"Um... a while. I wasn't keeping close track. Maybe a few hours?"

She snorts. "No wonder I'm hungry."

Giggle. "Well, luckily—" and he gestures at the edible garden all around them.

"Yeah."

She retrieves various edibles, then plops down beside Zekanare. "So! We have ribbon wiggling as a hobby! It even got me to completely ignore my mortal form for a while, that's a high recommendation."

"Is it really?"

She pauses. "... Admittedly, not really, no. In retrospect I can hyperfocus on a lot of things if I'm dealing with them for the first time."

He laughs.

She giggles, and nibbles on her acquired edibles.

"Probably doesn't help that I tended to have, ah. People. That will eventually show up to nudge me out of it, because it wouldn't do if the princess accidentally starved herself. I am probably going to have to practice more self awareness now."

"I wouldn't like it much if you accidentally starved yourself, either."

"I'm shocked. Shocked," she declares, with a slightly fond smile.

Then, more seriously: "I'd certainly appreciate being nudged out of hyperfocus if it looks like I'm going to starve myself, but, mm." She nibbles thoughtfully on her food. "It's the sort of thing that now that I'm away from all of the... stuff associated with royalty, I kind of want to work on. It's hard to practice a skill when no one gives you space to use it, you know?"

"Makes sense. And I probably wouldn't be all that good at noticing. I don't have to eat as often as you."

"The unspoken perks of being a dragon. Immortality, magic, flight, and the ability to go longer between meals. I'm kind of jealous."

"Being a dragon is pretty great!"

"I am shocked by this revelation. Shocked."

Giggle.

"In retrospect, I am perhaps shocked by too many obvious things. Woe is me, shocked that being a dragon is fun, and shocked that you wouldn't like it much if I accidentally starved myself. I am clearly so awful at pattern recognition." She reaches out and fondly pets his hair.

He is very pettable. Also snickering.

She giggles, too. Then she retrieves the ribbon she'd been practicing with earlier, to resume figuring out how to magic. She can pet him while doing this.

Cuddles!!!