"Yay, littler cousins!" Matthias says, making happy colored lights dance around.
What are you going to call them?" Gwenne asks.
"How many are you having?" Tal wonders.
Finally. It's about time I found one, it's almost time for next class.
"Yay, littler cousins!" Matthias says, making happy colored lights dance around.
What are you going to call them?" Gwenne asks.
"How many are you having?" Tal wonders.
** spoiler omitted **
"There's going to be four babies. Two boys and two girls. And we haven't decided yet what we're going to call them. Picking names is an important task and shouldn't be rushed. We're still deciding on how they should be born."
Just like the balls of vines from before, the ivy on the wall lashes out to try and wrap around Jim, only to slide off uselessly. Jim claims the potted plant with ease.
"So was it boring?" Professor Agave asks as she walks over, releasing a student so covered by ivy he couldn't be seen.
"There's going to be four babies. Two boys and two girls. And we haven't decided yet what we're going to call them. Picking names is an important task and shouldn't be rushed. We're still deciding on how they should be born."
"Four!? You're gonna get huge!" Matthias says, spreading his arms wide for emphasis.
"Four!? You're gonna get huge!" Matthias says, spreading his arms wide for emphasis."There's going to be four babies. Two boys and two girls. And we haven't decided yet what we're going to call them. Picking names is an important task and shouldn't be rushed. We're still deciding on how they should be born."
Ephebe laughed. "Yes, if I keep the babies inside my tummy until they're ready to be born, I will most certainly get huge. Not as much if we decide to have them hatch from eggs. Since I'm part dragon, that's also an option."
Less boring than I thought, but it was definitely time-consuming. These plants, gesturing to the ivy still trying to wrap itself around him, were somewhat annoying, but they didn't stop me for long.
Ephebe laughed. "Yes, if I keep the babies inside my tummy until they're ready to be born, I will most certainly get huge. Not as much if we decide to have them hatch from eggs. Since I'm part dragon, that's also an option."
"That right, you're a dragon! You still owe us a ride!" Tal replies enthusiastically. "It's so much brighter now that we could see forever!"
Less boring than I thought, but it was definitely time-consuming. These plants, gesturing to the ivy still trying to wrap itself around him, were somewhat annoying, but they didn't stop me for long.
"They were not to stop you, merely slow you down. If you had happened to be caught I would have let you out after a while. Next time I substitute I'll be sure to use some of the trees against you. You can go get cleaned up and ready for your next class now."
Very well.
Jim will go and get cleaned up, the grease removing itself, after a while, but green stains remaining from the balls of ivy. He will wash himself down, and buff himself after, returning his chestplate and such to a shine.
"I still think you'd be better off getting my mom to give you a ride. She's a bigger dragon than I am, so you'd fit better. And your Aunt Aananda has been working on building a special harness so you don't fall off," she added, smiling at her mom. "But...the thing is, everybody doesn't know about us yet. We're planning to tell them at this big game that your dad is setting up for all the students. So it's kind of a secret until after that. But once everybody knows that we're dragons, it shouldn't be a problem taking you three flying."
"Aww, we gotta wait?" Tal and Matthias ask at the same time.
Gwenne, looking toward Aananada to ask about the harness, spies Vai and immediately goes over to her.
"Hi, I'm Gwenne! What's your name?"
Vai bends down to talk to Gwenne. "Hello Gwenne, my name is Vai. Pleased to meet you."
"Hi, Vai! Are you a dragon too? Everyone in here except me and my brothers are dragons."
"Yes, you have to wait. Sorry, kids."
"Yeah, Vai has been adopted into the family, so she'll be around quite a bit. Vai, these are Uncle Ryo's kids, Gwenne already introduced herself, and these other two troublemakers," she said, teasing, "are Matthias and Tal."
"Hi, Vai! Are you a dragon too? Everyone in here except me and my brothers are dragons."
"Hey! Not a dragon! Just saying. I have a dragon for a mate, but that's different."
Vai smiled warmly at Gwenne. If a small child like this wasn't afraid of dragons, Vai could hope that some day, it wouldn't matter to anyone what she was. "Yes, me too. I'm a little different from everyone else though, I wasn't born a dragon."
