Adventures in Kingmaker

by Meadow_Dawn

2: Saved from Insanity, practice arranged.

Author's Note:

Background note

Cyrus' party continued to explore the Savage Lands, so they could know where the kingdom could expand to should it have the funds to do so. They survive an attempt on Cyrus' life with a kind of assassin creature that was never spotted, and they killed an assassin vine, a sort of trap plant that grabs passerby to feed itself. They went upstairs to find a rather attractive mare dancing, trying to seduce them all. Ironically, Dawn and Cyrus were oblivious to it (had succeeded their will saves), but were so naive that they both thought the mare was just trying to kiss their giant fighter pony companion (i.e. they failed their sense motive checks).

They proceeded to kill the creature upon learning of it's... vampiric nature, and then explored the rest of the place, which included a pressure plate trapdoor'd room that they both were able to hold their breath from initially. Cyrus had the bright idea to think that the trap would only go off once, and proceeded to take a big breath of insanity gas. Dawn, being the after-battle healer through herbs and such, tried to save him from his insanity. The successful roll however, as good as it was, was deemed that Dawn did mouth to mouth and used magic to breathe for Cyrus. Naturally, the entire group got to joke that the two of them were an item from that point on.

Dawn hangs in the back with Cyrus, embarrassed at their companions combined teasings for the method she tried to use to help him recover from that poisonous gas. She looked over at him then quickly looked away, hoping he wasn't upset with her for being the subject of those teasings.

Cyrus doesn’t know what to think at the moment. It was circumstantial, but it still was his first kiss all the same. The fur around his face was bright red as these thoughts went through his head, completely oblivious to everything around him.

Dawn noticed the blush, and feeling guilty, she quietly chimed up, wanting to own up to how bad he must be feeling right now. "Hey, Cyrus. You uhm, feeling any better now?" She asked, berating herself for starting with such a cliché.

Cyrus barely heard Dawn and barely manages to come back to reality. "Huh?" He didn’t pay attention to her question, though he felt a bit awkward around her at the moment.

Dawn spoke again, voice shaking slightly, "I... I hope you're feeling better. I was just trying to help earlier and... I mean... nevermind."

"Uh, oh! That! Y-yeah, it is mostly out of my system now, I am not seeing any transparent black shadowy creatures at least. So, uh, yeah, thanks." Cyrus said. It was hard to look at her due to how awkward he felt. "I am not mad, honestly I'm not." Cyrus worried, feeling the need to clarify that for some reason.

Dawn nodded, "G-good. I-I didn't want you to be affected by that mist stuff after all. So, uhm, what do you think's in the chest?"

"Um, not sure really." He starts, "Can't be gold since the chest isn't that heavy, it's probably some equipment I think, nothing like armor or weapons, but equipment all the same." He says, the chest really wasn't too heavy. "But the only way to find out in the end is to get it opened by Jus’tav." Cyrus points out, still feeling awkward.

Dawn nods. "That'll be helpful, hopefully." She said, still feeling that awkwardness between them. Finally, she couldn't bear it and mumbled, "Sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" Cyrus asks confused, "You did nothing wrong. If anything I should be apologizing for dropping all those rocks on you and Adalgar, even if it was for a good reason."

Dawn blushed and shook her head, "I-I dunno. You seem to be a bit red on the muzzle and I thought.... nevermind..."

Cyrus really looked at her this time, exclaiming, "Well you look a bit red yourself!"

Dawn flushed near crimson under her fur, making her muzzle look like a deep forest green color, "H-hey!" She pushed against him with her shoulder
"Hey!" Cyrus pushed her back playfully, his face was still slightly red, but his smile seemed to be returning, "That was uncalled for!"

Dawn laughed and pushed him back again, "Don't make me kiss you again!"

Cyrus was laughing with her, as he didn't feel as awkward as he did several minutes ago, "Go ahead, you already stole my first one you thief!" he says as he pushes her again.

Dawn laughed and pushed up against him and then kissed his cheek just because he said to before saying, "You stole mine too you royal pain!"

"When you put it that way, we're both thieves here." Cyrus says grinning, not knowing what to think about that bit of news. "Um, Sorry?" He says finally.
Dawn smirked, still embarrassed but trying to hide it, "Was it really that bad though? I mean..."

