After the incident the other day, Dracon seemed to be getting better. He went around undoing some of the trouble he'd made and was even starting to do what Fluttershy asked of him. Both of them could hardly believe it. Fluttershy was quite pleased, feeling that perhaps she'd finally gotten through to him. Though, that could've been wishful thinking on her part. Still, since Dracon was being so nice and helpful, she felt like giving him a reward for all his hard work.
The following day, as the hour was approaching the afternoon and Dracon was taking care of the feed bags in the shed, Fluttershy called out for him from the palace window.
"Dracon, could you come into the parlor please?"
Dracon wondered as he obliged with the goddess' request, what it was she could possibly want. Though he felt ashamed to acknowledge it, he'd been quite dutiful in carrying out the chores and other tasks Fluttershy had assigned to him. At this point, the palace and its grounds were just as nauseatingly quaint and lovely as since before he arrived. With all the work he'd done, what more could Fluttershy possibly want from him?
As soon as he entered the parlor he was met with a surprise he hadn't expected. Set before a sofa and armchair on a little table, there was a spread of scrumptious tea cakes, delectable finger sandwiches, and a large teapot with wisps of steam rising up from its spout.
And standing off to the side was Fluttershy, smiling warmly at him as she said, "Ta da!"
Dracon, now recovered from taking the whole sight in asked, "What is all this?"
"Why, it's a tea party of course." Fluttershy answered. "To thank you for all the hard work you've been doing around the palace."
Dracon took a few tentative steps toward the table, the smell of the tea spread beckoning him to take a seat and enjoy. "I've never really been to a tea party before." He said, his tone betraying the anxiousness that he felt.
Fluttershy reached out and took Dracon's hands, stunning him into silence. "Well, now seems like a good chance to see what it's like."
Once both were seated, Fluttershy poured a cup of tea for Dracon and herself. "How do you like your tea?" She asked him.
Dracon was never much of a tea drinker, so he replied, "Two lumps of sugar will be fine for me."
Fluttershy obliged and handed him his cup. "This is a special blend of flowering tea. I've never tried it, but I here it's supposed to taste very good."
Peering down at his cup, Dracon looked at the golden brown liquid and frowned to himself. Having tea that you simply drank sounded boring. As that thought entered his head, so too did an idea occur to him. Just as Fluttershy brought her own cup to her lips, Dracon snapped his fingers, and eagerly awaited to see what kind of reaction she would have.
After taking a sip, Fluttershy noticed something peculiar happening in her tea cup, one of the little tea leaves turned into a sprout, that rose up from the cup to turn into a mixed bouquet of wild roses, lilies, songbirds, and hyacinths. She let out a startled gasp as she stared at the beautiful arrangement of flowers.
"H-how did...?" She started, but Dracon interjected.
"With a name like "flowering tea", I thought it would be more interesting if the tea actually flowered."
"They're very lovely." She said, taking a whiff of their sweet aroma. "Thank you."
Dracon couldn't help but twitch a little at her compliment. What was the matter with him? Why was he acting so nice and compliant towards this girl? Had the goddess cast some sort of spell upon him? He took a quick glance at Fluttershy nibbling a tea cake and shook his head. No, she was far too innocent and nice to do something as underhanded as that. Still, there was no denying that being in the goddess' presence had changed him in some way. 'The sooner I leave here the better.' He thought.
Just as Dracon wasn't used to be at a tea party, Fluttershy wasn't used to having new company. True she did socialize with her friends and her animals, but that was different. Those were people and creatures she'd known for years, this was a stranger, one who'd been staying with her and of whom she still knew very little about. So for a little while, after the flowers had spring up from her tea, an awkward silence fell between the two. Neither one sure of what to say or do.
'I've got to do something.' Fluttershy thought to herself. 'But what?'
Hoping to try and strike up a conversation, Fluttershy asked, "So Dracon, are you feeling any better now?"
Dracon replied with a stiff nod. "Yes, much better. Though, I wish I could say the same for my powers."
"Oh really? Have they still not fully come back yet?"
"Yes, unfortunately." Now, what Dracon had said to her wasn't entirely true. Indeed, each day he could feel his powers returning to him. However, he didn't feel quite ready to leave the palace just yet. His enemies had yet to find out about his escape, and he didn't feel he was ready yet to face them again. So until then, he'd have to wait it out in Fluttershy's care for a little while longer.
"Oh dear, I wish I could help." Fluttershy said sadly. "But I'm afraid I don't know a thing about how to restore one's magic back to full strength."
Dracon waved off her concern. "You needn't worry, my dear. Simply letting me stay here is enough."
"Still, I feel bad having you cooped up here all the time, but I can't let the other gods know that I brought a mortal here." She said. "Who knows what would happen if they found out."
"Yes, indeed." Dracon said, a distant look coming into his eyes. "Though however stifling it can be, I'll be able to bear with being confined here until I'm ready to take my leave."
"You sure?" Fluttershy asked."I wouldn't want to make you do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."
"Really, it's fine." Dracon insisted. "If I ever get bored, I could always have that demonic puff ball entertain me."
Elsewhere, Angel's ear twitched, sensing that someone was belittling him.
"Alright then, if you're sure." Fluttershy said. Then a thought popped into her head. "You know, at the end of the month there'll be the Spring Festival happening down in the mortal realm. If you'd like you could accompany me there. It'd certainly give you a chance to enjoy a change of scenery. Perhaps you'll even be completely recovered by then."
Once again, Fluttershy's sheer kindness befuddled Dracon. "You want me to go to a festival with you?"
"If you'd like." She said. "Though, I completely understand if you don't want to. After all, it did take me a while before I could feel comfortable walking among the crowds, and even then I still feel a little anxious."
Dracon considered it for a moment. A quick trip to the mortal realm could allow him to see all that had transpired during his absence. Perhaps it would be nice.
"Very well my dear, I accept your offer." He said graciously.
"Wonderful, I'm sure you'll like it." She said.
"Yes, I'm sure I will." He said rather ominously.
Much to his surprise, Dracon had found that he'd actually enjoyed Fluttershy's little tea party. It all felt so warm and inviting, just like the mysterious feeling he had whenever she was around him. After thanking her, Dracon headed back outside to the gardens, thinking casually about her invitation to the festival. No one had ever invited him to anything, and now this goddess had extended an invitation to him. This act of kindness, made him want to do something to repay her.
At this point, Dracon slapped himself in the face. 'Keep it together, man!' He thought to himself. 'Now is not the time to be thinking of such things. If you do, this thought process could lead you to having doubts, and doubts could lead you to giving up on your plans! Have you forgotten them already?!'
As he thought about his plans and his enemies, Dracon was able to clear his head and focus. He'd spent an eternity waiting to escape and exact his vengeance, and he couldn't allow a few warm and fuzzy feelings jeopardize what he had planned in store.