"Hey! Not a dragon! Just saying. I have a dragon for a mate, but that's different."
"Sorry. Okay, she's just a hothead." Gwenne tells Vai. "It's cool you're a dragon. It means our big family is really big!"
"We're not troublemakers..." Matthias protests.
"Yeah!" Tal agrees.
"Hey! Not a dragon! Just saying. I have a dragon for a mate, but that's different.""Sorry. Okay, she's just a hothead." Gwenne tells Vai. "It's cool you're a dragon. It means our big family is really big!"
"We're not troublemakers..." Matthias protests.
"Yeah!" Tal agrees.
"I know. I was teasing. You're all three very helpful, good kids," she said, hugging Matthias and Tal.
"And tell your patron I said thank you," she whispered.
"Well, except for that time we found a slurk in the hallways and tried to keep it as a pet. Mister Relcav didn't like that."
"Okay." They whisper back, hugging her tightly.
Ryleh glares at Lysander briefly before stalking off to the far side of the lab. She wasn't being fair and she knew it. She should be grateful that Lysander had saved Ephebe. She knew that the two of them at least had called a truce. But it still brought everything else back all too clearly.
Lysander meets the brief glare and returns to watching his little cousins when Ryleh goes to the other side of the lab.
Ephebe lets her little cousins go to bug their Aunt Aananda about the flying harness and walks over to where Lysander is watching.
"I'm sorry about Grandma. She's....feeling very emotional right now. We were discussing birth options before you guys showed up because Vai was curious what I meant about something. And it really brought things back for her. About her children."
"I understand. I don't expect her to ever like me. I represent something she's feared and hated and fought all her life, and her feelings won't change just like that. As long as it is directed at me, I do not care one way or the other."
"Well, I care. It isn't just about you. What about me? And Matthias, Gwenne, and Tal? Like it or not, we're all caught in the middle. She doesn't hate us, but she hates what we are. She was a pacifist, 'Sander. She hates herself for what she did almost as much as she hates you for being what you are. I just wish I knew how to talk to her about it. Especially where my children are concerned. She's really happy about having great-grandchildren, but not at all happy about them having Hunter blood."
"Wanna see something even cooler?" Vai whispers conspiratorially, glancing around the lab, "I might have to show you later, it's not safe here."
"I will do it. I think a Hunter-a real Hunter-should talk to her. It's not like she can kill me or anything. I won't have Matthias, Gwenne, and Tal thinking their grandmother hates them and that there is nothing they can do about it."
"Wanna see something even cooler?" Vai whispers conspiratorially, glancing around the lab, "I might have to show you later, it's not safe here."
"Something cooler?" Gwenne whispers excitedly. "What is it? I wanna see!"
"I will do it. I think a Hunter-a real Hunter-should talk to her. It's not like she can kill me or anything. I won't have Matthias, Gwenne, and Tal thinking their grandmother hates them and that there is nothing they can do about it."
"Thank you. And I'm sorry in advance for how much grief she's going to give you."
"Something cooler?" Gwenne whispers excitedly. "What is it? I wanna see!"
"Alright, but if anyone gets mad you have to defend me, kay?" Vai smiles and then slowly grows her wings out of her back and then spreads them wide for Gwenne to see. "I think I'm the only one who can grow wings like that."
"Alright, but if anyone gets mad you have to defend me, kay?" Vai smiles and then slowly grows her wings out of her back and then spreads them wide for Gwenne to see. "I think I'm the only one who can grow wings like that."
"Whoa..." Gwenne says, eyes wide, as she stretches out her hand and feels the edge of a wing. "It's warm."
"Thank you. And I'm sorry in advance for how much grief she's going to give you."
"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Just make sure the little ones aren't around, or anyone else for that matter. I doubt we'll stay calm and collected for long."
Vai flaps her wings slowly, letting Gwenne touch them. "Of course they're warm silly. Now, you mentioned something about wanting to fly?"