"I... don't think it is. In hindsight, I kind of enjoyed it." Cyrus said his face got red again when he thought back to it. Despite the fact it's with a sentient pony, ‘Then again I am also a said sentient pony. So, there are no problems here, right?’ He thought. "It… just took me by surprise is all." He added.

Dawn blushed, looking away as she tried to focus on walking in a straight line, "Y-yeah. You're tellin’ me."

Dawn took a deep breath and let it out before asking, "I don't exactly see you around camp doing a whole lot. What do you do for fun anyway?"

"Hmm, let's see. I pretty much practice my swords skills when I get the chance, practice some of the magic spells in my spell book. When we are at the kingdom though, I usually sneak out in my old attire before I became king, to see how the people are doing without alarming them that the king is among them and so. Plus, you already know about me stargazing already so I don't really need to say much." Cyrus said as they walked.

Dawn nods, "Is there a specific routine you do for your sword practicing or spellcasting?"

"Well it's more trying to get used to using a longsword since it feels different than my regal blade. With a rapier, I practice moving and trusting to ‘move with finesse’ as my fencing instructor puts it." Cyrus explains, "with magic I practice the chants and motions without actually using the magic at first. I wouldn't want to blow myself up or burn the area down. Speaking of burning, I almost set myself on fire one time when I was still a colt, scared the heck out of me." He grinned.

Dawn head tilted, wondering why he would fight with a longsword then instead of a rapier, but stayed quiet as she listened to the story, before flinching visibly at the sound of almost setting himself on fire, "Y-yeah. That's why I hate it. Nasty, dangerous stuff. I barely can handle using it to cook as it is..."

"Yeah, at the time I thought my own spells won't hurt me as long as I am the one casting it, I practiced fire magic inside an abandoned barn. Not a good idea, but I was dumb and did it anyway. That hurt a lot." He said, "If my magic instructor hadn't been passing by when she did, I don't think I would be here. I was afraid of fire for weeks, though I got over it after my magic instructor told me to think about fire this way, "Fire can be one of two things, a dangerous thing if used the wrong way, but a gentle light if handled with care." It helped me get over my trauma and actually think before I cast fire magic, I want fire to be a gentle light, though that doesn't mean I won't use it to attack if I need to." Cyrus says, he then felt the need to address Dawn's discomfort. "And sorry for making you uncomfortable with that tale, I didn't think it would make you uncomfortable."

Dawn shook her head, took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, and spoke, "Yeah, I didn't exactly have a teacher, I've had to teach myself, and I-I've always just run away until I had to learn for the sake of cooking. Like, I know that it can be helpful, protective and all that just like anything else. But... I can't help but feel scared of it, you know?"

"I know what you mean, out of all the elements fire is the most dangerous, but is the easiest to use as it is one of the most basic to conjure. But if I was able to get over it, I think you can too." he says putting his hoof on her shoulder, "I'll help you if you want, it’s the least I can do." he says with a smile.

Dawn nods, looking even more nervous than ever, almost as if there were fire nearby as they walked, "Yeah, I-I really need to get past this. I'm-" She took another deep breath, unintentionally walking closer as she closed her eyes before opening them and looking ahead, "Tell you what, you help me with that, and I'll give you somepony to practice your swordplay with, sound good?"

"Sounds perfectly fine to me." Cyrus smiled in return at the idea.

It was noon when Cyrus donned his old adventurer’s attire, the simple red long sleeve tunic and his bandana. He always wears it when going out alone since the guards can't recognize him in it for some reason, he always wondered why. He then stands in front of his window and casts feather fall, he then proceeds to jump out, landing safely on the ground thanks to the spell. "Ok, now to visit the locals." He says grinning as he made for the still incomplete castle town.

Dawn soon trotted out alongside him, inconspicuously joining him while having her hair tied up into a braid and covered with her cloak, which was covering her heavily enchanted breastplate, which covered her torso much more thoroughly, though felt more confining. She said nothing as she kept her shield and sword at her side, taking in the town a bit more thoroughly this time as they went.

He made his way through the town until he arrives at the residential districts. He casually greets everyone he comes across as though he were a mere commoner himself. Most greet him back as they know him, though they don't seem to realize that he is the king. Though Cyrus had the odd feeling someone was following him, which somewhat made him uneasy. It wasn't until he turns around near the item shop that he sees his stalker. "Ok, who's- Dawn?" He asked confused he was sure he snuck out of the castle without anyone knowing. That is, until he remembers actually telling Dawn he sneaks out from time to time. Though he was sure he didn’t tell her he was heading out.

