Heartwarming / Treasure Hoard

• Shortly after arriving at his new home, Rori is greeted by a pet, Niko, who tells him he is to take him to get a bath. Despite not originally planning on it, Niko stays with Rori when he asks him to. Once there, they are joined by Lena, who accidentally splashes Rori in the face. Out of reflex, Rori splashes her back, which leads to an all out splash fight between the three of them. It's the first time we see that Rori still has a playful, fun-loving side despite the understandable gloom.
• Rori's first day out with Xávirac is full of these. Some highlights:
  • Xávirac gives Rori free reign to get whatever he wants without caring about the price. Having grown up poor, Rori makes the most of the opportunity, delighted to not have to worry about whether he can afford something for a change, even though he feels a little guilty spending his Master's money.
  • Xávirac promises Rori ice cream if he behaves himself, and keeps his word, even though Rori feared his snark cost him the frozen confection.
  • Not only that, Xávirac offers to stand and let Rori sit when there is only one seat available. Rori tells him he can have the seat and, in a move that surprises them both, asks to sit on his Master's lap.
  • Xávirac sees that, despite it being Rori's idea, he struggles to remain calm, trembling and breathing hard. He pets him and gives him encouraging words to try and calm him down, and it works.
  • When it is time to go back home, Xávirac lets Rori ride on his back while he flies them back. And instead of taking him straight home, he takes detours to show him some of the natural beauty of the world and to prolong their time together. Rori is shown happy and exhilarated for the first time in the book.
  • Once back home, Xávirac tells Rori that it's a good look for him. Rori says he saw him admiring the way he looked earlier, but Xávirac clarifies he meant he looked good smiling, able to see it despite his face being covered. Rori reaches under his veil and finds he is indeed smiling, much to his surprise and joy.
  • Before they part ways, Rori admits his Master was right: he did have fun on the trip, and gives his Master a quick kiss on the cheek despite his nervousness and continued uncertainty towards him.
• Later on, he heads to the library for a quiet night lost in a good book. He finds Lilian there, much to his surprise. Despite not making the best impression on him before, the two of them hit it off. Lilian also reveals she's a belly dancer and a teacher, despite almost never having anyone to teach anymore. Rori asks for dance lessons from her, which she's happy to oblige him on, and it's clear that meant a lot to her.
• After another shopping trip, Xávirac is practically beaming with pride over how Rori handled himself when an unexpected problem arose.
• Throughout the book, several small hints are given that show that Xávirac remembers everything about his pets.
• Satiirian's Side Story has a few.
  • Despite the disparaging way he speaks to the slavers, he shows nothing but kindness and warmth to his new pet, even sounding like a father speaking to his son.
  • Satiirian finds he can't carry on with his original plan to just head back home after what he saw and goes back. It's suggested he did it simply because the other slaves meant something to his new acquisition.
  • It's implied he was going to kill everyone there, slavers and slaves alike. But he gets another look at the latter and realizes they might not be hopeless like he initially thought. So he changes his plan for the second time that day.
  • He buys all of them and instead wipes out only the slavers. He cuts away their collars and tells them to run to give them a chance at freedom before he unleashes his Dragon Fire on the wretched place.