragons and just... froze. Forgive my asking, but you know them?"

Ji-Yeong perked a brow at the other servant girl. "Of course she does; this is Nari! She's the one who took down that gross Advisor!"Draping an arm over Nari's shoulders, the tall girl smirked. "Are you new?"