Dawn chuckled, "Don't mind me, was just keeping tabs on you. Can't have anything happen in a bad back alley can we?" She smirked and took up a position on his left side, "So, having fun talking to your citizens?”

"Pretty much. I can't be inside doing paperwork all day, that stuff is stressful. Besides, I'm not that helpless." He says as they walked, "But I guess having company wouldn't hurt, at least I won't get nagged at to go back to the castle at once."

Dawn chuckled, "I'll protect you from those guards who insist that happen, push comes to shove. You like doing this a lot?"

"Yep, Gotta’ get my fresh air somehow, plus I like meeting other ponies. It is comforting to be myself rather than act like what I'm supposed to be." He says as he waves at some passers-by, to which they wave back.

Dawn nodded toward them in greeting before looking back at him with renewed respect, "You really are down to earth... Ever wonder if you should have been an earth pony instead?"

"Hmm, maybe, I just love to chat with others. I have no idea if it is to make up for the lonely early childhood I had or that I just want to make friends I cannot tell. Plus if I was an earth pony then I wouldn't have been able to inherit mom's magic, so I am quite happy with what I am." Cyrus answers.

Dawn nodded, "Definitely nice to be able to use magic that's for sure. Ever had your magic accidentally cause a prank or two that you loved so much?"

"Hmm... let me think." Cyrus stops to think about it, it took him a few minutes to remember something. "I do remember this one time I used levitation magic to cause a guard to think there was a poltergeist. It wasn't intentional at first as I was looking for something in the dining hall. I was using my magic to move the some of the light things around as it was still pretty weak back then. Though my magic was strong enough for lifting two chairs at the same time, and I had the brilliant idea to crudely stack the chairs on top of the table." He explains as a grin was forming on his face. "Now I was at the far most point under the table at the time so I couldn't be seen unless you look under it, even then the place was dark. So he happened to be passing by and I left the door open. He looked inside and saw my dancing lights in the shape of an earth pony colt, on top of the table, with two floating chairs at the far side of the table, stacking themselves." He said was a wide smile on his face, he was at the point of laughter. "He dropped his weapon and shouted, "Ghost!!!" That startled me and in my panic, my spells dispelled themselves, the dropping of chairs freaked him out even more and runs, screaming like a little filly, no offense." He said laughing, saying the last part just in case.

Dawn laughed and laughed, "Oh boy... that's tame but damn that's funny! I still barely remember a time when my parents freaked out over my foal magic at one point. Turned them into a colt and a filly for about an hour just because I wanted somepony to play with!" She continued to laugh as her mind wandered to memories from back then, and preventing herself from feeling sorry for herself, she shook her head and asked, "So, what about foal magic, did you have any time where your horn caused your family any issues growing up?"

Cyrus laughed at the part where Dawn turned her parents into foals. "I don't blame them!" He says, laughing hard. "Um... ok maybe it wasn’t my parents, but one time I accidentally turned my fencing teacher into a nutcracker. I thought it was funny, but mom freaked out and turned him back. She was apologizing a lot, but it was a good laugh." Cyrus said, "Oh! There was one that involved my dad actually, I accidentally gender swapped him somehow. I don't remember it since it happened before I could barely walk, but my mom told it to me and said she laughed so hard that she constantly ran out of breath."

Dawn laughed, hard herself, almost leaning on him in the process, though it didn't help picturing the scene and then wondering what his father would have reacted like by picturing Cyrus in that boat... the Idea of him being a mare though was very unlikely.

"Oh no, don't you die on me now!" Cyrus says laughing, both seemed to be leaning on each other. "Well, I guess I know what to look out for when it's my turn." Cyrus says as he still laughs, though wasn't laughing as hard anymore as he was calming down.

Dawn finally gets her breath back and kept leaning on him before taking a deep breath and letting it out as she calmed, "Gods... I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. What would you do if you went through that?"

"Try to change myself back of course." Cyrus said as he thought about it, "Though I think before that I might freak out and yell."

Dawn smirks and then playfully frowns, "Awww, I was hoping to find a nice mare to settle down with." She chuckled before asking, "feel up to more sword practice yet? Or maybe go through routines in some heavier armor? I mean, we can't exactly count on somepony else to take our blows n all."