"Thank you. And I'm sorry in advance for how much grief she's going to give you.""It's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Just make sure the little ones aren't around, or anyone else for that matter. I doubt we'll stay calm and collected for long."
"Ryo's kitchen in a half hour? Krays and I can watch Matthias, Gwenne, and Tal for a while. We're skipping classes today. Turns out starting the morning with a kidnapping is considered an excused absence."
Vai flaps her wings slowly, letting Gwenne touch them. "Of course they're warm silly. Now, you mentioned something about wanting to fly?"
"Really? You'll take us flying?" Gwenne is awed by this offer, and quickly drags Matthias and Tal away from Aananada.
"Ryo's kitchen in a half hour? Krays and I can watch Matthias, Gwenne, and Tal for a while. We're skipping classes today. Turns out starting the morning with a kidnapping is considered an excused absence."
That will work just fine. They can't get enough of you anyway, and you'll need the practice caring for little ones."
"Ryo's kitchen in a half hour? Krays and I can watch Matthias, Gwenne, and Tal for a while. We're skipping classes today. Turns out starting the morning with a kidnapping is considered an excused absence."That will work just fine. They can't get enough of you anyway, and you'll need the practice caring for little ones."
She smiled."Exactly. I haven't really spent much time around children...it'll be good for us."
"I'll be in the kitchen in half an hour then. Enjoy the 'troublemakers'." Lysander tells Ephebe, casting one more glance as his little cousins before leaving.
Ephebe watched her cousins mobbing her new sister, eagerly examinging her wings and smiled again.
She glanced over at her grandmother and sent a telepathic message.
::Okay, so here's the deal. You're gonna go and talk things out with Lysander. Ryo's kitchen in half an hour. You're going to do this because this family is too important to all of us to let it be torn apart by the past. We all need this in order to move forward.::
Ryleh looked like she wanted to argue, but instead she simply pursed her lips and nodded grimly.
Taking a side hallway, Lysander goes straight to the kitchen in Ryo's house, frowning at the lasagna pans that were left out. He has the unseen servants start cleaning them as he starts a plan of his own.
He would be ready for Rylehtin'akksavith.
Kitty bowed respectfully to the Headmaster. "Yes, sir. This is my Onee-chan, Nanami. She wishes to speak with you about my family coming for a visit."The door opens and Ryo looks up from his paperwork.
"Hello Miss Tanaka, Mr. Dacamara. I assume this young lady with you is the one Professer Agave told me about?"
Vai flaps her wings slowly, letting Gwenne touch them. "Of course they're warm silly. Now, you mentioned something about wanting to fly?""Really? You'll take us flying?" Gwenne is awed by this offer, and quickly drags Matthias and Tal away from Aananada.
"Are you sure you can actually lift them? Even if it's only a few feet up and one a t a time, I'm not sure this is the best idea, Vai..."
"As long as they don't cause any trouble I don't see a problem. May I ask why your family is coming here, Miss Tanaka?" He asks, looking at Nanami.
"Are you sure you can actually lift them? Even if it's only a few feet up and one a t a time, I'm not sure this is the best idea, Vai..."
Vai looks sheepishly at Aananda. "Well, I think I can fly with Gwenne at least, but I could take all three flying at once if we went to Professor Daiyu's classroom. I'm alot stronger in dragon form. Ouch! Careful Tal, those are sensitive."
"Eccentricity is encouraged here. Tell your family they are welcome as long as no harm comes to any of my students due to their actions."
Stands in silent agreement with Ephebe, and prepares himself for the dreaded babysitting...
Aananda chuckles. "I'm afraid we can't use Professor Daiyu's classroom at present as it is currently being used for classes. Also, I need to set up better security there after...well, it's just something that would make me feel more comfortable."
"Alright, one at a time, and don't go up too high. Just to be safe. And we'll hold off on the actual flights until I get the safety harness finished. I'm not taking any chances with my niece and nephews' safety."
"Alright, one at a time, and don't go up too high. Just to be safe. And we'll hold off on the actual flights until I get the safety harness finished. I'm not taking any chances with my niece and nephews' safety."
All three cheer loudly and almost immediately begin to argue who is going to be flying first.