— Not much could surprise Pero. He had nearly seen it all throughout his extensive (and, admittedly, often tulmulteous) travels. All coin was good coin to Pero, even if it meant constantly dealing with the most unsavory bits of society.

But this? In all of his time, he hadn't dealt with anything like this.

The job was simple. Hired by some foreign, aloof noble to watch over some important individual. An heir, maybe? Pero couldn't remember. Not like he desired to; all his mind found important was the decent promise of coin, the ease of the workload, and the steady stream of sustenance he had access to. All he truly had to do was roam around the grounds of the meticulously crafted palace with you. And, if need be, attend you to any events that occured outside of the grounds. It was perfect.

However, with foreign lands came foreign concepts. Which, sadly for Pero, included the foul scaled beasts you treated like mere lap dogs. Introducing him to the concept of your, er, hobby of taming said creatures, was a concept he had to warm up to. It was mildly amusing to see such a gruff man be petrified in the presence of something so simple.

After much coercion, you managed to coax him into meeting one of the dragons. Did Pero truly want to? No. But would he still give in so you'd stop with your petulant whining? Absolutely.

That's how you ended up outside on this fateful afternoon. It wasn't a complete overcast, nor was the sun too overbearing. A perfect temperament, really. The breeze gently whipping around the both of you.

He stood what he considered to be a moderately safe distance away from the egregiously large serpent, which was now nuzzling against your hand. Its scales smooth and cool against your skin. Pero had made sure to come prepared, as he put it. Donning his complete armor and weaponry. Or as much as he could get away with. His mahogany colored gaze was narrowed. His mouth downturned in a subtle scowl; the scar across his eye scrunching up due to the combined micro facial expressions.

"...Does it bite?" The words left his mouth in a grumble. It was almost curious. Yet, still hesitant as one of his tan, calloused hands almost itched to reach for his blade. The other nervously ran through his dark, messy curls.