"Considering my luck with companions, I would say that is wise. Plus everything seems to want to kill me for some reason." Cyrus says thinking back to the incident with the wisp and the ruins where there were attempts at his life.

Dawn nodded. "You got a set you can practice with, or would you like to try mine?

"I haven't gotten a set yet, so yeah I would try yours right now since we have yet to build a smithy unfortunately." Cyrus says as he feels that should have been one of the first things to take care of.

Dawn smirks, "All right. I'll let you wear it, but don't you dare run off with it!" She said, bumping him.

"Hey! I am no thief you cur, I feel offense to thy claim!" Cyrus says in an accent, acting like a stuck up noble.

Dawn looks in mock horror, "I see through thy false demeanor! All this time spent as a pony of the herd... I see I was mistaken!"

Dawn added quietly, "if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have offered."

Cyrus laughs, "I know, and it makes me happy to hear that." He says as he smiled.

Dawn smiled in kind, not being disappointed by this.

Dawn quietly spoke, "gonna practice now or a little later?"

"Hmm, I suppose we can start now, any practice done now is a boon in the future." Cyrus says as he waves at a group of ponies with a smile.
Dawn waved as well to them and turned to go to her usual training area.

Cyrus followed suit as he was somewhat in the mood to get some training in, he never knew what might try to attack him like that again and wants to get better so that he might not need to feel paranoid about getting targeted so much.

Dawn undressed out of the armor, taking her time using her magic to unfasten it and set it down carefully as she looked to him. "You still have that under armor tunic on right?"

"Yeah I do." Cyrus answers as he was wearing it under his red tunic, "Have to be ready to get some training done when I can." He says, it was a habit he picked up from Gearfried, as Gearfried claims, "There is no such thing as being the strongest, yet it is a goal everyone pursues, which is why training should ever be neglected as there may always be one stronger than you." He and Tom kept that lesson to heart.

Dawn nodded, "I can see why, but I'd sooner fight smarter, not harder. Now, let's see how well this fits you." She said as she lifted the armor with her horn magic. The breastplate seemed to shimmer on occasion with a ripple of deep green, indicating the magic-laden in the metal. She first moved to place the back piece that was to cover his back and sides, slipping the straps over his head that would connect to the front piece

"Good thing I don't I don't train as much as Tom, a build like his would have made this thing too small." Cyrus says jokingly as the armor fit him pretty well, it was slightly small for him, but not enough to hinder him in any way.

Dawn smirked and spoke a key magic word and it shook on top of him like a vibrator motor, stretching and conforming it to his build and form until it was almost perfect, at which point she moved to hook the chest into place, "you were saying? Had to pay extra for that."

"... Not a thing." Cyrus said shrugging, he honestly did not know that would happen.

Dawn chuckled, "It's ok to laugh Cyrus. I was teasing. You had no way of knowing it would do that unless you cheated and tried to detect magic... cost me most of my savings to get this... it definitely works... tries to repel attacks made to the wearer and gives you a nudge on how to move to mitigate the blow..." she rambled, securing those straps and trying to appear unabashed as she ducked her head below his belly to get his final strap secured.
Cyrus tried not to think about it when she went down there, though at least this isn't back when he first arrived in this world, it would have felt so much more awkward back then as he wasn't used to his body at all back then and felt embarrassed not having pants.

Dawn finally pulled back and went to her chain shirt that she had been used to and donned it facing away from him. She was still crimson under the fur and was trying quite hard to remember they were about to fight, completely ignorant of any view he might have until she turned around and took up her sword and shield.

When Cyrus draws his long sword out, he always imagines the invisible force he uses to wield his weapon as though they were his human arms. Any movement he makes with his weapon he imagines as though he were making it with his old body. He still isn't used to wearing this kind of armor yet, but it isn't like he hasn't worn anything like it either thanks to his training back in his world. He takes up his stance, the sword positions itself to match how Cyrus imagines it.

Dawn brandished her blade and said, "Today, I'll focus on offense while you're wearing that, and then we'll switch it up since it's vastly better than our old armor... are you ready?"

"Sounds good." He says as his sword shifted into a more defensive position. "Ready when you are." He says, ready to parry her attacks.

