From within a fortress of blankets, a soft purr melted into a sleepy groan as a hand slipped free from its cosy confines. The lone limb fumbled across the smooth covers, searching for her throne. Unable to find Iris, the ancient stirred restlessly, her unconscious movements accompanied by sounds that echoed the plaintiveness of a needy pet. Finally, an instinct as young as the warmth of sunlight on her skin compelled Kia to lift her head and crack open one eye, a faint air of feral desperation driving her search for Iris.


    Finding nothing but an empty room power leeched out of the pale doll. She rubbed her face feeling phantoms of a gentle touch all over it before stopping becoming as still as a statue as her eyes focused on her bony left hand, an expression of frustrated terror growing on her round face.


    "Ugh, she saw it...again." Like lighting an angelic beauty hid away the ominous aberration as Kia''s eyes shone with raw power, fueling her spell to get rid of what she saw as quickly as possible. After raising her hand to examine the illusion the necromancer somehow became smaller in appearance as she sunk into the mattress letting a rumble from deep in her chest escape, feeling useless at her inability to protect her image. The Overlord of Necropolis touched her forehead unconsciously as she stared at the door. There was a chance her spell came undone after Iris had left. With this spec of hope to raise the doll''s resolve enough to leave the subject behind, she leaned over the bed searching for her tall leather boots.


    "Maybe not." Like a spell, something told the cunning mage to stay. Despite how odd Kia felt, upon casting various protective spells she found nothing to be suspicious about and listened to the strange dominating feeling looming over her. The curious ancient casted one last spell and on her auger display she found her golems staying in the main room while a magical signature of a creature stayed still in the servant room.


    Surrounding herself with waiting for something to happen the undead used telekinesis to move the closed curtains on the big vertical window and stared at the dark granite slowly being painted over by the morning sun, feeling strangely content to obey her instinct.


    The sound of the front door being unlocked caused Kia to jump out of bed, the strange feeling vanishing as subtly as it appeared. She ran up to the bedroom door The sound of bare feet on the hardwood must have thundered in the silence of their room as Iris was already looking in her direction as she burst through the bedroom door.


    "Kia, I''m so glad you got out just now. I was a bit worried about you waking up alone." Her Favourite pecked her on the forehead, wrapping a long arm around her with the other hand holding onto something Kia''s dual-coloured eyes locked onto. The basket in Iris''s other hand which she skillfully manipulated above Kia''s head smelled divine to the perpetually starved necromancer. "I made you some food but couldn''t find any meat."


    The taller undead pulled off the cloth covering the basket. Kia pushed her head inside the whicker basket as an unfamiliar smell made her mouth water. A plate covering a rather large bowl was set aside and the girl saw a mound of roughly semi-circular foodstuff.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Adorable," Iris murmured with a soft smile as a puff of steam hit the overly curious girl, who had gotten too close."These are dumplings, Kia. The stuffing is mashed earthfruits with half as much part of cottage cheese mixed together. I got my hands on some sour cream which goes well with these don''t have it raw though." Iris poked Kia''s nose stopping the ravenous undead from eating the expensive condiment outright.


    "Okay." Kia cheerfully said, wide-eyed at the elf.


    "I fried half of the dumplings since I don''t know which way you would like the most. I always liked eating dumplings after a day or two as the food I ate at home always improved with time, making the third-day scraps a true delicacy. But I don''t think any amount of them would survive to the next day with you."


    "I-I-I can try." Kia backed away, not enough to leave the deliciousness out of her range but enough for the elf to crack a smile as she gently pinched the soft pale cheeks.


    "One day maybe, but now you should eat you always look so happy when you do. And unlike another woman, you don''t have to look at your figure."


    "Undead are the best!" Kia pumped her hand into the air and the elf mirrored it before setting the table.


    "I need to check something, Kia give me a moment."


    "He''s still there." A low dangerous rumble made the risen lay her hand on top of the necromancer''s head causing the rumble to soften by a fraction.


    "Then I need to ask why he is still there."


    "Free expirance points." The monstrous girl muttered darkly.


    "You want me to kill him?" The elf asked unsure of what she should do.


    "No. He is technically a guest and if you kill him that breaks all laws of hospitality." The girl wagged her finger authoritatively.


    "But torture doesn''t?" She raised an eyebrow.


    "That''s different... I-I-I...I can''t even imagine what would I do if that happened. "Kia''s lower lip began to tremble. "WHICH WOULD NEVER HAPPEN OF COURSE but still." She quickly added as if trying to convince herself more than the taller woman.


    "Sweetheart don''t think about this, focus on my voice would you." Her throne pushed her onto a chair and began to hum causing Kia''s mind to blank out upon hearing the calming melody. "Eat before the dinner gets cold." Iris reminded, her face sliding into a thoughtful expression as Kia munched on the dumplings with delight.


    From the side of her vision, the girl stared at her creation with an oddly familiar look. She scratched at her scalp trying to remember why it looked so familiar.


    The buttery trail snaked down the corner of the devourer''s mouth as the hinges to the servant room let out an overtly struggling screech as the bent metal scrapped against the wood, no doubt caused by yesterday''s event.


    "Haven''t I told you to leave if you know what is good for you?" Opposite to the soft calming voice, Iris coldly threatened Draco leaving the ancient undead stunned.


    "I know," The lizard replied and Kia could tell by the way his soul was returning to his body as if something had pulled it out that another vision had haunted the leather bag. "I would humbly ask for another chance, and if not my awakener and I are as good as dead so I will not fight if you choose to end my life.."


    "I can''t decide if you are brave or foolish for entrusting your life to the undead and appealing to their sense of pity. I guess that is a thin line even at the best of days." Iris responded eyeing Draco who looked much better than before yet many of his scales hadn''t come back and his wrinkly skin grew a tone darker. In the end, Kia felt all pair of eyes focusing on her and she turned her head toward Iris.


    "He is unworthy of receiving his final rest," Kia''s words hung in the air. "Therefore penance could be a valid punishment for...lèse-majesté. Injury to the majesty albeit a rare one." She spoke holding her fidgeting hands under the table as the eyes of her constructs focused on her. Draco slowly nodded his head and with visible difficulty both physically and mentally.


    "That is fine by me, my Sun and Star." Iris hugged the uncomfortable Overlord and lifted her onto her lap shielding her from the constructs'' adoration and making the lizard''s fielty feel less aimed toward her.