Dawn nods, and proceeds to do several broad slashes against his sides, intent to make it easy at first, and to see for herself just how defensive that armor really was.

while the armor did slightly limit his movement, he parries most of the slashes with ease. A few slashes do manage to slip past his defenses and hit his sides, thankfully the armor is protecting him much better than his old chain shirt.

Dawn smiled and then proceeded to go after him in other ways, trying to be creative after noticing his somewhat limited movement. "What's the matter, pony got your tongue?"

Cyrus grins as he started to get creative as well, most of his movements seeming like he was either dancing or playing around. "Not even close." He says as he sidesteps one of her swings.

Dawn laughed and pushed her shield forward to block his shield and went to slap him on the side with the flat of her sword.

He immediately used his sword to parry her attack and jumped back. "Almost... but no dice." He said with his hoof stretched out, though he barely remembers that he has no fingers. Damn it! He thought as he was going to do a no motion. He quickly gets back into a defensive stance.

Dawn chuckled and took a step back, having been heavily on the offensive for the last several minutes, trying to reassess his weaknesses and find a way to go around it, then realized he favored one side and proceeded to attack the other, so that if he were stuck on the idea of being right hoofed, he would have to fight left hoofed!

Aw, shoot! He yelled in his head. As a human, he was always right-handed. And now Dawn is attacking his left side, his weaker side. He is doing the best he can to protect it, but seeing as how he is in visioning his human body holding his weapon, he is at a slight disadvantage. He then has a thought, Wait, I can just switch hands. His sword shifted as though he were now holding it with a left hand, "Nope! Not this time!" He says, his face shows that he is enjoying himself.

Dawn continued to fight, narrowing her brows as she realized something was off. He wasn't showing that weakness he had before.

"What's the matter, pony got your tongue?" He asks with a grin, he constantly "switches hands" whenever it looked like she was starting to focus on his opposite sides.

Dawn laughed, "You got me, and you learned well... anything specific you want to practice before we trade off?"

"hmm... nothing I can think of at the moment." Cyrus says as he used his magic to unfastened the armor, especially the straps under him as he was not very comfortable with Dawn going down there.

Dawn nodded, stepping out of her chain shirt and shaking her head, feeling the sweat come off her neck. She started to head toward him to help but then realized he was already taking care of it. She blushed herself as she noticed his, remembering the awkwardness to it from before and patiently waited.

Once Cyrus finished removing his armor, he sets is down gently as it wasn't his to begin with. "Ok I guess it's my turn to attack," he says as he puts on his chain shirt once again, normally he wears it under his tunic, but in this case, he doesn't care as much and wears it over his red tunic.

Dawn donned the breastplate, saying the keyword to make it fit perfectly before fastening it. She took up her sword and shield, joking, "smells like stallion now, ugh."

Cyrus laughed, "Then maybe you should have used it first, maybe then it wouldn't smell like that." He says as he takes up his Longsword, "You ready?" he asks as he goes into his battle stance.

Dawn smirked, "Maybe you should have taken a bath this morning, give it your all!"

"Oh, now you've said it!" Cyrus says as he starts the assault, slashing at Dawn with his longsword, he doesn't stay still while slashing, he is constantly moving, stepping and slashing.

Dawn moved, but not often. Her steps were calculated, defensive, and relying on feints with her sword and shield both. She seemed just at ease using her sword to block as her shield

Cyrus sees that the first approach doesn't work as Dawn is constantly expecting his attacks. Bored? Let's switch it up a bit. He thought as he thrusts as though he was using a rapier when Dawn least expected it.

Dawn frowned at first, narrowly missing being hit and shifted the angle of her shield so it tilted away from her body like a roof of a house on its side. She often feinted an attack on him at the same time he attacked, just to mess with him, then shifted toward moving more, testing the agility of the plate and smiling... she barely felt hampered. She wasn't terribly dextrous, and she knew this was practically the best choice of armor for her

Cyrus kept up his attack, only thrusting when he felt she won't expect it, he was never very strong compared to most, which was why he trained to use his more dexterous abilities to make up for that shortcoming. He eventually faked a thrust and did an upward cut instead, now trying to take advantage of his swinging speed and control.

Dawn barely moved her head out of the way in time, getting a cut along her cheek. She glared ferociously at him for a second before closing her eyes and pulling her weapon back into its sheath and her shield on its quick release hook. "I think that's enough for now... You've definitely been getting better."
"Uh... whoops, sorry about the cut, I think I was getting a little too into it." He says with an apologetic smile, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "But glad to hear I'm getting better all the same."

Dawn smirked, "Yeah... I think we both were, but that's why we're cutting it here... I'm not about to let myself get angry just because you actually got me. I'll save that for our enemies. So, what'd you think of the armor?"

"Only one thing I can say, I want one." Cyrus says with a grin on his face. He then pulls his bandana off his head, it was incredibly soaked with sweat to the point it was dripping. "... I think it's safe to say we both need a bath after this." he says twisting the bandana of all the excess sweat with his magic.

Dawn laughed, "I'm with you on that one. After we clean our armors off of course... lead the way." She breathed heavily, sweat dripping off strands of hair of her barely braided mane. She winced as a drop got into her wound and stung, hen cast the magics needed for the slight mending her body needed.

"Right, back to the castle!" Cyrus says as they headed back. he put the bandana back on his head, even though he knew it would just get soaked with more sweat, but at the very least it would keep more sweat from getting on his face. As they approached the castle, Cyrus removed his bandana and put his crown on since the guards never seem to recognize him with the bandana for some reason. "Eh?!? King!?! What are you doing out of the castle!?!" One of the guards asked surprised. "I was out on a walk around the town like I always do. Dawn just happened to follow me this time. But enough about that, let us in if you please." Cyrus commanded, "Uh, as you wish sire." The two guards stepped aside.

Dawn chuckled, "We really need to train them better..." She said quietly to him as they entered, following him closely

"Yep, that we do, we also need to build a garrison, get a militia going, finish the freaking castle... Yeah, we still have a lot to do." Cyrus says, "On top of that, how the heck they don't recognize me in my old clothes is beyond me."

Dawn laughs, "I have no idea.... we'll get it done, don't worry... which way to the baths?"

"This way." Cyrus says as he leads the way, the baths were at the back of the unfinished castle since the river is there. a small part of the river was fenced to be used as the baths, Cyrus forgot why they separated the baths in the first place when ponies don't really have a need for clothes as he observed from his time here. He suspects it was his idea, though he can't remember if it really was.

Dawn nodded and followed him along, then seeing the river, she smirked, "Separate baths huh? Oh well. I enjoy a good soak some days. See you soon." She said, heading toward the mare's side of the baths

"See ya." Cyrus says as he heads into the Stallion's side of the baths. He removes the chain shirt, tunics and his bandana and steps into the water, the water was cool and refreshing, and he felt the sweat and grime wash away. "Ahh, that's nice..." He says relaxing for a moment, then he drags his red tunic and bandana into the bath as well to wash all of the sweat out of them. once he did, he hung them somewhere to dry and proceeded to wash the chain shirt as well, he can see how worn it was, as he had the thing even before starting his adventures in this world. "Welp, you've served me well, but it doesn't change the fact that I have to get something better." he says before starting to wash it again.

Dawn washed off her new armor meticulously, making sure to use the special cream that they included that would continue to enhance its resistance to rust and damage. She was pretty sure she was oversold on it, but this will hopefully keep her safe until she is finally ready to head back to her home. She washed herself off soon after and got out, letting herself drip dry, despite the shivers that it caused her... the chilling air felt much more frigid and she got her more casual clothes on to relax in, a cross between a set of pants and a dress, the continued look of yellows and greens matching her coat and hair. She stepped out and stood near the entrance of the stallion's side, keeping her bundle of armors nearby while her clothes hung to dry. She knew they would be returned by the staff, but she didn't want to leave her armor anywhere but by her side, just as she always had her sword and shield at her side.

Cyrus was out of the water polishing his longsword, he had no intention of enhancing the blade since he was going to end up trading it off for his regal sword anyway, so he saw no point. He found spare king's attire where the servants usually put the things, despite how much he told them there was no need. He dons them anyway, a silk short sleeve red tunic and a white silk shirt that goes under it, there was a cape as well but he didn't feel like wearing that, he got out of the baths with his stuff. He sees dawn when he exits the baths, "Hey, been waiting long?" He says casually.

Dawn shook her head, "Not terribly... though I'm starving. Feel like going to the larder and doing some raiding?~"

"Yup, that work out made me hungry, Let's go." He says as they headed off to get something to eat.